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* * * Submissions are now closed * * *

Are you a Chicago-based entrepreneur between the ages of 21-40? Do you have a business idea, prototype or half-baked strategy that you need help with? Do you watch ABC's "Shark Tank" and think to yourself, "Wow, I am a lot smarter than these people"?



We got the contest for you: the RedEye Big Idea Awards are back.



On Oct. 13 at Ravenswood Event Center, we'll crown winners with new business ideas in four categories.

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Winners receive awards including a $1,000 cash prize, ads in RedEye's print edition and a one-year small business membership to the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce plus a gift certificate to apply toward event registration, to help get your idea to that next level.

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Marylynne Schwartz, Nicole Vasquez, Emma Robertson and Nikkita Randle win the 2015 Big Idea Awards. (Sean Ely)



And you'll do a victory tour onstage at the Big Idea Awards, which drew nearly 350 guests last year. Check out the winners' ideas from last year.



We have created this process to turn your big idea into a reality. So don't wait. Submit your big idea in one of the four specific categories here.

Submissions will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. CT on Sept. 21.



On Sept. 26, finalists will officially be announced to the public. If you're a finalist, you'll be headed to the finals at Ravenswood Event Center to pitch your big idea to the public (in person) with one goal in mind: Tally the most votes from attendees in your category.



The event will feature meet-and-greets with each finalist, beverages, appetizers and more.



Submit your idea to us today. Who knows? In less than two months, you could be hoisting the trophy on stage at The Big Idea Awards.

Full rules can be found here. (Don't be lazy, actually read them. They have lots of important info you need to know.)



Buy tickets to The Big Idea Awards here.
'India is the number one IT destination in the world as we have the largest number of IT professionals in the world.'

IMAGE: A scene from an Indian start-up company. Photograph: Reuters

Infosys Co-founder, Senapathy Gopalakrishnan, who was the company's CEO and MD from 2007 to 2011 and Infy's vice-chairman from 2011 to 2014, is now co-founder at Axilor Ventures, an accelerator that helps early-stage start-ups succeed.

'Kris' Gopalakrishnan spoke with Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier in Chennai and later with Prasanna D Zore in Mumbai at the launch of itihaasa, about job creation, life and career lessons.

itihaasa Research and Digital's mobile app itihaasa, chronicles the history of the Indian information technology industry with the help of interviews (videos, photographs, timelines, etc) of 44 stalwarts of the IT industry to 'inspire, give ideas to the current generation of entrepreneurs.'

The first of a two-part interview:

Was it because you were part of the IT revolution in India that you decided to chronicle the history of Indian IT industry through itihaasa?

Yes. It has been a great experience to look at the industry growing from nothing to what it is today, become a globally competitive world-class industry and create 4 million jobs.

I felt it would be appropriate to document its history. I also wanted to do it not from my perspective alone, but from the perspective of all the people who have made it what it is.

I was fortunate that everybody I reached out to, agreed to participate and give me time. For the one hour of recording, they had to spend at least an additional 2 hours; one was for discussion and based on the discussion, we created the questions and then recorded answers to those questions.

Is it your tribute to the industry, or is it for the future generation that you did this?

It is definitely for the future generation. Here is the story of several people coming together, mostly first generation entrepreneurs to create a world-class industry. So it is a document for the future generation in the voice of the people who made it happen.

How will itihaasa help India's GenNext?

Being a mobile app, I strongly believe that the youth will take to it.

Bandwidth in India too is improving and now with 4G, watching videos is not that difficult; probably it (downloading videos) may take more time, but it does play very well.

We have run it on iPhones and Android devices and the app runs very well. In fact, on mobiles, the user interface is better and intuitive.

The whole idea of releasing the history of the Indian IT industry on an app is that the India's youth is very comfortable with the concept of an app.

That's the reason why we preferred releasing an app for the purpose. Yes, there may be little delays in loading of videos, but the experience will be worth your time.

What will itihaasa give to the youth?

Itihaasa will give them the experience of all these people who have created a world-class, $150 billion industry, which is, today employing almost four million people in India.

itihaasa will give the next generation an understanding of what the industry stalwarts have to do to reach this stage.

Hopefully, itihaasa will inspire, give ideas to the current generation of entrepreneurs.

After this, do you feel like documenting other industries also?

No. no. What I have done is for the industry I am part of. But the platform that we have created can be used for documenting the history of other industries, programmes and projects. In fact, some people have approached us too.

What I have done is, we have created an organisation called Itihaasa Research and it will look at sustaining this project as well as taking other projects too.

As you journeyed through this industry from the country's first computer in 1955, did you come across any startling revelations, which you were not aware of?

Though I knew the involvement of people like Homi Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai and the role played by them, we were able to understand more from the perspective of people like Professor Sadagopan, Professor Pathak, Professor Raja Ramanna, etc.

It was not a revelation or surprise, but the details and their perspective are not known to many people including myself. We were able to bring in the stories from different angles and different perspectives which I think is very important.

That's why the whole work is richer and more satisfying.

How much is the knowledge of history important for the industry and a person who is a part of?

It is very, very important because you get lessons of how something was done and the thought process behind it, and why something happened. It is always interesting to go back after the story has unfolded. A lot of such examples are there in itihaasa.

For example, the formation of TCS, Infosys, the first STP, the reasons why IIT Madras got the largest main frame computer at that time even though it had a very small computer science department. It was very interesting to listen to all these stories.

IMAGE: Infosys Founders, from left Nandan Nilekani, N S Raghavan, Kris Gopalakrishnan, N R Narayanmurthy, S D Shibulal and K Dinesh. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI

When you became entrepreneurs, there was not much infrastructure in India. Do you feel today's entrepreneurs are lucky in that way?

Every generation faces unique challenges. In fact, competition is severe for todays entrepreneurs; competition is also global. They have access to funds but funds are not easy as competition is global. The challenges are different.

Being an entrepreneur is not easy. You cannot be an entrepreneur without taking any risk. Even today, 7 to 8 out of 10 start ups fail.

In those days, many companies that started together did not do very well and shut down. Challenges are different, but there are always challenges for entrepreneurs.

Do you feel today's entrepreneurs are more risk-taking as there is more acceptance from family and society today?

Yes, we are a lot more accepting culturally as entrepreneurship as a profession.

How much do the government's initiatives like Start up India, Make in India help improve the infrastructure and give confidence to the new age entrepreneurs?

If someone at the higher level, say the prime minister himself saying that entrepreneurship is okay and you should look at it as a career option, it makes a lot of difference to the people looking to be entrepreneurs.

They feel the nation will be supportive of their efforts. Thats a cultural change and also a change in the general perception.

What is important is the need to focus on policies that help in doing business and also on the regulatory frame works.

Then because the government itself is investing, funding has also become easier either in creating infrastructure for them or directly funding them.

So there are many levels at which the initiatives are helpful to create the right environment for start-ups.

How much more has India to change so that more and more entrepreneurs are born and innovations happen?

It has to change in many areas. Ease of doing business is an ongoing change programme.

The government has to continuously see that we create the right environment for new business creation.

We have to look at our laws and see whether they need modifications. For example, the passing of the GST Bill which will help in the ease of doing business.

Of course, the implementation has to be in such a way that it shouldnt add to the complexity of doing business.

As expected, it should reduce the complexity in doing business. This has to be an ongoing process.

Similarly, on the innovation side, we have to look at the research that is going on in our academic institutions and see which of those can be converted into new businesses.

Today, that translation of research into business into useful products is not happening much. There are instances where it has happened but we need lot more of that to happen.

IMAGE: The Infosys campus in Bengaluru

Is that why we do not have that many world-class IT products coming from India?

If you look at many of the product companies of the world, they have their R&D situated in India. It is not that we are not capable.

There are not many products coming out of India because the market is not in India. You need to understand the market to create products.

Once our market grows, we will see some products coming out of India.

The business model for a product company is very different from a services company. It's lot more risky and requires higher investment, it requires longer lead time and the probability of failure is higher.

So, we were not in a position to get into this area before because we were too far away from the market and needed huge funding.

But now you are seeing products for the Indian market; yes, they are coming slightly differently, being delivered probably as services and integrating that with the business.

When will the image of Indian IT services person to that of an Innovator happen?

We have so far done value addition, product management, etc as services companies. And you need to respect the services companies.

We can be proud of the fact that out of the top IT services companies in the world, five are Indian companies.

We do have great product companies also. In the banking sector, the top three product companies are actually of Indian origin.

For the last several years, we have been hearing that India's dominance in the IT service sector will diminish with China and the Philippines catching up but it did not happen. Do you think it can happen in the years to come? No. The size, scale, experience, financial strength, market capitalisation and think-tank will continue to benefit the Indian IT industry.

The Philippines has done well in BPO while China has done well in other aspects of software like gaming, mobile telephony hardware space, etc.

So, different countries have different competitive advantage and that's where they will leverage on.

You mean, India's dominance in the services sector will continue?

Yes. Many of the multinationals have their own operations in India. I have no doubt, India as a destination for software development and IT back offices, will continue.

India is the number one IT destination in the world as we have the largest number of IT professionals in the world, and this dominance will continue.

Has it anything to do with the ability of Indians or was it because we could give the right education at the right time?

The right education at the right time and also at the scale at which it was needed. We also invested in educating youngsters in computer science early on.

It was in 1977 that Apple launched the first personal computer. In 1981 IBM introduced the first personal computer. We were there when the first wave of entrepreneurship happened in the late 70s and the early 80s.

When you look at smaller countries, they may be producing 10,000 or at the most 20,000 engineers while we have 1 million engineers passing out every year.

This kind of quality and manpower is not available anywhere else even if only 25% are directly employable but many others can be trained and employed.

Where do you see India in the global IT map in the next decade or so?

We will continue to dominate in Services.

In the case of product development, you can see application products coming out of India in logistics, airport management, cargo management, payment systems, financial dealings, etc you will see some of the Indian companies competing globally and doing well.

I am very optimistic about the future of the sector.

Don't miss Kris Gopalakrishnan's advice for entrepreneurs! Coming soon!
Joining peers such as Xiaomi, Vivo and Gionee, Chinese handset maker LeEco will assemble its smartphones in India, investing Rs 50 crore in the facility.

Set up in partnership with Compal Electronics, the facility in Greater Noida will have an initial capacity of 60,000 units a month. This will be ramped up to 2,00,000 by the end of December.

"We have partnered with Compal for the facility and will start with the assembly of Le2. We will invest Rs 35 crore to start with and have earmarked another Rs 12-15 crore for the ramp-up," LeEco COO Smart Electronics Business Atul Jain told PTI.

He added that the facility, spread over 2,00,000 sq ft, will provide jobs to nearly 200 people.

"India will be a global export hub... We are already there in China, Hong Kong and will soon start selling in Russia, Indonesia and the US," he said.

Le2, which was launched two months ago, has already sold 2,00,000 units in India.

"The facility will provide us about 6-8 per cent cost benefit," he said, adding that LeEco has a similar partnership with Compal for its facility in China.

India attracted investment from 37 mobile manufacturing companies in the last one year that have generated 40,000 direct jobs and 1.25 lakh indirect employment. These include the likes of Xiaomi, Vivo, Gionee, Karbonn, Lava, Micromax, Intex, Jivi, iTel, and MTech.

"Handset manufacturing in India rose 185 per cent in value terms in 2015-16 to Rs 54,000 crore and is expected to touch Rs 94,000 crore this fiscal," IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

Also, according to estimates, FDI in electronic manufacturing has touched an all-time high of Rs 1.23 lakh crore in 2016.

LeEco launched its handsets in India in January this year and televisions a few weeks ago. The company has already sold one million units of smartphones in India.

"The partnership with Compal is non-exclusive and both partners can work with other players," he said.

India is one of the largest markets globally for smartphones. According to research firm IDC, the smartphone market in India saw a 17.1 per cent sequential rise in shipments to 27.5 million units in April-June, with Chinese vendors like Lenovo, Xioami and Vivo driving the growth.
Even after the recent developments at Infosys, both companies are expected to deliver similar revenue growth in FY17

The scrip of Infosys Technologies has been reacting sharply to any misses or blips registered in operational performance. This is reflected in the stock's behaviour in recent months, after it disappointed investors on multiple fronts.

Among recent developments is the company's revenue missing Street expectations in the June quarter, the first of this financial year. More importantly, the company trimmed its earlier full-year constant currency revenue growth expectation in July by 100-150 basis points. It now expects this metric to grow between 10.5 and 12 per cent.

The most recent pressure point seems more structural. After cancellation of a contract from Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), following the British vote to leave the European Union, the company management has said the latter development ('Brexit') is a real concern. It remains watchful on its forecast and hopes a clearer picture will emerge around October.

Thanks to these concerns, the Infosys scrip is down six per cent over the past month, as against a one per cent fall each in its closest peer, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex.

In fact, after trading at a minor premium to TCS for a brief while, it now trades at a 25 per cent discount. Infosys trades at a relatively undemanding valuation of 15 times the one-year forward estimated earnings. The key question now is whether the valuation gap is justified. Not quite.

One, even after the recent developments at Infosys, both companies are expected to deliver similar revenue growth in FY17 (with the difference in growth rate only one to two percentage points), by the consensus estimate.

Second, the near-term headwinds from Brexit could have a bearing on TCS revenues as well. In fact, TCS derives a higher proportion of its revenues from Europe; Infosys has relatively lower exposure to this market.

Third, as TCS has been missing the Streets revenue estimate for some quarters, its high valuations could be at risk to any unfavourable development.

Operationally, this valuation gap implies the market expects the annual revenue/net profit growth gap between TCS and Infosys of five-six per cent to open up and persist into the long term (five years), write analysts at JPMorgan, in a recent report on Infosys.

If Infosys never manages to even partially close this gap with TCS for the next five years, the current valuation gap is justified and will endure, it adds.

The silver lining is that Infosys has managed to address the issues it faced in the consulting business in the June quarter and expects to put up a better show in the ongoing one. Most analysts believe in the managements implementation capabilities and say it is witnessing improved momentum in deal wins.

Thus, despite near-term headwinds from Brexit, the Street continues to remain positive on Infosys. The average target of analysts polled by Bloomberg this month of Rs 1,278 for the share is an upside of 25 per cent from current levels. Investors can, thus, use this correction to enter the stock.

Photograph: PTI Photo
Two projects in Iran, which India is to execute involving major financial commitments on its part, are of particular significance for Indian steel.

To the advantage of Indian steel and mineral industries, there is a fund of goodwill for this country in Iran, which has launched a massive infrastructure building programme following the withdrawal of sanctions.

One of the first things Teheran decided to do after the country's international isolation ended in January was to bring back oil production to the 2011 pre-sanctions level, which earned the country the displeasure of a few members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

This is good news for Indian steel pipes manufacturers nursing idle capacity.

With energy prices remaining weak amid supply gluts and weak demand, oil companies globally have effected sharp cuts in capital spending.

In a situation like this, pipe producers everywhere will be targeting Iran where oil production has been stepped up.

For instance, Russia's largest steel pipe maker TMK is giving a push to exports to Iran for better capacity use of its plants.

As Teheran wants to make good for big falls in energy prices by stepping up oil production, it is laying emphasis on expansion of ports and railway network.

An Indian steel industry official says: "If we play our cards well, we stand a good chance to export good volumes of steel for use in the about-to-be-launched infrastructure projects in Iran."

Some of the 12 'business agreements' signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Teheran in May are likely to create an ideal condition for use of Indian steel in Iranian projects.

Two projects in Iran, which India is to execute involving major financial commitments on its part, are of particular significance for Indian steel.

Port development work is all about cement and steel. India will be spending $500 million to build two terminals and five cargo berths at Chabahar port, which remained under-funded and under-used through the sanctions years.

Chabahar, which is on the Gulf of Oman on Iran's southern coast, is of strategic commercial significance for India because the port will give India access to Afghanistan and central Asia bypassing Pakistan.

For moving goods to Afghanistan and other places at minimum logistics cost, Indian government-owned turnkey construction company IRCON will lay a 500-km rail line between Chabahar and Iran's inland city Zahedan.

Incidentally, the capital city of Sistan and Baluchestan province Zahedan is 41 km from Afghanistan border.

The Bhilai Steel Plant of Steel Authority of India (SAIL) has supplied good quantities of rails to Iran in the past.

Earlier this month, Jindal Steel & Power Limited (JSPL) dispatched the first consignment of 1,700 tonnes of rails out of a total order for 150,000 tonnes to Iran.

Last year, SAIL, too, won orders to supply rails to Iran. SAIL makes rails in lengths of 13 and 16 metres. But, the Iranian order is for 18-metre long rails.

To meet this requirement, SAIL has imported a hot stamping machine from Germany and non-destructive testing facilities from Austria.

Timely execution of these orders will create an ideal condition for SAIL and JSPL to bid for more orders when Iran starts investing the planned $25 billion in modernisation and expansion of its rail network, including stepping up the rail track length from 15,000 km to 25,000 km by 2025.

India's steel makers are enthused by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's statement that that country's relationship with India "starts with Chabahar, but its end will be an all-out comprehensive development, and economic and cultural cooperation".

What must not, however, be lost on the Indian industry is that following the end of sanctions, steelmakers from China and European countries have made several visits to Iran to explore the possibilities of exports and participation in the country's programme to make 25 million tonnes (mt) of steel by 2025 compared with the current annual production of 16 mt.

Around 200 identified iron ore deposits in Iran have confirmed reserves of 4.5 billion tonnes.

As the country is about to embark on expanding steel production capacity, Iran is expected to give a major push to raise ore production from the present level of 45 mt. The mines in Iran are now state owned.

Last year, Teheran made a policy declaration to allow private and foreign participation for rapid development of the sector.

China's Baosteel has already thrown its hat in the Iranian steel and mines ring.

Shouldn't India be also exploring opportunities in this area?
Olas cash reserves are starting to run dry. The company was in talks to raise $1 billion in funding by the end of July, but no announcement has been made as yet

Bhavish Aggarwal, bottom, left, co-founder and CEO of Indias largest taxi aggregator Ola, was forced to take the hard step of laying off close to 700 employees and shutting down TaxiForSure in his bid to cut operational costs and conserve the companys dwindling cash reserves.

Ola had acquired smaller rival TaxiForSure for $200 million in March last year, and after investing in its growth for exactly a year, began diverting resources from its subsidiary to grow itself. In the fight to stay ahead of Uber, Ola transitioned all TaxiForSure cabs to its own Micro category, where prices start at Rs 6 a km, and claimed that its low-fare service was larger than all of Uber India.

When Ola started transitioning cabs from TaxiForSure to its Micro category sometime around March this year, several employees began quitting because they were preempting a shutdown, says an ex-TaxiForSure employee who quit before Ola shut down its subsidiary. Basically, by laying off everyone who had not yet quit, they were cutting operational costs, he adds.

The cost of price war

The growing cash burn hastened the decision. Uber, which entered the Indian market just three years ago, began a price war with Ola by heavily subsidising the cost of rides for customers and paying large incentives to drivers. Ola, which has so far kept up with Uber in terms of fares, considered it more prudent to cut operational costs of an almost-defunct TaxiForSure than jeopardise its market position by slashing discounts.

However, while huge discounts have drawn customers to its platform (soon after it was acquired, daily rides for TaxiForSure shot up from 10,000 to 40,000), it has also led to increase in cash burn for the company.

By shutting down TaxiForSure, Ola will save an estimated Rs 30 crore (Rs 300 million) just on salaries, a sizable amount that can be deployed elsewhere, given that the companys reserves are starting to run dry. Business Standard had earlier reported that Ola was in talks to raise $1 billion in funding by the end of July. However, no announcement has been made as yet, pointing to a delay.

At the same time, the companys losses have widened from Rs 34.21 crore (Rs 342 million) in 2013-14 to Rs 796 crore (Rs 7.96 billion) in 2014-15. The 2015-16 results are yet to be disclosed.

In the course of the integration, we have absorbed as many TaxiForSure employees for open roles in Ola to support our growth. For positions that cease to exist as a result of this transition, we are offering enhanced severance benefits and outplacement services to help affected employees pursue new career opportunities, the company had said in a statement soon after shutting down TaxiForSure.

Most of the employees who were absorbed came from a technical background, while the majority of people in other roles were laid off. When Ola first announced that it was acquiring TaxiForSure last year, the fate of the company was sealed, since it made no sense for Ola to run both companies and share a double burden especially since both of them operated in the same market.

"Ola acquired TaxiForSure only for its loyal customer base which it slowly transitioned on to its own platform by allowing them to book Ola cabs on the TaxiForSure app, says the former TaxiForSure employee who pleaded anonymity.

Fight for dominance

In the battle against well-funded Uber, the Indian company is doing its best to reduce cash burn and make its resources last for as long as possible, hopefully by then deterring Uber from being as aggressive as it is today.

At the start of this month, San Francisco-based Uber sold off its China unit to rival Didi Chuxing as it saw its market share growth stall despite burning nearly $2 billion in three years. The company, which forayed into the Indian and Chinese markets in the same month in 2013, has in many ways been able to make a much larger impact in India.

Both Uber and Ola claim market leadership. However, according to research firm Redseer Consulting, Ola continues to dominate with nearly two-thirds of the market, while Uber controls about a fourth. Ola might be in the lead, but Uber in the past has displayed its ability to grow swiftly.

In the end, both companies follow a business model that ensures that the player with the larger number of cabs or passengers on its platform will win. Experts say that in India, where the market lacks maturity and customers ply with whichever player offers the lowest fare, growing either of those metrics is directly proportional to the amount of money each company is willing to burn.

With Uber accepting defeat in China, its all the more important for the company to ensure that it wins in India, the last large open market globally. This will put more pressure on Ola, as Uber can now divert funds that would have otherwise gone into its China business to India.

The company has already said that it will be investing a significant portion of the $3.5 billion it raised from Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund in its India business. The battle for dominance in Indias taxi-hailing market is likely to get fiercer.

Image used for representation purpose only.

Photograph: PTI Photo.
The infusion will help the airlines plan their next rounds of operations as easing of 5/20 norms

With the aviation ministry easing the 5/20 norms, Tata Sons is stepping up investment in its airline ventures in India. The promoters of Vistara, Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, have agreed to infuse Rs 150 crore (Rs 1.5 billion) in the airline.

According to regulatory filings by the Tata-SIA joint venture on June 2, 2016, the board of the airline approved the issue of fresh shares to its main owners on a rights basis.

This comes close on the heels of AirAsia Indias promoters agreeing to infuse Rs 234 crore (Rs 2.34 billion) in the airline. On June 14, the airlines board approved the issue of fresh shares worth Rs 234 crore to its two main owners, Tata Sons and AirAsia Malaysia, on a rights basis.

Tata Son's investments Vistara Along with SIA, Tatas agreed to infuse Rs 150 crore The airline, which has 11 aircraft, could advance its earlier plan of getting its 20th by June 2018 Recently launched a TVC featuring Deepika Padukone AirAsia India The promoters, AirAsia Bhd and Tata Sons, agreed to infuse Rs 234 crore After a lull, the airline is giving shape to its expansion plans It got its 7th aircraft last month

The infusion will help the airlines plan their next rounds of operations as easing of 5/20 norms, under which airlines needed to have five years of domestic flying experience and at least 20 aircraft in their fleet to fly abroad, make it easier for the airlines to launch international operations. Both airlines did not respond to queries in this regard.

Tata is committed to the growth and success of both the airlines in a highly competitive market. Both airlines are demonstrating strong customer centricity in meeting passenger expectations. They have adapted well to the market and will build on learnings from their year of operation, a Tata Sons spokesperson said.

Sanjiv Kapoor, chief strategy officer at Vistara, had recently told Business Standard that the airline was adequately funded and would get its 20th aircraft by June 2018. Kapoor said there was no decision of advancing the delivery, but said the airline was capable of doing that. Currently, it has 11 aircraft.

The airlines aggression is evident from the recent launch of an advertisement featuring Bollywood star Deepika Padukone, the first airline in the country to do so.

Similarly, the conglomerates other airline venture Air Asia India has been on a growth path after initial controversy over ownership and control. It recently received its seventh aircraft and is adding new locations.

According to Amar Abrol, chief executive officer, AirAsia India, the airline will invest around Rs 250 crore in getting new aircrafts, hiring and flying to new locations. The airline is conducting roadshows across the country for recruiting pilots.

We have the money now, we are training all through the night, I am in a rush to get there, Abrol said when asked about the time it would take to have 20 aircraft.

The two airlines lobbied hard for the removal of the 5/20 rule, which was amended in the national civil aviation policy in June to 0/20. Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, had publicly criticised the rule saying it was hurting the growth of the industry.

We would have preferred, of course, that the rule be completely abolished. However, with more such forwardlooking policies and steps to reduce the costs of doing business, the airline industry in India is likely to see greater activity and more competition in the years ahead, Tata Sons said.

AirAsia India recorded an increase of 73 per cent in revenue to Rs 189 crore and cut its loss by 56 per cent to Rs 20.36 crore in Q2CY16 (y-o-y).

Photographs: PTI Photo and Reuters
The top posts on social media from your favourite Bollywood celebrities:

Model-turned-actress Lisa Ray is holidaying in Lebanon with hubby Jason Dehni.

The 44-year-old year cancer survivor shared a picture, above, on Twitter and wrote, 'Getting good at the #Lebanese brand of joie de vivre! #Beirut #LebaneseSpirit.'





'Breakfasting with the Birthday Boy in #Beirut,' she captioned another picture.





She tweeted one more picture and wrote, '#Baalbek #Lebanon #BaalbekInternationalFestival.'

***

Roshni Chopra shares first picture of her newborn

Television actress Roshni Chopra became a proud to a baby boy once again on August 14.

The Kasamh Se fame actress, who has named her son Reyaan, took to Instagram to share the first picture of her little bundle of joy.

She captioned it: 'Sleepless, But in a dream like state..Hopelessly in love, But filled with hope. A place far and deep within is touched again, Overflowing with love, Overcome with his birth. No greater joy, Welcome to the world My Reyaan.'

***

Neha Dhupia's fan girl moment!

Neha Dhupia recentlyhad a fan girl moment when she bumped into Irrfan Khan.

The actress shared this picture on Instagram and wrote, 'May all Monday's at work look like this ... #fangirl for life ... #irfankhan.'

Meanwhile, Irrfan Khan is gearing up for the release of his much-awaited Hollywood film Inferno. Co-starring Tom Hanks, the film is scheduled to release in October.

***

Sonakshi promotes Akira with rapper Badshah

Sonakshi Sinha zoomed off to Delhi to promote her upcoming action movie Akira with rapper Badshah.

The Dabangg actress shared a picture on, above, Instagram and wrote, 'This dude!!! When he found out I'm promoting in Delhi, he said you ain't promoting alone in my city and just showed up to ROCK the event! Thank you @badboyshah... You are a gem! #badshah #djwalebabu #akira #akirapromotions.'

Directed by AR Murugadoss, Akira releases on September 2.

***

Arjun Rampal scales Siachen Glacier

As a tribute to the Indian Army, Arjun Rampal recently scaled the Siachen Glacier, with some of his colleagues friends from the industry.

Rannvijay Singh Singha, Arunoday Singh, Sonnalli Seygall and a few others were a part of the expedition, which was an initiative by Eros Now.

Rampal shared a picture on Instagram, above, and wrote, 'Heading to base camp. #mountainsrule #salutesiachen #adventure #erosnow #humbled #grattitude.'





'Back home from Siachen glacier. The most amazing experience. #salutesiachen #proudofindianarmy #erosnow #siachen #adventure #humbled #mountainsrule,' he captioned another picture.
IMAGE: Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a recent visit to New Delhi. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

'During his visit to Vietnam on September 3 -- the first visit by an Indian prime minister in 15 years -- Modi will notice the widespread anti-China sentiment in that country,' says former RA&W officer Jayadeva Ranade.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have a busy and complicated agenda as he travels to South East Asia in the next few days. He will observe that dark clouds continue to linger on the horizons of the South China Sea well after the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague delivered its decision on July 12.

Countries that have maritime territorial disputes with China are increasingly uneasy. During his visit to Vietnam on September 3 -- the first visit by an Indian prime minister in 15 years -- Modi will notice the widespread anti-China sentiment in that country.

There is also palpable tension as Vietnam anticipates that China may take some robust steps in the South China Sea in the weeks following the G-20 Summit in Hangzhou on September 3-4.

Uncertainty is accentuated by the apparent unwillingness of the US to draw easily identifiable 'red lines.' China's economic and military might has pressured countries in the region and widened fissures in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations further weakening it. The Philippines and Taiwan are already feeling the adverse effects of China's economic pressure.

Expectation is high in Vietnam that Modi's visit will not only lend support to Vietnam's stance on the South China Sea, but qualitatively upgrade the bilateral relationship.

In addition to defence-related agreements and likely discussions on sale of the Brahmos missiles, assisting Vietnam to become self-sufficient in the production and maintenance of defence equipment, thereby lessening Hanoi's dependence on other countries would contribute to building an enduring relationship.

Potential areas of cooperation include pharmaceuticals, information technology, education and hospitals, all areas in which India's private sector has internationally demonstrated capabilities.

With an eye towards a long-term relationship with India, for example, Vietnam recently established a Centre for Indian Studies in the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, which trains upwardly mobile cadres and is directly under the politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Meanwhile, Beijing is trying hard to ensure that the issue of the South China Sea is not raised during the G-20 Summit in Hangzhou as that would derail the agenda and mar the atmosphere. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to India was part of this process.

Chinese interlocutors state that the visits this week of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to the US and that of US Secretary of State John Kerry and US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker to New Delhi for the second Strategic and Commercial Dialogue have raised concerns in Beijing that India and the US are moving still closer and India could side with the US on the issue.

Alluding to the recent statement by Hu Shisheng, director of the Institute of South and Southeast Asian and Oceanian Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, which is a think-tank of China's external intelligence arm, the ministry of state security, a Chinese interlocutor hinted that the remark was intended as a warning to India.

China, it is learnt, has made special arrangements for Prime Minister Modi keeping in mind his religious preferences!

The effort to keep the focus on the economic agenda at Hangzhou saw Wang Yi become the first Chinese foreign minister to travel to Japan in four years when he visited Tokyo on August 23-24.

Though the spokesman for China's ministry of foreign affairs clarified at a press briefing that Wang had gone to attend the 8th China-Japan-Republic of Korea foreign ministers' meeting and not for a bilateral visit, there is little doubt that preparations for a one-on-one meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit figured during discussions with his Japanese counterpart.

Chinese observers have noted that Abe did not visit the Yasukuni shrine this year. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida also travelled to China earlier this May. China and the US are also set to announce ratification of a major climate change agreement on September 2, the eve of the G-20 Summit.

Beijing sees this G-20 Summit as important for the global economy and intends to push for international acceptance of its economic agenda at the G-20 Summit. It has said it will push for the reform of existing international financial institutions with enhanced representation for emerging markets and developing countries.

It will advocate that the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, established under Chinese leadership, can be a useful supplement to the existing international financial system and argue that the 'One Belt, One Road' geo-economic initiative proposed by China, will upgrade economic cooperation and provide new momentum for the economic development of all countries.

Security in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province whose population has a high percentage of Christians, is a major consideration for the Chinese authorities. Over the past many months Zhejiang provincial authorities have cracked down on Christian 'underground' churches and congregations.

The authorities additionally seem particularly concerned at possible actions by Islamic extremists. According to a report in the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post on August 26, Chinese public security authorities in Guangzhou city ordered hostel operators to turn away guests from Afghanistan, Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Pakistan.

The prohibition will be in force till October. Dr Peng Peng of the Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences said the move was not announced to the public but was to reduce security risks at Guangzhou's independent hostels. Separately, measures have been introduced to limit pollution by banning cars and vehicles during certain hours and closing factories.

Xi is reportedly scheduled to have one-on-one meetings on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit with Abe, Modi and US President Barack Obama. Anticipatedly important political issues will be discussed then.

Jayadeva Ranade, a former additional secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India, is president of the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy.

ALSO READ
Could the Haji Ali dargah verdict be the beginning of the end of all social discrimination -- against women, against Dalits, the low castes and the caste-less, asks Durba Dhyani.

As a child, the word puja (Durga Puja celebrated in Bengal) held the promise of wonderful things -- holidays, new dresses, meeting cousins and friends -- for me.

My parents sent me and and my brother to dadurbari (grandpas home) during the puja vacations and the annual vacations. There, we climbed trees, plucked mangoes and ran wild among the corn and mustard fields. Since, throughout the rest of the year, we were cooped up either in our little flat or dismal classroom, those holidays were the only time when we learnt how carefree could childhood actually be.

Grandma would host a Lokkhipujo (prayers to goddess Lakshmi) every year, meticulously smearing cow dung on the compound, arranging fruits and fresh flowers, and placing the humble betel leaf and nut before the photograph of goddess Lakshmi. Once the diya (earthen lamp) was lit, everything looked very beautiful, indeed.

Once I was invited to a friends home for Saraswati Puja. As I handed over a few books to be blessed by the goddess of learning and wisdom during the ceremony, the purutmoshai (priest) asked, What is your gotra (clan)? I stared blankly. My friends family whispered among themselves, wondering what my caste might be. That was perhaps the first instance when I felt being there but left out -- a feeling one gets when allowed into a temple but not inside the sanctum sanctorum.

I came home and enquired about my gotra and caste. My father explained that though we followed Hinduism, we actually belonged to an ancient Tibeto-Chinese tribe and our traditional god was Bathow, symbolised by a cactus plant called Bwrai Bathow.

It was not a comforting explanation. It meant I had no jaati (caste) and no gotra. And why had no one heard of Bathow? Was he, somehow, a lesser god?

I continued to celebrate Durga Puja, but gradually began to look at things from an outsiders perspective. I still loved Ma Durga and felt saddened when she took leave of us all on Dashami (tenth and the last day of puja), but a small part of me stayed detached -- especially during pushpanjali (culmination of puja) on the eighth day, I felt as an imposter who didnt really have the right to be there.

But my friends did not know this and continued to invite me to their homes on auspicious occasions.

Once, during Diwali, I helped a friend light diyas, participated in their family prayers and then joined in bursting firecrackers on the street. It was a lovely evening and we were all caught up in joyous celebrations. I noticed, though, that one of our cousins, who had come down from Delhi, was missing in all of the festivities. Shes having heryou know my friend explained.

When realisation dawned, I froze in horror. It was that time of the month for me too, and I shouldnt have been there. Overcome by guilt, shame and fear, I quietly left as soon as I could.

I lay awake late into the night, agonising over what Id done; the immensity of the paap (sin) Id committed and the curse I might have unwittingly brought on myself as well as on my friends family. I blamed god for not creating everyone equal. Why didnt my other friends have to worry about caste? Why did only girls menstruate and have to be left out of holy places?

As the years passed, I understood that faith was greater than hollow rituals. It was man that had divided people into the high-born, the low caste, the untouchable and the unclean. I decided to stay away from organised religion and never visited a temple again.

And now, decades later, in a landmark judgment, the Bombay high court has ruled that preventing women from entering the Haji Ali dargah is unconstitutional -- in effect, saying that women are not impure or unclean.

I am more jubilant about this victory today, than of our girls achievements in the Olympics. Those were glorious, but individual achievements. This judgment, I truly believe, is a victory for all of mankind. Could this be the beginning of the end of all social discrimination -- against women, against Dalits, the low castes and the caste-less?

Perhaps it is time for me to visit a temple again. And I would love to go the Haji Ali Dargah too -- Ive heard its beautiful.

As it happened with the Shani Shingnapur verdict, reactions to the Haji Ali ruling have ranged from this is a non-issue to vested interests are at work. Well, there may be vested interests that I am unaware of, but a non-issue it is not. Only those denied access, know how it rankles. And it should bother everyone, because in the eyes of the Constitution, we are all equal.

I now eagerly await a similar verdict in case of the Sabarimala temple and hope that it will strike yet another blow to patriarchy and discrimination. A male saint, or a male deity, their vows of celibacy notwithstanding, cannot be an excuse to keep out women from the inner sanctum. Neither can quoting religious scriptures justify such practices.

It maybe a centuries-old tradition to refuse women of child-bearing age entry into temples, but now is the time to question why. What is wrong with reproduction -- isnt that how every high-born priest too came bawling into this world, a mass of flesh and bones and blood?

Some women profess that they dont mind such customs and love to follow the tradition. It is willingly done and there is no question of discrimination. To them I would say, not everything you love may be wholesome or good. The safety of women is not the responsibility of the police or the government alone. It is our duty to change mindsets and weed out deep-seated prejudices that exist in the garb of religious rituals.

Im glad that the youth of today have the courage to challenge the regressive practices that we have followed unquestioningly for hundreds of years.

Let the doors of every church, mosque and temple, including those leading to the inner sanctum, stay wide open for everyone. Until then, those of us who are left out will continue to knock and demand entry. It is our constitutional right.

IMAGE: Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan members celebrate after the Bombay high court ruled that women can enter the inner sanctum of the Haji Ali dargah in Mumbai. Photograph: Shashank Parade/PTI Photo.
If youre against an entire people on the grounds of the faith they follow, you may as well rally against an entire gender on the basis of physiological differences, says Sanaya Dalal.

IMAGE: A woman wearing a burkini walks into the waters at a beach in Marseille, France, a day after the country's highest administrative court suspended a ban on full-body burkini swimsuits at beaches on August 26. Photograph: Stringer/Reuters.

Can of worms, check.

Can opener, check.

Here we go.

'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. Coercing a woman out of her burqa is as bad as coercing her into one. Its not about the burqa. Its about the coercion.'

That's Arundhati Roy talking. It's a quote that has resurfaced in light of the worldwide furore created by the French police, who allegedly forced a Muslim woman to remove her burkini on a beach in Nice a few days ago.

I disagree with what Arundhati Roy has to say most of the time. Separatism, Kashmir, Naxalites... the woman sure knows how to stick her head in an oven. And this quote of hers may sit right with plenty of people, but it got me thinking.

See, Roy is a hardcore feminist. So am I. For all you wimps out there who toss that term around without having a half-assed clue as to its actual definition, Ill spell it out for you -- feminist does not refer to man-hating bra burners who believe in making 21st century men pay for 16th century patriarchy.

A feminist is an individual, of either gender, who recognises the struggles and oppression that women have faced for thousands of years and believes in equality of the sexes.

So why not use the word equalist, you ask? Because the latter fails to adequately touch upon the baggage that drags on the heels of every woman ever born. Essentially, a lot of right-thinking people are feminists; they just dont know it. And since feminism has become a dirty word, that most are wary of identifying with, misrepresentations continue to reign supreme.

Feel free to gasp here, but a feminist can actually be a stay-at-home mom who goes on the school run, lays out breakfast for her husband and does the dishes. Its not about housework, for heaven's sake, its about what you believe in. And I believe that the burqa has justifiably come to be construed as a symbol of oppression.

Sure, you can accuse me of cultural imperialism right at the onset, but heres my problem with what Roy has said. Coercing a woman out of her burqa is as bad as coercing her into one.

True.

It is, however, the obligation of a democratic society to do away with oppression. So if a slave was to say, Im happier in my shackles, theyre part of my culture, does that actually translate into freedom of choice, or is a deeply-ingrained form of fascism at work, where an individual succumbs to a patriarchy-driven practice spanning centuries?

Take the whole Shani Shingnapur fracas that took place in our own backyard. Equal rights activists decided that women were no longer to be denied entry into the temples male-only inner sanctorum, a restriction that dates back 400 years. They had the government on their side, the Constitution on their side and the Bombay high court on their side.

But when they marched into the shrine after their legal victory, there were hundreds of local villagers at hand to try and thwart their attempted visit by force. Half of those villagers were women.

So you have women fighting women. Trying to get their own kind to buckle beneath the blows of patriarchy.

Why?

Religion. Tradition. Culture. Heritage. The majority.

Its so easy to take these words and turn them into the battering ram that is threatening our very existence today. And by that same logic, if youre telling me that the burqa is just another traditional garment associated with a particular culture, as innocuous as a native African headwrap, forgive me for blanching.

By that same reasoning, the swastika is just another ancient spiritual symbol which we here in India associate with all things auspicious, so lets conveniently forget that a representation of it was at the helm of the greatest recorded genocide in history.

Oh, I know all about how the burqa came into existence, harsh desert climes and all that, and yes, when liberated Muslim women today claim to wear it as a matter of personal choice theres really no arguing with them. But the fact remains that while some of these women are empowered, they are in the minority; most across the world are coerced into wearing the garment, simply because its deemed un-Islamic not to.

The Quran does not specify that women have to wear a burqa. Or the niqab, which even conceals the face. Or a burkini at the beach. Its verses regarding women and moderate dressing are open to a wide number of interpretations, polarising moderate and fanatic Muslims.

Saudi Arabia has interpreted modest dressing as complete head-to-toe coverage, and now France has interpreted secularism and national security as no burqa. Saudi Arabia says to put it on, and France is saying take it off. The argument is, essentially, that if Im a vegetarian, I have no business frequenting a steakhouse and then complaining that Im revolted by the food. If a particular way of life and its societal norms are not to your taste, leave.

Yet, smack in the middle of this black and white divide lies a distinctly grey area. Ive tried hard to get it to resolve itself with the rest of my opinions on this subject and permit clean lines to prevail, but I cant in good conscience.

Because heres the thing. The burkini is not a burqa, and it doesnt carry the latters weighty connotations despite the similar-sounding terminology; its just a bathing suit.

The French police making that poor woman divest herself of it in Nice seemed discriminatory, cruel and completely unnecessary. In all fairness, she chose a form of swimwear that covered her up from head to toe just like a wetsuit.

The burkini is not just for Muslims; the designer who created and christened it has gone on record to state that 40 percent of her clientele are non-Muslims. Some are men. And some -- feel free to gasp again -- some of them are actually Orthodox Jews.

But in todays terror-swayed world, wear a burkini and youre marked prey (unless youre Nigella Lawson). Heck, a floral headscarf can lead to racial profiling.

Thats not secularism and thats not feminism, its out and out Islamophobia. And if youre against an entire people on the grounds of the faith they follow, you may as well rally against an entire gender on the basis of physiological differences.

The burqa may have no place in modern European society. If you ask my opinion, any potential instrument of communal or gender oppression has no place in any society.

But we have to learn to tell the difference between a reasonable assertion of beliefs and marginalising a people. Thank heaven the highest administrative court in France already has -- in a landmark ruling, theyve overturned burkini bans across the French Riviera, and rightly so.

Like I said before, its just another swimsuit. It resembles a pant and tunic. So what?

Sexism masquerades as religion. Sexism masquerades as tradition. Sexism masquerades as divine instruction. Sexism is the perpetration of a misguided belief that a golden cage affords you a better life than the world can offer.

Havent we fallen for it long enough?

Sanaya Dalal was formerly the assistant managing editor, rediff.com.
The Hindutva brigade's silence on the rape may possibly be explained that this incident is an intra-Hindu affair for them.

What is even more intriguing is that vocal gender activists have preferred to almost ignore the incident.

Why?

Is it because homosexual rape does not involve the woman either as victim or as aggressor, asks Mohammad Sajjad.

A few weeks ago, there was horrifying news from the Banaras Hindu University campus.

Five men raped a man pursuing research in Hindi literature. The alleged rapists included a laboratory attendant at the university. As per reports, the victim was kidnapped and forced into a car. He was forced to drink wine at knife-point. The wine probably had some drug which made him unconscious.

Thereafter he was raped (sodomised) and brutalised. This went on in the car which kept moving inside the campus. The rapists threw out the victim near the department of agriculture, from where he called the police.

Subsequently, after medical examination he went to the police station to register an FIR. But the police mocked him and refused to register a case.

It took four days to register the FIR, after a second medical examination, despite confirmation of rape in the first medical report.

Ever since members of the victim's family have been receiving alarming threats. The victim's mother has said her son has gone into acute depression and might commit suicide.

The chief proctor is reported to have said that he is helpless at the police inaction. He also said he would wait for the vice-chancellor, who is out of town, to return to institute an inquiry. There are allegations that the university administration is trying to hush up the matter.

Earlier, in January, a report of multiple rape of a female research scholar at the department of English by her senior had appeared, and no action was taken against the accused. Worse still, there was not much outcry by gender activists.

Reacting to the latest incident, some people from the Aligarh Muslim University took to social media to point out that had this happened at a Muslim university like AMU, the media, a section of which is controlled by liberals and another by communal reactionaries, would have vilified the university and by extension Muslims. The liberals and Leftists on the campus would have come out on the streets.

Another complaint about the brutality at BHU is: Had it happened at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, the communalised segment of the media, taking recourse to Left-bashing, would have raised much hue and cry.

This raises many questions about our 'industries' of knowledge and information (university campuses, and media houses) and also about the state of affairs in our deeply divided society and proportionately fractious polities.

With these kinds of selective outcry or silence, the politics of playing the Muslim victimhood card gets certain strength with the argument that they and 'their' institutions are targets, maligned unduly by majoritarian communal reactionaries, by the liberals-Leftists, by the media, and also at times by the State apparatuses. This has got its own implications.

The votaries of Hindutva find it easy to attack three categories -- Muslims, Marxists (both Hindu and Muslim communalists treat liberals largely as Marxists), and Macaulayites (euphemism for Christians).

In the BHU incident neither the victim nor the aggressors fall in any such category. Is it one of the reasons why this issue is being hushed up?

Conservatives and reactionaries of all persuasions also believe in 'hiding' the oppressions prevalent as 'in-house' family affairs. The BHU functionaries may perhaps be doing this in this case.

However, the silence of the insiders -- the academics -- and also the student organisations, including the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, on this horrendous issue, raises another set of questions.

Is it because the BHU is academically, hence politically too, very weak at social sciences, whereas its sciences could either have been de-politicised or have become apolitical?

Or is it because the current dispensation at BHU is too repressive to let the voices of justice to the victim be raised freely and fearlessly?

This incident partly reminds us of the BHU of the 1950s. The Union government headed by Jawaharlal Nehru had appointed the Mudaliar Commission to inquire into the state of affairs at BHU. Its report also mentioned homosexuality, though not rape, on the campus.

Ram Manohar Lohia, in October 1958, wrote a pamphlet on his alma mater that articulates, except rape, almost all kinds of ills the Indian universities still continue to suffer from.

'The Banaras university is bad, like any other university...' Dr Lohia said. 'To get at the core of the matter certain irrelevancies must first be peeled off.... The government reporters have found homosexuality... among the students of the university. They have indeed been obscenely allusive about it.'

'The inquiries of the government commissioners in this connection seem to be more graphic and gossipy than statistical... what it can and should do is to treat this problem in an indirect way, to inculcate among its students, the values of human dignity and clean academic pursuits.'

'The university and the government would do well to treat the problem of sex from yet another angle. The women's college and hostel of the university, although within the campus, is enclosed by a high wall. Government commissioners have probably found lesbianism within these walls, although they have not reported it, as they found homosexuality in the boys' hostels, without the walls. We are not suggesting that the demolition of the walls would clean this or other universities of their sexual aberrations, but that is a first inevitable step.'

Elaborating further upon this, he said, 'The Banaras university has been the home of much filth, which government commissioners can neither report nor diagnose, for they are part of it...the Banaras university is a replica of all other universities in India.'

Novelist Ismat Chughtai exposed the instance of lesbianism in AMU's women's college not only by her short story, Lihaf (The Quilt), but also reiterated the factuality of her fictionalised oeuvre by recording in her autobiography (Kaghazi hai Pairahan) that the lesbian character of her story had eventually not only gone for a heterosexual marriage, she also had children. She narrated her surprise by saying, 'Patthar mein bhi phool khiltey dekha.'

What about rapes, that too combining gruesome brutality?

The ABVP's silence on the rape at BHU may possibly be explained that this incident, however horrendous, is an intra-Hindu affair for the organisation. Hence, the politics of communal polarisation cannot be pursued.

What is even more intriguing is the fact that the more vocal gender activists have also preferred to almost ignore the BHU incident. Why? Is it because this homosexual rape does not involve the women either as victim or as aggressor?

In an interview to Outlook magazine, Flavia Agnes, the feminist lawyer, tried to clearly define that 'Feminism in its essence, is a movement for equality and justice for all. Feminism does not stomp out nuance; it trains us to highlight that which has been invisibilised by majoritarian opinion and attitudes. It seeks to unite a world that has been divided by gender, race and class distinctions.'

As I am outraged about the BHU incident with all its questions, I am also outraged by the fact that another centrally funded university, the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak, has maintained a silence on the issue of the hapless tribal from Kalahandi, Dana Manjhi, who carried his wife's dead body for 10 kilometres as his 10-year-old daughter walked alongside. I call it our national shame.

While boasting of our ambition to create a knowledge economy and society, are we going to get answers to these deeply disturbing questions about the outrageous character of our universities running on national subsidies?

Mohammad Sajjad, associate professor, Centre of Advanced Study in History, Aligarh Muslim University, is thr author of Muslim Politics in Bihar: Changing Contours (Routledge, 2014) and Contesting Colonialism and Separatism: Muslims of Muzaffarpur (Primus, 2014).
'We cannot let this country be a place where the poor pay to shit.'

That is inhuman and unacceptable.'

Bezwada Wilson, Magsaysay Award winner for 2016 and national convenor of the Safai Karamchari Andolan, speaks to Nitin Sethi and Kumar Akash on the visible Dalit anger in India today, and his own struggle to end manual scavenging in India.

Why do we see so much Dalit protests and anger in Gujarat today? Dalit oppression is not a new phenomenon.

We were always oppressed by this majoritarian caste-imposing society, but we found some safety in the state. But in Gujarat and in other places, we find now both the State and this society have become one and are in cahoots against us.

For us, particularly Dalits and the minorities, we always have one hope -- we can go to the police stations, anti-poor as they maybe. But today, we find even the police stations are not safe for us.

These temporary shelters of the State are also not available. We have no options left.

Is this a reaction then?

It is an act of compulsion. We are saying we will not clean your shit, your sewer lines and your toilets anymore. We will not pick your dead cows anymore.

We are not saying we have washed your shit for centuries and now you wash ours.

Dalits are not asking for justice. They are merely saying you can't exploit us any further.

We are not making a demand on anyone, are we? You make a demand when you ask someone to do something. They expect us to continue doing this and then also beat us up freely.

You are referring to the gau rakshaks...

There is a cow. They decide to call it gau mata (mother cow). Then they decide to call it their mother. It is their belief.

Well, let them take care of their belief. So, all we are saying is if you believe it's your gau mata, pray to it if you want, take care of it while it is alive; and, also when it is dead.

We are not telling them to stop praying the cow. This notion of holy cow is totally irrational and unscientific just as the sheer irrationality behind the caste system and patriarchy in our country.

We are not saying we have washed your shit for centuries and now you wash ours.

But why this sharp reaction, particularly in Gujarat?

This is my assessment. See, elsewhere, some people could still have some expectations from this government that it shall bring some development. But in Gujarat, Dalits, who are in a minority, have seen this so-called Gujarat model fail them entirely.

Now, with the central and state governments being of the same party, there is no place to seek redress. They shouldn't divert and ask why protests here and not there.

Don't tell me we can't have politics. Don't they have politics to attain power? Of course ours is a political cause to achieve something. It's not a social movement or a religious organisation.

It is a political and democratic movement asking for the State to restore its function and provide the changes.

It can't be so in this era that on August 15, as the Indian flag rises up, Dalits are sent down by them into the sewers to die and beaten up on the streets for cleaning their dirt.

It is not as if Dalits gained much under previous Congress governments...

We know all political parties are almost the same for us in their apathy. The Congress, when in power, has some kind of shame and concern and the State comes to the rescue when things get excessive. Nothing much else. And then you must remember there are all kinds of factions in the Congress. In that we find some spaces.

Has the Left been any better?

You must remember this is the Indian Left. It also comes out of the same Indian society. It's not Marx's Left.

If they have not been able to do away with patriarchy and caste in their own systems, how can one expect more?

Yet, I must say, it is with the Left and its ideology that we find solidarity. They are, over time, realising their follies, I think, and looking at correctives.

They accuse the right-wing groups of appropriating our leaders, appropriating Babasaheb Ambedkar. But I wonder did they do anything to accommodate the views of the Ambedkarites? Not really.

This monolithic push of the State and the caste oppressors is bringing many together.

So explain to us the key thrusts of the Dalit upsurge that we see at the moment?

If you see really, all we are saying is practise democracy that the framers of our Constitution and our freedom fighters wanted us to. We cannot let our democracy, rule of law and the State to be so weak.

The prime minister says 'don't shoot them, shoot me.' What is this? Is he or the State so weak today?

Aren't he and the State powerful enough to say, 'if you attack them the law shall deal with you strictly and you shall be punished?' Isn't the State there to do so? Can't he enforce the rule of law?

These are theatrics. We don't want a sevak (servant), pradhan (prime) or not.

This language of being an Ambedkar bhakt and sevak is all reinforcing the hierarchies of caste and appropriating us in the caste system.

We have been your servants long enough to not want servants. We want a prime minister and a State that functions and protects our freedom.

You often mention patriarchy and caste as the two evils. Do explain.

Both are illogical and unscientific. Sadly, Dalit men, too, do not understand this, but we are in the same boat. I don't think caste can be broken without breaking patriarchy.

Even among those who do manual scavenging, more than 85 per cent of the less paying jobs are with women and the more paying and secure ones -- say in railways -- are with men.

The level of violence is intolerable. But who else can understand the position of a woman in a patriarchal society better than a Dalit in the caste system?

In both cases the powerful have built structural and social devices to retain an irrational and immoral power over the other.

Tell us a little about the efforts to end manual scavenging in the country.

There has always been an attempt not to admit to our (manual scavengers) existence and make us disappear. Make us the unseen.

After years we got a final judgment from the Supreme Court in 2014. But has manual scavenging ended? No.

You ran a campaign in 2010 to break illegal dry toilets.

We tried, but we couldn't entirely. We did break many symbolically. We are going to start a campaign in this October again. We shall go break them wherever they are. But what do you do when the government has decided to instead make 12 crore (120 million) more toilets in a hurry without sewer lines and connectivity under the Swachh Bharat Mission?

Without the sewer lines, the system and technology to treat the sewage it only means the government expects more of us to go down to clean the septic tanks.

Each toilet shall mean another septic tank for a Dalit to clean. Where is the investment and technology to end this horrendous practice?

You won't believe even the rehabilitation fund for the manual scavengers has shrunk. Two years ago it was Rs 570 crore (Rs 5.7 billion). Today it is only Rs 10 crore (Rs 100 million). Then the SBM is setting up pay-for public toilets for the poor now.

Do you really want the poor in the country to pay even to shit?

The water anyway costs them proportionately more than it costs the rich. Now they shall also have to spend from the little they earn to excrete!

Let the President of India, the prime minister and all those who sit in Parliament pay proportionate to their income each time they use a toilet.

We cannot let this country be a place where the poor pay to shit. That is inhuman and unacceptable.

But it is in this ecosystem that we all at the Safai Karamchari Abhiyan are working to end the curse of manual scavenging in India. It requires more than just breaking toilets. It requires breaking the mindset.
The United States on Tuesday 'fully' backed India on its demand that Pakistan should act against terrorists operating from sanctuaries on its soil with US Secretary of State John Kerry asserting that his country 'stands in strong partnership with India' against all terrorism.

Terrorism, more specifically that emanating from Pakistan, figured prominently in marathon talks between Kerry and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who briefed him extensively on the 'continuing problem of cross-border terrorism that India and the larger region face from Pakistan'.

At a joint press conference with Kerry after the 2nd Indo-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, Swaraj said, "We reaffirmed the urgent necessity for Pakistan to dismantle safe havens for terrorists and criminal networks including Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and D Company.

"Secretary Kerry and I also agreed on the need for Pakistan to do more to bring the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot terrorist attacks to justice quickly," she said.

Kerry said he had spoken to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Army Chief General Raheel Sharif so that Pakistan deprives any terrorist group of sanctuary.

Swaraj also said that they agreed that nations must not maintain double standards, such as the categorisation of good and bad terrorists, nor must they act as sanctuaries and safe havens for terrorist organisations.

On his part, Kerry said, "I made it very very clear that United States stands in strong partnership with India against all terrorism no matter from where it comes from, no matter what form it takes. As I said there is no good terrorists, bad terrorists. Terrorism is terrorism.

"We stand fully behind the Indian demand that there be justice with respect to the Mumbai attacks, with respect to other. We have had conversation with all of the members of the region frankly about the efforts they need to take to curb terrorism that comes out of their countries.

"That is true of everybody. Anywhere in the world. I think it is crystal clear that US and India are exactly in the similar mind with respect to the issue of terror and the need to not only prevent it but to bring those to justice who perpetrate it."

The two countries also agreed to boost their counter- terrorism cooperation by enhancing intelligence sharing, screening of terrorists, exchange of information on known or suspected terrorists.

They also agreed to continue to work closely to get terrorist entities listed by the UN system, by coordinating the approach to the UN 1267 Committee.

Terming terrorism as a "key challenge to the international community, and the foremost threat to international peace and security", Swaraj noted that there was a "meeting of minds" on this issue between the two sides.

Asserting that they have interacted with Pakistan in one way or the other, Kerry said, "I have recently spoke to the prime minister and General Raheel Sharif regarding the need for Pakistan to deprive any group sanctuaries...

"It is well known that the Haqqani network and others operated out of the western part of the country. LeT, we all know and we all spoken out against had an impact on India, directly.

"It is vital that Pakistan join with other nations in tackling this challenge, and in fairness, in recent weeks and months they have been moving more authoritatively."

Tuesday's Dialogue comes in the backdrop of unrest in Kashmir with India alleging Pakistan's involvement in it.

Apart from counter-terrorism, the two sides during the Dialogue, which was also co-chaired by commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, discussed issues of commercial, regional and international interests.

Asked by an American journalist about the tension between India and Pakistan and when the dialogue between the two will resume, Swaraj made it clear that "terror and talks will not go hand in hand".

She said India remained ready to have talks with Pakistan but there were legitimate expectations that it will act against terror groups which were carrying out attacks against India including the Pathankot one. "And the talks can only resume if these expectations were met," she added.

Kerry had earlier met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval during which issue of Pak-sponsored terrorism was discussed.

India and the US also agreed to restart a three-way dialogue with Afghanistan next month on the sidelines of the UN Genreal Assembly in New York and signed an agreement to combat and counter cyber attacks.

Asked if the close consultation with India on Afghanistan under the trilateral framework may result in Pakistan feeling isolated, Kerry said US appreciates India's involvement in the war-torn country and Pakistan will not feel isolated but encouraged and workout a roadmap for itself in that country.

The two sides also reaffirmed pledges to boost cooperation on climate change and clean energy development, including stepping up efforts on the previously agreed construction of six nuclear reactors by the US firm Westinghouse.

Swaraj also thanked Secretary Kerry for his reiteration of continued US support to India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group and permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

"We both agreed that India's enhanced global role is in mutual interest," she said.

US has been playing a lead role in supporting India's bid in the 48-member group and on Tuesday discussion on pushing India's case comes ahead of the next month's meeting between the top disarmament officials of India and China, which had scuttled New Delhi's bid at the Plenary Session of NSG in June.

They also had a detailed exchange of views on climate change and clean energy issues with both the countries affirming high importance to the full implementation of the Paris Agreement.

"We have agreed to scale up our collaboration in clean energy and to quickly operationalise the various initiatives that were announced during Prime Minister's visit to facilitate investments in this sector from US into India. We look forward to working with the US to ensure the success of the International Solar Alliance," Swaraj said.

She also said that they have agreed to work together on the implementation of Agenda 2030, through its 17 Sustainable Developmental Goals.

The SDGs are entirely consistent with many of our Government's flagship domestic initiatives such as Skill India, Make in India and Swachch Bharat.

Given the fact that we account for 1/6th of humanity, success or failure in realising Agenda 2030 or fulfilling the SDGs, will depend on the success achieved in India.

Swaraj also sought Secretary Kerry's support for resolution of long-pending issues of tantalisation and the fee hike for H1B and L1 visa that impact our people-to-people exchanges, which was a vital source of strength for our relationship.

She also said they have decided to widen the consultations to more effectively address the rapidly evolving regional and global situation.

"We will hold consultations on Africa and on multilateral issues within this year. We have also strengthened our cooperation in the area of peacekeeping. In this context, we recently launched the first UN Peacekeeping Course for African partners in New Delhi.

"We have agreed to strengthen our cooperation in the area of maritime security. Our Trilateral with Japan has moved from dialogue into action in key areas of regional connectivity," Swaraj added.

IMAGE: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met with John F Kerry, Secretary of State for US, in New Delhi during the strategic and commercial dialogue. Photograph: MEA/Flickr
A car has exploded after ramming the gates of the Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, with at least one person killed and three others injured on Tuesday.

The car exploded near the embassy in Bishkek, killing its driver and wounding three people, the health ministry said, reports the Guardian.

Kyrgyz security officials quoted by the local AKIpress news agency described the blast as a terrorist attack.

The news agency also quoted the chief of security at the Chinese embassy as saying that no staff there had been injured.

Employees from the Chinese and nearby American embassy were evacuated.

Kyrgyz security officials are at the scene conducting an investigation.

China strongly condemned the suicide car bomb attack, the first of its kind on a Chinese diplomatic mission.

The attack sent shock waves as Beijing probed the involvement of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, an Al Qaeda affiliated separatist outfit, blamed for a number of violent attacks in the restive Xinjiang, home of Uyghur Muslims.

The Chinese foreign ministry expressed shock over the attack and condemned it as an extreme and violent act.

This morning Chinese embassy was attacked by a car bomb causing minor injuries to three embassy staff. We are deeply shocked by this and strongly condemn this extreme and violent act, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Hua Chunying said.

The foreign ministry has activated the emergency response mechanism and asked the Kyrgyzstan government to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel and get to the bottom of this incident and bring those involved to justice, Hua said.

Photograph: Twitter

-- With inputs from PTI
Deteriorating health facilities at hospitals in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, have been magnified by the death of a 12-year-old boy on his fathers shoulder because he was denied timely access to medical facilities at different hospitals.



The incident took place on August 26 when Ansh, a resident of Kanpurs Fazalganj area, was admitted to a medical facility with high fever.



After being treated in private hospitals for two days, his father finally took him to the Hallet Hospital. Doctors at the hospital told the father to take Ansh to the childrens ward, but by the time Anshs father, Sunil, carried Ansh to the childrens ward, the 12-year-old boy died.



My son had high fever... He was studying in class sixth. He was very good at his studies. Doctors at the childrens ward told me had I arrived 10 minutes before, my son would have been saved, the father said carrying his dead son on his shoulder.



It is negligence on the part of Hallet Hospital. They did not provide treatment to my son. They didnt even provide me a stretcher. I was running from here to there carrying my son on my shoulder, a teary Sunil said.

The incident comes close on the heels of Dana Majhi incident in Kalahandi district of Odisha in which Majhi had to carry his dead wife on his shoulders, as the hospital allegedly denied him a vehicle to carry the body back home.

Photograph: ANI/Twitter

WATCH the heartbreaking video HERE
United States Department State said on Tuesday that about 30 emails involving the 2012 attack on the countrys compounds in Benghazi, Libya, are among the thousands of emails recovered during the Federal Bureau of Investigations recently closed investigation into Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clintons use of a private server.

US District Court Judge Amit P Mehta was told by government lawyers that a few of 30 newly recovered emails were not included in the 55,000 pages previously provided by Clinton to the State Department.

The FBI said it would need a months time to review the emails and redact potentially classified information before they are released.

The hearing was held in one of several lawsuits filed by the conservative legal group Judicial Watch, which has sued over access to government records involving the Democratic presidential nominee.

The State Department has said that the FBI provided it with about 14,900 emails purported not to have been among those previously released. Clinton previously had said she withheld and deleted only personal emails not related to her duties as secretary of state.

A law enforcement official was quoted as saying by the agencies that the FBI is expected to release documents soon related to its investigation, which focused on whether Clinton and her aides mishandled government secrets.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said documents in the case would be made public as the FBI responds to Freedom of Information Act requests.

It wasn't immediately clear when the documents would be released or exactly what they would include.
India and the United States on Monday signed an important agreement that will make the two nations logistical allies and enable both the militaries to use each other's assets and bases for repair and replenishment of supplies.

Welcoming the signing of the bilateral 'Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement', Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said the pact will facilitate opportunities for "practical engagement and exchange".

LEMOA facilitates the provision of logistical support, supplies, and services between the US and Indian militaries on a reimbursable basis, and provides a framework to govern them.

"They agreed on the importance (that) this framework will provide to facilitate innovative and advanced opportunities in defence technology and trade cooperation. To this end, the US has agreed to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with its closest allies and partners," said a joint statement after the pact was signed.

According to the statement, the defence ties between the two countries is based on their "shared values and interests," and their "abiding commitment to global peace and security."

During their meeting, Parrikar and Carter discussed the "wealth of progress" in bilateral cooperation and deepening strategic partnership between the United States and India.

The US has agreed to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with its closest allies and partners.

The visit -- their sixth official interaction to date -- demonstrates the importance both sides place on strengthening defence ties across many areas: from strategic and regional cooperation, to deepened military-to-military exchanges, to expanded collaboration on defence technology and innovation, it said.

Welcoming India's membership in the Missile Technology Control Regime, Carter reaffirmed US support for India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

Acknowledging India's positive contributions to regional security and stability, including in matters beyond the maritime space, Carter and Parrikar announced their agreement to further consultations in the area, including through the next Maritime Security Dialogue, scheduled later this year.

During his stay in the US, Parrikar will visit Boeing's manufacturing facility at Philadelphia. He would also interact with American defence industry representatives at an event organised by the US-India Business Council.

Earlier, Parrikar was accorded an enhanced honor cordon by Carter after he arrived at the Pentagon in Washington.

The enhanced honour is reserved for valued guests. During normal cordon, visitors are greeted at the Pentagon stairs and welcomed with handshakes, before proceeding inside. During the enhanced honour cordon, national anthems are played.

Parrikar, accompanied by Carter, also laid a wreath at the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial.

Parrikar said the US is one of India's primary sources of defence equipment, and while it has shared some of its cutting-edge platforms, he would like to take this forward to greater collaborative projects.

The two leaders, he said, decided to significantly expand the scope and activities of defence technology and trade initiative.

Carter said the designation builds on the success of last year's framework for the US-India defence relationship.

"It will facilitate defence, trade and technology sharing with India on a level we reserve only for our closest friends and allies, and it will support both of what I have called the two important handshakes between our countries and our two militaries," he said.

"The first is the strategic handshake. As the United States is reaching West in President Obama's rebalance, India is reaching east in Prime Minister Modi's Act East Policy, which will extend India's reach further into the broader Indo-Asia-Pacific region," he said.

The major defence partner designation will also tighten the second handshake between the two countries, the technological one, he said.

"Four years ago, the United States and India created the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative, DTTI, to leverage the convergence between our industrial and technological abilities in an unprecedented way. That initiative grasps hands with Prime Minister Modi's Make in India campaign," he said.

"We made important progress on that technological partnership today, also. We agreed to advance a number of collaborative projects, on jet engine technology, chemical and biological protection, aircraft carriers and other systems; all by the end of the year. That collaboration will surely bring further cooperation, co-development and co-production," he added.

"And we're working together and networking with other Asia-Pacific militaries to provide the security and to promote the principles, including freedom of navigation and overflight, that have benefited so many in the region, including India," Carter said.
The logo of commodities trader Glencore is pictured in front of the company's headquarters in Baar, Switzerland, September 30, 2015. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Glencore Plc (GLEN.L), the world's biggest thermal coal exporter, said on Tuesday a 55-year-old contract worker had died at its Newlands coal mine in Australia and it had suspended production at the mine.

"We are co-operating with the relevant Queensland authorities and have commenced an investigation into the fatal event," a Glencore spokeswoman said.

Newlands, in the Bowen Basin in Queensland, produced 5.84 million tonnes of thermal and coking coal in 2015.

(Reporting by Sonali Paul; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
Countering terrorism is an important objective shared by India and the United States, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in Washington while appreciating American support in India's efforts to eliminate extremism in its neighbourhood.

"We resolved to continue our cooperation on counter-terrorism. Our open and diverse societies are committed to peace. However, as the United States has shown, there can be no compromise when we are faced with terrorism," Parrikar said at a joint news conference with US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter on Monday.

"The forces that seek to undermine our progress and our ways of life require our comprehensive and robust response. We appreciate the support from United States in our efforts to eliminate terrorism in India's neighbourhood," Parrikar said.

"Secretary Carter and I agreed that countering terrorism is an important shared objective. The partnership between India and the United States is driven by our shared values and interests. This was underlined by the enthusiasm of the US Congress with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June this year," Parrikar said.

Responding to a question, Carter said that not only Indian civilians but its military also has been a victim of terrorism, in an apparent reference to the terrorist attack on Pathankot military base, carried out by Pakistani intruders.

"Terrorism is one of the many missions on which we cooperate...We oppose terrorism affecting anyone and us. That's certainly true with respect to terrorist acts perpetrated against the Indian people, and also I should mention the Indian military, which has happened as well. And this gives new scope for that, as well," Carter said.

As per a joint statement issued after the meeting between the two leaders, they agreed to facilitate greater and regular interactions to deepen mutual understanding between military services and promote practical cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as counter-terrorism, maritime security, special operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

"We and India share the principled view that in matters of freedom of the seas and freedom of the commons and freedom of navigation, as in so many other matters, States need to take a principled view where abiding by the rule of law and pursuing disputes peacefully is fundamental. We are able to operate together," Carter said.

During the meeting Carter and Parrikar praised the discussions at the inaugural Maritime Security Dialogue held in May.

They welcomed the conclusion of the bilateral 'White Shipping' technical arrangement for data sharing on commercial shipping traffic.

They also discussed cooperation on capabilities to augment India's capacity for maritime domain awareness.

Acknowledging India's positive contributions to regional security and stability, including in matters beyond the maritime space, Carter and Parrikar announced their agreement to take forward consultations in this area, including through the next Maritime Security Dialogue, which will be held later this year.

They noted recent high-level official exchanges, including the visit of Gen John Nicholson to New Delhi for consultations on Afghanistan, as well as by the secretary of the US Navy and the secretary of the US Air Force earlier this month, the joint statement said.

Carter has said India's designation as a 'major defence partner' would allow the US to cooperate with it -- in both strategic and technological domains -- at par with its closet and most long-standing allies.

"First of all with respect to the major defence partnership agreement, that is a very substantial change. It's an enormous change from 50 years of history. And a very substantial advance over just a few months ago," Carter told Pentagon reporters.

"And here's the gist of it. It will allow the United States and India to cooperate, which speaking from the US point of view, in a way that we do only with our closest and most long-standing allies. That's a very big change," Carter said.

In June when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited US and met President Barack Obama, the country had designated India as a 'major defence partner'.

"The Indian government sent us before our meeting today a very lengthy, detailed and we thought very constructive paper about how to implement the major defence partnership understanding. That's an excellent basis for the implementation of the major defence partnership," he said.

The major defence partnership designation, has "knocked down" the previous barriers that came in the way of defence, strategic co-operation including co-production, co-development projects and exercises.

Appreciating the US government's decision, Parrikar said: "In our discussions today, we looked at how this could provide further energy and momentum to our partnership on defence technology and manufacturing. We agreed to continue efforts to establish an efficient framework to encourage tie-ups between our defence companies."

Parrikar said the US is one of India's primary sources of defence equipment, and while it has shared some of its cutting-edge platforms, he would like to take this forward to greater collaborative projects.

The two leaders, he said, decided to significantly expand the scope and activities of Defence Technology and Trade Initiative.

Carter said the designation builds on the success of last year's framework for the US-India defence relationship.

"It will facilitate defence, trade and technology sharing with India on a level we reserve only for our closest friends and allies, and it will support both of what I have called the two important handshakes between our countries and our two militaries," he said.

"The first is the strategic handshake. As the United States is reaching West in President Obama's rebalance, India is reaching East in Prime Minister Modi's Act East Policy, which will extend India's reach further into the broader Indo-Asia-Pacific region," he said.

The major defence partner designation will also tighten the second handshake between the two countries, the technological one, he said.

"Four years ago, the United States and India created the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative, DTTI, to leverage the convergence between our industrial and technological abilities in an unprecedented way. That initiative grasps hands with Prime Minister Modi's Make in India campaign," he said.

"We made important progress on that technological partnership today, also. We agreed to advance a number of collaborative projects, on jet engine technology, chemical and biological protection, aircraft carriers and other systems; all by the end of the year. That collaboration will surely bring further cooperation, co-development and co-production," he added.

"And we're working together and networking with other Asia-Pacific militaries to provide the security and to promote the principles, including freedom of navigation and overflight, that have benefited so many in the region, including India," Carter said.

Spent more time with Parrikar than other counterparts: Carter

Carter said he has spent more time with Parrikar in little over an year than any of his other foreign counterparts, a relationship he attributed to "the new bonhomie" in India-US ties.

"Even before today's very productive discussion, which was our sixth meeting since I became Secretary of Defence, I had already spent more time with Minister Parrikar than I had with any other defence counterpart anywhere in the world, said Carter.

Heaping praise on the defence minister, Carter said: "One (of the reasons) is Minister Parrikar himself. He's a strong and effective leader. He's an innovator. He's a great partner and a true friend."

"The second reason that Minister Parrikar and I spent so much time together is that the US-India relationship is destined to be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century," he said.

"We share so much, so many interests and values, as well as a common vision for peace, for stability and prosperity in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. As Minister Parrikar's busy itinerary and our extensive deliberations today demonstrate, that destiny is rapidly and surely becoming a reality," Carter said, soon after the two leaders concluded talks at the Pentagon.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea of Ashiq Hussain Faktoo, Kashmiri separatist leader and a former member of terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, seeking a review of its verdict awarding life imprisonment to him for killing human rights activist H N Wanchoo.

Faktoo, who is in jail since 1993, is the husband of Asiya Andrabi, also a separatist leader and chairperson of Islamist organisation Dukhtaran-e-Millat.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi, which treated the writ petition of Faktoo as a review plea, said the "comprehension" of the accused that the earlier judgement was "erroneous" would not enable the court to "reopen" the entire case.

The bench, also comprising Justices P C Pant and A M Khanwilkar, said the open court hearing of the review petitions is available as a matter of right "only in death sentence cases".

"The present writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution of India by no stretch of reasoning would fit into any of the permissible categories of post conviction exercises permissible in law as laid down by this court.

"The doctrine of ex debito justitiae (as of right) being circumscribed by the judgment of this court in Rupa Ashok Hurra ...it is for the petitioner to exhaust the said remedy, if is he so inclined and so advised. Merely because in the comprehension of the writ petitioner the judgment of this court is erroneous would not enable the court to reopen the issue in departure to the established and settled norms and parameters of the extent of permissible exercise of jurisdiction as well as the procedural law governing such exercise.

"We, therefore, hold that the present writ petition is not maintainable and is accordingly dismissed subject to the observations as above," the bench said.

Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani, appearing for Faktoo, had assailed 2003 ruling of the apex court, convicting the separatist leader, on the ground that his confession recorded under the TADA was not admissible as evidence on grounds including that it had not been corroborated.

In its verdict the court referred to a Constitution Bench judgment in the Rupa Ashok Hurra case in which the legal doctrine of 'ex debito justitiae' had been dealt with.

It said that if a judgement is such that it has the effect of "eroding the public confidence in the justice delivery system", the apex court can revisit the entire case to set the things right.

"We are of the view that on the strength of the Constitution Bench judgment in Rupa Ashok Hurra case the present writ petition would not be maintainable. It would also not be maintainable as a review petition inasmuch as review petition filed by the writ petitioner has been dismissed by this court on 2nd September, 2003.

"Open court hearing of review petitions in terms of the judgment of this court in Mohd. Arif alias Ashfaq (supra) is available as of right only in death sentence cases," it said.

"...the doctrine of ex debito justitiae would prevail over procedural law but would be applicable only in a situation where the order of this court had been passed without notice or where the order has the effect of eroding the public confidence in the justice delivery system," it said.
Former Uttar Pradesh chief ministers need not have to vacate their government bungalows with the state assembly on Tuesday passing two bills to skirt Supreme Court directive for their eviction within two months.

The Uttar Pradesh Ministers (salaries, allowances and miscellaneous provisions)(Amendment) Bill, 2016 which provides for this facility to former chief ministers for life, was passed by a voice vote.

The bill was introduced after the apex court on August 1 directed six former UP chief ministers to vacate their official bungalows in the state capital in two months and pay the rent at market rate for the period falling under unauthorised occupation.

A government residence shall be allotted to a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, at his/her request, for his/her lifetime, on payment of such rent as may be determined from time to time by the Estate Department of the state government, the statement of objects and reasons of the bill says.

The bill also revises salaries and allowances in view of price rise and escalation in cost of living.

It provides that chief minister and ministers, minister of state with independent charge and minister of state shall be entitled, throughout the term of his office, a salary of Rs 40,000 per month while the deputy minister will get a salary of Rs 35,000 per month.

The other bill -- The Allotment of Houses Under Control of the Estate Department Bill, 2016, -- seeking to regulate the allotment of government accommodation under the control of the estate department to employees and officers of the state government, employees association, political parties, officers of All India Service, MLAs, MLCs, trusts, ministers, chairman and deputy chairman of Legislative Council, speaker and deputy speaker of Legislative Assembly, justices and journalists, was also passed by the House.

The ex-CMs who were to be affected by the apex courts directive include Union Home Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rajnath Singh, Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati and Congress leaders ND Tiwari and Ram Naresh Yadav. All of them are living in government bungalows in Lucknow.

Earlier, Suresh Khanna and Radha Mohan Das Agarwal (both BJP) suggested sending the proposed legislation to the select committee to deliberate on certain amendments.
Holding his first public rally in poll-bound Gujarat after taking office in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday reached out to farmers from the heartland of the restive Patel community after launching an irrigation project.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the AJI-3 dam site of the project. Photograph: Press Information Bureau

Modi also launched a veiled attack on the Congress after inaugurating the first phase of the ambitious Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation project, saying that polls can be won by dangling baits and throwing pieces but a country cant be run by doing so.

Targeting the Congress which had questioned the timing of his visit to poll-bound Gujarat, Modi said his government does not believe in throwing pieces to attract voters.

You can win polls by throwing pieces, but you cannot run a country by doing so. We do not believe in throwing pieces. We worked hard for almost 15 years for this project to bring transformation and development, Modi told a huge gathering at Sanosara village in Jamnagar district in the patidar (or Patel)-dominated Saurashtra region.

Water is a politically sensitive issue in Gujarat, which the Bharatiya Janata Party plans to cash in before the 2017 assembly polls to revive its fortunes, specially at the time when it is facing challenges like Patel quota agitation and Dalit uprising.

The Congress has termed the inauguration of Sauni scheme at this juncture by the prime minister as an attempt to give a message to voters ahead of the polls.

In his address, Modi stressed on conserving water and remembered his days as Gujarat chief minister when people did not understood his vision to bring transformation in agriculture sector.

IMAGE: PM Modi, in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, releases water from dam gates in Jamnagar, Gujarat. Photograph: Press Information Bureau

After I became Gujarats CM for the first time (in 2001), I used to tell farmers that instead of fighting against government to get more electricity for irrigation, they should focus more on water management. However, I failed to make them understand for almost 2-3 years said Modi.

At that time, I faced lot of protests by farmers. They used to burn my effigies. But, I remained firm on my vision. Today, I want to thank farmers of Gujarat for accepting my vision of conserving water through sprinklers, drip irrigation and micro irrigation tools, which significantly brought up ground water levels, said Modi.

He added that water of Narmada river has now reached till the extreme end of parched Kutch region and helped farmers to a great extent.

Narmada waters have reached till Khavda in Kutch. There was a time when camels were used to transport water to our Border Security Force jawans posted there. They used to get small quantity of water for drinking. But now, they use Narmada water for even bathing, said Modi.

We worked on the motto of Jai Jawan and Jai Kisan. Water from Narmada has transformed the lives of farmers too. This season, farmers of Kutch exported 70,000 tonnes of Kesar mangoes added Modi.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a rally in Jamnagar district, Gujarat. Photograph: Press Information Bureau

Remembering the day when Modi first coined the idea of Sauni scheme, the PM said that people had apprehensions about the success of this project initially.

On September 25, 2012, I made a presentation about SAUNI project in Rajkot during a program organised to celebrate the birth anniversary of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay. All the representatives of Saurashtra region present in the hall were surprised to know about this scheme and felt that it can ever be accomplished, said Modi.

The work started in February 2014, after which, I left Gujarat (to become PM). Then, (former CM) Anandiben Patel took over the task of completing the project and finally (current CM) Vijay Rupani and (Deputy CM) Nitin Patels team sped up the task. And today, the project has become a reality, said Modi.

He added that a total of 115 dams will be filled up under this project.

Modi stated that agriculture production in Saurashtra region was growing at a rapid pace due to the Narmada canal network.

In Saurashtra alone, cotton production has grown by 370 per cent, groundnut production registered a growth of 600 per cent and wheat production by 300 per cent. I wonder what will happen when farmers will get some more water under this project. This water is no less than gold for them, said Modi.

Under the SAUNI scheme, the Gujarat government plans to fill 115 dams of Saurashtra region with excess overflowing water of Sardar Sarovar dam across river Narmada, by web of pipeline networks.

The Rs 12,000 crore scheme aims to take excess water of the Sardar Sarovar Dam on river Narmada all the way to 115 dams of parched Saurashtra region. During monsoon, on an average, around three MAFt (million acre feet) water overflows from the dam is wasted, as it goes to sea.

The project is divided in four phases. In the first phase, which was inaugurated by Modi on Tuesday, ten dams including Aji-3, will get excess water of Narmada. Modi termed the entire project as an engineering milestone, for which, the entire nation can take pride.

Saurashtras landscape is like an inverted saucer, which forces us to lift water. In such adverse scenario, it is not a small achievement to complete such large network. People of India should understand and appreciate this engineering wonder, said Modi.

Modi also listed the Central governments pro-farmers schemes like Pradhan Mantri Fasal Vima Yojana, turnaround of urea production and Pradhan Mantri Sichai Yojana for the benefits of the farmers.
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Margrethe Vestager is a corporation's worst nightmare.

The antitrust enforcer recently ordered Apple to pay up to 13 billion euros in taxes as part of a broader crackdown on tax avoidance in the eurozone. Past campaigns include Starbucks in the Netherlands and Amazon in Luxembourg.

"Europe is open for business, if you want to do business, but maybe not so open if you want to come for tax avoidance," she said on Bloomberg TV on Tuesday.

By slamming Ireland for providing illegal incentives to Apple, Vestager is likely to ignite one of the world's biggest tax disputes and strain relations between Europe and the US.

Vestager graduated with an MS in economics at the University of Copenhagen in 1993, and then took a job at the Danish ministry of finance. At 30, she was appointed minister for education and ecclesiastical affairs, before becoming a member of Parliament with the Social Liberal Party, aka Radikale.

At 39, she became the political leader of that party before becoming EU competition commissioner in 2014.

She has waged high-profile battles against multinationals. She has launched her third set of antitrust charges against Google, with the latest on the internet giant's advertising business. She's also turned her fire on Russian energy giant Gazprom for unfair pricing in Eastern Europe.

She favors ambassadors who "truly embrace social media" and frequently tweets about case rulings and the political state. She lamented Britain's decision to leave the EU, and lauded Hillary Clinton as the first female US presidential nominee.

Vestager is also known for her punchy wit.

When her opposition slammed her spending plan, Vestager expressed caution toward "any judgment on size from men," according to a profile by the Financial Times' Christian Oliver and Alex Barker.

NOW WATCH: The EU has ordered Apple to pay $14.5 billion in back taxes





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Brittle Uzbekistan Hopes for a Controlled Succession

Publisher International Crisis Group (ICG) Author Deirdre Tynan Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as International Crisis Group (ICG), Brittle Uzbekistan Hopes for a Controlled Succession, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c571534.html [accessed 29 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

A stroke suffered by Uzbekistan's long-serving authoritarian leader on 27 August has propelled the country into the unknown, but his inner circle will try to preserve their power and minimise disruption as the transition starts.

Uzbekistan will most likely celebrate its 1st September independence day without long-serving President Islam Karimov, marking a potentially dramatic first for this strategic Central Asian country since it broke free of the former Soviet Union 25 years ago.

The 78-year-old leader has ruled with iron fist since 1991, but suffered a brain hemorrhage on 27 August. The Uzbek authorities have broken their taboo about discussing the president's health, saying he has a serious problem that may take time to treat. After years of speculation and anticipation, Central Asia's most populous state may now face a tense transition, a prospect that is deeply unnerving for its neighbours.

According to the constitution, if the president cannot fulfil his duties, the chair of the Senate acts as caretaker until an election. Nigmatilla Yuldashev, a former justice minister, was handpicked by Karimov for the post in January 2015. He is a loyalist and owes his position to the president's patronage, but adhering to the constitution  relentlessly amended to consolidate Karimov's position  has little precedent in Uzbekistan.

While Karimov is temporarily incapacitated, however, the prognosis remains unclear. According to his daughter Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, his condition is stable.

What is likely when the time comes for a transition is that executive power would be exercised by Karimov's inner circle, including Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Rustam Azimov and the feared head of the National Security Service (NSS), Rustam Inoyatov.

All these players will want a smooth handover, with no dirty linen aired in public. If they manage to avoid in-fighting, they are expected to manage the stakeholders and patrons who make up an opaque system of governance and privilege. It is likely that a script has been in place for some time and that each member of the inner circle knows his or her role.

While this is not a democratic process, it may well minimise immediate instability; Uzbekistan's neighbours  especially Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan  would welcome that. Underlying security threats to the region, including from the spread of transnational threats like Islamic State, were underlined by a 30 August suicide bombing that injured three guards at the Chinese embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Neighbouring Turkmenistan may have set an example. Its late president, Saparmurat Niyazov, was a far more mercurial ruler than Karimov. Yet within two months of Niyazov's death in 2006, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov was declared head of state with no obvious disturbance to the country's despotism. A similarly stage-managed transition is unlikely to lead to a reform of Uzbekistan's deeply authoritarian system, but chaotic change in a fragile region would widely be considered dangerous.

Uzbekistan is a clannish, ethnically diverse country with regions that were rival khanates for centuries and still have conflict potential. Karakalpakstan in the north west is a resource-rich, environmentally degraded, autonomous republic that has never been allowed to hold a referendum on its future. Karakalpak dissidents, most in exile, complain of a movement of ethnic Uzbeks into their region, prejudice against its culture and an ever-present network of police informants. Some felt invigorated by Russian actions in Crimea and have grown more vocal, hoping for similar support for their ambitions. They and other Uzbek politicians in exile, however, have more bark than bite.

The densely populated Ferghana Valley is haunted by the legacy of a 2005 government crackdown that left hundreds dead, mainly in the city of Andijan. Incomes across the country have declined in the past year, and mass arrests of alleged Islamic extremists have contributed to a sense of fear and distrust.

Karimov's foreign policy has shifted repeatedly over the years, producing turbulent relations with Russia, the U.S. and the European Union. China seemingly treats Tashkent more cautiously than other Central Asian states. A U.S. airbase was closed after Washington criticised the 2005 violence. Uzbekistan has flip-flopped in and out of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation and refused to join the Eurasian Economic Union, a Moscow-dominated trade group. Nevertheless, Russia has considerable leverage as host to some two million migrant Uzbek workers whose earnings are vital to Uzbekistan's economy. Russian diplomats say privately there is little love for Karimov in Moscow.

Karimov's daughter Lola is regularly touted as a potential successor, but professes disinterest in a high governmental post; his other daughter, Gulnara, is in disgrace from financial scandals. The most pressing concern of whomever from the circle around the president ultimately steps into the leadership role  even as caretaker  will be to maintain the status quo.

Stability that papers over the country's potential to fracture is also the approach Uzbekistan's near partners will likely approve of, at least in the short term. Their hope will be that the Tashkent clan honours its backroom deals in order to stave off what could otherwise become a violent crisis with regional implications.
DRC: Release of pro-democracy activists cause for celebration

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, DRC: Release of pro-democracy activists cause for celebration, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c5729e4.html [accessed 29 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The release of four Congolese pro-democracy activists, including Amnesty International Prisoners of Conscience Fred Bauma and Yves Makwambala, is cause for celebration but they remain at risk of re-arrest unless the charges are dropped, warned Amnesty International today.

"The release of Fred, Yves and others is a rare positive step in what has been a very difficult year for freedom of expression in the DRC. The charges against them were politically motivated and must be dropped to ensure that their ordeal is over once and for all," said Sarah Jackson, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes.

Until their release, Fred and Yves were awaiting a trial that could have seen them face the death penalty. The pair were arrested along with 26 other activists in March 2015 and charged with various offences including "plotting a conspiracy against the head of state".

The two were released along with Christopher Ngoyi. Jean Marie Kalonji was also released and walked out of jail on 27 August. They were all being held at Kinshasa's Makala Prison.

"In a year marked by a draconian crackdown on dissent, activists and political leaders have found themselves behind bars at the hands of a justice system that has increasingly been used as a tool for silencing dissent as the deadline for holding elections looms," said Sarah Jackson.

Christopher Ngoyi was arrested in Kinshasa on 21 January 2015 after monitoring human rights violations during protests against electoral delays. He was held incommunicado for over 20 days before being transferred to prison. Jean Marie Kalonji, the founder of pro-democracy movement La Quatrieme Voix, was arrested on 15 December 2015 and held in incommunicado detention for over four months.

Fred, Yves are part of the Lutte pour le Changement (LUCHA) youth group, which was awarded this year's Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award. After their arrest, they were held and interrogated at a secret location - Yves for 40 days, Fred for 50 - and denied access to their families and lawyers.

Amnesty International campaigners and supporters wrote over 170,000 letters, sent text messages and signed petitions calling for their release as part of the organization's global human rights campaign, Write for Rights.

"Fred and Yves are representative of a generation of activists that continues to resist being silenced. It is shocking that they could have faced the death penalty, when all they did was engage young people in peaceful activism," said Sarah Jackson.

"While their release is great news, the authorities must now release all other political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, including Bienvenu Matumo, Marc Kapitene and Victor Tesongo."

Bienvenu Matumo, Marc Kapitene and Victor Tesongo were arrested in February 2016 hours before a stay-away protest called by the opposition to demand that President Kabila steps down when his second term ends. Although the Minister of Justice and Human Rights Alexis Thambwe announced on 26 August that they would soon be released, they remain behind bars.

Background

The release of the four comes 11 days after a delegation from LUCHA met President Joseph Kabila in the eastern city of Goma and called on him to release their colleagues and all other political prisoners.

The minister for justice and human rights announced plans to release them at a press conference on 19 August. He also said bans on two opposition TV channels would be lifted.

According to the DRC constitution, elections must be held at least three weeks before the incumbent's term ends. President Joseph Kabila's second term is due to end on 19 December but elections are still yet to be called. According to the DRC constitution, he is ineligible to stand for another term.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
David Drummond, a longtime executive at Google parent company Alphabet, has resigned from his role on Ubers board of directors as competition between the two tech companies mounts.

I recently stepped down from Ubers board given the overlap between the two companies, Drummond said in an email statement to Business Insider on Monday.

The move marks the latest sign that the two companies, which were once allies linked through financial ties and ambitious visions to remake the world with technology, are increasingly stepping into each others turf.

Drummond called Uber a phenomenal company and said that Google Ventures remains an enthusiastic investor in Uber, while Uber and Google will continue to be partners.

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, for his part, said in a statement that Drummond has been a sage advisor and a great personal friend. I wish David and Alphabet the best, and look forward to continued cooperation and partnership.

Still, its clear that the two companies now view each other more as rivals than friends.

Drummond, who is SVP of Corporate Development at Alphabet, joined Ubers board when Alphabet's investment arm, Google Ventures (now GV), poured a reported $300 million into Uber in 2013.

In the last year though, Uber and Alphabet have each put increased focus on their efforts to develop self-driving cars. Uber is also developing its own digital maps, in order to lessen its reliance on Googles maps.

Google confirmed to Business Insider that Drummond has been off the Uber board for a while, but didnt give a specific date while Uber described it to The Wall Street Journal as several weeks."

The Informations Amir Efrati previously reported that Drummond wasnt attending board meetings.

NOW WATCH: Watch the worlds largest aircraft crash land on its 2nd flight

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Laos: #WhereIsSombath

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Laos: #WhereIsSombath, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c572ec4.html [accessed 29 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

As the International Day of the Disappeared is marked around the world, the Laos authorities must promptly, thoroughly and effectively investigate the abduction and suspected enforced disappearance of Sombath Somphone, Amnesty International said today.

On 15 December 2012, Sombath Somphone, a leading member of Lao civil society, was stopped by traffic police and taken away in a pick-up truck. His whereabouts remain unknown, his family has not been kept informed by the authorities, and there has been no credible investigation into his enforced disappearance.

"Next week, Barack Obama will become the first US President to visit Laos. He must seize this rare opportunity to raise concerns about the human rights situation in the notoriously closed country, including by asking the authorities, 'Where is Sombath?'" said T. Kumar, Amnesty International USA's International Advocacy Director.

Barack Obama and leaders from across South East Asia will be meeting in Vientiane, the capital of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos), to attend the ASEAN summit from 6-8 September 2016.

Starting on the International Day of the Disappeared, Amnesty International encourages people to use the hashtag #WhereIsSombath to raise awareness of the enforced disappearance of Sombath Somphone.

"More than three years have passed since Sombath Somphone was last seen. We have no alternative but to conclude that the authorities are either directly responsible for his disappearance, or have failed miserably to take all necessary measures to get to the bottom of what happened," said Rafendi Djamin, Amnesty International's Director for South East Asia and the Pacific.

Sombath Somphone's disappearance was chillingly captured on CCTV. In the video, he is last seen stopped at a police post, and asked to step out of his car by traffic police. Moments later, a motorcyclist arrives at the scene, abandons his motorcycle and drives away in Sombath Somphone's car.

A few minutes later, another man emerges from the police post, and waits by the side of the road. Soon, a pick-up truck arrives, with its lights flashing. Sombath Somphone and others get into the truck. The truck then leaves, with armed people riding a motorcycle leading the way. The passenger on the motorcycle fires a gunshot in the air.

Amnesty International is deeply worried by the lack of progress into any investigation into Sombath Somphone's whereabouts. The Laos authorities have failed to keep his family and others informed about the case. They have also rebuffed requests from other countries to help investigate his fate, and failed to respond to appeals from the United Nations, the European Parliament and Archbishop Desmond Tutu in his case.

"The establishment of an independent commission to impartially, thoroughly and effectively probe his case is long overdue. The commission should not only ensure that Sombath Somphone is safely returned to his family, but also identify those suspected of criminal responsibility and bring them to justice in fair trials, without recourse to the death penalty" said Rafendi Djamin.

Background

Who is Sombath Somphone?

Sombath Somphone, 64, is a well-respected member of Lao civil society. A former UNICEF consultant in Cambodia, he has dedicated his life to sustainable development and poverty reduction, encouraging the Lao government to deliver the benefits of development to the country's population as a whole.

The Lao government has been reluctant to yield civil society groups the space to operate freely, including using a mandatory registration process to exercise control over them. In 2010, it spurned France's recommendation at the 8th session of the Universal Periodic Review at the United Nations Human Rights Council to "guarantee the free activity of civil society and human rights organizations."

It is in this context that Sombath Somphone's enforced disappearance has raised suspicions of official involvement or complicity. Sombath Somphone may have attracted hostile attention from the authorities for his work on an independent civil society event.

The 9th Asia-Europe People's Forum, held in Vientiane from 16 to 19 October 2012, was the largest such event held in Laos, drawing more than 1,000 people from the region and from Europe. At the event, plain-clothed security officials were involved in monitoring and harassing participants, and continued to do so afterwards.

On 7 December 2012, the Lao government expelled Anne-Sophie Gindroz, country director of HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation, a Swiss international NGO that works on agricultural development and land issues.

Anne-Sophie Gindroz had worked with Sombath Somphone on the People's Forum. Her expulsion from Laos happened a mere five days before Sombath Somphone's disappearance.

In December 2015, on the occasion of the third anniversary of his enforced disappearance, 49 Directors of Amnesty International national offices around the world wrote an open letter to the then Lao Prime Minister, highlighting the near complete lack of progress in the case despite a catalogue of evidence.

What is the International Day of the Disappeared?

On 30 August each year, Amnesty International marks the 'Day of the Disappeared', calling on its millions of supporters around the world to press governments who resort to enforced disappearances to stop using this cruel tactic once and for all, and to provide justice, truth and reparation for their victims.

Enforced disappearances are a violation of human rights and a crime under international law. Laos has signed, but not yet ratified the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CPED). Amnesty International calls on Laos to ratify the CPED at the earliest possible opportunity.

The CPED prohibits enforced disappearance, which it defines as: "the arrest, detention, abduction or any other form of deprivation of liberty by agents of the State or by persons or groups of persons acting with the authorization, support or acquiescence of the State, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealment of the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared person, which place such a person outside the protection of the law."

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Kenya: Set up judicial inquiry into hundreds of enforced disappearances and killings

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Kenya: Set up judicial inquiry into hundreds of enforced disappearances and killings, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c5735c4.html [accessed 29 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The Kenyan government must set up a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate and bring to justice all those suspected of criminal responsibility for extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances, said 13 Kenyan and global human rights organizations today as they marked the International Day of the Disappeared.

Kenyan and global human rights organizations have documented more than 300 cases of individuals who have gone missing while in the hands of security agencies since 2009, some of whom have later been found killed.

"Enforced disappearances have become a widespread practice, and a dark stain on the fabric of law enforcement in Kenya that can only be sustainably addressed by bringing to account those suspected of responsibility through fair trials," said Peter Kiama, Executive Director of the Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU).

"But fair trials cannot take place without prompt, impartial and effective investigations into the myriad cases of disappearances and executions."

Just this month, the High Court in Nairobi found that a prominent human rights lawyer and two other men had been subjected to enforced disappearance and later executed by police. The bodies of Willie Kimani, who worked for International Justice Mission, his client Josphat Mwendwa and their taxi driver Joseph Muiruri, were found dumped in a river about 73 kilometres northwest of Nairobi in July.

Many of the enforced disappearances have taken place in the context of operations against perceived members or sympathisers of the Somalia-based Islamist militant group, Al-Shabaab.

"While indeed Kenya faces a real security threat from Al-Shabaab, it must not resort to unlawful responses that amount to crimes under international law and violate human rights," said Kamau Ngugi, Executive Director of the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders.

"It should instead insist on strict respect for human rights and due process at all times, including in its security operations. This must begin with ensuring criminal accountability for both individual police officers and their superiors who knew or should have known of the enforced disappearances and killings and failed to take all necessary measures to prevent or repress them."

Kenya has signed the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, but has yet to ratify it.

"Enforced disappearance is a crime under international law. Kenya must take concrete steps towards ratifying the Convention without making any reservation so as to ensure that impunity does not prevail for this cruel human rights violation," said Justus Nyang'aya, Country Director of Amnesty International Kenya.

The human rights organizations will hold a public event at Strathmore University's main auditorium from 4:30pm today in honour of victims of enforced disappearance and to demand justice, truth and reparation for them.

Signed hereunder:

Kenya National Commission on Human Rights

Kenya Human Rights Commission

National Coalition for Human Rights Defenders - Kenya

Protection International

Amnesty International Kenya

Independent Medico-Legal Unit

Constitution & Reform Education Consortium (CRE-CO)

Kenyans for Peace with Truth and Justice

Africa Centre for Open Governance

International Justice Mission

International Commission of Jurists - Kenya

Legal Resources Foundation Trust

Usalama Reforms Forum

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Zimbabwe: Investigate fate and whereabouts of disappeared pro-democracy activist

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Zimbabwe: Investigate fate and whereabouts of disappeared pro-democracy activist, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c573b64.html [accessed 29 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The continued failure of Zimbabwe's authorities to launch an effective investigation into the enforced disappearance of pro-democracy activist, Itai Dzamara, sends a chilling message about the security of other government critics, said Amnesty International today marking the International Day of the Disappeared.

"The absolute failure of the police to account for the enforced disappearance of Itai Dzamara, almost 18 months after he was last seen, speaks volumes about the high levels of impunity that persist in Zimbabwe," said Tjiurimo Hengari, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Southern Africa.

"The authorities must take action to ensure truth and justice are delivered and free the Dzamara family from the agonizing uncertainty they have been subjected to since Itai's disappearance."

Itai Dzamara, a journalist, was abducted on 9 March 2015 by five unidentified men while he was at a barbers' shop in the Glen View suburb of the capital city, Harare. Two days before his abduction, he addressed a rally where he called for mass action to address the deteriorating economic conditions in Zimbabwe.

Witnesses say that his abductors accused him of stealing cattle before handcuffing him and forcing him into a white truck with concealed number plates and driving off.

Although the men were in plain clothes, Dzamara was well-known to authorities and had previously been abducted, unlawfully detained and severely beaten by state security agents.

The enforced disappearance of government critics continues to be common in Zimbabwe. In 2008, dozens of opposition and human rights activists were forcibly disappeared for weeks in a crackdown. The state repeatedly denied its involvement, but many activists were later found in its custody, while the fate and whereabouts of others remain unknown.

Background

On 18 August 2015, Amnesty International's Secretary General, Salil Shetty, and Human Rights Watch's Executive Director, Kenneth Roth wrote a letter, click HERE to download the letter, to President Robert Mugabe's government urging it to establish an independent judge-led Commission of Inquiry into the abduction and likely enforced disappearance of Itai Dzamara and ensure that those suspected to be responsible for his disappearance are brought to justice in fair trials.

On 13 March 2015, the High Court of Zimbabwe ordered the Minister of Home Affairs, the State Security Minister, the Commissioner-General of Police and the Director-General of the Central Intelligence Organization to investigate Itai Dzamara's abduction and to report their progress each fortnight to the Registrar of the High Court.

The reports remain inadequate, providing no substantive details of steps taken by the police except to confirm that investigations into Dzamara's disappearance are underway.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Venezuela: Former mayor transferred to prison as political crisis worsens

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 27 August 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Venezuela: Former mayor transferred to prison as political crisis worsens, 27 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c573f64.html [accessed 29 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The transfer of a former opposition mayor to prison from house arrest at 3am this morning without any notice is a vile maneuver by the Venezuelan authorities to silence any critics amidst a growing political and humanitarian crisis in the country, Amnesty International said.

"Authorities in Venezuela seem to be willing to stop at nothing in their quest to prevent anyone from criticizing them, particularly as the political and humanitarian situation in the country continues to deteriorate," said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International.

Daniel Omar Ceballos Morales, former mayor of the city of San Cristobal and leader of the opposition party Popular Will, was sentenced to 12 months in prison in 2014 after failing to follow an order to stop opposition protesters from erecting barricades in the city.

In August 2015 he was put under house arrest for health reasons. He is now awaiting trial on charges including rebellion and conspiracy to commit a crime in relation to the violent protests that took place across the country in 2014.

According to his wife, members of Venezuela's Intelligence Service went to Ceballo's home at 3am this morning and transferred him without notice or reason.

"Instead of persecuting anyone who disagrees with the government, the authorities in Venezuela must focus on findings ways to lift the country out of the deep crisis it has been submerged in for years."

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Cameroon : 130 people still missing 20 months after their arrest

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 29 August 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Cameroon : 130 people still missing 20 months after their arrest, 29 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c5743e4.html [accessed 29 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Authorities in Cameroon must provide answers about the whereabouts of 130 men and boys still unaccounted for 20 months after they were arrested in a crackdown on suspected Boko Haram members, Amnesty International said today on the International Day of the Disappeared.

"The Cameroonian authorities must come clean about the fate of these 130 missing men and boys. The government's continued failure to reveal their whereabouts adds insult to injury to the families who have already waited a long time for news of their loved ones," said Alioune Tine, Amnesty International West and Central Africa Regional Director.

"The country must stop using its fight against Boko Haram to justify its blatant violations of human rights."

The missing people were among more than 200 arrested during a cordon-and-search operation in the villages of Magdeme and Double - Far North region - on 27 December 2014. Of those arrested, at least 25 died in custody on the night of the arrests, with another 45 transferred to Maroua prison the day after. Three have died since due to dire conditions in detention.

In the same operation, the security forces also unlawfully killed at least nine civilians, including a child, and destroyed more than 70 homes and other buildings.

Amnesty International considers the 130 people who were arrested and are still missing to be victims of enforced disappearance, a crime under international law. The organization is calling on Cameroon to immediately disclose their whereabouts, ensure independent, thorough and effective investigations into these disappearances and bring those responsible to justice in fair trials without recourse to the death penalty.

Amnesty International has communicated a complete list of the names of all those who disappeared to Cameroon's Minister of Defense, Minister of Justice and the Head of military operations in the north. However, their families have still received no information from officials.

One woman whose husband and two sons are missing told Amnesty International:

"We really don't know what to do I have been to Maroua prison eight times we are asking for help. We want the authorities to tell us where our loved ones are."

Another man described the security forces' operation that led to the arrests:

"We heard shots being fired all around Everyone wondered what was happening. There were soldiers everywhere. Then, they [soldiers] took some of the men, stripped them and beat them before going to look for those who were hiding in their houses. Then they [soldiers] rounded them up and loaded them into their trucks. We searched for them everywhere after that but couldn't find them."

According to the authorities, the 25 men and boys who died in detention were held in a makeshift cell at the Gendarmerie's headquarters of Maroua, the main city in the Far North region. They have never revealed the identity of the victims, the cause and circumstances of their deaths, or their place of burial to their families.

In March 2015, the authorities announced that an internal inquiry within the Ministry of Defense was being undertaken to investigate the deaths. The results of this inquiry were not communicated publicly and only one person -- Colonel Ze Onguene Charles, Head of the Gendarmerie in the Far North region when the incident occurred -- is facing trial. The charges against him, however, are limited to "negligence and breach of custody rules".

Amnesty International has also documented an additional 17 cases of suspected enforced disappearances of people accused of supporting Boko Haram in the Far North region between June 2014 and June 2016.

"The authorities must conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into what happened in Magdeme and Double, and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice. They must also provide full and effective reparation to the families of the victims," said Alioune Tine.

Background

The Far North region of Cameroon has suffered repeated attacks from Boko Haram since late 2013. Between July 2015 and August 2016 Boko Haram conducted more than 200 attacks, including nearly 40 suicide bombings in the Far North region, killing at least 500 people.

In order to combat Boko Haram, Cameroon has deployed at least 2000 troops of the BIR (Rapid Intervention Battalion) alongside forces from the BIM (Mobile Intervention Battalion) in the Far North region.

While the security forces play a crucial role in protecting the population from Boko Haram's attacks, they have also committed human rights violations on a significant scale including arbitrary arrest, excessive use of force, extra-judicial executions, illegal and incommunicado detention, torture and enforced disappearances.

Amnesty International's Protect Our Rights campaign will run from 30 August 2016 until December 2017. The campaign will seek to protect the human rights of those caught between abuses committed by Boko Haram and human rights violations committed by the Cameroonian authorities and security forces in their fight against Boko Haram.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Sudan: Drop all charges and release activists detained for exercising their rights

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 29 August 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Sudan: Drop all charges and release activists detained for exercising their rights, 29 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c5749e4.html [accessed 29 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Sudanese authorities should drop all charges against 10 activists affiliated with Tracks for Training and Development (TRACKs), a Khartoum-based training organisation, and immediately and unconditionally release three men who have been detained since May 2016 solely for the peaceful exercise of their rights, the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies, Amnesty International, DefendDefenders, the International Federation for Human Rights and the International Refugee Rights Initiative said today.

The activists affiliated with TRACKs  which provides training on a range of issues from IT to human rights - are facing two overlapping criminal cases, one opened following a raid on the organisation in March 2015 and another following a second raid in February 2016. They have been charged with a number of offences including crimes against the state that carry the death penalty. The two cases were scheduled to be heard on 24 August 2016, but were postponed to 30 August.

"The criminal charges, arrests and raids all appear aimed at intimidating TRACKs staff members and disrupting the operation of the organisation," said Mossaad Mohamed Ali, Executive Director of the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies. "Sudan must immediately and unconditionally release the detainees, drop all charges that stem from their peaceful activities and let TRACKS staff and their affiliates conduct their work without fear of reprisals."

Three of the accused are held in detention at Al Huda Prison in Omdurman North, Khartoum. TRACKS director Khalafalla al Afif Mukhtar, TRACKS trainer Midhat Afif al-Deen Hamdan, and the director of Alzarqaa Organisation for Rural Development, Mustafa Adam, who happened to be visiting TRACKS at the time of the February raid, were detained on 22 May together with six others who were released within two weeks. The group of eight was charged on 15 August and the three men were transferred to Al Huda prison on the same day. They had spent 86 days without charge at the Office of the Prosecutor for State Security in Khartoum in inhumane conditions, in a cell that was overcrowded, with poor ventilation and restricted access to sanitation. Khalafalla al Afif Mukhtar, who suffers from a heart condition, was denied medical treatment on a number of occasions at the Prosecutor's office and fainted twice due to the heat.

Also on 22 May 2016, Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) reactivated an earlier criminal case, number 56/2015, brought against TRACKS director Khalafalla al Afif Mukhtar and Adil Bakheit, a well-known independent human rights trainer who had delivered trainings for TRACKS, following a raid on the organisation in March 2015. The men were charged in April and May 2015 with seven offences including three under the category of crimes against the state that carry the death penalty. However, they heard nothing further about the case until they were summoned to court on 22 May and informed that two other members of TRACKS staff, administration manager Arwa Al-Rabie and accountant Nudaina Kamal, were also accused in the case. The hearing has been adjourned five times because the investigator failed to attend.

"The very serious criminal charges, which include allegations of waging war against the state and espionage, are baseless and reflect a grave and increasing misuse of the criminal justice system to harass and intimidate civil society groups in Sudan," said Sarah Jackson, Deputy Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes at Amnesty International. "In both cases, the Prosecution has failed to provide written confirmation of the names of the accused or charges brought against them, or provide details on the factual or legal basis for the charges, and has repeatedly delayed proceedings, undermining the right to a fair trial".

The charges appear to be part of an on-going pattern of harassment and intimidation against TRACKS and other civil society groups by the NISS.

During the two raids on TRACKS in March 2015 and February 2016, NISS officers confiscated laptops, mobiles, and documents and repeatedly summoned staff for interrogation afterwards. On 11 June 2016, NISS officials searched the home of TRACKS director Khalafalla al Afif Mukhtar and the homes of three of his relatives. Officials seized printed materials and the family's cash savings and briefly detained his brother, Jamal Mukhtar.

The Sudanese authorities have unduly restricted the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, including by shutting down newspapers, using excessive force to break up protests, and placing arbitrary restrictions on civil society organisations. The Confederation of Sudanese Civil Society Organisations reported that in the last quarter of 2015 three organisations faced undue restrictions in the renewal of their licences, one local organisation was denied registration and another was forcibly closed without reasons being given. In March this year, the NISS stopped four civil society representatives from travelling to Switzerland for a high level meeting with diplomats in preparation for a UN-led human rights review of Sudan and confiscated their passports.

"Sudan continues to unlawfully restrict civil society through forced closures, raids and obstructions to the registration of organisations, as well the harassment and arbitrary detention of activists and human rights defenders," said Hassan Shire, Executive Director of DefendDefenders. "The government should stop these repressive tactics and allow Sudanese civil society to operate freely."

Human rights organisations have long called on Sudan to reform repressive laws, including the National Security Act of 2010 which vests the security agency with wide powers of arrest and detention for up to four and a half months without judicial review in addition to powers of search and seizure. Sudan also continues to use the death penalty, implemented by hanging, for a range of offences. These laws have been used to crack down on civil society and human rights defenders.

"Sudan must reform its laws in line with its own constitution and international obligations, especially the National Security Act; the Volunteer and Humanitarian Work Act of 2006; and the Criminal Law of 1991," said Andie Lambe, Executive Director of the International Refugee Rights Initiative.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

For the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies in Kampala, Mossaad Mohamed Ali, Executive Director, +256 779584542 or Katherine Perks, Programme Director, +256 775072136, [email protected].

For Amnesty International in Nairobi, Seif Magango, Media Manager  East Africa, +254 20 4283020 / +254 788 343897, [email protected].

Further information

Case number 110/2016 was filed on 15 August against eight TRACKS staff and affiliates: TRACKS director Khalafalla al Afif Mukhtar, trainer Midhat Afif al-Deen Hamdan and the director of Alzarqaa Organisation for Rural Development, Mustafa Adam are detained at Al-Huda prison. Also accused in the case are two TRACKs trainers, Al-Hassan Kheiry and Abu Hureira Abdelrahman, TRACKS administration manager Arwa Ahmed Elrabie and volunteer Imany Leyla Raye, as well as Albaqir al Afif Mukhtar, the director of another organisation, Alkhatim Adlan Centre for Enlightenment and Human Development (KACE), who is the brother of the Khalafalla al Afif Mukhtar. Abu Hureira and Albaqir al Afif Mukhtar were outside Sudan when the charges were issued.

Case number 56/2015 was brought against Khalafalla al Afif Mukhtar and Adil Bakheit in April and May 2015. After more than a year were summoned to court on 22 May 2016 and informed that two other TRACKS staff, administration manager Arwa Al-Rabie and accountant Nudaina Kamal, were also accused in the case.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Reverse 'negative trajectory' and restore hope for two-state solution, says UN Middle East envoy

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 29 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Reverse 'negative trajectory' and restore hope for two-state solution, says UN Middle East envoy, 29 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c5756440d.html [accessed 29 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

29 August 2016 - The United Nations senior official coordinating efforts towards the peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict today reiterated a call for both sides to work towards a negotiated two-state solution which envisages the co-existence of Palestine and Israel as amicable neighbours.

"Both sides should work to reverse the negative trajectory, to build trust and to restore hope that a negotiated two-state solution is not just a political slogan but a reality that can be achieved through negotiations in our lifetime," the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, told the Security Council in his regular briefing on the situation in the region.

The envoy noted that recommendations offered by the so-called Middle East Quartet - the United States, the Russian Federation, the European Union and the UN - on the way forward in the peace process have been ignored, pointing to a surge in Israeli settlement-related announcements and continuing demolitions of Palestinian buildings as an example of this. The Quartet's recommendations include an end to Israel's settlement policy and a halt to Palestine's incitement to violence.

More than 37 years ago, the Security Council determined that Israeli settlements in occupied territory have no legal validity [] That determination was true in 1979, and is equally true and even more urgent of a concern today

In the briefing, Mr. Mladenov recalled that more than 37 years ago, the Security Council determined that Israeli settlements in occupied territory have no legal validity and are an obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

"That determination was true in 1979, and is equally true and even more urgent of a concern today," he said, urging the leaders on both sides, with support from the region and the international community, to end the conflict on the basis of relevant Security Council resolutions, and in a manner that meets the legitimate national aspirations of both peoples.

He reported that since 1 July, Israel has advanced plans for over 1,000 housing units in occupied East Jerusalem - in Pisgat Ze'ev, Ramot, Har Homa, and Gilo - as well as 735 units in Ma'ale Adumim and other settlements in the West Bank.

A boy in the Bedouin refugee community of Um al Khayr in the South Hebron Hills where large scale home demolitions by Israeli authorities took place. Photo: UNRWA

Israel has also published tenders, some new, for 323 units in East Jerusalem settlements and reissued tenders for 42 units in Kiryat Arba, near Hebron, he added, for which it also allocated more than $13 million in new funding.

All of these and other plans would essentially create new illegal settlements, and it is difficult to read in such actions a genuine intention to work towards a viable two-state solution, the UN envoy said, calling on Israel to cease and reverse these decisions.

"Let me be clear: no legal acrobatics can change the fact that all outposts - whether 'legalised' under Israeli law or not, whether located on state land, or absentee land, or private land - just like all settlements in Area C and East Jerusalem, remain illegal under international law," Mr. Mladenov said.

The Special Coordinator also noted that, according to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 91 structures across 26 communities in Area C were demolished due to the lack of Israeli building permits in August alone, displacing some 125 people and affecting the livelihoods of at least 2,100 people.

Other topics covered in his briefing included security-related incidents in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.

"With no prospect for resuming negotiations in sight, developments on the ground continue to undermine an already precarious situation," he noted, adding that although the past month has been relatively calm, a number of security-related incidents occurred last week,

These incidents included the apparent extrajudicial execution by the Palestinian Security Forces of a man in custody; the firing of two rockets from Gaza, to which Israel responded by directing some 60 missiles and shells at 30 suspected military installations in Gaza; and the killing by the Israeli Security Forces of a Palestinian man who was reportedly under psychiatric care.

Preparations under way towards October elections

In a positive development however, the UN official said, political parties had signed an electoral code of conduct on 25 July to which all parties and candidates must adhere to in the Palestinian local council elections taking place on 8 October and which are expected to be the first simultaneous polls in the West Bank and Gaza since 2006.

Conducting the local elections in line with established international standards can contribute to advancing Palestinian reconciliation, Mr. Mladenov said, while also underlining that "the lack of unity, however, or any attempt to influence the outcome of the elections, including through intimidation, threats, violence or coercion, risks widening divisions and undermining the Palestinian national cause."

Turning to Gaza, he said that while progress has been made on reconstructing the physical damage since the ceasefire agreement two years ago, repairing the psychological damage of the conflict is "miles away" from being over. "We need a radical overhaul of how we deal with the problems of Gaza," he said.

On the issue of the Golan heights, the Special Coordinator said the situations remains volatile and continues to undermine the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement. He flagged that fighting between the Syrian armed forces and armed groups in the areas of separation and limitation is continuing, with several incidents across the ceasefire line being reported.

Mr. Mladenov also drew attention to a nearly $100 million shortfall in the core budget of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which would affect the agency's key services for vulnerable Palestine refugees throughout the region.
UNESCO's head condemns killing of Indian paper's bureau chief

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 29 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UNESCO's head condemns killing of Indian paper's bureau chief, 29 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c5759f40c.html [accessed 29 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

29 August 2016 - The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today condemned the murder of a bureau chief of a domestic daily newspaper in India.

"I condemn the murder of Kishore Dave," the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova, said in a statement, referring to daily Jai Hind's bureau chief in the city of Junagadh in the western state of Gujarat.

According to UNESCO, Mr. Dave was killed on 22 August and his assailants are reported to have been arrested.

"I trust that legal proceedings already underway will shed full light on this crime, which undermines journalists' ability to carry out their work and contribute to open and informed public debate," Ms. Bokova said in the statement.

UNESCO issues statements on the killing of media workers in line with Resolution 29 adopted by the entity's member states in 1997, entitled 'Condemnation of Violence against Journalists.'
Yemen: UN humanitarian coordinator 'deeply concerned' by failures to protect civilians

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 29 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Yemen: UN humanitarian coordinator 'deeply concerned' by failures to protect civilians, 29 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c576ec40e.html [accessed 29 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

29 August 2016 - A senior United Nations humanitarian official said today he "is deeply concerned" by the devastating impact that the recent upsurge in fighting is having on civilians in Yemen and along the border the country shares with Saudi Arabia.

"In Yemen, seven people have been confirmed dead and one injured following an attack on a market in Baqim in Sa'ada Governorate," the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, Jamie McGoldrick, said in a statement issued by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), referring to the marketplace attack which took place on 25 August.

Baqim is a district within the Sa'ada Governorate which lies in northern Yemen. Part of the governorate sits on the country's border with Saudi Arabia, where media reports indicate that attacks from the direction of Yemen have caused an unconfirmed number of civilian casualties, according to the OCHA statement. It also noted that civilian infrastructure continues to be hit and power plants were attacked across both sides of the border.

In the statement, Mr. Goldrick also said that the continued closure of Yemen's Sana'a airport to commercial flights is having serious implications for patients seeking urgent medical treatment abroad, given the inability of the national health system to treat all medical cases, particularly chronic or life-threatening diseases such as cancer.

Initial statistics from Yemen's national airline, the statement added, indicate that thousands of people cannot leave while many others remain stranded outside of the country, facing financial hardship and administrative hurdles due to expired visas.

Faj Attan, a neighbourhood of Yemen's capital, Sana'a, is regularly hit by airstrikes. Most of the population has left. Photo: OCHA/Charlotte Cans

Mr. McGoldrick called on the relevant authorities for the immediate reopening of the airport and the resumption of commercial flights into Sana'a to alleviate some of the suffering of the civilian population, strongly echoing a recent reminder from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to all parties of the utmost necessity to protect civilians and to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.

Also in the statement, the humanitarian official underlined that "a political solution is the only viable option to bring the safety and security that the people of Yemen deserve."

On 6 August, the UN's Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, announced a one-month break in the Yemeni peace talks, during which "the focus will be on working with each side separately to crystalize precise technical details."

On 17 August, alarmed by escalating airstrikes and ground fighting in Yemen and along the shared border with Saudi Arabia in the wake of the suspension of the talks, the Secretary-General repeated his call on all the parties to the conflict to immediately cease all hostilities.

Eight days later, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, called for the establishment of an international, independent body to carry out comprehensive investigations in the country. His call came as his office released a report on the situation of human rights in Yemen which outlines a number of serious allegations of violations and abuses committed by all sides to the conflict.
UN rapporteur calls for urgent action to protect hundreds of thousands of displaced people in north-eastern Nigeria

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 29 August 2016 Related Document(s) Children on the move, children left behind - Uprooted or trapped by Boko Haram Cite as UN News Service, UN rapporteur calls for urgent action to protect hundreds of thousands of displaced people in north-eastern Nigeria, 29 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c5774040e.html [accessed 29 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

29 August 2016 - Speaking at the end of a four-day visit to Nigeria, the United Nations expert on internally displaced persons (IPDs) has called on the country's authorities and the international community to act urgently to ensure that the hundreds of thousands of displaced people in its northeast are protected.

"The situation must no longer be downplayed and it is not too late to save many lives," the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of IDPs, Chaloka Beyani, said in news release issued by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

"The Government must act urgently to ensure that food, shelter, medical care, water, sanitation and other essential services reach IDPs without delay," he added.

The Special Rapporteur also expressed concern at the lack of international attention and resources to meet the needs in the region, and called on donors to provide support to meet immediate needs as well as to enhance their long-term support in the region.

According to a recent report by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), Children on the Move, Children Left Behind, in addition to 2.6 million people currently displaced in the Lake Chad region because of the violence, some 2.2 million people are feared to be trapped in areas under the control of Boko Haram and need humanitarian assistance.

The OHCHR news release noted that the situation resulting from the Boko Haram violence, as well as Nigerian Government counter-insurgency measures, are indicative of a crisis of the highest category.

It noted that civilians, including children, leaving areas recently liberated by government forces bear the signs of advanced malnutrition and of deep trauma, while also flagging that humanitarian access is limited in some areas due to security concerns.

"Due to a gross underestimation of the crisis, the existing supplies will only cover needs for a very short period of time and will be soon outstripped by demands," Mr. Beyani said.

He added that a vast majority of the displaced live outside camps, with little or no assistance, and that urgent steps are needed to assess their needs as well as the needs of the host communities supporting them with their own resources.

During his visit, the Special Rapporteur visited IDP camps in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, where he said that food is scarce, medical care is insufficient and that the people are in need urgent protection, psychosocial support and counselling.

Highlighting the direness of the situation in the camps, he spoke of reports of women and girls facing demands for sex to access food or to leave the camps and that early pregnancy and marriage are commonplace.

"Many do not report abuse due to stigmatization, cultural factors and the knowledge that perpetrators can abuse with impunity," he noted, calling for protection measures to be stepped-up and camps to be quickly placed under trained civilian management to prevent abuses.

The OHCHR news release also noted positive measures taken by the government, including a plan for rehabilitating northeast Nigeria and the establishment of oversight systems by the Parliament.

A full report of the Special Rapporteur along with his recommendations will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in June next year.

Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.
Employees of All Nippon Airways (ANA) queue in front of the company's Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane after its test flight at Haneda airport in Tokyo April 28, 2013. REUTERS/Yuya Shino/File Photo

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese carrier ANA Holdings Inc said on Tuesday it could take as long as three years to replace faulty turbine blades in the Rolls-Royce (RR.L) engines powering its Boeing (BA.N) 787s.

ANA said last week that under certain flight conditions some of its 50 Dreamliners have been affected by vibrations caused by cracked turbine blades in the rear sections of the engines, forcing three flights since February to return to airports in Japan.

The carrier has halted 18 flights this month resulting in 82 million yen ($800,000) in lost revenue as it works on the jets and has said it may cancel other flights in coming months.

Rolls-Royce has so far said the problem is limited to a portion of 787s operated by the Japanese airline.

"It is an issue but it's a manageable issue," Rolls-Royce Chief Executive Warren East told Reuters after a business forum hosted by the German foreign ministry in Berlin on Tuesday. "With the more intensive use, the natural wear and tear on the engines happens sooner," he said.

All of ANA's Dreamliners are powered by Rolls-Royce engines. The Japanese airline, which was the 787's launch customer, is the biggest operator of the Boeing plane, with more than a tenth of the global fleet.

Of the 445 Dreamliners in operation worldwide, about 40 percent use the Rolls-Royce engines, according to Boeing.

Other operators of 787s equipped with the Rolls-Royce engine include British Airways (ICAG.L), Air China , Air New Zealand (AIR.NZ), LATAM Airlines Group (LAN.SN) and Singapore Airline's (SIAL.SI) Scoot.

Airlines that order the 787 Dreamliner can choose between the Rolls-Royce engines and General Electric Co's (GE.N) GEnx engines.

Rolls-Royce shares traded down 1 percent at 776.5 pence as at 0919 GMT, underperforming Britain's bluechip index (.FTSE) which was up 0.1 percent. ANA shares closed 0.25 percent lower at 277.9 yen in Tokyo compared with a 0.07 percent decline in the Nikkei 225 index (.N225).

($1 = 102.3600 yen)

(Reporting by Maki Shiraki in TOKYO and Andrea Shalal in BERLIN; Writing by Tim Kelly; Editing by Tom Hogue and Christopher Cushing)
UN agency stresses importance of investing in Colombia's rural communities in wake of peace accord

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 29 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UN agency stresses importance of investing in Colombia's rural communities in wake of peace accord, 29 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c5785440c.html [accessed 29 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

29 August 2016 - A senior official at the United Nations rural development agency has stressed the importance of investing in Colombia's small farmers and rural communities to ensure lasting peace in the country.

"The country now has a historic chance to achieve a lasting peace. The only way to seize this opportunity, however, is to ensure that investments in poor rural people lead to increased agricultural productivity and sustainable rural development," said Perin Saint Ange, an Associate Vice-President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in a news release issued by the agency today.

"Let's not forget that there can be no peace without rural development and no rural development without peace," he added.

Mr. Saint Ange's call comes as he is about to undertake a three-day visit to the country shortly after the Colombian Government signed a definitive peace agreement with Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army (FARC-EP).

The IFAD official also pledged the agency's support to the Colombian Government's efforts to reconstruct rural areas now that the 50-year conflict is over.

Highlighting that the peace accord is a massive step forward and that it has created an enabling environment to invest in the country's rural communities, Mr. Saint Ange said that the UN agency wants to ensure that small-scale farmers and rural entrepreneurs will experience significant improvements in their well-being and prosperity.

"The road is long and much more needs to be done, but there is no doubt that Colombia is on the right path. Both parties to the conflict are clear on the need to reverse the neglect that rural areas have been subjected to in the past," he said.

Colombia, he added, can count on IFAD's support to the country's rural development and thereby, to the peace process, for years to come.

"We want to play our part in building a new, peaceful and prosperous Colombia. We want to assure the Colombian people and authorities that IFAD's 40 years of experience in rural development is - now more than ever - at their disposal," he said.

During his visit, the IFAD Associate Vice-President will meet with senior government officials as well as visit an agricultural research centre where he will explore ways of putting innovations developed by the centre to the service of small farmers, not only in Colombia, but in the Latin American and Caribbean region as a whole.
Upcoming peace conference an opportunity to transform Myanmar  UN rights expert

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 29 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Upcoming peace conference an opportunity to transform Myanmar  UN rights expert, 29 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c578c040d.html [accessed 29 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

29 August 2016 - Speaking ahead of a major peace conference in Myanmar, a United Nations independent expert has urged its participants to prioritise human rights issues in their discussions over the coming days, and to do more to ensure the process is fully inclusive.

"A lot is at stake with this Panglong Conference," the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, said in a news release issued by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). "As with the peace process generally in Myanmar, this is the opportunity to transform the country, into a state that the people of Myanmar have wanted for several decades. But to do so it must be fully inclusive."

In the release, she added that discrimination, land rights and equitable sharing of natural resources are at the heart of the Southeast Asian nation's conflict and, therefore, must also be at the heart of the peace discussions and solutions. "It is only by addressing and prioritising these issues that the durable peace desired by the people of Myanmar can be achieved," she said.

The 21st Century Panglong Conference, which will take place in the country's capital, Naypyidaw, from 31 August to 5 September, is the first major peace conference held in Myanmar since Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy assumed power in late March 2016, according to OHCHR.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is scheduled to attend the event on its first day.

In the news release, Ms. Lee described the conference as "a historic moment" but cautioned against celebrating too much too early.

"This is the first brick into the paving of a long road ahead. There is so much, much more to be discussed and negotiated after the first 21st Panglong Conference," the expert said, while also calling for all parties to "be committed and to work together in full steam to achieve a sustainable, inclusive and transformative peace."

Ms. Lee drew special attention to women's participation as a vital ingredient in successful and transformative peace agreements, and noted that women will be underrepresented in the coming discussions despite making up over half of the population in Myanmar.

She also flagged the importance of civil society organisations to be fully involved in the process at every level, and the need for youth to also have a voice at the upcoming gathering and in future discussions. "But the young people themselves must also remember the importance of inclusivity not just amongst armed groups but within all communities," she added.

"This is the beginning of the process of creating a beautiful mosaic of a diverse, harmonious, and peaceful new Myanmar," emphasised the UN Special Rapporteur.

Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.
UN rights expert condemns Iran's 'illegal' execution of 12 people on drug-related charges

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 29 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UN rights expert condemns Iran's 'illegal' execution of 12 people on drug-related charges, 29 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c578fb40e.html [accessed 29 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

29 August 2016 - The United Nations rights expert on the situation of human rights in Iran has expressed outrage over the execution of 12 people on drug-related charges, just days after he had publicly appealed to the Iranian authorities not to go ahead with the capital punishment.

"The execution of individuals for drug-related offences is simply illegal," the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, said in a news release from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

According to the release, Mr. Shaheed noted that international law only allows the imposition of the death penalty for the "most serious crimes," where there is intentional killing, and after a fair trial that respects the most stringent due process guarantees. None of these conditions were respected, the release added, at least in the case of one of the people executed, Alireza Madadpour.

According to OHCHR, Mr. Alireza Madadpour was arrested in November 2011 after 990 grams of crystal meth were found during a raid on a house he cleaned. He was tried by a Revolutionary Court and his state-appointed defence lawyer never met him, with the trial lasting only 20 minutes. Furthermore, Mr. Madadpour's request for pardon and retrial were not granted.

"Combating drug trafficking, a serious concern in Iran, does not justify the use of the death penalty in drug-related cases," the Special Rapporteur said. "The execution of Mr. Madadpour and 11 others shows the Iranian authorities' complete disregard of its obligations under international human rights law and especially of international fair trial standards and due process guarantees."

The UN expert also renewed his call on the Government of Iran to end all executions and to immediately institute a moratorium on the death penalty.

Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.
Thailand: Break Silence on Day of the 'Disappeared'

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 29 August 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Thailand: Break Silence on Day of the 'Disappeared', 29 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c579794.html [accessed 29 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Thailand's government has failed to abide by its pledge to make enforced disappearance a crime under Thai laws, Human Rights Watch said today. August 30 is the United Nations International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

After years of advocacy by human rights groups, the Thai government on May 24, 2016, announced it would submit a bill to the national assembly that would criminalize torture and enforced disappearances. The government also said it would ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. However, the government provided no timeframe for implementing these pledges.

"Another year has passed with the Thai government failing to address the grave problem of enforced disappearances in the country," said Brad Adams, Asia director. "As a result abusive officials continue to evade the punishment they deserve because Thai laws still don't criminalize these cruel practices."

Since 1980, the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances has recorded 82 cases of enforced disappearance in Thailand. Many of these cases implicated Thai officials  including the disappearances of prominent Muslim lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit in March 2004, and ethnic Karen activist Por Cha Lee "Billy" Rakchongcharoen in April 2014  but none have been successfully resolved. Human Rights Watch and other human rights groups working in Thailand believe that the actual number of such cases in Thailand is higher due to some families of victims and witnesses remaining silent for fear of reprisal, and because the government lacks an effective witness protection system.

During the 25th Session of the Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group in May 2016, the Thai government pledged to take steps to ratify the convention against enforced disappearance and align domestic legislation with Thailand's international obligations and recommendations by UN treaty bodies.

As drafted, the yet to be introduced bill would be the first Thai law to recognize and criminalize torture and enforced disappearance  including for crimes committed outside Thailand  with no exemptions for political or security reasons. The draft law provides that government officials who commit enforced disappearance or torture could face up to 20 years in prison; up to 30 years if the enforced disappearance or torture leads to serious injury; and life imprisonment if death results. Any commanders or supervisors could face half of the penalty if they intentionally ignore the knowledge of enforced disappearance or torture committed by their subordinates.

"Enforced disappearance" is defined under international law as the arrest or detention of a person by state officials or their agents followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty, or to reveal the person's fate or whereabouts. Enforced disappearances violate a range of fundamental human rights protected under international law, including prohibitions against arbitrary arrest and detention; torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment; and extrajudicial execution. The UN General Assembly has repeatedly described enforced disappearance as "an offense to human dignity" and "a grave and flagrant violation" of international human rights law.

Human Rights Watch has repeatedly urged Thai authorities  including in a January 14, 2016 letter to Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-ocha  to take all necessary steps to end the practice of enforced disappearance. Of particular concern is the military's ongoing use of secret detention facilities for dissenters and suspects in national security cases under section 44 of the 2014 interim constitution and the Martial Law Act of 1914.

"Thai authorities need to follow through on their pledges to end enforced disappearances, which devastates families as well as victims," Adams said. "The families of Thailand's 'disappeared' need to know that their government is doing all it can to bring to justice those responsible for this abhorrent practice."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Palestine: Crackdown on Journalists, Activists

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 29 August 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Palestine: Crackdown on Journalists, Activists, 29 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c57a104.html [accessed 29 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and Gaza are arresting, abusing, and criminally charging journalists and activists who express peaceful criticism of the authorities. The crackdown directly violates obligations that Palestine recently assumed in ratifying international treaties protecting free speech.

"Both Palestinian governments, operating independently, have apparently arrived at similar methods of harassment, intimidation and physical abuse of anyone who dares criticize them," said Sari Bashi, Israel and Palestine country director at Human Rights Watch. "The Palestinian people fought hard to gain the protections that accompany membership in the international community, and their leaders should take their treaty obligations seriously."

Human Rights Watch documented five cases  two in the West Bank and three in Gaza  in which security forces arrested or questioned journalists, a political activist, and two rap musicians based on their peaceful criticism of the authorities. Four of those arrested, two in Gaza and two in the West Bank, say that security forces physically abused or tortured them. The authorities in Gaza denied the allegations, and in the West Bank the authorities said they could not investigate the allegations in the absence of a formal complaint. These crackdowns follow a pattern of violations of the right to free speech and due process that Human Rights Watch has documented in the past five years, most recently in May 2015. In the West Bank, some progress has been made in protecting the rights of those arrested.

In Gaza, Hamas authorities detained and intimidated an activist who criticized the government for failing to protect a man with a mental disability; a journalist who posted a photograph of a woman looking for food in a garbage bin; and a journalist who alleged medical malpractice at a public hospital after a newborn baby died. In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority (PA) arrested and charged activists and musicians who ridiculed Palestinian security forces for cooperating with Israel and accused the government of corruption. The offending statements were allegedly made in Facebook postings, graffiti, and rap songs.

In the abuse cases, activists and journalists said that security officers beat or kicked them, deprived them of sleep and proper food, hosed them with cold and then hot water, and made them maintain uncomfortable positions for long hours. In Gaza, two detainees said security officials made them sign commitments not to criticize the authorities without proper evidence. In the West Bank, both men arrested faced criminal charges, including defamation and insulting a public official.

These crackdowns on free speech and the use of torture violate the legal commitments that the PA assumed in 2014, when it ratified the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention Against Torture. They also violate provisions of the Palestinian Basic Law protecting speech. At a time when many Palestinians are critical of their leaders, the crackdowns have a chilling effect on public debate in the traditional news media, and on social media. These leaders have remained in power for a decade with no elections planned following a split that left Hamas controlling Gaza and the Fatah-dominated PA controlling the West Bank.

In 2011, Human Rights Watch issued a report on violations of media freedoms by the PA and Hamas. The report cited the work of Palestinian watchdog groups like the statutorily created Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) and the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) and criticized the PA for using military proceedings to detain civilian journalists or detaining civilians with no judicial process, in violation of Palestinian law.

Since then, the PA has stopped trying civilians in military courts, an important step toward protecting their rights. However, the ICHR told Human Rights Watch that the PA stepped up its use of the civilian public prosecution to bring formal changes against journalists for so-called crimes such as libel or "insulting a higher authority," a relic from the pre-1967 penal code enforced in Gaza and the West Bank by Egypt and Jordan respectively.

Lawyers and those arrested say that in the West Bank, authorities use court proceedings as harassment. Prosecution witnesses routinely fail to appear, and judges grant multiple adjournments, requiring the accused to return to court repeatedly, at the expense of their work and studies. While the increasing use of the judicial process to address alleged criminal violations is an important sign of progress, the PA's reliance on archaic laws punishing speech is a source of concern, Human Rights Watch said.

The media freedom group MADA documented 192 incidents in 2015 in which Palestinian authorities infringed on journalists' right to free expression through summoning and interrogation, arrests, physical assault, detention, and, in Gaza, forbidding journalists from reporting on certain issues or stories. That was a 68 percent increase over 2014. The pattern of abuse that MADA reported, including beatings, torture, warnings to stop criticizing the government, and seizing passwords to search social media accounts, is consistent with the cases Human Rights Watch documented.

Since 2007, Palestinian journalists have often reflected the split between Fatah and Hamas. MADA said: "The internal Palestinian division continues to be one of the key reasons behind the Palestinian violations against media freedoms  especially when it comes to the freedom of media outlets affiliated to a certain party."

The Independent Commission for Human Rights reported that 24 people in the West Bank and 21 in Gaza were arrested in 2015 for criticizing Palestinian authorities, including on Facebook, or covering topics deemed forbidden.

Palestinian journalists also face abuse and harassment from Israeli soldiers, who have beaten them at demonstrations, closed media offices, and arrested journalists for posing unspecified security risks. During escalations of violence, Israel has assassinated journalists affiliated with armed groups in Gaza, alleging that their affiliation makes them a legitimate target.

Representatives of the Hamas government in Gaza denied the allegations of physical abuse and told Human Rights Watch that security forces do not arrest people based on their opinions, but rather only if they break laws against defamation or incitement to violence.

Palestinian Authority officials in the West Bank said that they were working to comply with Palestine's new international commitments, but that the transition was not complete. They did not address allegations of misuse of prosecutorial discretion and abuse by security forces in the cases that Human Rights Watch documented.

The international rights standards Palestine adopted bar criminal defamation. The UN Human Rights Committee, which interprets the ICCPR, has stated that freedom of expression standards require that public officials should be subject to greater criticism than others.

The Palestinian penal code should be revised to eliminate criminal defamation, and any provisions that criminalize insulting public officials, Human Rights Watch said. Pending those revisions, security officers and prosecutors should refrain from enforcing criminal defamation laws and stop arresting people based on their speech and writing. Authorities in Gaza and the West Bank should take measures to prevent abuse by security forces and should investigate and prosecute those responsible.

"In the absence of elections, Palestinians are stuck with the same leaders who took power a decade ago," Bashi said. "At the very least, those leaders should listen to criticism, not punish it."

Methodology:

Human Rights Watch interviewed five journalists, activists, and musicians, three in Gaza and two in the West Bank, who said security officers arrested and interrogated them about their criticisms of the authorities. Human Rights Watch spoke to the lawyers representing the two individuals in the West Bank in criminal cases brought against them and reviewed court documents. In Gaza, Human Rights Watch reviewed police summons and posts that those arrested had published on social media. Human Rights Watch also interviewed the head of the ICHR and reviewed its reports and those of MADA. Human Rights Watch conducted telephone interviews with representatives of the authorities in Gaza and in-person meetings with the authorities in the West Bank. Human Rights Watch also re-interviewed two students whose arrest it documented in May 2015, spoke to their lawyers and reviewed court documents in their cases.

Gaza

Ayman al-Aloul

Ayman al-Aloul worked as a journalist for Iraqi and Gulf-based television stations and is also a civil servant, receiving a salary from the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority (PA), the Hamas rival. Al-Aloul said that on the evening of January 3, 2016, men who identified themselves as security officials arrested him at his home in Gaza City, confiscated his cell phone and two laptop computers, and took him to Gaza's Ansar prison. Interrogators ordered him to reveal the passwords for his social media accounts and cell phone, which they searched.

Referring to his postings, they accused him of distorting Hamas's image, he said. They also asked him about a photograph he posted on Facebook showing a woman looking through a garbage bin for food and a post critical of Hamas for failing to stop a man from walking into Egypt for medical treatment after he failed to receive permission to leave Gaza, whose borders are mostly closed. Egyptian soldiers shot and killed him. Al-Aloul also said the interrogators asked him about an interview he gave to al-Aqsa Television, affiliated with Hamas, in which he responded to allegations that the PA is paying him to criticize Hamas. In response, he had said sarcastically, "If any one of you (Hamas) pays me, I promise to shut my mouth. How could I shut up without anyone paying me a shekel?!" Referring to that comment, his interrogators accused him of extortion.

He said that interrogators blindfolded him and made him sit for hours in a child's chair, in a cold room, without proper clothing or food, then repeatedly slapped him on the back of his neck and accused him of being a foreign agent. On the second day of his interrogation, they transferred him to the military prosecution, where security officers told him he could ask for a lawyer but that it was not necessary. Al-Aloul said he agreed not to request a lawyer. They held him for eight days, allowing visits on the last day from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and local Palestinian human rights organizations.

Security officers released him on January 11, after making him sign a commitment not to deviate from custom, tradition, and Islamic law, to be respectful, and to conform to behavioral norms. They did not give al-Aloul a copy.

Security officials apparently continued to monitor his writings and speech, he said, and sent him warnings to stop working as a journalist. Al-Aloul said that a colleague at an office from which he had worked told him that someone who identified himself as representing the internal security service called him and told him not to allow al-Aloul to continue working out of his office space. Another friend of al-Aloul, Nihad Nashwan, who has professional dealings with Gaza's Internal Security service, told Human Rights Watch that, at a meeting unrelated to al-Aloul's case, after al-Aloul's release, Abu Khaled Oda, the head of internal security, told him to tell al-Aloul to stop working as a journalist.

Al-Aloul said that since his detention, he has moderated his criticism of Hamas but continues to comment on Facebook. He said he received warnings from people he did not know, in response to Facebook postings critical of Hamas, and that he assumed those warnings, some of which referred to his detention, came from the security forces. After posting a comment on February 25, referring to an internal dispute between Hamas's military and political branches, he received a comment that he "seems to be itching for another injury." On April 18, after a post in which he criticized the government for compensating the families of those killed by Israel but not supporting ordinary people in need, he received a comment on Facebook, also from someone he does not know, saying, "Mr. Ayman! Won't you stop talking about such issues? Did you forget your commitment before being released from Ansar Prison?"

Ramzi Herzallah

Ramzi Herzallah is a 28-year-old employee of a currency exchange business who belonged to Hamas's armed wing until 2011, when he ended his Hamas affiliation. On January 1, 2016, officials at the public prosecutor's office summoned him and told him that the Interior Ministry had filed a complaint, alleging that he had slandered ministry officials over Facebook. The offending post was a video in which Herzallah criticized Hamas authorities for the case that al-Aloul had discussed, in which security officers failed to prevent a man from crossing the Gaza-Egypt border without permission. After a few hours, officials released Herzallah.

Two days later, at about 6 p.m., five uniformed men arrived at his house in Gaza City and identified themselves as members of the internal security apparatus, he said. They produced search and arrest warrants and searched his house. They confiscated two of his computers and a cellphone, blindfolded him, and took him to Ansar Prison, refusing to give the reason for his arrest. Men he could not identify then repeatedly slapped his face, until security officers removed his blindfold and took him to a room to await interrogation.

At 4 a.m., masked interrogators arrived and accused him of collaborating with the rival Fatah faction and Egyptian intelligence. The interrogators demanded his social media passwords, then told him they were deactivating his Facebook account to prevent discussion of his arrest there. They ordered him to unlock his cell phone.

Herzallah said that they also made him sit in a child's chair, where he spent three days with only brief bathroom breaks. They gave him food, but if he fell asleep, interrogators would slap him awake. Interrogators accused him of a pro-Fatah bias, opened his laptop, asked him about the source of some of his Facebook posts, and slapped him and pushed his head against a wall when he argued with them over his writing.

Herzallah said they permitted him to request a lawyer but he declined, saying that he was defending the population of Gaza by writing critically about issues and that he could defend himself, too. He said that initially authorities refused to allow human rights organizations to visit him, but on the seventh day, he received visits from the ICRC and the ICHR. They permitted his family to visit him the following day.

They released him on January 11, telling him that while he could express criticism, he could not insult the government, and had to report back to internal security in two weeks.

For the next week, he said, he refrained from making public statements or postings of a political nature. He reported back to internal security about two weeks after his release, together with Ayman al-Aloul with whom he is friendly, and at the meeting security officials warned him that they are monitoring his Facebook account.

Herzallah said he was told to sign two documents during his detention: a confirmation that officials were charging him with "harming revolutionary unity" and a commitment, upon his release, not to insult government officials. He did not receive copies of either document, and has not been approached by security forces since.

Mousheera al-Haj

Mousheera al-Haj is a Palestinian journalist who until recently edited the news website Bawabet Alhadaf, which is affiliated with the Palestinian faction the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. On April 14, 2014, she posted on her Facebook page a response to an incident in which a newborn baby died at a public hospital in Gaza. In the post, she blamed the doctors for the baby's death, writing, "of what guilt was she killed, you son of dogs!" Nearly a year later, on March 28, 2015, she wrote an article on the website criticizing the Health Ministry for setting a qualifying exam for dentistry graduates that most failed.

Two weeks later, on April 9, her husband was summoned to the Sheikh Redwan police station. The summons, which Human Rights Watch viewed, did not specify the reason. She said that when her husband arrived at the police station, officials there told him that the prosecutor wanted to question her about the post she had written on Facebook in 2014. She went to the police station that same day and was questioned for about an hour about the Facebook post.

Ten days later, security officials called her husband again and told him that she should report to the police station. The interrogator told her to apologize to the Health Ministry and that she was being questioned on the charge of "insult and defamation." Al-Haj said she refused to apologize.

On August 5, interrogators called her husband and told him she must again report to the police station. Al-Haj said interrogators questioned her briefly and then asked her to publicly apologize for the post. When she refused, security officers took her to Ansar Prison, where they conducted a body-search and detained her for about four hours. She said they allowed her to receive visitors from local human rights organizations and the ICHR.

Al-Haj said she eventually told interrogators she would apologize "in my way", and they released her in the afternoon. That same day she wrote on Facebook to thank those who supported her during her detention and to say that her shock, as a mother, at the baby's death, led her to write harshly about the hospital incident.

West Bank

Mutaz Abu Lihi

Mutaz Abu Lihi is a 21-year-old media student at Al Quds University in the West Bank and a former member of the rap group Min al-Alef Lal Ya ("From A to Z"). On the morning of November 21, 2014, he said, Palestinian security officials took him from his home to intelligence agency headquarters. They asked him questions about his political affiliation and personal habits and accused him of writing graffiti against Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Abu Lihi said that an interrogator tied his hands, made him sit under a desk and threatened him with a gun. Security officials hit him with a wooden stick and a plastic pipe. An interrogator who identified himself as Husam Abu Saif, offered to release Abu Lihi if he would agree to collect intelligence information, but he refused, he said, and was released later that day.

He said that after his release he received multiple phone calls from Abu Saif, and that intelligence officials came to his house. He went into hiding for four days and then surrendered at intelligence headquarters on November 25. Security officers held him there for two days, during which they beat and kicked him in his groin area, despite a pre-existing medical condition there, punched him, and cursed him. They asked him why he writes against the Palestinian president and told him that if he confessed to spray-painting the word, intifada (uprising), they would release him. He signed a confession and was allowed to leave.

Security forces arrested Abu Lihi a third time on January 12, 2015, and held him for 24 days, taking him, on January 19, before a judge, who approved extending his detention. Abu Lihi said that security officers accused him of writing graffiti, including slogans such as "Abbas Leave," "Down with Oslo," a reference to the interim peace accords that created the PA, "Gaza is closer than Paris," a reference to the separation between the two parts of the Palestinian territory, and pro-Hamas slogans. Abu Lihi said his interrogators told him they would not release him unless he confessed or implicated his friends.

He said that four or five officers made him remove his clothing, then opened the windows to the winter air, and beat him with their hands and a fire extinguisher pipe. They broke his teeth, doused him with cold water and then hot water, and beat him in his groin. They did not give him adequate food and beat him again on February 5, the day they released him.

An additional member of the rap group, Izza al-Deen Abu Rahmeh, whom security forces also arrested on January 12 and held with Abu Lihi for four or five days, corroborated the physical abuse in a separate interview: "On one of the days, they made us take off all of our clothing except boxers [underwear], and they beat us and threw cold water on us. It was freezing cold; it was the end of January. Mutaz got hit in the face and body, and his teeth were broken."

Abu Lihi's teeth were visibly broken in an interview in April 2016, and he said he could not afford to have them fixed.

According to court documents reviewed by Human Rights Watch, the Palestinian prosecution charged Abu Lihi and his fellow rappers with creating strife, under Article 150 of the penal code, and criticizing a higher authority, under Article 195. The prosecution said that Abu Lihi and others sprayed outdoor graffiti whose content was "defamatory sentences that include insults  directed personally against the president of the State of Palestine and against the authorities." Since his release, Abu Lihi said, he has attended multiple court hearings related to the charges, with the next one scheduled for September.

"I have been going to one court hearing after another, but the witnesses never come," Abu Lihi said. "Every time they hold a court hearing, I have to miss classes and work." He said that he had missed final exams due to his 2015 detention and had to repeat the semester. He has stopped making music.

"I don't want to get in trouble like the rest of my friends who sang about freedom," Abu Lihi said.

Majd Khawaja

Majd Khawaja, 22, had been a member of the rap group Min al-Alef Lal Ya together with Abu Lihi. On November 19, 2014, security forces arrested and held him for three days, he said. They interrogated him at intelligence headquarters and accused him of painting the word, intifada (uprising) on a wall. He said that one of his interrogators kicked him in his left leg, the site of a bullet wound injury from 2013, causing nerve damage and difficulty moving his leg. He was limping at his interview. Human Rights Watch reviewed a medical report that referred to the pre-existing injury. Khawaja said security officials informed his parents of his arrest but did not allow him to see a lawyer.

Khawaja said that following his arrest, an intelligence officer ordered him to return to intelligence headquarters. After hiding out for a few days, he surrendered on January 18, 2015. Interrogators accused him of having weapons and planning to smuggle people into Jordan. Interrogators also asked him about a song about corruption he had recorded, which was written by his friend Wasim. The words include: "Dear President, I wish you could understand these words. A third intifada while you are sleeping and dreaming." The interrogators told him that singing against the PA is considered to be a criminal offense.

Security officers took him to court to extend his detention, he said. At the court hearing the prosecution produced signed confessions that Khawaja said were forged. They also charged him with insulting a higher authority and creating internal strife, related to alleged graffiti criticizing President Abbas. He was released on February 1, 2015, and is being tried together with Abu Lihi.

Khawaja said he lost his job as a security guard after missing work during his detention and that he has trouble standing because of the leg injury. Since his release, he has received calls from unidentified people warning him to stop releasing songs. He said that someone hacked the group's YouTube account and deleted its songs. The other members of the group no longer rap out of fear, but he continues to sing and record in his own name.

"We had a song, fasad, (corruption), in 2013, before we got arrested," Khawaja said. "It was on my personal page. It was deleted while I was in prison. We don't know who deleted it on YouTube. It did not have bad words or target specific people. It was about corruption by the PA in general."

Khawaja said he and others are now self-censoring, trying to communicate using hints or code words to avoid further arrests:

"I still rap politics, but I am more conscious about the choice of words, and I sometimes publish things under different names," he said.

Prosecution as a Form of Harassment in the West Bank

Lawyers, activists, and watchdog groups have expressed concern that the PA is harassing its critics and intimidating them into self-censorship by charging them with crimes based on their peaceful speech and then dragging them through protracted judicial proceedings that require them to hire lawyers, lose wages from lost work, and miss classes and exams.

In 2015, Human Rights Watch documented the arrest and alleged abuse of two students, Ayman Mahariq, a journalism student at Al Quds University in Abu Dis, and Bara al-Qadi, a media student at Birzeit University near Ramallah. According to court documents that Human Rights Watch reviewed, prosecutors charged both men with slandering a public official under Section 191 of the penal code, which carries a maximum of two years in prison. A magistrate court acquitted Mahariq on September 2, 2015, but the prosecution appealed, and the appellate court convicted him and sentenced him to three months in prison. His lawyer, Anas Barghouti, said that the trial was unfair, because security officials called as witnesses did not show up. Al-Qadi, who was charged in September 2014, is still on trial. His lawyer, Muhanad Karaja, said that prosecution witnesses have repeatedly failed to show up, causing at least seven postponements.

"The goal behind this is to punish people," Karaja said. His client, Al-Qadi "might lose his university placement, going back and forth to court  It proves that the security forces are above the law." He criticized the court for granting repeated continuances when security officials failed to appear.

A case against the director of Bethlehem Radio 2000, George Kanawati, finally ended in acquittal in 2015. MADA reported that Kanawati's trial for slander, after he criticized the Health Ministry in Bethlehem, lasted four years and included 27 court hearings, which Kanawati was required to attend.

Response from Palestinian Authorities

Human Rights Watch interviewed by telephone a Hamas spokesman, Ghazi Hamad, and Brigadier-General Mohammad Lafi, an inspector at the Interior Ministry in Gaza. Hamad offered to meet with Human Rights Watch in person to discuss the case, but for several years Israel has refused to allow Human Rights Watch staff to enter Gaza, and Egypt keeps its border with Gaza mostly closed and has refused Human Rights Watch's request to cross it.

Hamad denied that security officials torture detainees or made anyone sign commitments to refrain from publishing insults or other criticism of government or military officials. He said that they allow the ICRC, the ICHR, and local human rights groups to visit prisons and monitor treatment, and that in light of complaints from such groups, the authorities have imposed stricter regulations on the security forces. He said that the authorities in Gaza do not arrest people based on political activity:

"We arrest people for criminal offenses," Hamad said. "People have the freedom to believe and support whoever they want. We make the arrests if they try to use force against society."

Lafi, of the Interior Ministry, said that authorities respect the right to freedom of speech, and that they follow the rule of law in cases in which people insult others or "libelously attack people in order to instigate public strife." He said that the political split between Fatah and Hamas and the movement restrictions imposed by Israel "create a unique situation where public disorder and political disagreements and strife can have a detrimental impact on the people."

He also said that security officials are trained in international humanitarian law by the ICRC, and are trained in human rights, and that all security units are inspected by the Interior Ministry.

"We have very strict regulations," he said. "We refuse any form of verbal or physical violence. As an inspector, I regularly make unannounced visits; we receive complaints and investigate them; and we have human rights organizations visiting the detention centers."

Lafi said that the ministry receives about two complaints per month about breaches of regulations, usually by the narcotics department, and where serious violations are found, security officers responsible are arrested. He confirmed that when security officers arrest people for speech-related charges, the officers ask the detainees to sign a commitment that they will provide evidence to support their claims and that "they will not defame or insult people without evidence." He said he would provide Human Rights Watch with a copy of the document but did not provide it.

Hamad and Lafi also addressed the arrests of al-Aloul, Herzallah and al-Haj.

Regarding al-Aloul's arrest, Hamad said that he writes statements that are disrespectful and untrue, and that security officers had warned him in the past: "He makes unfounded allegations and does not have any proof for the information he posts as facts." Hamad said that Gaza's prosecution could have charged him with defamation, but because the authorities are "sensitive to the arrest of journalists," they detained him only briefly, and "it was solved in a friendly, socially acceptable manner.

Lafi said that security forces held al-Aloul for only three days and denied that they insulted or beat him. He said that al-Aloul is not a "true" journalist but rather a former member of the security forces who refused to continue to work after Hamas took over internal control of Gaza in 2007.

Regarding Herzallah, Lafi said that security forces arrested him under a military prosecution decision to charge him with insulting the government and public employees under Article 144 of the penal code. He said that security forces did not insult or beat him, and that they have strict orders not to insult or beat anyone. Lafi said that after representatives from some of the political parties in Gaza intervened and after Herzallah signed a pledge "not to defame or spread lies during his work and to provide evidence for his claims," the Interior Ministry agreed to release him

Regarding al-Haj's questioning, Hamad said that she wrote false statements and could have been arrested and charged with defamation, but that officials instead released her.

Human Rights Watch also met with PA officials in the West Bank, including the Palestinian attorney general, the chief military prosecutor, and the foreign minister. Human Rights Watch provided information about the two rappers arrested in advance of the meetings and again afterward, but none of the officials responded to requests for specific information about the arrests.

Speaking generally, all three officials noted the progress the PA has made, no longer trying civilians in military courts, since 2011, including for speech-related crimes.

Attorney General Ahmed Barrak said that he tries to minimize prosecutions for insulting a higher authority or public official, and that his office closes hundreds of complaints without filling charges. Some of those complaints, Barrak said, come from security officials who accuse others of defaming or insulting them. He said he uses his discretion to prosecute only the most "serious" cases but would not say what his criteria are.

He acknowledged the significance of Palestine's ratification of the ICCPR but said that as attorney general he remains subject to and is required to enforce existing domestic law and its criminalization of certain kinds of speech, until those legal provisions are repealed. When asked why he does not use his discretion to avoid prosecuting people for insulting officials, he said, "I am forced to apply those laws until they are changed." He added that limitations on free speech are necessary in any country, "otherwise there will be anarchy."

Major General Ismail Faraj, the chief military prosecutor, said that his office has been working to modernize the Palestinian security forces and that any violations of the law are the acts of individuals rather than part of a policy. "We are not perfect," he said, but "any member of the security force who does not obey the law is prosecuted." Faraj said that his office encourages members of the public to submit complaints in cases of abuse and takes measures to reassure them that they will not be subject to retaliation. When asked, however, about cases like that of the rappers, who said they will not issue a complaint out of fear, he said that in the absence of a complaint his office cannot investigate. He agreed to look into the allegations against security forces presented to him by Human Rights Watch informally, but he did not subsequently provide additional information.

In response to a question about whether security forces monitor social media, the spokesman for the security forces, Major General Adnan Damiri, said they do, to monitor "terrorist" activity.

Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malaki said that Palestine was in a state of transition, after ratifying nearly all the major international human rights treaties within the last two years. He said that the government was working to bring practices into conformity with Palestine's international commitments: "I am not proud to hear about these rappers and the way they were treated," he said.

Palestinian and International Law

The Palestinian Basic Law of 2005 protects the right to freedom of expression. The ICCPR, which Palestine ratified in 2014, holds that "everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression ... to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds."

In 2011, the United Nations Human Rights Committee issued guidance to state parties on their free speech obligations under article 19 that emphasized the high value the treaty places upon uninhibited expression "in circumstances of public debate concerning public figures in the political domain and public institutions." It said, "State parties should not prohibit criticism of institutions, such as the army or the administration." It also warned, "The mere fact that forms of expression are considered to be insulting to a public figure is not sufficient to justify the imposition of penalties." Defamation should in principle be treated as a civil, not a criminal, issue and never punished with a prison term, the Human Rights Committee said.

As the repeal of criminal defamation laws in an increasing number of countries shows, Human Rights Watch said, such laws are not necessary to protect reputations, and civil remedies, which already exist in Palestinian law, should be adequate.

Yet the Palestinian penal code includes a provision, dating back to when the Ottoman Empire ruled Palestine, that criminalizes insulting a "higher authority" or government. The Palestinian Press and Publications Law (1995) prohibits publishing material that contradicts the principles of freedom, national responsibility, human rights, respect of truth, or national unity. In December 2015, President Abbas passed, by presidential decree, the Higher Media Council Law, to increase executive control over journalists. Publication of the law, which would bring it into force, was suspended in light of strong opposition.

These prohibitions are so vague that they could chill freedom of the press, allow for arbitrary interpretations that violate rights, and violate accused people's right to defend themselves, as it is impossible to know what types of information, if published, would constitute a crime, Human Rights Watch said.

Human Rights Watch said that to further the goal of bringing their practices into conformity with its international law obligations, the Palestinian penal code should be revised to remove provisions that criminalize defamation, including article 144 on insulting a public official; article 189 on libel in print; article 191 on slandering a public official; and article 195 on insulting a higher authority. Palestine should also rescind Article 150 of its penal code, a vaguely worded provision criminalizing creating "sectarian strife," which can be easily used to punish dissent.

The Palestinian legislature has not had a quorum since 2007, when the Hamas and Fatah factions broke with each other. Until the penal code can be revised, prosecutors and security officials should refrain from enforcing these laws, which are inconsistent with Palestinian basic laws protecting free speech and the international conventions that Palestine ratified in 2014. Security officials should stop arresting, detaining and charging people for their writing; as long as it does not cross the line to incitement to violence. Judges should interpret the law in light of the international standards for protecting speech that Palestine has adopted.

While government officials and those involved in public affairs are entitled to protection of their reputation, including protection against defamation, as individuals who have sought to play a role in public affairs they should tolerate a greater degree of scrutiny and criticism than ordinary citizens. This distinction serves the public interest by making it harder for those in positions of power to use the law to deter or penalize those who seek to expose official wrongdoing, and it facilitates public debate about issues of governance and common concern. Public officials should avoid suing for defamation, but rather should respond to criticism they feel is unfair through the many avenues of public discussion open to them.

In addition, West Bank security officials should refrain from interrogating people at the headquarters of the intelligence services and instead conduct any necessary questioning at interrogation facilities equipped with cameras. In Gaza, to deter abuse, authorities should install cameras at facilities where interrogations take place. Authorities in both places should investigate persistent allegations of abuse by security officials, regardless of whether complaints are filed, and punish those responsible.

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
UN Security Council: Ensure Justice for Syria Atrocities

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 30 August 2016 Related Document(s) Security Council resolution 2235 (2015) [on establishment of an OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism to identify the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic] Cite as Human Rights Watch, UN Security Council: Ensure Justice for Syria Atrocities, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c57b124.html [accessed 29 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The United Nations Security Council should urgently impose sanctions on the Syrian government for chemical weapon attacks in Syria and refer the situation to the International Criminal Court. In a report issued on August 24, 2016, a UN-appointed investigation attributed two chemical weapon attacks to the Syrian government and one to the Islamic State (also known as ISIS), which is already under UN sanctions.

The Security Council will consider the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) report on August 30.

The 95-page joint inquiry report addresses nine cases related to the use of chemical weapons in Syria between 2014 and 2015. The Security Council should renew and expand the inquiry's mandate to ensure continued investigations into the use of chemical weapons in Syria with a view to identifying all those responsible and deterring any further use.

"Now that a UN investigation has officially identified responsibility for several chemical weapon attacks in Syria, the focus should turn to bringing those responsible to account," said Balkees Jarrah, senior international justice counsel at Human Rights Watch. "The chemical weapons issue will only be closed when those who ordered and executed these atrocities are convicted and behind bars, and their victims compensated."

The joint inquiry found that Syrian military helicopters dropped bombs containing chlorine in at least two attacks during the 2014-2015 period. Human Rights Watch investigations into both cases concluded that the evidence strongly suggests that Syrian government forces used toxic chemicals dropped in barrel bombs.

The inquiry also found that ISIS used sulfur mustard gas in an attack on areas held by armed opposition groups in August 2015. In a 2013 resolution approved after a Sarin chemical attack in the Ghouta suburbs of Damascus killed hundreds of civilians, the Security Council agreed to impose measures under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter if chemical weapons were used in Syria.

No mechanism currently exists to ensure criminal justice for countless grave abuses in Syria, including the use of chemical weapons, Human Rights Watch said. Syrian authorities and non-state armed groups have not taken any meaningful steps to ensure credible justice for past and ongoing crimes in violation of international law. The failure to hold those responsible to account has fueled further atrocities by all sides. Human Rights Watch has repeatedly called on the Security Council to urgently give the ICC a mandate as a crucial first step toward accountability.

International efforts to ensure justice for serious crimes in Syria have proved elusive. In May 2014, Russia and China blocked a UN Security Council resolution that would have referred the situation in Syria to the ICC. More than 60 countries co-sponsored that resolution, and 13 of the council's 15 members voted for it. The years since the failure of that resolution have been characterized by ongoing atrocities by all sides in Syria. The Russian and Chinese governments have no plausible basis to oppose Security Council actions to ensure impartial accountability in Syria, Human Rights Watch said.

On August 7, 2015, the Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2235, establishing the JIM to "identify to the greatest extent feasible individuals, entities, groups, or governments who were perpetrators, organisers, sponsors or otherwise involved in the use of chemicals as weapons." At the time, Russia said the establishment of the JIM would close the gap in identifying those responsible for the use of chlorine as a weapon in Syria. The United States emphasized that "[p]ointing the finger matters."

The report marks the first time that a UN-backed investigation has blamed specific parties for the use of chemical weapons in Syria. However, the JIM is not a judicial body and lacks the authority to hold those responsible accountable. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons had earlier undertaken a fact-finding mission in Syria, but it was not charged with attributing responsibility for any incidents involving the use of chemical weapons it documented.

Under its mandate, the JIM was limited to examining cases in Syria in which the OPCW fact-finding mission had determined that an incident likely involved the use of chemicals as weapons. Because the mission had only made such determinations for incidents between 2014 and 2015, the inquiry did not include the chemical weapon attack on Ghouta on August 21, 2013.

The Ghouta attack killed hundreds of civilians, including many children, making it the most significant use of chemical agents since the Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons in attacks on Iraqi Kurds in 1987-1988. UN experts who visited Ghouta concluded that surface-to-surface rockets containing the nerve agent Sarin were used. Human Rights Watch findings strongly suggested that Syrian government forces were responsible for the attack.

The JIM was unable to determine responsibility in six cases it examined, and noted that further investigation was needed in three of those. Human Rights Watch has investigated many of these incidents and determined that available evidence pointed to Syrian government responsibility. The JIM continues to receive allegations and information about recent attacks with chemical weapons in Syria.

The Security Council should renew the joint inquiry's mandate to allow it to continue its investigation into these and other allegations of chemical weapon attacks in Syria. Extending the JIM's mandate would put all parties on notice that their leaders could be held liable as a matter of command responsibility for chemical weapon crimes their forces take part in, Human Rights Watch said.

The Chemical Weapons Convention, which Syria ratified on October 14, 2013, prohibits attacks that use industrial chemicals such as chlorine as a weapon. Among other obligations, each member country agrees never to "assist, encourage or induce, in any way, anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a State Party under this Convention." The laws of war applicable in Syria prohibit the use of chemical weapons. The use of prohibited weapons with criminal intent, that is deliberately or recklessly, is a war crime.

"Russia and China don't have a leg to stand on by continuing to obstruct the Security Council on Syria sanctions and an ICC referral," said Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch. "The Security Council diminishes its importance if it doesn't take strong action against demonstrated use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
SADC: Reverse Downward Slide on Rights

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, SADC: Reverse Downward Slide on Rights, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c57cfc4.html [accessed 29 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

"Political repression and disregard for basic rights characterized several SADC countries over the past year," said Dewa Mavhinga, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. "SADC governments need to ensure that they meet their human rights obligations and improve the quality of life for those who are most vulnerable."

Child marriage remains a major concern in a number of Southern African countries, Human Rights Watch said. Half the girls in Malawi and one-third of girls in Zimbabwe marry before they turn 18. Girls who marry young often discontinue their education, face serious health problems from early and multiple pregnancies, and suffer greater sexual and domestic violence.

SADC member countries should align their laws to the SADC Parliamentary Forum Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage adopted in June, including by setting and enforcing a minimum marriage age of 18.

Human rights concerns in Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Swaziland, South Africa, and Zimbabwe should get particular attention, Human Rights Watch said. SADC member countries have identified peace, security, and the promotion of human rights as key concerns within the region, but the individual countries need to take steps to ensure respect for human rights and the rule of law.

In Angola, the government of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos has pledged to improve its rights record, but instead has been severely curtailing the rights to freedom of expression and association. Security forces have used excessive force, arbitrary arrests, and intimidation to prevent peaceful anti-government protests, strikes, and other gatherings. In April, police gunfire wounded at least three people during a peaceful student demonstration against an increase in school fees in Caluquembe, Huila province. On August 6, soldiers fired live ammunition during a peaceful protest in Luanda, killing a teenage boy. There have also been reports of excessive use of force to evict people for development and agriculture projects.

In Zimbabwe, the government of President Robert Mugabe has disregarded the rights provisions in the country's new constitution, neither enacting laws to put the new constitution into effect, nor amending existing laws to bring them in line with the constitution and Zimbabwe's obligations under regional and international human rights conventions. The police use outdated and abusive laws to violate basic rights such as freedom of expression and assembly, and to harass activists, human rights defenders, and LGBT people. There has been no progress toward justice for human rights violations during past political violence.

Itai Dzamara, a pro-democracy activist and human rights defender who was forcibly disappeared on March 9, 2015, remains missing. Dzamara, the leader of Occupy Africa Unity Square  a small protest group modeled after the Arab Spring uprisings  had petitioned Mugabe to resign and to reform the electoral system.

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has brutally cracked down on those who have spoken out against or opposed attempts to extend President Joseph Kabila's time in office beyond his constitutionally mandated two-term limit, which ends on December 19, 2016. Since January 2015, government security forces have arbitrarily arrested scores of opposition leaders and activists, fired on peaceful protesters, banned opposition demonstrations, shut down media outlets, accused peaceful pro-democracy youth activists of plotting terrorist acts, and prevented opposition leaders from moving freely around the country.

In one of the latest attempts to curtail human rights reporting during a period of increased government repression, the Congolese government in early August 2016 blocked a senior Human Rights Watch researcher, Ida Sawyer, from continuing to work in the country.

The government should urgently free all political prisoners, allow Congolese and international rights defenders to continue their crucial work, permit activists and opposition supporters to protest peacefully and express their political views, and hold those responsible for the crackdown to account.

Meanwhile, the security situation in eastern Congo, where dozens of armed groups are still active, remains deeply volatile. In the Beni area, armed forces have killed more than 500 civilians in massacres since October 2014, according to local rights groups. The government needs to improve protection for civilians in the area, identify abusers, and hold them to account.

In Swaziland, which takes over as SADC chair for the next 12 months, human rights conditions have deteriorated significantly. The government has imposed restrictions on political activism and trade unions that violate international law, including potential bans under the draconian Suppression of Terrorism Act, and subjected activists and union members to arbitrary detention and unfair trials.

In Mozambique, the political and military conflict between the government and the opposition RENAMO party has resulted in increased human rights abuses. Since October 2015, tens of thousands of people have fled to Malawi because of abuses by the military, including summary executions, sexual violence, and mistreatment of people in custody. In Zambezia province, armed men linked to RENAMO have attacked hospitals and health clinics to loot medicine and supplies, threating access to health care for tens of thousands of people in remote areas. The Mozambican government has yet to publish its findings of an investigation of a mass grave found in May 2016 containing at least 15 bodies.

In South Africa, public confidence in the government's willingness to tackle human rights violations, corruption and respect for the rule of law has eroded. The government has done little to address concerns about the treatment of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, or the root causes of xenophobic violence. The government has failed to ensure that an estimated half million children with disabilities have access to basic education. Rights groups expressed concerns about the government's failure to develop a national strategy to combat the high rate of violence against women and the continued underreporting of rape.

"To achieve the SADC Summit theme of 'enriching nations,' SADC countries should seriously focus on respecting human rights, upholding the rule of law, and curtailing corruption," Mavhinga said. "Transparency and justice will help drive regional economic development that can genuinely improve people's lives."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Press freedom violations recounted in real time January 2016

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 29 August 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Press freedom violations recounted in real time January 2016, 29 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c57d8b4.html [accessed 29 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

29.08.2016  Legislator punches newspaper reporter

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is appalled to learn that Ehssan Bodaghi, a reporter for the newspaper Iran, was assaulted in a corridor of the Iranian parliament yesterday by Nader Ghazipour, a hardline parliamentarian from Orumiyeh, the capital of West Azerbaijan province.





When Bodaghi started to ask Ghazipour about the creation of a group of Azeri-speaking parliamentarians, Ghazipour reacted by punching him several times in the face and then dragged him to the office of the parliament's security service. Security officers released Bodaghi an hour later after deleting his audio recordings and making him sign an undertaking "not to start fights." Witnesses of the incident nonetheless said Bodaghi had just put questions to Ghazipour, who responded by accusing him of being "one of the reformers who are against Islam."





Ghazipour has a history of violence. During the last parliamentary elections in February, he told a meeting: "Parliament is not a place for women. It is a place for men (...) We did not easily win [this revolution] and get control of the country in order to now send foxes, children or little donkeys to parliament. Parliament is not a place for donkeys."

When a video of him making these comments was posted on social networks, it prompted an outcry and calls for him to be declared ineligible. Although he subsequently apologized to the women of Orumiyeh on his Instagram account, he threatened those who had "spied, recorded and posted the video." A few days later, Aina News director Hamed Atai and the journalist who had distributed the video were attacked on a street in Orumiyeh by Ghazipour supporters.

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22.08.2016 - Court upholds decision to flog blogger

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is appalled to learn that an appeal court in the city of Saveh, in central Iran, has upheld a lower court's decision that the Saveh-based journalist and blogger Mohammad Reza Fathi should be flogged because of his posts about city officials.





Under the original ruling handed down on 13 April, Fathi was sentenced to 444 lashes (to be administered in six sessions of 74 lashes) on charges of defamation and publishing false information. In its 12 July ruling, the appeal court confirmed the decision to flog Fathi but modified the sentence. It sentenced him to three sessions of 77 lashes for defamation and three sessions of 76 lashes for publishing false information  for an increased total of 459 lashes.





But the appeal court added that only the second sentence (three sessions of 76 lashes) will be administered in accordance with article 134 of the new Islamic penal code (as amended in 2013), which says that when a defendant is given more than one sentence on criminal charges, only the sentence corresponding to the gravest charge is implemented.





RSF again calls on the judicial authorities to overturn this sentence, which is inhumane and medieval, and contrary to international law.

Read the entry of 30.06.2016 - Iranian blogger sentenced to 444 lashes





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16.08.2016 - Journalist gets three years, another trial pending

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is outraged to learn that Issa Saharkhiz, a well-known independent journalist who edited several reformist newspapers, wassentenced to a total of three years in prison by a Tehran revolutionary court on 9 August.

His lawyer, Mahmoud Alizadeh-Tabatabaie, said Saharkhiz was given two years on a charge of anti-government propaganda and one year for "insulting Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Revolution's Supreme Leader." Two other pending charges against Saharkhiz  publishing false news and insulting the head of the judicial system  are to be tried separately as political crimes before a court of assizes, the lawyer added.

Saharkhiz was one of several journalists who were arrested on 2 November 2015. He has been in a Tehran hospital since 10 March after suffering a heart attack and going on hunger strike.

Often proposed since the 1979 revolution, the controversial law on political crimes was finally adopted by the Iranian parliament in May. This law violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (which Iran has signed) and other international norms.

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18.07.2016  Narges Mohammadi ends hunger strike

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is relieved that imprisoned journalist and human rights defender Narges Mohammadi abandoned her hunger strike on 16 July after being able to talk by phone with her two children, who now live with their father in Paris. RSF is pleased that the judicial authorities allowed this but points out that she should not be in prison, especially as she is in very poor health.





RSF was also pleased to learn that Afarin Chitsaz, a journalist held since a wave of arrests on 2 November 2015 , was released on bail of 1 billion toman (720,000 euros) on 5 July pending a decision on his appeal. Two other journalists who were arrested the same day, Ehssan Mazndarani and Saman Safarzai, were each granted three days' furlough on 5 July. Mazndarani had been hospitalized with pulmonary problems after being on hunger strike for more than three weeks.

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08.07.2016  Narges Mohammadi on 12th day of hunger strike

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is concerned about the conditions in which journalist and human rights activist Narges Mohammadi is being detained. She has been on hunger strike since 27 June in protest against her treatment and, in particular, a ban on contacting her husband and children, who live in exile in France. Her state of health is very worrying. "She is continuing her hunger strike although she has to take several medicines every day and has been the victim of convulsions in her cell twice," her husband, Taghi Rahmani, said.





A spokesperson of the Centre for Human Rights Defenders (which has been arbitrarily banned in Iran since 2006) and a close aide of Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi, Mohammadi has had many spells in prison in connection with her human rights activism. Her current period in detention began when she was arrested on 5 May 2015. She was given a 10-year jail sentence on 18 May 2016.



At an event that RSF organized at the Theatre du Rond Point in Paris on 2 May 2016, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo awarded the City of Paris medal to four journalists proposed by RSF. One of them was Mohammadi, who sent a poignant message to the event from her Tehran cell. Her health is in danger but she is being denied the medical treatment she needs. In October 2015, she was taken from prison to a Tehran hospital, where she spent ten days handcuffed to a bed before being returned to prison against medical advice.

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30.06.2016 - Iranian blogger sentenced to 444 lashes

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is outraged by the sentence of 444 lashes that a court in the city of Saveh, in central Iran, imposed on Mohammad Reza Fathi, a journalist and blogger, on 9 June. The sentence is to be implemented in six sessions of 74 lashes. Fathi has filed an appeal. RSF urges the judicial authorities to overturn the sentence, which is inhumane and medieval, and contrary to international law.







The sentence is the outcome of three complaints filed by local officials, including a legislator, a deputy mayor and 11 members of the Saveh municipal council, about articles critical of the municipal government and local officials that Fathi posted anonymously on his blog, called Radio Saveh (http://www.pooria6.blogfa.com/). Arrested by members of the FTA (Iran's cyber-police) on 5 August 2012, he was released on bail 13 days later pending trial on a charge of "publishing false information with the aim of upsetting public opinion." The trial finally began on 13 April 2015 and concluded with the announcement of the sentence three weeks ago.







A number of media outlets and prominent figures have protested against the sentence, some of them in a letter to President Hassan Rouhani. Defending the sentence at a news conference, judicial authority provincial director Ghasem Abdolalhi said flogging was sometimes preferable to imprisonment "because only the culprit feels the consequences, while a jail term also affects the family" and because this form of punishment also satisfied the culprit's victims more. He also pointed out that the sentence could be reduced to a fine on appeal.







Fathi was previously arrested in 2005 in connection with his posts in an earlier blog, Savehjam (http://www.savehjam.blogspot.com), criticizing the provincial governor and Saveh's mayor, and a letter he wrote to then President Mohammad Khatami lamenting "the limited ability of officials to accept criticism." After the release of the letter, he was questioned by members of the Edareh Amaken, Iran's vice squad, on 26 March 2005. Nine days later, members of the local police arrested him on the street and held him for three days. Under pressure from the authorities, he finally closed his blog, which had been very popular in his region.

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22.06.2016 - Jail terms for former Iran CEO and three journalists

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the 91-day jail sentences passed on 18 June on Ali Akbar Javanfekr, former CEO of the Iran media group and onetime adviser to controversial former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and three former journalists with the group's pro-government daily Iran, Abdolreza Soltani, Said Yousefipour and Hassan Ghassemi.

The pro-Ahmadinejad website Dolat Bahar said a special court for government employees convicted them on 19 May of an "act of rebellion against government agents." Their lawyers have appealed.





They were convicted in connection with the events that took place on 21 November 2011, as Javanfekr was holding a news conference at Iran's headquarters to protest against the one-year jail sentence and three-year ban on working as a journalist that a court had given him the day before. Tehran prosecutor's office representatives and police carried a particularly violent raid on the newspaper during the press conference, arresting Javanfekr and using teargas on the Iran journalists who were there to support him.

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21.06.2016  Reformist daily Ghanoon suspended

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi's decision yesterday to suspend the reformist daily Ghanoon with immediate effect in response to a complaint by the Revolutionary Guards accusing it of defamation and "publishing false information with the aim of upsetting public opinion." The newspaper's name means "The Law" in Persian.





Dolatabadi said the decision was taken under article 114 of the code of criminal procedure, which provides for immediate measures for the "prevention of crime." He did not say what prompted the complaint but Ghanoon often publishes articles critical of the conservative factions that support the Supreme Leader and have the judicial system's support.

A Ghanoon article dated 25 May and headlined "The latest change: ministry of intelligence 2" criticized a bill that was approved on the last day of the latest session of parliament, on 25 May. It granted full powers to the Revolutionary Guard intelligence agency, which operates independently of the ministry of intelligence.

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16 June 2016 - Conservative website closed, reformist editor prosecuted

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reiterates its condemnation of government harassment of print and online media outlets following the closure of a conservative news website and the start of judicial proceedings against the editor of a reformist newspaper.





The Committee for Press Authorization and Surveillance, the censorship wing of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, closed the conservative Jahannews website on 15 June under paragraph 11 of article 6 of the press code, which bans "spreading rumours and false information and misusing content written by others." The committee did not say which content had caused offence.





The site often posts stories critical of the government. In recent months, it posted information about the visits to Iran by Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour, who was killed in a US drone strike in May, and revealed the content of a letter from European Union foreign affairs representative Federica Mogherini to the Iranian foreign minister about problems implementing the international agreement on Iran's nuclear programme. It also revealed information about the dismissal of a member of the Rouhani administration. According to Iranian media reports, both the foreign ministry and the president's office have filed complaints against Jahannews.





The reformist daily Ghanon was the victim of a complaint by the prison administration accusing it of publishing false information. On 14 June, the Tehran public prosecutor confirmed that Ghanon editor Mahnaz Mazaheri would be prosecuted over an 11 June article headlined "24 cursed hours" about the mistreatment and injuries that a detainee received in the course of a 24-hour period in a prison in the southern part of the capital.





Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor of the ultra-conservative daily Kayhan, was meanwhile questioned by the prosecutor's office for culture and media on 15 June about complaints filed by various government bodies accusing it of publishing false and libellous information. A former interrogator at Tehran's Evin prison, Shariatmadari was appointed as Kayhan's editor by Supreme Guide Ali Khamenei in the early 1990s.

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15.06.2016  Five Internet activists freed conditionally

Reporters Without Borders is pleased to learn that five Internet activists who had been held for the past three years  Amir Gholestani, Fariborz Kardarfar, Masoud Ghasemkhani, Seyyed Masoud Seyyed Talebi and Amin (Faride) Akramipour  were granted conditional releases on 13 June.

Gholestani had been due to serve another 12 years in prison, Kardarfar another 10, Ghasemkhani another eight, and Talebi and Akramipour another four. All of them also have suspended sentence of five years prison. This means they will be under judicial control for the next five years and will have to report to a police station every month.





Revolutionary Guards arrested them and three others in September 2013 because of their activities on social networks, above all their Facebook posts about human rights abuses. After being placed in solitary confinement in Section 2A of Tehran's Evin prison and subjected to a great deal of pressure, the eight defendants were sentenced to a combined total of 123 years in prison on 27 May 2014 on charges of anti-government propaganda, "insulting what is sacred" and "insulting the Supreme Leader of the Revolution."





An appeal court reduced the sentences significantly in April 2015. Two of the other three activists, Naghmeh Shahi Savandi Shirazi and Mehdi Reyshahri, were released in 2014 and 2015 respectively. The third, Roya Saberi Negad Nobakht, is still held.

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14 June 2016  Kabodvand paroled but Mazndarani back in his cell

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is relieved to learn that imprisoned journalist Mohammad Sedegh Kabodvand ended his hunger strike on 9 June after being acquitted of the new charges brought against him and welcomes the decision by the judicial authorities to grant him four days of medical parole, which began on 12 June.





RSF nonetheless points out that Kabodvand should have already been released under article 134 of the new Islamic penal code (as amended in 2013), which recommends that a defendant convicted on more than one criminal charge should serve only the longest sentence.





RSF continues to be concerned about the health of Ehssan Mazndarani, an imprisoned journalist who has been on hunger strike since 17 May. According to his family, he was taken back to Tehran's Evin prison on 11 June although he is still refusing to eat and is suffering from pulmonary problems and anxiety attacks.





In a joint statement published on 11 June, 76 Iranian journalists called for the immediate release of these two journalists. "We are concerned about the crucial consequences that the hunger strike could have on the lives of these detained journalists and we condemn the violation of their legal and fundamental rights," the statement said.

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07.06.2016 - Concern about two journalists on hunger strike in prison

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) continues to be concerned about the way the authorities in Tehran's Evin prison are treating Mohammad Sedegh Kabodvand and Ehssan Mazndarani, two journalists who are on hunger strike in protest against the conditions in which they are being held and the injustices to which they have been subjected.









Mazndarani has refused to eat since 17 May, according to his family, who were unable to locate him in the prison for several days after he had a heart attack on 21 May. It later turned out that, without telling the family, the prison authorities transferred him to a hospital, where doctors voiced concern about his condition. His family says he was also the victim of violence by a prison guard on the day he was hospitalized.





Kabodvand was hospitalized after he, too, had a heart attack on 25 May but was sent back to Evin prison a week later. Doctors say that his condition is critical and that the hunger strike could cost him his life.





As there no longer seems to be any limit to the persecution of media personnel in Iran, RSF calls on the authorities to give an immediate undertaking to guarantee the health of these two journalists. RSF also reminds Ahmed Shaheed, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, that he has a duty to intercede without delay and to demand official explanations from the authorities.





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23.05.2016  Alarm over fate of two journalists in Evin prison

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is outraged by the lack of transparency and denial of justice surrounding the hospitalization of Mohammad Sedegh Kabodvand, a journalist on hunger strike since 8 May in protest against his continuing detention and the judicial harassment to which he has been subjected in recent months

Kabodvand was taken to hospital on 21 May after collapsing in his cell in Tehran's Evin prison but, after 24 hours of observation, he was returned to his cell. His family was able to visit him today but he was very weak and was unable to remain standing. He is continuing his hunger strike and his condition is very worrying.





Ehssan Mazndarani, another journalist held in Evin prison, has meanwhile disappeared within the prison, according to his wife, Malieh Hossieni.

She was told on 17 May that, on the orders of Revolutionary Court Judge Mohammad Moghiseh, he had been transferred back to Section 2A of Evin, a section controlled by the Revolutionary Guards.

But Evin prison officials denied this on 20 May without saying where he was. Arrested on 2 November 2015 along with three other journalists, Mazndarani was sentenced to seven years in prison on 26 April .





RSF urges Ahmed Shaheed, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, to intercede quickly and demand official explanations from the Iranian authorities.

Under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is party, denying medical care constitutes a violation of the ban on torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.

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12.05.2016 - Shargh's former political editor released



Reporters Without Borders has learned that Keyvan Mehregan, a journalist who writes for reformist newspapers and used to be the daily Shargh's political editor, was released yesterday after serving nine months of a one-year jail term. His wife said a judge granted his conditional release at a Tehran prosecutor's request.



Mehregan was arrested when he went to the Tehran passport office to renew his passport on 26 August 2015. From there he was taken to Evin prison's sentence enforcement office, where he was told that he had been sentenced to a year in prison and that he had to begin serving the sentence at once. He had been detained on several previous occasions since 2009.



----------







09.05.2016 - Two citizen-journalists freed conditionally

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) welcomes the decision taken on 4 May to grant a medical parole to citizen-journalist Hossien Ronaghi Malki in return for bail of 300 million toman (220,000 euros). Malki, who was arrested in December 2010 and is serving a 15-year jail sentence, has undergone several kidney operations and is in very poor health. He began a hunger strike more than a month ago.

According to his family, a forensic doctor said his medical problems were incompatible with further detention. The Tehran prosecutor's office therefore obtained for him a suspension of sentence for one month on medical grounds.

RSF reminds the judicial authorities that Hossien should already have been released for good under article 134 of the new Islamic criminal code (as amended in 2013), according to which someone convicted of more than one crime serves only the main sentence.





RSF has also learned that citizen-journalist Atena Ferghdani was freed conditionally on 3 May following last month's announcement by her lawyer, Mohammad Moghimi, that a Tehran appeal court had reduced her jail sentence from 12 years and nine months to 18 months. She continues to be sentenced to three years in prison on a separate charge of insulting the Supreme Leader but this sentence is now suspended and will expire in four years' time .

----------



29.04.2016 - Well-known cartoonist freed conditionally



Reporters Without Borders (RSF) welcomes the release of Hadi Heidari, a well-known cartoonist who worked for the daily Shahrvand and ran the Persian Cartoon website. He was freed conditionally in Tehran on 27 April after completing half of a one-year jail sentence.



Plainclothesmen from the Tehran prosecutor's office arrested him at Shahrvand on 16 November 2015 and took him to Evin prison, where he managed to inform his family that evening that he had been arrested to serve a prison sentence.





----------







26.04.2016  Long jail terms for journalists arrested in November



Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the heavy jail sentences that have been passed on three journalists who were the victims of a wave of arrests in November.



Afarine Chitsaz of the daily Iran, Ehssan Mazndarani, the editor of the daily Farhikhteghan, and Saman Safarzai of the monthly Andisher Poya were sentenced to ten, seven and five years in prison respectively, according to their lawyers, Mahmoud Alizadeh-Tabatabaie and Iman Mirzazadeh.





A revolutionary court tried them on 7 March on charges of anti-government propaganda, conspiring against government officials and insulting government officials.





They and Issa Saharkhiz, a well-known independent journalist who edited several reformist newspapers in the past, were arrested at their homes by Revolutionary Guard intelligence officers on 2 November. No sentence has been announced for Saharkhiz, who has been in a Tehran hospital since 10 March after going on hunger strike and suffering a heart attack.

Iran is still one of the world's five biggest prisons for media personnel and is ranked 169rd out of 180 countriesin the 2016 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index.



----------





25.04.2016  Court reduces citizen-journalist's 12-year sentence



Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is relieved to learn that an appeal court has reduced the sentence imposed on citizen-journalist and human rights defender Atena Ferghdani, and that she is now due to be freed next month. RSF nonetheless calls for her immediate release because she is the innocent victim of judicial persecution.



Her lawyer, Mohammad Moghimi, told journalists today that a Tehran appeal court had reduced her jail sentence from 12 years and nine months to 18 months, and that she should therefore be able to leave prison on 11 May.



"The appeal court acquitted her on the charge of plotting against the regime and ordered a four-year suspension of her sentence for insulting the Supreme Leader, while her sentence for insulting Iran's President and the guards of Section A2 of Evin prison was commuted to a fine," he said. The only sentence upheld by the court was the 18-month jail term for anti-government propaganda, he added.



Ferghdani was arrested on 11 January 2015 when she responded to a summons from a Tehran revolutionary court for posting a video on Facebook and YouTube the previous month. In the video she had described her experiences in Section 2A of Evin prison  a section controlled by Revolutionary Guards  after a previous arrest in August 2014.





----------







07.04.2016 - Two journalists freed

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is relieved by this week's release of two

journalists  citizen-journalist Vahid Asghari

on 4 April and professional journalist Said Razavi Faghih on 6 April.

A young information technology student arrested on 11 May 2008 at Tehran's main international airport,Asghari was sentenced to death twice by a

revolutionary court on charges of "publishing false information with the aim of stirring up public

opinion," "activities threatening national security" and "hosting anti-Islamic

and counter-revolutionary websites and collaborating with foreign media." After

an international outcry,



the death sentence was quashed and, on 6 December 2012, another revolutionary court gave him an 18-year jail sentence, which a Tehran appeal court reduced to 15 years two months later.



Asghari has various ailments including Carpal tunnel syndrome (compression of the median nerve in the hand and forearm). He spent seven months in solitary confinement and was mistreated and tortured. In

a letter to the presiding judge of one of the revolutionary courts on 17

October 2009, he gave a detailed description of the horrific interrogation

sessions to which he was subjected.





Faghih used to work for various newspapers including Yass-e

No, which the authorities closed in 2009. Arrested on 24 February 2014, he should have been released on completing a one-year sentence in March 2015 but he was given a new sentence of three and a half years in prison on charges of

anti-government publicity and insulting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the Assembly of Experts.

He suffers from various renal and cardio-vascular ailments and underwent a heart operation in January 2015, following which he was returned to Rajaishah prison. He began a hunger strike on 27 March in protest against the way he was being treated and was released ten days later.

----------



29.03.2016  Two journalists freed

pending trial

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has learned that the journalist Hassan Shikhaghai was released on bail on 15 December, pending trial. The editor of Ruwange, a news website based in Mahabad, in the northwestern province of

Kurdistan, he was arrested on 7 October 2015 by plainclothesmen at

the Mahabad revolutionary court's behest.

RSF has also been told that Farzad

Pourmoradi, a journalist based in the western province of

Kermanshah who works for the Kermanshah Post, has also been

released pending trial. He had to pay 90 million toman (70,000 euros)

in bail. Revolutionary Guard plainclothesmen raided his home and

arrested him on 2 November after he created a Kalaghnews page

on the Telegram social networking service. He is charged with

"activities against national security," "anti-government

publicity" and insulting government officials. He suffered acute

cardiac and pancreatic problems while in prison.





----------





17.03.2016 - Sent into exile after four years in prison





Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

condemns the ruthless manner in which the judicial authorities are enforcing

the sentence imposed in 2013 on journalist and researcher Said Madani. Released on 15

March, after four years in prison,Madani has been ordered to travel at once to

the southern city of Bandar Abbas to begin a period of two years in exile

there.

A sociologist and writer (who haswritten

many articles for independent media outlets), Madani was freed under article

134 of the new Islamic criminal code (as amended in 2013), under which someone

convicted of more than one crime serves



only the main sentence.

After being arrested by

plainclothesmen at his Tehran home on 7 January 2012, Madani spent a year in isolation

in Section 209 of Tehran's Evin prison. The decision to sentence him to a jail

term followed by exile was taken by a Tehran revolutionary court on 18 June

2013.

----------





18.02.2016  Four Narenji website employees returned to prison

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns yesterday's rearrest of four senior members of the Narenji (Orange) tech news website to begin serving long jail sentences that were confirmed on appeal. The four  Ali Asghar Honarmand, Hossien Nozari, Ehsan Paknejad and Abass Vahedi  are sentenced to eleven, seven, five and two and a half years in prison respectively.

Originally arrested along with seven colleagues in the southeastern city of Kerman on 3 December 2013, they were convicted by a Kerman court on 24 May 2014 on charges of "anti-government publicity," "actions threatening national security" and "collaborating with TV stations based abroad." Their seven colleagues received suspended sentences. All were freed in return for payment of large bail amounts. A court upheld the sentences on 30 November 2015 but the authorities did not notify them prior to the time of their rearrest.

---------

12.02.2016 - Former BBC journalist detained in Tehran

Reporters Without Borders condemns the detention of Bahman Darolshafai, a 34-year-old former BBC journalist with British and Iranian dual nationality. Arrested at his Tehran home by plainclothesmen on 3 February, he managed to make a short phone call to his mother five days later, telling her he was "in a cell in Evin prison and under interrogation."

After several years in London, Darolshafa left the BBC's Persian Service n 2014 and returned to Iran. Thereafter he was repeatedly interrogated by intelligence ministry officials and was forbidden to do any kind of journalistic activity. He had been translating literary and philosophical works.

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2.02.2016 - Four journalists held provisionally for past two months

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the continuing provisional detention of four journalists who were the victims of a wave of arrests exactly two months ago, on 2 November 2015 .

Mahmoud Alizadeh-Tabatabaie, a lawyer representing two of the four, said: "There are differences between the investigation judge and the prosecutor as regards the charges against my clients." He is defending Ehssan Mazndarani, the editor of the daily Farhikhteghan, and Issa Saharkhiz, a well-known independent journalist.

As well as being accused of "propaganda activities against the government," they are also charged with "acting against national security by means of meetings" and "conspiring against and insulting government officials."

The case has been sent to the Tehran revolutionary court, whose president, Aboughasem Salevati, has been persecuting journalists and online information providers for years. He staged the "Stalin-style" mass trials in August 2009 and alone is responsible for convicting more than 100 journalists.

The other two journalists arrested on 2 November are Afarine Chitsaz of the daily Iran and Saman Safarzai of the monthly Andisher Poya. All four continue to be denied all their rights.

------------

14.01.2016  Woman journalist detained for fourth time since 2009

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns journalist Rihaneh Tabtabai's detention for the fourth time since 2009. Tabtabai, who has worked for Shargh,Etemad, Bahar and other reformist newspapers, was jailed on 12 January to serve a one-year sentence on charges of endangering national security and anti-government publicity.

Originally imposed by a revolutionary court in November 2014, the sentence was upheld by a Tehran appeal court two months ago. She is also sentenced to a two-year ban on political and journalistic activity in the media and online after she completes the jail term.

After being arrested on 12 December 2010, she was released on bail of 10 million toman (7,500 euros) on 16 January 2011. On 2 April 2012, she received a two-year jail sentence from a Tehran revolutionary court that was reduced to six months on appeal. She served the sentence from 21 June to 11 November 2014. She was also detained from 31 January to 26 February 2013, when she was freed on bail.

---------------

12.01.2016  Journalist sent back to prison

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns Meisam Mohammadi's

reimprisonment on 8 January. A onetime political editor of Kalameh Sabaz (a daily closed by the authorities in June 2009) and contributor to the Beheshti Foundation website, Mohammadi was arrested at his home by intelligence ministry officials on 10 February 2010 and was freed on bail two months later, pending trial. He was sentenced in May 2012 to four years in prison and a five-year ban on journalistic and political activities on charges of anti-government publicity and "meeting to conspire against national security."

Kalameh Sabaz's owner, former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, the writer Zahra Rahnavard (who is Mousavi wife) and Mehdi Karoubi, a former parliamentary speaker and owner of the closed newspaper Etemad Melli, are still illegally held under house arrest and have been detained since 24 February 2011. Mousavi and Karoubi, who were both presidential candidates in 2009, have also been stripped of all of their rights. Their state of health is very worrying.
Tim Cook

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, is ordering Apple to pay $14.5 billion in taxes to Ireland. But Ireland doesn't want the money, and Apple says it shouldn't have to pay. And the kind of tax breaks that the EU accuses Ireland of offering Apple are similar to the kind of deals common in, and legal in, the US.

What happened?

This is what the EU says:

Apple Inc., which is based in California, set up two companies in Ireland: Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe. According to the European Commission, these companies had no employees or real offices but still realized large profits. Apple paid virtually no tax to Ireland, or to any country, on these profits because of a former law in Ireland. In the last year that the law was in effect, 2015, Apple Sales International paid just 0.005% tax, according to the commission.

European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager speaks during an interview with Reuters at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, October 9, 2015. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

The investigation into Apple by the European Commission was led by Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, a member of Denmark's social liberal party. The commission is not a tax authority; instead, its job is to maintain fairness between the EU member states. And that brings us to the most important part in this story: The commission says this law specifically favored Apple for special treatment.

When Apple sold iPhones, iPads, and Macs in an EU single-market nation, such as France, the commission said Apple would funnel the profits from France to Ireland and would not pay tax in either country. But this is not really about Apple's tax-avoidance strategies, which are infamous.

The European Commission's issue is really not with Apple but with Ireland.

Aid versus tax

How's this for a tricky balancing act?

EU leaders have no issue with different member nations charging different corporate-tax rates. That's why it's acceptable for Ireland to charge businesses a 12.5% income tax whereas France levies 33.3%.

Apple Europe Ireland tax map

Story continues

This is crucial because nations want to maintain autonomy over their fiscal policies. That's part of the ongoing power struggle between individual nations and the EU (remember Brexit?). What's not acceptable is what the EU calls "state aid." This is when a country offers something special that's seen as benefiting an individual company.

It can be even more basic. If France taxed companies in the north less than those in the south, that's generally state aid in the EU's view. It's the same with trying to get a German company to move to Denmark by abating property taxes for a new headquarters.

"The view is that not levying taxes that everyone else has to pay amounts to the same result as giving money to just one company," Philipp Werner, a partner in the law firm Jones Day's Brussels office who has represented multinational companies appealing state-aid decisions, told Business Insider.

If Apple had just paid the standard 12.5% income tax in Ireland, the country wouldn't have EU leaders upset in Brussels. Instead, the commission says Ireland gave Apple "selective tax treatment" starting in 1991, with the first of two tax rulings. In effect, Ireland signed off on a plan in which Apple would move money to a stateless "head office" with no meaningful activities.

"Therefore, only a small percentage of Apple Sales International's profits were taxed in Ireland, and the rest was taxed nowhere," the commission said in a press release.

Ireland explicitly said this was fine by its standards. But the EU contends that this arrangement "gave Apple an undue advantage that is illegal under EU state aid rules."

"Apple entered into a deal with Ireland to not pay tax on all those profits," Edward Kleinbard, a professor of law and business at the USC Gould School of Law, told Business Insider. Instead, Apple paid "an arbitrarily small amount to Ireland in return for a vague promise to keep jobs in Ireland."

Apple and Ireland aren't the commission's first targets. There were similar rulings against the Starbucks' tax dealings in the Netherlands and a division of Fiat in Luxembourg.

Apple and Ireland have a different view

Ireland's Finance Minister Michael Noonan attends an interview with Reuters at his office in central Dublin February 11, 2014. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

Apple was one of the first major tech companies to set up shop in Ireland. At the time, in 1980, Ireland was in bad economic shape. Unemployment was high, and many people left Ireland to try to find work in other countries.

Low corporate tax was one way Ireland improved its economy and attracted big companies, and Apple was one of the early companies to benefit.

Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan has categorically rejected the notion that this was a special deal for Apple.

"The Irish Revenue don't do deals," Noonan told CNBC on August 30. "They issue opinions to clarify a tax situation for individual companies, but we never do deals." He continued to say that Apple doesn't owe any taxes to Ireland. "They may owe it elsewhere, but not to the Irish authorities."

To underscore the delicate relationship, Noonan accused the commission of meddling in the policies of sovereign governments. For its part, Apple CEO Tim Cook shot back, saying in an open letter that the European Commission "has launched an effort to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process."

Both Ireland and Apple say the company has become a big part of the Irish economy, with 6,000 workers there. And Cook also objected to the ruling being retroactive. Under EU rules, it can compel a country to collect taxes going back 10 years from the first date it asked for information.

Ireland doesnt want the money

Here's one of the ironies: The EU is, in effect, ordering Ireland to collect a lot of money. Most, if not all, of the $14.5 billion would go to Ireland and could be used to pay down debts. But Ireland is not interested.

"Although they get a huge amount of money back, they also want to fight it," said Werner at Jones Day. "They're not only thinking about Apple  they're thinking a whole lot of other companies established in Ireland."

Losing this battle will hurt Ireland's credibility as an inexpensive place to do business, and a place where tax laws are clear and settled.

Why is the US fighting this?

Jack Lew Secretary of Treasury

Another irony: You might think the US would applaud any effort to collect tax from US-based multinationals using Irish subsidiaries to pay less, or zero, tax. But there are a few reasons the US Treasury department is vehemently against this EU ruling and other pending cases targeting companies, such as Amazon.

One is simple: It wants to protect US businesses, and the Treasury says they're being unfairly targeted by this EU crackdown.

Second, the US wants to preserve tax revenue it hopes one day will come its way.

Companies like Apple say US taxes are too high, so they keep foreign earnings overseas. But Congress has long debated ways to get multinational American companies to repatriate some of that cash. The Treasury Department says if the commission wins this case, US companies could use these taxes paid in Europe to offset US taxes. That, it says, "would effectively constitute a transfer of revenue to the EU from the US government and its taxpayers," according to a Treasury white paper.

What about other European countries?

In his letter, though, Cook may have stepped into another debate over its aggressive tax avoidance by saying, " A companys profits should be taxed in the country where the value is created." This is a different issue.

If Apple made money in France but realized those profits in Ireland, it is up to France, not the EU, to complain and try to get some of that money back.

The whole reason Apple's European operations are in Ireland, after all, are for its tax advantages. The question is just whether Apple received illegal special treatment.

Wait, don't these tax breaks happen in the US all the time?

tesla gigafactory

One reason all this might seem odd to Americans is that the "special treatment" Ireland is accused of giving Apple is similar to incentives American states give companies all the time legally.

Massachusetts, for instance, put together $145 million in incentives to persuade General Electric to move from suburban Connecticut to Boston.

Never mind that some research suggests these sweetheart deals often don't pay off. Politicians can't stop offering them.

When Tesla said publicly it wanted to build a Gigafactory to produce batteries, states like California, Nex Mexico, and Nevada stumbled over themselves to offer the most generous tax breaks. In the end, Nevada agreed to $1.2 billion in tax incentives to win the deal. If these deals were issued by France to attract a company based in Denmark, it would be illegal under EU rules.

What about inversions?

Some American companies have gone further than Apple to take advantage of Irish tax breaks. Pharmaceutical firm Allergan has acquired or formed Irish subsidiaries and then "inverted," or transferred its legal headquarters to Ireland. Even if its headquarters were in the US, it is effectively an Irish company.

"Inversions are separate but related," Kleinbard said. Companies that invert "take advantage of an easily manipulated definition of what is a US company."

Nothing in the European Commission ruling affects inversions. It's up to US authorities to crack down if they want to stop the practice. Congress, for instance, could change tax law to consider a company American if its leadership and most of its workers are based in the US.

What's next?

Apple, the most profitable company in the world, and Ireland, which has some of the lowest corporate taxes, made easy targets for the European Commission. But it's clearly not done yet. It's targeting McDonald's for allegedly paying no tax on its earnings in Luxembourg. The antitrust regulators are also looking into Amazon.

Ireland, however, will almost surely appeal the ruling against its dealings with Apple. It has a lot more on the line than $14.5 billion.

NOW WATCH: The tax strategy that is about to cost Apple billions





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FILE - In this July 8, 2016, file photo, a pharmacist holds a package of EpiPens epinephrine auto-injector, a Mylan product, in Sacramento, Calif. Mylan said it will make available a generic version of its EpiPen, as criticism mounts over the price of its injectable medicine. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

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By Brian Bethel of the Abilene Reporter News

If her daughter wasn't on her husband's insurance plan, Dawnyel Luckie would be extremely worried about the cost of her daughter's EpiPen medication.

"It's not a luxury it's a necessity," said Luckie of the auto-injector syringe filled with epinephrine, designed to treat severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reactions.

Parents and activists have been recently protesting the cost of the medication, which has grown from about $100 to more than $600 in about a decade.

Mylan, the company that makes the medicine, said late last week that it would offer coupons that cover up to $300 of patients' out-of-pocket costs for the retail version of the drug, aiding those who have limited pharmacy benefits or high-deductible insurance plans.

Monday, the company said it plans to produce a $300 generic version of the EpiPen, which should be available in a few weeks.

While Luckie is grateful that insurance steeply reduces the price of the EpiPen for her family, she said that the devices would probably cost them greatly if she had to use her own high-deductible insurance plan.

"She has a tree nut allergy, so it's all nuts besides peanuts," she said of her daughter Hailey, 17. "Until this summer, we didn't really know it's as severe as it is. She ended up accidentally consuming a milkshake that had some ground-up pecans in it."

Luckie said her daughter wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for the EpiPen, recalling panicked moments in which her daughter's breathing was compromised.

"She carries an EpiPen now everywhere she goes," she said. "We're going to have to figure out a way to get it if the insurance company (ever) doesn't cover it. We know it's life and death."

Alternatives do exist, such as Adrenaclick and its generic variant.

"It's an epinephrine auto-injection that's the same strength," said James McCoy, owner of McCoy's Pharmacy. "It doesn't matter, all the bells and whistles, what people are wanting is epinephrine (at) 0.3 milligrams, and that's what's in this injection."

Looking for alternatives should start with one's insurance company and one's pediatrician, said Greg Young, manager at Hendrick Professional Pharmacy.

"See what they (insurance) cover, see what the pediatrician is comfortable with," Young said. " I think practitioners would be open to that discussion, but at the same level, I could see where they would want to use a product that they have a comfort level with."

Young said that he sees "undue stress" being placed on families and patients for medications that "shouldn't be that expensive."

"People are not asking for free meds, they're just asking for medications at prices they can afford  and we have to have a health care system that supports that," he said.

Trina Ostlien said her son, Kauy Ostlien, now has to carry an EpiPen after a severe and unexpected allergy attack.

Ostlien, whose son shows pigs in FFA, said that she's frustrated by the drug's short life span  they're typically replaced yearly  and the inconvenience of keeping up with the pens themselves.

"If he leaves it at a contest or it is left in South Dakota (on family vacations), then we have to buy another because you don't want to go without," she said, "I can actually purchase a good show pig for the new price of the EpiPen."
As the city celebrated the completion of a north-side road project Monday, prep work was underway nearby on another, and a state project down the road was entering its final phase.

Motorists are urged to be cautious at the ongoing construction projects on Ambler and State Highway 351.

On Highway 351, concrete barriers are being moved, opening new lanes of traffic and closing others.

On Ambler, traffic control measures were put in place Monday to block traffic lanes so that water lines under the road can be excavated and replaced. Work is starting in the eastbound lanes of Ambler between Hardy and Cottonwood streets, and will move west. Water lines under the street are being replaced in advance of the reconstruction of Ambler.

Meanwhile Monday, the city celebrated the completion of the third of its street projects that were a part of the 2015 bond package approved by voters. Monday's ribbon cutting took a little juggling of logistics.

For one thing, the road is in use. For another, the ribbon cutting couldn't actually take place on the street.

'We knew better than to stand out on West Lake Road,' joked Mayor Norm Archibald, adding, 'we're in the process of celebrating all that it is good (from the bond election).'

West Lake Road was widened about 12 feet to accommodate traffic between Ambler and Interstate 20. However, said City Engineer Larry Wright, the job entailed much more than just widening the road.

'This was a full-depth reconstruction,' he said. 'Basically, you take everything off and start over. This is just about as far as you go without building a new road through virgin territory.'

Wright said the work on Catclaw Drive is similar to what was done on West Lake Road.

Michael Rice, director of public works with the city, said the West Lake Road project, which finished just under its bid of $990,492, was one of 25 that was passed as part of the $80 million bond package that was passed in May 2015.

'This one was considered one of the more critical ones,' he said.

Work was started in April, and Rice said the project was delayed several times because of rain.

Wayne Lisenbee, capital improvements program director for the city, said the improvement to West Lake Road could help with the development of the property on the south side of the road.

'Most developers are going to want to see good, reliable roads on any property they're wanting to develop,' he said. 'I think you may see some development occurring here because of the infrastructure.'

On Highway 351, the Texas Department of Transportation was working on a major traffic switch from East Lake Road to the Abilene city limits.

Mary Belle Turner, TXDOT Abilene public information office, said that motorists should expect delays and lane closures this week as contractors begin the third phase of the access management project.

'There won't be any permanent closures,' she said. 'They'll just be moving the concrete barriers so a lane will be closed while they're being moved.'

Turner said the traffic switch should be completed this week. The project is scheduled to be completed this fall.
The Texas Supreme Court has created a massive loophole in the state's open-records laws that threatens the foundation of transparency. Fixing the issue must be a priority for the Legislature in 2017.

The problems stem from a 2015 decision in a case called Boeing v. Paxton that made it easier for businesses and governments to keep secret contracts involving public funds. With the ruling, governments or vendors can keep contracts secret by asserting that they could face competitive harm if the public knew of information in the contract.

Contract information that has long been available to Texans now can be shielded from public view. That is a recipe for corruption and bad governance.

That court ruling led the Attorney General's Office this month to rule that University Medical Center in El Paso can keep secret its contract with a firm that led the recruiting effort for the hospital system's new CEO.

The El Paso Times had requested the contract under the Texas Public Information Act. In its ruling allowing UMC to keep the contract secret, the attorney general made it clear that the outcome would have been different if not for the Boeing ruling.

'For many years, the (Attorney General's) Office concluded the terms of a contract and especially the pricing of a winning bidder are public and generally not excepted from disclosure,' the opinion said. 'However, now, pursuant to Boeing, (exceptions are) not only limited to ongoing competitive situations, and a third party need only show (that) release of its competitively sensitive information would give an advantage to a competitor even after a contract is executed.'

The Public Information Act includes an exception that was created to prevent a potential vendor from obtaining a competitor's bid during the bid process. But that exception has been twisted beyond recognition to allow the bid details to be kept secret after the contract has been awarded.

Joe Larsen, a Houston attorney and board member of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, said previous attorneys general  including now-Gov. Greg Abbott  have been expanding the ability of governments to withhold information by claiming that doing so would create a competitive disadvantage for the government. The Texas Supreme Court cited previous attorney general rulings in its Boeing decision.

Open-government advocates are proposing legislation to restore the original purpose of the exception.

'However, governmental bodies will only part with their 'governmental trade secret' exception with great reluctance,' Larsen wrote in a column for Texas Tribune. 'We must be vigilant that their lobbyists don't insert language giving governmental bodies the right to claim they are competing in various marketplaces  thus allowing them to withhold basic information from the public.'

The courts and the Attorney General's Office have made it far too easy for governments to keep contracts secret.

The Legislature must restore Texans' ability to see contracts made by their governments, with only the rarest of exceptions.

 El Paso Times
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This just in...
China's President Xi Jinping (R) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin attend the giant energy agreement signing ceremony in Shanghai, May 21, 2014.

Nearly three decades ago, I traveled as a reporter with a delegation from the Soviet Union seeking trade and assistance from China.

At the time, in January 1989, relations between the Soviet Union and China were improving after 30 years of hostility.

This was roughly two years before the fall of the Soviet Union, and officials from the two sides were negotiating to arrange a summit meeting between the Soviet leader Michael Gorbachev and Chinas supreme leader Deng Xiaoping.

I met up with the 40-member Soviet trade delegation in Heihe, a small gateway city on Chinas northern border along the then frozen Heilong River, where temperatures had plunged to 40 degrees below zero.

The Soviet delegation to China was led by Yuri G. Lyashko, mayor of the Siberian city of Blagoveshchensk, who was on his second trip to China.

Lyashko was looking among other things for help in developing Siberia, one of the worlds least-developed frontier regions.

But as we traveled for 15 hours by bus and train from Heihe to Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang Province, the mayor quickly made clear to me through an interpreter that he was ambivalent about dealings with China.

I remarked to Lyashko that thinly populated Siberia needed additional labor in order to develop, and I joked that China could put 100,000 farmers to work for him on undeveloped land in Siberia within a matter of weeks.

Lyashko failed to respond. But his awkward expression said it all: For him this was no joking matter.

It was clear that the Soviets would have to set limits on how many Chinese came in.

An alignment without alliance

In the nearly three decades since that moment near the frozen border, Russias relations with China have improved to the point where a few analysts now speak of a growing Chinese-Russian strategic alliance.

But most would probably say that this description goes too far.

Sun Yun, senior associate at the Washington-based Stimson Center and a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution, notes that Western assessments of the relationship tend to reflect one of two extreme views:

The first view holds that Beijing and Moscow have formed an alliance that aims to overturn the existing international order.

The second maintains that the two countries are experiencing a temporary meeting of minds that can be dismissed as of little lasting consequence.

In Suns view, the current relationship can best be understood as a genuine convergence of national interests despite powerful centrifugal forces.

This alignment without alliance can endure only if both sides agree to align themselves while maintaining a safe distance from each other, so that competitive elements of their relationship can play themselves out without derailing the partnership.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin see the world through similar prismsThey both believe themselves to be at a strategic disadvantage relative to the United States and the West, Sun says.

While Putin believes that the West has thwarted Russias great power ambitions, Xi sees the U.S. rebalance, or pivot, to Asia as at best as a denial of access to the western Pacific and at worst an attempt to contain China.

China may hold the upper hand

Some analysts argue that Russia needs China more than China needs Russia.

To begin with, China has a far stronger economy than Russias. The Chinese economy has been slowing down. In contrast, Russias economy is much smaller, under sanctions, less diversified, and seriously faltering.

China over the years has also developed closer ties to the global economy, having entered the World Trade Organization a decade before Russia.

As Alexander Gabuev, an analyst of Russian-Chinese relations at the Carnegie Moscow Center, recently told the U.S.-based National Bureau of Asian Research, Russia is definitely the dependent partner.

Adding to Russias distress are low oil prices, which have damaged an economy that has depended heavily on oil and gas exports.

According to the Financial Times, Russian officials began actively seeking closer relations with China after the U.S. and the European Union imposed economic sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis and the annexation of Crimea.

But according to Sun Yun in remarks prepared for a recent Brookings Institution event, a major weakness in Chinese-Russian ties lies in economic relations.

While China is Russias second-largest export destination and the largest import supplier, she says, bilateral trade with Russia only makes up about 2 percent of Chinas total foreign trade.

A potential trouble spot in Chinese-Russian relations

In recent years, China has increased its links with Central Asia, a traditional Russian sphere of influence embracing countries widely known as the stans Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Stratfor, a U.S.-based firm that provides strategic analysis and forecasts, said in a report earlier this year that following the collapse of the Soviet Union, a new frontier had opened up for China to its west in Central Asia.

Central Asia offered Beijing new sources of raw materials and new marketsnot to mention a major transit zone for exports, Stratfor says.

But China didnt have the military power in place to bolster its economic position in Central Asia, says Stratfor, nor did it want to upset Russia, a power wary of rising Chinese influence, especially in its former Soviet periphery.

Instead, Beijing crafted a military and economic strategy for Central Asia that increased its military aid to these countries, including training, military uniforms, and communications equipment.

Moscow still has a military advantage over Beijing for now in Central Asia, Stratfor says.

But the research group predicts that in the long term, Chinas efforts will undermine Russias military influence..., potentially derailing the two countries strategic partnership in the process.

Chinas relations with Russia are attracting added attention at the moment because of the annual Group of 20 summit meeting of world leaders that will be held on Sept. 4-5 in Hangzhou, China.

Alexander Gabuev recently told the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post that China will give Putin special treatment at the summit.

As the host of the summit, he said, Xi will make efforts to show that Putin, despite current international sanctions against Russia, is an active player and that he is not isolated.

In a series of articles on the coming summit, the Morning Post said that a senior Chinese diplomat has made it no secret that Putin will be guest No. 1 at the annual gathering.

Historical baggage

In the nearly three decades since Chinese-Russian relations began improving, a number of Russians still worry that Chinese migration could result in a takeover of Russian territory.

On the Chinese side, commentators and bloggers continue to note that Tsarist Russia had annexed nearly 600,000 square miles of Chinese territory in the late 19th century.

And some Chinese can still remember that at the end of World War II, Russian troops who fought the Japanese in Manchuria had carted off factory equipment and railroad tracks that rightly belonged to China.

But today it appears unlikely that such memories will obstruct the advance in Chinese-Russian relations.

Despite initial Soviet misgivings, thousands of Chinese migrants are now employed as farmers in vast and lightly populated Siberia and the Russian Far East. And many of them do work that most Russians would prefer not to do.

The Russian fear of uncontrolled Chinese migration that I sensed when meeting with a Russian trade delegation nearly three decades ago hasnt completely disappeared, however.

The two sides have dealt with this by negotiating long-term lease agreements, which in some Russian locations has led to hard bargaining over how many Chinese will be allowed to come in to work the land.

Finally, some on both sides can still remember that in 1969 China and the Soviet Union came close to an all-out war during military clashes that lasted for seven months along Chinas northeastern border.

But today it appears that none of this will halt the advance of Chinese-Russian relations.

Gone are the days in early 1989 when Chinese officials on the border had no telephone connections with the Soviet Union. They had to raise a red flag on the riverbank each time that they wanted to talk with someone on the Soviet side in Blagoveshchensk.

The Soviets would then display a red flag of their own before officials from the Chinese side could cross the ice to the Soviet side.

Today, exchanges between the two countries are nearly too numerous to count, while Xi Jinping is apparently ready to give Putin a starring role at a summit meeting of world leaders.

Dan Southerland, RFAs executive editor, reported for The Washington Post from the China-Soviet border in early 1989.
Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) President Sam Rainsy wants to end his self-imposed exile in time to cast a vote in the countrys upcoming elections, but he faces arrest upon returning. He left the country following his removal from parliament in November 2015 by the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) over a warrant issued for his arrest in an old defamation case.

With voter registration in Cambodia running from Sept. 1 to Nov. 29, if he wishes to register, the window of opportunity for his return is relatively short. Local elections are scheduled for 2017, and national elections are slated for 2018.

In interviews with Radio Free Asia Khmer Service journalist Sarada Training this week, Sam Rainsy discussed his desire to return, what it would take and the campaign Prime Minister Hun Sen and the CPP are waging against the opposition.

RFA: What makes you believe that you will be able to return to Cambodia?

Sam Rainsy: It is based on my personal past experiences. It is not the first time that I have been forced into exile. This is the fourth time now. For each of the three previous occasions, I was always able to partake in the elections. I strongly believe that there will be a political solution, not just for myself and Kem Sokha, but for all jailed CNRP activists and NGO workers.

RFA: What would you need to secure your safety so you could return to Cambodia?

Sam Rainsy: I believe in international pressure. It works very well, and it will work again to defuse this current political tension. None of the previous political solutions came without international pressure. No government can survive without international support. Cambodia is not an exception. What the current government is doing against the opposition party is savage. That only increases international pressure. At some point, a solution must be found.

RFA: Kem Sokha has been holed up in the CNRP headquarters because of the actions by the government in relation to the cases involving his alleged affair. Now that the voter registration period is coming up, do you think he will be able to register to vote?

SAM RAINSY: The CNRP is not made up of just one Kem Sokha and one Sam Rainsy. It has millions of Kem Sokhas and Sam Rainsys in Cambodia. About 10 million Cambodians are voters. They want change. This change can only happen when all together we vote for the CNRP. What is most important is that we are united and ready to vote for the CNRP in the next elections. The CNRP victory is for all Cambodians.

RFA: You are in exile. Kem Sokha is in hiding. Prime Minister Hun Sen is launching an early political campaign in different parts of Cambodia. Do you think there will be a free and fair atmosphere for the next elections?

SAM RAINSY: Regardless of how unfair and unfree the elections could be, Cambodians are clearly aware of that. The ruling party is in a panic mode now. They are so frustrated about losing the elections that they have resorted to using the court and killings to intimidate the opposition. They know very well that if the elections are free and fair they will lose. Such cheap and savage means employed by the ruling party against us are enough to let people better know that we are stronger.

RFA: Does that say something about the CPP?

Since the CPP only persecutes the CNRP it means that the CPP is losing faith in its own ability to make a difference. Though there are several other political parties, the CNRP is being harassed by the CPP constantly and persistently. Cambodians trust only the CNRP to save our country from the current regime of dictatorship.

RFA: If you and Kem Sokha are banned from registering to vote, will the CNRP boycott the next elections?

SAM RAINSY: No, it wont. We will do our best to push for the elections. The change we envisage has to happen through peaceful means and through free and fair elections. I have strong faith in our people, and they will go out to vote for change.

Translated by Nareth Muong for RFAs Khmer Service.
A Chinese college student and political asylum-seeker detained in Thailand for having an expired passport is incommunicado after going back to China voluntarily, fellow activists said.



Xu Zhenxin, 19, was detained last month after Thai police asked for his identification en route to the northern city of Chiang Rai, where he had hoped to find work.



Veteran Thailand-based political refugee Li Yuzhou, who had been living in the country for seven years, also "voluntarily" returned to China, local sources told RFA.



Xu arrived back in China at Guangzhou's international airport on Aug. 24, after which he was briefly contacted by a fellow refugee.



"He got out of the airport after getting off the plane at Guangzhou airport, and I was talking to him by phone at that time," the refugee, who asked to remain anonymous, said.



"But we only spoke a few words, then he hung up."



The Thailand-based Chinese asylum-seeker said Xu said he was acting of his own free will, but that friends who met with him thought was "wasn't himself."



"He said he was determined to go home, and that he'd already bought the plane ticket," the refugee said. "But we haven't heard anything from him since, and we don't know if he's been detained or not."



'Miserable'



Thailand-based political activist Li Xiaolong said Xu had seemed miserable when he visited him last month at the immigration detention center where he was being held.



"Xiao Lin [another activist] later told me he had already attempted suicide," Li told RFA.



Xu arrived in Thailand last November after taking a cross-border bus to Vietnam and a flight to Bangkok.



He had already received approval for resettlement as a political asylum-seeker, and held a UNHCR letter of protection.



A former freshman student at the Nanjing Post and Telecommunications University, Xu described himself as a political activist who frequently handed out leaflets calling for democratic reform on the streets of the city.



He had been interrogated several times by the city's state security police, who had beaten him at least twice, fellow refugees told RFA.



He also spent a week in a "black jail," an unofficial detention center, they said.



Climate of fear



Xu's detention comes amid a growing climate of fear for Chinese dissidents who have sought political refuge in Thailand.



Claims of his voluntary return are also reminiscent of statements made by Chinese police that five Hong Kong booksellers detained last year for selling "banned books" to customers in China had willingly cooperated with police investigations.



Veteran refugee Li Yuzhou had also asked to go back to China after getting into an altercation last month with guards at the Bangkok Immigration Detention Center, Li said.



"The guards at the immigration detention center told my wife that he was sent back to China on Aug. 29," he said.



"[They said] that Li Yuzhou wanted to leave Thailand, because he would have been effectively locked up here indefinitely," Li said.



Thailand-based refugee Lin Dajun said Li Yuzhou had been talking of going back to China for the past couple of years, but his friends had tried to stop him.



"He had been talking about going back for the past couple of years, but a lot of people told him to wait and see whether the United Nations would help him or not," Lin said.



"The U.N. handled his case very badly, so this isn't a recent thing," he said. "We all told him that if he went home, he'd never get the chance to leave again."



Repeated calls to the Bangkok Immigration Detention Center rang unanswered during office hours on Monday.



Pressure to spy



Li Yuzhou fled China in 2002 after Beijing state security police put pressure on him to spy on fellow political activists in the Youth Study Group.



Li Yuzhou wrote about their demands and posted the information online. He then joined the Thailand branch of the banned opposition China Democracy Party (CDP) soon after arriving in the country.



He was detained in an immigration detention center in Sept. 9, 2009 after being accused of planting fake explosive devices, and had twice resisted attempts by the Chinese government to extradite him.



Li Xiaolong's wife Gu Qiao is currently facing deportation for illegal immigration after the family were rescued from the wreck of a sailing yacht off the coast of southern Thailand.



Gu, who holds no passport, is being held in an immigration detention center, and recently pleaded guilty to immigration offenses, paving the way for her repatriation.



Li was released on bail with the children, while another refugee who sailed with them, Zhao Wei, was released because he holds a valid Thai visa, as were two other members of the yacht's crew.



Gu was later transferred to the Bangkok Immigration Detention Center from a similar facility in Chumphon, where the rescue operation took place.



Two handed back



Li, a founding member of the banned opposition China Democracy Party (CDP) from the southwestern province of Guangxi, escaped China with his family in 2014, before being classified a genuine refugee by UNHCR.



He had set up a local chapter of the party while in Thailand, and was also vocal in the campaign to prevent the repatriation of Chongqing-based activists Dong Guangping and Jiang Yefei.



Jiang and Dong, who had fled persecution in their home country, were handed back to Chinese authorities last November in a move that drew strong criticism from the U.N. They are now in criminal detention in Chongqing, where they face subversion charges.



Jiang's wife Chu Ling and Dong's wife Gu Shuhua and daughter Dong Xuerui flew to Canada from Bangkok for resettlement as political refugees just days after the two men were repatriated. They now fear Jiang and Dong are at risk of torture and other violations of their rights.



Reported by Hai Nan for RFA's Cantonese Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
A satellite image of the Kyo-hwa-so No. 12 prison taken July 12, 2003 that is part of a Committee for Human Rights in North Korea report, Aug. 30, 2016.

The North Korean government appears to have enlarged one of its notorious prison labor camps so that it can handle an influx of female prisoners and expand its economic operations, according to a newly-released report by the Committee for Human Rights in Korea (HRNK).

Using global imaging technology to peer into North Korea as well as eye-witness accounts, the report details how the Kyo-hwa-so No. 12 re-education prison labor camp was enlarged to accommodate female prisoners in 2009.

The U.S.-based HRNK believes the expansion was needed in order to house a large number of female North Korean nationals who were forcibly repatriated from China.

Their detention highlights the illegality of Chinas forcible repatriation of North Korean refugees to conditions of danger, despite overwhelming and justified fear of persecution, in direct violation of the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, to which China is a party, said HRNK Executive Director Greg Scarlatoiu.

Estimates of the prison population of Kyo-hwa-so No. 12 have ranged from 1,300 in the late 1990s to about 5,000 in recent years. Some 20 percent of the inmates are thought to be women, with 80 percent of those being females who were repatriated from China.

In 2014 a United Nations Commission of Inquiry found that North Korean authorities subject those who were forcibly repatriated from China or were caught in the process of trying to reach China to torture, inhumane treatment and imprisonment.

Unlike the political prison camps, known as kwan-li-so, the kyo-hwa-so re-education prison labor camps also detain common offenders. Both types of detention facilities are known for extreme brutality.

While the prison, a part of what has been called North Koreas gulag, appears to have been enlarged to accommodate female inmates, the nature of the work prisoners are forced to do also appears to have changed.

Kyo-hwa-so No. 12 was established between 1980 and 1983 in an area known for agriculture, but a nearby copper mine seems to have emerged in importance.

The importance of prison labor at the adjacent copper mine, confirmed by satellite imagery analysis, continues to focus attention on the tainted supply chain of North Koreas extractive industry, Scarlatoiu said.

Although the prison appears to have gotten bigger, it has also become more crowded, according to Joseph Bermudez, AllSource Analysis co-founder and chief analytics officer. AllSource, a global provider of high-resolution earth imagery, works with HRNK to monitor the North Korean prison camps.

If the more recent figures are even close to accurate, then Kyo-hwa-so No. 12 is an overcrowded detention facility, judging by international standards, said Bermudez, a widely published analyst of North Korean military affairs.
UPDATED at 11 A.M. EST on 2016-09-01

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday threw his support behind a Myanmar commission to address human rights issues in troubled Rakhine state, chaired by his predecessor Kofi Annan, despite objections from ethnic Rakhine lawmakers.

We are happy to see the encouraging steps you [the Myanmar government] have taken, including the establishment of a commission chaired by my distinguished predecessor, Mr. Kofi Annan, to look at the overall issues in Rakhine, Ban said during a speech after he met with State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyidaw.

Ban is in Myanmar to attend the governments Panglong Conference peace negotiations with armed ethnic groups, which begin on Wednesday.

He [Annan] telephoned me in fact before he assumed his post and I assured him that the United Nations will provide full support, and I strongly advised him to work very closely with the State Counselor and also meet as many stakeholders as possible, Ban said.

Last week, the Myanmar government selected Annan to head its advisory commission to help resolve human rights issues in troubled Rakhine state, where the majority of the countrys Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority group lives, facing persecution in the predominantly Buddhist nation.

The nine-member commission includes three international representatives, four Buddhist and Muslim members from Myanmar, and two Myanmar government representatives, who will try to find a lasting solution to the Rakhine issue.

The Myanmar government and Buddhist nationalists consider the stateless Rohingya to be illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh, though many have lived in Myanmar for generations, and deny them basic rights, freedom of movement, and access to social services and education.

The advisory commission will hold meetings with all relevant stakeholders, international experts, and foreign dignitaries, submit its findings and recommendations to the Myanmar government, and publish a report next year.

A complex situation

Ban Ki-moon went on to say that he and Aung San Suu Kyi had discussed the latest developments in western Myanmars Rakhine state, calling the situation complex.

I conveyed the concern of the international community about the tens of thousands of people who have been living in very poor conditions in IDP [internally displaced persons] camps for over four years, he said. Like all people everywhere, they need and deserve a future of hope and dignity.

This is not just a question of the Rohingya communitys right to self-identify, he said. The broader issue is that all of Myanmars people, of every ethnicity and background, should be able to live in equality and harmony, side by side with their neighbors.

People who have been living for generations in this country should enjoy the same legal status and citizenship as everyone else, he said.

Some 140,000 Rohingya Muslims were displaced after communal violence erupted four years ago between them and Rakhine Buddhists, leaving more than 200 dead and tens of thousands homeless after their houses were destroyed. The Rohingya, who bore the brunt of the attacks, were later forced to live in refugee camps.

About 120,000 Rohingya currently remain in the camps, while thousands of others have fled persecution in the Buddhist-dominated country on rickety boats to other Southeast Asian countries in recent years.

No need for commission

Meanwhile, an ethnic Rakhine lawmaker from the Arakan National Party (ANP) in parliaments lower house proposed an emergency motion on Tuesday to reform the Annan-led commission by reconsidering the appointments of the three foreigners.

They appointed foreigners to resolve a difficult issue that local and domestic leaders cant even resolve, said ANP lawmaker Aung Kyaw Zan in an address to his fellow members of parliament. This will turn a domestic issue into an international one.

He said there is no need for a new commission, but that the government should instead implement the recommendations of a previous commission formed under the former military-backed government, the online Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) reported.

The ANP sent a letter to the Myanmar government on Aug. 25, objecting to the appointment of three foreigners to the advisory commission and calling for it to be disbanded.

The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) also issued a statement last Thursday raising concern that the commissions work could harm security and national matters.

Lawmakers will debate the proposal on Thursday, the DVB report said.

Ma Ba Tha criticism

Also on Tuesday, Myanmars ultranationalist Buddhist monk group Ma Ba Tha criticized Annans involvement in the advisory commission on social media, calling him a kalar, a slur used in Myanmar against Muslims and Indians, according to an Associated Press report.

A funny-looking and disrespectful person cannot talk about our own issues in the country," the posting said.

Furthermore, the group posted a photo of American actor Morgan Freeman, who is sometimes confused with Annan, marked with a red X next to the words We no need Coffee [sic] Annan he go away, the AP report said.

Ma Ba Tha is believed to be one of the forces behind the deadly 2012 communal violence in Rakhine state and has often participated in demonstrations against the Rohingya.

Two days later, however, AP issued a corrected version of the story, saying that the Buddhist groups post insulting Annan was fake. It noted that Ashin Wirathu, one of Ma Ba Tha's leaders, said on his Facebook page that the post was from a phony account.

Amid the criticism of Annans appointment, Zaw Htay, deputy-director general of the State Counselors Office, said on Aug. 26 that the diplomat was selected to be the commission chairman in response to international pressure, the online journal The Irrawaddy reported.

He told a press conference in Naypyidaw that the decision to include international representatives had resulted from outside pressure after previous local commissions failed to resolve the Rakhine state issue, the report said.

Reported by Kyaw Min Htun and Win Ko Ko Latt for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Funerals have been held in Kyrgyzstan after 14 Kyrgyz women perished in a fire at a print works in Moscow. The tragedy has refocused attention on the plight of Kyrgyz migrant workers in Russia, where it's estimated some 1,500 Kyrgyz have died in the last five years.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's media freedom advocate called on Ukrainian authorities to carry out a thorough investigation into the death of journalist Aleksandr Shchetinin.



Shchetinin, a founder of the Novy Region online news agency, was found dead in his apartment in Kyiv on August 28.



"The circumstances of this tragedy must be swiftly and thoroughly investigated," OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic said on August 29. "His death is a loss for the media community."



Mijatovic repeated her call for authorities to improve the fragile situation regarding the safety of journalists and fully and effectively address the "issue of impunity."

Shchetinin, originally from the Russian Federation, worked as a journalist in Ukraine for several years.

Ukrainian police said they suspect Shchetinins death was a suicide.

Authorities said friends who visited Shchetinins apartment to congratulate him on his birthday found him seated in a chair on his balcony with a gunshot wound to the head and a gun on the ground beside him.

Police said Shchetinin had also written an email to a colleague in which he declared his intention to kill himself.

With reporting by TASS
A court in Russia has jailed a Russian man for fighting against Kremlin-backed separatists in Ukraine's eastern region of Donetsk.

The Russian Investigative Committee said on August 30 that a court in the Kirov region found a 24-year-old local resident guilty of fighting as a mercenary for a foreign country and sentenced him to 2 1/2 years in jail.

The man, whose identity was not disclosed, was detained after returning to Russia's Kirov region in September 2015. He had been fighting alongside Ukrainian armed forces against pro-Russian separatists for more than six months.

Fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine's eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk has killed more than 9,500 people since April 2014.

There have been numerous reports that many volunteers and mercenaries from former Soviet republics are fighting on both sides of the conflict.

Based on reporting by Interfax and RIA
Serbia's Defense Ministry says security forces have detained three people for attempting to smuggle 64 Afghan migrants into the country, including a pregnant Afghan woman and a baby.

The ministry said on August 30 that a joint police and army patrol caught the smugglers late on August 29 near the border with Bulgaria as they were transferring the migrants into vehicles.

It said 34 migrants were packed into a van while another 30 migrants were about to board two cars.

Most of the migrants were men, but the group also included four women and several young children.

Serbia has formed joint police and army teams to patrol its borders with Bulgaria and Macedonia in order to stop the flow of migrants seeking to reach the European Union.

Belgrade wants to avoid a migrant pile-up following the introduction of tough antimigrant measures by neighboring EU-member Hungary.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP
Dozens of Chechens are camping in Belarus at the border with Poland, complaining that they are "refugees" who are being prevented from entering the EU-member country by Polish authorities.

The group of Russian citizens from the Chechnya region include children, women, and elderly people. They reached the border checkpoint in the countryside near Brest on August 29 and set up camp after being refused entry into Poland.

Members of the group told RFE/RL that they will not leave their campsite until they receive an official decision from the government in Warsaw -- one way or another -- about their request to enter the European Union.

A Russian consulate official in Brest, Igor Koryakin, arrived at the border camp on August 30 to speak with the group.

Hundreds of citizens from Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya have gathered in Brest in recent months with hopes of crossing into the EU and gaining asylum.

Some have told RFE/RL that the increase in Chechen migrants who want asylum in the EU has been increasing because of oppressive and often violent tactics employed by officials in the regime of the Moscow-backed Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.


Geopolitical extortion can come in various forms.

It can come in the form of the massive snap military exercises Vladimir Putin announced last week.

It could come in the form of Russia's recent menacing troop buildup on Ukraine's borders.

Or it can come in the form of cyberattacks against the electoral systems of two U.S. states and several Washington-based think tanks -- attacks experts suspect Kremlin-backed hackers of carrying out in recent weeks.

But regardless of the form this geopolitical extortion takes, there is always one simple message: Russia is prepared to wreak havoc and sow chaos until the West let's it have its way.

This is the Putin regime's way of saying: either you lift sanctions and let us have a free hand in the former Soviet space, or you will face perpetual crises; let us do as we please in Ukraine, in Georgia, and in Moldova, or else we will make your life a living hell.

The message comes at us as Putin prepares to meet Western leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, at the G20 summit next week in China.

And it comes as voices in many Western capitals calling for accommodation with Moscow are becoming louder and louder.

But accommodating an extortionist is never a good idea. All it does it whet their appetite.

If Putin gets a free hand in his backyard, then what will he want next?

Keep telling me what you think on The Power Vertical's Twitter feed and on our Facebook page.
Indian authorities lifted a 52-day-long curfew in Kashmir on August 29, but reimposed it hours later in most of Srinagar, the region's main city, after anti-India protests and clashes erupted in several neighborhoods.

Residents threw stones at government forces and chanted slogans like "We want freedom" and "Go India, go back," and the police fired back with tear gas to stop them from marching in the streets, witnesses and police officers said.

Clashes between pro-Pakistan protesters and police were also reported in other areas, with at least eight civilians reported injured.

Authorities said they had decided to lift the curfew over much of the region in an attempt to de-escalate what has become the worst violence in the region since 2010.

At least 68 civilians have been killed and thousands injured since protests broke out in July, mostly by government forces firing bullets and shotguns at rock-throwing protesters. Two policemen have been killed while hundreds of government forces have been injured in the clashes.

The curfew and other crackdown measures had failed to halt the protests, triggered by the killing of a popular rebel commander on July 8.

Tens of thousands of people have defied security restrictions and clashed with government forces on a daily basis seeking an end of Indian rule.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both. Most Kashmiris want an end to Indian rule and favor independence or a merger with Pakistan.

Several armed separatist groups have for decades fought the 500,000 Indian soldiers deployed in the territory.

The latest protests began after the killing of one rebel group's leader, Burhan Wani of the Hizbul Mujahideen, in a gunbattle with soldiers.

Since the armed rebellion against Indian rule began in 1989, tens of thousands of civilians have died in the fighting.

With reporting by AP, AFP, and dpa


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.
Iraqi forces can retake the key northern city of Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) extremist group by the end of the year, a U.S. general says.

"It's the prime minister's objective to have that done by the end of the year," Joe Votel, the commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East said on August 30. "My assessment is that we can meet the...prime minister's objectives, if that's what he chooses to do."

Votel added that the fight for Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, would be "hard and difficult."

Iraqi security forces, backed by the U.S.-led coalition against the IS group, have already started "shaping operations" around Mosul, including the capture of surrounding areas, he also said.

Last week, Iraqi forces pushed the extremist group from Qayyarah, a town considered strategic for any future offensive against Mosul.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
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."
A court in Kazakhstans northwestern city of Aqtobe has added to the country's wanted list a local resident suspected of fighting alongside Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The court issued its ruling on August 30 after the suspect, Maksim Yermolov, failed to appear in court for a second time in the case.

Yermolov was detained in February 2015 after returning to Kazakhstan from eastern Ukraine, where he allegedly fought alongside pro-Russia separatists who are battling Ukrainian government forces.

Yermolov was charged with "taking part in military conflicts abroad" and ordered not to leave the city of Aqtobe.

His current whereabouts are unknown.

From 2014 to 2015, Kazakhstan jailed at least two Kazakh citizens for fighting against Ukrainian government forces in eastern Ukraine.

Four Kazakh citizens also were convicted during that period on charges of inciting separatism and ethnic hatred on the Internet in connection with Ukraine's conflict.
Police in Kosovo have arrested six people in connection with the firing of a rocket-propelled grenade at the parliament building earlier in August that was claimed by a hard-line nationalist group.

The suspects are all members of the opposition Vetevendosje party.

Vetevendosje lawmakers have released teargas in parliament several times during the past year while their supporters have clashed with police outside.

The hard-liners oppose a border deal with Montenegro and an EU-brokered accord with Serbia that would give more autonomy to Serb-held areas of Kosovo.

Both of the deals are essential for Kosovo to build closer ties with the European Union.

While making the arrests on August 30, police said they recovered three automatic rifles, two pistols, and a rifle with a telescopic sight.

The attack on parliament was carried out on August 4 by two motorcyclists who fired a rocket-propelled grenade as they drove past.

The parliament building was damaged but no one was hurt.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP


Authorities in Kyrgyzstan say a suicide car bomber struck the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek on August 30, killing himself and wounding three Kyrgyz employees of the mission.



President Almazbek Atambaev ordered the government to step up counterterrorism measures after what officials called a terrorist attack -- a rarity in a Central Asian country that is known for political upheaval but has experienced few militant attacks despite growing government concerns about Islamic extremism.

Deputy Prime Minister Zhenish Razakov said the suspected bomber rammed a car through a gate to get inside the Chinese Embassy compound and detonated an explosive device.

Residents in the neighborhood on the outskirts of Bishkek said the powerful midmorning blast shook their homes and shattered windows. Images of the scene showed a badly damaged building and debris strewn over a wide area.

China condemned what it described as an "extreme and violent attack" on its embassy and urged Kyrgyz authorities to "get to the bottom of the incident," a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said at a press briefing in Beijing.

In a phone call, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldaev told his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, that authorities would take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese diplomats, Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The U.S. Embassy warned U.S. citizens in Kyrgyzstan to "shelter in place" until more information emerged.

Kyrgyzstan's GKNB state security service said it was investigating the blast. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The Kyrgyz Health Ministry said the three people wounded by the explosion were Kyrgyz nationals working at the embassy, and that they had been hospitalized with shrapnel-like injuries -- suggesting the explosive device may have been prepared as a fragmentation bomb.



Doctors said the three victims suffered concussions and multiple bruises.



Kyrgyzstan's GKNB state security service said it was investigating the blast. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Security service sources told RFE/RL said several hours after the attack that investigators were still trying to identify the suspect who was found inside the car after the explosion, as well as the owner of the vehicle.

The Chinese Embassy compound is situated in Bishkek's southern suburbs, also home to the U.S. Embassy and other diplomatic residencies and private homes.



Police blocked traffic on a main Bishkek highway and were checking vehicles.



The attack, and Atambaevs order for strengthened security measures, came ahead of a series of high-profile public events in the coming days.

Kyrgyzstan marks the 25th anniversary of its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union on August 31. It is hosting the World Nomad Games on September 3-8 and a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on September 16.

Diplomats from neighboring China, which has increased its influence in Central Asia since the Soviet collapse, have occasionally been targeted in the past in Kyrgyzstan.

Two visiting Chinese officials were shot dead and another was wounded in Bishkek in May 2000, and a Chinese consul and his driver were fatally shot in the capital in 2002.

Authorities blamed those attacks on Uyghur separatists seeking independence for their native region in western China, which borders Central Asia. But many experts say claims of militant activity by Uyghurs in Central Asia are overblown.

The secular authorities in Kyrgyzstan, a poor nation with a predominantly Muslim population of 5.7 million, frequently announce that they have foiled attacks allegedly plotted by extremist groups including Islamic State (IS).



According to Kyrgyz officials, some 500 Kyrgyz nationals have joined IS in Syria and Iraq.

With reporting by RFE/RLs Kyrgyz Service, Reuters, AFP, AP, 24.kg, Xinhua, TASS, and Interfax






The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a number of high-level bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the upcoming G20 summit in Hangzhou, China.

Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said on August 30 that Putin will hold talks with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on September 3 as the "process of normalization of relations between the two countries is under way."

Russia imposed trade restrictions on Turkey after a Turkish F-16 downed a Russian warplane near the Syrian border in November 2015.

However, the Russian and Turkish presidents vowed to open a new period of close relations after Putin hosted Erdogan in St. Petersburg on August 9.

Ushakov also said Putin will discuss a need for "a new impetus in bilateral relations" with British Prime Minister Theresa May on September 4, and he will discuss the Syrian crisis with Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.

U.S. President Barack Obama is also likely to have an informal talk with Putin during the summit, the White House said.

A planned trilateral meeting of leaders from Russia, France, and Germany on the Ukraine crisis was called off due to rising tensions over the Crimean Peninsula, according to Ushakov.

Instead, Putin is to meet separately with French President Francois Hollande -- possibly on September 4 -- and German Chancellor Angela Merkel the following day.

Kyiv had been concerned about the prospect of Russia, Germany, and France discussing the situation in Ukraine without its input.

Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has urged Pakistan to join other nations in tackling terrorism, saying there can be no distinction between "good and bad terrorists."

Kerry made the comments on August 30 at a joint press conference with Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi.

Citing the Haqqani network that operates in Afghanistan and Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has been blamed for attacks in India, Kerry called on Pakistan to "deprive any group of sanctuary."

"We both agreed that nations must not maintain double standards, such as the categorization of good and bad terrorists, nor must they act as safe havens," Swaraj said.

Both sides said that there had been an agreement to step up cooperation on intelligence.

Kerry also said Islamabad should not feel isolated by planned trilateral talks between the United States, India, and Afghanistan at next month's annual UN meetings in New York.

"My hope is that Pakistan as a country is not isolated by this, but is encouraged by this," he said.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP
The United States is offering a reward of $3 million for information about fugitive Tajik Colonel Gulmurod Halimov, who joined the Islamic State (IS) group last year.

Kurt Rice, acting assistant director for threat investigations and analysis at the U.S. State Department, said on August 30 that Washington considers Halimov to be a key member of the extremist group.

Rice told journalists via a telephone conference call to the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe that information on Halimovs whereabouts could be provided to any U.S embassy across the world or sent via e-mail to American diplomatic offices.

Halimov, the former commander of the Tajik Interior Ministry's special forces, known as OMON, joined IS in April 2015.

Tajik authorities have said he has been seriously injured twice in Syria.
ON MY MIND

For Vladimir Putin, next week's G20 summit in China will be a sequel to last year's UN General Assembly in New York.

He'll get another chance to make his pitch to Western leaders to see things his way -- and let him have his way.

In September 2015, Putin used his speech at the General Assembly and a meeting on the sidelines with U.S. President Barack Obama to end Russia's international isolation, shift the West's attention away from Ukraine and toward Syria, and to push for a grand alliance against Islamic State.

The subtext was, we'll be helpful in the Middle East if you let us have our way in Ukraine.

Next week, when Putin meets with Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Francois Hollande on the sidelines of the G20 summit, he will probably try more of the same.

But this time, with a massive troop buildup on Ukraine's borders and an escalating conflict in the Donbas, it will also come with an implicit "or else."

IN THE NEWS

U.S. President Barack Obama is likely to have an informal talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the G20 summit in China next week, the White House said.

The FBI has found that two U.S. states' online voting systems were hacked and is urging all states to increase computer security ahead of the November presidential election.

Russia has conducted large-scale unannounced military exercises "with increasing frequency," straining its relationship with NATO, the alliance's No. 2 official has said.

Russia, already suspended from next month's Rio Paralympics, has been banned from the 2018 Winter Paralympics in South Korea as well, the Russian Paralympic Committee announced.

A group of Russian Olympians has visited a Russian air base in Syria that has been used by Moscow for nearly a year to launch air strikes in the war-torn country.

Scores of Roma have fled from a southern Ukrainian village after residents torched one Romany home and demanded authorities evict all Romany families from the area following the killing of a 9-year-old girl.

The OSCE's media freedom advocate has called on Ukrainian authorities to carry out a thorough investigation into the death of journalist Aleksandr Shchetinin.

WHAT I'M READING

Hackers, Hackers, Everywhere!

Don't look now but cyberattacks are back in the news again.

Yahoo News's chief investigative correspondent Michael Isikoff has a widely circulated and highly detailed piece reporting that "the FBI has uncovered evidence that foreign hackers penetrated two state election databases in recent weeks, prompting the bureau to warn election officials across the country to take new steps to enhance the security of their computer systems." Cyberexperts suspect that Kremlin-backed Russian hackers were behind the attacks.

Defense News, meanwhile, has a report claiming that several Washington D.C.-based think tanks that focus heavily on Russian affairs were recently hacked.

Zeynep Tufekci, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina School of Information and Library Science, has an op-ed in The New York Times warning that the U.S. election could be hacked.

And The Atlantic, meanwhile, has a piece laying out the available evidence pointing to Russia in the recent hack of the Democratic National Committee's email servers.

Vanguard Of The Revolution

Joshuah Jaffa has a widely circulated piece in The New Yorker profiling two muckraking journalists, Serhiy Leshchenko and Mustafa Nayyem, who were catapulted into politics by the Euromaidan revolution.

The Costs Of Escalation

Bloomberg has a revealing piece adding up what Moscow's recent escalation in Ukraine is costing the Russian economy.

Ground Zero

Anna Nemtsova has a report in The Daily Beast from the Russian-Lithuanian border, "Ground Zero In The New Cold War."

Russia's New History Textbooks

As the teaching of history becomes increasingly politicized, Znak has a piece looking at how Russia's new textbooks are different from the old ones.

Children Of The Kremlin Court

NIkolai Petrov has a piece in Slon.ru that asks: what happens to the elite's children when the regime changes?

Russian Soft Power In Georgia

According to prominent Georgian activist Temur Kobalia, Russia is stepping up anti-EU and pro-Eurasian Union efforts in Georgia.

Oil Games

Bloomberg has a report on the latest efforts by Igor Sechin, CEO of the state-controlled oil giant Rosneft, to acquire a controlling stake in Bashneft.

Khodorkovsky Talks Elections

Slon.ru has an interview with Mikhail Khodorkovsky on how the exiled former oil magnate's Open Russia movement is approaching next month's elections to the State Duma.

Monitoring The Vote

On Khodorkovsky's Open Wall web portal, meanwhile, Sergei Orlov takes a look at how independent monitors are approaching the elections
The fate of Uzbek President Islam Karimov remained uncertain on August 30, with no official word on his condition two days after the government announced he had been hospitalized for an undisclosed ailment.

There were conflicting reports, with the Fergana News Agency citing unnamed sources as saying that he had died and other media outlets, including Russian news agency Interfax, reporting that he was still alive.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said on August 30 that the Kremlin had "no new information" and that it would be inappropriate for Moscow to comment on the Uzbek president's health.

The government statement on August 28 said Karimov, 78, would "require a certain amount of time for medical assessment and treatment."



Karimov's younger daughter, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, said in an Instagram post on August 29 that he was in "stable condition" at an intensive care unit in Tashkent after suffering a brain hemorrhage.



Karimov had been scheduled to make a public appearance in Tashkent on September 1 during celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of Uzbekistan's independence.



He has ruled Uzbekistan since before the Soviet collapse of 1991.



His long rule and tight control have raised questions about succession and long-term stability in the Central Asian country of 28 million, which has never held an election judged free and fair by international monitors.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, Gazeta.uk, Fergana, and TASS
Russian news agencies are reporting that a court in the Armenian capital of Yerevan has dismissed a move to detain a Russian citizen on charges of money laundering and illegal arms sales by the United States.

The court dismissed a motion by Armenian prosecutors on August 29 that sought to detain Sergei Mironov, but the case for the U.S. extradition request is not yet closed, and will be settled within 40 days, Ruben Kirakosyan, President of the Russian-Armenian Bar Association, told RIA Novosti.

Before that, Mironov will be in freedom, but will have to stay in Yerevan. He will not be allowed to leave the country until the issue is settled, Kirakosyan said.

Mironov was detained at Yerevan's international airport on a U.S. government request on August 26 for alleged money laundering and illegal transfer of military technology from the United States to an undisclosed foreign country.

Mironov, an employee at the Moscow office of Synesis, a company developing intelligent video surveillance and business intelligence based on computer vision, was placed on an international wanted list by U.S. authorities in May 2016.

Based on reporting by RIA Novosti, Sputnik, Public Radio of Armenia, TASS, Interfax, and RFE/RL Armenian Service


13 Vasiliy Alekseevich stands outside his home in the town of Myrnohrad. Alekseevich worked in mining for 30 years and largely blames Russias aggression against Ukraine for the current crisis in the industry. It wasnt too bad, he said. We worked, and the salaries, well they werent great, but we lived. The most important thing is that this conflict ends, and that Russia gets out of here, Alekseevich said. My father was Russian, my mother was Ukrainian. I was raised here, I worked here, and retired here. This is my land -- our land. We do not need Russian occupiers.
A Virginia Commonwealth University startup that has since relocated to Virginia Beach received national recognition this week and has been invited to make a presentation before the U.S. Congress.

Sanyal Biotechnology was selected as a top university startup by the National Council of Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer, a Washington, D.C.-based organization consisting of startup officers from research universities.

Sanyal is one of 18 startups from across the country selected to give a presentation before Congress at the councils DemoDay on Sept. 20 in the Cannon House Office Building in the nations capital.

Were very excited, said Rebecca Caffrey, Sanyals CEO and former Entrepreneur in Residence at VCU. It was a national competition, and there are a lot of universities out there  Stanford and Berkeley and Harvard  that launch startups like crazy, and we made the list.

Sanyal, launched in 2015, was the only Virginia company to be named in the competition.

The company launched after Dr. Arun J. Sanyal, VCU professor and chief medical officer with the startup, bred a mouse with a liver similar to a human one.

The mouse is ideal for companies to test drugs that may help with such conditions as fatty liver disease.

Caffrey said DemoDay will give Sanyal the opportunity to present to investors and could help raise awareness among lawmakers about the importance of funding biotechnology startups.

(Biotechnology startups) are not looking for handouts, but a hand up is very helpful, especially in an industry with such high startup costs, she said. We can do a lot of good socially and medically, but it is more difficult for us than it is for, say, a technology startup or a software company.
When Konstantinos Georgios Papakostantinou arrived at Ellis Island in 1955 at the age of 21, he shortened his name to Gus Pappas, moved to Virginia and immediately jumped on the assembly line at the Roanoke Weiner Stand.

Over the years, he took on more responsibility and eventually owned the family business for more than two decades. Built on hard work and the support of family and the community, Roanokes oldest eating establishment turned 100 years old this year. Pappas, who was behind the grill for many of those years, died Friday. He was 82.

He was very tight with his family and his Greek culture, said Steven Morris, the general manager of the Weiner Stand on Brandon Avenue. It was a family business, and he was very proud of it.

Pappas was born in Greece, where he worked with his brother at his parents cafe and apprenticed as an electrician. He was also a professional soccer player there until a knee injury ended his career.

The Roanoke Weiner Stand was already becoming a popular dining spot by the time Pappas arrived. His uncle, Harry Chacknes, bought the restaurant in 1926 from a cousin whod opened it in 1916. When Pappas joined the assembly line, an order of one with  a standard hot dog with mustard, chili and onions  cost 15 cents (it now goes for $1.45). Morris heard tales of how Pappas could prepare 25 of those in one minute.

He was dedicated, Morris said.

Pappas and the Weiner Stand became fixtures in downtown Roanoke. People gathered there daily for a whiff of spiced onions and chili  a recipe for the familys eyes only. A couple wed there in 1999. Governors and mayors had portraits taken beside Pappas  the Duke of Dogs  always behind the grill.

Fellow Greek Johnny Liakos worked alongside Pappas, whom he called Boss Man. Liakos, who would serve as the right-hand man to Roanokes Hot Dog King, would eventually manage the downtown spot, which would relocate from its original corner location on Campbell Avenue to a spot in Market Square in 2012. They woke up before the sun rose and started chopping onions, and finished up work after the sun went down. They took off only Sundays, when they went to the Olive Garden and ordered spaghetti and meatballs.

He was a great man, said Liakos, 80. He was my best friend.

Pappas took over the family business in the 1970s. He opened a second Roanoke Weiner Stand in 1984 on Brandon Avenue. Even after retiring in the 1990s  passing the business along to his nephew, Gus Chacknes  thats where Pappas spent his time. Morris would pick him up at home, take him to the business, and set him up at a table with hot dogs and a newspaper.

Matt Bullington, fourth-generation owner of the Texas Tavern, a few blocks from the downtown Weiner Stand, didnt know Pappas personally, but he called the business an icon of the Roanoke Valley.

The thing I appreciate about the family and the Weiner Stand  and its what makes the Tavern successful  is that they understand keeping things the same is really important, Bullington said. Its tradition, and you cant overstate how important that is.

Liakos retired a month ago, but on Monday, he was still perched on a stool at the window at the downtown hot dog shop, wearing his Weiner Stand work shirt. A portrait of Pappas was displayed in the window, and customers funneled in and out, expressing their sympathy to Liakos and sharing their fond memories of the business.

I miss my Boss Man, Liakos said, flipping through photos of Pappas from the 1970s.
Amin Jamaal Harris, a 34-year-old Richmond-area drug and firearms trafficker and longtime troublemaker, will be a senior citizen the next time he hits the streets.

U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson sentenced Harris, who faced up to life behind bars, to 30 years in prison Tuesday, telling him he was a player in a large-scale, armed drug-trafficking organization. Mr. Harris, I dont need to tell you that drug trafficking and firearms are a lethal combination.

The judge rejected a bid by Harris lawyer for a lower sentence, noting that he had not seen any contrition or acceptance of responsibility by the defendant.

Harris, a tall, bearded, stocky man, took the sentence stoically. He was convicted in a federal jury trial in June of eight drug-related counts involving marijuana and cocaine as well as firearm offenses.

With 37 convictions now as a juvenile and adult, Harris diverse list of improprieties also includes threatening to punch his lawyer in the face and threatening a witness by exposing him as a law enforcement cooperator.

Although the witness eventually testified, he promptly took his family and moved from the area. Harris was acquitted of witness tampering at trial, but the allegation factored in computing the federal sentencing guidelines in his case.

Shane Watson, a Richmond police detective and an FBI task force member, testified Tuesday that multiple informants reported that Harris was trafficking firearms from Virginia to Philadelphia in the underground firearms market.

Watson also said he recently heard from the threatened witness. He called me last week. He had gotten word they were actively looking for him, Watson said. The detective later conceded, however, that he did not know who they were or whether Harris directed them.

Harris was convicted of possession of a firearm as a convicted felon in 2004 and sentenced to 63 months in prison by U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer. Authorities said Harris was released from a halfway house in June 2010 and was back in the drug business a year later.

The defendant was involved in a conspiracy to distribute thousands of pounds of marijuana, and aided and abetted in the transport of between 500 and 600 pounds of marijuana, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum to Hudson.

The government added: He was involved in a conspiracy that was responsible for the distribution of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, and the defendant personally possessed with the intent to distribute and did distribute more than 1.5 kilograms of cocaine.

The defendants decision to engage in significant drug trafficking activity; his possession of firearms while engaged in drug trafficking; and his decision to traffic in firearms to people he knew were prohibited from possessing them calls for a sentence that will protect the public, the U.S. attorneys office wrote in arguing for a 30-year sentence.

On Tuesday, Angela Mastandrea-Miller, an assistant U.S. attorney, told Hudson that in a telephone call from jail in December, Harris threatened the witness, saying, Im going to out you to the community. Everybodys going to know.

He has absolutely no respect for the law, she told the judge.

In papers filed last week, Harris lawyer, Theodore D. Bruns  the man Harris threatened to punch  sought a prison term of roughly 12 to 16 years, arguing that the guideline range was improperly figured. Among other things, Bruns argued that Harris never suggested he would reveal the witness as a cooperator if he testified.

Bruns told Hudson on Tuesday that he had been practicing law for 21 years. This is probably one of the most frustrating cases that Ive ever been involved in. It was frustrating, said Bruns, because Harris would not let him help more than he did.

Harris believed the system and his lawyers  Bruns was his third  were stacked against him and that his lawyers allegiance was not to him, Bruns told Hudson. Bruns recounted Tuesday the meeting with Harris in which he was threatened. He said he and Harris had disagreed over whether Bruns had a conflict in handling the case.

Harris said, Well see if theres a conflict if I punch you in the face at the trial, Bruns recalled.

Bruns argued it was not an attempt to delay the trial as the government contended. Hudson, however, disagreed, and said Harris clearly intended to delay things.

Bruns said that when Harris was 7 years old, his father was killed when visiting relatives in Philadelphia, and Harris was led to believe it was at the hands of police.

Harris mother was forced to take a second job to support him and his siblings. When he was 15, Harris was shot and wounded and a close friend was slain while attending a birthday party. It was after that he started using drugs and getting in trouble. His mother died of cancer in 2002 when Harris was 20.

Bruns wrote last week that, While Harris is an intelligent individual, it is (my) observation that his lack of trust in others leads him to seek information which he believes is pertinent or helpful in his legal proceedings but which, in fact, causes him to reach conclusions of law that are often incorrect or incomplete.

He views this case, and his efforts at self help, as a matter of survival and, unfortunately, his inability to trust that others truly desire to help him often made him intractable. As such, Harris now faces punishment that is likely to be dramatically more severe than necessary, Bruns wrote.

Bruns said the scope of Harris drug-dealing was exaggerated. When he was arrested, he was for all intents and purposes, homeless. His drug dealing was not lucrative and was more opportunistic than habitual.

I think that 30 years, in the grand scheme of things ... is too dear a price, Bruns said.

Given a chance to speak before he was sentenced, Harris said, First of all, Id like to apologize for making your honor have to pass judgment on me.

Hudson interrupted and scolded him for his conduct toward Bruns. Hes one of the best criminal defense lawyers in Richmond and you have fought him every step of the way, the judge said.

I understand how difficult I can be, Harris said.
Poll: Morrissey gets 28% to lead Richmond mayoral race

By NED OLIVER

Richmond Times-Dispatch

Former state Del. Joseph D. Morrissey is leading the eight-person field of Richmond mayoral candidates with 28 percent of the citywide vote, a poll released Tuesday by Christopher Newport Universitys Wason Center for Public Policy found.

Morrisseys nearest competitor in the race is former Venture Richmond director Jack Berry, who found support among 16 percent of voters polled.

Nearly one-quarter of voters polled said they had not yet decided for whom they will vote.

With a little over two months to go, Joe Morrissey is in a very strong position, said Quentin Kidd, who oversaw the poll and directs the Wason Center.

If he is unable to win the election outright, he will almost certainly be one of the two candidates in a runoff. The real contest at this point might be over whether any of the other candidates can bump Jack Berry out of second place.

To win the mayoral election, a candidate must get the most votes in at least five of the citys nine voter districts. If no candidate wins in five districts, a runoff election will be held Dec. 20 between the top two vote-getters.

Morrissey saw most of his support coming from voters in the citys 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th districts, while Berry saw the most support in the 1st, 2nd and 4th districts.

The poll surveyed 600 likely voters across the city Aug. 18-24 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points. It was conducted through live interviews on 415 landline phones and 185 cellphones.

The polls margin of error more than doubles at the district level, but even given that, the poll still shows Morrissey with a statistically significant lead in the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th districts.

Citywide, trailing Morrissey and Berry are City Council President Michelle Mosby, with 10 percent of the vote; City Councilman Jon Baliles, with 9 percent of the vote; former Secretary of the Commonwealth Levar Stoney, with 7 percent of the vote; and former City Councilman Bruce Tyler, with 4 percent of the vote.

Bobby Junes, a retired real estate consultant, and Lawrence Williams, an architect, each received less than 1 percent of the vote.

The polls results are likely to surprise some city residents, said longtime political commentator Bob Holsworth, who suggested that a never Trump type of movement against Morrissey might emerge as a result.

The election is becoming, at least in part, a referendum on Joe Morrissey, Holsworth said. The poll indicates that the strength of his support is stronger and deeper than many of his detractors had believed.

Last year, Morrissey served a jail sentence for contributing to the delinquency of a minor while serving in the House of Delegates. He is deeply polarizing, the poll found: Of respondents, 40 percent said they had a favorable opinion of him, and 44 percent said they had an unfavorable opinion.

Mosby is the only other candidate whose unfavorability ratings approached Morrisseys. Of respondents, 25 percent had a favorable view of her, and 28 percent had an unfavorable view.

Mosby picked up the bulk of her support in the citys 9th District, which she represents. Morrissey, however, also performed well in the district and the two candidates are well within the margin of error of one another.

Holsworth said that highlights her potential as a spoiler against Morrissey winning five districts on election day.

For the anti-Morrissey movement to succeed, it may well need Michelle Mosby to carry her home district and for the anti-Morrissey forces in the 3rd District to coalesce behind a single candidate. The latter is quite a challenge, because each candidate hoping to be in a runoff will also need every possible vote.

Two questions moving toward Election Day are whether Berry can add to his support and whether Stoney, with the aid of Democratic Party endorsements and his massive fundraising haul, can emerge from the middle of the field.

The finding thats a bit of a surprise is that Berry has clearly extended his base from just beyond the business people who support him, Holsworth said.

Stoney, meanwhile, has raised $416,699 for his campaign  almost double the $210,804 raised by Berry. But the poll found 63 percent of voters either had no opinion of Stoney or didnt know enough to form an opinion  a figure thats in line with many of his less-well-funded, less-connected opponents.

Both Holsworth and Kidd said Stoneys strategy appears to be to wait until closer to the election before beginning his voter-outreach in earnest.

Kidd called Stoneys strategy risky and said that if he were a campaign adviser, hed suggest intensifying voter outreach efforts immediately. He noted that with only 24 percent of voters still undecided, there is a limited piece of the pie left from which to pull new supporters.

Holsworth said the results show having the support of a governor  Stoneys former boss, Gov. Terry McAuliffe  and fund-raising isnt enough to propel a candidate immediately into the top tier.

If there was a thought he could wait until October and run a five-week campaign and win, I think this poll shows he faces some name-recognition problems and is going to need to use his resources sooner rather than later to get his candidacy into play, Holsworth said.

(804) 649-6580
A Richmond man has been arrested in connection with a shooting in the citys East End in June.

Dashawn T. Davis, 22, of the 2200 block of North 25th Street, was arrested Aug. 26, Richmond police said Tuesday. Davis is charged with malicious wounding and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

Officers were called shortly after 9:30 p.m. June 9 to the 2000 block of Creighton Road for a report of shots fired. There officers found a man with a gunshot wound.

The man was taken to a local hospital with injuries that weren't considered life-threatening.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Major Crimes Detective David Cuffley at (804) 646-6795 or contact Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000 or at www.7801000.com.

Submit tips about persons in possession of illegally-held guns by texting Crime Stoppers at 274637, then using keyword GUN250 followed by your tip. Rewards up to $250 possible.
Police have identified a man who was shot to death Sunday in South Richmond.

Antonio M. Grier, 37, was found unresponsive and suffering from a gunshot wound shortly before 9:30 p.m. in the 4800 block of Orcutt Lane.

Grier, of the 2500 block of Mandy Lane, was pronounced dead at the scene. The medical examiner will determine the cause and manner of death.

Several witnesses reported seeing suspects flee the shooting scene in a grey vehicle, police said.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Major Crimes Detective Victoria Griffith-Matko at (804) 646-3912 or Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000. Citizens can also text Crime Stoppers at 274637, using the keyword ITip followed by the tip.

Submit tips to GUN250 about persons in possession of illegally-held guns by texting Crime Stoppers at 274637, then using keyword GUN250 followed by your tip. Rewards up to $250 possible.
A Petersburg man has been arrested and charged with murder in Monday's early morning shooting death of a Petersburg teen.

Rah'shawn A. Newbey was apprehended in the killing of William C. Elmore Jr., 19, who was fatally shot about 1:40 a.m. Monday, said Petersburg police Capt. Brian Braswell.

Police were called to the area of High Pearl and St. Mark streets for report of a person being shot. When officers arrived, they found a young man later identified as Elmore with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to Southside Regional Medical Center, where he died several hours later.
A North Carolina driver is in jail after a 9-year-old girl was hit while crossing N.C. 12 in Kitty Hawk over the weekend, according to the Outer Banks Voice.

The accident happened about 3:30 p.m. at the intersection of Fonck Street and North Virginia Dare Trail, Kitty Hawk Police Chief Joel Johnson told the website.

The girl, who was vacationing with family, was in a crosswalk when the accident happened, Johnson said.

She was taken to a local hospital, where she was treated for minor injuries, he said.

David P. Garvey, 47, of Southern Shores, N.C., has been charged with felony hit-and-run, felony assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and misdemeanor counts of driving while impaired, consuming an alcoholic beverage while driving and having no operators license in connection with the accident.
A Richmond man is accused of felony animal cruelty resulting in the death of a dog.

Wilfred Jeremy Lee, 22, of the 1300 block of West Broad Street, is charged with abusing a dog, resulting in its death. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Lee was arrested Monday and arraigned Tuesday in Richmond General District Court. He was released on bond into the custody of his parents, who are taking him back to their home in North Carolina, according to Richmond prosecutor Sau Chan.

Lees attorney, Robert Lichtenstein, said he will zealously defend his client and is asking the public to keep an open mind until all the evidence is presented.

People are very protective of animals, he said. We just ask people to keep an open mind.

Richmond police referred questions about the case to Richmond Animal Care & Control officials, who declined to comment.

Jillian Webster, 26, of Richmond, said in an online interview Tuesday that she left her dog, Monkei, a pit bull mix, in the care of Lee earlier this month before she left for China, where she plans to teach English for the next year.

After being abroad for only a few days, Webster said she received messages from Lee that concerned her. Two of her friends ultimately reported the dogs death to authorities.

Webster posted on Lindseys List, a private Facebook group typically used to search for jobs and apartment listings, asking for someone to foster Monkei. Lee responded and he met with Webster and Monkei a few times before she left the dog in his care, she said.

Webster said she adopted Monkei from Richmond Animal Care & Control in December 2010, when Monkei was around 5 or 6 months old. Webster said Monkei was high energy but loved everything, wagging her whole body when she met new people.

She got along great with other animals, but she was definitely a people dog, Webster said.

One of Websters previous roommates and close friends became an integral part in raising the dog. Webster and her friend, who now lives in Chicago, made plans for him to take over Monkeis care in September. Webster left the United States on Aug. 25 and left Monkei with Lee for about a week before she departed, she said.

I remember thinking, Its only for a month, Webster said.

I feel incredibly sad but I can hold it together for longer amounts of time, she said.
Around 6:30 p.m. police officers were out on another call when they heard random gunfire and saw people running near Jefferson Park. A short time later, police found a male victim suffering from an apparent gunshot wound near the 1900 block of Princess Anne Avenue, according to police.
Richmond police are looking for a man who they say may have been involved in a homicide last week. Bernardo L. Jones, 20, of the 3900 block of Chamberlayne Avenue, is wanted for questioning in the case.

Just after midnight Aug. 21, officers were called to the 3900 block of Chamberlayne Avenue for a report of a person down. Officers found Desmond L. Holmes, 32, of the 7900 block of Tamarind Place in Henrico County, unresponsive in the parking lot of an apartment building.

Holmes had suffered an apparent gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene. The medical examiner is determining the cause and manner of death.

Anyone with information is asked to call Major Crimes Detective Amira Sleem at (804) 646-3871 or Crime Stoppers at 780-1000.
Charlottesville police are asking for witnesses in the sexual assault of a female University of Virginia student to come forward.

Authorities are still piecing together the assault, which was reported to have happened on Emmet Street near Thomson Road late Aug. 19 or early Aug. 20. The victim was approached from behind by a suspect with a knife, who then pulled the victim from the sidewalk and assaulted her. The suspect is described as a white male between 20 and 30 years old, of average height and with light-colored hair.

Police now say that after the assault, the victim was helped by a couple of people on the road who then took her home. Authorities are hoping to identify these witnesses and speak with them.
An employee of Sweet Briar College has received a non-specific threatening email, according to school officials.

The email did not name an individual or the college, according to college spokeswoman Jennifer McManamay.

The Amherst County Sheriffs Office responded and is investigating the email, McManamay said, adding the sheriffs office will conduct periodic drive-through patrols.

On Monday, threatening emails were reported at Virginia Tech. The Washington Post reported campus police were investigating the incident and had issued a campus-wide email to alert the community and ask it to share any information it had.
Time did what the ravages of World War II and a rising Mississippi River could not. Dr. Robert J. Horgan, whose civic and academic career spanned two states, died Wednesday at age 92.

Dr. Horgan, a native of Elgin, Ill., began his adult life in the Army as a member of the 66th Infantry Division during World War II. One of his cousins was killed in action as Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, said one of Dr. Horgans sons, Jeffrey Horgan.

One of the things he recalled was that he was scheduled to go in on D-Day, Horgan said.

Dr. Horgan did not talk much about his time in Europe, nor did he often speak of his other accomplishments, Horgan said.

He was a very humble man, Horgan said. He did not let you know all the things he had done. He was very quiet about it.

When he did talk about World War II, Horgan said, he recalled his memories of meeting townspeople in France. After the war, he returned to visit one of the families he befriended during his time there.

He was very fond of the French people, his son said.

Once his military career ended, he attended the University of North Dakota, where he met his wife, Patricia, and received his bachelors and masters degrees. He then went on to attain his doctoral degree from the University of Notre Dame before the family moved to Dubuque, Iowa, in 1955, Horgan said.

While teaching at what is now Clark University, Dr. Horgan was inspired to run for one of the five at-large seats on the Dubuque City Council. He served from 1961 to 1965.

He was a distinguished individual, said Walter A. Pregler, who served on the Dubuque City Council from 1966 to 1973. He was very mild-mannered.

Each year, the City Council selected one of its own as mayor for a one-year term, said Pregler, who also was mayor in 1966 and 1969.

(Dr. Horgan) was so much respected by the (council), he was selected twice as mayor, Pregler said.

It was in Dr. Horgans second consecutive year as mayor that disaster struck the Mississippi River city at the border of Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois. The river rose and began to inundate the city in one of the biggest floods in its history. A sandbagging effort of city employees and residents kept key roads open and helped stanch the flow to parts of town, Pregler and Horgan said.

He was working constantly to make sure people were working on the dike, Horgan said.

After the flooding subsided, Dr. Horgan went as far as Washington, D.C., to fight for a floodwall to protect the city. Eventually, the plan received federal funds and construction began in 1968.

It was a legacy piece of work in Dubuque, Horgan said.

He kept the city of Dubuque and its employees and residents safe, Pregler said. It was a good testament to his leadership.

Dr. Horgans quiet leadership continued to Virginia in 1967, when he headed to the University of Richmond and eventually made his home in Midlothian. He served in URs department of political science until 1991.

He also offered his services and experience to local government organizations, civic groups and churches, Horgan said.

When he sees a need, he goes after it, Horgan said.

Dr. Horgan was steadfast in his belief in the necessity of communities doing the heavy lifting for their own betterment.

He believed that local government was the key to success in a locality, Horgan said.

Dr. Horgan also saw a need in education in the region. Along with three other families, the Horgans in 1974 founded The New Community School for students with dyslexia.

In public schooling at the time, students with dyslexia were not placed on a track that seemed destined for college, Horgan said.

With the other founding families, Dr. Horgan and his wife, Patricia, were true pioneers in the field of dyslexia education in Richmond, said Nancy Foy, head of the school. His vision and commitment to serving students with dyslexia and related learning differences in the Richmond metropolitan area was integral in the founding of our school.

Dr. Horgan was a founding trustee at the school and served on the board for 16 years, including four years as secretary, Foy said. After retiring from the board in 1990, he continued to serve on the schools Advisory Board.

(The New Community School) probably would be the thing he was most proud of, said Horgan, who graduated from the school and went on to UR.

Today, our student body of 154 fifth- to 12th-graders still benefit from his conviction and service, Foy said.

Dr. Horgan was preceded in death by one son, Gregory. Along with his wife of 66 years, Patricia Horgan, and son Jeffrey Horgan, Dr. Horgan is survived by his son Mark; three sisters; and four grandchildren.
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Wlodek Filipczyk spends about 100 days out of the year traveling for business, and the walls of his cubicle show it: Theyre lined with Do Not Disturb signs hes collected from hotels around the world.

But not just any sign will do. In the 25 years hes been traveling, he has stayed in more than 1,000 hotels, but only brought back about 160 signs.

Only the signs which have some kind of a special [element], either graphics, like there is a, you know, picture of something or drawing, or they have like funny maybe notation, Filipczyk said. Not just clean my room or do not disturb. 

One sign says, Just five more minutes. Repeat until necessary. Another reads, Cant come to door right now, Im in Heaven.

Filipczyk, 68, is a chief specialist for TMEIC, which means he sells steel to customers around the world.

His collection began about 15 years ago on one of his first business trips to China.

My first day in the hotel, I noticed that they have such fancy Do Not Disturb signs, and I said, I just take it as a souvenir. 

Then he started watching out for other interesting signs, such as one from Turkey that just features a woman drinking a glass of wine.

His collection includes signs in many different languages. One from China reads Occupied in Chinese. One from France is an advertisement in addition to being a Do Not Disturb sign. In French, it reads Please do not disturb, Im watching Channel Plus, a television station there.

Filipczyk said he likes the differences in wording.

Even the language, you know, is like say, some say do not disturb, some is privacy,  he explained. Different countries use different phrasing.

But the signs he collects arent exclusively Do Not Disturb. One says, in Polish, My friend is here with me, which warns housekeeping that the occupant has a pet. Another warns returning occupants that maintenance workers are inside the room.

And this one, actually, this one is very special, he said of a sign that came from a beach condo and features a sea turtle. Newly hatched sea turtles, on their way to the ocean, can get distracted by lights on shore, then head the wrong way and die.

The sign asks occupants to be conscious of how light affects turtles and to do things like close the curtains at night if the lights are on.

Its a different Do Not Disturb, its a Do Not Disturb for the turtle, so I found this is really very special, special sign, he said.

Some of the signs are much fancier than a traditional cardboard sign. One, from Santa Fe, New Mexico, is made of leather. Another, from Taiwan, is carved wood.

Probably this is my favorite, because its a beautiful [one], Filipczyk said. And because they charge me $250 for the room I say, I can have this. 

Others are silly, like Filipczyks other favorite, which reads Too fabulous to be disturbed.

Filipczyk said he hung them in his office partly because his wife at the time wouldnt want them at home, but also because they remind him of his travels when hes itching to go somewhere.

When I sit here in the office, and sit for long, long time then I feel this itch, right, that I should probably be going, he said. I look at this and kind of smile. Reminds me of a lot of different places I have been.
RICHMOND  If Gary Johnson makes it into the presidential debates, the Libertarian Party nominee said hell push back strongly against what he sees as a direct assault on undocumented Hispanic immigrants by Republican nominee Donald Trump.

In an hourlong interview Monday with the Richmond Times-Dispatch editorial board, the former Republican governor of New Mexico said the perception that Mexican immigration poses a serious threat to the U.S. is made up and a political boogeyman.

Noting that 47 percent of New Mexicos residents are Hispanic or Latino, the highest percentage of any state, Johnson said Trump has made horrible comments about immigrants entering the country illegally.

This stuff hes saying is incendiary. And if I would have been on stage in that Republican primary, Id have been yelling at him, Johnson said.

What is your 11-million-undocumented-worker crackdown going to look like? Because its got to be a door-to-door thing.

Johnson said he supports making it easier for immigrants to get work visas without jumping the line toward full citizenship. He sees no need for Trumps proposed wall on the border with Mexico, he said, because economic forces have caused illegal crossings to fall to a 12-year low.

Trumps plan to force all undocumented immigrants to return home, Johnson said, would be an economic catastrophe, because those immigrants own homes and fill jobs American citizens dont want.

This is just a direct assault. And when he calls a Hispanic judge a Mexican, that is akin to the N-word if you are a U.S.-born Hispanic citizen, Johnson said, referring to Trump questioning the fairness of a federal judge hearing a lawsuit by former students of the for-profit Trump University.

Johnson and his running mate, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, are seeking a third-party breakthrough in a year of unusual disillusionment with both major-party candidates.

If voters elect Trump or Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, Johnson said, political polarization will be worse than ever.

The Libertarian ticket, he said, should appeal to a disaffected middle thats fiscally conservative, socially inclusive and skeptical of U.S. foreign policy and regime changing that doesnt seem to work.

He said he expects the Libertarian ticket to draw fifty-fifty from Republicans and Democrats.

Trump now has so locked in to the far right, that he has, in my opinion, alienated more than half of Republicans, Johnson said.

I think the same exists on Hillarys side. That there isnt anything that government doesnt have the answer to. She will be more hawkish than anybody else regarding foreign policy. Taxes will go up.

Before Johnson can make his case on the national stage, he has to prove he belongs there. Rules set by the independent Commission on Presidential Debates requires that candidates average 15 percent support in selected national polls.

Johnson averages around 9 percent in recent polls. The first presidential debate is scheduled for Sept. 26.

To win, we do have to be in the presidential debates, Johnson said. And anything is possible if that happens.

Johnson polled at 11 percent in Virginia in a recent Quinnipiac University swing-state poll, compared with 45 percent for Clinton, 34 percent for Trump and 3 percent for Green Party candidate Jill Stein.

In the editorial board meeting, Johnson was asked about his views on the strained relationship between law enforcement and African-American communities.

All lives matter, Johnson said. That said, black lives do matter.

Johnson said he believes the disparate treatment of black suspects is rooted in the war on drugs, and he said the nation has had our heads in the sand over this issue.

Johnson said he favors descheduling marijuana as a narcotic at the federal level, which would allow states to set their own policies, resolve banking issues surrounding legalized marijuana and open up the research and development that needs to go along with cannabis.

Statistically, these products dont kill anyone and arguably directly compete with legal prescription drugs that statistically kill 30,000 people a year, Johnson said.
RICHMOND  Virginias tax-credit program for rehabilitating historic properties has helped revitalize neighborhoods across the state, representatives of development companies, the construction industry, churches and nonprofits told a General Assembly subcommittee.

Yet members of the joint House and Senate Subcommittee to Evaluate Tax Preferences, which is studying possible reforms of tax credits offered by the state, said they want to see more hard data on the states return on investment from the historic credits program, which has provided more than $1 billion in tax credits since its inception in 1997.

Federal and state tax credits are used to offset the cost of renovations on historic buildings, making such projects financially feasible.

Defenders of the program said it has contributed greatly to reinvestment in downtown neighborhoods across Virginia, including in Roanoke, that previously had struggled with decay for decades.

Roanokes thriving downtown wouldnt be the cultural and now residential hub that it is without tax credits, city leaders say.

Virtually everything in downtown that has been renovated in the last 15 or 16 years or so has been as a result of the historic tax credit program, said Chris Chittum, Roanokes planning director. We wouldnt have seen the growth of our downtown without it, undoubtedly.

From public projects like the Roanoke Higher Education Center and the City Market Building, to nonprofit projects like the recent Center in the Square renovation, to private efforts to create nearly a thousand apartments and condominiums downtown, they really wouldnt have been financially feasible without the tax credits, Chittum said.

Developer and Roanoke Councilman John Garland has renovated numerous downtown buildings, all of them with tax credits.

I probably wouldnt have gotten started doing what Im doing ... if it wasnt for that program, he said.

Virginia allows developers to claim credits of 25 percent of eligible expenses on renovations of certified historic structures.

Combined with a federal historic tax credit of 20 percent, developers can claim total credits of 45 percent of eligible expenses. They can use the credits against their own tax liabilities or syndicate the credits for investors.

The Virginia historic tax credit has been, and is growing, as an essential component of rehabilitation strategies, said Kathleen Frazier, an architect and co-owner of Frazier Associates, which has worked on downtown redevelopment projects in Staunton. Much of the reinvestment simply would not have occurred in our historic cities and towns without them [credits].

The legislative subcommittee is considering whether the state should scale back the program, perhaps by placing caps on the total amount of historic tax credits made available, or reducing the amount available per project.

Its scrutiny of the program comes as the state faces a nearly $1.5 billion revenue shortfall in its two-year budget.

Its a sobering picture for us to contemplate as we look forward, Del. Lee Ware, R-Powhatan, the subcommittees chairman, said during the meeting Monday at the General Assembly Building in Richmond. This is part of what we have to balance as we go forward.

Other organizations that spoke in favor of maintaining the historic tax credits included Preservation Virginia, the Virginia chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the Associated General Contractors of Virginia and the Virginia First Cities Coalition.

In Roanoke, the tax credit program is starting to pay further dividends in the form of non-tax credit projects. The number of downtown residents increased from a few hundred to more than 1,600 from 2000 to 2010, according to census data.

Developer Lucas Thornton and his Hist:Re Partners LLC are nearly finished with The Gramercy Row, the first major new construction in downtown Roanoke other than the Taubman Museum of Art, in decades. The estimated $8 million project at Williamson Road and Tazewell Avenue will be home to more than 70 apartments plus retail spaces. Thornton, who has completed several tax credit-powered projects downtown, has said the momentum in the downtown rental market catalyzed by tax credits gave him the faith to construct a new building.

Research by Virginia Commonwealth Universitys Center for Urban and Regional Analysis concluded in a 2014 study that the program had generated almost $4 billion in economic activity in the state from 1997 to 2013 through 2,375 projects, which supported about 31,000 jobs.

A survey of developers who were involved in historic projects showed that about 85 percent would not have done it without the tax credits, the study found.

The Richmond area has had far more historic tax credit projects than other parts of the state  about 1,185 projects, generating about $2 billion in expenditures. Some rural localities have had only one or two such projects.

Roanoke had 121 projects from 1997 to 2013, generating $313.9 million in spending and incorporating $78.3 million in state tax credits, the study found. Forty percent of the Roanoke projects also received federal tax credits.

The VCU analysis measured only the impact of a project during construction, however, and didnt provide a return on investment for the state including employment and tax revenue from post-rehabilitation use of historic properties. It also did not look at what role other state and local incentives might play in a developers decision to rehab a property.

Members of the subcommittee, who include Del. Ben Cline, R-Rockbridge, and Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta, asked for more data on the impact of the program, to be presented at a later meeting.

It is really hard for us to make a good business decision here when we dont know what kind of return we are getting on our money, said Del. Jimmie Massie, R-Henrico, If we are getting a 10 to 15 percent return, that is one thing. If we are getting 5 percent, thats another.

Roanoke Times staff writer Matt Chittum contributed to this report.
Seong Seob Jeong, 56, of Rocky Mount, Va., passed away peacefully at his home with family by his side early on Saturday morning, August 27, 2016. He was born in Go-Heung, South Korea, on April 4, 1960, and was preceded in death by his parents, Kim Bong Sool and Jeong Bong Hyun.He was a resident of Franklin County, Va., for the past 15 years. Although his life on this Earth was taken away too short, he is survived by his loving wife of 25 years, Eun Sook Shin (53 years old). He leaves behind three children, a son, Se Woong Jeong (24); and two daughters, Soo Bin Jeong (20) and Skye Jeong (13). He is also survived by two older sisters; one brother; and other numerous relatives living in South Korea.His life was filled with hard, but joyous times with family. His character of kindheartedness and dedication to loving his family will always be remembered and missed by all. He pursued a law degree at Seoul National University but political turmoil in South Korea at the time barred him from receiving his full education and fulfilling his dream. Although he had a chance to finish his education, by then, he was happily married, his first child just born, and found a good, stable position in a large company.He and his family immigrated to the United States in 2001 with the help of his wife's aunts, Kay Saul and Miok Trecek. He was the proud owner of a sole proprietorship which he operated jointly with his wife, CK Cleaners on Starkey Road in Roanoke, Va. His family will continue to own and operate the dry cleaning and alterations business he started.His family will greet family, friends and visitors from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, September 1, 2016, at Oakey's South Chapel in Roanoke with a brief funeral service at 7 p.m. Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.oakeys.com.
By Tom Bergin

LONDON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The European Commission (EC) ordered Apple Inc. to pay Ireland unpaid taxes of up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) on Tuesday as it ruled the firm had received illegal state aid.

What is the EC alleging?

The European Union's (EU) executive arm has ruled that Ireland made a deal with Apple that had no basis in tax law. The Commission said this involved cutting Apple's tax bill to almost zero, in return for Apple building factories in Ireland.

The EC says that is unfair and that Apple must pay Ireland the tax it would have paid if normal tax rules were applied.

Why does the EU care if Ireland does not tax Apple?

The EU believes sweetheart tax deals help divert investment and jobs away from countries where it would normally go. Also, the tens of billions of dollars in profits which Apple enjoys tax free in Ireland each year are generated almost exclusively outside Ireland. Hence, Ireland's deal deprives other EU countries of tax revenue they might otherwise earn.

Is Ireland about to land a windfall?

Not anytime soon. Ireland's finance minister said he plans to appeal the ruling in Europe's highest court. That will likely take two years or more and Apple may make legal challenges and is also likely to be able to fight any demands from Ireland's Revenue Commissioners in Irish courts, tax lawyers say.

Might Apple settle?

It can certainly afford to, with more than $200 billion in cash or readily marketable securities. But since $13 billion is not a major sum for Apple, investors won't be too worried about the uncertainty it faces and consequently it won't be under pressure from shareholders to settle. The company has been aggressive in defended its tax practices, with CEO Tim Cook testifying to Congress on the issue.

What does the U.S. government think?

The U.S. Treasury and lawmakers have criticised the EU approach of using competition law to challenge tax rulings. They say the approach is targeting U.S companies, deviates from accepted international practice and threatens U.S. investment in Europe.

Story continues

A U.S. Treasury Department White Paper last week said "it continues to consider potential responses should the Commission continue its present course". U.S law allows the President to double taxes on citizens and companies from countries which apply "discriminatory or extraterritorial taxes" on U.S. firms.

If the EC prevails, does this means that multinationals won't be able to avoid tax in the EU?

No. The Commission's case against Ireland was helped by its ability to secure access to documents in which Irish officials were unusually frank about the agreement they made with Apple.

EU states wanting to secure investment by helping companies avoid tax will in future be more careful about leaving a paper trail which could suggest a tax ruling is a sweetheart deal.

The EU's principal legal adviser on tax, Richard Lyal, wrote in a legal journal last year that "It is likely to be only in extreme cases that one can with confidence say that a particular decision reflects a misapplication of the chosen method".

Without evidence of an "extreme" deviance from accepted norms, the Commission would likely be reluctant to initiate a tax case.

($1 = 0.8969 euros)

(Editing by Alexander Smith)
Ms. Malee Choklumlerd, Director-General of the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), Ministry of Commerce, Thailand has announced that the Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair will be held from September 7-11, 2016 at the Challenger Hall, IMPACT Muang Thong Thani.

The DITP believes that the 58th Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair will significantly attract new buyers and new importers, said Choklumlerd. Many exhibitors and business operators have signed up for over 400 booths following the application submission between April 1-20, 2016. A greater number of high potential traders, importers, leading brand buyers and leading designers from around the world are expected to participate in the event to total approximately 30,000 participants.

The DITP is expecting participants from Hong Kong, India, China, Singapore, Malaysia, the US, Japan, Taiwan, and Russia amongst others, apart from those from Thailand itself.

The DITP has emphasised that it has concentrated on developing an international appeal, modernity, and a sophisticated design for the fair, to keep up with the times and world trends.

The DITP is confident that the event will create more trading and greater business networking as well as drive the countrys gems and jewellery industry to encourage further economic growth and export progress, Choklumlerd concluded.



Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished




There is a need for Botswana and India to expedite the formation of India-Africa Diamond Institute (IADI), an official from the populous Asian country has said.

Indian minister of tribal affairs Shri Jual Oram was quoted by the Patriot as saying that the early establishment of IADI would be mutually beneficial to Botswana and India.

Meanwhile, the Indian Diamond Institute (IDI) was planning to support Gaborone in setting up a state-of-the-art diamond institute in the country.

The institute would train offer training in diamond cutting, polishing and grading along with jewellery manufacturing.

The Patriot reports that a team from India was expected in Botswana for three months to provide training to the professionals.

Botswana, which is the second largest diamond producer in the world after Russia, had been pushing for the beneficiation of its rough diamonds to boost revenue.

Diamonds account for about a third of the countrys gross domestic product (GDP), 80 percent of exports and 40 percent of the entire governments revenues.

However, the depressed diamond market had been taking a heavy knock on Botswanas economy due to its heavy dependence on the stones.

The countrys Finance Minister Kenneth Matambo indicated earlier this year that the budget deficit had widened to 3.8 percent of gross domestic product in the fiscal year beginning April 1 due to weak diamond exports.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau from Gaborone, Botswana, Rough&Polished




Female_White_Shark_Montauk 76eb7092b77fb79bafe4cb789303eeff

There are few places in the world where it's possible to find a baby great white shark.

We've known that nurseries for these mysterious and far-swimming creatures can be found off the coasts of South Africa, eastern Australia, and Southern California. Now, it looks like we can add a new location to the mix.

A team of researchers just tagged nine baby white sharks right off the coast of Long Island, which likely confirms that there's another nursery just outside of New York City.

The remarkable finding was the result of an expedition that included scientists from shark research group Ocearch, the Wildlife Conservation Society, NOAA Fisheries, and several other institutions.

They had reason to think there might be a nursery in the region.

"Researchers and fishermen have been sporadically reporting the presence of small white sharks from the waters off Long Island for many decades," Tobey Curtis, a shark scientist with NOAA Fisheries, tells Business Insider via email. "Its the only place on the coast with such a high concentration of baby white shark observations. But this was the first real focused research effort to tag them."

"This Long Island site is very special, and its amazing to me that these sharks appear to be thriving in the shadows of one of the biggest cities in the world," he says.

Ocearch white sharks

If the sharks spend a lot of time in the area, which seems likely as it's the only North Atlantic spot where so many newborn white sharks have been found, then this is likely the nursery habitat for the sharks. Curtis says it's likely the pups are born close by as well.

Curtis's research was one of the main factors that led the team to believe there might be a nursery in the Long Island area. As he told WNYC, he'd scoured records from the past 200 years and found that almost all the baby great whites seen in the North Atlantic in the past 200 years were spotted right off the Long Island coast, where there's a contentinental shelf, shallow water, and plenty of food.

Story continues

Ocearch's GPS tagging system helps researchers (or anyone interested!) follow the sharks after they've been tagged. As you can see on their site, many of the newly tagged pups are still right in the area, swimming up and down the coast. This is probably a good point to mention that these baby sharks are not a threat to humans  they're too small for that, and most people really have nothing to fear from sharks.

Male_White_Shark_Hudson_2 4f3bf3e08d46ab629bf11b6eace16372

In May, a rather-famous adult female white shark named Mary Lee that Ocearch had previously tagged returned to the New York area, which was another indicator that the region was a promising nursery site.

Now that the new juveniles have been tagged, the fascinating thing will be to watch what they do next. Curtis tells Business Insider that they expect that the pups will leave after temperatures drop this fall  the curious thing will be to see if they come back next summer.

"I think the most noteworthy findings are yet to come, as we follow the tracks of these white sharks over the next several years," he says. "These are the first baby white sharks to be tagged in the North Atlantic and we have no idea what to expect."

NOW WATCH: Scientists just found something disturbing about sea-level rise that could throw predictions way off





More From Business Insider


Japan will on Wednesday release preliminary July figures for industrial production, highlighting a busy day for Asia-Pacific economic activity.

Production is expected to add 0.7 percent on month and fall 3.0 percent on year after gaining 2.3 percent on month and falling 1.5 percent on year in June.

Japan also will see July figures for vehicle production, housing starts and construction orders, as well as August results for small confidence.

Vehicle production was down 1.0 percent on year in June, while housing starts are expected to gain 7.5 percent on year after falling 2.5 percent a month earlier. Construction orders dipped 2.4 percent in June, while the business confidence index had a score of 47.8 in July.

Australia will provide July numbers for private sector credit, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 0.4 percent on month and 6.1 percent on year. That follows the 0.2 percent monthly increase and the 6.2 percent yearly gain in June.

New Zealand will see August data for the business confidence and activity outlook indexes from ANZ; in July, their scores were 16.0 and 31.4, respectively.

Thailand will release July numbers for imports, exports and trade balance, plus Q2 figures for current account.

In June, imports were worth $14.22 billion and exports were at $18.01 billion for a trade surplus of $3.79 billion. The current account surplus was $16.42 billion in the first quarter.

South Korea will provide July numbers for industrial production and retail sales. In June, output fell 0.2 percent on month and gained 0.8 percent on year. Retail sales added 1.0 percent on month and 8.9 percent on year.

Finally, the in Malaysia are closed on Wednesday for the National day holiday, and will re-open on Thursday.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Economic News

What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
Shares of Bunzl PLC (BZLFY.PK,BNZL.L) were gaining around 2 percent in the early morning trading in London after the distribution and outsourcing Group reported Tuesday higher profit and revenues in its first half. The company also announced two acquisitions in Canada and its agreement to buy one in Hungary.

For the first half, profit before income tax increased 6 percent to 155.6 million pounds from last year's 147.1 million pounds. Earnings per share were 33.4 pence, higher than 31.8 pence a year ago.

Adjusted profit before income tax was 210.6 million pounds, compared to 187.0 million pounds last year. Adjusted earnings per share were 46.2 pence, compared to 41.4 pence last year.

Revenue for the period grew 10 percent to 3.45 billion pounds from 3.14 billion pounds last year. At constant exchange rates, revenues grew 6%.

Further, the company said its Board has decided to increase the interim dividend by 11% to 13.0 pence, as 23 year track record of dividend growth continues.

Frank van Zanten, Chief Executive of Bunzl, said: "Going forward, we will focus on further expansion of the Group, continuing our investments in IT and digital projects and intensifying the sharing of best practice across our businesses globally. ...The Board is confident that Bunzl's well positioned businesses will develop further and that the prospects for the Group are positive."

Separately, Bunzl announced that it has completed two further acquisitions in Canada and has entered into an agreement to acquire a in Hungary.



During July, Bunzl entered into an agreement to purchase Budapest -based Silwell Kft, which had revenue in 2015 of about 6 million pounds. The business supplies a variety of disposable foodservice items both to distributors and end users operating in the hotel, restaurant and catering sectors in Hungary. The acquisition is expected to be completed at the end of September.



In Canada, the company acquired cleaning & hygiene products suppliers Plus II Sanitation Supplies Inc with 2015 revenue of C$32 million, as well as Apex Sanitation Products Ltd with 2015 revenues of C$12 million. Both businesses were acquired in July.



In London, Bunzl shares were trading at 2,469 pence, up 2.02 percent.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
U.K. shares reversed early losses Tuesday after a survey from the Confederation of British Industry showed volumes were unchanged in the three months to August for business and professional services despite the pessimistic outlook following the U.K.'s vote to leave the European Union.

The business lobby group found that optimism slumped in the services sector but the impact on day-to-day business so far has been "relatively modest."

The benchmark FTSE 100 was up 10 points or 0.14 percent at 6,847 in midday trading as traders returned to their desks following a long weekend.

Shares of Bunzl rallied 2 percent after the business supplies distributor reported higher profit and revenues in its first half and announced three acquisitions.

Building material firm CRH, which reported better-than-expected half-year results last week, advanced 2 percent.

Royal Dutch Shell rose half a percent after it agreed to sell certain assets in the Gulf of Mexico to EnVen Energy Corporation for $425 million, plus royalty interests.

Oil services group Petrofac inched up marginally after posting an interim pretax profit, helped by strong revenue growth.

Falling metal prices weighed on miners, with Anglo American, BHP Billiton, Glencore and Rio Tinto tumbling 2-4 percent.

Shares of Braemar Shipping Services fell over 10 percent after the company said its full-year results will be materially lower than 2016.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (7211,MMTOF.PK) has suspended sales of eight car models in Japan after the country's Transport Ministry said the automaker overstated the fuel- figures for those models.

Japan's Transport Ministry has ordered Mitsubishi to stop domestic sales of the eight vehicle models and submit correct fuel-economy readings for the offending vehicles.

"Our investigation confirmed that the fuel economy on eight models were as much as 8.8% and on average 4.2% lower than advertised," the transport ministry stated.

Mitsubishi, Japan's sixth-largest automaker, said it will suspend sales of the eight models for two weeks. The models include the Outlander, Pajero and RVR SUV.

In April, Mitsubishi admitted manipulating fuel economy data for about 625,000 vehicles sold in Japan. The company admitted to falsifying fuel-economy data for four mini-car models, two of which are the "eK Wagon" and "eK Space" that were manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors.

The other two mini-car models were the "Dayz" and "Dayz Roox," which have been manufactured by Mitsubishi and supplied to Nissan Motors Corp. since June 2013.

The latest announcement brings the total number of Mitsubishi vehicle models withdrawn from the market for falsified fuel-economy data to twelve.

In April, Mitsubishi revealed a fraud in its fuel-consumption test. The scandal-hit company's President Tetsuro Aikawa resigned, taking the responsibility for the fraud.

The scandal prompted Mitsubishi to seek financial help from Nissan Motors, which agreed to acquire a controlling one-third stake in the company.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Two forces  technology and a shortage of homes for sale  are cutting into the high commissions that real-estate agents traditionally charge. For home sellers, at least, who pay the fees of both buyers agents and sellers agents, these changes can add up to some serious savings.

Average savings: $3,693

A survey by the Seattle-based real-estate company RedFin recently found that:

Sixty percent of people who sold a home in the past year said they got a discount on the commission they paid to their real estate agent. The average discount was 41 percent off the typical commission.

Among people who bought a home in the past year, 46 percent said their agent gave them a refund, rebate, closing cost contribution or other form of savings of more than $100, with the average savings amount in that group being $3,693.

Redfin gathered the results from a SurveyMonkey Audience of 2,000 recent homebuyers or sellers in eight U.S. markets. (Redfin clients were not among those polled.) Everyone who responded to the survey used a broker of some type. Redfin, founded in 2004, charges sellers 1.5 percent of the sale price to list a home and promises to rebate a portion of the buyers agent commission when a sale closes.

Sellers have clout

The shortage of homes for sale in many places gives home sellers unusual leverage. Some are using that to negotiate lower fees.

Not only do tight markets create more competition between agents, they also tend to increase sales prices and decrease the amount of time it takes to sell a home  two factors that are probably making it easier for an agent to accept a lower fee, reports Bloomberg.

Homes that sell for higher amounts generate larger commissions  and probably create some additional wiggle room for agents to cut fees. Likewise, a seller who plans to use the same agent to sell their old home and buy a new one probably has extra leverage in bargaining.

But you dont need to do two transactions or sell an expensive home to score lower fees, whether through negotiating with an agent or by using an alternative service that cuts the costs of selling and buying homes.

Story continues

Breaking with tradition

Also, technological change put in motion by the internet finally is lowering consumers costs. With sites like Redfin, Zillow, Trulia and others to put listings directly online, homebuyers now have easy access to the catalog of homes for sale. In the past, they could learn about homes for sale and market statistics only by working with an agent.

Consumers now can choose among full-service agents, discounted agencies or services that perform individual tasks such as listing, pricing, showing, advertising and marketing, drawing up contracts and appraisals  to name a few.

Steve Udelson, president of Owners.com, an online marketplace in Luxembourg, tells The Washington Post:

The direction of the market now is to bring in the missing piece of the transaction and save money by just paying for that part. The market is gravitating to a la carte services in the same way that investors have started to gravitate to buying and selling their own stocks online.

Watch the video of How to Save Thousands When Selling Your Home on MoneyTalksNews.com.

Fifteen percent of people who sold a home in the past year used a limited-service agent, according to Redfin. The Post gives an example of how these services work, describing the experience of Mandie Sellars, who sold a home in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, using a company called SoloPro, which says it works with 1,500 agents in 40 states. It charges no commissions. Instead:

She paid $25 for email alerts so she could find a property, $50 for the property showing, $100 for an agent to present her offer and $800 for a transaction coordinator. SoloPro will give her a rebate of 3 percent of the purchase price  the equivalent of a typical buyers agent commission  at her closing, which she estimates to be about $5,700.

The Redfin survey showed that just over half of respondents (52 percent) said they prefer a full-service agent paid by commission.

The logic for many people who bring on experienced commissioned buyers agents is that these professionals can save them thousands of dollars through negotiations with sellers  more than covering the cost of their commission  by providing a level of hand-holding that a lower-cost competitor could not afford.

Here are eight tips for successfully negotiating a discount with an agent:

1. Understand how fees work

Before you try negotiating with an agent over fees, it helps to understand the agents pay structure and incentives. Traditionally, a seller pays as much as 6 percent in fees. Half usually goes to the buyers agent and half to the sellers. For example, on a $300,000 home transaction, the seller would pay $18,000 in agent fees  $9,000 to the buyers agent and $9,000 to the sellers.

But that doesnt mean your agent gets the entire $9,000. Agents split commissions with their licensed broker. According to the Post:

Although commission splits between agents and brokers vary by company, a typical split allows the agent to keep 70 percent of the fee. Agents often are required to pay fees to their broker in exchange for services and office space.

Homeowners using his service can sell a home for as little as $400 to $500, Udelson told the Post. Even so, a seller whose buyer used a commissioned agent still must pay the buyers agents commission. All this is useful information if you are thinking of negotiating fees with a full-service agent. Remember that an agents share of the pot may be smaller than you realize and may include costs you cant see.

2. Just ask

Despite the perception that 6 percent is the standard fee, agents can and do negotiate. As real estate columnist Kenneth R. Harney writes in the Los Angeles Times:

 6% isnt the real number. The average commission rate nationwide on home sale transactions hasnt been 6% since 1992, when it was 6.04%, according to Real Trends, an industry publishing and consulting firm that obtains confidential transaction data from brokerages annually. In 2005, at the height of the housing bubble, it was 5.02% and in 2013 it was 5.38%.

You wont know if you dont try. Ask respectfully. One Realtor told another L.A. Times writer that, of course, agents will resist cutting their fees. And many will decline to do it. But Orange County agent Kellie Jones expressed amazement that some people are afraid to ask:

Jones, a pragmatist, said she would cut her commission if I think I am not going to get the listing unless I do so.

3. Shop around

Agents come in all shapes, sizes and colors. They have different situations and agreements that allow some to be more flexible on price than others. Dont stop at the first (or second or third) agent you speak with. Keep looking.

4. Be respectful

Defensiveness and accusations will not help you make your case. Be appreciative of the work an agent does to make a living and negotiate with a respectful attitude.

5. Be realistic

Its not reasonable to ask a full-service agent to drop her fee to the level of, say, a discount brokerage like Redfin. If you can negotiate a discount of one entire percentage point, youve done great. Also, sellers can shoot themselves in the foot by dropping the buying agents commission. That discount will be visible on your propertys listing to all agents and some  many, perhaps  may hesitate to show your home to buyers, even though ethically required to, if it seems a waste of their time.

6. Do your homework

Youll be in a better position to win something in this negotiation by learning all you can about the local real estate market. Come up with a compelling argument about why you should pay a smaller fee. For example: My research shows that homes in this ZIP code stay on the market just 45 days on average and they sell for above the initial asking price (see online listings for these and other statistics). That tells me its easier and faster to sell this home, requiring less of your time. Youll probably spend less time and effort marketing it and showing it, and you can move on to your next transaction faster. I think thats worth a lower fee.

7. Be creative

Put yourself in the agents position and propose a deal that appeals to his self-interest. For instance, you could suggest that the agent drop the fee if the home sells within a short period of time  a month or 45 days, for example.

8. Be prepared to give

Winning a negotiation rarely  if ever  means coming away with your entire ask. It means holding firm on some items and giving on others to reach a middle ground that satisfies both parties.

Whats your experience buying and selling properties? Has it changed much with the technology? Share with us in comments below or on our Facebook page.

This article was originally published on MoneyTalksNews.com as 'How to Save Thousands When Selling Your Home'.

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Millennial Moms Review: 2022 Acura MDX is pretty close to the perfect family car

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By SA Commercial Prop News

Shareholders in Pivotal headed by CEO Jackie van Niekerk [RIGHT] will get 460 million new Redefine Properties shares plus 31 million shares in Echo Polska Properties (EPP), according to CEO Andrew Konig (LEFT).



REDEFINE Properties (JSE: RDF) confirmed Tuesday that it will buy The Pivotal Fund (JSE: PIV) in a share swap deal valued at about 6 billion rand ($425 million).

Shareholders in Pivotal will get from Redefine 460 million new Redefine Properties shares plus 31 million shares in Echo Polska Properties (EPP), the companies said in a joint statement.

Pivotal dropped 4.2 percent by 3:51 p.m. in Johannesburg.

Also read: Emira turns down Arrowheads proposal

The Redefine shares will be issued ex-dividend, anticipated to be at the end of November 2016 and the EPP share will be delivered during January 2017. Redefine Properties strategic investment in EPP will remain intact.



The deal, which is subject to the usual regulatory processes for a transaction of this nature, will be implemented through a scheme of arrangement which requires 75% approval at a general meeting of Pivotal shareholders.

Pivotals largest shareholders, representing about 25.2% of the voting power, have already supported the deal.

Also read: Liberty Holdings gears to list property assets as a REIT on JSE

We subsequently came to a juncture where we had to weigh up the benefits of becoming a smaller-cap Real Estate Investment Trust (Reit) in a highly congested sector, or merge with one of the largest Reits in the JSEs listed property index, says Pivotals CEO Jackie van Niekerk.

Once the deal has been concluded which is expected before the end of the year, Pivotal will be delisted from the JSE.



Andrew Konig, CEO, Redefine Properties says, An irrevocable buy-in from a significant number of Pivotal shareholders has been received. Our intention is not to be a shareholder as we can only achieve the full potential for synergies with complete ownership.

Also read: Southern Sun, Hospitality Property Fund given merger green light



Development funds like Pivotal are seeing twin challenges of increasing cost of capital as well as the macro environment putting pressure on development returns, adds Konig.



Redefine has a market capitalisation of R58.7bn, making it the second-largest SA-based property company in SA, while Pivotals market capitalisation is R6bn.



Pivotals property portfolio is valued at R12.9 billion comprising 8 retail properties, 10 offices and 3 industrial sites, a number of development properties with 4 active developments. Pivotals African assets in markets like Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Morocco, Kenya and Zambia will be sold post implementation.

The acquisition will add property worth R13 billion to Redefines portfolio, expanding its premium office space offering and giving the company a total of 350 properties covering 5.7 million square metres.

In Sandton, Redefine will add crown jewels like Alice Lane with tenants like Sanlam, Santam, Standard Bank, and Virgin Active South Africa. Part of the development at Alice Lane also includes an office building likely for completion during April 2017 to house legal heavy weight Bowman Gilfillan.



Besides this acquisition, Redefine broadened its offshore footprint earlier in the year via a 260 million equity investment into EPP which has a 1.2 billion commercial platform comprising 18 properties in the Polish market.

EPP plans to broaden its shareholder base by listing on the JSE during the first half of September this year.

The deal follows Arrowhead Properties failed bid of its peer Emira Property Fund in July after the company snubbed the deal for its low price and scant synergies between both funds.
A first-of-its-kind journey along India and Pakistan border

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Salina Central made all the right plays at the right time Friday night to edge Andover, 21-15, in its Class 5A playoff opener.
Last Friday in Australia, the Aiga Samoa Association North Brisbane Inc. hosted a Meet and Greet to farewell the Queensland Police Service Cultural Tour Group who flew out to Samoa on Saturday evening.

The group made up of over 50 Queensland Police, Police Liaison Officers and staff posted throughout Queensland will be will be participating in the Teuila Festivities in September.

They will also be meeting with local Government, Police and donating gifts for children aged 0-17 and mothers who are victims or have been affected and displaced by domestic violence through SVSG - Samoa.

They will also be experiencing the Samoan culture by visiting the local villages and participating in various cultural activities during the Teuila Festival.

The Maota Fono Meeting House in Deception Bay provided the perfect venue with its high ceilings, providing a cool breeze during Fridays sunny winter morning in Brisbane.

Samoan High Chief and Aiga Samoa Elder Paepaetelel T. Salemanesa welcomed the group on behalf of Aiga Samoa and the Community in attendance.

He expressed the importance of embracing the culture and to truly experience not only the real issues faced by families but also the hospitality of the people in Samoa and applying that understanding when dealing with the number of Samoans and other ethnic groups who reside in Queensland.

Reverend Sabu Samoa of the EFKS Ola Fou Church in Deception Bay sought the Lords guidance and blessings to be bestowed upon the group as they prepared to depart and also during their stay in Samoa.

Tour Coordinator and Police Liaison Officer Rarotonga Tevita, has been organising this trip for over a year.

Each time they have stayed at the Insel Fehmarn Hotel and have spoken highly of their service and hospitality.

He coordinated previous QPS/PLO Cultural Tours to Samoa in 2011 followed by a tour in 2012 to march and participate in the Independence Day festivities during Samoas 50 years of Independence.

Those who went gained lifelong memories and irreplaceable experiences in Samoa which have surely had a positive effect on their work back in Queensland since.

Many jumped at the opportunity to return to Samoa with a few first time additions including Detective Senior Sergeant Teena Rolls who urged Rarotonga to coordinate a third tour after attending the Pacific Vibes festival in Lawnton over a year and a half ago.

This will be Police Liaison Officer Moira Davis 3rd tour of Samoa and she shared a number of memories from her previous trips from visiting in 2011 and witnessing first hand all the rebuild efforts post 2009 Tsunami which devastated parts of Samoa.

She also shared having the opportunity attend the UB40 concert for only SAT$30, take in a fiafia night at Aggies, hike the famous Mount Vaea and also spoke of Samoas unique culture, uncomplicated food (e.g.: Palusami), great local beer and getting to truly experience time slowing down to a pace where a more simple lifestyle can be enjoyed and appreciated.

Moreton District Superintendent Michael Brady, was in attendance, representing the Commissioner of Police.

He showed up wearing his ula fala which was gifted at a previous gathering at the Maota Fono.

He spoke of the importance of having the knowledge and capacity of building vital relationships with other cultures.

Aiga Samoa, Taulapapa Lemalu Roy Slade gave the closing remarks. He highlighted the ongoing and good relationship between the local Samoan community and the Queensland Police Service.

He expressed his gratitude for the work that the QPS do in the community and the efforts to coordinate gifts for children and families in need in Samoa.

The Meet and Greet closed out with a mid-morning light lunch as only a Samoan community can offer.
With Samoas Inaugural Fashion Week from the 12th till the 17th September

fast approaching, the organisers yesterday signed on their first Gold Sponsor.

However already, the Samoa Arts Council is planning to take fashion far beyond our own shores to share with the rest of the world in the very near future.

The Bank South Pacific Business Manager Michelle Lemisio presented a cheque of $5,000 to the president of the Samoa Art Council Seiuli Alan Alo, and Council members Dr. Vanya Taulealo and Cecilia Keil.

BSP is happy to announce they are coming on board as a gold sponsor for the first ever Samoa Fashion Week 2016, said Ms. Lemisio.

As an organization, one of our core values is helping the communities that we operate in to grow and prosper and we believe that with this modest sponsorship, we are sowing a seed for emerging designers as well as established designers of Samoa to showcase their talents.

We would like to congratulate the President and members of the Samoa Arts Council for this great achievement.

I know it is challenging but because of your commitment to develop and nurture the talents of our people in fashion you have made this event possible.

We wish you all the best in your preparations.

Seiuli acknowledge the support from the Management and staff of BSP Bank.

I am very honoured and it is our privilege to receive this sponsorship from the BSP Bank for the development of fashion in Samoa, said Seiuli.

As you know fashion is very big everywhere else in the world and Samoa is now going into developing its first Inaugural Samoa Fashion Week.

The event will start from the 12th till the 17th of September the week after Teuila and it will develop fashion from charity to forums to marketing and then to the fashion show on the 17th September.

The money that has been donated to us by B.S.P. is highly appreciated because this is our first ever and we appeal to all corporate businesses to help and assist all the designers that are emerging in Samoa and all the established designers as well.

Because once we break into the markets overseas, the benefits that will come will benefit Samoa all of the designers and the talented young people of Samoa.

We at the Samoa Art Council are very appreciative of the support from the community and especially from B.S.P. who has been very much at the forefront of developing artists

So we appeal once more to the community to assist us because there are still so many things that need to be done.

Seiuli said to make the event an annual occasion is in the pipeline.

This is the first one and as you can see everywhere else in the world, Fashion Week is a big event for each country. Fiji Fashion Week is a huge one too and we are continuously feeding the markets in New York, LA and places around the world so that is the impetus behind the Samoa Fashion Week. We want to get up to that level with the designers that we have, he said.

[And] so we do want to make that happen but it wont happen by ourselves. It happens when theres partnerships and support from the community and that is why we thank B.S.P. for putting up their hands first and coming in as a gold sponsor for the Fashion Week.

Most of the big fashion houses and also emerging young people are competing and there are more than ten designers who will be in this event.

Dr. Vanya Taulealo said one of the major focuses of the Samoa Arts Council is to increase the number of employment opportunities for the youth.

This is something that the Prime Minister and a number of ministers have been talking about as part of Samoas broad strategic plans, she said.

We look at developing an interest in the fashion industry and we also need to emphasize the educational aspect of what a young fashion designer should go through in order to reach their goals, and also that fashion and design are a viable career pathway.

This is very much part of why the Samoa Fashion Week is also doing two-day forum and two day market where we can offer educational programmes and information to individuals not just designers but to fabric makers to accessories makers and also give them marketing skills and simple business skills to start off with and then in the market it offers them an opportunity to showcase their designs and products.

Cecilia Keil of Cecilias Fashion House said there is no doubt that for years during the Miss Samoa Pageant they have seen and witnessed a lot of very creative designers out there, but the fashions always stay here in Samoa and never go out to the world.

So what we are doing here is we want to take the Samoa Fashion Show to overseas and international markets and I believe thats the standard of where we are with fashion, she said.

[And] that is why we are doing this Fashion Week in the hopes that we are going to the Pacific Runway in Australia and also banding with other fashion.

We have four other countries that we will band together to start this from the Pacific and with the hopes that we will take the Pacific fashion to Europe and globally - that is the ultimate gold.

The four countries that we are working together with are Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Samoa.
Palestinian authorities are silencing dissent by cracking down on free speech and abusing local journalists and activists critical of their policies, a leading international human rights group said Tuesday.

Human Rights Watch said both the Western-backed Palestinian Authority led by President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank and its rival, the ruling Islamic militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, are "arresting, abusing, and criminally charging journalists and activists who express peaceful criticism of the authorities."

In 2007, Hamas ousted Abbas' Fatah forces from Gaza in bloody street battles, leaving the Palestinians divided between two governments. Attempts at reconciliation have repeatedly failed, and both Hamas and the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority have periodically launched crackdowns against their rivals in efforts to consolidate power.

"The Palestinian governments in both Gaza and the West Bank are arresting and even physically abusing activists and journalists who express criticism on important public issues," said Sari Bashi, the Israel and Palestine country director at Human Rights Watch.

HRW said that in the West Bank, Palestinian forces arrested activists and musicians who "ridiculed Palestinian security forces" and "accused the government of corruption" in statements posted on Facebook or stated in graffiti and rap songs.

In Gaza, the rights group said an activist who criticized Hamas for "failing to protect a man with a mental disability" was detained and intimidated by the group, as was a journalist who "posted a photograph of a woman looking for food in a garbage bin."

The New York-based rights group said that in the incidents of abuse, "activists and journalists said that security officers beat or kicked them, deprived them of sleep and proper food, hosed them with cold and then hot water, and made them maintain uncomfortable positions for long hours."

Tarik Abu Zaid, a journalist with the Hamas-allied al-Aqsa TV station, said he has been arrested by the Palestinian Authority three times, most recently in March, and held for a month each time.

"For the first week, the investigation was friendly," he said. "But by the end of the first week, they started using several ways of physical and psychological torture to make me confess to charges that I didn't do." He said he was forced to stand and prevented from sleeping for three days and beaten in the genitals by an interrogator.

Jamal Dajani, spokesman for the West Bank government, said any such incidents were "isolated" and did not reflect official government policy. He said in some cases, journalists were arrested under defamation laws.

"These incidents have nothing to do with freedom of the press," he said. "The government is working on creating a better environment for press freedom. We believe in and support the freedom of speech and the right for journalists to operate freely in Palestine."

In Gaza, Hamas officials declined comment.

-AP
Life here is very easy, Alofa Taeoalii, aged sixty, of Lepea, told Village Voice, yesterday.

We have a plantation at the back which helps us a lot, she explained. We also have family overseas who send money when its really needed.

But then theres a problem.

And what is that problem?

Its the kids schooling, she said. The only difficult part in our life is having my kids walk long distances in the sun to get to school.

She said: Since the Tsunami, everything has been moved far in land so everyone has to do a lot of extra walking, I feel sorry for all the kids.

She added: Being a mother of nine children, Ive learned the art of being self-sufficient, but I prefer the peaceful life in the village above all else.

Alofa sees herself as a strong woman who knows that laziness will not benefit her and her family.

You know, she said, some kids have shoes and others dont, Some have umbrellas and other dont.

Thats the only difficult part of our life here, she said.Especially when it comes to food.

We just boil some taro and tea then thats the food for the day. For those living in the town and other areas, if they dont have something fancy to eat, then they look at their neighbours fancy food and complain.

If we have a bit of money then we buy some tinned fish to go with our taro, and then thats it; were grateful.

One of the things Alofa is grateful for is a nearby college for all the children of the village.

In the past my children used to school Apia and they stayed with my family there, she says.

But now we have a college here in the villages and a lot of us parents prefer to send our kids there.

It beats having them in town schools where all they do is fight. At least we can keep an eye on our children. They just walk to school and then they walk back.

I reckon life in town is too complicated. If you dont have money for transport or food then you suffer, but over here the kids sometimes go to school with money and if they dont then they will always be welcome at home with a nice meal.

Thats why I refuse to move away from here.

For many people, money is one of the most important things in life but not for Alofa. The free life accessible to every Samoan is what brings peace to her and her family.

She is also confident that there is no poverty in Samoa.

There is nothing to worry about out here, she says.

I dont understand how any Samoan can live in poverty; its their own fault if they do. There are so many different opportunities for people in Samoa.

You can have cows, chickens and pigs; theres nothing difficult about that. People come and buy my chickens for $10 each and thats enough money for my sugar. A size two pig will get me an easy $100.

If you are lazy to grow anything then you can even collect coconuts and sell them to families who want it; you dont even have to go to town to sell those coconuts, there will always be people around here who will buy them.

There are so many money-making methods. The only time you need a lot of money is when there are funerals or other village activities. Thats the only time I ask my children overseas for help.

Even when it comes to church activities then I ask my children for money; but we in Samoa can always eat for free.

There are times Ill ask my neighbors for a cup of rice because my children love eating rice but other than that, the land will always provide.

She also supports the Prime Ministers comments against those who complain and do nothing for themselves.

The Prime Minister always tells us that we should never complain about not having enough, she says.

He tells us that we are given arms and legs; the only reason you are poor is because you wont use them. Many people dont like to sweat; even if you dont want to work the land, we have the ocean.

How can people complain when I eat fish that is worth $30? There is no poverty in Samoa.

The funny thing is, people complain about not having enough money but they always go to the Bingo house. I love going to the Bingo but I know how to manage my money.

I always tell my family that going to the Bingo is way better than smoking and drinking because I can get lucky sometimes. If you smoke and smoke then you wont get anything out of it.

But what pushes such a strong lady to do what she does? The one lesson I always tell my children is that if you dont work hard then you wont get anything, she says.

Thats what I go on every day, I tell myself that my family will suffer if I dont sweat and that motivates me to push harder.

But many people are not like that. They just talk all day and sleep If you look at my son over there he is working on a fine mat and once thats done then we can sell it for a few thousand dollars.

And in the end, there is nothing better than the village life for Alofa.

If life wasnt this peaceful and great out here then I would have run away to Apia a long time ago, she says.

I am from Letogo but there is not anywhere Id rather be than out here.
The recovered first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is transported to the SpaceX hangar at launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida May 14, 2016. REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo

By Irene Klotz

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - Elon Musk's SpaceX has signed its first customer to use a previously flown rocket, with launch planned for later this year, the companies said on Tuesday.

The launch for Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES SA (SESFg.LU) will mark the first commercial reuse of a Falcon 9 rocket, which is crucial to efforts by technology entrepreneur Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp to reduce the cost of space launches.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell previously said the company was targeting a 30 percent discount for launches aboard previously flown rockets, which would bring the price down to about $43 million per flight, a fraction of what competitors charge.

SpaceX has so far landed six Falcon 9 rockets and will attempt to land its seventh after Saturday's scheduled launch in Florida of an Israeli communications satellite.

"We believe reusable rockets will open up a new era of spaceflight, and make access to space more efficient in terms of cost and manifest management, Martin Halliwell, SES chief technology officer, said in a statement.

SES, which in 2013 became SpaceXs first commercial customer, plans to launch its SES-10 communications satellite on a used Falcon 9 rocket in late 2016.

The rocket previously flew in April to send a cargo ship on its way to the International Space Station for NASA, said SpaceX spokesman John Taylor.

"Re-launching a rocket that has already delivered spacecraft to orbit is an important milestone on the path to complete and rapid reusability, Shotwell said in the statement.

Musk founded SpaceX in 2002 with the goal of slashing launch costs to make travel to Mars affordable. The company plans to fly its first unmanned spacecraft to Mars in 2018 and send humans to Mars as early as 2024.

Musk is expected to unveil details of his Mars program at the International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, next month.

SpaceX's major competitors are United Launch Alliance, a partnership of Lockheed Martin and Boeing, and Europe's Arianespace.

(Reporting by Irene Klotz; Editing by Alistair Bell)
For 47 year old, Umufatu Lealofi, life in the village is what you make it out to be; you can make it tough with a lazy life or make things simple through hard work.

Living with his wife Iemaima and their three children, Umufatu works hard to take care of his family. He works the plantation, fishes at sea and works at Saletoga Beach Fale all for the sake of his loved ones.

According to Umufatu, life in the village and life in town are both good and bad in their own ways.

There are a few similarities with the life in the village and life in town, but the differences outweigh those similarities, he tells Samoa Observer.

The main difference is the distance. In town they have all the offices, major companies, and large shops. Yes we have small shops here in the villages but you cant find everything here.

In Apia, if you want something from the shop then its easy to get it, but in the villages; if you go to the shop and you cant find what you want then you have to go all the way to Apia and use money for transport.

Many families here dont own cars.

But life in the village also has its good side.

On the other hand, if those people living in town dont have land then they suffer and they dont eat if they dont have a job, says Umufatu.

But over here if we dont have jobs then we always have the land to depend on; I could even go to the sea and catch some fish.

Those are the main differences and similarities. I prefer life out here because if we dont have money, then we can always live off the land.

We can also get some money out of the crops we plant; life here is a little tough but its all worth it.

Umufatu strongly believes that rural villages could do well with the same developments as Apia.

I agree with the saying that whatever is good for Apia, is good for rural villages and also Savaii, he says.

Down the road we have a bakery; our shopkeepers had to go to town to get some bread back in the day, but not anymore, and I am grateful for that.

I am also happy that we have some resorts in the villages which give people out here employment.

I work in the resort down the road to get some money for the family. But it would be nice for large companies to come and open up a few businesses out in the villages.

Even when it comes to petrol stations; a lot of people with cars have to travel long distances to fill up their cars. If petrol companies open up out here, then that would be great because whatever is good for Apia is also good for us.

Another thing Umufatu is certain of is that there is the question of poverty in Samoa.

In my opinion, there is no poverty in Samoa, he says.

The only reason people live in poverty is if they are lazy. There are many ways to make money around Samoa, even if you just make $100 a week, use it wisely to look after your family.

I speak to a lot of tourists where I work and they say how lucky we are here in Samoa. Its true that they make a lot of money in places like New Zealand, but a lot of money goes to pay bills and other things.

Samoa may not have much money but we live a free life. The land is free, there are no extra costs on houses and life is simple. We have so much at our disposal here in Samoa.

But as for the development of Samoa, Umufatu feels that we are moving at an acceptable pace.

Many people are saying that the Prime Minister is moving too fast, but I dont agree, he says.

The P.M. is lifting Samoa up to international markets; he is raising our standards so we shouldnt complain about it. As the world is moving up, then we should move up.

Many people are saying that the P.M. is becoming a bit too much, but he is helping us.
A corruption charge against suspended Police Inspector Toleafoa Keti Toleafoa was withdrawn from the Supreme Court on Monday the first day of the trial.

Toleafoa and two other police officers are jointly charged in relation to a traffic matter in August last year that involved the Shipping Corporation, Assistant Chief Executive Officer, George Poutoa.

The other two officers are Evile Malota Mano and Kolisi Tupu.

The National Prosecution Office lawyer, Lucy Sio asked the Court to withdraw four charges. Those charges include being a party to an offence of tampering with evidence, conspiracy to defeat the course of justice and making false entries against Toleafoa and Mr. Mano.

Ms Sio told the Court that the Prosecution would proceed with the remaining three charges against the police officers.

The officers are jointly charged with obstruction of justice, false entry or recording and false wording to which they pleaded not guilty.

Supreme Court Judge, Vui Clarence Nelson is presiding.

Toleafoa is represented by lawyer Leota Raymond Schuster while Pau Tafaogalupe Mulipola is standing for the other two officers.

The man who is in the middle of the dispute, George Poutoa took the stand.

Mr. Poutoa told the Court that in August last year, it was the day that he had been drinking at a friends house in Faatoia.

As he drove home, but he was pulled over by police at Motootua.

On that day he took a breathalyzer test and was later told by two police officers that he exceeded the minimum alcohol percentage.

The officer told me I had to go to Police station and wait for their officer in charges instructions, said Mr. Poutoa. I asked them if I could go home because I could still drive, but they said I had to wait for their officer in charge.

When the witness was asked by the prosecutor if there was anything else that he was asked to do by police officers, Mr. Poutoa said he could not remember.

I cannot remember; maybe its because I was afraid I might get locked up, he added.

He recalled that when Toleafoa, who was the officer in charge came to see him, he was asked to leave his car at the office and take a taxi home.

I know Toleafoa very well because his family owns a car business, he said.

I continued to ask him if I could take my car home, but he said my car was safe at the station and I could pick it up in the morning.

The lawyer for Toleafoa, Leota asked the witness if there was a time when Toleafoa told him that he would be held in custody.

In response Mr. Poutoa said yes.

Is it true that Toleafoa said to you, This is a warning and it will be your first and last chance? asked Leota.

The witness replied yes.

And you had told Toleafoa not to take you into custody because your wife was at home alone and you needed to go home to her because she was by herself? said Leota.

Again Mr. Poutoa said yes.

It was at this point that Justice Vui asked the witness if anyone had said to him that he would be held in custody.

In response, Mr. Poutoa changed his answer and said, no.

During cross examination, Ms. Sio asked the defendant about his two different responses to the one question.

The Honorable Judge asked you if anyone told you that you would be taken into custody, and your reply was no, said Ms Sio.

My lawyer friend also asked you if Toleafoa told you that you would be taken into custody and you said yes. Which one is your answer to the question?

The witness stood for a few seconds until he responded that he now remembered that Toleafoa did tell him that he would be taken into custody.

But I dont remember what time he said this because I was inside the station and there was a time I came outside

Lawyer Pau also questioned the witness about the breathalyzer test that he took.

He asked the witness if he had smoked before he took the breathalyzer.

Mr. Poutoa replied that he had and had thrown his cigarette away before he took the test.

Pau continued to question the witness about how many minutes it was between throwing out his cigarette and taking the breathalyzer.

It was during this line of questions that Justice Vui intervened and asked the lawyer about the relevancy of his questions.

Paus response was that he was trying to establish his argument that smoking does have an impact on the breathalyzer outcome.

Justice Vui then asked the lawyer if he had any science to back up his argument and if there was also an expert who would be called to support it.

Pau said while he did not have an expert witness, I do have downloaded materials from the internet.

Justice Vui accepted this and wished the lawyer good luck.

The trial continues.
A 21-year-old male Faafetai Mafuie was sentenced to eight years and eight months after he was convicted of one count of rape, assault to commit sexual violation and sexual connection with a young person.

The accused appeared before Justice Tafaoimalo Leilani Tuala Warren for sentencing

Ofisa Tagaloa appeared on behalf of the National Prosecution Office and the accused was unrepresented.

A suppression order issued by the court to suppress the name of the victim to protect her identify however was not extended to the accused.

According to the police Summary of Facts, Mafuie and the victim are neighbors and on the night of 14 June 2016, the victims father returned home from fishing.

He sent his daughter (victim) to take a bag of fish to their neighbours freezer.

Returning home, the accused took advantage of her walking alone in the dark, and pulled her into the bush.

She tried to scream but the accused covered her mouth with a towel and sexually assaulted her twice.

The victim heard her father calling out her name but she couldnt call out to him because she was terrified. After the accused had raped her, she managed to get home where she told her family what had happened.

The matter was reported to the Police immediately.

Mafuie accepted the Summary of Facts and apologised for what he had done to the victim.

I was not in my right mind that night because I was intoxicated.

I apologise to the victims family for my wrong doings, he said Mafuie.

The accused is the youngest son of seven children and he lives with his parents.

He left school in Year 10 and worked as a mechanic before he took up work as a fisherman on a fishing boat. Because of this incident, he was fired.

According to the Pre-sentencing Report by the Probation Office, the older brother of the accused supported him and said he is a reliable member of their family.

The Report showed that there had been no reconciliation with the victims family.

Justice Tafaoimalo said that that illustrated that there was no remorse by the accused over what had happened

He was intoxicated, but thats not an excuse, said Justice Tafaoimalo.

The 12 year old victim is under the care of the Samoa Victims Support Group but she told the prosecution that she was terrified because of what happened.

When the accused took her that night, she knew something would happen to her and she was afraid.

She was crying and felt pain and she felt pain throughout the whole week, said Justice Tafaoimalo.

According to the Victims Impact Report, she said she saw you in town and she was terrified and she wants you to be locked away.

She has not forgiven him (the accused).

Tafaoimalo told the accused that the younger the victim, the greater the need is for protection.

(Crimes against those who are) under age are regarded as the most serious activity; young people are very vulnerable.

The accused was also told that his actions were premeditated, because he had been watching pornography videos that night and he took advantage of her being alone in the dark.

Justice Tafaoimalo said that a custodial penalty was considered because of the seriousness of the charges and the vulnerability of the victim on the night of the incident.

In the accuseds favour, the court took his early guilty plea into account as the only mitigating factor because it saved the 12 year old victim reliving the pain she went through on the night of the incident.

Justice Tafaoimalo took 13 years as the starting point for the charge of rape.

She deducted four years and four months for his early guilty plea leaving a balance of 8 years and 8 months for the charge of rape.

For the charges of sexual connection with a young person and assault to commit sexual violation, the accused was sentenced to four years which are to be served concurrently.
The Young Women's Christian Association of Samoa began their one-week training of Trainers for its Rise Up Programme at T.A.T.T.E. yesterday.

The Y.W.C.A. of SAMOA is an international Christian faith-based organisation with international links.

As part of the training, participants were told that achieving results in the workplace; building and nurturing relationships and communicating and influencing others were vital components needed by leaders.

The training seeks to establish a core group of young women who will go into villages and share information which will enable young women to meet the challenges of life as a young woman.

President, Maiava Visekota Peteru said that its very important for young Christian women to know their roles in their community.

The main initiative of the training is to encourage young women to take up leadership and to raise awareness about Human Rights, Culture and Tradition, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Climate Change and other issues affecting young women.

Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development, Naea Beth Onesemo shared her view on leadership with participants.

I see that you are here to be trained as trainers for leadership positions. For you to exercise leadership, one of the things that you need to know is to be able to achieve results in your own areas of work, she said.

You need to have the ability to build and nurture relationships. Its quite hard to be a leader, if youre not able to lead everyone else.

You must be able to communicate."

No matter how fantastic your thoughts are, or the passion that you have inside of you, or whatever your goal may be; if you dont have the ability to communicate and influence others, it will be quite hard to exercise leadership.

The YWCA of Samoa aims to equip young women to become leaders today and to encourage them to speak out about the elimination of violence, teenage pregnancy and other relevant issues for young women.

The Rise up Programme was created by Pacific Women, from the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea and is now being planted in Samoa.

The YWCA of Samoa was incorporated in 1974 and over the years has mentored many young women of Samoa into leadership roles.
The man who was unable to contest against Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi in the March General Elections, was successful in the District Court yesterday.

Tuula Kiliri Tuitui was found not guilty of making a false declaration that he performed a monotaga for at least three years from the day of his nomination. He had pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges brought by the Office of the Electoral Commissioner.

District Court Judge, Fepuleai Ameperosa Roma delivered his decision in less than a minute, in favour of Tuula.

Firstly, he told the Court he did not find that there was any ambiguity in the charge.

Fepuleai concluded that the Prosecution had not proved the charge to the required standard.

The charge is dismissed, he added. Tuula was represented by his lawyer Unasa Iuni Sapolu while the Electoral Commissioner, Faimalomatumua Mathew Lemisio was the lawyer for the Office of the Electoral Commissioner.

Outside the Court, Tuula was emotional and surrounded by support from family and friends.

He said he was not ready to say anything yet. His lawyer Unasa had no doubt that the decision by the Judge was the right one.

I have no doubt that this new law that kicked in late last year had a retrospective effect, he said. I havent read the decision from the Judge but going through the case, I felt that the new change in law has still got teething problems."

I think this particular rule created its own difficulties in administration. Unasa added the Commissioner did his best but you could only do so much when the law has its weaknesses and strengths - if there are strengths. Asked for a comment, Electoral Commissioner, Faimalomatumua Mathew Lemisio said their decision to proceed with the case and others was to give justice an opportunity to take its course.

From the prosecutions perspective, Faimalo said it was not about winning or losing a case. Its about giving these matters a fair opportunity before an Honorable Judge to be adjudicated through a hearing. This case and others have had that opportunity and justice has taken its course. In the end, I suppose justice wins.

About the change in the law under which Tuula and others were charged, the Commissioner said it was based on the new changes made to the Electoral Act last year. They were never tested before, he explained.

So this case and others have provided us with legal precedents that will guide our work going into the future. We see that as a positive coming out of these cases. Earlier this year, Tuula was disqualified from contesting against the Prime Minister by the Supreme Court.

The matter that was before the Supreme Court questioned the qualifications of Tuula and whether he had performed a monotaga as required by law for a period of three years.

The District Court case focused on whether Tuula knew that the declaration he signed was in fact false, when he signed it.
The Ministry of Health has called for precautionary measures from tattooists following the recent diagnosis of a case of HIV Aids.

It occurred where a man who got an infection after his tattoo was completed, tested positive for the disease.

The Director General of Health, Leausa Dr. Take Naseri said that the Ministry is meeting tattooists today at the Millenia Hotel to assist in providing preventive measures as they practice their craft. Leausa said the case is a concern for the Ministry with many Samoans and tourists getting inked.

We have seen the case of the man who came and got a tattoo on his leg and later had an infection, he said.

He went to the hospital where he was screened and found he had HIV. We are worried about the tattooists who are exposed (to blood) as well as the people getting tattooed. "

That is why we are meeting with the tattooists to upgrade their skills and provide them with preventive measures to use before they start their work. According to Healths Director General, it raises concerns about people coming from around the world to get inked. Samoa is recognised worldwide for its traditional tattoo (tatau), Leausa pointed out.

We are more traditional because we use traditional tools and therefore preventive measures should be taken.

He said with the extensive work of the tatau, there are many people who are exposed to diseases such as HIV and hepatitis which can be transmitted through the blood.

While the number of Samoas HIV cases is low, the prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Infection (STIs) remains high.

In Samoas Global Aids Response Progress Report 2015, it highlighted the status of the epidemic (HIV) as being low with only 23 cumulative cases of HIV since 1990.

In the report that is dated December 2014, there were 12 people living with HIV (PLVWH) with 10 of them getting treated at the National Health Services with assistance from Global Fund Facility and two cases on private treatment.

Of the 10 cases on treatment supported by the Global Fund Facility, four are adult male, two are infant male and four are adult female, states the report.

The two cases on private treatment are both adult male. The main mode of transmission is through sexual activities. Of the 12 PLVWH one is a returned citizen from overseas, two are cases of mother to child transmission, and the rest are through sexual intercourse.

The report added there are no known cases of male sex with men transmission detected and other cases of transmission have been through blood transfusion.

Although Samoa is a country with low prevalence of HIV, the increasing number of STIs, particularly chlamidya, remains a major concern.
This is a beautiful, all natural venue and therefore it is perfect for the official opening of the BlueSky Miss Samoa Pageant 2016, said the Miss Samoa pageants director, Laeimau Oketeni Tanuvasa yesterday.

The search for Samoas new pageant winner was officially opened in the Forest Cafe at Afiamalu.

But before the candidates for the Miss Samoa Pageant introduced themselves to the guests and media, the events organisers announced the sponsors for this years popular contest.

Along with Bluesky which has naming rights and main sponsor TV1, associate sponsors include the Bank South Pacific and Samoa Ford Ltd and supporting sponsors, Samoa Observer, Lucky Foodtown and Taula Beer. As is tradition, the eight contestants for Miss Samoa Pageant were asked to pick a number, which determined the order for their appearance in the contest.

This was done with the help of current Miss Samoa, Ariana Taufao.

She also supported her potential successors during the process of picking a topic. These topics for the Miss Samoa candidates are to show that the contest is not superficial as some may suggest.

We want our contestants to concentrate on research during their time at the Miss Samoa Pageant. They should learn something and understand about what is happening in the country they represent. Nobody has to be an Einstein or make it too complicated, said Laeimau reassuringly.

The topics for the aspiring contestants include the situation of youth in the country, the problems Samoa has to face with the effects of climate change and the issue of gender equalities in Samoa.

To make the contestants aware of the importance of their participation, Samoa Tourism Authoritys CEO Papali'i Sonja Hunter had this advice for the the young women.

After this special experience, you will go forth into the world much more confident. Whether youll be a scientist, an astronaut, an airline pilot etc, you can always take all these beautiful gifts that God has given to you and be able to explore and discover."

"No matter what you do in the future, Samoa will always recognize you, because you entered the pageant, she concluded.

Contestants in the Bluesky Miss Samoa Pageant 2016

Miss Fuatinos Fashion: Tina Kerisiano Moe

Miss Lilas Flora: Abba Rose of Dinah Vaiaoga-Ioasa

Miss Love Lani xo: Priscilla Paleagese Finally Olano

Miss Samoa Australia: Miriama Latu Meafou

Miss Samoa NSW: Tayla Jane Scanlan

Miss Samoa NZ: Naomi Eta Fruean

Miss Royalty Creations: Esther Timoteo

Miss TAPZ Fashion Style: Maria Elena Schuster Falepunaoa Maposua
Country

United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and 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
Tickle your funny bone with limericks from Limerick Laughs contest winner Rebekah Hoeft of Redford, Michigan, and runners-up.

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The boy really never was sicker,

Cause Grampa was not one to bicker.

When he begged for a puff:

Take 10 since youre tough!

And here, taste my hundred-proof liquor!

Congratulations to Rebekah Hoeft of Redford, Michigan! For her outstanding limerick, she wins $25 and our gratitude for this funny and entertaining poem describing Harold Andersons Sick of Smoking (above). If youd like to enter the Limerick Laughs Contest for our next issue of The Saturday Evening Post, submit your limerick through our online entry form.

Subscribe and get unlimited access to our online magazine archive. Subscribe Today

Rebekahs limerick wasnt the only one we liked. In nor particular order, here are some of our other favorite contest entries:

A lit pipe, a boy, and his pup

Were out in the bush, hiding up.

Boy took a deep toke

Of that tobacco smoke

And fell down as his dinner came up.

William Fountain, Carlsbad, California

This young lad with an early desire

To try out Granddads burley n briar

Took only one puff

And deemed it enough

To cause him to surely expire!

Clarice Piantedosi, Attleboro, Massachusetts

Little Boy Blue, just thirteen,

Part man and part boy  in between 

Thought just for a joke

Hed puff on pipe smoke,

And now he is Little Boy Green!

Cheryl Burney, Royal Oak Michigan

Doctors have charged me a fee,

Saying naps will revitalize me.

Its advice that seems sound,

So henceforth Ill be found

Every afternoon  prone to agree.

Paul Richards, Peoria, Illinois

What happened to my buddy Luke?

Thought trusty ol pal, Marmaduke.

I want to get close,

But something smells gross.

Not the smoke  my pal reeks of puke.

Edward Perley, Downingtown, Pennsylvania

After consulting his dog Lucky Charm,

He surmised, what the heck could it harm?

The laddie got ripe

After puffing his pipe,

And he tripped without leaving the farm.

C.T. Carney, Knoxville, Tennessee

Oh, what I would give to redo

My last couple moments or two?

For sure no more smoking,

And I am not joking,

Because down here, I dont like the view.

Norma Wilt, Cincinnati, Ohio

Here lies a naughty young snipe

Who decided to swipe daddys pipe.

Off to smoke it he went;

Now he doth repent,

And the tears from his cheeks he doth wipe.

Brandi King, Riverdale, Michigan
Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/30/2016 -- The aircraft health monitoring systems market (AHMS) is estimated at USD 3.43 Billion in 2016, and is projected to reach USD 4.71 Billion by 2021, at a CAGR of 6.53% from 2016 to 2021. The objectives of this report is to analyze the aircraft health monitoring system market along with the statistics from 2016 to 2021 as well as to define, describe, and forecast the aircraft health monitoring system market on the basis of IVHM technology, sub-systems, type, fit, wing structure (commercial aircraft health monitoring system market), aircraft type (fixed wing), and region. The year 2015 is considered to be the base year for aircraft health monitoring system (AHMS) market study. 2016 to 2021 is considered as the forecast period.



Browse 95 market data Tables and 95 Figures spread through 167 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Aircraft Health Monitoring System Market - Global Forecast to 2021"



Sample pages of the Report : http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsample.asp?id=954



Early buyers will receive 10% customization on reports.



On the basis of type, the aircraft health monitoring systems market has been segmented into commercial and defense. The commercial segment in the aircraft health monitoring systems market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, due to the increase in tourism, rise in the disposable income of the middle-class population among others.



On the basis of fit, the aircraft health monitoring system market has been segmented into line fit and retrofit. The line fit sub segment in the aircraft health monitoring system market is projected to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period.



The diagnostics segment led the aircraft health monitoring system market in 2015



In terms of IVHM technology, the global aircraft health monitoring systems market has been segmented into diagnostics, prognostics, and condition-based maintenance & adaptive control. The diagnostics segment led the overall market, and is estimated to exhibit a similar trend during the next five years, due to the increase in maintenance, repair and operations for an aircraft.



The avionics segment is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period



The global aircraft health monitoring systems market, by sub-system, has been segmented into aero-propulsion, aircraft structures, avionics, and ancillary systems. The avionics segment of the aircraft health monitoring systems market is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, among all sub-systems. The growth is attributed to the increasing demand for advanced avionics from the airline industries.



Report Information : http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/aircraft-health-monitoring-systems-market-954.html



The aircraft health monitoring system market Europe region to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period



The aircraft health monitoring system market in the Europe region is expected to grow at the highest CAGR between 2016 and 2021. Factors such as passenger traffic growth and increasing aircraft deliveries are fueling the aircraft health monitoring systems market growth in this region.



Airbus Group (Netherlands): One of the key players in the aircraft health monitoring systems market



The other major players in the aircraft health monitoring systems market are the Boeing Company (U.S.), United Technologies Corporation (U.S.), Honeywell International, Inc. (U.S.), and General Electric Company (U.S.).



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San Jose, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/30/2016 -- Ah, college. A blissful time in life when hopes are high, futures are bright, and everyone is figuring out what their life will look like. Returning to the classroom after an enjoyable summer can be a mixed bag of emotions, but fortunately Intelligible Sourcing is helping students remove one worry from their thoughts: their wardrobe. Unbeatable prices on a varied collection of clothing and accessories is great news for college students looking to update their style without breaking the bank. The San Jose-based company helps budding students do just that, and their latest offerings will keep them looking great all year round.



How does it work? Simple enough. Intelligible Sourcing has well-established connections with multiple trusted manufacturers, and by ordering directly from them they are able to pass along great savings to their customers. Their summer offerings feature some eye-catching pieces, including women's leggings, colorful skirts, maxi skirts, and vibrant yoga pants. Co-eds can find a huge selection of attractive dresses, tops, and accessories to complete any outfit.



"We are really excited to be rolling out our fashion line for both men and women, and we anticipate that many college students will be extremely happy when they see the low prices we offer," expressed owner and founder of Intelligible Sourcing Amy Liu. She continued, saying "This year's offerings are varied, and we think there is a little bit of something for everyone, so that everyone can come to school looking better than ever."



In addition to maintaining an online store replete with high quality items, Intelligible Sourcing also gives aspirant entrepreneurs all the tools they need to develop their online presence and open their own market online. Aspiring online store owners simply sign up with Intelligible Sourcing, select products from the virtual inventory, and get to selling. Customers can also add their own products to sell of course, but the availability of products primed and prep for sales is a huge plus. Plus, the suppliers themselves are well vetted, and represent some of the best available products today.



About Intelligible Sourcing

Now in its second year, Intelligible Sourcing is a California-based company that helps entrepreneurs to open and grow their very own online stores. Their inventory is chock full of products from a variety of industries: fashion, jewelry, electronics, home decor, sports, and pets & supplies. Interested aspiring business owners can open an account and populate their online store with any of the products from the aforementioned inventory. They may also add their own products as they see fit, and integrate their online market with Facebook, eBay and more.



www.intelligiblesourcing.com

650-799-8173
New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/30/2016 -- A dye sensitized cell, also known as dye sensitized solar cell, is a low-cost solar cell belonging to the group of thin film solar cells. A dye sensitized cell is based on a semiconductor formed between a photo-sensitized anode and an electrolyte, a photoelectrochemical system. Dye sensitized cells are usually used for converting sunlight into electrical energy across a wide intensity range by using a dye, which is absorbed in titanium oxide semiconductor. Dye sensitized cells are becoming increasingly popular as a renewable and cost-effective alternative to conventional solar cells. A dye sensitized cell has several attractive features such as semi-flexibility and semi-transparency, which offers a variety of uses, it is simple to make using conventional roll-printing techniques and majority of materials used are low cost . In the current scenario, dye sensitized cells are the most efficient third generation solar technology available. Dye sensitized cells can be a suitable option as a replacement for existing technologies in low density applications such as rooftop solar collectors, where the mechanical robustness and light weight of the glass result in a less collectors and act as an advantage for dye sensitized cell . However, the use of liquid electrolyte in dye sensitized cell design is a major drawback, as it has temperature stability problems. In the last 5-10 years, solid-state dye sensitized solar cells have been developed. In this case the liquid electrolyte is replaced by one of the several solid hole-conducting materials. During this period, the efficiency of solid state dye sensitized solar cell has increased from 4% to 15%.



View Sample Report : http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3833



Based on application, the global dye sensitized cell market is segmented into six categories: building-integrated photovoltaics, indoor application, retail application, emergency power and military application, automotive, and others. Building-integrated photovoltaics are further sub-segmented into BIPV glass and solar roofs. Indoor application is further sub-segmented into three categories: solar chargers, wireless keyboards, and others. Retail application is further sub-segmented into three categories: indoor and outdoor advertising, point-of-purchase displays, and others.



In terms of geography, North America dominates the global dye sensitized cell market followed by Europe. The U.S. represents the largest market for dye sensitized cell followed by Canada in North America. In Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K. hold major share of the dye sensitized cell market. However, Asia-Pacific is expected to witness high growth rates in the next five years in the global dye sensitized market.



Increasing number of retail store, high growth rate of the automotive industry and increasing disposable income are some of the major driving factors of the dye sensitized cell market. Increasing disposable income allows customers to spend more on products like wireless keyboards, which indirectly increase the demand for dye sensitized cell. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, annual per capita disposable income of urban households in China increased from USD 2,271.0 in 2008 to USD 3408.5 in 2012. The overall annual disposable income in India median household income increased from USD 1,366.2 billion in 2010 to USD 1,587.6 billion in 2013.



Request TOC : http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/3833



Some of the major companies operating in the dye sensitized cell market are Dyesol, Ltd., Exeger Sweden AB, 3GSolar Photovoltaics, Ltd., Fujikura, Ltd., Oxford Photovoltaics, Ltd., Solarprint, Ltd., Sony Corporation, Sharp Corporation, Samsung, and Solaronix SA.



Key geographies evaluated in this report are:



North America



U.S

Canada



Europe



France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK

Eastern Europe

CIS



APAC



China

India

Japan

Australia

Others



Latin America



Argentina

Brazil

Others



Key features of this report



Drivers, restraints, and challenges shaping the Dye Sensitized Cell market dynamics

Latest innovations and key events in the industry

Analysis of business strategies of the top players

Dye Sensitized Cell market estimates and forecasts(2015 -2021)



About Persistence Market Research

Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.



To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.
Doylestown, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/30/2016 -- MyMedicareQuotes is a health insurance agency located in Bucks County, PA that specializes in Medicare Plans for people who are 65 and over. They know that finding the correct Medicare Plan can be an intimidating task, which is why they have decided to help people find the plan that's right for them. Their team of experts educates those eligible for Medicare by providing them with a free in-home consultation. Whether someone is considering a Medicare Supplement Plan or a Medicare Disability Plan in Bucks County, PA, and the surrounding areas, they can rely on MyMedicareQuotes for advice.



Medicare Supplement Plans are available to help pay the gap between what original Medicare pays for healthcare and what someone pays out of their pocket. MyMedicareQuotes helps find the right plan for people who live in Bucks County, Lehigh County, Montgomery County, Northampton County, PA, and other local areas.



Out of the ten different coverage plans, this agency can help find the best one to fit an individual's needs. The different plans are labeled A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M and N. Plan F is set to be no longer available in 2020, so MyMedicareQuotes advises people to switch to another one.



People who will soon become eligible for a Medicare Supplement Plan in Bucks County, PA, as well as other local areas, are encouraged to seek out MyMedicareQuotes for advice. Their staff can help those eligible for Medicare find the plan that would best benefit them. To learn more about the advice offered by MyMedicareQuotes, contact them at 215-987-5341.



About MyMedicareQuotes

MyMedicareQuotes has provided health insurance for over 25 years to individuals, senior citizens, and families. They are based in Doylestown, PA, and located in various areas throughout Pennsylvania. This agency specializes in Medicare Supplement, Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, Dental Insurance, Individual Health Insurance, and more. MyMedicareQuotes provides quotes for these plans and helps customers find the right plan for them.



To learn more about MyMedicareQuotes, view their website http://mymedicarequotes.com/.
West Chester, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/30/2016 -- Westtown Dental Care is a dentist's office in Chester County, PA that provides professional care with a personal touch. They are dedicated to changing the lives of their patients through cosmetic dentistry practices. Westtown Dental Care employs the newest technology, the best materials and the best labs in the country. They have one of the best in-office dental plans in the area and also offer a wide variety of services, including dental implants, braces, Invisalign, veneers, and more.



The in-office dental plan from Westtown Dental Care is their way of helping patients who do not have dental insurance. Their in-office plan is not insurance, but a discount plan that is good only for treatment at Westtown Dental Care. The annual plan includes two regular exams, two regular dental cleanings and check-up X-rays. It also includes a 20% discount on cosmetic procedures, gum treatments, root canals, and more.



Both children and adults throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania can benefit from Westtown Dental Care's services. Westtown Dental Care believes in starting healthy smiles while children are young. They provide dental care for kids in West Chester, PA, as well as other local areas, to teach them the importance of healthy teeth and help them maintain a picture-perfect smile throughout their life. Westtown Dental Care hopes to encourage families and individuals who don't have insurance to come to their office for treatment.



Those looking for a family dentistry office in Chester County, PA, and the surrounding areas, do not have to look any further than Westtown Dental Care. To learn more about the family dentistry services provided by Westtown Dental Care, contact them at 484-712-2010.



About Westtown Dental Care

Westtown Dental Care, located in West Chester, PA, has been providing patients with winning smiles since 2007. Dr. Sara Bekyan believes in treating her patients like family, with every patient's comfort and satisfaction as her highest priorities. Westtown Dental Care's services include the Healthy Start system, implants, Invisalign, and much more. They use the latest technology to ensure the best care for their patients.



To learn more about Westtown Dental Care, visit their website at http://www.westtowndentalcare.com/.
A toucan in Costa Rica was beaten by teenagers and lost its beak. Costa Rica animal rescue center located and save the toucan. Will it survive? It is said that the bird needs its beak to survive, so experts are doing they can make sure they can restore its beak.

Toucans are dependent on its beak for survival. They use it for several things like cleaning their bodies, controlling their body temperature, self-defense and mating rituals. Rescuers feared that this toucan cannot survive since, birds that lost their beaks were put down given that it will eventually die. Caretaker Ronald Sibaja, according to HNGN.com said: "She was really bad off when the toucan had been brought in, it just had a top beak that was a bloody stump."

Grecia, the name of the injured toucan has a different story. She held on and survive the abuse. Now, the challenge of the caretakers is to find her a new beak. With the help of dental and nanotechnology, experts volunteered to give Grecia a new beak using a 3D printer.

Experts from Rock Hill Company 3D system engineered the 3D prosthetic beak for Grecia. Scientists, doctors, and engineers all worked together to put back her lost beak. The beak was created in two parts, with the use of nylon. The longer part of the beak was secured with a pin and can be removed for cleaning purposes, while the upper part was stuck to the toucan's stamp. Her beak was not painted for it is a reminder of her "ghostly" past. With this new prosthetic beak, Grecia was enabled to eat.

Astonished by Grecia's story, animal activists are hoping that the support for a new anti-animal abuse law will be implemented. They ask that the law will state harder penalties for the abusers and stricter protection for animals. Activists marched and forwarded their petition in San Jose for the bill "not to abuse animals" last Sunday. According to Christian Science Monitor, animal rights activist Juan Carlos Peralta said "Grecia motivated and moved our entire country to do more."
The oldest living man ever recorded in history is now ready to die at the age of 145. The Indonesian man named Mbah Gotho from Sragen, Central Java was born on December 31, 1870, based on his official identification card. Officials at the local registry office have been able to verify that the remarkable date is indeed genuine.

With this independent confirmation, Mr. Gotho is actually 145 years old and the oldest living human ever recorded in history. Albeit his amazing age, Gotho is no longer aiming to add more years in his life. "What I want is to die. My grandchildren are all independent," he said in an interview with a local media.

All ten of his siblings, four wives, and all his children are now dead. The nearest living relatives he has now are his grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren.

Gotho's grandson even mentioned that their beloved grandfather has been preparing to die since he was 122. He already prepared his burial site, which was close to the graves of his children. According to The Independent, Gotho has been ready to die for about 24 years already, his grave was readied way back in 1992.

Now that Mr. Gotho is 145 years old. He spends most of his day listening to the radio and sitting to rest because his eyesight is in a very poor state to watch television. Members of the family had to spoon-feed and bathe him for the last three months because his body is becoming frailer each day.

He was asked what his secret to longevity was and his response is simple. "The recipe is just patience." The officer at the local office registry said that international team has to verify his birth date for Mr. Gotho to officially make the world record. But they are confident because the current record holder is a French woman named Jeanne Calment who died in 1997 at the age of 122 years old.

The Sun also reported others who are believed to be older than Mbah Gotho but failed to be independently verified - James Olofintuyi, 171, from Nigeria and Dhaqabo, 163, from Ethiopia.
Lucy, the most well-known Australopithecus afarensis in the world gave scientists valuable insight about the lives of our ancestors from 3.18 million years ago. Her skeleton, which was found sticking out of an Ethiopian stream bed in 1974, was estimated to have been 40% complete and is considered the best representation of her early human species.

How did Lucy, our early human ancestor, die 3 million years ago? https://t.co/6ynh6qtKEs pic.twitter.com/kaW6xeqLOY  CNN Health (@cnnhealth) August 29, 2016

However, how she came to rest in the stream remained a mystery and has since been considered the world's oldest cold case - until now.

In a press release from the University of Texas at Austin, scientists finally settled on a conclusion: Lucy died from falling off a tree. Lead author John Kappelman, a UT Austin anthropology and geological sciences professor said, It is ironic that the fossil at the center of a debate about the role of arborealism in human evolution likely died from injuries suffered from a fall out of a tree."

A new analysis conducted 40 years after her discovery revealed that Lucy has a pattern of distinctive fractures that scientists claim to have pointed to be from a fall from great heights. Kappelman said that even though he taught about the fossil since he was a grad student in the 1980s, and knew of the existence of her fractures, he never thought to ask what caused them - and so far, nobody put out a theory on how our most famous ancestor died.

Still, according to National Geographic, the theory already came upon controversies, as some researcher remain unconvinced, saying that the cracks in her bones formed long after she died. Donald Johanson, a paleoanthropologist at the Arizona State University who was credited for discovering and naming Lucy said, "The kind of breakage that we are looking at on these bones is consistent with the kind of bone damage on almost all of the other fossils at Hadar-elephant fossils, rhino fossils, monkey fossils."

He added, "they are undoubtedly the result of geological forces acting on the bones after they are buried during the process of fossilization."
A group of Russian astronomers claimed they picked up a strong mysterious signal from space. They said that the signal came from a distant system with a Sun-like star. However, before you start thinking that these astronomers may have found ET's home, they still need to find another signal coming from the same location in the sky.

The astronomers used the RATAN-600 radio telescope which is a large radio observatory in Zelenchukskaya, located in southwestern Russia. The data they collected showed that the signal came from the direction of a star known as HD164595 which is located 95 light-years from Earth. What the astronomers found really interesting though is since the star is almost the size of the Sun, it is believed to have a planet in its orbit, techninja.me reported.

However, astronomers think that if there really is a planet that orbits closer to its star than Mercury orbits the Sun, the star would be too hot to support life. However, it is still possible that there are other planets in there that experts haven't discovered yet.

Seth Shostak, the director for the Center for SETI Study, warned people to contain their excitement about the discovery. There are a number of probable explanations for what triggered the detection, and according to the astronomers, until another signal is picked up from the exact same location in the sky, no one can cry "alien" just yet. There have also been several times that this same signal had been picked up before but no one has really made out of it. "I would say it's a secret signal, but secret alerts are not new," Shostak explained to The Verge.

Shostak also said that it took the research group more than a year to say anything about the signal. "It's a gentlemen's agreement that if you find a signal that could be real, you call up someone else to check it out in an effort to convince yourself," he said. "The people who found it didn't think enough to tell other people right away."

Meanwhile, Claudio Maccone, an Italian astronomer who collaborated with Russian researchers at RATAN-600 told Shotak that the Russian researchers didn't say anything because "they were shy." "To me that says they are not so convinced it's ET [extraterrestrial]," Shostak said, pointing out that Maccone even told him that he thinks "it is probably not ET."

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) plans to look for the signal again Monday night using Allen Telescope Array (ATA), Business Insider reported.

Tune in to Science World Report for more updates on recent space discoveries and more.
"The Office of Planetary Protection" has been setup by NASA in collaboration with other International Organizations so as to prevent any "harmful contamination" of the places we explore in the Solar System as well as our own planet when we return.

As part of the Agency's efforts to prevent microbial life-forms hitching a ride on missions to other planets and making sure exploring spacecraft don't spread too many harmful Earth's organisms to all of our planetary neighbors.

Why do we need Planetary Protection Laws?

According to HowStuffWorks, planetary protection was initially created in service of humanity's oldest question: are we alone in the Universe? "We would find it very difficult to identify Mars life if we already contaminated the planet with Earth life," says Catharine Conley, NASA's Planetary Protection officer. This dilemma led to the formation of planetary protection. Less contamination preserves the integrity of the Solar System's planets and protects them from any damage that Earth's organisms might cause. And it means that missions looking for life on other worlds will avoid misclassifying Earth life as ET.

NASA has different standards for planetary protection depending on where you want to go in the Solar System, though. If you want to go to places like the Moon or asteroids, the planetary protection rules for your spacecraft aren't that strict. But for special places like Mars and Europa your spacecraft will need to go through some sterilization procedures. That way, you won't inadvertently start any interplanetary microbe colonies.



What does it do?

According to its official site, the objectives of planetary protection are several-fold and include:

1. Preserving our ability to study other worlds as they exist in their natural states;

2. Avoiding the biological contamination of explored environments that may obscure our ability to find life elsewhere - if it exists; and

3. To ensure that we take prudent precautions to protect Earth's biosphere in case life does exist elsewhere.

"Planetary protection is probably the first time that humans have done that as a global species ever - look at what we can do in the future on the basis of what we have learned in the past," Catharine Conley told Inverse. "Because with planetary protection policy and avoiding harmful contamination, you are understanding that you have the potential to screw up the investigation of alien life." Protection agreements were signed in 1967 with the United Nations Outer Space Treaty.
Hackers have breached databases for voter registration systems in Illinois and Arizona, according to state election and law enforcement officials. "Hackers accessed a database for the Illinois Board of Elections, compromising up to 200,000 personal voter records," states Ken Menzel, General Counsel for the board.

The Illinois attack took place in late July, bringing down the state's voter registration for 10 days and stealing data on as many as 200,000 registered voters. The Arizona attack was less significant, introducing malware into the voter registration system but not successfully stealing any data. According to a flash bulletin obtained by Yahoo News, the FBI is currently investigating digital attacks on voter registration systems in both Arizona and Illinois.

DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson held a conference call recently to discuss whether DHS should declare electoral systems as critical infrastructure, which triggers more involvement from the federal government. It has offered to help states increase security of their systems, but states have rebuffed federal help and largely believe their systems are secure.

What was the motive?

Experts believe that there's no way to know if the attacks were attempts to compromise the voting system or simply part of the ongoing efforts of hackers worldwide to harvest information about individuals that can be sold online to criminals looking for identity theft victims. "The voter registration databases are completely separate from the system that vote counting system, so they wouldn't impact one and other. Counting systems typically are not online, whereas the registration system is designed to be online in many states," said Verified Voting's Smith.

"While the systems are separate, it might be possible, though highly labor intensive, to use the voter names and addresses to interfere with an election", said Princeton's Appel. "On election day people wouldn't be allowed to vote who should legitimately be allowed to." Hackers could change voters' addresses, so their registrations would be invalid or at least confused.

Anyone with concerns about the integrity of their voting registration can check it through their local Board of Elections. It's also possible to visit Google's How Do I Vote page to see what options are available in a given state or jurisdiction.

The FBI bulletin does not attribute the two attacks to any particular group, although Yahoo News traces a few pieces of evidence that link the attack to Russia. Certain methods used in the hack overlap with previous attacks linked to Russia, and at least one IP address used in the hack had surfaced previously in cybercrime forums.
Changing the world in his own way was apparently what Mark Zuckerberg discussed with Pope Francis on Monday. Through communications technology, the tech CEO aims to connect the people around the world and encourage a culture of encounter. He likewise talked about alleviating poverty and giving a message of hope.

Moreover, Zuckerberg told the Pope "how much we admire his message of mercy and tenderness, and how he's found new ways to communicate with people of every faith around the world", USA Today reported. Zuckerberg likewise shared some details of the meeting in his personal Facebook page.

According to The Huffington Post, Zuckerberg said he felt the Pope's warmth and kindness. He likewise saw how deeply he wants to help people. As a token, he gave Pope Francis a model of Aquila, a solar-powered aircraft intended to expand internet connection in developing countries especially in the remote areas. Aquila made its full-scale first flight in July.

One of the highlighted features of Aquila is its wingspan, which is wider than a Boeing 737. It can fly at low altitudes up to 96 minutes and Aaims to stay in the air long enough to provide 24-hour web access. Zuckerberg plans to continue testing the vehicle over the next year with the aim to fly higher and longer.

Meanwhile, CNN reported that Zuckerberg announced his intention to go to Italy last week due to the earthquake that struck the country. He also said he was looking forward to spending time with the Italian community.

With Facebook being popular among people around the globe, it won't be a surprise to use it alongside other communications technology tools with the goal of bringing changes to the world. At present, Facebook is already being used to do some charity works and spread awareness regarding various concerns - both intentions have already made changes in numerous lives.
News leak saying HTC will release a sequel to its popular One A9 launched last year and also known as an Apple iPhone 6 clone.

In IFA consumer electronics trade show this year, an expert on the matter considered One A9 as a "doppelganger" of the Apple smartphone as reported in Venture Beat. But the matter that made the sequel even more interesting is the fact that HTC seems to plan to adopt the same naming conventions Apple made for its devices, dubbing the new model as One A9s.

An image of the new device showed that it will be available in black, gold, white and blueish-silver, which is almost similar to its predecessor. Although some of the hardware elements such as the flash, sensors, and camera lenses have been repositioned - the outcome is still alike One A9.

"HTC's iPhone clone is getting a successor, the One A9s" https://t.co/JaLnMT4Vqk pic.twitter.com/gEbYzFByNG  Evan Blass (@evleaks) August 29, 2016

To make the company's 2016 flagship phone, the HTC 10, the HTC branding in front of the device was also eliminated. However, the company failed to disclose the specifications of the sequel phone but shared that it will have a 13 megapixels main camera resolution, while five megapixels resolution for the front camera - which is one megapixel higher than One A9. It may still have the fingerprint scanner like One A9 and the big HTC logo at the back.

The company plans to official announce One A9s at IFA 2016 on September 1 in Berlin, as revealed by The Verge. Currently, HTC One A9 sells for $429 and tech enthusiasts believe that One A9s will be offered around that price as well - or else, people wouldn't want to get their hands on another $500 phone clone.

HTC Corporation is a Taiwanese company that manufactures tablets and smartphones. it was launched in 1997 and have been designing innovative devices and technology since then. The company aims to connect people in a unique way possible.
Anti-vax parents are increasing as of today than a decade ago. The study reveals there was an increase of the rate of pediatricians that had encountered a parent refusing to vaccinate their children that went from about 75 percent to 87 percent in between 2006 to 2013.

The study was published in the journal Pediatrics on August 29, 2016. The researchers asked 627 pediatricians in 2013 whether their patients' parents had ever refused a vaccination or delayed a vaccination. They also asked the pediatricians about their views on the reasons why the parents refuse or delay their children's vaccination, according to Live Science.

The findings of the study showed that 87 percent of pediatricians said there were vaccine refusals from parents of their patients in 2013. This had increased by 75 percent of pediatricians who said the same in 2006. This means that many children are not receiving all or some vaccines that are significant for their health.

The researchers stated that vaccination will inhibit around 322 million illnesses among children born between 1994 and 2013. The dangerous diseases such as measles and whooping cough could return due to unvaccinated kids.

According to Mother Jones, more parents refuse to vaccinate their children because they think vaccines are unnecessary. The study also showed that parents delay or skip vaccinations due to other reasons. These include concerns over child discomfort and harming the child's immune system.

Catherine Hough-Telford, the lead author of the study explained that parents who are making decisions about vaccines today have never lived through measles outbreaks or children dying of pertussis or polio. "They've never seen these illnesses firsthand." The doctors said that it is significant to vaccinate people as possible so as to create "herd immunity" by limiting the infected population in order for vulnerable groups such as infants and the elderly would less likely to be exposed.
The IFA 2016 conference is all set and ready to sail in Berlin on 1st September. Tech savvies and fans from everywhere in the globe are excited to see new innovations tech companies have to offer. One of the most highly anticipated tech companies is Korea-based tech company Samsung who will be launching the Galaxy Gear S3 smartwatch.

According to reports, the Gear S3 will be codenamed 'Solaris', which in Spanish literally translates to Sun, indicating that the upcoming device will sport the same circular display, as well as rotating bezel, as the one before it, the Galaxy Gear S2.

Folks at SamMobile, a website covering everything Samsung, reports that the Korean tech giant previously worked with de Grisogono on a special diamond-encrusted version of the Gear S2, and news of the two companies's continuing the collaboration was reported by the Korea Herald. Quoting an unnamed official from de Grisogono, the firm is "collaborating with Samsung to develop its next-generation smartwatch" following the success of the stylized Gear S2.

The new smartwatch will reportedly feature either a 1.2 or 1.5-inch Super AMOLED screen with Always-On display feature. The bezels would be rotatable, retaining the design and control features of the Gear S2. Christian Post stated that the device will run on Samsung's proprietary Tizen operating system, which will allow the software to make use of the Gear's rotating bezel for input.

It will also feature an altimeter, a barometer, and a speedometer, as well as an integrated GPS which will come in handy when needed. The Gear is also equipped with sensors that will allow the constant monitoring of both the weather and your health statistics. The screen will most likely be protected by Gorilla Glass 4, and has an IP68 certification for dust proofing and water resistance.

It will also be powered by a 1GHz Exynos sensor natively manufactured by Samsung and the device will come with 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. The Gear S3 will also pack a 400 mAh battery, which is 100 mAh higher than the one before it, Digital Trends reported.

Igalaxys7.com reported that the Samsung Gear S3 will retail for $499 in the United States and 380 in the United Kingdom. However, prices may still differ depending on the carrier you use.

Tune in to Science World Report for more updates on the Samsung Galaxy Gear S3.
Eight months ago, Korea-based tech company Samsung launched its very first Windows 10 tablet, the Galaxy TabPro S. it gathered great reviews from experts, and some even said that it is better than the Microsoft Surface Pro. Now, the company is working on the Galaxy TabPro S' successor.

Reports from SamMobile revealed that the Korean tech giant is working on the Galaxy TabPro S2. According to the folks in the site, the TabPro S2 will possible have a 12-inch Super AMOLED display (21601440 pixels) which is exactly what the original TabPro S has. The device will also sport an Intel Core M processor.

They have also confirmed that Samsung will release the new device in the next few months with Windows 10 in it. The device will allegedly have 4 models: SM-W728, SM-W727, SM-W723, and SM-W720, which could either be different models for different markets or models with hardware configuration. Some of these models will reportedly have LTE connectivity.

Windowscentral.com reported that Samsung still has not commented on the hardware configuration, price or when the device will be released. However, the original Samsung Galaxy TabPro S launched in March and has a 12-inch display, an Intel Core m3-6Y30 processor, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage and a detachable keyboard. It's currently priced at $749 at the Microsoft Store

The previous Galaxy TabPro S had a really nice design and it was a good alternative to Microsoft's Surface devices, hence being received very well by consumers. Mspoweruser.com also reported that Samsung may include some extra features to the device such as integration with Galaxy smartphones. It will be very exciting to see what the company will do to make the newest addition to their range of devices more special.

Tune in to Science World Report for more update on the Samsung Galaxy TabPro 2.
The International Day against Nuclear Tests is remembered every August 29 of the year. This date marks the 25 years since the nuclear test site in Kazakhstan in the Soviet Union closed.

According to Time, the Soviet Union set off hundreds of nuclear devices for more than 40 years at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in Kazakhstan. After the nuclear testing, the explosions did severe damage on the surroundings, especially in the town of Semipalatinsk, which is almost 100 mi. east of the site. The effects of the radiation harmed the people and environment with babies born with deformities during and after the period of testing. Many people were diagnosed with various types of cancer and more than half of the population died before they reached the age of 60, according to Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty.

The nuclear testing ended in 1989 and it was officially closed on August 29, 1991. The United Nations acknowledges the International Day Against Nuclear Tests yearly on that date to venerate the decision of Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev to close the nuclear test site down.

"Every effort should be made to end nuclear tests in order to avert devastating and harmful effects on the lives and health of people and the environment," states U.N. Resolution 64/35. The Day Against Nuclear Tests was established on December 2, 2009, at the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly by the resolution 64/35, which was adopted unanimously.

This significant day serves as a reminder of the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty that the United Nations adopted. On the other hand, it has not yet entered into force. The treaty indicates banning all nuclear testing or explosions in any setting, but some countries in the world have not signed it yet. These include Egypt, North Korea, China, Pakistan, India, Israel, Iran and United States, according to Time.
FLORENCE, S.C.  McLeod Health announced Tuesday that it has won accolades in 24 areas from a national ratings organization.

Charles Bethea, chairman of Mcleod's board of trustees, said such accomplishments are " the culmination of a laser-sharp focus on continuous improvement on the quality and safety of everything we do at McLeod.

Bethea welcomed a room full of people at lunchtime Tuesday to celebrate the national awards bestowed upon the health care system, and was quick to give credit to the culture thats shaped a winning workforce.

Every morning our folks get up looking to find ways to provide a better service to our patients and families, he said. Its a culture and an ongoing way of life that continues to deliver outstanding benefit to our Pee Dee community and the citizens. Bethea asked those present to share with me the great pride we have in this institution, and see that McLeod remains the true choice for medical excellence.

Dr. Dale Lusk welcomed everyone to our pause for celebration, as he acknowledged the many people present who made a huge difference in the health and well-being of those who we serve.

Its to you we owe the most accolades to, said Lusk, vice president of McLeod Medical Services. He noted that those who received the award represent a huge number of those who are sitting in the audience today as well.

Lusk said that when Dr. F.H. McLeod opened an infirmary in 1906, his vision was to bring the best of the best.

Today its fitting that we remember that. And celebrate as we have made huge strides, he said.

From nurses and technical support to grounds staff and food service, Lusk underscored the different roles played in bringing about a team effort.

That is a hallmark of what we do here at McLeod Regional Medical Center, he said. Our mantra is that its physician led, evidence-based and data-driven, so these awards are a culmination of those efforts.

Healthgrades, the Colorado-based ratings organization bestowing the awards, sees 1.2 million visitors each day to its website, said Katharine Mongoven, Healthgrades associate director of quality solutions. She said the idea is to provide patients with tools and information to help them make an informed decision on where to seek medical care.

We take very seriously the responsibility of empowering patients, she said, explaining that Healthgrades evaluates over 4,500 hospitals each year and rates performance using clinical outcomes, believing that mortality and complication rates are the most fundamental, relevant and objective measures of quality in the metrics that are most important to patients.

Analysis shows that not all hospitals are created equal, she said, and selecting the right physician and hospital can be a matter of life and death.

If all hospitals across the nation performed at a five-star level, over 222,000 lives would be saved and 166,000 complications would be avoided, she said.

In the years spanning 2012-14, patients treated at hospitals recognized as one of Americas best 100 for general surgery have a 27.9 percent lower risk for complications or dying than for patients being treated in a hospital not recognized for that award, she said.

This is an honor  it really is  to be recognized as top in the nation in these categories, said McLeod chief executive officer Rob Colones. These are diseases and illnesses that are prevalent in our region and having teams like these care for our patients is rewarding.

WHAT IT WON:

>> McLeod Health was recognized with 24 total awards from Healthgrades:

>> Americas 100 best hospitals for cardiac care.

>> Americas 100 best hospitals for coronary intervention.

>> Americas 50 best hospitals for vascular surgery.

>> Americas 100 best hospitals for general surgery.

>> Cardiac care excellence award.

>> Coronary intervention excellence award.

>> Top 5 percent in the nation in coronary interventional procedures.

>> Top 5 percent in the nation in cardiology services.

>> Top 10 percent in the nation for overall cardiac services.

>> Vascular surgery excellence award.

>> Top 5 percent in the nation in vascular surgery.

>> General surgery excellence award.

>> Top 5 percent in the nation in general surgery.

>> Treatment of heart attack.

>> Treatment of heart failure.

>> Coronary interventional procedures.

>> Repair of abdominal aorta.

>> Carotid surgery.

>> Treatment of stroke.

>> Total knee replacement.

>> Esophageal/stomach surgeries.

>> Treatment of bowel obstruction.

>> Treatment of respiratory failure.

>> Treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
A Richland County man shot to death Saturday along with his adult daughter was an immigrant who built businesses and looked out for the communitys downtrodden, friends told The State on Monday.

The two were found dead around 9 a.m. at 124 Brandon Hall Road, according to the Richland County Sheriffs Department. Richland County Coroner Gary Watts identified them as Dunber Dolo, 55, and Magaiteh Dolo, 24.

Deputies arrested Willie Wilson, 25  who officials say is Magaiteh Dolos ex-boyfriend  Sunday around 5:30 p.m.

Its not the first time Wilson has come to law enforcements attention. Deputies answered a domestic violence call Jan. 15 at the home he shared with Magaiteh Dolo, according to the sheriffs department.

He assaulted her, said sheriffs spokesman Lt. Curtis Wilson, who is not related to the suspect. The reason there was no charges is she would not cooperate with investigators or the victim services unit, the spokesman said. And she called the prosecutors office and told them she wouldnt cooperate.

Magaiteh Dolo moved in with her father recently at his home in Northeast Richland County, the sheriffs spokesman said.

Leshawna Goodwin, 27, said she grew up near the Dolo family. She became friends with Magaiteh Dolo  who went by Jac  and the two other children in the family.

Dunber Dolo was a father figure to her as well, Goodwin said. He took us places and we did things together as a group  and he would sit us down and give us advice.

The Dolo family moved to Columbia between 15 and 20 years ago, Goodwin said. Dunber Dolo emigrated from Liberia to New York, then came to South Carolina, she said.

Otisha Mickens, who used to tend bar for Dunber Dolo at the nightclub Da Underground at Two Notch Road and Beltline Boulevard, said Dolo drove a cab when he first came to the United States. Over the years, he ran several businesses in the Columbia area.

He gave (food) out all the time, Mickens said. If there was food left over (at any of his businesses), hed let whoever was in there have it. He was always willing to feed you.

In addition to nightclubs, Dunber Dolo also owned Dolos Soul Food restaurant on Sunset Boulevard, which Magaiteh Dolo ran, Goodwin said. She described the woman as quiet, but funny.

She would always make jokes, Goodwin said. She was just a loving person all around.

Goodwin said she had to break the news to Magaiteh Dolos brother.

I thought he knew, and he didnt, Goodwin said.

Eric Barber, 48, met Dunber Dolo in 2010, when Barber was an officer with the Columbia Police Department and Dolo owned a nightclub on Colonial Drive.

He didnt allow any drugs, anything illegal, Barber said. He was always in command of his club.

Dunber Dolo had a habit of looking out for people, Barber said. Dolo would sometimes give jobs to folks who couldnt get them elsewhere because they had criminal records or had little education, Barber said.

Hed say things like, If I give him a job, he can keep money in his pocket, he can take care of his responsibilities,  he said of Dolo.

Barber said he has run his own trucking business since 2009, which he said Dunber Dolo encouraged him to launch.

Barber also worked at the Richland County Sheriffs Department.

He was fired after he was charged with misconduct in office in 2008 when school officials reported he improperly hugged three teenage girls.

The father and daughter were killed Saturday in the Brandon Hall subdivision off Hardscrabble Road. Wilson forced his way into the home through the rear door, officials allege.

Investigators found Magaiteh Dolo inside the home and her father outside in a neighbors yard. The coroner said both of them died after being shot in the upper body.

Deputies found Wilson at the home of an acquaintance on Screaming Eagle Road Extension.

He is charged with two counts of murder, first-degree burglary and armed robbery  that last because he stole Magaiteh Dolos car and cellphone, the sheriffs spokesman said.
Living in South Carolina and hearing stories about how people help each other is a great thing to hear. It makes you feel secured and would love to live in a place like that. In reality it is not the same as you hear.

These stories seems to be for some and not for all. This past summer I lost my beautiful daughter that left three kids behind to be raised. After the services my troubles really began. I was told that there would be limited amount of Social Security. Because of my daughter's illness she was not able to work much. "Understandable."

I was told that I would only receive $160 in food stamps because they added to my income, meaning gross income that I can never bring home and I don't have a very good-paying job. I was told that if I put my grandchildren in the system that I would still not receive any funds because I was grandmother, but if a stranger took them each child would receive a great amount. "How Sad."

The system was not an option for me. This was my daughter's last request for me to take care of her children. I will remember hearing and reading, "I will never leave you or forsake." I am strongly depending on these words. Everywhere I went to try to take care of business I was told these are South Carolina laws.

I was sent to a food bank only to learn that I had to stand in line for over two to three hours among a lot of people in a very small hot room. Then only to receive maybe two good items and the rest was bent and outdated can goods. To me it was saying this is all you deserve but God says better, so I walked away.

To some this letter may seem like I may be complaining or asking for a handout. I am very thankful for what I have and have accomplished with putting God first and working. I am still working but my situation has changed because of the death of my daughter. My daughter has always taken care of her children and not by welfare; she was paying $800 a month and was only late one time in 3 years. I will miss her dearly and I am sorry that I had to experience that South Carolina laws does not spell out Bible or God ways.

When a man is down you don't kick him; you pick him up and help. Some people choose not be help by only wanting handouts, but I choose to be picked up and soar like a bird but the laws of South Carolina have taped down my wings. Change the laws. Understand that some things happen to people that are not in their control. Don't continue to try to secretly put hurt people in poverty. My South Carolina Bible Belt state.

LYNN WILLIAMS

Florence
Throughout the first week of August a lot was printed about the verbal battle between Khizr and Ghalaza Khan and Donald Trump. Trump has been condemned because of his retort when Mr. Khan called him on his plan to at least temporarily ban foreign Muslims from entering the United States. In Trump's shoes, I would have ignored Mr. Khan's statement, but that is not Trump's style.

I am sorry for Mr. Khan's loss of his son, Army Captain Humayun Khan, killed in 2004 in Iraq. My kid brother, Lance Corporal Gregory J. Weber, USMC, was killed October 6, 1968, in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. He was 19. Our father once told me that losing a child is the hardest thing there is.

I have a question that I have not seen addressed in any media. How did Mr. Khan and his wife happen to be at the Democratic National Convention? Did they take it upon themselves to go there 12 years after the death of their son in order to embarrass Trump? If so, how did they get the floor? Or did the Democratic Party leaders invite them in order to use Captain Khan's death as a political ploy, knowing that the family would become news for weeks? In either case, did the party leaders inform them that if they entered the political arena on this particular stage that they would become political targets?

There is no honor or ethics in American national politics anymore on the part of either major party. It is all about character assassination, empty promises and avoiding the tough issues. The old days of discussing the issues and promoting realistic platforms are long gone. As a kid just shy of 13, I campaigned for Ike's re-election in 1956. In those days even grade-school kids took an interest in our government. I really miss the good old days of Eisenhower vs. Stevenson.

LAWRENCE D. WEBER

Quinby
Countries including the U.K., Australia and Taiwan have issued travel advisories for tourists to Singapore after the city-state announced a further increase in Zika cases.

Singapore's Ministry of Health confirmed 15 more cases of locally-transmitted Zika virus on Monday, bringing the total number of affected to 56.

The new cases involved people who live or work in the Sims Drive and Aljunied Crescent area, and were detected from testings of potentially infected persons, according to a government statement.

The various travel advisories issued Monday warn expecting mothers to exercise caution and defer all non-essential travel to Singapore.

The Zika virus is transmitted mainly by Aedes mosquitoes, and has been linked to a rare birth effect, known as microcephaly, in babies whose mothers suffered from the virus while pregnant. Symptoms include fever, skin rash, red eyes, muscle and joint pain, malaise or headaches.

There is currently no cure or vaccine to prevent Zika infection, and treatments are focused on relieving symptoms.



Malaysia, which shares a border with Singapore, Monday announced an increase of precautionary measures such as thermal scanners to detect fever at major entry points in the state of Johor and various airports, reported The Straits Times.

An average of nearly 296,000 people pass through the Johor-Singapore customs border daily, according to Malaysia's Immigration Department records.



About 3,600 premises in Singapore's affected regions were checked for mosquito breeding, and 36 mosquito breeding habitats were detected and destroyed, according to a joint Ministry of Health and National Environment Agency statement released on Monday.

The government has also been stepping up on precautionary measures such as thermal fogging, misting and indoor spraying of insecticides at inspected premises.

Singapore had reported a case of Zika in May, in a man who had been to Brazil, the country at the center of the global Zika outbreak.

Story continues

Last week Hong Kong reported what was thought to be its first locally-transmitted Zika case but that person has since tested negative for the virus.

-- Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.







More From CNBC


Cash-strapped Hanjin Shipping will see its creditor-led restructuring scheme end on 4 September, and without extension of funds from its creditors, the Korean shipowner will have to file for court receivership.

Back in May this year, the creditors approved Hanjin Shippings voluntary restructuring, which is an uphill task considering the massive debt of approximately KRW5.6trn ($5bn).

The creditors, led by state-owned Korea Development Bank (KDB), have kept up their pressure on Hanjin Shipping to implement austerity measures to stabilise its weak financial position.

The shipowners restructuring program has thus far relied on an infusion of KRW400bn from its largest shareholder Korean Air Lines, falling short of at least KRW600bn that the creditors have wished to see.

Earlier this month, South Koreas Financial Services Commission (FSC) affirmed that the government has no plan to pump money into the ailing Hanjin Shipping, as the shipowner is expected to resolve its own crisis or face court receivership.

Hanjin Shipping has been negotiating with other owners for a reduction in containership charter rates, and talking with many financial institutions over ship mortgage loans.

In the first half ended 30 June 2016, Hanjin Shipping booked a loss of KRW473.1bn, widening from the deficit of KRW127.2bn in the same period of last year.

The ominous fate of Hanjin Shipping resulted in its shares being suspended from trading after plunging 29% on Tuesday to the lowest price since December 2009. The companys share price has plummeted 66% so far this year.

Hanjin Shipping is supposed to join a new container shipping partnership named THE Alliance starting April 2017, subject to approvals by the relevant regulatory authorities. The six-member THE Alliance is currently made up of Hapag-Lloyd, K Line, Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), Yang Ming and Hanjin Shipping.
Transas, provider of high tech equipment, software applications, integrated solutions and services for the maritime industry, noted that todays maritime industry requires realistic solutions and concepts for a modern, integrated operational infrastructure that delivers a sustainable, viable future.

Whether an autonomous ship or not the maritime sector needs an infrastructure solution that will enhance and support our human element, and enable operations, the company said.

ECDIS, ship stability, voyage planning and weather forecast data as well as fuel consumption, engine performance and bridge alarm system data should all be made available in real-time to the shore as well as on the ship.

The majority feel the crew would be willing to accept operational decisions from shore and this is just one of the options open to the maritime stakeholders if collaborating through one central operating system and repository of 'mega data'.

Frank Coles, ceo of Transas, believed that the company has opened the way for the global maritime community to finally take advantage of truly integrated operations that exponentially improve efficiency and safety throughout.

Coles will share THESIS (the Transas Harmonised Eco System of Integrated Solutions) in action during his presentation at SMM 2016 held in Hamburg, Germany from 6-9 September, as well as deliver critical insight and practical innovation for the future of maritime operations.
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Hillary Clinton is the first female presidential nominee of any major U.S. political party  a historical achievement  and yet few candidates have inspired the animosity of "Hillary haters."

Critics on both sides of the aisle have targeted Hillary for decades. She was once seen as too rigid and is now judged too lenient. She was formerly too idealist; now she's a puppet of the establishment.

Are the shifting reasons for that distrust evidence that gender stereotypes are still influencing American voters? Are there some people that will vote for the other candidate just because of Hillary's sex?

You might think so, but according to expert research, probably not.

Kathleen Dolan, professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, studies the way a candidate's gender influences American elections. Her most recent book, "When Does Gender Matter? Women Candidates and Gender Stereotypes in American Elections," says that contrary to popular belief, gender stereotypes do not influence most American voters today.

RELATED: Should Hillary Clinton Count on the Female Vote?

Media coverage, especially of the 2016 presidential race so far, promotes the idea that a female candidate's sex does influence public perception. And early research on gender stereotypes in the minds of voters confirmed that idea.

"Most of the early work that was done on public reactions to women candidates relied on public opinion surveys that asked people whether they would vote for a woman, or experimental studies in which a relatively small number of people were asked if they would vote for Jane Smith or Jerry Smith," Dolan told Seeker via email.

"But this methodology is a problem because people could have a very different reaction to 'a woman' and 'Hillary Clinton,'" she said.

Dolan's study was based on a 2010 survey of 3,100 U.S. adults, chosen randomly. Half lived in places that had women running for Congress or governor and the other half saw male-only races. Dolan used real candidates in her research.

The finding: gender stereotypes in U.S. elections are decreasing overall.

"My research finds that a candidate's sex isn't particularly important to voters," Dolan said. "The most important thing is political party -- people vote for the candidate of their political party, regardless of the sex of that candidate. If a person shares the party of a woman candidate, he or she will vote for that woman."

RELATED: Women Candidates Who Have Run For President

Dolan also did a more recent survey in 2014 of about 1,500 people as part of Harvard's Cooperative Congressional Campaign Study. She posed similar questions to participants that she asked in 2010 and found again that voters are most likely to vote with their political party regardless of the candidate's sex.

WATCH VIDEO: Do Women Make Better Leaders Than Men?
The National Hurricane Center has issued simultaneous advisories for three hurricanes--Hurricane Gaston in the north Atlantic Ocean, and Hurricanes Lester and Madeline in the eastern Pacific.

As of 5 a.m. Tuesday, Hurricane Gaston had reached category 2 level with maximum winds of 100 miles per hour, and it's expected to maintain that strength over the next couple of days. The cyclone was located was about 630 miles east of Bermuda. The forecast calls for it to turn toward the northeast, and so far, it presents no hazard to people on land.

"Gaston remains a well-organized hurricane," NHC forecaster Jack Beven explained Monday morning in an press release. "However, the satellite appearance is slightly less impressive than 6 hours ago, with the eye becoming less distinct and the deep convection eroding in the northwestern quadrant."

RELATED: Hurricanes Intensifying, But Some Won't Believe It

Meanwhile, in the eastern Pacific, Lester, a category 3 hurricane, was about 1,290 miles west of the southern tip of Baja California, with winds of 125 miles per hour. And another category 3 hurricane, Hurricane Madeline, was expected to pass near Hawaii midweek Lester is expected to continue moving westward for the next couple of days, but again, no hazard to coastal areas is predicted, according to the NHC forecast.

Though hurricanes form both in the Atlantic and Pacific, the Atlantic ones strike the U.S. East Coast slightly less than twice a year on average, while the Pacific ones almost never hit the West Coast. As NOAA hurricane researcher Chris W. Landsea explained in a Scientific American article, hurricanes in the Northern Hemisphere tend to form at tropical and subtropical latitudes and move toward the north-northwest.

RELATED: The Heart of Hurricane Season Is Here

That pattern brings Atlantic hurricanes toward the U.S. East Coast, but carries Pacific hurricanes farther offshore, away from the West Coast.

Additionally, the warm waters of the Gulf Stream provide thermal energy to sustain Atlantic hurricanes, but the cooler waters along the U.S. West Coast actually reduce a storm's strength.

WATCH: How Do We Know When Hurricanes Are Forming?
The signal in question appears to be a radio burst with a frequency of 11 GHz that was detected by the observatory on May 15, 2015, coming from HD164595, which is located 95 light-years away and is known to possess one exoplanet. This exoplanet is likely "Neptune-like," approximately 4% the mass of Jupiter, with a 40 day orbit. Though this planet is very un-habitable for life as we know it (as it's very close to its star), there could be other undiscovered planets in the system.

Astronomers using the Russian RATAN-600 radio telescope have recorded "a strong signal in the direction of HD164595," according to Centauri Dreams' Paul Gilster who has access to a document that is currently circulating behind the scenes. The research is not published yet, but according to Gilster, the signal will be discussed during a SETI meeting at the 67th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Guadalajara, Mexico, in September.

But astronomers have identified an "interesting" signal emanating from a not-so-distant sun-like star and the mere fact that I've mentioned aliens will have you thinking about aliens and not the other things this signal could be. I'm not saying it's aliens, OK? I really shouldn't have mentioned aliens.

But the interesting thing is that HD164595 is very sun-like, only a little older. The 6.3 billion year-old star is 99% the size of the sun and contains an almost identical chemical makeup. When looking for habitable worlds, it helps to find a star that has similar qualities to our sun as it's the only star known to have a planet orbiting that's packed with life.

RELATED: Kepler's 'Alien Megastructure' Star Just Got Weirder

So it becomes really interesting when a signal with few natural explanations is detected and, according to astronomer Nick Suntzeff of Texas A&M University in an interview with Ars Technica, a radio signal at this frequency is, well, "strange."

"If this were a real astronomical source, it would be rather strange," said Suntzeff, adding that his guess would be that the signal is actually terrestrial and may be a 11 GHz burst from a military source. However, there's no known program that would be using such a frequency.

The upshot is that little is so far known about this event and we'll have to wait until SETI astronomers can deduce what may have caused it. But for now, an intelligent extraterrestrial civilization blasting radio transmissions into space is a very slight possibility... though the thought is intriguing.

Gilster points out that for this to be a SETI signal, the hypothetical civilization would need to be a "Kardashev Type II civilization" if it's blasting radio in all directions (an omnidirectional radio beacon) to get cosmic attention. But if they were aiming a narrow beam signal directly at Earth, which requires far less energy, they could be a Type I civilization. As a comparison, a Type I civilization has evolved with the technological ability to harness all the energy that reached their planet from their star; a Type II civilization is much more advanced, with the ability of harnessing all of the energy from their star. In the latter case, this could be achieved using a Dyson sphere or swarm.

RELATED: SETI Eavesdrops on Nearby Star in Smart Alien Hunt

But what are the other possibilities, without pulling the alien card?

First, it could just be noise; just an errant signal bouncing between Earth and nearby satellites -- like some kind of weird military signal, as suggested by Suntzeff. Also, astronomers familiar with the signal are considering the possibility of a microlensing event -- a distant radio source may have been momentarily amplified by HD164595 through the warping of spacetime, creating a cosmic lens, making the radio signal look like a suspect radio burst.

But it seems the astronomy community is taking this lead seriously and the SETI Institute's Allen Telescope Array, an array of 42 radio antennae in California, have been pointed at the star in the hope of replicating the RATAN-600 observation.

Nobody, so far, is saying this signal is aliens, we have a long (long!) way to go until we reach that conclusion, but we certainly need more radio telescopes pointing at HD164595 just in case the 11 GHz signal isn't a one-off.

This is definitely an "interesting" signal.

Sources: Centauri Dreams, Ars Technica, New Scientist h/t Daniel Le Messurier
Photo: Members of Red Lake Nation participate in a rally against Dakota Access Pipeline Aug. 24, 2016 in Washington, DC. Credit: Getty Images The Dakota Access oil pipeline is about halfway complete, but many Native American tribes from across the United States are trying to make sure the second half is never finished. The estimated $3.7 billion pipeline, if completed, would carry 470,000 barrels of crude oil a day from western North Dakota to Illinois where it would connect with an existing pipeline. But protesters have halted the building of a section that would go under the Missouri River, running very near to the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, reports the Los Angeles Times. Lawyers representing the Standing Rock Sioux argue that by approving the pipeline construction, the Army Corps of Engineers violated the National Historic Preservation Act. They say the pipeline would damage ancestral sites and put the reservation's water supply in danger. RELATED: Can The Middle East Survive Without Oil? Protesters say the blocking of the Dakota Access pipeline represents the bigger issue at hand; the fact that many of the oil pipelines and rail lines built in recent years run right through or near Native American reservations. When fossil fuels are transported, there is a risk of pollution to the surrounding air, water and land. "Every time there's a project of this magnitude, so the nation can benefit, there's a cost," Dave Archambault, chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux, told the LA Times. "That cost is born by tribal nations," he said. Archambault is one of 30 protesters recently arrested for creating "safety issues," at the pipeline's current construction site, according to Morton County sheriff, Kyle Kirchmeier. The concern over safety is ultimately what has halted the pipeline's construction for the time being. WATCH: Who Controls The World's Oil?

To the surprise of many tribal leaders like Archambault, the protest against the Dakota Access pipeline has drawn international support. Environmental groups, as well as a few celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Susan Sarandon, have shown their support for the fight, either online or in-person.
An infected tooth partially cleaned with flint tools represents the oldest known dentistry, says a new international study on a 14,000-year-old molar.

The find represents the oldest archaeological example of an operative manual intervention on a pathological condition, according to researchers led by Stefano Benazzi, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Bologna.

"It predates any undisputed evidence of dental and cranial surgery, currently represented by dental drillings and cranial trephinations dating back to the Mesolithic-Neolithic period, about 9,000-7,000 years ago, " Benazzi said.

The patient was a young man, about 25 years old, living in northern Italy.

His well-preserved skeleton was found in 1988 in the Veneto Dolomitesnear Belluno, in a rock shelter burial named Ripari Villabruna.

The find was directly dated between 13,820 and 14,160 years old. It's now kept at the University of Ferrara for further studies.

"The treatment went unnoticed for all these years. The cavity was described as a simple carious lesion," Benazzi said.

Detailing their finding in the journal Scientific Reports, Benazzi and colleagues show that forms of dental treatment were already adopted in the Late Upper Palaeolithic.

At that time, toothpicks probably made of bone and wood were used to remove food particles between teeth.

However, until now, no evidence had been found to associate Palaeolithic toothpicking with tooth decay.

Beewax dental filling was discovered in a 6,500 year old human tooth from Slovenia, while dental drilling, likely to remove decayed tissue, was discovered in 9,000-year-old molars from a Neolithic graveyard in Pakistan.

Benazzi and colleagues analyzed the lower right third molar of the Villabruna specimen. They noticed the tooth retains a large occlusal cavity with four cavities.

Using scanning electron microscopy the researchers uncovered peculiar striations in the internal surface of the large cavity.

"They were the result of a variety of gestures and movements associated with slicing a microlithic point in different directions," Benazzi said.

Experimental tests carried out on the enamel of three molars using wood, bone and microlithic points confirmed the striations are characteristic of scratching and chipping.

"Basically, the infected tissue was picked away from inside the tooth carefully using a small, sharp stone tool," Benazzi told Discovery News.

"This shows that Late Upper Paleolithic humans were aware about the deleterious effects of caries, and the need to intervene with an invasive treatment to clean a deep dental cavity," he added.

The researchers noted the enamel was partially rounded and polished due to wear, indicating the treatment was carried out long before the death of the individual.

The find suggests that dentistry evolved from the much older practice of toothpicking, rather than from drilling procedures.

According to co-author Marco Peresani at the University of Ferrara, the discovery represents a key moment in the development of dental surgical practices.

"It shows that humans combined dexterity and creative skills and properly managed technology for producing tools also in early dental medicine well before the Neolithic, " Peresani said.
Photo: Boston's famous Customs House Tower clock would have to be adjusted under a new proposal. Credit: Thinkstock Massachusetts Gov. Charles Baker recently signed legislation authorizing a study of whether the state should move into a different time zone, so that it could have more daylight hours during the months when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun.

Bloomberg reports that the idea was proposed by Quincy, Mass. resident Tom Emswiler.

RELATED: The Nation's Time Keeper

Emswiler has proposed that Massachusetts could switch from Eastern to Atlantic Standard Time, which covers eastern Canada, the Caribbean and parts of South America. He also would have the state stop the practice of turning the clock ahead in spring and summer and back during fall and winter to conform with Daylight Savings Time.

In a 2014 Boston Globe essay, Emswiler wrote: "The idea of defecting from our time zone might seem strange. Yet the emerging science and the geographic reality of life in New England make it an idea worth serious consideration."

In recent years, he pointed out, researchers have found that the switch to Daylight Savings Time is connected to small but significant increases in heart attacks, workplace injuries and driver and pedestrian fatalities apparently caused by sleep loss. But when the clock "falls back" in the autumn, there's no compensatory benefit, Emswiller noted in his article.

RELATED: Dangers of Daylight Savings Time

But more importantly, Emswiller worries that Massachusetts is losing college grads to places with longer exposure to sunlight.

"On the shortest evening of the year, the sun sets here at 4:11," Emswiller wrote. "When (students) graduate, they might find themselves with options in New York, where the shortest day extends to 4:28, or Palo Alto, where it's 4:50! Shifting one time zone would give us a 5:11 sunset -- a small but meaningful competitive change."

Any change would require the approval of the U.S. Department of Transportation, which by federal law regulates time zones.

WATCH VIDEO: How To Slow Down Time
It's no secret that Britain's decision to leave the European Union has caused a lot of headaches for a lot of people, but one of the odd side effects of the Brexit concerns a tiny slice of real estate off the southern coast of Spain.

In today's Seeker Daily report, we take a look at the disputed territory of Gibraltar, and the historically uneasy relationship between Spain and the U.K.

One of Britain's last remaining colonies, Gibraltar has been technically designated as an overseas British territory since 1713. But check the maps and you'll find that the peninsula is clearly a part of Spain, geographically speaking. In fact, Spain has been claiming sovereignty over Gibraltar for several centuries now.

RELATED: How Powerful in Spain?

It's a lingering sore spot between the two nations, and the recent Brexit referendum has brought the issue back into the headlines. Although most of territory's roughly 30 thousand residents are of Spanish or Portuguese descent, they are officially, and culturally, British -- and would like to keep it that way.

But complicating matters is the fact that more than 96 percent of Gibraltarians voted to remain with the European Union. After the Brexit vote, officials in Gibraltar are negotiating separately to remain with the EU. Spain has leveraged this opportunity to officially propose joint British-Spanish sovereignty of Gibraltar.

All indications are that Britain isn't interested, and neither is Gibraltar, but the issue is shaping up to be yet another confrontation between Spain and the U.K. At least they're used to it: Disputes between the countries date back to the 14th century and they've fought against one another in a half-dozen officially declared wars.

Gibraltar's ultimate fate is still up in the air, but it looks like the relationship between Spain and the U.K. is going to get interesting again.

-- Glenn McDonald

Check out Science GO!

Learn More:

NPR: The Squabble That Never Ends: Britain and Spain Duel Over Gibraltar

BBC: Brexit: Spain calls for joint control of Gibraltar

The Guardian: The Rock of remain: why Gibraltar is rejecting Brexit
STATEMENT OF SEN. KIKO PANGILINAN ON THE 2017 AGRICULTURE BUDGET

We welcome the effective 1.3% budget increase for the agriculture sector for 2017. The Department of Agriculture proposed budget is lower by 7.5% or P3.7 billion from this year's P48.9 billion to next year's P45.3 billion, but the budget of GOCCs under DA makes for an effective budget increase in the sector. For instance, NIA's budget is 11.1% higher.

We hope that this would give the sector a much-needed boost. It is unfortunate that agricultural growth for the first half of 2016 has remained slow. We realize the importance of agriculture in addressing poverty, especially in the rural areas.

We must give priority to increasing the incomes of the farmer and the fisher through the establishment of agricultural enterprises, technological support, and infrastructure development. An empowered agriculture sector will mean a further empowered economy, where growth can finally be felt in the peripheries.

We are optimistic that the programs and reforms in the agriculture sector would be implemented and given priority. We put faith on the current administration's Socio-Economic Agenda where agriculture, under rural development, is fifth.

The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food will work hand-in-hand with the Department of Agriculture for the benefit and livelihood of the Filipino farmer and fisher.
Press Release

August 30, 2016 Welcome Statement of Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel

IAEA Conference

On the Prospects for Nuclear Power in the Asia-Pacific Region

August 30, 2016 A pleasant good morning to all of you, most especially my good friend and party mate Secretary Alfonso Cusi of the Department of Energy; to Philippine Ambassador to Austria, Her Excellency Ambassador Zenaida Collinson, who is our overall Chairperson; also to the representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation (IFNEC), and to the guests and participants of this conference from all over the Asia Pacific Region! Once again, Mabuhay at Magandang Umaga po sa inyong lahat. Welcome to a new, bold, and daring Philippines! We have a new and unconventional President, who won on the program of government for Change. Fortunately, assisting the President are his political lieutenants and supporters, who, like him, are willing, ready, and able to think outside of the box to pursue new solutions to the age-old problems of Philippine society. Because of this willingness, we are now going to tackle quality of life issues for all Filipinos. One factor contributing immensely to a high or desirable quality of life is the availability of power and its cost, both to the consumer and to the environment. After President Rodrigo Duterte successfully addresses our Law and Order issues, we expect the Philippine economy to take off in a trajectory never seen before. That is the Change that is coming. We want an economy which is powered by clean, cheap, and reliable sources of energy to be part of that Change. We want our countrymen and future generations to enjoy modern conveniences without sacrificing the purity of the environment. Hence, our willingness to search for alternatives to fossil fuel. One alternative is nuclear power. Nuclear power offers so much potential. Many countries have benefitted from it. But it can also have very serious negative consequences, especially in a country located in what is called the Pacific Ring of Fire. Hence, we must study nuclear power carefully. Our conclusions must be based on scientific evidence and not on political or ideological considerations. You are here to discuss the prospects for nuclear power in the Asia Pacific Region. Thank you for choosing the Philippines as your venue. This conference will surely start a debate on the desirability of nuclear power here in our country which can only be beneficial to us as we will be educated on the pros and cons of nuclear power. And whatever be the outcome of your conference, we will all be the beneficiaries. For we would have shown that Change is here. We now have open minds. Nuclear power is a possibility. And we know that finding alternatives to fossil fuel is a necessity. We can only end up advancing the quality of life of all mankind. Let us use our Kokote and welcome the Change that is coming, because we are that Change and we are going to make it happen! Once again, welcome to the Philippines and enjoy your conference. Thank you very much, and mabuhay!
Transcript of Ambush Interview at 'Conference on the Prospects for Nuclear Power in the Asia Pacific Region'

Q: Hindi po ba bawal ang nuclear power sa ilalim ng batas?

SP Pimentel: No, what the Constitution prohibits are nuclear weapons. This conference is about the civilian use, or the peaceful use of nuclear power in the form of nuclear energy producing power like electricity.

Wala po tayong problema diyan. But because of the huge expenditure involved, plus the controversial nature of the decision, I believe that we need a law to be in place before we can pursue nuclearization of our energy sector.

Q: Bakit daw po tahimik kayo sa issue ni Sen. De Lima?

SPKP: Hindi naman ako tahimik actually, I am just respectful. I know that the chairmanships have been distributed. I know that the chairman, or the chairperson calls the shots with his or her committee, so respeto lang po.

But of course, we will have to look at what is best for the Senate, meaning we should have a productive Senate, we should not have a distracted Senate. I will talk with my fellow senators to find out if the Senate - and the senators- are already being affected by this word war between the senator and the President.
Press Release

August 30, 2016 Recto: P74K yearly budget per prisoner is thrice bigger than gov't spending per student Every ailing or elderly Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) prisoner paroled or pardoned will save taxpayers P45,670 in annual costs to guard and feed him. And taxpayers will save P87,178 annually if one Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) inmate, whose time spent behind bars is longer than the maximum jail time of the crime he had been charged of, will be released. Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto cited the yearly "board and lodging" expenses of one inmate in the country's penal system in prodding President Duterte to push through with his plan to conditionally free convicts who will meet the requirements for executive clemency. Recto said government spending for one prisoner in jail is far greater than what it spends to keep one student in school. Annual average per inmate spending now runs at P73,910, almost three times the P23,775 the Department of Education (DepEd) spends per basic education student this year , Recto said. Even government per capita spending for health, at P2,381 annually, is a mere 3.2 percent of what government spends yearly for a member of the prison republic, Recto said. An inmate's P1,825 yearly allowance for medicines is far greater than the P96 per capita budget of the Department of Health (DOH) for medicines and vaccines this year, Recto added. Per beneficiary, Recto said BJMP's and BuCor's combined food budget of almost P2.5 billion for 135,000 inmates is bigger than the P4.27 billion that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will spend to feed 2.1 million undernourished children this year. Recto said "flushing out" the penal system of inmates who can be freed on humanitarian and legal grounds will not only lead government "to save money, but jail space as well." First to be released, Recto suggested, should be "ailing, elderly, infirm" inmates, and those not yet sentenced but have been imprisoned longer than the jail time that awaits them if convicted. Recto said the country's jails presently house 135,000 inmates, almost four times their capacity, with some jails cramming five prisoners into one square meter of cell space. To "house, feed, and guard" them, government will spend almost P10.1 billion this year - P8.06 billion for BJMP, and P2 billion for BuCor, Recto revealed. This will go up to P13.4 billion next year as government braces for a prison population boom resulting from its anti-drug campaign, he added. BJMP houses detainees awaiting trial and those who have been sentenced by the courts to not more than three years in jail, while those sentenced to more than three years and one day in prison are sent to BuCor. BJMP had 93,961 detainees under its care as of September last year, while eight Bucor prisons was projected to house 41,207 convicts this year, with more than half, or 23,749, in the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City. With cells built for 18,881 prisoners now housing 93,961, BJMP said its facilities are 397 percent over capacity while BuCor reports a 158 percent overcapacity rate at present, Recto said. To decongest jails, one of the quick fixes Recto is proposing is for Duterte to grant parole or pardon to "old, infirm, or gravely- or terminally-ill prisoners," especially those who are not guilty of heinous crimes. If Duterte is planning to release so-called "political prisoners" to solidify the recently-signed peace deal with communist rebels, "then he must set in motion a process that will grant liberty to prisoners sick of cancer, the aged, the infirm, those who can be freed on humanitarian grounds," Recto said. The judiciary, Recto said, must also play its role as protracted trials, marked by countless hearing postponements, contribute to a massive case backlog. Press reports on Monday quoted Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre as saying that Duterte plans to grant pardon during his term after hundreds of qualified inmates failed to get reprieve during the Aquino administration.
Press Release

August 30, 2016 Villar urges review of CCT model Sen. Cynthia Villar today urged a review of the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program after it has failed to deliver on the promise of improving poverty incidence in the country. During the Senate briefing of the Development Budget Coordinating Committee (DBCC) on the proposed P3.35 trillion national government budget for 2017, Villar asked Department of Budget and Management Sec. Benjamin Diokno to review the program and find ways to improve it. "I support CCT but can we review the model of our CCT? We have been doing CCT for the last six years, sabi n'yo nga the poverty figure did not move from 27 percent. Ang target ng Aquino administration is 17 percent but it didn't move after doing CCT. I just want you to review the model of our CCT," Villar said in the briefing. The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is the Philippines' CCT program where 4.4 million households are enrolled and provided with cash grants to improve the health, education and nutrition situation of the poorest of the poor. With a budget of P78.7 billion this year, the program is the largest CCT program in the world, next to Brazil with 8.8 million households and Mexico, with 6.5 million household beneficiaries. Villar, chair of the Senate Committee on Social Justice and Rural Development, urged the economic managers to look at how successful CCT programs are done in other countries. She cited the Brazil model where farmers are required to grow crops. The government buys their produce and feeds the school children. She also added that in Thailand, they require 6 million school children to drink 200 ml of milk every day, which brought up their dairy industry. "Ibig sabihin, pinayaman ang dairy farmers, pinayaman ang farmers, and then binigyan ng good nutrition ang mga bata for the future generation. Para iyong mga anak natin will grow up to be intelligent because they drink milk and they eat the right kind of food," Villar pointed out. Villar said the Philippine model does not require production in exchange of cash assistance and it is very difficult to check if the conditions are met by the beneficiaries. Cash assistance was granted with the condition that beneficiaries will have regular health check-ups and the children will be enrolled in school. "I just want to ask you, review our model of CCT. I don't mind spending for CCT, but make sure that the model is right. Kasi baka mamaya mali naman ang modelo natin, masayang ang pera at hindi rin natin mapababa ang kahirapan, hindi rin mapalusog ang kabataan who will be very essential for the future of our country," Villar said.
GreatCall, a San Diego company that makes simplified cell phones for seniors, is piloting a way for its customers to summon Lyft rides by pressing 0 on its phones, which are called Jitterbugs, to verbally request a ride from its operators.

Transportation is one of the main challenges for seniors who are trying to stay active and independent, said David Inns, CEO of GreatCall, which makes a range of technologies and services for older consumers, including devices for emergency response, tracking fitness, and remembering medication schedules. We decided the next service we wanted to add was to let customers nationwide get reliable, affordable transportation.

GreatCall is testing the service in California, Florida, Arizona, Chicago and Dallas, with plans to expand further. Rides can be called on demand or scheduled up to a week ahead of time.

Customers, who will get fare estimates in advance, will pay the standard Lyft rates plus a GreatCall surcharge. For a $10 to $15 ride, the surcharge is $2, while its $5 for a $30 ride, Inns said. Charges will be added onto the phone users monthly bill. GreatCall is taking $5 off the first ride.

Even while on-demand services and the smartphones proliferate, a significant number of people, especially seniors, lack a way to summon them. A third of U.S. adults and 70 percent of people aged 65 and older dont have a smartphone, according to the Pew Research Center. Thats created an opening for companies to cater to people with more basic phones.

The GreatCall/Lyft concept is similar to a hotline developed by Mountain View startup GoGoGrandparent that provides a toll-free hotline to seniors to call to request an Uber ride. But while GoGoGrandparent is a new company whose founders handle most calls themselves, GreatCall is a 10-year-old company with 900,000 users, more than half of whom use its Jitterbug Flip phone and its Jitterbug Smart, a smartphone with a larger display and fewer buttons than a typical smartphone. It has more than 800 call-center operators, who already help customers with a variety of tasks 24/7, such as setting up their phones, Inns said.

GreatCall is using a year-old Lyft product called Concierge, which allows entities such as hospitals and companies to arrange rides on behalf of others, including scheduled rides. The passengers dont need to have smartphones; the entity requesting the ride is billed by Lyft and can pass along the cost to the rider.

Some 3.6 million Americans a year miss or delay medical care because they lack transportation, according to the Community Transportation Association. That explains why Concierge has seen a lot of use in the medical field, said Gyre Renwick, Lyft head of health care and enterprise partnerships.

For example, when someone is discharged from a hospital ER, there is a bottleneck of helping them get back home, he said. Hospitals can use Concierge to call Lyft on behalf of the patient.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Concierge customers include San Rafaels Whistlestop and the Marin Senior Coordinating Council, which recently starting integrating Lyft rides along with its Whistlestop vans to get seniors to appointments. National Medtrans Network, a medical transport service, uses Concierge to arrange Lyft rides to non-emergency medical appointments in New York.

The partnership with GreatCall, like other Concierge arrangements with senior and health-care providers, aligns well with our mission of improving transportation for individual members and communities, Renwick said.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
Associated Press

Some people do not learn from their mistakes. Anthony Weiner is one. The husband of Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin resigned from Congress in 2011 when he was caught tweeting shots of his tumescent privates to a number of women not his wife. His first instinct was to lie about the tweets and claim someone had hacked his Twitter account. Over the three weeks between the story breaking and the seven-term Democrats resignation from his House seat, Weiner tried but failed to make light of his colossally bad judgment. Yet his pronouncements only made him look worse, as when for example Weiner said of his female correspondents, To the best of my knowledge, they were all adults.

Observers figured that Weiner must have cleaned up his act when he ran for mayor of New York in 2013  because, well, surely he would not risk putting his wife and young son through a second-time-around sexting scandal. Also, surely Abedin would not participate in the campaign unless she were convinced Weiner would not self-destruct. Weiner noodled to the press about the arc of the hero as he prepared for his big comeback.
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With his basset hound howling mournfully from the front door of the church, rapscallion journalist Warren Hinckle was remembered Tuesday as a larger-than-life thorn in the side of self-serving big shots of all stripes.

He was a high-performance journalist, recalled his friend, historian Kevin Starr, and a flamboyant, take-no-prisoners investigative reporter.

Thorn or not, Hinckle was eulogized and praised Tuesday by a lot of the self-same big shots who had, from time to time, felt the sting of his typewriter pounding. Mayors, supervisors, a fire chief, cops, movers and shakers were on hand at SS Peter and Pauls Church in North Beach  along with three officers astride San Francisco police horses  to bid an unconventional farewell to the editor, columnist and raconteur, who died Thursday in a San Francisco hospital at the age of 77.

A slew of them were decked out in eye patches  a Hinckle trademark after having lost his left eye in a childhood accident  that an old pal had been handing out from a bag at the church door. Along with the citys finest were scores of drinking companions, old schoolmates, colleagues and a retinue of newspaper editors whose deadlines the notoriously up-against-it writer had observed largely in theory.

It was what Hinckle would have called a five priesta, or a funeral presided over by five priests. The clergymen granted Hinckles basset hound, Toby, special dispensation to accompany his masters coffin down the center aisle, between the packed pews.

He taught us all not to be afraid of the world, said his daughter Pia Hinckle in her eulogy. He was a curmudgeon who would cry at old movies (and) a writer who hated writing.

Of her dads legendary habit of gleefully burning through a magazine publishers capital, Pia Hinckle smiled and said Hinckle had a checkbook when what he really needed was a treasury.

She recalled how her father scribbled notes for future stories on cocktail napkins, held court on barstools and never opened his mail.

At times, the eulogies began to sound like a guide to the taverns, saloons and watering holes of San Francisco where Hinckle preferred to practice his craft. From the pulpit, heartfelt praise was heaped not only on Hinckle but also on Gino and Carlos, Jacks, Sams and Cookie Picettis.

Hinckle, said his daughter Hilary Hinckle, believed there was little in the job of editor that could not be accomplished in a good saloon. She recalled how, as a 6-year-old schoolgirl on a field trip, she led her classmates into Cookies tavern, where her father was conducting business, to the horror of her school chaperones.

She also recalled falling asleep to the sound of her fathers typewriter, and she remembered how Hinckle comforted her when she confessed to him that she was a terrible speller.

Thats what they have editors for, she recalled her father telling her. Most people can spell but not everybody has an idea.

Hinckle, a former editor of Ramparts and Scanlans magazines and a former columnist for The Chronicle and the San Francisco Examiner, was as much a showman in person as a craftsman in print. His feuds were legendary. Once, incensed by police raids on the Mitchell Brothers strip club, he arranged to post the private phone number of then-Mayor Dianne Feinstein on the theater marquee  for a good time, call Dianne, the marquee said  and Feinstein responded by dumping a drink on his head in public. Hinckle could not have been more pleased had he consumed the beverage himself.

Following the eulogies, songbird Renee Lubin  a longtime cast member of Beach Blanket Babylon  performed a slow, mournful rendition of San Francisco and Hinckles body was borne from the church as the mourners stood and wiped tears from their eye patches.

The Green Street Mortuary brass band led the funeral cortege on a final rolling tour of Hinckles favorite North Beach taverns and cafes, while family members sat in an open-top convertible black hearse. The extended North Beach jaunt, which attracted a small crowd of street people and hangers on, ran overtime, said Hilary Hinckle, with obvious delight.

Dad was late for his burial, which he would have loved, she said. Hed have been pissed if we were on time.

Hinckle was to be buried at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Colma, two rows from Emperor Norton.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Leah Garchik contributed to this report.

Steve Rubenstein and Kevin Fagan are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com, kfagan@sfchronicle.com
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A lot of things can start a wildfire: lawn mowers, gunfire, smoldering cigarettes. It makes sense in a state dried out by drought.

But the latest culprit  a bike  is largely unheard of as a source of ignition, and is being met with disbelief in some circles.

U.S. Forest Service investigators say a bicycle pedal that scraped a rock and shot sparks on a mountain bike trail was responsible for a 122-acre blaze in the eastern Sierra this month, a finding that unleashed a firestorm of incredulity on the Internet.

There is no chance in hell it happened like this. So absurd to even make this official, wrote one of the more than 100 skeptics who commented on the Inyo National Forests Facebook page since the cause of the fire near Mammoth Lakes was reported last week.

Unless there is clear video of this pedal strike ignition, it is 99.999 percent anticyclist BS, another person posted.

A mock image of a fire-starter kit, including a bicycle pedal, began circulating on social media in protest of Wednesdays fire report.

Forest Service officials say theyre surprised by the backlash. But that doesnt change their verdict on the Rock Creek Fire.

Fire prevention technician Kirstie Butler said a comprehensive investigation, which included locating a rock with a pedal scrap on it and speaking to several mountain bikers in the area at the time, revealed conclusively what caused the fire.

As unlikely as it may sound, she said, the afternoon of Aug. 5 was so hot and dry that a spark from a bike pedal against a rock, acting like a flint, was able to ignite cheatgrass and spread to brush and trees on the surrounding hillsides.

Butler did not say whether the Forest Service knows who was riding the bike that started the blaze. But she said the agency would not pursue charges because the ignition was not malicious.

The agency also does not intend to close any trails to bicyclists in the area as a safety precaution. The probability of a pedal causing a fire, officials said, remains extremely low.

The Rock Creek Fire prompted a brief evacuation of the community of Swall Meadows but no structural damage was done.

The Lower Rock Creek Trail, where the fire occurred, is a popular single-track biking path off Highway 395, about 20 miles south of Mammoth Lakes, partly in the Inyo National Forest.

While bicycle-caused fires are rare, theyre not unprecedented. The Forest Service did not have statistics on such fires immediately available.

Ive gotten calls from people saying, I know youre getting a lot of flak from this (conclusion about what started the fire) but, by the way, weve seen this happen before, Butler said.

Because of the blowback on social media, Butler said the Forest Service is thinking about providing more information to the public about the investigation.

I kind of want to elaborate on Facebook, she said. I think well probably on Wednesday see what its like after a week since the report and see about doing a reply.

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander
One tent encampment cleared, 77 more to go  not to mention building an entire department devoted to moving thousands of homeless people off the streets.

San Franciscos new homeless czar, Jeff Kositsky, spent an hour talking with The Chronicles editorial board Monday, and despite his street outreach team dismantling the biggest encampment in the city that morning, he wasnt doing much crowing.

The task of combining the efforts of at least five city departments into the new Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing is going to take years, he warned. Clearing one camp  the first operation for his freshly created Encampment Resolution Team, is just one of many, many steps ahead.

Kositsky wants to make sure the people of the city understand that the mere creation of the department, which he took charge of officially on Aug. 15, is not going to change the citys most vexing problem overnight.

Were not the department of everything wrong on the streets in San Francisco, he said, noting that some problems, like drug dealing and prostitution  even if they at times involve homeless people  are at their core police matters rather than indigence problems. Our No. 1 priority is we want to get people who are homeless into housing.

And for that goal, he said, We have many arrows in our quiver here.

One goal is to streamline the efforts of the more than 70 nonprofit agencies that work with city government on everything from shelters to job programs. That will help get people more efficiently into drug rehab beds, mental health centers and housing.

He also intends to put up a map showing all the citys significant homeless camps  78 before Mondays dismantlement of the 50-person colony near Cesar Chavez and Indiana streets  so that people can see whats being prioritized and where.

Key to all of these efforts will be creating an integrated tracking system that will show every service each homeless person has been connected to  jail, rehab, food agency, housing and more. That can eliminate repeat tries at something that didnt work and illuminate each persons most severe problems so a realistic approach can be crafted to help him or her into a healthier life under a roof.

That system may take as many as two years to be fully operable, he warned. But given the success of such integrated tracking programs in Houston and Salt Lake City, the effect should be dramatic.

Streamlining of the nonprofits roles means some programs will be reduced, cut or combined with others, and that will meet resistance. But Kositsky, who meets weekly with Mayor Ed Lee, said hes ready for that.

I took the job knowing the spears would come out, he said. But I care about this city, and I care about the people who I see on the streets who are desperate. Im sure Ill get knocked around a little on the way.

Kevin Fagan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kfagan@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @KevinChron
Who would have thought a hilly city like San Francisco would be voted America's best running city? Just the thought of running the challenging hills of the Presidio leave us baffled by this one.

However Runner's World, which surveyed over 250 U.S. cities, gave San Francisco the highest ranking based on a methodology that considered the highest number of households per capita who participated in running over the last 12 months. With 16 running clubs and 246 races in 2016, San Francisco easily took first place.
Apple is facing a potential tax bill running into billions of dollars, with the European Union poised to release a finding into the companys dealings in Ireland as soon as Tuesday, according to people familiar with the situation.

The European Commission decision is expected to say Ireland provided the iPhone maker with illegal aid through a sweetheart deal in return for creating jobs in the nation, the people said on condition of anonymity because the details are confidential. Ireland has vowed to fight any adverse finding.

Such a ruling might heighten tensions between Europe and the U.S. over taxation policies, with the U.S. having already complained that Europe is unfairly targeting American companies and threatening global tax reforms.

In preliminary findings in 2014, European competition authorities said Apples tax arrangements were improperly designed to give the company a financial boost. Theres a range of estimates on how much Apple might have to pay. In a worst-case scenario, Apple may face a $19 billion bill if the government ultimately loses and is forced to recoup tax from the company, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst Rod Hall. The Irish Times reported earlier on Monday that the figure might not be much more than $112 million, although it later revised its estimate upward.

The European Commission declined to comment on a decision thats still pending or on the timing of its announcement.

Apple said it had nothing to add to previous statements rejecting suggestions it received selective treatment from Irish officials. The ministry declined to comment.

A state aid ruling against Ireland is likely to bring the countrys corporation tax regime back into focus, said Dermot OLeary, an economist at Goodbody Stockbrokers in Dublin. However, the commission investigation relates to two rulings given to Apple in 1991 and 2007. So, a critical issue will be how the final decision relates to the current Irish tax code or to previously amended policy.

The commission in January ordered Belgium to recover about $800 million in illegal tax breaks from at least 35 companies, including Anheuser-Busch InBev NV and BP Plc. And last year, for example, Starbucks Corp. was ordered to pay more than $30 million in back taxes to the Dutch government.

As of last month, Apple had $232 billion in cash, with about $214 billion of that being held overseas.

The U.S. Treasury Department has pushed back hard against the state aid probes, most recently with an unusual white paper that said the commission had overextended its legal authority and threatened global tax reforms.

The United States is committed to tax fairness, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Monday. We want to make sure the kinds of agreements we reach with other countries are not manipulated to allow companies to shirk responsibilities.

Still, the commission-ordered repayments could wind up costing American taxpayers under U.S. tax law, and benefit EU taxpayers, the U.S. has said. Thats because multinational corporations with large foreign operations, like Apple, are allowed to claim a credit against their U.S. tax bills for any foreign taxes paid, an offset that reduces their tax payments to U.S. coffers.

Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew first raised formal objections to the probes in a letter last February to top EC and EU officials, emphasizing so-called unfair targeting of U.S. companies  a charge that European regulators deny  and a potential damping effect on direct foreign investment.

Dara Doyle is a Bloomberg writer. Email: ddoyle1@bloomberg.net
GreatCall, a San Diego company that makes simplified cell phones for seniors, is piloting a way for its customers to summon Lyft rides by pressing 0 on its phones, which are called Jitterbugs, to verbally request a ride from its operators.

Transportation is one of the main challenges for seniors who are trying to stay active and independent, said David Inns, CEO of GreatCall, which makes a range of technologies and services for older consumers, including devices for emergency response, tracking fitness, and remembering medication schedules. We decided the next service we wanted to add was to let customers nationwide get reliable, affordable transportation.

GreatCall is testing the service in California, Florida, Arizona, Chicago and Dallas, with plans to expand further. Rides can be called on demand or scheduled up to a week ahead of time.

Customers, who will get fare estimates in advance, will pay the standard Lyft rates plus a GreatCall surcharge. For a $10 to $15 ride, the surcharge is $2, while its $5 for a $30 ride, Inns said. Charges will be added onto the phone users monthly bill. GreatCall is taking $5 off the first ride.

Even while on-demand services and the smartphones proliferate, a significant number of people, especially seniors, lack a way to summon them. A third of U.S. adults and 70 percent of people aged 65 and older dont have a smartphone, according to the Pew Research Center. Thats created an opening for companies to cater to people with more basic phones.

The GreatCall/Lyft concept is similar to a hotline developed by Mountain View startup GoGoGrandparent that provides a toll-free hotline to seniors to call to request an Uber ride. But while GoGoGrandparent is a new company whose founders handle most calls themselves, GreatCall is a 10-year-old company with 900,000 users, more than half of whom use its Jitterbug Flip phone and its Jitterbug Smart, a smartphone with a larger display and fewer buttons than a typical smartphone. It has more than 800 call-center operators, who already help customers with a variety of tasks 24/7, such as setting up their phones, Inns said.

GreatCall is using a year-old Lyft product called Concierge, which allows entities such as hospitals and companies to arrange rides on behalf of others, including scheduled rides. The passengers dont need to have smartphones; the entity requesting the ride is billed by Lyft and can pass along the cost to the rider.

Some 3.6 million Americans a year miss or delay medical care because they lack transportation, according to the Community Transportation Association. That explains why Concierge has seen a lot of use in the medical field, said Gyre Renwick, Lyft head of health care and enterprise partnerships.

For example, when someone is discharged from a hospital ER, there is a bottleneck of helping them get back home, he said. Hospitals can use Concierge to call Lyft on behalf of the patient.

Concierge customers include San Rafaels Whistlestop and the Marin Senior Coordinating Council, which recently starting integrating Lyft rides along with its Whistlestop vans to get seniors to appointments. National Medtrans Network, a medical transport service, uses Concierge to arrange Lyft rides to non-emergency medical appointments in New York.

The partnership with GreatCall, like other Concierge arrangements with senior and health-care providers, aligns well with our mission of improving transportation for individual members and communities, Renwick said.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
Going head to head with Uber and Lyft, Google plans a fall introduction of a low-cost ride-hailing service in the Bay Area, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Based on Googles social-navigation app Waze, the service sounds closer to carpooling than on-demand taxi rides. It would connect Waze drivers with riders who are going in the same direction, with low fares so the drivers would not use it as a primary source of income, the Journal said.

In a pilot Waze carpooling program taking place around Googles Mountain View headquarters since May, rides averaged around 54 cents per mile. Thats the Internal Revenue Service mileage reimbursement rate to cover fuel, maintenance and other costs, and it is used by several carpooling apps as the payment from riders to drivers. By contrast, the UberX service is considerably more than 54 cents per mile. (UberPool, which matches unrelated riders going the same way, has cheaper rates, but theyre still much higher than 54 cents a mile.) Googles pilot program involved 25,000 workers at large employers such as UCSF, Adobe and Walmart Global eCommerce, as well as Google itself.

Any of Wazes 700,000 Bay Area users could participate in Googles program as either a driver or rider. Unlike Lyft and Uber, Google will not vet drivers with background checks, instead relying on passenger reviews, according to the Journal, which said the Bay Area program could expand to other regions as well.

One-time allies Google and Uber have been increasingly competing lately, to the point where David Drummond, a senior executive at Googles parent company, Alphabet, resigned from the Uber board a few weeks ago given the overlap between the two companies, he wrote in an email to the Journal. GV, Googles venture capital division, invested $258 million in Uber in 2013.

Google has been muscling into the transportation arena with its work on self-driving cars, a technology that Uber is also fiercely pursuing. Uber plans public tests of robot taxis in Pittsburgh in the next few weeks, beating Google to commercial testing. Ride-hailing is a natural application for driverless cars, and Google reportedly would like to test its own vehicles in a ride service.

Waze, which Google bought in 2013 for $1.1 billion, has been testing a carpooling application in its native Israel since last year. The turn-by-turn navigation system, which relies on community input to generate the best ways to avoid traffic, learns its drivers routes to work to match them with riders going the same way.
In another move to quell outrage over its price increases, the maker of the EpiPen said Monday that it would introduce a generic version of the product, with a price about half of the existing EpiPens.

The company, Mylan, said that the generic EpiPen would be available in several weeks and be identical to the existing product, which is used to treat severe allergic reactions. But it would have a wholesale list price of $300 for a pack of two, compared with just above $600 for the existing product.

Under pressure, Mylan announced last week that it would increase the financial assistance it provided to commercially insured patients to help with their out-of-pocket costs. It also said it would broaden the eligibility for uninsured patients to receive free products.

Those two measures, however, did not stem the public furor, in part because the company kept the list price the same, meaning the overall cost to the health system, mostly borne by insurers and taxpayers, would remain the same.

The introduction of the generic comes in addition to those other measures, which will remain in effect, Mylan said.

While the other measures would reduce costs only for consumers, the generic introduction would introduce savings for insurers and federal health programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

We understand the deep frustration and concerns associated with the cost of the EpiPen to the patient, and have always shared the publics desire to ensure that this important product be accessible to anyone who needs it, Heather Bresch, chief executive of Mylan, said in a statement, calling the companys move an extraordinary commercial response.

The new move could help mollify critics, although some are likely to point out that even at $300, the generic would still be triple the price of the EpiPen in 2007, when Mylan acquired the product and began steadily raising its price from around $100 for a pair, with the price increases accelerating in recent years.

Critics might also wonder why the company just does not reduce the price across the board rather than introduce an identical generic.

The company suggested in its news release that the move required an agreement from its manufacturing partner, Pfizer. The company also said last week that merely reducing the list price of the drug would not necessarily mean that patients would pay less, since the out-of-pocket costs for patients are set by pharmacy benefit managers and insurers.

Because of the complexity and opaqueness of todays branded pharmaceutical supply chain and the increased shifting of costs to patients as a result of high-deductible health plans, we determined that bypassing the brand system in this case and offering an additional alternative was the best option, Bresch said in her statement.

Mylan has repeatedly pointed to high-deductible health plans, which leave patients with more out-of-pocket costs, as the main reason that patients are suddenly noticing higher prices for EpiPens.

The move to offer a generic is somewhat unusual. While brand-name drug companies sometimes start selling so-called authorized generic versions of their own products, it is usually to undercut an outside generic competitor.

In this case, Mylan faces no immediate generic threat. However, other companies, sensing opportunities, are looking at developing less expensive products that, like EpiPen, provide a rapid injection of epinephrine to counter anaphylactic shock that can occur from a bee sting, peanut allergy or other cause.

Introducing a generic might have less effect on Mylans finances than simply cutting the price of the existing EpiPen. The term EpiPen is so familiar that many doctors write prescriptions for it rather than for a generic epinephrine auto-injector. Pharmacists in many states will be able to substitute the generic version but in some cases they may not, leaving Mylan with higher revenue than if it had cut the price across the board.
On Monday, a federal appeals court ordered dismissal of the Federal Trade Commissions suit against AT&T for reducing the data speed of iPhone customers with unlimited-data plans after they exceeded a certain amount of usage each month.

Reversing a federal judges ruling, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said the commission lacked authority over AT&T because the telecommunication giant is a common carrier exempt from FTC regulations of unfair business practices.

As a common carrier, AT&T remains subject to regulation by the Federal Communications Commission, which has filed its own case against the company, seeking $100 million.

AT&T spokesman Marty Richter said the company was pleased with the decision. Federal Trade Commission spokesman Jay Mayfield said agency officials were disappointed and are considering our options, which could include further appeals.

The FTC accused AT&T of unfairly misleading iPhone customers who had signed up for for mobile data plans that were advertised as unlimited when they were sold between 2007 and 2010.

The company stopped selling unlimited mobile data contracts in June 2010 but, to avoid losing customers, allowed those who already had unlimited plans to keep them. Starting in July 2011, however, AT&T began throttling those customers, or substantially reducing their transmission speed, once they reach a certain threshold of usage in their billing cycle. That was initially 5 gigabytes of data; AT&T announced last fall that it was raising the limit to 22 gigabytes.

The FTCs regulations do not apply to activities of telecommunications common carriers. But U.S. District Judge Edward Chen of San Francisco agreed last year with the commissions argument that it could still regulate mobile phone data service, which was not classified as a common carrier activity. The FCC later reclassified mobile data service as a common carrier service, but the FTC sought to penalize AT&T for its past conduct.

The appeals court, however, said the 102-year-old law that established the FTC exempted common carriers from the commissions regulations for all their activities.

The law carves out a group of entities based on their status as common carriers ... even as to non-common carrier activities, Judge Richard Clifton said in the 3-0 ruling.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko

The ruling can be viewed here: http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2016/08/29/15-16585.pdf.
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A San Francisco man was arrested on suspicion of stabbing two men in the head with a screwdriver on a Fremont-bound BART train, then stealing another mans bicycle at knifepoint, police said Monday.

Ronald Nalls, 48, was booked on two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and three counts of robbery, BART Police said.

Authorities received reports about 7:15 p.m. Saturday of a fight and possible stabbing aboard a train nearing the Fremont Station. An investigation revealed the suspect stabbed two men on the train with a screwdriver, then robbed them of undisclosed belongings, said BART Police Sgt. John Power.

Police said Nalls fled the train after two people tried to restrain him. When he reached the street level he reportedly robbed a man of his bicycle at knifepoint, Power said.

Nalls began pedaling south but was detained by Fremont police officers responding to the call. Officials did not immediately disclose the condition of the injured victims. Both were hospitalized after the incident, Power said.

Police later recovered all of the victims belongings.

The train that the stabbings occurred on was held for about an hour to allow police to process the crime scene.

Nalls was being held without bail at Santa Rita jail in Dublin.

The assault comes days after a stabbing victim was found at a Civic Center BART Station platform in San Francisco. The victim, whose name has not been released, was attacked on the street Wednesday before running into the station with three stab wounds.

On Friday, 22-year-old Roger Ortiz was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with the Civic Center BART Station stabbing, officials said. He was booked into San Francisco County jail without bail.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno
Moments before she was shot dead in her Subaru Outback, 66-year-old dog sitter Judy Salamon had been recording a group of young men she thought were burglarizing homes several blocks from where she lived in Oaklands Maxwell Park neighborhood, investigators say.

Three years later, some of the same themes surrounding the slaying  the brutality of street crime, the desire to protect ones community and the danger of getting involved are playing out in an Alameda County courtroom where two men are on trial for murdering Salamon and stealing her phone, and where numerous witnesses have been reluctant to take the stand.

The July 2013 attack on Salamon prompted an outcry from Oakland residents fed up with killings, including one the prior week of an 8-year-old girl at a sleepover. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, then a councilwoman, said at the time, Oaklanders cannot live like this. Now, the trial is showing just how difficult it is to solve and prosecute homicide cases when some witnesses would rather be jailed than tell what they know.

Lawyers for defendants Stephon Lee, a 25-year-old Richmond resident, and Mario Floyd, a 24-year-old Oakland resident, say many of the witnesses to the shooting are untrustworthy, unreliable and inconsistent. Floyds attorney, Anne Beles, called the trial a mess.

But Deputy District Attorney Butch Ford said the case is solid and that he wasnt surprised that witnesses  fearful of the defendants and their association with a neighborhood gang  would backpedal on statements they gave to him and police as soon as they came face to face with Floyd and Lee in the courtroom.

Its the snitch culture, Ford said outside court. If you talk to the police, its considered a violation of the code. They have to go back out there as soon as theyre done in here.

According to prosecutors, Floyd and Lee, who goes by the street name Feenie, were upset on the afternoon of July 24, 2013, believing that Salamon had been following them and filming them with her phone.

Floyd got out of a car on Fern Street near Fairfax Avenue, argued with Salamon and threw a trash bin at her, Ford said. Lee then allegedly fired three shots from a Glock pistol, one of which struck Salamon in the head, and got into the passengers seat of the mens car. Salamons car rolled backward and crashed into a parked vehicle.

The suspects made a U-turn at the top of a hill, prosecutors said, and returned to Salamon, who investigators believe was still alive and may have struggled with Floyd as he allegedly stole her phone. Floyds DNA was found on the victims fingernails, Ford said.

Police seized Lees phone and discovered a pair of photos in it that appeared to show Salamons phone reflecting Lees face, Ford said. The photos may have been taken as Lee tried to sell the device, Ford added.

Though authorities dont believe Floyd was the shooter, jurors could hold him responsible for Salamons slaying under Californias felony-murder rule, which allows people who didnt kill anyone to be charged with murder if they participated in a crime that led to a death  in this case, the alleged robbery of Salamons phone.

But the case has been complicated by some witnesses openly acknowledging they are trying to protect Floyd. Carmelita Jordan, a friend of Floyds, testified last week that she didnt want him to go to jail. She was on the street when the shooting happened and jumped into her cars trunk when shots were fired.

I dont want to be here. You told me Id be helping Mario, not hurting him, she told Ford from the witness stand.

Jordan, along with a then-17-year-old boy who was allegedly in the backseat of the car with the suspects, had to be jailed on material-witness warrants after they refused to come to court.

Another witness, a boy who was 11 when the shooting happened and whose guardian is the grandmother of Floyds children, was allegedly choked by Lee as the two defendants threatened to shoot him if he talked to police. When he was called to testify in a preliminary hearing, the boy refused to take the oath to tell the truth more than a dozen times, eventually consenting with, Oh, my gosh, I guess so, according to a court transcript.

Another witness, Lana Taki, who was associated with some of Floyds family members and was pregnant at the time, was jumped by a group of women who accused her of being a snitch, Ford said. A man joined in the beating, and the group stole her car. Taki was subpoenaed to testify in the trial but never showed up.

Inconsistencies within witness testimony and between witnesses are key to the defenses case. Ford, meanwhile, has countered that initial statements to police should be given more weight than whats said in court.

Former San Francisco gang and homicide prosecutor Tony Brass said jurors are usually perceptive about whether witnesses are lying.

The idea of giving weight to an earlier statement begins and ends with, Is this person telling me the truth right now? Brass said. If the suspicion is theyre backpedaling because theyre afraid, that tells the juror all they need to know about why this person is lying on the stand.

Brass said witnesses to gang violence have legitimate fear about testifying. One of the difficulties with gang cases is that gang members have associates on the outside  always, he said.

The murder trial, which will continue for the next two weeks in Superior Court Judge Kevin Murphys courtroom, is also the first major test over whether a misconduct controversy surrounding Oakland police Sgt. Mike Gantt will affect three pending homicide cases.

Gantt, the lead detective in Salamons death, had his girlfriend transcribe recordings of his interviews, according to correspondences between attorneys in the case. Gantt was placed on leave and later cleared of criminal wrongdoing.

In court papers, Beles sought to compel the district attorney to turn over details about the misconduct investigation, but the judge denied her request. She said Monday that she did not plan to call Gantt to testify.

Ford credited Gantt with solving the murder case through incredible patience and passion for the job.

A close friend of Salamons who has been watching the trial  and gave only his first name, Eric, out of fear of retaliation  said he was confident that the volume of witnesses would bring justice for Salamon, an anti-crime activist born in Hungary to Holocaust survivors.

Its a tragedy for all involved, for all of Judys friends and family, Eric said. Its a tragedy for the witnesses because they have to deal with gang pressure, and its a tragedy for the suspects because I dont think they planned to go out and murder someone that day.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov
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Fewer households are using the humble bar of soap to lather up these days, and some of the blame goes to millennials.

Most Americans between 18 to 24 won't let bar soap touch their faces, bad news for the makers of Irish Spring and Ivory, according to new data from consumer research firm Mintel.
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Classic Tim Burton: It is, hopefully, a good move by Tim Burton to tackle Beetlejuice 2, which is supposedly in the works. The filmmaker badly needs to recapture the mojo of that incredible run he had in the late 1980s and early 90s, when he was one of Hollywoods freshest and most original directors before he succumbed to his own weirdness in a series of misfiring remakes (file Planet of the Apes and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory under Who Asked for This?).

The Alamo Drafthouses New Mission theater is screening Burtons first four features  for the most part, his best work  over eight days beginning noon Saturday, Sept. 3, with Pee-wees Big Adventure, Burtons brilliant 1985 first feature that revamped Paul Reubens 1980 HBO show The Pee-wee Herman Show.
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LOS ANGELES  Gene Wilder, the frizzy-haired actor who brought his deft comedic touch to such unforgettable roles as the neurotic accountant in The Producers and the deranged animator of Young Frankenstein, has died. He was 83.

Mr. Wilders nephew said Monday that the actor and writer died late Sunday at his home in Stamford, Conn., from complications from Alzheimers disease.

Jordan Walker-Pearlman said in a statement that Mr. Wilder was diagnosed with the disease three years ago but kept the condition private so as not to disappoint fans.

He simply couldnt bear the idea of one less smile in the world, Walker-Pearlman said.

Mr. Wilder started his acting career on the stage, but millions knew him from his work in the movies, especially his collaborations with Mel Brooks on The Producers, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. The last film  with Mr. Wilder playing a California-born descendant of the mad scientist, insisting that his name is pronounced FRAHN-ken-shteen  was co-written by Brooks and Mr. Wilder.

One of the truly great talents of our time, Mel Brooks tweeted. He blessed every film we did with his magic & he blessed me with his friendship.

With his unkempt hair and big, buggy eyes, Mr. Wilder was a master at playing panicked characters caught up in schemes that only a madman such as Brooks could devise, whether reviving a monster in Young Frankenstein or bilking Broadway in The Producers. Brooks would call him Gods perfect prey, the victim in all of us.

But he also knew how to keep it cool as the boozy gunslinger in Blazing Saddles or the charming candy man in the childrens favorite Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. His craziest role: the therapist having an affair with a sheep in Woody Allens Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex.

He was close friends with Richard Pryor and their contrasting personas  Mr. Wilder uptight, Pryor loose  were ideal for comedy. They co-starred in four films: Silver Streak, Stir Crazy, See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Another You. And they created several memorable scenes, particularly when Pryor provided Mr. Wilder with directions on how to act black as they tried to avoid police in Silver Streak.

In 1968, Mr. Wilder received an Oscar nomination for his work in Brooks The Producers. He played the introverted Leo Bloom, an accountant who discovers the liberating joys of greed and corruption as he and Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) conceive a Broadway flop titled Springtime for Hitler and plan to flee with the money raised for the shows production.

Matthew Broderick played Mr. Wilders role in the 2001 Broadway stage revival of the show.

Though they collaborated on film, Mr. Wilder and Brooks met through the theater. Mr. Wilder was in a play with Brooks then-future wife, Anne Bancroft, who introduced the pair backstage in 1963.

Mr. Wilder, a Milwaukee native, was born Jerome Silberman on June 11, 1933. His father was a Russian emigre, his mother was of Polish descent. When he was 6, Mr. Wilders mother suffered a heart attack that left her a semi-invalid. He soon began improvising comedy skits to entertain her, the first indication of his future career.

He started taking acting classes at age 12 and continued performing and taking lesson through college. In 1961, Mr. Wilder became a member of Lee Strasbergs prestigious Actors Studio in Manhattan.

That year, he made both his off-Broadway and Broadway debuts. He won the Clarence Derwent Award, given to promising newcomers, for the Broadway work in Graham Greenes comedy The Complaisant Lover.

He used his new name, Gene Wilder, for the off-Broadway and Broadway roles. He lifted the first name from the character Eugene Gant in Thomas Wolfes Look Back, Homeward Angel, while the last name was clipped from playwright Thornton Wilder. A key break came when he co-starred with Bancroft in Bertolt Brechts Mother Courage and met Brooks, her future husband.

I was having trouble with one little section of the play, and he gave me tips on how to act. He said, Thats a song and dance. Hes proselytizing about communism. Just skip over it, sing and dance over it, and get on to the good stuff. And he was right, Mr. Wilder later explained.

Before starring in The Producers, he had a small role as the hostage of gangsters in the 1967 classic Bonnie and Clyde. He peaked in the mid-1970s with the twin Brooks hits Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein.

He went on to write several screenplays and direct several films. In 1982, while making the generally forgettable Hanky-Panky, he fell in love with co-star Gilda Radner. They were married in 1984 and co-starred in two films Mr. Wilder wrote: The Woman in Red and Haunted Honeymoon.

After Radner died of ovarian cancer in 1989, Mr. Wilder spent much of his time promoting cancer research. He opened a support center for cancer patients called Gildas Place. In 1991, he testified before Congress about the need for increased testing for cancer.

Theres not much time for being afraid, and theres not much time for not telling the truth about things, he said in a 2005 interview with The Chronicle. Who knows when youre going to get sick and die, so why waste it?

Mr. Wilder is survived by his wife, Karen, whom he married in 1991.
AUGUSTA, Maine  Amid political pressure and calls for his resignation, Republican Gov. Paul LePage on Tuesday suggested that he might be considering stepping aside but seemed to reject the idea entirely hours later in a tweet, saying, The reports of my political demise are greatly exaggerated.

Meanwhile, House Republicans prepared to gather Tuesday evening in Augusta to figure out potential ramifications for LePages latest crisis while Democrats promoted a rally near the Blaine House to call for the governor to resign.

LePage, who already had a tempestuous relationship with lawmakers, has been criticized in recent days for an obscene voice mail he left for a Democratic legislator and for blaming minorities for the states heroin crisis. Democratic lawmakers have warned that LePage was coming unhinged, and they called for a political intervention.

Speaking Tuesday on WVOM radio, LePage apologized for his tirade last week against Rep. Drew Gattine and said it was unacceptable and totally my fault. LePage said he intends to make amends, and he is scheduled to meet with Gattine on Wednesday in Augusta.

He seemed to toy with the idea of stepping down as governor, saying if he has lost his ability to convince Maine residents that he is the right person for the job, maybe it is the time to move on.

When asked by WGME-TV hours later about whether he was considering resigning, LePage said I am looking at every option available to my family. He said his daughter has been harassed enormously.

A tweet later in the day seemed to specifically rule out resignation.

Regarding rumors of resignation, to paraphrase Mark Twain: The reports of my political demise are greatly exaggerated, LePage wrote.

Senate Democratic Leader Justin Alfond called the tweet backpedaling and an example of LePages erratic and troubling behavior.

One moment he says hes doing the solemn soul-searching necessary to decide whether he is fit to serve, Alfond said. The next moment, hes shooting off a tweet saying he didnt mean it.

On Thursday, LePage left a voice mail message for Gattine that said, I am after you, and then told reporters he wished he could challenge Gattine to a duel and point a gun right between his eyes.

LePage said at the time that his reaction was warranted because he heard Gattine had called him a racist. Gattine has repeatedly denied calling LePage a racist.

Previously, the governor has complained about out-of-state drug dealers named D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty impregnating young white girls and has blamed a rise in infectious diseases on immigrants without providing data.
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Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy each easily won their Senate primaries Tuesday, setting up a November showdown thats guaranteed to be nasty as each party grapples for a majority in the chamber.

Rubio, who decided at the last second to seek a second term, easily fended off millionaire home builder Carlos Beruff, and Murphy used the backing of President Obama and other Democratic leaders to defeat Rep Alan Grayson, who was counting on his partys most faithful liberal voters to overcome Murphys money and establishment support.

In Arizona, Sen. John McCain beat back a primary challenge from a Republican Tea Party activist to win the right to seek a sixth Senate term in November, clearing an important hurdle in a race that was inundated with questions about GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The 2008 GOP presidential nominee easily defeated former state Sen. Kelli Ward and two other Republicans on the ballot.

He faces a tough Democratic challenge in the November general election from Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick. She advanced Tuesday after facing only a write-in opponent in the primary.

In other Florida races, Rep. Corrine Brown lost a primary as she faces felony fraud charges. She was one of the first African Americans elected to Congress from Florida since Reconstruction.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who recently resigned as Democratic National Committee chair, won her primary  the first tough race since being elected to Congress in 2004.

Rubio had declared during his failed presidential campaign that he would not run again for Senate. But he nearly cleared what had been a crowded GOP field with his last-minute turnabout.

Murphy, a former Republican, quickly earned party support and raised significantly more money. He was also backed by Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. Grayson, a fiery liberal known for brash comments and hamstrung by a difficult divorce, relied mostly on small donors and feuded with party leaders.

In Arizona, Joe Arpaio, the sheriff for metropolitan Phoenix, trounced three rivals to win his Republican primary in what could be the toughest campaign in his 24 years in office as he faces a storm of legal troubles stemming from his immigration patrols.
1 Agriculture Department threats: The Agriculture Department closed offices in five states after receiving anonymous threats. USDA spokesman Matthew Herrick said on Tuesday that the department had received several anonymous messages that raised concerns about the safety of USDA personnel and facilities. He said offices in Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina and West Virginia had been closed until further notice.

2 Circus school: No clowning around: The first full-time, professional training school for circus artists in the United States is set to open in Philadelphia next year, officials said Tuesday. Circadium will be a three-year, secondary vocational school where students can hone their skills in acrobatics, juggling and aerial acts like the silks. The founders, who now run the recreational Philadelphia School of Circus Arts, made the announcement atop the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, amid juggling routines and a trapeze performance. America is home to more than 200 recreational circus schools and studios, but unlike in Europe and Canada, there arent any higher-education schools where more experienced students can elevate their art, said Amy Cohen, executive director of the American Circus Educators Association.
SEATTLE  Seattle leaders have proposed new rules for retail and food-service businesses with hourly employees, including requiring them to schedule shifts two weeks in advance and compensate workers for some last-minute changes  the latest push by a city that has led the nation in mandating worker benefits.

Seattle was among the first to phase in a $15 hourly minimum wage, mandate sick leave for many companies and offer paid parental leave for city workers.

Now, the mayor, city officials and labor-backed groups are targeting erratic schedules and fluctuating hours they say make it difficult for people to juggle child care, school or other jobs, to count on stable income or to plan for the future.

Seattles secure scheduling proposal also would require retail and fast-food companies with 500 employees globally to compensate workers with predictability pay when theyre scheduled but dont get called into work or are sent home early; provide a minimum 10 hours rest between open and closing shifts; and offer hours to existing employees before hiring new staff.

Creating equity in Seattle means providing workers with access to a reliable schedule that meets their life and financial needs, while balancing the daily realities facing large employers, Mayor Ed Murray said this month.

In 2014, San Francisco became the first major U.S. city to pass similar legislation. A District of Columbia bill requiring 14-day scheduling notice advanced out of a council committee in June but has yet to be taken up by the full council. A November ballot measure before San Jose voters would require businesses to offer additional hours to existing part-time employees before hiring new staff.

Oliver Savage, 22, a Starbucks barista, said he has asked to work 30 hours but gets 20. For a period this summer, a previous store manager scheduled him for only eight hours, reducing his one source of income. He said the store hired a new barista during that time, so he supports the provision requiring current workers be offered hours before additional staff is hired.
HOUSTON  As if the As starting-pitching woes werent difficult enough, rookie Sean Manaea left early in Mondays 6-0 loss to the Astros at Minute Maid Park.

Manaea (5-9) left after 31/3 innings with a left rhomboid strain. He fielded a comebacker from Yulieski Gurriel to start the fourth, then threw one pitch to Marwin Gonzalez before manager Bob Melvin and the trainer headed to the mound. The left-hander was replaced by Chris Smith.

Manaea said he was uncertain whether he would miss his next start. He is listed as day-to-day.

Just frustrating from where Im at, Manaea said. Already been on the (disabled list) once, and to me, it just feels like Im letting everyone down.

I hate being hurt and just getting taken out early, especially with a close game like that just bothered me. It is what it is. I just have to make sure going forward I get everything done and try not to have this problem again.

The Astros drew two bases-loaded walks off Manaea in the second inning, by Jake Marisnick and George Springer, to score their first runs. Jose Altuve homered and rookie starter Joe Musgrove bounced back after two horrible outings to combine with three relievers on a four-hitter.

Musgrove (2-2) struck out seven, walked three and allowed three hits over 51/3 innings after allowing 13 runs over his previous two starts.

I have to be the guy who goes as hard as he can as long as he can, Musgrove said. The last couple of outings, I found myself trying to pace myself trying to get to the seventh. I did a lot of work this week making mechanical adjustments and told myself to go out there and give it everything you have as long as you can and let the bullpen take over from there.

Musgrove retired 11 of the first 13 batters before Khris Davis singled with two outs in the fourth for the As first hit.

Houston closed to two games back of the second AL wild-card spot with the win and Baltimores loss.

Altuve hit his second homer in two games to lead off the sixth and extend Houstons lead to 3-0. Alex Bregman hit a two-run single and Carlos Correa had an RBI single as part of a three-run seventh.

Marcus Semien had two of Oaklands hits.

Briefly: Billy Butler was reinstated from the seven-day concussion list. To make room on the roster, infielder Arismendy Alcantara was optioned to Class A Stockton. ... Sean Doolittle (left shoulder strain) will continue a rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville. ... Right-hander Henderson Alvarez (right shoulder surgery) is set to start a rehab assignment Tuesday in Stockton. ... Righty Jesse Hahn (right shoulder strain) will pitch Wednesday for Nashville.

On deck

Tuesday

at Astros

5:10 p.m. CSNCA

Graveman (10-8) vs. McHugh (8-10)

Wednesday

at Astros

11:10 a.m. MLB Net

Detwiler (1-3) vs. Fiers (9-6)

Thursday

Off

Leading off

Streak over: Rookie third baseman Ryon Healys hitting streak ended at 14 games in Mondays series opener at Houston. He went 21-for-52 (.404) during the streak.

 Chronicle Staff
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Paris Hilton announced on Twitter on Tuesday morning that she's headed for the playa. The post included a photo of her showing off her Burning Man hair style, a French braid trailing into a spray of tiny braids.

Paris Hilton is excited for her first trip to the Playa! #BurningMan

Think about that for a minute. The stiletto-wearing Manhattan socialite whose processed-blonde hair is always perfectly in place is on her way to a world of swirling dust. But then again, when the high winds hit, Ms. Hilton will likely have a comfortable place to escape.

Last year, Hilton teased her fans with a tweet saying she definitely planned to go to the annual art festival in Nevada's Black Rock Desert.

Less then a month away till #Burningman!

But it seems she never made it, as in her tweet from today, she says this will be her first time.

As a Burning Man newbie, she's getting some advice in the Twitterverse.

We also recommend that Hilton read SFGATE's 25 Burning Man Rules You Might Not Know About.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



A police investigation into who erected a naked statue of presidential candidate Donald Trump in San Francisco earlier this month could delay plans to put it on display at a San Francisco bar this weekend and return it to the artist who created it.



The controversial statue was installed on Aug. 18 at the corner of Castro and Market streets, just outside Jane Warner Plaza. Entitled "The Emperor Has No B---s," it was one of five such statues placed in cities around the country including Seattle, Los Angeles, New York and Cleveland.



While some cities quietly removed their statues, in San Francisco police took it into custody the next day and are investigating it as a case of felony vandalism because the glue used to secure it damaged the sidewalk.





Police said it cost the city $4,000 to remove the statue and that there could be additional fines.



Nick Bovis, owner of Union Square restaurant and bar Lefty O'Douls, has offered to pay the fines to get the statue from police with the backing of Supervisor Scott Wiener, who represents the city's Castro District.
Robert Reich: Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton. Professor of public policy at UC Berkeley. Commentator. Author.

Playwright?

Its true. As part of its 5 Plays 5 Days series, Re:act, a group of American Conservatory Theater alums and other local artists, is staging a reading Saturday, Sept. 3, of Reichs Milton and Augusto, which imagines what happened at the real-life 1975 meeting in Chile between Augusto Pinochet and economist Milton Friedman.

We have much in common, Professor, says General, as hes called in the script; theyre both the sons of immigrants of humble origins, and theyre both sympathetic to conservative economic principles. Theyre also both ruthlessly power hungry; if General is willing to stage a coup to seize power, Milton is also national in the scope of his ambition: Eventually all of America will appreciate my ideas.

B.W. Gonzalez directs this meeting of the minds.

 Lily Janiak

5 Plays 5 Days: Milton and Augusto. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Sept. 1-3. $20. Z Below, 470 Florida St., S.F. www.zspace.org
SACRAMENTO  San Francisco and other high-priced cities could build teacher-only affordable housing on school district properties under a bill headed to Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday.

The bill aims to address the growing number of teachers, classroom aides and other school district employees across the state who are being priced out of cities.

San Francisco already has two properties that officials are considering for the teacher-only housing. However, Mayor Ed Lee said the city needs state authority to permit the school district to construct the housing for teachers. With state authority, the development would qualify for state and federal grants.

This is a major win for San Franciscos teachers who have struggled, like many, in the current housing climate, Lee said in a statement.

Under SB1413 by state Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, school districts could partner with private companies to create housing options that keep teachers in their communities. Leno said the bill would help cities where high housing costs have led to high teacher turnover rates.

Californias growing teacher shortage and housing affordability challenges require innovative solutions, Leno said.

The bill passed the Senate 30-8 on Monday. Last week, the Assembly passed it 62-18.

The Legislature has until Wednesday to consider hundreds of bills before the end of the session. Among the other bills passed by the Legislature on Monday was one that would allow California farmworkers to collect overtime after an eight-hour day.

Under current law, farmworkers receive time and a half only after a 10-hour shift. AB1066 would instead provide overtime after eight hours in a day or 40 hours in a week. The bill is headed to Brown.

Farmworkers were excluded from wage protections and hour standards in the federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Supporters of the bill, such as the legislations sponsor, the United Farm Workers, said the exemption is a wrong that lawmakers must right.

There is a decades-old, archaic, now-outdated exemption in the law, said Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Alameda. We are lawmakers, and we can change the law. We can chart a more just path for farmworkers.

AB1066 by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, passed 44-32 in the Assembly on Monday. The bill passed the Senate on Aug. 22 in a 21-14 vote. Several moderate Democrats voted against the bill, including Assemblyman Jim Cooper, D- Elk Grove (Sacramento County), and Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced.

The bill would gradually phase in overtime beginning in 2019 for farmworkers who work more than 9 hours in a day or 55 hours in a week. Each year, the daily threshold would decrease by a half hour until 2022, when farmworkers would receive overtime for working more than eight hours in a day or 40 hours in a week.

Smaller farms would have more time to meet the requirement, with the first phase-in beginning in 2022 and becoming fully implemented in 2025.

We are asking for equality  eventually, Gonzalez said. It starts today, however.

The bill would allow the governor to temporarily suspend the phase-in of overtime if the scheduled minimum-wage increase is also suspended amid an economic downturn. After 2025, however, the governor could no longer freeze the overtime requirement.

Democrats were criticized for reviving the farmworker overtime bill after a substantially similar bill, AB2757 by Gonzalez, was defeated in the Assembly in June.

What is most important about AB1066 is principle, said Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Paramount (Los Angeles County), who supported the bill. The principle is that those who pick fruits in the fields should have the same overtime protections as those canning vegetables in a factory or those selling fruit in a market. ... Its past time to right a wrong.

Opponents of the bill said the added cost of overtime would hurt farmers and lead to decreased hours for workers.

We want to help these people, said Assemblyman Devon Mathis, R-Visalia (Tulare County). They dont want to see this happen. The majority of farmworkers whose voices have fallen silent on this issue because they are busy back home working providing for their families do not want to see their hours cut, and that is what will happen.

On Monday, lawmakers also sent Brown SB450 by state Sen. Benjamin Allen, D-Santa Monica, which would require county registrars to mail ballots to all voters, who could then return them by mail or drop them off at several locations in their county.

That would replace the current system where voters can request mail ballots. Voters would also have the option of casting votes in person on election day or in the 10 days leading up to it.

The bill passed 26-11 in the Senate on Monday and heads to Brown. The bill passed the Assembly last week in a 47-31 vote.

Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez
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A far-flung Greek island? The French countryside? Maybe Beverly Hills?

Think closer to home.

This fabulous, palatial Beaux Artsstyle mansion is located right here on three acres in the North Berkeley hills and on the market for $7.5 million.

Modeled after an Austrian princesses' Corfu palace, the architectural masterpiece was designated a City of Berkeley historical landmark in 2000.

"There's nothing else like it," says listing agent Herman Chan of Sotheby's. "In the East Bay it's literally one-of-a-kind and like a piece of art. It's like Berkeley's version of Hearst Castle."

Hearst Castle might be a stretch, but no doubt this palatial property at 1960 San Antonio Ave. is noteworthy with a 30-foot-tall atrium flanked by Tuscan columns, a 15-foot-wide grand staircase, and a portico at both the front and back entrances. The living and dining room walls are covered in tapestries and heavy wrought-iron chandeliers hang from a boxed ceiling.

The six-bedroom, 12,000 square-foot property was originally built in 1912 by entrepreneur John Hopkins Spring whose most notable achievements include developing the town of Albany, investing in the Claremont Hotel and opening S.F.'s first department store, City of Paris in Union Square.

Spring lived in the property for only a few years before he and his wife divorced, and he moved to San Francisco, but the estate has always been known as the Spring Mansion.

Spring sold the mansion to educator Cora Williams who turned it into a tony secondary school with an emphasis on the arts, poetry, language and literature, according to the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association. Real estate investor Larry Leon purchased the home in 1975 and lived there until 2005, when John Park, the founder of a company called Fortiss that runs casinos, bought it with plans to live there permanently. But the Spring Mansion has sat empty ever since as Park moved to Los Angeles.

Park hired a groundskeeper to care for the mansion and its grounds, and put the property up for sale in 2010 and then again in 2014, but nobody jumped on the opportunity.

Now, 1960 San Antonio is back on the market after an upgrade led by interior designer and HGTV star Cora Sue Anthony. With many of the rooms receiving a fresh coat of paint, the property has a more modern handsome look.

"The interior was yellow and turquoise and orange," Chan said. "It was like Taco Bell meets Cirque du Soleil. It was a disaster. We took out drapes and carpeting. Gave it a neutral color palette. It was by no means a full renovation, and we couldn't do all the rooms. The master bedroom is the showroom and now you can see what could be done with this property."

Skylights and new mechanical systems were also installed.

"We wanted to honor its past and pay homage to history and heritage, but we wanted to make it a more modern livable home," Chan said.
HARDAN, Iraq  Surrounded by smoke and flames, the sound of gunshots echoing around him, the young man crouched in the creek for hours, listening to the men in his family die.

On the other side of the mountain, another survivor peered through binoculars as the handcuffed men of neighboring villages were shot and then buried by a waiting bulldozer. For six days, he watched as the extremists filled one grave after another with his friends and relatives.

Between them, the two scenes of horror on Sinjar mountain contain six burial sites and the bodies of more than 100 people, just a small fraction of the mass graves Islamic State extremists have scattered across Iraq and Syria.

In exclusive interviews, photos and research, the Associated Press has documented and mapped 72 of the mass graves, the most comprehensive survey so far, with many more expected to be uncovered as the Islamic State groups territory shrinks.

In Syria, AP has obtained locations for 17 mass graves, including one with the bodies of hundreds of members of a single tribe all but exterminated when Islamic State extremists took over their region.

For at least 16 of the Iraqi graves, most in territory too dangerous to excavate, officials do not even guess the number of dead. In others, the estimates are based on memories of traumatized survivors, Islamic State propaganda and what can be gleaned from a cursory look at the earth. Still, even the known victims buried are staggering  from 5,200 to more than 15,000.

Sinjar mountain is dotted with mass graves, some in territory clawed back from the Islamic State after the groups onslaught against the Yazidi minority in August 2014. Others are in the deadly no mans land that has yet to be secured.

The bodies of Talal Murats father, uncles and cousins lie beneath the rubble of the family farm, awaiting a time when it is safe for surviving relatives to return to the place where the men were gunned down.

On Sinjars other flank, Rasho Qassim drives daily past the graves holding the bodies of his two sons. The road is in territory long since seized back, but the five sites are untouched, roped off and awaiting the money or the political will for excavation, as the evidence they contain is scoured away by the wind and baked by the sun.

The Islamic State made no attempt to hide its atrocities. In fact it boasted of them. But proving what U.N. officials and others have described as an ongoing genocide  and prosecuting those behind it  will be complicated as the graves deteriorate.

Then there are the graves still out of reach. The Islamic State groups atrocities extend well outside the Yazidi region in northern Iraq.

Satellites offer the clearest look at massacres such as the one at Badoush Prison in June 2014 that left 600 male inmates dead. A patch of scraped earth and tire tracks show the likely killing site, according to photos obtained by the imagery intelligence firm AllSource Analysis.

Of the 72 mass graves documented by AP, the smallest contains three bodies; the largest is believed to hold thousands, but no one knows for sure.

Justice has been done in at least one Islamic State mass killing  that of about 1,700 Iraqi soldiers who were forced to lie face-down in a ditch and then machine-gunned at Camp Speicher. On Aug. 21, 36 men convicted in those killings were hanged at Iraqs Nasiriyah prison.

But justice is likely to be elusive in areas still firmly under Islamic State control, even though the extremists have filmed themselves committing the atrocities. Thats the case for a deep natural sinkhole outside Mosul that is now a pit of corpses.

In Syrias Raqqa province, thousands of bodies are believed to have been thrown into the giant al-Houta crevasse. The bodies of 160 Syrian soldiers, killed when Islamic State overran their base, were found in seven large pits.
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MITZPE DANNY, West Bank  One night in the fall of 1998, a self-professed outpost entrepreneur brought three trailers to a rugged hilltop in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and established his first pirate settlement.

Dozens of youthful supporters came to cheer on the entrepreneur, Shimon Riklin, whose wife, newborn and toddler joined him a few days later.
NAYPYITAW, Myanmar  U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told Myanmar on Tuesday that the world is very concerned about the tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees who have been living for more than four years in camps in northern Rakhine state after fleeing violence from the Buddhist majority.

They deserve hope, Ban said at a joint news conference with Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi. All of Myanmars people, of every ethnicity and background, should be able to live in equality and harmony, side by side with their neighbors.

Ban is in Myanmar to attend peace talks aimed at ending half a century of conflict between the government and the countrys many armed ethnic minority groups. The talks begin Wednesday in Naypyitaw, the capital. About 2,000 delegates and guests are expected to attend the opening ceremony.

Suu Kyi, who leads Myanmar with the title of state counselor and is also foreign minister, said, We are doing what we can to make sure that all groups can attend, but to attend or not is up to them.

Ban also said that there is a heightened expectation of faster progress under Suu Kyis leadership on issues facing the country, and that the international community and Myanmars government should work together to overcome them.

He spoke of the countrys remarkable journey from military dictatorship toward democracy, but warned too of the many challenges Myanmar faces, including the plight of the Rohingya Muslims.

More than 100,000 Rohingya have been living in unsanitary camps since fleeing their homes in Rakhine state starting in 2012, following deadly violence driven largely by Buddhist mobs. Many Buddhists view Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, even though many have been living in Myanmar for generations.

Even the word Rohingya is extremely controversial in Myanmar, though Ban used it without hesitation during the brief news conference. Suu Kyis government has said it would rather that the term Muslims in Rakhine be used.

While saying he understood the need for patience in tackling the problem, Ban reiterated that the international community is concerned about the Rohingyas situation. He commended the government for setting up a special advisory commission on the situation in Rakhine state that will be chaired by Bans predecessor, Kofi Annan.
PNM Calls PRC's Bluff

The Public Service Company of New Mexico signaled that it wants

on its rate increase request that could eventually boost consumer electric rates more than 16 percent. Regulators said theyd be willing to reopen discussions about whether the investor-owned utility has justified their request.

Barela Resigning

Hes been head of the states economic development department since 2011, but John Barela is now slated to become the chief executive officer at the Borderplex Alliance, where hell

. Martinez tapped Deputy Secretary Barbara Brazil to replace Barela beginning Oct 1.

Mother Supports Death Penalty

Gov. Susana Martinez will have

when she asks lawmakers to reinstate the death penalty. Pamela Foster, the mother of Ashlynne Mike, who was murdered near Shiprock earlier this year, supports it. Foster all wants the Navajo nation to opt back into the federal death penalty option.

Only in New Mexico

Its a sad state of affairs when one woman has had

from the same Rail Runner station within three months of each other, but thats exactly what happened to Mary Phillips in Belen this summer.

Merchants Protest Parking Rate Hike

Santa Fe shop owners let Mayor Javier Gonzales know theyre not happy about the citys July parking rate increase and

because its driving customers away.

State Employee Denies Using Ashley Madison Account

Phaedra Haywood reports: Ronald Sanchez, who was

after a hacker connected his government email address to the controversial dating site Ashley Madison, is challenging his dismissal on grounds of a double standard.

He says he never used the Ashley Madison site, and that he and other information technology staff members were held to a higher standard than other employees when it came to email use, violating his constitutional right to due process.

State Pension Funds Ranked Seventh Worst

Lawmakers are expressing concerns about the future solvency of a state employee pension fund which has

. Other investment analysts are more concerned about the lack of pension funds or retirement savings plans offered to people employed in the private sector. They want to

to help people prepare for their golden years.

Johnson Launches Radio Ads

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson is buying air time and

on radio ads in Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Wisconsin, according to New Mexico Political Report. Maybe the ads will raise his ratings to at least 15 percent and get him on the debate stage with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Santa Fe Reporter


[Transcript of key portions available here.]

But that night in the theater two years ago, the other six brave women came up on the stage. Anabella De Leon of Guatemala pointed to Hillary Clinton, who was sitting right in the front row, and said, "I met her and my life changed." And all weekend long, women from all over the world said the same thing:



"I'm alive because she came to my village, put her arm around me, and had a photograph taken together."



"I'm alive because she went on our local TV and talked about my work, and now they're afraid to kill me."



"I'm alive because she came to my country and she talked to our leaders, because I heard her speak, because I read about her."



I'm here today because of that, because of those stores. I didn't know about this. I never knew any of it. And I think everybody should know. This hidden history Hillary has, the story of her parallel agenda, the shadow diplomacy unheralded, uncelebrated  careful, constant work on behalf of women and girls that she has always conducted alongside everything else a First Lady, a Senator, and now Secretary of State is obliged to do.



And it deserves to be amplified. This willingness to take it, to lead a revolution...



This isn't just symbolism. It's how you change the world. These are the words of Dr. Gao Yaojie of China: "I will never forget our first meeting. She said I reminded her of her mother. And she noticed my small bound feet. I didn't need to explain too much, and she understood completely. I could tell how much she wanted to understand what I, an 80-something year old lady, went through in China  the Cultural Revolution, uncovering the largest tainted blood scandal in China, house arrest, forced family separation. I talked about it like nothing and I joked about it, but she understood me as a person, a mother, a doctor. She knew what I really went through."



When Vera Stremkovskaya, a lawyer and human rights activist from Belarus met Hillary Clinton a few years ago, they took a photograph together. And she said to one of the Secretary's colleagues, "I want that picture." And the colleague said, "I will get you that picture as soon as possible." And Stremkovskaya said, "I need that picture." And the colleague said, "I promise you." And Stremkovskaya said, "You don't understand. That picture will be my bulletproof vest."

[Content Note: Misogyny; violence and threats against women.]This is a four-year-old video, but I only saw it for the first time this weekend. It's Meryl Streep, introducing Hillary Clinton at the 2012 Women in the World conference. The entire intro is great, but I was especially struck by the stories Streep recounted of the women Clinton has helped, just by showing up for them.This is the part of the video that I want to highlight:I am just profoundly moved by that. By the fact that there are women around the world who view Hillary Clinton as their bulletproof vest; by the fact that we don't know these stories, in no small part because Clinton herself doesn't tell them, probably fearing she would be accused of exploiting these women or actually exposing them to harm; by the fact that Clinton risks her life every day, literally wearing a bulletproof vest on many occasions, to keep campaigning against an opponent who has now repeatedly incited violence against her.She is an extraordinary person. She really is.
Foley Family Wines, which operates brands including Vavasour and Martinborough Vineyard has more than quadrupled full-year profit to $6.5 million after a bumper harvest.

The NZAX-listed company controlled by American billionaire Bill Foley lifted sales to the UK and Europe by 48 percent to 71,000 cases. Sales in New Zealand fell by 14 percent to 101,000 cases, a performance it described as "disappointing." Sales in Australia were flat, while North American sales rose 15 percent to 131,000 cases.

The average price per case also fell 2.5 percent to $78 from $80.

The increase in profit, to $6.5 million from $1.2 million, is largely due to an unrealised gain in the value of harvested grapes, reflecting the greater output in 2016 compared to the 2015 harvest.

The 2016 vintage saw a yield of 6,954 tonnes of grapes, up 31% on the 2015 harvest of 5,300 tonnes. Vineyards owned by Foley in Martinborough saw yields more than double, while yields in Marlborough rose by 42 percent.

Chief executive Mark Turnbull said this was already having an impact on the market. "We are already seeing a large volume of bulk wine listed at low prices."

The smaller 2015 vintage meant Foley sold just 14,542 cases of bulk wine, down from 91,577 the previous year. While total revenue for the business fell to $34.8 million from $37.1 million a year earlier, sales of its bottled, rather than bulk wine, rose to $32.9 million from $31.5 million.

Despite the increase in sales to the UK and the EU, the decision of the British people to vote to leave the European Union "adversely affected the final result due to the unrealised losses on the revaluation of financial assets at year-end," the directors told investors.

A dividend of 3 cents per share is to be paid, an increase of 50 percent from a year earlier.

Shares in Foley Family Wines were unchanged at $1.65 and have risen by 19.4 percent in the past 12 months.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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Financially stressed broadcaster MediaWorks will gain high-profile telecommunications entrepreneur Jack Matthews as its chairman from the end of next month.

New Zealand-resident Matthews will replace the current Australia-based chairman, Rod McGeoch, who has led the MediaWorks board since 2013.

Matthews is well-known in New Zealand as the founder of one of the country's first cable television services, then known as Saturn, on the Kapiti Coast, which has morphed over the years through ownership for a time by Australian telco Telstra to become part of Vodafone's New Zealand asset base.

"I'm very pleased to accept this position and look forward to working with a strong board, management team and, most importantly, a committed and passionate staff who are all focused on maintaining MediaWorks as a successful and important part of New Zealanders' daily lives," said Matthews.

McGeoch said he had led MediaWorks "out of receivership and into a place where MediaWorks Radio is number one and TV3 is gaining share".

"In these times of huge industry change and disruption, it is right to hand over to a chairman who resides in New Zealand and who brings extensive media expertise.

Matthews has held executive roles including chief executive of Fairfax Metro Media (Australia), CEO at Showtime (Australia) and CEO at TelstraSaturn (NZ). He currently sits on four boards in New Zealand and Australia: Crown Fibre Holdings, Network For Learning, Trilogy International and APN Outdoor, as well as chairing Rewardle Holdings, a digital start-up business based in Melbourne.

MediaWorks is owned by US hudge fund Oaktree Capital, which is known to be seeking to exit its New Zealand broadcasting investment, having gained full control of MediaWorks last year.

The Los Angeles-based firm became a MediaWorks debt-holder in 2012, buying $125 million of the group's outstanding loans at a reported 50 percent discount, later converted to equity when the media company's lenders seized control and pushed out former owner Ironbridge Capital in 2013.

MediaWorks was then restructured through a receivership, allowing MediaWorks to break its commitments to buy programmes from international networks and shed liabilities relating to a $22 million trans-Tasman tax dispute.

Oaktree went on to buy out fellow shareholders Rabobank, Westpac New Zealand and Royal Bank of Scotland.

Oaktree specialises in buying distressed debt to pursue "unusual opportunities for bargain purchases".

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Pyne Gould Corp, the investment group that plans to target 'distressed assets', has avoided being suspended from the NZX after filing its annual results a day late, revealing a drop in income and a narrower full-year loss.

Income and fees from continuing operations fell 14 percent to 1.3 million British pounds in the 12 months to June 30, while its loss from continuing operations narrowed to 7,000 pounds from 6.3 million pounds a year earlier.

One of the biggest items in its financial statements is a change in foreign currency translation reserves, which recorded an unrealised gain of $8.9 million, from a year-earlier unrealised loss of $15 million. That led the company to record total comprehensive income of 8.8 million pounds in 2016 from a year-earlier loss of 22.2 million pounds.

Pyne Gould first listed in 2004 but is now an offshore company based in Guernsey, a British dependency and tax haven in the Channel Islands. The business is controlled by Queenstown-based managing director George Kerr, who was left in control of a listed Pyne Gould in 2012 when he failed to take the company private in a full takeover attempt.

The company missed the deadline for filing its annual results for the third year running and had been issued a warning earlier today from the NZX that its shares would be suspended if it failed to deliver the report by Sept. 5. In 2015, Pyne Gould's shares were suspended from October after its earnings were delayed. Pyne Gould first signalled the 2015 accounts would be late in September that year, blaming a slow handover of information from its previous auditor PwC to Grant Thornton. The company eventually delivered the report in May 2016, and the shares resumed trading in June after it filed its earnings for the first half of 2016.

The company's delayed 2014 annual report was tagged by auditor PwC because of the firm's inability to obtain sufficient information about Pyne Gould's investment in Torchlight Group and Torchlight Fund.

"PGC remains focused on patiently executing on its long-term strategy of exiting non-core assets and building a long term business from distressed assets," the company said in a statement today, adding that its exit of non-core assets was "largely complete" and its commitment to the Torchlight Fund was expected to deliver long-term value.

The firm set up the Torchlight unit to buy distressed assets after the collapse of New Zealand's second-tier finance lending sector in the late 2000s as a way to house bad loans as part of the recapitalisation of Marac Finance, which was later sold into the Heartland Bank merger.

Pyne Gould has been involved in what it described as "a number of large and complex litigations over the course of the financial year." These include an application to wind up the Torchlight fund in the Cayman Islands, a disputed penalty fee on a A$37 million loan from Australian businessman John Grill, and claims and counter-claims over Pyne Gould's sale of Perpetual Trust to Bath Street Capital.

"This is an unwelcome, but necessary, requirement of defending the balance sheet of PGC," the company said. "We devote considerable resources to this part of the business and fully expect our position to be validated by the courts in all cases. We will only comment on particular proceedings as the results are made available."

The shares last traded at 22 cents, and have fallen 10.2 percent this year.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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NEW YORK: In an effort to curb hate speech and ensure safe online communities, Microsoft has announced a new dedicated web form for reporting hate speech on its hosted consumer services and a separate online form for petitions to reconsider and reinstate content.

With these resources, microsoft users will now be able to communicate directly with the firm to report hate speech and request petition to reinstate content via online forms.

"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," Jacqueline Beauchere, Chief Online Safety Officer at Microsoft, said in a blog post on Saturday.

"When hate speech is reported to us, we will evaluate each complaint, consider context and other factors, and determine appropriate action with respect to the content and the user's account," he added.

Microsoft offers services like Outlook, Skype, Xbox, OneDrive and Office 365 which draw millions of users.

"We're making it simpler for users to report hate speech. We are also adding a new multi-service reconsideration form to request reinstatement of content that customers feel was disabled in error. We will review submissions via this new form, and if appropriate, reinstate the content," Beauchere posted.

Microsoft is also working with the broader internet community to combat offencive content online.

It is working with governments, online safety advocates and other technology companies to ensure there is no place on its hosted consumer services for conduct that incites violence and hate.

For example, Microsoft recently joined major social media and video-sharing firms in support of the European Commission Code of Conduct countering illegal hate speech online  a joint effort to stop unlawful public incitement to violence and hatred across Europe.

"Reports received from governments will be included as government requests in our semi-annual Content Removal Requests Report, published at the Microsoft Transparency Hub," the post said.

The company hopes that this effort will more directly address hate speech on its hosted services and improve transparency in how it is tackling the offencive content online.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- When it comes to confronting addiction, timing is everything.

No one knows that better than Phyllis Cureton as she handles an "intake" at Samaritan Daytop Village, the drug and alcohol treatment facility in Mariners Harbor.

The process often begins with a frantic phone call from a concerned friend or family member, or from the user who has hit bottom, explains Cureton, the facility's director.

"I ask, 'can you come in right now?' I ask that before they can change their mind. It's a life-and-death situation. If you make an appointment for two days later, there's no guarantee they'll be around then."

"The goal is to get them in right now when they're ready and getting clean is on their mind," she adds in a forceful tone that belies her years of experience.

Once face to face in her office just off the lobby of the Forest Avenue building, Cureton goes to work.

"I look the client right in the eye. As I talk about saving their life, I convince them that I care about them. I speak the truth and I smack them in the face with the reality that they have nothing else left to lose."

Heroin and opioid addicts as young as 12 and as old as 76 have sat across from Cureton, a witness every day to Staten Island's raging drug epidemic. Strengthened by a recent merger with the Samaritan Village network, today's Daytop is attacking the epidemic head-on.

"I speak to their spirit," she continues. "There is an angel on one shoulder, a demon on the other. I keep them focused on the angel for just a minute so they have that 'aha' moment."

Treatment begins the moment she secures a commitment. If inpatient detox and medical supervision is needed, Cureton and her staff arrange hospitalization.

"If you really want to get clean, you have to chase after your recovery the way you chased after the drugs or alcohol," she says.

DOORS ARE ALWAYS OPEN

Some clients walk into the facility on their own, and Cureton and her staff are always ready to handle them.

Forty-six-year-old Luis was a walk-in last January.

Director Phyllis Cureton meets in her office with a client who successfully completed treatment for alcohol abuse. (Claire Regan/Staten Island Advance)

A decade of alcoholism had turned him into a verbally abusive husband and father who drank himself into a stupor every night in front of the TV.

He lost relationships, he lost jobs.

"So I detoxed myself," he says. "I thought if I just stopped drinking, I'd be OK."

The sobriety soon revealed a deeper problem with anger management and Luis knew he needed help. He went to Samaritan Daytop because it was close to his house.

"I came in on my own. I wanted to change my ways."

He immersed himself in the program with individual and group sessions and mental health counseling and made 1915 Forest Ave. his home base.

Earlier this month, Luis graduated from the treatment program that saved his life.

"If I hadn't come here, I would've been locked up," he says candidly. "They gave me the tools and showed me how to use them. I've learned how to handle things when they don't go my way."

He's doing well in a new restaurant job and rebuilding relationships with his wife and 11-year-old son.

"I still struggle every day, and I pray to God I stay strong and focused. I think this [sobriety] is going to last forever for me," he adds with cautious confidence, crediting the Samaritan Daytop program and staff. "I'm around good people."

"What you put in is what you're going to get out of the program," Cureton says, affirming Luis's perseverance and success.

A MONSIGNOR'S VISION

Daytop got its start on Staten Island in 1963 when Monsignor William O'Brien and three partners opened the first treatment residence in a 20-room Tottenville mansion overlooking Raritan Bay. They called it Daytop Lodge.

The organization's name stood for Drug Addicts Treated on Probation, and it first residents were 22 male probationers from the Brooklyn corrections system.

During the next two decades, Daytop developed into a national franchise, with 28 facilities in five states, and became a model for substance abuse treatment.

But Staten Islanders did not always tolerate the concept well. Each time Daytop relocated to a neighborhood, it drew ire and sparked protests.

In 1965, when it moved to the former Marist Novitiate in Prince's Bay, neighbors protested with a rock-throwing demonstration.

When that location shut down in 1973, its clients were transferred to a Daytop facility in Manhattan. Two years later, Daytop again faced neighborhood resistance when it opened an outreach center in a former West Brighton bank.

In 1983, the center moved to its current location, the former Richmond Racquetball Club on Forest Avenue, also amid anger and protests.

Samaritan Daytop Village is located at 1915 Forest Ave., Mariners Harbor, a former racquetball club. (Claire Regan/Staten Island Advance)

After a period of decline that led to bankruptcy proceedings in 2012, Daytop Village has merged with the Samaritan Village recovery network, according to Carolann Slattery, assistant vice president for outpatient services. Samaritan runs more than 50 programs in the New York City area serving veterans, families, the homeless, the elderly and those struggling with addiction.

The merger with Samaritan was finalized in November and the Forest Avenue facility has been undergoing a transformation with new leadership and capital improvements. The sign outside still reads "Daytop Village," but the organization's new name is Samaritan Daytop Village.

The non-descript building is deceptive in size. Its two expansive floors are broken into a dozen offices and meeting rooms, some of which still feature the original wooden floors of racquetball courts. Most rooms are windowless - an advantage for privacy during recovery meetings.

Since becoming director two years ago, Phyllis Cureton has worked hard to make the space warm and inviting. She wants new clients to feel comfortable walking in for the first time, and she wants successful clients to continue visiting long after they complete a program.

The lobby doubles as a lounge with sofas and a television and a steady supply of coffee and snacks. The restrooms were recently refurbished, and new furniture and paint are planned for the main floor.

"I'm turning it around," Cureton says. "I want the community to know we're here. We want this to be a safe haven - a home away from home."

ALWAYS ROOM FOR MORE

The staff works with about 100 clients at a time, but the door is always open for more.

In addition to drug and alcohol treatment, the center offers programs in anger management, parenting, vocational assessment, relapse prevention, relapse recovery, cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy, which addresses borderline personality disorder.

"I want this to be a safe haven, a home away from home," says director Phyllis Cureton who is renovating the expansive lobby of the Forest Avenue facility with new furniture and paint. (Claire Regan/Staten Island Advance)

The facility works with referrals made by parole and probation officers and offers a 12-week course for DWI offenders. Cureton also hopes to re-establish a general equivalency diploma , or GED, program in a classroom on the lower level.

The full-time staff of 10 includes a physician who prescribes Suboxone, used to treat opiate addiction, and a psychiatric nurse practitioner who addresses mental health issues. Four addiction counselors each manage caseloads of about 25 clients, and a half-dozen graduate students get hands-on training as interns.

"Drug addiction has a lot to do with mental health," says Samaritan Daytop counselor Rita Caputo. "To feel normal, they turn to drugs."

Family members and significant others affected by the disease of addiction can find support in the Samaritan Daytop Family Association, which meets every Monday at 7 p.m. The group discusses the anxiety, fear and anger caused by a loved one's substance abuse and offers information about treatment options and guidance through the recovery process.

"When someone is using, it affects the whole family, it touches everybody," Cureton points out.

A downstairs room has been transformed into a walk-in closet offering gently used clothing for clients, much of which has been donated by Cureton herself.

"Sometimes people come here with nothing but the clothes on their back," Cureton says. "It's about helping them feel better about themselves and boosting their self-esteem."

THEY CALL HER 'DR. C'

Known affectionately around the building as "Dr. C," Phyllis Cureton has been a Staten Islander since the age of 10 and lives in Mariners Harbor, not too far from the facility she runs.

A graduate of Curtis High School and Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Mich., she holds a doctoral degree and is a credentialed alcohol and substance abuse counselor (CASAC) and an international certified alcohol and drug counselor (ICADC).

She is also an ordained deacon, serving with her husband, Tracy, at Mount Sinai United Christian Church in Tompkinsville.

"Sometimes people come here with nothing but the clothes on their back," says Phyllis Cureton, Samaritan Daytop Village director. Clients can select donated clothing from a walk-in closet on the lower level. (Claire Regan/Staten Island Advance)

With the escalating drug crisis on Staten Island, Cureton says Samaritan Daytop is more relevant than ever, and she is determined to reach out to every Islander caught up by drugs or alcohol.

PCP, angel dust and opiates are Staten Island's drugs of choice, Cureton says. But she points out that marijuana and alcohol can be equally destructive.

"Marijuana is a gateway drug," she explains. "It opens the door for you to start experimenting with other things."

She knows teens who have dropped out of high school because of marijuana use. "They're in a haze, a daze, all day," she says.

And she is quick to point out how alcohol abuse can be as deadly as drug use when a vehicle becomes a weapon in the hands of an intoxicated driver.

"The disease of addiction is not prejudiced," she says. "It knows no color or age or boundary. It goes after everybody."

"I want people to know there is hope," she continues. "You can beat this."
Martin, Dante 08A6054 9.18.15.png

Dante Martin, 36, of Mariners Harbor is scheduled to testify in front of a grand jury no later than Sept. 2 in connection for charges of attempted murder and assault of a police officer. (Staten Island Advance/ New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- A judge remanded bail for a Mariners Harbor man who allegedly assaulted an NYPD officer, based on his history of felonies, a parole violation and charges that could land him a sentence from 20 years to life.

Dante Martin, 36, is scheduled to testify in front of grand jury no later than Sept. 2, according to the judge's ruling at his arraignment Monday.

Prosecutors cited previous felonies and a detailed account of the actions Martin allegedly took against the police officer Sunday morning at Richmond University Medical Center, as he was being treated for possible seizures under police supervision.

"He has shown he has nothing to lose," said an attorney with the Richmond County District Attorney's office.

Martin had a few supporters in the courtroom Monday, but all declined to comment after he was escorted out of the courtroom in handcuffs.

Martin allegedly tried to shoot an NYPD officer with her own gun Sunday morning, after a handcuff was removed at Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton, a police spokesman said.

He was escorted to the hospital for a seizure condition, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

The officer, who was rescued by a patient nearby, was treated and released and was "doing good" on Monday morning, the spokesman said.

Martin, 36, allegedly straddled the officer and had his finger on the trigger of her gun that was halfway out of the holster during the Sunday morning attack.

The arrest that resulted in the suspect being in police custody at the hospital also involved a gun.

Martin was nabbed Thursday when police responded at 8:30 p.m. to a report of a man with a gun at 55 Holland Ave., an NYPD spokesman sad.

He allegedly threw a gun in front of 55 Holland Ave. and ran to the rear of the building where he was found by police.

The recovered gun was a black, Glock .40-caliber gun with nine rounds of ammunition in the magazine, a police spokesman said.

In regard to both incidents, Martin faces charges that include attempted murder, assault, resisting arrest, criminal possession of a weapon, menacing, obstruction of governmental administration and harassment, police said.
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The Sutter Oval with Main Hall in the background, on the Grymes Hill campus of Wagner College. The college again made the Princeton Review's list of America's Best colleges. (Staten Islnd Advance)

Wagner College was named one of America's best colleges in the Princeton Review's 2017 "Best 381 Colleges" guide.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Wagner College was named one of America's best colleges in the Princeton Review's list of 2017 "Best 381 Colleges" guide, released Monday.

The Wagner College Theatre program was also ranked No. 3 in the nation.

Only about 15 percent of America's 2,500 four-year colleges are profiled in the "Best 381 Colleges" book, which is the Princeton Review's flagship college guide.

It includes detailed profiles of the selected colleges, in alphabetical order, with rating scores for all schools in various categories, based on the Princeton Review's surveys of students attending the colleges.

In its overall profile on Wagner College, this year's guide quotes extensively from students.

Wagner students describe the college as a "tight-knit and fun, yet academically challenging" liberal arts school.

They cited its suburban campus atop Grymes Hill and its proximity to New York City, and the school's "learn by doing" policy that gets students off campus and into the community.

The school is "in the perfect location with a surplus of unique resources" and is composed of "an excellent and vibrant community that supports its students every step of the way."

Students said Wagner "lets you experience all different types of subjects by following the concept: learning by doing."

THEATER PROGRAM LAUDED



Wagner College Theatre was ranked No. 3 among collegiate theater programs in America.

Wagner finished behind Muhlenberg and Sarah Lawrence -- and ahead of Bennington, Bard, Fordham, Columbia, the University of Chicago and Brown, among others.

Wagner College Theatre has been ranked among the top 5 collegiate theater programs in the United States by the Princeton Review for more than a decade.

The department, created in 1968, has a long list of distinguished alumni, from Tony Award winner Randy Graff (Class of 1976) to "Jersey Boys" film star Renee Marino (Class of 2004).

"Wagner College's tradition of doing theater, particularly musical theater, clearly remains strong," said department chair Felicia Ruff.

"We take pride in our work on stage and in the classroom, but we are even prouder of our community, which is united by our belief in the importance of live performance," Ruff said.

"Our ranking is a well-deserved endorsement of our excellent faculty and the values they teach, but it is also evidence of the power of storytelling to impact our culture, especially our campus culture."
shot.jpg

A screen shows a demonstration of the ShotSpotter gunfire tracking application inside the Joint Operations Center at NYPD headquarters. (Staten Island Advance/Anna Sanders)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- In a recent incident, no one was hurt, but there was an arrest.

It happened on a residential Port Richmond street very early on a weekday morning.

A 51-year-old man was arrested for allegedly firing a gun that missed a man who was the intended target.

James Howell was in front of his house at 352 Decker Ave. when he allegedly pointed a .38-caliber handgun at a 37-year-old acquaintance at about 2:40 a.m., according to police reports.

Howell faces charges including attempted assault, criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment and menacing, a police spokeswoman said.

That single bullet might have missed it's target, but it could have killed or injured someone sleeping in a home nearby.

It's just one of too many cases -- there have been three non-fatal shootings in just past few days -- that make a clear case it's time bring the city's high-tech gunfire tracking technology to the North Shore's 120th Precinct, and then to the borough's other three.

In late January 2016, the city vowed to bring ShotSpotter, the gunshot detection system, to the North Shore.

The funding is in the budget, but more than six month later, it has yet to happen. We were recently told that it's coming "soon."

Maybe it's just another frustrating example of New York's all-too-common, snail-paced bureaucracy.

.

When the announcement was made, the city pointed out that the North Shore precinct will be part of 36 more square miles covered by the system, made possible with an additional $3 million in funding every year.

"ShotSpotter is providing a vital tool to the NYPD in taking on gun violence," Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement at the time. "This investment means all five boroughs will now see the crime fighting benefits of this innovative technology."

So now there's an opportunity to make that "investment": Comply with a proposal by Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-North Shore).

Rose wants the Department of Transportation to test "smart" streetlights on Staten Island that can be outfitted with ShotSpotter, cameras, license plate readers or other security technology.

Police Commissioner Bill Bratton told reporters last week that the NYPD is considering such lights, which can also shine brighter when gunshots are detected.

Staten Island borough commander, Assistant Chief Edward Delatorre, mentioned the technology to Rose during a meeting last week with police and transportation officials.

Rose wrote a letter to Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg on August 25 asking the city to test the streetlights in her district.

"As you know, Staten Island can serve as the ideal pilot to test new government initiatives," she wrote. "From MTA Bus Time to a new sector system for plowing snow, the state and city have successfully tested several new plans here before implementing them citywide."

The DOT maintains over 250,000 streetlights across the five boroughs and is currently retrofitting all of them with energy-efficient LED bulbs.

"DOT's street lighting unit is always looking into new technology related to street lights and we are reviewing the Council member's request," spokesman Jose Bayona said.

In her letter, Rep. Rose stated: "This may be the ideal time to adopt and test this new innovation, which will in turn ensure that we are better equipped to adopt the technology of tomorrow."

She's right.

The time is more than ideal, it's overdue.
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After nearly three years of discussions between the Dominican Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the long awaited Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two states was signed yesterday Monday by Prime Minister William Marlin on behalf of Sint Maarten and Minister of Foreign Affairs Miguel Vargas on behalf of the Dominican Republic. Marlin, in his address saluted President Danilo Medina whose initiative it was in 2014 to initiate this MOU. The Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation covers a number of areas including commerce, innovation, education and health , regional security, tourism, and transshipment. The MOU also makes provisions for technical and political consultations, the idea of which is to ensure that momentum is kept during the work that will be ongoing in developing the necessary protocols that will give content to the MOU. Signing on behalf of Curacao was the Minister for Economic Development Eugene Rhuggenaat And Dutch Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Marijke van Druinen-Littel on behalf of the Netherlands and Aruba.





Prime Minister Marlin was accompanied by Patrice Gumbs Jr, Senior Policy Advisor at the Department of Foreign Relations. Gumbs noted that the relationship with the Dominican Republic and the Kingdom is multifaceted. Alongside the strong and well documented economic links with both the European and Caribbean parts of the Kingdom, including the 1856 Treaty on Friendship, Trade, and Navigation, there is an even stronger cultural link, rooted in two centuries of continuous and documented migration between the two states and particularly the islands. The MOU therefore has brought us here today together united by a strong filial and cultural bond and a willingness to find mutually beneficial ways to continue to build strong, resilient partnerships.





In spirit of this, Prime Minister held discussions with representatives from companies and institutions in the Dominican Republic including the Dutch Chamber and of Commerce, Tropical Shipping, and PAWA. During this meeting Prime Minister discussed the need for more direct sourcing of products, particularly food products, from the Dominican Republic as a way of reducing costs and having these savings transferred to the local consumer on Sint Maarten. Also in his discussions the potential of Sint Maaarten as a transshipment and transportation hub for our sub-region was outlined with these companies, in spirit on the provisions made for such dialogue in the MOU.





The Prime Minister in his speech following the signing ceremony stated that this agreement represents more than what is written, transcends political desire, and ultimately moves us towards our common goal, the unification of the Greater Caribbean. In closing Marlin said that he hoped that this agreement would stand as a testament to the strong commitment of both the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Dominican Republic to advance and underscore the enduring friendship for the benefit of both our two states and our people.




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On Monday morning August 29th an MOU of cooperation was signed between the Foreign Affairs Minister of the Dominican Republic Miguel Vargas Maldonado and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.





Signing on behalf of the Kingdom was leader of the delegation, Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, William V. Marlin, Minister of Economic Affairs of Curacao, Eugene Rhuggenaath and Dutch Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Miss. Marijke van Drunen Little, who retired after a long career as a diplomat that same day.
















More research confirming large methane leakage from shale boom

Posted on 11 November 2014 by gws

More research published in 2014 is consistent with the previous notion that the shale boom in the US has been, and likely still is, causing much larger fugitive methane (and higher hydrocarbon) emissions than claimed by the industry.

In a recent publication in Earth's Future, a new journal published by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) dedicated to "global change and sustainability", a German-US team of researchers showed increasing atmospheric methane abundances over two rapidly developing shale areas, the Bakken and Eagle Ford shales in North Dakota and south Texas, respectively. Their methane emissions estimate is based on the difference in atmospheric methane in these areas between the years prior said rapid development, 2006-2008, and during it, 2009-2011.

Mapping methane anomalies

Data for the authors' analyses came from the European Space Agency (ESA) ENVISAT's instrument SCIAMACHY, and is unfortunately not available beyond early 2012, when contact with the satellite was lost. The instrument measured the total amount of methane in the atmosphere, the overwhelming amount of which is in the lower 10-12 km, the troposphere. Based on the resolution of the instrument, and the amount of time the satellite spent overhead, the authors used 3 years of data to get high enough precision for their study. They also accounted for how winds displaced the emitted methane differently between the two study periods. The result is depicted in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1: Shown are two latitude-longitude maps of the difference in atmospheric methane abundance (expressed as a mole fraction), or methane anomaly, for the period 20092011 relative to the period 20062008. The locations of oil and gas wells are shown in pink. The regions used to estimate shale area emissions are red-rimmed. The corresponding regions used to determine the background values are framed by the green dashed lines. Averaged near-surface wind differences between the periods are illustrated by dark grey arrows.

Yellow and orange colors indicate that methane abundance has increased between the periods. The overlap of these regions with the oil and gas wells alongside the slight displacement in accordance with the average wind differences as indicated by the arrows, is a clear sign of the industry's impact on methane. Unlike the recent studies by NOAA, comparisons to the same shale area over time avoids necessary corrections for methane sources other than oil and gas mining activities, since these other sources are not significantly changing in time. That also explains why the authors' methodology does not highlight other shale areas as prominently, since unchanging methane emissions between the compared periods, even though potentially very high, cancel by this methodology.

Comparing shale areas

Not surprisingly, the nature of this type of analysis, particularly a small signal-to-noise ratio (4 ppb in Fig. 1 is likely noise), leads to a rather large possible range for the integrated emissions estimate. The authors offer this graphic (Fig. 2) as their summary, comparing recently published methane "leakage" rates to their own analysis for the Bakken and Eagle Ford shales:

Figure 2 (original caption):Estimated methane emissions are shown for the targeted regions Bakken in light brown, and Eagle Ford in dark brown. Shown are absolute emission increase (20092011 relative to 20062008) in the left panel, and the leakage rate relative to production in the right panel, in each case together with the 1 -uncertainty ranges. For comparison, leakage estimates from previous studies in Marcellus (2012) [Caulton et al., 2014], Uintah (2012) [Karion et al., 2013], and Denver-Julesburg (2008) [Petron et al., 2012] (yellow, blue, and magenta) are shown together with the EPA bottom-up inventory estimates for natural gas and petroleum systems (2011) [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2014] (grey) in the right pane.

The satellite data analysis work is adding to a number of recent publications outlining that methane emissions from (unconventional) oil and gas exploration are much higher than the industry is claiming. As a result, the US federal government's standpoint that increased natural gas use has been reducing greenhouse gas emissions is becoming more and more questionable.



What is missing from this new work is one of the major differences that distinguishes the Bakken and Eagle Ford shale areas from others in the US: the large amount of continuous, uncontrolled flaring at (tight) oil wells. As recently highlighted in a series of investigative journalism at the San Antonio Express News, the flaring of co-produced ("associated") gas at oil wells is prolific, with annual gas amounts flared exceeding what all of metropolitan San Antonio consumes, according to the journalists. Flaring, and the associated billions of $$ wasted and air pollution created, used to be something visible in Russia, Nigeria, or Iran; but the US has catapulted itself into the top 5 flaring nations within a few years, with still more than one third of gas produced in the Bakken shale area wasted.



Figure 3: a typical flare in Karnes County, TX, center of the Eagle Ford shale (source).

Comments from the merchant of doubt ... and the experts

At the same time, the industry's front group, energyindepth.org, is becoming more desperate in denying the problem. In their comment on the Earth's Future publication, the author misconstrues the study's results, e.g. by misrepresenting methane emissions with concentrations. In addition, the front group keeps reiterating EPA's industry-based methane emissions estimates, a poor argument in light of what EPA's emission inventory actually means. Equally unsurprising is the front group's repeated attack on the seminal publication by Howarth, Santoro and Ingraffea, as if the claimed refutation of its results somehow invalidates all subsequent findings of high methane emissions. The parallels to Global Warming denial are all too obvious.



Instead, science progresses. Robert Howarth himself reflected on this progress in a recent publication reviewing the findings since their 2011 paper. He concludes by asking



"Is natural gas a bridge fuel? "At best, using natural gas rather than coal to generate electricity might result in a very modest reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions, if those emissions can be kept below a range of 2.43.2% (based on [Alvarez et al., 2012], adjusted for the latest information on radiative forcing of methane [34]). ..."





This is especially relevant since another recent study highlights the finding that it is unlikely that increasing natural gas extraction is only used for electricity production. Instead, natural gas is going to replace all other uses of energy, including renewables, and thus its increasing exploitation is not likely to reduce overall greenhouse emissions:
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Egley told the neighbor he was at Jones' home "for sex ... I was turned down for sex ... [It made me feel] like shit ... she went to the kitchen or something after that ... and when she came back I stabbed her ... in the living room. She fell ... in front of the couch," charges state.
Poetry on the Move: Spring poetry festivities at the University of Canberra. September 6-16. canberra.edu.au/research/faculty-research-centres/cccr/ipsi/events/poetry-on-the-move. Bookings at poetryonthemove2016.eventbrite.com.au.

Have you ever wanted to meet a real Oxford professor of poetry? Your chance is upon you. Simon Armitage, the incumbent, is in Canberra this month to present several free events at the University of Canberra's Poetry on the Move festival.

Oxford poetry professor Simon Armitage is an international poet-in-residence at Poetry on the Move. Credit:Paul Wolfgang Webster

Getting world-famous poet Armitage on the festival program  as one of the two international poets-in-residence  is something of a coup for the organisers. During his stay he will give two readings (one followed by a reception), a workshop, and a keynote address, as well as launching a new chapbook, and screening and discussing his own poetry film.

Armitage is not the only attraction. From September 6-16, Canberrans can experience "poetry adventures  on and off the page" at 28 events (most of them free) involving more than 50 poets. The Poetry on the Move festival centres on the University of Canberra (UC) campus in Bruce, with other events held at venues across Canberra.
Both major parties have expressed reluctance to begin pill testing at music festivals, despite the Greens pledging to trial the practice to stop young people overdosing.

Countries outside of Australia have begun testing ecstasy, MDMA, and other recreational drugs at music festivals.

The Greens have proposed pill testing at music festivals in Canberra. Credit:Viki Yemettas

Public health experts say the practice helps protect revellers from bad or dangerous substances, reducing the number of overdoses.

On Tuesday, the Greens announced they would push to trial pill testing at festivals, saying too many young people were being put at risk.
Forensic tests detected sperm cells in a nappy worn by a toddler who was allegedly molested by a man when she was looked after by her mother's friend, a court has been told.

The man, 37, pleaded not guilty to sexual intercourse with a child under 16 and committing an act of indecency in the presence of a child and has gone on trial in the ACT Supreme Court.

It's alleged the abuse took place one day in June 2013 when the girl, then aged two, was baby sat by the defendant's mother at the Canberra home they shared.

The child's mother reported the alleged molestation after the girl indicated in the car on the way home the defendant had touched her inappropriately.

Police spoke to the toddler and she was taken to hospital for a medical examination that night.
Capital Region Retrieval Service clinical director and Snowy Hydro SouthCare doctor Kelvin Grove said the service's on-duty flight doctor could spend up to four hours on the phone providing critical care advice and transport assessment to staff in regional hospitals.

The Snowy Hydro Southcare helicopter at its base in Hume. The service conducted 457 missions last financial year.

While the chopper lifted off 457 times last financial year, its team also carried out more than 350 jobs on the ground, new figures have revealed.

Everyone knows the familiar thrum of the Snowy Hydro Southcare helicopter, but Canberrans might be surprised to learn a growing portion of the aeromedical rescue service's work is not in the air.

"More recently for a number of the smaller hospitals predominantly in southern NSW, we've been able to develop some tele-medicine links so not only can we talk to them, we can actually see them and see their patients and provide some tailored advice on medicine," Dr Grove said.

"Some of the time that leads them to not be needing to be transferred, but in the interim it may also give an opportunity to enhance their care prior to us being able to get there."

The number of missions the aeromedical rescue service carried out fell 10 per cent from the previous financial year.

The service flew to the scene of 200 accidents, conducted four search and rescue missions and transferred 253 people from regional hospitals to specialist medical care.

More than a third of the missions the rescue helicopter undertook last financial year were down the south coast, from Ulladulla to Eden.
An online shopping club that sold children's nightwear "so unsafe that it should not have been supplied in Australia at all" has been fined $500,000 by the Federal Court.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission brought proceedings against online retailer Ozsale Pty Ltd for selling more than 200 non-compliant garments and stocking more than 11,000 non-compliant garments available for supply to Australian consumers.

"The ACCC brought these proceedings because Ozsale placed children at increased risk of injury by supplying non-compliant garments," said ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard.
Slater & Gordon has announced a $1.02 billion full-year loss as the embattled law firm attempts to work its way out of trouble following last year's disastrous UK acquisition.

The loss was a result of a $876.5 million impairment on the goodwill of its United Kingdom assets, which was recognised in the first half.

The company said that a "disappointing" half year in which it posted a $58.3 million normalised loss was followed by a better second half in which its posted an $8 million profit.

That resulted in full-year normalised profit of $49.7 million as measured by its earnings before tax depreciation, amortisation and movements in work in progress, or" EBITDAW".
Former Woolworths employee Darcy Richardson resigned this year after finding his wage no longer covered his weekly bills. Credit:Wayne Taylor Industrial researcher Josh Cullinan, who helped expose the underpayments at Coles and elsewhere, said most workers at big retail or fast-food outlets are covered by SDA agreements - over half a million workers. "The majority of those workers are worse off," he said. Fairfax Media has obtained store rosters and pay slips for Hungry Jack's, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and Woolworths supermarkets, Australia's largest employer. Hourly pay at Hungry Jack's is barely above the award, with no provision for penalties and lower casual loadings. Credit:Mathew Lynn An analysis of four weeks of rosters at one inner Melbourne Woolies store shows 63 per cent of workers were paid less than the award, about $1070 for each affected worker. The shortfall is largely a result of low, or non-existent, night and weekend penalty rates. Many of the workers at the store are low-paid and part time, earning just $10,000 to $20,000 annually.

The figures indicate as many as 60,000 Woolies workers collectively underpaid by tens of millions of dollars a year. Darcy Richardson worked at Woolworths in inner Melbourne for almost a decade and resigned this year after finding his shelf-stacker wage no longer covered his weekly bills, including rent and groceries. He discovered he had been significantly underpaid shortly before he resigned. "An extra $30 a week would have helped me save more money. I wouldn't have had to live so precariously. It's an extra 1500 bucks a year. " Leaked rosters and payslips from a Hungry Jack's store in Melbourne's east indicate still worse underpayment. The Hungry Jack's agreement excludes penalties, and pays lower casual loadings. Hourly pay is barely above the award. An analysis by Cullinan shows one Hungry Jack's employee was underpaid about $5000 a year, while others were paid 30 to 40 per cent less than the award.

KFC payslips and rosters tell a similar story; no penalties paid, and casual loadings below the award. Until now the SDA has been reluctant to acknowledge problems with their deals. But in a statement to Fairfax Media it conceded there were issues with its KFC and Hungry Jack's agreements and was now bargaining for improved pay and conditions that would comply with the Fair Work Act. Louis Ha, a former KFC cook in Melbourne's west, worked regular shifts on Friday and Saturday without penalties. He was paid less than $13 an hour when he left in 2014. "We were treated terribly, to be honest. It would have helped me out a lot if I had been getting more pay for my weekends," he said.

In May 2015, Fairfax Media revealed a Coles deal with the SDA had cost workers tens of millions of dollars a year, mainly through sub-award penalties and low casual loadings and junior rates. Then, in an explosive ruling in May 2016, the full bench of the Fair Work commission found the Coles agreement failed the crucial test that workers under enterprise agreements must be "better off overall" compared to the award. Professor Stewart said the full bench ruling left a cloud over other SDA agreements and the scrutiny of them by the Fair Work Commission. "Once it (the Coles deal) was exposed it just seemed to be inarguable that these (other SDA) agreements would fail the better off overall test." An analysis of dozens of SDA agreements from the last decade shows a clear pattern of hourly rates paid from a few cents to a few dollars an hour above the award while penalty rates are slashed or non-existent. Every agreement analysed by Mr Cullinan and Fairfax Media reveals more than 50 per cent of workers were paid less than legal minimum rates. Most of the agreements should never have been approved by the Fair Work Commission.

The full-bench ruling has been deeply embarrassing to the commission and the union, and has proved very costly to employers. The SDA has repeatedly argued the full-bench decision on the Coles agreement involved a new interpretation of the Fair Work Act and better off overall test. But Professor Stewart, who helped draft the act for the Rudd government, rejected the union's claim and said the law was "crystal clear": every worker has to be better off when compared to the award. Josh Cullinan, the union official who exposed the dodgy deal between Coles and the SDA union. Credit:Penny Stephens West Australian single mother-of-three Tara McKenna, 42, worked night shifts at Coles for $22 an hour. She was paid tiny penalties, despite unsociable night hours. She would have earned much more under the award.

"On $22 an hour at Coles, it wasn't possible for me to keep up with any of my expenses. I have financial hardship arrangements with the utilities; with everything," she said. A KFC spokesman said for "many decades" it had worked constructively with the SDA. It defended not paying penalty rates. Its deal gives flexibility to workers and "provides KFC Australia with a flexible workforce." Woolworths in a brief statement said it would continue to meet its obligations under the Fair Work Act as it negotiated a new agreement. It did not respond to questions about underpayment of its workers. Hungry Jack's did not respond before deadline. The SDA has relied for decades on close relationships with employers. In return for moderate wage claims including concessions on penalties, companies have encouraged employees to join the SDA. The deals have made the SDA the biggest union in the ALP where it has been a potent opponent of social reform such as same-sex marriage. But the employer-union partnership is now in doubt.
Still, Vestager's move is part of a broader push to close loopholes that European regulators think give foreign companies an advantage. Google parent Alphabet has also been a beneficiary of Ireland's tax regime, using the so-called "Double Irish" mechanism to save billions in tax on its international earnings. Ireland is phasing this out, although companies have until 2021 to adjust. Amazon.com used a similar process to effectively send profit through Luxembourg. In Europe, the e-commerce giant told authorities that the intellectual property behind its web shopping platform was immensely valuable, justifying the billions in tax-free revenue it collected there since moving its technology assets to Luxembourg a decade ago. In the US it played down the value of those same assets to explain why it paid so little in taxes for licensing them. That prompted investigations on both sides of the Atlantic and Amazon changed its policy in 2015, largely eliminating the practice. "You can't bank on achieving the savings in post-tax profits that you might have once expected," said Jolyon Maugham, a British trial lawyer specialising in tax cases at Devereux Chambers. "That makes the pursuit of such strategies rather more difficult to justify." Unsustainable About six months ago, Netflix told an investor that the company will likely pay higher international tax rates than other large US technology companies currently pay. Netflix, which recently began expanding aggressively abroad, said it views other US tech companies' international tax strategies as unsustainable, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person didn't want to be identified recounting a private discussion.

"Multinationals with aggressive tax planning strategies can expect to pay more tax," Sarah Jane Mahmud, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst, wrote in a recent research note. "EU reforms will require income to be taxed where generated through, among other things, new restrictions on use of controlled foreign companies." A Netflix spokeswoman didn't respond to requests seeking comment Tuesday. Spokesmen at Alphabet and Amazon declined to comment. 'Apple follows the law' Even if Apple has to pay billions and other tax strategies fizzle, Ireland's 12.5 per cent corporate rate means it's still likely to trump its homemarket US as a preferred corporate tax domicile. The iPhone maker has been there since opening a factory in Cork in 1980. "We received guidance from Irish tax authorities on how to comply correctly with Irish tax law - the same kind of guidance available to any company doing business there," CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. "In Ireland and in every country where we operate, Apple follows the law and we pay all the taxes we owe."

The timing of Europe's decision, ahead of the US presidential election, means tax reform may become a more prominent issue. Donald Trump proposed taxing companies' accumulated offshore profit at 10 per cent, compared with the current top corporate rate of 35 per cent. The tax Apple pays abroad is deductible from the 35 per cent it must pay should it bring offshore profits home. Implications for other multinationals One major tech investor said low European taxes don't help international investors because the resulting higher overseas profits are still out of reach for things like share buybacks, dividends and acquisitions of other global companies. If European tax rates rise, there would be more incentive to repatriate the money to the countries where revenues are generated, said the investor, who asked not to be named discussing internal strategy ideas. The Apple ruling adds more pressure on the US to overhaul its tax system. And the US is not the only market where calls to end multinationals' tax dodging will get new intensity: According to a report published by Oxfam in June using IMF data, Australia misses out on $6 billion in annual revenue from big international companies operating here but using low-tax or no-tax nations to avoid paying tax locally. Apart from Ireland, the tax havens cited in the report included other European nations such as the Netherlands, Malta, Luxembourg, Belgium and Austria. Meanwhile, for Apple and its rivals, there's another sting in the spectacular Ireland ruling: The revelation that a regulator can impose higher tax bills retroactively - even though they were legal according to national laws - will top companies' list of concerns, according to Adam Halpern, a tax lawyer at Fenwick & West.
Land mines and other unexploded remnants of armed conflict continue to kill or maim thousands of civilians each year, of whom some 40 per cent are children. Yet Australia's commitment to the removal of these deadly devices is in dramatic decline.

Whatever views one holds about the priority which should be given to international development assistance, it is hard to imagine anyone seriously arguing against money being spent to remove land mines and other explosive remnants of war or to assist the victims of these dreadful legacies of wars. Many of them are wars that we have forgotten. But the legacy remains long after the war is over.

Nhek Sarun, 34, lies with his eight-month-old baby Nheck Chantrea in the Phnom Penh Military Hospital after stepping on a land mine near Pailin. Credit:Simon O'Dwyer

The last comprehensive report on Australia's funding for mine action through the aid budget was published in 2013. While it is very difficult to obtain information on the level of Australian government support for mine action since that time, we have been able to put together what we believe is an accurate picture of the situation in recent years.

Once the outline of the situation emerges, so does the reason for its invisibility. The information we have compiled paints a very sad picture of Australia's recent contributions to this important humanitarian task.
If you were at all shocked by the Geocon topless waitresses debacle then I pity you.

Our world is a bit more complex than rainbows and moral perfection. So when a construction executive alerted me to the situation, we agreed that it was disgraceful but hardly surprising.

Strippers hand out drinks and mingle with construction workers at the Geocon Wayfarer apartment building in Belconnen. Credit:Rohan Thomson

Under the veil of progress, leading construction companies nationally have weeded out these events. Driven by head office and management they have taken a firm stand across the country. The problem is that it stopped there.

Smaller operators with specific regions they look after, say Canberra, were told to deal with it themselves. But these companies lack the resources, time and commercial exposure of the big companies.
All were made possible by the absence of adequate rules on apartment design. This free-for-all has not been possible for more than a decade in NSW, where strict rules on apartment size and layout were mandated in 2002. After years of contemplation, Melbourne will finally have rules, brought in by Planning Minister Richard Wynne. All apartment bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens and studies will need to have proper windows. They will need some storage space. Noise will have to be reduced, cross-ventilation improved and narrow living rooms with low ceilings will be discouraged. But there won't be minimum floor sizes. Developers will still be able to build the smallest apartments they believe buyers will stomach  and with 85 per cent of CBD apartment buyers investors, they will stomach very small, because they don't have to live there.

In June Moreland Council proposed tough new apartment standards, only to have them slapped down by Mr Wynne. On most counts, this was fair enough  his rules will cover much of what the council was demanding  but Moreland's rules also called for minimum apartment sizes: 50 square metres for one-bedroom homes, 65 for two bedrooms and 90 for three. A standard Novotel hotel room in Melbourne or Sydney is 32 square metres. A fear that introducing such rules would collapse Melbourne's apartments house of cards was a factor in Mr Wynne rejecting minimum floor sizes. When the notion of minimum floor sizes was raised in 2014 by the Victorian state architect, the development sector began campaigning to stamp out the idea. Minimum sizes would, the Property Council warned, "push home ownership out of reach", with every five-square-metre increase adding $45,000 to the sale price. The following year, when Mr Wynne floated minimum size rules, architect and strident free marketeer Craig Yelland predicted price rises of $150,000, and 10 per cent rent increases. The development industry, on hearing Mr Wynne had not mandated apartment sizes this month, was relieved; Mr Yelland downgraded his price rise prediction to $62,500.

The judgment of those in the planning and construction industry, though, appears so clouded by self-interest they can't see the self-evident: that the profits demanded by developers in recent years are exceptional. Had the minister demanded minimum apartment sizes, perhaps the impact would have been to crimp developer profits, which at a minimum are 15-20 per cent. Or perhaps the result would be a construction slowdown. It's a complex area, but the possibility that profits might take a hit and not affordability seems not to have been contemplated by those who want the status quo. Some who see quality architect-designed one-bedroom apartments under 50 square metres  and there are some out there  are convinced this proves we don't need minimum sizes. There are indeed fantastic, small apartments: Carlton's Upper House development, for instance. Mr Wynne launched his Better Apartments rules this month in a 48-square-metre Lend Lease apartment, to underscore that size was not crucial. As Crikey's Alan Davies has pointed out, nicer apartments do cost more, and some buyers will be willing to accept no balcony or a second bedroom with no direct light if it is cheaper.
Labor leader Bill Shorten has put Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on the spot over Australia's immigration policy, racial tolerance and reconciliation with indigenous Australians on the first sitting day of the new parliament.

Mr Shorten wrote to Mr Turnbull on Tuesday to seek his support for a motion that would see the Parliament restate its commitment that all Australians enjoy equal rights and deserve equal respect, "regardless of race, colour, creed or origin".

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten during the smoking ceremony to mark the opening of the 45th Parliament on Tuesday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

It also reaffirms the Parliament's commitment to a non-discriminatory immigration policy, to Australia being a culturally diverse nation and a tolerant and open society and denounces racial intolerance.

The motion is identical to that proposed by former Labor leader Kim Beazley in 1996, which was eventually put forward by former prime minister John Howard and backed by the opposition leader.
Tina Brown has always been a bridge.

As one of the nation's youngest indigenous elders, the 46-year-old proud Ngunnawal woman, whose bloodlines connect her to every one of her people, feels the weight of her legacy and knows the importance of acknowledgement, of the need to bridge the divide between cultures.

As she delivered the Welcome to Country ceremony at the opening of the 45th Parliament, wearing stories in the form of the possum-skin coat made by Mudgin-Gal women, she represented not just her parents, Carl and Louise, not just her children Johbie and Justine, not just her brothers and sisters and family, but everyone who is Ngunnawal.

And for them, and for the rest of Australia, she used her platform to make a plea for our politicians to do better, to unite instead of divide, to solve instead of blame, to mix ancient wisdom with new thinking - to build bridges and move forward, as one.
mentalfloss said: Unfortunately it's more than subsidized which makes the subsidy even more egregious.



Wind and solar don't get enough, especially in Ontario. Click to expand...

What's egregious is paying 6X more than the market rate for hydro to whirlygig operators and almost 40X the market rate for hydro to solar power producers, even when neither is producing.And here's a fun fact for you. You can't produce jack sh*t with the by-products of wind and solar because there are NO by-products of wind and solar. Other than chopped and fried birds.Going to make surgical gloves from the by-products of wind and solar are you? How about toothbrushes, toothpaste, the tube the toothpaste comes in? How about Vaseline products, or dish soap or band-aids? How about the device you use to whine about the evils of oil that wouldn't exist without oil? Or the internet for that matter? These are all things you can't make with sunshine and unicorn farts. There's actually around 600 everyday products that can't be made by sunshine and unicorn farts and thousands more other products like various housing materials that require oil to manufacture.Let me put this is very simple terms that even you should be able to comprehend. Oil doesn't just run the economy. It isn't merely a part of the economy, it IS the economy. Look at the US. It's economy is picking up as domestic oil production increases. Ours is falling apart while we chase idiotic green dreams, completely oblivious to the fact that almost all the European countries who went all out on "green" energy have backed right the f*ck down from it. Subsidies have been eliminated in many cases. They are not going to be subsidizing any new "green" energy projects in the near future either.Meanwhile, the idiot Wynned sock is copying the same basic disastrous plan that the Euros have since bailed on.But here's the problem. Wynne can play this stupid game because Ontario has significant nuclear and fairly decent hydroelectric capacities. Out of the roughly 14.5 million homes that Ontario provides power to, nuclear and hydroelectric account for over 11 million of those homes. https://www.cns-snc.ca/media/ontarioelectricity/ontarioelectricity.html We can use Germany as a comparison, a country that relied a fair bit on nuclear power decided they needed to really shoot for green and shut down their coal/lignite fired plants. They had all kinds of green energy projects lined up. Then the Fukushima disaster struck and Germany in a knee-jerk reaction, decided they needed to start programming the shut down of their nuclear plants. As a result, the green energy projects have been shelved and Germany is going full bore on coal and lignite again. They realized that you CANNOT run a modern economy merely on sunshine and unicorn farts.The reality is, wind and solar farms are utterly pointless in Ontario. Hell, hydro and nuclear alone account for 78% of Ontario's power generation. And since we know there's not 14.5 million homes in Ontario, we can assume quite a bit is being exported, at no profit to Ontario since it's exported at the basic market rate. That means even with shutting down the coal fired plants, Ontario had more than enough capacity to meet its needs while being 81% emissions free, and still have some left to export. The windmills and solar farms did not reduce and still have not reduced Ontario's GHG emissions from power generation by a single molecule of CO2.
Former Abbott government minister Eric Abetz has suggested journalists interrupting politicians in interviews could be considered "offensive and insulting" amid a push to change controversial provisions of the Racial Discrimination Act.

During an interview with ABC Radio's Fran Kelly on Wednesday morning, the conservative Tasmanian senator asked to be given the opportunity to finish his answers before suggesting some might consider his being interrupted as "insulting" or "offensive".

Senator Abetz is backing Liberal backbencher Cory Bernardi as he prepares to present a private member's bill to amend the act. Senator Bernardi has the support of at least 20 senators including all but one of the Coalition's backbench in the upper house. The bill would re-write the law to drop "offend" or "insult" from the act, while leaving in "intimidate or "humiliate".

Changes were considered and then dropped by the Abbott government and the renewed push for change is being seen as a challenge to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's authority.
Prominent Labor senator Sam Dastyari asked a Chinese donor with deep connections to the communist government to pay his bill after exceeding taxpayer-funded travel entitlements.

The payment, revealed on Senator Dastyari's register of interests, means Chinese interests have effectively subsidised the work of the Australian Parliament.

It is a step beyond the current practice of foreign donors helping pay for the operation of political parties  a scheme recently criticised by former Labor treasurer Wayne Swan.

A Department of Finance invoice issued on April 8, 2015, shows Senator Dastyari blew his travel budget by $1,670.82. Senator Dastyari forwarded the bill to the Top Education Institute, who later paid it in full.
A delegation of Danish politicians has cancelled a planned visit to Nauru after the island's government barred two MPs critical of Australia's immigration regime and one with a Muslim background who was born in Syria.

The fact-finding mission was designed to scrutinise the Nauru detention centre to assess whether such immigration policies should be enforced in Europe as the region struggles with a migrant crisis.

The fact-finding mission was designed to scrutinise the Nauru detention centre. Credit:Angela Wylie

But Johanne Schmidt-Nielsen of the Red-Green Alliance, whose left-wing party does not support Australia's hardline refugee stance, announced Nauru had "excluded unwanted Danish politicians", including herself, from visiting the remote island.

The decision will fuel criticism that the Nauruan government is avoiding scrutiny of alleged abuses and poor conditions experienced by asylum seekers and refugees.
Paul Keating has accused Australia of lacking a foreign policy capable of negotiating the rise of China and the diminishing influence of the United States.

"Australia needs a foreign policy, and it needs it urgently. Australia does not have a foreign policy," the former prime minister told an audience in Sydney on Tuesday night.

In comments that will not escape the attention of Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and aimed at the Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull-led Coalition governments, Mr Keating said humanitarian rescues in Ukraine, like the one co-ordinated after the MH17 disaster, were "worthy" but did not amount to a calculated foreign policy.

"We both need and deserve a nuanced foreign policy which does take account of these big seismic shifts in the world. And we can't ever be caught up in some containment policy of China ... to assist the Americans in trying to preserve strategic hegemony in Asia and the Pacific.
Senior ministers have defended Malcolm Turnbull's government in the face of new poor polling results, as the Prime Minister's net popularity fell below Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's for the first time.

As MPs gather in Canberra for the ceremonial opening of Parliament on Tuesday, a Newspoll in The Australian showed Mr Turnbull's net satisfaction rate had reached a new low, while support for the government has fallen since the July 2 election.

The Coalition and Labor are tied at 50-50, while Mr Turnbull's satisfaction rating was at 34 per cent - the lowest level since he replaced Tony Abbott in September 2015.

His net satisfaction rate stands at minus 18 points, four points worse than Mr Shorten at minus 14.
Opposition frontbencher Tony Burke has rebuked the government's approach to budget repair, accusing them of lying about the detail of the centrepiece omnibus savings bill that the Coalition challenged Labor to support.

As Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull declares reducing government debt a "massive moral challenge", Mr Burke says the government's attempts to win Labor's support for more than $6 billion of savings have been "entirely deceptive" and denied Labor had previously supported all the proposals as has been claimed.

"They said there were 21 measures. It turns out there were 24. They said that all the measures were measures that we'd included in our costings. It looks like now there is at least one that wasn't in the costings that we, in fact, previously in the Parliament voted against," the manager of opposition business in the lower house told Sky News.

"There are other issues where we had a particular approach in a policy area where there might be a saving but there would be an investment somewhere else and they're just wanting to take half the equation."
A private girls school on Sydney's north shore has banned an app that is enormously popular with tweens over concerns about child safety and "highly sexualised dance moves".

Musical.ly, an app that allows users to make short videos of themselves lip-syncing to pop songs, might sound harmless but a cyber safety expert warns that there is pornographic content on the app and it publishes users' location information along with their videos.

Roslyn Mahony, the head of Wenona's junior school, and Beth Oakley, Dean of Students, wrote to parents on Monday over concerns that girls in years 4, 5 and 6 were using the popular app to upload videos of themselves singing and dancing, in some cases in school uniform.

"Understandably, young people are easily influenced by the music videos they view. When the celebrities whose music they enjoy present their songs with highly sexualised dance moves, these performance styles are then imitated as girls create their own music videos through the app," the letter says.
Singapore: The Australian government has warned pregnant women to defer non-essential travel to Singapore as the number of confirmed cases of Zika virus in the city state rose to 82 on Tuesday, with some of the latest infections detected beyond the area of the initial outbreak.

The mosquito-borne Zika virus was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. It poses a risk to pregnant women as it can cause severe birth defects. It has been linked in Brazil to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly, a rare birth defect where babies are born with abnormally small heads and brains.

At least five of 26 new cases confirmed late on Tuesday were detected outside the initial cluster in the Aljunied area in the southeast of Singapore, the health ministry and National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a joint statement.

Australia, Taiwan and South Korea issued travel warnings for tourists, and Singapore advised pregnant women to take a free Zika test if they showed any symptoms or if their partners tested positive.
Premier Mike Baird is resisting calls to revisit political donations laws so that nine of his former Liberal colleagues can be prosecuted for trying to "evade" campaign finance rules before the 2011 election that brought the Coalition to power.

In its Operation Spicer report tabled on Tuesday, the Independent Commission Against Corruption found the former Liberal MPs sought to "evade" the law in relation to disclosure of donations and the ban on property developers as donors in force since 2010.

However, under existing laws, the three-year time frame within which prosecutions can be launched has expired as the offences were committed in 2010.

Mr Baird changed the time frame to 10 years in late 2014, following the ICAC hearings, but the change only applies to offences committed after that date.
On Mother's Day recently, Gabrielle Afamiliona posted a heartfelt online tribute to her mother.

Tiperia Afamiliona, 45, had only been away from her three children in her native country Samoa for two days but her daughter was already crying.

"As I cry and write this, you've only been [away] for 2 days and I miss you so much already, although I hope you're enjoying yourself," she posted.

"I love & miss youuuu so much :( it's a quiet house without you yelling at us all the time lol but miss you! xoxoxx #HappyMothersDay"
A Nebraska Extension/NRCS Sponsored Cover Crop Field Day is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 7, at the Trent Bohling Farm in western Nemaha County, one mile west of the Highway 136 & Highway 105 Junction. The field day site is 1/8 of a mile south of Highway 136 on 629 Avenue. Registration is at 9:30 with refreshments; followed by the program beginning at 10 a.m. Different cover crop mixes were planted at different planting dates in July and August in wheat stubble and will be available for examination at the field day. Several topics will be covered at this field day. Daren Redfearn, Extension Forage Systems Specialist with Nebraska Extension will discuss planting dates and species selection, Mary Drewnoski, Beef Systems Specialist, Nebraska Extension, will discuss how planting date and species impact forage quality and animal performance and also address using cereal rye in grazing systems. Jay Parsons, Ag Economist, Nebraska Extension will address a very important question, lease arrangements for grazing cover crops. Humberto Blanco, UNL Soil Scientist will discuss research that is being conducted in Nebraska on the impact of cover crops on soil physical properties. We will also have the opportunity to discuss other cover crop/soil health topics, ask questions and view the different cover crop mixes. We hope to have cover crop industry people at the field day as well.
Members of Brisbane City Council's Liberal National Party administration have escaped sanction for their behaviour in the chamber for the third year running, while a usual suspect has again topped the list.

It continued a trend that started in 2008, when the Campbell Newman-led LNP won a majority in the council chamber, in which no LNP councillor has been formally warned or kicked out of a council meeting.

Councillor Nicole Johnston has born the brunt of code of conduct actions in Brisbane City Council. Credit:Glenn Hunt

By contrast, although opposition federal MPs formed the vast majority of those sanctioned in the Federal Parliament, Australian Parliament House data shows 9.3 per cent of sanctions were directed to members of the government of the day since federation in 1901.

Independent councillor Nicole Johnston, who has been in open warfare with the LNP administration since her acrimonious split with the party in 2010, topped the list of disorderly councillors, attracting 75 per cent of the total disciplinary actions in 2015-16.
A British backpacker labelled a hero for his attempts to save a fellow traveller has died in hospital almost a week after he was allegedly attacked.

Tom Jackson, 30, had been clinging to life in Townsville Hospital since he was allegedly attacked by Frenchman Smail Ayad in a Queensland backpacker hostel last Tuesday night.

Mr Jackson's father, Les, flew from England to be by his side but on Tuesday police confirmed he had become the second victim of the shocking alleged attack.

Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, died at the scene.
An off-duty cop has helped track down an accused would-be robber after he allegedly pulled a gun and assaulted a worker at a store in Brisbane's north.

According to police, two men walked into separate businesses in the same Everton Park block of shops about 9.20pm Tuesday.

A man is arrested in Albany Creek after a failed convenience store robbery in Everton Park. Credit:Jorge Branco

A 25-year-old man armed with a handgun allegedly threatened a male employee at the Corner Convenience Store, on the corner of South Pine and Everton Park roads.

When the employee couldn't open the till, the man allegedly fled to the Baskin-Robbins, which the second man had already entered, demanding two employees and a customer move to the front of the store.
Corrections Minister Bill Byrne has denied a 17-year-old boy was restrained with a spit mask, instead describing the device as a helmet.

"The image used in media reports today shows correction officers applying a helmet. This is used to protect a prisoner from injuring themselves," Mr Byrne said in parliament on Tuesday.

"This government also takes the safety of our corrections officers seriously."

Protective equipment is used in adult correctional facilities when safety and security of prisoners and correctional officers are at risk.
This undated photo provided by the University of Texas at Austin shows the distal radius - a wrist bone - of Lucy, a fossil specimen of an early human ancestor, Australopithecus afarensis, undergoing computed tomographic scanning at the university in Austin, Texas. Credit:AP Since then, Kappelman and his colleagues have painstakingly turned the scans into 3D models, piecing together the virtual fragments to get a more accurate idea of their original shapes. Last December, he noticed a puzzling break in Lucy's upper right arm. A look through surgical journals suggested that the break might be a so-called compressive fracture, in which a force pushes down on a bone, sometimes even driving one bone into another. A close-up of the 3D model of the early human ancestor, Australopithecus afarensis, known as Lucy. Credit:AP What intrigued Kappelman was what could have caused such a compressive fracture: a fall from a great height. "It's not something that would happen if you just tripped and fell," he said.

Kappelman printed out a human-sized, 3D model of Lucy's shoulder and took it to Dr Stephen Pearce, an orthopedic surgeon at the Austin Bone and Joint Clinic. Pearce agreed that the break was a compressive fracture. Other orthopedic surgeons consulted by Kappelman made the same diagnosis. This undated image provided by the University of Texas at Austin shows the skeleton of Lucy. Credit:AP Kappelman and his colleagues decided to inspect all of Lucy's bones for fractures that might have been caused by a fall. In addition to studying the virtual models, Kappelman examined the original fossils in Ethiopia. They found a number of breaks that looked as if they had occurred after Lucy died. But he also observed more compressive fractures, as well as so-called greenstick fractures, in which a bone only cracks on one side, much like what happens when a living tree branch breaks. Both kinds of fractures can happen during falls. Lucy suffered many such fractures, the scientists concluded, from her ankles to her jaw. The fractures suggest that she came down feet-first and then tumbled forward, holding out her hands in a futile hope of protecting herself.

"It tells us she was conscious when she reached the ground," Kappelman said. If so, Lucy did not stay conscious for long. The fractures to her rib cage suggest crushing injuries to her internal organs that would have killed her. Kappelman and his colleagues believe Lucy must have fallen from a tree. They base that conclusion on what geologists have determined about the environment where she lived: At the time, it was a low-lying wooded area around a stream, with no cliffs nearby. William L. Jungers, a paleoanthropologist at Stony Brook University who was not involved in the research, called it "a provocative but plausible scenario." Laura Martin-Frances, a postdoctoral researcher at the National Research Centre on Human Evolution in Burgos, Spain, said she was impressed with the level of detail in the new study.

"For me, it's quite accurate what they have done," Martin-Frances said. But other experts said Kappelman and his colleagues had not done enough to rule out other explanations for the fractures. Ericka N. L'Abbe, a professor of anthropology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, said that when living bones break, some parts bend. A close inspection of Lucy's bones might have revealed traces of that bending. "The major drawback is that they didn't look under a microscope," L'Abbe said. Johanson said it was far more likely that the fractures Koppelman attributes to a fall had occurred long after her death, as her skeleton was buried under sand.

"Elephant bones and hippo ribs appear to have the same kind of breakage," Johanson said. "It's unlikely they fell out of a tree." Monkeys and apes spend a lot of time in trees and have impressive adaptations for that sort of life. One of the most striking features of Lucy's skeleton is the shape of her leg and knee bones, which look suited for walking on the ground instead. Since the discovery of Lucy, paleoanthropologists have found more fossils from Australopithecus afarensis. They suggest Lucy had flat feet and other traits needed for walking. Some researchers have argued that by Lucy's time, our forerunners were no longer good tree-climbers, having evolved to find food on the ground. "Australopithecus afarensis was essentially a terrestrial animal," Johanson said. But other experts believe Lucy's hook-like hands and her flexible shoulders suggest she was a decent tree-climber. Perhaps she split her time between the ground and the canopy. Some researchers have even argued that our distant ancestors originally evolved bipedalism in the trees for walking on branches.

"This is a big debate," said William Harcourt-Smith, an anthropologist at the American Museum of Natural History. Kappelman and his colleagues considered the possibility that Lucy fell out of a nest in which she was sleeping. Chimpanzees build their nests an average of 40 feet above the ground. A fall from that height could have killed Lucy, the scientists calculated. But Nathaniel Dominy, an evolutionary biologist at Dartmouth College, considers it unlikely. "For me, the much more likely scenario is that she was climbing for food," he said. Chimpanzees sometimes gather honey from hives that are far above their nests. They have to use one hand to hold on to a branch while jabbing a stick into a hive with the other. "Lucy was just enduring the stings as a chimpanzee would. It would be intense," Dominy said.
"Strong signals", potentially linked to alien life, have been picked up by a radio telescope operating in a remote corner of Russia.

The signal spikes have been linked to a 6.3-billion-year-old star, known as HD164595, found in the Hercules constellation about 95 light years from Earth. The star is known to have at least one planet and possibly more.

Russia's RATAN-600 radio telescope, which detected the signals in May 2015. Credit:Wikimedia Commons

The signals were picked up by the Russian radio telescope Ratan-600 near Zelenchukskaya in May last year.

But before you get too excited about meeting the new neighbours, consider this.
A woman has fought through thick smoke and fierce flames to drag her mother out of their burning home in south-east Victoria.

The woman, aged in her 30s, returned home after dropping her children at school on Tuesday morning to find flames coming through the front window.

What remains of the Yarram home. Credit:Allan Rodgers

Her mother, aged in her 60s, was alone inside.

The woman tried to open the front door, but was pushed back by the flames.
Online scammers are sending Victorian motorists fake speeding fines.

Victoria's Sheriff's Office has received several reports about the scam, whereby fraudsters claim to be either the Victorian government or the NSW Office of State Revenue.

Australians are being warned of online scammers emailing people fake police fines. Credit:iStock

A copy of the scam email reads: "The offence was detected by a certified measuring device and recorded by an approved camera recording device (within the meaning of the Road Transport Act 2014).

"You can find out this traffic violation data and camera recorded images in the attached document.
A teacher has accused a top Victorian school of racial discrimination after he was allegedly told he made the staff room look like "Angelina Jolie's family".

The former McKinnon Secondary College maths teacher also claimed that a colleague referred to him as the "brown-skinned man" at a staff party and said "we don't need more brown skins in our staffroom".

Manu Chopra has taken his fight against the high-performing state school to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, accusing the Education Department, the school's principal Pitsa Binnion and seven staff members of victimising him.

He claimed that a colleague said "our staffroom does not need to look like Angelina Jolie's family"  a reference to the Hollywood star's multicultural and multiracial family.
Elijah's body was found in bushland off Clancy Road on Monday morning. Credit:Google Maps "They need mowing down," commented his friend, another Kalgoorlie resident. Another poster made 'jokes' about being "one theft closer" to finding out how many bodies it would take to fill mine shafts around Kalgoorlie. Riot police in Kalgoorlie were called in after tensions boiled over on Tuesday. It is not intended to suggest these incidents are linked; only to paint a portrait of the mood in Kalgoorlie.

"Some of the social media in relation to this has been disgusting and racist and targeted at certain members of the community," said WA Police's Regional WA acting commander Darryl Gaunt. Kalgoorlie riots Credit:John Wibberley/ABC "It's not what we accept and it's not what the community of Kalgoorlie-Boulder expects ... it has absolutely inflamed the situation, without a doubt." Perth's Aboriginal Tent Embassy, the name given to the group of Aboriginal people inhabiting Heirisson Island, was also condemning the violent language. But it went a step further and linked such calls for vigilante justice to Kalgoorlie-Boulder Mayor John Bowler's pleas earlier this year for corporal punishment to be reintroduced in schools.

Mayor John Bowler had made the comments in March in the wake of news 49 students being suspended from one high school in less than a month. Mr Bowler had been elected last October promising to tackle anti-social behaviour. "With the influx of crime on the streets the Mayor has not responded in offering drop-in centres for kids to play pool, play X-Box games or even have access to trained youth workers," the Tent Embassy wrote on its Facebook page. While the Mayor is overseas and unavailable to comment, Mr Walker defended the Mayor's work on the issue and said online commentary did no one any good. "The mayor meets regularly with indigenous community leaders to try to understand the issues," he said.

The council had organised a community group to work with police once a month on ways to tackle anti-social behaviour and co-ordinated state government representatives to work with the indigenous community on service integration. It was in the early stages of developing a reconciliation action plan and was considering ways to keep young people occupied at night. "There is a fair bit trying to get off the ground," he said. "There has to be calm and respect. In regard to Monday's tragedy, we must let the facts come out and let the police and the courts do their job. In the meantime, let us sit together and find what we might do to heal our broader issues. "I spoke to many community members in the street and it is not all anger. There are a lot of people in the indigenous community trying to work together to find a way forward. "The city can't solve it all, it's a longstanding issue with roots in history across Australia, but it is our community and I can assure you we will be talking as soon as possible with these groups."

Commander Gaunt said it was "no secret" that crime committed by juveniles was the number one justice issue in the community. "It's incredibly complex to turn around issues that have been going on in these kids' lives since the day they were born," he said. A check of monthly statistics from January 2015 to July 2016 shows no significant increase in reports of what police term 'volume crime' (burglaries, graffiti, robberies and motor vehicle thefts) in Kalgoorlie or Boulder. With spectacularly awkward timing, the WA government chose Tuesday morning to announce, mid-riot, that community consultations were finally underway in the Goldfields on their ambitious regional reform plan, which aims to redirect $4.5 billion in annual funding distribution to better address severe disadvantage in regional and remote communities.
Legislative leaders will give state Sen. Bill Kintner one more chance to resign before taking any action against him.

The decision followed a two-hour public hearing Monday during which several testifiers, including two fellow lawmakers, expressed concern that punishing Kintner for using a state-owned laptop for cybersex would be unfair or reflect a double standard.

Members of the Legislatures Executive Board unanimously agreed to draft a letter giving Kintner until weeks end to resign, or face consequences the board will determine later.

The likelihood of either  that Kintner would step down or be punished  appeared slim.

Kintner, who did not testify during Monday's hearing or comment after, has already rejected calls to resign from Gov. Pete Ricketts and many fellow lawmakers.

Hes not going to resign, said Lincoln Sen. Colby Coash, an Executive Board member. Were kidding ourselves if we think its going to work.

Asked if senators can agree on a punishment should Kintner remain, Speaker of the Legislature Galen Hadley said, "I think it'll be very difficult."

Executive Board Chairman Bob Krist of Omaha doubted enough senators would support expelling Kintner from the Legislature or calling a special session to consider impeachment.

Sanctions remain an option, including restricting Kintner's travel that is paid for by the Legislature and monitoring his computer use.

The Executive Board could take some actions itself; others would require a vote by the full Legislature, possibly during a meeting of the Legislative Council later this fall.

Krist called a formal letter to Kintner "a very strong signal."

"This is the Executive Board of the Legislative Council, who acts as the Legislature when they're not in session. They're saying, 'It's time, Bill. It's time for you to resign.'"

The decision came during an hour-long meeting that was open only to the Executive Board, its staff and members of the media. The closed-door discussion followed a public hearing that drew mostly defenders of Kintner, in addition to invited testifiers.

Sens. Dave Bloomfield of Hoskins and David Schnoor of Scribner said their colleagues should react cautiously to the scandal to avoid harming the Legislature as an institution or treating Kintner unfairly.

At least three members of the Executive Board  Krist, Hadley and Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers  have publicly sparred with Kintner over his behavior and controversial statements while in office.

"This entire issue should be left for the newly elected Legislature, because some of the old prejudice and contempt will be gone," Bloomfield said.

Schnoor said lawmakers need to focus on crafting a standard ethics policy so lawmakers aren't held to different standards.

While he disagrees with what Kintner did, Schnoor said, He was set up, and he was framed, and he was blackmailed.

Investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol determined Kintner fell victim to an extortion attempt last year when he exchanged sexually explicit messages with a stranger and agreed to masturbate on camera using the live-streaming service Skype. The woman, who has not been identified, immediately threatened to share the footage online if Kintner didn't wire money to an account in the Ivory Coast.

Kintner immediately reported the incident, but was later fined $1,000 by the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission for using his state-owned laptop for the exchange, a misuse of government property.

In a news conference outside the Capitol before Monday's hearing, a spokesman for a coalition of conservative groups said Kintner's case has only received so much attention because of its "slap-and-tickle factor."

Joe Herring of Omaha urged lawmakers to "drop this foolishness and get back to work."

Chambers, who has called for Kintner's impeachment, said the Legislature has the legal ability and obligation to take action.

"Wherever the line is, Sen. Kintner crossed it," Chambers said.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7234 or zpluhacek@journalstar.com.

On Twitter @zachami.
Brasilia: A defiant Dilma Rousseff delivered what may be her last speech as president of Brazil on Monday, appealing to senators not to vote for her ouster in a controversial impeachment trial that was postponed until the Rio Olympics concluded.

During an emotional address, Rousseff referred to the torture she suffered as a left-wing guerrilla who was imprisoned by Brazil's military dictatorship. She said the attempt to impeach her amounted to a coup that would only worsen Brazil's political and economic crisis.

Suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff waves goodbye after appearing at her impeachment trial in Brasilia on Monday. Credit:AP

"Don't expect from me the obliging silence of cowards," Rousseff, 68, said in a withering attack on her opponents at the start of her testimony.

She argued that she was innocent of the charges against her - that she manipulated the federal budget to mask the extent of Brazil's economic problems - and described herself as the victim of a conspiracy to oust her.
Beijing: The Chinese community in Australia shouldn't let itself be viewed as little more than a "cash cow" by both federal parties it gives donations to, according to Huang Xiangmo, one of the country's most prolific political donors.

Mr Huang, chairman of property developer Yuhu Group and a highly-influential figure in Australian-Chinese business circles, has attracted widespread media scrutiny after donating more than $1 million to both sides of politics since 2012, including contributions apparently directed at Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and former Trade Minister Andrew Robb.

Rubbing shoulders: Chairman of Yuhu Group Mr Xiangmo Huang, Chinese Ambassador to Australia Mr Zhaoxu Ma and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

He has done so juggling roles as chair of the Australia China Relations Institute at the University of Technology, Sydney, while simultaneously heading "patriotic groups" with close links to the Communist Party. He has used his position as head of the Australian Council for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China to urge local Chinese-Australians to advance Communist Party core interests, including the opposition of Taiwan and Tibetan independence.

"The Chinese community is still inexperienced when it comes to participating in politics, and in making political donations," Mr Huang wrote in a commentary for the Chinese state-run Global Times newspaper on Monday, in his capacity as ACRI chairman. "We need to learn  how to have a more efficient combination between political requests and political donations, and how to use the media to push our political requests.
On Friday, Brock Turner, the Stanford swimmer who was convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious classmate when he was 20 years old, is scheduled to be released from jail.

On that day, he'll have spent three months in a cell - only half of his already controversial 6-month sentence.

This isn't a surprise. Ever since Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky sentenced him, Turner was likely to spend three months in jail on the assumption of good behaviour. Nor is it unusual, according to the Associated Press - Santa Clara County jail inmates serve half of their sentence if they maintain a clean disciplinary record.

At the time, the sentence requiring Turner to register as a sex offender and spend six months in jail caused outrage and led to heated national debate.
Beirut: Islamic State spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, one of the jihadist group's longest-serving and most prominent leaders, has been killed in Aleppo in Syria, its Amaq News Agency reports.

Amaq reported on Tuesday that Adnani was killed "while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo".

Islamic State holds territory in the province of Aleppo, but not in the city where rebels are fighting Syrian government forces.

Amaq did not say how Adnani was killed. Islamic State published a eulogy dated August 29 but gave no further details.
A man cleans his family sepulchral vault near some 30 unnamed graves of migrants at a graveyard in Catania, Italy. Credit:AP "This is devastating for their families back home. They likened it to a form of torture where they are caught between hope and despair, not knowing whether they would ever see their loved one again, not knowing if they should give up hope and focus on the rest of their lives. "More than anything these people want to know if their loved one is alive or dead. If they are dead, they want to bring their relative home and have them buried visibly in their community." Migrants fleeing Libya on a dinghy wait to be rescued in the Mediterranean Sea. Credit:AP But current efforts in Italy and especially Greece are "superficial", Dr Robins said.

Several years ago it was "genuinely catastrophic", he said: "We saw bodies buried in mass graves, co-mingled remains and no data collected." The bodies of migrants are scattered along the beach near Zwara in Libya after a smuggling boat carrying mainly African migrants sank in the Mediterranean. Credit:AP Now bodies are photographed, DNA samples taken and bodies buried in individual graves. However it's still not clear whether DNA records are reliably linked to gravesites  and there is no system to get DNA from families to match post-mortem data and make an identification. Debriefing of shipwreck survivors to identify the dead is patchy or non-existent. Families outside the EU often cannot get a visa to make the ID even if they have the money. Many thousands of protesters demonstrate through the streets of Vienna, Austria, after dozens of migrants died trying to get to Europe. Credit:AP

"The authorities are overwhelmed, they simply are not able to deal simultaneously with the thousands of living migrants coming and the many hundreds of bodies that have been turning up month by month," Dr Robins told Fairfax Media. "It's a question of resources as well as political will." Volunteers assist refugees and migrants on a beach in Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea. Credit:AP Usually a body is only identified if a surviving relative was on the same boat, or other relatives can travel to Italy or Greece in time to make the identification. "Not only are they facing the trauma of having lost a relative, but many of them face the trauma of having experienced a shipwreck and being close to death themselves," Dr Robins said. "They need urgent psychological support just to cope with their own experience."

A Turkish rescue worker looks at the body of a migrant lying on the beach in Ayvalik. Credit:AP His team saw examples of people receiving "deeply inappropriate" assistance in Europe, he said. "People have been told by psychiatric professionals that they should forget about their wife," Dr Robins said. "One Muslim man was told he should forget about his wife and he should go and get a girlfriend and take her out for a drink - which he was deeply traumatised by, being told he should start behaving in a way contrary to his religion. Refugees from Eritrea rest inside the Astral vessel after being rescued from the Mediterranean sea. Credit:AP "There is a need for people to understand this is not a regular PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] type case  it needs to be treated very differently."

Families in places such as Tunisia are experiencing "ambiguous loss", not knowing whether they have lost a love one "or whether he is still out there and liable to come home any day". A man carries his five-day-old son after been rescued from a crowded wooden vessel as they were fleeing Libya. Credit:AP It is "an extremely traumatising loss that traps people between hope and despair", Dr Robins said. Countries are obliged, under international law, to seek to identify bodies they find and to involve families in that investigation, Dr Robins said. "We don't think that's being done, so there is a legal responsibility as well as a moral one on European states to respond."

The report suggested a central database in Europe for sharing data such as grave locations and DNA, with a single point of contact for families to find their dead relatives. The central Mediterranean is by far the most dangerous crossing into Europe for migrants. On Monday alone, 6908 migrants were rescued in the Channel of Sicily in 35 rescue operations, pulling them from 44 rubber dinghies, eight small wooden boats and two bigger fishing boats. The surge came after a week of windy and rough conditions had kept would-be migrants on the shores of Libya. Two people were reported to have died.

There has also been a surge this week in the number of migrants arriving on Greek islands, where on average 100 people come ashore each day. Of the 3165 people who have died or went missing this year crossing the sea (as of August 28), 2725 were attempting the passage to Italy from North Africa, according to the International Organization for Migration's figures. More people died on this route than last year in the same period. One woman whose boat was intercepted by the Libyan coast guard told the IOM: "I'm happy I'll be returning. I never thought it would be worse than back home. I paid 400,000 Nigerian naira ($1000) in Nigeria to get to Italy, I never want to leave again." As of August 28, 272,070 migrants had crossed the Mediterranean into Europe in 2016. Just under half of the arrivals, or 106,461 (as of August 24) arrived in Italy. There, most arrivals came from Nigeria, Eritrea and Gambia.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Minister of VSA Emil Lee needs to save his excuses for the Federal Detectives when they knock on his door for explanations about the over NAF200M that is scheduled to be spent from the AOV funds and possibly other accounts managed by USZV, while proper legislation is not in place. Already a huge portion of that amount was spent on the Government Administration Building, the tripartite, KMPG and Representative of Royal Haskoning DHV, and legal advisors. Bear in mind all of this was done when there is absolutely no law in place that would allow the director of USZV to spend the AOV funds and possibly other funds . It should also be noted that while the Minister with the consent of the Governor appointed the director retroactive to 2014, at least one year and seven months before this director was screened, not only that the LB given to the director is indefinite while the screening is only valid for a period of five years. While all of the above is illegal, the Minister chose to appoint a director without giving him a performance contract which is mandatory by law.

At the same time the Minister of VSA Emil Lee and USZV director Glen Carty who has the responsibility by law to access all USZV funds did what they wanted instead of following the letter of the law. Let it be clear that while the Minister chose to leak unsubstantiated information to one newspaper to save his credibility, SMN News like always posted the tender documents and terms of reference regarding the tender for the new hospital. That would then give the cheap scum so-called journalist at the TODAY Newspaper the opportunity to write a news item on what concerns St. Maarten and its people and not his personal views based on the spit he got in his mouth from the Minister on Monday. Moreover, the Today Newspaper has to now provide the law or legal framework that allows USZV to create subsidiary companies.

While SMN News has published the tender documents and terms of reference we urge the copy and paste journalist to visit USZV website (USZV.SX) where he will find all information as to when the contract was expected to sign which stated August 30th, 2016, while the tender states August 31st. The crap commentary is an excuse to the people now that the Minister and the director find themselves in hotwater and they are not able to sign off on any contract on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Besides the excuses and lies the Minster and his project team including the director of St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) fed the people, they should explain if the presentation they claim was made on Saturday, August 6th to the SBOD of UZSV was done. The Minister and the director of USZV should also go into explaining if he got written permission through a law or legislation to touch the monies at USZV and to transfer it to private entities.

Based on the documents that are under this article it clearly states that USZV will be 100% owner of the hospital and it will be leased to SMMC.

While SMN News does not respond to trash we urge the reporter of the Yesterday Newspaper to read the documents that clearly states that the hospital will be owned by USZV, it will be leased to SMMC, contract will be signed on August 31st and there is no dialysis center included in the DBM contract, also calculations will show in the documents that INSO will contract amount to over USD100M to design, construct and maintain the hospital.

Further, the Minister of VSA told members of the media that the former Chairman of the SBOD of USZV did not send any letters or indication that he was overreaching. However, SMN News managed to discover that is also an outright lie because at least 10 letters including pieces of advice were sent to the Minister by the former chairman of the SBOD of USZV informing him that he neither the director of USZV could touch USZV monies if proper legislation is not in place.

VAMED

SMN News also published an article on VAMED, and their objection to the bidding process, however, we did our research and knows that the Austria company did meet with TAC group in Fort Lauderdale (FLORIDA)and also with the leader of UPP Theodore Heyliger on the boardwalk and the director of USZV Glen Carty.

The TAC group wants to to do medical tourism on St. Maarten and their intention were to construct a hospital in Simpson Bay however, based on research they could not obtain loans in the open market, so they directed VAMED to St. Maarten politicians to find a way to dip their hands in the monies at USZV (St. Maartens cash cow). If the current Minister of VSA was interested in providing quality health care to the people of St. Maarten he would have cut off the private or special wing that would have consisted of six theaters and focus on building a hospital that would cater to to the needs of St. Maarten population and the surrounding islands without the TAC group, he would have ensured that a dialysis center is included in the DBM contract, and also ensure that full oncology treatment could be obtained at SMMC.

SMN News will release those letters in future articles.

Click here to read the terms of reference for the New Hospital Tender

Click here to read New Hospital Tender documents
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Minister of VROMI Honorable Angel Meyers received a courtesy visit from newly appointed US Consul General, the Honorable Margaret Hawthorne and Mr. Willem Remie Political/Economic Affairs Advisor.

The purpose of this visit was mainly introductory and to get familiarized with the Government of Sint Maarten.

The Honorable Ms. Hawthorne within her capacity oversees consular affairs related to the Dutch Caribbean Islands Sint Maarten, Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius.

The office of the US Consulate is located on Curacao. For more information regarding the services of the US Consulate please visit www.curacao.usconsulate.gov.
Six black-and-white units respond to report of an accident involving one car and one pedestrian.

Six Santa Monica police units and 12 police officers responded to a report that an elderly man had hit a pedestrian in the alley between 9th Street and 10th Street, and between Washington Avenue and Idaho Avenue.

Six Santa Monica police units and 12 police officers responded to a report that an elderly man had hit a pedestrian in the alley between 9th Street and 10th Street, and between Washington Avenue and Idaho Avenue. The pedestrian, a younger man was injured but not seriously, police said.

Perhaps the police reacted with so much force over the report of a simple accident, because of the 2006 incident at a Farmers Market on 4th and Arizona Avenue, where an elderly man killed 10 Santa Monica residents, and injured 63. On the afternoon of July 16, 2003, George Weller, then age 86, drove his 1992 Buick LeSabre westbound down Arizona Avenue in Santa Monica, California toward the city's popular Third Street Promenade. The last few blocks of the street, before it ends at the ocean, had been closed to vehicle traffic for the biweekly farmers' market.

Six Santa Monica police units and 12 police officers responded to a report that an elderly man had hit a pedestrian in the alley between 9th Street and 10th Street, and between Washington Avenue and Idaho Avenue.

Some local residents the arise that Santa Monica traffic has reached a tipping point. The Expo Line train was supposed to be a magic bullet for traffic, but the City Council has approved so many projects in Santa Monica, that the density of people in downtown Santa Monica is now about as high as Manhattan, New York.

Traffic accidents are up 13% in five years nationwide, and this is due to the good economy, low price of gas, and distracted drivers with cell phones. The elderly gentleman pictured in these photos, was not using a cell phone.

Traffic fatalities in the United States increased by 9 percent in the first half of 2016 compared to 2015, according to estimates from the National Safety Council.

About 19,100 people were killed in traffic accidents from January through June, which also is an 18 percent increase from the first half of 2014. There has been an estimated 2.2 million people seriously hurt.
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.
No fan of Donald Trump, Assange really hates Hillary Clinton. Release may come on eve of 3d debate

Julian Assange Claims to have the goods on Hillary, and is planning an election surprise.

He lives in exile in an embassy in London and considers himself a journalist, while the Obama administration and many Americans consider him to be a traitor.

Appearing on Megyn Kelly's Fox News program, WikiLeaks founder and editor-in-chief Julian Assange said on Wednesday that he planned to release "significant" information linked to the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Asked if the data could be a game-changer in the election, he said "I think it's significant. You know, it depends on how it catches fire in the public and in the media."

WikiLeaks released files in July of audio recordings taken from the emails of the Democratic National Committee. These were obtained by hacking its servers. That release, during the Democratic National Convention where Clinton was officially named the party's presidential nominee, was the second batch in a series that deeply rattled the Democratic party, and ultimately forced DNC chairwoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, to step down--which Assange seemed to brag about tonight.

Kelly speculated that the timing of the dump would be just before Clinton's third debate with Donald Trump. Everyone would be tuned in then and it would do the most damage to Clinton, she said, referring to the Obama administration's hunt for Assange. It was led by then Secretary of State Clinton.

On 4 July 2016, WikiLeaks tweeted a link to a trove of emails sent or received by then-US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton published on their website. The leak contained 1258 emails sent from Clinton's personal mail server which were selected in terms of their relevance to the Iraq War and were apparently timed to precede the release of the UK government's Iraq Inquiry report.

On 22 July 2016, WikiLeaks released approximately 20,000 emails and 8,000 files sent from or received by Democratic National Committee (DNC) personnel. Some of the emails contained personal information of donors, including home addresses and Social Security numbers. Other emails appeared to present ways to undercut Bernie Sanders and showed apparent favoritism towards Clinton.

WikiLeaks is an international non-profit group of journalists that publishes secret information, news leaks, and steals or appropriates classified media from anonymous sources.

Julian Assange Claims to have the goods on Hillary, and is planning an election surprise.

Its website, initiated in 2006 in Iceland by the organization Sunshine Press, claimed a database of more than 1.2 million documents within a year of its launch.

Julian Assange, an Australian Internet activist, is generally described as its founder, editor-in-chief, and director. Kristinn Hrafnsson, Joseph Farrell, and Sarah Harrison are the only other publicly known and acknowledged associates of Julian Assange. Hrafnsson is also a member of Sunshine Press Productions along with Assange, Ingi Ragnar Ingason, and Gavin MacFadyen.

The group has released a number of significant documents that have become front-page news items. Early releases included documentation of equipment expenditures and holdings in the Afghanistan war and a report informing a corruption investigation
PLATTSMOUTH  A Nebraska man learned Monday morning he would serve probation for driving his car in Cass County on a suspended license.

Timothy A. Cook, 54, appeared in Cass County District Court for sentencing on one Class IV felony count of driving while revoked from DUI. Cook pled guilty to the charge in July. Court records list his current address as Brownville, Neb. He has also had recent addresses of Hamburg, Iowa, and Rock Port, Mo.

A Cass County Sheriffs Office deputy saw Cook driving a car with a vehicle defect on Highway 75 on March 18. The deputy watched Cooks northbound vehicle turn into a residential driveway near the intersection of Highway 75 and Kenosha Road. A female passenger exchanged seats with Cook and began driving the car on the highway.

The deputy stopped the vehicle and soon learned Cook had a suspended drivers license. His license was revoked for 15 years after he was convicted of motor vehicle homicide in January 2002. He also spent 20 months in the Nebraska Department of Corrections.

Deputy County Attorney Colin Palm told the court Cook had been convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol in 1979 and 1986. He said Cook was less than a year away from regaining full drivers license privileges when the March offense occurred.

Defense attorney Julie Bear told the court Cook had not consumed alcohol for 15 years. She said he had not been drinking in March and had accepted responsibility for his actions. She asked the court to allow Cook to obtain a permit for an ignition interlock device.

Judge Steven Burns sentenced Cook to 18 months of probation. Cook will have his drivers license suspended for an additional 15 years. He will be able to apply for an ignition interlock permit after 45 days.
Parents and anti-vaccine groups sought an injunction

A federal judge has refused to block a new California vaccination law, which eliminates an exemption based on the parents' personal beliefs. The law requires children in both public and private schools to be inoculated against 10 contagious illnesses.

"Society has a compelling interest in fighting the spread of contagious diseases through mandatory vaccination of school-age children," said U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw of San Diego. He noted in Friday's ruling that the California Supreme Court had upheld mandatory vaccination for schoolchildren as long ago as 1890.

Seventeen parents and four anti-vaccine organizations sought an injunction against enforcement of the law.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit say 33,000 students in California whose parents oppose vaccinations will be denied enrollment unless they agree to be vaccinated, and argued that they were being denied the right to freely practice their religion. Sabraw countered that their religious right "does not outweigh the state's interest in public health and safety."

He cited a 1944 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that prohibited a young girl from distributing religious literature on the streets in violation of a Massachusetts child-labor law. The family's claim of religious freedom in that case "does not include liberty to expose the community or the child to communicable disease," the high court said.

Although the right to an education is strongly protected by California law, Sabraw said that right must give way to the public interest in protecting children's health.

The new, stricter, law was prompted by a measles outbreak in 2014 that was traced to Disneyland visitors who hadn't been vaccinated. Implemented just last month, the measure makes California one of only three states, along with West Virginia and Mississippi, to require all students to be vaccinated against illnesses such as measles, mumps, tetanus, and rubella, regardless of their parents' religious or personal opposition. The only exceptions are for children with doctor-certified medical exemptions and for disabled students in individualized education programs.

Parents must provide a shot record for children entering either kindergarten of seventh grade.

California parents are now required to provide immunization records when their child is entering kindergarten or the seventh grade. That means an elementary-school student who already has a parental exemption will not need to be vaccinated until the seventh grade, and students in the eighth grade or higher won't require any vaccinations.

In announcing the suit on July 1, plaintiff's attorney Robert Moxley said the law "has made second-class citizens out of children who for very compelling reasons are not vaccinated."

Opponents went to court after they failed to qualify a state ballot referendum to undo the law.

State Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, one of the sponsors of the vaccine law, praised the ruling for helping to make schools safer. The law was also sponsored by Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica.

Plaintiff's attorney Kim Mack Rosenberg said they are planning an appeal.
DOSarrest Expands Into Second City in Asia

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA  (Marketwired)  08/30/16  DOSarrest Internet Security announced today that they have expanded their DDoS protection cloud in Asia, with a new DDoS mitigation node in Hong Kong. The new node will work in conjunction with their existing nodes in New York, Los Angeles, London, Singapore and Vancouver and will have the same connectivity as the others, including multiple 10 Gb/Sec uplinks to multiple carriers.

Mark Teolis, CEO at DOSarrest says, This new Hong Kong scrubbing center will have excellent connectivity in the region including multiple Chinese upstream providers. To compliment the 6 upstream providers there will be an additional 10Gb/Sec link into the Hong Kong Internet Exchange (HKiX) for even better route diversity. Our customers have asked for it and we are delivering Teolis adds, Having great connectivity into China allows us to offer our customers great performance using our caching engine and also more importantly it allows us to stop attacks closer to the source if need be.

Jag Bains, CTO at DOSarrest states, This new Hong Kong node is part of our global capacity expansion that includes, new hardware in all existing locations, plus the addition of 100+ Gb/Sec of Internet capacity. We need this in order to offer some new services that we will be rolling out in 2017.

About DOSarrest Internet Security:

DOSarrest founded in 2007 in Vancouver, B.C., Canada is one of only a couple of companies worldwide to specialize in only cloud based DDoS protection services. Additional Web security services offered are Cloud based , (VTO) as well as .

More information at

Contacts:Media Contact:Jenny WongToll free CAD/US 1-888-818-1344 ext. 205UK Freephone 0800-016-3099 ext. 205
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Introduces HPE Vertica 8; Enables Organizations to Deploy and Analyze Data Anywhere

PALO ALTO, CA  (Marketwired)  08/30/16  Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE) today announced the next release of HPE Vertica, codenamed Frontloader. introduces a unified architecture and advanced in-database analytics capabilities that enable users to conduct sophisticated analysis at industry-leading scale and speed, regardless of where their data resides.

One of the biggest issues facing organizations today is extracting intelligence from data residing in multiple silos across the datacenter. HPE Vertica 8 provides organizations with a unique, analyze-in-place, unified architecture that enables businesses to continually gain intelligence from their information, wherever it lives. Organizations can use HPE Vertica 8s flexible deployment options across on-premise, private, and public clouds, and in Hadoop data lakes, to adopt a best-fit solution that allows them to choose where and how they run analytics.

Building on our Vertica mantra of delivering the broadest deployment and consumption models, and best-fit engineering, HPE Vertica 8 delivers an innovative platform that allows organizations to access and analyze the largest volumes and various forms of data, regardless of where the data is located, said Colin Mahony (), Senior Vice President and General Manager, Big Data Platform, HPE Software. Integrated with broad in-database applied machine learning analytic capabilities and open source innovation, Vertica 8 gives companies a competitive edge to solve problems faster and at lower costs.

also includes core data movement and orchestration enhancements, resulting in up to 700 percent faster data loading for hundreds of thousands of columns, simplified data loading from Amazon S3, and comprehensive visual monitoring of Apache Kafka data streams.

To ensure our Cerner Millennium Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Platform delivers rapid response and high performance to thousands of critical care givers, we require a massively scalable, enterprise-grade analytics platform, said Dan Woicke, Director of Enterprise System Management, Cerner Corporation (). With HPE Vertica 8, we have peace of mind, knowing that as we continue to grow in users, data, and stringent SLAs, our system can scale to address the largest and highest concurrency and performance needs. All of this, while allowing us to take advantage of Hadoop open source technologies where it makes sense for us as a nimble business.

HPE Vertica with Azure support is immediately available via the , giving organizations the flexibility and freedom to choose the right cloud platform for their needs. This announcement represents the next step in our collaboration with Microsoft and builds on the HPE and Microsoft signed at the end of 2015 to meet the growing demands of our joint enterprise customers for best-in-class hybrid computing experiences.

With Azure, Microsoft is delivering a world class cloud platform to help customers accelerate their digital transformation, said Mike Schutz, General Manager, Cloud Platform Product Marketing, Microsoft. A key part of this is fostering a strong ecosystem of enterprise-grade applications on Azure. HPEs selection of Azure as a fully supported platform for their flagship offerings such as Vertica highlights our joint commitment to meet the dynamic needs of todays digital enterprises.

The new release includes dozens of critical core enhancements to increase system reliability under extreme concurrency levels, natively integrate with open source innovations for analysis-in-place, and achieve enterprise-class performance and security. New HPE Vertica 8 features include:

 Traditional machine learning applications often require data scientists to build and tune models using only small subsets of data that result in inaccuracies and delays. With Verticas in-database applied machine learning algorithms, teams can natively create and deploy R based machine learning models directly in Vertica for larger sets of data, accelerating the decision making process with pinpoint accuracy.

 Users can derive more value from their Hadoop data lakes with Verticas high-performance Parquet and ORC Readers that enable users to securely access and analyze data that resides in Hadoop data lakes without copying or moving the data. Now, organizations can enjoy high performance and Hadoop-based economics in a seamless solution.

 Now, organizations have more deployment options than ever. Vertica is optimized for both AWS and now Microsoft Azure cloud deployment. The new Vertica release also incorporates expanded AWS support with seamless access to S3, tighter security, and more.

 This optimized intelligent adapter enables fast data exchange between Vertica and Spark systems so that data scientists can build more robust machine learning models in Spark for queries on small data sets and tap into extensive Vertica in-database SQL analytics for the most sophisticated queries on the largest data volumes at massive scale.

HPE Vertica 8 Frontloader will be generally available during HPEs fiscal Q4.

This week in Boston, HPE is hosting the HPE Big Data Conference. The conference will feature a wide range of customer speakers, including representatives from AOL, Avito, Bank of New York Mellon, Cerner, China PnR, Etsy, GlaxoSmithKline, New York Genome Center, Spanish Ministry of Interior, Uber, and many others who will share their story on how they use HPE Big Data software to become data-driven organizations. Keep up with HPE Big Data Conference happenings by following the hashtag #SeizeTheData and follow .

For more information on HPE Vertica 8 Frontloader, please click and visit our HPE Big Data Blog .

For more information on HPE Vertica Analytics Platform for Azure please visit .

Join HPE Software on and follow on Twitter. To learn more about HPE Vertica on Twitter, please follow and join HPE on .

Editorial contact
Dresner Advisory Services Publishes 2016 Advanced and Predictive Analytics Market Study

NASHUA, NH  (Marketwired)  08/30/16  Dresner Advisory Services today published its 2016 Advanced and Predictive Analytics Market Study, part of the Wisdom of Crowds series of research. The third annual report examines evolving user perceptions and plans for advanced and predictive analytics software  including statistics, modeling, machine learning, and data mining  used to analyze facts and make predictions about future or otherwise unknown events.

Although adoption remains modest at 24 percent of organizations, ninety percent of all respondents attach at minimum some importance to advanced and predictive analytics. Within an organization, statisticians/data scientists, business intelligence (BI) experts, and business analysts are the greatest adopters of advanced and predictive analytics.

We view advanced and predictive analytics as an essential part of any successful BI strategy, said Howard Dresner, founder and chief research officer at Dresner Advisory Services. While users rank fundamental BI technologies such as reporting, dashboards, and end-user self service highest on our 2016 list of 30 technologies and initiatives currently under study, advanced and predictive analytics consistently makes the top third of priorities ahead of other topics including cloud, governance, and big data.

Top-ranked analytical features include regression models, clustering, textbook statistical functions, and geospatial analysis. Other areas addressed in the report include data preparation, usability, and scalability.

Wisdom of Crowds research is based on data collected on usage and deployment trends, products, and vendors. Users in all roles and throughout all industries contributed to provide a complete view of realities, plans, and perceptions of the market. To purchase a copy of the 2016 Advanced and Predictive Market Study, visit

About Dresner Advisory Services was formed by Howard Dresner, an independent analyst, author, lecturer, and business adviser. Dresner Advisory Services, LLC focuses on creating and sharing thought leadership for Business Intelligence (BI) and related areas.

Press contact:Danielle GuinebertiereDresner Advisory Services978 254 5587
Promise of significant revenue growth for operators as Broadband Forum publishes first YANG modules for FTTdp management software specifications

Posted by Publisher Telecommunication

TR-355 utilizes advanced software-based techniques, paving the way for delivery of ultrafast broadband services around the world

Fremont, California, August 30, 2016: Service Providers today moved a step closer to realizing the promise of optical fiber speeds and applications  without needing to fully upgrade or virtualize their infrastructures  with the release of a new set of specifications on FTTdp management from the Broadband Forum.

Software deliverable TR-355, YANG Modules for FTTdp Management, allows operators to configure and control fiber-fed nodes (DPUs) in the periphery of the access network using advanced software-based techniques, enabling interoperability for FTTdp management. This opens the door to agile, ultrafast broadband services and provides further stimulus for developing technologies such as G.fast, delivering fiber-like speeds for customers connected by copper cables.

The FTTdp YANG management model is the first software deliverable written in the YANG modelling language, as well as being the first to follow the Forums new and groundbreaking Intellectual Property (IP) Policy, which has been updated to streamline software licensing and meet the increasing desire of industry players to have software code included alongside traditional standards specifications to accelerate their time to market.

BTs Kevin Foster, Chairman of the Broadband Forum, said: While the Broadband Forum has been delivering TR-069 software for Residential Gateway management and configuration for more than 10 years, TR-355 breaks new ground for the Forum in that it is the first specification to publish YANG modules and deliver software specifically designed and licensed for wide scale and rapid adoption by the networking industry. This pioneering software-driven deliverable will enable operators to manage standardized FTTdp network elements from multiple vendors, giving more choice and flexibility as ultrafast networks are built out. It will also reduce the integration complexity of adding new network elements as networks scale and evolve to meet demanding customer requirements for advanced, assured and ultrafast broadband services.

TR-355 consists of seven YANG data model software specifications, including common Broadband Forum YANG types, an interface object supporting xDSL and G.fast, and the ITU T standardized objects for start up of G.fast or VDSL, G.fast and VDSL2 configuration, status monitoring, performance management, testing and diagnostics, and Single-Ended Line Test (SELT) and Metallic Line Test (MELT) configuration and test results. The modules are publicly available via GitHub.

Frank Van der Putten, Rapporteur of the ITU-T Q4/SG15 experts group on broadband access on metallic conductors, said: ITU-T SG15 welcomes the Broadband Forums first deliverables on the YANG modules for FTTdp management. They take the ITU-T standardized objects for management of copper access (G.hs, VDSL, G.fast, SELT and MELT) to the next level. The Broadband Forums move to the state-of-the-art YANG modeling addresses operators needs for interoperability of management protocols and for programmability of networks, an onset to SDN/NFV evolutions. These deliverables show that collaboration between standards organizations can lead to results which benefit all players in the industry.

G.fast is an area of considerable activity within the Broadband Forum and thanks to its FTTdp Work Area  which produced TR-355  the Forum has become a center for expertise for YANG specifications relating to broadband networks, working in close cooperation with the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). The next step for the group is to drive re-use of the modules being developed in other areas, such as Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH).

The publication of TR-355 is groundbreaking in a number of ways, said Robin Mersh, CEO of the Broadband Forum. First and foremost are the clear advantages it brings to operators looking to launch new competitive ultrafast services such as G.fast, while vendors will also benefit from the set of defined specifications. Furthermore, our new licensing, detailed in our updated IP Policy, sends a clear message about our continuing evolution to meet the needs of the changing networking industry.

The release of TR-355 comes just a week after the Forum published the first ever set for the virtual Residential Gateway. The Network Enhanced Residential Gateway (TR-317) provides requirements for an end-to-end architecture, creating a flexible and agile environment and eliminating the need to provision and attach new services directly to an end-users Residential Gateway.

More details on TR-355 and how it will impact the industry are available in this video interview with the Forums Software Architect William Lupton: https://youtu.be/Xo7YxQfbn_g

To view TR-355 in full, please visit: https://www.broadband-forum.org/technical/trlist.php
Eastwick Launches New Technology Ventures From Brand Creation to Go-to-Market

SAN FRANCISCO, CA  (Marketwired)  08/30/16  an award-winning communications agency, revealed today details of two new brands recently launched through its (DBL). Eastwick drove brand positioning and identity work along with an integrated go-to-market launch for new technology market entrants  , a furniture-as-a-service provider and , formerly Solexel, a solar technology company. Led by Sahana Jayaraman, Eastwicks Digital Brand Lab offers technology companies  from startup to global leaders  brand strategy, digital services and content marketing to support their business goals.

On June 22, 2016 Eastwick officially launched a next generation solar company, with its new brand , at Intersolar Europe in Germany. Beamreach Solar hired Eastwick to develop a new brand and execute a fully-integrated launch plan. Brand identity work included everything from naming and brand positioning, to a full visual brand framework. Additionally, Eastwick led Beamreach Solar through its corporate website development, , media outreach, employee communications and sales collateral development. As a result of the momentum created through the launch, Beamreach Solar recently won , one of the largest solar tradeshows in the world.

Eastwick combines the speed, energy and agility of a smaller agency with scope, services and expertise usually only offered through large agencies, said Mark Kernstens, CEO of Beamreach. Eastwick was critical to our success, serving as an extension of our team and leading us from brand inception to full launch.

Eastwick also successfully launched , a startup focused on a new way of furnishing for fast-paced entrepreneurial companies. Swivelfly partnered with Eastwick to help shape its brand strategy, including positioning, company naming and go-to-market plans. The work started with research and insights and resulted in a consistent and cohesive launch campaign leveraging earned, owned and paid strategies, including an engagement with and the production of a product introducing the companys mascot the Swivelbot.

Through the addition of brand services, we advance our agenda in supporting the broader needs of CEOs and CMOs from brand strategy to execution, said Sahana Jayaraman, SVP, Head of Digital Brand Lab at Eastwick. We dont leave brands to just happen. Instead we develop compelling brands, shape their stories, and ensure those stories are told consistently across internal and external communications channels so that companies meet their business goals.

The Digital Brand Lab consists of specialists across a range of services from strategy development to the execution of a brand including research and insights, brand positioning and identity, design, digital and content marketing. Eastwicks Digital Brand Lab has led brand positioning work for top clients including Facebook Atlas, Unify, Neustar, BMC, Calabrio, TechShop, Integral Ad Science, and Antea Group.

To learn more about Eastwicks Digital Brand Lab services, drop us a note at .

Hi, were Eastwick: a technology-focused communications agency, here to help. With deep Silicon Valley roots, we are geeky and breathe tech every day. Were eager to tell the world your stories  from enterprise, security, and data and analytics, to adtech, cleantech, healthtech, edtech, and consumer. We bring together public relations, content, social media, advocacy, creative services, and research and insights to help some of the worlds biggest brands  and emerging leaders  create high-impact communications strategies. We are tech communications. We get you. We get you noticed. We get you results. Learn more at and , plus follow us on Twitter and Instagram @eastwickcom and facebook.com/eastwickcom.
Green Bay Packaging Partners With Shelfbucks to Add SmartDisplay(TM) Offerings to In-Store Innovation Division

AUSTIN, TX  (Marketwired)  08/30/16  the leading in-store shopper marketing optimization platform, today announced it has finalized an agreement with to incorporate the Shelfbucks platform into its customer point-of-purchase (POP) displays, enabling shoppers to instantly interact with in-store product displays and empowering consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers and retailers to measure, manage and drive higher sales from product merchandising campaigns.

The Shelfbucks platform will enhance the offerings of the recently formed division of Green Bay, Wis.-based Green Bay Packaging. Launched in March, the In-Store Innovation sales group provides in-store merchandising solutions that attract the attention of shoppers through the use of creative and innovative designs, enabling customers to enhance their brands and improve sales at the retail level. The divisions focus is on custom corrugated and high graphic displays, semi-permanent displays, as well as graphic and structural designs.

The new Green Bay Packaging SmartDisplay platform will provide CPG customers and retail partners with precise, measurable reports on when and where displays are installed within retail stores that Green Bay Packaging serves globally. Green Bay Packagings SmartDisplays will also provide detailed analytics on merchandising performance compared against marketing and sales goals, enabling brands to adjust campaigns to maximize product sales.

Shoppers browsing a Green Bay Packaging customer SmartDisplay can interact using their smartphones to immediately access product information, promotional offers, ratings and reviews, and other relevant content provided via the Shelfbucks SmartDisplay platform.

Our knowledge and experience of retail merchandising provides us a great opportunity to offer cost-effective, high-graphic solutions for every point-of-purchase need, said Rick Luftman, vice president  National Sales and Marketing of Green Bay Packaging. Our partnership with Shelfbucks instantly expands our turnkey capabilities with advanced, digital merchandising analytics that havent previously been available to retailers and CPG companies. This is a game changer for our customers.

Erik McMillan, CEO of Austin-based Shelfbucks, added: In-store merchandising has been a marketing mainstay for retailers and brands for decades, despite the historic lack of meaningful, measurable performance analytics. The introduction of Shelfbucks technology means that Green Bay Packaging displays can directly engage with customers while being actively monitored, measured and adjusted to maximize product sales. Additionally, the nature of our platform is such that Green Bay Packaging can very quickly bring their new SmartDisplays to market.

Green Bay Packaging and Shelfbucks are currently in discussion with leading CPG companies and retailers, and expect to jointly roll out multiple in-store SmartDisplay merchandising campaigns this year.

. Started in 1933, Green Bay Packaging is a family-owned, vertically integrated company consisting of corrugated container plants, retail merchandising solutions, folding cartons, recycled and virgin linerboard mills, pressure-sensitive label roll stock, specialty converting operations, timberlands, and a sawmill facility. Headquartered in Green Bay, Wis., Green Bay Packaging Inc. is dedicated to innovative development of its products and forestry resources, with a focus on quality, sustainability and continuous improvement throughout all of its manufacturing facilities in 14 states. For more information about Green Bay Packaging, visit

Shelfbucks is the leading in-store shopper marketing optimization platform, enabling retail and CPG brand customers to realize additional revenue and brand equity from in-store marketing programs with insights that lead to better merchandising decisions, and new personalized shopper experiences that lead to increased sales per visit. Additional information on Shelfbucks is available at industry leaders speak on digital coming to the in-store experience @ . SmartShelf and SmartDisplay are trademarks of Shelfbucks Inc.

Scott PhillipsScott Phillips + Associates, Inc.312.943.9100 x28
PLATTSMOUTH  Two men learned Monday morning that they would be placed on probation for drug offenses involving heroin and methamphetamine.

Omaha resident Tanner J. Dix, 22, appeared in Cass County District Court for sentencing in the first case. Dix pled guilty in May to one Class I misdemeanor charge of attempted possession of controlled substance-heroin.

A Nebraska State Patrol trooper stopped Dix for speeding in Cass County in August 2015. The trooper received Dixs identification information and ran a routine background check in the patrol car. The background check revealed there was an active warrant for Dixs arrest out of Douglas County.

The trooper arrested Dix and found several suspicious items during a subsequent search. A substance on one of the items tested positive for heroin at the state crime lab.

Deputy County Attorney Richard Fedde said the state was concerned about previous drug charges on Dixs record. He said the state would recommend probation if Dix enrolled in additional outpatient counseling.

Judge Steven Burns said he was worried Dix was minimizing the seriousness of the situation. He told Dix he needed to realize that he had a drug problem and needed to seek help to avoid future arrests.

Burns sentenced Dix to 18 months of probation. Dix will be subject to random drug tests and random searches of his property. He must also abstain from all alcohol and drugs.

Plattsmouth resident Bobby R. Harris, 59, appeared in court in the second case. He pled guilty in July to one Class IV felony charge of possession of controlled substance-methamphetamine.

A Cass County Sheriffs Office deputy saw a car moving erratically in downtown Plattsmouth Nov. 9. The deputy stopped the car near the intersection of First Avenue and Chicago Avenue and saw Harris reach down for the floor.

Harris told the deputy there had been a problem with the steering wheel and he had been reaching down to try to fix it. The deputy received permission to search the vehicle after noticing Harris was very nervous.

The deputy found an assortment of needles and syringes in the car and also located a silver metal spoon with crystals on it. Authorities at the state crime lab tested the spoon and determined the substance on it was methamphetamine.

Deputy County Attorney Colin Palm told the court Harris had a criminal record that dated back to the 1990s. He said the state would recommend probation based on recent positive steps Harris had made with a recovery program. Palm said Harris had tested clean in every drug exam since he was released from custody in November. He said Harris had enrolled in a counseling program and had successfully met requirements of a pre-trial release program.

Defense attorney Julie Bear told the court Harris had also obtained a chemical dependency evaluation and had been a regular attendee at AA meetings. She said he also had a dependable support system of family and friends.

Burns sentenced Harris to 48 months of probation. Harris will be subject to random drug tests and random searches of his property. He will also be required to abstain from all alcohol and drugs.
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
When you realize you've made a mistake, make amends immediately. It's easier to eat crow while it's still warm. ~Dan Heist

Last week, Nebraska Legislative District 2 constituents found a mass produced letter in their mailbox from Bill Kintner.

The letter kind-of apologizes for his use of a state computer for a cybersex encounter.

In its fourth paragraph, Kintner writes, That is why I believe apologizing to you is the right thing to do, whether you support or oppose me.

The apology letter arrived just days short of four weeks after the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission ordered him to pay a $1,000 fine for the misuse of state property.

At that time, he crowed in the Lincoln Journal Star that he wouldnt resign from the Legislature and that He will apologize only to his wife and his God for engaging in cybersex last summer with a woman.

His position on resigning and on apologizing to lawmakers and constituents has been steadfast until last week.

So, why now? Why come forth with an apology now?

Could it be that Kintner feels an apology will get him out of hot water with voters? Will the governor, who has called twice for his resignation, suddenly say, Oh, well. Kintner apologized. Thats all that matters. Forgive and forget?

In the apology letter dated August 2016, Kintner explains why he preferred to write the letter and have it delivered to each District 2 voter as opposed to announcing it in the media.

Since I personally met so many constituents either at their home or in our district, I hope you find this letter to be more appropriate than me making a general apology statement to you through the media. I wanted a more personal way to ask for your forgiveness.

Yet again, this statement follows his adamant remarks that he confessed to God and asked His forgiveness.

Once again, if Kintner was so convinced he only needed to apologize to the Lord and his wife, why reverse his refusal to apologize to others now?

Does he really think this confession will turn the tide of public sentiment now, a year after the incident occurred and weeks after it was shared with the public?

On Monday, the Legislatures Executive Board met to hear testimony and decide if there should be further action taken against Kintner for his indiscretion.

Interestingly enough, the apology was offered just before the board met.

Another interesting facet about the meeting was the plethora of attacks on Sen. Ernie Chambers, who sits on the Executive Board, rather than on Kintner who the gathering was designed to be about. Why was any time spent on these attacks?

One Omaha man charged the Legislature with wasting good taxpayer money. Interesting.

With so many so-called pork projects approved at the state level across the United States that really waste taxpayer funds, is meeting to determine an appropriate reprimand for a lawmaker who is basically ineffective due to his actions really a waste?

Whether it takes a special legislative session or a decision to take away his staff, office and parking privileges, Is determining the fate of Kintner among the top lawmakers in the state, really a waste of money?

Not for District 2 constituents.

In the end, the board decided to give Kintner until the end of this week to resign. The request echoes the sentiments of people who signed the petition asking for the resignation, the governors requests and Speaker Galen Hadleys plea for it.

If Kintner was truly sorry and put District 2 and his wife as top priorities, he would have resigned a year ago or at least three weeks ago.

We believe Kintner is sorry for having been caught and his position as a state senator threatened, rather than truly feeling regret for his cybersex experience and continual caustic behavior as a lawmaker.

The crow is cold, Mr. Kintner. Best to eat it now before it molds.

Let us end with the words of American journalist Mignon McLaughlin, who wrote in The Neurotics Notebook, 1960, that True remorse is never just regret over consequence; it is regret over motive.
A Fremont woman had her case abruptly continued Monday morning during Dodge County District Court when the question of her mental stability came into play after a plea agreement was reached between the prosecution and defense.

Tameka Lee, 21, of Fremont originally pleaded no contest to making terroristic threats, a Class IIIA felony. If prosecuted to the full extent of the law Lee could face up to three years in prison, nine to 18 months of post-release supervision and a $10,000 fine.

Through a joint agreement, Lee was likely going to be sentenced to spend one year in the Nebraska Correctional Facility for women located in York, however, following her no contest plea Judge Geoffrey Hall asked Lees attorney, Richard Register, whether he believed his client was making her plea freely, voluntarily, knowingly and intelligently.

Register responded that at that particular point in time, he believed that the defendant was in a clear state of mind to make a competent decision regarding her plea. The only medication Lee was taking Monday morning was prednisone for her asthma, she told Hall.

Register added that Lee been making mental improvements during her time spent in Saunders County Jail since her May 10 arrest, however, she does have a history of suffering from mental health problems.

At the time of her hearing, Lee did not appear to hindered in any way  she had normal speech, eye movement and actions, however, Hall asked Register and a state representative to approach the bench where it was determined a continuance was necessary.

Hall said that a re-arraignment is now scheduled 9 a.m. Sept. 19, followed directly by sentencing. A second amended information was also requested.

Lee was arrested May 10 after officers responded to the 2600 block of North Laverna Street in reference to a physical altercation. Upon arrival, contact was made with Lee, who informed police that a man inside the residence stabbed her with a knife and left the scene.

An investigation led to the discovery that her injuries were inconsistent with her description of the attack.

The male party was later located and a subsequent investigation led to the discovery that he had injuries consistent with being injured with a sharp object.

Lee was soon charged with second-degree domestic assault, use of a weapon to commit a felony and false reporting.

The victim in the case told law enforcement that Lee threatened his life by saying her ex-boyfriend  who was in a rival gang  was going to kill him, according to information told to the court during the cases factual basis.

Lee remains at Saunders County Jail until sentencing or bail being posted.
Welcome to SwanseaOnline - your home for the best news, sports and what's on coverage of the city.

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Today

U.S. Congressman Jeff Fortenberrys office open, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 641 N. Broad St., Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 10 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, noon, Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

TOPS 58, 6-7 p.m., St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Fremont. Weigh-ins are from 5:30-6 p.m. For more information, contact Nancy Wit at 402-727-6745.

Narcotics Anonymous open meeting, 6:30 p.m., Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 540 W. Eighth St., Wahoo.

Narcotics Anonymous It Works Group, 6:30 p.m., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Education Building, west of the church, 1440 E. Military Ave., Fremont. Enter through the rear door.

Fresh Hope Support Group, 7 p.m., Fremont Healths Health Park Plaza, Room 5. This faith-based support group is for those suffering from mental illness or family members and/or caregivers.

Al-Anon meeting, 8 p.m., Chapter 5 Club front room, Fremont. This support group is for families and friends of alcoholics.

Narcotics Anonymous open meeting, 8 p.m., United Faith Church, 218 W. Gardiner St., Valley.

Wednesday Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, noon, Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Alzheimers Support Group, 2-3 p.m., Nye Wellness Center at Nye Square, 655 W. 23rd St., Fremont. For more information, call 402-753-6127.

Teen Games and Get Your Tech On For Tweens, 4-5 p.m., Keene Memorial Library, Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Fresh Hope Support Group, 7 p.m., Trinity Lutheran School, 16th Street and Luther Road, Fremont. The support group offers faith-based help for those with mood disorders and for loved ones trying to understand. For more information, call David and Wray Lynn Trost at 402-480-1777.

Narcotics Anonymous Library Group, 7 p.m., Keene Memorial Library East Building, Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous, 8 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Thursday

Alcoholics Anonymous big book study, 10 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Storytime, 10-10:30 a.m., Keene Memorial Library auditorium, Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, noon, Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Fremont Kiwanis Club, noon, Fremont Golf Club.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Narcotics Anonymous It Works Group, 6:30 p.m., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church East Building, west of the church, 1440 E. Military Ave., Fremont. Enter through the rear door.

WinItBack meeting, 6:30 p.m., Keene Memorial Library, Fremont. The invited speakers are Lynne Walz, candidate for state senator, and Matt Bechtel, Fremont City Council candidate from Ward 4. For more information, call Doug Wittman at 402-317-1270.

Bingo, 7 p.m., Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8223, 742 N. Main St., North Bend. Everyone is welcome.

Charity fashion show, 7-8 p.m., Midland Universitys Kimmel Theater, Eighth and Irving streets, Fremont. The event will featuring fashions from CATO. Freewill donations will be collected. All proceeds will be donated to Uniquely Yours Stability Supports 2nd Annual Community Charity Competition. For more information, call 402-727-8977.

Civil Air Patrol, 7 p.m., 1201 W. 23rd St., in yellow hangar at Fremont Airport.

Storytime, 7-7:30 p.m., Keene Memorial Library auditorium, Fremont.

Tally Ho Toastmasters, 7-8 p.m., Midland Universitys Anderson Building, Ninth and Clarkson streets, Fremont. Everyone is welcome to learn skills in communication, self-confidence and leadership. For more information, call Jan at 402-720-5526.

Alcoholics Anonymous big book study, 8 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Narcotics Anonymous open meeting, 8 p.m., First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 201 N. Davis Ave., Oakland.
During a total lunar eclipse, the moon appears to turn red while passing through Earth's shadow. This year features two spectacular total lunar eclipses.

This year Earth will experience two total lunar eclipses. The first total lunar eclipse of 2022 occurred on May 15-16 and was visible in total phase from portions of the Americas, Antarctica, Europe, Africa and the East Pacific.

The second lunar eclipse of 2022 will occur on Nov. 8 and will be visible in parts of Asia, Australia, North America, parts of northern and eastern Europe, and most of South America.

Lunar eclipses occur when Earth is positioned between the sun and the moon, casting a shadow across the surface of the moon. They can only occur during a full moon and make for an interesting skywatching target.

Related: Solar eclipse guide 2022: When, where & how to see them

Daisy Dobrijevic Reference writer Daisy is Space.com's reference writer since February 2022. She has written numerous skywatching reference articles including our lunar eclipse reference page and how to see and track the International Space Station.

There are three types of lunar eclipses depending on how the sun, Earth and moon are aligned at the time of the event.

Total lunar eclipse: Earth's shadow is cast across the entire lunar surface. Partial lunar eclipse: During a partial lunar eclipse, only part of the moon enters Earth's shadow, which may look like it is taking a "bite" out of the lunar surface. Earth's shadow will appear dark on the side of the moon facing Earth. How much of a "bite" we see depends on how the sun, Earth and moon align, according to NASA (opens in new tab) . Penumbral lunar eclipse: The faint outer part of Earth's shadow is cast across the lunar surface. This type of eclipse is not as dramatic as the other two and can be difficult to see.

Total lunar eclipse May 15-16

The first lunar eclipse of 2022 occurred overnight on May 15-16. Here, the full Flower Moon experienced a total lunar eclipse as the moon moved into the shadow of the Earth. The total eclipse was visible from portions of the Americas, Antarctica, Europe, Africa and the East Pacific.

A penumbral eclipse (where the edge of Earth's shadow falls over the moon) was visible in New Zealand, eastern Europe and the Middle East.

This infographic shows the stages of the May 15-16, 2022 total lunar eclipse in Universal Time, or GMT. (Image credit: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio)

(opens in new tab)

According to TimeandDate.com (opens in new tab), the partial eclipse phase of the moon eclipse began on May 15 at 10:28 p.m. EDT (0228 GMT on May 16). It got to the red-hued Blood Moon peak on May 16 at 12:11 a.m. EDT (0411 GMT). Then ended at 1:55 a.m. EDT (0555 GMT).

Related: Super Flower Blood Moon of 2022, longest total lunar eclipse in 33 years, wows stargazers

Total lunar eclipse Nov 7-8

The next lunar eclipse will happen on Nov. 8, 2022.

Exactly when the lunar eclipse will be visible depends on where you are located but TimeandDate.com says the partial eclipse phase of the moon eclipse begins Nov. 8 at 05:09 a.m. EDT (0909 GMT). It will get to the red-hued Blood Moon peak on Nov. 8 at 06:19 a.m. EDT (1016 GMT). Then the event ends at 07:41 a.m. EDT (1141 GMT). Note the penumbral eclipse will begin about an hour earlier and end about an hour after the partial eclipse.

According to TimeandDate.com, at least some parts of the next lunar eclipse should be visible in North/East Europe, Asia, Australia, North America, Most of South America, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Arctic and Antarctica.

To find out if the next total lunar eclipse (Nov. 8) is visible from your location check out this interactive map from TimeandDate.com (opens in new tab).

If you're clouded out or unable to see the event in person, we will show you how to watch the event online via webcasts. Details on how to watch the November lunar eclipse will be released on Space.com closer to the time.

How to see a lunar eclipse

Lunar eclipses are among the easiest skywatching events to observe.

Top telescope pick! (Image credit: Celestron) Looking for a telescope for the lunar eclipse? We recommend the Celestron Astro Fi 102 (opens in new tab) as the top pick in our best beginner's telescope guide.

To watch one, you simply go out, look up and enjoy. You don't need a telescope or any other special equipment. However, binoculars or a small telescope will bring out details on the lunar surface  moonwatching is as interesting during an eclipse as it is at any other time. If the eclipse occurs during winter, bundle up if you plan to be out for the duration  an eclipse can take a couple of hours to unfold. Bring warm drinks and blankets or chairs for comfort.

If you hope to snap a photo of a lunar eclipse, here's our guide on How to photograph a lunar eclipse with a camera. And if you need imaging equipment, our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography have recommendations to make sure you're ready for the next eclipse.

A lunar eclipse over the European Southern Observatory's Headquarters in Garching, near Munich, Germany, on June 15, 2011. (Image credit: ESO/H.H. Heyer)

(opens in new tab)

Upcoming lunar eclipses

After the Nov. 8 eclipse, we will not experience another total lunar eclipse until Mar. 14, 2025. There will however be partial and penumbral lunar eclipses to keep us occupied in the meantime.

Upcoming lunar eclipses according to NASA (opens in new tab):

Year Date Type of eclipse Visible locations 2022 Nov. 8 Total Asia, Australia, Pacific, Americas 2023 May. 5 Penumbral Africa, Asia, Australia 2023 Oct. 28 Partial E. Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia 2024 Mar. 25 Penumbral Americas 2024 Sept. 18 Partial Americas, Europe, Africa 2025 Mar. 14 Total Pacific, Americas, W. Europe, W. Africa 2025 Sept. 7 Total Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia 2026 Mar. 3 Total E. Asia, Australia, Pacific, Americas 2026 Aug. 28 Partial E. Pacific, Americas Europe, Africa

Editor's note: If you capture an amazing photo of a lunar eclipse and would like to share it with Space.com for a story or gallery, send images and comments to managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com (opens in new tab).

Additional resources

Want more information on the lunar eclipses of 2022? NASA's total lunar eclipse of May 16 guide (opens in new tab) and the Nov 8 guide (opens in new tab) has further details on eclipse durations and viewing opportunities.

Bibliography

Espenak, F. Full Moon at Perigee (Full Supermoon): 2001 to 2100. Astro Pixels (opens in new tab). Retrieved May 9, 2022.

NASA. Lunar Eclipse Page. NASA. Retrieved May 9 (opens in new tab), 2022.

May 1516, 2022 Total Lunar Eclipse (blood moon). Time and Date (opens in new tab). Retrieved May 9, 2022.
The SETI Institute is using the Allen Telescope Array in Northern California in an attempt to confirm an intriguing signal coming from the star HD 164595.

A powerful signal has been spotted coming from the vicinity of a sunlike star, and now astronomers are trying to figure out what it means.

In May 2015, researchers using a radio telescope in Russia detected a candidate SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence) signal that seems to originate from HD 164595, a star system that lies about 94 light-years from Earth, the website Centauri Dreams reported over the weekend.

The astronomers have not yet published a study about the detection; they plan to discuss it next month at the 67th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Guadalajara, Mexico, according to Centauri Dreams' Paul Gilster, who wrote that one of the team members forwarded him the IAC presentation. [13 Ways to Hunt Intelligent Alien Life]

To be clear: Nobody is claiming that aliens beamed out this signal. But that is one of the possible scenarios at the moment, Shostak told Space.com.

The scientists who made the detection are respected researchers, and the signal is strong enough that it's probably not just random noise, Shostak said. Furthermore, the signal is consistent with something an alien civilization might send out  and if aliens did indeed do it, they are certainly far more advanced than we are, he added.

Based on the received signal's characteristics, aliens would have to generate about 100 billion billion watts of energy to blast it out in all directions. And they'd still have to produce more than 1 trillion watts if they beamed it only to Earth for some reason, Shostak said.

"The first number is hundreds of times more than all the sunlight falling on Earth," he said. "That's a very big energy bill."

The SETI Institute focused the Allen Telescope Array (ATA), a system of radio dishes in Northern California, at HD 164595 Sunday night (Aug. 28) and plans to do so again tonight (Aug. 29), Shostak said. He certainly hopes the ATA finds something that would suggest ET is behind the signal, but he said he suspects there's a more prosaic explanation.

For example, it's possible that interference by an Earth-orbiting satellite or something else close to home is responsible, Shostak said. Indeed, he said that such "terrestrial interference" would be his bet, if we ever do learn what caused the signal.

But, sadly, it's very possible that we'll never know. The Russia-based team apparently observed the HD 164595 system 39 different times and only detected the signal once, Shostak said. If nobody sees it again, it will probably remain a mystery, much like the famous "Wow!" signal of 1977.

"Without a confirmation of this signal, we can only say that it's 'interesting,'" Shostak wrote today in a blog post about the candidate signal detection.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
Buzz Aldrin and Jim Lovell, seen here in a 1966 Gemini 12 photo, will celebrate their mission's 50th anniversary in November 2016 in Florida.

Buzz Aldrin and Jim Lovell will mark the 50th anniversary of their 1966 Gemini 12 mission at a gala hosted by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.

The celebration, to be held on Saturday, Nov. 12, as a part of the Foundation's annual Space Rendezvous weekend in Cape Canaveral, Florida, will bring together the two former crew mates, along with more than two dozen of their fellow astronauts for the special evening.

Proceeds from the Gemini 12 50th anniversary dinner, as well as the weekend's other planned activities  including an astronaut autograph and memorabilia show held at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex  will benefit the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, which rewards students who are excelling in science and engineering degrees. [See photos from NASA's Gemini space missions]

"It is a great way to honor Gemini 12 and all the missions accomplished," said Tammy Knowles-Sudler, the executive director of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF).

Paving the way for Apollo's missions to the moon, the Gemini program provided much-needed experience for astronauts in space. See how NASA's Gemini spacecraft worked in our full infographic (Image credit: By Karl Tate, Infographics Artist)

Lovell and Aldrin lifted off atop a Titan II rocket on the four-day Gemini 12 mission on Nov. 11, 1966. The tenth and last flight of NASA's two-seater space capsule, the historic mission demonstrated in Earth orbit what was required to send astronauts, including Lovell and Aldrin, to the moon.

In addition to achieving a rendezvous and docking with an Agena target vehicle, the Gemini 12 crew also conducted the world's first productive extravehicular activity (EVA), or spacewalk. Over the course of his three excursions, Aldrin logged a total of five and a half hours floating outside the Gemini, demonstrating astronauts could work while in the vacuum of space.

With their splashdown on Nov. 14, 1966, Lovell and Aldrin ended the Gemini program. Two years later, Lovell flew aboard Apollo 8, the first crewed mission to orbit the moon. Seven months later, Aldrin and Neil Armstrong became the first land and walk on the lunar surface on Apollo 11.

"The weekend is about honoring heroes who have defined the space program and about the future missions for this country," said Knowles-Sudler. "Being able to have the two astronauts who ended the Gemini program and began the Apollo program is a dream for space enthusiasts and we are happy to bring this once-in-a-lifetime experience to the public."

In addition to Aldrin and Lovell, the gala guests will include Glynn Lunney, who was Flight Director in Houston Mission Control for the Gemini 12 mission. Thomas Stafford, who flew on both Gemini 6 and Gemini 9, is also scheduled to attend, as are Apollo astronauts Alan Bean, Vance Brand, Walt Cunningham, Charlie Duke and Al Worden.

The Foundation's Space Rendezvous will also feature a Friday evening (Nov. 11) Fireside Chat with children of the Apollo astronauts, who will share their unique perspectives on their parents' legacies, and an astronaut autograph and memorabilia show on Saturday (Nov. 12).

The event is also timed to coincide with the premiere of "Heroes and Legends, featuring the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame," an attraction opening at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex that celebrates the pioneers of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs.

The ASF, which oversees the selection of the Hall of Fame inductees, is also honoring the 35th anniversary of the first space shuttle missions, STS-1 and STS-2, at a separate gala being held at Space Center Houston on Sept. 17.

Tickets for both the shuttle anniversary dinner in Houston and Gemini 12 50th anniversary gala dinner in Florida, as well as the overall Space Rendezvous weekend, are now available through the Foundation's website. The Gemini 12 event venue, along with further details about the evening, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2016 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.
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Hillary Clinton outlines her mental health plan, and many Americans are applauding it. On Monday, the office of Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine released a new mental health agenda as part of the Democratic nominees overall health initiative.

According to experts, more than 40 million people in America are coping with some form of mental health problem. While the majority of those impacted are adults, an estimated 17 million children face mental health issues.

Sadly, suicide is often linked to mental illness, in particular for teenagers and college students, veterans, and seniors.

Mrs. Clinton said in her first year as president; she will make sure that people, who are battling mental issues such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia and those, who are fighting drug and alcohol addictions have access to better treatment.

Clintons proposal also calls for more care for veterans. More than 20% of military personnel returning from fighting in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan experience post-traumatic stress or depression.

The former secretary of state will convene a White House conference on mental health as soon as she is sworn into office and try to accomplish her goal. In a statement, Clinton explained:

Americans will no longer separate mental health from physical health when it comes to access to care or quality of treatment. The next generation must grow up knowing that mental health is a key component of overall health and there is no shame, stigma, or barriers to seeking out care.

The plan also calls for retooling the reimbursement systems in Medicare and Medicaid. The Clinton administration will be promoting early diagnosis and intervention, including a national suicide prevention initiative.

Clinton said she decided to focus on mental health after meeting countless people on the campaign trail, who have families struggling with mental health and drug-related illnesses. The plan goes a step further than others with her call for better training for police officers so they can better respond to a crisis involving individuals with mental illness.

The press release read:

Too many Americans are being left to face mental health problems on their own, and too many individuals are dying prematurely from associated health conditions. We must do better. To date in this campaign, Hillary set out policies that will direct support to individuals with mental health problems and their familiesincluding a detailed agenda to support military service members and veterans, an initiative to end Americas epidemic of drug and alcohol addiction, and a robust caregivers agenda. Today, she is building on those proposals with a comprehensive agenda on mental health.

Here are some of the highlights of Clintons comprehensive agenda on mental health:

-Promote early diagnosis and intervention, including launching a national initiative for suicide prevention.

-Integrate our nations mental and physical health care systems so that health care delivery focuses on the whole person, and significantly enhance community-based treatment

-Improve criminal justice outcomes by training law enforcement officers in crisis intervention, and prioritizing treatment over jail for non-violent, low-level offenders.

-Enforce mental health parity to the full extent of the law.

-Improve access to housing and job opportunities.

-Invest in brain and behavioral research and developing safe and effective treatments.

Clintons mental health initiative is promising, but experts doubt it will ever become a reality. Congress will have a lot of say in the outcome.
Addis Ababa , August 30, 2016 (SPS) - The Minister Delegate for African Affairs, Hamdi Mayara Jalil, was received today at the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, by the Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union, Ambassador Ismail Shargui to inform him about the position of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and POLISARIO Front before the last escalation in the area of El Guergarat.

In this regard, the Saharawi official said that "the Moroccan decision to enter the area of El Guergarat is considered a dangerous escalation, whose impact can seriously threaten the cease fire in the region," adding that, "informing the Council on the situation, as was done previously with the UN and its mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO), is a proof that the Saharawi party understands the gravity of the step taken by the Moroccan side ".

Moreover, the Delegate for Africa Minister gave the African Commissioner for Peace and Security a letter in which summarized communications made by the Frente POLISARIO with the United Nations and its mission in the territory, demanding to end Moroccan activities in the El Guergarat, which aims to change the status quo prevailing since the signing of the ceasefire in 1991.

At this meeting, attended by the Permanent Delegate of SADR in the AU, Laman Baali, the Cultural Attache of the Saharawi Embassy in Addis Ababa, Waddadi Salek, and Personal Advisor to the African Commissioner, Abdelkader Al-Urua, the Saharawi Minister stressed that "the Saharawi party made the decision to deploy military units in the area in response to the Moroccan attitude that aims to change the status quo resulting of the ceasefire agreement in the region." (SPS)

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Winter barley harvest is almost complete  at average to below average yields and quality  winter oats are under way and earlier areas are now moving into spring barley and wheats. Those growing oilseed rape (OSR) have faced the biggest disappointments with high winds in mid-August shattering seedpods and stripping fields bare just as harvest approached. However, growers are persevering with OSR and plantings of this years crop are moving ahead.

For the East Lothian and the Borders, the harvest has been slow and sporadic, with OSR suffering due to the strong winds  potentially reducing yields by one to two tonnes per hectare. Winter barley and oats cut look normal at this present time, with other crops due to be cut this week, weather dependant.

For the north east of the country, winter barley grain yields were better than some other areas of Scotland, however the straw yield has been disappointing after being impacted by the strong winds in August. The strong winds, however, allowed for some crops to ripen and for a quick, dry harvest. Winter oat yields in the north east have been higher than expected, with moisture levels similar to winter barley. Wheat is some way off at present with growers trying to avoid heavy showers.

In the Highlands, OSR yields have been variable due to the weather, however for one farmer Concerto spring malting barley has been harvested a week earlier than last year, with good yields so far. Winter barleys have been average to disappointing.

For Orkney there was little movement on harvest last week, with little expected to get done by the end of August.

In Ayrshire, one farmer reports that winter wheat is done, with yields down albeit moisture was low. Spring barley is due to start soon, with crops looking good and heavy.
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An FBI investigation into a construction manager who is close with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is widening and now extends from Stamford to Trumbull.

Both municipalities find themselves involved with the Justice Department in connection to Al Barbarotta, the head of Bridgeport-based AFB Construction.

In Trumbull, investigators directed the town to turn over all contracts, leases, agreements, bids, invoices, payments, canceled checks, records of meetings, emails, text messages, voicemails and other correspondence related to the firm and Barbarotta, according to a July 18 subpoena.

Hearst Connecticut Media obtained a copy of the order Monday as part of an open-records request submitted in Trumbull, where Barbarotta resides and has been entangled in a defamation lawsuit against the towns Republican first selectman, Tim Herbst. The subpoena is also seeking all records associated with Conveo Energy, in which Barbarotta is a partner and which operates out of the same address as AFB.

Neither Barbarotta nor his attorney were immediately available for comment Monday.

Spokesmen for Malloy and the state Democratic Party, for whom Barbarotta has been a major bundler of campaign cash, declined to comment.

Business practices questioned

The timing of the Barbarotta probe is another headache for the governor and the state Democratic Party, who are contending with a separate Justice Department investigation into the financing of Malloys 2014 re-election campaign. Barbarotta has often referred to himself as the governors best friend.

In the spring, Hearst reported that both the FBI and Stamford police were investigating whether AFB Construction used its role as facilities manager for that citys school district to obtain business with another city contractor. Law enforcement officers seized a pair of city computers used by the company at the time.

Stamford officials said they were not prepared Monday to say whether the city had been subpoenaed by the Justice Department.

But emails between the citys assistant corporation counsel, Burt Rosenberg, and a personal lawyer obtained by Herbst as part of his civil litigation with Barbarotta create that impression. In February, Herbsts lawyer, Christina Canales, requested contract information related to Barbarotta and AFB under the states Freedom of Information Act.

Attorney Canales: You may be aware from the media that there is a pending criminal investigation concerning AFB Construction Management, Rosenberg told Herbsts lawyer. Please be advised that we have been instructed by law enforcement officials that the city is not to release any documents in response to FOIA or other requests while the investigation is pending until further notice.

In a parallel development, a lawyer for AFB and Barbarotta filed a motion in state Superior Court in Bridgeport Monday objecting to the release of Barbarottas tax returns as requested by Herbst for his defense in the defamation lawsuit.

Herbst avoided mentioning his longtime foe, Barbarotta, in a statement Monday.

I will not comment on an ongoing federal investigation other than to say that my administration intends to cooperate fully with the United States Department of Justice, Herbst said. Given the breadth and scope of the information requested, the town of Trumbull and the Trumbull Board of Education have retained former United States Attorney Stanley A. Twardy Jr. and the law firm of Day Pitney to properly comply with the requested information.

A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment Monday.

Maintenance empire

A generous donor to Democrats, including Malloy, Barbarotta rules a lucrative fiefdom of building maintenance outsourcing in much of the state. His company manages school facilities for Stamford, New Haven, West Haven and, up until last year, Trumbull.

But the cost and quality of the firms work, as well its choice of subcontractors, have come under intense scrutiny in Stamford and Trumbull, with Herbst alleging that Barbarottas firm fleeced taxpayers.

The company is the subject of a town audit posted on Trumbulls website that concluded the firm gave out no-bid contracts for snow plowing and drove up project costs by changing work orders without proper authorization. The audit was based on a now-dismissed ethics complaint.

Last November, Barbarotta won a $20,000 settlement from the town of Trumbull in another lawsuit against Herbst, who he claimed blackballed AFB Construction as part of a political vendetta.

In that case, Barbarotta alleged that Herbst strong-armed a local child care center into reneging on a $100,000 contract it offered to Barbarottas company, and damaged the firms reputation.

With the ink barely dry on the settlement, Barbarotta filed a defamation lawsuit against Herbst last December, alleging that the Republican meddled with a pair of maintenance contracts that Barbarottas company was seeking to renew with the city of Stamford. The interference cost AFB $1.1 million, Barbarotta claimed.

Herbst has rejected the claims by Barbarotta, who he has said is trying to extract additional funds from the town to cover his mounting legal bills.

Staff writer Daniel Tepfer contributed to this report.

neil.vigdor@scni.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy
STAMFORD  The U.S. Department of Justice has subpoenaed the Stamford Board of Education for all records pertaining to its business with school facilities contractor AFB Construction Management, CEO Al Barbarotta and Conveo Energy, a company in which Barbarotta is a partner, according to a copy of the document obtained Tuesday.

The school board has until Sept. 7 to surrender contracts, leases, agreements, bids, invoices, payments, canceled checks, meeting records, e-mails, text messages, voicemails and other correspondence from the last six years to a federal grand jury in New Haven.

The subpoena, issued Aug. 2, is connected to an FBI investigation into AFB dating from March, when Stamford police began looking into a possible charge that the company used its position to win business with another city contractor. The FBI joined the investigation in April.

An earlier subpoena from April 28 that was also obtained Tuesday shows that the Justice Department ordered the city to turn over emails and other electronic correspondence sent or received by Barbarotta and AFB Energy Director Charles Benzyk.

The request included images of the hard drives from city computers used by Barbarotta and Benzyk. That information had to be returned to the grand jury by June 1.

Stamford Director of Legal Affairs Kathryn Emmett said Tuesday that the city is cooperating with the federal probe.

Hearst Connecticut Media has learned that a similar subpoena was issued last month to the city of West Haven, where AFB manages school buildings as well. West Haven officials had to submit contracts, leases, bids, invoices, emails, text messages, voicemails and other documents concerning AFB to the grand jury by Aug. 2.

In addition those three subpoenas, Hearst Connecticut Media reported Monday that the Justice Department on July 18 issued a separate one to the Town of Trumbull, where AFB managed schools until 2014.

The subpoenas indicate a widening investigation into Barbarotta, who has been a friend of Gov. Dannel Malloy since the 1990s, when Malloy was mayor of Stamford and Barbarotta obtained his first contract with the city - a massive renovation of Stamford High School. Since then Barbarotta has been a major bundler for campaign cash for state Democrats.

Stamford police began its own March probe after being alerted to a June 2015 email in which Barbarotta offered to help ConEd Solutions obtain state certificates needed for outfitting public buildings in exchange for a $10,000 monthly payment, according to an affidavit.

The widening of the probe comes at a time when the Justice Department is looking into how the state Democratic Party financed the governors 2014 re-election campaign.

angela.carella@scni.com
Hillary Clinton for president  Are you kidding?

Who failed to increase the security at Benghazi costing Americans their lives and then tried to blame it on a video? Hillary Clinton.

Who made the famous statement What difference does it make now regarding Benghazi and the Americans killed? Hillary Clinton.

Who had a private server containing government classified material mixed in with her private emails? Hillary Clinton.

Who erased more than 33,000 emails from her private server while under investigation? Hillary Clinton.

Who was investigated by the F.B.I. about her private server and found to be extremely careless? Hillary Clinton.

Who did F.B.I. Director James Comey identify to Congress as the person who lied to the American public about her classified emails? Hillary Clinton.

Whose foundation is fraught with ongoing controversy? Hillary Clinton.

Who was Secretary of State when the current situation in the Middle East erupted? Hillary Clinton.

Who wants to allow more than 55,000 Syrian refugees into the communities of the United States? Hillary Clinton.

Apparently 11 million illegal immigrants in our country is not enough for Hillary. Hillarys campaign supporters who attended the $33,400-a-plate dinner in Greenwich could volunteer their homes or lobby for the refugees to settle in Greenwich. Maybe Hillarys wealthy celebrity backers could assist in finding homes for the refugees.

The Obama and previous administrations posture on illegal immigration is detrimental to our countrys national security. We have no idea who these people are or their intentions. The financial strain placed on taxpayers for housing, food, education and medical care has to be astronomical.

Donald Trump is not wrong about protecting our borders, either with a structural wall or with additional border patrols. The United States borders are large property lines similar to those in our own communities. We erect fences and walls on our properties; to keep our pets in, for privacy, to keep our children safe and unwelcomed people out. As a country we have the right and obligation to our citizens to demand all visitors use our main entrance.

I am a very charitable person, but my position is until our elderly, our veterans, our disabled and especially our children have all the food, housing and medical care they need  our citizens must come first.

To the current and former politicians who so vocally claim Trump to be unfit, unable and lacks the background to be the next president. Here is a news flash, Republicans and Democrats, you have not been doing such a great job yourselves. I expect Democratic members to bash Trumps political positions to keep the presidency in their party. But, some of you Republicans should be ashamed.

Your utter lack of common decency and respect is disgraceful and unworthy of your offices. Instead of supporting him as the nominee, some of you chose to belittle him in the democratically favored media.

Unify as a party, offer your experience to the Republican nominee and take back the office of president. Otherwise you will have no one to blame but yourselves.

Only the majority of the media covering the presidential race has acted more reprehensible then some Republicans. Their skewed reporting and buffoonery leads one to suspect they are auditioning to be comedians. Past great journalists would be appalled by the lack of professional ethnics. The powerful influence your profession wields should be tempered with fairness and unbiased reporting.

Trump may not be a polished politician and speaks from his heart, instead of being politically correct. Maybe we Americans need to hear the plain and simple truth without all the garnish.

Hillary R. Clinton has had ample time to prove herself in the political arena and she has failed. Her record of lies and half-truths speaks for itself. This country cannot offer four more years of this current administration and we certainly cannot have Hillary impose her ideologies into the Supreme Court of the United States of America.

As conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg wrote, She and her husband operate as if they are some medieval royal family, above the petty rules and customs that govern the little people.

Trump is a successful businessman who has created thousands of jobs, a well-known television personality, and author. He has never done anything to hurt this country, only has its best interest at heart and he has risen to be the Republican nominee for president of the United States.

Vote for Donald Trump.

Demetrio (De) Chila is a Norwalk resident.
I nvestors in ARM Holdings have given their overwhelming backing to its 24 billion takeover by Softbank, potentially opening the door to a wave of British takeovers by foreign companies taking advantage of the pounds weakness since the Brexit vote.

Shareholders nodded through the deal at two meetings in the City on Tuesday, clearing the way for the deal to complete on September 5.

The controversial takeover was announced just three weeks after the referendum vote for the UK to leave the European Union.

The 12% fall in the pound since the vote made ARM considerably cheaper for the Japanese buyer. At the time it was welcomed by the Government as a clear sign that, despite the Brexit decision, Britain remained open for business.

Since then there has been growing disquiet that the takeover of one of the main suppliers of chips to Apples iPhone and hundreds of other high-tech devices had fallen to a foreign buyer.

There are also growing fears that other UK companies, not just in the tech sector, could be vulnerable to foreign bids from the US or Far East.

Russ Shaw, founder of Tech London Advocates, said: With the decline on the value of sterling, UK company valuations are cheaper on the world stage. There are definitely more large companies scanning the UK for potential acquisitions. They are from the US and the Far East and particularly China."

They are looking at anything from $1 billion-plus unicorns, of which we have 14 in London, to start-ups valued at $10 million, $50 million or more than $100 million.

Shaw said while the UK has developed hundreds of high-tech companies, the challenge they face is to keep them growing and encourage them to go out and do the deals despite the weaker pound.

Richard Holway, chairman of TechMarketView, said: Every quoted UK tech company is vulnerable. All the way from Imagination to Sage to MicroFocus to Aveva, with everyone in between. The devaluation of the pound makes UK companies even more attractive. The US tax rules, making it difficult to repatriate overseas profits, also encourage US companies to acquire in the UK.

Softbank, at the time of the deal, said it planned to increase investment in ARMs business, centred in Cambridge, and would double the size of its workforce in the UK. But these promises have been questioned with former City minister Lord Myners claiming they were not worth the paper they were written on.
T he sunny bank holiday spared UK high streets from a washout weekend, with footfall surging more than 14% yesterday.

Visits to UK high streets were down 3.3% year-on-year between Saturday and Sunday, but Mondays recovery meant across the three-day weekend the decline was just 1.7%, according to research firm Springboard.

In London high street footfall rose 15.2% as temperatures hit the mid-twenties on Monday between 9am and 5pm.

Shopping centres and retail parks fared worse with footfall down 6.7% and 2.8% respectively between Saturday and Monday.

Springboards Diane Wehrle said the slip was also likely linked to a shift in spending to leisure and dining out.

The fact that footfall improved significantly post 5pm [on Saturday and Sunday], when it was also raining, highlights the growing demand for leisure activities  hospitality, food and beverage trips.

These results indicate the growth in trips focusing on experience rather than trips purely to buy products.

The figures came despite BHS shutting the last of its stores at the weekend.
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L ets hope Liam Fox, our new international trade Secretary, doesnt get his fingers burnt with boasts over the number of foreign firms ready to splash out over here.

Fox, an avowed Brexiteer, says the UK continues to be the place to do business after figures from his department showed 2213 investments made in the year to March, an 11% rise on the previous year.

Up to a point, Lord Copper. The obvious caveat is that these investments were made nearly three months before the Brexit vote, and their value is also unknown. Its premature to use them as evidence for the countrys continued attraction as a home for foreign cash. And for all Foxs comments that weve broadened our reach with emerging markets, the fact is that the US still accounted for more than a quarter of those investments.

The pounds slide since the referendum certainly increases our appeal to foreigners, as SoftBanks 24 billion swoop for ARM Holdings shows.

But those 10% off signs are mightily offset by more than two years of uncertainty ahead when Theresa May finally gets around to triggering Article 50 and the formal process of leaving the EU begins.

Doubt over the exact form of our exit is all but certain to damage business confidence when the negotiations begin to find a messy compromise which limits freedom of movement as well as our access to the EUs single market.

But hundreds of the high-growth gazelle companies surveyed by private-equity firm ECI have put that very access to the single market at the top of their list.

Even though theyre still willing to invest in their businesses, theyre desperate to keep hiring EU workers and also worried about a downturn.

One of them, Emma-Jane Packe, managing director of the Supper Club networking group for entrepreneurs, says our members are most concerned about declining inward investment.

Well know more in a few months time. In the meantime, Fox should ponder Packes words carefully.

Careful, Carolyn...

CBI director-general Carolyn Fairbairn says the Government should take the bankers off the naughty step to ward off post-Brexit rivals to the City and send a signal that a chapter of [crisis] is over.

But her words reminded me of then-Barclays boss Bob Diamonds famous pronouncement in 2011 that the period of remorse and apology for banks needs to be over  just before another tide of ordure from Libor and forex rigging engulfed the industry and Diamond himself lost his job. Perhaps Fairbairn shouldnt have tempted fate again
T oday's meeting in Paris between Home Secretary Amber Rudd and her French counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve has been preceded by demands from some politicians across the Channel for the creation of an asylum hotspot in Calais, where migrants could apply for refugee status in the UK, and an end to the system under which British border guards carry out passport checks in France. The French advocates see the reforms as a way of ending the unsatisfactory situation that has led to nearly 10,000 migrants living in the squalid and violent Calais Jungle, and shifting the problem to Britain.

This search for solutions is understandable, not least in the context of next years French presidential election in which security and immigration will be key issues. But the proposed answers  fortunately not shared so far by the French government  are mistaken. Making Calais a place in which to claim asylum to Britain would simply encourage more to make the dangerous journey into France across Europe from the Middle East or North Africa. Ending juxtaposed passport checks  which have benefited millions of travellers since their introduction in 2003  would not help either and simply inflict pointless economic damage on both France and Britain by slowing journeys through the Channel Tunnel.

A better response would be to bolster existing efforts to tackle the criminal gangs trafficking migrants to Calais. Britains approach to Syrian refugees, who are being allowed to claim asylum in camps bordering their own country, should also be adopted more widely, making perilous journeys across land and sea unnecessary. Nor should Brexit alter the approach on either side of the Channel. The existing system was agreed bilaterally, not using the EU, and has been an example of successful co-operation between two sovereign nations. In or out of the EU, joint working between Britain and our European friends remains the way forward in order to find a humane means of dealing with these desperate people.

Changing boundaries

The Boundary Commission publishes its provisional recommendations soon for the redrawing of constituency boundaries  the deferred, sixth such periodic review one that Labour and the Lib-Dems stopped in 2013. It will mean that the Commons will have 600 rather than 650 MPs, a measure intended to reduce the cost of politics and ensure boundaries fairly represent population.

This is going to be painful in London, where almost all 73 MPs face selection battles. According to the elections expert and Tory peer Rob Hayward more than 60 seats will change shape, with sitting MPs pitted against their neighbours. Its unclear whether Labours dominance of inner London will change with redrawn boundaries but what is already apparent is that the contests will be a further expression of the splits within the Labour Party. Change had to happen but itll come at a cost.

Carnival spirit

It is a shame that this years Notting Hill Carnival has seen an increase in crime, not least because this makes headline news when most of the street festival is a joyous thing. But the real power of carnival lies not with petty  and sometimes fatal  displays of machismo with knives but with its ability to subvert the normal order of things. On what other occasion would you find precious London villa-dwellers surrendering their neighbourhoods for a long weekend, and their rarefied streets coming alive with street dancing rather than social climbing? Just think: how would Knightsbridge feel about having a carnival?
H ow you regard tattoos says a good deal about you: whether you see your epidermis as a veritable canvas for the outward expression of your inner self  a kind of sacramental thing, really  or whether you like it just as it is  white, in my case, with a few unsightly cooking scars on the arm.

The Police Federation has taken sides on the issue, having called for a change in the rules on police dress, which bans body art that cannot be concealed by everyday clothing. It is researching the attitudes of the police and public towards officers with tattoos.

So, lets put our oars in now, shall we? My own view is that if I come across an officer covered with rich and varied body art, one of the crucial distinctions between him or her and the criminal classes vanishes. Tattoos may be ubiquitous but they are also a useful indicator of character, and if you come across someone with a Greek motto on their neck or a dragon motif in three colours up the arm, why, you dont need to probe any further into the inner depths: under the ink, theres a twerp.

In this case, character is indeed skin deep: how you see yourself is right out there. But the awful thing, which professional tatooists really should be obliged to point out alongside the cost of professional removal of their handi-work, is that our sense of our identity is nowadays a fleeting and evanescent thing. Were a bit like the plecoptera, only more so: that odd little creature that mutates twice until its final incarnation as a rather boring stonefly.

And in our case we regard identity as infinitely mutable  I mean, the whole transgender thing is proof of our quest for the elusive inner self, unbounded by gender or chromosomes, let alone anything so humdrum as background and family. Fancy having your inner self tattooed at enormous expense at the age of 18 only to find that by the time you get a job that the rose creeping from ankle to thigh isnt what they want at Cazenove?

The old lags habit of immortalising their present girlfriends name on their body symbolises the vanity of these things: they change, you know. At least David Beckham took the precaution of tatooing his childrens names on himself. Thats fairly safe.

A third of the population is said to have a tattoo of one sort, which, when you think this figure includes the elderly, means that about half of young people have them. It must be stopped. Especially in the case of quite nicely brought-up girls such as Cara Delevingne, whose tattoos seem like a tragic bid to say that shes hard, hard, hard  notwithstanding being privately educated, from rather a grand family.

I should at this point say that my own grandfather had a tattoo: a blue anchor on his lower arm, but he was a seaman and for sailors that was practically obligatory, part of the uniform.

The obvious solution is to make every tattoo semi-permanent or, like my daughters Superman, actually washable. You can indeed turn your body into a canvas, except when the mood changes so does the body art.

A friend of mine saw a police officer in Notting Hill with tattoos covering both arms yesterday  plainly the Met is ahead of the herd here. It didnt make him more approachable  au contraire. But perhaps, as the Police Federation points out, a very talented individual may lurk beneath.

Look, were essentially superficial, most of us; our regard for the police is contingent on them looking the part. And if a police officer is covered with roses, sonnets or Pokemon, I for one will lose that deference on which the Met really depends.

Catch Rufus while you can

It's no surprise that Rufus Sewell stole the show as Lord Melbourne in Victoria last night. Its the infatuation of an older, worldly man with a young ingenue, with the added emotional vulnerability from his rackety marriage to Lady Caroline Lamb  we like our heroes a bit wounded. And when he confided in Victoria about the death of his son, well, that did it, really.

The great thing is, its mostly true. As the biographer of Victoria, A N Wilson, observes: The love ... between Melbourne and Victoria is one of the most touching ... she called forth in the cynical worldly Whig reserves of tenderness which he had needed to seal up during the humiliations of his marriage. I hate to say this but in no time hes going to be displaced by Albert, aka Tom Hughes. Make the most of him.

Ive just had a Corbyn moment on the trains

It's quite something, the way rail operators are taken aback by lots of people travelling at bank holidays. At Llandudno Junction on the way back from Ireland, our Arriva driver refused to go any further: it was overcrowded, he said, a judgment with which the people standing and sitting on the floor could not disagree. Those in the know hopped off to find another train. The rest of us stayed put until we were told wed be decanted at Chester for another train to Crewe, but wed miss the London train.

At Chester we were put on to an even more crowded train for Crewe, where a mother had to take her little boy off the train to try to get to the loo by another door  I dont think she was ever reunited with her bags. At Chester the entire train had to run like lunatics across the bridge to try to catch the Virgin service to London  one woman actually fainted when she got there.

On that train people were sitting in the space between the carriages, and Brad, the train manager, had to apologise for any inconvenience this might cause.

Wheres Jeremy Corbyn when you want him? His photo on the floor could have been a group affair.

The rain comes first in Ireland

Hard to think, back at the office, that only on Sunday I was on the shores of Lough Gur in south-west Ireland, in a spell of rare sunshine: a place where it was all happening between 1800BC and 1000AD and which is still quite lovely, what with all the dragonflies and cornflowers.

Obviously, my only hope that morning had been that the weather would be fine, ie not raining, so actual sun was a bonus. In the west of Ireland you dont plan ahead  you wait until the rain holds off and then you do things.

As Bernard Shaw observed, there is no such thing as Irish character but there is the Irish climate. Thats what matters.
M y wife and I are trying to have a baby at the moment, which involves endless trips to the hospital for tests and scans, and lots of stress and anxiety all round. But whats really scary is that if we do strike lucky and get pregnant well need to find an affordable place to live in London with a child.

Like millions of Londoners we live in a rented flat and dont have family money to help with a deposit, so were probably going to be renting for a good while yet.

Having lived in several rented places, Ive seen how precarious leases can be. If the landlord decides to sell the property, or just wants you to leave, you have to go. This is difficult enough if youre single, but truly horrible with a family.

My dream is to own a home  a place where no one can kick you out as long as you pay your mortgage. But as we all know, for many young people in our city this ambition is increasingly out of reach.

Over the past five years house prices have risen six times faster than average wages. No wonder only a quarter of 20- to 39-year-old Londoners expect to own their own home by 2025.

Whats so sad is that this housing crisis could easily have been avoided. The reason theres a problem is that not enough housing is being built to keep pace with demand, so prices have skyrocketed.

And why isnt enough housing being built? Because the hideously bureaucratic planning system means it can cost hundreds of thousands of pounds  and take several years  to get permission for new housing developments in London. The statistics speak for themselves. In the first three months of this year councils across London granted planning permission for just 4,320 homes  less than a quarter of those needed.

Its a disgrace, but because senior politicians own property they have no real incentive to fix the system.

Action on planning isnt the only thing that should be done  there are plenty of other policies that would help. Take community land trusts, for example, an affordable model of home-ownership in US cities from Seattle to New York.

The way CLTs work is simple: when you buy one of the homes, you sign a contract ensuring that you can only sell the property at a price pegged to local incomes, meaning that the homes are permanently affordable.

As Calum Green of the London CLT organisation puts it: Community land trusts provide a way for all Londoners, regardless of background, to have the comfort and stability of owning their own home in this city.

Later this month families in Mile End will be moving into the capitals first CLT, where homes were available to buy for a third of the open-market value: 130,000 for a one-bed apartment and three beds for 235,000. Whats needed now are CLTs in every corner of the city, which could be created whenever Transport for London land is available.

If we could fix the planning system and get CLTs built throughout London, it would make a huge difference to peoples lives. As someone desperate to become a father, I can only hope that change happens soon. Sadly, I doubt that will be the case.
O n social media, it's easy to catch all sorts of digital diseases, such as FOMO, internet addiction, and anxiety. Facebook and Instagram-wary researchers have said it for years now  and they're saying it again: Hanging out on social media too much isn't a healthy habit. So what's the catch this time?

The warning comes from an Italian working paper exploring relationships between our online and offline social network and happiness. On the upside, social media can make us happier when it helps spark face-to-face connections and conversations. Terrific! But this isn't a groundbreaking conclusion. Even back in the pen-and-paper days, academics understood that face-to-face is simply the superior way to communicate.

But the research also found that social media is associated with lowering our social trust, which can diminish the chances of those happiness-boosting IRL interactions. Not so terrific.

"The overall effect of [online] networking on individual welfare is significantly negative," the study authors concluded.

Please excuse us while we throw our smartphones out the window and seek out a friendly face for a chat. Just kidding. We're self-aware enough to know we can't live without Snapchat.

The Guardian's Anna Petherick offers a few practical tips on sidestepping the social-media blues. First, quit fretting over the number of friends and followers your have, as they don't actually make us happier. Next up, socialise with intention; staying updated only on people you know well and regularly interact with can ward off that sinking feeling that everyone but you is living fabulously.

When all else fails, Petherick recommends cat videos. No, really. Just as social media mellows our well-being, it's also a study-confirmed fact, courtesy of Indiana University, that cat GIFs can cheer us up.

Read more from Refinery29:

Bottle It Up/Let It Out: Do Men & Women Deal With Stress Differently?

Your Smartphone Might Be Wrecking Your Memory

Kate Middleton Addresses Mental Health For Kids
A teenager was left with horrific injuries after being slashed in the stomach with a deadly Zombie Killer knife as Notting Hill carnival suffered the worst violence in a generation.

The 15-year-old boy was rushed to hospital in a critical condition where he underwent emergency surgery on a wound to his stomach. He is now in a stable condition, the Standard understands.

A 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm following the horrible attack at 4.25pm on Sunday in Wornington Road.

It is one of at least seven separate stabbing incidents which blighted the annual parades 50th anniversary and have led to fresh calls from residents and community leaders to consider moving the event into a park where crowds can be more easily controlled.

The Met today said more than 440 people had been arrested across the two-days of the Bank Holiday street party, which saw 17 attacks on police and 88 knife-related incidents.

A man with a bloodied nose speaks to police after violence at Carnival / AFP

More than 7,000 police officers worked to maintain order in an operation said to have cost more than 6 million  around 6 for each of the million revellers who attended.

London Ambulance service said more than 1,000 people had been treated over the two days of the festival, with 170 of the most seriously injured taken to hospital.

Most of the patients were suffering alcohol related illnesses and injuries and were treated by a team of 200 workers based at nine treatment centres.

Paul Gates, tactical commander for the carnival, said the number of patients was up almost 20 per cent on last year, when 144 people were taken to hospital.

Tens of thousands of people arrived in west London for the event

He said: Many of our patients needed emergency help after they had been drinking or taking drugs or had minor injuries such as cuts from broken glass.

A large canister of compressed nitrous oxide  dubbed hippy crack  with the capacity to fill 2,250 small bottles with a street value of 150,000 was seized in Queensway. Two men in their twenties are being questioned over the find.

Notting Hill Carnival montage - London Live

Victoria Borwick, MP for Kensington, told the Standard: I am disgusted by the latest statistics and am very concerned about the boy who was slashed in the stomach. That is just awful.

He was slashed with one of those Zombie knives and if you take one of those out again your insides come with it.

Police officers arrive on Shrewsbury Road on the final day of the Notting Hill Carnival / PA

I believe he was stitched up again but of course he will never be the same. You have to ask why are people bringing zombie knives to carnival?

Someone has to stand up and take responsibility and say if its a carnival, treat it like a carnival but if its simply a crime-fest it cant go on like this.

It takes too long for emergency services to battle through the crowds because the route isnt safe.

Its wonderful to have the sequins and the celebrations but so wrong to force them through these narrow streets.

There will always be people who complain but theyre not the families of children who have been stabbed, theyre not the parents of the boy who had his stomach opened up.

Every year the violence goes up and we have to tackle that we need a safe, family festival. We cant go on like this waiting for someone to be killed.

In a separate incident at 9pm last night, two men stabbed on Ladbroke Grove sought refuge in a nearby Starbucks where staff used napkins and sellotape to patch up their wounds as they waited 15 minutes for paramedics to make their way through the crowds.

A 28-year-old from Finsbury Park said: The cafe worker was amazing. He got everyone out and took over. He only had paper towels and sellotape but he moved fast.

Sheila Robertson, who has lived on the carnival route since 1968, told the Standard: Every year it gets worse. I used to love carnival. It was a joy and it brought people together but it has changed dramatically since its infancy.

It used to be a message of unity but violence has become part of carnival  its dividing people now and weve had enough.

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

Now your property is no longer safe and you get treated with such disdain, everyone is so drunk and thats what causes fights. A lot of the violence is gang related and they want to hide in the crowds.

Its time for things to change very radically.
A Met Police officer has been jailed for four years after having sex with a child rape victim he met on dating app Tinder.

Pc James Evans, 26, attached to Ealing borough, exchanged dozens of "sex talk" messages with the vulnerable 15-year-old schoolgirl on the app.

She performed a sex act on him in his car, while he was driving her home from a session with child mental health services.

Despite knowing she was under 16 and a rape victim, he later took her to his flat in Ruislip, where they engaged in full intercourse.

He was sentenced to four years' imprisonment at Isleworth Crown Court today and will be on the Sex Offenders' Register for life.

Judge Robin Johnson said: "Before any sexual activity you knew she was a vulnerable young girl. Nevertheless, you allowed your own desire to overcome your better judgement.

"The reason why Parliament and the public take this kind of offending so seriously is because the harm caused in these cases is incalculable."

He added: "You were a serving police officer and knew you were dealing with a young vulnerable girl - because of her previous sexual assault she was receiving mental health treatment at the time.

"Her victim impact statement makes for sad reading, and I have no doubt this episode has caused her serious psychological harm."

Evans and the girl "matched" on Tinder in January this year and engaged in sexual activity on three occasions during the same month.

He claims he did not notice the warning symbol on her profile page stating that she was under the age of 18.

Their messages on the social media site became "more and more explicit" and sex acts were described, Douglas Adams, prosecuting, said.

The victim initially lied about her age, claiming she was 16, but told Evans she was only 15 and still at school before they had any sexual contact and even told him she was taking exams.

The abuse has had a "severe" effect on her and she has been taken to hospital a number of times since the incident after taking an overdose of sleeping pills.

In a statement read to the court, she said: "I now know he took full advantage of my vulnerabilities.

"I told James I had been sexually assaulted the previous August and now I know he should have acted differently as a police officer."

Her mother reported the relationship to police after reading her daughter's diary and finding photographs of Evans in his police uniform.

Evans, now of Pontypridd, Wales, pleaded guilty to six counts of sexual activity with a child.

He initially denied having any sexual contact with the girl but later made full admissions to the offences.

"I know it was stupid - I had sex with her, knowing she was 15," Evans said during police interview.

Additional reporting by the Press Association.
A banker died of a suspected brain haemorrhage after he was punched by a thug as his friends chatted to a group of women following a night out.

Oliver Dearlove was found unconscious in leafy Blackheath, in south-east London, at 12.45am on Sunday following the senseless and tragic attack.

The 30-year-old, who worked as a relationship manager at private bank Duncan Lawrie in Belgravia and previously worked for royal bank Coutts, had enjoyed a night out with university friends before he was killed.

Police today issued a fresh appeal for information in relation to Mr Oliver's death as they reviewed CCTV footage leading up the attack.

Detectives believe the group left ONeills bar in Montpelier Vale before walking to Tranquil Vale to catch pre-booked taxis.

The group got chatting to a group of four women shortly before a suspect walked up to Mr Dearlove and hit him, Scotland Yard said.

He collapsed and later died in hospital of a brain haemorrhage, a post-mortem held at Greenwich mortuary found yesterday.

The man is believed to have fled in the direction of the heath.

Police have launched a murder investigation in to the death of Mr Dearlove who was described by his mother Joy Wright as the perfect son.

Killed: Oliver Dearlove, 30 / LinkedIn

She said: He worked hard, he was the perfect son. We cant believe whats happened. Were all in a state of shock.

The grieving mum added that Mr Dearlove had been planning to buy a house and start a family with his girlfriend Claire Wheatley.

He had texted his partner to tell her he loved her just two hours before the attack.

Detective Chief Inspector Lee Watling has urged who saw anything or who could help identify the man involved to come forward.

Planning to start a family: Oliver Dearlove and girlfriend Claire Wheatley

He said: We are also undertaking significant CCTV enquiries from Blackheath Village and the surrounding areas to establish if the suspect has been captured on CCTV, and help us to identify him as soon as possible.

In the meantime, I would encourage the man to come forward and speak to me about the events of Sunday night.

I would like to thank everybody who has come forward so far, but would like to appeal once again to anyone who was in Blackheath Village that evening and saw the suspect assault Oliver or saw him leaving the area afterwards to come forward.

Olivers family, his girlfriend and friends have been left devastated by his death and deserve to know what happened to him. If you have any information, no matter how insignificant you think it is, contact the police.

Police are asking people to call the Incident Room on 020 8721 4205 or to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A mother today called for knife offences to be treated as seriously as gun crime after the teenager who stabbed her disabled son for fun avoided trial for attempted murder.

Joshua Clements, 18, was charged with attempted murder and GBH after he attacked passers-by with a 10-inch blade when a water fight in Hyde Park flared into violence last month.

He was allowed to plead guilty to lesser offences after the Crown Prosecution Service accepted a plea deal.

A judge at the Old Bailey described the case as disturbing and demanded a full explanation for the decision.

Jennifer Anderson, whose son Audean Thompson, 19, was stabbed in the chest by Clements, today said the defendant was a danger to society.

The knife that was used in the attack

The Post Office worker, 51, said: He needs to be punished, not only for Audeans sake but for others who are vulnerable and disabled.

"Lowering the charge sends out a message that they can do whatever and get away with it, which is wrong. He stabbed my son above the heart.

Judge Michael Topolski QC demanded that prosecutors explain the decision not to continue with the more serious charge, which can carry a life sentence, as he adjourned the case for a pre-sentence report. He said: This is not, on the face of it, just stabbing in the course of robbing, it was stabbing for fun.

Clements admitted wounding with intent over the attack on Mr Thompson

Thousands of people gathered in Hyde Park on July 19 for a water fight but violence erupted as police tried to disperse the crowd.

Appearing by videolink at the Old Bailey, Clements admitted wounding with intent over the attack on Mr Thompson, and pleaded guilty to a similar offence in relation to his second victim, Duane Williams.

He also admitted possessing a hunting-style knife, handling stolen property, and possessing crack cocaine and heroin with intent to supply. Clements, of White City, was remanded in custody for sentencing on October 6.

Mrs Anderson and her family left Jamaica for the UK after Audean was hit in the leg, aged nine, in the crossfire of a gang shooting.

Mrs Anderson said: I strongly believe the Government needs to change the law so that sentences for knife crime are the same as gun crime. A knife is as dangerous as a gun.

Possession of a firearm carries a mandatory five-year sentence.
S ix teenage boys have been arrested after a Polish man was killed in a suspected hate crime in Essex.

The 40-year-old man was allegedly beaten, knocked unconscious and left for dead in the attack in Harlow late on Saturday night.

He was taken to hospital with serious head injuries but died on Monday evening. A murder inquiry has been launched.

Police have arrested five 15-year-old boys and one 16-year-old boy as part of the on-going investigation  but believe there were a gang of up to 20 girls and boys at the scene.

The leader of Harlow Council, councillor Jon Clempner, said he was saddened and shocked by the alleged attack.

He said: My heartfelt thoughts and sympathies go out to the families and friends affected by this meaningless incident.

I know Harlow and its communities will support each other through this and that all our communities will stand together.

He added: We dont know the full circumstances of what motivated this, but whatever the motives were they will never ever have a place in Harlow.

We are supporting the local Stow community and working closely with the police. We are carrying out patrols around the area to provide extra reassurance and support to the public at this very difficult time.

At the time of alleged attack, detective inspector Al Pitcher said it was being treated as a potential hate crime  but the motive remains unclear.

The victim, from Harlow, was believed to have been eating with his friend, 43, outside the TGF Pizza and Mr Luigis takeaway shops in The Stow, Harlow, when they were approached by a gang of boys.

Police said they believed the two men were verbally abused before both being attacked.

Officers did not know how many attackers there were  but think the suspects were part of a group of up to 20 girls and boys.

Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Al Pitcher, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "This is now a murder investigation and our enquiries have quickly led to the arrest of five teenage boys.

"Following this vicious attack, a man has sadly lost his life and I urge anyone with information to contact us as soon as possible.

The alleged attack happened just after 11.35pm on Saturday. The second victim, also from Harlow, was taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital with suspected fractures to his hands and bruising to his stomach. He has since been discharged.

DI Pitcher said: "We understand not all these people were involved and we believe there will be witnesses who were deeply shocked by what took place.

We know they may find it hard to come forward, but we would encourage them to discuss it with their parents and to contact police. They can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously if they are afraid to give their name or speak directly with us.

Police will be carrying out extra patrols in the area and we are working with our partners to provide reassurance to the community.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Harlow Major Investigation Team on 101. Alternatively, they can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

Four 15-year-old boys and one 16-year-old boy, all from Harlow, were arrested on Monday on suspicion of attempted murder and later re-arrested on suspicion of murder. All have been released on police bail pending further enquiries until October 7.

A sixth teenager, a 15-year-old boy from Harlow, was arrested on Tuesday afternoon on suspicion of murder and is currently in custody awaiting questioning.
V aping could pose the same risks to the heart as smoking, scientists have warned.

In a typical vaping session, the electronic cigarettes caused similar damage to the main artery in the organ, a study found.

The findings appear to contradict advice from Public Health England (PHE), which last year said vaping is 95 per cent less harmful than tobacco and called for GPs to be able to prescribe e-cigarettes on the NHS to help people quit smoking.

Researchers said vaping could damage the aorta in a similar way to smoking as they presented their findings at the European Society for Cardiology congress in Rome, the Daily Telegraph reported, and they would not encourage using such devices.

They found that the effects from a 30-minute session of vaping - seen as a typical habit as e-cigarettes deliver nicotine at a slower rate than cigarettes - were similar to those from smoking a cigarette for five minutes.

And they warned the UK had "rushed into" championing vaping as a method to help give up smoking.

Experiments were carried out on 24 adults with an average age of 30, examining only the immediate effects of e-cigarettes and smoking.

Professor Charalambos Vlachopoulos, from the University of Athens Medical School, told the conference: "We measured aortic stiffness. If the aorta is stiff you multiply your risk of dying, either from heart diseases or from other causes."

He added: "The aorta is like a balloon next to the heart. The more stiff the balloon is, the more difficult for the heart to pump. It's the most powerful biomarker we have for estimating cardiovascular disease."

Prof Vlachopoulos said that while the long-term risks of vaping remained unknown, he would not recommend their use.

Rosanna O'Connor, from PHE, told the Telegraph: "Vaping carries a fraction of the risk of smoking yet many smokers are still not aware, which could be keeping people smoking rather than switching to a much less harmful alternative."

Additional reporting by PA
T wo sisters who were born joined together at the abdomen and given just a one in five chance of survival are preparing to start school.

Rosie and Ruby Formosa, from Bexleyheath, south-east London, shared part of their intestine when they were born conjoined in 2012.

Doctors were forced to carry out an emergency operation and parents Angela and Daniel Formosa were told their newborns chances were slim.

But four years on from the successful surgery at Londons Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh), they are now getting ready to start primary school.

Big day: The twins pose in their uniforms ahead the day their parents feared may never come / PA

Mum Mrs Formosa, 35, said: "Four years ago it wasn't in my mind that this would ever happen.

"When I was pregnant I didn't think I'd ever see their first day at school so it is really amazing and all thanks to Gosh really."

Mrs Formosa said it was "heartbreaking" when she discovered the girls had the rare medical condition - which accounts for one in every 200,000 live births.

Twins Rosie and Ruby shortly after being born / PA

"I was really, really, really scared and really upset because at that point I was told that there was a high possibility that the girls wouldn't survive the pregnancy, she said.

"And if they did survive the pregnancy they might not survive the birth, then they might not survive surgery.

The girls were born at University College Hospital in London by caesarean section when Mrs Formosa was 34 weeks pregnant.

Ruby (left) and her sister Rosie pictured in 2013 / PA

Within a couple of hours of being born, they were taken to Gosh for emergency surgery because of an intestinal blockage.

Praising the staff at the world-renowned children's hospital, Mrs Formosa added: "They had a look and did scans and all sorts of tests and it wasn't until they got into surgery that they saw what was going on.

"It was on-the-spot decisions as to what was to be done."

Mrs Formosa, 35, said time had flown by since the surgery and the girls were looking forward to starting school.

She said: "They are very similar, they are very bubbly little girls, they are very headstrong and very determined, which I knew they were from when they were in my belly because of the way they kept growing and surviving.

Great Ormond Street Hospital is the leading centre in Europe for the care of conjoined twins, performing the first successful separation surgery on conjoined twins in 1985.

The Formosa family are supporting the hospital's charity through it's Back To School Campaign - which is celebrating all of the children who are able to go to school thanks to care at the hospital as well as raising funds.

Tim Johnson, chief executive of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, said: "Thanks to the world-class care given to seriously ill children from across the UK at Gosh, more children will go back to school or enjoy their first day at school.

"We're encouraging people from across the UK to share their back to school or first day at school moments and donate to help raise money for the hospital. Text SCHOOL to 70020 to give 3."
F abric nightclub has become a safe haven for illegal drug use and warned there will be more tragedies without major changes, according to a damning police report.

The world-famous venue in Farringdon faces being shut down next week at a review of its licence sparked by the deaths of the two 18-year-olds on June 25 and August 6.

Four other clubbers have died at the 2,500 capacity club since 2011 after taking drugs.

Reports submitted by the Met for a licensing review by Islington council on September 6 describe how on one night 80 per cent of clubgoers appeared to be under the influence of drugs, while more than half are willing to sell drugs.

Superintendent Stuart Ryan, from Islington Police, wrote: Fabric nightclub represents a serious risk to its patrons. The failings of the management have led to an environment where illegal drug taking has become acceptable.

If the premises is permitted to remain open and operating in its current form, then there is a strong possibility that further drug related deaths will occur.

Sergeant Aaron Barnes, a licensing officer in Islington, said the first teenager, referred to as RB, was able along with friends to conceal drugs on their person and get through the search and entry regime without the drugs being found.

According to statements from his friends, he bought a pill in addition to three ecstasy tablets he had smuggled into the venue because he felt his were not working.

He was allegedly able to buy the MDMA tablet within 15 minutes.

He reportedly collapsed outside the venue at 8.20am and was taken to hospital where he died 40 minutes later.

Sgt Barness report alleges that a woman was taken to hospital suffering a suspected overdose on the same night, leaving paramedics struggling to look after two seriously ill clubgoers at the same time.

The death of the second teenager on August 6 came after his group of friends were able to smuggle MDMA inside hidden in their boxer shorts following a loose search by security staff, says the report.

Friends of the teenager who died - referred to as JC  told police: The ease of purchasing MDMA at Fabric is one of its main attractions.

The 18-year-old was taken to the medical room at the club at about 2am and died after being airlifted to hospital.

He had allegedly taken an MDMA bomb - the powdered form of the drug in a wrap  which had been bought inside the venue.

Sgt Barnes urged the council to bring in tougher licensing conditions, including only allowing in people aged 25 or over, if it is allowed to stay open.

The damning police dossier comes as 93,000 people have signed a petition at Change.org calling on Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Islington Council not to close the club.

BBC DJ B.Traits wrote: I am utterly convinced that the use and promotion of on-site drug testing and information has to be the best way forward  not sniffer dogs, not ID scanners, and definitely not the closure of venues and clubs.

On-site testing does, in no way, condone or promote the use of controlled substances. What it helps achieve is an increased awareness of the dangers of particular drugs to both the user and the police, resulting in informed decision making by potential users.

In a statement released last week Fabric said: We pride ourselves on running a safe venue, and we feel extremely saddened by the events that have taken place in recent weeks. The safety of our customers is our number one priority.

We know there are always areas where we can improve, and, following the recent tragic deaths, we are undertaking a thorough review of the lessons we can learn.
T he capital may be the powerhouse of the UK economy but other cities are closing the gap, a new report shows.

London remains Britain's most prosperous region with more millionaires than anywhere else and robust economic growth, according to research by high street bank Barclays.

But other cities including Bristol, Cambridge and Manchester saw faster house price rises and a boom for small businesses  while in the capital overall earnings fell by a per cent.

The findings come in Barclays UK Prosperity Map 2016 Index, which calculates regional scores based on an array of factors such as gross domestic product (GDP), house prices, charitable giving and working hours.

London tops the list when classed as a region and a city. Reading, Cambridge and Bristol are the next best performing cities, according to the index.

The most prosperous Cities in the UK 1 London 0.91 2 Reading 0.75 3 Cambridge 0.56 4 Bristol 0.44 5 Leeds 0.43 6 Cardiff 0.32 7 Birmingham 0.26 8 Manchester 0.26 9 Liverpool 0.15 10 Newcastle 0.11 Figures show the Prosperity Index score for each city

Bristol and Cambridge have become "increasingly attractive areas to live and work," with house prices rising 13 per cent and 14 per cent respectively in the 12 months to April, the report finds.

In London, property prices grew 11 per cent over the same period.

Manchester, Cardiff and Sheffield saw some of the strongest turnover amongst small and medium sized businesses - up 15 per cent, 12 per cent and 11 per cent respectively  while London lagged behind with a growth rate of just seven per cent.

The capital was also outpaced by other parts of the country on the measure of GDP per capita, a metric of economic growth, ranking joint bottom with the North East with a rate of eight per cent.

The West Midlands saw a significant larger boost of 11.5 per cent while the East of England notched up 11.4 per cent.

According to the findings, the whole of the UK is performing well despite volatility in the global economy.

Barclays chief executive, wealth, entrepreneurs and business banking, Akshaya Bhargava said: It is very encouraging to see the upward trajectory for prosperity in the UK continuing despite recent global volatility  both in terms of hard economic measures, as well as more behavioural aspects of prosperity, such as exam results or philanthropic giving.

It is particularly reassuring to see that there is strong activity throughout the whole of the UK  be it house price growth in Bristol and Cambridge outpacing that in London; Scotland registering the highest increase in household wealth; or rises in SME turnover coming from Manchester, Sheffield and Cardiff.

Mapped: A graphic showing how the UK's regions fare on the index / Barclays

Paul Swinney, principal economist at think tank Centre for Cities, said: While it is encouraging to see some cities comparing favourably to London and the South East on some of the key measures in the Prosperity Index, it is important to remember that there is still some way to go to ensure that everyone in the UK can enjoy equal levels of prosperity.
L ondoners were continuing to enjoy a mini heatwave today with the capital set to be hotter than Barcelona.

As temperatures were expected to reach a high of 27C - above the 24C due to be seen in the Spanish city - forecasters predicted London will bask in sunshine and warm conditions until the end of the week.

Billy Payne from MeteoGroup said: London will be pleasant and warm with lots of sunshine. Today could be highs of 27C locally. These are above average temperatures for the end of August.

He added: Tomorrow will be warm still, at about 25C. The sunny conditions will continue until Friday at least, though temperatures will begin to slide down to about 23C. There might be some isolated showers. But on the whole, Londoners can look forward to very pleasant weather this week.

Experts said the warm conditions were due to a flow of hot air sweeping up from Continent and Africa.

Exacta Weathers James Madden said: This will bring consistent temperatures in at least the mid 20Cs in parts of the south and 30C or more isnt out of the question in places.

Alex Burkill from the Met Office added: We are seeing hotter weather coming in from the south to create the above average temperatures. Usually at the end of August, we would see temperatures of about 21C in London.

The news comes after last week saw the hottest day of the year so far recorded in Gravesend, Kent. Temperatures reached 33.9 in the Thames Estuary town on August 24.

Robin Bilney, a spokesman for the capitals eight Royal Parks, said they were expecting a wealth of visitors in coming days.

He added: Our parks tend to be busiest when the weather is good... The Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park and the boating lakes are particularly popular for people enjoying the sun.

However, forecasters have warned conditions at the weekend may be a bit more unpredictable if Britain is hit by the tail end of Hurricane Gaston - which is currently building up across the Atlantic. The storm has been hitting the US coast with 90mph winds, but its track is still uncertain.

Mr Burkill from the Met Office said a front from the West would see temperatures drop to about 22C by Friday.
O rganisers are facing fresh calls to relocate the Notting Hill carnival to a London park after 16 people were stabbed at this year's event, including one teenager who was left with horrific stomach wounds.

The boy, 15, was left fighting for life after being stabbed on Sunday is now recovering and stable in hospital.

He was stabbed in the stomach with an outlawed zombie killer knife. A boy aged 14 was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.

Scotland Yard said officers made 454 arrests in the two-day bank holiday cel- ebrations, which saw a million revellers take to the streets of west London.

The stabbings at the 50th anniversary parade led to fresh calls by residents and community leaders to consider moving the event to an area where crowds can be more easily controlled.

A man with a bloodied nose speaks to police after violence at Carnival / AFP

Kensington MP Victoria Borwick, who spent yesterday with officers policing the carnival, said she was appalled by the level of violence. This is supposed to be a carnival, a fun family event, but gangs come with the specific aim of causing crime, she told the Standard.

I am not anti-carnival but are we going to carry on putting up with this level of crime. I feel the carnival should be given more space, in wider streets or in a London park.

"We need to move it to somewhere gangs do not chase each other through the streets. She said one boy suffered terrible injuries after being stabbed in the stomach.

Police watch over the crowds at the Notting Hill Carnival / Reuters

He was slashed with one of those zombie knives, she added. If you take one of those out again, your insides come with it.

I believe he was stitched up again but of course he will never be the same. You have to ask why people are bringing zombie knives to a carnival.

The teenager is believed to have had emergency surgery in hospital.

Police officers arrive on Shrewsbury Road on the final day of the Notting Hill Carnival / PA

City Hall said that along with the police it would thoroughly review the carnival  as it did every year.

Notting Hill Carnival montage - London Live

The Met said most of those arrested  169  were for drugs offences, with 38 more people being held for possession of nitrous oxide, a new offence introduced this year after the Government banned legal highs.

A total 90 were held for possession of knives or offensive weapons, with 25 arrested for assaulting police. The 6 million operation involved 7,000 officers.

London Ambulance service said more than 1,000 people were treated during the carnival, with 170 of the most seriously injured taken to hospital.

Most of the patients had alcohol-related illnesses or injuries and were treated by a team of 200 staff based at nine treatment centres.

In a separate incident at 9pm last night, two men stabbed on Ladbroke Grove sought refuge in a nearby Starbucks  where staff used napkins and Sellotape to patch up their wounds as they waited 15 minutes for paramedics to make their way through the crowds.

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

A large canister of compressed nitrous oxide  dubbed hippy crack  with the capacity to fill 2,250 small bottles and with a street value of 150,000 was seized in Queensway.

There have been calls for carnival to be moved to a park since the 2000 event when two men were murdered. In 2008 there was serious rioting and 500 youths were arrested.

Resident Sheila Robertson, who has lived on the carnival route since 1968, said: Every year it gets worse. I used to love the carnival. It was a joy and it brought people together but has dramatically changed since its infancy.

It used to be a message of unity but violence is now part of the event. Its dividing people and weve had enough. Things must change radically.

The Notting Hill Carnival Trust did not answer requests for a comment.
A taser was seized by police at Notting Hill carnival yesterday as officers battled the worst violence seen at the event in decades.

Two were arrested after the weapon, which fires barbs attached by wires to batteries in order to temporarily paralyse people, was confiscated by officers.

A total of 454 arrests were made over the two-day carnival, celebrating its 50th anniversary, with almost twice as many on Monday compared to Sunday.

One 15-year-old boy was left with horrific injuries after being slashed in the stomach with a deadly Zombie Killer knife.

He was rushed to hospital where he received emergency surgery on a stomach wound, and is now believed to be in a stable condition.

A 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm following the horrible attack at 4.25pm on Sunday in Wornington Road.

Some 25 attacks on police and 90 knife-related incidents have led to fresh calls from residents and community leaders to consider moving the event into a park where crowds can be more easily contained.

A further 38 people were arrested in connection to the use of nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas.

More than 7,000 police officers worked to maintain order in an operation said to have cost more than 6 million  around 6 for each of the million revellers who attended.

London Ambulance service said more than 1,000 people had been treated over the two days of the festival, with 170 of the most seriously injured taken to hospital. This was up almost 20 per cent on last year.

Violence: this year's 50th anniversary carnival saw 454 people arrested / @SuptRobynMPS

Most of the patients were suffering alcohol related illnesses and injuries and were treated by a team of 200 workers based at nine treatment centres.

Victoria Borwick, MP for Kensington, told the Standard: I am disgusted by the latest statistics and am very concerned about the boy who was slashed in the stomach. That is just awful.

Someone has to stand up and take responsibility and say if its a carnival, treat it like a carnival but if its simply a crime-fest it cant go on like this.
A top comedian launched a heartfelt appeal for witnesses to come forward after his best friend from school was killed in a one-punch attack.

Stand-up Rob Beckett spoke out after banking executive Oliver Dearlove, 30, was attacked and left to die in the street by a stranger in Blackheath at the weekend.

Mr Dearlove, who had worked for the Queens exclusive bank Coutts, was pronounced dead on Sunday evening after the attack in the early hours of the morning.

Beckett, who has appeared on shows including Mock the Week, said: "My best friend growing up Oli Dearlove was killed in #Blackheath. If you have any info please report it."

Appeal for help: Comedian Rob Beckett

He asked his followers to retweet his message, and later said: Thank you all so much for your kind messages and RTing. Very much appreciated. I'm gonna tweet it again in the morning if you could RT again.

Mr Dearlove, a relationship manager at private bank Duncan Lawrie in Belgravia, had been out with university friends on Saturday evening.

The couple had been together for four years and were saving up to buy a house together and start a family.

Detectives are appealing for four women with whom he had been speaking shortly before the attack to come forward as they attempt to trace his killer.

Scotland Yards DCI Lee Watling, from the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: "We are retaining an open mind at this stage of the investigation with regards to a motive and our primary aim is to establish how Mr Dearlove came to receive the injuries which led to his death.

We are appealing for anyone who was at Tranquil Vale who witnessed the incident - in particular a group of up to four white females who Mr Dearlove and his friends were speaking to around the time the offence occurred."

No arrests have been made and officers are investigating.

Anyone with information that may assist police is asked to call the incident room on 0208 721 4205. To remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
J eremy Corbyn this morning made a big announcement at Newspeak House in Shoreditch: his digital democracy manifesto. But hang on, doesnt some of it sound rather familiar? Indeed, any Brussels-watchers will have been ticking off the boxes. First up was the Labour leaders promise on high-speed broadband. We will deliver high-speed broadband and mobile connectivity, Corbyns team announced, for every household, company and organisation in Britain from inner-city neighbourhoods to the remotest rural community. Great news. It was also great news when the EU Commission proposed it in 2010 in its Digital Agenda. Fast broadband is digital oxygen, essential for Europes prosperity and well-being, Neelie Kroes, vice-president of the European Commission for the Digital Agenda said at the time.Then there is Corbyns idea for an Open Knowledge Library, a free-to-use online hub of learning resources for the National Education Service his idea for an NHS of education. Was it perhaps inspired by Europeana, the collaborative database of art and educational resources, a conglomerate of museums and galleries?

And what about his coding for all proposal for publicly funded software and hardware to help teach programming? A shame they cant use the resources of the EUs All You Need Is (C<3de) public-learning program, which launched in March 2015. It is always smart to adopt and adapt the intelligent ideas of others. But perhaps, if Corbyn considers the EUs plans so impressive, he should have put a little more effort into... Anyway, that moment has passed.

---

Members clubs Soho House and the Groucho went on location over the bank holiday weekend, as the private clubs set up bars at Jamie Olivers The Big Feastival in the Cotswolds. Mike and Zara Tindall, Simon Pegg and Naomie Harris held court in both bars. So which bar won? The decision came from on high: after the main stage was repeatedly struck by lightning, Soho Farmhouse was forced to close temporarily for safety reasons. Groucho won that round.

Gene was even great at the Tate

Farewell Gene Wilder, star of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and The Producers. Wilder enjoyed the finer arts as well as comedy. A Guardian reader who worked at the Tate in the 1990s recalls Wilder visiting its Turner Study Room. Wilder spoke to an attendant called Catherine, who asked for his autograph.

On leaving the room Wilder and his friend explored new areas of the gallery, the reader writes. Since the attendants rotate their positions, he unexpectedly saw Catherine again up ahead. Whereupon, to the astonishment of other visitors, he yelled: Catherine!! How are you? You dont write, you dont phone...!

Claras new carnival barnet

JERK chicken and cans of Red Stripe galore yesterday, as Converse marked Notting Hill Carnival with a colourful party at Ladbroke Groves Dock Kitchen. Guests included chef Tess Ward and model Sarah Macklin, inset above, while Radio 1 presenter Clara Amfo, above, embraced the good weather in hotpants and a new hairstyle to join an all-female line up of DJs including Moxie and Amy Becker. But Amfos afro led to an unusual chat-up line: she tweeted that a fellow carnival-goer had beckoned her over with, Eh, Macy Grey, lemme chat to you for a minute.

--

WITH its sex scenes and swearing, Fleabag, a new BBC comedy by writer and actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge, is its most risque programme in ages. But will it get an unexpectedly young audience? The latest episode is on the iPlayer but so is an episode of Jackanory featuring Helen Stephenss novel Fleabag, about a homeless dog. Thank heaven for parental controls.

Dog days of the Edinburgh Fringe

UP TO Edinburgh for the end of the annual Fringe festival. Among the gems in the line-up were comic Geoff Norcott. He staged a show, Conswervative [sic] about being the only out Tory on the circuit. Reviewers noted that he was a brave man to do this among comedians and Scots. Much braver than one recent audience member sitting in the front row. At a point in the show where the punter was asked if he might vote Tory, he shyly muttered Maybe. Turns out the man in question was Sheridan Westlake. As one of Theresa Mays top spads, recipient of an OBE in Camerons honours list for services to the former PM and one of the Telegraphs 100-most influential Right-wingers, one would hope hed upgrade that maybe to a yes. Later in the show, when Norcott made up a story suggesting that in post-truth politics Tories could make stuff up, Westlake went in for a high-five.But even more barking is the news that Alan Cumming, in town with his award-winning cabaret show, had Nicola Sturgeon in his audience and took his dog Lala to meet her afterwards. Nicola is actually terrified of dogs, he told The Scotsman. I didnt know they were her kryptonite. But she actually said that because Lala is very lovely and very soothing, it was the first dog she had ever felt safe with. Will he try it on Merkel next?

Is it jewel-purpose TV?

ITVs Victoria is a jewel in TVs crown. And just as the show debuted on Sunday night the Government placed a temporary export ban on Queen Victorias wedding coronet  whose owner had applied to sell the piece abroad. The coronet was designed by Prince Albert for the pairs nuptials in 1840.The Londoner asked culture minister Matt Hancock whether he had seen the programme. Of course I watched it, he told us. Great jewels. But there was no connection between the show and blocking the coronets move. The timing was serendipitous, he said.Perhaps Hancock was thinking of another powerful woman  Theresa May said her favourite word was serendipity in a magazine interview at the weekend. Some guys have all the luck.

--

Tipple of the day: as EU Leavers campaign to bring back imperial measurements, The Londoner looks forward to no longer having to order a bothersome 568ml at the bar.
M atilda actress Mara Wilson today led ridicule of a blog entitled how to talk to a woman who is wearing headphones.

The article, posted by a blogger on website The Modern Man, bewildered hundreds after offering a step-by-step guide how to approach and create a spark with women in headphones.

The cringeworthy guide claims there are five steps to get a womans attention, including standing 1 to 1.5 metres in front of her and waving your hand in her direct line of vision so she cant ignore it.

Many Twitter users suggested the article could be a parody, but others mocked it for its content.

Former child actress Wilson, who is best known for playing Matilda in the 1996 hit film starring Danny DeVito, was one of many to ridicule it on Twitter.

She said: Dont approach me while I am wearing headphones because I have a very strong startle reflex and might scream in your face, not even kidding.

Website The Modern Man styles itself as a source of help for men to experience more success with women.

Written by blogger Dan Bacon, the article reads: When she looks at you, smile and point to her headphones and say, Take off your headphones for a minute and pretend to be taking headphones off your head, so she fully understands.

If she doesnt understand (most women will), simply gesture that you want to talk to her by briefly pointing back and forth from you to her and say, I want to talk to you for a minute.

The author then urges men to do what we call Acknowledging the Awkwardness by quickly mentioning something about the awkwardness of the moment.

It also gives a list of common mistakes men make when approaching women who are wearing headphones including nervousness, sticking to polite conversation and allowing her to take control of the interaction.

Ridicule: Matilda actress Mara Wilson

It says: A woman can be approached anywhere, even if she is wearing headphones, walking her dog in the park or working in a clothing store.

Mara Wilson as Matilda in the adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic books / Tristar

Headphones are a great barrier between a person and the rest of the world.

That being said, if a guy wants to get a womans attention he needs to show confidence by being determined to get her to stop listening to the music and chat to him to him.

If a guy has a weak vibe or presence about him, a woman usually wont give in to his request for her to remove the headphones.

The article was widely mocked on social media.

American science fiction author John Scalzi said: "The way I get women to listen to me when they're wearing headphones is to write a book and then have it read on audio. WORKS GREAT, DUDES."

The piece goes on to say: Women love to test guys to see how confident they really are and a favourite test of women is to ignore a guys attempts to converse with her and see what he will do next.

Will he walk away in shame, or will he remain calm and continue talking to her in a confident, easy-going manner?

No matter how confident or challenging a woman might behave, she still dreams of meeting a guy who is more confident than her.

Other articles on the site include "my ex is telling everyone that I'm crazy" and "4 tips to get her back after being needy".

But some Twitter users suggested the blog may be a parody.
H ome Secretary Amber Rudd arrived in Paris today with a warning that any attempt by France to scrap border checks at Calais could backfire.

She was meeting interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, who has been an ally of Britain in the battle to cut down the number of illegal migrants trying to enter the UK from the so-called Jungle camp in northern France. The pair were due to focus on security in the wake of the terrorist atrocities in France but were forced to respond to demands from some French politicians to cancel a deal that allows Britain to erect border controls on French soil.

There was no immediate denial from the Home Office of a report that Britain is threatening to review security co-operation with France if the agreement is annulled. A UK source said Ms Rudd and Mr Cazeneuve would stay united on the issue. Both the UK and French governments will restate their commitment to protecting our shared border  there is absolutely no appetite on either side to remove the juxtaposed controls, he said.

The former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, now seeking a comeback, is the biggest voice yet calling for the treaty to be either reformed or annulled. The Home Office previously said: The French Government have repeatedly made it clear that removing the juxtaposed controls would not be in the interests of France.

Xavier Bertrand, president of the Hauts-de-France Nord Pas De Calais-Picardie region, which includes Calais, wants a new deal in which migrants hoping to claim asylum in the UK would be able to do so at a hotspot in France. This was dismissed as a complete non-starter by a Home Office source.

Shadow home secretary Andy Burnham said he supported the Government in resisting pressure to change the arrangements but claimed it was crass and insensitive to make threats or draw a link between security issues and the migrant situation in Calais.

He said: Theresa May should make it clear that threatening a long-standing ally with the withdrawal of co-operation on counter-terrorism is not part of the UKs negotiating position.

Lib-Dem leader Tim Farron said: The French and British governments have both failed to deal with the pile up of refugees in Calais over the last year, and were now facing the consequences of that failure.

Charlie Elphicke, Tory MP for Dover, said axing the treaty would simply not work and instead it should be strengthened so migrants can be efficiently registered and either given asylum or sent back to their homeland.

He said: For too long the symptoms have been addressed with big fences  we need to deal with the actual causes and to deal with the Jungle which is a magnet for migrants, and deal with the people traffickers.
D avid Cameron faced a new storm after it was revealed he gave aides massive pay rises of up to 24 per cent while preaching austerity to the nation.

His government capped pay rises across the public sector at just one per cent, saying the country could not afford to give more.

In Downing Street, however, he dished out increases of up to 18,000 a head to political advisers, known as spads, according to an analysis by Civil Service World magazine.

Many of the same aides then received extra severance money that went beyond their contracts when Mr Cameron quit and received honours in his controversial resignation list.

The analysis found that awards included:

Adam Atashzai, an adviser, had his salary raised by 24 per cent from less than 58,200 in 2014 to 72,000 in 2015. He was awarded an MBE in Mr Camerons resignation honours list.

Daniel Korski, former deputy director of the No 10 policy unit, had a 16 per cent pay increase from 80,000 in 2014 to 93,000 in 2015.

Ameet Gill, former director of strategy, and Liz Sugg, former head of operations at No 10, received rises of 23 per cent, sending their salaries from 80,000 in 2014 to 98,000 in 2015. Ms Sugg was given a life peerage.

Political adviser Kate Marley went from being on Pay Band 1 in 2014, which is capped at 54,121, to earning 65,000 in 2015, an increase of at least 20 per cent.

Special adviser Nick Seddon, who was awarded an MBE, had an 11 per cent pay rise last year to 88,000.

The rises were branded shameful by taxpayer groups and unions. John OConnell, chief executive of the TaxPayers Alliance, said: Taxpayers will be shocked at the size of these increases at a time of necessary spending restraint.

While spads can help ministers implement their decisions, its important to strike a balance.

Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union, which represents senior officials, told the magazine: It would seem hypocrisy knows no bounds from a prime minister who preached pay restraint and austerity to public servants and the public, whilst at the same time awarding double-digit pay rises.

The revelations come a month after it emerged that Mr Cameron ignored concerns by civil service chief executive John Manzoni and handed his staff an extra 282,000 in severance pay after his resignation.

Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services union, told the magazine: We believe that every civil servant deserves a decent pay rise. It is frankly shameful that David Cameron thinks that this should just apply to his close circle.

A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said: Decisions about special adviser salaries take into account various factors, including the level of responsibility associated with a particular role and the background and experience of the individual concerned.

These increases, which were agreed by the then prime minister, reflected changes to the scope and range of responsibility in the roles of a number of special advisers following their reappointment after the 2015 general election.
A pple was hit with a record-breaking 11 billion back tax bill today after Brussels ruled that the iPhone maker had entered an illegal sweetheart deal with the Irish government.

The worlds most valuable company was given selective treatment that allowed it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years, according to a European Union regulator.

The Irish authorities have now been ordered to recover the tax  plus interest  from the Silicon Valley giant following a three-year investigation.

Apple reacted furiously to the ruling. The tech giant said in a statement that it would have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe and the company would launch an appeal.

Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager claimed the arrangement with Dublin meant Apple paid an effective corporate tax rate of just one per cent on its European profits in 2003, falling to 0.005 per cent in 2014.

She said: Member states cannot give tax benefits to selected companies  this is illegal under EU state aid rules.

The investigation focused on two Dublin tax rulings in 1991 and 2007 that allowed Apple to reduce its tax bill to far below the official Irish corporation tax rate of 12.5 per cent.

It is easily the biggest tax demand in the history of the European Union, dwarfing the previous record penalty of 1.2 billion levied against French energy giant EDF last year.

The vast scale of the bill  equivalent to twice Irelands entire annual corporation tax revenue  is enough to pay for the countrys health system for a year. It stunned industry experts who had predicted a smaller penalty running to hundreds of millions of pounds.

Apple shares fell by around three per cent in trading ahead of the official market opening in New York. However, the California-based multinational has more than 170 billion in cash at its disposal and would easily be able to afford the tax demand.

In its statement Apple said: The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apples history in Europe, ignore Irelands tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process.

"The Commissions case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes, its about which government collects the money. It will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe. Apple follows the law and pays all of the taxes we owe wherever we operate. We will appeal and we are confident the decision will be overturned.

Irish finance minister Michael Noonan said in a statement: I disagree profoundly with the Commission. The decision leaves me with no choice but to seek cabinet approval to appeal.

This is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system; to provide tax certainty to business; and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation.

The ruling, which comes days ahead of the San Francisco launch of the latest iPhone model, will intensify a bitter row between Brussels and Washington over a series of investigations of the tax arrangements of US companies.

The EC ordered Starbucks and Fiat Chrysler to repay millions in taxes last October and is also investigating the tax arrangements in Europe of Amazon, McDonalds and Google.
A French court has overturned a ban on burkinis in glamorous Cannes.

The holiday hotspot was the first of a number of resorts to implement the controversial ban which sparked outrage across the globe.

However, the court in Nice today concluded that the Cannes decree violated basic freedoms.

It ruled it was illegal because there were no proven risks of disruption to public order, or reasons of hygiene or decency, for the ban in the famous Riviera resort.

The decision followed a ruling by a top French court over a similar ban in the Riviera town of Villeneuve-Loubet that set a legal precedent.

After the Council of State overturned that ban last week, human rights groups said they would challenge similar bans issued in around 30 municipalities.

The bans grew increasingly controversial as images circulated online of Muslim women being ordered to remove burkinis and headscarves by armed police.

Burkini protest outside French embassy

Mayors have backed multiple reasons for the introduction of the ban, including security after a string of Islamic extremist attacks, risk to public order, and France's strict rules on secularism in public life.

The Council of State ruled: "The emotion and concerns arising from the terrorist attacks, notably the one perpetrated in Nice on July 14, cannot suffice to justify in law the contested prohibition measure."

Earlier today, the UN human rights office condemned local bans in France on burkini swimwear as "a grave and illegal breach of fundamental freedoms" and a "stupid reaction" to recent extremist attacks.

Rupert Colville, spokesman for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on local officials to immediately lift the bans, saying they do not increase security.

Mr Colville said the bans "fuel religious intolerance and the stigmatisation of Muslims", and "have only succeeded in increasing tensions".

He said people who wear burkinis or any other clothing "cannot be blamed for the violent or hostile reactions of others".
I t does not seem like an activity that would draw a crowd. Flanked by the unblemished beauty of one of Gabons national parks, a fence post is being powered into the ground. Yet a joyous crowd has gathered to cheer each time the hammer strikes to push it deeper.

The reason why tells much about the challenges of conservation, and how the Giants Club, the elephant protection initiative supported by the Evening Standard, has been working with its partners to deliver on the pledges made at its historic inaugural summit in Kenya earlier this year.

This is the first stage of a project being implemented by Gabons parks agency, with Giants Club assistance, that will help ensure villagers and their elephant neighbours can live happily beside each other. Once completed, the posts will hold up the countrys first electric fence to stop elephants from damaging villagers crops.

One of those applauding at Lope National Park is Jaqueline Gnagne, the chief of the nearest village. This will save us from going hungry, she said. Her village used to be home to more than 100 people but now there are only a few dozen  mostly old women.

Work: rangers start to install the fence in Gabon

With the elephants eating all the crops, most young men have left to try to make a living in the capital, Libreville. But once the two-metre-high electric fence is up, Ms Gnagne hopes they will come back.

A few minutes down the road, signs of the voracity of the animals are everywhere. Banana trees have been ripped from the ground and fields of crops flattened. Gabons 45,000 elephants often wander into villages to eat manioc or banana trees, threatening the locals livelihoods and prompting resentment and even retaliatory killings. Locals have tried everything from banging pots to throwing powdered pepper but nothing has worked. In La Lope, the fence is their only hope.

Gabon president Ali Bongo / EPA

This matters not only for the villagers but also the elephants survival. Poachers, many crossing the border from Cameroon, have killed thousands of Gabons elephants for ivory. The Democratic Republic of Congo used to have 500,000 forest elephants but now there are only 3,000.

If in Gabon the crops grow and people can thrive, poachers will have a harder time getting local support for their activities. We love elephants, said Esperance Mbamba, one of the Lope villagers. We just want to love them at a distance.

Gabons President, Ali Bongo, is a key supporter of the Giants Club and the fence project  which is being funded by his government and managed by the countrys national parks agency, with Giants Clubs experts providing technical and logistical support. Mr Bongo, who is awaiting the results of this weekends presidential election, said: Here in Gabon we are lucky to live amid some of the most beautiful forests on the planet and to share our country with one of the worlds most special creatures: the forest elephant. Yet in Gabon we also have some of the hardest-working farmers who help produce the food for our tables.

This fence is an important step in protecting their livelihoods, while also helping protect our elephants from leaving their natural habitats. I would like to thank the Giants Club for the assistance they are providing our parks service in delivering this project for the Gabonese people.

The electrified wire will protect land on which the villagers plant crops. The barrier will be equipped with cameras to monitor how the elephants react and ensure the measure is effective.

This will be crucial in minimising human-wildlife conflict, said Professor Lee White, director of the parks agency. If we protect peoples livelihoods, they will be more likely to want to help us preserve the national park.

The Giants Club is a pan-African conservation initiative uniting Gabon, Kenya, Uganda and Botswana. Its patron is Evening Standard proprietor Evgeny Lebedev. In recent months it has started to fulfil its commitment to help stop poachers and ensure elephants and their habitats thrive.

It follows the summit held in Kenya in April, hosted by the countrys president, Uhuru Kenyatta, which generated pledges of $5 million and coincided with the country burning the entirety of its ivory stocks.

The summit and burn generated a focus on the plight of the African elephant which reached a global media audience of 853 million people. In Kenya in June, construction started on the 163km Laikipia electric fence, supported by the Leopardess Foundation and the British Army.

In Botswana, the Giants Club is working with the local Tlhokomela Trust to increase the penalties for poaching, while Uganda is about to unveil a new set of judicial guidelines developed with the clubs legal chief to increase conviction rates for wildlife crime.

Plans are being made to stage the next Giants Club event next year. The club is working with the Ugandan government to develop an investment scheme for its protected conservation areas, and a global forum will take place in Uganda in the spring.

It is quite unprecedented to see action being taken so quickly, said Max Graham, chief executive of Space for Giants, the implementation charity of the Giants Club. But we have to act fast and deliver on the summits pledges immediately if the elephants are to be saved, and the landscapes they depend on protected.
T he Italian town at the centre of last weeks devastating earthquake was today preparing to lay to rest more than 200 victims as the families of three Britons killed in the disaster mourn their loved ones.

Thousands were expected to gather amid the ruins in the central hilltop town of Amatrice when a mass state funeral is held this evening.

It will take place on the edge of Amatrices obliterated medieval centre in the grounds of a Catholic retreat for the elderly.

Construction crews worked through the night to build a tent complex to host the funeral after residents denounced the governments original plan to hold it in an airport hangar.

Young victim: Marylebone student Marcos Burnett had arrived for a weeks holiday

Authorities had intended to stage the service for more than two-thirds of the 292 who died in Wednesdays quake in the provincial capital of Rieti and let survivors watch it on TV.

Among those who died were 14-year-old Marcos Burnett and Maria and Will Henniker-Gotley, all from London. Friends of Mr and Mrs Henniker-Gotley, from Stockwell, today told how they were apparently found in bed in each others arms.

Consultant Mr Henniker-Gotley, 55, and his charity worker wife, 51, were at their holiday home in the hamlet of Sommati when it was destroyed in seconds.

Marcos, their son Jacks best friend, who went to Wetherby School in Marylebone, had arrived for a weeks holiday with his family 13 hours earlier. His parents, Anne-Louise and Simon Burnett, were both taken to hospital and their daughter also survived.

Barbara Digiacomo, 43, who knew Mr and Mrs Henniker-Gotley well and has a holiday home near their property, said: I heard they were found hugging. I dont think they had the chance to realise [what was happening].

Italian authorities said the magnitude-6.2 quake was the equivalent of 20,000 atomic bombs detonating at its epicentre.
S everal top government officials have been ordered to retire after the ruler of Dubai made a surprise spot-check of their offices but found no-one at work.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid turned up at government buildings on Sunday  a normal working day in the United Arab Emirates  but found the desks of some of his most senior officials abandoned for the day.

In footage shared on social media by the government, the Sheikh is seen wandering alone around a plush office with leather desk chairs and pictures of himself on the walls. He briefly peruses a book in the empty office as there was no-one there for him to talk to.

On Instagram the post was captioned: Mohammed bin Rashid on a field tour to government departments in Dubai.

He visited the Dubai Municipality, Department of Land and Property and the Department of Economic Development at about 7.30am and in each case found absent senior officials.

As a result of his surprise visits, nine high-powered government employees were ordered to retire.

Director-general of Dubais government media office told Bloomberg: He certainly wanted to send a message.

Timeliness starts at the top and we wont go after employees when their bosses arent there.
T hree London siblings are believed to be the youngest brothers to reach Mount Everests base camp.

James, six, Tobin, eight, and Aidan ODonnell, 11, who all live in Wimbledon, climbed an impressive 5,364m (17,600ft) of Mount Everest, which stands at 8,848 metres above sea level, to make it to base camp. Youngest brother James only turned six a month ago.

According to the familys research, no younger set of brothers have reached base camp. Their father Jon, 45, a software engineer told the South London Press: The closest was two brothers from India, but the second youngest was nine so a few months older than Tobin.

The family of explorers did not originally plan to scale Everest but decided to on a whim as their route back from Gorapshep, a frozen lakebed at 5,164meters near to Mount Everest, was blocked. The family could not go anywhere for two days after the lake flooded so turned their attention to Everest.

Mr ODonnell said: We were so proud of our boys for getting to base camp that when we got down again we looked up whether any younger brothers had done it before and found they had not. People were pretty impressed.

On the climb, the father added: It was a bit scary but at the time we were in a safe area where many trekkers have been before, rather than slopes which require axes and crampons.
T wo senior North Korean officials were executed with an anti-aircraft gun in early August on the orders of Kim Jong-un, South Koreas JoongAng Ilbo newspaper has reported.

Ri Yong Jin, a senior official in the education ministry, was arrested for dozing off during a meeting with Kim and charged with corruption before being killed, the paper said.

Former Agriculture Minister Hwang Min was purged over a proposed project seen as a direct challenge to Kims leadership, it said.

If true, it would mark the first executions ordered by Kim from outside his party or the military, the paper said.

A spokesman at South Koreas Unification Ministry said he couldnt immediately confirm the JoongAng report.
A US flight was diverted after a panicking passenger tried to open a door while the plane was in mid-air.

Fellow passengers on the Seattle-bound flight from New York said the man appeared to be stressed about flying and may have taken too many pills.

Shoshana Godwin, who sat next to the man on the Alaska Airlines flight said he freaked out and wanted off the plane.

She said he was acting erratically as soon as he got on the flight.

The man, in his 20s, took a pill and appeared to be calm and falling asleep until he was offered a drink.

"He said he needed to cancel his flight and get off the plane and just was kind of speaking a little gibberish," she said. "I think someone may have been a little bit stressed out about flying and took too much medication."

The man, who has not been identified, got out of his seat and started wrestling to open the rear door of the plane.

"The air marshals were there quick," said another passenger, Melinda Iverson. "The flight attendants were sort of surrounding him and I felt more sorry for him than anything."

The pilot diverted the flight to Minnesota, telling ground control, "we will be dropping off one of our passengers early".

"Can we have someone greet this customer?" added the co-pilot. "Hes having a difficult time working and playing well with others."

Police boarded at Minnesota and escorted the passenger in handcuffs off the plane. The plane finally arrived three hours late in Seattle.

Alaska Airlines said last night that it is impossible to open the door of a plane during the flight because of the difference in pressure between inside and outside the craft.
The family of a British man who died trying to save backpacker Mia Ayliffe-Chung who was fatally stabbed in Australia said today they have been left bereft.

Thomas Jackson, 30, who was critically injured in a knife attack in Townsville a week ago died in hospital, Queensland Police said today.

He was attacked after trying to save the 21-year-old who was allegedly murdered by Frenchman Smail Ayad, 29.

His father Les Jackson said they were immensely proud of his actions.

In a statement he said: We are bereft. Our darling Tom has left us and the world is a poorer place.

Stabbed to death: Mia Ayliffe-Chung / Facebook

There is dark and evil in this world perpetrated by a few, but so much more love and light emanates from so many more. That thought will sustain us over the coming days.

Ms Ayliffe-Chung, from Wirksworth, Derbyshire, was killed at the Shelleys Backpackers accommodation in Home Hill on Tuesday.

Police are investigating reports that the Frenchman had an unrequited romantic interest or an obsession with Miss Ayliffe-Chung.

Her mother said her daughters ashes will be scattered around the world so she can visit places she will now never discover.

Rosie Ayliffe added: At the moment the only way I can really cope with our loss is to think Mias time had come and what happened in that hostel on Tuesday was her fate. It was always going to happen like that.

Ayad has been charged with murdering Ms Ayliffe-Chung and attempting to murder Mr Jackson.

Police said this would now be upgraded to murder following Mr Jacksons death.

The backpacker suffered critical head injuries as he went to her aid. Police described his actions as selfless.

Speaking after the attack, Mr Jacksons father 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.

A fundraising page has been set up for Mr Jackson, from Cheshire, who was called a hero on the Youcaring page. It has raised more than 1,700 of a 5,000 goal to support Mr Jacksons family.

A tribute from his father on the site said: Thanks again to everyone for the love and support you have given us over the last few days, we will be forever grateful.

Ayad was remanded in custody and his case has been adjourned until October 28.
T he proposed trade deal between the EU and United States has been cast into further doubt after the French trade minister called for an end to talks.

Matthias Fekl, the minister for foreign trade, tweeted that the country is calling for negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) to cease.

Mr Fekl also told RMC radio that we need a clear, clean, definitive stop to the negotiations, adding that talks could resume if wider EU-US trade relations improved.

Accusing the US side of offering just crumbs, Mr Fekl said France would ask the European Commission to halt the talks at a trade ministers meeting in Slovakia next month.

His comments came after German economy minister Sigmar Gabriel said at the weekend that the current round of talks with the US have de facto failed, even though nobody is really admitting it.

His views were in marked contrast to public comments by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said last month the proposed deal was absolutely in Europes interest.

But Mr Gabriel, who is the head of Germanys centre-Left Social Democratic Party, which is in coalition with Ms Merkels centre-Right Christian Democratic Union, said: We mustnt submit to the American proposals.

The prospect of TTIP failing could also be welcomed on the Left of British politics, as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been a prominent critic.
L ily Allen has insisted that shes absolutely fine after being pictured drinking at Notting Hill Carnival.

The 31-year-old, who was snapped being carried home over the shoulder of rumoured boyfriend MC Meridian Dan, has admitted that shes a lightweight.

Speaking out about the pictures published in The Sun newspaper, pop star Allen reassured fans on her Twitter account.

Truth is Im just a lightweight, I had 2 cans of strongbow on an empty stomach, she wrote.

Im here now and Im absolutely fine, she told her concerned followers.

Responding to a follower who asked her whether getting paralytic was fun, she wrote:

No,but dancing to music you love surrounded by people you love is.I just can't handle my booze.

Allen also shared a photo of herself having fun at the carnival, under the caption: Nothing to see here.

Lily Allen/Twitter

The pictures appeared to show Allen drinking cans of beer and from a bottle of whisky as she watched Dan and friend Seb Chew perform a set.

She was later carried away from the crowds by her friends.

Notting Hill Carnival montage - London Live

Last week Allen reassured her Twitter followers that she was safe after returning from Umbria in Italy days before an earthquake hit.

Yes my family are all in Umbria, but they are fine. Thank you for your concern, she wrote on Wednesday.

Had to leave my family holiday in Umbria early to come home for a funeral. Such sad scenes but feeling blessed that my lot are all ok x, she added.
T he BBC lifts the curtain and takes us behind the scenes of Americas cultural capital, in New York: America's Busiest City.

Infrastructure might not sound like the most exciting topic, no matter how much your mate who works for TFL tries to tell you about the magic of the underground, while commuters may even frown at the idea of watching a show about trains after staring at them every day.

Thats no reason to change the channel though.

This three-part series offers an eye-opening look into how the Big Apple deals with the millions of citizens, commuters and tourists it hosts every day.

In the first episode, Ade Adepitan, Anita Rani and co. head behind the scenes of the largest train station in the world, the well-named Grand Central Terminal.

This 103 year-old mecca for choo-choo enthusiasts sits proudly as the largest train station in the world, and opens its doors for upwards of one million people a day.

Filmed as live, to maintain that busy feel that commuters know and love, the presenters test out the ferries, bikes and trains that 5.5 million commuters are using every day.

This episode also takes a timely look into how taxi apps like Uber are affecting the classic yellow cab business, as Ade hails a ride like a true New Yorker.

9 of the best rooftop bars in New York 1 /12 9 of the best rooftop bars in New York Soho House New York No round up of the best rooftops in New York is complete without a nod to Nick Jones chic urban oasis. Theres no better place to cool off, take a dip and indulge in some top-class food while soaking up the sun with NYC's fashionable crowd. The heated swimming pool is open year-round, but youll need a membership card (and some cool friends to recommend you) to get in here.



29-35 9th Ave, New York, NY 10014 Le Bain at The Standard High Line This penthouse discotheque in the trendy Meatpacking District offers panoramic views of the Hudson River as well as the cache of being the hottest bar in the city right now. Expect to see the seriously loaded midtown post-work crowd rubbing shoulders with fashion editors and young entrepreneurs. Just make sure you dont make a scene in the rooftop plunge pool after a few too many daiquiris.



848 Washington St, New York, NY 1001 Shutterstock / Felix Lipov The Ides at the Wythe Hotel Its not all about Manhattan. Brooklyn has just as many cool bars and sunny rooftops to offer, and smart Williamsburgers head to the Wythe for sundowners. Its easily the best place to grab a frozen cocktail this side of the river.



80 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249 Catch This downtown destination for in-the-know New Yorkers offers a very good la carte menu as well as a sleek and sophisticated setting to enjoy a few cocktails. Come early to ensure you grab a table in the al fresco terrace and stay late to be part of the chic nightlife scene in this Meatpacking destination.



21 9th Ave, New York, NY 10014 Penthouse 808 Crowning the Ravel Hotel is Penthouse 808, which easily boasts the best views of the Queensboro bridge in the city. Based on the stretch of Long Island that overlooks the East River, this upscale hotel lounge is a perfect setting to enjoy cocktails, Asian-fusion dishes and the stunning Manhattan skyline.



8-08 Queens Plaza S, Long Island City, NY 11101 The Roof Garden at the Met Fifth Avenue Not only is this the best place to catch an original Monet or Van Gogh, the Met is also rivalling the citys smartest cocktail bars for best rooftop in the city. Offering sweeping views of Central Park alongside wine, cocktails and tapas snacks, no visit to New York is complete without a token skyline selfie here. That being said, the rooftop is only open when the museum is (and its free), so youll have to elbow your way through the tourists to get a decent view. Our tip? Make it there on a weekday to avoid the crowds.



1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028 Shutterstock / Irene Wang Pod 39 This pretty little Midtown spot is as generous on the eye as it is on the wallet. Dont let the words budget-friendly put you off, head to the top floor in the elevator and youll find one of the richest views in the city. The roof of this 1917 building is all terracotta columns, draping ivy and strung fairy lights - the perfect spot for a date in Manhattan.



145 E 39th St, New York, NY 10016 Gallow Green at the McKittrick Hotel If youre a fan of Kew Gardens and the Greenhouse at the Barbican, Gallow Green is sure to be your cup of tea. A favourite with New Yorkers, this lush rooftop spot drips with wisteria and fairy lights, making for a pretty spectacular watering hole in the sky. The foliage-packed terrace - which is named after the Scottish field where accused witches were hanged - is situated on top of the disused 1930s Hotel which is now used as a permanent home for Punchdrunks immersive theatre.



542 W 27th St, New York, NY 10001 Night of Joy If youre looking for a laid-back bar thats more Vans and flannel shirts than Oxford shirts and Derbies, this is a good place to start. Situated in the heart of Greenpoint in Brooklyn, the roof deck boasts graffiti and good tunes as well as its very own frozen-margarita station.



667 Lorimer St, New York, NY 11211

Dan Snow heads to Times Square to figure out who looks after The Great White Way  I know I wouldnt want to foot the power bill for 230 LED billboards, 24 hours a day.

In later episodes the team will get a glimpse into the underground world of New York seafood, as well as investigating the environmental program turning one of the worlds biggest landfills into 2,200 acres of parkland.

If theres one thing New York: Americas Busiest City really gets right, its portraying the hustle and bustle of the city that never sleeps  with none of the jet lag.

BBC Two, 9pm
After pampering Pakistan with aid dollars, armaments, and front-line ally status for nearly 15 years, Washington is now turning toward Pakistans archrival, India, to help secure Afghanistan in the face of unprecedented Taliban violence.

Washington is now actively supporting diplomatic and security cooperation between Kabul and New Delhi. Both accuse Islamabad of backing insurgents and terrorist attacks in their territories.

At the start of his official trip to India on August 30, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington would launch trilateral talks with New Delhi and Kabul next month.

He urged Islamabad to do more to rein in extremist groups operating out of its territory.

"We cannot and will not make distinctions between good and bad terrorists," he told journalists alongside India's foreign minister, Sushma Swaraj. "Terror is terror no matter where it comes from, (or) who carries it out."

His visit follows U.S. Defense Minister Ashton Carters meeting with his Indian counterpart, Manohar Parrikar, in Washington on August 29. In a joint press statement, they noted recent high-level official exchanges including the visit to New Delhi of Gen. John Nicholson for consultation on Afghanistan.

Nicholson, commander of the U.S. forces in Afghanistan, called for more Indian military support for Afghanistan earlier this month. New Delhi supplied Kabul with three Mi-25 attack helicopters during the past year.

We are building the Afghan Air Force as a critical component of security. That is built on several airframes. Some are older Russian models, integrating newer ones. We need more aircraft, and we are looking at how we can meet that need, he told journalists in New Delhi.

Suhasini Haidar, an editor of Indias The Hindu daily, said Washingtons attitude toward Indian military assistance has changed.

In the past, America has always dissuaded India from providing military equipment to Afghanistan because they thought this would, perhaps, evoke a strong and negative reaction from Pakistan, she said.

Haider said Washingtons outlook changed after New Delhi decided to supply four Mi-25 attack helicopters last year. India has already delivered three and will soon hand over the fourth.

Shaida Mohammad Abdali, Afghanistans ambassador to India, said Kabul expects more aircraft and other armaments from New Delhi.

He said the issue was discussed during Afghan Army chief Qadam Shah Shaheems meeting with his Indian counterpart, General Dalbir Singh, and other high-ranking military officials in New Delhi on August 30.

During these meetings, Mi-25 attack helicopters were also mentioned. India will soon hand over the fourth helicopter to Afghanistan, he said. Afghanistan has Russian-made Mi-17 and Mi-35 helicopters, which are not usable at the moment. Afghanistan asked for the repair of these aircrafts and help in creating an aircraft-repair workshop in Afghanistan.

Florida-based commentator Mohammad Taqi pointed to the increasing frustration among a growing number of U.S. officials with Pakistans support for the Afghan Taliban as a motive for encouraging security cooperation between India and Afghanistan.

The low in U.S.-Pakistan relations that we see today wasnt there two years ago, he said. The United States stance changed after the attack on the American University in Kabul this month.

Islamabad has pledged to help Kabul investigate the August 24 attack that saw at least 13 people, including seven students and a teacher, killed during the 10-hour assault. Afghan officials have claimed the attack was planned inside Pakistan.

Islamabad has already warned Kabul to not allow its nuclear archrival, New Delhi, in using its territory against Pakistan.

Such cooperation should not be to the detriment of Pakistan, said Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria.

as/fg
The Iranian government's launch of a United Shia Liberation Army is sending signals that Tehran wants to expand its political and military role in Middle East conflicts along sectarian lines, according to analysts.

"Using a sectarian Shi'ite identifier with the title of the new army will inflame sectarian tensions in the region," said Tallha Abdulrazaq, a researcher at the University of Exeter's Strategy and Security Institute. "Iran is asserting itself as a regional or even an imperialistic power."

The new force, announced on August 25 by a veteran military commander who leads Iranian forces in Syria, is designed to fight in Arab countries and would recruit heavily from non-Iranian Shi'ite Muslims across the region.

In an interview with Mashregh news agency, Mohammad Ali Falaki, a leader in the elite Iranian Revolutionary Guard's (IRGC), said the focus of the new force would center on three fronts: Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. He said the IRGC already leads Shi'a-dominated forces in Syria comprising fighters who come from Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.

"The forces that belong to this army are not Iranians only. In any place where there is a fight, we organize and recruit local people of the area," said Falaki, a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. He retired but then returned to command Iranian-led forces in Syria.

Declaring War

By forming a sectarian army, Tehran is declaring a war on its regional neighbors -- such as Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia. Riyadh had long been at odds with Tehrans clerical regime over religion and politics -- as well as preaching its ideology to Shi'a across the globe, analysts say.

"It is an announcement that they are basically declaring that they are going to continue to use foreign fighters to spread sectarian violence, extremism, and terrorism across the region," Abdulrazaq added.

The Gulf Coordination Council (GCC) countries, headed by Saudi Arabia, has accused Iran of inciting sectarian violence and conflicts in the region, including Iran's backing of Shi'ite Houthi rebels in war-torn Yemen. Saudi Arabia has not commented publicly on the Iranian move.

"Tehran and Riyadh have locked horns for months now, and this could be a muscle-flexing gesture by Iran, giving a signal to Saudis that Iran might use all of its potentials in that fight," says Rasool Nafisi, a Middle East affairs expert in Washington.

Exacerbate The Conflict

Houthi rebels are at odds with the Sunni-dominated Yemeni government. The Houthis have been seeking greater rights for the Shi'ite minority in Yemen and already receive support from Iran.

"The formation of such an army would only exacerbate the conflict in Yemen. Houthis are one of the most organized groups in the Yemeni war, and any additional support would empower them on the ground," said Cairo-based Yemeni affairs analyst Maysaa Shuja Aldeen.

Iran would also widen its influence in the Syrian war, where Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah have been fighting for years in support of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Iran has allegedly sent thousands of Afghans living in Iran to the Syrian front lines and has recruited Pakistani nationals as fighters.

"Iranian commanders lead the battles in defending the Damascus regime. Syrians and other fighters from Lebanon and Afghanistan are fighting under their command," said Sardar Kazemi, an Afghan fighter who defected from Syria and sought refuge in UAE.

In Iraq, the Iraqi's People's Mobilization Forces (PMF), also known as Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi, is supervised by Qasim Soleimani -- an IRGC commander who went against Iranian involvement in Iraq, according to Yasser Haidari, a former Iraqi provincial government adviser.

A larger Iranian-led force in Iraq will also likely inflame regional tensions, analysts say.

"Putting a new badge on this army as an independent army from IRGC with wider goals  could be more than a provocative act to Saudis and other Sunni states in the region and could be in line with Iran's further ambitions in the region," Nafisi said.

So far, though, Iran's announcement is short on specifics and, in the long run, may amount to little more than posturing on Iran's part, some analysts say.

"Saudi Arabia and the region's Sunni states are fully aware of Iran's foreign agenda," Abdulrazaq said. "The GCC countries are not going to be surprised by this announcement.  They would not do anything more than what they are already doing to counter Iran's regional ambitions."

Sirwan Kajjo contributed to this story from Washington. Reported by the Voice of America.
SIOUX CITY | U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley on Monday said people who doubt that outspoken Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump can be elected president should remember that Ronald Reagan shifted gears in his 1980 victory.

"Everybody thought a movie star could not be a president of the United States," Grassley, R-Iowa, said.

During a Q&A at the Sioux City Rotary Club meeting, Grassley was asked if he thought Trump, a blunt-spoken business mogul who has received criticism for controversial statements on immigrants and other people, would stick with a new plan to moderate his remarks by sticking to scripted speeches. Grassley responded with the comparison to Reagan, and added that Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton also speaks in ways that upset some people.

"It is just as bad as Hillary trying to advocate him to the Ku Klux Klan, which is in her advertisements," Grassley said of an August campaign ad by Clinton that links Trump's to some white supremacists.

Clinton is leading nationally and in many other swing states, but polls in Iowa show a close race.

Grassley said he isn't trying to talk people into voting for Trump, telling the dozens of Rotarians to "look at all the candidates and satisfy yourself."

He added that a vote for Clinton would extend the eight-year trend of policies under Democratic President Barack Obama, which Grassley cited as resulting in high taxes and regulations and stagnant income growth for the middle class.

Grassley, 82, is running for his seventh six-year term in November against Democrat Patty Judge, a former Iowa lieutenant governor and secretary of agriculture.

At the Rotary meeting at the Convention Center, Grassley fielded 10 questions, including two on the presidential race and two on the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy that began in February when Justice Antonin Scalia died.

Grassley, the Senate Judiciary Commitee chairman, has continued refusing to hold hearings to fill the vacancy until after a new president is inaugurated in January. Obama nominated appeals court Judge Merrick Garland for the open spot on the nine-member Supreme Court.

Grassley said there has been a well-accepted "understanding" in Senate since 1987 that no Supreme Court vacancies should be filled in the final year of a presidential term.

"It had nothing to do with Garland (personally)," Grassley said.

Grassley said the only way his stance could change is if a large number of senators strongly urged him to consider the nomination during a so-called "lame-duck session" of Congress, during the time after the Nov. 8 election and before the new Congress takes office in January.
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CORALVILLE  U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack doesnt expect a flurry of action when Congress reconvenes next week after its two-month district work session.

Other than a continuing resolution to fund the government in the new fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, Loebsack doesnt anticipate any big issues to be resolved before Congress breaks for the general election.

The prospects dont look any brighter after the election, according to the Iowa City Democrat who represents the 24-county southeast Iowa district that includes Iowa City and Davenport.

It depends, in part, on whether the Senate flips Democratic because then there might be an incentive for Republicans to do some things because they know whats coming down the road, Loebsack said during a visit to Coralville Monday.

He included the Trans-Pacific Partnership among major legislation unlikely to see action. President Barack Obama has been pushing for the TPP.

Obama has indicated he would like to win Senate approval of the treaty, which is seen as one of his legacy issues, during the lame duck session between the general election and the end of the years.

The future of the 12-nation trade agreement will depend, in part, on who wins the Nov. 8 election, Loebsack said. Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have expressed concerns with the TPP and so have I, Loebsack said.

But that doesnt mean there wont be a trade agreement down the road, but it will look different, he said.

In Coralville, Loebsack toured Higher Learning Technologies, the creator of a mobile learning platform for professional training. For example, more than 90 percent of graduating nursing students and nearly 90 percent of dental school graduates have used HLTs study guides in the last 30 days, co-founder Adam Keune told Loebsack. It also provides study aids for physicians, medical services and business professionals, including Realtors. The company has 46 employees and its apps have been downloaded 2 million times.

This is another great example of a public-private partnership, Loebsack said, referring to the assistance the company has received by working with the University of Iowa. In return, HLT makes its products available to UI students without charge.

HLT, he added, appears to have several opportunities for growth, especially with the military. HLT has a study app for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery that potential recruits take. Its seeking a partnership with the Department of Defense. Its software would give the military premium content, such as making it possible for recruiters to quickly identify those potential recruits with the highest aptitude.

Loebsack, who is seeking re-election to a sixth term, is being challenged by Republican Chris Peters, a Coralville physician.
When asked what she wanted for her 90th birthday, Betty Lazenby Murdock told her three children that she didnt need gifts  all she wanted was to be surrounded by those she loved.

However, wanting to recognize her birthday, her children decided that a gift was needed that would fulfill Murdocks lifelong mission to be generous and giving to others.

At 90, Betty is an active volunteer at Broad Street Methodist Church. She arranges flowers to be at the altar every Sunday and hand-writes thank-you notes to those who donate to her cause. She is also passionate about the churchs fundraisers and nonprofit involvements, including Iredell Christian Ministries.

On July 26, 90 items of canned and boxed food, purchased by Murdocks three children, were delivered to Iredell Christian Ministries  one for each year of Murdock's life. Murdock's children are Steve Murdock of Birmingham, Michigan; Eric Murdock of Plymouth, New Hampshire; and Anna Murdock of High Point.

The Record & Landmark recently spoke to Betty Murdock about her childrens donation, her life in Statesville and her memorable time spent with the Statesville High Marching Band.

Q: Your children said they donated to Iredell Christian Ministries (ICM) because you are very passionate about the organization. Why ICM?

Betty: Ive always been blessed with never having to go without, so when I can give back, I do.

Q: How did you feel when your children told you about their gift?

Betty: Just think of a present that pleased you the most out of anything that youve ever gotten  thats how I felt.

Q: What about your education? Your career?

Betty: I was part of the first graduating class of Statesville Senior High School in 1943. I graduated from Mars Hill in 1945 with an accounting degree. I worked for Carolina Motor Company for a year. Then I worked at Builtright Chair Company for almost five years. I was a stay-at-home mom when my children were born. I went back to work at the Statesville Auto Auction when it opened in 1976 and retired from there after 20 years.

Q: You are known among several Statesville High alumni for being a chaperone for the marching band and assisting with the Grenadier Band costumes. Tell us about that.

Betty: Chaperoning with the band was a big part of my life. I volunteered with the band for seven years. They were the greatest group of young people. They called themselves the Grenadier Band, and their band director Mr. Calabrese  a wonderful man  wanted to base their uniforms off a traditional British band, which included a traditional uniform for the drummers  a leopard skin pelt and bearskin hats. He asked me if I could make the traditional leopard skin pelts.

Q: Tell us about making the leopard pelts.

Betty: I went through such a process. Glenn Foy, a band student, made a plaster mold of a leopard head. I had experience with plaster molds because when my children were small, Id get little rubber molds  choir boys, angels, and things like that  and wed fill them with plaster, make and paint them. I thought if I can make a cast mold of this leopard head I could do it. I had a neighbor who was a dentist, Jim Rodgers. He gave me a quart of rubber latex in which I covered the mold to make a cast. John Ray Shaffer, of Troutman, made fiberglass boats. I took the rubber cast to him and he made all the head shapes out of fiberglass. Then I went to Dr. Larry Watts, who at the time did taxidermy, and he gave me glass eyes for each head. For the fur, I bought fur lining for coats and shaved it down to the nape. I used the lining for the pelt and it took seven fabric pieces to cover the head. I painted all the spots. When I showed it to Mr. Calabrese, he loved it. I made 19 leopard pelts during my time chaperoning with the band.

Q: What has been the most impactful moment of your life?

Betty: First, having my children; second, being a chaperone for the Statesville High School Marching Band.

Q: Given your experience, do you have any advice youd like to offer our readers?

Betty: Take full advantage when opportunities arise.
Tuesday, 30 August 2016 10:53:38 (GMT+3) | Istanbul

According to a report released by the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), in July this year the import price of iron ore in Germany decreased by 2.8 percent year on year and was down 2.7 percent month on month.

In July, the average import price of iron and steel and ferroalloys in Germany decreased by 3.7 percent year on year and was up 1.8 percent as compared to June.

Meanwhile, in July this year the import price of nickel decreased by 13.3 percent compared to the same month last year and rose by 12.5 percent month on month.




By MARK EVANS mevans@stegenherald.com Bloomsdale will probably host a major fireworks display. The pyrotechnics will not take place until 2024, however. During the Oct. 12 board of aldermen meeting, Kevin Wehner and city officials again discussed the possibility of a July 4 fireworks display at the youth soccer fields on land leased by the city
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IOWA CITY  Even for a superhero, seeing a sick child can be its own form of Kryptonite.

For the second year, comic book store owner Mike Blanchard gathered a group of superheroes  dressed as Spider-Man, Superman and Wolverine  to visit sick children for a few hours at the University of Iowa Childrens Hospital.

Youll see Superman and Wolverine cry, Blanchard said. You dont see that in the movies.

Blanchard grew up in Mason City, where his love of comics took root. He later became a longtime employee of Oak Leaf Collectibles' Cedar Falls location.

In 1999 he bought that store, now called The Core.

The idea of visiting the childrens hospital grew out of their annual free comic book day that started about six year ago. Often he asked friends and acquaintances to dress up as comic book superheroes, he said.

One year, a boy with terminal cancer came to free comic day wearing a Star Wars T-shirt. He was a huge fan of the films, Blanchard recalled.

When actor Jeremy Bulloch, who played bounty hunter Boba Fett in the original movies, later came to the shop, Blanchard arranged for him to have dinner for the boy.

The idea stuck to have superheroes visit sick kids, but initially he was turned down by two hospitals, Blanchard said.

They wanted nothing to do with us, he said. Too much red tape. I said thats ridiculous.

Last year, Chad Mommers, who dresses up as Superman, was able to connect to the University of Iowa Childrens Hospital through a string of contacts.

Each year, hospital staff sets off a small party room and the superheroes also visit children in their rooms who are too sick to leave. Blanchard hands out free comics.

For their second visit  earlier this month  they visited about 20 children  including eight too sick to leave their rooms.

It was humbling when you see these sick boys and girls in a room and still have smiles on their faces, Blanchard said.

They will test your knowledge, said Mommers, 38, who builds tractors by day for John Deere.

The kids often want the characters to show them their superpowers, he said. Youve got to come up with some excuse for why you cant go off flying right now.

Blanchard said he hopes to return sometime early next year after the childrens hospital opens as a freestanding building.

Comics and superheroes have a universal appeal for both adults and children.

I think its a sense of doing good for other people, Blanchard said. Of course, you have colorful costumes (and) non-stop movies now.

Its the whole fantasy. It takes you away from your problems, he said.

We want (them) to think about what a great kid he is, Blanchard said. We want their kids to forget about how they are sick.

The visits made him realize our problems are nothing, Blanchard said. Were not fighting for our lives.
The Romanian government will provide emergency aid for around 50 families affected by last week's earthquake in Italy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) announced. The emergency aid will be available for families or individuals directly affected by the disaster, survivors or second degree relatives, relatives who travel to Italy in support of survivors, relatives or other Romanian citizens who become a surviving child's legal guardians and caretakers in the aftermath of the disaster.

The application forms are available at Romanian diplomatic missions and consular offices in Italy or at all the Payments and Social Inspection agencies in all counties in Romania, according to MAE. "The Romanian diplomatic mission and consular offices will be cooperating closely with the social affairs attaches sent by the Romanian Ministry of Labor (MMFPSPV) to Italy and will produce a report containing details regarding the identity of the affected family and surviving members as well as their financial situation, the damage suffered and the family's intention to return to Romania. The report will be sent to the National Agency for Payments and Social Inspection accompanying the applications for aid," MAE explains in a press release.

MAE also informs that in the case of children who lost both parents in the earthquake, relatives or other Romanian citizens who become legal guardians or caretakers will receive 6,000 euros in aid - 3,000 euros for education and health care and another 3, 000 euros in a trust fund the minor can access after he/she turns 18. The government is to also allocate 10,000 euros for families whose houses suffered over 50 percent damage and choose to remain in Italy. Survivors and close relatives are entitled to 1,000 euros for each family member that perished in the tremor. Relatives who travel to Italy in support of Romanian survivors are also entitled to 1,000 euros, while families who lost their rental homes and can't provide for a new one are entitled to 3,000 euros. The Government will also provide 3,000 euros in aid for every Romanian adult affected by the earthquake and who chooses to return to Romania. According to MAE, 11 Romanians lost their lives in the earthquake that rattled Italy last week, six were wounded and up to 30 people reside in refugee camps in Amatrice.

Agerpres
The first Missouri outpost of the growing Snapology chain is slated to open in St. Louis County in October.

Peter Auffenberg has signed a franchise agreement to open a Snapology discovery center in 2,100 square feet of leased space at 10028 Manchester Road. Snapology discovery centers are stocked with LEGO bricks and other building toys, and the business runs camps centered around robotics and video game design.

Founded in Pittsburgh in 2011, Snapology has grown to more than two dozen locations in the U.S. and Canada.

Auffenberg previously was a sales associate at a high-end furniture retailer when he began exploring becoming a franchisee and running his own business a little over a year ago. His first grandchild was born five months ago, and Auffenberg said he wanted to operate a business that positively impacts the community.

Now he's scouting the Chesterfield Valley area in west St. Louis County for another Snapology location.

"The curriculum is just amazing," he said about what drew him to Snapology. "Kids can develop video games, make movies and program robots. It's really cool stuff."
First the pharma bro, Martin Shkreli, raised the price of an anti-parasitic pill fiftyfold. Then Valeant Pharmaceuticals was pilloried for buying older, essential drugs and jacking up the prices.

Now Mylan is on the hot seat over the EpiPen, which injects epinephrine to counteract severe allergic reactions. It has raised the list price of a two-pack from $94 in 2007 to $608 now.

The EpiPen is being cited as yet another example of capitalist greed run amok. A closer look, though, shows that government actions worked in the capitalists favor.

First, the Food and Drug Administration changed labeling rules so the EpiPen could be prescribed to anyone who was at risk, rather than only to people who had suffered an anaphylactic reaction. Then, in 2013, Congress passed a law encouraging schools to stock the devices.

The increased demand allowed Mylan to charge more  especially since it had a near monopoly. A competing injector was recalled in October, and in February the FDA rejected Teva Pharmaceutical Industries application to sell a generic version.

Mylan was left with a lucrative market all to itself, and it priced accordingly. The only thing it left out of its calculations was the publics reaction: Mylans shares fell 10 percent last week after members of Congress began criticizing EpiPens pricing.

Mylan first tried to blame other industry players for the price increase, then offered a coupon that would have reduced consumers out-of-pocket expense. Finally, on Monday, it promised to introduce a $300 generic injector, effectively cutting the price in half.

So public shaming works, but are embarrassing headlines now the only way to control drug prices? It seems like we have a whack-a-mole response to the problem, says Tim McBride, a health care economist at Washington University. It would be better if somebody would think beforehand about a sensible approach.

Price controls would meet stiff opposition, and theyd require a big new bureaucracy to decide how much profit to allow on monopoly drugs. It would be cumbersome and slow and expensive, says Steven Pizer, associate professor of health economics at Northeastern University.

A better approach would be to expedite  and maybe even encourage  competition.

Perhaps, suggests Mark Pauly of the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School, a price increase of more than a certain percentage should automatically trigger a fast-track process for generic competitors.

The FDA is a very cautious agency for good reason, said Pauly, a professor of health care management. Under current law they are not allowed to pay attention to price increases, but someone should.

We have a good regulatory structure to enhance safety and effectiveness of medications, but its not that well-suited to encouraging competition, Pizer adds.

Daraprim, the $750-a-pill toxoplasmosis drug made by Shkrelis former company, Turing Pharmaceuticals, has the same active ingredient as a $1 generic sold in Australia and Britain. If the overseas manufacturer had a quick way to get U.S. approval, Turing could never have raised prices so high.

Similarly, government-created demand and government-restricted supply helped push EpiPens price up 500 percent. Profit-making firms are like a small boy with a hammer, Pauly said. Everything looks like a nail; everything looks like an opportunity to raise prices.

The punishing spotlight that has shone on Turing, Valeant and Mylan may cause other drug companies to think twice about aggressive price increases in the near future. In the long run, however, the only thing that will dissuade them is the threat of competition.
Updated at 4:19 p.m.

SAN FRANCISCO  The European Union ordered Apple on Tuesday to pay nearly $15 billion in back taxes to Ireland, plus billions more in interest, in a move that dramatically escalates the fight over whether America's biggest corporations are paying their fair share around the world.

While Apple could easily afford the bill, the tech giant said it will challenge the EU decision, which found that Ireland granted a sweetheart deal that let Apple pay almost no taxes across the European bloc for 11 years. And Ireland, which has long used low taxes to attract foreign businesses, said it will stand with Apple.

"We now find ourselves in the unusual position of being ordered to retroactively pay additional taxes to a government that says we don't owe them any more than we've already paid," Apple CEO Tim Cook complained in a statement.

The White House also blasted the ruling as unfair and disruptive to its own efforts at tax reform. But the decision was welcomed by groups that have long criticized the practices used by Apple and other large companies to legally reduce their tax obligations.

The ruling was the latest in a series of aggressive moves by European officials to hold U.S. businesses, particularly big tech companies, accountable under the EU's rules on taxation, competition and privacy.

"They're going after Apple, which means a big name and big dollars," said Brad Badertscher, a corporate tax expert at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business. "It's a big shot across the pond to U.S. companies."

California-based Apple reported over $53 billion in profit in its last fiscal year on worldwide sales of more than $233 billion. It says it paid $13 billion in corporate income taxes globally.

But EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Ireland granted such lavish tax breaks to Apple that the company's effective corporate tax rate on its European profits dropped from 1 percent in 2003 to a mere 0.005 percent in 2014.

While Apple disputed her figures, Vestager argued that Ireland violated EU rules by essentially giving subsidies to selected companies.

Under its current arrangement, Apple treats virtually all sales of iPhones and other goods and services in the EU's 28 nations as revenue generated by its Irish subsidiaries.

Vestager ordered Ireland to recover the unpaid taxes for the years 2003 to 2014, plus interest, which one analyst said could amount to an additional 6 billion euros.

For Ireland, a country of barely 4.6 million people, the sum would be a huge windfall  equivalent to over 2,800 euros ($3,150) for every man, woman and child. And yet the government said it will appeal the decision, arguing it granted no special treatment to Apple.

Ireland has for years offered low corporate tax rates to multinationals, a common strategy among Europe's smaller countries, including Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Multinationals have such huge revenue that these countries can reap big gains even from low taxes. They also benefit from the jobs created. Apple has 5,500 workers in Ireland, making it one of the biggest private-sector employers.

"It is important that we send a strong message that Ireland remains an attractive and stable location of choice for long-term substantive investment," said Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan. "Apple has been in Ireland since the 1980s and employs thousands of people in Cork."

Apple likewise argued that it followed the law and paid every cent of what it owed.

"We are confident the commission's order will be overturned," Cook said, while also warning: "Beyond the obvious targeting of Apple, the most profound and harmful effect of this ruling will be on investment and job creation in Europe."

Badertscher agreed the ruling could discourage U.S. companies from investing in Europe. But others applauded the crackdown on what they described as a "race to the bottom" by individual nations offering lower tax rates than their neighbors.

"To its credit, the European Union understands that when member nations act as tax havens, as Ireland has, there are casualties far beyond the borders of Ireland," said Matthew Gardner, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a liberal research group in Washington.

"It's not a good economic development strategy for Ireland in the long run, and it also subverts the tax system of every other member nation and nations around world," he added.

But the EU's move risks the ire of the United States. In recent weeks, the Obama administration warned European officials that their investigations seemed to be unfairly singling out U.S. companies.

U.S. Treasury officials also complained that imposing European taxes retroactively could hurt American taxpayers, since U.S. companies can receive a tax credit in this country for taxes paid overseas.

Apple, along with other big U.S. multinationals, has built a vast stockpile of cash from its foreign operations, but it has left the money overseas to avoid paying U.S. taxes that it would owe if it brought that money home.

The company reported this summer that it holds nearly $215 billion in cash and securities overseas, much of it generated by its Irish subsidiaries. Cook has complained that high U.S. taxes have discouraged the company from bringing those earnings home.

Apple said the EU ruling will have no immediate effect on its finances. Wall Street analysts agreed, noting the potential tax bill is a small fraction of the company's cash stockpile. Apple stock declined by less than 1 percent Tuesday.

Dahlburg reported from Brussels, Pogatchnik from London.
PARIS  France cast serious doubt on Tuesday on the prospects of an EU free trade deal with the United States, adding to opposition within Germany just two months after their countries' leaders reaffirmed support for an accord.

Washington and Brussels are officially committed to sealing the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) before President Barack Obama leaves office in January, but their chances of doing so are being eroded by approaching elections and Britain's vote in June to leave the European Union.

"Everything is moving. In this situation it's just not going to happen," said Peter van Ham, senior research fellow at Dutch think tank Clingendael and author of a paper on Tuesday called "TTIP is dead, long live transatlantic trade."

French Trade Minister Matthias Fekl said he would request a halt to TTIP talks at next month's EU trade ministers' meeting in Bratislava after German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel declared at the weekend that talks were "de facto dead."

Observers say both are responding to public mistrust of a deal that critics say would lower environmental and food standards and allow foreign multinationals to challenge government policies.

Stop TTIP campaigns have been particularly vocal in Germany and Austria, which supporters of TTIP say are among the countries most likely to benefit from increased U.S. trade.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, of Gabriel's Social Democratic Party (SPD), urged diplomats and business chiefs on Tuesday to counter anti-globalization sentiments that are fueling opposition to free trade deals.

Ahead of elections in France and Germany next year, politicians are keenly aware that TTIP is not a vote winner.

The Bertelsmann Foundation poll showed only 17 percent of Germans saw TTIP as a good thing in April, down from 55 percent two years earlier.

"There may be an economic rationale, but everyone is scrapping for votes and you lose votes if you support TTIP," Van Ham said, adding that any credit from potential free trade gains would be two to three years away.

Supporters say TTIP could boost each economy by $100 billion, creating jobs at a time of economic uncertainty as growth and consumption slow in China and emerging markets. EU leaders backed TTIP talks at a summit in June.

Three years of negotiations have failed to resolve multiple differences, however, including over public procurement and rules to protect foods from particular regions, such as Parma ham, which the EU wants, and greater access to services and for its agricultural products, as demanded by the United States.

"Practically there's no real change. It's been stuck for the better part of two years," said Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, director of Brussels-based think tank ECIPE.

EU trade chief Cecelia Malmstrom told journalists negotiations had not failed and that many EU countries had said they still backed TTIP.

They included Italy, whose trade and industry minister said it was essential for Italian exporters that the negotiations bore fruit.

Germany's Gabriel is the chairman of the SPD who share power with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives. Merkel backs the talks and her spokesman insisted on Monday that they should continue.

Malmstrom added that it made no sense to suspend talks in September because the two sides could still make advances in regulatory cooperation, agreeing standards that are important to industries such as the auto sector, and that could be picked up by Obama's successor even a deal was not sealed this year.

"The more work we have done, the easier it is to resume," she said.

The office of U.S trade chief Michael Froman said talks were making steady progress. But Froman has said that Britain's EU withdrawal would alter TTIP dramatically because Britain currently consumes about a quarter of U.S. exports to the bloc.

Trade analysts say that Washington may be preparing for the end of trade talks, which typically conclude with each side holding the other responsible for failure.

President Francois Hollande told ambassadors on Tuesday that talks were "bogged down" and "unbalanced" and it was an illusion to imagine that a deal could be sealed during Obama's term.

"Very soon you end in a blame game," said Lee-Makiyama. "But trade negotiations never really die. They just go into a stock-taking phase."

Reporting by Sophie Louet and John Irish in Paris, Crispian Balmer in Rome, Madeline Chambers, and Andrea Shalal in Berlin.
A former Monsanto Co. financial executive who blew the whistle on accounting practices at the Creve Coeur-based seed and agrochemical giant has been awarded a $22.4 million share of the governments settlement with the company, according to his lawyer.

The executive, who was not named, told the Securities and Exchange Commission about misleading accounting surrounding sales of Monsantos Roundup herbicide, attorney Stuart Meissner said Tuesday.

The SEC in February slapped Monsanto with an $80 million civil penalty. Monsanto had been using millions of dollars in rebates to boost sales of Roundup, which was facing heavy competition. From 2009 to 2011, Monsanto booked substantial revenue from Roundup sales, the SEC said, but failed to recognize the costs of the rebates in the proper year.

That made Monsantos profits look higher than they really were, the SEC said in February.

The SEC announced the amount of the whistleblowers award in a press release Tuesday, but did not name the individual or the company involved. The agency tries to keep whistleblowers identities secret. An SEC spokesman wouldnt comment when asked if the company was Monsanto.

The SEC said the whistleblower revealed a well-hidden fraud.

Meissner, who is based in New York, said the whistleblower was not in the top tier of Monsanto financial executives. Meissner wouldnt identify the man or say if he was based in St. Louis.

He left Monsanto on his own accord and was not forced out, Meissner said.

The executive at first brought his complaints to superiors at Monsanto. He tried to get them to go the right way, said Meissner in an interview. Hes a very law-and-order kind of person. He does not believe in looking the other way when he sees something wrong.

The SEC heaped praise on the unnamed executive.

Company employees are in unique positions behind-the-scenes to unravel complex or deeply buried wrongdoing. Without this whistleblowers courage, information, and assistance, it would have been extremely difficult for law enforcement to discover this securities fraud on its own, said Jane Norberg, acting chief of the SECs Office of the Whistleblower.

As part of Februarys settlement with Monsanto, three executives paid penalties of $30,000 to $55,000. CEO Hugh Grant also paid back $3,165,852 in bonuses tied to the companys financial performance, while former Chief Financial Officer Carl Casale repaid $728,843 in bonuses. Regulators said they found no personal misconduct by Grant or Casale, but the company said securities rules required the repayment.

Meissner said he hoped the government pursues a case against Deloitte, Monsantos accounting firm. The lawyer said that Deloitte led the company to overstate earnings and issue misleading financial statements  not only once, but twice.

Monsanto and Deloitte did not immediately provide a response.

The whistleblowers windfall isnt the biggest such award involving a St. Louis firm. Sherry Hunt of Silex was awarded $31 million in 2012. She revealed that her employer, CitiMortgage of OFallon, Mo., was approving faulty mortgages to be guaranteed by the government.

She collected under the federal False Claims Act, which encourages people to reveal when the government itself is being defrauded.

The Monsanto whistleblower acted under a newer  and controversial  provision passed as part of the Dodd-Frank banking reform act of 2010. His payment is the second largest under the program. The largest payment was $30 million awarded in 2014.

Until the new law, the SEC lacked the power to reward whistleblowers financially, noted Hillary Sale, professor of law at Washington University.

They can now reap 10 to 30 percent of settlements of over $1 million. So far, the SEC has awarded $107 million to 33 whistleblowers.

The law does seem to be successful in uncovering wrongdoing, Sale said. Some of this accounting fraud is really hard to detect, she noted.

Industry fought against the rule, claiming it would undermine companies internal efforts to detect bad accounting.

Armed with trial lawyers and new large financial incentives to bypass these programs, whistleblowers will go straight to the SEC with allegations of wrongdoing and keep companies in the dark, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce complained at the time.

To collect, a whistleblower must provide new information, and it must lead to a successful SEC case against a company.
NORTHWOOD  A former Northwood mayor received a 10-year suspended prison sentence Monday for committing fraud.

Randy Severson, 52, was ordered to pay a $125 law enforcement initiative surcharge, court costs and attorney fees. He was put on probation for three years, and a $1,000 fine was suspended.

Winnebago County Attorney Adam Sauer, who was appointed as special prosecutor in the case because of a potential conflict of interest by the Worth County attorney, had recommended a suspended prison sentence.

Once investigators realized in 2013 that Severson was responsible for the fraud, they warned him to stop, according to Sauer. However, he said, Severson kept doing it.

Severson, who lives in Mason City, was charged with defrauding $300,000 from Northwood State Bank between 2011 and 2014 while president of Northwood Lumber.

He was accused of fraudulently using the names of customers, family members and acquaintances on invoices he submitted to the bank for lines of credit.

Severson pleaded guilty in June to two counts of felony first-degree fraudulent practice.

He certainly knew right from wrong, Sauer said.

Joel Yunek, Seversons attorney, argued that his candidate should receive a deferred judgment, which would allow the conviction to be stricken from his record if he successfully completes probation.

Yunek said Severson is not a hardened criminal but a long-time business owner in the community.

He loves Northwood, he said.

Severson addressed the court before he was sentenced.

At the time I wanted to save the lumber yard for my family, he said.

Severson said another motivation was to keep the business going for the sake of the community.

The city really needed a lumber yard, he said. It was a big part of Northwood.

Severson said although he did commit fraud, he didnt commit an actual theft and had no intention of doing so. He said the bank is being repaid through his liquidated assets.

Northwood Lumber, which had been open for 25 years, closed in February. The business was later sold.

Severson said he sustained a brain injury in a 2002 car accident.

My brain doesnt work quite as good as it used to, he said.

District Court Judge Colleen Weiland said although she doesnt think Severson should go to prison, a deferred judgment isnt appropriate because of the possibility of the conviction being erased from his record.

She said the community needs to see there are consequences for conduct like Seversons, which appears to have been a scheme, not a one-time event.

While he was in his second term as Northwood mayor in August 2012, he was charged with misdemeanor third-degree harassment for allegedly sending unwanted electronic messages to a former girlfriend. He was later found guilty and fined $100.

Severson resigned as mayor in November 2012, citing health reasons. He previously served as a member of the Northwood City Council.
Local conservative radio host Stacy Washington was in Dallas two weeks ago, locking and loading her gun-rights stance.

Washington filmed a pro-Second Amendment interview with the National Rifle Association, which plans to use the footage in an upcoming documentary.

"I'm an NRA member, and when I was in the Air Force, I qualified on the M-16 as a marksman," said Washington, who hosts her own show, "Stacy On The Right," from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays on KFTK-FM 97.1.

Washington also is a regular guest on Jamie Allman's morning show on KFTK and has recently appeared as a guest panelist on "Donnybrook" on KETC (Channel 9).

Washington said her recording session lasted about two hours and consisted mainly of her responding to questions. The ads will run this fall on NRANews.com and other internet sites, she said.

"It was all my thoughts, there was no script for it," she said. "They'd ask me questions and I would give them my opinions."

Washington lives in Town and Country with her husband and three children. She served on the Ladue School Board from 2009-2010, and then 2011-2014.

This is not Washington's first work for the NRA; she regularly appears on NRA News, a show on Sirius Radio.

She also is not the first STLer to put face to film for the gun group. Nationally syndicated radio host Dana Loesch, who now lives in Dallas, has done several videos for the armed cause.
ST. LOUIS  By early October 1963, the demonstrations at Jefferson Bank & Trust Co. had gone on almost daily for more than a month. Civil rights groups demanded that the bank, which had only two black employees, hire four more for office jobs. Bank executives said they wouldn't be threatened.

It all began on Aug. 30, when protesters sat inside the lobby and sang, "We shall not be moved." Nine leaders were arrested, charged with violating a court order restricting the protests. On other occasions, police made arrests for entering the bank, blocking doors and sitting in front of police vehicles.

It was a year of civil rights actions across the country. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his riveting "Dream" speech in Washington on Aug. 28. In St. Louis, leaders of the Committee (later Congress) of Racial Equality, known as CORE, chose Jefferson Bank, just west of downtown at 2600 Washington Avenue, as a glaring example of widespread discrimination in hiring.

Robert B. Curtis, local CORE chairman, said of area employers, "They need to be forced into doing the right thing."

About 75 demonstrators went to the bank Oct. 7 to seek change in a literal form - coins for bills. Tellers responded with 25-cent charges for transactions. Police made 23 more arrests.

On Oct. 11, leaders of CORE and the NAACP met for almost two hours with Mayor Raymond R. Tucker, who wanted to defuse the tension. Alderman William L. Clay returned to the bank after the meeting and was arrested again for sitting on the bumper of a police truck filled with protesters.

The next day, Tucker met for less than 30 minutes with Jefferson Bank executives. Afterward, bank executive vice president Joseph H. McConnell said, "When aldermen and ministers and physicians picket your bank and block police vehicles, we wonder what our society is coming to."

Tucker proposed a two-week cooling-off period. But after 19 leaders were sent back to jail on Oct. 24-25, action moved to City Jail, where protesters held regular and noisy vigils. Sentences ranged from 60 days to one year.

On March 2, 1964 - 55 days after the sentencings - the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the 19 to post bond. By then, Jefferson Bank had hired six more blacks.

The protests endure as the most significant area event of the modern civil rights era. From its ranks rose many political leaders, including Clay, who went to Congress; and Raymond Howard and Louis Ford, who became Missouri legislators. And it led to better jobs for blacks in St. Louis.
BENTON, Ill.  Two cellphones smuggled into a federal prison by an employee who had an improper sexual relationship with an inmate have not been recovered and could be floating around, a federal prosecutor said Tuesday.

The comments came as the now former employee of the federal penitentiary in Marion, Ill., Renee D. Strauss, 42, was sentenced in federal court to four months in prison and ordered to pay $345 in fines and special assessments for smuggling contraband and lying about it. Her prison sentence will be followed by two years of supervised release.

Strauss, 42, of Marion, was a case manager until she resigned in September. She pleaded guilty earlier this year and admitted that shed smuggled items into the prison on numerous occasions over about a four-month period in 2015.

Officials had been tipped to Strauss relationship with the inmate. He was not assigned to her, yet they spent long periods of time together in her office on Sunday mornings, court documents say. Justice Department investigators interrupted one Sunday morning, and questioned Strauss, who lied about the two packs of Newport cigarettes and two cans of Skoal she had. Prosecutors say she also lied when she claimed she didnt smuggle in a smartphone the inmate had, which the pair used to exchange calls, texts and photos.

The inmate is identified in court documents only as someone serving a 25-year term. He has declined the Post-Dispatchs interview request.

Federal sentencing guidelines recommended up to six months in prison for the misdemeanor charges of providing contraband to an inmate and attempting to provide contraband and two felony counts of lying to a federal officer.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James Cutchin wanted that amount of time, saying that such a sentence could deter other prison employees from similar behavior.

Cutchin said that the risk of the two missing cellphones was greater in Marion, which houses a communications management unit where inmates include terrorists and those whove threatened or assaulted judges, prosecutors and other federal officials are housed.

The name comes from the restrictions placed on the inmates ability to contact the outside world.

Cutchin said that Strauss had already received a break, because prosecutors did not charge her with an offense that would require her to register as a sex offender for life. He explained that although legally an inmate cannot consent to a sexual relationship with a prison employee, the inmate was not coerced by Strauss.

Strauss public defender, Judith Kuenneke, wanted probation, citing mental health issues, the vilification Strauss has received in her community and on social media and the effect a prison term would have on her child.

Strauss, voice breaking with tears, told U.S. District Judge J. Phil Gilbert, I still cant believe I did this thing.

What were you thinking? responded Gilbert, who pointed out that Strauss continued with the relationship even after knowing she was under suspicion, and lied even when caught with the inmate by investigators.

Gilbert said that he tossed and turned all night wrestling with the appropriate sentence.

But he said that he wanted to send a message to other employees about what could happen if they fall under the spell of an inmate, which you obviously did.

Strauss began working for the Bureau of Prisons in 2002 and started as a correctional treatment specialist/case manager on Jan. 1, 2012.
The gunman was identified as Orlando Harris, 19, a recent graduate of the school. One survivor heard him say he was 'tired of everybody' in the school and that his gun jammed at one point.
ST. LOUIS  A man who was confronted by a gas station clerk for stealing a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos tried to burn down the business Sunday, police say.

Joshua Lee Crook, 33, was charged Monday with first-degree attempted arson, a felony, and three misdemeanors. His bail is $20,000, cash only.

Just before 5 p.m. Sunday, Crook went into a gas station in the 3100 block of South Grand Boulevard and picked up a bag of the Cheetos, police say. The store manager, who alleges Crook had stolen from his store before, told Crook to put the bag down if he wasn't going to pay for it.

Crook put the Cheetos back and left. About a minute later, he walked back into the store, grabbed the bag again and started walking out of the store, police records say. The manager confronted him; Crook pushed the manager and punched him in the face, police say.

Outside, Crook grabbed a gas pump nozzle and threw it on the ground, police say. Gasoline began pooling on the lot, and Crook threw a lit cigarette to the ground. He tried, but failed, to start a fire, authorities say. There was no damage.

The misdemeanor charges are for third-degree assault, theft and trespassing.

Police released an unusual mug shot of Crook but did not immediately explain what is going on in the photo. It appears someone is trying to hold Crook still for the photo.

Crook lives in the 5800 block of Southwest Avenue.
ST. LOUIS  Prosecutors have rescinded a promise of immunity for the partner of a former St. Louis police officer charged with murder in the 2011 shooting of a suspect.

Meanwhile, defense attorneys argue the charge should be dropped because the lead investigator tainted the investigation with protected statements.

Jason Stockley was first charged in May in the fatal shooting of Anthony Lamar Smith, 24, in December 2011.

Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce offered immunity to Stockleys partner, Officer Brian Bianchi, in exchange for his testimony before a grand jury weighing a murder charge against Stockley. But Bianchi declined to testify, with his attorney saying Joyces office could not offer him immunity from any federal charges. Bianchi attorney Jim Towey said Joyces office could have consulted with U.S. Attorney Richard Callahan to guarantee Bianchi federal immunity but did not do so.

During an Aug. 4 hearing, Towey told Judge Michael Mullen that Joyce had dissolved her offer of immunity for his client. The grand jury indicted Stockley this month without Bianchis testimony.

Towey says immunity would not have changed Bianchis testimony about the incident  that Smith pointed a gun at Bianchi and Stockley before a pursuit began, and later appeared to be reaching for a weapon before being fatally shot by Stockley.

Susan Ryan, spokeswoman for Joyce, said in a statement that Joyces office could not comment on the immunity deal because it was part of grand jury proceedings that are under seal.

Meanwhile, in a motion filed Aug. 19, Towey argued that the first-degree murder indictment against Stockley should be dropped because the lead investigator in the case, Sgt. Kirk Deeken, served as both the criminal and internal affairs investigator.

In his role as the internal affairs investigator, Deeken was present when Bianchi and Stockley gave statements about the shooting to investigators looking for policy violations. Police officers must make statements to internal affairs investigators as a condition of their employment.

Such statements are called Garrity statements after a case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled such statements cant be used in a criminal investigation of a police officer because officers are compelled to give them to their employers. In criminal cases, defendants have the right to remain silent  a right the courts decided should be given to police officers accused of crimes, too.

In a statement, Joyce vowed to continue fighting for the Garrity statements and any other available evidence in her offices pursuit for justice for Anthony Smith.

Assistant Circuit Attorney Aaron Levinson argued during the Aug. 4 hearing that prosecutors are entitled to Bianchis Garrity statements, and that the courts have repeatedly rejected attempts to have these Garrity statements just permanently sealed and removed from public view.

Levinson also told the court that prosecutors did not plan to charge Bianchi, which he said further entitles them to his Garrity statements because they will not be used against him in a criminal case. Levinson argued the Garrity statements would speak to Stockley and Bianchis credibility.

Brian Bianchi is potentially a witness in this case, and we need to know what he said and whether what he said under Garrity was consistent with the other statements hes already made, Levinson said.

Towey argued that the Supreme Courts ruling in the Garrity case bars such use of the statements. He also argued that the fact that Deeken was present for them and also conducted the criminal investigation is grounds for dismissal of the charges against Stockley.

You cant unring the bell, Towey said. Its not fair because basically everything (Deeken) does in the criminal investigation is now guided by what he heard in the Garrity statements, and thats not right.

Stockley resigned in August 2013. He was arrested at his home in Houston in May. The St. Louis Police Officers Association posted 10 percent of his $1 million bail, and he is living with relatives in Illinois.

Bianchi remains on the force.
ST. LOUIS  One day after three men pulled up beside her in traffic and threw a flaming Molotov cocktail into her SUV, Floyda Nunley said shes done a little bit of crying.

Its not because Im afraid; Im crying because I feel joy, she said. I still have my life.

Nunley, who is 79, said she was on her way to church Sunday morning when a Monte Carlo with three young men inside pulled up beside her near the intersection of Riverview Boulevard and Orchid Avenue.

Whats up OG, dont get too hot, she heard one of the men tell her, using a slang abbreviation for original gangster  someone whos been around.

Then she heard a thump.

All of a sudden, I could smell smoke. I looked over my right shoulder, and there were flames, she said. My car caught fire almost instantly.

Nunley said she tried to put the car in park, but the gear shift wouldnt cooperate.

I kept trying and trying and pushing that button until I finally got it. I didnt really have time to be afraid, she said. All I did was grab my purse, and I jumped out of there.

Nunley made it out just before her SUV started making loud popping noises. The top half of the vehicle was nearly engulfed in flames, she said.

Once outside, Nunley was suddenly surrounded by onlookers.

She tried to go back to her vehicle to retrieve her Bible and her phone, but people on the scene stopped her.

I wanted my phone because it has all my contacts in it, Nunley said. One lady said to me, Dont go back, baby. You can always get a new phone. She was right, so I didnt go back.

St. Louis police were called to the scene shortly before 11 a.m. for a fire. The bomb and arson unit are investigating. They did not say Monday whether they believe Nunley was targeted.

A day later, Nunley was matter-of-fact when discussing the attack. Her son, on the other hand, was still seething. He said he cant bring himself to discuss it yet.

Nunley says nothing really fazes her.

Born in Tennessee, she grew up in Texas, about 15 minutes outside of Dallas. She moved to St. Louis in 1964 and began taking nursing classes.

She married young, but ultimately the marriage didnt last. In the meantime, she raised eight children: four girls and four boys.

To get by, Nunley said she worked all manner of jobs from clerical work to factory jobs to assisting at a nursing home.

And I never took time off, either, she said. Im always working. Thats what the Lord had in store for me.

Including now. Nunley said she still works several days a week for an in-home health care company  its work thats fulfilling for her.

I keep on living my life, she said. I brought my kids and my grandkids up  Ive been through things. And nothing has turned me toward the devil because Ive got God on my side, always have.

Dionne Flowers, an alderman representing the citys 2nd Ward, was in the neighborhood during Sundays attack. Shortly after Nunleys SUV went up in flames, Flowers heard about it from witnesses.

Flowers was still irate Monday morning.

For this to happen to anyone is plain wrong, she said. But I always say its that much worse when something like this happens to a senior or a child. It just makes you so angry.

As for Nunley, she says she doesnt have a clue why three young men would victimize a senior, especially on a Sunday morning. But she doesnt believe she was specifically targeted.

This is just something that happened. And it just happened to be me, she said.

Nunley said shes never cared much for air conditioning. And she doesnt see this incident changing that or much of anything else. Shell still go to church  and shell go there with the car windows down.

I like to feel the breeze, she said.
Missouris public universities are on the hook from the state auditor about college affordability.

In a report released Tuesday morning, Auditor Nicole Galloway highlights the growing trend of schools keeping tuition flat for in-state residents, but increasing fees that students must pay for specific classes or within an academic college.

An almost 10-year-old state law prevents universities from increasing tuition costs for in-state students more than the value of the Consumer Price Index, a percentage that indicates how Missouris economy is performing.

Between 2008 and 2015, the CPI hovered around 1.8 percent per year  and schools averaged a 1.6 percent tuition increase. Supplemental fees increased by 138 percent during that six-year period, the audit shows, while the amount of state funding for higher education dropped by about $1,500 per student.

The purpose of the Higher Education Student Funding Act is to keep the cost of college affordable for Missouri students and families. It defeats the intent of the law when there is no cap or limit on certain fees, Galloway said in a statement, referring to the law that caps tuition. The General Assembly should take action to address this issue, because while fees continue to rise, state funding per student has decreased.

Galloway calls for clarity from Missouris Coordinating Board of Higher Education to help define part of the law that caps tuition and required fees. Because these added costs are charged only to students taking certain classes or in specific programs, theyre treated as a loophole.

She also calls for the Legislature to consider the supplemental fees and evaluate the law that caps tuition.

Not every campus has supplemental fees, but those that do are approved by each universitys governing board.

Among the steepest fees for undergraduate students are those at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, which charges undergraduate nursing students $215.60 per credit hour.

The University of Missouri Board of Curators voted earlier this year to freeze in-state tuition for all four campuses. This is the second of four higher education audits that Galloway is conducting. The first, released earlier this year, highlighted a now-defunct loan program that the auditor described as mismanaged. The next two audits will focus on performance funding and the University of Missouri System administration.
MC man to prison for burglary

MASON CITY  A Mason City man was ordered to serve up to 10 years in prison after having his probation revoked last week on a burglary charge.

James T. Woods, 51, received a suspended sentence and probation last year after pleading guilty to felony second-degree burglary.

Woods was attempting to get his cellphone back when he knocked on the door of a room at American Best Inn & Suites, 24 Fifth St. S.W., on Aug. 11, 2015, according to the criminal complaint from the Mason City Police Department.

He pushed aside the person who answered the door and, while grabbing at his waistband, demanded that everyone in the room empty their pockets, the complaint stated.

He threatened to kill two people in the motel room, according to court records.

Officers found a BB gun in the right side of his waistband.

 Mary Pieper
ST. LOUIS  Hundreds of parents came to learn about Parkway School Districts new and controversial sex education curriculum at an open house Monday night.

But the event did little to change the minds of some parents who are decidedly against the curriculum or inform others who were newer to the controversy surrounding it.

The curriculum has drawn criticism from some parents who say it pushes a social agenda and teaches their children information they think is inaccurate and too adult for the classroom. Some say they would rather students be able to opt into the class to avoid feeling ostracized. Students already have the option to opt out of the course.

Changes include lessons about gender stereotypes, sexual consent, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues for high school students.

Those topics were not put on display in the lesson videos Parkway officials showed to parents at Mondays open house.

In those terms, it was a nonevent, said Shawn Stone, a Parkway parent from Manchester.

Ron Ramspott, health and physical education coordinator for Parkway, told parents that not all of the districts curriculum comes from textbooks and videos.

Opponents reaction to the lesson plan has also prompted allegations of bullying toward its supporters.

A Parkway Central High School student and vocal proponent of changing the districts sex education curriculum said he has been the target of hateful personal attacks online. Andrew Bennett, 16, a sophomore at the high school, is one of a handful of student activists who have openly supported expanding the districts sexual health courses.

Andrews parents believe a small but vocal group of opponents to the new curriculum have inappropriately used images and videos of their son on social media.

Andrews father, Jack Bennett, said Monday his son has received many inflammatory and derogatory messages that have made the high school student fearful. The elder Bennett said Monday he doesnt know who is behind the posts. Bennett wrote an editorial to the Post-Dispatch asking members of the school community to stop the harassment and to be more inclusive. He is a member of the advisory council for the new curriculum.

Andrew said at the last school board meeting that he had been told by someone that he was going to hell.

Andrews mother, Janie Walker, said at the same school board meeting the personal attacks on her son have gone too far.

There is a line you do not cross. I dont care what you are supporting. There is a line you do not cross. It has been crossed, Walker said at the board meeting Aug. 24. The intimidation tactics, the videos, the pictures, the writing online. This is my son. He is 16 and he is a minor. Where is the moral outrage here. Ask yourselves that. What if that was your child.

District spokeswoman Kathy Kelly said Monday the school administration is aware of the allegations.

We cant control what adults in the community are saying, Kelly said. Obviously, we would provide any support the student would need.

A conservative group that describes itself as pro-family called MassResistance Missouri has uploaded a number of posts in recent weeks criticizing the School Board and its decision to change the curriculum. In a post added to the groups page Aug. 22, a blurry screen shot of Andrews Twitter profile appears with images from other Twitter accounts he follows. This picture and those of other student activists are paired with the words Activist Students Know Best #PkwyFail.

One Parkway parent, who did not give her name and would not deny or confirm affiliation with the Missouri chapter of MassResistance, said Monday the accusations of harassment were false and denounced them as rumors.
WASHINGTON  One more sign that President Barack Obamas Trans-Pacific Partnership trade is in trouble:

Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who has been in favor of what he calls free and fair trade deals in the past, and who voted to give Obama fast-track authority to negotiate the deal, now says he is having second thoughts on overall support of the deal.

TPP is still in the works, and Roy is watching it closely, but he is concerned that as currently drafted it does not do enough to protect dairy and pork, among other issues, his spokeswoman, Burson Snyder, said.

Her statement came on top of fresh news that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told a farm group that the Senate is not likely to vote on TPP until the next president is elected because of serious flaws in the agreement.

Pork is a major industry in Missouri, whose hog farmers producers in 2012 sold about $900 million worth of product, making Missouri the seventh-ranking state behind Iowa, North Carolina, Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois and Nebraska, according to a 2015 U.S. Department of Agriculture census. Missouris dairy industry isnt as high-ranking but is still important in the states overall agricultural mix.

Pork shortages in China earlier this year boosted U.S. exports and hog prices.

But raw milk prices have fallen significantly in recent years and last year hit 13-year lows, putting more pressure on dairy farmers struggling to stay afloat.

Ironically, while Blunt has been endorsed by the Missouri Pork Producers in his re-election campaign against Democratic Secretary of State Jason Kander, Blunts questions about whether TPP does enough to protect pork producers runs against the grain of an earlier position by the National Pork Producers Council.

In June, the organization that represents 68,000 pork producers called for Congress to vote to support the agreement because it would eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers and boost exports between TPP partners, including Canada, Australia, Mexico and Asian and South American countries.

NPPC President John Weber called the TPP the biggest commercial opportunity ever for the pork industry.

Blunts not signaling hed vote against the TPP per se, but his qualms raise eyebrows, since he typifies the kind of senator Obama would depend upon to get congressional approval even if McConnell decided to have a vote. Blunt agrees that fair and free trade has been good for the country, and particularly good for Missouri and the good-paying jobs Missourians need, Snyder said. But its still in the works and needs watching, she said.

Kander was the first Senate challenger to come out against the TPP, because it would hurt Missouri working families and send jobs overseas, spokeswoman Anne Feldman said. (Chuck Raasch)

On the web:

National Pork Producers Councils statement on TPP: industry, said Weber, and NPPC strongly supports its passage and implementation.

United States Trade Representatives case for the Trans Pacific Partnership: https://ustr.gov/tpp/

USDAs 2015 report on the top pork-producing states: https://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/Online_Resources/Highlights/Hog_and_Pig_Farming/#top_states

By the numbers:

$6.8 billion. - Value of pork produced in Iowa in 2012, by far No. 1 among the states, according to USDAs latest census.

$1.5 billion- Value of pork produced in Illinois that same year.

They said it:

We cannot afford either geographically or economically to walk away from the fastest-growing region in the world.  John Weber, president of the National Pork Producers Council, speaking in support of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement.
JEFFERSON CITY  State election regulators dismissed two complaints questioning campaign contributions connected to Republican Eric Greitens' run for governor.

A Tuesday ruling by the Missouri Ethics Commission came after June reports alleged LG PAC and Greitens had coordinated a nearly $1 million ad buy targeted at businessman John Brunner, one of Greitens rivals in the four-way Republican primary.

On Monday, in a separate decision, the board found no reasonable grounds to pursue a complaint alleging that a $1.975 million contribution to Greitens from a super PAC called "Seals for Truth" was structured in such a way as to shroud the identities of the donors.

Both complaints had dogged the political newcomer as he pushed past three opponents in the Aug. 2 primary. Greitens, a former Navy SEAL, will face off in November against Democratic Attorney General Chris Koster.

Speculation that there was coordination between Greitens and LG PAC came after LG PAC treasurer Richard Monsees and Greitens were recorded chatting together at a political event.

LG PAC is set up as federal 527 PAC, which makes it more difficult to determine who is funding the PAC. But such entities are under a different kind of restriction: They're not allowed to coordinate ads or other campaign activities with any candidate.

Monsees strongly denied the allegations in June and the MEC, meeting via a telephone conference call Tuesday, agreed, said MEC Executive Director James Klahr.

In June, Monsees said LG PAC was not supporting any of the four Republican candidates for governor.

As conservative Republicans, LG PAC's singular focus is helping to ensure that we elect a conservative that can win in November, he wrote.

The complaint about the "Seals for Truth" contribution was filed by former Missouri state Rep. Carl Bearden of St. Charles, who said the largest political contribution in Missouri history was made in violation of multiple provisions of Missouri law.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY  County officials said Tuesday they hope to soon join the local prescription drug monitoring program already set to include St. Louis County and St. Louis.

County Executive Steve Ehlmann will ask the County Council next month to pass an ordinance requiring physicians and pharmacies to provide information to the county health department aimed at reducing abuse of OxyContin and other prescription painkillers.

The information would be added to an electronic database that also will include similar data from St. Louis County and St. Louis. The goal is to prevent so-called doctor shopping in which people obtain multiple prescriptions for the same opioid drugs.

"Utilizing the same vendor as St. Louis city and county will enable us to monitor prescription drug abuse within a larger geographical area, providing increased scrutiny throughout the region," Ehlmann said. Ehlmann urged other jurisdictions to join as well.

Ehlmann and County Councilman Joe Brazil, who will sponsor the ordinance, added that the measure is part of the county's efforts to fight a growing problem with heroin abuse. Opioid addiction often leads to heroin abuse, they pointed out.

Brazil, a Republican from the Augusta area, said the council has discussed the issue on and off for months and is likely to approve the move.

County Prosecutor Tim Lohmar, who joined in a news release announcing the county's plans, noted that Missouri is the only state that lacks a statewide prescription drug monitoring program. "Missouri has been known too long as America's drugstore," he said.

Opponents in the Missouri Legislature have said adding prescription information to a statewide database infringes on individuals' personal liberties.

St. Louis County officials began the local push, passing similar legislation in March. Its monitoring program is expected to be running in about three months, said Cordell Whitlock, a spokesman for St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger.

Stenger said he was happy that St. Charles County officials "are now standing with us" on the issue. "Our efforts will save lives," he said.

Meanwhile, Brazil said he and other St. Charles County officials have renewed their request that St. Louis County join a legislative effort aimed at reducing abuse of another drug - methamphetamine.

Since 2011 St. Charles County has required that a doctor's prescription be obtained for the purchase of over-the-counter cold medications containing pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient used in making meth. St. Louis County and St. Louis have not followed suit.
JEFFERSON CITY  More than 100 laws took effect in Missouri this week, but for another year, a statewide ban on texting while driving isnt among them.

In 2009, the Missouri legislature passed a ban for drivers 21 and under, but after several attempts, no stricter legislation has made it past committee. Missouri is one of only four states  the others including Arizona, Montana and Texas  that dont ban texting for all drivers.

It seems like such a no-brainer, doesnt it? said Sen. Jill Schupp, a Creve Coeur Democrat who sponsored the most recent effort to ban the practice statewide. She also pushed for a law that would require all drivers to wear seat belts, which similarly stalled in the 2016 legislative session.

The measures reflect two causes Missouri police and the state Department of Transportation have been pushing for a long time, citing crash and fatality statistics they argue could be lower with stricter driving laws.

In a report to submitted to a joint legislative committee on transportation before the start of session, DOT urged lawmakers to consider stricter seat belt laws. Currently, police must have stopped a motorist for another reason before citing him or her for neglecting to wear a seat belt.

Between 2014 and 2015, Missouris fatal crashes revealed 63 percent of the fatalities were unbuckled when the crash occurred, according to the report.

Scott Jones, the highway safety program administrator with the department, said lawmakers should look to other states that have implemented seatbelt laws and seen 10-12 percent more drivers buckle up.

In Missouri, he estimated that that would save 40 to 50 lives per year.

"It's frustrating, because we have all the numbers, all of the data, as to what is happening on our roads," Jones said.

Still, Missouri lawmakers have been resistant to tougher proposals. Opponents argue such legislation could inhibit personal freedoms and ultimately prove too difficult for police officers to enforce.

Schupp and supporters, in an effort to make the texting bill more palatable, suggested altering the original proposal to phase in the full effect of the law, giving the state the chance to educate the public before issuing tickets.

It wasnt our goal to just increase insurance costs for drivers, she said.

They pushed for a plan that for a time would require police who pulled over drivers they believed to be texting to give them a warning. Drivers wouldnt actually be fined or subject to points on their drivers license until the third year of implementation. The bill also permitted motorists to send messages with hands-free voice activation.

It did little to ease opponents' concerns, Schupp said.

Meanwhile, state agencies are left with educational outreach efforts, and local municipalities have tried to incorporate texting bans into broader driving laws that can't be superseded by the state.

Schupp has pledged to continue pushing both seat belt requirements and statewide texting bans going forward.

The dangers are clear. We need to put the phones down, she said. You cant take your eyes off the road for a while and just assume what youve seen ahead is whats going to be there.

If you dont want to be pulled over for not wearing your seat belt, wear your seat belt, she added.
A Webster Groves business owner has spent more than a week clearing up a surprising misunderstanding: her jewelry shop is not the same company claiming it sent a sarcastic note to the daughter of Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Lady Grey, a New York jewelry company, claimed in an Instagram post Aug. 18 it recently received an online order from Ivanka Trump. Along with the merchandise, the company said it would send a note saying proceeds would go to the campaign of his opponent  Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton  the American Immigration Council and Everytown for Gun Safety.

Hundreds of miles away, in Webster Groves, another jewelry store with nearly an identical name began fending off the scathing comments of upset Trump supporters because of the viral note.

Lady Grey Beads owner Lynnae Tanner Ruff said she received a phone call from an offended Trump supporter the same day the New York company posted a picture of the note to Instagram. After that, Ruff said negative comments started to appear on her company's Facebook page. She later removed her phone number from the site.

"Anyone who knows you, knows you wouldn't do that," Ruff said a friend had told her after reading about the note.

But as the comments continued, the entrepreneur said she thought the mistake could be problematic not only for her business but for the organizations and nonprofits she collaborates with and supports.

The negative comments have mostly stopped and she received some apologies from people who realized the mistake, she said.

"I feel like my name has been cleared for St. Louis," she said.

Ruff said she has been making jewelry for eight years and has operated Lady Grey Beads for the last two. She responded to a comment on the company's Facebook page Tuesday that she wasn't concerned about losing the business despite threats.

Now that the mix up has subsided, Ruff is looking forward to hosting her company's second annual Lady Grey's Holiday Boutique Nov. 19, which showcases local artists and Fair Trade companies. She said last year Lady Grey Beads split a donation of $1,200 between Heifer International's Women's Empowerment Campaign and Lutheran World Relief with proceeds from the event.
MASON CITY  A woman who used to work at a Mason City dental office is accused of stealing money from the practice.

Pamela Sue Harris, longtime office manager for Drs. Blake Barnes and Michael Louscher, was charged in U.S District Court for the Northern District of Iowa last week with wire fraud.

Court documents say Harris, a 21-year employee, began scheming to defraud the practice in 2005 and continued until she was fired in 2014.

Harris allegedly used the dentists rubber signature stamps without their authorization to create forged checks drawn on the practices bank account.

She is accused of using these forged checks to cause NSB Bank to make electronic funds transfers by wire directly into her bank account or into the accounts of third parties, including credit card companies, to pay for personal expenses.

Harris also allegedly maintained various credit card accounts in the practices name to pay for personal expenses without authorization from the dentists.

From time to time Harris allegedly attempted to disguise the illegitimate payments by causing checks to be drawn close in time and in amounts identical to the practices legitimate rent expenses.

Its unclear how much money was allegedly taken.

Harris has an appearance scheduled for Sept. 13 in a federal courtroom in Cedar Rapids.
Insurance companies in Illinois and Missouri for years have been pocketing hundreds of millions of dollars from life insurance policies when beneficiaries dont step forward to file claims. For once, Republicans and Democrats are lining up on the same side to fight corporate greed.

Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs has been on a statewide campaign to halt this practice and alert citizens that theyre leaving too much money on the table. Last week, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a law, House Bill 4633, requiring insurers to locate beneficiaries and hand over unclaimed cash. A similar law went into effect in Missouri this month, having passed both houses by overwhelming majorities.

Frerichs, a Democrat, says this has been an uphill slog because insurers dont want the burden of locating and notifying beneficiaries about the money owed to them from a life insurance policy. Its a lot more convenient for these companies to wait for beneficiaries to file a claim. Meanwhile, insurers can churn unclaimed money into investments that reap big profits  not a dime of which goes to the beneficiaries.

Nationwide since 2011, its estimated that insurers have kept $7.4 billion accumulated from unclaimed benefits. In Illinois, the amount comes to $550 million. At least 24 states have enacted laws to protect beneficiaries, while bills are pending in five other states.

Under the new law, insurers may keep the money for five years while trying to locate beneficiaries. Then it must be handed over to a state unclaimed-property account. In Illinois, that account currently contains about $2 billion in assets. Most states maintain lists published periodically in newspapers and online to alert citizens about assets due them.

Life insurance policies get overlooked for various reasons. Policyholders dont always alert loved ones that theyve been named as beneficiaries. Sometimes, beneficiaries are too young to understand what a life insurance policy is and how to file a claim. Very often, the policy simply gets overlooked in the chaotic days and weeks following a loved ones death.

Some insurance companies exploit those vulnerabilities for profit, Frerichs told us, even though they closely check the Full Death Master File, a Social Security Administration listing of all deaths around the country. Thats because another big financial-management business for insurers is retirement annuity accounts. When the account holder dies, insurers are lightning quick to check the Death Master File so they can cut off annuity payouts.

Frerichs said insurers have had to be dragged kicking and screaming into compliance. One insurer was so angry it sued Frerichs when he tried to audit the companys accounts.

The Death Master File might sound like something Darth Vader dreamed up. But in this case, it actually serves as a force for good to fight greed and exploitation.
Can we be assured that the plant will not pollute our land or water supply so that we are not discovering something decades later like so many areas in Missouri?
Time slowed down for St. Louis police Sgt. Joseph Hill when he arrived at a scene of bedlam moments after a gunbattle at a house in the Walnut Park West neighborhood.

Frame-by-frame, he analyzed the scene: A man on the floor had been shot. A woman in the same room screamed and cried. Another man ran to the basement. A 1-year-old child lay facedown on a bed in a back room with a grievous intestinal wound.

Hill, 42, has been an officer for 17 years, with stints on patrol, SWAT, working alongside the Drug Enforcement Administration and special operations. He was no stranger to dangerous, unpredictable situations.

This one came up on a cold winter night in December 2014. We were supposed to drink coffee and keep warm that night, Hill explained later. It didnt work out that way.

Hill and Officers James Frost and Jason Collins were monitoring a house in connection with a drug case when a dispatcher alerted them to a shooting at a home just blocks away from their stakeout.

From his description of the nights events, the scene sounds chaotic. But Hill doesnt remember it that way.

Ive been in a shootout before. Things start slowing down. Its hard to explain how things slow down, Hill said. You focus on the job. I had an objective: There was a shot baby and a shootout.

Once in the bedroom with the child who had been shot, Hill used a towel as a compress on the wound as Frost and Collins tried to keep the boy from losing consciousness.

I kept trying to talk to the baby, Collins said. Tickling, pinching  the officers used every trick they could imagine to try to keep the child awake.

Collins, 39, has been a police officer for 10 years. It wasnt the first shooting hed seen either. He said hed worked narcotics and special operations, but had never encountered a child hurt so badly as this night.

It was the first time I had seen a child shot like that, Collins said. At the time, my son was a couple months old.

He described the sick feeling that came over him in that moment as he thought of his own child. For the first time on the job, Collins said, he held a victims hand and prayed.

Moments behind the three officers, more police arrived, then other emergency responders to aid the wounded. The next step of the officers task was to search the home for weapons and anyone hiding inside.

The child and his father, the man wounded in the front room, would both survive.

Hill, with a front-row seat to violence almost daily, said he wonders why it wasnt his turn to die that night. He cant quite explain the phenomenon of survival.

He said he thinks to himself sometimes, By the grace of God, I made it. He added, Theres that split second, and then you think, thats it. And then its not.

Hill, Frost and Collins each received a Medal of Valor late last year for their bravery in entering the house and helping save the victims. The medal is Collins fourth, but he echoes the sentiment of so many officers: The work is not about accolades.
Bunge North America ("Bunge"), the North American operating arm of Bunge Limited (NYSE: BG), announced it has reached a subscription agreement to invest in Grupo Minsa S.A.B. de C.V. (the "Company"), a leading corn flour producer, securing a controlling financial interest in the Company. The transaction is expected to close in early 2017, subject to the authorization of the Comision Federal de Competencia Economica (Mexican Antitrust Commission), the successful delisting of the Company from the Mexican Stock Exchange, and other customary closing conditions.

As part of the transaction, Bunge will take management control of four mills in Mexico and two mills in the United States. The facilities have a combined annual processing capacity of 700,000 metric tons and produce a broad portfolio of branded corn flours and pre-mixes for tortillas and other goods.

"This investment enhances Bunge's position in milling, an important contributor to our global Food & Ingredients business," said Soren Schroder, CEO, Bunge Limited. "The operation is aligned with our core capabilities and increases the share of value added business in our overall portfolio."

Bunge entered the U.S. corn masa market in early 2014 with the purchase of its first mill in Worthington, Indiana. With this investment, Bunge enters the corn masa market in Mexico.

"This is a natural extension of our successful milling platforms in the U.S. and Mexico that will enable us to expand in a product line that is growing due to demographic and economic trends," said Todd Bastean, CEO, Bunge North America. "With more facilities, products, and capabilities, we'll be able to provide a broader offering and enhanced services to our growing customer base, with more logistical and operational flexibility."

Daniel Maldonado, Managing Director of Bunge in Mexico added, "We're very excited to add the talent and experience of the Grupo Minsa team to Bunge's Mexican organization. Together we will enhance our ability to provide high quality, innovative flour solutions to our customers."

Bunge was advised by Rothschild.
Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) announced that it has reached a tentative agreement (TA) on the terms of a new contract for its Pilots.

"We appreciate our Pilots and recognize their role in the Company's success," said Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Mike Van de Ven. "With the support and assistance of the NMB, the negotiating teams were able to reach an agreement that balances the needs of our Pilots and the Company."

The Negotiating Committees will work this week to draft final language. Once complete, the agreement will go through the normal union ratification process. Dates and details on a ratification vote will be announced in the days ahead.

The current Pilot contract became amendable September 1, 2012. The Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association represents approximately 8,000 Pilots.
Standard Financial Corp. (OTC: STND) ("Standard Financial"), the parent holding company for Standard Bank, PaSB ("Standard Bank") and Allegheny Valley Bancorp, Inc. (OTC: AVLY) ("Allegheny Valley Bancorp"), the parent holding company for Allegheny Valley Bank of Pittsburgh ("Allegheny Valley Bank"), jointly announced today the signing of a definitive merger agreement to form a partnership of their financial institutions that will result in a combined community banking franchise with total assets of nearly $1.0 billion and 18 branches located throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania and Western Maryland. The combined company will operate under the Standard Bank name while incorporating the Allegheny Valley Bank logo to provide both banks' customers with a sense of familiarity. The holding company will be re-branded as Standard AVB Financial Corp.

The resulting holding company and bank will be led by Timothy K. Zimmerman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Standard Bank, as Chief Executive Officer, and Andrew W. Hasley, President and Chief Executive Officer of Allegheny Valley Bank, as President. Six existing members of the Allegheny Valley Bancorp board of directors will join the boards of Standard Financial and Standard Bank, creating a board consisting of 13 members.

The terms of the merger agreement have been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both institutions. Allegheny Valley Bancorp will merge into Standard Financial and Allegheny Valley Bank will merge into Standard Bank. Allegheny Valley Bancorp shareholders will receive 2.083 shares of Standard Financial common stock for each share of Allegheny Valley Bancorp common stock they own in a transaction structured to qualify as a tax-free reorganization under the Internal Revenue Code. Based on the closing price of Standard Financial on August 29, 2016, the aggregate transaction value is approximately $56.5 million, or $53.85 per share. As a provision of the merger, the new combined holding company will continue to pay a cash dividend that, adjusted for the merger exchange ratio, provides Allegheny Valley Bancorp shareholders with the same economic value of Allegheny Valley Bancorp's current annual cash dividend of $1.84 per share. This will represent a significant increase in dividends for Standard Financial shareholders.

The transaction is subject to approval by the shareholders of Standard Financial and Allegheny Valley Bancorp, as well as customary regulatory approvals, including the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities and the FDIC. Pending the receipt of regulatory and shareholder approvals, the merger is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017. All of the directors and executive officers of Standard Financial and Allegheny Valley Bancorp have entered into voting agreements pursuant to which they have agreed to vote their shares in favor of the merger.

With nine branches and $485 million in assets as of June 30, 2016, Standard Financial brings a strong retail banking focus to the combined bank. "Community banks are an integral part of the financial services landscape that provide high quality, personalized service to small businesses and the retail banking market. We believe our merger of equals with Allegheny Valley Bank will strengthen and expand our commitment to community banking for communities in Southwestern Pennsylvania and Western Maryland." said Mr. Zimmerman.

Allegheny Valley Bank has established an expertise in commercial banking that will continue in the combined bank. "Our history in our community dates back to 1900," said Mr. Hasley. "The two banks are very complimentary and this merger allows us to preserve Allegheny Valley Bank's core culture and to remain a community oriented bank serving the Pittsburgh market. We look forward to partnering with the Standard Bank team as we build the community bank of choice. We see this merger of equals as an opportunity to grow our capital base, increase our ability to serve the lending needs of our growing customer base, and offer additional products and services over a larger branch network. We believe our customers will react favorably to the merger as they will continue to see the same high level of service from familiar faces"

The combined bank plans to maintain its headquarters in Monroeville while maintaining a significant presence in Allegheny Valley Bank's Lawrenceville headquarters. This will be the primary hub from which the commercial banking staff will work. Based on June 30, 2016 financial information, the combined bank will have total loans of $666 million, $674 million in deposits, and will service more than 50,000 deposit and loan accounts through 18 branches in Allegheny, Bedford, and Westmoreland Counties in Pennsylvania and Allegany County in Maryland.

Keefe, Bruyette, & Woods, Inc. served as financial advisor and Luse Gorman, PC provided legal counsel to Standard Financial. Boenning & Scattergood, Inc. served as financial advisor and Bybel Rutledge LLP served as legal counsel to Allegheny Valley Bancorp.
Monsanto (NYSE: MON) shares are active late Tuesday following news that the SEC awarded $22 million to a whistleblower linked to the company. In total, Monsanto settlement the issue for $80 million.

The following press release was issued by the SEC earlier today:

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced the award of more than $22 million to a whistleblower whose detailed tip and extensive assistance helped the agency halt a well-hidden fraud at the company where the whistleblower worked.

The $22 million-plus award is the second-largest total the SEC has awarded a whistleblower. The largest, $30 million, was awarded in 2014.

Company employees are in unique positions behind-the-scenes to unravel complex or deeply buried wrongdoing. Without this whistleblowers courage, information, and assistance, it would have been extremely difficult for law enforcement to discover this securities fraud on its own, said Jane Norberg, Acting Chief of the SECs Office of the Whistleblower.

The SECs whistleblower program, which has been rewarding valuable information from tipsters since its inception in 2011, has now surpassed $100 million in total money awarded. More than $107 million has been awarded to 33 whistleblowers who became eligible for an award by voluntarily providing the SEC with original and useful information that led to a successful enforcement action. Whistleblower awards can range from 10 percent to 30 percent of the money collected when the monetary sanctions exceed $1 million. All payments are made out of an investor protection fund established by Congress that is financed through monetary sanctions paid to the SEC by securities law violators. No money has been taken or withheld from harmed investors to pay whistleblower awards.

By law, the SEC protects the confidentiality of whistleblowers and does not disclose information that might directly or indirectly reveal a whistleblowers identity.
Noah Holdings Limited (NYSE: NOAH) today announced the appointment of Mr. Shang-yan Chuang to the position of Chief Financial Officer, replacing Ms. Ching Tao, effective September 1, 2016. At the same time, the Company also announced the appointment of Ms. Ching Tao as Chief Executive Officer of Noah US LLC, Noah's first subsidiary to operate in the United States. Ms. Tao's new appointment will also be effective September 1, 2016.

Mr. Shang-yan Chuang has more than thirteen years of experience in financial services. In March 2011, he joined Noah as a Director of Investment Relations and Corporate Development. In 2012, he founded Noah Holdings (Hong Kong) Limited, one of our major businesses, and served as its Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer until January 2016. Prior to joining Noah, Mr. Chuang was a senior executive at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Investment Banking Division and Asia Private Equity from 2003 to 2011 based in Hong Kong. Mr. Chuang graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Stern School of Business at New York University.

Mr. Kenny Lam, Group President of Noah, commented, "We warmly welcome Shang to Noah's group executive leadership team as our new CFO. Shang has an in-depth understanding of Noah, previously as a leader of one of our major businesses, and a proven track record in financial and business management. As the complexity of our businesses grows, Shang can provide highly valuable strategic and financial leadership to the team. At the same time, our expansion in the United States with the formation of Noah US LLC, a new initiative led by Ching, marks another key milestone in the Company's history. This new US presence will allow Noah to introduce much more integrated global wealth and asset management services to our clients. Ching's experience and expertise will provide tremendous leadership for our US expansion. We firmly believe that Shang and Ching's new roles at Noah will help Noah further strengthen its leading market position."
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Imagine an army of 380 million people coming together to heal the world. Launching around the world on August 29th, Boomcast is a new social media platform for social change that features organizations DoSomething.org, Change.org, The Jane Goodall Institute, Helpful Human, Causeartist, Creativity Cure, Hopeful Headline, Goalcast, Huffington Post Vlogger Jay Shetty and more. Boomcast's positive content, authentic connections, and inspiring stories is exactly what the world needs. Users can post their own content as well as sign petitions, learn about projects and talk about what matters.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402319

It can be discouraging when headline after headline shows what is wrong in the world. A staggering 73% of millennials do not see news media's impact as positive (Pew Research) and British psychologist Dr. Graham Davey suggests negative media can have long lasting psychological effects including stress, anxiety, depression, and even PTSD (Huffington Post). In contrast, Boomcast provides a place for individuals to feel inspired by positive news and authentic stories, and to take action on some of the world's biggest problems. "Boomcast brings social action to the forefront and empowers its users to make a tangible difference," said DoSomething's Marissa Ranalli about the new social media platform.

Jay Shetty said during his recent HuffPost Rise Live video about "Becoming a Changemaker," "It's about positive vibes, pushing out positive media, and helping us connect with positivity in our lives." The more thoughtful leaders, hopeful people, and game-changing organizations that come together on Boomcast, the more we can start to shift the mindset of others. By opening minds and inspiring compassion, together we can change the world!

Boomcast is backed by various angel investors including an early Snapchat investor.

Want to learn more about investment, advertising and partnership opportunities? Email CEO & co-founder [email protected]. Available now in the iOS AppStore.

Related Images

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Related Links

Boomcast: Share. Inspire. Change.

boomcastapp.com

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SOURCE Boomcast
$378K Grant from FHLB Dallas and Wells Fargo Aided in Construction of the Imperial Building

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Local dignitaries today joined representatives from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas), Wells Fargo, and YES Housing for the grand opening of the Imperial Building in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico. Among those in attendance were U.S. Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-District 1), Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry, Bernalillo County Commissioner Chair Art De La Cruz, and City Councilors Isaac Benton and Klarissa Pena.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160829006053/en/

U.S. Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-District 1) and Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry are joined August 29, 2016, by local dignitaries and representatives of Wells Fargo, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, and YES Housing for the grand opening of the Imperial Building in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico. (Photo: Business Wire)

The Imperial Building, a 74-unit mixed-use, multifamily rental property, received a $378,000 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) Grant in 2014 from FHLB Dallas and Wells Fargo. The grant provided gap funding, which aided in the construction of the building that opened in May. Developed by YES Housing, the $19 million apartment community is anchored by a 10,000-square-foot grocery store, retail services, and underground parking.

I am gratified that our office was able to help ensure federal tax credits were available for this project, Congresswoman Lujan Grisham said. Now we have more housing, including affordable housing, in the heart of downtown. We have this wonderful grocery store that supports not only these residents, but the entire region so we can address hunger and promote nutrition in these neighborhoods.

Mayor Berry echoed Congresswoman Lujan Grishams sentiments, also applauding Wells Fargo and FHLB Dallas for contributing to the revitalization of Albuquerques economic landscape.

This mixed-use building is one of the great catalysts for downtown, the mayor said. The grand opening of the Imperial Building is a testament to the great things that happen when the private and public sectors come together on a project such as this one.

The opening of the new apartment community comes at a time of growth and economic development for downtown Albuquerque, according to Chris Baca, president and CEO of YES Housing.

The Imperial Building will have a substantial impact on the livability and walkability to a population that is critically underserved, Mr. Baca said. The apartment community, including the commercial space and the grocery store, will help stabilize one of the oldest sections of the city and revitalize the downtown core of Albuquerque.

The Imperial Building will provide affordable housing for very low-income residents, as well as those who have special needs. For many who fall into these categories, the Imperial Building is a breath of fresh air.

Ron RC Casias, 56, is a resident of the Imperial Building and founder, president, and chair of the Silver Barelas Downtown Neighborhood Association. The former on-air radio personality  who is known to friends as The Verbal Assassin  moved into the Imperial Building in May from a nearby apartment building, where he said he paid more money for less space.

Moving into the Imperial Building changed my life, said Mr. Casias. I deal with chronic daily pain and getting around can be kind of a challenge for me. How cool is it that I can take an elevator to the grocery store? Plus, I have a view of the beautiful Sandia Mountains.

Mr. Casias also expressed his gratitude for the AHP.

When I fell into health setbacks, I was blessed that programs like this existed because they helped people like me, he said. YES Housing, Wells Fargo, and FHLB Dallas are redefining affordable housing with projects like the Imperial Building.

Additional funding for the project was provided by the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority, and the MFA Primero Loan Program.

Pat Nie, vice president of Community Development at Wells Fargo, expressed her excitement about the opening of the Imperial Building and the development of downtown Albuquerque.

We are proud to support this community in any way we can, she said. Wells Fargo is honored to partner with FHLB Dallas and play a role in seeing this project come to fruition.

FHLB Dallas annually returns 10 percent of its profits in the form of AHP grants to the communities served by its member institutions, like Wells Fargo. AHP grants fund a variety of projects, including home rehabilitation and modifications for low-income, elderly, and special needs residents; down payment and closing cost assistance for qualified first-time homebuyers; and the construction of low-income, multifamily rental communities and single-family homes. In 2016, FHLB Dallas awarded $7.8 million in AHP grants across its five-state District of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas.

Greg Hettrick, FHLB Dallas first vice president and director of Community Investment, said the AHP grant provides tremendous opportunities to underserved areas and strengthens members ties to the community.

The AHP grant provides critical gap funding for affordable housing projects like the construction of the Imperial Building, said Mr. Hettrick. It is a community investment tool we are happy to provide through our member, Wells Fargo.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.7 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 8,700 locations, 12,500 ATMs, and the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 266,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 30 on Fortunes 2015 rankings of America's largest corporations. Wells Fargos vision is to satisfy all our customers financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at Wells Fargo Blogs and Wells Fargo Stories.

About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank System created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $54.4 billion as of June 30, 2016, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced loans and other credit products to approximately 850 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas. For more information, visit our website at fhlb.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160829006053/en/

Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas

Corporate Communications, 214-441-8445

www.fhlb.com

Source: Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas
DALLAS, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A federal judge in the Eastern District of Oklahoma has dismissed a poultry grower's breach of contract claim against OK Foods Inc. of Fort Smith, Arkansas, after the company severed ties with the grower amid concerns over animal welfare standards.

The company terminated its grower's agreement with Earl Oldham of Stigler, Oklahoma, just over a year into the three-year agreement following the drowning deaths of an estimated 19,000 broiler chickens during a May 2015 rainstorm. It was the second mass die-off in five years blamed on groundwater flooding at the farm.

After realizing the water was rising in his three poultry houses, Mr. Oldham requested the company remove all chickens from his property. Upon arrival, a company representative discovered that many of the chickens had already died. OK Foods took immediate steps to relocate the surviving chickens to a nearby poultry farm. After OK Foods notified Mr. Oldham that his contract would be terminated, the grower filed a breach of contract suit.

The lawsuit dismissal follows a summary judgment motion filed by OK Foods' attorney Clayton Bailey of Dallas' Bailey Brauer PLLC. In granting the summary judgment, the court threw out Mr. Oldham's claims seeking nearly $330,000 in lost-profit damages.

"Mr. Oldham in essence moved to terminate the contract with his demands to remove the broilers from the farm, something OK Foods was more than willing to oblige," says Mr. Bailey.

He noted that the swift termination of the contract was in accordance with animal welfare policies implemented by OK Foods CEO and President Trent Goins, Vice President of Live Operations Gary Hogue and Director of Broiler and Hatchery Operations Kelly Garris.

"OK Foods did not agree with the conditions found at this farm, and it was not something that could be tolerated. The operator's own words, actions and inactions in effect invalidated his grower agreement. OK Foods simply formalized that termination," says Mr. Bailey. "Animal welfare is something OK Foods takes seriously. OK Foods' live operations team is ensuring that OK Foods' chickens are raised ethically and efficiently, and that the company's customers receive top-quality products."

In addition to Mr. Bailey, OK Foods was represented in Earl Oldham v. OK Foods, Inc. f/k/a OK Foods, Inc., 6:15-cv-00384-RAW by Niki Cung of Kutak Rock LLP, Fayetteville, Arkansas.

To learn more about Mr. Bailey and his background, click here: http://baileybrauer.com/index.php/clayton-bailey/.

Bailey Brauer PLLC provides battle-tested, sophisticated courtroom experience in high-stakes litigation matters. Led by experienced trial and appellate lawyers Clayton Bailey and Alex Brauer, the firm focuses on complex commercial litigation, agribusiness, appeals, and class and collective actions. For more information, please contact Bailey Brauer today or visit the firm's website at http://www.baileybrauer.com.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/court-dismisses-chicken-growers-claims-that-ok-foods-breached-contract-300320106.html

SOURCE Bailey Brauer PLLC
SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/30/16 -- Eastwick, an award-winning communications agency, revealed today details of two new brands recently launched through its Digital Brand Lab (DBL). Eastwick drove brand positioning and identity work along with an integrated go-to-market launch for new technology market entrants -- Swivelfly, a furniture-as-a-service provider and Beamreach Solar, formerly Solexel, a solar technology company. Led by Sahana Jayaraman, Eastwick's Digital Brand Lab offers technology companies -- from startup to global leaders -- brand strategy, digital services and content marketing to support their business goals.

Imagining a World Where Clean Energy is EverywhereOn June 22, 2016 Eastwick officially launched a next generation solar company, with its new brand Beamreach Solar, at Intersolar Europe in Germany. Beamreach Solar hired Eastwick to develop a new brand and execute a fully-integrated launch plan. Brand identity work included everything from naming and brand positioning, to a full visual brand framework. Additionally, Eastwick led Beamreach Solar through its corporate website development, demo video production, media outreach, employee communications and sales collateral development. As a result of the momentum created through the launch, Beamreach Solar recently won PVTech's Buzz Award at Intersolar America, one of the largest solar tradeshows in the world.

"Eastwick combines the speed, energy and agility of a smaller agency with scope, services and expertise usually only offered through large agencies," said Mark Kernstens, CEO of Beamreach. "Eastwick was critical to our success, serving as an extension of our team and leading us from brand inception to full launch."

"Furnish Space at Startup Pace"Eastwick also successfully launched Swivelfly, a startup focused on a new way of furnishing for fast-paced entrepreneurial companies. Swivelfly partnered with Eastwick to help shape its brand strategy, including positioning, company naming and go-to-market plans. The work started with research and insights and resulted in a consistent and cohesive launch campaign leveraging earned, owned and paid strategies, including an engagement with startup focused sponsored content on Mashable and the production of a product explainer video introducing the company's mascot the "Swivelbot."

Eastwick's Digital Brand Lab Aims to Solve CEO and CMO Challenges"Through the addition of brand services, we advance our agenda in supporting the broader needs of CEOs and CMOs from brand strategy to execution," said Sahana Jayaraman, SVP, Head of Digital Brand Lab at Eastwick. "We don't leave brands to just happen. Instead we develop compelling brands, shape their stories, and ensure those stories are told consistently across internal and external communications channels so that companies meet their business goals."

The Digital Brand Lab consists of specialists across a range of services from strategy development to the execution of a brand including research and insights, brand positioning and identity, design, digital and content marketing. Eastwick's Digital Brand Lab has led brand positioning work for top clients including Facebook Atlas, Unify, Neustar, BMC, Calabrio, TechShop, Integral Ad Science, and Antea Group.

To learn more about Eastwick's Digital Brand Lab services, drop us a note at [email protected].

About Eastwick Hi, we're Eastwick: a technology-focused communications agency, here to help. With deep Silicon Valley roots, we are geeky and breathe tech every day. We're eager to tell the world your stories -- from enterprise, security, and data and analytics, to adtech, cleantech, healthtech, edtech, and consumer. We bring together public relations, content, social media, advocacy, creative services, and research and insights to help some of the world's biggest brands -- and emerging leaders -- create high-impact communications strategies. We are tech communications. We get you. We get you noticed. We get you results. Learn more at www.eastwick.com and www.linkedin.com/company/eastwick, plus follow us on Twitter and Instagram @eastwickcom and facebook.com/eastwickcom.

Source: Eastwick
MUMBAI and SINGAPORE, Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- IPC Systems, Inc., is proud to announce that one of the company's thought leaders, Ganesh Iyer, IPC's Global Director of Product Marketing, has been invited to speak at the 8th Annual India FIX Conference in Mumbai scheduled to be held on September 1, 2016 at the ITC Grand Central. The conference is the leading electronic trading event in India and is designed for market participants trading multiple asset classes in both India and overseas markets. During his presentation, Mr. Iyer will discuss how reliable and secure connectivity throughout the trade lifecycle and the ability to rapidly access an established ecosystem of counterparties, liquidity venues, brokers/dealers, institutional investors, trade lifecycle services and market data can enable alpha generation, liquidity sourcing and risk mitigation. Mr. Iyer holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation and has been a speaker and panelist at prestigious industry events around the world.

About IPC

IPC is a technology and service leader that powers financial markets globally. We help clients anticipate change and solve problems, setting the standard with industry expertise, exceptional service and comprehensive technology. With customers first and always, we collaborate with each to understand their individual needs to help make them secure, productive and compliant within our connected community. Through service excellence, long-developed expertise and a focus on innovation and community, we provide agile and efficient ways for our customers to accelerate their ability to adapt to the everchanging requirements for advanced data networks, compliance and collaboration with all counter-parties across the financial markets. www.ipc.com

Certain statements contained in this press release may be forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "potential," "predict," "should" or "will" or similar terminology. Any forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual results may differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

Media Contacts Khurram Mirza Jonelle Taylor IPC Systems, Inc. Finn Partners for IPC +1 201-253-2285 +1 646-202-9785 [email protected] [email protected]

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SOURCE IPC Systems, Inc.
An Abercrombie & Fitch store is pictured on 5th Avenue in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., May 23, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

By Subrat Patnaik

(Reuters) - Teen apparel retailer Abercrombie & Fitch Co posted its 14th straight quarter of declining sales and said it no longer expects comparable sales to improve this year, highlighting its struggles to win back shoppers.

The retailer's shares tumbled nearly 21 percent on Tuesday, set for their biggest one-day percentage drop since 2001.

Abercrombie and other retailers have struggled to compete with the trendier and often cheaper products at fast-fashion retailers such as H&M and Inditex's Zara as well as with online and off-price retailers.

To win back shoppers, Abercrombie is investing heavily in its online business and on remodeling stores, and closing underperforming stores. It has hired designers from top brands to keep its trends fresh and is selling fewer of its once-popular logo-centric designs.

Still, Abercrombie's comparable sales fell a slightly steeper-than-expected 4 percent in the second quarter, due to lower traffic, including from tourists, at its flagship stores and fashion missteps in women's tops.

"Comparable sales (will) remain challenging through the second half of the year, with a disproportionate effect from flagship and tourist locations," Abercrombie said.

The retailer had, in May, forecast comparable sales would improve later this year as its product assortment improved and investments in marketing and store management paid off.

Abercrombie's remodeled Hollister stores had been nursing the brand back to health. It remodeled 32 Hollister stores in the second quarter and plans to revamp 20 more this year.

The company also said it was working on a new A&F store prototype, hoping to replicate its success with Hollister.

While, Abercrombie's cost of sales, and stores and marketing expenses dipped, it was not enough to offset the drop in sales.

Gross margin dropped 140 basis points to 60.9 percent, also hurt by the weaker pound following Britain's vote to leave the European Union in June. Margins are expected to fall in the current quarter as well.

Abercrombie said there were "minor disruptions" in traffic and sales over the weekend of the Brexit vote. The UK is the company's biggest market by store count after the United States.

The net loss attributable to Abercrombie increased in the quarter. Its adjusted loss of 25 cents per share was bigger than analysts average estimate of 20 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Net sales fell 4.2 percent to $783.2 million, beating analysts' estimates of $782.7 million, in part helped by strong growth in its online business and an uptick in its European business.

(Reporting by Subrat Patnaik in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)
President and CEO Russ Girling of TransCanada addresses shareholders during the company's annual general meeting in Calgary, Alberta, May 1, 2015. REUTERS/Todd Korol

By Nia Williams and David Ljunggren

CALGARY/OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's National Energy Board on Tuesday suspended Montreal hearings on TransCanada Corp's (NYSE: TRP) proposed Energy East pipeline after protests disrupted the first day of the process on Monday.

The board, Canada's energy regulator, also said in a statement it would not proceed with further hearings until it had considered two motions asking for the recusal of members from the panel considering the pipeline. The NEB has invited written comments on the motions by Sept. 7.

Opponents want two of the three panel members to step down after it emerged they had privately discussed the pipeline last year with former Quebec Premier Jean Charest, who at the time was working for TransCanada as a consultant.

"This decision has been made as a result of a violent disruption on the first day of the proceedings and ongoing security concerns," the NEB said in a statement.

"Given that two motions have been filed asking for the recusal of Panel Members.... the Board will not proceed with further Panel Sessions until it reaches a decision."

The next round of panel sessions is scheduled for Oct. 3-7 in Quebec City.

The move is the latest blow to hit the Energy East project, which would carry 1.1 million barrels of crude per day from Alberta's oil sands to the east coast of Canada.

Environmental groups reject the project and opposition is particularly acute in the mostly French-speaking province of Quebec, which the pipeline would need to cross. Montreal is the biggest city in Quebec.

Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr, when asked whether the two panel members should be replaced, said that was not a decision the government would want to make.

"The NEB will have to deal with it. We are interested in making sure the process continues and that Canadians who have an opinion have the right and the freedom to say it," Carr told reporters following a speech in Calgary.

Patrick DeRochie of Environmental Defense called for the entire Energy East review process to be put on hold until the government completes a review of Canada's environmental laws and processes.

"The indefinite postponement of NEB hearings for Energy East is the latest sign that the review process for major energy projects is completely broken. It's clear that we need a fundamental overhaul of the NEB," DeRochie said.

TransCanada said it will wait for the NEB to provide guidance on how it plans to proceed.

(Editing by Bernard Orr and Dan Grebler)
Nobody, not even Donald Trump, Mr. Politically Incorrect himself, likes being called a racist.

I get that. I believe him when he says he is genuinely insulted by Hillary Clintons charge that he is mainstreaming racism.

What I dont get is why he cant see how his actions during this campaign might lead her quite reasonably to that conclusion. Incredibly, after months of playing around in the white-identity-politics sandbox, hes amazed to find dirt getting thrown at him.

It all rekindles a question Ive long puzzled over: Why are otherwise smart people on the political right so clueless about what separates a legitimate critique of African-American life from a racist diatribe?

Plenty of folks on the right do get it. George W. Bush did. Paul Ryan does. Hard to imagine them barking out a string of stereotype-cementing black poverty statistics and then expecting blacks to vote Republican because, hey, What the hell do you have to lose?

I suspect Trump is baffled and insulted by Clintons accusation at least in part because he didnt say the N-word. No N-word, no racism, right?

Im sorry, but its just not as simple. He avoided saying the magic word, but what hes saying  and the context in which hes saying it  shows he believes something is deeply and inherently wrong with black people.

Sure, statistics tell you there are bad things happening to black people, or for black people. Anybody with two eyes and a functioning brain can see that. There are too many unwed mothers, too many black men behind bars, too many kids failing school.

It cries out for explanation, right? Why are these things happening?

Are blacks inherently less capable when it comes to forming households and marriages? Few people want to say that, I think.

Thatd be racist.

Is it, as Trump suggests, that Democratic welfare-state policies have brainwashed blacks into staying poor while Clinton and Co. exploit their votes?

If you believe that, then you are being intellectually dishonest with yourself if you dont proceed to the obvious next question: Why arent blacks smart enough to see that for themselves?

You know you dont want to go down that road. Its a dead end.

Still, I suppose if youre Trump its hard to see all the problems in the inner cities and not think theres either something wrong with America or theres something wrong with black people.

If you believe its the former, then its a problem we can fix with the right policies and opportunities. And you dont mind helping because it could be any of us needing the help.

If you believe its the latter, though, that prompts an entirely different set of thoughts. Its their problem. Why cant they do better? Why do we let them drag America down?

Before you know it, youre on that road again.

Im not saying black people are off limits for criticism, or that no one can talk about black illegitimacy or the black crime rate. Im not saying all conservatives are racists. I know some who do great volunteer work in black communities, even as they hold fast to their principles of self-help and small government.

Im saying theres a right way, and a wrong way, to talk about racial matters. And Trump does it all wrong. Clinton has her own issues, having called young black criminal suspects super-predators who need to be brought to heel, for instance. But she apologized, saying she was wrong for using such racially inflammatory language.

And people forgave her. Trump ought to give it a try sometime. He might be surprised at how understanding the black community can be.
A police car is parked near the place of bombing, near the Chinese embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, August 30, 2016. Xinhua/Chen Yao/via REUTERS

By Olga Dzyubenko

BISHKEK (Reuters) - A suspected suicide car bomber rammed the gates of the Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on Tuesday, killing the attacker and wounding at least three other people, officials said.

Officials from both countries described the assault as a terrorist act, and Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev ordered the government to take extra counter-terrorism measures in the capital and regions, his office said in a statement.

China condemned the attack and urged Kyrgyz authorities to "quickly investigate and determine the real situation behind the incident.

"China is deeply shocked by this and strongly condemns this violent and extreme act," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing in Beijing.

The ministry later said China would "resolutely strike against all forms of terrorism" and protect the safety of its people and government organizations overseas.

A Kyrgyz Interior Ministry spokesman said the car exploded inside the compound. Police cordoned off the embassy and adjacent area, and the GKNB state security service were investigating the bombing that occurred at about 10:00 a.m. (0400 GMT).

Three embassy staff suffered minor injuries and were taken to hospital, but no organization claimed responsibility, Hua said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed the attack by phone with his Kyrgyz counterpart and requested that Kyrgyzstan "establish the truth as soon as possible, severely punish the culprits and prevent such an incident from happening again", the Foreign Ministry reported on its website.

Xinhua reported Wang as saying China would deepen anti-terrorism cooperation with Kyrgyzstan "to safeguard mutual security interests".

China's state news agency Xinhua reported that six people were wounded: three Kyrgyz nationals working at the embassy and the three embassy staff mentioned by Hua.

The U.S. State Department said the blast appeared to have been caused by an improvised explosive device in a vehicle. It said it had been in touch with its embassy personnel in Bishkek and all were accounted for. The U.S. embassy will be closed on Wednesday for Kyrgyz independence day, it said.

Authorities in Kyrgyzstan, a mostly Muslim former Soviet republic of 6 million people, routinely detain suspected militants they accuse of being linked to Islamic State, which actively recruits from Central Asia.

A Turkish official said in June that one of three suspected Islamic State suicide bombers involved in the deadly attack on Istanbul's main airport was a Kyrgyz national.

An anti-Chinese militant group made up of ethnic Uighurs - a Turkic-language speaking, mainly Muslim people living in China's Xinjiang region - is also believed to be active in Central Asia.

Some security experts have questioned the group's cohesiveness, however, and say China's policies in Xinjiang, where hundreds have died in recent years in unrest blamed by Beijing on Islamist extremists, have contributed to the unrest.

In 2014, Kyrgyz border guards killed 11 people understood to be members of that group who had illegally crossed the Chinese-Kyrgyz border.

Attacks on Chinese missions abroad are rare but in 2015, an Islamist militant attack on a hotel in Mali killed three Chinese citizens, and in Pakistan, Chinese workers have occasionally been targeted by what police say are nationalists opposed to Beijing's plan to invest tens of billions of dollars in a new trade route to the Arabian Sea.

That is part of China's "One Belt, One Road" project to open new markets via Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle East.

(Additional reporting by Michael Martina in Beijing, Ryan Woo in Singapore and John Ruwitch in Shanghai; Writing by Mike Collett-White and Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Andrew Hay and Richard Pullin)
By Gerauds Wilfried Obangome

LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - The Gabon government on Tuesday accused President Ali Bongo's challenger, Jean Ping, of trying to destabilize the country, and warned French ruling party officials against "interference" in its affairs.

With both sides trading accusations after a bitter election campaign, there was concern the results, when they came, would trigger unrest. People stockpiled food, police manned major crossroads and soldiers deployed at petrol stations and banks.

Ping, a former foreign minister, African Union Commission chairman and longtime political insider, is the main challenger to Bongo, whose family has ruled the oil-producing central African nation for half a century.

In a statement late on Tuesday, he said that election results his team had collated from almost all of the country's regions showed he had defeated Bongo.

"Jean Ping's victory is no longer in doubt," the statement signed by him said, adding he had received 59.32 percent support in the eight out of the nine provinces for which they had data, with Bongo getting just 37.97 percent.

Government spokesman Alain-Claude Nze told a news conference earlier in the day that "Jean Ping seems to be the instigator of a detribalization that threatens the democratic process."

Bongo's supporters say he is on track to win. The president was first elected in 2009 after the death of his father, Omar Bongo, who ran Gabon for 42 years. [L8N1BA2H0]

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern about the issuance of premature results and called on Ping and Bongo to urge their supporters to show restraint.

Bongo's allies are also furious about a statement from France's ruling Socialist Party on Sunday declaring that early results showed Ping to be the winner.

They accused French officials of carrying on the old politics of 'La Francafrique' - an intricate, shadowy web of diplomacy and commerce that for decades kept African presidents in its former colonies, like Bongo's father, in power in exchange for privileged deals for French companies.

"The Socialist Party by this interference, coming from the same members of La Francafrique, shows once again their inability to understand how African democracies function," Nze said. "The French Socialist Party is advised to respect our sovereignty."

FEARS OF UNREST

Authorities have also reacted angrily to an app set up by an Ivorian citizen that allegedly gives live results by region.

Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet-Boubeya said he would announce results starting on Tuesday evening after a meeting of the electoral commission and warned that any attempts at detribalization by publishing results would not be tolerated.

"Any other so-called results released before, during or after the official declaration are nothing but a lie and a violation of the law," Moubelet-Boubeya said in a statement.

"Anti-democratic forces both inside and outside the country are looking for ways to provoke trouble in Gabon."

The French Embassy advised its citizens to stay indoors.

Gabon's first-past-the-post system means the winner only needs more votes than any other candidate. In 2009, Bongo won with 41.73 percent.

The European Union's observer mission on Monday criticized a "lack of transparency" among the institutions running the polls and said Bongo had benefited from preferential access to money and the media. Nze accused the EU of overstepping its mandate.

Ping's supporters called on the electoral commission to publish the results polling station by polling station. But electoral commission head Rene Aboghe Ella rejected that, telling Radio France International "to do so would excessively delay the publication of the results".

Bongo, 57, also benefits from being the incumbent in a country with a patronage system lubricated by oil largesse.

But oil output and prices have fallen, forcing budget cuts despite Gabon having one of the biggest revenue streams of all Africa's oil producers.

Gabon's economic troubles have provided fodder for opposition charges that its 1.8 million inhabitants have struggled under his leadership, and Bongo's ruling party has experienced a series of high-profile defections.

(Additional reporting by Tim Cocks and Diadie Ba in Dakar; Writing by Joe Bavier and Tim Cocks; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Peter Cooney)
A sign hangs outside a GAP clothing retail store in Manhattan, New York, U.S., May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar

(Reuters) - Retailer Gap Inc (NYSE: GPS) said on Tuesday that its distribution center in Fishkill, New York, had been hit by a serious fire.

All employees at the site affected by the blaze late on Monday were safe and an investigation was still underway, Gap spokeswoman Debbie Felix said.

"While it will take time to understand the full impact and cause of the fire, we have contingency plans in place and are working across our North American network of distributions centers to continue to serve our customers," Felix said.

The clothing retailer owns a network of distribution centers in North America and England, including the affected facility, which spans over 8.6 million square feet (80 hectares), according to a regulatory filing.

"The Fishkill distribution center is a primary distribution center for the northeast," said Nomura analyst Simeon Siegel, who added that Gap was re-routing inventory through another center.

(Reporting by Gayathree Ganesan and Supantha Mukherjee and Vishaka George in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Tom Brown)
Antonio Guterres, High Commissioner for Refugees, pauses during a news conference for the launch of the Global Humanitarian Appeal 2016 at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland December 7, 2015. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File photo

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres still leads the race to become the next United Nations Secretary-General after a third U.N. Security Council secret ballot on Monday, diplomats said.

The 15-member council cast a ballot for each of the remaining 10 candidates, and the choices were: encourage, discourage or no opinion. Guterres received 11 encourage, three discourage and one no opinion, diplomats said.

The Security Council will hold secret ballots until a consensus is reached on a candidate to replace U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon of South Korea who steps down at the end of 2016 after serving two five-year terms.

Guterres, who was prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and served as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015, also won the first two rounds of secret ballots by the Security Council.

In the second ballot on Aug. 5 he picked up 11 encourage, two discourage and two no opinions, while in the first poll on July 21, Guterres received 12 encourages and three no opinions.

"Some favorites are emerging," British U.N. Ambassador Matthew Rycroft told reporters on his way in to the poll on Monday, adding he would encourage some candidates to consider dropping out.

"The whole point of the straw polls is to gradually winnow down the field," he said.

In Monday's poll Slovakia's Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak jumped to second spot with nine encourage, five discourage and one no opinion, followed by Irina Bokova of Bulgaria, who is director-general of U.N. cultural organization UNESCO, and former Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, who both had seven encourage, five discourage and three no opinion, diplomats said.

Argentinian Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra dropped to fifth spot from third, followed by former Macedonian Foreign Minister Srgjan Kerim, and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who heads the U.N. Development Programme.

Former Slovenian President Danilo Turk, Moldova's former Foreign Minister Natalia Gherman and former U.N. climate chief Christiana Figueres of Costa Rica filled the last three spots.

Former Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic dropped out of the race prior to the second ballot, while Montenegro Foreign Minister Igor Luksic withdrew last week.

Civil society groups and nearly a third of the 193 U.N. member states, led by Colombia, have pushed for the first woman secretary-general. But hopes for a woman to lead the United Nations appear to be fading.

Diplomats said the council aimed to recommend a candidate to the 193-member General Assembly for election by October. Ultimately, the five permanent veto-wielding council members - the United States, Russia, Britain, China and France - must agree on a candidate.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by James Dalgleish)
BELGRADE (Reuters) - The Serbian authorities have detained three men on suspicion of the attempted smuggling of 64 Afghan migrants, including women and infants, in the south east of the country near the border with Bulgaria, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

So far this year Serbia has arrested 360 suspects accused of smuggling 2,000 migrants and refugees, part of a mass influx of people heading to Western Europe from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere.

In July, Serbia deployed joint military and police patrols to its border as the flow of migrants did not stop, even after other Balkan countries closed their borders in March.

Three men from the capital Belgrade were arrested near the southeastern town of Zajecar, some 10 kilometers (six miles) west of the Bulgarian border, as they boarded migrants onto a van and cars, the defense ministry said in a statement.

In the van there were 34 Afghans, including four women, one of them pregnant, an infant and a child, while another two cars were about pick up another 30 people, including three children, the ministry said.

There are some 4,000 asylum seekers in Serbia at present, mainly from the Middle East and Asia, though most do not want to stay there, aiming instead for Germany or Sweden.

Since the beginning of 2016 more than 103,000 migrants have passed through Serbia, which wants to join the European Union, mainly through neighboring Hungary.

Last week Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said his country plans to build a second fence on its border with Serbia to keep out any major new wave of migrants.

Hungary also offered Serbia to send its police officers to Serbia's borders with Macedonia and Bulgaria.

(Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by)
Commander of the Swiss Air Force Lieutenant General Aldo Schellenberg talks to the media during a news conference in Bern, Switzerland August 29, 2016. REUTERS/Ruben Sprich

ZURICH (Reuters) - The Swiss military has launched a search for a pilot and his plane after a fighter aircraft belonging to the country's air force went missing during a training exercise on Monday.

The plane, a one-seater F/A-18C, disappeared near Susten in central Switzerland on Monday afternoon, the Swiss defense ministry said.

The suspected accident site in the mountainous Alpine region was difficult to access, with bad weather and darkness hampering the search efforts, it added.

Swiss Air Force commander Aldo Schellenberg told a media conference he was deeply shocked by the incident.

When asked about the survival chances of the pilot, he said: "We hope and pray," Swiss news agency SDA reported.

The incident began when the aircraft took off from the air base at Meiringen at 1401 GMT as the second plane in a training exercise.

Radio contact with the base was lost at around 1405 GMT, and the plane was logged as missing.

A search mission was launched with helicopters, but was later abandoned due to bad weather. Two ground-based search teams have also begun looking for the pilot and the aircraft, while an investigation into the suspected crash is now underway.

Family members of the pilot, who has not been named, have been informed and were being cared for by the military.

The incident is the third time the Swiss Air Force has lost one of its F/A 18 jets in the last three years. A pilot was injured when an aircraft crashed in October 2015 in southeast France, while another F/A 18 crashed in 2013.

Earlier this year a Swiss F-5E air demonstration fighter jet collided with another plane and crashed into a pond in the northern Netherlands ahead of an air show.

(Reporting by John Revill; Editing by Richard Balmforth and Bill Rigby)
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 6-K

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER PURSUANT TO RULE 13A-16

OR 15D-16 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934



For the month of August, 2016 (Commission File No. 1-14862 )

BRASKEM S.A.

(Exact Name as Specified in its Charter)

N/A

(Translation of registrant's name into English)

Rua Eteno, 1561, Polo Petroquimico de Camacari

Camacari, Bahia - CEP 42810-000 Brazil

(Address of principal executive offices)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.



Form 20-F ___X___ Form 40-F ______

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K

in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1). _____

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K

in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7). _____

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.



Yes ______ No ___X___

If "Yes" is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82- _____.

Sao Paulo, August 30, 2016 To: Corporate Relations Department  SEP Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission  CVM Rua Sete de Setembro, 111, 26 andar Rio de Janeiro - RJ Att: Nilza Maria Silva de Oliveira  Corporate Oversight Manager Via e-mail: [email protected] Re: Official Letter 417/2016/CVM/SEP/GEA-1 Dear Sirs, We refer to Official Letter 417/2016/CVM/SEP/GEA-1 (Official Letter) of August 29, 2016, in which you requested clarification from Braskem S.A. (Braskem or Company), as follows:

Subject: Request for Clarification of News Item



Dear Officer, 1. We refer to the news item published in Lauro Jardims column in the newspaper O Globo on August 28, 2016, entitled Propina Compartilhada (Shared Bribes),which contains the following affirmations: The chapters of Odebrechts plea bargaining agreement dealing with Braskem are considered strategic for Operation Lava-Jato. According to what group executives have told the investigators, Braskem was much used for oil sector overbilling purposes due to its status as a publicly-traded company 2. In view of the above, we request that you clarify whether the information in question is true, and if so, why it was not disclosed through a Material Fact, as well as comment on other information deemed relevant to the issue. 1



In regard to the news item in question, the Company would like to make it clear that, as disclosed previously, the allegations related to Operation Lava-Jato are being investigated in cooperation with the competent authorities. The Company has still not completed this process and is unable to affirm when it will be concluded. Given that the matter in question has already been the subject of several Material Facts, Notices to the Market and the Periodic Financial Information (especially, the last Quarterly Information Form), the Company does not believe that the above-mentioned news item is covered by any of the hypotheses set forth in article 2 off CVM Instruction 358. The Company will keep the market informed off the conclusions of the above investigation and cooperation process. Sincerely, Pedro van Langendonck Teixeira de Freitas Investor Relations Officer BRASKEM S.A.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Dr Farooq Sattar has stated that he should be referred to as the party chief , further stating that the party has dissociated itself from London after August 22.

While conversing on a private news channel, Farooq Sattar stated that he should be referred to as MQM Pakistan chief from now onwards, further stating that he had made no contacts with the party leaders present in London. He added that he was ready to provide his cellphone so that it may be investigated whether he established any contacts with London or not.

Read more: Sattar demands to reopen Nine-zero, allow MQM to take part in political activities

Farooq Sattar said that he did not use Skype and that party members belonging to London were also removed from the party s Whatsapp group, further adding that statements made by Nadeem Nusrat and Wasay Jalil should not be considered as party s stance.

Farooq Sattar stated that it was not possible that the attacks that took place on August 22 were carried out after planning, further stating that action should be taken against all those behind spreading unrest in the city on the aforementioned date.

Also read: Farooq Sattar says MQM disowned Altaf Hussain, London Secretariat

He said that if MQM workers were involved in carrying out attacks on media houses then they were not part of the party anymore.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
The first thing you need to know about the Clinton Foundation is that its not, contrary to what Donald Trump said last week, the most corrupt enterprise in political history. Nor is it, as Trump also claimed, Watergate all over again. The Republican candidate has a gift for hyperbole; he doesnt know much about history.

But, as with Hillary Clintons ongoing email controversy, the foundation stories are still troubling because they reflect a stubborn unwillingness by the Democratic nominee to listen to her critics, feeding the widespread suspicion among voters that shes not trustworthy.

The furor is tragic, too, because it has given a bad name to an otherwise successful philanthropic enterprise  one that has helped save millions of lives around the world.

Clinton may have been close to the mark when she said last week, I know theres a lot of smoke, and theres no fire.

Even before Clinton became secretary of state in 2009, it was clear that her familys charitable enterprise, which depended heavily on donations from foreign governments and corporations, was a potential problem.

Foreign governments and entities may perceive the Clinton Foundation as a means to gain favor with the secretary of state, then-Sen. Richard G. Lugar, R-Indiana, warned at the time.

Lugar and other senators urged the foundation to ban all foreign donations, but the Clintons decided to not go that far. Instead, they agreed to clear new foreign donations with the State Department and to disclose all their donors. Their intention, Hillary Clinton said, was to avoid even the appearance ... of a conflict.

In practice, though, several of the Clinton foundations didnt comply fully with their own rules until their lapses became public last year. And its now clear they failed the appearance test, too.

Emails uncovered thanks to a conservative groups lawsuit show that Doug Band, who helped create the Clinton Global Initiative, sought access to State Department officials for Clinton Foundation donors.

In some cases, Band didnt get what he was after. In at least one case, he did  but that was a meeting for the crown prince of Bahrain, a U.S. ally who would have gotten his appointment eventually without the extra help.

Still, the emails revealed an assumption on Bands part  and some donors, too  that contributions to the Clintons charitable work should move them to the head of the line.

Its not a pretty picture when contributions give donors privileged access to members of Congress. Its even less appetizing when money seems to promise special access to American diplomats.

Granted, theres no evidence that any Clinton Foundation donors got tangible favors in exchange for their generosity. But thats still a problem.

Meanwhile, the Clintons have taken some steps to allay concerns  while insisting nothing was wrong in the first place.

Bill Clinton has announced that if his wife is elected president, he will resign from the boards of the Clinton Foundation and its affiliate, the Clinton Health Access Initiative. The Clintons daughter Chelsea will remain on both boards.

The Clinton Foundation will stop accepting foreign donations and corporate donations; the health initiative, which depends heavily on foreign government funds, will not.

But those limited measures wont solve the whole problem. Donors and fundraisers will still be tempted to see the foundations as a channel for currying favor with the new president if Clinton is elected. Heres one modest further step recommended by Norman L. Eisen, President Obamas former ethics officer: Clinton should sign a strong ethics agreement barring herself and her closest aides from discussing foundation business with anyone, including her husband and daughter. And she should impose tough transparency rules to guarantee that if donors get access, its quickly made public.

Theres nothing preventing the Clinton campaign from announcing that kind of rule now  the sooner the better.

Until then, Clinton supporters, including reluctant Bernie Sanders voters, have been reminded again of all the things they didnt love about Hillary Clinton.

Lucky for her shes running against Donald Trump, who has been even less transparent about his own tax returns, business dealings and foreign interests than she has.
One of our biggest gripes about the federal government is its proclivity for throwing money at a problem without accompanying accountability.

Continuing problems within the Department of Veterans Affairs, including excessive wait times for veterans in need of medical care, provide fresh evidence of this troubling reality.

Two years ago, a national scandal erupted over waits at VA hospitals, including stories about veterans who died waiting to see a doctor. The scandal resulted in the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and passage by Congress of a $15 billion VA reform bill.

What did veterans and American taxpayers get for $15 billion? Not nearly enough, it appears.

At an Aug. 16 meeting on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa, veterans shared with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a variety of VA criticisms, including familiar concerns about long wait times for medical care, according to an Associated Press story.

According to an Aug. 5 New York Times story, the VA reform bill signed into law by President Obama two years ago this month  the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act  is falling short of expectations in a number of ways.

Nowhere is the shortfall more clear than in the wait for appointments: Veterans are waiting longer to see doctors than they were two years ago, and more are languishing with extreme waiting times, The Times reported.

Since 2014, The Times reported, the number of veterans waiting longer than 30 days increased by nearly 50 percent and the number who must wait more than three months more than doubled.

According to the agencys most recent data, 526,000 veterans are waiting more than a month for care. And about 88,000 of them are waiting more than three months, according to the story.

A 15-member Commission on Care formed by Congress as part of the reform law to study the VA health care system issued its report in July, identifying many profound deficiencies requiring urgent reform.

Americas veterans deserve a better-organized, high-performing health care system, the commissions report concludes.

This is unacceptable. Veterans should get more from the nation they served in uniform. Again today, we stress the fact we do not indict all of the VA. As we have said before, we respect those dedicated VA employees who each day approach their duties  and the fundamental obligation we have as a country  with a full measure of honesty and integrity and who properly honor Americas veterans with the high quality of service they deserve.

Still, its clear that systemic problems persist and more work, including improved accountability, within the VA is necessary to elevate the level of overall care for veterans.

For Congress, the outgoing Obama administration and the incoming administration of a new president, this must be an issue moved to near the top of the priority list.
HAMILTON, Bermuda, Aug. 29, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Experts on hot topics affecting Latin Americas risk-management industry are slated to speak at the 2016 ALARYS Congress in Bermuda September 2527.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c7d37715-ada9-4873-aba0-831f57db2ead

Premier Michael Dunkley will officially open the biennial three-day conference geared to risk-management professionals across Central and South America. The Fundacion Latinoamericana de Administradores de Riesgos y Seguros ALARYS event will be held at the Hamilton Princess Hotel & Beach Club and is expected to attract more than 100 delegates. The Premier will deliver his Monday 26 welcome, following introductory remarks by Ross Webber, CEO of the Bermuda Business Development Agency (BDA), and Jorge Luzzi, FUNDALARYS President, who also serves as Executive Vice President of the International Federation of Risk and Insurance Management Associations (IFRIMA).

We are delighted to be staging this years event in Bermuda, and look forward to welcoming delegates, sponsors, exhibitors and our full slate of eminent speakers that promise to make ALARYS 2016 a highly informative and engaging event, said Luzzi.

The theme of the 2016 Congress is Emerging and Non-Traditional Risk, with key sessions highlighting insurance-linked securities and other alternative risk-transfer products, as well as strategies for mitigating cyber, political, terrorism, kidnap and catastrophe risk. Highlights include:

a kickoff session on risk-management trends, featuring Luzzi; Brad Kading, President and Executive Director of the Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers (ABIR); Carlos Sabaini, Director of the Argentina Risk Management Association (ADARA); Cristiane Franca Alves, Director of the Brazilian Risk Management Association (ABGR); and Javier Mirabal, Executive Director of FUNDALARYS

a global regulatory update with panellists Marcelo Ramella, Deputy Director, Financial Stability, Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA); Federico Candiolo, Senior Counsel at ASW Law; Javier Ordonez-Namihira, Senior Associate, Baker & McKenzie; and Carlos Miguel Chaparro, Partner, PwC Colombia

a session on strategies for non-traditional risks such as cyber breaches, kidnapping and terrorism, featuring former US Air Force special agent Elman Myers, now Managing Director for Hiscox Special Risks; Marian Fenton, Regional Director, Bermuda and Europe: Captive Services, for AIG; and Giles Harlow, Vice President, Professional Risk Solutions at Aon (Bermuda)

sessions on the use of insurance captives for LatAm companies; enterprise risk management; risk-based strategy planning; and employee benefit programmes.

Other noted industry speakers and panellists include: Janita Burke, Client Director at Estera Services; Sebastian Crespo, CEO, YAPACORP SAC; Maria Claudia Escobar, Senior Vice President, Marsh Captive Solutions; Eduardo Fox, Latin American Manager, Appleby; Corey Gooch, Director of Business Development at Brokerslink; Raul Maldonado, Senior Vice President, Life & Health, Arch Reinsurance; Daniel Message, Vice President, Head of Latin America for R&Q Quest Management Services; Cinthia Granados Motley, Partner at Sedgwick LLP; Vanderlei Moreira, Insurance and Global Risk Manager at WEG Electric Equipment SA; Salvador Ortiz, Risk Manager, Industrias Penoles, SAB de CV, Mexico; Adolfo Pena, Partner and Chief Investment Officer, Nephila Capital; Andre Perez, CEO, Horseshoe Group; Brian Quinn, Managing Director of Granite Management; Gabriel Rueda, General Manager, Rueda y Barrera SA; Adam Smith, Director, KPMG Bermuda; and Pablo Wejcman, Executive Director, Latin American Business Center, International Tax Services, Ernst & Young LLP, New York.

Bermudas market expertise and innovation in new product lines helps address many risk managers needs, noted ABIRs Kading whose kickoff panel will explore new industry trends. To be relevant to our customers, we have to be creative and focused on emerging risks and increasing insurance penetrationweve got the capital to take on that risk.

Roundtable discussions and networking breaks will be interspersed between the agendas moderated panel sessions. Outside of conference business, activities such as a sunset cruise and other leisure downtime are being organised to showcase Bermuda and entertain delegates.

It will be the third time FUNDALARYS has chosen Bermuda as host country for the trilingual conference; the Latin American Congress on Risk Management and Insurance was held previously in 2004 and 2010 in Bermudathe only non-Latin venue in its 20-year history.

Sponsors of the ALARYS 2016 conference include: Aon (Bermuda), Appleby, Armour Group Holdings, Artex Risk Solutions (Bermuda), ASW Law, Brokerslink, Butterfield Bank, Citadel Management Bermuda, Conyers, Estera Services (Bermuda), JLT Insurance Management, KPMG, Marsh IAS Management Services (Bermuda), PwC, and R&Q Quest Bermuda.

Early-bird rates for hotel accommodation and event registration are being offered through August 31 via http://alarys.bm, which also details speakers, agenda, hotel and travel logistics, and package options for sponsors and exhibitors.

CONNECTING BUSINESS

The BDA encourages direct investment and helps companies start up, re-locate or expand their operations in our premier jurisdiction. An independent, public-private partnership, we connect you to industry professionals, regulatory officials, and key contacts in the Bermuda government to assist domicile decisions. Our goal? To make doing business here smooth and beneficial.
UPDATED: Minor injuries have been reported in a two car crash which resulted in one vehicle rolled onto its roof.

Police were called to the crash on State Highway 29, between The Lakes and Barkes Corner roundabouts, just before 11am.
Every day for the past 10 years a Bay of Plenty woman thanks her lucky stars she wasnt one of the hundreds of Kiwi women to suffer complications as a result of a surgical mesh implant.

Recently Health Minister Jonathan Coleman announced the Government will support a number of recommendations made in a Health Select Committees report into surgical mesh.
Associate Minister of Local Government Louise Upston today expressed thanks to the more than 3000 people who made submissions on New Zealands dog control laws.

This huge response shows how passionate Kiwis are about our dogs and the need to improve safety around dogs.

Of the 3,096 people who responded to the survey, 84% were dog owners and 48% were particularly concerned about dog attacks.

Respondents overwhelmingly identified dog owners and poor education about dog behaviour as the two biggest contributing factors to dog attacks.

Interestingly, despite being predominantly dog owners, respondents typically considered dog owners to be problematic because bad owners created dangerous dogs and dangerous situations.

Respondents typically saw education about dog behaviour and dog ownership as the best ways to reduce dog attacks.

Of particular interest given the disproportionate number of child victims were submissions highlighting that many people and especially children do not know how to safely interact with dogs and often misunderstand dogs behavioural signals.

The Government will consider the feedback in detail as part of its wider assessment of New Zealands dog control regime.

Source: Office of Louise Upston.
Police investigating the burglary of two campervans in the Bay of Plenty are appealing for information.

Tourists had property stolen from their campervans in two separate incidents in Rotorua on Monday.
WILMINGTON, Del., Aug. 29, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Andrews & Springer LLC, a boutique securities class action law firm focused on representing shareholders nationwide, is investigating potential breach of fiduciary duty claims against the Board of Directors of Rackspace Hosting, Inc. (Rackspace or the Company) relating to the sale of the Company to affiliates of private equity firm Apollo Global Management LLC (Apollo). On August 26, 2016, the two parties announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which Apollo will acquire Rackspace in a merger in a deal worth $4.3 billion. As a result of the merger, Rackspace shareholders are only anticipated to receive $32.00 per share in cash in exchange for each share of Rackspace.



Andrews & Springers investigation so far has revealed that the consideration Rackspace are expected to receive is inadequate. While the Company claims that shareholders will receive a premium for their shares, the merger price is only 6% above Rackspaces August 25, 2016 closing price of $30.19 per share. In addition, the consideration is less than the $38.00 per share price target given by Cowen Company in August 2016, several weeks before the merger was announced. The $32.00 per share consideration is also 2.62% below Rackspaces 52-week high of $32.84. Our investigation has also revealed that the process leading up to the announcement of the merger appears to have significant conflicts of interest thus making the process and consideration unfair.

If you own shares of Rackspace and want to receive additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit us at http://www.andrewsspringer.com/cases-investigations/rackspace-class-action-investigation or contact Craig J. Springer, Esq. at cspringer@andrewsspringer.com, or call toll free at 1-800-423-6013. You may also follow us on LinkedIn  www.linkedin.com/company/andrews-&-springer-llc, Twitter  www.twitter.com/AndrewsSpringer or Facebook - www.facebook.com/AndrewsSpringer for future updates.

Andrews & Springer is a boutique securities class action law firm representing shareholders nationwide who are victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty or corporate misconduct. Having formerly defended some of the largest financial institutions in the world, our founding members use their valuable knowledge, experience, and superior skill for the sole purpose of achieving positive results for investors. These traits are the hallmarks of our innovative approach to each case our Firm decides to prosecute. For more information please visit our website at www.andrewsspringer.com. This notice may constitute Attorney Advertising.
A training exercise with the New Zealand Fire Service turned into a morning rescue for a Bay of Plenty rescue helicopter.

The BayTrust Rescue Helicopter was undertaking a training exercise with firefighters yesterday morning, when they were called to Waihau Bay to assist a toddler with breathing difficulties, says pilot Ben Fry.
CLEARWATER, Fla., Aug. 29, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Volunteers from around the community came together on August 27th to pick up trash in the East Gateway neighborhood. But what they left behind was even more significant The Way to Happiness, a non-religious moral code based on common sense. 10 bags of trash were collected and over 200 booklets were passed out. The Way to Happiness Association of Tampa Bay recently opened their center in Downtown Clearwater, funded by the International Association of Scientologists.



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ffdbdff0-4516-4fb6-a0f5-551b06e03b7c

Safeguard and Improve Your Environment, is one of the 21 precepts of The Way to Happiness that the volunteers base their actions on and so help their neighbors with the community clean-ups.

After doing numerous clean-ups in one neighborhood called Greenwood and distributing the booklets there, we decided to add our actions to the next neighborhood, East Gateway, said Tanja Cranton, the Executive Director of The Way to Happiness Association of Tampa Bay.

Many of the residents we talked to thanked us for coming out here and cleaning up the neighborhood, said Tom, one of the volunteers. Im just glad to have the opportunity to make a positive impression.

About The Way to Happiness Foundation:

Written by L. Ron Hubbard, this booklet fills the moral vacuum in an increasingly materialistic society, containing 21 basic principles that guide one to a better quality of life.

The mission of The Way to Happiness Foundation International is to reverse the moral decay of society by restoring trust and honesty the world over through the publication and widespread distribution of The Way to Happiness, a common sense guide to better living.

The first moral code based wholly on common sense, originally published in 1981, its purpose is to help arrest the current moral decline in society and restore integrity and trust to humankind. This code of conduct can be followed by anyone, of any race, color or creed and works to restore the bonds that unite humankind.
NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 29, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, the former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until October 24, 2016 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG), if they purchased the Companys securities between January 7, 2016 and June 3, 2016, inclusive (the Class Period). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.



What You May Do

If you purchased shares of Signet and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com). If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by October 24, 2016.

About the Lawsuit

Signet and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

The alleged false and misleading statements and omissions include, but are not limited to, that: (i) Signet was experiencing difficulty ensuring the safety of customers jewelry while in the custody of the Companys brands; (ii) Signets employees at stores under at least one brand, Kay, were swapping customers stones for less valuable stones; (iii) Signet was experiencing a decrease in customer confidence; (iv) Signet had increasing competitive pressures; and (v) as a result, Signets financial performance was being negatively impacted.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include the Former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is a law firm focused on securities, antitrust and consumer class actions, along with merger & acquisition and breach of fiduciary litigation against publicly traded companies on behalf of shareholders. The firm has offices in New York, California and Louisiana.

To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com.
SUWANEE, Ga., Aug. 30, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SANUWAVE Health, Inc. (OTCQB:SNWV), today reported a record order book for the 2016 year with 45 firm orders for the Companys orthoPACE and dermaPACE Systems. This is up 280% from the 16 total orders for the same systems in all of 2015 primarily due to strong interest in international markets, notably South Korea and Italy. The Company is continuing to work with our various distributors to further improve this record pace for 2016. The outlook for 2017 is expected to be even stronger than 2016, with the company anticipating FDA approval in the first quarter of 2017 of the de novo petition filed for dermaPACE for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.



This growth in the order book can be attributed to multiple factors. In South Korea, the increase in orders is directly attributable to SANUWAVE receiving approval for wound indications in March 2016. Additionally, in May 2016, SANUWAVE executives visited much of our distributor base in Asia and Europe to discuss the various markets and to better understand similarities and differences in the diversified markets represented. As a result of these productive, and sometimes frank discussions, the Company has been reworking individual distributor agreements that will help them to gain traction in their respective markets.

In addition to visiting some of our existing distributor base, the SANUWAVE management team visited potential distributors in markets not currently served. By the end of 2016, we anticipate having a presence in 10 countries, up from 7 in 2015.

We are extremely excited with our record order book this year. These results are the culmination of our efforts to add new indications to existing markets, and more importantly, our desire to listen to our customers and respond positively to their needs, stated Kevin A. Richardson, II, Chairman of the board of SANUWAVE. We feel this is just the beginning of anticipated growth in international markets currently served, in new markets, and most importantly, in the United States. Having achieved our critical goal of submitting our de novo petition to the FDA for review and classification of the dermaPACE to treat diabetic foot ulcers, the anticipated approval in Q1 2017 will only fuel this growth, concluded Mr. Richardson.

SANUWAVE will continue to issue periodic updates of the progress of the Companys order book to help the community gauge the Companys progress. The next update is expected to occur in October 2016. We will continue to issue updates to the order book through the remainder of 2016 and throughout 2017. We do not anticipate to continue these updates in 2018.

About SANUWAVE Health, Inc.

SANUWAVE Health, Inc. (www.sanuwave.com) is a shock wave technology company initially focused on the development and commercialization of patented noninvasive, biological response activating devices for the repair and regeneration of skin, musculoskeletal tissue and vascular structures. SANUWAVEs portfolio of regenerative medicine products and product candidates activate biologic signaling and angiogenic responses, producing new vascularization and microcirculatory improvement, which helps restore the bodys normal healing processes and regeneration. SANUWAVE applies its patented PACE technology in wound healing, orthopedic/spine, plastic/cosmetic and cardiac conditions. Its lead product candidate for the global wound care market, dermaPACE, is CE Marked throughout Europe and has device license approval for the treatment of the skin and subcutaneous soft tissue in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. SANUWAVE researches, designs, manufactures, markets and services its products worldwide, and believes it has demonstrated that its technology is safe and effective in stimulating healing in chronic conditions of the foot (plantar fasciitis) and the elbow (lateral epicondylitis) through its U.S. Class III PMA approved OssaTron device, as well as stimulating bone and chronic tendonitis regeneration in the musculoskeletal environment through the utilization of its OssaTron, Evotron and orthoPACE devices in Europe, Asia and Asia/Pacific. In addition, there are license/partnership opportunities for SANUWAVEs shock wave technology for non-medical uses, including energy, water, food and industrial markets.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, such as statements relating to financial results and plans for future business development activities, and are thus prospective. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not statements of historical fact regarding intent, belief or current expectations of the Company, its directors or its officers. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Companys ability to control. Actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Among the key risks, assumptions and factors that may affect operating results, performance and financial condition are risks associated with the regulatory approval and marketing of the Companys product candidates and products, unproven pre-clinical and clinical development activities, regulatory oversight, the Companys ability to manage its capital resource issues, competition, and the other factors discussed in detail in the Companys periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

For additional information about the Company, visit www.sanuwave.com.
NEW YORK, Aug. 30, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Attorney Advertising -- Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC notifies investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Yirendai Ltd. (Yirendai or the Company) (NYSE:YRD) and certain of its officers. The class action is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons or entities who purchased Yirendai securities between May 11, 2016 and August 24, 2016, inclusive (the Class Period).

This class action seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act).

The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Yirendai was experiencing increasing fraud related to customer applications for its loan products; (2) the implementation of new anti-fraud regulations by the Chinese government could have a negative impact on Yirendais performance; (3) consequently, Yirendais statements about its business, operations, and prospects were false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

On August 24, 2016, Bloomberg reported that China imposed limits on peer-to-peer lending in order to control risks in the loosely-regulated shadow-banking sector. These new regulations bar lenders from taking public deposits or selling wealth-management products, and force lenders to engage qualified banks as custodians and improve information disclosure. The new regulations also cap individual borrowing at 1 million yuan ($150,000). Following this news, Yirendai stock dropped over 22%, to close at $24.52 per share on August 24, 2016.

A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint you can visit the firms site: http://www.bgandg.com/yrd or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Investor Relations Analyst, Yael Hurwitz of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 212-697-6484 or via email info@bgandg.com. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address and telephone number. If you suffered a loss in Yirendai you have until October 25, 2016 to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.

Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a corporate litigation boutique. Our primary expertise is the aggressive pursuit of litigation claims on behalf of our clients. In addition to representing institutions and other investor plaintiffs in class action security litigation, the firms expertise includes general corporate and commercial litigation, as well as securities arbitration. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
SHARE

By Will Greenlee of TCPalm

FORT PIERCE  President Obama commuted a Fort Pierce man's life sentence in prison to expire in December, according to a Tuesday White House release.

Darryl Ellis was sentenced in November 1996 to life imprisonment and 10 years' supervised release in connection with a June 1995 drug case in Alabama, according to the release and federal court records.

Ellis is one of 111 people whose sentences were commuted Tuesday by Obama. He's the only one from the Treasure Coast.

In early August, Obama commuted 214 federal inmates nationwide that included five from the Treasure Coast. It is part of his administration's ongoing effort to soften what many see as unduly harsh penalties handed down at the height of the war on drugs.

Court records show Ellis was one of three people in a vehicle stopped by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper, who found a FedEx receipt for a package being sent from Fort Pierce to Greenville, Alabama.

Investigators eventually found about 2.8 ounces of cocaine and 1 ounce of marijuana in the package, which was intercepted and inspected before being delivered to a residence in Alabama.

Ellis' sentence was commuted to expire Dec. 28.
Tropical Depression 9 in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to strengthen into a Tropical Storm by landfall between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, but should be too far away to do more than produce rain and occasional wind gusts along the Treasure Coast, National Weather Service meteorologists said Tuesday.

Some isolated flooding is possible.

The National Hurricane Center predicts the storm will come ashore on Floridas northwest coast and head northeast across the state toward Jacksonville. That would place the center about 250 miles north of the Treasure Coast.

The storm should exit Florida on Friday.

Along the Treasure Coast, expect up to 4 inches of rain through Friday. Some areas could get more, possibly causing some flooding. Rainfall will come as occasional rain bands, or cells, move through the area. Wind gusts could be 30 to 40 mph, according to forecaster John Pendergrast.

Rain chances are 70 percent Wednesday and Thursday, diminishing to 50 percent on Friday. Thunderstorms are possible Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights.

Forecasters suggest the public continue to listen to updates in case conditions change. On Tuesday evening, Tropical Depression 9 was centered northwest of Cuba and expected to turn north between 2 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday and then curve northeast, toward North Florida.

At the same time, forecasters are watching a tropical wave that is advancing across the Atlantic Ocean from the northeast coast of Africa. It is on the same general course as the wave that became Tropical Depression 9. If that wave stays on its current course and speed, it is about 10 days away from potentially affecting Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center, Miami.

TROPICAL DEPRESSION 9

Location: 345 miles west of Key West

345 miles west of Key West Winds: 35 mph

35 mph Movement: west-northwest at 5 mph

west-northwest at 5 mph Next advisory: 11 p.m.

Key Messages from NHC regarding Tropical Depression Nine - 5 a.m. EDT Tuesday. https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb @NHCDirector pic.twitter.com/aHO01b6zFY  NHC Atlantic Ops (@NHC_Atlantic)  NHC Atlantic Ops (@NHC_Atlantic) August 30, 2016

A turn toward the north-northwest is expected tonight, followed by a turn toward the north-northeast on Wednesday. On the forecast track, the center will approach the coast in the watch area Thursday.

Some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and the depression is expected to become a tropical storm tonight or early Wednesday.

WATCHES AND WARNINGS

A hurricane watch has been issued for the Florida Gulf coast from the Anclote River to Indian Pass. A tropical storm watch has been issued for the Florida Gulf coast west of Indian Pass to the Walton/Bay County line.

RAINFALL

The depression is expected to produce additional rain accumulations of 3 to 5 inches over western Cuba through Wednesday, with maximum storm total amounts up to 20 inches. These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mud slides. Storm total rainfall amounts of 5 to 10 inches are possible over much of the Florida peninsula through Friday morning, with isolated maximum amounts of 15 inches possible. This rainfall may cause flooding and flash flooding.
Danish English

Allocation of warrants to management in FirstFarms A/S

The Board of Directors in FirstFarms A/S has today based on authorisation in the company's Articles of Association section 5.2.A decided to issue 50,000 warrants, which each gives right to subscribe one share of nominal DKK 10 in the company. Thus the issued warrants give right to subscribe total up to nominal DKK 500,000 shares in the company. The Board of Directors has at the same time made decision about the related capital increase.

The issued warrants are allocated cost-free to the company's CEO.

The utilisation price of the allocated warrants is DKK 45.50 per share of nominal DKK 10 with a premium of 4 % p.a. calculated as from today and till notice is given about utilisation.

The allocated warrants can be utilised in a period of 4 weeks from the company's publication of the interim financial report for the period 1 January 2020 - 30 June 2020.

Holders of warrants, who resign prior to utilisation, retain the right to utilise warrants to the extent provided by the rules of the share option law.

The issued warrants are estimated to have a total market value of DKK 332,500, corresponding to approx. DKK 83,000 per year in the period up to a possible utilisation. The market value is calculated based on the Black-Scholes model with a volatility of 25 %, a risk free interest of 0.5 % p.a. and a share price of 45.50.

The Board of Directors decision is entered in item 5.2.A (a) in the company's Articles of Association with appendix 5.2.A (a), which includes the terms for the allocated warrants.

Best regards,

FirstFarms A/S
SHARE Rev. Andrew C. "Jack" Diehl III

By Jim Ketchum, Special to the Newsweekly

Florida was the last place the Rev. Andrew C. "Jack" Diehl III ever thought he'd spend his entire professional career in ministry.

Diehl, a native Michigander, had visited the state in the early 1970s in a car without air conditioning.

"I thought, who'd ever want to live there?" he said.

As it turned out, Vero Beach became home for Diehl and his wife, Karen, for the past 39 years. And that will continue after Diehl steps down Labor Day weekend as senior pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church, 1850 Sixth St.

"It'll be 39 years to the day," he said. "I'll never forget; the bishop at the time said he had a little congregation in Vero Beach. He said 'You'd be good for them, and they'd be good for you.' I never dreamed it would be this long."

Diehl believes now is the right time to retire from the day-to-day ministry he's known for nearly four decades. His wife retired a year ago from her teaching job, and their children, Sara, Andrew, Katie and Anna, and grandchildren all live at a distance. Family is at the center of Diehl's life.

"Also, when we found the right person to take my place at Our Savior, I felt confident that this was the right time," he said.

His successor, the Rev. Mark A. Bernthal, was chosen in June. He assumes his duties Sept. 1.

How will it feel not to be in charge and not to have to research, write and preach a sermon on Sunday morning? "A relief, honestly. A big relief. I'm looking forward to hearing some good sermons, and I'm looking forward to participating as a worshiper in the pews. Not having all that responsibility will be a relief."

Still, he's enjoyed those 39 years and has approached each day with his trademark enthusiasm, a smile and a curiosity to learn and to grow. It's a lifelong trait for Diehl, who was born in Detroit 67 years ago and who grew up at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in neighboring Roseville.

Theological civil war

Diehl arrived at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis in time to witness a theological civil war that divided the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and saw the dismissal of several top theologians and professors at Concordia.

Diehl followed them and graduated from Concordia Seminary in Exile, also known as Seminex, in May 1975.

During his years as senior pastor, the congregation has been through several building projects, has been an intern site for three vicars and has called two full-time associate pastors, the most recent being the Rev. Shelly Satran, who came nine years ago, and a full-time minister of music, Ryan Hostler.

Diehl has nothing but high praise for his colleagues.

"The last nine years have been the very best of my ministry since Shelly arrived," he said. "And the past four since Ryan has come have been the icing on the cake. They are so smart and so good at what they do. The three of us always are on the same page."

Satran said Diehl lives out his faith each day in everything he does.

"Pastor Jack's favorite Scripture verse is from Galatians 5: 'The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.' And to me I can think of no better way to describe Pastor Jack than with those words."

Hostler agreed.

"Spending the last four years being taught and mentored by Pastor Jack, my first years as a Minister of Word and Service and Jack's last years in full-time ministry, has been a gift, one that I will cherish and build a lifetime of ministry upon," he said.

Just what shape Diehl's ministry will take is still uncertain. "I'm going to be open to how that all unfolds," he said.
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Apple's tax benefits in Ireland are illegal, and the company will have to pay up to 13 billion (US$14.5 billion) in back taxes, plus interest.

That's the verdict European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager delivered Tuesday, wrapping up a two-year investigation of the company's tax affairs stretching back to 2003.

The investigation found that Apple's effective tax rate on profit reported in Ireland was just 500 per million euros in profit, falling to 50 per million in 2014. Apple and the Irish tax authority disputed the Commissions charges.

"I would have a feeling if my effective tax rate were 0.05 percent, falling to 0.005 percent. I would feel that maybe I should have another look at my tax bill," she said.

The Commission looked into tax rulings granted by the Irish government to two Apple subsidiaries, Apple Operations Europe, which makes some Apple computers, and Apple Sales International, which resells the company's products throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India.

The latter accounts for almost all the unpaid taxes Ireland now needs to recover, Vestager said.

European Commission Apple must repay up to 13 billion (US$14.5 billion) in underpaid taxes in Ireland, the European Commission ruled on Aug. 30, 2016.

Vestager said that the Irish tax authorities had allowed Apple to split profit from the two companies, which were subject to normal taxes, with "head office" companies that were subject to no taxes, either in Ireland or elsewhere.

"Splitting the profits did not have any factual or economic justification. The so-called head office had no employees, no premises, no real activities," she said. Those head-office companies were allocated almost all the profits.

This selective tax treatment in Ireland is illegal under European Union state aid rules, she said, and distorts competition.

To restore fair competition, Ireland must recover up to 13 billion in back taxes from Apple for the period from 2003 to 2014.

Georges Boulougouris/EU Margrethe Vestager, Europe's Competition Commissioner, speaks at a Brussels news conference on August 30, 2016, held to announce the results of a probe into tax breaks between Ireland and Apple.

"It is for the Irish authorities to determine the exact amount and the modalities of payment," she said.

Apple will have to pay up even if the ruling is appealed, with the money going into an escrow account, she said.

Should the U.S. government decide to change its tax rules so that Apple owes more tax in the U.S. on its EU profits, then the sum to be repaid in Ireland could be reduced by a corresponding amount, she said.

Apple is not the only company in the Commission's sights: It has also issued tax rulings against Starbucks and Fiat, and is still investigating Amazon.com and McDonalds in Luxembourg, Vestager said.

"All companies, big or small, should pay taxes where they make their profits. We need changes in corporate philosophies, and we need changes in legislation to address loopholes and to ensure transparency," she concluded.

Apple plans to appeal the ruling. The Commissions claim that Ireland gave the company a special deal on taxes "has no basis in fact or in law, CEO Tim Cook wrote in an open letter to its customers.

The company neither asked for nor received any special deals, he said.

"We now find ourselves in the unusual position of being ordered to retroactively pay additional taxes to a government that says we don't owe them any more than we've already paid, and the Commission is proposing to replace Irish tax laws with its view of what they should have been, he said.

Revenue, the Irish tax and customs authority, echoed Apples line. "We have provided all relevant information and explanations to the Commission. These demonstrate that Revenue collected the full amount of tax due from Apple in accordance with Irish tax law, it said.
Kwikset knew this was an issue and promised remote access in short order. That never happened until October of last year , long after competing smart lock manufacturers had offered its customers the same , and some at a much cheaper price (although without the one touch access). This arguably set Kevo back, and made it a far less attractive option for connected home owners looking to upgrade their door locks.

The original Kevo lock dazzled with its touch to open functionality when it debuted in 2013, which worked through a Bluetooth connection to your phone and tech from Unikey Technologies . There was one big problem, though: it was worthless without your phone nearby, or unless the visitor at your door had the associated app installed.

It looks like Kwikset isnt about to make the same mistake twice. On Tuesday, the company released the second generation of its innovative Kevo lock, this time making Internet and smart home connectivity a top priority.

Thats no longer the case. The second-generation lock looks and works almost identical to the original, but its far more connected to the rest of the smart home ecosystem. While the new Kevo isnt yet supported by any smart home platform, individual devices can connect in.

The list is pretty impressive, too. It includes connectivity to the Nest and Honeywell Total Connect Thermostats to save on HVAC costs when youre not home, support for the Ring and Skybell HD doorbell to unlock the doors remotely for those without a SmartKey, and support for Android Wear allowing for unlocking from your smart watch.

Thats all on top of some improvements to the Kevo lock itself, including a dramatically reduced interior size, easier setup, and better SmartKey security to prevent digital lock picking and key spoofing.

Kwikset listened to homeowners everyday experience with Kevo first gen and put their feedback at the center of the Kevo second gen development strategy, vice president Keith Brandon explained in a statement.

The new Kevo is immediately available for $229 on Amazon in three colors: satin nickel, venetian bronze, and polished brass.

Why this matters: With most smart homeowners looking to upgrade more than just their locks, making connectivity a priority in the second generation Kevo lock is a smart move. Its quite likely that well see additional third-party devices supported in the coming months, and perhaps some platforms like Samsungs SmartThings too.
Dirty tricks during political campaigns are nothing new, but the Internet and the proliferation of mobile devices have allowed tricksters to up their games a notch.It came to light last week, for example, that Donald Trumps campaign app was hoovering the address books on his supporters phones.

Trumps app wasnt doing anything illegal. It wasnt even trying to hide what it was doing. The app seeks the users permission to download all contacts before it does so. However, both the ACLU and the Electronic Privacy Information Center have rapped the practice.

Asking for more permissions for an application than are necessary for the app to function is common among mobile apps. The classic example is the flashlight app that seeks permission to access the address book on a phone. Why would a flashlight app need address book access to function?

Nevertheless, impatient users often give overreaching apps the green light for such activity.

Too Many Permissions

Users do not pay much attention to what apps are asking for, said Slawek Ligier, vice president for security engineering at Barracuda Networks.

Theyre used to being asked for three, four, five permissions before they can use something, so the majority of users just click OK so they can get on with their lives, he told TechNewsWorld. As a result, apps have a tendency to ask for way more permissions than they really need to provide the service that theyre built for.

For the most part, developers arent trying to be malicious with their permission grabs, Ligier maintained. They just might be planning for the future.

For example, when they were introduced, banking apps requested permission to use a devices camera  even though those early apps had no use for the camera. Eventually, the banks took advantage of the camera to let users deposit checks into their accounts, so the camera permission was pertinent to the softwares functionality.

Developers would rather ask for permissions now than later, Ligier said.

Trump Mule Scams

Information-hungry apps arent the only tech tools targeting the body politic during election years. There typically are a number of scams that accompany events dominating the news.

In the current cycle, scammers are using Donald Trumps name to attract people to get rich while working at home schemes, Ligier noted. Those scams usually seek to enlist people to be money mules for online bandits outside the U.S.

Other cons try to steer a candidates supporters to a website that infects their computers with malware. One such scheme used a headline about Hillary Clinton giving money to ISIS. When curious readers clicked on the link to the story, they were sent to a website that planted a remote access trojan on their computer. RATs allow hackers to take control of computers remotely.

Several scams with a political twist found their way to Brad Bussie, director of product management at Stealthbits Technologies. One was a solicitation from a Republican Party organization asking for a donation  plus his Social Security number.

A huge red flag should go up anytime an organization calls you and asks to verify any type of personal identifiable information, he told TechNewsWorld.

Voter Info Scam

Another pitch came from a company purportedly conducting a phone survey about the election, Bussie recalled. For taking the survey, participants would be rewarded with a trip to the Bahamas.

How could a survey company offer everyone that takes a survey a trip to the Bahamas? he asked.

A phishing email that appeared to come from Bussies state government asked him to update his voter information.

The link looked legitimate in the email  but once I looked at the link in more detail, it would have redirected me to a site that had a different URL but similar looking background to the real site, he said. The site wanted not only his personal information, but also common passwords he might be using for other sites.

Many people who are scammed will enter three to five different passwords, thinking that they simply forgot what the password they used might have been before clicking on the I forgot my password link,' he said.

Clicking on the I-forgot-my-password link on the bogus state site took Bussie to a server not found page.

Visa Waiver Controversy

A proposed change in the information gathered from people seeking to enter the United States without a visa has created a stir in some privacy circles. The proposal would add questions about the applicants social media activity to the visa waiver request form.

Answering the questions would be optional, and the information provided by the applicant would be used only to vet the application, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection notice published in the Federal Register.

Collecting social media data will enhance the existing investigative process and provide [the Department of Homeland Security] greater clarity and visibility to possible nefarious activity and connections by providing an additional tool set which analysts and investigators may use to better analyze and investigate the case, the notice explains.

Since submitting social media information is optional, the proposal appears to be relatively benign, but not everyone sees it that way.

Chilling Expression

The proposal would chill expression by both foreign nationals entering the United States and U.S. citizens, maintained the Center for Democracy and Technology.

The social media information could be used not only to submit foreign nationals to unspecified review and monitoring of their public online activity, but also to increase surveillance of U.S. citizens who might be connected to those nationals, CDT noted in comments submitted to CPB last week.

This proposal would move the world of security theater online, warned Emma Llans, director of the CDTs Free Expression Project. Not only would the program be unnecessarily invasive  it would also be incredibly ineffective and expensive.

If the data can be used effectively and without violation of individual rights, however, collecting it can make sense, noted Daniel Castro, director of the Center for Data Innovation.

This could be useful, so we should allow [CPB] to experiment with this data, he told TechNewsWorld.

DHS can not determine whether it could use social media data as an effective method of screening travelers unless it first conducts a pilot program, Castro noted in comments submitted to CPB.

It would be prudent for DHS to proceed with the data collection in order to study the merits of such an effort, he continued, but it should refrain from using the data on a widespread basis until it can verify that it has produced a system that delivers beneficial results.

Breach Diary

August 22. Epic Games announces its Unreal Engine and UnrealTournament forums have been put in maintenance mode while it investigates the compromise of data at the sites. The data breach could affect more than 80,000 users, according to one report.

August 23. GTAgaming, the website operated by the makers of the popular Grand Theft Auto game franchise, announces it is resetting the passwords of all users of the site due to the compromise of its forum database.

August 23. Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner release joint report finding information security safeguards of infidelity website Ashley Madison were insufficient or absent at time hackers stole account information of 32 million users of the site.

August 24. DCNS, a French submarine maker, announces it may have been the target of economic warfare after an Australian newspaper publishes documents containing details of six submarines DCNS is building for the Indian Navy.

August 24. LeakedSource.com posts to its website databases pertaining to more than 25 million accounts associated with Internet giant Mailru. The databases were stolen from three game-related forums by two hackers in July and August, according to ZDnet.

August 24. Funcom announces it is resetting the passwords of users of its AgeofConan.com, AnarchyOnline.com, LongestJourney.com and TheSecretWorld.com forums after it discovered data associated with those sites had been compromised.

August 25. Apple releases iOS 9.3.5 to address vulnerabilities that allow hackers to read text messages and emails, track calls and contacts, record sounds, collect passwords, and trace the whereabouts of a devices operator.

August 25. An apparent data breach at Active Network in Texas forces fish and wildlife services in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Kentucky to suspend online sales of hunting and fishing licenses and tags.

August 25. After receiving alerts from the U.S. Secret Service, Millennium Hotels and Resorts North America and Noble House Hotels and Resorts confirm point-of-sale systems at their properties were compromised.

August 25. Five years after the accounts of 77 million PlayStation Network users were compromised, Sony deploys two-factor authentication on the network.

August 26. Dropbox alerts users it is resetting all passwords that havent been changed since 2012. Credentials from a 2012 data breach at Dropbox are being offered for sale by a hacker on the Internet, according to Motherboard.

August 26. Opera alerts its users that its resetting all passwords for its sync system following its discovery earlier in the week that the system was breached by attackers.

Upcoming Security Events
DGAP-News: SUSS MicroTec AG / Key word(s): Change of Personnel Supervisory Board Appoints Dr. Franz Richter as new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SUSS MicroTec 30.08.2016 / 17:17 The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Supervisory Board Appoints Dr. Franz Richter as new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SUSS MicroTec Garching, August 30, 2016. The Supervisory Board of SUSS MicroTec AG has appointed Dr. Franz Richter (61) as a new member of the management board of SUSS MicroTec AG. His contract will run for a period of three years. Dr. Richter accepted the appointment to the management board as of today and he will assume his position as new CEO on September 7, 2016. Dr. Richter on the one hand stands for continuity in the strategic orientation of the SUSS MicroTec Group and on the other hand for innovation and technological leadership. Following his professional activities as a scientist at the Carl Zeiss Group and the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology, he spent 14 years working for SUSS MicroTec, the last six of them as its CEO until 2004. During this time, the IPO took place and revenue grew beyond 200 million Euro. After serving as President of Semiconductor Equipment Division at Unaxis (now OC Oerlikon) in Pfaffikon, Switzerland, he set up Thin Materials AG and became its CEO in 2007. The company is engaged in the process development for the 3D chip integration and was successfully sold to Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd.,Tokyo, in 2013. Today Dr. Richter serves as a member of the supervisory board of the stock listed Siltronic AG, Munich, Germany, the administrative board of Meyer Burger Technology AG, Gwatt, Switzerland and the COMET Holding AG, Flamatt, Switzerland. During his career, Dr. Richter has gained a lot of international expertise in technology management topics, especially in the semiconductor industry, where he is considered as being a leading expert. In all these years, he remained closely linked to SUSS MicroTec "We are delighted that in Dr. Richter we could win a proven expert familiar with the company as well as the industry and an internationally experienced manager for the position as CEO, who stands for continuity and at the same time for innovative solutions.", says Dr. Stefan Reineck, chairman of the supervisory board of SUSS MicroTec AG. "I look forward to the exciting challenge as CEO in this high-technology company. SUSS MicroTec has an enormous potential in rapidly changing markets. I am convinced that the management board and the supervisory board together will shape the successful future of the company. ", says Dr. Franz Richter. About SUSS MicroTec SUSS MicroTec is a leading supplier of equipment and process solutions for microstructuring in the semiconductor industry and related markets. In close cooperation with research institutes and industry partners SUSS MicroTec contributes to the advancement of next-generation technologies such as 3D Integration and nanoimprint lithography as well as key processes for MEMS and LED manufacturing. With a global infrastructure for applications and service SUSS MicroTec supports more than 8.000 installed systems worldwide. SUSS MicroTec is headquartered in Garching near Munich, Germany. For more information, please visit http://www.suss.com Contact: SUSS MicroTec AG Franka Schielke Senior Manager Investor Relations Schleissheimer Strasse 90 85748 Garching, Deutschland franka.schielke@suss.com Tel.: +49 (0)89 32007-161 Fax: +49 (0)89 32007-451 Email: franka.schielke@suss.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30.08.2016 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.dgap.de --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Language: English Company: SUSS MicroTec AG Schleissheimer Strasse 90 85748 Garching Germany Phone: +49 (0)89 32007-161 Fax: +49 (0)89 32007-451 E-mail: ir@suss.com Internet: www.suss.com ISIN: DE000A1K0235 WKN: A1K023 Indices: TecDAX Listed: Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, Stuttgart, Tradegate Exchange End of News DGAP News Service --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 497281 30.08.2016
Nextdoor last week rolled out to all 110,000 of its neighborhoods a new form-based process for making crime and safety reports.

Implementation of the tool reduced incidents of racial profiling by 75 percent in areas where it was tested, according to CEO Nirav Tolia.

Nextdoors Motivation

Some Nextdoor members had begun using the site to post messages targeting racial minorities, according to reports that began surfacing last year.

For example, users in Oakland, California, frequently posted vague warnings about suspicious activity focusing on black citizens walking down the street, driving a car, or knocking on a door, the East Bay Express reported.

The key principles driving Nextdoors approach:

Define a high bar for racial profiling. Nextdoor worked with community members, law enforcement, and outside experts to develop a definition that makes sense in the neighborhood context;

Encourage members to stop and think before posting. Members are taken through a multistep process that, among other things, encourages them to question whether disregarding race or ethnicity would affect their assessment of an activity as suspicious;

Require responsible and useful posting. Members are cautioned against casting suspicion over an entire race or ethnic group;

Leverage the community to create quick feedback loops. Members are urged to flag instances of racial profiling so they can be removed quickly; and

Test, learn and improve features. Though it has carried out extensive tests and analyses, Nextdoor is far from done, noted Tolia.

If Nextdoor.com is holding itself open as a public forum where freedom of speech is the rule, then this sort of screening for racial profiling is actually inappropriate, suggested Michael Jude, a program manager at Stratecast/Frost & Sullivan.

This sort of governance implicitly acknowledges that Nextdoor.com is not a public forum where free speech is guaranteed, he told TechNewsWorld.

Pinning Down Racial Profiling

Because there is no universally accepted definition of the term racial profiling, attempts to combat it often are viewed as subjective and tend to stir up emotions.

If its bias against a particular ethnicity, then its probably bad, Jude said, but if its a statement of fact  the guy I saw breaking the window was black, white, brown  then its an objective observation.

That type of description is problematic, according to Nextdoor, because it doesnt provide sufficient information to make an identification, but it does cast suspicion on every person of the specified gender and race who might be in the neighborhood for legitimate reasons.

Nextdoor is trying to get this right, but every service is limited by the people that use it, remarked Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

No service will be able to overcome anyones deeply held beliefs, he told TechNewsWorld.

Id push harder for pictures, Enderle suggested, which are generally better than any description.
Most analysts earn their daily bread by focusing on a particular subject area and following that direction. However, I rebelled against that established pattern  and as a result, I tend to look between the lines more than many of my peers do. That means when major news media outlets focus on a story, Im more likely to see what they missed.

In the case of both the Clinton email scandal and the DNC email leak  not to mention the various whistle-blower events  what interests me isnt whats been covered but what hasnt been covered. Ill shine a light on some of the huge misses from a tech perspective.

Ill close with my product of the week: a new phone from BlackBerry, the DTEK 50. It bucks the trend that put most of you on insecure phones.

Clintons Email Server

All the focus has been on Clinton, because she is running for office  but the focus typically would be on how the hell a major email system that wasnt secure remained in service for years without setting off alarms or putting big grins on internal auditors faces.

The implication is that U.S. security is a joke  and if that server was in use, how many other connected insecure devices are there in the U.S. government that effectively are telling any government that has discovered them every secret they can access? Security in the U.S. government must be truly awful. I used to be a security auditor, and Ive seen CEOs asked to step down for less.

DNC Email Leak

There recently were two big political conventions in the U.S. The Democratic convention was well run, and the Democratic candidates got a decent pop in the polls as a result. The Republican convention was run horridly, and the Republican ticket performed poorly.

The Republicans really messed up. The Republicans effectively would have been far better off not having their event. Yet because of an email leak, the key players at the DNC were forced to resign, but their RNC counterparts werent. The email leak wasnt the fault of any of the fired DNC folks. Typically, when you fail to do your job, you are fired. If there is a problem that you actually didnt cause, you dont get fired  only reprimanded.

RNC Email

Given what was disclosed in the DNC email, and given that people are people, what do you think a similar leak would have been like from the RNC? The DNC was unhappy about Sanders, but the RNC literally hated both of the final candidates. (Hell, apparently everyone hated Ted Cruz, and Trump became a close second  though I think he is first like a rocket at the moment.)

Can you imagine what the RNC internal emails would say about Trump? Bad-mouthing Sanders only creates DNC internal drama, but bad-mouthing Trump, who won the candidacy, could swing the election to Clinton (which would be redundant at the moment).

The DNC mail was interesting, but the RNC email would have been spectacular in a very bad way for the RNC. For us, it would have been even more entertaining. (Have I mentioned I plan to vote Libertarian this year?)

Whos the Hacker

On the DNC side, there are two parallel stories. One is the widely publicized theory that a Democratic staffer who recently was murdered had leaked information to WikiLeaks and that his death was connected to that. The other is that a hacker who bragged about leaking the information  and claims theres a lot more where that came from  did it on behalf of the Russian government, a claim he denied. Both stories cant be true.

As a side note, there have been three potential whistle-blower events under Obama, who promised to be transparent. There was Manning, who was abused and sent to prison; Snowden, who fled for his life to Russia (historically someone like Snowden would flee from Russia to the U.S.); and perhaps Rich, who died.

Only in the case of the DNC leak, in which the people involved didnt report to Obama, were people fired for doing what they shouldnt have been doing in the first place, but their crimes werent criminal. In short, in the government, it appears far worse to point out a crime than to commit one. Excuse me while I feign shock. Sigh

Who Has the Email?

Kaspersky  which is both massively secure and recently was hacked itself  has indicated that inadequately secured systems like the Clinton email server typically are compromised by up to three governments. Given that all of the email hasnt been disclosed or even discovered (because much of it was deleted), how much leverage does one of these foreign entities now have?

Its possible that only a fraction of the DNC email has been released, and given that the terminations were tied to what was in the email  not tied to the theft  how many other Democrats or DNC staffers have the threat of being fired hanging over their heads? In short, how many are now owned by whoever has this damaging email?

Oh, and given the lack of products, like Varonis, that are capable of tracking this stuff, who says hackers havent penetrated the RNC and might be blackmailing the RNC folks as well? Given Trumps current popularity, youd think the Republican servers actually would be more attractive than those of the Democrats.

Clinton vs. Trump

Clinton is a career politician who doesnt seem to understand technology very well. Trump is a casino owner, and casinos live on massive amounts of calculated game analytics, heavy multilayered security systems, and massive customer tracking and analysis.

Trump should be far stronger with the kinds of technologies that drive an election, but Clinton is outperforming Trump massively in this regard. How the hell can Trump run a successful casino business by clearly not understanding the technology behind successful casinos?

Seriously, the typical casino runs a level of technology that a politician would die to have access to  yet there is no evidence that Trump understands this even remotely. Maybe he is secretly chivalrous? Doubtful

Wrapping Up

One of the things Ive noticed as society has moved to the Web is that news organizations increasingly just rehash what others report. Its just a rare few that report original stories, and much of what we read is just a rehash of those rare original pieces. Thats kind of sad, because I think much of what Ive related actually is more interesting than what is being discussed. Thats something to noodle on this week.

With all of the leaks of information this year, youd think more people  particularly politicians  would get that security trumps, pretty much every time. However, the only company that remains laser-focused on security is BlackBerry, and its latest phones run Android.

The Priv was my previous favorite, but even though it has a keyboard, it also is wicked expensive. The new DTEK50 gets rid of the keyboard, some weight, and about half the price to create what is actually a decent phone.

BlackBerrys DTEK50

The DTEK has three standout aspects. It puts Android on top of a secure BlackBerry platform, which makes it resist rootkits  the most dangerous of the Android malware because they are very hard to detect.

It has the best selfie camera in the market, and it has a single function button that can be used for any app you want (I use it for the camera).

Additional unique features are the DTEK security scan, which tells you if you have been compromised; the BlackBerry hub, which collects all your communications stuff  everything from social networks and email, to SMS messages and phone calls  in one place; and BBM, BlackBerrys unique corporate messaging service.

I am seriously missing the Privs keyboard, but given that this phone is lighter, thinner, and far less expensive than my favorite phone, the Blackberry DTEK50 is my product of the week.
The Peppermint operating system is built around a concept not found in most Linux distros. It is a hybrid combination of traditional Linux desktop applications and cloud-based infrastructure.

Peppermint 7, the annual update released in June, is a lightweight distribution based on Ubuntu 16.04. It uses LXDE as the default desktop environment, and shows considerable growth since our review of Peppermint 5 two years ago.

The key to this process of linking full desktop functionality to cloud apps is an in-house developed application dubbed Ice. Peppermint makes heavy use of site-specific browsers, or SSBs. The Ice application easily controls the process of creating one-click access to cloud-based infrastructure through the browser.

Peppermints Ice technologyis a site-specific browser that lets you easily create a launcherconnecting a website with desired content or services.

Peppermint 7 comes in both 32- and 64-bit editions. The 64-bit edition, with full UEFI/GPT/Secureboot support baked in, runs a new version of Ice with full Firefox Web browser support, as well as Chromium and Chrome.

New in Peppermint 7

The latest release shifts to the Ubuntu 16.04 (Xenial) code base. This is in keeping with the developers policy of choosing the best components from other desktop environments, wherever they may be, and integrating them into a cohesive whole with Peppermints own software.

Peppermint 7 stays with LXDE core session management for lightness and speed, but it adds a more modern, functional and customizable main menu. Two other key changes are a swap of lxpanel for the Xfce4-panel and the Whisker menu, along with a new Settings Panel to consolidate settings into one place.

The Peppermint OS LXDEdesktop provides a familiar, uncluttered and simple computing platformwith plenty of access to additional software and Web-based services.

The change to the Firefox Web browser resulted from Googles decision to end support for 32-bit Chrome and move to PPAPI plugins that ended flash support in 32-bit Chromium. This is the first time since Peppermint 1 that the community has adopted Firefox as the primary browser, which is significant since the Ice app is closely aligned with the Web browser.

The return to Firefox required a rebuild of Ice to allow Firefox to open SSBs in a similar fashion to Chromiums app mode. However, if you prefer the Chrome or Chromium browser, you can still install it as your default choice. The Peppermint developers kept full support for the creation and removal of SSBs in all three browsers.

New Look, Same Feel

Long-time users of earlier Peppermint editions will notice a new look. It is flatter with a dark GTK appearance and colorful icon choices. This default theme change is not reflected in the appearance of Firefox, however.

The browser has issues with dark GTK themes on some websites, so the Peppermint developers locked Firefox to a light theme independent of the system default. You still can carry the new theme into Firefox by using a new tool called Firefox Themer in the Peppermint Settings Panel to unlock/relock the Firefox theming.

Another change is the swap to Pluma from the gEdit text editor. This could be a nice upgrade. Pluma is a fork of gEdit 2 used in the MATE desktop environment. It brings more functionality through additional features and plug-ins.

The Peppermint developers made the switch to get around how gEdit handles windows decoration. Its odd behavior interferes with the rest of the system theming.

Virtual Snafus

I did not experience any issues with installing Peppermint 7 in Virtualbox for testing, but some users have reported trouble that is hardware-dependent. Those graphics issues cropped up during the install on recent versions of Virtualbox. The Peppermint 7 ISO reportedly goes into abnormal resolution that scrambles the graphics in Virtualbox.

The workaround, according to the Peppermint team, is to tweak the installation in a relatively simple way. When you first load the Live CD in the virtualbox, hit F6. When you see Try *ubuntu or Install *ubuntu, hit the Esc key.

Next, look for white letters at the bottom of screen ending with: -quiet splash. Change to this: -quiet splash vga=791 (do not use parentheses). Then hit the enter key to boot.

This forces GRUB to hold the resolution at 1024x768x16. The VM instance should boot perfectly, so you can continue with a normal Virtualbox installation.

Icing on the Web

Peppermint takes a path that at first seems similar to the Google Chromebook platform or rebranded Cub Linux (formerly the Chromixium distro). Both use the Web browser as the OS or as an integral part of it, but the similarity ends there.

Peppermints innovative approach provides installed software that runs without cloud interaction. The Peppermint OS is not tethered to the Google apps infrastructure.

The Peppermint OS integratestraditional Linux software with cloud-based computing tools.

Instead, it uses the crafty Ice SSB, which lets users easily create a launcher that connects to a website with desired content or services.

Ice technology enables Peppermint users to connect to cloud applications by clicking additional menu items. The user does not manually navigate to the Internet location in a URL window within a Web browser. Rather, the browser contains and displays the Web application in a window.

Fully Functional Desktop

Peppermint runs a fully functional Linux distribution. You install Linux software and run cloud applications without being tethered constantly to the Internet. Several package repositories are provided in Peppermint 7.

Until you actually create a menu shortcut to a Web service, you easily can miss the convenience of SSBs. If you are heavily invested in Web applications, using Peppermint could be a no-brainer.

Ice allows an application to function more like a standalone window rather than running directly through the Web browser. This approach offers the advantage of additional screen space as well. SSBs do not include all the functions and menus of a browser.

Using the Ice technology in the Peppermint OS is much like launching a Web service or other Internet location on a smartphone or tablet. For instance, you launch Google Docs, Gmail, Twitter, Yahoo Mail, YouTube, Pandora or Facebook as self-contained apps on a mobile device.

However, these pseudo apps never need updating on Peppermint. Ice easily creates a menu entry to launch any website or application as if the package were installed on the hard drive.

Out of the Box

Peppermint 7 is a pleasant looking and easy-to-use Linux distro. It comes stocked with a handy variety of accessories and system tools. However, the standard fare of office suites is sorely missing. Other than a smattering of apps like Gmail and Google Drive, you get only a text editor. Even standalone spreadsheets are missing.

This is no doubt part of the philosophy behind the Web app approach that drives this distro. You have to pick office products to install.

Finding software to install is no problem  the Peppermint repository is well supplied with thousands of titles. The software center application is uncluttered and easy to navigate.

Just click the All Categories tab and enter the name of your favorite applications. My cursory survey found everything that I use in my daily computing workload. If you can not find what you need, however, switch to the Synaptic Package Manager.

Bottom Line

Peppermint is a solid Linux operating system with a record for good performance and reliability. It is an ideal choice for handling everyday computing chores.

LXDE provides a fast and friendly desktop environment. The entire desktop package and tweaked Peppermint 7 settings give you lots of options for creating a comfortable platform. My only dissatisfaction is the lack of much in the way of desktop animation effects. All it provides are semi-transparent application interfaces in the background.

The Peppermint community is headed by the Peppermint OS LLC, a software company based in Asheville, North Carolina. Founded in 2010, the open source company issues one major release per year. A partial upgrade rolls out periodically.

Want to Suggest a Review?

Is there a Linux software application or distro youd like to suggest for review? Something you love or would like to get to know?

Please email your ideas to me, and Ill consider them for a future Linux Picks and Pans column.

And use the Talkback feature below to add your comments!
Today marks an important milestone for commercial drone usage in the U.S. as new rules by the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) have officially gone into effect.

According to the guidelines, commercial drones must weigh less than 55 pounds, fly up to a maximum of 400 feet in altitude, at a speed of no more than 100 miles per hour, and can only be operated during daytime and up to 30 minutes before sunrise and after sunset.

Package delivery is allowed, but will largely be limited by a requirement to keep drones within visual line of sight. Other than that drones can carry packages as long as the combined weight of the drone and the load is less than 55 pounds.

Pilots must be at least 16 years old and are required to apply for a Remote Pilot Certificate, subject to a full TSA background check, a $150 fee and passing a two-hour, 60 multiple-choice questions at one of the 686 testing centers across the United States.

The rules are limited in scope and don't cover more complex uses of unmanned aircraft, especially at higher altitudes and beyond the sight of operators. They also don't address key privacy and safety issues, like flying over people. But it is a step forward after years of debate and one that might help spark innovation in the industry.

Prior to today, people needed a pilot's license to fly a commercial drone, while business had to request special permission from the federal government for any commercial drone endeavor, a process that often took months.

The new rules do not apply to people who are flying drones strictly for recreational purposes. The FAA has a separate set of rules for those drone operators. They don't need a special license but they do need to register their drone if it weighs over 0.55 lb.
Last week, it was reported that a growing number of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users were finding their smartphones had fallen victim to the so-called "Touch Disease." Apple still hasn't officially acknowledged the hardware issue, leading to some owners filing a proposed class action lawsuit against the company.

The problem is a result of the phones' bendability, which causes the touch controller chip's soldering to crack eventually and start to lose contact with the board; a problem that's made worse through dropping and rough handling. As this happens, a flickering gray bar appears at the top of the iPhone and the screen starts becoming unresponsive, up to the point where it no longer registers touch.

This same flexibility brought about the "bendgate" phenomenon. The issues led to Apple stiffening the next generation iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.

Three plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against Apple over the weekend, alleging that the company knows about the design flaw but refuses to acknowledge or repair it, thereby violating several California consumer protection laws.

All three plaintiffs purchased iPhones that eventually showed signs of Touch Disease. Apple refused to repair the devices; instead, it offered to replace them at a cost of more than $300.

"Apple has long been aware of the defective iPhones," the complaint says. "Yet, notwithstanding its longstanding knowledge of this design defect, Apple routinely has refused to repair the iPhones without charge when the defect manifests."

The plaintiffs hope to elevate the case to "nationwide class" status to include anyone who bought an iPhone that suffered from Touch Disease.

Todd Cleary of California, Jun Bai of Delaware and Thomas Davidson of Pennsylvania have also accused Apple of fraud, negligent misrepresentation, unjust enrichment and breach of implied warranty. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages.
Samsung isn't the only company showing off its high-end gaming monitors at IFA. The South Korean firm's local rival, LG, will have three of its own ultrawides at the Berlin event, including what it claims is the world's largest 21:9 monitor.

Aimed at the workplace and for professionals, the curved, 38-inch 38UC99 packs a Quad HD+ (3840x1600) resolution and two built-in 10W Rich Bass Bluetooth compatible speakers. It can display 99 percent of the sRGB spectrum, and LG says it's the first ultrawide monitor to feature a USB Type-C port.

Taking on Samsung's gaming models is the 34-inch curved 34UC79G monitor. LG claims its 144Hz refresh rate will be a world's first for a IPS 21:9 curved Ultrawide. It comes with a number of gaming features, including one millisecond Motion Blur Reduction, Black Stabilizer to show up darker objects, and Dynamic Action Sync to reduce input lag.

Additionally, like Samsung's IFA monitors, the 34UC79G comes with FreeSync, so AMD card owners can enjoy buttery smooth performance. There's also a target function that overlays a crosshair in the center of the screen to improve accuracy in first-person shooters, and a mouse cable hook to prevent drag resistance.

Finally, there's the multimedia-focused 34UM79G; a flat, 34-inch ultrawide IPS monitor with an incredibly thin bezel. While it lacks FreeSync, it does come with built-in support for Google Cast.

The 38-inch 38UC99 will cost $1499 when it goes on sale in mid-September. The 34UC79G gaming monitor will sell for $699 when it debuts in October, while the flat 34UM79G arrives in November for $599.
Samsung has heard and listened to the Galaxy Note 7 owners' complaints, and it's now set to bring back Action Memo to the phablet.

Considering that it's a classic and one of the most used features, it's not hard to imagine why plenty of users out there came running to the South Korean company and asking it to give them back what's rightfully theirs, not to mention that the S Pen sort of lost its appeal because of what happened.

A quick look at the Samsung Notes app page at the Google Play Store will show the horde of people who are unhappy by the absence of Action Memo, bombing the app with one-star ratings.

"I used action memo 24/7 on my Note 4. I upgraded to the Note 7 recently and I honestly do not like the fact that it is now gone. Now I have to switch out of apps to create a note and there is no longer a floating icon on my screen to remind me I have something important to remember," a user who goes by the name of Dallas Adoraslash says.

In response, Samsung apologized for it and promised that Action Memo will be making a return, assuring the user that support will be coming this September.

"Thank you for your feedback. We apologize for the inconvenience. Action Memo will be supported for Version 1.2 (before late September)," the company replies.

For those who don't know, the feature allows Note owners to quickly and conveniently jot down notes on the smartphone using the S Pen. More often than not, it comes in handy at times. For instance, it can call or send a text message to handwritten phone numbers or have Google Maps look up an address on it.

To boil things down, the update is expected to arrive sometime in September, and it won't be long until users everywhere can write down notes and phone numbers easily and use various functions on them.

In other related news, the Galaxy Note 7 is surrounded by a couple of issues here and there, including the S Pen getting stuck and the Gorilla Glass 5 getting scratched easily, to name a few.

At any rate, what do you think of the arrival of the Action Memo to the Galaxy Note 7? Feel free to hit us up in the comments section below and let us know.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
LAKE FOREST, Calif., Aug. 30, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - Clearinghouse Community Development Financial Institution (Clearinghouse CDFI) announced today Grandpoint Bank's initial Class A equity investment in the amount of $500,000. Grandpoint Bank is focused on helping to build strong, stable businesses that create jobs, provide services and support healthy communities. The bank's substantial equity investment will help Clearinghouse CDFI continue its mission to provide community development lending in underserved areas.

"We are thrilled to welcome Grandpoint Bank to our growing list of strong community partners," said Douglas Bystry, Clearinghouse CDFI President and CEO. "We appreciate their significant investment in Clearinghouse CDFI and their mutual commitment to revitalizing our local communities."

Clearinghouse CDFI will leverage Grandpoint Bank's investment to finance affordable housing, commercial real estate, small businesses, and community facilities projects. Similar projects previously financed by Clearinghouse CDFI include:



Apache Railway  $2.5 million in financing for the preservation of the historic Apache Railway, retaining existing jobs and providing the likelihood of furthering economic development in rural Arizona

One World Beef  A $5 million loan to facilitate the acquisition and restart of a shuttered meat packing facility, with the immediate return of 200 living wage jobs in the economically distressed Imperial Valley, and long term prospects for a total of 600 living wage jobs

West Bay Housing Corporation  $1.8 million in financing for a nonprofit organization providing affordable, community-based, supportive housing for individuals with special needs

"We are pleased to partner with Clearinghouse CDFI to help meet our common goals of bringing economic opportunities to underserved individuals and communities in so many of the markets that Grandpoint Bank serves," said Jerro Otsuki, Chief Financial Officer of Grandpoint Bank. "We have been consistently impressed by their ability to identify needs and create responsive and innovative solutions that make a real difference in people's lives."

"This partnership is exciting, and it is a perfect fit with our bank's CRA strategy to give back to our communities in ways that are truly meaningful," added Cynthia Mendoza, Grandpoint Bank Compliance & CRA Officer.

ABOUT CLEARINGHOUSE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FINANCIAL INSTITUTION (Clearinghouse CDFI)

Clearinghouse Community Development Financial Institution (Clearinghouse CDFI) addresses unmet credit needs in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Sovereign Nations in the Western U.S. Rated 'AA' Stable by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, Clearinghouse CDFI is an industry leader helping to bridge the gap between conventional lending standards and the needs of low-income and distressed communities.

Over the course of 19 years, Clearinghouse CDFI has funded $1.2 billion in total loans for over 1,650 projects which have created or retained more than 13,800 jobs and benefit over 1 million individuals. Clearinghouse CDFI is also a B Corp--a certification received from the nonprofit B Lab. B Corps are companies who meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability, and use business as a force for good. At June 30, 2016, Clearinghouse CDFI has total assets of $312 million. More information is available at: http://www.clearinghousecdfi.com.

ABOUT GRANDPOINT BANK

Grandpoint Bank is a commercial business bank headquartered in Los Angeles. Calif. The Bank focuses on serving the financial needs of small and mid-sized businesses and their owners, professionals and entrepreneurs. Grandpoint serves clients through six Grandpoint Bank branches in Los Angeles and Orange counties. The Bank also has three divisions: Regents Bank, which has four offices in San Diego County and one in Vancouver, Wash.; Bank of Tucson, with two offices in Tucson, Ariz.; and The Biltmore Bank of Arizona, with an office in Phoenix, Ariz. At June 30, 2016, Grandpoint Bank had total assets of $3.3 billion. Grandpoint Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of Los Angeles-based Grandpoint Capital, Inc.http://www.grandpointbank.com

This article was originally distributed on PRWeb. For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/08/prweb13646372.htm
Samsung has left its electronics-only manufacturing days behind and branched out into every industry  banking included  and is now planning to offer superior safe transactions for its clients.

As the company builds various devices from smartphones and smart TVs to VR devices and smart household appliances (refrigerators and washing machines), it makes sense that the company is embedding security features into some of them.

The company's flagship handsets are the place where electronics crafting and banking services synergize for the satisfaction of the end client. Samsung offers a number of banking and financial services in a number of countries.

One of the business units of the OEM, Samsung Securities, recently unveiled that its plans to bring out a new security feature for its customers. The capability will enhance both account management and the security of the transactions pertaining to that account.

This feature is the iris scanner that comes with the Galaxy Note 7, and it looks to be an actual safety feature, not just a gimmick. The OEM says that the iris scanner will provide authentication for its banking services.

An insider from the business unit explains that Samsung Securities' mobile trading system will allow users to identify themselves using the Note 7's iris scanner together with the public digital authentication certificate.

According to people familiar with the matter, iris scanning tech is something multiple stock trading companies from South Korea are thinking of adopting.

Also, keep in mind that Samsung is not at its first attempt to bring iris scanning technology into the banking industry. A number of banks from the country inked deals with the OEM so that their customers can benefit from expanded security on their Galaxy Note 7 when they tap into the respective banking services.

Although iris authentication tech did not start with the Galaxy Note 7, Samsung still requires backing from other rival handset manufacturers so that the security measure gets traction. When a consistent number of smartphone builders adopt the technology, enough critical mass will be in place, which should give financial institutions enough comfort to tap into it.

It is likely that, as fingerprint scanners are the norm in mobile security, both banks and smartphone manufacturers will search for another way to strengthen the security of mobile transactions.

It remains to be seen if end customers will find the iris scanner technology to their liking, and how the electronics manufacturers will adapt to the feedback from the market regarding the new technology.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The FBI has found security breaches in the voter registration databases of Illinois and Arizona, according to an official of the United States.

The bureau is also now urging states to improve their computer security systems in preparation for the upcoming presidential election on Nov. 8.

The official, who wished to remain anonymous, added that investigations are underway to find out if other states have also been targeted.

The flash alert released by the FBI on Aug. 18 from the bureau's Cyber Division did not reveal the two states that were involved and the identity of the hackers. The flash alert requested for election officials to be on their guard against similar cyberattacks.

It was later determined that Russia-based hackers were behind the security breaches, which compromised the information of as many as 200,000 records of voters in Illinois.

"This is the closest we've come to tying a recent hack to the Russian government," the official that revealed the Russian connection of the hackers said.

The hack on the voter registration database of Illinois was successful, prompting the state to shut down the registration of voters in July after the 200,000 records were downloaded. Officials, however, remain confident that the records were not altered or deleted.

Meanwhile, in Arizona, the hackers attempted a security breach using malicious software but were not successful in doing so. In June, after the discovery of malware on the computer of a county election official, the state shut down its online voter registration for nine days.

There is a growing concern among United States intelligence officials that hackers, who are sponsored by Russia or other countries, may be launching an attempt to disrupt the upcoming presidential elections.

TrustedSec CEO David Kennedy said that the attacks on the voter registration databases appear exploratory and not sophisticated, which means that they could be precursors to a more damaging and widespread cyberattack.

Another concern is that the Russian government may be looking to sow uncertainty in the process of the presidential election. While two United States officials said there is no definite conclusion that Russia is attempting to do so, the worry is real.

The officials said the Russians have long been involved in cyber espionage, with their targets being people in the political scene. Is Russia now expanding its cyber operations toward the goal of destabilizing the political process of the United States?

Just last week, it was reported that Russian hackers also attempted to breach the Moscow bureau of the New York Times. Intelligence officials believe that the cyberattack was part of a wider goal of acquiring information from non-governmental organizations with connections to the United States political system.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Web sensation Grumpy Cat now has a real reason to be grumpy.

Her owners alleged that a company that licensed the cat's image for use in the sale of its coffee beverages has overstepped its bounds by using Grumpy's image on other items not covered in the licensing agreement.

A lawsuit was first filed at the end of last year, and now Grumpy's owners have just filed for a default judgement, alleging that the company in question, Grenade Beverage, has not adequately defended itself against the lawsuit. In the interim, the website on which Grenade has been selling its Grumpy coffee products is currently "unavailable" with a "We'll be back soon" message posted to its splash page.

Grumpy, whose real name is Tardar Sauce, is arguably the most famous cat on web, no small feat for an internet that regularly features thousands of cat videos, images and memes. Grumpy's sour facial expression is not really a reflection of her mood, but instead a result of two conditions, feline dwarfism combined with an underbite.

In 2012, Grumpy took the web by storm when the brother of the cat's owner posted a picture of her on the web. Since then, the cat has gone on to star in countless memes, receive more than 8 and a half million Facebook likes, and appear on a slew of large, respected media outlets.

Grumpy has been featured on all three major broadcast networks: NBC News' "Today Show," ABC News' "Good Morning America" and The CBS Evening News, was named the year's most influential cat by MSNBC in 2012 and won BuzzFeed's Meme of the Year Award at the 2013 Webby Awards. Grumpy starred in a 2014 Lifetime movie titled "Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever", and her book hit the New York Times Bestseller list. Stuffed animal replicas of the cat are officially produced and sold by Gund, with smaller plushies also available from other manufacturers.

Obviously Grumpy Cat has become big business for its owners, who are seeking to protect their future interests against Grenade and also requesting $600,000 in damages. They claim that they never authorized Grenade to sell additional coffee products and T-shirts featuring Grumpy's image.

"Not only was the Infringing Product never approved by Plaintiff under the License Agreement, but the packaging and marketing materials for the Infringing Product....primarily and exclusively incorporate Plaintiff's exclusive intellectual property, including the Grumpy Cat Copyrights and the Grumpy Cat Trademarks," according to their complaint. However, even if Grumpy and her owners win the judgement they are seeking, Grumpy is highly unlikely to crack a smile.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Ride-sharing service leader Uber revealed that board member David Drummond, who is also a longtime executive for Alphabet, has left his position several weeks ago.

Drummond, Alphabet's senior VP of corporate development, stepped down as an Uber board member due to increasing concerns of conflict of interest. He became a board member back in 2013 during Uber's early days, and his departure shows that the company has grown into a significant player in Silicon Valley.

"I recently stepped down from Uber's board given the overlap between the two companies," said the 53-year-old Drummond in an e-mailed statement, adding that Google Ventures will remain an investor for Uber.

Drummond, who joined Alphabet's Google in 2002, also serves as the chairman of the conglomerate's investment arms, including venture capital group Google Ventures. He helped oversee the $250 million investment of Google Ventures into Uber back in 2013.

Despite Alphabet's heavy involvement in Uber, the departure of Drummond from the ride-sharing service's board could not be considered a surprise, as the two companies are locked in the race to release fully-functioning self-driving cars into the market.

Travis Kalanick, the CEO of Uber, revealed earlier in the month that an Uber fleet made up of about 100 Volvo XC90 units that are equipped with the company's self-driving technology are soon going to be released into the streets of Pittsburgh. The self-driving cars will have an engineer in the driver's seat, ready to control the vehicle when needed, and a copilot to take notes on the performance of the technology. The self-driving cars will be randomly assigned to requested rides, which will be free.

Alphabet's Google, meanwhile, recently hired former Airbnb chief Shaun Stewart to head its self-driving car division. The move looks to commercialize Google's self-driving cars to make the technology more accessible to the public, which could eventually lead to an Uber competitor in the near future.

As the two companies develop their own self-driving technology and increasingly become direct competitors, Drummond was said to have been shut out from Uber board meetings. The arrangement would have contributed to Drummond's decision to leave Uber's board.

Uber now has seven board members, including investor Bull Gurley, media magnate Arianna Huffington and Saudi sovereign wealth fund managing director Yasir Al Rumayyan. Uber said that it will not be looking to fill the position that was vacated by Drummond.

David Krane, the head of Google Ventures, will remain as a board observer for Uber. However, it was also reported that Uber is shielding information from Krane, an arrangement that is likely in place to prevent Google's self-driving division to learn about Uber's plans for its own self-driving car.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
AT&T has won the lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding its data throttling plans. In the now dismissed case, the FTC said the American telecommunications conglomerate intentionally reduced data speed of customers subscribed to its unlimited data plans.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit sided with AT&T and reached a decision to dismiss the lawsuit that was filed by the FTC in October 2014.

The FTC filed the complaint under section 5 of the FTC Act, taking issue with AT&T's inadequate disclosure about how the plans will substantially get reduced in speeds during a given billing cycle once an unlimited data customer's consumption has exceeded the network carrier's set threshold, without regard to real-time network congestion. Section 5 of the FTC Act prevents persons, partnerships or corporations from using unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce.

"The central issue before us is whether AT&T is covered by section 5, which exempts, among others, 'common carriers subject to the Acts to regulate commerce,'" says Circuit Judge Richard Clifton.

Of course, there are exceptions to Section 5's coverage. Corporations such as banks, saving and loan institutions, federal credit unions and the mentioned common carriers are some of the specified ones. FTC's problem arose when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reclassified mobile data as a common carrier service from non-common carrier service and thus, making AT&T a common carrier.

While the FTC argued that AT&T's activities in question predates its reclassification, the federal appeals court deemed that AT&T's exemption from Section 5's coverage as status-based, which exempts it from regulation for as long as it has the status of a common carrier.

"We conclude, based on the language and structure of the FTC Act, that the common carrier exception is a status-based exemption and that AT&T, as a common carrier, is not covered by section 5," states the federal appeals court's ruling that was filed on Aug. 29.

"Because AT&T was a common carrier, it cannot be liable for the violations alleged by the FTC. The district court's denial of AT&T's motion to dismiss is reversed, and the case is remanded for entry of an order of dismissal."

Even though AT&T has survived this battle against the FTC, it is still in locked horns with the FCC, which proposed a $100 million fine for the same internet connection throttling activities that the FTC cited.

Note that when AT&T became the Apple iPhone's exclusive provider within the United States in 2007, it also started offering unlimited mobile data plans to its customers. However, in 2010, AT&T shifted to tiered data plans and stopped offering unlimited mobile data plans to new customers. In 2011, AT&T began throttling the speed of its unlimited data plan users, according to the FTC.

"Although AT&T attempts to justify this program as necessary to prevent harm to the network, AT&T's throttling program is not actually tethered to real-time network congestion," says Clifton. "Instead, customers are subject to throttling even if AT&T's network is capable of carrying the customers' data. AT&T does not regularly throttle its tiered plan customers, no matter how much data those customers use."

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Verizon has launched the LTE Advanced network, which will provide the carrier's subscribers with up to 50 percent faster peak speeds across 461 cities in the United States.

Access to LTE Advanced comes at no additional cost to Verizon customers, and they can begin enjoying the perks of the network as long as their smartphone is one of the supported devices and is on the latest version of its software.

In a video posted on the official page of LTE Advanced in Verizon's website, the connection speed of a device on the Verizon LTE Advanced network is shown to be almost three times that of a device on the regular Verizon LTE network.

LTE Advanced combines multiple channels to send mobile data to customers faster, using a technique known as carrier aggregation. Verizon owns several spectrum bands, and the devices of the carrier's subscribers normally only use the strongest signal. However, with carrier aggregation, Verizon will send customers mobile data on two or three channels at the same time, increasing the speed that users can enjoy.

Under optimal conditions, aggregation on two channels can reach peak speeds of 225 Mbps while aggregation on three channels can reach peak speeds of 300 Mbps. That speed is much faster compared with most home broadband services.

With the launch of LTE Advanced, Verizon becomes the first carrier to do a large-scale release of three-channel aggregation. AT&T and Sprint have already been using two-channel aggregation, with Sprint calling it LTE Plus.

Sprint and T-Mobile have both been working on three-channel aggregation, but Verizon has beaten them to the punch in launching the feature. When Sprint launched the Unlimited Freedom plan in response to the T-Mobile One, Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure said that the company's biggest asset is its spectrum, as it owns the most unused spectrum among all carriers. The spectrum will allow Sprint to accommodate the extra load generated by its unlimited data plan, and it would also be crucial in its three-channel aggregation once it launches.

Here is a list of devices that are capable of enjoying the LTE Advanced network:

Apple

iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 5 SE, iPad Pro, iPad Pro 9.7, iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 4

Asus

Zenpad Z8

Blackberry

BlackBerry PRIV

HTC

HTC 10, Desire 626, One M9

LG

LG V10, LG G4, LG G5

Motorola

Motorola Nexus 6, Moto X, Moto Z Force Droid, Moto Z Droid, Droid Turbo 2, Droid Turbo

Netgear

MHS AC791L

Novatel

MiFi i6620L, MiFi USB620L

Samsung

Galaxy S6 edge Plus, Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy View, Galaxy Tab S2, Galaxy Tab E 8.0, Galaxy Note 7

Sony

Xperia Z3v, Xperia Z2 Tablet

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Now Facebook To Have User-Activated Safety Checks | TechTree.com

Last year, following a lot of the natural disasters taking place, Facebook had launched the 'Safety check' feature, which allowed one's friend and close network individuals know their status, during the emergency situations. Looking at the positive implications it had on people, especially those located in distant geographies, Facebook is now working on creating a safety check feature, which users can activate themselves, to let close friends and family know of their latest status, during emergencies. This announcement came from CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who was speaking at the Luiss University in Rome, where he revealed it during a Q&A session.

Zuckerberg explained, "If we're building a community product, this is one of the moments of truth for us. When Safety Check got started a couple of years ago, it was only for natural disasters. Unfortunately since then we've had to expand it to terrorist attacks too, because that's just been too common over the last few years. The next thing we need to do is make it so that communities can trigger it themselves when there is some disaster."

However, as per details available thus far, it is not yet known, when the feature would go live, and how it will turn out. But like most things Facebook, this will only be known as a surprise introduction.

TAGS: Facebook, Safety, Mark Zuckerberg
TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 30, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ForeSight Medical, a national leader in controlling costs of surgical implants in the workers compensation arena, has demonstrated its commitment to data security and privacy by completing a rigorous outside audit of its Service Organization Controls 2 (SOC 2) standards.



The demanding third-party examination that led to the data security achievement was administered by the professional IT assurance and compliance staff at 360 Advanced, a respected national Qualified Security Assessor, HITRUST CSF Assessor and Certified Public Accountant firm based in Tampa, FL.

Achieving SOC 2 compliance is clear evidence of our commitment to exceeding our clients expectations as we continue to work to attain the information-security gold standard, said Bill Elliott, Chief Operating and Information Officer at ForeSight Medical. As we have earned recognition for compliance in HIPAA, Hi-Tech, ISO 27001, and now SOC 2, there is no doubt that ForeSights dedication to the integrity and confidentiality of our systems is deeply ingrained in our company culture.

ForeSight has engaged 360 Advanced to administer the rigorous SOC 2 Type 2 and HITRUST assessment later this year, further demonstrating its focus on IT assurance and compliance and providing ForeSight with a clear competitive advantage.

ABOUT FORESIGHT MEDICAL

Founded by a team of healthcare executives with decades of experience in purchasing, billing, and supply chain management in the surgical implant sector, ForeSight develops analytic and defensible solutions to control the rapidly growing costs of surgical implants in workers compensation. Based in Tampa, FL., ForeSight serves clients nationally and can be reached at 855-481-1205 or via www.foresightmedical.com.

ABOUT 360 ADVANCED

360 Advanced is one of only a few specialized firms in the U.S. that assist service providers as their independent IT assurance and compliance assessor in maintaining and communicating security and compliance to their clients.

360 Advanceds services are provided, but not limited to, the following industries: Title Services, Hosted and Managed IT, Data Center and Colocation, Software as a Service (SaaS), Healthcare, Financial Services, Insurance, HR | Payroll | PEO, Legal and Collections, Bulk Mail Printing and Distribution, Background Screening, Business Process Outsourcing and Marketing.

Services provided by 360 Advanced include HITRUST CSF, SOC 1 (SSAE 16), SOC 2, SOC 3, PCI DSS, HIPAA Security/HITECH, Microsoft Vendor Policy and other security and compliance services.
Elecciones presidenciales

El pais mas grande de la region elige este domingo a su proximo mandatario. Tras no lograr hacerse con la mayoria de los votos en los comicios del 2 de octubre, Luis Inacio "Lula" Da Silva y Jair Bolsonaro se disputan la Presidencia en una balotaje que enfrenta tendencias y valores contrapuestas. Con equipos en el terreno, Telam presenta una cobertura exclusiva con noticias, analisis, opinion, fotos y mas.
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
SMITHFIELD, Va., Aug. 30, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Smithfield Foods announced a donation of 80,000 pounds of protein to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank delivered over the next two weeks. Currently, Smithfields refrigerated Helping Hungry Homes truck is housing 40,000 pounds of protein and an additional truck with another 40,000 pounds will be delivered by Friday.



"We are very grateful for Smithfields support during this time of extreme need, said Michael G. Manning, president and CEO of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. Securing protein is often difficult in normal circumstances and these floods have brought additional obstacles. Their contributions, as well as the use of the much-needed refrigerated trailer, will go a long way to help feed the community as we recover from the historic flooding.

To date, more than 30 parishes have been declared disaster zones with limited access to common resources including food for thousands of families. Smithfields protein donation is part of its Helping Hungry Homes initiative to alleviate hunger across the country and help Americans become more food secure. Last week, Helping Hungry Homes also provided 25,000 pounds of protein, which Operational BBQ Relief and Sams Club transformed into warm meals for flood victims.

We will continue to do everything we can to help feed our neighbors in Baton Rouge following this unprecedented disaster, said Dennis Pittman, senior director of hunger relief for Smithfield Foods. Were honored to contribute to the work of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank as it supports those impacted by these floods.

For more information or to learn how you can assist the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, visit www.brfoodbank.org.

About Great Baton Rouge Food Bank

The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to feed the hungry in Baton Rouge and the surrounding parishes by providing food and educational outreach through more than 115 faith-based and community partners. For more than 30 years, we have served the hungry and distributed countless meals to those in need. The food bank relies on community support from those who give funds, food, and time. Join us! Together, were fighting hunger. Visit www.brfoodbank.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Smithfield Foods

Smithfield Foods is a $14 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield, Eckrich, Nathan's Famous, Farmland, Armour, John Morrell, Cook's, Kretschmar, Gwaltney, Curly's, Margherita, Carando, Healthy Ones, Krakus, Morliny, and Berlinki. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com.
jogi159 wrote:

Nationality: Indian

Age: 26

Undergrad: BE Electronics and Telecommunications - 63% (We do not have a GPA/relative scoring system, this score is decently above median)

GMAT: 730 (Q50 V39). First- congrats on upping your GMAT score!



WE: 1 Year in a Private Equity (PE) advisory and support firm

2 Yrs in a Global Investment Bank

6 months (currently) in a large India focused Growth PE



Volunteer Experience

1 Year of mentoring an underprivileged child,

1 Year Pro bono tutoring to two underprivileged kids



Extra curricular: Sanskrit Scholar; Yoga practitioner and teacher;



MBA Plans: Short Term - Associate at an Emerging Markets tech focused PE, Long term: Partner at a similar PE



Inputs will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I think you have the potential to be competitive at Tuck and many top programs- but you will have to demonstrate why Tuck appeals to you- also highlight your global and your team experiences. It is great that you already have some PE experience! Be sure to visit - or if you can't do that participate in online chats and local MBA tours where you can meet someone from Tuck- you will need to show why this program (and really for any program) has some unique aspects that really make sense for me. If you'd like to learn more about how we can help you in presenting your best self... call us for a free consult and we can talk more: https://stratusprep.com/free-consult/
An Aedes aegypti mosquito is seen inside a test tube as part of a research on preventing the spread of the Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases at a control and prevention center in Guadalupe, neighbouring Monterrey, Mexico, March 8, 2016.

The spread of the Zika virus across tropical Southeast Asia is likely to be significantly under-reported as local health authorities fail to conduct adequate screening, regional experts said on Monday.

International travel hub Singapore confirmed 41 locally-transmitted cases of the mosquito-borne virus on Sunday and said it anticipated more, raising fears about how quickly it could disperse throughout the region.

Other parts of Southeast Asia have reported dozens of cases of Zika, which in Brazil has been linked to thousands of suspected cases of microcephaly, a rare birth defect, but there are fears the true numbers are masked.

"Zika is under-reported and under-diagnosed," Khin Myint, head of the emerging virus research unit at Indonesia's government-funded Eijkman Institute, told Reuters. "We find many cases are not presented in hospitals because it's a relatively mild disease with mild symptoms and people are not going to doctors."

The World Health Organization (WHO) lists Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam as countries with "possible endemic transmission or evidence of local mosquito-borne Zika infections in 2016."

But the Jakarta-based Eijkman Institute, the main body testing for Zika in Indonesia, said it tested only 1,000 people in the past year - a tiny number in Southeast Asia's most populous country. It found just one positive case, despite reports that Zika is prevalent in the country.

Thailand has recorded the highest number of cases in the region at almost 100 infected people across 10 provinces this year.

"Thailand's surveys have not been thorough enough," said Kriengsak Limkittikul, assistant professor at the Department of Tropical Medicine at Mahidol University in Bangkok, noting that people without symptoms are often not tested. "Screening is inadequate in other countries in the region, too, where health authorities are ill-equipped to test," he said.

Vietnam has recorded three cases of Zika infection, all locally-transmitted, while Cambodia has reported seven cases.

Hong Kong confirmed its first case of Zika on Friday, in a woman who had traveled to the Caribbean.

A major difficulty is that while Zika can cause mild fever, a rash and red eyes, an estimated 80 percent of people infected have no symptoms.

There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is a close cousin of dengue and chikungunya and is transmitted by mosquito. There have also been a small number of cases of sexual transmission reported in the United States and elsewhere.

MIXED RESPONSE

Some countries in the region began ramping up protective measures following the outbreak in Singapore.

Muhamad Subuh, a senior Indonesian health ministry official, said authorities are "in the process of stepping up health checks at main airports and ports, including in Batam," the island closest to Singapore.

Indonesia introduced thermal scanners at airports targeting arrivals from Singapore over the weekend, and plans to roll them out to ports. Authorities are also handing out printed warnings to all incoming passengers, noting Zika has an incubation period of around 10 days before presenting any symptoms.

Malaysian Health Minister Subramaniam Sathasivam said travelers who enter Johor Bahru, where up to 200,000 people commute daily to and from Singapore, will go through thermal screening at border checkpoints. People crossing in private vehicles will not be scanned but handed a pamphlet detailing the symptoms and asking them to report to authorities if they develop those.

Malaysia is also stepping up vector control mechanisms including fogging and larvicidal spraying in Johor Bharu.

"What we can do as a country comes down to how well we control our vectors, and at this point of time, dengue is still a bigger problem than Zika because people can die from dengue," Subramaniam said.

Other countries were not responding so quickly.

In Thailand, the Department of Disease Control said it was screening athletes returning from the Olympic Games in Brazil, but otherwise not changing its prevention methods. Vietnam and Cambodia made no immediate changes to their border controls.

"Different countries have different economic and political situations and it's not that they don't want to screen the virus, but they don't have the resources and capacity to do it at this stage," said Jasper Fuk-Woo Chan, a clinical assistant professor at the Carol Yu Centre for Infection at the University of Hong Kong.
Vietnamese President, Tran Dai Quang delivers a speech at the 38th Singapore Lecture, organised by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), on August 30, 2016

Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang warned on Tuesday there would be no winners in any armed conflict sparked by territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Quang, who is on a state visit to Singapore, told a forum that recent developments there were threatening regional security.

The Vietnamese leader did not mention any country but there is growing unease over China's actions.

China, which claims most of the South China Sea, has reclaimed reefs and built airstrips capable of hosting military equipment, sparking anger from competing claimants.

"The East Sea, located at the heart of Southeast Asia, not only brings about many important benefits to nations in the region but it is also a vital route to maritime and air transport of the world," Quang said, using the Vietnamese name of the sea.

But "recent worrying developments" there "have had a negative impact on the security environment of the region, especially maritime security and safety, freedom of navigation and overflight".

"And should we allow instability to take place, especially in the case of armed conflicts, there will be neither winners or losers but rather all will lose," he warned.

Tran was speaking to diplomats, academics and students at a forum organised by the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute.

Four Southeast Asian states -- Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam -- as well as Taiwan have competing claims in the sea.

Last month the Philippines won a case against China at a UN-backed tribunal in the Hague which rejected Beiijing's claims to most of the sea.

China boycotted the hearing and has refused to recognise the ruling.
Chinese national Tang Yuan Xun is tried on robbery charge in Hanoi Monday

A court in Hanoi on Monday sentenced a Chinese national to seven years' imprisonment for robbing a motorbike taxi driver last year.

Tang Yuan Xun, 26, was arrested in June 2015 when he attempted to rob the female driver at knifepoint in a local highway, the People's Court of Hanoi heard.

According to the indictment, he entered Vietnam on tourist visa in early that month. On Jun. 27, 2015, he took a motorbike taxi driven by Pham Thi Lanh, 24, from Thach That District to My Dinh.

On the way, Tang, who was riding pillion, suddenly held a knife at Lanh's throat and demanded her money.

Lanh fought back, biting his hand, and then lost control and crashed her bike into the gate of a company.

The Chinese man tried to flee the scene but was arrested by the company's guards and some passers-by.

Tang told the court he only intended to take her money and not her bike, because he had spent all her money by then.
As family and friends mourn the death of Ithaca College sophomore Anthony Nazaire, who was fatally stabbed outside a party at Cornell University on Sunday morning, police are working to determine what led to Ithaca's first murder in five years. According to Nazaire's older sister, the stabbing may have been sparked after the Nazaire's friend accidentally bumped into a young woman on campus.

"[He] was with his friend [Raheim Williams], his friend bumped a girl by accident and he apologized," Kiara Nazaire told the Daily News. "The both of them apologizedeven my brother apologized, he didn't bump the girl." Williams was also stabbed during the fightWilliams was airlifted to the SUNY Upstate University Hospital, where he was treated for multiple stab wounds.

It's still unclear how a minor mistake developed into a full-blown brawl, but witnesses say the fight escalated quickly. Trevon Hanks, a 22-year-old student at Tompkins Cortland Community College told the News that he saw a person "covered in blood" on the ground during the fight.

Ithaca Police said that surveillance footage from the fight shows multiple witnesses recording the altercation on their phones. "If you witnessed it, if you were in the area, even if it's small or minor to you, it might help us crack open the case," Ithaca PD's Public Information Officer Jamie Williamson told Pix11. Officers recovered a weapon from the scene but did not specify what type of weapon was used in the stabbings, Ithaca.com reports.

Students of both universities were shocked by the events. "This is a campus we all see as a safe place and home," Cornell junior Alex Maisel said. Nazaire's family and friends are even more shaken by the tragedy.

"You take your kid out a neighborhood and you do your best to send him to a good proper college and he comes back in a body bag?" his mother, Katia Toussaint, told the Post.

Those closest to Nazaire describe him as a serious student who was studying business administration and was an executive board member of Brothers4Brothers, a student organization dedicated to empowering men of color. He was the first member of his family to graduate high school and attend college.

"He's never been in trouble with the law. He's a very good student," his cousin Channelle Nazaire told the Ithaca Voice. "I just wanted to go to your graduation. I'm going to your funeral instead" she wrote in a series of Facebook posts, where she also posted pictures of business cards the teenager had printed in preparation for his sophomore year.

"This is a 19-year-old educated, well-mannered young man.... how could you rob him of his life, how could you do this to us?" Channelle Nazaire wrote.

Nazaire's family held a vigil for him outside the building where he grew up on Newkirk Avenue in Flatbush. A vigil is also planned for today at the Ithaca College campus. Authorities are urging anyone with information about the crime to contact Ithaca PD 607-272-3245 or Cornell Police at 607-255-1111.
Fishers in central Vietnam now have to send their catch for testing every several days. Photo: Hoang Tao/VnExpress

Vietnam's agriculture ministry has demarcated no-fishing zones along the central coast, saying these swaths of water need time to recover from the toxic spill scandal linked to Taiwanese conglomerate Formosa.

In an official statement, the ministry set the zones over 800 square kilometers in total around Son Duong Island off Ha Tinh Province, Nhat Le Beach in Quang Binh Province and Son Cha Island off Thua Thien-Hue Province. The zones stretch as far as 1.5 kilometers from the shore.

Nguyen Ngoc Oai, deputy head of the fishery department at the ministry, said the temporary ban is mainly to give time for sea creatures in the areas to recover.

Oai admitted that the levels of iron as well as the toxic phenol and cyanide in the zones are higher than elsewhere, but said they are still within permitted levels.

The ministry also asked fishers to refrain from harming deep-sea habitats within 20 sea miles from the shore in the four affected provinces, which also include Quang Tri.

Our research team found that the ecology system, like coral reefs, is starting to recover, and fishing at or near the seabed will compromise that process, Oai said, as cited by news website VnExpress.

Fishers are also required to send samples from their catch to be tested for toxins and heavy metals every two or three days, the ministry said.

An estimated 70 tons of dead fish washed ashore along more than 200 kilometers of coastline in April in what was possibly Vietnams most devastating environment disaster.

A unit of Taiwans Formosa Plastics which operates a steel plant in Ha Tinh has been held responsible.

The government said the company had discharged waste containing phenol, cyanide and iron hydroxides in the water, harming the livelihoods of more than 200,000 people, including 41,000 fishers. The company has pledged to pay compensation of US$500 million.

The disaster has created a seafood scare across the country and also hindered tourism in local beach towns.

The environment ministry last week released a study assuring that the water is now safe for swimming and aquaculture. The new fishing ban from the agriculture ministry may have weakened that assurance somewhat.
A man was injured when a tree fell on him on Tuesday, the third casualty caused by trees uprooted by heavy rain and strong wind in Ho Chi Minh City in the past few days A man was injured when a tree fell on him on Tuesday, the third casualty caused by trees uprooted by heavy rain and strong wind in Ho Chi Minh City in the past few days

The 20 meter high Senegal mahogany on the sidewalk of Su Van Hanh St. in District 5 suddenly fell across the street at around 3.30 p.m., witnesses said.

The tree trunk struck the man, identified as Huynh Minh Cuong, 34, who was riding a scooter.

More than 20 locals and passers-by joined force to lift the tree to pull Cuong out. He was rushed to hospital with grave injuries, witnesses said.
Russia's politically-sensitive and ultimately fruitless decision to launch bombing missions on Syria from Iranian soil has exposed the limits to its air power, leaving Moscow in need of a new strategy to advance its aims.

People familiar with Russia's military said Moscow opted for the sorties from Iran - and Tehran agreed to allow them - because they were struggling to achieve their aim of crushing rebels in the city of Aleppo.

The gamble failed and rebels fighting their ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Aasad, remain ensconced in parts of Aleppo.

Russia began air strikes on Syria in support of Assad on Sept. 30 last year, launched from bases in government-held territory and from warships. Then this month, facing logistical problems in mounting an expensive campaign at a time of tight state finances, it intensified the bombing of Aleppo in what turned out to be a brief series of raids from Iran.

The strikes on the Aleppo rebels seem to have achieved little beyond stirring a political row in Iran, whose constitution forbids the establishment of any kind of foreign military base.

The fact that Russia went to such lengths to achieve its aims in Aleppo and still failed could strengthen the hand of those in Moscow who believe the operation in Syria has reached a watershed, and that it is time to seek a negotiated solution.

"I get the feeling we're like a horse at the circus, running around in a circle since Sept. 30 when we first deployed our aircraft there," said a person close to the Russian defense ministry who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"Our forces are insufficient, our coordination with the Iranians is not at the required level. We need to change something. What, I don't know."

Iranian sensitivities

Russia's defense ministry announced on Aug. 16 that it had for the first time used an air base in Iran from which to launch air attacks on Syria.

On subsequent days, long-range Russian Tupolev 22M3 bombers, escorted by Sukhoi fighters, took off on sorties from the Nojeh air base, near the Iranian city of Hamadan.

Letting Russia base aircraft there was politically sensitive for Iran: the last time a foreign power had used an Iranian air base was in World War Two.

Some Iranian lawmakers called it a breach of the constitution while Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan said that, by publicly revealing the arrangement, Moscow had committed a "betrayal of trust".

By Aug. 22, Iran's foreign ministry announced that Russia's use of the base had ended. In Moscow, the defense ministry said aircraft operating from the bases had completed their tasks.

A spokesmen for Russia's defense ministry and spokeswoman for the foreign ministry did not respond to Reuters questions about its objectives in Aleppo and its use of the Iranian base.

But Andrei Klimov, a pro-Kremlin member of the foreign affairs committee in the upper house of Russia's parliament, said the cost of the Syrian operation may have been a factor.

"We are trying to conduct the operation in Syria within certain sums," he told Reuters. "The defense ministry has other expenditures. Therefore to optimize costs, more economical routes are sought. Any sensible country does the same thing."

Aleppo escalation

Russia's desire to use the base was "linked to the increase in intensity of military activity in the Aleppo area", said Vasily Kashin, an analyst with the Center for Analysis and Technologies in Moscow, which advises Russia's defense sector.

"It seemed that, in the opinion of the Syrian, Russian and Iranian commands, a watershed moment is coming."

That chimed in with other evidence that Russia and its allies were ramping up their efforts to take control of Aleppo over the last two months. The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah, which is allied to Iran, said on June 24 that the movement would send more fighters to the Aleppo area. The battle for the city was of strategic importance, he said.

Since then, residents and opposition activists have reported an increase in the intensity of raids on Aleppo, including the high-altitude operations which distinguish Russian bombing from that by low-flying Syrian aircraft.

That was matched on the ground by an offensive from Syrian government forces which left rebel-held areas besieged. Aid organizations reported a jump in civilian casualties and warned of a humanitarian disaster because of a shortage of supplies.

The Iranian base was a crucial logistical cog in this escalation in Aleppo because without it, Russia's Tupolev jets have to fly the greater distance to Syria from Russia, and back.

That means carrying more fuel, which reduces the bomb payload they can carry, and also - because of the longer flight time - cuts into the number of sorties they can fly.

Air bases inside government-controlled parts of Syria were not suitable for the Tupolev aircraft, and adapting them would be expensive, according to Kashin.

The person close to the defense ministry said of the logistical challenges facing Russia's air operation: "We don't have all that many planes."

Peace overtures

During the intensified bombing, the rebel forces in Aleppo even counter-attacked in the middle of this month, breaking the siege and restoring access to supply routes.

According to defense experts, Russia does have the military capacity to intensify its bombing in Syria further, whether or not it has access to the Iranian base.

But that would mean more expense for Russia, which is struggling to fill gaps in its budget, faces a parliamentary election next month, and has seen the Syrian operation drag on far past the Kremlin's original timetable.

In May, President Vladimir Putin announced that "the main part" of Russian armed forces in Syria would start to withdraw, saying that their work had "on the whole, been fulfilled". But still the bombing went on.

The difficulty of making progress militarily will make a negotiated solution more attractive to the Kremlin.

Russia agreed on Thursday to a 48-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Aleppo to allow aid deliveries to get through, U.N. officials said. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met in Geneva on Friday to talk about a possible truce in Syria.

Huge differences though remain between Moscow and its allies on one hand, and the United States and its allies on the other, not least over the future of Assad. Previous openings for peace talks have dissolved into renewed fighting.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull participates in a traditional smoking ceremony marking the start of Australia's new Parliament session at Parliament House in Canberra, August 30, 2016. AAP/Mick Tsikas/via REUTERS

Support for Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has fallen to an all-time low, according to a poll by The Australian newspaper on Tuesday.

The poll of 1,696 Australian voters found satisfaction with Turnbull has fallen to 34 percent, the lowest level since he ousted former Prime Minister Tony Abbott in September 2014.

Turnbull enjoyed record-high approval ratings after securing the leadership but his numbers have waned significantly as the government failed to chalk up legislative victories.

The make-up of Australia's new Parliament threatens to continue Turnbull's struggles.

Turnbull called early elections in July to break a deadlock in the Senate, the upper house, where a handful of independents has blocked the government's agenda of corporate tax cuts and workplace reforms for more than two years.

But the election backfired, leaving the ruling Liberal-National coalition with a one-vote majority in the lower house and dependant on either the opposition Labor Party or eight to 10 independents or minor party senators to pass legislation.
Commander of the Swiss Air Force Lieutenant General Aldo Schellenberg talks to the media during a news conference in Bern, Switzerland August 29, 2016.

The Swiss military has launched a search for a pilot and his plane after a fighter aircraft belonging to the country's air force went missing during a training exercise on Monday.

The plane, a one-seater F/A-18C, disappeared near Susten in central Switzerland on Monday afternoon, the Swiss defense ministry said.

The suspected accident site in the mountainous Alpine region was difficult to access, with bad weather and darkness hampering the search efforts, it added.

Swiss Air Force commander Aldo Schellenberg told a media conference he was deeply shocked by the incident.

When asked about the survival chances of the pilot, he said: "We hope and pray," Swiss news agency SDA reported.

The incident began when the aircraft took off from the air base at Meiringen at 1401 GMT as the second plane in a training exercise.

Radio contact with the base was lost at around 1405 GMT, and the plane was logged as missing.

A search mission was launched with helicopters, but was later abandoned due to bad weather. Two ground-based search teams have also begun looking for the pilot and the aircraft, while an investigation into the suspected crash is now underway.

Family members of the pilot, who has not been named, have been informed and were being cared for by the military.

The incident is the third time the Swiss Air Force has lost one of its F/A 18 jets in the last three years. A pilot was injured when an aircraft crashed in October 2015 in southeast France, while another F/A 18 crashed in 2013.

Earlier this year a Swiss F-5E air demonstration fighter jet collided with another plane and crashed into a pond in the northern Netherlands ahead of an air show.
The United States scrambled on Monday to get its feuding allies, Turkey and Kurdish YPG militia, to focus their firepower on Islamic State instead of each other after clashes that have threatened to unravel America's war strategy in Syria.

Turkey, which has long viewed Kurdish militants as its top security threat, upended U.S. assumptions about the conflict by launching a major push last week into northern Syria that has included areas controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which includes experienced Kurdish YPG fighters.

In turn, Turkey has blamed a rocket attack from a YPG-controlled area for the death of one of its soldiers on Saturday. Turkey said it killed 25 Kurdish militants on Sunday.

"We've called on both sides to not fight with one another, to continue to focus the fight on ISIL," U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter told a Pentagon news conference, using an acronym for Islamic State.

White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said further Turkish targeting of the SDF, which also includes Arab fighters, would undermine efforts to forge a "united front" against Islamic State.

But experts say the Turkish offensive has again exposed the vastly different, often competing objectives of America's allies in the five-year-old conflict in Syria, where the Islamic State is only one of many actors.

It has also raised questions over whether Turkey will attempt to thwart any more major advances by the SDF, just weeks after the Pentagon hailed the group's victory against Islamic State in the town of Manbij, about 30 km (20 miles) south of Turkey's border.

Carter signaled no change in U.S. strategy on Monday, stressing that both the SDF and Turkey were critical allies in Syria. The Pentagon hopes U.S.-backed forces can eventually retake the Syrian city of Raqqa from Islamic State.

"We do understand that they (Turkey and Kurdish fighters) have historical differences with one another but American interests are quite clear," Carter said. "We, like they, want to combat ISIL and we are calling on them now: 'Lets keep our priorities clear here.'"

Tensions with Turkey

Experts say the best-case scenario for defusing tensions would be for Turkey to accept U.S. assurances that the YPG is withdrawing east of the Euphrates river. Turkey, which wants to stop Kurdish forces from further extending their control near its border, has demanded such a withdrawal.

Carter on Monday described the river as a natural barrier that would separate Turkey and the YPG.

"What we can do and are doing with them is to clarify where the YPG elements of the SDF are and are not," he said, adding YPG fighters were indeed withdrawing.

In a nod to Turkey, Carter also praised Turkish military advances against Islamic State in the past week, notably its seizure of the town of Jarablus.

Blaise Misztal, director of national security at the Bipartisan Policy Center think-tank, said the United States was witnessing the consequences of a strategy that heavily depended on Kurdish fighters to defeat Islamic State, despite explicit Turkish objections.

Turkey is battling a Kurdish insurgency on its soil.

"The enemy of my enemy is still my enemy," Misztal said.

Experts warned that it was far from clear whether Ankara would back down, given that the United States was unlikely to side with Kurdish militia over NATO ally Turkey.

Turkey is host to important U.S. and NATO military facilities. They include Incirlik Air Base, from which U.S. fighters and drones hit Islamic State in neighboring Syria, U.S. listening posts and an early warning radar for NATOs European missile defense system.

"When it comes down to: Do we alienate the Turks, or do we alienate the Syrian Kurds, there's no doubt who's going to be the loser," said Bruce Riedel, a Middle East expert at the Brookings Institution and a former CIA analyst.

The United States is already walking on eggshells after accusations from Turkey that Washington was too slow to condemn last month's failed coup there.

In a sign of the sensitivities, the top U.S. military officer, General Joseph Dunford, called his Turkish counterpart on Sunday and Carter told the briefing he would see Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik next week.

President Barack Obama will meet with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Sept. 4, the White House said.
This morning, I connected to the Transit Wireless W-iFi at West 4th Street to let my editor know I was being held hostage by the MTA. Instead of the typical ads for ride-sharing apps, the connection prompt showed something new: a link to download hundreds of short stories, presumably so I could read something other than angry Tweets about the F train.

For the next eight weeks, commuters can peruse five free short stories while waiting underground, thanks to Subway Reads, a partnership between Penguin Random House and our mass transit overlords.

"New York's transportation network must continue adapting to the changing needs of its ridership and a key part of that is delivering the amenities that have become essential components of everyday life," Governor Cuomo said in a statement announcing the program, which was launched to promote recent expansions in free underground Wi-Fi. As essential as Wi-Fi is to my everyday life, getting to work at a reasonable hour is a little higher up on the list. But hey, thanks for the books!

The free shorts include classics like F. Scott Fitzgerald's A Diamond As Big As the Ritz and Edgar Allan Poe's The Murders in the Rue Morgue. Scott and Poe probably had to deal with worse commutes than you and I (Poe died before the subway was even a thing), and they didn't even have free books to help ease the pain.

The Subway Reads library also includes excerpts from 175 full-length titlesone for each Wi-Fi equipped station. Penguin Random House made an effort to include "as many titles by New Yorkersor about New Yorkas possible," resulting in a pretty wide selection that even includes Spanish-language works by Junot Diaz and Isabel Allende.

The excerpts are all mobile optimized and presented as a single webpage, so you won't have to flip through pages or lose your place due to spotty service. A special feature called "read time" helps you choose stories depending on the length of your commute, although there's no guarantee you won't get stuck underground after finishing an excerpt from Beloved.

The website also includes links to purchase full-length books from Amazon and other online retailersand the MTA will get a cut of the profits. Maybe if everyone starts reading more the MTA won't "run out of money."
Update, 4 p.m.:

Family members of injured sheriff's deputy Nick Tullier told WBRZ on Tuesday that he is responding to some verbal commands.

Tullier's father, James, told WBRZ's Michael Shingleton, Nick Tullier responded to doctor's request to move his toes and thumb.

See the full story here.

Original story:

East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Deputy Nick Tullier's father said Tuesday that President Obama's physician called Monday to recommend two rehabilitation hospitals for Tullier.

The two facilities are TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

+2 Obama introduces injured EBR deputy Nick Tullier's father to personal physician During his visit to Baton Rouge Tuesday, President Barack Obama met with the family of injur

Obama's physician "has done some research and was letting me know his and a surgeon at Walter Reeds thoughts as to the best facility for Nicks case," James Tullier, Nick's father, wrote in a Facebook post. "Due to our discussion, hes going to recycle back to the surgeon and some others hes talked to and rethink; then give their recommendation."

During his visit to Baton Rouge last week, Obama met with Tullier's family and introduced the family to his personal physician.

+2 Obama introduces injured EBR deputy Nick Tullier's father to personal physician During his visit to Baton Rouge Tuesday, President Barack Obama met with the family of injur

Nick Tullier, 41, was critically wounded in the July 17 attack on law enforcement in Baton Rouge. He was shot in the head and the stomach and has remained in the hospital since the attack, which killed three officers and left two others wounded.
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Public schools in Central sustained between $6 million and $8 million in flood damage, the bulk of which stems from flooding at Tanglewood Elementary school, Superintendent Michael Faulk told the School Board Monday night.

While Central does not carry flood insurance on its schools, up to 75 percent of the damage, as well as other expenses incurred during the flooding, is eligible for reimbursement from FEMA, Faulk said. The school system has sufficient financial reserves to pay for the repairs, he added.

Repairs to Tanglewood, the only one of Centrals five schools that flooded, will be extensive and last at least through the first semester, longer than earlier estimates, Faulk said.

Im hoping well be done by the time Santa Claus comes, he said.

Livingston schools hit worst in flooding, but is not alone Of the Louisiana school districts affected by the floods, Livingston Parish is reporting the

Faulk said bids are being opened Sept. 12 and the firm Grace & Hebert is preparing construction documents.

"Tanglewood on the outside might appear to be the same, but on the inside its going to be a modern new setting, Faulk said. Were really going to have our third new school.

While that work is under way, first- and second-graders at Tanglewood are heading to two new schools, Central intermediate and middle schools. Temporary classrooms are being set up in in a multipurpose room and gymnasiums.

Besides Tanglewood, the school systems Central Office on Joor Road was flooded, forcing school staff to find space on the unflooded school campuses.

I dont even have a desk. I have a computer. I got a table yesterday, Faulk said. Im as lost as a goose.

When students return to school on Sept. 6, the day after Labor Day, they will have spent only one day in school this school year and 16 days out of school. To make up for the lost instructional time and comply with state law, the Central School Board on Monday approved a new school schedule. Only Central Middles schedule is unchanged. The other four schools are adding between 15 and 25 minutes a day.

Faulk said his staff did not eliminate vacation days, many of which families have already planned around.

The only way we could do that is by adding additional minutes to the day, he said.

If Gov. John Bel Edwards decides to not require as many hours of instruction in the school year as the law requires, Faulk said he will shorten the longer school day some.

Central School Board to ask voters to renew property tax on the March 5, 2016 ballot The Central School Board agreed unanimously Friday to ask voters on March 5 to renew 32.52 m

Even as it plans to spend substantial money on repairs, the Central School Board voted unanimously Monday to roll back property tax rates, as it has in years past, and not reap increased tax revenue from the recent reassessment of residential property in the parish.

The rolled back millage rate is 57.62 mills, meaning residential property owners will get a break on their tax bills this year. Faulk did not provide a breakdown of what the millage would have been if the board had opted to instead do a roll forward, but said it was about 2.5 mills more.
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More than 5,400 people whose homes were damaged by the catastrophic flooding that swept across south Louisiana this month have applied to take part in the state's new "Shelter at Home" program.

It's unclear how many of them will qualify for the home repair effort, which was unveiled last week as a key component of the state's plan for addressing the needs of thousands of flood victims who have been displaced from their homes. But Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration expressed optimism about the first day's application haul.

"We expected a lot of interest in this program," Edwards spokesman Richard Carbo said. "We want people to be able to get back into their homes, and this is the program to get them in there as quickly as possible."

Through Shelter at Home, homeowners can get up to $15,000 worth of basic repairs to get them back into their houses. It comes at no cost to the homeowners.

Under the current state and federal disaster funding level, the state will pay 25 percent and the federal government will pay 75 percent of the costs of the program, but Edwards and Louisiana's congressional delegation has asked that the federal government take on a larger share of the disaster recovery costs, which would extend to Shelter At Home if its approved.

The goal is to get homes into a livable state, so people can stay there while they make more permanent repairs on their own dime  lessening the demand for other temporary housing options. It's not meant to be a permanent rebuilding program.

The state has hired AECOM to serve as the project manager. Carbo said inspectors were on the ground Monday to begin the initial stages of the work.

The program is separate from other aid efforts, such as assistance from FEMA or the Small Business Administration and requires a separate application process. The website, shelterathome.la.gov, and phone line, 1-800-927-0216, went live Monday morning.

Shelter at Home only covers minor repair work: basic electrical and plumbing inspections; carpet and insulation removal; air conditioning and hot water heater repairs; and installing temporary bathroom fixtures, are among the types of tasks that will be done to get people back into their homes. The program will also pay for mini-refrigerators or microwaves to be installed.

The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness estimates that many as 160,000 homes have been affected by the flood. Already, more than 120,000 households have applied for federal disaster assistance.

About 1,521 people remained in shelters Monday  825 at the Baton Rouge River Center, 193 at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Ascension, more than 190 at shelters in Livingston, and 30 people at the Heymann Center in Lafayette.

On Monday, Edwards and the state's congressional delegation met to discuss flood recovery efforts, including a possible federal aid package.

Edwards and members of the delegation described the meeting as productive but said it remained early in the process so no formal decisions were made.

"As thousands of families begin to recover from the devastating flooding across south Louisiana, it is our first priority to make sure that the necessary resources are available to those who are rebuilding from the great flood of 2016," the Republican members of the Congressional delegation said in a joint statement. "We had a productive meeting with Gov. Edwards this afternoon to discuss the response to the flooding and how our delegation can work with the state to recover from this disaster. As we await the official damage assessment, we will continue todays productive dialogue to ensure that our state emerges from this disaster stronger than ever.

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican, said that the delegation is united in support of the federal government to pick up a larger share of the recovery expenses. Officials have requested that the federal share be bumped from 75 percent to 90 percent.

Our discussion with the governor was a continuation of our unity in our request for FEMA to increase the cost-share structure between the agency and the state to a 90 percent-10 percent ratio," Cassidy said. We are fortunate that this delegation brings relationships with the Freedom Caucus, a seat on the House Ways and Means Committee, a position in House leadership, experience with water mitigation, as well as a seat on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Those that directly represent those affected share the responsibility to make sure that Louisianans have the resources they need to rebuild, recover and prosper.
David Duke, the white suprematist candidate for the U.S. Senate, over the weekend asked voters to back him and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The Trump campaign quickly disavowed Dukes support in the robocalls made to Louisiana voters. CNN reported Monday that the Trump campaign had no knowledge of these calls. The campaign went on to condemn Dukes stances, tweeting: There is no place for this in the Republican Party or our country.

Earlier this year, Duke caused trouble by praising the Republican presidential standard bearer, causing Trump to reject the endorsement several times over several days.

Running as a Republican from Mandeville, Duke is one of two dozen candidates seeking this fall to replace U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-Metairie, who is stepping down at the end of his term in January.

Ill tell the truth that no other candidate will dare say, Duke said in the recorded message. Unless massive immigration is stopped now, well be out numbered and outvoted in our own nation.

In addition to immigration, Duke also touched on issues raised by Trump  high taxes and threatened gun rights  on the presidential campaign trail.

Duke said when qualifying for the Senate race in July that he is running as an advocate for European Americans.

Were losing our country, Duke continued. Look at the Super Bowl salute to the Black Panther cop killers. Its time to stand up and vote for Donald Trump for president and vote for me David Duke for the U.S. Senate.

Duke told the website BuzzFeed News Monday that Everyone is saying theyre voting for Duke and Trump.

Duke was a leader of a Ku Klux Klan faction in the 1970s. He ran strong, but losing campaigns for the U.S. Senate and Louisiana governor in the early 1990s. He pleaded guilty in 2002 on to the felony charge of filing a false tax return, though he contends he didnt do it, and was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison.
A painting of flora on an electrical box sits on Elysian Fields where 200 live oak trees were planted in 2006 in New Orleans, Saturday August 27, 2016. About 100,000 trees were killed during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Eleven years later there is evidence of non-profits and city organizations effectively helping with the comeback of urban trees.
Cameron Blanchard is like thousands of others hit hard by the recent floods in south Louisiana. His house and most of his belongings went underwater at his house off ONeal Lane.

But its the loss of his two cars that had Blanchard worried Tuesday as he stood outside the Celtic Studios shelter off Airline Highway. Though he hadnt tried to drive them yet, he was pretty sure they were totaled; grass and debris littered the interiors and engine of both.

I only have liability, he said, referring to his insurance coverage. That means the money to replace the cars will have to come out of his own pocket, something that will be tough for the 28-year-old, who relies on his cars to get to work and school.

Blanchard isnt alone. There are no firm estimates yet on the number of cars destroyed, but its at least in the five-figure range.

As of Wednesday, State Farm -- just one of the insurers that serves car owners in the area -- had received almost 18,000 auto claims related to flooding. That number was more than double the number of homeowner claims the company had received, spokesman Roszell Gadsen said.

With such a large volume, towing companies have been stretched to the limit.

Weve been working around the clock, said Ronnie Stewart, of Stewarts Towing in Livingston Parish.

Its been hectic and crazy, Stewart said. He estimated that his company, a small one with four trucks, had towed more than 300 cars since the waters receded.

There were still plenty more left to be towed.

We probably havent put a dent in all the cars thats flooded, he said.

In East Baton Rouge Parish, the woman who answered the phone at Roadrunner Towing said there were no words to describe how busy it had been. Roadrunner, which has contracts with several local police agencies, had towed more than 700 vehicles by midweek.

Most of the cars are being taken to private towers' yards or large auto salvage yards like Insurance Auto Auctions in Livingston or Copart in Greenwell Springs.

Jeanene OBrien, of Insurance Auto Auctions, said the company is handling thousands of cars per day.

A cars trip to one of these yards will be the first leg of its journey to the compactor or the junkyard.

When a flood-damaged car arrives at Insurance Auto Auctions yard in Livingston, for example, the vehicle identification number is registered with both the National Insurance Crime Bureau and the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System.

The state's Office of Motor Vehicles also will issue a certificate of destruction for any car that is totaled because of a gubernatorially declared disaster. The certificate is reported to those same national databases as a "fatal brand," or one that should prevent the car from being sold for anything besides parts or scrap.

Insurance Auto Auctions sells only to licensed dealers, scrappers or dismantlers, OBrien said. Members of the public cannot purchase cars from the company's lots in Louisiana.

The process has improved since Hurricane Katrina, when thousands of destroyed cars remained under highway overpasses for months, said Jill Jarreau, of the OMV.

"We are learning as each situation goes on, and it becomes more and more efficient each time," Jarreau said. "What we have in place now helps protect consumers and transferers."

Even when a person has insurance, the delays caused by overburdened claims services after a disaster can still cause headaches.

Jeanne Savoy lives on the west side of Denham Springs. The more than 3 feet of water that washed into her house also swamped her Hyundai Sonata.

Savoy tried to get a rental car, but the best she could get was on a waiting list, so she ended up buying a nearly 10-year-old pickup truck to get her back and forth to work in Baton Rouge.

The money that we were saving was supposed to go to a car for my son, she said. Her insurance offers rental coverage, but that lasts only 30 days, she said. Shes afraid that it may be more than 30 days before her car is demolished and she gets a check for the Sonata.

I would not want to get one and waste my 30 days when they havent even looked at it, she said.

Fellow Denham Springs resident Jeff Burris is in a similar bind. His Toyota Highlander and Honda Accord both were flooded. He has insurance, but as of late in the week, the cars were still sitting in the driveway. The tow truck has never showed up, he said.

Burris is driving a van he borrowed from his sister in Jackson, Mississippi, but thats only a temporary fix. We dont know what we are going to do, he said. We are just taking it day by day.

For those at the lower end of the economic ladder, the loss of a car can be devastating.

Tulane University professor Nghana Lewis said a car is often a poor persons lifeline to society. Its not just in terms of getting back and forth to your job, she said. Its really to navigate all aspects of life.

And when a functional vehicle is lost, its hard to get replacement value even if one does have insurance, she said.

That problem is exacerbated in areas without a strong public transportation infrastructure, like East Baton Rouge, Livingston and Ascension parishes. That will complicate the recovery process, said Stephen Barnes, a professor at LSUs Ourso College of Business.

One of the challenges of this event is that it hit people in areas that didnt think they would get hit, he said. Relative to hurricanes and other natural disasters, I expect the transportation impact to be much more severe.

Barnes said officials will have to consider investing in short-term public transportation options, like extending bus service to more areas and making it more frequent.

Also, officials will need to prepare for greater traffic loads in parts of the city, similar to what happened after Katrina.

Transportation infrastructure is often part of the long-term recovery process, Barnes said. Even something like short-term expansion of bus service could be really helpful for helping recover from this.

Linda Gladstone is on a fixed income.

Her 12-year old Toyota Corolla -- a car she got when she left New Orleans after Katrina -- was flooded along with her house in northeastern Baton Rouge. A towing company has taken it away.

I dont know where it is, she said. For the time being, she has a rental car, but that will run out, and shes unsure if the settlement she gets for the Corolla will be sufficient to get new wheels.

I cant pay a note on a car, she said. I need transportation because I have doctors appointments; I need to go to the store.

The location of her house -- near the intersection of Joor Road, Mickens and Greenwell St. -- affords precious few options.

They dont have bus service, she said. I will pray and ask God to send somebody to give me the rest of the money.
Workmen help homeowners pile up flood debris for removal on Monticello Blvd., which is off Greenwell Springs Road, on the way from Baton Rouge to Central. Though not in a flood zone, many houses there flooded during the recent catastrophic rain event.
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The Louisiana flood of 2016 has people asking plenty of great questions about any and all issues related to recovery.

Below are some major topics and stories that'll hopefully help guide you along the way.

This page will be updated daily with new information.

FEMA, STATE RECOVERY PROGRAMS

Here's how to navigate flood-aid process, minimize anger, confusion As flood recovery enters a new phase, FEMA officials are finding a lot of confusion  and some anger  about the myriad of aid available on fe

Understanding FEMA flood-recovery programs, why you're not getting 'thousands of dollars' immediately Unrealistic expectations are leading to a lot of questions, and sometimes anger, about the disaster assistance available and how the programs 

FEMA extends flood insurance renewal grace period The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced this week that due to the damage and displ

FEMA disaster recover centers in Baton Rouge, St. Francisville, Amite FEMA opened disaster recovery centers in East Baton Rouge, West Feliciana and Tangipahoa par

Other important resources:

-- Unsure where to start? Call FEMA at 800-621-3362, visit a disaster recovery center or visit FEMA's official Louisana recovery website.

-- You can also find information at the state of Louisiana recovery website.

INSURANCE

+2 Got flood insurance? FEMA says you're eligible for early payments Flood insurance policy holders in areas of Louisiana where a disaster has been declared will

How to file a flood insurance claim and why you should buy flood coverage Filing a flood insurance claim is a fairly straightforward process that starts with a call t

Other important resources:

-- Louisiana Department of Insurance

TIPS AND TRICKS

+3 Things to know before hiring someone to repair flood-damaged homes A lot of people need to hire someone to repair their flood-damaged homes, and there are a lo

+3 LSU AgCenter: What to do to prevent lasting damage to flooded homes If your home flooded and you can safely return, quick work is needed to avoid long-lasting d

How to replace important documents you lost in the flood Lots of people lost lots of stuff in the flood, including important documents.

Federal government offering program to cover prescription medication for uninsured flood victims In the disaster-stricken areas of southeast Louisiana, the U.S. Department of Health and Hum

How to live in close quarters with friends, family after flood Across south Louisiana, family and friends are coming together.

How flood victims can claim losses on 2015 tax returns Residents and business in the 20 parishes declared a federal disaster area will be able to c

Mold and other health concerns arise after flooding The next battle in the huge cleanup of south Louisiana will be waged against mold.

Those affected by flooding in federally declared disaster areas will be able to receive duplicate titles, registrations and other documents free of charge from the Office of Motor Vehicles.

For more information, visit http://www.expresslane.org/Pages/displaced.aspx.

Other important resources:

-- Volunteer Louisiana
Accused St. Tammany Parish drug dealer and militia leader James R. Moore Jr. pleaded not guilty Friday to four federal drug counts and one wea
A company owned by a St. Tammany Parish constable and an Arkansas state representative hired the bus full of laborers that caused a fatal accident on Interstate 10 near LaPlace on Sunday, a co-owner of the company said, and the driver not only lacked a license but had racked up five previous citations for that, records show.

Federal authorities on Monday issued an immigration detainer for the bus driver, who lacked a driver's license of any sort  a strong indication that the Honduran national will be deported after his criminal case has been adjudicated and he has served any resulting prison time.

The roughly two dozen workers in the bus, most of whom received minor injuries, were en route to Baton Rouge to seek jobs with the firm Wallace, Rush, Schmidt Inc., which employs crews remediating flooded properties and which provided the bus, according to David Wallace, the Arkansas legislator who is one of the company's three principals.

Eddie Schmidt, the longtime Ward 4 constable for St. Tammany Parish, is also a principal in the firm.

The bus driver, Denis Yasmir Amaya Rodriguez, 37, has remained in the United States for years without legal permission even as he repeatedly has encountered local law enforcement, who have cited him at least six times for driving without a license. He even filed an unsuccessful lawsuit in Jefferson Parish following a 2014 crash before pleading guilty to driving without a license in that case, according to court documents.

Amaya remained behind bars Monday on two counts of negligent homicide, negligent injuring, reckless operation and driving without a license.

Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have asked authorities in St. John the Baptist Parish to notify them before releasing Amaya, citing his arrest on felony counts following the crash on Interstate 10.

It's not clear whether ICE previously encountered Amaya before his arrest Sunday. But his checkered driving history highlights the agency's often controversial policies regarding immigration enforcement  an approach that focuses on the deportation of felons and largely ignores traffic offenses. Amaya was pulled over by Louisiana State Police as recently as Aug. 5, but the trooper did not contact ICE.

"ICE is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes the removal of criminal aliens and other individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security," Thomas Byrd, an agency spokesman, said in an emailed statement. "Aliens convicted of crimes involving violence are among ICEs highest priority for removal from the country."

Deputies in Jefferson Parish booked Amaya in June 2011 on allegations he punched his live-in girlfriend and then struck her with a cellphone  charges that later were dismissed.

Court records show that, before Sunday, authorities had cited Amaya five times for driving without a license since September 2012. He pleaded guilty in four of those cases, one of which also accused him of improperly changing lanes and careless operation of a vehicle.

Donald "Chick" Foret, a former federal prosecutor, said a traffic court judge could sentence someone convicted of driving without a license to six months of jail time, but that is rarely, if ever, done. That means people know they can be convicted of driving without a license and most likely avoid going to jail, Foret said.

"If an illegal alien can afford to pay the fines and court costs, the only penalty that (likely) will be assessed to him or her for multiple offenses is monetary," Foret said.

In two of his earlier cases, Amaya was stopped by a state trooper. That agency does not require troopers to investigate the immigration status of motorists they pull over, but troopers may ask ICE to respond if, for instance, they encounter someone suspected of a violent crime or distributing drugs, said Trooper Melissa Matey, a State Police spokeswoman.

Amaya was driving a party bus carrying two dozen workers from New Orleans to Baton Rouge when he apparently lost control of the bus and struck a fire engine that had stopped on Interstate 10 at the scene of an earlier wreck.

Wallace, Rush, Schmidt has hundreds of employees working in Baton Rouge right now, focusing on gutting commercial structures damaged in the recent flooding, according to David Wallace. Wallace told The Advocate that a company liaison named "Edgar" recruited the workers and rented the party bus; he said he could not recall Edgar's last name.

The bus was owned by AM Party Bus, a trade name of Kristinas Transportation LLC of Jefferson. AM Party Bus did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

A search of records in New Orleans and Jefferson did not show that Kristina's has a for-hire transportation license.

Wallace insisted his company hires only laborers with proper immigration papers. The company relied on Kristina's Transportation to ensure its drivers are licensed, he said.

"We do not hire illegals," Wallace said. "We look at their right-to-work documents, and we make sure they have the right to work in our country."

But at least one person on the bus  the driver  was not in the country legally. WWL-TV reported Monday that Amaya had been working for WRS' recruiting liaison, as well as for Schmidt, the St. Tammany constable. Schmidt could not be reached.

Either way, Amaya's acquaintances said Monday that he had merely been trying to make a living for himself, often taking jobs roofing, painting and landscaping, sending money home to relatives in Honduras.

He spent some of his free time worshiping at Spanish-language services held at an evangelical church in Fat City and frequenting a Latin American grocery just down the street from an apartment neighbors said he rented.

"Everybody's a loser in this situation," said one of Amaya's acquaintances, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "You have two people who lost their lives, and (Amaya) is probably going to have to do some (jail) time over this."

"He has to do something to be punished for it," the acquaintance added. "But he's really a human being."

The wreck occurred early Sunday, when the bus struck another vehicle and three firefighters who had been responding to an earlier crash, sending them over a guardrail and into a swampy waterway some 40 feet below. Col. Mike Edmonson, the State Police superintendent, described a "heroic effort" by first responders, who used a ladder to rescue the firemen, one of whom died in a trooper's arms.

"This was human nature at its finest," Edmonson said. "As sad as this event was, I could not be more proud of the troopers, first responders and ordinary citizens who assisted."

Spencer Chauvin, a district chief with St. John Fire Services, was pronounced dead at River Parishes Hospital. A passenger in the other vehicle, 21-year-old Jermaine Starr, of Moss Point, Mississippi, also was killed in the crash.

Another fireman, William Mack Beal, was treated and released Sunday, while the third, Nicholas Saale, remained hospitalized in guarded condition at University Medical Center in New Orleans. Cain Dufrene, the chief of operations for St. John Fire Services, said Saale had been removed from a breathing machine and "was actually talking and cutting up" Monday.

"It lifted my spirits," Dufrene said. "But he's got a little road ahead of him."

Dufrene said that Chauvin had dedicated his entire life to public service. He said the father of two would be best remembered for the leadership and courage he showed during Hurricane Isaac.

"The guy put out a house fire in 4 feet of water in the back of LaPlace," Dufrene said. "He made sure that fire was extinguished. That, in and of itself, is something you dont hear about much. Isaac is where he really led the guys."

The crash injured more than 30 people, including the two dozen workers who had been passengers on the party bus. Matey, the State Police spokeswoman, said troopers had not yet identified all of those victims, who had been taken to several hospitals in the area.

"Two of them are in a lot of pain throughout their whole body," said Cristian Silva, a Harvey attorney representing three of the bus passengers, all of whom have been released from the hospital. "One couldnt get up from the sofa."

Staff writer Gordon Russell and WWL-TV reporter David Hammer contributed to this report.
Australia's clean energy research efforts are heading for "the valley of death" if Parliament passes the Coalitions's omnibus package of cuts, according to leaders in the sector.

Hundreds of researchers around Australia, including dozens at both the Australian National University and the University of NSW, will be faced with the dole queue if cuts to Australia's renewable energy research agency are passed by the Parliament, according to one of the sector's pioneers.

Deep cuts to the funding of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, contained in the Turnbull government's omnibus "budget repair" bill before the Parliament this week, is an "existential threat" to clean energy innovation in Australia, Professor Andrew Blakers says.

Professor Blakers of the ANU is a world leader in renewables research and he says many of his colleagues nationwide will lose their jobs if the government gets its bill through Parliament and advances that would deliver major economic benefits to the country would be lost.
A bulldog has wriggled itself out of a concrete power pole in Conder after a three-hour rescue operation led by ACT Fire and Rescue.

Richardson's Billy Blacker said he nearly got stuck inside the pole at Tuggeranong Hill himself when he chased after his bulldog, Chief, who crawled into the pole and became trapped about 10.30am.

Chief the Bulldog with his owner Billy Blacka and ACT Fire & Rescue specialist rescue firefighters who spent two hours trying to rescue Chief before he wriggled himself out.

"I went in half way into the pole and couldn't grab him," Mr Blacker said.

"I could barely move and was nearly stuck but thought it would cause a little more trouble if I didn't back out."
The cull at Carlton has started, with the Blues making early list changes on Tuesday.

Journeyman ruckman Cameron Wood has retired, while former Sydney Swan Matthew Dick and youngster Jayden Foster have been delisted.

The trio join Michael Jamison and Andrew Walker in leaving Ikon Park, with the veterans both retiring earlier in the month.

Wood, 29, had an eventful AFL career, spending three years at the Brisbane Lions after being taken at pick 18 in the 2004 draft. After playing 16 games in three seasons at the Lions he was traded to Collingwood as part of the deal that sent former No.1 draft pick Travis Johnstone to Queensland. Wood played 48 games in five years at the Magpies - largely acting as the understudy to Darren Jolly - before being let go by the Pies. He spent a year at VFL club Williamstown in 2013 before being picked up as a rookie by the Blues, where he played 24 games, but none in 2016 under Brendon Bolton.
Fox News struck back against former anchor Andrea Tantaros on Monday, filing a motion to move her sexual harassment lawsuit into arbitration.

In papers filed in New York state Supreme Court in Manhattan, the network said, "Tantaros is not a victim; she is an opportunist."

Last week, Ms Tantaros filed the lawsuit in the same court, accusing Fox News of operating like "a sex-fuelled, Playboy Mansion-like cult" and said that she had been sexually harassed by Roger Ailes, the network's former chairman; Bill O'Reilly, the anchor; and others. In the suit, she claims that, after complaining about harassment, she was eventually marginalised and removed from the air.

The lawsuit names Mr Ailes; Bill Shine and Suzanne Scott, two programming executives; Dianne Brandi, the legal chief; and Irena Briganti, the network's top communications executive.
If you want to get your hands on some gold, then buying shares in Resolute Mining may be the way to go, with the company deciding to offer shareholders the choice of the precious metal or cash as dividends.

And the option may be all the more attractive if you reckon the price of gold will keep rising. It is already standing at near-record levels in Australian dollar terms, and if the local currency falls further against the US dollar, this could see your return rise further.

Resolute Mining boss John Welborn with the Perth Mint's Richard Hayes and part of the miner's 2015-16 dividend payment in gold bullion.

The company is joining the ranks of gold miners sharing their largesse with shareholders by paying a dividend, thanks to the strength of the gold price.

And if you hold more than 5000 shares, you could opt to take the yellow metal rather than cold hard cash.
Police are looking for a naked man who allegedly tried to rape a woman in Brooklyn this week.

The incident happened yesterday around 11:15 p.m. in the vicinity of East 55th Street and Avenue J in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn. The 23-year-old victim was walking toward her home a few blocks away when the unidentified suspect, who was completely nude, grabbed her from behind. He allegedly threw her to the ground and forcibly touched her.

The woman was able to free herself as the man tried to rape her. According to the Daily News, the suspect said, "pray for me" before running away.

The NYPD Special Victims Unit is investigating the incident. Cops describe the suspect as 25-30 years old with a thin build. The News adds that although the victim didn't recognize her attacker, witnesses said he was an emotionally disturbed person who lived in the neighborhood.


The long-anticipated move by internet giant Google to the Bays precinct, Sydney, is a step closer with the developers, UrbanGrowth NSW, revealing the two groups are in talks over a potential lease.

Google has been looking in the Sydney market for new space for many years with a mandate said to be as much as 100,000 square metres.

Artist impression of White Bay Power Station project, which could be the new home of Google if a lease is signed.

Google leases space in two buildings at Pyrmont, being 48 Pirrama Road, and 1 Darling Island Road, which is also the headquarters of Fairfax Media, the publisher of the Sydney Morning Herald, but which it is quickly outgrowing.

Its potential move to White Bay was first revealed in BusinessDay in January 2015.
Victoria's firefighters union has mounted a new defence of its contentious deal with the CFA, arguing it will boost response times in urban areas and avert potentially deadly operational failures in the approaching fire danger season.

The United Firefighters Union on Tuesday released data that it claims exposes a pressing need to strengthen the CFA's professional firefighting capability. It shows dozens of volunteer-only brigades that have had neighbouring brigades respond to a large proportion of residential call-outs.

The CFA dispute has dogged the Andrews government Credit:Jessica Shapiro

"This is the reality  we have a problem with services standards," union secretary Peter Marshall said. "The firefighters' enterprise agreement was drafted to address this."

The data does not, however, reflect rates of response-time targets not being met, and the Victorian opposition says the union's latest claims are a ploy to diminish public confidence in the role of volunteers.
Incoming ACT police chief Assistant Commissioner Justine Saunders is to be commended for the broadside she fired off against the force's toxic culture of harassment and bullying on her first day in the job.

That culture was documented last week in a damning report on sexual harassment, bullying and misogyny within the Australian Federal Police, of which ACT Policing is a part, by former sex discrimination commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick.

Assistant Commissioner Justine Saunders is committed to ridding the police force of bullies. Credit:Karleen Minney

Ms Broderick's report reveals that 46 per cent of women in both sworn and unsworn roles in the AFP had experienced sexual harassment and that bullying and intimidation were part of the workplace culture.

It also found women were seriously under represented in ACT Policing with only 35 per cent representation across the board.
It's a sad day when economic commentators like me have to spend so much time explaining what's wrong or misleading about the things the federal Treasurer says, rather than backing up his efforts to educate the public on economic realities and helping him fight for sensible though unpopular policies.

To be fair, Scott Morrison did have useful points to make in his big speech last week, his first major contribution since the election.

But then he veered off onto reinforcing the mythology of the greedy well-off, who resent being taxed to help those less fortunate than themselves.

He announced there was a new divide in the community  "the taxed and the taxed-nots".
It is crucial that the community can have confidence the judiciary is not only truly independent and has reasonable discretion over sentencing, but that upon its benches preside enlightened women and men. This can be no more important than in dealing with criminals who rape and otherwise sexually abuse children. We'll return to that issue below.

Our judges must have sufficient flexibility, experience and wisdom to deliver rulings and sentences that strike a balance between punishment and deterrence on the one hand, and fairness (to victims and perpetrators), community safety and the possibility of rehabilitation on the other.

The lives of children hang in the balance. Credit:Greg Newington

That is why mandatory sentencing is such a flawed notion  it is an unjustifiable restriction imposed on the judiciary by expedient politicians seeking to prove they are "tough on crime".

But lawmakers, as democratically elected representatives of the population, do have a valid public policy role in helping set sentencing guidelines.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has been confronted by an Anglican priest over comments linking opponents of same-sex marriage to bigoted views and homophobia.

Canberra priest Ian Powell approached Mr Shorten after the traditional church service to mark the opening of Parliament on Tuesday, as Labor comes under pressure to support the Turnbull government's planned plebiscite on same-sex marriage.

The Greens and Nick Xenophon's party have confirmed they plan to block the required enabling legislation in the Senate, with Labor expected to announce its opposition when the government finalises its plans for a February vote.

Rector Powell took issue with comments Mr Shorten made during the election campaign, linking a fatal shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida with the plebiscite campaign, saying it could "give haters the chance to come out from under the rock".
Sitting weeks in Parliament can be exhausting: early starts, late nights and countless appointments can take their toll come Thursday.

For newly minted senator Derryn Hinch, however, just getting through day one proved tiring. The Human Headline was snapped catching some shut-eye during Governor-General Peter Cosgrove's welcoming address to the 45th Parliament.

A sprightly-sounding Hinch later told Fairfax Media he was "just resting the eyes for a minute" after a busy first day in the office and a late night on television.

"It's a baptism of fire," he said. "I tried to get a half-hour kip this afternoon . . . and the bloody bell started ringing at four minutes to five."
Conservative MPs have flexed their muscles on the first day of the new Parliament, with Liberal senator Cory Bernardi signing up every government backbench senator bar one to a motion that would re-write section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.

But the libertarian South Australian senator denied the move represented a direct challenge to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's authority, even as he kick-started the push to re-write the law to drop "offend" or "insult" from the Act, while leaving in "intimidate" or "humiliate".

At the same time, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten put Mr Turnbull on the spot as he moved a motion that would have the Parliament restate its commitment to all Australians enjoying equal rights and deserving equal respect, "regardless of race, colour, creed or origin".

Mr Shorten's motion is identical to that proposed by former Labor leader Kim Beazley in 1996, soon after Pauline Hanson was elected for the first time, which was eventually put up by the former prime minister John Howard and backed by the then opposition leader. Mr Turnbull is said to be considering following Mr Howard's lead and putting forward the motion.
While they've been flirting with the idea of making their deviousness official, by partnering with sponsors and potentially even Public Transport Victoria ("At this stage it's all handled by ourselves, and creating and distributing the stickers is quite a costly endeavour," says Kalus), the clandestine nature of the project's worked in their favour so far.

"Sometimes we like to stay on the train, put the book down, and walk down further along the carriage and just spy from the other end," Kalus says.

"You usually see people looking at it like, 'Gosh, what's that doing there?'. Or people often chase us going, 'Hey, you've forgotten your book!'.

"But we've seen a few successful captures. Most times it just gets picked up and someone takes it off the train with them, which is really great to see."

"We want people to follow the book's own journey and adventure, and it's really special seeing the way people are connecting with the books and each other."
For Bruce Maguire, the best thing about the new $5 notes coming out this week is the presence of two small bumps "about the size of a chocolate sprinkle".

"It's one of the most significant things that's happened in my lifetime for people who are blind like me," says Maguire, a policy adviser at Vision Australia.

"It gives us for the first time full participation in using cash without the need to rely on others or use devices."

The new $5 note features a single bump on both of the long sides of the note. Eventually, the Reserve Bank will issue all bank notes with similar bumps - a different quantity for each denomination.
In a landmark decision that narrowly but clearly alters how New York defines parenthood, the state's highest court on Tuesday found that when an unmarried couple who decided to conceive children together splits up, a non-adoptive, non-biological parent has the right to seek visitation or custody.

The Court of Appeals ruling, authored by Associate Judge Abdus-Salaam, reverses a 25-year-old precedent that had barred non-adoptive, non-biological parents from claiming parenting rights.

The decision in the consolidated cases Brooke B. v Elizabeth A. and Estrellita A. v. Jennifer D., focused on changing social and legal definitions of family and parenting, which the court said necessitated an updated interpretation of the laws governing visitation and custody.

"In light of more recently delineated legal principles, the definition of 'parent' established by this Court 25 years ago .... has become unworkable when applied to increasingly varied familial relationships," the court wrote.

Both lawsuits were brought by women who with their former partners had decided to conceive a child through artificial insemination. In each case, the partners carried the child, who was raised by the couple. Each couple ultimately broke up, leading to the underlying conflict regarding parenting rights.

From that point on, the cases diverged. In the first case, Brooke B. filed a suit against her former partner, Elizabeth C.C., claiming she was entitled to joint custody and visitation of their child, a position endorsed by the child's Family Court-appointed attorney. Elizabeth argued that Brooke was not the legal parent of the child and sought dismissal of the suit. Citing precedent set in the 1991 case Alison D. v. Virginia M., the Family Court judge presiding over the case threw out the suit.

A fairly straightforward dispute. The details of the second case, however, are not so simple.

After Estrellita A. and Jennifer D. broke up, Jennifer filed a suit against her former partner seeking child support, which Estrellita said she wasn't responsible for providing. While the support case was pending, Estrellita filed her own suit, seeking visitation rights. Jennifer's child support petition was approved by Family Court on the grounds that the nature of Estrellita's relationship to the child made her its parent.

Estrellita then updated her visitation suit to include the Family Court ruling as evidence she was entitled to visitation. Jennifer asked the court to reject Estrellita's visitation claim. Recognizing the inherent inconsistency in Jennifer's positioni.e., arguing that Estrellita wasn't the kid's parent in the visitation case after claiming that she was in the child support casethe Family Court said Estrellita deserved visitation rights. Jennifer appealed to the Appellate Division, which upheld the Family Court ruling, which she then appealed to the Court of Appeals.

The Court of Appeals limited the scope of its opinion to instances in which two parents together decided to conceive and raise a child. The court declined to rule on whether non-biological, non-adoptive parents have parenting rights in situations where the couple didn't decide to conceive a child, but after conception decided to raise it together.

The court noted that Family Court retains power to make custody and visitation decisions in individual cases based on its discretion.




The Australian Tax Office has banned freedom of information requests from a website designed to improve the public's access to government.

The Right to Know website, run by the charity OpenAustralia Foundation, aims to simplify the FOI process by providing advice and explanations.

The Australian Taxation Office and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection have failed to meet deadlines to adopt IT security measures. Credit:Andrew Quilty

More than 2000 requests have been archived online since November 2012. Many requests lodged with the ATO have related to pay negotiations and the remuneration of senior staff.

In a statement, the foundation said the ATO claimed the request was abusive to staff. A take-down notice was issued by the ATO but the request remains online.
Senior public servants have been told to improve their management skills and build better relationships with staff.

The warning came after an annual survey, commissioned by the Australian Public Service Commission, found junior staff were more likely to be unhappy with their bosses.

The average executive of a major company is paid $1.65 million a year. Credit:Arsineh Houspian

The same survey also found 41 per cent of public servants considered communication with SES ranks within their agency to be effective.

"Employee satisfaction with immediate supervisors varies noticeably by respondent classification level," an APSC statement said.
More than 1000 incidents of abuse and neglect of people with disabilities have been reported to the state government in the past two years, the NSW Ombudsman has revealed, but only a tiny fraction have been prosecuted.

Allegations of abuse in state run and funded facilities are rife. Credit:Karleen Minney

These include nearly 500 criminal allegations of abuse of people with a disability by employees and residents in supported accommodation, according to figures provided exclusively to the Herald.

Some 275 of these criminal allegations are against employees and include sexual offences, assaults and fraud against people with a disability in supported accommodation services run or funded by the state government.
Transport Minister Andrew Constance says the disruption to commuters and residents from the conversion of Sydney's Bankstown line to take single-deck metro trains is a "necessary evil" but it is too early to tell how many months it will be closed for construction.

The temporary closure of 13.5 kilometres of track between Bankstown and Sydenham will follow the shutdown of the rail line between Epping and Chatswood in the city's north from late 2018 to allow for the completion of the first stage of the $20 billion-plus metro rail project.

The latter will force commuters onto buses for seven months.

Fronting a budget estimates hearing on Tuesday, Mr Constance said the government and the project team overseeing the new line were still working through the technical detail and plans for the closure of the Bankstown line.
Former assistant principal Alex Gollan liked to call his nine-year-old student "cutie", "beautiful" and "ms naked" when he chatted to her on Facebook after school.

During many online conversations he asked the little girl if she would meet him at a swimming pool or whether she would like to go to the movies.

Alex Gollan was a former assistant principal at Homebush Public School. Credit:Facebook

The former Homebush Public School teacher would also asked her to take pictures of her feet.

Then one day he sent her a picture of two naked toddlers with pumpkins painted on their bottoms.
One last mystery must be solved before the Herald wraps its live blog from NSW Parliament.

ICAC's Operation Spicer devoted a considerable amount of time to trying to crack the riddle of the "big man".

In a December 2010 text, Hugh Thomson, who ran the Liberal Party's successful election campaign for former Newcastle MP Tim Owen, asked then Liberal MP Mike Gallacher: "How's our big man going with the 120K?"

Gallacher said he never received the text. ICAC concludes this was a reference to larger-than-life former coal baron Nathan Tinkler and not former Premier Barry O'Farrell, as Gallacher suggested.
A NSW mother has launched legal action against the Department of Education amid allegations her six-year-old disabled daughter was sexually abused by four older students at an Illawarra primary school.

It is alleged the four boys forcibly removed the girl from the school playground on November 20, 2013, took her to a nearby toilet block and sexually assaulted her, causing "significant injury".

In a statement of claim lodged in the NSW Supreme Court by Shine Lawyers, the woman claims the school, which Fairfax Media has chosen not to name in order to protect the identity of those involved, failed in its duty of care towards her daughter.

"At all material times the defendant knew, or ought to have known, that the [girl] suffered from disabilities that made her particularly vulnerable and required supervision in order to ensure her safety and wellbeing at school," the statement of claim read.

"The [girl's] injury arose out of a risk of harm, namely that her pre-morbid vulnerabilities  without close supervision  exposed her to engagement with other students who may take advantage of her and the fact she was unable to protect herself from bullying and/or predatory behaviour.
Brisbane City Council's Labor opposition has accused the Quirk administration of lining the pockets of developers through its aged care incentives.

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk announced the incentives, which would include slashing infrastructure charges by a third and relaxing density restrictions, on Tuesday.

Opposition leader Peter Cumming says developers, not the aged, will benefit from the scheme. Credit:Glenn Hunt

They aimed to encourage developers to build aged care facilities in Brisbane's inner suburbs, so the city's ever-ageing population would not have to leave their neighbourhoods when they needed fulltime care.

Opposition leader Peter Cumming said Labor was concerned the discounted infrastructure charges would see money "come out of the public purse and go straight into the pockets of developers".
A young woman is to appear in an Adelaide court after being charged with murdering her grandfather in his own home earlier this month.

Brittney Dwyer, 19, and her 21-year-old friend Bernadette Burns are expected to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday after being extradited from Brisbane.

Brittney Dwyer, 19, and Bernadette Burns, 21, have been charged with murdering 81-year-old Robert Whitwell.

The pair were formally charged on Monday with murdering 81-year-old Robert Whitwell whose body was found in his north Adelaide home on August 8.

"Two women who were extradited from Queensland by South Australia Police have been charged with murder following the death of a man at Craigmore earlier this month," SA Police said in a statement late on Monday night.
Two men have faced court over the stabbing murder of a man in southern Queensland.

Gary Ryan, 43, was rushed to hospital after being found with critical stab wounds at a Mundubbera property last Tuesday but was unable to be saved.

Three men, including two from NSW, have been charged with Mr Ryan's murder.

Stephen Peter Crump, 63, from Queensland, has been charged over the death and had his case mentioned in the Rockhampton Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

His appearance came as 70-year-old Trevor Spencer, from Dubbo, faced the Brisbane Magistrates Court.
A man has died at the Newland coal site near Glenden in central Queensland.

Emergency services were called to respond to an industrial incident at the site about 10am.

A man has died at a mine in central Queensland. Credit:Peter Braig

A spokeswoman for Glencore which owns the mine confirmed the incident.

"We confirm that at approximately 10am today a fatal incident involving a 55-year-old male contractor occurred at Glencore's Newlands open cut mine operation, near Glenden in Queensland," she said.
Negotiations between Translink and south-east Queensland's bus operators for the delivery of services have been suspended, pending a state government review into the process.

Existing contracts were set to expire in July next year and the current round of negotiations started at the end of 2015. The government's review was expected to last about four weeks.

The current bus contract between Brisbane City Council and Translink will expire in July 2017. Credit:Michelle Smith

Brisbane deputy mayor Adrian Schrinner welcomed the move on Tuesday morning and said he had several issues with the process, not least of which was a non-disclosure agreement that prevented meaningful communication with impacted staff.

"There are very clear clauses (in the enterprise bargaining agreement) that we must consult staff and also consult the unions, so the fact that we've got this veil of secrecy on us limits our ability to do that, which is very concerning," he said.
At its heart, Dan Andrews' permanent ban on fracking in Victoria is easy politics - which doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong. Added up from a political, economic and environmental perspective, it makes sense.

The extended moratorium on onshore "conventional" gas extraction using tried-and-true techniques is murkier given the Premier didn't offer the only obvious argument to support it  that we can't justify, and have no need, for new reserves of energy from fossil fuels.

But even without that, the politics is a no-brainer.

First things first: despite what you will hear, this is not a decision with big near-term economic implications. On a national scale, the onshore gas industry in Victoria has been small and few were banking on it expanding.
Detectives are hunting for an offender who threw a lit Molotov cocktail at a police station in Melbourne's south-east, the second such incident at the station this year.

Police believe the arsonist tossed the flammable projectile over the back fence of the complex on Flinders Chase in Pakenham about 1am on Monday.

An offender threw a Molotov cocktail at the police station in Pakenham. Credit:Paul Jeffers

"The Molotov ignited on impact with the ground and burned for a short period of time," Leading Senior Constable Paul Turner said.

No one was injured and no damage was reported.
A truck driver who was filmed abusing a cyclist has been identified as a neo-Nazi who has attended Reclaim Australia and United Patriots Front rallies.

Glenn Anderson was photographed wearing a T-shirt with a Nazi swastika printed on it at a violent anti-Islam rally at Richmond Town Hall in May last year.

His distinctive tattoos can be seen on both the cyclist's footage and photos of Mr Anderson taken by Fairfax Media at the rally.

They include German military medal the Iron Cross and flags depicting St Andrew's cross and St George's cross on his left arm.
An over-zealous, young Yahoo 7 journalist who ignored publishing protocols and directly published an article online, causing a murder trial to be aborted, could now face contempt of court charges.

Sydney-based reporter Krystal Johnson published the article on the first week of the Supreme Court murder trial, which contained information that had not been presented to the jury.

Yahoo7 reporter Krystal Johnson escaped with a good behaviour bond. Credit:Justin McManus

The reporter and head of Yahoo editorial for Australia and New Zealand, Simon Wheeler, appeared before the court on Tuesday to explain how the report came to be published.

The reporter told the court that she forgot while writing the article that a jury was involved in the case.
$40,000 is a decent whack of money for an everyday Australian. Enough to buy a new car, a boat or even pay down the mortgage.

But to a dirt-poor Balinese rice farmer $40,000 is an incredible fortune.

So imagine the strength it would have taken for 64-year-old Made Anggir to reject a tourism developer's offer to pay him 500 million rupiah to acquire his rice paddies near Ubud in Bali's uplands.

"My land is near a tourism area so they keep on asking me to sell it. But I'm not going to give up my own land just like that," Mr Anggir said.
Fremantle's historic West End is becoming the "Venice of the south" with water seeping into basements of buildings because of rising sea waters, according to a University of WA ocean expert.

Most of the West End - which is a collection of streets south of the port characterised by late Georgian and Victorian periods - was built on reclaimed land from the 1830s and with parts of the area only built 90 centimetres above sea level, the ocean is trying to reclaim the land.

Professor Chari Pattiaratchi from the UWA's Oceans Institute told 9 News Perth on Monday night that early settlers didn't allow for rising sea-levels when the buildings were built.

"It was not built high enough at the time - obviously they were not aware the seas would arise," he said.
Police have busted an alleged drub lab in Mouth Pleasant.

Officers attended a home in Ullapool Road on August 29 on a unrelated matter and allegedly found approximately 3.5 grams of methylamphetamine and other drug paraphernalia used to sell and supply a prohibited drug.

Officers seized 3.5 grams of meth from a home in Mount Pleasant.

After searching the property officers uncovered chemicals and apparatus believed to be associated with the manufacture of illicit drugs.

A 42-year-old Mount Pleasant man has been charged with attempting to manufacturing a prohibited drug, two counts of possessing a prohibited drug and two counts of possessing drug paraphernalia.
"They were in mandarin and I didn't know."

WA Premier Colin Barnett's son Sam has broken his silence over controversy surrounding his recent trip to China in which he promoted local property to Chinese businesspeople with his father's image displayed on a screen behind him.

There have been accusations that the presence of his father's image projected behind him during a presentation may have suggested Mr Barnett had official connections in Western Australia.

Now Sam Barnett has spoken for the first time about the China trip, telling 9 News Perth's State Political Reporter Josh Jerga there was no inference that he was representing his father or the state.
Sabratha, Libya: Italian naval ships and vessels from non-government groups have rescued some 6500 migrants off the Libyan coast, the latest surge in desperate attempts to flee to Europe driven by war, poverty, and human traffickers.

The dramatic operation took place just 21km north of the town of Sabratha in Libya on Monday.

Groups such as Proactiva Open Arms and Doctors Without Borders helped take on some 3000 people who had been travelling in some 20 small wooden boats.

The Italian coastguard said it coordinated the rescue of about 6500 migrants in one of its busiest days of life-saving in recent years, the AFP reported.
Sara Connor and David Taylor recreate a kiss on the beach during a reconstruction of the death of a police office in Bali. Credit:Fairfax Despite the early hour, tourists watched from balconies at the nearby Pullman Hotel. Ms Connor and Mr Taylor arrived at the beach separately in handcuffs. They were initially instructed to embrace while still handcuffed. David Taylor during the reenactment. Credit:Amilia Rosa However Mr Taylor's lawyer asked after scene three if the handcuffs could be removed to allow the suspects to remember the events more naturally.

"After a long while of not being intimate, I saw they were very passionate there," Haposan Sihombing said. Sara Connor during the reenactment. Credit:Amilia Rosa "I can see that they both really love each other because their body language showed they wanted to embrace each other." The couple re-enacted the kiss by the sea and the discovery that Ms Connor's handbag had gone missing. It was as if it was a stage production. Sara Connor and David Taylor during the reenactment. Credit:Amilia Rosa

"Act seven: David and Sara return from the water's edge, find the bag and the bottle missing," a police officer said at one point. An ojek (motorcycle taxi) with a Russian tourist on the back re-enacted driving past the beach and seeing the couple speak to a police officer. The reenactment of the murder on the beach in Bali. Credit:Amilia Rosa Ms Connor appeared to shake her head as she stood at the entrance of the beach. Standing barefoot, his dreadlocks hanging down his back, Mr Taylor mimed how he had frisked Mr Sudarsa.

Police at the reenactment in Bali. Credit:Amilia Rosa "Act 13, the victim pushed David," a police officer said. The couple had been kept separate at Denpasar police station until the re-enactment so they could not corroborate their stories. The differences in their statements apparently centre around Ms Connor's level of involvement in the fight between Mr Taylor and Mr Sudarsa. Ms Connor's lawyer, Erwin Siregar, insisted his client had tried to separate the two in order to protect the victim.

"I don't see why my client should be involved in this murder. That's it," he said at the end of the re-enactment. Mr Siregar said several of the scenes acted out were not known to Ms Connor: "The points are, she tried to separate [them], she tried to protect the victim, after that happened the biting on her hand and leg took place. Then she left David and the victim to look for her missing bag." But Mr Taylor's lawyer, Mr Sihombing, has suggested the Byron Bay woman played a greater role and her involvement was to stop Mr Taylor being overwhelmed by Mr Sudarsa. "Sara's hair was pulled, his [David's] hair was pulled, Sara was also bitten," Mr Sihombing said earlier this week. "Based on my client's statement they did it together. Because they are under the influence of the drink. What's clear was that Sara was there."

Denpasar criminal investigations chief Reinhard Habonaran Nainggolan also said that Ms Connor had admitted during police interrogation that she had hit the victim more than once with a hand phone. Mr Sihombing said at the re-enactment his client had already admitted what happened on the night of Mr Sudarsa's death: "He feels guilt and remorse, he admits that a fight took place that night that caused the death." Mr Sihombing said that he would put forward the offence for which he believed his client should be found guilty during the court process. "The three potential crimes are second degree murder, group assault, and assault leading to death. As per the legal facts, a life is lost. What is clear is that is wrong. What we have to prove in court is the level of the guilt of the two suspects." Mr Sihombing said Mr Taylor had disagreed with a couple of things in the re-enactment.

"There is Sara's version, there is the witnesses' version, there is his version." He said the biggest difference in the two accounts was whether Ms Connor was present and involved at the beginning of the fight with the police officer. It would be determined in court what really happened, he said. Denpasar police chief Hadi Purnomo said the key point of the reconstruction was scene 31, where Mr Taylor hit the victim with a beer bottle. Asked the extent of Ms Connor's involvement, Mr Purnomo said: "Sara aided."

When asked what scene in the re-enactment showed she was aiding Mr Taylor, Mr Purnomo said: "When she was bitten. Sara was pinning the victim (to the ground), then she was bitten." Earlier this week Mr Purnomo said the couple had undergone blood tests - which included a test for drugs - but police were yet to obtain the results. Asked last week if any drugs were involved, Ms Connor's lawyer, Mr Siregar, said: "No, no, no, no drugs, no drugs involved." A total of 68 scenes were reconstructed on the beach, at the homestays where the couple had stayed in Kuta and Jimbaran and the location where they had burned their clothes. Mr Nainggolan said new evidence was found at Puri Gading, where the clothes had been burned.
2017 Audi A4 Review : Form and Function At Its Best-Review By Larry Nutson

2017 Audi A4

Form and function at its best

By Larry Nutson

Senior Editor and Bureau Chief

Chicago Bureau

The Auto Channel

For 2017 the Audi A4 is all-new with a refined exterior design and significantly changed interior. I had a brief drive in the new A4 earlier this year in May and was looking forward to a longer time with this top-selling Audi.

The stars aligned for me with the scheduling of the media-loan A4 and my need for a couple long drives. One trip would take me east from Chicago to Ann Arbor, Michigan. This 225 mile highway drive would provide a good chance to measure fuel consumption and experience the new driver assistance features Audi now provides.

The 4-door, 5-passenger 2017 A4 sedan continues to be offered in three trims, with one engine/transmission configuration and in the choice of front- or all-wheel drive. That said, there is one additional A4 model that was recently introduced, which I will get to in a bit.

On the outside the A4 is still very much recognizable as an Audi. It has a new grille design and is a bit less curvy. Audi xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights and dynamic LED taillights with dynamic turn signals are standard. There are optional LED headlights for the first time on the A4.

The new A4 is bigger and roomier providing more front seat comfort and rear passenger legroom. Though larger, the A4 is also lighter through lightweight aluminum-hybrid construction that brings a weight savings of 99 lbs. on FWD models, and 66 lbs. on quattro models.

The dashboard is new with a wing design, in Audis words. Leather seating surfaces and a sunroof are standard. New are an available head-up display and also an available 12.3 inch virtual cockpit display.

There were a number of features on the A4 whose function I really liked:

-- The power-fold outside mirrors dont unfold until you start the engine, making for easy vehicle access in tight parking conditions.

-- The yellow light for the blind spot warning is installed in the inboard edge of the outside mirrors making for easy visibility through the door glass.

-- On locking the car with the key fob, the alarm signal is a gentle chirp rather than a loud blast of the regular car horn.

-- A destination may be set in the navigation system while underway. I really dislike some vehicles were you inefficiently have to remain stopped to program in a destination.

The 2.0-L Turbo engine has been reworked and now produces 252HP. Its mated to newly developed seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch transmission for both the front-wheel drive and quattro all-wheel drive A4s. Audis drive select has four modes  comfort, auto, dynamic and individual  that allows the driver to change gear shift points for increased throttle response, steering assistance and damper control and adaptive cruise control adjustments.

I mentioned I was taking a road trip with the A4. WellI was really surprised at the fuel economy it achieved. For my nearly 100% highway drive, in light traffic where I could maintain good constant cruising speed in the 70+mph range, the A4 got 34mpg. It was just my wife and me with some light luggage in the trunk.

I was driving the A4 Quattro which has an EPA test-cycle fuel economy rating of 31 mpg highway. Theres no complaint here with my highway run economy compared to the EPA estimate. The A4 Quattro is EPA rated at 24 city mpg for a combined rating of 27 mpg.

I mentioned earlier there was an additional new Audi A4 model, the A4 Ultra. Audi has tweaked the 2.0-L turbo engine for low fuel consumption making it more efficient with a higher compression ratio of 11.7:1. It achieves EPA test-cycle estimated ratings of 27 mpg city and 37 mpg highway. Audi says no other luxury sedan in its competitive segment offers higher EPA-estimated city or highway mileage.

The 2.0T engine, mated to a seven-speed S tronic dual clutch transmission, produces 190 HP and sprints from 0-60 mph in 7.1 seconds. The A4 Ultra comes in front-wheel drive only and has a base price of $34,900. I surely would like to road trip this model and see what it does for fuel economy in real world driving.

The A4 trim levels, all with the 252HP engine, are Premium, Premium Plus and Prestige with prices starting at $37,300. Premium Plus is $3,800 more and gets you 18-inch wheels, Bang & Olufsen Surround Sound System, LED headlights, front and rear parking sensors and a few other items. The Prestige model loads up everything including a head-up display for $4,800 more above the Premium Plus. More details, specs and pricing on the entire A4 line-up can be found at www.audiusa.com.

Audi also offers a frontal collision mitigation system with automatic braking, rear collision mitigation, a rearview camera, blind-spot monitoring and surround-view parking camera. These driver-assistance safety features provide excellent technology for safer driving and the reduced risk of collision and injury.

All in all, the A4 is a very comfortable, very nice driving, not-too-big premium sedan. The engine and transmission deliver very good overall acceleration, highway merging and passing performance. Not to mention the low fuel consumption. The Quattro all-wheel-drive provides balanced handling and excellent bad-weather driving, be it rain or snow. My road trip drives were very comfortable with good seat support and quiet interior sound levels making for easy conversations and music listening.

The 2017 Audi A4 sedan is a contender for both the North American Car of the Year (NACTOY) as well as the Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA) Family Vehicle of the Year awards. Well just have to wait and see how these awards play out.

2016 Larry Nutson, the Chicago Car Guy

The Most Audi Consumer Research Information Anywhere!
if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi...
Behind every talented woman is a trifling man moping in the corner of her close-up.

For Nicki Minaj its Meek Mill, a domesticated Philly rapper now reduced to folding his famous partners fishnets and anonymously fuming about Drake on Reddit. For Beyonce its Jay-Z, hard-living rap mogul turned ousted cheater turned diligent Instagram husband. And for Rihanna its none other than Torontos finest, Aubrey Graham, a man who has turned pining after women into an art form.

So when Drake finally arrived at Sunday nights VMAs to present his alleged paramour with the Video Vanguard Award, we expected wild flattery and adoration. What we didnt prepare for was the complete transformation of one of hip-hops biggest stars into an anthropomorphized heart eyes emoji.

Instead of one artist celebrating another innovator, we got full Bill Clinton at the DNCan oral history of all things Drake and Rihanna, from their 2009 meet-cute to their most recent musical collaborations. And in case you werent convinced that Drake is #WithHer, Canadas premier purse-holder took this very public opportunity to shout his love from the proverbial rooftops: Shes someone Ive been in love with since I was 22 years old. Shes one of my best friends in the world. All my adult life, Ive looked up to her even though shes younger than me.

Rihannas response, a barely concealed cringe and a half-hearted dab, was the physical equivalent of a read receipt. If we learned anything from the 2016 VMAs, its that Drake has sent more unanswered texts to Rihanna than to the combined stripper population of HoustAtlantaVegasToronto. Drake might come from the 6, but hes a full-time resident of the friend zone. And if Drake had a twin, Rihanna would still choose her career.

But no VMAs moment epitomized Drake and Rihannas relationship quite like the curvea lifetimes worth of overreaching and rejection, immortalized in one gut-punching GIF. After Drake professed his love and RiRi was all like, OK, Aubrey, wrap it up, Drake appeared to go in for the kiss. The ensuing curve was 11 years in the making, and it shows. The complexity of Rihannas curve choreography implies that shes done this before, as does her subsequent scolding; she appears to mutter, That wasnt funny. Drake nods uncomfortably, disappointed but ultimately cognizant of the fact that he probably shouldnt have tried to trick Rihanna into a make-out sesh in the middle of such a huge career milestone.

Drake interpreting this awards ceremony as an opportunity for romance is the equivalent of Drake showing off his brand new body for Serena Williams at the U.S. Open. Great beard, Drake, but this really isnt about you.

The VMAs taught us that Drake loves Rihanna, and Rihanna thinks Drake is short. But this is just the latest installment of Drake and Rihannas touring production of whipped Romeo and apathetic Juliet.

In 2009, the artist formerly known as Jimmy met a girl. Her name was Robyn Fenty, she hailed from Barbados, and he was immediately about it. According to a Page Six report, a post-Chris Brown Rihanna rebounded from her abusive ex as only Rihanna can: by furiously sucking face with Drake at New Yorks Lucky Strike Lanes & Lounge. According to one particularly observant source, She was drinking whiskey and apple juice and making out with him all night.

Sadly, the apple juice-fueled affair was short lived. In separate his and hers interviews, Rihanna and Drake both insisted that they were just friends, with Rihanna telling Hot 97, I definitely was attracted to Drake, but I think it is what it is, like, it was what it was. We didnt want to take it any further. On May 2010 Drake released Fireworks, a song about the time in 2009 when his mouth touched Rihannas mouth at Lucky Strike Lanes & Lounge. This song is not to be confused with Katy Perrys Firework, a song about fireworks.

On the track Drake exhibited his consistent enthusiasm for proper nouns, rhyming, I could tell it wasnt love, I just thought youd fuck with me / Who could of predicted Lucky Strike would have you stuck with me / Damn, I kept my wits about me luckily / What happened between us that night / It always seems to trouble me. While promoting his debut album that June, Drake told Americas paper of record that Rihanna treated him like a pawn, explaining, You know what she was doing to me? She was doing exactly what Ive done to so many women throughout my life, which is show them quality time, then disappear. I was like, Wow, this feels terrible. It takes a special kind of man to retool a story of romantic rejection into a humble brag about how many women hes slept with. Drake is that man.

But as summer gave way to fall, a formerly salty Drake started to come around. October brought us Whats My Name? a Drake x Rihanna pop-up collaboration set at a grocery store. In the steamy music video, Rihanna spills some milk (an early prototype of spilling the tea?). Drake scholars will confirm that this is not the first time Drake tried to make a woman fall in love with him in a bodega.

Whats My Name? was also Drakes first No. 1 hit, and Rihannas eighth. Drake rode Rihannas coattails all the way to the 2011 Grammys, where the duo showed the world their unique performance style, in which Rihanna dances around looking amazing and Drake shuffles back and forth awkwardly, as though he is uncomfortably aroused.

In 2011 Drake changed his tune again, giving Elle a new account of the RiRi affair in which he essentially recasts himself as a rap world Monica Lewinsky. The naive ingenue confided, That was the first girl with any fame that paid me any mind. You spend days reading about this person in the magazines. All of a sudden you have this number-one song and youre at some birthday party and there she is. And youre just some naive kid from Toronto staying in some shitty-ass hotel who got invited to this party on a whim. Thats just how it happened.

Bright lights and birthday celebrations aside, it seems that Drake doth protest too much. For all his insistence that he was just star struck that one time, TMZ reported in July 2011 that Drizzy and RiRi were once again laying on the PDA, this time at a Canadian nightclub.

Of course, any discussion of Drake and Rihanna would be incomplete without a thorough dissection of Chris Brown and Drakes bottle-throwing club brawl. The date was June 14. The year, 2012. The beef, bloody. It all went down at Club W.I.P. in SoHo, where the rappers were celebrating Ne-Yos managers birthday. The interaction began with an alcoholic olive branch, as human trash can Chris Brown attempted to make nice with Rihannas other ex, sending the Drake camp a bottle of Champagne. Drake sent back the peace offering as a Trojan horse, attaching a note reading, Im still fucking Rihanna. The consistently violent Brown did not take kindly to this information, sparking a melee that left him bruised and bloody. Later that night, Brown accused Drake of hiding in the bathroom as their respective crews came to blows.

Despite another Rihanna-Drake collaboration, 2012s Take Care, the Barbadian songstress eventually reunited with Brown; the controversial couples reunion lasted from September 2012 through May 2013. In Hooters across North America, Drake gathered strength and waited out the storm.

Come 2014, TMZ was once again declaring Drake and Rihanna a couple. Drake told Rolling Stone that Rihanna was his ultimate fantasy, while Chris Browns rep told Page Six that Brown was happy [Rihanna] found someone.

2015 proved that when Drake truly loves someone, he sets them free. And if she doesnt come back to him, he starts dating Serena Williams. While Rihanna and her alleged boos, from Lewis Hamilton to Travis Scott, made headlines, she confessed to Vanity Fair that Chris Brown was her last real, official boyfriend. Thats got to sting. But being repeatedly denied on newsstands across the world didnt stop Drake from teaming up with his favorite fun buddy turned collaborator. 2016 brought us not one but two joint tracksRihannas Work and Drakes Too Good. Both of the romantic singles fueled relationship rumors, as did the two sexy videos for Work: eight straight, highly superfluous minutes of Rihanna grinding up on Drake.

But after eight years of letting RiRi take his love for granted, Drake now seems hell-bent on proving to the world that he and Rihanna are actually getting it on. In the wake of Sunday nights curve heard round the world, Drake took to Instagram to prove that his crush does actually like him. Like-like him! In the early hours of Monday morning, Champagne Papi posted a couple-y pic of the on-again, off-again couple, allegedly from a recent date at Torontos aquarium. Of course, this being Drake, the saccharine shot shows him kissing Rihanna on the cheek. But hey, shes not actively moving away. Or maybe she is, because this is just a pictureone that Drake loved so much that he kept it on his camera roll and Instagrammed it like a month later.

Here, as always, Drakes unquenchable thirst is on display; his admiration for all the incredible women of the worldthe Rihannas, the Nickis, the Serenasas sincere as it is misguided. Here, as in his VMAs speech, Drake is doing a hilarious Drake impression. Only time will tell if his girlfriend Rihanna is laughing right alongside him, or if hes just the butt of the joke.
The FBI says that computer hackers accessed, and in one case stole, voter registration files in two states, potentially compromising personal information and putting crucial election data at risk just three months before voters head to the polls.

And if that werent unsettling enough, the techniques that the hackers used were neither sophisticated nor particularly hard to employ, proving that its not just high-end hackers from foreign governments, like the ones believed to be targeting U.S. political organizations, that elections officials need to worry about in the runup to November.

I dont think anyone can assume that these vulnerabilities would be unique to these states, Pamela Smith, the president of Verified Voting, a nonprofit group that advocates transparency and security in U.S. elections, told The Daily Beast. This is a time when assuming is not the best thing to do.

The FBIs analysis of the hacks, contained in a security alert first reported by Yahoo News, shows that Arizonas elections website was penetrated in June using a common vulnerability thats well known to security experts. Then, in July, Illinois voter files were accessed apparently using stolen login credentials, which could have been obtained by spear phishing a state employee. (The FBI didnt identify the victims by name in the alert, but experts familiar with the cases pointed out that they match reported hacks in Arizona and Illinois, where officials have acknowledged the intrusions.)

On the scale of hacker sophistication, these attacks rank on the low-end, relative childs play for the kinds of skilled operators that U.S. officials suspect may have stolen emails from the Democratic National Committee and Democrat and Republican lawmakers in an attempt to sow chaos in the presidential elections. Theres no hard evidence yet that the same crew, believed to be working for the Russian government, was at work in the states. But the hacks underscore that these states and others present easy targets. Experts predicted that Arizona and Illinois won't turn out to be the only victims.

I think its fair to say there are more states out there that have been hacked and dont know it, or that are being hacked and are trying to deal with it quietly, David Heyman, a former assistant secretary at the Homeland Security Department, told The Daily Beast.

For the past few weeks, the Homeland Security Department and computer security experts have been warning state and local elections officials to be on special alert for hackers targeting voting systems, including electronic voting booths, tabulating machines, and voter registration files that are stored online. The attacks on Arizona and Illinois suggest that officials concerns were well-founded.

This is serious, Heyman said. Actual tampering of voter registration files, or even the prospect of tampering, can very well put in question the integrity of the election. And in an election where some are already questioning if the system is rigged, this could easily undermine confidence in the system, or worse, sow doubt in actual election results and weaken the ability for a winning candidate to govern.

Heyman and other experts noted that hackers dont need to actually hijack a voting machine or alter ballot-counting software to undermine confidence in election results. Merely the credible claim that an election had been tinkered with could compel a candidates supporters to cry foul.

And one candidate, of course, already is. Republican nominee Donald Trump has said that the only way hell lose in some key states if the election is rigged, by forces he didnt name. The now instances of election-related hacking could fuel Trumps suspicions that vote rigging is real.

How could hackers use voter registration files to disrupt Election Day? The most worrisome scenario, experts said, would be if voters names were erased from the rolls, so that when they showed up to vote, there was no proof theyd ever registered.

That could cause long lines, and people might have to cast provisional ballots, which arent counted right away, Michael McDonald, an associate professor at the University of Florida and an expert on voting systems, told The Daily Beast.

Changing or deleting voter information is the most severe threat to such records, Smith said. States vary in their rules about who can cast a provisional ballot, and some of them dont allow a voter to cast a choice in every race, she noted. Counting those ballots requires more work that could delay reporting the results, Smith said.

There's no indication that the voter records in Arizona or Illinois were deleted or altered. But anecdotal evidence of problems with voter registration files has been circulating for months.

During the primary election in Arizona, for instance, a number of voters found that their party affiliation had been changed without their knowledge. When they showed up to vote in the states closed primary elections, some were told they were ineligible to vote with the party of their choice.

State officials have blamed the problem at least in part on an error at the states driver registration bureau. But similar problems have reportedly cropped up in California, Connecticut, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania.

If states have back up files on all registered voters, they should be able to recover from even a severe attack on the voter files.

It should be possible to go back and recreate the data if there was any suspicious activity on the data itself, McDonald said.

And most states are doing that. The states take nightly backups of the voter registration data, Matthew Masterson, a commissioner with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, told The Daily Beast. The commission, which was set up after the 2000 presidential election recount in Florida, helps states test the security of voting technology. Masterson said that he thought most states were probably aware of the problems in Arizona and Illinois and have taken additional steps to secure their voter files.

But backing up those files, if they were deleted or altered, would take time, and in the frenzy of Election Day, the damage to public confidence might be harder to repair.

State officials are bracing for potential trouble. On August 15, the Homeland Security Department held a conference call with state elections officials after they said they wanted more guidance from the federal government about how to protect elections systems. State officials havent received any specific recommendations since that call, Kay Stimson, a spokesperson for the National Association of Secretaries of State, told The Daily Beast.

The department has offered to help states assess their security vulnerabilities and perform scans of networks to look for weak points or intrusions that have already occurred. But Stimson said its not clear who will pick up the tab or provide the labor for that effort.

There was no real detailed discussion about how a scan would work or who would come and what resources are involved, Stimson said.

But with the elections practically around the corner, its not clear what the states that havent put strong security procedures in place could do to ward off mischief, even if the feds pitched in to help.
An American woman held by Afghan militants along with her husband and two young sons is seen pleading for U.S. intervention in a new video obtained by The Daily Beast.

The video is intended to convey a message to the governments of Afghanistan, Canada, and the United States that there will be consequences for the execution of Taliban prisoners in Afghan jails, said a member of the Haqqani network, a Taliban affiliate that is holding the family captive and made the video.

Caitlan Coleman and her Canadian husband Joshua Boyle were kidnapped while hiking in Afghanistan in 2012. Their families have previously said that Caitlan gave birth to two boys while in captivity.

In the new video posted online by jihadists, Coleman and Boyle each speak in turn, slowly and apparently from a script prepared by their captors.

We have been told that the Afghan government has executed some of their prisoners...and that our captors are frightened of the idea of further executions, Coleman says. Because of their fear, they are willing to kill us, willing to kill women, and to kill children, to kill whoever in order to get these policies reversed or to take revenge.

I ask if my government can do anything to change the policies of the Afghan government to stop their policy of executing men before these men start executing their prisoners, Coleman said.

She also addressed her family, asking them to try to persuade the U.S. to get involved.

If you are able to do anything to help, if you could please try to help stop this depravity, she said, referring to the Afghan governments policies.

A second video showing Coleman and Boyle as well as their two children has also been made, in an effort by their captors to prove that the family is alive and in good health, but it has not been released publicly, according to an individual familiar with the video and who asked not to be identified.

In May, the Afghan government executed six Taliban members. The Haqqani source said that the video was made two to three months ago, but that its being released now in response to Mondays ruling by an Afghan court that Anas Haqqani, the brother of the networks leader, will be executed for his role in helping to raise funds for the network. The Haqqani have conducted devastating terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, including some against U.S. forces.

The Haqqani member said Anas Haqqani was a student, he was not involved in any kind of military activities, and called his death penalty unfair.

One of Boyles relatives said the family hadnt seen the new video until Tuesday morning.

It made me cry, Kelli OBrien, Boyles aunt, told The Daily Beast in a brief phone interview. Joshua is still my little nephew in mind.

Over the years, the family has received videos and notes from their loved ones demonstrating that they are still alive. An Afghan Taliban member told The Daily Beast that all four hostages are in good health and are being held in a place where they can move about and exercise.

While the new video contains an implied threat, it doesnt indicate that the hostages are in imminent danger of being killed, said a former U.S. official and expert on Afghanistan and Pakistan policy issues. Thats because the Haqqani have always viewed kidnapping and ransom as a business and know that Coleman and her family are valuable only if theyre alive.

It seems like a fairly passive attempt to influence Afghanistan with respect to to the execution of Anas Haqqani, the former official, who requested anonymity, said of the video.

But the Haqqani network has also grown closer to the Taliban, which has its own political goals and may see executing a prisoner as powerful leverage against the Afghanistan government and the United States.

If the hostages are still in the umbrella of Haqqanis criminal enterprises, then this [video] really is a fairly insignificant shot across the bow, because its very important to the Haqqani that they protect their prisoners and safeguard their ability to receive ransoms, even if it takes years, the former official said.

On the other hand, if the closer alliance between the Haqqani and the Quetta Shura [the collective body of Taliban leaders] has thoroughly blurred the lines of their criminal enterprises, then this represents a subtle threat against the safety of the family.

U.S. officials said they are aware of reports of the video and are working to free Coleman and her family. While Boyle is a Canadian citizen, U.S. officials are working to release all the family members and view the two children as American citizens.

"Certainly when Americans are taken captive, this becomes an immediate priority for us, Army Gen. Joseph Votel, who leads U.S. Central Command, told reporters at the Pentagon on Tuesday, referring to Coleman and her family.

We are paying extraordinarily close attention to that. We always do. I won't get into too many details with that. But I am satisfied that we are doing everything we can at this juncture to understand who took them and try to bring them back.

Privately, U.S. officials have said in recent months that they believe they are opening new diplomatic channels, particularly with the government of Pakistan, to help free the hostages. But it has been slow going.

A Republican lawmaker said Coleman and her familys plight shows that a new FBI team set up to improve hostage rescue efforts across hasnt made sufficient progress.

The fact that the Coleman family is still in captivity despite multiple attempts by Haqqani to work her release and the release of her family underscores the tremendous shortcomings of the FBI and the hostage fusion cell, Rep. Duncan Hunter, a frequent critic of the Obama administration's hostage policies, told The Daily Beast in a statement. The fusion cell was set up after family members of hostages who were killed by ISIS said that the U.S. government failed to communicate with them and didnt work as a whole to bring their loved ones home.

Anas Haqqani, whose execution sentence prompted the release of the new video, was captured by U.S. authorities in 2014 while traveling through Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The Americans turned over him and a traveling companion, Hafiz Rashid, to the Afghan government.

Rashid is the brother of Mohammad Nabi Omari, one of the five Taliban prisoners that President Obama decided to trade for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who also had been a Haqqani prisoner.

Ever since the Bergdahl trade, the families of U.S. hostages have pressured the Obama administration to make similar deals to free their loved ones. But the White House, which has refused to pay ransoms for American captives, has also refused to conduct trades for civilian hostages. Officials characterized the Bergdahl trade not as a hostage swap, but rather a military-style prisoner of war exchange.

But Coleman and her familys captors dont seem to acknowledge that distinction.

The Taliban demands are obviously a prisoner swap, like what what they did in Bergdhals case, but now the Americans are too lazy to take care of the couple and two children, a senior source in the Afghanistan Talibans representative office in Qatar told The Daily Beast.

Coleman and Boyle have been two of the most visible prisoners in Afghanistan. Their families have openly pleaded with the U.S. and Canadian governments to intervene on their behalf and ensure their safe return.

Recently, the Haqqani were close to a deal with the Canadian government to free Boyle, but he refused to return home without his wife and children, an Afghan Taliban source said.

One other American is known to be held by the Haqqani network, but The Daily Beast has not released the hostages name at the request of family members and U.S. officials.

Shane Harris reported from Washington and Sami Yousafzai reported from Pakistan. With additional reporting from Nancy A. Youssef in Washington.
The teenage victim of a high-profile campus sexual assault has revealed her identity for the first timealong with her plan to help other survivors.

In an interview with NBCs Today, Chessy Prout, now 17, told Savannah Guthrie that she hoped going public with her story would send a message to other victims of sexual assault that they dont have to be ashamed either.

Its been more than two years since Prout was assaulted by Owen Labrie, now 20, at the elite St. Pauls School in New Hampshire. I feel ready to stand up and own what happened to me, and Im going to make sure that other peopleother boys and girlsknow that they can own it too.

One night in late May of 2014, Prout had agreed to meet with Owen in a planned encounter that arose from the so-called Senior Salute, an unofficial tradition at St. Pauls wherein male and female upperclassmen attempted to hook up with younger students before graduating.

Labrie took Prout to a dark mechanical room in the math and science building on campus. Prout, who was only 15 at the time, knew she was Labries Senior Salute target.

But when reporting her case to authorities (and testifying in a criminal trial last summer), she said she hadn't wanted their encounter to escalate sexually--and that Labrie had raped her.

A jury found Labrie guilty on three misdemeanor counts of sexually assaulting Prout, which he is trying to appeal, but acquitted him of felony sexual assault charges.

Prout told Guthrie that she vehemently disagreed with the jurys decision.

They said they didnt believe he did it knowingly, she said on Today. That frustrated me a lot because he definitely did do it knowingly.

The fact that he was still able to pull the wool over a group of peoples eyes bothered me a lot and just disgusted me in some way, she added. Likewise the defenses decision to reveal friendly messages that she and Labrie exchanged after the assault, citing them as evidence that their encounter was consensual.

Prout told Guthrie it was important that people understand the effects of the crime.

At one point during the three days that she testified in court, Labries attorney asked Prout why she was so hazy during that period when she and Labrie exchanged messages.

I looked at [him] in disbelief and said, I was raped! Prout told Guthrie.

Research has shown that sexual assault victims frequently dont recognize the extent of the crime right away, or purposely downplay it to themselves because theyre ashamed of what happened.

After the assault, Prout returned to school the following semester and found that none of my old friends that were boys would talk to me. They wouldnt look me in the eye. I guess they were uncomfortable, she said.

She felt betrayed by fellow students and the school, and left before the end of the first semester.

Nobody was talking about the issue itself. They werent trying to prevent it from happening, she told Guthrie.

Prout also thought Labrie would privately acknowledge what had happened that night, and said she and her family would have dropped the criminal case if hed simply written her an apology letter.

We had been prepared to just move forward with our lives, and to let them move forward with their lives, she said. But, you know what, in the pursuit of justice I would have done anything.

Prout was joined by her family during the interview: her father, St. Pauls alumnus Alexander Prout and mother Susan Prout, and her older sister Lucy, who graduated from the prep school in Labries class.

This summer, the Prouts pseudonymously sued the school for failing to address the predatory hook-up culture on campus that they believe led to Chessys assault, seeking $75,000 in damages.

The suit refers to the Senior Salute as a campus-wide competition that encouraged senior men to commit statutory rape and to treat underage female students as targets of desire.

Were talking about children and we feel an obligation that this not happen to any future kids at the school, Alexander Prout told Guthrie.

Susan Prout added: Youd think the campus would say, Uh oh, we need to talk about whats happened, but we didnt see that happening. If ever there was a family to work with, it would have been our family. We loved the school. My husband had a wonderful experience there. We thought our first daughter had a good experience there. Unfortunately, it seems like the schools reputation became more important, rather than supporting our daughter.

The school issued a statement denying wrongdoing: We categorically deny that there ever existed at the school a culture or tradition of sexual assault. However, theres no denying the survivors experience caused us to look anew at the culture and  brought about positive changes.

St. Pauls has further denied that it could have prevented the sexual assault, writing in a response to the Prouts suit that only Chessy and Labrie know what happened on the night they met up.

Responding to the Prouts motion to retain their pseudonyms during legal proceedings, the school wrote in a separate court filing that while it didnt object to the court protecting the Prouts anonymity, the Prouts had to agree to not make further public statements about the civil suit until litigation is completed.

The school also asked for permission to refer to the victim and her family by name during pretrial deposition and at trial.

Though the Prouts didnt say so forthrightly in their interview on Today, the judges approval of this motion was part of the impetus for Chessy and her family to speak out publicly.

Prout said she doesnt think much about Labrie, who began serving his one-year jail sentence early, in March, after a journalist caught him violating his curfew. He was on the train to visit his girlfriend at Harvard at the time.

I hope he learns, Prout said stoically when asked about Labrie. I hope he gets help, and thats all I can ever hope for in any sort of process like this, because if he doesnt learn, he will do it to another young woman.

Prout also said she had launched a sexual assault advocacy initiative and social media campaign with the hashtag #IHaveTheRightTo, which she hopes will make others feel empowered and just strong enough to be able to say, I have the right to my body, I have the right to say no.

She recognizes that other survivors dont have the support system that she hasprimarily, her family.

Somebodys got my back and somebodys going to believe me, somebodys going to help me, Prout said, becoming emotional for the first time when describing how she locks herself in her closet when she has panic attacks, so that her younger sister doesnt see her in that state.

She comes into my room sometimes and shell come into my closet when Im rocking on the floor and punching my legs trying to get myself to calm down, Prout said through tears. And shell give me the biggest hug and say, Chessy, youre OK. Chessy, youre OK.

I cant imagine how scary it is for other people to have to do this alone. I dont want anyone else to be alone anymore.
SAO PAULO, Brazil  Dilma Rousseff is expected to be formally removed from the Brazilian presidency this Tuesday or Wednesday, despite a tireless last stand against the charges of fiscal irregularities brought against her, which many in Brazil see as a smokescreen for her removal at almost any cost.

We are one step closer to achieving a real coup, she warned during a grueling 14-hour Senate showdown.

After delivering a statement in her own defense Monday morning, Rousseff kept the clock running late into the night to answer questions put to her by a list of senators, disputing each of the charges and insinuations that have brought her presidency to its knees.

Almost two years after her re-election as president in 2014, this is the final phase in a political drama that has been playing out since December 2015, when the impeachment process against Rousseff was authorized by then-Congressional Speaker Eduardo Cunha.

Rousseff was suspended from office in May, as the impeachment investigation got underway.

In the trial that began in Brazils capital, Brasilia, on Aug. 25, Rousseff is charged with using unauthorized loans from state banks to make up budgetary shortfalls, and with decreeing payments without securing the necessary congressional approval.

Following her defense statement and questioning in the Senate on Monday, the vote widely expected to remove her from office definitively is set to take place late on Tuesday or early Wednesday morning, with the two-thirds of Senate votes needed to impeach her apparently already secured.

Inside Brazils white, modernist parliament over the past days and weeks, the voting intentions of most senators have long been declared, with some analysts predicting a comfortable 61 votes against Rousseff7 more than the 54 votes needed for her removal.

On Aug. 27, one prominent opposition senator, Senator Alvaro Dias, interviewed by the Senate radio station, called witness evidence in defense of Rousseff in her impeachment trial merely a formality.

Those details dont matter, because there are already convictions [held] in relation to the crimes practiced, or not, by the president. He added, This is a political tribunal, and the judgment is political.

As a result, Rousseffs detailed responses to questioning over many hours on Monday may do little to halt her expulsion from office, in a process opponents of her impeachment fear has little to do, at heart, with the technical budgetary maneuvers of which she is accused.

Rousseff maintains that she has committed no crime of responsibility, as required by the Constitution in order for impeachment to take place, and has repeatedly, controversially, called the process against her a coup. She returned to the theme on Monday as she defended herself against the accusations of fiscal wrongdoing.

We are one step from the consummation of a serious institutional breakdown, she said.

Rousseffs impeachment has exacerbated deep political divisions in Brazil, where opposing groups of protesters have taken to the streets in large numbers over the past year to demand Rousseffs impeachment, or to denounce it. Protesters from Brazils landless movement raised barricades and set fires on key Sao Paulo avenues Tuesday morning, aiming to halt the flow of traffic. On Monday night, as Senate proceedings unfolded, anti-impeachment protesters bearing Fora Temer (out with Temer) signs were cleared from Sao Paulos Avenida Paulista by police equipped with tear gas and stun grenades.

Others point out that although financial manipulations similar to those practised by Rousseff have been widely used by state as well as federal governments, including by former presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his predecessor Fernando Henrique Cardoso (FHC), Rousseff took the practice to a new level, committing 35 times more pedaladas, as the budgetary sleight of hand is called in Brazil, than Lula and FHC put together.

New laws that came into force during Rousseffs presidency also placed the practice more clearly outside the bounds of legality, although Rousseff, in her defense, claims she is being retrospectively judged for acts that took place before the law came into force.

In Rousseffs appearance before the Senate on Monday, she addressed arcane details of fiscal law late into the night, answering the questions directed at her by a list of 40 senators in meticulous detail.

Her approach flew in the face of earlier predictions that she was resigned to her defeat and would be speaking mainly for posterity. There was little doubt that she was doing that, toonot least since at least four documentary film shoots dealing with Rousseffs impeachment are underway, including one by Anna Muylaert, writer and director of the award-winning film The Second Mother (Que horas ela volta?).

In the viewing gallery given over to Rousseffs supporters on Monday, former president Lula looked on, absorbed, as she laid out her defense, speaking stiltedly at first but finding passion and conviction in her delivery as she warmed to her theme.

In a series of passages in the 45-minute written speech, Rousseff addressed the charges against her; expounded on the dangers facing Brazils democracy as a result of what she called a coup detat; and recalled her lifelong political struggle, including her torture and three-year imprisonment at the hands of the 1964-1985 military dictatorship:

In the struggle against the dictatorship, I received the marks of torture on my body, and suffered the anguish of prison for years. She went on, I never gave up. I resisted.

Rousseff went on to invoke a famous trial photograph from 1970 in which, at 22 years of age and as a member of a revolutionary Marxist group, she gazes ahead implacably while in the background, two military judges presiding over her interrogation cover their faces.

Unconsciously echoing that image, as Rousseff returned to her seat to take questions a few minutes later in the Senate on Monday, an aide sitting behind her covered his mouth with his hand as he muttered into his phone. In Brazilian politics, as in politics everywhere else, the walls have eyes, as well as ears.

Leaked information may have played a key role in the presidents impeachment, most suggestively in the case of Congressman Romero Juca, then Minister for Planning in the interim government set up on Rousseffs suspension by former vice president Michel Temer. Temer, leader of the center-right PMDB party that governed in coalition with Rousseffs Workers Party until a split in March, will serve out the remaining 2 years of Rousseffs presidential term if she is impeached.

In leaked wiretap audio released in May by the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, Juca tells Sergio Machado, former president of a Petrobras subsidiary, that a change in governmentwidely interpreted as referring to Rousseffs ousteris needed in order to stem the bleeding from the Operation Car Wash corruption investigation that, he said, he feared might damage him.

Leaked audio also included wiretapped telephone conversations between Rousseff and Lula, released to the press in March under the orders of anti-corruption judge Sergio Moro, head of the far-reaching Car Wash investigation, which started out as a probe into high-level corruption at state oil giant Petrobras, and which has gone on to implicate dozens of politicians of all parties.

In an investigation stemming from Car Wash, Lula has been accused of corruption for personal gain related to a luxury beach apartment, and a country estate. Lula denies ownership of both properties.

Rousseff, on the other hand, has never been implicated in Car Wash, nor accused of corruption for personal gain. She has, she claims, been affected obliquely. In her defense on Monday, she stated that her attempted ouster began as an act of explicit blackmail following a failed attempt by Cunha to pressure her into interfering in a vote over his own corruption trial.

Cunha was suspended from office in May to face legal proceedings over alleged perjury, corruption and money-laundering, and is not alone among Rousseffs accusers to be facing investigation and, in some cases, charges. Fourteen senators have so far been implicated in wrongdoing as a result of Operation Car Wash, with many more under investigation, or charged with offenses.

In a statement that caused uproar in the Senate on Friday, Rousseff supporter Sen. Gleisi Hoffmann said the Senate had no moral authority to judge Rousseff, adding that she included herself in that statement.

Hoffmann and her husband, a former minister, have both been accused of corruption relating to Petrobras. If I point one finger, there are three pointing back at me, she said.

New calls for charges in the corruption investigation against Lula, which led to his excruciatingly public detention for questioning in March, were resuscitated by federal police on Friday, just as Rousseffs impeachment got underway. Should he prevail against those charges, Lula, who was Brazils president from 2003 to 2011, is in the running for re-election in 2018.

If Rousseff is impeached, on the other hand, she will be banned from running for office for eight yearsjust like interim president Michel Temer, who despite having assumed the presidency temporarily during Rousseffs suspension, and despite being liable to become full president by the close of play Wednesday, is also under an eight-year ban on running for office, as a result of electoral donation violations.

Temer, who was booed at the 2016 Rio Olympics Opening Ceremony and chose not to attend the Closing Ceremony, has been preparing to definitively assume the presidency by delaying good news until after the impeachment trial. He postponed Brazils ratification of the Paris Accord, originally scheduled for this week, as well as delaying the announcement, now expected on Sept. 2, of a major Chinese infrastructure loan that had initially been offered to Brazil under Rousseff.

In a pronounced swing to the right following 14 years of center-left Workers Party government, Temers raft of policies includes a constitutional amendment that would limit state spending on health and education as part of a 20-year austerity program; and the part-privatization of prisons, hospitals and creches.

In the Senate on Monday, as the questions continued late into the night, Rousseff defended her governments record on policies ranging from social housing to trade and investment, delving into the nitty-gritty of the economics around her policies tirelessly, and with relish. Although advised of her option, at the outset of the days proceedings, to claim an Article 5 constitutional right to remain silent, she answered all the questions put to her, making the most of her chance to speak in what may be her parliamentary swansong after more than five years as leader of Brazil.

Under questioning, Dilma, as she is best known in Brazil, displayed the kind of level-headed precision that made her not a popular, but arguably an efficient, as well as an honest presidentand one with a long, arduous history that made coming under new political attack, she said, just one more challenge.

Its not now, at nearly 70 years of age and as a mother and a grandmother, that Im going to abandon the principles that have always guided me, she said, in a relatively rare reference to her status as a woman.

Later on Monday evening, in response to a question from fellow party member Sen. Regina Sousa, Rousseff remarked that she has often been described as a hard woman. Yet, she said, Ive never heard a man described as being too hard.

She continued: Ive always described myself as being as a tough woman among meek men.
Law enforcement have arrested a Cincinnati man believed to be the source of at least 12 heroin overdoses in Kentucky last week and may be linked to as many as 170 in his hometown.

DEA agents arrested Robert Shields on Friday for distributing fentanyl, a painkiller up to 50 times stronger than heroin. Other dealers are thought to have cut their batches of heroin with Shieldss fentanyl, leading to some 12 overdoses Kentucky. At least one of the overdoses was fatal. At the same time, nearby Cincinnati, where Shields was based, saw over 170 heroin overdoses during the week, an unprecedented spike that leveled off after his arrest, the AP reported.

Shields went by Sosa, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday in federal court. While the alleged dealer didnt use his real name with clients, one said he was upfront about the substance he was allegedly pushing. But by the time the drug filtered down to the streets, it was marketed as heroin.

Kentucky-based client Wesley Hamm told police he bought fentanyl from Shields and sold it to a third dealer, Tracey Myers. Hamm and Myers had a long-running business relationship, they told police. Myers would give Hamm money, and hed cross the Ohio border into Cincinnati to buy heroin, which Myers would then sell on the streets.

But they ran into trouble when Hamms go-to heroin dealer got arrested. Left in the lurch, Hamm struck up a relationship with Shields,. Hamm told him he was looking for fentanyl for his personal use, but he apparently cut the heroin he was selling with the prescription painkiller to stretch the stash. Hamms regular clients didnt know the product had changed.

Myers told police she wasnt sure what she was peddling. Shed asked Hamm to buy heroin, and shed passed the drug off as heroin. While she knew some dealers mixed fentanyl into their product, she was unaware if the heroin she sold to the victims contained fentanyl or not, a Drug Enforcement Administration affidavit reads.

The bad medicine soon wreaked havoc on users in Montgomery County, Kentucky. From August 24 to August 25, police reported 12 serious overdoses. The crisis followed a trend of 174 similar overdoses in Cincinnati, where Shields had allegedly been dealing. Both waves of overdoses occurred early last week, and came to a halt after Shieldss Friday arrest.

At least one of the Kentucky overdose victims died; survivors told police theyd purchased what they believed was heroin from Myers.

DEA agents rounded up Myers and Hamm, but still hadnt stemmed the flow of the fentanyl sales. For that, theyd need to take down Hamms source Sosa. So with Hamms help, police set up a sting.

On a recorded call on August 26, Hamm asked to meet Shields in Cincinnati to buy five grams of the same stuff. They met up, with police on their tail. After a car chase and an arrest, Shields led police to a Cincinnati home that contained multiple ounces of the same fentanyl hed been supplying Hamm.

Charges filed in a U.S. District Court in Lexington, Kentucky on Monday reveal that Shields admitted to knowingly selling fentanyl. But hed told police that the drug had been his only option.

Thats all thats around, he told a DEA officer. The powerful drug had been easier to buy than heroin.
More than two centuries after the first big American political sex scandal, the original Good Wife continues her eternal repose at the foot of her husbands grave in Trinity Church cemetery in Lower Manhattan.

He of course has the grander stone, a white marble pyramid whose inscription reads:

Alexander Hamilton

The PATRIOT of incorruptible INTEGRITY.

The SOLDIER of approved VALOUR.

The STATESMAN of consummate WISDOM:

Whose TALENTS and VIRTUES will be admired

Long after this MARBLE will have mouldered into DUST.

He died July 12th, 1804, aged 47.

Hers is a simple white stone slab laid flat, this inscription reading:

ELIZA

Daughter of

PHILIP SCHUYLER

Widow of

ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Born at Albany

Aug. 9th, 1757

Died at Washington

Nov. 9th 1854

INTERRED HERE

The stone makes no mention of her own accomplishments, which included founding the countrys first private orphanage and spearheading the construction of the Washington Monument. Neither inscription hints that along with being a PATRIOT, SOLDIER, and STATESMAN of such INTEGRITY and VIRTUE, Alexander Hamilton was also a PHILANDERER who shtupped a twentysomething tootsie in his marital bed while his wife was away on vacation.

When the scandal broke, the political damage to Hamilton was mitigated by word that his mistress husband had been blackmailing him and that the whole thing might have been a set-up.

But what really saved him was his wifes decision to remain at his side, just as Hillary Clinton would remain at Bill Clintons side after he was caught playing around with an intern, and just as Huma Abedin remained at Anthony Weiners side the first two times he was caught sexting with other women.

Even when it came to decidedly e-w-w-w transgressions such as Weiners, people generally seemed willing to take a cue from the wife when she was the one who had most cause to feel aggrieved.

How can you condemn a guy for cheating when his wifethe very one against whom he transgressedsignals in the most public ways that she is standing by him despite it all?

After his first sexting scandal forced Weiner to resign from Congress, Abedin was so rock steady that just two years later he was leading the polls in his comeback candidacy for mayor of New York City. Those hopes ended when he was caught again, but he still had Abedin. And her steadfast presence reinforced our general willingness to give somebody a second or even a third chance.

Weiner began writing for a newspaper and appearing on television news shows. He was not greatly exaggerating when he texted somebody: Im a big wheel in this town.

Unfortunately, those words appear to have been part of a chat that veered into more sexting, including a selfie of Weiners famous package. The difference this time was that Weiner apparently took the photo while he was in bed with his toddler son.

Abedin here apparently reached a limit, along with the rest of us. Weiner is now not even a nobody in New York and it is suddenly hard to imagine how he will continue living here. The only place where he might be a big wheel is in Miracle Village, Florida, which has become a refuge for convicted sex offenders. Weiner has never been arrested, but that selfie of him with his kid in the bed could make him a shoo-in for mayor there.

Trump naturally sought political advantage in the new scandal involving the husband of Hillarys top aide. Trump suggested, Hillary Clinton was careless and negligent in allowing Anthony Weiner to have such close proximity to highly classified information.

In the same statement that offered this ridiculous assertion, Trump was actually right about something. He said of Abedins decision to separate from Weiner, She will be better off without him.

That was true enough, but as she steps away, Abedin leaves us with the example of someone who strove for years to do all she could to save her marriage, perhaps out of love, certainly for the sake of her son.

Abedin is a true sister in spirit to Eliza Ham ilton and all the Good Wives who followed. Maybe Weiner imagined that her being such a Good Wife meant she would stand by him no matter what his compulsions prompted him to do.

But a true Good Wife is not a sap. And she is no less a Good Wife if she decides that staying is no longer in the best interests of herself and her family.

Someone as smart and strong and determined and altogether wonderful as Eliza Hamilton could surely have found somebody else had she so chosen in the half-century between her husbands death and her own. She is not taking her eternal rest at the foot of his grave because she had no other options in life.

Abedin, like Eliza a Great American as well as a Good Wife, also surely has other options. One of them is to leave her e-w-w-w husband and concentrate on helping another Good Wife become the first woman president.

As for Weiner, the thing to do now is to honor Abedin and forget him altogether.
In the video, Will Quigg is leaning against a silver Honda, catching his breath after a violent protest in Anaheim.

Who do you support for president, sir? hes asked in a hasty interview with the Orange County Register.

The grand dragon of the West Coast chapter of the Loyal White Knights of the KKK then says something that took many by surprise:

Hillary Clinton.

After his response, there appears to be a jump cut in the video, which was shot after a March demonstration by the KKK. Just seconds later, Quigg explains why he thinks whites are a superior race and that he is against an open border policytwo things that would appear to make him a likely supporter of Donald Trump.

Almost six months later, this four-second soundbite resurfaced on Fox & Friends as a retort to Clintons speech assailing Trump for the white supremacists who have been inspired by his presidential campaign.

On its face, the clip appears to be an effective example of hypocrisy. How can Clinton condemn Trump for all the racists he attracts when she has also been endorsed by a bigot?

But the Clinton endorsement may have a simple explanation: Will Quigg is full of it. He cant provide any details about his alleged donations to her campaign, his beliefs dont line up with a single one of her policy stances, and even fellow Klan members think hes bluffing.

On Sept. 17, 2015the same month he created his Twitter accountQuigg tweeted a supportive message to Trump, one that has been echoed by a number of white supremacists over the past year.

@realDonaldTrump You Sir are the only hope we have of getting WHITE AMERICA BACK! WE all will be voting for you! CHURCH OF INVISABLE EMPIRE, he wrote.

When Quigg was asked about the tweet, which looks suspiciously like a full-throated endorsement of Trump and remains up to this day, he gave a nonsensical answer.

In an interview with The Telegraph in March, Quigg explained that he decided to back the Democrat when he found out about Hillary Clintons main agenda, which he says contradicts every single thing she has publicly said.

I cannot reveal my sources, Quigg said when questioned further about Clintons secret agenda. Its my opinionif you know what I mean, wink, wink. I dont want her to come back and say Im slandering her.

A month later, Quigg told Vocativ that he and other Klan members had contributed more than $20,000 to Clintons campaign. Clinton spokesman Josh Schwerin said at the time that the campaign had never received the contributions and that We want no part of them or their money and vehemently reject their hateful agenda.

The Daily Beast reviewed Federal Election Commission filings from the campaign and found no evidence of Quiggs name or anonymous contributions. Additionally, the FEC expressly prohibits making contributions in another persons name.

No person may knowingly permit the use of his or her name to effect such a contribution, the commissions website reads. It is also prohibited to knowingly assist someone in making or to accept a contribution in the name of another. It is also unlawful to knowingly permit the use of ones name to effect a contribution in the name of another or to help someone make or accept such a contribution.

Questioned further Monday in a phone interview with The Daily Beast, Quigg refused to provide any details of his alleged donations.

How many times have you had sex in your life? the grand dragon asked when The Daily Beast requested that he provide the name he used to make the campaign contributions. He asked such an intrusive question, he said, to mirror how stupid he thought the reporters question was.

I dont care about evidence, Quigg said when pushed further. I dont care if she says she didnt get it. We know in our heart we gave it to her.

Quigg first told The Daily Beast he sent Clinton $5,000, a figure he later amended to $4,000, all while trying to rush the interview to a conclusion, saying he had a doctors appointment.

Ive said enough, Quigg would say intermittently.

This was not the first time he had dodged The Daily Beast. In May, Quigg said via email that he was not interested in giving an interview, adding quixotically: I will be out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean until Feb. 29. You can contact me after that.

Beyond the questions about his alleged campaign contribution, Quigg does not appear to be a typical Clinton fan. He believes that immigration is threatening the supremacy of the white race and that President Obama is a homosexual from Kenya whose secrets are being concealed by the Jewish globalists whom he appoints to positions of power.

The Jews control Obama. I dont have their names right in front of me, Quigg said before asking whether The Daily Beast had sent a mole to one of his recent Klan rallies. He does not want them going to their Jewish-owned NBC, CBS, and ABC, and putting it out there that Barack Obama is homosexual and he is here illegally.

So what about the other 50 people who Quigg claims anonymously donated their hard-earned Klan money to Clintons campaign?

You think Im stupid? Quigg said when The Daily Beast asked for a name of another person who donated. Thats why were called the Invisible Empire.

Still, the Klan has made itself quite visible in this election cycle, Quigg included, and no one seems to be buying that the West Coast leader is being genuine.

I cant speak for everyone, but Im sure most are going for Trump, Imperial Klokard Joe Mulligan of the East Coast Knights told The Daily Beast back in April. Sanders wants to rape the working man, Hilary is a feminazi who wants to destroy our Second Amendment, [Ted] Cruz, I cant even stomach to look at his misshapen mouth.

No one in the East Coast Knights would be casting a vote for Clinton, Mulligan said. We enjoy our firearms too much to hand them down to uppity feminist Clinton and her 13-year-old boy haircut, he explained.

Hunter Wallace, of the Pro-White website Occidental Dissent, told The Daily Beast he didnt believe Quiggs donation claims.

$20K? I seriously doubt it, he said in an email exchange.

The only names that rang a bell for him for Klan donations were Trump and Cruz.

My friend Earl Holt III from the Council of Conservative Citizens donated to a bunch of candidates, including Ted Cruz, Wallace said. That was publicized last summer. Ive heard William Johnson has been running some unsolicited robocalls on behalf of Trump. Thats also been widely reported in the media.

Johnson, along with David Duke and a host of white supremacists , have shown their support for Trump through public endorsements, campaign contributions, and robocalls. None are backing Clinton besidesmaybeQuigg.

So is Quigg some elaborate troll trying to undermine the Clinton campaign? Or is he just doubling down because he loves the attention?

Before he could answer any other questions or provide evidence of or reasons for his Clinton support, the grand dragon cut the proceedings short.

Im done with this interview, he said.

Then he hung up.
The undersea search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 may have missed the wreckage, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, leading the search, admitted Tuesday to The Daily Beast.

The Daily Beast can also reveal the Dutch company providing one of the search vessels, Fugro, admitted as far back as June that there were gaps in sonar coverage of the ocean floor that needed further investigation.

As a result, a search that has so far cost $180 million and that was expected to end this summer could now be extended into next year. This will be encouraging news for the families of the passengers and crew on the flight who feared that the search was being prematurely curtailed.

The ATSB says that a second sweep of the search area in the southern Indian Ocean will be made using a remotely operated vehicle to investigate sonar contacts that are judged to warrant a closer look.

These targets are scattered throughout the greater search area, and have been identified over the course of the underwater search, Dan OMalley, a spokesman for the ATSB, told The Daily Beast.

In October, when the weather in the Southern Hemisphere should be more cooperative, a Chinese-owned search vessel, the Dong Hai Jiu 101, equipped with the ROV operated by a Maryland-based company, Phoenix International, will leave Fremantle, Australia and begin the second more precisely targeted search.

The new sweep is considered so important that it will begin before the primary search of the full area is due to be completed in December.

After 29 months of operations there are still 6,200 square miles of the southern Indian Ocean left to be searched out of the total search area of 46,332 square miles, much of it at depths of up to 20,000 feet. That search was originally expected to end this month, but atrocious weather has afflicted the area for months, making operations impossible.

Pressure to return to sites on the ocean floor already covered by a torpedo-like sonar-scanner called a towfish has been building for some time.

At an Offshore Engineering Society conference in London in June, Fugro gave a video presentation that demonstrated how formidable the underwater terrain is in the far reaches of the southern Indian Ocean, including deep valleys and more than 220 volcanoes spewing mud. It was in that context that the company indicated that gaps remained in the coverage of the search that justified a second look.

The remains of the Malaysian Boeing 777 could be scattered over a wide area. An expert who viewed the video told The Daily Beast, It would be possible, but with what probability I have no idea, to miss the debris field in some of the underwater terrain in areas that have been searched.

Earlier this year one of the sonar-scanning towfish collided with a volcano, snapping it from 15,000 feet of cable, the umbilical link to its host vessel. An ROV was used to locate and retrieve the towfish. Several promising sonar contacts were checked out by an ROV but two were the wrecks of old cargo ships and another a shipping container.

Another development is simultaneously adding tantalizing clues to the fate of the airliner and the 239 people aboard is the steady accumulation of debris collected from the coastlines of the western Indian Ocean. (This week another small piece of debris was found off the coast of Mozambique and will be sent to Australia for examination.)

The most urgent question raised by this debris is: Can its passage across the Indian Ocean from the presumed crash sitein some cases taking more than 800 daysbe accurately traced back to provide a far more accurate fix on where that site is?

In pursuit of the answer Australian oceanographers are doing something never attempted before. They have made models of the first piece of debris found last summer, part of the airplanes wing flight controls called a flaperon, and these will be set adrift with buoys fitted with satellite trackers. The ATSB says that 30 years of data used to model drift patterns will be used to control the experiment in the hope that it will pinpoint the correct location.

Even then, the scientists are equivocal: It is hoped that when added to our existing knowledge and any future learnings a specific location of the aircraft will be able to be identified.

Soon the Australians are expected to confirm that the largest piece of debris washed ashore so far, a wing flap found on Pemba Island, off the coast of Tanzania in June, is in fact from MH370. Air crash experts have pored over this flap for weeks, attempting to assess whether or not it had been deployed during the last minutes of the flightan action that can be taken only manually by pilots.

So far investigators have insisted that during the flights final hours the airplane was flown without any human intervention by the autopilot system, and their calculations on how, where and when it impacted the ocean have been based on that assumption.
When Ohio legislators passed restrictions for abortion providers prescribing the abortion pill, they did so under the guise of protecting womens health. But a new study in PLOS Medicine suggests that this justification was misleading, and even led to worse outcomes for patients in Ohio.

In 2004, Ohio legislators passed a law requiring abortion providers to prescribe the abortion pill mifepristone in accordance with the original FDA protocol, first approved in 2000. After a protracted legal battle, the law went into effect in February 2011.

Up to that point, Ohio abortion providers were able to prescribe mifepristone off-labela common and legal medical practice in which more current, evidence-based standards are substituted for FDA guidelines. They could use lower doses of the drug and allow women to take the second medication in a medical abortion, misoprostol, at home rather than in the doctors office. Clinics were also able to offer medical, rather than surgical, abortion up to nine weeks from the start of a womans last period.

According to the PLOS Medicine study, which analyzed medical chart data from four abortion providers before and after the law, forcing Ohio abortion providers to adhere to the outdated FDA guidelines did not improve womens health.

There is no evidence that the change in [the Ohio] law led to improved abortion outcomes, the study concludes. Indeed, our findings suggest the opposite.

After the 2004 mifepristone law went into effect in February 2011, the percentage of Ohio women who reported a side effect like nausea or vomiting from a medical abortion nearly doubled from 8.4 percent to 15.6 percent.

That wasnt the only likely consequence of the law, either: After February 2011, Ohio women undergoing medical abortions not only had to pay a higher price for the larger dose of mifepristone, they also required more medical treatments and more follow-up visits than their pre-law predecessors.

Despite legislators claims that this law was aimed at improving womens health, our findings show the result was the opposite, said lead author Dr. Ushma Upadhyay, an obstetrics and gynecology professor at UC San Francisco, in a press release. The protocol required by law ignores the fact that medical practice is constantly improving as a result of clinical research.The original law was passed based on the notion that it would protect Ohio women. In 2004, the bills sponsor, Rep. Tom Brinkman, claimed that banning the off-label use of mifepristone was in womens best interest, telling the Cincinnati Enquirer a cautionary tale about an Akron resident who suffered a complication from a medical abortion.

A Planned Parenthood official assessed his intentions differently, saying, I think we have legislators trying to practice medicine.

Indeed, despite evidence from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists supporting the off-label use of mifepristone and misoprostol, the Ohio law required abortion providers to follow a decade-old FDA protocol from February 2011 until March 2016, when the FDA finally updated the regimen.

A medical abortion is a regimen of two pills, mifepristone and misoprostol, taken in sequence about one to two days apart. The first pill blocks progesterone and the second induces an abortion. Barring complications, no surgery is required.

The FDAs March 2016 update allowed Ohio abortion providers to once again prescribe lower doses of mifepristone and to allow women to take misoprostol at home instead of in the doctors office. The FDA also extended the timeframe for medical abortion to 10 weeks from the start of a patients last period.

In essence, all of these differences [in the 2016 FDA regimen] mean a higher success rate, lower likelihood of requiring more treatments to complete the abortion, and fewer side effects, Dr. Upadhyay told The Daily Beast.

According to the study, which was co-authored by researchers from Ohio State University and Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Ohio women likely could have been experiencing these benefits for the last five years.Instead, follow-up visits for medical abortion increased by 2 percent after February 2011, and the need for an additional intervention jumped from 4.9 percent to 14.3 percent. The average cost of a medical abortion also went up from $426 to $551.

On top of that, fewer Ohioans were able to choose medical abortion in the first place. In the four clinics tracked by the researchers, medical abortions accounted for 22 percent of all abortions performed before the law and only 5 percent after the law.

Much of that dramatic drop-off was due to the shortening of the window during which providers could legally offer medical abortion. But some of the decrease, Upadhyay says, can likely be attributed to the logistical hurdles created by the jarring return to the 2000 FDA protocol.

While the law was in effect, women opting for medication abortions needed to make four separate trips to the provider, compared to two for an in-clinic aspiration abortion procedure, he explained.

Even now that the FDA has updated its mifepristone protocol, theres nothing to stop this pattern from repeating itself in Ohio while the law remains in place, the researchers say.

Although the FDA has now updated the regimen for medication abortion to bring it in line with the current evidence, it, too, will eventually become out-of-date, Upadhyay told The Daily Beast.

Clinical trials, he says, are currently testing pharmacy access for mifepristone and assessing the safety of medical abortion up to 77 days from the beginning of a womans last period. If these practices go into effect in other states in the coming years, Ohio women will once again receive less advanced medical care than their neighbors. According to the Guttmacher Institute, two other statesTexas and North Dakotahave similar legislation that is in effect, and they, too, would be left adhering to an aging FDA protocol.

For now, the researchers hope that their study can help the public be skeptical of claims that abortion restrictions are meant to protect womens health.

This study demonstrates that health care policy should always be based on scientific evidence, said Upadhyay. When health care policies are not evidence-based, they can lead to worse health outcomes for women.

Thats a cautionary talewith data to back it up.
Facing multiple allegations of sexually harassing female employees along with lawsuits from two of his accusers, to say nothing of advising Donald Trump on presidential debate prep, ousted Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes apparently still has time to plot the downfall of perceived foes.

No. 1 on the 76-year-old Ailess enemies list appears to be New York Magazine national affairs editor Gabriel Sherman, who has spearheaded the reporting on the former cable news executives recent scandal that led to his abrupt resignation last month, and is the author of a much buzzed-about 2014 biography of Ailes, The Loudest Voice in the Room.

The 37-year-old Sherman, who has broken several Ailes stories in recent weeksnotably the damaging scoop that Fox News star Megyn Kelly, an Ailes protege, had told an internal review of fired Fox anchor Gretchen Carlsons harassment lawsuit allegations that she, too, had been an Ailes victimis preparing a major expose on Ailes and his behavior toward women, expected to be published in the magazines next issue.

In what seemed timed as a preemptive strike, two of Ailess attorneysSusan Estrich, a law professor and a partner in the blue-chip Los Angeles law firm Quinn, Emanuel, and Mark Mukasey, a top litigator in the well-connected New York firm Greenberg, Traurigcontacted The Daily Beast in the past day to attack the journalist in slashing, nasty, and deeply personal terms.

Gabe Sherman is a virus, and is too small to exist on his own, and has obviously attached himself to the Ailes family to try to suck the life out of them, Mukasey, the son of former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, said in an interview Tuesday after sending an email to The Daily Beast inviting a reporter to call for his comments.

Roger is fine and doing well, and is not going to allow a virus like that to poison the atmosphere.

Estricha high-profile feminist and former Democratic operative whose representation of Ailes, a legendary Republican media strategist before creating the conservative-leaning Fox News, has raised eyebrowsoffered her own condemnation of Sherman.

This is Gabe Shermans last stand, and it falls flat, Estrich said in an emailed statement, referring to Shermans reporting on last weeks complaint against Ailes and four other Fox News executives by suspended Fox News personality Andrea Tantaros.

Gabe Sherman has made clear that nothing will stand in the way of his vendetta against Roger Ailes, and he will use any woman he can findno matter how clearly and deeply troubled she isto try to concoct allegations against Mr. Ailes.

Citing Tantaros and former Fox News guest booker Laurie Luhn, who Sherman reported received $3.15 million in company funds to buy her silence after Ailes sexually abused her for two decades, Estrich added: But Gabe is running out of women he can use and abuse. Ultimately, it will be clear that the real enemy of women is Gabe Sherman.

In his only response to the new attacks, Sherman told The Daily Beast: I dont take it personally. Im going to keep my head down and continue to report.

Ailes, through his attorneys, has denied all of the allegations.

Yet two years ago, when Shermans Ailes biography was published by Random House and spent two weeks on The New York Times nonfiction bestseller list, the author described a vicious campaign of demonization and psychological intimidation waged against him as he toiled on the booka campaign orchestrated, he asserted, by Ailes and his surrogates.

This was a completely new experienceI never felt that a subject was literally out to cause me professional harm and in certain cases wish me ill, Sherman said at an investigative reporting forum hosted by the University of California at Berkeleys Graduate School of Journalism.

Calling Ailes a genius who plays brass-knuckled politics, where everything is fair game, Sherman added: The one thing everybody knows about Fox News is they construct a narrative. My own life was going to become a narrative pushed by conservatives and surrogatesthat I was a left-wing activist paid by George Soros out to destroy the conservative movement.

Describing a series of hit pieces on the right-wing populist Breitbart News site, along with Google advertisements placed against his name calling him a lefty and worse, Sherman said: The campaign was set up tosmear me and incite hate.

In one instance, Sherman told his audience, he received a death threat at home.

I dont even have a doorman. I live in a modest apartment in New York, Sherman said about himself and his wife. I became the subject of Roger Ailess politics that he has deployed for 40 years in campaigns of demonization and creating a false narrative.

Indeed, CNN media reporter Brian Stelter recently revealed that CNN had received a 400-page opposition research file on Sherman that been circulated at Fox News around the time he was working on his book. A stunning display of Ailes campaign-like strategies, Stelter called it.

Asked if Ailes had, as Sherman has contended, ever sent a black ops team to monitored the journalists activities, Mukasey responded: I think Gabe Sherman has delusions of grandeur or self-importance if he thinks that.

Mukasey, for his part, told The Daily Beast he began helping Ailes in mid-July, as Gretchen Carlsons lawsuit was making headlines, as a personal friend and counselor to the family.

He said he met Ailes as a staffer in Rudy Giulianis unsuccessful 1989 mayoral campaign against David Dinkins, in which Ailes was a media adviser, and that Ailes is also a good friend of Mukaseys father, Michael, a former federal judge who served as President George W. Bushs third attorney general.

Concerning Shermans work on the upcoming New York article, Mukasey said: Why wouldnt he? He seems to do nothing else. He seems to have a sort of twisted obsession with Roger, and I think when his book failed miserably he saw an openingto suck Ailess blood. (While noting the books two weeks on the Times bestseller list, starting at No. 9, a Random House spokesperson declined to discuss its sales.)

Roger will live to fight another day, and Gabe Sherman will be a mediocre journalist for the rest of his life, Mukasey went on.

Asked why he thought it helped Ailess case to trash a prominent journalist in such insulting, over-the-top language, Mukasey answered: I think that the world should know that what Gabe Sherman dumped into his blog or New York magazinenobody reads New York magazineis a result or a product of a sick personal vendetta. I dont think we can say that too many times.

For the record, a New York magazine spokesperson said the publication claims a paid circulation of around 400,000 readers and, in July, scored 27 million unique visitors to its web site.
Officially, the 39-year-old Taha Subhi Falaha, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, was spokesman for the so-called Islamic State: a vitriolic but compelling rhetorician for the caliphate whose imprecationsagainst America, the Shia, insufficiently pious Muslims and eventually al Qaedaearned him the nickname attack dog.

Now hes a dead one, according to the organization he served.

In a statement, the ISIS propaganda agency Amaq said he was martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns in Aleppo, in Syria.

The Pentagon is being cautious, or perhaps a little coy. A senior defense official said coalition forces conducted an airstrike in al-Bab, Syria, and the target was Adnani. Although it is still assessing the results of the strike... Al-Adnanis removal from the battlefield would mark another significant blow to the terror franchise, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement this evening.

Adnani would be by far the most important ISIS leadership target yet eliminated by coalition forces.

Unofficially, he ran all of Syria for ISIS, according to Abu Khaled, a pseudonymous defector from the organizations FBI-like amn al-dawleh security service, one of four main intelligence branches tasked with ensuring that no threats could ever emerge to the Islamic State from within.

Adnanis primary concern, at least as of the last two years or so, was overseeing the exportation of savagery in the form of foreign terrorist attacks planned and perpetrated by ISIS central command in Syria. He also egged on those who might otherwise be inspired by its world-historical, messianic vision of first restoring the Levant and Mesopotamia to a purer, 7th-century version of Islamic rule and then, God willing, conquering the world. This assessment is shared by Cook, who noted in his press release, that Adandi was the principal architect of [ISISs] external operations and coordinated the movement of [ISIS] fighters, directly encouraged lone-wolf attacks on civilians and members of the military and actively recruited new [ISIS] members.

What distinguished Adnani from other ISIS leaders was his personal and professional closeness to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the father of the organization now known as ISIS.

Adnani was a veteran and a survivor from the early days, one of three dozen or so jihadists recruited by the murderous Jordanian zealot al-Zarqawi in 2002. At the time Zarqawi was still running an independent terrorist group known as Ansar al-Islam, which he took control over while bivouacked in the mountainous region of Iraqi Kurdistan. Interestingly, Zarqawi recruited Adnani in Aleppo, likely with the tacit approval (if not connivance) of Bashar al-Assad's mukhabarat or intelligence service, which would spend close to a decade hosting all manner of foreign jihadists, including and especially those belonging to Zarqawi's network, prior to their transfer into Iraq.

After Baghdad fell to U.S.-led forces in the ill considered invasion of 2003, Zarqawi and his coterie, including Adnani, took advantage of the chaotic occupation and established themselves as a ferocious part of the resistance. They raised money with kidnappings and their gained international infamy by beheading foreigners on video tape. After Zarqawai pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden, he and Adnani and others in his group became known as al Qaeda in Iraq.

Zarqawi was killed by U.S. airstrikes in 2006. A year earlier, Adnani himself had been captured in Anbar province. He was imprisoned in Camp Bucca and other U.S.-run facilities for about five years. This theater-wide internment operation administered by the Pentagon seems in retrospect a finishing school for ISISs upper cadres. Adnani was one of the graduates. So was Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph of the so-called Islamic State.

Zarqawi and Adnani had always foreseen that the jihadist war they fought against the American occupation in Iraq would bleed into next-door Syria and eventually take on apocalyptic dimensions in the Aleppo suburb of Dabiq, which is now the name of ISISs English-language propaganda magazine.

Binnish, Idlib was Adnanis birthplace, and if ISISs Amaq News Agency is to be believed, Aleppo is now the site of his demise. He reportedly was killed on the outskirts of al-Bab where ISISs amn al-kharjee, or the foreign intelligence branch for which he was responsible, is headquartered.

Adnani is said to have maintained several residences in al-Bab, although the circumstances of his death, the party responsible, much less independent confirmation of its veracity, are as yet unavailable.

As for the attack dogs verbal style, his arrogance and presumption seemed premised on the longevity of his project and, indeed, his own life.

When, in 2013, ISIS formally split from al Qaeda, the attack dog turned rabid against his erstwhile patron, al Qaeda leader and bin Laden successor Ayman al-Zawhiri, who had ordered Adnanis group to withdraw from Syria and limit its purview to Iraq. Zawahiri wanted them to leave the holy war in the Levant to the nativist insurgency known as Jabhat al-Nusra.

Adnani, perhaps emboldened by his own Syrian lineage, baldly responded that Gods will superseded that of the aged Egyptian doctor, now leading a somewhat desiccated jihad from the hideaway caves of Waziristan.

More damningly, Adnani said, Zawahiri was de facto legitimating the tawaghit, or tyrannical, principles of contemporary Middle Eastern nation-states cobbled together by the Sykes-Picot agreement. The rising Islamic State abided by no such boundaries, as would be demonstrated in the physical razing of them with bulldozers in June 2014.

Adnani shared in the late Zarqawis genocidal hatred of Shia Muslims and so also took the opportunity of scandalizing Zawahiri, accusing him of playing it too safe by not attacking the mothership of Shiism, Iran. Let history record that Iran owes al Qaeda invaluably, said Adnani. It was his way of calling the leader of al Qaeda a sellout.

No doubt Adnanis most famous communique was the one delivered in September 2014, about year before the atrocities unleashed on the Bataclan theater in Paris. He encouraged Muslims living in the West to murder any disbelieving American or Europeanespecially the spiteful and filthy French they came across, be it by smashing the infidels head in with a rock or running over him with a car, as Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, did to 86 people, Muslims included, in Nice on Bastille Day.

The uptick in ISIS terrorism internationally, lone wolf or coordinated in nature, has been largely attributed to Adnanis casting call for such invisible soldiers of the caliphate fanned across the globe.

One of his last messages was also his most defensive. Do you, O America, he said in May 2016, consider defeat to be the loss of a city or the loss of land? Were we defeated when we lost the cities in Iraq and were in the desert without any city or land? And would we be defeated and you be victorious if you were to take Mosul or Sirte or Raqqa or even take all the cities and we were to return to our initial condition? Certainly not!

Many analysts interpreted this as a pre-emptive morale booster for the ISIS rank-and-file in light of the coming loss of major population centers, if not the formal inauguration of the next phase of ISIS war-making: against the West, in the West.

Regardless, the legacy Adnani leaves is one of widows and orphans, from California to Orlando, and Baghdad to Jakarta.

with additional reporting by Nancy Youssef
One of the most significant court cases about climate change was decided this month by a federal appeals court in Chicago. Given that it was steeped in the enervating context of refrigerator regulations, you may have missed it. But amid the stultifying discussions of compressors and insulation foam was a crucial advance in our nations belated attempts to forestall global climate catastrophe.

It all comes down to a new phrase: the Social Cost of Carbon.

Heres why its important. By law, government agenciesin this case, the Department of Energyare often required to show that the benefits of a proposed regulation exceed the costs. Sometimes this is straightforward: If it costs industry $100 million to prevent pollution that will do only $10 million in damage, the government (usually) cant force them to do it.

Sometimes its downright Solomonic. If that pollution regulation can save a single life, is that worth $100 million in industry costs? You might say yes, but usually, the government says no. In fact, we price lives all the timeby requiring some safety protections but not others, by building roads the way we do, and in a thousand other ways.

But what about climate change? The costs of a particular regulationin this case, covering refrigeratorsare sometimes easy to assess. But how do you capture the benefits of preventing cataclysmic climate change?

Beginning in 2010, a group of economists and scientists set about answering that question. They tried to calculate the likely future costs of shifting climate zones, agricultural disruptions, more extreme events like Superstorm Sandy, more outbreaks of disease, and the many other effects of climate change.

The result is the Social Cost of Carbon (SCC), which, long story short, was calculated to be $36 per ton. That figure, while admittedly an approximation, is the best estimate that the government has put forward so far.

Thats why the Department of Energy used it in its refrigeration regulationsand thats why some industry groups sued, alleging that the SCC is no better than a guess.

In Zero Zone v. Department of Energy, two conservative judges on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed, upholding the use of the SCC and the regulations based on it.

They did not equivocate, said Daniel Esty, professor at Yale Law School and the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and, from 2011-2014, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

When he worked at the Environmental Protection Agency under President George H.W. Bush, Esty was part of the team that implemented similar economic analyses in the context of regulating acid rain. Since then, hes worked on incentive-based ways to address environmental problemslike the Cap and Trade approach to climate change. His name is frequently bandied about as a possible director of the EPA in a Hillary Clinton administration.

Putting a price on pollution in general, and carbon in particular, is the best strategy for motivating change in behaviors that cause harm, Esty told The Daily Beast. Its been hard to figure out the right price but the judges in this case made clear that this was a serious and thoughtful exercise It wasnt an eyeball guess.

Indeed, while most industry groups have opposed the idea of an SCC, Esty said that having the SCC ratified by a federal appeals court (review by the Supreme Court is possible, but unlikely) will help companies who have already made commitments to sustainability.

There are a number of companies, after last years Paris Agreements, who are beginning to think about how to prepare for a worldnot yet in place in the U.S. but in place in Europewhere there is a price on carbon, he said. Many large companies are thinking about what internal price for carbon they should use. The Social Cost of Carbon can be a rallying point for them, for investment planning and decisions on energy projects the [$36 per ton] price can be taken up by companies in their internal analyses.

On the other hand, some environmental scientists have argued that the $36 per ton price is far too conservative.

For example, a study published last year by two Stanford University scientists arrived at a price of $220 per ton. One of them, Frances Moore, told The Daily Beast that the current models used in the governments SCC essentially assume that climate change will not affect economic growth, she said. They assume climate change will have effects in some specific sectors, but the effect is not big enough to substantially alter the trajectory of economic development.

This, Moore said, is a flawed assumption.

There are some econometric studies that  find the effects of climate change on economic growth in poor countries could be large. Our paper simply incorporates these statistical findings into the model. Moreover, Moore told The Daily Beast, because impacts to economic growth compound over time, even small impacts to the growth rate have very large implications for total climate damages. This is why our value of $220 per ton is so much larger than the U.S. governments value.

Esty replied, Getting started with some kind of price is much better than no price. As the science gets better, well have more clarity about what the harms are, and the costs of harms will be more clear. But having some price is critical and thats what this case really does.

From this point on, government agencies can rely upon the existing SCC, pointing to the Zero Zone case as a significant ratification of the SCC in principle, and this figure in practice. Ironically, its next challenge may come from the left rather than the right: Moore told The Daily Beast that the National Academy of Sciences is reviewing the governments methodology and may well recommend a higher figure.

But in the meantime, this obscure case could well mark a turning point in the way the government includes climate change-related damages in its rulemaking.

When companies undertake activities and have harm that theyre not paying forbecause theyre sending them up a smokestack or down an effluent pipelinethere is going to be an assessment of those costs that are thrown onto society, Esty said. Its only one step beyond that to make companies pay for harm they are causing. Thats where were headed over the next decade.

The world, he said, is turning.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo really wants you to know that he caught a 154.5-lb shark over the weekend. On the other hand, he may not want you to know it belongs to a threatened species.

On Sunday, Cuomo tweeted a photo of himself standing on a Long Island dock next to a slain thresher shark, which the International Union for the Conservation of Nature includes in its list of threatened species, marking the sharks as vulnerable (though not endangered) due to their declining numbers.

The backlash was swift. That night, Blue Planet Society tweeted in response, Lost for words. Governor of New York State Andrew Cuomo @NYGovCuomo kills an @IUCNRedList Threatened thresher shark for fun.

Other outraged tweets, and tweets outraged by the outrage, soon followed.

Perhaps if you're still in town we can educate our fine @NYGovCuomo on threatened marine species, one user wrote.

Looks like he knows alk [sic] he needs to. Beautiful catch, another responded.

A spokesperson for the governor has said catching the shark was not illegal, telling the New York Post, This is an edible game fish that is indigenous to New York waters, and catching them is allowable under both state and federal regulations.
By the time Dr. Drew Pinskys show was canceled by CNN after he engaged in unfounded speculation about Hillary Clintons health, no one was shocked.

For years, the Loveline host had been seen as more of a television doctor, as Newt Gingrich recently referred to him, than as a doctor who also appears on TV. Most memorably, Pinsky presided over VH1s Celebrity Rehab from 2008 to 2012, with five cast members dying while the show was still on the air. A sixth, the WWE star Chyna, died of a drug overdose this April, drawing renewed attention to the questionable ethics of the reality show. But if you buy into the Dr. Drew mythos, CNNs cancellation of the HLN show Dr. Drew on Call was the last chapter in the gradual unraveling of his career, which started with a beloved radio show and ended in headline-grabbing ignominy. Looking back, however, scandal and controversy have plagued Pinsky for decades.

The story of Dr. Drew was only ever going to end this way.

In 2012, The Daily Beast reported details of a $3 billion settlement between the Justice Department and pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), including a federal complaint which alleged that a PR firm for GSK had hired Pinsky to talk about the antidepressant Wellbutrin as a libido booster in settings where it did not appear that Dr. Pinsky was speaking for [Wellbutrin]. Court documents included invoices for Pinsky totaling $275,000.

The date on those invoices? 1999, when the TV version of Pinskys Loveline had only been on MTV for three years.

Pinsky was not charged with any criminal wrongdoing, as The Daily Beast noted at the time, and the doctor released a statement saying that his comments on Wellbutrin were consistent with [his] clinical experience. But the damage to his credibility stuck.

Dr. Ford Vox, writing for The Atlantic, observed that Pinskys minor empire had been built on audiences whove grown to trust his medical opinion. He added that the GSK settlement ought to end his career with CNN. Others were even less charitable. The health blog Blisstree called him a hackeven during the Loveline years.

Even our happy memories of the celebrity psychologist can now be tainted with the information that Dr. Drew was dishonest from the beginning, the Blisstree writer mourned.

CNN could have dropped Pinsky back in 2012 when the GSK settlement became public. They didnt. Instead, an HLN spokesperson told The Daily Beast in July of 2012 that the network was not interested in his activity before his 2010 hiring.

But there were plenty of scandals after Dr. Drew was hired by HLN, too. Later in July of 2012, for example, journalist and NYU professor Charles Seife resurfaced his allegations that Pinsky had taken $115,000 from Janssen Pharmaceuticals in 2010 and 2011. Seife reported for Slate that an HLN spokesperson said: Dr. Drew would provide an on-air disclaimer if he were to do a story involving Janssen Pharmaceuticals.

In 2011, too, the FDA warned the Pinsky-endorsed company 1-800-GET-THIN not to downplay the risks of lap-band surgery. Pinsky didnt respond to the Los Angeles Times report on the FDA warning, citing a confidentiality clause in his agreement.

But Pinskys TV career only flourished, as did his nasty habit of diagnosing at a distance, which would eventually land him in hot water in the 2016 election. As Jezebel reported in 2011, Pinsky defended this habit during the very first episode of his HLN show, which aired in April of that year.

For those of you who say that I cant diagnose at a distance, Ive been practicing medicine for 30 years, Pinsky said at the top of the show. I have experienced and have studied hundreds, lets say, thousands of cases. Its what I do.

In that sense, when Pinsky raised eyebrows for saying in a radio interview that he was gravely concerned about Hillary Clintons health and for claiming that she was suffering from a brain injury, HLN was getting exactly what the celebrity physician had promised to do when they hired him. The only difference this time around was that he was distance-diagnosing the potential next President of the United States instead of a D-list celebrity.

Now, many of the major chapters in Dr. Drews career are coming to a close. In 2013, he left Celebrity Rehab, telling a radio show that he was tired of taking all the heat for the untimely deaths of the shows cast members. Loveline went on the air for the last time this April. And the final episode of HLNs Dr. Drew on Call is slated for Sept. 22.

Longtime fans of Loveline still remember a time in the 90s when Pinsky came across as an honest, sex-positive radio host who openly discussed HIV and other STDs during an otherwise stigmatizing time. But the longer Pinsky has careened off courseand the more details have emerged about his earlier yearsthe shorter that period seems.

And if its true that its not how you start that matters, but how you finish, then Pinskys lucrative downhill slide will be his legacy. He may have started as a disarmingly honest radio show host but he finished as a...well, his most recent credit on IMDB says it all: Pinsky last played a pastor in Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens.

If theres anything that Dr. Drew should be gravely concerned about, its his career.
Jonathan Safran Foer and Natalie Portmans New York Times Magazine interview, extremely indulgent and incredibly thirsty, set a new bar for intellectual navel-gazing on newsstands. Luckily, Jaden and Willow Smith, Americas favorite over-achieving binary stars, just blew those literarians out of the water.

Foer and Portmans pretentious email footsie rubbed a lot of people the wrong waypeople who arent as passionate about Hebrew etymology as Natalie Portman, for instance, and those who would really like Jonathan Safran Foer to put it back in his pants. In contrast, Willow and Jaden Smiths intellectual ambition, which appears to come from a place of genuine curiosity and creativity, feels fresh and exciting.

At 18 and 15, Jaden and Willow arent putting on airs. Theyre not worried about sounding stupid or overly precocious, as evidenced by their game discussions of everything from physics to fashion to The Karate Kid. This voracious appetite for observation and opining has transformed the Smiths into nationally beloved content creators. This is Jaden, after all, the eccentric auteur behind such Tweets as, That Moment When Peeing Feels So Good You Start Crying and I Saw Owen Wilson One Time From A Distance And We Just Stared At Each Other, Then His Car Drove Off.

As with all celebrity spawn, there came a time when the Smith kids had to prove that they were artists in their own right. That time was 2010, when a 9-year-old Willow Smith released Whip My Hair, a true banger. Even if the Roc Nation-signed artist never releases another hit, Whip My Hair has already proven that Willow is so much more than just Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smiths progeny. In the siblings new Interview cover story, Jaden Smith tells interviewer Pharrell Williams that Willows always been better than me at everything.

Jaden is being more than a little modest. Before he could legally vote, the elder Smith had already made considerable contributions to the genderqueer aesthetic, both as a designer and a fashion plate. He introduced a generation of boys to the world of breathable tunics, along with the valuable lesson that if you can rock a skirt, you too might be worthy of taking Amandla Stenberg to prom.

When hes not revolutionizing the fashion game or hanging out with his Instagram-famous girlfriend, Jaden Smith stars in blockbusters like The Pursuit of Happyness, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and The Karate Kid. More recently, he played Marcus "Dizzee" Kipling on Baz Luhrmanns The Get Down on Netflix. He arguably looks better in a skirt than Young Thug, and can probably move small objects with his mind.

Interview struggled to introduce their multi-layered cover stars, ultimately describing the siblings as having more hyphens in their descriptions than Morse codewhich, tbh, they probably speak: recording artists, actors, designers, entrepreneurs. The subsequent conversation between the Smiths and Pharrell Williams, playing the role of cool college kid babysitter who will spend hours listening to your theories about Osho and the myth of reality, is long and expansive. Luckily, time and space are illusory and Willow and Jaden Smith are fun to listen to. Heres what we learned:

You might be old, but Willow and Jaden Smith arent.

Willow and Jaden Smith are many thingsTwitter users, amateur physicists, Chanel and Louis Vuitton brand ambassadors. But one thing they arent is old. At 18 and 15, these multi-hyphenates struggle to understand the gripes and grudges of anyone born prior to the Internet. The shade is unintended, but the bewilderment is real. Willow analyzes these wrinkled, alien lifeforms, musing, It seems like they don't understand our thought process. Or, like, things have happened in the past that they're still mad about. We want to accept them and move forward. I mean, I can definitely see things that have happened in the past that they're holding on to and things that are happening right now that bog them down, but this generation wants to transcend them.

But putting these hordes of angry elderly aside, there are a few adults whom Willow and Jaden genuinely vibe with, on account of their similar DNA and near-identical names. Willow cites her parents as her biggest idols, recalling, Growing up, all I saw was my parents trying to be the best people they could be, and people coming to them for wisdom, coming to them for guidance, and them not putting themselves on a pedestal, but literally being face-to-face with these people and saying, Im no better than you, but the fact that you're coming to me to reach some sort of enlightenment or to shine a light on something, that makes me feel love and gratitude for you. They always give back what people give to them.

For two teens with an unfathomable amount of money, Jaden and Willow are very quick to insist that, Its not just about money. Willow insists, Its not just about giving people gifts or whatever. What my parents have given to me is not anything that has to do with money or success or anything that society says people should be focusing onit's something spiritual that only certain people can grasp and accept. And that's how I act and move in the world today.

Woke Baby isnt just a meme.

From combatting stereotypes to shedding literal tears over the patriarchy, these youths are woke af. According to Jaden, making sure every kid goes to school is a crucial component of his amorphous mission: Where they feel like their teachers are actually on their side. Or they feel like law enforcement is actually on their side. We want to create a society that is working for us and with usand were working for society, not against it. Additionally, Willow has some thoughts on Like, racism  Namely, People are dying at the moment because of unconscious cops. And I just had to take a moment to grieve for the world. But sexism is also a huge problem in society. And that book [The Red Tent] really opened my eyes to a whole other world of insanity and humanity.

Jaden Smith was in New York, and you didnt even know it.

Like many celebrities, Jaden Smith prioritizes his hard-earned privacy. And like many millennials, Jaden Smith knows how to use emojis to denote his location. However, Im not posting an emoji of a plane on Instagram, like, New York. I don't want anyone to know that I'm here in New York. And by the time this comes out, I won't be. We don't like people to really know what's happening with us or what we're into. That being said, Jaden did let one person know of his whereabouts.

His name is Ian, hes a super young dude and MSFTSrep fan, and now his unlikely friendship with Jaden Smith has been immortalized in Interview magazine. Apparently, Jaden got him a hotel room at the spot that I'm staying at, for him and his homies to just to, like, witness a lifestyle, see that anything's possible. I put him here in New York City, his first time ever in New York City in his life, to be like, Yo, this is what it's like. Anything's possible. Keep going. We're trying to inspire kids, like, Join me and Willow. Join with the squad. And let's really, like, change the world.

Osho is cool, Christopher Nolan is goals, and Pharrell Williams is doing too much.

When asked about dream collaborators, Jaden quickly responded, I would love to work with Christopher Nolan, 100 percent. Because he is a kind empath, he also gave his interviewer a shout out, continuing, It would be a dream for me to hang out with you in the studio. Not even to make music but just hang out. Pharrell Williams response was incredibly extra: Well, you guys know the power of speaking things into existence. You're more than welcome. Calm down, Pharrell.

Willow Smith is probably also a Christopher Nolan fan, but she doesnt love the English-American director as much as she loves Osho, the Indian spiritual guru. Willow says, I love Osho. I don't know if you would call him a philosopher; I would just call him a really cool dude. Osho really changed my life. Because the way that he spoke about emotion and the male and female energies in the world and how people react to the world around them, it's so simple, yet it has such a depth.

Speaking of philosophy

You might be wondering if Willow and Jaden have any specific philosophical questions theyd like to let loose on the universe. Luckily, Pharrell Williams has your back, asking, Do you guys have any philosophical questions that you'd like to present to the world that's going to read this? And boy, do they ever. Jaden Smith has seen people killin and people dyin, and theyve got him questioning: Where is the love? Also, What are we doing? Whos making the decisions that are putting us in the predicaments that we are in, with all of these people losing their lives around the world in so many different ways? I feel like a serious revolution needs to take place in order for human beings to evolve in a way where we can truly exist as a society. Because, right now, we do not act as a true society. We act as a world under terror, just scrambling to survive.

Willow agrees that thats definitely one of my biggest questions, without specifically pinpointing one of her brothers many interrogatives. She continues, How are humans going to start taking responsibility for the actions that they take? When are we going to stop pointing the finger at someone else for something we do unconsciously? How are we going to start being aware of those things and changing those things?

But how can you start being aware of things and taking action when nothing is real and were all living in a giant fishbowl? Willow investigates: A fan came up to me in New York a couple days ago, and theyre like, Is this real life? And I looked at them, and I go, I don't think it is. It was a crazy moment because I actually, like, looked into her eyes and thought, She's actually asking me this question. Like, she's not BSing me. This isnt a joke. She's actually asking me, Is this real life? And I'm giving her my truest answer, which is, I dont think it is.

Pharrell Williams hates the word famous for some reason.

Pharrell: It seems that you've always beenI hate using this wordfamous.

According to Willow Smith, Hanya Yanagiharas 2015 bestseller A Little Life is not important.

Willow: I'm reading a book called A Little Life right now, but that's not important.

And then theres this.

Pharrell: Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Jaden: Gone.
Trevor Noah: I Did Not Say the Entire U.K. Was Racist

JUST SOME OF YOU

The Daily Show host has sought to clarify his comments which have angered many in the U.K.
" " What are you hiding? iStockphoto/ Thinkstock

If you think your ankles are actually cankles or your ears are a little Dumboesque for that short haircut, don't feel too bad. You're in the majority. Almost everyone has at least one real or perceived physical imperfection. Like your grandmother probably told you, "Nobody's perfect." The exact nature of your preoccupation with looking good may have you seeking the help of a plastic surgeon or just cramming a hat on your head to conceal a thinning topknot. There's a difference between being sensitive about a few stretch marks and refusing to change out of your yoga pants for fear of ridicule, though.

In extreme cases, body image issues may fall into the category of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a condition characterized by obsessive worry about appearance, even in individuals who may actually look quite attractive. The difference between disliking, say, your complexion, and being so preoccupied with it that it interferes with your daily life is what distinguishes BDD sufferers from the 93 percent of women and 82 percent of men who openly admit that they care about their appearance and work to look more attractive [source: Phillips].

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Although the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports that there were more than 13.1 million cosmetic procedures performed in the U.S. in 2010, many people prefer concealment to making permanent modifications to their appearance. A long-sleeved blouse, boxy T-shirt or ball cap can often provide a quick cover-up, and with no one the wiser, concealment is a cheaper and less painful alternative to surgery, too, at least for those areas that can be concealed [source: American Society of Plastic Surgeons].

On the next pages, let's look at 10 body parts people hide to discover what it is that makes these areas ripe for self-criticism.
I am supporting Steve Bullock for governor because he has the skills, experience and policy positions to foster a robust economy that allows entrepreneurs to create high-wage jobs across Montana and to make Montana a great place to live and work.

I spent 13 years at RightNow Technologies working closely with Greg Gianforte as chief financial officer, chief operating officer and senior vice president for customer experience. I am proud of what we built at RightNow and give Gianforte enormous credit for founding the business. That said, I dont believe that his success in business translates to success in public service.

Under Gov. Bullock, Montana is ranked as the No. 1 state for entrepreneurship four years in a row. Our wages are the sixth-fastest-growing in the nation, and more Montanans are employed today than ever before. In the past four years under Steve Bullock, Montana has created 20,000 new jobs. Our unemployment rate is about a full percentage point below the national average. This is because Bullock understands what attracts companies, big and small, to Montana: a strong public education system, access to public lands, fiscal discipline, responsible investments in infrastructure and a culture that welcomes all perspectives.

Gianforte has a record of opposing these things. Regardless of where he is from or how long he has been in Montana, he doesnt share those values or support those policies. Technology companies in particular rely on employees who arent discriminated against. Yet Gianforte personally fought a nondiscrimination ordinance in Bozeman and has donated more than $1 million to extreme anti-LGBT organizations. Many of the organizations Gianforte helps fund are behind the job-killing discrimination laws in Indiana and North Carolina. These harmful policies cost those states tens of millions of dollars. Let me be clear, those out-of-touch positions would deter companies, especially technology companies, as well as technology employees, from moving to Montana.

We have seen Gianfortes position when it comes to public access near his house. He hasnt committed to keep Montanas public school funds in public schools or to expand our public school system to the pre-K level, something almost every other state in the country already has implemented. His tax proposals would eliminate Montanas fiscal surplus. That surplus has been the underpinning of Montanas highly favorable credit rating, which has translated to very strong bond ratings.

While Gianforte is spending millions of his own fortune to tout his business credentials, he should be clear with Montanans about RightNow Technologies business model. The purpose of our business was to cut costs for companies by eliminating and outsourcing jobs overseas with technology solutions for customer service.

In conversations with RightNow investors, Gianforte explained that one of the biggest drivers in our business has been the movement toward outsourcing. In fact, Forbes Magazine actually praised RightNow Technologies for taking the concept of outsourcing to new levels. And while it is true that we had approximately 500 employees in Montana we had another 700 employees in other states and countries as well as outsourced jobs in Armenia and India.

This was a very successful business model and produced profits for our owners, including Gianforte and myself, but it just doesnt provide a model for governing our state.

Montanas business climate is strong and getting stronger. Im proud to have been a part of it and will continue to help it grow. And Im proud to support Steve Bullock, the candidate who has a proven record of getting things done -- especially when it requires putting political differences aside and supporting common-sense policies and investments to keep Montana great for future generations.
Our report will be formally launched this Friday at Green Party Conference in Birmingham, at a unique panel in the main Conference hall. It will be unique, because on the panel will be not just Caroline Lucas MP, myself, and Zoe Williams of The Guardian chairing, but also Neal Lawson of Compass and Labour, Lisa Nandy MP of Labour, and Chris Bowers of the LibDems. This is perhaps the possibility of progressive alliance already present, in outline.

In order for such a pact as our report envisages to actually fly, it would have to be done in such a way that has real advantages - real possibilities of gains - for all parties involved in it. Political pluralism in this country is not going away. It is ludicrous of Labour's elite to think that they can win on their own in 2020. Greens are going to have to be an ingredient of such a victory - as are the 'Nationalist' Parties, and the Lib Dems too.

While the importance of Labour and Green cooperation is crucial to ensuring a progressive majority in 2020, it is unlikely to be enough on its own without significant input from other parties. Martin Robbin recently illustrated this point in the Guardian, where he noted that even with Greens supporting Labour candidates in large droves, we are likely only to see between 7-11 seat gains for Labour.

If we're serious about ensuring a progressive majority and electoral reform, then we need to work with others as well as the Labour Party.

The Labour Leader says 'No'?

It is going to be very hard to get a progressive pact to happen. Jeremy Corbyn, who one might have expected to have been sympathetic to the idea, has seemingly ruled it out - even for the specific case of Caroline Lucas, the Green Mp for Brighton, whop is much closer to Corbyn politically than the great majority of Labour MPs.

But to be fair to Corbyn, he is in the middle of a bruising leadership election. It would be challenging for the Leader of the Opposition, in the middle of such an election campaign, to come out in favour of acting with other parties. It would have required great vision and bravery.

Corbyn is highly likely to win the leadership election. Once he has done so, and with Labour almost certainly continuing to struggle internally and in the opinion polls, then my bet is that he will think again, and start to face reality: without a progressive alliance, Labour will be destroyed by the Conservatives. But with such an alliance, a better future is possible.

And there are historical precedents for this idea, which were no doubt similarly disparaged as pipe-dreams when they were first floated. The most striking such precedent is the 1903 pact with the Liberals that in effect enabled Labour to get into Parliament in the first place in numbers, in 1906.

There are powerful historical arguments for the consideration of such pacts by Greens. Let me briefly address directly those who do or would like to support my Party, the Party hosting this debate at its conference next week ...

The only way that a new party managed to break through in a significant way, early in the 20th century, was through an electoral pact with an old party. Then it was Labour with Liberals. Now it could be Greens, with Labour and Liberals and nationalists. This progressive alliance idea is about enabling change, under the crazy First Past The Post system, and enabling growth for the Green Party. (Of course, as soon we get electoral reform, everything will open up.)

1903-6 saw an electoral pact in some seats that enabled a good new small party to grow exponentially (and that prevented what would otherwise have been a disastrous long Tory hegemony under FPTP). Just what some of us in the Greens are proposing now, and asking colleagues in other parties to hear and to join in with.

Such a pact now could have even more exciting and long-lasting results than it did back then, if it brings electoral reform in its wake! And support from all parties - and that includes Labour - for proportional representation must be a sine qua non of any progressive pact.

A more recent precedent is the little-known 'non-aggression pact' between Labour and Lib Dems which in 1997 was responsible for the scale of the destruction of the Conservatives at the hands of both those parties, and in particular of the largely-successful 'decapitation strategy' that they jointly practiced, that year. Here is a rare mention of that pact, which was unofficial and involved Labour and Lib Dems not doing work in each others' target seats.

Real leadership for a new progressive politics



You might think that a progressive pact is an attempt at a fix, bypassing the voters right to democratically express their will. Not so. This is about enabling more people to vote for what they believe in and to get it:

By achieving PR, which will at last end tactical voting which was still an utter bane in 2015. Many millions of voters did not vote for what they believed in, because of FPTP. (In Cambridge, where I stood as MP-candidate, we reckon there were at least c.5-6k Greens who voted Labour, for example.)

By seeking to 'trade' (vote-swap, if you will) Green votes in some marginals, votes that would otherwise mostly be tactically squeezed into semi-non-existence anyway, for enabling Green votes en masse in seats where, under the pact, we will be able to win. (And the same goes for Labour, and for the LibDems, and for Plaid Cymru...)

In sum: in 2020, a progressive pact would enable people to vote for (and achieve!) what they believe in. It would give voters the option of an alternative to endless Tory rule, an end to FPTP, and an end to our broken system. A chance for citizens to really take back control ...

If it is going to happen, it will take a lot of doing. So we have to get started now! The obstacles, as I've already admitted, are of course manifold, from inertia to tribalism. But put simply: it's time to take the bold step, together, of seriously considering such a pact. The prize is democracy itself, not to mention getting rid of the Tories.

With both the Green Party and Labour coming to the end of leadership contests this September, it is crucial that a 'progressive alliance' is one of the things that new leaders prioritise. As members or supporters of political parties, we must use this opportunity to force the issue onto the agenda. For a 'progressive alliance' is now the only feasible alternative to continued Conservative government in 2020.

Any leader or leadership contender in any 'progressive' party who fails to recognise this risks 'leading' their party - and, more important still, their country - only into the dustbin of history.

Rupert Read was Green Party candidate for Cambridge at the 2015 General Election, and is Chair of Green House. He writes regularly for the Ecologist.

The report: Green House think tank's new report on the progressive pact concept.

Thanks to Atus Mariqueo-Russell for research for this piece.
However Corbyn's appointment as Shadow spokesperson on energy matters, Barry Gardiner MP, remains supportive of Hinkley mainly because of trade union mantras on the need for jobs that Hinkley would provide. But these mantras are a shibboleth, defined as a long-standing belief which is widely regarded as outmoded or no longer related to the actual situation.

According to EdF Energy, only 900 direct permanent jobs would be created at Hinkley C, were it ever to be constructed. Even this is a likely overestimate, as on average UK nuclear power stations only employ about 600 workers. Although about 4,500 jobs would exist each year during any construction, EdF has admitted most would be temporary and filled by overseas workers.

And these permanent jobs would come at a hefty price. Independent analysts estimate each nuclear job at Hinkley would cost consumers an extra 800,000 per year compared to jobs in renewables in terms of increased costs of electricity.

Although ill-informed leaders of a few large unions support nuclear for jobs reasons, many trade unionists do not. The excellent 2014 report A Million Climate Jobs by 24 energy analysts and trade union officials reveals the large potential for jobs in the renewables and explicitly eschews nuclear power.

Trade union leaders may think that nuclear power is a major provider of jobs. It is not. The recent analysis of jobs in the energy sector published by the Office of National Statistics reveals only 15,500 direct jobs in nuclear power compared with 43,500 direct jobs in renewables - including renewable heat, renewable combined heat and power, bioenergy and alternative fuels in 2014.

Of course it may be that the four main unions backing nuclear power - GMB, Unite, Ucatt, and Prospect - do so not for the sake of jobs, but only for the sake of jobs within their unions. That would be understandable - but if that's the case they should admit this and stop saying nuclear provides lots of 'jobs'.

UK renewables already employ three times as many people as nuclear

In fact, the ONS figure is flattering, as about 9,000 of the 15,500 workers are engaged in nuclear reprocessing at Sellafield in Cumbria. The reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel is a filthy, dangerous, polluting and essentially useless activity which produces not a single watt of electricity and consumes a great deal of it. It also accounts for most of NDA's whopping ~3 billion annual operating bill which taxpayers are forced to pay. We shall return to the nonsense of nuclear reprocessing in a future article.

If we accept the ONS estimate, the renewables sector employs about three times as many people as nuclear. In future it is clear this ratio will increase as the number of nuclear jobs is declining with the closure of old nuclear power stations.

On the other hand, the numbers of permanent new jobs in the renewables industries are increasing by leaps and bounds. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in 2015, renewables employed 7.7 million people worldwide, with 650,000 in Europe, including 370,000 in Germany and 160,000 in France.

The IRENA estimates are for both direct and indirect jobs and there is some uncertainty in the methods used to derive them. However it is quite clear that they are pointing in the right direction.

No estimates are yet available for both direct and indirect jobs in the UK energy sector, but the ONS has stated it is working on this. Indirect jobs are usually estimated by multiplying the direct jobs number with an increase factor. This means that the number of indirect UK jobs created in the renewables sector will be much larger than the number of indirect jobs in the nuclear sector.

Hinkley C a financial disaster and poor job-creator

All things considered, Hinkley C would be a remarkably poor bet for Britain. Industry insiders expect 90% of the work at Hinkley, and all hi-tech work, would go to French firms. For example, in 2013 EDF Energy completed a very large gas-fired power station at West Burton in Nottinghamshire where 100% of the engineering contracts (even the concrete) went to French firms.

In addition, pro-nuclear unions seem to be unaware that public support for Hinkley is declining. It fell from 57% in October 2013 to 33% in April this year, according to polling conducted on behalf of a pro-nuclear organisation. The report added "the growing level of public hostility to the 18 billion Hinkley project comes amid concern over its cost for UK consumers and a series of delays." This is not an isolated poll; other local surveys indicate the same.

These unions also appear to be unaware that it was only in May 2006 that Mr Blair changed Labour's policy on nuclear: before then, Labour and the unions (including the TUC) had been pro-renewables and openly sceptical on nuclear. It is time for the unions and some senior MPs in the Labour Party to wake up to the reality that nuclear furnishes few UK jobs, and that Hinkley C would not be a major jobs provider.

Instead they should give their support exclusively to renewables which are already a major jobs provider and in future will become an even greater one - all the more so if we seize the opportunites quickly and develop a global export trade in key renewable energy technologies.

Dr Ian Fairlie is an independent consultant on environmental radioactivity. He formerly was a senior scientist in the Civil Service and worked for the TUC as a researcher between 1975 and 1990.
Failures in the slaughter process itself are also highlighted, with thousands of instances of animals not being stunned or killed properly - in some cases not stunned at all and in others regaining consciousness afterwards.

Inspectors recorded cases of chickens and pigs being immersed into tanks of scalding hot water - used to soften the skin and remove hair or feathers - while still alive.

Among the injuries found on livestock presented from farms include a case where a one-eyed cow had a face lesion "completely full of worms" due to an injury which had not healed properly.

A batch of sheep arrived at one abattoir with a large number of conditions - 10 found to be suffering from foot rot, six with respiratory conditions, five with eye conditions, one with ear trauma and one with the parasitic disease sheep scab. At another a three-legged cow - its leg reportedly amputated when it was a calf - arrived "injured and bleeding" with "no bedding in the compartment during transportation."

Inspectors noted one incident where a haulier driver opened a lorry carrying sheep and "saw that the deck had fallen from the driver's side. There were 3 dead sheep and one stuck under the deck." The inspector asked a plant operator to kill the sheep to reduce the suffering.

Hundreds of animals are dead by the time they arrive at the slaughterhouse

Almost 600 instances were recorded of animals arriving at slaughterhouses already dead. In one case 574 chickens, from a load of 6,072 birds, died after being left on a lorry for an extended period of time in very hot conditions. This counts as one welfare breach despite involving hundreds of birds. In another example, 165 chickens died on the way to the abattoir and 17 had to be culled immediately as a result of "hypothermia due to transport with summer curtains in freezing weather."

In one consignment of 220 pigs, 33 were dead on arrival at the slaughterhouse with "suffocation concluded as possible cause of death."

The data also highlights practices that could facilitate the spread of the bacteria campylobacter, the most common cause of food poisoning in the UK. About 4 in 5 cases of the infection, which kills about 100 people a year, come from contaminated poultry.

Ensuring birds are as calm as possible when they are being caught and transported is an important preventative measure, because stressed birds defecate more, potentially spreading the infection and increasing the risk of meat contamination. However the data includes regular instances of chickens being "overstocked" in crates and incidents of birds being left on lorries for lengthy periods of time. In one case, because of a breakdown at the plant, 14 trucks were left overnight for more than 12 hours; in another, birds were left in crates at the abattoir for 20 hours.

Inspectors report facing threats of intimidation and physical violence

More than 900 million farm animals are killed for food each year in Britain. There are currently 317 approved slaughterhouses across the UK, most run by a handful of large companies, which now dominate the meat-processing sector. Many smaller independent abattoirs have been bought out.

Although each facility is responsible for ensuring the health and welfare of livestock processed at the plant - larger abattoirs are required to have a dedicated animal welfare officer - independent vets and meat hygiene inspectors reporting to the FSA are permanently on site to carry out checks.

However union officials representing meat inspectors say there is a staff shortage, meaning breaches are likely to be underreported. "Simply there are not enough staff to monitor animal welfare in areas like the killing rooms," said Paul Bell, a Unison officer with responsibility for abattoirs. Members had witnessed abattoir staff inflicting pain and shouting at animals, he said.

He also claimed inspectors attempting to carry out checks faced bullying and harassment, including "threats of physical violence, victimisation, intimidation, malicious lies and rumours."

It is unclear from the data how many of the breaches resulted in any sanctions or improvements. Most of the level 4 breaches were referred to regional Trading Standards offices, which have responsibility for monitoring farms and transportation, but there is no requirement for the vets and inspectors who make the referral to record details of what happens next.

The FSA is responsible for monitoring welfare inside slaughterhouses. Responding to the Bureau's investigation, it said it had a "zero tolerance" attitude to welfare breaches and used a "proportionate approach" to enforcement. Action could include suspending or withdrawing certificates of competence from slaughterers, referring cases for prosecution, stopping operations or serving welfare enforcement notices.

"There is a comprehensive animal verification procedure in place at every slaughterhouse for monitoring animal welfare," it said in a statement. "4 scores (meaning level 4 breaches) can be the result of unavoidable accidents rather than deliberate abuse."

Reports about welfare concerned only a tiny percentage of animals going through slaughterhouses, it pointed out, saying the vast majority of meat processors complied with regulations.

The fact that serious welfare breaches were the exception not the norm was not the point, said Marc Cooper, head of farm animals at the RSPCA.

"Such incidences of severe pain, distress and suffering are wholly unacceptable and completely avoidable," he said. "If they're avoidable, that means they shouldn't be happening at all - you shouldn't be seeing one. You would hope that strong enforcement action would be taken."

Between June 2014 and July 2016 all level 4 breaches resulted in enforcement action, said the FSA. It did not state what type of action was taken, though in an earlier response to the Bureau it did provide details of cases referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in 2013 and 2014.

In 2013 and 2014 the FSA referred 14 breaches of welfare regulations to the CPS, of which four resulted in prosecutions. Three of those prosecutions were later dropped. Of the remaining cases, four resulted in warning letters being sent out. Over the course of the two years, two slaughterers' licences were suspended and three were revoked for failure to comply with welfare legislation.

Pressure groups and unions - backed by a growing number of MPs - believe mandatory CCTV in abattoirs would help combat welfare breaches, with strict rules needed to ensure the footage was available for review by both veterinary staff and independent auditors. The government has so far failed to legislate on the issue.

According to the FSA's latest estimates, the vast majority of cattle, sheep, pigs and chickens (ranging from 88% to 99% depending on the animal) are killed in premises which have CCTV installed. However the regulator admitted last April that 33 slaughterhouses in England and Wales were refusing to hand over their footage. It has the power to seize footage in certain circumstances, it told the Bureau.



The RSPCA wants CCTV inside transport vehicles

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is calling for new legislation requiring all abattoirs to install CCTV and provide independent vets with unrestricted access. "CCTV risks being a paper tiger' if it is not monitored freely and independently," said BVA president Sean Wensley. "We need to foster a culture of compassion in slaughterhouses, coupled with robust and effective enforcement, so that the animals we farm for food have both a good life and a humane death."

However a large proportion of the mistreatment or neglect reported by vets and takes place before the animals arrive at the slaughterhouses, rendering such CCTV potentially useless. Almost 90% of the most serious category 4 infractions between 2014 and 2016 related to the transport of livestock from farms.

The RSPCA's Marc Cooper said such a finding meant mandatory CCTV inside transport vehicles as well as slaughterhouses should be considered.

Meaningful protection for animals could only come from mandatory, independently monitored CCTV, said Isobel Hutchinson, head of campaigns at Animal Aid. "These damning revelations confirm what our undercover investigations have already exposed," she said. "They show that incompetence and cruelty are rife in UK slaughterhouses, leading to animal suffering on a massive scale."

This article was originally published by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism

www.the bureauinvestigates.com
Throughout the 20th century, the United States has led the world welcoming refugees. President Obamas goal of accepting 10,000 Syrian refugees by the end of September is reckless. U.S Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power has stated that the number of new entrants should be further expanded while Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) wants the United States to accept 100,000 Syrian refugees. There seems to be no end in sight to this blatant irresponsibility.

Candidate for Governor Greg Gianforte along with other sitting governors are objecting to the Obama administrations resettlement surge because they feel it lacks adequate vetting and jeopardizes the security of our nation and their home states. Among those governors objecting to this policy is New Hampshires Maggie Hassan, a Democrat.

FBI Director James Comey testifying before Congress pointed out that the federal government does not have the necessary background information to conduct proper security checks on Syrian nationals. CIA Director, John Brennan, has also warned that ISIS is using refugee streams to move operatives around the world.

Mr. Gianforte understands that a governors legal authority on this issue is somewhat limited. However, I agree with his position that to ensure the safety of Montana citizens a state must push back against wrongheaded federal policy with every legal tool available. As governor, Greg Gianforte would fight and bring people together to resist adverse policies that do damage to Montana. Legal options available to a governor include the courts, his influence with congress or leadership from the bully pulpit. As I see it, our current governor seems willing to allow proper vetting and national security to take a back seat to partisan politics.

Ed Regan

Townsend
Montana officials are now being trained to shoot their own video footage of government proceedings in Helena.

Thats because Helena Civic Television -- the public affairs broadcast station long tasked with gavel-to-gavel coverage of committee meetings, commission hearings, Legislative deliberations and judicial proceedings -- shuttered its Capitol operations on Friday amid a contract dispute with the states Legislative Services Division.

At issue is how government business will be broadcast in the future, and at what cost.

Workers at the nonprofit station say they were worried about a possible government takeover of the stations content, programming they fear wouldve been commandeered and politicized under a state contract rejected on Aug. 15.

The station, which has carried live feeds of public meetings over the internet and television transmitters around the state since 2001, says it wasnt paid for more than three weeks' worth of work done during the interim between Legislative sessions.

State officials have claimed the station is seeking payment for tasks it wasn't contractually obligated to take on. Theyve offered to pony up a little over half of the $21,000 sought by the TV outlet.

But that offer wasnt rejected just because of the money, said Stephen Maly, the stations special projects director.

Maly said last-minute language inserted in the discarded contract wouldve allowed Legislative Services, along with an advisory subcommittee of elected leaders, to cherry-pick content broadcast over the channel.

He said such oversight provisions counted as a "completely unacceptable" threat to the station's integrity.

I cant help but think theres an agenda at work were not privy to, he added. It appears to me as if this agency intends to make (the broadcasting service) a government enterprise.

Its a sad day for the public and for the Legislature.

Neither Maly nor the Legislative Services Division immediately provided a copy of the broadcasting deal scuttled earlier this month. Legislative Services Executive Director Susan Fox wrote in a Monday email to the Independent Record that her division was working on language that would allow state officials and future public access broadcasters to negotiate the level of production hours for the next contract.

She did not respond to requests for further comment on Malys reading of the rejected agreement.

Montana law requires officials to pay someone to air official happenings at the Capitol. Neither side of the contract disagreement expects there will be an interruption in service while the state figures out who that will be.
What we know so far about alleged Iowa serial killer Donald Studey
FRAZER  It didnt take long for U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau to spar over who is a bigger advocate for Indian Country in a debate held here Monday night.

In what tribal leaders said was the first debate between candidates for Montanas lone seat in Congress held on the Fort Peck reservation, Juneau worked to characterize Zinke as out of touch with Montanas tribes and the state as a whole, while Zinke said Juneau has lied about him and his record during this election cycle.

In the elementary school gym packed with about 200 people, the candidates fielded questions with a decidedly tribal and rural Montana flavor  health care and veterans affairs were key topics, but moderators and the audience also asked about management of bison herds, sage grouse, rural water compacts and the meth epidemic on Montanas reservations.

Juneau, who grew up in Browning and is an enrolled member of the Mandan and Hidatsa tribes, played to what felt like a home field advantage. She said the Fort Peck tribe has given her its full support.

Zinke said he was adopted into the Assiniboine Tribe by the family of a U.S. Navy Seal whose son was killed in 2006. He then said his strong family roots in eastern Montana make him the right choice to represent this region.

I recognize that the east oftentimes gets ignored, but youre not alone, Zinke said. Montana often gets ignored.

Zinke is a first-term congressman. He defeated John Lewis in 2014 to win Montanas lone seat in the U.S. House. He had run as a lieutenant governor candidate with Neil Livingstone in 2012, coming in fifth in a primarY with seven candidates. Previously Zinke served as a state senator for one term, representing Whitefish.

For the last eight years Juneau has been Montana's superintendent of public instruction. She is term-limited from running for that post again. She was the first American Indian elected to a statewide office in Montana. As superintendent of public instruction she has seen Montana's graduation rate increase nearly 5 percent, an accomplishment she referred to many times Monday night.

Native issues

The nights first question centered on comments made by a candidate in a different race entirely, Republican candidate for governor Greg Gianforte. News outlets around the state last week ran stories quoting Gianforte as saying Indian reservations hinder the free market, do not have consistent rule of law, suffer from nepotism and dont have a culture that celebrates success. Candidates were asked if they agreed with Gianforte.

In her denouncement of the statements, Juneau was quick to tie Zinke to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who many view as anti-Native, and highlight her knowledge of Indian Country issues.

We dont need politicians and candidates for elected office that denigrate Native communities, she said. We need to work with them.

Zinke almost immediately invoked Democratic candidate for president Hillary Clinton in his response, saying both she and Juneau are liars.

I think my opponent has the same problem Hillary does, the truth. The truth is I support tribes, Zinke said. He cited the Blackfeet Water Compact, working to recognize the Little Shell Tribe and introducing bills to help pay for water projects.

Juneau said Zinke had let Indian Country down by voting against the Violence Against Women Act.

Hes not supported Indian Country, she said. He will go out and say one thing, but look at his actions. We can do better, we can do better for Indian Country and we can do better for Montana.

Through the debate, Juneau often fell back on her record as the state Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Zinke is not providing the leadership, she said. We need someone who has actually gotten something done for our state, who has a record of accomplishment.

Zinke pushed back, again calling Juneau a liar. He referenced her campaigns push earlier this summer saying the congressman voted to sell off public lands.

I voted 17 times in support of public land, and yet my opponent said I wanted to sell and transfer lands, and that is false. If were going to have a debate, lets talk about the truth. I mean what I say and I say what I mean.

Neither candidate offered up much in the way of specifics when asked about land management issues including bison herds, sage grouse and the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Juneau used questions on these topics to say that she believes decisions are best made with Montanans sitting around the table talking, while Zinke repeated that he thinks issues affecting Montanans should be settled by Montanans and not lawmakers in Washington, D.C.

Montana needs a say in how we manage our lands, Zinke said. If youre looking for a solution from Washington, D.C., youre not going to find it because the solution is us.

Syrian refugees

Early in the debate a member of the audience asked the candidates where they stood on allowing refugees from Syria into the U.S. Juneau said the country has a vetting process in place that allows for the safe process of letting people into the country.

When they come here to be resettled we need to remember that we also have a humanitarian side, she said.

Zinke, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, said the current vetting process isnt enough and thats why he proposed the the American SAFE Act to amp up the screening process to include the FBI and Department of Homeland Security.

If I could say children and women arent threats, it would be a wonderful world, Zinke said. Ive had to engage children with weapons. Its unvetted refugees we have to worry about. I fought there so it wouldnt come here.

Again and again responses circled back to Indian Country issues.

Juneau said Zinke hasnt supported Montanas tribes or spent the time in communities and talking to tribal governments like she has. She brought up Zinkes support of the English Language Unity Act and his appearance with the ProEnglish organization, which has been called a racist group. Zinke said he voted for the act because it was about making certain U.S. government documents that should be in English are in English.

Zinke said he sees desperation across Indian Country and hes worked by supporting the Blackfeet water and Northern Plains Water Compact as well as recognition of the Little Shell Tribe.

Support for veterans

The candidates traded barbs on support for veterans, with Juneau lambasting Zinke for not denouncing comments made by Trump disparaging Gold Star families of fallen service members after Trump attacked Khizr Khan, the father of a deceased U.S. Muslim soldier, after he spoke at the Democratic National Convention.

Congressman Zinke sided with a guy who has degraded a Gold Star family, Juneau said.

Zinke quickly turned the conversation back to Clinton, saying she lied about being under sniper fire and what happened in Benghazi, where Zinke said two of his friends died.

I dont agree with Trump on a lot of issues, and I do not agree with corruption and lying, Zinke said.

When asked why reservation schools are still struggling, Juneau pointed around the gym, saying Frazer was one of the original locations to participate in her Schools of Promise program that focused on putting resources in some of the lowest performing schools in the state.

Theyve done great. We can look at data in our Schools of Promise and see that it has been successful.

Zinke responded by saying that students are still not proficient at reading and math and many need remedial courses when entering universities and community colleges.

How you make it better is you empower the school boards, he said.

Health care

On a question focused on health care, Zinke called the Affordable Care Act an unmitigated disaster, saying the program hasnt meet goals of better access to health care at lower costs and hard-to-get appointments.

A lot of people criticize the VA, Zinke said. Indian Health Services is a superstar compared to the VA. Again he advocated for putting resources in communities and not in Washington.

Juneau said the Affordable Care Act has done some good in Montana and in Indian Country. The law does need fixing, she said, but shouldnt be thrown out and more should be done to take insurance companies out of the drivers seat.

Zinke told the crowd he thought the best way to fix the program was to let decisions be made in Montana.

Veterans should not die waiting in line for service, he said. If you cant get an appointment, you should have immediate access to an appointment somewhere else.

Zinke also said the VA has not done enough to address women's health and needs to stabilize its leadership.

Meth epidemic

One of the last questions of the night focused on the methamphetamine epidemic on Montanas Indian Reservations. Poplar, 40 miles east of the debate site, has seen an increase in the use of the drug and several high-profile crimes tied to its abuse.

Zinke said there are too few local resources to effectively fight the problem. Washington is not going to fix this problem, he said. We need to give you resources here, clinics here so you dont send someone away outside of their tribal network.

Meth is a threat equal to that posed by ISIS, Zinke said, Because it is killing us from within.

Juneau told the crowd shes been to all of Montanas reservations and that tribes need more law enforcement and tribal courts that can effectively prosecute.

Nancy and Albert Foote came from Poplar in part to drum and sing before the debate. The couple, who have lived in Poplar most of their lives, said they came to support the community and Juneau.

Shes a Native representative and its important we have somebody in there able to speak up for Native issues, Albert Foote said.

Foote said one of the biggest issues for him this election cycle is clean drinking water. He said Juneau has a better chance of understanding issues like that because shes also from a reservation.

Its important for us to have a representative that understands us, he said.

Brent McRae and his wife Hillari drove in from Jordan. Theyre Zinke supporters and said hes done good work to support Montana's rural electric cooperatives.

Hes helped us many times, McRae, who is who is president of the Montana Electric Cooperatives' Association, said. He was hoping to learn more about Juneaus stance on issues he said he hasnt been glean from her website.

Both Juneau and Zinke supporters said they were happy the debate was close to home.

Im really pleased they came to Eastern Montana for the debate because sometimes northeastern Montana is forgotten, McRae said.

Monday nights debate was the first of four scheduled between Zinke and Juneau. Another is set for Thursday in Billings. Two more are set for Great Falls on Oct. 5 and Oct. 8. The candidates have said they would like to hold a debate on the Crow Reservation but that has not been scheduled.
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NORWALK  Martha Castillo was shocked when she spotted a large creature with beige fur stalking a family of deer outside of her home on the 100 block of Murray Street late last week.

The animal, which she soon realized was a coyote, lurked near her front lawn just yards from where she stood with her two dogs.

I was scared out of my wits, Castillo said. Im a city girl  Im not used to seeing wild animals.

Castillo screamed for her dogs, startling the coyote. Instead of following the deer or coming after her, Castillo said the coyote simply ran down the sidewalk along Murray Street.

This was my first time seeing (a coyote), Castillo said. At first I thought it was a German shepard, but the tail was so low.

Since spotting the animal on Friday, Castillo said several neighbors also reported seeing a coyote in the area.

One neighbor reported seeing a coyote on Orchard Hill Road, which runs parallel to Murray Street, Castillo said. Another neighbor spotted a coyote near Wolfpit Elementary School playground.

A Wolfpit Elementary School official said the school had received no reports of coyotes in the area.

However, Castillo said she is concerned because, besides the school, the area is home to many young children and small dogs that are outside throughout the day.

The neighbor who lives in the back has small children, Castillo said. The little kids are smaller than my dogs.

Castillo said she reported the sighting to animal control and will continue to keep an eye out to alert her neighbors.

I just think residents should know, she said. It might be a good warning.
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NORWALK  The deadline may pass but the hatchet wont necessarily fall on a nonprofit organizations effort to save the historic White Barn Theater from becoming a housing development.

It doesnt necessarily expire tomorrow. We are awaiting some developments, said Steve Nevas, the attorney representing The Lucille Lortel and Waldo Mayo White Barn Foundation. No one is sitting there with a hatchet or a stop watch at this moment.

A court agreement was reached in March giving the White Barn Foundation until the end of August to raise $5.2 million to buy the former theater property on Cranbury Road.

On Tuesday afternoon, a clock on the foundations website (whitebarntheatre.org) ticked down to less than 12 hours, putting the deadline around midnight.

Until 2002, the barn-turned-theater and house at 78 Cranbury Road was the home of Lucille Lortel  proclaimed the Queen of Broadway by the Museum of the City of New York  and a summer theater for 50 years.

Last October, the Norwalk Zoning Commission approved unanimously plans for a 15-home conservation development on the property. Norwalk resident Diane Lauricella requested a demolition delay under city ordinance, prompting a well-attended hearing before the Norwalk Historical Commission.

James A. Fieber, the owner of the property, said Tuesday that no agreement had been reached to extend the fundraising deadline but he indicated talks were underway to that end.

I dont know what their current status is, Fieber said of the fundraising effort. No extension has been consummated. Were in discussion regarding an extension.

The White Barn Foundation, a nonprofit organization, was formed to save and reuse the former theater.

The foundation, led by Lortels great grandnephew, Waldo Mayo, hopes to purchase the property and create spaces and facilities for the development and performance of new work in the fields of drama, dance, music and film.

The foundation announced in June that it had applied to the National Conservation Fund for a $4.1 million loan to cover 80 percent of the $5.2 million purchase price. The fund did not respond immediately for comment Tuesday on where the application stands.

Mayor Harry W. Rilling met last week with Mayo, Nevas and others from the foundation. He said Tuesday that any extension to the deadline would rest with Fieber.

Thats totally up to Jim, Rilling said. I understand his desire to either move forward or to move on, so theyll have to have that conversation and see if its something that can be agreed upon.

Rilling lent his support to the plan to restore the theater.

It would be nice to have the White Barn Theatre there and have a theater in Connecticut that we could call our own, Rilling said. It would be great for the area. It certainly would bring people to Norwalk and weve always been very supportive of the performing arts.

The historic theatre boasts extensive connections thoughout the theater world. Names ranging from Actor Kevin Spacey to Tony Award-winnning directors Eric Falkenstein and Andy Sandberg to actress, director and Today Show host Estelle Parsons are all associated with the property.

Even so, none of the A-list  or even B- or C-list  stars whove proclaimed support for the property could be reached for comment as the deadline approached Tuesday.

A quote that appears on the site from Spacey, who supposedly performed at the theater in the early days of his career reads: "I want to offer my support to The White Barn theatre in its mission to once again be a home for actors, producers, directors, writers, set designers, lighting directors, make up technicians and more."

Kaitlyn Krasselt contributed to this story.

rkoch@hearstmediact.com
NORWALK  Karaoke with Pete Leone on Friday, Sept. 2, at the American Legion Post 12, 60 County St., Norwalk. Sing and listen to your favorite tunes starting at 8:30 p.m. No cover. Public and singles always welcome. Call 203-866-8249.

Veteran of the Month, Flag Ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 4 at the American Legion Post 12 , will be honoring WWII U.S Navy veteran Peter Constabile. The flag service is held at 60 County St., Norwalk, the first Sunday of the month, at 11 a.m. All veterans and their families and friends are invited to attend. If you know a deceased veteran who honorably served his country and would like them to be honored contact the Legion. The veteran need not be a member of any veterans organization to be honored. Refreshments follow the ceremony. Call 203-866-8249.
Bizarre World Series opener ends with Phillies stunning Verlander's Astros

Justin Verlander's World Series struggles continued as the Astros blew a 5-0 lead, losing Game 1 in extra innings to the Phillies.
MISSOULA -- A former top executive of RightNow Technologies, the Bozeman company founded by Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte, said her pick for governor is incumbent Democrat Steve Bullock.

Over the last month, Susan Carstensen has written two letters to the editor in which she argues that her former boss is not the right person to lead the state. She worked at the company for almost 13 years as chief financial officer, chief operating officer and senior vice president.

I dont believe that his success in business translates to success in public service, read a letter published in today's Independent Record.

Although not unheard of, Carstensen admits her public opposition is unusual for the small, tight-knit business community in Montana. It also highlights the political involvement of former RightNow leaders. Republican Sen. Steve Daines, once a vice president at the company, has campaigned in support of Gianforte.

In an interview, Carstensen said did not intend to attack Gianforte, whom she called a great businessman.

My goal is to say hes not the only voice of business, Carstensen said. Weve always had very different points of view. It never changed our working relationship and I wouldnt expect it to in the future.

Campaign Spokesman Aaron Flint said the fact Gianforte worked alongside Carstensen so well for so long was evidence of his management ability. He also dinged Bullock for a public falling out with his former lieutenant governor, Angela McLean, late last year.

"Susan Carstensen's liberal politics are no secret in Bozeman, and the fact that Greg promoted someone with differing political beliefs to such a prestigious position in the company is testament to Greg Gianforte's leadership and ability to motivate a diverse team, Flint wrote in a statement. What a contrast between a high-wage job creator like Greg Gianforte and a career politician like Steve Bullock, who locked his female Lieutenant Governor out of her Twitter account, and forced her out of office.

Carstensen, the current interim CEO of Utah-based software company Workfront, joined RightNow in 1999 as CFO and left the company as the Senior Vice President of Customer Experience after it was bought by Oracle in 2012 for nearly $2 billion.

She has long donated to Democratic campaigns, finance records show, and volunteered for political causes. For instance, in the last year she worked for Early Edge Action, an advocacy nonprofit organized to support Bullocks proposal for universal preschool. She also was a speaker at an Equal Pay Summit organized by the governors office to discuss the gender wage gap.

She is one of seven Montana business leaders who founded OpenSourceMT, an independent political action committee, to support Bullocks re-election. Other members include Senior Director of Mergers at Oracle and former RightNow VP of Operations Kim Scurry, Submittable CEO Michael FitzGerald of Missoula and NorthFork Financial President Bill Stoddart of Bozeman.

To create the right conditions for better jobs and economic futures, the groups says the state needs to support public education, promote inclusion and diversity, protect the environment and public access, and invest in infrastructure. On their website, they argue that Bullock has more clearly supported those policies.

After Carstensen wrote a short letter to the Chronicle earlier this month, replying to writers who touted Gianforte as a business leader, she said some members of OpenSourceMT, as well as other Montana business people hesitant to openly identify as Democrats, had emailed her and urged her to write a more detailed letter.

She also said she had sat down with members of Bullocks campaign staff to ask what else I could do to be helpful [and] we settled on a letter. She said campaign staff helped her gather and confirm stats about the state economy and Bullocks record on business issues.

Montana campaign finance law allows campaigns and committees to assist or direct volunteers, as was the case with Carstensens letter. Even if she had been paid for the letter or written it as an OpenSourceMT representative, the strategy conversations would be legal, Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl said. Campaigns can pay grassroots organizers for their work and coordinate with independent committees, so long as that time and expense is properly reported on state election disclosure forms and, if it qualifies as a contribution, does not exceed limits.

Carstensen signed her letters to the editor as an individual rather than as a founder of the independent committee, but the parallel messages are clear.

Governor Bullock understands what attracts companies, big and small, to Montana: a strong public education system, access to public lands, fiscal discipline, responsible investments in infrastructure, and a culture that welcomes all perspectives, she wrote. Greg has a record of opposing these things. Regardless of where he is from or how long he has been in Montana, he doesnt share those values or support those policies.

Among other criticisms, she decried Gianfortes opposition to a nondiscrimination ordinance in Bozeman, saying that those protections are needed, in part, to draw LGBT workers and inclusive-minded companies to the state.

She also said that his business credentials do not translate into a preparedness for public office. For instance, Carstensen said RightNow was built on a model of cutting costs for companies by eliminating and outsourcing jobs overseas. RightNow offered customer service software that automated and centralized some aspects of customer interaction that previously might have been handled by call centers or on-site staff.

Just because he was part of a business that created 500 jobs in Montana, I dont think theres any direct connection that he therefore could create jobs as governor. Theres just no correlation, she said.

Flint did not respond to criticisms in Carstensens letter.

His statement did include a link to a 2013 Bozeman Chronicle story about the Montana Democratic Party apologizing to Gianforte for false claims it made in mailers about the company itself outsourcing workers to India. The fliers targeted Steve Daines, a former RightNow vice president, in his bid for U.S. Senate. Still at the helm of RightNow, Gianforte sued the party for false claims but requested the judge drop the case after the party sent the apology letter.
Educators at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville believe its never too early to begin learning about science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM). That is why the SIUE Early Childhood Center (ECC) is co-hosting a second Early Childhood STEAM Conference for educators of young children on Monday, Sept. 19.

The conference will be held from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. in the Morris University Center. The SIUE Early Childhood Center and the Early Childhood Education Program in the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior are presenting the conference in partnership with the Illinois Early Childhood Center of Professional Development and Spaces for Play, Inc.
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post)  Tue, August 30, 2016

Whatever the motive and whoever was behind the attack on a Medan church on Sunday, Indonesia could be facing a new security threat in the form of people, particularly youth, who sympathize with the terrorist group Islamic State (IS) and are willing to manifest its creed of violence in this country.

Failure to anticipate similar attacks may stretch religious harmony and the states commitment to protect religious minorities in this diverse nation to the limit, despite the fact that terrorism knows no religion.

First and foremost, police have to find and capture the people who reportedly ordered the suspect, who will only turn 18 in October, to commit the attack. The police investigation has revealed that the suspect, whom neighbors describe as an introvert, was inspired by the slaughter of a Catholic priest at Rouen Cathedral in northern France last month and was offered Rp 10 million (US$750) by someone to perpetrate the attack.

Those two important findings will not only help to explain the circumstances of the assault in Medan, known as a hotspot of sectarian riots in the early 2000s along with Ambon in Maluku and Poso in Central Sulawesi, but also serve as an impetus to improve counterterrorism policies, especially the much-debated deradicalization program.

As outlined in the documentary movie Jihad Selfie by Indonesian scholar Noor Huda Ismail, the countrys deradicalization program is facing far more uphill challenges than policymakers ever imagined.

The film shows a father who runs an Islamic boarding school in West Java deliberately preparing his small child as well as his followers to go to war in the Middle East with IS. With the IS battlefields now spreading across the globe, there is a risk that IS adherents will wage what they see as a holy war in Indonesia someday.

There is no data about how far radical ideas have become entrenched in the minds of our youth and people in general, but several surveys that revealed a growing level of intolerance in our society should prompt an overhaul of the deradicalization program.

House of Representatives lawmaker and member of the Pancasila caucus Eva Kusuma Sundari has suggested that deradicalization be focused on the fight against hate speech, given indications that, as in the Medan incident, perpetrators are victims of agitation, if not brainwashing.

Arrests, and oftentimes killings, of terror suspects alone will not stop acts of terrorism as long as certain people feel free to spread their hatred and slander against others, either directly or indirectly, including through social media.

Thanks to his access to the internet, the Medan teenager reportedly tried to copy the French priest killing and assembled explosives that he would detonate in the church.

It goes without saying that amendments to the Terrorism Law address the role of social media as an effective tool to broaden IS network and teachings and spread hate speech to justify attacks. That really poses a challenge as it will affect freedom of speech.
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Linkedin Nadjib Riphat Kesoema Canberra  Tue, August 30, 2016

Indonesia celebrated its 71st anniversary of independence on Aug. 17. Australias support was instrumental for Indonesias formation in 1945.

In November 1945, then Indonesian prime minister Sutan Sjahrir thanked the Australian nation through a radio address. I am unknown to most of you, and yet I call you my friends.

The workers who refused to load Dutch ships with arms and munitions, which would be used against our republic, the thousands holding demonstrations, the thousands who sympathize with our struggle for freedom, you are all my friends.

While the young republic engaged in four years of tough diplomatic negotiations and fierce fighting, the Australian government worked to secure the UNs support for Indonesia.

A long time ago, my teacher taught me that history was inescapable. It is through history that we can connect ourselves to the past. History inspires us for tomorrow.

It is important to understand the forces and events that may shape our environment and thus our possible decisions. In the next few decades, Australia and Indonesia will face some of their biggest challenges and opportunities.

The world in 2030 will look different, partly due to changes in demographic composition.

Today, the world population stands at 6.6 billion, while in 2030 it will grow to 8.3 billion.

The Indonesia of the 2030s will be dominated by a young and productive age population living in one of the top 10-biggest economies in the world.

Australia too will undergo significant changes. The Australian Bureau of Statistics projects that its population will grow to almost 26 million by 2030. Social researcher Mark McCrindle forecasts that the average household income will grow from US$50,000 today to $200,000 in 2030.

One common challenge for Australia and Indonesia is obviously increased population pressure. Australia will have to respond to the challenges of an aging population resulting in declining labor force participation, falling average work hours and slowing economic growth.

Indonesia too will need to address the pressure brought by 285 million Indonesians on the nations resources. The government will need to maintain a high and steady rate of growth that creates quality jobs and can absorb the millions of new job seekers coming into the pipeline over the period.

Designing policies that provide solutions to those challenges would then be the main preoccupation of todays and future national governments.

Development planning, policies and regulations have to be designed to unleash productivity, connect people, create economic opportunity, to ease the doing of business, open markets and slash unproductive practices.

Government policies will also need to be targeted to narrowing the development gap between provinces and cities.

Another challenge is promoting a culture of innovation and science across Indonesia to help sustain growth and escape from the possible middle-income trap.

By the 2050s, Australia and Indonesia will live in a region that is much bigger than it is now, economically, demographically and militarily. Bilateral trade and investment will be significantly larger.

More Indonesians will be studying in Australia and many more tourists will be crossing our borders. In the last two months, Indonesia became the top destination for Australian vacationers. Over the next decades, we will be more interdependent with each other.

It is quite natural and expected that two neighboring countries will have differences and misunderstanding from time to time. But I am happy to see the consistent commitment and work by all stakeholders in both countries is adding to the resilience of the relationship. It is unproductive and damaging to let the three Bs of Bali, beef and boats define our overall relations.

Australia and Indonesia are following through on their commitments to forge strong partnerships, including by addressing the challenges of people smuggling, counterterrorism and drafting a high-standard comprehensive economic partnership.

In the 2030s, ASEAN will transform from todays seventh-largest economy in the world to the fourth largest. While ASEAN will continue as one of the global hubs of manufacturing and trade, with 67 million consumers and predicted to double to 125 million by 2025, it would also boast one of the largest consumer markets in the world.

The challenge is to diversify ASEANs export destinations to ensure that it does not depend too heavily on a single international market. Another challenge is to ensure the unity of ASEAN in the face of strong external pressure and to put the members firmly behind the drivers seat.

As in the past, Indonesia will continue its partnership with Australia in ASEAN and other regional organizations.

The next few decades are a defining period for Australia-Indonesia and their role in the region. Our partnership should continue to focus on finding solutions to todays problems and preparing the foundation for future opportunities.

Early in our history, leaders of Indonesia and Australia realized that both nations have many mutual interests. Australias early support was crucial for Indonesias future. In turn, Prime minister Sutan foresaw the future when he ended his address in 1945 by saying: We can and we will certainly establish close relations as good neighbors.

___________________________

The writer is Indonesian ambassador to Australia. The views expressed are his own.
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Linkedin Nurkholis Hidayat Jakarta  Tue, August 30, 2016

Today, we see more enthusiasm for tax reform in Indonesia. Although opposed by some civil society groups, President Joko Jokowi Widodos administration continues to push its fiscal framework reform  which includes a tax amnesty and more incentives for taxpayers.

Last year, the Finance Ministry issued a new tax holiday regulation, expanding the scope and duration of tax holidays for eligible companies.

More recently, a minister suggested Indonesia set up a tax haven on one of its islands. Further, there is also plan to cut corporate tax from 25 to 17 percent.

The goal of these policies is clear, to compete with other tax jurisdictions and create a larger base of taxpayers for state revenue.

The government expects to bring back home and make taxpayers more comfortable in putting their money in Indonesia.

But, the critical question is whether the governments tax reform policies are in line with the global human rights agenda on establishing fair and just taxation to maximize the states capacity to reduce poverty and to fulfill human rights, especially economic, social and cultural rights.

Using a perspective of human rights to form taxation policy may be debatable.

But, fortunately, the link between taxation and human rights is now well understood. Research from ActionAid, Oxfam, the Tax Justice Network and IBA show that at least two-related issues between taxation and human rights: a direct impact from operational company activities to human rights violations and an indirect impact of public revenue losses resulting in loss of state capacity to mobilize maximum resources to realize human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights.

Recently, the UN Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters suggests that although there is no violation of specific laws, it is now well understood that the practice to exploit the weaknesses of domestic and international law to avoid tax payments are considered improper and abusive.

It is a new development. Previously, companies freely used various examples of aggressive tax planning strategies to avoid paying tax, such as loopholes, tax havens, subsidies, anonymous trust accounts, mailbox companies, fake foundations, trade mispricing, transfer-pricing, and other techniques of tax avoidance.

Against this background, it is questionable whether the Jokowi administrations tax reform agenda also includes a package to curb tax avoidance practices.

To be honest, I doubt it. To make it clear, it would be necessary to understand how tax avoidance strategies operate and how Jokowis tax reform policy will fail to address such methods.

Many developing countries, including Indonesia, surrendered to the demand and pressure of multinational corporations to set up a fiscal framework and specific contractual arrangements with low taxes.

That is the first step of the tax avoidance strategy. It includes long tax holidays, fully written-off capital costs, exemptions from import and export duties and more incentives.

More examples include specific transfer pricing arrangements, capitalization through debt with financial institutions affiliated with the same company and located in a low-tax jurisdiction, minimal royalties at 3.5 percent, which is now generally accepted as a common standard in the mining sector, and low corporate profit taxes at around 15 to 20 percent.

In fact, such advantageous fiscal terms are often the result of corruption, with various methods of payments or grants by corporations to public officials to secure more favorable terms.

Such corruption can occur in two directions: either by an initiative of investors who seek higher returns and collude with corrupt elites willing to accept direct bribes and similar benefits such as lucrative service contracts, or by very attractive investment conditions offered by political elites in the hope of generating large initial payments, such as signature bonuses, which can be embezzled or used to address short-term elite

interests.

Many companies also aggressively design companies business structure by seeking all potential tax advantages. The most common method for this purpose is to inflate expenditures and thus reduce taxable rates through over or under-invoicing.

It is typically done through transfer mispricing or sale of companies products against nonconforming market prices. This advantageously sets prices for internal transactions between two or more subsidiaries of the same corporation group or through its mailbox companies.

When the global effort is becoming more focused on how to build international cooperation to curb various methods of aggressive tax planning strategies on tax avoidance, Indonesia, in contrast, is going in the opposite direction by providing tax amnesty and more fruitful packages and incentives for tax evaders and avoiders.

Following the leak of the Panama Papers, many developed countries, which also suffer from the various methods of tax avoidance, struggle to cover loopholes and weaknesses of their domestic fiscal policies that are always exploited by tax advisors and lawyers to avoid taxes without breaching any law and regulation.

International cooperation against illicit financial flows, money laundering, transfer pricing and other methods of tax avoidance is being generated.

The era of unfair global tax competition  by providing low taxation and havens  seems to be ending.

By contrast, as previously mentioned, Indonesia is offering amnesty and more incentives, holidays and exemptions for tax payers.

Unlike other countries that have launched stricter fiscal framework, what Indonesia provides is too soft for the evaders and avoiders.

Similarly, in her article in The Huffington Post, on April 14, Sri Mulyani, as World Bank managing director at the time, underscored the need to create a more fair taxation system.

It will now be interesting to see how her agenda will be incorporated with Jokowis ambition to reform tax as both their visions seem to contradict each other.

Early impact of her touch may be seen in Jokowis speech in front of the House of Representatives. We heard from Jokowi, for the first time, that stronger law enforcement in taxation will follow the tax amnesty program.

Tax amnesty is a pragmatic taxation policy with short-term interests. In a country with a high crony-capitalism index, this policy creates more damage than benefits to the tax system.

If we see the profiles of Indonesian elites and politicians who avoid tax as revealed in the Panama Papers, then we see that the original intent of this policy is more political than economic. If we compare the amount of state revenue losses due to tax avoidance practices and the amount of money returned home or repatriated by such a policy, we would find a sense of unfairness.

Similarly, we see more revenue losses than gains from foreign investment, lets say, as a result of lower taxation, a longer period of tax holidays, lower income or corporate tax and other tax exemptions.

Indonesias tax reform policy should be in line with the international effort to curb tax abuse and tax evasion practices.

Under international human right customary laws, especially the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), business entities should respect human rights, and the state should protect its people from the negative impacts of business interests.

I believe that Indonesias tax reform package should also be in line with those principles.

___________________________________



The writer is a human rights lawyer.
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Linkedin Hendri Yulius Sydney  Tue, August 30, 2016

LGBT Indonesians have constantly been the target of moral crusades, the latest being a petition filed at the Constitutional Court to criminalize sexual activity between consenting adult men.

While it is hardly surprising that their arguments revolved around conservative religion and morality condemning homosexuality and other non-normative sexual practices, the petitioners, in an Aug. 1 court hearing also suspected a massive clandestine Indonesian LGBT movement for same-sex marriage legalization was under way.

Amid the effort to outlaw non-normative sexual practices, another account of discrimination emerged following the release of a series of photographs of a woman wearing a headscarf removing her long-sleeved top or burkini look-alike outfit after being approached by four officers on a beach in Nice, France.

Although it is unclear whether the police had ordered her to do so, reports claimed the woman was fined by the police.

This incident vividly reminds people of Nices ban on the burkini on its beaches and 15 seaside areas in southeast France. After the pictures went viral, according to the Guardian, stories of other women being stopped by police for their headscarves and burkinis have unleashed anger from the ruling Socialist Party and rights groups.

Not so long after the circulation of these pictures, the Facebook account of a Muslim cleric in Florence was blocked, arguably because he posted a picture of nuns in full habits running along the sea shore as a form of protest against the burkini ban.

Some feminists argued that this policy is both racist and sexist, enforcing certain definitions of liberal and/or secular values to womens bodies.

It is simple to link this incident to rising Islamophobia in Europe. However, when these two incidents are juxtaposed and situated within the current constellation of global sexual politics, it yields a more nuanced analysis.

The advanced development of gender and sexuality studies has uncovered that sex and sexuality are not only a merely biological fact but also inextricably imbued with certain socio-cultural and political discourse and meanings.

In Indonesia, which places emphasis on traditional family principles, the normal sexuality is heterosexuality within the marital institution, while the non-normative and non-procreative sexualities are consistently denigrated as perversities, moral degradations, or even mental-illness.

Homosexuality for a long time has been deemed as Western invention, hence irreconcilable with Indonesian cultures. Right after it became known that foreign donors had supported Indonesian LGBT activism, Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu frivolously conflated LGBT activism with proxy wars, by which developed countries deploy soft power to destroy Indonesias economic strength and cultures.

In The Queer Wars (2016), Australian scholars Dennis Altman and Jonathan Symons enunciate that the current global sexual politics displaying the US or the West as the champion of LGBT rights has fueled anti-LGBT sentiment through linking anti-LGBT attitudes and policies with their nationalist values.

As nations and nationalism are oftentimes articulated in dichotomous binary logics  us vis-a-vis them, it symbolically ejects individuals, communities and/or values deemed as foreign.

_______________________________________



Homosexuality for a long time has been deemed as Western invention.

With the intensification of West-East division pertaining to gay rights, strong associations between homosexuality and Western values have been consistently reinforced.

Thus, sexuality defines nations and nationalism  in Indonesia, heterosexuality signals Indonesian-ness, and therefore homosexuality should be thwarted and expelled.

On the other hand, the Nice incident exemplifies how bodies and sexuality have also been used to control and police certain religions or races. In her groundbreaking book, Terrorist Assemblages (2007) and essay Monster-Terrorist-Fag: The War on Terrorism and The Production of Docile Patriots (2002), queer theorist Jasbir K. Puar argues that post-9/11 counterterrorism discourse has revolved around the construction of terrorist monsters, in which terrorists are constructed as the effects of inconsistent mothering signaling the bad family structure in the East and/or a kind of failed heterosexuality  sexually frustrated Muslim men looking for sexual gratification through heavenly reward.

By championing same-sex marriage, the US easily incorporates normative homosexuality that is tied to the idea of life, productivity and consumption (manifested in the form of, for example, gay marriage) into its nationalism at the expense of perversely sexualized and racialized terrorist-look alikes  especially Sikhs, Arabs and Muslim people.

Hence, in these binary logics, the West simply projects its modernity through its liberal norms, while concomitantly marking the other conservative countries as backward or even sexually perverse  borrowing from Edward Said, the Orientalist imageries.

Women in veil or burqa are viewed as oppressed individuals with no agency or conflate with terrorist bodies.

The burkini ban in France demonstrates how certain non-Western/non-Westernized bodies are policed, regulated and attached to certain social meanings and controls. Like sex and sexuality, bodies are not a mere biological fact; but it also becomes a site of contestations of power, values, meanings, and regulations.

Global sex wars may continue between nations and states to define nationalism, what is proper and improper according to their principles.

However, within human rights and queer movements, it should also be understood that sexuality cannot be disassociated from race, income level and global politics. It is time for us to end stereotypes, oppression and repression in any form.

____________________________________



The writer, author of Coming Out and a lecturer of gender and sexuality studies, is pursuing a Master degree at the University of Sydney.
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Linkedin Seth Asare Okyere (The Jakarta Post) Osaka  Tue, August 30, 2016

The year 2015 was a major milestone in global efforts toward sustainable urbanization and urban development. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework for global development led to a new list of 17 goals, replacing the Millennium Development Goals.

For the urban community, the center of attention, celebrated as key reference to urban development, was SDG 11: to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Following this, attention has turned toward the UN Habitats global summit  Habitat III. Popularly known as the New Urban Agenda, Habitat III builds on recent momentum and enthusiasm to assert that it is time to think urban.

The Jakarta Declaration

The Jakarta Declaration was the main document coming out of the Asia-Pacific Regional meeting regarding the New Urban Agenda. Captioned sustainable urbanization to accelerate development, the document insinuates the growing recognition that urban areas, especially cities, are not parasitic, and if guided by appropriate policies can hasten sustainable development in the region.

Indeed, the recent report reveals the development of Asian and Pacific cities as evidenced by declining poverty rates, urbanization, economic growth and the rise of a certain middle class cohort. The Jakarta Declaration is replete with a lot of well-intended ideas, goals and suggestions.

The declaration advocates several key issues that appropriately reinforce the crosscutting nature of contemporary urbanization and the urgent need to plan for it.

In view of the socioeconomic, ecological and political challenges at stake, a succinct reflection is perhaps useful. For instance, several local governments are faced with immense financial deficits and traditional sources of funding coupled with weak internal revenue mobilization. This suggests that a lot of policies and projects will still stay in the books without actual implementation. Innovative funding through local investment, public-private partnerships and addressing the economic costs of corruption remain critical.

Furthermore, functional linkages between rural and urban areas have to be confronted to enhance holistic social and economic development. The question is not really about urban biases or urban centric policies. It is about effective urban governance, since urban and rural areas are in a continuum  a constant process of interdependencies critical to overall growth and development. There is no way one can develop without the other; effective urban development strategies have proven to assure rural areas of development prospects.

Within the highly significant issue of governance is political commitment, which the declaration advocates for. Too often development has been stalled by talks and policy formulation with little action. Politicians must now walk the walk. This requires collaborative governance that actively engages marginalized, vulnerable and underprivileged groups. Cities and urban areas require formidable, unrelenting and dedicated leaders to achieve results. Evidence from Porto Allegre and Curitiba (Brazil), as well as the once drug-ridden cities of Bogota and Medellin (Colombia), advance the argument that true leadership and governance gives birth to strong urban economies and efficient, sustainable cities.

The constant threat of disaster positions climate change adaptation as a crucial area of concern. High population densities, the growth of informal settlements and the location of populations in environmentally hazardous areas imply the need for urgent responses. Sustainability questions take center stage, followed by ambiguity over what has to be done and who does it. Thus, inherently promising strategies are disjointed, uncoordinated and less inclusive.

Since the poor and marginalized are highly vulnerable to climate change effects, mechanisms for initiating strategies and responses must emerge from these deprived places, rather than from local and national government offices. If not, progress toward adaptation runs the risk of failure in terms of local suitability, support and cooperation and effectiveness.

Declarations that work: A case for radical urban governance?

It is noteworthy that declarations do not create changes  they initiate them. Several of the issues in the Jakarta Declaration or the draft of the New Urban Agenda are neither new nor revolutionary. They are issues that keep coming back to the discussion table due to their growing intensity and frequency in daily urban life. It suggests a lot more has to be done, or perhaps that little has been achieved from past efforts.

For declarations to work they must be localized. Real changes are effected at the local level where residents can both see and feel an impact on their lives and communities. Even if most residents do not study the policy, or even know about it, they could at least attest to the successes or failures of it.

Governance must begin on the streets. Local authorities should locate people, study them, engage them and know their views and priorities before allowing them to lead a process toward sustainable changes in their communities. Effective governance is one that is grounded in urban communities, in public life and in places where those who are marginalized and forgotten live. This sort of governance does not wait for people to come to their local offices, but instead goes to them.

Radical urban governance goes beyond this. It concerns a sort of leadership where leaders are willing to risk political votes for what works for the people. It requires a commitment to turn the status quo upside down. It requires the ability to confront corruption without regard for political and ethnic tags.

In Indonesia, there is the emergence of the four pillars of progressive urban governance  the four cities of Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya and Medan  where the seeds of urban governance that can accelerate local development are being sown. In Thailand and India, there have been several success stories by local federations and civil society.

One crucial point that cannot be overemphasized is that although international and national agendas are useful, the real battle for development and progress will be won or lost at the local level: cities, urban areas and small communities. There is therefore the need for a stronger civil society, democratic institutions that are held accountable and an engaged public, all of which would allow for the realization of goals in accelerating sustainable urban development for all.

***

Seth is a Development Planner and currently a MEXT PhD Scholar at Osaka University, Japan. He holds an MSc Urban Planning and Policy Design from the Politecnico di Milano, Italy and Crises Management and Disaster Response certificate from BBK Academy Germany. Seth Asare Okyere was also the recipient of the Konosuke Matsushita Memorial (Panasonic) Foundation young researcher grant Award in 2015. His professional and research interests are in the areas of urban development and policy and informal urbanism.

---------------

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin Suherdjoko (The Jakarta Post) Semarang, Central Java  Tue, August 30, 2016

Using his right hand, Yandi Prayudhi is busy putting fine lines on a white sheet of paper. His black-and-white drawing of the Spiegel building in Semarang's old town is almost finished.

A 1998 graduate of fine arts from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), the Bandung native who now resides in Jakarta is one of 400 sketchers from across the country that participated in International Semarang Sketchwalk 2016. "I've made sketches of the Lawang Sewu, Spiegel and Bank Mandiri buildings," he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday morning.

The event kicked off on Friday in Semarang's Kota Lama (Old Town) and closed at the Borobudur temple in Mageland regency. Committee head Yudi described it as a big party for sketch artists and said the old town was picked as the main location due to its rich visual attraction.

In addition to old town buildings like Blenduk Church (Emmanuel Church), the sketchers also captured Semarang people's daily activities. On Sunday morning, some decided to visit the Sam Poo Kong temple prior to going to Borobudur.

(Read also: Seven Indonesian sketchers you should follow on Instagram)

"I've been sketching for four years now. In the past two years, this activity has become really popular in Indonesia. I've traveled to several countries [to sketch] including the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Taiwan and New Zealand. Each country has its own characteristics," said Motulz Anto, an artist from Jakarta, who at the time was sketching the Marba building from various angles using watercolor.

Also a graduate of fine arts from ITB, Motulz was invited to mentor the Travel Sketching workshop. Other mentors at the event included Darman Angir from Surabaya (architectural sketching), Rudi Hartanto from Semarang (spontaneous sketching), Ch'ng Kiah Kiean from Malaysia (ink and twig sketching) and Vanon Ruksiriphonh from Thailand (watercolor sketching).

You could sketch anything, said Motulz. "Food on a plate. Fruits. Anything you see," he said.

Motulz said he was proud of Indonesia, since each region had its own characteristics, both in traditional housing and local culture, which made for interesting sketching material. (kes)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, August 29 2016

The Jakarta Fisheries, Agriculture, and Food Security Agency will deploy 800 personnel on Monday to inspect the qurban animals in several shelters across the city.

The agencys head, Darjamuni, said the inspection was aimed at ensuring the good health of the animals scheduled to be slaughtered for sacrifice and consumption on Idul Adha, which falls on Sept. 17 this year.

He said the operation would see the animals inspected by way of body temperature, eye condition and blood samples.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post)  Mon, August 29 2016

The ever increasing number of drug addicts has prompted the government to take stringent measures, such as lifting the capital punishment moratorium. However, the governments plan to treat 200,000 addicts this year might have been too ambitious given poor interdepartmental coordination and poorly equipped and understaffed rehabilitation centers, The Jakarta Posts Nani Afrida reports.



Master, not his real name, is not ashamed to admit his dark past as a drug addict of five years. Now 37, he began using putaw (low-grade heroin) as a high school student.



As a juvenile delinquent, he would share his substance with friends as well as his brother, who later died from an HIV-related disease. Feeling disgraced, his family sent him to a faith healer who treated him with herbs, massage and mantra.



However, the treatment left him no better off than before. Master would still frequently experience withdrawal symptoms, severe pain and extreme chills.



I was cured thanks to two things. First, I had a strong desire to quit drug usage. Second, I managed to stay away from my addict friends. I moved as far away as I could and started a new life in a place where no one knew I was an abuser, said Master, who works as a journalist.



Unlike Master, who had put his faith in traditional healing methods, Erry Wijoyo turned to modern rehab centers to heal his putaw addiction. Over the course of eight years, he had gone to three rehab centers, spending huge portions of his familys hard-earned money along the way.



Just like Master, Erry believes a strong will to quit is the key to kicking the habit.



Once you start using drugs, it is very difficult to stop even if you want to, said Erry, who now works as program director at Yayasan Kapeta Indonesia, which provides rehab and training to addicts.



According to the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), Indonesia has about 4 million drug users. Unless the government makes significant improvements to its rehab facilities, the number is predicted to surge to 4.7 million users by 2020.



In June, President Joko Jokowi Widodo declared war on drugs. He stated that 50 people, mostly youth, die every day due to drugs. Official figures show that economic losses due to drug-related problems have reached Rp 63.1 trillion in 2014, accounting for money spent on drugs, treatments and rehabilitation fees.



Drug use remains a serious and unchanging problem, yet Indonesia has taken seemingly draconian measures, such as the death penalty. In the past, users were subject to imprisonment, but now they are sent to rehab.



Law No. 35/2009 on drugs requires that users be treated as victims entitled to medical and social rehabilitation.



However, state-sponsored rehabilitation programs have been far from reliable due to basic problems such as inadequate facilities and human resources. Annual targets seemed to have been set too high. In 2015, for instance, the government aimed to rehabilitate 100,000 drug addicts, yet BNN admitted it only managed to accommodate around 42,000.



BNN deputy chief of rehabilitation, Diah Setia Utami, has acknowledged that with poor facilities and rehab centers manned by fewer than 80 psychiatrists, the government is only able to manage 25,000 drug users annually.



In view of those constraints, how could we possibly achieve the 100,000 target? she said.



To solve the problem, the BNN has sought cooperation with other institutions, especially those with facilities that can be shared: the police, the military, the Social Affairs Ministry and the Health Ministry. More than 200 NGOs and Islamic boarding schools have also been taking part in the program.





Of the 578 registered rehab centers across Indonesia, only 18 are run by the government.



Ideally, stakeholders should have the same standards for rehabilitation programs. Sadly, each of them employs their own methods and techniques. Some of them adopt modern healing with counseling and therapy methods, while others practice traditional healing, which combines local wisdom or faith.



For instance, a rehab facility in Purbalingga, Central Java, has introduced the odd boil therapy practice, which puts the patient in a big pot containing an assortment of herbs. Patients are then warmed on a stove for 30 minutes. Management there have claimed their technique has healed many addicts.



BNNs rehab center, Lido in West Java, mixes medical and social methods. First, the addicts are put in an isolation cell for medical treatment. Once over, they undergo therapy designed to prepare them to return to their communities.



It may sound all well and good, but Rudy did not find it fun when he spent five months in the Lido facility where, in addition to the routine medical treatments, he had to learn how to behave once he returned.



After two months, I felt bored, said the former member of the polices Mobile Brigade (Brimob). We were subject to verbal abuse, but it was nothing compared to situations I faced on the police force.



The Lido rehab program, which lasts between three and six months, intends to prepare addicts to face life back in their communities, where they are then subject to stigma and discrimination. It also raises awareness about the menace of drugs.



Besides traditional and government-run centers, drug users can also access modern centers ran by NGOs or foundations. Kapeta Foundation Indonesia, for instance, provides modern rehabilitation facilities.



The experience he obtained from previously managing four rehab centers in the past has inspired the foundations chief, Erry Wijoyo, to implement voluntary-based rehab strategies involving patients families. Kapeta does not lock addicts inside the rehabilitation center. Instead, they can go home, go to school and do whatever they please.



We believe family involvement is very important in healing addicts. We have regular meetings with the patients families in which they can share their experiences as we find solutions together, Erry said.



Founded in 2002, Kapeta implements different approaches for different addicts, believing that each individual requires different treatments. The facility does not set deadlines.



The BNN is seeking to standardize rehabilitation programs in order to increase rates of success.



We will talk with all stakeholders on what we should do and plan the kind of training that we need to carry out, said Diah, a former director at the Drug Addiction Hospital in Jakarta.



Obviously, coming to an agreed stance with law enforcers is not easy. Even though the law requires that users be sent to rehab instead of to a penitentiary, law enforcers are still divided on the issue. This still happens despite the fact that the National Police, the Social Affairs Ministry, the Health Ministry, the BNN, the Supreme Court and the Attorney Generals Office signed a joint regulation on March 14, 2014, on joint rehab programs.



Statistics from the Law and Human Rights Ministry show that half of the 181,000 prisoners in Indonesia are convicts of drug-related crimes. Interestingly, 61,000 drug users have been imprisoned instead of being rehabilitated.



Complications usually occur when a suspect is both a user and dealer. Ministry officials say only real users are entitled to rehab.



We implement the policy quite strictly, said Akbar Hadi, the directorate generals spokesperson for the ministrys correctional institutions.



Drug convicts are classified into different categories: pure user, producer, dealer, courier or mix. Then the drug users are further classified again based on the way they abuse the drugs  whether by way of injection or orally. Subsequently, the user is required to undergo an HIV/AIDS test.



The numerous tests conclude whether or not the user is entitled to rehabilitation, and if services will be provided while serving time in prison. The intricate classification system is applied to make sure that drug dealers and makers do not end up in rehab centers.



In Jakarta, for instance, of the 17,000 prisoners, 11,000 are drug convicts and only 100 of them are rehabilitated behind bars.



Addiction counselor Eri Wibisono, who also provides counseling and training within prisons, has said that the rehabilitation program in penitentiaries is similar to that in Lido.



Apart from the ambitious rehabilitation program, the government does not seem to have any plans on what is going to be done to help former drug addicts who have returned to their families.



Dani, a former addict, rightly says, I may have totally recovered from addiction, but looking for a job is quite challenging. Who is willing to employ a guy like me?

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Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, August 29 2016

A revised government regulation pertaining to cost recovery and taxation in the upstream oil and gas sector will be issued this week to attract more investors.

Interim energy and mineral resources minister Luhut Pandjaitan claimed that the revised regulation, which will soon be signed by President Joko Jokowi Widodo, will eradicate the need for upstream oil and gas companies to pay value-added tax and property tax.

Many things [will be erased], including value-added tax and property tax. Why would anyone need to pay property tax in the middle of the sea? Especially in the deep sea, its just unnecessary. We shouldnt strangle people from the beginning. Let them start producing first before we tax them, he said.

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Linkedin Aditya Rakhman (The Jakarta Post) Edinburgh, UK  Mon, August 29 2016

Imagine a 2-year-old in a living room playing Play-Doh with all the possibility of creation at his fingertips. Yet he is not sure what he wants to make, what he can make.

All he knows is that he wanted that Play-Doh set, but never was really sure what to do with it once his parents gave it to him. So he improvises the shape of an animal and when his friends come for playdates he asks them what they think. His friends whisper ideas, making changes here, alterations there, until he ends up with something that resembles a bull but has three legs, two tails and one horn.

In all seriousness, this is what the current state of affairs looks like under President Joko Jokowi Widodos leadership, now about to conclude the second year of his term. Initially, Indonesia watched carefully, and rather nervously, as Jokowi navigated his first months in office. The country, or at least part of it, was rife with hope and expectations of a leader who was not born out of any political dynasty, with all the potential of improving the welfare of the entire nation.

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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Medan  Tue, August 30 2016

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) released its investigation on Monday into a

recent clash between the Indonesian Air Force and residents and journalists in Sari Rejo, Medan, North Sumatra, confirming that many violations were committed by personnel serving at the local airport.

Komnas HAM member Natalius Pigai said the members of the Air Force had breached Law No. 34/2004 on Indonesias Defense Force (TNI) and Law No. 2/2002 on the National Police for improperly handling an angry mob.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30 2016

Two Indonesian hostages who escaped their militant captors two weeks ago in the Philippines returned home to their families over the weekend, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said on Monday.

The two hostages who escaped [from captivity] returned to Indonesia at around midnight on Friday, Retno told reporters at the State Palace, adding that they were both in good health.

On behalf of the government, the ministry handed both men over to their respective families on Saturday.

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Linkedin Rod McGuirk (Associated Press) Canberra  Tue, August 30, 2016

Australia's opposition said Tuesday that it would test Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's weakened grip on power following last month's general election by proposing its own legislation to legalize gay marriage.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten used the first meeting of Parliament since the election to announce that he would propose the bill on Wednesday.

The bill underscores a stark policy difference between the conservative government and the opposition center-left Labor Party on gay marriage.

While Labor wants Parliament to decide the divisive issue quickly, the government wants to first hold a popular vote on whether the public thinks Parliament should create marriage equality.

Dismayed gay rights advocates warn that a stalemate over how to proceed could mean there is no vote on gay marriage before the next election is due in 2019.

Turnbull's authority was undermined by the election, which cost his government 14 seats and left it with a single-seat majority in the House of Representatives.

Government lawmakers are also divided on whether gays should be allowed to marry and the wisdom of holding a 160 million Australian dollar ($120 million) opinion poll known as a plebiscite.

Labor will need the support of 76 of the 150 lawmakers in the lower chamber on Wednesday for debate on its gay marriage bill to start. Labor has only 69 seats, so it will rely on government lawmakers to break ranks from the ruling coalition, as well as the backing of up to five independent lawmakers.

Labor gained the power to veto the plebiscite after two balance-of-power minor parties said they would not support enabling legislation in the Senate, where the government holds a minority of seats.

All three parties are in favor of gay marriage, but argue that the plebiscite is a waste of money, and that government-funded advertising of arguments for and against same-sex marriage could give legitimacy to homophobic views.

Turnbull agreed to hold the plebiscite in a deal with gay marriage opponents within his party. In return, those opponents backed Turnbull in an internal leadership ballot that toppled Prime Minister Tony Abbott a year ago.

Turnbull, a gay marriage advocate, had previously spoken out against such a public vote that could create painful divisions in Australian society.

Gay marriage lobbyists are generally opposed to the plebiscite, which they argue was initiated by lawmakers who hope it fails.

Opinion polls show that most Australians support same-sex marriage.

But plebiscites and referendums  which are legally binding popular votes  rarely manage to change the status quo in Australia.

Some marriage equality advocates warn that a lost plebiscite could likely set back their cause for decades.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30, 2016

Replacing Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggles (PDI-P) Jakarta chapter acting chairman Bambang Dwi Hartono is not related to his strong objections of Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama being the partys possible Jakarta gubernatorial candidate, a PDI-P politician says.

Bambang as PDI-P deputy chairman is tasked with focusing on electoral affairs, said PDI-P deputy secretary general Ahmad Basarah in Jakarta on Tuesday as reported by kompas.com, adding that the PDI-P was targeting to win 50 percent of the 2017 simultaneous regional elections.

Bambang was known as a long time loyalist of PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri and had a difficult duty of trying to win 50 percent of the upcoming elections to elect at least seven governors, 18 mayors and 76 regents, Basarah said.

Bambang was replaced by Adi Widjaja, formerly PDI-P Jakarta chapter treasurer, at the party executive board meeting on Sunday. Bambang is known as a strong critic of Ahok, who is being considered by the PDI-P's central executive board to become the partys Jakarta gubernatorial candidate to be paired with his current deputy, Djarot Saiful Hidayat.

Under Bambang, the PDI-Ps Jakarta chapter had joined the Kinship Coalition together with six other political parties to nominate a Jakarta gubernatorial candidate to challenge Ahok in the upcoming election. (bbn)
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Linkedin Andi Hajramurni (The Jakarta Post) Makassar, South Sulawesi  Tue, August 30, 2016

A British man has been found dead inside Mampu Cave in Cabbeng village, Bone regency, South Sulawesi.

Bone Police criminal investigation unit head Adj. Comr. Hardjoko said on Tuesday that the caves administrator reported the discovery of the UK citizen, identified as Stephen David Miller, 55, at around 4:30 p.m. local time on Monday but he was not removed from the location until 8:00 p.m.

He said it was suspected that the tourist had died after falling in the cave as he had extensive injuries to his limbs, head and abdomen.

It is probable he fell while he was attempting to climb the wall of the cave. He wasnt using either climbing equipment or safety tools and the walls of the cave are steep and slippery, said Hardjoko.

He added that Miller reportedly went to Mampu Cave alone at around 10:00 a.m. Two cave guides, Ansar bin Siri and Sirajudin, had offered him assistance in exploring the cave but the victim rejected these offers and chose to explore the cave alone.

It was getting dark at 4:00 p.m. and the victim had not yet come out of the cave so the guides decided to search for him. They found him lying face downward and dead, around 500 meters from the mouth of the cave, said Hardjoko.

A UK passport was found in the victims trouser pocket. His body is currently being held at Tenriawaru Regional General Hospital in Bone while awaiting confirmation from the immigration office in Makassar. (ebf)
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Linkedin Ary Hermawan (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30, 2016

The Islam Defenders Front (FPI)  imagine its members roaming the streets of Jakarta, hunting down Playboy magazines and vandalizing cheap liquor stores  may no longer epitomize religious conservatism in Indonesia.

Its position has now been taken over by a group of preachers and academics with the exact same agenda but with a much less threatening moniker and, alas, a much bigger chance to achieve what the FPI militants can only dream of.

The Family Love Alliance (AILA), which aspires to make the country more civilized by strengthening family values, is now at the forefront of the conservative movement in the country.

Unlike the FPI, which often acts outside or above the law, AILA is exploiting the existing legal system to turn law enforcers into a morality police, so that later they will practically do what the FPI has been doing for years.

The group has requested that the Constitutional Court change the definitions of adultery, rape and sodomy in the Criminal Code. The purpose of this judicial review petition is clear: to outlaw any consensual sexual relationship outside of marriage, including same-sex relationships.

AILA, which also means big family in Arabic, has gained support from academics from prestigious universities, such as the University of Indonesia, the Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB) and Padjajaran University.

Hamid Chalid, a constitutional law professor from UI, for example, testified in the latest hearing at the court, where he argued that the Criminal Code in its current form was too liberal, as it was made by the Dutch. Our country has silently legalized sex outside of marriage, rape of men and sex between same-sex couples, he told the bench. Our law has been so liberal because we have allowed it to be like that for too long. Is that what we want?

Rizieq Shihab, the firebrand FPI leader, could have said the same thing, but he is not a law professor. Rizieq obviously lacks the authority to sway the opinions of Constitutional Court justices. Hamid, on the other hand, is a card-carrying constitutional law expert. It is no surprise that some of the Constitutional Court justices seem to agree with what he said.

For years, the FPI has been a thorn in the side of democratic Indonesia, but it has always been on the fringe. Many Muslims, even conservative ones, have been alienated by its despicable antics. I have no doubt that if a foreigner asks affluent, educated and conservative Muslims whether the FPI could be the face of Indonesian Islam today, they will quickly say no.

But a different answer may come up if they are asked about AILA. The group is mainstream in so many ways. Not only does it have a much more benign moniker and a much more sophisticated social media strategy than a vigilante group like the FPI, it is also supported by the educated, including professors, and is working within the legal corridor.

Its stated goal  strengthening families  is so mainstream that its legal move at the Constitutional Court has received the backing of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI), which has argued that casual sex should be banned to protect Indonesian children.

But this does not mean AILA does not have the same goal as the FPI, which is to create a moralistic, religious state. AILAs chairman, Bachtiar Nasir, is the secretary-general of the Council of Young Indonesian Intellectuals and Ulemas (MIUMI) and a graduate from the Islamic University of Medina in Saudi Arabia.

Bachtiar has long been rallying against homosexuality on religious grounds.

Learn from history. Religion says the Sodomites were cursed by God and were destroyed. We have to believe that there will be an epic disaster if we condone the LGBTs, he said in reference to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, as quoted by republika.co.id.

That said, despite its secular name, the so-called Family Love Alliance is evidently motivated by the same religious zeal as the FPI. The only difference is that they have greater public support, the patience and the know-how to achieve their goals through painstaking, but more effective, legal means.

The Constitutional Court, which has leaned toward conservatism in the past few years, has shown indications it will accept at least part of their petition. In any case, they will not stop at the court. The House of Representatives is concurrently deliberating a revision to the Criminal Code, and AILA members have started lobbying legislators to push their agenda.

With greater legitimacy, something the FPI is clearly lacking, AILA has become an effective driving force of conservatism and, therefore, a much bigger threat to civil liberties than some random raids by FPI militants every Ramadhan.

So maybe you need to save your daily complaints about Rizieq and his minions on Facebook. The culture war between Indonesian progressives and their retrograde rivals has been taken to a whole new level, with the latter now taking the battle from the blogoshpere to the legal sphere.

And, be warned, this battle will be decisive.
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Linkedin Markus Makur (The Jakarta Post) Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai  Tue, August 30, 2016

A mass vaccination of dogs has led to a decline in rabies cases in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), especially in Flores and Lembata islands.

The UNs Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) health and zoonosis control national technical adviser, Andri Jatikusumah, said the number of dog rabies cases in Flores and Lembata had continued to decline, thanks to massive vaccination programs the body had held on the islands since 2013.

He said 166,963 out of a total of 253,000 dogs in 946 out of around 1,600 villages across Flores and Lembata had been vaccinated in 2014 while during the second mass vaccination in 2015, 250,865 out of a total of 368,869 dogs in 1,316 villages were vaccinated.

Since the mass vaccination was first initiated, dog rabies cases in Flores and Lembata have been in constant decline, said Jatikusumah at a workshop on rabies control in Labuan Bajo, NTT, on Tuesday.

In 2015, the number of rabies cases in dogs was 14, down from 24 cases in the previous year. Meanwhile, there were three cases of rabies-infected dogs biting people in 2015, down from five cases in the previous year, he said.

Jatikusumah said it was expected that 300,000 out of an estimated 400,000 dogs from 1,600 villages in Flores and Lembata would be vaccinated in 2016.

He said the FAO had continued to give rabies-control training to relevant officials in Flores and Lembata and provide supporting facilities, such as vaccine cold storage.

We are working together with local administrations, Catholic churches and customary leaders to control the spread of rabies on the islands, said Jatikusumah. (ebf)
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Linkedin Esther Samboh (The Jakarta Post) Tangerang  Tue, August 30, 2016

The burgeoning local financial technology scene is changing the way Indonesians access financial services, with an ambitious plan to reach the huge proportion of the population with no access to banks.

At the first-ever Indonesia Fintech Festival and Conference, which opened on Monday, a host of different fintech services are being presented, from mobile wallets to hassle-free micro lending and no-face time capital market investment. There are even fintech startups specifically targeting cooperatives and farmers around the country.

This is a breakthrough to more inclusive and accessible financial products and services for the broader public, Financial Services Authority (OJK) chairman Muliaman Hadad said in his opening speech. The festival has been organized by the regulator and will take place at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition until Tuesday.

Investment in fintech rose fivefold in the Asia-Pacific region to US$2.7 billion in the first three months of this year from the same period a year ago. This has occurred alongside a growth in internet usage in Indonesia, with a third of its 250-million population having access to the internet, while around a fifth have no bank accounts.

Recently, ojek (motorcycle taxi) mobile app Go-Jek rounded up US$550 million in funding from multinational private equity firms KKR & Co. and Warburg Pincus LLC as it developed its Go-Pay service that enables customers to store funds in a virtual account and transact all Go-jek services  from ojek rides and food delivery to beauty and cleaning services  without cash.

Modalku, a peer-to-peer lending platform that pools funds from the public and directs them into small and medium enterprises (SMEs), also recently announced a S$10 million investment by venture capital firm Sequoia India.

In Indonesia alone, transactions through fintech are estimated to have amounted to Rp 40 trillion in the past two years alone, according to the OJKs deputy commissioner for non-bank financial institution supervision, Dumoly Pardede.

Payment services and stock-market investment are also possible with fintech. Payment gateway Doku offers an electronic wallet that can store and withdraw funds, and even be used for physical transactions at many local retailers and online shops. Meanwhile, mutual fund marketplace Bareksa lets its customers buy mutual funds without having to go to physical offices.

At the fintech festival, startups are showcasing their out-of-the-box fintech ideas.

Flip, for instance, allows interbank money transfers free of charge, as opposed to existing traditional bank transfers that cost around Rp 6,500 (5 US cents) per transfer. The enterprise now has 26,000 users with 900 to 1,100 transactions per day.

Meanwhile, OnlinePajak allows companies to do their tax forms online, having partnered with the tax office in the collection of Rp 1 trillion this year from 300,000 taxpayers across the country, including 6,000 companies such as publicly listed diversified conglomerate Astra International.

Other innovations show an interest in financial inclusion. Kanopi Asia, which is among the 12 grand finalists of the fintech festivals Startup Competition, provides low-cost branchless savings accounts for cooperatives that have traditionally relied on a plethora of documents in their operations, leading to inefficiency.

Three-quarters of Indonesian fintech firms have been operational for less than two years, with a quarter of them conducting online lending with less than 100 staff members, according to Deloittes 2016 Fintech Indonesia Survey released at the event, providing a challenge for the infant businesses to scale up and sustain growth.

Some have expressed concern about a potential bubble that could burst in the global fintech sector as a result of over-investment at such an early stage.

The current fintech boom does look different to the dotcom bubble, said partner and president director of McKinsey Indonesia, Phillia Wibowo, citing data that showed reasonable valuation and more connected mobile devices now, in comparison to the 1999 dotcom bubble. Companies targeting capital markets are also far fewer and more mature in age, she added.

President Joko  Jokowi Widodo, who aims to see 1,000 technopreneurs by 2020 to turn Indonesia into a regional digital powerhouse, will speak at the event on Tuesday, followed by Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution and Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita, among others.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30, 2016

Water had inundated many parts of the capital city, following heavy rain on Tuesday. The Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agencys operational center reported that up to 2 p.m., at least 11 roads had been inundated with floodwater levels between 10 to 40 centimeters.

A 40-cm-water level was seen on Jl. Gereja Theresia in Menteng, Central Jakarta. This road is lower than in other areas. Therefore, the water [from surrounding areas] flows into this area, said Erwin, a worker, who was assigned to monitor flooding in the area, as reported by kompas.com.

He said the water was flowing from Jl. H.O.S. Cokroaminoto and Jl. Imam Bonjol.

Meanwhile, on Jl. Tosari also in Central Jakarta, water inundated dozens of motorcycles parked in the area as the water reached up to 50 cm. This area is always inundated every time the rain falls, even if its light rain, said a worker tasked in the area.

A number of motorcyclists, who attempted to pass through the road, could not continue as the engines of their motorcycles stopped working. At 1:23 p.m., the inundated parked motorcycles were still there as their owners were likely working.

Flooding was also seen on Jl. Pejompongan Benhil, Jl. M.H. Thamrin, Jl. Prof Moh Yamin, Jl Angkasa Raya in Kemayoran, Jl. Petamburan, Jl. Sumur Baru Raya, Cempaka Baru, and Jl. Rawa Sawah, all in Central Jakarta; Jl. RS Mata Aini, Jl. HR Rasuna Said, Jl. Setiabudi Barat, all in South Jakarta; and Jl. Slipi 3 in West Jakarta. (bbn)
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Linkedin Nethy Dharma Somba (The Jakarta Post) Jayapura, Papua  Tue, August 30, 2016

Lukas Rapi, a worker at gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesias (PTFI) mining area in Kuala Kencana, Timika, Papua, was crushed to death by a heavy vehicle on Tuesday. Lukas body has been transferred to Kuala Kencana Clinic in Timika.

The incident occurred at 9:30 a.m. local time when Freeport workers were carrying out their activities. The victim was in an alley usually passed by containers, monitoring workers who released chains on trailers, Mimika Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Yustanto Mujiharso said on Tuesday.

He apparently wasnt aware that a loader carrying a container was behind him. It seemed the loaders driver also didnt see the victim so he didnt blow the horn. He was hit by the vehicle, causing him to fall and be crushed to death.

Shortly after the incident occurred, Yustanto said, Mimika Police officers hurried to the site to secure evidence and seal off the location for investigation purposes.

The police are still investigating the case further. We are gathering information from witnesses and examining CCTV footage. We can conclude whether it was purely an accident or workplace negligence only after this investigation is completed.

PTFI spokesperson Riza Pratama refused to give a statement on the incident. We cannot yet confirm the case because it is still under investigation by the police and mining inspectors, Riza told The Jakarta Post.

It is not the first incident to befall PTFI. In September 2014, a car carrying Freeport employees collided with a haul truck in an open pit area in Grasberg, killing four people. Five others survived the incident. (ebf)
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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30, 2016

The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has exposed three commonly used methods by foreign-flagged ships to deceive officials and keep fishing illegally in the countrys waters. The tricks were discovered during an inspection in Tanjung Benoa, Bali, recently.

The government had banned foreign-flagged ships from fishing in Indonesian territory since last year. To fish legally a foreign crew must de-register their vessel in its country of origin and re-register it in Indonesia before being granted permission to fish in Indonesian waters.

"One trick is to borrow another vessels license. We found that was the case in relation to the Fransiska vessel, in which its documentation said the ship was made from wood while in fact it was made from fiberglass," Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said to the press in Jakarta on Monday.

Another trick, she continued, was by adding a wooden layer to the outer body, masking the ship as a locally made vessel. The ministry are currently investigating 27 vessels possibly using this method, who applied for registration in Bali.

A third method was to tell officials that the ship would be sold abroad and was undergoing a de-registration process in its country of origin. But in reality, it was just an excuse to leave Indonesia with hauls of fish without punishment.

"It is possible that there has been 'assistance' from officials. Thus, I have asked the National Police to investigate into such cases," Susi said. (ags)
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Linkedin Stefani Ribka (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30 2016

The government plans to issue guidelines on floor and ceiling prices for seven commodities to ensure price stability in the market.



The seven commodities will include rice, beef, soybean, sugar, shallots, red chili and corn.



The floor price will be used by state logistics firm Bulog when buying commodities when prices are low, while the ceiling price will be imposed on all sellers at the market.



Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita said the guidelines would be implemented according to the market situation in different regions and prices would vary from place to place.



The end purpose, he said, was to guarantee profitability for farmers, so that production would be absorbed through proper means instead of unfair middlemen.



There should be a guarantee that all harvests can be absorbed, enabling farmers to continue their productions well, Enggar said after attending a coordination meeting on commodity prices and supply stabilization with the agriculture minister, farmers and businesspeople on Monday.



Enggar hoped the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister could approve the guidelines by Tuesday.



Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman has also stated that shallot prices can be set at a minimum of around Rp 15,000 (US$1.13) per kilogram, significantly below theRp 35,574 to Rp 43,278 price range per kg from January to August.



However, farmers have doubts about the feasibility of the plan.



Sukirman, a shallot farmer from Larangan, Brebes, Central Java, said the price benchmark would not guarantee them profit because sometimes, even the price of shallot seedlings must be sold above

Rp 50,000 per kg.



The government suggests that seedlings be sold at Rp 30,000 per kg, but the reality on the field is different. Farmers can sell the seedlings directly to consumers, thus resulting in scarcity of seedlings and the rising price of seedlings, he said.



Sukirman buys seedlings for more than Rp 50,000 per kg, with break-even point (BEP) hovering at Rp 16,000 per kg. He sells the shallots at Rp 20,000 to Rp 26,000 per kg to both traditional markets and middlemen.



If the seedlings were sold at Rp 30,000 per kg, the BEP would only be Rp 12,000 per kg, he added.



Sukirman told the meeting that their costs also soared because of the high need for fertilizers and improper practices of field supervisors, who apply rental fees for equipment that are actually free of charge.



Upon hearing of the practices, Amran said the ministry would conduct a probe into the matter.



With such high production costs, major traditional market firm Pasar Komoditi Nasional president director Hartono Wignjopranoto advised farmers to be more cost-wise by fixing the soil structure using organic fertilizer.



[Farmers] in Minahasa [South Sulawesi] can produce up to 20 tons of crops per hectare compared to Brebes farmers who produce only 7 tons. So farmers need to improve productivity, so that they can garner more profit, he said.



Hartono also urged the government to act quickly to help improve farmers productivity in villages.

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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30, 2016

The government will immediately process the repatriation of 177 Indonesian haj pilgrims arrested by Philippine immigration officials for passport fraud, a senior minister has said.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto said on Tuesday the haj pilgrims had all been relocated to the Indonesian Embassy in Manila and they had completed all investigative processes conducted by Philippines officials, during which some of them testified as witnesses.

"They are not suspects, they are [declared as] victims of fraud committed by travel operators, who had offered them to take the haj pilgrimage [via the Philippines]," Wiranto said.

Philippine Immigration head Jaime Morente said earlier the fake Philippine passports used by the haj pilgrims were reportedly provided by their brokers.

Haj fees paid by the pilgrims reportedly varied from US$6,000 to 10,000 per person. They used unused seats of the haj quota provided by the Saudi Arabian government for the Philippines.

Morente said the group were exposed after airport staff discovered that they were unable to speak Tagalog. (ebf)
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Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam, Riau Islands  Tue, August 30, 2016

The Health Ministry has assigned health officials to stand guard at eight Riau Islands sea ports that serve routes to Singapore as an anticipatory measure to limit the spread of the Zika virus following reports of infections in the city-state.

There have been 193 officials assigned since Monday at ports in Batam, Bintan and Karimun, Riau Islands Health Agency head Tjepjep Yudiana said on Tuesday. Tjepjep said the health agency had cooperated with port authorities since reports that 41 people had tested positive for the virus in Singapore.

"As the region closest to Singapore, we taking measures to anticipate the virus entering Riau Islands via passengers who have visited Singapore," he told The Jakarta Post.

All passengers entering through the eight ports who have come from Singapore must pass through a thermal scan to check their body temperature, Tjepjep said.

The health office has also appointed three hospitals to handle people infected with the Aedes mosquito-borne virus. The hospitals are Embung Fatimah in Batam, Provincial Hospital in Tanjungpinang and Karimun Regional Hospital.

Meanwhile, Batam Port Health Office chief Anas Makruf said passengers arriving in Batam also needed to fill in a health report card to look for symptoms such as fever, rash, red eyes and headache.

"We will conduct a further check if a passenger has experienced two of the four symptoms," he said. (rin)
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Linkedin Nadjib Riphat Kesoema (The Jakarta Post) Canberra  Tue, August 30 2016

Indonesia celebrated its 71st anniversary of independence on Aug. 17. Australias support was instrumental for Indonesias formation in 1945.

In November 1945, then Indonesian prime minister Sutan Sjahrir thanked the Australian nation through a radio address. I am unknown to most of you, and yet I call you my friends.

The workers who refused to load Dutch ships with arms and munitions, which would be used against our republic, the thousands holding demonstrations, the thousands who sympathize with our struggle for freedom, you are all my friends.

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Linkedin Dylan Amirio (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30 2016

Collaborations between traditional financial institutions and digital-based financial technology (fintech) firms are increasing as demand for fintech rapidly grows amid the urgent need to revamp financial service delivery in the nation.



Indonesian fintech firms generally seek collaborations to provide new types of services, according to a recent survey jointly conducted by global consulting firm Deloitte and the Indonesian Fintech Association.This is shown in the numerous partnerships announced recently that aim to further accelerate the growth of the industry.



Indonesias new fintech players desire to collaborate with existing service providers rather than compete with them, said Deloittes financial services strategy consultant Erik Koenen.



This is [outlined] as such because fintech firms are still struggling to find the adequate resources and talent to support them, he said at the Indonesia Fintech Festival and Conference at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition on Monday.



The multi-billion dollar fintech industry is flourishing in Indonesia, where a third of its 250 million citizens have access to internet but only a fifth of them have bank accounts or access to formal financial institutions. An estimated Rp 40 trillion (US$3 billion) of transactions took place in the industry in the past two years



For one, digital investment portal Bareksa and e-payment provider DOKU are poised to ink a partnership within the next three days that would allow DOKU users the option to invest their saved money on mutual funds with the click of a button on the DOKU app.



Bareksa co-founder Karaniya Dharmasaputra said the goal of the partnership was to foster more public education about mobile payments so that people would have a better idea of what to do with their money.



Conventional financial institutions are also open to partnerships with fintech startups. This has become a shared problem, he added.



Another partnership that was announced at the conference was between fintech firm Investree and lender Bank Danamon, which will be a strategic partnership on cash management systems.



The collaboration will adopt an automatic host-to-host system in real time that will accelerate the lending process in the verification, analysis and confirmation systems provided by Investree.



In the invoice perspective, the fintech market value potential could reach $7 billion. The pie is large enough for fintech firms to collaborate with banks, said Investree co-founder Adrian Gunadi, whose firm has lent up to Rp 17.5 billion as of August since starting operations in January.



Other notable recent collaborations include Bank Sinarmas Rp 10 billion investment in Modalku earlier this month, and Sinarmas ongoing partnership with QR-code based payment service DimoPay.



We are focusing on ecosystem collaboration, said Ajisatria Suleiman, the executive director of the Indonesian Fintech Association.



The Deloitte-Indonesian Fintech Association survey, which includes 70 fintech companies as respondents, also has three other takeaways for fintech firms in the country. First, they demand clear regulations to properly guide operations. Second, they struggle to find talent and third, most of their operations focus on financial inclusion.

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Linkedin Prima Wirayani and Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30 2016

An upcoming Rp 7 trillion budget cut to the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry, which is responsible for state infrastructure projects, is expected to disrupt the nations economic growth.



The ministry previously expected that only Rp 2.9 trillion of its overall Rp 97.1 trillion budget this year would be cut. It says the larger cut will disrupt project realization and slow down or postpone the construction of several infrastructure projects.



Since [the President] decided on the Rp 6.9 trillion cut, we have to get the amount from projects that have not been tendered, single-year packages, whose progress is unsatisfactory, and rescheduling multi-year projects, the ministrys secretary general Taufik Widjoyono said on Monday.



The ministry, however, will not cut the budgets of projects that it is aiming to finish next year, such as the trans-Papua and trans-Java toll roads, he added.



President Joko Jokowi Widodo issued Friday Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No. 8/2016 on a second round of budget cuts amounting to Rp 137.6 trillion on state spending due to a projected Rp 219 trillion state revenue shortfall this year. Around Rp 64.7 trillion will be slashed from ministries and state institutions.



The details of the cut are being discussed at the ministry and will be completed next week.



The budget cut will automatically affect the countrys economic growth as government spending is an economic stimulant these days, said Bank Mandiri economist Andry Asmoro.



The reduced state budget will result in reduced growth this year, he said, predicting that the economy would expand by 5 percent by year-end, lower than the governments target of 5.2 percent.



Bank Indonesia (BI) has also revised down its growth projection to around 4.9 percent to 5.3 percent from between 5 percent and 5.4 percent on the back of weak government expenditure.



The House of Representatives previously required the government to seek its approval for the budget cut, but have since decided it is not necessary.



This is because the changes are minor, said Gerindra party lawmaker and member of House of Representatives Commission XI overseeing financial affairs, Willgo Zainar.



Amendment to the 2016 Revised State Budget law was not required, and a discussion at the Houses budgetary body would be sufficient, he added.



United Development Party (PPP) lawmaker Amir Uskara said lawmakers could accept Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawatis reasoning that the cut would be sourced from funds that had not been spent and could be saved by the ministries.



Efficiency measures taken by the government regarding its budget shouldnt have been reported to us, Amir said on Monday. The government shouldnt have called it another budget cut [but just called it efficiency measures].

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Linkedin Margareth S. Aritonang and Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Medan  Tue, August 30 2016

The lone wolf assailant who planned to blow up a Catholic church in Medan, North Sumatra, was inspired by leader of the Islamic State (IS) Movement Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi and learned how to make bombs on the internet, a top security minister said on Monday.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto said that the alleged assailant, 18-year old Ivan Armadi Hasugian, was obsessed with al-Baghdadi and was inspired to carry out the attack after watching his online videos.

Having been fed misleading news on the internet, he became obsessed [with Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi], said Wiranto.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jayapura  Tue, August 30 2016

The security situation in Sugapa, the regency capital of Intan Jaya, Papua, has eased following the shooting of a 15-year-old that had led to the burning of a local police station on Saturday.

Papua Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Rudolf Rodja and Intan Jaya Regent Natalis Tabuni have arrived in Sugapa and directly met with local community figures to settle the problem, Papua Police spokesperson Sr. Com. Rudolf Patrick Patrige said on Monday. Rudolf said the deputy chief directly led the investigation into the shooting of Otianus Sondegau.

He said three members of the Papua Polices internal affairs division (Propam) also had joined the investigation for the shootings perpetrator.

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Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30, 2016

The government has affirmed that people with income below the non-taxable income (PTKP) level of Rp 54 million (US$4,070) a year, or Rp 4.5 million per month, do not need to participate in the tax amnesty program as it is only aimed at the rich.

Finance Ministry director general of taxation Ken Dwijugeasteadi released Regulation No. 11/2016 on Tuesday as technical guidance for the Tax Amnesty Law, answering public confusion over the programs coverage.

Ken said although the program applies to all tax payers, this program was not obligatory for people with annual income below the PTKP level. It also excludes pensioners whose sole income was sourced from a pension fund and recipients of inherited assets also below the level.

"As well as laborers, household assistants, fishermen and farmers, and Indonesian citizens who stay in the country over 108 days with zero income," he said in Jakarta, adding that taxpayers with income below the PTKP level only need to correct their annual tax declaration (SPTs) by filing previously undeclared assets.

Earlier, people expressed their worries through social media over the possibility that all tax payers had to join the program to report undeclared assets and pay the penalty rate, ranging between 2 to 10 percent of the assets value.

As of Tuesday, penalty payments stood at Rp 2.41 trillion, far below the Rp 165 trillion targeted, while repatriated assets were Rp 9.3 trillion of the Rp 1 quadrillion target. Domestically declared assets reached Rp 92.29 trillion and overseas declared assets amounted to Rp 15.36 trillion. In total, declared and repatriated funds have reached Rp 116.99 trillion. (ags)
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Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30, 2016

Taxation Director General Ken Dwijugiasteadi has said the government is tightly monitoring large-scale tax evaders to ensure their participation in the tax amnesty program.

He said the Directorate General of Taxation had listed major taxpayers at its regional offices and had set up a task force to ensure their participation in the program.

"We are monitoring them day-to-day," Ken said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Earlier, the government reiterated that its tax amnesty program was aimed at rich Indonesian people who hold undeclared assets overseas.

"What we want to target are those who have assets parked overseas," Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution said in Jakarta on Monday.

He made the statement to calm public fears that the government was targeting the undeclared assets of small and medium taxpayers in the tax amnesty program.

Darmin said the tax amnesty applied to all taxpayers. However, he said, the government had never designed the tax amnesty program to target small taxpayers. The program was directed at big tax evaders who had massive assets overseas but never declared them in Indonesia. (ebf)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30, 2016

The government has appointed Desi Arryani to be the chief executive officer (CEO) of publicly listed state-owned firm Jasa Marga. She replaced Adityawarman who ended his four-year tenure in August.

Selected during an annual general shareholders' meeting in Jakarta on Monday, Desi was previously known as one of the directors of state-owned construction firm Waskita Karya.

The government also appointed Subakti Syukur as one of Jasa Marga's new directors at the meeting, Jasa Marga corporate secretary Mohammad Sofyan said in an official statement on Monday.

During the meeting, Jasa Marga shareholders approved the launch of a rights issue to raise Rp 1.8 trillion (US$135,72 million) to strengthen its capital structure.

The company is set to sell about 491 million shares at Rp 500 per share. The rights issue is expected to raise Rp 1.25 trillion from state capital injections (PMN) and Rp 550 billion from the public. (rez/ebf)
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Linkedin Edith M.Lederer (Associated Press) United Nations  Tue, August 30, 2016

North Korea has denounced a UN Security Council statement condemning its four latest ballistic missile launches, calling it "a hostile act" perpetrated by the United States and warning that it could precipitate America's "self-destruction."

A Foreign Ministry statement sent to UN correspondents on Monday also warned that North Korea "has substantial means capable of reducing aggression troops in the US mainland and the operational theater in the Pacific to ashes in a moment."

A press statement approved Friday night by all 15 Security Council members, including North Korea's ally China, called the four launches in July and August "grave violations" of a ban on all ballistic missile activity.

The council expressed "serious concern" that North Korea had carried out the launches after six ballistic missile firings between April and June, "in flagrant disregard" of the council's repeated demands to halt all missile launches and nuclear tests which violate UN resolutions.

North Korea's Foreign Ministry accused the United States of instigating the statement and "abusing" the Security Council, to deter the country's "legitimate right to self-defense."

The ministry called the council statement "a reckless provocation harassing peace and stability on the Korean peninsula."

It accused the Security Council of deliberately disregarding a complaint sent by the North Korean government about US-South Korean military exercises currently underway. North Korea has threatened retaliation for these exercises, which it views as a rehearsal for invasion by the US and other adversaries.

"This is an illegal action taken by the world body to side with the US in the acute standoff between the DPRK and the US without an iota of impartiality," the ministry said, using the initials of the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

North Korea singled out the council's condemnation of the latest submarine launch of a ballistic missile on Aug. 24, days after the US and South Korea began their annual military exercises.

North Korea usually responds to the annual South Korea-US military drills with weapons tests and fiery warlike rhetoric

South Korean officials said the 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 Foreign Ministry recalled its warning to the US of military action if it criticized the submarine missile launch and "enraged people of the DPRK."

"Now that the US posed threats to the dignity and the right to existence of the DPRK defying its serious warning, it will continue to take a series of eventful action steps as a full-fledged military power," the statement said.

Acquiring the ability to launch missiles from submarines would be an alarming development because missiles fired from submerged vessels are harder to detect in advance. US Strategic Command said last week that the latest North Korean missile launch did not pose a threat to North America but that the US military "remains vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations."

North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons development programs have brought heavy international sanctions down on its head, but Pyongyang says they are justified because of the threat posed by the US and South Korea. (**)
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30, 2016

On the first day of the odd-even traffic policys implementation, Jakarta traffic police officers issued red tickets for violators of the policy, requiring them to attend a hearing to decide the fines amount, an official has said.

Jakarta Transportation Agency head Andri Yansyah said on Tuesday that the police would issue blue tickets in the coming days for the violators, meaning that they had to pay a Rp 500,000 (US$37.68) fine via banks if they wanted to get back their drivers license.

Currently, we will give them red tickets first. In the near future we will issue blue tickets, Andri told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Previously, Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama said the police had to issue blue tickets directly to violators, but Andri said issuing red tickets first was expected to deter violators from repeating their mistakes.

On Tuesday, many of the violators said they forgot the regulation had been implemented. Some of them said they did not know about the policy. On Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat, police caught 11 violators.

I forgot that the policy started today. My relatives got into an accident, so Im heading to Gatot Subroto Hospital in hurry, said Hermawan, one of the violators.

The policy will be implemented on three major thoroughfares, such as Jl. Sudirman, Jl. Gatot Subroto and Jl. M.H Thamrin at 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30, 2016

The Jakarta Police started ticketing violators of the odd-even traffic policy on Tuesday, the first day the traffic restriction was fully enforced in a bid to ease traffic congestion along the city's main thoroughfares.

The police said they ticketed dozens of motorists who violated the policy. Most of the motorists said they were not aware of the restriction.

I pass through this road every day, said Fransisco, who was stopped by a traffic officer when driving along Jl. Sudirman as reported by kompas.com.

The man, driving a car with the plate number B1861, insisted he did not know that he had violated a traffic regulation.

The police officer let him go without issuing a ticket, but told the driver that he would ticket him if he passed through the road on an even-numbered date.

Under the odd-even policy, only cars with even-numbered license plates are allowed to pass through Jl. M.H. Thamrin, Jl. Sudirman, and Jl. Gatot Subroto on even-numbered dates. The same policy holds for cars with odd-numbered plates on odd-numbered dates. The policy also affects parts of Jl. Sisingamangaraja, Jl. Rasuna Said and Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat.

Another motorist insisted that Tuesday was Aug. 31 when the police tried to give him a ticket. Today is Aug. 31. My car has an odd number, said the man. He finally realized, however, that he was wrong, and the police ticketed him.

Andri Yansyah, the head of the Jakarta Transportation Agency, said 200 personnel from his agency and the Jakarta Police were deployed to enforce the regulation. (bbn)
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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30, 2016

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has expressed his concern over the lack of infrastructure in the country leading to a low financial literacy level of just 21.8 percent. This means, in effect, that around 80 percent of Indonesians are financially illiterate.

Quoting from the latest survey on financial literacy conducted by the Financial Service Authority (OJK) in 2013, the President highlighted this alarming fact and emphasized that Indonesia scored poorly in comparison with its neighbors.

"In Singapore, its already 96 percent. Malaysia has reached 81 percent and Thailand is at 78 percent," he said during his remarks at the Indonesia Fintech Festival and Conference at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) in Tangerang on Tuesday.

Poor infrastructure and a geographically vast archipelagic country complicates the governments effort to improve financial literacy in Indonesia, Jokowi said.

"Allow me to take the most extreme example. In Papua, traveling from Duga regency to Wamena takes at least 4 days of walking, because no roads are available yet," he said.

This lack of infrastructure makes it difficult for people to develop the economic potential of their local area, Jokowi added. Thus, he said he hoped for an increase in financial access by optimizing technology through financial exclusion and the expansion of financial technology. (ags)
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Linkedin Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30 2016

Following information that 56 Zika virus cases were discovered in Singapore over the weekend, the Health Ministry has stepped up measures to limit the spread of the disease, which has been linked with microcephaly, where babies are born with abnormally small heads and brains.

On Monday, the Health Ministrys disease control director general, Muhammad Subuh said that immigration officials would start requiring people arriving in the country from Singapore to fill in health alert cards to ensure early detection of the virus.

One of the most effective ways [to prevent the spread of the Zika virus] is to ask people to fill in health alert cards, he told reporters in Jakarta.

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Linkedin Syafrizaldi (The Jakarta Post) Sabang, Aceh  Tue, August 30 2016

Island beauty: A boy gazes out into the sea from Teupin Layeu Beach on the idyllic Rubiah Island in Sabang, Aceh.

A concerted conservation effort from locals and government in Sabang, Aceh, has finally paid off with the area turning into a newly popular tourist attraction.

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Linkedin Rizal Harahap and Jon Afrizal (The Jakarta Post) Pekanbaru/Jambi/Jakarta  Tue, August 30, 2016

As haze caused by forest and land fires thickens in Riau, a local administration has given holidays to school students.

According to the Riau forest fire emergency unit, the air pollution standard index (ISPU) reached 364 as of Monday morning, far above the 200 level that is already considered very unhealthy.

In the province capital, Pekanbaru, haze has deteriorated air quality to 162. In other cities such as Kampar, Dumai and Rokan Hilir, the air quality reached 144, 166 and 184, respectively, reducing vision to only 500 meters.

Actually all students attended class this morning, but then there was an instruction from the Bengkalis Education Agency urging us all to go home, the principal of Mandau state high school SMAN 7, Masrida, in Bengkalis regency, Riau, told reporters on Monday.

Masrida said the decision was made for the time being and would be evaluated in the next few days.

If the weather gets better and the haze starts to disappear, we will restart our classes next Wednesday. Otherwise, we may prolong the closure to avoid health problems.

Bengkalis Education Agency acting head Heri Indra Putra said the decision was taken following instruction given by Regent Amril Mukminin.

[School] closures will vary in each area, depending on the haze, Heri said, adding that teachers would still require students to do homework.

In Dumai, the level of air quality hit 369 on Sunday, a highly dangerous level. However, related authorities had yet to issue a circular to free students from school.

We are still waiting for instruction from the Dumai Environment and Forestry Ministry office, Dumai Education Agency spokesperson Misdiono said.

Riau Education Agency head Kamsol urged affected areas to take quick action in preventing illness from inhaling the dangerous haze.

The provincial government cannot fully monitor air pollution in every area, he said, demanding better coordination between the regions.

The week-long haze covering Bengkalis has sparked fear as more than a hundred residents have begun suffering acute respiratory infections (ARIs).

To prevent escalating numbers of people suffering respiratory problems, the Riau Health Agency has distributed 10,000 face masks to affected areas. We will also intensify our campaign [to inform people] of the dangers of the haze, Jon said.

He said that according to reports from related institutions in Bengkalis, 149 people had been affected by haze-related health problems, with 132 of them suffering ARIs.

He added that four people were suffering asthma, one person an eye irritation, while 12 other people were diagnosed with pneumonia.

According to data published by the Riau Health Agency last year, 100,234 people suffered from the haze, with 84,203 of them diagnosed with ARIs, 1,321 suffered pneumonia and 3,872 contracted asthma. Those who suffered eye and skin irritations numbered 4,771 and 6,067, respectively.

Meanwhile, according to the Batanghari Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) in Jambi, there were eight hotspots found in the region since January, with blazing fires to 12.8 hectares of forest.

National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho claimed on Monday that this years haze would not be worse than last year when 32,734 hotspots were recorded, saying that in the same period this year, the agency detected only 12,884 hotspots. (fac)
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Linkedin Rizal Harahap and Jon Afrizal (The Jakarta Post) Pekanbaru/Jambi/Jakarta  Tue, August 30 2016

As haze caused by forest and land fires thickens in Riau, a local administration has given holidays to school students.



According to the Riau forest fire emergency unit, the air pollution standard index (ISPU) reached 364 as of Monday morning, far above the 200 level that is already considered very unhealthy.



In the province capital, Pekanbaru, haze has deteriorated air quality to 162. In other cities such as Kampar, Dumai and Rokan Hilir, the air quality reached 144, 166 and 184, respectively, reducing vision to only 500 meters.



Actually all students attended class this morning, but then there was an instruction from the Bengkalis Education Agency urging us all to go home, the principal of Mandau state high school SMAN 7, Masrida, in Bengkalis regency, Riau, told reporters on Monday.



Masrida said the decision was made for the time being and would be evaluated in the next few days.



If the weather gets better and the haze starts to disappear, we will restart our classes next Wednesday. Otherwise, we may prolong the closure to avoid health problems.



Bengkalis Education Agency acting head Heri Indra Putra said the decision was taken following instruction given by Regent Amril Mukminin.



[School] closures will vary in each area, depending on the haze, Heri said, adding that teachers would still require students to do homework.



In Dumai, the level of air quality hit 369 on Sunday, a highly dangerous level. However, related authorities had yet to issue a circular to free students from school.



We are still waiting for instruction from the Dumai Environment and Forestry Ministry office, Dumai Education Agency spokesperson Misdiono said.



Riau Education Agency head Kamsol urged affected areas to take quick action in preventing illness from inhaling the dangerous haze.



The provincial government cannot fully monitor air pollution in every area, he said, demanding better coordination between the regions.



The week-long haze covering Bengkalis has sparked fear as more than a hundred residents have begun suffering acute respiratory infections (ARIs).



To prevent escalating numbers of people suffering respiratory problems, the Riau Health Agency has distributed 10,000 face masks to affected areas. We will also intensify our campaign [to inform people] of the dangers of the haze, Jon said.



He said that according to reports from related institutions in Bengkalis, 149 people had been affected by haze-related health problems, with 132 of them suffering ARIs.



He added that four people were suffering asthma, one person an eye irritation, while 12 other people were diagnosed with pneumonia.



According to data published by the Riau Health Agency last year, 100,234 people suffered from the haze, with 84,203 of them diagnosed with ARIs, 1,321 suffered pneumonia and 3,872 contracted asthma. Those who suffered eye and skin irritations numbered 4,771 and 6,067, respectively.



Meanwhile, according to the Batanghari Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) in Jambi, there were eight hotspots found in the region since January, with blazing fires to 12.8 hectares of forest.



National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho claimed on Monday that this years haze would not be worse than last year when 32,734 hotspots were recorded, saying that in the same period this year, the agency detected only 12,884 hotspots. (fac)

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30, 2016

Telecommunications developer Len Telekomunikasi Indonesia (LTI) has secured a Rp 975 billion (US$73.46 million) syndicated loan to finance the Palapa Ring broadband projects central package, an official has said.

LTI president director Raden Wahyu Pantja Gelora said the company expected that the central package, which covers areas across Kalimantan, North Maluku and Sulawesi, would be ready to serve people in early of 2018.

We have finished the financial plan for the central package. Now, we are in the process of obtaining construction permits in the regencies and cities that the project will cover, he said in a meeting in Jakarta Monday.

LTI, a subsidiary of state-owned electronics maker Len Industri, obtained the loan from the Finance Ministrys non-bank financial institution Indonesia Infrastructure Finance (IIF), which acts as the syndication coordinator of state-owned lender Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) and state-owned financing company Sarana Multi Infrastrutur (SMI).

IIF president director Ari Soerono said this type of loan was one way to finance infrastructure projects in Indonesia. He hopes the central package will help Indonesians enjoy faster internet access.

Faster internet access will be helpful for students to pursue their studies and entrepreneurs to expand their businesses, he said in the meeting.

The Palapa Ring is the first government-to-business cooperation scheme within the telecommunications sector that will utilize the availability payment method in which private partners receive payments based on the availability of the designed infrastructure at a specified performance level. (rez/ebf)
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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30, 2016

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has highlighted that every tax payer has a right, and are not obligated to join the tax amnesty program. Thus pensioners, farmers, and other low-income people do not have to report their undeclared assets.

"The tax office has issued the directorate generals regulation on this issue, so farmers, fishermen, pensioners do not have to join the program," he said at Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) in Serpong, Tangerang, on Tuesday.

Earlier, people expressed their worries through social media over the possibility that all tax payers who had yet to declare their assetsincluding low income people, pensioners, farmers, and recipients of inherited wealthhad to join the program.

By joining the program, they could avoid the future penalty, which amounted to 200 percent of the value of undeclared assets. However, as stipulated in the Tax Amnesty Law, they must pay a penalty rate, ranging between 2 to 10 percent of the assets value.

The President said the tax amnesty program was mainly targeted at big taxpayers who parked their assets abroad to evade tax liabilities. If low-income people forget to list their assets, they could revise their annual-tax assessment (SPT) to avoid the future penalty, he explained.

"Please do not make a buzz on such unimportant issues. Focus on how to make this program successful," Jokowi said. (ags)
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30, 2016

PT Transjakarta has vowed to investigate a racially-linked attack at a Transjakarta bus stop. Andrew Budikusuma, a man of Chinese ancestry, was reportedly attacked by a group of people last Friday.

We will investigate the case. We are now trying to obtain information from the victim about this incident, Transjakarta spokesman Prasetya Budi told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Andrew said the incident occurred between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. last Friday. He was traveling from Kuningan Barat in South Jakarta to Pluit in North Jakarta.

When the bus stopped at the Senayan JCC shelter, three or four men reportedly screamed Ahok, Ahok at him. Andrew, who was standing near the door, was pulled off the bus by the men. A passenger came to his rescue and pulled him back onto the bus. Andrew said the Transjakarta staff did not try to help him.

Meanwhile, Andrew reported the incident to the Jakarta Police on Tuesday. Soon after the attack, Andrew went to Siloam Hospital to receive treatment. The police are processing my report. I will go to the hospital to get my visum, Andrew said.

Andrew said he was confused about what had happened to him, particularly when the attackers referred to him as Ahok. I think they attacked me only because I have slanted eyes and an oriental face, said Andrew, who comes from East Kalimantan. (bbn)
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Linkedin Edith M.Lederer (Associated Press) United Nations  Tue, August 30, 2016

Portugal's former prime minister Antonio Guterres topped the third successive poll of candidates seeking to succeed Ban Ki-moon as the next UN secretary-general, making him the clear front-runner for the job as the world's top diplomat, UN diplomats said Monday.

Slovakia's Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak was the big surprise of the informal vote  jumping to second place after finishing next to last in the second "straw" poll, said the diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because voting is supposed to be kept secret.

Irina Bokova of Bulgaria, who heads UNESCO, and Serbia's former foreign minister Vuk Jeremic were tied for third place followed by Argentina's Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra, the diplomats said.

By tradition, the job of secretary-general has rotated among regions. Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe have all held the post. East European nations, including Russia, argue that they have never had a secretary-general and it is their turn.

There has also never been a woman secretary-general and more than 50 nations are campaigning to elect the first female UN chief, along with many organizations.

Secretary-General Ban, whose term expires on Dec. 31, said earlier this month that after eight men "it's high time now" for a woman to head the United Nations.

Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told The Associated Press on Monday that there should be a woman secretary-general. "And you know what? The time will come."

But is this the time? "This is the big question," Churkin replied, laughing.

The secretary-general is chosen by the 193-member General Assembly on the recommendation of the 15-member Security Council. In practice, this has meant that the council's five permanent members  the US, Russia, China, Britain and France  have veto power over the candidates.

In Monday's informal poll, council members voted whether to "encourage," ''discourage," or express "no opinion" about the 10 candidates  five men and five women.

No women has placed above third in any of the polls and Malcorra was quoted by the Argentine newspaper Clarin as saying that "there is still a biased vote against women" at the UN.

The results of Monday's poll quickly leaked.

General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft again criticized the Security Council for not releasing the vote, saying UN members who participated in question-and-answer sessions with every candidate for the first time this year expect a "new standard of openness and transparency."

Guterres, who was Portugal's center-left Socialist prime minister from 1995-2002 and UN High Commissioner for Refugees until the end of 2015, got 11 "encourage" votes, three "discourage" and one "no opinion" in Monday's poll. In the first "straw" poll he had no "discourage" votes, and in the second he had two.

Lajcak, a former European Union diplomat now serving his second stint as foreign minister, got nine "encourage" votes, five "discourage" and one "no opinion."

In sixth place was former Macedonian foreign minister Srgjan Kerim followed by former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark, who heads the UN Development Program, and Slovenia's former president Danilo Turk.

Moldovan Foreign Minister Natalia Gherman and Christiana Figueres of Costa Rica, the UN official who played a key role in shaping last December's historic agreement to fight climate change, tied for last place. Each got two "encourage" votes, 12 "discourage" and one "no opinion."

Britain's UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft stressed that the straw polls should narrow the field.

He encouraged those with poor showings to assess how they can get the required minimum of nine "yes" votes and no vetoes, "and if that's a long way off then I think they should follow the two" candidates who have already dropped out. (**)
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Linkedin Marlon Ramos (Philippine Daily Inquirer) Manila  Tue, August 30, 2016

Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertes first foreign trip next month would surely be a big political and media event, Malacanang said on Sunday.

This early, several leaders from neighboring countries have expressed eagerness to meet with Duterte during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meeting in Vientiane, Laos, according to Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar.

We all know President Duterte is the most talked-about leader in Asean and around the world, Andanar told government-owned dzRB radio.

Media mob

We expect the international media companies to mob the President in Laos to talk to him, he added.

Dutertes weeklong trip would be his first abroad since winning the May 9 elections. He had previously said he would avoid frequent overseas travel during his six-year term due to his advanced age.

The 71-year-old chief executive will fly to Brunei for a working visit on September 4-5 before heading to the Asean summit in Laos on September 6-8.

Duterte will then go to Indonesia for a two-day working visit on September 8-9.

In an earlier interview, the president said he wanted to personally thank the royal government of Brunei for providing employment to thousands of Filipinos.
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Linkedin (The Nation) Bangkok  Tue, August 30, 2016

The number of detected Zika infections in Thailand has jumped significantly this year compared to recent years. Between 2012 and 2015, an average of just five people were recorded as infected with the Zika virus each year.

But in the first six months of this year, at least 97 people in Thailand have been diagnosed with the disease. And over the past week, new infections have been detected in Chiang Mai, Chanthaburi, Phetchabun and Bung Kan provinces.

But Spread is Under Control

Disease Control Department chief Dr Amnuay Gajeena, however, sought to allay concerns on Monday about the Zika threat in the country.

We have implemented the strictest measures in controlling the spread of the Zika virus, he said.

Amnuay added that Thailand had not seen the prolonged spread of the disease in any affected area and the number of patients was not overwhelming.

He was speaking in response to reports that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has described Thailand as a red alert country with increasing or widespread Zika virus transmissions.

Amnuay said on MOnday more Zika cases might have been detected because a better monitoring and diagnostic system had been established.

Today, we can identify the Zika virus in local labs. We dont have to submit samples to foreign labs for test results anymore, he said.

He urged agencies from all sectors to support the Public Health Ministrys efforts to combat the virus.

As soon as a Zika case is detected, we have to set up an emergency operations centre to control the spread at both the provincial and district levels, he said.

While Zika usually causes a mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise, or a headache, it can be fatal in severe cases.

Recent scientific evidence has also linked the virus to microcephaly in foetuses and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Pregnant women must seek prenatal care. If they develop any suspicious symptoms, they must immediately tell doctors, Amnuay said.

He said authorities had been monitoring 20 pregnant women in areas where Zika virus cases had been reported. Six have already given birth to healthy babies, he said.

Amnuay added that authorities were also looking into microcephaly cases in Thailand to determine if there were links to Zika infections.

Relevant authorities, meanwhile, are pushing for the eradication of the breeding grounds of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is the vector of the virus.

Because of mosquitoes, its quite hard to eradicate Zika virus once and for all, Chiang Mais public health chief Dr Paisal Thanyawinichkul said.

He said Chiang Mai province had detected its seventh patient in San Kamphaeng district  the same area where two cases were identified in June.

Chanthaburi Governor Viturach Srinam said eight people came down with Zika infections in the province this year but they had fully recovered already.
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Linkedin Kathleen Hennessey (Associated Press) Washington  Tue, August 30, 2016

President Barack Obama faces thorny talks about the fight against the Islamic State group, climate change and human rights when he sets off this week across the Pacific for an eight-day valedictory tour through Asia.

Obama is to leave Wednesday to attend back-to-back summits in Hangzhou, China, and Vientiane, Laos. Coming five months from the end of Obama's term, the White House has planned the trip as a moment to highlight his administration's seven-year effort to expand US influence Asia, including his push for massive free-trade and a landmark climate agreement with China.

White House officials said Obama will underscore the message even before leaving the US, heading first to Lake Tahoe for a series meetings on conservation and then on to Hawaii's remote Midway Atoll, where Obama recently expanded the Papahanaumokuakea (prounounced pah-pah-hah-NOW'-moh-koo-ah-KAY'-ah) Marine National Monument.

The White House said Monday that Obama's stop will come with announcements of new executive actions aimed at boosting clean energy production in the US and mitigating the effect of climate change such as wildfires and drought.

Obama will keep up the drumbeat in China, where he is attending a meeting of the Group of 20 industrial and emerging-market economies. Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to offer an update on the nation's progress toward ratifying the Paris agreement. White House officials have said they hope the historic climate change pact could enter into force by the end of the year.

But Obama's climate change agenda will only be part of his busy agenda. Obama will sit down Sunday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the first meeting since a failed summer coup added new tensions to an already complex relationship.

Obama and Erdogan are slated to discuss the recent clashes between Turkish troops and Kurdish forces in northern Syria. The US has criticized Turkey, a NATO ally, for the assault, saying the conflict distracts from the fight against the Islamic State group. Erdogan has said he plans to continue the operations until the Kurdish forces no longer pose a security threat to Ankara.

The meeting also comes as Turkey is pressing the US to extradite a US-based Muslim cleric it blames for the July coup. US officials have pleaded for patience as the legal process unwinds, but the US is clearly under pressure to move quickly.

Obama's schedule also includes a visit with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, whose bloody anti-drug campaign has drawn criticism from human rights activists. The president plans to raise those concerns with the new leader, deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said Monday.

Rhodes said Obama will use the trip to make the case for this Trans-Pacific free-trade agreement, a massive multination deal that has stalled out in Congress amid fierce election-year opposition from both Democrats and Republicans.

As a centerpiece of Obama's Asia policy, the agreement is seen as a "litmus for US leadership," Rhodes said.

"It's also seen as a demonstration of America's commitment to be a Pacific power. And we would be stepping back from that leadership role, we would be ceding the region to countries like China who do not set the same types of high standards for trade agreements" if the U.S. does not follow through with TPP, he said.

While in Asia, Obama will also pay the first visit by a sitting US president to Laos, where he'll see both the president and prime minister. Ahead of the visit, the White House acknowledged the "very difficult history" between the countries, alluding to the roughly 270 million cluster bombs the US dropped on Laos in the "secret war" during the Vietnam War. Obama is expected to announce new steps to help clear unexploded ordinance from Laos.

___

Associated Press writer Josh Lederman contributed to this report. (**)
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Linkedin Salma Khalik and Fabian Koh (The Straits Times/ANN) Singapore  Tue, August 30, 2016

The authorities stepped up efforts to contain the Zika virus Monday even as 15 new cases surfaced.

This brings the total number of people who have been locally infected to 56 - and more are likely to be uncovered, warn the authorities.

National Environment Agency (NEA) officials fogged, misted and sprayed the cluster of Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive, where the outbreak has taken place.

They inspected over half the 6,000 premises and destroyed 36 mosquito breeding habitats - 22 in homes and 14 in common areas and other spots. NEA has also inspected more than 900 premises at Sembawang Drive, and detected and destroyed one breeding site in a residence in that area.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health (MOH) is advising mothers- to-be to avoid areas with "local transmission" of the virus, according to its website.

The mosquito-borne viral infection is generally mild, except for its effect on unborn babies. It can cause brain damage in a small number of babies if the mother is infected during pregnancy, especially in the early months.

One mother-to-be is not taking any chances. On Monday, 28-year- old housewife Sherynn Ellyadi, who is 38 weeks pregnant, moved out of her flat in Block 54, Sims Drive, where she lived with her mother and five children, her mother Lela Noordin, 60, told The Straits Times. Sherynn has moved to her in-laws' home in Woodlands.

In a joint statement with NEA, MOH said it expects more cases to emerge as it continues its probe into people living around Sims Drive and Aljunied Crescent who previously had symptoms of the Zika infection.

"MOH will continue to work with GPs in the area to offer testing for patients who had fever and rash previously," they said.

"The look-back exercise will likely uncover more previously undiagnosed cases of Zika."
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Linkedin Trinna Leong (The Straits Times/ANN)  Tue, August 30, 2016

Malaysia has stepped up precautionary measures following Singapore's first locally transmitted case of the Zika virus.

"There's a high risk of the virus entering our country and we have to accept these risks," Health Minister Subramaniam Sathasivam told reporters Monday.

Malaysia has set up thermal scanners - which can detect fever - at its airports and the two major entry points in Johor, where an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 people move daily across the border with Singapore.

Only those traveling by bus between Johor and Singapore would have to walk past the scanners. Those travelling by car, train or motorcycle would be given pamphlets on the Zika virus.

"There is no simple way of screening all of them," said Subramaniam. "Asymptomatic patients are a bigger problem because they do not know they have it in their body and they can cause it to spread to other people. It is a risk."

He urged those returning from countries with reported cases of Zika infection to have themselves tested voluntarily at major hospitals.

Malaysia's Health Ministry has also advised the public to adopt the same measures to combat the Aedes mosquito, which not only spreads Zika but dengue and chikungunya as well. The measures include the use of mosquito repellent, keeping homes clean and eliminating stagnant water.

"If we address the issue of Aedes, we are sorting this issue of Zika as well," said Malaysia's national adviser on infectious diseases, Christopher Lee.

The Health Ministry has conducted 784 blood tests for the Zika virus since July last year, with none confirmed thus far. Athletes who returned from the recently concluded Olympic Games in Brazil, a country hit hard by Zika, were tested and all the results were negative.

The ministry has also boosted efforts to combat the mosquito menace with increased fogging in all states, especially Johor.

"We'll continue this for a period of time until Singapore's situation calms down, with no new cases," said Subramaniam.

Singapore has confirmed 56 cases of locally transmitted Zika, mostly involving workers from a construction site.

Subramaniam, in spite of the concerns over Zika, noted that dengue remains the larger health issue for Malaysia.

"Dengue is still a bigger problem than Zika for us because dengue can cause death," he said.

Malaysia has seen a rise in dengue cases in the last two weeks of August, with a weekly average of 1,900 to 2,000 cases. Both Singapore and Malaysia are in the grip of a dengue outbreak with a record number of cases.
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Linkedin (The Straits Times/ANN) Singapore  Tue, August 30, 2016

Several governments have issued travel advisories urging its citizens to take precautions should they have plans to travel to Singapore, which finds itself battling the Zika virus after the first locally transmitted case was reported on Aug 27.

Since then, the total number of locally infected cases has risen to 56, with the authorities warning of more cases likely to be uncovered in the coming days.

The United Kingdom, Australia and Taiwan have all reminded travelers of the dangers of the mosquito-borne virus, while Malaysia has introduced thermal scanning for those entering Johor by bus at the land checkpoints.

Here's a round-up of what they are saying.

UNITED KINGDOM

On its website, the UK government's foreign travel advice for traveling to Singapore was to advise women who are pregnant or planning to conceive to discuss their travel plans with their doctors.

AUSTRALIA

In a statement on its Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website, the Australian government warned travelers to protect themselves from mosquito bites while in Singapore.

"Adopt additional measures advised by the Department of Health, including deferring non-essential travel if pregnant, avoiding pregnancy for two months following your return and other advice for both males and females," it added.

TAIWAN

Taiwan's Centres for Disease Control on Monday raised the travel notice level for Singapore to Level 2, citing the potential risk of Zika transmission here.

It urged pregnant women to postpone their trips to Singapore, and for travelers to avoid mosquito bites.

MALAYSIA

Travelers who take the bus into Johor from Singapore will have to undergo thermal screening for Zika, while those crossing the border via vehicles like cars, taxis and motorcycles will be given a pamphlet on the symptoms of the virus.

Between 150,000 and 200,000 people commute between Singapore and Johor daily.

Similar screenings are also being implemented at airport terminals hosting direct flights from Singapore, such as in Penang and Langkawi.

Health Minister Subramaniam said in a press conference on Monday: "The risk is imminent... the main thing is to reduce the risk of the virus spreading to others."
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30, 2016

Following the passing of music icon and legend Prince on April 21, his studio complex, Paisley Park, is about to be opened as a museum to the public. The state-of-the-art establishment is widely known among his fans.

The project is a collaboration between the estate agents and the company behind Graceland, Elvis Presleys home-turned-museum in Memphis that brings in over 60,000 visitors a year. The complex will be open around Oct. 6 this year for tours, a week before fans attend a memorial tribute concert for Prince at the new US Bank Arena in his hometown of Minneapolis.

Tyka Nelson, sister of the beloved pop star, said she had always looked forward to allowing the public to enjoy the beauty of Paisley Park. It opened in 1987 in the Minneapolis suburb of Chanhassen. She made a statement on Wednesday saying, Opening Paisley Park is something that Prince always wanted to do and was actively working on, only a few hundred people have had the rare opportunity to tour the estate during his lifetime. Now, fans from around the world will be able to experience Prince's world for the first time as we open the doors to this incredible place."

AFP reported that the guided tour runs for 70 minutes and covers Princes recording and mixing studios, his concert hall and most anticipated of all his so-called NPG Music Club, which was kept secret, according to a plan that was proposed to the City of Chanhassen.

(Read also: Five museums in Indonesia for your next family vacation)

The museum will only serve vegetarian food and no alcohol, which was an unwritten rule of Princes when he threw parties at Paisley Park. In addition, the museum will also exhibit thousands of the star's personal belongings such as his concert outfits, musical instruments, cars and motorcycles and rare recordings. Tickets will cost around US$38.50, with VIP tickets for special, smaller tours to run over an estimated $100.

Prince invested around $10 million in this establishment, which with todays currency values would almost be double that figure. Paisley Park consists of four main studios equipped with sound and vibration isolation, allowing artists to record and perform simultaneously, led by the Los Angeles-area architects Boto Design. Top recording artists such as Madonna, Stevie Wonder and R.E.M. have all either mixed or even recorded at Paisley Park.

When Prince initially rented the park, he made the isolated suburban complex an unlikely hub for the global music industry. Only a decade later, as it was his exclusive domain, only a limited number of fans were able to see Paisley Park with their own eyes. During his last performance before his death at the age of 57 from an accidental overdose of painkillers, Prince himself played at Paisley Park at a party he held on April 17.

The Bremer Trust, which handles Princes affairs with the permission of his siblings, said that it expected 1,500 to 2,000 people to visit Paisley Park on peak days and it was still open to developing the site in the future, with fans eventually able to stay overnight. (kha/kes)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30, 2016

Research and Technology and Higher Education Minister Mohammad Nasir inaugurated Bandung Institute of Technologys (ITB) four new buildings at Jl. Ganesha 10 in Bandung, West Java, on Monday.

Nasir said that he was hopeful the new facilities would be able to support the ITB's learning process and create high-quality human resources in research.

"[The ministry] is presently creating schemes that include regulations that will boost enthusiasm in lecturers, students and researchers in conducting research and creating innovations," he said as quoted by kompas.com.

(Read also: ITB develops electric 'angkot' for future smart city)

The new buildings, namely the Center for Advanced Sciences (CAS), the Center for Art Design and Language (CADL), the Center for Infrastructure and the Built Environment (CIBE) and the Center for Research and Community Services (CRCS), were built using funds from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The CAS will cater to advanced science research activities such as nanotechnology and is equipped with hi-tech equipment including a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The CIBE boasts laboratory facilities for measuring buildings. The CADL will function as a development space for art, design and language. Meanwhile, the CRCS will involve cooperation in research and public services. (kha/kes)
Dear Dr. Roach: My left hip bothered me, and I told my doctor. He did an X-ray, then called me and said I have a hip fracture. He sent me for an MRI. They read it and also said I had a hip fracture, and sent me to the orthopedic surgeon. The surgeon redid the X-rays and looked at the MRI scan, and told me I do not have a fracture. He measured my legs and found that my left was 3/4 inch shorter than the right. He prescribed an insert into my left shoe, and I had no more pain.

 L.L.

A: It is certain that some people have differences in the lengths of their legs and that sometimes this leads to symptoms. A relatively small difference such as yours usually is treated with a shoe or a shoe insert, usually by an orthopedic surgeon, podiatrist or physical therapist. Often, but not always, this results in improvement of the symptoms.

What is surprising about your story is the initial findings of the X-ray and MRI scan. X-ray results certainly can be ambiguous, but the MRI is reported to have 100 percent sensitivity (that is to say, it shouldn't miss a case). One study showed that experienced radiologists have 100 percent specificity in reading a fracture, meaning there always is a fracture when they say there is, but less-experienced radiologists have "only" a 93 percent specificity. It appears to me that your orthopedic surgeon was right and your radiologist wrong, since your symptoms got better.

Most cases of hip fracture are not subtle.

Sleeping aids

Dear Dr. Roach: I have trouble sleeping. I toss and turn a lot, and have back problems. I am 80. Is it OK to take a 0.5 mg melatonin and a Benadryl? I sleep better with that, although I do dream a bit when I take the Benadryl. I noticed that Benadryl has the same ingredient as some sleep remedies.

 C.K.

A: I don't recommend any kind of sleeping aid on a regular basis, and I try hard not to prescribe them, especially in the elderly. They significantly increase the risk for falls. Diphenhydramine (the active ingredient in Benadryl and most over-the-counter sleep aids) also increases risk for collisions in older adults who drive. I am not sure that recent reports linking diphenhydramine to dementia prove that it is a cause of Alzheimer's disease, but it's another reason to avoid this medication on a more than occasional basis.

Melatonin, at the low dose of 0.5 mg, is safer and a better choice for sleep disturbance, especially in older adults.
A man was attacked with a box cutter in Columbus Park over the weekend. Cops are still looking for the suspect, who was seen entering the Chambers Street subway station after the incident. [New York Post]

Political strategist Michael Oliva outlines they key factors that will decide the primary election in the 65th Assembly District. Political operatives often describe Grand Street as the most significant voting bloc in the district, but times have changed. Once a stalwart stronghold for (Sheldon) Silver or a Silver-backed candidate, the Grand Street area should prove to be a rare and critical battleground for the first time in decades. [The Slant]

Lobbyist James Capalino set up a meeting between the mayor and one of the new owners of Rivington House. A mayoral spokesman says the meeting was about Chinese tourism. [NY1]

Sixteen days after he took office, the mayor was asked by Capalino to remove deed restrictions at Rivington House. [New York Post]

An elusive ally of the governor was also in the mix during the Rivington House shenanigans. [Politico New York]

Craig Peterson of Gibney Dance is the new executive director of the Abrons Arts Center. [New York Times]

City officials recently held a visioning session to discuss a refurbishing of the Canal Street triangle. [World Journal via Voices of NY]
UPDATE 4:20 p.m. August 30, 2016

DECATUR  Decatur police officer Andrew Wittmer was fully justified in his shooting of Lonnie D. Mitchell, it was announced Tuesday.

Macon County State's Attorney Jay Scott said the use of deadly force against the 40-year-old Mitchell, who was armed with a knife strapped to his wrist and a BB gun that looked like a semiautomatic handgun, broke no laws.

Wittmer, who has served with the police department for five years, is now cleared to come back to work, having been on leave while the shooting was investigated by the Illinois State Police, which is usual procedure. The voluminous report into the shooting was reviewed by Scott before making his decision.

Mitchell had been shot in the early hours of July 11 in the 100 block of South Hilton Street. He was treated at at local hospital for a gunshot wound to the right side of his body between chest and hip and continues to recover.

Scott, speaking at a news conference in the Macon County Office Building, replayed a dramatic video of the incident captured on a squad car camera. It showed Wittmer ordering a shirtless Mitchell to stop as he walked crossed the street with a knife attached to his arm by a studded leather cuff and the gun tucked into the waistband of his camouflage shorts.

Mitchell, who walks out of the picture while Wittmer can still be seen clearly, is heard telling the officer he has a knife and what he refers to repeatedly as a pistol. Wittmer tells him to put his hands on his head and repeatedly orders him to lie down in the street, warning him not to reach for any of the weapons.

Don't go for that or you'll get shot, man, Wittmer said at one point.

But Mitchell doesn't appear to take any notice and at one point tells Wittmer to come grab it, referring to his weapons. I'm not going to grab it, I want you to lay down, Wittmer replies. A woman in the crowd watching the encounter calls out to Mitchell Lay down, baby, do what he tell you to do. Lay down, but Mitchell remains standing.

He then unbuckles the knife which falls to the road with a clatter and some moments later both Wittmer and officer Jason Danner say they saw Mitchell move his right hand directly toward the BB pistol they believed was a firearm.

That is when Wittmer shot him.

Mitchell collapses off camera, and Scott said the officers on scene immediately called for an ambulance and began rendering first aid. Decatur Ambulance personnel arrived within seven minutes, and Mitchell was rushed to HSHS St. Mary's Hospital and then air-lifted to Memorial Medical Center in Springfield.

Later, as he recovered from surgery, he refused to talk to state police investigators.

Pursuant to Illinois state statute, a law enforcement officer is justified in the use of force likely to result in death or great bodily harm when he reasonably believes such force is necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or another, Scott said.

After a careful review of reports and materials generated by the Illinois State Police investigation, it is the conclusion of the Macon County State's Attorney's Office that officer Wittmer reasonably believed that the force he used was necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or another when he discharged his service weapon at Lonnie Mitchell.

Scott went on to say that any reasonable person would have believed that the use of deadly force was necessary under these circumstances.

Scott also said the circumstances leading up to the situation facing police officers had to be considered, along with Mitchell's behavior. The state's attorney displayed pictures of Mitchell taken from Facebook that showed him posing, gangster-style, with a knife strapped to his wrist and what look like handguns tucked into the waistband of his pants, pretty much as he appeared when police confronted him in the street.

Scott said patrol officers had responded to the area after receiving calls from a citizen who lives in the neighborhood who said they had seen an armed man arguing with a woman. Two previous calls from this same citizen earlier in July and in May had resulted in several arrests and the recovery of loaded handguns.

Bearing all that in mind, Scott said police found themselves facing a man armed with what appeared to be a firearm who refused to cooperate with them.

Mr. Mitchell's conduct that night, in refusing to obey the lawful commands of officer Wittmer, constitutes the criminal offense of resisting or obstructing a peace officer, Scott said.

But, having stated that, he said no charges will be pursued against Mitchell.

After consulting with Decatur Police Chief Jim Getz, we are in agreement that, given the circumstances involved, no criminal prosecution of Mr. Mitchell will be initiated, Scott said.

Asked later why not, Scott said all the pros and cons had been weighed in discussion with Getz and with Scott's first assistant and with his chief investigator.

This individual (Mitchell) did end up being shot and was laid up in hospital for a while, and we decided, came to a group consensus, that it was best to put this behind us and move on, Scott added.

The state's attorney was flanked by Decatur Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe, Getz and Jeanelle Norman, president of the Decatur branch of the NAACP, as he spoke.

Getz and Norman said the city's population, which has staged prayer and community meetings in the wake of the shooting that involved a white officer and a black suspect, had behaved with commendable calm and patience.

I believe the city of Decatur is a community that has shown other communities how to respond during rough times, Getz said. I believe we can continue to be a model for other communities as we move forward.

Norman, who also spoke on behalf of Area Leaders, Educators Response Team, or ALERT, which is a group of community activists who work to spread correct information and counter false rumors in the wake of traumatic events, said Getz had acted throughout with transparency and provided full access to concerned citizens.

We thank God that no loss of life happened, she said, accepting the findings of Scott's review of the case. And because of what has transpired ... we are building better relationships between the African-American community and the city, and especially the police department. I can truly say today that I am a proud citizen of Decatur, Ill.

One question remaining is whether equipping police with body cameras would make any similar incidents in the future easier to review and investigate. Scott said a body camera in Mitchell's case would likely have caught more of the details, and Getz said he's looking at the issue.

We're reviewing the possibility of using body cameras, he said.

ORIGINAL STORY 11:29 a.m. August 30, 2016

DECATUR  Macon County States Attorney Jay Scott will not file charges against the Decatur police officer who shot an armed man in July.

Any reasonable person would have believed the use of deadly force was necessary, Scott said during a news conference Tuesday at the Macon County Office Building during which the decision was announced.

Officer Andrew Wittmer, who has five years of experience with the Decatur Police Department, shot 40-year-old Lonnie D. Mitchell II in the chest in the early hours of July 11. Mitchell, who was armed with a knife and a BB gun that resembled a semiautomatic handgun, is expected to make a full recovery from the injury.

A police car video, which was played during the news confrence, showed Mitchell telling Wittmer he had a knife and a pistol and telling Wittmer to take the weapons from him. Wittmer made repeated orders for Mitchell drop the weapons and to get on the ground. After Mitchell appeared to reached for the pistol, Wittmer discharged his weapon.

The Illinois State Police handled the investigation, which was completed and given to Scotts office earlier this month.

The incident comes at a time of heightened focus on officer-involved shootings nationally. Though Wittmer is white and Mitchell is black, Decatur did not experience the same unrest that other communities faced in the aftermath of similar shootings.

Officials have credited that in part to the help of the ALERT, or Area Leaders Educators Response Team, who also attended the Tuesday news conference.

This story will be updated.


Shaun Robert Smiths grim British chiller, based on real life accounts of life as a carer for the disabled, is certainly a slow burner, but proves itself worthy of the misery it evokes.

Revenge queen Morjana Alaoui (star of Pascal Laugiers much-celebrated original Martyrs) returns to the horror genre with this seriously sharp and beautifully crafted thriller, centering around a young French woman attempting to escape her demons whilst caring for a tetraplegic former rock star (Mel Raido).

Evies unhappy with her placement as the often abusive and foul-mouthed Johns carer, but with her manager proving little help, shes forced to stick with it for the sake of them both, despite beginning to suffer from a series of insanely visceral flashbacks surrounding her abusive past.

As you can probably guess, this one isnt exactly rainbows and smiles. Smiths film is very sparing with its use of happiness, hope or even any sense of positive emotion altogether. This certainly makes for something of a tough watch, but by all means, dont let such a thing put you off.

Underneath its grumbling tone and claustrophobic setting (shot entirely within a musky London house), Broken proves to be a total masterclass in acting, playing Alaoui and Raido off of each other to great success. The pairs winning chemistry make their scenes together not only riveting to watch, but also just emotional enough to really draw you in to their united crisis.

But in reality this isnt quite the heart-wrenching human drama it at first seems; well at least not entirely. The first two acts may be largely concerned with the central pairs inner struggles - the opening Johns, the second Evies - but as the bloody finale inches ever closer, Smiths quietly gestating love of genre begins to gradually bubble to the surface.

This is where Broken really ignites, delivering a truly explosive climax that strikes hard enough to completely shatter all that was built before it. Fans of the more sensitive approach may find this late gear shift a little jarring, this much is true, but in unleashing himself in this way, Smith gleefully reveals all of the careful foundations he had laid out leading to this very moment.

Suddenly it becomes clear that Broken is far from the straight-forward weepy it at one stage may have seemed. The inner darkness Smith sews into the lining of every frame doesnt so much rise as it does explode from the seams of the picture, making for a short, sharp and terrifically brutal conclusion.

Horror devotees may ultimately find Broken a slow watch, but with Alaoui at the top of her game and a total sucker punch of a finale to look forward to, its worth the (at times, rather dry) wait.

In the vein of Paddy Considines terrificTyrannosaur, Smiths feature debut is a similarly stunning technical feat, and although thoroughly miserable, proves itself a worthwhile watch by the end.

Broken was screened as part of HorrorChannel FrightFest 2016. More info on the festival and its films can be found here.


Nick Jongerius gives the slasher genre a revitalized push in this surprisingly thoughtful Dutch-set horror.

Its rare that a new release breaks through the decades of slasher movie logic to deliver something actually original, and while The Windmill Massacre might not exactly be the freshest killer thriller around, it certainly has enough exciting ideas to keep you guessing throughout.

The windmill in question is found, surprise surprise, in the Dutch countryside, where a bus filled with an eclectic group of tourists - from a disgraced surgeon to an Australian teen on the run - randomly breaks down. Forced to fend for themselves without phone signal, the group are soon set-upon by the murderous Miller, driving them each to face their darkest sins.

Hapless civilians meet their bloody end, an strangely-modelled psychopath wields a very large weapon: its that classic slasher movie set-up thats been around for generations. Where Jongeriuss efforts starts to differ however is in its gradual reveals. To talk about them in too much detail here would be unfair to screenwriter Chris W. Mitchell, but the reality of this genre picture is much deeper than meets the eye.

Underneath the basic cat-and-mouse game is a clever inner twist that both questions the characters morality, and helps to deliver a much-needed arse-kick to a genre that has otherwise been feeling a little too bland recently. Its nothing overly huge, but stands as just enough of an addition to the story to keep things interesting.

Dont get me wrong, this certainly isnt Citizen Kane; the characters are still relatively one-note with a few stand-outs, and the actual events themselves (bar said twist) are nothing really that special beyond the usual murder-by-numbers plotting. Jongerius is just very, very good at delivering the usual beats with a knowing spot of humour.

A huge part of what keeps the fun flowing too is the central villain, The Miller, a gigantic lumbering force of nature, capable of much more than simply swinging a scythe. Its a neat design in the vein of Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers, and although he never proves to be quite as menacing as either, hes certainly an extra tick against Jongeriuss name.

The only other thing left to question is the films title: a hammy direct-to-TV type hackjob that completely ignores what the film is really about. True, going in blind helps to ramp up the surprises but in labeling his film this way, Jongerius really sells himself short.

With any luck itll be changed before wide-release, because The Windmill Massacre deserves to be seen. It delivers slasher fans with something they havent had in a while: intelligence, and for that everyone involved must be praised.

The Windmill Massacre was screened as part of HorrorChannel FrightFest 2016. More info on the festival and its films can be found here.
A British man who was critically injured as he tried to save a fellow backpacker as she was stabbed in a knife attack in Australia has died, police said.

Thomas Jackson, 30, went to the aid of Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, as she was repeatedly knifed at Home Hill on Tuesday last week.

A spokesman for Queensland Police said: Police can confirm 30-year-old British man Thomas Jackson, critically injured in an alleged knife attack at Home Hill on August 23, has today passed away in the Townsville Hospital.

We're very sad to confirm that Thomas Jackson, the British man who was injured in #HomeHill last week, died in hospital a short time ago.  QPS Media Unit (@QPSmedia) August 30, 2016



The spokesman said investigations are continuing, but detectives will upgrade a charge of attempted murder against a 29-year-old man when he next appears at Townsville Magistrates Court on October 28.

He added: The family of Thomas have told us that while they appreciate the support, they dont wish to speak to the media.

Smail Ayad, 29, is alleged to have stabbed Ayliffe-Chung and to have caused the injuries which led to Jacksons death at the Shelleys Backpackers accommodation in Home Hill, as well as harming 12 police officers.

Thomas Jackson suffered critical head injuries as he went to the aid of his fellow backpacker (YouCaring/PA)

Police previously said that they were investigating whether Ayad had an obsession with Ayliffe-Chung.

Jackson suffered critical head injuries as he went to her aid and police described his actions as selfless.

A fundraising page was set up for hero Jackson who was attacked while selflessly trying to save a woman from being killed.

21-year-old Mia Ayliffe-Chung with her cat Leo (Mykah Powell/PA)

The Youcaring page has raised more than 1,300 of a 5,000 goal to support Jacksons family.

A tribute from his father Les Jackson was quoted on the site which read: We are bereft. Our darling Tom has left us and the world is a poorer place. Thanks again to everyone for the love and support you have given us over the last few days, we will be forever grateful.

There is dark and evil in this world perpetrated by a few, but so much more love and light emanates from so many more. That thought will sustain us over the coming days.
A spokesman for the United Nations human rights office has condemned local burkini bans in France as a stupid reaction to extremism.

A burkini is a body-covering swimsuit worn by some Muslim women such as Nesrine Kenza on the left here (AP)

Rupert Colville of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has asked for the bans to be lifted immediately. He said the bans do not aid security and fuel religious intolerance and the stigmatisation of Muslims.

Last week a French high court officially struck down a burkini ban in Villeneuve-Loubet, a Mediterranean beach resort, in effect invalidating others similar, many bans are still being enforced.

The mayor of Villeneuve-Loubet Lionnel Luca denounced rampant islamisation in France and said: Far from calming, this decision can only heighten passions and tensions, with the risk of trouble we wanted to avoid.

The local bans have become a subject of controversy as images online circulate of Muslim women being ordered to remove clothing French Riviera beaches. Some have also received fines for wearing the clothing.

Many activists took to the streets of London to protest against the bans outside the French embassy (Frank Augstein/AP)

Local mayors have cited security concerns amongst a variety of reasons for the bans. However, Frances Council of State ruling stated emotion and concerns arising from the terrorist attacks could not justify such bans.

Women who have already received fines for wearing burkinis may now appeal against them. Lawyer Patrice Spinosi said it is a decision that is meant to set legal precedent, asserting any French mayor refusing to lift a ban would be taken to court.

The UN released an official appeal on its Twitter page to have the bans removed.
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DECATUR  Two Decatur men were arrested Saturday on multiple felony charges, after they allegedly broke into a residence, repeatedly battered an 18-year-old man, forced him into a vehicle and drove him around the city at knifepoint.

The victim told police his ordeal began near the Condit and Jasper streets, when Deiantae L. Smith, 20, Traveon L. Hood, 23, and another male exited from a white SUV.

He fled on his bicycle to a residence on Leafland Avenue, went inside and tried to lock the door. His three pursuers burst inside, punched him repeatedly, pulled him outside and into the SUV. One of the males held a pocket knife to his throat, said a probable cause affidavit by Decatur patrol officer Noel Crystal.

When they reached Division and Folk streets, the males pulled him out of the vehicle and repeatedly punched him, the victim told police.

He was placed back into the vehicle and driven to a housing complex in the 1100 block of North Calhoun Street. After a relative spotted the victim in the vehicle, his mother followed it to the complex.

The three males exited the SUV and approached the victim's mother.

The victim then ran to his mother's car but was battered once more by one of the males before he entered her car. Smith then allegedly reached inside an open window and punched the victim in the face.

The mother told police that after Smith punched her son in the face, he kicked the front door of her car, jumped on the hood and the roof, cracking the windshield.

Officers conducted a traffic stop on the SUV at 4:35 p.m. Saturday. Its two occupants were Smith and Hood.

A witness told police essentially the same story the victim had told about the initial battery. The witness said the victim ran into the house on Leafland Avenue, followed closely by three males, who came inside and battered him multiple times, Crystal wrote in his statement.

The witness said the three males forced (the victim) into a light-colored SUV and left from the house.

Smith, a parolee who recently served part of a three-year sentence for possessing a stolen vehicle, was released from prison May 24. He is being held in jail without bond.

Hood is serving a one-year conditional discharge term, after he was convicted April 1 on charges of battery and criminal damage to property for punching a 56-year-old man and throwing bricks at his vehicle. His bond was set at $100,000.

They are both being held on charges including home invasion, mob action, aggravated battery, vehicular invasion and armed violence. They are scheduled to appear in court for their arraignments by Monday.
Former Phuket land chief found hanged in DSI cell

PHUKET: A former Phuket land chief, a native of Thalang district and accused of illegally issuing land documents for plots of land in Andaman provinces including Phuket, was found hanged in a cell at the Department of Special Investigation yesterday night (Aug 29).

corruptioncrimelandpolice

By Bangkok Post

Tuesday 30 August 2016, 02:45PM

A retired Phuket land official accused of illegally issuing title documents to over 1,000 blocks of land was found dead in his cell at the Department of Special Investigation only hours after his arrest. Photo: Kitja Apichonrojarek

DSI director-general Paisit Wongmuang said today (Aug 30) that Thawatchai Anukul, 66, a land official who retired whilst in office in Phang Nga, committed suicide in his cell on the sixth floor of the DSI head office at the government complex in Chaeng Wattana.

It was reported he used his socks to hang himself from a cell door hinge. He was found about 2am today and taken to Mongkutwattana Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:45am. Thawatchai had been arrested on a warrant in Bang Yai district of Nonthaburi province yesterday and would have been taken to court this morning, when the DSI would have requested he be remanded in custody for a further 12 days.

Apart from being wanted on the DSI arrest warrant, he also faced arrest warrants issued by courts in other cases, Col Paisit said. The Anti-Money Laundering Office is checking his assets and the National Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating him.

His death ended all criminal action against the former land official, but legal action relating to his alleged money-laundering would continue, Col Paisit said.

Thawatchai was a native of Thalang district. He was arrested in front of a barber shop in tambon Sao Thong Hin of Bang Yai district, Nonthaburi.

He was accused of having illegally issued land rights documents for more than 1,000 blocks of land in Phang Nga, Phuket and Surat Thani provinces, the DSI chief said.

They included a document for 500 rai overlapping the Khao Lampi-Hat Thai Mueang National Park in Phang Nga. The price of the land was officially estimated at B10.5 billion, and it belonged to a rich person well-known in Phang Nga and Phuket, Col Paisit said.

Thawatchai had also allegedly issued a rights document to a private company for 362 rai of land in Rassada.

Read original story here.
Man shot during Phuket police chase

PHUKET: One man was shot during a police chase after the man and an accomplice allegedly carried out a gun threat on residents in Chalong this morning (Aug 30).

policecrimeviolence

By Darawan Naknakhon

Tuesday 30 August 2016, 06:26PM

Police enter one of the homes in Moo Baan Tinawut in Wichit. Photo: Photo: Darawan Naknakhon

Residents at Moo Baan Tinawut in wichit watch as police closed in on the two suspects. Photo: Darawan Naknakhon

Suksawat Jansuta, 27, was shot in the leg whilst trying to escape arrest. Photo: Darawan Naknakhon

Suksawat Jansuta, 27, was shot in the leg whilst trying to escape arrest. Photo: Darawan Naknakhon

Chalong Police were alerted at 8:20am that two armed men had allegedly threatened residents with a gun in Soi Palai in Chalong. It was reported that the men were heading towards Chao Fa East Rd in a bronze Toyota with the licence plate number 3508.

Sgt Maj Suwit Chooden from the Chalong Police said that he heard about the incident on the police radio and went to investigate with fellow officers. When they arrived they came across a vehicle matching the description given by residents, and attempted to stop them.

The driver refused to stop and shot at us, but luckily no one was hurt. We called for backup and followed them," he told The Phuket News.

The suspects sped along Chao Fa East Rd and later turned into Moo Baan Tinawut, where they got stuck in traffic.

The suspects dumped their vehicle at the side of the road and one of them shot at us again but missed, Sgt Maj Suwit said.

One of the suspects, identified as 27-year-old Suparat Thongkamkhao, ran into a house, where he was apprehended by police.

The other suspect, Suksawat Jansuta, also 27, went into another home in the area and whilst being chased by police was shot once in the right leg. He then went to the rear of the house where he dumped his gun before climbing on the roof.

Chalong Police Deputy Chief Lt Col Parinya Tantasuwan who had joined the pursuit added, Officers asked Suksawat to surrender but he wouldnt and attempted to get away. We caught him when he slipped and fell through the roof and injured himself. He was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital.

Suksawat and Suparat admitted that they used a gun to threaten some people who owed money, he said.

Both now face charges of attempted murder of pursuing police officers, resisting arrest, firing a weapon in a public place and threatening behaviour using a gun, he added.
No human trafficking in Phuket, says Labour minister

PHUKET: No migrant worker adults or children who are victims of human trafficking have been found in Phukets fishing industry, Labour Minister Gen Sirichai Distakul has declared.

militaryimmigrationmarineMyanmar

By The Phuket News

Tuesday 30 August 2016, 05:53PM

None of the Phuket fishing boats boarded and inspected last Friday were found to have been breaking any laws. Photo: Royal Thai Navy

None of the Phuket fishing boats boarded and inspected last Friday were found to have been breaking any laws. Photo: Royal Thai Navy

None of the Phuket fishing boats boarded and inspected last Friday were found to have been breaking any laws. Photo: Royal Thai Navy

Gen Sirichai made the announcement on Sunday (Aug 28), after he and a team of officials conducted an inspection tour of fishing boats operating in Phuket waters last Friday, the Royal Thai Navy reported in a release issued yesterday (Aug 29).

Gen Sirichai and his team on Friday visited the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command at Cape Panwa, where they boarded a Navy boat and conducted random inspections of fishing boats in the area.

No irregularities were found, noted the Navy report.

Also on Friday, Gen Sirichai met with officials at Phuket Provincial Hall, where he was also presented with requests from local business operators for the Labour Ministry to standardise hiring requirements for migrant workers in all areas where they are permitted to work.

Gen Sirichai noted that Labour Ministry has standarised procedures for issuing permits for migrant workers in 55 standard occupations, but 12 other areas of work were still under consideration.

At the meeting on Friday, Gen Sirichai ordered relevant officials on the island have been ordered to strictly enforce laws relating to foreign workers and rid Phuket of any illegal labourers. (See story here.)

The Phuket News has been unable to confirm whether or not Minister Sirtichai has made any comment on the investigation into the alleged systemic extortion of cash payment by corrupt officials on employers of migrant workers in Phuket. (See story here.)
In Yerevan today, Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs met with William Burns, president of the Carnegie Endowment for Peace, and Aso Tavitian, who sits on the Endowments Board of Trustees.

According to a ministry press release, the three talked about prospects for Armenian-American cooperation and various regional and international issues.

William Burns previously served as U.S. Deputy Secretary of State. Aso O. Tavitian, former chief executive officer of Syncsort and president of the Tavitian Foundation.
Phuket Chinese tourists injured as tour speedboat catches fire

PHUKET: More than 20 Chinese tourists have been rushed to hospital for injuries sustained when the speedboat they were travelling on caught fire this morning (Aug 30)

Chinesetourismmarinetransportaccidents

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Tuesday 30 August 2016, 04:10PM

Phuket police question some of the Chinese tourists after the tour speedboat fire today (Aug 30). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

The Phuket News has not received any reports of fatalities or serious injuries among the 42 people on board the boat when the fire broke out.

Initial reports indicate that the fire started from a spark or a short circuit.

The speedboat that caught fire was recovered from Koh Lone and Koh Hei (Coral Island), only a few kilometres off Phukets southwest coast.

The speedboat that caught fire today is reportedly one of the Nikorn Marine tour boat fleet.

Fire gutted six Nikorn Marine speedboats tied up at Chalong in the early hours of April 19. (See story here.)

Police have dismissed arson as a possible otive for the blaze. (See story here.)

The Phuket Tourist Rescue Centre at Chalong Pier received a call from the speedboat at 11:30am asking for assistance, The Phuket News was told.

It was reported that tourists had been injured by an electrical shock or spark after a small fire broke out from a water pump. The incident happened right after the boat left Chalong Pier and was at sea between Koh Lone and Koh Hei.

Chinese tourists sitting at the back of the boat reportedly felt electrical currents coursing through their legs.

The crew on board administered first aid to those in need and contacted the Tourist Rescue Centre for help. They also quickly extinguished the small fire and ensured no spark would re-ignite the boat.

The captain brought the speedboat back to Chalong, where medical teams were waiting to transport the tourists to hospitals.

The tourists, who at worst suffered only minor injuries, were taken to Mission Hospital and Accident & Emergency Centre of the yet-to-be-completed Chalong Hospital.

The boat has full insurance coverage and police are now investigating to see what cause the fire, The Phuket News was told.
Phuket Poll: Is the Thai lottery worth playing?

PHUKET: Each week, tens of thousands of people play the Thai government lottery, with many people choosing a lucky number such as a birthday or a license plate number in the hope that it literally brings good fortune.

opinioneconomicsculture

By The Phuket News

Tuesday 30 August 2016, 09:57AM

Is it worth buying a ticket in the Thai government lottery? Or are other interests more important? Photo: The Phuket News

Many others let fate decide and choose a ticket at random from the one million numbers available.

Yet many people believe the odds of playing the Thai lottery are not favourable and without the old jackpot prizes, the maximum major prize to be won with one pair of lucky tickets bought for B80 is limited to B6 million, less taxes. (See Q&A One in a million: All you need to know about winning the Thai Lottery, click here.)

The Government Lottery Office (GLO) this week is likely to receive a proposal from Tanawat Polwichai, a GLO official who recently headed an investigation into the operations of the lottery, to print more books of tickets. (See story here.)

However, the effect of printing more books of tickets will increase the opportunity for people to win bigger prizes, but will not increase the actual chance of winning.

To this, The Phuket News asks readers, Is the Thai lottery worth playing?

Responses available are:

No, the chances of winning any of the prizes are too small .

No, the prizes are not big enough and without a jackpot its not worth entering

prizes are not big enough and without a jackpot Yes, the tickets are cheap and the main prizes are large enough.

Yes, if you believe in your luck. Luck is all it takes to win any lottery .

To vote in the poll, click here.

The poll will close at midnight on Sept 15, just before the next mid-month draw.

If your preferred response is not available, feel free to express your opinion in the comments section below.

To see the results of our previous poll, which asked, Is Pokemon Go a boon or curse for Thailand?, click here.

If you have a suggestion for a poll, email execeditor@classactmedia.co.th with Poll suggestion in the Subject line.
Police identify all Phuket ATM robbers, arrest warrants sought

PHUKET: Police have announced that they have now managed to identify all suspects wanted in connection with the recent Government Saving Bank (GSB) ATM robberies and will seek arrest warrants for the suspects today (August 30).

crimepoliceRussian

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Tuesday 30 August 2016, 04:25PM

Senior Adviser to the Royal Thai Police Gen Panya Mamen (left) speaking at today's press conference. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

The announcement came at a press conference held by Senior Adviser to the Royal Thai Police and former Commander of Region 8 Police Gen Panya Mamen at the Phuket Provincial Police Station at 10am.

Gen Panya has been in Phuket since Sunday (Aug 28) when he went to inspect two of the five ATMs on the island hacked and robbed by a group of foreigners. (See story here.)

Speaking at todays press conference, he said, We were initially only able to identify one suspect as Mr Rustam Shambasov, 29, who arrived in Phuket on July 14 and left the country on Aug 1.

We also had images of other suspects which were not clear, however, we have now found better quality images of these suspects and we expect arrest warrants for all suspects to be issued by this evening he said.

We will not present the images we have of the additional suspects to the media just yet because it could affect our investigation.

However, even if the suspects have since fled the country we will use international laws to bring them back. We can send the arrest warrants to the country where they take refuge.

If anyone sees people using ATMs suspiciously or for long periods of time, please inform us because we never know exactly what they are doing and it might be very helpful to our investigation. Reports can be made by calling the national police hotline 191, he added.
Thailand Property Awards 2016 finalists revealed

BANGKOK: MQDC Magnolia Quality Development Corporation, Minor International and boutique firm Lucky Living Properties are just a few of the top contenders in the biggest real estate awards programme in the Kingdom, the 11th Thailand Property Awards 2016, presented by Hansgrohe and organised by PropertyGuru Group, Asias leading online property group.



By Sponsored

Tuesday 30 August 2016, 12:07PM

An expert panel of speakers is lined up to lead the Property Report Congress.

For developers to stay competitive, the quality of their projects has improved year after year amidst the economic and socio-political challenges facing the industry, said Terry Blackburn, founder and Managing Director of the Asia Property Awards.

More than 200 developments have entered this year  up 32 per cent from 2015  and now the independent panel of judges have whittled down the list to 36 companies who will compete in 33 award categories.

Leading with nine nominations is MQDC, which was Highly Commended in the Best Developer category in 2015, the landmark 10th anniversary of the Awards. This year, MQDC is competing in the expanded luxury condominium categories, including Best Ultra Luxury Condo Development (Bangkok) for The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok and Best Luxury Condo Development (Bangkok) for Magnolias Waterfront Residences at ICONSIAM.

With a healthy demand from Thai super prime buyers and Asia-based foreign investors, the upscale residential segment remains one of the most active in the industry. Last years Best Developer winner SC Asset is also competing in the luxury/high-end categories, along with big names such as Sansiri, Major Development and Menam Residences, for projects located in the Chao Phraya River, Wireless Road, Saladaeng, Phrom Phong and Ladprao areas.

In addition to the revamped condo awards, the best low-rise and high-rise condo developments in the capital will be recognised in separate categories for the high-end and affordable segments. There is also a new award waiting for the Best Community Retail Development in the country.

Elsewhere in the Kingdom, emerging and established developers are competing in the residential/housing/villa categories in the popular holiday destinations of Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Samui, Phang Nga/Krabi, and the Eastern Seaboard.

2016 has been the most challenging year since I joined the central judging panel in 2014, says Suphin Mechuchep, Managing Director at Jones Lang LaSalle (Thailand), and chairperson of the judges.

There were a total of 214 of entries, a significant increase from only 163 last year. All of the judges spent a lot more time and effort than previous years on entry reviews and site visits. But it has also been a great experience as we have had excellent opportunities to meet with many interesting property developers as well as designers and architects who are involved in these projects.

In the awards programmes 11-year history, the Thailand Property Awards have gathered the top experts in the fields of real estate development, advisory, consultancy, management, architecture and design to sit on the esteemed judging panel. Presiding the jurors this year is returning judge Dr Manop Bongsadadt, renowned professor of architecture at Bangkoks Chulalongkorn University and president of the 2016 judging panel.

The judging criteria covers many other major aspects such a locational advantage, design concept, marketing success, sustainability and value for money for customers. So we had a clear parameter to decide which developments deserve an award, notes Ms Suphin. It is amazing to see the number of high-profile developers investing in key resort locations across the country and not just in Bangkok.

To ensure fairness and transparency for which the Thailand Property Awards is known, BDO, one of the worlds largest accounting and auditing firms, supervised the entire nomination period, site visits, and the meticulous judging process up until the judges final deliberations last week.

Winners will be revealed during the exclusive, black-tie gala dinner on Thursday, September 22, at the prestigious Plaza Athenee Bangkok, a Royal Meridien hotel. An estimated 600 industry-leading figures and top real estate executives are expected to join the event, which will be graced by VIP guest Khun Suwat Liptapanlop, former Deputy Prime Minister and Executive Director of Proud Real Estate.

Finalists in the Development section will seek to win in their respective categories in order to qualify for the Best of the Best awards  including Best Housing Development (Thailand), Best Condo Development (Thailand) and Best Commercial Development (Thailand)  that will allow them to move on to the ASEAN grand finale and represent Thailand at the 6th South East Asia Property Awards in Singapore this November.

After a slightly improved performance during the first semester especially in the luxury segment, the domestic real estate sector wishes to continue its streak at the industrys biggest annual event, the Thailand Property Awards, which now enters its second decade, says Terry Blackburn, founder and Managing Director of the Asia Property Awards.

As always we are delighted to welcome the finest boutique and up-and-coming developers in Thailand to the awards programme along with the Kingdoms biggest and established developers, who have returned to the competition to get the industrys stamp of approval for the 11th year, he adds.

We have a fantastic judging panel and a roster of outstanding finalists that symbolise the Thai property sectors resilience. For developers to stay competitive, the quality of their projects has improved year after year amidst the economic and socio-political challenges facing the industry. We received a lot more entries in the design categories than previous years, and its quite exciting to see who will shine during the awards ceremony.

Aside from the 33 shortlist categories, the Thailand Property Awards will recognise an individual who has contributed significantly to the local property sector in the past year. Presented by the editors of industry-leading Property Report magazine, the Real Estate Personality of Year accolade will be the only award not selected by the independent judging panel.

The previous recipient of this honour was Minor Internationals founder and CEO William Bill E. Heinecke, who accepted his award during the 10th anniversary gala.

Before the gala awards event, the Property Report Congress all-day real-estate networking conference will debut in Bangkok. The congress will be held from 9am to 6pm at the Plaza Athenee Bangkok, which is a Royal Meridien Hotel and also the host venue for the Thailand Property Awards.

Topics to be covered by experts during the congress include: market review, content marketing, retail segment, hotel segment, office segment, design segment, and round-ups on Thailands regional markets of Phuket, Eastern Seaboard, Hua Hin and Chiang Mai.

The impressive speaker line-up comprises:

Andrew Langdon, Senior Vice President Asia, Movenpick Hotels & Resorts

Nithiphat Tongpun, Executive Director, CBRE Thailand

Clint Nagata, Founder and Chief Creative Director, Blink Design

Maurizio Bisicky, VP for Sales & Marketing, Anantara Vacation club

Pitiphatr Buri, Executive Director, Bhiraj Buri Group

Sasivimol Sinthawanarong, Design Principal, Jarken

Thomas Leeser, Principal, Leeser Architecture

Stephen ODell, Director, SODA (Thailand)

Clayton Wade, Owner/Manager Director, Premier International

The 11th Thailand Property Awards 2016 has garnered the support of title sponsor Hansgrohe, gold sponsors Teka and JLL Thailand, official media partner Property Report  the host of the high-level Property Report Congress Thailand 2016  and the countrys top media and business associations, as well as the network of 16 million real estate consumers of the PropertyGuru Group, including Thailands No. 1 property portal, Ddproperty.com.

The full shortlist of official nominees in the 11th Thailand Property Awards 2016:

DEVELOPER

Best Boutique Developer

Global Top Group Co Ltd

Lucky Living Properties Co Ltd

Siamese Asset Co Ltd

DEVELOPMENT

Best Ultra Luxury Condo Development (Bangkok)

98 Wireless by Sansiri PLC

Marque Sukhumvit by Major Residences Company Limited

The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok by MQDC Magnolia Quality Development Corporation

Best Luxury Condo Development (Bangkok)

Magnolias Waterfront Residences at ICONSIAM by MQDC Magnolia Quality Development Corporation

Saladeang One by SC Asset Corporation PLC

Best Low-Rise High End Condo Development (Bangkok)

LIV@49 by Lucky Living Properties Co Ltd

Best High-Rise High End Condo Development (Bangkok)

Menam Residences by Menam Residences Co Ltd

Whizdom Avenue Ratchada  Ladprao by MQDC Magnolia Quality Development Corporation

Best Low-Rise Affordable Condo Development (Bangkok)

Proud III Condominium by Tri Property Co Ltd

Villa Lasalle Sukhumvit 105 by Origin Property Public Company Limited

Best High-Rise Affordable Condo Development (Bangkok)

Knightsbridge Sky River Ocean by Origin Property Public Company Limited

The Stage Taopoon Interchange by Real Asset Development Co Ltd

Whizdom Station Ratchada  Thapra by MQDC Magnolia Quality Development Corporation Limited

Best Housing Development (Bangkok)

749 Residence by Pannaphat Development Co Ltd

Setthasiri Charan  Pinklao by Sansiri PLC

VILLAZZO 10 by A-List Development

Best Condo Development (Phuket)

Saturdays Residence by Two Villa Tara Co Ltd

The Beachfront Oceanfront Condos and Villas by The Beachfront Oceanfront Condos and Villas

Twinpalms Residences MontAzure by MontAzure

Best Residential Development (Phang Nga/Krabi)

Phu Dahla Residences by Phu Petra Development Co Ltd

The Cleat Condominium by Save Solution Co Ltd

Best Villa Development (Eastern Seaboard)

Baan Dusit by Dusit Group

Nusa Chivani by Nusasiri

Best Luxury Condo Development (Eastern Seaboard)

Aeras Condominium by The Urban Property

One Tower Pratumnak by 1 Group Development

The Riviera Wongamat Beach by The Riviera Group

Best Affordable Condo Development (Eastern Seaboard)

Dusit Grand Park by Dusit Group

The Cloud by Global Top Group

Best Residential Development (Hua Hin)

La Bua Resort & Residence by Nordic Home Co Ltd

Falcon Hill by Falcon Hill Development Limited

Smart House Valley Development by Suppagarn Real Estate Service Co Ltd

Best Luxury Villa Development (Hua Hin)

MahaSamutr by PACE Development

Best Residential Development (Chiang Mai)

Astra Condo by Onsirin Group

The Spring Condominium by NTS Property Co Ltd

Best Residential Development (Samui)

Azur by Beach Republic Group

UniQue by Q71 Development Co Ltd

Villa Karpe Diem by Sea Bright View Limited

Best Hotel Development

Avani Riverside Bangkok by Minor International

Best Community Retail Development

theCOMMONS by The Commons Co Ltd

Best Retail Development

Siam Discovery by Siam Piwat Co Ltd

DESIGN

Best Residential Architectural Design

Magnolias Waterfront Residences at ICONSIAM by MQDC Magnolia Quality Development Corporation

MahaSamutr by PACE Development

The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok by MQDC Magnolia Quality Development Corporation

VILLAZZO 10 by A-List Development

Best Residential Interior Design

Best Western Premier BayPhere Pattaya by Habitat Group Co Ltd

Magnolias Waterfront Residences at ICONSIAM by MQDC Magnolia Quality Development Corporation

The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok by MQDC Magnolia Quality Development Corporation

X2 Vibe Pattaya SeaPhere by Fifth Avenue Development Co Ltd (Under Habitat Group Co Ltd)

Best Landscape Architectural Design

Avani Riverside Bangkok Hotel by Minor Hotels

Hyde Sukhumvit 11 by Grande Asset Hotels & Property Public Company Limited

LIV@49 by Lucky Living Properties Co Ltd

VILLAZZO 10 by A-List Development

Best Hotel Architectural Design

Avani Riverside Bangkok Hotel by Minor Hotels

Best Hotel Interior Design

Avani Riverside Bangkok Hotel by Minor Hotels

Best Retail Architectural Design

theCOMMONS by The Commons Co Ltd

Whizdom 101 by MQDC Magnolia Quality Development Corporation

The awards for Best Developer, Best Green Development, Special Recognition in CSR, Special Recognition in Sustainable Development, Best Housing Development (Thailand), Best Condo Development (Thailand) and Best Commercial Development (Thailand) will be revealed during the Gala Dinner.

Returning for a successful 11th year in 2016, the Thailand Property Awards is part of the regional Asia Property Awards programme organised by PropertyGuru Group. The Thailand Property Awards is the biggest and most credible industry awards in the kingdom, with the top and emerging names in real estate celebrating the best developers, projects and designs in the top tier markets of Bangkok and Phuket, as well as emerging destinations of Hua Hin, Chiang Mai, Samui, Phang Nga/Krabi and the Eastern Seaboard.

The Asia Property Awards are the largest real estate event in Asia, playing host to annual gala dinners for up to 600 C-level executives and leading industry figures in Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Jakarta, Yangon, Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City. The Awards programme has an unparalleled reputation for being credible, fair and transparent, with an independent panel of judges and trusted awards supervisor.

Originally launched by Ensign Media in Thailand in 2005 at the height of Asias property boom, the Asia Property Awards in 2016 became part of PropertyGuru, Asias leading online property group.

Founded in 2006, PropertyGuru Group is Asias leading property media group used by more than 16 million property buyers, viewing over 130 million property pages and generating over 500,000 enquiries for real estate developer and agent advertisers every month across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

The Group has a full suite of integrated property media capability, from its original core business in online, mobile and events, to television broadcast (in Indonesia, via an investment and partnership with EMTEK), and a recent acquisition of print and events businesses, under the brand names of Property Report and Asia Property Awards.


Tuesday, August 30, 2016

By Johnny Blades





A file picture of Manus detention centre taken in 2014. Photo: AFP / REFUGEE ACTION COALITION

A refugee forcibly transferred by Australia to the offshore processing centre on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea offers a unique insight into what life is like after three years of incarceration.

The refugee prefers to remain anonymous. He arrived in Australian waters by boat in 2013 seeking asylum, having fled a conflict zone in his homeland.

His account is testament to the basics of life on island, which are missing for those held there.

Things such as access to solitude, a measure of privacy and reasonable medical treatment, are all lacking he says.

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The man says all of the detainees had been physically and psychologically affected by overcrowded compounds or dormitories.

"The overcrowding creates many problems from the fast spread of skin and respiratory and bacterial illnesses to a feeling of going crazy as we have no privacy, no space for our own mental self-care," he explained.

"It's really a very hard job for detainees to keep themselves healthy and to stay sane."

He says detainees are also served contaminated food.

"The food provided to us is often found to be contaminated with worms. Fruit juice, milk and other diary products are often found to be expired as well. Sometimes a whole compound of people get very sick from the food." he says.

Staffing at the compound

The role of security staff at Manus is a common source of problems, the detainee says.

Aside from the many claims about rough physical treatment by guards; "on many occasions they use harsh words and make a lots of asylum seekers and refugees mentally sick.

"You can't complain on security because if you do then his friends will take a revenge for his friend."

Wilson Security was contacted for an interview which it declined, but in a statement (which referred to Nauru and not Manus) it says it follows strict incident reporting guidelines.

"Allegations of incidents involving an asylum seeker or service provider staff member are thoroughly investigated according to the guidelines, and referred to the relevant stakeholders for action, or to the PNG authorities where there is potential criminal conduct or whether otherwise appropriate."

The statement went on to say:

"Wilson Security takes the welfare and safety of the asylum seekers at the Regional Processing Centres extremely seriously. We have a clear zero tolerance policy on any form of abuse, and enforce a strict Code of Conduct for all staff. If a staff member is found to have breached the Code of Conduct, we do not hesitate in taking disciplinary action."





Residents of the Manus Island processing centre queue for food. Photo: Behrouz Boochani

Indefinitely in limbo

In April, PNG's Supreme Court ruled that holding people against their will on Manus was illegal, and ordered the closure of the Manus centre where about 900 men have been transferred by Australia since 2013.

Last week, Australia's Immigration Minister Peter Dutton and PNG's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill said both government had agreed to work together to close Manus.

The roughly 900 men held on Manus, like those asylum seekers taken to the camps on Nauru, have fled from countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Myanmar.

Of the two-thirds processed to date, the vast majority were found to be refugees.

However with resettlement in PNG not a viable option, and Australia refusing to resettle any of them, the future remains as uncertain as ever for the men held on Manus.

"They avoid us and any of our questions. We are completely uncertain about our future and in a limbo. After almost 3 years we still do not know if we will be freed or kept forever behind these fences," the detainee says in his account.

When the refugees put questions about their future or about resettlement to PNG Immigration, which it's understood is under oversight by Australia's Immigration Department regarding the Manus determinations, they say they receive inconsistent, unclear answers.

"It's as nothing just to torture us. The government is well aware of all this but they still insist to lengthen the duration of our life on this hell."

The official view

Australia's Department of Immigration and Border Protection says it strongly disputes the allegations made by the refugee, saying it has invested heavily in improvements to conditions at the centre.

"A new medical clinic became operational at the Regional Processing Centre last year and is staffed by a range of health professionals, including emergency medical officers, primary care nurses and paramedics," said a department spokesperson.

"Transferees at Manus RPC receive clinical heath care, broadly consistent with Australian public health standards.

"The Department's contract with the service provider has specific requirements which need to be met in relation to the quality, quantity, cultural appropriateness and variety of food to be provided to transferees."

The detainee's accounts paints a very different picture of life in the detention centre.

"Many of us can't even survive without medication. These medicines have become sort of drugs to many as they are now addicted to them.

"Apart from the medications many of the transferees are also addicted to marijuana and self-made alcohol poison."
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
By Steve Yang and Eva Lilienfeld



yangstev17@grinnell.edu, lilienfe17@grinnell.edu

Updated on Thursday, Sept. 1

Andrea Conner, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, sent a Clery Timely Warning to the campus community at 2:50 p.m. this afternoon. A copy of the message has been posted below. The S&B has removed identifying details, including a name and photo, pending further investigation. Click here to read more about Clery Act compliance at Grinnell College.



Campus community,

Per the Jeanne Clery Act, we write with a timely warning that Grinnell College has been alerted to a Clery-reportable crime that occurred off-campus. This incident led to the arrest of [REDACTED]. It was determined that this situation could present an ongoing threat to the safety of campus community and thus we have served [REDACTED] with a no-trespass order, which means he is no longer allowed on campus. If you see [REDACTED] on campus, please call Campus Safety at 641.269.4600.

The campus should be advised that there is not an active emergency; this message is being sent as a precaution.

[IMAGE REDACTED]

Department of Campus Safety

Student Affairs



Due to laws concerning the release of information provided in the Clery Timely Warning, more information was unavailable about the incident that motivated the report upon its release. Conner added that the Clery warnings are meant to serve as an aid to preventing similar crimes and enabling community members to protect themselves.

Everything I was allowed to say, I said in the alert, Conner wrote in an email to the S&B. The Clery Act requires us to alert the campus community to Clery-reportable crimes in a manner that is timely and will aid in the prevention of similar crimes. The intent of a timely warning is to enable people to protect themselves.

Conner and Scott Kinnie, Interim Director of Campus Safety, ultimately make the decision to release timely Clery Act warnings on a case-by-case basis. Conner listed numerous factors that go into this decision, such as the nature of the reported crime; the possibility of continuing danger to the campus community; and the status of any law enforcement investigations (which we cannot compromise), she clarified in an email.

Conner added that additional resources about the Clery Act can be found here, through the Department of Education (https://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/handbook.pdf starting page 111).

The S&B also reached out to the person identified in the report for clarification, but received no response.

Updated Thursday, Sept. 1 at 1:45 PM
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Turkish tanks and artillery are stationed near the Syrian border, in Karkamis, Turkey, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. Turkey's state-run news agency says three rockets fired from Syria have hit Turkish border town of Kilis, injuring five children, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey will press ahead with its military operations in Syria until the Islamic State group and Kurdish militants no longer pose a security threat. Erdogan said Turkey was determined to take all steps necessary both inside Turkey and abroad to protect Turkish citizens.(Ismail Coskun/IHA via AP)
In this Aug. 27, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks in Des Moines, Iowa. Trump promises on Twitter that he'll make a major speech on illegal immigration on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, carrying his self-declared "immigration week" into a second. Trump appears unable to make a decision on what his policy on his signature issue ought to be, an odd place for a candidate 10 weeks before Election Day and a dark harbinger of indecision for a potential president. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
Organization: Watoto Child

Care Ministries

Duty Station: Kampala,

Uganda

About US:

Watoto Child Care Ministries is a ministry of Watoto Church that

rescues vulnerable children and restores dignity to them by providing

holistically for their physical, spiritual and emotional needs. Watoto has

operations in Kampala, Wakiso, Mpigi and Gulu.



Key Duties and Responsibilities:



The jobholder recommends and implements ICT

strategy and policies in line with the ministry strategy, vision and

objectives.



Plans, designs, and oversees the development and

deployment of enterprise applications for entities and for the group.



Manages the administration and maintenance of

system and application databases, frameworks, data sets, and relevant

documentation.



Continuously evaluates and reports on the

effectiveness of the current enterprise applications for teams, departments,

entities and the group.



Ensures backup and recovery policies and

strategies around all enterprise applications are in place and reviewed

regularly



Manages, evaluates and ensures security and

access of applications and users are addressed, e.g. internal and external

penetration testing and user access controls for services.



Manages, monitors and reviews the relationships

with service providers and ensure that high levels of service are received and

maintained



Takes part in contract negotiations and

management of various service level agreements within pre-agreed limits



Actively participates in planning, budgeting and

reporting on behalf of the IT department.



Ensures that line staff and interns are

performing according to industry certified best practices, their job

descriptions, department work plans and are appraised regularly



Experience: Qualifications, Skills andExperience:



The ideal candidate for the Watoto Child Care

Ministries Web and Applications

Administrator job opportunity should hold a Bachelors degree in ICT,

Computer Science or Electrical engineering. Possession of a Postgraduate/Masters

degree in relevant subjects would be an added advantage



Member of the ICT Association of Uganda



A minimum of three years experience in a

recognized organisation/company.



Previous experience in Hybrid Apps Development,

Cloud Deployments and Distribute systems.



One year of IT leadership experience



Previous experience with Microsoft SL Dynamics,

and Office 365, Google Apps for Work will be an added advantage



Proven experience in project management and

Knowledge of budgeting, Financial planning and management reporting



Well organised, effective time keeper, attention

to detail and a high level of commitment to accuracy



Skilled in Content Management Systems 

Sharepoint, WordPress.

How to Apply:

All suitably qualified and interested candidates should send one merged

PDF with a cover letter, academic documents and CV ( not more than 6 pages,

less than 20MB) a cell recommendation letter to careers@watotochurch.com

(Subject Line: Web and Applications

Administrator Candidate  First Name, Last Name).

nd

September 2016 Deadline: 2September 2016
But the tribe has a long way to go
Telangana became the tenth state in the country to ratify the constitution amendment bill on Goods and Services Tax (GST). A special session of the Legislative Assembly and the Council was convened on Tuesday to exclusively take up the issue and both the Houses unanimously adopted a resolution ratifying the GST Bill.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao introduced the bill in the Assembly, after which it was unanimously passed after a brief discussion. "The GST is in line with the global trend and over 150 countries have adopted it. It is a significant step towards economic reform which will benefit both the Centre and the states. The unified taxation will lead to growth," KCR said.

The chief minister also added that there would be no financial loss to the state as the bill deals only with the commercial taxes component of VAT and that the state would continue to enjoy the taxes on petrol and excise.

"Besides, the states will be benefited by an additional revenue stream in the form of the proposed share from the Service Tax. The Service Tax is growing at 35 per cent in the state, and we will benefit from this," the CM said, adding, "It has been mentioned in the GST Bill that the Centre would compensate for the revenue losses suffered by the states within five years.A"

"This is a good step, and the states need not be worried," he said.

KCR maintained that the states would get 50 per cent share in service tax collection which is being levied by the Centre at present.

"Because of the growing e-commerce and software industry, the service sector in Telangana is on a growth trajectory. With the state entitled to 50 per cent of service tax collected, we are going to be benefited greatly," Rao said.

The GST Bill, which has been passed by both Houses of the Parliament, needs ratification by at least half of the states in order to effect an amendment to the Constitution.
Former colleague and now fierce critic Yogendra Yadav on Tuesday took on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of misleading Delhiites on the issue of giving licences for opening liquor vends in the capital and demanded that he tender an apology to the people.

In a letter addressed to Kejriwal, Yadav said the AAP government in Delhi has wrongly claimed that it has issued only six new licences for opening liquor vends, while the fact is that it has issued licences at the rate of almost one a day.

When Swaraj Abhiyan released different RTIs showing figures ranging from 58 to 217 new licences, your deputy CM claimed this was a lie Since you have questioned us, I am constrained to respond with this challenge, wrote Yadav.

He has challenged Kejriwal to prove that the list of 399 new licences issued by the AAP government for new liquor vends, which he is releasing, is incorrect. I challenge you to prove that this figure of 399 is incorrect and that your deputy CM was not misleading the people of Delhi. If you can, I offer to withdraw from public life.

Yadav added, But if your government is lying well, in that case I leave it to your conscience! He said, Kejriwal, at the very least, could offer an apology to the people of Delhi on the issue of liquor licence.

He said if he did not hear from Kejriwal on this for 72 hours, which is till the mid-day of September 2, he would assume that his government has accepted the veracity of the list.

Swaraj Abhiyan, an organisation launched by Yadav and Prashant Bhushan after their exit from the AAP, has started an aggressive campaign against the liquor policy of Kejriwal government, claiming that liquor vends were being opened without the consent of the local residents and that there has been a phenomenal rise in their numbers, despite the party coming to power on the promise of freeing Delhi from addiction.
Turkish-backed forces pushed deeper into northern Syria on Monday and drew a rebuke from NATO ally the United States, which said it was concerned the battle for territory had shifted away from targeting Islamic State.

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter called on Turkey to stay focused on fighting Islamic State militants and not to target Kurdish elements of Syrian rebel forces, which Washington backs. The White House said a continued Turkish push would complicate the fight against Islamic State.

At the start of Turkey's now almost week-long cross-border offensive, Turkish tanks, artillery and warplanes provided Syrian rebel allies with the firepower to capture swiftly the Syrian frontier town of Jarablus from Islamic State militants.

Since then, Turkish forces have mainly pushed into areas controlled by fighters aligned to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition that encompasses the Kurdish YPG militia and which has been backed by Washington to fight the jihadists.

"Turkey is determined to take steps to guarantee its citizens' security at home and in neighbouring countries," President Tayyip Erdogan said in a message on the eve of Tuesday's national Victory Day holiday.

Operations would continue until all threats, including from the YPG, were removed, he said.

A group monitoring the tangled, five-year-old conflict in Syria said 41 people were killed by Turkish air strikes as Turkish forces pushed south on Sunday. Turkey denied there were civilian deaths, saying 25 Kurdish militants had been killed.

"We have called upon Turkey ... to stay focused on the fight against ISIL and not to engage Syrian Defense Forces, and we've had a number of contacts over the last several days," Carter said in a media briefing, using an acronym for Islamic State.

The Pentagon described the clashes, which it said were in areas where Islamic State is not located, as "unacceptable and a source of deep concern" and called on all sides to stand down.

Turkey, which is battling a Kurdish insurgency on its soil, has said its campaign has a dual goal of "cleansing" the region of Islamic State and stopping Kurdish forces filling the void and extending the area they control near Turkey's border.

That has put Ankara at odds with Washington and adds to tensions when Turkey is still reeling from last month's failed coup, which it says Washington was too slow to condemn. The White House said President Barack Obama would meet Erdogan on Sept. 4 ahead of a G20 summit in China.

At a news conference on Monday with a visiting European official, Turkish European Affairs Minister Omer Celik said: "No one has the right to tell us which terrorist organisation we can fight against." He did not however mention the US comments.

Turkish-backed forces advanced on Manbij, a city about 30 km (20 miles) south of Turkey's border captured this month by the SDF with US help. The Turkish military said it was also shifting operations westwards, which would take it into territory still under Islamic State control.

The army destroyed eight Islamic State targets with cross-border artillery fire after rockets from Syria hit the Turkish border town of Kilis, some 80 km (50 miles) to the west, a Turkish military source said.

The operations have left Turkey exposed to reprisal attacks by Islamic State and Kurdish militants, both blamed for a string of bombings over the past year. The US State Department said on Monday it continues to warn US citizens of an increased threat from terrorist groups throughout Turkey.

"Ethnic cleansing"

SDF-aligned militia said they were reinforcing Manbij but insisted none of the troops in the region or the extra fighters heading to the city were from the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia.

Turkey has said its warplanes and artillery have bombarded positions held by the Kurdish YPG militia in recent days. It accuses the YPG of seeking to take territory where there has not traditionally been a strong Kurdish ethnic contingent.

"The YPG is engaged in ethnic cleansing, they are placing who they want to in those places," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in Ankara, demanding Kurdish forces withdraw east of the Euphrates river, a natural boundary with areas of eastern Syria under Kurdish control.

The YPG, a powerful Syrian Kurdish militia in the SDF that Washington sees as a reliable ally against jihadists in the Syrian conflict, have dismissed the Turkish allegation and say any of its forces west of the Euphrates have long since left.

"Turkey's claims that it is fighting the YPG west of the Euphrates have no basis in truth and are merely flimsy pretexts to widen its occupation of Syrian land," Redur Xelil, chief spokesman for the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, told Reuters.

US Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the United States had demanded the YPG return to the eastern side of the Euphrates but said Washington understood this had "largely occurred".

Turkey has not spelled out if it wants to have a "buffer zone" in the region where it is fighting in north Syria. The region lies between two Kurdish-controlled cantons - one east of the Euphrates and the other to the west near the Mediterranean.

But Ankara fears that, if Kurdish militia create an unbroken swathe of territory, it could embolden the Kurdish militant PKK group which has fought a three-decade-long insurgency on Turkish soil to demand autonomy in Turkey's southeast.

Turkish-backed forces say they seized a string of villages south of Syria's Jarablus in a region controlled by groups aligned to the US- and Kurdish-backed SDF. They also say they have taken a few settlements to the west in Islamic State areas.
Police arrested an 18-year-old female for disturbing the peace after she tried entering Har Habayis. The young lady claims she was just walking around the gates and she never tried to go onto the holy site. She was compelled to spend the night in jail nonetheless and was arraigned in the Jerusalem Magistrate Court on Monday morning 25 Menachem Av.

The girl was arrested with a friend who is under 18 on Sunday afternoon 24 Menachem Av. The minor was given an arraignment date and released. However, police decided the older girl would remain in jail. Honenu was quick to act on her behalf, seeking an urgent hearing to determine the grounds for keeping her locked up. The court rejected the Honenu petition, citing the young lady was in violation of an order distancing her from the area and therefore, she would remain locked up.

At the arraignment on Monday, police asked the court to distance both young ladies from Har Habayis and the general area for 15 days. Justice Miriam Kaslasi accepted the request in part, issuing an order barring the minor from Har Habayis and the Old City for seven days and the older girl for 15 days. They were not required to forfeit personal or third party bond however despite the states request to do so.

Honenu feels an injustice is taking place explaining that police are unable to protect Jews as they should to permit them to enjoy religious freedom on the one hand and on the other hand, the Jews are being prosecuted for trying to visit Har Habayis while police routinely abuse their authority to prevent citizens from exercising their basic rights.

The two young ladies in this case are active with the Returning to the Mount organization, which decries how police regularly and routinely ignore the basic rights of Jews wishing to visit Har Habayis.

Gedolei Yisrael over the generations and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel prohibit visiting Har Habayis.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

The following report was released by NGO Monitor regarding the Government of Norway and the BDS (Boycott, Divest & Sanctions) effort against Israel.

Norway has joined Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland and the Netherlands in funding the Human Rights & International Humanitarian Law Secretariat, allocating to the framework NOK 5 million (over $600,000) in the second half of 2016. The HR/IHL Secretariat is an intermediary that distributes funds to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) active in BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) campaigns and other forms of demonization against Israel. It is managed by the Institute of Law at Birzeit University (IoL-BZU) in Ramallah and the NIRAS consulting firm, based in Sweden.

According to an internal report, Secretariats distributions are allocated to core NGO funding. NGO Monitor research shows that out of 24 core recipients, 13 support BDS, receiving $5.78 million (more than half) out of an operating budget of $10.38 million over the course of four years. Some grantees have also promoted antisemitic rhetoric and have apparent links to the PFLP terrorist organization. Core group members receiving funding include BADIL, Al-Haq, Addameer, and MIFTAH, all vehemently anti-Israel NGOs at the forefront of BDS campaigns.

Norways decision to join the HR/IHL Secretariat on June 1, 2016 contrasts sharply with the criticism and debates in the Swiss and Dutch Parliaments regarding the donor framework. In June, the Dutch government passed a resolution calling for a review of its funding to the Secretariat due to its support of BDS. The Swiss Parliament is due to vote in its Fall session following a motion signed by 41 Members of Parliament questioning its funding to the Secretariat.

According to Prof. Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor, The objectives stipulated in the Norwegian agreement  promoting gender equality, good governance and democratization  are entirely disconnected to the realities of the HR/IHL framework. None of these terms applies to the activities of BDS grantees, leaving major questions regarding the Norwegian governments decision making process and the requirement for due diligence.

NGOs funded by the Secretariat include:

BADIL (core funding in 2015: $260,000), a leader in Palestinian right of return and international anti-Zionist boycott campaigns.

According to its website, BADIL has been fully committed to BDS campaigns from its very inception (emphasis added).

BADIL rejects current purposed settlements such as the Roadmap for Peace and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Publishes antisemitic cartoons, as well as posters calling for the elimination of Israel. Examples of such imagery include: (See photos)

Al-Haq (core funding in 2015: $710,000), a leader in anti-Israel demonization campaigns through lawsuits (lawfare) at the International Criminal Court, and BDS activities.

According to the Israeli High Court of Justice Al Haq director, Shawan Jabarin, is also a senior activist in the Palestinian Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror organization. Jabarin has been denied entry into Jordan for this reason.

Addameer (core funding in 2015: $230,000) lobbies international frameworks against Israel and supports BDS. A number of Addameer staff members have alleged connections to terror groups:

Addameers chairperson and co-founder, Abdul-latif Ghaith, was banned by Israel from travelling internationally due to his alleged membership in the PFLP. He was also banned from entering the West Bank in 2011-2015.

Khalida Jarrar, Addameers vice-chairperson, is a senior PFLP official. Jarrar was administratively detained on April 1, 2015 by Israeli security forces. On April 15, 2015 she was indicted for various offenses including active membership in a terrorist organization (the PFLP) and inciting violence through a call to kidnap Israeli soldiers.

.

Yousef Habash, serves as an Addameer board member. Israel prevented Habash from leaving the West Bank in 2011-2012. He is also a member of the BDS National Committee.

Ayman Nasser, an Addameer researcher, was arrested on October 15, 2012 for alleged links to the PFLP. On June 3, 2013 the Judea Military Court convicted Nasser, who admitted to being a member of the PFLP, for providing services to the organization.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
MK (Shas) Yaakov Margi chairs the Knesset Education and he has been working hard to end discrimination that exists in chareidi schools, now turning his sights to Telshe Stone amid reports that dozens of children from homes in which parents work and/or Sephardim are without a school as Rosh Chodesh Elul approaches.

Last month Margi addressed more than of few complaints alleging discrimination, complaints received from Sephardi homes claiming their schools are treated as second rate by municipality officials because they work and/or because they are Sephardim, highlighting they maintain a chareidi lifestyle in every sense of the word.

In July 2016 YWN-ISRAEL reported there were tens of families who were told they will have to transport their children to Jerusalem schools, adding that this year, the municipality will not cover all or part of the cost, adding additional burden to these families.

Kikar Shabbos News now quotes a source in the community anonymously stating A few years ago a number of families of avreichim arrived in the lower community and little by little they have taken over control and implementing their rules  rules that are foreign to us here. They are trying to change the face of the community and this year, it has reached the education system. The children of working parents are now punished. It is simply a disgrace.

The source adds in past years, if one did not wish to accept upon oneself some of the new rules, one would simply commute to Jerusalem and the municipality funded the transportation. This year, as reported, the municipality is not paying the costs of transportation so many of these families have not stated they want their children registered in schools in Telshe Stone but the municipality is refusing.

In some cases, appeals were filed with the appropriate committee in the Chinuch Atzmai system but apparently these appeals were rejected and the children are left without a school just days away from the beginning of the new school year. it is reported that currently there are over forty students without a school.

Margi has decided to become personally involved and was met with the message not to involve himself for his words will not be heard.

Margi however is not backing down but is threatening that if the discrimination continues, a session of the Knesset Education Committee accompanied by a press conference will be held on September 1st, this Thursday, in the Telshe Stone Municipality Building in response to the discrimination against the over forty students in Chinuch Atzmai affiliated schools.

A spokesman for Margi explains that what occurred in previous years in Elad and Emanuel is going to occur in Telshe Stone this year, referring to Margis efforts to bring an end to discrimination in those communities.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Tehran has reportedly deployed the advanced Russian-built S-300 antiaircraft system around a major nuclear facility.

Despite requests from Israel and the United States not to move ahead with eh sale, Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to proceed as planned with the sale of the sophisticated S-300 antiaircraft system to Iran. According to Iranian reports, the system arrived in April 2016.

There were concerns that the system would make an Israeli/US airstrike against Irans nuclear program an impossibility but Israeli experts have stated this is not so. Former Israel Air Force commanders have commented that the system may present new challenges, but nothing the IAF cannot handle and if an airstrike against Iran is required, the S-300 will not prevent it from taking place.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu flew to Moscow personally to dissuade Russia from going ahead with the sale but Putin maintained it is a defensive system, not offensive, and therefore there is no reason not to move ahead with the planned sale. Amid Israels fears is that in addition to Iran, the system will then find its way to Hizbullah hands, which would pose new challenges for the IAF over Lebanon, Syria and possibly over Hamas-run Gaza.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Police investigators cooperating with Tax Authority officials and VAT inspectors are probing alleged corruption in Israels Sheirut Leumi organizations. Authorities on Monday morning 25 Menachem Av arrived at the offices of five NGOs that run Sheirut Leumi programs around the country along with the offices of CPAs dealing with the NGO organizations. It is alleged the NGOs have overcharged government agencies to the tune of millions of shekels.

A clandestine investigation has been ongoing, leading to the Monday morning raids in the offices mentioned. Also involved in the probe are Treasury officials. Sheirut Leumi officials have declined comment.

There are a number of NGOs that are accredited to operate Sheirut Leumi volunteers, primarily the religious girls who prefer this as a national service instead of the IDF. These NGOS are recognized by the state as official representatives of the Sheirut Leumi volunteers. Prior to entering Sheirut Leumi, one selects one of the NGOs as its representative body and serves in the Sheirut Leumi framework via the NGO, with the NGO receiving funding for each volunteer.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
The first weeks of the trial of IDF Sgt. Elor Azariya left many with the feeling that someone high up in the IDF and/or Defense Ministry wants to see a manslaughter conviction against the soldier who shot a wounded terrorist dead in Hebron minutes after the terrorist stabbed an IDF soldier. There was an air of overzealousness surrounding the military prosecutions commitment to the case, enlisting reserve duty attorneys from a prominent law firm to prosecute the case. Former Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon was also quick to condemn the soldiers actions long before he was charged, signaling he was determined to set an example.

On Monday 25 Menachem Av Elors platoon commander testified as a defense witness, and some feel this may have been a turning point in the case, which has been somewhat stacked against Azariya.

The case continued on Monday in the Jaffa Military Court and the platoon commander, Lt. M gave his testimony, unequivocally backing the version of the events presented to investigators by Elor.

Arriving in uniform, the young lieutenant explained he instructed a soldier to guard the wounded terrorist with instructions he can fire at the terrorist if he made any sudden moves or placed a hand in a pocket. This undermined statements by the company commander and battalion commander, both indicating Azariya acted inappropriately.

The young office explained his unit operates professionally and this was the case here too, giving total backing to the actions of Sgt. Azariya. He spoke of the wounded terrorist and how he saw a knife in his hand, distancing everyone from the area. He added both terrorists were thin but yet one appeared to have bulk, which he feared may have been a bomb, once again backing Azariyas fears. [The second terrorist was shot dead earlier].

He added that training drills in the weeks prior to the event did not include a scenario in which a terrorist had a bomb, as he feared was the case here. He added that he was surprised to see the chain of events after the terrorist was shot dead, how suddenly officers were being contacted by their senior as if someone was not pleased with the outcome. He explained the company commander was contacted by the brigade commander, with the latter telling him to explain to his troops the outcome in this case was not acceptable and the events that transpired were very serious. He added military police were involved in a flash and the word was the IDF Chief of Staff wanted findings of a probe by the next morning at 6:00AM, which he felt signaled the decision was already made.

M did not hide his criticism of the higher command and how events occurred, basically leaving the sergeant out in the cold to defend himself.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Catherine Ferrell, center, of Greene, Maine, a supporter of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, yells as Alex Lange, left, of Portland, Maine and others hold anti-Trump signs at a demonstration Aug. 4 outside Portland City Hall. Trump had a campaign event at nearby Merrill Auditorium. PHOTO BY ELISE AMENDOLA/ASSOCIATED PRESS
As a freshman senator with his eye on the presidency, Barack Obama said hed never shop at a Wal-Mart and held the company up as an emblem of corporate greed.

Today, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is one of Obamas most reliable corporate allies, a go-to partner thats backed the White House on more than a dozen business initiatives, particularly the Affordable Care Act and climate change.

The pairing benefits both. Obama can point to Wal-Marts support to beat back Republican charges that hes hostile to business. Wal-Mart can point to the presidents embrace to lure squeamish shoppers who, like Obama of old, have stayed away out of a belief the company hurts workers and undercuts competition. This is a key part of the companys effort to spur continued growth.

It only makes sense for the president to be willing to strike a partnership with the nations largest retailer, said Dwight Hill, a Plano, Texas-based partner with retail consultancy McMillan Doolittle. And Wal-Mart has made more strides of late to try to be more transparent about worker pay and benefits. They have certainly seen the light.

The president completed the turn from Wal-Mart antagonist to fan when he visited one of the retailers stores in Mountain View, California, in 2014 to praise its use of renewable energy. Obamas visit represented a major milestone for the company and its public image, said Jib Ellison, whose consulting firm worked on Wal-Marts sustainability program.

When he got elected, his rhetoric was very anti-Wal-Mart, said Ellison, who continues to advise Wal-Mart on environmental policies. So its reaffirming.

The partnership between the president and the retailer is especially strong in two areas: health care and climate change.

Obamas view of Wal-Mart shifted early in his presidency when he realized he needed business support to advance his health-care overhaul, which Republicans claimed would kill jobs and drive companies out of business. Wal-Mart was one of the first major employers to sign on to the plan. In June 2009, as debate raged in Congress, Wal-Mart publicly released a letter to Obama saying it supported requiring employers to offer health insurance to their workers, a keystone of the law.

For Wal-Mart, the Affordable Care Act  also known as Obamacare  resolved a major gripe about the company: that it provided weak health benefits for its more than 1 million workers in the U.S. Obamacare created a system of subsidized insurance for middle-income Americans and expanded the Medicaid program for the poor to cover people earning poverty-level wages. Pressure subsided on Wal-Mart to provide coverage. When government-run insurance exchanges opened in 2014, Wal-Mart stopped offering health insurance to 30,000 part-time workers.

Obamacare is great for Wal-Mart workers; it was a huge transfer of wealth, said Nelson Lichtenstein, director of the Center for the Study of Work, Labor, and Democracy at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who wrote a book on Wal-Mart. The pressure is off Wal-Mart to provide better health insurance to its own employees. If youre a single mom and work at Wal-Mart you now qualify for Medicaid.

Wal-Mart and the White House have cooperated on Obamas climate agenda, which current and former company executives described as a natural gelling of interests rather than a political calculation. Wal-Mart began pushing to cut its carbon footprint in 2005 as a way to not only help the environment, but also improve its public image, and is now the largest corporate user of solar energy.

Last year, the company endorsed the global accord Obama negotiated in Paris to reduce carbon emissions.

Leslie Dach, who ran Wal-Marts government relations and corporate affairs department from 2006 until 2013 before joining the Obama administration, published a piece in the Huffington Post shortly before leaving the company titled: Wal-Mart Agrees With the President: The Time for Renewables Has Come. The retailer seized upon an offhand comment by the president during a speech that week at Georgetown University, in which he said Wal-Mart deserves a cheer for reducing carbon pollution.

Obamas senior adviser Valerie Jarrett said the White House has found in Wal-Mart a willing partner as its reached out to various businesses to embrace administrations initiatives.

We recognize that the private sector is the economic engine of our country, Jarrett said in an interview. Its not enough just to have these policies on the books.

Working with the administration helps the retailer address the social and environmental issues that the companys customers care about, said Kathleen McLaughlin, Wal-Marts chief sustainability officer and CEO of the Wal-Mart Foundation.

Its so essential that we have these collaborations, she said.

When Wal-Mart announced it would raise its minimum wage for employees in early 2015, after some encouragement from the administration, Obama called Wal-Mart Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon from Air Force One to congratulate him and told a crowd in North Carolina that once Wal-Mart is paying people more, then you know that something is happening, right?

The pair have also worked on veteran employment, financial security, workforce training, gun control, criminal justice issues and First Lady Michelle Obamas healthy lifestyle campaign. As Obama was urging Congress to pass tougher restrictions on guns, Wal-Mart removed military-style rifles from its stores in August 2015, citing declining demand.

For Wal-Mart, all of this is aimed at bolstering its standing with a key demographic of shoppers it must reach for continued growth  upper-income families in traditionally liberal areas like Chicago, Los Angeles and the East Coast.

Given the fact the company isnt growing that much, they really need to expand, in these coastal cities, Lichtenstein said. There has been a certain percentage of Americans that just wont shop there for political reasons.

The companys warm ties with Obama dont seem to bother its base of customers in redder parts of the country. In Elizabeth, Colorado, a fast-growing area about 46 miles (74 kilometers) southeast of downtown Denver where just 13 percent of voters identify themselves as Democrats, some shoppers recoiled at a reporters mention of Obamas name. Others said they didnt care.

Betty Erickson, 82, a retired cashier, said she cares more about whether Wal-Marts shelves are fully stocked and their prices stable than the companys decision to discontinue selling rifles or other politically controversial products.

But I am glad that they are paying their workers more, she said.

Money has followed Wal-Marts embrace of Obama. The company increased its political spending during his presidency, with donations to Democrats no longer trailing Republicans by huge margins.

Wal-Marts political action committee gave $1.2 million to federal candidates during the 2012 cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington nonprofit that tracks campaign spending. Democrats claimed about half that money, up from 21 percent in 2004 and only 14 percent in 2000. So far this cycle, Democrats have received about 41 percent of Wal-Marts $1.1 million in contributions, with Republicans getting the rest.

Alice Walton, the daughter of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, gave $353,000 to Hillary Clintons joint fundraising committee with the Democratic National Committee.

The detente, however, does not include some Democrats who continue to criticize Wal-Mart  as Obama once did  for its labor practices and relatively low wages. The retailer is still a favorite target for attacks by party activists. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders continues to hold the company up as the epitome of inequality and has said it should get off of welfare, pay your workers a living wage.

Robert Reich, labor secretary under President Bill Clinton, said he was upset that Obama had visited the viciously anti-union retailers Mountain View store. But he said he understood the rationale for working with the company.

It is the largest employer in America and I think its understandable that a president would want to work with them and coax them along, Reich, now a public policy professor at University of California, Berkeley, said in a telephone interview.

Aware of the criticism he would face from his base for building closer ties with Wal-Mart, Obamas outreach was part of a broader strategy to court a range of businesses during a time of heightened congressional gridlock. The president in 2014 partnered with companies on initiatives including finding jobs for the long-term unemployed, improving worker training and fighting climate change. Wal-Mart was often part of those projects.

Wal-Mart still has work to do before coastal liberals brave its Supercenters, said Allen Adamson, founder of BrandSimple Consulting, and it will likely have to continue to cozy up with Democrats to sway opinions.

They are starting to make some progress, but it is very hard if you are very big to change peoples perceptions, Adamson said. Once consumers categorize you as big, but not necessarily good, it is hard to change that perception.

(c) 2016, Bloomberg  Toluse Olorunnipa, Shannon Pettypiece
We need to believe him [Donald Trump] when he bullies and threatens to throw out every immigrant in the country.

 Hillary Clinton, interview on CNN with Anderson Cooper, Aug. 24, 2016



A reader called this quote to our attention, saying that it was clearly wrong. Donald Trump has certainly called for deporting an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants from the United States  though he may be wavering on that position. But he has not called for removing every immigrant in the United States.

This was a live interview, and the Clinton campaign says the former secretary of state misspoke. She apparently meant to say every undocumented immigrant.

Now, regular readers know that we dont like to play gotcha here at The Fact Checker, so ordinarily that might be the end of it. But take a look at this tweet issued under Clintons name on Aug. 25. The tweet says that in 2015, Trump launched his own campaign for president by describing Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals. The accompanying video, which starts by saying Donald Trump built his candidacy on demonizing immigrants, has various clips of tough talk from Trump, mainly about illegal immigrants. Then the video ends with this warning: Trump has made his plans for immigrants and their families clear.

This made us wonder whether Clintons supposed slip of the tongue actually was part of an effort by her campaign to try to blur the line between legal immigrants and undocumented ones. Lets take a look.



Part of the difficulty with fact checking attacks on Trump based on his statements is that he often has made contradictory comments  or made bold attacks that he later tried to clarify.

So, for instance, the Clinton campaign points to Trumps announcement speech on June 16, 2015, as evidence for an attack on all immigrants. Trump said: The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody elses problems. When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Theyre not sending you. Theyre not sending you. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems, and theyre bringing those problems with us. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists. And some, I assume, are good people. But I speak to border guards and they tell us what were getting. And it only makes common sense. It only makes common sense. Theyre sending us not the right people.

At the time, this was often interpreted in the media as a reference to all immigrants. Not until July 6, three weeks later, did Trump clarify that he was talking only about illegal immigrants: The United States has become a dumping ground for Mexico and, in fact, for many other parts of the world. On the other hand, many fabulous people come in from Mexico, and our country is better for it. But these people are here legally and are severely hurt by those coming in illegally. I am proud to say that I know many hardworking Mexicans  many of them are working for and with meand, just like our country, my organization is better for it.

Trumps lack of precision in his language has thus left him open to attacks, especially because he often allows initial impressions to gel before he attempts to clarify what he had supposedly meant to say.

Trump, however, eventually clarified that he was attacking illegal Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals, not all Mexican immigrants. (In any case, his statements are false.) So here the Clinton campaign is deliberately ignoring his clean-up explanation.

The Clinton campaign points to other Trump statements as evidence of a broader attack by the GOP presidential nominee on immigrants, not just undocumented immigrants. The campaign says this material backs up the line in the video that Trump has made his plan for immigrants and their families clear.

In particular, the campaign cites his proposal for funding a wall on the border with Mexico, his position on birthright citizenship and his proposal to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Lets look at each of this in turn.

The Wall. Trump told The Washington Post in April that he would force Mexico to pay for the wall (which could cost as much as $25 billion) by threatening to cut off the flow of billions of dollars in payments that immigrants send back to the country. Mexican immigrants make up 28 percent of 42 million foreign-born population in the United States, according to the Migration Policy Institute. At the time, Trump said the threat would be withdrawn if Mexico made a $5 billion to $10 billion payment to the United States to help fund the wall.

Birthright citizenship. Trump not only has said that he believes it is wrong for the children of illegal immigrants to automatically receive citizenship if they are born in the United States (anchor babies) but in interviews in August 2015, he also indicated that he would seek to deport children of illegal immigrants who are U.S. citizens by virtue of their birth. In his words, he would test it out in the courts because he thought he could make a case that they do not have American citizenship. (He said he might make an exception if a child had parents who are very bad people.) In theory, that could affect about 4.5 million people born in the United States to parents who were undocumented immigrants. But most scholars believe any change in birthright citizenship would require a constitutional amendment.

DACA. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is an Obama administration policy that allows qualified undocumented immigrants who entered the country before their 16th birthday and before June 2007 to receive a renewable two-year work permit and exemption from deportation. More than 650,000 applications have been approved, and presumably these people would be subject to deportation under a Trump presidency. Of course, some might argue that these individuals do not fall under the category of immigrants.

The first two items  the threat on remittances and the threat to deport children with birthright citizenship  conceivably might affect some immigrants and their families. But not all.



Trumps campaign has been centered on the threat that he claims is posed by illegal immigrants. His announcement speech was interpreted as an attack on Mexican immigrants, but he eventually clarified that he was talking about undocumented immigrants. His plan for a wall on the border, his denial of birthright citizenship and his pledge to rescind DACA are all part of his proposed efforts to thwart illegal immigration.

His proposal to make Mexico pay for the wall by halting remittances could certainly affect legal immigrants from Mexico, but again he makes this proposal in the context of attacking illegal immigration; any possible effect on immigrants is a by-product of his plan to eliminate illegal immigration.

All too often, Trumps proposals are ill-defined and poorly explained, making it hard to discern his actual intentions. Muddying the waters even more, he has also proposed a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country and forcefully claimed that vetting procedures for refugees are inadequate.

Still, the Clinton campaign is using slippery language to suggest that Trumps attacks on illegal immigrants are actually a broader assault on all immigrants. If Clinton misspoke, she did so in a way that conveniently mirrored her campaigns video. The video itself stretches the truth, leaving the impression that Trump is broadly attacking even legal immigration. Its quite possible that the Clinton campaign does not want to appear as if it is endorsing illegal immigration. But it goes too far in claiming that Trumps plans for immigrants are clear.

We will accept that Clinton misspoke in the CNN interview. But we are going to keep a close watch on whether her campaign keeps using slippy language that blurs the line between legal immigrants and undocumented immigrants.

(c) 2016, The Washington Post  Glenn Kessler
The following is via OnlySimchas.com:

As reported NY1s Amanda Farinacci, the Jewish community is being priced out of Williamsburg, Brooklyn and they are looking into two new neighborhoods on Staten Island.

Would-be buyers from the Jewish community are not waiting for houses to go on sale, rather they are canvassing homeowners asking if they are willing to sell.

Theyve been a little aggressively trying to get property around here, said one Staten Island resident.

A guy came and knocked on her door and was asking to buy the house for like $800,000, another noted.

They have also been posting flyers around the neighborhood.

My name is Noah. I am looking to buy a house in Manor Heights, one reads. If you are interested in selling your house, please call.

Homeowners said that Noah said he was from Williamsburg, and appeared to be part of the Hasidic Jewish community there.

Apparently MAnor Heights and Willowbrook are desirable locations as there already is an established Orthodox Jewish community.

More than one group of people that I have met and spoken to are desperately interested in rather than going as far away as New Jersey, said Isaac Abraham, a community activist.

Joshua Katz has been selling homes to like-minded people ever since he moved to Staten Island from Brooklyn four years ago to be able to afford a home that can accommodate a growing family.

Slowly, its built up, you know one, two, three, four, and it turned into over a hundred, Katz said.

Theyre trying to find tracks of land to build three hundred homes, said Ron Molcho, a realtor.

Due to the fact that there is no available land for 300 homes, it would not be impossible to create the type of communities seen in Rockland County and central New Jersey.

The area is nonetheless preparing for a surge in Orthodox Jewish residents.

Current residents of the aforementioned neighborhoods are accepting the changes as it has been a diverse community for years.

Signs that show the Jewish community is growing include the borough welcoming its first kosher supermarket in Willowbrook as well as a new yeshiva which is under construction.

(Source: OnlySimchas.com)
Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) honored U.S. Coast Guard volunteer Jack Rosenberg Sunday at the Miracle of Cresskill picnic for his heroic efforts in landing a plane at Reagan Field one year ago.

Jack Rosenberg and co-pilot Erik Pearson took off in a small private plane with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, a 1978 Cessna 172, out of Linden Airport in New Jersey to survey the Hudson River when the pilots noticed that the plane started to lose power. Rather than land in Reagan Field, where children were playing, Rosenberg instead opted to land into trees and brush to avoid injuring those at the park. The plane crashed just before 5 p.m. behind the Cresskill Community Center, leaving both pilots injured.

It was so inspiring to hear of Jack Rosenbergs heroic story, Assemblyman Hikind said at the picnic. Heres a man who maneuvered his plane in a way to avoid injuring children playing nearby. This pilots heroic landing will never be forgotten.

Rosenberg, who was showered with applause after telling his story to hundreds in attendance, received much praise for his heroism, but claimed he was no hero. This is just what G-d wanted to happen, he said.

Jacks swift thinking saved so many lives that day, including his own, and he will forever be revered for it, Hikind said.

The U.S. Coast Guard and his co-pilot continue to recover from severe injuries they sustained at the night of the crash.

(YWN Desk  NYC)
The Prime Ministers Office released the following message in response to the anti-Israel statements released by the United Nations Envoy to the Mideast.

The UN envoy to the Middle Easts remarks to the Security Council distort history and international law and push peace farther away. Jews have been in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria for thousands of years and their presence there is not an obstacle to peace. The obstacle to peace is the unending attempt to deny the Jewish Peoples connection to parts of their historic land and the obdurate refusal to recognize that they are not foreigners there. The claim that Jewish construction in Jerusalem is illegal is as absurd as the claim that American construction in Washington or French construction in Paris is illegal. The Palestinian demand that a future Palestinian state be ethnically cleansed of Jews is outrageous and the UN must condemn it instead of adopting it.

Similar remarks were heard from Israeli UN Ambassador Danny.

Danon, who stated the remarks made are a complete disconnect from reality, adding as all nations continue building in their capitals, Israel will do the same.

UN Mideast Envoy Nickolay Mladenov told the Security Council of the settlement surge and the need to halt it. The Quartet, which is comprised of the UN, US, EU and Russia in recent weeks addressed ongoing Israeli settlement construction and the need to halt it. Mladenov told the Security Council that the Quartets message is being ignored by Israel.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
The following is via Daily Mail UK:

Seven Indonesian students have been hospitalised after they were rescued from freak surf while swimming between the flags at Sydneys most iconic beach.

The group were on a school excursion to Bondi Beach on Tuesday when two of the boys, both 16, disappeared under the water for a period of time at 12.30pm.

Their classmates rushed into the water to try and save the pair but were also dragged out by the freak surf.

Lifeguards paddled out and dragged the two boys who had been submerged for a period of time to shore.

They performed CPR while concerned beach-goers watched on as and paramedics and local Ambulance Community Responders rushed to the scene.

One boy was transported to St Vincents Hospital in a condition, while the other was taken to Westmead Childrens Hospital in a serious but stable condition.

Paramedics also took five other students to Prince of Wales Childrens Hospital as a precaution.

A spokesperson from the Childrens Hospital was unable to give an update on the condition of the students for privacy reasons.

(Source: Daily Mail UK)
Federal authorities have arrested a Massachusetts man who they say threatened to assassinate President Barack Obama, bomb several police stations and attack a mosque.

Forty-year-old Joseph Garguilo appeared in Boston federal court on Monday to face a single charge of possessing ammunition, which violated the terms of a recent restraining order filed by his ex-wife.

The FBI arrested Garguilo on Friday after a raid of his Holliston home allegedly turned up assault rifle parts, incendiary materials, ammunition and handwritten notes threatening violence against Muslims.

Believing he was about to snap, Department of Justice officials say a friend reported Garguilos behavior. A neighbor told The Boston Globe that Garguilos a bad dude.

Garguilo was ordered held without bail pending a hearing Wednesday. His attorney denied he threatened anybody.

(AP)
Hackers targeted voter registration systems in Illinois and Arizona, and the FBI alerted Arizona officials in June that Russians were behind the assault on the election system in that state.

The bureau described the threat as credible and significant, an eight on a scale of one to 10, Matt Roberts, a spokesman for Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan (R), said Monday. As a result, Reagan shut down the states voter registration system for nearly a week.

It turned out that the hackers had not compromised the state system or even any county system. They had, however, stolen the username and password of a single election official in Gila County.

Roberts said FBI investigators did not specify whether the hackers were criminals or employed by the Russian government. Bureau officials on Monday declined to comment, except to say that they routinely advise private industry of cyberthreats detected in investigations.

The Arizona incident is the latest indication of Russian interest in U.S. elections and party operations, and it follows the discovery of a high-profile penetration into Democratic National Committee computers. That hack produced embarrassing emails that led to the resignation of DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and sowed dissension on the eve of Hillary Clintons nomination as the partys presidential candidate.

The Russian campaign is also sparking intense anxiety about the security of this years elections. Earlier this month, the FBI warned state officials to be on the lookout for intrusions into their election systems. The flash alert, which was first reported by Yahoo News, said investigators had detected attempts to penetrate election systems in several states and listed Internet protocol addresses and other technical fingerprints associated with the hacks.

In addition to Arizona, Illinois officials discovered an intrusion into their election system in July. Although the hackers did not alter any data, the intrusion marks the first successful compromise of a state voter registration database, federal officials said.

This was a highly sophisticated attack most likely from a foreign (international) entity, said Kyle Thomas, director of voting and registration systems for the Illinois State Board of Elections, in a message that was sent to all election authorities in the state.

The Illinois hackers were able to retrieve voter records, but the number accessed was a fairly small percentage of the total, said Ken Menzel, general counsel for the Illinois election board.

State officials alerted the FBI, he said, and the Department of Homeland Security also was involved. The intrusion in Illinois led to a week-long shutdown of the voter registration system.

The FBI has told Illinois officials that it is looking at foreign government agencies and criminal hackers as potential culprits, Menzel said.

At least two other states are looking into possible breaches, officials said. Meanwhile, states across the nation are scrambling to ensure that their systems are secure.

Until now, countries such as Russia and China have shown little interest in voting systems in the United States. But experts said that if a foreign government gained the ability to tamper with voter data  for instance by deleting registration records  such a hack could cast doubt on the legitimacy of U.S. elections.

Im less concerned about the attackers getting access to and downloading the information. Im more concerned about the information being altered, modified or deleted. Thats where the real potential is for any sort of meddling in the election, said Brian Kalkin, vice president of operations for the Center for Internet Security, which operates the MS-ISAC, a multistate information-sharing center that helps government agencies combat cyberthreats and works closely with federal law enforcement.

James R. Clapper Jr., the director of national intelligence, has told Congress that manipulation or deletion of data is the next big cyberthreat  the next push on the envelope.

Tom Hicks, chairman of the federal Election Assistance Commission, an agency set up by Congress after the 2000 Florida recount to maintain election integrity, said he is confident that states have sufficient safeguards in place to ward off attempts to manipulate data.

For example, if a voters name were deleted and did not show up on the precinct list, the individual could still cast a provisional ballot, Hicks said. Once the voters status was confirmed, the ballot would be counted.

Hicks also said the actual systems used to cast votes are not hooked up to the Internet and so theres not going to be any manipulation of data. However, more than 30 states have some provisions for online voting, primarily for voters living overseas or serving in the military.

This spring, a DHS official cautioned that online voting is not yet secure.

We believe that online voting, especially online voting in large scale, introduces great risk into the election system by threatening voters expectations of confidentiality, accountability and security of their votes and provides an avenue for malicious actors to manipulate the voting results, said Neil Jenkins, an official in the departments Office of Cybersecurity and Communications.

Private-sector researchers are also concerned about potential meddling by Russians in the U.S. election system. Rich Barger, chief information officer at ThreatConnect, said that several of the IP addresses listed in the FBI alert trace back to a website-hosting service called King Servers that offers Russia-based technical support. Barger also said that one of the methods used was similar to a tactic employed in other intrusions suspected of being carried out by the Russian government, including one this month on the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The very fact that [someone] has rattled the doorknobs, the very fact that the state election commissions are in the crosshairs, gives grounds to the average American voter to wonder: Can they really trust the results? Barger said.

Earlier this month, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson held a conference call with state elections officials, offering his assistance in protecting against cyberattacks.

Johnson said that DHS was not aware of any specific or credible cybersecurity threats relating to the upcoming general election systems, according to a readout of the call.

It was not clear whether he was aware at the time of the FBIs investigations in Arizona and Illinois.



(c) 2016, The Washington Post  Ellen Nakashima
Trump Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort talks to reporters July 17 at the Republican National Convention at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland as Rick Gates listens at back left. Emails obtained by The Associated Press show that a firm run by Donald Trumps former campaign chairman orchestrated a covert Washington lobbying operation on behalf of Ukraines ruling political party, attempting to sway American public opinion in favor of the countrys pro-Russian government. Manafort and his deputy, Rick Gates, never disclosed their work as foreign agents as required under federal law. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
The doors to this year's Paris Motor Show don't open for a month but Citroen has already revealed the concept car that will be main-staging its stand at this years event.

Called the CXPERIENCE CONCEPT, it's designed to showcase what large Citroen hatchbacks could look like in the future as the brand attempts to reignite an assault on the family car sector.

But would Britons really want to buy one? The last C5 - Citroen's answer to the BMW 3 Series and Ford Mondeo - was purchased by just 17,105 UK drivers over its eight-year sales period, accounting for just over 2,000 models sold a year before it was axed in May.

Concept carnival: Expect to see plenty more concept cars being revealed at the Paris Motor Show in October. The Citroen Cxperience is just one of many motors that will break cover before the event kicks off next month

What there is no doubting is the Cxperience's concept-car credentials.

It really has every box ticked in terms of wacky features that'll never make it to production, including these bonkers big 22-inch wheels and an outrageously futuristic interior that's a composition of renewable materials and high-tech touchpads and screens.

On the outside, Citroen has taken the unique form of the current C4 Cactus as the platform and extended similar features for this more traditional family wagon.

The slammed roofline - just 1370mm from the ground - appears to be hovering in midair with this pillar-free design, the squinting headlamps are a single-piece unit that incorporates Citroen's two-point emblem and the moving winglets in the front bumper improve aerodynamics when closed but automatically swing open if the engine temperature rises above optimum.

We particularly like the concave rear window that harks back to the previous generation C6 saloon - another model that bombed in the UK, with Citroen selling just over 500 versions in the first 10 months of 2012 before ceasing availability early.

As a piece of car design, the Cxperience is certainly a looker, with pillar-free windows and an attractive blend of body curves and angles

It's hard not to be drawn to the garish yellow interior and the squared-off steering wheel, but the wireless charging station in the centre console and raft of screens in the dashboard are all additions we could see in the near future

Citroen has had recent success with the C4 Cactus, with the odd-ball design gaining plenty of admirers

Just like almost all concepts that will inevitably feature in the French capital on October 1, the Cxperience utilises electric power.

It's not an all-electric car, though - instead, it's a plug-in hybrid, merging an 80kW electric motor to a 200bhp petrol engine to produce somewhere in the region of 300bhp.

What's slightly less impressive is the zero-emissions mileage it will be able to cover. In all-electric mode, the batteries are only good for 37 miles before the unleaded-fuelled powerplant has to kick in to life.

However, it will fully recharge in 2.5 hours, according to Citroen, which is more user-friendly than many hybrids on the market today.

Citroen stopped selling the C5 in the UK in May 2016 after a dismal sales performance over an eight-year period

 Slide me  Citroen says the Cxperience (left) isn't the new C5 (right), but the dimensions don't look all that dissimilar

The Citroen C6 was pulled from UK sales in 2012 after dealers struggled to shift 500 examples in the last 10 months of its availability in Britain

Linda Jackson, global ceo at the French brand, said: 'The Citroen CXPERIENCE CONCEPT car challenges convention to express a new vision of executive hatchbacks.

'CXPERIENCE CONCEPT illustrates the brand's capacity to deploy its 'Be Different, Feel Good' promise in this segment.'
After a muggy and possibly stormy Tuesday, cooler and nicer weather will move into south-central Wisconsin and stick around into the weekend, according to forecasters.

The National Weather Service said dense fog in the Wisconsin River Valley that was reducing visibility to a quarter-mile or less early Tuesday should lift by mid-morning.

Any thunderstorms that develop Tuesday and Tuesday night could produce brief heavy rains and gusty winds, but no severe weather is expected.

Chances for storms dont return until Sunday and Labor Day, the Weather Service said.

In Madison on Tuesday, theres a 30 percent chance for showers and storms, mainly after 3 p.m. and before 10 p.m., with mostly cloudy skies, a high near 82 and calm wind becoming west winds around 5 miles per hour in the afternoon.

After an overnight low around 62, Wednesday should be mostly sunny and gorgeous, with a high near 77 and north winds at 5 to 10 mph.

After a low overnight Wednesday into Thursday around 56, Thursday should be sunny with a high near 73 and north winds at 5 to 10 mph.

Chances for showers and storms return at 20 percent Sunday, 30 percent Sunday night and 40 percent on Labor Day.

Skies over Madison should remain Sunny Friday and Saturday, then turn mostly sunny Sunday and partly sunny on Monday, with highs near 76, 77, 79 and 82, and lows Thursday night through Sunday night around 52, 54, 57 and 64.

27 Storm Track meteorologist Brian Olson forecasts a few showers and storms on Tuesday diminishing to an isolated evening shower, then dry and sunny weather into the weekend, isolated showers and storms Sunday, a few showers and storms on Monday, and scattered late-day and night-time showers and storms next Tuesday.

Olson said skies over Madison should be mostly cloudy Tuesday, mostly sunny Wednesday, sunny Thursday and Friday, mostly sunny Saturday, partly sunny Sunday and Monday, and mostly cloudy next Tuesday, with highs near 81, 77, 73, 76, 79, 79, 83 and 82, and overnight lows around 61, 54, 50, 54, 60, 65, 66 and 64.

Mondays high in Madison was 83 at 4:33 p.m., 5 degrees above the normal high and 11 degrees below the record high of 94 for Aug. 29, set in 1881, 1948 and 1953.

Mondays low in Madison was 64 at 5:32 a.m., 7 degrees above the normal low and 29 degrees above the record low of 35 for Aug. 29, set in 1965.

No precipitation was recorded at the Dane County Regional Airport on Monday, keeping Madisons August total at 7.74 inches, 3.73 inches above normal. Madisons meteorological summer (June through August) precipitation total stayed at 18.32 inches, 5.59 inches above normal. The 2016 total stayed at 28.11 inches, 3.55 inches above normal.

Madisons record precipitation for Aug. 29 is 1.78 inches in 1957.
Helping people fill their bellies has been filling the coffers and the offices of EatStreet.

The Madison mobile and online restaurant-meal ordering business has moved to newly remodeled quarters in the AT&T building, 316 W. Washington Ave., from its previous location at 131 W. Wilson St., trading views of Lake Monona for vistas of the state Capitol.

EatStreet occupies the seventh and eighth floors of the 10-story building, doubling its available space to nearly 20,000 square feet, enough to house the companys 135 employees. All but two of them work in Madison full time; the others spend part of the week in Chicago, said Dawn Lobenstein, vice president of brand strategy.

As with many of the new, tech-economy companies, there are game tables and a bar. EatStreets offices also have free-standing hammocks, an internal staircase connecting the two floors, and on the eighth floor, two outdoor terraces with couches, tables and umbrellas to shade from the sun.

We walk around every day and wonder, Is this real life? Lobenstein said.

EatStreet was founded in 2010. A graduate of the gener8tor accelerator program, which operates in Madison and Milwaukee, EatStreet has attracted $27.5 million from investors.

The company has signed on 15,000 restaurants in more than 250 U.S. cities. CEO Matt Howard declined to disclose revenues.

We ask our team to work hard, so we needed to create a space where they can play, too. We had to retain the culture and energy thats pushed us to where we are, Howard said.

EatStreet moved to the West Washington Avenue building the week of Aug. 15. Lobenstein said plans are to rent part of the seventh-floor space to another Madison startup.

Aro Eberle Architects was the design firm and CG Schmidt, the contractor for EatStreets space.

The AT&T building, built in 1970 and acquired by Hovde Properties in 2014 and extensively remodeled, also houses education game developer Filament Games and Catalyze, a health information technology company.

[Editor's note: This story has been changed to reflect a correction. EatStreet's move into the AT&T building at 316 W. Washington Ave. should have said the building was constructed in 1970. The wrong construction date was listed.]
A Dodge County deputy who fatally shot a Beaver Dam man on Aug. 5 has been identified as Joseph Nicholas, a nine-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office.

The Wisconsin Attorney General's Office released the name of the deputy on Monday.

Nicholas shot and killed James Quealy, 59, after Quealy, who expressed his wishes to commit suicide by cop, fired at Nicholas from the balcony of his apartment in Beaver Dam.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation into the officer-involved shooting.

"DCI is continuing to collect evidence and determine the facts of this incident, and will turn over investigative reports to the Dodge County District Attorney when the investigation concludes," the news release said.
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By Patrick Donachie

Concerned community members gathered outside the site of a proposed development in downtown Jamaica to demand that the residential units be 100 percent affordable for people living in the surrounding area.

The rally was organized by local members of New York Communities for Change, a nonprofit engaged in helping residents organize for community concerns. Attendees called for the site to be developed and managed by nonprofits that would ensure community members had input in the construction.

We want people to stay in our neighborhood, Izetta Mobley, a resident of Hollis, said. She was one of several speakers at the site near the corner of 168th Street and Archer Avenue. We want our community to be uplifted, not pushed out.

The site is currently used by the NYPD for parking, and the citys Request for Proposals issued in February 2015 called for a dual residential/retail development. According to people at the rally, the proposed tower would be 14 stories high. A developer has not yet been chosen.

Jean Sassine, a resident of the neighborhood, said the development was indicative of a broader worry that the areas longtime residents would be unable to afford staying in the area, making way for even higher rental prices and gentrification. He said southeast Queens suffered from foreclosures, predatory lending and red lining that discriminated against people of color. Sassine also noted that the rent burden for families in the area increased from 27 percent to 38 percent between 2006 and 2014, without a comparable rise in wages.

Jamaica was built up on the blood and sweat of the people who came here, he said during the rally. Southeast Queens is always getting the blood sucked out of it, and were saying enough.

The 59,500-square-foot site was included in the 2007 rezoning that encouraged high-to-moderate density mixed-use development in the downtown area. A retail component was required and the developer would be responsible for relocating the NYPD parking. Thus far, there has been no commitment to include affordable housing, according to the rally attendees, though the original RFP requires the development to adhere to Mayor Bill de Blasios affordable housing plan.

But Sassine said the prices would need to be affordable specifically for residents of southeast Queens. The city qualifies affordability by utilizing the federal governments Area Median Income, which takes the average of incomes from throughout the metropolitan area, from poor to affluent neighborhoods, to make a citywide standard of affordability. Sassine said this would lead to affordable apartments that were unaffordable for local residents and called for affordability measures in the new development to match the median incomes of the surrounding areas.

These are the communities that need to be rated, not Bayside or Westchester or the Upper West Side, he said. We want the communitys voice. We dont need a 14-floor tower here, but if its going to be here, we need to be able to live in it.
The family of a former Marine who died at the Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 2014 from a mixture of drugs that included opioids filed a wrongful death lawsuit Monday against the federal government, writing that despite accepting responsibility for his death, the VA has done nothing to act on a claim filed by the family nearly a year ago.

Jason Simcakoski, 35, died on Aug. 30, 2014, at the Short Stay Mental Health Recovery Unit in the Tomah VAs Community Living Center, where he was getting treatment for mental health-related problems, according to the lawsuit, filed by his wife, Heather Simcakoski, in U.S. District Court in Madison.

Simcakoskis death led to the firing of the Tomah VAs chief of staff, Dr. David Houlihan. The medical centers director also was reassigned to another job away from Tomah.

According to the lawsuit, VA representatives repeatedly told Simcakoskis family that the VA intended to take full responsibility for his death.

The lawsuit quotes the acting director of the Tomah VA telling reporters a year ago, We accept responsibility for any action or inaction that contributed to this mans death.

The VA has failed to follow its words with deeds, according to the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified compensation for alleged negligence by the VA, along with other costs.

The Tomah VA has come under fire after an Inspector Generals report, not released until after Simcakoskis death, found that opioid painkillers were being overprescribed by doctors at the medical facility, which some called Candy Land.

Simcakoski, of Stevens Point, who was honorably discharged from the Marines in 2002, was a patient at VA facilities from 2006 to 2014 for a variety of con- ditions.

He was admitted on Aug. 10, 2014, to the Tomah VA Acute Psychiatric Unit, then transferred four days later to the Short Stay Mental Health Recovery Unit.

On Aug. 28, 2014, according to the lawsuit, Simcakoski met with Dr. Rhonda Davis, who after consulting with Houlihan, recommended starting Simcakoski on Suboxone, which is a combination of two drugs, one of which is an opioid, to relieve his chronic pain and potentially decrease his level of anxiety.

It was an off-label use for the drug combination, which is approved to treat people with opioid addiction.

According to the lawsuit, the dispensing pharmacist should have warned Davis and Houlihan that Suboxone would interact with other drugs Simcakoski was already taking.

When Simcakoskis family visited the morning of Aug. 30, 2014, his father, Marv Simcakoski, was concerned because his son was so sedated he could barely speak, but was told that he would be fine in a few hours.

Early that afternoon, Simcakoski was seen asleep and snoring, and had not gotten up for lunch or taken his noon medications.

About 1 hours later, a nursing staff member found him unresponsive. CPR wasnt started for another 10 minutes and was unsuccessful.

Simcakoski was pronounced dead.

The Monroe County Medical Examiners Office said Simcakoski died from mixed drug toxicity.

A later review by the VA Office of Inspector General found that the respiratory depressant effects of the drugs that make up Suboxone, together with diazepam, was the plausible cause of his death.

The review also found that both doctors who prescribed Suboxone failed to talk with Simcakoski about the risks of the treatment. The Inspector Generals report also noted delays in the initiation of CPR and the lack of medication at the Tomah VA to reverse drug overdoses.

The lawsuit alleges that the VA failed to diagnose and treat Simcakoskis bipolar disorder and depression, and failed to competently diagnose and treat his substance abuse problem.

It also alleges that the VA allowed Simcakoski to influence the choice and level of drugs he received, even to take an entire months supply in a week or two.

The VA, at times, would even send opioids and other drugs to Jasons home through the mail, allowing him to have access to large amounts of opioids even though he had a known opioid abuse problem, the lawsuit states.
A suspected suicide car bomber rammed the gates of the Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on Tuesday, killing the attacker and wounding at least three other people, officials said.

An Interior Ministry spokesman said the car exploded inside the compound and quoted Deputy Prime Minister Janysh Razakov as describing the blast as "a terrorist act".

Police cordoned off the building and the adjacent area, and the GKNB state security service said they were investigating the bombing that occurred around 1000 local time (0400 GMT).

China condemned the assault and urged the Kyrgyz authorities to "quickly investigate and determine the real situation behind the incident.

"China is deeply shocked by this and strongly condemns this violent and extreme act," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing in Beijing.

Three embassy staff suffered minor injuries and had been taken to hospital, but no organization had yet claimed responsibility, Hua said.

China\s state news agency Xinhua said five people were wounded: two security guards and three Kyrgyz nationals working at the embassy.

Authorities in Kyrgyzstan, a mostly Muslim former Soviet republic of 6 million people, routinely detain suspected Islamist militants they accuse of being linked to Islamic State, which actively recruits from Central Asia.

An anti-Chinese militant group made up of ethnic Uighurs  a Turkic-language speaking, mainly Muslim people, most of whom live in China\s Xinjiang region  is also believed by some to be active in Central Asia, although security experts have questioned that.

In 2014, Kyrgyz border guards killed 11 people believed to be members of that group who had illegally crossed the Chinese-Kyrgyz border.

Attacks on Chinese missions abroad are rare, although its embassy in Belgrade was hit in error during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999.

An Islamist militant attack on a hotel in Mali in 2015 killed three Chinese citizens, and this year a Chinese U.N. peacekeeper was killed in an attack, also in Mali.

In Pakistan, Chinese workers have occasionally been targeted by what police say are nationalists opposed to its plans to invest tens of billions of dollars in a new trade route to the Arabian Sea, part of its "One Belt, One Road" project to open new markets via Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle East.

SOURCE: REUTERS
Hopewell Community Park remains a 'labor of love' for local community

The lush green park is a product of the combined efforts of the Hopewell Township community and a symbol of decades of conservation efforts in Beaver County.
Lil Pike and Rider seniors enjoy dominant 56-7 victory over Plainview

Rider's 56-7 victory against Plainview on Friday was a senior showcase, which included a touchdown for one of the team's most endearing characters.
A federal judge based in Fort Worth wants the state of Texas and the U.S. government to come to an agreement in a case related to bathroom rights of transgender students.

Judge Reed O'Connor issued an order Tuesday urging the parties, along with others who have signed onto the suit, to draft terms that would 'promote possible early settlement of this action.' O'Connor wrote that he wants counsel from opposing sides to meet by Sept. 12 and draft an agreement by Sept. 26.

In May, Texas and about a dozen other plaintiffs sued the federal government over guidance directing schools to allow students to use the bathroom corresponding to their gender identity, lest they lose federal funding. Plaintiffs argued in court filings that the Obama administration skirted statutory rules of lawmaking by issuing the guidance, and that school districts would be put under undue stress in reaching compliance.

This month, O'Connor awarded a temporary injunction to the plaintiffs, allowing them to temporarily disregard the guidance. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has since sent a letter to schools to tell administrators they do not have to make bathroom accommodations for transgender students.

Now the court has laid out a list of dates the parties must agree upon, including a time limit for designation experts and discovery of information, a proposed trial date, and a decision as to whether the case could be resolved through mediation or arbitration.

According to O'Connor, lawyers for the Texas Attorney General's Office are responsible for initiating contact with U.S. attorneys. Both parties must comply with the order.
WASHINGTON  So far, Donald Trump's outreach to African-Americans has consisted of stereotyping them as impoverished, as attending failed schools and as unemployed, and then asking what the hell they have to lose by supporting him.

If this sounds like a typically biased media summary of Trump's views, here he is: 'You live in your poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs ... What the hell do you have to lose?'

Most people, it turns out, don't like being referred to as part of an undifferentiated mass of failure and despair, particularly when the assertion is wildly inaccurate (most African-Americans don't live in poverty). And this message is particularly difficult to swallow from a white guy who initially could not bring himself to repudiate David Duke, who has retweeted bogus and racist crime statistics, and whose campaign chairman ran a website that legitimizes white nationalism.

In his (very partial) defense, Trump often seems unaware that he is spouting offensive drivel. In speaking to 'the blacks,' Trump is Archie Bunker on an outreach tour (the youngsters should look it up). But this is part of the problem for the GOP. Archie Bunker didn't realize he was acting like Archie Bunker.

In many ways, Trump's campaign seems like a rerun of politics in the late 1960s and early 1970s. On foreign policy, the Republican nominee sometimes sounds like George McGovern's 'Come Home America.' In appealing to racial division and blue-collar resentment, Trump echoes George Wallace's 'Stand Up for America.' In placing 'law and order' at the center of his campaign, Trump is channeling Richard Nixon, who played to a silent majority's fear of social disorder.

But political nostalgia can have major policy implications. For example, when Nixon employed 'lock 'em up' rhetoric, only about 100 people were incarcerated per 100,000 of the population (a level that had not substantially changed since the 1920s). Now that figure is more than 700  lower than at the peak, but still the highest rate in the world. Trump is addressing the crime issue near the end of a massive, unprecedented experiment in routine incarceration. And he seems to have no idea what he is doing, or undoing.

Trump is correct that people in poor and minority communities suffer first and most when crime is rampant and violent recidivists go free. Poor people depend on public order; wealthier people can purchase order with gates, guards and moving trucks. But an understandable response to high crime rates has had a series of unintended consequences. Some neighborhoods feel like they are under military occupation. Mass incarceration removes large numbers of men and women from communities, then returns large numbers to communities with even worse problems and prospects  a constant churn of downward mobility. Children are hurt in countless ways when their parents are imprisoned. Young people are too easily sucked into a criminal justice system that too often recruits them into criminal careers.

The elements of our criminal justice system that are most destructive and criminogenic have become the focus of a remarkable reform movement in recent years. Steven Teles and David Dagan tell the story in their recent book, 'Prison Break: Why Conservatives Turned Against Mass Incarceration.' Unexpectedly, they argue that the almost complete consolidation of Republican power in certain states has reduced the political motivation for attacking Democrats as soft on crime. Deep red states such as Texas and Georgia have taken the lead in juvenile justice reform that offers alternatives to incarceration without making the streets less safe.

Libertarians such as the Koch brothers are predictably skeptical of denying liberty, as a matter of course, to more than 2 million people at any given time. But they have been joined by religious conservatives who are prone to believe in the possibility of human redemption and influenced by the prison reform work of the late Chuck Colson. House Speaker Paul Ryan would probably fall into both categories. 'I think we need to let more people earn a second chance in life,' he has argued. 'Instead of locking people up, why don't we unlock their potential?'

With his misguided, simplistic and offensive rhetoric, Trump has been blowing up bridges across ideological divides for more than a year now, which may take many Republican presidential campaigns to rebuild. But this is one area  if he and his advisers are smart and willing to reverse course  that he might abandon a slogan from 1968 for a policy more suited to our time.

Michael Gerson's email address is michaelgerson@washpost.com. He writes for The Washington Post Writers Group.
President Obama has been in office for only a fraction of my life, but for many of the college freshmen who will be assembling in my classes for the first time this week, Obama has been president for nearly half of the time they've been alive. When they think of the presidency, Obama is the only reference they have.

So let's consider his two terms in the White House: Put aside for a moment what you think of Obama's politics and policies. Certainly put aside the relentless accusations from the fringe far right (mostly) that he was born in Kenya.

Try to ignore the persistent assertion that Obama is an adherent of Islam, which continues to find life among many not-so-fringe Republicans; in a Public Policy Polling survey last year, 54 percent of the Republican primary electorate said that Obama is a Muslim.

Take into account the uncompromising resistance to his presidency by mainstream Republican politicians. Of course, it's the prerogative  even the duty  of the opposing party to, well, oppose.

Still, if you don't think that the rigid resistance from Republicans over the past seven years wasn't a bit over the top, challenge yourself to imagine any action by the White House that would be modestly praised by most mainstream Republican politicians. It's virtually impossible.

In the face of this opposition  and considering that Obama's terms coincided with a period of extraordinary challenges not of his making, such as the 2008 recession, climate change and the rise of militant Islam  has Obama done that badly?

Is he really, as Donald Trump put it, 'probably the worst president in the history of our country'? Of course not.

There isn't room here to make the case for the success of Obama's presidency, but if you're interested, review online some of the lists of 'good things' that Obama has done while in office.

One of them runs to 371 items, but I like the top 50 list developed by Washington Monthly. Not everyone agrees that these are all 'good things,' but who can argue with killing Osama bin Laden  Obama risked his presidency on that one. Or, as of January, 64 consecutive months of job growth and an unemployment rate less than 5 percent? And a lot more.

You might dismiss this perspective as liberal nonsense from a liberal columnist, and I'll admit that I don't share the common Republican notion that government is always the enemy. I prefer the vision of government as the practical expression of our belief in ourselves as one indivisible nation.

I'm all for self-reliance and personal responsibility, but as an individual you cannot build an interstate highway system, clean up the air and water, police your neighborhood or fight a world war. Those are things that we have to do together.

So I'm inclined to appreciate Obama's accomplishments. At the least, most of us can agree that during his term Obama looked, talked and acted like a president. He treated the office with dignity and respect, and he didn't allow the monumental problems and political resistance he encountered to undermine his optimism and confidence in the nation.

And this is what worries me about Jan. 21, 2017, when we'll have a new president in the White House. I'm not a big fan of Hillary Clinton, but if she's elected, she will indeed step into 'Obama's third term,' which a fair review of Obama's record suggests wouldn't be a bad thing.

But mainly she doesn't threaten to transform the presidency.

Of course, we've had presidents who defended slavery, promoted Indian genocide and provoked unnecessary wars, who lied, committed adultery and drank too much.

We've probably had presidents whose personalities threatened to eclipse the office itself. Donald Trump, however, would be unique. Have we ever had a president whose words and actions are so directly connected to his impulses that he could publicly mock a disabled person?

If Trump is elected, my youngest students will probably have to recalibrate entirely their ideas of how an American president talks, acts and looks.

John M. Crisp, an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service, teaches in the English Department at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas. Readers may send him email at jcrisp@delmar.edu.
A Madison man pleaded guilty Monday to delivery of heroin in a case related to the 2014 death of a Janesville woman on Madison's East Side.

Ronald J. Green, 35, was to stand trial starting Monday on a charge of first-degree reckless homicide for the Dec. 3, 2014, overdose death of Amanda Nowak, 22. But under a plea agreement with prosecutors, the homicide charge was dismissed and Green pleaded guilty to the heroin delivery charge.

Dane County Circuit Judge Nicholas McNamara will sentence Green on Nov. 4. He can take the homicide charge into consideration when he sentences Green for heroin delivery, which carries up to 12 years of combined prison and extended supervision.

According to a criminal complaint, Nowak's body was found in a car in the 2400 block of Hoard Street. Nowak's boyfriend told police that Green had sold heroin to Nowak dozens of times, including on the night that she overdosed, the complaint states.

Green remains free on $10,000 bail but was ordered by McNamara to be monitored by the Dane County Bail Monitoring Program until he is sentenced.
Albany

A contentious local law proposal that would have made it a crime for passengers to refuse screening at Albany International Airport has been taken off the table.

Sheriff Craig Apple said he requested Local Law E be withdrawn during the Albany County Legislature's Public Safety Committee meeting on Aug. 24 because of the lack of documentation needed to move the proposal for the Colonie airport forward and the mounting opposition against it.

Several groups  from Muslim advocacy organizations to the New York Civil Liberties Union  came out against the law, which was proposed in April with bipartisan support. Opponents say the law could lead to confusion, unwarranted arrests and racial and religious profiling.

"After conferring with members of the legislature, we figured the people have spoken, they've indicated what they want to do, so let's pull it," Apple said.

The law aimed to cover a weak spot in the current system that allows passengers to walk away without boarding their flights if security staff flags them for additional scrutiny, according to Apple, who has said his deputies don't have legal grounds to question such a person.

The Transportation Security Administration has no police power of its own and currently can only levy a fine.

As the proposed law was written, passengers could be in violation of the law should they leave the line even prior to going through metal detectors and having luggage scanned. Those people could have been further charged with a misdemeanor.

Apple has said the TSA approached the sheriff's office with the proposal, shortly after TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger told Congress and travelers to expect more visible airport security in the wake of bombings at an airport and train station in Brussels, Belgium, including more random searches even after passengers have cleared security checkpoints.

On Monday a TSA representative in Albany, when asked about the withdrawl of the proposal by the legislature, would say only that it was the county's decision.

Legislature Majority Leader Frank Commisso, a Democrat, was a sponsor of the proposal.

He said pulling the proposal was the right thing to do.

"This situation was rather unique in the way it came about, and I feel the sheriff felt very strongly in walking away from it," Commisso said. "I have no problem with his decision."

Legislator Frank Mauriello, R-Colonie, said he was in favor of the measure, but thought it would've been helpful if TSA representatives had come out to explain it further.

"We knew they were the ones that came to the sheriff and asked to do this," Mauriello said. "What I found really confusing, once they had our support and ear, they decided not to come."

afries@timesunion.com  518-454-5353  @mandy_fries
The replacement of the Main Street bridge, in Hydetown, was expected to begin, Monday. The reason for the latest delay was not made known by PennDOT or its partner in the Rapid Bridge Replacement Project, Plenary Walsh.
[August 30, 2016] Axalta Gives University of Michigan Students Rare Look Under the Hood at Pure Michigan 400

Axalta Coating Systems (NYSE: AXTA), a leading global supplier of liquid and powder coatings, hosted University of Michigan (U-M) business, chemistry and engineering students at the NASCAR  Sprint (News - Alert) Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 race weekend on August 27-28. The recently announced Axalta/U-M partnership aims to drive awareness and support for STEM and business education. Students had rare, special access to industry leaders from Axalta, Hendrick Motorsports, Michigan International Speedway (MIS) and NASCAR. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830006126/en/ University of Michigan business, chemistry and engineering students participated in a panel discussion with executives from Axalta, NASCAR and Michigan International Speedway at the Pure Michigan 400 race weekend. (PHOTO: Austin Thomason, Michigan Photography) "Every day, the engineering excellence that is essential to racing transfers almost seamlessly into practical applications for the coatings industry," said Steve Markevich, Axalta Executive Vice and President of Transportation Coatings and Greater China. "Our partnership with the University of Michigan, one of the premier research institutions in the world, benefited students who joined us at the track and will continue to be a valuable resource for students and faculty in the future." U-M studens experienced a wide array of business, engineering and race activities during the weekend. On Saturday, students took part in an interactive panel discussion focused on the fusion of business and engineering at the race track. The panel featured Markevich; Gene Stefanyshyn, Senior Vice President, Innovation and Racing Development at NASCAR; Roger Curtis, MIS President; and Eric Jacuzzi, Senior Aero/Vehicle Performance Engineer, at NASCAR. Chris McKee, Director of Business Development at the Motor Racing Network, moderated the panel. Topics varied from the advances in racing technology, to how sponsors maximize their visibility, and to how tracks like MIS make the fan experience ever more memorable. After the panels, students toured the track and saw parts of the rain-delayed NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race.



Saturday evening, Markevich and Jack Hu, U-M Vice President for Research, hosted dinner at the storied U-M Student Union in Ann Arbor. Guest speakers included Ray Evernham, three-time NASCAR champion crew chief and TV host, and Alex Bowman, substitute driver of the No. 88 Axalta/University of Michigan Chevrolet SS race car for Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the Pure Michigan 400. "Engineering is problem solving," said Evernham. "Work done in this area has taken our sport, an engineering-driven sport, to new levels."

On Sunday, students returned to MIS to watch the Pure Michigan 400 and the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet SS with its special University of Michigan paint scheme. Axalta unveiled the joint paint scheme last June at its research and manufacturing facility in Mount Clemens, Michigan. "This was a great weekend for our students to see the amount of engineering and the levels of teamwork that go into race events. The discussions with Axalta, NASCAR and MIS could have gone on all night," said Chris Gordon, Manager of U-M's Walter E. Wilson Student Team Project Center, which provides students with dedicated space and facilities for student race teams to compete nationally and internationally. About Axalta Coating Systems - Celebrating 150 Years in the Coatings Industry Axalta is a leading global company focused solely on coatings and providing customers with innovative, colorful, beautiful and sustainable solutions. From light OEM vehicles, commercial vehicles and refinish applications to electric motors, buildings and pipelines, our coatings are designed to prevent corrosion, increase productivity and enable the materials we coat to last longer. With 150 years of experience in the coatings industry, the approximately 12,800 people of Axalta continue to find ways to serve our more than 100,000 customers in 130 countries better every day with the finest coatings, application systems and technology. For more information visit axaltacoatingsystems.com and follow us @axalta on Twitter (News - Alert) and on LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830006126/en/

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[August 30, 2016] CPI ASC Signal Division Receives Contract for Antenna System in Indonesia

PLANO, Texas, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The ASC Signal Division of Communications & Power Industries LLC (CPI) has been awarded a contract for high-frequency (HF) antennas in Indonesia by Pratama Wahyu Teknik (PWT), a communications systems integrator headquartered near Jakarata. PWT has ordered four Model 3005 Spira-Cone HF antennas for air-to-ground communication and navigation purposes for the Indonesian National Directorate General of Civil Aviation for RDARA, the Regional and Domestic Air Route Area coverage agency in Makassar and Merauke, Indonesia. CPI ASC Signal Division's Model 3005 HF antenna system was first developed to meet a requirement by the U.S. Navy for a low-profile antenna to replace older, rotatable log-periodic antenna systems. This model includes mode voting technology, which is widely used in non-commercial HF systems, and extends the use of that technology into the commercial sector. Although this is CPI ASC Signal Division's first project for PWT, the new contract is not its first project in Indonesia nor the region. CPI ASC Signal Division has been supplying antenna systems to the Southern Pacific region for approximately 12 years, including the provision of state-of-the-art antenna products to Australian aviation authorities and the Indonesian military through large, multi-national original equipment manufacturers. "The Southern Pacific region relies heavily on air transportation for a variety of its social and economic needs, and it is vital that it has access to reliable, proven technology for aviation communications and navigation applications," said Keith Buckley, president of CPI ASC Signal Division. "CPI ASC Signal Division's HF antenna systems are trusted components of aviation systems throughout the region. We are honored that Pratama Wahyu Teknik, a world-class integrator, has recognized our Model 3005 technology as optimal for its system needs in Indonesia, and we look forward to a productive relationship." About CPI ASC Signal Division

In September 2015, ASC Signal was acquired by Commuications & Power Industries LLC, becoming CPI ASC Signal Division, a multinational manufacturer of high-performance, highly-engineered satellite Earth station, radar and HF antenna systems. Its customers include international broadcasters and Fortune 500 companies, as well as military and government organizations. CPI ASC Signal Division leads through design innovation that capitalizes on a more than 40-year heritage of engineering creativity and excellence. The ASC Signal Division of CPI is a member of the World Teleport Association and the Society of Satellite Professionals International and a supporter of the satellite industry's Better Satellite World campaign. www.cpii.com/ascsignal



About Communications & Power Industries LLC

Communications & Power Industries LLC (CPI), headquartered in Palo Alto, California, is a subsidiary of CPI International Holding Corp. and CPI International, Inc. CPI develops, manufactures and globally distributes components and subsystems used in the generation, amplification, transmission and reception of microwave signals for a wide variety of systems including radar, electronic warfare and communications (satellite and point-to-point) systems for military and commercial applications, specialty products for medical diagnostic imaging and the treatment of cancer, as well as microwave and RF energy generating products for various industrial and scientific pursuits. www.cpii.com/ Certain statements included above constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements provide our current expectations, beliefs or forecasts of future events. These statements are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the results projected, expected or implied by these forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, competition in our end markets; our significant amount of debt; changes or reductions in the U.S. defense budget; currency fluctuations; goodwill impairment considerations; customer cancellations of sales contracts; U.S. Government contracts; export restrictions and other laws and regulations; international laws; changes in technology; the impact of unexpected costs; the impact of a general slowdown in the global economy; the impact of environmental laws and regulations; inability to obtain raw materials and components; and the impact of unexpected results of, or issues in connection with, dispositions and acquisitions. These and other risks are described in more detail in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All future written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible for us to predict these events or how they may affect us. We undertake no duty or obligation to (i) publicly revise any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events occurring after the date hereof, (ii) to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes in our expectations or (iii) to publicly correct or update any forward-looking statement if CPI becomes aware that such statement is not likely to be achieved.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cpi-asc-signal-division-receives-contract-for-antenna-system-in-indonesia-300319704.html SOURCE CPI International Holding Corp.; CPI International, Inc.

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[August 30, 2016] Delta Dental of Tennessee's Partnership with Neighborhood Health Brings Dental Care to Nashville's Homeless

With a common mission of caring for vulnerable members of the community, Delta Dental of Tennessee's Smile180 Foundation partnered with Neighborhood Health to improve access to dental and oral health care for Nashville's homeless community by donating two dental chairs to the clinic located at Nashville Rescue Mission. Today's Floss Cutting Ceremony celebrated this creative collaboration. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830006321/en/ Back row, David King (News - Alert), Smile Ambassador, Scott Mertie, Board President of Neighborhood Health, Beth Harwell, Tennessee Speaker of the House, Dr. Philip Wenk, CEO and President, Delta Dental of Tennessee, Jim Cooper, US Congressman, Freddie O'Connell, Metro Councilman, Rev. Glen Cranfield, CEO, Nashville Rescue Mission Front Row, Jennifer Green, Smile Ambassador, Jessica Lewis, Smile Ambassador, Mary Bufwack, CEO, Neighborhood Health (Photo: Business Wire) "We are serving some of Nashville's most vulnerable members of society through our clinics located throughout Middle Tennesse. On average, we see 60 patients each week through our clinic at Nashville Rescue Mission," said Mary Bufwack, CEO of Neighborhood Health. "Knowing those struggling with homelessness face the greatest barriers to care, we felt incorporating dental health into our current offering of services to the homeless was essential. Our partnership with Delta Dental of Tennessee made this possible."



"Two years ago, we created Smile180 to ensure our continued corporate citizenship-supporting the efforts of dental schools, children's hospitals, and free and reduced-cost community dental clinics-as they all help restore smiles across our state," said Philip A. Wenk, president and CEO of Delta Dental Tennessee. "Studies suggest the state of your dental health can affect other health conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease. With this knowledge we knew partnering with Neighborhood Health was a great fit for our organization and would serve a vulnerable population." To illustrate the impact of Smile180 efforts, a testimonial video was produced to help communities understand the ever-growing need for dental services. The video project, featured on the Delta Dental of Tennessee YouTube Channel, features several clinic patients from across the state.

"It's a blessing to see collaboration between various local organizations like Delta Dental of Tennessee and Neighborhood Health, especially when it leads to better care for our guests," said Rev. Glenn Cranfield, president and CEO of Nashville Rescue Mission. "A beautiful smile can transform a life." Today's Floss Cutting Ceremony commemorated the adding of two dental chairs to Neighborhood Health's clinic's located inside Nashville Rescue Mission and celebrated the partnerships between Delta Dental of Tennessee, Neighborhood Health, and Nashville Rescue Mission. In addition to representatives from Delta Dental, Neighborhood Health, and Nashville Rescue Mission, the following dignitaries were on hand to join in the celebration: Congressman Jim Cooper, House Speaker Beth Harwell, and District 19 Council Member Freddie O'Connell. About Neighborhood Health

Visit www.NeighborhoodHealthTN.org. About Delta Dental of Tennessee

Visit www.DeltaDentalTN.com. About Delta Dental Tennessee's Smile180 Foundation

Visit http://www.deltadentaltn.com/About/Serving-Our-Community/Smile180-Foundation.aspx. About Nashville Rescue Mission

Visit nashvillerescuemission.org. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830006321/en/

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[August 30, 2016] Emerson Expands Global Capabilities in Fresh Food Monitoring with Acquisitions of Locus Traxx and PakSense

Emerson (News - Alert) (NYSE: EMR) is extending the company's long-time presence and leadership in "cold chain" management with the acquisitions of Locus Traxx and PakSense. These investments in cargo solutions allow Emerson to provide consistent and safe control of food and other temperature-sensitive goods. "The addition of Locus Traxx and PakSense to our portfolio strongly positions Emerson to address the high-stakes challenges faced by end-users in the agriculture, transport and retail industries to keep their products fresh, while helping them drive incremental growth," said Bob Sharp (News - Alert), Executive Vice President and Commercial & Residential Solutions Business Leader, Emerson. "This investment in innovation and technologies in fresh food monitoring demonstrates how we are transforming Emerson to meet the evolving needs of our customers." Locus Traxx, based in Jupiter, Florida, offers real-time temperature loggers, which can be monitored anytime, anywhere, using cloud-based analytics. This allows cargo owners to monitor food and high-value shipments throughout the entire supply chain to promote freshness and quality. PakSense, headquartered in Boise, Idaho, offers a full complement of temperature monitoring solutions fitting a wide range of shipments and cost/benefit scenarios that monitor the condition of perishable goods throgh the supply chain, so that only the freshest and safest products reach consumers.



"With these acquisitions, we are expanding our leadership in helping growers, food processors, shippers, retailers and others to improve temperature controls, product quality and cargo monitoring throughout the supply chain," said Mark Dunson, Group Vice President, Electronics & Solutions, Emerson. "These expanded capabilities also help customers meet regulatory requirements for food quality and safety and reduce global waste," he added. Emerson, already a leader in serving the global container shipping and food retail industries, will include Locus Traxx and PakSense in a newly formed business focused on cargo-based solutions.

"This is a strong growth market for Emerson," Sharp added. "Providing this more expansive solution that covers the whole fresh food process from grower to retailer is another example of how we are focusing the company to be stronger, faster and more nimble for our customers." Emerson is a long-time partner with the world's leading shipping companies, trucking lines and refrigerated container manufacturers, providing advanced technology and services to ensure the integrity of cold chain assets. The company currently supplies the latest innovations in remote monitoring services to 17,000 food retail sites globally, and has integrated its monitoring technologies within 2,000 vessels in the last ten years. Terms of the acquisitions were not disclosed. About Emerson

Emerson (NYSE: EMR), based in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and consumer markets around the world. The company is comprised of five business segments: Process Management, Industrial Automation, Network Power, Climate Technologies, and Commercial & Residential Solutions. Sales in fiscal 2015 were $22.3 billion. For more information, visit Emerson.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830005136/en/

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[August 29, 2016] FASTSIGNS Announces Further Global Expansion Plans With Focus On Southeast Asia

CARROLLTON, Texas, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- FASTSIGNS International, Inc., the leader in signs, graphics and visual communications, announced today it is seeking to expand its global footprint with an emphasis on Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, among other countries in Southeast Asia. To further fuel expansion, the fast-growing brand will exhibit at the Franchise & License Expo Sept. 2-4 in Jakarta, Indonesia and is seeking master franchisees for the region. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160216/333668LOGO FASTSIGNS International, Inc. currently has over 615 centers worldwide in nine countries, but is looking to expand. Due to the ongoing worldwide need for visual communications and digital signage technology, the company expects to open another 45 to 50 centers in 2016 and sign agreements to enter two or more new countries. The company invites candidates to visit the World Franchise Associates (WFA) pavilion at the Jakarta Convention Center to learn more about the benefits of joining the brand. "Global expansion continues to be a part of our franchise development plans, and having the ability to network with over 15,000 attendees at the leading franchise expo in Jakarta could not come at a more opportune time," said Mark Jameson, EVP of Franchise Support and Development, FASTSIGNS International, Inc. "While our ongoing training and support is unparalleled, we have also been recognized as a top global franchise by leading business publications. We invite entrepreneurs to learn about the franchise that's leading the next generation of business communication, offering businesses across the world innovative ways to connect with customers in a highly competitive marketplace." FASTSIGNS will work with World Franchise Associats, a global franchise services company that helped facilitate the master franchise deals in the United Arab Emirates and North Africa. Troy Franklin, World Franchise Associates chief operating officer for Southeast Asia, will lead efforts in identifying qualified candidates to join the franchise.



"It's no secret that the business climate across Southeast Asia is proving healthy and fruitful," said Troy Franklin, World Franchise Associates chief operating officer for Southeast Asia. "The rapidly expanding markets in Southeast Asia offer huge potential for U.S. based brands, and we're excited to help FASTSIGNS International identify qualified candidates interested in joining the ever-growing, award-winning franchise." The 14th Annual Franchise and License Expo Indonesia brings emerging franchise industry and business brands in a show packed with beneficial networking programs. Franchise and License Expo Indonesia is targeted to give a better understanding of the industry and maximize the participation of its exhibitors as well as visitors.

For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or 214-346-5679) or download an eBook that explores the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity at http://amzn.to/1FrnDJu. About FASTSIGNS FASTSIGNS International, Inc. is the largest sign and visual communications franchisor in North America, and is the worldwide franchisor of more than 615 independently owned and operated FASTSIGNS centers in nine countries including the US, Canada, England, Wales, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Grand Cayman, Mexico and Australia (where centers operate as SIGNWAVE). FASTSIGNS centers provide comprehensive sign and visual graphic solutions to help companies of all sizes and across all industries attract more attention, communicate their message, sell more products, help visitors find their way and extend their branding across all of their customer touch points including decor, events, wearables and marketing materials. Learn more about sign and visual graphic solutions or find a location at fastsigns.com. Follow the brand on Twitter @FASTSIGNS, Facebook at facebook.com/FASTSIGNS or LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/fastsigns. Franchise Research Institute has named FASTSIGNS a top sign and graphics franchise and has awarded the company certification as a 2015 World-Class Franchise for four consecutive years. FASTSIGNS was also recognized by USA Today, Military Times magazine, G.I. Jobs magazine and Franchise Business Review as one of the top franchises for military veterans. Most recently, the company was selected as one of 15 national recipients of the 2016 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the Department of Defense's highest recognition presented to employers for their exemplary support of National Guard and Reserve members. For more information about FASTSIGNS franchise programs, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or +1 214-346-5679) or visit http://www.fastsigns.com/ CONTACT:

Sloane Fistel

Fish Consulting

+1 954-893-9150

[email protected]

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[August 29, 2016] Hagens Berman Files Third Lawsuit Against Fiat Chrysler Over Defective Gear Shifter Citing Negligence and Fraudulent Concealment

Hagens Berman, a national consumer protection and personal injury law firm, filed a third lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler for its defective monostable shifters. The most recent case is on behalf of John J. Malone, a 69-year-old retired Massachusetts State Trooper, who was pinned against a concrete wall by his Jeep Grand Cherokee. The lawsuit states that Fiat Chrysler fraudulently concealed and failed to remedy a gear shifter design defect that has resulted in serious physical injury. Mr. Malone, a father of two and grandfather of one, suffered a torn ACL, fractures and severe bruising to the bones of his knee. After being released from the hospital, he needed fluid drained from his knee three times. Due to the damage from the accident, he will need a total knee replacement. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, states that the defect has been responsible for at least 41 injuries. The defective shifter mechanism has been in the headlines following the death of actor Anton Yelchin, who was killed when his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled down his driveway and pinned him against his brick mailbox. If you own or lease a 2014 - 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, or 2012 - 2014 Chrysler 300 or Dodge Charger, and have been injured by the car moving after the driver has gotten out of the car or attempted to put it in park, you may be entitled to compensation. Find out more about the lawsuit.



"In its 2012-14 Dodge Chargers and 2012-14 Chrysler 300s, and 2014-15 Jeep Grand Cherokees, FCA installed gear shifters, designed and manufactured by ZF Friedrichshafen AG, that departed from the long-established 'PRND' gear selector in favor of an electronic mechanism that never actually 'shifts' into any gear, but rather always moves back to a central location after being engaged," the lawsuit states. "The ZF Shifter design is dangerously defective because there is no tactile or position feedback to the operator as to whether the car has actually been placed into the safe-to-exit 'park' gear, and there is no safety override that automatically puts the car in 'park' if the driver's door is open and pressure taken off the foot brake." "Complaints and accident reports have been ongoing since at least early 2015," said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman. "Jeep knew that the shifter was defectively designed and a danger to the public. FCA could have prevented hundreds of accidents and at least one death by installing a safety override, but they simply chose not to."

Though approximately 700 incidents have been reported, FCA has only recently initiated a voluntary recall of the more than 811,000 defective vehicles in the United States. Many owners of the affected vehicles have only been sent a letter describing the defect. Concerned consumers who own or lease an affected vehicle, and have been injured by the car moving after the driver gets out or attempts to put the gear selector in "park", are encouraged to contact a Hagens Berman attorney by emailing [email protected] or calling 1-888-381-2889. Find out more about the lawsuit. About Hagens Berman Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP is a national consumer protection and personal injury law firm with offices in 10 cities. The firm has been named to the National Law Journal's Plaintiffs' Hot List eight times. More about the law firm and its successes can be found at www.hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160829006041/en/

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[August 30, 2016] Online School Students' First Day of School is at Home

Students across the state of Idaho in grades K-12 will be returning to school this fall in the comfort of their own home, having chosen to attend the full-time, tuition-free, online public school, Idaho Technical Career Academy (ITCA). ITCA has been operating in Idaho since 2014. ITCA is the state's only career-technical education online public charter school serving students in grades 9 through 12. Students have the opportunity to explore four program options in key industries of growth in the state: Business Administration, Automated Manufacturing, Web Design, and Healthcare. The goal of ITCA is to develop a sequence of instruction that teaches students occupational skills while ultimately providing a pathway to job opportunities or to a technical college program upon graduation. The online school setting enables students in any geographic area of the state to utilize this unique curriculum. Furthermore, the flexible learning environment enables students to partner with professionals and companies to apply the skills they are learning in a specific industry. ITCA uses the award-winning K12 online curriculum to offer students in grades K-12 an exceptional learning experience. The innovative curriculum and technology, combined with a strong partnership between famlies and teachers, creates an opportunity for teachers to focus on each student's academic needs, and gives a growing number of students a powerful educational option to reach their true potential.



"ITCA is a new and exciting school option for kids in Idaho," said Monti Pittman, Head of School for ITCA. "The focus on career and technical skill sets - combined with the commitment and passion of our staff - provides our students with an amazing learning experience." Teachers for ITCA are Idaho-credentialed and provide instruction, guidance and support, and interact with students and parents via email, web-based classrooms, online discussions, phone and face-to-face meetings.

ITCA is accepting enrollments for this fall. To learn more about enrollment requirements visit http://itca.k12.com/. About Idaho Technical Career Academy Idaho Technical Career Academy (ITCA) is a full-time online public school program that serves students in grades 9 through 12 statewide. As part of the Idaho public school system, ITCA is tuition-free, giving parents and families the choice to access the award-winning curriculum and tools provided by K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN), the nation's largest provider of proprietary curriculum and online education programs. For more information about ITCA, visit http://itca.k12.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830006519/en/

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[August 30, 2016] Ventura County (CA) Sheriff's Office Implements Wynyard Advanced Crime Analytics Software

The Ventura County Sheriff's Office has awarded a contract to Wynyard Group to implement its Advanced Crime Analytics and Informant Management software. The Sheriff's Office will build upon its intelligence-led policing and data-driven decision making initiatives with this technology acquisition. "We set out to modernize the way we look at information and had very specific platform requirements," said Captain Bill Schierman of the Sheriff's Office. "It had to be very user-friendly, provide real-time COMPSTAT information, exponentially cut down the time it took investigators to retrieve information, and give patrol units the ability to conduct quick location threat assessments while responding to calls. After a lengthy RFP process, we chose Wynyard." "The Ventura County Sheriff's Office is known for being a leader in the use of tchnology to ensure a high level of service to the community and management of the agency. Using Wynyard technology will enable faster, more effective law enforcement within the county and contract cities, and we are excited to be partnering with them in this innovative project," said Derek Brown, regional vice president for Wynyard Group.



The concept of intelligence-led policing is based on combining data from many sources, quickly analyzing it for actionable intelligence, and putting the information into the hands of investigators, front-line officers, commanders, and dispatch teams. When operational, the project will bring together data from many sources, including the Sheriff's Office's records management system, and will create dashboards of critical information to help commanders and officers respond effectively to crimes, trends, incidents, and events. Dispatchers, investigators, patrol officers, detention personnel, and analysts will have access to the system, which will allow faster, more effective searches of the agency's data.

For example, when officers are responding to a 911 call, they can quickly gain improved situational awareness in advance of arriving at the scene by searching for information associated with the specific address and neighboring homes, such as suspects, registered fire arms, or past incidents. Detention personnel can also use the system to manage inmates, monitor gang activity, improve jail safety, and spot emerging problems. Analysts will be able to quickly find connections between suspects, addresses, vehicles, phones, guns, previous incidents, and a wide range of other entities. This all drives better decision making, increases officer safety, and provides an improved level of service to the community. About Ventura County Sheriff's Office The Ventura County Sheriff's Office employs approximately 1,200 personnel, including allocations for more than 700 sworn officers. Five of the county's ten incorporated cities (Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, Moorpark, Fillmore, and Ojai) contract with the Sheriff's Office to provide police services. These cities, plus the unincorporated areas of the county, make up 95% of the county's total area and nearly half its population, which was 823,318 in 2010, ranking 12th among California's 58 counties. About Wynyard Group Wynyard Group is a market leader in high consequence crime fighting and security software used by law enforcement and national security agencies, critical infrastructure operations, and major corporations. Its advanced crime analytics, advanced cyber threat analytics, and investigations case management platform help solve growing big data and security problems including organized and transnational crime, new generation extremism, and high consequence cybercrime. Wynyard partners with major systems integrators and the world's leading software companies and has offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830005842/en/

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Eight families were helped to find other housing Monday night when a smoky basement fire at a Sun Prairie apartment building forced them out of their homes.

Nobody was hurt in the fire reported at about 9 p.m. in the 600 block of Shiller Street, the Sun Prairie Fire Department said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. No damage estimate was given.

Residents were alerted to the fire by working smoke detectors in the hallways, said Fire Chief Christopher Garrison. One resident, Michael Lockman, used a fire extinguisher to help control the fire.

Firefighters quickly put out the primary basement fire, then took several hours to extinguish pockets of fire that had spread throughout the building, including up to the second floor, because of the construction of the building, the fire department said.

The displaced families had a number of pets, which were all safe.

The Sun Prairie Fire Department was assisted at the scene by the Madison Fire Department and Sun Prairie EMS and police.
[August 30, 2016] Rockbridge County Chooses Verity Voting by Hart InterCivic

LEXINGTON, Va., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Momentum for replacing aging voting equipment is sweeping across Virginia, and Rockbridge County is the latest to choose the efficient technology of the Verity Voting system by Hart InterCivic. The decision makes Rockbridge Hart's 11th Verity partner in the Commonwealth of Virginia and brings the overall total number of Virginia counties using Hart voting technology to 14. The ease of ballot box setup and delivery to the precincts is an important feature for Marilyn Earhart, General Registrar and Director of Elections for Rockbridge. "Our precinct chiefs can set up the collapsible ballot box, and there are no extra delivery trips or costs." Earhart will start training election workers in September, and Rockbridge will use Verity for the November Presidential General Election. She is very confident that the election will go smoothly. "I am excited that this system is so voter-friendly," she said. "I expect the process to be much simpler for the public. I'm comfortable and eager for feedback." She is also looking forward to using features designed to improve accessibility for voters with disabilities and also to an easier approach to absentee ballots. With Verity, Rockbridge will send absentee voters a standard ballot through the mail, replacing the previous data card system. Flexible and forward-looking, Verity has been the first choice for many election officials responding to new state regulations. Virginia lawmakers directed localities to choose paper ballot systems as they replace aging equipment. Hart's Verity, certified both federally and by Virginia's State Board of Elections, matches county needs.



Rockbridge , learning from nearby Campbell County has been a bonus, Earhart said. Both counties chose Verity to replace the same older equipment, and Campbell has already voted successfully on Verity. "We've heard good feedback and gotten some good tips from their experience," she said. Other counties choosing Verity for their future elections include: Amherst, Campbell, Essex, Henry, King and Queen, Northumberland, Prince William, Richmond and Westmoreland, plus the City of Charlottesville. The purchases build on more than a decade of professional election partnerships between Hart and Virginia localities.

"Hart has been a trusted election partner in Virginia since 2001, and Verity is designed to meet Virginia's needs," said Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic. "We understand the local perspective, and our collaboration with existing users helped us tailor the Verity solution for Virginia." Verity's paper ballot technology has set new standards for ease of use and trust. The only second-generation digital election solution on the market, it was designed from the ground up as a software suite that integrates with a thoughtful combination of American-assembled, purpose-built hardware and enterprise-grade, commercial off-the-shelf components. Rockbridge County chose the Verity Scan digital scanning device, allowing voters to scan their paper ballots in the polling place, and the Verity Touch Writer ballot marking device for voters with disabilities. The two devices share the same secure, compact hardware platform as well as a user-friendly interface. "We welcome Rockbridge County to the Verity family," said Braithwaite. "Our goal is to bring easy-to-use election tools with built-in longevity to every county in the region." For more information on the Verity Voting system, please visit http://www.hartintercivic.com/verityoverview. About Hart InterCivic, Inc. Austin-based Hart InterCivic is a full service election solutions innovator, partnering with state and local governments to deliver secure, accurate and reliable elections. Working side-by-side with election professionals for more than 100 years, Hart is committed to helping advance democracy one election at a time. The Hart mission fuels passionate customer focus and a continuous drive for technological innovation. The company's new Verity Voting system makes voting more straightforward, equitable and accessibleand makes managing elections more transparent, more efficient and easier. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151020/278606

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150706/231005LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rockbridge-county-chooses-verity-voting-by-hart-intercivic-300319055.html SOURCE Hart InterCivic, Inc.

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[August 30, 2016] abof.com is the Fastest Online Portal in India

BANGALORE, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- abof.com Brings an Ultra-Fast Website, Leaves the Veterans Behind in Load Time abof.com is sharply targeted at millennials who want everything fast and personalized. abof website got launched 9 months back and already had a healthy load time of 6 seconds. In its new avatar, the load time has improved significantly to 1.8 seconds making it one of the fastest ecommerce sites in India. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402489LOGO )

For abof, it is important to have a great aesthetic design and good content alongside a fast page load time. Researches have highlighted that websites with load times higher than 5-6 seconds can lead to increased bounce rate and much lower conversion. Online shoppers typically browse multiple categories and products before making a final purchase. Therefore, fast response times are an imperative. A delay of every second can lower the conversion rate by up to 7%. The new improved version of abof has not only led to a great user experience, but has drastically improved the conversion rate of the website by over 60%. abof has witnessed an increase in page views by 21% anda reduction in bounce rate by 20%.



"Today's millennial generation wants everything at lightning speed and is rightfully put off by slow response times. While great aesthetics and great content is important, abof identified that a fast loading website is a pre-requisite for great user experience," said Mr. Vikram Bhat, Chief Product officer, abof.com. "It was a strategic and critical goal for us to improve response times and become the fastest ecommerce site in India," added Mr. Mahesh Tiyagura, Chief Technology Officer, abof.com. Key highlights of the superfast website

- abof loads in 1.8 seconds compared to other online portals in India which load in 3-13 seconds (Response time data collected from webpagestest.org) - Faster website has directly impacted our overall CVR to improve by 60%. Page Views per session and Bounce Rates have improved by over 20% - With this change, the front-end stack has moved to the cutting-edge react.js framework used by the likes of Facebook to build highly responsive user interfaces. Log onto https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.abof.android&hl=en to download the app for free-to-use Visual Search tool. About abof.com http://www.abof.com is a go-to online destination for the best-in-fashion shopping, news and trend watching. http://www.abof.com has got the most trendy and celebrity-inspired apparel, footwear and accessories that belong in every fashionista's wardrobe in India. If one wants to get famous, abof assures fast deliveries of the best in branded clothing. Start Shopping Now! Media Contact: Ashim Chatterjee

[email protected]

+91-80-30037009 Debolina Palit

[email protected]

+91-9916624345

Genesis Burson Marsteller Public Relations Pvt Ltd



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[August 30, 2016] BlackLine Expands European Operations With New Germany Office

LONDON and LOS ANGELES, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- BlackLine, a leading provider of financial controls and automation solutions that enable Continuous Accounting, today announced the details of its latest European expansion, including a new base of operations in Frankfurt, Germany, that will serve as a strategic hub for meeting the needs of companies across the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland). The new Frankfurt office and DACH expansion efforts will be led by Petra Ellmerich, a 30-year software industry veteran with sales and management experience at such market-leading companies as Infor, Oracle, Cognos and Siemens. BlackLine's cloud-based software platform helps organisations remain competitive, reduce risk and transform their existing Finance & Accounting (F&A) departments into Modern Finance organisations by automating key processes such as the financial close, account reconciliations, intercompany accounting and controls assurance. "The tremendous reception we've had for our software from companies all over the world confirms the value our solution provides and our ability to help global companies transform their existing F&A operations into true Modern Finance organisations," Mario Spanicciati, BlackLine's chief strategy officer, said. "We've seen increasing demand from mid-size and large organisations across Europe. The market opportunity, coupled with our long-standing relationship with SAP, made opening an office in Germany a logical next step." The BlackLine Financial Close Suite for SAP Solutions complements the functionality inherent in the SAP ERP Financials solution and the SAP S/4HANA Finance solution, bringing enhanced control and automation to F&A departments worldwide. In 2013, the BlackLine Financial Close Suite for SAP Solutions becme an SAP-endorsed business solution. Earlier this year, the BlackLine Connector 3.0 achieved certified integration with the SAP NetWeaver technology platform running on the SAP HANA platform, providing embedded, real-time integration between SAP ERP and the BlackLine Financial Close Management solution. Working together, the BlackLine and SAP offerings deliver an end-to-end solution to accelerate the financial close and enable Continuous Accounting. Both BlackLine and SAP were recently recognised by Gartner as Leaders in the 2016 Magic Quadrant for Financial Corporate Performance Management (FCPM) Solutions.



BlackLine customers include more than 100 companies operating in the DACH region, including locally headquartered companies Kempinski Hotels and Trivago. BlackLine has sales, implementation and support teams to serve customers in German. Additionally, BlackLine products and solutions are available in the German language. To visit the new German website, go to www.blackline.com/de. BlackLine's EMEA operations (Europe, Middle East and Africa) are headquartered in London. Leveraging BlackLine's expanding global footprint in EMEA and APAC (Asia-Pacific), several of the world's leading accounting advisory and professional services firms, including Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, PwC and Resources Global Professionals, offer 'BlackLine Certified Implementation Professionals' to assist in the deployment and execution of the BlackLine Finance Controls and Automation Platform.

About BlackLine

BlackLine is a provider of cloud-based solutions for Finance & Accounting (F&A) that centralize and streamline financial close operations and other key F&A processes for midsize and large organisations. Designed to complement ERP and other financial systems, the BlackLine Finance Controls & Automation Platform increases operational efficiency, real-time visibility, control and compliance to ensure end-to-end financial close management, fueling confidence throughout the entire accounting cycle. BlackLine's mission is to continuously improve the quality, accuracy and efficiency of Finance & Accounting by centralizing key functions within a single, unified cloud platform. Enabling customers to move beyond outdated processes and point solutions to a Continuous Accounting model, in which real-time automation, controls and period-end tasks are embedded within day-to-day activities, BlackLine helps companies achieve Modern Finance status, ensuring more accurate and insightful financial statements and a more efficient financial close. More than 1,500 companies with users in approximately 120 countries around the world trust BlackLine to ensure balance sheet integrity and confidence in their financial statements. BlackLine is recognized by Gartner as a Leader in its 2016 Magic Quadrant for Financial Corporate Performance Management (FCPM) Solutions and as a pioneer of the Enhanced Financial Controls & Automation (EFCA) software category. Based in Los Angeles, BlackLine also has regional headquarters in London, Singapore and Sydney. For more information, please visit www.blackline.com. SAP, SAP HANA, SAP NetWeaver and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE (or an SAP affiliate company) in Germany and other countries. See http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx for additional trademark information and notices. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20061117/LAF027LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blackline-expands-european-operations-with-new-germany-office-300319790.html SOURCE BlackLine

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[August 30, 2016] Altair Wins 2016 Jaguar Land Rover Supplier Excellence Award

TROY, Mich., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Altair, a leading global provider of simulation technology and engineering services that empower client innovation and decision-making, are honored to receive a prestigious Jaguar Land Rover Supplier Excellence Award. This award, which recognizes suppliers who consistently demonstrate excellent operational delivery, issue resolution, quality, flexibility and understanding of Jaguar Land Rover 's standards, was presented to Altair by Jaguar Land Rover CEO, Dr Ralf Speth and TV presenter Jodie Kidd at an exclusive ceremony held in the company's heartland in the West Midlands. Altair has worked with Jaguar Land Rover for over 20 years, providing engineering services and the Altair HyperWorks software suite. The tools available through the HyperWorks suite are used throughout the vehicle engineering process to aid in the development of Jaguar Land Rover's world leading luxury vehicles. The range of involvement includes tools to help reduce CO 2 through reducing the mass of vehicles, improving refinement though addressing noise, vibration and harshness issues, development of new electrical systems including keyless entry and infotainmnt systems through electromagnetic simulation and analysis of manufacturing processes to name but a few. Altair's relationship with Jaguar Land Rover extends to dedicated onsite staff delivering technical support and strategic projects which showcase and deploy new technologies and capabilities using high performance computing to generate engineering data and optimise designs.



"This supplier excellence award acknowledges that Altair delivers added value for our customers through our innovation, tools and services," said Royston Jones, Exec VP European Operations & Global CTO at Altair. "This award from Jaguar Land Rover is a great achievement for us, recognizing not only our relationship with them, but also the excellent cooperation between our employees, who work hard every day to support our clients." About Altair

Founded in 1985, Altair is focused on the development and application of simulation technology to synthesize and optimize designs, processes and decisions for improved business performance. Privately held with more than 2,600 employees, Altair is headquartered in Troy, Michigan, USA with more than 45 offices throughout 20 countries, and serves more than 5,000 corporate clients across broad industry segments. To learn more, please visit www.altair.com. Media Contacts: Altair Corporate

Biba A. Bedi

+1.757.224.0548 x 406

[email protected] Altair Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Evelyn Gebhardt

+49 6421 9684351

[email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/altair-wins-2016-jaguar-land-rover-supplier-excellence-award-300319716.html SOURCE Altair

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[August 30, 2016] AppZen Integrates its Artificial Intelligence Expense Report Audit Tool with Concur to Deliver Automated Auditing Solutions to Enterprises

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- AppZen, the first artificial intelligence (AI) solution for back office automation, today announced the integration of its expense report audit tool, which uses AI to automate expense report auditing, with Concur, the leading provider of spend management solutions and services. Now available in the Concur App Center, AppZen provides Concur clients access to the platform solution without any IT integration. AppZen's AI technology automatically reads each line item on every receipt, and, in real-time, cross-checks the information against thousands of external and social sources to determine the accuracy of expenses. The automated tool lowers expense processing costs up to 80 percent and identifies up to 10 times more financial risks. "At AppZen, we're about saving enterprises time and money by automating back office functions with Artificial Intelligence," said Anant Kale, CEO of AppZen. "With this integration, Concur users can download the app and start using the tool immediately. With no IT integration required, clients can quickly start reducing expense processing costs and capturing significantly more fraud, allowing them to spend more time and resources on growing the business." AppZen, which announced that it closed a $2.9 million seed roun in late June and graduated from 500 Startups in the Spring of 2015, also seamlessly integrates with other expense reporting tools, and has amassed a number of prominent enterprise clients, including Hitachi, SunRun and Cantor Fitzgerald .



AppZen is now available in the Concur App Center. Offering apps with streamlined integration with Concur Travel, Expense and Invoice products, the Concur App Center delivers innovative functionality in key categories such as finance, regulatory compliance, enterprise identity, traveler productivity, travel management, and much more. For information, visit the Concur App Center. About AppZen:

AppZen, which is based in Sunnyvale, Calif., is the first artificial intelligence (AI) solution for back office automation. The company, which graduated from 500 Startups and raised $2.9M in funding, including from Resolute Ventures, Bloomberg Beta, Silicon Valley Bank, MasterCard and FundersClub, uses patent-pending Natural Language Processing machine learning algorithms to analyze data and automate back office functions. AppZen's enterprise level automated expense reporting and auditing product reviews expense report data, cross-checks it with external sources and social media in real-time, and detects compliance issues and fraud  a half trillion dollar issue in the U.S. The company works with a number of enterprises, including Hitachi, SunRun and Cantor Fitzgerald, and has partnered with technology companies, including Oracle and Concur. For more information about AppZen, visit www.appzen.com.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/appzen-integrates-its-artificial-intelligence-expense-report-audit-tool-with-concur-to-deliver-automated-auditing-solutions-to-enterprises-300319939.html SOURCE AppZen

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[August 30, 2016] Verdigris Launches Next-Generation Artificial Intelligence IoT Solution For Large Commercial Buildings

SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Jabil Blue Sky Center -- Verdigris, an artificial intelligence company powering the world's smartest buildings, announces the arrival of Einstein, a next-generation Internet of Things smart sensor and metering solution that reduces energy consumption and cost in buildings. Einstein is Verdigris' latest IoT energy management platform. It was designed to be the easiest most-scalable connected sensor for complex enterprise facilities. By analyzing Einstein's continuous stream of energy data, Verdigris drives smarter and more responsive building operation, saving customers tens of thousands to millions of dollars annually on energy costs. "Einstein makes it unbelievably easy to know what's happening inside your building in real time, down to a single appliance," said Verdigris CEO Mark Chung. "We put hard-earned money back into our customers' pockets each month by predicting the most accurate forecasts of utility, weather and energy data, and automating the reduction of their most inefficient energy operations." Verdigris' patented artificial intelligence and IoT platform transforms mission critical facilities into living environments. Each Einstein sensor wirelessly streams millions of samples per second from a facility's electrical panel to the cloud. The Verdigris artificial intelligence then analyzes these electrical "fingerprints" to automatically optimize building controls, predict future breakdowns, and send users critical notifications about energy use. "Verdigris embodies the potential for IoT to remake the energy and building analytics landsape," said David Kipling, vice president of Corporate Investments at Jabil Circuit. Jabil is both a customer and an investor in Verdigris. "By collecting and analyzing the most granular energy data possible, Verdigris helps facilities managers cut incredible amounts of energy waste and enables a true understanding of what's driving their costs."



Verdigris' AI software and smart sensors aggregate key energy consumption and prediction data into instantaneous mobile apps and web dashboards. Weekly reporting e-mails offer insight into energy statistics and measure progress against customer goals. Verdigris customers include Hyatt Hotels, Starwood Hotels, Marriott, Intercontinental Hotels, Jabil, Flextronics and JBS. Verdigris also has a partnership with NASA's Sustainability Base to research the platform's potential for future habitat design and predictive analytics to reduce failure on future missions. Verdigris recently deployed Einstein to Honeywell and Megabess Korea, and will be shipping soon to Orange Silicon Valley, Parkview Hotels in France, and expanded deployments across their customer portfolio.

Einstein is Verdigris' 5th generation hardware. Among its many new features and upgrades Einstein includes built-in, native 4G-LTE connectivity. This sensor can now instantly deploy an always-on secure network for real time remote diagnosis of equipment faults and other energy signature anomalies. Einstein also introduces a robust and lightweight industrial design by Matter, an award-winning design studio based in San Francisco, CA. This design architecture enables significant improvements to the time and ease of installation. The system also has increased edge-processing and storage as well as improved internal diagnostics. This new design meets international standards and certifications in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Verdigris already supports several international deployments, including customers in the United Kingdom, Egypt, Brazil, and China. Verdigris will support 4G/LTE connectivity in international locations through new telecommunications partners including EE (Everything Everywhere) and Orange. Website - http://www.verdigris.coVerdigris has raised $9 million in venture funding; Investors include Jabil, Stanford StartX Fund, Founder.org Capital, DCVC, and a collection of private investors. ABOUT VERDIGRIS

Verdigris is an artificial intelligence IoT platform that makes buildings smarter and more connected while reducing energy consumption and costs. By combining proprietary hardware sensors, machine learning, and software, Verdigris "learns" the energy patterns of a building. Their software produces comprehensive reports including energy forecasts, alerts about faulty equipment, maintenance reminders, and detailed energy usage information for each and every device and appliance. Verdigris offers a suite of applications that gives building engineers a comprehensive overview, an "itemized utility bill", powerful reporting, and simple automation tools for their facility. For more information, visit www.verdigris.co. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160324/347789LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/verdigris-launches-next-generation-artificial-intelligence-iot-solution-for-large-commercial-buildings-300319586.html SOURCE Verdigris

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[August 30, 2016] Agfa HealthCare's Enterprise Imaging Platform Selected by The University of Mississippi Medical Center

MORTSEL, Belgium and GREENVILLE, South Carolina, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Enterprise Imaging consolidates imaging data from multiple service lines and provides secure access to a patient's medical images, in one view, accessible 'anywhere, anytime'.

The agreement includes Agfa's Enterprise Imaging platform, including Enterprise Imaging Vendor-Neutral Archive, XERO image viewer and Image Exchange.

A growing list of customers choose Agfa's platform for its "more than a VNA" capabilities. Agfa HealthCare recently signed an agreement with an additional academic medical center that will build its imaging management strategy on Agfa's Enterprise Imaging platform. The University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) will implement a comprehensive suite of software solutions from Agfa's Enterprise Imaging platform, allowing the health system to consolidate medical images, hardware and storage, and enable clinicians to share access and visualize imaging data, no matter where they physically practice medicine. This functionality helps create an image-enhanced patient record that supports clinician decision-making, and sets the stage to better quality and value-based healthcare. UMMC sought to upgrade and enhance a variety of medical imaging applications and functions across its five hospitals and related physician practices. After carefully researching product offerings and interoperability capabilities, UMMC determined that Agfa's Enterprise Imaging platform would become the foundation for an imaging strategy that not merely captures images, but makes those images a true organizational asset. Most importantly, Agfa's solutions enable images to be securely made available across a geographically disparate heath system. Point-of-care images are available in real-time, which is a significant benefit for a busy Trauma I hospital such as UMMC. Agfa's Enterprise Imaging modular approach is attractive to health systems such as UMMC, as it allows for readily deployed enhancements in the future as required by the organization's multi-specialty needs and strategy, targeted at specific clinical use cases and deployed at the hospital's own pace.



The Agfa HealthCare Enterprise Imaging platform creates a comprehensive imaging ecosystem that enables images, from anywhere, to be available to all involved caregivers across the care continuum. For example, the Agfa HealthCare platform can make TAVR and echocardiograph imaging swiftly available across the enterprise. Not only does this support the fast-paced work of the trauma center, but it also supports the needs of the hospital's transplant program. UMMC has contracted for the following Agfa solutions:

Enterprise Imaging Vendor-Neutral Archive (VNA) - consolidates imaging data from multiple systems, departments, facilities and vendors into a central clinical data foundation.

- consolidates imaging data from multiple systems, departments, facilities and vendors into a central clinical data foundation. Enterprise Imaging Exchange - allows fast, secure, reliable transfer of patient studies, without time-consuming CDs or DVDs.

- allows fast, secure, reliable transfer of patient studies, without time-consuming CDs or DVDs. Web-based XERO universal image viewer - provides secure access to DICOM and non-DICOM imaging data from different departments and multiple sources, in one view, to anyone inside and outside of the hospital who needs it. "The spirit of our relationship with UMMC is to assure their clinicians have swift access to clinical imaging and multimedia content to bring clinical value and gain efficiency across all care settings," says Frank Pecaitis, Senior Vice President, North America Sales at Agfa HealthCare. "We are thrilled that UMMC selected us and in doing so recognized that Agfa's Enterprise Imaging platform will enable them to lower cost by consolidating their IT infrastructure while making valuable clinical information an organizational asset to all necessary stakeholders." UMMC, located in Jackson, is the state's only academic health science center. Three specialized hospitals on the Jackson campus include the only children's hospital in Mississippi, a women and infants' hospital, and a critical care hospital, along with the University Hospital. UMMC offers the only Level I trauma center, the only Level IV neonatal intensive care nursery, and the only organ transplant programs in the state. University Physicians, the faculty group practice of the School of Medicine, includes approximately 500 doctors who care for patients in locations around the state. UMMC includes two community hospitals, UMMC Holmes County and UMMC Grenada. Its annual budget of more than $1.6 billion represents 2 percent of the state's economy. About Agfa HealthCare Agfa HealthCare, present in one hospital out of two, is a leading provider of eHealth & Digital Imaging solutions. Care organizations in over 100 countries rely on Agfa HealthCare to optimize their efficiency and improve patient care.

Miriam Ladin

Director, Marketing Communications, Americas

T +1-401-604-2203

[email protected] SOURCE Agfa HealthCare

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A fire was discovered Friday at a vacant house in the town of Burke, the Sun Prairie Fire Department said.

Around 4:20 p.m., a person called authorities to report smoke and flames in a house at 6081 Portage Road, said Fire Chief Christopher Garrison. Firefighters responded and found heavy smoke and flames in the back of the residence, Garrison said.

After a "quick knock-down," firefighters searched the house and found no one there, he said. No damage estimates are available yet, and no one was displaced since the house is vacant, Garrison said.

Several surrounding emergency agencies responded to the incident as well, he said.

The Sun Prairie Fire Department and Mutual Aid Fire Investigation Team are investigating the blaze, Garrison said.
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The number of hunting hounds killed by wolves hit a record high of 28 so far this year, the Department of Natural Resources confirmed Tuesday.

The states wolf population has grown while regulation of hunting dogs has been relaxed, but its not clear what factored into the increased dog deaths, said DNR large carnivore specialist David MacFarland.

Its too early to say whats causing it, or if its really a significant difference or not, MacFarland said. It could be just one pack being more aggressive than in the past.

The wolf population estimate this year is the highest yet for the endangered species, but little growth has occurred in northern areas where almost all of the dogs were killed, MacFarland said.

Meanwhile, its true that the state has more than doubled the number of bear hunting licenses it issued in the last decade, but only 10 to 15 percent of killed bears are bagged by hunters who use dogs to tree them, MacFarland said.

And while state law was changed in 2015 to end a license requirement for the summer dog training season, its not known if more dogs are being run, he said.

The DNR issues detailed maps cautioning hunters about areas where dogs are likely to have run-ins with wolves, but alternate locations are limited, MacFarland said.

Research suggests that the number of hounds killed by wolves here is higher than elsewhere because Wisconsin law allows bear baiting for a much longer period  about 145 days each year compared to a maximum of 30 days elsewhere.

Based on a 2014 survey of more than 2,600 bear license holders, the DNR estimated that hunters the previous year had placed nearly 6 million gallons of bait material in the woods to attract bear.

The bait also draws wolves that will defend the sites, leading to conflicts with hunting dogs released in those places to pick up bear scent, according to a 2012 study by researchers from Michigan Technological University, the Michigan DNR and the University of Helsinki.

Opponents of the use of dogs for hunting have also noted that the state is the only one to compensate hunters when their animals are killed by wolves. The $2,500 payments are made even when the hunter runs the dogs in caution areas or violated game laws.

The previous record was 23 hunting dogs killed in all of 2014. MacFarland said the 2016 tally may not grow much larger than 28 because most fatalities occur in summer.

Thats when hunters set dogs loose in the woods to train them to chase bears. Its also when wolves territorial instincts peak because vulnerable wolf pups have come out of their dens and the protection of the pack is diminished by a division of labor among adults, MacFarland said.

Wolves set up rendezvous sites that are almost like nurseries, MacFarland said. Some of the adults stay and babysit while the others hunt.

By the second Wednesday after Labor Day, when the bear hunting season starts, wolf pups have grown, packs can move as cohesive units, and defensive instincts relax a little, he said.

Eleven of the 28 dogs killed this year, including four since Aug. 21, died in Bayfield County, according to DNR data.

After a wolf attacks a dog being trained for hunting, there is a high probability of further attacks involving its pack, MacFarland said.

The DNR tells hunters the farther they keep dogs from those packs, the lower the risk to their dogs.

But large tracts of land are needed for training, because dogs may chase a bear for miles before it climbs a tree to escape, MacFarland said.

To avoid trespassing, most hunters choose state and county forests, he said.

Moving to another location after a dog attack isnt always possible because most of the forestland is already in use by other hunters during the peak of the training season, MacFarland said.

The DNR received 110,000 applications for 11,520 available bear permits this year, up from 4,000 to 5,000 permits issued annually from about 2000 to 2005, he said.

While some conservationists worry about flagging interest in hunting and fishing across the country, bear hunting in Wisconsin has grown in popularity.

Weve had a record numbers of applicants every year for 30 years, MacFarland said.

Still, compared to the small army of men and woman who hunt deer each year, the number of bear hunters using dogs is small, at least in part because of the expense of purchasing, training and feeding the dogs, he said.

The use of dogs for hunting is controversial on several levels. In 2014 a state appeals court ruled that hunters can train dogs to chase down wolves, rejecting arguments from humane societies and the National Wolfwatcher Coalition that the practice led to cruel, bloody fights between wolves and dogs.

The once prolific wolf was all but extinct in Wisconsin by 1960. State and federal protected status allowed it to come back. In 2012 it was taken off the endangered list and the state had three hunts before a federal judge placed the species back on the list in 2014.

The hunt awakened a passionate dispute. Some see the wolf as harmful to the states deer herd, farm animals and hunting dogs. Others view it as an important natural predator that protects crops and important ecological balances by controlling the deer population.

A 2014 DNR survey of Wisconsin residents attitudes found wolves were viewed more favorably outside of the animals range, but most favored a growing population. Even inside the wolf range, only about one-third wanted fewer wolves.

Laurie Groskopf, who served as Wisconsin Wildlife Federation representative on the DNRs wolf advisory committee, said 34 county boards have passed advisory resolutions seeking lower wolf numbers since 2010.

Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association president Carl Schoettel didnt respond to a request for comment and vice president Lucas Withrow said in an email he wasnt immediately available. A representative of the Wisconsin Association of Sporting Dogs couldnt be reached.
One required vaccine and three recommended vaccines for preteens will be offered at no charge in a pilot project this fall at two Madison middle schools.

The Tdap vaccine, which guards against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough), is required for students beginning sixth grade (11- and 12-year-olds), while vaccines for meningitis, HPV and influenza are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.

The pilot project will administer free vaccinations at Toki and Sherman middle schools in September and October, Public Health Madison and Dane County said Tuesday.

The program is a collaboration of Public Health, the Madison School District, UW-Madisons Carbone Cancer Center, the Dane County Immunization Coalition and Culvers restaurants.

By bringing the vaccines to where the students are, were hoping to increase immunization rates and ensure the students are protected from six preventable diseases, said PHMDC immunization coordinator Diane McHugh.

The vaccines at Toki and Sherman will be administered during normal school hours. Parents of students at those two schools will get consent forms in the mail, if the students arent already signed up to get the vaccines.

The school district said a third of all incoming sixth-graders dont have the required Tdap vaccination.

Parents of students not attending those schools can check the Wisconsin Immunization Registry or with their healthcare provider to see if the vaccines are needed.

For more information about what vaccines are required for students, go to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services website at www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/immunization/reqs.htm.
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It was from out in the peaceful country in Lawrence, Kansas last week, and before the tenth show on their current U.S. run, where vocalist John Baizley sat down to contemplate his last few years.

With the four-piece storming Australia in December, it was the perfect time for the frontman to reflect on just how far Baroness have come since appearing at Soundwave two years ago.

I think since that particular tour, we really have come leaps and bounds ahead of where we were then. At that point, we felt very confident and now with the new record (Purple) and having toured pretty consistently since its come out The tours are going really well, and as a band weve really become more cohesive than I anticipated.

Baizleys surprise stems from the heavy uncertainty surrounding the band when their tour bus crashed back in 2012, injuring nine on board and leaving three members in hospital for almost two weeks. Still suffering permanent nerve damage and with sizeable metal plates in his arm, the vocalist reflects on having to medicating with painkillers, and struggling with the temptation to overdose earlier on in his recovery.

Everybodys got a history, and I have one. Its not something Im particularly proud of, and itll be a weight on my shoulders for the rest of my life. But currently its not as much of an issue as it has been over the rollercoaster ride of the past four years. Things dont necessarily get easier in terms of what I wake up feeling, but I have no choice but to get used to it. Theres a variety of ways of treating it and Ive tried them all Im just trying to be responsible, a decent person and to not lose myself in the situation Ive been dealt.

While the ordeal was too much for former drummer Allen Blickle and ex-bassist Matt Maggioni, Baizley has never given up on Baroness, and the musician bluntly drops an analogy that continues to resonate with him.

What I believe happened was that we were injured on our way to work, just like anybody else out there goes through. If youre a carpenter on the way to a job site, you get in a car accident and can recover, youre not going to quit being a carpenter. So even though everything became much more difficult and will remain so, that didnt lessen my drive to push forward. In fact, the record for me was a rehabilitation process, proving to myself and myself only that it was possible when there were initially doubts. I didnt know if it was going to come out alright, but we just worked hard. It wasnt always easy, but there was never any dip in our interest in our music, even with our new lineup.

Every night on tour, we play every song from that record, and Im proud that we made it.

Here Baizley is referring to Baroness fourth effort released last year, a profound resurgence for a group left broken and scarred. Making the record wasnt only a chance for the four-piece to make a musical statement, but for the highly creative Baizley to work alongside model Hattie Watson on the album cover.

Watson stated that the frontman gave her free reign to do what she wanted, and Baizley whole-heartedly agrees that it ended up matching his own vision.

The initial idea for the artwork was fairly ambitious. Before we had anything, there was the idea that I could do this thing where we could split it into four quadrants and each one would stand as its own unique piece. At the time I thought it was a cool idea and that I could do anything, but the reality of it was daunting to say the least. There are some guidelines that I have with making art, one of which is that I work from life. So the idea that Id have to find four models and have them interact in some way wasnt realistic.

When I was working with Hattie, it became obvious immediately that she could adapt to the role of four people simultaneously. I said Youre just going to have to pretend that there are other versions of you that youre interacting with.

It took a phenomenal amount of work and research, but thats no different to anything else that I do, so I was very happy with it. Its easily my favourite piece.

Purple is also the first album to feature newer members Nick Jost (bass) and Sebastian Thomson (drums), making their live debut in mid-2013 on the bands first US headlining tour since the accident. According to Baizley, it was those horrific circumstances which gave their shows new life.

I think the most interesting and obvious thing to me thats happened this past three or four years through touring is Ive seen a marked difference in the attitude, energy and enthusiasm of our audience There now has become this elevated sense of positivity that people have and when that exists in a room, it drives us further. Thats a goal that you can really set out to achieve, its there or its not, and those nights that it is were thrilled.

Weve seen the gender gap narrow, the age gap broaden, and theres just a wider variety of fans. With our mindset being that we want to be highly inclusive in what we do, I think our new record and the one before that stands the testament that weve written music that is so.

Its that solidarity between the fans and the band alike that has kept the guys pushing on, and Baizley maintains that the mark of any decent group of people, and especially with the way we do things, is that everybodys looking out for everybody else. Thats the cornerstone of our band.

The type of music that we play and the way we devote ourselves to it requires full commitment from everybody, and part of that is that we genuinely have love for one another. With any relationship, if people dont have your back, youre not in a good situation. So Pete (Adams, guitar) and I made sure we reassembled our band, crew and team with people who had that mindset.

Something that never factored into that mindset was wanting to make a living out of playing music. In fact, considering this Baizley admits that part was sort of a symptom of our passion for doing this. The initial idea that we had, and this was like six lineups ago, was that we could use the band as a creative outlet where we could express ourselves in any form we wanted.

That has never changed, and I think the fact that it hasnt is surprising for me, because everything else in life tends to change. But if you can retain passion for something and for that long Its just nice that something can be stable and positive.

Baroness are a must-see when they take their latest album live on tour with them in December, alive and stronger than ever before.

BARONESS AUSTRALIAN TOUR

Tickets available through Live Nation
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are currently in Europe spreading the good word about how awesome they are. You may have caught them spreading circle pits around Portugal recently.

Their latest stop was the iconic Reading & Leeds festivals, where the Melbourne psychedelic collective received a similarly rapturous reception from the crowd.

It may have even rivalled that of headliners Red Hot Chili Peppers, whose set King Gizzard managed to catch, as evidenced by their latest piece of awesome social media footage.

In the clip, which you can check out below, members from the King Gizz crew singalong passionately to RHCPs classic Under The Bridge or they could just be mocking the band.
Earlier this month we did a countdown of 12 Australian-made albums that we felt were a little (or a lot) underrated. The albums that maybe got a harsher response than they deserved or whose brilliance was overlooked.

It got us thinking about all the Aussie albums that were in fact critically acclaimed or well-received and even commercially successful upon release, but rarely get played or even mentioned today.

These are the albums that were coming through everybodys speakers a few years ago, but youll rarely hear on triple j, your mates iPod, or see in the lists of the greatest Aussie albums, even though you really should.
Abbe May has hit out at Facebooks censorship of the title of her new album, Bitchcraft. Taking, somewhat ironically, to social media, May explained the censorship goes against the very purpose of the album and its title.

Ah, the irony of having to censor the album title to Bcraft or BC or B-craft on Facebook to avoid being blocked from updating your feeds when the album title is all about reclaiming the term B*tch and not accepting it as an insult, May writes.

My whole point is that A b*tch is disliked and oppressed because she/he is powerful. She/he does what she / he feels is necessary without concern for being seen as nice and passive. I do understand why FB has filtered the word.

Theres a lot of people out there using the term in a hateful fashion and I would love to see less of that for certain. Im kinda liking the idea of the album being referred to as BC online perhaps its follow up could be AD. and finally  i just feel a huge need to say ERMERGERD BERCHCRERFT!!!!!

Back in March, fellow Aussie musos The Living End and Josh Pyke hit out at Facebook after changes to the social media platforms news feed algorithm severely impacted the reach of both bands, which made it harder for fans to see their posts.

Ive noticed that if I post a picture of me feeding a Giraffe, 600 likes. A picture of me and some mates on a couch, 400 likes. Thats cool, [I] totally appreciate that. BUT, if I post a link to a FREE song download, 18 likes. OR a post about potentially GIVING away $7500, 78 likes. I dont get it, wrote Pyke.

Abbe May National Tour Dates

Thursday, 17th November 2016

Newtown Social Club, Sydney

Friday, 18th November 2016

Transit Bar, Canberra

Saturday, 19th November 2016

Rad Bar, Wollongong

Thursday, 24th November 2016

Northcote Social Club, Melbourne

Friday, 25th November 2016

The Grand Hotel, Mornington

Saturday, 26th November 2016

Queenscliff Music Festival, Queenslciff

Friday, 2nd December 2016

The Workers Club, Geelong

Saturday, 3rd December 2016

The Grace Emily, Adelaide

Friday, 9th December 2016

The Beach Hotel, Byron Bay

Saturday, 10th December 2016

The Bearded Lady, Brisbane

Friday, 16th December 2016

Jack Rabbit Slims, Perth
Sly Schools Frank . . .

An interesting bit of Kansas City Insider perspective on the political component of the Jackson County female inmate rape and sex assault story . . .Something that went immensely underreported and downplayed in the MSM was that the City of Kansas City pulled ALL of its female inmates out of the county jail because theyany longer!!Just let that sink in for a moment.So while Sly was publicly playing nice with Frank via joint happy talk press releases designed to duck their responsibility and ownership of this disaster, the City's actions were speakinglouder than those hollow words as Troy Schulte moved ALL of their female inmates to Platte County.The delicious insider backstory to this power move by Sly and the City is that Sly was allowed to have it both ways and he flat out politically schooled the no-longer-can-claim-he's-new County Exec. He was able to publicly play nice, but privately get Schulte to stab White deep in the back and twist the knife with the City's public shaming of the County's new and historic heights of incompetence under his leadership. Insiders know that; They see him as a political rival; and, Team Sly have simply delighted in this new and major misstep for White. Even worse for Frank is thatat the County has figured out that the Sly James Administration has a highly placed mole on his staff. Frank's star is falling quicker then anyone anticipated.##############You decide . . .
THERE'S A GREAT DEAL OF COMMUNITY OUTRAGE AS WORD OF SKETCHY HICKMAN MILLES RESIDENCY PROPOSITION SPREADS AROUND THE COMMUNITY!!!!

"While I continue to own, maintain, and pay taxes on that house, I am no longer living within district boundaries. It is my intention - and my desire - to remain on the board through the remainder of my current term, which ends in April 2017. I also believe it is permissible for me to do so. To my knowledge, there are no Missouri ordinances that address the requirement that a sitting board member maintain district residence . . . "'

"The Hickman Mills school board believes that they can allow a member who moves out of the district to continue to serve. Dan Osman has moved outside the district but intends to complete his term. I am not aware that a person who does not reside in a school district can serve on its board of directors. The HMSB apparently thinks that continuous residency is not a requirement and that they have the authority to allow him to serve until his term expires. Unbelievable."

FIRST ON TKC: EXPECT A LEGAL BATTLE IF OSMAN REMAINS ON THE SCHOOL BOARD AS OBJECTION OVER HIS OUT OF DISTRICT TENURE GROWS AMONG PARENTS AND TEACHERS WHO ARE HELD TO TOUGH DISTRICT RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS!!!

Controversy continues to plague the Hickman Mills School District as the sordid topic of residency remains a question among leaders.Accordingly . . .A school board member recently wrote . . .The response . . .Accordingly . . .Developing . . .
Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) has welcomed brand new country house hotel Pale Hall into its collection of exclusive, independently-owned hotels around the world.

This will be SLHs first hotel in Wales and joins alongside 33 other SLH hotels within the United Kingdom. Pale Hall will open to guests on 1 September 2016. Pale Hall, a 19th-century Grade II-listed country home, is situated on the edge of Snowdonia National Park in North Wales. Built in 1871 by Henry Robertson, a well-known railway engineer, the manor house has played host to the likes of Winston Churchill and Queen Victoria.

The hotels new owners, Alan and Angela Harper, have lovingly restored its 18 bedrooms and suites giving each one its own identity and style with Zoffany furnishings and William Morris prints. Every guestroom offers picturesque views of the rural Welsh landscape and guests can enjoy country walks from Pale Halls prime position.

Invaluable expertise

Well-loved British Chef, Michael Caines has teamed up with the Harpers bringing his invaluable expertise to the development of the food and beverage offering at Pale Hall, ensuring that fine dining is at the heart of the hotel.

Taking the helm in the kitchen is Head Chef Gareth Stevenson, who has held positions as the Head Chef at Abode in Chester, and has worked at Gordon Ramsays Maze and with Caines at Gidleigh Park. The three dining areas  New Hotel Pale Hall in Wales Joins Small Luxury Hotels of the World the grand Henry Robertson dining room, the Venetian-themed dining room and the intimate Library  will serve breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, each with a unique feel.

Daniel Luddington, Vice President of Development at Small Luxury Hotels of the World, says: Pale Hall perfectly matches all that SLH prides itself on  independently-minded owners who have poured their heart and soul into creating their dream hotel. The hotels rich history, passionate owners and stunning Snowdonian setting gives it a fascinating story to tell. Pale Hall is a true Welsh gem that we are very much looking forward to promoting.

Alan and Angie Harper the owners of Pale Hall, say: We are delighted to have been welcomed into the Small Luxury Hotels fold. Small and independently owned luxury hotels with their own character is their speciality and we feel we fit perfectly within their portfolio.

Read more here.

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Turkey is predicted to suffer the hardest with bookings for September to December this year

Struggling terrorist-hit destinations will continue to see a fall in international visitors, flight booking data suggests, according to ttgmedia.com.

Turkey is predicted to suffer the hardest with bookings for September to December this year expected to be down by 52% compared with the same period in 2015 - while reservations to France are down by around 20% for the same period.

Travel data compiled by Forward Keys for Radio 4s You and Yours programme also suggests that due to travellers terrorism fears, Spain, Portugal and Italy are the favoured substitute destinations in southern Europe, the BBC reported.

Research found that during the first seven months of 2016, seat capacity to Spain from the UK increased by 19% compared with the same period a year earlier, while capacity to Germany and Portugal both increased by 12%.

Paris attacks

According to Forward Keys, the decline in international arrivals to France was triggered by the Charlie Hebdo shooting in January 2015 and has worsened since the Paris attacks last November.

As a result, the destination suffered an accumulated year-on-year decrease of 5.4% between August 2015 and July 2016, with Paris itself suffering a decline of 7.5% over the same period.

Similarly, bookings to Turkey fell by 15% between August 2015 and July 2016 compared with the same period last year, which Forward Keys attributed to the country experiencing a series of terror attacks and Julys failed coup.

Forward Keys co-founder Olivier Jager, said: "Travellers create a situation when they decide to visit alternative destinations.

"Operators and airlines decide to use their aircraft for other routes that allow them to fill their planes."

Decline in popularity

However, Forward Keys data for Tunisia suggests the destination is starting to recover after a decline in popularity off the back of the Sousse attack in 2015, with figures suggesting the number of international visitors heading to the destination for the coming quarter is up by 13% compared with the equivalent period last year.

The statistics echo figures from the Tunisian Tourist Board which show a rise in the number of visitors from Algeria and Russia  with the number of Russian tourists visiting Tunisia between July 2014 and July 2016 doubling from 63,054 to 131,434, while the number of Algerian tourists has tripled from 65,000 to 194,370 over the same period.

Jager added: "We see a slight improvement in terms of bookings, which have increased by 13% for the period September to December.

"Thats comparing demand last year with demand this year and because demand last year was very weak 13% is not great. However, it is going up, so there is hope for Tunisian destinations."

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 Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) announced Monday that the first charter flights to Turkey will be made on Sept. 2, adding that approximately 15 Russian companies are now ready to start charter flights, indicating that there has been a considerable increase in the demand for such flights to Turkey.

As soon as the draft legislation allowing charter flights to Turkey to resume was signed by the Russian government on Sunday, Russian tour operators began preparing to put tour packages to Turkey on sale. ATOR representatives also expressed that the association expects the flow of Russian tourists into Turkey to be moderate compared to peak season months, since the vacation season is about to come to an end.

The announcement also touched upon the lower cost of charter-flight tour packages, which are expected to drop by 20 to 30 percent, adding that the cost of such tour packages will be heavily dependent on the approach taken by Turkish hoteliers regarding hotel pricing.

On the other hand, Russia's travel ban has caused Turkey's tourism industry to lose what some estimate to be billions of dollars. The number of Russian tourists travelling to Turkey dropped by 93 percent compared to one year earlier. In early August, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoganmet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg to mend relations between the two countries, which lead to an agreement being reached for the resuming of charter flights between the countries.

This development caused a stir in the Turkish tourism sector. Turkish Hoteliers' Federation (TUROFED) President Osman Ayk said that once charter flights resume, between 300,000 and 500,000 Russian tourists will visit Turkey annually. Pointing out that these numbers cannot be evaluated until an eight-to-nine month period has past, Ayk said approximately 350,000 Russian tourists have come to Turkey by charter flights so far, adding that this number could reach 800,000 by the end of the year.

An important step in 2017

Stressing that a charter permit is an important step for 2017, Ayk said tour operators can easily prepare. "It is really important to us that this permit be granted before plans for the next year are made. Our goal for 2017 is to catch up to the numbers for 2015." In 2015, 3.65 million Russian tourists came to Turkey.

On the other hand, relations between Russia and Turkey were previously frozen in November 2015 after Turkish jets downed a Russian Su-24 bomber near the Syrian border for violating Turkish airspace. Russia took harsh steps in the wake of this, imposing economic sanctions on Turkey, including a ban on tour packages and charter flights to Turkey.

President Erdogan sent a letter to Putin to celebrate Russia Day, the national holiday of the Russian Federation. The letter was considered to be an important step towards normalization of ties between the two countries. Then, in late June, Putin signed a decree lifting restrictions on Russian tour firms working in Turkey, also eliminating other sanctions that had been put in place after the Russian jet crisis. Moreover, Erdogan brought up the issue of the resumption of charter flights to Turkey during the meeting he held with Putin in St. Petersburg on Aug. 9.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Cyprus and Egypt are set to sign an agreement on Wednesday, dealing with the transport of natural gas through a pipeline

Cyprus and Egypt are set to sign an agreement on Wednesday, dealing with the transport of natural gas through a pipeline, reports said on Tuesday.

Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis will be meeting with Egypts Oil and Natural Reserves Minister Tarek El Molla at the ministry, where they will sign the agreement on transporting the natural gas through a pipeline running through Cyprus and Egypts Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ).

In the meantime, the Parliament Committee on Energy is expected to meet with Lakkotrypis more often to coordinate on the important issues dealing with Cyprus natural reserves.

On Tuesday the Committee was informed on by Lakkotrypis on the critical issues dealing with the exploitation of the hydrocarbon reserves in the islands EEZ.

After the meeting, the head of the Committee, Aggelos Votsis said that the discussion with the Energy Minister was productive, which will be repeated every 2-3 months, so that the Committee is in complete coordination with the Minister on the issues.

Development plans

Votsis added that the Committee was informed on the development plans for the Aphrodite field in block 12 of Cyprus EEZ and on the third licensing round, which he called encouraging and very substantial.

MP Andreas Kyprianou has said that the information session with Lakkotrypis has cleared up that there is no connection between the exploitation of natural gas and the Cyprus problem.

Kyprianou, a DISY MP, has said that the party is satisfied with the interest in the third licensing round and the cooperation with Egypt on the Aphrodite reserves.

AKEL MP Costas Costa has said that his party welcomed the interest that the energy companies showed in the third licensing round, adding that the agreement to be signed between Egypt in Cyprus is important, and a party reaction is expected after the agreement has been reviewed.

Costa said that the party has also suggested to the Energy Minister that a Natural Gas Liquefaction terminal is created in Cyprus to allow the country to become an energy hub in the region.

Source: CNA

Read more here.

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European Parliament President Martin Schulz will be visiting Turkey amid criticism on Ankaras post-coup policy from European parliamentarians, reports said on Tuesday.

Specifically, a press release from the EU said that Schulz will be visiting Ankara on Thursday to speak with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey has come under the fire of the EU, however, as there are growing concerns from MEPs on the respect of human rights and the rule of law, following a coup attempt on July 15, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament reported on Tuesday.

According to a report released after their meeting, MEPs assessed the results of last weeks fact-finding mission to Turkey by the committee chair and rapporteur and stressed the need for constant monitoring.

Turkey has gone through a shock. There are indications that since 2013, the Gulen movement put into motion more than was realised. This is a group which over the decades has developed the style of a secret alliance, said Foreign Affairs committee chair Elmar Brok, from Germany.

He confirmed that during the visit, the EP delegation condemned the coup attempt, but said that even before the coup detat in Turkey, developments as regards the freedom of opinion were not acceptable and took Turkey farther away from EU.

Traumatic effect

Turkey rapporteur Kati Piri, MEP from the Netherlands, emphasised that the traumatic effect of the coup attempt on Turkish society should not be underestimated. She referred to the shelling of the Turkish parliament, the arrest of journalists and the killing of more than 200 civilians. But the aftermath of the coup attempt involved the arrest of thousands of people [...] who definitely were not involved in the coup, she added. The rule of law, including access to lawyers and fair trials, must be respected and this will be a crucial test for democracy in Turkey, said Piri.

Many MEPs agreed that the EU should monitor the rule of law and human rights situation in Turkey more closely, some asking for clearer evidence that the Gulen movement was behind the coup.

Despite the criticism on Turkey from the rapporteur and the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee, some MEPs, an announcement said, suggested chapters 24 and 24 of the accession should be opened.

The chapters regard justice, free, and security, and are both still blocked by Cyprus, as the island needs Turkey to normalise relations.

MEPs have suggested that the chapters needed to be opened as it would facilitate a dialogue with Ankara, the announcement mentioned.

An important number of MEPs said that although they supported the EU-Turkey migration deal, the European Parliament could only give the green light to the visa liberalisation, which is part of the deal, once all of the 72 benchmarks have been met.

Criticism from Cyprus

Costas Mavrides, a member of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, has said: The objective finding that the political situation for democracy in Turkey has become worse every year and has become even worse since the coup attempt, has revealed the unsuccessful EU policy towards Turkey, and highlights that there is a need for change.

The MEP has said that the new policy he hope would arise towards Ankara would bring results and not failures.

In regards to the situation, Mavrides has mentioned that the EU cannot keep sticking to the same recipe with Turkey, but rather a new line needs to be adopted that serves the European interests.

Mavrides has said that the EU interests should include the removal of Turkeys troops from Cyprus occupied areas and moving forward the obligations Turkey has towards the EU, in relation to justice in a modern society.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Kuwait-based Burgan Bank today announced the launch of the travel festival campaign which has been tailored for all Burgan Bank card holders to enjoy an additional 10 per cent discount on 'Travel Festival' offer from Qatar Airways Holidays.

Qatar Airways Holidays' Travel Festival offer holidaygoers upto 15 per cent off on all hotel and flight packages, as well as triple Qmiles and the chance to win incredible promotional prizes. Burgan Bank customers will be able to enjoy an addtional 10 per cent on the Travel Festival offer.



To avail the offer, customers are required to book their tickets before September, 5, and the travelling dates should be between September 15 and June 30, 2017. To place the bookings, customers can log onto qatarairways.com/travelfestival and use the applicable promo code.



To find out more about Burgan Banks latest offers, or any of its products and services, customers can visit any of the banks branches, or contact the call center on 1804080. - TradeArabia News Service
I am Kerry Burgess. This is what I think.
Saudi Arabia signed 15 preliminary agreements with China on Tuesday in sectors from energy to housing on a trip headed by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aimed at bolstering relations with a top energy customer and trade partner.



The visit is part of a broad reform drive championed by the powerful prince to cut the kingdom's reliance on oil exports and showcase Saudi Arabia as a dynamic international nation with diverse

promising opportunities for global investors.



Prince Mohammed met China's vice premier Zhang Gaoli on Tuesday, state news agency SPA

reported.



"During the meeting, the strategic relationships and future opportunities to enhance the existing

partnership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and China were reviewed," SPA said.



Fifteen memorandums of understanding (MoU) were later signed between the two nations in

different fields including oil storage, water resources, cooperation on science and technology, and

cultural cooperation, SPA said.



In April, Prince Mohammed launched radical economic reforms designed to develop non-oil

industries in Saudi Arabia and attract billions of dollars of foreign investment. Chinese and

Japanese banks and companies are expected to play major roles.



Prince Mohammed arrived in China on Monday for talks on economic ties as well as security

issues. He will then visit Japan from August 31 to September 3, meeting Prime Minister Shinzo

Abe.



From Japan, the prince will return to China to chair Saudi Arabia's delegation to the September 4

-5 summit of leaders of the world's 20 biggest economies in the eastern city of Hangzhou.

A Saudi source familiar with the trip said Prince Mohammed would present to the G20 his

economic reform plan, which envisages state spending of around SR270 billion ($72 billion)

in the next five years on projects to diversify the economy.



Prince Mohammed's father, King Salman, led the Saudi delegation to last year's G20 summit in

Turkey. Heading this year's delegation would be a fresh political boost for the 31-year-old prince,

who rose to prominence when his father took the throne in January 2015.



Saudi officials will also discuss energy cooperation agreements with Japan, the Saudi cabinet said

last week.



Saudi Arabia has traditionally accounted for most of Asia's crude imports, but the world's largest

oil exporter has lost ground in a number of major markets including Russia and China, and faces

a further threat from Iran, which is ramping up exports after the removal of Western sanctions.



Under Prince Mohammed's economic reforms, Riyadh plans to sell a stake of less than 5 percent

in national oil giant Saudi Aramco that could be worth tens of billions of dollars, and Chinese and

Japanese money could prove crucial in smoothing the sale. - Reuters
Iran and France have signed a co-operation pact on water management, said a report.



The deal was signed by Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian and French Environment Minister Segolene Royal during a meeting in Tehran recently, reported the Iran Daily.



"Iran and France have agreed to cooperate on joint investments to construct modern systems needed for water management," Chitchian was quoted as saying in the report.



The minister also revealed that it has reached similar agreements with Sweden and South Africa.



The memorandum of understanding (MoU) dealt with cooperation in water resources management, water qualification, treatment, demand, efficient usage, development of resources, industrial equipment, research and renovation, as well as waste water treatment, it added.
Bahrain's non-oil foreign trade posted a deficit of BD177 million ($468.5 million) during July 2016, according to the kingdom's Information & eGovernment Authority.



The total value of imports reached BD326 million ($864.7 million) during July 2016, said a statement from the authority. The value of exports was BD121 million ($320 million) and re-exports amounted to BD27 million ($71.6 million).



The top 10 countries accounted for 65 per cent of the imports and 35 per cent was from other countries, it said.



China ranked top exporter to Bahrain with BD41 million ($108.7 million), the UAE ranked second with BD29 million ($76.9 million), while the US ranked third with BD23 million ($61.01 million), it added.



Aluminum oxide emerged as the top product imported to Bahrain with a value of BD20 million ($53.05 million), while the four-wheel drive cars came in second with BD16 million ($42.4 million). Sedan vehicles were the third most imported product with BD10 million ($26.5 million) during July 2016.



The value of the national origin exported products reached BD121 million ($320 million) during the month.



The top 10 countries accounted for 84 per cent of the exports and 16 per cent went to other countries.



Saudi Arabia ranked first among the countries importing from Bahrain with BD30 million ($79.5 million) worth of goods. US ranked second with BD25 million ($66.3 million) and UAE came third with BD18 million ($47.7 million).



Rectangular alloyed aluminium plates emerged as the top product exported from Bahrain with a value of BD17 million ($45.1 million), aluminium wires was the second item with BD17 million ($45.1 million), while agglomerated iron ores and concentrates took the third spot with BD14 million ($37.1 million) during July 2016.



The value of re-exports reached BD27 million ($71.6 million) during July 2016. Top 10 countries accounted for 92 per cent of the re-export value and 8 per cent went to the other countries.



Saudi Arabia ranked as the first country to re-export from Bahrain with BD13 million ($34.4 million), UAE ranked second with BD4 million ($10.6 million), and Egypt ranked third with BD2 million ($5.3 million).



Four-wheel drive cars emerged as the top product re-exported from Bahrain with BD2 million ($5.3 million). - TradeArabia News Service
Iran is in talks with companies from Norway, the Netherlands and the UK which have applied for research studies on the Caspian Sea gas and oil fields, a report said.



However, no contract has yet been signed, Gholamreza Manouchehri, deputy head of National Iranians Oil Company (NIOC) was quoted as saying in the Iran Daily report, which cited Irna.



NIOC, which is conducting projects to launch oil and gas exploration activities in the Caspian Sea, has offered several investment projects to international oil firms, the report said.



Manouchehri said that more hydrocarbon reserves are likely to be explored in the offshore SardarJangal field in northern Iran as rigs have been installed in the second well of the Caspian Sea reservoir.



Separately, the newspaper reported that Iran is negotiating with Italian energy firm Eni on investing in Shiraz Pars Refinery project, quoting Iran's deputy oil minister.



Talks are underway with Eni on cooperation and investment in the gas condensate refinery project, said Abbas Kazemi who also heads the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company, the report said, citing Mehr News Agency.
Lights illuminate the MahaNakhon skyscraper during the light show to celebrate its completion of the tallest building in Bangkok, Thailand on August 29. The 77-floor of 314 meters height MahaNakhon skyscraper is Bangkok's tallest building consisting a luxury hotel, residences services, retail business as well as bars and restaurants. EPA/Rungroj Yongrit


Qatar Airways Holidays, the leisure division of Qatar Airways, has launched its second Travel Festival, offering travellers discounted rates and promotional prizes.



The Travel Festival, which runs from August 29 to September 5, offers travellers up to 15 per cent discount on all hotel and flight packages, as well as triple Qmiles and the chance to win incredible promotional prizes.



Customers who book a getaway with Qatar Airways Holidays during the offer period will also have the chance to win one of five pairs of Qatar Airways Economy Class return tickets, together with a dream three-night stay at The Intercontinental Hotel Amsterdam, Dallas or Geneva, the Soaltee Crowne Plaza Kathmandu or The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur.



Members of Qatar Airways Privilege Club will gain even more benefits during the Travel Festival, as they will receive triple Qmiles on their flight booking and extra bonus miles for hotel package bookings with Qatar Airways Holidays. GCC residents need to register on qmiles.com by selecting the offer from the Offer Registration Menu, and book online on qatarairwaysholidays.com to be able to receive additional Qmiles.

As well as benefiting from the Travel Festivals phenomenal prices, travellers also have the chance to win special prizes throughout the eight-day event. More than 600 prizes will be given away throughout the festival, with highlights including a pair of around the world air travel tickets in collaboration with Qatar Airways and oneworld, and the chance to win a pair of tickets to attend Qatar Airways-sponsored FC Barcelona matches, as well as signed football jerseys. Complimentary upgrades will also be awarded, giving travellers the opportunity to experience the Worlds Best Business Class service. Free Economy Class flights for travel on the airlines global network will also be up for grabs, as well as five Qatar Airways Holiday packages, shopping vouchers to spend in Qatar Duty Free and much more.



Qatar Airways chief commercial officer Dr Hugh Dunleavy said: Qatar Airways Holidays offers great value year-round on package deals, and during the Travel Festival there are even more benefits and incredible offers for holiday makers. Customers will book flight and hotel packages with up to 15 per cent discount, and they will get an opportunity to win fantastic prizes. Furthermore, Privilege Club members will be rewarded with incredible Qmiles incentives. Qatar Airways Holidays offers all inclusive, last minute and early bird deals to more than 1,500 exciting destinations around the world, as well as holiday extras such as car rental, tours and activities and airport transfers.



The Travel Festival offers are applicable for travel between Spetember 15 and June 2017, and are available on bookings to destinations across the world.

Offers available throughout the Travel Festival will be applicable on Economy and Business Class return airfares to the more than 150 destinations worldwide that Qatar Airways flies to, including in the Middle East, Europe, East Asia, Indian Sub-continent, Asia Pacific, and Africa.



To take advantage of these deals, customers can visit www.qatarairwaysholidays.com/travelfestival or one of eight Qatar Airways Holidays shops located across the GCC. - TradeArabia News Service
Thailand is hoping to boost arrivals from the Middle East with the opening of a its first halal hotel in Bangkok.



Nearly 30 million foreign tourists came to Thailand last year but only about 658,000 were from the Middle East, according to industry data.



The four-star Al Meroz hotel in Bangkok, which opened in November, hopes to play its part in changing that, and to cash in.



"There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. It's a huge market," said the hotel's general manager, Sanya Saengboon.



"Just one per cent of that market is enough for us to thrive."



The Al Meroz, which boasts mosque-like architecture, has two prayer rooms and three halal dining halls.



Rooms cost from THB4,000 ($115.3) all the way up to THB50,000 ($1,442.2) a night, said Saengboon.



A guest at the hotel, Aamir Fazal, 28, a security officer from Australia, said access to a halal hotel was a comfort to Muslim travelers in Thailand where halal food can be hard to find.



"It's a really nice experience. It's the first halal hotel here and I find that amazing," said Fazal.



Eager to tap into a growing Muslim tourist market, Thailand launched a mobile application last year which helps tourists search for halal eateries and Muslim-friendly attractions.



Parts of Thailand's south, near the border with Muslim Malaysia, are majority Muslim.



Thailand saw a 10 per cent increase in arrivals from the Middle East in 2015 compared with 2014, data from the Department of Tourism showed. - Reuters
With the aim of spreading awareness on healthy living among its staff, ART Rotana, the five star luxury hotel located in the heart of Amwaj in Bahrain, hosted a Health Awareness Day for its employees in cooperation with Bahrain Specialist Hospital.



Employees were treated to a complimentary medical lecture by a Bahrain Specialist Hospital Consultant on Internal Medicine, as well as receiving complimentary medical screening and check-ups that included blood sugar tests, blood pressure, height and weight, among others.



On behalf of ART Rotana, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Bahrain Specialist Hospital for cooperating with us in hosting a Health Awareness Day for our employees, said Patrice Cornee, resident manager at ART Rotana.



Health is a societal responsibility, and this is just our simple gesture to giving back to our employees who have continuously toiled to deliver the quality service that ART Rotana provides to its customers, he further added.



Participants also received discounted vouchers for follow-up check-ups at the Bahrain Specialist Hospital. - TradeArabia News Service
Asia-Pacific delivered strong passenger traffic growth in June 2016 at +9.9% whereas Middle East grew at +3.4%, a slower pace reflecting the timing of Ramadan. For the first half of 2016 (H1), both regions maintained strength and generated an increase of +8.8% from last year.

Asia-Pacific delivered strong passenger traffic growth in June 2016 at +9.9% whereas Middle East grew at +3.4%, a slower pace reflecting the timing of Ramadan. For the first half of 2016 (H1), both regions maintained strength and generated an increase of +8.8% from last year.

For passenger traffic in the Asia-Pacific, India continued its growth trajectory and sturdy domestic demand enabled significant gains in many of its airports in H1. Top runners include: Bangalore (BLR) +21.6%, Delhi (DEL) +21.5% and Hyderabad (HYD) +19.3%. In China, growth was led by Hangzhou (HGH) +13%, Kunming (KMG) +10.7% and Shanghai Pudong (PVG) +10.5%. Elsewhere in the region, passenger traffic in South Korea recovered from a sharp drop following the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in May 2015 and many airports generated large gains in June 2016. For instance, at Incheon (ICN), international and domestic passengers spiked +41.9% and +34.3% respectively in June 2016 alone. For the year-to-date, Busan (PUS) +23.6%, Jeju (CJU) +15.6% and Incheon (ICN) +13.7% delivered the highest increase in South Korea from last year.

In the Middle East, Doha (DOH) and Muscat (MCT) were in leading positions reporting passenger traffic growth at +20.2% and +17.5% respectively for H1.

In terms of air freight, despite global trade growth remaining sluggish, in June 2016 Asia-Pacific and Middle East generated increase at +5.9% and +5.5% respectively. For the year to date, the result is mixed: Asia-Pacific grew marginally at +1% whereas Middle East maintained the momentum at +4.5%.

The top freight hubs in the Asia-Pacific delivered either mild increase or decline in H1: Hong Kong (HKG) -0.8%, Shanghai (PVG) +1.7% and Incheon (ICN) 0%. Among its peers, Delhi (DEL) +10.5% generated the highest growth in the region.

In the Middle East, while the largest hub Dubai (DXB) maintained solid growth in H1 at +4% and Doha (DOH) continued to expand at a fast pace at +20.4%, many airports in the region suffered a decline in air freight volume.

Airports reporting highest preliminary year-on-year traffic growth rates in H1 2016 1

ACI preliminary passenger and freight statistics are based on a significant sample of airports that provide regular monthly reports to ACI. They represent approximately 60% of total passenger traffic and 70% of total freight traffic worldwide. Commentary, tables and charts are based on preliminary data submitted by participating airports and are therefore subject to change. Size categories refer to the annual passenger traffic (in the last 12 months)

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 2022 Travel Industry Wire
Malaysia Airlines, today announces the appointment of Steven Bresh as its new Head of Leisure Sales.



(TRAVPR.COM) UNITED KINGDOM - August 30th, 2016 - Malaysia Airlines, today announces the appointment of Steven Bresh as its new Head of Leisure Sales. In this newly created role, Steven will initially oversee the strategic partnerships with UK tour operators.

Steven brings with him more than 20 years industry experience, and has held senior aviation roles at Kuoni, Tui Travel and Virgin Holidays.

Paul Simmons, Chief Commercial Officer at Malaysia Airlines said: We are delighted to be enhancing our UK sales team with the appointment of Steven. Having Steven on-board underlines the airline's commitment to strengthening our services from the UK to Malaysia and beyond.

Steven said, I am very proud to be joining Malaysia Airlines, a company that I have worked closely with in the past. I look forward to working with the whole of the UK sales team to further develop our key strategic trade partnerships. I am also thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce more UK travellers to Malaysia as a wonderful holiday destination.

He will be based in the Malaysia Airlines UK Headquarters in London.

-ENDS-

For further information, please contact Andrew McConnell: +44 7918122062

###
An exciting new opportunity has launched for visitors to Malawis Lower Shire Valley, with airboat tours of the little visited but unique and wildlife-rich Elephant Marsh.



(TRAVPR.COM) UK - August 30th, 2016 - An exciting new opportunity has launched for visitors to Malawis Lower Shire Valley, with airboat tours of the little visited but unique and wildlife-rich Elephant Marsh.

Elephant Marsh is part of the flood plain of the River Shire and an area of significant biodiversity. At its northern margins it is best classified as semi-permanent marshland. To the south it becomes a small lake and islands of salt are home to palms while the marsh supports a floating mat of vegetation (sudd) which grows so thick in places that boats are unable to penetrate it. In particularly wet seasons, when rainfall figures are high, the whole area may be under water. Although the elephant herds from which it took its name are long gone, hippos and crocodiles survive and the birdlife is amazing: fish eagles, storks, kingfishers, herons and countless other species will be seen even on a short visit.

Nyala Lodge, run by Jambo Africa in nearby Lengwe National Park, have been offering boat trips on the Marsh for a while, but are now responsible for operating a brand new airboat. The airboat, mv Elephant March Master, was custom-built by Aliboats in Botswana and has a flat bottomed aluminium hull making it perfect at crossing very shallow water and over soft vegetation and short sandbanks without causing damage to the water environment. Although it seats 12 passengers and has removable seats to enable it to carry cargo, for these trips there will be a maximum of 8 passengers plus skipper.

The boat is launched at Kaombe (1632'20.66"S 35 4'3.15"E) along an inlet water cannel approximately 1 km long which leads directly into the Elephant Marsh approximately 9 km south of the Chiromo Railway Bridge (1633'13.67"S 35 8'44.56"E). Most people prefer to stay the night at Nyala Lodge before their trip on the airboat, ready for an early start the following morning and sometimes stay after their trip. Kaombe is approximately 60 km from Nyala Lodge.

Current options are:

1-3 hours excursion for USD$210.00 (max. 8 people)

4-6 hours excursion for USD$315.00 (max. 8 people)

MV Elephant Marsh Master

Lengwe National Park and Elephant Marsh are key areas of focus within World Bank-funded Shire River Basin Management Program (SRBMP). Within this program Department of National Parks (DNPW) and Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DODMA) were each granted a boat for their various needs of use in the Elephant Marsh. DNPW, for research and protection and DODMA in the event of flooding as happened recently for rescue and aid distribution. The boat of choice by both departments was an airboat - the best craft to use in the Elephant Marsh. Unfortunately their independent budgets were insufficient for each department to purchase a boat large enough for their specific needs. They therefore combined their budgets to purchase one large boat that they could share.

Since it would not be in constant use by either department, and neither wished to waste such a resource by leaving it idle, the idea of a Public Partner Partnership came up. Jambo Africa already being directly involved in the Project through Lengwe National Park was selected as the official partner to provide marketing/booking tours and rentals of the boat and Agricane Ltd who have a sugar cane plantation in Kaombe on the shores of the Elephant Marsh was chosen to look after the Airboat and maintain it. As well as securing a sustainable future for the boat, a percentage of the proceeds collected for the airboat tours will be passed to a local community fund.

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Two structures are joined by a deck; one part on a solid foundation, the other on wheels to become a traveling studio and performance space.

There's no denying the allure of a tiny house on wheels, a home that can roll along to wherever work or wanderlust may lead. But there's also something to be said for a tiny house that rests on a foundation, which can feel more solid, well-built, spacious, and permanent.

And the debate between lovers of both is as lively as ever, and split pretty much down the middle.

Which is why the Amplified Tiny Home (also known as The Rocker), designed by Brian Crabb of Viva Collectiv, is so cool. It's a crowd favorite, for sure, but somehow we missed it the first time around.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Ready

The two-part abode has a mothership, of sorts, in a 400-square-foot tiny home that rests on a solid foundation, and then a 160-square-foot houselet on wheels that can be taken on the road.

And that's not all; the smaller structure is an actual amplifier, which homeowner Asha Mevlana, lead violinist for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, can use for concerts on the deck.

The larger section of the home is comprised of a kitchen, living room, bathroom, and bedroom. The portable part serves as a practice space and recording studio, soundproofed with recycled denim  the perfect package to take on the road while on tour.

Layout and Interior Design

Situated around an L-shaped deck that mimics the configuration of the two structures, the design is cozy and inviting, but with the potential to create separate (and quiet) private spaces  a rare commodity in most tiny homes.

The main living space has nice high ceilings and lovely light, thanks to clerestory windows and a garage door that lets the light in when closed, but also rolls up to create an airy indoor-outdoor space. The studio space has a similar garage door.

And there are some ingenious space-saving touches. Like the kitchen's upcycled bicycle pulley system to raise the pot rack to keep the cookware out of the way.

And check out what the coffee table is hiding!

The bathroom is behind the living space, in the corner of the "L," and behind that is a staircase leading to the bedroom loft. No scary ladders, here.

WIth ample space for entertaining and a setup that allows for engaging with the community combined with a design that also affords privacy, the Amplified Tiny Home has the best of both worlds. Not to mention the fact that when the road calls, the studio can serve as a rolling tiny home away from home.

Inspiring Journey to Tiny Living

You can see some great angles of the house in the video below. In it, Mevlana also talks about her journey to tiny living ... prepared to be inspired.

More at Viva Collectiv.
Jodhpur: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) India on Tuesday brought the Jeep brand in the country with the launch of two SUV models  Wrangler and Grand Cherokee. While the Wrangler is priced at Rs 71.59 lakh, the Grand Cherokee, which will be available in three variants, will be priced between Rs 93.64 lakh and Rs 1.12 crore (ex-showroom, Delhi). The Italian carmaker also announced its plans to start local production at Ranjangoan plant in Pune from the second quarter of next year.

Grand Cherokee comes in three variants  The Grand Cherokee SRT (Rs 1.12 crore), the 3-litre diesel powered Summit (Rs 1.03 crore) and the 3-litre, 8-speed diesel version Limited at Rs 93.64 lakh.

The India launch marks the 75 years of the iconic Jeep from Chrysler, which incidentally is also the inventor of the SUVs in the world, FCA India president and MD Kevin Flynn said.

The first outlet is live in Ahmedabad from today while New Delhi and Chennai will come in line next month. The Mumbai outlet will open in October, along with a second outlet in New Delhi, both before Diwali, followed by Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Kochi and Bengaluru, Flynn said. PTI
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan (retd)

The Kashmir Valley has been simmering for over seven weeks. Related debates have of late centred around the use of pellet guns. Their use in J&K was started after 2010, when to control the stone throwing crowds the security forces used conventional weapons and rubber bullets, resulting in over 100 fatalities. It was hoped that the non-lethal pellet guns would minimise the damage.

Cartridges are loaded with lead pellets, which are dispersed when fired. They dont follow a definite path. They are, in military terms, area weapons. Pellets penetrate the skins soft tissues. Eye being a delicate structure is particularly vulnerable. There is no merit in allegations that the security forces deliberately targeted the faces. Apart from the uncontrolled path of the pellets, not everyone in the crowd that is throwing stones is standing upright; some may be bending or crouching.

Search is reportedly on for non-lethal alternatives to pellets. An assortment of related technology is available. The crowd control devices span from microwave energy blasters and blinding laser beams to chemical agents and deafening sonic blasters. Today, with greater presence of the media, even the lawful application of force can be misrepresented or misunderstood. This puts extra cautionary restraint on the security forces in using their weapons.

Some of the current developments in this field need mention:

Invisible pain ray: It is akin to an open-air microwave oven, sending out a focused beam of electromagnetic radiation to the target. The nearly 130 degrees F temperature it generates causes burning sensation, forcing those in its path to flee. However, the device produces second and third-degree burns and its 2-metre diameter beam covers the entire human body surface and may be life threatening.

Laser blinding dazzler: This is a huge laser. It temporarily blinds or dazzles the target, causing disorientation. The risk of permanent blindness yet requires further experimentation to gain a full understanding of its safety, effectiveness, and limitations.

TaserX12: It fires a Taser projectile round from a 12-bore gun. It delivers the same neuro-muscular incapacitation bio-effect (simply put, an electric shock) up to 100 feet. Semi-automatic fire is part of its future development, which will permit reload of up to five rounds in less than two seconds. Another project of Taser aims at blanketing a large area with electrified darts, and a wireless Taser projectile with a 100-metre range, helpful in picking off ringleaders in unruly crowds. However, Amnesty International has flagged that 351 Taser-related deaths occurred in the US between June 2001 and August 2008.

Then, there are calmative agents, implying chemical or biological agents with sedative, sleep-inducing or similar psychoactive effects for controlling a riot or calming a noncompliant offender. The most well-known and widely used riot-control agent is teargas. Further development and use of non-lethal calmative techniques is considered achievable.

Research is continuing in developing screaming microwaves that pierce the skull. These cause a shockwave inside the skull that can be detected by the ears. The audio effect is loud enough to cause discomfort or even incapacitation. It may also cause a little brain damage from the high-intensity shockwave created by the microwave pulse.

Ear-splitting siren: This is generally used to drive away protesters. While it is not deadly, it can cause permanent hearing damage. In this line, an Israeli-developed shock wave cannon, being commonly used by farmers to scare away crop destroying birds, is likely to be marketed in its military and security versions.

In sum, it needs to be remembered that no gun, non-lethal or less-lethal, can ever be fully harmless. A gun essentially is a weapon and violence is inherent in its use. If it has to achieve deterrence or coercion in controlling a mob, pain or discomfort has to be inflicted. Security forces may use low-lethality weapons relatively more often.

Besides, all these weapons are designed for controlling an unarmed crowd. A mob that is involved in pelting stones and in attacking security personnel with petrol bombs, and even firearms, creates a different situation.

In the context of the Valley, the gun is not the cause of the problem. Therefore, it cannot also be the solution. To that extent, the debate and focus on pellet guns becomes secondary. At best it conveys a sincere desire to avoid civilian casualties. The focus should be on creating conditions where such situations do not arise.

The problem is complex; a mix of political, religious, economic, social and psychological factors is involved. There is a sense of alienation that needs to be addressed. Burhan Wanis killing is not the main cause of the present unrest. It only provided a spark for explosion of the simmering anger. If not the July 8 killing of Wani, some other pretext would have caused it.

Then, there is Pakistans continuing interference in J&K. Mehbooba Mufti, after her meeting with the Prime Minister on August 27, minced no words in accusing Pakistan. India is not new to separatist problems. We have encountered these in the North-East. Nagaland was the first to seek independence in the 1950s. Mizoram followed a decade later. The problem in Mizoram was fully resolved in the 1980s. The Naga problem is well on its way to resolution. In any case, breaking away from India is no longer their demand.

If the problem in J&K is still lingering, it is because of Pakistan's active involvement. Their support is not limited to moral, diplomatic and political levels, as Nawaz Sharif claimed some days back. It extends way beyond  to providing weapons, explosives, money, training and, of course, sending in jehadis. Seeing strident Pak pronouncements, no let-up is likely in the near future. The only way to deter Pakistan is to convince them that they would have to pay a price. This could be in political, diplomatic, economic or even military terms.

The writer is a former Deputy Chief of Army Staff.
Lt Gen Bhopinder Singh (Retd)

AS PM Modi invokes the Balochis from the Red Fort, the restive Pashtuns continue to wage their battle along the Durand Line, the Sindhis are angrily cooling their heels with their PPP in opposition, and the Punjabis are on the ascendancy with the PML(N)-led government in Islamabad  there is an almost forgotten set/race of people that is fighting its own existential crisis in Pakistan, the Mohajirs (Arabic for immigrants). The 6.5 million-odd migrants, euphemistically called Urdu-speaking Muslims, who chose to migrate from India to Pakistan (0.7 million went to East Pakistan, now Bangladesh) in the aftermath of the Patition, are the Midnights Children who partook in the largest mass migration in history.

Like all immigrants, the natives looked askance at Mohajirs for doles like land grants and government job preferences. Settling mostly in Karachi and urban centres of Sindh, this hardworking lot availed of import-export opportunities and created a cluster of small-scale industries to reach a certain affluence that became the envy of the Sindhis, Baloch, Pashtuns and the majority, Punjabis. The first open demonstration of the virulent strain came to the fore with the presidential election in 1964 that saw General Ayub Khan (a Pathan) trounce a Mohajir Fatima Jinnah (the late presidents sister). Soon Ayub Khan went about shifting the national capital from Karachi (Mohajir dominated) to Islamabad and initiating a deliberate reverse-affirmation in favour of the Pathans and Punjabis to break the monopoly of the Mohajirs and forge an unwritten and continuing alliance of the Punjabi-Pathan domination in the corridors of the government, and most importantly, the army. The Sindhis joined in the plunder, with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto declaring Sindhi to be the sole language of Sindh and refusing to accommodate demands of the Mohajirs (40 per cent of Sindhs population) to include Urdu, even as an additional language. This led to violent protests and a subsequent governmental acquiescence was not without a sting in the tail as more affirmative incentives were given to competing natives to retain the heat on the hapless Mohajirs.

The advent of General Zia-ul-Haq in the late 70s, himself a Mohajir, couldnt control the societal animosity and undercurrents against the Mohajirs as he was primarily engaged in securing and consolidating his own position by pandering to ultra-religious elements and simultaneously doing the Wests jihadist bidding during the Cold War era. This constant targeting, defenselessness and fear among the Mohajirs led to the creation of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM, formed from the earlier Mohajir Students Organisation), with the mercurial and maverick Altaf Hussain as its head. This formation was perennially involved in gun-letting and bloody turf wars against the Sindhis and Pathans in Karachi. Used and abused tactically by Zia-ul-Haq, first to neutralise the PPP, then by the PPP itself, and later by the Muslim League, the MQM was involved in an unending saga of intrigues and manipulations for national electoral results. Often, the MQM was faced with unbridled brutality at the hand of the government (who outsourced the dirty job to the rival Haqiqi faction) and to the Rangers to reign in MQM foot soldiers  all this led to reverse ghettoisation and reverence for the MQM and Altaf Hussain. His popularity soared even further, with the Mohajirs seeking solace and redemption against an insensitive regime, with the MQM emerging as the sole voice of the cornered Mohajirs. The second-class treatment for Mohajirs got firmly institutionalised with the term terrorist apportioned on Altaf Hussain who had to flee to London in 1992; and the term Mohajir itself acquiring a certain pejorative implication. This set of people, who actually extracted the working concept of the two-nation theory to create Pakistan, strangely faced questions of loyalty towards Pakistan, with the then PM Benazir Bhutto, who went as far as stating that different blood flows in their veins, which compelled Altaf Hussain to famously state Though the Pakistan government sympathises with the Muslims of Kashmir and Bosnia, it has been deaf to the cries of help from these stranded Pakistanis.

Mohajirs are nearly 8 per cent of the population, with the MQM as the fourth largest national party. Today, the MQM and the Mohajirs, at large, are facing the latest governmental ire for the temperamental outbursts of Altaf Hussain, who on a recent diatribe against the nation, said: Pakistan is cancer for entire world and that Pakistan is headache for the entire world. Pakistan is the epicentre of terrorism for the entire world. Who says long live Pakistan... its down with Pakistan. This was enough provocation for the Pakistani establishment to unleash immediate clamp down, even more severely than before, while the Pakistan-based MQM leadership was left with no option but to ostensibly remove Altaf Hussain from the leadership post, and appoint a local leader, Farooq Sattar, to drown the local dissonance.

Even though the Mohajirs boast of punching above their weight, in terms of contribution to Pakistan, with prominent people like presidents Pervez Musharraf, Zia-ul-Haq, nuclear scientist Dr AQ Khan and philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi  they fight discrimination, marginalisation and suspicion on their societal legitimacy.

The local MQM will be tested to its limits to safeguard Mohajir interests. Altaf Hussain controlled MQM destiny (even though he has been in exile for 24 years, out of the 36 at the helm of party affairs), but the most powerful symbol of Mohajir identity  Quaid-e-Tareek Altaf Hussain  has been relegated to the dustbins of officialdom that will sooner than later, test the patience of the much-maligned Mohajirs. Even today, a strike call from Altaf Bhai could potentially bring Karachi to a grinding halt.

If Balochistan is the flavour of the month in India, it is the Mohajirs who are possibly facing the same levels of disenchantment (if not more than Baloch). Ironically, it was Altaf Hussain who led the first open rebellion against the State, when as the exiled leader of the progeny of the two-nation theory, he confessed on Indian soil: The division of the subcontinent was the biggest blunder... it was not the division of land, it was the division of blood.

The Mohajirs are not grabbing headlines internationally, though a bloody repression on them continues, making short shrift of the underlying rationale of Pakistan, the two-nation theory  the same regressive and fraternal, religion-based principle it seeks to invoke in Kashmir to make its flawed point.

 The writer is a former Lt Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry
The long-pending Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) was signed on Monday. It stipulates a reciprocal provision of logistics support, supplies and services between the Indian and American armed forces. In a way, it is a logical step forward in bilateral defence ties that are increasingly anchored in perceived strategic convergence. Indian warships and military aircraft can now substantially extend their operational reach in the Asia-Pacific region to, for example, the American bases in Dijbouti (Horn of Africa), Diego Garcia in the southern Indian Ocean and Guam in the western Pacific Ocean.

Though the agreement allows the armed forces of both countries to use each others land, air and naval bases for repair and resupply, it does not involve the setting up of military bases or forging a military alliance on the lines of NATO. Nor will it involve a permanent stationing of US troops on Indian soil and vice versa. Both countries will be able to access each others military bases only during non-lethal operations such as exercises, joint training, port calls, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations etc. In fact, LEMOA, a modification of the Logistics Supply Agreement, comes at the end of decade-long negotiations precisely because India remains opposed to forging military alliances directed against any country while at the same time protecting its national interest and sovereignty. That is why two other foundational agreements under negotiation with the US  the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial Cooperation (BECA)  continue to be subject of considerable contention.

In recent years, the US has emerged as Indias major source of defence equipment ($13 billion worth in the last decade). The strategic defence partnership involves the US according India the status of Major Defence Partner that permits New Delhi licence-free access to most of Americas latest defence equipment, including a wide range of dual use technology, making India the only country outside the US formal treaty allies to be accorded this facility. The growing defence ties are likely to be viewed with concern by an increasingly assertive China and a hostile Pakistan. That is when diplomacy should kick in and our neighbours be kept engaged.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 30

The health authorities in Faridabad and Gurgaon have been put on alert after two cases of chikungunya came to light. The National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare today informed the state Health Department about the cases.

We have alerted the Civil Surgeons of the two districts and asked them to confirm this from the houses of the affected persons, said Dr Vijay Garg, Director, Vector Borne Diseases in the Health Department.

He said the chikungunya case in the state was reported in 2012. As per the NVBDCPs website, 215 suspected cases of chikungunya were reported in 2011.

Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted by Aedes mosquito, the vector responsible for the spread of dengue. It is a debilitating illness that usually starts with fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, joint pains and rashes, said Garg.

Situation alarming in Mewat

In all, 5,240 cases of suspected malaria and 104 cases of dengue have been reported this season. Nearly 70 per cent of malaria cases (3,734) have been detected in Mewat district followed by Yamunanagar and Palwal with 200 cases each.

Of 222 cases of Plasmodium Falciparum, the most deadly form of malaria, 219 have been reported in Mewat alone. Last year, 6,638 cases of malaria and 23 deaths because of fever were reported in Mewat. The health authorities had confirmed three persons died of malaria.

Stagnant water in ponds for fishing is responsible for the spread of malaria in Mewat. Fisheries farmers do not allow our men to put oil or other larvicides in ponds for the fear of damage to fish, Garg said.

Gurgaon has reported the maximum 136 suspected cases of dengue, out of which 31 have tested positive for the virus.

Ambala with 88 suspected and 17 positive cases, and Panchkula with 52 suspected and 14 positive cases are other districts with high incidence of dengue this year.

Garg said the department had taken steps to prevent the spread of diseases.
Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 30

Battling political implications post the Jat agitation, the Congress has decided to make merit the criteria for building its organisation in Haryana, where it lost power to the BJP in the last elections.

Congress general secretary in charge of the state Kamal Nath is learnt to have asked state party chief Ashok Tanwar to evolve a comprehensive criteria for appointment and selection of district Congress chiefs, an exercise which is underway.

The Tribune has learnt that Nath has categorically argued for electoral or organisational experience to be one of the principal criteria for appointment of district chiefs. The appointments have been pending since Tanwar has taken charge as Haryana Congress president after nine years of no change in the state unit structure when former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hoodas loyalists dominated the scene.

Foremost task before Nath is to set up district Congress units under able chiefs. It is learnt that he is in favour of rewarding Congress loyalists and workers in the process. This means the aides of recent entrant to Congress, Kuldeep Bishnoi, may have to wait for their chance at wresting important organisational positions in the party.

Nath, a nine-time Lok Sabha MP and the senior most in the Lower House, is engaging wide sections of state leadership and workers before finalising the Haryana Congress structure.

He is expected to even screen candidates which Tanwar recommends for appointment to district the Congress president post.

Sources say the Congress wants to promote people who have the potential to aid its rise in the face of stiff competition from the INLD and the BJP.

At the organisational level you need solid people who have fought and won elections, or have strengthened the party in their respective areas. We have asked for detailed criteria for appointment of district Congress chiefs in Haryana and will follow these. All state leaders, including state chief, is welcome to recommend nominees, but the leadership will vet every name. Genuine workers will be rewarded, a senior Congress leader privy to Haryana developments told The Tribune today.
Vijay Arora

Shimla, August 30

Expressing displeasure on the move of the state to regularise the unauthorised structures in the state, the Himachal Pradesh High Court observed that the action of the state government to regularise the unauthorised construction/ encroachments is suggestive of non-governance. Permitting the unauthorised construction under the very nose of the authorities and later on regularising those amounts to failure of constitutional mechanism/ machinery.

This observation was made by a division bench comprising Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Sureshwar Thakur while dealing with the case of encroachments on the forest land. The court further observed: The state government should not regularise the unauthorised construction and also the encroachments, that too, on the forest land. It is expected from the state to maintain the rule of law. The state should promote honesty instead of dishonesty. Thousands of unauthorised constructions have not been raised overnight. The government machinery was mute spectator by letting the people to raise unauthorised constructions and also encroach upon the government land.

Coming down heavily on the state it further observed: The state functionary/machinery has adopted an ostrich-like attitude. The honest persons are at the receiving end and the persons who have raised unauthorised construction are being encouraged to break the law. This attitude also violates the human rights of the honest citizens, who have raised their construction in accordance with law. There are thousands of buildings being regularised, which are not even structurally safe.

It further observed, The haphazard unauthorised construction carried out all over the state would pose a grave threat to the life and property in case of earthquake of severe magnitude. The high-rise buildings would cause tremendous damage to the adjoining buildings.

The state Assembly had recently passed Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning (Amendment Bill) 2016 for regularising the unauthorised structures in the state. Referring to media reports published in this regard the court observed: The regularisation of unauthorised constructions/ encroachments on public land will render a number of enactments like Indian Forest Act 1927, Himachal Pradesh Land Revenue Act, 1953 and Town and Country Planning Act, 1977 nugatory and otiose. The letter and spirit of these enactments cannot be obliterated all together by showing undue indulgence and favouritism to dishonest persons. The over-indulgence by the State to dishonest persons may ultimately lead to anarchy and would also destroy the democratic polity.
Vikram Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 30

The BJP has dismissed Chief Minister Mehbooba Muftis peace appeal to separatists and Pakistan as her own view, saying the party sticks to Prime Minister Narendra Modis statement of dialogue within the ambit of the Indian Constitution.

Who is Mehbooba Mufti to take a different call on state affairs when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his meeting with a delegation of opposition parties, had clarified Indias stand on Kashmir? said Ashok Koul, general secretary (organisation) of the state BJP.

Koul said the BJP followed the principles of the Constitution of India and was headed by Modi. When he has said to hold talks with segments and people who come under the Constitution of India for dialogue, the statement of the Chief Minister is irrelevant, said Koul.

Jammu for India dismissed the BJPs claim. Nobody takes the BJP seriously. It has no credentials since its anti-Jammu and pro-Kashmir obsessions after taking over in an alliance with the PDP, said JFI chairman Hari Om.

He said Mehbooba, after meeting the Prime Minister said in New Delhi, had said she was for an institutional mechanism for talks with separatists and Pakistan.

He said she had favoured trilateral talks between India, Pakistan and Kashmiri separatists as the only way out. She should have been sacked by the Prime Minister there and then, he said.

A senior BJP leader admitted on the condition of anonymity that the party would pretend not to be on the same page as the PDP, but would clandestinely support its alliance partner on the issue.

The late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, after becoming Chief Minister, had started his first media address by thanking Pakistan, terrorists and separatists for successful elections and the BJP had approved of it. The situation is the same now and the BJP has no other option, he said.
M Aamir Khan

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 30

Ahead of the all-party delegation visit to the Valley, the Congress today said the BJP could find a better solution to the Kashmir issue as the party was in power now.

Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said the BJP, when in the Opposition, would always create impediments whenever the Congress tried to take steps towards the resolution of the Kashmir issue.

The BJP can find a better solution because during the time of (former Prime Ministers) Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, whenever we gave a proposal to find out a solution, we faced the maximum opposition from the BJP. They would tell us that we wanted to appease the minorities we want to appease the Kashmiris and they (BJP) took political advantage in the entire country. Now, they are in power at the Centre as well as the state... they should find a solution, Azad told reporters after chairing a party meeting here that was attended by senior Congress leaders, including J&K Pradesh Congress Committee president GA Mir.

He said the Congress and other opposition parties are always with them (BJP) for finding a permanent solution to the Kashmir issue, which should be worked out within the ambit of the Constitution.

As the all-party delegation headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to arrive here on September 4, Azad hoped that people from all shades of opinion would come forward and talk to the central leaders.

On whether or not the delegation would talk to the separatists, he said: Cant say with whom to talk or notthat will be decided by the delegation.

However, he said there was a need to talk to the relevant non-mainstream parties. The mainstream political parties even otherwise have an opportunity to air their views both in Parliament and their respective Assemblies. But it is the non-mainstream political parties not only in our state but across the country... they normally dont have any representatives in the Assemblies and Parliament. So we need to talk to non-mainstream political parties and all other stakeholders. We have also said that this is for the state and the Centre to sit together and identify which are the important and relevant non-mainstream parties and stakeholders, he said.

Even as Azad said it was for the first time that Parliament in its last session had discussed the Kashmir issue four times in 20 days, he regretted that the Centre woke up late to defuse the unrest in the Valley that erupted after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8.

Had the Government of India acceded to our request on July 18, things would have improved much earlier maybe the curfew which has been lifted after 51 or 52 days, would have been lifted on the 15th or 16th day. We would not have lost so many lives, we would have not lost so many eyes of young children and so many people, both civilian and security forces, would not have been injured, he said.
Usha Albuquerque

On your phone 24x7? Now use it to increase your knowledge, pick up a skill and even get a degree or diploma. Today digital technology has taken learning to another level. Online learning, or e-learning  the process of learning using various types of media that deliver text, audio, images, animation, and streaming video  diffuses knowledge and learning without borders.

Practically every professional course and skill can be learnt through online education nowadays. There are diploma and certificate programmes in accounting, computer networking, cyber law, creative writing, disaster management, mass communication and journalism, fashion design and merchandising, data analytics, E-commerce etc. There are even distance learning courses in poultry farming and bee-keeping.

Whats more, this phenomenon is enabling individual students from any part of the world to access Ivy league content and the best-in-class education taught by top faculty at top universities like Stanford, Harvard, MIT and others, for free, or nominal charges.

Under the massive open online courses (MOOCs) system, such courses cover a wide variety of subjects and careers from business management, economics and all the sciences to professional courses in teaching, law, library science, journalism, computers, biotechnology, agriculture and linguistics, hotel management and so on.

So today you can as easily pick up a course in commerce and history for enhancing your educational qualifications, as you can on Chinese architecture, war in the Middle East, life beyond the planets, or genomic medicine, for further widening your horizons.

Many of the courses provide students with course materials, contact classes, and often multimedia facilities through classrooms without walls. Such courses can also help students with enhanced classes for supplementary learning of school and college subjects, like Salman Khan of Khan Academy has demonstrated so ably.

However, it is too early to predict the course or influence of MOOCs in India especially but it could be valuable for many students who want to save on the cost of an international higher education degree or for those who simply want to experiment with different academic courses before applying to a foreign university.

Here are some websites that you can browse to look for MOOCs of your choice :

http://www.coursera.org

website: http// www.mooc-list.com

Coursera offers access to the worlds best education, partnering with top universities and organisations for a variety of courses of study. It has 33 partner universities and nearly 200 courses ranging from business, data science and geographic information systems to music, theology and personal development. You can learn at your own pace and convenience, complete peer graded assessments, and connect with fellow learners and instructors.

For example, if you are a student of Computer Science and want to pick up some additional computer skills, an interesting programme is:

Learn to programme & Analyse data with Python- a programme of 5 courses created by the University of Michigan and delivered online through Coursera. This Specialisation introduces you to fundamental programming concepts, including data structures, networked application program interfaces, and databases, using the Python programming language, with projects designed to help you practice and apply skills.

The course has no pre-requisites and avoids complicated mathematics. Anyone with moderate computer experience should be able to master the materials in this course.

Each course in the specialisation is offered on a regular schedule, with sessions starting about once per month. Time to complete the courses can vary based on your schedule and experience level, although most learners are able to complete this specialisation in about 8 months. You can choose to take up one or more courses, or the complete programme.

In terms of costs, such courses carry fees of around Rs 3975 per course, or about Rs 20,000/- for the whole five-course programme.

There are a number of other similar courses for computer science students  a 5-course specialisation in Java programming from Duke University

A 6-course programme in Data Structures from the University of San Diego, California

A course in Game design & development from Michigan State University

iOS App Development with Swift from University of Toronto, and many others.

Coursera courses and certificates dont carry university credit, though some universities may choose to award Specialisation Certificates for credit.

http://alison.com/

ALISON provides over 750 free online diploma and certificate courses. Here the courses are broken down into nine distinct categories  diploma courses, business and enterprise skills courses, digital literacy and IT skills, personal development and soft skills, languages, health and safety and compliance, health literacy, financial and economic literacy and courses from various schools curricula. This allows users to quickly see what kinds of courses are available and helps them pick an area they would like to study.

Here is an interesting example :

Diploma in Social Media Marketing: This free, online social media course covers the concepts and application of social media marketing and will equip you with the skills to plan and implement a successful social media marketing strategy while offering you social media certification.

The course includes topics such as the use of email marketing, affiliate marketing, using social media tools such as Twitter, podcasting and blogging, understand affiliate marketing and different methods that can help increase website traffic, and how to use Facebook / Twitter etc to create a business page and get it noticed by current and potential customers.

This 15-20 hour course is good for those wanting to advance their career prospects in social media marketing, with an international certification. To qualify for the official ALISON Diploma, Certificate or PDF you must study and complete all modules and score 80% or more in the course assessments.

https://www.edx.org/course

EdX is another online initiative created by founding partners Harvard and MIT Universities, offering interactive online classes and MOOCs from the worlds best universities, such as MIT, Harvard, Univerity of Berkeley, University of Toronto etc.

EdX also offers more than 900 courses, including in biology, chemistry, computer science, economics, business, finance,engineering, food and nutrition, humanities, law, literature, medicine, music etc. All courses are free of cost, except for a nominal charge for the certificate, if required. Some interesting and topical courses are:

Actuarial Science: An interesting example for students of commerce could be a MOOC in Actuarial Science. Suitable for students of basic high school maths, this course teaches the basics of actuarial science, incorporating applying actuarial techniques to life insurance, uncertainty in cash flows due to investment and mortality, and predicting human life expectancy. This course readies students for a career as an actuary and is an 8-week course from the Australian National University requiring 2-4 hours a week, and is offered free-of-cost on EdX. If required you can get an instructor-signed certificate for $49 with the institution's logo to verify your completion of the course work.

http://nptel.iitm.ac.in/

There are several more MOOCs learning platforms, including our own Indian NPTEL http://nptel.iitm.ac.in/

The National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) a Government of India-sponsored collaborative educational programme, which carries engineering, science & humanities subject material from several major universities and institutes, including IITs and IISc Bangalore.

Making college education accessible to a larger number of students has been the goal for most of the enthusiastic advocates of MOOCs.

Their interactive technology promises to deliver top-tier teaching from institutions like Harvard, Stanford, and MIT, not just to a few hundred students in a lecture hall on ivy-draped campuses, but free via the Internet to thousands or even millions around the world.

It is believed that today there are more than 25 million learners, accessing this free online educational service. It is a new learning model that has inspired education providers to provide quality training in a structured environment. And while such programmes may not quite be able to replace the traditional classrooms, they are useful to gain additional knowledge, and gain skills that may otherwise be difficult, if not impossible to attain.

This method of learning is particularly useful for those who already know what they want to learn, and wish to enhance and augment their learning. But you can also get all your education from MOOCs and pay a fraction of what you would spend to get a university degree.

So, dont lose heart if you are unable to get into the college or institute of your choice, whatever course of study you wish to take up, look for and find a similar course available through MOOCs  an opportunity waiting to be picked.

http://www.khanacademy.org/

Set up by Salman Khan, a graduate of MIT and Harvard Business School, the website offers lessons for all age groups in maths, science, computer programming, history, art history, economics, IITJEE and SAT preparation and more.

Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalised learning dashboard that empowers learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom.

This is a free learning resource which is personalised for every student from kindergarten to calculus using state-of-the-art, adaptive technology that identifies strengths and learning gaps. Each student receives a custom learning dashboard that enables them to learn and practice skills at their own pace and based on their levels and assignments.

Every problem has interactive hints, step-by-step solutions, and videos, so students can get extra help when they need it. Teachers can access each students problem history to identify learning gaps and provide additional guidance, while parents get quick email updates to see their children's progress as they learn, and add practice skills as required.

 The writer is Director, Careers Smart Pvt Ltd., New Delhi
Ranchi, August 29

Two people were killed and 24 were injured in protests and subsequent police firing in Jharkhands Ramgarh on Monday.

Among those injured in the incident were district officials and several policemen.

Villagers have been protesting the displacement a plant belonging to Inland Power at Gola would cause. The plants management had called them for talks on Monday.

Police claimed that the villagers went on a rampage, pelting stones at policemen, when talks failed, which prompted the police action. Seven policemen were injured in the stone-pelting police claim.

"One group went for talks with Inland Power authorities and the second group was involved in ransacking. Villagers pelted stones at the police in which seven policemen were injured. The police retaliated by firing killing one villager. A probe has been ordered into the incident. Hazaribagh Commissioner and Deputy Inspector General of Police will probe the incident," Jharkhand police chief DK Pandey said.

Officials said one person was killed in the police firing and another died in the stampede that followed the firing. At least two dozen people were injured in the stampede, police said.

Villagers torched vehicles and blocked roads to protest the killing.

Inland Power is an arm of Inland World Logistics and its project involves installing two 63 MW coal-based thermal power plants near Gola.

The first phase of the 63-MW plant has already been commissioned and began generating power from May 2014. The second unit is scheduled to be commissioned by 2017.  Agencies
Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 30

Even as the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) between India and the US has got China and Pakistan worried, the Narendra Modi government, without dithering, has gone ahead and cemented closer ties with the US, snubbing its old ally Russia and discarding the Nehruvian philosophy of non-alignment.

The US recognises India as a major defence partner and the latest agreement gives it an advantage it had long been seeking to check the rise of an aggressive China. Though the text of the agreement is not yet in the public domain, it gives the US armed forces reciprocal logistical support that can be used exclusively during authorised port visits, joint exercises, joint training and humanitarian assistance.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

This had, of course, been a sensitive matter with the Opposition criticising the governments overdrive towards sealing the pact. The original agreement was called Logistics Security Agreement (LSA) and both Manmohan Singh and Atal Bihari Vajpayee had been wary of signing it.

The BJP has, however, come a long way since 1998 when Vajpayee shocked the world by asserting Indias global power by conducting three underground (Pokhran) nuclear tests  a move that was condemned by the then US President Bill Clinton and which led to economic sanctions against India. The feeling then was that Indias deference to US pressures had put India at the risk of never being able to achieve its potential as a nuclear power. Now in 2016, the Indian Government wants to partner with the US in achieving its potential. The LSA, to which there was fierce opposition by various parties, has been tweaked into LEMOA. But the biggest concern is that this defence agreement may eventually lead to the stationing of US troops in India. Though the government has been quick to dismiss these fears, the agreement unmistakenly has political shades. It is expected that the US will push harder for Indias entry into the NSG in exchange for LEMOA.

The agreement is significant, in the sense that it radically changes Indias ties with major world powers.That the government has dumped the Nehruvian policy of non-alignment and moved towards unipolarity (a distribution of power in which one country primarily exercises cultural, economic and military influence) is evident from Modi's decision to skip the NAM summit in Venezuela.
Beijing, August 30

Attempts by India to join the US alliance could irritate China, Pakistan or even Russia and bring strategic troubles to New Delhi while making it a centre of geopolitical rivalries in Asia, Chinas state-run media commented on Monday.

In an editorial written ahead of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter signing a logistics agreement, state-run Global Times said India might lose strategic independence if it leaned towards the US.

The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) allows India and US militaries to access each others military facilities for refuelling and replenishment.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

This is undoubtedly a leap forward in the US-India military cooperation. The US media highly applauded this deal, with Forbes hailing it as a war pact and believing that India is shifting away from Russia, its Cold War ally, towards a new alliance with the US, the editorial said.

If India hastily joins the US alliance system, it may irritate China, Pakistan or even Russia. It may not make India feel safer, but will bring strategic troubles to itself and make itself a centre of geopolitical rivalries in Asia, it said.

India holds dear its independence and sovereignty after squeezing out of the UKs colonialism. It views itself as a major power and is developing on the wave of the emerging countries, the editorial said.

While India has adopted a prudent attitude so far refraining from joining US alliance, some defence analysts expressed worries that India might lose strategic independence and warned that the pact might render New Delhi a follower of Washington, it said.

Observing that India attached high importance to national security, the editorial said, It feels it is an urgent task because its defence levels are a necessary condition of being a major power, rather than out of a sense of crisis that requires an intimacy to the US.

Due to its non-alignment policy, India has been given attention from all major powers such as the US, Japan, China and Russia in recent years, it noted.

However, in recent years, Washington has deliberately wooed New Delhi to become its quasi ally so as to impose geopolitical pressure on China. It is possible that the (Narendra) Modi administration is trying an unconventional way to lean toward the US with the logistics agreement, the editorial said. PTI
Islamabad, August 30

The Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), a welfare wing of the JuD- led by Mumbai terrorist attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, has set up a camp for donations for relief in Kashmir, a media report claims.

Banners displayed near the camp  set up in the Blue Area, Islamabads main business district  show JuD chief Hafiz Saeed asking people to donate to the Kashmir Fund for the Kashmiri cause, the Express Tribune reports.

Apart from raising funds, the FIF is reportedly also playing pro-Jihad songs and showing videos of the unrest in Kashmir.

Although JuD is on Pakistans watch list, FIF's media coordinator Ahmad Nadeem said there were currently no restrictions on the charity wings activities in Pakistan.

There was a confusion over the issue last year and the FIF was forcibly stopped from collecting donations by different city administrations. But, later the Lahore High Court ruled in favour of the FIF and the charity organisation is free to carry out its relief activities and funds generation, the Express Tribune quoted him, as saying.

Nadeem added that the local administration had permitted the camp.

The Punjab Home Department directed police to keep an eye on JuDs fundraising activities through FIF in July.

Pakistan banned TV channels from covering FIF and JuDs activities in 2015.

Some 70 people have died and thousands have been wounded in the violent protests that erupted since Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani was killed in a military operation in Kashmirs Anantnag on July 8.

The unrest has cooled an already tense relationship between India and Pakistan.

India accuses its rival of stoking the violence.  ANI
Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 30

Given her dedicated hard-to-break Dalit vote bank, poaching her key men may not exactly reap great vote benefits for the saffron party in the high-stake Uttar Pradesh. However, the BJP appears to have succeeded in what it may have planned for  push BSP chief Mayawati to forego her much-celebrated social engineering formula and concentrate on Muslims and Dalits, leaving the upper castes for the saffron party.

While she fielded 139 upper caste candidates in 2007 (when she won 206 seats) and 117 in 2012 polls, changing tack this time she seems to be favouring Muslims and Dalits. Which is why after poaching her top leaders, the BJP leadership appears to be attempting another formula to woo her dedicated vote bank (Dalits), though as per political analyst Sudhir Panwar it may be a difficult task given the communitys almost-unwavering affiliation towards her.

BJP sources say the party has decided to form individual task forces for each of the 75 districts in UP. The task force will be manned by the block pramukh and prominent Dalit leaders of the area. Some key regions may also include MPs, they say.

The aim of this RSS-backed effort is to make people aware of the BJP-led Centres pro-poor and pro-backward classes programmes and policies and convert them into tangible vote backs. Some national-level Dalit leaders will also be pushed into the job, it seems.

As per Panwar, Mayawati seems to be reacting on the lines the BJP in these elections. The 2014 LS results appear to have forced her back on her tried-and-tested strategy  Dalits. Alongside, by wooing Muslims, she is attempting to change the BSPs uncertainty into certainty.
New Delhi, August 30

Around 33 lakh employees of the Central government had a reason to cheer on Tuesday with the government announcing their annual bonus that has been pending for two years.

The government also announced a hike in minimum wage for unskilled non-farm workers of the Central government to Rs 350 a day, from the current Rs 246, in an attempt to mollify trade unions that have threatened to go on a nationwide strike on Friday.

(Read: Trade unions stick to Sept 2 strike, reject govts wage hike)

"The bonus entitlement for 2014-15 and 2015-16 will be released on the revised norms for Central government employees. This was pending for two years. After this, the bonus will be covered under the 7th Pay Commission," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters here.

Jaitley said the bonus will be paid to the Central government employees based on revised norms. The Bonus Amendment Act will be implemented "strictly".

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

He gave an assurance that the government will also take necessary steps to resolve the cases on payment of bonus pending in high courts and the Supreme Court.

The likely financial implications of the bonus move translate into Rs 1,920 crore per annum.

"In the last one-and-a-half-years, the inter-ministerial committee had meeting with central trade unions. Trade unions placed various demands. Some were labour related and some economic policy issues related. The government has taken some decisions with regard to those on the basis of their recommendations," added Jaitley.

Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal and Labour and Employment Minister Bandaru Dattatreya were also present.

Jaitley said it has been decided to fix the minimum wages at Rs 350 per day for unskilled non-agricultural workers for 'C' category areas keeping in view the modalities of fixing minimum wages.

The decision was taken following deliberations at the meeting of the Minimum Wage Advisory Board under the chairmanship of the labour minister for revising the basic minimum wages in the central sphere.

The registration of the contract workers and their staffing agencies is mandatory and states will be advised to strictly implement the same, the finance minister said.

Errant contractors will face appropriate action for any violation, he warned.

The issue of giving social security benefit to the unorganised sector (like Anganwadi, mid-day meal, Asha volunteers) will be examined by a committee which will give its report at the "earliest".

Asked about the strike call, Jaitley said: "I think we have responsible trade unions."

On the opposition to the government's plans to merge associate banks of SBI with the parent bank, Jaitley said "the merger is not subject of trade unions".

"Their service conditions are not being hurt adversely or affected at all. There will be no impact of merger on service conditions of any employee. If government decides that we need strong banks, then unions would have to change their approach to the whole issue," he asserted.

Dattatreya has held meetings with central trade unions wherein detailed discussions were held with regard to their charter of demands.

The issues have been taken up by inter-ministerial committee haded by the finance minister.

As many as 10 central trade unions have given a call for a one-day pan-India strike on September 2, 2016, to protest against the government's labour reforms and "not paying heed to their demands".  Agencies
Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, August 30

The Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha today passed two Bills to dodge the Supreme Court order prohibiting former chief ministers from occupying government bungalows for life and trusts backed by political party holding on to prime property.

The Uttar Pradesh Ministers (salaries, allowances and miscellaneous provisions) Amendments Act, 2016, not only increases salary of the chief minister and ministers, but also allows continuation of former chief ministers in government bungalows.

A government residence shall be allotted to a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh at his/her request for his/her life time, on payment of such rent as may be determined from time to time by the Estate Department, the Act reads.

The Vidhan Sabha also passed The Allotment of Houses Under Control of the Estate Department Act 2016 to regulate allotment of houses under the control of the Estate Department to its employees and officers, employees associations, judicial officers, All India Services officers, ministers, Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Justices, MLAs, MLCs, political parties, trusts and journalists, among others.

The apex court judgment of August 1 had asked six former chief ministers to vacate their bungalows within two months. It had also challenged the allotment of bungalows to private trusts or societies mainly controlled by political parties often at the absurd monthly rent of Rs 1.

The apex court order said, Public property cannot be disposed of in favour of any one without adequate consideration. Allotment of government property to someone without adequate market rent, in the absence of any special statutory provision, would also be bad in law because the state has no right to fritter away government property in favour of private persons or bodies without adequate consideration and therefore, all such allotments, which have been made in the absence of any statutory provision cannot be upheld.

Under the newly passed Act, the allotment to a trust shall be made for a maximum period of five years to be renewed for another five years for which the market rate would be charged as rent.
New Delhi, August 30

WhatsApps recent decision to share user data with parent company Facebook reached the doorsteps of Delhi High Court on Tuesday, which sought the governments response on the modification.

A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra issued notice to the Centre on a plea by two users of the most popular instant messaging service, alleging that WhatsApp, Facebook Inc and Facebook India Online Pvt Ltds new private policy compromises the rights of its users.

Taking note of the concern by petitioners Karmanya Singh Sareen and Shreya Sethi, the high court wished to examine the issue and asked the concerned authorities to file their reply by September 14.

The privacy policy is in stark contrast to the Privacy Policy existing from July 7, 2012. In its first revised modification on August 25, 2016, Respondents (WhatsApp, Facebook Inc. and Facebook India Online Pvt Ltd) have introduced this policy which severely compromises the rights of its users and makes the privacy rights of users completely vulnerable, the plea alleged.

The new policy, which is likely to come into force from September 25, has sought to change the most valuable, basic and essential feature of WhatsApp, which commenced operations in 2010, by unilaterally threatening to take away the protection to privacy of details and data of its users and sharing the same with Facebook and all its group companies including for the purpose of commercial advertising and marketing.

Senior advocates Sandeep Sethi and Pratibha M Singh, appearing for the petitioners, submitted before the court that it is a very serious breach of policy.

The manner in which so-called consent is sought to be taken is highly deceptive in as much as almost the entire community of users of WhatsApp in India are not equipped to even read, much less comprehend, the consequences of the terms and conditions on the basis whereupon, WhatsApp is pretending to obtain consent of the users, the plea filed by advocate Tanoodbhav Singhdev said.  PTI
Washington

Plants will be less thirsty as carbon dioxide levels rise in the atmosphere, which may drastically reduce the extent of droughts due to climate change, a new study has found.

As humans pump carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and global temperatures rise, a major issue is how much fresh water will be available for people, forests and agriculture.

However, researchers show that popular long-term drought estimates have a major flaw  they ignore the fact that plants will be less thirsty as carbon dioxide rises.

The study shows that shifts in how plants use water could roughly halve the extent of climate change-induced droughts.

"A number of studies assume that plant water needs are staying constant, when what we know about plants growing in lots of carbon dioxide suggests the opposite," said Abigail Swann from University of Washington in the US.

Recent studies have estimated that more than 70 per cent of Earth will experience more drought as carbon dioxide levels quadruple from pre-industrial levels over about the next 100 years.

However, when researchers accounted for changes in plants' water needs, this falls to 37 per cent, with bigger differences concentrated in certain regions.

"It is a significant effect," said Swann.

The reason is that when Earth's atmosphere holds more carbon dioxide, plants actually benefit from having more of the molecules they need to build their carbon-rich bodies.

Plants take in carbon dioxide through tiny openings, called stomata, which cover their leaves. However, as they draw in carbon dioxide, moisture escapes, researchers said.

When carbon dioxide is more plentiful, the stomata does not need to be open for as long, and so the plants will lose less water. They will thus draw less water from the soil through their roots.

"I had a very strong suspicion that you would get a different answer if you considered how the plants were responding," said Swann.

The study compares today's drought indices with ones that take into account changes in plant water use. It confirms that reduced precipitation will increase droughts across southern North America, southern Europe and northeastern South America.

However, the results show that in Central Africa and temperate Asia  including China, the Middle East, East Asia and most of Russia  water conservation by plants will largely counteract the parching due to climate change.

The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  PTI
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 30

Shiksha mitras held a protest rally here today in support of their demand for increase in salary and allowances. The police arrested about 150 protesters as they were creating a ruckus during the rally.

The protesters under the banner of the Shiksha Mitra Krantikari Mahasangh gathered at the Raipur bus stand and held a rally up to the Chief Ministers residence. They passed through the Parade Ground and Subhash Road. The police had placed barricades at the Kanak Chowk and stopped them from moving forward to the Chief Ministers residence. They raised slogans against the state government.

Policemen had heated arguments with protesters who jostled with them to cross the barricades. The protesters sat on a dharna there. They lamented that they had given several memorandums to government officials and public representatives, but to no avail. They said Chief Minister Harish Rawat had given them a false assurance that their demands would be fulfilled soon, but done nothing.

Shiksha Mitra Krantikari Mahasangh president Poorna Singh Rana said the government should revise the salary of shiksha mitras from Rs 13,000 to Rs 25,000 per month. He demanded accident insurance and job to a family member of deceased siksha mitras on a compassionate ground. Mahasangh members would hold a protest again if the government did not accede to their demands, he added.

Guest teachers end indefinite fast

Guest teachers ended their indefinite fast on Tuesday after an assurance from the state government that their demands would be fulfilled soon. The protesters said the state government should immediately draft a proposal to appoint them in government schools across the state.

The guest teachers under the aegis of the Uttarakhand Guest Teachers Association (Madhyamik) continued with their protest at the Raipur bus stand for the 12th consecutive day. They raised slogans against the state government during the protest. The protesters lamented that memorandum was given to government officials and public representatives, but to no avail.

Vivek Yadav, state president of the association, said members would call off their agitation only after receiving an order from the state government. He said Chief Minister Harish Rawat had earlier given them an assurance that their demands would be fulfilled soon but done nothing.

Later, City Magistrate Lalit Narayan Mishra offered juice to the protesters and assured them of taking steps to fulfil their demands.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 30

Students cast votes for the students union election at MKP (PG) College here today. The counting of the votes would be done at late night.

The candidates along with their supporters tried to convince voters to cast votes in their favour. No untoward incident was reported during the polling.

A total of 2,750 students cast their votes at four polling booths to choose president, vice-president, general secretary and university representative.

Kavita from the National Students Union of India (NSUI), independent Nasreen Jahan, Pooja Rathore from the Vikas Group and Shakshi Shankar from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarathi Parishad (ABVP) vied for the post of president.

Meenakshi (ABVP), Sophiya (Vikas group) and Raksha contested for the vice-president position.

College Principal Indu Singh said no untoward incident was reported as elaborate security measure was taken for the polling.
Bishkek, August 30

A van driven by a suicide bomber exploded after ramming through a gate at the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan today, wounding three people, authorities said.

"As a result of the explosion, only the suicide bomber terrorist died. Security guards were injured," Kyrgyzstan's Deputy Prime Minister Jenish Razakov told journalists at the scene.

Razakov said the three wounded were all Kyrgyz employees of the Chinese embassy and that they had been taken to hospital. Local medics said their injuries were not serious.

Police sources told AFP that a Mitsubishi Delica van smashed through a gate at the embassy today morning before blowing up in the centre of the compound close to the ambassador's residence.

A police source confirmed that the vehicle was driven by a suicide bomber and described the incident as a terrorist attack. Body parts thought to be from the attacker were found several hundred metres from the blast site.

The security service of the ex-Soviet Central Asian nation, which borders China, said an explosive device had been placed inside the vehicle. Local residents said the blast had blown in their windows and caused their houses to shake.  AFP
Mogadishu, August 30

At least 10 persons, including soldiers and civilians, were killed in Somalias capital Mogadishu on Tuesday when a car bomb claimed by al Shabaab exploded outside the Presidential Palace and also damaged two nearby hotels.

Information Minister Mohamed Abdi Hayir said a meeting of security officials was under way inside one of the hotels, the SYL, at the time of blast and that one minister and some state radio journalists were injured in the attack.

The hotel is frequented by government officials and police said it believed the facility was the likely target.

The SYL and another hospitality facility, both located near the Presidential Palace, were partially destroyed by the blast, Major Mohamed Ali, a police officer, told Reuters.

The blast killed 10 (people) including soldiers and civilians and 30 others were wounded, Ali said.

Gunfire could be heard after the blast and a huge cloud of smoke rose above the palace, outside which were the remnants of the car and splattered blood, according to a witness.

Al Shabaabs Radio Andaluz said the Islamist group was behind the attack and their military operations spokesman, Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, said the attack had killed 15 soldiers and "injured many others including a lawmaker".

Seeking to impose its own harsh form of Islam, al Shabaab, wants to topple the Western backed government in Mogadishu and also push out the 22,000-strong African Union mandated AMISOM peace keeping force backing it.

The group was pushed out of Mogadishu by AMISOM in 2011 but have remained a serious threat, launching frequent attacks aimed at overthrowing the government.

The militants have claimed responsibility for several explosions in Mogadishu, including a car bomb and gun attack last week at a popular beach restaurant in the capital that killed 10 people.  Reuters
Karachi, August 30

Waseem Akhtar, a jailed leader of Mutthaida-e-Qaumi Movement in Pakistan, today took oath as Karachi's mayor after the Sindh High Court allowed him to attend the ceremony.

The oath-taking ceremony which was attended by foreign diplomats, businessmen and political leaders was delayed for nearly two-and-half-hours as Sindh High Court heard and dismissed at least two petitions challenging the right of Akhtar to take oath as Mayor of Pakistan's biggest city and financial hub.

Akhtar, 60, was brought from the Central jail in heavy security and took oath along with his running mate Arshad Vohra who took oath as deputy mayor.

Karachi has not had a mayor since 2010 when Mustafa Kamal completed his five-year term.

Before the oath-taking ceremony, Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaaf's Faisal Wada submitted a petition in the SHC requesting the court to stop the oath-taking ceremony but the petition was dismissed after the court said that no charges have been proven against Akhtar as yet.

Akhtar is facing several charges and serving judicial custody in connection with the violence on May 12, 2007 which is also known as 'Black Saturday' riots.  PTI
Kathmandu: Nepal on Tuesday imposed a 10-year ban on an Indian police couple from climbing any mountain in the Himalayan nation for faking photographs purportedly showing them at the summit of Mt Everest. Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod, both police constables from Pune and said to be in their 30s, had claimed that they climbed the peak on May 23. But fellow climbers doubted their claim saying their photos at the summit were manipulated. Nepal's Tourism Ministry earlier certified their claim, but later carried out a probe, which nailed their lie.  PTI

Australian bank to include hijab for staff

Canberra: Australian bank Westpac decided to include a corporate hijab as a part of a new staff uniform line-up. NewsCorp reported on Tuesday that Australian designer Carla Zampatti will design the corporate hijab, which is set to release by April 2017. The move comes after several other Australian organisations have included the hijab in their staff uniforms. The new hijab will include the bank's logo and is part of a push to ensure diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace, the bank said.  IANS

Alcohol addicts lack key enzyme in brain

London: In people with alcohol dependence, the production of a key enzyme shuts down in brain cells and the deficiency leads to continued use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, say researchers. It has long been suspected that people with alcohol dependence have impaired function in the frontal lobes of the brain. If frontal function is impaired, it is difficult for us to control our impulses.  IANS

Girl hits gold by finding stolen Olympic medal

Atlanta (US): An Olympian is thanking an Atlanta girl who found his gold medal weeks after it was stolen from his car. Joe Jacobi won the medal in mens canoe double slalom at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Weeks later, Chloe Smith (7) was walking with her father when she spotted the medal discarded in a pile of garbage. Chloe returned the medal to Jacobi, who had posted about the theft on social media. The former Olympian visited Chloes school and told her classmates about her good deed.  AP

Dogs catch human words, intonation too!

London: Believe it or not, dogs have the ability to distinguish words and the intonation of human speech through brain regions similar to those that humans use, according to a new study. Humans, the researchers said, are only unique in their ability to invent words. Researchers used functional MRI to analyse the dogs' brain activity as the animals listened to the recordings of their trainers.  IANS
United Nations, August 30

Portugal's former premier Antonio Guterres has emerged as a clear front-runner to succeed UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, maintaining his lead in the third straw poll held here, as hopes of a woman being elected to the top post were fading.

Guterres garnered 11 encourage, three discourage and one no opinion ballot when the 15-nation Security Council held the third round of straw polls yesterday.

These straw polls continue until there is a majority candidate without a single veto from a permanent member of the Council. That name is then officially transferred to the Assembly, whose membership historically chooses the candidate.

Guterres, who had served as UN High Commissioner for Refugees for 10 years, had emerged as the front-runner in the previous two rounds of informal voting as well.

The largest change has been Slovakia's Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak moving from the 10th position to second with nine encourage votes, five discourage and one no opinion.

In joint third place is former Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic and Director-General of UN's cultural organisation UNESCO Irina Bokova. The UN has been headed by a male Secretary-General in all of its 70-year history.  PTI
The Wagoner County board of commissioners discussed general business during the weekly meeting on Monday, August 29.

During the meeting, representatives from Tulsa's Future, a regional economic development program, held a presentation requesting the county's continued support.

Now entering its third five-year phase, the program seeks to bring economic success to the Tulsa metro area through job creation, downtown revitalization and education.

The board approved to continue supporting the organization with $5,000 for the next five years for a total of $25,000.

Also approved was a $3,400 Oklahoma Highway Safety Office Step Grant, which will fund a three-day campaign being held by the state to enforce hazardous moving violations on Highway 69.

The grant will pay for officers ranked sergeant and below to patrol the area, and this is the first time the county was chosen to participate in the campaign.

Bids for two projects, an Okay waterline replacement and pagers for the Fire Trust Authority, were also opened, but both were tabled.

The board went into executive session to discuss county employees as well as an open records request by Scripps International and KJRH Tulsa for the cell phone records of Sheriff Bob Colbert. No action was taken on either item.

The commissioners' next meeting will be Tuesday, September 6 due to the Labor Day holiday.
RATING: 2.5 STARS (on a scale of zero to four stars)

Sex, drugs, F-bombs and sausages: Welcome to Sausage Party, the R-rated animated movie that finds grocery store food with minds of their own.

And a belief in the great beyond, with the idea that once they are chosen from the store shelf to go home with one of the gods, or shoppers, they are headed to a place where eternity awaits.

Yes, Seth Rogens raunchy stoner comedy has some amusing thoughts on theology. And eating.

A silly sausage named Frank (Rogen, one of the creators of this idea) and a bodacious hot-dog bun named Brenda (Kristen Wiig) are among the believers, ready to be joined together, sausage-in-bun, unaware that their union will be shoved in some persons pie-hole.

But Firewater (Bill Hader as a trippy tequila) gives them a shot of the tasty truth, between hits off a makeshift bong: As soon as youre out the door, the gods kill our a--es.

If foodstuffs firing off four-letter words is your idea of juvenile fun, mixed with a serving of satire and food puns galore, Sausage Party might satisfy.

It sounds funny to say, but Im disappointed in how cute this animated movie turned out to be, despite all the genital jokes, sex talk and profanity, and how friendly the animation turned out to be.

I went in hoping for the subversive brilliance of South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut; what I found was a comedy that, outside of a late orgy that redefines the concept of food porn, I could show my 11-year-old  if it were on mute.

If any movie called for over-the-top shock value, it was Sausage Party, with a story from Rogen and his producing partner Evan Goldberg thats not even as middle-finger incendiary as their past films including This is the End and Superbad.

More meat sandwich mirth was needed, less innuendo.

Fewer obvious sight gags (a meat loaf sings a song by, you know, Meatloaf), more Edward Norton Jr. (doing a Woody Allen impression as Sammy Bagel Jr.) and David Krumholtz (as a grumpy piece of lavash flatbread) attempting to coexist on the Israeli-Palestinian products aisle.

They are entertaining, and thats a taste of subversive.

The movies theme is never as on-target as are the individual performances, with so many pulling off jokes that are funny but dont advance the story, as well as several trying out exaggerated voices.

Rogen shows impressive discipline in the lead role, always allowing his cast of raunchy clowns to have the naughtiest lines, and especially, Wiig as his love interest, pulling off funny, sexy and smart from an animated voice.

Add this to her vocals in the How to Train Your Dragon and Despicable Me movies, and shes one of the best in animation.

Among the supporting voices, Hader is hilarious as the talking tequila, near the liquor aisle of the store (which clearly isnt in Oklahoma).

Paul Rudd makes for a perfectly snotty teen check-out boy who hates his job; James Franco goes all Pineapple Express freakout in a bad-trip drug moment in which he can see and speak with the foods; and Salma Hayek nearly steals the movie as Teresa, a spicy hard taco with urges.

Sausage Party wont fill you up with laughs, but there are some amusing dishes being served, thought up by Rogen and friends likely while getting baked good.

OPENING THIS WEEK

The Light Between Oceans, Michael Fassbender, PG-13

Morgan, Kate Mara horror-thriller, R

AT CIRCLE CINEMA

Yoga Hosers, from Kevin Smith, PG-13

Disorder, French drama, NR

NOW SHOWING

Movie Rating (on 4 scale) Finding Dory 3.5 Stars Cafe Society 3.5 Stars Equity 3.5 Stars Ghostbusters 3 Stars Suicide Squad 3 Stars Star Trek Beyond 3 Stars The Legend of Tarzan 3 Stars Captain America: Civil War 3 Stars Central Intelligence 3 Stars Florence Foster Jenkins 2.5 Stars Sausage Party 2.5 Stars War Dogs 2.5 Stars Jason Bourne 2.5 Stars The Secret Life of Pets 2.5 Stars The Jungle Book 2.5 Stars Ben-Hur 2 Stars Petes Dragon 2 Stars
The CEO of Ramps Logistics says he is "really really disappointed" with the Guyana Revenue A
Australian Survivor fans were kept guessing until the very end as the show unveiled two twists early in its season -including one never featured on the US series.

Two teams were sent to Tribal Council last night, revealing their inner turmoil in front of one another, for host Jonathan LaPaglia.

But in a plot twist, LaPaglia told the two tribes -after they had voted- that the two contestants with the most votes would not be going home -but swapping teams.

After two tied votes, Nick and Conner were forced to swap teams, Vavau and Saanapu.

But LaPaglia kept the surprises coming, telling both they could choose another member to join them, sending Sam and Tegan to new tribes too. By the end, the tribes had completely changed their line-ups with alliances split and truths out in the open.

On social media last night, fans were praising the shows twists.

Forget exile island, hidden idols etc #SurvivorAU has come up with unique twist of its own. Hope Mark Burnett is watching  hazelb (@hazelb) August 30, 2016

#SurvivorAU Wait until the US get a hold of this Episode!! It's going to blow their freakin minds  Steve B (@ballyboy67) August 30, 2016

https://twitter.com/zjpof/status/770584200940355584

Congrats @Survivor_AU, ive watched many seasons of tribal councils, that was one of the best ever! #SurvivorAU  Mike Hauser (@Hauser_Mike) August 30, 2016

https://twitter.com/Ironman_peter/status/770580192859295746

#SurvivorAU you have me hook line and sinker! Great ep  John (@jenweya) August 30, 2016

While it was a bit too reality TV shocker, tonight's twist was a step in a good direction for #SurvivorAU  Rob (@RDefina) August 30, 2016

https://twitter.com/MelihVarol99/status/770630910987337728

More twists than a bag of Twisties..amazing episode tonight! #SurvivorAU  Denise (@Denden156) August 30, 2016

https://twitter.com/hottiewonisback/status/770626604967993345
Foxtel has renewed its agreement for the Emmy Awards for another three years.

It joins other premium US awards shows, that enjoy Live broadcasts on the Foxtel platform -the Oscars being one of the few exceptions on Nine.

Jimmy Kimmel will host The 68th Primetime Emmy Awards Live from the Nokia Theatre in LA, airing in Australia at 10am on Monday September 19 from 10am (AEST) on FOX8.

It will be preceded by a Red Carpet show Live from 9am AEST.

Just like in previous years, Foxtel has a host of nominated finalist programming across drama, comedy, factual and variety from popular channels including showcase, The Comedy Channel, FX, BBC First, FOX8 and Arena.

Once again worldwide phenomenon Game of Thrones from HBO on Foxtels showcase channel leads the count with 23 nominations across multiple categories for 2016, maintaining its lead for the most nominations (drama series) in a single year. Currently, Game of Thrones holds the record for the most Emmys won by a series in a single season with 12 wins from 2015 including the win for Outstanding Drama Series. Also from Game of Thrones in 2016 are first time nominees Kit Harington and Maisie Williams for Outstanding Supporting Actor and Actress in a Drama Series respectively.

Foxtels drama programming on showcase has also secured a host of other nominations including The Affair (first year nominated), All The Way, Black Sails, Confirmation, Game of Thrones  leading the nominations count again this year with 23, Getting On, The Knick, Penny Dreadful, Ray Donovan, True Detective, and Vinyl.
WIN Televisions Bruce Gordon has increased his stake in TEN shares, ahead of the governments media reform bills being presented in Parliament.

The Australian reports he has increased shareholding from 14.56 per cent to 14.96 per cent, raising his economic interest in Ten to 18.56 per cent through a combination of ordinary shares and a derivative contract in Deutsche Bank, which holds shares on his behalf.

Under Australian corporate law, Gordon can increase his economic interest in TEN to 19.9 per cent.

In March Gordon was revealed to be the mystery party behind a purchase of a 3.4% stake in Nine, with the parcel of shares worth around $50m bought by Deutsche Bank.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has previously indicated it is actively monitoring the situation given Gordon already has 14.99% of Nine.

Labor supports the abolition of laws limiting mergers between regional and metropolitan networks but has not declared its view on the two-out-of-three rule, which stops anyone owning a newspaper, free-to-air licence and radio station in the same market.
Australian screenwriter Shane Brennan has donated $1m to a new initiative for Australian writers.

Scripted Ink was launched last night at The Unknown Union bar in Melbourne, announcing three Film & TV projects in development.

The NCIS showrunner has made one of the largest philanthropic contributions to Australian screenwriting. Scripted Ink is a non-profit organisation with board members including writers Jan Sardi, Tim Pye, Katherine Thomson, actress Sigrid Thornton, Australian Writers Guild exec director Jacqueline Elaine and former Foxtel / News Corp CEO Kim Williams.

Projects supported by Scripted Ink will be supported through incubating, writers room and funding, as it seeks to bring them together with commercial partners. Black Creek by writers Eloise Healey & Jessica Brookman is the first television project in the initiative. It tells the story of an apathetic small-town cop, forced into action when he suspects his hero fathers suicide is actually murder.

Last night Brennan was joined by Scripted Ink board members, members of the Australian Writers Guild and Film Victoria execs.

Not all writers want to be showrunners. But lets develop those who do, said Brennan.

Lets expose them to production. Lets establish a showrunning course with input from producers, directors, actors, production managers , first ADs and anyone else we think is good enough to help writers understand production. If they understand production problems. If they understand production problems they can write their way out of those problems and you end up with a better show. Its nor rocket science.

The AWG also announced $10,000 prize for a new television screenwriting competition, PrimeTime.

A Sydney event for Scripted Ink will take place tonight at The Eternity Playhouse in Darlinghurst.
SBS 2 goes boldly where no movie fests have gone gone before with a Star Trek week to mark the shows 50th Anniversary.

Many of these recently screened on a Foxtel pop-up channel, but now screen across the week on Free to Air.

Just remember every second one is good.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Sunday, 4 September at 8.30pm

In the original 1979 sci-fi classic, a massive alien presence enters Federation space, destroying three powerful Klingon cruisers and neutralising everything in its path. As it heads towards Earth, Admiral James T. Kirk returns to the helm of an updated USS Enterprise and sets course to meet the aggressors head-on.

Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan Monday, 5 September at 9.00pm

As Admiral Kirk and Captain Spock monitor trainees at Starfleet Academy, another vessel from the United Federation of Planets is about to try out the planet-creating Genesis Device in a seemingly deserted portion of space. In the process, two of Kirks officers are captured by Khan (Ricardo Montalban), an enemy Kirk thought hed never see again. Once more, Kirk takes the Enterprises helm, where he meets Khans ship in an intergalactic showdown.

Star Trek 3: The Search For Spock Monday, 5 September at 11.05pm

Admiral Kirks defeat of Khan and the creation of the Genesis planet are empty victories. Spocks dead and McCoy is inexplicably being driven insane. Then a surprise visit from Sarek, Spocks father, provides a startling revelation: McCoy is harbouring Spocks living essence. With one friend alive and one not, Kirk attempts to help his friends by stealing the USS Enterprise and defying Starfleets Genesis planet quarantine. But the Klingons have also learned of Genesis and race to meet Kirk in a deadly rendezvous.

Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home Tuesday, 6 September at 8.30pm

In the 23rd century, a mysterious alien power is threatening Earth by evaporating the oceans and destroying the atmosphere. In a frantic attempt to save mankind, Kirk and his crew must time travel back to 1986 San Francisco where they find a world of punk, pizza and exact-change buses that are as alien as anything theyve ever encountered in the far reaches of the galaxy.

Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier Wednesday, 7 September at 8.30pm

The crew of the Federation starship Enterprise is called to Nimbus III, the Planet of Intergalactic Peace. They are to negotiate in a case of kidnapping only to find out that the kidnapper is a relative of Spock. This man is possessed by his lifelong search for the planet Shaka-Ri which is supposed to be the source of all life. Together they begin to search for this mysterious planet.

Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country Wednesday, 7 September at 10.30pm

After years of war, the Federation and the Klingon Empire find themselves on the brink of a peace summit when a Klingon ship is nearly destroyed by an apparent attack from the Enterprise. Both worlds brace for what may be their deadliest encounter.

Star Trek: Generations Thursday, 8 September at 8.30pm

In the 23rd century a retired Admiral Kirk is swept out into space after a test run of the newly christened Enterprise-B encounters two vessels trapped inside the Nexus. Seven decades later, Captain Jean-Luc Picard rescues an El Aurian physicist named Soran. Unbeknownst to Picard, Soran harbors a deadly plan that includes the destruction of the Enterprise and millions of lives. Now Picards only hope for a future rests within the Nexus and a legendary captain from the past.

Star Trek: First Contact Friday, 9 September at 8.30pm

After an epic battle against the Borg, Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise follow the Borg Sphere back into the 21st century to prevent the Borg from contaminating Earths timeline and preventing Earths first contact. Picard and the crew must work together to battle the Borg Queen before she assimilates all of mankind and changes history forever. Resistance is futile.

Star Trek: Insurrection Saturday, 10 September at 8.30pm

A Federation mission to the planet Baku takes a dangerous turn when a malfunctioning android, Data, takes a cultural task force hostage. When Captain Picard and his crew investigate, they uncover the truth about the Federation mission. Now Picard and his crew must thwart the plot even while experiencing strange side effects from exposure to the planets surface.
About 500 people are on the list of persons gone missing in Donbas.

Vice Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, representative of the humanitarian subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group on settlement of Donbas conflict Iryna Gerashchenko announced this, Ukrayinska Pravda online newspaper reports.

"About 500 people are on the list of persons gone missing in Donbas. There are many those who disappeared after Ilovaisk tragedy," she said on the air of ICTV Ukrainian channel.

Gerashchenko noted that now it was important to ensure access of the Red Cross mission to the occupied territories for people search, identification and releasing captives.

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NATO believes aggressive Russia and terrorism to be two main threats now and in subsequent years.

Deputy Secretary General of NATO Alexander Vershbow said this at the meeting with Romanian diplomats in Bucharest on Tuesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He recalled that Russia had illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 and had applied its armed forces on the territory of the sovereign territory of another country for the first time since World War II in Europe.

The Deputy Secretary General of NATO said that the Russian Federation was trying to intimidate the NATO with its aggressive actions in eastern Ukraine and towards other neighbors.

"As long as Russia continues its aggression against Ukraine and tries to intimidate NATO allies and partners, we will make every effort to maintain deterrence and security," the Deputy Secretary General of NATO said.

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One Ukrainian serviceman was killed, nine soldiers were wounded in ATO area in eastern Ukraine over the past day.

Spokesman for the Presidential Administration on the ATO, Colonel Andriy Lysenko said this at a briefing in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

One Ukrainian serviceman was killed, nine soldiers were wounded as a result of military operations over the past day, Lysenko said.

The Spokesman noted that two Ukrainian soldiers were shell-shocked.

He added that six militants had been killed and thirteen militants had been wounded in last day.

ol
During the first half of the year, the German exports to the Eastern Europe countries grew faster than the nationwide figures in all the regions. The exports to Ukraine have increased by nearly a third.

An Ukrinform correspondent in Germany learnt this from the Eastern Committee of German Economy.

"The real fireworks occurred in the exports to Ukraine in the first half of the year, which grew by 31%. The economic reforms in the country are bearing the first fruits and the economy demonstrates the growth for the first time," Executive Director Michael Harms said.

He noted that settlement of the conflict in Donbas, consistent progress of reforms, and further rapprochement with the EU could give additional impetus.

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The issue of further financing of Ukraine is not on the agenda of meeting of the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund, scheduled for September 7, 2016.

This is stated on the IMFs website.

The assessment of the reforms carried out by the Government of Ukraine within the framework of the cooperation program with the IMF has not been put on the meetings agenda.

The Ukraines issue was not incorporated in the upcoming meetings' agenda of the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), although the Fund will consider cooperation with Serbia, Belarus, Brunei, Sudan, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Kiribati.

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Washington calls on Russia to immediately release Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of Crimean Tatar people Ilmi Umerov.

This was stated by Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State John Kirby.

"We are extremely concerned by the detention of Crimean Tatar leader Ilmi Umerov. We understand that his health condition is now critical and that he remains in a forced psychiatric detention. This tactic of detaining dissidents in psychiatric wards is deeply troubling. We join the international community in calling on the Russian Government to release him now," Kirby said.

As reported, the Federal Security Service of Russia initiated criminal proceeding against Ilmi Umerov on May 12 over his alleged calls for violating the integrity of the Russian Federation on the ATR TV channel. August 18, Umerov was put on forced inpatient forensic psychiatric examination, his health condition worsens.

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Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin states that all issues regarding the exchange of prisoners depend on the Russian side.

The minister stated this in an interview to the Echo of Moscow media outlet.

"Russia does not do anything in order to continue this process [exchange of hostages]," the minister said.

He also urged to ask Lavrov about this situation. "It would be great if the Echo of Moscow asked my colleague in Moscow about the same thing, because the Russian side is responsible for all of the problems regarding the exchange of prisoners," Klimkin said.

ish
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Published August 30, 2016

MONROE, La.  The Louisiana Board of Regents recently gave final approval to ULMs new post-baccalaureate certificate program in Accounting Technology.

The 21-hour post-baccalaureate certificate program was created to meet a critical need for well-trained professionals in the accounting and technology fields in our region. The innovative program will provide students a solid foundation in accounting and technology.

It is anticipated that graduates of the program could fill the many openings in small and medium-sized businesses that struggle to find graduates with four-year degrees in either accounting or computer information systems. A unique feature of the program is that students must pass at least one industry recognized certification exam prior to the completion of the program.

Enrollment in the program will begin for the spring 2017 semester. All classes for the program will be offered online to provide the flexibility and convenience of non-traditional students who may have work and family responsibilities.

According to Dr. Michelle McEacharn, Director of the School of Accounting, Financial, and Information Services and the program coordinator for this new program, Our accounting and computer information systems faculty worked closely together and with our industry partners to develop this program to meet specific workforce needs in our region. We look forward to working with students who are seeking a way to transition into the high demand, high salary positions that this program addresses.

Dr. Ron Berry, Dean of the College of Business and Social Sciences, added I want to thank Dr. McEacharn and our faculty for creating a program that will benefit our non-traditional students and our regional employers. This program will provide opportunities for those students seeking to move into available higher paying jobs and a source of well qualified employees for our regional business community.

The program will join the already nationally ranked and recognized online Bachelors of Business Administration programs in business, marketing, and risk management and insurance and the Masters of Business Administration degree programs available through eULM.

For more information about the new post-baccalaureate certificate program in Accounting Technology, visit ulm.edu/cbss/accounting/postbaccertacct.
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Published August 30, 2016

MONROE, La.  The University of Louisiana Monroes predominantly online masters in counseling program was ranked no. 7 in the nation for affordability by CollegeChoice.net.

Schools joining ULM on the list include University of Central Arkansas, Salem College, Indiana Wesleyan University, University of North Dakota, among others.

This ranking is a significant honor for health science degrees, which are typically labeled as high cost programs.

The ULM counseling program is constantly being recognized for its quality, flexibility and affordability. In 2015, BestCounselingDegree.net ranked the program no. 22 in the nation. This years recognition proves the progress of the program and its growing reputation for affordability.

Students at ULM can earn a Master of Science in Counseling, via a predominantly online format, with a concentration in School Counseling or Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Both concentrations are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and academically prepare students to be Licensed Professional Counselors and/or certified school counselors. The School Counseling concentration is also accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

The predominantly online format of the program allows students to attend ULM even though they may reside outside of the geographical region or in rural areas, said Marriage and Family Therapy and Counseling Studies Director, Dr. Jana Sutton. The programs are personally transforming and train students to provide effective counseling. The required one-week on-campus workshop has been described by students as life changing. I am extremely proud of our programs and faculty and of the success of our graduates.

According to CollegeChoice.net, an online master's in counseling is highly attractive and can deliver fantastic graduate level education without creating financial burdens or the need to take time off from your career.

120,000 professional counselors are not enough. Demand for mental health services is high and, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, that market will only grow over the coming decade, according to CollegeChoice.net.

To learn more about ULMs online counseling degrees, visit ulm.edu/onlinedegrees/.

To view the complete ranking, visit http://www.collegechoice.net/rankings/cheapest-online-masters-in-counseling/.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi meets South Sudanese refugees at Pagirinya refugee settlement in Adjumani, Uganda.  UNHCR/Michele Sibiloni

ADJUMANI, Uganda  During a visit to Uganda, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has made a passionate plea to end the human rights violations and atrocities that have sent thousands fleeing South Sudan across the border.

Peace has to come to South Sudan. The leaders of that young country have to behave responsibly and not continue to ignore the plight of their own people, said Grandi, after hearing tales of extreme violence from recently arrived refugees. Humanity is suffering. This has to stop.

Nearly 90,000 refugees from South Sudan have fled to safety in Uganda since renewed conflict broke out in July between government and rebel forces. The numbers have slowed in the last month, but Uganda is still receiving 800-1,000 refugees per day.

"The leaders have to behave responsibly and not ignore the plight of their own people."

During a three-day visit to Uganda, Grandi visited Adjumani District where a majority of recent arrivals have sought refuge. He spoke with refugees who told harrowing stories of the violence that forced them to leave everything behind, and also urged greater support for refugees in Uganda.

Taban Arikaangjelo barely escaped with his life after being shot at and chased away during a raid on his village by government forces. He made it to Uganda, but told of relatives still trapped inside South Sudan because of armed groups blocking the roads.

Uganda: UNHCR chief visits South Sudanese refugees

He said Grandis call for both peace in South Sudan, and for more help for the refugees in Uganda, sent a powerful message.

It was important for him to come here and see how we are living, and also to see that we are safe here in Uganda."

After Kenya, Uganda hosts the second largest population of refugees in Africa, with more than 600,000 refugees coming primarily from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi.

The country also has one of the worlds most progressive refugee policies. Refugees live in settlements, rather than camps. The government provides them with plots of land, which allows them to build their own homes, and grow food that can be sold for additional income.

Grandi praised the fact that despite a lack of resources and the large new influx, the Ugandan government has continued to welcome refugees.

Nowhere in the world have I seen people settled with land, with shelter in less than two months.

Nowhere in the world have I seen people settled with land, with shelter in less than two months. he said.

The High Commissioner called on the international community to offer more support for the humanitarian response to the South Sudan crisis, which is currently funded at only 20 per cent.

Im appealing to the international community to pay the same attention, and put the same resources into this response, that it would if the emergency was in a country closer to them, he said.

The High Commissioner warned that without adequate funding, UNHCR and partners will have a difficult time continuing to meet the needs of South Sudanese refugees, putting hundreds of thousands of them at risk of lack of food, disease and other protection issues.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, today called for greater international attention to the plight of South Sudanese refugees as well as donor support for Uganda's exceptional open-door approach towards people fleeing conflict in neighbouring countries.

Speaking at the end of a two-day visit to the East African country, Grandi appealed to the leaders of South Sudan to behave responsibly and end the violence and instability that is forcing their people to go into exile.

"Leaders should not ignore the plight of their people," he said citing armed conflict, rape of women and children, killings, abductions and the general state of lawlessness that are forcing citizens of all ages to flee different parts of the country.

The UN refugee chief visited Adjumani District where a majority of the 90,000 recent arrivals have sought refuge. He was accompanied by Hon. Hillary Onek-Uganda's Minister for Disaster Preparedness Management and Refugees, Mr. David Apollo Kazungu-Commissioner for Refugees, Ms. Rosa Malango-United Nations Resident Coordinator in Uganda, and other senior officials.

In Nyamwanzi Transit Centre, a 3,500-capacity facility currently holding 7,000 refugees, the High Commissioner heard refugees describe the terrifying acts of violence that caused them to flee South Sudan. They expressed fears that prevailing insecurity would not end soon. Grandi saw first-hand the health and protection risks of overcrowding. Refugees entering Uganda since July 2016 have been using entry points in different districts, requiring major logistical operations to bring them to safety. The speed of the influx had stretched the capacities of partners and host communities.

At Pagirinya Refugee Settlement, the High Commissioner remarked that in his long experience working with refugees, he had rarely seen so many people settled with land, and with houses already constructed in such a short time. He commended the tremendous efforts of national, UN and NGO actors that helped to decongest reception sites and to contain a cholera outbreak. Established two months ago, Pagirinya has already reached full capacity with 22,000 refugees. It has proper access roads, and partners are providing vital services in health, education, water, sanitation and hygiene albeit on a limited scale.

Refugees in Pagirinya presented the UN refugee chief with a memorandum outlining difficulties they are facing in the areas of water, food, shelter health and education. The memorandum cited special concerns about the situation of children, among whom many are orphans, and youth. The High Commissioner responded with assurances that he would spare no effort in calling for strong support from donors to meet their needs.

The High Commissioner lamented the donor response to the multi-agency regional appeal for South Sudanese refugees, which is funded about 20% of current requirements. Emphasizing the need for urgent and predictable resources to avert a crisis, he applauded continuing efforts to prevent congestion, combat moderate and severe malnutrition among children, and carry out protection interventions. He reiterated Hon. Onek's call to refugees to respect rule of law.

In Kampala, the High Commissioner met with Ugandan Prime Minister, Ruhakana Rugunda. He urged the government of Uganda to redouble its efforts to bring a political solution to the situation in South Sudan.He lauded Uganda's solidarity with those fleeing wars in the region, and its forward-looking aspiration to work with the United Nations and partners to transform refugees into a productive economic force as a means to promoting regional stability.

"Uganda's approach constitutes a rare example of a country unreservedly opening its doors to refugees and not treating them as a burden in a world where increasingly refugees are being turned away," the High Commissioner said in meetings with members of the diplomatic community and with officials of aid organizations. He commended the strong partnership between humanitarian and development actors who are engaged in refugee response, and appealed for strong international support to aid the government of Uganda to maintain its solidarity with refugees.

The Government of Uganda has gazetted land for refugee settlements, and gives plots for agricultural use to each rural-based refugee family. Where land has not been gazetted, the government negotiates for land with leaders from the host community. Significantly, Uganda has included refugees in its national development strategy.

Uganda currently has a population of over 613,000 refugees and asylum-seekers. Over 90% are from South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Somalia. A sizeable majority of the refugees arrived in the last five years.

Media contacts:

In Nairobi, Teresa Ongaro, [email protected] +254 735 337 608

In Kampala, Charlie Yaxley, [email protected] +256 (0) 776 720 045

In Geneva, Nora Sturm, [email protected] +41 79 200 7618
Saving lives and healing minds

At the ruins of a local primary school building, a group of young teenage boys are chatting among themselves. Most of them used to live in villages surrounding Gwoza but fled to the town for safety after the Nigerian military retook control in March 2015.

Everything was destroyed in my village, the situation is not good here, says 14-year-old Genesis. I just stay with my friends, he answers when asked about a typical day. One of them is Sodorong, a 13-year-old wearing a straw hat. It was given to me and made by my friend, he says proudly.

Sodorong lives with his grandmother and three siblings. My father disappeared when they [Boko Haram] came during the trouble, he says. His mother has since left Borno state with another man.

For children like Genesis and Sodorong, helping them to recover, heal and resume their childhoods is a priority, but little support has reached Gwoza prior to this trip.

The first thing is to make sure critical lifesaving assistance is in place and then we must provide children with safe learning spaces and psychosocial support so they can move on from the atrocities theyve been exposed to, says Gough.

At a displaced persons camp in Konduga, some 35 kms southeast of Maiduguri city, the impact of such work is being felt. Children take part in structured recreational activities and two tents are packed full of 8- to 12-year-olds noisily chanting the alphabet. There is an energy that only children can create.

Were helping to provide a normal place for children here, says Simon, a volunteer who lives in the small town and helps to register children for the activities. They have been through so much back in the villages where they came from.
Check out the news highlights from Apple Inc.

Apple to release video-sharing app like Snapchat, in 2017

Apple is reportedly working on a video recording app similar to Snapchat, set to be released next year.

It seems that Snapchat's popularity has not only inspired Facebook and Instagram to create similar app features. Apple Inc. is reportedly working on the video-sharing app like what Evan Spiegel's has succesfully created.

The news initially came from Bloomberg that reported the app in details. It stated that the new Apple's video-sharing application will use filters and drawings. Users will be able to send them to contacts or share the videos through the use of social network platforms. Furthermore, the app will be able to shoot, edit and upload video less than 60 seconds. It is also worth to know that iMovie and Final Cut Pro happened to be the team behind this upcoming app.

Mark Gurman explained that Apple wants to step up in social networking game as well, just like Instagram and Twitter. Apple is likely to be 'more open' in the way it works as this app will allow wider interaction by connecting to every social network in the device. It is still unclear whether this app would be a standalone application or not.

Apple Inc. biggest competitor in China is the local's smartphone

Meanwhile, Apple's iPhone sales were reportedly declining to the fifth position due to China's growing device shipments. 24/7 Wall Street wrote that the Chinese smartphones played a part in Apple's market share drops - stating Huawei as one of the biggest competitors among other local brands such as Vivo, Xiaomi and Oppo.

As a matter of fact, Xiaomi and Huawei have been developing cheaper premium devices. Kantar's analyst, Lauren Guenveur spoke to Bloomberg, saying that the Chinese smartphones, like Huawei and Oppo are much cheaper than iPhone but they have relatively good performance like bigger battery and better connectivity. Apple does expect the sales growth in middle and upper segments but many users switch to the local brands.




Qooco to offer financial aid scholarships worth USD$150,000 to help high school students in Asia who have the talent but not the means to attend the Yale Young Global Scholars Program

Use of online and mobile technology to allow the scholarship to reach, test and vet more applicants in more countries

Cirrus Education Inc. ("Qooco"), the provider of Qooco mobile language learning solutions, announces the launch of the Yale Young Global Scholars - Qooco Scholarship, a US$150,000 annual fund that will allow students in Asia to attend the prestigious Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS) Program. The scholarship will provide financial help to high school level students who would otherwise lack the financial means to attend the program, covering tuition fees and transportation costs. Additionally, Qooco has offered to provide mobile spoken English language pre-test preparation.

The Yale Young Global Scholars - Qooco Scholarship will provide up to 28 scholarships worth US$150,000 in total per year, to qualified students who attend high school in eight Asian countries: China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Myanmar. The scholarship will allow them to attend the Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS) Program, a highly selective, annual summer program offered in partnership with three world-class institutions: Yale Center Beijing, China; Yale-NUS College, Singapore; and Yale University, United States. YYGS aims to expose students to global challenges at the forefront of science, technology, and international affairs, through rigorous academic learning from Yale professors, alumni, and undergraduate and graduate student mentors. Applicants must be high school sophomores (US Grade 10) or juniors (US Grade 11), or the international equivalent, and demonstrate a need for financial assistance.

"Education is a great leveller, and can transform the fortunes of individuals and families with even the poorest of backgrounds" says David Topolewski, CEO of Qooco, adding "while Asia has seen massive economic growth over the past decade, inequality is also rising in many Asian societies and poor access to education plays a large role in causing this. Talent is spread widely across Asia, with children in villages in China to cities in Thailand and rural areas in Indonesia who are highly capable, but simply lack access to education that would unlock their potential. As such, we aim to provide as many people with the opportunity to apply for the Yale Young Global Scholars - Qooco Scholarship as possible."

"This is a wonderful gift to the Yale Young Global Scholars Program, and Qooco is such a generous, visionary partner," said YYGS Executive Director Ted Wittenstein. "Yale University has deep and historic ties to Asia that span more than 170 years and cover nearly every conceivable field of endeavor. YYGS extends that interaction to outstanding high school students from across Asia and around the world. The Yale Young Global Scholars - Qooco Scholarship is a fantastic opportunity for the best and brightest young people to be introduced to stellar Yale professors and to further improve their analytical thinking, intellectual creativity, and written and oral communication in preparation for applying to college-irrespective of their ability to pay."

Qualified students are urged to apply online at http://yygsbeijing.yale.edu, http://globalscholars.yale.edu/apply, and http://yygssingapore.yale.edu/ where more information about the program is also available.

A high level of English language proficiency is vital for YYGS, as students must be able to articulate their thoughts coherently and accurately, as they are expected to conduct sustained, difficult academic work. Qooco's mobile language learning solutions will be provided to enhance the applicants' opportunity to develop and demonstrate their English language proficiency.

The Yale Young Global Scholars - Qooco Scholarship is a seven-year partnership sponsored by Cirrus Education Inc. and its group companies operating under the Qooco brand, and shall begin awarding recipients from 2017 onwards. The scholarship shall award financial aid up to 28 students who attend high school in eight Asian countries, with a view to expanding this number over the coming years. Admissions and selection processes will be conducted and administered independently by the Yale Young Global Scholars Program, while Qooco will provide English language proficiency preparation and assessment.
Mark Zuckerberg and wife, Priscilla Chan, paid a visit to Pope Francis home on Monday. The two leaders from different world sat down for a talk.

It might be difficult to imagine two world leaders with different views, hanging out together. Zuckerberg is a tech enthusiast whilst Pope has been given various speeches on how he is against technology domination that could stop people from learning how to live wisely. For instance, Pope once addressed a speech to Catholic youths in St. Peter's Square, stating that happiness is not 'an app you can download on your phones', The Guardian reported.

However, both do have a strong commitment to alleviate poverty. Taking place in Santa Marta residence, Vatican spokesperson, Greg Burke, explained that Zuckerberg addressed on bringing internet to the rural areas where needed. The official statement said that the meeting was to encourage a culture of encounter and to communicate a message of hope, CNN wrote.

Zuckerberg also met Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and talked about the earthquake that happened last week. The entrepreneur later addressed his admiration to the Bishop of Rome in finding ways to connect with people of all faiths and continually spreading the message of kindness and mercy.

As part of the papal visit, he did not come empty handed. Zuckerberg gave Pope a solar-powered drone that could 'beam internet connectivity to placest that don't have it', the CEO wrote on his Facebook post. Rome has a special place in the power couple as it was their honeymoon destination.

Although Pope Francis has been an advocate of person-to-person communication, his works are well-documented in social media platforms. The people's Pope has official Instagram and Twitter accounts. He once owned an iPad with an engraved 'His Holiness Francisco' before he auctioned it for a charity. It resulted $30,000. Pope previously welcomed the high-profiles of Silicon Valley, including Eric Schmidt and Tim Cook.


The University of Chicago made a bold declaration of its stand on not observing the trigger warning and safe space.

A letter sent by the dean addressed to the incoming freshmen revealed that the university is committed to the academic freedom of expression and inquiry. The class of 2020 was made aware that the UC will keep the said commitment in spite of the increase in the number of universities using trigger warnings.

Trigger warnings are now being used across the country to protect students from incidents that may cause a traumatically deep effect, according to the survey conducted last year by the National Coalition Against Censorship. Some of the trauma causing and oppressing incidents include classism, racism, sexism, cissexism, heterosexism and ableism, The Washington Times reported.

Some speakers whom the university sees as under pressure from students had their speaking engagements at trigger warning observing universities prevents them from speaking about topics that might be controversial.

Some universities, on the other hand, builds spaces wherein calming music, pillows, blankets, videos of cute puppies, Play-Doh's and cookies are the highlight. These safe spaces were created for the purpose of making students retreat from their stressful and anxious situations.

These privileges are what exactly the University of Chicago dean specified in the letter they sent to every student entering UC for the first time. A part of the letter stated how the university considers civility and mutual respect. However, the University of Chicago clarified that they believe that freedom of expression does not mean freedom to threaten and harass others.

The letter also said that UC sees freedom of expression and inquiry as one of the institution's pillars that's why it does not support trigger warnings and offer safe spaces.

The UC announcement comes in the midst of universities and colleges' struggle to maintain the balance between protecting and preserving cultural sensitivities and advocate the freedom of speech, The Reason.com reported.

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 Chanc ellor Thomas Gibson





Thomas Gibson became the 15th chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point on Jan. 11, 2021.

A mission-driven leader, Dr. Gibson is focused on three key goals to achieve student success:

Ensuring academic excellence

Expanding Inclusive Excellence

Increasing enrollment and growth

At the chancellor's direction, these three imperatives were incorporated into the university's strategic plan, Purpose Made Possible. This plan guides intentional, strategic work on all three UWSP campuses. Among highlights of the first-year goals are the launch of an online and graduate program enrollment growth initiative; the opening of the Center for Inclusive Excellence at UWSP at Marshfield; and a process to provide first-year students with applied learning experiences.

Dr. Gibson is focused on enhancing student success and inclusive excellence through purpose-driven education. Within his first month at UW-Stevens Point, he created the Chancellor's Commission on the Ancestors Buried Below Us to expand the educational opportunities for Native students, families and communities. He is building an environment that opens more doors and fosters a sense of belonging, pride and support for students, faculty and staff.

He successfully led efforts to return to in-person classes, athletic events, performances and student activities, safely maintaining them as the pandemic persisted. During his tenure, UW-Stevens Point received state approval and $96 million to replace Albertson Hall, which housed student support services and the library collection. The university also received several major gifts that give students greater hands-on opportunities, including a land donation to support College of Natural Resources programs; a cello and music advocacy faculty fellowship; and the Skyward Internship Center located on campus. Partnerships have been strengthened with businesses, educational institutions and community and industry leaders. New programs include a community sustainability major, doctorate in physical therapy and certificates in Inclusive Excellence and Native American and Indigenous Studies.

Prior to joining UW-Stevens Point, Dr. Gibson served as vice president for Student Affairs and vice provost at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, from 2016 to 2020. In that role, he advocated for the academic and social development of students, devised institutional policies, engaged in strategic planning, led student success efforts and oversaw diversity, equity and inclusion. He also helped increase record student retention and helped raise $8 million with University Advancement.



He has held numerous positions to enhance student success and diversity in higher education. He was associate vice president of Student Affairs at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. He held several roles at York College, City University of New York in New York City, including associate dean for student development. He led academic support services at Queens College/CUNY and the University of Connecticut at Stamford.

Dr. Gibson has taught graduate courses in higher education and English and undergraduate interdisciplinary programs.

He completed his bachelor's degree in communication from Eastern Connecticut State University; his master's in education from University of New Haven, Conn.; and his doctorate in educational leadership in higher education at Johnson & Wales University, Providence, R.I.

Dr. Gibson grew up in New Haven, Conn., and enjoys reading, theatre, live music and traveling. He and his wife, Brigette Gibson, have a daughter, Kennedy, age 5.


ROB VARELA/THE STAR Kaija Schoeld of Brookings, South Dakota, helps to remove arundo from the Ventura River bed. Schoeld and about 500 incoming California Lutheran University students spent Monday afternoon taking part in their annual community service day, "You Got Served."

SHARE ROB VARELA/THE STAR A.J. Akpodiete, of Santa Clarita, tosses arundo onto a pile along the Ventura River. He and about 500 incoming California Lutheran University students spent Monday in Ventura removing the non-native plant for their annual community service day, "You Got Served." ROB VARELA/THE STAR Incoming California Lutheran University students spent Monday afternoon removing arundo from the Ventura River as part of their annual community service day, "You Got Served." ROB VARELA/THE STAR California Lutheran University student Cara Hoover (right) of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, cuts arundo along the Ventura River on Monday in Ventura. ROB VARELA/THE STAR About 500 incoming California Lutheran University students spent Monday afternoon removing non-native arundo from around the Ventura River in Ventura.

By Arlene Martinez, amartinez@vcstar.com

The arundo circling Shannon Martin, a freshman at California Lutheran University, didn't have a chance.

"Die, arundo, die," she called out, using the large shears in her hand to make future mulch of the bamboo-like reed.

"We are chopping down arundo, which is an invasive species, Basically, it's killing all the native plants...and I believe there's an endangered fish we're trying to save here," Martin explained, trying to remember all the details she and the rest of the incoming class had heard just before heading down to the Ventura River.

The more than 600 students were part of "You Got Served," a community project started in 2008 that has become a start-of-year tradition for the Thousand Oaks freshmen and transfer students. This is the second year the students worked to clear arundo off a piece of land owned by the land trust, Ventura Hillsides Conservancy.

When the conservancy in 2012 assumed ownership of the property, bordered by the Main Street Bridge and Pacific Ocean in Ventura, the nonnative arundo was thick and high  the perfect cover for elaborate homeless encampments. Since then, a steady stream of volunteers has removed six to eight acres of the reed, said the Hillsides' conservation director Dashiell Dunkell.

"We've seen a lot of the native vegetation regrowing," he said.

That includes willows, sycamores and other native trees that had been smothered by the water-guzzling arundo.

A coalition that includes the conservancy hopes the site can one day be turned into a place with walking trails and spots to picnic. It would be part of the Ventura River Parkway, a contiguous route that goes from the ocean to Ojai.

But before that happens, it needs more work.

On Monday afternoon, hundreds of students took to the area around the Ventura River and did their part.

Katie Shearer, 19, returned to the river for her second straight year. Now a peer adviser, Shearer said it was cool to watch students start connecting how one thing, in this case, arundo, "can have a ripple on the ecosystem."

In past years, students have cleared trash and debris from the Ventura and Santa Clara riverbeds, pulled up invasive ice plant in the Ventura Harbor Wetlands Ecological Reserve and beautified three city parks, a historic site and a community center.


On June 10, Chinese Laundry Shoes and Richard Simmons hosted a Miss USA Hula-Hoop Contest at Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas (Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna). The Hula Hoop contest winner Miss Florida, Lissette Garcia.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.


Nick Cannon made his DJ residency debut as Adrian Grenier, Scott Disick and Rob Kardashian stopped in to party last night at Gallery Nightclub (www.GalleryLV.com ) inside Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino (Photo credit: Carlos Larios).

Photo credit: Carlos Larios.

The multi-talented Cannon had revelers hyped up, spinning and remixing tracks like New York, New York, California Love, and In Da Club. The entertainer got things hot when he yelled out to the crowd on the DJ booth mic, The hottest place in Vegas is Gallery! Lets go, people! Cannon was seen sipping on Evian as he kept the club going crazy until the early morning hours.

Also spotted at the alluring venue was Entourage star Grenier. The HBO actor was in Vegas celebrating the premiere of his documentary, Teenage Paparazzo. The director and actor looked handsome in a checkered button-up shirt and jeans as he sipped on Grey Goose with orange juice and enjoyed the tunes being spun by Cannon.

Disick and Kardashian were also seen in the VIP area. The reality stars were drinking Veuve Cliquot and Grey Goose as they relaxed at their private table with a few friends.


Jason Derulo performed at The Bank Nightclub at Bellagio on Friday, May 25. Kicking off the Memorial Day Weekend party festivities, Derulo arrived to The Bank around 12:30 a.m., greeted by fans and excited club-goers that surrounded the packed hot spot (Photo credit: Jeff Bottari/WireImage).

Photo credit: Jeff Bottari/WireImage.

As Derulo entered the club, resident DJ IKON gave a shout-out, letting the crowd know the pop star was in the building and the crowd went nuts. Around 2 a.m., Derulo got on the mic and performed an exclusive 5-song set including It Girl and Ridin Solo.

Photo credit: Jeff Bottari/WireImage.

After the performance, Derulo hung with a group of 8 of his friends, enjoying champagne and a few vodka cocktails, and didnt leave the club until around 3:15 a.m.

Photo credit: Jeff Bottari/WireImage.

Earlier in the day on Friday, Derulo and his crew enjoyed lunch at LIQUID Pool Lounge at ARIA and hopped over to Bare Pool Lounge at The Mirage, to quickly check it out. Before heading to The Bank, Derulo and friends enjoyed dinner at Yellowtail Japanese Restaurant & Lounge, Chef Akira Back. On Saturday night, Derulo was the surprise performance at Sin Citys newest hot spot 1 OAK Nightclub at The Mirage.

Photo credit: Jeff Bottari/WireImage.

Photo credit: Jeff Bottari/WireImage.
A period of strong economic growth resulted in a dramatic decline in poverty, from around 58 per cent in the early 1990s to around 7 per cent today. This has earned Vietnam a global reputation for successful social and economic reform.

However, the pace of economic growth in Vietnam has slowed compared to the post-Doi moi years, and disparities among population groups and regions and environmental concerns have grown.

Many have argued that this is rooted in Vietnams outdated growth model, which favours the use of cheap labour and natural resource exploitation, over improved productivity and environmental sustainability. But the good news is that Vietnam has hard working people, access to resources and knowledge that can unlock its full potential and deliver a more inclusive and green economy.

Vietnam achieved the vast majority of the UNs Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It lifted 43 million people out of poverty; primary school enrollment reached 99 per cent of eligible children; the ratio for boys and girls school attendance has been equalised; and maternal mortality has been reduced by three quarters. This is an impressive record - yet unfinished MDG business remains, and new social challenges have emerged.

A very large part of the population is vulnerable to income shock. Although not poor, these people are not financially secure. A natural disaster or an economic crisis could pull them back into poverty.

Vietnam has already pulled 43 million citizens out of poverty

Vietnams rising tide of prosperity did not lift everyone out of hardship. Ethnic minorities have benefited less from economic growth and poverty reduction. While they make up around 14 per cent of the population, ethnic minorities account for more than half of those living below the poverty line.

The characteristics of poverty and the understanding of what it means to be poor in Vietnam are also changing. This is particularly true in urban areas. While absolute income poverty has largely been eliminated, new forms of poverty are emerging. They are given by poor living conditions, limited access to opportunities, and subpar infrastructure and public services.

While the challenges facing Vietnam as a middle-income country are formidable, I am optimistic that they can be overcome. Political will is key - and Vietnam has shown it is serious about eradicating poverty and promoting inclusion. The government has fully committed to implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and work is underway to develop the right national policy mix.

Importantly, while fiscal space remains tight, with well-adapted set of policy choices that empowers and incentivises the private sector, and bold decisions on public expenditure management are taken, the government can get the job done. The Vietnamese people are skilled and entrepreneurial, and Vietnam has the potential to be one of Asias most dynamic economies.

The UN and the UNDP have shared a long partnership with the government of Vietnam. Since 1979, we have supported many major development initiatives, including the globally-renowned Doi moi reforms.

It is vital that we continue to work together.

The route ahead is challenging and, there are three critical sets of tasks, that need our collective attention.

First and foremost, Vietnam needs to revitalise its economic growth model to secure prosperity and opportunity for all Vietnamese and take measures to protect the vulnerable. This can be achieved through better job training, boosting technology transfer, providing equitable schooling and healthcare to improve the quality of human capital, and by developing a social protection system that provides a minimum income for all, from cradle to grave.

Second, ethnic minorities need focused support in the areas of income, job creation, and economic links. These communities must be empowered so they can play a proactive role in their own development. Attention should be paid to promoting family and community empowerment and a self-help spirit.

There are many useful examples in the region that can be drawn on, like the South Koreas Saemaul Undong model, which drove rural development progress through community action. The accelerated development targets for ethnic minorities and the reformed national targeted programmes developed by the government in concert with UNDP, offer strong starting points for enabling these communities to access the benefits of development.

Third, tackling new forms of poverty, such as a lack of access to key services, low social protection coverage, and poor living standards, especially in urban areas, requires a new policy response. Encouragingly, here too, Vietnam has become something of a global leader.

UNDP has worked with the government to rollout measures and tools to track and identify these multi-dimensional forms of poverty, and to support disadvantaged households. The work at the national level builds on our successful partnership in Ho Chi Minh City, where authorities have pioneered these modern approaches.

These solutions demonstrate that Vietnam remains on the cutting-edge of poverty reduction. Moving forward, our collective ability to innovate, scale up, monitor, evaluate, and of course, to quickly adjust course of action will be critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

As former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said, the UN has helped Vietnam significantly to improve its institutional capacities, deliver administrative reform, eradicate poverty, and promote sustainable development and to respond to climate change. UNDP remains committed as ever, to supporting Vietnam in its efforts to ensure a green and poverty-free future, and to delivering prosperity for all its citizens.
Pieter van Diermen, president of PYCO Group

Recent years have seen the emergence and rise in popularity of BOT in the IT market. What has PYCO Group planned to grow in this context?

Since 1999, we have been recognised as a state-of-the-art digital consulting and software development agency on par with Fortune 500 companies all over the world. During our 17 years in Vietnam, we have witnessed the local market grow a very promising IT talent pool that provides qualitative and well-grounded software engineers today. However, to seize valuable job opportunities, they still lack long-term direction in their career development and, in particular, they should cultivate a product development focus rather than the typical outsourcing mind-set found in most Vietnamese IT service companies.

Based on our rich experience in web and software development, consulting, and talent acquisition, we decided to extend PYCOs existing dedicated team services and propose a BOT engagement model to our clients seeking to set up their own product development operations in Asia or Vietnam. Under this model, we set up a distinct legal entity with its own office space and infrastructure and hire dedicated technical and operational staff that we manage until the entity is eventually transferred to our clients after a designated operating period. We have been applying and improving this BOT model for over four years now, thanks to our partnerships with key actors in different IT sectors. We are proud to have paved the way for companies, such as Atlassian, Magnolia, Yellow Pepper Technologies, and, most recently, ansarada, to come and develop great software with our help in Vietnam.

How is the current BOT model different from your original digital agency business model?

The most significant differences are mainly related to the operation and talent selection processes. By working under PYCOs traditional digital agency business model, we have to constantly adapt to the fast-paced delivery cycles that web projects require. We also have to help our clients keep up with the latest technology trends without always having time to make durable investments post-delivery. This digital agency model requires our engineers to be both trained and self-taught, be motivated by technology diversity, manage their time and pressure well, and to be flexible in order to adjust to the diverse last minute requirements of our clients. These traits and skills are great to acquire but can become quite demanding in the long run.

In contrast, the BOT model allows us to set the foundations from the beginning for a long-term investment both in terms of technology and people. It allows us to implement a fully agile development working model and collaborate closely with our clients on a daily basis. By fully integrating our team in their organisation, we help them bootstrap their new Vietnam-based operation and improve their production capacity almost immediately. It also allows us to scout and select compatible talents for our clients. We do not only screen their professional skills and practical experience, but also their personality and creative mindset, so that they can fit perfectly with the technology stack, working culture, and values of our BOT clients.

Atlassian, a noteworthy partner that pursued a BOT model in the market, decided to stop investing in their Vietnamese base after working three years with you. Does this mean PYCOs model did not work?

We feel very proud of having accompanied and helped Atlassian set up one of the most advanced R&D centres in Vietnam. The challenge was bold and the goal to set up a working force that would be an integral part of and on par with Atlassians global R&D force was very ambitious. Yet in just two years of actual BOT operation, we hired over 100 highly-qualified engineers and built an open, collaborative working culture and environment, which yielded results second to none. On this note, Scott Farquhar, CEO and co-founder of Atlassian, publicly stated, and I quote, that: the Vietnam team, next to shipping key components of our products over the last 2 years, have also been the proud winners of the quarterly ShipIt "Customer Kick Ass" prize on four occasions, and have bragging rights over winning our 10 years anniversary ShipIt "Founder" prize, demonstrating the innovation, creativity, and technical excellence in the region.

Of course, we would have loved to see Atlassian continue investing even further in Vietnam after the transfer of our BOT, but we also recognise and need to accept their new talent acquisition strategy which centralises all R&D in the APAC region in Sydney. Still, Atlassian asked us to transfer and offered resettlement to Sydney for over 50 per cent of our engineering personnel in Vietnam. This is again strong proof of the quality and abilities of Vietnamese software engineers in general and of our BOT services in particular.

Atlassian will always be a great showcase for PYCO Group and we are pleased to have publicly received their continued support and recommendation of our BOT services.

What are your plans and strategies to help your current clientele expand their employee base in Vietnam?

BOT is not a one size fits all model that can simply be copy-pasted every time. Instead, we have to go through a number of steps to tailor fit our engagement model, we need to collect and fully understand our customers needs, and thoroughly analyse the Vietnamese IT resource market in the long term before proposing an optimal growth plan for each client. Our overall approach is, however, quite straightforward: we aim to become a trustful partner, unbridled by the intricacies of the local corporate and talent landscape. We leverage our local experience to set up a skilled and innovative R&D workforce and offer local IT talents with attractive and well-defined long term career opportunities. Guaranteeing to successfully bootstrap, scale, and manage this additional development capacity in perfect understanding with the culture and long-term orientation of each particular client is our main key performance indicator (KPI).

Pieter van Diermen with Sam Riley, CEO of ansarada, at the Grand Opening of ansarada in partnership with PYCO Group

Is it not a conflict of interest, going after talent in the market, while cooperating with several IT companies at the same time and having to also grow your own development team?

That is a very good question. We are not head-hunters, simply poaching talent from one company to another. We have set up different departments to service various aspects of our BOT clients needs, from their technical, business, and recruitment goals to understanding their company values and at the same time helping them understand the local working culture and talent pool. Based on this, we are able to devise an appropriate collaborative framework for each BOT operation.

A successful BOT requires a great deal of effort, trust, and collaboration with all the actors at play. It is like bringing up a child from the very first day, you have to care for it, nurture it, understand and help it through its growth, until it becomes fully autonomous and can care for itself.

The same goes with our BOT employees, we have to build a long-running, well-defined plan for each talents career to have them fully focus and commit overtime to the product development mind-set our BOTs require.

For these reasons, there is no direct conflict between our different recruitment efforts, which are focused on each BOTs particular needs, and our traditional digital agency business, which requires people that are motivated above all by technology and our clients diversity in a fast-paced environment.
Chief Executive Officer Ceest Hart told Bloomberg that the sale, which was completed in July, would allow Carlsberg to concentrate on its existing market in the northern part of the country. In another move, the Danish brewer is awaiting the governments approval to raise its holding in Habeco to 30 per cent from the existing 17 to further improve its footprint in the north.

Along with its strong determination to strengthen hold on its core market, Carlsberg also plans to overtake its rivals in the domestic high-end beer segment by launching Tuborg in Vietnam.

Earlier in April, Carlsberg released its plans to spend VND450 billion ($20.2 million) on its marketing programme for Tuborg, the number one beer brand by volume in Carlsberg Groups portfolio. Besides, Carlsberg spent an additional $1 million on the bottle design which will sport a unique easy-to-use pull-off cap.

Carlsberg entered Vietnam in 1993 through the joint venture South East Asia Brewery. Currently, the company owns 60 per cent of the venture with Viet Ha Corporation. In 1994, Carlsberg acquired 50 per cent of Hue Brewery Limited (HBL), the market leader in Central Vietnam. HBL became a wholly owned subsidiary of Carlsberg when the company acquired the remaining 50 per cent in 2011.

In 2008, Carlsberg simultaneously acquired a minority share in Ha Long Brewery and became a strategic partner of Habeco by buying a 17.23 per cent stake. Carlsberg expressed its interest in buying a further 13 per cent, but the deal yet again hinges on the approval of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Carlsberg ranks fourth among the largest beer manufacturers in Vietnam, with a 2015 total capacity of 229 million litres, following Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Joint Stock Corporation (Sabeco) with 1.38 billion litres, Heineken with 729 million litres, and Habeco with 667.8 million litres.

Regarding Heineken, since entering Vietnam in 2011, the company operates under two names, the wholly-owned Asian Pacific Breweries (APB) in Hanoi and Vietnam Brewery Limited Company (VBL), in which it holds a 60 per cent stake. According to Frans Eusman, Heinekens Asia Pacific president, Vietnam is Heineken's second most profitable market after only Mexico.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve (L) shakes hands with Paris' Mosque Rector Dalil Boubakeur following a meeting with representatives of the Muslim community on Aug 29, 2016 in Paris. (Photo: AFP/Matthieu Alexandre)

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve met with senior Muslim representatives and agreed that efforts to foster good relations will include the creation of an Islamic foundation, funded solely with money from within France.

But Prime Minister Manuel Valls, speaking later on Monday, urged a fight to defeat what he termed "Islamist totalitarianism" which aimed at "fracturing democracies, stifling individual liberties and installing a new social order in which men dominate women."

Around 30 towns have banned the burkini from their beaches, with some mayors linking the bans to the Jul 14 militant lorry attack in Nice that killed 86 and the murder of a Catholic priest near Rouen by Islamic State sympathisers.

The controversy over the burkini, the full-body Islamic swimming garment, looks set to continue after several mayors said they would ignore a decision Friday by the country's top administrative court to suspend the ban in one Riviera town.

Anouar Kbibech, leader of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), said he hoped Monday's talks were the start of a new chapter. "This positive development will put an end to the repulsive saga of the burkini," he said.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the aim of the discussions was to forge "an Islam anchored in the values of the French Republic".

Cazeneuve stressed however that all religions had to respect France's laws on the strict separation of religion and state. The talks will lead to the creation of a "Foundation for Islam in France", which will aim to raise funds in France rather than abroad to ensure the transparent sourcing of funds.

But the choice of 77-year-old former defence minister Jean-Pierre Chevenement to head the foundation has sparked controversy, with many observers asking why a Muslim was not given the role.

'PREVENTION OF RADICALISATION'

Chevenement sidestepped the controversy, telling AFP: "As a former interior minister myself, I could not turn down the opportunity to contribute to this initiative of great interest to the public."

Hakim El Karoui, a secular Muslim who participated in Monday's talks, said that the choice of Chevenement was "clumsiness at the very least".

Cazeneuve, the current interior minister, said the foundation would act as a "bridge between the French state and France's Muslims".

Moroccan writer Tahar Ben Jelloun and the rector of a mosque in the central city of Lyon, Kamel Kabtane, are among Muslims who will sit on the foundation's board.

France's secular laws mean the foundation's scope is limited to areas like education and research. "If they are given the financial means, Muslim institutions can strengthen their role in the prevention of radicalisation," said Kbibech.

The anti-Islamophobia group which spearheaded the legal challenge to the burkini ban said it will go to court this week to force four French Riviera towns - Nice, Menton, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin and Frejus - to drop the measure.

Nice is among the towns that have refused to abide by the court ruling.

Images of police apparently ordering a woman in a headscarf on the beach in Nice to remove clothing which allegedly contravened the ban sparked worldwide outrage.

Nice authorities however insisted she was simply showing police the swimsuit she was wearing under her top, when the pictures were taken.

Eighty-six people were killed in Nice in July and over 400 people injured when Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel drove a truck into crowds leaving a fireworks display on Nice's waterfront on France's national holiday.
However, no specific price has been disclosed. Previously, Vietcombank announced that it will discount the stake volume offered to GIC to the market price. Vietcombanks value at the transaction on the morning of August 29 stood at VND59,500 ($2.69) per share.

Earlier in April, Vietcombank received its shareholders approval to issue 360 million new shares to foreign investors. The issuance was worth $600 million at current market value, equalling 10 per cent of the banks existing stocks. However, the GIC deal would have to receive approval from the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), Vietcombanks largest shareholder.

If the SBV agrees with the deal, GIC, with a 7.73 per cent stake holding, will be the third-largest investor after SBVs 77 per cent and Japanese Mizuho Banks 15 per cent. In 2001, Vietcombank sold Mizuho its stake for $567.3 million.

Nghiem Xuan Thanh, CEO of Vietcombank, said that the deal will be an important milestone to strike a long-term relationship with GIC. In addition, it will help Vietcombank to reach targets of finance and business in both its domestic and overseas markets.
He affirmed that Vietnam is committed to creating a transparent and fair business environment in line with international practices, especially for foreign investors, including those from Singapore.



Expressing wish to lift strategic partnership with Singapore to a new height to match each countrys potential, the President said Vietnam encourages Singaporean investment in information technology, biology, environment, infrastructure, public-private partnership, finance-banking, tourism-hi-quality services, logistics, health care, education, supporting industry, maritime services and offshore equipment, and equitisation of State-owned enterprises.



Vietnam also encourages Singaporean firms to invest in venture funds and connect Vietnamese partners with the global market, he said, adding that both countries are quite able to double two-way trade in the future on the back of the ASEAN Economic Community and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.



The State leader said Vietnam welcomes Singapores market opening for farm produce and wishes to bring more made-in-Vietnam consumer goods, electronics and spare parts to Singapore.



He expressed his desire to increase the number of tourists to 1 million people per year in the nearest future by launching more commercial flights from Singapores Changi airport to Vietnam.

Singapore is currently Vietnams major partner in ASEAN in the fields of trade, tourism, international transport, education-training, and health care, and the largest trade partner with 1,664 projects worth over US$38 billion, including Sembcorps Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park as a successful model over the past 20 years.

Singapore is also a priority choice of Vietnamese students for high school, university and tertiary education.



President Quang stressed that Vietnam stays persistent in achieving rapid and sustainable economic development goals on the basis of stablising macro-economy, renewing growth model, developing knowledge-based economy, and enhancing economic competitiveness.



In his opening speech, Singaporean Minister for Trade and Industry S.Iswaran said the Singaporean business community is satisfied with Vietnams policies and appreciative of the Vietnamese States commitment to ensuring a favourable business environment in the country.



The minister also took the occasion to urge the two countries businesses to tap new trade and investment opportunities.



Later, the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) held a business dialogue, during which, President Quang, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh and Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha answered questions regarding policies to improve business climate, develop small and medium-sized enterprises, cooperation in education, and the worlds impacts on Vietnams trade with countries.



At the forum, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the SBF signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation.



A MoU on the Singapore GIC sovereign wealth funds purchase of 7.73 percent of Vietcombanks shares was also inked.



Also in the afternoon the same day, President Quang hosted a reception for President of Ascendas Singbridge Wong Kan Seng and President of Sembrcorp Tang Kin Fei.
Waves beat against the seashore in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture as Typhoon Lionrock makes its course towards northeastern Japan. (Photo: AFP)

Typhoon Lionrock was 170km east of the city of Choshi, as of 9am (8am Singapore time). Choshi lies straight east of Tokyo.

Packing wind gusts up to 180km per hour, the storm was moving north at 30km per hour and expected to make landfall in the northeast later in the day.

That would make it the first typhoon to directly land in the region from the Pacific Ocean since the country's present weather observation system was introduced in 1951, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Typhoons usually approach Japan from the south and southwest before moving northward across the archipelago.

Lionrock, which formed more than 10 days ago, has become the longest-lasting typhoon of those that have developed north of the 30th parallel north, breaking a 46-year-old record, according to the private Weathernews agency.

The previous record-holding typhoon in that category was in 1970, which survived for nine days and six hours, Weathernews said on its website.

Authorities have issued warnings for torrential rain, high waves, strong winds and flooding for the northeastern region, which remains vulnerable after destruction brought about by a March 2011 tsunami generated by a massive magnitude 9.0 offshore earthquake.

It is also expected to hit the region at high tide, deepening concerns for flooding along the coast from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning.

Authorities also warned of landslides and high water due to expected heavy rain of up to eight centimetres per hour.

Some 110 domestic flights have been cancelled, public broadcaster NHK said.

Lionrock is expected to cut across the country's main island of Honshu and head out to sea towards Russia and China, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The typhoon comes on the heels of two others that hit Japan in the past nine days, resulting in two deaths, the cancellation of hundreds of domestic flights and disruptions to train services.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Mard) issued a stern warning to the aquaculture industry, that flagrant disregard of the nations food safety laws and regulations will not be tolerated.



Specifically, the Ministry revoked the export permits for Can Tho Export-Import Seafood JSC, Southern Fishery Industries Co. Ltd and Khang Thong JSC on the grounds exports to the EU contained excessive levels of banned substances that have been determined to be harmful to peoples health.



The Ministry rescinded the aforementioned companies permits pending a full inspection by the National Agriculture-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department to evaluate the full extent of the food safety violations they have committed.



Presumably this investigation could lead to a full recall of domestic products sold by these companies from supermarket and retail shelves nationwide, if the farmed seafood is determined to be a serious health threat.



In the future, the Ministry announced it will revoke export permits for any companies that have shipments refused by the EU and will only reinstate those permits after a thorough investigation has been conducted.



Meanwhile a US seafood company has recently issued a recall of 25,760 pounds of frozen fish fillets from Vietnam that were distributed without first meeting food safety requirements.



The US Department of Agriculture said California-based US Cado Holdings Inc. is recalling a batch of skinless, boneless Swai fish fillets, also known as Vietnamese catfish, that was produced and packaged earlier this year in Vietnam.



The Sea Queen-branded fish were shipped to grocer Aldi's distribution centres in Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.



USDA said the product entered the US market without first passing required residue sampling and testing. The agency said there have been no reports of adverse reactions from consuming the fish.



In a statement regarding the recall of the 25,760 pounds of frozen fish fillets from Vietnam, a member of the US Congress, Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) urged congressmen not to pass the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).



Rep DeLauro said the US Congress should standing up to foreign companies that do not have any regard for the health and safety of Americans, such as those in the Vietnam aquaculture industry.



Nguyen Ngo Vi Tam, CEO of Vinh Hoan Joint Stock Company, one of the leading catfish exporters in Vietnam has acknowledged the tarnished reputation of Vietnam aquaculture around the globe, which he politely describes as quite negative.
Automobiles offered for sale at Nguyen Chanh Street in HCM City. -- VNS Photo oan Tung

Hue told a conference on the countrys international integration in Ha Noi last week that Viet Nam saw big trade deficits with Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. The country reported a small trade surplus with Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

He said Thailand surpassed South Korea to become the biggest automobile exporter to Viet Nam though the tax on the product has not reduced to zero under AECs commitments. India has also been a potential rival.

Statistics from General Statistics Office showed that in the first seven months of the year, the total import-export turnover among Viet Nam and ASEAN countries was US$22.8 billion, posting 8.3 per cent year-on-year decrease. Of this, Viet Nams exports to the countries reduced 12.3 per cent to $9.6 billion while its imports was 13.2 billion, making a trade deficit of $3.6 billion.

Hue wondered whether the risk could be prolonged or not. He also asked the government to conduct studies and analyses on the risks for solutions to resolve the situation.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh said ASEAN or ASEAN+ markets have not brought clear benefits to Viet Nam as most of the partners have similar and competitive economic structures in their countries.

In addition, local businesses have not been known to exploit opportunities from signed trade agreements. Several Vietnamese firms have not themselves sought partners. They have also not paid attention to tax reduction and removal as they still depended on middlemen, Khanh said.

He suggested that the government should encourage and facilitate businesses such as Vinamilk, TH True Milk, Minh Phu and Vinh Hoan, which have good investments in foreign markets.

He added that Viet Nam should choose markets which have a supplemental economic structure.

In reality, some markets such as Japan and South Korea which have a supplemental economic structure, have helped Viet Nams narrow trade gap with the countries.

Nguyen The Phuong, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment shared the ideas, adding that the government should have solutions to improve competitiveness in each product and sector to help Viet Nam have enough capacity in international integration.

We could be lost in the ASEAN market if we do not enhance our competitiveness, Phuong said.

Viet Nam has to date established trade ties with over 200 countries and territories. More than 100 countries and territories are running investment projects in Viet Nam, while domestic firms are also investing in projects in more than 70 nations and territories.
Photo by CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Members of the Chicago Police department investigate a shooting scene on South Campbell Avenue on Sunday in Chicago.


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Cambodias border affairs committee on Monday told their Vietnamese counterparts during a meeting in Phnom Penh that they wanted to see a halt to all construction and development projects that overlapped onto Cambodian territory.

Cambodia said it would forcefully dismantle any construction on its soil.

Long Visalo, a secretary of state with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that he had told the Vietnamese delegation that if they dare to build, I will give orders for the buildings removal.

He added that the Cambodians were waiting for a response to an order from Cambodia for nine water catchment ponds to be filled in as they were dug on Cambodian soil.

Since 2011, Cambodia has sent more than 20 diplomatic letters to Vietnam to protest what it calls encroachment by the Vietnamese on its territory.

Visalo said Vietnam has always maintained that the construction was only occurring on Vietnamese land.

One side says its Cambodian land, the other side says its Vietnams, he added. Now they agree to end the saga by taking the issue up with relevant ministries.

Va Kim Hong, head of the border committee, said a joint letter to request the aid of former colonial power France in resolving the dispute had not yet been sent as there was an ongoing disagreement about its wording and contents.

Mao Monyvann, an opposition lawmaker with the Cambodia National Rescue Party, said the talks would not lead to a positive result for Cambodia without the help of a third-party such as France.

I think its time for us to push for a resolution with the participation of powerful countries, or sue in an international court, he said.
North Korea could soon develop a new submarine that will incorporate ongoing ballistic missile advances being made and increasing the militarys capability to carry out a nuclear strike from the sea.

Pyongyangs recent successful submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test flew 500 kilometers before falling into the sea inside Japans air defense identification zone.



It has raised concerns that the North is also working on a new submarine that can fire multiple ballistic missiles.



The fact that North Korea is making SLBM means it is making a submarine which can deploy the SLBM, and I think they can make the submarine into a nuclear powered submarine, said Park Hwee-rhak, a political science professor at Kookmin University.



Developing a submarine with nuclear power would allow it to stay underwater for long periods of time, and to travel longer distances at higher speeds while remaining undetected.

Moon Keun-sik, a defense analyst at the Korea Defense Security Forum, said he expects North Korea to build a 3,000-ton submarine with three SLBM launch tubes.



Recent satellite images of the North Korean naval base near Sinpo show a launching way and large construction hall in a secure boat basin, that analysts say could be used to build and launch a new ballistic missile submarine.



Despite the Norths recent progress, the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University said it is unlikely that any new SLBM capable vessel would become operational before 2020.



Gorae prototype



The North used a prototype Gorae submarine (Gorae is Korean for whale) for its recent SLBM test. It is diesel powered, can stay submerged for a few hours at a time and has only one launch tube that could fire an intermediate range missile.



The rest of North Koreas fleet of approximately 70 submarines is older, like the Romeo-class submarines built with 1950s technology, and too small for a ballistic missile launch vessel.



North Korea also claims to have developed the capability to miniaturize a nuclear device to fit on a missile warhead, but it has not yet demonstrated the technology.



South Korea



South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday ordered her military to develop effective measures to counter the Norths increasing nuclear and missile capabilities.



I call upon you to maintain a robust posture to retaliate, to make sure that any attempt by the North at engaging in any form of provocation will lead to the self-destruction of the North Korean regime, Park said.



In Seouls National Assembly, some lawmakers have raised concern that the Norths new submarine missile capability, which could strike from anywhere along the coast, could make the U.S. THAAD missile defense system that is aimed northwards ineffective.



They have urged the South Korean military to accelerate the development of a secondary Kill Chain missile defense system to defend against possible submarine based missile attacks.



Chung Jin-suk, a leader of ruling Saenuri party has called for the South to deploy its own nuclear powered submarine that can track down and block any incursions from the North.



[I urge] South Korean military to actively consider deployment of nuclear powered submarine which has a capacity to operate underwater for an extended period of time, a high-tech sonar system, and striking power, he said.



The South Korea Defense Ministry said it will look into all options but is not considering a nuclear submarine at this time.



Acquiring nuclear submarines is a sensitive issue for South Korea because it could trigger opposition from nations such as the United States and China amid worries about a regional arms race.



Security cooperation



The U.S., which maintains over 28,000 troops in South Korea, and 50,000 troops in Japan, has pledged to defend its allies against a nuclear attack.



The U.S. allies have increased security cooperation and information sharing in the face the growing North Korean threat.



U.S. nuclear submarines also routinely operate in international waters in the region on what the Navy describes as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.

Youmi Kim in Seoul contributed to this report.




It is said to be the world's first weather station, to date back more than 2,000 years, and to have been used by merchants to tell the time - even in darkness.

The Tower of the Winds, still standing on a slope on Athens's ancient Acropolis hill despite attempts by Lord Elgin to move it to Britain, has been restored and re-opened to the public for the first time in nearly 200 years.

No one knows who funded its lavish construction - the octagonal monument is made almost entirely of Pentelic marble, the same used for the Parthenon and rarely found in buildings other than temples.

At nearly 14 meters (46-foot) tall, it is credited to the architect and astronomer Andronikos of Cyrrhus, but all these years later no one knows exactly how it worked.

"It is, we believe, the world's first weather station," Stelios Daskalakis, head of conservation, told Reuters.

"It's located in the Roman Agora [market place] as it was of great value for the merchants to read the weather and also tell the time their goods would arrive," he said.

Atop its fully-preserved roof, made of 24 marble slabs, rests a Corinthian capital which possibly served as the base of a bronze wind vane in the form of sea god Triton, Daskalakis said.

Beneath it is a frieze of eight Anemoi - wind gods of Greek mythology - each facing a different direction. And beneath that, lines of a sundial.

The greatest mystery remains how the clock worked at night.

Based on the most prominent theory, a hydraulic mechanism powered a water clock device with water flowing from a stream on the Acropolis hill.

"It's unique in that such an important work was not a temple but had a utilitarian use, Daskalakis said.

"We don't know who funded it, whether it was private or a high-ranking official," he added. "The only thing justifying such a high cost is Athens wanting to upgrade the Roman Agora."

Lord Elgin and the Dervishes

Its use as a clocktower and weather station was short-lived.

Its mechanism is believed to have been looted during the Roman period and has never been found, Daskalakis said.

But over the years, the Aerides, as the monument is also known, also served as a church and restorers have discovered fragments of frescoes with Christian subject matter, including an angel and a saint on horseback.

Using a multi-spectral camera, they also uncovered its fanciful interior and exterior decoration rich in color, such as deep Egyptian Blue for the ceiling and a red and blue meander, or decorative border.

Late in the city's period under Ottoman rule, the monument was also used as a place of worship by Sufi Muslim Whirling Dervishes. A mihrab niche was carved in the direction of Mecca and Ottoman inscriptions decorate its walls.

Its use as a Muslim place of worship saved it from the hands of British diplomat Lord Elgin, who took prized Parthenon marbles from the Acropolis some 200 years ago, Daskalakis said.

"In 1799 he began planning the transfer of the entire monument to Britain. But it was considered a sacred place and they did not allow the monument to be uprooted," he said.

The monument has been largely shut to the public since the Dervishes left in 1828, barring brief use to store antiquities in 1843. The years took their toll, as did natural disasters, and pollution, prompting a full restoration which began in 2014.

While the mysteries surrounding the mechanism have yet to be resolved, its value remains undisputed.

"It certainly was a very important building for the era," Daskalakis said.
Bangladesh's highest court has rejected a final appeal by a senior Islamist leader, clearing the way for his execution for war crimes committed during the country's 1971 war for independence with Pakistan.

The decision against Mir Quasem Ali leaves an appeal for presidential clemency as the only barrier to a death sentence first handed down in 2014.

The 63-year-old Ali is a leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party and was convicted on eight charges that included the abduction of a young man and his killing in a torture cell.

Bangladesh says local collaborators and Pakistani soldiers killed 3 million people during the fight for independence, which Jamaat-e-Islami opposed.

Several other Islamist leaders have already been executed for war crimes. Jamaat-e-Islami and the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party have criticized the government's war crimes tribunal as politically motivated.

A group of U.N. human rights experts called last week for the high court to give Ali a new trial "in compliance with international standards."

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry referenced human rights criticisms in Bangladesh in a speech Monday in Dhaka, saying "we have to uphold and not betray" democratic principles in the fight against extremism.
High in the Cursed Mountains that span Kosovo and Montenegro, lumberjack Rame Elezaj and his family have earned a living from their trees for decades.

But if Kosovo's parliament approves a border deal with Montenegro on Thursday, all 4.5 hectares of Elezaj's land will be designated in another country, while his house will remain in Kosovo.

"We have always used this land and Montenegro never had any issues, and now our government wants to give it away for free," the 61-year-old told Reuters.

For decades after World War II, villagers never viewed the administrative lines that crisscrossed Yugoslavia as anything but notional boundaries that had little impact on everyday life.

But years after that communist state was ripped apart by the Balkan wars in the 1990s, border disputes remain one of many difficulties in untangling the former Yugoslavia, along with ethnic hostility, violence and political gridlock.

With no border markers in the craggy 1,700-meter (5,600-feet) mountains, Elezaj believed all his land was in Kosovo, but has no documents to prove it.

Western allies have told Kosovo that clarifying borders with its ex-Yugoslav foes, including Montenegro, is a prerequisite to getting closer ties with the European Union, in particular securing visa-free travel.

But the deal between the two governments has sparked violent protests throughout Kosovo. Six people were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of launching a rocket-propelled grenade at parliament and nationalist lawmakers have released tear gas inside the chamber several times in protest.

The opposition says the agreement hands over some 8,000 hectares (20,000 acres) of territory to Montenegro, a claim the government denies.

"Kosovo is losing 8,200 hectares ... it is losing water sources and lakes," said Donika Kadaj Bujupi, a lawmaker from the biggest opposition party, Vetevendosje, and someone who has herself released tear gas inside parliament.

"We will defend the land with our blood," Elezaj said.

Vetevendosje has said it will do everything it can, both inside and outside parliament, to stop the assembly approving the border deal. The government also faces objections from a number of its own lawmakers who have said they will not back the deal.

Attention elsewhere

Kosovo broke from Serbia in 1999 during 11 weeks of NATO bombing to halt the killing and expulsion of ethnic Albanian civilians by Serbian forces trying to crush a two-year insurgency.

After almost a decade as a ward of the United Nations, the majority-Albanian territory declared independence in 2008. It has been recognized by more than 100 countries, including the major Western powers, but not Serbia and its big-power ally Russia or several EU members such as Spain.

It still struggles with the legacy of war. Corruption and poverty are rife, and a gradual improvement in relations with Serbia, mandated by the EU, is fraught with setbacks.

EU officials have used a policy of carrots and sticks to guide governments both in Pristina and in Belgrade toward closer integration with the EU, with the Montenegro border deal just the latest requirement.

But EU diplomats say Kosovo may have to wait longer to win visa-free travel, even if the agreement is ratified in time for a September debate in the European Parliament.

The bloc's attention is focused elsewhere, diplomats say, with some hoping to lift visas for Georgians ahead of an election there in October, while others want to focus on Turkey, crucial to stemming migrant flows to Europe.

"Nobody really talks about Kosovo all that much," one EU diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The huge numbers of Kosovars claiming asylum in the EU  from where they are invariably deported  does not help its case to get visa-free travel and it is the last of the former Yugoslav republics still to win that privilege.

In the first quarter of 2015, nearly 50,000 Kosovars claimed asylum in the EU, mostly in Germany, more in that period than Syrians fleeing their civil war. EU countries consider most of them economic migrants, ineligible for asylum.

Border issues between Yugoslav republics remain unresolved 17 years since nearly a decade of wars ended in 1999. Even two EU member states  Slovenia and Croatia  still dispute over one part of the border going through the Adriatic Sea.
Somali officials say the death toll from a car bombing Tuesday near the presidential palace has risen to at least 22 after several of the injured died from their wounds.

The car hit a wall of the SYL hotel, a popular meeting spot for Somali government officials.

A speeding car drove towards us. We fired warning shots into the air. It did not stop and then we fired at the car before the attacker detonated his explosive-laden car, a presidential security guard told VOA Somali on condition of anonymity.

The head of a local ambulance service, Dr. Abdulkadir Aden, says his service transported 22 dead bodies and 30 injured people after the blast. "Six of the dead were women," he said.

Mogadishu police officer Major Mohamed Abdullahi told Reuters 50 people had been wounded in the attack.

Among those injured in the blast were the minister of transportation, the state minister for defense, several lawmakers and two local radio journalists.

Information minister, Mohamed Abdi Hayir Maraye, tells VOA Somali that authorities had learned that militants were planning to deploy three car bombs around the city this week.

He said two of them were seized by government forces following tips from Mogadishu residents, but this one could not be prevented. The security forces were chasing it before it exploded into the wall of the hotel," he said.

The minister said he sustained a minor wound caused by shattered glass from a hotel window.

The militant group al-Shabab, which is attempting to overthrow the government and set up a strict Islamic state in Somalia, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The group often targets hotels where government officials live or meet. A previous attack on the SYL hotel in February killed at least nine people.
An American businesswoman is facing charges in China that she spied on the Chinese government about 20 years ago, including charges that she attempted to recruit U.S.-based Chinese to spy on their home country.

The charges facing Phan Phan-Gillis come more than a year after she was detained while visiting China with an American trade delegation that was promoting business opportunities in her hometown of Houston, Texas.

Phan-Gillis' husband, Jeff Gillis, said she has been charged with spying for a foreign government from 1996 to 1998. He said the indictment was received by Phan-Gillis' lawyers "weeks after it was issued in court" and added the charges are "absolutely false." He said the charges did not indicate the government she allegedly spied for.

A United Nations panel ruled in June that China violated internal human rights standards by detaining Phan-Gillis when she had not appeared before judicial authorities or provided legal assistance. Phan-Gillis has not been available for comment since she was detained in March 2015.

Spying convictions carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. China has a 20-year limit on the prosecution of capital crimes such as espionage, but sometimes allows for exceptions.

Relations between the U.S. and China have been increasingly tense due to differences on a number of issues, including those involving economic and trade policy and cybersecurity. U.S.-China relations could be further strained by the Phan-Gillis' case, which is being publicized only days before U.S. President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit China for the Group of 20 summit, a meeting of officials from 20 of the world's largest economies. The summit begins Sunday and Obama will meet with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping in Hangzhou, the capital of Chinas Zhejiang province

Phan-Gillis immigrated to the U.S. nearly 40 years ago. She was born in Vietnam to a family of Chinese descent. The family fled Vietnam and resettled in the U.S. After working for city of Houston government, Phan-Gillis developed a business consultancy that took her to China numerous times over the years.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Tuesday officially called a plebiscite allowing the nation to decide whether to accept a peace agreement to end more than five decades of war with Marxist rebels.

Voters will be asked on October 2 to respond yes or no to a single question: "Do you support the accord that puts an end to armed conflict and constructs a stable and durable nation?"

Santos's four-year push to negotiate an end to 52 years of war with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) was concluded last week, and he had promised to give Colombians the final decision.

"It's a clear and simple question that leaves no room for any confusion," Santos said after signing the document.

But opposition legislators have said the question is one-sided toward a yes vote.

In a historic agreement last week, the government and the FARC leadership, who represent a 7,000-strong insurgent group, agreed to end the war that has killed more than 220,000 people and displaced millions.

The 297-page accord has been published so that Colombians can pore over its contents before the vote. A final signature is expected before then.

Campaign faces opposition

Santos, who has staked his legacy on peace, has launched a campaign to persuade Colombians to back the accord, but he faces fierce opposition from powerful sectors of the country who believe the only solution is to finish the FARC militarily.

Two former Colombian presidents, including popular right-wing hard-liner Alvaro Uribe, oppose the deal.

Most opinion polls suggest Colombians will back the deal, but the nation is deeply divided about what sort of justice the rebels should face and how they should be incorporated into society.

Under the deal, the FARC will be given nonvoting congressional representation until 2018. From then until 2026, they will be given 10 voting seats whether they have electoral support or not.

The FARC began as a ragtag group of rebels protesting rural injustice, but by the end of the 1990s had become so powerful  with as many as 17,000 fighters  that they occupied towns surrounding the capital, Bogota, and were on the verge of entering the city.
A California startup has developed a portable technology that will allow consumers to test their food for gluten on the go.

"Even when you go out and see these labeled menu items, you are still playing Russian roulette," said Shireen Yates, co-founder and chief executive of Nima, founded in 2013.

Designed in San Francisco by a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Google and Nike, the company's namesake product, Nima, can analyze any type of food or beverage for gluten down to 20 parts per million, the Food & Drug Administration classification for gluten-free products.

"There is still cross-contamination, there is miscommunication. You just never know," Yates added.

An estimated 15 million people in the United States have some form of food allergy, a statistic that is on the rise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Users of the device are instructed to fill a disposable cartridge with a pea-sized sample of food and then load it into the device, which is about half the size of a smartphone.

Roughly two minutes later, after the device measures the chemical reaction between antibody proteins and gluten, the screen will display a happy face if no gluten was detected.

Conversely, a wheat icon and text that reads "gluten found" will appear if any gluten is detected.

According to Yates, the antibodies bind to the presence of gluten if it is present in the sample, triggering a change that a sensor picks up on, Yates said.

To date, the company has raised $14 million with the help of a $9.2 million Series A round of venture capital funding earlier this year.

The funding, Yates said, will drive the company's next-generation sensor, which consumers will be able to purchase as soon as 2017 if they want to detect milk and peanut allergens in their food as well.

Yates is launching an iPhone application to complement the device, allowing users to share their results.

The first orders of the gluten device, priced at $199, are expected to ship out to customers by the end of the year.
Cuba is preparing for the first U.S. commercial flight to land in the communist country in more than five decades, the latest step in normalizing relations between the two nations.

The president of the Cuban Civil Aviation Institute, Alfredo Cordero, said Cuba will be ready for this week's flight as well as the influx of U.S. flights - expected to grow to as many as 110 per day within the next several years.

"We have successfully prepped our personnel and, in acquiring access to the necessary resources, we are now able to ensure we meet the required level of security demanded by international civil aviation standards," Cordero said.

Cuba's Vice Minister of Transportation Eduardo Rodriguez echoed those comments, saying "Cuban airports have been systematically preparing over the past few years for the increase in tourists to Cuba."

The first U.S. commercial flight will take place Wednesday when Jet Blue will fly from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to the central Cuban city of Santa Clara.

Other U.S. air carries that are planning to begin airline service to Cuba include American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines.

U.S. law still prohibits most tourist visits to Cuba. However, President Barack Obama has authorized exceptions for other types of travel, including family visits, official business, journalist visits and educational tours.

Cuba has been experiencing a tourism boom since the announcement in December 2014 that the United States would normalize diplomatic ties and work to resolve various outstanding issues.

Some 300,000 Cubans living in the United States now travel home annually. In 2015, the Cuban government reported 161,233 Americans visited the island, compared to 91,254 in 2014, and arrivals through June 2016 nearly doubled compared with the same period last year.

In the last year-and-a-half, Cuba and the United States reopened embassies in Washington and Havana, some American businesses opened operations in Cuba, and U.S. cruise ships began making ports of call to the island nation.
The European Union's antitrust regulator Tuesday ordered technology giant Apple to repay Ireland $14.5 billion in back taxes, saying the world's most valuable company received an unfair tax break from Dublin and managed to avoid almost all corporate taxes across the 28-nation bloc for more than a decade.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook immediately said the U.S.-based multi-national company would appeal the ruling, as did Ireland.

Ireland, however, was placed in the odd position of rejecting a payment that is the equivalent of 5 percent of its national economic product and officials expressed concerns that the ruling against Apple could hurt the country's long-time reputation as a low-tax haven with an open door for international investment.

In Washington, U.S. officials also voiced their disappointment in the decision.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said U.S. taxpayers could eventually bear the brunt of the decision, if Apple is forced to make the payment, because the company then could deduct the billions it pays Ireland from the U.S. taxes it owes.

"We are concerned about a unilateral approach," Earnest said, adding that it "threatens to undermine progress that we have made collaboratively with the Europeans to make the international taxation system fair" for both taxpayers and companies. The U.S. Treasury called the ruling "unfair, contrary to well-established legal principles."

Tax rate of 0.005 percent

The EU's competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager said, "Tax rulings granted by Ireland have artificially reduced Apple's tax burden for over two decades, in breach of the EU state aid rules. Apple now has to repay the benefits." She questioned how anyone might think that Apple's 2014 Irish tax rate of 0.005 percent was fair.

Apple employs nearly 6,000 people in Ireland. Cook said he was "confident" the tax ruling would be overturned.



The technology giant, the maker of the popular iPhones, was able to legally funnel its international sales revenue through Ireland in order to lower its tax payments; however, the commission ruled that European law makes it illegal for a company to receive state tax aid, and would require Apple to pay back Ireland for the tax breaks it received.

Vestager said that Apple illegally benefited from a tax deal with Ireland that no other business received.

Member states cannot give tax benefits to selected companies  this is illegal under EU state aid rules, she said in a statement. The commission's investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years."

Funneling all through one country

Apple took all of its profits from European sales and recorded them in Ireland. From there, the majority of Apples European profits were allocated to a head office within the company that had no physical presence or employees in any country. Only a small fraction of Apples profits was allocated to its Irish branch so only those profits were taxed by Ireland.

That allowed Apple to pay just over $11 million in corporate taxes in 2011  an effective tax rate of less than 1 percent. In the following years, Apples profits continued to increase, but its tax payments continued to decrease.

The European Commission ruling marks Europes largest-ever tax penalty  though Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan immediately indicated the country will appeal the ruling.

"The decision leaves me with no choice but to seek Cabinet approval to appeal the decision before the European courts," Noonan said in a statement. "This is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system, to provide tax certainty to business, and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules."

Last month, the U.S. Treasury Department criticized the European Commission, accusing it of unfairly singling out U.S. companies for punishment under its new approach to dealing with legal tax breaks given to multinational corporations operating within its member states.

The commission denied that it is targeting U.S. businesses, and instead said that EU rules ban member states from offering tax breaks that are not available in other European countries.

"This is a standard feature of EU state aid rules," the commission said in a statement.
Frances controversy over the full-body swimsuit known as the burkini has exposed the countrys battle between its secularist society and its Muslim minority  at 7.5 percent of the population, the largest in Europe. Those tensions, some subtle and some not, have grown in the wake of terrorist attacks in a country that once prided itself on its welcoming attitude toward immigrants.

Far from the beaches, St. Etienne du Rouvray, a small community in the Normandy region of northern France, is still reeling from the murder of an elderly Catholic priest by two Islamic State jihadists in July, and there are fears the rapid growth of the Muslim population will result in a backlash led by the right but quietly supported by secularists on the left.

It is for sure there will be problems, said Antoinette Moulin, a parishioner at St. Therese Catholic Church, one of the parishes served by the late Father Jacques Hamel, 86, whose throat was slit in front of churchgoers as he celebrated Mass on July 26. There is the issue of racism, she said.

Countering discord

Both the Catholic and the Muslim communities have mobilized since Hamels death to defuse tensions and keep alive a spirit of goodwill that marked the relationship from the start.

It is in our best interest to be together, said Mohamed Karabila, the imam who heads the mosque next door to St. Therese. After Hamels killing, he invited Catholics to visit his mosque during Friday prayers. Catholic priests invited Muslims to attend Mass.

There are those who are working to divide us, to sow hatred in the community. So we have begun to do acts to counter the discord, Karabila said.

The murder is testing a relationship that began cordially decades ago, when North African immigrants began to arrive in the area to work for the French national railways sprawling rail yard and in factories in nearby Rouen.

St. Therese Church first allowed the Muslim newcomers to use its parish hall for prayers, and then donated part of its churchyard for construction of the communitys first mosque.

There were people who found it a bit bizarre because the land was given to them for one franc at the time. It was symbolic, said Moulin. There were people who said, Oh, now were going to have that mosque and there will be all these Arabs here.

Reinforcing brotherhood

The mosque, built next door in 2000, has thrived. Turnout is so high for Friday prayers that rugs have to be unrolled outside to accommodate the overflow, and neighbors complain about snarled traffic and illegal parking.

In contrast, fewer than half the pews were filled for a recent Sunday Mass at St. Therese, which like many Catholic parishes across France has seen attendance diminish to a few churchgoers, many of them elderly.

The growth of the areas Muslim population has caused anxiety that has worsened since Hamels murder, the truck attack in Nice that killed 86 people in mid-July, and the deadly shootings and bombings in Paris last November.

We are aware that people can turn to hatred against non-Christians and the risk is very great that people could hate Muslims because those who carried out these attacks claimed to be acting in the name of Islam, said Father Auguste Moanda, the pastor at St. Therese and an associate of Hamel.

It is true that the Catholic Church does not have many followers left, but it is at the heart of the countrys Christian tradition. Attacking the priest was symbolic and meant to push people to act against Islam, he said. But the intention failed. On the contrary, we sought to reinforce our brotherhood [with the Muslims].

Anxiety

There is concern that fears over differences could be eroding the goodwill and giving rise to right-wing, anti-immigrant sentiments.

The anxiety with which we are living with inevitably every day is because we are entering in France a period of preparation for the presidential elections," said Pierre Belhache, a priest in charge of Muslim relations at the Rouen diocese. "The debates are, lets say, they are not always peaceful. The invective, the topics are very violent and could injure communities.

The tensions are largely kept quiet. In Rouen, officials of the right-wing Front National declined comment. Since the attacks, the partys numbers have gone up in the polls.

At the church where Hamel was killed, some are troubled by the silence.

There is no great anger that I would notice. There is no movement, no uprising. But people will speak at the ballot box, for sure, said Florence Giuliani, a local resident who stopped to lay flowers at a shrine outside the St. Etienne church where Hamel was killed.

In St. Etiennes largely immigrant Chateau Blanc neighborhood, Ahmed Loutfy, owner of a halal grocery, worries.

Here in France, many people think badly of Islam, and those people will vote for the National Front. It is automatic. It is going to happen, and we are afraid, he said.

Some are looking with concern to the United States, and the possibility of how victory by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump would influence French voters.

Gabriel Moba, an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of Congo and town councilor in St. Etienne du Rouvray, sees a clear link: The French people who are angry, when they see the United States has elected someone with extremist views, they will say, Why not do it over here?
Germany's interior minister visited Facebook's offices in Berlin on Monday and said it should be more proactive in removing forbidden content from its social network platform.

"Facebook should take down racist content or calls for violence from its pages on its own initiative even if it hasn't yet received a complaint," Thomas de Maiziere said. "Facebook has an immensely important economic position and, just like every other large enterprise, it has an immensely important social responsibility."

The German government has been critical of Facebook in the past. Political leaders and regulators have complained the world's largest social network, with 1.6 billion monthly users, had been slow to respond to hate speech and anti-immigrant messages.

Last year, Justice Minister Heiko Maas told Reuters that Facebook must abide by stricter German laws banning racist sentiment even if it might be allowed in the United States under freedom of speech.

De Maiziere said he recognized Facebook's efforts to develop software that can better identify outlawed content and praised its efforts to fight child pornography. He said it was right to warn users in its terms against the dissemination of illegal content.

"But it's up to the company to ensure those terms are upheld," he said. "A company with a good reputation for innovation will have to earn a good reputation in this area."

Eva-Maria Kirschsieper, Facebook's head of Public Policy in Germany, told reporters during de Maiziere's visit that the discussions between political leaders and companies in social media would continue.

"We see ourselves as part of German society and part of the German economy," she said. "And we know that we have a major responsibility and we want to live up to this responsibility. We take this issue very seriously indeed."

Mark Wallace, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who now heads the Counter Extremist Project (CEP) in New York, a non-profit group that maintains a database of information about extremist groups, said Facebook was a leader in the social media sector in combating extremism, but more work was needed.

"Of all the companies, Facebook has done the most, but they're all just starting to recognize that the weaponization of social media platforms is not good business and not good for society," Wallace told Reuters.

CEP is completing testing of a new software tool that will identify new images and videos published on social media sites by Islamic State and other extremist groups, and remove them instantly wherever they occur, much as already done with child pornography images.

Earlier this year, Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg came to Berlin to respond to the criticism. He said he had learned from Facebook's experience in Germany that migrants were a group of people who also needed to be protected from hate speech online.
Indonesia's Disaster Agency said it is confident the country's forest fires and haze of toxic smoke they send over Southeast Asia are unlikely to reach levels seen in 2015 because of favorable weather conditions and a quicker emergency response.

Last year's fires were among of the worst on record, straining relations between Indonesia and its neighbors, and costing the country at least $16 billion in economic losses, equivalent to 1.9 percent of its gross domestic product, according to the World Bank.

"We are certain this year things will be better," agency spokesman Sutopo Nugroho told reporters Monday, referring to a 61 percent reduction in hotspots seen in 2016 compared with a year ago.

Six Indonesian provinces have declared a state of emergency, allowing the agency to respond more quickly than last year, Nugroho said.

"In 2015, only three provinces declared a state of emergency and even that was too late. The forest and land fires had already spread," he said.

Home to the world's third-largest area of tropical forests, Indonesia has been criticized by green activists and by neighboring Southeast Asian nations for failing to stop the region's annual haze, largely caused by forest-clearing for palm and pulp plantations.

The pollution in 2015 cost Southeast Asia economic powerhouse Singapore S$700 million ($517 million), the country's environment and water resources minister said in March.

An unusually wet dry season linked to the La Nina weather phenomenon this year has helped stop fires from spreading, Nugroho said.

Based on weather forecasts, the dry season will peak in September and end in October, Nugroho said.

"So for that one month we will really keep everything under control," he said.

Singapore on Monday got a break from the haze that hit the island state last week, as shifting winds pushed the smoke from Indonesia's Sumatra island northward over Malaysia.

There, air quality in Kuala Lumpur neared "unhealthy" levels and residents took to social media to complain about poor visibility and an acrid smell.

Despite Indonesian President Joko Widodo's instructions to end the annual blight "the sooner the better," the problem won't go away without an improvement of preventative measures, Nugroho said.

"There is no way we can completely eliminate or end the forest and land fires in Indonesia, because they are very much linked to behaviors of communities that light fires," he said, referring to farmers who use fires to prepare land for crops and clear it for plantations. "There are still fires, so prevention needs to be improved."

According to the World Bank, about 35 percent of the Indonesian workforce is employed in agriculture, with palm oil and pulp-and-paper industries key contributors.

Palm oil is a major growth driver for Indonesia, the world's biggest producer of the edible oil.
The United States and India announced on Tuesday they are strengthening cooperation on fighting terrorism.

The two democracies will intensify intelligence sharing and specifically "work for the early operationalization of an agreement on exchanging information on known or suspected terrorists," Indias external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj, told reporters in New Delhi.

The governments also agreed on a "joint cyber framework to reduce cybercrime," according to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

Overall, ministers and officials of India and the United States are touting a significantly expanded strategic and economic relationship, which Kerry said "couldnt come at a more important moment."

The wide-ranging second U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue is the latest in a series of significant meetings and agreements that has moved traditionally non-aligned New Delhi into a significantly closer relationship with Washington amid rising concerns in both capitals about a more assertive China.

"The bilateral relationship is gradually entering a phase where India can certainly look forward to being regarded as a close ally or partner of the U.S.," said Reshmi Kazi, an associate fellow at the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, an autonomous research institution funded by Indias defense ministry. "There might be rising apprehensions in China about deepening of strategic ties between the U.S. and India for obvious reasons."

The "intensity of the bilateral relationship is unprecedented," said Swaraj, as she initiated the dialogue held at her ministry.

Issues under discussion range from U.S. quotas for temporary work visas to American assistance for upgrading Indias power grid.

India, the worlds largest democracy, in recent years has kicked aside numerous trade barriers. New Delhi has set a goal with Washington to expand bilateral trade five-fold to $500 billion annually.

To reach that goal, participants in the current dialogue need to think bigger, act bolder, said U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, the other Cabinet-level official attending from Washington.

"We must make it easier for Indian and American companies to buy from each other, to invest in each other, and to create with each other."

CEO forum



A simultaneous India-U.S. CEO Forum is being led by the chairmen of two conglomerates: Tata Sons' Cyrus Mistry and Honeywell's Dave Cote.

Scant information has been revealed about the security side of the discussions.

Kerry met Tuesday with Indias national security adviser, Ajit Doval. He is scheduled to hold talks Wednesday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While the Pentagon would welcome a much more comprehensive defense relationship with India, some analysts in India say they believe New Delhi will only stray so far from its traditional policy of eschewing alliances.

"There has been no rush, and bilateral defense ties are being forged only when India has felt the need for greater cooperation with the U.S.," Kazi, who is also a visiting fellow at the Stimson Center, told VOA. "Hence, there is no abrogation of India's traditional diplomatic stance of being non-aligned."

Joint military drills



The dialogue in New Delhi comes a day after the two countries, at the Pentagon, signed a watershed agreement to allow their military forces access to each others bases for repairs and to replenish supplies; however, the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) stops short of allowing each nation to set up bases and access to military facilities in the respective countries will only occur when they agree to operate together.

"Indias deepening military cooperation could possibly be interpreted as a signal to China not to disturb Indias maritime security in the Indian Ocean region," Kazi said.

U.S. and Indian forces are now also conducting significant annual joint drills, something else unimaginable a generation ago when the United States was a critical military backer of Indias archrival, Pakistan.

Next months joint drill, in the mountains of northern India, will include integration of both armies working together down at the platoon level, Lt. Gen. Stephen Lanza, who commands the U.S. Army's I Corps, told VOA.
The Iranian government's launch of a "United Shia Liberation Army" is sending signals that Tehran wants to expand its political and military role in Middle East conflicts along sectarian lines, analysts say.

"Using a sectarian Shi'ite identifier with the title of the new army will inflame sectarian tensions in the region," Talha Abdulrazaq, a researcher at the University of Exeter's Strategy and Security Institute, told VOA. "Iran is asserting itself as a regional or even an imperialistic power."

The new force, announced Thursday by a veteran military commander who leads Iranian forces in Syria, is designed to fight in Arab countries and would recruit heavily from non-Iranian Shi'ite Muslims across the region.

In an interview with Mashregh news agency, Mohammad Ali Falaki, a leader in the elite Iranian Revolutionary Guard's (IRGC), said the focus of the new force would center on three fronts  Yemen, Syria and Iraq. He said the IRGC already leads Shi'ite dominated forces in Syria comprising fighters who come from Pakistan, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

"The forces that belong to this army are not Iranians only. In any place where there is a fight, we organize and recruit local people of the area," said Falaki, a veteran of the Iran-Iraq worker who retired but then returned to command Iranian-led forces in Syria.

Declaring war, analysts say

By forming a sectarian army, Tehran is declaring a war on its regional neighbors  such as Sunni-dominated countries like Saudi Arabia who have long been at odds with the Iranian regime over religion and politics  and preaching its ideology to Shi'ites across the globe, analysts say.

"It is an announcement that they are basically declaring that they are going to continue to use foreign fighters to spread sectarian violence, extremism and terrorism across the region," Abdulrazaq told VOA in a phone interview

The Gulf Coordination Council (GCC) countries, headed by Saudi Arabia, has accused Iran of inciting sectarian violence and conflicts in the region, including Iran's backing of Shi'ite Houthi rebels in war-torn Yemen. Saudi Arabia has not commented publicly on the Iranian move.

"Tehran and Riyadh have locked horns for months now and this could be a muscle-flexing gesture by Iran, giving a signal to Saudis that Iran might use all of its potentials in that fight," said Rasool Nafisi, a Middle East affairs expert in Washington.

Exacerbate the conflict

Houthi rebels are at odds with the Sunni-dominated Yemeni government. The Houthis have been seeking greater rights for the Shi'ite minority in Yemen and already receive support from Iran.

"The formation of such an army would only exacerbate the conflict in Yemen. Houthis are one of the most organized groups in the Yemeni war and any additional support would empower them on the ground," Cairo-based Yemeni affairs analyst Maysaa Shuja Aldeen told VOA.

Iran would also widen its influence in the Syrian war, where Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah have been fighting for years in support of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Iran has allegedly sent thousands of Afghans living in Iran to the Syrian front lines and has recruited Pakistani nationals as fighters.

"Iranian commanders lead the battles in defending the Damascus regime. Syrians and other fighters from Lebanon and Afghanistan are fighting under their command," Sardar Kazemi, an Afghan fighter who defected from Syria and sought refuge in UAE, told VOA.

In Iraq, the Iraqi's People's Mobilization Forces (PMF), also known as Hashd Shaabi, is supervised by Qasim Soleimani  an IRGC commander, according to Yasser Haidari, a former Iraqi provincial government adviser, who went against Iranian involvement in Iraq.

A larger Iranian-led force in Iraq will also likely inflame regional tensions, analysts say.

"Putting a new badge on this army as an independent army from IRGC with wider goals  could be more than a provocative act to Saudis and other Sunni states in the region and could be in line with Iran's further ambitions in the region," Nafisi said.

So far, though, Iran's announcement is short on specifics and, in the long run, may amount to little more than posturing on Iran's part, some analysts say.

"Saudi Arabia and the region's Sunni states are fully aware of Iran's foreign agenda," Abdulrazaq said. "The GCC countries are not going to be surprised by this announcement.  They would not do anything more than what they are already doing to counter Iran's regional ambitions."
Russia's claim that it carried out the airstrike in Syria that killed Islamic State's spokesman and chief strategist is "garbage," a U.S. official tells VOA.

In a statement, Russia's defense ministry said Russian warplanes killed up to 40 IS militants, including Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, during a bombing raid near Aleppo province on Tuesday.

A senior defense official told VOA that Russia's claim is "yet another attempt at disinformation."

The official said al-Adnani was being watched "for some time" and he was killed in an airstrike on a vehicle near Washiya, a village north of Aleppo.

Islamic State itself announced Abu Muhammad al-Adnani's death Tuesday, saying only that he was killed "while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo."

A U.S. defense official said Adnani was directly involved in recruiting foreign fighters and also directed Islamic State's major attacks outside of its strongholds in Syria and Iraq.

"Significant operations carried out on his watch include the Paris attacks, the Brussels airport attack, the Istanbul airport attack, the downing of the Russian airliner in the Sinai, the suicide bombings during a rally in Ankara, and the attack on a cafe in Bangladesh," the official said. "In total, these attacks killed over 1,800 people and wounded nearly 4,000."

The Pentagon is still assessing the airstrike near Al Bab to confirm Adnani's death.

A government official in Washington told VOA that the U.S. been tracking several "high value" IS members in Aleppo province.

Adnani was reported to have been seriously injured eight months ago in Iraq, during fighting near the city of Haditha. He was born in Syria about 39 years ago and was a prominent member of the al-Qaida terror network before aligning himself with Islamic State, where he was considered second in rank to the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The New York Times reported earlier this month that Adnani headed a special unit within Islamic State known as the Emni which organized and carried out attacks beyond the territory Islamic State held in Iraq and Syria.

"He oversaw the groups external operations division, responsible for recruiting operatives around the world and instigating or organizing them to carry out attacks that have included Paris, Brussels and Dhaka, Bangladesh," the newspaper reported.

Adnani narrated an infamous statement from Islamic State nearly two years ago, calling on Muslims living in the West to strike out wherever and however they could.

If you can kill a disbelieving American or European  especially the spiteful and filthy French  or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the disbelievers waging war, including the citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah, and kill him in any manner or way however it may be, Adnani said in the recording.

The United Nations, which had Adnani on its list of suspected terrorists subject to financial sanctions, has described him as the leader of Islamic State in Syria and chief of its external operations.

The U.S. State Department had also offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Adnani's capture.
A sense of foreboding hangs over Italys mountainous heartland after last Wednesdays town-flattening earthquake and more than 2,000 aftershocks.

In the central regions of Lazio, Umbria and Marche, temblors are just one of the challenges facing inhabitants whove turned increasingly fatalistic about their prospects and mistrustful of a government they say ignores them and has failed to follow up on economic development plans.

The postcard-perfect regions  with their pastures of sunflowers and poppies, abundant vines, rows of ancient olive trees and medieval hilltop stone towns  have battled for years to offset the decline in commercial agriculture. Theyve desperately explored ways to refashion themselves as arts venues, tourist destinations and centers of artisanal trades and crafts.

But the 2008 financial crash sent the regional tourism industry into a tailspin from which it has not yet recovered, and slowed significantly the flow of richer north Europeans buying properties as vacation and retirement homes. Unrealistically high price tags leave properties lingering on the market for years.

Stagnant economy

Most images of economic hardship focus on the countrys south, the Mezzogiorno, which has long lagged the north in terms of economic development  some of it a consequence of not-so-benign neglect by Bourbon monarchs.

But poverty is not unique to the Mezzogiorno, and economic hardship has been creeping relentlessly farther north with each downturn and cycle of government cutbacks. Italys economy has been stagnant for years: According to the World Bank, the countrys gross domestic product was at $1.8 trillion last year, down from a peak of nearly $2.4 trillion in 2008. Economists blame high taxes, a rigid labor market, government overspending, burdensome regulation and a bloated bureaucracy, which they say has made Italy uncompetitive. Demographers also note that Italy is among the worlds most rapidly aging countries.

While tourists might not see much to complain about in Lazio, Umbria and Marche  with their ravishing beauty, lakes and mountains  the last decade has been torrid for the regions inhabitants. Hardest hit are the young competing for ever-diminishing job opportunities  seen clearly in villages such as Amatrice, the community most affected by last weeks quake.

Most of the young have little choice but to leave if they want to find lasting work  much as Mezzogiornos young people in the 1950s and 60s migrated north to work in labor-hungry factories around Milano and Torino, fueling the countrys so-called post-World War II economic miracle.

Veronica Deiana, 23, dreams about leaving Lazios ancient village of Celleno, population 1,000. "I dont see any future in Lazio. My thought is to move abroad, possibly to Spain," she says.

Deiana is one of the lucky ones: She has a retail sales job that took her a year to find, in the town of Viterbo, roughly 18 kilometers away. But it pays too little for her to think about moving from her parents' home. To save bus fare, she lunches daily with an aunt in Viterbo.

Slow internet and few jobs

Celleno is built on a spur of light, porous rock, formed from volcanic ash, that separates two basins along the Tiber River. Located between the lakes of Bolsena and Alviano, Cellenos historic center was devastated in an 1855 temblor.

Landslides have marked the villages history, too. Wednesdays quake, whose epicenter was 125 kilometers or almost 78 miles away, shook and shuddered Cellenos medieval and modern houses for about 20 seconds. Apart from some minor cracks, there was little damage.

The threat of quakes adds to a sense of disquiet among some young people in Celleno and other Lazio villages. Like many others in Italys center, they contend the government has neglected them. "Frankly, I do not think the government is doing anything for the young," Deiana says.

Others air grievances about the snail-like pace of internet wiring for rural areas, or shoddy bricks-and-mortar infrastructure, or negligible economic development. A plan to convert Viterbos military airport into a commercial one was shelved after the 2008 economic crash. A highway intended to link the nearby rail hub of Orte to the ferry port town of Civitavecchia has been stopped 50 kilometers short of completion.

Energizing efforts

Yet, slowly but surely, the central regions have been trying to weather government austerity policies and to pull themselves out of the prolonged downturn.

That inspires Andrea Oramai Sterpino to have more confidence in the future. The 27-year-old, determined to remain rooted in Celleno, recently opened a bar and small bed-and-breakfast enterprise, San Rocco. He also plans to start a restaurant with his mother.

"I have always believed that our countryside and historic center is more beautiful than sometimes people here appreciate," he says.

"For me, Celleno is a special place," he adds, "and if everyone leaves it would become just another ghost town. I like creating a community here and I want to show our traditions to tourists and foreigners. I think in the future there will be more economic opportunities."

Banking on history  and investment

Cellenos Mayor Marco Bianchi shares Sterpinos optimism. His model is the neighboring town of Bagnoregio, which recently has enjoyed a tourist boom and increased revenue. It benefits from influential American travel writer Rick Steves having devoted a book chapter to nearby Civita di Bagnoregio, a melancholic, once-abandoned hilltop village hewn from a rocky perch. Steves describes Civita as "this stunning little gem" that "has escaped the modern age mostly because of topography."

Bianchi has been overseeing the restoration of Cellenos historic castle, hoping to copy Bagnoregios success. And hes collaborating with the neighboring mayor on marketing plans for festivals and arts exhibitions.

"Cellenos future rests with its history," Bianchi says.

Bianchi says it is important for the Italian government to move forward with the long-term Home Italy plan that Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced last week. It envisages overhauling architecture in seismic areas to withstand earthquakes and other natural disasters.

"We need to prevent disasters and the impact of earthquakes," says Bianchi. "It could help also to bring jobs."
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta is urging South Sudan's leaders to implement last year's peace deal and stabilize the country.

Kenyatta made a one-day stop Tuesday in Juba, the first head of state to visit since deadly fighting erupted last month between soldiers loyal to President Salva Kiir and those backing former First Vice President Riek Machar, who fled the capital soon afterward.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Kiir at the presidential palace, Kenyatta said he had come to encourage South Sudans leaders to concentrate on bringing back law and order to the country.

Stability and peace "are the key ingredients for the prosperity that we wish for the people of South Sudan," he said. "I believe that is why they struggled so hard to achieve their independence  not for war, but for them to be able to prosper.

Kenyatta said he wanted South Sudans leaders to fully implement the peace agreement brokered by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, an African trade bloc. Kiir and Machar signed the pact over a year ago, when Machar led South Sudanese opposition forces.

The countrys leaders have struggled to implement several aspects of the agreement and have never resolved other issues, such as Kiirs decision to create 28 states out of the existing 10 states after the agreement was signed.

We are here to ask the government to push along the peace agreement and the reforms that were agreed to under that peace agreement and to see how that can be fast-tracked, Kenyatta said.

Gai's Nairobi visit

Earlier this month, South Sudans newly installed First Vice President Taban Deng Gai paid an official visit to Nairobi, where he asked Kenyan officials to invest in South Sudan to help revitalize the countrys devastated economy.

Kiir appointed Deng after Machar went into hiding and eventually fled the country.

Kenyatta promised Kiir that Kenya would provide both moral and material support to South Sudan to help accelerate this process so that we can ensure we have peace and stability and then, ultimately, working together as a region, begin to work for the prosperity of our region and our people.

Kiir said Kenyattas visit to the South Sudanese capital was proof that the country was now at peace.

There is no fighting in South Sudan, there is no war," he said. "People are very peaceful in Juba town. ... For President Uhuru to come to Juba as the first head of state to come to Juba after our crises, it shows that the regional leadership is with us."

Kenya is one of the neighboring countries expected to contribute to a 4,000-soldier regional protection force that could be sent to South Sudan under a resolution recently approved by the U.N. Security Council.
A New Zealand judge has ruled that Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom can livestream an upcoming court hearing on his appeal against his extradition to the United States, where he is facing criminal charges related to online piracy.

Justice Murray Gilbert agreed with Dotcom's request Tuesday, rejecting U.S. arguments that it could taint a potential jury pool if he is brought to trial. But the judge ordered the livestreaming of Wednesday's hearing over YouTube to be delayed by 20 minutes to prevent any restricted evidence from becoming public and said all footage of the hearing must be removed from the internet as soon as the hearing is over. The case is expected to last at least six weeks.

The German-born Dotcom created the Internet file-sharing website Megaupload, which U.S. prosecutors say made $175 million by encouraging paying customers to store and share copyrighted music, movies and television shows, costing the copyright holders more than $500 million in royalties. He was arrested in 2012 after a dramatic police raid on his mansion near Auckland.

A lower court ruled last December that Dotcom and three of his colleagues can be extradited to the U.S., where they have been charged with conspiracy, racketeering and money-laundering. The four say they were not responsible for people who used the site for illegal reasons.
Rubbish is again accumulating on some Beirut streets after protesters blocked access to a dump, raising fears that last summer's garbage crisis, which provoked unprecedented street protests, could return.

The return of trash piles is among a number of signs of how dysfunctional Lebanon's paralyzed political system has become, made worse because of sectarian tension that has increased with neighboring Syria's civil war.

The government has not passed a budget since 2005, and Lebanon has been without a president for more than two years.

In July last year, authorities shut the main landfill site for garbage from the capital without providing an alternative, causing months of festering rubbish to pile up around the city.

That prompted massive protests in central Beirut that were unprecedented for having been mobilized independently of the big sectarian parties that dominate Lebanese politics.

Plans for alternative dumps and even to export the rubbish were all rejected by residents, politicians and activists, until two temporary dumps in Beirut were eventually found.

But these pungent seaside facilities are far from ideal: one is just 200 meters from Beirut International airport, and the other adjacent to the central residential and commercial neighborhood of Bourj Hammoud.

In April this year, the Lebanese Pilots Association wrote to the government that more garbage dumped near the airport would raise the risk of birds attracted by the rubbish being sucked into aircraft engines, putting planes in danger.

With the stench from the Bourj Hammoud dump spreading to other districts in the 30-degree heat, feuding political parties have sought to mobilize Beirut residents' frustration.

Angry about the continued use of Bourj Hammoud, which the authorities are trying to develop into a long-term sanitary landfill, the Christian Kataeb political party blocked the entrance, preventing construction work.

"We have been here for 20 days to protest against filling the sea with garbage," said Roger Abi Rashed, deputy head of the local Kataeb branch. "We are here today to tell the government to find a sustainable, not temporary, solution to the rubbish issue."

Angry that construction work was stopped, Bourj Hammoud's municipality, which was promised $25 million in development funding from the government in exchange for hosting the revamped dump, last week prevented garbage trucks entering the site.

Unable to dump waste, the private company responsible for collecting rubbish, Sukleen, stopped collecting trash from parts of Beirut and the adjoining Mount Lebanon area on Thursday.

Asked by Reuters why Sukleen could not use the other temporary dump near the airport, which is operational, a spokeswoman said Sukleen was "awaiting a disposal plan from the government."

The head of the parliamentary monetary and budgetary committee said on Monday that he wanted neither the coast nor the streets of Beirut to become a dump and that there would be a meeting later this week with concerned municipalities.

More than a year after the crisis began, however, Beirut residents see little chance of a resolution soon.
Ahead of Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of sacrifice, the Birqash camel market outside Cairo is ready for business. The camels have been imported from Sudan, but with a rise in price, there are fewer buyers. The camels are badly treated before being bought for their meat.
Mexico's government on Monday dismissed the head of federal police, Enrique Galindo, after a recent report that detailed grave human rights abuses by officers serving under him.

Earlier in August, an investigation by Mexico's National Human Rights Commission concluded that some 22 suspected drug gang members were "arbitrarily executed" in a confrontation with federal police in western Mexico in May 2015.

Galindo was removed from his post at the behest of President Enrique Pena Nieto to help facilitate a fast and transparent investigation of the case, Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong told a news conference.

In the bloody encounter last year, federal police ambushed suspected members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) holed up at a ranch near the small town of Tanhuato in the violent western state of Michoacan, killing 42.

One police officer died in the fight.
Imagine the surprise of fellow potential jurors when they found themselves in the same room with one of pop musics biggest stars.

That is what happened to would-be jurors in Nashville, Tennessee, when they found Taylor Swift was also a potential juror in an aggravated rape case. Jury service is a civic duty in the United States.

Swift, 26, was ultimately excused from jury duty because of a potential conflict of interest with a case the star is pursuing in which she was allegedly groped by a local DJ.

"She asked to be left off out of concern for an upcoming trial in Denver," said Davidson County District Attorney Generals Office spokesman Ken Whitehouse.

Before leaving, Swift took time to pose with fans for some photos that made their way to social media.

The news of Swifts jury duty finally gave fans an explanation as to why she was not at Sundays MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs).
Nepal has imposed a 10-year mountaineering ban on an Indian couple who authorities said faked reaching the summit of Mount Everest.

Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod, two police constables from Pune, claimed to have reached the peak in May, but many climbers argued their photos were faked. The couple and their guides deny those arguments.

Nepal's tourism department initially certified their climb, but later moved to investigate the photos. The investigation found that the couple had superimposed themselves onto a photo taken by another Indian climber who scaled Everest.

Officials say the ban is intended to deter other climbers from making dishonest claims.

Mountaineering is a major revenue earner for impoverished Nepal, but an earthquake and avalanche that buried at least 19 people last year shook climbers' confidence in the trails. In 2014, sixteen guides were killed while crossing a difficult part of the mountains.

Both disasters halted climbing on Mount Everest for two years and raised concerns about the stability of mountain trails.
Manasi Chadha, 35, spent ten days holidaying in Spain along with six family members this summer. It is the third year in a row that she took an overseas vacation  Portugal and Italy were the earlier stops.

Travel kind of opens up your thinking as well. You see a lot more instances of people actually venturing out, they share their experiences, so you tend to travel and try them out, said Chadha, a senior executive with consultancy Accenture in New Delhi.

Richer tourists

A decade of strong growth has put more money in the pockets of middle-class India while the growing numbers of working women like Chadha have added to disposable family incomes. And as budget airlines open up more routes from India, travel has become more affordable leading to a massive spurt in the number of Indians trawling the globe.

By 2020, the United Nations World Tourism Organization estimates the number of Indians heading overseas will grow to 50 million for both business and leisure travel.

To tap the potential of those numbers, foreign tourist boards are ramping up their presence in the country.

Indian favorites

Spain for example witnessed a three-fold rise in the number of Indian visitors in the last five years, while travelers to Australia and New Zealand nearly doubled.

As it sets out to woo more travelers, the Director of Spains Tourism Office in India, Ignacio Ducasse Gutirrez said, India is positioned as one of our top emerging markets globally. The European country witnessed a surge of Indian visitors after a blockbuster Bollywood movie Zindagi Naa Milegi Dobara was shot in the country showcasing its locales and festivals.

Bollywood has always had a strong influence on Indian travelers, prompting many countries such as Singapore, Ireland and Australia to woo film producers to shoot films and television soaps in their countries.

Indian tourist tastes are changing

Travel industry professionals say that with higher incomes, travel preferences are also changing from group tours to more luxurious holidays. In New Zealand for example, experiences ranging from helicopter tours to lodge stays are now on the plate of Indian travelers, says Steven Dixon from South and South East Asia Tourism, New Zealand. That includes adrenaline pumping activities such as jet boating and skydiving, or more luxurious activities such as scenic flights and cruises, according to Dixon.

And although East Asia still remains a top favorite, time-tested destinations such as Singapore and Thailand or Britain and France in Europe have become passe, as Indians with higher incomes head out to more off beat places. That includes places where few Indians visited earlier, such as Iceland, South America, Uzbekistan and Croatia.

Wanting a different experience, Mumbai-based management consultant Ajai Mittal and a group of over 50 college alumni chose to go on a cruise of Baltic countries last summer. It is not as predictable as going to the same places as Paris. There is enough written about them, enough heard about them, these are places which are small and relatively obscure, said Mittal. He said he would like to explore more such destinations in the future.

However many Indians chafe about cumbersome visa procedures, particularly for European countries where applying for the Schengen visa requires elaborate documentation. On the other hand, many East Asian countries have liberalized visa rules, allowing Indians to get a visa on arrival, which has helped boost tourism numbers.

Indian women love to travel

Still, such woes are not curbing the enthusiasm of travelers, young or old. They include growing numbers of Indian women.

Sumitra Senapatys travel club Women on Wanderlust organizes all-women holidays to cater to women who want to strike out on their own. From just five trips a decade ago, she now organizes nearly 100 trips a year, with more than half headed overseas.

She said Indian women travelers have become more evolved and travel for many of them is no longer just a matter of ticking off a destination on ones passport or visiting the usual hot spots.

In November, she is taking a group of 18 women to Peru, Chile, Argentina and the Galapagos in South America for a holiday that will cost upwards of $12,000. There is an excitement about it. They look at traveling as not just a holiday, and not just as having fun, but as a way of life. They want to explore new cultures, they want to learn about it, said Senapaty.

Other travel professionals agree that the Indian middle class is on the move, helping fuel the global travel boom from Asia.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he will not bring up a ruling by an international tribunal when he sits down with China over their competing claims in the South China Sea.

Duterte made the comment Monday during a speech marking the observance of the Philippine National Heroes' Day in Manila. The president said that doing so could only lead to the suspension of talks between the two governments. He did not, however, rule out bringing up the matter in future talks. "I would one day sit in front of your representative or you and then I will lay bare my position," he said.

Speaking to Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua, who was present, Duterte urged Beijing to "treat us as your brothers, not your enemies, and take note of the plight of our citizens."

Beijing was angered by last month's decision by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, dismissing China's territorial claims in the South China Sea. A complaint brought by the Philippines in 2013 accused Beijing of violating a United Nations maritime treaty with its aggressive actions on the Scarborough Shoal, a reef located about 225 kilometers off the Philippine coast.

The court ruled China had violated Manila's sovereign rights by interfering with Philippine fishing and oil exploration activities in the area.
Researchers in the United States have identified a number of drug compounds that stop the spread of the Zika virus, potentially protecting pregnant women and their unborn babies from the mosquito-borne illness. One of the compounds already is used to treat tapeworms.

Researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health screened a library of 6,000 existing drugs and experimental compounds. Then, investigators at Florida State University in Tallahassee and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore tested the drugs.

The compounds were shown to block the ability of the Zika virus to kill cells and to keep the microbe from reproducing within infected cells.

Both classes of compounds were neuro-protective, showing activity in fetal brain cells affected by microcephaly. They include neural progenitor cells that contribute to the development of the fetal brain.

Scientists found that the compounds work either before or after exposure to Zika, and that they are most effective when more than one is used at the same time.

Discovery of the compounds was published in the journal Nature Medicine.

Power of suppression

Hengli Tang, Florida State University Biological Sciences professor and researcher, said that if and when the drugs become available, they would be used to thwart transmission and would not be used in pregnant women.

"But even if you can treat Zika-infected men or non-pregnant women, you can still have the ... potential to cut down transmission, Tang said, because with the suppression of viral replication, you reduce the amount of virus that's in an infected person and that can reduce the chance of transmission by mosquito bites or sexually."

Earlier this year, Tang's team was the first to show how Zika caused microcephaly.

The search is urgent for a drug to treat Zika or to prevent transmission of the virus, which can cause microcephaly in developing fetuses.

Babies with microcephaly are born with abnormally small heads and brains, causing a host of disabilities. The disease already has infected thousands of pregnant women from Brazil through North America.

In people who are not pregnant, the virus causes relatively minor flu-like symptoms, but also can cause a rare neurological disease in adults called Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Hope in repurposed drugs

Because at least one of the promising drugs already is approved by U.S. regulators, doctors could prescribe now, though it is not known how much of the compound should be given or how often.

Tang said it is possible researchers eventually could formulate the drugs to give to pregnant women.

"If a compound is modified and the anti-viral is modified so it's safe to use in pregnancy, Tang said, then the mechanism of the anti-viral would be to reduce the virus to a low enough level that it will have a much lower or zero chance of getting to the fetus to begin with. And that's sort of the idea of an anti-viral."

The compounds have been what scientists called "repurposed," meaning they already have received regulatory approval for use or testing in humans for other disorders.

That could speed the time it takes to get Zika drugs to the public. Even so, Tang predicts it might be two more years before that happens.
A suicide bomber crashed a car into a gate at the Chinese embassy in the capital of Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday in an attack that injured three people.

Kyrgyzstan's Prime Minister Zhenish Razakov said the blast in Bishkek killed only the bomber and that the injured were Kyrgyz employees at the site. The country's interior ministry labeled it a terrorist attack.

The explosion left a plume of smoke rising from the embassy compound and photos posted on social media showed debris strewn across the grounds.

China condemned what it called a "violent and extreme act." Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters the government urged authorities in Kyrgyzstan to launch a thorough investigation and punish whoever was responsible.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Kyrgyzstan has routinely detained people as part of what authorities described as efforts to disrupt Islamic State activities in the country.
Support for Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has fallen to an all-time low, according to a poll by The Australian newspaper on Tuesday.

The poll of 1,696 Australian voters found satisfaction with Turnbull has fallen to 34 percent, the lowest level since he ousted former Prime Minister Tony Abbott in September 2014. Turnbull enjoyed record-high approval ratings after securing the leadership but his numbers have waned significantly as the government failed to chalk up legislative victories.

The make-up of Australia's new Parliament threatens to continue Turnbull's struggles.

Turnbull called early elections in July to break a deadlock in the Senate, the upper house, where a handful of independents has blocked the government's agenda of corporate tax cuts and workplace reforms for more than two years.

But the election backfired, leaving the ruling Liberal-National coalition with a one-vote majority in the lower house and dependant on either the opposition Labor Party or eight to 10 independents or minor party senators to pass legislation.
Rights defenders are demanding Pakistan immediately criminalize the practice of enforced disappearances they say has caused years of agony to thousands of families across the country.

Pakistani security forces have been battling extremist and militant groups since the country joined the U.S.-led war on terror in 2001. Critics allege the anti-terrorism operations have resulted in thousands of Pakistanis being detained by state security institutions, without their whereabouts and health conditions being made available to family members or attorneys.

In Pakistan, the practice of enforced disappearance has in recent years become a nationwide problem. ... To date, not a single perpetrator has been held to account, said the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan to mark the International Day of the Disappeared.

Rights activists and families of the so-called missing persons rallied Tuesday in Islamabad to condemn the detentions as serious human rights violations.

Protesters demanded the Pakistan government immediately ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. Without signing the document, they say, the country would not feel the pressure to criminalize the practice of illegal detentions by making laws to protect constitutional rights of Pakistani citizens.

A rally organizer, Tahira Abdullah, said human rights defenders in Pakistan recognize the threat of terrorism and extremism facing the country.

Call for openness

If you want to arrest someone whom you suspect of being a terrorist, an extremist, a militant, a jihadi, anything, arrest them," Abdullah said. "But the laws of Pakistan, the constitution of Pakistan must be upheld and the case must be produced in an open court so that we know what the charges against them are.

You cant keep people disappeared and in internment camps like Guantanamo Bay. We have Pakistani Guantanamo Bays. This is unconstitutional, it is illegal and it must not be allowed to continue, she said.

Pakistani security agencies have repeatedly denied they have forcibly sequestered, tortured and killed people in the name of counterterrorism.

Despite the official denials, Pakistans Supreme Court has acknowledged, and human rights groups have documented, evidence of the involvement of state institutions in the abuses in the name of counterterrorism.

A government-appointed inquiry commission has been investigating the complaints since March 2011.

Of the more than 3,500 cases it had received as of July this year, around 2,100 have been disposed of. The remaining nearly 1,400 include 500 cases the commission has received in the past seven months, according to officials.

But critics question the independence and autonomy of the state panel, saying it does not disclose details about where those people were during the period they could not be traced by their families.

Rights activists also allege those who have returned to their families remain under pressure from security agencies not to discuss what happened to them.
This week marks the one year anniversary of the death of Aylan Kurdi, a Syrian toddler whose body washed up on a beach in Turkey, and whose photograph sparked an outpouring of support around the world.

Now, the Norwegian Refugee Council, a human rights group based in Europe, is using the anniversary of the iconic photo to call on European leaders to stop the loss of lives on their doorstep.

One year after the death of Aylan Kurdi the hemorrhage of human lives on the doorstep to Europe has worsened, Jan Egeland, head of the NRC. European leaders promised action and countries promised to fulfil their moral responsibilities. But instead of building bridges they have built walls, and instead of taking their share of responsibility, they have participated in a race to a bottom.

According to the International Organization for Migration, European countries combined took in more than 1,000,000 refugees during 2015, but still, Egeland said this isnt good enough and wants to see more refugees settled in Europe.

European civilization, or lack thereof, is defined by how we receive persecuted human beings seeking our protection, he said.

The photo of the toddler, shown lying face down on the Turkish shoreline as the waves rolled in and out, led to a massive spike in donations to charities and NGOs that help refugees and asylum seekers obtain food, clothing and other goods.

Save the Children, a U.K.-based child advocacy group reported a 70 percent increase in donations in the 24 hours after the picture was published, while the Migrant Offshore Aid Station, which operates independent rescue boats in the Mediterranean, saw 15 times as much money donated in the 24 hours after the photo was published than any other 24-hour time period in the past.

Since Kurdis death, though, more than 4,000 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean  including hundreds of children  which Egeland called unacceptable.

European leaders must do more to prevent new tragedies, he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Japan in December, Moscow and Tokyo confirmed Tuesday.

The schedule for the visit could be decided when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meets Putin later this week at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, Japan's top government spokesman said.

"I believe the most important thing in diplomacy is trust between the two leaders, Yoshihide Suga said. In that respect I think Prime Minister Abe and President Putin have that already in common. And we would thus like to negotiate the return of the four islands along the lines of the new approach signaled by Putin in the early meeting between the two leaders."

Suga also said the "new approach" to Japan-Russia relations was to focus on economic issues. He avoided giving a straight answer on whether Japan could accept a compromise in which all four islands were not returned to Japan, saying only that the question of the four islands must be "made clear."

Tokyo-Moscow relations have been hamstrung by the dispute over the islands in the Pacific, known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kuriles in Russia, which the Soviet Union seized after it declared war on Japan on August 8, 1945. The move has prevented the countries from signing a peace treaty ending World War II.

Also, Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea, prompted Tokyo to join other Western countries, including the United States, in imposing sanctions on Moscow.



Abe has traveled to Russia several times and has met with Putin on several occasions. The Russian president, however, has not been to Japan since 2005.
The deadly collapse of a tailings dam last November at the Samarco mine, owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton, was caused by drainage and design flaws, a report into Brazil's worst-ever environmental disaster showed Monday.

The 76-page report commissioned by the companies responsible for the spill, which killed 19 people, did not assign blame or highlight specific errors in corporate or regulatory practice.

Norbert Morgenstern, a geotechnical engineering professor who headed the investigation, repeatedly told reporters he could not answer their questions when quizzed on whether there was negligence or malpractice on the part of the companies involved.

A separate police investigation has accused Samarco of willful misconduct, saying the company ignored clear signs the dam was at risk of collapsing. Samarco denies any wrongdoing.

The report did, however, stress that a change in the dam's design between 2011 and 2012 resulted in less efficient drainage resulting in saturated sand in the dam, without which liquefaction would not have been possible.

Liquefaction is a process whereby a solid material such as sand loses strength and stiffness and behaves more like a liquid. It is a common cause for the collapse of dams holding mining waste, known as tailings, because the walls of these dams are mostly built with dried tailings which consist of a mixture of sand and clay-like mud.

"There was a fundamental change in the design concept whereby more widespread saturation was allowed and accepted," the report said, adding "this increase in the extent of saturation introduced the potential for sand liquefaction."

Liquefaction was triggered by increased weight on the tailings as the height of the dam was raised, reaching 100 meters (109 yards) at the time of collapse.

This weight pushed the clay-like mud in the dam outward "like toothpaste from a tube," resulting in a loosening of the sand which had more space to spread and ultimately caused it to flow like a liquid and cause the dam's wall to collapse.

A small earthquake on the day of the dam burst may also have "accelerated" the failure, the report said.

Carlos Eduardo Pinto, a prosecutor in the case against Samarco, said much of what was in the report had already been shown in the police investigation.

"Samarco has long claimed it performs good practice but the report did not demonstrate this," Pinto told Reuters. "Quite the opposite, it showed the company altered the project in a way that would not have been permitted."

BHP Billiton said in a statement it had learned from the tragedy. It had already reviewed its biggest tailings dams and said they were stable, but was taking steps to improve risk management.

"We also conducted a review into our non-operated minerals joint venture arrangements and have identified a number of opportunities for improvement," BHP's Chief Commercial Officer Dean Dalla Valle said.

The disaster has already cost BHP Billiton $2.2 billion, including a total write-off of its investment in Samarco, due to uncertainty over when the mine will reopen, and funds for its share of agreed compensation and damages.
The U.N. World Food Program warns it may be forced to end school meals for more than 1.3 million children in west and central Africa unless it receives $48 million.

School begins in September and October in Cameroon, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. More than half-a-million children in those countries are likely to be deprived of life-saving school meals, according to the WFP.

Another 700,000 children in 11 other countries will no longer receive the crucial meals when their schools start later in the year.

Bettina Luescher, WFP spokeswoman, says the vital programs are endangered because of the competing humanitarian crises around the world.

The situation in west and central Africa is especially critical, she says, because WFP is the sole or main provider of school meals in most of the region.

"Families rely on this. If we cannot deliver this, they often are really stuck, Luescher said. What could happen is that families take their children out of school. We have seen that all over the world  if money is being spent on school meals, the whole country will profit, the family will profit, the villages will profit."

Without those WFP meals, she says, children who go to school on an empty stomach cannot concentrate, and many will become malnourished.

"What it means is they  will never be as productive in the long run as other children would be, Luescher added. School meals help the children, especially girls, get an education."

Studies by the WFP on the cost of hunger show that for every dollar invested in school meals, there is an overall $3 to $8 economic return.
A plan to upgrade Somaliland's port of Berbera promises to transform the ancient town, almost tripling the ports size and boosting the region's economy, backers say. But critics contend the plan was pushed through without sufficient explanation and could adversely affect traditional fishing.

The port  a hub for fishermen and traders for millennia  is located in the breakaway republic of Somaliland, on the Gulf of Aden near the southern entrance to the Red Sea.

In August, Somaliland's parliament approved a draft agreement with DP World  a port company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates  to take on a $442 million upgrade to the port. The final deal is still being negotiated.

The project would take 30 years. If realized, it would transform Berbera into a major player among lucrative Red Sea shipping routes. The physical port would nearly triple in size. Modernization could increase Berbera's yearly capacity from just 60,000 containers to more than 1 million.

Competitive move

Somaliland Foreign Minister Saad Ali Shire said Berbera's strategically located port currently "is not equipped to serve beyond Somaliland." An upgrade would give competition to nearby Djibouti and serve "East Africa as a whole."

The upgrade would expand the port's reach to not only "Somaliland and Somalia but also Ethiopia and South Sudan and the rest of the landlocked African countries in the hinterland," he said.

The current port is aging, built over 30 years ago with assistance from Russia and the United States. Visitors today can see the hulls of sunken ships littering Berbera's harbor rather than large container ships moving in and out.

Planned improvements could create thousands of jobs, Shire said.

Mohamed Said, a fisherman who has worked in Berbera for 18 years, was enthusiastic about the proposed changes.

"We are expecting that the fishermen can get a lot of opportunities, such as improvement of infrastructure, how the fishermen can catch the fish, training, equipment, boats  all those things from DP World, he said.

Concerns about jobs

But there are doubts, as well.

Yusuf Abdillahi Gulled, country director for Fair Fishing, an organization that promotes small fishermen, expressed concern about potential job losses.

"They say there are many people working in jetty now, in the harbor and the big harbor, and if DP World come it might computerize, it might change the way people are working now so many people may lose their jobs, he said.

Abdi Risak, a youth representative for an opposition party in Berbera, said the ruling party pushed through the deal without consulting locals or explaining its scope and investment.

He said the public was not told what the deal was about, what the investment is about. He said that if there had been openness and people were told about the investment, it might have been supported but, since no one has told them about it, they are against the deal.

Resolving these tensions may decide whether the new port deal succeeds or sinks.
Southern African governments are backsliding on human rights, as nations repeatedly violate basic rights and defy their own constitutions, Human Rights Watch says.

The situation is being thrown into sharp relief as Swaziland, the continent's last absolute monarchy, takes over this week as chair of the Southern African Development Community.

Southern African leaders are expected to focus on development, trade, and political reforms in member countries as they meet at the two-day SADC summit in the mountainous kingdom.

But rights violations are grabbing headlines around the region, most recently in Zimbabwe, where protests have escalated against the increasingly autocratic government of President Robert Mugabe, and police hit back by beating, gassing and arresting demonstrators.

Human Rights Watch says they estimate that at least 74 people have been arrested in the aftermath of a protest last week that police dispersed, even though demonstrators had a court order allowing their march.

Serious discussion needed

Human Rights Watch Senior Africa Researcher Dewa Mavhinga says Zimbabwe should be at the top of the agenda as leaders meet.

Unfortunately, it does not seem that SADC leaders appreciate the seriousness of the situation in Zimbabwe, because they appear not to be looking or to be seeing what is happening, he said during a briefing in Johannesburg.

"This is why we are raising this matter for the attention of SADC leaders to say, You cannot behave like the ostrich and bury your head in the sand when Zimbabwe is burning. There is need to quickly deploy human rights monitors so at least you know for yourself what is happening independently and you take appropriate action or corrective measures, before its too late.

Zimbabwes government-backed Herald newspaper blithely reported on the presidents departure from Harare and arrival in Mbabane (Swaziland) in detail, without mentioning the protests, the arrests or the controversy around his 35-year rule.

Critics say Mugabe has destroyed the once-promising economy, rigged elections, and trampled on human rights.

Absolute ruler

But Human Rights Watch's Mavhinga says SADCs new leader is unlikely to challenge an entrenched leader. For the next year, the organization will be headed by Africas last absolute autocrat.

Swaziland's 48-year-old King Mswati III has numerous wives, cars and jets. He has described his nations unique government, in which opposition political parties are banned and the government has been accused of suppressing dissidents, as a marriage between the monarch and the ballot box.

It is not the right sort of message that should be coming from SADC leaders to have Swaziland as chair, Mavhinga said. But one hopes that perhaps it would be an opportunity for Swaziland, in terms of the spotlight being on Swaziland for the next 12 months, to highlight the abuses that are taking place in that kingdom.
Consolidating peace and security in the kingdom of Lesotho is high on the agenda as Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders meet Tuesday in Mbabane, Swaziland.

Lesotho has witnessed political violence in recent times, including an attempted coup and the assassination last year of Maaparankoe Mahao, the former Lesotho Defense Force commander.

The SADC Double Troika summit held this past June in Gaborone, Botswana, mandated South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to help Lesotho consolidate peace and security.

The opposition says despite the SADC effort the government has taken no concrete steps towards political reform.

But Motumi Ralejoe, spokesman for Lesothos prime minister said the government has instituted some reforms which will be reported to the summit by Ramaphosa.

First and foremost is my country is very peaceful and I believe that many people can attest to that. However, the understanding is that when the ministerial committee met in Mozambique, a number of issues were addressed, and Lesotho also insured that there was progress with regards to what had stated and put before to ensure that Lesotho is adhering to the SADC decision, he said.

Ralejoe said the Lesotho government has initiated constitutional, parliamentary, judicial, and public service reforms.

Following the assassination last year of former Lesotho Defense Force commander Mahao, several prominent opposition leaders, fearing for their lives, fled to neighboring South Africa.

They included former Prime Minister Thomas Thabane, who is the current leader of Lesothos main opposition party.

Part of Ramaphosas mandate was to facilitate the return of the opposition party leaders from South Africa to Lesotho.

The prime minister has always extended an olive branch to those residing in South Africa. Thats why he even went to an extent in June to advise SADC if they could help because he believes he has done all he could to make sure that he asks the opposition leaders to return home, Ralejoe said.

But Samonyane Ntsekele, the secretary general of Lesothos main opposition party, the All Basotho Convention, said the government is not serious about introducing meaningful political reform.

There are no reforms. Its only a game that the country is playing. That is why the spokesman for the government cannot tell you anything. But they will say they are doing something. Even for the investigation of the death of former commander Maaparankoe Mahao, what the government reported is that now they have started forming a team of the police and the army to investigate the death of Mahao, he said.

Ntsekele urged SADC leaders to make the government investigate political murders and facilitate the return of exiled opposition leaders.

At this stage we think the government of Lesotho should listen to SADC with the recommendation that the present commander should be removed; there should be investigation into the Mahaos death; all the officers in the army who are suspected of wrongdoing should be suspended while investigations are being done, and all the deaths which have happened so far should be investigated. So we really wish SADC can force Lesotho or urge Lesotho to comply which will save the country into the proposed reforms, he said.

He said the opposition is not in favor of the blanket amnesty, which the government has been pushing.
Tricia Cunningham has bet her own money and more than a year of her life on winning Pennsylvania for Donald Trump.

The self-described super-volunteer selling T-shirts, signing up volunteers and distributing yard signs out of two rooms in a non-descript office building in the small city of Monroeville is one of the more active elements of Trumps unorthodox ground game in this key swing state.



The Republican candidates unusually late start on a general election campaign already has put him at a disadvantage in the polls, where he trails Democratic candidate Clinton by an average of eight points with a little more than two months to go.





Clinton has run a more traditional, numbers based campaign, raising 30 times more money than Trump in Pennsylvania and building a widespread network of campaign offices across the state.



The Trump campaign  which just hired senior state advisors in July  argues it has the unmeasurable element of voter enthusiasm on its side.





That sense of excitement on the ground may be true if the pace of Cunninghams cell phone activity is any marker. Shes switching constantly between two phones on this Wednesday morning in late August, fielding inquiries from across western Pennsylvania, as a steady stream of retirees stops by to pick up yard signs.



The weekends are busier, says Cunningham, a time for neighborhood door knocking and information booths at county fairs.





Shes been with the campaign since the very beginning, agreeing to organize delegates for the South Carolina and Pennsylvania primary contests about 20 minutes after Trumps June 2015 presidential announcement. But when the Trump team made the unusual decision to shut its Pennsylvania office after winning the primary, Cunningham took the lead, paid out of her own pocket to keep a ground presence going and even went sky diving for the very first time to build publicity about Trump.



Cunningham is not officially affiliated with the campaign. But she works with three relatively new Trump field directors in Pennsylvania and built a catalogue of 8,000 volunteers statewide.



You tell me that we dont have a ground team! she says. Its like nails on a chalkboard. We have the most fierce ground game that I have ever seen.



Clinton campaign chiefs remain confident of winning Pennsylvania based on polls showing overwhelming support among African-Americans in the state's largest cities and unusually strong support from white suburbanites. But in suburban communities like Monroeville outside Pittsburgh, population 28,000, Trump has stirred a wave of excitement.



Hes bringing in a whole different, new voter base for the first time, says D. Raja, chair of the Allegheny County Republican Party. He notes that more than 100,000 people switched party allegiance to vote for Trump this election season.





Raja says the cross-party dynamics have led to a neighborhood based approach to campaigning. While the Clinton campaign employs paid field staff, the Trump campaign relies on volunteers and local organizations like the Allegheny Republican Party to put in place neighborhood leads, who can talk to people they know about Trumps policies.



John Larkin is one of them. A life-long Democrat who voted for Barack Obama in both of the past elections, the Monroeville resident sits on his porch, recalling the moment Trump announced his candidacy as the turning point in his political beliefs.



Trump really impressed me, he says, I was one of them people  I was bad because I would just vote Democrat because Im a Democrat. Once you start watching things, youll vote for the person you think is best. I think hes confident and I think hes strong and I think thats the type of leader we need other countries to see."



Neighbor to neighbor



The community element of that strategy is on full display back in Cunninghams Monroeville office. Sondra Dull drove in 20 minutes from her home of Herminie, where she has been the town barber for the last 33 years. While Dull has always been a Republican, she sees this election as an opportunity to educate her primarily Democratic community about the issues.



The men are all voting for Trump, she says with a smile. The women are basically on the fence because they dont like the way he talks and I say, 'well you need to travel to New York because hes a New Yorker. Thats how they speak there.'



She says the loss of businesses and a collapsing infrastructure will lead people to vote for a businessman like Trump who will depart from the political establishment.



Cunningham believes she is on the right track in terms of community outreach. Before heading out to her Trump truck covered in 2016 campaign stickers, she smiles wearily and counts out the number of days until the election. She says she would like to get more sleep but the effort has been worthwhile.



I dont stop and the biggest reason is because of my five grandkids. I dont want them to go to school in the future and read in a history book about how great this country was, she says.
Turkish authorities have arrested the editor of a leading newspaper as part of an investigation into last month's failed coup.

Turkish media said Hurriyet daily editor Dincer Gokce was detained Tuesday in Istanbul. He was one of nine journalists arrested across the country.

Earlier, Istanbul's chief prosecutor issued arrest warrants for 35 journalists suspected of having ties to the U.S.-based Turkish Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of masterminding the coup.

Meanwhile, Turkish media reports a former Istanbul police chief was also detained.

Turkish authorities have detained more than 40,000 people and formally arrested about half of them in a crackdown on suspected Gulen supporters since July 15.

Tens of thousands more have been dismissed from their jobs in the police, civil service and judiciary.
U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds have crossed back over to the eastern side of the Euphrates River, a top U.S. general said Tuesday, in a move the U.S. hopes will end recent skirmishes between the Kurds and the Turks as they both battle Islamic State militants.

The portion of the Kurds that are part of the SDF [Syrian Democratic Forces] are on the east side of the Euphrates River at this time. They have lived up to their commitment to us, Army General Joseph Votel, the head of U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East, told reporters at the Pentagon.

The SDF is primarily made up of Kurdish fighters, but Syrian Arabs, Turkmen and others also are part of the group.

Votel said members of the SDF who have stayed west of the Euphrates to hold ground gained from IS in and around Manbij are not Kurds and are principally made up of forces that come from that particular area.

Kurdish forces recently helped push IS militants out of Manbij, about 40 kilometers south of Jarablus and about 30 kilometers west of the Euphrates River.

Votel said both Turkey and U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in Syria were "critical" to the fight against IS in the region.

He added that the U.S. relies on both parties to help counter the "principal threat" of IS. "Our support for all parties is contingent upon the focus upon ISIL," he said, using another acronym for the terror group.

The general said that while he has not received any verbal assurances from Turkey that it will remain in Syria to fight the terror group, he has seen actions from Turkey that are extraordinarily positive, from moving west along the border of Jarablus to pursue IS to continuing other partnering efforts against IS along the Mara Line, in Syrias northwest.

Deeds matter, and what Im seeing on the ground is that they remain very committed to the ISIL fight, Votel said.

His comments came a day after U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter called on Turkey to "stay focused" on the fight against Islamic State and not engage with U.S.-allied Kurdish forces also battling the terror group in Syria.

Using the U.S.s own words, Turkey said Tuesday that U.S. criticism of the aims of its offensive in northern Syria was unacceptable.'' The Turkish Foreign Ministry said it summoned the U.S. ambassador over the matter.

Syrian rebels supported by Turkey have taken control of at least four villages and one town from Kurdish-led forces in the area.

Turkey's military foray into Syria is a dramatic escalation of Ankara's involvement in the Syrian civil war.

The clashes support 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, or the YPG militia. The United States has described the YPG as one of its most effective allies in the fight against Islamic State, while Turkey is demanding a YPG retreat from all border territory seized from IS jihadists.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein is calling on all French seaside towns to rescind "discriminatory bans" on the burkini and other forms of dress worn by Muslim women.

In weighing in on this controversial issue, the U.N.s top human rights official, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, did not disguise his disdain for a policy he regards as discriminatory, humiliating and counterproductive.

The commissioner said he agrees with Frances highest administrative court, which ruled on Friday that the ban constitutes a grave and illegal breach of fundamental freedoms and should be suspended. He said he understands and shares the grief and anger generated by the terrorist attacks, including the massacre carried out in Nice on July 14.

Increased tensions



Rupert Colville, the high commissioners spokesman said decrees such as the ban on wearing burkinis do not improve the security situation. He said they only serve to fuel religious intolerance and stigmatize Muslims.

By stimulating polarization between communities, these clothing bans have only succeeded in increasing tensions and as a result may actually undermine the effort to fight and prevent violent extremism, which depends on cooperation and mutual respect between communities, Colville said.

He said dress codes such as anti-burkini decrees disproportionately affect women and girls, undermine their freedom to choose what to wear and are humiliating and degrading.

Counterproductive

Colville called the bans spurious, telling VOA they have nothing to do with health or hygiene, as claimed by some. He described as "nonsense" the argument that preventing women from wearing the burkini liberates them.

It is frankly a stupid reaction to what we are having, facing in terms of terrorist attacks. It does nothing to increase security," he said. "It does nothing to improve public order. If anything it stimulates friction, and therefore undermines public order and it is having a counterproductive effect.

High Commissioner Zeid said individuals who wear burkinis or any other form of clothing cannot be blamed for the violent or hostile reactions of others. He said those who incite hatred or react violently should be targeted, not women who just want to walk on the beach or go for a swim wearing clothes that make them feel comfortable.
At the Nyumanzi Transit Center in northern Uganda, refugees greet U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi with song and dance, as well as with tales of food shortages and poor living conditions.



Grandi is on a tour of Uganda's overcrowded refugee centers. Since violence began last July, nearly 90,000 South Sudanese have crossed into Uganda seeking shelter.

Originally intended as a quick waypoint before settlement, Nyumanzi currently houses thousands of refugees in makeshift tents. One family from Pageri, South Sudan, says life has been difficult.

"Because every day we are [here] almost two months. Everyday beans, no change," one man said.



"And food is not enough," chimed in a woman.



"No blanket, no saucepan for cook, even no bucket," the man added.

The government is trying to ease congestion by transferring refugees to Bidibidi, a new settlement that can house 100,000 refugees. Yet fears of underdeveloped infrastructure, sanitation, possible spies and violence has many refugees too afraid to resettle, many saying they would rather return to South Sudan.

A number of refugees say that when they resisted transfer last month, police shot tear gas into the camp.

We have ran from South Sudan because of gun and then when we reach there also the police and the Ugandan government have used bombardment," said one man. "Even the children, even all persons, all people, they are crying because these bombs of red pepper even affected some eyes, ears.

The UNHCR says it is unaware of any event during which police fired tear gas at refugees. The agency also says while building continues at Bidibidi, refugees can be assured they will have access to water, food and shelter in the new camp.

Grandi says the Ugandan government has done a remarkable job settling new refugees, but the world must pay attention to the emergency in Uganda.

Nowhere in the world I have seen people settled with land and with the beginning of shelter in less than two months," he said. "Twenty-two thousand here in Pagirinya alone, and that is not the only group... but I want to warn everybody if we do not get more resources and the influx from South Sudan continues it will be difficult to maintain these levels and to continue the response for the new waves that will come."

Grandi said the international community should respond to this crisis the same way it responded to the migrant crisis in Europe.

"There, we are funded 60-70 percent, here 20-30 percent. This is not right. We need to put this right, he said.



Uganda is home to around 570,000 refugees, mostly from Congo, Burundi and South Sudan. And although most South Sudanese say they long to return home, there has been no indication of when the violence there will end.
The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday began discussing potential consequences for the Assad regime and the Islamic State for their illegal use of chemical weapons in Syria.

The discussions focused on a report by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Joint Investigative Mechanism. The special panel examined nine attacks in seven different parts of Syria that occurred in 2014 and 2015, and it concluded that there was enough evidence to attribute two chlorine gas attacks to the government and a sulfur mustard gas attack to the IS terror group.

As for the other six cases the JIM looked at, members of the group said they could not say definitively who had carried out the attacks, or whether chlorine was used. In three of the attacks, the panel said, further investigation would be useful.

The Syrian regime has been found to have used chlorine gas against civilians in Syria, and that is a war crime, said British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft. Everyone responsible for those war crimes must be held accountable and dealt with accordingly.

Sarin attack in 2013

In August 2013, more than 1,000 civilians were killed in a sarin gas attack on an opposition-controlled area of Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus. Under intense international pressure, the Damascus government then agreed to declare and give up its chemical weapons stockpiles.

As part of the deal, Syria also signed on to the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, which forbids the use of chlorine as a weapon.

According to the U.N. resolution dismantling Syrias chemical weapons, the Security Council can impose measures including targeted sanctions on parties who violate the provisions of the resolution.

The JIM report closely establishes responsibilities with respect to the use of chemical weapons in Syria, French Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters.

France favors a quick and strong Security Council response, he added, including imposing sanctions on the perpetrators of the attacks.

U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said there needs to be meaningful accountability, especially in light of continuing reports of chemical attacks.

But Russian envoy Vitaly Churkin expressed skepticism about the Damascus governments involvement in the two chlorine attacks attributed to it, saying that while there is a smoking gun of chlorine, there are no fingerprints on the gun.

Churkin said a number of questions must be clarified before Moscow can accept the panels findings. However, he did accept the report's conclusion that IS carried out a mustard gas attack.

Syrias U.N. ambassador, Bashar Jaafari, rejected the panels findings against his government and said Damascus would continue its own investigation of all the incidents.

Human rights groups urged the council to impose sanctions on the perpetrators and to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court at The Hague.
The United States says it still hopes to complete a massive trade pact with the European Union by the end of 2016, even after French President Francois Hollande said Tuesday that negotiations had stalled.

The White House said President Barack Obama was sending his top trade official, Michael Froman, to Europe in September to renew talks aimed at creating the world's largest free-trade zone. The United States is the world's single biggest economy, but collectively, the 28-nation EU is even bigger.

"Our position on this has not changed," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. "We are continuing to work toward a goal of completing those negotiations before the end of the year," just weeks before Obama leaves office in January.

Hollande said, "France prefers to look things in the face. These discussions cannot result in an agreement by the end of the year. The negotiations have bogged down, the positions have not been respected, the imbalance is obvious."

French trade chief Matthias Fekl accused Washington of offering just "crumbs" in the negotiations. He said that next month Paris would ask the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, to halt the talks with the U.S.

On Sunday, German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said the negotiations "have de facto failed, even though nobody is really admitting it."

However, the commission said Monday that while the talks "are now indeed entering a crucial stage," it still wanted to complete a deal by late in the year.

The trade talks started in 2013 but now are facing headwinds in the United States, France and Germany, where opposition to international trade deals has emerged as all three countries head to national elections.
The top U.S. diplomat for Central Asia says the region's relative stability means it often does not get much attention, but that a top priority when the next U.S. president takes office will be to explain the area's importance to that new administration.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Rosenblum said he is confident that the group of countries that includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will be seen as a good investment of State Department resources.

We want stability. We want these countries to be able to be secure and not become havens for terrorist activity," Rosenblum told VOA's Uzbek Service. "We saw what happened in Afghanistan in the 1990s and what that resulted in in terms of a threat to our national security and we dont want the same to play out in Central Asia.

In addition to security, the U.S. is also prioritizing economic success in the region including cross-border trade and infrastructure improvements, as well as efforts to promote good governance with institutions that are accountable to citizens.

The good governance area, that basket, has been maybe the most challenging over the years of the three, and you can measure progress in a variety of ways, but its one that we certainly havent made the progress that we would have  the countries in the region havent made the progress that we would have liked to see in that third area.

Common goals

Rosenblum said the "very frank and direct talks" between U.S. officials and those in Central Asia cover a range of human rights issues, including religious freedom, in terms of the broad struggle between promoting security and transparent governments. He said the key is to have a balance and that sometimes those involved in the discussions have a different perspective on how best to do achieve that.

We dont always see eye to eye on what the balance should be," he said. "We continue to believe that restricting peaceful religious practice and belief in the long run  restricting it in ways that lead people to look for alternatives perhaps or seek more radical solutions is counterproductive, that is it will lead in the end to the defeat of the other goal of security.

The five nations are 25 years removed from being part of the Soviet Union and, given their proximity, remain of interest to Russia and also neighboring China.

Rosenblum said the fact that three powers are involved in the region does not mean it is a contest with a winner and a loser.
A group of 20 senators expressed their continued dissatisfaction with pharmaceutical company Mylan's handling of a price hike for their EpiPen product in a letter to the company's CEO.

Having come under fire in recent weeks for unprecedented price hikes of the EpiPen, Mylan has announced coupons and generic versions of the drug. But the group of Democrat senators, which includes Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, remain unconvinced.

"Your discount programs, however, represent a well-defined industry tactic to keep costs high through a complex shell game," the senators wrote. They elaborated that the high price of the drug would now be borne by the government, insurance companies, and workplaces, only to eventually increase premiums of those purchasing the drugs.

"The EpiPen ... has become so exorbitantly expensive that access to this life-saving combination product is in jeopardy for many Americans. As of May 2016, Mylan has increased the price of EpiPens in the United States by nearly 500 percent," the letter stated.

It noted the generic drug, which will be sold at $300, costs nearly three times as much as the branded version did just seven years ago. The letter also includes five pages of questions about Mylan's customers and costs, to which the senators demanded answers by September 12.

EpiPens are used to treat anaphylactic shock, a symptom of severe allergies often experienced by children that could lead to death.
The head of the U.S. Central Command scolded Iran Tuesday for "provocative" naval actions in the Persian Gulf, following recent close encounters between U.S. warships and Iranian gunboats.

General Joseph Votel spoke just days after the coastal patrol ship USS Squall was forced to fire warning shots to ward off an Iranian gunboat that was closing at high speed on another U.S. vessel nearby. The Pentagon said the Iranian gunboat ignored repeated U.S. warning flares and radio transmissions before turning away.

On Tuesday, Votel called the Iranian actions "very concerning," and said, "We hope to see Iran's naval forces act in a more professional manner." He also said last week's encounter was part of a "recent uptick" in U.S. confrontations with Iranian patrol craft at "choke points" in the Gulf's crowded sea lanes.

Last week, U.S. officials said the Iranian craft came within 182 meters of the USS Tempest, raising the specter of military escalation.

There was no immediate Iranian response to Votel's comments.

But last week, Iran's Tasnim news agency quoted a top Iranian general as saying, "If any foreign vessel enters our waters, we warn them, and if it's an invasion, we confront."
The United States met its goal of accepting 10,000 Syrian refugees in 2016 with the White House expressing a desire to "expand our ambition" in response to the Syrian crisis and reiterating the need to find a way to end that country's war.

"On behalf of the president and his administration, I extend the warmest of welcomes to each and every one of our Syrian arrivals, as well as the many other refugees resettled this year from all over the world," National Security Advisor Susan Rice said in a statement.

More than five years of fighting in Syria has led to a massive flow of refugees out of the country, with most of the nearly 5 million people going to Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. The influx has strained communities in those countries and inflamed debates in Europe about how many people governments should accept.

In response to a question about the comparatively few Syrian refugees the U.S. accepted in the early years of the war, State Department spokesman John Kirby said the 10,000 goal for this year came in part from a realization that the government could be doing more.

"We're equally as dedicated to our efforts to end the civil war in Syria so that people don't have to flee, so that when this is over they'll have a home to go back to, whether it's returning to Syria from the United States or from any other country that they've sought refuge in," Kirby said.

Overall, the U.S. set a goal of accepting 85,000 refugees from around the world in 2016. Kirby said that will go up to 100,000 for 2017, but could not say yet how many of those would be Syrians.

At the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest touted the overall U.S. humanitarian effort in Syria while also addressing concerns from critics worried about potential security threats.

"Significant screening was put in place to ensure that these individuals don't pose an undue threat to our national security. That's the kind of screening that every refugee applicant is subjected to, and we were able to meet this goal without cutting any corners," Earnest said.

The resettlement program emerged as a controversial issue in the U.S. presidential campaign after Republican candidate Donald Trump proposed a ban on Muslims entering the country. Governors of more than 30 U.S. states have tried to block such refugees from settling in their states, despite having no authority to do so, according to legal experts.

When world leaders gather in New York City for a session of the United Nations General Assembly in late September, President Obama will lead a summit on the global refugee crisis, with the hope of boosting humanitarian aid and doubling the number of refugee resettlement opportunities.
The United Nations on Tuesday dramatically raised its estimate of the number of people killed in Yemen during the past 18 months to 10,000 as the ongoing fighting continues to put millions of Yemenis in need of humanitarian aid.

U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick told reporters the figure could be even higher.

Before Tuesday, U.N. officials had been saying at least 6,000 people had died in the conflict involving Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the government of President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi.

Militant attacks



In addition to the civil war, which also includes an air campaign led by Saudi Arabia in support of the government, Yemen has also been dealing with attacks by militants, including a bombing Monday in the southern port city of Aden.

Authorities say at least 54 recruits at a pro-government army center were killed in the attack by a suspected Islamic State suicide bomber. The French news agency, AFP, quoting local medical sources, put the toll at 71 dead.

Witnesses said the bomber entered a gated training compound behind a truck that was carrying breakfast to the recruits.

A short while after the blast, Islamic State issued a statement broadcast by its Amaq news agency that claimed responsibility.
Founding president of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Morgan Tsvangirai, met with some war veterans at the weekend in an attempt to address social, economic and political problems affecting Zimbabwe.

According to NewsDay, the war veterans who attended the meeting were led by secretary general Victor Matemadanda of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association.

He was not available for comment.

Matematanda was recently arrested for allegedly taking part in a meeting, which released a biting communique that linked the countrys unending problems to 92 year-old President Robert Mugabe.

The war veterans noted that they wont back Mr. Mugabe in the 2018 general election saying he is no longer representing the interest of local people and former freedom fighters.

Tsvangirais spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka, told Studio 7 that the meeting was designed to find a solution to problems bedeviling Zimbabwe.

He said this was an indication that Zimbabweans want to pull in the same direction in an attempt to address all issues facing the nation.

Matemadanda and several war veterans leaders including former War Veterans Minister Christopher Mutsvangwa, were recently expelled from Zanu PF on allegations of undermining the authority of the president, the ruling party and government.

The war veterans have been linked to a Zanu PF faction allegedly led by Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa leading a group known as Lacoste.

The other faction, Generation 40, is allegedly led by First Lady Grace Mugabe, who like Mnangagwa, is said to be harboring presidential ambitions.

The two have dismissed as misguided allegations that they want to succeed President Mugabe.
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) has expressed outrage over the Zimbabwean government's heavy handedness in dealing with protests that have gripped the nation.

The organization, which held a week-long meeting in Johannesburg, accused Harare of failing to uphold the civil and political liberties of citizens as enshrined in the country's constitution.

FIDH said the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit currently in session in Swaziland should call President Robert Mugabe to order, noting that his government is using the dreaded Public Order and Security Act (POSA) to suppress dissenting voices in the country.

FIDH director for Africa, Tcherina Jerolon, said the government of Zimbabwe should stop brutalizing its citizens.

We are very worried about human rights abuses. The government of Zimbabwe should respect the rights of the people as enshrined in the countrys constitution and other international laws and regulations 

FIDH said Zimbabwes decision to arrest Tajamuka-Sesijikile Campaign leader Promise Mkwananzi and other political activists are indications that the country does not respect the fundamental rights of local people.

Zimrights chairperson, Passmore Nyakureba, echoed the same sentiments saying SADC leaders are supposed to tackle the Zimbabwe crisis amid concerns that the police are breaking the law as they are normally beating up protesters indiscriminately.

We are very clear about what we want as SADC. They must stop the government from abusing its citizens through using the police to beat up protesters. Police should stop beating up people.

Human rights activist Lidia Shezi of South Africa echoed the same sentiments, noting that Zimbabweans should not give up in fighting for their rights despite being brutalized by the police.

  They should never lose hope  Youth should unite and fight against all forms of oppression. Its a constitutional right to go on strike as long as it is done peacefully.
Although the visit to Syria by Admiral Guan Youfei (head of the new Chinese Office for International Military Cooperation) was made in the context of a meeting with all of the countries in the region, it has caused some anxiety in the West. For the moment, according to the signed agreement, the Chinese Army has simply agreed to train, in China, Syrian soldiers from the Medical Services. However, everyone understands that this agreement hides something else, since for the last four years, half of Syrias military doctors have been trained in China. Although we do not know what has really been decided, the existence of the agreement marks a change of strategy.

Indeed, over the last five years, the Peoples Republic of China has refused to engage in any form of cooperation which could be interpreted by Washington as military aid. Thus, it has not only refused to deliver weapons, but also civil materials which are indispensable for this war, such as tunnel detectors.

Independent of the very important economic assistance offered by Beijing, everyone will remember that Russia had concluded an identical agreement with Syria at the beginning of 2012, prefiguring its military assistance three and a half years later. So is China also preparing to deploy?

It is probable that the answer will depend on the speed of US deployment in the China Sea and the provocations by Washingtons allies in the region.

Chinas interest in Syria dates from Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The Silk Road crossed Central Asia, passing through Palmyra and Damascus before turning towards Tyre and Antioch. There are very few traces left of this ancient commercial cooperation except for the Pagoda still visible in the mosaics of the Umayyad Mosque, or the Great Mosque of Damascus. President Xi made the restoration of this line of communication (and the creation of a second road through Siberia and Europe) the main objective of his mandate.

Beijings other main interest is the struggle of the Islamic Party of Turkestan, which joined al-Qaida, then Daesh. Today there is a Uyghur neighbourhood in Ar-Raqqah, and Daesh publishes a newspaper especially for its members.

The members of this group are connected to the Naqshbandi Order, a Sufi congregation of which the ex-Grand Mufti of Syria, Ahmad Kuftaru, was the leader. Certain lodges of this order connected with the Muslim Brotherhood in 1961, under the influence of the Anglo-Saxon secret services, CIA and MI6. They participated in the creation of the Muslim World League by Saudi Arabia, in 1962. In Iraq, they organised around Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, and supported the attempted coup detat by the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood in 1982. In 2014, they sent 80,000 combatants to swell the ranks of Daesh. In Turkey, the Naqchbandis created Milli Gorus of which Recep Tayyip Erdogan was one of the heads. It was this group who, in the 1990s, organised Islamist movements in the Russian Caucasus and the Xinjiang region of China.

Even more than the Russians, the Chinese need intelligence about this network, and how it is controlled by Washington and London. In 2001, they believed  wrongly  that the Anglo-Saxons had changed after the attacks of 11 September, and that they would collaborate with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to fight terrorism. They know today that Syria is an authentic friend in peace.
The company Innovative Communications & Strategies (InCoStrat), created by MI6 to organise NATO propaganda concerning Syria [1], broadcast a video and a photograph of young Omran Daqneesh (5 years old) being helped by the White Helmets in an ambulance in Aleppo.

This material was seen around the world, and made the front page of most of the newspapers of the Atlantist bloc. It has become the symbol of the children massacred by the Bachar el-Assad regime, or his Russian allies.

According to InCoStrat  who had already published the photograph of young Aylan Kurdi, dead on a Turkish beach after having attempted to cross the Mediterranean  the childs house had been bombed and his parents were dead.

The White Helmets are a NGO which serves as a front for the CIA (United States), MI6 (United Kingdom) and the IDB (Holland).

According to the US agency Associated Press, the photograph of Omran Daqneesh was taken by Mahmoud Raslan, whose comments have been widely broadcast by the agency and repeated in the Atlantist Press.

Mahmoud Raslan is a jihadist from the group Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki (supported by the CIA, who supplied them with BGM-71 TOW antitank missiles). One month ago, on 19 July 2016, Mahmoud Raslan personally cut the throat of a young Palestinian child, Abdullah Tayseer Al Issa (12 years old).

Children, who are unable to choose which camp they happen to be in, are always victims of war. Using their images out of context constitutes an act of propaganda aimed at clouding our understanding of the facts [2].
The combatants and the 4,000 civilians of Daraya (a suburb of Damascus, near Mezzeh) have accepted a reconciliation agreement.

The combatants and their families were evacuated by bus to Idleb (in the North of the country), while the civilians and the 700 combatants who preferred to benefit from the amnesty were relocated in the Damascus area. The Syrian Arab Army entered the liberated sector on 27 August.

The combatants gave up their heavy and medium weaponry, while those who moved to Idleb were allowed to keep their handguns.

Since the July 2012 attack in Damascus (operation Damascus Volcano, coordinated by France), Daraya was the main jihadist locality in the governorate.

The position of the combatants and their British military advisors had become untenable since the Syrian Arab Army took and encircled Moadamiyyat al-Cham in July.

The liberation of Daraya marks the end of the battle of the East Ghouta.
Bring back the dragon. Photo: Getty Images

Bruce Lees passion project lives on through Justin Lin. Deadline reports that Cinemax has ordered a pilot for Warrior, written by Jonathan Tropper and produced by Lin, with the Fast and the Furious director also looking to direct. The latest iteration of Warrior has the Lee family blessing, with Bruces daughter Shannon Lee serving as an executive producer and writer on the show. Warrior is based off of the show that Bruce Lee had been working on for years in the 1960s, and follows a young martial-arts prodigy from China who immigrates to San Francisco and finds himself caught up in the middle of the Tong Wars in Chinatown. According to his wife Linda Lee Cadwell, Lees project was stolen by Warner Bros. and later bastardized as Kung Fu, starring David Carradine. Facing blatant discrimination, Lee decided to leave Hollywood for Hong Kong where he made a string of hits in the early 70s to become the kung fu legend that he is now. Not even time can keep Bruce Lee down.
Photo: Getty Images

Richard Linklater loves himself a good meditation on the fleeting nature of time. The Boyhood and Before trilogy director has signed on to direct an adaptation of Darryl Ponicsans novel Last Flag Flying, which will star Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell, and Laurence Fishburne. A sequel of sorts to Ponicsans The Last Detail, a 1970 novel about two Navy men who decide to show a prisoner a good time before committing him, 2005s Last Flag Flying picks up in the midst of the Iraq War as the three men, now much older, retrace their decades-old trip from Virginia to New Hampshire. The Last Detail was made into a movie in 1973 with Jack Nicholson, Randy Quaid, and Otis Young. Its not clear at this point how Linklater will address the original film, but it seems that Carell, Cranston, and Fishburne will replace those three as the leads. So, whos going to have to do his best Nicholson?
Excerpt from Darth Vader. Photo: Salvador Larocca and Edgar Delgado/Marvel

The creative team behind Marvels Darth Vader, writer Kieron Gillen and artist Salvador Larroca, more or less had their book figured out from its first scene. The in-continuity series begins with Vader entering Jabba the Hutts palace not long after the end of the first Star Wars film. He wordlessly murders two guards with his lightsaber, demands an audience with Jabba and, once he has it, finds himself berated by the sluglike gangster: You arrive a day early, kill two of my guards, and expect me to deal with you?

Vader stares at Jabba behind his expressionless helmet and intones, I have only killed two. Do not make me reconsider my generosity.

Hes beauty and hes grace, hell slash you in the face: this is Darth Vader, distilled and served to Star Wars geeks in a rich and engaging way. His entry to the palace is, of course, a more violent echo of Luke Skywalkers arrival in Return of the Jedi; Vader meeting with Jabba is an exciting new interpolation within a beloved mythology; and goddamn, thats a solid threat. As you read the dialogue on the page, you can hear it in James Earl Joness sonorous basso profundo, and thats the essence of what makes Darth Vader one of the best mainstream comics on the market: It builds inventively on the Star Wars mythos while remembering what made it resonant and sexy.

The series concludes with its 25th issue in October*, and it does so without having truly ever received the attention it deserves. The book has sold well, making it into the top 20 for comics-retailer orders most months since its February 2015 debut, but the comics commentariat has barely batted an eyelash at it  which is curious, considering the pedigree of its creative team and, well, its Star Wars. When I recently tweeted my confusion about the lack of discussion about Darth Vader, Gillen sardonically issued an @-reply: Niche property. It has often felt that way.

Which is a shame, because throughout its run the book surprises and delights. The series has featured an intricate set of interlocking plots, most of them showing the Dark Lord in situations where his supremacy is threatened and he has to prove his mettle: a micromanaging Emperor forces Vader to work with people who question his decisions; Vader goes on a quest to learn more about the boy who blew up the Death Star, one which requires secrecy to avoid the attentions of the rest of the Empire; and, most prominently, we see the machinations of an inventor who believes he can render the Force obsolete through technological innovations. Throughout all of this, Vaders accompanied by his covert allies, a rogue archaeologist named Aphra and two murderous droids (well get to them in a bit).

These types of conceits are wisely chosen by Gillen because they dont rely on the possibility of Vaders death. Weve all seen The Empire Strikes Back; none of us could think hes in any serious mortal danger. Instead, the stakes are built around two other factors: Vaders knowledge and dignity. The former has to do with Luke and his mother, the late Padme Amidala. Its never established in the filmic canon just how Vader gets from firing at some anonymous X-Wing in the Death Star trenches to not only knowing who that pilot was, but scaring the shit out of him by revealing that hes the kids father. Here, we learn the winding, melancholy path that leads him to that information.

Excerpt from Darth Vader. Photo: Salvador Larocca and Edgar Delgado/Marvel

It involves the surreptitious hiring of the ever-popular Boba Fett to act as a spy, but that quest (which plays out in Darth Vaders sister series, the bland Star Wars) isnt nearly as interesting as what happens once Fett returns to Vader with a name: Skywalker. We see our protagonist, standing on the deck of a Star Destroyer, as he remembers two flashes from the prequel trilogy: Padme telling pre-Vader Anakin that shes pregnant, then the Emperor informing the newly minted cyborg Sith that his bride is dead. In the present, his fist clenches. We pan out and see that the airtight glass that faces the void of space is riddled with Force-induced spider-cracks. Skywalker, he says; nothing more.

Indeed, the greatest joy of the series is Vaders dialogue  always brief, always chilling. When he and Aphra travel to the world of Geonosis on a secret mission, a local leader cries to Vader, Has the Empire not taken enough from the Geonosians with your bombs? Slicing her with his lightsaber, he simply says, No. He speaks with a queen during a complicated political crisis and tells her what to do; Its a deal, she says; No, he replies while walking away, then half-turns to her, It is simply how it will be. There is no mua-ha-ha monologuing from the title character in Darth Vader, no internal narration  just a pitch-perfect encapsulation of the kind of pithy terrorizing that made audiences fall in love with him in 1977.

The supporting cast is top-notch as well, particularly sociopathic genius Aphra and the droids. The latter are a direct and horrifying riff on C-3PO and R2-D2 named, respectively, 0-0-0 and BT-1  colloquially, Triple-Zero and Beetee. Triple-Zero is built exactly like Threepio, except hes rendered in metallic black and is, as he puts it, specialized in etiquette, customs, translation, and torture. Beetee speaks in beeps and whistles and is trash-can-sized, but hes an expert at assassination. Theyre a consistent black-comedy delight. Youre not going to get anything from me, says a man from whom Aphra and company need information. Oh, you are just adorable, Triple-Zero says. I love it when you play your part. The droid does get what he wants, but Gillen and Larroca wisely let us imagine what terrors he inflicted on the poor man.

Then theres the concept of dignity. Everything about this comic feels elegant and momentous. Larroca and colorist Edgar Delgado are playing at the tops of their games here, capturing the fascistic, black-and-gray structures of the Empire and the mechanical, stilted embodiment of intimidation that is Darth Vader. Gillen presents us with scientific soldiers designed to replicate Force abilities and, right away, we see them as abominations  Vader may be a monster, but hes a majestic one, and we want to believe in his awful magic. The character feels fully on-brand, and the world the creators have built feels comfortingly familiar, even when it introduces bizarre concepts like massive ships built out of space-faring whales. To read the comic is to fall in love with the Star Wars universe once again. If you need something to tide you over until the next movie  or to console you if it ends up being a dud  this wont fail you.

* This article has been updated to reflect that the series ends in October.
Photo: Getty Images

Well, that was fast. Just two months after Jenny Mollen released her humorous memoir, Live Fast Die Hot, Warner Bros. has acquired the rights to turn Mollens personal essays into a film, with a delightful leading lady already attached. Anne Hathaway is set to star in the adaptation, as well as produce it alongside Gail Berman, with Mollen herself serving as an executive producer. The best-selling memoir chronicles the eccentric and exciting exploits of Mollen, who was forced to re-prioritize her impulsive, social-media-heavy life after becoming pregnant with her son. As Mollen embarks on trips to Morocco and Peru in hopes of self-reflection and discovery, she realizes that motherhood and confronting her past demons might not be as difficult as she once thought. Think of it as an irreverent Eat, Pray, Love with lots of cursing.


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Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for MTV.com

It would seem that the MTV Video Music Awards cant even buy traditional viewership anymore. Last nights telecast, which was aired concurrently across 11 Viacom-owned networks, included four performances from Rihanna throughout the evening, an extended medley of Beyonce performing her blockbuster album Lemonade, four minutes of totally unregulated Kanye West, and the VMA return of Britney Spears. But despite all that A-list gold, the show still pulled just 6.5 million viewers. Thats down 34 percent from last year. At this point, the network will have to promise a cage match between Taylor Swift and Kim Kardashian to reverse the TV-ratings slump, but its not all bad news, because alternative engagement in the show is skyrocketing, according to MTV. The VMAs reportedly raked in nearly 63 million video streams, up 70 percent from last years day-of tally, and Facebook accounted for almost 46 million streams, an explosion of 938 percent growth since last year. The hashtag #VMA was even the top global trending topic for 13 hours yesterday.

Related Stories Why Were the Rio Olympics Ratings So Bad?

This is, of course, part of a long-term downward trend for linear TV ratings that has been steadily accelerating over the past ten years, since the ability to view programming on-demand became a widespread option and people started subbing in computers and a la carte streaming subscriptions for set top boxes and expensive contracts with cable providers. The Rio Olympics is the most recent example of a once erosion-proof TV event suffering major viewership losses, even as the number of people streaming the event online increased greatly. When it comes to revenue, though, digital advertising still doesnt demand the same price that flashy TV spots do, which is what makes the evolution in audience preferences a troubling reality for networks. NBC and MTV also have to face the reality that when you dont broadcast time-sensitive content at the same time all across the country  as was the case with NBCs prime-time Olympics coverage as well as the VMAs last night  people are going to stream events live before they can be spoiled online by all that precious social chatter.

Well have to wait until the 2017 Video Music Awards to see just how many millions of viewers Taylor Swift brings with her, as she was just about the only gossip-worthy musician absent from this years telecast. Swift was fulfilling jury-duty obligations this time around, but if she comes back next time and brings a Taylor Bump with her, you can bet youll never see an awards show without her sitting front and center next to her own dedicated reaction camera ever again.
Riz Ahmed, whos having a real Jessica Chastaincirca2011 sort of year, with a streak that includes The Night Of, Jason Bourne, and Star Wars: Rogue One, stopped by Stephen Colberts Late Show last night to explain himself. Or rather, Ahmed discussed the complexities of race in America and the U.K.  This is what British looks like, Ahmed said  artfully dodged Star Wars questions, and then proved that he can rap (in case you didnt already know). Now, as soon as the Rogue One press tour kicks into full gear, it seems the internet will be ready for a new boyfriend.
The Waco Parks and Recreation Department will kick off a monthly Community Conversations Forum at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Dewey Community Center, 925 N. Ninth St.

Topic for the first meeting will be Educating Our Children: Whose Responsibility is It?

The town-hall style meeting will explore the roles that parents, teachers and the community play in the educational process.

For more information, call 750-5980.

GOP kickoff event

The Republican Party of McLennan County will host a November election kickoff reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Republican Party headquarters, 539 N. Valley Mills Drive.

The event is open to the public.

For more information, call 717-0927.

BU organ recital

Isabelle Demers, assistant professor of organ at Baylor University, will present a faculty recital at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Jones Concert Hall at Baylors Glennis McCrary Music Building.

The free program will include works by English composer William Walton, French composer Maurice Durufle, Belgian composer Joseph Jongen, and German composers Johann Sebastian Bach and Max Reger.

For more information, visit www.baylor.edu/music or call 710-3991.

Kiwanis Seniors

The Waco Kiwanis Seniors will meet at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at Golden Corral, 618 N. Valley Mills Drive.

Sandy Pechacek, executive director of the McLennan 100 Club, will speak about Honoring Law Enforcement.

The McLennan 100 Club raises money for the families of police officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty.

Visitors are welcome to attend.

For more information, call Dick Rood at 399-0072.

WSC Belles and Brass

The Waco Symphony Council will accept applications through Sept. 9 from sophomore girls and junior boys for its Belles and Brass program.

The program is geared to promote leadership, music appreciation, service and etiquette.

For applications and more information, visit www.wacosymphonycouncil.com.

Shoes for Homeless

Mission Waco is accepting monetary donations for its annual Shoes for the Homeless campaign that provides a new pair of shoes to homeless men and women.

The public can donate $45, designated for shoes, to Mission Waco, which will be used to purchase a pair of shoes for a homless individual.

The shoes will be handed out prior to Mission Wacos annual Walk for the Homeless, a 1.2-mile educational prayer walk from the Meyer Center to seven sites, scheduled to begin 8 a.m. Sept. 18 at the Meyer Center, 1226 Washington Ave.

For more information, call 753-4900.

CS Civic Club

The China Spring Civic Club is recruiting members and is inviting women to attend the groups monthly meeting at noon Sept. 6 at the China Spring Tabernacle, 127 Ford St.
The Japanese warlords and geishas in a signature stained-glass dome in Gainesvilles Morton Museum have seen a lot of history and homes in their 111-year lifespans.

The 12-panel dome started over the ballroom of wealthy Gainesville residents William and Ella Dougherty, spent years above music students at Gainesvilles first high school, killed time in storage in a barn, then served as a focal point of pride for the Morton Museum in its 48-year history.

On Tuesday, the dome returns to its Gainesville home after nearly a years stay in Waco, where Stanton Studios repaired and cleaned its glass pieces, then fitted them into new lead strips.

Stanton Studios workers will transport the 5-foot, 4-inch tall panels in custom-fitted wooden boxes, then reassemble the sections, complete with circular cap, into a finished dome 12 feet above the Morton Museum floor.

Morton Museum incoming director Lucy Stratton cant wait to welcome it.

Were ready for the dome to come home, she said, echoing Bring Home The Dome!, the phrase used to raise approximately $90,000 for the renovation project.

The dome will be formally dedicated Sept. 22, an occasion with double meaning for Stratton, as she also loses the incoming part of her title at that time.

The dome originated with William Dougherty, a wealthy Cooke County cattle farmer and landowner, at the turn of the

20th century. He and his wife, Ella, purchased the stained-glass dome for the ballroom of their new home in 1905, ordered from a mail-order catalogue.

Blues, greens and browns predominated in the colored glass panels. Painted on four of the domes glass sections were images not of cowboys, cattle or bluebonnets, but of Japanese geishas and warlords, a popular motif in late 19th-century American decor after the Worlds Columbian Exposition of 1893 and in line with the Doughertys taste for Japanese culture.

When the Doughertys later moved to California, they turned over their house for use as Gainesvilles first high school and the domed ballroom became the schools music conservatory.

The dome went into storage in a barn after a new high school was built, but saw daylight again in 1968 when Judge William Carroll bought it for the newly created Morton Museum.

Use as a museum of Cooke County and rural Texas history revived the two-story brick building that once served as Gainesvilles combination jail, firehouse and city hall for years until those services found separate buildings.

The distinctive dome has been a signature of the museum for years, but had started to sag despite restoration work done in 1984, Sutton said. After Stanton Studios completed a stained-glass restoration for the First United Methodist Church of Gainesville, museum officials invited Jordan Stanton, one of Stanton Studios owner Bryant Stantons four sons working with the business in glass, wood and metal, to appraise the domes condition.

His verdict: Fix it quickly.

The leading  the grooved lead strips that hold glass pieces in place in a stained glass window  was coming loose. Unless it was replaced, the Japanese lords and geishas and their glass environs could meet a shattering end.

Morton Museum board members and staff quickly approved the repairs and, last November, a Stanton Studios crew arrived to take apart the dome and move it to their Waco-area workshop.

We all were on pins and needles while they did it, Sutton said.

Baylor University Museum Studies chair Ken Hafertepe, well-versed in historic building restoration, said only a handful of glass studios in Texas do stained-glass restorations.

Its pretty specialized work, he said.

While there are general national guidelines on restoring historic glass windows and panels, each project undertaken is usually evaluated individually. Restorers tend to make sure any modern materials used are compatible with the original work, he said.

Much of the restoration of the Dougherty Dome lay in replacing the leading and cleaning its glass, which seems routine work  if routine also includes dealing with the risk that a slight mistake could break and splinter pieces and possibly entire irreplaceable panels.

If you are a nervous person, this isnt for you, said Samuel Stanton, one of the project renovators. If youre not paying attention to any part of it, youll have trouble. Youll pay the price.

It all requires focus, but tilting windows from the vertical to horizontal is a particularly tricky part of the process. Windows are constructed to distribute stress when vertical, and when stresses shift as the windows move, weak leading can fail and glass can pop out of place, he said.

Restorers wash accumulated soot and dirt off glass pieces with a mild, nonabrasive soap solution such as Simple Green.

Glass doesnt age. Its pretty much the same, Samuel Stanton said.

Bryant Stanton said that many times, simply replacing yellowed exterior protective panels and washing the glass can cause a startling transformation.

Theyre so bright, people say. They think weve changed the colors, he said.

After windows are dismantled on large work tables, workers cut small sections of leading from strips stored in cardboard tubes under the tables and fit glass pieces into the grooves.

Once the strips are in place, joints are soldered and the leading sealed with waterproofing that darkens the strips and causes the glass sections to stand out, a signature of Stanton Studios glasswork.

The final, breath-holding reinstallation of the Dougherty Dome starts Tuesday, but Sutton already is impressed and ready for the traveling windows to come home.

The colors are so vivid. They look so beautiful, she said.
Two Bexar County residents were sentenced to federal prison Monday for their roles in a human trafficking business that operated in three states.

U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman sentenced Deangelo Cortez Swindle to 57 months in prison and Loren Morris to 27 months.

The duo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to promote a business enterprise involving prostitution and aiding and abetting Mann Act violations. The Mann Act involves human trafficking.

They were arrested in May 2015 during a McLennan County Sheriffs Office undercover investigation of an online website, according to federal court records.

An undercover detective answered an ad from a woman who was offering to provide sexual services for cash. The detective made arrangements to meet the woman at a Waco hotel, where she was arrested.

The woman told deputies that Swindle and Morris were promoting her as a prostitute and promised to pay her but they never did.

The woman told authorities that she was recruited through an online website and the pair took her around Texas and to Mississippi and Louisiana to work as a prostitute.

Morris was in the parking lot in a car outside the hotel room, records indicate. Swindle called the woman while she was being detained and she told Swindle that she was being arrested.

Swindle said, Yall aint done (anything). You just chillin. Yall was on a trip, according to court records.

A search of the hotel room turned up new and used condoms, plus personal items belonging to Morris that included a ledger detailing locations where they had been and costs and lengths of sexual encounters.

Authorities executed a search warrant of Swindles and Morris home in Bexar County and found another woman at the home who said she and another friend had been recruited by Swindle to work as escorts.

Further, the investigation uncovered other instances where Swindle and Morris were working prostitutes in other locations, federal records allege.
The two children who were found in a Bellmead mobile home last Thursday after their father allegedly killed their mother were uninjured, but covered in blood and may have witnessed the homicide, according to a Child Protective Services petition filed last week.

Natasha Dauzat, the 21-year-old mother of the 3-year-old girl and 1-year-old boy, was found decapitated in their Bellmead mobile home after the brother of Natasha Dauzats husband, Davie Dauzat, 23, called police.

Davie Dauzats brother told police he was concerned after Davie Dauzat claimed to have killed his wife, police reported.

According to the CPS petition, a representative with the Department of Family and Protective Services made an inquiry into the safety of the couples two children, who were inside with their father.

Police initially reported that Davie Dauzat declined to come out of the home before officers were able to arrest him on a first-degree murder charge and take custody of the children.

Davie Dauzat also had blood on his clothing and body when police arrested him at the home in the 4400 block of Concord Road in Bellmead.

The children were removed from the trailer and were transported to (Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Medical Center) for evaluation and possible treatment, the CPS petition states The (medical personnel) stated one of the children is in a catatonic state.

The CPS petition detailed the need to remove the children from their fathers care.

The petition seeks protection of the children and for the termination of the parent-child relationship because of the ongoing murder investigation.

Bellmead police Sgt. Kory Martin previously told the Tribune-Herald that officers found Natasha Dauzat dead inside the home and her head had been removed from her body.

Her head and body were found in two separate locations in the home, but authorities declined to specify the locations and what weapon may have been used in the death. Davie Dauzat reportedly confessed to killing his wife after being taken into police custody.

According to the CPS petition, officers at the hospital told the CPS representative that it appeared Davie Dauzat murdered his wife and it was possible that both of the children may have witnessed the murder.

No physical injuries

Law enforcement stated that both the children were found covered in blood but were cleaned up by police and and no physical injuries were found, the CPS petition states.

Both children were evaluated by hospital staff and small blood spots were found on the childrens feet.

In the evaluation, the 1-year-old boy appeared to be developmentally delayed for his age group as he could not stand or hold himself up on his own, the CPS petition states.

The 3-year-old girl appeared to be in a state of shock, but developmentally on target for her age group, the CPS petition added.

There was no previous criminal history or CPS history concerning Natasha or Davie Dauzat, the CPS petition states.

Representatives attempted to place the children with the childrens maternal grandmother, but because of past CPS history with the maternal grandmother and other household members, CPS requested the children be temporarily placed in foster care, the CPS petition states.

Martin declined to release additional details or a suspected motive in the homicide, citing the ongoing investigation by the Texas Rangers.

Davie Dauzat remained in McLennan County Jail on Monday night on a $500,000 surety bond.
Off to war

Why is it that if you are a Republican and/or pro-life, you are automatically pro-war and pro-death penalty, as recently stated by guest columnist Diamante Maya [God is about life and lifetime strategies, not party politics]? Lets look at some American history going back to World War I. It was then President Wilson, a Democrat, who asked Congress for a declaration of war against Germany in order to make the world safe for democracy.

After the Pearl Harbor attack, President Roosevelt, a Democrat, declared war against the Axis powers and, of course, our attacker, Japan. With the use of the atomic bomb, President Truman, a Democrat, ended World War II and, after a short period of peace, then got us into the Korean Conflict (War).

Fast forward to the Vietnam War: It was President Kennedy, a Democrat, who involved us in Southeast Asia and then came President Johnson, a Democrat, who perpetuated our presence in that bloody war. And it was President Nixon, a Republican, who finally got the United States out of Vietnam.

Yes, it was a Republican president, George W. Bush, who got us into the current war in the Middle East. However, it was only after Congress, consisting of both Democrats and Republicans, voted to go to war.

Ms. Maya, war is reality and has no political party favorite or affiliation. Neither party is willing to give declared killers the freedom to carry out terrorism  and that is what war is. National self-defense is part of our Constitution and is designed for everyones protection as a moral obligation.

Furthermore, preemptive action is always justified and necessary in order to prevent further murderous bloodshed at the hands of those trying to kill us. In the political scheme of things, does war really play favorites?

Bob Lehman, Meridian

No dirty looks here

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the Aug. 23 front-page article about Colleen Fitzgerald, written by Trib staff writer Shelly Conlon. Ms. Fitzgerald had taught children in the Midway school district and has continually sent her former students a letter on the first day of new school years.

I am sure that we all have former school teachers who we will never forget. I am a product of Waco Independent School District. I received a good education from the system. The outstanding teachers who I will never forget: Fern L. Smith (deceased), Lake Waco Elementary; Joe Ed Harrell (deceased), Lake Air Junior High School; Larry Coltharp (deceased), Richfield High School; and Kay Metz, Richfield High School. Mr. Harrell and Mr. Coltharp died when they were relatively young men and active in their teaching careers.

All of these teachers who I have mentioned were outstanding educators in their own special ways. I was extremely fortunate to have been one of their students.

Gary Merritt, Waco
By: Matthew McDaniel

On December 7th, 1941, the Empire of Japan launched its sneak attached on Pearl Harbor, grievously wounding the United States Pacific naval fleet. Yet, less than a year later, the Hawaiian Islands were bustling with all manner of Allied military activity. The islands quickly became a staging point for personnel and equipment destined to join the fight in the Pacific Theaters island hopping campaign. The Territory of Hawaii soon contained training grounds for airmen, sailors, marines, and soldiers of all descriptions and responsibilities, undergoing their final training tasks before departure for the South Pacifics active combat zones. As a result, Hawaiis military facilities not only became buzzing beehives of activity, but quickly hit their peak capacities as well.

Such was the case at Naval Air Station (NAS) Puunene, located in the lush central valley of Maui, surrounded by large tracts of sugar cane fields. NAS Puunene was activated in 1940, well ahead of the U.S. entry into WWII. By mid-1942, its size and infrastructure were no longer sufficient to accommodate the volume of transient squadrons heading to the fleet and the various air bases closer to the war zones. Thus, the Navy proposed building a reliever air station nearby and began officially investigating the plan by September, 1942. They selected a location only five miles north of Puunene on land leased from the Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company. At the time, only sugar cane fields and dense stands of Kiawe trees covered the 1,300-acre plot. It took only two months to complete site surveys, hire an architectural engineer, draft the bases initial layout, and approve a construction plan. On November 17th, 1942, only hours after field equipment arrived on site, a construction team broke ground on Mauis second naval air station, by then designated NAS Kahului. Taking place less than a year after entering the war, the U.S. Navys urgency to relieve the burden placed on NAS Puunene is obvious in this aggressive time-line.

Four months later, on March 15th, 1943, NAS Kahului was commissioned and under charge of Commander Phil LeRoy Haynes, U.S. Navy. However, much work remained before the base became fully operational. It took another six months of fast-paced construction before flight operations could begin. At precisely 11:30am on September 20th, 1943, Commander Haynes himself landed the first aircraft, a Grumman JRF Goose, on the newly completed runway. Thereafter, NAS Kahului was truly open for business as Cmdr Haynes Goose was followed immediately by nine Douglas SDB Dauntless dive-bombers and a single Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter. The aircraft were all from Composite Squadron 23 and carrying personnel reporting for duty, along with their gear.

NAS Kahului initially had two runways: the 7,000 long primary and a 5,000 secondary. Its parking aprons could accommodate two complete Carrier Air Groups and there were enough revetments to protect 73 aircraft (61 fighters and 12 bombers). Up to 525,000 gallons of aviation fuel could be stored on-site. During the remainder of WWII, NAS Kahului would house nearly 6,000 military personnel, including approximately 900 Officers. Some 40 separate squadrons and many Carrier Air Groups trained there, perfecting their takeoff and landing techniques via simulated aircraft carrier operations conducted on the bases runways.

The adjacent island of Kahoolawe (7 miles southwest of Maui) was subjected to a regular barrage of bombs, torpedoes, and bullets during live-fire training runs from squadrons operating from both Maui and Oahu air bases. In fact, the military unleashed so much ordnance on Kahoolawe between 1942 and 1990, that access to the island is still all-but-prohibited. While the government has made significant progress towards clearing Kahoolawe of unexploded ordnance, funds to complete the job have remained insufficient, leaving the island still too dangerous for human habitation.

Despite its highly active wartime years, Kahuluis life as a naval air station was destined to be a short one. The end of WWII abruptly rendered Mauis two air bases excessive to US Navy requirements in the Hawaiian Islands. The Navy decommissioned NAS Kahului only months after Japans unconditional surrender, putting the facility into dormancy during 1946. The Hawaii Aeronautics Commission (HAC) took over management of the base in 1947. Kahului saw only low-volume freight and charter operations under that agreement. No firm decision to move all commercial flight operations from the former NAS Puunene to Kahuluis facilities took place until 1951, due mainly to the lengthy and complex negations required to transfer actual ownership from the U.S. Navy to the Territory of Hawaii. Once that happened, necessary repair and modernization projects at Kahului quickly got underway. The consensus was that as flight operations increased into the future, the superior location and facilities at Kahului would prove both safer and more economical to use than those at Puunene. So began a new era in NAS Kahuluis history: the civilian airport era.

Officially rechristened Kahului Airport (Identifier: OGG or PHOG), the civilian field was still home to military aircraft even in its early years. Specifically, the Hawaii National Guard based two Cessna L-19 Birddogs on the field, and the Coast Guard Auxiliary maintained an operations center there as well. In June 1952, full commercial airline service began from OGG, while Puunene was effectively abandoned. This consolidated all of Mauis inter-island operations at Kahului, greatly easing the management tasks of the HAC. By late 1953, OGG had become the second busiest airport in the Territory; a distinction it still maintains. HAC steadily improved the airport and its facilities throughout the 1950s and 60s. Two significant milestones included the installation of an Instrument Landing System (ILS) for Runway 02-20 in 1963 (only the second ILS in the State at the time) and the dedication of a new airline terminal in 1966 (tripling passenger and baggage handling capabilities). In the early 1980s commercial flight operations began between Maui and the mainland. This necessitated another wave of improvements, completed in phases, which culminated in a new $50Mil terminal opening in 1990. Continuous improvements at PHOG have never really stopped since then, the airport keeping pace with the growing demand in passenger and freight operations, general aviation, and FAA regulatory requirements.

While Kahuluis military history is rich, it perhaps gained its greatest notoriety for a flight that was neither scheduled to depart, nor arrive there. On April 28th, 1988, Aloha Airlines Flight 243 took off from Hilo Airport on Hawaiis big island, bound for Honolulu International. The Boeing 737s emergency diversion into Kahului became one of the most famous aviation calamities in U.S. history. Metal fatigue caused an 18-foot section of the aircrafts forward/upper fuselage to separate, causing an explosive decompression. Tragically, a flight attendant was sucked out and fell to her death. Several passengers sustained severe injuries in the incident as well. In spite of nearly impossible odds, the flight crew maintained control and successfully landed the stricken Boeing at Kahului, saving the lives of the remaining 65 passengers and crew on board. The after-effects of this landmark accident resonated throughout the aviation industry and initiated sweeping changes in the way airliners are built, maintained, inspected, and operated.

Today, Kahului is still second only to Honolulu International Airport in terms of air traffic (within Hawaii) and is the 51st busiest airport in the United States. The top markets to and from OGG are Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. Hawaiian Airlines now dominates at Kahului with over 50% of the daily flights (mostly on inter-island routes), while Alaska and United Airlines each account for just over 10% of operations (mostly with their services to/from mainland airports). Future plans for PHOG call for runway extensions, facility expansion and improvements, leading hopefully to the airport becoming a true international gateway by welcoming direct flights from nations around the globe. To that we say; Mahalo, Kahului!

About The Author: Matthew McDaniel is a Master & Gold Seal CFII, ATP, MEI, AGI, & IGI and Platinum CSIP. In 26 years of flying, he has logged 16,000 hours total and over 5,500 hours of instruction-given. Currently, he flies the Airbus A-320 series for an international airline, holds eight turbine aircraft type ratings, and has flown over 80 aircraft types. Matt is one of 25 instructors in the world to have earned the Master CFI designation for 7 consecutive two-year terms. Hes been a freelance aviation author since 2003 and owns Progressive Aviation Services, LLC. He can be reached at: matt@progaviation.com or +1-414-339-4990.

Copyright 2016, Matthew McDaniel. First publication rights granted WarbirdsNews. All other rights reserved by copyright holder.
S&P 500 3,901.06 DOW 32,861.80 QQQ 281.22 Elon Musk takes over Twitter but where will he go from here? Get Your Money Out of U.S. Banks Immediately (Ad) When Will This "Suckers Rally" End? Shopify Stock Price Surges as Losses Narrow, Investments Pay Off Sell every Stock except ONE (Ad) Poland chooses US to build its first nuclear power plant Will Demand from EV Makers Drive Up Freeport-McMoRan stock? Wall Street Legend Warns Financial Reset is Coming (Ad) MarketBeat: Week in Review 10/24-10/28 Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities

S&P 500 3,901.06 DOW 32,861.80 QQQ 281.22 Elon Musk takes over Twitter but where will he go from here? Get Your Money Out of U.S. Banks Immediately (Ad) When Will This "Suckers Rally" End? Shopify Stock Price Surges as Losses Narrow, Investments Pay Off Sell every Stock except ONE (Ad) Poland chooses US to build its first nuclear power plant Will Demand from EV Makers Drive Up Freeport-McMoRan stock? Wall Street Legend Warns Financial Reset is Coming (Ad) MarketBeat: Week in Review 10/24-10/28 Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities

S&P 500 3,901.06 DOW 32,861.80 QQQ 281.22 Elon Musk takes over Twitter but where will he go from here? Get Your Money Out of U.S. Banks Immediately (Ad) When Will This "Suckers Rally" End? Shopify Stock Price Surges as Losses Narrow, Investments Pay Off Sell every Stock except ONE (Ad) Poland chooses US to build its first nuclear power plant Will Demand from EV Makers Drive Up Freeport-McMoRan stock? Wall Street Legend Warns Financial Reset is Coming (Ad) MarketBeat: Week in Review 10/24-10/28 Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities
Amazon and McDonalds are next under the gun for unpaid tax in Europe, after the European Commission stunned Apple with a 13 billion ($A19.15 billion) bill for back taxes.

The Commission concluded that Apple had avoided paying almost all tax on hundreds of millions of euros in profits in Europe over the last decade.

Apple had been given illegal tax benefits by Ireland, where the company recorded all its profits from sales across Europe.

This allowed the tech giant to pay an effective tax rate of just 0.005 per cent in 2014.
It is Kevin Rudd's manifesto to cure the world's ills - how he might have built a "Team UN", if only Malcolm Turnbull had not stood in the way of his quest to become the next secretary-general.

In a report that offers a fascinating insight into what might have been, Mr Rudd, now describing himself as "an ordinary, global citizen", has delivered a 65-page personal blueprint for restoring faith in global diplomacy.

It might be seen as a CV to be thrown on the pile of failed job applicants, but appears instead to be intended as advice for next UN chief, whoever that might be.

This is what Kevin Rudd wants:
And there I'm going to leave you. What happened?

the 45th Parliament has been officially opened;

has been officially opened; but that didn't mean hostilities were put aside;

Liberal senator Cory Bernardi is pressing ahead with his changes to the Racial Discrimination Act ;

is pressing ahead with his changes to the ; the opposition is accusing the government of lying about its omnibus savings legislation ; and

is accusing the of lying about its ; and the stoush over same-sex marriage continues.

My thanks to Alex Ellinghausen and Andrew Meares for their superb work and to you for reading. Isn't it nice to be back together?

You can follow me on Facebook.

Andrew, Alex and I will see you soon but, for now, good night.
An Aboriginal mother has shared a photo of her daughter with her face painted white to highlight what she says is hypocrisy involving a Perth woman at the centre of a "blackface" furore.

A social media storm erupted last week, when a young Perth boy's face and body were painted black to emulate AFL superstar Nic Naitanui for a school dress-up for Book Week.

"Bec Bee" said she saw no difference between her painting her child's face white for Book Week and the Nic Naitanui impersonation that caused controversy last week.

But Cairns mum "Bec Bee" used Facebook this week to suggest the youngsters had not shown racism or discrimination and was merely displaying admiration for his hero.

Ms Bee said when she posted a picture of her daughter in "whiteface" to dress up as her favourite Dr Seuss character in 2013 no one batted an eyelid.



"Unfortunately now this little boy who has been shown by the dark skinned community that his admiration for a black man is unacceptable and has learnt racism," she wrote.
Police have confirmed that social media-fuelled rumours about the circumstances of the death of a 14-year-old Boulder boy on Monday fed the anger behind Tuesday's riot outside Kalgoorlie Courthouse.

The man accused of the manslaughter of 14-year-old Elijah Doughty, whose name is subject to a suppression order, was scheduled to appear in court but remained in the lockup after violence broke out.

A crowd surrounded police in riot gear, who held them off with pepper spray as bottles, rocks and broken bricks flew at their heads.

Regional WA acting commander Darryl Gaunt said the town was rife with "misinformation, rumour and innuendo" about the alleged offence, mostly untrue.
United Nations: Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres still leads the race to become the next United Nations Secretary-General after a third UN Security Council secret ballot on Monday, diplomats said, while New Zealand's former Prime Minister Helen Clark is in seventh position.

The 15-member council cast a ballot for each of the remaining 10 candidates, and the choices were: encourage, discourage or no opinion. Mr Guterres received 11 encourage, three discourage and one no opinion, diplomats said.

Helen Clark hopes to become the first woman leader of the UN. Credit:Getty Images

The Security Council will hold secret ballots until a consensus is reached on a candidate to replace UN chief Ban Ki-moon of South Korea who steps down at the end of 2016 after serving two five-year terms.

Mr Guterres, who was prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and served as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015, also won the first two rounds of secret ballots by the Security Council.
Washington: The Trump campaign is flip-flopping on the candidate's flip-flopping on the bedrock of his immigration policy, but all is to be revealed in a speech in Arizona on Wednesday  or, heck, maybe not.

Given the shelf life of some of Donald Trump's pronouncements, perhaps the only promise to which he has held to absolutely, is that he would be unpredictable.

After listening to Trump's running mate and Indiana Governor Mike Pence dissemble for seven solid minutes on Sunday morning, frustration got the better of CNN's Jake Tapper, who dismissed the the would-be vice president by telling him: "You did not address the issue".

On CBS's Face the Nation, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway was equally obtuse, offering: "He's pretty consistent - immigration is a very complex issue."
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DENHAM SPRINGS -- She was only a young child when Hurricane Rita struck Louisiana in September 2005, but the images of the storms aftermath in coastal Cameron Parish have stayed with Alanah Theriot ever since: streets that filled at first with floodwaters, then with the piles of debris that accumulated as people sorted through the remains of their ravaged homes and businesses.

I remember eating terrible food and living from house to house, staying with family or in campers, having campers hooked up to your house, helping everyone that you can, Theriot said.

It was those memories that gave Theriot, now 17 and a member of Louisiana 4-H Food and Fitness Board, the idea to go to Livingston Parish and help as residents begin the recovery process following historic flooding in south Louisiana earlier this month.

She rallied fellow Cameron Parish 4-Hers and her classmates at Grand Lake High School to collect donations of food and supplies that they delivered to a food pantry at Live Oak United Methodist Church in Watson on Aug. 27. They made earlier deliveries to Kaplan and Abbeville in Vermilion Parish.

After dropping off their donations, Theriot and a group of about 20 4-Hers split up to tackle cleanup projects at a home in Denham Springs and another local church. At the house, they tore out damaged flooring and pieces of wood and hauled soaked drywall to the curb.

I wanted to come because when we had the hurricane, others came and helped us, Theriot said. Were just going to pay it forward and help them out. Were ready to get our hands dirty and have at it.

4-H members take a pledge that includes a promise to use their hands for service. It is important for 4Hers to make good on that commitment in times of need in the community, Theriot said.

The Cameron Parish youth are among several groups from 4-H clubs around the state that have organized collection drives and cleanup teams to help as south Louisiana communities deal with the floods damage. Many 4-H groups are also participating in a statewide school supply drive to help students who lost those items and will be returning to class soon.

Avoyelles Parish 4-H has delivered trailer loads of personal items and cleaning products to flood-affected areas, said 4-H agent Esther Boe. They pulled drywall, insulation and nails from three homes in the Baton Rouge area on Aug. 27.

In Vernon Parish, 4-Hers collected cleaning supplies, tote bags, food, diapers, hand sanitizer, blankets, shoes, mops, brooms and buckets. They brought the items to Abbeville to the LSU AgCenter office and Meaux Elementary School, which is serving as a distribution site, said 4-H agent Kemberly Johnson.

We spoke to residents and toured the flood-ridden areas of Vermilion and Acadia parishes, she said. After determining the needs of the distribution centers, we are continuing to collect items.

Some Vernon Parish 4-Hers are planning to go to Acadia Parish in the coming weeks to help with demolition and reconstruction, Johnson said.

Christina Heberts 4-Hers in Iberville Parish visited a shelter in Port Allen in neighboring West Baton Rouge Parish soon after the flood. They played games with children there and donated toys, coloring books and crayons.

I think its a very humbling experience, Hebert said. Its what we all need to be doing. Theyre an example by doing things like volunteer service work. This is a model, a standard and an example for everyone else, and I dont mean just kids. I mean adults and kids across our state and beyond.

Hebert said their visit was a welcome distraction for children at the shelter.

My 4-Hers commented afterward how glad they were that we did that, Hebert said. The impact was immediate. You could see it on the kids faces. They lit up.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Aug. 29, 2016 | 06:29 PM | PADUCAH, KY





The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's Division of Right of Way and Utilities is preparing to sell the former McCracken County Highway Maintenance Facility at 541 North 32nd Street in Paducah. Two open house events have been scheduled to allow prospective buyers to view the property.Since the County Highway Maintenance Crew moved to Lane Road several years ago, the building has recently been used for office equipment storage, and at one time it served as headquarters for the McCracken County Rescue Squad.KYTC District 1 Chief Engineer Mike McGregor said the storage space is no longer needed and is being offered for sale to the public as surplus property.The Transportation Cabinet will be accepting sealed bids for the property in Frankfort on September 20th, McGregor said. We have scheduled two open house events to allow interested parties to view and inspect the property.Open house events are set for Tuesday, August 30th, and Tuesday, September 13th, from 10 am to 2 pm, each day.The property is zoned B-3 for General Business. The 1.42 acre site includes a 15,920 square foot building.Potential buyers may request additional information and/or an official bid packet, by contacting Mark McCoy at 502-782-4945 or via email at Mark.McCoy@ky.gov.To see more photos of the building, click the link below.

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Rita Redmond was a true lady who felt that every pupil had something to gift to the world
FOUR ARRESTS MADE IN KYLE DAVID SHIRLIN SHOOTING DEATH

FOUR CHARGED WITH KILLING HENDERSONVILLE REALTOR'S SON.

South Carolina authorities have made four arrests in connection with the August 21 death of Kyle Shirlin, 19, a 2015 Hendersonville High graduate who was recently shoit to death outside a party near Charleston, South Carolina.

The arrests and charges in his death are as follows:

Jamal White - Accessory after the fact to a Felony A, B, C or murder

Michael Smith - murder

Riccardo Jenkins - murder

Ali Smalls - murder

All the defendants were booked into the Berkeley County Detention Center in South Carolina pending bond hearing proceedings.

Police said their investigation so far has been "exhaustive," and they also say that much work remains to be done. In a release Tuesday, they said there is a possibility one or more of additional arrests, and also of additional charges being placed against those already in custody.

Kyle's father, Dave, said his son was a great kid: personable, warm and extremely loyal to his close friends. He was always polite, Kyle's father said, and for him to be shot and killed is just senseless.

News 13 spoke with a family friend who described Kyle as kind and compassionate.

"He was always the kid that stood up for the other kids," Lee said. "He was a beautiful young man with a future ahead of him."

On Sunday August 21, the night of Shirlin's death, at approximately 12:50 a.m. authorities were dispatched to a party for excessive cars parked nearby. During their response, the officers were advised that a shooting had taken place.

On arrival, officers found Shirlin in the back yard with an apparent gunshot wound to the upper body. Medics responded, and Shirlin was pronounced dead at the scene.

The incident report says a witness at the scene said that two black males with dreadlocks tried to "get" Shirlin's backpack. The witness said he shouted at them to leave and said police were coming, and they left.

It's still not clear if the backpack altercation played a role in the shooting.

Police have no further comment on details of the ongoing investigation at this time.
LOCAL WOMAN, HHS GRADUATE, IS MINISTERING TO KIDS IN THE PHILLIPINES

Erin Johnson, a native of Hendersonville, has travelled a long way from her hometown to the streets of Cavite, Philippines, where she helps abandoned kids and the urban poor. She serves as a missionary with Action International Ministries and directs Brand New Day, an outreach and shelter program for street children in Cavite.

Johnson will speak about her experiences at First United Methodist Church on Wednesday, September 14, as part of the Wonderful Wednesday dinner program. The community is invited to attend the 5:30 p.m. dinner followed by the 6:15 p.m. presentation.

Johnson, a graduate of Hendersonville High School, is the daughter of Steve and Sharon Johnson. She received a physics degree from Georgia Institute of Technology. After working in the field of acoustics, she did a missional internship in Guatemala and later completed another degree in Cross-Cultural Studies at Bethany Global University. In 2008, her passion to help children in desperate situations led her to Action International Ministries. One year later, she expanded their operations by creating Brand New Day Ministry which serves children and youth living, sleeping and working on the streets of Cavite, Philippines, due to extreme poverty, neglect, abuse or abandonment.

The dinner cost of $7 per person is payable at the door by cash or check. There is no charge to attend the program only. Doors for the dinner open at 5:00 p.m. with beverage service available. The dinner line opens at 5:30 p.m. and concludes at 6:00 p.m. with the start of the presentation.

Dinner reservations must be received by noon on Monday, Sept. 12. Reservations can be made online at www.fumchvlnc.org or by calling the church at 828-693-4275.

###
This debate is probably one of the more advanced theological debates on the subject, miles from the simplistic first-tier arguments. It is also interesting to me because the pro-gay theologian, Dr. Daniel Kirk, was my NT prof at Fuller Theological Seminary. Taking the traditional position is Dr. Robert Gagnon, Associate Professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

Heres my summary of their theological points, and some reflection on each.

Dr. Kirks Pro-Gay Theological Points

1. Accepting As God Does

Here, Dr. Kirk makes his main statement that God is essentially expanding who belongs, as He did in Acts 10 by accepting the gentiles, not just Jews. And if God is doing this, we should not resist it.

Then Peter asked, Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did? So he gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. (Acts 10:46-48)

In addition, Dr. Kirk implies that just as other Jewish ceremonial disctinctives are not necessary for gentiles, perhaps the sexual distinctives should be viewed the same way (more on that later).

One last point about accepting gays is that when we say things like my gay and lesbian brothers and sisters we are confessing they have the spirit of God and are regenerated. Do we intend to say that, or not?

My Comment: Dr. Kirk is right that we equivocate on using the terms of universal v. Christian brotherhood. However, his main thesis, that God is doing this and we better adjust our theology, is really interesting.

2. Abrahamic Covenant  Righteous through Faith Before Circumcision

Circumcision did not make Abraham, nor any other Jew righteous. But they still did it as a sign of the covenant. Even foreigners who joined were circumcised. But in the NT, Paul talks of how there is a new people of God - those, not of circumcision, but faith.

Dr. Kirk then mentions a passage and asks were those who were washed still gay, just as gentiles were still gentiles? (my paraphrase)

Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people - none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9b-11)

My Comment: It is pretty clear from this passage that those who were washed are no longer gay, or thieves, or adulterers. So the past tense of such were some of you does not apply to their former guilt and current righteousness, but of the real change that accompanied salvation - no longer sinning.

Of course, in the context of this verse, Paul is explaining that we are saved by grace and not works, but he then goes on to discuss why this can not be used as an excuse to continue sinning as we did before.

3. Unclean Creatures (Peter in Acts 10) Made Clean

Dr. Kirk makes a bold statement here - that just as the gentiles were declared clean after being unclean, and this calls for the end of the ceremonial law, Kirk argues that this should be extended to include the moral sexual laws - that is, we should not call any person unclean.

These animals are a representation of these unclean gentiles.When God purified the gentiles, it was no longer OK for Gods people to say you are still an impure gentile people, and you have to be marked out by the purity laws.' 20:00

In fact, he says then directly applies this to sexuality:

Is it simply coincidence that Leviticus 18, the chapter in which we get the whole litany of prohibitions about sexuality, begins with God saying Dont do like the Egyptians do, and dont do like the people of Canaan. The laws about sexuality in Leviticus 18 had, among their purposes, to distinguish the Jewish people from their gentile neighbors. Whats the standing of these lawswhen God has said No, Im not interested in distinguishing my people form the gentiles. Im interested in purifying the gentiles as they are and letting them be part of the people of God. Why is it that we dont make a big deal about men and women having sex during a womans period? Another law from Leviticus 18. Might these laws provide some of that same cordoning off of Israel from the gentiles, and might that be how [the prescription of hetero sex] is supposed to function as well?

My Comment: Claiming that the sexual laws prescribed in Leviticus 18 were merely to distinguish Israel, and were not moral in nature, is a strong claim. Later, Dr. Kirk will argue that monogamy is the only persistent moral sexual law (I assume he rules out monogamous bestiality), and that all others were merely to distinguish Israel from other nations, something no longer necessary. His additional point is that the only reason God may have proscribed homosexuality was to make them distinctive from their neighbors.

4. This works ONLY if sexual identity is inborn

Dr. Kirk admits that his effort to equate gentiles and homosexuals only works if sexuality is inborn (like being a gentile). And that these social identity markers are amoral, and were supposed to be used as markers of the people of God only, not as moral imperatives.

He then asks whether or not the anti-gay stance is merely a tyranny of the majority. That is, that these rules are based on heterosexual normativity. But gays arent just acting on a behavior, he argues, sexuality impacts all of the ways they and we react to other people. It is an intrinsic quality that we are rejecting out of bias, not moral law.

Is our continuing to marginalize gay and lesbian people who are a part of us saying You are unclean to those God has purified?

My Comment: I guess the question to ask is, does Dr. Kirk believe that homosexuality is sufficiently based in biology to be treated as a trait, not a learned behavior or identity? Here, I think he has an uphill battle.

His point about marginalizing people is well taken, though perhaps we can still stand against the sin without marginalizing the sinner? In practice, this has been hard to do because gays experience or understand their orientation as germane to their identity, not just a behavior to be changed.

Additionally, the relative inability of reparation therapy to change gays speaks to some deep persistence of homosexual orientation in the soul, so we need to consider if our approach is at least too superficial, if not in error.

5. Sabbath as Holy yet Nonbinding in the NT

Dr. Kirk here leverages a tough theological New Testament problem. If the 10 Commandments are moral imperatives, how come Jesus suspended or changed the meaning of the Sabbath? Perhaps what we think of as unchanging moral laws are not all of that character, but can be reinterpreted by what God is doing.

Sabbath is a law that is given in the 10 Commandments.and [breaking it] was a capital crime. Sabbath keeping is also part of Isaiahs vision of the people of Godeunichs will be embracedforeigners, gentiles who keep sabbath.

But in the NT, when Paul says to the Galatians that if they continue to keep Sabbath, Paul worries that they are no longer trusting the gospel.

The definition of sin has changed because God has embraced gentiles into the people of God. Keeping Sabbath became so much a Jewish identity marker that for gentiles to come in as gentiles, they could not be held accountable even for keeping one of the 10 commandments. 29:00

Dr. Kirk discusses how in Galatians, Paul talks of gentiles as if they were sinners by birth - that is, in being gentiles. But that God no longer considers people sinners by inborn traits.

You and I are Jews by birth, not sinners like the Gentiles. (Galatians 2:15) The definition of sin has been turned on its head because God has brought, in a surprising way, this additional people to be part of the community. 31:00

My Comment: This is an interesting argument - that gentiles were considered sinners by birth (as a trait), and this serves as precident that even if homosexuality was considered a sin, that too can be redefined and declassified as a sin as God adds these new people to His body.

6. Christ is Not a Servant of Sin  Maintaining Sexual Ethics

Dr. Kirk then tries to address the objection that arises in response to his claims - then are all sexual sins no longer sins? By what principle or scripture can we now declare any sexual ethics?

What does righteous living look like? Keeping in step with the spirit, walking by the spiritlove, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness.and we can still say there is a sexual ethic for the people of God.we can invite them with us to the cross-shaped loving of partners which is a lifetime of committed relationship.I would say that that ethic of keeping sex within a lifelong covenant partnership is an ethic that still distinguishes us from the world around us.

My Comment: Again, Dr. Kirk is relying more on phenomenon than scripture here, but I dont see any precedent for the Bible emphasizing a monogamy that includes homosexuality. The New Testament is full of references against polygamy, and for monogamy. But nowhere is homosexuality included in any form, explicit or implicit.

7. The Church Is Merely Agreeing With What God Has Already Done

Dr. Kirk repeats his main thesis here, intoning the spirit of what I would call the radical equality movement (REM). Based on Galatians 3:28, he argues that distinctions made on gender, race, or any other intrinsic quality are no longer acceptable.

There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

He argues that God set the stage for this in the first century, but is just NOW making it come to pass now. Radical equality is what God is doing in our generation. God did not do this in the first century, and it was not in their day to recognize this.

My argument for inclusion is notexegeticalits the argument from the work of the spirit of God. That we, no less than the first century church, have a biblical obligation, not just to say what the first century writers said, but to do what they did. To exercise this great leap of faith, that when God has so acted, we must respond. That loving our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters means, in every way, creating environments where they hearer you are just as beloved, sister, brother, child of God, as I am. And so that we dont make the fatal mistake of separating, in our body, what God has joined together.

My Comment: The idea that, just as the OT prophets unknowingly predicted the messiah, the NT writers also wrote of future events they could not foresee, is a tempting one. We all want to be part of what God is doing in our generation. (cf. Acts 13:36 and 1 Chronicles 12:32) The question is, is Dr. Kirk correct in his prophetic stance?

CONCLUSION

In Part 2, well look at Dr. Gagnons comments and summarize.

Resources
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Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter is bringing his latest solo concert tour to Winnipeg on Nov. 15 at the Burton Cummings Theatre.

Carter, whose third solo CD, All American, was released last November, joined the iconic boy band in 1993 at the age of 12, after turning down an offer to join Disneys The Mickey Mouse Club. He launched a solo career in 2002 but continues to perform and record with the group, which is set to release its ninth studio album this fall.

Carter has also done several TV projects, including a second-place finish last year in the 21st season of ABCs Dancing With the Stars.

The Canadian Press Nick Carter is bringing his solo show to Winnipeg.

Tickets for the show at the Burt are $29.50 to $$49.50, on sale Friday, Sept. 2, at Ticketmaster.
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BRANDON  An anti-abortion group has won its fight to keep an officially recognized presence on the Brandon University campus.

The Brandon University Students Union reversed its decision to revoke the club status of Students for Life, ending court action. The club will be recognized in the 2016-17 school year.

Its kind of sad that it had to come to legal action, but Im happy, said SFL president Catherine Dubois.

Brandon Sun files This Students for Life club poster offended some students at Brandon University.

SFL filed a lawsuit against the union this month, alleging it revoked the clubs status in November 2015 and didnt advise the group until Jan. 22, when SFL was denied the right to set up an information table on campus.

Without club status, SFL could not book meeting rooms unless it paid fees. It also couldnt receive union services.

SFL appealed at a Students union council meeting Feb. 12, where the revocation was upheld.

On behalf of the club, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms filed an application in Manitoba Court of Queens Bench, seeking a court order for the union to reinstate the club.

The matter was settled Monday.

Justice centre president John Carpay said hes pleased.

The student union should never have removed club status from this groupand (it) was quite clear the only reason why they removed this clubs status was because the student union did not like, or did not agree with their opinions.

The union told the group their message made some students feel uncomfortable and intimidated.

The club faced the same issue in the 2012-13 school year, when the union denied it official status. The justice centre got involved, and the decision was reversed under threat of court action.

Carpay is hopeful the issue wont return in three years when the union has new representatives. People need to realize that freedom of expression includes the right to say unpopular things and controversial things.

The union wouldnt comment.

 Brandon Sun
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An immigrant couple robbed and slashed outside an orientation classroom last week are on the slow road to recovery  although injuries from the incident may have life-long repercussions.

Talia Gohani, 34, and husband, Shayke Yehishua, 38, had been in Canada for less than two months when they were rushed to the hospital in ambulances after being attacked on Thursday evening. The incident took place in broad daylight when the couple stepped outside in the 200 block of Portage Avenue for a break during the Entry Program, a four-week course offered by local organization Altered Minds Inc. to immigrants and refugees who have recently arrived in Canada.

The couple are originally from Russia, and lived in Israel before coming to Canada seven weeks ago.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Talia Gohari and her husband Shayke, recent newcomers to Winnipeg, show the injuries they received as they were robbed at knifepoint and slashed last Thursday when they took a break outside an entry to Canada transition program.

Yehishua will need surgery and might never regain feeling in his left hand, Gohani said. Doctors have told him it will be at least six or seven months before hes able to go back to work as a construction worker.

Right now, this situation, its so sad, Gohani told the Free Press Monday. The man that do it to us  it made a lot of damage for my family.

This moment, we dont know what to do, she said. Its so confusing, its so sad. I dont know what to say.

Gohani said she and her husband were standing outside the Altered Minds building at 259 Portage Ave during a class break shortly after 7 p.m. when a man approached them and struck up conversation before pulling out a knife and demanding Gohanis purse. When they struggled, the man cut their arms, injuring Yehishua badly.

At this moment I thought, you know, all my life is in the purse  my ID, my Mastercard, everything, Gohani said. I was so scared that this person has my stuff so I followed after the man, and Im yelling all the time, Please help, somebody help me, somebody help me.'

People in the area helped Gohani retrieve her purse, which the thief had thrown under a car, and called police.

We were so surprised because we feel so comfortable in Winnipeg, Gohani said Monday. Everyones so polite (and) you feel safe, you dont believe that this can happen to you. My husband told me, I dont know why I (was) so relaxed. If this happened in my country, I would have been so ready for this situation, but in Winnipeg I (felt) so comfortable.'

Gohani said she struggled to feel safe in the first few days after the attack, and wont go back to the Entry Program  at least, not right away.

I would like to continue to do some tests and go somewhere to improve my English in the future, she said. It will take time, but I believe it will be okay, that well go back to normal life.

The ordeal has been especially hard on the couples three children, aged three, nine and 11.

Every time they ask me, Wow, what happened?' Gohani said. (They say) You told us it will be much better, life in Winnipeg  what happened, mummy?'

But I told them it happened, its okay now, we need to be positive and keep moving in the right direction (and) not be sad, she said. Its important  little children, 11, nine and three. I can cry, but I cannot cry with my children around me because because I dont want to make some damage for them emotionally.

In addition to the physical and emotional scars, the couple was left with $1,044 in ambulance fees for the two ambulances. Gohani said several people have already stepped forward to help cover the costs.

Grace Eidse, executive director of Altered Minds, said nothing like this has ever happened outside their building, although bikes are often stolen and students have told them they feel nervous or unsafe in the neighbourhood.

Eidse said shes working with other settlement organizations in the area to put together a plan and set of requests they hope will prevent another incident, although what those will look like is still uncertain. Ideas include increased foot patrol from police, Downtown BIZ or the Cadets, as well as addressing the requirement that injured people pay their own ambulance fees.

She said the incident will be incorporated into the discussions about life in Canada in the Entry Program itself, and police, who already visit the program once a month, may be asked to answer more questions about dangerous areas and safety.

I hope people will band together and feel this as an incident that brings them closer, and maybe deepens the discussion about life in Canada, she said.

Gohani said shed like to thank all the strangers who offered help, and the community for coming together to support her family.

I am in shock, I feel angry about the situation, she said. But when I sit down and I look around me, I feel  yeah. A lot of people (have been) very kind. Yes, I think that I feel support.

Lee Grant Boucher, 36, faces several charges, including robbery, assault with a weapon and uttering threats.

aidan.geary@freepress.mb.ca
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The revelation that four men were switched at birth in a Norway House hospital in 1975 has startled many people, but not the author of a book on Indian hospitals.

Dr. Maureen Lux believes there could be more such cases.

Lux, a professor at Brock University and author of Separate Beds: A History of Indian Hospitals in Canada, 1920s and 1980s, said the hospitals were established to isolate indigenous people from community hospitals used by non-aboriginals. She said the federally run Indian hospitals were often overcrowded and had unqualified staff

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES The Norway House Indian Hospital under construction in 1952. At the time, it was expected to serve 5,000 indigenous people within a 640-kilometre radius.

When you think of babies getting switched at birth, it could be something as simple as not bothering with wristbands, not keeping proper records, and with the staff in turmoil in hospitals its surprising there are not more cases of it, frankly, she said.

David Tait Jr. and Leon Swanson -who grew up as best friends in Norway House Cree Nation  recently discovered they were switched at birth. Both men were born at the Norway House Indian hospital days apart in 1975. Theirs is the second switched-at-birth incident at the northern hospital to come to light.

Lux said Indian hospitals were run by a federal agency called Indian Health Services and most were located in redundant military facilities. Following the Second World War, the federal government built thousands of hospitals across the country, resulting in a high demand for doctors and nurses.

Wages were going up, and Indian Health Services wages did not compete, Lux said. It was very hard to find qualified people to work at these Indian hospitals, which were often in remote locations.

Before medicare, Lux said doctors would work in private practice. If they couldnt maintain a practice, they could find work at Indian hospitals. After the war, Indian Health Services tended to hire doctors who were European refugees. Lux said they didnt have the language skills or qualifications to practise in Canada.

Before 1968, you wouldve been directed to an Indian hospital unless you wanted to pay for your care in a community hospital, she said. But there were very often basement wards (and) Indian wings in community hospitals, again, to keep indigenous people isolated from community hospitals.

Poverty on reserves, contaminated drinking water and overcrowding created more disease, which led to overcrowding in hospitals, Lux said.

Rather than investing in infrastructure to prevent disease, she said a conscious government effort was made to treat diseases in hospital.

Canada was embarking on something that they called national health, she said. Indigenous people had come to be seen as a threat to national health, and so they needed to be isolated and marginalized in these Indian hospitals.

She said as late as 1973, Indian hospitals, including at Norway House, were contracting out medical service. Doctors at Indian hospitals were expected to live in indigenous communities  which their families often disliked  said Lux.

It wasnt until the late 1960s  after medicare arrived  the federal government started to shut down Indian hospitals. Closing Indian hospitals was part of a larger effort to get out from under any kind of commitment to the health care for indigenous people, Lux said.

Lux said hospital closures were met with resistance from indigenous communities, who werent consulted about building them in the first place.

These hospitals were seen as a kind of belated, but final acknowledgement by the federal government that they were indeed responsible for the healthcare of indigenous people, she said.

 With files from Ashley Prest

alexandra.depape@freepress.mb.ca
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The possibility of changes to Manitobas education property tax credit has provoked strong reaction from groups representing both the left and right on the political spectrum.

The Pallister governments value-for-money audit has put every tax credit up for review, including the education credit that saves up to $700 annually for both homeowners and renters.

The conservative Canadian Taxpayers Federation on Monday urged caution on Finance Minister Cameron Friesen lest, in restricting the education credit, he make a cash grab that simply transfers the tax burden from one pocket to another.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Manitoba Minister of Finance Cameron Friesen.

The Tories have set a precedent for income-testing in their first budget by placing income limits on recipients of the seniors school tax rebate.

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives would rather that the Tories more highly tax corporations and the wealthy, but urged Monday that Friesen protect people on fixed and low incomes.

On the one hand it makes sense for a Conservative government to effectively raise taxes this way, because it allows them to skirt the Balanced Budget Legislation, said CCPA researcher Lynne Fernandez, the Errol Black chair in labour issues.

But given that this will cause property taxes to go up by a lot, it is a regressive move that will hit low income Manitobans hard. So, hopefully if they do go this route, the move will be income-tested to protect low-income property owners and renters, she said.

NDP finance critic and former education minister James Allum said in an interview the property tax credit was intended to keep home ownership and rents affordable.

Any reduction in the provincial contribution to tax credits could produce runaway school taxes, or force school trustees to reduce spending in the face of unpalatable tax increases to homeowners who would be picking up a greater share of their tax bill, Allum said.

I dont think theres any doubt about it. This has the potential to put enormous pressure on the school boards, Allum said. If trustees cant handle those increases, You have no choice but to lay off people.

The Manitoba School Boards Association did not respond to interview requests Monday.

Taxpayers federation prairie director Todd MacKay said he can understand that the Conservatives would see tax credits as a way to reduce their costs, but the CTF cannot endorse lower provincial spending by only increasing the amount individuals pay in school taxes: We cant use this as a back door tax increase.

We dont want to see taxes go up  people already pay too much, and, overall, Manitobans pay higher taxes than other jurisdictions, MacKay said.

The tax credit makes it unclear how much school trustees are spending; it makes the lack of accountability more clear. Its got to be clear whos raising taxes, and why the taxes are being raised, MacKay said.

People need to be able to understand taxation, said MacKay, who argued there are too many taxes, credits, rebates, and exemptions, for the average person to follow. It would be much better if it was simpler: whats my share?  he said.

MacKay said the taxpayers federation much prefers that Friesen bring spending under control and that all levels of government be more efficient and smarter in their spending.

Fernandez noted how successful the Tories were in the April 19 election by hammering the NDP for increasing the provincial sales tax from seven to eight per cent  the NDPs raising provincial revenues through direct provincial taxation. Now, she said, the Conservatives can effectively improve their own revenues while forcing someone else to collect more taxes.

It will be ironic if they do get rid of the credit and effectively raise taxes, given how critical they were of the NDP for raising the PST without holding a referendum. They obviously learnt a valuable lesson from that exercise, she said.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

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Demonstrators for and against the Energy East pipeline project were out in force Monday when the National Energy Board opened the Montreal phase of its national hearings on the project. The anti-pipeline crowd, however, not content to make their point out in the street, pushed their way into the hearing room, shoved the security guards aside and broke up the meeting. The energy board members, ill-prepared for the antics of the demonstrators, were driven from the room and the hearing was called off.

The Energy East pipeline, using the path of TransCanadas existing natural gas pipeline, would pass under the St. Lawrence River near Montreal and then lead to a terminal near St. John, N.B. It would allow for refinement and export of bitumen from the northern Alberta oilsands.

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, who had been scheduled as the first witness, has been leading the area opposition to TransCanadas pipeline project, complaining that members of the energy board had previously met privately with Jean Charest, a former Quebec premier and more recently a lobbyist for TransCanada. He wanted this weeks hearing called off because of that. When the energy board tried to hold the hearing anyway, the protesters appeared and broke it up, achieving what Mr. Coderre was not able to do through political manoeuvring. Mr. Coderre walked out of the adjourned hearing, calling it a circus.

PAUL CHIASSON / THE CANADIAN PRESS Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre

Mr. Coderre and his allies turned it into a circus and hurt their messaging. Had they allowed the hearing to proceed, Mr. Coderres complaints about the energy board would have been exposed as totally fake. The invasion of the hearing room and cancellation of the hearing spared Mr. Coderre from exposing his complaints to rational study.

In January 2015, National Energy Board chairman Peter Watson and two commissioners met with Quebec representatives from a wide range of groups: municipal associations, chambers of commerce, mayors (including Mr. Coderre) and former premier Charest to seek their advice on how to engage with the province. This was an entirely appropriate step toward ensuring they listened sensitively to all relevant points of view. When these meetings were disclosed by the National Observer news website a month ago, the energy board at first denied Energy East was discussed in the meetings, which was a foolish thing to do. Then the board backed away from its denial, creating an appearance of impropriety.

Board members are perfectly free to meet with advocates of Energy East such as Mr. Charest and opponents of the plan such as Mr. Coderre in order to ensure everyone interested in the subject can get their views before the board in its hearings. How can Mr. Coderre complain about Mr. Charest attending such a meeting when Mr. Coderre himself was also there?

Environment Minister Catherine McKenna has been urging Canadians to have confidence in their institutions and especially in the National Energy Board. That will be easier to do when the board shows it has the muscle to protect the integrity of its public hearings. The board should overwhelm Mr. Coderre with the facts and reduce him to silence. It should hire enough security guards to ensure the public hearings can in fact happen and the facts of the case can be widely understood.

Rational study may lead to the conclusion that the Energy East pipeline should be built. For that reason, Mr. Coderre and the protesters will do all in their power to prevent rational study from happening. The energy board should be ready for them.
Clarence Russell may have lost one of his two treasured trolleys in a sudden fire over the weekend, but hes already moving on.

Russells Trester Trolley caught fire Saturday afternoon in the south Winona bluffs, creating a sudden and chaotic scene that sent a bridal party fleeing from the well-known tourism icon but thankfully leaving everyone safe.

The loss of the trolley  not the original that launched his business, which was worked on by its namesake, Don Trester, who died in 2007  wont stop him from giving tours, he said Monday, and hes already working to find a new one to use.

Im just going to do what I can with one trolley for now, Russell said.

Russell said hes in talks with a southeast Minnesota company that has a trolley and is willing to help out by renting one to him. He doesnt plan on purchasing another trolley to replace the one lost, at least not for the time being, he said.

Ill still be doing the weekday and Saturday tours, he said.

Russell does need a second trolley in order to keep giving tours on a consistent schedule, and he said hes open to receiving any help he can to keep the popular tourist attraction running.

While giving a tour for a bridal party Saturday evening, heading to Garvin Heights shortly before 5 p.m. with a bridal party seeking scenic photos, Russell and members of the party suddenly began to smell smoke.

After looking in his rearview mirror and seeing the smoke, Russell immediately stopped the vehicle and quickly got everyone inside to exit. The quick action was just quick enough: Attendees in the front were able to get out the front and others through the rear emergency exit just as flames began to spread, Russell said.

He grabbed the fire extinguisher on board and attempted to fight the fire, but the flames spread too quickly and he had to abandon the trolley and wait for emergency personnel to arrive.

He thanked both the Winona Fire Department and Winona Police Department Monday for their response; while the trolley was a total loss, there was almost no damage to nearby homes and yards.

Russell said theres still no determined cause for the fire.

Im thankful everyone is okay, he said.

The trolley company dates back to 2006, when Don Trester purchased a trolley online. Trester and Russell spent months restoring it. Trester died of a stroke in 2007, but in 2009 Russell obtained the trolley from his estate.

Since, he has regularly been giving tours around Winona for weddings and other special events, and driving the trolley in parades and other ceremonies, keeping his old friends vision alive.
With the school year quickly approaching, I would like to focus on the safety of our children. Following the guidelines below will help keep children safe around school buses.

Bus safety tips for drivers

- Motorists must stop at least 20 feet from a school bus displaying red flashing lights and/or its stop arm is extended. This is important not only when approaching a school bus from the rear, but also when approaching the bus from the opposite direction on undivided roads.

- Red flashing lights on buses indicates that students are either entering or exiting the bus.

- Motorists are not required to stop for a bus if the bus is on the opposite side of a separated roadway (median, etc.)  but they should remain alert for children.

- Altering a route or schedule to avoid a bus is one way motorists can help improve safety. In doing so, motorists wont find themselves behind a bus, potentially eliminating risk to children.

- Always reduce speeds in and around school zones.

- Watch and stop for school crossings and pedestrians  the law applies to all street corners and for both marked and unmarked crosswalks (all street corners)  every corner is a crosswalk.

Bus safety tips for kids

Parents should discuss and demonstrate pedestrian safety with their children and reinforce safe crossing after exiting a bus:

- When exiting a bus, always look to be sure no cars are passing on the shoulder (side of the road).

- Make eye contact with the bus driver and cross when the driver signals that it is safe.

- Look left-right-left when coming to the edge of the bus to be sure traffic is stopped. Continue to watch for changes in traffic while crossing.
Winona

Monday

3:50 p.m.  A generator valued at $500 was reported missing from a garage on the 450 block of East Wabasha Street.

6:59 p.m.  A vehicle parked on the 250 block of West Mark Street was entered. Nothing was reported missing.

9:07 p.m.  About $60 was taken from a pizza delivery vehicle while the driver was making a delivery to a residence on the 1700 block of West Wabasha Street.

11:37 p.m.  A 17-year-old Fountain City girl was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia and no Minnesota drivers license following a traffic stop near Sanborn and Huff streets.
Can you find a hypocrite? I see one in the mirror every day.

Anyone who tries to live by their ideals in a less than ideal world stands to be a hypocrite. Trying to live up to ideals is an American attribute. America was founded on ideals. We often fall short of them, but the fact that we collectively strive to meet them makes us the greatest example the world has ever had. Those that had ideals about clean air, clean water, and removing pesticides like DDT from agricultural practices have made our country a better place for us and every other creature that lives here.

Supporting fracking and the myth of American energy independence are putting the long-term future of this country and our local landscape at serious risk.

Fracking comes with grave risks, one of which is the methane that escapes the mines and has 20 times the heat-trapping power of the carbon from coal emissions. It burns clean in our homes and power plants, but it doesnt get there that way. Americas energy independence is only possible if we cut our use in half. Hard to imagine, isnt it? It is nice to believe using the sand in our hills is a duty toward cheap fuel for the American economy, but that is a hard argument to make when it has been barged downriver to be sold to Russia for fracking and the industry has huge plans to liquefy our natural gas and ship it to energy hungry countries overseas who will pay higher prices than Americans. Hypocrites we all are. Those companies dont care about Winona County, but our county commissioners should.

Trying to sell these practices as our American duty is too much for some of us to stomach. I know it can be confusing, but international oil and mining corporations and America are not the same things. Helping one does not mean you are helping the other. The one receives subsidies and taxpayer support and cares primarily about its shareholders while the latter is usually left to clean up the mess.

Minnesota, I am proud to say, is helping us move away from a fossil fuel-based economy. Xcel Energy and Geronimo Energy are working together on our states largest ever solar project, at a cost of $250 million. This project won over natural gas. Our county should get on board with solar, not be the front end on hydraulic fracking.

Even though its a drop in the overall energy picture, my own family has installed solar panels, burns carbon-neutral wood pellets, and sets aside farm land in a conservation trust. But I still drive the kids around in a minivan. Hypocrite? Maybe. Right now we are doing our best. So should the county board.

People opposed to my stance like to admonish me to get a horse and buggy. I miss my horses, but you can only work to change the culture you are a part of. In some ways I am a hypocrite, but our next mode of transportation is likely to be an electric car, to use our excess solar power.

I believe in American ingenuity. We can do better. Inspiring ideas are coming to fruition at a rapid pace. It does not escape me that even the machine I type these words on is made from minerals and petro-products that were pulled from underground, some of them by child labor, all of them at a great cost to the environment. It makes cutting down trees for the paper to write this on look green. It is a crazy, crazy world to try to live out ideals in, but we need ideals more than ever. Yes we are addicted to cheap energy and those who profit from the addiction will fight the change, but change we must.

The Winona County board settling for a compromise on frac sand is a mistake. The clean air and water we have now; the public land, forests and waterways we enjoy; and the eagles we admire exist because of former public servants that had ideals and stood up for them as Americans are supposed to. They banned things that were a bad idea.

Many of us are not connected to a piece of land worthy of protection, or are presented with the opportunity to put up solar panels, but we are all lucky enough to live in a country that has secured our democracy. I compel our county commissioners to represent their constituents by reconsidering the ban.

When OPEC loosens its strangle hold on the international oil markets, speculators with dollar signs in their eyes and well-paid lawyers in their back pockets will come back to our county. Halliburton came to our farmhouse door several years back. Take advantage of the opportunity to protect what we have. Lets live up to our ideals and not cling to the bad practices of the past. Ban the mining of sand for fracking in this ecologically sensitive county.
Charity starts at home, and Sauk County is still home to the Ochsner family.

The Ochsners are far-flung now, with only Bob and Donna Ochsner remaining at the family farm near Plain. But the descendants of some of Sauk Countys key settlers continue a family legacy of supporting causes near and dear.

Theres a lot of pride in that, said Carl Ochsner of Chico, California. Its something worth staying attached to.

He and his siblings head up the Ochsner Family Fund, created in 2008 with the Greater Sauk County Community Foundation. Each year, family members return to Baraboo to decide which local charities theyll support with the funds earnings. This years beneficiaries were the Al. Ringling Theatre Friends, the Sauk Prairie Area Historical Society, the Friends of the Baraboo Zoo and the Free Congregation in Sauk City.

The Ochsners annual visits, close attention to Sauk County needs, and continued generosity to their birthplace are an inspiration and an example, said Robin Whyte, associate director of the Greater Sauk County Community Foundation. Their grants each year help many area nonprofits carry on their mission, providing support for maintenance and growth of important local landmarks that would otherwise be unaffordable.

Giving back to the community is a longstanding tradition for the Ochsners, who came to Sauk County from Switzerland in the mid-19th century. They created the family farm near Plain, as well as the Denzer Freethinkers Cemetery. The free thought movement inspired them to establish Park Hall in Sauk City, an important gathering place  and now, a historic site  built in 1884.

In Baraboo, the family is best known for the park and zoo that bear the Ochsner name. Heinrich Ochsner  the aforementioned Carl Ochsners great-great-grandfather  bought a spacious lot on the west side of Baraboo around 1852 upon being named county treasurer. His descendants later offered the land to the city for construction of a hospital, but it instead became a park and zoo. The Ochsner Family Fund has made regular contributions to the Friends of the Baraboo Zoo, with this years funds earmarked for a planned river otter exhibit.

With the familys members gradually leaving Wisconsin, Carl Ochsner and his siblings created a family fund to ensure the Ochsners continue to play an active role in Sauk County. Annual contributions preserve those ties. Every time we do that, the family name gets re-publicized some way, Carl Ochsner said. It keeps our name alive.

It also plays an integral role in supporting local charities, especially historical groups. The Sauk Prairie Area Historical Societys Tripp Museum houses the familys mounted bird collection. People expect these places to be repositories  and yet those museums need to be supported, Ochsner said. They cant do that for free.

The fund started with $5,000 given by family members. The Ochsners, who are now spread among several states across the U.S., are working to build the fund up to $15,000 by adding public contributions to their own gifts. We are honored to be managing this fund and assisting the family with their charitable giving in our community, said Whyte of the Greater Sauk County Community Foundation.

Coming to Baraboo to vote on each years grant recipients remind Carl Ochsner of returning each summer to make hay on the family farm. Its a reminder of home. Its a way to stay connected, he said.
In the name of safety and public protection, Washington, D.C. is clamping down on that ever-present urban menace that corrupts the youth and endangers lives.

The District of Columbia is going after pub crawls.

In the wake of a string of some particularly large and lively pub crawls in 2015, the city decided it had had enough. Celebrations are one thing, but organizing large groups of people  many of them from out of town  to patronize local restaurants and businesses? That would not possibly stand.

So D.C.s Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration established rules for official pub crawls and what may and may not be tolerated. Pub crawls that draw over 200 people must register with the city, detail a trash and litter removal plan, have a security plan set up and pay a $500 fee. Previously, organizers merely had to submit registration.

A pub crawl also now has an official definition: an organized group of establishments within walking distance which participate in the promotion of the event featuring the sale or service of alcoholic beverages during a specified time period.

The new rules also created a new class of crime: participating in an unlawful pub crawl.

Jon Gabel, an executive with event organizing company Joonbug Productions, told the Washington City Paper the rules will have a massive effect on business. I have had owners tell me you saved my month. A restaurant manager told the City Paper its definitely going to impact a lot of businesses.

Large, organized pub crawls have been a feature of D.C.s nightlife scene for years. It was 2015s Nightmare on M Street  a yearly Halloween pub crawl  that prompted complaints from both residential activists and police. Injuries or arrests that may have resulted were either too few to merit mention or not particularly important to those making the complaints.

At least four events had been canceled under the new rules.

According to Reason, the punishment for an establishment or organization found to be participating in an unlawful pub crawl can be harsh: fines, permanent prohibition from pub crawls, or even having a liquor license revoked.
A Lyndon Station woman faces felony charges for allegedly running off with her own child, in violation of a divorce custody agreement.

The Sauk County District Attorneys Office on Tuesday filed charges of interfering with the custody of a child against after her ex husband complained that 24-year-old Ashley N. Bloss left for a trip with their child and didnt return.

According to the criminal complaint, Bloss scheduled an agreed trip with the child to Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. Then, during the trip, she allegedly called the father to say she was having car trouble and couldnt return the child to his Reedsburg home on time.

The father later found Department of Motor Vehicle records stating that Bloss had moved to Indiana, where she has family, on Aug. 5.

The father told authorities that he heard from other family members who said Bloss told them she had full custody and would not return the child.

The complaint states that the father contacted Bloss on Aug. 25 and that she told him he would have the child back the next day. However, she never set up a time to drop off the child and had no further contact with the father.

An officer with the LaPorte County jail in Indiana later told authorities that Bloss had been arrested and was incarcerated. Indianas Circuit Court website shows Bloss was issued a citation for disorderly conduct by creating unreasonable noise Aug. 18.

If she is convicted of interfering with the childs custody, Bloss could face up to 12  years in prison and $25,000 in fines.

A warrant has been filed for her arrest in Sauk County, and no court date has been set.
Twenty-eight new staff members in the Portage Community School District filled out questionnaires from the Daily Register to introduce themselves to the public. We are profiling 10 of the districts new faces in todays edition. The remaining staff members will be profiled in future editions of the Daily Register.

Sarah Beaulieu

Hometown: Waupun (resident); Oconomowoc (native)

Position(s): K/1 teacher

Building(s): Endeavor

Prior teaching experiences and school districts: 4 years in Markesan, 4K and Title 1 Math Interventionist; 1 year in Waupun, 4K

Who or what inspired you to be in the field of public education? Love kids; hearing their laughter and seeing their smiles.

What do you wish people knew about public school teachers? We work hard with the students best interests at heart. We treat each student as our own.

People would be intrigued to know that I  love to hunt and fish.

Michelle Ernst

Hometown: Pardeeville; Kickapoo Valley

Position(s): Interventionist

Building(s): John Muir Elementary

Prior teaching experiences and school districts: Rio School District; Waunakee and Sun Prairie school districts

Who or what inspired you to be in the field of public education? My sixth-grade teacher, and then years later my high school English teacher.

What do you wish people knew about public school teachers? They are some of the hardest working people I know.

People would be intrigued to know that I  Just got 2 pet goats! I am hoping they will help me in my battle against the invasive species buckthorn.

Emily Jones

Hometown: Oregon, Wisconsin

Position(s): General music teacher

Building(s): Rusch, Lewiston and Endeavor

Prior teaching experiences and school districts: N/A

Who or what inspired you to be in the field of public education? My mother is a teacher and both of my grandparents were teachers. I also gained a love of working with young people during my summer job as a camp counselor. I love the constant energy that young people have and how excited about learning they can be.

What do you wish people knew about public school teachers? We may not live in our classrooms, but we do spend a lot of extra time there preparing things for our lessons and making sure our students get to learn in a wonderful environment.

People would be intrigued to know that I  spend all of my summers working as a lifeguard and camp counselor for the Girl Scouts.

Bailie Benson

Hometown: Oskaloosa, Iowa

Position(s): Band director

Building(s): Bartels Middle School

Prior teaching experiences and school districts: N/A

Who or what inspired you to be in the field of public education? My mother was a middle school and high school band director for 20 years, so I grew up in the music world. I want to follow in her footsteps a bit, yet carve my own notch in the music education world.

What do you wish people knew about public school teachers? We work incredibly hard to keep up our education and are always looking for new things and techniques to bring to our classrooms.

People would be intrigued to know that I  am a bit of a geek! I belong to a Medieval Combat Society and enjoy a good game of D&D.

Ashley Smar

Hometown: Smithfield, Virginia

Position(s): Sixth-grade science

Building(s): Bartels Middle School

Prior teaching experiences and school districts: Fourth grade, McDonnel Area Catholic Schools; subbing, Mishicot Public Schools, De Pere Public Schools; student teaching, Holy Cross Elementary School, Oneida Nation Elementary School.

Who or what inspired you to be in the field of public education? Helping other people learn and grow. I was inspired by my middle school teachers.

What do you wish people knew about public school teachers? That its not only an eight-hour job. There is a lot of work that goes into it.

People would be intrigued to know that I  am not from Wisconsin.

Courtney Baran

Hometown: Germantown

Position(s): Special education

Building(s): Bartels Middle School

Prior teaching experiences and school districts: Middle school teacher in Nekoosa

Who or what inspired you to be in the field of public education? Prior teachers always taking time out of their day to show they cared.

What do you wish people knew about public school teachers? That we care about all kids and want to see them succeed.

People would be intrigued to know that I  love working with kids and being part of an active community.

Rachel Kidd

Hometown: Beckley, West Virginia (now in Middleton)

Position(s): Fourth-grade teacher

Building(s): Rusch Elementary

Prior teaching experiences and school districts: I just graduated from Concord University in Athens, West Virginia, where I completed many field placement experiences. I completed my student teaching residency at Hollywood Elementary in West Virginia in a fifth-grade class.

Who or what inspired you to be in the field of public education? I felt inspired when I tutored at-risk youth at a community center my freshman year of college. I love working with children, and helping them learn.

What do you wish people knew about public school teachers? That we strive to inspire students to meet their true potentials, since we are teaching the future.

People would be intrigued to know that I  I have only lived in Wisconsin since June, and I love it here!

Jackie Warren

Hometown: Sauk City

Position(s): Business education

Building(s): High School

Prior teaching experiences and school districts: I have taught business education in the Cambria-Friesland School District for the past 21 years. Prior to that I taught at Sauk Prairie, DeForest and Janesville Parker.

Who or what inspired you to be in the field of public education? I taught swimming lessons when I was young and liked it, so decided to go into teaching.

What do you wish people knew about public school teachers? We do this job because we love it and want kids to excel.

People would be intrigued to know that I  play the banjo.

Devin VanDerSchaegen

Hometown: Brooklyn Park, Minnesota

Position(s): Interventionist

Building(s): Rusch

Prior teaching experiences and school districts: Head Start, Portage

Who or what inspired you to be in the field of public education? My first-grade teacher, Mrs. Rhodes, and my high school English teacher, Mrs. Harrison, inspired me. They pushed me to be the best I could be and showed me that they cared.

What do you wish people knew about public school teachers? That we do more than just teach and wear many different hats. Sometimes we have to be a nurse, a friend, a student, etc. We love what we do and never have a dull moment.

People would be intrigued to know that I  taught English in Japan for a summer.

Nate Metzger

Hometown: Rice Lake

Position(s): Technology education

Building(s): Middle, high school

Prior teaching experiences and school districts: Middle school tech ed in DeForest (12 years)

Who or what inspired you to be in the field of public education? My father, a man who could design, build and fix pretty much anything. He inspired me to teach these skills to all students.

What do you wish people knew about public school teachers? We work hard to do what is best for kids.

People would be intrigued to know that I  grew up in the woods of northern Wisconsin in a log home, single-handedly built by my father, the inspiration for my field of technology education.
The name of the Dodge County Sheriffs Office deputy who shot and killed a Beaver Dam man during an armed stand off on Aug. 5 has been released.

The Wisconsin Department of Justices Division of Criminal Investigation said in a press release Monday that it had completed its interview with Sgt. Joseph Nicholas. He has been a deputy since February 2007. Nicholas has not been involved in a previous officer-involved shooting.

Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt said via email that he has no comments related to the investigation. He did say that Nicholas is assigned to administrative duty.

Nicholas is the new K-9 handler for the Dodge County Sheriffs Office. In June, the office brought aboard K-9 officer Kid, a 2  year old German shepherd trained in narcotics detection, tracking and handler protection.

K-9 training will continue but Nicholas and Kid are not on the streets right now pending the investigation, Schmidt said. He said it does not otherwise affect the K-9 program.

At the request of the Dodge County Sheriffs Office, DCI has been leading the investigation of the officer-involved shooting. State statutes require an outside agency to conduct all investigations into an officer-involved shooting.

James A. Quealy, 53, Beaver Dam, died at 8:46 p.m. on Aug. 5, after allegedly saying he wanted to die by suicide by cop at 215 Woodland Drive, Beaver Dam.

Dodge County Sheriffs Office received a call at 6:46 p.m. on Aug. 5 to check the welfare of a man at the apartment and alerted Beaver Dam Police. Quealy had sent texts that had concerned friends. Beaver Dam Police were also warned that he had a firearm.

Schmidt previously said the sheriffs office received the request for assistance and that there were efforts to end the situation peacefully and safely.

According to Schmidt, they set up an additional perimeter and he and the deputies saw the man waving the firearm around in a dangerous manner on the second floor balcony.

The Wisconsin DOJ-led investigation of this incident has been a collaboration between DCI, Wisconsin State Patrol, Dodge County Sheriffs Office, Beaver Dam Police Department, Beaver Dam Fire Department, Dodge County District Attorneys Office, Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory and Fond du Lac Medical Examiners Office.

The release states that Dodge County Sheriffs Office has been fully cooperating with DCI during the investigation.

DCI is continuing to collect evidence and determine the facts of this incident and will turn over investigative reports to the Dodge County District Attorney when the investigation concludes.
An 8-year-old girl was called to the stand in Marquette County Circuit Court in a trial accusing an Oxford man of repeated sexual assault of a child.

Zacharie Bauer, 30, is accused of molesting the 7-year-old daughter of a woman with whom he had a five-year relationship that included the births of two children, adding to the two girls she had from a previous relationship.

I dont want to talk about this and nobody wants to hear about it, but its important as a jury, to listen and watch, Marquette County District Attorney Chad Hendee, said in opening arguments, going on to describe the gruesome allegations of a video of the girl being interviewed by a social worker in May 2015. In the end it is going to come down to a little girl.

Bauer is also charged with violation of sex offender registry, having been placed on the registry for an October 2005 conviction for aggravated assault with intent to commit sexual assault in Florida.

Speaking for Bauer, defense attorney Rodman Streicher pointed out to the jury that the prosecution would rely on a great deal of trust in the testimony of the girl, with no physical evidence or witnesses of the alleged incidents.

In the first day of the trial that is expected to take up to four days, the girls mother testified about her time with Bauer, describing a fraught relationship in which the two children who were not his had come to refer to him as dad, but also with several undisputed infidelities.

The revelation of one of these incidents had apparently led to a marriage proposal as Streicher asked her, He begged you not to go so he proposed .

I decided to go with it, she answered.

When the two finally broke up in May 2015, among the fallout was Bauer taking his two children without warning. When Streicher asked about police involvement, there was an uncertain answer.

You dont recall calling the police to say that Zach had kidnapped the two boys? Streicher asked her.

Oh, yes, she answered.

Three days later the boys were returned, though Bauer had filed for a restraining order against the woman and then called child protective services, resulting in the four children being taken from her home.

She was then reminded of a Facebook post in which she said she was willing to get nasty, followed by questions of whether she remembered making more aggressive and explicit statements such as Im going to destroy him, and know what [one of the children] would have to say.

The girl in question was brought into court on Monday afternoon to testify  an 8-year-old in a pink long sleeve shirt, jeans and black slippers, escorted by an officer with the Marquette County Sheriffs Office.

After a short exchange with Judge Mark Slate in which she verified that she knew the difference between truth and a lie, the testimony began with Hendee asking her if she knows Bauer and if so, to point him out.

Averting her eyes, she pointed to Bauer at the defense table.

A video was then shown depicting the girl bouncing around a room as a social worker asked her questions about her family, spelling out names of the people close to her in marker on a big sheet of paper on an easel.

As the girl rolled around and bounced on her chair the social worker asked about bad touches and had her elaborate with line pictures of a boy and a girl. When the social worker asked her if she had been touched in those ways, the girl eventually said Bauer had done so.

In the courtroom, the girl sat in a chair next to a detective at the prosecutors table, just barely on the edge of the seat so her feet could touch the floor as she spun a blue ball around the table, occasionally looking back at the jury and toward her mother.

At the end of the video the girl returned to her seat on the stand to answer a few more questions, primarily to say that she remembered what happened in the video and that it was true, and to say that she is 8 years old, about 9.

Following her testimony, court was dismissed for the day. If convicted, Bauer faces up to 60 years in prison.
Drivers will see flashing amber lights on school buses when school begins Thursday in the Portage Community School District  a new warning system everyone hopes will make roadways safer for children.

The state law that went into effect Aug. 16 requires buses built after 2005 to display amber lights 100 feet before stopping when traveling 45 mph or slower, and 300 feet before stopping if traveling faster than 45 mph. These lights are located on both the fronts and backs of buses.

Drivers, as always, are still required to stop when the red lights begin flashing and the stop-arm comes out. If Portage drivers illegally pass a school bus, they will be fined $250, Police Chief Ken Manthey said.

I think its a very good thing, Manthey said of the new law. Its just a warning tool similar to a yellow (traffic) light warning you that the red lights about to come on  a device to let people know the bus is getting ready to stop.

The amber lights are something Portages bus service  Riteway  expects will cut into the number of stop-arm violations its drivers reported on a weekly basis in recent years.

Our drivers reported five to seven stop-arm violations a week, Riteway Manager Michael Wohlfert estimated of the average for Riteway, not for each driver.

So thats one (violation) a day, sometimes two or three a day.

It seems to go in spurts.

Wohlfert believes many violations are the result of confusion, not impatience, and the implementation of amber lights has proved effective in other states, he added, as Wisconsin is one of the last to adopt the law.

Thursday is the big day, and were hoping we wont have anyone confused as to when to stop.

Bus drivers in city limits report violations to police, while rural drivers report to the sheriffs department, Wohlfert said. Riteways one-a-day average is probably more than most people would guess.

The most dangerous time for bus drivers is the loading and unloading of students, and the largest chance for errors (is) when a motorist goes around. Its a very tense moment for a bus driver.

Manthey said police issue citations for violations using information from Riteway whenever the bus drivers can provide the time and location of the violation, along with complete license-plate numbers and a description of the vehicle.

Theres just been way too many close calls around the country with motorists going around the buses, or, even scarier, on the passenger side where kids are either getting on or dismounting, Manthey said.

So Im very pleased (with the law), and we need to keep taking every step possible to keep kids safe.

Wohlfert said no major bus accidents involving school children have occurred in the Portage area since Riteway opened there in 1997. Some minor accidents have occurred in that time, however, including buses that were rear-ended last year on Highway 16 and the year before on Highway 33.

Amber lights do not mean drivers need to stop, Wohlfert said. If drivers have time to safely pass a school bus that is flashing its amber lights, they certainly can do so. Theyre just a warning, he said. Even if a bus comes to a stop with the amber lights, a car can legally go around (the bus).

Bus drivers needed

Anyone who visits Portage Riteway on Smith Road before Thursday will likely note the preparations  both visible and audible  for the first day of school.

Drivers like Bernie Agnew could be seen on Tuesday morning inspecting their buses with third-party examiner and fellow driver Becky Lemerand  and inside, Wohlfert seemed to be having a busy day on the phones.

It looks like pickup time there is 7:45 a.m.  so make sure hes ready for that, Wohlfert told one caller inquiring about a particular route. If anything changes, just give us a call  school starts Thursday.

Remember, he added for the caller, smiling, take lots of pictures.

Portage Riteway is the main terminal for Portage, Poynette and Columbus public school districts (Pardeeville is covered by Smiths Bus Service). Portage has 24 bus routes, and for all three school districts Riteway has 55 routes covering 430 square miles.

We transport approximately 3,400 students, daily, Wohlfert said. For Portage, Riteway has about 30 drivers and five standby drivers, enough to cover all its routes, but the company is always looking for more drivers.

Well take as many as we can get, Riteway Supervisor Kaye Pare said.

If 10 people walked in the door right now, wed hire all 10, Wohlfert said.

Riteway offers a $300 signup bonus, and many people might be surprised to learn some drivers work as many as 65 hours a week, if their schedules allow it, Wohlfert said.

Riteways starting wage for drivers is $13 an hour, and the company offers a weekly paycheck, a 401K, paid training and testing.

We assist people in getting their CDLs, Wohlfert said. So we do all the training, testing on site. Once a person is fully (trained), our tester goes out with that person and does the testing.

Riteway is also seeking office assistants and a mechanic, Pare said.

For more information about employment, call Riteway at 608-745-1501.
Keeping Wisconsin graduates in Wisconsin is a big part of the University of Wisconsin Systems push for more funding from the state, President Ray Cross said last week on a visit to Portage.

Cross met with the Daily Registers editorial board to discuss the merits of UW Systems request for an additional $42.5 million in the 2017-19 biennial budget  funds that would provide a much-needed boost after UW absorbed $250 million in cuts last year and more than $350 million since 2012, Cross said.

The request is part of UW Systems strategic framework recently approved by the Board of Regents, available for viewing at wisconsin.edu/2020FWD.

More than half of the requested money would be focused on improving the education pipeline, one Cross said has many holes. For a big-picture view, Cross added, fewer than 30 Wisconsin eighth-graders out of 100 go on to graduate from college.

Too few are navigating the pipeline, and we need a stronger workforce, Cross said, noting UW is hoping to provide more internship opportunities for its students. The state cannot grow without a sufficient workforce.

If more of them have internship/business experience, well keep them (in state), Cross said. Our goal in improving retention is to provide every junior or senior with an experience in a Wisconsin business, engaging them with Wisconsin employers.

Let them see the benefits.

UW also intends to focus on building a more creative workforce.

You can teach creativity  you really can, Cross said. Many modern approaches too often teach conformity.

Can you think beyond the traditional? Cross said of future coursework that should involve more projected-based learning and team-oriented activities.

The university experience needs to be more engaging.

Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development notes the state loses between 10,000 and 14,000 recent college graduates each year, Cross said, a figure UW hopes to improve with more money. While numbers like the DWDs and growing public pessimism regarding education might suggest to some that Wisconsin is in the midst of a crisis, Cross noted 15 percent of students who come to Wisconsin from another state end up staying in Wisconsin  a solid number that points to the attractiveness of the state, he said.

Cross shared data collected by the Lumina Foundation that show the number of jobs requiring at least a bachelors degree did not decline during the Great Recession, instead jumping dramatically. More than 8 million jobs for Americans with a bachelors degree exist today that didnt before the recession began, according to the data.

The idea that someone cant do anything with a bachelors degree  thats a distorted view,Cross said.

Moreover, UW estimates the state receives $10 in economic impact for every $1 invested, and the UW System generates 7 percent of Wisconsins gross national product, a measure of all economic activity.

On an annual basis the UW System confers 36,000 degrees.

Very solid

UW also looks to improve time-to-degree, exploring ways more students might graduate in three years. Its needed, Cross said of three-year graduation models. Several businesses have come to us saying they (have jobs) and will otherwise have to outsource.

Improving time-to-degree would involve more summer coursework and improved advising, among other things. Cross noted the average student will have already earned 23 credits before beginning at UW  a good figure that could improve even more. He dismissed ideas from Sen. Ron Johnson and others regarding replacing many tenured professors with technology to save the state money, emphasizing the importance of classroom learning.

Plato argued true learning takes place with dialogue between the teacher and student, Cross said of a time-honored view he agrees with.

College affordability, too, remains a focus for UW, he said, noting how the tuition freeze that has kept in-state tuition flat for undergraduates has helped somewhat but its not the best answer. The best answer, he said, is UW working on ways to control its costs, as well as improving time-to-degree.

Overall, Cross said the health of education in Wisconsin is in very solid shape, but only because it was in very good shape before major cuts. Cuts, he added, UW cant withstand anymore.

Cross described his relationship with Gov. Scott Walker as amiable and said recent feedback regarding the states investment in education has been positive.

Cross said he understands how education, in the discretionary-spending category of the state budget, is one of many issues Walker needs to consider, such as Medicaid and improving roads, all while pressures are building up and priorities change. With those pressures in mind, Cross said UW has been working harder to be stewards of state money and he is confident the state of education in Wisconsin will improve.

Hes hearing our message, Cross said.
A major national conservative group is putting its resources into a local state Assembly race.

Americans for Prosperity is distributing campaign literature supporting incumbent Republication Rep. Ed Brooks in his 50th Assembly race against Democrat Art Shrader ahead of the November general election.

Americans for Prosperity is an independent group and has not had any contact with Brooks, said Eric Bott, director for the groups Wisconsin chapter. He said the organization doesnt collaborate with any candidate, but the group is backing Brooks because of his voting record on taxes, the economy, business issues and citizens rights.

Unemployment numbers have improved and Wisconsins economy is growing, he said.

These are all really great things that are happening in our state, Bott said.

Americans for Prosperity was founded by David Koch, who is a billionaire with his familys business, Koch Industries, according to FactCheck.org. The group has become known nationwide for its support of conservative causes and has taken a more active role at both the national and state levels. It has helped in the tea party movement, advocating for lower taxes, limited government and free markets.

The group was also one of the top lobbying organizations at the Wisconsin Legislature in the first six months of 2015. Americans for Prosperity ranked sixth at 565 hours lobbied and $268,715 spent, according to the Wisconsin Elections and Ethics Commission, previously known as the Government Accountability Board.

Shrader questioned why such a group would be interested in the 50th Assembly District and said he takes issue with Brooks because he has supported legislation favored by Gov. Scott Walker that would benefit Koch businesses.

Ed is a nice guy but he does what hes told, Shrader said.

Brooks denied being driven by the Kochs and said he considers himself a fairly independent Republican who isnt afraid to break rank with his party.

Bott said its not unusual for any group to campaign for a candidate, even in rural areas like Reedsburg. Americans for Prosperity has about 130,000 members across Wisconsin.

Brooks said neither he nor his office has had any contact with Americans for Prosperity and he said any group may endorse him and he appreciates the support.

The real endorsement we want comes in November when people vote, he said.

The 50th Assembly District includes all of Juneau County and parts of Richland, Monroe and Sauk counties, including Reedsburg.
The last long weekend of summer is coming up, and that means local events and lots of traffic.

Several activities are slated for the Labor Day weekend, which looks to be pleasant in the weather department.

There are also no major road projects scheduled for construction in the area, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

Heres a look at whats happening this weekend.

Food

There will be chances to buy a protein and support a good cause.

Creative Motion Dancers will host a brat and burger fundraiser during daytime business hours on Sept. 2 at IGA, 115 Second St. Hot dogs, brats and burgers will be served and meal deals will be offered. Meal prices range from $4 to $6 depending on the type of food and amount chosen. Chips, homemade cookies and beverages will also be available.

The Reedsburg Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its Chicken BBQ from 11 a.m.1 p.m. or until supplies are sold out on Sept. 4 at Nishan Park. Knights of Columbus will prepare the chicken. The meal costs $10 and includes half a chicken, baked potato, baked beans, applesauce, dinner roll and chocolate or white milk.

Dance

The La Valle Fire Station will host a Labor Day Dance from 6 to 11 p.m. Sept. 4. Burnin Whiskey Band will entertain. The station is located at 101 W. Main St., La Valle.

Live music

Mirror Lake State Park will host live music in the park amphitheater. Chicago-based duo Small Potatoes will perform from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 3. Admission is free but donations are appreciated. A State Park vehicle admission sticker is required. Small Potatoes specializes in folk with a mix of country, blues, swing and Irish. Bring a lawn chair or blanket for seating.

Weather

The forecast looks to be mostly sunny this weekend. The National Weather Service predicted sunny skies with high around 74 on Sept. 2. Weather is expected to remain sunny on Sept. 3 with a high near 76.

Theres a 20-percent chance of rain on Sept. 4, although skies are expected to be clear. The high could reach 78.

The risk of rain could increase to 40 percent on Sept. 5. Its expected to be sunny and around 80 degrees.

Lows for the weekend could hover around the high 50s and lower 60s.
A doctor who will start his practice next month is Sauk Prairie Healthcares first urologist and a native of Prairie du Sac.

Nathan Grunewald, 39, has a mix of business and medicine in his career.

He was the operations coordinator for Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corp., and the assistant executive director of the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research before entering medical school in 2007.

That background gave me an idea of the business side of things, Grunewald said. I have a very different perspective than some of my colleagues.

He said he didnt pursue urology at first, but began to be interested in surgery.

In my surgical rotation as a med student, I was exposed to a urologist who was working over Thanksgiving weekend with a patient lasering a prostate and that led me down the pathway, he said. What led me to urology is the advances in technology. We explore and adopt new technologies readily.

Grunewald said he was interested in becoming a doctor at a young age after being a patient himself at times.

Growing up I always had an interest in medicine. I had exposure to it with childhood illness and was in hospitals as a patient, and with family members, Grunewald said. It always peaked my interest early on.

He ran track in high school, even winning at the state tournament, which earned him a scholarship to the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Grunewalds hiring is an example of Sauk Prairie Healthcares efforts to increase its local services.

Grunewald said he was eager to move back to his hometown.

After his surgical residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin, he and his wife Courteny, a nurse anesthetist, decided theyd investigate jobs in the Sauk Prairie area.

Sauk Prairie Healthcare vice president of planning and business development Ken Carlson said the services Grunewald offers are needed. Sauk Prairie Healthcare CEO Larry Schroeder said the addition of Grunewalds practice increases local options for patients.

We are thrilled to have Dr. Grunewald on board full-time for our community, Schroeder said. His presence will enable us to offer additional surgical options right here in Sauk Prairie.
Podcasts can drive debate and break down academias ivory towers

Not all of South Africas student protests in the past 18 months have happened in the streets or on campuses.

A generation of digital natives has masterfully used hashtags  #feesmustfall; #Rhodesmustfall; #asinamali; #RUReferenceList  tweets and blogs alongside various forms of direct action like marches and protests. This has helped to bring important debates about universities into the public eye.

But what happens after the headlines fade and hashtags change? How can conversations and debates about what will happen to higher education be sustained?

Independent media platforms are an important component of both the media and higher education sectors. A free and diverse media sector is an essential component of any democratic society. And podcasts are emerging as an arguably easy-to-access, affordable mode of creating new spaces for discussion and debate.

A promising new medium for debate

There are 44,000 radio stations broadcasting all around the world. The single biggest problem facing broadcasters is that the FM band, on which most broadcasts are transmitted, is overloaded.

It is difficult for new radio stations to be awarded a frequency and license, which are necessary steps in establishing a station. It is also expensive and requires huge infrastructural investment to start a radio station. Commercial radio stations have to rely on advertising to survive.

The podcast has emerged as a promising medium for facilitating ongoing, detailed discussion and debate about issues that are so important they need more time than mainstream, profit-oriented media or the changing tides of hashtags might allow.

Podcasting allows anyone with a microphone, an internet connection and an opinion to instantly share it with the world. A podcast is a digital audio file created easily on affordable software and distributed via the internet. Listeners can download podcasts, or episodes, to a computer or portable media player. Listeners can also subscribe to their favourite shows and choose whether to listen to individual episodes or entire series.

In this way, podcasts have decentralised information-sharing.

In the US, where Apple celebrated 10 years of podcasts in 2015, podcasts were mostly being listened to via computer in 2014. Today, 64% of podcasts in the US are accessed via a smartphone or tablet computer.

In Africa, radio remains a hugely popular medium. This suggests that the future of podcasts is promising. Podcasting in Africa has become a veritable trend despite concerns about connectivity issues, costly data and access. Popular topics include technology, entrepreneurship and arts and culture.

Smartphones are becoming ubiquitous in emerging markets. The increased penetration of smartphones and the internet, along with a rising middle class who have more disposable income - particularly in emerging markets like Africa and Asia - has contributed significantly to the creation of podcasts.

Conversations abound in these same markets about increasing investments in the science, technology, engineering and maths fields. Theres also a lot of talk about how improving access to quality higher education shapes and contributes to the growth and development of the overall economy. The more we talk and listen to one another, the more society and the economy will ultimately benefit.

Podcasts and higher education

A number of universities already use podcasts for teaching. Students can listen to pre-recorded lectures or hear their lecturers sharing hints and tips for essay-writing. Podcasts are also now emerging as a way to talk about issues linked to academia.

Its the platform podcasts provide for engagement, talking and listening that prompted us to establish a weekly podcast called The Academic Citizen. It is funded by the Academic Staff Association of Wits University and is based at Johannesburgs University of the Witwatersrand. It features a weekly in-depth conversation with a guest about topics important to higher education. This facilitates the exchange of ideas and debate far beyond brick and mortar university buildings.

Since its launch in April 2016, The Academic Citizen has featured nearly 20 guests being interviewed on a range of topics: protest action on campuses; whether fee-free higher education is possible and how it could be achieved; language and transformation and the importance of academic staff unions. Every episode features two or three student voices, which allows students to share their perspectives on each topic.

The Academic Citizen has tapped into social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to share updates and news, which helps us capture more of an audience.

A plurality of voices

One of the podcasts consistent goals is to present a variety of opinions about higher education in South Africa and beyond. It provides a platform for those involved in universities to confront the existing problems, listen to one anothers views and communicate about how higher education can be improved. We believe this will help drive a move towards improving the sector for the benefit of all its stakeholders.

Podcasting helps to promote dialogue so that more voices can join in conveniently with difficult conversations. After all, plurality of thought is the key to progress.

Mehita Iqani, Associate Professor of Media Studies, University of the Witwatersrand and Balungile Mbenyane, Researcher for Media Studies, University of the Witwatersrand. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
South Africas ruling ANC is facing its sternest test. From the inside

The old world as South Africa knew it, of ANC majorities and policy certainty, seems to be at an end  and all does not seem fine, within the ANC at least.

South Africa is in the aftermath of the 2016 local government elections. Math has been the order of the day as parties have fought for local councils in anyone but the ANC coalitions, claiming an electoral mandate to govern by a single coalitionist seat in many cases.

The governing ANC lost most major cities. It lost many small towns and rural municipalities to fragile, ideologically incoherent coalitions of the power-hungry, the forgotten, the almost forgotten, the preferably forgotten, the far right, the rearguard and the downright loony.

The identity and ideology of the ANC are up for grabs as power blocs battle for control. And the fight is going to be both ugly and entertaining.

Which ANC?

The ANC is a massive and highly nuanced organisation so what follows is unavoidably reductionist. Nonetheless, it would appear that the party is deeply divided between those who see a rural, conservative future and the urban modernisers.

The rural-based future is based on tradition and loyalty, where the true African lives on the land where his (yes, his) ancestors lived, is in touch with his roots, and symbolises the clean, pure son of the soil. This stands in contrast with the clever black as President Jacob Zuma infamously called them, seduced by modern life and its sins, by whites and their fickle ways, and dirtied by a rootless urban life.

The conservative group  an extremely powerful force in the Zuma-led ANC  is deeply suspicious of a modern, sophisticated world where urbanisation is an unstoppable demographic force. The modernisers want the ANC to remain true to its principles but simultaneously to embrace an urban, complex, globally competitive Afropolitan future, where old certainties have gone, forever.

Will the centre hold?

A collision is imminent, reflected in the recent call from the ANC Youth League for an early elective conference to hold to account

people who taint the name of the organisation busy drinking champagne and expensive whisky whilst they taint the name of our glorious movement.

The ANC may feel partially vindicated by the fact that it lost many of its majorities  but no-one else won them. South African voters have ringside seats to see if a series of locale-specific coalitions involving a free-market Democratic Alliance (DA), an avowedly Marxist-Leninist-Fanonist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Zulu traditionalist Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), tiny United Democratic Movement (UDM) and ideologically unknown African Independent Congress (AIC) - with others too small to recall - can hold themselves together long enough to occupy the centre.

A sympathetic author would note that the ANC made major compromises to allow South Africa to overcome the barbarity of apartheid and a global sea-change. In this view, the ANC consciously took a series of body blows  ongoing white racism and free market capitalism conspicuous among them  in return for stability and avoiding a racialised civil war. This narrative at least recalls the context in which transition from apartheid occurred.

Another, given a major fillip by the EFF, is more caustic and almost entirely a-historical. In this version, the ANC deliberately made a Faustian pact with white monopoly capital and ANC leaders were soon hell bent on a craven pursuit of personal wealth regardless of consequence, and sold the poor for 30 pieces of silver (or a 4x4 or a home built at taxpayers' expense). The racialised civil war had merely been postponed, not avoided, in this narrative.

End of the rainbow

As such, it is unsurprising that a key issue of contestation is race. The 1994 ANC leadership talked of non-racialism, Archbishop Desmond Tutu spoke of the Rainbow Nation, and for a while all seemed possible. But as the economy got tougher, whiteliness continued its arrogant posturing and institutional dominance, no sufficiently broad-based economic or social transformation took place. Getting a toilet that flushes is scarcely to feel transformed, let alone equal.

Race, undergirded by inequality, has come back to haunt the country. The EFF and its followers speak with scorn of selling out to white supremacy, and Africanist essentialism is the order of the day for many.

Within the ANC its Youth League can usually be relied on to bring into play the worst elements of the party as this recent statement displays:

The enemy of the White Supremacy Liberal agenda is the ANC and the enemy of the ANC is the White Supremacy Liberal.

Playing with race is not restricted to the Youth League. When former President Thabo Mbeki spoke of two nations, it was predictably met with howls of hostility from the white chattering classes, but secure with a 70% majority in 2004, few felt he was vote-chasing. However, when Zuma was reported to have said of the city of Cape Town

In China, the Chinese rule, in India, the Indians are in power; it is only here in South Africa that we allow other people to govern

the country saw the awful spectacle of the ANC playing race.

ANC regeneration

Successive generations of ANC leaders during its 104-year-long existence who fell into apathy (or worse) and were successively radicalised or removed. These include the challenge of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union in the 1930s to the United Democratic Front and the formation of the trade union federation Cosatu in the 1980s. In each case, the ANC was shaken from torpor to often progressive responsiveness, often shedding leaders on the way.

However, the post-2016 election ANC seems hellbent on becoming a conservative, rural movement. It fears complexity, fluid social identities, uppity student movements and the like. It is retreating into a revanchist rump of self-congratulatory leaders.

It is a dangerous path: the ANC shed hundreds of thousands of rural votes between 2014 and 2016 elections. The party will search for a pure rural base at its own peril, as the population at large is becoming better educated, more Afropolitan and cosmopolitan, demanding high quality services and choice in everything from politics to personal trainers.

The ANC has always managed, with pushing and shoving, to modernise and adapt. But this was driven by progressive activists, not sleaze-tainted politicians.

Communist purge ahead?

The ANC Youth League was once the catalyst of progressive reform in the ANC. In the youth league of founder Anton Lembede, this radicalising perspective turned on two key issues. The first was the need to remove the ANC from the thrall of white bearers of foreign ideologies - white communists. The same seems set to happen in 2016  a threatened cabinet reshuffle to remove Communists has been widely shared, not least by the South African Communist Party. Many communists such as Blade Nzimande, Gwede Mantashe and others are black, but no mind: power is at stake.

The second key item on the reformist agenda of the old youth league was the need to radicalise  to move the ANC under the leader AB Xuma from a party that sought to recruit distinguished university graduates and turn to extra-parliamentary opposition. The current ANC Youth League prefers congratulating the conservative bastions of the current ANC  the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and Mpumalanga. But while the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal may have held a majority in local elections (2011-2016) at 58%, it dropped 10% in the Free State and 8% in Mpumalanga.

The ANC Youth League has demanded a conference to clear the decks. Its position is clear: those who oppose Zuma and his traditionalist dreams are opportunistic and lack thinking capacity while the man himself is blameless.

If Zuma is innocent, communist and moderniser Mantashe, the ANC Secretary-General, is guilty. He is closely followed by the selfish ANC rebels in South Africas wealthiest province of Gauteng, who must also be expelled if the ANC Youth League have their way.

The ANC is facing its sternest test, and it is now almost entirely internal. Votes in 2016 suggest that if the traditionalist rural rump of the ANC wins out, the party is on an irredeemably downward spiral. Whether the ANC is capable of cleansing itself, re-energising its base, refurbishing its moral and ethical standards and adopting policies that suit a modern state, remains to be seen.

David Everatt, Head of Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.




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Brief History Of Turkey

Present-day Turkey has a long history of immigration and of various cultures co-existing within its borders. Evidence of civilizations dates as far back as the Stone, Iron, and Bronze Ages. During the 5th century BC, Persian rulers developed the area and built a road that allowed for transportation of goods and people. As trade increased, so too did the size and importance of port cities. Over the rule of the Ottoman Empire, which conquered the area in the 1300s, various cities became the capital at one time or another. Their importance led to increased growth and immigration. Hundreds of thousands of individuals from Spain, Portugal, Central Europe, and Russia went to Turkey during this time. In the 1920s, Turkey entered the Republican Period which brought with it Muslim refugees from Asian, Arabian, North African, and European countries as Christianity flooded their native homes.

Current Demographics

Today, the country is home to over 73 million people. The population is multi-ethnic and continues to grow at around 1.2% annually. Roughly 72.5% of the population are ethnic Turks. The remaining 27.5% are other ethnic minorities including Greeks, Jews, Albanians, Kurds, Armenians, and Georgians. The most common religious identification is Sunni Muslim.

Biggest Cities In Turkey

Istanbul

By far, the largest city in Turkey is Istanbul with approximately 13.82 million inhabitants, nearly 20% of the entire Turkish population. This city, located between the Black and Mediterranean Seas, is considered the economic, historical, and cultural center of the country. The population size grows at 3.45%, a rate faster than the national average, due to a large influx of immigrants. These individuals come from the more rural eastern part of the country in search of economic opportunity and improved quality of life. In fact, only about one-third of the citys population is originally from Istanbul. The city has a developed industrial sector that produces goods such as tobacco, olive oil, and vehicles. This industry also provides the majority of jobs in the area.

Ankara

The second largest city is Ankara where 4.47 million people reside. Half of the population is under 30 years old and hold the highest levels of education in the country. Ankaras urban area has grown in much the same way as Istanbul, with rural inhabitants coming in search of jobs. The defense and aerospace industries are big and growing here although the public sector provides the majority of employment opportunities.

Izmir

Izmir, with a population of 2.83 million, is the third most populated city in Turkey. During the 1960s and 1970s, lack of government investment in rural areas surrounding the city resulted in a large migration to Izmir. Today, the city continues to grow. Approximately 2,500 Jewish individuals call this city home, the second largest population in the country. There is also a significant percentage of people of Italian, French, and Venetian descent.

For a look at other heavily populated cities in Turkey, a list is published below.

The Influx Of Refugees

The demographics of Turkey are quickly changing due to a recent increase in asylum seeking refugees. Syria is the major source of these individuals because of the current conflict taking place in the country. Turkey has opened its doors to provide shelter to those fleeing their country and now houses over 1.7 million Syrians. Iraqis number in the hundreds of thousands. With no signs of peace on the near horizon, the probability that these refugees return home continues to diminish. This will have a drastic effect on the demographic landscape of the nation as well as the public services. As refugees are being granted work visas, the hope is that they will begin earning a living and be able to assimilate into the Turkish culture.
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
1796 Meals Donated by Wrexham Supermarket to Feed People in Need

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Aug 30th, 2016

A supermarket scheme which gives unsold produce to the most vulnerable in the community has resulted in almost 1800 meals being donated to feed people in need across Wrexham.

The Community Food Connection scheme, which launched in the Tesco Extra store in Wrexham in June 2016 aims to reduce the levels of waste produce by donating unsold food to the most vulnerable people across the area.

Since the scheme launched a total of 1796 meals have been donated to people in need across Wrexham.

This contribution from stores in Wrexham has helped the programme reach its first milestone of one million meals of surplus food donated by Tesco stores nationwide.

The programme sees Tesco stores across the UK donating their unsold food to local charities and community groups for free.

Part of Tescos ongoing pledge to cut food waste, Community Food Connection links local charities and community groups to Tesco stores via an app that allows store teams to let local charities know there is unsold food available at the end of each day.

The unsold food is provided to the charities free of charge, and includes fresh produce, such as fruit, vegetables and bakery products. Chilled products like meat, dairy and ready meals are also offered.

To date 2,000 charities and community groups have signed up to the programme and the equivalent of one million meals of surplus food has been donated to good causes right across the UK.

Speaking about the donations distributed locally, Rifka Chakkalakal, Community Food Programmes Manager at Tesco said: We are delighted to see Wrexham contribute a fantastic 1796 meals of surplus food to people in need. We believe that no food that could be eaten should go to waste, so were excited to continue to grow this initiative.

Thats why were looking for even more charities and community groups to come forward to register for the programme. If you serve food to people in need in your community  we want to hear from you.

Any charities or community groups in Wrexham using food to support people that would like to access the scheme, should register their interest here.
British Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May has called a Wednesday Cabinet meeting at her country residence, Chequers, to hold crisis talks over Britains withdraw from the European Union (EU).

This comes amid reports that May has ruled out a parliamentary vote on Brexitthe majority Leave vote recorded in Junes referendum on British membership of the European Union (EU)before formally triggering withdrawal from the bloc. Heads of government departments are to submit plans to make Brexit work at the Cabinet meeting.

The decision has reignited divisions with the ruling elite over the economic and political implications of triggering Article 50, the clause that officially begins the process of negotiations on withdrawal.

Remaining within the EU was the favoured position of the majority of the bourgeoisie and the majority of big business. Upwards of 480 MPs of the 650 in Parliament are opposed to EU withdrawal, while the House of Lords also favour EU membership by an overwhelming majority. A parliamentary vote could block or at least stall the start of negotiations.

The issue of Brexit is at the centre of the ongoing coup against Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn by his right-wing Blairite opponents. The main aim of the coup plotters, working in conjunction with the UK and US intelligence services, is to refashion the Labour Party as an opponent of Brexit.

Owen Smith, the rights challenger to Corbyn for the Labour leadership, has said he will do everything he can to prevent a Brexit, including holding a second referendum. Corbyn ruled out a further ballot, saying only that he will fight for the best possible terms for British withdrawal.

On Saturday, Lord ODonnell, head of the Civil Service between 2005 and 2011, stated his opposition to rushing into Article 50 and said Brexit was not inevitable. Much depended on what happens to public opinion and whether the EU changes, he said. It might be that the broader, more loosely aligned group is something that the UK is happy being a member of.

His remarks were condemned by Steve Baker, the Tory MP who chaired the pro-Brexit Conservatives for Britain group before the referendum. Any official working to oppose our exit from the EU should be summarily fired, he insisted. If necessary, emergency legislation should be passed to make it possible.

A Downing Street source told the Daily Telegraph that May has been absolutely clear that the British public have voted and now she will get on with delivering Brexit. The article noted, May consulted Government lawyers who have told the Prime Minister she has the executive power to invoke Article 50 on her own.

This elicited an equally furious response from pro-Remain figures. Barry Gardiner, Labours shadow secretary of state for international trade, Europe, energy and climate change, said Mays move to trigger article 50 without first setting out to parliament the terms and basis upon which her government seeks to negotiate  would be to diminish parliament and assume the arrogant powers of a Tudor monarch.

A pro-EU, cross-party alliance of former ministers issued a call on May to secure the best possible relationship with the EU after Brexit. The new Open Britain movement, which is to launch on Friday, is the continuation of the official Remain campaign in the referendum, and includes Tory MP Anna Soubry and Labours Pat McFadden. It has stated that while it will not argue for a second referendum, it wants to make the positive and patriotic case for a close alliance with the EU.

It is reported that a number of ministers, including Chancellor Philip Hammond, are also seeking to ensure that the UK retains access to the European Single Market for the financial sector and car industry in any Brexit deal.

The Sunday Times reported, Hammond has privately insisted that everything is on the table and Treasury officials believe access to the single market for the financial services industry should be the top priority. But senior government sources say [David] Davis, [Liam] Fox [the ministers appointed to lead Brexit planning] and Mays closest adviser, Nick Timothy, believe Britain will have to leave the single market to fulfil her pledge to impose border controls.

Davis and Fox are both in favour of May triggering Article 50 in early January.

The Tory eurosceptic wing is stepping up demands for May to set red lines on immigration controls. Andrew Bridgen, who was the first Conservative MP to demand the resignation of Mays predecessor, David Cameron, told the Sunday Times, The prime minister is going to have to say something to her backbenchers. Shes got to elaborate on what she means by Brexit means Brexit. We need some red meat.

Leading Tory Brexit campaigner Iain Duncan Smith called on the government to impose a US-style Green Card scheme for those seeking to work in the UK, which he said would guarantee British jobs for British workers.

He highlighted the Universal Job Match scheme that he had introduced as work and pensions secretary. This matches details of those unemployed in a particular location and their skill level with existing jobs. The focus should be on lower-skilled employment, he suggested. By making the unemployed take up such jobs, the government would be able to restrict migration from the EU.

Following the Cabinet meeting, May will travel to China to attend the G20 meeting of world leaders. A spokesperson said she would use the chance to highlight the wealth of opportunities that will arise from Brexit and allow them to discuss mutually beneficial trade relationships in the future.

The content of these wealth of opportunities for the global corporations was mapped out by the Sun, owned by the pro-Brexit media oligarch Rupert Murdoch.

Its editorial denounced calls by EU leaders for closer integration in the wake of the UK referendum result, stating: It is crucial Chancellor Philip Hammond now secures our medium and long-term fortunes. Hammonds upcoming Autumn Statement must slash corporation tax and other taxes, it demanded.

But divisions within the British bourgeoisie over Brexit are developing against the backdrop of increasingly febrile relations within the EU itself.

The Sunday Times reported: German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and other leaders privately agreed last week that Britain would have to leave the single market if it wants any restrictions on free movement. May is understood to have made it clear to Merkel during a recent visit to Berlin that she would not be able to accept free movement.

The Brexit vote was a manifestation of the fracturing of the EU along national lines and deepens the crisis of the ruling elite continent wide. Last week, Merkel toured European capitals, meeting with 15 of the EUs 27 national leaders. This was in preparation for the first meeting of EU heads since Brexit, which will take place without British participation, on September 16 in Bratislava.

Speaking in Warsaw, Merkel warned ominously, Brexit is not just any event. It is a deep break in the EUs history of integration, and so it is important to find a careful answer. We must face the consequences [of Brexit] and consider the future of the EU.

On Sunday, Merkels vice-chancellor and Social Democratic Party chair, Sigmar Gabriel, warned that negotiations on withdrawal must be made as tough as possible for the UK to discourage other countries from following its lead and stop the EU going down the drain.

If we organise Brexit in the wrong way, then well be in deep trouble, he said, so now we need to make sure that we dont allow Britain to keep the nice things, so to speak, related to Europe while taking no responsibility.
At the request of a government-appointed special mediator, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) suspended for at least 24 hours its plans to begin Monday a rotating, regional overtime ban.

This is just the latest episode in the unions refusal to mobilize resistance to the massive concessions demanded by the federal government-owned Canada Post. The rollbacks include the elimination of a defined pension benefit plan for new hires, a four-year pay freeze for temporary workers, major cuts to medical and other benefits, and the slashing of more than 1,000 postal clerk positions.

CUPWs climb down came after it was reluctantly forced last Thursday to issue a 72-hour notice of impending job action. Had it not issued the notice, the 50,000 CUPW members would have lost their legal right to strike. Under Canadas reactionary labour code, a membership strike mandate is deemed to have expired if it is not exercised within 60 days.

In the absence of a legal strike mandate, Canada Post management would have a free hand to unilaterally dictate workers terms of employment until a new collective agreement is negotiated.

Even so, CUPW made sure that its job action would have as little impact as possible on Canada Posts operations. It announced it had no plans to organize a strike or even rotating walkouts and that the postal workers would be merely asked on a rotating, provincial or regional basis to refuse overtime.

CUPW President Mike Palecek, a former leader of the pseudo-left Fightback group, who postures as a militant and leftist, even offered to renounce this toothless action if Canada Post agreed to an extension of the legal strike mandate. Predictably, management rejected the unions offer out of hand.

Palecek has acknowledged, even boasted, that the unions overtime ban will have a negligible impact on Canada Posts operations. Our action, he declared, will cause little to no disruption for the public. Well still be delivering mail every day.

Such a bankrupt strategy is in line with the position CUPW has held throughout the entire nine-month labour dispute. Even though management adopted a confrontational approach from the outset and made clear it would not back down on its key concession demands, CUPW has vehemently opposed strike action, let alone making the postal workers struggle the spearhead of a working class counteroffensive in defence of public services and workers rights. Instead, the union has lauded the Trudeau governments review of Canada Post operationswhich is predicated on the post office operating as a profit-making enterpriseand repeatedly vowed it will not disrupt the Liberals review by mounting a strike.

If Palecek and the CUPW leadership ultimately did issue a notice of job action it was above all out of fear that managements refusal to abide by parts of the expired collective agreement would enflame the rank-and-file, with the real danger they might break free of the unions control.

Management has nonetheless reiterated its threat to suspend workers vacation, maternity and adoption leave and insurance and other benefits, possibly as early as today.

Instead of rallying the rest of the working class to join the postal workers in a struggle in defence of jobs, wages and public services, CUPW has done everything to demobilize and isolate postal workers and promoted fatal illusions in the purportedly progressive Liberal government.

Under Paleceks leadership CUPW played a major role in the unions pro-Liberal Anybody but Harper campaign, which paved the way for the return to power of the Liberals, long the Canadian elites preferred party of government, in last Octobers election. CUPW has continued to promote the new government as an ally of working people. Earlier this month, CUPW held demonstrations in Montreal and Toronto at which union leaders lauded Trudeau and his Liberals as defenders of public services and pensions in supposed contrast to the Harper-appointed bosses of Canada Post and urged the government to directly intervene in the contract dispute.

Showing its pro-capitalist nature, CUPW fully endorses the Liberal-led postal review which has the explicit aim of making postal services more competitive and profitable. Accepting the reviews reactionary framework, Palecek is pushing for the introduction of postal banking to supposedly offset the decline in letter volumes.

CUPW and the Canadian Labour Congress are completely silent on the fact that in the very first major labour conflict involving the new government, Trudeau and his Liberals have repeatedly sided with management. Last month they urged the union to accept binding arbitration, a request CUPW said it politely declined.

In mid-August, an arbitrator appointed by the Trudeau government sided entirely with Canada Post's proposal for a new contract with the almost 6,000 postmasters and assistants working in the countrys rural post offices. The new contract imposes a defined-pension benefit plan for new hiresone of the key concessions Canada Post is demanding of CUPW members.

The encouragement of illusions in the Liberals by CUPW is even more criminal given the past experiences postal workers have had with this right-wing, big business party. In 1978 under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, the current prime ministers father, the Liberal government threatened to fire postal workers en masse, and imprisoned CUPW President Jean-Claude Parrot, when they defied strike-breaking legislation.

Under the Chretien-Martin governments of the 1990s and early 2000s, which carried out the largest social spending cuts in the countrys history, the Liberals once again illegalized a CUPW strike and oversaw the continued backdoor privatization of the postal service via franchising.

While it is urging Canada Post to abandon some of its most draconian demands so as to appease workers anger, CUPW is more than willing to collaborate with management in imposing drastic concessions through good-faith negotiations as it has shown time and again for decades.

Palecek was elected CUPW president following the blatant betrayal of the union leadership in 2011-12, when it enforced the Harper governments strikebreaking legislation, then negotiated a contract that imposed sweeping cuts that have enabled the company to pocket tens of millions in profits. But despite his leftist posturing and his false claim that he would regain what CUPW members lost in 2011-12, Palecek is pursuing the very same policy.

CUPWs refusal to call a national strike in 2011 and instead to adopt toothless rotating walkouts handed the initiative to Canada Post. It promptly locked out the workers and the Conservative government, then legislated them back to work. Paleceks token overtime ban and promotion of the Liberals will have similar disastrous results.

Postal workers determined to wage a genuine struggle against the attacks of management must act immediately to take control of their struggle out of the hands of the trade union bureaucracy. To resist Canada Posts concessions demands, workers must break politically and organizationally with CUPW and establish rank-and-file action committees to conduct their struggle. These committees must organize a national strike of all postal workers in line with the overwhelming mandate given by postal workers earlier this summer, while appealing for solidarity action by workers in other public services such as teachers, health care workers and social services employees, who all confront the same attacks from the government and corporate elite.

Above all, a new political perspective is required. The defence of the postal service, and all other essential public services, can only take place in a society where human need is placed above the profit drive of the ruling class. This necessitates a rejection of the capitalist profit system, which must be abolished and replaced by a workers government committed to a socialist program to reorganize society in the interests of the vast majority.
The recent film, Free State of Jones (directed by Gary Ross) was condemned by numerous media figures and film critics, perhaps most notably op-ed columnist Charles Blow of the New York Times. According to Blow, the film tries desperately to cast the Civil War, and specifically dissent within the Confederacy, as more a populism-versus-elitism class struggle in which poor white men were forced to fight a rich white mans war and protect the cotton trade, rather than equally a conflict about the moral abhorrence of black slavery, bemoaning the white liberal insistence that race is merely a subordinate construction of class.

Blow goes so far as to suggest that Newton Knight, the historical figure who waged a guerilla war against the Confederacy, was a rapist because he and an escaped slave were lovers. (See: The right-wing, racialist attacks on the film Free State of Jones)

In their attacks on the film, figures like Blow are in fact denigrating some of the noblest individuals in American historypeople who risked their lives to defeat the Confederate States of America and destroy its economic base, slavery.

Blow and others who attack the film do not bother to consider its historical merits, suggesting that the plot must have been contrived to create a white savior. But this is not fiction. History provides ample evidence of pro-Union, Southern poor whites and slaves uniting along class lines in opposing the Confederacys war to expand slavery into the west, Mexico, and elsewhere.

Slavery defined class hierarchy in the Antebellum South. Dixie was unmistakably characterized by a ruling oligarchy of slave owners who exercised disproportionate political power within the Confederacy and throughout the United States.

Writing in 1861 for the New York Tribune, Karl Marx noted the number of actual slaveholders in the South of the Union does not amount to more than three hundred thousand, a narrow oligarchy that is confronted with many millions of so-called poor whites whose numbers have been constantly growing through concentration of landed property and whose condition is only to be compared with that of the Roman plebeians in the period of Romes extreme decline.[1]

The southern ruling elite openly attacked the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution for their assertion of human equality. Alexander Stephens, vice president of the Confederacy, explained the principles behind which the slavocracy fought:

The prevailing ideas entertained by him [Thomas Jefferson] and most of the leading statesmen [Founding Fathers] at the time of the formation of the old constitution, were that the enslavement of the African was in violation of the laws of nature; that it was wrong in principle, socially, morally, and politicallyThis idea, though not incorporated in the constitution, was the prevailing idea at that time Those ideas, however, were fundamentally wrong. They rested upon the assumption of the equality of races. This was an errorOur new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner-stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man.[2]

The planter class branded poor whitesthose who did not own slavesas white trash.[3] Inequality created fears that poor whites would not answer the call to arms. One planter in North Carolina exclaimed, I heard from several sources, that the people who did not own slaves were swearing that they would not lift a finger to protect a rich mens negroes infused among the ignorant poor [is] the idea that there is an antagonism between poor people and slave-owners.

In moments of candor the southern elite frankly acknowledged that the central issue was class, not race. The poor hate the rich and make war on them everywhere and here especially with universal suffrage, wrote planter James Henry Hammond, the former governor of South Carolina. The war is based on the principle and fact of the inequality of mankind, for policy we say races, in reality, as all history shows it is classes.[4]

Jones County, Mississippi, the central location of Free State of Jones, differed from most other counties in the state, in that it was predominantly non-slaveholding. According to Victoria Bynum, in her book The Free State of Jones: Mississippis Longest Civil War, while Mississippi emerged as a preeminent slave-holding state and leading cotton producer  Jones county, in contrast, remained the domain of nonslaveholders and small slaveholders throughout the antebellum period. In 1860 slaves comprised only 12.2 percent of its total population, the lowest of any county in the state  yeoman farmers still comprised the overwhelming majority of the population.[5]

War made the true class nature of the South even more palpable. Aside from the Confederacy instituting the first draft in American history and military defeats at Iuka and Corinth in Mississippi, 1862s Twenty-Negro Law, which exempted the planters from military serviceor allowed them to return home from serviceif they owned 20 slaves (later 15 slaves) or more, sent class resentment through the soldiers like an earthquake. Newton Knight and his soon-to-be partner Jasper Collins abruptly deserted the army, only to find themselves waging a bitter guerrilla war with other poor deserters, women, and slaves against the Confederate state.

Jones County wasnt the only enclave of resistance to the slaveowners rebellion.

The state of West Virginia was born out of the revolutionary struggles of the Civil War. Antebellum Virginia had been divided geographically by the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains. To the east, the plantation system prevailed. To the west, however, the terrain and climate was not conducive to cash crop agriculture. Yeoman farmers, coupled with the states socioeconomic ties to northern industry, fostered a negative outlook towards the chattel system of the South. Tensions had deepened in the antebellum as the eastern part of the state refused the western parts pleas for greater representation in government, and rejected a free public education system. The western counties seized on Virginias secession from the union to itself secede from the Old Dominion.

The Piedmont counties of North Carolina, particularly the Quaker Belt, also took up arms against the Confederacy. Before the outbreak of war, class tensions had already been simmering due to an inequitable tax code and the big planters political power. As the war dragged on, support for the organization Heroes of America, or the Red Strings, rose, reaching a membership of roughly 10,000. The secret organization protected run-away slaves, provided intelligence to the Union Army, interfered with the Confederate Army, and elected anti-war members to the state legislature and a local sheriff. By 1864, the organization spread to the mountainous western part of the state, gathering support from Raleigh artisans and yeomen farmers and organizing in plantation areas where slaves aided in the cause.

Undeniably, the Heroes viewed the war in class terms. A leader of the Heroes and a newspaper editor, Alexander H. Jones, ridiculed the aristocrats and empathized with the poor and slaves: This great national strife originated with men and measures that were  opposed to a democratic form of government.  The fact is, these bombastic, high-falutin aristocratic fools have been in the habit of driving negroes and poor helpless white people until they think  that they themselves are superior; [and] hate, deride and suspicion the poor.[6]

In Texas pro-Union and anti-planter sentiments dominated in various parts of the state, including the San Antonio area and northern Texas. In the southern part of the state Hispanics, slaveless whites, and immigrants banded together in militia to oppose the Confederacy. Overwhelming Confederate military power forced many anti-slavery farmers to migrate out of state, where they formed exile communities adjacent to Brownsville on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande, there defending themselves from Confederate incursions. German immigrants, crossing the Atlantic after the failures of the 1848 Revolutions against the aristocrats and kings of the Old World, joined the exodus, while others stayed and battled conscription in Texas. Anti-slavery and anti-Confederate beliefs were so widespread among German immigrants that Confederate officials enforced martial law, climaxing in the Nueces Massacre, in which 37 Germans were murdered.[7]

After the surrender of Robert E. Lee at Appomattox, on April 9, 1865, Reconstruction began in the South. Initially, free blacks and poor whites held some political power, but when federal troops left the South, the former political elite took over the wheels of government. In the coming decades, their intellectual representatives spearheaded a rewriting of Civil War history known as the Lost Cause, which buried the many examples of slaveless whites fighting against the Confederacy. These pro-southern historians created the myth of a Solid South that could be understood entirely in racial terms.

Advocates of identity politics today, such as Blow of the New York Times, cling desperately to this myth for a contemporary purposeto divide the American working class along racial lines in order to protect and advance their own interests.

Notes:

[1] Karl Marx, The North American Civil War, vol. 19 of Marx/Engels Collected Works, (Moscow: Progress Publishers)

[2] Alexander Stephens, Cornerstone Speech, March 21, 1861.

[3] Marx and Engels, The American Civil War, May 30, 1862, in Marxism and the Science of War (New York: Oxford University Press, 1981), p. 135.

[4] Thomas Ruffin, The Papers of Thomas Ruffin vol 3, ed. J. G. Roulhac Hamilton, (Raleigh: Edwards & Beoughton Co. 1920) letter Dec 12, 1860; George C. Rable, The Confederate Republic: A Revolution Against Politics (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1994), p. 244.

[5] Victoria E. Bynum, The Free State of Jones: Mississippis Longest Civil War (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2001), Chapter 3, p. 2.

[6] Eric Foner, The Souths inner Civil War, American Heritage, (March 1989).

[7] David Williams, Bitterly Divided: The Souths Inner Civil War (New York: New Press, 2008); William W. Freehling, The South vs The South (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001).
On August 21 the Libyan parliament in Tobruk refused to recognise the Government of National Accord in Tripoli, which enjoys the support of the United Nations.

The news was reported in the Libyan Observer of August 22. According to the news report, a quorum meeting of Tobruk deputies (HoR) refused to express any confidence in the unity government led by Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli. This means that the bombing conducted by the United States in Sirte, which dates back to Sarrajs call for help, violates international law.

Sarrajs Government of National Accord (GNA) was neither elected nor sworn in, but rather assembled by the United States and EU from various rival factions. According to the Libya agreement of December 2015, the fate of the GNA is dependent on the consent of the parliament in Tobruk. The agreement was adopted on the initiative of the UN Security Council in Skhirat, Morocco. The decision in Tobruk now means that Sarraj has lost his pseudo-juridical basis of support.

One hundred and one members participated in the meeting of the HoR on August 21. According to Parliament Speaker Fahima this was the first General Assembly since January to reach the necessary quorum for a decision. Sixty-one deputies voted against recognition of the GNA, 39 abstained and just one voted in favour of the GNA.

Sarraj left the country immediately and flew to Stuttgart, where he was received in the US AFRICOM headquarters by its new chief, General Thomas Waldhauser. The US base is now the planning centre for further action in Libya.

In early August, Sarraj appealed to Washington for air support against the Islamic State (IS) in Sirte. Since then American fighter jets have carried out more than 90 airstrikes against the city and the surrounding areas.

In the latest stage of the war in Libya more than 300 GNA soldiers are alleged to have been killed and 1,800 wounded. The number of victims on the IS side is not known. Meanwhile Sirte has been completely abandoned by residents.

The UK, France, Italy and Germany are all involved in the renewed fighting in Libya. For half a year special military units from the US, Britain, France and other nations have been active in Libya, gathering information and building alliances with local militias.

The attacks on Libya are justified as part of the so-called war on terror, with official Western propagandists stressing that the struggle against IS in Sirte was particularly urgent. In fact, it is the imperialist military intervention of 2011 that is responsible for the advance of Islamist terror and the Islamic State. Libyan IS fighters emerged from the Islamist militias backed by Washington and other Western intelligence services that were given arms in 2011 to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi.

Over 100,000 people were killed in the war of 2011 and the subsequent civil war. The country, which had one of the highest standards of living in Africa and the best health care and social system, has been bombed back to the Middle Ages and is now considered a failed state.

In February, a US fighter jet attacked a training camp of the IS in the western Libyan city of Sabratha. In July, three French soldiers on a secret reconnaissance mission were killed in Benghazi after their helicopter was shot down.

Italy also has a special interest in its former colonial possession. Thanks to a new law, the Italian government can now deploy several dozen special forces operatives in Libya without informing parliament. The law, which was adopted following the Paris attacks in November 2015, allows military action without the approval of parliament if the action is under the control of the secret service rather than the military. Italy has also opened its military bases, especially Sigonella in Sicily, for US fighter jets to carry out airstrikes.

The UN Security Council officially approved an intervention on the Libyan coast in June. In the context of the EU mission Sophia (EUNAVFOR MED), European governments have sent two dozen warships and a thousand soldiers to the Libyan and Tunisian coast. In June the European Council decided to extend its mandate on the Libyan coast until the end of July 2017.

The military build-up takes place at the expense of thousands of refugees. The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has counted a total of 2,606 drowned refugees in July alone on the Mediterranean route from Libya to Italy. In the months from January to May 2016 there were at least 2,200 deaths. The EU mission Sophia, however, is not aimed at rescuing the shipwrecked but rather at combatting the so-called smugglers. It has the task of reducing the flow of refugees and at the same time enforcing the arms embargo against IS.

Germany is also participating in the Libya mission. The Bundeswehr is involved in Sophia with ships, planes, helicopters and 130 soldiers. At the same time it has been preparing for half a year for deployment on the Libyan mainland. Back in January, Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen (Christian Democratic Union, CDU) told the Bild: Libya is on the opposite coast of Europeseparated only by the Mediterranean. She argued that in meeting the urgent need to stabilize and enforce law and order in this huge state ... Germany will not evade its responsibility to contribute.

The real reason for the imperialist powers intervention in Libya is not the fight against terrorism, but rather access to and control over natural resources, especially oil and gas, and to acquire first place in the race to re-colonise Africa.

It is ultimately a struggle over the distribution of oil and power, UN special envoy Martin Kobler told Deutschlandfunk on August 3. According to Kobler the Government of National Accord in Tripoli has 100 percent international backing. It was extremely important that the unity government asked Washington for help in order to maintain Libyan sovereignty.

The Sarraj faction recently signed an agreement with Ibrahim Dschedhren, head of Petroleum Facilities Guard, which controls a large part of the oil production in the region. The GNA would allow oil exports to start again and use the proceeds to finance its affairs.

The competing government in Tobruk reacted by occupying the oil terminal port of Zuwetinah south of the coastal city of Benghazi. It encompasses an area that is the most important centre for oil trade.

General Khalifa Haftar, who commands the armed forces of the Tobruk HoR, has threatened to carry out attacks against cities and towns, which continue to be loyal to Sarraj and his unity government.

Haftar had initially aligned with the US and played an important role as a CIA operative in the overthrow of Gaddafi. He later distanced himself, however, from the US government and is now looking for support from France and Egypt. A spokesman of Haftar announced on August 25 that the eastern-based Libyan armed forces now regard the US intervention in the battle for Sirte as illegal.
Last Saturdays election in the Northern Territory (NT) underscored Australias political instability and the decay of the two-party parliamentary order. The territorys Country Liberal Party (CLP), which is part of the federal Liberal-National Coalition, lost office in a landslide that could reduce it to one seat in the territorys 25-member single-house Legislative Assembly.

The defeat came just three days before Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbulls Coalition government convened a new federal parliament today, having barely survived the July 2 double dissolution election. Four months on from when parliament last sat, the federal government faces greater political obstacles, now compounded by the NT result.

After winning the previous NT election in 2012 by an almost similar margin, the CLPs vote fell to its lowest ever, about 32 percent, illustrating the volatility produced by the disintegration of the support bases for both the CLP and the Labor Party. The result was the first defeat of a first-term government since the NT was granted elected parliamentary rule in 1974.

The CLP, which held office continuously for 27 years, from 1974 to 2001, and from 2012 to now, has been decimated. It is likely to be outnumbered in the assembly by three or more independents, who may be designated the official opposition. Even a wipeout in 2005, when the CLP gained just 37.5 percent of the vote, left it with four seats.

While Labor will take office, holding as many as 15 seats (votes are still being counted), its victory was another negative one. It was a vote of disgust and opposition to the government and the prevailing pro-business program, rather than any enthusiasm for the Labor Party.

Despite a swing of almost 19 percentage points against the CLP, Labors vote only crept up by 6.4 percent from a 2012 low of 35.6 percent. A record 21 percent of voters opted for independents or other parties, including the Greens, whose vote fell by 0.5 points to 2.7 percent. The independents mostly had split from the CLP or Labor since the last election, claiming to now be outsiders.

Similar volatile results have been produced in other recent elections around Australia, with first-term governments ousted in the states of Victoria (2014) and Queensland (2015), and the same fate almost befalling Julia Gillards federal Labor government in 2010 and Turnbulls Coalition government on July 2.

Although the NT has the smallest populationabout 245,000of the countrys states and territories, the result is a barometer of broader trends wracking Australias political establishment. The NT, with a substantial indigenous population, is an extreme example of the widening class gulf between the poorest layers of society and the wealthy elite, and of the implosion of Australias mining boom, which once underpinned the territorys economy and government revenues.

For the past four years, NT politics has been marked by inner-party coups and counter-coups, and political defections, echoing instability in politics nationally. Chief Minister Adam Giles became the countrys first indigenous head of government by toppling his CLP predecessor Terry Mills just seven months after the 2012 election. Giles, in turn, scarcely survived attempts from within the CLP to dump him. Six members of parliament left the CLP at one time or another, eventually stripping the government of its majority. Now Giles may have lost his own seat, depending on preference flows from other candidates.

Prime Minister Turnbull, who faces a constant threat from Tony Abbott, whom he ousted as Liberal Party leader last September, tried to blame the NT defeat on local issues, while appealing to his colleagues to heed the need for unity in politics on every level. Federal Labor leader Bill Shorten also invoked the slogan disunity is death to explain the CLPs disaster. Facing popular discontent, both Turnbull and Shorten are appealing for a bipartisan front to impose severe cuts to social spending, to which Labor committed itself during the federal election campaign to the tune of billions of dollars.

Rather than simply local issues, the NT results reveal, in an acute form, the fallout from the countrys economic reversal. Soon after it was elected in 2012, the CLP government hiked up utility prices, hitting working-class households, and unveiled a fire sale of public assets in a bid to shore up revenues. Among the privatisations was Darwins civilian port, which was leased last year to a Chinese company, triggering objections from the Obama administration.

Between 2005 and 2011, mining was the biggest contributor to the NTs output, before being eclipsed by the construction of a $40 billion Inpex LNG plant in Darwin harbour. Since then, thousands of jobs have been destroyed by the closure of three iron ore mines and one manganese mine, plus the Gove bauxite refinery, where 1,000 workers lost their livelihoods in one hit.

When the Inpex plant was given the go-ahead in 2012, Labors then Chief Minister Paul Henderson described it as a game changer that would underpin our economy for the next 40 to 50 years. That proved a myth. Economic forecasters are warning that the NT faces a huge construction cliff now that the plants construction nears completion. In 201415, about 2 percent of the NTs population left, mostly because of the lack of work. Empty apartments today dot the inner-city skyline of Darwin, the territorys capital.

While mining, construction and property development companies made super-profits, working and social conditions deteriorated, especially for indigenous people, the most oppressed layer of the working class. Eleven years on from the 2007 NT Interventiona police-military operation and welfare-cutting regime directed against indigenous settlementshealth, education, housing and other basic services have been slashed.

This class divide was illustrated by a recent Heart Maps report indicating that rates of heart disease are five times higher in rural NT than in Australias most affluent suburbs. The repressive response of NT governments to the immense social problems being created was exposed last month by television footage of Aboriginal boys as young as 10 being assaulted, stripped naked, tear-gassed, held in solitary confinement, and shackled in restraint chairs inside Darwins Don Dale juvenile detention centre.

Labors victory will only see these conditions worsen. Michael Gunner, Labors chief minister-elect, called for a briefing on the youth centre abuses, claiming he needed more information, even though the cases are well documented and began under the previous Labor government, in which he served. He said there would be no funding to replace the Don Dale facility until 201920.

Gunner also reassured business leaders that his government would avoid affecting or interrupting the delicate business situation we have in the Northern Territory. In other words, Labors agenda will be determined by the dictates of the corporate elite, just like the CLPs.
A new analysis projects that nearly a third of US counties and five entire states will likely have only a single insurer offering health plans on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace next year. The data highlights the impact of the mass exodus of high-profile private insurance companies from the exchanges set up under the program popularly known as Obamacare.

It is also the latest demonstration that President Obamas signature domestic program, far from providing near-universal, high-quality health care for Americans, is offering sharply limited coverage in large parts of the country, and that the for-profit private insurance companies are calling the shots when it comes to quality and price.

Preliminary data analyzed by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) of ACA marketplaces at the request of the Wall Street Journal indicates there might be just one option for coverage in 31 percent of counties and only two in another 31 percent in 2017. These figures are sharply up from the current year, when 7 percent of counties had one insurer and 29 percent had two.

These figures are the direct result of the pullout of the top three private insurersUnitedHealth, Humana and Aetnafrom the Obamacare market. Citing falling profits, the insurance giants are in large part jumping ship, leaving large areas of the country with just one or two plans to choose from.

As these companies pull out of the ACA, many of those remaining are requestingand will likely be granteddouble-digit premium increases for their offerings. According to Healthcare.gov, 12.7 million people enrolled in Obamacare plans in 2016. Those choosing to enroll in 2017 will find fewer plans to choose from, higher premiums, higher out-of pocket costs, and narrower provider networks.

Kaiser cautions that because only premium changes are posted on the Healthcare.gov web site, and not the premiums of new insurers entering the exchanges, it is likely that more is known about those companies exiting the market than is known of any new entrants. Complete information on plans and premiums is not typically made public until shortly before the beginning of the open enrollment period on November 1.

Despite these limitations, however, it is clear that the choices for consumers will be sharply reduced next year. Rural and Southern regions will be particularly hard hit. Kaiser estimates that the proportion of counties with a single marketplace insurer will increase from 7 percent (225 counties) in 2016, to 31 percent (974 counties)nearly a thirdin 2017.

About 60 percent of counties could have two or fewer marketplace insurers in 2017. The analysis cites the exit of UnitedHealth as the main reason for the increase in single-insurer counties, as the company was the second insurer in many rural areas.

Counties with a single ACA insurer are concentrated in a handful of states this year. These include Wyoming (100 percent of counties with one insurer), West Virginia (82 percent), Utah (69 percent), South Carolina (63 percent), and Nevada (59 percent). Given the data presently available, four additional states are likely to have only one ACA insurer in all counties: Alabama, Alaska, Oklahoma and South Carolina.

Six other states will see staggering increases in the percentage of counties in 2017 with only one ACA insurer compared to 2016:

 Arizona: 87 percent of counties in 2017 compared to none in 2016

 Mississippi: 80 percent vs. 0 percent

 Missouri: 85 percent vs. 2 percent

 Florida: 73 percent vs. 0 percent

 North Carolina: 90 percent vs. 23 percent

 Tennessee: 60 percent vs. 0 percent

Given what is currently known, one countyPinal County, near Phoenix, Arizonastands at risk of having no insurer at all on their marketplace in 2017. Pinal is the third most populous county in the state, with about 400,000 residents. Aetna has announced it is pulling out of the county, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona has plans to pull out in 2017.

Under Obamacare individual mandate, individuals and families without insurance through their employer or a government program such as Medicare or Medicaid are required to obtain insurance or pay a tax penalty. As of the 2010 census, Pinal County median household income stood at $51,310, making many people there eligible for the modest subsidies that are available for low and middle-income people to purchase ACA coverage.

But if no plans exist, and another insurer cannot be convinced to enter the county market, Pinal residents will be out of luck. They would only have the much more expensive option of buying private insurance off the exchange. While they would likely receive a hardship exemption from having coverage, they would remain uninsured and would face large out-of-pocket expenses for routine medical care, and economic devastation if they were hit with a catastrophic medical event.

Nearly four years after the Affordable Care Act began operation the scheme is increasingly viewed as a disaster, even by its proponents. At the ACAs inception, it was argued that competition in the market would keep prices low and the market robust, as insurers vied for customers on the exchanges.

But it has not worked out this way in practice. About 27 million Americans still do not have insurance. Many younger, healthier people have decided to gamble on not obtaining insurance, paying the ACA tax penalty and hoping that they dont have a medical emergency. This leaves a sicker pool of individuals who are more expensive to insure.

Because it is more costly than expected to insure the less healthy 12.7 million people who have signed up, the insurers are raising premiums and out-of pocket costs. Most of the least-expensive and therefore most inferior bronze plans come with deductibles in excess of $5,000 and more, which must be paid before any coverage except that deemed essential by the ACA kicks in.

Insurers are also increasingly narrowing provider networks, meaning that people are forced to switch doctors and hospitals. When premium hikes and coverage reductions do not adequately increase the insurers bottom line, they are pulling out of the market altogether, leading to the present situation where in one-third of counties people have only one substandard choice.

The present state of affairs exposes the pro-corporate, anti-working class character of Obamacare as a whole. From its inception it was aimed at slashing costs for the government and corporations while boosting profits for the health care industry by reducing benefits and rationing care for working people.
President Obama and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet this coming weekend, the White House said Monday, as tensions mounted between Washington and Ankara over the Turkish invasion of Syria. The meeting will be held in China, where both Obama and Erdogan are to participate in the Group of 20 summit of leading economic powers on September 4-5.

The Obama-Erdogan meeting was announced as a series of US spokesmen criticized the actions of the Turkish military in Syria. After ousting Islamic State (ISIS) militants from the border town of Jarabulus, Turkish forces, allied with the US through NATO, have turned their guns against Syrian Kurdish forces sponsored and armed by the United States. Dozens were killed Sunday in a series of bombardments as Turkish artillery and air strikes hit several villages held by Syrian Kurdish forces, including Jeb el-Kussa, where at least 20 died and 50 were wounded.

The Turkish invasion, dubbed Operation Euphrates Shield, while initially billed as an offensive against ISIS, quickly became an extension of the protracted civil war inside Turkey between the Turkish military and guerrillas of the separatist PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party). The Syrian Kurds, allied to the PKK, are organized in the YPG militia and the PYD party, which have become the main forces backed by the Obama administration in northern Syria.

The trigger for the Turkish incursion was not the Islamic State, which has controlled the section of the Syrian-Turkish border west of Jarabulus for several years without interference by Turkey, but the advances by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an umbrella group dominated by the YPG, which crossed the Euphrates River and captured the town of Manbij from Islamic State after a 10-week battle.

Turkish forces crossed the border August 24 and drove Islamic State out of Jarabulus. Then, together with Sunni Islamist militias allied with them, they began seizing villages that had been taken by the SDF-YPG in the course of their own offensive against ISIS. A reporter for Al-Jazeera said, referring to the Turkish forces and their militia allies, their main target is to take over Manbij. YPG fighters maintain a significant presence along that area with their local allies.

Kurdish forces withdrew in the face of the Turkish onslaught, but in some cases did not move east of the Euphrates, as demanded by Turkey, but south through Manbij, maintaining their beachhead on the western side of the river. The SDFs military council in the region declared in an online statement, We, the military council of Jarabulus and its countryside, announce the withdrawal of our forces to the line south of the Sajour River to preserve the lives of civilians and so that no pretext remains for continued strikes on villages and civilians.

In the first days of the invasion, which began while Vice President Joseph Biden was in Ankara, US officials indicated their support for the Turkish attack, hoping that it would help create better conditions for realizing the main US goal of overthrowing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is allied with Iran and Russia.

But Monday saw an escalating series of warnings to Turkey from US officials. Brett McGurk, the US special envoy for the campaign against ISIS, wrote on Twitter, We want to make clear that we find these clashesin areas where [ISIS] is not locatedunacceptable and a source of deep concern. We call on all armed actors to stand down.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, at a media appearance with the visiting defense minister of India, said that he would be meeting with the Turkish defense minister, Fikri Iski, next week in Europe. He said, We have called upon Turkey to stay focused on the fight against ISIS and not to engage the Kurdish forces. Weve called on both sides not to fight one another, not to fight each other, he said.

After announcing the upcoming Obama-Erdogan meeting, Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters at the White House, Further action against the SDF would complicate efforts to have that united front against ISIS. At their meeting in China, he went on, Obama and Erdogan would discuss the situation in Turkey since the attempted military coup of July 15, as well as the war in Syria and the refugee crisis that it has produced.

Meanwhile, the Syrian government, which has exercised no control over the region in question for several years, condemned what it called repetitive breaches, aggression and massacres committed by Turkey against the Syrian people in the area around Jarabulus. The Syrian Foreign Ministry sent two messages Monday to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, accusing Turkey of full-fledged crimes against humanity.

Turkish officials reiterated their demands that the Syrian Kurdish forces cross back east of the Euphrates River or the Turkish military would continue to attack them. So long as they dont, they will be a target, said Mevlut Cavusoglu, the foreign minister.

Posturing as the defender of Syrian Arabs against aggression by the Kurdsthe stance adopted by ISIS as wellCavusoglu claimed, In the places where it has moved, the YPG forces everyone outincluding Kurdswho do not think like it does and carries out ethnic cleansing.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus declared Monday that one goal of the Turkish military intervention was to prevent the YPG from gaining control of the entire Syrian-Turkish border, from the northeast to the Mediterranean Sea. If that happens, it means Syria has been divided, he told the Turkish broadcaster NTV, adding, We are in favor of Syrias territorial integrity. He denied Turkey was entering the war in Syria, saying, We are not pursuing an aim of becoming a permanent power in Syria. Turkey is not an invader.

Perhaps the most intransigent comment came from Omer Celik, a Turkish cabinet minister, who dismissed US demands that the country fight ISIS but not the Kurdish YPG. No one has the right to tell Turkey to fight this terror organization but dont fight that terror organization, he said.

The Turkish government brands all Kurdish separatist forces as terrorists, whether located in Syria, Iraq or Turkey itself. The Erdogan regime regards the advance of the YPG in Syria as a deadly threat, when combined with the existence of a Kurdish Regional Authority in northern Iraq, and the renewed attacks by the PKK in southeastern Turkey itself. While the Kurdish forces are divided politically, Ankara fears efforts to link up Kurdish speakers in southeastern Turkey, northern Syria and northern Iraq in a future independent Kurdistan.

The complex political situation is made even more complicated by the fact that the Syrian Arab forces allied with the Turks and with the Syrian Kurds respectively each have a US government sponsor. The CIA arms and trains the Sunni Islamist militias that are loosely referred to as the Free Syrian Army, while the Pentagon has helped create the SDF. The result is that separate US-backed Syrian militias are fighting each other.

According to press reports, Jaysh al Tahrir, an Islamist militia described by Washington as a moderate rebel group, has received several TOW anti-tank missiles from the US and is presumably now using them against the SDF, which has Pentagon Special Forces operators embedded within it, who could now find themselves targeted by missiles supplied by their own government.

This possibility only demonstrates the increasing recklessness and irrationality of the policy of US imperialism in Syria and throughout the Middle East. After 13 years of warfare, beginning in Iraq and now extending into the civil wars in Syria, Yemen and Libya, the United States has devastated a vast region. Washington bears the main responsibility for the deaths of several million people, the creation of tens of millions of refugees, and destruction on a scale not seen since World War II.
Anyone who reads the New York Times, Americas so-called newspaper of record, will have observed that, with increasing regularity, the papers front-page lead has far more in common with a propaganda dispatch than a news report.

Taking the editions published over the past six weeks as a sample, one finds again and again that the Times  lead articles are not only contentious, if not fabricated, but are virtually devoid of actual news, consisting instead of claims made by US government and other official sources, who are usually unnamed. Bearing headlines such as More Enemies Of the Kremlin End Up Dead, Russian Spies Said to Hack Systems Used in Clintons Run, Spy Agency Consensus Grows That Russia Hacked DNC, and Seeing in Email Breach a Trump-Putin Alliance, these articles make sweeping and unsubstantiated assertions in order to present a slanted narrative aimed at justifying the reactionary foreign policy machinations cooked up by the US intelligence agencies and the State Department. A particular focus is the preparations for war against Russia.

The front-page lead of Mondays edition breaks new ground for state propaganda in the guise of news. The print edition bears the headline Russias Powerful Weapon To Hurt Rivals: Falsehoods, with an underline reading Spreading Disinformation to Sow Discord, Fear and Doubt in Europe and US.

The article, by Neil MacFarquhar, the Times Middle East correspondent during the Iraq war, begins by alleging that efforts to forge closer military links between Sweden and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have been stymied by what it calls a flood of distorted and outright false information on social media.

This false information includes claims that If Sweden, a non-NATO member, signed the deal, the alliance would stockpile secret nuclear weapons on Swedish soil, and that NATO could attack Russia from Sweden without government approval. Not so outlandish, given the devious and increasingly reckless policies of the US-dominated military alliance.

This example becomes the rather thin reed for the allegation that the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin is carrying out a systematic campaign of dezinformatsiya, or disinformation, to undermine the official version of events and foster a kind of policy paralysis.

What follows is a string of somewhat disparate instances of alleged Russian aggression, deception and generally sinister activities. The entire premise, however, is absurd. That a government should engage in disinformation as part of its foreign policy is presented as something unheard of and beyond the pale.

One feels compelled to ask Mr. MacFarquhar and his superiors at the Times if they really think they are addressing fools and idiots. Disinformation, as the Times well knows from long and direct experience, is practiced by every capitalist government, none more so than the American. As Winston Churchill declared, In war, truth is so precious that it must be surrounded by a bodyguard of lies.

The US government oversees a massive network of media outlets and well-paid hacks, along with an army of academics and think tank propagandists, to manipulate public opinion and turn reality on its head in the furtherance of its aggressive geopolitical aims. When it comes to disinformation, the Kremlin is small potatoes compared to Washington.

Does the Times think the people of America and the world have forgotten the brazen lies about weapons of mass destruction and Iraqi-Al Qaeda ties that were used to justify the illegal and unprovoked invasion of Iraq, the overthrow and eventual murder of the countrys president, and the mass killing and destruction over years of military occupation that turned one of the most advanced societies in the Middle East into a bleeding and impoverished staging ground for sectarian conflict?

Or the lies about an imminent massacre in Benghazi that were used as the pretext for the war for regime change in Libya that killed 40,000 people, toppled and murdered Muammar Gaddafi and left the country in a state of permanent chaos and anarchy? Or the false claims of Syrian government chemical weapons attacks that were promoted in 2013 to justify an all-out war to overthrow that countrys ruler and install a US puppet government, until the Obama administration pulled back at the last minute to buy more time for the regime-change operation? Or the grotesque presentation of the armed protests by anti-Russian fascists in Kiev and subsequent putsch against a pro-Russian government as a democratic revolution?

Of course, one could go further back, at least to the blowing up of the Maine, which became the casus belli for the Spanish American War, and the Gulf of Tonkin incident, used to justify the rapid escalation of the US war in Vietnam.

The Times has played and continues to play a central part in these operations, the most notorious being its leading role in promoting the lies used to justify the invasion of Iraq. Has Mr. MacFarquhar not heard of Judith Miller, the top Times reporter who was caught in Iraq war lies so spectacular the newspaper had to disavow and sack her?

This did not prevent the Times from publishing a front-page lead article in 2014 shortly after the coup in Ukraine, replete with fabricated photographs, claiming to prove that Russian troops had invaded eastern Ukraine. Within 24 hours of publication, the newspaper was forced to retract this piece of state propaganda as well.

Since then, the Times has only intensified its role as a clearinghouse for lies hatched by the US military/intelligence apparatus. In his article on alleged Russian disinformation, MacFarquhar does not hesitate to include some gross distortions and lies of his own. Thus he categorically asserts a Russian role in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in July of 2014, which resulted in the deaths of 298 passengers and crew.

He denounces the Kremlin for a dizzying array of theories about the destruction of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine, blaming the CIA and, most outlandishly, Ukrainian fighter pilots who had mistaken the airliner for the Russian presidential aircraft.

He continues, The cloud of stories helped veil the simple truth that poorly trained insurgents had accidentally downed the plane with a missile supplied by Russia.

This simple truth is presented without any factual justification. The official Dutch report on the MH17 crash made no assertions about who bore responsibility for downing the jet, while a July 24 exchange between State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf and Associated Press reporter Matt Lee made clear that the US had no evidence to back up its claims that Russian-backed separatists were responsible.

He speaks of the Kremlin deploying Russian forces to seize Crimea. Whether or not Russian forces were on the ground in Crimea is a matter of dispute, but it is a fact that a large majority of the population, hostile to the right-wing anti-Russian regime in Kiev, voted in a plebiscite to separate from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation.

In recent weeks, the Times has been publishing articles, commentaries and editorials accusing Russia, again without any substantiation, of hacking into the computer system of the Democratic National Committee to leak emails damaging to the election campaign of Democrat Hillary Clinton so as to promote the Siberian candidate, in the words of Times columnist Paul Krugman, Donald Trump.

Mondays article marks a continuation and deepening of this propaganda offensive. This time, a central aim is to implicate the English-language television channel Russia Today in the spread of disinformation. MacFarquhar writes, The Kremlin uses both conventional mediaSputnik, a news agency, and RT, a television outletand covert channels

He continues, RT often seems obsessed with the United States, portraying life there as hellish. Its coverage of the Democratic National Convention, for example, skipped the speeches and focused instead on scattered demonstrations.

The aim of such disinformation is to undermine the official version of events, according to the Times. MacFarquhar does not, however, document a single instance in which RT has published false information.

The Times is attacking RT not for publishing false stories, but because it presents a version of events that has not been massaged and vetted by US intelligence. The Times brands as disinformation reporting that does not confirm to the credo spelled out in 2014 by its then-Executive Editor Bill Keller, who declared that transparency is not an absolute good, and that freedom of the press includes freedom not to publish, and that is a freedom we exercise with some regularity.

The attempts of RT to put a pro-Russian spin on events pale in comparison to the vast propaganda leviathan that is the US media, with its 24-hour news programs, headed by hacks like CNN's Wolf Blitzer, the Rupert Murdoch-controlled Fox News, and the nightly news programs aimed at duping, deceiving and pacifying the population.

Ultimately, the target of the New York Times ire is not only the Russian government and RT, but domestic opposition to war. In seeking to present any questioning of the official pro-war narrative as the result of Russian propaganda, the Times is seeking to bully, intimidate and discredit opposition to provocative and reckless policies in the Middle East and against Russia and China that are leading inexoraby to a third world war.
On Sunday, German Economics Minister and Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel expressed major doubts that the free trade agreement between the European Union and the United States, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), would be concluded.

In a summer Interview with ZDF television, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader said, The negotiations with the US have de facto failed because we as Europeans naturally cannot submit to American demands There has been no movement. He added that in 14 rounds of talks, negotiators had not reached agreement on a single one of the 27 areas in the deal.

Negotiations on the TTIP have been underway since June of 2013. The agreement aims to eliminate trade barriers between the US and Europe. In the process, it would undermine basic health and safety standards, wages and environmental and consumer safeguards.

Banks and corporations would acquire broad new powers under the agreement. If laws were passed that threatened profits, the companies concerned could take legal action against the governments that were responsible. The differences between the two sides centre on how the courts should operate.

Gabriel is now questioning the viability of the agreement not out of concern over its anti-democratic and anti-working class orientation, which he supports. In the interview, he emphasized that he favored Germanys commitment to free trade, because we are an export-oriented nation. As a positive example, he cited the free trade agreement with Canada, CETA, which is already largely negotiated and has similar provisions to those in the TTIP.

In the negotiations with the United States, the main issue is whether Germany and Europe can position their own corporations in a more advantageous position compared to their US competitors.

The German Economics Ministry published an interim assessment of the TTIP negotiations three weeks ago, which stated: To date, none of the 27 to 30 sections of the final TTIP agreement have been concluded substantially. Most of the issues in dispute relate to the immediate interests of the respective economies.

The United States has refused to agree on an equal playing field between European and American companies in the sphere of public procurement. At the level of states, regions and cities, the United States insists on retaining the principle of Buy American. This was the biggest obstacle when it came to public procurement, the report declares.

Conversely, the EU will at least partially maintain duties on certain agricultural products such as beef, pork, poultry and dairy products. The US is ready to make concessions here only if it can protect its auto industry with import duties against its European competitors.

In the conclusion of its report, the German Economics Ministry estimates that the possibility of an agreement by the end of the year is slight. It assumes that the conflicts are likely to get even worse. In the US presidential campaign, both candidates have been critical of, and positioned themselves against, free trade agreements, the report states. How important the issue of trade agreements will be on the agenda of the next president is currently unclear and cannot be predicted.

There are significant differences within the German government on this estimation. After publication of the interim report, government spokesman Steffen Seibert said: The entire federal government regards a speedy conclusion of the TTIP agreement to be a central project. Seibert added that this was also the attitude of the Economics Ministry.

There was also strong criticism from the SPDs coalition partner following Gabriels statements on Sunday: Although the TTIP is a Sisyphean task, it is still far from failed, the economics spokesman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Bundestag group, Joachim Pfeiffer, told the press. I expect that in the interests of the export-oriented German economy, the economics minister will stand at the head of the movement rather than throw in the towel.

His vice chairman, Michael Fuchs, said on Monday: Its totally irresponsible for the TTIP to be denigrated with false allegations by some interested parties, often by vested interests. He referred, in particular, to the necessity for the German economy to stand up against competition from Asia. Relations in the world are shifting more and more towards Asia, he said. We now have a choice: do we want to continue to have a say in trade rules or do we reduce ourselves to onlookers?

The politicians of the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union speak for a broad section of the German economy, which is pressing for a speedy adoption of TTIP in anticipation of growing profits. The United States has been Germanys largest market since 2015. Approximately ten percent of all German exports go to the United States. At the same time, the United States is the fourth largest exporter of goods to Germany.

I find it amazing that the German minister of economics declares the TTIP negotiations to have de facto failed, said Ulrich Grillo, the president of the Federation of German Industries (BDI). The president of the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), Eric Schweitzer, also defended the TTIP negotiations, saying, We have common interests and values, so we should continue to negotiate seriously.

The EU Commission considers the negotiations to be ongoing. If the conditions are right, the commission is prepared to finalise this agreement by the end of the year, stated commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas on Monday.

The discussions on the agreement demonstrate that transatlantic conflicts are growing. US courts and authorities took a hard line against the Volkswagen Group, Germanys largest car manufacturer, in relation to its exhaust scandal. In a deal that does not include all damage claims, VW is required to pay up to 13.6 billion euros.

Given these conflicts, there is a growing chorus in Germany saying that the country should orientate more to Asia. This faction regards the trade agreement with the United States as an obstacle. It is not prepared to accept demands dictated by the US, but seeks rather to establish Europe, under German leadership, as a world power.

This is the perspective shared by the organizers of the anti-TTIP lobby, including the German Trade Union Federation (DGB), the Left Party and the Greens. They criticize TTIP not from the standpoint of the international working class, but rather from the standpoint of German imperialism. In a statement titled The struggle against TTIP is a class question, the Socialist Equality Party wrote in October of last year:

It makes a big difference whether one combats TTIP and CETA from the standpoint of the international working class or from the standpoint of German national interests.

The first approach leads to a socialist perspective. It employs the methods of class struggle. It strives to unite working people on both sides of the Atlantic, to encourage all forms of social resistance, and to impart to them a socialist orientation. Its aim is the nationalization of the banks, big corporations and large fortunes and the reorganization of society on a socialist basis, i.e., in the interest of social need rather than profit.

The second approach leads to nationalism and war. It blurs class antagonisms in the name of a broad alliance and identifies the Americans as the enemy, rather than the ruling class in ones own country and in the United States. It exploits legitimate concerns about the destruction of social and democratic rights as a pretext to support German imperialism in its economic and military struggle to become a world power.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) - A metro Atlanta man who relied on prayer, not doctors, to save his ailing baby has been convicted of second-degree murder in the infant girl's death.

WSB-TV reports (http://2wsb.tv/2bv6aYG ) George Landell was sentenced to 20 years in prison Monday after a Gwinnett County jury found him guilty in the March 2015 death of his 11-week-old daughter, Nevaeh.

Prosecutors said the child died from malnutrition after Landell and his wife had been mixing water with breast milk they fed the baby. Landell said he never took the child to a hospital or called a doctor because of his religious beliefs. Instead, he relied on the guidance of a spiritual adviser.

The child's mother, Lauren Fristed, previously pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct charges in the case.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
GRANTVILLE, Ga. (AP) - A Georgia sheriff says murder charges have been added against four suspects accused of beating and burning an 83-year-old woman at her home during an attempted robbery.

WTVM-TV reports (http://bit.ly/2bVgXcW ) Meriwhether County Sheriff Chuck Smith said charges in the case were upgraded after Dorothy Dow died Saturday at an Atlanta hospital, weeks after being attacked at her Grantville home Aug. 4.

Authorities say Dow was doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire when five people demanded money from her and she told them she didn't have any.

Five suspects have been arrested. The sheriff says malice murder and felony murder charges have been added against four of them - Justin Pierce Grady, Cortavious Deshun Heard, Mina Christine Ellery and Angel Latrice Harmon.

___

Information from: WTVM-TV, http://www.wtvm.com/

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
QUINCY, FL (WTXL) - Community leaders are using the end of early voting to send a strong message about voting rights.

Felon voting rights advocate Pastor Gregory James teamed up with Citizens for a Better Quincy to hold its vote rally, "Voice of the Ex-Felon". Pastor James is an ex-felon himself and has been behind the push for restoration rights for those who have served their time.

On Sunday, dozens of ex-felons, community activists, and residents gathered at the Quincy Courthouse to hear the stories of those who were stripped of their rights.

Organizers said the commitment of these men to mobilizing the community vote despite their disenfranchised status is an example of why the deserve to cast their ballots. Pastor James is also working on a petition to send the Supreme Court in support of restoration rights.
TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) -- Election officials across Florida are ensuring all polling locations are ready for registered voters to cast their ballots.

In Leon County, the Supervisor of Elections office will have a thousand employees ready for Tuesday's primary.

Each of the county's 88 polling sites gets a set of election materials, which are housed at the Voting Operations Center on 2990 Apalachee Parkway.

Supervisor of Elections Ion Sancho says maintaining a fair and accurate elections is critical, especially during a local primary that's already record-breaking.

"The local candidate record was [in the] upper 30's, and we topped 50," Sancho said. "As a result, we had to produce 612 discreet ballot styles for the election, so this is a complex election to oversee. But again, we've got the process well under control, and we're ready for the voters, regardless of all those choices they have to make. We'll make sure those votes count."

Voters are allowed to wear shirts and pins advertising candidates, but the office prohibits taking pictures inside polling sites and in voting booths.

Not every race on the ballot will have a final winner Tuesday. Out of all the contests on the ballot, just three are definite "winner takes all" races.

A seat for county judge, city commission and school board are all up for grabs -- with just two candidates in each of those contests. There is a potential for more races to go final tomorrow -- but Sancho says there needs to be a clear majority in those contests to decide a winner.

"In those seats, if anybody garners 50 percent plus one vote, those races are also determined," he said. "Races that fall into that category, for example, are the supervisor of elections office, where there are three candidates."

Voters will have at least two locations to cast their ballots:

- the voter's precinct-specific polling site, or

- one of two sites for emergency voting, if voters are unsure of their site.

Emergency voting will take place at the Voting Operations Center (2990 Apalachee Parkway) and the Leon County courthouse from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.
TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) - The suspect involved in the shooting death of a woman at the Plantation at Pine Lakes Apartment Complex has been arrested in Michigan.

Steve Lincoln has been arrested by Michigan State Police and the United States Marshal Service for death of 33-year-old Vicki Hoffman.

According to police, Hoffman was shot multiple times Sunday night following a verbal argument between her and Lincoln. Hoffman's son told police that he heard his mother yell out followed by two gunshots. He said his mother crawled into his room bleeding and asked him to call the police.

Hoffman's son also said that he did not see the shooting happen, but he saw Lincoln leave after the son rushed out of the apartment to call 911.

Police responded around 9:55 p.m. and discovered Hoffman suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to her body. She was pronounced dead on Monday at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Hoffman died as a result of gunshot wounds to her arm, hip area, and stomach.

Lincoln was arrested in Jackson County, Michigan and has been charged with 2nd degree homicide. He is currently in custody.
VALDOSTA, GA (WTXL) - The Georgia Governor's Honors Program is leaving Valdosta State University.

The GHP is a residential summer program for gifted and talent high school students who will be rising juniors and seniors. The program provides students with cultural and social enrichment, so they can become the next generation of global leaders.

GHP has been stationed at VSU for years until Berry College was selected to host the program beginning in 2017.

While VSU is losing a key program, they are also announcing another new partnership.

VSU has announced that they will be teaming up with Florida Gateway College for the "two plus two" transfer admission guarantee. This will allow students to transfer their two years of coursework to VSU.

VSU and Gateway College leaders agreed that the new partnership will allow students an easy pathway to a bachelor's degree.
Profits of China's major industrial firms rose 6.9 percent year on year in the first seven months of 2016, accelerating from the 6.2-percent rise registered in the first half, official data showed Saturday.
PASCO, Wash.  Ricky Anthony Young has insisted for four decades that he had nothing to do w
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Two Episcopal priests from the Yakima Valley are among those calling for a federal investigation of the tactics being used to break up an ongo
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AMMAN - Syrian rebels have captured a strategic town in northern Hama province in a major offensive that threatens government loyalist towns populated by minority Christians and Alawites north of the provincial capital, rebels and a monitor said on Tuesday.

The town of Halfaya was stormed on Monday after the hardline jihadist Jund al-Aqsa alongside Free Syrian Army (FSA) brigades launched a battle overnight that overran several army and pro-government checkpoints in northern Hama countryside.

The town, which is near a main road that links the coastal areas with the Aleppo-Damascus highway is only a few kilometers from the historic Christian town of Mahrada to the west.
Palestinian authorities are silencing dissent by cracking down on free speech and abusing local journalists and activists critical of their policies, a leading international human rights group said Tuesday.

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Human Rights Watch said both the Western-backed Palestinian Authority led by President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank and its rival, the ruling Islamic militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, are "arresting, abusing, and criminally charging journalists and activists who express peaceful criticism of the authorities."

In 2007, Hamas ousted Abbas' Fatah forces from Gaza in bloody street battles, leaving the Palestinians divided between two governments. Attempts at reconciliation have repeatedly failed, and both Hamas and the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority have periodically launched crackdowns against their rivals in efforts to consolidate power.

Palestinian Security Forces (Photo: AFP)

"The Palestinian governments in both Gaza and the West Bank are arresting and even physically abusing activists and journalists who express criticism on important public issues," said Sari Bashi, the Israel and Palestine country director at Human Rights Watch.

HRW said that in the West Bank, Palestinian forces arrested activists and musicians who "ridiculed Palestinian security forces" and "accused the government of corruption" in statements posted on Facebook or stated in graffiti and rap songs.

In Gaza, the rights group said an activist who criticized Hamas for "failing to protect a man with a mental disability" was detained and intimidated by the group, as was a journalist who "posted a photograph of a woman looking for food in a garbage bin."

The New York-based rights group said that in the incidents of abuse, "activists and journalists said that security officers beat or kicked them, deprived them of sleep and proper food, hosed them with cold and then hot water, and made them maintain uncomfortable positions for long hours."

Tarik Abu Zaid, a journalist with the Hamas-allied al-Aqsa TV station, said he has been arrested by the Palestinian Authority three times, most recently in March, and held for a month each time.

"For the first week, the investigation was friendly," he said. "But by the end of the first week, they started using several ways of physical and psychological torture to make me confess to charges that I didn't do." He said he was forced to stand and prevented from sleeping for three days and beaten in the genitals by an interrogator.

Jamal Dajani, spokesman for the West Bank government, said any such incidents were "isolated" and did not reflect official government policy. He said in some cases, journalists were arrested under defamation laws.

"These incidents have nothing to do with freedom of the press," he said. "The government is working on creating a better environment for press freedom. We believe in and support the freedom of speech and the right for journalists to operate freely in Palestine."

In Gaza, Hamas officials declined comment.
IDF forces have destroyed the house of Mohammad Amairah, 38, in the village of Dura. Amairah was part of the terrorist cell which killed Michael Mark and severely injured his wife and daughter as they were driving in the West Bank two months ago.

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The demolition was carried out by soldiers in the Yahalom unit and the 605 combat engineers battalion, alongside border police and COGAT.

Micky Mark's killer's home demolished

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Amairah was a part of the Palestinian Security Forces in the West Bank, and was arrested three days after he carried out his attack.

IDF forces preparing to demolish the house of terrorist Mohammad Amairah (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

IDF forcers prepare to demolish the home of terrorist Mohammad Amairah (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

IDF forcers prepare to demolish the home of terrorist Mohammad Amairah (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

While initially saying he was the driver of the terror cell's car during the attack, following a Shin Bet investigation, he revealed that a man named Mohammad Fakih fired the deadly shots, killing Mark. He even turned over the weapon and vehicle used in the attack.

Fakih was killed during a shootout with Israeli security forces after barricading himself in his home in Surif.
France's trade chief says he wants to ask the European Union to end talks with the US on forging a sweeping trade deal that his socialist government sees as too friendly to U.S. business.

Matthias Fekl, France's secretary of state for foreign trade, said Tuesday on RMC radio that "we need a clear, clean, definitive stop" to the negotiations on a proposed Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. He said talks could resume if wider EU-US trade relations improved.

Accusing the American side of offering "just crumbs," Fekl said France would ask the European Commission to halt the talks at a trade ministers meeting in Slovakia next month. Germany's economy minister said Sunday that negotiations have effectively collapsed, but a US trade official said they're making steady progress.
China's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned a car bomb attack on its embassy in Kyrgyzstan, which it said wounded three embassy staff, calling it an "extreme and violent attack."

China also urged Kyrgyz authorities to "get to the bottom of the incident", spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

According to Kyrgyz officials, a suspected suicide bomber rammed the gates of the Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, killing himself and wounding three others.
On a hill near Mt. Hebron, under the veil of secrecy, the Lehava anti-assimilation organization is operating a summer camp for Hilltop Youth where they are taught Krav Maga and colloquial Arabic, receive basic field training, learn how to conduct surveillance and how to withstand Shin Bet and police interrogations.

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This is the camps second year running. Just this summer, the camp has had five cohorts due to high demand. Camp participants, aged 14 to 22 years old, come for three intense days of training.

One part of the program is focused on physical fitness and the IDF-developed self-defense system Krav Maga. The participants run, roll around on the ground, jump over obstacles, and learn how to defend themselves from attackers.

:   :  

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Another part of the course instructs the participants on how to deal with Arabs, and includes learning key phrases in Arabic. Head of Lehava, Bentzi Gopstein , provides the incendiary content against Arabs, Muslims, and even Christians.

According to Gopstein, "the goal is to have a pre-army program that would encourage young people to have a meaningful IDF service, and educate them to fight assimilation and love the land of Israel.

Krav Maga training (Photo: Amit Shabi)

One of the participants explains that "they teach us how to approach an Arab who is going out with a Jewish girl. I know how to say to him in Arabic 'give me your sister's number,' and then make it clear to him that he cant be in contact with the Jewish girl anymore.

Fitness training (Photo: Amit Shabi)

Bentzi Gopstein teaches Arabic (Photo: Amit Shabi)

Another class focuses on how to withstand Shin Bet interrogation and is taught by Noam Federman, an extreme right-wing activist who spent about nine months in administrative detention.

Federman starts his class with a question: Who among you has been questioned by police? Almost everyone in the room raise their hands. He alters his question with a smile: Okay, so who actually hasnt been questioned by police before?

He then goes on to explain police questioning is childs play compared to Shin Bet interrogation. Unlike police questioning, where if you keep silent for a few days, theyll eventually send you homethe Shin Bet has means and time; a lot of means and a lot of time. The interrogation by the Shin Bet is something completely different, and you must prepare for it differently.

Noam Federman talks about Shin Bet interrogations (Photo: Amit Shabi)

Federman explains, The goal of a Shin Bet interrogator is to make the interrogatee completely dependent upon him for anything, completely needy. I remember being led into one of the interrogation rooms with a ski mask they put on me. They sat me down on a chair bolted to the floor, tied my hands, and I needed them even for a drink of water.

Another time when they detained me, they left me in a small cell for a long time. The cell reeked because the toilet was a hole in the floor inside the cell, you couldnt shower, and everything stank.

The Shin Bet is no place for delicate people. But if youre strong enough to stay silent and not let them play youyoull ruin their plans. After a few days they in which hung me out to dry, they were sure Id want to go into the interrogation room, and when they called me in I told them no. That ruined all of their plans completely, he recounts.

Krav Maga training (Photo: Amit Shabi)

Federman also tells his students about his friend, Yitzhak Pass, whose daughter Shalhevet was murdered in a shooting attack in Hebron when she was only ten-months-old. In 2003, Pass was caught along with another person with eight demolition blocks in their possession. They were arrested, tried and served a two-year jail sentence.

I remember Yitzhak came to seek my advice after his arrest. I told him to say he found the demolition blocks and was just on his way to the police to hand them over, Federman says.

He concludes his lesson with a warning. During the investigation into the Duma arson, there was a guy we knew was going to be arrested. He declared to me that he wasnt going to tell the Shin Bet interrogator a thing. Two days later he was arrested and then, after a few days of interrogation, he spilled the beans on everything. Thats why you need to set yourself a threshold that you could withstand.

Krav Maga training (Photo: Amit Shabi)

Ben-Gvir, meanwhile, is a celebrity at the camp. He explains to the teenagers their rights when it comes to police questioning or when they are arrested during protests, and hes not modest about his own personal victories.

Those who know the law and know how to work with the police, can also make money out of it, Ben-Gvir says with half a smile. In total, they paid me compensation of several hundreds of thousands of shekels. You just need to know the letter of the law. For example, you should know that a protest of less than 50 people doesnt require permits, and you cant be arrested for it. You can also demand the police officers to identify themselves.

Fitness training (Photo: Amit Shabi)

Camp operators dont think theres anything wrong with it. On the contrary. We bring teenagers here and teach them values about Greater Israel and how to act against assimilation. This is a praiseworthy initiative that even the government should participate in its funding, Ben-Gvir says.

Gopstein adds, Everything done here is by the law. There is no use of weapons here. These teenagers are here to protect Jewish honor. We love the IDF, but were against the Shin Bets violent interrogations.
A new program will connect Israeli start-ups to the US Special Forces Command (SOCOM).

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The program, called the Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA) helps start-ups get off the ground.

"The program is based in Tampa Bay, Florida, and is borne out of an initiative by the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Center in Tampa," a spokesperson for the accelerator said.

FIBA has already begun to accept proposals, of which between six to 10 will be accepted. They will then participate in a four month program in Tampa.

Special forces training (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

The head of the program, Dr. Vicki Rabenou, has extensive experience in the Israeli bio-tech and hi-tech fields. She was formerly the director of Israeli government investment in hi-tech incubators under the Office of the Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Economy.

FIBA signed a deal with United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM), who's general staff is based in Tampa. SOCOM commands the Marines, Navy SEALS, and Delta Force, amongst other units.

The companies which are chosen to be a part of the program will be allowed to present their start-ups to SOCOM for purchase by the US government in the fields of bio-tech, cyber security, sensors, and whatever else the US military needs.

"The ability to develop (a start-up) with SOCOM assistance is a tremendous opportunity for Israeli entrepreneurs, and is also an opportunity to help develop the capabilities of the Special Forces warrior on the battlefield," Rabenou said.
US President Barack Obama will have a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan during the G20 summit in China next month and is likely to have at least an informal talk with Russia's Vladimir Putin, the White House said on Monday.

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Obama wants to talk with Erdogan about events in Turkey after July's attempted coup, the military campaign against ISIS, and how to promote stability in Syria, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters.

The White House said it opposes Turkey's push into areas in northern Syria controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, an opposition group the Obama administration supports, as it stands to erode the united front against ISIS. The Obama-Erdogan meeting is scheduled for Sunday.

Obama to meet Erdogan (Photo: AP)

It was not certain whether Obama would hold a formal meeting with the Russian president during the G20 summit of the world's biggest economies, which runs Sept 4-5. But the two leaders often speak on the margins of such summits, Rhodes said.

"We usually try to find an opportunity for the two leaders to try to spend some time together, usually to focus on Syria and Ukraine," Rhodes said. The United States is at odds with Russia over the eastern Ukraine conflict and Washington and Moscow have struggled to stop fighting in Syria's civil war.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a meeting between Putin and Obama has not yet been coordinated, Russian RIA news agency reported. "We are ready," RIA cited Peskov as saying. "But there is no final agreement yet."
White nationalist and former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke is urging voters in a robocall to vote for him for Senate and Donald Trump in the presidential election.

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"Unless massive immigration is stopped now, we'll be outnumbered and out-voted in our own nation. It's happening," Duke said in the automated call, a recording of which was posted online by Buzzfeed on Monday.

"We're taxed to death. We're losing our jobs and business to unfair trade. We're losing our country," he added.

"It's time to stand up and vote for Donald Trump for president and vote for me, David Duke, for the US Senate."

Clinton campaign ad putting spotlight on Trump's KKK ties

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The 66-year-old Duke, a former KKK imperial wizard repudiated as racist and anti-Semitic, confirmed to Buzzfeed that it was his voice on the call.

Trump, 70, was criticized by some, including members of rival Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, for not swiftly and forcefully denouncing Duke six months ago when Duke expressed support for the provocative billionaire's White House bid.

Donald Trump (Photo: AP)

Trump's campaign was quick to repudiate Duke's robocall.

"It's absolutely disturbing," Trump campaign spokeswoman Katrina Pierson told CNN.

Trump's team "has no knowledge of the campaign that David Duke is running, and we have disavowed David Duke and don't condone any of the activities that he's doing," she added.

Duke, running as a Republican to fill an empty Senate seat for Louisiana, has discomfited many Republicans by pushing racial overtones onto the political stage.

David Duke (Photo: Emmanuel d'Aubignosc)

The so-called "alt-right" political movement has formed a substantial chunk of Trump's base of support. Clinton unveiled an attack ad last week seeking to paint Trump as the candidate for neo-Nazis, racists and white supremacists.

Duke has run unsuccessfully for multiple political positions including president, although he did serve in the Louisiana House from 1989 until 1992.

On Monday, Clinton called Duke "despicable," telling supporters in Easthampton, New York that she "wanted to pull it out from under the rock so people could see it and understand that David Duke has endorsed Donald Trump."
Former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo warned on Tuesday that the polarization and division in Israeli society could lead to a civil war.

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"This internal threat should concern us more than external threats," Pardo said. "If a divided society crosses a certain line, a civil war becomes a possibility in the most extreme scenario. I'm concerned we're heading in this direction.

"At the end of the day, there is more that unites us than divides us, but there are those within Israeli society who prefer to emphasize what divides rather than what unites us. I can't put a finger on one group or leader; (this phenomenon) exists among all sectors in the country."

Pardo, left, with Brig.-Gen. (res.) Amal Assad (Photo: Avihu Shapira)

"A state is a combination of unity and individuality," he continued. "We each have our own unique characteristics, but we also have things that unite us. Some want to apply their unique characteristics to the entire societyand they fail."

Pardo concluded by saying, "We live in a world dealing with a serious problem of distrust between the citizens and their governments. Take, for example, the referendum in Britain several months ago. After all, if you look into how many among the population truly understand the ramifications of leaving the EU, you won't even reach one percent. The same applies to the primary elections in the US. We need to be careful not to end up in a similar situation."

Pardo was speaking alongside Brig.-Gen. (res.) Amal Assad and Brig. Gen. (res.) Ram Shmueli at a press conference held ahead of a march in memory of fallen Druze IDF soldiers. The march will be held on September 23 in Daliyat al-Karmel.
The trial of Sgt. Elor Azaria, who was filmed shooting and killing a neutralized Palestinian terrorist in Hebron, continued on Tuesday. Following yesterdays testimony of Lt. M. in defense of Azaria, Tuesday saw Ashi Horowitz, who serves on the Hebron civilian security contingency squad, come up to the stand. Horowitz corroborated Azarias claim that there was danger that the terrorist, who had already been neutralized and lying unarmed on the ground, still posed a threat.

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Horowitz testified that he arrived on the scene shortly after the attack, carried out by two terrorists, the second of which died during attack. I kept thinking the incident was over, until I heard my friends from the contingency squad say, Hes moving, he might have a bomb on him. The incident was far from over, and we definitely were not going home at that moment. I had my gun pulled out. More forces began to arrive, and like in any event, it became a mess as more and more forces got there, including ambulances, caretakers and soldiers. Thats how the incident developed.

Sgt. Elor Azaria in court with his mother (Photo: Yair Sagi)

Horowitz stated that he had been on the scene for about half an hour, during which no professional or commanding official examined the body or gave permission to touch it. At first, I thought the terrorists were (both) dead, but then people began shouting, about what could happen next, and that The terrorist was moving.

He continued by saying, Im not sure who yelled it, but you can clearly hear the yelling on (the human rights organization) BTselems video, in which our guys on the contingency squad warn the surrounding forces and people not to come close to the terrorist. After that, I had my back turned to him and was looking at the wounded soldier being evacuated. While this was going on, I heard a gunshot.

The terrorist wasnt dressed compatibly with the weather in the area, recounted Horowitz. The forecast given in the media that day spoke of a heat wave, but the terrorist was dressed in a suspicious manner, with a thick, black, buttoned up coat.

Horowitz stated that when one of his friends from the contingency squad came close to the terrorist and touched him, There were shouts not to go near and not to touch him. My friend was told to move away and not to try and turn him over. He was told, It isnt a puppet, its a terrorist. He was warned of the possibility that there might be an explosive device that (my friend) could trigger by touching the terrorist.

He also refuted claims made by Former Yehuda Brigade commander, Col. Yariv Ben-Ezra, who testified that soldiers serving in the Hebron area were instructed to evacuate neutralized terrorists as quickly as possible to avoid having their presence provoke local Palestinians . Hebron creates a lot of terrorism, and I dont think its because of postponing medical treatment or evacuating a body. The brigade commander is mixing up different political positions. I appreciate him, but he didnt manage to overcome the terrorism in Hebron during his time there.

When asked about previous testimonies that contradicted Azarias, such as the testimony given by Kfir Brigade company commander Tom Na'aman , Horowitz disregarded them, specifying that Naaman in particular was led by his leftist political views. What we have here is a soldier who has been sitting (in jail) for several months now despite his justifiable actions, he told the court. However, I still think thats preferable than having the brigade commander stand here giving explanations as to why Jews were blown up and killed in the incident.

The court was adjourned after about an hour and a half, due to noise coming from a protest held outside the courthouse. The police was called to disperse it.

Horowitzs testimony came a day after Lt. M. took the stand and was cross-examined on conflicting testimonies he gave over whether there was any indication that the neutralized terrorist posed any further threat.
With billowing smoke, explosions, a gunfire exchange, and Special Forces rappelling down the building, Ukraine's security forces held a drill on Sunday simulating a hostage situation at the Israeli Embassy building in Kiev.

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Ukrainian forces simulate hijacking at Israeli embassy (:     )

X

The drill, which was coordinated with the embassy, included soldiers from the Ukrainian military's counterterrorism unit, the National Guard, the police, the State Emergency Service and Special Forces.

Photo: Ukrainian Interior Ministry

Photo: Ukrainian Interior Ministry

The scenario being drilled was a takeover of the embassy building by terrorists posing as visitors. The "terrorists" took embassy workers hostage and threatened to blow up the building.

After the negotiation "failed," the Ukrainian forces stormed into the building from all directions and captured the terrorists.





Photo: Ukrainian Interior Ministry

Photo: Ukrainian Interior Ministry

Huge amounts of military and police were stationed outside the embassy building during the mock takeover.

Photo: Ukrainian Interior Ministry

Photo: Ukrainian Interior Ministry





This is the second time an Israeli embassy is being used by foreign militaries in a counterterrorism drill. Last January, Romanian security forces drilled a similar hostage situation scenario at the Israeli Embassy in Bucharest.
A new study commissioned by Hiddushan organization seeking to promote religious freedomfound that 30% more young couples prefer living together out of wedlock to tying the knot at the Rabbinate.

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The data, taken from the Central Bureau of Statistics, showed that during the years 20122014, the number of unwed Jewish couples living together jumped from 65,000 (or 5% of the total number of Jewish couples in Israel) to 84,000 (or 6.1%).

A love that knows no huppah (Photo: Shutterstock)

The trend toward a relationship untethered by tradition has been gaining prominence in Israel for some time. In 2007, 36,504 couples were married through the Rabbinate, while seven years later, in 2014, that number stood at 36,900. Taking into account the population growth, this shows that the number of couples getting married at the Rabbinate has gone down to less than 6.5%.

It is worth noting that while young Jewish couples are opting out of religious marriage, the number of Muslim couples getting traditionally married has gone up 5%, from 11,300 in 2013 to 11,900 in 2014.

Hidush President Rabbi Uri Regev believes these data point at a widening distance between Israels Jewish population and the Rabbinate. The Rabbinical institution is making marriage itself undesirable to Israeli couples, both by the torturous road to marriage and the concern of having to get divorced in Rabbinical courts. There is no greater enemy to Judaism than the Rabbinate and Rabbinical courts.

Regev added, Ironically, the Rabbinate is responsible for the large-scale gnawing at the institution of the Israeli family. The obvious conclusion is that this monopoly must be abolished and accommodate to the majority of the population that wants freedom in their choice of marriage. Civil marriage must be introduced, while acknowledging all sectors of Judaism.

There has also been a 7.5% decrease over a two year period in the number of secular Jews wishing to get civil married abroad, from 9,509 in 2012 to 8,782 in 2014. Of those who do marry abroad, a third go to Cyprus, 28% fly to the US and 18% travel to the Czech Republics capital of Prague.
COPENHAGEN- The Danish government on Tuesday proposed adoption of a law that would enable police to reject asylum seekers at the borders in times of crisis such as that in 2015 when thousands of migrants sought to enter the country.

Denmark has already implemented tough immigration policies since a heavy influx of refugees last year, including border controls and a "jewellery bill", allowing the police to confiscate refugees' valuables.

The government seeks to create a statutory power to reject asylum-seekers at the border to prevent a recurrence of the refugee crisis in September last year, the Ministry for Immigration, Integration and Housing said.
ZURICH- Swiss search parties found an air force fighter jet that went missing on Monday during a training exercise but were still trying to find the pilot, the Swiss defence ministry said on Tuesday.

The plane, a one-seat F/A-18C, crashed near Susten in central Switzerland. Bad weather was hampering the search in mountainous terrain.

The incident marks the third time the Swiss Air Force has lost one of its F/A 18 jets in the past three years. A pilot was injured when an aircraft went down in October 2015 in southeast France, while another F/A 18 crashed in Switzerland in 2013.
Brig. Gen. (res.) Benjamin "Fuad" Ben-Eliezer was laid to rest on Tuesday afternoon at the Holon Cemetery. The former minister of defense died of complications from kidney disease on Sunday.

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Amongst the thousands who came to pay their respects were Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former President Shimon Peres; Speaker of the Knesset Yuli Edelstein (Likud), Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beytenu); Minister of Health Rabbi Yakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism); Leader of the Opposition Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union), Zionist Union MKs Hilik Bar, Eitan Broshi, Eitan Cabel, Nachman Shai and Ayelet Nahmias-Verbin; and former ministers Moshe Shahal and Yitzhak Mordechai

Ben-Eliezer family (Photo: Dana Kopel)

He was eulogized by his wife, Dolly and one of his sons, Yariv, inter alia, though his son, Ofir Ben-Eliezer, who resides abroad, did not come to the funeral, fearing that he would be detained in an investigation into his late father

Shimon Peres and Isaac Herzog (Photo: Dana Kopel)

Before the funeral, Dolly recounted how the two met: "He came to comfort me after my first husband was killed in the Six-Day War. I opened the door, I saw him, and I felt like I was struck by lightningWe had a wild love between us. I'm sure that he would have been happy to see that so many people came to bid him farewell. At that moment, I knew that my life was going to change."

Dolly Eliezer (Photo: Shaul Golan)

Netanyahu was first to speak at the ceremony itself, and he praised the deceased's military career. He added, "I loved FuadHe wasn't without his weaknesses; we can't say that about anybody here, but there was in him the continuing truth of a Jewish child who immigrated to Israel from Iraq and remembered the sight of Jews hanged from utility poles and understood the significance of Israel's rebirth. So I loved Fuad, just as you loved him."

Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: Dana Kopel)

At the funeral's conclusion, the song "B'Sayeret Shaked" was played, which was the name of the unit that Ben-Eliezer commanded during the Six-Day War.

Benjamin Ben-Eliezer (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

Peres eulogized, "You are deeply rooted in the fields of Israel. You build her ways. You defended her borders and communities. You were a man of the peoplea man with friends. We came to bid you farewell, representatives of all the friends, from the right, from the left, religious and secular, friends from every denomination and political party, representatives of the various faiths.

"We came to say 'thank you' for your contribution to the security of the state, the seeds of hope that you spread, your humanity, a firm handshake. May your memory be a blessing."
Why did I stop demanding that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state? Mostly because it's a misdirection act. I am aware that many in Israel busy themselves with this demand  from Benjamin Netanyahu to Moshe Ya'alon, from Ari Shavit to my fellow Yedioth Ahronoth commentator Ben-Dror Yemini . I no longer do so since, after all this time, it seems to make no difference.

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I don't need to be convinced about the idea of a Jewish state. Without one, there is no Zionism. The word "democracy" was not the main thread holding the Israeli Declaration of Independence together  but the idea of a national home for the Jewish people. Democracy came later. Its values became sacred because we Jews don't know how to get along with each other, only with our national and religious identity.

Why has the Knesset not approved Basic Law proposal: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People? (Photo: Ofer Meir)

I should admit: I've never been an optimist when it comes to the Palestinians, but at this point I'm beyond even pessimism. As a researcher or bystander, I see before me a long-dead corpse, while eulogizers keep speaking of it as a living being.

And here's the part that bothers me about the demand that this corpse we call "peace with the Palestinians": While they are told to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, Israel itself doesn't do so. Israel's definition as a Jewish state is an asset, but one that's kept in an airtight case, which no one is willing to take out and examine closely.

Basic Law proposal: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People hasn't passed a Knesset vote, even though we have a right-wing government. Countless political arguments and loyalty pledges have been made, but still no one is dealing with this important bill.

Why is it a good bill, I've been asked. Well, because it gives answers for important questions we dare not address. Questions like why the Law of Return exists, or why we oppose the unification of Palestinian families in Israel (it's not just due to security concerns), why we need national institutions that make sure lands stay in Jewish hands, and why the Knesset and the court system only conduct business in Hebrew, even though Arabic is an official state language. All of these questions should be clarified in a constitution. Lacking that, they should be mentioned in a basic law.

And that's not all: What of the questions regarding a Jewish state's responsibility for the world's Jewry? Since ultra-Orthodox parties have marked reform and conservative Jews as outcasts, and since these groups include most US Jews, there's no choice but to have the state determine these people's status.

PA President Abbas. Do we really need his recognition, or our own? (Photo: EPA)

And what of the Shabbat? How is it supposed to look? More and more businesses, malls, even public buses, are operating on Saturdays these days. The simulated crisis around the renovations of the HaShalom train station in Tel Aviv only emphasizes the absurd of religious dealing in this country: Eyes are averted from instances of regular affronts and sins, but voices are raised when there's a high-profile anecdotal event.

Why not ask ourselves once and for all what the Shabbat means (In my view, the hypothetical covenant written by Prof. Ruth Gavison and Rabbi Yaacov Medan answers this question well), instead of relying on the vague concept of a "status quo?"

From whom do I really need to receive this recognition in a Jewish state: The Palestinians, or the Israeli government? What are those who believe in peace accords afraid of, and what scares those who  like me  dont believe in them? The demand of recognizing Israel as a Jewish state must remain, even if it only applies to ourselves.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit spoke on Tuesday at an Israel Bar Association (IBA) conference, saying he will release information to the public regarding the ongoing investigations of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when possible.

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The AG said he was, "aware of the expectations of receiving information about the inquiries and investigations being conducted," adding, "The moment it is possible  these matters will be brought to the public's attention without delay."





Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit at the conference. (Photo: Zvika Tishler)

It seems Mandelblit, unlike his predecessor Yehuda Weinstein, does intend on making these matters public. "The need to bring information to the public is, in my view, part of a much wider perception of public transparency that is itself necessary to ensure the public's trust of the (justice) system," he said, "Rule of law needs to not only exist, but be seen."

Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked also spoke at the conference, warning of the dangerous levels of regulation and legislation in Israel. "Over-legislation in Israel has reached a dangerous level, and is harming all of our freedom," she said, adding, "Over regulation is strangling (businesses). The bust of private Knesset member legislation is a badge of shame."

According to Shaked, sometimes MKs sometimes seem as if they're, "in a race to the bottom, who'll manage to pass as many laws as possible, who'll manage to 'touch' more topics. Accuracy is less important, the headlines are more important."

From left to right: State Comptroller Shapira, AG Mandelblit, Minister Shaked, and IBA President Efi Nave. (Photo: Zvika Tishler)

Another speaker at the conference, Supreme Court Chief Justice Miriam Naor, warned of the overabundance of cases with which the legal system must contend, as well as the physical conditions in Israeli courts.

"I have visited all if the courthouses in Israel, and in certain courts I was frightened to see the distress (due to lack of) space, and the too-harsh-to-bear conditions in which the hearings are conducted," she said, "But in this aspect as well, we are working vigorously to supply the infrastructure and right conditions for the conduct of legal proceedings."
A British man claimed that, on watching an ISIS video, he identified his 12-year-old son murdering a Kurdish man in cold blood.

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"JoJo was a completely normal boy who played in the park with his friends. I haven't seen him in over three years, and suddenly I identified him executing a man my age. I have no doubt that he's been through a serious brainwashing," said the father, a resident of Kent.

The blue-eyed boy is seen yelling, "Allah akbar" and grinning after killing the man.

Three years ago, JoJo's mother, Sally Jones, converted to Islam and disappeared shortly thereafter. It turned out that she took her young son along with her to Syria. There, the 47-year-old Jones married a 20-year-old Pakistani who is believed to have been killed in a US drone strike last year.

JoJo's father, who fears for his life should his identity become public, said, We have to find the boy and bring him to Britain, treat him and save him."
Israel Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh spoke at an Israel Bar Association (IBA) conference Tuesday, expressing the idea that police officers finding Jewish Israelis of Ethiopian descent and Israeli Arabs more suspicious is to be expected.

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"When a police officer encounters a suspect, it's natural for his brain to suspect him more than he would have if (the suspect) were someone else, it's natural." Alsheikh said of Ethiopian Israelis and Israeli Arabs.

Alsheikh at the IBA conferenc, Tuesday. (Photo: Zvika Tishler)

Trying to analyze the perceived phenomenon, the commissioner said, "In all criminological studies worldwide, it has been proven that immigrants are more involved in crime than others, it shouldn't surprise (us). In addition, all studies prove that youths are more involved in crime. When these two are joined together, a situation in which a certain community is involved in criminal activity comes about. This was the case (with all concentrated groups of new immigrants to Israel)."

"When theres a community that's more involved in crime, Arabs or East Jerusalem residents as well, and the statistics are (publically available), then when a police officer encounters a suspect, it's natural for his brain to suspect him more than he would have if (the suspect) were someone else, it's natural. We, I believe, have understood this and have begun taking care of this a little late, but there has been a very-very tight plan in place for about a year, (in which we cooperate with) leaders inside the community, whose role is toamong other thingsminimize over-policing."
A video widely broadcast on French traditional and social media apparently shows the proprietor of Le Cenacle, a restaurant just outside of Paris's Charles De Gaulle Airport in Tremblay-en-France, expelling two veiled Muslim women out of his establishment because of their religion on Sunday night. An official enquiry has been opened over the incident.

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The video appears to be filmed by one of the two women who were expelled from the restaurant, and one of them states in response to the owner's demand that they leave, "We don't want to be served by racists, sir!"

The restaurateuridentified only by his given name, Jean-Baptiste, by Le Parisienresponded, "Racists don't set bombs and don't kill people, racists like me!"

France is struggling in its relationship with observant Muslims. (Archive photo: AP)

"Because we set bombs, sir?" the woman retorted.

"Madame, the terrorists are Muslims, and all the Muslims are terroristsI don't want people like you at my placeNow you know it, so leave!"

Minister for Women's Rights Laurence Rossignol tweeted on Sunday that she had instructed the Interministerial Delegation for the Fight against Racism and Anti-Semitism to investigate and sanction "the intolerable behavior of this restaurant owner."

The two women filed a complaint, and the Bobigny (a nearby Parisian suburb with jurisdiction) prosecutor's office announced that they opened an enquiry into the "racial discrimination." As the video was disseminated and shared, calls for a boycott and protests before Le Cenacle grew.

Some twenty youths assembled before the restaurant that afternoon. The Collective Against Islamophobia in France (CCIF), while criticizing the incident, called for calm. They also announced that would provide "psychological and legal aid" to the two women.

Le Figaro wrote that the CCIF's director, Marwan Muhammad, explained that Jean-Baptiste came out "multiple times to talk with them and to apologize to make them withdraw their complaint."

Speaking to BFMTV on Sunday night, the restaurateur apologized "to the entire Muslim community."
Nicholas Daniel Nick White, 55, of York, passed away Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016.

He was born to Danny and Karen (Moomey) White in Sargent on Jan. 7, 1961. He attended Sargent Public Schools and graduated with the class of 1979.

In November of 1979, Nick enlisted in the US Marines as a Field Artillery Fire Control Man. While serving his country, he received the Rifle Marksman Badge, the Sea Service Deployment ribbon and the Good Conduct Medal. After serving he was in the Reserves for five years.

After his time in the military, Nick worked construction and helped build the Calamus Dam. He was also a clothing salesman in Denver and North Platte.

Nick met and married Kristy Hansen and to this eleven year union a daughter Nicole Ann, his pride and joy was born.

Nick worked for a short time for Lincoln County and for the past fifteen years, he followed his fathers passion as being a truck driver. He enjoyed music, cars, playing drums, reading and spending time with his daughter, family and many friends.

He was preceeded in death by his maternal grandparents, Walter and Marge Moomey; paternal grandparents, Kenneth and Lillian White; uncles, aunts and cousins.

Survivors include his daughter, Nicole of Sutherland; parents, Danny and Karen White of Sargent; brother, Randy and wife Amy of Broken Bow and sister, Tami Moser of York.

Nick is also survived by many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Military graveside services will be held Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016 at 11 a.m. at the Mt. Hope Cemetery in Sargent with a lunch to follow at the Sargent Community Center in Sargent.
Farmdale teen becomes Pilot for a Day

Jacob Spithaler, 14, tries out the loadmaster seat of a C-130H Hercules aircraft while Senior Airman Tyler Messina, a loadmaster with the 757th Airlift Squadron, talks about the cargo plane here, Aug. 24, 2016. Spithaler was the 64th honoree of the 910th Airlift Wings Pilot for a Day Program in which children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses are welcomed to the station, commissioned as honorary second lieutenants and treated to a day of fun military themed activities. Spithaler later sat in the flight deck of the aircraft while taxiing down the runway. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric White)
Cyber Gladiators of the 960th Cyberspace Operations Group gathered together for a change of command ceremony Aug. 27 at the Inter-American Air Forces Academy at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.

Maj. Gen. Richard Scobee, 10th Air Force commander, presided over the ceremony, in which Col. Lloyd I. Terry, Jr. relinquished command to Col. Anthony M. Perkins, having served more than three years at the helm.

I spent some time writing a speech, but I have decided to put it aside and simply speak from the heart, Terry said. What began as an idea at the [Air Force Reserve Command] Headquarters and started with only three people has blossomed into what you see today  a group with 12 units and 1,200 authorizations. I could not be more proud of what we have done so far, and Im confident that Col. Perkins will take the Group to the next level as he takes command today.

Scobee and Terrys remarks were in sync, as he expressed expectations of continued momentum for the Group and likened the efforts of these two commanders to the work of early aviators who paved the way for todays air superiority.

After passing the flag, Perkins addressed the crowd, framing his words around a quote by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill: Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. This war is only a continuation of the last, but very great differences in its character.

Perkins said that although that quote was directly referring to the sacrifices and feats of bravery by the Royal Air Force during World War II, the sentiments are pertinent today, where policy and procedure regarding the cyber domain are being written and under constant review.

In no other domain, could the technology change between unit drills nor are the battle lines barely drawn, Perkins said. As cyber warriors, we are technically training, learning diverse mission sets to secure and defend not only our cyber domain, but to ensure freedom of movement and data integrity for all traversing air, land, sea and space domains.

He then went on to address the few of Churchills speech, citing a 2013 opinion editorial and highlighting the fact that for nearly two generations, no American has been obligated to join the military, and few do. He said, in fact, that less than one-half of one percent of the population serves in the Armed Forces today, compared with more than 12 percent during World War II.

Therefore the few of Churchill's speech could be seen as much greater than the few of today, Perkins said. So, we stand together defending the cyber domain  arguably, the most, highly contested of the five domains daily.

Despite this assertion, Perkins said supported mission partners will generally not detail cyber key terrain as a domain controller, router or software application, but will express needs in terms of concepts of operations  what they must do to rule their specific domain to ensure national and coalition objectives at home and abroad are achieved.

However, as Citizen Airmen, we have a unique position  sought-after skills in the profession of arms and experience in the commercial sector, Perkins said. By dealing with challenges in both arenas, we bring ideal synergies to solve military challenges with possible commercial and civilian solutions.

He encouraged the Group to keep bringing their ideas and experiences to each and every duty day they serve, and said he looked forward to earning their trust and confidence in the days ahead.

Perkins concluded his remarks saying, My plan is to listen, learn, and lead.
This Account has been suspended.
By PTI: By Kushan Sarkar

New Delhi, Aug 30 (PTI) Seventeen-year-old Malvika Raj Joshi doesnt have a class X or XII certificate but has made it to the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), thanks to her computer programming talent.

Hers is a story about a mothers conviction to break stereotypes and the self belief of her teenage daughter, who showed why "merit" has more weightage than "marks".

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The Mumbai teenager has been provided scholarship by MIT as she is pursuing her Bachelor of Science degree after getting a seat for being a three-time medal winner (two silver and a bronze) at International Olympiad of Informatics or commonly known as Programming Olympiad.

The MIT has a provision for accepting students who are medal winners at various Olympiads (Maths, Physics or Computer) and it was Malvikas medals that ensured that she can fulfil her aspirations of pursuing research work in her favourite subject -- Computer Science.

Malvika recalls those early days during an emailed interaction from Boston.

"When I started unschooling, that was 4 years back, I explored many different subjects. Programming was one of them. I found programming interesting and I used to give more time to it than to other subjects, so, I started liking it at that time," she says.

Malvika found it difficult to get admission in elite Indian institutes like IIT, which has strict rules as one needs to pass class XII exams.

In fact only institute where she got admission was Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI) where she was enrolled into M.Sc level course as her knowledge was on par with B.Sc standard.

"There is absolutely no question that Malvikas admission to MIT is based on her superlative achievements at IOI. It is a credit to MITs flexibility that they can offer admission to a student who demonstrates excellent intellectual potential despite having no formal high school credentials," says CMIs Madhavan Mukund, who is also National Co-ordinator of Indian Computing Olympiad.

However, Madhavan made it clear that Malvika is not a product of the system but despite it.

"This is possible only for a student whose academic achievements are outstanding, which is the case with Malvikas performance at IOI," he has a word of caution.

But this young Mumbai girls fascinating story starts about four years ago when her mother Supriya took an unbelievably tough decision.

She was in class VII at Dadar Parsee Youth Assembly School in Mumbai and doing exceedingly well in academics when her mother decided to pull her out of school. (MORE) PTI KHS ZMN SMN

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This has been a long time in the making, but in our continuing pursuit to bring only the best of firearms, 2nd Amendment and defence related news to our readers, we are very excited to announce the next step in our evolution as a company.

As of 2020, Minuteman Review is now the proud owner and operator of Your Defence News, a website with a long history of breaking huge news stories and investigative journalism.

We hope you are equally as excited as us.

This means that now the teams of Minuteman can combine with the firepower of Your Defence News to stay at the absolute forefront for our readers.

Keep an eye. Big things are coming soon. We couldn't be more excited.

In the meanwhile, here are some of our most popular posts and categories to keep you busy.

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By PTI: Mumbai, Aug 30 (PTI) As many as 40 countries, 650 exhibitors and 1,000 delegates are likely to participate in the 10th edition of UBMs flagship event -- Renewable Energy India Expo (REI) -- to be held at Greater Noida from September 7.

"Overseas participants will congregate to discuss industry trends, challenges and market insights including the Indian regulatory framework," UBM India Managing Director Yogesh Mudras told reporters here today.

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The three-day event aims to further upscale and mainstream the applications of renewable energy resources, showcase product launches, innovations and augment the forethought through international exhibition and conference platform, he said.

The expo will see participation from India, Japan, Switzerland, the US, Korea, Taiwan, China, Australia, Italy, Canada, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Israel, Germany, Spain, Singapore, Belgium, among others.

"We expect the show will attract nearly 25,000 visitors and participation from leading companies like Adani, Chemtrols Solar, L&T, Azure Power, ABB India, Tata Power, Gamesa India, Inox Wind, Suzlon, among others," Mudras said. PTI PSK NRB JM ABK

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The arid landscape of Moab, Utah in the US offers a mix of trails which is a perfect way of testing out the capabilities of 4WD vehicles and also the driver's nerves. Rahul Ghosh was there to experience the thrill

The only thing which the driver can see is the clear blue sky. Simply then driving is based on intuition rather than point and shoot.

By Rahul Ghosh: The only thing which I can see right now are two fingers and clear blue skies! It seems like I am being asked to move forward and I do! The front right wheel hits an obstacle and returns in spite of the 4WD-low sign illuminated within the instrument panel. I go for it again with my mantra of "as slow as possible and as fast as necessary".

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The Jeep Grand Cherokee lurches ahead and this time around the wheel is up! But it's not just the front right wheel which is up! The rear right one has also left terra firma. A gentle tap on the accelerator and the now-strike creeps forward. Another jolt later the front left wheel is up too.

The only thing which the driver can see is the clear blue sky. Simply then driving is based on intuition rather than point and shoot.

ALSO READ: Jeep launches iconic Wrangler and mighty Grand Cherokee in India

Meticulous driving and some to- the-point guidance and I am resting again! The Jeep Grand Cherokee has conquered yet another mountain trail! But if all this sounds weird to you, allow me to give you a bit of flashback!

Most of us have known Jeep for its MB model. The quintessential go-anywhere vehicle. But not many know that they have been in business since the last 75 years. Now in its 75th year Jeep is marking its re-entry into India. But before that happens, Jeep wanted us to experience the ethos of the brand and what better way but to join in the festivities. So we flew halfway across the globe to the US of A, the birthplace of Jeep. But not to their glittering manufacturing facility but to a part which was more arid, the Moab in Utah!

All three Jeeps which we had at our disposal were equally capable.

Now Moab has a full range of back-country trails, from easy two-wheel-drive type scenic drives to the ultimate in challenging four-wheel-drive trails. Trails such as Secret Spire and Chicken Corners are great for beginners, while Pritchett Canyon and Golden Spike will get the adrenaline pumping in even the most experienced drivers.

So much so that 'achievers' can write into the Jeep club and if they can prove that they have been there and done that, the club sends them a badge which can then be pasted onto you prized chariot. Needless to say it is a thing of pride among this community.

The support staff was our guiding light when we could see nothing from the drivers perch. The support staff was our guiding light when we could see nothing from the drivers perch.

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ALSO READ: Jeep to begin India operation from August 31



So we started on tarmac and reached the base of a hill. As we got off and started chit-chatting with the trail leaders, I asked where we were headed. The guys pointed to the top of a massive hill and said "There!" Looking at the sheer size of the hill got my adrenaline pumping as I patted my 75th anniversary edition Grand Cherokee on the bonnet. The shining paintwork was sure not looking or suiting this vehicle. Seconds later we were off in a convoy consisting of the Wrangler and the little Renegade. The trail started off with a gentle climb through gravel tracks.

The original Willys-MB with the modern Renegade.

We were informed that all this was actually maintained by the locals who take great pride in keeping this area spick and span. As we climbed, minor obstacles started coming through which the Grand Cherokee was taking into its stride with ease. Inside I was kept cocooned in luxury. The outside temperature was a bit on the colder side and the Grand Cherokee has stuff like a heated steering wheel and a brilliant climate control system to keep us in optimum temperature.

The Renegade might be small (bottom) but it took everything in its stride

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But soon enough the trail started showing its true colours. This meant some meticulous driving was required. Things like wheel articulation and ramp and departure angles were being tested. Not to forget the nerves of the driver too. In one section as described in the beginning the only thing in sight was the sky! But that is not where it ended! As the massive Grand Cherokee straightened, there was a tight left-hander which pushed us through a massive incline.

The original Willys-MB with the modern Renegade.

Now I could once again see the sky on one side of the vehicle and on the other could literally touch the ground. But slowly and steadily we conquered it. Turning around I could spot tyre marks which meant that this was one of the toughest sections on this trail. From here on we headed to Determination Rock which was our rest spot.

Perfect weather and a Wrangler on a purpose built trail is most fun.

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After that we were heading to the other side of the canyon and I was now in the Wrangler. The Wrangler immediately ensured that it was a built-to-go-anywhere vehicle. Things were tight and definitely not as luxurious as the Grand Cherokee. But the moment it spotted a rough spot, the Wrangler displayed that it was capable of ploughing through. Sand was no problem neither was mud.

To celebrate the 75th anniversary, Jeep has created special logos (above) which are fitted to the special edition vehicles.

As the sun started setting, we had reached land's end. Up ahead were red canyons which we are told mark the beginning of the iconic Grand Canyon. But what we realised was that the Jeep ethos of was alive even today in each of their new products.

ALSO WATCH: 75 iconic years of Jeep Grand Cherokee



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By PTI: Jamnagar, Aug 30 (PTI) Ahead of the inauguration of SAUNI project by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here, more than 25 members of Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) were today detained from different parts of Rajkot and the district to prevent any trouble at the event.

The PAAS members as well as conveners were detained by Paddhari and Gandhigram police of Rajkot while several others were detained by Dhrol taluka police of Jamnagar district.

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"We detained at least five PAAS members this morning as they were heading towards Sanosara to stage demonstrations. We also learnt that some others have been detained by officials from other police stations of Rajkot and Jamangar this morning," said sub inspector of Paddhari police station of Rajkot.

Yesterday, PAAS had threatened to stage protest against Modi during his Gujarat visit if the members of the quota body were not granted permission to hand over a memorandum of their demands to the PM at the venue.

According to the spokesperson of PAAS, Brijesh Patel, all the key PAAS conveners have been detained by police ahead of the event.

"Those who have been detained include Rajkot district convener Dilip Savaliya, Rajkot city convener Hemang Patel, co-convener of Morbi Manoj Kalariya and several others. We condemn such police action against us," he said, adding that other members would try to stage protests in absence of their senior fellows. PTI VJA PJT PD DK SRY SDM

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News

Washington, DC - Secretary Kerry met with Prime Minister Hasina in Dhaka to discuss our broad bilateral engagement on democracy, development and security and our increasing partnership on global issues. In particular, he focused on our joint efforts to confront the global terrorist threat that both the United States and Bangladesh face.

He also emphasized the importance of upholding human rights and democratic values. Secretary Kerry praised Bangladeshs impressive development progress and commitment to contributing to solving global challenges through UN peacekeeping and action on climate change.
Latest News

Washington, DC - The ringleader and two other defendants in the massive IWorks online billing scheme have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they took more than $280 million from consumers via deceptive trial memberships for bogus government-grant and money-making products. In addition, the wife and parents of IWorks owner and CEO Jeremy Johnson have agreed to settle FTC charges that they received assets and funds as gifts from Johnson that came from the unlawful scheme.

The FTC sued Johnson, nine other individuals, and 61 corporate defendants, including IWorks, in December 2010. The complaint alleges that IWorks enticed consumers to sign up for purportedly free or risk free trials, but then charged them recurring monthly fees they never agreed to pay.

After extensive briefing and a hearing, the court determined that the FTC is likely to prevail on the merit of its claims and froze the assets of Johnson and the corporate defendants to help ensure that money could be returned to IWorks numerous victims. The court later granted the FTC summary judgment against IWorks and the other corporate defendants on five complaint counts, and held that Jeremy Johnson and IWorks general manager Ryan Riddle were personally liable for IWorks law violations.

Johnson, IWorks, and 26 corporate defendants have agreed to a $280.9 million judgment, which represents consumers unreimbursed losses to the scheme, according to the FTC. The judgment will be partially suspended upon transfer to the FTC of all of Johnsons frozen assets, including millions of dollars in bank accounts, stock, real estate and jewelry, and any interest he has in assets held by the receiver.

The orders against Riddle and Andy Johnson, who managed one of IWorks deceptive programs, impose judgments of more than $280.9 million and $6 million, respectively, which are suspended based on their inability to pay. The suspended judgment as to each settling defendant will become due immediately if they are found to have misrepresented their financial condition.

The stipulated orders against Jeremy Johnson and Ryan Riddle ban them from selling grant products, investment opportunities, continuity programs, and forced upsells (add-on products bundled with the offered product), and from using negative option features (automatically billing a consumer unless the consumer specifically declines the offered product). Johnson and Riddle are also banned from debiting consumers bank accounts without first obtaining their express verifiable authorization, and from misrepresenting material facts about any product, including the total cost or any associated risks.

The order against Andy Johnson bans him from selling products as forced upsells. The orders against Jeremy Johnson, Ryan Riddle and Andy Johnson also prohibit them from violating the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, selling or otherwise benefitting from consumers personal information, and failing to dispose of consumer information properly.

Under stipulated orders entered against Jeremy Johnsons wife, Sharla Johnson, and his parents, Kerry and Barbara Johnson, Sharla Johnson agrees to surrender the family home in St. George, Utah, three holding companies, and various properties, including aircraft and investment accounts. Johnsons parents will surrender four parcels of land in California and Utah, and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of precious metals.

Four other individual defendants reached settlements with the FTC in October 2013, April 2014, and February 2016. Litigation continues against three remaining individual defendants and four companies they own.

In another matter involving the IWorks scheme, a federal jury in Utah convicted Jeremy Johnson and Ryan Riddle of making false statements to a bank on multiple IWorks merchant account applications. After Johnson and Riddle agreed to settle with the FTC, Johnson was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison, and Riddle to five years and three months. Both men will be subject to three years of supervised probation upon release.

The Commission vote approving each stipulated final order was 3-0. They were entered by Judge Miranda Du of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada on August 24, 2016.
Yuma News

Yuma, Arizona - On August 27th, 2016 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 Lanika Ortega, 36 year old female, in the driveway of her residence with stab wounds. She was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center, but succumbed to her injuries.

During the initial moments of discovering Lanika Ortega in the driveway, Roberto Ortega, 37 year old male and husband to the victim, exited the residence and immediately engaged a responding officer. Roberto Ortega assaulted the officer and attempted to control the officers firearm. The officer was able to utilize his conducted electrical weapon (Taser) to restrain Roberto Ortega and take him into custody. The officer was uninjured.

Roberto Ortega was later booked into the Yuma County Detention Center for the following felony offenses:

1st Degree Murder (ARS 13-3601/13-1105.a1.)

Aggravated Assault on a Peace Officer (ARS 13-1204.a.8.a)

Aggravated Assault on a Peace Officer-Attempt to Control Firearm (ARS 13-1204.a.9.a)

Please contact the Yuma Superior Court for information on the next scheduled hearing for Roberto Ortega.

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.
By Hardeep Dugal, India Today Web Desk: It is out. The teaser for the most anticipated Bollywood film in 2016 is out. Karan Johar has unveiled the first teaser of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, and if the film lives up to anything the first look promises then we should be in for an emotional journey ahead of us.



ALSO READ: Shah Rukh Khan can't get enough of the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil riff, says 'it is to die for'



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ALSO READ: Ranbir Kapoor becomes candid on Ae Dil Hain Mushkil, Katrina Kaif and competition

The teaser begins with the camera point-blank on Ranbir Kapoor's face as he lip syncs to Arijit Singh's voice in the title track of the movie. And then we see rushes of a gorgeous Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, a feisty Anushka Sharma, and a heavily bearded and brooding Fawad Khan. All this apart from a cheerful Ranbir Kapoor, who is the common link between all these characters.

The title track of the film has been composed by Pritam, and as promised by a raving Shah Rukh Khan, the riff is everything you expected. A simple riff on the Piano, which grows on you the more you listen to it. The film has been shot in London, Paris and Mumbai.

The film looks like a love triangle between Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The teaser shows us the director is back in the space of unrequited love, searing passion and a love story which breaks all boundaries. If Ranbir's expression in the end is any indication, then we're in for bucketful of tears by the end of the movie. Watch the teaser here:





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By Siraj Qureshi: Minister of State for Tourism Mahesh Sharma may have retracted his controversial statement on foreign tourists wearing skirts in India, but the uproar raised by this statement in the tourism industry is refusing to die so soon.

"SUCH STATEMENTS WILL DESTROY TOURISM IN AGRA"

The tourism industry of Agra, where the minister gave this statement, is up in arms against the minister claiming that such statements will destroy tourism in Agra which is already facing a 10 per cent decline in the number of foreign tourists arriving to visit the Taj Mahal each year.

Even the Duchess of Cambridge wore a short dress while visiting the Taj Mahal earlier this year. Photo: Kamir

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"Hundreds of foreign tourists arrive in Agra every day to visit the Taj Mahal and other important historical monuments. 95 per cent of the female foreign tourists are either wearing skirts or jeans and so far the people of Agra have raised no objection to such clothing as even women in Agra wear such dresses in daily wear. Banning skirts or any other form of clothing in the name of culture will sends a bad signal to the foreign countries where India is considered a fairly liberal country till date. The 'radicalisation' of culture in India will place it in the league of Saudi Arabia and Iran," president of Agra Tourism Guild, Arun Dang told India Today.

"MAHESH SHARMA CROSSED LIMIT OF DECENCY"

Former president of Agra Footwear Manufacturers and Exporters Chamber (AFMEC), Nazeer Ahmed said that the tourism minister has no right to form any rules concerning the dresses of the tourists, in fact, he has nearly 'killed' the tourism prospects in the country through such a statement as skirts are not an objectionable dress. He said that tourists often follow the Indian dress code when they come to India and even conform to the dress restrictions at religious places, but by 'advising' the tourists not to wear skirts, the minister has crossed the limit of decency. He said that the minister should be more concerned about the security of the tourists instead of commenting on their dress.

OUTRAGE OVER MINISTER'S STATEMENT

A Brazilian tourist, Kristina D said that we follow the directions of our tour guide and if he advises us to cover our head or legs when entering a religious place, we do that. A Russian tourist Criyopava also said that we dress up in a way acceptable in Indian culture, but stopping us from wearing skirts is not acceptable. Louise and Katherine from England asked how could a minister of tourism decide the dress of the tourists. They claimed that no minister or MP gave such statements in their country. They said that they will write to the British High Commission and the Indian Prime Minister, protesting this statement.

Agra Tourist Welfare Chamber Secretary, Vishal Sharma, said that the minister's advisory was apparently taken in the wrong sense as he himself has explained that his statement was concerning the religious places where western outfits such as skirts are not permitted. However, the minister should have refrained from making such a controversial statement in an age of heightened awareness about their rights among females. The security of the tourists, especially female tourists is more important at present instead of deciding what they can wear and what not.

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Also read:

Mahesh Sharma on dress advisory row: Have daughters, won't enforce such ban

Skirting the issue: Twitter delivers a clothesline to Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma after skirt advice





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Washington: US President Barack Obama will embark on his last Asia trip later this week which would focus on key issues of climate change, global economy and those concerning Asia Pacific region, a top official has said.

Obama will leave for a week-long trip to Asia his 10th to the Asia Pacific region that would take him to China and Laos. He would be the first US president to visit Laos.

In China, Obama would be attending the G-20 Summit, scheduled for September 4, which among others would be attended by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Obama and Modi are likely to meet on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit, but no announcement has been made yet. Obama would meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on September 3.

"We'll be reviewing all of the issues that have been front and centre in the US-China relationship for the last seven and a half years.

"On the positive side, we'll be able to review the progress we've made on the global economy, on climate change, our shared efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons through the Iran deal, our shared concern about the situation on the Korean Peninsula," said Ben Rhodes, the Deputy National Security Advisor.

They would also be addressing differences, in the area of cyber, some of the economic practices, tensions around maritime issues in the South China Sea and differences on human rights as well.

"But, again, I think this is going to be the last occasion of this sort for the President to spend several hours with his Chinese counterpart and to review the state of US- China relations and to try to see where we can make progress, and working together on areas of common interest or bridging some of the differences that have been characteristic of the relationship," he said.

After attending the G-20 Summit, Obama will fly to Laos, where he will attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summit and will have bilateral meetings with the Laos leadership.

In a speech in Laos, Obama is expected to review his Asia policy over the course of the last seven years.

"He will talk about how far we've come in shaping an architecture in the Asia Pacific for the US to lead and to be at the table in forums like ASEAN and the East Asia Summit.

"He will speak to the fact that we've significantly upgraded our commercial and economic diplomacy in the region, our security presence in the partnerships that we're building, both with allies but also with emerging partners on issues like maritime security and disaster response," Rhodes said.

The US President will also make a strong pitch for TPP

and why it is essential to American economic and security interests for Congress to move forward with approval of TPP.

Senior presidential advisor Brian Deese said US has now developed quite a significant record of working collaboratively with the Chinese on climate change.

"The Paris agreement to formally enter into force, 55 countries representing 55 per cent of global emissions must formally join. Together, the US and China represent just under 40 per cent of global emissions. So the act of our two countries joining, as and when that happens, will help move us closer to that goal," he said.

The Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics Wally Adeyemo Obama's final G-20 Summit will provide an opportunity for leaders to continue addressing how to boost global growth while they also ensure that the benefits of globalisation, digitisation, integration are shared more broadly.

"On this year's agenda will be important issues such as reducing global excess capacity of steel, advancing the WTO Environmental Goods Agreement that eliminates trade barriers for a variety of green products, better preparing the international financial institutions to address the challenges associated with the global migration crisis, and advancing our shared climate and development agenda," he said.

This year's G20 Leader's Summit will provide a chance to affirm the G20's commitments to upholding high standards, protecting workers, ensuring a level playing field, and expanding opportunity, Adeyemo said.

"In addition to the summit, top of mind for many of the countries sitting there will be TPP, which we see as essential to both our economic opportunity in our country but also to our national security priorities.

A number of G20 countries are members of TPP and this will provide the President an opportunity to see them and to discuss how we advance that shared agenda of creating a rules-based order in the Asia Pacific that provides real opportunities to level the playing field for our workers and our firms. We look forward to a successful summit," he said.
Bogota: An historic ceasefire came into effect in Colombia, ending a 52-year war between FARC rebels and the government and taking a major step toward ending a conflict that has claimed more than 250,000 lives.

The full ceasefire ordered by President Juan Manuel Santos and the head of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Timoleon Jimenez, began at midnight (local time).

"This August 29 a new phase of history begins for Colombia. We silenced the guns. THE WAR WITH THE FARC IS OVER!" Santos wrote on Twitter one minute later.

A message from the official FARC account at the same time was more restrained: "From this moment on the bilateral and definitive ceasefire begins."

The government's chief peace negotiator, Humberto de la Calle, grew visibly emotional at a press conference describing how church bells and sirens had rung out in some of the areas hardest hit by the conflict.

"It was a war against the civilian population, 80 per cent of those who died were civilians," he said.

Sergio Jaramillo, the country's high commissioner for peace, added: "A lot of human lives are going to be saved with this giant step we are taking today."

"The morning of peace has dawned," tweeted the FARC's chief negotiator, Ivan Marquez.

The ceasefire is the first in which both sides are committed to a definite end to the fighting.

"The ceasefire is really one more seal on the end of the conflict," said Carlos Alfonso Velazquez, a security expert at the University of La Sabana.

The conflict began in 1964 with the launch of the FARC, a Marxist guerrilla group born out of a peasant uprising. It has left 260,000 dead, 45,000 missing and 6.9 million uprooted from their homes.

To end the war with the FARC for good, Colombians must now vote in an October 2 referendum on the peace accord hammered out in nearly four years of talks in Cuba.

Santos said the exact question that will be put 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," he said in a speech on Saturday.

Colombia's Congress yesterday approved the plan to call a referendum.

Opinion polls show Colombians are divided ahead of the vote.

Santos's top rival, former president Alvaro Uribe, is leading a campaign to vote "no" to the peace deal.

"This is not an agreement: this is the state submitting to the proposals of the narco-terrorist group FARC," Uribe said at a university forum.

He has said a special justice system envisaged for crimes committed during the conflict would give FARC fighters impunity.
District of Columbia: Coalition-backed Iraqi forces can retake the key northern city of Mosul from the Islamic State group by the end of the year, the commander of US forces in the Middle East said Tuesday.

"It`s the prime minister`s objective to have that done by the end of the year," General Joe Votel, head of the US military`s Central Command, told reporters in a video call.

"My assessment is that we can meet the prime minister`s objective, if that is what he chooses to do."

The US-led coalition fighting IS in Iraq and Syria for the past two years has for months framed the upcoming battle for Mosul as the defining fight against the jihadists in Iraq.

Mosul is the country`s second-largest city and is IS`s center of operations in Iraq.

Iraqi security forces, with coalition support, have already started "shaping operations" around Mosul, including the capture of surrounding villages and facilities.

Votel said the fight for Mosul would be "hard and difficult" and that IS would leave countless bombs in the city while also hiding behind civilians.

Similarly, in Syria, coalition-backed local forces are beginning to hone in on Raqa, the self-proclaimed capital of IS`s so-called "caliphate."

"We are at the point here where we are now really into the heart of the caliphate," Votel said.
Union Tourism MoS Mahesh Sharma has played a very shrewd game with the people of Agra by snatching away Agra's international airport in order to benefit his own constituency in Jewar (Noida).

By Siraj Qureshi: When Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed his first pre-electoral speech in Agra in November 2013, he had made some very ambitious promises to Agra, including that of an international airport and barrage on Yamuna. However, in barely 3 years, his own ministers have reneged on Modis promises and the people of the city are not very pleased with the BJP at this hour.

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According to Anil Sharma, coordinator of the local civil society, Union Tourism MoS (IC) Mahesh Sharma has played a very shrewd game with the people of Agra by snatching away Agras international airport in order to benefit his own constituency in Jewar (Noida), when he was also holding the charge of MoS of Civil Aviation.

LOCAL CIVIL SOCIETY RAISES ISSUE BEFORE PM

The local civil society had raised this issue before the prime minister and the minister of civil aviation. Though, Mahesh Sharma has been removed from the civil aviation portfolio, the international airport is still being built in Jewar and not in Agra. This made it clear that Agra ranks very low on PM Modis priorities these days, in sharp contrast to the Modi Agra heard in November 2013, who appeared to be fully aware of each and every woe of the city.

AGRA WILL SOON SEE SOME CHANGES: MAHESH SHARMA

When India Today talked to Mahesh Sharma and questioned him about the shifting of Agras international airport to Jewar, he refused to comment on it and said that Agra will receive its due share in time, but the Jewar airport was already in the pipeline and will start construction soon. When Sharma was reminded of his several promises made regarding tourism development in Agra and the subsequent inaction on them, he said that all the promises were being implemented and Agra will soon see some changes.

Agra Tourist Welfare Chamber Secretary Vishal Sharma said that the chamber raised several issues before the minister when he arrived in Agra for a brief inspection of the Taj Mahal, including that of an international airport in Agra, upon which, the minister assured that Agra will get an international-status airport in the form of a new Civil Air Terminal which will be built by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in 55 acres of land allotted by the UP Government. He said that according to the current reports, the land acquisition for the terminal is already under process and will be soon completed, after which the land will be handed over to the AAI for the construction of the terminal.

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SHARMA UNAWARE OF WOES FACED BY AGRA TOURISM INDUSTRY: SP

The Minister also announced the linkage of Agra under a regional connectivity scheme by helicopters on low tariffs or Rs. 2,500 per seat for an hour long flight and Rs. 1,250 per seat for a flight lasting 30 minutes or less.

Criticizing the whirlwind tour of the minister, Samajwadi Party city president Raisuddin said that whenever the tourism minister visits Agra, he remains surrounded by people completely unrelated to tourism. He said that the minister is completely unaware of the real woes faced by the tourism industry of Agra and that is why whatever promises he makes, are all in the air and never materialize on the ground level.

ALSO READ:

Mayawati plays Dalit card as she launches BSP's poll campaign from Agra





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Mexico City: Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto fired federal police chief Enrique Galindo on Monday over allegations police summarily executed at least 22 suspected members of a drugs cartel and killed eight others during a protest.

"In light of the recent events and on instructions of the president, Police Commissioner Enrique Galindo has been removed from his position," Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said in a statement.

The move was aimed at facilitating "a quick and transparent investigation," he added without providing further details.

The move comes after the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) issued a scathing report earlier this month indicating police had "arbitrarily executed" 22 civilians during an anti-drug operation in May 2015 on a ranch in the town of Tanhuato, in the western state of Michoacan.

The operation against the powerful Jalisco New Generation cartel was one of the most violent clashes to have taken place since the government launched an anti-drug campaign in 2006. The gun battle killed 42 suspects along with a police officer.

The national security commissioner, Renato Sales, denied the accusations, saying the gun battle between security forces and heavily armed criminals broke out after they refused to surrender their weapons.

However, the CNDH accused police of tampering with evidence, recommending the government investigate the event and deliver financial compensation to victims` families.

Rivalry between cartels has helped make Michoacan one of the country`s most violent states.

The authorities are also investigating police involvement during a confrontation with protesting teachers in the town of Nochixtlan, in southern Oaxaca state. It left eight dead, seven from gunshot wounds.

Federal police arrived in the village to remove a highway roadblock by the radical CNTE teachers union, which has led protests against Pena Nieto`s education reform since 2013.

Galindo initially said that uniformed police who arrived at the protest unarmed were forced to retreat before returning with weapons after they were confronted by some 2,000 angry protesters, some of them armed.

However, witnesses said the police opened fire first. Various media reports also contradict Galindo`s testimony.

The event was the most violent confrontation between civilian protesters and federal police since the force was instituted in 1999.
New Delhi: Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the plight of the Baloch people, the locals have strongly come out and protested against the Pakistani establishment and Chinese intervention in the area.

Pictures of Baloch Republican Party members protesting against Pakistan military operations and Chinese intervention in Balochistan were out in public domain today.

Besides agitating against the Chinese intervention on Baloch soil, the protesters shouted slogans "down with Pakistan, long live Nawab Brahumdagh Bugti".

Pakistan has been facing similar protests in other parts, such as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit-Baltistan.

PM Narendra Modi ,in his Independence Day speech, had come out openly in support of "freedom" for Balochistan and "Pakistan-occupied Kashmir", and said India will never tolerate terrorism.

PM Modi's call for freedom of the restive areas didn't go down well with China. A state-run Chinese daily on Monday cried foul over India's move to extend enhanced compensation for victims of terror to people of PoK, saying Modi has "lost patience and switched to the expected hardline tone of hostility".

Notably, Balochistan leaders Brahumdagh Bugti and Ashraf Sherjan have expressed their gratitude towards India for highlighting the Balochistan issue internationally.

The PoK region has been witnessing huge protests in recent past. Locals in the region have been agitating on the streets to protest against the rigged July 21 election and Pakistan's occupation of the region.

Last year, there were reports claiming that the residents of PoK were openly advocating to be a part of India. They were said to be impressed with PM Narendra Modi's style of governance.
Manila: US President Barack Obama will meet controversial Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte next week, the White House said, despite concerns over a war on crime that has claimed more than 2,000 lives.

Since taking office two months ago, Duterte has begun making good on an election pledge to kill tens of thousands of suspected criminals, prompting criticism from rights groups who accuse him of inciting vigilante murders.

He has also lashed out at the United Nations and described the US ambassador to Manila as a "son of a whore."

However, the White House said Obama would meet the firebrand leader on the sidelines of a summit in Laos, which begins on September 6, with the US president likely to voice disquiet over the bloodshed and Duterte`s abusive remarks.

"We absolutely expect that the president will raise concerns about some of the recent statements from the president of the Philippines," Obama aide Ben Rhodes told reporters in Washington on Monday.

"We regularly meet with the leaders of our treaty allies where we have differences, whether it relates to human rights practices or derogatory comments. We take the opportunity of those meetings to raise those issues directly."

Duterte`s war on crime has seen unknown assailants kill more than half the victims, according to police statistics, raising fears that security forces and hired assassins are shooting dead anyone suspected of being involved in drugs.

Police have reported killing 756 people they have branded drug suspects, although they have insisted they are only acting in self-defense.

The US State Department last week said it was "deeply concerned" about reports of extrajudicial killings.

The UN`s special rapporteur on summary executions, Agnes Callamard, also said Duterte`s promise of immunity and bounties to security forces who killed drug suspects violated international law.

Duterte responded by threatening to quit the United Nations, saying: "If you are that disrespectful, son of a whore, then I will just leave you."

He later said his threat to withdraw from the UN was a joke, but continued to repeatedly criticize the international body.

And after garnering more bad headlines overseas for calling the US ambassador "gay" and a "son of a whore," Duterte refused to apologize.

The Philippines, a former US colony, was regarded as one of the United States` most loyal allies in Asia until Duterte took office.

The two nations are bound by a mutual defense pact.
Karachi: Pakistan has sent a formal reference to the British government against self-exiled Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain for inciting violence in Karachi last week, interior ministry said on Tuesday.

An official of the interior ministry said the reference was sent by the ministry.

The official said that the detailed reference includes evidences that Hussain had given hate speeches against Pakistan and some media houses and incited his party workers to resort to violence and anarchy.

He said Hussain had as such violated Pakistani laws as well as British and international laws.

The ministry in the reference wants the British government to take action against those who are inciting people to violence in Karachi and creating a law and order situation, he said.

The reference pertains to the speech made by Hussain at a hunger strike camp set up outside the Karachi Press Club on August 22 where he made anti-Pakistan comments and urged workers to go to some media offices and teach them a lesson.

His remarks led to violence and one person was killed and several others injured in the Saddar area where offices of a large media house is located.

DG Rangers Maj Gen Bilal Akbar claimed that MQM unit and sector workers were involved in attack on media house.

The attack was facilitated by MQM Labour Division, he said, adding that it was a pre-planned act.

Since the incident, the paramilitary rangers and police have launched a crackdown on the MQM and razed dozens of its sector and unit offices and sealed hundreds more including the MQM headquarters 90 near Aisha Manzil.

Senior MQM leaders have distanced themselves from Hussain's remarks and the central leadership which ran party affairs from London where the MQM chief is in self exile since 1993.

The MQM emerged as a largely ethnic party in the 1980s. It has political dominance in the southern Sindh province's urban areas - notably in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Sukkur where a large number of urdu-speaking people reside.
Bishkek: A car driven by a suicide bomber exploded after ramming through a gate at the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan today, wounding three people, authorities said.

"As a result of the explosion, only the suicide bomber terrorist died. Security guards were injured," Kyrgyzstan's Deputy Prime Minister Jenish Razakov told journalists.

Razakov said the three wounded were all Kyrgyz employees of the Chinese embassy and that they had been taken to hospital. Local medics said their injuries were not serious.

Bishkek police sources told AFP that a Mitsubishi Delica car smashed through a gate at the embassy before blowing up in the centre of the compound close to the ambassador's residence.

Another source from the security service of the ex-Soviet Central Asian nation -- which borders China -- said an "explosive device" had been placed inside the vehicle.

Local residents told AFP that the blast had blown in their windows and caused their houses to shake.

Employees from the Chinese and nearby American embassy on the edge of the city were evacuated, the Kyrgyz emergency service said.

Impoverished majority Muslim Kyrgyzstan has a history of political instability and battling Islamist extremism.

The economically troubled ally of Russia has seen two governments overthrown and ethnic violence claim hundreds of lives since it gained independence in 1991.

The authorities regularly announce that they have foiled attacks planned by the Islamic State group in the country.

Security forces last year said they had engaged in several deadly shootouts with suspected "terrorists" in Bishkek.

Officials say that some 500 Kyrgyz are thought to have joined the ranks of Islamic State fighting in Syria and Iraq.

Chinese officials in the country have previously been targeted, with one shot dead in 2000 in an attack blamed on radicals from China's Uighur minority.

Kyrgyzstan and the other ex-Soviet Central Asian nations have come under fire for using a purported terror threat to silence criticism of their secular regimes.
Leh: Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan has criticised the AAP government, saying its "complete" focus is on attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and not cleaning the city.

"Not only Delhi, every city is grappling with the same problem. They are clean in the morning and dirty by afternoon. There is a need to change the mindset. People generally think it is the responsibility of sanitation workers to clean the city. United efforts are needed.

"But there is one more problem in Delhi and it is that we are not in power there. The complete focus of the AAP government is on taking potshots at the Prime Minister. Some people have started thinking that they can have the media's attention by badmouthing someone," he told reporters here last night when asked why the AAP government has failed to achieve the requisite cleanliness levels in the national capital.

The minister, who along with around 25 religious leaders from different faiths took a pledge to achieve "absolute" cleanliness in the country at an event here, said his ministry is taking every possible step to find better ways of solid waste management in the city and elsewhere, and converting other types of waste material into items of daily use.

"We are studying the technologies used worldwide and have already started about two dozen projects this year to find thoroughly complete and inclusive ways of dealing with the issue. We have already spent Rs 20 crore for this purpose," he said.
Hardan: Surrounded by smoke and flames, the sound of gunshots echoing around him, the young man crouched in the creek for hours, listening to the men in his family die.

On the other side of the mountain, another survivor peered through binoculars as the handcuffed men of neighboring villages were shot and then buried by a waiting bulldozer. For six days he watched as the extremists filled one grave after another with his friends and relatives.

Between them, the two scenes of horror on Sinjar mountain contain six burial sites and the bodies of more than 100 people, just a small fraction of the mass graves Islamic State extremists have scattered across Iraq and Syria.

In exclusive interviews, photos and research, The Associated Press has documented and mapped 72 of the mass graves, the most comprehensive survey so far, with many more expected to be uncovered as the Islamic State group's territory shrinks.

In Syria, AP has obtained locations for 17 mass graves, including one with the bodies of hundreds of members of a single tribe all but exterminated when IS extremists took over their region. For at least 16 of the Iraqi graves, most in territory too dangerous to excavate, officials do not even guess the number of dead.

In others, the estimates are based on memories of traumatised survivors, Islamic State propaganda and what can be gleaned from a cursory look at the earth. Still, even the known victims buried are staggering from 5,200 to more than 15,000.

Sinjar mountain is dotted with mass graves, some in territory clawed back from IS after the group's onslaught against the Yazidi minority in August 2014; others in the deadly no man's land that has yet to be secured.

The bodies of Talal Murat's father, uncles and cousins lie beneath the rubble of the family farm, awaiting a time when it is safe for surviving relatives to return to the place where the men were gunned down. On Sinjar's other flank, Rasho Qassim drives daily past the graves holding the bodies of his two sons.

The road is in territory long since seized back, but the five sites are untouched, roped off and awaiting the money or the political will for excavation, as the evidence they contain is scoured away by the wind and baked by the sun.

"We want to take them out of here. There are only bones left. But they said 'No, they have to stay there, a committee will come and exhume them later,'" said Qassim, standing at the edge of the flimsy fence surrounding one site, where his two sons are buried. "It has been two years but nobody has come."

IS made no attempt to hide its atrocities. In fact it boasted of them. But proving what United Nations officials and others have described as an ongoing genocide and prosecuting those behind it will be complicated as the graves deteriorate.
Rome: Some 6,500 migrants were saved off the Libyan coast in 40 separate rescue missions on Monday, the Italian coast guard said on Twitter, in one of the largest influxes of refugees in a single day so far this year.

The migrants were packed on board scores of boats, many of them flimsy rubber dinghies that become dangerously unstable in high seas. Most were believed to be Africans.

Data from the International Organization for Migration released on Friday said around 105,000 migrants had reached Italy by boat so far in 2016, many of them setting sail from Libya. An estimated 2,726 men, women and children have died over the same period trying to make the journey.

About 1,100 migrants were rescued from boats in the Strait of Sicily on Sunday as they tried to reach Europe, the coast guard said. More refugees were expected to set sail this week because of favourable weather conditions.

Italy has been on the front line of Europe`s migrant crisis for three years, and more than 400,000 have successfully made the voyage to Italy from North Africa since the beginning of 2014, fleeing violence and poverty.
London: A 28-year-old Italian wingsuit pilot died in the Alps while broadcasting his daring jump live on social networking site Facebook.

The incident took place near Kandersteg in Switzerland where the deceased, identified as Armin Schmieder, told his fans `today you fly with me` before jumping off from the cliff, the Daily Mail reported on Sunday.

Images from the video which was posted online showed the pilot getting ready with his wingsuit before pocketing his phone and taking off.

According to the video available, some moments later a shout was heard by online watchers. Followers watching the video immediately reacted with horror on Facebook.

It is presumed he plunged to the ground but police did not immediately make any comment about the incident.

It is the latest tragedy to hit the sport and comes just days after Alexander Polli, a well-known and daring wingsuit pilots, died after crashing into a tree during a flight.

Polli became popular after posting a video of himself flying through a small hole in a huge rock called the `Roca Forad` in Montserrat, Spain.

Earlier this month, a British BASE jumper plunged to his death after jumping from the `High Ultimate` peak near the Alpine village of Murren in central Switzerland.
The Hollywood star was overjoyed to get a chance to interact with so many Bollywood personalities under the same roof at the same time.

Will Smith who was in Mumbai was more than happy to accept Akshay Kumar's invite to the party.

By Mail Today Bureau: Hollywood superstar Will Smith was toast of guest list on Sunday evening when Bollywood machoman Akshay Kumar hosted a grand party to celebrate his hat-trick of hits this year so far. Akshay has been having a dream run in 2016, with all his releases - Airlift, Housefull 3 and Rustom - having entered the 100-crore club.

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WILL SMITH IN THE HOUSE

The 48-year-old superstar, naturally in a jubilant mood these days, invited close friends and industry colleagues over to his residence for the party. Smith, who was recently seen in the multi-starer superhero flick Suicide Squad essaying the role of Deadshot, flew in on a surprise visit to Mumbai and was happy to accept Akshay's invitation.

The Hollywood star was overjoyed to get a chance to interact with so many Bollywood personalities under the same roof at the same time. Dressed in casuals, Akshay along with wife Twinkle Khanna played the perfect host as the guests partied the night away. He also took out time from his busy evening's schedule to graciously escort Smith outside his residence, to pose for a few photo-ops with the Hollywood superstar. Meanwhile, party action went on in full swing inside.

ALIA, SHARDDHA THE BEW BFFs

Ranbir Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha and Sonam Kapoor were spotted letting their hair down. Varun Dhawan arrived with filmmaker Karan Johar and actress Jacqueline Fernandez. Alia Bhatt and Sharddha Kapoor seem to be the new BFFs in BTown - they landed at the party together in the same car. The Dishoom duo of Varun and Jacqueline along with Alia posed for a snapshot with Will Smith.

Jacqueline later posted the picture on Instagram, captioned: "OMG #freshprinceofbelair" (sic). Sonakshi also put up picture with Smith on social media, with the caption: "Will Smith in da house! Welcome to India" (sic). While most of the stars chose to drive straight though waving at the shutterbugs and presspersons who had gathered, Arjun Kapoor was cordial enough to stop his car, step out and give a few photo-ops.

AKSHAY ALL SET FOR 2017

He cut an imposing picture in Pathani suit. Also spotted at the party were filmmakers Ayan Mukerji and Rohit Dhawan, besides actors Esha Gupta and Pooja Batra. Akshay's mother-in-law Dimple Kapadia was also present at the do.

With Rustom, which released on Independence Day, Akshay's quota of releases in 2016 is full. His next lot of films are slated to open only next year. These are Jolly LLB 2, the Robot sequel where he plays villain to Rajinikanth, and Neeraj Pandey's upcoming Crack.



--- ENDS ---

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Jamnagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched an irrigation scheme-- SAUNI Yojna, a project initiated by him in 2012 as Chief Minister.

Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation - SAUNI was a project launched by Modi in September 2012.

Out of four phases of SAUNI project, Modi inaugurated the first phase which covers 10 dams.

The project aims at diverting the floodwater from Sardar Sarovar Dam to several dams of the water scarce Saurashtra region though a network of canal and pipelines.

This would help with irrigation of 4.13 lakh hectares land in drought-prone Saurashtra.

Modi, who landed at the Jamnagar airport in the morning, had to drive down to Sanosara to reach the Aji dam site to inaugurate the first link of the project owing to inclement weather. The inauguration got delayed a little.

The Prime Minister pressed a button at the Aji-3 dam to open Gate two, Three and Four, to start release of the water that would fill up Aji-4 dam. Simultaneously, water would also be pumped into Uund-4 reservoir.

Modi addressed a rally in Jamnagar after launching SAUNI.

Congress had yesterday termed Modi's visit to Gujarat as "election-oriented" and alleged that it is mere "lollipop" for farmers.
New Delhi: Haryana IPS officer Bharti Arora has claimed that the money earned from cow smuggling is being used to spread terrorism across the country.

Arora has been recently appointed by the Manohar Lal Khattar government to head the police teams checking slaughter and smuggling of cows across the state.

A report published in the Hindustan Times quoted Arora as saying that cow smuggling and slaughtering is an organised crime and the money earned from these businesses is being used to promote terror-related activities in India.

The IPS office, while divulging more details, said the cows are being smuggled to Bangladesh via Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Last year, the BJP government had passed the Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Bill.

The cow protection law in Haryana ensures stringent punishment to those indulged in cow slaughter or selling or eating beef.

Cow slaughter in Haryana attracts a rigorous imprisonment ranging from three years to 10 years.
Kumarhatti: More than 350 school children and staff had a narrow escape here in Himachal Pradesh when a portion of a private school building collapsed on Tuesday, an official said.

"All the students of Sarvhitkari Shiksha Niketan were rescued by school authorities just a few minutes before its portion collapsed," Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kanwar told IANS.

He said school staff felt vibrations in the building before it actually crumbled.

School authorities said all the 342 students were safe.

"Mala ma`am took all the students immediately out of the class as she felt the building shaking," a student informed police.

"We will definitely look into the reasons that led to the collapse of the building. We will not allow the school to operate till it`s declared safe by the administration," Kanwar added.
Hyderabad: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday said the Narendra Modi government should adopt a consistent approach on Jammu and Kashmir and take follow-up action after the proposed visit of all-party delegation to the border state.

The Hyderabad MP said now that peace is returning to Kashmir, the central government should not give up the efforts to find a solution so that the cycle of violence does not return to the valley.

An all-party delegation led by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to visit Kashmir on Sep 4.

Owaisi said he was yet to receive an invitation but came to know about the delegation's visit through media.

"If the delegation goes, it will give a message to people of Jammu and Kashmir that an attempt is being made for restoring peace and normalcy and for continuing the dialogue," he said.

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president, who was part of a similar all-party delegation which visited Kashmir in 2010 in the aftermath of violence in the valley, said his good wishes will be with the delegation. "I only hope that normalcy is restored and there is no more loss of life," he said.

The MP, however, said the present government should take follow-up action after the visit of all-party delegation visit. He recalled that in 2010 the then UPA government did not take any follow-up action and put the report of the all-party delegation in cold storage.

Owaisi said the government should examine the proposals and the three-pronged strategy mooted Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

He believes the state and the central government have greater responsibility to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

Owaisi alleged that Pakistan was fishing in troubled waters and this has been always been its approach. "We should not allow such a situation. Enemies will definitely take advantage of this," he said.

The MP said governance, political process and a constant eye on the ground situation can help in preventing recurrence of violence.

On pellet guns, he said a situation should be avoided where pellet guns or guns have to be used. He said nobody can deny the fact that the use of pellet guns made 200 people blind.
Bulandshahr: It's a soul-shaking story of a minor girl who was raped for over six months and forced to abort her baby.

In a shocking incident, a 14-year-old girl reached a Bulandshahr police station with an aborted fetus in a polythene bag.

She reached the police station to file a complaint against a man who had raped her over six months, according to a report in TOI.

Not only this, she was forced by the rape accused to terminate her pregnancy, that too at the hands of a quack.

Accused

The accused is Yunus Ahmad. He is a neighbour of the girl at Bhaipura village in Bulandshahr.

On August 28, the girl thought she was suffering from stomach ache but it turned out to be a pregnancy.

Her mother and brother then confronted the family of the alleged rapist.

He (alleged rapist) then took the girl to a quack by force and got the fetus aborted.

FIR lodged

An FIR has been registered in the case.
New Delhi: Seventeen-year-old Malvika Raj Joshi doesn't have a class X or XII certificate but has made it to the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), thanks to her computer programming talent.

Her story is about a mother's conviction to break stereotypes and the self belief of her teenage daughter, who showed why "merit" has more weightage than "marks".

The Mumbai teenager has been provided scholarship by MIT as she is pursuing her Bachelor of Science degree after getting a seat for being a three-time medal winner (two silver and a bronze) at International Olympiad of Informatics or commonly known as Programming Olympiad.

The MIT has a provision for accepting students who are medal winners at various Olympiads (Maths, Physics or Computer) and it was Malvika's medals that ensured that she can fulfil her aspirations of pursuing research work in her favourite subject -- Computer Science.

Malvika recalls those early days during an emailed interaction from Boston.

"When I started unschooling, that was 4 years back, I explored many different subjects. Programming was one of them. I found programming interesting and I used to give more time to it than to other subjects, so, I started liking it at that time," she says.

Malvika found it difficult to get admission in elite Indian institutes like IIT, which has strict rules as one needs to pass class XII exams.

In fact only institute where she got admission was Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI) where she was enrolled into M.Sc level course as her knowledge was on par with B.Sc standard.

"There is absolutely no question that Malvika's admission to MIT is based on her superlative achievements at IOI. It is a credit to MIT's flexibility that they can offer admission to a student who demonstrates excellent intellectual potential despite having no formal high school credentials," says CMI's Madhavan Mukund, who is also National Co-ordinator of Indian Computing Olympiad.

However, Madhavan made it clear that Malvika is not a product of the system but despite it.

"This is possible only for a student whose academic achievements are outstanding, which is the case with Malvika's performance at IOI," he has a word of caution.

But this young Mumbai girl's fascinating story starts about four years ago when her mother Supriya took an unbelievably tough decision.

She was in class VII at Dadar Parsee Youth Assembly School in Mumbai and doing exceedingly well in academics when her mother decided to pull her out of school.
Delhi: Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik may be booked under anti-terror law with a legal opinion is said to have suggested action against him and Islamic Research Foundation (IRF).

Sources said the Home Ministry had sought a legal opinion on the possible action to be taken against Naik for his controversial activities, including allegedly delivering hate speech.

The legal opinion is understood to have conveyed to the Home Ministry that Naik's statements in different forums allegedly promoted enmity and hatred between religious groups and inspired and incited terrorists.

A case of should be registered against Naik under anti-terror laws for allegedly delivering hate speech on different occasions, sources said quoting the legal opinion.

The legal opinion suggested that there is a 'conscious intention' on Naik's part towards spreading enmity among religious groups, as per PTI.

Apart from Naik, cases should be registered against his NGO IRF, which is allegedly funded radical activities, the legal advice said to have suggested.

Naik, a Mumbai-based tele-evangelist, who also runs Peace TV, has been under scanner of various agencies after one of the attackers involved in the Dhaka terror attack had posted that he had been influenced by the preacher.

Naik, in a media interaction via Skype from Saudi Arabia last month, had rubbished allegations against him while terming himself as the 'messenger of peace'.

He had also said that he would not return to India this year.

Earlier this month, police had said that the Islamic preacher had received foreign funding of Rs 60 crore which was subsequently transferred in the bank accounts of his family members.

They had also said that the tele-vangelist had floated four shell companies in which his kin were directors.

Meanwhile, on August 09, it was reported that Naik had been 'indicted' by the Mumbai Police which had found him to be allegedly involved in unlawful activities with possible terror links.

Giving details, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that a watertight case was being prepared against him and also that efforts would be made to extradite him.

Mumbai Police, tasked with probing his alleged provocative controversial speeches, submitted its report to the state government.

Police were asked to probe Naik's speeches available online to see if any of them could have encouraged youths to join terrorist groups.

"The report has made observations about him (Naik) making (critical) comments on other religion and belittling them - an action that would cause disharmony in society. The report also has details of countries that have banned him or his organisations. The government is examining the report which have several aspects that are in the domain of the Centre," Fadnavis had told reporters in Mumbai.

"There are many revelations in the report about illegal and unlawful activities (allegedly involving Naik and IRF) and activities which are not in interest of the nation The report has shed light on aspects like his relation with Firoz Deshmukh (a terror accused). It also talks about its links with Jamaat-ud-Dawa (a front of Pak-based terror outfit LeT) and Indian Mujahedeen and other activities that are illegal," he had added.

On the other hand, in a statement IRF had said all allegations levelled against Naik were 'false and baseless'. "IRF is not privy to the Police Commissioner's report, but from reports put across in the media, IRF wants to reiterate that the allegations are false and baseless. Dr Zakir Naik firmly believes in promoting peace and harmony and has been doing that for decades. IRF is a research body that promotes greater awareness of Islam and its tenets. Dr Zakir Naik is an expert in comparative religion and has been conducting well- researched talks on Islam and other religions across the world," the release had said.

(With PTI inputs)
Delhi: Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik may be booked under anti-terror law with a legal opinion is said to have suggested action against him and Islamic Research Foundation (IRF).

Sources said the Home Ministry had sought a legal opinion on the possible action to be taken against Naik for his controversial activities, including allegedly delivering hate speech.

The legal opinion is understood to have conveyed to the Home Ministry that Naik's statements in different forums allegedly promoted enmity and hatred between religious groups and inspired and incited terrorists.

A case of should be registered against Naik under anti-terror laws for allegedly delivering hate speech on different occasions, sources said quoting the legal opinion.

The legal opinion suggested that there is a 'conscious intention' on Naik's part towards spreading enmity among religious groups, as per PTI.

Apart from Naik, cases should be registered against his NGO IRF, which is allegedly funded radical activities, the legal advice said to have suggested.

Naik, a Mumbai-based tele-evangelist, who also runs Peace TV, has been under scanner of various agencies after one of the attackers involved in the Dhaka terror attack had posted that he had been influenced by the preacher.

Naik, in a media interaction via Skype from Saudi Arabia last month, had rubbished allegations against him while terming himself as the 'messenger of peace'.

He had also said that he would not return to India this year.

Earlier this month, police had said that the Islamic preacher had received foreign funding of Rs 60 crore which was subsequently transferred in the bank accounts of his family members.

They had also said that the tele-vangelist had floated four shell companies in which his kin were directors.

Meanwhile, on August 09, it was reported that Naik had been 'indicted' by the Mumbai Police which had found him to be allegedly involved in unlawful activities with possible terror links.

Giving details, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that a watertight case was being prepared against him and also that efforts would be made to extradite him.

Mumbai Police, tasked with probing his alleged provocative controversial speeches, submitted its report to the state government.

Police were asked to probe Naik's speeches available online to see if any of them could have encouraged youths to join terrorist groups.



"The report has made observations about him (Naik) making (critical) comments on other religion and belittling them - an action that would cause disharmony in society. The report also has details of countries that have banned him or his organisations. The government is examining the report which have several aspects that are in the domain of the Centre," Fadnavis had told reporters in Mumbai.

"There are many revelations in the report about illegal and unlawful activities (allegedly involving Naik and IRF) and activities which are not in interest of the nation The report has shed light on aspects like his relation with Firoz Deshmukh (a terror accused). It also talks about its links with Jamaat-ud-Dawa (a front of Pak-based terror outfit LeT) and Indian Mujahedeen and other activities that are illegal," he had added.

On the other hand, in a statement IRF had said all allegations levelled against Naik were 'false and baseless'. "IRF is not privy to the Police Commissioner's report, but from reports put across in the media, IRF wants to reiterate that the allegations are false and baseless. Dr Zakir Naik firmly believes in promoting peace and harmony and has been doing that for decades. IRF is a research body that promotes greater awareness of Islam and its tenets. Dr Zakir Naik is an expert in comparative religion and has been conducting well- researched talks on Islam and other religions across the world," the release had said.

(With PTI inputs)
Islamabad: Indian authorities treat Pakistan`s High Commissioner Abdul Basit as a virtual "persona non grata" because of his hawkish attitude, a leading Pakistani newspaper said on Tuesday.

Basit has not been allowed by Indian officials even once to meet Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj or any other high profile dignitary during his tenure, the Daily Times reported.

Basit was appointed Pakistan`s High Commissioner in New Delhi in February 2014, months before Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister. Earlier, he had served as Pakistan`s ambassador to Germany.

The daily quoted Foreign Office sources as saying that Sushma Swaraj did not entertain repeated requests from Basit for formal meetings.

"Given his hawkish personality and unnecessary aggression, none of the policy makers in India feel like meeting him," the sources were quoted as saying.

"He doesn`t enjoy the personal rapport with any important Indian official," the sources added.

The daily said the job of being posted as High Commissioner in New Delhi is regarded one of the most important diplomatic assignments in Pakistani foreign service.

"The most brilliant career diplomats are normally posted in New Delhi," it added.

The daily said the Indian authorities had verbally and informally appealed to Pakistan on several occasions to replace Basit with someone else.

It said Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry had raised the matter with Basit and "advised him to keep his cool during tough situations".

"The Foreign Secretary wanted the High Commissioner to dispel the impression that he was a hawk and always would be, no matter whatever the circumstances between the two countries."

Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakria, however, denied that there were differences between Chaudhry and Basit.

India had cancelled the secretary level dialogue with Pakistan in 2014 after Basit met Hurriyat leader Shabir Shah just days before the dialogue.

The Daily Times said the Twitter timeline of Basit shows trips to Nagpur, Chandigarh, Shimla and other parts of India.

"However, the ambassador seems to be fond of re-tweeting pictures of picturesque landscapes of Pakistan, as if his primary task is to promote the country`s tourism industry," it said.
New Delhi: India had agreed to share with Pakistan the funds of freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's Indian National Army (INA) and Indian Independence League (IIL) in 1953, according to declassified files released on Tuesday.

This was revealed in a note which was enclosed with a letter dated October 18, 1953 by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to then West Bengal Chief Minister BC Roy.

Nehru was responding to a resolution passed by West Bengal Legislature to request the central government to take steps to investigate the "funds left by Netaji and his Azad Hind government".

The note read, "Soon after the termination of the last war in the Far East, some quantity of gold, jewellery and other valuables was seized from the officials and others connected with the INA and IIL in the south east Asian countries."

It said these assets were "held in Singapore by the Custodian of Property" and, according to the information furnished by the Singapore government in 1950, these assets were valued at Straits dollars (the currency of settlements of Britain on the Strait of Malacca) 1,47,163.

However, it was difficult to assess the exact value of the assets due to revaluation, according to the note.

"There were protracted negotiations with Pakistan as she claimed a part of these assets. In the end, it was agreed that the assets should be divided between India and Pakistan in the ratio of 2:1," the note read.

However, the matter related to release of funds would have had to go before the Legislative Council as the Custodian of Enemy Property had no right to hand over any amount to any person or body, it said.

Culture Ministry Secretary NK Sinha today released online the 7th batch of 25 declassified files which pertained to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) from 1951 to 2006.

The first lot of 100 files related to Netaji were put in public domain by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 23 on the occasion of the freedom fighter's 119th birth anniversary.

The second lot of 50 files was released in March and 25 files each were put in public domain in the subsequent months.

The disappearance of Netaji 70 years ago still remains a mystery with two Commissions of Inquiry concluding that he had died in a plane crash in Taipei on August 18, 1945, while a third probe panel, headed by Justice M K Mukherjee, had contested it and suggested that Bose had survived the crash.
Some 33 lakh employees of the central government have reasons to cheer now with the announcement of their bonus that has been pending for two years.

By India Today Web Desk: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the government will give their annual bonus at revised rates to central government employees for two years and hiked minimum wages in an attempt to mollify trade unions that have threatened to go on a nationwide strike on Friday.

Some 33 lakh employees of the central government have reasons to cheer now with the announcement of their bonus that has been pending for two years. The likely financial implications of the bonus move translate into Rs 1,920 crore per annum.



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"The bonus entitlement for 2014-15 and 2015-16 will be released on the revised norms for central government employees. This was pending for two years. After this, the bonus will be covered under the 7th Pay Commission," Jaitley told reporters.

As many as 10 central trade unions have given a call for a one-day pan-India strike on September 2 to protest against the government's labour reforms and "not paying heed to their demands".



Minimum wages hiked



The Centre also announced a hike in minimum wage for the unskilled non-farm workers of the central government to Rs 350 a day from the current Rs 246.

Jaitley said it has been decided to fix the minimum wages at Rs 350 per day for unskilled non-agricultural workers for 'C' category areas keeping in view the modalities of fixingminimum wages.

The decision was taken following deliberations at the meeting of the Minimum Wage Advisory Board under the chairmanship of the labour minister for revising the basic minimum wages in the central sphere.



--- ENDS ---
New Delhi: Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday met US Secretary of State John Kerry in Delhi at India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.

Opening the plenary session, Sushma Swaraj said, "I would urge the United States to join the International solar alliance as an active member."

Thanking India, Kerry said, "Honoured to be back in Delhi and participate in the 2nd Strategic & Commercial Dialogue."

Defining partnership of the 21st century

John Kerry said, "This is the last time I have the privilege to lead this dialogue, but I'm very confident that we'll continue to strengthen what President Obama has called "defining partnership of the 21st century".

Talking about the bilateral ties, Kerry said, "I hope everyone here will take pride in everything we have accomplished in recent years.

Cyber threats

"We look forward to finalise a cyber framework that will help us protect from global cyber threats," Kerry added.

"Our citizens are studying, living and earning their livelihood in each others countries like never before," Swaraj said during the session.

Climate change

Thanking India, Kerry said, "Our collaboration in battling climate change is significant, grateful to India, particularly for offering leadership for same in Paris."

"We are working to bring new technologies to help India meet its ambitious renewable energy targets," Kerry added.

Civil nuclear co-operation

Talking civil nuclear co-operation, Kerry said, "We hope to see our civil nuclear co-operation take shape in form of new reactors that deliver reliable electricity to Indian households."

India's membership to APEC forum

"I hope that you will treat the issue of India's membership to APEC forum positively," EAM Sushma Swaraj said in plenary session with John Kerry.

"We hope the next US administration will continue to support the Paris agreement with the same seriousness and purpose as you have done," Swaraj added.
New Delhi: Former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, serving a 10-year jail term in the teachers recruitment scam, was shifted to AIIMS, two days after he was admitted to RML hospital following an inspection.

The 81-year-old INLD chief has been admitted under Dr Randeep Guleria, Head of Pulmonary Department, AIIMS, hospital authorities said.

It is understood that Chautala has been shifted to the premier institute after he complained of breathing problems.

He was admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital on August 27 and shifted to trauma ICU section a day later. His TLC (Total Leukocyte Count) had increased a lot indicating some sort of infection.

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.
Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Tuesday that she had apprised US Secretary of State John Kerry of cross-border terrorism by Pakistan, adding that there could not be double standards in combating terror.

"Secretary Kerry and I agreed that Pakistan needs to take fast track actions to catch perpetrators of 2008 Mumbai attack and 2016 Pathankot attack," she said addressing the press at the conclusion of the second India-US Strategic Dialogue here.

"I apprised Secretary Kerry of cross-border terrorism by Pakistan. There can't be double standards in combating terror. Pakistan should withdraw safe havens provided to LeT, JeM and D-Company. There cannot be good terrorists or bad terrorists. There was meeting of minds between the two sides on the issue of terrorism," she added.

"I thanked Secretary Kerry for USA's constant support for India's membership in NSG. This interaction has strengthened the US-India relationship. I hope it contributes to the world at large," Swaraj further said.

Following is full text of Swaraj's statement:

EAM @SushmaSwaraj addresses Jt press interaction with @JohnKerry, highlights meeting of minds on issue of terrorism pic.twitter.com/EyQYn2Er78  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) August 30, 2016

On his part, Kerry said, "Terror is terror, no matter where it comes from. US continues to support all efforts to bring the perpetrators of '08 Mumbai and '16 Pathankot attacks to justice."

Asserting that they have interacted with Pakistan in one way or the other, Kerry said, "I have recently spoke to the Prime Minister and General Raheel Sharif regarding the need for Pakistan to deprive any group sanctuaries... It is well known that the Haqqani network and others operated out of the western part of the country. LeT, we all know and we all spoken out against had an impact on India, directly. It is vital that Pakistan join with other nations in tackling this challenge, and in fairness, in recent weeks and months they have been moving more authoritatively."

"When two democracies, as large and diverse as India and US come together, it does not just help our citizens, but also humanity. Wide-ranging talks reaffirmed that when two such democracies get together we can't only make a change for our citizens but for world," Kerry added.

Kerry further said that he agreed with India for joint cyber security framework.

"Bottom line is that India and US are more deeply engaged on more important issues than at any time in history of our relationship," he said.

The two countries also agreed to boost their counter- terrorism cooperation by enhancing intelligence sharing, screening of terrorists, exchange of information on known or suspected terrorists.

They also agreed to continue to work closely to get terrorist entities listed by the UN system, by coordinating the approach to the UN 1267 Committee.

Today's Dialogue comes in the backdrop of unrest in Kashmir with India alleging Pakistan's involvement in it.

Apart from counter-terrorism, the two sides during the Dialogue, which was also co-chaired by Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, discussed issues of commercial, regional and international interests.

Asked by an American journalist about the tension between India and Pakistan and when the dialogue between the two will resume, Swaraj made it clear that "terror and talks will not go hand in hand".

She said India remained ready to have talks with Pakistan but there were legitimate expectations that it will act against terror groups which were carrying out attacks against India including the Pathankot one. "And the talks can only resume if these expectations were met," she added.

Kerry had earlier met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval during which issue of Pak-sponsored terrorism was discussed.

(With Agency inputs)
Delhi: A committee led by former home secretary Madhukar Gupta has suggested in its report to the government to use technology and increase vigil on riverine frontiers to prevent Pathankot-like terror attacks.

The committee was set up following the Pathankot terror attack to look into security gaps on the India-Pakistan border.

As per The Times of India, the committee is also learnt to have flagged gaps and vulnerability in border fencing.

The Daily quoted home ministry sources as saying that the committee has suggested use of scientific methods.

The committee is also said to have given separate recommendations for four states which touch the international border with Pakistan.

At the same time it also reportedly expressed displeasure over not installing laser walls in many infiltration-prone areas.

These areas are vulnerable due to treacherous and marshy terrain.

The committee was set up three months after the terror attack on Pathankot IAF base in January to study all types of gaps in fencing and other vulnerabilities along the border.

The terrorists had entered the strategic air base at Pathankot on the intervening night of January one-two this year and mounted a brazen assault.

In the fierce encounter that had ensued, seven security personnel besides four terrorists were killed.
New Delhi: French company DCNS has obtained a court order restricting `The Australian` from further publishing leaked documents on India`s Scorpene submarine project.

A report in The Australian said orders handed by the New South Wales Supreme Court prevented the newspaper from using or disclosing the content of any of the documents.

The orders also require The Australian to remove the leaked documents from its website.

The restriction expires at 5 pm on Thursday. However, it has also asked the newspaper to hand over to DCNS all of the company material in its possession.

The journalist who broke the story, Cameron Stewart, had told IANS on Friday that the newspaper did not intend to publish any more of the documents at that time.

In a series of tweets later he claimed the documents contained information on weapon systems as well and said it would be published on Monday.

The newspaper, however, did not upload any more leaked documents.

An affidavit filed by DCNS says the disclosure of the material has caused a prejudice to the shipbuilder because its competitors now have access to some of the company`s material.

"The publication of this highly valuable document causes a direct harm to DCNS and its customer in terms of the spread of sensitive and restricted information, image and reputation," said an affidavit by DCNS` lawyer Justine Munsie.

The massive media coverage of the leak had jeopardised the company`s international image and reputation, the affidavit said.

"The sensitive and protected nature of the documents also covers the nature, structure, and the mere existence of the documents themselves," it said.

DCNS, which is at the centre of a global submarine data leak scandal, wanted to prevent The Australian from releasing any more confidential data contained in the leaked 22,400 secret documents because it may cause harm to its customer -- the Indian Navy.

In response to an email from IANS on Monday, DCNS` Media Relations head Emmanuel Gaudez said: "To be precise, DCNS is instructing a demand to The Australian in order to remove from its website the documents which it has published online and prevent the publishing of other documents."

The Australian has redacted the most sensitive details from the documents before their publication.

The Indian Navy has maintained the leaked data will not compromise the boat`s stealth capabilities, and an officer told IANS that, if needed, India is capable of making suitable changes in the submarines keeping in mind the "worst-case scenario".
Srinagar/New Delhi: In a likely trouble for Naeem Geelani, elder son of hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the NIA has summoned him as part of its probe into suspected terror funds.

Naeem Geelani has been summoned for recording his statement in connection with a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) registered by the probe agency.

The National Investigation Agency issued summons to Geelani for appearance at its Srinagar sub-office.

What's the case?

The case pertains to a PE registered by the NIA to probe flow of funds into various bank accounts from overseas which in turn is allegedly being used for anti-national activities in the Valley.

Hurriyat Conference questions summon

The hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference led by Geelani issued a statement terming the questioning of its leaders as an act of "terrifying and maligning" the family of its leader.

"After harassing and questioning Mohammad Ashraf Sehraie, Peer Saifullah, Altaf Ahmad Shah and Ayaz Akbar during their detention, Geelani's elder son Dr Naeem Geelani has been issued a notice by the NIA to report to its interrogation centre in Shivpora for questioning," it said in a statement in Srinagar.

The statement claimed that NIA has been given the task to drag these "fabricated cases" to Delhi to "pressurize the separatist leadership".

NIA rejects allegations

However, NIA said the allegations levelled against the probe agency were totally baseless and that the agency was probing a legitimate case where funds were being received in the state and diverted towards terrorism and anti-national activities.
Washington: Taking a step towards building defence ties, India and the United States on Monday signed an agreement governing the use of each other`s land, air and naval bases for repair and resupply.

Welcoming the signing of the bilateral 'Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement' (LEMOA), Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said the pact will facilitate opportunities for "practical engagement and exchange".

LEMOA facilitates the provision of logistical support, supplies, and services between the US and Indian militaries on a reimbursable basis, and provides a framework to govern them.

"They agreed on the importance (that) this framework will provide to facilitate innovative and advanced opportunities in defence technology and trade cooperation. To this end, the US has agreed to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with its closest allies and partners," said a joint statement after the pact was signed.

According to the statement, the defence ties between the two countries is based on their "shared values and interests," and their "abiding commitment to global peace and security."

During their meeting, Parrikar and Carter discussed the "wealth of progress" in bilateral cooperation and deepening strategic partnership between the United States and India.

The US military has made clear it wants to do more with India, especially in countering China, which US officials say is risking stoking conflict through its claims in the South China Sea, a vital trade waterway.

Without naming China, both Carter and Parrikar mentioned the importance of the free flow of trade to both countries.

"India and the United States have a shared interest in freedom of navigation and overflight and unimpeded commerce as part of rule-based order in (the) Indo-Pacific," Parrikar said.

The US has agreed to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with its closest allies and partners.

The visit - their sixth official interaction to date - demonstrates the importance both sides place on strengthening defence ties across many areas: from strategic and regional cooperation, to deepened military-to-military exchanges, to expanded collaboration on defence technology and innovation, it said.

Welcoming India's membership in the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), Carter reaffirmed US support for India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Acknowledging India's positive contributions to regional security and stability, including in matters beyond the maritime space, Carter and Parrikar announced their agreement to further consultations in the area, including through the next Maritime Security Dialogue, scheduled later this year.

During his stay in the US, Parrikar will visit Boeing's manufacturing facility at Philadelphia. He would also interact with American defence industry representatives at an event organised by the US-India Business Council (USIBC).

Earlier on Monday, Parrikar was accorded an enhanced honor cordon by Carter after he arrived at the Pentagon here.

The enhanced honour is reserved for valued guests. During normal cordon, visitors are greeted at the Pentagon stairs and welcomed with handshakes, before proceeding inside. During the enhanced honour cordon, national anthems are played.

Parrikar, accompanied by Carter, also laid a wreath at the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial.

Carter and Parrikar noted the recent official exchanges, including the visit to New Delhi of General John Nicholson for consultations on Afghanistan, as well as by the Secretary of the US Navy and the Secretary of the US Air Force this month.

They welcomed the progress achieved under the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) so far. In Delhi in July this year, India and the US decided to broaden its agenda by setting up five joint working groups on naval systems, air systems, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, chemical and biological protection, and other systems.

The two leaders noted the signing of an information exchange annex under the framework of the Aircraft Carrier Joint Working Group.

Carter and Parrikar agreed to continue their close consultation on 'Make in India' proposals and praised the discussions at the inaugural Maritime Security Dialogue held in May.

They welcomed the conclusion of the bilateral 'White Shipping' technical arrangement for data sharing on commercial shipping traffic and also discussed cooperation on capabilities to augment India's capacity for maritime domain awareness (MDA).

Welcoming the continued efforts by the militaries of the two countries to deepen bilateral cooperation and expand opportunities for greater collaboration, the two leaders commended the recent completion of the Malabar naval exercise with Japan and India's participation in the Rim-of-the-Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise in Hawaii, as well as the Red Flag Air Force Exercise in Alaska.

They were encouraged by increased complexity in the 'Yudh Abhyas' Army exercise scheduled in September in India.

The two leaders agreed to facilitate greater and regular interactions to deepen mutual understanding between military services and promote practical cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as counter-terrorism, maritime security, special operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: In a major development in the VVIP chopper deal case, the key middleman Christian James Michel has written to CBI, saying he is willing to meet with Indian investigating officers in Dubai and has sought the withdrawal of Interpol Red Corner notice against him before the meeting.

This is the first official communication by the middleman in AgustaWestland case to the investigating agency in India.

In the letter to CBI on August 25, the English law firm representing him, said Michel is ready for a meeting at the Indian consulate in Dubai too.

Michel, who has claimed his innocence in the case, said he has some information which could the Indian agencies to progress with their probe into the scandal.

Michel, against whom there exists a non-bailable warrant, said he is reluctant to come to India for the proposed questioning as he fears that a long period of time might elapse, between his questioning here and withdrawal of criminal charges or conclusion of criminal trial, during which he will be detained against his wish.

Subject to certain conditions, Michel has offered to return to India not less than 7 days before the scheduled start of any criminal trial against him and attend every court hearing which he might be required to attend until his innocence or guilt has been established.

The conditions for the same are that within two days of the meeting with investigators in Dubai or through video conference, they shall ask Interpol to withdraw the Red Corner Notice against him as long as he sticks to his promise of appearing in court. He also wants that no authority shall arrest or otherwise detain him in relation to this matter until he is found guilty and subsequently sentenced.

Michel had allegedly played a key role in swinging the Rs 3,727-crore deal for AgustaWestland to supply 12 VVIP choppers to India in 2010. AgustaWestland, a subsidiary of Italian defence giant Finmeccanica, allegedly paid more than Rs 370 crore as kickbacks to secure the deal.
Hyderabad: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday said the Narendra Modi government should adopt a consistent approach on Jammu and Kashmir and take follow-up action after the proposed visit of all-party delegation to the border state.

The Hyderabad MP said now that peace is returning to Kashmir, the central government should not give up the efforts to find a solution so that the cycle of violence does not return to the valley.

An all-party delegation led by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to visit Kashmir on Sep 4.

Owaisi said he was yet to receive an invitation but came to know about the delegation's visit through media.

"If the delegation goes, it will give a message to people of Jammu and Kashmir that an attempt is being made for restoring peace and normalcy and for continuing the dialogue," he said.

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president, who was part of a similar all-party delegation which visited Kashmir in 2010 in the aftermath of violence in the valley, said his good wishes will be with the delegation. "I only hope that normalcy is restored and there is no more loss of life," he said.

The MP, however, said the present government should take follow-up action after the visit of all-party delegation visit. He recalled that in 2010 the then UPA government did not take any follow-up action and put the report of the all-party delegation in cold storage.

Owaisi said the government should examine the proposals and the three-pronged strategy mooted Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

He believes the state and the central government have greater responsibility to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

Owaisi alleged that Pakistan was fishing in troubled waters and this has been always been its approach. "We should not allow such a situation. Enemies will definitely take advantage of this," he said.

The MP said governance, political process and a constant eye on the ground situation can help in preventing recurrence of violence.

On pellet guns, he said a situation should be avoided where pellet guns or guns have to be used. He said nobody can deny the fact that the use of pellet guns made 200 people blind.


New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea of Kashmiri separatist leader and former member of terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen Ashiq Hussain Faktoo for review of its verdict sentencing him to life imprisonment for killing human rights activist HN Wanchoo.

A three-judge bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice P.C. Pant and Justice AM Khanwilkar dismissed Faktoo's review plea, saying the comprehension of the accused that the earlier judgement was "erroneous" would not enable the court to "reopen" the entire case.

Faktoo, who is in jail since 1993, is husband of Asiya Andrabi, also a separatist leader and chairperson of Islamist women's organisation Dukhtaran-e-Millat.

In its order, the bench said: "The present writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution of India by no stretch of reasoning would fit into any of the permissible categories of post conviction exercises permissible in law as laid down by this court.

"The doctrine of ex debito justitiae being circumscribed by the judgment of this Court in Rupa Ashok Hurra ...it is for the petitioner to exhaust the said remedy, if is he so inclined and so advised.

"Merely because in the comprehension of the writ petitioner the judgment of this court is erroneous would not enable the court to reopen the issue in departure to the established and settled norms and parameters of the extent of permissible exercise of jurisdiction as well as the procedural law governing such exercise."

It added: "We, therefore, hold that the present writ petition is not maintainable and is accordingly dismissed subject to the observations as above."

Faktoo, through his lawyer, had told the court that his confession recorded under the now-defunct TADA anti-terrorism law was not admissible as evidence on grounds including that it was not corroborated.


Here is all you need to know about chemical weapons.

By India Today Web Desk: What are chemical weapons?

Chemical weapons are munitions that are designed to contain toxic particles which, upon execution, can cause death, severe injury, sensory impairment, psychological impairment, etc. through its chemical reaction.

Chemical weapons are often dubbed as the "poor man's bomb" as they are comparatively cheaper to make. Their effects, however, are nothing short of drastic.

Iraqi forces display weapons confiscated from ISIS. Source: Reuters

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Where have they been used?

Chemical weapons have been in use since ancient times. One can find mentions of such arms in Greek, Roman and Indian mythology as well.

Its first large-scale usage, however, was during World War I when chlorine gas was released in the Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium on April 22, 1915.

Again, on July 12, 1917, the usage of mustard gas in the Battle of Passchendaele in Salient led to at least 90,000 deaths and over one million casualties.

British troops blinded by tear gas during the Battle of Estaires. Source: Imperial War Museums

It is said the US and the Soviet Union each had such enormous amounts of CWs stockpiled during the Cold War, it could have been enough to wipe off most of humankind from the face of the world.

During the 1980s war, Iraq used CWs consisting mustard gas and nerve agents against Iraq's Kurdish residents in Halabja.

In 1994, the Aum Shinrikyu doomsday cult in Japan caused the sarin poisoning incident in the residential community of Matsumoto. Again, in 1995, they perpetrated another sarin attack on a Tokyo subway.

Passengers affected by the sarin gas attack in Tokyo's subway are carried into hospital. Source: AP

During the Vietnam war, the US military used Agent Orange- one of the herbicides and defoliants used as part of its herbicidal warfare program.

It was later revealed to cause serious health issues-including tumors, birth defects, rashes, psychological symptoms and cancer-among the Vietnamese population as well as US personnel.



UN's stand on chemical weapons

In September 3, 1992, the United Nations Office for Disarmament adopted the Chemical Weapons Convention in Geneva, barring the manufacture, stockpiling andr usage of any sort of chemical weapons.

Recently, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault took to pressing the UN Security Council members to take some action regarding a report which found Syrian troops using chemical weapons.

Signing Ceremony of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons. Source: Audiovisual Library of International Law Signing Ceremony of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons. Source: Audiovisual Library of International Law

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India's stand on chemical weapons

In 1992, India signed the Chemical Weapons Convention, siging up against the holding and manufacturing of CWs.

Reports have it that in 1987, Pakistan used CWs in Siachen against Indian soldiers, which triggered India use "similar protective measures". But in 1992, India and Pakistan issued a declaration which stated that neither of the two countries "possessed or intended to acquire or use chemical weapons"

A boy affected in what is said to be a chemical weapons attack in Aleppo, Syria. Source: Reuters

--- ENDS ---
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea of Kashmir`s longest serving prisoner, Ashiq Hussain Faktoo, to reconsider his conviction and life term.

A top-ranking former commander of the Islamist outfit Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen (JM) and a separatist, Faktoo has been serving a life term on account of his alleged involvement in the murder of human rights activist Hridhay Nath Wanchoo in 1992 and has been in jail since 1993.

A Jammu court had acquitted Faktoo in 2001, but the Supreme Court overturned this verdict and held him guilty and has spent more than 20 years in prison.In prison, he completed his doctorate in Islamic studies.

More than 125 students have completed their bachelors` preparatory program, graduation, post graduation under his guidance.

He is married to an equally prominent separatist activist and Dukhtaraan-e-Millat (DM) chief, Syeda Asiya Andrabi.

Faktoo has the distinction of being the only Kashmiri militant to have completed his PhD while detention.

He was awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy by the Department of Islamic Studies of the University of Kashmir.

During his detention, Faktoo joined as head of the Muslim League. His deputy, Massarat Alam, played arguably the most prominent role in a street agitation over Amarnath land row in Kashmir in 2008.

His wife Asiya Andrabi has openly called for Kashmir`s accession to Pakistan.
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday appealed to students to refrain from stone pelting, and said if they keep indulging in such activities, the state will have no doctors, engineers and teachers in the future.

"Children have to go to schools, study and come out as doctors, dental surgeons, engineers, teachers".

"But if they (students) throw stones in protest rallies, we will have no doctors, engineers and teachers in future," Mehbooba said at an event here.

The Chief Minister said education is a necessity for the development and growth of the country.

"It was Mufti Mohammad Sayeed sahib, who always said that if you want to build a strong community, you will have to nourish it with education and strengthen their power to think."

"Education is a multi-dimensional development of self and the society. I am very happy that Jammu and Kashmir is moving forward in its journey of educational sector," she said.

Quoting an Arabic verse, Mehbooba said "as the holy month of Ramzan is very important for the Muslim world, so is it important for boys and girls to

get education.

"It was my Kashmiri Pandit friends, who used to swear in the name of education (vidhya), instead of family members, Gods and Goddesses. It was this tradition that was prevalent in the Valley of Kashmir," she said.

She said the government is taking steps to create skilled and technical manpower in the state.
Mysuru: Maintaining that Karnataka was not in a position to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said his government will explain the ground realities to the Supreme Court, which has been approached by the neighbouring state over the issue.

"They (Tamil Nadu) have petitioned the Supreme Court. We will make Supreme Court aware about the ground realities in Karnataka," Siddaramaiah told reporters.

He said, "Tamil Nadu is asking for 50 tm-ft that was to supposed be released in a normal year. Do we have a normal year," adding that the water level in the KRS Dam here was 93 feet instead of the 124 feet it was supposed to be in rainy season.

"A total of 50 tmc-ft water is there from four reservoirs (in the Cauvery river basin) area which was supposed to be 114 tmc ft.

"It is not that we dont want to release water, but we don't have water. We don't have water for our crops; we want 40 tmc ft water for drinking. Where do we have water to release?" Siddaramaiah said.

The Supreme Court on September 2 will hear Tamil Nadu government's plea seeking release of 50 TMC of water from Karnataka to meet its irrigation demands in the backdrop of the Cauvery water row.

A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur had last week posted the matter to September 2 after Tamil Nadu government mentioned it and sought an urgent hearing.

In the petition, Tamil Nadu has charged Karnataka with diverting water meant for farmers during distress years for? undeclared projects, in violation of the final orders of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in 2007, apportioning the inter-state river water among the riparian states.

Karnataka had on August 27 made it clear that it was not possible for it to spare Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu given the "severe distress" it was facing with an all-party meeting deciding that the same stand should be placed before the Supreme Court.
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala minister Kadakampally Surendran on Monday stoked a controversy by alleging that the Sangh Parivar outfit (RSS) was trying to turn temples into "storehouses of arms" in the state.

In a Facebook post, Keralas Temple Affairs Minister Kadakampally Surendran wrote: The government has got several complaints about the illegal operation of RSS shakhas at temples. The government will take strong action against the conduct of (such) shakhas.

The minister also alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was trying to keep devotees away from the shrines by turning them into "storehouses of arms" and indulging in "arms training".

Stating that temples are the centres of rituals and beliefs, Surendran said the government would not allow anybody to turn places of worship into centres of anti-social activities.

"The government will intervene strongly to end this," he added.

The BJP rubbished the allegations and criticised the Left Democratic Front (LDF) governments anti-Hindu stance.

On Sunday evening, Kerala's Public Works Minister G Sudhakaran had stirred up a row by saying that lighting of lamps and singing of religious hymns at government programmes and functions at schools should be avoided.

Health Minister KK Shylaja, another senior member in the Pinarayi Vijayan government, had also courted controversy recently by voicing displeasure against the recitation of Sanskrit hymns during a yoga demonstration, organised in connection with the International Yoga Day on June 21.

Reacting to the objections, BJP state general secretary MT Ramesh was quoted by The Indian Express as saying that the anti-Hindu face of the CPI(M)-led government has been exposed.

The CPM should refrain from opposing Indian culture, Ramesh said.
Mumbai: Citing gross irregularities, the Maharashtra government led by Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday scrapped nearly 94 irrigation project tenders worth Rs 6,000 crore, which are currently under the Anti-Corruption Bureau scanner in connection with the state's multi-crore irrigation scam.

The move is a big setback for former NCP leader and former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who is alleged to have cleared projects worth Rs 20,000 crore in 2009 flouting rules.

Ajit Pawar, who was Water Resources Minister between 1999 and 2009, had allegedly approved those projects by tweaking rules and without clearance of Governing Council of Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC).

The Maharashtra Chief Minister's office confirmed the move through a tweet this afternoon.

Maharashtra Cabinet decides to scrap around 94 irrigation project tenders in which anti-corruption bureau (ACB) has initiated probe.  CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) August 30, 2016

This is not the first time that the Maharashtra government has scrapped the irrigation project tenders floated by the erstwhile Congress-NCP government.

The BJP-Shiv Sena government had earlier scrapped nearly 128 irrigation projects with collective budget of Rs 624.28 crore, sanctioned by the previous Congress-NCP government in the last four months of its tenure.

Besides, the Fadnavis government had also directed the anti-corruption bureau to conduct an enquiry into 14 other projects, 12 of them in Konkan region.

Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan had earlier alleged that bureaucrats were under pressure during the previous NCP-Congress regime to give green signal to projects.

The Congress-NCP government had appointed Madhav Chitale committee in December 2012 to scrutinise the escalation of costs of irrigation projects, after Shiv Sena and BJP, the then Opposition, alleged a scam of Rs 70,000 crore.

The committee submitted its report in March last year.

The then water resources minister Sunil Tatkare (NCP), while tabling the report in the Assembly, had said the cost escalations had been brought to the notice of the governing council of irrigation development corporations by the chief financial officer and executive director, and still approvals were given.

The committee held members and chairman (the post held by Minister of Water Resources) of corporations responsible for this, he had said. Tatkare, who was the Water Resources Minister till June last year, had said that delay in completion of irrigation projects was due to the delay in acquisition of land and rehabilitation of project affected-persons.

Meanwhile, the NCP alleges a foul play and political vendetta behind the state government's move to scrap various projects.

Reacting to the development, NCP leader Nawab Malik questioned the timing of this move and claimed that Fadnavis government was only interested in targeting Pawar.
Mumbai: Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) announced the Maharashtra Class 10 Supply results officially on Tuesday.

The results of the SSC (Class 10) Supplementary Exams held from July 18 to August 03, 2016 were announced at 1.00 pm on boards website. Students can visit the official website mahresult.nic.in to check their Maharashtra SSC Supplementary Result 2016.

Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) supplementary exam was conducted for those students who failed the SSC 2016 exam. To check the results by SMS candidates need to follow these steps:

Students should keep the admit card handy for entering the correct details

Candidates will be required to enter their Exam Seat No/Roll No. as mentioned in the admit card

Candidates need to write their Mothers first name in the space provided

After which students will be required to click on view result button

The results will appear on your screen

The students are advised to take a printout of their result for future reference

The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary education MSBSHSE Supplementary Class 12 HSC Results 2016 were declared on August 25 for the candidates who had to reappear for the exam.

The number of students who appeared for the main examination is around 14 Lakh for HSC and 17 Lakh for SSC.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought the Maharashtra government's response to a plea challenging the constitutional validity of certain provisions of a new law regulating dance bars in the state.

Issuing a notice to the Maharashtra government, the bench of Justice Dipak Misra and Justice C Nagappan rejected the state government's plea that the petitioner, Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association (IHRA), be asked to approach the Bombay High Court instead of directly knocking at the doors of the top court.

The petitioner IHRA has challenged the validity of some of the provisions of Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotel, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (Working therein) Act, 2016 and the Rules.

While giving the Maharashtra government eight weeks time to respond to the petition by the IHRA, the court sought its response in two weeks on the plea for interim relief on the rule prohibiting liquor in the dance area and mandating the installation of CCTV cameras at the place of dance.

Directing the hearing on two issues on September 21, the bench noted that both were contrary to its 2014 judgment by which it had permitted the installation of CCTV cameras at the entrance only.

Appearing for the petitioner IHRA, senior counsel Jayant Bhushan told the court that the definition of "obscene dance" is so vague that it was capable of being misused.
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Tuesday ordered a vigilance inquiry against four Biju Janata Dal MLAs who allegedly demanded money to facilitate setting up of industries in their assembly constituencies.

The matter has come to the notice of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, and he has taken it very seriously following which he has ordered for an impartial probe, said a statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

Notably, a local television channel on Monday aired video footages where four BJD MLAs were demanding crores of rupees from industrialists to give No Objection Certificate (NOC) and facilitate land acquisition in their constituencies.

The four BJD MLAs are Susant Kumar Behera, Seemarani Nayak, Anam Nayak and Bijay Kumar Nayak.

While Seemarani Nayak was seen demanding Rs 40 crore to give NOC and garner public support for a textile industry in her constituency, Susant Behera demanded Rs 8 crore for facilitating land acquisition and giving NOC to set up a power plant.

Bijay Nayak demanded Rs 5 crore for allowing setting up of a power plant in Karanjia. Bhawanipatna MLA Anam Nayak also demanded money for allowing a power plant.

Meanwhile, the opposition Congress and BJP took out rallies in the constituencies of the tainted MLAs demanding their resignation.


Kanpur: In an appalling incident, a 12-year-old boy died on his father's shoulder because he was denied timely access to medical facilities at different hospitals in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

The case exposes the terrible health care facilities at hospitals in Kanpur.

The incident took place on August 26 when Ansh, a resident of Kanpur's Fazalganj area, was admitted to a medical facility with high fever.

After being treated in private hospitals for two days, his father finally took him to the Hallet Hospital of JSVM Medical College. Doctors at the hospital told the father to take Ansh to the children's ward, but by the time Ansh's father, Sunil, carried Ansh to the children's ward, the 12-year-old boy died.

"My son had high fever... He was studying in the class sixth. He was very good at his studies. Doctors at the children's ward told me had I arrived 10 minutes before, my son would have been saved," the father said carrying his dead son on his shoulder.

"It is negligence on the part of the Hallet Hospital. They did not provide treatment to my son. They didn't even provide me a stretcher. I was running from here to there carrying my son on my shoulder," a teary-eyed Sunil said.

JVSM Medical College Principal Navneet Kumar today said the child was already brought dead to the hospital and an inquiry has been ordered into the matter.

Kanpur DM Kaushal Raj Sharma has also ordered an inquiry into the matter and has formed a two-member committee comprising Additional City Magistrate and Additional Chief Medical Officer.

(With Agency inputs)
Melbourne: Ten months after the death of an Indian-origin man, Australian police have arrested his wife and her paramour for allegedly poisoning her husband with cyanide.

Sam Abraham died of cyanide poisoning at his Epping home in October last year. His death came just three months after he was attacked in what police allege was an attempted murder.

After several months of sophisticated covert investigations, detectives have arrested his wife Sofia Sam and her lover alleging poison plot, The Herald Sun reported.

All the three hailed from Kerala.

The police have charged Arun Kamalasanan, 34, of Port Melbourne, with attempted murder and a separate charge of murder while 32-year-old Sofia Sam has been charged with murder.

In a hearing recently, Melbourne Magistrates' Court heard that?police had intercepted phone calls throughout their covert probe and had about three months of phone?recordings to transcribe.

In July last year, Abraham was also attacked and stabbed by a balaclava-clad man who had been hiding in the foot-well of his car at Lalor train station.

Cable ties, material scraps and handcuffs were found in his car. Abraham had?received injuries to the neck, temple and cheek.

Police alleged Kamalasanan was the man in the balaclava.

The magistrate granted investigators extra time to transcribe phone conversations and prepare evidence.

The pair were remanded to reappear for a committal mention on February 13 next year.
The rally, which was held on Monday, saw even women and children take to the streets.

A large number of activists including women and children participated in the rally and protested against China and Pakistan for looting Baloch resources and conducting military operations against Baloch civilians.

By Anil Kumar: Baloch Republican Party activists carried out a protest rally against military operations and Chinese intervention in Balochistan. Slogans in support of top Baloch nationalist leader, Nawab Brahumdagh Bugti, were chanted in the demonstration on Monday.

A rally was carried out in Kolwa area of Awaran district to protest the recent military operations in different parts of Balochistan including Dera Bugti and the intervention of China on Baloch soil.

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The protesters chanted slogans of "Down with Pakistan, long live Nawab Brahumdagh Bugti" and against the Chinese intervention in Baloch soil through so-called 'economic projects', which the Baloch people see as a threat to their identity and existence.

A large number of activists including women and children participated in the rally and protested against China and Pakistan for looting Baloch resources and conducting military operations against Baloch civilians in every corner of Balochistan.

Also read: Balochistan: Did rattled Pakistan army poison water supply with chemicals after PM Modi's I-Day speech?



--- ENDS ---
Dhaka Division: Bangladesh`s top court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence for a top tycoon and senior leader of the country`s largest Islamist party, paving the way for his execution possibly within days.

The Supreme Court rejected Mir Quasem Ali`s final appeal to overturn the death sentence passed by a controversial war crimes tribunal two years ago for murders committed during Bangladesh`s independence conflict.

"The chief justice rejected the review. I am satisfied. The nation is relieved," Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told reporters after the verdict was handed down.

"Now he has a chance to seek presidential clemency. Or else the verdict could be executed anytime whenever the state wants," he said.

Five opposition leaders including four leading Islamists have already been executed for war crimes since 2013. They were hanged just days after their appeals were rejected by the Supreme Court.

Most did not seek a presidential reprieve because they were thought likely to fail.

Ali, now a shipping and real estate tycoon, was convicted in November 2014 of abducting and murdering a young fighter during Bangladesh`s 1971 war of independence against Pakistan.

The decision is considered a major blow for the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party, of which 63-year-old Ali is the chief financier.

The war crimes tribunal set up by the government has divided the country and sparked deadly protests, with supporters of Jamaat and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) branding them a sham aimed at eliminating their leaders.

The government says the tribunal`s trials are needed to heal the wounds of the conflict.
Bishkek: A car driven by a suicide bomber on Tuesday exploded after ramming a gate at the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan, wounding three people, authorities said.

"As a result of the explosion, only the suicide bomber terrorist died. Security guards were injured," Kyrgyzstan`s Deputy Prime Minister Jenish Razakov told journalists.

A source at the Bishkek police told AFP that the Mitsubishi Delica car smashed a gate on the embassy before blowing up in the centre of the compound close to the ambassador`s residence.

Another source with the Central Asian nation`s security service said that an "explosive device" had been placed inside the vehicle.

Local medics said the driver of the car was killed while two Kyrgyz embassy staff and a woman were lightly wounded in the blast.

The State National Safety Committee (GKNB) said it was investigating the blast but provided no other details.

Local residents told AFP that the blast had blown in their windows and caused their houses to shake.

Employees from the Chinese and nearby American embassy were evacuated, the Kyrgyz emergency service said.

(With Agency inputs)
Mogadishu: A car bomb claimed by al Shabaab Islamist militants killed five soldiers outside the president's palace in the Somali capital of Mogadishu and badly damaged two nearby hotels, police said.

Reuters witnesses said gunfire could be heard after the explosion and a huge cloud of smoke could be seen above the president`s palace, outside which were the remnants of the car and splattered blood.

"A suicide car bomb exploded outside the presidential palace. So far two hotels opposite the palace are partially destroyed," police officer Major Mohamed Ali told Reuters by phone.

Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for several recent explosions in Mogadishu, including a car bomb and gun attack last week at a popular beach restaurant in the capital that killed 10 people.

"So far we know five government soldiers died in the blast. It exploded outside the SYL hotel which is also just at the checkpoint outside the palace. We believe the target was SYL which is frequented by officials. The death toll may rise," police officer Colonel Abdikadir Hussein told Reuters.

Al Shabaab`s Radio Andaluz said that the group was behind the attack.

In a separate incident, al Shabaab fighters attacked military bases housing government and African Union troops south west of the capital Mogadishu late on Monday, police and the group said on Tuesday.

Military officer Major Bile Farah said a soldier and two al Shabaab fighters were killed in the attack in K-50 and Muri in Lower Shabelle region,

Al Shabaab`s military operations spokesman, Abdiasis Abu Musab, said the group`s fighters had killed 10 soldiers and commandeered a vehicle from the Somali government soldiers.

The militants were pushed out of Mogadishu by the African Union peacekeeping force AMISOM in 2011 but have remained a serious threat, launching frequent attacks aimed at overthrowing the government.
Manila: China will be the loser if it does not recognise an international court ruling against Beijing's territorial claims in the South China Sea, Philippine Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay said on Tuesday.

"We are trying to make China understand especially when the dust settles that unless they respect and recognise the arbitral tribunal, they will be the losers at the end of that day on this matter," Yasay told a congressional hearing.

An arbitration court in The Hague infuriated China in July when it ruled that China had no historical title over the South China Sea and it had breached the Philippines` sovereign rights with various actions there.
Brasilia: A defiant President Dilma Rousseff warned on Monday that her conservative opponents were trampling on Brazil`s democracy by using trumped-up charges to oust her and roll back the social advances of 13 years of leftist rule.

Presenting her defense at an impeachment trial in the Senate, Brazil`s first female president said the economic elite had sought to destabilize her government since she narrowly won re-election to a second four-year term in 2014.

Rousseff is expected to become the first Brazilian leader in more than 20 years to be dismissed from office on Wednesday when the Senate will rule on charges that she broke budgetary laws by using state banks` money to boost public spending.

In an emotional speech from the Senate podium, Rousseff denied any wrongdoing and compared the trial to her persecution during Brazil`s 1964-1985 military dictatorship, when she was a member of a leftist guerrilla group.

She said the impeachment process, which has paralyzed Brazilian politics since December and cast a shadow over last month`s Rio Olympics, was little more than a plot to protect the interests of the privileged classes in Latin America`s largest economy.

"I did not commit the crimes that I am arbitrarily and unjustly accused of," Rousseff said, in what may be her last public appearance as president. "We are one step away from a real coup d`etat."

If the Senate convicts Rousseff, as expected, her Vice President Michel Temer will be sworn in to serve the rest of her term through 2018.

Temer, who has been interim president since Congress opened impeachment proceedings in mid-May, has vowed to impose austerity measures to plug a growing fiscal deficit that cost Brazil its investment-grade credit rating last year.

Rousseff warned that a future Temer government would dismantle her Workers Party`s social programs that helped lift 30 million people out of poverty in the past decade and sell off state assets, including Brazil`s massive offshore oil reserves.

In a statement, Temer`s office denounced the comments as "false accusations."

Rousseff, a trained economist and daughter of a Bulgarian immigrant, was handpicked by ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to succeed him when he stepped aside in 2012, despite her lack of political experience and charisma.

Rousseff, 68, faces no allegations of personal enrichment. But she has been charged on the sidelines of the impeachment process with obstructing an investigation into political kickbacks at state-run oil company Petrobras.

She chaired the board of Petrobras from 2003 to 2010, when the worst of the corruption was taking place. [L2N1850JX]

After riding the commodities boom in her first term, Rousseff`s her popularity has dwindled to single figures this year, partly because of the massive Petrobras scandal and partly due to a deep recession that many Brazilians blame on her government`s failed interventionist policies.

Unbowed, Rousseff told senators that history would judge them by their votes and recalled her trial under the military dictatorship in 1970, when officers hid their faces to not be recognized in photographs.

"This is the second trial I have suffered in which democracy has sat with me in the dock," she said, choking back tears as she recalled facing death when she was tortured day after day in detention. "Today I only fear the death of democracy."

ODDS AGAINST HER

With many Brazilians assuming the result of the trial to be a foregone conclusion, there were scattered protests by Rousseff supporters on Monday but no sign of the massive demonstrations for and against impeachment that shook Brazil earlier this year.

A survey by O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper said 53 senators have already confirmed they will vote against Rousseff, just one vote short of the two-thirds of the 81 seat Senate needed to dismiss her. Only 19 said they will back her.

"They want to overthrow a president re-elected by 54 million Brazilians and get rid of the Workers Party that has protected the poor," said Thiago Fagundes, a 27-year-old graphic artist and Rousseff supporter in Brasilia. "It looks like they will get their way."

Twenty of Rousseff`s former Cabinet ministers were in the Senate gallery to support her, along with Lula himself.

With the odds stacked against her, Rousseff`s testimony appeared more aimed at making a point for the history books, rather than a bid to sway a handful of wavering senators.

The impeachment process was launched by the former lower house speaker, Eduardo Cunha, who is facing charges of corruption, including taking bribes in the Petrobras kickback scandal and having millions of dollars hidden away in Swiss bank accounts.

"Curiously, I will be judged for crimes I did not commit before the trial of the former speaker who is accused of very serious illegal acts," she said.

A full one-third of the members of the Senate are under investigation for corruption, graft, fraud or electoral crimes, according to Congresso em Foco, a prominent watchdog in Brasilia.

Temer is confident he has the votes needed to remove Rousseff and plans an address to the nation on Wednesday before heading to China to attend the summit of the G20 group of leading economies, according to his press spokesman Marcio de Freitas.

A strong vote to oust Rousseff would help Temer take the difficult measures needed to restore confidence in Brazil`s economy, which is caught in a two-year recession, de Freitas said.

Rousseff is accused of using money owed to state banks to bolster spending during an election year in 2014, a budgetary sleight of hand employed by many elected officials in Brazil. She says the money had no impact on overall deficit levels and was paid back in full the following year.
Pyongyang: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has had two senior bureaucrats executed by anti-aircraft gun, media reports said.

Ri Yong-Jin, a senior official at the education department, and Hwang Min, the country`s agricultural minister, were executed, the South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo reported citing a source with knowledge of North Korea, according to Sky News.

Both were publicly executed earlier this month "on a special order from Kim Jong-Un" at a military academy in Pyongyang, the source said.

Ri "dozed off during a meeting presided over by Kim", the source said.

"He was arrested on site and intensively questioned by the state security ministry. He was executed after other charges, such as corruption, were found during the probe."

On Hwang, the source said: "I understand he was executed because policy proposals he had pushed for were seen as a direct challenge to the Kim Jong-Un leadership."

The reports of these executions could not be verified and South Korea`s Unification Ministry - which usually handles North Korea-related matters - has not commented, Sky News reported.

In December 2013, Jang Song-thaek, Kim`s uncle and second-in-command, was denounced as a "traitor for all ages" and killed after being found guilty of treason and other crimes against the North Korean state.

In April last year, Hyon Yong-chol, a former Defence Chief, was executed after falling asleep during a military rally attended by Kim.

No announcement has been made by the state`s official KCNA news agency yet.
Seoul: North Korea publicly executed two officials in early August for disobeying leader Kim Jong-Un, a South Korean newspaper reported on Tuesday, in what would be the latest in a series of high-level purges under the young leader`s rule, if confirmed.



Kim took power in 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, and his consolidation of power has included purges and executions of top officials, South Korean officials have said.



Citing an unidentified source familiar with the North, the JoongAng Ilbo daily said former agriculture minister Hwang Min and Ri Yong Jin, a senior official at the Education Ministry, had been executed.





The report could not be independently verified, and South Korea`s Unification Ministry, which handles North Korea-related matters, did not have an immediate comment.



Some previous media reports of executions and purges in the reclusive state later proved inaccurate.



The report of the executions comes soon after the South said North Korea`s deputy ambassador in London had defected and arrived in the South with his family, dealing an embarrassing blow to Kim`s regime.



North Korea rarely announces purges or executions, although state media confirmed the execution of Kim`s uncle and the man widely considered the second most powerful man in the country, Jang Song Thaek, in 2012 for factionalism and crimes damaging to the economy.



A former defence minister, Hyun Yong Chol, is also believed to have been executed last year for treason, according to the South`s spy agency.



The JoongAng Ilbo said the two men were executed by anti-aircraft gun at a military academy in Pyongyang.



North Korean state media described Hwang, one of the officials named, as agriculture minister in 2012, and referred to him as a vice minister of agriculture in 2014.



Hwang was killed because his policy proposals were seen as a challenge to Kim Jong Un, JoongAng Ilbo said. Ri was caught nodding off during a meeting with Kim and later investigated for corruption and showing disrespect to the leader, it added.
Bishkek/Beijing: An unidentified assailant on Tuesday rammed a Mitsubishi car into the gates of the Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyzstan capital, causing an explosion that killed him and injured five others. China has strongly condemned the terrorist attack.

The car bomb attack injured three people employed by the embassy and two others, Chinese Foreign Office spokesperson Hua Chunying told a press conference in Beijing.

According to reports, the Mitsubishi Delica car rammed into a gate of the embassy and exploded in the centre of the compound close to the ambassador's residence.

Hua termed terrorism "a public enemy of the international community", as well as the most serious threat in the region.

Hua said China was ready to cooperate with Kyrgyzstan and other countries in the region to fight terrorism and maintain regional safety and stability.

Kyrgyztan President Almazbek Atambayev has ordered a thorough investigation into the explosion. Secretary of the Defence Council Temir Dzhumakadyrov has been instructed to lead the investigation.

In addition, Atambayev ordered the government and the heads of security agencies to step up anti-terrorism measures and provide all necessary security steps in public places as the country prepares for the 25th anniversary celebration of its independence and the Second World Nomad Games.

A Kyrgyz senior security officer said that it was a suicide car bombing attack.


Paris: French President Francois Hollande warned on Tuesday that "contradictory interventions" by Turkish and Russian forces in Syria could spark an escalation of the conflict.

"These multiple, contradictory interventions carry the risk of a wider conflagration," Hollande told a meeting with the diplomatic corps in France, calling for an "absolutely urgent" halt to fighting after Turkey attacked a US-backed Kurdish militia in Syria.
Washington: The United States scrambled on Monday to get its feuding allies, Turkey and Kurdish YPG militia, to focus their firepower on Islamic State instead of each other after clashes that have threatened to unravel America`s war strategy in Syria.

Turkey, which has long viewed Kurdish militants as its top security threat, upended US assumptions about the conflict by launching a major push last week into northern Syria that has included areas controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which includes experienced Kurdish YPG fighters.

In turn, Turkey has blamed a rocket attack from a YPG-controlled area for the death of one of its soldiers on Saturday. Turkey said it killed 25 Kurdish militants on Sunday.

"We`ve called on both sides to not fight with one another, to continue to focus the fight on ISIL," US Defense Secretary Ash Carter told a Pentagon news conference, using an acronym for Islamic State.

White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said further Turkish targeting of the SDF, which also includes Arab fighters, would undermine efforts to forge a "united front" against Islamic State.

But experts say the Turkish offensive has again exposed the vastly different, often competing objectives of America`s allies in the five-year-old conflict in Syria, where the Islamic State is only one of many actors.

It has also raised questions over whether Turkey will attempt to thwart any more major advances by the SDF, just weeks after the Pentagon hailed the group`s victory against Islamic State in the town of Manbij, about 30 km (20 miles) south of Turkey`s border.

Carter signaled no change in US strategy on Monday, stressing that both the SDF and Turkey were critical allies in Syria. The Pentagon hopes US-backed forces can eventually retake the Syrian city of Raqqa from Islamic State.

"We do understand that they (Turkey and Kurdish fighters) have historical differences with one another but American interests are quite clear," Carter said. "We, like they, want to combat ISIL and we are calling on them now: `Lets keep our priorities clear here.`"

TENSIONS WITH TURKEY

Experts say the best-case scenario for defusing tensions would be for Turkey to accept U.S. assurances that the YPG is withdrawing east of the Euphrates river.

Turkey, which wants to stop Kurdish forces from further extending their control near its border, has demanded such a withdrawal.

Carter on Monday described the river as a natural barrier that would separate Turkey and the YPG.

"What we can do and are doing with them is to clarify where the YPG elements of the SDF are and are not," he said, adding YPG fighters were indeed withdrawing.

In a nod to Turkey, Carter also praised Turkish military advances against Islamic State in the past week, notably its seizure of the town of Jarablus.

Blaise Misztal, director of national security at the Bipartisan Policy Center think-tank, said the United States was witnessing the consequences of a strategy that heavily depended on Kurdish fighters to defeat Islamic State, despite explicit Turkish objections.

Turkey is battling a Kurdish insurgency on its soil.

"The enemy of my enemy is still my enemy," Misztal said.

Experts warned that it was far from clear whether Ankara would back down, given that the United States was unlikely to side with Kurdish militia over NATO ally Turkey.

Turkey is host to important U.S. and NATO military facilities. They include Incirlik Air Base, from which U.S. fighters and drones hit Islamic State in neighboring Syria, U.S. listening posts and an early warning radar for NATOs European missile defense system.

"When it comes down to: Do we alienate the Turks, or do we alienate the Syrian Kurds, there`s no doubt who`s going to be the loser," said Bruce Riedel, a Middle East expert at the Brookings Institution and a former CIA analyst.

The United States is already walking on eggshells after accusations from Turkey that Washington was too slow to condemn last month`s failed coup there.

In a sign of the sensitivities, the top U.S. military officer, General Joseph Dunford, called his Turkish counterpart on Sunday and Carter told the briefing he would see Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik next week.

President Barack Obama will meet with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Sept. 4, the White House said.
In March, the Supreme Court had upheld the death penalty for Mir Quasem Ali, 63, a media tycoon and key financier of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, for murder, confinement, torture and incitement to religious hatred during the war to leave Pakistan.

By Reuters: Bangladesh's top court on Tuesday rejected a final appeal by the leader of an Islamist party against a death sentence for atrocities committed during the 1971 war of independence, lawyers said, meaning he could be hanged at any time.

The verdict comes as the Muslim-majority nation suffers a series of militant attacks, the most serious on July 1, when gunmen stormed a cafe in the capital, Dhaka, and killed 20 hostages, most of them foreigners.

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UPHELD DEATH PENALTY FOR MIR QUASEM ALI

In March, the Supreme Court had upheld the death penalty for Mir Quasem Ali, 63, a media tycoon and key financier of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, for murder, confinement, torture and incitement to religious hatred during the war to leave Pakistan.

"Now it is only a matter of time to execute the verdict, unless he seeks clemency from the president," Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told reporters after a panel of five judges headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha rejected the appeal.Lawyers for Ali could not be reached immediately for comment on whether the party leader would seek clemency.

WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL SPARKS CRITICISM



The war crimes tribunal set up by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2010 has sparked violence and drawn criticism from opposition politicians, who say it is victimising her political opponents. The government denies the accusations.Human rights groups say the tribunal's procedures fall short of international standards, but the government rejects that assertion, and the trials are supported by many Bangladeshis.

Authorities have deployed additional security forces in the capital, Dhaka, and elsewhere, as similar previous judgments triggered violence that killed around 200, mainly Jamaat activists and police.

PARTY RUBBISHES CLAIMS



Since December 2013, four Jamaat leaders, including former top leader Motiur Rahman Nizami, and a leader of the main opposition party, led by former premier Khaleda Zia, have been executed for war crimes.Official figures show about 3 million people were killed and thousands of women raped during the nine-month war, in which some factions, including the Jamaat-e-Islami, opposed the break from what was then called West Pakistan.

But the party denies its leaders committed any atrocities.

Also Read: Bangladesh, US to fight against terrorism together: John Kerry





--- ENDS ---
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S&P 500 3,901.06 DOW 32,861.80 QQQ 281.22 Elon Musk takes over Twitter but where will he go from here? These 5 Microcap Stocks (Ad) When Will This "Suckers Rally" End? Poland chooses US to build its first nuclear power plant The Safest Option in Trades! (Ad) Shopify Stock Price Surges as Losses Narrow, Investments Pay Off Will Demand from EV Makers Drive Up Freeport-McMoRan stock? 4 Down Market Stocks (Ad) Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities Dominion, AG reach proposed agreement in offshore wind case

S&P 500 3,901.06 DOW 32,861.80 QQQ 281.22 Elon Musk takes over Twitter but where will he go from here? These 5 Microcap Stocks (Ad) When Will This "Suckers Rally" End? Poland chooses US to build its first nuclear power plant The Safest Option in Trades! (Ad) Shopify Stock Price Surges as Losses Narrow, Investments Pay Off Will Demand from EV Makers Drive Up Freeport-McMoRan stock? 4 Down Market Stocks (Ad) Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities Dominion, AG reach proposed agreement in offshore wind case
By PTI: From Anisur Rahman

Dhaka, Aug 30 (PTI) Bangladeshs Supreme Court today upheld the death sentence it handed down to senior Jamaat-e- Islami leader and key financier Mir Quasem Ali for committing war crimes during the countrys 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan.

The five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha pronounced a single-word judgement in the court room.

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"Rejected," said top judge, who is the first Hindu to occupy the post in the Muslim-majority country, about 64-year-old Alis appeal.

Ali is considered as the key-financier of Jamaat, which was opposed to Bangladeshs 1971 independence from Pakistan.

In his brief comments after the verdict, attorney general Mahbubey Alam told reporters that Ali could now seek presidential clemency as his last resort to save himself from the gallows.

"He now could be (sent) to (the) gallows anytime if he does not seek clemency or his mercy petition is rejected," Alam said.

Alis lawyers were not immediately available for comments.

The decision paves the way for Alis execution unless he is pardoned by the president.

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 and media outlets including a now suspended TV channel and is a central executive council member of Jamaat-e-Islami.

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.

Prosecution lawyers had earlier said Ali had exhausted all efforts to influence his trial on charges of committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.

They had said that Ali made a USD 25 million deal with US lobby firm Cassidy and Associates for engaging with the governments of the United States and Bangladesh to protect "his interest".

During the appeal hearing against his death sentence the state-side submitted to the court a receipt issued by the US lobby firm for what it said "professional service".

The evidence suggested that in March, 2014, another deal worth of USD 50,000 was struck with the same lobby firm on Alis behalf for "condemning" the actions of the International Crimes Tribunal-Bangladesh.

Under the deal, the firm was asked to do everything possible to get incorporated an anti-ICT-BD legislative language in the House/Senate Department.

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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. PTI AR ASK ASK

--- ENDS ---
Brussels launched an inquiry three years ago into tax breaks that Ireland offered Apple, in one of a series of anti-trust cases targeting major US corporations

The European Union on Tuesday said US tech giant Apple must repay a record 13 billion euros ($14.3 billion) in back taxes after ruling that a series of Irish sweetheart tax deals were illegal.

"The European Commission has concluded that Ireland granted undue tax benefits of up to 13 billion euros to Apple. This is illegal under EU state aid rules because it allowed Apple to pay substantially less tax than other businesses. Ireland must now recover the illegal aid," a Commission statement said.
Brussels launched an inquiry three years ago into tax breaks that Ireland offered Apple, in one of a series of anti-trust cases targeting major US corporations

The European Union on Tuesday said US tech giant Apple must repay a record 13 billion euros ($14.3 billion) in back taxes after ruling that a series of Irish sweetheart tax deals were illegal.

"The European Commission has concluded that Ireland granted undue tax benefits of up to 13 billion euros to Apple. This is illegal under EU state aid rules because it allowed Apple to pay substantially less tax than other businesses. Ireland must now recover the illegal aid," a Commission statement said.

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Apple's "selective treatment" in Ireland meant it paid an effective tax rate of just one percent on its European profits in 2003, which then fell to a bare 0.005 percent by 2014.

"The tax treatment in Ireland enabled Apple to avoid taxation on almost all profits generated by sales of Apple products in the entire EU single market."

Brussels launched an inquiry into Apple's tax arrangements in Ireland in 2014, one of a series of anti-trust cases targeting major US corporations that have angered Washington.

Apple and Ireland are both expected to appeal.

Apple chief Tim Cook said earlier this month he hoped to "get a fair hearing ... If we don't, then we would obviously appeal it".

Apple has had a base in the southern city of Cork since 1980 and employs 5,000 people in Ireland where it is seen as a prestige high-tech partner and a valued source of jobs.
The European Commission has told tech giant Apple to pay $14.5 billion in back taxes

The EU ordered tech giant Apple to pay a record 13 billion euros in back taxes in Ireland, a move Washington warned could damage hugely important transatlantic economic ties.

Brussels said Apple, the world's most valuable company, avoided virtually all tax on its business in the bloc by illegal arrangements with Dublin which gave the company an unfair advantage over competitors.

Apple and the Irish government immediately said they would appeal against the European Commission ruling, with the iPhone maker warning it could cost European jobs.

Ireland has attracted multinationals over many years by offering extremely favourable sweetheart tax deals to generate much-needed jobs and investment but Brussels said it broke EU laws on state aid.

"This decision sends a clear message. Member states cannot give unfair tax benefits to selected companies, no matter if European or foreign, large or small," EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said.

"This is not a penalty, this is unpaid taxes to be paid," Vestager said as she presented the findings of a three-year investigation.

The announcement comes amid growing tensions between Washington and Brussels over a series of EU anti-trust investigations targeting other giant US companies such as Google, Amazon, McDonald's, Starbucks and Fiat Chrysler.

- 'Devastating blow' -

Apple has had a base in the southern city of Cork since 1980 and employs nearly 6,000 people in Ireland, through which it routes its international sales totalling billions.

Apple chief Tim Cook said he was "confident" the EU ruling would be overturned, adding that the Silicon Valley giant was the biggest taxpayer in Ireland, the United States and the world.

"The most profound and harmful effect of this ruling will be on investment and job creation in Europe," he said.

Cook also warned that the ruling was a "devastating blow to the sovereignty of EU member states over their own tax matters", echoing the concerns of Dublin over the decision.

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Ireland's Finance Minister Michael Noonan described the ruling as "bizarre" and "an exercise in politics by the Competition Commission".

Dublin, which suffered from harsh austerity measures after it was bailed out during the eurozone debt crisis, has vigorously defended its low tax rates as a way of boosting the economy.

"If you look at the small print on an Apple iPhone, it says designed in California and manufactured in China and that means any profits that accrued didn't accrue in Ireland and so I can't see why the tax liability is in Ireland," he said.

But Vestager said Apple's Irish operation was a sham -- Apple's "so-called head office in Ireland only existed on paper. It had no employees, no premises and no real activities."

Apple paid an effective corporate tax rate of just 0.005 per cent on its European profits in 2014 -- equivalent to just 50 euros for every million, Vestager said.

The Apple tax bill dwarfs the previous EU record for a state aid case -- 1.3 billion euros for the Nurburgring race track in Germany.

- US anger -

Washington has made increasingly angry comments over the case in recent weeks, and on Tuesday it echoed Apple's warnings that the tax bill could hurt the European economy.

The US Treasury said the ruling "could threaten to undermine foreign investment, the business climate in Europe, and the important spirit of economic partnership between the US and the EU."

The Apple decision may also complicate struggling EU-US talks on what would be the world's biggest free trade deal, meant to be completed before US President Barack Obama steps down in January.

French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday said he doubted agreement could be reached by then.

Tax avoidance has moved sharply up the political agenda since EU governments adopted tough austerity policies to balance the public finances, driving public resentment that the rich paid relatively little tax.

The issue was highlighted close to home by the LuxLeaks scandal which revealed that European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's native Luxembourg gave companies huge tax breaks while he was prime minister.

In October Brussels ordered US coffee giant Starbucks and Italian automaker Fiat to each repay up to 30 million euros ($34 million) in back taxes to the Netherlands and Luxembourg respectively.
France said Tuesday it wanted to halt thorny EU-US trade talks as President Francois Hollande underlined there would be no deal until after President Barack Obama leaves office in January.

But the White House said it still hoped to wrap up negotiations by the year's end to create the world's largest free trade area.

"Our position on this has not changed," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. "We are continuing to work toward a goal of completing those negotiations before the end of the year."

The EU commissioner in charge of the negotiations said talks have not broken down and the aim is still a deal by the time Obama leaves office.

But French junior trade minister Matthias Fekl said there was "no more political support in France" for the talks because US negotiators were offering "nothing or just crumbs".

"France calls for an end to these negotiations," Fekl told RMC radio.

Hollande, in a speech to France's diplomatic corps, chose his words more carefully saying it would be an "illusion" to say a deal was close.

"The current discussions on the treaty between Europe and the United States will not lead to an agreement by the end of the year," he said.

"France would rather see things as they are and not harbour the illusion that an agreement will be struck before the end of the US president's term in office."

EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem however said that she did not agree that the negotiations had failed.

"They have been difficult, of course, we knew from the beginning, but they have not failed," she said.

Germany's vice chancellor and economy minister Sigmar Gabriel had said Sunday the negotiations were effectively dead.

"The talks with the US have de facto failed because we Europeans of course must not succumb to American demands... nothing is moving forward", Gabriel said.

The EU Commission and US negotiators began work on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) in 2013.

But the talks have become bogged down amid widespread suspicion in the 28-nation EU that a deal would undercut the bloc's standards in key areas such as health and welfare.

Story continues

Malmstroem admitted there would be no deal by the end of this year as originally envisaged when the talks started.

"I don't want to analyse the mind and the intentions of President Hollande. And it is clear that for the moment we do not have enough -- we can't conclude before the end of the year," the Swede said.

She said the aim was still to conclude a deal under the Obama presidency, adding: "And if that is not possible it makes sense to make as much progress as possible."

However Fekl said Paris sees an imbalance in the negotiations in favour of the US side.

"The Americans give nothing or just crumbs... that is not how negotiations are done between allies," he said.

- 'Clear and definitive halt' -

"We need a clear and definitive halt to these negotiations in order to restart on a good foundation."

France will make its case for the talks to be halted at a meeting of foreign trade ministers in Bratislava in September, Fekl added.

He did not say when or under what conditions the talks could restart.

Germany's Gabriel on Tuesday said that "given the current state of the talks, no agreement is possible".

"We'll see if the US position changes after the presidential election. If there is no change, there will be no TTIP," he said.

Activists who have opposed TTIP since negotiations began say the deal would only benefit multinationals and harm consumers.

Behind the scenes, top diplomats have told AFP talks may be suspended until after the US presidential election in November and could even be put on hold until after elections in France and Germany next year.

The White House spokesman meanwhile said Obama will send his top trade official to Europe in the coming weeks for further discussions.

"There are significant aspects of the deal that need to be negotiated, but that's precisely why the president is sending his trade ambassador, Mike Froman, to travel to Europe in a couple of weeks to go continue those negotiations," he said.

All EU member states and the European parliament must ratify any TTIP deal before it can take effect.
State-run Russian gas giant Gazprom posted a net profit of 245 billion rubles (3.4 billion euros, $3.8 billion) between April and June, but saw its running costs jump by 16 percent and was hit by changes in currency rates

Russian gas giant Gazprom on Monday said net profits in the second quarter plunged 17 percent due to higher operating costs which offset a hike in revenues.

The state-run behemoth posted a net profit of 245 billion rubles (3.4 billion euros, $3.8 billion) between April and June, which exceeded forecasts by analysts interviewed by Russia's Interfax news agency.

Gazprom saw its running costs jump by 16 percent and was hit by changes in currency exchange rates. However, the company was helped by a higher-than-expected turnover of 1.327 billion rubles.

Exports to Europe -- its biggest market -- rose 19 percent despite efforts by the European Union to obtain gas from other sources.

Gazprom lost markets at home and ceased sales to Ukraine due to tensions between Kiev and Moscow. But sales rose eight percent over the first quarter to 1.755 billion rubles, the company said.
Founded in 1984 by Milton Hershey, the Hershey Company is an iconic American brand controlled by a family trust which overseas charitable funds

US industrial snacks giant Mondelez International said Monday it had dropped plans to merge with chocolatier The Hershey Company.

The announcement came nearly two months after Hershey, the maker of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Hershey's Kisses, rejected a $23 billion takeover offer from Mondelez.

"Following additional discussions, and taking into account recent shareholder developments at Hershey, we determined that there is no actionable path forward toward an agreement," Mondelez said in a statement, adding that executives were "disappointed."

The merged company would have overtaken Mars as the world's largest candy purveyor.

In June, the Hershey board of directors said it had "carefully reviewed" a bid of $107 per share for the company and found it offered "no basis for further discussion."

Hershey had in 2002 also rejected a $12.5 billion takeover offer from Wrigley, which is now a unit of Mars.

Founded in 1984 by Milton Hershey, the Hershey Company is an iconic American brand controlled by a family trust which overseas charitable funds.

The Deerfield, Illinois-based Mondelez, formerly known as Kraft Foods, also produces popular lines of sweets, including Oreo and Chips Ahoy! cookies.

After closing regular trade up 0.7 percent prior to the announcement, Hershey shares tumbled 11.4 percent in after-hours trade.

Mondelez shares, which closed flat, added 3.9 percent in late trading.
Truth be told, most Australians live in good housing. This is good news for all of us because our housing is a major determinant of our health and wellbeing. But our very recent research findings, published this month in the Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community, and the lessons of history tell us this good news story is at risk.

Ideally, housing provides us with the secure, comfortable shelter that people and their families need to live healthy, productive lives. In general, we have a modern housing stock with good heating and cooling, few major structural problems and few problems with damp and mould. By contrast, bad housing makes it much more likely you will get sick and stay sick once ill.

Also read: Aussie house prices are set to fall

In Australias early years, much of the housing stock was of poor quality, often overcrowded, and posed real risks to peoples health. Slums were common in the inner parts of the major cities and in many country towns.

As late as 1915 bubonic plague was a reality in the poorer parts of our cities and other contagious diseases remained an ever-present risk. Numerous letters to the editor documented a real social concern with the housing standards of the poor.

Government intervention, economic prosperity and tenancy laws all improved housing conditions across Australia. Within a century Australia was defined by good housing and high rates of home ownership. The nation saw off the last of its slums in the late 1940s.

Now the same conditions that gave rise to substandard housing in the 19th century are returning in the 21st, with a likely similar outcome. Recently, the Reserve Bank governor acknowledged young Australians need their parents' help to buy a home in Sydney. But most Australians dont have a wealthy and doting parent to fund them into the house of their dreams.

The alternative is to live in lower-quality housing and to make do with a home that is relatively inaccessible, fundamentally unaffordable or both.

Story continues

Also read: Mortgage stress risk is highest in these Aussie areas

A million Australians on the housing brink

The confronting reality is that poor housing conditions are more prevalent in Australia than we think.

We have a sizeable hidden fraction of Australians living in poor-quality housing. In particular, many of our most vulnerable have the double disadvantage of also having housing conditions that we might deem as falling below an unacceptable standard.

In one of the few contemporary analyses of this issue, we used the Household Income and Labour Dynamics (HILDA) Survey, a national longitudinal dataset, and find compelling evidence of a substantial stock of poor-quality housing in Australia.

The scale of our findings is somewhat surprising: we found almost a million Australians are living in poor or very-poor-quality housing. Within this total, more than 100,000 are residing in dwellings regarded as very poor or derelict.

These simple findings are important. They show the existence of a significant (and currently little known) population of individuals living in very poor conditions. At the very least, we need to monitor Australian housing conditions in a systematic way if we are to avoid this problem worsening.

Also read: Aussie property market is at its peak in these areas

Harms of poor housing multiply

Poor-quality housing makes the already disadvantaged even worse off. Younger people, people with disabilities and ill health, those with low incomes, those without full-time (or any) employment, Indigenous people and renters are much more likely to be found in the emerging slums of 21st-century Australia.

Importantly, many of these groups are already disadvantaged and (most probably) have a pressing need for housing that improves or supports their health and wellbeing. People with an existing illness or disability, for example, are almost twice as likely to live in dwellings in very poor condition as people without a disability or illness.

These findings about the size and uneven distribution of the problem should force us to ask what effects poor-quality housing has on people  on their mental, physical and general health? It is clear from our analysis that such housing has measurable impacts on mental, physical and general health. This impact is large enough to be statistically significant.

Given the time it takes to reform policy and plan for our cities and regions, Australia urgently needs to face up to the dismal reality that once again many Australians are living in housing not fit for habitation.

Governments must take steps to ensure the supply of affordable housing of reasonable quality. Otherwise, we are destined to become a nation scarred once again by slums, reduced life chances and shortened lives.
Police in Oklahoma pepper-sprayed an 84-year-old black woman in the face, inside her home.



Ms. Geneva Smith of Muskogee, Oklahoma, was pepper-sprayed in the face by police in her own home. Two Muskogee police officers entered her house to arrest her grandson, Arthur Paul Blackman, after he ran a stop sign.

The car was not registered to Mr. Blackman, later investigation revealed.

From The Independent:


A team of Israeli scientists devised a system by which a person can use their thoughts alone to trigger tiny DNA-based nanorobots inside a living creature to release a drug.

The researchers from Herzliya's Interdirisplinary Center and Bar Ilan University previously developed origami-like nanorobots out of DNA that open their "gate" when exposed to electromagnetic energy. In the new work, a computer algorithm detected the change in a person's brainwaves when doing arithmetic and then switched on a magnetic coil trained on a cockroach that had been injected with the nanobots, causing the gates to open. From New Scientist:



The algorithm could be trained to track other types of brain activity, says Sachar Arnon, a member of the team at the Interdisciplinary Center. "It could track brain states that underlie ADHD or schizophrenia, for example. It could be modified to suit your needs."





The idea would be to automatically trigger the release of a drug when it is needed. For example, some people don't always know when they need medication  before a violent episode of schizophrenia, for instance. If an EEG could detect it was coming, it could stimulate the release of a preventative drug.





"People could take this in all different directions," says Arnon. "Imagine if you could deliver the exact amount of alcohol that you wanted to keep you in a happy state but not drunk. Kind of stupid, but this could happen. I think we've just scratched the surface."
By PTI: From Anisur Rahman

Dhaka, Aug 30 (PTI) Bangladeshi media tycoon and fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali could be executed soon after the Supreme Court today upheld his death sentence for committing war crimes during the countrys 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan.

The five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, the first Hindu to occupy the post in the Muslim- majority country, pronounced a single-word judgement in the packed court room.

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"Rejected," said Sinha on the appeal of 64-year-old Ali, the infamous pro-Pakistan Al-Badr militas third most important figure after Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami and Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid.

Both Nizami and Mujahid have already been executed for 1971 war crimes.

Ali is considered as the key-financier of Jamaat, which was opposed to Bangladeshs 1971 independence from Pakistan.

In his brief comments after the verdict, attorney general Mahbubey Alam said that Ali could now seek presidential clemency as his last resort to save himself from the gallows.

"He now could be (sent) to (the) gallows anytime if he does not seek clemency or his mercy petition is rejected," Alam told reporters.

Alis lawyers were not available for comments.

The apex courts decision paves the way for Alis execution unless he seeks presidential pardon.

Ali had 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.

Ali, who owns several business houses and media outlets including a now suspended TV channel, is a central executive council member of Jamaat-e-Islami.

He pumped billions into the Jamaat since the mid-1980s to put it on a firm financial footing in Bangladesh.

He was convicted of running Al Badrs torture cell 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.

Prosecution lawyers had earlier said Ali had exhausted all efforts to influence his trial on charges of committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 war.

They claimed Ali made a USD 25 million deal with US lobby firm Cassidy and Associates for engaging with the governments of the US and Bangladesh to protect "his interest".

During the appeal hearing against his death sentence the state-side submitted to the court a receipt issued by the US lobby firm for what it said "professional service".

The evidence suggested that in March, 2014, another deal worth of USD 50,000 was struck with the same lobby firm on Alis behalf for "condemning" the actions of the International Crimes Tribunal-Bangladesh.

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Three top Jamaat leaders and one BNP stalwart have been so far hanged since the war crimes trial process began six years ago while two others died in prison of old age. PTI AR ASK ZH AKJ ZH

--- ENDS ---
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is making his first official visit to China this week, hoping to bolster relations with the Asian economic giant that is Canada's second-largest trading partner.

Trudeau's trip, however, coincides with a Sept. 1 deadline that China set for Canadian producers to tighten their screening of our canola exports to the country.

Saying they want to prevent the spread of a disease called blackleg to their own crops, the Chinese want the dockage rate  the amount of stems, pods, weeds, and other matter that ends up in shipments  cut to one per cent from 2.5 per cent.

Given that backdrop, here are four reasons to care about the politics of canola:

1. Big market slice

Statistics Canada says Canadian farmers anticipate producing 17 million tonnes of canola this year. That is down about one per cent from last year, but producers are said to be on track for the second or third biggest harvest on record.

Canada ships about 40 per cent of its canola seed exports  about four million tonnes  to China. The country is the biggest foreign consumer of our canola exports, and it represents a market worth around $2 billion to Canada.

2. Costing farmers

At the same time that a big harvest is putting some downward pressure on canola prices, the Sept. 1 deadline set by the Chinese is also said to be playing a part. On Monday, the November canola futures contract dipped $3.50 per tonne to settle at $456.20.

If China doesn't budge, prices may drop further, although some observers expect price shifts to be moderate, said Sylvain Charlebois, dean of management and professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University, in a commentary this week.

Ward Toma, the general manager of the Alberta Canola Producers Commission, said there is no evidence that lowering the dockage rate will lead to a reduction in the risk of disease transmission.

"All it's going to do to is push costs on to the Canadian industry," he said, adding that the enhanced screening being demanded by the Chinese will also slow down shipments.

Story continues

"It takes a lot longer to clean these seeds," he said. "We have to remember that we're talking about a seed that is the size of a poppyseed. It is very small  a third the size of a peppercorn."

3. Too perfect to pass up

If the canola screening issue remains at an impasse, both countries could wind up looking elsewhere to satisfy their needs.

China could look to its domestic market and to Australia, although reports suggest that wouldn't be enough to make up for the loss of Canadian sources.

Canada, meanwhile, could sell its excess canola supplies to the European Union, the Middle East and other parts of the world, Charlebois said.

"Trades go both ways and whatever the outcome with China, market conditions will adjust. It is the beauty of global trades. Canola is too much a perfect commodity to pass up," he said.

4. The bigger trade picture

Canola is expected to be a central issue in trade discussions between Canadian and Chinese officials.

Both countries have said they want to resolve the matter, though Chinese officials have accused Canada of being unfair in its position on the issue. International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland has said the matter needs to be settled before the relationship between the two countries can grow.

"Regardless of how well you plan, there is always an issue that at least influences the tone [of the meeting], and this is one of them." said David Mulroney, Canada's ambassador to China from 2009 to 2012.

In the context of the broader global trade picture  where questions remain about Brexit, and both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton say they oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership  former ambassador Mulroney sees getting something moving with China as very important for Canada.

"Nobody says we have to go out and negotiate a bad deal, but simply sitting down with the Chinese and looking at the breadth of the trading relationship, focusing on some areas where we want to make sure that we've good improved and fairer access, is not a bad idea at all," he said in an interview with Peter Armstrong, the host of The Exchange.
By Allison Lampert MONTREAL (Reuters) - Canadian construction and engineering company SNC-Lavalin Group Inc said on Monday it is weighing an offer for its entire business in France, which has about 1,100 employees and manages 17 regional airports in the country. The offer, for an undisclosed amount, comes from a partnership comprising private French companies Impact Holding and Ciclad Gestion, SNC spokesman Louis-Antoine Paquin said by email, confirming a report last week in Canada's La Presse newspaper. Paquin said the company started a consultation process on Aug. 22 with employee representatives in France over the potential sale. "We intend to consider this offer as it is consistent with our efforts to align our activities with our global business strategy," he wrote. In a note to clients last week following the La Presse article, Desjardins analyst Benoit Poirier wrote he believed the French division could command a higher price tag than the C$45 million ($34.6 million) SNC received when it sold its Canadian real estate facilities management business earlier this year. "We believe the sale could have positive implications for consolidated margins given the tough competitive landscape in the French market," Poirier wrote. SNC Lavalin stock was down 26 Canadian cents to C$55.94 in Toronto trading on Monday afternoon. ($1 = 1.3010 Canadian dollars) (Reporting By Allison Lampert; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Alan Crosby)
A sign for the headquarters of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc is seen in Laval, Quebec June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Christinne Muschi

By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc was sued on Monday by buyers of its drugs, who accused the Canadian company of racketeering by forcing them to pay exorbitant prices.

The proposed class-action complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan on behalf of unionized New York City police detectives and hotel workers, regarding Valeant's ties to the now defunct specialty pharmacy Philidor RX Services LLC.

The plaintiffs accused Valeant of violating the U.S. Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, and seeks compensatory and triple damages for U.S. health plans and others that bought its drugs from January 2013 to October 2015.

Valeant did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

U.S. prosecutors are probing whether Valeant defrauded insurers by shrouding its ties to Philidor, the Wall Street Journal reported on Aug. 10, citing people familiar with the matter.

Investigators are looking at the companies' disclosures to insurers, a person familiar with the matter has told Reuters.

According to Monday's complaint, Valeant steered patients and doctors away from generic equivalents and toward its branded drugs through a network of pharmacies linked to Philidor.

By hiding its ties to Philidor, the complaint said, Valeant created artificial demand that let it drive up prices, including by more than 800 percent for diabetes drug Glumetza.

If the Laval, Quebec-based company had not done this, the plaintiffs "would have denied claims submitted by pharmacies in the Valeant Enterprise and insisted on the substitution of generic equivalents," the complaint said.

Plaintiffs include the Detectives Endowment Association of the City of New York, which represents 17,500 active and retired detectives, and the New York Hotel Trades Council & Hotel Association of New York City Inc Health Benefits Fund, which serves active and retired hotel workers.

Other defendants include former Philidor Chief Executive Officer Andrew Davenport and his brother Matthew, which the complaint said held himself out as CEO in documents filed with the California State Board of Pharmacy. Neither could be reached immediately for comment.

In afternoon trading, Valeant shares were down nearly 2 percent at C$39.38 in Toronto, and down 2 percent at $30.23 in New York.

The case is New York Hotel Trades Council & Hotel Association of New York City Inc Health Benefits Fund et al v. Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 16-06779.
CBC

It's been over a month since Peggy Savery woke up in her own bed, drank coffee in her own kitchen, or even took a familiar route home from her job. The Port aux Basques woman has no idea when she might get to do those simple things again. "When I leave work, at the end of the day, I find that the hardest," she said from the living room of a relative's house, where her family's now living. "I sit in my car and I can't leave right away. I just sit there, and I think 'OK, I'm not sure what I'm doin
Exactly two years after Dylan Charpentier killed his cousin in a suspected drunk driving rollover, the 20-year-old pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death.

Dylan was sentenced to one year in jail and cannot drive for five years.

On Aug. 29, 2014, Dylan and Luke Charpentier were partying together near Coronation, about 175 km east of Red Deer.

Luke, 21, was from Yellowknife but was in Alberta visiting family at the time.

He had been staying with a family member about two kilometres away from Dylan's house, where he was supposed to sleep for the night.

A designated driver returned the cousins to Dylan's home but Luke then decided he wanted to return to the other family member's home, according to an agreed statement of facts.

Around 4:20 a.m., Dylan was driving Luke to the other home. He told police that the two were "listening to music and fooling around" when he realized he was in the oncoming lane, swerved and rolled the truck into a field.

Police estimate the truck was travelling between 120 and 150 km/h in an 80 km/h zone.

Luke was found alive by police about 50 minutes after the crash and was airlifted to Foothills Hospital where he later died from his injuries.

A year after the fatal crash, Dylan was charged with impaired driving causing death, operation of a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration over .08 per cent, and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death.

On Monday, he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and the other two charges were withdrawn.

Provincial Court Judge Paul Mason accepted a joint sentencing recommendation from Crown prosecutor Peter Mackenzie and defence lawyer Peter Northcott of one year in jail and a five-year driving prohibition.
By Dustin Volz and Jim Finkle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Bureau of Investigation has found breaches in Illinois and Arizona's voter registration databases and is urging states to increase computer security ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential election, according to a U.S. official familiar with the probe. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Monday that investigators were also seeking evidence of whether other states may have been targeted. The FBI warning in an Aug. 18 flash alert from the agency's Cyber Division did not identify the intruders or the two states targeted. Reuters obtained a copy of the document after Yahoo News first reported the story Monday. Accessing information in a voter database, much of which is publicly accessible, does not necessarily suggest an effort to manipulate the votes themselves. When registering, voters typically provide their names, home addresses, driver's license or identification numbers, and party affiliations. But U.S. intelligence officials have become increasingly worried that hackers sponsored by Russia or other countries may attempt to disrupt the presidential election. Officials and cyber security experts say recent breaches at the Democratic National Committee and elsewhere in the Democratic Party were likely carried out by people within the Russian government. Kremlin officials have denied that. An FBI spokeswoman would not comment on the alerts but said the agency "routinely advises" on "various cyber threat indicators observed during the course of our investigations." The intrusions come amid repeated unsubstantiated claims by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that the U.S. election system is "rigged." Trump has cited emails leaked from the DNC that indicated the party leadership favored Hillary Clinton over rival candidate Bernie Sanders as reason to cast doubt on the electoral process in general. 'LARGER ATTACK'? David Kennedy, chief executive officer of information security consulting company TrustedSec, said the attacks referenced in the FBI alert appeared to be largely exploratory and not especially sophisticated. "It could be a precursor to a larger attack," he added. Citing a state election board official, Yahoo News said the Illinois voter registration system was shut down for 10 days in late July after hackers downloaded personal data on up to 200,000 voters. State voter systems are often targeted by hackers, and 200,000 is a relatively small number compared to other recent incidents. An independent computer security researcher uncovered in December of last year a database on 191 million voters that was exposed on the open Internet due to an incorrect configuration. The Arizona attack was more limited and involved introducing malicious software into one state employee's computer, said Matt Roberts, communications director for the Arizona secretary of state's office. That office publicly reported a cyber incident in June after being contacted by the FBI, which led to it temporarily shutting down its election site to deal with the potential threat. Roberts said he was uncertain if the FBI advisory was in reference to that same June incident, during which investigators found no evidence of any data exfiltration. In that episode, the FBI told Arizona officials the hackers were believed to be Russian and described it as an "eight out of 10" on a threat severity scale, Roberts said. Arizona will hold Republican and Democratic primaries for congressional races on Tuesday. (Reporting by Dustin Volz and Jim Finkle; Additional reporting by John Walcott; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Alistair Bell)
A massive mushroom cloud looming over a Siberian town left locals fearing a deadly nuclear explosion had occurred.

Terrified residents of Kemerovo in Russias western Siberia frantically rang the emergency services worried that doomsday has arrived and that annihilation was imminent, Mirror reports.

Others feared one of the many coal mines might have exploded.

Locals posted images of the ominous mushroom cloud amidst blue skies to show what resembled a distinctive mark of a nuclear explosion.

However, residents were soon reassured that the massive formation was just a naturally-occurring thunderstorm cloud, according to Sputnik News. The anvil-shaped cumulonimbus often appears after a heavy thunderstorm, meteorologists told the news outlet.
Former U.S. Secretaries of State meet with President Barack Obama to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) at the White House in Washington, November 13, 2015. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Monday it could still win congressional approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact before President Barack Obama leaves office, and warned that failing to do so would undermine U.S. leadership in the region.

"The president is going to make a strong case that we have made progress and there is a path for us to get this done before the president leaves office," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told a news briefing ahead of Obama's trip to Asia this week.

Obama has made the 12-nation free trade deal the centerpiece of a diplomatic "pivot" to Asia, but the prospects for congressional approval have looked increasingly dim, with both major presidential candidates - Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump - standing opposed.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Thursday the Senate would not vote on the pact this year, punting it to the next president, who will take office in January.

The White House said on Monday that Obama would make the case for the TPP during his visit to Asia, including in a speech he has scheduled in Laos on Sept. 6.

Administration officials argue a failure to approve the trade pact would cede ground to China in the region and allow it to increasingly set the terms of world trade.

"It would be seen as a significant setback, I think, for American leadership if we don't move forward," Ben Rhodes, the White House deputy national security adviser, told the briefing.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Writing by Tim Ahmann; Editing by James Dalgleish and Peter Cooney)
Sana Khan's boyfriend Ismail Khan has reportedly installed CCTV cameras at various spots in his apartment, making women in his society uncomforable.

By India Today Web Desk: Bigg Boss star Sana Khan's boyfriend Ismail Khan has landed himself in a legal soup over installation of six CCTV cameras in his apartment complex without the prior permission of police or society.

While Ismail claims that the cameras were installed nine years back for his personal security after his car was attacked, the society says that the CCTV cameras were set up four years back and the persmission for the same was not granted by them.

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The society has now registered a police complaint against Ismail saying that women in the apartment have been feeling as if they were being monitored lately, reports Mumbai Mirror.

"In the past, the cameras did not bother us too much but when he made some alterations to his flat that flouted the BMC regulations, we approached the BMC. When he found out that we had complained, he tried to threaten us and from his conversations, we realised that he had been monitoring our movements. Then we decided to lodge a complaint," Rajani Mayekar, a resident of the building, told the tabloid.

"The ladies in our building have become conscious of what they are wearing and doing. Khan had applied for permission back in 2007 and despite our denying him, he went ahead and installed cameras," said noted filmmaker and activist Ashoke Pandit who also owns a house in the apartment told Mirror.

Ismail sometime back was also charged with molestation and criminal intimidation of a woman.



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TUESDAY, Aug. 30, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- The nighttime breathing difficulties of obstructive sleep apnea have long been linked to an increase in cardiovascular risks.

However, a new study throws confusion into that link. While treatment with CPAP did lower sleep apnea symptoms, it did nothing to lower users' long-term odds for heart attack, stroke or heart-related death.

CPAP stands for "continuous positive airway pressure," with users wearing a special mask during the night to help them breathe easier.

Unfortunately, "our study does not support the use of CPAP treatment solely for the prevention of future cardiovascular events in patents who have established [heart] disease," said study author Dr. Doug McEvoy. He's a clinician at the Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia.

In the study, McEvoy's team selected more than 2,700 people with moderate-to severe sleep apnea from 89 clinical centers across seven countries. Most were older males (average age 61), and were overweight, habitual snorers. All had been diagnosed with some form of heart disease.

About half the participants were randomly chosen to receive CPAP, while the others got "usual care" -- standard heart disease care plus advice on trying to maintain healthy sleep without CPAP.

None of the participants who used CPAP had done so prior to the trial, but all were given time to get used to the device before the trial started.

CPAP therapy is notoriously tough to stick to, however. The new study reflected this, with people averaging only about three hours' use of the device a night.

McEvoy's team tracked cardiovascular outcomes for the two groups for almost four years.

The result: no differences between CPAP users and non-users in rates for heart-related death, heart attack or stroke or mini-stroke (transient ischemic attack), or hospitalization for heart failure.

For example, 17 percent of patients in the CPAP group had a "serious cardiovascular event" (such as heart attack or stroke), compared to 15.4 percent of non-users -- not a statistically significant difference.

On the other hand, CPAP users reported reductions in daytime sleepiness, a boost in health-related quality of life, fewer work days lost, and better mood, with less risk of depression.

But why didn't these improvements translate to better heart health, too?

McEvoy believes that, for one thing, prior observational studies may have "overestimated" the link between sleep apnea and cardiovascular outcomes. If the link is weaker than was thought, then curbing sleep apnea might not bring about as big a heart benefit as hoped, he reasoned.

Another factor might be that many participants could only use CPAP about three hours a night -- perhaps not long enough to bring about a benefit to the heart, McEvoy said. That rate of compliance does reflect real-world use, however, he added.

McEvoy pointed out that the study participants who were able to use the treatment even a bit longer -- four or more hours -- did show "a trend toward a reduction in stroke."

All of this suggests that "better-tolerated obstructive sleep apnea therapies, or new ways of making CPAP more tolerable, may be needed before a benefit of [the] treatment on cardiovascular outcomes can be shown," McEvoy said.

The study was published Aug. 28 in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented simultaneously in Rome at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology.

Dr. Richard Chazal is president of the American College of Cardiology and medical director of the Heart and Vascular Institute at Lee Memorial Health Institute in Fort Myers, Fla.

Chazal called this a "very well-done study." Based on these findings, he said, "I cannot be certain" that using CPAP in the range of three hours is going to reduce a patient's heart risk.

However, Chazal agreed with McEvoy that some benefit to heart health might appear with longer nightly duration of CPAP use.

Still, "there are a lot of people who have difficulty staying with it through the night," Chazal said. "I think that that calls on physicians, caregivers and the whole team to look for ways to increase compliance."

On the other hand, CPAP does appear to improve day-to-day life for most patients, he said.

"So I would also say [to patients], 'Gosh, wouldn't you like to snore less, feel better tomorrow, have a little bit more energy and feel less depressed?' " Chazal said. "Most of us would say, 'Yeah, that sounds pretty great.' "

More information

For more on CPAP therapy, head to the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
By Foo Yun Chee and Padraic Halpin BRUSSELS/DUBLIN (Reuters) - The European Commission ordered Apple Inc to pay Ireland unpaid taxes of up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) on Tuesday as it ruled the firm had received illegal state aid. Apple and Dublin said the U.S. company's tax treatment was in line with Irish and European Union law and they would appeal the ruling, which is part of a drive against what the EU says are sweetheart tax deals that usually smaller states in the bloc offer multinational companies to lure jobs and investment. The U.S. feels its firms are being targeted by the EU and a U.S. Treasury spokesperson warned the move threatens to undermine U.S. investment in Europe and "the important spirit of economic partnership between the U.S. and the EU." Starbucks Corp has been ordered to pay up to 30 million euros ($33 million) to the Dutch state, while Amazon.com Inc and McDonald's Corp are also under investigation by the Commission, the EU's executive arm. Apple's stock fell less than 1 percent. EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager questioned how anyone might think an arrangement that allowed Apple to pay a tax rate of 0.005 percent, as Apple's main Irish unit did in 2014, was fair. "Tax rulings granted by Ireland have artificially reduced Apple's tax burden for over two decades, in breach of the EU state aid rules. Apple now has to repay the benefits," Vestager told a news conference. Analysts said the size of the claim underlined the Commission's aggressive stance, but since each case involves different circumstances and tax rules, lawyers said it was hard to see if further big claims were any more or less likely. Apple, which had more than $200 billion in cash and readily marketable securities at the end of June, is likely to see the case drag out for years in EU and possibly Irish courts. Tax experts say the European Commission faces a tough battle to convince courts to back up its stand. While the EU has found that certain tax regulations are anti-competitive, it has never before ruled whether countries have applied tax regulations fairly in the way it has with Apple, Starbucks and others. As a result, some lawyers and accountants said they doubted Apple would end up paying back any tax. I am not persuaded by the reasoning the EU has applied, said Tim Wach, global managing director at international tax advisers Taxand. "ARTIFICIAL" ARRANGEMENT The EU's ruling challenges the way that Ireland agreed to tax the profits of Irish-registered Apple subsidiaries, through which most of its non-U.S. profits flowed. Apple Inc licences the rights to technology designed in the United States to Irish subsidiaries. These then hire contract manufacturers to make devices which they sell to Apple retail subsidiaries around Europe and Asia. Since the manufacturing cost is a small portion of device sales prices and retail subsidiaries are allocated a small operating margin, Apple Ireland is very profitable. In 2011, it earned $22 billion after paying $2 billion to its U.S. parent in relation to the rights to Apple intellectual property. However, the Irish tax authority agreed only 50 million euros of this was taxable in Ireland, the European Commission said. Under the terms of Apples tax deal, first agreed in 1991 and renewed in 2007, Apple could allocate most of the profits earned by its Irish operating units to a "head office" that did not have any employees or own any premises. This 'head office' had no operating capacity to handle and manage the distribution business, or any other substantive business for that matter, the Commission said. The Commission said this agreement had no basis in tax law and was not available to others, and so represented state aid. Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan said he profoundly disagreed with the decision and in order to preserve Irelands attractiveness for investment he would appeal. "There is no economic basis for this decision. It's bizarre and it's an exercise in politics by the Competition Commission," Noonan said. "They don't have responsibility for taxes and they are opening a back door through state aid to influence tax policy in European countries when the European treaties say tax policy is a matter for sovereign governments," he added. Ireland's low corporate tax rate has been a cornerstone of the countrys economic policy for decades, drawing investors from multinational companies whose staff account for almost one in 10 of the country's workers. For many technology firms like Google and Facebook, a key attraction is that Ireland allows companies to adopt tax structures which see them pay much less than the 12.5 percent headline rate. The companies say they follow all tax rules. Apple said it was confident of winning an appeal. "The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apples history in Europe, ignore Irelands tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process," CEO Tim Cook said in a letter to customers posted on Apple's website. "A companys profits should be taxed in the country where the value is created," he added. U.S. OPPOSITION The U.S. Treasury Department published a white paper last week in which it said it was looking at possible responses to what it sees as unfair targeting of its firms, which could include extra taxes on the U.S. arms of European companies. The paper noted that the EU executive's tax rulings could cost the U.S. exchequer money. Under U.S. tax law, Apple's Irish profits are taxable if brought back to the United States  something the company would have to do if it wanted to use the money to pay dividends. But any tax paid in Europe is reduced from the tax due in the United States. The Treasury has said the Commissions approach was at odds with EU tax law and international treaties. The Commission, which has also ruled European companies including carmaker Fiat and Swedish engineer Atlas Copco AB must pay tax claims worth over $350 million, said its application of competition law to tax rulings followed EU law and treated all companies equally. Nonetheless, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg have already appealed EU rulings against their tax deals with multinationals. Apple employs 5,500 people in areas such as logistics and distribution in the Irish city of Cork, which has about a quarter of Apple's Europe-based staff. The Commission has previously said Apple's tax treatment had been "motivated by employment considerations." Apple has said it paid Ireland's 12.5 percent rate on all the income that it generates in the country. Apple Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri decried the effective tax rate cited by Vestager as "a completely made-up number." (Additional reporting by Conor Humphries in Dublin, Robin Emmott, Philip Blenkinsop, Robert-Jan Bartunek and Alastair Macdonald in Brussels, Tom Bergin in London, Eric Auchard in Frankfurt and Julia Love in San Francisco; Writing by Tom Bergin/Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Philip Blenkinsop, Alexander Smith and Bill Rigby)
Jeff Walsh woke up in Cavtat, Croatia, excited for the day that lay ahead. After a quick workout, he and a few buddies decided to go for a swim in the ocean before relaxing on the beach. As they sat on the sand, Walsh watched boats move through the peninsula as people splashed in the water. He was basking in a moment of pure relaxation, but when his phone rang, he happily took the call. After all, he was technically at work.

Walsh, 32, works as a sales manager for an IT company, and was in Croatia as a member of the first-ever Remote Year, a program that brings together a diverse group of so-called digital nomads to work while traveling around the world. A digital nomad refers to someone who uses technology to do their job from any location, and of the 75 Remote Year participants, many had careers in media, sales and IT. This once-in-a-lifetime adventure takes place over the course of one year, and the group travels to 12 different cities, spending a month working and exploring each location.

We started in Europe in June 2015 by visiting the Czech Republic, Croatia and Italy, then stopped in Istanbul before heading east to live in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan, Walsh told Yahoo Finance. My remote year ended in South America with month-long stays in Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and Peru.

The beautiful thing about the program is that it allows people to explore the world while keeping their jobs. Cassandra Utt, 25, was another member of the inaugural Remote Year. Before the program she was working in Minneapolis as a business analyst for Eaton, a power management company. On a typical day she worked from 7 am to 4 pm, and had constant calls with the companys offices in India and China. Some days she went into an office, but she would often work remotely. So when a friend forwarded her an article about Remote Year, she applied right away.

Remote Year allowed Jeff to work and travel. (Jeff Walsh)

I love travel and thought it sounded interesting, so I applied online just to see what would happen, she told Yahoo Finance.

Story continues

The next phase of the application consists of answering several essay questions, and a Skype interview. After getting accepted, both Utt and Walsh were shocked at how easy it was to get their companies on board.

The next obstacle was financing remote year, which is possible, but requires a bit of planning. The program asks for an upfront deposit of $5,000, followed by 11 monthly installments of $2,000. Members have to pay for their plane ticket to the first destination and back home from their final destination, but all travel between cities during the year is included. Your monthly payments cover accommodations, which usually consist of a hotel room or apartment in each city. Everyone gets their own room, and many of the rooms also have kitchens for travelers to prepare meals. The monthly payments also include workspaces with Internet, activities and community events. In the end, travelers can expect to pay around $28,000 to participate in the program. Most employers wont help financially, but youre earning your regular paycheck, so youre still making money along the way.

The cost was similar to my expenses in Minneapolis when I was paying for my rent, car insurance, utilities and other expenses, says Utt. People in the group from New York and Los Angeles really thought it was a good deal because living in those cities is so expensive.

I was actually able to save a little money during my remote year, Walsh says. But I also did a lot of side trips to other places and ate out a lot, so I could have saved more money if I didnt do those things.

Challenges of the nomadic life

Living in some of the most exotic and scenic places in the world sounds like a dream, but a remote year isnt a vacation. Utt is quick to point out how difficult it was to balance work with her desire to see everything during her travels.

Cassie in sightseeing in Peru, left. Cassie working in communal spaces, right. (Photo: Cassie Utt)

Living in Asia was hard because I was working 7 pm to midnight just so I could be on calls with coworkers in the US, she says. And when I was in South America, the time zone was similar to my home office, so I was really busy, because people would ask me to call into meetings. I didnt have much flexibility.

In addition to adjusting to new cultures, languages, time zones and living conditions at every stop, the group had the added challenge of acclimating to new communal work spaces, which varied from city to city. Some were nice open spaces, and some were like traditional offices with cubes, says Walsh. You become adaptive and learn to work from almost everywhere.

Traveling in such a large group was also a new experience, especially with participants ranging in age from 22 to 48. While the group traveled together, each digital nomad was free to travel around independently. Work spaces were provided, but members could work from wherever they wanted. They could travel around the country at their own pace; group activities were optional. Its also important to note that more than a dozen of the original group members decided to discontinue the program before the year was up. Reasons for leaving varied, but according to reports, some people left because of changes at their job, and some left because the program wasnt right for them.

The group sending wishes to the heavens at the Yi Peng lantern festival in Thailand. (Jeff Walsh)

While autonomy was important, Walsh says he was still able to forge strong bonds with new friends.

I tried to take advantage of every activity and spent a lot of time with the group. A lot of these people encouraged me to work and think differently, Walsh says. Many of them have become great friends that Ill keep forever.

The inaugural remote year ended in June, and there is currently another program underway. Another group will start their adventure in September, and Remote Year is currently recruiting for programs launching in January, February and March of 2017.

Utt is now living and working back in Minneapolis, and Walsh has also returned home to New Jersey  exploring ways to incorporate a life of travel into his everyday life. He has fond memories of his year spent abroad, and encourages any digital nomad interested in Remote Year to take the leap and apply.

Dont hesitate to do something a little crazy because youre worried about what it will do to your career down the road, says Walsh. For me, Remote Year was such a learning experience on every level, and now I feel better at my job and more in tune with how to handle my business.

Brittany is a writer at Yahoo Finance.

Read more:

Low on cash? Now there is layaway for airline tickets

This woman retired at 33 and is traveling the world without going broke

They quit their jobs to visit all 59 National Parks in one year
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The Bihar Chief Minister said that a central team would be able to make correct assessment and prepare a authentic report on the losses suffered by the state as they had done during Kosi floods also that ravaged Bihar in 2008.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: A day after Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asked the Bihar govt to prepare a detailed survey report on the flood damage in the state, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has urged the Centre to send its own team to conduct a the survey and assess the damage that has been caused to the state due to floods.

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"Damage to the tune of Rs. 350 crore has taken place in the recent floods which has affected 12 districts of the state. There is need for huge financial assistance to deal with the crisis. I have asked the Central govt to send its own team to assess the losses and prepare a detailed report. We will also send a memorandum to the Central govt", he added.

AUTHENTIC REPORT

The Bihar Chief Minister said that a central team would be able to make correct assessment and prepare a authentic report on the losses suffered by the state as they had done during Kosi floods also that ravaged Bihar in 2008. He also exuded satisfaction at the ongoing relief work that was going on in the 12 flood hit districts.

QUALITY FOOD



"Relief camps are working according to standard operating procedure in all the districts. Providing relief to every flood victim is our priority", said the Bihar CM.

The Chief Minister on Sunday and Monday conducted aerial survey of flood hit districts of Bhagalpur, Munger, Katihar and Khagaria and reviewed the situation. He also visited relief camps in these districts, met flood victims and directed the district administration to ensure that people living in camps are provided quality food along with milk for small children.

The second round of floods in Ganga, Sone and Punpur rivers in the state that wreck havoc in the 12 districts has affected almost 30 lac people and caused more than 50 deaths.

Also Read: Nitish Kumar blames Farakka dam for floods, writes to PM Modi calling for it's demolition



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From K J M Varma

Beijing, Aug 30 (PTI) Fossil fuel and biomass which are sources of black carbon are accelerating glacier meltdown across the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau, a new research report has found.

The report by Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Stockholm University found varying contributions from fossil fuel and biomass combustion to black carbon in the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau.

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In the remote, northern plateau, black carbon is predominantly derived from the burning of fossil fuel, while fossil fuel contributions to black carbon in the snow pits of the inner plateau region are lower, implying contributions from internal sources, such as yak dung combustion, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying.

The study showed an approximately equal influence of biomass combustion sources within the southern Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas that mainly stem from emissions from the Indo-Gangetic Plain, it said.

The study provided data for further analysis of air transporting black carbon and information that can be used by policymakers addressing glacier melting and emissions, Kang Shichang, one of the authors of the report and a researcher with the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources under the CAS said.

It indicated pollution from burning yak dung for cooking or heating among herdsmen and farmers in some areas of the plateau might be higher than first imagined, Kang said.

In Tibet, about 74 per cent of the autonomous regions population live in rural area, many of whom use yak or sheep dung as a heat source.

The region aims to replace traditional energy sources with electricity to reduce pollution.

The wider use of electricity will save 177,000 tonnes of coal and cut emissions of carbon dioxide by 400,000 tonnes in the next five years, according to the regional energy substitution plan for 2016-2020.

The plan, which is backed by 2.2 billion yuan USD (329 million) will focus on on construction, transportation and domestic life, including improving accessibility to electric cookers, boilers, heaters and vehicle, the report said.

The report was published in "Nature Communications" on August 23. PTI KJV UZM

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A car exploded near the Chinese embassy in Bishkek, killing its driver and wounding three people.

By India Today Web Desk: BISHKEK: An explosion near China's embassy in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday was a "suicide car bombing attack", state news agency Xinhua said, citing a Kyrgyz security official.

The driver of the vehicle tried to ram the embassy's gate, the offical was reported as saying.



The healthcare ministry earlier said the driver of the vehicle was killed and three people were injured.

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The interior ministry could not be reached for comment.









--- ENDS ---
Siddaramaiah, CM of Karnataka, after an all party meeting decided that Cauvery water cannot shared with TamilNadu as they don't have sufficient water for the state's supply.

Protest in Chennai over Karnataka's decision not to release the Cauvery river.

By Pramod Madhav: Tamil Nadu farmers along with members and representatives of various parties protested near Egmore railway station against the Karnataka government's decision to not provide water from the Carvery river to Tamil Nadu this year.

CAUVERY NOT TO BE SHARED

Siddaramaiah, CM of Karnataka, after an all party meeting decided that Cauvery water cannot shared with Tamil Nadu as they don't have sufficient water for the state's supply.

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Jayalalithaa immediately wrote a letter to the Karnataka government asking them to honor the existing agreement. She also wrote that she will file an interlocutory petition for releasing the water if the Karnataka government does not comply.



FARMERS IN DISTRESS

The annual irrigation period in TamilNadu is from June to May but as the water from Karnataka has not been released as of yet, the farmers in Tamil Nadu Delta region are in distress now.

To show their protest, members of the farmer's association and various parties protested all over TamilNadu. Their want Jayalalithaa to conduct an all party meeting and meet with Prime Minister Modi to resolve the issue immediately.



ALSO READ:

Cauvery dispute: Karnataka denies water share to Tamil Nadu, farmers blame Centre

Not in a position to release Cauvery water for TN:Siddaramaiah

--- ENDS ---
A class four student wrote a letter to Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu appreciating him for the success of Krishna Pushkaralu.

By Ashish Pandey: It was a surprise for Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu when he received a handwritten letter from a fourth standard student Amrutha Mythreyee.

The little girl studying in a school of Guntur, appreciated the Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for successfully conducting the Krishna Pushkaralu (Krishna Mahakumbh) recently.

In her letter, Amrutha said that she had visited Vijayawada to take a holy dip and found the arrangements at the ghats good. She said that the new capital was beautifully lit up with electric lights and also appreciated the assistance offered by the police.

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APPRECIATED TAG SYSTEM

She went on to mention that the unique tag system which helped unite lost kids with their parents, and the cultural programmes were a great attraction.

The Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu too expressed his joy after receiving the letter from his little citizen.

In spite of being busy at the central command control room reviewing the works taken up to mitigate the severe dry spell in the four districts of Rayalaseema, the chief minister responded to Amrutha's letter.

The chief minister said that Amrutha's pretty handwriting touched his heart. He said that her visit with her family to the Krishna Pushkaram's and her appreciation of ghats and lightings made him very happy.

He appreciated her statements appreciating the police personnel.

CM APPRIECIATED THE CHILD'S GESTURE

The chief minister mentioned that kids like Amrutha are the rays of hope in the future of Swarnandhra Pradesh.

The chief minister blessed her and asked her to do well in her studies and make her family, state and the country proud. Amrutha is from Guntur and studies at RK Kid Blossoms school.

The recently concluded Krishna Pushkaralu is an example of excellent and streamlined administration of Chandrababu Naidu. Andhra government almost pulled off a miracle by making sure that the event was held without any troubles. The state government used technology and streamlined all its resources to make sure that happened.

Also read:

Class VIII boy writes to Modi, asks him not to acquire school buses for his rally



--- ENDS ---
By PTI: From K J M Varma

Beijing, Aug 30 (PTI) China today strongly condemned the suicide car bomb attack at its embassy in Kyrgyzstan, the first of its kind on a Chinese diplomatic mission, as an extreme and violent act.

The attack has sent shock waves here as Beijing probed the involvement of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), an al-Qaeda affiliated separatist outfit, blamed for a number of violent attacks in the restive Xinjiang, home of Uyghur Muslims.

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A van driven by a suicide bomber exploded after ramming through a gate at the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan wounding three people and killing the suicide bomber.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed shock over the attack and condemned it as an extreme and violent act.

"This morning Chinese embassy was attacked by carbomb causing minor injuries to three embassy staff. We are deeply shocked by this and strongly condemn this extreme and violent act," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Hua Chunying told a media briefing here.

The foreign ministry has activated emergency response mechanism and asked the Kyrgyzstan government to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel and "get to the bottom of this incident and bring those involved to justice", Hua said.

Asked whether it was a terrorist attack, she said no organisation has claimed responsibility for this and asked the Kyrgyz government to share the information with China in a timely fashion.

To another query whether China sounded a security alert for its diplomatic missions abroad, she said, "Wevalue the safety of the diplomatic missions overseas and we will take all necessary measures to ensure their safety."

Many members of ETIM, who are drawn from Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang bordering Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Afghanistan have joined the Islamic State (IS) to fight in Syria.

China apprehends that many of them may return to carry out attacks in Xinjiang and other parts of China.

While China blamed it for terror attacks, the ETIM, a shadowy organisation has never claimed responsibility of the attacks.

In bid to curtail infiltration, China recently formed Quadrilateral Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism involving Afghanistan-China-Pakistan-Tajikistan Armed Forces to step up security along the borders.

It is not clear why China omittedKyrgyzstan from the border security mechanism.

Besides this the China-Pakistan border police also launched border patrols along the PoK-Xinjiang borders.

China has close security cooperation with Kyrgyzstan which is a member of the Beijing led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

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Besides China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan are its members. PTI KJV PMS

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Washington, Aug 30 (PTI) Plants will be less thirsty as carbon dioxide levels rise in the atmosphere, which may drastically reduce the extent of droughts due to climate change, a new study has found.

As humans pump carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and global temperatures rise, a major issue is how much fresh water will be available for people, forests and agriculture.

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However, researchers show that popular long-term drought estimates have a major flaw - they ignore the fact that plants will be less thirsty as carbon dioxide rises.

The study shows that shifts in how plants use water could roughly halve the extent of climate change-induced droughts.

"A number of studies assume that plant water needs are staying constant, when what we know about plants growing in lots of carbon dioxide suggests the opposite," said Abigail Swann from University of Washington in the US.

Recent studies have estimated that more than 70 per cent of Earth will experience more drought as carbon dioxide levels quadruple from pre-industrial levels over about the next 100 years.

However, when researchers accounted for changes in plants water needs, this falls to 37 per cent, with bigger differences concentrated in certain regions.

"It is a significant effect," said Swann.

The reason is that when Earths atmosphere holds more carbon dioxide, plants actually benefit from having more of the molecules they need to build their carbon-rich bodies.

Plants take in carbon dioxide through tiny openings, called stomata, that cover their leaves. However, as they draw in carbon dioxide, moisture escapes, researchers said.

When carbon dioxide is more plentiful, the stomata does not need to be open for as long, and so the plants will lose less water. They will thus draw less water from the soil through their roots.

"I had a very strong suspicion that you would get a different answer if you considered how the plants were responding," said Swann.

The study compares todays drought indices with ones that take into account changes in plant water use. It confirms that reduced precipitation will increase droughts across southern North America, southern Europe and northeastern South America.

However, the results show that in Central Africa and temperate Asia - including China, the Middle East, East Asia and most of Russia - water conservation by plants will largely counteract the parching due to climate change.

The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. PTI SAN SAR MHN

--- ENDS ---

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Karachi, Aug 30 (PTI) The death toll from a possible outbreak of Congo fever in Pakistans Karachi city has risen to six after an Afghan national died of the virus, triggering panic among residents ahead of the Eid festival next month.

Salamuddin Amir Muhammad, who had come to the port city from Kabul for treatment, died of Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), commonly known as the Congo fever, on Sunday.

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The CCHF is a tick-borne viral disease carried by several domestic and wild animals.

Muhammads nephew, Naseem Ahmed, confirmed his uncle used to slaughter cattles himself for household consumption.

Four deaths have been reported in the city since July 30 due to the disease. On August 19, a cattle trader who had come to Karachi to sell animals for sacrifice during the Eid-ul Azha festival in September died of the fever.

Around 100 animals have also died mysteriously at the makeshift livestock market spread over 900 acres in Karachi.

Traders at the market say unless health authorities take immediate steps to fumigate the area more trouble is expected.

Recent rains have worsened the situation and people are scared to come to the market, trader Saleem Malik said.

Another trader said theres no electricity at the market for the past three days.

Aamir Raees, Director at the national research centre for agriculture in Islamabad, told PTI nine deaths have occurred at two Quetta hospitals in Balochistan from the Congo virus this year.

Dr Mukhtar of Multans Fatima Jinnah hospital said mortality rate from the virus neared 40 per cent this season. PTI CORR ABH

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Mumbai, Aug 30 (PTI) The management of the famous Haji Ali Dargah have started deliberations on challenging the Bombay High Court verdict, that lifted the ban imposed on women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine here, in the Supreme Court.

"We held detailed discussions yesterday over the issue in the wake of the HC verdict and sought opinion of each of the management members. But we are going to hold a few more rounds of meetings to get the opinion of other stakeholders as well," Sohail Khandwani, a trustee of the century-old Dargah told PTI today.

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Also, on Friday, we would be holding meetings with religious scholars besides having consultations with our councils based in Mumbai and Delhi after which a final decision on the issue would be taken, he said.

Haji Ali Dargah is one of the most recognisable landmarks of the city. The Indo-Islamic architectural structure contains the tomb of Sayed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari.

Men have unhindered access to the actual burial place of the saint, while women were being permitted to enter the sanctum sanctorum up to 2012, when the entry of women was banned by the trust citing religious traditions.

Two days after the HC ruling, gender rights activist and Bhumata Ranragini Brigade chief Trupti Desai visited the Dargah on Sunday and offered a chadar, but kept away from the shrines core area.

She had also requested the management of the Dargah to prevail on the recent verdict and not to move SC. She had exuded confidence that the apex court would rule in womens favour if such a step was taken.

When asked whether Desais request was pondered upon in the meeting yesterday, Khandwani said, "We are more concerned with the overall impact and sentiment following the verdict and not a single individual. We have to see the larger picture."

After offering the chadar at the Dargah, Desai had appealed, "I request the trustees with folded hands to follow the verdict of the High Court. If they still prefer to knock on the Supreme Courts door, then the apex court too would uphold the constitutional right of the women and I am fully confident about it."

In a landmark judgement, the Bombay High Court allowed entry of women into the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali Dargah here, 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.

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"May be by the end of this week or by next week, we will arrive at the final decision on approaching the apex court," Khandwani said.

The Dargah, situated on an islet, 500 metres away from the coast, courted controversy in 2012 when shrine management suddenly put restrictions on women from entering the core worship area. Hosts of women activists across all the faith as well as NGOs and Muslim women had launched movements opposing the ban and challenged the decision in High Court. PTI APM DK RCJ

--- ENDS ---
From your lipstick to your saree, black magic is the way to go in the upcoming wedding season.

By Hemul Goel: For many of us, black is our go-to colour. So why, steer clear from what you look best in, when getting ready for your BFF's wedding?

Gone are the days when one would just stick to bright colours to revel in wedding festivities. With India's top fashion designers offering some breathtakingly beautiful ensembles in deep dark hues, it's about time you stopped shying away from the dark side. From makeup to your outfit, a goth-inspired look is the way to go.

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Also read: Neha Dhupia's lehenga is the perfect pick for that upcoming wedding

Kajal Aggarwal

In attendance at Sabyasachi's finale show at Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive, Kajal Aggarwal looked gorgeous in a floor length anarkali paired with a belt, a matching clutch, a low bun and minimal makeup. For a wedding, a red lip and some roses in your hair couldn't hurt.

How elegant does Kajal look in that! Photo: Yogen Shah

Karisma Kapoor

Also read: Sonam Kapoor's gothic avatar at this launch was just perfect

What a stunner Karisma Kapoor proved herself to be that striped Sabyasachi saree. And the choker had her looking totally on point. You can easily take the look a notch up with a matte lip and Kardashian inspired wet slicked back hair.

She's making 'em stripes sexy. Photo: Yogen Shah

Deepika Padukone

When it comes to the makeup, the palette used by Daniel Bauer on Deepika Padukone is what you should stick to. Deepika seems to be wearing a dark bordeaux lipstick, in a hue similar to her nailpaint. When going for a statement lip, keep the rest of the makeup minimal.

That beauty look is the bomb! Picture courtesy: Instagram/@danielbauermakeupandhair

P.S. ICYMI, here's Deepika Padukone's look from the Sabyasachi show.

Off colours can be paired with a dark statement lips. Photo: Yogen Shah

--- ENDS ---
Washington Post moderators retain editorial control over discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. The Washington Post is not responsible for any content posted by third parties. Discussion guidelines
Two Weeks Left to Comment on California's Refinery Regs

The Department of Industrial Relations, the Governor's Office of Emergency Services, and the California Environmental Protection Agency announced new rules to strengthen safety at oil refineries statewide in July.

Comments are due by Sept. 15, and the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board has scheduled a public hearing for that date in Sacramento, to discuss the refinery safety regulations proposed in July by the California Department of Industrial Relations, the Governor's Office of Emergency Services, and the California Environmental Protection Agency. The two proposed regulations are intended to strengthen workplace and environmental safety at oil refineries across the state.

They would implement recommendations of the Governor's Interagency Working Group on Refinery Safety and came about through consultation with workers, industry, NGOs, and communities after a chemical release and fire at Chevron's Richmond, Calif., oil refinery in August 2012.

"The proposed regulations will put into place new strategies to prevent major incidents at refineries and to protect refinery workers and surrounding communities from exposure to health and safety risks," said David M. Lanier, secretary of the Labor and Workforce Development Agency.

One regulation will overhaul Cal/OSHA worker safety regulations for refineries; the other will strengthen the California Accidental Release Prevention program regulations designed to prevent the accidental release of hazardous substances that could harm public health and the environment. DIR, Cal OES, and CalEPA have collaborated to ensure the two regulations are aligned.

"These regulations will make refineries safer neighbors and employers. Refinery workers, community and environmental organizations, and industry leaders worked with us to develop requirements that are practical and effective," said Matthew Rodriquez, California's secretary for environmental protection. Key features of the proposed regulations include increased employer accountability for the mechanical integrity of refinery equipment; requirements to adopt inherently safer designs and systems to the greatest extent feasible; increased employee involvement in all aspects of the safety and prevention program; authority for refinery personnel to shut down a unit if needed in the event of an unsafe condition or emergency, and provisions for anonymous reporting of safety hazards; requirements for investigations to determine root causes of any incident that does occur and develop interim and permanent corrective measures in response; and annual public reporting of refinery safety metrics.
Making the Platform Economy Big and Hard to Miss

Editors note  this article was provided by Kurt Bilafer at WePay, who offers his vision as to what payment services are versus what they could be.

Why did WePay wrap a train car?

Ive been getting that question a lot lately. Actually we wrapped two Caltrain cars that shuttle daily between San Francisco and San Jose. Maybe youve seen one of them theyre big and blue and bearing the logos of WePay and our customers.

This is one element of a campaign to start a conversation about the rapidly emerging platform economy. Business platforms such as eBay, Uber, Etsy, Airbnb sometimes also called multi-sided marketplacesare transforming the economy. Many of our customers are part of this movement.

Theres a lot of talk in business academia right now about the economic benefits of platform companies, and how they differ from traditional companies. There is a lot of buzz about platforms among the technorati in Silicon Valley, but I still dont think theres a clear understanding of what platforms are, how businesses can make the shift from product or service to platform, and what sort of impact platforms are going to have on business overall.

Matchmaking plus

So what is a platform? At a basic level, its a business that generates value from enabling interactions and transactions between two or more parties.

But theres a little bit more to it than that. Successful platforms provide operational efficiency and improvements over a current process. It isnt just matchmaking. There are also value added services that enrich the experience, and keep customers coming back.

Payments is one of those services, but it could be loans, or integrations with marketing automation or CRM solutions, or anything adjacent to the core offering that makes it easier for people do business together.

Why does WePay care about the platform economy? We specialize in providing integrated payment services for platforms.

This is still a new category of payments. The way payments have historically been handled online was ported over from the bricks-and-mortar world. Its never worked great for e-commerce transactions between one buyer and one seller. It gets even clunkier when you have three parties involved in a payment transactionthe seller, the buyer and the matchmaking platform.

If youre a platform, understanding whos the merchant of record, whos responsible for risk, how money gets moved around, and who has visibility into those transactions all come into play. Integrated payments help platforms handle all those things seamlessly in one package.

Do you platform?

The thing is, a lot of our potential customers dont recognize that theyre a platform or on their way to becoming one. And even if they do, theyre new to taking payments and dont understand why the payment solutions that work for two-party transactions dont work well at all for platforms. And they dont know about integrated payments, which are a much better alternative.

Selfishly, if we can help companies understand the benefits of being a platform and how to think like a platform, theyll also understand that we offer one of the few solutions that can meet their needs.

But its not entirely selfish.

One of the things I like about the payments business is that our success is so directly tied to our customers success. Our piece of the platform opportunity is just a small one. Theres a lot of opportunity out there for a lot of different types of companies.

Software products vs. platforms

One of the biggest opportunities is in software. Many of our existing customers, including Constant Contact, Freshbooks, Infusionsoft and BuilderTrend, are software companies that have successfully made the shift from product company to platform.

One of my favorite examples of platform vs. product is in the CRM (customer relationship management) space. Salesforce.com, the market leader, is a platform. It offers an API for people to build on, along with documentation and guidelines to help them. Theres an app exchange with solutions that can integrate everything from web analytics to order payment into Salesforce.com. It makes for a very sticky platform.

As platforms rise to dominance, product vs. platform is something that ISVs (independent software vendors) and SaaS (software as a service) companies should be thinking about. During the six-month window that the trains run, there will be people from a lot of software companies coming to the Bay Area to attend events such as NetSuites SuiteWorld, Salesforce.coms Dreamforce, and Oracle Open World, to name a few of the big ones. We hope the train car will get them thinking.

But this is also something that software buyers should be thinking about.

When you look at our customer logos on the train, such as Zoho, Infusionsoft and FreshBooks, you probably dont immediately think platform. People think of these as cloud CRM, marketing automation and accounting solutions respectively.

But not all solutions in these categories are created equal. Those that are embracing the platform mindset and methodology are continually adding more value for their customers by building or partnering to add adjacent capabilities or processes. If you pick a best-of-breed solution that does just one thing, you may end up having to manage five or ten different solutions to provide the same functionality that one platform may ultimately provide.

The train car wrap is just one part of our effort. Earlier this summer, we had an Influencer Summit bringing together economists doing research on the platform economy, tech influencers, and customer companies that have made the journey from product company to platform company. We also launched DoYouPlatform.com, where were going to have customers and thought leaders share lessons learned to help them figure out how to platformand take paymentsproperly, and sooner rather than later.

The platform economy and understanding of it is still emerging. By most predictions its going to be big. Were doing our part to make sure its not only big, but hard to miss. Kind of like a train car.



Kurt Bilafer is a sales veteran with more than 20 years of experience in direct sales, channel and partner development and business strategy. Prior to WePay, he was Global Vice President of Sales at SAP, previously serving the company as Vice President of Analytics for Asia, Pacific & Japan and Global Vice President of Business Analytics and Technology solutions, Ecosystem and Channel Partners. He was also SAP North Americas Vice President, heading up enterprise performance and risk management and spent a year with PricewaterhouseCoopers to rebuild their SAP National Practice. Bilafer joined SAP after its acquisition of Pilot Software.



Other Point of Sale articles that may interest you:
Chirpify and Paytronix Partner to Socialize Togos Loyalty Program

Portland, Ore., August 29, 2016  Today Chirpify, a provider of conversational conversion and social media loyalty solutions, and Paytronix Systems, Inc., a leading provider of reward program solutions to restaurants and retailers, announced they have partnered to bring social loyalty to the Togos Tribe. Togos Eateries, LLC, a West Coast Original is known for its big, fresh and meaty sandwiches and currently has over 300 locations open or under construction. Togos benefits from the combined Chirpify-Paytronix solution by gaining new, valuable data about its social Tribe members, and rewarding them in social media for their engagement and participation with the brand.

Our customers are increasingly active in social media and looking to engage there with us, said Jessica Miller, Brand Manager, Digital Marketing & Communications at Togos, a West Coast restaurant franchise famous for its big, fresh, meaty sandwiches. Extending our loyalty program to social media doubles-down on our ability to engage with our most loyal customers when, where, and how they like. With the introduction of social loyalty, we are growing our relevance, creating a virtuous cycle of acquisition, engagement, and data collection that allows us to continually personalize offers for greater impact to the guest and the business.

Togos relies on the Paytronix reward solution to engage with its Tribe members in their channel of choice, whether that be mobile, in-store, or online. With the addition of the Chirpify social media loyalty platform, Togos has extended its reach to engage with Tribe members in social media. This is an important element of any loyalty program as, according to research by Paytronix, loyalty members who are actively using Facebook and who are fans of the brand spend upwards of seventy percent more than the brands average program member.

Togo Tribe members that interact with the brand using a social trigger will earn rewards in exchange for participating with the brand over social media. The Chirpify engine listens in the background for these social triggers that once set off, can automatically and immediately reward Tribe members for their interaction. Linked to the Paytronix system through its easy-to-use API, Chirpify can recognize existing Tribe members and create accounts for new members.

Together the systems provide Togos with:

Deeper Customer Engagement: Adding social as a loyalty channel increases engagement as customers are rewarded beyond in-store spend, receiving points or other benefits for their social participation. People engage with Chirpify-driven brand posts and content on average 4x more than other content because there is an actual reason to do so. As Tribe members participate more, frequency of interaction increases which is in turn a proven way to grow and solidify loyalty and advocacy. This self-reinforcing loop helps grow new customer acquisition through earned media and implied social proof.

Adding social as a loyalty channel increases engagement as customers are rewarded beyond in-store spend, receiving points or other benefits for their social participation. People engage with Chirpify-driven brand posts and content on average 4x more than other content because there is an actual reason to do so. As Tribe members participate more, frequency of interaction increases which is in turn a proven way to grow and solidify loyalty and advocacy. This self-reinforcing loop helps grow new customer acquisition through earned media and implied social proof. Valuable Data: The Chirpify platform identifies and collects campaign conversion data by social ID and ties it to an existing Togos Tribe member account linked to a Paytronix wallet. With this data in hand, Togos can analyze how often members redeem points, assess campaign success across channels, and much more. Further, Togos can extend its cross-platform promotions to social media, using tools such as geo-targeting to promote events such as new store openings.

The Chirpify platform identifies and collects campaign conversion data by social ID and ties it to an existing Togos Tribe member account linked to a Paytronix wallet. With this data in hand, Togos can analyze how often members redeem points, assess campaign success across channels, and much more. Further, Togos can extend its cross-platform promotions to social media, using tools such as geo-targeting to promote events such as new store openings. Relevance that Drives Customer Spend: Paytronix and Chirpify allow Togos to drive greater relevance to a growing Tribe through campaigns that reward members for specific behaviors. As people sharing brand moments grows, so does customer acquisition and the ability to broaden the brands reach. As membership grows, participation increases and its impact to the business grows, all resulting in significant top line value.

About Togos Eateries, LLC

Togos was founded in 1971 by a young college student with a large appetite and little money looking to make sandwiches the way he liked them  big, fresh and meaty. Keeping in the spirit of the original, Togos products are still made with only the highest quality ingredients; including fresh-baked Artisan breads, hand sliced premium pastrami, turkey and roast beef, as well as Hass avocados and cheeses. Togos proprietary brand of old-fashioned Pastrami, 98 percent fat-free slow-roasted turkey, and Togos all natural chicken set the brand apart from other sandwich shops. With more than 300 locations open and under development throughout the West, Togos is a franchise-based business that offers online ordering and catering services.

About Paytronix Systems, Inc.

Paytronixs proprietary guest engagement platform helps more than 300 restaurant and retail chains manage and grow more than $18 Billion in guest spend. Customers benefit from big data consumer insights that Paytronix generates from 1-to-1 engagement with more than 165 million loyal gueststhrough mobile, social and todays most innovative digital marketing tools. As a result, customers can more effectively segment and motivate their guests to increase spend and drive revenue. For more information, visit www.paytronix.com.



About Chirpify

Chirpify is a provider of conversational conversion and social media loyalty solutions that enable brands like Marriott, Dunkin Donuts, and Columbia Sportswear to drive deeper customer engagement, acquire valuable data, and grow customer spend. Chirpify enables brands to modernize spend and get based loyalty programs, and activate brand campaigns, enabling their customers to use social media and messaging apps as a remote control for marketing conversion. Retail, hospitality, financial services and CPG organizations rely on Chirpify to amplify their cross-channel marketing campaigns, convert customers, and grow customer lifetime value. Chirpify is based in Portland, Oregon and can be found at www.chirpify.com.

Other Point of sale news:
A South African school was ordered Tuesday to suspend allegedly racist hairstyle regulations after black pupils said they had been called monkeys by teachers for wearing banned 'afros'. Local education authorities in Gauteng province gave Pretoria High School for Girls 21 days to re-assess its rules after protests by students triggered a public dispute over alleged racism. The prestigious school in the capital Pretoria was historically attended by whites only but it admitted black children following the end of apartheid in 1994. Some pupils said they were forced to chemically straighten their hair and not wear afro hairstyles that were deemed untidy. After visiting the school on Monday for talks with senior staff and students, provincial education minister Panyaza Lesufi said a probe into the allegations would be launched. "Learners feel that they are not allowed to wear Black hairstyles, such as Afro. Specifically, the school policy limits the length of the hairstyle," the ministry said in a statement. "Some educators tell them they look like monkeys, or have nests on their heads." At the weekend, defiant black students with afro hairstyles and braids held a protest at the school against the long-standing regulations. Politicians quickly weighed in, with the two largest opposition parties criticising the government-run school. The ministry statement said "the code of conduct... must be reviewed and the clause dealing with hairstyles should be suspended in the meantime." It also accused the school of a heavy-handed response for calling in police and armed security guards to deal with protests. - Growing backlash - Other allegations raised by students during Monday's talks included being banned from speaking ethnic languages on school premises and suffered discrimination from white teachers and pupils. A white student allegedly told a black student that she did not need a pencil as her finger was black enough, and white students allegedly complained about taught "kaffir" music, using an insulting term for a black African. Former pupil Mishka Wazar, 19, told AFP that controversies over racism at the school had been brewing for years. "During my time there were problems around similar issues, but no one ever took it to the level these girls have done," said Wazar, who is now at university. "We would write letters and our complaints were largely ignored." Wazar, who left the school last year, said the rules must be adjusted to fit changing demographics. She said she had witnessed black girls being pulled aside from school assembly and criticised for their hair. "The teacher would usually tell them to fix their hair... make it smooth," she said. "Most of these rules are really hard to adhere to if your hair is not of a certain texture." Other alumni have also rallied behind the students, with one group writing to a university online newspaper to express their anger over "racism, bullying and patently race-based shaming of black women's bodies by staff." "We pledge our support to the crop of young women leaders who have brought national attention to issues we are sorely aware are rampant not only at Pretoria High School for Girls," the letter said. South Africa is still grappling with racial issues 22 years after the end of white-minority rule, with bitter race rows erupting regularly in politics and on social media. Student activism played a central role in the fight against apartheid, with the massacre of pupils by white police officers in 1976 seen as a key date in the country's tumultuous history. The students had gathered in Soweto township to demonstrate against an order that all schools could only teach in the Afrikaans language used by whites.
By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators ordered Apple on Tuesday to pay up to 13 billion euros (11 billion pounds) in taxes plus interest to the Irish government after ruling that a special scheme to route profits through Ireland was illegal state aid.

The massive sum, 40 times bigger than the previous known demand by the European Commission to a company in such a case, could be reduced, the EU executive said in a statement, if other countries sought more tax themselves from the U.S. tech giant.

Apple, which with Ireland said it will appeal the decision, paid tax rates on European profits on sales of its iPhone and other devices and services of between just 0.005 percent in 2014 and 1 percent in 2003, the Commission said.

Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years, said Competition Commission Margrethe Vestager, whose crackdown on mainly U.S. multinationals has angered Washington which accuses Brussels of protectionism.

Online retailer Amazon.com Inc and hamburger group McDonalds Corp face probes over taxes in Luxembourg, while coffee chain Starbucks Corp has been ordered to pay up to 30 million euros ($33 million) to the Dutch state.

A bill of 300 million euros this year for Swedish engineer Atlas Copco AB to pay Belgian tax is the current known record. Other companies ordered to pay back taxes in Belgium, many of them European, have not disclosed figures.

For Apple, whose earnings of $18 billion last year were the biggest ever reported by a corporation, finding several billion dollars should not be an insurmountable problem. The 13 billion euros represents about 6 percent of the firms cash pile.

As of June, Apple reported it had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $231.5 billion, of which 92.8 percent, or $214.9 billion, were held in foreign subsidiaries. It paid $2.67 billion in taxes during its latest quarter at an effective tax rate of 25.5 percent, leaving it with net income of $7.8 billion according to company filings.

Story continues

The European Commission in 2014 accused Ireland of dodging international tax rules by letting Apple shelter profits worth tens of billions of dollars from tax collectors in return for maintaining jobs. Apple and Ireland rejected the accusation.

I disagree profoundly with the Commission, Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan said in a statement. The decision leaves me with no choice but to seek cabinet approval to appeal.

"This is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system; to provide tax certainty to business; and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation.

Ireland also said the disputed tax system used in the Apple case no longer applied and that the decision had no effect on Irelands 12.5 percent corporate tax rate or on any other company with operations in the country.

Apple said in a statement it was confident of winning an appeal.

The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apples history in Europe, ignore Irelands tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process. The Commissions case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes, its about which government collects the money. It will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe.

REVERSE ENGINEERING

When it opened the Apple investigation in 2014, the Commission told the Irish government that tax rulings it agreed in 1991 and 2007 with the company amounted to state aid and might have broken EU laws.

The Commission said the rulings were reverse engineered to ensure Apple had a minimal Irish bill and that minutes of meetings between Apple representatives and Irish tax officials showed the companys tax treatment had been motivated by employment considerations.

Apple employs 5,500, or about a quarter of its Europe-based staff, in the Irish city of Cork, where it is the largest private sector employer. It has said it paid Irelands 12.5 percent rate on all the income that it generates in the country.

Irelands low corporate tax rate has been a cornerstone of economic policy for 20 years, drawing investors from multinational companies whose staff account for almost one in 10 workers in Ireland.

Some opposition Irish lawmakers have urged Dublin to collect whatever tax the Commission orders it to. But the main opposition party Fianna Fail, whose support the minority administration relies on to pass laws, said it would support an appeal based on reassurances it had been given by the government.

The U.S. Treasury Department published a white paper last week that said the EU executives tax investigations departed from international taxation norms and would have an outsized impact on U.S. companies. The Commission said it treated all companies equally.

(Additional reporting by Padraic Halpin in Dublin, Robin Emmott, Philip Blenkinsop, Robert-Jan Bartunek and Alastair Macdonald in Brussels and Eric Auchard in Frankfurt; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Philip Blenkinsop)
Two more Bangladeshi expatriate workers accused of planning to join the Islamic State group were jailed Tuesday in Singapore for raising money to fund attacks in their homeland.

Zzaman Daulat, 34, and Mamun Leakot Ali, 29, were jailed for two years and two and a half years, respectively, after admitting terrorist financing charges in a district court.

Court documents said the men contributed between Sg$200 ($146) and Sg$500 to help fund a terror campaign in Bangladesh, and plotted to overthrow the government there to set up a caliphate.

They were the second set of Bangladeshi workers to be jailed under a Singaporean law against terrorist financing.

In July four Bangladeshi workers were jailed for between two and five years for the same offence.

The six were among a second group of Bangladeshis rounded up in Singapore after 27 were arrested in late 2015, also over alleged plots in their homeland. All from the first group have since been deported.

Most of the workers were in the construction and marine sectors.

Zzaman and Mamun had initially intended to contest the charges but decided to plead guilty. They were represented by local lawyers for free.

One of their lawyers, Noor Marican, told the court both men were deeply apologetic and had committed the offence in a moment of foolishness, local media reported.

Muslim-majority Bangladesh has seen a spate of brutal attacks on secular bloggers and religious minorities recently, with gunmen killing 20 hostages -- mainly foreigners -- at an upmarket restaurant in the capital Dhaka last month. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State group.

Singapore is highly dependent on foreign labour in sectors such as construction. It hosted 1.38 million foreign workers last year, many of them from South Asia.
AFP News

Russia on Saturday suspended its participation in a landmark agreement that allowed vital grain exports from Ukraine, blaming alleged drone attacks on Russian ships in Crimea. Russia made the announcement after its army accused Kyiv earlier Saturday of a "massive" drone attack on its Black Sea fleet, while Britain bluntly rejected Moscow's claims its specialists were involved. The Turkey and UN-brokered deal to unlock grain exports signed between Russia and Ukraine in July is critical to easing the global food crisis caused by the conflict. The agreement already allowed more than nine million tonnes of Ukrainian grain to be exported and was due to be renewed on November 19. "In light of the terrorist act carried out by the Kyiv regime with the participation of British experts against ships of the Black Sea fleet and civilian vessels involved in the security of grain corridors, Russia suspends its participation in the implementation of the agreement on the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports," the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram. Sevastopol in Moscow-annexed Crimea, which has been targeted several times in recent months, serves as the headquarters for the fleet and a logistical hub for operations in Ukraine. The Russian army claimed to have "destroyed" nine aerial drones and seven maritime ones, in an attack in the port early Saturday. Moscow's forces alleged British "specialists", whom they said were based in the southern Ukrainian city of Ochakiv, had helped prepare and train Kyiv to carry out the strike. In a further singling out of the UK -- which Moscow sees as one of the most unfriendly Western countries -- Russia said the same British unit was involved in explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines last month. Britain strongly rebutted both claims, saying "the Russian Ministry of Defence is resorting to peddling false claims of an epic scale." Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Saturday Moscow would raise the blasts and the alleged drone attack at the UN Security Council. The British defence ministry said this "invented story says more about arguments going on inside the Russian Government than it does about the West". Moscow's military said ships targeted at their Crimean base were involved in a UN-brokered deal to allow the export of Ukrainian grain. Russia had recently criticised the deal, saying its own grain exports have suffered due to Western sanctions. - 'Massive' attack - Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, said Saturday's drone attack was the "most massive" the peninsula had seen. The city's services were on "alert", but he claimed no "civilian infrastructure" had been damaged. City authorities said that the harbour was "temporarily" closed to boats and ferries and urged people "not to panic". Attacks on Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, have increased in recent weeks, as Kyiv presses a counter-offensive in the south to retake territory held by Moscow for months. Moscow-installed authorities in Kherson, just north of Crimea, have vowed to turn the city into a fortress, preparing for an inevitable assault. On Thursday, Razvozhayev said a thermal power station had been attacked in Balaklava, in the Sevastopol area. He claimed there was only minor damage and no casualties. In early October, Moscow's bridge linking Crimea to the Russian mainland -- personally inaugurated by President Vladimir Putin in 2018 -- was damaged by a blast that Putin blamed on Ukraine. The Russian fleet stationed in the port had also been attacked by a drone in August. Russia's allegations Saturday came as the Ukrainian army reported fighting in the Lugansk and Donetsk regions in the east, including near Bakhmut -- the only area where Moscow's forces have advanced in recent weeks. Pro-Russian separatists fighting alongside Moscow also announced a new prisoner exchange with Kyiv, saying 50 will return home from each side. Both sides were gearing up for the battle for the city of Kherson, the regional capital that fell to Moscow's forces in the first days of their offensive. bur/raz/jmm
Saira and her husband Afaq have been booked under the MCOCA for trafficking thousands of girls from several states in India and even Nepal.

By Anuj Mishra, Shivendra Srivastava: The arrest of Afaq Hussain and his wife Saira Begum along with six of their aides reported earlier today has exposed the murky underbelly of child trafficking in the heart of the capital.

Minor girls from Nepal and remote areas of West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and other states were brought to Delhi on the pretext of lucrative jobs, sightseeing and even false promises of marriage. Not only were they thrashed, confined, intoxicated and starved for several days, they were also paid only a meagre amount after the money spent on buying them (usually around Rs 1-2 lakh) along with interest of 8-10% per month was recovered from their earnings.

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HOW THE BUSINESS STARTED



Saira Begum, originally from Hyderabad, came to Delhi after the death of her parents. Unable to find any work for days, Saira started working as a sex worker at Kotha No. 58, GB Road. After being arrested and convicted for publicly soliciting in 1990, she started a prostitution racket at the same kotha where she started off as a sex worker.

Afaq Hussain, from a poor family of Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, came to Delhi to earn his livelihood. Like Saira, he too could not find a permanent source of income, in spite of working as a private contractor. He came in contact with her in 1999 and became attracted to her huge earnings from the illegal racket. He married her the same year and they began running the trafficking business together with the help of other associates including paid managers, nayikas and traffickers.

Even when Saira was arrested in connection with a trafficking case, her husband continued to run the business in her absence. After her release, the couple transferred their property to their close associates to avoid being caught. However, they have now been arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) with statements from the trafficked girls, including other evidence against them.

LAKHS IN CASH, LUXURY CARS, BANK ACCOUNTS WORTH CRORES RECOVERED



Having started out from one kotha, they managed to expand their business enough to amass crores and buy properties across several states in the country, including Swami Shardhanand Marg (GB Road). During the August 25 raid, the police recovered four luxury cars recovered (Fortuners, Toyota Innovas, Hondas), Rs 9 lakh in cash, and crores deposited in bank accounts.

Also read: Delhi child trafficking racket busted: Girls confined in almirahs, tunnels; forced to entertain clients in cubicles



--- ENDS ---
A van driven by a suicide bomber exploded after ramming through a gate at the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday, injuring three people, authorities said. "As a result of the explosion, only the suicide bomber terrorist died. Security guards were injured," Kyrgyzstan's deputy prime minister Jenish Razakov told journalists at the scene. Razakov said the three wounded were all Kyrgyz employees of the embassy and that they have been hospitalised. Local medics said their injuries were not serious. Impoverished majority-Muslim Kyrgyzstan -- which borders western China -- has a history of political instability and battling Islamist extremism. Authorities say the country faces the threat of attacks from Islamic State group jihadists after some 500 Kyrgyz left to fight for the group in Iraq and Syria. Chinese officials have previously been targeted in attacks linked to radicals from China's mainly Muslim Uighur minority, which lives just across the border in the restive western Xinjiang province. Law enforcement sources told AFP that a Mitsubishi Delica van smashed through a gate at the embassy on Tuesday morning before exploding in the centre of the compound close to the ambassador's residence. A police source confirmed to AFP that the vehicle was driven by a suicide bomber and described the incident as a "terrorist attack". China's foreign ministry condemned the attack as an "extreme and violent act" but refused to classify it as terrorism. "We asked the Kyrgyz side to get to the bottom of this incident and hold whoever is behind this accountable," spokeswoman Hua Chunying told journalists. - Houses shook - Kyrgyz officials have not yet pointed the finger of blame at any specific group, and President Almazbek Atambayev ordered a "thorough investigation". The country's national security committee said that a criminal case for "terrorism" had been launched in response to the incident. Kyrgyz police sources put the strength of the blast at an equivalent of up to 10 kilos (22 pounds) of TNT, and one said body parts thought to be those of the attacker were found several hundred metres (yards) from the blast site. Local residents told AFP that the blast had blown in their windows and caused their houses to shake. An AFP journalist close to the scene said that damage could be seen on the embassy buildings and that police had cordoned off the area as emergency services worked. Employees from the Chinese and nearby American embassy on the edge of the city were evacuated, the Kyrgyz emergency service said. Kyrgyz foreign minister Erlan Abdyldaev told Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in a phone call that authorities would take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese diplomats, Kyrgyzstan's foreign ministry said in a statement. The American embassy warned US citizens in Kyrgyzstan to "shelter in place" until more information emerged. An economically troubled ally of Russia, Kyrgyzstan has seen two governments overthrown and ethnic violence claim hundreds of lives since it gained independence in 1991. The authorities regularly announce that they have foiled attacks planned by IS in the country. Security forces last year said they had engaged in several fatal shootouts with suspected "terrorists" in the capital Bishkek. One of the three suicide bombers who carried out a deadly attack blamed on IS at the international airport in the Turkish city Istanbul in June was reported to be from Kyrgyzstan. - Violence across the border - Chinese officials in Kyrgyzstan have previously been targeted, with one shot dead in 2000 in an attack blamed on radicals from the Uighur minority. In 2014 Kyrgyz authorities said they killed 11 people, including Uighur rebels, trying to cross into the country. Violence has plagued China's northwestern region of Xinjiang, in recent years, sometimes spreading beyond it. Beijing blames the violence on separatist Islamist terrorists with overseas connections while rights groups point to what they say is discrimination against the Uighurs' culture and religion. Kyrgyzstan and the other ex-Soviet Central Asian nations have come under fire for using a purported terror threat as a pretext to silence criticism of their secular regimes. Kyrgyzstan is gearing up to mark 25 years since independence from the Soviet Union with celebrations in Bishkek on Wednesday.
A Philippine flag flutters from BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated Philippine Navy ship that has been aground since 1999 and became a Philippine military detachment on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands, in the South China Sea March 29, 2014. REUTERS/ERIK DE CASTRO

A Philippine flag flutters from BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated Philippine Navy ship that has been aground since 1999 and became a Philippine military detachment on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands, in the South China Sea March 29, 2014.

REUTERS/ERIK DE CASTRO

China will be the loser if it does not recognize an international court ruling against its territorial claims in the South China Sea, Philippine Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay said on Tuesday.

An arbitration court in The Hague infuriated China in July when it ruled that China had no historical title over the South China Sea and it had breached the Philippines sovereign rights.

China has ignored the ruling that none of its claims in the disputed Spratly Islands entitled it to a 200-mile (320 km) exclusive economic zone. Its construction work on reefs there has alarmed other claimants, as well the United States and Japan.

We are trying to make China understand especially when the dust settles that unless they respect and recognize the arbitral tribunal, they will be the losers at the end of that day on this matter, Yasay told a congressional hearing.

Prior to starting bilateral talks, the Philippines plans to seal a deal for China to allow Philippine fishermen to access the resource-rich waters, Yasay said.

China seized Scarborough Shoal in 2012, denying Philippine fishermen access, one of the factors that prompted Manila to seek arbitration.

When we start formal negotiations or bilateral engagements with China, we will have to do it within the context of the arbitral decision. There are no buts or ifs insofar as our policy on this matter is concerned, Yasay said.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims in the sea, believed to be rich in energy deposits.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said last week he expects talks with China to start within a year.  Reuters

The post Philippines says China must recognize South China Sea ruling appeared first on UNTV News.
Portugal's former prime minister Antonio Guterres is still the frontrunner to become the next secretary-general of the United Nations following a third straw poll held Monday, diplomats said. Guterres, who served as UN refugee chief for 10 years, received 11 votes of encouragement, three "discourage" votes and one "no opinion" during the informal vote by the 15-member Security Council. It is the third time that the 67-year-old has taken the number one spot in the contest to succeed Ban Ki-moon, who steps down on December 31 after 10 years as the world's top diplomat. During the first round, Guterres took the lead with 12 "encourage" votes and three "no opinion," but he picked up two "discourage" votes in the second straw poll, along with 11 encouragements and two "no opinion." While Guterres's ranking dropped slightly in the third straw poll, diplomats said he still held a strong lead in the race to take the helm of the world body. "He remains well ahead of the pack," a Security Council diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak made a surprise showing as the runner-up, climbing up the rankings with nine encouragements, five discourage votes and one "no opinion." He took the sixth position in the last round. The 15 ambassadors including those from the powerful five -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- met behind closed doors to rate the candidates with ballots marked "encourage," "discourage" or "no opinion." The Security Council is trying to come up with a shortlist of candidates before putting forward a nominee, possibly in October, to be endorsed by the General Assembly. - Bokova, Jeremic in a tie - UNESCO chief Irina Bokova of Bulgaria and Serbia's ex-foreign minister Vuk Jeremic tied for the third spot, with seven encouragements and five "discourage" votes, plus three "no opinion." Bokova became the leading woman in the race, just ahead of Argentina's Susanna Malcorra, who picked up seven encouragements, seven "discourage votes and one "no opinion." Lower down the rankings, New Zealand's ex-prime minister and current UN Development Program chief Helen Clark took the number six spot, just below Macedonia's ex-foreign minister Srgjan Kerim. Clark picked up six encouragements, eight "discourage" votes and one "no opinion," compared to six encouragements, seven "discourage" votes and two "no opinion" for Kerim. Slovenia's former president Danilo Turk, who had made a strong showing as the runnerup in the first round, dropped to the bottom tier, with five encouragements, six "discourage" votes and four "no opinion". The last spots went to former UN climate negotiator Christiana Figueres and ex-foreign minister Natalia Gherman of Moldova, who both picked up two encouragements, 12 "discourage" votes and one no opinion. The results of the straw poll were not publicly announced, but the council president communicated them to the candidates to give them an indication of the level of support in the council. As with the two first straw polls, the results were quickly leaked to the media. Council members are facing calls to pick the first woman after eight men in the job, and to give preference to a candidate from eastern Europe, the only region that has yet to be represented in the post. Russia has said it will give priority to eastern European candidates, but has not ruled out that contenders from other regions could be qualified for the post. Of the 10 candidates now still in the running, six are from eastern Europe. Five are women. Only two have dropped out of the race thus far, but others are expected to withdraw after this latest straw poll.
Digital Media

PBS, National Writing Project Platform Allows Teens to Voice Opinions on Presidential Election

Educators across the nation have created an online publishing platform for teens to voice their opinions on issues that matter to them in the coming presidential election. Jointly hosted by PBS member station KQED and the National Writing Project (NWP), the Letters to the Next President 2.0 (L2P 2.0) website enables teens to publish letters and practice civic engagement.

Source: L2P 2.0.

The L2P 2.0 website seeks to empower teens to research, write and make media letters. From immigration policy to the environment, education to health care, young people have a space to share their perspectives with peers and a global community of interested followers, according to a prepared statement.

Letters to the Next President 2.0 has been developed by educators who understand that civic engagement is valuable in its own right, said Elyse Eidman-Aadahl, executive director of NWP, in a prepared statement. When we give students a platform to speak out on issues, we provide them with a powerful and authentic purpose for learning, writing and media making. The initiative provides a wealth of resources and support for educators, in school and beyond, and thanks to the power and reach of digital publishing, it provides the nation with a real-time window to what teens care about.

To participate in L2P 2.0, educators or adult mentors need to create an account and then invite students to register. The website is currently accepting student submissions until Election Day on Nov. 8. The letters are available to the public now through the next presidents first 100 days of office.

To view the letters or learn more about the project, visit the L2P 2.0 site.
The Delhi Police arrested eight people in connection with a child trafficking racket. Girls were brought for Rs 50, 000 and sold for upto Rs 2 lakhs.

Once brought to the kothas of GB Road, the girls were often confined in almirahs and tunnels and forced to entertain clients in small cubicles.

By Chirag Gothi: Delhi Police arrested a couple and six of their aides for child trafficking and booked them under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.

Saira, 45, and Hussain, 50, ran a "syndicate" that is suspected to have trafficked more than 5,000 girls from Nepal and remote areas of West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka, Assam, Andhra and other states.

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GIRLS BOUGHT AND SOLD

They have reportedly raked in around Rs 100 crore till date, "buying" girls for Rs 50,000 and selling them for up to Rs 2 lakh.

The younger the girl, the higher was the price they commanded, the police said.

Once brought to the kothas of GB Road, the girls were often confined in almirahs and tunnels and forced to entertain clients in small cubicles.

Joint Commissioner (crime) Ravindra Yadav confirmed the arrests but refused to divulge any details.

"The arrests have been made under sections 3 and 4 of MCOCA. We will share all details when the operation is over," he said.

AN ORGANISED RACKET WITH MANAGERS, THEIR ASSISTANTS AND NAYIKAS

Besides Hussain and Begum, Hussain's driver Ramesh and "chief manager" Vasu were also nabbed. The four others arrested are Samshad, Shilpi, Mumtaz and Puja Thapa. They were the "nayikas" or handlers of the girls.

All the accused have been sent to judicial custody till September 2.

Sources said the crackdown was on and more arrests were likely to be made.

"Saira Begum controlled the racket. It was an extremely organised racket, managed by nayikas, paid managers, their assistants and traffickers. The unchecked inter-state movement of girls is not possible without an active organised crime syndicate behind it," a police officer said.

Sources said the couple first started operations from one kotha in GB Road but now own at least four, besides other benami properties and shops.

MANY CASES ALREADY AGAINST THE COUPLE

Saira has been arrested in seven cases since 1990 and Aafaq in three cases.

In one case registered in 2001, Saira was convicted for seven years but returned to the trade soon after. In the last ten years, two chargesheets have been filed against the couple.

In March this year, the couple was chargesheeted in two FIRs under sections of rape, trafficking, abduction and criminal conspiracy among other charges.

Police said they had enough evidence, including statements from trafficked girls, to nail the couple.

Also Read:

Delhi sex racket: I was harassed by IT sleuths, illegally detained for 3 days, says Russian girl

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High-profile sex racket run by ex-colonel busted in Delhi, 2 foreign women held

Delhi Police bust fake insurance racket, which cheated people from all over India

Sex racket busted in Safdarjung Enclave area

Delhi Police rescues Kenyan woman from trafficking racket



--- ENDS ---
- Since Kenya's independence in 1963 the country has faced challenges from criminal elements from simple muggers to hardcore criminals

- TUKO.co.ke has compiled five criminals regarded as notorious from the charming armed robber John Kiriamiti to the ruthless Bernard Matheri alias Rasta

Kenya has seen its fair share of criminal masterminds since independence in 1963, the country has produced notorious muggers, rapists to hardcore robbers.

Below are some of Kenya's notorious criminals who gave security officers a nightmare.

John Kiriamiti

John Kiriamiti

John Kiriamiti was regarded as a cunning and calculating armed robber who gave Kenyan police officers sleepless nights.

Kiriamiti was involved in dozens of armed robberies mostly targeting banks in the late sixties and was jailed for 20 years in 1971 for his crimes.

In prison, Kiriamiti wrote several books with My Life in Crime being his most outstanding book that pivoted him to the national limelight.

READ ALSO: Lesbianism is illegal! This is what the government has done to the two ladies alleged to be lesbians

Gerald Wambugu Munyera alias Wanugu was a ruthless armed gangster who terrorised the country in the 90's before police gunned him down.

Gerald Wambugu Munyera alias Wanugu

Gerald Wambugu Munyera alias Wanugu started his life in crime in the late 80's and by the 90's was seen as a ruthless gangster who cared for nothing but himself.

Wanugu was feared not just by ordinary Kenyans but by the police themselves.

Wanugu was involved in several bank heists in the country but his reign of terror ended in 1996 when he was gunned down by flying squad officers with his girlfriend whom he had used as a human shield.

Bernard Matheri alias Rasta a feared criminal who was responsible for several crimes in the 90's was killed in a hail of bullets by police officers.

Bernard Matheri Thuo alias Rasta

Bernard Matheri aka Rasta in the criminal world was regarded as a no-nonsense criminal who hated dissent from his band of followers who regarded him as their leader.

Rasta is said to have executed fellow criminals who he regarded as a threat to his activities as well as police informers.

Rasta was killed in a hail of bullets by police officers who had been tracking him in 1997.

READ ALSO: KTNs Momahed Ali drags Ngina Kenyatta and her brothers into the Rio corruption saga

Edward Shimoli was responsible for more than 88 rapes and 14 murders in Kenya and had escaped prison several times.

Edward Shimoli

Edward Shimoli was a cunning criminal who gave Kenyan cops a hard time as it was hard to catch him after his criminal activities.

Shimoli is reported to have been involved in 88 rape incidents and the murder of 14 people.

Shimoli is also famously known for escaping jail more than four times and took police 10 years to catch him again.

In 1996, Shimoli was rescued by his gang members from a maximum security prison as he awaited his death sentence.

Philip Onyancha was one of the most feared Kenyan serial killers of all time he claimed to have murdered and drunk the blood of 17 women.

Philip Onyancha

Philip Onyancha is Kenya's most brutal if not terrifying serial killer in history.

Onyancha is said to have killed and drunk the blood of 17 women after in what he claimed was a satanic ritual.

Onyancha mainly targeted prostitutes and street children and was arrested and now serves time in prison.

READ ALSO: Photos of the two SEXY ladies hosting the controversial lesbian show On Fridays

Source: TUKO.co.ke
Manuel Barroso

Screenshot/YouTube

More than 77,000 people signed a petition calling for "exemplary measures" against former European Commission Chief Jose Manuel Barroso for joining Goldman Sachs.

Barroso served as president of the European Commission for 10 years up to 2014. He joined Goldman Sachs as an advisor and non-executive chairman last month.

The Change.org petition was started by a "spontaneous group of employees of the European Institutions," and is open until the end of the month.

Goldman Sachs is singled out as being "one of the banks most implicated in the subprime crisis that led to the financial crisis of 2007-2008  the worst since the Great Depression  as well as one of the banks most involved in the Greek debt crisis, having helped Greece dissimulate its deficit before speculating in 2009-2010 against it in full knowledge of the unsustainability of its debt."

Barroso's new job has attracted criticism, especially from France. When his move was announced, the leader of France's far-right, Marine Le Pen, said it was not surprising as because the EU serves big finance, not the people.

Barroso's decision to take the Goldman Sachs job "is a further example of the irresponsible revolving-door practices, which are highly damaging to the EU institutions and, even if not illegal, morally reprehensible," the petition said.

The group wants the European Court of Justice to probe Barroso's behaviour and suspend "his pension allowance as former President of the European Commission for the period of his employment at Goldman Sachs and beyond," and strip him of "all possible honorary titles linked to the European Institutions."

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PORT LOUIS (Reuters) - Mauritius' trade deficit widened by 3 percent to 35.23 billion rupees ($1.01 billion) in the first half of 2016 as exports fell, and was expected to widen further in the full year, data showed on Monday. Exports fell 10.8 percent on lower sales of machinery and transport equipment while imports dropped 5 percent, Statistics Mauritius said in a statement. Britain was the main destination for exports, accounting for 12 percent, while China was the main supplier with 17.9 percent of the Indian Ocean island's imports. Based on quarterly trends and data from various sources, the 2016 deficit was expect to reach around 76 billion rupees, the agency said. The deficit was 73.96 billion rupees in 2015. ($1 = 34.9500 Mauritius rupees) (Reporting by Jean Paul Arouff; editing by George Obulutsa and John Stonestreet)
Poland fans

Reuters/Kacper Pempel

Poland is the latest European nation attempting to sell itself as an attractive destination for businesses looking to shift operations away from the United Kingdom in the wake of the country's decision to leave the European Union, according to a report from the Financial Times.

The FT reports that, Poland's deputy prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki  a former banker with Santander, and one time chairman of Poland's third largest bank Bank Zachodni WBK  has scheduled meetings with senior bankers from RBS, Barclays, UBS, Credit Suisse, Citibank, and BNP Paribas during a trip to the UK at the end of the week.

He is also reportedly meeting executives from investment funds, including Blackrock, Pimco, and Schroders.

Morawiecki will travel to the UK on Thursday with the aim of pitching Poland's capital, Warsaw, as an attractive place for banks worried about the future of the City of London in the aftermath of Brexit, to move staff.

"Many of them have approached us. There is clearly increased interest in leaving London," Morawiecki said to the FT.

He also reportedly said that Poland has already begun talks with numerous financial institutions about moving middle-office and back-office staff out of London to Warsaw.

Warsaw joins a growing list of European cities trying to woo financial institutions that currently have their European bases in the UK, as uncertainty over the City's role following Brexit intensifies. Frankfurt, Germany's financial capital has already sent a clear message that it wants to take business from the City.

"We want to send the message loud and clear: 'Welcome to Frankfurt. How can we help you?'"Hubertus Vaeth, the managing director of Frankfurt Main Finance said in July, adding that "The welcome banner is hung and Frankfurt's doors are wide open."

Paris is also positioning itself to take business away from London, with French prime minister Manuel Valls sending foreign bankers a similar message, declaring "Welcome to France!" in a speech shortly after the Brexit vote. Given the eagerness of the financial hubs of the eurozone's two biggest economies to take London's place at the centre of European finance, it is likely to prove difficult for Poland to attract the biggest banks.

Story continues

Since the Brexit vote, numerous big businesses  including several banks  have come out and said that the decision may force them into changes in their European businesses, with Goldman Sachs notably saying in a regulatory filing released in early August that the Brexit decision could "adversely affect" certain aspects of its operations in the UK and the European Union, and as a result it may have to reconsider how some of these businesses are structured.

Perhaps the most worrying sign for the UK's banking sector was a leaked Deutsche Bank document obtained by Business Insider's Ben Moshinsky, which argued that London is likely to lose its financial services passport, and that investment banks that shift operations abroad quickly will benefit from a "first-mover advantage."

Barclays and Bank of America Merrill Lynch could shift their markets businesses to Dublin, while Goldman Sachs has subsidiaries in Paris and Frankfurt, Germany, that it could use to keep its access to the 27-member single market once the UK officially leaves the European Union, according to the note. JPMorgan could shift resources to Luxembourg, where it has a subsidiary.

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SEE ALSO: London bankers are seeking a Swiss-style escape from the Brexit mess

DON'T MISS: Goldman Sachs warned it may have to 'restructure' its post-Brexit business in the UK
By Beh Lih Yi KUALA LUMPUR (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The first time he tried to escape a tough existence in his village in western Myanmar in 2004, Junaid Zafar was thrown in jail for five years. Like many other Rohingya Muslims, Zafar was seeking to flee poverty and persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar and he did not wait long after being released from jail to try again. This time, his parents sold off possessions to raise about $1,000 to pay people smugglers to take him to Malaysia. Zafar, the eldest of three siblings, finally made it in 2011. But like thousands of other Rohingya in Malaysia, he now finds himself living in a precarious limbo, having to work illegally due to official restrictions, and with resettlement to another country where he could lead a more stable life a distant dream. "I have been here for five years, some other refugees have been here for 10 years. I feel like I am wasting my life," the tall, slender man, now 31, said. Zafar - like some 150,000 refugees and asylum-seekers in Malaysia, mainly from Myanmar - does not have formal status in the country as Malaysia is not a signatory to the United Nations Refugee Convention. The government considers them to be illegal migrants. Now there is a glimmer of hope for the many Rohingya and other refugees living in Malaysia, as authorities make a renewed effort to try to improve their access to work. "DIRTY, DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS" The government has in the past said it would consider allowing refugees to work but details and implementation had been sketchy. Some officials feared a relaxation of the policy would lead to an influx of migrant workers. But this month the creation of a government-led task force was announced to handle refugee registration issues. Malaysian Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that the task force would also look into the possibility of opening up the job market for refugees and allowing refugee children formal education. "(The task force) will look into issues of refugees in Malaysia, which include the Rohingya, in a more comprehensive manner," he said in a telephone interview. "It will decide on the recognition of these people first and then decide on the short-, medium- and long-term solution for them including job and education opportunities," he said. While the refugees are recognised by the U.N.'s refugee agency UNHCR, Malaysia does not extend protection, job opportunities or education to them, as it is not party to the refugee convention. Barred from working officially, many refugees end up finding odd jobs as cleaners, or working in restaurants or on construction sites. The country relies heavily on foreign labourers for jobs shunned by Malaysians in what is known as the "3D" - dirty, difficult and dangerous - industries. But the lack of a formal status often leaves refugees vulnerable to exploitation, said lawyer Andrew Khoo, a co-chairperson of the human rights committee at the Malaysian Bar, the country's main legal professional body. "As long as the government doesn't recognise their status, let alone the ability to access work legally, they are susceptible to abuse, exploitation and mistreatment," Khoo said. A conference in Bangkok this week as part of the so-called Bali process on people smuggling and trafficking, will gather experts and officials to discuss ways to absorb refugees in Southeast Asia into the legal workforce. 'IT'S NOT EASY' For Zafar, he said even when he managed to find a job, usually as a waiter in restaurants, his wage is only half of what other migrant workers get, and that he can be dismissed at any time. "Sometimes I have a job, sometimes I don't. You never know, it's not easy," he told Thomson Reuters Foundation at a Rohingya community centre in Ampang, a neighbourhood that is home to many refugees and a short drive from downtown Kuala Lumpur. At the restaurant, he is paid about 30 Malaysian ringgit ($7.50) for a 12 hour-shift. On a few occasions, the restaurant owners refused to pay him, but he had no legal recourse and had to look for new jobs, he said. Without a formal status, other refugees Thomson Reuters Foundation spoke to also described harassment from law enforcement officials, who demand bribes or threaten arrests. Other challenges they face include paying for medical treatment or even just finding a place to rent. In an open-air market in Ampang, where refugees gather in the evening, another Rohingya Muhammad Ayub has been working as a tailor since arriving in Malaysia four years ago. He worked from home in the beginning but was later given a job at a shop by a sympathetic employer. "I am grateful I can find work and send money home. Although when the local authorities come for their routine check, we have to pull down the shutter straight away and run," Ayub said. Zafar said he could not face going home, but looked forward to the day he could resettle in another country, and bring his parents and siblings there. "I want to go back to my village but our situation hasn't improved," he said of the new Myanmar government led by Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's party. For the time being, Zafar said he was hoping to get a stable job in Malaysia, and perhaps one day, he said with a shy grin, he would be able to bring his childhood sweetheart from his village to a better country and marry her. ($1 = 4.0180 ringgit) (Reporting by Beh Lih Yi @behlihyi, Editing by Ros Russell; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
Britain and France have pledged to work together to address the Calais migrant crisis - after Downing Street made clear it will resist attempts to change the agreement on border checks there.

The two governments presented a united front after a meeting between Home Secretary Amber Rudd and her counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve in Paris.

It follows controversy over a proposal to allow migrants to lodge UK asylum claims on French soil - a plan dismissed by a Home Office source as a "complete non-starter".

A joint statement from both governments said: "In the face of the challenges posed by ongoing migratory flows in Europe, and taking into account the migratory pressure in the Calais region and the particularly difficult humanitarian situation, we are committed to working together to strengthen the security of our shared border, to strongly diminish the migratory pressure in Calais and preserve the vital economic link supported by the juxtaposed controls in Calais."

:: Calais Hotspot: French Politicians Under Pressure

The two nations said they were committed to a number of specific steps, including:

:: Further securing the ports and tunnel in the region. Britain has already provided around 85m to improve security;

:: Addressing humanitarian challenges in Calais, where about 7,000 migrants are now gathered - including 5,000 without housing;

:: Continuing to work together to return illegal migrants in Calais who are not in need of protection;

:: Bringing unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to the UK when in their best interest.

The statement - which also reaffirmed a commitment to closer cooperation on counter-terrorism, security and migration - came after the long-standing agreement on border controls came under scrutiny.

Currently, British immigration officials check passports in Calais while their French counterparts do the same in Dover, an arrangement which is known as "juxtaposed controls".

Xavier Bertrand, president of the Hauts-de-France Nord Pas De Calais-Picardie region, which includes Calais, said he wants a "new treatment" for asylum seekers there.

Story continues

He said: "If the British Government don't want to open this discussion, we will tell you the Touquet Agreement (the official name for the juxtaposed controls) is over."

A Downing Street spokesman said French politicians had called for changes to the Le Touquet arrangements in the past, but that the Paris government's continued support for the agreement was reiterated in talks between Prime Minister Theresa May and French president Francois Hollande.

Asked about presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy's call for a processing centre in England to deal with asylum requests from those in Calais, the Number 10 spokesman declined to speculate on the policy of a possible future French government.

He pointed out that it was Mr Sarkozy who first struck the Le Touquet deal with the UK when he was interior minister.
By Lasyapriya Sundaram: Superstar Rajinikanth and director Shankar teamed up for the first time in 2007 for Sivaji. The film was a blockbuster when it released. Three years later, the gargantuan director roped in Rajinikanth once again for the ambitious sci-fi drama Enthiran. While the sequel to the 2010 blockbuster will release in 2017, we take a look at the phenomenon that Enthiran was.

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ALSO READ: After Kabali, Rajinikanth and Ranjith team up for Dhanush's home production

ALSO READ: Aishwarya R Dhanush appointed UN Goodwill Ambassador



In Enthiran, Thalaivar was playing dual roles for the eighth time but it was the for the first time that he played a robot on 70mm.



Director Shankar landed a casting coup when he roped in the world's most beautiful woman Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to play Rajinikanth's leading lady. The music was composed by Academy Award winner AR Rahman, who made Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan dance to his tunes.

As the film was first of its kind, Shankar brought in some of the visual expertise from the US and Hong Kong lent their expertise for the film's complex and never-before-seen animatronics and prosthetics.

Enthiran was made on a lavish budget more than 100 crores and was the most anticipated film of 2010. It was also the costliest Indian film back then.



At 60, Rajinikanth patiently sat through hours of prosthetic makeup and shot for the film's difficult scenes which had the protagonist Rajini and robot Rajini.

The film boasted of some of the most innovatively choreographed and complex action sequences. Enthiran, which was made in Tamil and dubbed in Hindi and Telugu released across 2,250 screens in India. After the release, it turned out to be the third highest grossing Tamil film of all time and made a whopping Rs 350 crore worldwide.

Enthiran bagged the National Award for the Best Special Effects and Best Production Design in 2010. Enthiran's Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) was light years ahead of sci-fi flicks in Bollywood including Krrish and Ra.One.

In fact, Shah Rukh Khan, who was also bitten by the Chitti bug, ensured that Chitti was featured in a cameo in Ra.One (2011).



However, the film's story was based on the age-old Frankenstein saga where man's own creation turns on him. Thalaivar effortlessly traversed between the roles of a scientist Vaseegaran and the comical and villainous Chitti. In 2017, Thalaivar and director Shankar will be all set to unleash Chitti in 2.0. The sequel only gets bigger and better with Rajinikanth all set to lock horns with Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar, who plays the menacing villain.

--- ENDS ---
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres still leads the race to become the next United Nations Secretary-General after a third U.N. Security Council secret ballot on Monday, diplomats said. The 15-member council cast a ballot for each of the remaining 10 candidates, and the choices were: encourage, discourage or no opinion. Guterres received 11 encourage, three discourage and one no opinion, diplomats said. The Security Council will hold secret ballots until a consensus is reached on a candidate to replace U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon of South Korea who steps down at the end of 2016 after serving two five-year terms. Guterres, who was prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and served as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015, also won the first two rounds of secret ballots by the Security Council. In the second ballot on Aug. 5 he picked up 11 encourage, two discourage and two no opinions, while in the first poll on July 21, Guterres received 12 encourages and three no opinions. In Monday's poll Slovakia's Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak jumped to second spot with nine encourage, five discourage and one no opinion, followed by Irina Bokova of Bulgaria, who is director-general of U.N. cultural organization UNESCO, and former Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, who both had seven encourage, five discourage and three no opinion, diplomats said. Argentinian Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra dropped to fifth spot from third, followed by former Macedonian Foreign Minister Srgjan Kerim, and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who heads the U.N. Development Programme. Former Slovenian President Danilo Turk, Moldova's former Foreign Minister Natalia Gherman and former U.N. climate chief Christiana Figueres of Costa Rica filled the last three spots. Former Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic and Montenegro Foreign Minister Igor Luksic have both dropped out of the race. Diplomats said the council aimed to recommend a candidate to the 193-member General Assembly for election by October. Ultimately, the five permanent veto-wielding council members - the United States, Russia, Britain, China and France - must agree on a candidate. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by James Dalgleish)
By Mohammed Ghobari SANAA (Reuters) - At least 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen's 18-month-old civil war, the United Nations on Tuesday, approaching double the estimates of more than 6,000 cited by officials and aid workers for much of 2016. The war pits the Iran-allied Houthi group and supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh against President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is supported by an alliance of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia. The new toll is based on official information from medical facilities in Yemen, U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick told a news conference in the capital Sanaa. It might rise as some areas had no medical facilities, and people were often buried without official records. The United Nations human rights office said last week that 3,799 civilians have been killed in the conflict, with air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition responsible for some 60 percent of deaths. McGoldrick gave no breakdown on civilian casualties, adding the conflict has displaced three million Yemenis and forced 200,000 to seek refuge abroad. The United Nations had information that 900,000 of the displaced intended to try to return to their homes. "This is a big challenge, especially in areas still experiencing conflict," McGoldrick said. Some 14 million of Yemen's 26 million population needed food aid and 7 million were suffering from food insecurity. McGoldrick said the human situation in Yemen was "tragic" "Humanitarian work alone cannot solve these problems," he said. U.N.-sponsored peace talks ended earlier this month without agreement, and without an agreement for a new round. The collapse of negotiations was followed by stepped-up fighting across Yemen. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said after talks in Saudi Arabia last week that the United States, Gulf Arab states and the United Nations had agreed on a new push for peace. He said the new talks would try to twin a proposal for the Houthis to withdraw from cities they seized since 2014 with setting up an inclusive government. (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by William Maclean and John Stonestreet)
Connor Drinan Prevails to Win 2016 EPT Barcelona 10,300 High Roller (849,200)

August 30 2016 Christian Zetzsche

The record-breaking 10,300 High Roller Event of the2016 PokerStars.es EPT Season drew to a conclusion after more than 13 and a half hours on the third and final day. Only 36 hopefuls out of a 591-entry strong field returned to the tables at the Casino Barcelona and Julian Stuer was leading the field with Ilkin Amirov hot on his heels. Ultimately, it was Connor Drinan who emerged victorious in heads-up against Mihails Morozovs.

At the start of the day, the eliminations came in quick succession and among those to depart during the first level were Georgios Zisimopoulos (35th) and EPT London champion Robin Ylitalo (33rd). They were soon joined by Mike McDonald (30th) and Benjamin Pollak (29th) before Ivan Luca busted in 27th place with a big move and ten-six suited against the pocket sevens of Olov Jansson.

Down to the last three tables, Natasha Barbour lost a flip with pocket jacks against the king-queen of Anthony Zinno and Jean Ferreira sent Rafael Moraes as well as Joe Serock to the rail in the same hand. Ferreira had pocket kings, Serock pocket queens and short stack Moraes the ace-four.

Aaron Lim fell in 20th place and another double elimination happened when the last 16 players were about to redraw for the last two tables. Kyle Keranen raised with ace-king suited and the two short stacks Damian Salas in the small blind with queen-jack and Davidi Kitai in the big blind with pocket tens moved all in. Keranen looked them up and rivered a king to reduce the field to the last 14.

Christopher Frank departed in 14th place and Anthony Zinno followed in 13th after a big clash with Patrick Leonard on a king-high flop. Zinno had king-queen for top pair, but Leonard pocket eights for middle set. That pot vaulted Leonard into the lead, and a roller coaster ride would follow. Ferreira and Stuer were eliminated next and Jansson, who finished ninth in this very event one year ago, failed to hold up with second pair against the flush draw of Leonard to settle for 10th place this time.

Amirov open-shoved his short stack with kings from under the gun and Keranen looked him up with ace-queen, an ace on the river sent the Azerbaijani to the rail and he narrowly missed out on the official final table. Pascal Hartmann joined him soon after, getting his short stack in with eight-seven suited only to see Leonard wake up with pocket kings in the big blind.

Leonard himself went from hero to zero in two big hands. He first paid off the runner-runner straight of Keranen and then got it in against the pocket kings of Morozovs. Leonard turned a straight and flush draw, but Morozovs made quads kings on the river to eliminate the Brit in 7th place.

Joseph Cheong was down to less than two big blinds at one point on the final table, yet he made it all the way to 6th place. Cheong shoved out of the small blind with jack-deuce suited and Drinan called with ace-four. Neither player connected with the board and ace-high was good enough to reduce the field to the last five.

EPT10 Vienna Main Event champion Oleksii Khoroshenin called all in after an ace-high river with ace-ten only to see Drinan with ace-king for top two pair, and the Ukrainian had to settle for a payday of 396,700.

Down to the last three, Keranen was suddenly the shortest stack and three-bet all in the very first hand with ace-deuce suited. Initial raiser Morozovs snap-called with pocket kings and flopped top set, then dodged the flush draw of his opponent to pair up on the river.

Heads-up started almost even in chips and it took just over an hour to determine the winner. In a limped pot, Drinan flopped bottom two pair with six-four and Morozovs had jack-ten suited for top pair. Two blanks later the champion was crowned and Morozovs had to settle for second. The first on the all time money list of Latvia had a 12th place at the EPT12 Prague 10,300 High Roller among his best results thus far, and takes home 616,840.

For Drinan, the first-place payout of 849,200 is the second-biggest cash to date and the American poker pro will increase his tournament recorded winnings to more than $10 million in total.

Final Result

Place Name Country Prize (EUR) 1 Connor Drinan USA 849,200 2 Mihails Morozovs Latvia 616,840 3 Kyle Keranen USA 496,440 4 Oleksii Khoroshenin Ukraine 396,700 5 Ari Engel USA 307,900 6 Joseph Cheong USA 233,300 7 Patrick Leonard United Kingdom 169,700 8 Pascal Hartmann Germany 124,400

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Sharelines Connor Drinan won 849,200 by taking down the EPT Barcelona 10,300 High-Roller.
GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK, Wyo.  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.

The fire that began last month in neighboring Grand Teton National Park is blocking Yellowstones 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 wont 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. Were self-sufficient a week at a time, he said.

Wildfire managers are letting the fire continue to burn on Jackson Lakes 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 isnt 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 parks western boundary to help reduce the risk of wildfire for the community of West Yellowstone, Montana, which is about 4 miles from the fire.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.  Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein is reaching out to Bernie Sanders supporters in Colorado.

During a rally Sunday evening at the University of Colorado in Boulder attended by about 150 people, Stein promised to forgive their student loan debt if she was elected. The Daily Camera (http://bit.ly/2bZY3QK) reported she told the crowd that her campaign has been called Bernie on steroids.

Stein also spoke about banning fracking and phasing out fossil fuels and nuclear power plants by 2030 and said she wants to shut down the countrys profiteering weapons industry.

Stein also campaigned in Fort Collins, Colorado Springs and Denver over the weekend.
Q. On the beach at Zihuatanejo, Mexico, I was standing in the warm water with my snorkel looking underwater when a clear jellyfish attached itself to my forearm and stung me. I shook my arm violently, screamed and ran back to my husband sitting under our palapa on the beach.



A young local ran over and said to put lime juice on it. We had limes with us to put on our food, so I grabbed a cut lime and squeezed it on the wound. The pain went away immediately! I was so glad we had a remedy right in our insulated lunch carrier!

A. Thanks for sharing this first-aid trick for jellyfish stings in Mexico. We have heard that lifeguards sometimes suggest vinegar as an antidote to such stings.

Both the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association suggest that jellyfish stings should be washed with vinegar for at least 30 seconds. This inactivates the venom of Olindias sambaquiensis and Physalia physalis (Portuguese man-of-war) species (Circulation, Nov. 2, 2010, Suppl. 3).

Q. A reader recently asked about brain freeze as a migraine cure. She had failed to get results when she tried to stop a migraine with an ice cream headache.

As a fellow sufferer, I can attest to the effectiveness of brain freeze for stopping a migraine, but I believe adding caffeine is the key. A mocha Frappuccino from Starbucks, slurped briskly, does the trick for me!

A. There is probably a reason why you find caffeine helpful in your brain-freeze remedy. According to the National Headache Foundation, blood vessels in the head often dilate just at the start of a migraine. Caffeine makes those blood vessels constrict, which could contribute to the effect of the brain freeze. After all, the cold on the roof of the mouth also is making blood vessels constrict.

Q. Years ago I took Synthroid. I tried the synthetic form, and it did NOT do the job for me.

I took Armour Thyroid later, and it worked fine until the pharmacy substituted a synthetic for the Armour. I became depressed.

This also happened to two of my friends: The pharmacy substituted the synthetic without telling them. Pharmacies blamed the insurance companies. The doctor had to specify Armour or we didnt get it.

A. Depression can be one of many symptoms associated with inadequate thyroid hormone. Levothyroxine is synthetic T4. It is not the same as Armour Thyroid, which is desiccated pig thyroid gland. The desiccated gland contains T3 and other thyroid hormones in addition to T4.

Problems with quality control of desiccated thyroid in the 1930s and 1940s spoiled its reputation; many endocrinologists embraced synthetic levothyroxine (Synthroid) when it was introduced. Now, however, the paradigm may be shifting to acknowledge that people like you feel better on Armour Thyroid or other combinations of T3 and T4.

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them.

 2016 King Features Syndicate, Inc.
Former Fox News personality Andrea Tantaros challenged her former bosses and colleague Bill OReilly to submit to lie-detector tests in response to her allegations that she was the victim of sexual harassment while appearing on the network.

Tantaros, the former co-host of Foxs The Five and Outnumbered, sued Fox and its former chairman, Roger Ailes, last week, claiming that harassment was widespread. Her complaint described the network as a sex-fueled, Playboy Mansion-like cult.

In an unusual ploy  one Tantaros acknowledged Monday was a bid to win public opinion  she issued a lie-detector test challenge to Ailes, OReilly and Fox co-president Bill Shine. She said she would submit to a polygraph test and answer questions posed by Foxs attorneys if the three men and two other defendants would do the same with her attorney. The results from both sides would then be made public, she said.

Fox, which has denied Tantaross legal claims, did not respond to a request for comment about her proposal.

Fox on Monday asked the New York State Supreme Court, where Tantaros filed her suit last week, to move the dispute to private arbitration. The network argued in a court filing that Tantaross employment agreement requires that any dispute be referred to arbitration.

The network made the same argument last month in response to a sexual harassment suit filed by Gretchen Carlson, another former Fox host. Like Tantaros, Carlson said she was demoted by Ailes after she rebuffed his sexual advances. He has denied the claim.

In its filing, Fox also called Tantaros a wannabe victim who is using a claim of sexual harassment as a smokescreen for an unrelated dispute over publication of a book she wrote.

Fox said her contract required prior approval of the book  titled Tied Up in Knots: How Getting What We Wanted Made Women Miserable  and she was suspended because she didnt seek permission. The network said she never complained about Ailes or sexual harassment during an internal investigation some months ago.

Tantaros is not a victim; she is an opportunist who is seeking to tarnish Fox and its current management, Fox said in its filing.

In addition to Ailes and Shine, Tantaross suit names Fox legal counsel Dianne Brandi and media relations chief Irena Briganti as defendants. It does not name OReilly, although Tantaros alleges in her suit that the host of The OReilly Factor made a number of suggestive comments to her, including inviting her to his beach house and telling her that he believed she had a wild side.

Tantaros lawyer, Judd Burstein, attacked Foxs bid to move to arbitration. If Mr. Shine and his minions are innocent, why do they want this dispute to be resolved in the shadows? he said. An innocent person would be so outraged that he or she would want public vindication.

In its motion, Fox included statements defending a long list of Fox personalities whom Tantaros said Ailes had made disparaging comments about in conversations with her. But it included no statements in defense of OReilly.

In response to this omission, OReillys attorney, Fred Newman, said in an interview, I dont think you should read anything into it. He added: There is nothing to defend in Tantaros suit because Mr. OReilly is not a defendant. He is mentioned once in a 37-page complaint, and that mention is not worth defending because it is untrue.

tv-fox-lawsuit
New Delhi, Aug 30 (PTI) Four girl students of Delhi Universitys Daulat Ram College were injured when a part of the ceiling of a classroom collapsed and fell on them prompting the police to register a case of negligence against the college governing body.

Agitated students staged a protest demanding better infrastructure and accountability from the college administration prompting the authorities to suspend the classes for the day.

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At around 11.45 AM when classes were on, a part of the ceiling of classroom number 105 at DRC fell. Four students were injured and were given medical attention.

Confirming the incident, Savita Roy, principal said, "Yes a part of the roof broke and injured four students. Unfortunately the college infrastructure is in bad shape and there are more rooms which are in similar state."

"The students were rushed to nearby hospital and are absolutely fine now," she added.

In July and earlier this month, students and teachers protested against the college administrating demanding improvement of the infrastructure.

"The classrooms of the college are in a dilapidated condition. After the incident today, classes were called off and there was a protest by the students. Earlier also, students had protested against the college authorities for poor infrastructure but to no avail," a student alleged.

According to police officials, a case under sections 336, 337IPC has been lodged at the Maurice Nagar police station against the college governing body and further investigation is underway. PTI GJS/SLB RG

--- ENDS ---
A meditation on Anthony Weiner, upon the third iteration of a sexting scandal involving the former Democratic New York congressman and mayoral candidate.

1. Its a compulsion, isnt it? It must be. You know the old saying: Sext a strange woman once, then shame on you. Sext another woman later, then shame on you again. Sext yet another woman  once with your toddler-age son in the frame, in images obtained by the New York Post  then check in with your therapist and admit that this really isnt funny anymore.

2. Actually, this is the story of a man with two compulsions. One is the compulsion to sext, which the Center for Internet Addiction cites as the most common online addiction, with the proliferation of pocket porn tied to the rise in mobile devices. The other is the compulsion to run for office. The first would be significantly easier to keep secret without the existence of the second. One assumes they might be related: Both combine an intense neediness for attention with an intense narcissism.

3. Thank God she left him this time. Huma Abedin, the glamorous Hillary Clinton aide whose long-suffering-wife status might be supplanted only by her bosss, announced the news via public statement. After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband, she wrote. During this difficult time, I ask for respect for our privacy.

4. Privacy. Is there a way we can give it to her, but not to him? He was the one who, in 2011, accidentally posted a picture of his junk on his public Twitter feed. He was the one whose second screw-up, in 2013, happened in the middle of his campaign for mayor of New York City. News conferences were held. More texts were produced, these to a woman named Sydney Leathers, resulting in a sexting scandal between two people with names that sounded like they were designed to end up in a sexting scandal.

I love him, I believe in him, I have forgiven him, Abedin said after that one. Privacy for Huma. All the privacy in the world for Huma. For him, no. None for him.

5. Carlos Danger. (Nothing further, your honor.)

6. This is the space where we are supposed to talk about how nobody knows what goes on in a marriage except for the two people in it. Except we are actually pretty sure we know what goes on in that marriage. Due to the Whac-a-Mole nature of the offenses  and to the fact that Weiner and Abedin were being followed around by a documentary film crew when the 2013 allegations arose  we have an unusually intimate glimpse into their marriage.

In Weiner, the documentary, Abedin dutifully supports her husband in public but privately breaks down. Sorry, I cant, she finally tells him at one point, after hes asked her to join him in obsessively reviewing footage from a television interview about his sexting. I cant, she says again and leaves the room.

She cant, but she does. Again and again, she does the Good Wife thing; again and again, he betrays their family and places her in the center of a media dart board. Maybe they have an arrangement about sexting. But they probably dont have an arrangement about repeated public humiliation. That, the humiliation, is the only thing we know for sure about what goes on in their marriage, and that seems inexcusable.

7. Stolen from a friend on Twitter: Anthony Weiner is proof that the Clintons dont actually have people murdered.

8. Oh good, Donald Trump is weighing in: Huma is making a very wise decision, the Republican presidential candidate said in his own statement. I know Anthony Weiner well, and she will be far better off without him. Sounds nice, right?

9. Oh wait, Donald Trump wasnt done yet: I only worry for the country in that Hillary Clinton was careless and negligent in allowing Weiner to have such close proximity to highly classified information, he continued. Who knows what he learned and who he told? Sigh.

10. There was another scene in Weiner that, in retrospect, is even more heart-wrenching than the footage of Abedin bravely (foolishly?) standing by her husband at news conferences. Weiner and Abedin are in their kitchen. Each holds a jar of pasta sauce, reading the ingredients out loud, comparing which one has less sodium and laughing. Its a moment that feels real. It feels like a marriage. Somewhere in the middle of all the jokes and Weinerisms is a real marriage dissolving.

11. Huma. Begone. Go live out the plot line of a Nancy Meyers romantic drama: Accomplished woman with beautiful wardrobe recuperates from heartbreak, drinks wine, eventually meets someone who looks like Jon Hamm.

weiner-abedin-comment
GAZIANTEP, Turkey  Syrian rebels, backed by Turkey and the United States, pushed deeper toward U.S.-backed Kurdish positions in northern Syria on Monday, as Turkeys foreign minister warned the Kurds to immediately pull back east of the Euphrates River or face more assaults.

The deepening animosities came a day after the Pentagon urged the American allies to stop fighting each other and refocus their efforts against the Islamic State, calling the clashes unacceptable.

But by Monday evening, the Syrian rebels said they had crossed the al-Sajour River, about nine miles north of the town of Manbij, which is controlled by Kurdish-aligned fighters. A Kurdish spokesman said the rebels had reached the river but had not crossed it.

Tensions have mounted since Turkish tanks, backed by U.S. and Turkish warplanes, pushed across the border into northern Syria last week, quickly seizing the Islamic State-controlled town of Jarabulus. In the following days, Syrian rebels of the U.S.-backed Free Syrian Army have swept southward and westward to target the Islamic State but have mostly clashed with Kurdish-aligned fighters.

On Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, said areas south of Jarabulus were experiencing heavy bombardment by Turkish forces as well as clashes between the rebels and Kurdish-led groups. The group said that the rebels had seized 21 villages in the past four days and that the Turkish assaults had killed 40 civilians and wounded 70. Turkey has denied targeting civilians.

Turkey, which is battling an internal Kurdish insurgency, has long been concerned that the Syrian Kurds could try to forge an independent state along the border by linking two Kurdish enclaves in northwestern Syria. That, Ankara fears, could embolden Kurdish aspirations for self-determination in Turkey.

Washington has demanded that the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), the military wing of the main Syrian Kurdish party, pull back to the east side of the Euphrates. The forces, which form the backbone of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), crossed the river and wrested control of Manbij, 25 miles south of Jarabulus, from the Islamic State this month.

YPG officials insist that their fighters have returned across the river. But Turkey and its proxies say they have not kept their promise.

The YPG has to immediately cross east of the Euphrates River as they promised the United States and as they announced they would, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday. If they dont, they will be a target.

The United States is now caught between the demands of two key allies. Turkey is a vital NATO ally, and the Kurdish fighters have played a critical role in rolling back the Islamic State in Syrias five-year-old civil war. Washingtons biggest fear is that the animosities could divert resources and attention from fighting the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL.

These clashes over the last couple of days are not helping us advance the efforts against Daesh, John Kirby, a State Department spokesman, said Monday, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State.

Even as it supports Turkeys demands for a Kurdish pullback, the United States has been careful not to alienate the SDF.

We also fully support the SDF in their efforts to defeat ISIL, said Peter Cook, a Pentagon spokesman. The SDF have proven to be a reliable and capable force, and our support for the SDF in its fight against ISIL is ongoing and will continue to do so. They have fought hard and sacrificed to try and rid Syria of this hateful group.

On Monday, the Jarabulus Military Council, a group created by the SDF, said its fighters would withdraw to areas south of the al-Sajour River  not east of the Euphrates, as Turkey wants.

We declare the retreat of our forces to south, to al-Sajour River, to save civilian lives and so they [Turkey and Syrian rebels] have no other justification to target the villages and civilians, the council said in a statement.

That could lead to more confrontations with Turkey and its Syrian proxies in and near Manbij.

Shervan Derwish, a spokesman for the local military council, which is aligned with the Kurds, denied reports that the YPG was sending reinforcements to the town to repel any attacks from Turkey or its proxies.

We have our lines of defense, and we are ready to defend Manbij, said Derwish, an ethnic Kurd who has also served as a spokesman for the SDF.

Abu Ibrahim, a Free Syrian Army commander, said he expects to fight the YPG. We do not know whether the YPG is getting more reinforcements in Manbij, but what we know is that they didnt retreat, he said.



Carol Morello in Washington and Zakaria Zakaria in Gaziantep contributed to this report.

turkey-syria
Copyright  2016 Albuquerque Journal

The man charged with rape and child abuse in the death of 10-year-old Victoria Martens has two prior convictions involving violence against women  and received probation in both those cases.

In a 2012 case, a probation officer at one point warned that Fabian E. Gonzales was at risk of reoffending and was a risk to the community.

He continues to do as he pleases, wrote New Mexico probation/parole officer Kevin Barreras after Gonzales absconded from probation in 2013 and couldnt be located. Barreras added that Gonzales behavior and actions need to be held accountable.

Fast forward to 2015, when a judge put him on two years of probation after he pleaded no contest to child abandonment related to another domestic violence incident.

Its unclear whether that judge knew about his earlier criminal record.

Gonzales, 31, is currently charged with child abuse resulting in death, tampering with evidence and other charges, including criminal sexual penetration of a minor, in the death of Victoria Martens last week. He, the girls mother, Michelle Martens, and his cousin, Jessica Kelley, are being held on $1 million cash-only bond each after the girls dismembered and partially burned body was discovered in her mothers apartment on Albuquerques West Side.

Gonzales rap sheet in New Mexico shows a history of arrests, including a 2004 incident in which he allegedly struck a girlfriend and spit on her. Court records show he was ordered to attend domestic violence counseling, but warrants were issued over the next few years for his failure to attend counseling. The final outcome wasnt clear on Monday.

He has at least two prior convictions involving violence against women.

In 2012, Gonzales was charged with kidnapping and aggravated battery on a household member in Albuquerque. He pleaded guilty to lesser charges of attempted false imprisonment and the battery involving a former girlfriend whom Bernalillo County sheriffs deputies discovered crying, cut and bruised on a South Valley roadway.

Woman attacked

In that case, sheriffs officers reported the victim was yelling for help and had been trying to get away from Gonzales at a location near Five Points.

He grabbed her and forced her back to their vehicle and threw her on the ground, a criminal complaint states. He then hit her in the face, and forced her out of the car and hit her several more times.

The woman told sheriffs deputies that she at one point lost consciousness when being pushed out of the vehicle.

Gonzales ran away when deputies arrived, but was later taken into custody, the complaint stated.

Gonzales was extremely uncooperative as he was kicking the doors to my unit and was warned to stop, stated the criminal complaint filed by Deputy V. Marquez. He continued and was rip hobbled (a form of restraint). At the South Valley Command Center, Gonzales continued to be disorderly by kicking and banging his head against the door in the interview room.

His booking sheet shows the 5-foot-5-inch Gonzales has tattoos such as Thug and Outlaw on his body.

An Albuquerque judge sentenced him to serve nearly two years of supervised probation in South Carolina, where his mother lived. But Gonzales violated that probation within two months in 2013 and disappeared off the radar of corrections officials.

His probation was revoked, and Barreras in a court document stated that Gonzales should be in prison because he needs more structure that only the New Mexico Department of Corrections can give him at this point in time.

Serves jail time

He was apprehended only after committing a new crime.

In August 2014, Gonzales was arrested for allegedly striking a different woman in the face while she was driving with their infant child in the back seat.

That incident triggered his probation violation case, which led to him being sentenced to 300 days in jail, and with good time he was released in January 2015.

Gonzales was a free man, pending trial in the 2014 case, after a $7,500 bond had been set and posted for him while he was in prison.

By Feb. 18, 2015, Gonzales had a new plea agreement in that case, which involved his girlfriend and their child. This time, according to court records, he pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors: abandonment of a child and battery against a household member. District Judge Cristina Jaramillo sentenced him to two years supervised probation.

But state probation and parole officials say they never received the paperwork to actually assign Gonzales a probation officer. He failed to report to the probation office, a violation that could have landed him behind bars.

Whether Judge Jaramillo knew of Gonzales past criminal history and his prior failure to heed probation rules, was unclear on Monday.

Information missing

Alex Sanchez, the deputy secretary of administration for the New Mexico Corrections Department, said typically her agency would advise a judge of that type of information only if requested. Theres no indication from the court docket that the agency was asked to prepare a sentencing report.

A spokesman for the Bernalillo County District Attorneys Office couldnt say late Monday whether his office informed the judge of Gonzales past history.

Regarding the error that allowed Gonzales to be free and unsupervised, Sanchez of the Corrections Department insisted on Monday that her agency never received the 2015 file from the state District Court showing that Gonzales should have been on probation. And it was still unclear why.

Jim Noel, court executive officer, wrote a letter on Monday to Corrections Secretary Gregg Marcantel stating that court staff has confirmed the agency sent the paperwork on Feb. 25, 2015. The case was among 23 that were sent by email in a PDF format. Noel said other cases in that PDF appear to have been acted upon by the Corrections Department.

The DOC and Court Administration now need to work together to maintain public confidence in the operations of its government, Noel told Marcantel, offering to work to enhance the intake process and broaden the Corrections Departments access to court records.

Were not trying to blame anybody, Sanchez said. For some reason, we didnt get that email.

Both Sanchez and Noel said they did not believe any other cases ended up falling through the cracks and stressed that they werent trying to blame the other agency.

The Bernalillo County District Court in June 2015 implemented a different system for notifying the corrections department.

Timeline of trouble with the law

Fabian Gonzales criminal history:

2004: Charged with battery against a household member, but the outcome of that case is unclear.

2012: Indicted on charges of kidnapping, aggravated battery against a household member (great bodily harm), battery against a household member, and three counts of resisting, evading or obstructing an officer. Takes plea agreement in 2013 to two lesser charges, misdemeanors that result in 1 year and 11 months probation. Probation ultimately revoked after Gonzales absconds.

2014: Indicted on charges of child abuse and battery against a household member. In addition, he is sentenced to serve 300 days in prison for the 2013 probation violation.

2015: Released from prison. Then pleads no contest to battery on a household member and child abandonment related to the 2014 case. Sentenced to two years supervised probation, but fails to report to probation office and probation paperwork isnt processed by state Corrections Department.

2016: Arrested, along with two others, and charged with rape and child abuse resulting in the death of Victoria Martens.
We will soon mark the 15th anniversary of 9/11, a harsh reminder that none of us is insulated by borders or distance.

It is something Phyllis Skoy, who did volunteer work with the Red Cross in New York City after 9/11, knows well.

Here in Placitas, New Mexico, it seems like we are untouched, but we are not, she said. Anything can happen anywhere.

That is perhaps why Skoy  who grew up in Massachusetts, lived and worked in Manhattan and now resides in Placitas  set What Survives, her first novel, in modern-day Turkey, a country she has visited twice for a total of two months.

Her need to know how other people feel and think gave Skoy, an American of Russian-Jewish heritage, the motivation to make three major characters Turkish women of different ages and points of view. Fatma is old Turkey, a woman deeply attached to her country. Adalet is a university graduate, a woman whose life is turned inside out by an earthquake and who has one foot in the world of her parents and one in the modern world. Meryem, the teenage daughter of a Muslim mother and a Christian father, is drawn to the West.

Oddly enough, it is not a book about Turkey, but it is a redemption story that takes place in Turkey and follows on an actual cataclysmic event  an earthquake in 1999, said Skoy, 67, who maintains a small practice in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. Human relationship is my major interest. The book is about the struggles of women  not just in Turkey but everywhere. It is about the relationship between women. The three women in the book are at different stages in their lives, come from different backgrounds and want different things in their life, but they are still able to love each other and share the deepest aspects of their lives with each other.

Turkey is as vivid as any character in the novel. Skoy traveled around the country for a month in 1998 and spent a month in Istanbul in 2014. She is smitten by the place.

Turkey is dramatic, she said. It is colorful. It is vibrant. I got very hooked on the country, the people, the culture, the cuisine. I know writers are supposed to write about what they know. But I have always been interested in our differences. I always want to learn about what I dont know.

Friends in Turkey, especially a woman named Aysegul Hurdur, helped her understand things about the culture, the food, the language and the Turkish people.

I had to have someone Turkish as a consultant, because there were little things that would worry me about characters, she said. I wanted the characters to be true.

Turkey is also a politically volatile country. Just last month, there was a failed attempt to overthrow the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Politics and tensions between the East and the West play out in Skoys novel as her characters, who include Mark Aronson, a Jewish-American art history professor teaching in Istanbul, are drawn toward the tragedy of 9/11 and its aftermath. That part of the novel actually surprised the author.

This started as a short story, and there was no 9/11 in it, she said.

Real life took a hand in that plot element. Skoy and her husband moved from Manhattan to Placitas in 2000. But she felt strange being in New Mexico when New Yorkers were dealing with the devastation at the World Trade Center.

New Yorkers really know how to pull together in a crisis, she said. I went back and did volunteer work (in mental health care) for the Red Cross for two weeks. I experienced going to ground zero in such a profound way. I knew I wanted Adalet to go to New York. I thought, what if she went after 9/11? What would that be like for her as a foreigner?

What Survives turns out to be an attempt to understand why such awful things happen in a world made up mostly of decent, loving people.

It is always curious to me why people have to do these things to each other when the people are like Adalet, Fatma, Mark and you and I, Skoy said.

She is working on another novel featuring some of the characters in What Survives. She is making it a prequel rather than a sequel because shes not sure whats next for Turkey.

I dont think anybody really knows what is going on there, she said. But I have great respect for the Turkish people, so I think things will come out OK.

Book event

Who: Phyllis Skoy

What: A reading from and a signing of Skoys novel What Survives (IPB, $19.95).

When: 3 p.m. Sept. 25

Where: Bookworks, 4022 Rio Grande NW

UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Ollie at 823-3916 or oreed@abqjournal.com. Go to www.abqjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor.


In a long-overdue tribute to Ernie Pyle, the most widely read newspaper correspondent of World War II and a former Albuquerque resident, the University of New Mexico now has a scholarship named for the famed journalist.

At a signing event Monday in UNMs communications and journalism department, retired Air Force Col. Linn Benson and his wife, Mona Benson, signed paperwork creating the Ernie Pyle Legacy Foundation Scholarship.

I think its so neat that UNM can honor Ernie, who I think is a very important part of New Mexico history, said Mona Benson, a Pyle relative, Carrizozo native and UNM graduate.

It means a lot to finally have Pyles name on a New Mexico scholarship, Linn Benson said. Mona and I are both UNM graduates, and weve been contributing to the alumni fund for years. Now we have something else to contribute. Since Mona is Ernies first cousin once removed, we thought this was appropriate.

The Bensons, who split their time between Santa Fe and Napa County, Calif., said they plan to renew the scholarship annually and hope to see it grow as more people learn about Pyle and his contributions to journalism.

The $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to a UNM journalism major who writes the most compelling essay about Pyle, said Mike Marcotte, a UNM journalism professor who helped launch the Pyle scholarship. The scholarships initial recipient will likely be announced next fall, Marcotte said.

Also attending the signing was Margaret Ortega, director of development for UNMs College of Arts and Sciences, who, appropriately, attended Ernie Pyle Middle School in Bernalillo Countys South Valley.

Ernie Pyle, an Indiana native who moved to Albuquerque in 1940, was killed by a Japanese machine gunner while covering the invasion of Okinawa on April 18, 1945. His modest house at 900 Girard SE has been a public library since 1948.

Pyle wrote in a conversational, down-home style about the soldiers, places and events of the war for the Scripps Howard newspaper chain and reached millions of readers who came to regard him as friend, confidant and teller of truth.

Pyle, a thin, balding man approaching middle age, was on the front lines in the North Africa campaign, the invasion of Sicily and the D-Day landings at Normandy. His columns  which Pyle believed never adequately conveyed the horror of war to his readers  won him a Pulitzer Prize in 1944.

The Bensons are members of the Ernie Pyle Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit set up to honor Pyle. The group is lobbying for a national Ernie Pyle Day. Foundation members plan to kick off that effort with an Aug. 3, 2017, celebration at the New Mexico Veterans Memorial, about 2 miles east of the Ernie Pyle Library.
To hear even a sanitized version of what happened to two toddlers in the custody of Michael D. Blackburn is to be left breathless, sucker-punched by horror.

It is enough to know that his physical acts, the filming of those acts and the sharing of the many, many images of those acts led prosecutors on Monday to ask a federal judge to sentence the 30-year-old Blackburn, who has no prior criminal record, to 120 years  years  in prison.

It is enough to know that the boy and girl, once discovered and taken away from an apartment complex on Wyoming NE in Albuquerque in December 2013, were essentially feral children with perhaps 15 words each, who couldnt talk, didnt know how to use utensils to eat and couldnt use a toilet.

It is enough to know that a doctor has said the girl may never be able to have children because of the injuries inflicted on her before she was even 3 years old.

It is enough to know that, by the time the Homeland Security agent, Bernalillo County Sheriffs officer and others involved in investigating cyber crimes knocked on the apartment door, the images of the children had reached overseas, which is how the first steps of the probe began.

Blackburn and two other adults had been living at the residence and Blackburn often was caretaker of the two children, who ran around the home nude and were sometimes heard during nap times crying and saying no. The parents of the children left them in his care for long periods of time.

But Blackburn himself was the victim of horrible abuse, as his attorney explained during the sentencing hearing and in a written filing. His mother, who was using cocaine and marijuana when he was born, was physically abusive toward him and one of her boyfriends sexually abused Blackburn, who was abandoned by his mother when he was 5. The aunt and uncle with whom he was left were perhaps worse, his lawyer said. The aunt twice tried to drown him, set fire to his arm, made him watch pornography and sexually abused him, according to the defense.

By the time he was 13, the state removed him from the home and he lived in residential treatment facilities, group homes and foster care in Tennessee. He tried suicide  once by taking rat poison  and was diagnosed with various mental illnesses and prescribed medications. At 18, Blackburn was released when there was no place to house him and he had virtually no skills

Blackburn, who pleaded guilty to the five-count indictment in March, told U.S. District Judge William P. Johnson that he realizes that his crimes were horrific, and said that, through religion, he has forgiven his mother and others, and hopes to continue changing the evil within me.

There are legal questions for the judge to address before the final sentence  life or less-than-life  including whether its appropriate to impose a life sentence for a crime that does not have life as its maximum statutory punishment.

Johnson said he would address those issues, argued orally at the hearing, in written opinions and call the parties back for final sentencing.
Mayor should take a look at 311 program

IT APPEARS THAT, since we installed the 311 if you need help signs at our major intersections, there is increased activity at our major intersections. I witnessed all four medians being worked by vagrants, panhandlers and homeless at any given hour of the day at Eubank and Central, one of Albuquerques major intersections. The sign-waving, pacing back and forth peering into cars, and the jumping on and off the curb is a major distraction to safe driving in this city.

It is obvious the 311 program isnt working as one only has to drive and navigate this show of panhandling throughout this city.

It is time for our mayor, who came up with this program, to revisit it, and get our streets patrolled and safe for our drivers and pedestrians. Where is our police force when they see this activity interfering with drivers just trying to navigate our city?

The litter left behind with cans, water bottles, food wrappers, etc. is another issue the city needs to address.

It is time for our city officials to address this activity and establish some rules and guidelines that protect our citizens.

WALLACE E. ANDERSON

Albuquerque

Parking code is bad for property values

AFTER READING the Road Warrior column written by DVal Westphal (Parking in yard OK for homes built before 2008, Aug. 22), I cannot believe that the Albuquerque zoning code allows parking in the yard for homes built before 2008. Turning the front yard into a parking lot and thereby decreasing, in all likelihood, the property values of the other homes in the neighborhood is infuriating to those of us who are conscientious homeowners.

Obviously, those in the zoning commission  Albuquerque Planning Department  who are responsible for this zoning insult perhaps do not take pride in the appearance of their property. Nor are they concerned about the effect on their property values.

I wonder how they would feel to see the character of their area changed from nice residential into a low-rent neighborhood? What a shame, as this could affect thousands of Albuquerque homeowners.

JACK BARTBERGER

Albuquerque

Quigleys most unbalanced column yet

I FELT COMPELLED to reply to Winthrop Quigleys indignant column (Youre right about media bias, Donald, Aug. 21).

The first paragraph states, and I quote, Ive had quite enough of Donald Trumps insults, especially now that they are directed against my colleagues and me.

I would like to tell Quigley what I have had quite enough of. That would include liberal writers like Quigley chastising Donald Trump for everything the man says that does not agree with their view of the utopian world that they could create if only he and his supporters would shut up. He states later on that Trump thinks he should not be asked for details of the policies he proposes, if he gets elected. Heaven forbid anyone should direct such questions toward Trumps Democrat opponent.

Quigley dedicates about two-thirds of his column to all the perceived sins of Trump, and then has the audacity to claim that Trumps media coverage leaves no time for he and his colleagues to cover all the very serious problems that have dogged (Hillary) Clinton throughout her many years in the public spotlight. So they just give her a pass and dont mention those problems. And then he writes a column stating hes mad at Trump.

I have learned to expect nothing even approaching a balanced column from Quigley, but this one was so over-the-top biased, I felt it deserved a comment.

HARRY KERNS

Albuquerque

Forget tax returns; lets look at tax code

REGARDING JAMES HAMILLS column (Wordplay often employed as camouflage, Aug. 22) concerning (Donald) Trumps tax returns, I think Hamill is focused on the wrong issue.

I could care less about Trumps tax returns. The important issue is that the current tax code is a joke. It is so complex that it has become an enormous waste of time and money and has corrupted society and the government, to include the IRS. Look no further than the money laundering, pay-to-play scheme known as the Clinton Foundation.

Id like to hear Hamill discuss a solution to the tax code issue, such as Steve Forbes flat tax proposal.

GEORGE GREENLEE

Bosque Farms

Clinton staff not engaged in pay-for-play

I WAS SAD to read the latest malicious, right-wing editorial diatribe from the Albuquerque Journal (New Clinton emails show quid pro quo alive, well, Aug.15).

Because the Journal reaches the greatest number of newspaper readers in New Mexico, it is in a position to communicate real issues and concerns, particularly for those without the power to disseminate their views. Instead, the Journal continues its false and misleading reiteration and amplification of the latest Hillary email accusations from right-wing pundits.

The Journal states that Clintons minions [are] selling State Department access in return for supporting the foundation that has helped to enrich the Clintons beyond their wildest of dreams. There is no evidence to support this allegation.

The facts are not in dispute. Clinton Foundation staffers did seek State Department assistance to arrange a meeting with a Mideast head of state on behalf of a Clinton Foundation donor. But far from being a pay-for-play scheme, as alleged, the donor wanted to provide ideas to assist the Mideast head of state in grappling with their common concerns. Given the world-class importance of many Clinton Foundation donors and the important humanitarian work it performs, it would be surprising if the State Department didnt deal with those same individuals in their official capacities. But that is a far cry from saying that Clinton donors contribute to gain access and benefits by enriching the Clintons.

The Journal should check the facts before it makes allegations. Indeed, it is likely that the Journal knew the facts and knew that they did not support the allegations, but went ahead and printed the unsubstantiated allegations .

RON FLAX-DAVIDSON

Santa Fe

All illegal behavior should be prosecuted

I RECENTLY HAVE been watching a series on PBS titled American Experience. It looks at past presidents, going back to (Dwight) Eisenhower.

What caught my attention was the episode about Richard Nixon. As the Watergate issue unwound and the committee to investigate looked into the situation, I was struck how the Republicans and Democrats worked together to uncover the wrongdoing by the Nixon administration. Compare that to what happens now. As the Republicans try to look into some wrongdoing by members of the Obama administration, the Democrats try to stymie them at every turn. There is no trying to get to the truth but to defend the party. This happens when the situation is the other way around, too.

Like with the Watergate situation, it is always about the coverup of the original sin. Think of Lois Lerner and the IRS or the situation with the Veterans Administration. There is always an excuse or a coverup. It even went so far as her claiming the Fifth Amendment to cover the wrongdoing at the IRS. Yet, there, Lerner is allowed to retire and claim retirement payments from us, the taxpayers.

Then we get to Hillary (Clinton) and her problems with Filegate, Travelgate, trading futures, Benghazi and, lastly, the hidden server and the missing emails. In all of these cases, the worst charges occurred from the coverup and the lies told to try and hide the offenses. And yet the Democrats defend her in every case. 

If we are to be a truly great country again, we have to prosecute unethical and illegal behavior. This needs to happen when persons of either party are to blame.

STEVE STILLMAN

Albuquerque

U.S. should pay in full into Global Fund

ALTHOUGH WE READ daily of upheaval and tragedies caused by violence and natural disasters, good  even great  events are also part of our world.

Since 2002, when countries came together to create the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, 17 million lives have been saved. Life-saving TB treatments have been received by 13.2 million people. Another 8.1 million people are on antiretroviral treatments for HIV and now are able to care for their families. Preventing millions of deaths and debilitating sickness from malaria has been achieved through the distribution of 548 million mosquito nets. These are stunning achievements.

Why does this matter to U.S. citizens? People who are not sick or dying can raise their children and go to work, producing more stable economies and governments. Im proud the U.S. has supported the Global Fund since its beginning. For every $1 the U.S. pledges, at least two more dollars are donated by other countries.

In September, world leaders will meet to replenish the Global Fund. Canada and the European Union have already increased their pledges by 20 percent. Japan has pledged an additional $800 million. These countries understand that healthier populations are required for healthier economies and healthier governments.

The U.S. can continue to do its part by pledging the full amount, as it has done in the past. We live in a world free of smallpox and polio. We have an opportunity to create a world free of AIDS, TB and malaria. Lets do it.

SANDRA DUCKERT

Corrales

Support NMs economy by buying local

WHEN LOOKING at issues like the environment and climate change, it is hard not to feel helpless. This is a big reason it works as a political issue. One side will tell you, It is OK, vote for me and I will solve the problem. The other side will say, Its OK, its a hoax, vote for me and I will make it go away. As soothing as these suggestions may be, they are both wrong.

It is not a hoax and there is little a politician can do to change it. What is needed is facing hard truths and making individual changes to our lifestyle and behavior. One of the best and easiest ways to really make a difference is to buy local. Once you are familiar with the logistics alone of transporting massive amounts of meat and produce from one area to another, the answer is obvious.

Environmental rewards of buying local are abundant. However, possibly just as important, is the economic result. The money we spend on local products stays in the community. The farmer or rancher, if they have a thousand head of cattle or raise a small flock of chickens, needs basic goods and services from our community.

The money you spend on some fresh local heirloom tomatoes may be the same money that is paid to you later. On the flip side, where is the money that you spend on the foreign-grown produce you purchase from a supermarket going?

To be completely honest, above and beyond the reasons stated above, fresh New Mexico-grown food just tastes better.

ADAM SMITH

Albuquerque

Voters should have a say on ART project

THE PROPOSED Albuquerque Rapid Transit project will have a profound and long-lasting impact on our city. If the citizens of Albuquerque really want to do it, we should do it right.

City Halls process for designing ART was flawed because City Halls early outreach efforts did not include the businesses and neighborhoods that will be directly affected by ART. It is understandable why businesses wonder what will happen to their livelihoods as a result of the increased traffic congestion and reduced customer access that will be caused by ART; why neighborhoods wonder what will happen to their quality of life as a result of the collateral damage caused by the increased traffic from Central; and why we all wonder what will happen to Historic Route 66, and the cultural character and civic pride of our community.

The Make ART Smart coalition, a group of business owners, residents and professional planners, has been trying to get City Hall to listen to these legitimate concerns. We have been stonewalled. We support rapid transit, but oppose badly designed rapid transit. If the citizens of Albuquerque want ART, we believe it should be done right.

To that end, we would like the project taken to the voters to see if ART  as designed  is, indeed, what the citizens want, or if it is just something City Hall wants.

ANTHONY ANELLA

Albuquerque
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.  A strong summer storm that walloped Colorado Springs forced authorities to rescue people from their stranded cars and move heaps of hail with snowplows.

More rain is possible Tuesday after the deluge Monday flooded roadways and left hail piled up on sidewalks. Eight people were rescued from their cars after they got stuck in the deep water, and hail swamped a basement apartment.

National Weather Service meteorologist Eric Peterson tells The Gazette of Colorado Springs (http://bit.ly/2bT0WmL ) that 2 to 3 inches of rain fell on some parts of the already soggy city. Most areas got between 1 and 2 inches Sunday, leaving the ground saturated before the latest storm hit.

An area near Peterson Air Force Base got just over 4 inches of rain between Sunday and Monday evening.

___

Information from: The Gazette, http://www.gazette.com
HOUSTON  Houston police say an armored car guard has been fatally shot during a robbery while refilling a drive-thru ATM.

Houston police on Tuesday announced the search for a male suspect seen driving away from the scene.

Authorities say the guard was adding cash to a Wells Fargo ATM in northwest Houston on Monday night when he was ambushed. The guard died at the scene.

Another guard who was inside the armored vehicle wasnt hurt.

The name of the slain guard wasnt immediately released. Investigators have not said how much cash was stolen.
PHOENIX  Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumps campaign has confirmed he will host an immigration speech in downtown Phoenix on Wednesday night.

Trumps campaign website says the event will begin at 6 p.m. at the Phoenix Convention Center.

The doors open at 3 p.m. and tickets are available online.

Trumps Arizona campaign chairman says vice presidential nominee Mike Pence will also attend the event.

Pence hosted a town hall at the Phoenix Convention Center on Aug. 2.

Trumps upcoming speech will be his fifth visit to the Phoenix metropolitan area since launching his campaign last year.

The events have drawn large crowds of both supporters and protesters.

Trump used a December event in Mesa to call for a halt to illegal immigration.
By India Today Web Desk: Manuel Valls, the Prime Minister of France, is in the eye of a storm after his controversial comment that naked breasts represent France more than a headscarf.

The burkini is back to being the subject of debates, with the French Prime Minister supporting the ban which has caused uproar among activists and feminists across the world. In his fiery speech on Monday, Valls invoked the bare breasts of Marianne, a national symbol of the French Republic and an allegory of liberty and reason - "Marianne has a naked breast because she is feeding the people! She is not veiled, because she is free! That is the republic!"

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His speech attracted a lot of criticism from politicians as well as historians and feminists, who refuted his logic.

HISTORIAN TEARS APART VALLS IN SERIES OF TWEETS



Historian Mathilde Larrere in a series of tweets tore down his rhetoric, deriding him for viewing Marianne literally and not as an allegory. "Marianne has a naked breast because it's an allegory, you cretin!" she tweeted.

Other historians too questioned whether Valls knew and understood French republican history. The website of the government of France hails Marianne as "the embodiment of the French Republic. Marianne represents the permanent values that found her citizens' attachment to the Republic: "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"."

Valls was also criticised by former Green party minister Ccile Duflot, who said that the Prime Minister's view reflected the lamentable view of women held by some male French politicians.

The burkini has seeped into the French political scene in a big way after it was banned in several parts of France citing security concerns. After facing flak from across the world, the ban was suspended by the highest administrative court in France. However, it continues to be a hot topic for debate with many in favour of the ban and many against it.

Also read: French waterpark stirs controversy for organising a 'Burkini-only day' for Muslim women



--- ENDS ---
David Tait Jr. sat before reporters late last week, tears in his eyes.

I want answers, he said. So bad.

Tait was born in 1975, in Norway House Indian Hospital in Manitoba, Canada. He became life-long friends with Leon Swanson, who had been born in the same hospital just three days earlier, the Associated Press reported.

But four decades later, DNA testing now suggests David Tait Jr. and Leon Swanson, 41-year-old friends and members of the same indigenous community, appear to have been switched at birth.

Results show that Swansons mother, Charlotte, was the biological parent of the Tait Jr., while additional testing of Swanson and the Tait family was pending, said Eric Robinson, Manitobas former aboriginal affairs minister.

Its a regrettable situation, Robinson said at the news conference. I understand that.

Forty years gone, I dont know, Tait said. Just distraught, confused, angry.

I dont know what to say, said a tearful Swanson. I dont know what to say. I dont know what to say.

Tait told CTV News that he and Swanson were already close, saying that they were pretty much family from the beginning I guess (and) we just didnt know it until now.

That sentiment was echoed by his father, David Tait Sr., who told the National Post that he had noticed that his child eventually started to look different, but, at the time, held a mindset of: But who am I to say that hes not mine?

I have an extra son, and Charlotte has an extra son, so hopefully everything will work out that way, he said.

Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott on Friday released a statement to the CBC, saying an independent third party would go through hospital records to try to figure out what happened.

The results of this review will be made public, the statement said. Cases like this are an unfortunate reminder to Canadians of how urgent the need is to provide all Indigenous people with high-quality health care. The government of Canada remains deeply committed to renewing a nation-to-nation relationship with all Indigenous peoples. I offer my sympathy to the families in this difficult time.

The Posts Peter Holley has previously covered tensions and issues surrounding indigenous Canadians, writing:

Among the most sensitive areas of contention between indigenous Canadians and their government has been the forced separation of more than 150,000 aboriginal children from their families throughout the 19th and 20th centuries  a policy many have labeled cultural genocide.

Pledging to work with indigenous communities towards reconciliation, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last year accepted the results of a six-year investigation into abuses that occurred within the governments residential schools for indigenous children.

Robinson, the former Manitoba aboriginal affairs minister, called the switch a criminal issue.

I cant describe this matter as anything less than criminal, he said at the press conference. We can live with one mistake, but two mistakes of a similar nature is not acceptable, so we cant simply slough it off as being a mistake, indeed it was a criminal activity in my view.

This is the second switched-at-birth case involving the Norway House Indian Hospital in recent months.

Late last year, DNA testing confirmed that two other men, who were also born in 1975, had been switched, according to the CBC. Those men, Luke Monias and Norman Barkman, spoke at a similar news conference at the time.

Its hard; I just want to know what happened, Barkman told reporters in November.

I would like some answers for me and my family, Monias said. The good is that now I know the truth.

Heres the National Post, with details of the hospitals current procedures: The Norway House hospital no longer does elective deliveries and conducts emergency births about once every two months. Babies born there today are immediately given identification wristbands as is modern practice.



The rest of us can only imagine what these two innocent families are going to have to experience in the foreseeable future, said Robinson, the former aboriginal affairs minister. This is not an acceptable situation for the families and for the communities who have had to deal with these consequences. We now have two families from two different communities who would like answers. And at the very least, they deserve to understand how such a thing could happen two times.

At Fridays news conference, Robinson noted that there had always been gossip and rumors about Tait and Swanson in the community  this guy looks more like his friends family, that kind of chatter. He pointed out that the switch didnt just impact the two men: There were parents involved, and siblings.

Its going to be very difficult, Robinson said. And its going to be challenging. Theres going to be ups and downs. And theres going to be a lot of hurt and pain as the story unfolds more.

What happened here is lives were stolen. You cant describe it as anything less than that.

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It was picture day, and so like most high school students, Mariah Havard wanted to pick an outfit that said something  something about her summer, or who she would be in the year to come. Something that would make her face, in a sea of yearbook faces, stand out.

She pulled on green pants and combed her hair back into a bun. Over her head she tugged down a black T-shirt, marked with white lines between big, bold writing.

BLACK LIVES MATTER, it said.

Then the 15-year-old walked out the door to catch her bus.

But when she got to Buckeye Union High School, located in Phoenixs westernmost suburb, Havards vice principal wasnt as keen on her fashion statement.

A security guard escorted Havard to the administration office, she said, where she was told her black shirt and the message on it was disruptive to the schools educational environment. The vice principal cited an incident from just days before, on Aug. 19, where the teen got into an argument with a white student who said, according to Havard, that shirt is meaningless and black lives dont matter.

Next the teen was handed a plain white T-shirt, and she was told to change.

She was asked to change and she didnt question them, Roxanne Havard, Mariahs mother, told NBC affiliate 12 News. She was being respectful.

The teen walked to the bathroom to change, but first decided to snap a selfie, her Black Lives Matter T-shirt still on her body, the white replacement shirt wedged between her knees. She posted it to Facebook later that day, describing what had happened.

Havard called the white T-shirt meaningless and non political and said it has nothing to do for what Im standing for.

While wearing the shirt I have been verbally attacked MANY times, she wrote. I never meant to imply because black lives matter others dont!

What troubled her further was that she had seen classmates wear other political shirts that certain factions of society find offensive: supporting same-sex marriage, the confederate flag, white power.

To her knowledge, those students hadnt been censored.

At this point im starting to believe [theres] a problem with the word black? Havard wrote on Facebook.

The next day at school, Wednesday, the teens friend, Genesis Santoyo, wore a Black Lives Matter shirt to school at Buckeye Union. She, too, was told to take it off.

I felt like I was being punished for who I am, Santoyo, who is also black, told 12 News.

On Thursday, Havards mother met with administrators at the school, 12 News reported, and on Friday, Havards clothing was questioned once again.

A male administrator asked the 15-year-old to remove her sweatshirt, reported the Arizona Republic, in order to investigate whether she had worn the Black Lives Matter shirt again.

At one point, there was even talk that fights could break out over the controversy. Some students said they would wear Black Lives Matter shirts; others said they would come to school bearing confederate flags.

That day at school, Havard told Fox 10 that administrators announced neither shirt would be allowed in class.

As the incidents escalated, local civil rights groups began to take notice, and the teens started plotting.

On Monday, nearly a week after Havard was first asked to change her black shirt for a white one, she and Santoyo joined eight other students in a walkout from their morning classes.

Stand up, they chanted while exiting the building, fight back.

They wore Black Lives Matter T-shirts and carried white signs with red lettering that said vision for black lives. In some photos, the teens raised their fists in the air, a symbol of solidarity.

Were not trying to start a race war, Santoyo told the Republic. Were trying to end one.

The students were joined by their parents, and local politicians and civil rights groups voiced support for their cause.

Havards mother, Roxanne, embraced her daughter before addressing the small crowd outside the school Monday, according to the Republic.

When they wear their shirts that say Black Lives Matter, theyre just telling you that their lives matter, too, Roxanne Havard said.

They have made death threats to the students here on Snapchat, Facebook, social media, Roxanne Havard said. The students that have made these threats have not had any consequences.

Representatives from Black Lives Matter Phoenix, the NAACP and the ACLU encouraged the students to voice their grievances in an intelligent, nonviolent way, the Republic reported, and Iisha Graves, a state congressional candidate, said she felt proud they were standing up for what they believed in.

Just after noon, the student returned to class.

The school administration would not answer specific questions about their dress code policies, according to local media, but did release a statement on its website explaining the dress code policy: The Buckeye Union High School District is committed to student learning and campus safety, and will continue to enforce school policy to ensure a safe and successful learning environment. In regards to the specific situation, the district strives to remain politically neutral while still allowing student expression. However, when these expressions interfere with the learning process and become a potential danger to students, they have to be addressed. We appreciate the communitys support and will make every effort to offer the best educational programs and opportunities for all students.

The Buckeye Union school district further addressed the situation in another statement on its website and Facebook, this time focusing specifically on the protest and its aftermath. The district said it was working with its staff, local leaders and Black Lives Matter representatives to turn the incident involving the . . . T-shirt from a negative situation into a positive learning experience.

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LONDON  In normal circumstances, a 13 billion euro ($14.5 billion) cash award would make any country ecstatic. But Ireland is no ordinary country when it comes to tax law  and its government insists it doesnt want the colossal windfall.

The Irish government joined Apple in vowing Tuesday to appeal the European Commissions judgment that the smartphone and computing giant didnt pay the correct volume of tax to Ireland for more than a decade, a mounting bill that analysts say could constitute 19 billion euros ($21 billion) with interest.

At stake is the foundation of Irelands multinational-dependent, export-driven economy, which has rapidly rebounded from a banking crisis and 2010 international bailout to become once again the fastest growing in Europe. Since the 1980s, successive Irish governments have made low corporate tax and other tax-avoidance measures a key part of their sales pitch to woo foreign firms to Ireland.

Today, most of the biggest names in drug making, social media and online commerce, software and other high-tech industries have made Ireland their preferred European base  in part because, as the European Commissions damning judgment has just concluded, the Irish seek to tax multinationals worldwide profits as little as possible.

Instead, Irelands strategy aims to keep as many foreign job creators anchored on the island as they can. The approximately 1,000 foreign companies, mostly American, on Irish soil employ 100,000 people  some 5 percent of the workforce  but generate more than nearly a quarter of Irelands economic output. They directly pay Ireland more than 2 billion euros annually in tax, a figure dwarfed by their much larger investment in salaries (6 billion euros), infrastructure and research (3 billion euros) and Irish goods and services (4 billion euros).

If Apple were to lose its appeal, Irelands sometimes gravity-defying growth would lose a key foundation stone as a succession of companies with similar tax deals face retroactive charges rendering the tax-efficient reputation of Ireland null and void.

But the sheer size of Tuesdays award  worth 2,800 euros ($3,150) for every man, woman and child in Ireland  creates unexpected political difficulties for the government, which briefed journalists beforehand to expect a vastly smaller sum. The money could transform Ireland; the Irish Times bills it as the equivalent of 20 new hospitals or an end to property tax for the next quarter-century.

Irish Times columnist Fintan OToole quipped that Irelands tricolor flag should have an Apple logo in its center and the country now risked being defined by the rest of the world as the tax-avoiders crazy little sidekick. He argued that Tuesdays surprisingly eye-watering figure of 13 billion euros meant Ireland might be wise to cash in a chip that would allow Ireland life-changing levels of investment in combating poverty.

Champagne corks should be popping in government buildings with the news that 13 billion euros is owed to the state, but instead the panic button has been pressed, said Paul Murphy, an opposition Socialist Party lawmaker. It shows the reality that the government represents the interests of major corporations instead of the majority of people in this state.

He said the Apple money was big enough to clear Irelands gridlocked waiting list for welfare housing and eliminate a growing trend of homelessness. Instead, he said, the government wants to keep Apple on its $200 billion cash pile.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan said Ireland couldnt afford to be seen as a country that shafts its key investors. He compared the act to a farmer choosing to eat the seeds rather than grow the crop.

He said overturning the cash award would be essential to defend the integrity of our tax system, provide tax certainty to business, and  send a strong message that Ireland remains an attractive and stable location of choice for long-term substantive investment.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is returning to the campaign trail next week, and hes teeing off by asking his supporters to start putting their money into four Senate campaigns. In an email sent yesterday, Sanders encouraged donations to help Pennsylvanias Katie McGinty, New Hampshires Maggie Hassan, Ohios Ted Strickland and Nevadas Catherine Cortez Masto.

I want to be clear: It is very important that our movement holds public officials accountable, Sanders wrote in a message to his Friends of Bernie email list. The Democratic Party passed an extremely progressive agenda at the convention. Our job is to make sure that platform is implemented. That will not happen without Democratic control of the Senate.

Sanders previously endorsed Wisconsins Russ Feingold in his comeback bid. Recent polling has shown Feingold dominating that race, but Strickland has struggled to overcome attacks on his single gubernatorial term and just saw national Democrats cancel a planned ad buy.

In the email, Sanders offers a reason to back each newly endorsed candidate. McGinty was one of the first candidates to endorse a $15 minimum wage, while Hassan has been a strong supporter of campaign finance reform. Strickland is cited for opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, while Masto is credited for defending the environment and backing equal pay for women.

After this week, Sanders will also appear for Democratic candidates in person. That will represent the first rallies by the senator in support of downballot candidates since June 25, when he barnstormed western New York to help Eric Kingson, an academic and Social Security expert, in his bid for Congress. Kingson ran a strong second in the three-way primary.

After that, Sanders withdrew from view, emerging again to endorse Hillary Clinton and to speak at the Democratic National Convention last month in Philadelphia.

Now, Sanderss ramp-up is centered around his email list  one of the largest in politics  and his new project, Our Revolution. Last Wednesday, at the Our Revolution launch event in Burlington, the environmentalist writer and activist Bill McKibben noted one of Sanderss great selling points to Democrats.

As a result of his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, which increased his exposure and made him a sort of blunt-talking celebrity, Sanders had become the sort of politician able to campaign anywhere.

Bernies Americas most popular politician, said McKibben. Partly thats down to his glamour and charisma; partly its down to the issues and ideas hes come to embody, and that well have to embody.

Today, two of the candidates who hoped to embody that might hit the end of their reads. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., who endorsed Sanders and positioned himself as the progressive in Floridas U.S. Senate primary, is expected to lose after revelations about his messy divorce sent allies scrambling away from him.

And in south Florida, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., is expected to defeat Tim Canova, an economics professor and former Capitol Hill staffer whom Sanders had made national news by endorsing. Canova, who faced a steep uphill climb in a district won by Hillary Clinton in the presidential primary, has complained publicly about Sanderss decision not to campaign in the district. Pointedly, in his Our Revolution speech, Sanders rattled off a series of ballot initiatives and campaigns that he would be backing. He did not mention Canova, leaving his support of the campaign limited to an old fundraising email and a button on the Our Revolution page.

dems-sanders
Reports this week of Russian intrusions into U.S. election systems have startled many voters, but computer experts are not surprised. They have long warned that Americans vote in a way thats so insecure that hackers could change the outcome of races at the local, state and even national level.

Multibillion-dollar investments in better election technology after the troubled 2000 presidential election count prompted widespread abandonment of flawed paper-based systems, such as punch ballots. But the rush to embrace electronic voting technology  and leave old-fashioned paper tallies behind  created new sets of vulnerabilities that have taken years to fix.

There are computers used in all points of the election process, and they can all be hacked, said Princeton computer scientist Andrew Appel, an expert in voting technologies. So we should work at all points in that system to see how we make them trustworthy even if they do get hacked.

The alleged Russian hacks to voter registration systems in Arizona and Illinois exposed one of the major weak spots in election systems. Deleting or altering data on voter rolls could cause mayhem on election day, disenfranchising some voters. Many voting machines themselves also are vulnerable, especially touch-screen systems that do not create a paper record as a guard against fraud or manipulation.

Several swing states, including Pennsylvania, Florida and Virginia, are struggling to rid their polling stations of insecure touch-screen systems. Other states, such as Georgia and New Jersey, still use them at every polling station.

At stake are not just the results themselves. Faith in the reliability and transparency of balloting, experts say, are crucial to democracy, especially in a year when allegations of voting irregularities already have been aired by politicians, most notably Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

While there are few documented cases of electronic systems producing flawed voting results in the United States, experts say fears of potential hacks by foreign intelligence services are legitimate. Government databases of all sorts have been routinely pilfered by hackers for years, meaning that voter rolls likely are vulnerable too.

I am not an expert on reading Vladmir Putins mind, and I dont know what hes up to if anything, but if your goal is to simply cause chaos, then destroying the voter registration databases would be an excellent way to cause chaos, said Dan S. Wallach, a Rice University computer science professor who long has studied the security of election systems.

When it comes to voting machines, experts say the most secure systems rely on the strengths of old technologies and new ones. Voting machines with optical scanners, for example, use computer technology to read paper ballots in which voters fill in a bubble next to their preferred candidates. This creates both an electronic tally and a paper record, as do some newer touch-screen systems.

The combination is difficult for even the most sophisticated hackers to defeat. Some states require automatic auditing of selected results to verify that computerized and paper totals are the same. In the case of controversy, recounting is a possible if cumbersome remedy.

Systems that collect only digital records offer many possible targets for hackers  at polling machines, at counting stations and on the computers that collect and tally up overall results for a jurisdiction. Princeton researchers showed in 2006 that one widely deployed electronic voting machine was vulnerable to a virus that could be carried on cartridges used to collect totals. Once installed, such a virus could quietly tweak results for years without detection.

Even when electronic systems are insecure, paper records allow for auditing and verification. Such reviews have caught software errors that could have affected the outcomes of elections.

In a 2006 Republican Primary in Potawatomie County, Iowa, an election official noticed that a little-known candidate was close to beating a popular incumbent. When the official ordered a hand count of the ballots, they uncovered a programming mistake that was tipping the election toward the challenger.

Fairfax County, Virginia, probed its new voting machines in 2003 after election day malfunctions, including one where some machines appeared to subtract 1 out of every 100 votes for a Republican candidate who lost a close school board candidate.

Maryland recently switched to secure optical scanners for its elections. Virginia has been upgrading its systems and is expected to complete the transition by 2020.

The nationwide trend is toward adoption of systems that produce paper and electronic records; they are deployed universally in 35 states and in many counties elsewhere, according to tracking by Verified Voting Foundation, a California-based nonprofit group that monitors voting technologies. Pamela Smith, president of Verified Voting Foundation, estimated that more than 75 percent of U.S. voters cast ballots on machines that create a reliable paper trail.

When you have voters marking a physical ballot, its pretty easy to check  and its obvious whats being counted, Smith said. Those physical records of voter intent can be used for a postelection audit to check the software on a system counting the votes or if a candidate requests a recount or one is required because the margin of victory is small. It lets election officials use that record to demonstrate that the count was correct.

More than just vote tallies can be in peril. The alleged Russian intrusions into voting systems in Arizona and Illinois, which prompted the FBI to issue warnings to election officials in June, could have targeted voter lists or other personal data kept on state databases. Altering lists of registered voters could potentially cause long lines or other problems on election day, leading some people to not cast ballots.

The 2000 presidential election, won by George W. Bush after months of wrangling over butterfly ballots, hanging chads and other flaws with paper balloting systems, prompted Congress to outlaw punch ballots and allocate $3 billion to help states switch to supposedly secure electronic systems.

Much of the first wave of new technologies, however, left no paper record of voter intent and often relied on outdated hardware and software. Technology experts warned of the security risks but several states made major investments in flawed machines before there was widespread consensus among election officials that paper verification was essential.

The systems are absolutely horrible, said Joe Hall, chief technologist for the Center for Democracy and Technology. Some of these systems are essentially 15 to 20 year old computers, and theres only so much you can do to try to protect them, unfortunately.

hacking
On Tuesday morning, the governing body of the European Union ruled that one of its members, Ireland, had broken its rules by allowing U.S.-based Apple to pay a tax rate of 1 percent  and sometimes as little as .0005 percent. Irelands regular tax rate is 12.5 percent, and the EUs rules state that members cant give special benefits to individual companies, even if it is the most highly valued company in the world.

Under the EU ruling, Apple would be required to pay Ireland more than $14.5 billion in back taxes. Both Apple and the Irish government plan to appeal.

Thats is a huge amount of money for a small country like Ireland, which suffered terribly after the 2008 financial crisis and required a massive bailout from the EU. Many in Ireland are salivating over what kind of public infrastructure or personal tax breaks $14.5 billion could be spent on. The sum is roughly equal to Irelands entire health budget, to put it in perspective.

Others, however, see the ruling as exactly why Ireland, just like the United Kingdom did with its Brexit vote, needs to leave an interventionist, anti-sovereignty European Union.

To put the question a different way: Did Apple, in collusion with the Irish government, rip off the Irish public by arranging a huge tax break? Or did the European Union just undermine Irelands economic model and strip the country of its competitive advantage, risking Irelands long-term growth?

Much of the debate across the Irish Sea in Britain during the lead-up to their referendum on EU membership in June centered on the idea that bureaucrats with no allegiance to Britain were sitting in Brussels and writing their laws. Proponents of a Brexit argued that leaving the EU would allow the country to take back control of its economy and borders.

After the EUs ruling on Apple and Ireland on Tuesday, one of the most outspoken Brexit leaders, Nigel Farage, tweeted that the EU was anti-democratic and doomed, and included a video of him on a television show saying Across the whole continent, people are saying, Why are our laws being made somewhere else?'

Others began using the hashtag #Irexit, or argued that it was the EU, and not Ireland, that had broken its treaty obligations to its member-state.

Mehmet Simsek, Turkeys deputy prime minister, even took the opportunity to suggest that Apple shift from Ireland to Turkey, which isnt a EU member, where hed be happy to provide more generous tax incentives.

And despite the promise of an unprecedentedly large injection of tax revenue, the Irish government plans to appeal the ruling.

This is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system, to provide tax certainty to business and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation, Michael Noonan, Irelands finance minister said in a statement.

Apple will also appeal. At the core of their argument is a denial that they got special tax rates unavailable to others.

The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apples history in Europe, ignore Irelands tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process, read part of a statement from Apples chief executive, Tim Cook. The ruling, he said, would have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe.

Using the Commissions theory, every company in Ireland and across Europe is suddenly at risk of being subjected to taxes under laws that never existed, argued Cook.

Irelands second and third-biggest parties seemed to align with the ruling Fine Gael party in opposing the ruling. Both the Fianna Fail and Labour parties spokespersons stated that it was counter to their understandings of Irelands ability to set its own tax rules, and expressed worry that should the appeals fall through, multinationals would lose faith in Ireland as a destination for investment. Apple employs around 6,000 people across Ireland, and made overtures that those jobs would be kept there.

Much further to the left on the political spectrum, the Social Democrats, Irelands newest political party, echoed the resentment toward Apple that many Irish citizens expressed throughout the day on social media.

While Small and Medium sized enterprises, which employ seven out of every 10 people in the private sector, struggled throughout the downturn, many going to the wall, this multinational giant was paying the bare minimum in tax, said a statement released on their website.

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DeShawn Franklin was asleep in his bedroom when police officers, with their weapons drawn, barged in.

He was punched several times, including three times in the face.

He was also Tasered, dragged out of his bedroom, handcuffed and placed in a police car.

I didnt even know what was going on. I was just asleep, Franklin told The Washington Post. It was just all a big shock and disturbance.

One thing became clear immediately: Franklin, then an 18-year-old high school senior, had done nothing wrong. But he did fit the description of a suspect being sought by officers: a slender, African-American man with dreads.

The incident, which occurred in the summer of 2012 in a northern Indiana suburb, prompted a civil rights lawsuit against the police officers and city officials. Earlier this month, a jury found that the officers violated Franklins constitutional rights by arresting him and entering his familys home without a warrant.

Still, Franklin and his family feel that justice has been denied.

The jury ordered each of the defendants to pay Franklin and his parents $1 for the violations of their rights. The total award was $18 in damages.

The Rev. Mario Sims, a senior pastor in South Bend, Indiana, where Franklin lives, said the small award sends a strong message to Franklin and his family: Your rights are worth a dollar.

Russell Thomas Jr., Franklins nephew, said the whole experience was a slap in the face.

To me, its just solidifying that blacks in America, we have no rights, he said. How can we fight for something when the system was not made for us in the first place?

Franklin isnt a thug, Sims said, and he lacks a criminal history. Still the incident four years ago left the now-22-year-old distrustful of law enforcement and in fear that something similar will happen again. He does not want to be recognized, so he has declined requests from local media for a picture of his face.

Its traumatizing, Franklin said. Its somewhat of a burden that you have to carry every day.

The incident happened about 2:30 a.m. on July 7, 2012, when Franklin and his parents were sleeping. Officers Eric Mentz, Aaron Knepper and Michael Stuk, of the South Bend Police Department, were looking for Dan Jones, Franklins older brother, after receiving a domestic violence call. The officers received information that Jones may have gone to his parents house, according to an internal affairs investigation report by the police department.

Franklins mother, Vivian Franklin, answered the door after hearing loud knocks. The officers went inside without a warrant and without asking for permission to go in, according to the report. The officers told her to stay outside on the front porch.

When they got to DeShawn Franklins bedroom, they saw him lying on his stomach and woke him up. Startled and afraid, he resisted, so the police officers punched and used a stun gun on him.

His father, Dan Franklin, who is disabled, told the internal affairs investigator that he heard a pop and thought the officers had shot his son as he screamed for his mother.

The officers soon realized that they got the wrong person. Still, DeShawn Franklin was handcuffed and placed in a squad car for resisting. He was released shortly after, according to the report, and the officers apologized to the family.

The following year, DeShawn Franklin and his parents filed a civil rights lawsuit alleging excessive use of force, unlawful law enforcement entry, false arrest, infliction of emotional distress and other violations.

The internal affairs investigation found that the officers used excessive force and unlawfully entered the Franklins home. They were disciplined for their actions, including written reprimands, Kevin Lawler, spokesman for the city, told the Indianapolis Star. The police department also trained the officers on Fourth Amendment rights and developed new classes on ethics and diversity, the Star reported.

The same three officers involved in the Franklin lawsuit were named in a 2013 case filed by Jonathan Ferguson, a 7-Eleven store clerk with a learning disability. According to a federal complaint, the officers slashed Fergusons tire, and two of them challenged him to eat a teaspoon of cinnamon in exchange for $30 and a dinner coupon at a local Applebees. Ferguson did, and he vomited for several hours.

The officers took a video of the cinnamon challenge, as it had become locally known, and posted it on YouTube, according to the complaint. The parties have reached a settlement in that lawsuit.

In a suburb where more than a quarter of the population is African-American, some cite the lack of diversity in South Bends police force as a source of tension. Of the 250 officers in 2014, only 25 were black, fewer than 10 were Hispanic and 20 were female, according to a local Fox affiliate. The city also faces several sex and race discrimination lawsuits filed by current police officers, and have settled three lawsuits involving allegations of racially motivated hate speech by police officers, according to the South Bend Tribune.

This year, however, officials implemented a plan to hire more minorities on the police force. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, D, said there will be no quick fixes, no silver bullets, but he promised a sustainable change, the Tribune reported.

Peter Agostino, the attorney for the police officers and the city in the lawsuit filed by the Franklins, told The Post that the case isnt about racial injustice, but about a lack of evidence.

Although the jury found constitutional violations, there was no evidence presented in court that supported the amount of damages that the Franklins were seeking. He said the Franklins asked for more than $1 million in damages.

In civil rights lawsuits, damages are usually measured by medical bills, lost wages, property damage, post-traumatic stress, psychological treatment, impairment and others, Agostino said. But in this case, no such evidence was presented, so the jury awarded the plaintiffs the default amount of $1, he said.

You can say that they experienced a deprivation of their constitutional rights, Agostino said.

But other than the deprivation of constitutional rights, the jury did not find other damages that go along with that, he said. They did exactly what they were instructed to do. They applied the law and determined the facts.

According to Agostino, the city did offer $15,000 to settle the case.

Johnny Ulmer, the Franklins attorney, was not available for comment on Monday. But he told the Star that damages for other similar cases are between $100,000 and $300,000.

If they would have put an amount on the table that I felt was appropriate, we would have settled, Ulmer told the Star. What happened that night, the physical abuse that DeShawn suffered  they were slapping my clients in the face with the offer they put out there.

Stephen Saltzburg, a George Washington University law professor who has dealt with cases on excessive use of force, said lawsuits that usually garner big damages involve excessive force that are so out of proportion that the jury was just shocked.

In the Franklins case, although it appeared that the jurors agreed the officers used excessive force, it didnt rise to the level that would justify a big amount. Still, Saltzburg said the amount that the Franklins received doesnt send much of a message to law enforcement about using excessive force.

I wouldve expected most juries to have awarded several thousand dollars, Saltzburg said. It doesnt seem adequate for an illegal entry into a home and for excessive force. Its so low. You cant go any lower. $18 says, We dont really think much of these rights that were violated. Its an unusually low figure.

Nationwide, the 10 largest police departments have paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in cases involving police misconduct from 2010 to 2014.

New York City, which tops the list, paid $601.3 million in misconduct cases, according to the Wall Street Journal. Chicago was a distant second, paying $249.7 million. Washington at No. 6, paid $30.5 million.

Buttigieg, the citys mayor, said the $15,000 that was offered would have been an appropriate settlement, adding that the officers did acknowledge they made a mistake.

One thing thats really important is that people dont get the impression that civil rights are not taken seriously and that constitutional rights are not valued, Buttigieg told The Post.

He added that, after the incident, police officers went through training on fair and impartial policing. He also called DeShawn Franklin an outstanding young man.

I really want him to feel that he has a place here in South Bend, and that the city cares about him, Buttigieg said. Anything that takes away from that is an example of what weve got to deal with. So long as there is any sense among any part of our community that they dont feel equal, weve got work to do.

DeShawn Franklin now works at the University of Notre Dame, where he sets up equipment and moves furniture. He plans to attend a community college to pursue a general studies degree or possibly study business.

He said the meager settlement he and his family received is hard for him to accept, but it is also out of his control.

No one would feel its appropriate for your constitutional rights to be valued at a dollar, he said. I cant really say how much it would be worth, but no ones life is really worth that amount of money, you know.

All he can do now, he said, is move on.

You got to still get up and try to make the best of every situation you have, he said.

southbend
In the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), scientists can sometimes run into one particularly sticky problem. They cant describe anything as interesting without whipping the Internet into an alien-hunting frenzy. Case in point, the latest SETI news: A radio telescope has picked up a signal that Russian astronomers believe might be coming from HD 164595, a sun-size star less than 100 light years away from Earth that hosts a planet about the same mass as Neptune. The SETI Institute says its interesting. Cue the alien hopefuls.

But no, this probably isnt a message from aliens. It could be, but theres no reason to think this signal is particularly promising. In fact, most astronomers seem confused about why the signal is in the news.

According to the Observer, researchers circulated information about the signal to a group that included space and technology writer Paul Gilster. A slide presentation on the research was also sent out to members of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA)s SETI Permanent Committee. The chair of that committee, Claudio Maccone, says that the signal warrants constant monitoring. But the signal seems lacking in the qualities that would usually lead to a public announcement.

I was unimpressed, Eric Korpela, who does SETI research at the University of California at Berkeley, wrote in a post on SETI@Home.  . . . All in all, its relatively uninteresting from a SETI standpoint.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Korpela allowed that he could be missing some crucial information that the Russians havent shared with the public yet. But that wouldnt be great news either  if you take your findings to the media before giving your colleagues enough information to evaluate them, you make it impossible for them to discredit (or support) your results with confidence.

But based on what he has seen of the lauded signal, Korpela is calling foul.

Of course there is always a possibility that it is an extraterrestrial signal, he said, but nothing about it thus far makes me really think that theres more than a one in a million chance that it is.

It appears that researchers using a radio telescope to stare at the sky saw a significant signal (in the statistical sense, not in the earth-shattering sense, Korpela added) in one of 39 passes they made of the same spot.

If thats it  and that seems to be it  well, it isnt much.

The equipment the researchers used cant determine whether the radio signal is broad or narrow band, which is important because natural sources of radio emission (of which there are many) tend to be broad. For a signal to be considered truly interesting, scientists want a narrow band and some indication of intelligent intent. A signal needs to repeat or pulse or vary in a way that could potentially be carrying coded information.

There doesnt appear to be anything like that in this, Korpela said. That doesnt mean that its not artificial, but theres not really any good reason to think that it is.

Korpela added that he wasnt sure why Maccone had sent the research out to the permanent committee. Usually, researchers will wait until theyre very confident about a signal based on all the metrics mentioned above. Then, theyll share word of it with the astronomical community and look for scientists who have found (or can find) the same signal using another telescope. Only then are findings typically shared with the media.

In this case, it has been a year since the Russian scientists detected their strange signal. But no one seems to be aware of any collaborative confirmation being done during that period.

Why is it that were hearing about this now because one of the guys gave a talk in Moscow a year ago? Seth Shostak of the SETI Institute asked in an interview with the Guardian. The institute is now checking for signs of the signal, as is the research group Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI), but so far things have been quiet. And Shostak is skeptical. Maccones explanation is that the Russians are shy. [But] its generally accepted procedure in the SETI community if you find a signal that you think is interesting, you call up people in another observatory and say: Hey, heres the position in the sky, and you see what happens, he said.

Its possible the origin of the signal sits much closer to home.

God knows who or what broadcasts at 11Ghz, and it would not be out of the question that some sort of bursting communication is done between ground stations and satellites, Nick Suntzeff of Texas A&M University told Ars Technica. I would follow it if I were the astronomers, but I would also not hype the fact that it may be at SETI signal given the significant chance it could be something military.

This isnt the first time researchers have leapfrogged to the media, Korpela noted, but in each of the previous incidents, the radio signal turned out to come from natural sources.

It caused embarrassment that astronomers were going around calling things aliens, and then they turned out to be natural phenomenon, so I hoped wed learned our lesson, He said. I guess not.

alien-signal
WASHINGTON  President Barack Obama on Tuesday commuted the sentences for 111 inmates, the latest in his push to ease harsh penalties given to nonviolent drug offenders.

Obama has been critical of what he has called the devastating effects of severe sentences handed down during the countrys war on drugs. He became the first sitting president to visit a federal prison, and spoke there about the importance of second chances.

While the pace of commutations he granted had worried activists earlier this year, Obama has made a push in August to give clemency to scores of additional inmates. Earlier this month, Obama commuted the sentences of 214 other inmates, setting a single-day record for his administration. The 325 commutations he has announced this month are the most from any president in one month, the White House says, and have nearly doubled the total number he has granted while in office.

Entire communities have been ravaged where largely men, but some women, are taken out of those communities, Obama said during a news conference the day after he granted clemency to 214 inmates. Kids are now growing up without parents. It perpetuates a cycle of poverty and disorder in their lives. It is disproportionately young men of color that are being arrested at higher rates, charged and convicted at higher rates, and imprisoned for longer sentences.

Obama said that he hoped the bipartisan push for criminal justice reform could wind up weighing how to fight crime alongside the need for proportionality in sentencing and the need to rehabilitate those who commit crimes.

This latest round announced by the White House on Tuesday pushes the total number of commutations Obama has granted while in office to 673, nearly equal to the number of commutations issued by the previous 11 administrations combined (690).

The clemency initiative is about more than the 111 people who learned today that their sentences have been commuted; its also about the families and communities who will welcome them home as they work to build a new life, Sally Yates, the deputy attorney general, said in a statement.

While the number of commutations Obama has granted far exceeds those of his predecessors dating back to World War II, they still impact a fraction of the countrys massive population of incarcerated people.

At the end of 2014, there were more than 210,000 inmates in federal correctional facilities, along with another 1.3 million in state facilities, according to Justice Department statistics. That year, half of all men and more than half of women in federal prisons were serving time for drug offenses, according to the most recent numbers from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, which released them last fall.

The number of inmates in federal prisons has declined to less than 195,000 earlier this month, according to a memo Yates wrote outlining the Justice Departments plans to stop using private prisons.

With just months left in office, Obama faces a mountain of names seeking clemency and relatively little time to consider their petitions. According to the Justice Department, there were more than 11,000 commutation petitions pending earlier this month, along with more than 1,400 pardon petitions.

In June, a group of experts, activists and former officials wrote to Obama urging him to speed up the process, worrying about the pace during the twilight of his administration.

Obama said during his news conference earlier this month that his main criteria was finding people who would be given much shorter sentences today than they received decades ago, individuals who his administration believes have tried to reform themselves while incarcerated and deserve a second chance.

Our focus really has been on people who we think were overcharged and people who we do not believe have a propensity towards violence, he said.

Here is the full list of people who had their sentences commuted on Tuesday, as released by the White House:

  

IBM Malik Abuhamid Waking Abdunafi  Baltimore, Maryland

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine, at least 50 grams of cocaine base (crack), heroin, and marijuana; distribution of cocaine and cocaine base (crack); distribution of heroin; possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine, at least five grams of cocaine base (crack), heroin, and marijuana; Middle District of Pennsylvania

Sentence: 240 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release; $100,000 forfeiture (August 31, 2007)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016, and obligation and payment of forfeiture remitted.

  

Quentin C. Adams  St. Louis, Missouri

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (two counts); distribution of cocaine base; Western District of Missouri

Sentence: Life imprisonment; eight years supervised release (June 15, 2005)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 262 months imprisonment.

  

Sly Stallone Aikens  Hickory Grove, South Carolina

Offense: Knowingly using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to, and possessing the firearm in furtherance of, a drug trafficking crime (two counts); District of South Carolina

Sentence: 360 months imprisonment; five years supervised release (April 29, 2005); amended to 235 months imprisonment (September 28, 2006)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 180 months imprisonment.

  

Michael Alexander  Charlotte, North Carolina

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; Western District of North Carolina

Sentence: 240 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (October 23, 2006)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Alfonso Allen  Miami, Florida

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; distribution of cocaine base (two counts); possession with intent to distribute cocaine, cocaine base and marijuana; possession of a short barreled shotgun in furtherance of a felony drug offense; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; possession of an unregistered short barreled shotgun; Southern District of Florida

Sentence: Life plus 10 years imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (August 25, 2009)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months imprisonment.

  

Brian Allen Altman  New Berlin, Wisconsin

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (two counts); Western District of Virginia

Sentence: 480 months imprisonment; five years supervised release (February 23, 2007)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 180 months imprisonment.

  

Maurice D. Ball -Kansas City, Missouri

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Western District of Missouri

Sentence: 262 months imprisonment; eight years supervised release (June 22, 2007)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

John Franklin Banks  Lynchburg, Virginia

Offense: Continuing criminal enterprise; Western District of Virginia

Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years supervised release; $250 fine (January 14, 2000 (on remand))

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 292 months imprisonment.

  

Human L. Barrington, III  Norfolk, Virginia

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; Eastern District of Virginia

Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (January 7, 2009)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 180 months imprisonment.

  

Tyrie Bell  Sauk Village, Illinois

Offense: Possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute; Northern District of Illinois

Sentence: 360 months imprisonment; eight years supervised release; $500 restitution (January 19, 2000)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Ronald Owen Bilbrey, Jr.  Winter Haven, Florida

Offense: Conspiracy to traffic in controlled substances; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine (two counts); attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; distribution of methamphetamine (three counts); possession of ephedrine with intent to manufacture methamphetamine; Middle District of Florida

Sentence: 360 months imprisonment; five years supervised release (April 25, 1996)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Tremayne Kendrick Blackwell  Charlotte, North Carolina

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute quantities of cocaine and cocaine base; Western District of North Carolina

Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (February 18, 2009); amended to 240 months imprisonment (November 3, 2015)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 180 months imprisonment.

  

Corey Lyndell Blount  Houston, Texas

Offense: Use of a communication facility in facilitating the commission of felonies under the Controlled Substance Act; continuing criminal enterprise; Western District of Louisiana

Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years supervised release (October 27, 1999)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months imprisonment.

  

Ronald Lee Blount, Jr.  Houston, Texas

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; use of a communication facility in facilitating the commission of felonies under the Controlled Substance Act; Western District of Louisiana

Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (July 9, 1999)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Jerome Lee Borders  Statesville, North Carolina

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; conspiracy to commit money laundering; Western District of North Carolina

Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years supervised release (May 6, 2002 )

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months imprisonment.

  

Brad Bradley Bradford  Tampa, Florida

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine; Middle District of Georgia

Sentence: 180 months imprisonment; three years supervised release (November 6, 2008)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Charles Lee Brandon  Bay City, Michign

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base; Eastern District of Michigan

Sentence: 262 months imprisonment; eight years supervised release (December 22, 2008)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 151 months imprisonment.

  

Walter Breland  Statesville, North Carolina

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine base; possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; felon in possession of a firearm; Southern District of Indiana

Sentence: 420 months imprisonment; eight years supervised release (February 12, 2003)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months imprisonment.

  

Eugene Kenneth Brinson  Newark, New Jersey

Offense: Possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; possess with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride & heroin; possess with intent to distribute marijuana; Eastern District of Virginia

Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (September 8, 2006)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months imprisonment.

  

Roosevelt Brockington  Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Offense: Distribution in excess of five grams of cocaine base; Middle District of Georgia

Sentence: 262 months imprisonment; five years supervised release (February 15, 2007)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 188 months imprisonment.

  

Derrick Lewis Bynum  Hyattsville, Maryland

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; use of a communications device to facilitate narcotics trafficking (three counts); possession with intent to distribute controlled substances (two counts); possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; District of Maryland

Sentence: 300 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (December 19, 2006)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months imprisonment.

  

Juan Benito Calbo-Gomez  Corpus Christi, Texas

Offense:

1. Conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base (crack) and marijuana; Eastern District of Texas

2. Supervised release violation (possession with intent to distribute marijuana); Eastern District of Texas

Sentence:

1. 210 months imprisonment; five years supervised release (October 17, 2006); amended to 168 months imprisonment (November 1, 2014)

2. 18 months imprisonment (February 15, 2007)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Joseph J. Campbell  Summerville, South Carolina

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine and cocaine base; unlawful use of communication facility to facilitate drug trafficking activity; District of South Carolina

Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (February 14, 2006)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Eugene Carlton  Decatur, Georgia

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; Northern District of Georgia

Sentence: 262 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (May 1, 2002)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Shannon Cave  Bronx, New York

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base; Western District of Virginia

Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (December 13, 2005)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 188 months imprisonment.

  

Fred Charles, Jr.  Stopover, Kentucky

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 500 grams of cocaine; use of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime; Western District of Virginia

Sentence: 248 months imprisonment; five years supervised release; $500 fine (April 4, 2002)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Duane Clasen  Evansville, Wisconsin

Offense:

1. Distribution of approximately 6.85 grams of methamphetamine (mixture), after having previously been convicted of one or more felony drug offenses; Northern District of Iowa

2. Supervised release violation (distribution of amphetamine); Northern District of Iolwa

Sentence:

1. 200 months imprisonment (July 25, 2003)

2. 36 months imprisonment (consecutive); six years supervised release; $6,142.75 restitution (October 29, 1999)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 15, 2017, and unpaid balance of restitution obligation remitted.

  

Clarence Douglas Coakley  Dermott, Arkansas

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute cocaine and cocaine base; distribution of cocaine base (two counts); Eastern District of North Carolina

Sentence: Life plus 360 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (December 9, 1996)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months imprisonment.

 Merlin Coleman  Chicago, Illinois

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance; use of a communication facility to facilitate the commission of the distribution of a controlled substance (three counts); possession with intent to distribute cocaine; Northern District of Illinois

Sentence: 240 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (January 9, 2004)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Barry Renfold Cooley  Los Angeles, California

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute narcotics; District of Nebraska

Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years supervised release (December 29, 2004)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Travis Dwaine Corley  Blackville, South Carolina

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base and a quantity of cocaine; District of South Carolina

Sentence: 240 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (July 23, 2003)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Warren Dean Cornett  Houston, Texas

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute in excess of five kilograms of cocaine and in excess of 50 grams cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute in excess of 500 grams of cocaine; possess with intent to distribute in excess of 50 grams of cocaine base; Southern District of Texas

Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (March 27, 1998)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Bobby Richard Cotton, Jr.  Tampa, Florida

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Middle District of Florida

Sentence: 262 months imprisonment; five years supervised release (May 3, 2002)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Jessee Dane Cox  Crumpler, North Carolina

Offense: Conspiracy to possess methamphetamine; Western District of Virginia

Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (May 26, 2009)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Aubrey Jermaine Cummings  Miami, Florida

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of cocaine base and at least five kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride; Middle District of Florida

Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (August 8, 2002)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Eddie James Davis  Bedford, Ohio

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Northern District of Ohio

Sentence: 240 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (November 28, 2006)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Henry Deleon  Corpus Christi, Texas

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute approximately 2.22 kilograms of a mixture or a substance containing methamphetamine; aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute approximately 2.22 kilograms of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine; Southern District of Texas

Sentence: Life imprisonment (December 15, 2006)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months imprisonment.

  

James Dillehay  Akron, Ohio

Offense: Conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine; Northern District of Ohio

Sentence: Life imprisonment (September 10, 1993)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months imprisonment.

  

William R. Downs  Daytona Beach, Florida

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute; Middle District of Florida

Sentence: 260 months imprisonment; five years supervised release (February 2, 2001)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Jarrett Dunn  Cleveland, Tennessee

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess more than 50 grams cocaine base; conspiracy to distribute and possess more than five kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride; possession with intent to distribute more than five grams cocaine base; Eastern District of Tennessee

Sentence: 360 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (May 19, 2005)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 262 months imprisonment.

  

Robert Anthony Eberhart  Garner, North Carolina

Offense: Distribution of cocaine base; possession of a firearm during drug trafficking; Middle District of North Carolina

Sentence: 468 months imprisonment, five years supervised release (February 1, 2005); amended to 420 months imprisonment (November 28, 2012)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months imprisonment.

  

Darryl Dewayne Edwards  Port Arthur, Texas

Offense: Attempt to manufacture 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; possession of a firearm by a felon; Eastern District of Texas

Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years supervised release (November 19, 2008)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Darryl Ellis  Fort Pierce, Florida

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; aiding and abetting; Middle District of Alabama

Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (November 26, 1996)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Mark Foster  Waterford Works, New Jersey

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine; carrying or possessing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; Middle District of Florida Sentence: Life plus 60 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (July 12, 2002)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months imprisonment.

  

Craig William Frazier  Great Falls, Montana

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute marijuana; possession with intent to distribute marijuana; District of Montana

Sentence: 480 months imprisonment; eight years supervised release (December 14, 2006)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Ricardo Gallardo  Rockford, Illinois

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine and one kilogram or more of heroin; distribution of 2,006 grams of cocaine; possession with intent to distribute 6.02 kilograms of cocaine and 996.9 grams of heroin; money laundering; engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity; Northern District of Illinois

Sentence: 360 months imprisonment; five years supervised release; $500 fine (December 16, 2005); amended to 292 months imprisonment (November 1, 2014)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months imprisonment.

  

Jason Gardner  Fort Worth, Texas

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base; Western District of Texas

Sentence: 262 months imprisonment; five years supervised release (March 27, 2003)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Ricky Lamont Garrett  Waco, Texas

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of crack cocaine; Western District of Texas

Sentence: 224 months imprisonment; five years supervised release; $1,000 fine (March 28, 2007)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016, and unpaid balance of $1,000 fine remitted.

  

Orfil Javier Garza  Pacoima, California

Offense: Possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute; carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense; District of Utah

Sentence: 180 months imprisonment; five years supervised release (January 13, 2010)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Antonio Jevon Gayden  Chicago, Illinois

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute, and/or aid and abet the possession with intent to distribute five grams or more but less than 50 grams of cocaine base after having been previously convicted of a felony drug offense; conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base after having been previously convicted of a felony drug offense; Northern District of Iowa

Sentence: 240 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (April 16, 2009)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 120 months imprisonment.

  

Mark Francis Glidden  Clear Lake, Iowa

Offense: Manufacture and attempt to manufacture five grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) after a prior conviction for a felony drug offense; Northern District of Iowa

Sentence: 262 months imprisonment; eight years supervised release (October 22, 2003)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Quincy Allen Goins  Madison, Tennessee

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute in excess of 50 grams of cocaine base; Eastern District of Tennessee

Sentence: Life imprisonment (March 14, 2001)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2017.

  

David Gonzalez  Houston, Texas

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; aiding and abetting the distribution of five grams or more of cocaine base; aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Southern District of Texas

Sentence: 240 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (January 26, 2004)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 31, 2017.

  

Elliott Gray  Baltimore, Maryland

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, and aiding and abetting; District of Maryland

Sentence: 188 months imprisonment; four years supervised release (August 24, 2007)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Randolph S. Gustave  Albuquerque, New Mexico

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute in excess of 1,000 kilograms of marijuana; conspiracy to launder monetary instruments (two counts); Western District of Pennsylvania

Sentence: 324 months imprisonment; five years supervised release (June 21, 2001); amended to 262 months imprisonment (November 1, 2015)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 1, 2017.

  

Ali Reno Harden  Dublin, Georgia

Offense: Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; possession of a firearm having an obliterated serial number; possession with intent to distribute more than five grams of cocaine base; possession of a firearm during the commission of a drug trafficking crime; possession of marijuana; Southern District of Georgia

Sentence: 180 months imprisonment; eight years supervised release; $5,000 fine (February 19, 2009)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016, and unpaid balance of $5,000 fine remitted.

  

Ronnie Lorenzo Hardy  Chipley, Florida

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; principal to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; unlawful possession of a firearm; possession of a firearm during a felony drug offense; Northern District of Florida

Sentence: Life plus 60 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release; $1,000 fine (September 19, 2000)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 270 months imprisonment.

Charles Harrison  Natchez, Mississippi

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Southern District of Mississippi

Sentence: 262 months imprisonment; five years supervised release; $1,500 fine (October 25, 2007)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Jason Thomas Haslip  Las Vegas, Nevada

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute in excess of 500 grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDA or Ecstasy); aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute 87 capsules and 1,419 tablets of Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDA or Ecstasy); aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute 27 grams of methamphetamine; District of Minnesota

Sentence: 324 months imprisonment; five years supervised release (February 17, 2004); amended to 262 months imprisonment (November 1, 2015)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Monroe Herring  Greensboro, North Carolina

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine and cocaine base; Western District of North Carolina

Sentence: 240 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (March 26, 2007)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Emmanuel Herron  Stella, Missouri

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 56.63 grams of crack cocaine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; Northern District of Iowa

Sentence: 180 months imprisonment; five years supervised release (February 22, 2007)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Marvin K. Holloway  District Heights, Maryland

Offense: Unlawful possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; District of Columbia

Sentence: 262 months imprisonment; five years supervised release (November 21, 2000)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Cory Lamonte Huddleston  St. Louis, Missouri

Offense: Possession with the intent to distribute in excess of 50 grams of cocaine base; Eastern District of Missouri

Sentence: 240 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (March 20, 2009)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Kevin Huff  New Orleans, Louisiana

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession with the intent to distribute cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; Eastern District of Louisiana

Sentence: 300 months imprisonment; five years supervised release (September 26, 2001); amended to 275 months imprisonment (November 3, 2008)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

-  

Jose Jasso, Jr.  Progreso, Texas

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; Southern District of Texas

Sentence: 360 months imprisonment; five years supervised release; $10,000 fine (June 27, 1997)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016, and unpaid balance of $10,000 fine remitted.

  

Isaac Simmons Johnson  Macclenny, Florida

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Middle District of Florida

Sentence: 360 months imprisonment; eight years supervised release (May 27, 2004)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Samuel Latrell Johnson  Odessa, Texas

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance; Western District of Texas

Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (October 17, 2002)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Theodore Johnson  Rock Island, Illinois

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine base; Southern District of Illinois

Sentence: 360 months imprisonment; five years supervised release; $5,000 fine (May 19, 2000)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016, and unpaid balance of $5,000 fine remitted.

  

Walter Johnson  Tampa, Florida

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; distributing 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Middle District of Florida

Sentence: 360 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (June 30, 2000)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Tony Lamont Jones  Portsmouth, Virginia

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a mixture or substance containing cocaine base; distribution of cocaine base; Eastern District of Virginia

Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years supervised release (January 29, 1998); amended to 360 months imprisonment (August 28, 2015)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

James Howard Jones  Cartersville, Georgia

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; aided and abetted possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Northern District of Georgia

Sentence: 360 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (June 5, 1997); amended to 324 months imprisonment (November 2, 2015)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Dirk Ladson  Bronx, New York

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing cocaine and cocaine base; Eastern District of Virginia

Sentence: 328 months imprisonment; five years supervised release (January 12, 1995)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Mark Lanzilotti  Sewell, New Jersey

Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; manufacture of methamphetamine and aiding and abetting; Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (April 4, 2002); amended to 360 months imprisonment (August 7, 2006)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months imprisonment.

  

Michael Freeman Lattimore  Lawndale, North Carolina

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Western District of North Carolina

Sentence: 240 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (March 30, 2005)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Gary L. Lynch  Rocky Mount, North Carolina

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base (crack) and cocaine; Eastern District of North Carolina

Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years supervised release; $1,200 restitution (April 30, 2001)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Emmanuel Obi stores  Detroit, Michigan

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin; conspiracy to import heroin; Southern District of New York

Sentence: 240 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (April 11, 2008)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Larry Martin  Chicago, Illinois

Offense: Drug conspiracy; Northern District of Illinois

Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years supervised release (August 12, 1993)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months imprisonment.

  

Rudy Martinez  Chicago, Illinois

Offense: Conspiracy; continuing criminal enterprise; drug distribution (two counts); use of a communication facility in commission of a crime (three counts); interstate travel in aid of racketeering enterprises; Northern District of Illinois

Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years supervised release (April 23, 1992)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Victor Eugene Mason  Washington, North Carolina

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of five kilograms or more of cocaine; District of South Carolina

Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (September 11, 2007)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Rodney R. McCain  Suitland, Maryland

Offense: Distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; felon in possession of a firearm; District of Maryland

Sentence: 200 months imprisonment; five years supervised release (September 14, 2006)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Kenneth Russell McCoy  Council Bluffs, Iowa

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; Southern District of Iowa

Sentence: 216 months imprisonment; seven years supervised release (September 24, 2007)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

London Archie McRae  West End, North Carolina

Offense: Possessed with intent to distribute cocaine base (crack); Middle District of North Carolina

Sentence: 280 months imprisonment; eight years supervised release (May 29, 2007)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Danielle Bernard Metz  New Orleans, Louisiana

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute cocaine; continuing criminal enterprise; possession with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride; laundering of monetary instruments; Eastern District of Louisiana

Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years supervised release (December 15, 1993)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Hal Q. Mincy  Cleveland, Ohio

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base (crack); Northern District of Ohio

Sentence: 240 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (June 15, 2001)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Joseph Newton  Savannah, Georgia

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute controlled substances; use of a communication facility; Southern District of Georgia

Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years supervised release (February 19, 1992); amended to 360 months imprisonment (November 1, 2014)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

James Clinton Patterson, Jr.  Concord, North Carolina

Offense: Possessed with intent to distribute cocaine base (crack); Middle District of North Carolina

Sentence: 262 months imprisonment; eight years supervised release (February 12, 2002)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Raeanna Mae Paxton  Casper, Wyoming

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; Southern District of Iowa

Sentence: 262 months imprisonment; eight years supervised release (July 10, 2008)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Leon Perry  Metter, Georgia

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute a quantity of cocaine base and a quantity of cocaine hydrochloride; Southern District of Georgia

Sentence: 240 months imprisonment; five years supervised release; $2,500 fine (December 10, 2007)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, and unpaid balance of $2,500 fine remitted, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Michael D. Points  Louisville, Kentucky

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Western District of Kentucky

Sentence: 180 months imprisonment; eight years supervised release (December 5, 2006)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Albert Randolph  St. Louis, Missouri

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base; Eastern District of Missouri

Sentence: 160 months imprisonment; four years supervised release (July 1, 2008)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Gregory Augusta Ransom, II  Panama City, Florida

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of a mixture and substance containing cocaine base and cocaine; Northern District of Florida

Sentence: 240 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (February 6, 2008)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Darryl Lamar Reed  San Leandro, California

Offense: Manufacture and possession with intent to distribute crack and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and aiding and abetting; Northern District of California Sentence: 420 months imprisonment; five years supervised release; $50,000 fine (January 29, 1990)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Tommy Rice  Spartanburg, South Carolina

Offense: Aiding and abetting in the commission of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine; District of South Carolina

Sentence: Life imprisonment, 10 years supervised release (January 6, 2004)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Daxtrell D. Robinson  Champaign, Illinois

Offense: Possession of 50 grams or more of cocaine base (crack); Central District of Illinois

Sentence: 240 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (May 25, 2005)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Uriah Alfred Rose  Miami, Florida

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of crack cocaine; Southern District of Florida

Sentence: 188 months imprisonment; four years supervised release (June 7, 2007)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Calvin Dwayne Sangster  St. Louis, Missouri

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (crack); Eastern District of Missouri

Sentence: 188 months imprisonment; four years supervised release (November 30, 2007)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Martez Lamont Sherrod  Greenville, North Carolina

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base and more than 500 grams of cocaine; possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; Eastern District of North Carolina

Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (October 12, 2005)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a expire on December 28, 2016.

  

George E. Smith  Riviera Beach, Florida

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute less than five grams of crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school; possession with intent to distribute a detectable amount of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school; Southern District of Florida

Sentence: 235 months imprisonment; 12 years supervised release (December 8, 2005)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Lue Gene Swarn  Dallas, Texas

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine; use of a communication facility to facilitate the commission of a drug felony; Eastern District of Texas

Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (April 4, 2006)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Western John Thomas  Albion, Michigan

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute more than 100 grams of cocaine base; Western District of Michigan

Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (February 22, 2006)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Timothy L. Tyler  St. Petersburg, Florida

Offense: Possession with intent to deliver LSD; conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute LSD; Middle District of Florida

Sentence: Life imprisonment (July 19, 1994)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Norman Eugene Van Zee  Highmore, South Dakota

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance; District of South Dakota

Sentence: 292 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (October 20, 2003)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Gracie Walker  Granbury, Texas

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance; Northern District of Texas

Sentence: 290 months imprisonment; five years supervised release (July 27, 2007)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Derrick Waller  St. Louis, Missouri

Offense: 1. Supervised release violation (possession of an unregistered firearm and distribution of cocaine); Eastern District of Missouri

2. Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (crack); Eastern District of Missouri

Sentence: 1. 36 months imprisonment (July 17, 2007)

2. 188 months imprisonment (concurrent to the unserved part of the 36-month sentence); four years supervised release (November 2, 2007)

45 months imprisonment (consecutive) (February 16, 1996)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Patrick Willard  Greensboro, North Carolina

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Eastern District of Kentucky Sentence: 327 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (January 8, 2007)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Christopher White  Anderson, South Carolina

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute narcotics; distribution and possession of narcotics with intent to distribute; aiding and abetting; District of Maryland

Sentence: 360 months imprisonment; five years supervised release; $1 fine (July 30, 1999); amended to 289 months imprisonment (November 1, 2014)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Daniel Williams  Schenectady, New York

Offense: Conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and cocaine base; Northern District of New York Sentence: 240 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (May 2, 2008)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Jonathan Carnell Williams  Washington, District of Columbia

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base (crack); District of Maryland

Sentence: 262 months imprisonment; eight years supervised release (May 6, 2003)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

  

Levi Wilson  Denver, Colorada

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, cocaine base and to use a place where cocaine base is manufactured, distributed and used; District of Wyoming

Sentence: 240 months imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (November 3, 2005)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

  

Richard Van Winrow  Los Angeles, California

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute a narcotic drug controlled substance; felon in possession of a firearm; Central District of California

Sentence: Life imprisonment (December 6, 1989)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2017.

  

Raul S. Zavala  Spokane, Washington

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; use of a communication facility to facilitate the commission of a felony; Eastern District of Washington

Sentence: Life imprisonment (April 18, 2006)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months imprisonment.
PHOENIX  Sen. John McCain beat back a primary challenge Tuesday from a Republican tea party activist to win the right to seek a sixth term in November in a race that has been inundated with questions about GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The 2008 GOP presidential nominee easily defeated former state Sen. Kelli Ward and two other Republicans.

He faces a tough Democratic challenge in the November general election from U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick. She advanced Tuesday after facing only a write-in opponent in the primary.

McCain vowed to not take the primary for granted, and he campaigned hard until the end. But the contest between Ward and McCain was often overshadowed by Trump and his outspoken comments.

Trump had attacked many issues dear to the Arizona senator, including the family of a fallen soldier, NATO and even McCains own military service and time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

Yet McCain stuck by his support for Trump, at times seemingly through gritted teeth. He repeatedly avoided calling Trump by name, instead saying hell support his partys nominee.

Trump is set to roll out his plan to handle immigration in Phoenix on Wednesday, with Republican Gov. Doug Ducey making his first appearance with the GOP nominee. Ducey, like McCain, has said he supports his partys nominee but avoided Trump in his previous four campaign stops in Arizona.

Theres no word if McCain will appear at the event.

McCain made no mention of Trump or his many divisive comments in his victory speech Tuesday night, but he sought to strike an inclusive tone as he praised his Latino, Asian-American and Middle Eastern supporters.

There is a lot at stake in this election, no matter who wins the presidency, McCain said. Most of all, its important that Republicans can fight for the resources our military needs.

Ward had been mainly ignored by McCain, but she got national attention by saying in recent interviews that the 80-year-old senator would be unable to complete another six-year term because of his age. Ward also cast the race as a David and Goliath battle, but could not overcome his huge spending advantage and name recognition.

I thought we ran an amazing race like had never been seen against an entrenched career politician, Ward told The Associated Press after the results were announced.

McCain is one of two longtime politicians in their 80s who easily won primaries Tuesday in Arizona.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio won the Republican primary despite a cloud of legal troubles hanging over him. He trounced his three opponents after raising $11.3 million  a staggering sum for a sheriffs race. He will face retired Phoenix police Officer Paul Penzone, the same opponent who took on Arpaio in 2012.

Arpaio also plans to appear with Trump Wednesday, as he has throughout the billionaire businessmans campaign.

Ryan Lukens, a deliveryman, stopped by a central Phoenix polling site after work. The Republican cast a vote against Arpaio, citing his litany of legal problems. But he said McCain continues to have his support.

He has the influence that is needed to keep Arizona great, he said.

All nine U.S. House seats were also on the primary ballot, though just a few are tight races.

A heavily GOP district in the eastern Phoenix suburbs, for instance, featured a four-way race among Republicans who want to replace retiring Rep. Matt Salmon. Senate President Andy Biggs and former dot-com executive Christine Jones led the field and gave an upbeat speech to supporters, but the race remained too close to call late Tuesday.

Enough of these same old career politicians in Washington, Jones said to cheers from the crowd as results were being tallied.

And in a sweeping district that includes much of eastern Arizona outside the Tucson and Phoenix metro areas, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu defeated four other Republicans vying for the chance to advance to November. Hell face the Democrat seeking Kirkpatricks seat, Tom OHalleran.

Babeu was attacked by one of his opponent for the baggage he would hand to a Democratic opponent in the general election. He was forced to publicly acknowledge his homosexuality and drop a congressional bid in 2012 after a story published that featured pictures of him in his underwear that he had posted on a dating website and allegations that he threatened a former lover.

Babeu called his victory historic and said it showed that while Republicans are often portrayed as intolerant they were willing to look past his sexual orientation.

I want to be judged on my merit, on my performance and my contributions to my community and my nation, he said.

And Rep. Paul Gosar won his primary in a heavily Republican district that stretches from Phoenix suburbs to the California border.

Two Democrats battled for the right to take on first-term GOP Rep. Martha McSally in the district once held by Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot in the head in 2011 and resigned a year later.

Tucson physician and former state lawmaker Matt Heinz bested former state Rep. Victoria Steele.

The other statewide contest featured a five-way race among Republicans seeking three seats on the states utility regulation panel, the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Incumbents Andy Tobin, Bob Burns and retired Superior Court Judge Boyd Dunn won the Republican nominations and will face Democrats Bill Mundell and Tom Chabin in the Nov. 8 general election. Mundell and Chabin automatically advanced to the general election.

___

Associated Press writers Astrid Galvan, Jacques Billeaud and Terry Tang contributed to this story.
By PTI: Ahmedabad, Aug 28 (PTI) In its bid to solve water woes of parched Saurashtra, the first phase of Gujarat governments SAUNI scheme which plans to fill 115 dams of the region with excess water from the Sardar Sarovar dam, will be launched in Jamnagar by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 30.

Under Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation Yojna (SAUNI), which could become a milestone in water engineering, the state government envisages to fill 115 dams with excess overflowing water of Sardar Sarovar dam across river Narmada by a web of pipeline networks.

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Modi, in 2012, then chief minister of Gujarat, had launched the scheme, to be developed at a cost of Rs 1,200 crores.

"The phase-I of the project is complete. The Prime Minister will inaugurate it. As many as 10 dams will be filled upto the brim in the first phase. We plan to fill 115 dams of Saurashtra region. The four-phased project is expected to be completed before 2019," Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said.

"It will irrigate over 4 lakh hectares of land and solve the water problem of the region to a large extent," he said.

During monsoon, on an average around three MAFt (million acre feet) water overflows from Sardar Sarovar dam and flows into sea.

The government plans to transfer one MAFt of excess water to dams of Saurashtra, using existing canal networks and then laying a web of pipelines to fill dams that are located in the range of 300 to 500 kms from Sardar Sarovar dam.

Saruashtra, which comprises 11 districts, faces drought like situation often and has been reeling under severe water scarcity due to scanty rainfall in the last two years. (MORE) PTI PD ARS SRY RDS

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Dhaka, Aug 30 (PTI) Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has requested the US to extradite the killers of her father and founder of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Hasina made the request to US Secretary of State John Kerry when he called on her at her office.

Hasina requested the US to extradite the killers of Bangabandhu and most of his family members, who are living there.

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In response to Hasinas request, Kerry said that the US was considering the request.

"I understand your sensitivity, the issue is under review," Kerry said yesterday.

Currently, the Bangladesh government is pursuing diplomatic and legal efforts to bring back six death-row fugitive killers of Bangabandhu, Dhaka Tribune reported.

On August 15, 1975, a group of junior army officers invaded the presidential residence with tanks and killed Mujib, his family and personal staff.Only his daughters Sheikh Hasina Wajed and Sheikh Rehana, who were visiting West Germany, escaped.

At least one of Bangabandhus fugitive killers, Rashed Chowdhury, is believed to be now living in the US.

Recently, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said that he has learnt that death-row convict Rasheds current location was in the US.

Law Minister Anisul Huq also confirmed that Rashed was now living in the US.

The main legal effort of extradition from the US is being carried out by reputed New York-based law firm Skadden for the past two years. PTI UZM AKJ UZM

--- ENDS ---
The Hurriyat has hardened its stand after the notice and said the Indian government is trying to frame and arrest separatist leaders and activists.

By Naseer Ganai: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday issued notice to Dr Syed Naeem Geelani, eldest son of senior separatist leader and Hurriyat Conference chairman, Syed Ali Geelani, asking him to report for questioning at Shivpora Srinagar, a Hurriyat Conference spokesman said.

HURRIYAT NOT PLEASED

The spokesman said that after miserably failing to curb and contain current mass uprising through its military might, the "Indian government is frustrated" to the extent that they are out frame and arrest separatist leaders and activists. The Hurriyat said actions of the NIA would not make any difference to the commitment of Syed Ali Geelani towards the Kashmir cause.

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He said the NIA had been given the task to make up cases against separatist leaders and drag these cases to Delhi to pressurise the separatist leadership. Dr Naeem, who is seen accompanying Geelani, has done his MBBS from the Government Medical College Srinagar and post-graduation from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Science, Islamabad.

WHAT NIA IS DOING

In September 2010, Dr Naeem returned to Kashmir after staying in Pakistan for over a decade. Inspector General of the NIA, SK Singh, who is also its Public Relations Officer, didn't answer the phone to share details. Incidentally, according to sources, the top level NIA team is in Srinagar for the past one week to prepare a list of people whose bank accounts have shown "suspicious transactions" over the past few months.

Sources claim that the agency has under Section 91 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) and 43 F of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), approached banks and financial institution for assistance to prepare the list to probe into the funding of "unlawful activities". The NIA officials have previously told reporters that there are some accounts which are under scanner and they would be investigated as the accounts are in the names of persons whose earnings don't warrant such banking transactions.

HURRIYAT VS GOVERNMENT

Jammu and Kashmir Police is assisting the NIA team and providing it with logistic and technical support. The Hurriyat has hardened its stand after the notice saying like in the past, the government will not achieve anything by such an exercise.

The Hurriyat Conference has said that all programmes of the conglomerate should be followed in letter and spirit. The move against Geelani's son indicates the Mufti-led government's tough stand against the separatist leaders. Syed Ali Geelani has been kept under house arrest, while as J&K Liberation Front chairman, Mohammad Yasin Malik has been lodged in Srinagar Central Jail since mid July.

ALSO READ

Hurriyat calls PDP's appeal to Geelani to consider Mehbooba his daughter an emotional blackmail

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Hurriyat praises and justifies presence of PLA inside PoK



--- ENDS ---
Published On Aug 30, 2016 05:47 PM By Alshaar

Leading the pack of carmakers that have been up in arms against Indias uncertain regulatory issues regarding diesel cars, Toyota Motor Corporation is still not in any rush to roll out new cars in the country despite the Supreme Court lifting the blanket ban earlier this month. But it has now relaxed its stand on freezing all fresh investments in India.

The Japanese auto major will take it slow before making its next move, Toyota Motor Corporation CEO (Asia, Middle East & North Africa region), Hiroyuki Fukui told PTI. "In India we have the emissions, the regulations  We understand it is important for the health of the people. We are trying to find an amicable solution for sustainable growth. That is why I say step by step," he added.

Fukui sounded softer than how other company officials did on earlier occasions while commenting on Toyotas future plans for India. "We will try to focus more on India, to introduce more cars in India that fit Indian people. However, our resources are limited. We have so many tough competitors. We will try to go step by step to be accepted by Indian consumers," he said.

READ: Innova Crysta Petrol vs Diesel

In India, the company has twin production facilities in Bengaluru  in association with Kirloskar Motor  with a total annual capacity of more than three lakh units. However, with the ban on registration of diesel cars with engine displacement of 2000cc and above in Delhi lasting for close to eight months since December last year, the company is operating on only 55 per cent of its total bandwidth.

Stating that Toyota would like to be a good corporate citizen, Fukui said, "India is one of the promising markets in Asia. Our production is only half used. We have huge potential." The automaker has been among the worst hit by the ban, with Delhi contributing 7 to 8 per cent of Toyotas total business in India.
The Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in 2017 will feature a few stardaughters contesting the election. These daughters of prominent leaders will be taking forward the political prowess of their parents. Several parties that have lost their sheen over the past few years are banking on the presence of these daughters of these top leaders on the ballot.



While detractors may term the trend as seething nepotism, these daughters have been reared and groomed for the battle next year. Several of these eight women are joining politics for the first time, but the list has seasoned female politicians too.



Here is the list of politician daughters:





Aditi Singh



Aditi Singh, the daughter of five-time MLA Akhilesh Singh from Raebareli Sadar, has joined the Congress party. Sources said that 28-year-old was handpicked by Priyanka Gandhi. Singh will contest from the same constituency as her father under the Congress party. Akhilesh Singh has witnessed a downfall in his popularity and will hand over the Raebareli baton to his daughter to revitalise his glory.



Akhilesh Singh, Aditi Singh, Priyanka Gandhi and Divyanshi Singh(left to right)) with

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Sanghamitra Maurya is the daughter of former BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya. She will make her presence felt in the UP elections in2017. In 2012, Sanghamitra contested the elections for BSP from Kasganj, however, she failed and also could not make any impact as a politician. In 2014, she contested against Mulayam Singh Yadav and failed from Mainpuri constituency. However, her past failures has not deterred her from contesting the elections on a BJP ticket. Sanghamitra, a doctor by profession, will be contesting from Padrauna constituency.



Sanghamitra Maurya

Aradhana Misra Tiwari



Senior Congress leader Pramod Tiwari's daughter Aradhana Tiwari will be contesting from Pratapgarh constituency in the upcoming elections. Just like Pramod Tiwari, Aradhana is an active politicianwho has won the trust of the Pratapgarh constituents. Pramod Tiwari has been an MLA from 1980 to 2012. In 2014, Aradhana won the by polls by a margin of 67,000 votes. She will be contesting the electionon a Congress ticket.



Aradhana Misra Tiwari

Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel is yet another descendant of a political family from Uttar Pradesh. Anupriya, who is the daughter of politicians late Sone Lal Patel and his wife Krishna Patel, is likely to contest the elections for 2017. Although she is not affiliated to any party yet, sources said that Patel might be roped in for BJP's UP campaign by party president Amit Shah. Anupriya was the general secretary of the Apna Dal Party founded by her father Sone Lal. She,along with six others, was expelled from the party in 2015 by her mother Krishna over allegations of anti-party activities. She has a master's degree in Psychology and another MBA degree.



Anupriya Patel (left) with PM Modi.

She is the daughter of former Minister and MLA Premlata Katiyar and she is hoping to reap in big from the 2017 Assembly elections. Premlata has been an MLA from Kalyanpur constituency of Kanpur for BJP from 1991 and 2007. She was defeated by Samajwadi Party's Satish Nigam in 2012. Neelima has been actively involved with theBJP's youth wing Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha and is tipped to play a major role in the upcoming elections. She is tech savvy and is known for her connect with the youth.



Neelima Katiyar (left) in a promotional poster of BJP. Neelima Katiyar (left) in a promotional poster of BJP.

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Senior Congress leader from Uttar Pradesh Dinesh Singh's sixth daughter Ratna Singh has been elected as an MP three times. She is another heavyweight political descendant to look forward in the UP elections. Ratna Singh is a well known politician in her constituency Pratapgarh despite her defeat to Apna Dal's Harivansh Singh in 2014. She is frequently in news for her wealth and frequent foreign trips.



Rajkumari Ratna Singh Rajkumari Ratna Singh

The Gandhi scion will be most-watched if she chooses to contestAssembly election of 2017 from Uttar Pradesh. The Congress has lostits ground in several states will look to capitalise from the Priyankafactor. She has emerged as the face of the party with posters and cut-outs of her across the state. Priyanka will reportedly lead Congress's aggressive campaign in Uttar Pradesh. She has been a regular in the election campaigns in Amethi and Raibareli. However, this time her role is expected to catapult the party's campaign.



Priyanka Gandhi.

The daughter of former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Nandan Bahuguna will be another strong leader from the Congress party in the next Assembly elections. A PhD in History, Rita Bahuguna has served as the Mayor of Allahabad between 1995 and 2000. She also served as the state president of Congress party in 2012



Rita Bahuguna

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Also read:

UP election: Rahul, Priyanka top Congress big guns list for campaign



--- ENDS ---
A current hot topic in politics is immigration. For hundreds of years, people have been coming to the United States for hundreds of different reasons. But politics and history aside, people keep moving to the United States, and these people earn and spend money, and have to make financial decisions. For someone in a new place with unfamiliar financial systems, this can be a daunting task. Noticing an ever-growing need for financial education and resources to be available to people from a myriad of socioeconomic, cultural, and language backgrounds, the CFPB conducted a field scan of financial education programs available to immigrant populations. The resulting report makes clear some of the financial challenges that many immigrants face.

As this is a clear indicator of the direction the CFPB is heading, it serves as a good reminder to check your credit unions efforts and preparation to work with and educate immigrant consumers. This is a good idea for everyone, but if your credit union is in an area with a high immigrant population, it is particularly important to look ahead and learn how you can improve member reach and service.

Challenges Immigrants Face

Many low- and moderate-income persons find it challenging to build financial well-being. However, the challenges of being an immigrant combined with the challenges of low- to moderate-income socioeconomic status makes the experience even more difficult. The CFPB found that these challenges correlated strongly with knowledge and understanding of the financial system, trust in financial institutions, and experience with financial products.

Misunderstandings about fees and minimum balance requirements led many immigrant households to mistrust and express frustration with their credit unions. These feelings suggest that many immigrant consumers feel more comfortable paying a check casher than managing a bank account with minimum balance requirements and fees. Findings also support the belief that check cashers may have more convenient hours and locations and are more likely to have bilingual staff.

Because these people are new to the United States, credit reporting companies cannot compile a credit history. That means that many immigrants have a thin credit file, or no file at all. For those who were able to get credit, a limited understanding of the features of the products and the information about managing credit and debt further damages their ability to obtain future credit. However, this challenge extends beyond personal credit. According to the Small Business Administration, approximately one in 10 immigrant workers owns a business. Again, lack of credit history and information makes it difficult for these immigrant business owners to borrow beyond personal credit cards and loans.

Many immigrants are unaware or uniformed about the documentation requirements for opening an account at a credit union. Many believed opening a bank account required a Social Security number or a drivers license, when in fact, some credit unions accept foreign passports, consular IDs or other alternative forms of identification.

The above challenges become even more difficult for individuals who have limited English proficiency. Financial disclosures and other documents may only be available in English and many credit unions do not have bilingual employees, particularly for languages other than Spanish. When financial education materials and documents are provided in other languages, they are often translated from English to their literal foreign language equivalent which can be difficult to understand or even unintelligible for the reader. Language challenges also can cause immigrant consumers to be more susceptible to scams and deceptive practices.

Challenges Financial Educators Face

Many of the challenges faced by immigrants correspond to challenges faced by financial educators. Immigrant populations are difficult for financial educators to reach because immigrants, especially those who lack documentation, may not trust offers of help coming from outside their social networks. In addition, many immigrants work nonstandard hours and it may be difficult for credit unions to offer education programs tailored to nontraditional schedules.

Perhaps the biggest challenge faced by financial educators is the language barrier. Finding and producing financial education materials in a variety of languages is difficult, especially for less common languages. Translations are often difficult and require expertise to be effective. Finding, hiring, and retaining bilingual and bicultural staff is also difficult.

Solutions

Outreach and Awareness Campaigns Using awareness campaigns and mass media to give immigrant populations information about U.S. financial institutions and trustworthy sources of financial education for those seeking financial education. For those who would not otherwise seek financial education, some organizations have been effective in using edutainment with embedded educational content to reach immigrant communities.

Financial Education Programs Financial education can be offered through classes or individualized coaching. These services are often tailored to meet immigrant needs. An essential part of increasing financial awareness for consumers who have limited English proficiency is providing language-accessible materials. Many organizations implement Individual Development Account (IDA) programs or similar matched savings programs that are combined with financial education to help low- and moderate-income individuals save for short- and long-term asset-building purchases. The Assets for Independence (AFI) program is a major funder of IDAs available to the broader U.S. population.

Targeted Financial Products and Services Credit union services and other small and credit-building loans can be tailored to cater to the needs and experiences of immigrants. Many immigrants like to bank in person, and the customer service experience matters to them. Thus, making customer service and locations accessible to immigrants is beneficial. Making mortgages available to ITIN holders allows many immigrants without other identification documents to secure mortgage loans. Citizenship loan availability makes citizenship available to immigrants who may otherwise not be able to afford the application cost.



The CFPBs Response

First, the report specifically mentions that CFPB contact centers can assist consumers in more than 180 languages. The calls they have received in languages other than English and Spanish have consistently increased month over month. While your institution may not have the resources for that kind of linguistic coverage, it is still a good idea to be as prepared as possible to meet consumers language needs.

In addition, the CFPB developed The Newcomers Guides to Managing Money, which are intended to provide immigrants with basic and straightforward financial information. These guides are available in a variety of languages and focus on the following topics:

Ways to receive money

Ways to pay bills

Checklist for opening an account

Selecting financial products and services

Even if no hard regulations come of this report, its still prudent for credit unions to be aware of the challenges immigrants face when trying to learn how to navigate our financial system and to provide assistance and resources that will serve immigrant consumers in your area. Regulation or not, improved member outreach and service is always something to strive for.
CUES member Stefanie Rupert, CIE, then a financial services executive from the Chicago area, was offered the chief operating officer post at Collins Community Credit Union in 2011 following a two-hour conference call interview and a day-and-a-half onsite visit to meet the board, executive team and direct reports at the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, CU.

Rupert got a second call soon after the job offer, asking if she would consider being trained as president/CEO Richard Benharts successor, an opportunity she also accepted. She assumed full leadership of the $953 million credit union on April 1.

Despite that early offer, I had to earn it, says Rupert of her five years learning the credit union way. And thats where Rick was amazing. The departing CEO has to be extremely open to allowing a prospective successor to have authority and to make decisions and try new things that the organization has not seen or done before.
For retailers, theres no better season for business than the holiday season. As Summer fades into Fall, and Fall into Winter, shoppers splurge on holiday gifts and goodies for their loved ones. Especially after a global pandemic has kept millions of people in their cities and homes, leaving vacation budgets untouched.

How can your e-commerce store take advantage of this extra boost to the holiday season? How should you plan promotions, email campaigns, and discounts to maximize sales? What are the best promo channels for your store?

This post will give you the lowdown on all the holiday promotion ideas you need, and more!

The Holiday Season at a Glance

Maybe youre still on the fence about maximizing your holiday promotions.

In that case, this chart might change your mind:

This represents the total amount of consumer spending during all holidays in the US in 2019, according to the National Retail Federation. As you can see, the 2019 winter holiday sales accounted for $1,047.83 billion.

Clearly, shoppers are spending massive amounts of money during the holiday season. For e-commerce store owners, this is an opportunity to cash in big.

When Should You Plan Your Holiday Promotions?

The short answer is: as early as possible.

Pinterest advises you should start your holiday promotions in late September or early October.

Traditionally, the shopping season doesnt begin in earnest until late November (after Thanksgiving). But more and more consumers are starting their shopping early to beat the seasonal rush and take advantage of Halloween promotions.

In fact, a Facebook holiday shopping survey revealed that 1 in 5 US consumers starts holiday shopping in October or earlier. According to the Deloitte Consumer Survey, the amount of shoppers who started hitting the shops early in October was a whopping 39 percent.

All this means its a good idea to start your promotions in early October. That way, your marketing machinery is firing on all cylinders in time for the biggest sales day of the yearBlack Friday!

With this in mind, lets take a look at how to plan your promotions.

Preparing Your Online Store for the Holiday Promos

Before you tackle a full-blown promotional campaign, its important to prep your business for the holiday rush.

Heres how:

Step 1. Create a holiday promotional calendar

It helps to have a detailed overview of where and when youll run promotions. For this, youll need the following:

A list of targeted holiday promos: Figure out when your business sells most of its goods, and use that info to make a list of target holidays. As a rule, if you sell cheap, impulse buys, your sales will come either in the first half of the season, or right before big holidays. If you sell expensive, decision-intensive products, most shoppers will wait until November in hopes of a discount.

products, most shoppers will wait until November in hopes of a discount. A list of promotion materials: Gather all your promotion materialsemails, graphics, banners, ads, etcand separate them by the holiday. That means all your Halloween-themed promos go in one folder, Black Friday-themed promos in another. Then check to see if there are any graphics or ads you can repurpose for multiple holiday promos.

Its important to remember that shoppers dont always limit themselves to 1-2 days of shopping, but often spread their purchases across several days.

While Black Friday and Cyber Monday should be a focal point of your sales promotion, its a good idea to use promotions throughout the holiday period.

10 Days to Your Holiday Season Sale It's time to prepare for your holiday season sales! Download our free planner to guide you on your merry way. Please enter a valid email address I consent to receive Ecwid Newsletter. I can unsubscribe anytime.

Step 2. Make sure your website is available

The last thing you want this holiday season is for your web host to go down, or your website CMS to break. Before you start promoting, make sure that youve prepped your website for the avalanche of traffic ahead.

Upgrade to a faster webhost . Learn about how your webhost handles its infrastructure for the holiday rush. Make sure the host can cope with a big traffic spike. If not, it might be time for a change.

. Learn about how your webhost handles its infrastructure for the holiday rush. Make sure the host can cope with a big traffic spike. If not, it might be time for a change. Get a CDN . This will make your website load much faster. This is crucial since 90% of shoppers will abandon a slow site according to the latest Retail System Research report.

. This will make your website load much faster. This is crucial since 90% of shoppers will abandon a slow site to the latest Retail System Research report. Make your website mobile-friendly . 67.2% of all e-commerce purchases in 2019 were made from mobile phones, according to Merchant Savvy research. M-commerce sales broke records on both Black Friday ($2.9B) and Cyber Monday (US$ 3.1B). By making your website mobile-friendly you can tap into this massive market, while also giving your SEO a boost.

Step 3. Establish social media presence

As an ecommerce store owner, you already know that social media represents a massive opportunity. Facebook alone has 2.7 billion users, while Twitters audience is 330 million, and Instagram boasts 1 billion users.

Social media plays an important role in holiday promos as well. According to Deloittes Holiday Survey of Consumers, 23% of consumers turn to social media help with their holiday shopping.

To take full advantage of social media, make sure you have the following:

Profiles on each of the top 4 social networksFacebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Links on your profiles back to a holiday-themed site landing page with active promotions/contests/deals.

site landing page with active promotions/contests/deals. Profiles with holiday-themed cover images and profile pictures. Think pumpkins and zombies for Halloween, snowmen and Santa Claus for Christmas.

cover images and profile pictures. Think pumpkins and zombies for Halloween, snowmen and Santa Claus for Christmas. Offers pinned to the top of the feed on Facebook and Twitter and announced in your Instagram bio.

A spot on the Pinterest holiday rush train. Shoppers actively use Pinterest to make inspired decisions. And pinners that report Pinterest helps with everything Holiday.

Step 4. Promotion infrastructure and tools

Have you completed funnels with landing pages and emails for the holiday season sales?

If not, you need to prep your infrastructure for holiday promotions, pronto!

Heres what youll need:

An email marketing tool . This will send out all your promotional emails, newsletters and autoresponder sequences. Some vetted options are MailChimp, AWeber, Constant Contact, and InfusionSoft.

. This will send out all your promotional emails, newsletters and autoresponder sequences. Some vetted options are MailChimp, AWeber, Constant Contact, and InfusionSoft. A landing page tool . Youll need this to create holiday-themed promo pages and to capture leads and sales. Pick from LeadPages, Instapage, or Unbounce.

. Youll need this to create promo pages and to capture leads and sales. Pick from LeadPages, Instapage, or Unbounce. Analytics software . This will help you figure out where your traffic and sales are coming from, and how you should plan your marketing. Google Analytics is a good free choice, but you can also try KISSMetrics and Mixpanel. Ecwid store owners can see all the important store stats in the Reports section of their control panel.

. This will help you figure out where your traffic and sales are coming from, and how you should plan your marketing. Google Analytics is a good free choice, but you can also try KISSMetrics and Mixpanel. Ecwid store owners can see all the important store stats in the Reports section of their control panel. A social media marketing tool . Social media is a big channel for retailers. According to our survey, 65% of Ecwid merchants use social media to promote their products. To take advantage, youll need something to schedule your social media content. HootSuite and Buffer are all viable options.

. Social media is a big channel for retailers. According to our survey, 65% of Ecwid merchants use social media to promote their products. To take advantage, youll need something to schedule your social media content. HootSuite and Buffer are all viable options. A blogging tool . A blog will help you show up in search results when someone is on the hunt for gift idea inspiration. Try for blog posts with titles that match what your customer might be searching for. Ex: gifts for ___ lover(s), thoughtful gift, unique gift, or gift for someone who has everything (or wants nothing). A blog will also help you connect to your shoppers and build brand loyalty. This can be crucial in a fickle market. We recommend using WordPress for your blog if youre just starting out.

. A blog will help you show up in search results when someone is on the hunt for gift idea inspiration. Try for blog posts with titles that match what your customer might be searching for. Ex: gifts for ___ lover(s), thoughtful gift, unique gift, or gift for someone who has everything (or wants nothing). A blog will also help you connect to your shoppers and build brand loyalty. This can be crucial in a fickle market. We recommend using WordPress for your blog if youre just starting out. A pop-up tool. Youll need this to capture leads and offer discounts/deals to shoppers. Some pop-up tools like BounceExchange even use behavioral targeting to show offers to cart-abandoning visitors. Other options include Picreel and LeadPages.

Do you need a beautiful and fast website to establish your brand presence online? Learn How to Create a WordPress E-Commerce Website.

Planning Your Holiday Marketing

Now that youve done the prep work, its time to start planning your holiday marketing campaign.

There are two main components: targeting the right channels and using the right promotions.

Lets take a more detailed look:

Choose the right marketing channels

Facebook, Twitter, content marketing, AdWords  there are more marketing channels today than you can count. Which should be your main focus point? Which can you ignore?

Here are some things you must know before choosing a marketing channel:

Budget. Not all marketing channels cost the same. PPC (AdWords), for example, demand a much larger budget than inbound marketing. If you have the budget for it, we recommend paid advertising. But if not, there are free methods such as social media and content marketing. There, your only investment is time.

Existing expertise. Its better to focus on a channel you already understand than to waste time mastering a new marketing medium. If you (or someone on your team) is a keyword expert, focus on AdWords. If you are a meme queen, focus on content marketing. If you are good at photography, head over to Instagram, and so on.

Audience demographics. Ask yourself: where are my target customers most likely to hang out? If you sell hearing aids, you might not see a lot of results from social media. Similarly, if you sell business gifts, youll do better on LinkedIn than on Facebook. Take a look at this page to better understand social network demographics. Generally speaking, LinkedIn is for business, Pinterest is popular with crafty women, and SnapChat and Instagram speak to millennials.

Product type. Pick a marketing channel that fits your product type. For example, lifestyle, food, and fashion-related products do well on platforms that promote discovery, (like Pinterest and Instagram). Tech-related products perform better on channels like blogs that offer shoppers research and reviews.

This will help you choose the right platform(s) to target with selected promotions.

Use the right promotions

The wrong promotion can kill even the best laid holiday marketing plans. So before you spend a penny on a marketing channel, its important to think your personalized promotion plan all the way through.

Here are some pointers for your journey into the promotional woods:

Double down on email. According to Tinuiti data, 58.5% of shoppers said they are likely to make a purchase triggered by a promotion they received through email. That means doubling down on email marketing during this season will likely see great returns.

Free shipping is crucial. According to Deloitte research, 72% of shoppers expect free shipping offers from online merchants. Free shipping is a major purchase driver compared to BOGO offers and Cash Back incentives.

The moral of the story: offer free shipping during your holiday promotions, at least for orders above a certain threshold (like $50). Then make sure that customers know about this dealuse a pop-up or a bold graphic to hype up your free shipping offer.

Deals. Deals. And more deals! Google data studies show that price is an important factor for 90% of shoppers. 92% of them compare prices online to get the best bargain before hitting buy.

Your customers expect great deals during the holiday season. If you want to capture and retain their attention, make sure you come through with those steep discounts.

Encourage loyalty. Forbes found that the primary reason for 50% of consumers to join a loyalty program was to earn rewards on everyday purchases. Also, 87% of consumers were open to brands monitoring details of their activity if it led to more personalized rewards.

Keep this in mind when planning your promotions. Find out who your most loyal customers are, then give them rewards/discounts to encourage continued loyalty.

Dont forget gift cards. In the frenzy of holiday season deals, its easy to forget about this long-standing promotional work-horse. The humble gift card still represents big business. Statista data shows that gift card market value worldwide exceeded $358 billion in 2019. A Deloitte Holiday Consumer Survey found that 53% of consumers purchased gift cards or certificates. The average spent on gift cards per person last holiday season was $129.

Keep this in mind when planning your promotions. Make sure shoppers can easily buy gift cards from your website or physical store. You can sell gift cards in your Ecwid store out of the box, no third party apps required.

Run better contests. Contests are old hat in the marketing world, but for good reason: they work. The hard part is standing out in a season where every other business seems to run its own contest.

Keys to running a successful holiday contest:

Select the right prizes : Offer something that is relevant to your target customers. Ex: if your customers love to travel, offer them quality travel gear as a prize.

: Offer something that is relevant to your target customers. Ex: if your customers love to travel, offer them quality travel gear as a prize. Make it social: One way to encourage shares is to connect the contest to social media. For example, you can give participants extra entries for every referral they make, thereby encouraging shares.

If youre new to online contests, here are 25 proven contest ideas to promote your online business.

Conclusion

The holiday season can be tough for store owners, but it is also a time of amazing possibility. Making the most of your shops potential for profits might be hard work, but the returns are well worth it.

Just remember: start early, focus on social content, and offer plenty of deals to win over customers. Now get out there and make that holiday cheddar. You can thank us in the new year!



Learn more Launch an online store with Ecwid in minutes

Learn more about maximizing your profit on Holiday Season!
Leader of Netherlands most popular party Geert Wilders has proposed a closure of all Mosques in the country and a total ban on the Koran ahead of the 2017 general election.

Leader of the populist Party for Freedom (PVV) Geert Wilders has proposed the most radical anti-Islamisation platform for any party in European politics. Wilders, whose PVV are currently top of all major polls in the Netherlands, has declared that the new platform for the party ahead of the general elections in 2017 will include the plan to close all Mosques in the country and place a ban on the Islamic holy book, the Koran. Wilders claims that the move is to counter the Islamisation he sees ongoing in the country reports Belgian paper Demorgen.

The PVV platform for the 2017 election was released by Wilders first via his Twitter account and carried the theme of de-Islamisation. The PVV states that it would like to see not only a closure of all the mosques in the country and a ban on the Koran but also a ban on the Islamic headscarf for women in any public setting. Asylum seekers were also mentioned by the document which wants to repeal all temporary residency permits for all asylum seekers and close all asylum centres in the country.

Like many countries in Europe the Netherlands has had an issue with its citizens who have gone off to fight for the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq returning home. The PVV is clear on its position regarding these current or former Islamic State fighters saying that any ISIS members will not be allowed to return to the Netherlands.

The new platform makes a sharp increase in pressure from the party against Islamisation. During the last parliamentary campaign the PVV proposed to allow up to a thousand asylum seekers into the country per year. The ongoing migrant crisis and multiple acts of terror in European cities over the past few months has influenced the opinion of Wilders and the party who are known as one of the toughest on Islamism in Europe.

Wilders himself says he is, incredibly proud of the draft, of the party platform and reaffirmed his commitment to follow the United Kingdom out of the European Union. Wilders has long been an advocate of getting the Netherlands out of the political bloc who he claims stifle any meaningful asylum of immigration policy passed by the Dutch parliament.

Earlier this year writing exclusively for Breitbart London Wilders called for a Patriot Spring across Europe and North America. As Austrian Freedom Party presidential candidate Norbert Hofer leads in polls ahead of the October 2nd Austrian Presidential election, the German Alternative for Germany have become the 3rd largest party in Germany and Wilders PVV are projected to win at least ten seats more than the current ruling party, the patriot spring may have begun.

Source: Breitbart
Nuclear Shutdown News August 2016 blackrainpress [at] hotmail.com) by Michael Steinberg

Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear power industry in the US and beyond, and highlights the efforts of those who are working to create a nuclear free future. Here is our August 2016 edition:



Nuclear Shutdown News August 2016





Michael Steinberg Black Rain Press





Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear power industry in the US and beyond, and highlights the efforts of those who are working to create a nuclear free future. Here is our August 2016 edition:





1. US nuclear industry reaches a new low with resale of decrepit nuke plant already scheduled to permanently shut down next year.



On July 12, Syracuse.com in upstate New York announced, "Entergy to sell FitzPatrick to Exelon in mid-August."



The FitzPatrick nuclear plant is located in Lake Ontario near the Canadian border. It started up in late 1974, not long after Richard Nixon's reign over the White House permanently shut down. This means the nuke plant's one reactor has been cranking away for almost 42 years, releasing radiation into the air and water in the Great Lakes region all the while.



US nuclear reactors were designed to operate only 40 years.



FitzPatrick's reactor is exactly like the four ruined Japanese reactors at Fukushima, designed and built by US corporate behemoth General Electric.



Originally owned and operated by Niagara Mohawk, it is one of the most inappropriately named nukes in the nation, along with Indian Point, Millstone, Pilgrim and Turkey Point, ownership was later handed off to the likewise unfortunately monickered New York Power Authority.



Around the turn of the century, as FitzPatrick was approaching age 30, New Orleans-based Entergy began buying up a number of aging troubled nuclear plants at (for nukes) bargain basement prices, including FitzPatrick, planning to milk them as long as they could get away with it.



Now that it can no longer make money off risky relics, Entergy has begun to shut them down, like Vermont Yankee in 2014. Pilgrim on Cape Cod in Massachusetts is on Entergy's closure list as well.



Earlier this year, Entergy announced it would be closing FitPatrick next year as well.





Enter Cuomo





New York Governor Mario Cuomo has actively supported the shutdown of Indian Point's two messed up reactors. Located in the Hudson River this nuke is less than 40 miles north of New York City.



But when FitzPatrick's's proposed closure went public, Cuomo turned tail, citing supposed concerns about a threat to the state's electrical supply.



Subsequently he led the charge in an effort in the state legislature that resulted in a multibillion dollar bailout for FitzPatrick and several other dangerously degenerated unprofitable upstate nuke plants, to keep them going solely because of this taxpayer pocket emptying subsidy.



By the way, Entergy is the 2nd largest owner and operator of US nuke plants. Number one on that despicable list is Chicago-based Exelon. Exelon had been pressuring the Illinois legislature to give it big time bucks to bail out a number of its nukes in the region that have become chronic money losers.



But the Illinois legislature refused to defraud Illinois citizens, so last month Exelon announced it would be closing down two of its loser nukes next year, with more such closures looming in the future.



So now Entergy and Exelon will get their way in the Empire State with FitzPatrick, whose sale price of $110 million it will easily recoup thanks to Cuomo's shameful move. His Clean Energy Standard act will provide $482 million per year to "financially strapped nuclear plants" in New York, excluding Indian Point. Syracuse.com reported that Entergy's Bill Moke said, while thanking "Cuomo for his leadership."



For his part Cuomo said he was "pleased by the significant progress being made."



Exelon also owns two other aged General Electric built nuclear plants on Lake Ontario in New York, comprising three reactors, Ginna and Nine Mile Point, which will likewise share in the taxpayer ripoff subsidy buck while increasing the threat of a meltdown on Lake Ontario.





Source: Syracuse.com





2. Vermont Yankee nuke plant to ship massive amounts of radioactive water to Tennessee.





On July 16 the Associated Press reported, "Plans to ship hundreds of thousands of gallons to Tennessee processing facility raising concerns."



As reported before, the Entergy owned Vermont Yankee nuke plant shut down in 2014. As we are learning, , since more and more US nukes are closing, a whole new set of problems are arising. , because shut down nuclear reactors leave behind vast amounts of radioactive waste that poses a threat to the health of of humans and other living beings.



In the case of Vermont Yankee, "a huge donut shaped space in its reactor" called a taurus, "with a capacity to hold 1.1 million gallons of emergency cooling water, has become "a giant holding tank for (radioactive) water waiting to be sent away" since Vermont Yankee's closure, the AP reported.



"Radiation in the taurus has grown substantially," Neil Sheehan of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission told the AP.



Arnie Gunderson, a nuclear engineer turned whistleblower, added, ""The taurus now contains a witches blend of radioactive chemicals."



Another complicating factor is "intrusion water", water seeping into the plant from outside. The NRC considers this water "only slightly radioactive" and plans to release it into the Connecticut River, which flows by Vermont Yankee south though into Massachusetts and Connecticut before emptying into Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean.



Paul Gunter, a longtime no nukes activist, told the AP, "I'd like to see public notification of shipments and routes, and first responders along the route notified ahead of time and placards noting contents on the outside of trucks."



Tennessee, where Entergy wants to send the Vermont Yankee radioactive waste to, is site of the Oak Ridge nuclear facility, which was built during World War II to develop the atomic bomb. It already has vast amounts of nuclear waste.





Source: Associated Press, ap.com.







Nuclear Shutdown News August 2016





Michael Steinberg Black Rain Press





Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear power industry in the US and beyond, and highlights the efforts of those who are working to create a nuclear free future. Here is our August 2016 edition:





1. US nuclear industry reaches a new low with resale of decrepit nuke plant already scheduled to permanently shut down next year.



On July 12, Syracuse.com in upstate New York announced, "Entergy to sell FitzPatrick to Exelon in mid-August."



The FitzPatrick nuclear plant is located in Lake Ontario near the Canadian border. It started up in late 1974, not long after Richard Nixon's reign over the White House permanently shut down. This means the nuke plant's one reactor has been cranking away for almost 42 years, releasing radiation into the air and water in the Great Lakes region all the while.



US nuclear reactors were designed to operate only 40 years.



FitzPatrick's reactor is exactly like the four ruined Japanese reactors at Fukushima, designed and built by US corporate behemoth General Electric.



Originally owned and operated by Niagara Mohawk, it is one of the most inappropriately named nukes in the nation, along with Indian Point, Millstone, Pilgrim and Turkey Point, ownership was later handed off to the likewise unfortunately monickered New York Power Authority.



Around the turn of the century, as FitzPatrick was approaching age 30, New Orleans-based Entergy began buying up a number of aging troubled nuclear plants at (for nukes) bargain basement prices, including FitzPatrick, planning to milk them as long as they could get away with it.



Now that it can no longer make money off risky relics, Entergy has begun to shut them down, like Vermont Yankee in 2014. Pilgrim on Cape Cod in Massachusetts is on Entergy's closure list as well.



Earlier this year, Entergy announced it would be closing FitPatrick next year as well.





Enter Cuomo





New York Governor Mario Cuomo has actively supported the shutdown of Indian Point's two messed up reactors. Located in the Hudson River this nuke is less than 40 miles north of New York City.



But when FitzPatrick's's proposed closure went public, Cuomo turned tail, citing supposed concerns about a threat to the state's electrical supply.



Subsequently he led the charge in an effort in the state legislature that resulted in a multibillion dollar bailout for FitzPatrick and several other dangerously degenerated unprofitable upstate nuke plants, to keep them going solely because of this taxpayer pocket emptying subsidy.



By the way, Entergy is the 2nd largest owner and operator of US nuke plants. Number one on that despicable list is Chicago-based Exelon. Exelon had been pressuring the Illinois legislature to give it big time bucks to bail out a number of its nukes in the region that have become chronic money losers.



But the Illinois legislature refused to defraud Illinois citizens, so last month Exelon announced it would be closing down two of its loser nukes next year, with more such closures looming in the future.



So now Entergy and Exelon will get their way in the Empire State with FitzPatrick, whose sale price of $110 million it will easily recoup thanks to Cuomo's shameful move. His Clean Energy Standard act will provide $482 million per year to "financially strapped nuclear plants" in New York, excluding Indian Point. Syracuse.com reported that Entergy's Bill Moke said, while thanking "Cuomo for his leadership."



For his part Cuomo said he was "pleased by the significant progress being made."



Exelon also owns two other aged General Electric built nuclear plants on Lake Ontario in New York, comprising three reactors, Ginna and Nine Mile Point, which will likewise share in the taxpayer ripoff subsidy buck while increasing the threat of a meltdown on Lake Ontario.





Source: Syracuse.com





2. Vermont Yankee nuke plant to ship massive amounts of radioactive water to Tennessee.





On July 16 the Associated Press reported, "Plans to ship hundreds of thousands of gallons to Tennessee processing facility raising concerns."



As reported before, the Entergy owned Vermont Yankee nuke plant shut down in 2014. As we are learning, , since more and more US nukes are closing, a whole new set of problems are arising. , because shut down nuclear reactors leave behind vast amounts of radioactive waste that poses a threat to the health of of humans and other living beings.



In the case of Vermont Yankee, "a huge donut shaped space in its reactor" called a taurus, "with a capacity to hold 1.1 million gallons of emergency cooling water, has become "a giant holding tank for (radioactive) water waiting to be sent away" since Vermont Yankee's closure, the AP reported.



"Radiation in the taurus has grown substantially," Neil Sheehan of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission told the AP.



Arnie Gunderson, a nuclear engineer turned whistleblower, added, ""The taurus now contains a witches blend of radioactive chemicals."



Another complicating factor is "intrusion water", water seeping into the plant from outside. The NRC considers this water "only slightly radioactive" and plans to release it into the Connecticut River, which flows by Vermont Yankee south though into Massachusetts and Connecticut before emptying into Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean.



Paul Gunter, a longtime no nukes activist, told the AP, "I'd like to see public notification of shipments and routes, and first responders along the route notified ahead of time and placards noting contents on the outside of trucks."



Tennessee, where Entergy wants to send the Vermont Yankee radioactive waste to, is site of the Oak Ridge nuclear facility, which was built during World War II to develop the atomic bomb. It already has vast amounts of nuclear waste.





Source: Associated Press, ap.com.





Nuclear Shutdown News August 2016





Michael Steinberg Black Rain Press





Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear power industry in the US and beyond, and highlights the efforts of those who are working to create a nuclear free future. Here is our August 2016 edition:





1. US nuclear industry reaches a new low with resale of decrepit nuke plant already scheduled to permanently shut down next year.



On July 12, Syracuse.com in upstate New York announced, "Entergy to sell FitzPatrick to Exelon in mid-August."



The FitzPatrick nuclear plant is located in Lake Ontario near the Canadian border. It started up in late 1974, not long after Richard Nixon's reign over the White House permanently shut down. This means the nuke plant's one reactor has been cranking away for almost 42 years, releasing radiation into the air and water in the Great Lakes region all the while.



US nuclear reactors were designed to operate only 40 years.



FitzPatrick's reactor is exactly like the four ruined Japanese reactors at Fukushima, designed and built by US corporate behemoth General Electric.



Originally owned and operated by Niagara Mohawk, it is one of the most inappropriately named nukes in the nation, along with Indian Point, Millstone, Pilgrim and Turkey Point, ownership was later handed off to the likewise unfortunately monickered New York Power Authority.



Around the turn of the century, as FitzPatrick was approaching age 30, New Orleans-based Entergy began buying up a number of aging troubled nuclear plants at (for nukes) bargain basement prices, including FitzPatrick, planning to milk them as long as they could get away with it.



Now that it can no longer make money off risky relics, Entergy has begun to shut them down, like Vermont Yankee in 2014. Pilgrim on Cape Cod in Massachusetts is on Entergy's closure list as well.



Earlier this year, Entergy announced it would be closing FitPatrick next year as well.





Enter Cuomo





New York Governor Mario Cuomo has actively supported the shutdown of Indian Point's two messed up reactors. Located in the Hudson River this nuke is less than 40 miles north of New York City.



But when FitzPatrick's's proposed closure went public, Cuomo turned tail, citing supposed concerns about a threat to the state's electrical supply.



Subsequently he led the charge in an effort in the state legislature that resulted in a multibillion dollar bailout for FitzPatrick and several other dangerously degenerated unprofitable upstate nuke plants, to keep them going solely because of this taxpayer pocket emptying subsidy.



By the way, Entergy is the 2nd largest owner and operator of US nuke plants. Number one on that despicable list is Chicago-based Exelon. Exelon had been pressuring the Illinois legislature to give it big time bucks to bail out a number of its nukes in the region that have become chronic money losers.



But the Illinois legislature refused to defraud Illinois citizens, so last month Exelon announced it would be closing down two of its loser nukes next year, with more such closures looming in the future.



So now Entergy and Exelon will get their way in the Empire State with FitzPatrick, whose sale price of $110 million it will easily recoup thanks to Cuomo's shameful move. His Clean Energy Standard act will provide $482 million per year to "financially strapped nuclear plants" in New York, excluding Indian Point. Syracuse.com reported that Entergy's Bill Moke said, while thanking "Cuomo for his leadership."



For his part Cuomo said he was "pleased by the significant progress being made."



Exelon also owns two other aged General Electric built nuclear plants on Lake Ontario in New York, comprising three reactors, Ginna and Nine Mile Point, which will likewise share in the taxpayer ripoff subsidy buck while increasing the threat of a meltdown on Lake Ontario.





Source: Syracuse.com





2. Vermont Yankee nuke plant to ship massive amounts of radioactive water to Tennessee.





On July 16 the Associated Press reported, "Plans to ship hundreds of thousands of gallons to Tennessee processing facility raising concerns."



As reported before, the Entergy owned Vermont Yankee nuke plant shut down in 2014. As we are learning, , since more and more US nukes are closing, a whole new set of problems are arising. , because shut down nuclear reactors leave behind vast amounts of radioactive waste that poses a threat to the health of of humans and other living beings.



In the case of Vermont Yankee, "a huge donut shaped space in its reactor" called a taurus, "with a capacity to hold 1.1 million gallons of emergency cooling water, has become "a giant holding tank for (radioactive) water waiting to be sent away" since Vermont Yankee's closure, the AP reported.



"Radiation in the taurus has grown substantially," Neil Sheehan of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission told the AP.



Arnie Gunderson, a nuclear engineer turned whistleblower, added, ""The taurus now contains a witches blend of radioactive chemicals."



Another complicating factor is "intrusion water", water seeping into the plant from outside. The NRC considers this water "only slightly radioactive" and plans to release it into the Connecticut River, which flows by Vermont Yankee south though into Massachusetts and Connecticut before emptying into Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean.



Paul Gunter, a longtime no nukes activist, told the AP, "I'd like to see public notification of shipments and routes, and first responders along the route notified ahead of time and placards noting contents on the outside of trucks."



Tennessee, where Entergy wants to send the Vermont Yankee radioactive waste to, is site of the Oak Ridge nuclear facility, which was built during World War II to develop the atomic bomb. It already has vast amounts of nuclear waste.





Source: Associated Press, ap.com.






























Award-Winning Author to Speak at Presidents Convocation

Aug. 30, 2016

Jenny Nordberg

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. Author and journalist Jenny Nordberg will speak Sept. 14 at the Presidents Convocation at Illinois Wesleyan University. Nordberg is the author of The Underground Girls of Kabul , which was selected for the Universitys Summer Reading Program.

Nordbergs book is based on her extensive research and reporting inside a war zone on the practice of bacha posh  how girls grow up disguised as boys in gender-segregated Afghanistan. In 2010, Nordberg broke the story to a global audience in her work published in The New York Times and The International Herald Tribune. The practice of "bacha posh," which had never been previously documented, offers new and previously unknown details about Afghanistan and the inner workings of the deeply conservative society. Nordbergs book raises new and profound questions about gender in children and teens, nature versus nurture, religion, sexuality, and what roles women play during war. The book has won numerous awards, including the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize and a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2014. Nordberg has also developed the website bachaposh.com as an online resource for girls who have grown up as boys due to segregation.

Nordberg is an award-winning journalist and foreign correspondent, columnist and television producer. Together with The New York Times investigative unit, she worked on projects such as the examination of the American freight railroad system, a series that won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting. Also with the Times, she worked on a project on U.S. efforts at exporting democracy to Haiti. She has produced and written several documentaries for American television, and she is also a member of the first investigative team at Swedish Broadcastings national radio division, where she supervised projects on terrorism and politics. She has won awards from Investigative Reporters and Editors and the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. Nordberg holds a B.A.in law and journalism from Stockholm University, and an M.A. from Columbia Universitys Graduate School of Journalism.

The Presidents Convocation, which begins at 11 a.m. in Presser Halls Westbrook Auditorium (1210 N. Park St., Bloomington), traditionally opens the academic year at Illinois Wesleyan. Nordbergs address is free and open to the public. She will also sign copies of the book at 1 p.m. Sept. 14 in the Memorial Center Young Main Lounge.
"If India hastily joins the US alliance system," an editorial in the Global Times suggested, "it may irritate China, Pakistan or even Russia. It may not make India feel safer, but will bring strategic troubles to itself and make itself a centre of geopolitical rivalries in Asia."

By Ananth Krishnan: As India and the United States today finally inked a long-discussed defence logistics support agreement, China's state media described the move as "a leap forward" in defence ties but added that any future move by India to join the US "alliance system" would bring "strategic troubles".

An editorial in the Global Times, a widely tabloid published by the official People's Daily known for its nationalistic views, today said the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement(LEMOA) deal which would give both sides access to bases and military logistics support was "undoubtedly a leap forward in US-India military cooperation".

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Also Read: India, US sign logistic exchange pact boosting defence ties



TROUBLES FOR INDIA IF IT JOINS US ALLIANCE?

At the same time, the paper said it did not see the deal as reflecting a change in India's "prudent" balancing strategy or a loss of "strategic independence" that "may render New Delhi a 'follower' of Washington".

"If India hastily joins the US alliance system," it suggested, "it may irritate China, Pakistan or even Russia. It may not make India feel safer, but will bring strategic troubles to itself and make itself a centre of geopolitical rivalries in Asia."

Reflecting China's irritation at the American "pivot" or "rebalancing" which Beijing sees as a containment strategy, the paper said "Washington has deliberately wooed New Delhi to become its quasi ally so as to impose geopolitical pressure on China".



INDIA WILL GAIN ONLY FROM STRATEGIC MANEUVERING



However, it suggested that India "will not lean toward the US, because it will not only hurt India's self-esteem, more importantly, India can gain more strategic benefits by striking a balance between China and the US."

Rather than join any bloc, India would gain from "strategic maneuvering", the paper suggested, pointing out that India had "remained cool to the idea" to Japan's push for a quadrilateral alliance between the US, Japan, Australia and India.

"Since China does not resort to regional expansion, the US' maneuvers in Asia will prove futile. The primary field of competition for China and the US is the economy. As long as China can keep its fast growth, the US' strategic deployment will go nowhere," the Global Times said.

MODI GOVERNMENT TRYING TO LEAN TOWARDS US?

The editorial said that India had "practiced the principles of non-alignment since independence, which have been advocated by Indian elites".

"It is possible that the Modi administration is trying an unconventional way to lean towards the US with the logistics agreement. But how close the US-India relationship can be and what geopolitical values it can get remains a question."

It concluded that India "holds dear its independence and sovereignty after squeezing out of the UK's colonialism".

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"It views itself as a major power and is developing on the wave of the emerging countries. It attaches high importance to national security. It feels it is an urgent task because its defence levels are a necessary condition of being a major power, rather than out of a sense of crisis that requires an intimacy to the US," the paper said.



Also Read:

Armed eye in the sky: India looking to buy 100 Predator drones from the US



--- ENDS ---
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Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at the conclusion of his sixth meeting with his US counterpart Ashton Carter signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA).

By Jugal R Purohit: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at the conclusion of his sixth meeting with his US counterpart, Secretary of Defence, Ashton Carter signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA). Seen as one among the three vital agreements signed by those termed as close allies of the US, the agreement was proposed under the UPA administration but did not see any forward movement as India feared itself being seen as a part of a grouping led by the US.

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While justifying signing of this agreement, the NDA under Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Indian armed forces especially the navy has a much wider footprint today than it did a decade ago. Many also believe that this is a move to inch closer to the US in a bid to send a message to China which continues to irk India on multiple fronts, be it cooperation with Pakistan, stalemate over border talks or blocking India's bids at global fora.

HIGLIGHTS WHAT IS LEMOA: Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement signed yesterday between India and US. WHO CAN USE LEMOA: Army, navy and air force of both the countries. WHAT IT MEANS: Armed forces of India and US can now seek food, water, transportation, petroleum, clothing, communication, medical, storage, training, spare parts and components, repair and maintenance and port services at each others' bases. WHEN CAN INDIA OR US USE: Exclusively used ONLY during authorised port visits, joint exercises, joint training, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. WHY INDIA DOES NOT BECOME A US BASE: In mission other than above, both countries will need a case by case basis, prior consent for supporting the other armed force. WHEN LEMOA IS USED: Cash payment will be made to avail services or reciprocal aid given. WHAT LEMOA DOES NOT DO: Create bases for India in US or vice versa. No obligation on joint activity. INDIA SAYS: This will help India's significantly enhance Indian armed forces capabilities including their response to humanitarian missions (ex evacuation of citizens from Yemen, trunami or earthquake response etc)India has taken nearly twelve years to sign this piece of agreement which displays the kind of dilemma India was under.

Parrikar, earlier visited the 9/11 memorial with Carter and said he was 'deeply moved'. Terming the US as the 'primary source of defence equipment', Parrikar noted that relations between the two nations have never been stronger than they are today.

India, US sign logistic exchange pact boosting defence ties







--- ENDS ---
- Buhari Ahmadu Tanko, the commander of Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) has been killed

- Tanko was reportedly killed by some unknown gunmen in Kaduna state

- The CJTF commader was reportedly murder while trying to stop hoodlums from launching an attack

Commander of the Civilian Joint Task Force in Kaduna state , Buhari Ahmadu killed by unknown gunmen.

Buhari Ahmadu Tanko the Commander of Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) in charge of Kakuri community, Kaduna South Local Government Area of Kaduna state, has been murdered.

The Nation reports that Tanko was reportedly killed by some yet to be identified assailants.

The Kaduna state police command spokesperson, ASP Aliyu Usman confirmed the incident.

READ ALSO: JTF strikes back, parades arrested members of Niger Delta Avengers

He said, the late Tanko, 27 was murdered by hoodlums while attempting to stop them from stealing from the premises of defunct Kaduna Textile Limited located in his catchment area.

ASP Usman said the incident occurred at about 3:26 hours of Monday 29th August 2016, making it difficult for the police to make immediate arrest of any suspect in connection with the killing.

He however said investigation into the matter has already been launched and the culprits will soon be fished out to face the full wrath of the law.

Effort to speak with family of the deceased could not be established as the time of filing this report.

But member of JTF in Kakuri, who would not want his name in print vowed, never to be deterred by the gruesome murder of their leader in their efforts to make the community safer, urging the state government to train and equip them instead of attempting to scrap the activities of local vigilante in the State as we read in the media.

We know the community better because we leave here. The government can train us continually so we discharge our responsibility better. What happened cannot stop us from patrolling our area especially at night. And we will bring the killers of Buhari to justice no matter how long it will take us, he said.

Source: Legit.ng
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said the pact will facilitate opportunities for "practical engagement and exchange".

By PTI: India and the US today signed an important agreement that will make the two nations logistical allies and enable both the militaries to use each others assets and bases for repair and replenishment of supplies.

Welcoming the signing of the bilateral Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said the pact will facilitate opportunities for "practical engagement and exchange".

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LEMOA facilitates the provision of logistical support, supplies, and services between the US and Indian militaries on a reimbursable basis, and provides a framework to govern them.

THE MOTIVE

"They agreed on the importance (that) this framework will provide to facilitate innovative and advanced opportunities in defence technology and trade cooperation. To this end, the US has agreed to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with its closest allies and partners," said a joint statement after the pact was signed.

According to the statement, the defence ties between the two countries is based on their "shared values and interests," and their "abiding commitment to global peace and security."

During their meeting, Parrikar and Carter discussed the "wealth of progress" in bilateral cooperation and deepening strategic partnership between the United States and India.

The US has agreed to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with its closest allies and partners.

The visit - their sixth official interaction to date - demonstrates the importance both sides place on strengthening defence ties across many areas: from strategic and regional cooperation, to deepened military-to-military exchanges, to expanded collaboration on defence technology and innovation, it said.

WELCOMING INDIA

Welcoming India's membership in the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), Carter reaffirmed US support for India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Acknowledging India's positive contributions to regional security and stability, including in matters beyond the maritime space, Carter and Parrikar announced their agreement to further consultations in the area, including through the next Maritime Security Dialogue, scheduled later this year.

PARRIKAR'S PLAN

During his stay in the US, Parrikar will visit Boeing's manufacturing facility at Philadelphia. He would also interact with American defence industry representatives at an event organised by the US-India Business Council (USIBC).

Earlier today, Parrikar was accorded an enhanced honor cordon by Carter after he arrived at the Pentagon here.

The enhanced honour is reserved for valued guests. During normal cordon, visitors are greeted at the Pentagon stairs and welcomed with handshakes, before proceeding inside. During the enhanced honour cordon, national anthems are played.

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Parrikar, accompanied by Carter, also laid a wreath at the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial.

ALSO READ:



India-US military agreement: All you need to know



India's alliance with US may irritate China, Pakistan or even Russia: Chinese media

--- ENDS ---
Eniga S. Akihonbhin, a Nigerian man who lives in Italy and is concerned about countrys problems, predicts disturbing future for President Muhammadu Buhari.

President Muhammadu Buhari

The man speaking through his Twitter account has said that All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should start looking for alternative to Buhari as the drawing board is showing red line.

READ ALSO: Unbelievable! Nigerians beg Jonathans minister to help Buhari

Akihonbhin further stated that what will happen to Nigerias economy in the next few months could force the president out of power.

Read some of his tweets below:

More than one year since the inauguration there is increasing disappointment that President Muhammadu Buhari has not delivered on his lofty promises.

READ ALSO: READ what Oba of Lagos says about President Buharis government

However, some loyal supporters of the incumbent president are becoming frustrated and rethinking the roles they played in assisting Buhari to power amid increasingly agonizing economic and political crises rocking the nation.

The supporters believe President Buhari had so far failed to show that he has the wherewithal, and even the political will, to resolve the multifarious challenges Nigeria is currently facing.

Source: Legit.ng
Clashes broke out between the villagers and police when the police reportedly opened fire at the protesters. The angry locals then torched police vehicles and blocked roads.

Clashes broke out between the villagers and police in Ramgarh district on Monday. Photo: ANI

By India Today Web Desk: At least four persons were killed and several others injured during clashes between villagers and the police in Jharkhand's Ramgarh district on Monday.

The locals were protesting over the displacement and job allocation due to Inland Power Plant in Gola when the police reportedly opened fire to quell the protests.

WHAT HAPPENED

According to the people, the villagers were peacefully protesting against the Inland Power Plant when the police started lathicharge. The locals resorted to pelting stones and the police opened fire. This aggravated the situation and the protests turned violent.

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The angry villagers then torched police vehicles, including that of the Circle Officer. They also jammed the nearest highway and blocked the Ranchi-Sikidiri and Gola road.

One of the protesters. Photo: ANI

The situation remains tense and heavy security forces have been deployed.

Section 144 (CrPC) has been imposed.

Chief Minister Raghubir Das has ordered a probe and has asked the DIG and Commissioner to submit the report within one week.

(With inputs from agencies)

Also Read:

Jharkhand police arrest woman, drag her around with rope



--- ENDS ---
- Despite the ongoing Operation Crocodile Smile, militants have blown up another facility in Delta state

- The militants who called themselves the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Movement (NDGJM) launched Operation Crocodile Tears

- The Urhobo militant group said from now on, it shall be an eye for an eye

An Urhobo militant group, Niger Delta Greenland Justice Movement (NDGJM), has blown up the Ogor-Oteri major delivery line, operated by the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company and Shorelines Petroleum in the state.

The group in a statement by its leader, Gen Aldo Agbalaja, said the delivery line was blown up at about 3am on Tuesday, August 30, by its Uproot Team B, Vanguard reports.

This comes despite the ongoing military Operation Crocodile Smile in the Niger Delta region and a recent letter to President Muhammadu Buhari by the Niger Delta Avengers promising to stop its hostilities.

READ ALSO: N'Delta militancy: Army raids militant camps (photos)

According to the militant group, it was launching Operation Crocodile Tears since the military had launched Operation Crocodile Smile to supposedly worsen the Niger Delta crisis.

Although some selfish machinery, merely put together to achieve some pecuniary ends, has been parading in the name of the peoples of the Niger Delta, the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate will not be derailed on its mission to getting justice for the people, the group said.

The NDGJM said it would no longer sit quietly and watch the Nigerian military harass people in various parts of the region, adding that it had warned against the victimization of defenseless people of the region, especially in the creeks, but rather than heed, the military made life more difficult for the people.

It shall from now on be an eye for an eye; for every military atrocity carried out in the creeks and hinterland of the Niger Delta, the Nigerian armed forces will have the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate to contend with.

READ ALSO: Attacks on oil installations: GEJ is suspect  Odili

To this end, we are alerting all those working in the UQCC/UPS Erhomukokwarien in Ughelli, Eriemu Pigging Manifold in Agbarha, Otorogun gas plant, Olomoro flow station, Warri refinery, Port Harcourt refinery, Eleme, OB-OB and Obite gas plants in Omoku to evacuate because what is coming to those facilities are beyond what anybody has seen before, the militant group warned.

The Urhobo militant group advised all indigenes living in the vicinities of the facilities to relocate for the time being as it does not want to spill innocent blood.

Hold the Nigerian President responsible for the genocide that his armed forces is about to unleash on our people, Agbalaja said.

He added that if there will be any negotiation, it must be seen and in actual sense must be representing all the individual nations of the region equally.

Niger Delta Avengers had written an open letter to President Buhari yesterday, saying it had listened carefully and halted hostilities in the Niger Delta region, while it expects a genuine and positive attitude to restructuring and self-determination for every component unit of Nigeria.

The group claimed that Nigerian troops were about to carry out extra judicial killings in the Niger Delta in violation of article four of the Geneva Convention with OPERATION CROCODILE SMILES.

Source: Legit.ng
By PTI: Ranchi, Aug 29 (PTI) Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today issued directions to the officials and companies concerned to speed up infrastructure constructions like road, sewerage-drainage, water connection and electricity, in the areas of Great Ranchi Development Agency (GRDA).

He asked the district administration to remove hurdles faced by companies in getting land, an official release said quoting him.

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Das asked the companies to give money for land, construct boundary walls and put their respective company boards there.

Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma, Principal Secretary to thechief minister Sanjay Kumar, GRDA Director Sukhdev Singh, CMsSecretary Sunil Kumar Singh and other senior officials werepresent during the meeting. PTI PVR SUS DBS KKB

--- ENDS ---
The Niger Delta militancy has been a recurring decimal in Nigeria and doesnt look like it is ending anytime soon.

The granting of amnesty to the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta had grounded militancy in the oil-rich region. But since President Muhammadu Buhari came into power on May 29, 2015, theres been a resurgence.

For months now, militants in the Niger Delta region have launched a war against the federal government, blowing up oil facilities in the region. The militants have vowed not to stop until they cripple the economy and zero oil is produced in the region.

It is fair to conclude that the renewed agitation and vandalism is targeted at President Buharis administration.

With the series of attacks carried out by the Niger Delta militants, the countrys crude oil production which reached 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2015 has dropped to about 800,000 barrels per day. Their activities is also said to have impacted negatively on power supply in the country.

In June, the federal government and militant groups in the Niger Delta were said to have agreed to a 30-day ceasefire but the militants kept blowing up oil facilities.

The federal government settled for dialogue with the militants to bring peace to the Niger Delta region.

However, the militants refused negotiating with the government. They also gave the government conditions for peace.

Surprisingly, the Niger Delta Avengers announced a ceasefire, saying they were ready to resume talks with the Nigerian government after months of attacks on the countrys oil and gas infrastructure.

Despite this, some militant groups are still attacking oil and gas facilities and it seems like the militancy in the region is not ending anytime soon.

Here are some reasons why the crisis in the Niger Delta region may not be resolved soon.

1. Their demands: Some of the demands of the Niger Delta militants are that the country should be restructured and the ownership of oil blocks must reflect 60 per cent for the oil-producing people and 40 per cent for others. They also want the nations only maritime university to be located in the most befitting place and must start the 2015/2016 academic session immediately. It seems like the government is not ready to give in to the demands of the militants. Buhari will not be considering relinquishing federal governments control of oil to the Niger Delta. So, if the militants are expecting Buhari to give them control of the oil in the region, they have to wait a really long time.

2. To dialogue or not to dialogue: While some are asking the government to engage the militants in dialogue, others are advising the government against it. A number of ex-Niger Delta militants have warned the government against dialoguing with the Niger Delta Avengers. Their reason being that, it would fuel full-scale militancy in the region and push youths of other ethnic groups to take up arms against the government. On the other hand, Ijaw national leader, Chief Edwin Clark, urged President Buhari to negotiate with the militants.

However, Buhari has said the federal government won't fail to use force should the militants refuse to embrace dialogue as offered by the government.

3. Various militant groups: New militant groups keep emerging. Surely, most people would have lost count already. The most popular among the militant groups is the Niger Delta Avengers. They have claimed responsibility for a number of attacks. Aside the Avengers, there are others like the Niger Delta Red Squad, Niger Delta Volunteers, Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate. Apparently, they are all agitating for different things. Which of these militant groups would the FG dialogue with?

4. Disunity: Some militant groups in the region are buying into the dialogue process, others are not ready to give up their arms and are bent on causing havoc in the region. As one group is announcing ceasefire, another group is blowing up oil facilities. On Monday, the Avengers wrote an open letter to Buhari, saying it would stop its hostilities in the region. Less than 24hours later, another militant group blew up a major delivery line, operated by the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company in Delta state. The militants are not speaking with one voice. Each militant group has its own agenda so its going to be hard reaching an agreement with each and every one of them.

5. The use of army to combat the militants: Troops have been deployed to Niger Delta region to combat insurgency in the area. The government has been accused of using security operatives to arrest intimidate, invade and harass innocent citizens. Militants have claimed that ongoing military operations in the creeks of Ijaw communities in the Delta were pre-determined genocide in the Niger Delta. The insurgents have warned that if the military continues to harass people in the region, it would not hesitate to fight back. Recently, an Urhobo militant group said it would be an eye for an eye, adding that for every military atrocity carried out in the creeks of the Niger Delta, the Nigerian armed forces will have them to contend with. Sometime in May, British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond advised Buhari that using a military confrontation could end in disaster.

It seems the president may take a forceful approach if the militants refuse to embrace dialogue. Speaking with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on the sidelines of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Nairobi, Kenya, Buhari 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.

6. Militants dont trust Buhari: The militants are of the opinion that President Buhari is insincere and should not be trusted. Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka recently said the Niger Delta agitators feel that the government of Buhari is not seriously responding to their own outrage. In a letter to the president on Monday, August 29, by the Avengers, the group claimed that the military operation code named Operation Crocodile Smile betrayed Buharis attitude and motive about the Niger Delta question. Would the militants be willing to negotiate with a government they do not trust?

7. Niger Delta governors remain silent: Since the Niger Delta militants started their agitation, the governors in the region have not been able to come together to discuss the way forward and reach out to the aggrieved youths.

Source: Legit.ng
Now that superstar Rajinikanth has officially signed his next film with his son-in-law and actor Dhanush as a producer, we take a look at five films where Dhanush did a Thalaivar and pulled it off pretty well.

By Srivatsan: In Apoorva Raagangal, when the film nears its climax, in a rather unexpected twist, a dark-complexioned man with a clumsy beard dramatically enters the frame and opens a gate. Back then, nobody would have thought or even dreamt that that loafer would become a superstar one day. And this scene became a testimony to the invincible global star that he is now. We're talking about actor Rajinikanth, who made his acting debut in the 1970 hit.

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If there was an actor who comes to mind the moment you think of 'swagger' or 'style samrat', it has to be Rajinikanth. The stardom and adulation Thalaivar enjoys is no longer an aberration. It is what Rajinikanth commands.

ALSO READ: After Kabali, Rajinikanth and Ranjith team up for Dhanush's home production

ALSO READ: Aishwarya R Dhanush appointed UN Goodwill Ambassador

Over the years, many actors in Tamil cinema tried to emulate superstar Rajinikanth in their films and failed miserably. But an actor, who actually came an inch closer than the others in doing a Rajinikanth impression on screen, is his very own son-in-law Dhanush.

If watched closely, most of Dhanush's films come spiced with Rajini-ism.

After the Kabali-related madness, Rajinikanth's next project with director Pa Ranjith, Kabali 2, has now been announced. Kabali 2 is to be produced by Dhanush, and comes as a breath of fresh air for the industry. After all, this is not a usual collaboration seen in Tamil cinema; Dhanush has produced only two films tarring his father-in-law.

Before Dhanush and Rajini bring the house down with Kabali 2, we take a look at five films of Dhanush that displayed how big a Rajinikanth fan Dhanush is.

Rajinikanth in Thalapathi (1991) and Dhanush in Polladhavan (2007)

Early traces of Dhanush copying Rajinikanth's mannerisms were apparent in the 2007 hit Polladhavan - a title ripped off from Rajinikanth's 1980 film. Remember the scene in Thalapathi where Surya (Rajinikanth) goes against the Police Commissioner (Kitty), when the latter tries to persuade him to surrender?

In Polladhavan, it was done in a rather subtle manner when Prabhu (Dhanush) is inevitably compelled to rubbing shoulders with the villain, Ravi (Daniel Balaji), who now targets his family to seek revenge.

Rajinikanth in Mullum Malarum (1978) and Dhanush in Velai Illa Pattadhari (2014)



When Kali (Rajinikanth) is dismissed from the job after he loses his arm in an accident, he goes to his manager and says, "We're but humans, sir. But I will bounce back. After all, Kali is a bad guy, sir."

In VIP, Dhanush inevitably reminds one of Kali when he says, "Just because I wear glasses and look innocent, don't underestimate me. Actually, I'm a very bad guy. I swear a lot if need be."

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Rajinikanth in Annamalai (1992) and Dhanush in Maryan (2013)



Post interval in Annamalai, Annamalai (Rajinikanth) enters the scene with a cigarette in his mouth, takes up the manager's chair from his friend-turned-villain Ashok (Suresh Babu). He casually blows smoke, embellishing his bossiness.

Dhanush in Maryan does the exact same thing with a striking BGM in before the interval.

Rajinikanth in Murattu Kaalai (1980) and Dhanush in Maari (2015)



In Maari, Dhanush walks up to the villain coolly and says, "Senjiruvan (I'll finish you off)."





It does remind one of Rajinikanth's famous dialogue from Murattu Kaalai, "Seeviduvan," which means the same.



(video)



Shamitabh (2015):



Dhanush plays a rags-to-riches role in the Hindi film Shamitabh. Though the makers of the film rubbished rumours that Dhanush's character is based on superstar Rajinikanth, the film reflected Rajinikanth's ingenious style in every frame. However, in an interview, Dhanush said, "The story is not his story. There is nothing to do with him, but I drew little inspiration here and there from him, his mannerisms, etc. After release, I can tell you where and why specifically."

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During the promotions of the 2013 film Raanjhanaa, Dhanush actually went ahead and told the media that he won't be imitating Rajinikanth in his films. However, Maari happened in 2015...!



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By PTI: Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 30 (PTI) Veteran actor Kamal Haasan, who was recently chosen for the coveted French honour Chevalier award, has responded warmly to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayans letter of appreciation.

"Thank you very much for your kind words on my Chevalier award. Some one remarked how nice of another states head to lavish you with praise. I interjected he is not another states CM. He is my states CM. Ask any film going Malayalee which state I belong to," he said in a message to Vijayan.

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Vijayan had congratulated the four-time National film award winner for being chosen for the French honour.

61-year Kamal Haasan is the second Tamil star after Sivaji Ganesan to be nominated for the honour.

Haasan, who had debuted in the Malayalam film industry as a child artist in Kannum Karalum in 1962, has essayed roles in various films including Satyavan Savithri, Kanyakumari, Madanolsavam and Yaetta. PTI UDVS BK KK

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Cameron Smith led from the front once again as thousands of head-to-head league grand finals were decided in the penultimate round of the NRL Fantasy season.

Check your Fantasy scores

Winners

For the second straight week the best player in NRL Fantasy hit the top score of the round, with a late try and a strong all-round performance helping Cameron Smith to 85 points in Melbourne's loss to Brisbane. It's something to keep in mind when picking your Fantasy squad in 2017  pick Smith as your captain every week and it's hard to go wrong.

Ranking just behind the Queensland skipper this week are two of his long-time NSW Blues rivals, with veterans Greg Bird (81) and Paul Gallen (75) turning back the clock with tireless performances for their respective teams. Both grabbed a try, six tackle breaks and a lot of metres in superb individual efforts.

Next best in Round 25 were Daly Cherry-Evans (74), two-try Cowboy Ethan Lowe (73), Matt Moylan (71), Jayson Bukuya (71) and Tohu Harris (70).

Several Fantasy stars of 2016 produced more big scores, with Jack de Belin cementing his place as an elite gun with 69 while Andrew Fifita made 68, Jordan Rapana scored a long-range try on the way to 67, Simon Mannering scored 65 and Rabbitohs duo Sam Burgess and Greg Inglis piled on 65 each in their team's thumping of Newcastle.

Meanwhile Manly duo Tom Trbojevic and Martin Taupau both made 64, as did new Dragons half Drew Hutchison.

Speaking of winners, The Scouts managed to take out a third straight title in the NRL.com office league, edging out fellow Fantasy gurus Chris Kennedy, Adrian McMurray and grand finalist Martin Gabor.

Losers

While Rapana went big this week, Round 25 was another reminder that wingers are always risky buys in NRL Fantasy with prolific try-scorers Brett Morris (13) and Suliasi Vunivalu (5) both having very quiet games after failing to find the tryline.

Meanwhile goal-kicking Roosters forward Sio Siua Taukeiaho finished with just 3 after being injured two minutes into the Roosters' loss to Cronulla, but even he fared better than Jack Bird, who scored zero in 80 minutes thanks to five missed tackles, two errors and a penalty conceded.

Get Fantasy news updates from the Lone Scout on Facebook or Twitter and read more Fantasy hints and tips here.

Play NRL Fantasy now
by coming to Bogota. I never planned to wake one morning to see a hummingbird sip nectar from yellow blossoms in a treetop outside my fourth-floor window with the Andes as a backdrop.

Yet here I am. Happy. In a renaissance of rediscovery, everything new. I am learning everything over again: how to talk; how to eat; how to ask; how to live in a New World.

Love brought me here, a surprise in itself. At nearly 60, I was settled into Atlanta with terrific friends and a house I loved in a great neighborhood, Poncey-Highland. Manuels Tavern, a dozen ethnic foods, and weekly author events at The Carter Center lay a short walk away. I even enjoyed occasional egasms (an ego-orgasms) thanks to minor local celebrity status. Still, I craved more.

Then, once upon a time, a questing man met a beautiful Colombian woman in an airport.

The rest, as they say, is his story.

Bogota still surprises me, after 18 months here. Before my move at the end of 2014, I hardly knew what to expect of this particular capital city. I knew nada. I had read nada.

Among 10,000 surprises, a few stand outpuzzling, remarkable, worth a mention.

Bogotanos are not morning people. How can this be, in the land of the worlds best coffee? In the southern U.S., you get a hey and a smile from every passerby. Bogota? Before 10 a.m., its the land of the living dead. People just  pass. No smile. No hint of recognition. Thankfully, souls warm up during the day. By nightfall, bonhomies at full throttle. Friendly folk will raise glasses and send greetings even from sidewalk cafes. A stranger doesnt feel quite so strange.

Before a Colombian woman starts any serious relationship with a man, she takes him for a test drive. Well, a test dance. Bogotanos know that if you want to get the girl, you better first understand the words of the great Colombian philosopher, Shakira: Hips dont lie. Colombian women love to tell versions of taking their guys to a dance club, a rumba. Chicas check out man-moves the way pea hens check out strutting peacocks.

Yellow taxis are the eggs of Satan. Satans minions. Nothing on earth surpasses the bogotano cabbie for insolent disregard of traffic rules. Seventeen cabs? That means a road has 17 lanes. A cab here never lets another car into traffic. A cab driver 10 cars back will stand on his horn before a traffic light changes to green, even in the kind of traffic jam archaeologists will someday unearth and study, with driver skeletons stiff at the wheels. Taxi drivers here believe blowing horns is like making music. If that were so, Bogota would be the new Vienna.

Without vigilantes, the name here for security guards, the unemployment rate in Bogota might be 99 percent. Every block of the city seems to have a vigilante, as do many shops and businesses  and every apartment complex. (Even so, a recent headline claimed 40 robberies a day take place in Bogota.) As youd expect, security and transportation top the list of citizen concerns here. Still, Ive walked through my part of the city, Santa Barbara, at all hours and never, even once, felt in danger.

This recently occurred to me: middle-class bogotanos I know work hard, plan hard, and play hard. But not so many of them, in my experience, create hard. In Atlanta, virtually every person I knew had some little artistic sideline or creative project going on: A book in progress. A screenplay in the works. A cooking class. A little oil painting studio out back. A scrapbook. A weekend rock band. The Colombians appreciate arts and crafts, no question. It just seems theyre so deadly serious with making a living and raising the kids and simply keeping the lights and water on that theres not a lot of creative energy left for tuning strings or dabbing palettes.

Everybody here speaks a little English  or at least they try. Thats good for me. With my freckles and red hair, I dont need a T-shirt with big letters: I AM A GRINGO! Folks here spot a gringo a kilometer away even, Im told, by the way we walk. Often when I greet people with a cheery hola! on the streets, they answer in English (if its not morning, when no one answers): Good morning. Hello. How are you? They smile proudly with this cultural acknowledgement, not really expecting an answer, but happy to make a trans-language connection. Im constantly asked about English lessons, as well  it seems learning the language I take for granted is something of a Holy Grail here.

Beautiful mountains surround Bogota. The modern city rises in a basin that once held a great sparkling lake ringed by green peaks of the Andes. At sunrise, mists cover the mountains; they look like fantastic etchings of an Oriental land. And yet  I never hear bogotanos talk about the mountains. Ever. Denver and Vancouver have made themselves world destinations by capitalizing on the natural beauty and diversions of the Rockies. Here? Bogota, a mile and one-half closer to heaven than most of the world, has the most invisible mountains on earth.

A city of 8 million people in the U.S. inevitably has rich ethnic diversity. Thats been hard to find in Bogota. A Jewish friend, Carlos, told me the city has only 5,000 Jews. (You find 5,000 Jews in just a few city blocks of NYC.) The last time I saw statistics, Atlanta held 100,000 Hindus. Here, I just found my first good Indian restaurant. Diversity may exist, but apart from a few conspicuous Chinese, you dont see it as conspicuously as in other big cities.

Bogota tolerates activity in public places that wouldnt be allowed in the states. On TransMilenio, the hard-working bus system, performers and the poor climb into cars to give stimulating shows or sad sales pitches. No one bats an eye. Mobs rush into traffic to sell wiper blades and fruit. Beggars walk right into coffee shops to plead for coins. Most anything goes in public spaces here, tolerated and indulged.

Bogota has what it needs to be a great world city. People work hard. You see genius here and there, and aspiration. The city, however, lacks one crucial element: Confidence. Attitude. Its hard to find a bogotanoor many Colombians in generalwith great faith in the possibilities of this place. Maybe its a function of chronic legally administered inequality, or past political disappointments, or the legacy of a half-century of civil war, drug cartels, para-military groups beyond the law  or just a kind of national skepticism that doesnt admit the possibility of potential greatness.

This is the biggest surprise of all.

Colombia just might be the most physically beautiful country on the face of the earth. What if the hopes of Colombians had a beauty to match it?

Photo: Rodrigo Faustini, CC-BY

Charles McNair is Pastes Books Editor emeritus. He served the magazine as writer, critic and editor from 2005-2015.
Australia-via-Zimbabwe rapper Tkay Maidza has been on her musical ascent since the release of 2014s Switch Tape mixtape, and her more recent 2015 collaboration with Brooklyn producer Baauer on Ghost. Now Maidza is back with the lead single from her debut album Tkay, due out Oct. 28. Carry On, which features a verse from Run the Jewels Killer Mike, is a monumental synthpop anthem heavily influenced by M.I.A. and AlunaGeorge.

The song is about people trying to stop my stride, but I guess what Im trying to say is I have bigger issues that only matter to me as a youngin at this point in my career and Killer Mike is reinforcing that, Maidza told Pigeons & Planes.

Listen to the track below.
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.
Media Offensive to Portray SMU as the Leading Private University in Cameroon

By: Saint Monica University

End

-- Saint Monica University (SMU): The American International University today announced that it has decided to undertake a media campaign aimed at establishing SMU's brand as the leading private university in Cameroon. The aggressive media campaign will begin with special programs on CMTV Buea and Lake Site Radio in Kumba."Saint Monica University is fast establishing itself as the leading private university in Cameroon," said Professor Januarius Jingwa (JJ) Asongu, President and Chief Executive Officer of SMU. "The good news that is SMU needs to be broadcasted locally, nationally and internationally. We have a breath of programs, partnerships and recognitions that are unrivaled. More people need to know the good news of how we are transforming lives and transforming society."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.
By Tatsam Mukherjee: Bollywood is called a 'film industry' for a reason. It is a business at the end of the day; an industry busy minting money, and the men and women involved with it are mere commodities. However, it is also an industry which is unfair to its female actors. The female 'commodity' is given a shorter shelf life than the males. They are only required in the film to play the hero's object of affection. And that is possible only when you continue to look like a 21-year-old all your life. Think of a 44-year-old Aamir Khan playing a 18-year-old college-goer in 3 Idiots. Or a 46-year-old Shah Rukh Khan being passed off as a 25-year-old street musician in Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

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That is one of the reasons why we see a whole new bunch of women entering the industry every year, and the most successful female actor keeps changing every two-three years. This, while the same bunch of men have been at the top of the food chain for close to three decades now. The men keep getting paired with women half their age, but hardly has an older woman been paired with someone younger in Hindi films. However, that's changing.

Bollywood has considered the pairing of an old woman with a young man a taboo. However of late, with evolving tastes and changing sensibilities, we are seeing unconventional pairings. A lot of flak was drawn when twenty years ago, a young pony-tailed Akshay Kumar was seen romancing a much older, still gorgeous Rekha in Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi (1996). But today, the pairing of Ranbir Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is not met with seething anger, but seen as 'normal'. That's progress right there. Come to think of it, one of the earliest pairs included the biggest superstars today, Shah Rukh Khan, when he lusted after an older Deepa Sahi in Ketan Mehta's Maya Memsaab (1993).

It's been a decade-and-a-half since Akshaye Khanna slowly and carefully fell in love with a middle-aged Dimple Kapadia. Dil Chahta Hai (2001) was a sensible, mature take on a young man falling for an older woman. It addressed a 'hidden issue' with class, without ever making it frivolous. Dil Chahta Hai began the millennial wave of Bollywood, which gave rise to filmmakers to Ayan Mukherji, who paired a college-going Ranbir Kapoor with an older, more mature Konkona Sen Sharma in his debut feature Wake Up Sid!.

And today, no one frowns when a Kareena Kapoor Khan is paired with an Imran Khan in Shakun Batra's Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu or with an Arjun Kapoor in R Balki's Ki and Ka. Finally, the market forces of Bollywood see equal value in the stardom of women and recognise it or are forced to recognise it. That's one reason why a Vidya Balan in Bobby Jasoos is expected to carry the film opposite a much newer and much younger Ali Fazal, who only serves as a prop for the story of the female protagonist.

It would be far-fetched to say that Bollywood is finally seeing men and women as equals, as the pay-packages see a massive disparity even in 2016. However, it is closer home to say that female star-power is finally being recognised for what it is. The Aishwarya Rai Bachchans, the Madhuri Dixit-Nenes or even the Kajols are a picture of hope today. They're not an answer to things being fixed in terms of gender equality, but an indication that things are improving. And there is a change in order.

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Perth IT support company DBSIT has announced more service to the fashion industry in Australia, news which is sure to be welcome with the impending arrival of international competition.

By: DBS IT AUSTRALIA

Media Contact

DBS IT AUSTRALIA

***@dbsit.com.au

Denver wanigasekera DBS IT AUSTRALIADenver wanigasekera

End

-- The fashion industry in Australia continues to grow, with overseas brands attracted to the secure economy. This year is expected to see plenty of new arrivals from Asia, Europe, and the US.Currently only 39 of the top 250 retailers in the world are open for business in Australia, meaning there's definitely room for more.Perth Business IT support company DBS IT has announced more service to the fashion industry in Australia, news which is sure to be welcome with the impending arrival of international competition.Marks & Spencer will be coming to Australia, a one-stop shop for home-wares, food and fashion. Banana Republic, Under Armour and J Crew are also expected to open stores in 2016, and the makeup favorite Sephora will be expanding, as will Top-shop/ Top-man.In July, Swedish H&M said that Australia was its strongest international market, and COS, its sophisticated "older sister" recently opened stores in Melbourne and Sydney.Mr Price, a South African chain opened in October in Australia, giving Kmart and Target some serious competition. And for those who like their active-wear, Decathlon, a sportswear retailer from Europe is expected to enter Australia, and the ever-popular Forever 21 moved into Brisbane in 2014.Uniqlo, famous for its comfortable, well-made basics, is now open in Queensland, Victoria and NSW, and the Japanese retailer is doing well in the Australian market. ( http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ business/big- shops-plann... The industry is doing particularly well in South Australia, a state that has struggled with job losses in manufacturing and mining, with the fashion industry opening up opportunities for employment. Twenty-five established and emerging local designers were on show for the Adelaide Fashion Festival last year, and Adelaide-based Australian Fashion Labels is planning to hire more staff, after beginning with just a few in 2007 to more than 145 in 2015- 68 of them employed in the last 12 months.Like many industries, the fashion industry can greatly benefit from IT support and consulting with a knowledgeable and experienced company. Enter DBS IT, a software development company offering business IT support in Perth and throughout Australia.When asked for a comment about their recent announcement, a spokesperson for DBS IT said: "It's heartening to see the fashion industry continuing to grow in Australia, especially during a time where so many other industries are struggling. With the entry of international brands, this can only be good news for the industry and customers, and DBS IT Australia is available for IT support 7 days a week."Indeed, as one of the top IT managed Service company in Perth, DBS IT have long looked to their customer service as one of the main reasons for their success, and their repeat clients certainly attest to this.For businesses looking for business IT support in Perth, DBS IT offers a wide range of services including software development and IT outsourcing. Contact us at https://www.dbsit.com.au/ business-it- support-perth.html
Contact

Diana Zavzeatii

***@foss.ae Diana Zavzeatii

End

-- FOSS LLC (Fibre Optic Supplies and Services LLC) announced today it has achieved Premier Certification from Cisco. To earn Premier Certification, FOSS LLC had to meet standards for networking competency, service, support and customer satisfaction set forth by Cisco."We are delighted to have attained the Premier Partner status with Cisco. This will complement our turnkey services and enable us to offer our customers a more extensive portfolio. FOSS would like to thank our staff without whom we would not have been able to achieve this level of accreditation,", - Jim Underwood, Managing Director, FOSS LLC.As a Cisco Premier Certified Partner FOSS LLC demonstrates a range of technical expertise. To achieve Cisco Premier Certification FOSS LLC was required to achieve the Cisco Express Foundation Specialization. This specialization includes tests on technical competency in the integration of basic routing and switching, wireless LANs, and security technologies. In addition, FOSS LLC was required to integrate a base level of Cisco Lifecycle Services into their offerings and demonstrate measurably high levels of customer satisfaction based on independently audited customer satisfaction surveys.The Cisco Channel Partner Program helps our partners build the sales, technical and services skills required to deliver Cisco solutions and a customer's business outcomes. Through the program's specializations and certifications, Cisco recognizes a partner's expertise in deploying solutions based on Cisco advanced technologies and services. Using a third-party audit process, the program validates a partner's technology skills, business practices, customer satisfaction, presales and postsales support capabilities, and other critical factors that customers consider when choosing a trusted partner.FOSS is a multidisciplinary I.T. Network and Physical Security systems integrator, with extensive and demonstrable capabilities of delivering large scale and complex I.T. networking projects for enterprises, telecommunications operators and government organisations. FOSS has been operating in the Middle East region since 1999.The organisation comprises 200 full time employees and we have offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai (UAE) and in Doha (Qatar).Our design and system integration capabilities cover a wide spectrum of I.T. and telecommunications network infrastructure solutions, such as fibre optic cable networks, structured cabling, CCTV video surveillance, data center infrastructure, switching and routing and wireless networks.For more information please visit our website: www.foss.ae
Gartner ranks "Intelligence-Driven Security Operations Center (SOC) Orchestration Solutions" in Top 10 information security technologies.



Bringing intelligence to the SOC is first step towards a mature Cyber Threat Intelligence operation dedicated to reducing uncertainty and risk.



EclecticIQ Cyber Threat Intelligence Maturity Model gives organizations a way to assess capabilities in eight distinct areas essential to Cyber Threat Intelligence.

Contact

Martin Voorzanger

***@eclecticiq.com Martin Voorzanger

End

-- EclecticIQ, a global leader of applied Threat Intelligence technology for enterprise threat analyst teams, will be participating and speaking at the Gartner Security and Risk Management Summit on 12-13 September 2016 in London. EclecticIQ is a Platinum sponsor of the Summit.EclecticIQ CEO and Founder Joep Gommers will present the EclecticIQ Cyber Threat Intelligence Maturity Model during his session: "Bootstrapping a Cyber Threat Intelligence Practice," to be held on Tuesday 13 September at 11:30 am.The EclecticIQ Cyber Threat Intelligence Maturity Model will be also released as a 20-page white paper, allowing organizations to chart their own course from threat intelligence to business value.Joep Gommers comments: "Enterprises and governments have become aware of cyber threats and have prioritized the business need for a threat intelligence practice capable of aligning action to the threat reality. With the growing diversity of threat intelligence products offered in the market, the emerging challenge is deciding where to start and how to guide investment decisions in people, process and technology."Attendees of the summit are invited to schedule a 30-minute 1-on-1 with Joep Gommers, or a booth demo of the EclecticIQ Platform, by visiting: https://www.eclecticiq.com/ gartner-security- risk-management- summit-london- 2016 The EclecticIQ booth can be found at location PL2 (next to Google).The white paper will be made available to the public after the event. A free copy can be requested at info@eclecticiq.com . Please include your name, organization and job title in your request.EclecticIQ will also be hosting an online and interactive webinar about the EclecticIQ Cyber Threat Intelligence Maturity Model on September 27 4pm CEST. To reserve one of the few remaining seats, please visit: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/ register/2366076831272149505 About EclecticIQEclecticIQ is an applied cyber intelligence technology provider, enabling enterprise security programs and governments to mature a Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) practice, and empowering analysts to take back control of their threat reality and to mitigate exposure accordingly.EclecticIQ's mission is to restore balance in the fight against cyber adversaries. Its flagship product, EclecticIQ Platform, is a Threat Intelligence Platform (TIP), which enables operationalisation of security information exchange, empowers collaborative analyst workflow and ensures timely integration of cyber threat intelligence detection, prevention and response capabilities.EclecticIQ is headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and holds offices in London and Moldova.For more information:
Contact

Peter Panait

***@eltronis.com Peter Panait

End

-- We are attending PackExpo 2016, a major South-East European exhibition dedicated to the packaging industry that will take place in Bucharest between September 27-30 at Romexpo Exhibition Center.Our company will be present with a large variety of products including pharmaceutical labels (syringe and vial labels, hang tags, booklet labels, intravenous medicine and blood bag labels), security seals, holograms, labels for the automotive industry (self-adhesive textile airbag labels and other durable labels), labels for the electronic industry (ESD labels, other auxiliary and identification labels) and many other specialty and security products.Eltronis will also introduce improvements brought to the product packaging security which include the patent-pending, self-adhesive, tamper evident seal which can be supplied with a track and trace application software, to verify the unique codes and serial numbers printed on the seal.Both the seal and the software application can be implemented throughout various industries. (read more about it here https://www.eltronis.com/ news-posts/safe- products-using- the-eltronis- track-and-trace- solutions/ Our product portfolio can be found here https://www.eltronis.com/ specialty-products/
By: Antzi Studios

Contact

Alexander Mirades

***@gmail.com Alexander Mirades

End

-- Visit the island of Aegina this September  known for its abundance of activities, beautiful beaches and wonderful architecture!Offering heartfelt hospitality and wonderful accommodation, a stay at Antzi Studios makes for a truly memorable late summer Greek island holiday.As the summer season slows down and approaches the month of September, Greece, some believe, is even more impressive and wondrous than at any other time of the year. Less crowded and quieter, the whole country is entrancing during the month of September, and the Aegina island - near to the capital Athens - with its picturesque harbor, neoclassical buildings, and many things to do, is no exception.Located in very close proximity to Greece's capital, the island of Aegina is a world away from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis. Offering visitors astounding natural sights, crystal clear waters and a cosmopolitan harbor town, Aegina lures visitors all year round with its easy going atmosphere, friendly locals and mouth-watering delicacies. Promising an unforgettable vacation, Aegina's capital town features neoclassical buildings, meandering alleys filled with taverns, local bars and cafes as well as thrilling archaeological sites such as the majestic Temple of Aphea.Located in charming Perdika village, Antzi Studios offer perfect accommodations for travellers seeking relaxing holidays in Aegina. Providing complete peace and tranquillity, this Aegina hotel is the perfect starting point from which to get to know the island and all its natural splendours, beautiful sites and charming local habits. Offering standard, stone built and deluxe studios in Perdika, Antzi Stufdios' Aegina rooms provide the perfect home away from home experience to guests seeking a truly authentic Greek island experience. Charming and comfortable, Antzi Studios' accommodation in Aegina has been equipped with every conceivable amenity that travellers need for a perfect September Greek island vacation providing spacious, airy and elegant living where every comfort is offered.Asides from its fabulous accommodations, the hotel also offers a variety of facilities such as an on-site swimming pool with sun beds and umbrellas for its guests, pool bar and children facilities as well as one of Aegina's most famous restaurants, namely Nontas fish restaurant. Known for its seafood and fish specialties, phenomenal traditional Greek dishes and beautiful views over the Saronic Gulf, Nontas Fish Restaurant is one of the island's most sought after destination dining spots and a must for anyone visiting Aegina.Contact:Antzi Studios & ApartmentsPerdika,18010 Aegina Island,GreeceT: +30 22970 61233F: +30 22970 61767E: info@antzistudios.grVisit http://www.antzistudios.gr for details.
By: Helen Keller National Center

The 2015 Helen's Run/Walk in Sands Point, NY

Media Contact

Lloyd Singer

lsinger@epoch5.com Lloyd Singer

End

-- Helen Keller inspired generations of Americans by overcoming adversity and drawing attention to the deaf-blind community. Now, 48 years after her passing, North Carolina will host a special event in Keller's name that promises to keep that inspiration alive.On Saturday, November 5, 2016, the first annual Helen's Run/Walk 2016 Southeast will be held at Recreation Acres Park in King, North Carolina. Jointly presented by Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults (HKNC) and North Carolina Deaf-Blind Associates (NCDBA), Helen's Run/Walk 2016 Southeast will benefit the programs and services of both organizations."We are very excited to see Helen's Run/Walk go beyond its roots as a Long Island, New York, event," observed Helen Keller Services President and CEO Joseph Bruno. "Each year it has grown in popularity and we knew it was time to launch this amazing run/walk on a national level. Everyone in King has been great and I'm confident Helen's Run/Walk 2016 Southeast will be a success from the start."According to HKNC Executive Director Sue Ruzenski, an estimated 2.4 million people in the United States live with combined vision and hearing loss. An event like the 5K/3.1 mile Helen's Run/Walk Southeast is a fun way for people of all ages and abilities to come together to raise funds to expand and enhance services with the deaf-blind community."Serious runners will be pleased to learn that this is a professionally timed race on a certified course," Ruzenski added. "For the rest of us, it's a perfect opportunity to spend the morning running or walking with friends, family, and coworkers for a good cause. We appreciate everyone's help in King County in getting the word out and making a difference."Ruzenski added that local businesses as well as national companies are encouraged to act as sponsors for the event. More information on participating in or sponsoring Helen's Run/Walk 2016 Southeast is available by visiting helenkeller.org/hks/events ( https://www.helenkeller.org/ hks/events On Saturday, November 5, 2016, people of all ages and abilities will join together at Recreation Acres Park in King, North Carolina, for the first ever Helen's Run/Walk 2016 Southeast to support those living with combined vision and hearing loss. The 5K/3.1 mile event is jointly presented by Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths & Adults (HKNC) and North Carolina Deaf-Blind Associates (NCDBA). Pictured here are participants in the Helen's Run/Walk 2015 held in Sands Point, New York  home of the Helen Keller National Center. To register for Helen's Run/Walk 2016 Southeast, please visit helenkeller.org/hks/events (https://www.helenkeller.org/hks/events).
Better-Built Burrito Concept Offers a Delicious Back to School Deal

By: www.pancheros.com

End

--(www.pancheros.com), a fast casual Mexican chain setting the standard for burritos, announces it will commemorate the new school year at participating restaurants near college campuses with $1 burritos. Guests can take part in the celebration on select dates and times.' custom burritos can be built with marinated grilled steak, slow-roasted, seasoned pork carnitas, chili-tamarind marinated chicken or season-marinated veggies. With the help of the restaurant's unique, plastic spatula, "Bob the Tool," ingredients are mixed evenly throughout each creation, guaranteeing satisfaction in every bite. Guests wanting more of a kick can choose from any of Pancheros' proprietary hot sauces such as Flavolcano, made with seven different peppers for a smoky feel, or Greenade, made with green chilies and lime for a tangier bite.Burrito fans can take advantage ofunbeatable offer at the following participating locations and times:2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.32 S. Clinton StreetIowa City, IA 522402:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.1310 S. Duff Avenue, Suite 103Ames, IA 500212:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.2009 S. Neil StreetChampaign, IL 618212:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.1058 N. Delsea DriveGlassboro, NJ 080282:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.1208 S. UniversityAnn Arbor, MI 481042:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.3155 Ann Arbor Saline RoadPittsfield Township, MI 481045:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.555 N. Scottsdale RoadSuite 105Tempe, AZ 85281"Hosting dollar burrito nights at therestaurants across the country is our way of showing gratitude for the communities we serve," said Rodney Anderson, president ofMexican Grill. "Our fans, both new and existing, are passionate about our brand and our burritos, so we think that offering these deals when school is back in session and people have returned from their summer vacations would be perfect timing."For more information on, please visit www.pancheros.com Founded in 1992, Coralville, Iowa-based Pancheros Mexican Grill is a fast-casual, fresh-Mexican franchise. Known best for their homemade, fresh-pressed tortillas, Pancheros has set the standard for burritos that don't start from a bag. Along with their amazing burritos, the menu also includes quesadillas, tacos, burrito bowls, and salads.currently has 65 locations in the United States and the company plans to have 75 restaurants open across the country by the end of 2016. For more information, visit www.pancheros.com.
CPR Cell Phone Repair, the largest and fastest growing retail mobile device repair franchise network in North America, is happy to announce the opening of four additional stores in Guatemala.

Contact

Shari Kosec

Director, Onboarding and Franchisee Relations

skosec@cellphonerepair.com

216-674-0645 x616 Shari KosecDirector, Onboarding and Franchisee Relations216-674-0645 x616

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-- CPR Cell Phone Repair, the largest and fastest growing retail mobile device repair franchise network in North America, is happy to announce the opening of four additional stores in Guatemala. Last month, CPR Cell Phone Repair announced its master franchise partnership with Grupo Distelsa, Guatemala's largest retail provider of electronic products and home appliances.Josh Sevick, CPR's President, stated, "Guatemala is experiencing rapid improvements to its wireless networks and this is spurring major growth in smartphone penetration. We believe that our partner, Grupo Distelsa, is well positioned to perform critical repair services to this growing market. We couldn't be happier with having Grupo Distelsa as our partner, and are thrilled that they now have seven stores serving the Guatemala City market."Grupo Distelsa celebrated their expansion with a grand opening event at their Max Outlet Majadas location. The event centered around the announcement of their Division of Technical Services. This division will focus on the continued growth of the CPR brand, while educating their market about the new repair services offered by their team. Grupo Distelsa is confident that their partnership with CPR will provide a beneficial repair service to their customers at competitive prices.Please visit the CPR Cell Phone Repair Guatemala website: http://www.cellphonerepair.com/ cell-phone-repair- en-guatemala/ The four new CPR Cell Phone Repair locations in Guatemala include the following:located at 0 Calle 16-20 Zona 4 de Villa Nueva, Centro Comercial Metro Centro, Local 202, Guatemala City, Guatelama 01064.To contact Max Metrocentro, please call 502 2419-8888 ext. 3089 or contact the store via email at repcel.metrocentro@ distelsa.com.gt located at 2 Calle 6-24 Zona 10, Guatemala City, Guatemala 01010.To contact Zona 10, please call 502 2419-8888 ext. 3084 or contact the store via email at repcel.zona10@distelsa.com.gt.located at 27 Avenida 50-90, Zona 11 Interior Parque, Guatemala City, Guatemala 01011.To contact Max Majadas, please call 502 2419-8888 ext. 3085 or contact the store via email at repcel.outletmajadas@distelsa.com.gt.located at 7a. Calle 2-02, Zona 2 Chimaltenango;Centro Comercial Pradera Chimaltenango Local 40, Guatemala City, Guatemala 04001.To contact Max Chimaltenango, please call 502 2419-8888 ext. 3090 or contact the store via email at repcel.chimaltenango@distelsa.com.gt.Founded in Orlando, Fla. in 1996, CPR Cell Phone Repair is the fastest growing wireless technology franchise in North America and operates over 250 locations internationally. As a pioneer and leader in the electronics repair industry, CPR offers same-day repair and refurbishing services for cell phones, laptops, gaming systems, digital music players, tablets and other personal electronic devices. CPR was named an Entrepreneur Magazine Franchise 500 (2016) ranking and earned top brand on the Inc. 500. For more information about CPR Cell Phone Repair and franchise opportunities, visit http://www.cellphonerepair.com/or call 877-856-5101.
According to a Warsaw City Report by JLL, following an exceptional year in 2015 (4.1 billion total), momentum was carried into H1 2016, with a volume of 2.07 billion traded. The sector split comprised ca. 1.02 billion in retail, 786 million in offices and 261 million in warehousing. The headline

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Goodman has developed a 57,500 sqm turnkey logistics facility in Beringen for Mobis Parts Europe, the official dealer for KIA and Hyundai parts. The new distribution centre is one of the largest logistics real estate projects on the Belgian market this year. Goodman has strong experience providing real estate solutions

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By Aravind Gowda: Cow vigilantes in Karnataka allegedly issued a death threat to former minister B T Lalitha Naik, who also happens to be a well-known writer, for her observations on cow slaughter.

A leader of the erstwhile Janata Parivar, Naik is a vocal critic of the cow vigilantes. Recently, she was in Chikkamagaluru district to condemn the attack on Dalits, who were beaten up by Hindu activists for consuming beef. She received a letter from Sunil Sharma, a resident of Chikkamagaluru, accusing her of being anti-Hindu.

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"Sunil Sharma has used expletives against me in the letter. He has also said that people like me deserved death," Naik, who is in Dharwad in north Karnataka, told the local media. She is yet to lodge a police complaint against Sunil Sharma for threatening her.



"These threats will not stop me from expressing my opinion. I will produce the letter before the police once I return to Bengaluru," she added.

Also Read: Five held for slaughtering three cows in Maharashtra

--- ENDS ---
Built at a cost of INR 2 crores and backed by a number of leading corporate in the country, besides Chetan Mani, an electric car pioneer, Soleblaze was the sole entry from India at the prestigious World Solar Challenge.

The single seater solar powered car, Soleblaze was built by a total of 20 team members form RV College of Engineering (RVCE), who toiled day and night for 2 years. Apart from these students, major corporates such as Wipro, TCS and SunEdison also had a major role to play in the development of the vehicle. Narayana Murthy, the founder of Infosys, contributed INR 30 lakh for the cars development.

World Solar Challenge is an annual race where university students from around the globe bring their solar powered vehicles to compete in a long distance race. Indias only entry to the competition, Soleblaze managed to reach Australia earlier this month, as the race was scheduled form 18-25 October.

But before participating in the race, Soleblaze was to undergo a dynamic scrutiny on 16th October. This will ensure that the car adheres to set guidelines for safety and regulation. If a team ails to pass these test, they will not be allowed to race.

Sadly for the RVCE team, their 5 kWh storage battery for Soleblaze arrived from India in a damaged condition on 14th October. With less than 48 hours to dynamic scrutiny, there was nothing the team could have done to get the car ready in time. They finally decided to opt out of the competition.

The shipping company in charge of transporting Soleblaze and battery pack to Australia promised delivery on 9th October but it was only on the 14th that Soleblaze reached its destination. It is yet not clear why there was a delay in the arrival of battery. If it had arrived on 9th, the team would have had more days to prepare / fix the damaged critical component.

The news about RVCE teams bad luck quickly spread. University of Michigan even stepped in and offered their spare battery. Sadly, the same was not compatible with the system on board Soleblaze.

Photos
As far as images reveal, this convertible version of Maruti Jimny seems good enough to be considered for factory production
The Working Group on the 'Anthropocene' (AWG), which includes University of Leicester geologists, will provide its summary of evidence and its provisional recommendations on a potential new geological time interval at the 35th International Geological Congress in South Africa between 27 August -- 4 September.

This international scientific body (that includes the University of Leicester geologists Jan Zalasiewicz, Mark Williams and honorary chair, the British Geological Survey geologist Colin Waters, and archaeologist Matt Edgeworth), has been active since 2009, analysing the case for formalization of the Anthropocene, a potential new epoch of geological time dominated by human impact on the Earth. The AWG is about to present its preliminary findings and recommendations at the International Geological Congress in Cape Town, at the same time indicating the range of voting opinion within the group on the major questions surrounding the Anthropocene. It will also map out a route towards a formal proposal on formalization, and indicate work that still needs be done to effect this.

Majority current opinion on the group indicates the following:

 The Anthropocene concept, as articulated by Paul Crutzen and Eugene Stoermer in 2000, is geologically real. The phenomenon is of sufficient scale to be considered as part of the International Chronostratigraphic Chart, more commonly known as the Geological Time Scale.

 Majority AWG opinion is for assignation as an Epoch/Series. This option is preferred over either a lower rank (e.g. Age/Stage, i.e. as a subdivision of the Holocene) or a higher rank such as a Period or Era. In such a step, and in common with all other geological time units, the Anthropocene would comprise both a 'pure time' unit (an Anthropocene Epoch) and an equivalent unit of strata (an Anthropocene Series).

If the Anthropocene is adopted as an Epoch, this would mean that the Holocene has terminated, but that we remain within the Quaternary Period and Cenozoic Era.

 Human impact has left discernible traces on the stratigraphic record for thousands of years -- indeed, since before the beginning of the Holocene. However, substantial and approximately globally synchronous changes to the Earth System most clearly intensified in the 'Great Acceleration of the mid-20th century. The mid-20th century also coincides with the clearest and most distinctive array of signals imprinted upon recently deposited strata.

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 Hence, the mid-20th century represents the optimal beginning of a potential Anthropocene Epoch (and, simultaneously, the base of the Anthropocene Series).

 Changes to the Earth System that characterize the potential Anthropocene Epoch include marked acceleration to rates of erosion and sedimentation, large-scale chemical perturbations to the cycles of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and other elements, the inception of significant change to global climate and sea level, and biotic changes such as unprecedented levels of species invasions across the Earth. Many of these changes are geologically long-lasting, and some are effectively irreversible.

 These and related processes have left an array of signals in recent strata, including plastic, aluminium and concrete particles, artificial radionuclides, changes to carbon and nitrogen isotope patterns, fly ash particles, and a variety of fossilizable biological remains. Many of these signals will leave a permanent record in the Earth's strata.

 The Anthropocene beginning might conceivably be defined by a Global Standard Stratigraphic Age (GSSA), i.e. a numerical age that can be expressed as a calendar date such as 1945. Or more, conventionally it could be defined by a Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP), which is more colloquially a 'golden spike', and is a physical reference point in strata at one carefully selected place. Majority opinion on the AWG is to seek and choose a candidate GSSP, as this is the most familiar and widely accepted method of defining geological time units.

 The AWG has already begun the process of identification of potential GSSPs, by initial analysis of the general environments in which the best combinations of stratigraphic signals may be found (e.g. undisturbed lake or marine sediments, annually banded coral skeletons, polar snow/ice layers, speleothems and so on).

 This will lead to selection of sites for sampling and further analysis, to provide full descriptions of relevant signals in the strata, a process that we hope will lead to the identification of one or more suitable candidate sites for a GSSP. We would hope to complete this process over the next 2-3 years.

 This would then form the basis for the preparation of a formal proposal, to our immediate parent body, the Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy (SQS), on defining a formal Anthropocene unit. If the SQS recommends this by supermajority vote, the proposal will go on to its parent body, the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) to be voted on, with any vote in favour still needing to be ratified by the Executive Committee of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS).

 If all of these conditions can be fulfilled, then the Anthropocene would become a formal part of the Geological Time Scale.

Results of AWG Vote (35 members):
Researchers from MIPT, the Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, the Institute for Energy Problems of Chemical Physics, and the Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Medicine have presented an algorithm to detect mutant proteins based on mass spectrometry data and the results of exome sequencing. Using this new approach, the scientists have discovered unique genome variants, some of which are linked to cancer development. Studying mutant peptides will help to detect weaknesses in tumor cells in search for more effective drug treatments. The results have been published in the journal Proteomics.

Proteomics and Big Data

It seems as if the term "big data" is relatively new. However, it is impossible to imagine any science that would not use large amounts of data. In biology, big data enables scientists to, on the one hand, conduct large-scale experiments and extract more useful data from biological material. On the other hand, it is becoming increasingly difficult to reveal important patterns of high specificity within the large amount of information. To cope with this problem, scientists are increasingly focusing on developing complex algorithms and/or the workflows for filtering and analyzing the data.

Proteomics -- the large-scale study of proteins of cells and entire organisms -- is no exception. Generally, proteins, peptides, and their fragments can be analyzed using mass spectrometry. Mass spectrometry provides peptide fragmentation information specific to the amino acid sequence and, thus, allows scientists to identify proteins present in the original sample. A number of algorithms called a search engine are currently available for protein identification. These algorithms take the peptide fragmentation patterns provided by mass spectrometry, match them with a protein database and return the list of proteins corresponding to the experimental data.

However, this approach is not entirely suitable for proteins that are not encoded in a reference genome. If a mutant protein from a cancer cell does not present in the search database, then the so-called variant peptide corresponding to the mutated part of the protein would not be identified. This is where proteogenomics comes in -- a rapidly growing area of biological research at the intersection of genomics and proteomics. Variant peptides identified using the proteogenomic approach provide invaluable information for gene annotation -- information which is difficult or impossible to ascertain using standard annotation methods.

Expansion of the protein database

In their paper, the Russian scientists describe a workflow for searching variant peptides from mutant proteins enabling them to compare the mass spectrometry results of different groups and laboratories for unambiguous marking of cancer mutations. The effectiveness of their approach has been tested using HEK-293 cells. HEK-293 (Human Embryonic Kidney 293) cells are a specific cell line originally derived from human embryonic kidney cells grown in a tissue culture. HEK-293 cells have been widely used in cell biology research for many years because of their reliable growth and propensity for transfection.

In addition to their own experimental data, the researchers used the mass spectrometry results from two recent studies analysing HEK-293 cell proteomes. They generated the so-called customized database for proteogenomic analysis based on exome sequencing of HEK-293 cells. An exome is formed by exons (part of a gene that codes an amino acid sequence). As a result, the customized protein database now has 1336 sequences of mutant proteins in addition to the reference database of human proteins. This simply means that the protein "dictionary" has grown. Without this improvement it would be impossible to find the "wrong" mutant proteins. A cancer cell mutates more often than a regular cell, which is why known differences between proteins in cancer and "reference" cells will help scientists to find out more about tumor cells.

With the mass spectrometry data available from two previous studies and the own experimental results, the Russian scientists identified peptides and the corresponding proteins contained in the cell. Using the proteogenomic analysis with an expanded peptide database, the authors discovered 113 unique variant peptide sequences in HEK-293 cells referring to the exons of 103 genes.

Some of the mutations discovered had previously been proven to be connected with different types of cancer. These mutant proteins could possibly facilitate the survival and multiplication of the cells. In particular, one of the variants identified is related to the p53 protein which is known to suppress the malignant transformations.

"Our approach may be used to search for cancer-associated mutations based on proteomic analysis. This will help in studying the protein expressions in tumors and provide further basis for developing drugs targeting the mutant proteins produced in tumor cells," says Dr. Michael Gorshkov, one of the collaborators in the project, the Head of the Laboratory of Physical and Chemical Methods for Structure Analysis at the Institute for Energy Problems of Chemical Physics, and a member of MIPT's Department of Chemical Physics.
The average monthly emergency department visit increased by 5.7 percent in Illinois after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), although the population remained essentially flat. In Massachusetts, while visits to emergency departments climbed steadily between 2005 and 2014, availability of on-call specialists (surgeons, psychiatrists and other specialists) declined "significantly." The results of two state-specific studies were published online last Thursday in Annals of Emergency Medicine ("Increased Emergency Department Use in Illinois After Implementation of the Affordable Care Act" and "Decline in Consultant Availability in Massachusetts Emergency Departments: 2005 to 2014").

"Emergency departments continue to be squeezed by pressures inside and outside the hospital," said Scott Dresden, MD, MS, of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Ill., the lead author of the Illinois paper. "A large post-ACA increase in Medicaid visits and a modest increase in privately insured visits outpaced a large reduction in emergency department visits by uninsured patients. We still don't know if these results represent longer-term changes in health services use or a temporary spike in emergency department use due to pent up demand."

Annual emergency department visit volume in Illinois increased from 2.9 million in 2011 to 3.2 million in 2015, an 8.1 percent increase over the period. Comparing the pre-ACA period (2011 to 2013) to the post-ACA period (2014 to 2015), the average monthly emergency department visit volume increased by 5.7 percent. Hospitalizations were essentially unchanged, as was the size of Illinois' population.

In Massachusetts, from 2005 to 2015 emergency departments reported that visits increased on average from 32,025 to 42,000. During the same period, there was a significant drop in availability of specialists in surgery, neurology, obstetrics-gynecology, orthopedics, pediatrics, plastic surgery and psychiatry. Availability of general surgeons declined from 98 percent to 83 percent while 24/7 psychiatry availability declined from 56 percent to 33 percent. Availability of orthopedic surgeons, pediatricians and plastic surgeons also declined significantly.

"During the studied period, the burden of increasing patient volume was clear," said Jason Sanders, MD, PhD, of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "The proportion of emergency departments reporting any patients primarily cared for in the hallway climbed from 70 percent to 89 percent. That is obviously far from ideal and is indicative of an increasingly taxed emergency medical care system."
A device made of bilayer graphene, an atomically thin hexagonal arrangement of carbon atoms, provides experimental proof of the ability to control the momentum of electrons and offers a path to electronics that could require less energy and give off less heat than standard CMOS transistors. It is one step forward in a new field of physics called valleytronics.

"Current silicon-based transistor devices rely on the charge of electrons to turn the device on or off, but many labs are looking at new ways to manipulate electrons based on other variables, called degrees of freedom," said Jun Zhu, associate professor of physics at Penn State, who directed the research. "Charge is one degree of freedom. Electron spin is another, and the ability to build transistors based on spin, called spintronics, is still in the development stage. A third electronic degree of freedom is the valley state of electrons, which is based on their energy in relation to their momentum."

Think of electrons as cars and the valley states as blue and red colors, Zhu suggested, just as a way to differentiate them. Inside a sheet of bilayer graphene, electrons will normally occupy both red and blue valley states and travel in all directions. The device her Ph.D. student, Jing Li, has been working on can make the red cars go in one direction and the blue cars in the opposite direction.

"The system that Jing created puts a pair of gates above and below a bilayer graphene sheet. Then he adds an electric field perpendicular to the plane," Zhu said.

"By applying a positive voltage on one side and a negative voltage on the other, a bandgap opens in bilayer graphene, which it doesn't normally have. In the middle, between the two sides, we leave a physical gap of about 70 nanometers," Li explained.

Inside this gap lives one-dimensional metallic states, or wires, that are color-coded freeways for electrons. The red cars travel in one direction and the blue cars travel in the opposite direction. In theory, colored electrons could travel unhindered along the wires for a long distance with very little resistance. Smaller resistance means power consumption is lower in electronic devices and less heat is generated. Both power consumption and thermal management are challenges in current miniaturized devices.

"Our experiments show that the metallic wires can be created," Li said. "Although we are still a long way from applications."

Zhu added, "It's quite remarkable that such states can be created in the interior of an insulating bilayer graphene sheet, using just a few gates. They are not yet resistance-free, and we are doing more experiments to understand where resistance might come from. We are also trying to build valves that control the electron flow based on the color of the electrons. That's a new concept of electronics called valleytronics."

Li worked closely with the technical staff of Penn State's nanofabrication facility to turn the theoretical framework into a working device.

"The alignment of the top and bottom gates was crucial and not a trivial challenge. The state of the art electron beam lithography capabilities at the Penn State Nanofabrication Laboratory allowed Jing to create this novel device with nanoscale features," says Chad Eichfeld, Nanolithography Engineer.

Their paper, titled "Gate-controlled topological conducting channels in bilayer graphene," appears online today, August 29, in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. Additional authors include Ke Wang and Yafei Ren and their advisor Zenhua Qiao of University of Science and Technology of China, who performed numerical studies to model the behavior of the wires. The high-quality hexagonal Boron Nitride crystals used in the experiment came from Kenji Watanabe and Takashi Taniguchi of National Institute for Material Science, Japan. Two undergraduate students, Kenton McFaul and Zachary Zern, contributed to the research.

Funding was provided by the U.S. Office of Naval Research, the National Science Foundation and funding agencies in China and Japan. Kenton McFaul, a visiting student from Grove City College, was supported by a Research Experience for Undergraduates grant from the NSF NNIN. Jun Zhu is a member of the Center for 2-Dimensional and Layered Materials in Penn State's Materials Research Institute.
In the future, the breeding of the climate-friendly cow can be speeded up by using genetic information. A recent study identifies areas in the cow's genotype which are linked to the amount of methane it produces. Cows subjected to study did not unnecessarily chew their cuds when being placed in glass cases.

Of the greenhouse gases produced by humans, 16 per cent consists of methane, of which one third originates in cattle production: more than one billion cattle graze the planet, and each of them emit around 500 litres of methane every day, thereby warming up the climate.

Could it be possible to produce a cow with lower methane emissions through the means available for breeding? The genotype and feed affect a cow's microbial make-up and functioning. Microbes in the cow's intestine and rumen on their part play a key role in the functioning of the cow's entire biological system. "A similar interaction was previously detected in humans," says Johanna Vilkki, professor at Luke.

As part of a project named RuminOmics, led by the University of Aberdeen and funded by the EU, the Natural Resources Institute Finland, in collaboration with ten other European research institutes, investigated the interaction between a ruminant's genotype, feed, and the microbial make-up of the rumen, examining the role these factors played in the energy-efficiency of dairy cattle and their methane emissions.

Significant differences in methane production between individuals

Under the RuminOmics project, one thousand cows were examined in different European countries. One hundred Ayshire cows visited a metabolic chamber, located in Luke's Jokioinen cowshed, in which their methane emissions were measured. In addition, their digestion, production characteristics, energy-efficiency and metabolism, as well as their microbial make-up, were monitored.

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Substantial differences in measurement results were found between different farms and countries, as feeding practices, for example, differ from each other a great deal. It was expected that Finnish and Swedish cows would produce more methane than cows in other countries. This is attributable to their feed which is dominated by silage, not by the climate.

"If the methane emissions from cows are to be reduced, a straightforward approach according to which only cows with low emissions are left in the livestock is perhaps not the best solution. On the contrary, the results indicate that many cows with low methane emissions are inefficient due to the fact that they are unable to make use contained in fodder.

Relative methane emissions of a cow per production unit, kilo of milk or beef are reduced if the production level or production age are increased.

Therefore, it makes sense, from an ethical and environmental perspective, to favour cows with an excellent production capability and keep them in production for as long as possible," Viikki says by way of recommendation.

Genes reveal a cow with low emission

Information available in the near future will indicate whether or not cows with low emissions and a good production capability can be selected for breeding on the basis of genetic data. The study identified areas in the cow's genotype, the variation of which was linked to the amount of methane produced per kilo of milk produced.

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"We will investigate whether these genes affect the variation in the microbial make-up of cows' rumen or other characteristics of cows such as the size of their rumen, production level of capability to use fodder."

Reduced emissions and healthier milk

Cows' fodder contains a great deal of unsaturated fatty acids, but the microbes in the rumen transform them into saturated fatty acids. Therefore, approximately 70 percent of the fats in milk comprises solid fats.

The make-up of fatty acids in the cows studied was measured, and its connection to the microbial make-up of the rumen was examined. Further research will reveal whether a cow's fatty acid make-up indicates the cow's methane emissions.

"By changing the feed of cows, we seek to reduce the proportion of microbes causing methane emissions, the amount of which is also related to the amount of saturated fatty acids in milk. Using this method, we can perhaps also change the nutritional make-up of milk in a healthier direction," Viikki remarks.

More Information

What is a metabolic chamber?

Methane production of dairy cattle is measured in the four metabolic chambers at Luke's experimental cowshed in Minkio. Animal well-being has been taken into consideration in the planning of the chambers.

In order to create an agreeable environment for the cows in their chambers of 20 cubic metres in volume, they have been placed in the vicinity of other cows in the cowshed. The chambers have a steel framework with transparent polycarbonate walls, allowing the cows to see the other cows in the herd. To ensure safety, the chambers have an emergency exit which will open if the equipment experiences a power outage or the carbon dioxide level reaches too high a value.

In the course of studies, air intake and outflow is measured for the concentration of carbon dioxide, oxygen, methane and hydrogen using a gas analyser. The volume of air flow is measured using a mass flowmeter.

Cows' daily feed consumption and milk production is measured and recorded, and the manure and urine produced is collected. This will enable the analysis of the energy metabolism of dairy cattle in addition to methane measurements.
The advent of script has never managed to eliminate the use of symbols. This is the finding of research carried out by Kyra van der Moezel on Ancient Egyptian identity marks. PhD defence 7 September.

Van der Moezel studied identity marks from the settlement at Deir el-Medina, on the west bank of the Nile. This is where some 40 to 120 workers and their families lived between 1550 and 1070 BC. These were the workers who built and decorated the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, where the legendary King Tutankhamen is buried, along with other pharoahs and elites.

Funny signs

More than three thousand years later Deir el-Medina reveals a wealth of archaeological information. An exceptional number of written sources have been found covering trade, the law, religion and literature. Researchers have also found a large number of identity marks, often imprinted on potsherds or as graffiti on the rock walls of the necropolis. For a long time scientists had no idea how to interpret all these symbols, so they were dubbed very unscientifically 'funny signs'.

Pictograms

'Under the guidance of lecturer Ben Haring we have now managed to interpret most of these symbols,' Van der Moezel explains. 'You can compare them to pictograms today, like information symbols at airports or product logos. They all have an inherent meaning, but are not related by any linguistic rules. The rules governing how words and sentences are formed don't apply here. The symbols use other means of expressing information.'

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WhatsApp

Van der Moezel and her colleagues distinguish different types of identity marks. Some symbols appear to be geometrical and use squares, triangles or circles, while others were derived from the written language. Finally, the Leiden researchers also found images of beings and objects that in terms of their function are comparable with the symbols that we use today in WhatsApp.

Jackals

'These pictograms depict images of animals, objects or professions, for example,' says Van der Moezel. 'They were used in two different ways. First of all metonymically, whereby the symbol refers directly to what the person who drew it wanted to convey. The scorpion hunter of Deir el-Medina, for example, was represented by a scorpion symbol. The Egyptians also used the pictograms metaphorically. A well-known Egyptian metaphor is, for example, 'as fast as a jackal', which could explain why a worker is represented by the image of a jackal.' Continued existence

Surprisingly enough, the identity signs continued to exist even after the workers started to make more use of writing. Van der Moezel: 'People often assume that identity signs are 'more primitive' than written language, and that writing will slowly but surely take over from symbols. However, what we see is that writing and symbols continue to exist alongside one another. There is some interchange between the two, but symbols have never been ousted as a means of communication. Symbols continue to be useful because you can express a lot more in a single symbol than in a letter or a word.'

Symbolizing Identity

Van der Moezel's PhD is part of a larger project entitled Symbolizing Identity. Identity Marks and their Relation to Writing in New Kingdom Egypt, managed by Dr Ben Haring. Haring was awarded a subsidy in 2011 by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) to conduct this research.
An international team of astronomers, including Carnegie's Eric Persson, has charted the rise and fall of galaxies over 90 percent of cosmic history. Their work, which includes some of the most sensitive astronomical measurements made to date, is being published in The Astrophysical Journal.

The FourStar Galaxy Evolution Survey (ZFOURGE) has built a multicolored photo album of galaxies as they grow from their faint beginnings into mature and majestic giants. They did so by measuring distances and brightnesses for more than 70,000 galaxies spanning more than 12 billion years of cosmic time, revealing the breadth of galactic diversity.

The team assembled the colorful photo album by using a new set of filters that are sensitive to infrared light and taking images with them with the FourStar camera at Carnegie's 6.5-meter Baade Telescope at our Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. They took the images over a period of 45 nights. The team made a 3-D map by collecting light from over 70,000 galaxies, peering all the way into the distant universe, and by using this light to measure how far these galaxies are from our own Milky Way.

The deep 3-D map also revealed young galaxies that existed as early as 12.5 billion years ago (at less than 10 percent of the current universe age), only a handful of which had previously been found. This should help astronomers better understand the universe's earliest days.

"Perhaps the most surprising result is that galaxies in the young universe appear as diverse as they are today," when the universe is older and much more evolved, said lead author Caroline Straatman, a recent graduate of Leiden University. "The fact that we see young galaxies in the distant universe that have already shut down star formation is remarkable."

But it's not just about distant galaxies; the information gathered by ZFOURGE is also giving the scientists the best-yet view of what our own galaxy was like in its youth.

"Ten billion years ago, galaxies like our Milky Way were much smaller, but they were forming stars 30 times faster than they are today," said Casey Papovich of Texas A&M University.

"ZFOURGE is providing us with a highly complete and reliable census of the evolving galaxy population, and is already helping us to address questions like: How did galaxies grow with time? When did they form their stars and develop into the spectacular structures that we see in the present-day universe?" added Ryan Quadri, also of Texas A&M.

In the study's first images, the team found one of the earliest examples of a galaxy cluster, a so-called "galaxy city" made up of a dense concentration of galaxies, which formed when the universe was only three billion years old, as compared to the nearly 14 billion years it is today.

"The combination of FourStar, the special filters, Magellan, and the conditions at Las Campanas led to the detection of the cluster," said Persson, who built the FourStar instrument at the Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena. "It was in a very well-studied region of the sky -- 'hiding in plain sight.'"

The paper marks the completion of the ZFOURGE survey and the public release of the dataset, which can be found here: http://zfourge.tamu.edu/DR2016/data.html.
According to the complainant, a lecturer in the Department of Computer Sciences, Dr. T.M.A Pai Polytechnic in Manipal, the institute's Vice-Principal Srikanth Pai allegedly misbehaved with her and sought sexual favours on August 27 in the teachers' room.

By Mail Today Bureau: A lecturer of a private college in the educational hub of Manipal in coastal Karnataka has accused the vice-principal of sexual harassment. The lady has filed a police complaint and a FIR has been registered.



SOUGHT SEXUAL FAVORS

According to the complainant, a lecturer in the Department of Computer Sciences, Dr. T.M.A Pai Polytechnic in Manipal, the institute's Vice-Principal Srikanth Pai allegedly misbehaved with her and sought sexual favours on August 27 in the teachers' room. When the lady objected to his behaviour, he reportedly touched her inappropriately. Shocked by his behaviour, the teacher ran out of the room and collapsed on the college corridor. A section of the students were a witness to this incident, it is said.



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STUDENTS PROTESTED

Later, the accused allegedly threatened the lecturer against pursuing the matter. On Monday, students boycotted classes and staged a demonstration in the college premises demanding action against the vice-principal. As the management did not suspend the vice-principal, the students intensified the protest.

LEWD MESSAGES

The lecturer then filed a police complaint against the vice-principal. She also submitted copies of the lewd messages that the accused allegedly sent to her mobile phone in the last six months.

Also Read: Relief for expelled AIADMK MP Sasikala in sexual harassment case

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Page Content

The Illinois Employee Sick Leave Act (Public Act 99-0841) requires Illinois employers who provide personal sick leave benefits to their employees to allow employees to take such leave for absences due to the illness, injury, or medical appointment of the employee's child, spouse, sibling, parent, mother-in-law, father-in-law, grandchild, grandparent or stepparent.



The leave must be granted on the same terms under which the employee is able to use sick leave benefits for his or her own illness or injury. The act goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2017.



Who Is Covered?



All Illinois employers who provide personal sick leave benefits to their employees are covered by the act. The act defines "personal sick leave benefits" to include time accrued and available to employees to be used for absences related to personal illness, injury or medical appointments.



If my company does not already provide personal sick leave benefits to our employees, are we now required to do so?



No. The act does not require employers to adopt sick leave policies if they do not already have them in place. However, under the Chicago Paid Sick Leave Ordinance, passed on June 22, many employers in Chicago will be required to provide eligible employees with paid sick leave benefits beginning July 1, 2017.



Can employers restrict the use of personal sick leave benefits for the care of family members?



Employers may limit the use of sick leave benefits for absences due to the illness, injury or medical appointment of a family member to an amount that is not less than the amount of personal sick leave the employee would accrue during six months at the employee's current accrual rate.



In other words, employers may restrict employees from using more than half of their yearly sick leave benefits for the care of family members. Additionally, the act states that it does not extend the maximum amount of leave to which an employee may be entitled under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act.



What if my company already provides employees with leave to care for family members?



Employers who have paid time off policies that provide leave benefits for the care of family members as required by the act are not required to modify such policies.



Are there any other requirements under the act?



Employers are prohibited from denying employees the right to use personal sick leave benefits for the care of specified family members in accordance with the act. In addition, it is unlawful for employers to discharge, threaten to discharge, demote, suspend or discriminate against employees for using sick leave benefits, attempting to exercise their rights to use sick leave benefits, filing a complaint with the Illinois Department of Labor, alleging a violation of the act, cooperating in an investigation or prosecution of the act, or opposing any policy, practice or act that is prohibited by the act.



Jody Kahn Mason and Kathryn Montgomery Moran are attorneys with Jackson Lewis in Chicago.  Jackson Lewis. All rights reserved. Reposted with permission.


<p><a href="http://www.antler-ridge.com/" target="_blank">Antler Ridge Wildlife Sanctuary</a><span></span></p>

At first, no one thought there was anything unusual about the baby gray squirrel. At 2 weeks old, the squirrel - named Filbert - had started sprouting fine white fur instead of gray. According to wildlife rehabilitator Linda DeLorenzo, many squirrels look "white-ish" at that age - they're born hairless and pink, then start getting "peach fuzz fur." As the weeks ticked by, however, Filbert's five littermates turned gray-brown, but Filbert's white fur thickened.

The litter of six squirrels arrived at Antler Ridge Wildlife Sanctuary in Warren County, New Jersey, after they'd been found abandoned in an attic. Since opening in 2008, the sanctuary has rescued and released more than 1,600 Eastern gray squirrels, but the volunteer staff had never come across a white squirrel. "We were all surprised Filbert was so white," DeLorenzo tells The Dodo. "We were interested to see if he was truly albino or if he was leucistic, which is a partial loss of pigment. If the squirrel had leucism, he'd have normal dark eyes, but if he was albino, he'd have red eyes."

Dodo Shows Foster Diaries This Pregnant Pittie Foster Story Is The Happiest Thing Ever

When Filbert's eyes opened at 4 weeks, the sanctuary staff had their answer: His eyes were red, confirming him to be an albino.

Filbert might look different than his siblings, but he certainly doesn't act differently. As they grew up, they enjoyed doing what squirrels do: hiding nuts and finding them again; chasing and running away from each other; building nests, climbing and jumping.

When the squirrels reached 12 weeks, the Antler Ridge team knew they were ready be released back into the wild. However, they decided it would be in Filbert's best interests if he remained at the sanctuary. "His absence of color leaves Filbert without his camouflage and would make him easy prey to the hawks, eagles and owls that hunt squirrels from the skies, and the bobcats, coyotes, foxes, feral cats, dogs and humans that hunt them from the ground," says DeLorenazo. "Also, animals with albinism often have poor eyesight."

To ensure Filbert wouldn't be lonely, they also kept two of his sisters, Hazel and Macadamia. The three of them live together in a very large enclosure, and they love jumping from branch to branch, chasing each other, wrestling and stealing each other's food. The squirrels also love to groom each other. "Filbert knows he's especially gorgeous and keeps himself impeccably groomed," says DeLorenzo.

The Antler Ridge team will also use Filbert for educational purposes to teach students about albinism, squirrel behavior and the squirrel's role in the ecosystem.

Albino squirrels are very rare. According to University of Texas biologist David Hillis, albino squirrels occur in 1 out of every 100,000 gray squirrels. However, the town of Olney, Illinois, has a population of about 150 albino squirrels after local farmers operated a captive breeding program in the early 20th century. In Olney, white squirrels have the right-of-way on every road and sidewalk, and people face heavy fines if they injure, kill or remove a white squirrel from the town.
Bullhooks are sharp prods that elephant trainers flail against captive elephants in circuses and zoos to subdue the animals - and now they are banned in the whole state of California. "[C]aptive elephants residing in, or passing through the state of California, will no longer be tormented, controlled, and dominated by the use of the cruel and archaic bullhook," the animal protection organization In Defense of Animals (IDA) wrote in a release.

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Cosponsored by Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the bill, which was signed into law by California Governor Jerry Brown this week, will go into effect on January 1, 2018.

"The bullhook is a menacing weapon resembling a fireplace poker, with a sharp tip and hook at the end," Catherine Doyle of PAWS told The Dodo last year. "It is used to forcefully prod, hook and strike elephants in order to dominate and control them, and to make them perform on cue. Elephants in circuses live under the constant threat of the bullhook from the day they are separated from their mothers as calves until the end of their lives."

While many major cities across the U.S., including Los Angeles, Richmond, Austin and Minneapolis, have banned the bullhook, California is just the second state to take that step. In July, Rhode Island became the first state in the U.S. to ban bullhooks, taking a historic stand against cruelty to circus elephants. Animal lovers are heartened to see California follow.

Rhode Island and California are the first states in the U.S. to ban the bullhook. | The Dodo
Malissa Sergent Lewis wasn't expecting to save a life on her way into the office last week. But that's exactly what she did.

Malissa Sergent Lewis

On Thursday morning, Lewis was running a little late to the elementary school in Kentucky where she works, so she decided to take a shortcut through a back road instead. It was there along that quiet country street that, despite her hurry, Lewis took notice of something shockingly out of the ordinary. "I saw this trash bag in the road, and I thought to myself, 'Did I just see that bag move?' The closer I got, I realized it was moving," she told The Dodo. "I could hardly wrap my mind around that. Something was alive in that bag, and I just knew I had to get whatever it was out." Video Lewis captured on her cell phone shows the trapped creature hobbling toward her approaching vehicle.

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Not knowing if it was a dangerous sort of animal inside the bag, Lewis approached with caution. But she helped regardless. "The bag was tied off in a knot, so I carefully tore a corner and looked inside," she said. "It was a puppy. And he sure was glad to see me. As soon as I opened it up, and he saw light, he just started wagging his tail. He knew he was OK. I couldn't believe it."

This browser does not support the video tag. Malissa Sergent Lewis

The puppy was wearing a collar, but had no tag to identify where he came from - so Lewis decided to take him with her. (After all, she was still late for work.) "I just put him in my lap and drove to school," she said. "I couldn't just leave him in the car, so I brought him in with me. The principal saw me and said, 'You have a dog!' I said, 'It's a long story.'" Lewis called her son to come pick the puppy up and take him to the safety of their home. Later on, they took him to the vet to make sure he was truly all right after that unimaginable act of cruelty. "We got him his shots," she said. "He seems happy and healthy."

Malissa Sergent Lewis

It isn't known if the puppy had been discarded by his owner, or was perhaps stolen and put there by someone else. Lewis says authorities are investigating the case, but there's no doubt in her mind someone did it on purpose - and that he would have likely died had she not been fortunate enough to spot him in time. "Who could do something like that to any animal? I don't care who you are; everybody loves puppies," she said. "It's a real coldhearted person to put an animal, any animal, in a garbage bag and dump it on the side of the road. They had bad, bad intentions doing that." Thankfully, though, the puppy found just the person to help him, not just in that desperate moment, but for a lifetime.

Malissa Sergent Lewis

It's only been a few days now, but Lewis and her family have already bonded with the little dog she saved. They've even given him a name hinting to the circumstances of his chance discovery: Hefty. Things for him are now looking up.

Malissa Sergent Lewis
When a zookeeper at the Hai Keif Zoo in Israel accidentally left the door of the spider monkey cage open, all five monkeys had one idea: to break out.

While four of the monkeys wandered around the zoo, one took the escape even farther, wandering around the town of Rishon LeZion, a suburb of Tel Aviv.
Oreo, a black and white piglet, has been through quite a lot, considering he's only 8 weeks old.

He started out in West Virginia, where people were selling him by the side of the road. Then he wound up being bought and brought into a home as a pet. The family, who already had a few pet dogs, thought the little pig would stay mini, but when little Oreo got sick, they took him to the veterinarian's office where they learned that actually Oreo would grow up to be a very big pig.

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That's when the family got in touch with sanctuary.org/">Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary, a 400-acre sanctuary in Poolesville, Maryland. "They loved him but knew he would be too big to live in their house," the sanctuary wrote.

Reo arrived earlier this month at Poplar Spring, but the little pig wasn't jumping for joy - in fact, he was very sick. "He was very lethargic and having trouble breathing," the sanctuary wrote. "By that evening he was open mouth breathing and falling over."

Oreo was rushed to the hospital because of severe pneumonia | Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary

Oreo was rushed to New Bolton Vet hospital, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia that was so bad he had to be put into an oxygen chamber. If vets hadn't seen him so quickly, Oreo's life could have been over before it really began.

Oreo in the oxygen chamber that helped save his life | Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary

On Saturday, he finally came home to the sanctuary that will be his home forever.

Oreo on his way home from the hospital | Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary

"He is feeling SO much better and he is starting to run and play like a healthy piglet now," Terry Cummings, director of Poplar Spring, told The Dodo. "He gets tired easily, and is still on antibiotics, but we are very hopeful for a full recovery."

This browser does not support the video tag. Oreo in action at the sanctuary | Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary
Ireland gave Apple Inc. illegal tax benefits worth up to 13 billion euros ($18.92 billion Cdn) between 2003 and 2014, according to the European Union, and the country must recover them back, with interest.

Both Ireland and the U.S.-based iPhone maker say they disagreed with the record penalty and that theyll appeal it.

Apple obviously doesnt want to lose the money while Ireland doesnt want to lose the jobs and investment.

Here are five things to know about the record tax bill:

Why isnt Ireland happy with the fine?

Apples European headquarters are now located in Ireland.

Government officials fear that multinationals such as Apple will pull up stakes and go home if they lose their tax advantage.

Theyre fighting the ruling because they want to keep the investment flowing and jobs in the country.

The Irish finance minister, Michael Noonan, said he would seek approval from the Irish Cabinet to appeal the EU Commissions ruling to European courts.

It is important that we send a strong message that Ireland remains an attractive and stable location of choice for long-term substantive investment, Noonan said. Apple has been in Ireland since the 1980s and employs thousands of people in Cork.

How big is the fine for Apple?

The fine, if Apple ever pays it, would be the value of 15 million iPhones or 27 per cent of Apples 2015 profit.

Thats obviously daunting but Apple isnt strapped for cash.

The multi-national has a stock market value of $784.26 billion (All dollars Canadian).

More than 90 per cent of its cash stockpile is kept outside of the U.S., to shield it from American taxes.

How big is fine for Ireland?

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Ireland was worth 311.32 billion in 2015, as reported by the World Bank.

The fine is equivalent to more than the countrys healthcare budget and 66 per cent of its social welfare bill.

Its also adds up to $4,126.16 for every one of Irelands 4.6 million population.

How does this affect relations between the European Union and United States?

The U.S. Treasury said last week that the European Commission was in danger of becoming a supranational tax authority.

After the Apple ruling, a spokesperson for the U.S. Treasure said the latest ruling could undermine foreign investment, the business climate in Europe, and the important spirit of economic partnership between the US and the EU.

Whats next?

Apple isnt the only corporation in the sights of the European Union.

Last year, the commission told the Netherlands to recover as much as $43.74 million from Starbucks, while Luxembourg was ordered to claw back a similar amount from Fiat.

As Apple and Ireland head to the courts to appeal the ruling, there are already reports that McDonalds, Amazon and Google could face similar challenges.

 With files from Canadian Press

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I love to shop at Hudsons Bay Co. But I know some customers find it difficult to deal with the companys customer service staff when orders go wrong.

The Better Business Bureau has closed 191 complaints about Hudsons Bay in the past three years, but gives it a high rating (A-) because of its size and long history in Canada.

I also hear from HBC customers who find my online column of Feb. 27, 2015, Hudsons Bay Co. needs to improve service. Some spend weeks or months trying unsuccessfully to resolve issues before reaching out to the media.

Melissa Clerque and Jose Acosta: They ordered a $500 crib online from HBC on June 25, well before the expected birth of their child in mid-August. They were given a tracking number and told the item had been shipped.

Clerque waited a few weeks and contacted HBC to see why she hadnt received it. The reply: It hadnt been shipped from the warehouse after all.

More anxious inquiries followed in July, but still no delivery. She remembers being told by a customer service representative that she would get the crib and a refund for the inconvenience.

It is now August and I am 37 weeks pregnant, with three weeks to go, she told me. This has taken so much time. Id expect some degree of professionalism or sympathy for a pregnant person waiting for her crib.

Simon Lysnes, HBC spokesman, swung into action after I contacted him and ensured that the expectant couple received the crib by Aug. 8.

The crib is now ready to go and we are just waiting for baby to make her debut any day now, she told me Aug. 11. A full refund was promised and will show up on my next credit card statement.

Chantel Janeiro and Jordan Brooks: The engaged couple bought a $3,000 king-size Gluckstein Loft Storage Bed last October and received it on Nov. 4, 2015.

We did not build the bed frame until late April, since our apartment was not fully finished until then, Janeiro said. We did not use the bed until we were married on May 14, since both of us were living with our parents.

After trying it, we realized the bed lacked significant pieces of hardware to support the mattress and was sinking terribly in the middle. Our first night as a couple was spent on a blow-up mattress.

In late May, HBC sent a diagnostician who said two key parts had to be ordered and installed. But while the parts package arrived a month later, the installer found the centre support was missing from the package.

Janeiro sent two emails sent to Liz Rodbell, Hudsons Bay president, and didnt get a response. That was disappointing, given her level of business with the store.

I never imagined spending the first two months of my married life in a mattress on the floor in the living room-kitchen area, she told me. You can imagine how awkward it is to entertain guests.

I purchased my wedding dress from Kleinfeld Bridal Boutique at HBC Toronto. We had a wedding of 325 guests and five wedding showers. We had over $20,000 worth of items purchased from our Hudsons Bay gift registry.

Things changed once I contacted Lysnes and his team. Janeiro received the part needed for the bed frame and an appointment to install it, plus a full refund and compensation for the time it took to deal with her situation.

My advice: When you order furniture items from retailers, remove the packaging and assemble them quickly. Do not wait until you are ready to use them.

Many companies have tight deadlines (24 to 48 hours) in which to report damage or missing parts after a delivery has arrived.

We discussed buying the bed closer to our move-in date of May 2016 or getting a later delivery, Janeiro said. But our HBC furniture salesman said they couldnt guarantee inventory by May and couldnt offer a later delivery.

Finally, when frustrated with front-line customer service, use social media. Hudsons Bay has a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, so post messages there.

Play up the human interest angle to encourage sharing your story. Companies will often rush in to pick up the pieces, not wanting to be embarrassed by mistakes that inconvenience customers and make their lives miserable.

Ellen Rosemans column appears Tuesdays in Smart Money.

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By PTI: Aurangabad, Aug 28 (PTI) Blaming Central government for ongoing unrest in Kashmir, NCP chief Sharad Pawar today claimed Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had told him about the "violation" of promises by government.

"Kashmiris are infuriated as the Central government did not fulfil the promises made to them. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had told me about the violation of the promises by government...Union government should go out of way to help people in this violence-hit state," Pawar told reporters here.

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The Kashmir Valley has been gripped by unrest since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani on July 8.

"Kashmir was once the best state for tourism, but presently tourism is collapsed and local youths are angry because of unemployment," he said.

Touching the contentious issue of proposed Maharashtra Protection of Internal Security Act (MPISA), Pawar said the legislation is mainly aimed at "suppressing the minority community".

"Most of the youths arrested in Parbhani and other parts of Maharashtra (by ATS for alleged terror link in recent past) are innocent. A fast track court should be established for the speedy hearing of such cases," the veteran politician said.

He said more than 30-35 organisations had met him and complained about the detention of "innocent" youths by ATS, "which showed their arrests only after 4-5 days of detention".

"ATS is misusing law," he alleged. PTI CORR NSK TIR

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Two Quebec mothers are shocked after seeing a very upsetting sight at an Outremont primary school where Grade 3 teachers were wearing and handing out aboriginal headdresses on the first day of class.

Jennifer Dorner was attending the schools first-day celebrations with her two children when she found the scene at the schoolyard at Ecole Lajoie. She took a photo and posted it Facebook, where it began to make rounds.

Its a very bad start to the school year, Dorner told the Star. We have to send our kids to school, and we just hope for the best and that theyll get the best education . . . but why arent teachers more sensitive towards the issue?

Dorners sister, Sarah, also has two children at the school and found the situation really unfortunate when her 8-year-old daughter came home with an aboriginal headdress.

School board spokeswoman Gina Guillemette says the headdress  fashioned from cardboard and coloured feathers  was handed out to students at the school as part of a focus on teaching about native communities in Quebec.

The principal and the teacher at Ecole Lajoie couldnt be reached for comment Monday.

Headdresses are generally worn by only elders or those whove earned the right to do so. Non-natives wearing them is seen as disrespectful.

With files from The Canadian Press

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SASKATOONA Saskatchewan couple has two boys, four car seats and a nanny but theyre being asked by the Canada Revenue Agency to prove that their children exist  again.

Devin Dubois and his wife got a letter telling them to prove that they have children or their child benefits would be cut off. But Dubois says the CRA has the information in its possession because the couple got the same letter in 2014.

Its not that theres anything new in our 2015 tax returns. These are the same two kids that weve always claimed. I dont know what the CRA thinks has happened between now and then, said Dubois.

I dont know what more proof positive we really could provide.

Dubois says in 2014 he provided proof of their Canadian citizenship, social insurance numbers, child-care receipts and property tax details.

He also sent notarized copies of his drivers licence, law society membership and Costco membership. There was also a lengthy letter, with a touch of sarcasm.

If our kids havent existed for the past three and a half years, why the hell are we so tired? And why are we consistently doing laundry, why is our house a disaster and why are there raisins and Pepperidge Farms goldfish ground into our carpets, car-seats and couches?, he wrote.

The documentation was accepted by the government.

Thats why the Saskatoon dad says its absolutely ridiculous for the CRA to ask for the information again.

They actually have this information, so to send a letter saying benefits and the tax credits you requested wont be granted unless you prove all of this, this is my problem with it, is that its silly and its flippant and its not necessary, he said.

The revenue agency says on its website that people must reply to the letter or their child and family benefits could be terminated and they might have to repay benefits already received.

Regina resident Colleen Book got the same letter last fall, but a delay in mail delivery left her with just a couple of weeks to gather information or risk having benefits cut off.

I ran around. I had to go to city hall to get our property tax information. I had to go to the daycare and ask them to write this lengthy letter saying that our daughter was ours and that she lived with us and then I ended up spending $14, $15 to send it overnight to make sure I hit their deadline, said Book, who was pregnant with her second child at the time.

I was annoyed, obviously.

Like Dubois, Book also sent a letter to the CRA voicing her frustration. She says she asked how they choose people to audit and why the CRA was asking for specific details.

Book also says the tone of their letter was insulting.

Im not a scofflaw. Im not someone who has lied to the CRA before. So to send me an accusatory letter demanding this information within a very short time period, without any justification or cause, was just totally unacceptable in my mind, said Book.

I totally understand why they would need to do this kind of review, but I think if theyre going to be demanding this information, they should be a little bit more accessible to answer questions and they should be a little bit more up front about why theyre asking for this.

A call to Canada Revenue Agencys media relations for comment was not immediately returned Monday.

In the meantime, Dubois says hes drafting another letter to the agency.

But Im a little more perturbed even than I was before because it seems to me that this is really a colossal waste of time and resources, not just for the people who are having to deal with it, but also for the CRA.

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REGINAStray pit bulls are getting a new leash on life in Saskatchewan as Montreal moves to join other cities that have banned the breed.

So far five pit bulls have been brought to the Prairie province through a partnership between Saskatchewan-based Prairie Sky Dog Rescue and a Montreal rescue group.

City council in the Quebec City is expected to pass a bylaw later this month that will ban pit bulls and similar breeds by the end of the year, though families which currently have pit bulls will be exempt.

The move comes after a string of attacks that included the death of Christiane Vadnais, 55, who was killed in her own backyard.

Currently, Regina doesnt have any breed-specific laws and the citys animal control policy instead focuses on a dog owners ability to control his or her pets.

Bill Thorn of the Regina Humane Society says banning a specific breed doesnt make any sense.

Theres really been no documented or proven instances of it where its had the desired effect, he says, adding the best way to keep people, and their pets, safe is through education.

Meanwhile, the Prairie Sky group has been using an online network of volunteers to help get dogs to Saskatchewan, including a stray named Tyson.

Tyson is just a sweetheart and a goofball rolled into one, says Jon Claggett, who has been fostering the pit bull.

He was a stray that was picked up. No one claimed him. The shelter he was at contacted the group and said, you have three days to find something or hell be euthanized. 

Pit bull advocates maintain there is nothing inherently risky in the breed and the dogs only become dangerous when they are mistreated or taught to be violent by irresponsible owners.

However, there is a ban on the breed in places such as Ontario, Winnipeg and Moosomin, Sask.

Moosomin Mayor Larry Tomlinson says the aim of their bylaw, adopted in 2004, is to keep people safe. He says the town has no intention of lifting the ban.

Correction  August 30, 2016: This article was edited from a previous version that misspelled Christiane Vadnais given name.

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A man who allegedly used a camera hidden in a toy owl to peek under womens skirts at the Canadian National Exhibition got an additional charge from police Monday.

Daniel Adler, 28, was arrested and charged by police on Aug. 25 after, it is alleged, he concealed a video camera inside the white stuffed toy and directed it under the skirts of women at the CNE, said police.

Adler was then charged with secretly observing and recording a person expecting privacy, possessing obscene matter for distribution, and obstructing a peace officer. On Monday he appeared in court and was given a second count of obstructing a peace officer.

Police are concerned there may be other victims.

Correction  September 2, 2016: This article was edited from a previous version that misstated Daniel Adlers given name as David.

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Mayor John Tory is urging the TTC to speed up repairs to sweltering subway cars that have made commutes miserable for thousands of riders this summer, and he is sticking to his request that the transit agency reduce its budget.

For months, Line 2  the Bloor-Danforth line  has been plagued by hot cars caused by broken air conditioning units on the TTCs older T1 trains.

Fielding questions from reporters at an anti-poverty announcement in Scarborough on Monday, Tory said the pace at which the TTC was dealing with the problem was unacceptable.

I will say, Im not happy with the status quo thats had us take as long as has been taken to get all the cars fixed in terms of their air conditioning, he said.

I dont accept that. And I know, because Ive talked to the TTC, and Im going to be meeting with them about this, that were going to make sure that were going to do much, much better next year.

Roughly a quarter of the 370 cars on Line 2 are hot, according to the agency. In July, the Star measured temperatures of 32.5 C inside one of them.

Torys comments came four weeks after an internal memo written by TTC CEO Andy Byford showed that the transit agency is facing a combined $215-million budget shortfall next year for its conventional service and WheelTrans.

In order to meet Mayor Torys request for a 2.6-per-cent budget reduction in 2017 and bridge the shortfall, the agency would have to find $231 million in savings. In July, council approved the 2.6-per-cent target for all city departments.

According to Byfords memo, the transit agency has identified $82 million in savings but reaching the budget target could require unpalatable moves such as cutting service.

The cash-strapped TTC was given a boost last week when the federal government announced $360 million in funding for transit repairs, but the money is on the capital side of the budget and doesnt affect the 2017 operating crunch.

On Monday, Tory said there was no contradiction in asking the TTC to trim its budget while demanding it accelerate repairs. He argued that any operating savings could be diverted to maintenance.

What Ive actually asked them to do is to find efficiencies and put forward a list of efficiencies they can find and savings that they can identify within their own budget and we do that precisely so that money that might be better spent on keeping the air conditioning in better order . . . is available to us, he said.

TTC spokesman Brad Ross stressed that the TTC is working as hard as we can to cool the subways and has repaired 111 cars since last fall. Fixing a cars air conditioning can, he said, take up to 10 days.

We fully appreciate and recognize the frustration and discomfort that our customers are experiencing, he said.

Ross said air conditioner replacement, costing $4 million in capital funds and $1 million in operating expenses this year, is fully funded. He wouldnt guarantee all the cars will be fixed in time for next summer but predicted a significant improvement next year.

Tory has agreed to ride a hot car across Line 2 sometime soon with TTC user Bianca Spence. The arts administrator challenged the mayor over Twitter to the ride after becoming fed up with the underground heat.

Its hot, the air feels close, and its hard to breathe, Spence said.

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Cats might have nine lives, but Matthew Johnson is hoping to give his dog two.

Johnson, 37, is cloning his 20-year-old dog Woofie, with the assistance of a U.S. lab.

The Cedar Valley, Ont. resident got serious about Woofie living another life about five years ago, after she helped him through a bout of bacterial meningitis.

I made a commitment in my head at that point that Im going to clone my dog, Johnson told the Star. She pushed me through.

I was dying and in palliative care for months. I had to learn to walk, talk and was all messed up. She was the only reason I didnt kill myself or let go.

Johnson admits that when most people hear about the $50,000 (USD) procedure they think its not worth it. (Hes paid the fees in full.)

He also acknowledges that, while its true there are dogs in shelters in need, hes got a special bond with his own.

Im not going to get a rescue dog and hope it will be the same dog; Im going to clone it, he said. Im connected to this dog. Ive had her for 20 years.

Their story started when Johnson stumbled upon a garbage bag full of abandoned puppies while climbing a mountain in New Zealand. The only survivor of the part dingo, part shepherd litter, Woofie, was three weeks old at the time. He took her home.

Over the course of her lifetime, Woofie has worked in search and rescue and was in the movie Doggie Daycare.

Johnson says hes using the money Woofie earned to pay for the cloning procedure and cant wait to introduce Woofie to herself in the estimated six to 12 months it takes to make her clone.

Dr. Surjit Jogar has been a veterinarian for 25 years and seen Woofie as a patient for the past six. He assisted Johnson in obtaining and FedExing her DNA samples  saliva, bloodwork and a skin biopsy  to an American lab where the cloning will proceed.

They will make the clone from the skin biopsy, take out the genetic material from the cells and make a copy that will grow a pup, explained Jogar, who had never previously participated in an animal cloning procedure. Were looking forward to seeing what it looks like in real life.

Jogar checked with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the College of Veterinarians of Ontario and the United States Department of Agriculture and found no prohibitive conditions against sending Woofies sample across the border.

Then away she went.

In biology, a clone refers to any organism whose genetic information is identical to that of a mother organism from which it was created, or an identical twin of a donor that is born at a later date, according to Alison Van Eenennaam, a specialist of animal biotechnology and genomics at the University of California, Davis.

(UC Davis is a third-party lab that matches the DNA samples of pet clones.)

In animal biotechnology, donor cells are cultured from the biopsy sample (saliva, blood, skin) and transferred to a recipient egg. The cloned embryo is then transferred to a surrogate mother.

This cloning procedure, used largely for livestock, has been in the food supply now for over 20 years, according to Van Eenennaam. Most people also recall that Dolly the adult sheep was famously cloned by Scottish scientists in 1997.

On Aug. 26, Johnson got confirmation from ViaGen Pets  Americas most trusted animal cloning company  that they already have initial cell growth from Woofies genetic material.

The company was formed in 2015.

The gestation for most canine breeds is less than 60 days and all puppies nurse for eight or nine weeks before being available for the client to take home, Blake Russell, ViaGen Pets President, said via email.

Russell would not confirm if Woofie is the first Canadian dog to undergo this procedure, due to ViaGen Pets confidential relationship with each client.

Through their parent company Trans Ova Genetics, the commercial cloning providers have supplied cloning services for livestock and equine for 12 years.

As for the ethics of cloning dogs and cats when shelters put down thousands of unwanted pets every year, Russell claimed the number of cloned puppies produced per year is not having any measurable impact on the number of pets in shelters.

Those who utilize our services also are often supporters and donors to shelters, he said.

Indeed, Johnson owns other shelter dogs  Owen, the pug schnauzer and Benji the husky shepherd  but feels passionate about cloning Woofie regardless.

I have a bond with my dog because of all that I went through, he said. The last 20 years of my life with this dog have been good, weve had a lot of adventures and traveled the world. This is the next phase.

Its just like going back in time.

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Peggy Ann Smith may have been a mother to three, a grandmother to 13 and a great-grandmother to one, but to an entire community, she was their nan.

The 61-year-old was shot dead in Riverdale near Don Mount Court and Kintyre Avenue on Saturday around 6:15 p.m. while visiting her daughter and grandchildren.

Toronto police released video surveillance footage on Tuesday showing two men fleeing the scene on foot. The suspects were last seen at Dundas and Hamilton Sts.

Peggy was also outside with her daughter and grandchildren when the shots rung out.

She wasnt just my mom, she was a mom to a lot of others, grandmother to a lot of the children around here, daughter Loretta said tearfully, standing at her front porch on Tuesday. She loved everybody. She touched everybodys heart around here.

Smiths children were her lifeblood. Her three daughters all live in the same neighbourhood and Smith made sure to visit at every opportunity.

She came down everyday. Even when she was sick, shed come down, Loretta said. She was there for everybody right until her dying day. My kids needed to go to the doctors, she took them. Every appointment, she took all her grandkids to the doctors. As old as we were, she would still come to our appointments. Thats how much she was involved and loved her kids. We were just her life.

Smiths life was cut short when she was caught in crossfire police believe was intended for members of a group of about five men also standing outside.

We are lucky that there werent more injuries, said Homicide Det. David Dickinson at a Tuesday afternoon press conference.

Dickinson has spoken to about half the members of that group, but does not know the names of the other two or three individuals.

The community as a whole has been very forthcoming with information, he said, but confirmed that the identities of the two or three other members of that group were not revealed by the first half of the group interviewed by police.

Smith would never leave her home without first reading the Bible each morning. She carried a list of names of people shed pray for, including those in her life and those who had passed away.

Everyone that she knew she would pray for, anyone that was going through difficulties in their life she would pray for, said Loretta.

Each Sunday and Tuesday, Smith attended Broadview Gospel Hall, the same church she grew up in. She was the third child of seven, including two brothers and five sisters. Their childhood home was across the street from where she was killed.

She was my grandma. Shes a good person, said granddaughter Savannah, 11. She prayed for everyone in the neighbourhood and she never did nothing wrong to no one.

Savannah said her favourite memories of her grandmother involved sitting at the park and talking. She recalled her grandmother recently attending her Grade 5 graduation ceremony.

Its very hard, said Loretta. Im a mother of five, Im trying to stay strong but at the same time, its killing me inside because shes my mom and Im never going to see her again. Anytime I was going through anything in my life, she was always there for me.

Besides church and family, Smith also loved going for coffee. Her favourite coffee shop was Second Cup.

More than $3,000 has been raised through a GoFundMe page set up to help fund a celebration of life.

Smith is the citys 48th homicide this year. Loretta implored anyone with information about her mothers death to contact police.

Police are looking for two male suspects. The first is described as having a full beard and brown complexion, standing at 56 tall with an average beard. He was wearing dark pants, a black hat, and a grey hoodie with the hood over his head. Police believe he is in his 20s.

The second is described as being of Somali descent and in his late teens to early 20s. He has a thin build and is about 511. He also wore dark pants and a grey hoodie.

Dickinson is asking anyone who knows the identities of the other members of that group, or anyone with more information, to reach him at 416-808-7400.

She didnt deserve this, Loretta said. If the public knew who she was, they would love her. She was such a gentle woman. Shes an angel.

With files from Salmaan Farooqui and Vjosa Isai

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Ontarios Ministry of Labour is launching a new initiative to prevent abuse in the restaurant industry, after sustained criticism for failing to hold law-breaking bosses to account, the Star has learned.

The pilot project will bring together employers and labour groups to identify major risks to workers rights in the sector, according to ministry documents obtained by the Star. It will be led by the ministrys corporate risk officer, Sujoy Dey, who spearheaded a similar process to reduce accidents, injuries, and deaths in Ontario mines.

Labour groups have repeatedly identified the restaurant industry as one of the worst for workplace violations, and Star investigations into wage theft across the province  and in particular the  have revealed around one third of stolen entitlements in Ontario are never recovered. Workers have lost out on $28 million over the past six years because the ministry failed to collect the money owed to them, recent research shows.

In a statement to the Star, a Ministry of Labour spokesperson confirmed that the project would launch this fall, and would work with key stakeholders representing employers and employees in the restaurant sector.

The goal of this exercise is to identify and gain better insights into the causative factors that could lead to employment standards contraventions in the restaurant sector, the statement added.

The Ontario government has commissioned an overall review of its employment and labour laws with an eye to providing better protection for precarious workers. In its interim report released last month, the special advisers leading that process said the province faces extensive problems enforcing basic employment standards.

We conclude that there is a serious problem with enforcement of (Employment Standards Act) provisions, the report reads. While most employers likely comply or try to comply with the ESA, we conclude that there are too many people in too many workplaces who do not receive their basic rights.

The pilot comes as the ministry already appears to be ramping up enforcement: recently, an employer was jailed for a day for failing to pay his workers wages  only the sixth time in the past two decades a prison sentence has been imposed. In the first half of this year, there have already been 76 prosecutions imposing significant fines on law-breaking bosses. In 2015, there were fewer than 70 prosecutions and in 2014 there were just eight.

The ministrys nascent enforcement project will add to those efforts by harnessing collective wisdom through workshops to build controls for high priority risk factors, the documents seen by the Star say  a strategy similar to the mining sector initiative launched in 2013.

The goal is to figure out ways to predict where workplace violations are most likely to happen and how to prevent them, sources told the Star.

But the new project will have to grapple with complex issues: unlike the mining industry, a heavily regulated sector where most workers belong to a union, restaurant employees are usually low-wage and precarious. One study of Chinese workers in GTA restaurants showed that some 43 per cent were paid less than the provincial minimum wage, currently $11.25. In Toronto, the median hourly wage for the sector is $11.50, and less than 3 per cent of workers are unionized according to municipal data.

It will come too late for workers like Fiorildo Tenace, who is still owed more than $8,000 a year after the ministry ruled that his termination from a Toronto coffee roaster was reprisal for asserting his rights under the Employment Standards Act.

The policies dont have bite, said Tenace, who describes his experience battling for justice as awful.

In submissions to the Ministry of Labour on how to protect vulnerable workers, labour groups like the Toronto-based Workers Action Centre argue stronger enforcement must go hand in hand with strengthening basic employment laws and strategies like sectoral bargaining. That model, used widely in Europe, sees unions negotiate standards across an industry rather than representing individual workplaces.

Our society has an interest in ensuring minimum social norms are met for pay and working conditions, its submission says. When the system of enforcing minimum employment standards breaks down, basic, socially-accepted standards erode.

With files from Kenyon Wallace and Michele Henry

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The Twitter account belonging to Senator Nicole Eaton was deactivated following backlash toward her rant against the new Bloor Street bike lanes.

Can you imagine closing two lanes of Fifth Avenue to accommodate a few bicycle riders, she posted on Friday, referring to one of New York Citys main roadways, which in fact has a bike lane stretching about 1.4-kilometres.

Eaton criticized the city for devoting funds to build bike lanes instead of other infrastructure priorities.

Bicycles are a luxury, most of us use public transportation or walk, she wrote. Never seen a bike rider obey traffic laws. They are special.

Earlier this month, she said Toronto was such a mess and resembled a third world country compared to New York City, London and Paris.

Eaton declined to comment when contacted by The Star.

Appointed by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Eaton has served in the senate since 2009, representing Ontario.

In 2014, she made headlines for comparing Liberal leader Justin Trudeaus lack of support for U.S.-led airstrikes in Iraq to his fathers opposition to conscription during the Second World War.

The apple does not fall far from the tree. PM Trudeau refused to fight the Nazis in WWII, Stayed home comfortably in Outremont, Eaton tweeted.

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The rubber chicken circuit may never be the same again in Ontario.

The provincial government is cleaning up its fundraising act. And then some.

Embarrassed by revelations of massive fundraising schemes, the Liberals appear to be going further than any government in Canada by promising a comprehensive ban on politicians taking money directly from donors over dinner. All politicians.

From any party. At any event.

In the wake of a Toronto Star expose last March detailing how top Liberal ministers faced annual targets of up to $500,000, Premier Kathleen Wynne had barred anyone in cabinet from scheduling any future fundraisers with direct stakeholders. And promised an end to donations from corporations and unions.

The opposition wanted her to go further, by enacting into law her informal ban on ministerial fundraisers with stakeholders. Wynne had insisted on more consultations.

Now, after months of delay, the Liberals are proposing a comprehensive prohibition  one-upping the opposition by extending the ban to all parties. Not just the governing party.

The latest proposals will outlaw, once and for all, direct solicitation by politicians prostituting themselves with stakeholders seeking intimate relations. MPPs, for whom fundraising dinners are the sleazy part of their job description, will be getting more nights off to be at home with their families.

The Liberals dropped their bombshell during fiercely contested committee hearings Monday. And the move caught opposition MPPs off guard after a day of stonewalling.

The surprise decision came with surprisingly few details, beyond a promise to increase public subsidies to local ridings to make up for lost fundraising revenue  which is a sensible price to pay for cleaning up our democratic process. We wont see any legal wording until next month, when the government submits a revised version of its proposed reforms after province-wide hearings this summer.

Imperfect as the process appears, the substance looks promising if, ultimately, it brings greater clarity to the opacity of fundraising in Ontario. The province had fallen far behind the federal Parliament in regulating fundraising, which no longer takes place in smoke-filled backrooms but still remains in the shadows.

We already knew that the most egregious practices would be outlawed in the initial legislation, bringing an end to the unseemly corporate and union donations that were phased out federally a decade ago, and reducing the individual limits dramatically. Its worth noting that during all those years, when Ontario remained the Wild West, all three major parties seemingly took a collective vow of silence, never raising a ruckus about raising money.

But after a Star series detailing informal cabinet cash quotas, blunt email appeals demanding money from stakeholders for face time with top ministers, and revelations that the PC and NDP leaders were also charging top dollar (presumably in exchange for future access), all three parties finally found their voices. Infused with new-found moral rectitude, with alacrity they accused each other of hypocrisy.

No matter. Politicians often do the right things for the wrong reasons, or for self-serving motives.

In truth, the latest proposed reforms are replete with ironies wrapped in inconsistencies and buried in contradictions  perhaps none more confounding than that Attorney General Yasir Naqvi is leading the way for the Liberals.

A former party president, Naqvi gave me a bizarrely impassioned defence of the old, decrepit fundraising system in an interview last March as I was researching the series that ran in the Star later that month. He argued that fundraising events allowed politicians of modest means to raise money to compete with wealthier rivals.

The current system has very strong checks and balances in place in terms of transparency, in terms of accountability, he insisted then (my italics).

When I pressed him on the obscenely high fundraising targets for top ministers that had taken place while he oversaw the party (and its fundraising arm), Naqvi professed blissful ignorance:

My job as party president was not to look into who was raising what.

Knowing what I knew  and outlined to him  about what the Star was about to publish, I marvelled at Naqvis determination to defend the indefensible. And his willingness to go out on a limb, back then, about such a rotten system that was destined to one day unravel.

And indeed, the day after publication, it did: Wynne publicly announced she would end corporate and union donations, rendering Naqvis public defence awfully ill-timed.

Fast forward to this month, and the attorney general has once again closed his eyes to the future when opening his mouth. Speaking to reporters about opposition demands to circumscribe cabinet ministers from taking money from stakeholders at fundraising dinners, he dismissed the idea just a week ago:

What happens if at my barbecue or my $50 spaghetti dinner, 10 lawyers show up to that? Right? So now we screen them out at the door?

Crazy idea last week? Now, Naqvi has made it his own.

The rhetoric, like the money, can be hard to follow in Ontario. Thats politics, for better or for worse  though it may be the best possible outcome in this case.

Martin Regg Cohns political column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. mcohn@thestar.ca , Twitter: @reggcohn

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This brand is launching new, healthy version of the popular snack, and you need to try a packet now!

You no longer need to abstain from munching on some banana chips from Kerala. Picture courtesy: Instagram/bananasnackeez_

By Shreya Goswami: Every time you see those packets of golden banana chips at your local store, your mouth salivates. The only reason you abstain from grabbing a packet then and there is because you know those chips are deep fried.

We have gotten used to compromising with our palate for the sake of our gut, and sometimes, no matter the benefit, we just want to tear open that packet and indulge in chips without the associated guilt.

advertisement

Now, we can actually do it!

A Thissur-based company that sells its products under the brand name 'Double Horse' is coming out with a new, healthier version of Kerala banana chips!

The version available in the markets are sometimes made from bananas other than Keralan ones. They are sliced quite thickly (5mm), and then deep fried. The new variety will take quality control measures that will make all the difference.

Also read: A dash of Kerala in the middle of Connaught Place



They'll use Keralan bananas, and slice them in 1mm thickness. And there's an added bonus for all the NRIs out there. This new and healthy version will also be sold in the US and Europe, where Kerala banana chips aren't readily available.

Ordinary banana chips are thickly sliced and deep fried. Picture courtesy: Instagram/subinjose78

"We target the Western world as this is one market, where banana chips is not generally available. Already we supply our products to western countries and this new product is going to get an excellent response," company official Sunil P.Krishnan told IANS.

The product was launched yesterday in Thiruvananthapuram by actress and Bharatnatyam dancer, Shobhana, who is the company's brand ambassador. A 30g packet of these paper-thin healthy chips is priced at Rs.25.

So the next time you crave those banana chips, just grab one of these 'Double Horse' Kerala banana chips' packet. Dig in, and don't even think about the calories or the cholesterol.

With inputs from IANS



--- ENDS ---
When the leader of the Catholic Church and the founder of a website used by millions every day get together, what do they say to each other?

We might never know precisely, but it happened on Monday. And it seems Pope Francis and Mark Zuckerberg talked about how they each communicate with people all over the world, discussed their mutual concern about poverty and exchanged a model airplane.

The plane is a solar-powered vehicle that Zuckerberg, who founded Facebook and runs a charitable initiative with his wife Priscilla Chan, plans to use to deliver Internet access in remote, poor areas. Zuckerberg said (on Facebook, of course) that he and Chan gave the pope the plane when they met him at the Vatican on Monday.

The Vatican confirmed the meeting. In a statement, the Vatican said the 32-year-old CEO and the pontiff talked about using communication to alleviate poverty, but a Vatican spokesman declined to discuss the specifics of the conversation.

Francis, 79, has been a social media star since the beginning of his papacy in 2013  most recently joining Instagram, a Facebook-owned photo-sharing site where he now has 3.1 million followers.

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HARDAN, IRAQPeering through binoculars, the young man watched as Daesh extremists gunned down the handcuffed men and then buried them with a waiting bulldozer. For six days he watched as Daesh filled one grave after another with his friends and neighbours.

The five graves arranged at the foot of Sinjar mountain hold the bodies of dozens of minority Yazidis killed Daeshs bloody onslaught in August 2014. They are a fraction of the mass graves Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL) extremists have scattered across Iraq and Syria.

In exclusive interviews, photos and research, The Associated Press has documented and mapped 72 of the mass graves, the most comprehensive survey so far, with many more expected to be uncovered as Daeshs territory shrinks.

In Syria, AP has obtained locations for 17 mass graves, including one with the bodies of hundreds of members of a single tribe all but exterminated when Daesh extremists took over their region.

For at least 16 of the Iraqi graves, most in territory too dangerous to excavate, officials do not even guess the number of dead. In others, the estimates are based on memories of traumatized survivors, Daesh propaganda and what can be gleaned from a cursory look at the earth.

Still, even the known numbers of victims buried are staggering  from 5,200 to more than 15,000.

Satellites offer the clearest look at massacres such as the one at Badoush Prison in June 2014 that left 600 inmates dead. A patch of scraped earth shows the likely site, according to exclusive photos obtained by the imagery intelligence firm AllSource Analysis and shared with AP.

On Sinjar Mountain, Rasho Qassim drives daily past the mass grave in Hardan that holds the bodies of his two sons.

The sites are roped off and awaiting the money and the political will for excavation. The evidence they contain is scoured by wind and baked by sun.

We want to take them out of here. There are only bones left. But they said No, they have to stay there, a committee will come and exhume them later, said Qassim, standing at the flimsy protective fence.

Daesh made no attempt to hide its atrocities. But proving what United Nations officials and others have described as an ongoing genocide will be complicated as the graves deteriorate. Daesh targeted the Yazidis for slaughter because it considers them infidels. The Yazidi faith has elements of Christianity and Islam but is distinct.

Theres been virtually no effort to systematically document the crimes perpetrated, to preserve the evidence, said Naomi Kikoler, who recently visited for the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. The graves are largely documented by the aid group Yazda.

Through binoculars, Arkan Qassem watched it all. His village, Gurmiz, overlooks Hardan and the plain below. When the jihadis swept through, everyone in Gurmiz fled up the mountaintop. Then Arkan and nine other men returned with light weapons, hoping to defend their homes.

The first night, a bulldozers headlights illuminated the killing of a group of handcuffed men. Then the machine plowed over their bodies.

Over six days, the fighters killed three more groups  several dozen each, usually with hands bound. Once, the extremists lit a bonfire, but Arkan couldnt make out its purpose.

Two years later, the 32-year-old has since returned home, living in an area dotted with mass graves.

I have lots of people I know there. Mostly friends and neighbours, he said. Its very difficult to look at them every day.

Nearly every area freed from Daesh control has unmasked new mass graves, like one found near a stadium in Ramadi. The graves are easy enough to find, most covered with just a thin coating of earth.

They are beheading them, shooting them, running them over in cars, all kinds of killing techniques, and they dont even try to hide it, said Sirwan Jalal, the director of Iraqi Kurdistans agency in charge of mass graves.

No one outside Daesh has seen the Iraqi ravine where hundreds of prison inmates were killed. Satellite images of scraped dirt along the river point to its location, according to Steve Wood of AllSource. His analysts triangulated survivors accounts and began to systematically search the desert according to their descriptions of that day, June 10, 2014.

The inmates were separated by religion, and Shiites had to count off, according to accounts by 15 survivors gathered by Human Rights Watch.

I was number 43. I heard them say 615, and then one ISIS guy said, Were going to eat well tonight. A man behind us asked, Are you ready? Another person answered Yes, and began shooting at us with a machine-gun, according to the Human Rights Watch account of a survivor identified only as A.S. The 15 men survived by playing dead.

Justice has been done in at least one Daesh mass killing  that of about 1,700 Iraqi soldiers who were machine-gunned at Camp Speicher. On Aug. 21, 36 Daesh militants were hanged for those deaths.

But justice is likely to elude areas still under Daesh control, even when the extremists film the atrocities themselves. Thats the case for a natural sinkhole outside Mosul that is now a pit of corpses. And in Syrias Raqqa province, where thousands of bodies are believed to have been thrown into the al-Houta crevasse.

Hundreds of mass graves are believed to be in areas that can only be explored when fighting stops. So far, at least 17 are known, in the list put together from AP interviews with activists, fighters and residents in former Daesh strongholds.

Some of the worst are in Deir el-Zour province. There, 400 members of the Shueitat tribe were found in one grave, just some of the up to 1,000 tribesmen believed to have been massacred by Daesh, said Ziad Awad, the editor of the local publication, The Eye of the City, who is documenting the graves.

This is a drop in an ocean of mass graves expected to be discovered in the future in Syria, said Awad.

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BRASILIA, BRAZILThe lead prosecutor in the trial to oust Brazils first female president said Tuesday that Dilma Rousseff had committed fraud in her accounting practices, then came to tears saying she hopes the leader forgives her for causing her to suffer.

Speaking on the fifth day of a trial to decide Rousseffs fate, Janaina Paschoal said the leader had broken fiscal responsibility laws in managing the federal budget. We are not dealing with a little accounting problem, we are dealing with fraud, she said.

It wasnt just that a president lied, said Paschoal. The fraud was spoken and the fraud was documented.

Wrapping up her presentation minutes later, Paschoal came to tears when she said she hoped Rousseff would be forgiving for having caused her to suffer.

The dramatic presentation came in the final phase of a political fight that has consumed Latin Americas largest nation since an impeachment measure was introduced in the lower Chamber of Deputies late last year.

After the prosecution and defence present their final arguments, the Senate was to vote whether to permanently remove Rousseff from office. That decision could come late Tuesday or Wednesday.

Opposition senators accuse Rousseff using illegal means to hide holes in the federal budget, saying that exacerbated a recession, high inflation and layoffs.

Rousseff, a former guerrilla fighter who was tortured and imprisoned during the countrys dictatorship, calls that nonsense. She says she broke no laws and notes that previous presidents used similar accounting measures.

On Monday, she mounted that defence in the Senate, arguing that she was forced to make tough choices on the budget in the face of declining revenues and a refusal by opponents in Congress to work with her.

I know I will be judged, but my conscience is clear. I did not commit a crime, Rousseff told senators in a 30-minute address.

Rousseff then took questions from senators for 14 hours.

For Rousseff to be removed, at least 54 of the 81 senators must vote in favour. Local media report at least 52 senators have said they will vote for ouster, while roughly 18 are opposed and 11 have not said. In May, the same body voted 55-22 to impeach and suspend her.

I need all of you, regardless of political parties, Rousseff said in her closing remarks to senators, urging them to keep her in the presidency. Their response was tepid.

Watching the proceedings was Rousseffs mentor and predecessor as president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is himself under investigation.

He and many top leaders have acknowledged that Rousseffs chances of surviving the Senates final vote are slim.

Rousseff had sharp words Monday for her vice-president, Michel Temer, who took over when she was suspended and will finish her term if the Senate permanently removes her.

She called him a usurper who named a Cabinet of all Caucasian men in a country where more than 50 per cent are visible minorities. The Cabinet that Temer chose in May has been roundly criticized for its lack of diversity, with three ministers forced to step down within a month of taking office because of corruption allegations.

Im not sure when, but at some point he began to change, said Rousseff, who has accused Temer of being the ringleader pushing for her ouster.

Rousseff reminded those in attendance that she was re-elected in 2014, garnering the votes of more than 54 million people she said should not be silenced.

Rousseff asserted that impeachment was the price she paid for refusing to quash a wide-ranging police investigation into the state oil company Petrobras, saying that corrupt lawmakers conspired to oust her to derail the investigation into billions in kickbacks at the oil giant.

The probe has led to the jailing of top businessmen and politicians, including members of her Workers Party. Watchdog groups estimate 60 per cent of the 594 lawmakers in both chambers are being investigated for wrongdoing, many for corruption related to the Petrobras probe.

Rousseff said it was an irony of history she would be judged for crimes she did not commit, by people accused of serious crimes.

I ask that you be just with an honest president, she said during her initial address, her voice cracking with emotion.

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BEIJINGAn American consultant who has been detained in China for more than a year has been formally charged with spying, news that could further complicate U.S.-China ties ahead of President Barack Obamas trip to Asia.

Sandy Phan-Gillis, 56, of Houston, was arrested in March 2015 while travelling in southern China with a trade delegation and has been held without charge since.

Based on our understanding, Phan-Gillis, because of suspected espionage, has been charged according to law by the relevant Chinese department, Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for Chinas Foreign Ministry, said in a news conference Tuesday.

China is a country ruled by law. The relevant Chinese department will handle the case strictly according to law, she added.

Hua did not offer any further comment on the nature of the alleged crimes.

In a letter dictated to a U.S. consular official and released by her husband, Jeff Gillis, Phan-Gillis said the charges against her were political. I am accused of being a spy for the U.S. government. I have never been a spy, she said.

Jeff Gillis has said China claims she acted as a spy for a foreign government in 1996. He has called the charges against her false and expressed concern for her safety and well-being in detention.

In July, a UN committee on arbitrary detention said that China violated Phan-Gilliss rights by holding her without cause and limiting her access to lawyers.

Responding to a question about the committees findings, State Department spokesman John Kirby called for Beijing to resolve the case quickly.

Were certainly concerned about her welfare and her lengthy detention without trial, and we urge China to resolve this case expeditiously and to ensure that Ms. Phan-Gillis continues to have full access to an attorney, he said July 6.

Senior U.S. Government officials have raised her case with senior Chinese government officials on multiple occasions, and I can assure you well continue to do so.

News of the formal charges comes just days before President Obama is scheduled to land in China for Group of 20 meetings to be held in the southern city of Hangzhou. The case could complicate a relationship already strained by issues such as espionage, cybersecurity and the South China Sea.

In July, U.S. authorities sentenced a Chinese national, Su Bin, to 46 months in prison for conspiring to steal U.S. military secrets from defence contractors. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the case was driven by ulterior motives.

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BEIRUTDaeshs spokesman and chief strategist, who laid out the blueprint for the extremist groups attacks against the West, has been killed while overseeing operations in northern Syrian province of Aleppo, the group announced Tuesday.

The Daesh-run Aamaq news agency said al-Adnani was martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns in Aleppo, and vowed to avenge his death. It did not provide any further details on when or how he died.

If confirmed, it would be a major blow to the extremist group, which has been on the retreat in Syria and Iraq, where the borders of its self-declared Islamic caliphate have been steadily eroded in recent months.

Al-Adnani, whose real name is Taha Sobhi Falaha, persistently called for attacks against the West, which paid off in bloody notoriety with the Nov. 13 co-ordinated attacks in Paris that hit a concert hall, a stadium and restaurants and bars, leaving 130 people dead and hundreds wounded.

Al-Adnani is a Syrian who was born in the northern province of Idlib and is believed to be in his late 30s. He crossed the border and joined Al Qaeda in Iraq, a precursor to Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

In late June 2014, he formally declared the establishment of a caliphate, or Islamic state, stretching across parts of Syria and Iraq, under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and demanded allegiance from Muslims worldwide.

A powerful orator, he went on to become the voice of Daesh. He released numerous, lengthy audio files online in which he delivered fiery sermons urging followers to kill civilians in nations that supported the U.S.-led coalition against the group.

If you can kill a disbelieving American or European  especially the spiteful and filthy French  or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the disbelievers waging war, including the citizens of the countries that joined a coalition against the Islamic State (Daesh), then rely upon Allah, and kill him in any manner or way however it may be, al-Adnani said in 2014.

In other speeches he referred to U.S. President Barack Obama as an idiot and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry as an uncircumcised old geezer.

Earlier this year, he called for massive attacks during Ramadan  a call that translated into the bloodiest Muslim holy month in recent memory. Followers of Daesh carried out attacks on several continents, including the Orlando shooting, the Nice truck attack in France and a massive suicide bombing in downtown Baghdad.

Adnani also disparaged Saudi Arabia and its influential clerics for failing to rally behind the rebels that the monarchy supports in Syria like they did decades ago in Afghanistan.

In Washington, a U.S. defence official said in response to reports of al-Adnanis death that a U.S. airstrike on Tuesday targeted an ISIL (Daesh) senior leader in the Syrian city of al-Bab, which is northeast of Aleppo. But the official did not say whether the target was al-Adnani. He said the U.S. was still assessing the results of the airstrike. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the airstrikes by name.

Aleppo is a current focal point of the civil war in Syria, where Daesh, Syrian Kurdish forces, Turkey-backed rebels and President Bashar Assads forces are vying for control. The province is frequently struck by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes as well as Russian air raids. Aleppo, where Aamaq said al-Adnani was killed, is a current focal point of the civil war in Syria, where Daesh, Syrian Kurdish forces, Turkey-backed rebels and President Bashar Assads forces are vying for control. The province is frequently struck by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes as well as Russian air raids.

In Washington, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook confirmed that a U.S. airstrike on Tuesday targeted al-Adnani in the Syrian city of al-Bab, which is northeast of Aleppo.

We are still assessing the results of the strike, but al-Adnanis removal from the battlefield would mark another significant blow to ISIL, Cook said.

Aamaq vowed revenge against the filthy cowards in the sect of disbelief. It said a generation raised in Daesh-held territory would avenge al-Adnanis death.

Daesh has suffered a string of defeats in recent weeks, including in Aleppo province, where Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels drove IS out of the border town of Jarablus last week.

In Iraq, the group has lost its strongholds in Fallujah and Ramadi, in the western Anbar province. It still controls Mosul, but Iraqi forces are gearing up for a long-awaited operation to retake the countrys second largest city.

It has also lost some of its most senior commanders and founding members over the past year, including its minister of war Omar al-Shishani, feared Iraqi militant Shaker Wuhayeb, also known as Abu Wahib, as well as a top finance official known by several names, including Abu Ali Al-Anbari.

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Immigrants and refugees are taking jobs from black workers. Undocumented criminals prey on American women. Muslims pose a threat to gays and lesbians.

For Donald Trump, appealing to minority groups and women often amounts to an us vs. them proposition  warning one group that they are being threatened or victimized by another, using exaggerated contrasts and a very broad brush.

Poor Hispanics and African-American citizens are the first to lose a job or see a pay cut when we dont control our borders, Trump said at a rally last week in Akron, Ohio, adding that blacks in particular should vote for him because their lives are so terrible: What do you have to lose? Youll be able to walk down the street without getting shot. Right now, you walk down the street, you get shot.

From the very start of his presidential campaign, Trump has shaped his message around who is to blame for Americas problems  often pointing the finger at illegal immigrants, Black Lives Matter activists and other minorities in a pitch that was aimed primarily at white Republicans.

But now, as Trump seeks to reach out to women and minorities who favour Democrat Hillary Clinton, the GOP nominee has increasingly taken to pitting one group against the other in a bid for support. Its not clear how well it will work: many minority voters, already turned off by months of blunt and polarizing statements, still hear the language of separation in Trumps words.

Look, I just think a lot of his views are very ignorant, said Crystal Woods-Brookes, who is black, as she folded clothes at a laundromat a few miles south of Trumps Akron rally. This is not our country, in his words . . . I believe thats his whole purpose, to divide, to put us . . . against each other, make one believe the other side is better.

I believe now hes trying to change because  its not about black people, its about the votes, she added. Hes already made his point quite clear, as far as Im concerned.

The real estate developer and his team insist that he wants to be an inclusive president, and he is in the midst of an outreach effort that includes a new stump speech and meetings with black people, Latinos and others. He has also engaged in a war of words with Clinton over racial issues, repeatedly calling her a bigot because he says her policies have not helped minorities.

Amid criticism for pitching to minority voters while speaking to overwhelmingly white audiences, Trump will hold a question-and-answer session Saturday at the Great Faith Ministries in Detroit, which has a primarily black congregation. It will be the first of many such events at black and Latino community centres, according to the campaign.

For many of Trumps supporters  including some minorities fearful of national security threats  Trumps rhetoric on immigration is more about facing up to the grim realities of a dangerous world, even if that means saying uncomfortable things about Muslims.

Alejandro Lugo, who moved to Miami over 20 years ago after living in Cuba for 30 years, said outside a recent campaign event in Ft. Lauderdale that hes concerned the United States is not vetting new immigrants sufficiently. He also rejected any comparison between Cuban refugees and Syrian refugees seeking to escape Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL.

The Cubans that came were running away from Castro. They settled in Miami, they worked. But we did not use an 18-wheeler truck to kill 150 Americans. And the Muslims, they do that. Cubans dont do that, Lugo said. If the Cubans come from Cuba and they start killing American people, they have to be vetted. If you have connections with Al Qaeda and you come here to kill my family, I dont want you in this nation.

For the most part, though, Trumps message has not resonated yet with either minorities or women, who strongly favour Clinton in opinion polls. Most also think Trump is biased against those groups, polls show.

Rev. Dr. William Barber, the president of the North Carolina NAACP, said in a recent interview he objects to Trumps reductive view of the black community: that all African-Americans live in poverty, that their communities are the sources of crime, and that they have been fooled into voting for Democrats.

Youre saying, All black people . . . Theyre all lazy, theyre all poor,  he said. It fits that racialized narrative that crime is a particular communitys problem rather than crime being a reality in the American construct.

After Trump cited the oppression of women and gays in many Muslim nations in June to support his call to temporarily ban Middle Eastern immigrants from entering the country, LGBT leaders accused Trump of fear-mongering after the Orlando massacre  and of suggesting in the process that there are no gay Muslim immigrants.

Womens groups and activists have also blasted Trump for suggesting that immigrants are a disproportionate threat to women, a rhetorical appeal they say is intended to divide communities among racial lines.

This is the culmination of all the different ways in which he has painted groups with a very broad brush, said Marcy Stech, vice president of communications for EMILYs List. Every week he has shown us this side of him, exposing his racist and misogynistic world view. And any attempt to erase those moments now is just not going to work.

Jose Torres, 54, a computer programmer currently working at the Orlando airport, said he was unfazed by Trumps new pitch to African Americans and Latinos and his potential softening on whether he would seek mass deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants.

Honestly, the guy as I see him is good at earning money, but as a politician, hes got radical ideas and Im not in agreement with him. I think hes very racist, also, Torres said. Itll cause disunity in the country.

Jeremiah Armstrong, 33, who lives in Akron, said that Trumps new message to black voters suggests a competition between voters where it merely doesnt exist. A self-employed barber, Armstrong said that the notion that immigrants are taking jobs away from other minorities in the United States does not match with his own experience.

Let me ask you a question: how many black farm workers do you know? Where around here can you find someone where a Hispanic has come and taken a job? Armstrong said. We dont accept those jobs anyway. Ive never been offered one and Ive never had one taken away from me, so I dont think thats the issue.

Trumps focus on tough law-and-order talk has also agitated members of the Black Lives Matter movement, who believe he has failed to understand their concerns. Trump escalated his law enforcement rhetoric in recent months, suggesting several times that protesters are wrong to question police actions.

Those peddling the narrative of cops as a racist force in our society, a narrative supported with a nod by my opponent, share directly in the responsibility for the unrest in Milwaukee and many other places within our country, Trump said during a campaign rally in West Bend, Wis. They have fostered the dangerous anti-police atmosphere in America.

Many political strategists say the real payoff to Trumps overtures to minority voters would be to assuage moderate Republicans concerned by charges that he is racist. But most are doubtful it will change the minds of minority voters.

The attempt is at trying to fix a problem he has with mainstream voters, and Im not optimistic that will work, said veteran GOP strategist John Weaver. Its heavy handed, its such a ham-handed attempt. Heres his problem: people would have to have Etch-a-Sketch memory in their brains to forget everything he has said.

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Former Stanford University student Brock Turner, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman and sentenced to six months in jail  a penalty criticized for its leniency  is scheduled to be released from jail Friday, according to public records.

If released this week from the Santa Clara County jail, Turner will have completed half the jail term imposed by Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky, who faces a recall campaign over his handling of Turners case.

Early releases are commonly given because of good behaviour and because of Californias prison realignment. In 2014, the Los Angeles Times reported more than 13,500 inmates were being released early each month to relieve crowding in local jails.

Turner was convicted in March of three felony counts: assault with the intent to commit rape of an unconscious person, sexual penetration of an unconscious person and sexual penetration of an intoxicated person. Turner attacked an unconscious woman behind a garbage bin on the Palo Alto universitys campus in January 2015.

At his sentencing, the Ohio native faced up to 14 years in prison. Prosecutors sought a six-year prison term.

Persky opted for the lighter jail term and also sentenced Turner to three years probation. At the time, he said a lengthier penalty would have a severe impact on Turner.

Public criticism of the sentence escalated after the unidentified victims 12-page, single-spaced letter that she read aloud in court went viral after it was published by the media. She excoriated the judge for giving Turner a soft timeout, a mockery of the (seriousness) of the assaults.

The seriousness of rape has to be communicated clearly, we should not create a culture that suggests we learn that rape is wrong through trial and error, she wrote. The consequences of sexual assault needs to be severe enough that people feel enough fear to exercise good judgment even if they are drunk, severe enough to be preventative.

Persky, who was appointed to the bench by then-California Gov. Gray Davis in 2003, voluntarily moved to civil court, officials announced last week. The judge had recently recused himself from a case in which he was set to decide whether to reduce the conviction of a plumber for possession of child pornography from a felony to a misdemeanour.

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NEW DELHIThe video footage posted on social media by Indias self-proclaimed cow saviours was brutal. It showed four bare-chested men tied with ropes to a car, flinching as an angry group of men took turns beating them with wooden sticks, belts and iron rods. Their crime: skinning a dead cow.

The savage beating of the men  all Dalits from the lowest rung of Indias caste hierarchy  in the small town of Una in the western state of Gujarat last month stirred outrage across the country. The men were beaten by a group of upper-caste men, highlighting how the rigid social hierarchy persists more than 65 years after India instituted laws banning caste discrimination.

Every day, newspapers are awash with stories of injustices against Dalits and their oppression by upper-caste Hindus. Among the attacks on Dalits in the past month: a 13-year-old girl who was beaten up for drinking from a temple water pump; a Dalit team in the traditional Indian sport of kabaddi attacked by a rival upper-caste squad for winning a match; an impoverished Dalit couple hacked to death following a disagreement with an upper-caste shopkeeper over a debt of 15 rupees (22 cents U.S.).

But while Dalits  formerly known as untouchables  are still victims of thousands of attacks each year despite laws put in place soon after Indias independence, there has been a slow change in the way they react to the atrocities, say social scientists and Dalit activists.

The outrage and protests that spread across India following the incident in Una are viewed as signs that the Dalit community will no longer tolerate the injustices they face, said Beena Pallickal of the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights.

Una was a turning point in our fight, she said recently in her office in New Delhi. The Dalit community will no longer stay silent. We will rise in protest against all forms of prejudice.

The 2011 census counted about 204 million Dalits in this country of more than 1.2 billion  a population the size of Brazil, the worlds fifth most populous nation.

Dalits are finding the rigid caste divisions slowly being eroded due to fundamental changes in Indian society, at least in the urban centres.

As Indias booming economy fuels urbanization, people from different regions and all walks of life are being packed into the cities crowded apartments and slums. Living in such close quarters, they are becoming less concerned with centuries-old caste divisions and traditional prejudices, analysts say.

For some Dalits, though, the change isnt happening fast enough. An emerging class of educated Dalits has begun demanding an end to caste bigotry and discrimination  demands that sometimes touch off deadly clashes between communities. Indias National Crime Records Bureau reports that more than 700 Dalits were killed in attacks in 2014, the last year for which data is available.

Chandra Bhan Prasad, a Dalit writer, says there is a conflict between the past and the future that younger Dalits envision for themselves.

This new generation of Dalits cannot tolerate humiliation. Nor will they accept it, said Prasad, who has written and lectured widely on Dalit rights. They may have done so before, because they saw no way out of their subjugation at the hands of upper-caste Hindus, but not anymore.

For centuries, Dalits, as the lowest caste in the occupational hierarchy, have been assigned the most demeaning jobs, such as skinning dead animals or cleaning public toilets and sewers. But now they have other options to earn a living.

The business explosion in India after the economic reforms of 1991 has thrown up many alternative avenues for Dalits to earn a livelihood, Prasad said. They are no longer beholden to their upper-caste landlords for their daily bread.

After the horrific beating of the men for skinning the dead cow in Gujarat, Dalits in the state refused to remove dead cows in protest, further provoking upper-caste Hindus by telling them to handle the task themselves. Hindus consider cows to be sacred and revere them, but expect Dalits to deal with skinning and disposing of any that have died.

But even though the reaction to the incident highlighted changes in how the Dalits view their standing in society, Pallickal said there is still an unwillingness among politicians to enforce the laws.

Knowing the pernicious nature of Indias caste prejudices, early leaders who framed Indias constitution soon after independence from the British in 1947 put in place exceptionally clear and laudable laws that ban all forms of discrimination against caste, Pallickal said.

Still, according to the crime records bureau, more than 47,000 crimes of discrimination against Dalits were registered in police stations across the country in 2014.

Udit Raj, a member of Parliament from New Delhi and a strong voice for Dalit rights within Indias ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, said the conviction rate for crimes against Dalits is 2 to 8 per cent.

In the more than six decades since Indias independence, political parties have not found the will to enforce these laws, Pallickal said. There is a complete lack of political will to implement the laws, which is why such outrages continue.

Politicians across the political spectrum say its not just implementation of laws, but the lack of a change in peoples mindsets that leads upper-caste Indians to shun Dalits.

Even if Dalits are empowered economically, it is not necessary that they will be accepted socially, said Raj, who has fought for Dalit rights for the past four decades.

He pointed to injustices that continue to haunt the lower castes and the all-pervasive presence of caste divides. In many cities, Dalits are not allowed to own apartments in upper-caste neighbourhoods. Although inter-caste marriages are on the rise, all Indian newspapers still carry advertisements seeking brides and grooms stating their caste and the castes they will marry into.

Dalits are not accepted socially. Period, Raj said.

Access to education and the clout wielded by their vote in local and national elections have empowered Dalits to dream of a better future. But the aspirations of the Dalits are often resented by upper-caste Hindus.

If their economic progress is modest and their ambitions go as far as obtaining lowly government jobs or small businesses, there is no problem, said Prasad, the Dalit writer.

The attitude of the upper caste when they see a Dalit succeeding in life goes like this: A Dalit driving a cheap car can be endured, but a Dalit driving a BMW  that is a problem, he said.

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ROMEMore than 6,900 migrants have been rescued from the central Mediterranean, in one of the largest ever single-day operations, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Tuesday.

The Italian coast guard co-ordinated 35 interventions on Monday, intercepting 44 dinghies, eight small wooden boats, one ship with 200 on board and another carrying 704 people, Flavio Di Giacomo, an IOM spokesman in Rome, told DPA.

Nearly 7,000 people in a day is really quite a lot. If its not a record, then its close to it, he said.

Di Giacomo said two bodies were recovered, but the cause of death was not yet known. They were due to be taken in the southern port of Brindisi on Wednesday, along with 720 survivors, the local mayor said, as quoted by the ANSA news agency.

Rescue operations were continuing Tuesday, the IOM spokesman added.

The Italian navy and coast guard, British, Irish and Norwegian vessels, as well as a ship run by the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity, were involved in Mondays operations, IOM said in a statement.

MSF ship Dignity I picked up twins who were premature babies delivered at 8 months and were 5 days old, medical team leader Antonia Zemp said in a separate statement from her organization.

They were moved along with their mother to a boat that could take them onshore to Italy because one of the boys was not well. He was vomiting, had hypothermia and was non-reactive, Zemp said.

Prior to Mondays rescue, August had been a relatively quiet month for sea migrant arrivals, with about 12,600 compared to 23,500 during August 2015, IOM data showed. Abnormally windy sea conditions may have kept some boats from leaving North Africa, Di Giacomo said.

Since border controls were tightened earlier this year along the so-called Balkan route, connecting Turkey to Austria, Italy has replaced Greece as the main entry point for Europe-bound migrants from Africa, the Middle East and beyond.

The IOM calculated that 163,000 people arrived in Greece since the start of the year, compared with 234,000 in the same period of 2015. In Italy, there were 111,500 arrivals in the year to date, compared to 116,000 from January to August of last year.

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Something sinister may be afoot in the woods of Greenville, S. C.  and, if so, its shoes are comically oversized.

Clown sightings, as reported by residents of Fleetwood Manor Apartments, have alarmed local parents and set the community on edge.

According to a letter distributed to residents of the community and then posted to Facebook on Friday, the property manager warned of a clown or a person dressed in clown clothing who was trying to lure children in the woods.

It is the latest in a recent string of clowns reported as real-life menaces.

Although the evidence is sparse, the Greenville County Sheriffs Office is investigating the complaint.

Many of you have inquired about clowns being spotted in the woods near Fleetwood Manor Apartments, said Drew Pinciaro, a Greenville County deputy, in a press release on Monday, according to WYFF News 4.

As of todays date, there has been one incident report filed with our office regarding this, he said.

In the incident report, one woman said she saw several clowns in the woods flashing green laser lights on Aug. 19. The next night, she said her son could make out the sounds of chains and banging coming from outside their front door.

A different person said a clown with a large, winking nose was hanging out near the dumpsters early one Saturday morning.

Fleetwood Manor resident James Arnold told Buzzfeed News his children, aged 10 and 13, described clowns out there in the woods and theyre trying to get us to come out there.

Some had chains, some had knives and some were holding out money, saying, Come here, weve got candy for you. But they wouldnt go, Arnold said.

His wife, Donna, said she filed the report and invoked the miniseries adaptation of Stephen Kings It, about a creature that takes the form of a clown to stalk children.

If what the Arnolds saw mimicked It, they could hardly be faulted for being so distraught. When King published the horror novel in 1986, it marked the changing of the cultural tide against clowns.

They could be threatening characters, made worse by the fact there was real-world precedent for evil jesters.

In the decade prior to the books release, serial killer John Wayne Gacy, convicted of raping and killing 33 men and boys, occasionally performed as a clown named Pogo.

Although the killer-clown trope in fiction is at least as old as Pagliacci, the 1892 opera about a knife-wielding performer, the dark side of clowns has steadily picked up steam since It was published.

American Horror Story featured a killer clown. There is an It movie in the works. And through the Joker, the great comic-book villain, the clown has been portrayed with buffoonish menace by Jack Nicholson, criminal nihilism by Heath Ledger and teeth grills by Jared Leto.

(Even Baskets, the FX dramedy starring Zach Galifianakis as a clown, wallows in what The Post described as delicious misery. This, too, could be an old echo of Joseph Grimaldi, the 19th-century English clown whose fame on the stage was rivalled by the illness and depression he suffered later in life.)

The secret to the clowns anti-success, wrote the Smithsonian Magazine in 2013, is in the mix of mischief, makeup and a target demographic made up of children.

Where there is mystery, its supposed there must be evil. So we think, What are you hiding?  Andrew McConnell Stott, a University of Buffalo, SUNY, English professor, told the magazine in 2013.

As the evil clown ascends, the friendly clown has not. By 2014, there were 2,500 members of the World Clown Association, a thousand fewer than a decade before. The big-tent circus, the American clowns natural habitat, is on the decline, while Cirque du Soleil and more acrobatic acts prosper.

Clowns like the Florida entertainer named Wrinkles have embraced the creepy vibe and can be hired to scare friends.

The South Carolina incident is not the first time disturbing clowns have been reported, either. Earlier in August, Wisconsin police fielded calls about a dirty clown wandering Green Bay carrying black balloons.

And in October 2014, a rash of hooligans in spooky clown costumes were spotted across the United States, reported ABC.

That same month, more than a dozen French teenagers dressed as clowns were arrested for harassing strangers. It was one episode in what the Atlantic called Frances clown outbreak that, in turn, spawned anti-clown vigilantes  the chasseurs de clown.

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As per reports, former agriculture minister Hwang Min and Ri Yong Jin, a senior official at the education ministry, have been executed.

By Reuters: North Korea publicly executed two officials in early August for disobeying leader Kim Jong Un, a South Korean newspaper reported today, in what would be the latest in a series of high-level purges under the young leader's rule, if confirmed.

Kim took power in 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, and his consolidation of power has included purges and executions of top officials, South Korean officials have said.

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EX-AGRICULTURE MINISTER, EDUCATION MINISTRY OFFICIAL EXECUTED

Citing an unidentified source familiar with the North, the JoongAng Ilbo daily said former agriculture minister Hwang Min and Ri Yong Jin, a senior official at the education ministry, had been executed.

The report could not be independently verified, and South Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles North Korea-related matters, did not have immediate comment.

Some previous media reports of executions and purges in the reclusive state later proved inaccurate.

The report of the executions comes soon after the South said North Korea's deputy ambassador in London had defected and arrived in the South with his family, dealing an embarrassing blow to Kim's regime.

North Korea rarely announces purges or executions, although state media confirmed execution of Kim's uncle and the man widely considered the second most powerful man in the country, Jang Song Thaek, in 2012 for factionalism and crimes damaging to the economy.

A former defence minister, Hyun Yong Chol, is also believed to have been executed last year for treason, according to the South's spy agency.

MEN EXECUTED BY ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUN



The JoongAng Ilbo said the two men were executed by anti-aircraft gun at a military academy in Pyongyang.

North Korean state media described Hwang, one of the officials named, as agriculture minister in 2012, and referred to him as a vice minister of agriculture in 2014.

Hwang was killed because his policy proposals were seen as a challenge to Kim Jong Un, JoongAng Ilbo said. Ri was caught nodding off during a meeting with Kim and later investigated for corruption and showing disrespect to the leader, it added.

Also read:

North Korea executes 10 people 'for watching TV soap operas'

Entire family of Kim Jong Un's executed uncle put to death

Kim Jong Un's female fans

Children buried alive and ripped to pieces by dogs in North Korean prison camps





--- ENDS ---
ISLAMABADThe Taliban have appointed a new military chief as the insurgents try to gain ground rather than talk peace under a new leadership, Taliban officials said in telephone interviews over the weekend.

They said that the appointment of Mullah Ibrahim Sadar, once a close ally of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammed Omar, heralds a commitment to confrontation at a time when multiple governments are trying to coax the Taliban to the negotiating table.

Sadar is a battle-hardened commander, who gained prominence among Taliban foot soldiers following the movements overthrow in 2001. The two officials both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly for the Taliban.

Sadars appointment coincides with an uptick in Taliban attacks against Afghan security forces. The United States has sent additional troops to Afghanistans southern Helmand province, where its capital, Lashkar Gah, is under pressure. The provincial council head Kareem Atal earlier said roughly 80 per cent of Helmand is already under Taliban control.

So far this month, Taliban fighters have attacked Afghan security forces in northern Kunduz province, briefly taking control of a district headquarters. The militants also overran a district in northern Baghlan province and in eastern Paktia province. Meanwhile, in eastern Nangarhar province, Taliban militants are fighting pitched battles with security forces. Afghanistans Ministry of Defence says its security forces are waging operations in 15 provinces.

Mohammad Akbari a member of Afghanistans High Peace Council, which is tasked with talking peace with insurgent groups, said there has been no progress in talks since Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in a U.S. drone strike in May in Pakistan. Mansour was succeeded by Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, and the notorious Haqqani network gained a prominent role in the leadership structure.

I cant see any green light toward peace by the Taliban for Afghanistan and instead we have seen an increase in their fighting in the provinces, Akbari told The Associated Press.

Since Mansours death, Pakistans Interior Ministry has launched a stepped-up campaign to verify the identity of roughly 1.5 million Afghans living in Pakistan, many possessing Pakistani identity cards, some legally obtained and others illegally acquired. Mansour was carrying a Pakistani passport and identity card under an alias.

The crackdown has resulted in the withdrawal of thousands of suspicious identity cards. Pakistans Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that in the last four years, roughly 80,000 suspicious identity cards have been revoked. He didnt have a figure of the number of cards withdrawn in the latest campaign.

Taliban officials say their fighters, whose families are living in Pakistan, are getting caught up in the crackdown  forcing them to find shelter in Afghanistan. The officials said as a result, in order to accommodate their fighters, they need to expand their territory for practical reasons in addition to their standing military goals.

Pakistan has been bitterly criticized by the Afghan government for not doing more to arrest and expel Taliban fighters from its territory  particularly the Haqqani network, which is blamed by Afghanistan for many of the most brutal attacks. Pakistan, meanwhile, has carried out military operations in its tribal regions that border Afghanistan, and accuses Afghanistan of harbouring its own Taliban insurgents who have been carrying out attacks in Pakistan.

Following last weeks militant attack on the American University in Kabul, the Afghan government sent three telephone numbers to Pakistans military, believed to belong to those involved in planning the attack, seeking Pakistans assistance in tracking down and arresting the culprits. The assault killed 13 people and wounded dozens more.

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A Burlington family is watching closely as Justin Trudeau arrives in China for his first visit as prime minister, hopeful he will push for freedom for Huseyin Celil, who has been locked up for the past decade.

The prime minister arrives at a time of entrenched and intensifying human rights violations in China. The concerns range from an unrelenting crackdown against the countrys courageous human rights lawyers and campaigners, a deepening clampdown on free expression, widespread torture and the highest numbers of executions in the world.

Those who bear the brunt include Tibetans and Uyghurs, Falun Gong practitioners, pro-democracy activists, journalists, bloggers and determined people in Hong Kong who stand up for rights and justice.

The list of challenges and necessary reforms is daunting and lengthy. And China does not readily take up international advice. That is why sustained pressure from world leaders such as our prime minister is so essential.

With that worrying context to his trip, there is considerable anticipation that the prime minister absolutely must convey a strong message of concern about the countrys troubling human rights picture and signal a clear intent to put human rights expectations at the heart of the Canada/China relationship.

Amidst these big picture concerns and political machinations, Huseyins family waits anxiously for signs the prime minister will press for freedom and champion the rights of their husband and father.

Huseyin Celil is a Uyghur religious leader, originally from the western reaches of China where his people have endured decades of repression and abuse. He had fled the country to escape that injustice and was eventually resettled to Canada as a refugee. He became a Canadian citizen.

He had found and enjoyed freedom. And then he lost that freedom. Now he yearns to win it back.

In March 2006 Huseyin was on a holiday, visiting his wifes family in Uzbekistan, in Central Asia. He had travelled there as a Canadian, on a Canadian passport. But that was utterly disregarded when he was arrested at the behest of Chinese authorities and summarily sent back to neighbouring China three months later.

And that is where he has languished ever since, for 10 very lonely and painful years. He was charged with vague terrorism-related offences that are often used against Uyghur leaders and activists. He was tried in proceedings that gave him absolutely no chance to truly defend himself. His appeal hearing was just as unfair. The result was a life prison sentence.

Canadian officials have not been allowed to visit him or assist him. He has spent much of his time in detention in solitary confinement. His health has been poor and the possibility that he has been tortured or ill-treated has always loomed.

Meanwhile, Huseyins family in Canada misses him terribly. Four young children, one of whom was born while Huseyin was imprisoned, are growing up without their father. Huseyins wife, Kamila, tearfully told a news conference earlier this year of the particular heartbreak and strain of not having her husband to help care for their disabled teenage son.

Meanwhile overtures from senior Canadian officials, including former Prime Minister Stephen Harper in early days, pressing for Huseyin to be released from prison, have been consistently rebuffed and ignored by Chinese leaders.

It has been hard to remain hopeful. But Prime Minister Trudeaus trip offers new hope.

Earlier this year there was the first and only positive development in Huseyins case over these ten years of insurmountable injustice. Chinese officials announced that his life prison term had been commuted to 20 years.

Reducing his prison term from life to 20 years most certainly did not open Huseyins prison door, but does it suggest that Chinese government defiance just might be softening. Could it be a subtle gesture to a new Canadian government of a willingness to relent and compromise?

Trudeau has announced that he heads to China determined to strive for a closer, more balanced relationship between our countries.

Freedom for Huseyin Celil should be a condition of that closer relationship. A family in Burlington is counting on Trudeau to press Chinese leaders to take that step.

Alex Neve is Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada.

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When the government released its report on terrorist threats to Canada last week, it underscored the risks posed by extremist travellers coming back to Canada. About 60 people with ties to this country who have travelled abroad to fight with or support terrorist groups such as Daesh (or the Islamic State) have since returned.

These returnees dont pose the principal threat to public safety  according to the report, thats violent extremists more generally  but they do pose a unique one: in many cases, they have the training, combat experience and terrorist networks that make them better positioned to carry out an attack on Canadian targets.

Canada is not alone in dealing with this threat: its estimated that 36,500 people have travelled from more than 100 countries to join Daesh. Earlier this year, we conducted research for the RCMP on how other countries are dealing with this problem, along with our colleagues from the Munk School of Global Affairs, Meghan King, Kirstyn Koswin and Chelsea Rubin. We found no evidence to suggest any country has yet found the right way to counter the threat posed by returned extremist travellers  nor is it likely that there is just one right way that will work everywhere. But other countries experiences give us some valuable lessons.

What the threat report fails to mention is that not all extremist travellers who return to Canada will want to commit acts of terrorism here. Some are likely traumatized or disillusioned by what they saw overseas, particularly the gratuitous violence that Daesh is known for. Their experiences can provide a convincing deterrent to others who might be taken in by Daeshs call to join a noble battle to defend the faith in an Islamic caliphate. Instead of automatically seeking prosecution against every returnee, officials should engage with them to determine their state of mind and whether public safety would be better served by working with them to keep others off a terrorist path.

It is also important to ensure that any counter-extremist strategy does not overlook the role of women. The threat report notes that women make up 20 per cent of extremist travellers from Canada, defying the stereotypical profile of would-be terrorists as single young men. At the same time, women have a unique role to play in helping prevent those who are harbouring extremist beliefs or ideas from acting on them. In the German deradicalization program, HAYAT, the vast majority of cases of radicalization are reported by women, often relatives of the radicalized individual. Other successful initiatives to counter violent extremism in Morocco and Bangladesh focused on empowering women, recognizing the influence they have over their families and social circles.

We have seen how this can work in Canada: three Ottawa men who were planning to go to Syria to join Daesh were reportedly thwarted when the mother of two of the men notified the police.

This ties into another lesson: police and security officials can expect better results when they dont unduly target specific communities. If someone feels like their community is under scrutiny because of their religion or ethnicity, this could enhance their sense of marginalization, which can make the promises of extremism seem more attractive. Secondly, this could also make community members less likely to trust law enforcement  as the Ottawa mother did  if they are worried about a loved one joining an extremist movement.

At the same time, we know there are reasons other than religious ideology that can draw someone into extremism. A key reason why Denmarks Aarhus approach has been successful is that it provides a range of practical and psychological support, focusing on the whole person, not just their religious beliefs. As the pathway to extremism is complex and unique to each individual, an approach that considers a wide range of factors improves the odds of discovering why someone was drawn into extremism and what it will take to bring them back.

This is an ideal time for Canada to re-evaluate how it deals with returned extremist travellers and violent extremism in general: the government is embarking on a review of its national security framework, and launching a counter-radicalization office that will work with communities to counter and prevent violent extremism. We hope they will avoid simplistic answers that focus on profiling and punishment, which squander the valuable resources that remorseful returnees and concerned relatives can bring to the fight against extremism. Instead, Canada should aim to minimize the risk of attacks while maintaining Canadian values such as inclusion and multiculturalism to the greatest extent.

Stephanie MacLellan is a research associate with the Centre for International Governance Innovations Global Security and Politics program. Matthew Gumley is a recent graduate of the Munk School of Global Affairs specializing in national security and human rights research and analysis.

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Re: Lawyer apologizes for Sixties Scoop, Aug. 24

Lawyer apologizes for Sixties Scoop, Aug. 24

As a Canadian I join the apology and applaud the recent openness of Premier Kathleen Wynne, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett to do the right thing.

What family could endure the treatment that our successive governments have visited on our First Nations children and their parents? It will take several generations to recover from the losses of identity, security, sense of connection, trust, emotional stability, familiar environment and lifestyle, personal control, parenting role models, etc. and then the descent into despair, substance abuse as a numbing agent, and terrible stats on youth suicide.

It is time for a significant action to repair the psychological and practical damage done  and to forge a new path to hope.

Barbara Landau, Toronto

At last, a piece of news more than worthy of a place on your page one, above the fold!

Its about time more of us became aware of the sickening treatment of First Nations children for over 25 years  the cruel attempt by the Canadian government to deliberately erase all of their heritage. These small children were forcibly removed, kidnapped actually, from their mothers arms, to the care of non-indigenous homes.

Thank you for putting that horrid term sixties scoop in quotes. That euphemism deserves to be placed in limbo along with ethnic cleansing, friendly fire and honour killings  Orwellian words that conceal continuous evils, still occurring in our own country, in front of our eyes  if we choose to acknowledge them.

Della Golland, Toronto

The Trudeau Liberal government should stop hypocritically apologizing to the 16,000 First Nations, Metis and Inuit kidnapped (scooped) as children in Ontario in the 1960s as part of its assimilationist-genocidal policies.

As if the governments gulag of residential schools wasnt cruel and criminal enough, we now learn of another genocidal operation  the Canadian governments assimilationist operation whereby thousands of indigenous children, some as young as 4, were forcibly separated from their parents, essentially kidnapped, adopted and brainwashed by white non-native foster families in Ontario.

This government-sponsored genocide went on for reportedly 20 years, 1964-1984 (maybe longer), kept secret, and co-existed with the Canadian gulag of residential schools. Imagine if this had happened to one of your children or relatives, and the traumas they experienced and are reliving years later.

Both federal and Ontario ministers knew what was happening, yet they did nothing to stop this official child abuse and genocide, kept it secret so the public wouldnt find out, and nobody protested. These ministers should have been criminally charged and fired. To compound this mass injustice, the Trudeau government is now obstructing the survivors $1.3 billion lawsuit. Time for another protest.

Don Weitz, Toronto

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Re: Top French court overturns burkini ban, Aug. 27

Top French court overturns burkini ban, Aug. 27

I am disappointed that the Star published the above article on page A16 when it should have been headline news.

How many times has the Star published the picture of the policemen standing over a Muslim women forcing her to remove some of her garments on a French beach? How many lead articles have there been about the bans by many French towns on the wearing of the burkini?

And yet, when the top administrative court in France overturns the ban imposed by one French town because the contested decree has thus brought a serious and manifestly illegal infringement on basic freedoms it is buried on page A16.

The Star should have trumpeted this ruling. Thank goodness the court had the wherewithal to rule in favour of the basic rights and freedoms of individuals and not allow this issue to be used by others to advance their political agendas.

We need to be worried about political agendas that are based on fear and the removal of personal rights and freedoms. We have seen where this leads, in our recent past, and in many parts of our world today.

Phil Buddle, Toronto

Often the equitable solution to a conflict of human rights such as freedom of religion and womens free will on the beach is simple. Add the same rights to all. Dont subtract rights from any. Thus those who can only enjoy the beach when they wear their symbols of cover and those who go to the beach to cast off their symbols  oppressive clothing  are allowed to indulge their passions equally in the sun.

However this mutual sunny joy wont be experienced by all because the religiously clothed will certainly object to the naked and rationalizers of asymmetrical rights will insist that freedom of religion and choice are sacrosanct to the detriment of the naked. They insist that religion should bestow more rights.

Recently the U.S. retired the flying of the Confederate flag in public places. Reasonable people insisted that it be removed, in spite of the fact that it curtailed the freedom of expression of its wavers, because it symbolized that the enslavement of blacks wasnt over in America.

Perhaps its time to retire the burkini, in spite of the fact that it might deprive some women of their freedom of expression in fashion, because it symbolizes the cover-up women have had to endure under male dominance.

Lets be reasonable and avoid the double standard that religion prescribes for beach attire.

Tony DAndrea, Toronto

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NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of T-Mobile USA (TMUS) were gaining in early-morning trading on Monday as Wells Fargo boosted its rating on the stock to "outperform" from "market perform," the Fly reports.

The firm also increased its price target range to $52 to $54 from $48 to $50 on shares of the Bellevue, WA-based wireless carrier.

Wells Fargo said the company's free cash flow should ramp significantly in 2017, the Fly noted.

Additionally, T-Mobile should see ongoing positive momentum in subscriber growth and will be helped by merger and acquisition speculation following the U.S. presidential election, the firm added.

Separately, TheStreet Ratings Team has a "Buy" rating with a score of B on the stock.

The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, good cash flow from operations, expanding profit margins, notable return on equity and solid stock price performance.

The team believes its strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income.

Recently, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author.

You can view the full analysis from the report here: TMUS
Mondelez (MDLZ) said Monday what's as obvious as the nose on your face: its unrequited bid for Hershey (HSY) is over. Eighty-sixed. Dead as doornails.

That's going to spur a lot of talk along the lines of: what is Mondelez going to do with the $23 billion it isn't going to spend on the chocolate maker?

First bet is going to be go after General Mills (GIS) . It was popular speculation even before Mondelez made the withdrawal of its bid for Hershey.

So, for the record, branded products companies are gasping for anything approaching organic growth. We, as a society, have officially reached the saturation point in our appetite for the stuff that's in our cupboards, whether it's dried pasta, aerosol cheese or condensed milk.

For growth, branded products companies have to acquire it. Roll up what's either a complimentary operator or, even better, a competitor, and the CEO gets to tell investors, "See, I've achieved what nobody else in our industry is able to do: I've swollen the top line. Appreciably." Granted that growth will likely be with products that have the same paltry margins its existing stable of portfolio brands evidence--but growth is growth, and growth is hard to come by.

Ergo, Mondelez sees Hershey and wants it like a fat kid who presses his face up against the glass of the concession stand at the movie theater.

But Hershey, which has been courted by wanna-be takeover professionals for years, has always had a trump card to play as a takeover defense: the Hershey Trust, which has enough of a stake that it's got to be convinced. And, so far, nobody has measured up. Mondelez isn't the greatest suitor, it's just the latest suitor.

So what's next? General Mills has been mentioned. But General Mills doesn't have a portfolio that syncs up with Mondelez. Mondelez makes stuff consumers eat with their hands. General Mills makes stuff you eat off a plate or out of a bowl.

Now, given the merger mania in the branded products space, there's a chance that General Mills gets chased into the arms of another player just to fend off the likes of a Mondelez. PepsiCo (PEP) has been mentioned. But Pepsi has an equally non-polar product portfolio.

Kraft Heinz (KHC) makes more sense. And Kraft Heinz has the backing of the eternally patient Warren Buffett, as well as the Mexican takeover enterprise 3G Capital, which has to be drawn to the cost cutting initiatives that General Mills has already put in place.

The decision by Mondelez to walk away from its Hershey bid--obvious as it might have seem two months ago--is nevertheless likely to shake the branded products space the way pounding the table upends the Monopoly board, under similar circumstances. And it's hard to exactingly predict the ultimate circumstances.

Let's just say that the next several months will be pretty interesting for bankers working the sector. And could provide some compelling opportunities for traders, given that the ceaseless speculation is going to keep the valuations - already a little overwrought, was General Mills commanding something on the order of 26 times - pretty ripe.

PepsiCo is a holding in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells PEP? Learn more now.
Apple (AAPL) will have to pay 13 billion ($14.5 billion) in back taxes to Ireland under a European Commission ruling Tuesday. Both Apple and Ireland said they will appeal the decision in a process that Apple warned could take several years but with no impact on its cash balance or future tax rate.

Amid a wider crackdown against corporate tax avoidance in the 28-nation bloc, the EC said that "undue benefits" granted to Apple amounted to illegal state subsidies, and will need to be recovered.

"Member states cannot give tax benefits to selected companies -- that is illegal under EU state aid rules," said EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager in a statement.

Speaking to journalists after the decision, the Danish Liberal politician insisted that the 13 billion is not a penalty, but unpaid taxes to be paid, and has to do with Apple's profits generated in Europe and recorded in Europe.

She said it's now up to Ireland to recover the amount.

Vestager also hinted that Apple could potentially be on the hook for further taxes in other jurisdictions, saying that governments in the EU and elsewhere could look to the latest decision and the yet-to-be-published reasoning to determine whether to require Apple to pay additional taxes. But she said any back taxes due elsewhere could theoretically reduce the Irish tax bill if related profits should have been booked in other jurisdictions.

The Commission has denied allegations of anti-US. bias in its tax probes, which include pending cases against Amazon (AMZN) and McDonald's (MCD) .

Apple shares tumbled 1.6% in pre-market trading to $105.09.

A negative decision against had been expected, though the magnitude of the tax benefits wasn't known, with estimates starting as low as 1 billion.

The EC launched an in-depth probe into Irish tax breaks for Apple that go back more than a decade in June 2014. On Tuesday, it found that two so-called tax rulings issued by Dublin allowed the technology giant to pay an effective corporate tax rate of 1% on its European profits in 2003. The rate by 2014 had fallen to 0.005%.

Apple disputes the findings.

"The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process," it said, warning that the decision "will have a profound effect on investment and job creation in Europe."

Apple also said it "follows the law and pays all of the taxes we owe wherever we operate. We will appeal and we are confident the decision will be overturned."

Separately, Apple said on its website that it does not expect Tuesday's ruling to have an impact on its future tax rate, and said its cash balance will not change as a result of the decision though it does expect to place some amount of cash in an escrow account. It also warned that the appeals process is likely to take "several years."

Speaking on behalf of the Irish government, Finance Minister Michael Noonan said, "Ireland did not give favorable tax treatment to Apple. Ireland does not do deals with taxpayers."

Both sides have a little more than two months to launch an appeal.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has made a crackdown on corporate tax avoidance a priority following the 'LuxLeaks' scandal revelations in November 2014.

In October 2015 the EC announced state aid decisions against Starbucks (SBUX) and Fiat Finance and Trade. And in January it ordered Belgium to recover about 700 million from at least 35 multinational firms, including Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) and oil giant BP (BP) under a Belgian tax scheme it judged to be illegal.

There are also still pending probes into Luxembourg's tax agreements with Amazon and McDonald's although Vestager on Tuesday said she could not give any timing for when those cases will finish.

Apple and Starbucks are holdings in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells AAPL or SBUX? Learn more now.
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (RBA) were spiking 17.87% to $34.07 on heavy trading volume mid-morning Tuesday as the Canadian industrial auctioneer agreed late yesterday to purchase IronPlanet for approximately $758 million.

IronPlanet is a Pleasanton, CA-based e-commerce site that sells used heavy construction equipment. The site is backed by construction and mining equipment manufacturer Caterpillar (CAT).

As part of the deal, Ritchie Bros will become Caterpillar's "preferred global partner" for live and on site auctions of used Caterpillar equipment.

The partnership will begin once the IronPlanet deal closes in the first half of 2017, according to Reuters.

Shares of Caterpillar were lower in mid-morning trading on Tuesday.

About 1.15 million of Ritchie Bros' shares have changed hands so far today vs. its average volume of 630,032 shares per day.

Separately, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author. TheStreet Ratings has this to say about the recommendation:

The team rates Ritchie Bros Auctioneers as a Buy with a ratings score of B+. This is driven by some important positives, which it believes should have a greater impact than any weaknesses, and should give investors a better performance opportunity than most stocks the team covers. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, notable return on equity, expanding profit margins and increase in stock price during the past year. The team feels its strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income.

You can view the full analysis from the report here:

RBA

RBA data by YCharts
Samsung SDI, a major South Korean producer of lithium ion batteries used in electric vehicles, said it will invest $358 million to build a battery factory in Hungary for supplying the European auto industry.

The company, which already operates facilities in China and South Korea, said its plant will open in the second half of 2018 near Budapest and would be able to make batteries for about 50,000 vehicles annually. German automaker BMW is among the company's clients; BMW's i3 EV uses a Samsung battery.

In June, Bloomberg reported that Samsung SDI was discussing supply of its batteries to Tesla Motors, which is building its own battery plant in Nevada with Japanese supplier Panasonic.

The factory will "help us save logistics costs and quickly cope with demand from customers, as European companies have manufacturing bases around Hungary," Samsung SDI said in a statement. The company is an affiliate of Samsung Electronics Co. (SSNLF) .

In April, Reuters reported that LG Chem was planning to build a battery plant in Poland, with a capacity of about 229,000 batteries a year -- which would make it the second biggest LG battery plant after its China installation.

In the wake of the diesel emissions scandal at Volkswagen, European automakers are poised to phase out some diesel models and ramp up production of EVs over the next few years, which will require more battery manufacturing capacity in the European Union. VW is among those automakers rushing to develop new EV models.

Although EV sales have been modest in North America, they are picking up in Europe and even more so in China, where government subsidies to manufacturers are set to expire and soon could be replaced by rules requiring automakers to build EVs or buy carbon credits.

EV sales worldwide have been accelerating in 2016. EV sales are heading toward 800,000 for the year worldwide, representing roughly 1% of the global market share. China is leading the world, with EV sales amounting to about 1.5% of the vehicle market.

The world's leading maker of EVs this year is the Chinese automaker, BYD Company (BYDDF) , which also builds rechargeable batteries and mobile phone components. In second place is Nissan Motor (NSANY) , maker of the Leaf.

Doron Levin is the host of "In the Driver Seat," broadcast on SiriusXM Insight 121, Saturday at noon, encore Sunday at 9 a.m.

This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.
Anjoo Mohun returns to Kolkata years later, and takes us through her nostalgic, mouth-watering weekend in the city.

By Anjoo Mohun: The best thing about nostalgia is that your memories are always rose-tinted. My feelings for Kolkata run very deep. I don't see anything that my Bong friends-in-exile-in-Delhi crib about. I just see the city where it all began for me. Food, Noddy books, charm and a street with Shakespeare's name; my loyalty has never wavered.

I first saw the city through the eyes of a five-year-old who couldn't take in the entire span of the Howrah bridge in one look. After a 22-hour journey from the North Eastern hills, it was hard to stay upright, so a bit like Salman's Rushdie's character, my view was a bit tilted. And I have remained tilted towards Kolkata ever since.

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That first taste of jhaal muri

My engineer father trooped us all across the iconic bridge (twice) just to point out the engineering marvel - all girders, angles and bolts. My mother was heaving on one side (I thought with humidity) but with the hindsight of age and romance, I think she was having her own 'Amar Prem' moment.

Jhaal muri is a popular street food in Bengal. Picture courtesy: Instagram/poetoftheblack

At the end of the tour, Dad bought me a 'thonga' of jhaal muri and I was smitten. What magical place could sell that delightful concoction for 10 paise and satisfy every taste bud--the twang of the mustard oil, the crunch of the chana muri, the freshness of the onion and chillies, the blast of salt and lemon!

Today we watch masterchefs trying to create these layers of flavours through complex cooking using techniques and ingredients more bewildering than the last season but in 'aamar kolkata' I could get it for 10 paise and now 45 years later, I still get it for Rs 10 and have it custom made too, ' aar ektoo jhaal diye den dada,'.

Also read: Bengali food myths: This group's 'Calcutta' diary shares it all



Egg rolls? Yes please!

I would be hard put to list all the fancy places to eat in, and there are better qualified critics to do that. I have my own food routine since I usually don't have more than 36 hours in the city. So as the flight landed past 10.00 p.m., my entire plan was to get to an egg roll shop, any egg roll shop and get my first fix. I managed to find one just round the corner from the hotel and obviously it didn't disappoint.

Those expert hands have been breaking eggs over fried dough for dozens of years. I prefer to have the first one just with double egg (the filling is for later encounters). It tells you exactly how egg and paratha should be married. Of course it helps to sleep soundly with lip-smacking dreams.

Even the potato in Kolkata's famous mutton biryani tastes awesome. Picture courtesy: Instagram/culinary_diggers

Over a weekend, I have a lot of eating to do and I refuse to reinforce the obvious. Bengali puchkas rule and they rock and no one is even close enough to dislodge them. So there, end of argument.

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I go past my biryani joint and place an order for aloo mutton special biryani with a side order of mutton boti kabab. Only a true carnivore can understand my pleasure of piling meat upon meat. Don't ask me about the potato.

I have no time to tell you about the Nawab of Awadh's exile to Calcutta and how his entourage had to be fed too and the meat dish needed to be extended. Whatever the origins, the bite of potato which has been simmered alongside the meat gives that welcome interlude to the rice and the 'boti'.

You don't know what you're missing till you taste a Kolkata saada paan. Picture courtesy: Instagram/debashish_

As I walk past the maidan and watch traffic which is surprising smooth and all the blue and white lights which have lit up Kolkata, I reach the turn at Esplanade, just off that famous hotel where anyone wants to stay. And I have a cup of tea in the kulhar.

A thimbleful really, sweet as cane juice, hot and soul satisfying. It reminds me of my mom and her endless cups she asked me to fetch when I was allowed a sip. Drinking an entire 'kullah' feels like I am doing something naughty and surreptitious.

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Also read: Would you like to try a beer called Bengali? Yes, Bengali



Chinese and Continental can go a long way

But now I mull on my dinner. It has to be Chinese...fresh deep fried prawns are de rigueur. For hill kids like me, any sea food or fish was luxury. Along with double roasted pork with five spice, the best chicken kung pao in that little eatery off Park Street, egg fried rice and a corn soup with shrimps. Do I need to describe heaven?

Continental chefs in Kolkata know just how to get a Chateaubriand right. Picture courtesy: Instagram/ konkreterdschungel

In the '90s I used to love that 'Waldorf' place just for the Russian Salad and continental dishes. There are several places to eat that food now. I am so wary of ordering 'kantinentaal' food in my 'karmabhoomi'--New Delhi (a grim brown sauce over a stringy chicken 'steak' has put paid to any ambition to be adventurous).

But you won't go wrong in Kolkata: Ancient favourites like prawn cocktails or angels on horsback, baked crab or a chateaubriand, it works every which way I want it to.

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Something fishy this way comes

All those years ago, my kid brother seemed to be on a hunger strike till a plate of flat, deep fried, flaky fish cutlets was placed before him. My relieved parents realised that he considered anything that was not meat, fish or fowl unworthy of his lofty palate. Now isn't that a mark of a true Bengali?

Ilish (hilsa) maachh and bhaat is a popular household meal in Bengal. Picture courtesy: Instagram/nowshin_jhumur

I once had the best rui maach and bhaat with bhaja at a tiny little place just off the Howrah station on my way to Jessore (by road). I avoid any place which is 'marketing' Bengali cuisine and make my way to Ballygunge for my favourite pabda and rice. Since it is the monsoon, I order a plate of fried Ilish and devour it, but it is more a homage.

That is followed by my Kolkata paan. Nowhere else will you get your 'gilori' wrapped in a cone of banana leaf. And my Lucknawi heart sings (yeah yeah, that's where my roots lie) at the finesse of it all. I then sleep all afternoon as I will later head to the Tollygunge Club for an old girl's gang do. We have club staples like fish fingers and tartar sauce and momos which are ordered even without thinking.



Bidding Kolkata a sweet adieu

Before I leave, I have to tackle the sweet. Bengali sweets are, well, too many to list. So I stick to the basics. Turn any street corner and look for a 'mishti' shop where the name is written in Bengali. That's the authenticity test for me.

Bengali sweets are too many to list, but the sandesh stands out. Picture courtesy: Instagram/anuradhasaha

If there is a single word in Hindi, turn, walk away and pretend to be lost. I point to two pieces of sandesh: one white and one brown and a generous helping of 'mishti doi'. I usually do this on the way to the airport. The taste lingers all the way to Delhi. And I know I am just back from home.

P.S. The writer has been looking for a job in Kolkata for years without success. Maybe this lofty paean will change that!





--- ENDS ---
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of Alphabet (GOOGL) were sliding in mid-morning trade Tuesday after the Mountain View, CA-based company's Chief Legal Officer David Drummond confirmed late yesterday that he had resigned from Uber Technologies' board of directors.

"I recently stepped down from Uber's board given the overlap between the two companies," Drummond said in a statement to the Wall Street Journal.

Both companies are currently working to develop and commercialize autonomous vehicles. Ride-hailing app Uber is looking to begin testing self-driving taxis in Pittsburgh in the next months while Alphabet has been mulling testing its own autonomous cars for ride-hailing, the Journal reports.

Drummond first joined Uber's board in 2013 when Alphabet's Google Ventures arm invested $250 million in the company.

Uber is still a large investment for GV, and Drummond noted that the company remains an "enthusiastic" investor in the app.

(Alphabet is a part of Jim Cramer's charitable trust Action Alerts PLUS. See all of Cramer's holdings with a free trial.)

Separately, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author.

TheStreet Ratings rated this stock as a "buy" with a ratings score of A.

The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its compelling growth in net income, robust revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, solid stock price performance and reasonable valuation levels. Although no company is perfect, currently we do not see any significant weaknesses which are likely to detract from the generally positive outlook.

You can view the full analysis from the report here: GOOGL




NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Alphabet's (GOOGL) senior VP of corporate development David Drummond recently stepped down from ride sharing service Uber's board over conflicts of interest, the company announced on Monday.

Previously, Drummond helped oversee Alphabet's investment arm GV's $250 million investment in Uber in 2013. But Uber is no longer the underdog, as it becomes a direct competitor to Alphabet in the self-driving car vehicle space, according to Drummond.

"I recently stepped down from Uber's board given the overlap between the two companies," said Drummond in an emailed statement, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The shake up is similar to Google executive Eric Schmidt's resignation from Apple's (AAPL) board in 2009 after the search engine company released its Android mobile software that directly competed with the iPhone, said Vanity Fair special correspondent Nick Bilton on CNBC's "Squawk Alley" on Tuesday morning.

Drummond's move was smart, according to Bilton. "Google was already working in driver-less cars and now Uber is doing that, and I just don't think it makes sense for Drummond to be on the board," he said.

Uber, Google, and Ford (F) formed a coalition earlier this year to develop self-driving cars, seeming to indicate that they would work together, noted CNBC's Kayla Tausche.

While the companies may still work together, the coalition doesn't mean the companies aren't preparing for the increasingly competitive environment, Drummond replied. "I think they want each other's help right now, but they will not want each other's help in the future," he predicted.

Earlier this month, Uber acquired self-driving truck startup Ottomotto, which was founded by former Alphabet employees.

Uber and Google are also beginning to compete in mapping solutions, Drummond noted. "There's lots of different things where they're competing, and I think that's only going to become larger as they move forward," he concluded.

(Alphabet and Apple are a part of Jim Cramer's charitable trust Action Alerts PLUS. See all of Cramer's holdings with a free trial.)
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of Potash (POT) were soaring 11.03% to $17.82 on heavy trading volume early Tuesday afternoon after Agrium (AGU) confirmed that it is in preliminary discussions with the company about a possible merger.

Shares of Agrium were spiking 6.08% to $94.92 on heavy trading volume this afternoon.

"No decision has been made as to whether to proceed with such a combination, no agreement has been reached, and there can be no assurance that any transaction will result from these discussions," Agrium said in a statement.

Earlier today, Bloombergreported that the two companies were planning to merge, citing sources. The sources added a deal could be announced as soon as next week.

Canada-based Potash is a fertilizer company which produces various primary crop nutrients, such as potash, nitrogen and phosphate. Agrium is a producer and distributor of agricultural products and services headquartered in Calgary.

About 16.4 million of Potash's shares changed hands so far today vs. its average volume of 9.23 million shares per day.

Roughly 1.89 million of Agrium's shares traded so far today compared to its average volume of 505,702 shares per day.

Separately, TheStreet Ratings Team has a "Hold" rating with a score of C- on Potash stock.

The primary factors that have impacted the rating are mixed. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and expanding profit margins.

But the team also finds weaknesses including feeble growth in the company's earnings per share, deteriorating net income and disappointing return on equity.

Recently, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author.

You can view the full analysis from the report here: POT
Dozens of U.S. tech titans from Apple (AAPL) to Alphabet's (GOOG) Google have big operations in Ireland, lured by a skilled workforce, low corporate tax rate, vibrant economic growth, and access to the EU's single market of 500 million consumers.

But with Apple now on the hook for more than 13 billion ($14.5 billion) in back taxes in Ireland deemed by the European Commission in Brussels to be illegal, the Emerald Isle could lose its luster for tech firms and other multinationals.

On Tuesday, the Commission said that Dublin granted illegal tax benefits to Apple that allowed it to pay "substantially" less tax than other businesses over many years, and ordered Ireland to recover 13 billion plus interest.

Brussels watchdogs took issue with two tax rulings that allowed Apple to pay an effective corporate tax rate of 1% on its European profits in 2003, a rate of 0.05% in 2011 and 0.005% in 2015, or 50 for every 1 million in profit. The sweetheart arrangements, sometimes referred to as a 'Double Irish,' were discontinued last year.

Apple and the Irish government have both vowed to appeal Tuesday's decision in a process Apple warned could go on for several years. But Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Apple will stay in Ireland, where it has grown from a single factory in Cork opened in October 1980 to 6,000 employees across the country today, mainly in Cork but elsewhere as well.

"We are committed to Ireland and we plan to continue investing there, growing and serving our customers with the same level of passion and commitment," he said in a two-page statement. "We firmly believe that the facts and the established legal principles upon which the EU was founded will ultimately prevail."

Apple shares were down 0.7% in New York at $106.04. Among other tech stocks, Amazon (AMZN) was down 0.6%, Microsoft (MSFT) 0.6% lower, and Alphabet had also slid 0.6% in morning trading.

Like Apple, all have major operations in Ireland, where Google said it employs 6,000 people, and Amazon said it employs 1,700 people with plans to create another 500 jobs in the country as it announced in May. The EC also has ongoing tax probes into Amazon and McDonald's (MCD) in Luxembourg, part of a wider crackdown on corporate tax avoidance in Europe.

So should U.S. tech firms be worried about the Apple case?

"In a word, yes," said Louise Gracia, a professorial teaching fellow at Warwick Business School in London, via email. "This ruling should give other U.S. multinationals, including tech giants, operating their tax affairs in Ireland pause for thought."

"Much now will depend on the outcome of any appeal that is lodged by Apple," she added. "If that appeal is unsuccessful, and depending on the nature of their tax arrangements, some of these companies could also face hefty bills for back tax."

On the other hand, if the appeal is successful, she said it will "serve to shore up and legitimize the aggressive corporate tax strategies being used by Apple. This will send a strong signal to other large multinationals that tax avoidance is unacceptable."

Ireland has not only attracted U.S. tech companies, it's also lured the likes of Botox maker Allergan (AGN) and diversified industrial company Ingersoll-Rand (IR) as shown in this graphic compiled by The Street:

In total, 700 U.S. companies employ over 14,000 people in Ireland and rank among the country's leading employers, according to the American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland, which notes the attractiveness of the talented Irish workforce and the country as a "perfect gateway" to Europe.

Foreign direct investment has also helped fuel the Irish economy, which has bounced back from the financial crisis and is still going strong.

Irish GDP grew by 7.8% in 2015 compared to 1.7% for the euro-zone as a whole. And this year Irish GDP growth is expected to be 4.9%, outpacing 1.6% expected for the common currency area and 1.8% for the 28-nation EU, according to the European Commission.

Another major draw for foreign investors is Ireland's 12.5% corporate tax rate -- versus 35% in the United States.

The EC said Tuesday that its is not questioning Ireland's general tax system or its corporate tax rate, though competition chief Margrethe Vestager noted that Apple's tax rate was "very far away" from 12.5%.

Apple, Allergan and Alphabet are all holdings in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Find the full list here.
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of Exxon Mobil (XOM) were lower in mid-afternoon trade on Tuesday as the company looks to divest its refinery in Billings, MT, according to sources cited by Reuters.

The refinery is one of the Irving, TX-based energy company's only operations that is not integrated with a chemical unit.

The plant processes oil into products like gasoline and diesel, and has an average output of about 60,000 barrels per day.

At least one potential buyer has already visited the location and it could sell for up to $700 million, sources told Reuters.

Although Exxon has not commented on the speculation, the company saud that it "regularly evaluates its global portfolio" for growth opportunities and "remains committed to conducting business in Montana," Reuters reports.

Additionally, oil prices were lower this afternoon on a stronger U.S. dollar.

Crude oil (WTI) was down 1.26% to $46.39 per barrel while Brent crude was sliding 1.66% to $48.44 per barrel.

Separately, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author.

TheStreet Ratings rated this stock as a "hold" with a ratings score of C.

The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its solid stock price performance, reasonable valuation levels and largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including feeble growth in the company's earnings per share, weak operating cash flow and poor profit margins.

You can view the full analysis from the report here: XOM
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google unit is taking on Uber with its own ride-sharing service, which would help commuters carpool at less expensive rates in San Francisco, a source told the Wall Street Journal.

Google started a pilot program near its California headquarters in May that allowed several thousand local employees at certain companies to use the Waze navigation app to connect with other commuters.

Now, Google plans to open the program to all users of Waze in the San Francisco area with hopes of growing the service if it is successful, the source added.

Google acquired Waze in 2013. The app gives driving directions based on information provided by drivers, the Journal noted.

Shares of Alphabet were lower in late-afternoon trading on Tuesday.

(Alphabet is a core holding in Jim Cramer's charitable trust Action Alerts PLUS. See all of his holding with a free trialhere.)

Separately, TheStreet Ratings Team has a "Buy" rating with a score of A on the stock.

The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its compelling growth in net income, robust revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, solid stock price performance and reasonable valuation levels.

Recently, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author.

You can view the full analysis from the report here: GOOGL
Shabana Azmi who played cameo in 24 Season 1 is back. Check out her first look from Season 2.

By India Today Web Desk: Shabana Azmi has returned to Television with the latest season of 24. The actress who played the role of ATU Chief Abhilasha Grewal is all set to add to the intensity of the ongoing crime drama.

In 24 Season 2, Jai Singh Rathod is back with a fresh challenge. However, things are not the same as before. He has quit the Anti-Terrorism Unit and also grappling with the problem of alcoholism. Meanwhile, terrorists have threatened to unleash a deadly virus on the nation, starting with Mumbai, if the government does not release terror mastermind Roshan Sherchan.

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Also read: TRPs in: Anil Kapoor's 24 Season 2 opens on a dismal note; full details inside

Shabana had enjoyed working in 24 Season 1 to the core. "The kind of character Abhilasha Grewal is, I have never done such a character either in theatre or films. It is a cameo and she is a no-nonsense woman and will stop at nothing to get what she wants," said Shabana, who has been in the industry for almost four decades.

Also read: Here's why Akshaye Khanna didn't accept Anil Kapoor's offer to star in 24 Season 2

24 Season 2 stars Anil Kapoor, Sakshi Tanwar, Surveen Chawla, Ashish Vidyarthi, Sikander Kher, Amruta Khanvilkar, Angad Bedi, Anita Raj, Harsh Chhaya, Madhurima Tulli, Neil Bhoopalam, Raghav Chanana, Sapna Pabbi, Sudhanshu Pandey among others. The show will air every Sat-Sun at 9 pm on Colors.



--- ENDS ---
European authorities ruled Tuesday that Apple owes more than $14.5 billion in back taxes after striking a sweetheart deal with Ireland that allowed the tech giant to underpay for more than a decade.

Apple paid a tax rate of 1 percent or even less  0.0005 percent, in some years  on its European profits, according to the European Commission, which launched an investigation into the companys international tax strategies in 2014. That arrangement, according to the commission, is illegal because it amounts to an improper incentive under European rules.

The ruling is likely to rattle many U.S. corporate boardrooms where aggressive tax strategies have become standard practice. The European Commission also is investigating tax deals reached by Amazon.com and McDonalds in Europe and has said it will launch other probes soon. (Amazon chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos also owns The Washington Post.)

The investigations also create a sore spot for the Obama administration: It has been frustrated by U.S. companies that it says are dodging American taxes, even as it forcefully defends those same companies against European authorities. The Treasury Department has complained that U.S. multinationals have been unfairly targeted by the E.U. and said Tuesday that it was disappointed by the ruling.

The more pressing issue for the administration is that if Europe collects more cash from U.S. companies, that will leave less to be taxed by the United States. The dispute could escalate tensions between the United States and Europe over how  and where  global companies pay taxes.

European Union Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager at a news conference in Brussels after a decision that Apple must repay up to $14.5 billion in unpaid taxes from its European base in Ireland. (John Thys/AFP/Getty Images)

Perhaps the [European Commission] decision will spur the U.S. authorities to step up their own efforts to collect more taxes from Apple. Apple may be a tax cheat, but Apple is our tax cheat, said Steven M. Rosenthal, a fellow at the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

The European Commission is seeking much more than many tax experts expected, a record amount that could grow if interest is collected.

But the $14.5 billion in back taxes is just a slice of Apples cash stockpile. The firm has more than $200 billion in cash, most of it held overseas where it cannot be taxed by the United States. It also has borrowed money at low rates over the past few years.

[The no-win game of Apples taxes]

Apple and the Irish government said they would appeal the ruling.

We never asked for, nor did we receive, any special deals, Apple chief executive Tim Cook said in a letter to customers. We now find ourselves in the unusual position of being ordered to retroactively pay additional taxes to a government that says we dont owe them any more than weve already paid.

The tax rates described by the European Commission, as low as 0.0005 percent, are not accurate, Apple officials said.

It is a completely made-up number, said Luca Maestri, Apples chief financial officer.

The company paid $400 million in taxes to Ireland in 2014, Maestri said. We were one of the largest taxpayers in the country, most likely the largest, he said.

Apple, which has had operations in Ireland for decades, said the ruling could ripple throughout Europe and scare away companies from investing in that part of the world.

The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apples history in Europe, ignore Irelands tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process, the company, based in Cupertino, Calif., said in a statement.

In Dublin, Irelands finance minister, Michael Noonan, denied that the country sidestepped E.U. tax rules, raising yet another potential flash point between Brussels and member states over the reach of regulations and oversight. Such questions helped tip the scales in June when Britain voted to leave the 28-nation bloc, and they have complicated transatlantic trade talks.

Appealing the decision is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system, to provide tax certainty to business and to challenge the encroachment of E.U. state aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation, Noonan said in a statement.

Across Europe, just how much  or how little  U.S. multinational firms pay in taxes is coming under increasing scrutiny.

French authorities recently raided the Paris headquarters of two U.S. corporate giants, Google and McDonalds. And European authorities have accused the Netherlands of allowing Starbucks to avoid more than $30 million in taxes.

The Obama administration has repeatedly objected to these investigations, and the Treasury Department took the unusual step last week of issuing a 25-page report critiquing the European Commissions investigations into alleged tax-avoidance schemes by U.S. firms. The investigations undermine agreements on international tax law and could hurt U.S. taxpayers, the Treasury Department said.

But it may not be able to stop them.

The European Commissions actions could threaten to undermine foreign investment, the business climate in Europe, and the important spirit of economic partnership between the U.S. and the EU, a Treasury spokesman said in a statement.

The international scuffle centers on the more than $2 trillion in overseas profits that U.S. corporations have refused to bring back to the United States, where they would face a hefty tax bill. U.S. lawmakers and regulators have lamented the practice but have had little success in pressing the corporations to bring the money home. Apple has the largest stash of foreign profits  more than $200 billion  of any U.S. multinational company.

[Why E.U. tax probes are raising alarm across the Atlantic]

Now European tax authorities also are eyeing this money, international tax experts say. The profits often have been routed through low-tax European countries, potentially cheating other nations in which the companies operate, they argue.

Apple runs its European operations through Ireland, where the corporate tax rate is 12.5 percent, compared with the 35 percent statutory rate in the United States. But the European Commission found that Apple set up a system that allowed it to pay even less.

Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years, European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who is in charge of competition policy, said in a statement from Brussels.

Apple attributed its European profits to phantom head offices in Ireland, the investigation found. These offices existed only on paper and could not have generated such profits, the commission said. In fact, Apple recorded all of its European sales in Ireland rather than in the countries where the products were sold, the investigation found.

The tax treatment in Ireland enabled Apple to avoid taxation on almost all profits generated by sales of Apple products in the entire European Union, the commission said.

Brian Murphy contributed to this report.
Former Fox News personality Andrea Tantaros challenged her former bosses and colleague Bill OReilly to submit to lie-detector tests in response to her allegations that she was the victim of sexual harassment while appearing on the network.

Tantaros, the former co-host of Foxs The Five and Outnumbered, sued Fox and its former chairman, Roger Ailes, last week, claiming that harassment was widespread. Her complaint described the network as a sex-fueled, Playboy Mansion-like cult.

In an unusual ploy  one Tantaros acknowledged Monday was a bid to win public opinion  she issued a lie-detector test challenge to Ailes, OReilly and Fox co-president Bill Shine. She said she would submit to a polygraph test and answer questions posed by Foxs attorneys if the three men and two other defendants would do the same with her attorney. The results from both sides would then be made public, she said.

Fox, which has denied Tantaross legal claims, did not respond to a request for comment about her proposal.

Fox on Monday asked the New York State Supreme Court, where Tantaros filed her suit last week, to move the dispute to private arbitration. The network argued in a court filing that Tantaross employment agreement requires that any dispute be referred to arbitration.

The network made the same argument last month in response to a sexual harassment suit filed by Gretchen Carlson, another former Fox host. Like Tantaros, Carlson said she was demoted by Ailes after she rebuffed his sexual advances. He has denied the claim.

In its filing, Fox also called Tantaros a wannabe victim who is using a claim of sexual harassment as a smokescreen for an unrelated dispute over publication of a book she wrote.

Fox said her contract required prior approval of the book  titled Tied Up in Knots: How Getting What We Wanted Made Women Miserable  and she was suspended because she didnt seek permission. The network said she never complained about Ailes or sexual harassment during an internal investigation some months ago.

Tantaros is not a victim; she is an opportunist who is seeking to tarnish Fox and its current management, Fox said in its filing.

In addition to Ailes and Shine, Tantaross suit names Fox legal counsel Dianne Brandi and media relations chief Irena Briganti as defendants. It does not name OReilly, although Tantaros alleges in her suit that the host of The OReilly Factor made a number of suggestive comments to her, including inviting her to his beach house and telling her that he believed she had a wild side.

Tantaross lawyer, Judd Burstein, attacked Foxs bid to move to arbitration. If Mr. Shine and his minions are innocent, why do they want this dispute to be resolved in the shadows? he said. An innocent person would be so outraged that he or she would want public vindication.

In its motion, Fox included statements defending a long list of Fox personalities whom Tantaros said Ailes had made disparaging comments about in conversations with her. But it included no statements in defense of OReilly.

In response to this omission, OReillys attorney, Fred Newman, said in an interview, I dont think you should read anything into it. He added: There is nothing to defend in Tantaross suit because Mr. OReilly is not a defendant. He is mentioned once in a 37-page complaint, and that mention is not worth defending because it is untrue.

Attorneys for Ailes also asked the court on Monday to move Tantaros suit to arbitration. In a filing separate from Fox, Ailes legal team denied Tantaros allegations, including that he once commented on how she would look in a bikini. If any defendants ever commented on how Ms. Tantaros looked, it likely was because Ms. Tantaros plastered pictures of herself in a bikini all over the internet (actually nearly nude), and many people at Fox News were shocked and perplexed by this, the motion reads.
Dear Miss Manners: How best can a hostess graciously accept compliments on her cooking?

When people remark on a particular dish or baked good, I find myself saying Thank you, and then adding a disclaimer (i.e., It was an easy recipe). I feel uncomfortable simply saying Thank you without anything else, but perhaps this is the most polite response and I need to become accustomed to giving it. What should one add, if anything?

A winning smile. Miss Manners recognizes, without understanding, that most people find it difficult to accept a compliment with good grace. But she urges you to consider that attempts to convince the guest that your cooking is not worthy of compliment are neither flattering, appetizing, nor, she trusts, convincing.

Dear Miss Manners: My spouse and I enjoy completely different types of music. Her music puts me in a horrible mood.

It usually isnt a problem, because our house has enough room for me to get away from it. However, when we drive in her car, she insists on playing her music: Its my car, and Ill listen to what I want to.

When we drive in my car, I ask her what she wants to listen to, hoping that we can agree on the same XM channel, which usually happens.

What are the rules on car radio etiquette? Is she right? Does the owner and driver of the car get to choose the music?

When its a short trip for an errand, I can handle it. A long trip is torture. I thought about wearing earplugs. Yes, she does like a high volume with a little singing, too. No, she doesnt sing very well.

She said that shell follow your rules of the road.

How about the rules of marriage, starting with Dont Torture Your Spouse?

Being in the drivers seat, literally or figuratively, does not relieve one of the need to consider the comfort of others, Miss Manners assures you. On the contrary, it confers the obligation to do so. The system your wife cites  might makes right  is what civilization was invented to overturn.

Dear Miss Manners: I have a workmate who posted his wifes baby shower invitation on the refrigerator door in the break room. He has not mentioned anything about it to anyone or given out private invitations.

Are we obligated to respond or buy a gift, or even RSVP, since little to no effort was really put forth on their part for inviting colleagues? Im fairly put off, as I find this tacky and very impersonal. I just find this as someone looking to get as much as they can in any form with no other thought put into it.

Posting an invitation in the break room is not the same as issuing a formal invitation. Miss Manners gives you permission to ignore it so long as your workmate does not bring it to your attention. If he does, you will have to respond, mumbling that you didnt realize you were included, left your glasses at home and took lunch out all week.

New Miss Manners columns are posted Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays on washingtonpost.com/advice. You can send questions to Miss Manners at her website, missmanners.com.


Sunset at Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Elysees. (Evelyne Horovitz/For The Washington Post)

Paris is not for those of meager means.

One round-trip plane ticket from Washington Dulles International Airport  particularly in high season  can fetch $1,500. Halfway decent hotel rooms start at $300 per night  and thats without WiFi and a morning croissant. A light lunch for four at any cafe on the Champs-Elysees will set you back a Franklin.

So, whats a frugal family of four to do?

Do what we did. Thats myself; my wife, Evelyne; and our daughters Rachel, 19, and Rebecca, 14. With the will strong, but money thin, we did what any travel-savvy family would do: pinched pennies. Sometimes, we pinched to perfection. Sometimes, we seriously missed the mark. Here are our dos and donts for prudent Paris-lovers.

Our goal during five nights and six days in Paris  which we usually met, but not always  was to spend no more than a total $250 per day among the four of us. With our bargain accommodations price fixed at $150 per night, that left $100 per day for everything else. (Thats food, transportation, attractions and trinkets.) Some days, we undershot. But on days that we felt we were depriving ourselves by that limit, we overshot  then tried to make up for it the following day.

Feel free to mimic our dos; at the same time, learn from our donts. But keep in mind, we found that Paris truly comes to life for those willing to live a tad on the edge.

[The best jazz clubs in Paris]

 DO scan the Web for transportation deals.

For plane tickets, cheapest is not always best. Despite State Department warnings, we came within one whisker of booking on Turkish Airlines  which typically requires a flight into Istanbul. No other airline came close to its door-buster rates, briefly posted on Skyscanner.com at $795 round-trip. Several friends who had traveled on Turkish Airlines told us how great their flights were. But something stopped us. So we kept searching and found an unlikely summer deal on Uniteds website at just over $1,000 per round-trip ticket. Good thing we passed on the Turkish Airlines deal, by the way. The day before we left for Paris was the day after the failed coup attempt  which closed the airport in Istanbul for days.

 DONT stay at a hotel.

Your best bet in Paris is probably to do what we did: book via Airbnb.com. We knew that the odds of finding a hotel room for four at a budget price were low because, in Paris, it is common to add a charge for each guest after the first two; most hotels limit the number of guests in a room to three. So we set a limit of $150 per night for an apartment, and found one in the lively Montmartre area. The two-room apartment was bright, big and loaded with personality. It had a queen bed in the bedroom plus a pull-out couch and a cot in the living room. We forgave the fact that it was up three flights of narrow stairs and the building had no elevator. Thats Paris.



A busy shopping area in Montmartre. (Evelyne Horovitz/For The Washington Post)

 DO take the Paris Metro.

The Metro is how we got from the airport to our hotel, and its how we traversed Paris for six days. But DONT get duped by the All Day pass. Its expensive. Unless you plan to jump on the Metro at least six times daily, the pass isnt worth it. The better deal is to purchase books of 10 tickets  which come at a discount and can be used anytime, by anyone.

[A mother-son trip to Paris]

Another reason to use the Metro: unexpected experiences. On our first day, Rebecca lost her flip-flop, which tumbled down to the electrified track. We jumped off the car and Evelyne pushed an intercom button requesting aid. An attendant instantly showed up carrying a long wooden pole with a large plastic hook at the end, then radioed ahead and stopped the trains on one of the worlds busiest metro systems  for a flip-flop. She then used her magical stick to swipe it from the track below and hand it to Rebecca, unscathed.

At the Eiffel Tower, you can pass up the pricey elevator ride to the top, and instead buy far cheaper tickets to walk up the 669 stairs to the second floor. (Evelyne Horovitz/For The Washington Post)

 DONT pay inflated prices for Paris attractions.

Perhaps the most inflated of all are for the various Paris tourist passes sold online. While promoted as money-saving, time-saving deals, most are anything but.

The key to saving money is to ask questions. At the Eiffel Tower, we discovered that we could pass up the pricey elevator ride to the top, and instead buy far cheaper tickets to walk up the 669 stairs to the second floor. It feels like a special accomplishment when you plod your way up there, and it makes the panoramic view of Paris even more enjoyable.

Similarly, asking money-saving questions helped us out in the Paris museums. Rebecca got into all of them for free because she is under 18.

 DO seek out free activities.

Observing from a park bench is a perfectly legitimate way to spend a day in Paris. We spent an afternoon watching Parisians be Parisians in the Tuileries Garden before continuing the walk down the Champs-Elysees.

An afternoon walking around the famous Marais district was no less enthralling. This is my favorite area of Paris  filled with cultural eye candy. Take any street that angles off the Centre Pompidou and keep walking. You cant go wrong.

Sometimes, free experiences can be the most fun. While watching street artists near the Arc de Triomphe, Rachel was invited to assist one of the performers. Soon, she was a co-star  dancing, singing and hamming it up with the troupe. Some 30 minutes later, we not only had laughed our way through our favorite Paris street performance, we had a video, to boot, starring Rachel.

 DONT spend a lot on food.



Sweet temptations in the Latin Quarter. The authors family saved money by buying fresh fruit and snacks from bakeries in the morning and afternoon. (Evelyne Horovitz/For The Washington Post)

We ate dinner in a restaurant nightly. But every morning  and most afternoons  we bought fresh bread from the bakery three blocks from our apartment, as well as fresh fruit and snacks from a street market. Our favorite was the Rue Mouffetard market in the Latin Quarter. We carted our food over to a nearby park, where we shared some of it with the pigeons. We also brought along our own bottled water and always looked for public fountains where we could refill.

[One of Pariss magical secrets: A hidden funhouse and century-old carousel you can ride]

For dinner, we found inexpensive places to eat. Our favorite was the dirt-cheap falafel we devoured at Chez HAnna. This is not the most famous falafel joint in Paris. That would be LAs du Falafel, just down the street in the Marais. But something in our hungry guts told us to go to Chez HAnna. It did not disappoint. You can get a takeaway falafel special, which includes a beverage, for about $8, but we opted to sit down and eat in the restaurant, where they charged us a tad over $10 each.



Moulin Rouge in Montmartre. (Evelyne Horovitz/For The Washington Post)

We learned from our mistakes, too. Our first night in Paris, we ate dinner at a pricey restaurant in the Place du Tertre, where artists sit painting portraits of well-heeled tourists. After dinner, we spotted Le Tire Bouchon, a cafe where we wished we had eaten instead. Its a darling creperie that encourages guests to leave notes or drawings on the wall. It had several dozen options at about $5 each. Check out the restaurant options before sitting down.

 DO ask for WiFi passwords.

Free WiFi is hard to come by in Europe. You never know who offers it  and can only find out by asking restaurants or cafes for their passwords. Because the passwords are often difficult to understand, its usually best to ask your waiter to type them directly into your phone.

Youll discover your own tips as you make your way around the city.

Horovitz is a freelance writer and marketing consultant.

More from Travel:

Beneath the bustling streets of Paris, the Catacombs are silent as the grave

10 tips for travel bliss with kids  from a dad who spent 300 days on the road with his

The 2016 Washington Post Travel photo contest announces its winners and finalists
Just around 25 percent of District students across all grade levels are college and career ready in math and English, according to the results released Tuesday of a national standardized test linked to the Common Core academic standards.

The tests, administered in the spring, showed slight overall gains citywide compared with 2015, and a persistent achievement gap between white and minority students.

Charter schools  which educate about half the public school students in the city  slightly outperformed D.C. Public Schools (DCPS). Twenty-nine percent of charter school students met or exceeded expectations on the English portion of the exam; for DCPS, 25.5 percent of students met or exceeded the standard. Twenty-six percent of charter school students and about 24 percent of DCPS students earned high marks on math.

[See all results for all schools here]

The biggest surprise came from the results at Woodrow Wilson High School, one of the citys historically best-performing high schools, which experienced a plunge in English proficiency scores.

The computerized Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) grades students on a five-point scale, with those who earn fours and fives meeting or exceeding expectations and considered college and career ready. Students were tested in grades three through eight and once in high school, as required by federal law.

Wilson High School in Northwest Washington experienced the worst setback  a drop of nearly 58 percent in the number of students who met or exceeded expectations on the English portion of the test. In 2015, 50 percent of Wilson students earned fours and fives in that area; this year, just 21 percent of students did.

But the school saw a bump in the number of students meeting or exceeding expectations in math, with 18 percent of students at that level in 2016, compared with 8 percent in 2015.

School Without Walls High School a high-performing DCPS school where admission is by application  saw a 12.4 percent drop in students earning fours and fives on the English portion of the test.

It is unclear what caused the dramatic drop in these two schools. Officials suggested Tuesday that normally high-scoring students may have intentionally flubbed the test.

Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson said that more than 100 Wilson parents unsuccessfully sought permission for their children to opt out of PARCC, which came the week before Advanced Placement exams and in the middle of AP review sessions.

Wilson principal Kimberly Martin said students seemed to be more focused on AP tests than PARCC. We saw students that were finishing the exam in five or seven minutes, Martin said of PARCC, which was given in three parts, each designed to be no less than 90 minutes long.

Of the students in the grade tested at Wilson, 68 percent took the English test and 72 percent took the math test. That was a lower participation rate than at most other high schools in the city, suggesting there might have been a modest de facto opt out movement at Wilson during PARCC. But that participation rate did not differ drastically from the rate in 2015, when 69 percent took the English test and 65 percent took the math test at Wilson.

Ruth Wattenberg, the state Board of Education representative from Ward 3  where Wilson is located  said parents have complained that PARCC does not correspond to the course work students take in school.

Not surprisingly, many of these students felt these tests were completely unrelated to what they were studying, Wattenberg said. There was a backlash of many students and parents who said this was ridiculous.

Meanwhile, high-performing high schools such as Benjamin Banneker and the BASIS DC Public Charter School saw big improvements this year. At Banneker, 98 percent of students scored a four or five on the English portion  a nearly 25 percent increase over the previous year. At BASIS, 91 percent of students earned these high marks  an 18 percent increase over the previous year.

Henderson, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) and charter school board officials lauded the overall improvements but warned that much work remains to be done.

The gains are promising, but in no way are they sufficient, Bowser said. Some of the data suggests that we have to do more and we have to do it faster.

[A quarter of D.C. students on track for college, 2015 PARCC test results show]

This marks the second year that D.C. students have taken PARCC, an exam that is designed to be more challenging than previous tests administered by the District and enables the performance of D.C. students to be compared with peers in six other states, including Maryland. The test underwent significant changes between 2015 and 2106.

The scores offer a look at how District students are performing on the Common Core Standards, which were adopted by the city in 2012 and are designed to increase the depth and rigor of what is taught.

Henderson, who will be leaving her post Oct. 1, cautioned that the District could not be expected to make rapid improvements in a single year.

Black and Hispanic students in the District saw modest increases in their scores but are still underperforming compared with their white peers. Nineteen percent of black students earned a four or five on English, and 17 percent of black students earned those marks on math, up 2.3 and 2.2 percentage points, respectively. Twenty-five percent of Hispanic students earned fours and fives in English, and 22 percent earned those scores in math, up 2.9 and two percentage points, respectively, from last year. Students considered economically disadvantaged also saw an overall bump in their scores by more than three percentage points.

White students are the only demographic group that saw lower scores, and city officials attributed that to the decline in the scores at Wilson, where 1 in 4 students is white.

White students experienced a decrease of 4.8 percentage points in English results overall, and a bump of 2.7 percentage points in their math results. Still, 74 percent of white students earned fours and fives on English, and 71 percent earned that on math.

The biggest gains were seen in elementary math. Third-grade math scores increased seven percentage points, from 30 percent of students considered college and career ready to 37 percent.

Eighth-grade math scores, however, dropped three percentage points, from 17 to 14 percent. In English, there were slight gains in every grade except at the high school level, where the percentage of students scoring fours or fives dropped from 25 percent last year to 21 percent in 2016.

Based on these test scores, the highest performing DCPS high schools are Benjamin Banneker and School Without Walls  two competitive-application high schools.
Speaker of the House of Delegates Michael E. Busch (D) during the legislative session in Annapolis this year. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

The fate of a $20 million grant Maryland promised as an incentive to keep defense giant Northrop Grumman in the state is up in the air and has become embroiled in a separate spending dispute between Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and state Democratic leaders.

The General Assembly approved the funding for Northrop Grumman as part of this years state budget. But its Legislative Policy Committee still must sign off on the terms of the agreement.

House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller (D-Calvert), who chair the 28-member policy committee, canceled the July meeting at which the panel was to discuss the agreement, after several Republicans said they would be attending their partys national convention in Cleveland.

Since then, Hogan announced that he would not release $174 million that the Democratic-majority legislature bundled together in the budget for a long list of special purposes, including to help school districts fund teacher pensions and construction.

[Hogan withholds most of legislatures fenced off money]

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

Aides for Busch said this week that there are no plans for rescheduling the committee meeting, adding that in the wake of Hogans announcement, there are not enough votes among the 14 House members on the committee to finalize the grant. Twelve of those members are Democrats.

Miller declined this week to comment on the matter, and Senate Democrats on the committee appear divided over how to proceed.

The governor said we cant afford the money to fix our oldest schools or to shore up the teachers pension system, said Sen. Richard Madaleno (D-Montgomery). If thats the case, it makes no sense to provide one of the most profitable corporations in the world with $20 million. If his poor leadership of the states economy has left us in a position where education aid is unaffordable, I dont see how corporate welfare is affordable.

Sen. James E. DeGrange Sr. (D-Anne Arundel), whose district is home to a community where Northrop consolidated one of its largest divisions this year, defended the grant and said he hopes the committee will approve it soon.

Im not happy we havent met yet, he said. Every state comes up with programs to keep major programs there. This is not like were reinventing the wheel here.

The conditional grant comes from the states Sunny Day Fund, with an agreement that Northrop would have to repay some or all of the money if it fails to invest $100 million in capital projects and keep at least 10,000 jobs in the state for 10 years.

They fulfilled their part of the bargain, DeGrange said. This sends the wrong message to the business community when you havent released that money. Other employers in the state may look at this and say, They cut a deal but dont live up to it. Its a trust issue as well as living up to your commitment.

The possibility that the deal might fall apart was first reported by the Baltimore Sun.

Hogans office accused Busch and Miller of playing political games with a deal that is important to the state.

I think most Marylanders will be concerned that the majority leadership in the General Assembly appears to be waffling on a promise they made to a Maryland business that employs over 10,000 people and produces over a billion dollars in taxable revenue, said Hogan spokesman Doug Mayer.

Marylands legislature provided generously for Northrop this year, approving the conditional grant and a tax credit worth $37.5 million over the next five years.

Some Democrats strongly opposed the tax credit.
By PTI: donation

Mumbai, Aug 30 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis flagged off the state governments Maha Organ Donation Mission awareness MahaRally here today.

"We all pledged for organ donation today and I appeal everyone to join this noble cause and together, lets save lives!" Fadnavis said.

"Organ donation gives us the opportunity to serve the society even after death and we can give life to many," he said.

advertisement

"There was a great response for the organ donation initiative," Fadnavis tweeted. "Students, doctors, social organisations and citizens joined us for spreading awareness," he added.

The event was part of the state governments strong push to promote awareness on cadaver donation.

The walk started from the Murli Deora Chawk at Nariman Point. Families of deceased patients who had donated their organs were felicitated.

The awareness drive included several transplant hospitals and doctors attached with organ-transplantation procedures.

According to Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre, the state plans aggressive awareness campaigns on organ donation. Maharashtra is now next to Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the count of maximum number of organ transplants in India. PTI VT DK DIP RDS

--- ENDS ---
Judge Erik H. Nyce, 56, of the Prince Georges County Circuit Court. (courtesy of the Prince Georges County sitting judges slate)

Judge Eric H. Nyce has dropped out of the race to keep his seat in Prince Georges County Circuit Court, after finishing last among the five nominees in the April primary.

Nyce, 56, sent a letter to the Circuit Court earlier this month saying he would not run in Novembers general election.

Circuit Court judges in Maryland are appointed by the governor but must be elected by voters in the next election cycle.

In Prince Georges County this year, the four sitting judges were joined on the primary ballot by two challengers, an unusual amount of competition in a place where sitting judges have always won their elections.

[A rare challenge in Prince Georges judges race]

The top four vote-getters in each primary are placed on the general election ballot in November.

In the Republican primary, Nyce finished fourth out of six candidates, ahead of the two challengers, securing himself a place on the ballot.

In the Democratic primary, he finished sixth. The top four finishers were the three other sitting judges and Ingrid Turner, a Democrat and former county council member, who won the second-highest number of votes.

Nyce sent a letter to Prince Georges Administrative Judge Sheila R. Tillerson Adams on Aug. 15 saying he was withdrawing his candidacy. I do not wish to compete with my colleagues or cause harm to the Circuit Court for the general election, Nyce wrote.

Circuit Court judges serve 15-year terms and receive salaries of $154,000 a year.
A former resident at George Washington University Hospital sued the university last month, alleging that she was dismissed because she had cancer.

Stephanie Waggel started as a psychiatry resident at George Washington in the summer of 2014, her lawsuit says. In the spring of 2015, she was diagnosed with kidney cancer, and, after she informed the program, a pattern of discriminatory conduct began, according to the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in the District.

Waggel, whose suit says she had to work more than 100 hours a week, received letters of deficiency after alleged shortcomings on the job in the wake of her diagnosis.

Such letters were in retaliation for her exercise of her right to take medical leave, the suit says, and because of the misguided perception that Waggel could no longer perform her job because of her illness, Waggel was dismissed in May.

A GWU spokeswoman denied Waggels claims but declined to discuss the case in detail. The school has yet to file a formal response to the lawsuit.

We are dedicated to supporting our medical residents suffering from health conditions and have programs in place to assist them, Anne Banner, the university spokeswoman, said in a statement. It is important to understand that Dr. Waggels account of her dismissal from the psychiatry residency program reflects only her allegations.

In the lawsuit, Waggel says she was denied trauma counseling after she found that a patient had tried to hang herself. She also says she was exposed to blood from another suicide attempt, but was not provided information as to whether the patient had HIV.

GW made no effort to accommodate Plaintiff and, in fact, did the opposite  choosing to discriminate against Plaintiff on account of her medical condition, according to the suit. Even though Plaintiff was able to perform the essential functions of her position with or without accommodations, Defendant refused to let Plaintiff work.

A letter of deficiency Waggel received, which was provided by her attorney, faulted her management of patient aggression on the night of one of the suicide attempts, saying she had attempted to discharge a patient in the middle of an acute behavioral crisis.

Your communication with the patient which exacerbated, rather than contained, the heightened emotions, demonstrate deficiencies in Interpersonal Communication, the letter said.

Although Waggels attorney declined to make her available for an interview, Waggel wrote about her experience in a letter to Pamela Wible, a physician and advocate for doctors mental health, that was published online.

[Pamela Wible: When doctors commit suicide, its often hushed up]

Despite major surgery, tubes, drains, fainting, constant vomiting, and panic attacks I was still able to be a good doctor, Waggel wrote. . . . I was BOTH a doctor and a patient and despite pressure from above I received excellent evaluations from my attendings. So how on earth did they have justification to fire me?

Wible, who said she met with Waggel recently at an event to raise awareness about physicians mental health, said the former resident stands out as somebody willing to tell her story.

Some [residency programs] believe they are above the law and dont have to honor their own employees mental and physical health, Wible said. The stories that come out are shocking.
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton may have sent or received as many as 30 previously undisclosed emails while secretary of state about the 2012 Benghazi attack, government lawyers said Tuesday in asking a federal judge for a month to turn over potentially public records to a conservative legal group.

It is not yet known how many of those documents may be duplicates of 343 emails already made public by the State Department or contain stray references to the Sept. 11, 2012, attack in Libya that killed ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three others, government attorneys said. The emails were recovered by the FBI in its year-long investigation of Clintons private email setup as secretary from 2009 to 2013.

The bureau has turned over 14,900 recovered documents to the State Department for review and potential release.

The Justice Department closed the email investigation without criminal charges, and FBI Director James B. Comey has said investigators did not believe emails on the private server were intentionally deleted in an effort to conceal them, but purged through normal processes.

[FBI uncovers 14,900 more documents in Clinton email probe]

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. (John Locher/AP)

At this point there are 30 potentially responsive documents to the Benghazi matter, Justice Department attorney Robert J. Prince told U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta of Washington. Prince asked to have until Sept. 30 to review the emails for possible classified information which also may require reviews by agencies outside the State Department.

Mehta asked Justice and State department attorneys to speed their review and come back by Sept. 6 with an answer on how many duplicates are in the batch and how many records may need added review.

Im confident it can be done by the sixth. Remember Monday is a holiday, Mehta said.

If it turns out only a small number of the emails are new, the judge urged the government to commit to a quicker release than the end of September citing the national interest in the case.

Mehta spoke after Ramona Cotca, an attorney for the conservative group Judicial Watch, asked to negotiate the timing of potential releases, saying she hoped it would not take long for a review. It if its going to be five emails, Id like to know before we agree to 30 days.

Judicial Watch filed a civil public records law suit over records that follows up on a March 2015 Freedom of Information Act request the group had made for Clinton correspondence.
Police on Tuesday identified a man who died after being shot in Southeast Washington.

About 2 p.m. Monday, officers responded to the 3100 block of Buena Vista Terrace SE and found 23-year-old Tyler Jerel Mceachern, of no fixed address, with gunshot wounds, D.C. police said in a statement. Mceachern was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the statement said.

Police asked anyone with information about this case to call 202-727-9099. Anonymous information may be submitted to the departments text tip line by messaging 50411.
A bank was robbed near Annapolis Monday afternoon, and the investigation was suspended while authorities examined a possible explosive device left by the robber.

The incident occurred about 4 p.m. at the Hamilton Bank at Ritchie Highway and Jumpers Hole Road, in the Pasadena area of Anne Arundel County.

Police said at the time that the robber left what looked like a possible explosive device before fleeing.

Jumpers Hole road was closed near the bank while explosives specialists examined the possible device, police said.

Police said around 6 p.m. that the package had been cleared and roadways reopened. It was not immediately known what the device consisted of.
Three people were stabbed and two shot, one fatally, in separate incidents Monday night into early Tuesday in three quadrants of the District, according to D.C. police.

The fatal shooting occurred about 11:45 p.m. in the 1000 block of Rhode Island Avenue NE, along a stretch of single-family homes in the Brookland neighborhood. The road, used by commuters, was closed into the morning rush hour. It reopened just before 7:30 a.m.

Police said the victim, identified as Tony Jermaine Gates, 24, of Southeast, died at an area hospital. He was found wounded on a sidewalk. No other details of the shooting were immediately released.

In other violence, authorities described the victims as adults and said they suffered wounds that were not thought to be life-threatening. Detectives have not determined whether any of the incidents are related.

 A person was shot about 12:15 a.m. in the 1500 block of Tanner Street SE, near Congress Heights.

A police report says the victim was driving a Nissan Altima that came under fire, wounding the man several times. Police said the victim stopped the car and ran, leaving behind his own gun in the car. The victim has been charged with carrying a gun without a license. The person who shot him has not been arrested.

 Police said a person was stabbed about 1:05 a.m. in the 1700 block of Columbia Road NW, in Columbia Heights. No other details were available.

A man was stabbed about 2:45 a.m. in the 3000 block of 16th Street NW, also in Columbia Heights. A police report says the victim was riding a bicycle on Columbia Road and was surrounded by three men, one of whom asked him whether he was a member of the MS-13 gang.

The victim refused to answer, the report says, and tried to escape. Police said the men caught him at Columbia Road and 16th Street and surrounded him. Police said all three were armed with knives  including a pocket knife and a file knife.

The police report says the victim was able to fend off two attackers but was stabbed in the arm by a third. He got away on his bicycle but collapsed a short distance away and flagged down a police officer.

 A person was stabbed about 3:35 a.m. in the 1800 block of D Street NE, in the Lincoln Park neighborhood.

There have been 88 homicides in the District this year, compared with 105 at this time last year.
A 52-year-old woman died in a fatal hit-and-run collision on the Capital Beltway in Fairfax County, Virginia State Police said.

The woman  who authorities identified as Elmi Suada, 52, of Minnesota  was a passenger in a 2013 Toyota Camry that was rear-ended near exit 52, said Corrine Geller, a State Police spokeswoman. Authorities arrested and charged a 23-year-old Fairfax man who investigators said struck the Camry and then fled the scene on foot.

The man, Nicholas V. Hammond, was found walking along a street in Annadale. Hammond was charged with DUI, manslaughter, one felony count of hit-and-run and driving on a suspended license. He was being held at Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.

Authorities said the accident happened around 2 a.m. Monday. Hammond was driving a 2006 Nissan Maxima south on the Beltway when it rear-ended the Camry, which was also traveling south, according to a State Police press release. The release said the impact sent the Camry spinning into the Beltways express lanes, where it then struck a barrier.

Meanwhile, the Nissan ran off the right side of the highway, struck the guardrail and spun across the southbound lanes of the Beltway, said authorities. Hammonds car came to a stop in the express lanes, the release said.

[Crash closes the express lanes of Beltways outer loop in Annandale]

State Police said Fairfax County polices canine and aviation teams helped search for Hammond. He was found shortly before 4 a.m.

Authorities said several others were injured in the crash. A woman who was a passenger in Hammonds Nissan was taken to an area hospital for treatment of serious but not life-threatening injuries.

State police said a family of five was traveling in the Camry at the time of the crash. A man who was driving the car, another passenger and two juveniles were taken to an area hospital, according to the release. They were treated and released.
By India Today Web Desk: This couple from Kerala is putting an end to the stigma revolving around the transgender community in India by inviting one of them to the most auspicious occasion of their life--their wedding.

This praiseworthy move opens the doors towards transgender acceptance, gender equality and debunks many stereotypes, which are still blindly followed and perpetuated.

Picture courtesy: Facebook/Ram Nath

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Ram Nath and Sruthi Krishna, who have been friends for almost six years, decided to get married. They were blessed to have the support of their parents, and decided to get married at the Registrar's office, shunning the usual pomp and show associated with a Mallu wedding.



To be a witness, they invited Sheethal Shyam, a popular LGBTQ activist in Kerala and also the state-level Secretary of the Sexual Minorities Forum Kerala (SMFK).

Picture courtesy: Facebook/Ram Nath

About the invite, Sheethal told the Indian Express," Unlike many who discriminate against our community, by faking sympathy and organising charity events, Ramnath and Sruthi saw me as just another human equal to them. They invited me out of their wish that we be accepted into the mainstream, just like we want for ourselves."

Picture courtesy: Facebook/Ram Nath

The bride also challenged societal norms by refusing to play by the rules. Sruthi ditched the typical gold jewellery, which is usually associated with a typical Mallu bride, and got married by signing marriage documents at the Registrar's office.

Picture courtesy: Facebook/Ram Nath Picture courtesy: Facebook/Ram Nath

The bride wore simple jewellery made with cereals and jute, and only a small number of people comprising family and friends were invited to the wedding.

--- ENDS ---


Lorretta Holloman gets her daughter Autumn ready for bed at their apartment at Brookland Manor. (Amanda Voisard/For The Washington Post)

Lorretta Holloman, the breadwinner of her household, is really, really happy in her four-bedroom apartment. The place is spacious enough for her family of six, its location in Northeast Washington suits their daily routines, and at $1,675 a month, the rent is affordable (if just barely) on her moderate income.

It allows for us all to be together, said Holloman, 36, sitting on her sofa one night last week. Her daughters  a prekindergartner and a college student  live with her. So does her adolescent son, who has special-education needs; and her adult brother, who is profoundly autistic; and her jobless mother, 62, who lost a house to foreclosure.

Were not on top of each other like we used to be, Holloman said, recalling life in the two-bedroom apartment she used to rent in Prince Georges County. We can still be close as a family without tearing one anothers heads off.

But now their days are numbered at sprawling Brookland Manor, a World War II-era development of 19 squat brick blockhouses with 535 no-frills apartments. A few miles north of the U.S. Capitol  the dome is visible on the horizon  the complex is occupied mainly by low-income tenants whose rents are government-subsidized.

As the Districts growing affluence spreads in every direction, the tide of prosperity is rolling northeast from downtown toward Brookland Manor, in a historically industrial and working-class neighborhood near Catholic University. For Brooklands owner, the time is right to raze and rebuild, to erect a modern, denser, more aesthetically attractive complex of 1,760 residences with an array of amenities  and far pricier rents for most tenants.

But in a city with a critical shortage of affordable housing, the massive redevelopment off Rhode Island Avenue NE has become for some a symbol of the problems faced by those of modest means who are fearful of being displaced by moneyed newcomers in the Districts hot real estate market.

Such fears are especially acute for large families such as Hollomans that are overrepresented among the citys poor.

Brookland Manor today has 134 four- and five-bedroom apartments. Yet when the new community is built, none of its 1,646 apartments or 114 for-sale townhouses will have more than three bedrooms, and a vast majority will have only one or two.

Brooklands owner, Mid-City Financial Corp., based in Germantown, Md., told the citys Zoning Commission that four- and five-bedroom apartments are not consistent with the creation of a vibrant new community.



Lorretta Holloman with her daughter Autumn, and mother, Lenora Holloman, left in their apartment they share at Brookland Manor. (Amanda Voisard/For The Washington Post)

Tenants advocates, who filed a class-action lawsuit Thursday alleging housing discrimination, interpret Mid-Citys assertions as a polite way of saying that the company is worried that the multi-generational families will make the soon-to-be-rebranded Brentwood Village a harder sell to the affluent professionals flocking to the nations capital.

The plaintiffs attorneys argue that Mid-Citys plan would result in scores of families being forced out of Brookland in violation of the federal Fair Housing Act and the D.C. Human Rights Act. Mid-City Executive Vice President Michael Meers said that those concerns are overblown and that his company is committed to accommodating most current residents.

This is all 100 percent orchestrated by the tenant advocates, Meers said. It never stops. We honor, acknowledge, recognize all the tenants rights. But we also have the view that the community has rights, too. Ownership has rights. And we have an obligation to make sure this project is successful and works for everybody.

He declined to comment on specifics of the lawsuit, saying he had not yet read it.

Will Merrifield, a lawyer with the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, called the situation at Brookland Manor a perfect snapshot of a broader problem.

D.C. is dealing with a continuing homeless crisis that escalated in 2010 during the economic downturn and was made worse by a lack of affordable housing and rising real estate prices. Here are nine facts about being homeless in D.C. (Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post)

He was referring not just to the dearth of low and moderately priced housing in the District but also to the particular scarcity of affordable housing big enough for large families, many of whom end up in the crowded, decrepit shelter for homeless families at the old D.C. General Hospital.

Holloman, who makes $50,000 a year working in human resources, is one of just 60 or so Brookland tenants who pay unsubsidized market rents. As she searched for a new place recently, she said, the only similarly priced apartments of equal size that she found in the District were in crime-scarred pockets of poverty east of the Anacostia River, as yet untouched by gentrification.

Plus Id have to pay all the utilities, which I dont pay utilities here, and it becomes an issue of us trying to finagle our budget, she said. Thats something that I cant do, because our budget is already tight.

Hollomans income, supplemented by her brothers $733 in monthly disability payments, is a fortune compared with what many of her poorer neighbors in subsidized units get by on. For them, relocating could be even more daunting.

Four- and five-bedroom units in the District constitute just 8 percent and 4 percent of available rental housing, respectively, with most of the properties in Wards 7 and 8, the citys poorest areas, according a report last year by the Urban Institute, a public-policy research group. Brookland is in Ward 5, a largely working- and middle-class precinct that is on the rise.

In gaining zoning approval for the project last year, Mid-City, which has owned Brookland Manor since 1975, assured the commission that all of the complexs current low-income tenants would be offered apartments in the new community.





For decades, 373 Brookland apartments have been reserved for tenants getting assistance from the federal rent-subsidy program known as Section 8. About 100 other units are occupied by residents with subsidy vouchers from the city, while roughly 60 apartments, including Hollomans, are leased at market prices.

Mid-City promised to retain 373 Section 8 units in the vastly expanded Brentwood Village, each with a federal rent ceiling, and also pledged to try to accommodate the 100 or so tenants holding city vouchers. But that low-income population includes families in the four- and five-bedroom apartments, which are going away.

After conducting detailed demographic research of Brookland residents, Mid-City told zoning officials, the company determined that with few exceptions, each of those large-apartment families could be moved to a smaller unit, or divided into multiple smaller units, without violating federal rent-subsidy regulations.

Tenants advocates, including lawyers who filed the lawsuit, dispute this, contending that a lot of poor families will be forced out of the complex and cast into a brutal D.C. market for affordable housing. Only 64 of the planned 1,760 residences in the new community will have three bedrooms, and the rest will be smaller, Mid-City told the Zoning Commission.

That sort of squeeze, occurring in many parts of the city, not only is exacerbating homelessness but also is hardening a landscape of economic segregation, said Jonathan Smith, director of the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, one of the groups involved in the lawsuit.

Referring to the impoverished areas where such displaced families wind up, Smith said: Look at what happens to children. We know that the outcome for a kid is predicted more by the income of their census tract than by the income of their family.

The plaintiffs, also represented pro bono by the major law firm Covington & Burling, hope to force Mid-City to include affordable four- and five-bedroom units in the redevelopment.



Lorretta Holloman helps her daughter Autumn brush her teeth at their apartment at Brookland Manor. (Amanda Voisard/For The Washington Post)

Destiny Butler, 16, hangs on the front stoop of the Brookland Manor Apartments, where she is a resident. (Amanda Voisard/For The Washington Post)

In an interview, Mid-Citys Meers described the Brookland redevelopment as a legacy project championed by Eugene F. Ford Sr., who founded the company in 1965 and died in October at age 86. For decades, Meers said, Ford enjoyed a reputation as a responsible owner of subsidized housing in the Washington region.

Meers said that in 1977, after acquiring Brookland Manor, Mid-City signed contracts with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In return for a 40-year, low-interest HUD mortgage, the company set aside the 373 apartments for tenants with rent subsidies. The complex has been meticulously kept up, Meers said.

Of the 535 apartments, fewer than 500 are occupied, because Mid-City is reducing the tenant population through attrition as it prepares for the redevelopment. Albeit austere, the complex is clean and reasonably well functioning, Meers said.

Our founder did more for affordable housing than all these advocates combined, he said. Weve owned this property for 40 years. The owner never made a penny. There hasnt been a [revenue] distribution in all that time. Everything thats been generated by the property in rents and subsidies has been reinvested in the property.

Now, with maintenance costs getting prohibitive at the 75-year-old complex and with the HUD mortgage due to be paid off next August, ending redevelopment restrictions, Meers said, the time has come to ambitiously revitalize the 20-acre site, as a monument to Ford and in response to the lucrative emerging market along Rhode Island Avenue.

Although it doesnt have to, Mid-City has negotiated with HUD to keep the 373 affordable apartments in perpetuity, Meers said. He declined to talk in detail about the elimination of three- and four-bedroom units, saying, We went over this for hours with the Zoning Commission.

Holloman has lived at Brookland for five years. But because she isnt a low-income tenant with a subsidy  and because rent at the new Brentwood Village, even for a smaller apartment, is almost certain to be well beyond her means  she eventually will have to leave unless Mid-City alters its plans.



Lorretta Holloman embraces her daughter Dionna Dawkins, 18, as she returns from her first day at college in front of their apartment building. (Amanda Voisard/For The Washington Post)

Of the five others in her family whose lives would be disrupted by a move, the one she worries about most is Derek, her 33-year-old autistic brother.

He can become very agitated by new things, Holloman said one recent evening.

As she spoke, Derek appeared in the kitchen, only to vanish, a burly figure in dark slacks and a white undershirt, lumbering silently from room to room. Hell isolate himself, get very confused and withdrawn, she said.

You know, Derek, he doesnt do well with change.
Crescenio Pinon Torres and his neighbors received eviction notices Monday from their homes at the East End Mobile Home Park in Manassas. (Patricia Sullivan/The Washington Post)

About 60 families are being evicted from a Manassas mobile home park that was bought by the city government on condition that the land be emptied of people and trailers.

There are 300 people living in the 58 structures at the East End Mobile Home Park, just over 30 miles west of Washington. Most are low-income, many are Latino immigrants, and a significant number have lived there for years.

The property manager notified residents Monday that they have until Feb. 28 to vacate.

At a demonstration that night organized by the Latino advocacy group CASA, residents said there are no other mobile home parks in the area that will accept their older-model trailers. They also said they lack the thousands of dollars it would take to move the structures elsewhere.

How is it okay for the city to force people into bankruptcy? asked Dawn Kestner, who pays $450 each month to rent her site and has lived at the seven-acre park for 20 years with her husband and stepdaughter. People here are low-income but hard-working.

[Acute need for affordable housing prompts Arlington church to sell building]

Mayor Harry J. Parrish II (R) and other city officials said in interviews that the city will work with those who are being displaced to help them find new housing. A meeting is scheduled for next week.

Our interest is not to push people out of the city but to address the health and safety hazard at the mobile home park, said Patrick Small, the citys economic development director, who is overseeing the land purchase.

City officials say they have tried for years to work with the parks owner, a limited liability company represented by local attorney Timothy A. Cope, who did not return several calls for comment Tuesday.

Since 2008, the city has issued nine citations for cracked sewer and water lines that have led to raw sewage spilling onto the ground and storm water runoff leaking into sewage pipes. That runoff increases the citys use of sewage treatment at the Upper Occoquan sewage authority, and the city is already using more than 90 percent of the volume it purchased  a fact noted by officials when the Manassas City Council approved the purchase of the mobile home park last spring.

[Without Social Security numbers, mobile home residents could be kicked out]

After the owners representative said it could neither afford to fix the lines nor find a buyer who would, the council voted 4-to-2 in April to buy the park for $1.86 million.

State Sen. Jeremy McPike (D), who represents the area, decried the lack of communication between the city and the parks residents.

People have been paying water bills and sewage bills  theyve been paying into a broken system for years, McPike said. And now theyre going to lose their homes.

The sale will not be completed until the residents and their homes are off the land, city officials said. The city plans to sell the land, tucked behind a used-car lot in the 9000 block of Centreville Road, or use it for an undefined public purpose.

Small emphasized that the city is giving people time to find a new place to live before taking over the property. Either we shut the sewer system off and people have to leave immediately, or the property owner can close the park in an orderly way, he said.

But CASA spokeswoman Fernanda Durand said it will be difficult for people who live at the park to find a new site for their mobile homes or an affordable apartment in increasingly expensive Prince William County.

[Affordable homes could be elusive for Silver Spring fire victims]

Mobile homes are an inexpensive alternative for people living paycheck to paycheck, she said. The little money these people have managed to save will be wiped out in one fell swoop. . . The city really needs to do something to help housing for low-income people.

Alejandra Tovar, a restaurant worker, said she has sought answers from the city and the property manager, to no avail.

Im worried that Ive invested a lot of money in my home, all my savings, she said of the mobile home where she has lived for the past two years. The owners, the city are taking no responsibility.

She and other residents said they want the city to fix the sewer lines and allow the mobile trailers to remain.

Mike Watson, who has lived at the park for almost 14 years, said he owes $25,000 on his mobile home. He estimated that it would cost him about $20,000 to move the trailer, if he could find a place to put it.

The city should do the right thing, Watson said, and give us fair market value or let us stay.
Colton Harris-Moore, who stole and crashed airplanes while on a teenaged crime spree, will be released from prison soon. Here's what he plans to do. (Gillian Brockell/The Washington Post)

Colton Harris-Moore, who stole and crashed airplanes while on a teenaged crime spree, will be released from prison soon. Here's what he plans to do. (Gillian Brockell/The Washington Post)

After achieving modern-day outlaw status as the Barefoot Bandit  a baby-faced teenager whose two-year crime spree took him from Washington state to the Bahamas, stealing a half-dozen airplanes and robbing stores along the way  what do you do for an encore?

Last week, Colton Harris-Moore was approved for a supervised work-release program that should lead to his freedom from prison by early 2017. After a 6 1/2 -year term, he has had plenty of time to consider his second act.

Now 25, hes leaning toward becoming the Steve Jobs of aviation.

Nothing ever changes in aviation, and disrupting that will be good for the industry, he said in a telephone interview from his prison outside of Seattle. New ideas arent expressed or absorbed. Im not satisfied with that. The industry can do better. Thats what Im going to do, and Im not going to stop.

He would also rather just forget about the events leading up to July 11, 2010, the day he was finally captured shortly after holding a gun to his head on a powerboat grounded off Harbour Island in the Bahamas. That will be tough.

The teenage fugitive spent two years eluding officials. (Kevin P. Casey/AP)

By that time, Harris-Moore had been inspiring songs and T-shirts (Fly, Colton, Fly! and Barefoot Bandit for President! were the most popular) and adoration from his 77,000 Facebook friends. At first, he found cover in the woods near his home on Camano Island and on Orcas Island, near Seattle, before setting off cross-country. Then, he stole cars, robbed stores and, when he could, flew off with unattended planes at airfields, usually crash-landing them.

He left behind his signature telltale bare footprints and notes that taunted his pursuers, including the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and scores of state and local police.

In prison, he spent much of his time reading, sometimes two books a day, according to his attorney, John Henry Browne, who described his client as intelligent and possibly autistic.

He has also had several visitors from blue-chip companies, he and his lawyer said, including a manager at Boeing who, along with his wife, has taken Harris-Moore under their wing in what Browne describes as a mentor relationship. Harris-Moore also claims hes already had job offers from the aviation, finance and legal industries.

But first, it was Hollywood that called. After a stalled negotiation with Brad Pitts production company, Harris-Moore sold the rights to his life story to Twentieth Century Fox for $1.3 million. (The money will go directly to his victims for restitution; Id rather die than make a dime off of my misdeeds, he said.) The movie (Taking Flight) is in development, with Robert Zemeckis directing and Oscar-winning Milk writer Dustin Lance Black penning the screenplay.

Harris-Moore has mixed feelings about it. He said hes not proud of what he did and offers no excuses, except to say that he was a young, stupid and arrogant kid. A movie only will enshrine his story in perpetuity.

I did this so everyone can move on, Harris-Moore wrote on his website, which he launched with the help of friends. But I think that if a movie is made it will be a mistake in the sense that, ultimately, no one will move on. It will go on forever.

Pat Gardiner's Cesna T182T, shown in the photo he is holding, was stolen from the airplane hanger in Bonners Ferry, ID. (Ted S. Warren/AP)

In prison, Harris-Moore turned to writing, posting in detail about the aviation industry, stealing planes, negotiating with movie studios, the media and Donald Trump (he likes the Republican presidential candidate but thinks its too late to make America great again).

Through the spring, as Harris-Moore waited on a release date, we emailed back and forth through an intermediary before arranging a time to speak. During that conversation in April, he sounded intelligent, thoughtful and polite.

He was still trying to raise $250,000 on GoFundMe to use cryonics to freeze his mother, the only family he has ever had, who was dying of lung cancer. He sounded optimistic, refusing to accept he could not help her, even from prison. Theres a fact that goes unappreciated in life  every problem has a solution, he said. Nothing is impossible. Nothing exists that cant be changed. No matter how bad it gets, or sad and depressing things get, there is always something that can be done.

It sounded like he was talking about more than his mother. She died in May.

When Harris-Moore gets out, the first thing he says hell do is get his pilots license, even before he gets a car or drivers license. He eventually wants to start his own aerospace company and design prototype aircraft.

He uses Gulfstream Aerospace as an example of his vision. Its a near-perfect model of the company I want to build, but on a larger scale, he said. They force the industry to innovate or at least keep up. Thats where the talent goes. Thats the area of aviation where all of the resources go. Its where all of the most capable technology comes from and where the most brilliant people are found. He has not been in touch with the company, he said.

Harris-Moore talked about Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, about building things that have never existed. Hes curious about the coupling of aviation and artificial intelligence, and he complains about airplanes that are clunky, bulky, loud, inefficient, slow and unsafe.

Theyre primitive, he said. Where is the artificial intelligence, hybrid engines and safety systems where nobody dies in a crash? You see people at NASA working on these game-changing projects, but maybe one-tenth of them make the market.

He hates old technology. He specifically despises Cessna, the maker of more than one of the planes he stole.

Theyre getting smoked by everybody, he said. They dont change. They take these 1970s airplanes and put in a new avionics package or new leather seats, but its the same old thing. People are getting tired of it and see the potential of new technology. They see it in other areas of life and wonder why its not in the aerospace industry.

It was in a single-engine Cessna that the self-taught teen pilot flew 1,000 miles from Bloomington, Ind., to the Bahamas, before he crash-landed July 4, 2010, in a mangrove swamp on Great Abaco Island.

The Bahamian police scrambled to the crash site and then tracked the fugitive, who fled on foot, by stolen car and by stolen boat to Eleuthera, a curved and narrow spit of land 60 nautical miles to the south. The police caught him off the northern tip of the island after a predawn boat chase that left Moores boat stranded on a sandbar at low tide.

Four armed officers surrounded his boat, according to Bob Friel, author of The Barefoot Bandit. Harris-Moore fired a warning shot from his .38-caliber Walther PPK and placed the barrel against his head, threatening to kill himself. Anything but jail, he said. Then he lowered the gun and throttled the twin engines, propellers chopping through the sandbar and moving the boat closer to deeper, open water in a final attempt for freedom.

Officers opened fire, ripping apart the boat and disabling the twin engines with 20 rounds before Harris-Moore rose from the deck, threw his hands up and surrendered. You should have killed me, he reportedly said, as police put on the handcuffs.

Harris-Moore now views himself as a transformational character, Friel says, just like Jobs. He certainly has a proven single-mindedness with goals and focus. When he couldnt afford flight school, he taught himself. He has supreme self-confidence, Friel said. Hes a resilient character, and he keeps moving forward. Prison has not defeated him.

Also, like Jobs, Friel says, He doesnt need a lot of people around him. Hes a bit of a misanthrope.

When we spoke, Harris-Moore was counting the days to his release like any other inmate, and was ready to leave behind his years as a famed fugitive. This is played out, he said. Its done. This was just a detour. Its time for me to be free.

Then what? Anything can happen, he said. But whatever happens, it has to be legal. People laugh and give me a wink and a nod. But I keep saying: No, it has to be legal. Totally legal. 
NEW JERSEY

Mom of boy who killed brother faces prison

A woman whose 5-year-old son fatally shot his 4-year-old brother with her gun faces up to three years in prison after pleading guilty to child endangerment.

Itiyanah Spruill is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 28.

Spruill, 22, was initially charged with child endangerment and possession of a gun without a valid permit. She pleaded guilty Aug. 17 to two counts of second-degree child endangerment.

Prosecutors say that Spruill will be sentenced as a third-degree offender and is expected to receive a three-year sentence. But she probably will serve less time because of sentencing guidelines and time served.

She has been held on $310,000 bail since her arrest in late June.

The shooting occurred 

June 25 at the familys home in East Orange.

 Associated Press

CALIFORNIA

Driver triggered wildfires, police say

A car driven by a woman high on drugs sparked several wildfires that have burned at least 450 acres in Northern California, authorities say.

The woman was driving on the right rear rim of her subcompact car, emitting sparks that caused the fires in Calaveras County, 65 miles southeast of Sacramento, the California Highway Patrol told KCRA-TV.

No buildings have burned, but some people were forced to leave their homes Sunday.

Renee Hogan was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, the Highway Patrol said. The state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said that it has filed additional charges against Hogan related to the fires.

 Associated Press

ILLINOIS

Chicago official gets 10 years for bribery

A former Chicago transportation official was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison for taking bribes to steer $100 million in red-light camera contracts to a company in Phoenix.

U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall sentenced John Bills, 55, in Chicago moments after he apologized for his actions.

The former second-in-command at Chicagos Department of Transportation was convicted in January of bribery, conspiracy and extortion.

Bills was accused of accepting envelopes stuffed with cash, along with gifts  including condominiums in two states and a Mercedes  to help Redflex Traffic Systems obtain contracts in a decade-long scheme. Prosecutors said the cash and gifts were worth up to $2 million.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) canceled Redflexs contract in 2013 after the Chicago Tribunes reports about the bribery scheme.

 Associated Press

Students attend new Sandy Hook school: Elementary school students attended classes in the village of Sandy Hook, Conn., on Monday for the first time since a shooting rampage there killed 20 first-graders and six educators. The 86,000-square-foot Sandy Hook Elementary School was built to replace the one torn down after the December 2012 killings.

 Associated Press
WHITE HOUSE

Obama commutes more sentences

President Obama on Tuesday commuted the sentences of 111 inmates, the latest in his push to ease harsh penalties given to nonviolent drug offenders.

Obama has been critical of what he has called the devastating effects of severe sentences handed down to such people during the countrys war on drugs. He became the first sitting president to visit a federal prison and spoke there about the importance of second chances.

This month Obama commuted the sentences of 214 other inmates, setting a single-day record for his administration. The 325 commutations he has announced in August are the most from any president in one month, the White House says, and have nearly doubled the total number he has granted in office.

This round announced by the White House on Tuesday pushes the total number of commutations Obama has granted while in office to 673, nearly equal to the number of commutations issued by the previous 11 administrations combined: 690.

 Mark Berman

MAINE

LePage says hell quit, then maybe not

Combative Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) told a radio host Tuesday that he was considering not finishing his term in office amid a wave of criticism after he left a lawmaker a profanity-filled voice mail.

But the two-term, tea party-backed governor later appeared to backtrack on the idea, paraphrasing Mark Twain in a tweet that read in part: The reports of my political demise are greatly exaggerated.

That message came hours after he told an interviewer on Maines WVOM-FM radio that he was looking at all options, when asked if he would finish his term, which extends through 2018.

LePages outburst came in response to a report that state Rep. Drew Gattine, a Democrat, had described him as racist for focusing on black people as bearing primary responsibility for the drug trade in the state. LePage responded to Gattine with a blistering, profanity-laced voice mail that has been widely circulated.

Im not going to say that Im not going to finish it; Im not saying that I am going to finish it, LePage, 67, said Tuesday in the radio interview, referring to his term in office. What Im going to do right now is Im taking one step at a time. I want to meet with Mr. Gattine and then I want to meet with my team at my office and were going to look at what the proper steps are to move the state forward.

LePage has repeatedly described himself as a less-than-polished, plain-speaking politician.

 Reuters

NEW JERSEY

One dead, four injured in road shooting

Four men and a teenager have been charged in a rolling shootout on a New Jersey highway that left one man dead and four of the suspects injured.

State police on Tuesday were looking for a pickup truck that may have been involved in the Monday afternoon incident on the Atlantic City Expressway. They later released photos of the truck that were taken by security cameras before and after the shooting occurred. The truck had a temporary Delaware license plate.

Rosemond Octavius, 22, was killed in the shooting that happened in his home town, Egg Harbor Township. He was a passenger in a car driven by Anthony Hicks, 24, of Mays Landing, who was not injured in the shootings but was charged with two counts related to weapons possession. Three men and a 16-year-old who were in an SUV were also shot and wounded.

 Associated Press
Manohar Parrikar alleged that "forces from across the border" are trying to spread violence in the Valley.

By India Today Web Desk: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar hit out at Pakistan, blaming it for unrest in Kashmir, and reiterated that "a small percentage" of people in the Valley was holding the majority to ransom. He also said the government is working "proactively" in handling the violence in the state.

Addressing a joint news conference with US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter at the Pentagon, Parrikar alleged that "forces from across the border" are trying to spread violence in the Valley.

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"As far as Kashmir is concerned, the Indian government has been very proactive in handling the violence which comes from across the border," Parrikar said, and added, "A few small percentage is holding the majority to ransom".

Asked about the current situation in Kashmir, he said curfew has already been lifted and an all-party delegation is also heading to the Valley.

"Kashmir is actually having a government which is a democratically elected. And the chief minister belongs to the Valley," he said.

Speaking about the India-US relationship, the Defence Minister said that both the countries will resolve to continue their cooperation on counter terrorism.

"India and the US are fellow democracies. However the US has showed that there can be no compromise when we are faced with terrorism. The forces that seek to undermine our progress and our ways of life requires a comprehensive, robust response," he said.

"We appreciate the support from the US in our efforts to eliminate terrorism in India's neighbourhood. Secretary Carter and I agreed that countering terrorism is an important shared objective. The partnership between India and US is driven by our shared values," he added.

An all-party delegation, led by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, will visit Srinagar on September 4.

Expressing regret and remorse over the loss of lives in the Kashmir Valley, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had 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.

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.

Curfew was lifted from most parts of the Valley on Monday -- after 51 consecutive days of lockdown and subsequent clashes in the aftermath of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani's death on July 8.

(With inputs from agencies)

Watch the video here:



--- ENDS ---
IRAN

Air defense deployed around nuclear site

Iran has deployed a Russian-made S-300 air defense system around its underground Fordo nuclear facility, state TV reported.

Video footage posted on the state TV website showed trucks arriving at the site and missile launchers being aimed skyward. It did not say whether the system was fully operational.

Gen. Farzad Esmaili, Irans head of air defense, declined to comment on the report in an interview with another website affiliated with state news. Maybe if you go to Fordo now, the system is not there, he was quoted as saying Monday.

Russia began delivering the S-300 system to Iran this year under a contract signed in 2007. The delivery had been held up by international sanctions over Irans nuclear program, which were lifted this year under an agreement with world powers.

Critics of Irans nuclear program have cited Fordo as further proof that Tehran was secretly working on nuclear weapons. Iran insists that it has never sought nuclear arms and says the security around the site is intended to protect it from U.S. or Israeli airstrikes.

Iran halted nuclear enrichment at Fordo under the nuclear deal and says the facility is being used for research and the production of medical isotopes.

 Associated Press

MEXICO

University: President copied texts in thesis

The university that granted Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto a law degree in 1991 has acknowledged that he copied texts and ideas without crediting their authors in his thesis.

The PanAmerican University said this week that Pena Nietos failure to properly credit texts included in his thesis did not violate university rules in force at the time.

The universitys statement did not use the word plagiarism but said his thesis included textual reproductions of fragments [of other works] without footnotes or mentions in the bibliography.

It said he did attribute other quotes and material, although sometimes in a vague manner.

The university suggested that rules had since been tightened but noted that our universitys general rules do not apply to ex-students and that this is an old case which cannot be subject to any action.

The news site Aristegui Noticias reported last week that 29 percent of Pena Nietos thesis had been lifted from other works, including 20 paragraphs copied word-for-word from a book by former president Miguel de la Madrid.

 Associated Press

Thousands rescued off Libya: Italian naval ships and vessels from nongovernmental groups rescued thousands of migrants off the Libyan coast, the latest surge in desperate attempts to flee to Europe driven by war, poverty and human traffickers. The operation took place just 13 miles north of the town of Sabratha in Libya. Groups such as Proactiva Open Arms and Doctors Without Borders helped take on about 3,000 people traveling in about 20 small wooden boats.

15 Philippine troops killed in clash with rebels: Abu Sayyaf extremists killed 15 soldiers in fighting in the Philippines restive south, dealing the government its largest single-day combat loss under President Rodrigo Duterte. Officials said five other soldiers were wounded. Duterte ordered troops to hunt down the militants last week after they beheaded a kidnapped villager whose family was too poor to pay a ransom. The United States and the Philippines have blacklisted Abu Sayyaf.

Lightning kills more than 300 reindeer in Norway: More than 300 wild reindeer have been killed by lightning in Norway. The Norwegian Environment Agency released images showing reindeer carcasses scattered across a small area on the Hardangervidda mountain plateau. The agency said 323 animals were killed, including 70 calves, in the lightning storm last week. An agency spokesman said reindeer tend to stay close to each other in bad weather, which could explain how so many were killed at once.

Australian freed from captivity in Afghanistan: An Australian aid worker kidnapped in Afghanistan in April has been freed by security forces after four months in captivity, officials said. At least three suspects were arrested. Kerry Jane Wilson has been living in Afghanistan for years and was kidnapped April 28 in the eastern city of Jalalabad. Officials did not say who was behind the kidnapping.

3 Canadians charged in $23 million cocaine case: Three Canadian cruise ship passengers were charged with drug smuggling after Sydney police allegedly found 209 pounds of cocaine, valued at $23 million, in their cabin luggage. Andre Tamine, 63, Isabelle Lagace, 28, and Melina Roberce, 22, were arrested after the MS Sea Princess berthed in Sydney. They could face life sentences if convicted.

 From news services
Kyrgyzstan

Attacker rams vehicle into Chinese Embassy

A car driven by a suicide bomber rammed the gate of the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, on Tuesday and exploded, reportedly killing the driver and injuring three others.

The Mitsubishi Delica broke through the embassys gate, went about 150 feet and burst into flames, according to local and Chinese media reports.

A local news site, 24.kg, reported that the Chinese and U.S. embassies were being evacuated.

Officials from Kyrgyzstan and China offered conflicting accounts of what happened and why.

Kyrgyzstans deputy prime minister reportedly called it a terrorist attack and said three Kyrgyz nationals were killed.

In a news conference, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Hua Chunying, steered clear of using the word terrorism, calling the incident an extreme violent attack that injured three Chinese nationals.

China says it is engaged in a war on terror against militant groups with links to Xinjiang, a vast, restive territory that shares a border with Kyrgyzstan.

Foreign observers and rights groups have long questioned the nature of the campaign, accusing China of using the threat of terrorism to target the regions mostly Muslim, Turkic-speaking Uighur minority.

 Emily Rauhala

NORTH KOREA

Top education official executed, South says

North Korea has executed a top education official and banished two other officials to rural areas for reeducation, South Korean officials said Wednesday.

If confirmed, these actions would be the latest in a series of killings, purges and dismissals carried out since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un took power in late 2011.

North Korea is a closed, authoritarian country with state-controlled news media, a circumstance that often makes it difficult for outsiders, and even North Koreans, to know what is happening in the government.

Rival South Korea, which runs several intelligence organizations mainly tasked with spying on North Korea, has a mixed record on reporting developments in the country.

Jeong Joon Hee, a spokesman for Seouls Unification Ministry, told reporters Wednesday that Kim Yong Jin, a vice premier in North Koreas cabinet, had been executed. Jeong said Kim was in charge of education affairs but refused to disclose why and when South Korea thinks he was executed.

 Associated Press

SOMALIA

12 dead in attack near presidential complex

A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden truck near the gate of Somalias presidential palace in the capital on Tuesday, killing 12 people, police said.

The bomb exploded during a morning traffic jam, said police Capt. Mohamed Hussein.

Some cabinet ministers at the SYL hotel were among the 31 injured in the Mogadishu attack, Hussein said. The blast damaged nearby hotels often frequented by government officials and business executives, he said.

The Islamist group al-Shabab has asserted responsibility for the blast, according to the groups radio station.

Al-Shabab has been ousted from most of Somalias cities, but it continues to carry out bombings and suicide attacks.

 Associated Press

Iran releases Texas graduate student: Iranian authorities have released a man jailed while home from graduate studies in Texas after nearly five years, state media reported. The report by the government-owned Iran daily quoted Saeed Khalili, the attorney for Omid Kokabee, as saying the judiciary will allow Kokabee conditional freedom for the rest of his 10-year sentence. Kokabee, an Iranian citizen, had been studying at the University of Texas and was arrested in February 2011. He was convicted of having relations with a hostile country and receiving illegitimate funds.

Egypt approves law on churches despite opposition: Egypts state news agency said parliament has approved a first-ever law to regulate the construction of churches despite opposition from rights groups and Coptic Christian leaders. Critics say the law will institutionalize long-running constraints on the building of churches in the Muslim-majority country. For decades, church officials have had to navigate Egypts labyrinthine bureaucracy to acquire permits for building new churches.

 From news services
In writing about Clinton Foundation contacts with the State Department in his Aug. 26 op-ed, The bribery standard, Charles Krauthammer condemned the contemporary understanding of political corruption: that it exists only where there is a visible quid pro quo exchange of money for favorable government action.

Of course, that is the standard that has been applied to our politics by conservative Supreme Court justices who have held unlimited political spending to be First Amendment-protected political speech unless it produces explicit quid pro quo exchanges of that spending for government actions.

Will Mr. Krauthammer urge conservatives to insist that the current and future Supreme Court vacancies be filled by jurists who see the fallacy of equating political spending with First Amendment political speech?

If they are honest, those who are angry that Clinton Foundation donors may have gotten special access to the State Department will be far more outraged that big political spenders daily get special access to  and influence over  House and Senate members that results in special favorable government treatment. And they will acknowledge that conservative politicians such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) are the greatest defenders of unlimited political spending.

Michael Steward, Burke

In his op-ed The bribery standard, Charles Krauthammer scolded Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation for crimes hes somehow certain were committed but is frustratingly unable to ascertain even happened. Yes, it is obvious that access and influence were sold, he wrote. But no one has demonstrated definitively that the donors received something tangible of value . . . in exchange.

Mr. Krauthammers conclusion brings to mind a Maryland legislator whose controversial bill was being debated years ago on the floor of the House of Delegates chamber in Annapolis: Spotting Gov. Marvin Mandel (D) and a couple of his staff members standing in a doorway of the visitors gallery, the lawmaker nervously began his remarks with: The governor opposes this legislation, for obvious reasons unknown to me . . . 

Unable to locate the fire, Mr. Krauthammer and other Clinton detractors persist in their unrelenting battle against smoke.

Hal Burdett, Annapolis
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron (L) Russia's President Vladimir Putin (C partially obsured) and President Barack Obama arrive to pose for the family picture of the G8 summit at the Lough Erne resort near Enniskillen in Northern Ireland on June 18, 2013. (AFP/AFP/Getty Images)

I do not know what would have happened if, three years ago Monday, David Cameron, the British prime minister, had not foolishly held and lost a vote on intervention in Syria in the House of Commons. Perhaps if he had paid more attention, seemed more interested and told his colleagues to come home from vacation, he might have succeeded. Perhaps an intervention would have followed. Perhaps it would have helped end the conflict  or perhaps it would have failed.

We will never know. But we do know what happened instead. Britain withdrew support for a mission intended to halt the use of chemical weapons by Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian dictator. Spooked by the House of Commons vote, President Obama also changed his mind. On the morning of Aug. 30, 2013, Secretary of State John F. Kerry called for action: History is full of leaders who have warned against inaction, indifference, and especially against silence when it mattered most. By the next day, however, the president declared that all plans for a strike were off. The French, caught off guard, didnt want to do anything alone, so they too withdrew  regretfully. It was a great surprise, the French prime minister told the Atlantics Jeffrey Goldberg. If we had bombed as was planned, I think things would be different today.

I repeat: Maybe a U.S.-British-French intervention would have ended in disaster. If so, we would today be mourning the consequences. But sometimes its important to mourn the consequences of nonintervention too. Three years on, we do know, after all, exactly what nonintervention has produced:

Deaths. Estimates of war casualties range from about 155,000 to 400,000, depending on who is counted. This month, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had registered a total of 14,711 dead children. Since the Islamic State created its caliphate in Syria, an estimated 2,350 civilians have been executed by the group. Life expectancy in Syria has dropped from almost 80 to 55.

Refugees. According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there were 4.8 million registered Syrian refugees as of Aug. 16. There are thought to be an additional 2 million refugees who remain inside Syria but are displaced from their homes. Three-quarters of those who have fled their homes are women and children. Most own nothing except what they are wearing. To give some perspective, the refugee crisis caused by the Yugoslav wars in the early 1990s produced 2.3 million refugees, a number then considered to be the worst refugee crisis since the 1940s. The Syrian crisis is three times larger.

In a brief statement Sunday, Jan. 31, Secretary of State John Kerry called for the continuation of Syrian peace talks in Geneva and for immediate steps to increase food aid and other humanitarian assistance to Syrians. (U.S. Department of State)

Physical destruction. The ancient cities of Aleppo, Bosra and Palmyra are irreparably damaged. Damascus is badly damaged. Infrastructure  roads, bridges, factories  across the country has been destroyed. Schools and hospitals have been leveled. Only last month, the Syrian government bombed four makeshift hospitals and a blood bank in Aleppo.

Destabilization of the region. The vast majority of the refugees are in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt, where they put an enormous economic and political burden on poorer, frailer states. A fifth of the residents of Lebanon are Syrian refugees, numbers that may upset the delicate political balance there. Riots have broken out in refugee camps in Jordan. In Turkey, the side effects of the Syrian war also include the exacerbation of tensions with the Kurdish minority and other groups inside the country, as well as high rates of crime, smuggling and unrest along the border. Turkey, a NATO member, has been drawn further into the conflict: If the Islamic State attacks Turkey, there may have to be a NATO response.

Destabilization of Europe. Thanks in part to the war in Syria, hundreds of thousands of refugees have sought to reach Europe by boat across the Mediterranean or by foot across the Balkans. UNHCR reckoned in May that more than 2,000 people  from Syria as well as Africa  had drowned in 2016 alone, more than had died in the same period in 2015. Islands off the coast of Greece and Italy are overwhelmed. The European Unions unwillingness or inability to control the flow has helped further undermine its institutional credibility.

Rise of xenophobia across the West. The spectacle of hundreds of thousands of people walking and sailing into Europe has also launched an unprecedented wave of xenophobia. Elections in Austria and Poland have been partly swayed by anti-refugee rhetoric, which also played a part in the Brexit vote in the U.K. Far-right and nationalist parties in Hungary, France, Germany and Italy are successfully using fear of Syrian refugees to gain support. So is the Donald Trump campaign in the United States.

To sum up: Physical, human and political damage on an unprecedented scale; ongoing security threats; the renewed stirrings of fascism. Maybe those are better than the alternative that seemed so unpalatable to the British Parliament and the American president. But its hardly an outstanding success.

Read more from Anne Applebaums archive, follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her updates on Facebook.
Much of the criticism of Hillary Clinton over her emails and her familys foundation is unfairly harsh. But the Clintons themselves invite such scrutiny and suspicion.

First, the emails. Months of investigation turned up essentially nothing worthy of being called a scandal. Unless you doubt the integrity of FBI Director James B. Comey  and I dont  any mishandling of classified information was so minimal that no reasonable prosecutor would seek to pursue a case. And the FBI found no evidence, Comey said, that foreign adversaries or anyone else ever hacked their way into Clintons emails.

Thats the bottom line, no matter what critics might claim. Ordinarily, such findings would put the whole matter to rest. But they didnt, largely because of Clintons own actions and words.

As she has acknowledged, she never should have decided to reject an official State Department email account and instead use a personal account on her familys private server. Clintons explanation that she took this highly unorthodox step for convenience is as hollow as they come.

As I have written, it seems obvious that she wanted total control of her electronic correspondence  probably to make sure that no personal emails would ever become part of the public record. Did this reflect an obsession with secrecy? Did she have something to hide?

At the NABJ-NAHJ conference on Aug. 5 in Washington, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton reiterated her stance that she didn't send or receive classified emails while serving as secretary of state. (Reuters)

Before drawing conclusions, remember this: Its not paranoia if enemies really are out to get you. The Clintons have been doggedly pursued by their foes for decades. Its understandable that they would try to avoid giving any ammunition to their adversaries.

But rather than come out and say that, Clinton has sought to convince us she did nothing different from what previous secretaries of state had done. This came as a surprise to previous secretaries of state, not one of whom used a personal email server. Why does Clinton keep coming back to this empty rationalization? I have no idea.

Given the political trouble the emails have given her, I believe Clinton when she says that if she had it to do over again, she would just use a State Department account and forget the private server. But there is still a defensiveness in her explanations that makes me wonder if her contrition is more situational than genuine. Im sorry this caused me such grief isnt the same as Im sorry I did it .

The other faux scandal for which Clinton is being pilloried  involving the Clinton Foundation and her State Department appointment calendar  has even less substance.

Step back for a moment. Bill and Hillary Clinton established a charitable foundation that even critics say has done much good work. One signature accomplishment is making it possible for millions of people in poor countries to have access to low-cost, lifesaving anti-HIV drugs. The Clintons have donated millions of dollars from their own pockets to the foundation over the years.

In a sane world, this would be considered laudable. In fact, Donald Trump  who now paints the Clinton Foundation as some kind of criminal conspiracy  made a donation of $100,000 through his own foundation. Clearly, he thought highly of the Clintons work at the time.

But now Trump and others allege a pay to play scheme in which big donors to the foundation got access to Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state. To my eye, however, this charge is ludicrous because so many of the donors in question would surely have obtained an audience with the secretary of state anyway.

One foreign luminary often cited as having paid to play is Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa of Bahrain, whose nation had donated to the foundation. The prince was having trouble getting an appointment with Clinton through normal channels, but obtained the meeting after someone from the foundation alerted a top Clinton aide.

What that summary omits is that Bahrain is host to a U.S. naval base that provides our major military presence in the Persian Gulf. Having decided to stick with the Bahraini royals despite popular protests against their rule, there was no way the secretary of state would ultimately leave the crown prince cooling his heels.

Of course, Clinton could have avoided such questions by building an impermeable wall between the foundation and the State Department. But no, the Clintons do not believe in impermeable walls. I wish they would get religion.

Hillary Clinton is running against a man who is wholly unqualified to be president. So she must win. But she also must learn.

Read more from Eugene Robinsons archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. You can also join him Tuesdays at 1 p.m. for a live Q&A.
I shouldnt tell you this. Publicity will only make the problem worse. But you deserve to know: Tax cheating is about to rise in the United States.

Today, Americans are among the most law-abiding taxpayers in the world, by which I mean they lie to the taxman much less than people in other countries do. Today, about 82 cents of every dollar owed in U.S. taxes gets paid voluntarily, which is high.

Here are six reasons that number is going to fall:

1. Congress has gutted Internal Revenue Service enforcement.

The most important determinant for tax cheating is: Can I get away with it?

The answer, increasingly, is yes.

Thanks to budget cuts, audit rates have plummeted, especially for the biggest corporations, with armies of sophisticated tax preparers. Criminal tax prosecutions have nose-dived, too.

In some districts, the IRS has openly acknowledged that scofflaws owing under $1 million will get a free pass because the agency no longer has the resources to go after them.

That acknowledgment is bad, as is the fact that Im drawing attention to it. Tax cheating is more dependent on perceived probability than actual probability of getting caught.

2. Budget cuts have also hurt IRS customer service.

Wait times on the IRSs toll-free phone lines are finally down, but the agency still will answer only basic questions (i.e., the ones you can Google yourself), not the complicated ones taxpayers actually need help with. Dont be surprised if some who are trying to pay their taxes honestly get frustrated and simply give up  and do whatever seems cheapest.

3. The growing perception that everyone else is doing it.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) quoted a legal definition from Wikipedia May 24, during a House Judiciary Committee hearing to consider the impeachment of Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen. (Reuters)

Both left and right are mad that certain populations dont pay their fair share. Conservatives, stoked partly by Mitt Romneys infamous 47 percent comments, believe the poor pay too little. Liberals, stoked partly by the low tax rates paid by the likes of Romney, believe the rich pay too little. And a growing share of Americans overall think their own tax bill is too high and unfair.

In other countries, this (often well-founded) belief that everyone else is shirking has led to cascading tax evasion.

My sense in Greece and other areas that have low compliance rates is that people look around and say, Why should I be a sucker and be the only one who actually pays?  IRS Commissioner John Koskinen told me in a phone interview. (Which is another reason a column predicting more tax cheating could become a self-fulfilling prophecy.)

4. Declining trust in government.

A troubling working paper, by economists Julie Berry Cullen, Nicholas Turner and Ebonya Washington, suggests that tax evasion rises when taxpayers are not in political alignment with the government. That is, Democrats cheat more if a Republican holds the White House, and vice versa. Earlier research has also shown that general distrust in the government reduces compliance.

Now consider the long-term downward spiral in trust in the U.S. government and the democratic process; the fact that politicians on both sides of the aisle preach that the political system is rigged; and Americans increasing perception that their partisan opponents are not only wrong but also immoral and malevolent.

All these trends will make shortchanging the government even more attractive.

5. The tax code gets more complicated every year.

This results in more opportunities for innocent error; increased perception that rich people with fancy tax preparers get away with murder; and, again, more people simply giving up on calculating their tax bills accurately.

6. The rise of the gig economy.

People rarely cheat on their taxes if they know there will be substantial third-party reporting and withholding, as is the case with traditional, W-2 employees. Ninety-nine percent of these taxes get paid voluntarily. But for income subject to little or no information reporting  such as income from odd jobs  only about 37 cents of every dollar owed gets paid.

In addition, lots of self-employed gig economy workers, such as Uber drivers, probably dont realize theyre supposed to be making quarterly estimated tax payments and paying both parts of their payroll taxes. That means they may get hit with an unpleasant surprise come April 15  increasing their incentives to fudge the numbers.

Now, there are at least two counterarguments to my dire prediction: Fewer business transactions are done in cash today, so theyre harder to hide; and, relatedly, in the era of Big Data, theres more third-party information for the IRS to check to figure out if people are cheating.

Theres also plenty politicians could do to prove me wrong  by, for example, simplifying the tax code, or adequately funding IRS enforcement, or stopping actively delegitimizing the government.

Id be thrilled if they did, but I wouldnt bet my tax refund on it.
The GOP presidential nominee is out on the trail ahead of the general election in November.

The GOP presidential nominee is out on the trail ahead of the general election in November.

What Donald Trump is doing on the campaign trail

What Donald Trump is doing on the campaign trail

DONALD TRUMPS approach to immigration is a practical-minded strategy that holds the promise of defusing an incendiary debate while recognizing political and labor market realities. Donald Trumps approach to immigration is a humanitarian and economic disaster that will sunder families, upend communities and subvert American workplaces and businesses.

Take your pick. Mr. Trump certainly has. If its Wednesday (or Friday, or Monday), it must be pivot day. Demanding consistency of Mr. Trump is like demanding it of the weather  an exercise in la-la-land high-mindedness best left to the sanctimonious precincts of editorial pages.

Yet is it really so pious to expect that a candidate for president might know his own mind with sufficient clarity to present it coherently for the American public? When Mr. Trump outlines his (latest) immigration stance in a speech Wednesday, should voters take it seriously or should they roll their eyes?

To take it seriously invites a stroll down memory-impaired lane. Whatever he says, its worth recalling that in recent months or years, Mr. Trump is almost certain to have said very nearly the opposite.

To recap:

In 2011, Mr. Trump favored a case-by-case review of illegal immigrants  some great and productive people; others total disasters  to determine who should stay and who should go.

In 2012, he derided Mitt Romneys tone on immigration as mean-spirited  the former Massachusetts governor had hoped that illegal immigrants would self-deport  saying it probably cost him the presidential election.

In 2013, he seemed to embrace the Gang of Eight bill then on its way to being passed in the U.S. Senate, tweeting that amnesty was fine but only if the border is secure and illegal immigration has stopped.

In 2015, he called Mexicans criminals and rapists and promised to build a wall, establish a deportation force, round up all the undocumented immigrants and  well, the rest is history.

And maybe it really is history, as in: Fuhgettaboutit! Because now we learn that, according to Mr. Trumps (latest) campaign manager, his position on a deportation force is to be determined, as is, well, just about everything else involving his views.

Words matter in politics, but which of Mr. Trumps words count? He has pandered so extravagantly, flip-flopped so brazenly and now pirouettes so audaciously that to guess his actual intentions, or even pretend that he knows them himself, is a fools game. His rhetoric on immigration has been loathsome; its been smarmy; its been ambiguous. It is formulated episodically, framed for effect, with no purpose beyond attracting votes or, on any given night, cheers.

There could certainly be a softening of his immigration position, Mr. Trump told a town hall hosted by Fox Newss Sean Hannity last week. Or, he might have added, a hardening. He mentioned leniency for the undocumented 11 million, at least the ones who are law-abiding, if they pay back taxes.

Speaking in Youngstown, Ohio, Aug. 15, GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump vowed to champion immigration reform that would "screen out any who have hostile attitudes toward our country or its principles." (The Washington Post)

Now his policy sounds like Jeb Bushs; now it sounds like President Obamas. Tomorrow it may sound (again) like David Dukes.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said the full potential of the state can be harnessed only through opening it up and empowering all the regions to benefit from the new market economy growing in the region.

Calling for creating a new basis of legitimacy for the peace and resolution process to take shape, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said the challenge before the leadership of the state and the country is to insulate the process from the setbacks that have derailed it in the past.

"The focus has to be on involving the principal stakeholders - the people of Jammu and Kashmir - in the resolution process to make it sustainable and productive," the Chief Minister said while addressing a public gathering after inaugurating a new building for the Government Degree College in Rajouri.

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The chief minister also laid stress on revival and continuation of peace and confidence building process with Pakistan which had helped transform the situation in the state and along the borders between 2002 and 2005. "The Government of India must, with fresh resolve, work through reconciliatory political measures and through public participation towards the resolution of the issue," she said and added that Jammu and Kashmir could become a bridge of peace and a hub of economic activity in the region given its geostrategic location.

Calling for expanding the ambit and scope of the cross-LoC movement of the people and goods, the chief minister said the full potential of the state can be harnessed only through opening it up and empowering all the regions to benefit from the new market economy growing in the region. "For a lasting solution of the state's problems, substantial political and economic measures have to be taken that meet the reasonable aspirations of the people in all the regions of the state," she said.

Mehbooba said even if Pakistan may be, due to own political reasons, presently reluctant to reciprocate the peace overtures from New Delhi, whatever can be done to address the internal dimensions of the Kashmir issue must be done without delay. "Government of India shall have to take one or more steps than our neighbouring country (Pakistan) as Jammu and Kashmir is our state and we have to apply balm on the wounds of the people," she said and added that we have to have a roadmap of hope for the people of Jammu and Kashmir who are embroiled in a challenging and pernicious situation.

ALSO READ:

Kashmir unrest: CM Mehbooba Mufti takes on Pakistan, separatists



--- ENDS ---
Donald Trump is mainstreaming hate. That was the central message of Hillary Clintons speech last week in Reno, Nev., where she detailed Trumps record of stoking racism and conspiracy theories. From the start, she declared, Donald Trump has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia.

Clinton certainly had a point. Even before the start of his campaign, it was Trumps disgraceful crusade to prove that President Obama was not actually born in the United States that laid the foundation for his victory in the Republican primaries. His most despicable statements of the election  from calling Mexican immigrants rapists to promoting the lie that thousands of Muslims in New Jersey celebrated the Sept. 11 attacks  have only cemented his hero status among bigots and cranks who were previously relegated to the fringes of society.

While past Republican nominees have flirted with extremists, none has embraced or encouraged them so openly. As Clinton pointed out, Trump has brought out of the online shadows an emerging movement known as the alt-right. Despite lacking clear leaders or a cohesive ideology, the alt-right is bound together by common enemies: women, minorities, immigrants and national institutions that, by their worldview, threaten the freedom of white men with the toxic sword of political correctness, Jack Smith IV writes. Notably, in his former role as the chairman of Breitbart Media, Trumps new campaign chief executive Stephen Bannon boasted, Were the platform for the alt-right.

Trump has not merely given voice to the visceral hatred in our midst. With his brazen lies and his childish taunts, Trump has also effectively given permission for people to say virtually anything in public without regard for facts or fear of repercussions. This could have a lasting impact on our public discourse regardless of how Trump fares in November.

Already, Trump has debased the political debate. As Felix Salmon observes, Trumps outrageous behavior tends to render invisible severe and important policy distinctions, which is a problem especially in state and local races where Trump is not one of the choices. This year, the effect is likely to be felt strongly in down-ticket races, where Democratic and Republican candidates are finding it incredibly hard to cut through the noise of the presidential race and to have substantive debates, he writes.

At a rally in Jackson, Miss., Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump called Democratic foe Hillary Clinton a "bigot" and said that she would do "nothing" for African Americans and Hispanics. (The Washington Post)

Meanwhile, Trumps impact is also increasingly apparent among our children. In April, the Southern Poverty Law Center released a report finding that many kids have been emboldened by the divisive, often juvenile rhetoric in the campaign, with teachers witnessing among their students an increase in bullying, harassment and intimidation. At the same time, members of the alt-right have turned online bullying and harassment into something of a sport; their unrelenting abuse of Saturday Night Live star Leslie Jones is the latest example in an ugly trend.

Some have expressed hope that, in the event that Trump loses, Trump-ism will go down with him. That may be wishful thinking. Even a landslide seems unlikely to deter Trumps most rabid fans, especially if he continues to claim that the election was rigged. In addition, there are credible rumors that Trumps fallback plan is to establish a media presence  possibly working with Bannon and former Fox News head Roger Ailes  that could compete with Fox News for supremacy on the right.

Regardless of the outcome, there is no reason to believe that a Trump defeat would reverse the damage his campaign has already done, especially its impact on how young people view the political process. Millennial voters, who were so energized by Bernie Sanders, are rejecting Trump in overwhelming numbers. But they could ultimately decide to reject politics altogether  both in 2016 and for years to come. With U.S. voter turnout hovering at just more than 50 percent, this would be devastating for our democracy.

Over the coming weeks, the election will only become more brutal. As Trump scorches the earth with his vitriolic tweets and verbal assaults, Clinton should guard against the cynicism his campaign has inspired by making a concerted effort to reach the millions of young people whose voices still need to be heard. And no matter what the polls say, Clinton and her supporters should remember that the danger in this election is not just that Trump could win. Its that  win or lose  he could poison our politics for a generation.

Read more from Katrina vanden Heuvels archive or follow her on Twitter.
LIBRE Initiative field director Jeandelize Burgos (left) and LIBREs Florida state director Cesar Grajales (right) talk with Guadalupe Rodriguez (center) as they canvas for the conservative political organization in Buenaventura Lakes, Fla. (Sean Sullivan/The Washington Post)

Republican Bob Cortes was the first Puerto Rican mayor of this Orlando suburb. He became the first Puerto Rican from Seminole County to be elected to the state House.

He doesnt want to be the first Puerto Rican from the county to lose his seat.

But the demographics are changing rapidly here in Central Florida, a mecca of undecided voters stretching from Orlando to Tampa that helps swing state elections and that is rapidly becoming home to more Puerto Ricans, Venezuelans, Colombians and Dominicans.

Cortes said he campaigns as an elected official who happens to be Hispanic, not a Hispanic elected official, adding that that means understanding the diversity of the people who live in the district.

Unlike a generation ago, when the states large Cuban American population was devoted to the GOP, these new Latino voters are less likely to support Republican candidates such as Cortes  and they are increasingly unlikely to register with either political party. No Party Affiliation voters  known as NPAs in local political vernacular  now account for 26 percent of Floridas electorate, the fastest-growing bloc in the state, according to the latest state voter statistics.

Florida Republicans nominated former presidential candidate Marco Rubio for a second term in the U.S. Senate in a primary election held August 30. (The Washington Post)

Republican candidates up and down the ballot also have to contend with GOP nominee Donald Trump, who has alienated many Latinos in the state with his talk of immigrant criminals, a massive border wall and aggressive deportations.

The combination of factors sets the stage for a remarkably unsettled election for Republicans in Florida, a crucial battleground state that could help determine who wins the White House and Senate. Sen. Marco Rubio  who won the GOP primary on Tuesday  is a top target for Democrats in November, while Trump is trailing Democrat Hillary Clinton in the presidential contest here.

Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa, who compiled the data on unaffiliated voters, said the shrinking of the parties means Florida Democrats and Republicans are fighting for their lives.

The Trump factor

But, she added, Republicans are a little bit more at risk because of what Trump has already done. Thats why his changing commentary to talking about borders instead of deportation is probably too little, too late.

[Donald Trump suddenly sounds like Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio on immigration]

Home to nearly 1.1 million Puerto Ricans, the Sunshine State could surpass New York as the largest home of island transplants by the end of the year. As U.S. citizens, Puerto Ricans are not immigrants, but many consider Trumps harsh attacks on immigrants an affront to the entire Hispanic diaspora.

Hes a liar. Hes a flat-out liar. I dont think that man is capable of running this country. Hes a time bomb, said Lisa Diaz, 51, of Kissimmee, another Orlando suburb. Shes Puerto Rican and moved to the area in 2006 from New York.

Bob Cortes is the first Puerto Rican from Seminole County, Fla., to be elected to the Florida state legislature. (Steve Cannon/AP)

Cortes is well aware of such feelings, which is why he warns that in Florida, Mr. Trump has his work cut out for himself.

Cortess district straddles Seminole County, a predominantly Republican area, and Orange County, a Democratic stronghold. He won his House seat in 2014 by defeating a well-known Democratic incumbent, betting that his name recognition would help him win white and Republican voters, while Hispanics would be drawn out to vote for one of their own.

To be frank, thats exactly what happened, he said. Having studied the numbers closely, he found that out of nearly 14,000 registered Hispanic voters in his district at the time, 5,000 showed up to vote in a non-presidential election  a record total  and most voted for him.

Koch brothers step in

This year, he and other Florida Republicans may also be helped by outside forces waging their own efforts to win over Latinos.

The LIBRE Initiative, backed by the wealthy industrialists David and Charles Koch, is a nonprofit political group designed to woo Latinos to the conservative political cause. Active in 10 states, the group is especially focused on reaching the fast-growing Puerto Rican population in Florida.

[Koch brothers make push to court Latinos, alarming many Democrats]

In a sign of the urgency conservatives have displayed in trying to win over Puerto Ricans in Florida, LIBRE for the first time sent a team to Puerto Rico in early March to set up a booth at a business expo aimed at people thinking of relocating to Florida.

Cesar Grajales, LIBREs Florida state director, said Puerto Ricans high rate of civic engagement means that any candidate or organization with serious designs on winning needs to court them.

They vote and they vote a lot, he said.

During a recent walk around neighborhoods in Buenaventura Lakes  an Orlando suburb that has been called Little Puerto Rico  Grajales and other staffers and volunteers wore blue-and-white T-shirts and carried iPads pre-loaded with local addresses from state voter files.

If someone answered the door, volunteers asked a series of politically loaded questions to gauge a residents potential support for the Kochs mostly pro-business concerns. They never bring up Trump; questions about him might be met with a slammed door.

On the Puerto Rican debt crisis, Grajales asked Jorge Reyes in Spanish whether the islands political leaders deberian ser responsables  should be held responsible.

Yo creo que si, Reyes said  I think so.

On Obamacare, Grajales claimed that 15 health insurance companies in Florida planned to raise their rates by at least 17 percent this year. In Spanish, Grajales asked: Should taxpayers be forced to pay for the mistakes of Obamacare?

Claro que no, Reyes said  of course not.

Yet Reyes, 82, a Puerto Rican Democrat, said he planned to vote for Clinton and other Democrats.

To me, the other guy is nuts, he said, adding later that he thinks Trump is dividing his own party  the way he talks.

When Grajales and Jeandelize Burgos, a field director, knocked on the door of Guadalupe Rodriguez, 63, he quickly asked in Spanish: Youre not with Trump?

No, no, responded Grajales.

No, were not with a party, Burgos said in Spanish, laughing nervously.

Rodriguez said later that hes opposed to Trump because he is against us.

I dont like to hate nobody, but when somebody looks at you like roaches? he said later.

Cortes said hes aware of what LIBRE is doing, but hasnt met with the group. Still, he appreciates anyone who talks up conservative ideology to Hispanic voters.

The moment we start doing that, well start getting more voters to join the Republican Party, he said.

Cortes knows that the influx of new immigrants across Central Florida could eventually transform his district and make it harder for a Republican like him to keep winning. But the transformation also means greater influence for fellow Hispanics.

Ten years ago, youd have a Hispanic candidate around here and hed come in last. Now, hes winning races, he said. Its proof that were going to have even greater influence.

And if Trump loses this year and takes Republicans like Cortes down with him?

Weve got four years to figure out what he did wrong and not do it again, he said.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Cortes as a state senator. He is a member of the Florida House of Representatives.
People hold a sign during a protest called Wall Off Trump near the Quicken Loans Center, site of the Republican National Convention, in Cleveland. (Justin Lane/EPA)

Donald Trump will deliver a high-stakes immigration speech Wednesday in Phoenix amid intense confusion over the status of his vow to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, a potentially damaging impasse for a Republican nominee who risks alienating several voting blocs he needs to win in November.

The immigration speech will come hours after Trump plans to travel to Mexico to meet with that countrys president, Enrique Pena Nieto. The trip was announced late Tuesday.

[Trump sets last-minute meeting with Mexican president]

The campaign has spent days dismissing questions about whether Trumps positions on immigration are shifting, instead emphasizing his commitment to securing the border with Mexico. But the scale and scope of potential deportations remain subjects of intense interest  and Trump is caught between appeasing his staunchest supporters or attempting to appeal to moderate Republicans and independent voters with a softer stance.

Questions about what would become of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants if Trump is elected president have gone largely unanswered by the candidate and his team in recent days. The campaign has suggested that Wednesdays speech will address those questions and concerns.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said over and over he would force undocumented immigrants to leave the country as president. Now a meeting with a Hispanic advisory panel and statements from his surrogates are calling into question whether that's still the plan. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

I expect the speech to be a refinement of the goals hes always stated, said Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a Trump supporter. Cramer said that he would like to see Trump lay out a chronology of actions that he would try to achieve as president. The congressman said he is open to a plan that would afford illegal immigrants who have not committed other crimes some form of legal status.

At a campaign stop in Dalton, Ga., on Tuesday, running mate Mike Pence billed Trumps speech as a chance for the nominee to get highly specific about his plans. Responding to a question about illegal immigration, Pence advised, Wait about 24 hours, youre going to hear a lot of details.

Dont miss it. Okay? Its going to be a very important address, he added later.

[The Fix: Donald Trump sounds like he supports what he once labeled amnesty]

Trump has offered glimpses of his policy priorities even as he has skirted questions about their implementation. He remains publicly committed to building a massive wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, has extolled the need to crack down on those who overstay their visas and has proposed expanding the E-Verify program, used by employers to determine whether an immigrant is legally able to work in the country. The campaign has also said that Trump would prioritize the deportation of criminals, a policy that the Obama administration has also pursued.

Even with those broad priorities in place, it is unclear how many people would be subject to immediate deportation  all undocumented immigrants, all who have overstayed their visas or just those who have committed serious crimes.

The answers to those questions would define the mandate placed on security agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Rio Grande winds along the U.S.-Mexico border this month near McAllen, Texas. Donald Trump has vowed to build a massive wall along the border and force Mexico to pay for it. (John Moore/Getty Images)

According to a study by the Migration Policy Institute, an estimated 690,000 undocumented immigrants have significant criminal histories  felony convictions or serious misdemeanors  that make them top priorities for deportation under current administration policy. The number of individuals prioritized for deportation would grow to about 5.5 million if visa overstays were included, according to some data, although those estimates are not considered very reliable.

Immigration reform has been at the center of Trumps brand since he announced his campaign, which he kicked off by railing against Mexican immigrants, whom he suggested were largely criminals and rapists. His controversial rhetoric delighted supporters and enraged critics, who accused him of bigotry. As the Republican primary contests unfolded, he vowed to kick out all of the nations illegal immigrants and called for a deportation force to get the job done.

[Donald Trump calls for deportation force to remove undocumented immigrants]

But since securing the GOP presidential nomination this spring, Trump has had trouble shifting to an effective general-election strategy after dominating the primary race. And he has struggled to prove that he has a sufficient grasp of policy issues to implement his proposals if elected, a weakness that his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, has repeatedly sought to exploit.

His opaque responses to questions about the implementation of those plans  and about mass deportations in particular  have raised concerns among his most vocal supporters while fueling accusations of hypocrisy from his critics.

The candidate has received a deluge of conflicting advice and perspectives from advisers and supporters.

Former Texas governor Rick Perry said in an interview Tuesday that immigration policy  and specifically what to do with the millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States  has confounded public officials for years and that Trumps critics should be patient and appreciate the nuances of the issue.

I think those that try to just get this completely black and white at this particular point in time are chasing a rabbit thats hard to catch, Perry said.

Perry, who was governor of the nations second-most-populous border state for 14 years, said that he and former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani spent time with Trump last week in Texas and had a long discussion about how to treat undocumented immigrants who have lived in the country for years without incident.

People whove been here for a long period of time, whove lived within our laws, whove paid our taxes, there is a thoughtful way for those individuals to be here legally, and Donald Trump, I am very comfortable, will find solutions to this issue that has flummoxed Washington and the political class for literally decades, Perry said.

Mark Krikorian, a hard-line opponent of illegal immigration, said in an interview that he has been troubled by Trumps recent language because it has echoed viewpoints championed by reform advocates such as former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).

What really set me off was that not only was he musing publicly about what an amnesty would look like, it was that he was using the terminology of the so-called comprehensive immigration reform crowd.

[Trump on undocumented immigrants: We are going to get rid of the criminals]

In one example cited by Krikorian, Trump raised the possibility of making some illegal immigrants pay back taxes as a condition of staying in the country, an idea championed by pro-reform Republicans. Krikorian said the national debate about immigration should focus completely on enforcing laws and securing the border to prevent more illegal immigrants from entering in the future.

Anything that seems to suggest the kind of guarantee of an amnesty would, I think, as a policy matter be a bad idea  and as a political matter it would be a bad idea, he said.

Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.), Trumps first congressional endorser, said in an interview that he is hopeful Trump will lay out a position that allows illegal immigrants who have otherwise followed the law to stay in the country legally.

Thats what my dairy and crop farmers are asking for, Collins said, adding: We were never going to put all these folks  have them come out of the shadows, willingly get on a bus, go back to Mexico and hope to get back.

He said he also expects Trump to lay out his proposals for border security, including building a physical wall. Collins said he was corrected after he suggested recently that Trump may end up building a virtual wall.

I got my hand a slapped on the wall, and so Im never going to say that again, Collins said.

[Trump open to softening laws to help illegal immigrants]

Trumps liberal critics, meanwhile, say anything short of a pathway to legalization for undocumented immigrants will effectively consign them to the status quo  unwilling to come forward because of the risk of being deported, and unable to fully assimilate into American life.

Some experts also say the nationalization of E-Verify technologies could push undocumented workers further into shadow economies, leaving them vulnerable to abuse and unable to pay taxes on their labor.

Frank Sharry, executive director of Americas Voice, an immigration reform organization, said expanding E-Verify would represent an attrition approach to removing undocumented immigrants  similar to the call by 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney for self-deportation. The goal, Sharry said, would be to reduce the size of the undocumented population without offering legal status.

Trump is fumbling for words to try to broaden his appeal with suburban voters, and the actual policy is incidental at best for him, Sharry said. Hes been branded as the candidate of mass deportation, and the terms mass deportation and deportation force are very unpopular with the very voters he needs to bring home. Hes trying to pretend hes changing policy when hes just trying to get rid of the anchor around his neck from the primary thatll hurt him.

Philip Rucker contributed to this report.
President Obama shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the conclusion of their joint news conference in Beijing in November 2014. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

An American consultant who has been detained in China for more than a year has been formally charged with spying  news that could further complicate U.S.-China ties ahead of President Obamas trip to Asia.

Sandy Phan-Gillis, 56, of Houston was arrested in March 2015 while traveling in southern China with a trade delegation and has been held without charge since.

Based on our understanding, Phan-Gillis, because of suspected espionage, has been charged according to law by the relevant Chinese department, Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for Chinas Foreign Ministry, said in a news conference Tuesday.

China is a country ruled by law, she added. The relevant Chinese department will handle the case strictly according to law.

Hua did not offer any further comment on the nature of the alleged crimes.

[Researchers cite drop in Chinese hacking activity]

In a letter dictated to a U.S. consular official and released by her husband, Jeff Gillis, Phan-Gillis said the charges against her were political. I am accused of being a spy for the U.S. government, she said. I have never been a spy.

Jeff Gillis has said that China claims she acted as a spy for a foreign government in 1996. He has called the charges against her false and expressed concern for her safety and well-being in detention.

In July, a U.N. committee on arbitrary detention said China violated Phan-Gilliss rights by holding her without cause and limiting her access to lawyers.

Responding to a question about the committees findings, State Department spokesman John Kirby called for Beijing to resolve the case quickly.

Were certainly concerned about her welfare and her lengthy detention without trial, and we urge China to resolve this case expeditiously and to ensure that Ms. Phan-Gillis continues to have full access to an attorney, he said July 6. Senior U.S. government officials have raised her case with senior Chinese government officials on multiple occasions, and I can assure you well continue to do so.

[Beijings dilemma after South China Sea ruling]

News of the formal charges comes just days before Obama is scheduled to land in China for Group of 20 meetings to be held in the southern city of Hangzhou. The case could complicate a relationship already strained by issues such as espionage, cybersecurity and the South China Sea.

In July, U.S. authorities sentenced a Chinese national, Su Bin, to 46 months in prison for conspiring to steal U.S. military secrets from defense contractors. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the case was driven by ulterior motives.

Gu Jinglu contributed to this report.

Read more:

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
By Pratiba Raman: At 8.40 am on August 15, 2015, an otherwise serene Dharwad some 440 kms from Bengaluru was jolted by a gun shot. It's exactly a year now since Kannada writer and research scholar Dr MM Kalburgi was shot dead right at his door step.



The CCTV camera installed at Kalyan Nagar, in Dharwad, recorded the movement of two unidentified miscreants, wearing black clothes and riding a motorcycle, in the area. Keeping in mind, Kalburgi's rationalism, involvement of fringe elements was suspected, bearing resemblance to the murder of rationalists in Maharashtra.



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DESPITE EVIDENCE NO PROGRESS

Despite concrete evidence in the form of CCTV footage, and the involvement of both the state's CID as well as the Centre's CBI, it has been year of investigation that has reached a dead-end. To mark the anniversary of the scholar who spoke against idol worship, people in Dharwad organised a rally to fight for justice.



"Let the rally happen," said Karnataka CM Siddharamaiah, "He was such a great research scholar. It is unfortunate but the investigating agencies are relentlessly doing their jobs."



As a marke of respect, the CM in his last budget had announced that a research centre would be set up in his name. However, that is also now a forgotten memory just like the investigation. "I did announce in the budget. I promise to look into it to find out what progress has been made on that front," said the CM.

Also read:

Court raps CBI over delay in filing report in Kalburgi, Pansare and Dhabholkar murders



Kalburgi murder: Karnataka CID hits dead end, blames Pune SIT



--- ENDS ---
After nearly a decade of painstaking discussions, India and the United States signed a landmark defense agreement Tuesday that will increase the military cooperation between two of the worlds largest democracies.

The agreement was finalized during a visit to Washington by Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar, and it was touted as a symbol of deeper defense ties between the two nations in an increasingly tense part of the world.

In a joint statement, Parrikar and Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said discussions ranged from increased strategic and regional cooperation, to deepened military-to-military exchanges, to expanded collaboration on defense technology and innovation.

New Delhi had strong reservations about this agreement for nearly a decade, despite the growing strategic proximity between the two nations.

[India makes it easier for foreign firms to invest in many industries]

Many security officials and politicians in the previous Indian administration had warned that it could lock their country into a formal and irreversible military alliance and push New Delhi into supporting U.S. conflicts, a move that could upset countries such as Russia and China and friendly nations in the Middle East.

We resisted this agreement for long because we didnt want to give the perception that we are ganging up with Americans against somebody else, in particular China, said Pallam Raju, the junior minister for defense in the previous government.

After several decades of Cold War-era suspicion and chill, relations between India and the United States have changed in the past decade, with a deepening commercial and strategic partnership after they signed a landmark civilian nuclear cooperation deal in 2008.

The process has sped up under Prime Minister Narendra Modis government, which over the past two years has strived to transform the ties between India and the United States from just a buyer-seller defense relationship into a strategic alliance in the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions.

New Delhi has stressed the need for joint research and joint production of defense equipment.

[Addressing Congress, Modi calls for closer relations between India and U.S.]

The United States is the second-largest defense-equipment supplier to India, with about $4.4 billion worth of deals in the past three years. It is also Indias most common partner in military exercises. Six years ago, President Obama called the relationship with India one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century.

The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement allows for exchange of logistics support, supplies and services between the two countries armed forces. This includes food, water, fuel, spare parts, repair, transportation, communication and medical services.

Washington, which has signed more than 100 such agreements with partner nations, promoted the deal as a way to build interoperability between the two militaries.

It has been a bumpy road to greater military cooperation. Every time the United States reached out for a closer strategic embrace, New Delhi would take an awkward step back.

Earlier this year, U.S. Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr. said at an event in New Delhi that soon the naval vessels of the two nations steaming together will become a common and welcome sight throughout Indo-Asia-Pacific waters. The statement was aimed at countering Beijings expanding military footprint in the region and echoed Washingtons expectation that India will play the role of a net security provider in Asia.

Parrikar immediately ruled out any plans for joint patrols by the two navies.

During the negotiations, the United States sought to address Indian concerns about being drawn into U.S. conflicts and tweaked the agreement accordingly.

The agreement signed Tuesday does not create any obligations on either party to carry out any joint activity. It does not provide for the establishment of any bases or basing arrangements, the Indian government statement said.

The agreement applies exclusively to authorized port visits, joint exercises, joint training, humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief efforts.

It streamlines relations between the two militaries, allowing, for instance, refueling without having to come up with a new agreement each time, analysts said.

Its like having a tab at the local bar. It is an easier way of doing things. It will facilitate cooperation in high seas, said Ben Schwartz, director for defense and aerospace at the U.S.-India Business Council.

Read more:

U.S. military wants India to counterbalance Chinas rise as a sea power

The U.S. and India are deepening military ties  and China is watching

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Syrian rebels, backed by Turkey and the United States, pushed deeper toward U.S.-backed Kurdish positions in northern Syria on Monday, as Turkeys foreign minister warned the Kurds to immediately pull back east of the Euphrates River or face more assaults.

The deepening animosities came a day after the Pentagon urged the American allies to stop fighting each other and refocus their efforts against the Islamic State, calling the clashes unacceptable.

But by Monday evening, the Syrian rebels said they had crossed the al-Sajour River, about nine miles north of the town of Manbij, which is controlled by Kurdish-aligned fighters. A Kurdish spokesman said the rebels had reached the river but had not crossed it.

Tensions have mounted since Turkish tanks, backed by U.S. and Turkish warplanes, pushed across the border into northern Syria last week, quickly seizing the Islamic State-controlled town of Jarabulus. In the following days, Syrian rebels of the U.S.-backed Free Syrian Army have swept southward and westward to target the Islamic State but have mostly clashed with Kurdish-aligned fighters.

[How Turkeys offensive into Syria is opening up a hornets nest]





On Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, said areas south of Jarabulus were experiencing heavy bombardment by Turkish forces as well as clashes between the rebels and Kurdish-led groups. The group said that the rebels had seized 21 villages in the past four days and that the Turkish assaults had killed 40 civilians and wounded 70. Turkey has denied targeting civilians.

Turkey, which is battling an internal Kurdish insurgency, has long been concerned that the Syrian Kurds could try to forge an independent state along the border by linking two Kurdish enclaves in northwestern Syria. That, Ankara fears, could embolden Kurdish aspirations for self-determination in Turkey.

Washington has demanded that the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), the military wing of the main Syrian Kurdish party, pull back to the east side of the Euphrates. The forces, which form the backbone of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), crossed the river and wrested control of Manbij, 25 miles south of Jarabulus, from the Islamic State this month.

YPG officials insist that their fighters have returned across the river. But Turkey and its proxies say they have not kept their promise.

The YPG has to immediately cross east of the Euphrates River as they promised the United States and as they announced they would, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday. If they dont, they will be a target.

The United States is now caught between the demands of two key allies. Turkey is a vital NATO ally, and the Kurdish fighters have played a critical role in rolling back the Islamic State in Syrias five-year-old civil war. Washingtons biggest fear is that the animosities could divert resources and attention from fighting the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL.

These clashes over the last couple of days are not helping us advance the efforts against Daesh, John Kirby, a State Department spokesman, said Monday, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State.

[Ignoring Turkey, U.S. backs Kurds in drive against ISIS in Syria]

Even as it supports Turkeys demands for a Kurdish pullback, the United States has been careful not to alienate the SDF.

We also fully support the SDF in their efforts to defeat ISIL, said Peter Cook, a Pentagon spokesman. The SDF have proven to be a reliable and capable force, and our support for the SDF in its fight against ISIL is ongoing and will continue to do so. They have fought hard and sacrificed to try and rid Syria of this hateful group.

On Monday, the Jarabulus Military Council, a group created by the SDF, said its fighters would withdraw to areas south of the al-Sajour River  not east of the Euphrates, as Turkey wants.

We declare the retreat of our forces to south, to al-Sajour River, to save civilian lives and so they [Turkey and Syrian rebels] have no other justification to target the villages and civilians, the council said in a statement.

That could lead to more confrontations with Turkey and its Syrian proxies in and near Manbij.

Shervan Derwish, a spokesman for the local military council, which is aligned with the Kurds, denied reports that the YPG was sending reinforcements to the town to repel any attacks from Turkey or its proxies.

We have our lines of defense, and we are ready to defend Manbij, said Derwish, an ethnic Kurd who has also served as a spokesman for the SDF.

Abu Ibrahim, a Free Syrian Army commander, said he expects to fight the YPG. We do not know whether the YPG is getting more reinforcements in Manbij, but what we know is that they didnt retreat, he said.

Carol Morello in Washington and Zakaria Zakaria in Gaziantep contributed to this report.

Read more:

With ISIS on the run, new wars could erupt in Iraq

Turkish troops enter Syria to take on ISIS, backed by U.S. warplanes

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, a veteran Israeli politician who held several top government posts and often served as a bridge to the Arab world, died Aug. 28 at a hospital in Tel Aviv. He was 80.

Israeli media reported the death but did not cite a cause.

Mr. 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.

Mr. 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, in 2001 and 2002, at the height of the second Palestinian intifada.

A native Arabic speaker, Mr. 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. He briefly ran for president in 2014 but dropped out after the police began looking into his alleged misuse of public funds.

Last year, he was indicted on charges including bribery, money-laundering, fraud and breach of public trust. The period being investigated  2007 to 2014  included his tenure as national infrastructure minister.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Mr. Ben-Eliezer for decades of service to the country and his special character.
A car driven by a suicide bomber rammed the gate of the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, on Tuesday and exploded, reportedly killing the driver and injuring three others.

The Mitsubishi Delica broke through the embassys gate, went about 150 feet and burst into flames, according to local and Chinese media reports. Photographs and video from the scene showed smoke rising from the compound.

A local news site, 24.kg, reported that the Chinese and U.S. embassies were being evacuated.

Officials from Kyrgyzstan and China offered conflicting accounts of what happened and why.

Kyrgyzstans deputy prime minister reportedly called it a terrorist attack and said three Kyrgyz nationals were killed.

[Chinas war on terror becomes all-out attack on Islam in Xinjiang]

In a news conference, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Hua Chunying, steered clear of using the word terrorism, calling the incident an extreme violent attack that injured three Chinese nationals.

So far, no individual or organization has claimed to be responsible for this attack, she said. We have urged Kyrgyzstan to get to the bottom of this incident and release the investigation result as soon as possible.

China says it is engaged in a war on terror against militant groups with links to Xinjiang, a vast, restive territory that shares a border with Kyrgyzstan.

Foreign observers and rights groups have long questioned the nature of the campaign, accusing China of using the threat of terrorism to target the regions mostly Muslim, Turkic-speaking Uighur minority.

Kyrgyz authorities, who also have grappled with Islamist extremism in the past, said they are investigating the embassy attack.

One of the three suicide bombers who attacked Istanbuls airport on June 28 was identified as a Kyrgyz national.

Read more:

Why Chinas terrorism problem is getting worse

ISIS recruits from China dont fit typical profile. Beijing may be partly to blame.

In western China, authorities grapple with how to handle Ramadan

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Kejriwal's tweet - "Modiji is hell bent on destroying Delhi thro LG" followed an order by Najeeb Jung to transfer several IAS and DANICS officers in the national capital.

By India Today Web Desk:

Furious over the transfer of Delhi bureaucrats without his consent, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being "hell-bent on destroying Delhi".

Kejriwal's tweet - "Modiji is hell bent on destroying Delhi thro LG" followed an order by Najeeb Jung to transfer several IAS and DANICS officers in the national capital.

Modiji is hell bent on destroying Delhi thro LG. https://t.co/bZqkep2tRV Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 30, 2016

"Today, several officers transferred by LG directly. Files not even shown to CM or any minister. Is this Modi model of democracy?" the Aam Aadmi Party leader said in another tweet.

Today, several officers transferred by LG directly. Files not even shown to CM or any minister. Is this Modi model of democracy? Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 30, 2016

Jung has suspended all the previous orders in relation to the approving authority for the transfer and postings of senior bureaucrats in the Delhi government.

His notification also clarifies the powers of Chief Secretary, Secretary Services and heads of the departments in the matter.

Earlier, Kejriwal's deputy Manish Sisodia had appealed to Jung to not transfer the officers employed with the Delhi government's health schemes.

Recently, the Delhi High Court ruled that the Lieutenant Governor remains the administrative head in the national capital, and not the Chief Minister.

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The court verdict followed a bitter tussle between the AAP government and the Centre over the powers they held over Delhi.

ALSO READ:



Arvind Kejriwal calling me a dog was a naive reaction: Najeeb Jung



Jung with Jung: 4 reasons why Kejriwal will move Supreme Court over tussle with L-G

Najeeb Jung vindicated, says Delhi govt needs to read the Constitution





--- ENDS ---
As the impeachment trial of President Dilma Rousseff ground into its fifth day Tuesday, exhausted lawmakers listened as a prosecutor described the process as a constitutional remedy for Brazils political crisis.

But rather than strengthening Brazils 31-year-old democracy, the impeachment process may serve only to further alienate voters disillusioned with the political system.

Rousseff is widely expected to be removed from office Wednesday. She was suspended in May to face a Senate trial for allegedly contravening budget laws  specifically, using government banks to temporarily fund social programs and issuing spending decrees without congressional approval. She denies the accusations.

If at least 54 of the 81 senators rule against Rousseff, Michel Temer, her vice president-turned-political opponent, would be sworn in. That would end 13 years of rule by Rousseffs leftist Workers Party, which has dominated a series of coalition governments.

[Rousseff makes impassioned speech in an effort to remain president]

The impeachment process has left Brazilian leftists in disarray. At a protest outside the Senate in Brasilia on Monday evening, just 300 people milled about, several slumped on benches, while members of the Workers Party gave impassioned speeches in Rousseffs defense.

After narrowly winning reelection in 2014, Rousseff was dragged down by an economic recession and an enormous corruption scandal at the state-run oil company Petrobras. Since taking over as interim president in May, Temer has proved just as unpopular.

Analysts say the Rousseff case has exposed some of the weaknesses in Brazils political system, in which a president has to make deals with numerous political parties, many with little discernible ideology. That system encourages horse-trading and corruption, they say. Rousseff is not accused of benefiting from corruption, but dozens of politicians from her party and others in her governing coalition are under investigation in the Petrobras case.

The fundamental issue for the Brazilian people is the lack of faith in the parties, due both to corruption and to the excessive number of parties, said Saulo Porto, director of Prospectiva, a Brasilia-based strategic consulting firm.

Brazil allows small parties to hold seats in the legislature, and its proportional representation system encourages their proliferation, said Leon Barbosa, an adjunct professor of political science at the Federal University of Campina Grande.

In the United States, the executive is one party, Barbosa said. In Brazil, there are many parties. Nobody can govern with their own party, they have to look for allies. This has a very high political cost.

[How Brazil, the darling of the developing world, came undone]

Many observers think Rousseff is not being punished so much for accounting mistakes as for losing the support of her coalition partners. On Monday, she defended herself point by technical point, but made little impact on senators who have said they will vote for her ouster.

If Dilma is removed, it wont be because of what shes being tried for, said Sen. Otto Alencar, who is voting against her impeachment.

Alencar said Rousseff was impeached because she had been unable to maintain the unwieldy coalition she formed after narrowly winning reelection. His Brazilian Social Democratic Party was part of that coalition but later split with it.

She isolated herself from the National Congress, he said. There is no criminal act here.

Even more disastrous was Rousseffs earlier fallout with Temers party, the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, which has participated in almost every government since democracy was restored in Brazil in 1985 after two decades of military dictatorship.

Lawmakers from many of these former allied parties voted overwhelmingly for Rousseffs ouster during a stormy lower house session in May that laid the groundwork for the current impeachment trial.

Running Brazil requires deft negotiating and political skills, neither of which are Rousseffs strong points. She was famed for screaming at ministers and underlings who did not meet her expectations, and she barely disguised her contempt for some pro-impeachment senators during Mondays questioning.

If Rousseff loses, she will appeal to the Supreme Court, Gabriel Sampaio, one of her attorneys, said Tuesday. But if her removal stands, she will be barred from running for office for at least eight years.

A power gap is opening up Brazilian politics  one that smaller left-wing parties and evangelical Christian candidates are keen to fill. Early polls for Octobers mayoral elections in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro showed evangelical candidates leading  and the Workers Party mayor of Sao Paulo trailing badly.

No one is grabbing my attention as someone who could really fix things after 2018, the end of the current presidential term, Alencar said. Someone may arise from outside of professional politics.

In Sao Paulo, police used percussion grenades and tear gas on a march by anti-impeachment protesters on the main Paulista Avenue on Monday evening. In Rio, just a few thousand had turned out for a similar rally  compared to tens of thousands at similar events a few months ago.

For the next year, we will suffer bitterly the fruits of this coup, said Viviane Moreira, 31, an engineer who was among the protesters in Rio, referring to Rousseffs impeachment. We are very disoriented.

Phillips reported from Rio de Janeiro.

Read more

In Brazil, Rousseffs suspension looks like the end of an era.

In Brazils political crisis, a powerful new force: evangelical Christians

How Brazils Workers Party lost the workers

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Many of Italy's best red wines are labeled with the name of the wine appellation, often combined with the grape variety. If you've ever felt wholly overwhelmed while browsing an Italian wine section, knowing just a few key wine names will help keep your shopping trip focused and ensure that you have the perfect wine to drink at a moment's notice.

The best way to make sense of Italian red wines is to simply start tasting them. Italy offers the perfect red wine for every occasionfrom pizza on Monday to roast beef with the in-laws on Sunday.



Three Italian red wines to buy for special occasions





1. Barolo & Barbaresco

Piedmont's Barolo is undoubtedly the king of Italian red wines. Made from Nebbiolo, the wines of this small appellation in Italy's northwest are among the most ageable. Whether it is saved for next year, five years, ten, or twenty years, this is one Italian red that showcases the benefits of aging wine.

Also, a Piedmontese wine made with Nebbiolo, Barbaresco is the queen of Barolo's' king. Renowned for finesse and perfume, the wines of Barbaresco are among Italy's best.

2. Brunello

Brunello di Montalcino is the king of wines made with Sangiovese. This Tuscan red wine comes from the local name for Sangiovese (Brunello) and Montalcino, a small medieval hill town overlooking the Tuscan countryside. These are complex wines with incredible aging potential.

3. Amarone

Amarone is a potent and concentrated dry red wine made with dried grapes in Italy's Veneto region. Made from native Italian grapes, Amarone is a wine that dazzles and impresses.





Three Italian red wines to buy for next year





4. Gattinara

Gattinara is a delicious and often overlooked Nebbiolo-based wine from Piedmont. Perfect with stews and braises, these are the wines to drink while waiting for Barolo and Barbaresco to mature.

5. Rosso di Montalcino

Rosso di Montalcino is often referred to as baby Brunello. Made with Sangiovese grown in the same area, this wine is released to market the year after harvest, while Brunello continues to slumber in winemakers' cellars.

6. Chianti Classico

Chianti Classico refers to this iconic Italian red wine's classic, historic growing area. Produced with slightly stricter regulations than regular Chianti, these wines pair easily with a multitude of meals.





Two Italian red wines to buy for next week





7. Barbera d'Asti'

The Italian red grape Barbera makes delicious wines with bright acidity and soft tannin. Hailing from Piedmont, these delightful red wines are crowd-pleasers.

8. Dolcetto d'Alba'

Dolcetto is another red wine from Piedmont. With more noticeable tannin than Barbera, but not as much as Nebbiolo, wines from Dolcetto strike a nice balance.





Two Italian red wines to buy for tonight





9. Lambrusco

Ask your local wine merchant for a dry Lambrusco from Emilia Romagna to pair with your next antipasti. Slightly fizzy with a pleasing bitterness, these red wines are delicious on a hot summer day.

10. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

Montepulciano is Abruzzos answer to Piedmonts Barbera. Showcasing juicy, grapey flavors with soft, supple tannin, this is Italys quintessential pizza wine. Be sure not to confuse the grape Montepulciano with Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, which is a Sangiovese-based wine made near the town of Montepulciano.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders launched the successor organization to his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination with the rollout August 24 of Our Revolution. Despite the pretentious name and the slick video introduction on the groups web site, there is nothing revolutionary about Our Revolution.

The video invokes the idealism and the energy and the intelligence of millions of people and suggests that their actions will be in line with a long tradition of popular struggle going back hundreds and even thousands of years. But according to the perspective laid out by Sanders in his live-streamed speech, this supposedly mighty river of struggle will deposit its waters into the cesspool of the Democratic Party and the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Our Revolution will focus on three distinct areas of work, according to email and Facebook announcements: (1) bringing millions of working people and young people into the political system; (2) inspiring, recruiting and supporting progressive candidates across the entire spectrum of governmentfrom school board to the US Senate; (3) educating the public about the most pressing issues confronting our nation and the bold solutions needed to address them.

What this means in reality is (1) registering people as Democrats and encouraging them to vote for the Democratic Party; (2) supporting candidates in Democratic Party primaries and Democratic candidates in general elections; (3) conducting propaganda to portray the reactionary capitalist and imperialist politics of the Democratic Party as the solution to the social problems confronting working people.

Every one of the candidates endorsed on the Our Revolution web site is a Democrat, including such longtime party standard-bearers as former Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, who is seeking his old job after being defeated in 2010 by a right-wing Republican; incumbent Democratic representatives Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Keith Ellison of Minnesota and Marcy Kaptur of Ohio; and a slew of Democratic candidates for Congress and state and local office.

The only even nominally independent candidate associated with Our Revolution is Sanders himself, who resumed that purely token status when he returned to his post as a US senator from Vermont. Our Revolution thus reinforces the political monopoly of the two-party system, which enables the American financial aristocracy to control and manipulate the political life of the country.

While only a few hundred people attended the official launch in Burlington, Vermont, Sanders addressed an audience of some 2,600 house parties and over 200,000 Facebook Live viewers. In the four days since, the launch video has been viewed nearly 200,000 times on YouTube. These figures suggest that Sanders continues to attract considerable interest among working people and youth after a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in which he won 22 states and 13 million votes.

The speech Sanders delivered differed little from the threadbare platitudes of his stump speeches, except that it was even more tame. Not once did he mention the words socialism, capitalism, working class or capitalist class. He made no reference to the millionaires and billionaires whose political influence he regularly denounced during the primary campaign, but whose support may be required to sustain Our Revolution.

As was the case throughout the primary campaign, Sanders made no mention of the growing threat of war and no criticism of the Obama administrations foreign policy, including the escalation of US warfare in Syria and Iraq, the widespread use of drone-fired missiles to assassinate those targeted by the CIA and Pentagon, and the continuing military buildup against Russia and China. The Our Issues section of the Our Revolution web site lists 17 subjects, every one of them related to domestic concerns. There is not a single reference to foreign policy or war.

Sanders silence on war was all the more striking since that very morning the Syrian conflict was dramatically expanded by the entry of Turkish ground troops, who crossed the border with the aid of US air cover and began to seize Syrian territory.

While making no reference to this ominous development, which increases the risk of direct military conflict between the US and nuclear-armed Russia, Sanders repeated his claim that the Democratic Party platform he negotiated with Hillary Clinton is the most progressive in history. That platform endorses the Obama administrations war with ISIS, including its illegal intervention in Syria, as well as the US-NATO buildup along Russias western border and the Obama-Clinton pivot to Asia, which will place 60 percent of US naval and air forces within striking distance of China.

Answering critics who note that Democratic Party platforms are routinely ignored by Democratic presidents and their administrations, Sanders said, If anybody thinks that that document and what is in that platform is simply going to be resting on a shelf somewhere, accumulating dust, they are very mistaken.

When it comes to the tepid social reforms listed in the platform, Sanders statement is false, and he knows it. If Clinton wins the election, the promises of expanded healthcare, a massive jobs program, free college education and a $15 minimum wage will be unceremoniously scrapped. The platforms pledges, on the other hand, to build the strongest possible US military and use it in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and the Asia-Pacific region will certainly be on Clintons agenda.

Sanders made only a single criticism of the Obama administration, and that was Obamas support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the trade deal that seeks to mobilize Asian, North American and South American countries under US leadership against Chinawhich is excluded from the agreement. Sanders wants an even more nationalistic economic policy, echoing the rabid anti-China chauvinism of Republican Donald Trump.

Of Our Revolutions 15 original staff members, eight quit after Sanders named his former campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, as president. There were objections to his decision to seek 501(c)(4) status, which allows the group to collect large contributions and keep donors secret.

The entire operation underscores the real political function of the Sanders campaign from its outset. It was not the political expression of the growing anti-capitalist sentiment of workers and young people in the US, but rather the response of a section of the ruling class to this alarming development. Sanders very consciously offered his services as a political lightning rod, using talk of a political revolution against the billionaire class to channel mass anger against social inequality and the domination of the political system by Wall Street back behind the Democratic Party, where it could be strangled and dissipated.

Sanders himself was shocked by the mass response to his rhetoric and the entire financial aristocracy was aghast when his claim to be a democratic socialist proved to be a powerful point of attraction.

The formation of Our Revolution shows that Sanders seeks to continue his services to the capitalist two-party system. But the conditions of capitalist crisis, unemployment, poverty, inequality and war that fueled the political radicalization of which Sanders was a temporary and initial beneficiary will not go away after the elections. The outcome of the contest between the fascistic billionaire Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the favored candidate of Wall Street, the Pentagon and the CIA, will be a further lurch to the right and a vast escalation of US military violence internationally.

In the impending mass struggles of the working class, it is critical that the lessons of the Sanders campaign be assimilated. The fight against war and inequality cannot be carried out within the framework of capitalist politics. There is no avoiding a direct assault on the wealth and power of the ruling class. The working class must break free of the Democratic Party and bourgeois politics as a whole and build an independent political movement to fight for workers power and socialism.
If you consider yourself an art aficionado, you've probably made the pilgrimage to iconic cities such as New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. But if you're looking for an under-the-radar art mecca where you can pop into tucked-away museums and galleries and discover a mix of classic and modern displays, these little-known cultural epicenters feature plenty of celebrated collections. To explore a lesser-visited locale, head to these diverse and up-and-coming arts cities.

[See: 10 Must-See Underrated Cities to Visit This Summer.]

San Juan, Puerto Rico

When you picture Puerto Rico, beautiful beaches likely come to mind. But thanks to the city's rich Taino, Caribbean, and North American heritage, you'll also find a thriving arts scene. Take the Puerto Rico Museum of Art, which houses a collection of Puerto Rican art dating back to the 17th century, or the Puerto Rico Museum of Contemporary Art, which features modern art, including paintings, sculptures and mixed media. In Old San Juan, you'll also find the National Gallery, which houses the largest collection of Jose Campeche paintings and artworks by Francisco Oller and his disciples.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Santa Fe may feel like a small town, but with more than 250 galleries, the city offers the third-largest art market in the country. Take a walk down Canyon Road and you'll find some 100 galleries featuring contemporary paintings, traditional Native American weavings, ceramics, jewelry and more. The mile-long street also has bragging rights for having the highest concentration of art galleries in the nation. You'll find the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum and more.

Cincinnati

In Cincinnati, you'll find plenty of art galleries along with 102 murals that relay the history and culture of the city. Plus, the Cincinnati Art Museum showcases a robust collect, covering more than 65,000 works encompassing 6,000 years. And for modern art enthusiasts, the Contemporary Arts Center is the place to go. Peruse the art of well-known artists like Ugo Rondinone and Glenn Brown. Afterward, step into the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and be prepared for a stirring and eye-opening exhibit on slavery and civil rights that you won't soon forget.

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Detroit

You may associate Detroit with the automobile industry, but Motor City is no stranger to art. Over the last couple of years there's been an art boom of sorts. The Z Garage in downtown Detroit features murals from 27 artists across the country and the Dlectricity, a nighttime festival of art featuring local, national and international artists draws 75,000 people to Detroit for the two-day event. And last year, Detroit's Eastern Market held the first Murals in the Market event, which brought 40 new artists to paint murals in the neighborhood.

[See: 10 Secret European Spots to Visit This Year.]

Greenville, South Carolina

South Carolina may be world-renowned for its mouthwatering barbecue, but its flourishing art scene has emerged on the art aficionado's map, with more than 70 works featured as part of Greenville's Arts in Public Places initiative. An "Orbital Trio" serves as the anchor of North Main Street downtown at NOMA Square, while nearby, you'll find "Octo 2," a kinetic, wind-powered stainless steel sculpture made up of linked stainless shapes rotating around a circular axis. Plus, there are nearly 50 museums and galleries across the city, including the largest Andrew Wyeth watercolor collection in the world at the Greenville County Museum of Art. And a number of art-focused events take place regularly, including Art in the Park and Greenville's signature event, Artisphere, a nationally recognized art festival.

Cape Coral, Florida

In Cape Coral, you'll find Cultural Park Theater, a fine arts center that houses the Cultural Park Theatre Company, the Cape Coral Arts League, the Cape Coral Historical Museum and the Cape Coral Council for Arts and Humanities. This community space rotates fine arts exhibitions, classes and special events. And the annual Cape Coral Festival of Arts each January is one of the city's premier events, with more than 100,000 people and hundreds of artists flocking to South Cape Coral for the two-day event. What's more, the Westin Cape Coral Resort At Marina Village is into the art scene with on-site group painting classes on the property's lawn.

Cody, Wyoming

This tiny town of 10,000 is home to the Whitney Western Art Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, along with numerous galleries and stores. The Whitney Western Art Museum is one of five museums under the roof of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, all which include world-class art. Other museums include the Buffalo Bill Museum, the Plains Indian Museum, the Draper Natural History Museum and the Cody Firearms Museum. Plus, many of the town's most famous art pieces come with an interesting and quirky backstory. Be sure to check out the galleries, as well as the Cody Mural Historical Site and Pioneer Museum.

Des Moines, Iowa

How much do you know about Des Moines? This capital city has a 28-piece sculpture park smack dab in the heart of downtown, along with plenty of public art displays throughout greater Des Moines. Plus, many local restaurants display local artists works on the side of their buildings or on their walls. Standout art spots include the Des Moines Social Club, the Moberg Gallery, the Des Moines Art Center and Artisan Gallery 218. Plus, the popular annual Des Moines Arts Festival, which includes live music, performing arts and visual arts, has received prestigious accolades.

Bellevue, Washington

While you may expect to find top-notch art in Seattle, Bellevue offers an is flourishing arts scene in its own right, with a world-class museum, one of the oldest art fairs in the country and nearly 130 public art displays scattered throughout the city. The Bellevue Arts Museum is a leading destination in the Pacific Northwest and features world-renowned contemporary art and the BAM ARTSfair, a three-day event that showcases handmade crafts and art from more than 300 artists. What's more, Bellwether Exhibition and Art Walk features installations from local and international artists across downtown.

[See: 9 End-of-Summer Travel Deals to Book Now.]

Cleveland

Cleveland is getting increasing acclaim from critics for its up-and-coming arts scene. The Museum of Contemporary Art is where you'll find famous modern art works on display. And the Transformer Station Contemporary Art Space, a former 1924 railroad station turned museum, is a local favorite for its contemporary art displays and photography exhibits. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Museum of Art recently celebrated its 100th year and there's much buzz about the recently opened Hilton Cleveland Downtown, which houses some of the most unique locally curated art in the city. Inside the hotel, you'll find a photo mosaic mural composed of 2,800 selfies by Clevelanders that, from afar, depicts the Cleveland skyline.

Sheryl Nance-Nash is a freelance writer, specializing in travel, business and personal finance. Her travel articles have appeared in Upscale Magazine, Orbitz.com, Cheapoair.com, The Tennessean, BeachDeals.com, Lincoln Star Journal, Knoxville News Sentinel, the Williamsport SunGazette and TheRichest.com. Her business and personal articles have appeared in The New York Times, Money, Forbes.com, DailyFinance.com, Newsday, ABCNews.com, Black Enterprise, Essence and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
Photo credit: Getty

From Seventeen

YA writer Liz Reinhardt, author of Seventeen's upcoming Rebels Like Us from Harlequin TEEN, wasn't always a successful novelist swimming in book deals. Here are a few things she learned along the way.

1. Work a service industry job.

You'll grit your teeth when customers make ridiculous demands, show up ten minutes before closing, or ruin a display you carefully put together, but work builds character and working a service job means you'll never be the kind of awful customer who makes employees cringe.

2. Go on dates with different people.

In order to know what you want from someone else, you need a basis for comparison, which means dating different people! Keep this in mind: you want to wind up with someone who makes you feel like the best version of yourself.

3. Travel as often as you possibly can.

Someday you'll have obligations that will make it hard to pack a suitcase and disappear somewhere foreign and exciting. Enjoy wanderlust while you have ample time and the ability to!

Photo credit: Liz Reinhardt

4. Keep a journal.

I cannot tell you how many times I trip over an old photo or note that reminds me of something from my past I'd completely forgotten about - and I wish I could read my own account of how things were. Perspective is so important, and there's no better way to see how much you've grown and changed than reading your own (possibly melodramatic) journals.

5. Spend time with your family, especially if you have younger siblings.

One day soon you'll be off experiencing college, first jobs, roommates, solo trips, and various adventures away from home. You'll miss your family, but you'll be immersed in new things, while they may be focused on the you-shaped hole in their world. Hold them close and let them know you love them before you set off on your own path.

6. Think about what kind of college you'd like to attend - and be open to the kind of college you can happily afford.

There are so many amazing ways to go about getting a college education. Remember that many people pursue advanced degrees for years, at all stages of their careers and lives. There is no such thing as one perfect college experience, and sometimes practicality may trump an idealized vision of what's best. Be open to fantastic community colleges, colleges with big scholarship opportunities, and work opportunities that will compensate your credit hours. An education is amazing - so is a lack of debt when you get that diploma.

Story continues

"There is no such thing as one perfect college experience."

7. Be confident about what interests you.

Whatever makes you happy - Oxford commas, Broadway musicals, modern dance, lacrosse - pursue it. Love it, enjoy it, find other people to share the love with, and don't waste time on people who try to convince you what you love isn't cool. They're wrong. The Oxford comma is cool. Trust me, I know.

8. Enjoy your body.

Wear what you like, exercise because it feels good, dance, swim, do all those things and swagger when you do them. You're gorgeous right now, exactly the way you are, and your body is better than good enough - it's amazing, it's all yours, and you'll be in it forever. Take good care of it.

"Your body is better than good enough  it's amazing, it's all yours, and you'll be in it forever."

9. Take time to daydream and bask in solitude.

You're about to face new challenges and stresses. For a few years, things might only get more chaotic and complicated. Take time now to give your mind a rest, and try your best to make that mental restfulness a daily habit.

10. Friends come and go, but the lasting effects of good and bad friendships will shape you deeply.

Sometimes it's hard to acknowledge that it's time to let a friendship go, but there's peace in knowing that every friendship teaches you something important. When you do find a friend who grows with you and is there for you through thick and thin, hold on tight! Be in the moment with your friends and cherish the time you have together.

11. If you think you might like to be or do something when you're older, find out all you can about it.

Interview people in the field you want to work in. Interview people who've left the field you want to work in. Volunteer, take unpaid internships and entry level jobs, and do research in your intended field. You'll either find out it wasn't what you wanted after all, or you'll make valuable inroads and gain insider information that will make your future career incredible.

12. Read everything you can get your hands on.

Reading keeps your mind open, lets you live other lives, and shows you other peoples' perspectives. Read it all - fiction, non-fiction, light, fun novels and deep exposes, poetry and interviews. Make reading for information and pleasure a daily habit.

13. Pursue the hobbies that excite you, regardless of whether or not they pad your transcripts.

I know people who curse the hours they spent on fields and in clubs doing things they hated because they wanted their college applications to look impressive. I know people who took college courses they knew they could ace instead of courses they were interested in to keep up the perfect GPA. You have a limited amount of time to do all the things you might be passionate about. Make sure you are using that time wisely.

14. Take good care of your body, mind, and soul.

Sleeping well, eating right, exercising, meditating, spending time with loved ones - do all the things that will keep you happy and healthy so you can tackle the big challenges that are going to come your way.

15. Extend kindness.

It's so easy to extend small, kind gestures every day. Choose to be consciously kind to the people around you.

16. Take pictures.

Maybe this isn't as relevant anymore, but I mourn all the trips and vacations I took as a teenager and never bothered to photographically document. In my defense, I was young before the age of the camera phone! ;) Maybe better advice today would be "take some pictures, but don't forget to put the camera away and enjoy the moment."

17. Love yourself.

At the end of the day, you have yourself - your gorgeous, funny, smart, exciting self. Love yourself with every fiber of your body, and that love will radiate out and attract happiness into your life.

Follow Seventeen on Instagram!

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amber heard johnny depp getty final

If you and your boo split up this month, you're hardly alone.

According to new research, March and August are when couples are most likely to file for divorce.

The research, conducted by sociologists at the University of Washington and cited on The Atlantic, was presented at the most recent meeting of the American Sociological Association.

For the paper, which hasn't yet been peer reviewed, the researchers looked at divorce filings in Washington state between 2001 and 2015. They found that the number of filings reliably increased in March and August.

The researchers say it's meaningful that March and August follow holiday or vacation periods. In the paper, they suggest that holidays represent something like "optimism cycles"  we see them as a chance to start anew in our relationships, only to find that the same problems exist once they're over.

The researchers also suspect that oftentimes our holiday experiences can be stressful and disappointing, laying bare the real issues in our marriage. As soon as they're over, we're ready to call it quits.

The researchers are currently investigating whether the same pattern applies in other US states.

Other analyses of relationship cycles have yielded slightly different findings. An oft-cited analysis by David McCandless and Lee Byron, published in 2010, found that couples tend to split up around spring break, summer vacation, and right before Christmas, according to their Facebook statuses.

On the other hand, research by the economist Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, cited in The Washington Post, found that there's an increase in Google searches for the word "divorce" in the 10 days after Christmas.

Meanwhile, in 2012, Facebook released data that found people are most likely to change their relationship statuses from coupled to single on the social network during the summer months.

None of these researchers can say with certainty why they got the results they did. But perhaps the spike in breakups during and after summer break has to do with our interest in meeting someone new around that time.

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As Bat Sheva Marcus, the clinical director of Maze Women's Sexual Health, told Business Insider, we generally feel more playful during the summer. And the fact that we're wearing less clothing can make us more aware of our bodies, she said.

This research shouldn't make you paranoid, assuming that the minute your plane lands after a vacation, your partner will drop the D-word. It's more interesting from a macro perspective, thinking about the many surprising factors that contribute to  and allow us to predict  the dissolution of a marriage.

NOW WATCH: 3 reasons why summer is the best time to meet someone new





More From Business Insider


From Good Housekeeping

After their two-year-old boy suffered an asthma attack in April, Jonee Fonseca and Nathaniel Stinson never anticipated the harrowing journey the family would go through over the next five months. The couple lost their only son last week when doctors removed him from life support against their wishes.

Israel Stinson permanently lost brain function when a heart attack severely restricted oxygen flow to his head. Three different California hospitals declared the child brain dead, but his parents insisted he could recover. Their lengthy battle in the state's courts came to a sudden end when a judge ruled that the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles could remove the toddler from his breathing ventilator.

"I was on the phone with his mother when the doctors disconnected him," Alexander Snyder, the family's lawyer, said Friday. The Life Legal Defense Foundation is representing the couple pro-bono. "They were in such a hurry to do it, they didn't even sit down and explain what was going on."

His parents still had hope, claiming Guatemalan doctors recorded electrical activity in Israel's brain. They took their son to Central America after the first two diagnoses, and brought him back to the United States hoping the Los Angeles hospital would continue care. But the California doctors all agreed that Israel would never recover, and the ethical decision was to remove him from life support.

While people may differ on the definition of "brain dead" for religious reasons, the medical and legal communities understand it as the "irreversible loss of brain function." Unlike a coma or persistent vegetative state, brain death is permanent, and there's no known case of anyone recovering.

"It's the end of life. It's not just my opinion. It's law and widely accepted among all neurologists," Dr. Wade Smith, director of neurologic intensive care at the University of California, San Francisco, told the Sacramento Bee.

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Since Fonseca and Stinson hoped to care for their son at home, his death came as a heartbreaking surprise. "They are devastated," Snyder told CBS. "I think still in shock. It's not even my child; I am still in shock this could happen so quickly."

Regardless of the court's decision, everyone should keep Israel's family in their thoughts and prayers.

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A group of men were abused and manhandled by Mumbai police just because they were roaming around at the Gateway of India late at night.

By India Today Web Desk: As much as they are known for their efficiency, the police force in our country is marred by a history of police brutality. Over the years, there have been several instances of police brutality across cities. Just a few months ago, a video from Kandivali police station shows a group of belligerent policemen mercilessly thrashing a couple who merely approached to lodge a complain. The video went viral on social media.

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Now, another instance of unwarranted use of power by Mumbai police has come up. But this time around, people who faced this misconduct from the police decided to speak up about it on social media.

Facebook user Anand Sachar posted a video narrating what his friends and him experienced on the wee hours of Sunday at the Gateway of India. At around 2 AM, Sachar and his friends were approached by a police patrol who forced them to leave. Things got ugly when the policemen started abusing and manhandling the group of friends for no rhyme or reason.

While the police went ahead hurling nasty abuses, none of them in the group retaliated. They sat in their car saying, "Such is the state of affairs in our country." In the post, Sachar who was infuriated by their brash behaviour, wrote, "Like they were in the mood to pick a fight, the cops picked on the statement. "Bhe****d, ch****a kya bol la? the senior cop shot back in an abuse-laced spurt. His first name was Jitendra, while the surname we couldn't read on the badge."

"You don't like country? You go to the Pakistan," he tells me. Why Pakistan? Because I wear a beard? Because he was in the mood to get communal?"

He concluded the post with a statement that probably resonates with not just those who have faced police brutality but the country on the whole.

'It remains a pity that instead of focusing on the abolishment of crimes in the city, the cops are busy harassing harmless citizens. In fact, it would appear, that they are finding new ways of making life difficult for the people of Mumbai. The drive we believed would bring us peace of mind had left us aghast. It had also left us feeling disgusted - that how there are a few cops who could spoil the lot, much like rotten apples!'

Anand managed to capture the incident on camera and posted the story on Facebook to expose the atrocity meted out by the police.

--- ENDS ---
Cash is the most essential factor for any company. In fact, it is the lifeblood for the companys existence, development and success. Cash gives strength and vitality to a company, flexibility to make decisions, the means to make potential investments and the fuel to run its growth engine.



Even a profit-making company can end up being bankrupt while meeting its obligations if it has a dearth of cash flow. A companys resilience can be effectively judged by evaluating its efficiency in generating cash flows, as cash not only guards a company from market mayhem but also indicates that profits are being channelized in the right direction.



To understand this efficiency, one needs to consider a companys net cash flow. In any business, cash moves in and out, net cash flow explains how much money the company is actually making. Experiencing a positive cash flow denotes an increase in the companys liquid assets. This provides the means to meet debt obligations, shell out for expenses, reinvest in business, endure downturns and finally return wealth to shareholders. On the other hand, incurring negative cash flow indicates a decline in the companys liquidity, which in turn lowers its flexibility to support these moves.



However, positive cash flow alone is not sufficient to predict a companys future growth. Consistent growth can only be achieved by a company when this positive cash flow is increasing because this improvement indicates managements efficiency in regulating its cash movements and lesser dependency on external financing sources for running its business.



As a result, while picking stocks, go beyond profits and make sure to look for companies with dependable and increasing cash flows.



Screening Parameters:



To find out stocks that have seen increasing cash flow over time, we ran the screen for those whose cash flow in the latest reported quarter was at least equal to or greater than the 5-year average cash flow per common share. This implies a positive trend and increasing cash over a period of time.



In addition to this, we chose:



Zacks Rank 1: No matter whether market conditions are good or bad, stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) have a proven history of outperformance.



Average Broker Rating 1: This indicates that brokers are also highly hopeful about the companys future performance.



Current Price greater than or equal to $5: This screens out the low-priced stocks.



VGM Score of B or better: This score is also of great assistance in selecting stocks. Importantly, this scoring system helps in picking winning stocks in their individual industry categories.



Here are four of the seven stocks that made it through the screen:



Autobytel Inc. ABTL owns Internet sites for new and pre-owned vehicle information and automotive services that link buyers and sellers throughout the United States in an information-rich environment. Through the company's websites consumers can research pricing, specifications and other information regarding new and pre-owned vehicles and purchase, finance, lease, insure, sell or maintain their vehicles. The company is headquartered in Irvine, CA. It came up with an earnings surprise of 70.0% in the latest reported quarter and has an average surprise of 20.36% over the trailing four quarters.The company has a VGM score of A.



TDK Corporation TTDKY is a Tokyo-based manufacturer and seller of electronic components. The company has a VGM score of A.



KT Corp. KT, headquartered in Seongnam, South Korea, provides telecommunication services. Its services include mobile telecommunications services, telephone services, fixed-line and VoIP telephone services. The company also provides interconnection services to other telecommunications companies, broadband Internet access services and Internet-related services. It also offers information technology and network services, including consulting, designing, building, and maintaining of systems and communication networks. The company has a VGM score of A.



Hallador Energy Company HNRG, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Sunrise Coal, LLC, is engaged in the production of coal in the Illinois Basin for the electric power generation industry. The company is headquartered in Denver, CO and has a VGM score of A.



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Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.



Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance.



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As baby boomers grow older, their adult children are increasingly being tapped to offer help with tending to their day-to-day needs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 40.4 million Americans act as caregivers for someone else and the majority of those aged 35 to 64 are doing so for a parent.

A lot of attention is paid to how emotionally draining caregiving can be but the financial implications can't be overlooked. When planning for retirement takes a backseat to caring for an aging parent, you could end up paying the price in your later years.

If you're anticipating becoming a caregiver to one or both of your parents at some point, you'll need a good defensive plan for safeguarding your retirement. Here are some of the most important things to keep in mind.

[See: 7 Stocks to Buy for the Baby Boomer Retirement Wave.]

Ask the right questions. There are a whole host of issues that need to be explored prior to taking on a caregiving role. First, you need to be asking what kind of care you're expected to give, says Robert A. Westley, an associate wealth advisor at New York-based Northern Trust.

"People should consider the specifics," Westley says. "Namely, will it be primarily financial assistance, physical assistance or a combination of the two? If it's financial, is there room in your budget for these additional expenses?"

If the answer is no, then the next question you have to ask is how you're going to cover the gap. Will it mean a significant lifestyle change or are you comfortable with re-prioritizing your other financial goals? These are things that bear thinking about beforehand, Westley says.

Adult children also need to take the wishes of their parents into account, advises Brian Pearson, president and CEO of American Benefits Exchange in Austin, Texas.

"Families need to have a discussion to find out what the elderly parents' preferences are," Pearson says. "Do they want to stay in their own home or are they open to moving in an assisted living facility? If they had to go into some type of nursing care facility, is that an option?"

Story continues

From there, Pearson suggests looking at how those choices compare in terms of cost. The expense spectrum is very broad and the cost is going to be different depending on which option is deemed best. That in turn is going to have an effect on how well you're able to keep pace with your retirement savings goals.

Plan ahead for employment changes. Six in 10 caregivers say they've had to cut back hours or take a temporary leave of absence from their jobs at some point, according to AARP's 2015 "Caregiving in the U.S." report. If you're concerned about having to take a break from work to care for a parent, that's something you need to plan for sooner rather than later.

Lisa Hutter, senior director of wealth planning for Wells Fargo Private Bank, counsels that caregivers need to be prepared for the long-term impact of leaving their jobs behind, even they're only doing so temporarily.

"Reduced pay affects your retirement savings rate, which can influence the age at which you're able to retire," Hutter says. "Trying to maintain the same retirement age could mean having to cut expenses or take a different approach to investing. In the end, it may not even be possible. Becoming a caregiver can mean delaying retirement or ending up with less disposable income in your later years."

Meeting with a financial planner is also recommended when caregiving triggers financial concerns, according to David Peterson, a managing director with Denver-based United Capital Financial Advisers.

"The advisor should run a financial plan that addresses several "what ifs" while also looking at the worst-case scenario," Peterson says. What may begin as a two- or three-month undertaking could turn into a two- or three-year obligation, he cautions. Like Hutter, he agrees that people need to carefully consider the possibility of having to work longer or live on less in retirement when caregiving is on the table.

[Read: 15 Retirement Investing Mistakes to Avoid.]

Focus on your employer's retirement plan if you're returning to the workforce. If you're going back to work after spending time as a caregiver, ramping up your 401(k) can help you get back on track.

At the very least, you should be contributing enough to get the employer matching contribution once you're working again. The more you can accelerate your savings rate, the better, particularly if you're looking at a shorter horizon to retire. If you're 50 or older, you should be taking full advantage of catch-up contributions.

If your employer doesn't offer a 401(k) or a similar plan, look at what options you do have. Max out an IRA or funnel money into a health savings account if you have a high-deductible insurance plan. The contribution limits to both aren't as high as a 401(k) but they still offer tax-advantaged avenues to beef up your nest egg.

Beyond saving, it's also important to re-evaluate your spending. If you reduced your lifestyle while you were out of the workforce, says Peterson, don't rush to resume your old spending habits. Instead, focus on adding to your retirement accounts and paying down any debt you may have accumulated while you were out of work.

Leave emotions out of your decision-making. When you're dealing with family matters, it's easy to let emotions direct your choices but that's not something you can afford to do when your retirement is at stake.

Beth Blecker, a registered financial consultant and founder of Eastern Planning in Pearl River, New York, stresses the importance of leaving emotions out of the equation, especially for women who become caregivers.

"The biggest mistake associated with caregiving is making emotionally-based decisions," Blecker says. "This hits women particularly hard. Women are often expected to be the ones providing care but if a woman has to leave her job, she's dealing with the loss of salary, benefits and the ability to plan for her own retirement. Family members need to communicate and make a rational decision that takes financial matters into consideration."

Pearson says that emotions can lead to snap decisions that don't take the bigger financial picture into account. If you're leaving a job, for example, you're not just forgoing a paycheck. You're also losing out on the potential for promotions, bonuses, insurance, vacation pay and matching contributions to a retirement plan, all of which have a high value. The loss of those benefits can threaten your retirement security down the road so it pays to be level-headed.

[See: 10 Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Financial Advisor.]

"Bottom line," Pearson says, "don't let emotions overrule common sense."

Rebecca Lake has been writing about investing, finance and small business for nearly a decade. Her work has been featured on The Huffington Post, Fox Business and Investopedia. Follow her on Twitter @seemomwrite.
Have you watched Time Raiders ()? If you can read Chinese, then youll know that Time Raiders isnt an accurate translation of the title. Its actually loosely translated as Chronicles of the Grave Robbers. Thats right, theyre actually Tomb Raiders, but since Lara Croft already has the monopoly on that title, guess they thought nobody would notice the difference between Tomb and Time.

While they go on grand adventures robbing graves across China (like those of royalty), that doesnt mean there wouldnt be any great tombs for them to visit in Southeast Asia. While were not advocating tomb raiding in any form, here are some tombs in the region that the Time (Tomb?) Raiders could visit if a sequel was made.

This is how the Time Raiders from Time Raiders () would react if they came to this cemetery. (Shaw Organisation)

1. Japanese Cemetery Park in Singapore

Located in Hougang, the graveyard has been gazetted by the Singapore government as a memorial park. It holds the distinction of being the largest Japanese cemetery in Southeast Asia. Its been in use since 1891, making it over a century old. Its seen both civilians and soldiers from World War II. There were plans to repatriate the ashes to Japan, but upon seeing the amount of effort put into creating the cemetery, the Japanese government let the ashes stay in Singapore. Its a little piece of Japan in Singapore, and the tombs are so beautifully kept that youd think you were in Japan, although thats rather morbid.

Hopefully the characters from Time Raiders () dont brandish swords if they come here. (Shaw Organisation)

2. Jalan Kubor Cemetery in Singapore

This is the oldest Muslim cemetery in Singapore, situated off Victoria Street. It had a section dedicated to Malay royalty, known as the Sultans Burial Ground. Several of the Sultans descendants were laid to rest in the cemetery, although in reality anybody could be buried there. While many of the bodies have been exhumed and transferred to other cemeteries, who knows what other mysteries it might still hold?

Story continues

3. Old Protestant Cemetery in Malaysia

(Photo: Getty Images)

This cemetery is located in George Town, and is a Class 1 Heritage Site. Most significantly, there are many graves of infants in the cemetery, the victims of the harsh lifestyle in the early days of Penang. Its maintained by the Penang Heritage Trust. An interesting fact is that it lies in a grove of frangipani trees, and weve all been told what frangipani means

Even the Time Raiders () wouldnt want to bid farewell to such an interesting site. (Shaw Organisation)

4. Limestone tombs of Kamhantik of Philippines

With such an exotic name, you know theres a lot of rich history to these tombs. Located in Quezon, this is actually the remains of a thousand-year-old village. It is comprised of fifteen tombs (or at least, thats how many theyve found so far) carved into limestone croppings in the jungle, and is significant for being both a place for the living and the dead to stay. The tombs are similar to Egyptian sarcophagi, and theyre described as being the first of its kind in Philippines.

5. Manila Chinese Cemetery in Philippines

(Photo: Getty Images)

Its dubbed the Beverly Hills of the dead because gigantic, fully furnished mansions are built on the tombs of the dead so that the living can be near to them. Visitors often stay for a few days, but there are those whove decided they might as well live near their ancestors permanently. Its almost surreal to see a small town thats built upon the dead.

Are there any other tombs that you think the next Time Raiders () movie should take place? Let us know what you think!

Marcus Goh is a Singapore television scriptwriter. Hes also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. He Tweets/Instagrams at Optimarcus and writes at marcusgohmarcusgoh.com. The views expressed are his own.


One of the ironic parts about Shin: Godzilla (aka Godzilla: Resurgence) is how the Japanese government reacts to Godzillas arrival. Its an event that none of them have any experience with, and completely bamboozles all the departments. Shortly after that, one of the characters comments that the various ministries will try their best to push their responsibilities to another ministry. Yep, sounds like a government all right.

We certainly hope that the actual Japanese government would react much better than that (and they have, so theres no worry there), but what about the Singapore government? Which ministries would be panicking at Godzillas resurgence? In reality, all of them would be fretting over a radioactive behemoth stepping all over Orchard Road. But here are the six that would (probably) panic the most.

Thats a lot of radiation coming from Godzilla in Shin Godzilla. (Encore Films)

1. Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR)

Godzilla is radioactive. Hes a walking nuclear reactor, and his body is unshielded, meaning that all that radiation is leaking out of him. His blood and other waste products are so foul smelling that in Shin Godzilla they have to clean it up immediately. MEWR would be hurriedly issuing notices to stay away from Godzilla while trying to figure out a cure or preventive measure for all that radiation flooding Singapore.

Mmm hmm. Godzilla creates a lot, and I mean a lot, of waste in Shin Godzilla. (Encore Films)

2. Ministry of National Development (MND)

Remember the biological waste that Godzilla leaves behind? If we humans can already produce such disgusting droppings, just think about the smell and mass of Godzillas faecal matter. And since cleaning up the streets is the job of the Town Council, and the Town Council is under the Ministry of National Development, therell be chaos as they try to forecast where Godzilla will step next. Hed better not come during the election period, because then nobody will be able to keep track of whos supposed to clean up after him.

Story continues

Maybe if Kayoko (Satomi Ishihara) from Shin Godzilla delivered the news it wouldnt be so bad. (Encore Films)

3. Ministry of Transport

Seriously, the Ministry of Transport just cant catch a break. Godzilla will definitely cause traffic jams, for one, but hes probably going to disrupt one of our train lines. We already have so many problems keeping SMRT running when theres no giant monster rampaging in the streets. Godzilla is just going to exacerbate the train faults. And this time, we cant blame plastic cable ties for the delays.

Would we see any helicopters like in Shin Godzilla? (Encore Films)

4. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)

If Godzilla comes, who you gonna call? Not the Ghostbusters, their proton packs and containment units arent going to be able to hold Godzilla. Youre going to dial 999 (or SMS 71999 if youre scared that hell hear you). And once panic sets in, everybody is going to call 999 for anything that even vaguely reminds them of Godzilla. Since the police is under MHA

This, my friends, is what FIBUA is for - situations like those in Shin Godzilla. (Encore Films)

5. Ministry of Defence (MINDEF)

At some point, the SAF is going to be involved. All those fighter jets are going to see some action as they spell SG51 in the air while performing an air strike on Godzilla. Our tanks are going to be pelting the creature with as many shells as they can fire. Someones got to sign all those indent forms for ammunition, and in the end, MINDEF is the one which will need to approve everything.

Theyd be as stressed as Yaguchi (Hiroki Hasegawa) in Shin Godzilla. (Encore Films)

6. Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI)

Finally, someone has to issue the news reports and press releases about Godzilla facts, lest rumours spread over Facebook. Thats where MCI is going to come in, and theyll be working overtime as they warn the next neighbourhood who will be in the path of an irate Godzilla. But Yahoo will also cover it, dont worry (as long as we dont have to send our queries to a generic email address and wait a couple of days for the reply). We might even have a listicle of Godzilla facts for you!

Godzillas arrival will trigger a joint MEWR-MND-MHA-MINDEF-MCI-MOT response. Did we leave out any ministry? Drop us a comment if you think weve left out the ministry you work for!







Marcus Goh is a Singapore television scriptwriter. Hes also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. He Tweets/Instagrams at Optimarcus and writes atmarcusgohmarcusgoh.com. The views expressed are his own.
In a sign that frustration is growing in the U.S. Congress over Saudi Arabia, a bipartisan group of 60 lawmakers has signed a letter seeking to delay the Obama administrations planned sale of $1.15 billion in arms and military equipment to Riyadh.

The letter, addressed to President Barack Obama, cites the growing number of civilian casualties in Yemen caused by the Saudi-led military coalition and the Obama administrations failure to rein in its Arab ally.

This military campaign has had a deeply troubling impact on civilians, wrote the lawmakers in a draft obtained by Foreign Policy. Just in the last several days, a Saudi airstrike on a school in Yemen killed 10 children  some as young as 6 years old  and a Saudi airstrike on a [Medecins Sans Frontieres] hospital in Yemen killed 11 people.

In a statement, the California Democrat who helped lead the letter campaign, Rep. Ted Lieu, said the multiple, repeated airstrikes on civilians look like war crimes.

The missive is expected to be sent to the White House on Tuesday.

The proposed sale, approved by the State Department on Aug. 9, includes up to 153 tanks, ammunition, hundreds of machine guns, and sundry other military equipment. Congress has 30 days to block the sale, but the lawmakers appear irritated that notification of the sale came in the middle of their summer recess.

Any decision to sell more arms to Saudi Arabia should be given adequate time for full deliberation by Congress, wrote the lawmakers. We are concerned, however, that the timing of this notification during the August congressional recess could be interpreted to mean that Congress has little time to consider the arms deal when it returns from recess within the 30-day window established by law.

The 18-month conflict in Yemen has killed at least 6,000 people and displaced 2.5 million more as Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-majority allies battle Houthi rebels for control of the country. The chaotic fighting has also allowed Islamist militants to deepen their foothold in the country. On Monday, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for a massive suicide truck bomb attack that killed 54 people in Aden.

Story continues

A State Department official declined to comment on whether or not the executive branch would delay the proposed sale, saying he hasnt yet seen the lawmakers letter. The official said the United States remains committed to confronting any external threat to the territorial integrity of its Persian Gulf allies, like Saudi Arabia, but added that Riyadh and Houthi rebels should cease all military action.

Co-signers of the letter include a mix of Republicans and Democrats, including Reps. Lieu, Justin Amash (R-Mich.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ted Yoho (R-Fla.), and Jared Polis (D-Colo.).

This is a first step, which shows that members of Congress are increasingly ready to move from expressing private concerns to the administration to taking public action to reduce U.S. support for Saudi Arabias war in Yemen, said Robert Naiman, the policy director at Just Foreign Policy, a nonprofit organization focused on reforming U.S. foreign policy.

Photo credit: MOHAMMED HUWAIS/Stringer
Abercrombie & Fitch Co.s ANF shares plunged over 13% in the pre-market trading session after the company reported dismal second-quarter fiscal 2016 results. A soft sales performance due to traffic headwinds at its U.S. flagship and tourist locations stores were primarily responsible for the quarters weakness.



The companys quarterly adjusted loss per share of 25 cents was wider than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 23 cents and the prior-year quarter loss of 12 cents. Results for the quarter included an impact of nearly 8 cents per share from adverse currency exchange rates.



Including certain one-time items, Abercrombie reported a loss per share of 19 cents compared with a loss of 1 cent per share in the year-ago quarter.

ABERCROMBIE Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

ABERCROMBIE Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | ABERCROMBIE Quote

Quarter in Detail



Net sales were down nearly 4% year over year to $783.2 million and missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $789 million. The decline reflects a 7% drop in domestic sales to about $478.8 million and nearly flat international sales of $304.4 million. Also brand-wise, sales for Abercrombie fell 5% to $363.1 million while sales at Hollister declined 4% to $420.1 million.



However, net sales of the company benefited from a 23% contribution from its direct-to-consumer and omni-channel businesses in the reported quarter.



Comparable store sales (comps) slipped 4% owing to lower traffic, particularly at its flagship and tourist locations in the U.S. However, comps gained from the strength in its direct-to-customer business, on both domestic and international fronts, along with comps recovery at its Hollister European business, including the U.K. Also, the conversion trend remained solid in both channels, by brand and geography.



The Abercrombie brand recorded comparable sales decline of 7%, while Hollister witnessed a 2% fall.



Adjusted gross margin contracted 20 basis points in constant currency to 64.8%, mainly backed by higher average unit costs and partly offset by higher average unit retails. Additionally, constant-currency gross margin was largely stable due to tight expense and inventory controls.



Financials



Abercrombie ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $455.6 million, long-term borrowings of $285.5 million, and shareholders equity of $1,232.2 million. As of Jul 30, 2016, inventories were $453.2 million, down nearly 5.3% from the prior-year quarter.



On Aug 17, management declared a quarterly cash dividend of 20 cents per share, payable on Sep 12, to shareholders on record as of Sep 2.



Store Update



During the fiscal second quarter, the company introduced two stores in the U.S., including one namesake and one Hollister store, while it opened two new international Hollister stores. Also, the company closed two namesake and one Hollister stores, both in the U.S. With this, the company operated 744 stores in the U.S. and 182 stores across Canada, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, as of Jul 30, 2016.



In fiscal 2016, the company plans to launch 15 stores, comprising 10 stores in international markets, specifically in China, and five domestic stores. Additionally, the company plans to open about six outlet stores in the U.S. Apart from this, the company intends to pull down shutters on approximately 60 stores in the U.S.



Outlook



Following the dismal fiscal second quarter, the company expects comps to remain challenging in the second half of fiscal 2016, due to uneven results from flagship and tourist locations. Further, it expects foreign currency headwinds to hurt sales by nearly $25 million and operating income by $20 million in the fiscal second half, with the largest impact expected in the fiscal third quarter.



For fiscal 2016, the company expects adjusted gross margin to remain flat at nearly 61.9%, while the same is expected to decline in the third quarter due to adverse currency effects.



Operating expenses for the full fiscal are estimated to fall marginally from the fiscal 2015 levels, as investments in marketing, mainly tilted to the third quarter, will mostly be offset by savings from its expense reduction initiatives. The company expects the effective tax rate in mid-to-upper 30s, while net income attributable to non-controlling interests should come in at about $5 million. Shares outstanding are anticipated at about 68 million.



The company now expects capital expenditure at the lower end of its previous guidance of $150$175 million, directed toward store openings and updates, direct-to-consumer and technological initiatives for fiscal 2016.



Zacks Rank & Key Picks



Abercrombie currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the same industry include The Children's Place Inc. PLCE, with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), and American Eagle Outfitters Inc. AEO and L Brands Inc. LB, each holding a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).



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Abortion restrictions implemented in Ohio in 2011 under the guise of protecting womens health led to more side-effects and follow-up visits for patients, according to a new study out of the University of California, San Francisco.

The 2011 Ohio law makes sense on paper: it requires abortion providers to prescribe the abortion medication mifepristone (also known as RU-486) in compliance with federally approved guidelines. But those FDA guidelines had been last updated in 2000, which meant that providers were legally required to prescribe abortion medication according to protocols that were more than a decade old, even though evidence-based medical consensus suggested that a slightly different regimen might be safer, easier and more effective.

The Ohio law required doctors to adhere to recommendations present on the original drug labelthe dose of the drug was considerably higher when the pill was first introduced, and the period of time for which is it thought to be safe to take has grown since the late 1990seven though that guidance was based on outdated medical research.

In March of 2016 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated its guidelines to bring its mifepristone recommendations in line with current evidence. But between 2011 and 2016, Ohio abortion providers were legally required to prescribe the abortion medication in a regimen that was out-of-step with the latest science.

On the face of it, it sounds reasonable to require providers to use FDA protocol, says Dr. Ushma Upadhyay, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UCSF and lead author of the study. But its an inferior protocol.

That led to worse outcomes for the patients. The UCSF study of more than 2,700 Ohio patients, published Tuesday in the journal PLOS Medicine, found that between 2011 and 2016, Ohio women who had medical abortions were almost three times more likely to require additional medical treatment than they had been before the law was passed (before the law was passed, only 5% of medical abortions required additional treatment, but after the 2011 law more than 14% of medical abortions resulted in a follow-up visit). Patients also reported higher logistical burdens (the law required patients to make four visits instead of two) and increased rates of side effects like nausea and vomiting, likely due to the higher dose of the drug.

Story continues

The law also seems to have correlated to an 80% decline in medical abortions, which is troubling because medical abortions (which are done with medication in the early stages of a pregnancy) are widely considered to be cheaper and less invasive than surgical abortions. Before the 2011 law, 22% of Ohio abortions were medical abortions, but by 2014 only 5% of all Ohio abortions were medical abortions.

The study comes just two months after the Supreme Court struck down a Texas abortion law that would have closed more than half the states abortion clinics, ruling that the restrictionswhich were presented as regulations to protect womens healthconstituted an undue burden on the constitutional right to an abortion. In his majority opinion, Justice Stephen Breyer wrote that there was not enough medical benefit to justify the restrictions.

Dr. Upadhyay says she knows of no other state law that outlaws or requires providers to use a specific federal regimen. Usually doctors are free to prescribe treatment according to the latest clinical research and evolving best practices, not slow-moving federal guidelines. This medication was singled out, she says.

Similar laws regulating the use of abortion medication are on the books in North Dakota and Texas.

The FDA updated its guidelines for mifepristone usage in early 2016, bringing them in line with current medical practicethat meant reducing the dosage, decreasing the number of required follow-up visits, and extending the period of time during which it can be usedbut the restrictive laws still require doctors to follow the FDA guidelines, not the latest science. And if research outstrips the FDA guidelines again, doctors will have their hands tied.

Theres no way a federal agency could dictate how a specific medication regimen should go for all patients, says Dr. Upadhyay. When a law doesnt follow the evidence, and doesnt respect the doctor-patient relationship, I think it causes problems.
By India Today Web Desk: More than half the population in metropolitan cities across the country depend on the public transport facilities and all of us have, at some point of time, been invariably rejected by autowallahs and cabbies point blank.

Their excuses range from lame to downright rude. While some auto drives crib about the distance (which they are really not supposed to) others mercilessly whiz past.

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God forbid, if its pouring cats and dogs, they tap on the desperation of the passenger and without doubt, increase the fare as per their whim and fancy.

All of these autowallah shenanigans pushes people to opt for cab services like Ola and Uber or other app-based taxi services. This eventually ends up in a blame-game between local transport services and corporate transport about one impeding the other's business.

At the end of it all it's the common man who face the brunt of frequent auto strikes and Mumbaikars have been facing a lot of it lately. One such Mumbaikar named Dhruv Souran vented out his frustration about autowallahs in the form of a Facebook post.

Elaborating the apathy of auto drivers he wrote, "I asked an auto rickshaw driver if he will take me to Seven Bungalows. As usual, he refused, and just stood there. Then I asked another passing auto rickshaw...he too refused and ran off. I asked a third one, he did not even bother to stop. Still, clinging on to dear hope, I requested one more empty auto...he just went off even without bothering to say 'No'".



He nails the reason why cab services are briskly increasing business, "The business that the autos lose is not because of Uber/Ola. The fact is that the business that Uber/Ola get is because of the auto rickshaw drivers."

His point wise sarcastic take-down of the state of auto drivers is bang on and has gone viral with 10,000 likes and 8,000 shares.

Read the full post below:



--- ENDS ---
Remembering how to live like a student didn't come naturally to Claire Seely, who is currently in her second year of a master's program at the University of South Carolina.

"When I had a salary, I could go out to happy hour twice a week, and that was fine. But as a graduate student, I was still doing that," says Seely, who previously worked for a higher education tech company.

"It wasn't until the end of the year that I realized I was out of money," she says.

Returning to school after spending time earning a real salary is challenging for myriad reasons. Not only do adult students need to re-learn how to study, interact with professors and endure multi-hour lectures, they have to grasp how to budget, spend and live like a student.

Here's what to know about returning to student life after you've worked full time.

[See: How to Live on $13,000 a Year.]

Consider the alternatives. Think -- really think -- about the desire to return to school. "Probably the largest -- or most significant -- piece of the conversation is how passionate they are about leaving work and leaving their income to go back to school," says Kara Blanchard, assistant dean of admission and financial aid at Drake University Law School in Iowa.

Attending school full time may mean leaving valuable employer benefits on the table. The majority of employers offer some sort of educational assistance, according to the Society for Human Resource Management's 2016 employee benefits report. But tapping those may require staying employed while taking classes, so think hard before severing ties with your employer.

Even if employer tuition reimbursement benefits aren't available, adult part-time students can take night classes and other certification courses without abandoning their full-time income.

"A lot of degree programs can be merged into your full-time work life," says Julie Selander, director of One Stop Student Services at the University of Minnesota--Twin Cities. The office offers a financial literacy and money management initiative for students called "Live Like A Student."

Story continues

This doesn't mean that becoming a full-time student is never a savvy decision -- it's a quicker way to earn a degree. But think long and hard before making the call, considering cost against the financial and professional payoffs.

Prepare your financial life. Before handing in your two weeks' notice, do everything you can to prepare for your transition to student life.

The changeover "works best when somebody has gotten their financial house in order, so to speak, before they decide to leave employment and come back to school full time," Blanchard says.

For example, if you're still paying off loans from another degree program, you may need to place them in deferment while you're in school. (Don't forget that interest may still continue to accrue).

Start budgeting more aggressively to boost your savings and get accustomed to the student lifestyle, Blanchard says.

Meet with your financial advisor, if you use one, to discuss the best assets to tap for tuition payments and how to most effectively manage your finances while you're in school.

[See: 12 Ways to Be a More Mindful Spender.]

Learn to budget. Workers transitioning to student life should "think about things, like forgoing the vacations they've been used to, not enjoying their daily latte or eating more meals at home than they were used to," Blanchard says.

Selander recommends opting to sell your car if you can. "Particularly on our campus, you don't need that car. And that's such a huge expense for the parking, insurance and the gas," she says.

Budgeting better is something Seely, who is funding her education partly with student loans, wishes she'd learned earlier in her second act as a student. "For this year, I made a budget for the first time in my life," she says. "I'm trying to actually have a better sense of what my finances are and how to live at least a little closer within my means."

[See: 6 Ways to Treat Yourself on a Budget.]

Consider financial aid. If you're headed back to school, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is key to unlocking federal loans, grants and other financial aid.

Take note, experts say, that filing the FAFSA is a little more complex when you're transitioning from full-time worker to full-time student, especially if you're returning for an undergraduate degree.

Here's why: The FAFSA will consider your need-based financial aid eligibility based on your previous year's salary, despite the fact that you won't be making that salary once you enroll.

If you think that you'll qualify for need-based aid (mostly available to undergraduates), the best way to tackle this is to file the FAFSA as usual, before the deadline, then appeal to the financial aid office for a "professional judgment" in which the college's administrators can take your special circumstances into consideration.

You may have to ask for a professional judgment for two consecutive years, warns Fred Amrein, founder of EFC PLUS, a software program that helps with college funding, financial aid and student loan repayment solutions. That's thanks to the new prior-prior year FAFSA guidelines, starting in the 2017-2018 academic year, which will require that students submit financial information from two years earlier.

And, of course, make sure not to over-borrow. Says Blanchard: "We encourage [returning students] -- just like we do with any student -- to not borrow more than is absolutely necessary."





More From US News & World Report


Remembering how to live like a student didn't come naturally to Claire Seely, who is currently in her second year of a master's program at the University of South Carolina.

"When I had a salary, I could go out to happy hour twice a week, and that was fine. But as a graduate student, I was still doing that," says Seely, who previously worked for a higher education tech company.

"It wasn't until the end of the year that I realized I was out of money," she says.

Returning to school after spending time earning a real salary is challenging for myriad reasons. Not only do adult students need to re-learn how to study, interact with professors and endure multi-hour lectures, they have to grasp how to budget, spend and live like a student.

Here's what to know about returning to student life after you've worked full time.

[See: How to Live on $13,000 a Year.]

Consider the alternatives. Think -- really think -- about the desire to return to school. "Probably the largest -- or most significant -- piece of the conversation is how passionate they are about leaving work and leaving their income to go back to school," says Kara Blanchard, assistant dean of admission and financial aid at Drake University Law School in Iowa.

Attending school full time may mean leaving valuable employer benefits on the table. The majority of employers offer some sort of educational assistance, according to the Society for Human Resource Management's 2016 employee benefits report. But tapping those may require staying employed while taking classes, so think hard before severing ties with your employer.

Even if employer tuition reimbursement benefits aren't available, adult part-time students can take night classes and other certification courses without abandoning their full-time income.

"A lot of degree programs can be merged into your full-time work life," says Julie Selander, director of One Stop Student Services at the University of Minnesota--Twin Cities. The office offers a financial literacy and money management initiative for students called "Live Like A Student."

Story continues

This doesn't mean that becoming a full-time student is never a savvy decision -- it's a quicker way to earn a degree. But think long and hard before making the call, considering cost against the financial and professional payoffs.

Prepare your financial life. Before handing in your two weeks' notice, do everything you can to prepare for your transition to student life.

The changeover "works best when somebody has gotten their financial house in order, so to speak, before they decide to leave employment and come back to school full time," Blanchard says.

For example, if you're still paying off loans from another degree program, you may need to place them in deferment while you're in school. (Don't forget that interest may still continue to accrue).

Start budgeting more aggressively to boost your savings and get accustomed to the student lifestyle, Blanchard says.

Meet with your financial advisor, if you use one, to discuss the best assets to tap for tuition payments and how to most effectively manage your finances while you're in school.

[See: 12 Ways to Be a More Mindful Spender.]

Learn to budget. Workers transitioning to student life should "think about things, like forgoing the vacations they've been used to, not enjoying their daily latte or eating more meals at home than they were used to," Blanchard says.

Selander recommends opting to sell your car if you can. "Particularly on our campus, you don't need that car. And that's such a huge expense for the parking, insurance and the gas," she says.

Budgeting better is something Seely, who is funding her education partly with student loans, wishes she'd learned earlier in her second act as a student. "For this year, I made a budget for the first time in my life," she says. "I'm trying to actually have a better sense of what my finances are and how to live at least a little closer within my means."

[See: 6 Ways to Treat Yourself on a Budget.]

Consider financial aid. If you're headed back to school, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is key to unlocking federal loans, grants and other financial aid.

Take note, experts say, that filing the FAFSA is a little more complex when you're transitioning from full-time worker to full-time student, especially if you're returning for an undergraduate degree.

Here's why: The FAFSA will consider your need-based financial aid eligibility based on your previous year's salary, despite the fact that you won't be making that salary once you enroll.

If you think that you'll qualify for need-based aid (mostly available to undergraduates), the best way to tackle this is to file the FAFSA as usual, before the deadline, then appeal to the financial aid office for a "professional judgment" in which the college's administrators can take your special circumstances into consideration.

You may have to ask for a professional judgment for two consecutive years, warns Fred Amrein, founder of EFC PLUS, a software program that helps with college funding, financial aid and student loan repayment solutions. That's thanks to the new prior-prior year FAFSA guidelines, starting in the 2017-2018 academic year, which will require that students submit financial information from two years earlier.

And, of course, make sure not to over-borrow. Says Blanchard: "We encourage [returning students] -- just like we do with any student -- to not borrow more than is absolutely necessary."

Susannah Snider is the Personal Finance editor at U.S. News. She previously covered paying for college and graduate school. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at ssnider@usnews.com.
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown said on Tuesday she had asked state-owned power utility Eskom to immediately provide a report required by the Treasury, which is investigating the utility's coal contracts. Brown said she was concerned a public row between the Treasury and Eskom could lead to the utility being downgraded by credit rating agencies. The Treasury on Monday accused Eskom executives of blocking the probe of coal contracts between the utility and a company linked to the wealthy Gupta family that is accused of holding undue political sway over President Jacob Zuma. The Sunday Times reported the Treasury's investigation had revealed Eskom paid more than 130 million rand ($9 million) to Tegeta Exploration & Resources Ltd., a mining company owned by the Gupta family, for coal the power utility could not use. Eskom said it was cooperating with investigations and had not been involved in any wrongdoing. The utility had asked for more time to prepare its response to the Treasury. "Treasury and myself should meet to resolve this matter," Brown said in an interview on Talk Radio 702, adding she was waiting for the outcome of the investigation to find out about any payments by Eskom to Tegeta. "I don't want to see credit rating agencies downgrade Eskom because of a spat in the media," she said. The row further scarred relations in a government rocked by a police investigation of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan over a suspected surveillance unit set up when he ran the tax service. The turmoil has weakened South African assets. Analysts say Zuma's team and the Treasury under Gordhan have disagreed about government spending at state companies and the tussle between Treasury and Eskom signalled a prolonged dispute. (Reporting by James Macharia; Editing by Mark Potter)
Johannesburg (AFP) - A South African school was ordered Tuesday to suspend allegedly racist hairstyle regulations after black pupils said they had been called monkeys by teachers for wearing banned 'afros'.

Local education authorities in Gauteng province gave Pretoria High School for Girls 21 days to re-assess its rules after protests by students triggered a public dispute over alleged racism.

The prestigious school in the capital Pretoria was historically attended by whites only but it admitted black children following the end of apartheid in 1994.

Some pupils said they were forced to chemically straighten their hair and not wear afro hairstyles that were deemed untidy.

After visiting the school on Monday for talks with senior staff and students, provincial education minister Panyaza Lesufi said a probe into the allegations would be launched.

"Learners feel that they are not allowed to wear Black hairstyles, such as Afro. Specifically, the school policy limits the length of the hairstyle," the ministry said in a statement.

"Some educators tell them they look like monkeys, or have nests on their heads."

At the weekend, defiant black students with afro hairstyles and braids held a protest at the school against the long-standing regulations.

Politicians quickly weighed in, with the two largest opposition parties criticising the government-run school.

The ministry statement said "the code of conduct... must be reviewed and the clause dealing with hairstyles should be suspended in the meantime."

It also accused the school of a heavy-handed response for calling in police and armed security guards to deal with protests.

- Growing backlash -

Other allegations raised by students during Monday's talks included being banned from speaking ethnic languages on school premises and suffered discrimination from white teachers and pupils.

A white student allegedly told a black student that she did not need a pencil as her finger was black enough, and white students allegedly complained about taught "kaffir" music, using an insulting term for a black African.

Story continues

Former pupil Mishka Wazar, 19, told AFP that controversies over racism at the school had been brewing for years.

"During my time there were problems around similar issues, but no one ever took it to the level these girls have done," said Wazar, who is now at university.

"We would write letters and our complaints were largely ignored."

Wazar, who left the school last year, said the rules must be adjusted to fit changing demographics.

She said she had witnessed black girls being pulled aside from school assembly and criticised for their hair.

"The teacher would usually tell them to fix their hair... make it smooth," she said.

"Most of these rules are really hard to adhere to if your hair is not of a certain texture."

Other alumni have also rallied behind the students, with one group writing to a university online newspaper to express their anger over "racism, bullying and patently race-based shaming of black women's bodies by staff."

"We pledge our support to the crop of young women leaders who have brought national attention to issues we are sorely aware are rampant not only at Pretoria High School for Girls," the letter said.

South Africa is still grappling with racial issues 22 years after the end of white-minority rule, with bitter race rows erupting regularly in politics and on social media.

Student activism played a central role in the fight against apartheid, with the massacre of pupils by white police officers in 1976 seen as a key date in the country's tumultuous history.

The students had gathered in Soweto township to demonstrate against an order that all schools could only teach in the Afrikaans language used by whites.
From Popular Mechanics

The aircraft carrier has reigned supreme on the naval battlefield since December 7, 1941, when a fleet of Japanese aircraft carriers struck the American base at Pearl Harbor. Seventy-five years later, are carriers finally about to be displaced as the dominant weapon at sea? And if so, by what? Those are some of the questions The Strategist asks in a recent article.

All dominant weapon systems are inevitably displaced by superior technology. The longbow and crossbow gave way to the firearm, the horse and rider gave way to the tank, and the battleship gave way to the aircraft carrier. Eventually, the aircraft carrier will give way to something else, and that's something weighing on the minds of leaders at the U.S. Navy, for whom aircraft carriers form the centerpiece of naval superiority and naval strategy. The United States currently has 12 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, ten more than the next country, and is deeply invested in carriers as a tool of power projection.

U.S. Navy carrier battle groups are some of the most powerful military formations in the world, amassing more firepower than the armed forces of entire countries. Self-deployable into almost every major body of water on the planet, they are capable of a range of operations including full-scale war, anti-terrorism ops, shows of military force, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Critics, however, contend that the ships are a vast expenditure of resources better spent elsewhere. The new carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is set to cost $13 billion-not including its complement of 40-50 fighter planes, each of which cost $75 to $100 million. We haven't even gotten to its cruiser, destroyer, and submarine escorts, which cost a billion or more.

Carriers have been declining in capability-modern carrier air wings are smaller and have a shorter striking range. Not insignificantly, an aircraft carrier packages 4,300 navy personnel into a single hull. The loss of a single carrier would be one of the deadliest days in American military history. At the same time, countries such as China are working to form "anti-access, area denial"-that is, no-go zones that are too dangerous for carriers to sail into, a problem exacerbated from the American perspective when the enemy's weapons have much longer ranges than yours.

Story continues

Could advances such as unmanned aerial vehicles, longer-ranged planes, or even making carriers smaller and cheaper save the platform? After all, a carrier is basically a floating air base-its real strength is in the aircraft it carries. Unlike the battleship and other weapons slam-dunked into the dustheap of history, it may be in the end that the carrier is adaptable enough for the wars to come.

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Kim Ha Neul is a AirAsia flight attendant.

30 Aug - From giving out lifetime free flights to the Asean Olympic medal holders, to getting prominently featured in sure to be popular K-drama, it seems that AirAsia is really making the effort to propel its brand even higher (pun intended).



That's right, AirAsia is featured quite prominently in a new Korean drama called "On the Way to the Airport", which stars Kim Ha Neul ("A Gentlemen's Dignity") as a AirAsia flight attendant and Lee Sang Yoon as a part-time architecture instructor.



In the teaser trailer for the KBS2 drama, the popular actress is seen donning the well-recognised AirAsia red uniform.



Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, the founder of AirAsia who is ever so popular and active on Facebook and Twitter, expressed his joy with the collaboration between the production and the airline.



"Check out AirAsia in the movies. Our new KOREAN drama story . Coming out soon. ON THE WAY TO THE AIRPORT. Will be a huge boost to our brand" his Facebook post read.



"On The Way To The Airport" will premiere on 21 September 2016.




By Tim Hepher

PARIS (Reuters) - Airbus delivered more aircraft in August than for the same period in any previous year, its top planemaking executive said on Tuesday, in a breakthrough that improves its chances of meeting 2016 targets after earlier delays in receiving parts.

Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of a meeting of French business leaders, Fabrice Bregier did not give numbers for total deliveries, which have not yet been completed, but said Airbus had hit a crucial target of six A350 deliveries this month.

"We tend to deliver a lot of planes in the last few days of the month, but what I can already tell you is that it will be the best month of August in Airbus's history, in terms of the number of planes delivered," said Bregier, who is president and chief executive of the planemaking unit of Airbus Group(AIR.PA).

Its previous busiest August was in 2013, when it passed 47 aircraft to customers. For 2016 as a whole, it targets at least 650 deliveries, up 2.4 percent from last year.

Until now, problems with supplies of cabin equipment have hampered deliveries of Europe's newest long-haul jet, the A350, leaving Airbus well short of its full-year target of 50 A350 deliveries with just 15 handed over to customers by the end of July.

Airbus has also experienced delays in bringing out a new version of its best-selling A320 due to engine problems and asked staff to work overtime during the traditionally quiet summer to help catch up on deliveries of both models.

"On the A350, we reached our objective which was to deliver six aircraft during the month," Bregier said.

"This morning I attended the delivery of the first A350 to Thai Airways. That doesn't mean the (annual target of) 50 are in the pocket, but we are now at 21 (for the year) at end-August and if we keep up that rhythm of six to seven aircraft a month over the next four months, then we shouldn't be too, too far off."

Bregier paid tribute to Airbus staff who had responded to calls to stagger vacations and work extra hours over the summer.

Story continues

"That seems to be bearing fruit, at least for the A350. This was one of the important issues of the summer," he said.

For total deliveries, Airbus is expected to remain behind U.S. rival Boeing (BA.N), which targets 740 to 745 deliveries this year.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Bate Felix and Susan Thomas)
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ALXN announced that the European Commission has granted orphan drug designation to ALXN1007 for the treatment of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).

We note that ALXN1007 is an anti-inflammatory monoclonal antibody targeting complement protein C5a, currently in a phase II study in patients with newly diagnosed acute GVHD of the lower gastrointestinal tract (GI-GVHD).

The European Commission usually grants orphan medicinal product status in order to provide incentives to candidates that are being developed to treat, prevent or diagnose diseases or conditions affecting no more than 5 in 10,000 people in the region. In addition to providing Alexion with certain benefits and incentives, this status will allow ALXN1007 to enjoy a period of market exclusivity in the EU, if approved, for the treatment of acute GI-GVHD.

Per the companys press release, GI-GVHD affects roughly 10% of patients who receive an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant or bone marrow transplant. Patients with severe, acute GI-GVHD have a 3040% mortality rate within the first six months post transplant.

ALEXION PHARMA Price

ALEXION PHARMA Price | ALEXION PHARMA Quote

Considering that there are currently limited treatment options for GI-GVHD, there exists significant unmet need for treatments targeting this severe and life-threatening rare autoimmune disease. If successfully developed and subsequently approved, ALXN1007 could improve response rates in patients suffering from this disorder.

Alexions progress with its pipeline candidates has been impressive. Apart from ALXN1007, the company has several other candidates in its pipeline targeting severe and life-threatening rare disorders. These include ALXN1101 (phase II/III  molybdenum cofactor deficiency type A) and ALXN1210 (phase II  paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria) among others.

Alexion is a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) stock. Some better-ranked stocks in the health care sector include Anika Therapeutics Inc. ANIK, Geron Corporation GERN and ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ANIP, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Story continues

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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Kochi, Aug 30 (PTI) A Muslim civil police officer here has moved the Kerala High Court challenging denial of permission to grow a beard as per his religious faith.

In his petition, Riyaz K, posted in the Armed Reserve Camp at Ernakulam, submitted that he wanted to keep a beard being a religious obligation of a devout Muslim.

He had made a representation to the state police chief in this regard but the latter in a communication had informed him that his request to grow beard cannot be considered.

advertisement

Challenging this, he contended that there was no law prohibiting sporting of beard by a police officer in the Kerala Police Service.

Admitting the petition, the court yesterday issued notice to the state government and the state police chief.

Riyaz submitted he was allowed exemption from shaving his beard during the holy month of Ramzan in 2012. Subsequently, on May 31, 2013 he made a request to the Assistant Commandant of Police (Adjutant) for permission to sport beard permanently.

However, it was returned on the ground that being a religious matter, permission had to be given by government.

Accordingly he submitted a representation to the government. He had also said the Air Force and Navy personnel were permitted to grow beard on religious and medical ground.

However, his representation was returned without being forwarded to the government with endorsement "rejected and returned".

He resubmitted the representation in June 2014, responding to which the state police chief informed him that his request to grow beard cannot be considered.

Riyaz contended that the police manual "does not contain any provision prohibiting the growing of beard. There is also no statute, Service Rules or government order prohibiting personnel in Kerala Police from growing beard."

He argued that the action of the state government and state police chief denying him the right to grow beard is "illegal and arbitrary and violative" of Article 14, 15, 19 (1) (a), and 25 of the Constitution, relating to Right to Equality and Right to Freedom.

The action of the respondents denying the right protected under Article 25 of the Constitution (Right to freedom of religion) "is therefore arbitrary, illegal and unconstitutional being null and void," the petition claimed. PTI COR TGB VS ZMN

--- ENDS ---
Alison Brie from Community is coming to Netflix in the BEST way

Alison Brie from Community is coming to Netflix in the BEST way

Alison Brie can handle anything, from beloved comedies like Community to lauded dramas like Mad Men, she takes every acting challenge in stride. She even lends her voice to characters on Netflixs BoJack Horseman.

Soon, BoJack wont be the only Netflix Original Series featuring Brie, though: The Hollywood Reporter just confirmed that shell be starring in the Jenji Kohans new series, GLOW.

The 10-episode comedy is set in 1980s Los Angeles and features the world of female wrestling  GLOW actually stands for Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. The show is inspired by an actual female wrestling league, and is based on the real, professional womens wrestling syndicated TV series of the same name (If youre interested, theres also a documentary about it).

The show centers on Ruth, and out-of-work actress who is struggling to realize her dreams until one day, surprisingly, she gets to live them  only in spandex and with body slams.

Based on this alone, were in.

giphy

Orange is the New Blacks Kohan and Tara Herrmann will act as executive producers, while co-creators Liz Flahive (Homeland) and Carly Mensch (OITNB) will act as showrunners.

Reportedly, Brie turned down a lot of offers during pilot season for new series in both comedy and drama on multiple networks. So, it seems she was holding out for a dream project, and GLOW just might be it.

Brie, who was last seen (in film, anyway) in How to be Single, also exec produces TV Land comedy series Teachers, so shes obviously not hurting for work. Shes even got two films  The Masterpiece, and The Headhunters Calling  coming up. Oh, and Teachers was renewed for its second season.

So basically, be prepared to start seeing Brie a lot more  and were perfectly fine with that.

The post Alison Brie from Community is coming to Netflix in the BEST way appeared first on HelloGiggles.
A Philippine businessman and his wife were shot dead after the police chief branded him a drug lord, authorities said Tuesday, fuelling concerns about extrajudicial killings in President Rodrigo Duterte's crime war.

More than 2,000 people have been killed since Duterte was sworn into office two months ago and immediately launched a law-and-order crackdown, with the United States, the United Nations and rights groups voicing alarm at the bloodshed.

On Monday, Melvin Odicta, a businessman accused of being a drug trafficker known as "Dragon", and his wife were shot dead at Aklan port in the central Philippines after getting off a ferry, police reported.

Regional police chief Jose Gentiles told AFP on Tuesday the lone gunman had yet to be identified, but was likely also linked to the drug trade.

"The most probable motive is that the mastermind wanted to silence the couple. Perhaps the mastermind was afraid the victims would implicate them," Gentiles said.

Odicta had expressed fears for his life after local authorities alleged he was the top drug lord in the central province of Iloilo, according to his lawyer.

Odicta had said he was innocent but national police chief Ronald dela Rosa insisted last week he was the drug lord.

"Who is he fooling? You know he is the drug lord but he is still denying it? Tell it to the Marines," dela Rosa told reporters on Friday in Iloilo.

Duterte has repeatedly said that drug traffickers deserve to die and urged security forces to kill them. During the election campaign he promised that 100,000 people would die in his war on crime.

However he said in recent weeks that his security forces are not carrying out extrajudicial killings.

Police have reported killing more than 700 people they accused of being involved in drugs.

But police and Duterte say they have only killed in self-defence.

Dela Rosa said last week there were another 1,190 killings under investigation, but they were likely due to drug gangs murdering people who could implicate each other.

Story continues

Critics of the crime war say security forces and hired assassins are carrying out mass murder, with people not involved in drugs also being killed amid a dire breakdown in the rule of law.

Duterte has railed against his critics, accusing them of siding with drug traffickers, and warned there will be no let up.

"I consider the fight against drugs a war. There is a crisis in this country," Duterte said on Monday.
TOKYO, Aug 30 (Reuters) - A major aluminium producer has offered Japanese buyers a premium of $82 per tonne for October-December primary metal shipments, down 9-12 percent from the previous quarter, three sources directly involved in pricing talks said on Tuesday.

Japan is Asia's biggest importer of the metal and the premiums for primary metal shipments it agrees to pay each quarter over the London Metal Exchange (LME) cash price set the benchmark for the region.

For the July-September quarter, Japanese buyers agreed to pay a premium of $90-93 (PREM-ALUM-JP), down 19-23 percent from the prior quarter, on weaker spot premiums.

The latest quarterly pricing negotiations began this week between Japanese buyers and miners, including Rio Tinto Ltd , Alcoa Inc and South32 Ltd, and are expected to continue until next month.

(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
Amazing: The victims of the Pulse shooting in Orlando will not have to pay any of their medical bills

Amazing: The victims of the Pulse shooting in Orlando will not have to pay any of their medical bills

After the horrific mass shooting that took place during Latin Night at Orlando LGBT night club Pulse earlier this summer, survivors experienced lengthy hospitalizations and numerous complex surgeries. The price of these life-saving treatments was astronomical  more than most people living in America can afford, and certainly more than many Pulse survivors could afford.

Gone but not forgotten. Brought prayers to the victims and families all the way from Corvallis, OR!  (Check out the left corner) A photo posted by Heather Bodenhamer (@heaatherrene) on Aug 29, 2016 at 11:33am PDT

But in an act of empathy and humanity, the two hospitals responsible for treating the nightclub shooting survivors have written off all medical expenses  coming out to approximately $5.5 million dollars in medical bills.

As APlus

34-year-old Mario Lopez is an uninsured survivor of the attack who owed approximately $20,000 in medical bills. He told the Orlando Sentinel: I was so worried because I cant afford any of that I just went out for a fun night with friends. No one expected this to happen. My life was turned upside down, and then I had to worry about how I was going to pay back the hospital.

Families of victims who did not survive after receiving hospital treatment at Orlando Health or Florida Hospital will also not be charged for any of their deceased loved ones medical bills. The two hospitals are using state and federal funds, crime victim compensation, donations, and private insurance to pay the millions of dollars owed.

Story continues

CEO and President of Orlando Health, David Strong, released a statement to the Orlando Sentinel:

The Pulse shooting was a horrendous tragedy for the victims, their families and our entire community. During this very trying time, many organizations, individuals and charities have reached out to Orlando Health to show their support. This is simply our way of paying that kindness forward.

#orlando #pulse #pulseorlando #pulseshooting #intolerance #mundomelhor #paz #peace #florida #orlanounited A photo posted by Erich Jacome (@ehjacome) on Aug 2, 2016 at 6:12pm PDT

When a devastating tragedy strikes, medical bills should be the last thing on a persons mind. And in many countries, that is the case. As APlus mentions, the actions taken by Orlando Health and Florida Hospital help us envision what this country would look like with universal healthcare.

We hope that the elimination of this financial burden provides some peace to the survivors and the grieving.

The post Amazing: The victims of the Pulse shooting in Orlando will not have to pay any of their medical bills appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Scott Kirby

Shortly after American Airlines announced the departure of company president Scott Kirby on Monday, United Airlines announced his arrival as its new president.

Kirby's move over to American's major rival aside, the long-time executive's departure breaks up one of the most successful airline management teams in recent history.

"American Airlines CEO Doug Parker and Kirby are perhaps the defining airline executive team (CEO + right-hand man) of the modern US Airline industry," Airways Magazine senior business analyst Vinay Bhaskara told Business Insider.

The duo's ascent to airline industry rockstar-dom over the past decade is virtually unprecedented.

Parker and Kirby first teamed up more than two decades ago at Tempe-based America West Airlines. The highly respected duo helped engineer AWA's merger with US Airways in 2005 followed by US Airways' 2013 merger with American Airlines.

In the period between the two mergers, the duo turned US Airways into a financially successful airline under less-than-ideal competitive conditions.

"They built US Airways into a viable competitor in the US market when US Airways had by far the worst network conditions to build a viable business," Bhaskara said.

Following the formation of the "new" American Airlines, Kirby and Parker worked their magic again with the airline reporting an adjusted profit of $6.3 billion in 2015. Although that figure was helped by a significant drop in oil prices.

Kirby's move from the largest airline in the world to a major domestic and international rival is uncommon, even in the topsy turvy world of the airline industry.

The exact series of events that led to Kirby's defection to United remains unclear.

doug parker

Although it is believed that his ambitions to one day assume the top job at American  currently filled by 54-year-old Doug Parker who is expected to be in that position for the foreseeable future  played a role in his decision.

Story continues

In a statement to Business Insider, American Airlines explained:

"The changes announced yesterday are the result of the Companys Board of Directors ongoing succession planning process. As part of that process, and subsequent conversations regarding career expectations and the marketability of its executives, the Company concluded it would not be able to retain its existing executive team in their current roles for an extended period."

Regardless of what happened during Kirby's final days at American, Parker remains (at least outwardly) highly complimentary of his former colleague.

"On a personal note, Scott and I have worked together for over 20 years, beginning back at America West in 1995," Parker wrote in a letter to American Airlines employees on Monday. "He has been both a great colleague and a good friend and we are going to miss him. We will be forever grateful to him for his leadership and his influence in making American what it is today."

America West Airlines Boeing 757-200

In addition, American also paid its former president a severance package valued at $13 million, the Wall Street Journal reported.

At United, Kirby will be tasked with improving an airline that's lagged behind rivals American and Delta in terms of product and financial performance.

"Scott is a proven leader, whose deep airline experience and expertise will further accelerate our efforts to build the best airline in the industry," United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz wrote in a press statement.

"Kirby brings a strong degree of credibility to United, which its current management team lacks," Bhaskara said. "He also brings a laser focus on revenue maximization and improvement, and I think hes going to give United a more aggressive and growth oriented bent."

Upon his departure, American named former COO Robert Isom as Kirby's successor.

NOW WATCH: These are the safest airlines in the world





More From Business Insider


For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL  August 30, 2016  Zacks Equity Research highlights American Woodmark Corporation (AMWD) as the Bull of the Day and Express ( EXPR) as the Bear of the Day.

Here is a synopsis of the two stocks:

Bull of the Day :

Headquartered in Winchester, VA, American Woodmark Corporation (AMWD) is a leading manufacturer and distributor of kitchen and bath cabinets for remodeling and new home construction markets.

The company manufactures cabinets under four major brands: American Woodmark, Timberlake Cabinetry, Shenandoah Cabinetry and Waypoint Living Spaces and sells more than 500 cabinet lines in a wide variety of design materials and finishes.

Their products are sold through a network of independent dealers and distributors, and directly to major builders, Lowes and The Home Depot.

Excellent Quarterly Results

The company reported its fiscal first quarter results on Aug. 23. Net sales for the quarter increased 12% year-over-year to $258.2 million with growth across all channels. Net income was $21.7 million or $1.32 per compared with $15.2 million or $0.92 per share for the same quarter a year ago.

Adjusted earnings of $1.26 per share were substantially better than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.94 per share. The company has surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in all of last four quarters, with an average quarterly surprise of 33%.

Rising Estimates

As a result of strong quarterly report, analysts have raised their estimates for the company. Zacks Consensus Estimates for the current and the next fiscal year now stand at $4.40 per share and $4.79 per share, up from $3.94 and $4.55, before the report.

Rising estimates sent AMWD back to a Zacks Rank#1 (Strong Buy).

Home Remodeling Speeding Expected to Surge

According to a study by John Burns Real Estate Consulting and the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, spending on home repairs and remodeling is expected to exceed $300 billion this year, ahead of the previous high of about $285 billion in 2007.

Story continues

With very low inventories of homes for sale and rising prices, many homeowners prefer to improve their existing home instead of buying a new one. Further, American homes are getting older, leading to rising spending on repairs. With improving labor market, homeowners are also willing to spend more on upgrades and remodeling.

The study forecasts that home improvement spending will continue to grow at a fast pace over the next three years. These trends bode well for the company. Further, being a domestically focused company, it is immune to global growth concerns.

In addition the top Zacks Rank, the stock also has the Style Score of A for Growth as well as for Momentum and a VGM score of B.

Rising home improvement spending bodes well for this kitchen cabinet maker.

Bear of the Day:

It has been a very challenging environment for mall based retailers due to declining traffic, rising trend for online shopping and increasing competition from off-price fashion chains. Many of them have seen declining sales of late, despite improving labor market and still low gas prices.

About the Company

Express (EXPR) is a retailer of specialty apparel and accessories for women and men. The company targets the 20 to 30 year old customer. They currently operate over 600 retail stores, located primarily in shopping malls, lifestyle centers, and street locations across the US, in Canada and in Puerto Rico.

Their merchandise is also available at franchise stores in the Middle East and Latin America. Further, the company also markets and sells its products through its e-commerce website.

Weak Results and Lower Guidance

The apparel chain reported weak results for the second quarter and also slashed its guidance for the year, leading to a sharp decline in shares after the report.

Net sales decreased 6% during the quarter to $504.8 million while same store sales (including e-commerce sales) declined 8%, compared to a 7% increase in the same quarter a year ago. E-commerce sales were down 7% to $70.1 million.

Net income was $10.1 million, or $0.13 per share compared $21.0 million or $0.25 per share in the previous year quarter. Earnings were way short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.17 per share. This was the second consecutive quarterly miss for the retailer.

The management now expects adjusted earnings of $1 to $1.14 per share for the full year, down from previous guidance for $1.41 to $1.54 per share.

Falling Estimates

Analysts have slashed their estimates for the company after weak results and downbeat guidance. Zacks Consensus Estimates for the current and next fiscal year have plunged to $1.05 per share and $1.21 per share from $1.47 and $1.59 respectively, before the report.

Declining estimates sent the stock to a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).

The Bottom Line

In addition to disappointing consumer spending and mall traffic, the retail space is going through a shift toward online shopping. With tightening labor markets, wage pressure has also started hurting retailers.

However some retailers have been able to deliver positive surprises in the latest quarter, with significant cost cutting measures and some changes in their business model. Investors could look at a better ranked retailer Nordstrom (JCP), which currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The company reported a huge beat and shares surged after the results.

Shares of this apparel chain plunged after weak earnings and slashed guidance.

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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.





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Nairobi (AFP) - War-torn South Sudan's slide into chaos resumed last month with fresh fighting in the capital Juba that forced rebel leader turned vice president and peace deal signatory Riek Machar to flee.

With the spike in clashes came a surge of abuse of civilians by armed men including rape, murder and looting. A year-old peace deal was only partly implemented and, as July's battles showed, was insufficient to stop the war -- yet regional and foreign powers cling to it as the country's only hope.

So where next for hopes of peace in South Sudan and for rebel leader Machar?

Is there still a peace agreement in South Sudan?

The deal, signed in August last year by rebel leader Machar and President Salva Kiir, hangs in the balance. Machar has fled the country and been replaced as vice president by Taban Deng Gai, who leads a Juba-based faction of the opposition SPLM/A-IO.

Deng's appointment has yet to be fully accepted by either Machar loyalists or the international community that forced through the peace deal. During a visit to Kenya this month, US Secretary of State John Kerry hinted at US acceptance of the new reality when he described Machar's ouster as a "replacement of personnel" that was legal under the agreement.

Where is rebel leader Riek Machar?

Machar fled Juba on foot after fighting in the city ended on July 11. He resurfaced in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo on August 18 and then flew to the Sudanese capital Khartoum for unspecified medical treatment. Aides say Machar is eager to reassert himself politically as soon as he is fit and well by visiting regional countries that are members of the IGAD bloc (Intergovernmental Authority on Development), which has led successive rounds of peace talks.

Who backs Machar and who is against him?

Machar left a sharply divided (and, in Juba, militarily defeated) former rebel movement in his wake when he fled. Deng enjoys the backing of Kiir but field commanders, armed forces and SPLM/A-IO leaders outside Juba continue to back Machar -- for now.

Story continues

"Machar is still an influential leader as long as he is alive," said James Okuk, a political scientist at Juba University.

Regional bloc IGAD has said that Deng should step aside when Machar returns, but the longer Machar is absent the stronger Deng's claim becomes and he may yet consolidate his position among the former rebels too.

One way to achieve this, analysts say, would be for Deng and Kiir to move ahead with integrating rebel forces into the national army, effectively disarming Machar while implementing a key provision of the peace accords.

Can Machar stage a comeback?

Machar loyalists are being rooted out of South Sudan's parliament and cabinet and being replaced with Deng's allies, weakening Machar's influence. Five out of 10 SPLM-IO ministers have been replaced along with 25 out of 50 MPs. Meanwhile Deng has quickly taken up the functions of the vice presidency, undertaking official visits to both Kenya and Sudan in recent weeks.

Machar's future appears to rest in foreign hands and is largely dependent on whether the international community is willing to move ahead on a peace agreement without him.

Will the promised UN 'protection force' be deployed?

On August 12 the UN Security Council approved the deployment of a so-called "protection force" in South Sudan to bolster the much-criticised peacekeeping operation there and enable the implementation of the peace agreement.

Machar has said he will not return to Juba until a "neutral force" is in place and his safety guaranteed, but Kiir's government has resisted the UN plan, insisting it is a challenge to South Sudan's sovereignty and that further negotiations over the force's mandate are needed.

While South Sudan has stopped short of refusing to accept more peacekeepers, the government has yet to accept them either, and it is impossible to imagine UN soldiers being deployed against the will of the government.
By Guillermo Parra-Bernal and Paula Arend Laier

SAO PAULO, Aug 30 (Reuters) - More Brazilian companies are expected to tap equity markets for funding in coming months, encouraged by less political turmoil and signs that the harshest recession in eight decades is subsiding, analysts said on Tuesday.

A healthy deal flow of equity capital markets transactions is growing on expectations the Brazilian economy is heading for recovery, analysts from the nation's top investment banks and brokerages said at a Thomson Reuters event in Sao Paulo.

Some of those deals, which include follow-on offers, private placements and eventually initial public offerings, could help refinance debt and fund future expansion. Appetite for new offers can be felt across the board and may be stimulated by cash-flush foreign investors chasing higher returns than they can get in developed countries, the analysts said.

"We feel that the deal flow has already formed, because a number of companies need to redefine their capital structure," said Pedro Batista, chief Latin America equity strategist for JPMorgan Securities.

This year has been among the weakest in more than a decade for equity capital markets activity in Brazil. Still, in recent weeks, three companies filed with security industry watchdog CVM for permission to sell stock. Two of the deals are IPOs.

Late on Monday, Brazilian medical laboratory Centro de Imagem Diagnosticos SA filed for an IPO, which will be advised by investment banking firms Itau BBA SA, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Santander Investment Securities.

Marcos Assumpcao, a senior analyst at Itau BBA, said conditions for a more solid recovery in offerings are gradually taking shape. He cited a shift toward more business-friendly economic policies and a "commitment to relying more on investment to fuel future growth."

Such a stance, coupled with growing investment inflows into emerging market countries like Brazil, could boost equity capital markets activity.

Story continues

On July 26, Energisa SA priced an offering of new stock near the upper end of a suggested range, while Carlyle Group LP and partner Guilherme Paulus raised about $394 million from the partial sale of their stakes in travel agency CVC Brasil Operadora SA on Aug. 11.

Whipsawing equity markets in Brazil made it challenging to price equity offers in recent years. Then a government corruption probe and sliding commodities prices tipped the country into its deepest recession since the 1930s.

The last IPO priced in Brazil was that of insurance broker FPC Par Corretora de Seguros SA in June last year.

(Editing by David Gregorio)
The L-G's move comes in the wake of the Delhi High Court's judgment clearly upholding his constitutional position and mandating that the state government should seek his prior approval before taking important decisions.

Delhi's Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Najeeb Jung has opened a new front against the Kejriwal government by setting up a three-member committee to look into the acts of omission and commission by the functionaries of the state government and to fix criminal and civil responsibility.

The three-member committee consists of former CAG VK Shunglu, former CEC N Gopalswami and former Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar. The committee has been tasked with submitting its final report within six weeks.

advertisement

The L-G's move comes in the wake of the Delhi High Court's judgment clearly upholding his constitutional position and mandating that the state government should seek his prior approval before taking important decisions.

Following the judgment, the L-G had directed the principal secretaries and heads of departments of the government of the national capital to look into cases where the prior approval of the L-G had not been obtained before the state government took decisions where under the rules it was bound to seek the his prior approval.

The L-G's secretariat received over 400 such files, which will now be reviewed by the three-member committee. According to the L-G's office, a preliminary scrutiny of the files revealed that "several decisions ", with legal and financial implications, were taken over the past year and a half and they were in violation of the Acts or rules.

The committee will determine whether the decisions and the processes adopted violated the Acts and rules regarding the governance of Delhi, and whether these violations were deliberate. The committee will also examine the role played by the public functionaries and officers of the Delhi government and other individuals and also fix responsibility.

It will recommend appropriate administrative, civil and criminal action and also recovery of financial loss to the exchequer from those responsible for these decisions. It will deliberate and recommend whether the L-G can regularise these decisions and the financial implications of the regularisation and non-regularisation of these actions.

The L-G's decision is likely to raise the hackles of the Kejriwal government and further embitter its relations with the Centre. The Delhi Chief Minister has repeatedly accused the Central Government of using the L-G to derail his government and to settle its political scores with the Aam Aadmi Party.

--- ENDS ---
Disgraced former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner reportedly told his wife that new lurid photos of him were about to be published.

Read: Huma Abedin and Anthony Weiner to Separate After Latest Sexting Scandal

Weiner was in the Hamptons with wife, top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, over the weekend and told her Sunday that the lewd images were about to be published in the New York Post.

He then returned to their Manhattan apartment, leaving her with the mortifying task of notifying Clinton about her latest public humiliation.

On Monday, following the release of the new Weiner images  including one with the couples young son in bed  Abedin, 41, announced the couple were going to separate.

In a statement she said: "After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband."

Abedin asked for privacy during the couple's separation.

Weiner, 51, allegedly sent an unidentified woman a lewd photo as his 4-year-old son slept beside him.

On Tuesday, The Post published his texts to the woman. He told her in 2015 that he had a busted marriage. The woman asked him whether he'd move to Washington if Clinton was elected president.

He responded: I doubt I am under any circumstances.

Weiner has been through this at least twice before. In 2011, the former U.S. Congressman from New York accidentally tweeted a shirtless picture to his followers, leading to his resignation.

Read: Another Politician Caught Sexting Sydney Leathers-The Same Woman Anthony Weiner

In 2013, as he attempted a return to public service as a New York City mayoral hopeful, but after another woman's story of sexting with Weiner emerged, he dropped out of the race.

The 2016 documentary Weiner documents his failed comeback attempt and the strains it placed on his marriage to Abedin.

Watch: What Sydney Leathers Thinks Of Anthony Weiner's New Documentary

Story continues

Related Articles:
Marine conservationists announced Tuesday they will for the first time be able to outrun the Japanese whaling fleet in the upcoming annual battle to protect the giant mammals in the icy Southern Ocean.

Sea Shepherd Global is adding a fast new vessel to its whale defence campaign in Antarctic waters starting this December.

"Disappointed by the lack of action from the international community, Sea Shepherd Global is preparing to return to the Southern Ocean to protect the whales with a new patrol vessel, the Ocean Warrior," it said in a statement.

Built with financial support from the Dutch, British and Swedish lotteries, Ocean Warrior could make a real difference, Sea Shepherd said.

"For the first time we will have the speed to catch and outrun the Japanese harpoon ships, knowing speed can be the deciding factor when saving the lives of whales," said the group's chief executive Captain Alex Cornelissen.

Japan claims to conduct vital scientific research using a loophole in an international whaling ban, but makes no secret that the mammals end up on dinner plates.

Tokyo was forced to call off the 2014-15 hunt after the International Court of Justice ruled its annual Antarctic foray was commercial, masquerading as science.

But the hunt resumed in late 2015, with the fleet returning to Japan in March this year after having killed more than 300 whales.

Sea Shepherd vowed to throw everything at the Japanese in a bid to stop the slaughter.

"If we cannot stop whaling in an established whale sanctuary, in breach of both Australian federal and international laws, then what hope do we have for the protection of the world's oceans?" said Sea Shepherd Australia's managing director Jeff Hansen.

"We must make a stand and defend whales with everything we've got."

The upcoming disruption campaign has been named Operation Nemesis after the Greek goddess of inescapable justice, Sea Shepherd Australia's chairman Peter Hammarstedt added.

Japan has sought to close down the anti-whaling campaigns in court saying the activists ram their ships, snare propellers with ropes and harass crew with paint and stink bombs.
Apollonia made her first public appearance since the passing of Prince Monday night at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The occasion? Purple Rain: Celebration, a panel discussion/screening presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) in Beverly Hills, Calif. The evening's surprise guest was joined by fellow cast members Jerome Benton and Jill Jones as well as the film's writer/director Albert Magnoli, producer Robert Cavallo and costume designer Marie France.

Clips from the 57th Academy Awards - when Prince won the Oscar for original song score for Purple Rain - opened the evening. Then noting that "not just a memory was being celebrated but also a milestone," AMPAS president Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced that the brand new 35mm optical stereo print being shown would be added to the Academy's permanent collection. Also setting the tone: an array of brilliant portraits of Prince displayed in the outer lobby, taken over the years by his personal photographer Afshin Shahidi.

Prince's Paisley Park to Open for Public Tours This Fall

Writer/director Reginald Hudlin, who produced the 88th Academy Awards this year, and Grammy-winning composer/bass guitarist Marcus Miller, moderated the ensuing 90-minute conversation. Swapping stories about everything from the film's early beginnings to the 90 still unreleased songs out of the 100 Prince had for the soundtrack to the absurd suggestion that John Travolta portray Prince, the panelists drew plenty of ooh's and raucous laughter:

Robert Cavallo: "Every director and studio passed because Prince was an unknown. But the only way Prince was going to sign a new management deal with me and Joseph Ruffalo was if the package included a film - and not with some drug dealer money. Prince was the smartest tactician of all of us." Among the potential investors that Cavallo also talked to: David Geffen and Jim Brown, who was running comedian Richard Pryor's company at the time.

Story continues

Jerome Benton: "I knew Prince from my age of 12. We lived in the same neighborhood. My first impression: He had a big old head [laughs]. But he could sing and play. He had a strong presence - and respect for me as a kid. I ended up in the Time because of my brother Terry [Lewis, production partner of Jimmy Jam]. I moved around equipment and instruments and was also the band's runner. Then we ended up getting the deal with Prince."

Albert Magnoli: "It was four weeks of interviews during the day [in writing the script]. Then I spent 11 p.m.-7 a.m. writing longhand with a ruler. In the morning, a secretary would pick up what I'd written and type it. Warner Bros. executives didn't like the script. They said it was the most sexist, misogynist script they'd ever read, especially the dumpster scene. So they asked 'what are you going to do [to change it]?' I said nothing. Then a suggestion was made that John Travolta play Prince. I said Prince has to play Prince. That's what will make the film authentic."

Prince's Estate Weighs Deals with Publishers, PROs for Artist's Lucrative Catalog

Marie France: "I knew Prince's music and had seen his videos. So I had a feeling for what I wanted to bring from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries to make his look more iconic, romantic and artistic. I was trying to add on to who Prince was. I didn't want to change him. Sometimes I didn't agree with him. He'd look at me and say, 'French women always want to argue.' But he loved the lace and had never worn it before. I also want to thank Jerome. He would come into the trailer and help iron the shirts."

Apollonia: "I was the last person they saw for the audition [to find the Vanity replacement]. [Actress] Nia Peeples had just walked out of the room. I walked in and they asked me to take my shoes off. I thought wow, they're into feet. Later I learned they were flying me to Minneapolis to meet Prince, who takes me out for a ride in a purple limo. He was very reserved and shy. I'm like Chatty Cathy. The next day we do an audition at First Avenue. I wore black spandex and a metal mesh blouse. Later there's a knock at my hotel door and it's Chick [Charles 'Big Chick' Huntsberry] from his security team: "The kid likes you. Play it cool."

Magnoli: "Prince said he had 100 songs and asked how many were needed for the film. We listened to about 20 songs and he said you pick. I picked 10 songs at that point but said we're still missing the one song that will end the movie. After he played the song "Purple Rain" at First Avenue the first time [in Aug. 1983], I said that's the song. He paused and said can we call the movie Purple Rain? That's how innocent this all was. There was no master plan. Those other 90 songs have never been released; that's what started the myth of the vault. Paisley Park wasn't built yet."

Prince's 'Let's Go Crazy' Will Play Every Time Minnesota Wild Scores

Jill Jones: "Prince was a master at marketing and strategy. He didn't want to be labeled as just for black radio first and then go to white radio. This movie was also huge for the black community. It gave us lives other than being on TV and showed we're really creative people. I also thank Prince for bringing us together. Jewish, blacks, Latino and Italians We didn't see color working together. It wasn't all Kumbaya but it was the Benetton of color."

Apollonia: "Prince called me and sang several pieces of ['When Doves Cry'] into my answering machine and said not to erase it. When he came to my apartment, he headed straight to my machine. I still have that tape."
The European Unions antitrust body has slapped a fine on Apple worth up to 13 billion ($14.5 billion), plus interest, following a three-year investigation into the corporations sweetheart tax pact with the Irish government. Apple and Ireland are likely to appeal against the decision.

E.U. competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager has ruled that deals between the company and the Irish tax authorities in 1991 and 2007 contravened E.U. rules on state aid, which outlaw preferential treatment for individual companies. The deals enabled Apple to channel European sales through Ireland and benefit from an ultra-low tax bill  sliding from 1% of its European profits in 2003 to 0.005% in 2014. Now Apple will have to pay back the money they pocketed from those arrangements, covering the period 2003 to 2014, with the Irish government ordered to calculate the exact amount, and recover the unpaid taxes, plus interest.

Vestager said in a statement Tuesday: Member States cannot give tax benefits to selected companies  this is illegal under E.U. state-aid rules. The Commissions investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years. In fact, this selective treatment allowed Apple to pay an effective corporate tax rate of 1% on its European profits in 2003 down to 0.005% in 2014.

Other U.S. companies and the U.S. government have been following the case with growing unease. The U.S. Treasury said last week the E.U. executive arm, the European Commission, would be acting as a supra-national tax authority if it overrides the tax decisions of individual countries. The move could spark a trade war between the two political blocs.

Tuesdays E.U. antitrust action can be seen within the context of a general clamp-down on alleged wrong-doing by U.S. corporate giants across Europe. For example, there were legal moves against Google in France in May, and in Spain in June, both related to alleged tax evasion, and separate action by the E.U. against Google in July concerning alleged anticompetitive behavior.

Story continues

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Top executives from Apple (AAPL) have voiced their violent disapproval of Tuesday's decision by the European Union to order Ireland to recover up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in back taxes from the tech giant.

"Apple is the largest taxpayer in Ireland, Apple is the largest taxpayer in the U.S., Apple is the largest taxpayer in the world," Luca Maestri, the chief financial officer at Apple, said in a conference call following the decision.

The executive arm of the European Union concluded that Ireland granted undue tax benefits to the U.S. tech giant, which is illegal under EU state aid rules, allowing Apple to pay an effective corporate tax rate of 1 percent on its European profits in 2003 down to 0.005 per cent in 2014.



Maestri said that the EU had incorrectly calculated how much tax Apple pays in the country and said that the ruling would be "devastating" for the European economy. He added that the European Commission had sought to replace Irish tax law and has "seriously" undermined the sovereignty of EU member states.

The ruling, which will be contested by both Apple and the Irish government, may threaten Ireland's ability to attract investment from global companies eager to limit their tax bill on overseas earnings. In pre-market trading, Apple's stock was down nearly 2 percent in pre-market trading.



In a statement issued Tuesday, Apple said it would contest the ruling and it was "confident" the decision would be overturned.

Apple's General Counsel Bruce Sewell, also speaking on the conference call, said that the company would do everything it can do to try to get the issue in front of a court, with the belief that the company would win. Sewell said that the EU's ruling "made no sense."

EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, speaking earlier Tuesday, said that the "selective tax treatment of Apple in Ireland" was illegal under EU state aid rules, because it gave Apple a significant advantage over other businesses that were subject to the same national taxation rules.

Story continues

"If my effective tax rate was 0.05 percent, then falling to 0.005 percent, I would have the feeling that maybe I should have a second look at my tax bill," Vestager said in a rebuke to Apple, one of the world's biggest companies and maker of the iPhone.

"We're sending a message to any taxpayer in Europe: This is a wonderful place to do business and invest, but you have to play by the rules," she told CNBC.

Apple's Sewell said some of the statements made by Vestager were "astounding" and he questioned what the ruling meant for the sovereign laws of EU member states.

CNBC's Catherine Boyle and Holly Ellyatt contributed to this article.



Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.







More From CNBC


BRUSSELS- E.U. antitrust regulators ordered Apple on Tuesday to pay up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in taxes plus interest to the Irish government after ruling that a special scheme to route profits through Ireland was illegal state aid.

The massive sum, 40 times bigger than the previous known demand by the European Commission to a company in such a case, could be reduced, the E.U. executive said in a statement, if other countries sought more tax themselves from the U.S. tech giant.

Apple, which with Ireland said it will appeal the decision, paid tax rates on European profits on sales of its iPhone and other devices and services of between just 0.005 percent in 2014 and 1 percent in 2003, the Commission said.

Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years, said Competition Commission Margrethe Vestager, whose crackdown on mainly U.S. multinationals has angered Washington which accuses Brussels of protectionism.

Online retailer Amazon.com Inc and hamburger group McDonalds Corp face probes over taxes in Luxembourg, while coffee chain Starbucks Corp has been ordered to pay up to 30 million euros ($33 million) to the Dutch state.

A bill of 300 million euros this year for Swedish engineer Atlas Copco AB to pay Belgian tax is the current known record. Other companies ordered to pay back taxes in Belgium, many of them European, have not disclosed figures.

For Apple, whose earnings of $18 billion last year were the biggest ever reported by a corporation, finding several billion dollars should not be an insurmountable problem. The 13 billion euros represents about 6 percent of the firms cash pile.

As of June, Apple reported it had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $231.5 billion, of which 92.8 percent, or $214.9 billion, were held in foreign subsidiaries. It paid $2.67 billion in taxes during its latest quarter at an effective tax rate of 25.5 percent, leaving it with net income of $7.8 billion according to company filings.

Story continues

The European Commission in 2014 accused Ireland of dodging international tax rules by letting Apple shelter profits worth tens of billions of dollars from tax collectors in return for maintaining jobs. Apple and Ireland rejected the accusation.

I disagree profoundly with the Commission, Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan said in a statement. The decision leaves me with no choice but to seek cabinet approval to appeal.

This is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system; to provide tax certainty to business; and to challenge the encroachment of E.U. state aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation.

Ireland also said the disputed tax system used in the Apple case no longer applied and that the decision had no effect on Irelands 12.5 percent corporate tax rate or on any other company with operations in the country.

Apple said in a statement it was confident of winning an appeal.

The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apples history in Europe, ignore Irelands tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process. The Commissions case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes, its about which government collects the money. It will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe.

REVERSE ENGINEERING

When it opened the Apple investigation in 2014, the Commission told the Irish government that tax rulings it agreed in 1991 and 2007 with the company amounted to state aid and might have broken E.U. laws.

The Commission said the rulings were reverse engineered to ensure Apple had a minimal Irish bill and that minutes of meetings between Apple representatives and Irish tax officials showed the companys tax treatment had been motivated by employment considerations.

Apple employs 5,500, or about a quarter of its Europe-based staff, in the Irish city of Cork, where it is the largest private sector employer. It has said it paid Irelands 12.5 percent rate on all the income that it generates in the country.

Irelands low corporate tax rate has been a cornerstone of economic policy for 20 years, drawing investors from multinational companies whose staff account for almost one in 10 workers in Ireland.

Some opposition Irish lawmakers have urged Dublin to collect whatever tax the Commission orders it to. But the main opposition party Fianna Fail, whose support the minority administration relies on to pass laws, said it would support an appeal based on reassurances it had been given by the government.

The U.S. Treasury Department published a white paper last week that said the E.U. executives tax investigations departed from international taxation norms and would have an outsized impact on U.S. companies. The Commission said it treated all companies equally.
By PTI: From Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu, Aug

30 (PTI) Nepal today imposed a 10-year ban on an Indian police couple from climbing any mountain in the Himalayan nation for faking photographs purporting to show them at the summit of Mount Everest.

Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod, both said to be in their 30s, had claimed that they summited the peak of the Everest, the worlds highest mountain on May 23.

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But fellow climbers raised doubt on the claim of the couple, both police constables from Pune, saying their photos at the summit were manipulated.

Nepals Tourism Ministry earlier certified their claim but later carried out an investigation, which proved to be fake.

"Our investigation has found that the couple faked their summit. We have cancelled the certificate and imposed a 10-year ban against them from climbing any mountain in Nepal," said Sudarshan Prasad Dhakal, chief of the Tourism Department of Nepal.

Dhakal said an analysis of the photos submitted by the couple showed they had superimposed themselves and their banners on photos taken by another fellow Indian climber who summitted the 8,848-metre Mt Everest on the few days earlier.

"We sought clarification from them, but they did not cooperate in our investigation," said Dhakal.

"The ban should serve as a warning for other mountaineers to follow ethics," he said.

A total of 456 people, including more than 250 foreigners, summited the worlds highest peak during this years spring season, after two consecutive years of deadly disasters that halted the climbing mounted mountains. PTI SBP AMS AKJ AMS

--- ENDS ---
Apple faces a multi-billion dollar tax bill after a ruling Tuesday by the European Commission that the tech company's tax dealings with the Irish government violated European law.

In a press conference Tuesday, Margrethe Vestager, the European commissioner for competition, said the Commission has ruled after its antitrust investigation that the iPhone maker got undue tax benefits in Ireland, in breach of EU state aid laws. The Commission said Apple should pay back taxes amounting to up to $14.5 billion (&euro13 billion), the highest fine ever issued by the EU.

The ruling follows similar rulings against other big U.S. firms, including Amazon, Starbucks and McDonald's, but the fine for Apple trumps them all. It is the Europe's highest-ever fine for alleged corporate tax avoidance, topping the bill of $335 million (&euro300 million) for Swedish engineering company Atlas Copco to pay Belgian tax authorities earlier this year. In fact, the massive fine is 40 times larger than any previous penalty demand by the European Commission from a company in such a case. An EU executive said in a statement that the fine could be reduced if other countries sought to get more tax out of Apple themselves.

The European Commission found that Ireland allowed Apple to dodge international tax rules by letting the company shelter tens of billions of dollars from tax collectors in return for maintaining jobs in the region. About a quarter of Apple's European staffers, around 5,500 people, are based in the Irish city of Cork, where it is the largest private sector employer.

A preliminary report by the EU in late 2014 had already found, based on early investigations, that tax deals that Ireland granted Apple in 1991 and 2007 were illegal. Tuesday's announcement confirmed that.

The European Commission said Tuesday it has "concluded that Ireland granted undue tax benefits of up to &euro13 billion to Apple," adding: "This is illegal under EU state aid rules, because it allowed Apple to pay substantially less tax than other businesses. Ireland must now recover the illegal aid."

Story continues

Commissioner Vestager said: "Member states cannot give tax benefits to selected companies - this is illegal under EU state aid rules. The Commission's investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years. In fact, this selective treatment allowed Apple to pay an effective corporate tax rate of 1 percent on its European profits in 2003 down to 0.005 percent in 2014."

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Both Apple and Ireland have rejected the accusations, saying Ireland's tax scheme was entirely legal. Apple has said it paid Ireland's 12.5 percent rate on all the income that it generates in the country. But the Commission ruled Tuesday that the Irish scheme amounted to state aid for the tech giant, something banned under Europe's laws for a single market.

Apple and Ireland said they would appeal the ruling. "Apple follows the law and pays all of the taxes we owe wherever we operate," the company said Tuesday. "We will appeal and we are confident the decision will be overturned."

It added: "The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process. The Commission's case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes, it's about which government collects the money. It will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe."

Apple CEO Tim Cook, responding to the claims that Apple engages in a "sophisticated scheme" to avoid paying taxes on $74 billion of revenue held overseas, in 2015 told 60 Minutes: "That is total political crap. There is no truth behind it. Apple pays every tax dollar we owe."

On Tuesday, he wrote in a message to "the Apple community in Europe," which the company published online: "Thirty-six years ago, long before introducing iPhone, iPod or even the Mac, Steve Jobs established Apple's first operations in Europe. At the time, the company knew that in order to serve customers in Europe, it would need a base there. So, in October 1980, Apple opened a factory in Cork, Ireland with 60 employees."

Tim Cook's Apple Turns Five: CEO Talks iPhones, Taxes and His Eventual Successor in Lengthy Q&A

He continued: "We have operated continuously in Cork ever since, even through periods of uncertainty about our own business, and today we employ nearly 6,000 people across Ireland. The vast majority are still in Cork - including some of the very first employees - now performing a wide variety of functions as part of Apple's global footprint. Countless multinational companies followed Apple by investing in Cork, and today the local economy is stronger than ever. The success which has propelled Apple's growth in Cork comes from innovative products that delight our customers. It has helped create and sustain more than 1.5 million jobs across Europe - jobs at Apple, jobs for hundreds of thousands of creative app developers who thrive on the App Store, and jobs with manufacturers and other suppliers."

Cook then went on the offensive, writing: "The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process. The opinion issued on Aug. 30 alleges that Ireland gave Apple a special deal on our taxes. This claim has no basis in fact or in law. We never asked for, nor did we receive, any special deals. We now find ourselves in the unusual position of being ordered to retroactively pay additional taxes to a government that says we don't owe them any more than we've already paid. The Commission's move is unprecedented and it has serious, wide-reaching implications. It is effectively proposing to replace Irish tax laws with a view of what the Commission thinks the law should have been."

Cook also explained: "In Apple's case, nearly all of our research and development takes place in California, so the vast majority of our profits are taxed in the United States. European companies doing business in the U.S. are taxed according to the same principle. But the Commission is now calling to retroactively change those rules."

Concluded the Apple CEO: "We are committed to Ireland and we plan to continue investing there, growing and serving our customers with the same level of passion and commitment. We firmly believe that the facts and the established legal principles upon which the EU was founded will ultimately prevail."

Washington also won't be happy with the decision. The U.S. government had previously accused Brussels of unfairly singling out U.S. companies in its campaign against corporate tax avoidance.

Apple earned $18 billion last year, the biggest-ever result reported by a corporation, and the company in June reported it had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $231.5 billion, of which 92.8 percent, or $214.9 billion, were held in foreign subsidiaries. Even if it's forced to pay up, finding the money for the bill should not be a problem for Apple. During its latest quarter, the company paid nearly $2.7 billion in taxes, leaving it with net income of $7.8 billion, an effective tax rate of 25.5 percent, according to company filings.

This report was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
lucy model

It's not every day that researchers crack a case this cold.

Lucy, the iconic hominin found in present-day Ethiopia, died 3.18 million years ago. Her cause of death has remained a mystery since her remains were discovered in 1974.

But a new study published Monday in the journal Nature claims to pin down, for the first time, precisely how and why Lucy died. According to the study's authors, she fell from a tree.

Some other anthropologists, including Tim D. White, whose findings of ancient hominin remains in Africa helped illuminate the early stages of human evolution, aren't quite sold.

In fact, they're pretty convinced that the paper is utterly wrong.

White says the cracks in Lucy's bones, rather than the result of a fall while she was alive, instead emerged long after she passed away  something that happens to thousands of bones that get buried and shuffled around in the Earth's soil for millions of years.

"This may be the first time that such routine fossil damage has been interpreted as evidence of tree dwelling and death by falling," White told Business Insider.

"For good reason. If paleontologists were to apply the same logic and assertion to the many mammals whose fossilized bones have been distorted by geological forces, we would have everything from gazelles to hippos, rhinos, and elephants climbing and falling from high trees."

The problem appears to have been pretty straightforward, White said: The study authors must have failed to look at the other fossils at the site.

"These authors make no effort to test the alternative hypothesis that these cracks and other breaks were made during the processes of fossilization and erosion," White said.

Instead, they went straight to the clinical literature for an example of what the break would have looked like in a person, he said.

"When you go to the clinical literature for your analogy ... you're confined to a single cause, because we know what happens when humans fall off the top of buildings or fall from windows," William Kimbel, the director of the Institute of Human Origins at Arizona State University, told Business Insider. "There's only one explanation: breakage due to trauma."

Story continues

And that's almost certainly not what happened to Lucy, Kimbel said.

"I've worked in Eastern Africa for a long time and at fossil sites ... like the one where Lucy is from, for a long time," Kimbel told Business Insider. "And I know from my own experience that the type of damage that Lucy's bones exhibit is extremely common in animals that range from hare to hippo. It is ubiquitous. We would not interpret that hares and hippos are falling out of trees."

John Kappelman, the study's lead author and a professor of anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin, told Business Insider that his team did in fact look at plenty of other bones at the site.

But since most fossils get cracked as the result of fossilization and erosion, White said "the authors' obligation was to unequivocally demonstrate that the cracks in the bones were made around the time of death rather than during fossilization."

So we put the question to Kappelman, and asked if he'd indeed tested that alternative hypothesis  that these breaks were made as the fossil got rustled around in the soil instead of by a fall. "Thirty-some years of working in this field has done that for us," he said.

He agreed that the majority of the breaks in Lucy's skeleton happened as the result of regular fossilization and erosion. "The easy criticism is to say, 'Oh, other fossils look like this.' We agree. We put that straight up in the paper," Kappelman said.

But he and his team chose to home in on one "specific kind of break," Kappelman said. "These are the kinds of breaks that are documented in the clinical literature, and what they are is a high-energy break."

Kappelman added: "We're not saying that these breaks couldn't have happened through fossilization, but we looked at these and we said, 'We think they deserve an explanation.'"

NOW WATCH: One of the most groundbreaking archaeological discoveries of the year was almost turned into a necklace





More From Business Insider


Belgium will be submitting The Ardennes as its official selection for the best foreign-language film Academy Award.

The film, by Robin Pront, stars Veerle Baetens (The Broken Circle Breakdown), Jeroen Perceval (Bullhead) and Kevin Janssens. The Ardennes is produced by Savage Films Bart Van Langendonck, who produced Michael R. Roskams 2012 Academy Award-nominated Bullhead. Roskam is also an associate producer on the film.

The Ardennes tells the story of a robbery gone wrong, where one brother evades imprisonment and the other gets arrested, and the aftermath of his release four years later. The film debuted at last years Toronto Film Festival and is on the shortlist for European Film Awards. The Ardennes has also received ten Ensor Award nominations, the Belgium equivalent of the Academy Awards, which will be presented on Sept. 16.

Director of photography is Robrecht Heyvaert (Black), with Alain Dessauvage (Bullhead) serving as editor. The Ardennes, which is Pronts feature film debut, is represented internationally by Attraction Distribution. U.S. distributor Film Movement plans a theatrical release this fall.

Oct. 3 is the deadline to submit foreign-language Oscar entries. The nominations will be announced Jan. 24 and the ceremony will be held Feb. 26 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

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As all beer-lovers know, the glass needs to be tilted slightly to get the perfect foam head when serving beer. An Argentinian beer brand has now created the world's first 45 angled bar to ensure customers can enjoy a perfectly served pint.

Serving beer is serious business. The perfect glass should come topped with a foam head that's neither too thick nor too thin. This involves tilting the glass to precisely 45.

Andes is a well-known Argentinian beer brand in South America, taking its name from the famous mountain range. The beer is brewed in the province of Mendoza, where the brand has created the world's first bar built on a 45 incline to ensure perfectly served pints.

You'll need snow boots and a thick coat when heading to Andes Bar 45 in its mountain location, which makes full use of the mountainside's natural incline. Customers will have to contend with the laws of gravity if they want to take a seat, as everything is tilted, from the bar itself to tables and walls, where a dartboard promises an interesting game.

Thanks to the incline, the beer tap is perfectly positioned on the bar to ensure optimally tilted glasses. Customers will also need to keep firm hold of their drinks to stop their perfect pints heading for the floor.

See the "Andes Bar 45" commercial here (in Spanish): https://youtu.be/bJtloFm53e0
Ariana Grande was perfectly chill when she was asked about that donut licking thing at the VMAs

Ariana Grande was perfectly chill when she was asked about that donut licking thing at the VMAs

Remember that time last summer when Ariana Grande came under fire for saying on camera that she hates Americans while in a donut shop, then proceeding to lick a donut on the shops counter? Its one of those things that critics of Grande cant seem to let go, despite a pretty effusive apology statement expressing her regret for the incident. Grandes reputation has mostly been cleared from donutgate in the time since then, despite a few setbacks, like a prevailing rumor that Grande was taken out of consideration to perform at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in the aftermath of the incident.

Well, one MTV correspondent simply couldnt help but bring up a donut joke when interviewing Grande at the pre-show to the 2016 Video Music Awards, and Grande handled it like the boss queen she is. During their interview, Charlamagne said, Now, look, you cant go around here licking no pastries tonight. OK?

Ariana quickly jumped in, responding, Oh, OK. Ill keep it in mind.

Then he asked about her rumored boyfriend Mac Miller, who joined her later on in the show. Charlamagne asked, And youre alone? Where the boo at?

Being supportive, she said. Inexplicably, he laughed, and Grande gently reminded him: Its OK to be alone even when you have a boo!

Preach, girl.

The post Ariana Grande was perfectly chill when she was asked about that donut licking thing at the VMAs appeared first on HelloGiggles.
From Harper's BAZAAR

Photo credit: Getty

Last night at the VMAs, Ariana Grande stepped onto the white carpet in her signature thick ponytail, but with a twist. For starters, it was paired with her fairly new fringe bangs, plus it included some delicate crimped details. Here, the celebrity hairstylist behind Grande's perfect updo, Aaron Light, shares his tips and tricks.

"Ariana's ponytail is her signature, so tonight's look is a continuation of this classic, chic style that works for everything," Light told BAZAAR.com.

Follow the steps below:

1) Start by applying a small amount of Matrix Style Link Blow Out Big Queen to damp hair. Blow dry bangs with a one-inch round brush and then place them in a one-inch roller. TIP: If you don't have rollers,wrap the hair around your finger and secure with a clip or bobby pin. Blow dry the rest of the hair so it is silky and smooth.

2) Brush hair into a high ponytail on the top of the head and secure with a hook bungee. This will create a tight ponytail with no slippage. For thick hair, use two bungees.

Pictured Above: the products Light used for Grande's VMA look.

3) Spread a dime size amount of Matrix Style Link Shape Switcher onto fingertips and brush hands backward from the hairline to the ponytail to smooth any bumps and secure fly-aways. Repeat with a barbering brush for extra smoothness.

4) Wrap a small piece of hair around the bungee and secure with a bobby pin. Spray ponytail with Matrix Style Link Mineral Rough Me Up Salt Infused Spray for texture. Remove roller from bangs and smooth as desired

5) To finish the look, take a few random pieces from the ponytail and using a crimping iron, crimp the hair from top to bottom. TIP: Dust finger tips with Matrix Style Link Mineral Booster Texture Booster and lightly run through sections before crimping for extra texture and volume.

The finished product:

Photo credit: Getty

Ariana seemed to like it-it proved to be the perfect stage prop during her performance with Nicki Minaj.

Story continues

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London (AFP) - Arsenal have completed a deal to sign Spanish striker Lucas Perez from Deportivo La Coruna, the Premier League club announced on Tuesday.

Arsenal did not disclose either the length of Perez's contract or the transfer fee, but British media reports said the 27-year-old had cost around 17 million pounds ($22.3 million, 20 million euros).

Arsenal are also believed to be close to signing Germany defender Shkodran Mustafi from Valencia for around 35 million pounds.

Discussing Perez, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told the club website: "He's not only a goalscorer, he's a guy who combines well with partners, who can give a final ball and makes good runs.

"He's got a good eye for goal and had an outstanding season last year."

Arsenal are reported to have seen off competition from Premier League rivals Everton to secure Perez's signature.

Perez, who is uncapped, scored 19 goals for Deportivo last season, including 17 in La Liga.

He also scored the winning goal in their 2-1 win over Eibar on the opening day of this season.

He began his career with Atletico Madrid's C team and has also played for Rayo Vallecano, Ukrainian side Karpaty Lviv and Greek club PAOK.

Perez follows Swiss international midfielder Granit Xhaka, Japanese forward Takuma Asano and young English centre-back Rob Holding in arriving at Arsenal during the mid-year transfer window.

Runners-up to Leicester City last season, Arsenal are eighth in the table after three matches of the new campaign.
This artist reimagined Disney princesses in back to work outfits and its chic AF

This artist reimagined Disney princesses in back to work outfits and its chic AF

Its that time of year when we mourn the end of summer and welcome the start of fall (which, for our money, is MAYBE the best season). And while many of us look for fall fashion inspo from celebs and the runway, we can now find some beautiful ideas from the Disney princesses, too!

Insanely talented Filipino artist Greco recently posted his take on the modern, CGI-based Disney princesses in some seriously high-fashion looks. Collectively called The Cobalt Club, these princesses are illustrated in outfits that are meant to show them going back to work (or school). Although these royal ladies are almost unrecognizable (in a very cool way), we are loving them ALL.

Elsa in a sharp coat paired with transition weather shorts.

A photo posted by GRECO  forevr21  Self Taught (@archibald.art) on Aug 8, 2016 at 9:13am PDT

Anna accessorizing with a pair of T-strap heels, a chic studded purse, and A+++ sunglasses.

A photo posted by GRECO  forevr21  Self Taught (@archibald.art) on Aug 9, 2016 at 9:02am PDT

Rapunzel in a minimally perfect sleeveless dress and coat (and perhaps a PSL in hand?!)

A photo posted by GRECO  forevr21  Self Taught (@archibald.art) on Aug 8, 2016 at 9:11am PDT

Merida with a fierce AF spiked bangle, chunky heel boots, and an outfits were pretty sure wed love to own, too.

A photo posted by GRECO  forevr21  Self Taught (@archibald.art) on Aug 9, 2016 at 9:04am PDT

Moana in a stylishly on-point off-the-shoulder top and wearing a headband we WISH were real!

A photo posted by GRECO  forevr21  Self Taught (@archibald.art) on Aug 9, 2016 at 9:06am PDT

If these Disney heroines werent your idols already, they certainly are now!

A photo posted by GRECO  forevr21  Self Taught (@archibald.art) on Aug 9, 2016 at 9:14am PDT

The post This artist reimagined Disney princesses in back to work outfits and its chic AF appeared first on HelloGiggles.
By PTI: From Lalit K Jha

Washington, Aug 30 (PTI) US President Barack Obama will embark on his last Asia trip later this week which would focus on key issues of climate change, global economy and those concerning Asia Pacific region, a top offiical has said.

Obama will leave for a week-long trip to Asia ? his 10th to the Asia Pacific region ? that would take him to China and Laos. He would be the first US president to visit Laos.

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In China, Obama would be attending the G-20 Summit, scheduled for September 4, which among others would be attended by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Obama and Modi are likely to meet on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit, but no announcement has been made yet. Obama would meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on September 3.

"Well be reviewing all of the issues that have been front and centre in the US-China relationship for the last seven and a half years.

"On the positive side, well be able to review the progress weve made on the global economy, on climate change, our shared efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons through the Iran deal, our shared concern about the situation on the Korean Peninsula," said Ben Rhodes, the Deputy National Security Advisor.

They would also be addressing differences, in the area of cyber, some of the economic practices, tensions around maritime issues in the South China Sea and, differences on human rights as well.

"But, again, I think this is going to be the last occasion of this sort for the President to spend several hours with his Chinese counterpart and to review the state of US- China relations and to try to see where we can make progress, and working together on areas of common interest or bridging some of the differences that have been characteristic of the relationship," he said.

After attending the G-20 Summit, Obama will fly to Laos, where he will attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summit and will have bilateral meetings with the Laos leadership.

In a speech in Laos, Obama is expected to review his Asia policy over the course of the last seven years.

"He will talk about how far weve come in shaping an architecture in the Asia Pacific for the US to lead and to be at the table in forums like ASEAN and the East Asia Summit.

"He will speak to the fact that weve significantly upgraded our commercial and economic diplomacy in the region, our security presence in the partnerships that were building, both with allies but also with emerging partners on issues like maritime security and disaster response," Rhodes said. (MORE) PTI LKJ AMS ASK AMS

--- ENDS ---

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EXCLUSIVE: Besides honoring Paul Feig and Nancy Meyers this year, the Austin Film Festival has lined up a number of A-list talent from both film and TV for its inaugural Playwriting Track. As part of this program, playwright-screenwriter Beau Willimon (House of Cards) will present a staged script reading of his unproduced play War Story about soldiers, bankers and the war here and overseas.

The Writers Conference, held the first four days of the festival that begins Oct. 13 and ends Oct. 20, features a slate of panelists that will include Mark L. Smith (writer, The Revenant), Katie Dippold (writer, Ghostbusters), David Mandel (showrunner, Veep), Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (writers, The Fault in Our Stars), Justin Marks (writer, The Jungle Book), Elizabeth Meriwether (creator of New Girl), Nicole Perlman (writer, Guardians of the Galaxy), Lindsay Doran (producer, Stranger Than Fiction), Michelle Ashford (creator of Masters of Sex), Kim Bass (creator of Sister, Sister), Max Borenstein (writer, Godzilla), Wendy Calhoun (writer, Empire), Stephen Falk (creator of Youre the Worst), John Hamburg (writer-director, I Love You, Man) and Tim Herlihy (writer, Happy Gilmore).

Mark Johnson (executive producer, Better Call Saul) also will participate as will Monica Macer (writer, Nashville), Mark Medoff (writer, Children of a Lesser God), Melanie Marnich (writer/co-executive producer, The Affair), Raamla Mohamed (writer, Scandal), Aisha Muharrar (writer, Parks and Recreation), Paula Pell (writer, Saturday Night Live), Matt Selman (writer/executive producer, The Simpsons), Sanjay Shah (writer/co-executive producer, Fresh Off the Boat), Ed Solomon (writer, Men in Black), James Wong (writer/director, Final Destination), Alan Yang (co-creator of Master of None) and many more.

Additional playwright and film/television hybrids confirmed for the Conference include Edward Ricourt (writer, Jessica Jones), Jose Rivera (writer, The Motorcycle Diaries), Tom Szentgyorgyi (writer, The Mentalist), Alexander Woo (writer, True Blood), Linda Woolverton (writer, The Lion King) and others.

Story continues

AFF also unveiled a new Playwriting Competition to open in the 2017 season. An extension of its Screenplay Competition, which has been responsible for launching numerous writing careers, AFF will accept full-length stage plays and provide aspiring playwrights exposure to a wide array of theater professionals. Writers who place in the competition and seek to transition into film and television will be given access to special programming and networking opportunities through the annual Writers Conference. More information and specifics will be available when the competition opens in early 2017.

As previously announced, Paul Feig, whose directing credits include Ghostbusters and Bridesmaids, will be honored for his contribution to film, and Nancy Meyers (Somethings Gotta Give, The Intern) will be given the Distinguished Screenwriter Award. Marta Kauffman (Friends, Grace and Frankie) will receive the Outstanding Television Writer for her long career in the industry.

The full schedule will be released mid-September.

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* Pregnant women advised to avoid travel to Singapore

* Malaysia, Indonesia step up Singapore arrivals checks

* Singapore says "premature" to determine impact on tourism

* Most of Singapore's Zika cases among foreign workers

By Marius Zaharia

SINGAPORE, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Australia, Taiwan and South Korea advised pregnant women and those attempting to get pregnant to avoid travel to Singapore after an outbreak of the Zika virus infected more than 50 people in the city-state.

The outbreak and the warnings come as a potential blow to tourism in one of the world's busiest travel hubs, which is already struggling to recover from a slump amid tepid global growth.

Singapore reported its first case of locally-transmitted Zika at the weekend, and the number of reported infections of the mosquito-borne virus has since jumped to 56. At least three dozen of those have since made a full recovery.

The Zika virus was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. It poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects. It has been linked in Brazil to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly, a rare birth defect where babies are born with abnormally small heads and brains.

The 56 confirmed cases in Singapore include only one woman.

Taiwan, Australia and South Korea advised pregnant women and those planning pregnancy to postpone trips to Singapore. Those returning from the country should avoid pregnancy for two months. South Korean travellers will receive text messages with the warning when they arrive in Singapore.

Malaysia and Indonesia, Singapore's closest neighbours, have stepped up protective measures following the outbreak, introducing thermal scanners at airports and border checkpoints.

Singapore's Tourism Board said it was monitoring developments, adding the city state remained a "safe travel destination", and it was premature to consider any impact.

More than 55 million people pass through Singapore's Changi airport every year. In the first half of this year, tourism arrivals reached almost 8.2 million, compared with around 7.3 million in the same period of last year.

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Online retailer Lazada Singapore said on Tuesday it has seen sales of mosquito repellent and other deterrent products rise fivefold over the past three days compared to a week ago.

FOREIGN WORKERS

Authorities continued to inspect thousands of homes in seven parts of Singapore, including five foreign worker dormitories, on Tuesday. Officials sprayed insecticide and removed potential mosquito breeding habitats such as stagnant water and moist dirt from drains.

The majority of those infected with Zika in Singapore were foreign workers, but the government has not disclosed their nationalities. The High Commission of Bangladesh, which represents the largest community of foreign workers, said none of the workers were Bangladeshis.

The Chinese and Myanmar embassies in Singapore said they had not been notified by Singapore whether their citizens were among those infected. The Thai embassy did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Foreign workers in Singapore, employed mostly in the construction and marine industries, can earn as little as S$2 ($1.47) an hour, often work 12-14 hours a day and take few days off. They are unlikely to travel often.

The GuocoLand construction site, where the infected workers were found, remained closed on Tuesday morning, according to a Reuters photographer at the scene. It was ordered on Sunday to halt work and rectify the conditions that allowed mosquitoes to breed.

Regional health experts said the Zika virus is likely to be significantly under-reported across tropical Southeast Asia as local health authorities fail to conduct adequate screening.

(Reporting by Marius Zaharia, with additional reporting by Edgar Su, Aradhana Aravindan, Masayuki Kitano and Mark Tay in Singapore and Jeong Eun Lee in Seoul; Editing by Jane Wardell and Ian Geoghegan)
Ava DuVernay made it clear that casting minorities in front of and behind the camera was a conscious effort on her part at the premiere of OWNs newest family drama, Queen Sugar.

We had a majority women and people of color writers room, the creator-producer-director told the crowd after introducing her team. She then waved for her African-American female post-production supervisor to come onstage. A lot of people do not know that there is this position, and they dont know that a sister can do it.

The applause continued as Duvernay introduced her all-female directing team, who she hand-picked to tell the story this season. Some of these women have been trying to work in television, had doors closed to them, thats the kind of industry we work in. You can make beautiful films that go to Berlin, Cannes, South By [Southwest], Sundance, and yet you cant get an episode on television in Hollywood.

Bringing not just diversity, but inclusion of people who probably in many points would not have an opportunity to to go in and direct a series like this, that was the statement, exec producer Oprah Winfrey asserted on the carpet. I think everyone has a different view in telling stories, but you will see a connected lyricism and sensuality to this series that I think happened because all of the women involved.

Longtime actor and series guest star Glynn Turman also shared with Variety that it was refreshing to see such a change in scenery behind the camera.

Its something I remember when I started in the business you did not see, and that was the battle cry: why dont we see it, and how do we get to see it? said Turman. Surely, over the years that wall seems to have a chink in it and hopefully that chink will be wider and wider so more and more will flow through, but that will only happen if we continue with due diligence.

Queen Sugar, which adapts from the Natalie Baszile novel and tells the story of estranged siblings who come together to to run an ailing sugarcane farm in Louisiana, premieres as a two-night event on Tuesday, September 6 and Wednesday, September 7 at 10 p.m. on OWN.

Story continues

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'Queen of Katwe' Leads the Slate at 2016 Urbanworld Film Festival

Ava DuVernay, Steve James to Keynote at Getting Real Conference

Artisans So White: Minority Workers and the Fight Against Below-the-Line Bias
Imagine renting a car and being charged for damage that occurred before or after you drove it.

It sounds outrageous. But thats exactly what can happen if you dont take precautions, especially if youre renting from a car-sharing service such as Zipcar.

Rental companies hold drivers liable for anything that happens to the vehicle during the rental period, even if the incident that caused the damage was out of the driver's control. Such rental car damage charges can occur when there isnt a rental company employee available to examine the vehicle when you pick it up and again when you return it. If the company isnt aware of prior damage or if something happens to the car after you drop it off, the company will assume the incident occurred on your watch, and you could be on the hook for some serious money.

This is a particular problem with car-sharing services, which allow members to pick up vehicles left parked on the street or in commercial parking garages and then drop them off when they no longer need it. Because the cars arent inspected between rentals, the car-sharing companies depend on the next renter to report any damage to the vehicle interior or exterior before driving it.

There are a couple of problems with this system.

Suppose the car already was damaged when you picked it up? You may have failed to report it because you didnt notice the damage or didnt think it was significant enough. If the next driver reports it, the damage will be attributed to you.

The same goes if you drop off the car and it's damaged before the next rental. Perhaps another car backs into it, someone vandalizes it, or the weather takes a toll on the car.

Zipcar Under Fire

Unfair and illegal damage charges were among the concerns cited by the New York attorney general in a recent settlement with Zipcar. The state accused the company of improperly charging customers without giving customers a chance to dispute damage claims.

In one instance, Zipcar charged a customer $750 for scratches on a car before it even notified the customer of the damage, says the attorney generals statement. When the customer complained that the damage had not occurred at the time of his reservation, Zipcar reviewed the file but refused to refund the money it had charged.

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Although Zipcar automatically provides renters with collision insurance, it still can charge customers for vehicle damage, currently up to $1,000, unless the customers pay $9 a month for even more coverage. From 2011 to 2015, it charged 5,000 New Yorkers for vehicle damage, the attorney general said.

Under the settlement terms, Zipcar must refund rental car damage charges to customers who picked up a vehicle in New York and then contested their responsibility for anything that happened to it. It also is barred from charging customers for damage unless those customers agree theyre liable or the company obtains a legal determinationfor example, from a courtthat the driver is responsible. It also must pay the state $35,000 in fees and costs.

In a written response to our questions, Zipcar said: Under this agreement, it appears that only a very small number of members over the course of five years were negatively impacted by Zipcars damage process with respect to this statute, and Zipcar is addressing any such incidents in accordance with the agreement. In settling the case, Zipcar did not acknowledge wrongdoing.

Zipcar has a record of being unresponsive to customers. As of late August, it had 67 unanswered complaints at the Better Business Bureau, which has awarded the company a D- rating, just one step above a failing grade of F.

But Zipcar isnt the only car-sharing service that requires customers to inspect the vehicle and report damage before they start their rental or that can hold drivers liable for post-rental damage.

To avoid liability, Enterprise CarShare customers also must report pre-rental car damage before driving the vehicle, says Enterprise spokeswoman Laura Bryant. She acknowledged that there is no sure-fire way for them to prevent being charged for post-rental damage. But she said the company goes out of its way to give the benefit of the doubt to customers who say the damage didnt occur while they had the vehicle.

Traditional Rentals at Risk

You also can face unexpected rental car damage charges for traditional rentals.

One way that can happen is if you drop off a vehicle when the office is closed. If the vehicle is damaged before an employee examines it, youre responsible.

You also can end up being charged if an employee didnt properly record pre-existing damage when you picked up the vehicle. That can be a particular problem with many airport rentals, which are inspected and then left for customers to pick up later unescorted. Theres no employee around to re-inspect the car with the customer present, and theres no way for the customer to know if any damage occurred after the employee inspection.

What to Do

Avoid car sharing. Think twice about using car-sharing services. It can be risky.

Report all damage. No matter what kind of rental company you use, inspect the car thoroughly before driving off and report any damage, a dirty interior, or other problems to the company immediately. If its a full service rental company, have an employee inspect the vehicle with you and note any damage beforehand. Have the employee inspect it again when you return it and insist on written confirmation that there was nothing amiss. If possible, avoid returning the vehicle when no employee is available.

Take photos. It may be inconvenient, but consider photographing and or videoing the vehicle inside and out before and after the rental. If the cars electronic system displays the date and time, capture that as well (rental companies know that date and time information on digital photos and videos can be altered). Pay particular attention to any damage or other issues that are present before you begin driving.

Bryant of Enterprise says the company would consider photograph and video evidence in determining whether to hold a customer responsible for damage, but theres still no guarantee the customer would prevail.

Check your insurance or credit card coverage. If you have collision coverage on your own car or use a credit card to pay for the rental, you may be covered for any damage, no matter when it occurs. Check with your insurer or card issuer before renting.

Buy the collision damage waiver. At a last resort, consider paying extra for the rental companys collision damage waiver, which, in most cases, protects you from being charged for damage. But read the fine print first.





More from Consumer Reports:

Top pick tires for 2016

Best used cars for $25,000 and less

7 best mattresses for couples





Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright  2006-2016 Consumers Union of U.S.
DUBAI (Reuters) - Bahrain's main opposition al-Wefaq has appealed against an administrative court ruling last month that dissolved the group and found it guilty of fostering terrorism, a leading Wefaq official said on Tuesday. The court decision to dissolve al-Wefaq was part of a wider government crackdown on an opposition mainly comprised of Shi'ite Muslims demanding reforms and a bigger say in running the Western-allied Gulf Arab state. Ali Alaswad, a former member of the Bahraini parliament for al-Wefaq who lives in Europe, said the group officially submitted an appeal "to challenge the verdict of the high civil court issued... dissolving the society and liquidating its funds". The court set a first hearing for Sept. 20. Government officials could not immediately be reached for comment. Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet, has a Shi'ite majority but a Sunni Muslim-led government, mainly drawn from the ruling al-Khalifa family. Seen by other Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdoms like Saudi Arabia as a bulwark against Iranian influence, it put down Arab Spring protests in 2011. It drew U.S. and U.N. criticism in June when it moved to strip a top Shi'ite cleric's citizenship and announced it was suspending Wefaq and closing its offices. Bahrain's Shi'ites complain of state discrimination, a charge the government denies. (Writing by Sami Aboudi)
By Ruma Paul DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh's top court on Tuesday rejected a final appeal by the leader of an Islamist party against a death sentence for atrocities committed during the 1971 war of independence, lawyers said, meaning he could be hanged at any time. The verdict comes amid a spate of militant attacks in the Muslim-majority nation, the most serious on July 1, when gunmen stormed a cafe in the capital, Dhaka, and killed 20 hostages, most of them foreigners. The rejection, by a panel of five judges headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, comes a day after a visit by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during which he urged Bangladesh to uphold democratic principles. In March, the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty for Mir Quasem Ali, 63, a media tycoon and key financier of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, for murder, confinement, torture and incitement to religious hatred during the war to leave Pakistan. "Now it is only a matter of time to execute the verdict, unless he seeks clemency from the president," Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told reporters. The Jamaat leader and his family have yet to decide whether to approach the president, said Ali's lawyer, Khandaker Mahbub Hossain. "All the legal battles are over now," he told reporters. Ali could go to the gallows any time, without such clemency. The war crimes tribunal set up by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2010 has sparked violence and drawn criticism from opposition politicians, who say it is victimising her political opponents. The government denies the accusations. Human rights groups say the tribunal's procedures fall short of international standards, but the government rejects that assertion, and the trials are supported by many Bangladeshis. Authorities have deployed additional security forces across Bangladesh as similar previous judgments triggered violence that killed around 200, mainly Jamaat activists and police. Hundreds of people cheering the verdict flooded the streets of the capital, Dhaka, and the southeastern port city of Chittagong, where torture camps were set up during the war. There have been no reports of violence, although the party called for a nationwide protest strike on Wednesday. Since December 2013, four Jamaat leaders, including former top leader Motiur Rahman Nizami, and a leader of the main opposition party, have been executed for war crimes. Official figures show about 3 million people were killed and thousands of women raped during the nine-month war, in which some factions, including the Jamaat-e-Islami, opposed the break from what was then called West Pakistan. But the party denies its leaders committed any atrocities. (Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
By PTI: Mohali, Aug 29 (PTI) A 29-year-old drug smuggler allegedly linked with drug lords in Pakistan was arrested with half a kilogramme heroin recovered from his possession here today, police said.

Balraj Singh, who has supplied at least 60 kg contraband worth several crores of rupees in the international market from Pakistan, was arrested from Kurali area where he had come to deliver a consignment to a customer, police said.

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The police have not ruled out the terror links and arms smuggling.

"We have put him under sustained interrogation and would unearth all his wrongdoings," SSP Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said.

Balraj, who is from Naushahra Dhalla in Tarn Taran, was living with fake identity at Ropar with Sukhwinder Kaur, with whom he shared a live-in relationship.

Calling the arrested smuggler a hardcore criminal, the SSP said that Balraj was a proclaimed offender in at least two drug cases, registered at Jalalbad and Thana Sarai Amanat Khan.

He had also been lodged in Amritsar and Kapurthala jails in connection with drug cases. Apart from that he has been facing several other criminal cases, said Bhullar.

Balraj, a XII class pass out, came into drug smuggling in 2011 when he along with his accomplice Chamkaur Singh, a resident of village Bhoose in Tarn Taran, smuggled five kg heroin from Pakistan.

"Then they smuggled 12 kg heroin from Pakistan but were nabbed that time by Amritsar Police and lodged in Amritsar Jail," said Bhullar.

Balraj had come out from jail on bail in 2015 and restarted his activities.

"We are also investigating that whether or not he has connections with terrorists or his involvement in arms smuggling," said the SSP.

After registering a case under Sections 21, 61 and 85 of NDPS Act at Kurali Police Station, the police produced Balraj before Ropar court, which has sent him on a three-day remand under the police custody. PTI COR CHS MRJ ZMN MRJ

--- ENDS ---
A wealthy tycoon who was a chief financier for Bangladesh's largest Islamist party could be executed in days after losing his final appeal Tuesday against a death sentence from a controversial war crimes tribunal.

The Supreme Court rejected Mir Quasem Ali's last attempt to overturn the death penalty handed down two years ago by the domestic tribunal for murders committed during Bangladesh's 1971 independence conflict.

"Now he has a chance to seek presidential clemency. Or else the verdict could be executed anytime whenever the state wants," Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told reporters.

Five opposition leaders including four leading Islamists have already been executed for war crimes since 2013. They were all hanged just days after their appeals were rejected by the Supreme Court.

Their families said they had refused to seek a presidential pardon as they did not want to legitimise the whole trials process.

Ali, who became a shipping and real estate tycoon, was convicted in November 2014 of a series of crimes during Bangladesh's war of separation from Pakistan, including the abduction and murder of a young independence fighter.

Tuesday's decision is considered a major blow for the Jamaat-e-Islami party, which the 63-year-old Ali had helped revive by setting up charities, businesses and trusts linked to it after it was allowed to operate in the late 1970s.

His son Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem, who was part of his legal defence team, was allegedly abducted by security forces earlier in August, which critics say was an attempt to sow fear and prevent protests against the imminent execution.

Security was tight in Dhaka Tuesday, even though the party has in recent months eschewed violent protests in reaction to war crimes verdicts and there was no immediate sign of unrest.

The war crimes tribunal set up by the government has divided the country, with supporters of Jamaat and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) branding them a sham aimed at eliminating their leaders.

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The executions and convictions of Jamaat officials plunged Bangladesh into one of its worst crises in 2013 when tens of thousands of Islamist activists clashed with police in protests that left some 500 people dead.

The Islamist party, which is banned from contesting elections, called a nationwide strike for Wednesday, calling the charges against Ali "false" and "baseless" and accusing the government of exacting "political vengeance".

- TV station shut -

Before he was arrested in 2012 on 14 war crimes charges, Ali headed the Diganta Media Corporation, which owns a pro-Jamaat daily and a television station that was shut down in 2013 for stoking religious tensions.

Defence lawyers have said the charges against him were baseless.

"Mir Quasem Ali wasn't directly involved in war crimes. False witnesses were provided to frame charges against him. The future generation and law experts will scrutinise the verdict whether it was justified," Khandker Mahbub Hossain told AFP.

The court ruling comes a day after a visit to Dhaka by US Secretary of State John Kerry who said the best way to combat extremism was "to live up to the core values of democracy".

Bangladesh has been hit by a series of deadly assaults by Islamist extremists in recent months, including an horrific attack on a Dhaka cafe in July in which 22 people, mostly foreigners, were killed.

Rights groups have criticised the war crimes trials, saying they fall short of international standards and lack any foreign oversight.

A group of United Nations human rights experts last week urged Bangladesh to annul Ali's death sentence and to retry him in compliance with international standards.

"International law, accepted as binding by Bangladesh, provides that capital punishment may only be imposed following trials that comply with the most stringent requirements of fair trial and due process, or could otherwise be considered an arbitrary execution," they cautioned.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government has defended the trials, saying they are needed to heal the wounds of the conflict, which it says left three million people dead.

Bangladesh's independence war broke out, with Jamaat opposing the struggle and siding with the military regime in Islamabad.

Independent researchers estimate that between 300,000 and 500,000 people died in the 1971 war.
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]




Beauty and the Beast is often considered the crown jewel of Walt Disneys 90s renaissance, a lushly animated romance with terrific music and a uniquely independent heroine in the form of Belle. Twenty-five years after its 1991 release and its subsequent Oscar nomination for Best Picture, the movie still casts a spell over audiences. Behind the scenes though, Beauty and the Beast presented a number of narrative challenges that stymied the studios repeated attempts to bring the fairy tale to the screen. Theres a fundamental flaw with the story, producer Don Hahn explained in a recent interview with Yahoo Movies. In the second act, its just this ugly monster going, Will you marry me? And Belle says, No, thats OK. We had to invent things to make the second act more interesting.

Solving Beauty and the Beasts second act doldrums is a problem that stretched all the way back to 1930s, when the studios namesake, Walt Disney, and his trusted Nine Old Men first applied their formidable creative minds to the story. Surviving evidence of those earlier versions are scarce, but there is one missing link that provides some indication of the animators thought process. In this exclusive clip above from a bonus featurette included on the upcoming Beauty and the Beast 25th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray, due to be released on Sept. 20, viewers have the opportunity to feast their eyes on a rarely-seen concept painting for a never-made Beauty and the Beast. Watch the clip above and read on for the story behind this painting.

Sketched in the late 30s or early 40s by famed Danish illustrator Kay Nielsen  who was brought into the Disney fold by Walt as a concept artist and whose striking imagery inspired the Night on Bald Mountain sequence from Fantasia  this painting depicts the moment when Belle tends to a wounded Beast. This is a seminal moment in the story, Hahn said. Its the moment where the ice breaks [between them]. The fact that this particular image resembles a Japanese scroll painting as opposed to the more European-influenced art seen in the finished film is a sign of the times. If you were anyone who was anyone, you wanted Japanese artwork; that style was just in the air said Hahn, adding that Walt Disney was as fascinated with Asian-influenced imagery as the rest of the country. If you look at Bambi, its in the Japanese style, which is very minimalist.

According to the above clip, after plans to make Beauty and the Beast were scuttled, Nielsens painting hung in the home of two Disney colleagues for nearly six decades. Eventually, it found its way back into the studios archives, and was re-discovered by members of the Beauty and the Beast creative team after they had completed their version of the film. And while Nielsens image of Belle bandaging the Beast didnt directly inspire the similar moment in the 1991 movie, Hahn says that both the painting and the sequence in the film speak to whats so powerful about this particular turning point: Its the image of two people at opposite sides of the spectrum finally coming to the singular moment where their lives are going to be changed by each other, and they didnt see it coming.

Hahn promises the sequence will be just as memorable in Bill Condons upcoming live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, which stars Emma Watson and Dan Stevens and will hit theaters on March 17, 2017. I didnt talk to Bill about Nielsens piece, but the moment in the film is exquisite. Bill crafted something thats wonderfully caring, romantic and beautiful at the same time, said Hahn. Its the kind of moment that filmmakers dream of, and it inspired Kay Nielsen, us, and now Bill.
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - When Beijing ordered hundreds of industrial plants to close ahead of China's first-ever G20 summit next week, the government wanted to spruce up the host city of Hangzhou and ensure world leaders would gather under clear blue skies. In doing so, China's leaders may have given the nation's stricken steel mills an inadvertent leg-up, helping to restore profitability after a years-long downturn caused by weak prices as a global glut swelled and demand slowed. Steel prices have jumped as much as 42 percent since late May, with the unexpected turn in fortunes all the more striking as the health of the global steel industry is set to feature on the G20 agenda amid escalating tensions over Chinese exports. Some Chinese steel plants are turning in the best margins in at least three years following increased demand, efforts to tackle a supply glut and an environmental crackdown, with temporary production curbs for events like the G20 accelerating the boost to profits and prices. "Many small mills in neighboring cities of Hangzhou have been ordered to suspend production for the world summit," said Wu Wei, an analyst with Yong'an Futures in Hangzhou. A survey of 32 construction-steel mills in the region by industry consultancy Mysteel found almost half have either halted or curbed output since July, cutting steel output by nearly 1 million tonnes as part of the G20 and environmental curbs. TRADE TENSIONS European and U.S. leaders have urged China to accelerate capacity cuts, blaming its big exports on slumping prices and accusing the world's top producer of dumping its metal in foreign markets. They have threatened sanctions or anti-dumping taxes on Chinese steel imports. China has promised to slash steel capacity by 45 million tonnes this year and cuts in the first seven months of the year amounted to 47 percent of the annual target, spurring Beijing to vow to quicken its pace. While the boon from the G20 cuts will only be fleeting, Chinese steel prices have still rebounded 51 percent since the beginning of this year after six consecutive years of falls as a slowing economy hits demand for industrial metals. Chinese mills that produce rebar, a product used in the construction industry, were earning up to 1,000 yuan ($150) a ton in April and are still turning a profit of up to 300 yuan a ton in August, said Zhao Chaoyue, an analyst with Merchant Futures in Shenzhen. Mills making hot-rolled coil for use in manufacturing were earning currently earning more than 300 yuan a ton, Zhao added. Liuzhou Iron & Steel Co Ltd <601003.SS> said last week it returned to profit in the first half of the year from a loss last year as it took advantage of the price rally. "Nobody earlier expected steel mills to have heydays and make a big profit this year," said Xia Junyan, an investment manager of Hangzhou CIEC Trading Co in Shanghai. (Reporting by Ruby Lian in SHANGHAI and Gavin Maguire in SINGAPORE; additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; editing by Josephine Mason and Richard Pullin)
By Atul Prakash

LONDON (Reuters) - British housebuilder Berkeley Group could be kicked out of the top UK equity index following a sharp drop in its stock price on concerns about the pace of economic growth in Britain after it voted to leave the European Union.

Berkeley shares have slumped nearly 30 percent so far this year, against a 10 percent gain for the FTSE 100 index.

According to Friday's closing prices, with the London market shut on Monday for a public holiday, mid-cap miner Polymetal would replace Berkeley in the blue-chip FTSE 100 index, the London Stock Exchange said on Tuesday.

However, the LSE added that the changes would be confirmed after Wednesday's close of the stock market and be effective from September 19.

A company's place in the FTSE 100 index is decided on the basis of its share performance. Companies with the lowest market capitalisation get replaced by mid-cap companies with higher market caps every quarter.

A demotion can lower demand for a company's shares as funds that track the index can drop that stock from their portfolios, while conversely companies that win promotion can attract more interest from investors.

Shares in Russia's gold and silver miner Polymetal have surged more than 90 percent this year following a rally in precious metals.

Prices of gold, generally seen as a safe-haven investment, have risen about 25 percent this year while silver prices are up around 30 percent, amid the economic uncertainty caused by June's shock Brexit vote.

The FTSE has managed to ride out the negative effects of Brexit since the global companies that dominate the index have had a lift from the post-Brexit drop in sterling, which typically boosts exporters.

A rise in the U.S. dollar on markets has also boosted FTSE companies that earn much of their revenues in the United States.

However, housebuilders such as Berkeley and its rivals have been more exposed to the effects of Brexit as they are more sensitive to any weakening in the domestic British economy.

Data on Tuesday showed that UK mortgage approvals for house purchases fell to 60,912 last month from 64,152 in June, the lowest since January 2015 and continuing a slowdown since the start of the year.

(Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Raissa Kasolowsky)
BioTelemetry BEAT recently announced the receipt of CE mark for its Holter analysis software. This approval is expected to exclusively strengthen the companys foothold in the growing Holter monitoring markets in Europe.

Notably, the stock dropped 1.4% to close at $19.01, which fails to justify the development. However, we are looking forward to BioTelemetrys impressive one-year return of 33%, which is well ahead of the S&P 500s return of 10.5% over the same time frame.

Banking on the impressive trends in the cardiac monitoring market, management is quite hopeful about the recent development. Per management, the CE mark approval not only fortifies the companys market position, but paves way to achieve a new milestone, as BioTelemetry is now well capable of offering both devices and software for cure and care of health issues.



Notably, BioTelemetrys Holter analysis software currently functions for the legacy Holter recorders only. However, the company is set to launch another unified solution, using this software and its newly acquired ePatch device soon.

BIOTELEMETRY Price

BIOTELEMETRY Price | BIOTELEMETRY Quote

Our Take



BioTelemetry recently received a 510(k) nod from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the next-generation MCOT device. Additionally, the integration of the ePatch business and the successful acquisition of VirtualScopics are significant positives.



We believe that the latest development will also strengthen the companys product portfolio, helping it to tap the abundant opportunities in Europe. Even the global market trends seem to be quite lucrative, as an analysis by the Global Industry Analysts reveals that the Holter monitoring systems market is projected to reach $516 million by 2020.



Buoyed by this trend, we presume BioTelemetry, with its series of latest product developments, will significantly gain traction in the Holter monitoring and related ancillary markets.



Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks



Currently, BioTelemetry has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).



Other well-ranked stocks in the broader medical sector include Masimo Corporation MASI, Quidel Corp. QDEL and NuVasive Inc. NUVA. Notably, all the three stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Story continues

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Mariah Havard rocks her Black Lives Matter T-shirt with pride. (Photo: Facebook)

A teenager at Buckeye Union High School in Arizona sparked a protest at her school after she was made to remove her Black Lives Matter T-shirt on picture day. Mariah Havard shared her story on Facebook, saying that she was almost immediately sent to assistant principal Helene Whitmans office upon her arrival at school.

The vice principal called the T-shirt a disruption, and Havard was asked to change into a generic white tee, which she did. Havard said she discovered the reasoning behind Whitmans request after a bit of drama that happened when she wore the shirt before. Friday, August 19th I got into a argument with a young caucasian boy who said black lives dont matter and that shirt is meaningless, wrote Havard. Apparently, the kid complained to the school and Havard was asked to remove it. Before she did, she snapped the photo above.

Havard, though she changed her shirt, believes the schools policy is unfair, considering no one batted an eyelash when one student came to school rocking a certain rebel flag. While attending Buckeye, Ive seen a young lady who wore a Confederate flag shirt that clearly supports racism, she noted, before coming with receipts for those still under the impression that flag is not a symbol of white supremacy. The creator of the Confederate flag in his own words said, As a people we are fighting to maintain the heaven-ordained supremacy of the white man over the inferior or colored race.'

Another student, Genesis Santoyo, who wore a Black Lives Matter T-shirt in support of Havard, backs up Havards claims, telling Arizonas 12 News, Ive seen gay pride shirts, Ive seen Confederate flags, said Santoyo. Ive actually seen a white power shirt once. Even to those who are offended by Black Lives Matter, or the notion that black lives have any value, if a white power T-shirt is acceptable to wear at school, then Havards shirt should be a nonissue. Likely realizing the hypocrisy, the school has since banned Confederate flag T-shirts as well.

On Monday, 10 students walked out of class to protest what they believe is an unjust policy from the school, according to AZ Central. When they wear their shirts that say Black Lives Matter, theyre just telling you that their lives matter too, Roxanne Havard, Mariahs mother, said, explaining for the millionth time what the phrase actually means, though it seems some people still fail to grasp the concept. Roxanne says her child has been subject to online abuse as a result of the controversy. They have made death threats to the students here on Snapchat, Facebook, social media, Roxanne said. The students that have made these threats have not had any consequences.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
A blue fire tornado sounds like it could be an alarming natural disaster, but this phenomenon could actually offer a way to burn fuel with reduced carbon emissions, a new study finds.

A fire tornado, or fire whirl, can occur during urban and wildland fires, threatening life, property and the surrounding environment. However, researchers have discovered a type of fire tornado they call a "blue whirl," and they said these flames have the ability to burn nearly soot-free.

Traditional, yellow fire whirls gain their color from radiating soot particles, according to study co-author Elaine Oran, a professor of engineering at the University of Maryland. Oran said the particles in yellow whirls form because there is not enough oxygen to burn the fuel completely. [Video: Watch a Blue Fire Tornado Spin]

"Blue in the whirl indicates there is enough oxygen for complete combustion, which means less or no soot, and is therefore a cleaner burn," Oran said in a statement.

The researchers were initially studying the combustion and burning dynamics of fire whirls on water. When they discovered the swirling blue flame, the researchers said they thought there could be a practical application for the fire tornado.

Reduced-emission combustion through the blue whirl could offer a solution to "the worldwide need to reduce emissions from both wanted and unwanted combustion," the scientists wrote in their study.

One potential application is to help clean up oil spills, the researchers said. Currently, one remediation technique is to corral the oil, creating a thick layer on the water's surface to be burned. But burning the oil this way is smoky, inefficient and incomplete, the researchers said. If blue whirls could be harnessed and controlled, oil-spill remediation-by-combustion could be greatly improved, they added.

"Fire whirls are more efficient than other forms of combustion, because they produce drastically increased heating to the surface of fuels, allowing them to burn faster and more completely," said study co-author Michael Gollner, an assistant professor of fire-protection engineering at the University of Maryland.

Story continues

In the researchers' experiments over water, Gollner said, the blue whirls not only burn cleaner, but also help pull in the fuel due to the flames' circulation.

"If we can achieve a state akin to the blue whirl at larger scale, we can further reduce airborne emissions for a much cleaner means of spill cleanup," Gollner said.

The findings were published Aug. 4 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Original article on Live Science.

Editor's Recommendations

Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
In a strongly-worded letter addressed to the ambassador, the White House criticised the actions of Pakistan's top diplomat.

By India Today Web Desk: Pakistan today rubbished claims that its ambassador to the US, Jalil Abbas Jilani, was reprimanded by the White House for tweeting an image with First Lady Michelle Obama.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan said that the report was "completely incorrect and baseless." The official also said that the Pakistan embassy or the foreign ministry received no such letter of displeasure from the White House.

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Earlier, reports emerged that the White House criticised the actions of Pakistan's top diplomat and accused Jilani of breaching trust and being undiplomatic in his action.

In May 2016, Jilani had tweeted an image with First Lady Michelle Obama. "It was an absolute delight hosting FLOTUS at Pakistan House today," Jilani said in his tweet. FLOTUS, which stands for First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS), is an unofficial title to designate Michelle Obama, who's the current First Lady.

However, Jilani later deleted his tweet, which had the above photo Jilani, his wife and Michelle Obama.

Reports said that, following the incident, the White House issued a letter to the envoy and expressed disappointment over his tweet, which dispensed the impression that the envoy shared close ties with America's first family. The White House said that First Lady's short stopover at the ambassador's residence was personal and extracting any political gain out of that was unprofessional.

Sources say that Michelle Obama was invited to the ambassador's residence to participate in his son's graduation party. Ambassador Jilani's youngest son attended the same school as President Obama's daughters.

The envoy had to remove the image from his Twitter feed a few hours after tweeting it. When asked to comment on the incident, the ambassador in his one-liner reply termed it incorrect.



--- ENDS ---
By Fatos Bytyci RUGOVA MOUNTAINS, Kosovo (Reuters) - High in the Cursed Mountains that span Kosovo and Montenegro, lumberjack Rame Elezaj and his family have earned a living from their trees for decades. But if Kosovo's parliament approves a border deal with Montenegro on Thursday, all 4.5 hectares of Elezaj's land will designated to be in another country, while his house will remain in Kosovo. "We have always used this land and Montenegro never had any issues, and now our government wants to give it away for free," the 61-year-old told Reuters. For decades after World War Two, villagers never viewed the administrative lines that criss-crossed Yugoslavia as anything but notional boundaries that had little impact on everyday life. But years after that communist state was ripped apart by the Balkan wars in the 1990s, border disputes remain one of many difficulties in untangling the former Yugoslavia, along with ethnic hostility, violence and political gridlock. With no border markers in the craggy 1,700-metre (5,600-feet) mountains, Elezaj believed all his land was in Kosovo, but has no documents to prove it. Western allies have told Kosovo that clarifying borders with its ex-Yugoslav foes, including Montenegro, is a prerequisite to getting closer ties with the European Union, in particular securing visa-free travel. But the deal between the two governments has sparked violent protests throughout Kosovo. Six people were arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of launching a rocket-propelled grenade at parliament and nationalist lawmakers have released tear gas inside the chamber several times in protest. The opposition says the agreement hands over some 8,000 hectares (20,000 acres) of territory to Montenegro, a claim the government denies. "Kosovo is losing 8,200 hectares ... it is losing water sources and lakes," said Donika Kadaj Bujupi, a lawmaker from the biggest opposition party, Vetevendosje, and someone who has herself released tear gas inside parliament. "We will defend the land with our blood," Elezaj said. Vetevendosje has said it will do everything it can, both inside and outside parliament, to stop the assembly approving the border deal. The government also faces objections from a number of its own lawmakers who have said they will not back the deal. ATTENTION ELSEWHERE Kosovo broke from Serbia in 1999 when NATO bombed for 11 weeks to halt the killing and expulsion of ethnic Albanian civilians by Serbian forces trying to crush a two-year insurgency. After almost a decade as a ward of the United Nations, the majority-Albanian territory declared independence in 2008. It has been recognized by more than 100 countries, including the major Western powers, but not Serbia and its big-power ally Russia or several EU members such as Spain. It still struggles with the legacy of war. Corruption and poverty are rife, and a gradual improvement in relations with Serbia, mandated by the EU, is fraught with setbacks. EU officials have used a policy of 'carrots and sticks' to guide governments both in Pristina and in Belgrade toward closer integration with the EU, with the Montenegro border deal just the latest requirement. But EU diplomats say Kosovo may have to wait longer to win visa-free travel, even if the agreement is ratified in time for a September debate in the European Parliament. The bloc's attention is focused elsewhere, diplomats say, with some hoping to lift visas for Georgians ahead of an election there in October, while others want to focus on Turkey, crucial to stemming migrant flows to Europe. "Nobody really talks about Kosovo all that much," one EU diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The huge numbers of Kosovars claiming asylum in the EU - from where they are invariably deported - does not help its case to get visa-free travel and it is the last of the former Yugoslav republics still to win that privilege. In the first quarter of 2015, nearly 50,000 Kosovars claimed asylum in the EU, mostly in Germany, more in that period than Syrians fleeing their civil war. EU countries consider most of them economic migrants, ineligible for asylum. Border issues between Yugoslav republics remain unresolved 17 years since nearly a decade of wars ended in 1999. Even two EU member states -- Slovenia and Croatia -- still dispute over one part of the border going through the Adriatic Sea. (Additional reporting by Gabriela Baczyska in BRUSSELS and Aleksandar Vasovic in BELGRADE; Editing by Ivana Sekularac and Robin Pomeroy)
Jon Cassar's When the Bough Breaks premiered Sunday night at the Regal Cinemas L.A. Live in Los Angeles. The cast, including Morris Chestnut, Regina Hall, Jaz Sinclair and Theo Rossi, turned out on the red carpet in support and excitement for the psychological thriller.

Hall, who is known for her comedic chops, explained to The Hollywood Reporter that she doesn't prepare differently for roles outside the comedy genre. "I didn't do anything really differently," she said. "I have the same work process. This just required me to tackle a lot more emotional energy."

Although Chestnut and Hall have worked on several projects together, their roles in the past rarely intersected on screen. This is the first film where the duo play opposite each other. Chestnut, who also serves as the executive producer of the film, opened up to THR about his continuous experience working with Hall.

"[Regina and I] have done many films together, but our characters never really interacted," he explained. "So it was great working with her. She's such a great actress with a great sense of humor, so it was a lot of fun."

Hall wasn't the only actress of the evening to earn recognition for her work. Theo Rossi, who plays the fiance of Sinclair, highlighted the young actress' maturity level for her first major role.

"Jaz might be young, but she's kind of a veteran," he told THR. "She has the process of somebody who's been doing it a long time. She has this beautiful mind-set of a young person who just really gets it."

He continued: "She's a throwback actress, she really investigates and takes it seriously. She's about that work, and that's what I love about her."

When the Bough Breaks is a modern-day psychological thriller about a couple, John (Chestnut) and Laura Taylor (Hall), who desperately want a child but are unable to have one on their own. They decide to look into surrogacy options, and after meeting Anna (Sinclair), they hire her as their surrogate. Initially, the two are excited to embark on this journey; however, they find out that not only does Anna have an abusive fiance, but she also has a relentless fixation on and obsession with John. Even though Anna is carrying their child, the couple must find a way to protect their family.

Story continues

The reigning topic of the evening was Sinclair's breakout performance. When asked how she feels about all the praise from her costars, Sinclair said, "I'm on cloud nine right now. I'm so excited to bring people together and to celebrate everyone's hard work. This whole experience has been a dream."

When the Bough Breaks opens nationwide Sept. 9.

Read more: Summer Box-Office Wrap: Why Hollywood's on Red Alert Despite Near-Record Revenue
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Russia on Tuesday questioned the findings of a UN-led investigation that blamed the Syrian regime for chemical attacks, saying they were not conclusive enough to trigger sanctions.

Britain and France called for UN sanctions after the investigative panel found that President Bashar al-Assad's forces had carried out at least two chemical attacks, one in 2014 and one in 2015.

Following a closed-door Security Council meeting to discuss the report, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said he had "very serious questions" about the findings and suggested the panel should continue its work.

"There are a number of questions which have to be clarified before we accept all the findings of the report," Churkin said.

Previous reports from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had concluded that toxic gases have been used as weapons in Syria's five-year war, but stopped short of identifying the perpetrators.

The panel of inquiry, known as the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM), for the first time pointed the finger of blame at the Assad regime for chemical weapons use after years of denial from Damascus.

The British and French ambassadors described the use of chemical weapons against civilians as a war crime, while US Ambassador Samantha Power called for quick action to ensure those responsible "pay a price."

Churkin, however, made clear he was unconvinced by the JIM report.

"There is nobody to sanction in the report," Churkin told reporters. "It contains no names, no specifics, no fingerprints."

"Clearly there is a smoking gun. We know that chlorine was most likely used, but there are no fingerprints on the gun," he said.

The panel found that the Syrian regime had dropped chemical weapons on two villages in northwestern Idlib province: Talmenes on April 21, 2014 and Sarmin on March 16, 2015.

In both instances, Syrian air force helicopters dropped "a device" on houses that was followed by the "release of a toxic substance," which in the case of Sarmin matched "the characteristics of chlorine."

Story continues

Chlorine use as a weapon is banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention, which Syria joined in 2013, under pressure from Russia, Assad's ally.

- No evidence -

Syrian Ambassador Bashar Jaafari rejected the findings, saying the panel lacked "physical evidence" to support its conclusions that chlorine barrel-bombs were dropped on civilians.

The report was "totally based on witnesses presented by terrorist armed groups," Jaafari told reporters.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre called for a "quick and strong Security Council response" that would include "imposing sanctions on those who are responsible for these acts."

The council will be "looking at the imposition of sanctions and some form of accountability within international legal mechanisms," said British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft.

The report also found that Islamic State jihadists had used mustard gas in an attack on the town of Marea in northern Aleppo province in August 2015.

Human Rights Watch called on the council to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court for war crimes and to urgently impose sanctions.

Britain, France and the United States said such a step remained an option, even though Russia and China blocked ICC referral in 2014.

"Russia and China don't have a leg to stand on by continuing to obstruct the Security Council on Syria sanctions and ICC referral," said Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch.

"The Security Council diminishes its importance if it doesn't take strong action against demonstrated use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government."
A British backpacker hailed as a hero after being stabbed in an attack at an Australian hostel in which a fellow Briton was killed has died of his injuries, police said on Tuesday.

Tom Jackson, 30, sustained critical head injuries in the attack in a rural town in the north of Queensland state last Tuesday. A Frenchman has been in custody since the attack and is expected to be charged with a second count of murder.

Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, died from multiple stab wounds while a 46-year-old Australian man suffered non-life threatening wounds.

"Police can confirm 30-year-old British man Thomas Jackson, critically injured in an alleged knife attack at Home Hill on August 23, has today passed away in the Townsville Hospital," the authorities said in a statement.

"Detectives will upgrade a charge of attempted murder against a 29-year-old man at his next appearance in Townsville Magistrates Court on October 28."

Frenchman Smail Ayad has been charged with the murder of Ayliffe-Chung and is also facing one count of attempted murder regarding the Australian man.

Jackson was hailed as a hero by police, who said his actions to help Ayliffe-Chung were "completely selfless".

His father, Les Jackson, flew from Britain to be at his son's hospital bedside and said Sunday he was "immensely proud" of Tom.

Police had alleged Ayad said "Allahu Akbar" (God is greater) during the attack and again when arrested, but have also added that 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.
To expose Pakistan's role in spreading terror, India today launched a two-pronged attack on Islamabad. While Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar blamed Pakistan for sending terrorists to India in Washington, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held the western neighbour responsible for all major terror attacks in Delhi.

"Forces across the border are fomenting trouble in violence-hit Kashmir," Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in a joint statement with his US counterpart Ashton Carter saying a "a small percentage" of people in the Valley are holding the majority at ransom. He said the government is working "proactively" in handling the violence in the state.

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INDIA PROACTIVE IN HANDLING KASHMIR UNREST

As far as Kashmir is concerned, the Indian government has been very proactive in handling the violence which comes from across the border" Parrikar told Pentagon reporters on Monday at a joint news conference with United States Defence Secretary, Ashton Carter.

Meeting between John Kerry, US Secretary of State and Ajit doval, NSA was for over one hour.

In the meeting, India brought up terror issue and blamed Pakistan for helping and training terrorists and sending them to Jammu and Kashmir.



TERRORISM DISCUSSED



All issues related to terror were brought up including Jammu and Kashmir, Pathankot etc. America assured India that it will be proactive on terror. It will take necessary steps with Pakistan. In fact, do everything possible.

Closer cooperation in counter terrorism between India and the USA is being planned. Regional and global security issues were also discussed including talks on Taliban, al Qaeda and ISIS.

Also read:

Pakistan denies White House reprimand on Ambassador Jilani's tweet



--- ENDS ---
By Elizabeth Piper LONDON (Reuters) - After a summer of political earthquakes followed by a few weeks of holiday calm, Prime Minister Theresa May will meet members of her government on Wednesday to discuss how Britain is to leave the European Union. It will be the first time that May, appointed in July after David Cameron resigned following Britain's vote to quit the EU, has met her ministers since she asked them to use the break to come up with options for the country's future relationship with the bloc after a divorce. For many in the EU, it is not before time. Despite giving May breathing space to devise a negotiating stance before triggering the exit procedure, they are keen for Britain to begin the talks and end uncertainty that has hurt investment. "Before the summer the PM charged all cabinet ministers with identifying the opportunities in their respective areas of responsibility," a government spokeswoman said. "On Wednesday ... the new team will report back, and discuss the next steps in the negotiations," she said of the meeting at May's official residence at Chequers. "Once the PM has made a decision she will expect the cabinet to deliver on it." May has said she will not trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon treaty to start the exit procedure until next year so that she can have time to make sure she has the best chance of winning best deal for Britain, her spokesman said. The former interior minister, described as "utterly intractable" by a Cameron ally, will ask parliament for its views, but does not legally require its approval. Her aides are clear that her decision will overcome any divergence of views in her cabinet, which like the wider ruling Conservative Party, is divided over the degree of Brexit - whether Britain should leave the EU's single market to ensure control over migration or find some compromise. BALANCE May has stacked her three ministries for Brexit, trade and foreign affairs with some of the most active campaigners for Britain to leave the EU. But she has balanced them by appointing to vital positions lawmakers who campaigned for Britain to remain in the bloc, such as Philip Hammond at the finance ministry, or Treasury. The Telegraph newspaper reported that the two sides have disagreed over Hammond's view that access to the single market could be maintained "on a sector-by-sector basis", with Britain retaining a favorable status for its big financial sector. Asked whether that was Hammond's stance, the Treasury declined to comment. If it was, that would go against so-called Brexit minister David Davis, who heads the new Department for Exiting the European Union, and trade minister Liam Fox. Citing senior government sources, the Telegraph said both believe Britain can only curb migration if the country leaves the single market. On Tuesday, French President Francois Hollande seemed to back up that point, underlining that Britain could not opt in to certain parts of the single market without upholding the EU's four freedoms, including freedom of movement. "This choice means that Britain, once it leaves, cannot take part in European decisions," he told an annual gathering of French ambassadors in Paris. "It will not be able to access the single market unless its accepts the four freedoms, all its regulation and budgetary solidarity." (Additional reporting by Kylie MacLellan; editing by Andrew Roche)
* ARM says more than 95 pct of votes in favour of sale

* SoftBank paying 43 pct premium in $32 bln deal

* Japanese buyer pledged to boost jobs and retain British HQ

* ARM chairman says SoftBank undertakings virtually unprecedented

By Paul Sandle

LONDON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Shareholders in British technology company ARM approved its sale to Japan's SoftBank on Tuesday, marking the end of independence for the chip designer that powered the smartphone revolution.

SoftBank swooped on the Apple supplier in July, agreeing to pay $32 billion in cash for a company that it hopes will remain at the forefront of digital innovation.

ARM said that more than 95 percent of the votes cast on Tuesday approved the takeover.

Seeking to win political backing and smooth the path for the deal, the Japanese company's charismatic leader Masayoshi Son spoke to British Prime Minister Theresa May shortly before the deal was announced to allay concerns that it would be bad for the British technology sector.

SoftBank, which is paying a 43 percent premium, has promised to at least double ARM's workforce in Britain over the next five years, keep its headquarters in Cambridge and retain its partnership-based business model and culture.

The commitments will be the first test of new takeover rules that make such pledges binding. The rules were introduced after Pfizer attempted to buy Britain's AstraZeneca in 2014.

ARM Chairman Stuart Chambers said that SoftBank's guarantees on jobs and investment were legal commitments, not merely "nice ideas and promises and intents".

"If you look at the post-offer undertakings that SoftBank has made, they are extremely strong, they are virtually unprecedented," he told Reuters after Tuesday's shareholder meeting in London.

Chief Executive Simon Segars, who will stay with the company, said that SoftBank shared ARM's long-term view on investment, including retaining and developing the engineers who were essential to ARM's success.

"We are not going anywhere, we are still going to be at the heart of British technology. We are growing globally because we are a global business," he said.

Story continues

"This represents an exciting new chapter for ARM, and an ability to really grow and do everything we were doing and do more and do it faster."

Some remained unconvinced, however. Paul Myners, a former British financial services minister, said the sale was more evidence of the City's predilection to "sell at a reasonable premium, get out, don't invest for the future, don't back the British economy".

"This is a business that is at the heart of the ecosystem of modern technology, the internet of things, an area in which we lead," he told BBC radio on Tuesday, adding that it would not have been possible to sell ARM in 60 days had it been an American, German, French or Japanese company.

"We will not have world-beating companies if we continue to sell out our leaders at such an early stage," he said.

(Editing by David Goodman)
On Aug 29, 2016, we issued an updated research report on Buckeye Partners, L.P. BPL. Strategic acquisitions and organic growth projects continue to drive the partnerships performance in the domestic as well as international arena. However, intensifying competition and stringent government regulations are persistent headwinds.

Recently, Buckeye Partners reported second-quarter 2016 earnings from continuing operations of $1.07 per unit, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 95 cents by 12.6%. Quarterly earnings also surged 50.7% year over year. However, Buckeye Partners total revenue came in at $777.1 million, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $800 million by 2.9%. Quarterly revenues also fell 2.5% from the year-ago figure.

Buckeye holds an attractive portfolio of diverse refined petroleum-product transportation assets in key geographical markets. All of the partnerships assets are secured by 710 year minimum volume commitments and storage, thereby adding stability to its long-term earnings.

Meanwhile, Buckeye frequently acquires assets in a similar line of business as its own in order to focus on its core business. Since 2010, the partnership has invested over $7 billion in acquisitions and organic growth projects. Through acquisitions, it has added storage capacity of 80 million barrels. Moreover, the acquisitions of 65 domestic and international terminals have provided the partnership with added resources to serve its customers.

BUCKEYE PARTNRS Price

BUCKEYE PARTNRS Price | BUCKEYE PARTNRS Quote

The partnership started developing the Michigan Ohio pipeline and the terminal expansion project, and plans to complete construction by fourth-quarter 2016. It is presently exploring additional opportunities to increase its capacity to move products west to east. Buckeye is assessing $2 billion of potential investment opportunities capable of generating long-term value for its unitholders.

Story continues

However, Buckeyes operations are subject to stringent environmental laws, which expose it to the risks of increasing cost of operations and compliance costs. In addition, new pipelines being built by major integrated oil and gas companies could intensify competition in the pipeline business. Buckeyes rate structures are subject to review and regulation by the FERC.

Zacks Rank and Key Picks

Buckeye Partners carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in same industry include CONE Midstream Partners LP CNNX, Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. EEP and TC PipeLines, LP TCP. While CONE Midstream and Enbridge Energy sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), TC PipeLines carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

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On Monday, lawmakers in California passed legislation banning probation under certain conditions for people convicted of sexual assault.



The state assembly bill, which was unanimously passed with a 66-0 vote and is now awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown's signature, was inspired by the rape case involving former Stanford student-athlete Brock Turner, who some believe was given a lenient sentence after he sexually assaulted a 23-year-old unconscious woman behind a dumpster at a on-campus fraternity party in January 2015.



Turner was sentenced to six months, but according to Santa Clara County jail records, the 21-year-old is set to be released on Friday, Sept. 2, with his sentence cut in half due to good behavior, SG Gate reports.



"Sexually assaulting an unconscious or intoxicated victim is a terrible crime and our laws need to reflect that," Assemblyman Bill Dodd said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. "Letting felons convicted of such crimes get off with probation discourages other survivors from coming forward and sends the message that raping incapacitated victims is no big deal."



"Rape is Rape, and rapists like Brock Turner shouldnat be let off with a slap on the wrist,a Assemblyman Evan Low said in a statement. "Judge Perskyas ruling was unjustifiable and morally wrong, however, under current state law it was within his discretion. Current law actually incentivizes rapists to get their victims intoxicated before assaulting them. While we can't go back and change what happened, we can make sure it never happens again.a



Turner was convicted of three felonies including assault with intent to commit rape in March of 2015. Prosecutors had asked presiding Judge Aaron Persky to sentence Turner to a six-year prison term. Instead, Persky sentenced Turner to six months in jail and three years probation, arguing that a longer sentence would have a "severe impact" on the then 20-year-old Turner.



Turner's victim, who has chosen to remain anonymous, gained national attention when her 12-page victim impact statement went viral.



 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.





California Lawmakers Pass Legislation Inspired by Brock Turner Case Closing Sex Assault Sentencing Loopholes| Crime & Courts, Sexual Assault/Rape, True Crime



Meanwhile, last week, Persky, who has faced severe backlash over the sentence, including a petition calling for his resignation, asked to be reassigned to the court's civil division.



"While I firmly believe in Judge Persky's ability to serve in his current assignment, he has requested to be assigned to the civil division, in which he previously served," Rise Jones Pichon, the presiding judge of the Santa Clara Superior Court said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. "Judge Perky believes the change will aid the public and the court by reducing the distractions that threaten to interfere with his ability to effectively discharge the duties of his current criminal assignment."
By Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California lawmakers, responding to outrage over the six-month jail term given to a former Stanford University swimmer after his conviction for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, passed legislation on Monday closing a loophole that allowed the sentence. The bill now goes to Democratic Governor Jerry Brown for his approval. He has not indicated whether he will sign it into law. The measure was introduced in response to the sentence given to 20-year-old Brock Turner by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky in June, which was widely condemned as too lenient. Prosecutors had asked that Turner be given six years in state prison. He is scheduled to be released on Friday from jail in Northern California. "Sexually assaulting an unconscious or intoxicated victim is a terrible crime and our laws need to reflect that," Democratic Assemblyman Bill Dodd, a co-author of the legislation, said in a written statement following its passage. Turner was convicted of assault with intent to commit rape, penetration of an intoxicated person and penetration of an unconscious person in the January 2015 attack. Under California law, those charges are not considered rape because they did not involve penile penetration. The uproar over the sentence, fueled in part by the victim's harrowing letter in which she detailed the assault in graphic terms, comes amid growing outrage over sexual assault on U.S. college campuses. This bill is about more than sentencing, its about supporting victims and changing the culture on our college campuses to help prevent future crimes," Dodd said. The case has also led to efforts to remove Persky from the bench. Earlier this month, the judge asked for a transfer to civil court. According to the legislators, current California law calls for a mandatory prison term in cases of rape or sexual assault where force is used, but not when the victim is unconscious or severely intoxicated and thus unable to resist. The bill, which faced no serious opposition in the Democratic-controlled legislature, would eliminate a judge's discretion to sentence defendants convicted of such crimes to probation. Under its provisions, Turner would have faced a minimum of three years behind bars. (Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Leslie Adler and Peter Cooney)
"Looking forward to being in Gujarat today for the launch of SAUNI Yojana. This scheme will truly benefit the people of Gujarat," Modi tweeted on Tuesday.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday visited his home state Gujarat and launched an irrigation scheme- Sauni Yojna, a project initiated by him in 2012 as Chief Minister.

"Looking forward to being in Gujarat today for the launch of SAUNI Yojana. This scheme will truly benefit the people of Gujarat," Modi tweeted on Tuesday.

Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation - SAUNI was a project launched by Modi in September 2012.

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The project aims at diverting the floodwater from Sardar Sarovar Dam to several dams of the water scarce Saurasthra region trhough a network of canal and pipelines.

This would help with irrigation of 4.13 lakh hectares land in draught prone Saurashtra.

ALSO READ:



Why PM Modis Balochistan jibe at Pakistan has China worried

Balochistan: Did Pakistan use chemical weapons on locals after PM Modis I-Day speech?





WATCH: PM Modi inaugurates the first phase of SAUNI project at Aji Dam site in Jamnagar, Gujarathttps://t.co/EDwBWE0H6j ANI (@ANI_news) August 30, 2016

--- ENDS ---
(Adds details of release, background)

OTTAWA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Canada's current account deficit widened to a near-record C$19.86 billion ($15.28 billion) in the second quarter as the value of exports continued to sink, Statistics Canada said on Tuesday.

The shortfall, though slightly smaller than the C$20.50 billion forecast in a Reuters poll, was the second-largest after the C$20.20 billion deficit in the third quarter of 2010. Statscan revised the first-quarter deficit figure to C$16.59 billion from C$16.77 billion.

The deficit for international transactions in goods jumped to a record C$11.28 billion from C$6.48 billion in the first quarter. Overall, exports of goods dropped to C$123.57 billion from C$130.20 billion, in part due to lower shipments of motor vehicles and parts as well as consumer goods.

The overall deficit on international trade in services narrowed to C$5.14 billion from C$5.40 billion in the first quarter.

The deficit on cross-border investment income flows shrank to C$2.88 billion from C$3.44 billion.

($1=$1.30 Canadian)

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
By Nia Williams and David Ljunggren

CALGARY/OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's National Energy Board on Tuesday suspended Montreal hearings on TransCanada Corp's (TRP.TO) proposed Energy East pipeline after protests disrupted the first day of the process on Monday.

The board, Canada's energy regulator, also said in a statement it would not proceed with further hearings until it had considered two motions asking for the recusal of members from the panel considering the pipeline. The NEB has invited written comments on the motions by Sept. 7.

Opponents want two of the three panel members to step down after it emerged they had privately discussed the pipeline last year with former Quebec Premier Jean Charest, who at the time was working for TransCanada as a consultant.

"This decision has been made as a result of a violent disruption on the first day of the proceedings and ongoing security concerns," the NEB said in a statement.

"Given that two motions have been filed asking for the recusal of Panel Members.... the Board will not proceed with further Panel Sessions until it reaches a decision."

The next round of panel sessions is scheduled for Oct. 3-7 in Quebec City.

The move is the latest blow to hit the Energy East project, which would carry 1.1 million barrels of crude per day from Alberta's oil sands to the east coast of Canada.

Environmental groups reject the project and opposition is particularly acute in the mostly French-speaking province of Quebec, which the pipeline would need to cross. Montreal is the biggest city in Quebec.

Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr, when asked whether the two panel members should be replaced, said that was not a decision the government would want to make.

"The NEB will have to deal with it. We are interested in making sure the process continues and that Canadians who have an opinion have the right and the freedom to say it," Carr told reporters following a speech in Calgary.

Patrick DeRochie of Environmental Defense called for the entire Energy East review process to be put on hold until the government completes a review of Canada's environmental laws and processes.

Story continues

"The indefinite postponement of NEB hearings for Energy East is the latest sign that the review process for major energy projects is completely broken. It's clear that we need a fundamental overhaul of the NEB," DeRochie said.

TransCanada said it will wait for the NEB to provide guidance on how it plans to proceed.

(Editing by Bernard Orr and Dan Grebler)
By Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - Canadian farm goods are high quality and safe, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in Beijing on Tuesday as his trade minister said Canada was working hard to resolve a canola import dispute that threatens C$2 billion ($1.5 billion) in business. Trudeau is seeking deeper ties with China but a the canola spat, government divisions over China policy and the case of a detained citizen could limit his gains. China is Canada's top export market for the oilseed, and Ottawa has taken an increasingly strong line in talks on a new standard, which industry participants say would significantly raise costs for exporters. China says the standard is necessary to prevent the spread of blackleg disease from Canadian canola into Chinese crops of rapeseed, another name for the agricultural commodity. Speaking to Chinese entrepreneurs shortly after landing in Beijing, Trudeau said Canada had always had a reputation as a safe, clean and responsible country. "In our agriculture, we use high-quality products and we create high-quality products and goods," Trudeau said, without making direct reference to the canola dispute. Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters after Trudeau's speech that Canada had made very clear what a key issue canola is. "This is a big deal for Canada," she said. Canola is the country's second-largest trading product with China. Canada's canola farmers are close to harvesting this year's crop, and Freeland said the government was "working really hard" to keep the China market open and find a resolution. Chinese officials in Ottawa have said the two countries were having "positive consultations" and the issue could be "resolved properly through joint efforts". Under the new standard, China will allow no more than 1 percent of foreign matter per canola shipment, down from a current maximum of 2.5 percent. There has been no reply to a request for further information or comment to China's quarantine authority, the agency that formulated the new standard. Traders have suggested that China's real reason for a higher standard is that its domestic rapeseed oil stocks are high. Beijing sold 2.8 million tonnes of rapeseed oil from state reserves in the first half of the year, reducing import demand. Trudeau, who meets Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday, has also said he will raise human rights, an issue of great sensitivity in Beijing. Ottawa is pressing the case of Canadian citizen Kevin Garratt, who was indicted on charges of spying and stealing state secrets earlier this year. On Tuesday, China's state-run Xinhua news agency said Canada should not let "groundless concerns" about human rights stand in the way of cooperation. ($1 = C$1.3) (Additional reporting by Dominique Patton; Editing by Nick Macfie)
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A car bomb claimed by al Shabaab Islamist militants killed five soldiers outside the president's palace in the Somali capital of Mogadishu and badly damaged two nearby hotels, police said. Reuters witnesses said gunfire could be heard after the explosion and a huge cloud of smoke could be seen above the president's palace, outside which were the remnants of the car and splattered blood. "A suicide car bomb exploded outside the presidential palace. So far two hotels opposite the palace are partially destroyed," police officer Major Mohamed Ali told Reuters by phone. Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for several recent explosions in Mogadishu, including a car bomb and gun attack last week at a popular beach restaurant in the capital that killed 10 people. "So far we know five government soldiers died in the blast. It exploded outside the SYL hotel which is also just at the checkpoint outside the palace. We believe the target was SYL which is frequented by officials. The death toll may rise," police officer Colonel Abdikadir Hussein told Reuters. Al Shabaab's Radio Andaluz said that the group was behind the attack. In a separate incident, al Shabaab fighters attacked military bases housing government and African Union troops south west of the capital Mogadishu late on Monday, police and the group said on Tuesday. Military officer Major Bile Farah said a soldier and two al Shabaab fighters were killed in the attack in K-50 and Muri in Lower Shabelle region, Al Shabaab's military operations spokesman, Abdiasis Abu Musab, said the group's fighters had killed 10 soldiers and commandeered a vehicle from the Somali government soldiers. The militants were pushed out of Mogadishu by the African Union peacekeeping force AMISOM in 2011 but have remained a serious threat, launching frequent attacks aimed at overthrowing the government. Seeking to impose its own harsh form of Islam, al Shabaab has also launched attacks in Kenya and Uganda which have contributed troops to the 22,000-strong AMISOM force. (Reporting by Abdi Sheikh and Feisal Omar; Writing by George Obulutsa)
A van driven by a suicide bomber exploded after ramming through a gate at the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday, injuring three people, authorities said.

"As a result of the explosion, only the suicide bomber terrorist died. Security guards were injured," Kyrgyzstan's deputy prime minister Jenish Razakov told journalists at the scene.

Razakov said the three wounded were all Kyrgyz employees of the embassy and that they have been hospitalised. Local medics said their injuries were not serious.

Impoverished majority-Muslim Kyrgyzstan -- which borders western China -- has a history of political instability and battling Islamist extremism.

Authorities say the country faces the threat of attacks from Islamic State group jihadists after some 500 Kyrgyz left to fight for the group in Iraq and Syria.

Chinese officials have previously been targeted in attacks linked to radicals from China's mainly Muslim Uighur minority, which lives just across the border in the restive western Xinjiang province.

Law enforcement sources told AFP that a Mitsubishi Delica van smashed through a gate at the embassy on Tuesday morning before exploding in the centre of the compound close to the ambassador's residence.

A police source confirmed to AFP that the vehicle was driven by a suicide bomber and described the incident as a "terrorist attack".

China's foreign ministry condemned the attack as an "extreme and violent act" but refused to classify it as terrorism.

"We asked the Kyrgyz side to get to the bottom of this incident and hold whoever is behind this accountable," spokeswoman Hua Chunying told journalists.

- Houses shook -

Kyrgyz officials have not yet pointed the finger of blame at any specific group, and President Almazbek Atambayev ordered a "thorough investigation".

The country's national security committee said that a criminal case for "terrorism" had been launched in response to the incident.

Story continues

Kyrgyz police sources put the strength of the blast at an equivalent of up to 10 kilos (22 pounds) of TNT, and one said body parts thought to be those of the attacker were found several hundred metres (yards) from the blast site.

Local residents told AFP that the blast had blown in their windows and caused their houses to shake.

An AFP journalist close to the scene said that damage could be seen on the embassy buildings and that police had cordoned off the area as emergency services worked.

Employees from the Chinese and nearby American embassy on the edge of the city were evacuated, the Kyrgyz emergency service said.

Kyrgyz foreign minister Erlan Abdyldaev told Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in a phone call that authorities would take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese diplomats, Kyrgyzstan's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The American embassy warned US citizens in Kyrgyzstan to "shelter in place" until more information emerged.

An economically troubled ally of Russia, Kyrgyzstan has seen two governments overthrown and ethnic violence claim hundreds of lives since it gained independence in 1991.

The authorities regularly announce that they have foiled attacks planned by IS in the country.

Security forces last year said they had engaged in several fatal shootouts with suspected "terrorists" in the capital Bishkek.

One of the three suicide bombers who carried out a deadly attack blamed on IS at the international airport in the Turkish city Istanbul in June was reported to be from Kyrgyzstan.

- Violence across the border -

Chinese officials in Kyrgyzstan have previously been targeted, with one shot dead in 2000 in an attack blamed on radicals from the Uighur minority.

In 2014 Kyrgyz authorities said they killed 11 people, including Uighur rebels, trying to cross into the country.

Violence has plagued China's northwestern region of Xinjiang, in recent years, sometimes spreading beyond it.

Beijing blames the violence on separatist Islamist terrorists with overseas connections while rights groups point to what they say is discrimination against the Uighurs' culture and religion.

Kyrgyzstan and the other ex-Soviet Central Asian nations have come under fire for using a purported terror threat as a pretext to silence criticism of their secular regimes.

Kyrgyzstan is gearing up to mark 25 years since independence from the Soviet Union with celebrations in Bishkek on Wednesday.
Juan Gabriel's longtime associate and president and CEO of Cardenas Marketing Network, Henry Cardenas, issued a heartfelt statement following the death of the Mexican superstar who died in the midst of his MeXXIco Es Todo Tour in the U.S. -- which was being produced by CMN.

Mexican Superstar Juan Gabriel Dies at 66

"It is with great sadness that we learned early yesterday of the passing of our friend, colleague and creative partner, the great Juan Gabriel. For more than three decades it has been our privilege to produce the onstage creative vision of one of the most extraordinary talents the world has ever seen. Everything Juan Gabriel did, he did from his heart. He was a man of compassion and generosity in his music, in his charitable works and also in his live performances, where he felt compelled to give back to his audiences for the love they had shown him. He was also a loving father and grandfather and we hope fans and media will grant his family time to grieve in private," stated Cardenas.

President Obama on Juan Gabriel: 'His Spirit Will Live On'

Considered a huge loss for the Latin music industry, Gabriel passed away during the early hours of Sunday (Aug. 28) in Santa Monica, California, just a week after he had kicked off his highly anticipated -- one that was being billed as his most ambitious tour in the U.S.

His last concert was Aug. 26 at The Forum in Los Angeles where he sang a medley of his biggest hits for two hours.

.@soyjuangabriel is the ultimate showman! ------------ #MeXXIcoEsTodo pic.twitter.com/shtVYeHxsI

- billboard latin (@billboardlatin) August 27, 2016

According to a press release, fans who had purchased tickets for his shows in the U.S. can request refunds request refunds at Ticketmaster.com or their point of purchase.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 30, 2016 / Castle Peak Mining Ltd. (CAP.V) ("Castle Peak" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that based on the results of the recently completed sampling program at the Akorade Project the Directors of the Company support initial drill evaluation of three prospects. The prospects of interest are within the Akorade Project located in the southern Ashanti Belt, Ghana. The results of the sampling are summarized below along with the objectives of the proposed drill program.

Highlights:

Dansuom North: Of the 49 sample sites, 14% returned >70 parts per billion ("ppb") gold ("Au"), with a range of

POW A1/3: Of the 56 sample sites, 35% returned >100ppb Au, with a range of

DO_New: From the 46 samples sites, 37% returned >100ppb Au, with a range of

Drilling is proposed to be initiated in the near future on the POWA1/3 and DO_New prospects with the evaluation of the Dansuom North prospect on hold pending the renewal of the forestry permit. The objectives of the proposed program are to confirm the presence of a mineralizing system creating the anomalous signatures, provide geological information for directing follow-up programs and to provide support for an expanded exploration program.

Dansuom North. The sampling results confirmed the use of auger sampling and gradient induced polarization as exploration tools in this area. Drilling will be the ultimate proof of concept for this exploration methodology. Previous drilling on Dansuom Central returned a best intercept of 11 meters ("m") of 2.9 grams per tonne ("g/t") (NR Nov.15, 2011) and a road chip sample of 26m of 1.7 g/t Au (NR Dec. 5, 2012); neither of these mineralized features have been followed-up. Additionally a third target area Dansuom South also occurs within this structural corridor.

The sampling results from POW A1/3 surpassed our expectations of refining the existing prospect. The sampling expanded the main anomalous zone from 300m x 75m to 600m x 150m which coincides with a ridge line with an approximate height of 30m. Additional anomalous samples (240, 205, 160 ppb Au) at the northeastern edge of the auger grid will require follow-up to define another potential prospect. The main anomaly occurs at an intersection of a strong linear magnetic break and an inferred fault. See Figure 1.

Story continues

The Dompem New (DO_New) prospect sampling forms a strong curvilinear anomaly across a hill top. Rock units inferred/observed include sandstones and conglomerates west of the prospect, medium and coarse grained feldspar and quartz-phyric intrusive units and rare altered and unaltered mafic volcanic units east of the prospect and abundant quartz cobbles and boulders within the main anomaly of the prospect. The anomaly is open in all directions. See Figure 2.

The objectives of sampling Akoko Trend were not attained; narrow, discontinuous anomalous trends resulted from the sampling with 18% of the samples returning >50ppb Au (85 samples, range
Mining giant, Caterpillar Inc. CAT announced that it has entered into a strategic alliance with leading equipment distributor, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Incorporated RBA. Per the alliance, Ritchie Bros. will become Caterpillar's preferred global partner for live onsite and online auctions for used Caterpillar equipment and also complement Caterpillar's existing dealer channels. This partnership is expected to deliver significant benefits to both companies.



Ritchie Bros. will provide Caterpillar and its dealers with access to proprietary auction platforms, software and other value-added services, thereby enhancing the exchange of information and services between customers, dealers and suppliers. This alliance will provide Caterpillar's used equipment buyers access to its leading products, digital offerings and world-class customer support through the Cat dealer network. Moreover, the deal will allow its independent dealers and their respective customers to continue with an accelerated delivery of Caterpillar's Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity offerings, to improve their fleet utilization.



On the other hand, the alliance will strengthen Ritchie Bros. association with Caterpillar's global independent dealers by providing them with better and continued access to a global auction marketplace for their used equipment. It will also help expand Ritchie Bros. global footprint.

CATERPILLAR INC Price

CATERPILLAR INC Price | CATERPILLAR INC Quote

Further, Ritchie Bros. inked an agreement to acquire IronPlanet. IronPlanet is a leading online marketplace for used heavy equipment and other durable asset sales, in which Caterpillar and its dealers own a minority position. The combined company will deliver a multi-channel marketplace to provide a full range of equipment asset management and disposition solutions.



The new strategic alliance between Ritchie Bros. and Caterpillar replaces and expands on existing agreements between Caterpillar, its dealers and IronPlanet. The alliance will become effective once Ritchie Bros. completes its acquisition of IronPlanet, which is subject to regulatory clearances and other customary closing conditions.



The alliance between Ritchie Bros. and Caterpillar will have an initial five-year term. After completion of the IronPlanet buyout, Ritchie Bros. will operate live onsite auctions at participating Caterpillar dealer locations under the Cat Auction Services brand and also include Ritchie Bros.' other onsite and online brands.



Caterpillar currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the sector include Astec Industries, Inc. ASTE and Belden Inc. BDC, both carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).



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From Esquire

Apparently, my fellow Papists and I have something of a problem with the current Republican presidential nominee, as The Washington Post helpfully tries to explain.

But Trump trails among Catholics by a huge margin. A new poll from the Public Religion Research Institute released this week shows him down 23 points, 55-32.

It continues to be the opinion here at the shebeen that there really is no such thing as The Catholic Vote any more, and I doubt that either Trump's run-in with Papa Francesco, which I didn't even remember until this story brought it up, or the long-faded memory of anti-Catholicism in American politics, have very much to do with it at all.

[contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related Story" customtitles="Apologies Necessary" customimages="" content="article.46263"]

A whopping number of Catholic voters are Hispanic-this was a critical part of Karl Rove's attempt to woo Hispanic voters through emphasizing social issues, before The Base went nutty over immigration-and I think that's where the key to these numbers lies. They've lined up against He, Trump for far more obvious reasons than the fact that a Boston mob burned down an Ursuline Convent in 1834.

And, maybe, Catholics are like everybody else in that they're reluctant to be governed by a vulgar talking yam.

Click here to respond to this post on the official Esquire Politics Facebook page.

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BEIRUT (Reuters) - A ceasefire is holding between Turkey and Kurdish-backed militia in northern Syria, a Kurdish military official said on Tuesday, but a Syrian rebel commander characterized it only as a "pause" and added that military operations would resume soon. The truce is between the Jarablus Military Council and Turkey, said Sharfan Darwish, spokesman for the Manbij Military Council. Both councils are allied with the Syrian Democratic Forces, a U.S.-backed alliance of groups including the powerful Kurdish YPG militia that is fighting Islamic State insurgents and has expanded along Syria's frontier with Turkey. A subsequent statement from the Jarablus Military Council announced a temporary ceasefire "under the oversight of the international coalition led by the United States" in order to spare the people of Jarablus "the scourge of war". The statement added that those who had overseen the ceasefire were attempting to turn it into a permanent one. However, in an interview with Ronahi TV, Ali Hajjo, a spokesman for the council, acknowledged the ceasefire but also pledged to regain areas taken by Turkey and its allies. "We will not stand with our hands tied. We will liberate our areas and land from the Ottoman Turkish occupation and its factions," he said. More than 250,000 people have died and another 11 million have been displaced in Syria's multi-sided, five-year-old civil war, which started as an uprising against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey and Syrian rebel groups it backs seized the border town of Jarablus from Islamic State this week and advanced south toward Manbij, clashing with SDF-allied groups. Ankara fears the SDF's advances in northern Syria are aimed at establishing a Kurdish enclave that could aid Kurdish militants within Turkey's own borders. However, a commander in one of the Turkish-backed Syrian rebel groups that have clashed with SDF-allied groups south of Jarablus said there was no ceasefire, only a pause in the military operation. "There is no truce and no ceasefire. But there has been a pause for some time," he said, adding that the operation would resume shortly. (Reporting by Angus McDowall, Lisa Barrington and Tom Perry; editing by Ralph Boulton)
Priya Malik has found a unique way to protest against censoring of a bra visual in the movie Baar Baar Dekho.

By India Today Web Desk: Former Bigg Boss contestant Priya Malik is hitting the headlines again, and it is not because she is going to star in a new reality show.

Priya is in the news because she recently posted a braless picture of herself on her Instagram account to protest the censoring of a bra scene from the upcoming movie Baar Baar Dekho.

advertisement

Also read:Bigg Boss 10 promo out: Salman Khan is all set to create history with aam aadmi this season



Apparently, the censor board doesn't approve of the said scene and therefore has decided to cut the visual from the final edit of the movie.

Priya, who was last seen in Bigg Boss 9, posted a braless picture of herself on her Instagram account in a display of protest.

Priya had posted this picture to protest against the bra cut. Picture courtesy: Instagram/priyasometimes

She captioned the picture as, "Because wearing a visible #bra would be indecent. #FreeTheNipple."

The TV personality didn't wear a bra underneath her dress to show her discontent with the censor board.

A promo poster of the show. Picture courtesy: Instagram/baarbaardekhothefilm

Baar Baar Dekho will release on September 9.



--- ENDS ---
BEIRUT (Reuters) - A ceasefire is holding between Turkey and Kurdish-backed militia in northern Syria, a Kurdish military official said on Tuesday, but a Syrian rebel commander characterised it only as a "pause" and added that military operations would resume soon. The truce is between the Jarablus Military Council and Turkey, said Sharfan Darwish, spokesman for the Manbij Military Council. Both councils are allied with the Syrian Democratic Forces, a U.S.-backed alliance of groups including the powerful Kurdish YPG militia that is fighting Islamic State insurgents and has expanded along Syria's frontier with Turkey. A subsequent statement from the Jarablus Military Council announced a temporary ceasefire "under the oversight of the international coalition led by the United States" in order to spare the people of Jarablus "the scourge of war". The statement added that those who had overseen the ceasefire were attempting to turn it into a permanent one. However, in an interview with Ronahi TV, Ali Hajjo, a spokesman for the council, acknowledged the ceasefire but also pledged to regain areas taken by Turkey and its allies. "We will not stand with our hands tied. We will liberate our areas and land from the Ottoman Turkish occupation and its factions," he said. More than 250,000 people have died and another 11 million have been displaced in Syria's multi-sided, five-year-old civil war, which started as an uprising against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey and Syrian rebel groups it backs seized the border town of Jarablus from Islamic State this week and advanced south towards Manbij, clashing with SDF-allied groups. Ankara fears the SDF's advances in northern Syria are aimed at establishing a Kurdish enclave that could aid Kurdish militants within Turkey's own borders. However, a commander in one of the Turkish-backed Syrian rebel groups that have clashed with SDF-allied groups south of Jarablus said there was no ceasefire, only a pause in the military operation. "There is no truce and no ceasefire. But there has been a pause for some time," he said, adding that the operation would resume shortly. (Reporting by Angus McDowall, Lisa Barrington and Tom Perry; editing by Ralph Boulton)
Consumer confidence is spiking as U.S. markets and the Federal Reserve await the August jobs data due out on Friday. The biggest question many have is how the Fed will react to the numbersmore specifically if the data is positive.

If the jobs number is strong, and I anticipate it will be fine, theyre [the Fed] going to find themselves in a tough spot if they decide not to react, Charles Plosser, former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

Some say the central bank should not raise rates, regardless of the August jobs data.

I think the argument for not raising rates is uncertain, Plosser said. Two statistics that are troubling: One has been weak business investment. Thats not entirely surprising given were about to head into an election for which the predication is to what fiscal policyhow businesses will be treatedby either of our two candidates.

The former Philadelphia Fed President added theres good reason to believe theres uncertainty in the business community about investing while productivity data have also been a concern.

Plosser also weighed in on the current state of the U.S. economy, saying the consumer looks great.

Wage growth, personal income growth has been pretty healthy, he said. Obviously people would prefer to see wage growth higher, theres no question about that. But I think its been pretty steady and pretty good. I think with employment continuing to grow that youre going to see some continued wage growth, not at a spectacular rate, but still a pretty steady rate between 2-3%.

Related Articles
JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers have discovered a way to handle their newfound stardom.



Rodgers, who dropped to one knee and proposed at the end of Fletcher's Bachelorette season 12, shared a hilarious photo of the engaged couple in the athlete's hometown of Chico, California.



"The last time we were in Chico together you might have met our alter egos Goldie and Ricky," the SEC sportscaster captioned the photo of him and Fletcher dressed in wigs, hats and '80s attire.





The last time we were in Chico together you might have met our alter egos Goldie and Ricky...oops #sneaky #sorryABC A photo posted by Jordan Rodgers (@jrodgers11) on Aug 29, 2016 at 8:43pm PDT



"...oops #sneaky #sorryABC," he penned of the duo, who attempted to be incognito.







Since the duo revealed their engagement on ABC's After the Final Rose, they purchased a house together in Fletcher's hometown of Dallas.



"We have a house, we want to get some furniture and get settled," 27-year-old Rodgers told PEOPLE.



"We're just excited to be together and be able to show our relationship to people who haven't been able to see it," added Fletcher, 25.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. judge has dismissed a lawsuit by Chevron Corp <CVX.N> workers who said the oil company breached its fiduciary duties by putting costly and poorly performing investment options in a $19 billion employee savings plan.

In a decision on Monday, Chief Judge Phyllis Hamilton of the U.S. District Court in Oakland, California, wrote that the workers failed to raise a "plausible inference" of wrongdoing.

Hamilton gave the plaintiffs until Sept. 30 to file an amended complaint.

"The mere fact that the fund's price dropped is not sufficient to state a claim for breach of fiduciary duty," she wrote.

The judge also said it was acceptable for the plan to offer a money market fund rather than a higher-return stable value fund for plan participants seeking to preserve capital.

Neither Jerome Schlichter, whose firm represents the plaintiffs, nor a spokesman for San Ramon, California-based Chevron immediately commented.

Schlichter's St. Louis firm has pursued many lawsuits accusing companies of mismanaging 401(k) and other retirement plans. This month it also brought similar claims against a number of major universities.

The case is White et al v. Chevron Corp et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 16-00793.

(Reporting by Ross Kerber; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
By Rosalba O'Brien SANTIAGO (Reuters) - After buying four lithium properties in Chile in recent months, Wealth Minerals wants more, but any future business plan will depend on how the government decides extraction should be regulated, its Chilean executive director said. Canadian-listed Wealth Minerals has agreed to buy 53,000 potential lithium producing hectares in northern Chile at a cost of $38 million since Chilean mining veteran Marcelo Awad joined in April. They include three purchases close together and another in the Salar de Atacama, where industry incumbents SQM and Albemarle are already producing. "We had to negotiate individually without the other owners realizing, simultaneously. We got very similar prices for the three," Awad told Reuters in a recent interview at his office in Santiago. The so-called "lithium triangle" that straddles Chile, Argentina and Bolivia has drawn a flurry of activity in the last year as prices for the material have soared on hopes of an electric vehicle and solar boom. In part, that is due to more business-friendly conditions in Argentina and the promise of a regulatory shake-up in Chile, where private companies must generally partner with the state to mine lithium. Awad, who previously had senior executive roles at copper giants Codelco and Antofagasta, said the mining ministry is seeking to clarify the new rules by the end of March 2017 at the latest. "If the framework doesn't change, we will partner with a state business," he said. "That would mean it getting a stake and not putting in a peso - but that option exists." State-run Codelco [COBRE.UL] is due to announce in coming weeks a call to tender on two lithium properties it holds, a joint venture deal that has attracted a lot of interest and which Awad said "of course" includes Wealth Minerals. The company's business plan is to buy up properties, get the relevant studies and permits in place and then sell them as a package rather than producing itself, he said. In February, it announced a possible tie-up with Li3 Energy , which holds more Chilean lithium rights. But that deal was looking increasingly unlikely to happen, Awad said. "There are conditions not complied with. There is a long way to get to a final deal, and it seems like there won't be an agreement," he said, pointing to a deal between Australian smallcap Lithium Power and a local venture that has effectively diluted Li3's stake. (Reporting by Rosalba O'Brien; Editing by Dan Grebler)
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's key reforms have been smooth over the last three years, but implementation needs to be faster, Xinhua news agency said, citing a statement from a meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping on Tuesday.

Xi called for solid efforts to advance reforms, with more focus needed on the economy, at the meeting of the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform.

Some analysts say China's reforms, particularly those of state firms, have been slower than expected.

China should deepen rural land reform and protect land rights according to land transfer contracts and ensure stable business expectations, the statement said. Protection of intellectual property rights should also be improved, the group said.

The statement said green finance was important for environmentally friendly development and supply-side reform.

(Reporting by Beijing Monitoring Desk and Elias Glenn; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Chipotle drink

Chipotle is giving away free food and drinks this September to help lure customers back.

Customers with a valid student ID who purchase a burrito, bowl, tacos, or salad at the chain can receive a free fountain drink or iced tea all September. Free drinks do not include beer, margaritas, or bottled drinks, and they can be picked up only with in-person purchases.

The chain is also offering free kids meals every Sunday in September with the purchase of an adult meal. The offer applies only to children ages 12 and under, and it also applies only to in-store orders.

The company is hoping that free food will attract customers who haven't returned to the chain after an E. coli outbreak affected locations in 14 states. While the outbreak was declared over in February, sales have remained down, with the chain's same-store sales dropping 30% in the first quarter of 2016.

From February to May, the company gave away roughly $70 million in free-food coupons. More recently, Chipotle began offering happy-hour specials on alcoholic drinks in eight states.

Despite Chipotle's investment in free food and drinks, the chain hasn't yet offered evidence that the giveaways are working. Earlier in August, a letter from Chipotle to the Securities and Exchange Commission was released that revealed that as of July the company was unable to measure any revenue gained the free-food coupons.

Do you work at Chipotle and have a story to tell? Reach out to the author of this story at ktaylor@businessinsider.com

NOW WATCH: How to get a ton of food at Chipotle for under $5





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Chipotle is giving us this one item for FREE for an entire month  theres just a catch

Chipotle is giving us this one item for FREE for an entire month  theres just a catch

If being a student taught us anything, its that life isnt always easy (or affordable). In between the homework, projects, and extracurriculars, theres also all the stuff you have to buy on the side: supplies, food, clothes, dorm decor, and so much more. Yet, there are always those out there who are willing to lend a helping hand (and some cash).

Were talking about Chipotle: A company thats going to be giving students free drinks throughout the entire month of September.

Today, according to Business Wire, the food chain announced that it will be giving high school and college students (both undergrad and grad!) free fountain drinks. The only catch (which isnt really a catch at all, because FOOD) is that they have to buy an entree and also must have a valid school ID on hand. This only applies to fountain drinks and iced tea  not bottled beverages.

Were filling  and refilling  students cups at all Chipotle locations to celebrate the beginning of the new academic year, Chris Arnold, Chipotles communications director, told Business Wire.

giphy

Though the beginning of the school year is fast approaching (if it hasnt approached for you already), we imagine that its comforting to see some free drinks on the horizon. Because we all know how important it is to stay hydrated when youre in the midst of back-to-school mayhem.

The post Chipotle is giving us this one item for FREE for an entire month  theres just a catch appeared first on HelloGiggles.
No rabbit meat; just cuddly rabbits you can play with while you enjoy your meals at Rabbitland.

The decor at the first rabbit cafe in Hong Kong screams cute and cuddly. Photo: Reuters

By Shreya Goswami: Over the last few years, we've seen the rising popularity of cafes with animal themes. From the Dog Cafe in Los Angeles, to Harry, the hedgehog cafe in Tokyo, we've had varying versions of cute mixed with average food to get a successful Food and Beverage establishment.

A young customer plays with a rabbit at the first rabbit cafe in Hong Kong. Photo: Reuters

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And let's not forget Tokyo Snake Centre, the world's first snake cafe (once again, no snake meat is served here), which is more of a mix of creepy and food. And now, Hong Kong has the world's first rabbit cafe, aptly called Rabbitland.

Hong Kong opened its first rabbit cafe despite warnings from vets that it could put stress on the animals. Photo: Reuters

Dessert is served in a rabbit-shaped sugar-designed plate at Rabbitland. Photo: Reuters

This one is the perfect blend of cute animals and good food. The cafe, which opened in Causeway Bay last month, is the brainchild of three young men inspired by the 'rabbit island' in Okunoshima, Japan. The setup is quite basic, with tables, chairs, rabbit dcor, and rabbit pens.

A rabbit peeks out of the fence of its cage at Rabbitland. Photo: Reuters

You might think Rabbitland is unhygienic, especially thanks to the presence of five rabbits. But the setup is quite clean, and maintained that way by the staff. A few questions have been raised about the animals--if young customers play with them all day, the little furry animals might get too tired.

Customers play with a rabbit, while enjoying their meal at Rabbitland. Photo: Reuters

Also read: Here's why you should visit the new heaven-themed Cafe OMG in CP



This kind of exhaustion can be detrimental for the well-being of the rabbits. But the cafe has strict rules about handling their precious animals. You can stroke the rabbits, but you can't pick them up. The rabbits are allowed to roam free from the pens to give them some exercise, but that's it.

Customers can enjoy a meal while playing with rabbits at Rabbitland. Photo: Reuters Customers can enjoy a meal while playing with rabbits at Rabbitland. Photo: Reuters

Of course, this sort of a cafe might be too cutesy for you. But for those who would love to watch a cuddly, furry, and totally harmless animal playing around while enjoying a meal, then Rabbitland in Hong Kong is just where you need to be.

A customer at Rabbitland feeds a rabbit inside its cage. Photo: Reuters A customer at Rabbitland feeds a rabbit inside its cage. Photo: Reuters

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By Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) - The American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday filed a lawsuit accusing Alabama county officials of violating a Christian woman's religious rights by forcing her to remove her headscarf before taking her driver's license photo.

Yvonne Allen, of Tuskegee, said a court clerk told her when she sought a license renewal last December that "only Muslim women have the right to cover their hair," according to the complaint filed with the federal court in Opelika, Alabama.

Allen described herself as a devout Christian woman whose faith compels her to cover her hair in public.

She said she agreed to remove her headscarf for the photo, believing she had no other choice, but felt ashamed and that she had been disobedient to God.

According to the complaint, Alabama considers head coverings in driver's license photos "only acceptable due to religious beliefs or medical conditions."

The complaint names as defendants Becky Frayer, the chief clerk of the Lee County Probate Judge's office, and Probate Judge Bill English, her supervisor.

Allen said Frayer has defended her office's policy, telling her that she was also a Christian but did not cover her hair.

Frayer and English did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The lawsuit accused the defendants of violating Allen's religious freedom under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and also Alabama's state constitution.

It seeks a court order letting Allen have her photo retaken while she wears her headscarf, plus unspecified damages.

The case is Allen v English et al, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama, No. 16-00712.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Alan Crosby)
Citizen Soldier, which is being released on VOD, DVD, and Blu-ray on Tuesday after a theatrical run earlier this month, is not the first movie to capture the experience of combat in Afghanistan, but it may be the most immersive.

Relying on footage from a combat photography team and soldiers themselves, the movie is a contrast to cinematic reenactments in that its moments of combat are interspersed with extended downtime. As one of the soldiers says, War is boring until its punctured by these moments of heart-stopping terror.

Directed by David Salzberg and Christian Tureaud, and executive produced by Wendy Anderson, a former high ranking official at the Department of Defense, Citizen Soldier focuses on a group of soldiers in the Oklahoma Army National Guards 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, sent to a remote region of Afghanistan in 2011, the height of the surge. The the result is personal and, at moments, terrifying  particularly with the omnipresent threat of improvised explosive devices.

It was really almost a groundbreaking style of filmmaking that we are now delivering, and it is this first-person, immersive experience from the frontlines, and what it does is it takes the audience there, to Afghanistan, Tureaud tells Varietys PopPolitics on SiriusXM. The result is the experience of soldiers running down that hill as bullets are flying beside the camera, and they really feel that they are part of that unit.

The filmmakers company, Strong Eagle Media, in which they are also partnered with Bert Bedrosian, specializes in stories from soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. They started with The Hornets Nest in 2014, which also spotlighted soldiers in Afghanistan as well as a father and son team of embedded journalists. After seeing that movie, Staff Sgt. Eran Harrill, a member of the National Guard and president of the Oklahoma City Black Chamber of Commerce, approached them about using footage he had gathered from his deployment three years earlier in Najill, Afghanistan.

Story continues

Harrill had a vision to make a movie, but didnt know how to do it, Tureaud says. He had a vision to make a movie about his two fallen brothers. The unit lost two of their own during the deployment.

The film also spotlights the service of the National Guard, whose members are not active duty members, but soldiers who are called up from 9-to-5 jobs. National Guard units have been deploying to the front lines since 9/11, a fact that Anderson says often gets overlooked. Some of the soldiers wore helmet cams, which is not unusual in deployments, as such footage is often used in post-mission reviews, she says.

She and Tureaud say that the soldiers have called Citizen Soldier and The Hornets Nest digital medicines, for the way they portray painful moments of their experience as well as the camaraderie and cohesiveness of their unit.

There are 2.8 million men and women in the United States military who have served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and there are very few folks from the moviemaking side of things who have gone to them and said, Hey, tell us about your experience,' says Anderson, who joined Strong Eagle Media last year.

That was the thing that was most important to us. We are at the end of 15 years of conflict, and we want to make sure that these stories are being highlighted and surfaced and archived while folks remember them and have these experiences fresh in their minds, he added.

The movies marketing includes serving as the entitlement sponsor of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del., on Oct. 2. Joe Walsh also recorded the original song, No Mans Land, for its soundtrack, and a number of military officials have given it their endorsement, including Ret. Gen. John Allen and former secretaries of defense Chuck Hagel and Leon Panetta.

The filmmakers also purposely left out anything political, even any discussion of the wisdom of the surge in Afghanistan. This about the service member, not a political party, Anderson says.

Listen below:

Related stories

Senior Pentagon Official Wendy Anderson Joins Strong Eagle Media

'Hornet's Nest' Filmmakers Form Strong Eagle Media
HBO series The Night Of may have wrapped up this past Sunday, but its breakout star Riz Ahmed is making his way to the big screen in his first leading role in neo-noir thriller City of Tiny Lights. The film follows private eye Tommy Akhtar (Ahmed) through modern-day London as his missing-person case devolves into a dangerous case of intrigue that drudges up secrets from his past.

The Pete Travis-directed film will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 12.

Ahmed, who gained critical acclaim for his nuanced turn as a murder suspect in the HBO drama, joins the other side of the justice system as a detective in this new film, which Patrick Neate adapted from his own novel. With this film and an upcoming role in December's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Ahmed is a quickly rising star.

In this exclusive clip debuting at The Hollywood Reporter, a roughed-up Tommy visits ex-girlfriend Shelley (Billie Piper, Doctor Who) at the restaurant where she works. They exchange some playful banter. "Look at us, we're old," she says. "Speak for yourself," he replies.

While she nurses his wounds and advises him to get stitches, they discuss their failed relationship. "What happened to us?" she asks.

Watch the exclusive clip above.

Read more: 'The Night of': TV Review

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Donald Trump has taken the political world on a rollercoaster ride over the past two weeks on his signature issue of immigration, suggesting last Tuesday he may be softening his deport-them-all stance. He then backtracked on that stance only two days later, saying many would consider his position hardening.

In a Wednesday night immigration policy speech in Arizona, Trump could clear up some of this confusion. His remarks are being written by staffer Stephen Miller, a former aide to immigration hardliner Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., according to a Trump adviser.

The Hillary Clinton campaign is not expecting Trump to significantly alter his stance on wanting to deport all undocumented immigrants and is prepared to remind voters of his previous statements if he does. As soon as the speech is over, the Democratic nominees team is prepared to deploy numerous surrogates  many on Spanish-language TV and radio  to argue that Trump cannot be trusted and is not pivoting on the immigration issue.

A Clinton campaign aide said the fact that Miller is writing the speech, instead of Kellyanne Conway, for example, suggested that Trump would not give much ground on the issue. Conway, Trumps newly minted campaign manager, has hedged in recent TV interviews on whether Trump still embraces some of his most hard-line proposals. Meanwhile, Miller worked closely with Sessions to block a 2013 comprehensive immigration-reform bill in the Senate. Miller also wrote Trumps convention speech, in which the GOP nominee darkly warned of a crime-filled America.

Immigration hard-liners agree with the Clinton teams expectations for Trumps speech. Having Stephen Miller working on this immigration speech gives people like us assurance that theres going to be things in it that were going to like, said Eric Ruark, the director of research for NumbersUSA, a group that advocates for lower legal and illegal immigration levels.

Frank Sharry, the executive director of the pro-immigration reform group Americas Voice, said he believes Trump is likely to stop calling for a deportation force or mass deportations, since those phrases are unpopular with Republicans and Democrats alike.

Story continues

But Sharry said he does not think Trump will alter his core position that all of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country should leave. Trump hasnt called for a deportation force since early in the Republican primary, instead saying he would like to end so-called sanctuary cities, rescind President Obamas executive order shielding young undocumented immigrants from deportation, and enforce immigration checks in the workforce.

I have somewhere between a cynical and a skeptical perspective on this, Sharry said. At most, its going to be a slight rhetorical shift without a meaningful policy pivot.

Trumps language has certainly changed. In a town hall meeting with Fox News Sean Hannity last week, Trump said he might be open to softening his stance on undocumented immigrants and having the government work with them, and he asked the spectators what they thought should be done. Facing fire from conservatives like Ann Coulter, Trump later told CNN there is a good chance he would stick to his original plan to deport all 11 million undocumented immigrants, after first focusing on immigrants who have committed crimes. Meanwhile, his spokeswoman, Katrina Pierson, said hes just changed the words hes saying, not the policy.

Clintons surrogates plan to make that case after Trumps speech, whether or not he changes his tone. On a Tuesday call with reporters, Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., said no matter what Trump happened to say, into the future, no matter how he plays with his words or who he tries to surround himself with, his one consistent proposal throughout this campaign has been his promise to forcibly remove immigrants. Thats always been his agenda, Becerra said.

Holly Bailey contributed to this report.
BEAUFORT, SC / ACCESSWIRE / August 30, 2016 / Coastal Banking Company Inc. (CBCO), the holding company of CBC National Bank, which operates branches in Beaufort and Port Royal, S.C., Fernandina Beach, Ocala, and The Villages, Fla., today announced that its board of directors has elected Charles Wagner president of the company and Thomas J. Flournoy executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Wagner has been president of CBC National Bank since June 2015 and directly oversees the bank's mortgage division, human resources, information technology and operations, marketing, and strategic planning. He joined the company in 2007 as a founding leader of the bank's mortgage division. Wagner also is a member of both the Coastal and CBC National Bank boards of directors.

Michael G. Sanchez remains chief executive officer of both Coastal Banking Company Inc. and CBC National Bank, and chairman of both boards.

"The Coastal board's management succession committee and governance committee spent 18 months planning the company's management succession process before naming Charles Wagner president of CBC National Bank more than a year ago," said Sanchez. "Since that time, Charles has continued to ably demonstrate the acumen and proven performance that led to our decision. Naming him president of Coastal Banking Company Inc. is a further step in the succession plan toward him assuming overall leadership of the company at the appropriate time."

Flournoy recently joined Coastal as chief financial officer. He is a career banker with 35 years of community bank leadership of finance/accounting, audit and risk, operations and information technology teams.

"Tom Flournoy is a veteran chief financial officer who adds to the overall management strength of our company," said Sanchez. "His deep experience, working in tandem with Charles Wagner, will serve as a valuable resource as we continue to focus on growing our company and enhancing shareholder value."

Story continues

About Coastal Banking Company Inc.

Coastal Banking Company Inc. is the $615.6 million-asset bank holding company of CBC National Bank, headquartered in Fernandina Beach, Fla., which provides a full range of consumer and business banking services through full-service banking offices in Fernandina Beach, Ocala, and The Villages, Fla, Beaufort and Port Royal, S.C. The company's residential mortgage banking division, headquartered in Atlanta, includes traditional retail and wholesale lending, as well as a National Retail Group that has lending offices in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio. The company's government guaranteed lending division originates SBA loans primarily in Jacksonville, Ft. Myers, Tampa and Vero Beach, Fla., Greensboro, N.C., Atlanta and Beaufort.

The company's common stock is publicly traded on the OTCQX Markets under the symbol CBCO. The company was named to the OTCQX Best 50 in both 2015 and 2016, an annual ranking of the top 50 US and international companies traded on the OTCQX Best Market, based on the combined one-year total return on market value and average growth in daily dollar trading volume.

For more information on Coastal Banking Company Inc., visit www.coastalbanking.com. For more information on CBC National Bank, visit www.cbcnationalbank.com.

For More Information:

Michael G. Sanchez

Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Coastal Banking Company Inc.

904-321-0400

SOURCE: Coastal Banking Company Inc.
coffee

Coffee is more than just the crucial beverage that makes it easier to face the workday. It provides comfort, culture, and is an essential source of the caffeine that Harvard neuroscientist Charles Czeisler says makes modern life possible.

But the global coffee supply is currently at risk, with shortages already starting to affect the world.

A full half of the world's area that's deemed suitable for growing coffee will be lost by 2050 if climate change remains unchecked, according to a new report from The Climate Institute of Australia.

By 2080, the report estimates that wild coffee (which helps us find genetic varietals that might be more resistant to climate stress) could go extinct.

Coffee shortages that make it harder to get good coffee and that hurt the livelihoods of 25 million coffee farmers around the globe are already having an effect, and it's not just environmental research groups that are concerned about future access to coffee. Advisors for corporate giants like Starbucks and Lavazza agree.

"We have a cloud hovering over our head. Its dramatically serious," Mario Cerutti, Green Coffee and Corporate Relations Partner at Lavazza, said at a hospitality conference in Italy in 2015.

"Climate change can have a significant adverse effect in the short term," he said. "It's no longer about the future; it's the present."

What's happening to coffee?

People drink more than 2.25 billion cups of coffee each and every day. The coffee industry is a major one, producing the second most valuable export for developing countries. But the better and more commonly grown type of coffee, Coffea Arabica, can only thrive in very specific conditions. For now, that means tropical highlands around the globe, from Central America and Brazil to Indonesia, Vietnam, and East Africa, its place of origin.

coffee beans

But a warming world and extreme weather, including both heavy rains and drought, are making it harder to grow coffee in these regions, according to the report. Temperature and heavy rain have helped a fungus called Coffee Leaf Rust spread through Central America and into South America, destroying crops. Pests like the Coffee Berry Borer are spreading for the same reasons. Drought in Brazil cut coffee production by around 30% in 2014 in Minas Gerais, a major coffee region.

Story continues

Even a half a degree of temperature change can make a region that used to be a coffee gold mine unsuitable. Moving production to higher altitudes is not always feasible and can be especially difficult for the small farmers that make up 80-90% of coffee growers.

By 2050, half of currently suitable land will no longer be suitable, unless the world can limit warming to the 1.5-2 degree Celsius rise that was set as a goal at the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement, and really, even 1.5 degrees is pushing it for most farmers.

It's not a completely hopeless scenario  cutting emissions and limiting warming to 1.5 degrees would make a big difference, both for individual coffee lovers and for the 120 million people who make a living from the coffee supply chain. Buying coffee from groups that provide fair incomes to farmers can help those communities adapt.

But this is a serious situation and one worth paying attention to now, before problems get worse down the line.

As Starbucks sustainability director Jim Hanna told The Guardian in 2011  five years ago  it's urgent.

"If we sit by and wait until the impacts of climate change are so severe that is impacting our supply chain then that puts us at a greater risk," he said. "From a business perspective we really need to address this now, and to look five, 10, and 20 years down the road."

NOW WATCH: We tried the mushroom coffee that claims to increase productivity without giving you the jitters





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Bogota (AFP) - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos signed a decree Tuesday setting out the question voters will answer in a decisive referendum on the government's historic peace deal with the FARC rebels.

After half a century of war and nearly four years of talks, the fate of Colombia's peace process will now come down to how voters answer the following question on October 2: "Do you support the final accord to end the conflict and build a stable and lasting peace?"

The peace deal concluded last Wednesday between government and rebel negotiators in Cuba will only be ratified if more Colombians answer "yes" than "no," and if the "yes" camp passes the threshold of 4.4 million votes -- 13 percent of the electorate.

Santos, who has staked his legacy on making peace, called it a "clear, simple question that leaves no room for confusion."

But the question was already raising some eyebrows because it does not mention the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) by name.

Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin meanwhile said the United Nations has invited Santos and FARC leader Timoleon "Timochenko" Jimenez to sign the peace deal at its General Assembly in New York, which opens on September 20.

Once the deal is formally signed, the FARC will have 180 days to demobilize, disarm and relaunch itself as a political party. The UN has agreed to monitor the process.

The government and FARC began a landmark ceasefire Monday, the first time both sides have put down their weapons since the Marxist guerrilla group was launched in 1964.

The conflict, which has drawn in various left- and right-wing armed groups and gangs, has left 260,000 dead, 45,000 missing and 6.9 million uprooted from their homes.

Efforts to launch peace talks with a smaller rebel group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), have yet to bear fruit.
The rains and heavy flooding in Madhya Pradesh have thrown the life out of gear by damaging roads, bridges and property. The losses are estimated to be around Rs 1,067 crore.

In the last few days, heavy rains in the state have damaged 4,500 km of roads, broken 12 bridges and flooded more than 100 villages while crops have been lost on a large scale. (Photo: PTI)

By Indo-Asian News Service: Heavy rains and flooding in Madhya Pradesh have caused massive damage to property and crops, estimated at around Rs 1,067 crore, according to officials.

In the last few days, heavy rains in the state have damaged 4,500 km of roads, broken 12 bridges and flooded more than 100 villages while crops have been lost on a large scale.

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Reports presented by the Relief Commissioner puts the death toll at 184 persons and the injured at 30. More than 80,000 houses have been destroyed while 55,000 flood affected people have been sent to relief camps.

Two Indian Air Force helicopters helped to rescue the flood hit from Rewa and Satna districts.

According to initial estimates, crops in an area of more than four lakh hectare including soyabean, sesame and lentils have been destroyed.

The government is providing 50 kg of cereals and five litres of kerosene to each flood affected family. The number of the affected stands at around 110,000.

Also read - Madhya Pradesh: Heavy rains cause collapse of 3-storey building, 1 dead



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Bigfoot surfboard

You will soon have another chance to invest in finding Bigfoot.

Bigfoot Project Investments filed for a public offering of stock on Tuesday, offering 20 million shares at $0.75 per share.

The company specializes in finding and documenting proof of the creature known as Bigfoot, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

"Bigfoot Project Investments Inc., plans to establish itself as the most reliable and dependable source for materials including documentaries, physical evidence, and eye witness accounts for the purpose of documenting the evidence of the existence of Bigfoot," the filing said. "Our major source of revenue will be the sale of documentaries and specials that follow our progress."

The company, based in Henderson, Nevada, is currently burning through too much cash and plans to offer stock in order to raise enough money to fund the development of its business plan.

The compay has been attempting to raise enough money since the beginning of the year, previously offering 30 million shares to raise $3 million. According to the filing, over 208 million shares, owned by 116 shareholders, are outstanding, but no shares have ever traded.

Bigfoot Projects currently has revenue of $5,440 per year, based on the filing. It also lost just over $25,000 last year. No brokers or underwriters are on the offering.

The company cautioned investors that a number of risks are involved in investing in offer, including:

The company's auditors have issued a warning that the company may fold at any time. The company is burning through cash at an annual rate of $50,000 to $500,000. Consumer preferences may change, and no one may want the DVDs the company plans on making. Because there is no current market for the stock, there is no proof that investors may not be able to resell it.

The company has been authorized to trade over the counter (not on any stock exchange) under the ticker BGFT.

Story continues

NOW WATCH: Here's why the Olympic diving pool turned green





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Constitution Daily Supreme Court correspondent Lyle Denniston looks at a lawsuit from a New Mexico attorney that seeks to force the Senate to act on Merrick Garlands Supreme Court nomination.

THE STATEMENT AT ISSUE:

Obama Garland speaks

Judge Merrick Garlands nomination has been pending longer than any other Supreme Court nominee in United States history. This situation is an emergency which necessitates prompt resolution because, unless remedied before the end of President Obamas term on January 20, 2017, his power to nominate and appoint judges to the Supreme Court during his four-year term will have been permanently foreclosed. This means the electorate that voted for President Obama in 2012 will have been forever deprived of an outcome of the election  which was to provide President Obama with all of the powers and duties of the presidency for the entirety of his four-year term. This also means that much of the electorate that voted for senators to represent them in Washington will have been forever divested of their representation, through their elected senators, on whether Judge Garlands nomination should be provided Senate advice and consent.

 Excerpt from a lawsuit filed on August 25 in a federal court in Washington, D.C., by Steven S. Michel, a Sante Fe lawyer suing for himself in his capacity as a voter seeking to compel the Senate to take some action on the Supreme Court nomination made by President Obama. The lawsuit does not demand a particular outcome, but only that the Senate be ordered to end its refusal to take any action until after the presidential election in November.

WE CHECKED THE CONSTITUTION, AND

The Founders who wrote the Constitution wanted the powers of the national governments three branches to be kept separate, but not entirely free of being checked by each others powers. Even so, any citizen seeking to get one branch to act against another faces a number of significant obstacles  not least, proving that he or she has a personal stake in that goal.

Story continues

With frustration rising among some Americans that the Senates leaders have now allowed a nominee to the Supreme Court to be kept waiting for nearly six months for some action, it is no surprise that there have been attempts to compel the Senate to act.

A nationwide campaign of political-style rallies and advertising has done nothing to break the impasse between the Senate and President Obama over Judge Merrick Garlands nomination. And at least two lawsuits to try to nudge the Senate into action have been swiftly thrown out of court.

A third lawsuit has now been filed and, at least as drafted by the lawyer involved, it attempts to get over all of the usual obstacles to citizen action through the courts. In fact, it is so comprehensive that if it, too, is dismissed, that would suggest that the legal route to moving the Garland nomination forward is truly a forlorn gesture. It would take some boldness on the part of the judge assigned to the case, District Judge Rudolph Contreras, to let the case proceed to a final decision. Should he be persuaded that there is, indeed, a constitutional crisis now surrounding this nomination, he might well be more inclined to find that he has the authority to decide it.

Santa Fe attorney Steven S. Michel has, indeed, sought to frame his case as a reaction to a constitutional crisis. Suing on his own behalf as a voter, Michels claim is that there is a crisis that threatens the balance and separation of power among our three branches of government.

The threat, according to the complaint, is that it (1) has divested the President of his constitutional power to appoint justices to the Supreme Court, (2) has divested individual senators and their constituents of each senators right to evaluate and vote on whether to confirm a Supreme Court nominee, (3) has compromised the viability and strength of the judiciary, and (4) has disenfranchised United States citizens of the outcome of their votes for president and senator.

While, in the end, Michel seeks only to prove that he has been injured as a voter, he claims that harm based upon the malfunctioning of what he sees as the normal operation of the judicial nomination process that the Constitution spells out. He is not seeking to act as the agent of President Obama, of senators who want action on Garland, or of Judge Garland himself, and the fact that he has not done so was probably wise because he has no legal right to speak for any of them. But as a citizen voter, according to the complaint, he has an interest in the regular order and in avoiding the hazards to a functioning government that he sees resulting from the current impasse.

The Constitution limits the power of the federal courts to decide, confining them to judging actual cases or controversies. And, in order to make sure that each case does involve a live, general controversy in the law, the Supreme Court has long insisted that anyone seeking to sue must demonstrate a direct injury from some action by government, must prove that the injury results from that action, and must prove that the courts have a way to fashion a remedy for that injury.

Through the 33 pages of legal reasoning that Michel spelled out in his lawsuit, he seeks to satisfy each of those tests, and to do so in the midst of an argument that the Senates Republican leaders have allowed a handful of senators  themselves and the GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee  to simply declare that President Obama lacked any authority to get a Senate vote on a nominee to the Supreme Court when the President still had fully nine months remaining in his term in the White House.

Michel has cited a few cases where the courts have agreed to issue orders to officials in the other branches of government to take action. And he has put forth what he clearly regards as strong answers to the objection  sure to be made by the Senate  that the Senate is the sole judge of how it carries out its tasks, and is also protested from outside compulsion by the Constitutions insulation under the Speech or Debate Clause.

The Santa Fe lawyer has told news reporters that he is aware that his case is a long shot, legally speaking, but that he is satisfied that the effort had to be made. After the Senates leaders respond, the matter will be in Judge Contreras hands.

Legendary journalist Lyle Denniston is Constitution Dailys Supreme Court correspondent. Denniston has written for us as a contributor since June 2011. Denniston has covered the Supreme Court since 1958. His work also appears on lyldenlawnews.com, where this post first appeared.
Gijon (Spain) (AFP) - Three time former champion Alberto Contador has given up on winning this year's Tour of Spain saying Tuesday he has fallen too far behind overall leader Colombia's Nairo Quintana.

"The chances of winning are very slim now" said the Spanish pre-race favourite during a press conference.

"I'm three minutes behind Nairo Quintana whose doing really well and who has a good team behind him. If I'm continuing the Vuelta it's not to win but to give it my best." said Madrid born Contador.

After Quintana's victory in the 10th stage Contador is fifth nearly three minutes behind the leader and two minutes behind Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Chris Froome (SKY), who are in second and third.

Contador won the Vuelta in 2008, 20012 and 2014 but a fall and severe grazing down one side of his body have hampered his form in this year's edition.

"The tactics I used in the Lagos de Convadonga climb was wrong, I should have been more prudent," added the Spaniard about his 8th placed finish in the 10th stage.

The Tinkoff rider hinted that his objective might be to get a stage win during the second half of the Vuelta, "I'm going to have a look at the stages and decide what to do." he said.

The 11th stage of the Tour de Spain on Wednesday will be a 168.6km ride from Colunga to Pena Cabarga with a category 1 climb to the finish line.
[Corrects paragraph 2 to 'former director'] The Dilijan Arts Observatory, an experimental and interdisciplinary think-tank, intends to develop new models for art and higher education. This international event, the first of its kind in Armenia, will gather artists, cultural historians, and environmental scientists from 14 countries, meeting between August 22September 11, 2016.

Dilijan, an ancient spa town and mountain retreat, once attracted the composers Dmitri Shostakovich and Benjamin Britten. Now international curator and anthropologist Clementine Deliss, former director of the Weltkulturen Museum in Frankfurt, will draw an international group of historians and experts -- a third of whom are Armenian -- to undertake local and diverse fieldwork. Artisanal crafts, graphic design, music composition, astronomy, Soviet architecture, and botany are amongst the varied topics to be explored. "I hope that our dialogue will produce new models and prototypes for the future, Deliss stated.

Armenian curator Vigen Galstyan said, in an article published by The Art Newspaper, "It is hoped the Dilijan Arts Observatory will come up with ideas that will have a real impact on the region, which it so sorely needs."

The Observatory will be headquartered in the former Impuls electronics factory in Dilijan, a prime example of Soviet industrial architecture. 4000 employees worked here under the Soviet Defense Ministry until it was privatized.

On September 10 and 11, a two-day public event in Dilijan will present the results of the think-tank findings among celebrations including an all-night symphony, culinary festivities, performances, and exhibitions. The longer-term outcome will be a traveling exhibition related to the think-tank's output: first at the Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin (November 2017), then at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (Summer 2018).

The Dilijan Art Initiative was founded by philanthropists Veronika Zonabend and Ruben Vardanyan, as part of the IDeA (Initiatives for Development of Armenia) Charitable Foundation, to create a framework for Dilijan's cultural development, and for the cultural development of Armenia at large. Its mission is to turn Dilijan into a cultural center for art, research, and progressive thinking. While principally focused on contemporary art, the initiative aims to change people's lives on a local scale, while enriching the reputation of Armenia (and the entire post-Soviet sphere) at an international level.

Spotlighting work by artists from the Armenian diaspora, the Initiative previously supported the National Pavilion of the Republic of Armenia at the 56th Venice Biennale -- which was awarded the Golden Lion, the highest possible honor for a national pavilion -- as well as the Armenian program at the 14th Istanbul Biennial, devoted to the research of Armenian history and trauma in contemporary Turkey.
Enraged by the sight of a red swastika on a flag in the streets of Beirut in 2009, Vanity Fair contributing editor Christopher Hitchens grabbed a pen and set off to deface the banner, knowing full well it was a political emblem that merely resembled the Nazi symbol. What he didnt know was that his act of defiance would soon earn him a punch in the face.

The journalist, who succumbed a few years later to pneumonia as a complication of esophageal cancer, came face to fist that day with supporters of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), which he not-so-lovingly referred to as a fascist organization in a subsequent article. Since its inception in the 1930s, the SSNP has often, rightly or wrongly, been labeled Nazi-esque by its critics. It has always been anticolonial, secular and revolutionary, says Sami Moubayed, founder of the Damascus History Foundation. Once an enemy of the ruling Baath Party  it was outlawed in Syria until 2005  the SSNP has slowly moved away from the fringes and closer to the mainstream, where some analysts believe it will play an important role in Syrian governance in the years to come.

Theyve already been defending civilians on the ground, and theyve become the second most influential party after the Baath Party in Syria.

An estimated 6,000 to 8,000 SSNP fighters, known as Eagles of the Whirlwind, support the Assad regime by pushing back against Sunni rebels and jihadists across Syria. The regimes troops have been so depleted by years of fighting that theyve been relying on proxy militias like the SSNP, says Chris Solomon, a senior political analyst for Global Risk Insights. Grassroots support for the SSNP is strong, especially among Syrias minority communities, namely Christian sects, Shia and Kurds, who have come to rely on the partys fighters to protect them from Sunni rebels. SSNP militia ingratiate themselves by dying to protect these communities, so much so that a lot of them view [the SSNP] as an alternative to the Baath Party, Solomon says, which has been letting them down.

On the political front, SSNP chief Ali Haidar serves as Assads State Minister for National Reconciliation Affairs, a prime position for setting the tone for the countrys future. Theyve already been defending civilians on the ground, and theyve become the second most influential party after the Baath Party in Syria, Solomon says. Based mainly in Lebanon for decades  hence the presence of the flag that offended Hitchens  the party has a lot of contacts in Beirut who would still support them from within the Lebanese government, Solomon adds, noting that the SSNP also gets along with Hezbollah and draws support even from Moscow.

Moubayed agrees that the SSNP will play an important role in Syria. The Baath Partys call for Arab unity, he says, died when the Arab world was carved into nation states after World War II. Freedom cries, meanwhile, have fallen on deaf ears since the occupation of Iraq and amid the mayhem of Syria, Libya and Yemen. The regime seems to be going nowhere, Moubayed admits, but it needs new ways of reaching out to the people. [Baathists] will have to rely on a trusted and nationalistic party to reach grassroots Syrians, and only the SSNP has the clout to do that, he says.

While indeed nationalist  the SSNP has uniforms, salutes and dreams of a Greater Syria encompassing Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait, Jordan and Palestine  no ones really sure whether theyre right wing or left wing, Solomon says. Theyve sounded more left wing in recent years, but they still talk of an expansionist vision. But for now they are using the Syrian civil war and possibly their involvement in the Syrian government, Solomon explains, to open new opportunities in the event of any kind of political transition. The party faithful deny that theyre fascists; while known for being anti-Zionist, the SSNP prides itself on welcoming all Syrians. It upholds Syrian nationalism, as opposed to Arab nationalism, and is seen as championing women and minorities.

Not everyone believes the SSNP will gain a foothold in a coalition government. Mona Alami, a nonresident fellow with the Atlantic Councils Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, says its a bit too premature to wonder what a postcivil war Syria will look like because its all up for grabs until one side wins. I do not think the SSNP today is a significant enough player to influence the shape of the new Syria, even if its ally [Assad] ultimately wins, she says. Moubayed, while acknowledging that the regime needs SSNP support to reach the people, expects the party to gain only a few seats in the Syrian government.

But Solomon is more optimistic about the SSNPs chances. He sees potential for it to step into places where the Baath Party might be losing support. In those cases, if there happen to be free and fair elections, he says, given the partys rising popularity among minority groups, you could see the SSNP step into a greater role in the Syrian parliament. And if Americans orchestrate any sort of political transition? In that case, he says, the U.S. could see the SSNP as a possible alternative to Assad.

Whatever the SSNPs role, Western journalists are advised not to mess with the partys flag.

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Boston's hometown hero Cousin Stizz released his sophomore project MONDA just last month, but he's already ready to put out even more new music for his fans. Today he shares a track titled "Living Like Khaled" where he boasts about enjoying this better life that he's worked so hard for.

Similar to nearly every song from Stizz, "Living Like Khaled" features a beat and a hook that are simultaneously relaxed but undeniably catchy. The production provided by frequent collaborator Tee-WaTT is hazy with a very subtle bouncethe results feel perfectly made for the end of a long summer day.

Stizz completes the track with verses about goals of wanting to "cop cribs out in Calabasas," living luxurious like DJ Khaled, and being able to see through all the fake things that come along with the music industry. His lifestyle may be changing, but he remains the same humble kid from Boston.

Listen to "Living Like Khaled" below.

Continue Reading On Complex
In a Facebook post on his official page, Surendran said that he was getting several complaints each day about organisations including the RSS conducting illegal activities in temples under the Devaswom board.

By Revathi Rajeevan: Devaswom board Minister Kadakampally Surendran today alleged that organisations including the RSS were using temples for illegal activities.

In a Facebook post on his official page, Surendran said that he was getting several complaints each day about organisations including the RSS conducting illegal activities in temples under the Devaswom board.

"It is necessary to distance apprehensions in the society regarding this. Temples are centres of traditions and beliefs," he said.

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Surendran also alleged that the RSS was trying to push believers away from temples making it a storage for weapons and by weapon training.

"Such anti-social activities that destroy the secular nature and peaceful environment of the state will not be allowed," the Minister warned.

Kadakampally Surendran also said that the LDF government will immediately intervene in such complaints and take urgent measures to end the illegal activities.

--- ENDS ---
Changes are expected at Russia's embattled collecting society RAO as prominent producer and composer Igor Matvienko -- one of the organization's critics -- was elected chairman of its board, the authors' council. Matvienko was elected at a meeting of the authors' council on August 29, a RAO spokesman confirms to Billboard.

"Apparently, there will be changes," he said, but declined to provide any specifics.

At the same time, RAO's board rejected the idea of the organization's extraordinary conference, aimed at changing its regulations and replacing general director Sergei Fedotov, who is currently in jail on suspicion of fraud.

The idea was championed by little-known composers Igor Mateta and Yevgeny Kobylyansky and poets Alexander Vulykh and Sergei Sashin.

However, the authors' council saw it as an attempt to split the organization and stripped them of RAO membership.

Russian Collection Societies Break Ties Amidst Fog of Fraud

Meanwhile, RAO's spokesman didn't confirm recent reports in the Russian media that Fedotov might soon step down as general director.

"Replacement of the general director is not on the agenda," he said. "Only RAO's conference can appoint or dismiss the general director. The most recent conference was held this past April, and there is no need for a new one."

Matvienko, primarily known as the producer of the pop groups Lyube, Ivanushki International and Korni, has recently been among RAO's most ardent critics.

Last December, he and several other major Russian producers, including Viktor Drobysh, Igor Krutoi, Iosif Prigozhin, Konstantin Meladze and Maxim Fadeyev, called for changes to RAO's regulations that would allow companies to join the collecting society, which is currently open only to private individuals.

All of them run their own production companies and claimed that joining RAO as a company rather than an individual rights holder would guarantee more control over royalty collection and distribution.

Story continues

Sergei Fedotov, Head of Russian Collection Agency RAO, Arrested for Fraud

Still, other collecting societies are skeptical about Matvienko's abilities to implement major changes in RAO's operations.

A spokesperson for RSP, which collects a one-percent tax on imports of devices that can be used for copying content and recently cut ties with RAO, pointed to several clauses in RAO's charter, saying that they considerably limit the authors' council's chairman's independence.

RAO has been heavily criticized over the last 12 months for insufficient transparency of operations.

Fedotov was jailed two months ago on suspicion of allegedly funneling 500 million rubles ($7.7 million) out of the organization in a series of dubious real estate deals.

Both RAO and Fedotov have denied any wrongdoing.
And here are micro-businesses for Singaporean youth.

Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC will buy a 7.7 percent stake in Vietnam's biggest bank, both companies said in a joint statement on Monday. GIC signed a memorandum of agreement to buy 305.8 million new shares of Vietcombank, the fund's first significant direct investment in a Vietnamese commercial bank. Read more here.

Singapores stock exchange won approval from its listing advisory committee to allow dual-class shares, as it seeks to lure international businesses. Companies will be permitted to have weighted voting rights, subject to various corporate governance safeguards to mitigate the inherent risks of such structures, according to the report by Singapore Exchange Ltd.s committee published Monday. Read more here.

Todays kids are a lot more savvyunlike Singaporean children growing up in the 80s and 90s, they know what it takes to be a social media star, and their aspirations are no longer to become astronauts and firefighters but investment bankers. Instead of working at McDonalds for $5 an hour, here are some microbusinesses kids can start on their own. Read more here.





More From Singapore Business Review


COPENHAGEN/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Denmark and Sweden will toughen up asylum rules further as the two countries look to prevent a repeat of last year's record numbers and calm public fears about the financial burden on traditionally generous welfare states. Around 250,000 people sought asylum in the Nordic region last year, most of them in Sweden, straining tolerance and pressuring government budgets. Tougher rules, along with efforts by the European Union to make its external borders less porous, have slashed asylum applications this year. But Denmark, which has taken a tougher line on immigration than its Nordic neighbors in recent years including a "jewelry bill" that allows police to confiscate refugees' valuables, and Sweden want to go further. Denmark said on Tuesday it would introduce a law to enable police to reject asylum seekers at the borders in times of crisis. "We are getting the flow of refugees under control. But we cannot relax," the Ministry for Immigration, Integration and Housing said in a report. "The pressure on Europe and Denmark could intensify again." In Denmark, applications have fallen to 5,305 in the first seven months of this year from 21,300 in 2015. Sweden's center-left government said on Tuesday it would cut grants given to local authorities to house young asylum seekers who arrive in the country without their parents. "Last year Sweden took 40 percent of all the unaccompanied minors who came to the EU," Integration Minister Ylva Johansson said. "That is an unsustainable allocation." The new rules, which cut subsidies to 1,350 crowns per day will be introduced in the middle of next year and will save Sweden around 7 billion Swedish crowns ($820 million) annually from 2018, the government said. EMERGENCY BRAKE More than one million migrants and refugees crossed into Europe last year, putting pressure on the Dublin rules under which the member state where asylum seekers first apply for protection is responsible for examining their claims. Inspired by neighbor Norway, where a similar law was adopted in June, the Danish government said it needed to prepare for a situation where the Dublin agreement ceased to work. "If and when we do pull the emergency brake, it is because we believe the Dublin cooperation genuinely has fallen apart," Minister of Integration Inger Stojberg told a news conference. The government also wants faster extradition of asylum seekers who have had their applications rejected, tougher standards to qualify for benefits and increased security at asylum centers. The proposals have yet to be adopted by the parliament, where the governing Liberal Party holds only 34 out of 179 seats and depends on three other parties to pass laws. In a U-turn on decades of generous asylum policies, Sweden has introduced border controls and restrictions on family reunions, and introduced temporary residence permits. Asylum numbers are expected to drop to around 35,000 this year from more than 160,000 in 2015. The government has said it expects to save around 100 billion Swedish crowns over the next four years as a result of tighter asylum policies. ($1 = 8.5283 Swedish crowns) (Reporting by Nikolaj Skydsgaard and Simon Johnson; Editing by Catherine Evans)
It's not too late to take advantage of WOW Airs flight deal to Paris and plan a somewhat spontaneous trip to the City of Light, according to the Airfare Spot.

The Icelandic low-cost carrier is selling tickets to France for as little a $299 round-trip from Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

New dates have been added exclusively for travelers flying out of New York City via Newark Liberty International Airportincluding for Valentines Day (talk about a romantic date night). Now, you can take advantage of this flight deal on specific dates from January through late March.

If youve never considered traveling to Paris in the winter or spring, nows the time. Crowds will have thinned out, the most magnifique hotels will offer appealing rates, and could there be anything more romantic than sipping chocolat chaud in a French cafe while snow flurries cling to the window?

Enjoy the snow-dusted Eiffel Tower, and spend frosty afternoons admiring some of the greatest pieces of art and artifacts inside the Louvre. Even on gray winter days, Paris is one of the most beautiful cities on Earth.

Be sure to pack accordingly for your Parisian getaway, but keep it light: WOW Air charges for checked luggage.

Melanie Lieberman is the Assistant Digital Editor at Travel + Leisure. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @melanietaryn.
By Manjeet Sehgal: The opposition Congress on Tuesday accused the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) of selling the interests of people by handing over the power projects to private companies which resulted in a huge loss.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh said that the greatest ever power scandal in the country was gradually unraveling itself in Punjab, where the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal handed over power projects to private companies on a platter, resulting in a loss of hundreds of crores of rupees to the state exchequer, which was being passed on to the PSPCL consumers.

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"Congress government will review these projects to make up for the losses and ensure that the state's interests are protected which have otherwise been surrendered to the private power companies by the Akali-BJP government for obvious reasons, the Akalis and the Badals are infamous for," Capt Amarinder announced.



PUBLIC BEARS THE BRUNT

"What was the logic in making commitment to private companies for buying power?" he asked, while adding, "with the result the state, which is already reeling under financial crisis, has to make payment to the companies without consuming their power". He said, the brunt was being borne by the common consumers who were being slapped with exorbitant bills to facilitate payment to the private companies.

He pointed out, much against the prevailing practices and the recommendations of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission that the power projects to private companies should be allotted through competitive bidding, Sukhbir allotted these through 'memorandum of understanding' (MOU) route, which were heavily in favour of the private companies. "And now the state has to bear the brunt and the heavy financial losses", he pointed out.

Referring to the Punjab State Power Corporation's (PSPCL) inability to find buyers for its power produced by the private power companies, Capt Amarinder said, thanks to the terms and conditions dictated by the private power companies, the PSPCL power generation costs Rs 3.60 per unit, while in the national grid electricity is available for around Rs 3 per unit only.

AMARINDER SLAMS SUKHBIR

The former Chief Minister said, he had consistently been raising the concern over the way the power projects were allotted to the private companies and his stand has now been vindicated. "Isn't it strange and surprising that Sukhbir allowed the power companies such terms and conditions that while their interests remain protected, the PSPCL will have to bear the losses?" he asked, while alleging that it clearly proves beyond any doubt the "particular" interest for which Sukhbir has surrendered state's interests to private power companies.

"Thanks to the poor terms and conditions agreed upon to by Sukhbir, it is a strange paradox that while the industry in Punjab was being provided power at the rate ranging between Rs 5.51 and Rs 6.22 per unit, the PSPCL was now prepared to sell power to outside buyers at Rs 3.60 per unit only and still it did not have any buyers," Captain Amrinder Singh said.

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"What is the logic that you are not prepared to provide power to the industry on competitive price and still you are ready to sell it to outside buyers for half the price?" he asked, while pointing out how industry was forced to shut down and move out due to heavy power tariff in the state.

ALSO READ:

Shiromani Akali Dal responsible for destroying Punjab's youth: Amarinder Singh

I will avenge each and every Congress worker's persecution: Captain Amarinder Singh

Party tickets to contest elections given by Sonia Gandhi only, says Capt Amarinder Singh



--- ENDS ---
*This* is the day to get married in order to have a cheap wedding

*This* is the day to get married in order to have a cheap wedding

Trying to find a bargain for your wedding day expenses can feel like an impossible feat, but not if you get married on a Thursday. On the hierarchy of days to get hitched, weekdays are likely near the bottom of the pile, but itll save you some serious dough, Fortune reports.

budget

Friends and family may give you a side-eye when they discover the wedding falls during the week, but your bank account will thank you. On average, venues are 17 percent cheaper on Thursday than a Saturday night wedding, according to Wedding Spot CEO and co-founder Tina Hoang-To.

Its likely that some of your wedding guests are budgeting for your big day as well, so many of them will probably be understanding. If not, its your big day and your moolah footing the bill so feel free to marry on a day that is becoming increasingly popular among newlyweds. The Knot reports that the number of couples marrying on a Thursday increased nearly 2 percent between 2014 and 2015. Apparently, couples in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco appear to be taking advantage of the savings opportunity as each of the cities have reportedly experienced an increase in Thursday weddings.

With the average wedding cost approaching $33,000, we should probably keep our Thursday night schedules open, just in case.

dance 2

The post *This* is the day to get married in order to have a cheap wedding appeared first on HelloGiggles.
One person was killed and several others were injured when a car bomb exploded outside the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday, August 30. A car rammed the gates of the complex in Bishkek and exploded, according to Zanoza, quoting local police. One person died at the scene and at least three others were rushed to hospital. This video shows the scene after the blast. Credit: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Americas Got Talent judge Howie Mandel is now the owner of three condos in the same downtown Santa Monica building, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The larger of his two recent purchases measures 1,900 square feet and features three levels with steel beams, high ceilings, a galley-style kitchen, and south-facing windows. The upper floor has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a media room. Mandel scored this unit in January for $2.5 million.

Staying in the same building, he closed on a smaller $1.5 million unit in late July. The apartment is 1,450 square feet and has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, mahogany wood floors, and raised ceilings. This unit last sold for $760,000 in January 2011.

After these two deals, the comedian now owns three units in the loft-style William Dale Brantleydesigned building, including a two-story residence he bought last year for $5.3 million. All the purchases have been off-market.

Mandel, who has openly discussed his pathological fear of germs, regained career momentum when he hosted NBCs game show Deal or No Deal from 2005 to 2009. Now hes best known as part of the judging panel on Americas Got Talent, NBCs annual summer competition show now in its 11th season.

The post What a Deal! Howie Mandel Loves Loft-Style Living in Santa Monica appeared first on Real Estate News and Advice - realtor.com.
(Adds Agrium, ARM, Blackstone)

Aug 30 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2000 GMT on Tuesday:

** Canada's Agrium Inc and Potash Corp of Saskatchewan Inc said on Tuesday they are in talks to merge, a tie-up that would create a global fertilizer and farm retailing giant as the agriculture sector struggles with soft crop prices.

** Shareholders in British technology company ARM Holding Plc approved its sale to Japan's SoftBank Group Corp on Tuesday, marking the end of independence for the chip designer that powered the smartphone revolution.

** Buyout group Blackstone Group LP is in talks to acquire German real estate group Officefirst in a potential 3 billion euro ($3.6 billion) deal, three people familiar with the matter said.

** Siemens and Gamesa have rejected a non-binding offer from General Electric for assets belonging to a wind power venture between Gamesa and Areva , sources close to the talks told Reuters on Tuesday.

** Tokio Marine Holdings Inc is in exclusive talks to buy RHB Bank's general insurance unit in a deal that also includes an agreement to distribute the Japanese insurer's products through the Malaysian lender, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

** The Philippines' Court of Appeals said it has halted the competition regulator's review of a $1.5 billion deal that could strengthen the duopoly of the country's two biggest telecom firms, PLDT Inc and Globe Telecom Inc to buy San Miguel Corp out of the sector.

** China Evergrande Group said it used proceeds from home sales to buy shares in larger rival China Vanke , which is at the center of a rare public Chinese boardroom spat.

** A merger of troubled South Korean shipper Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd and Hyundai Merchant Marine Co Ltd is impossible at present, Yonhap news agency on Tuesday quoted the head of the country's financial regulator as saying.

** Royal Dutch Shell Plc said it has agreed to sell certain assets in the Gulf of Mexico to independent oil and gas company EnVen Energy Corp for $425 million, plus royalty interests.

Story continues

** China's Anbang Insurance Group has applied for regulatory approval for its planned $3 million acquisition of German insurer Allianz's South Korean business, the Yonhap News Agency reported.

** Japan's top oil refiner by sales, JX Holdings, and third-ranked TonenGeneral Sekiyu are set to finalize details on Wednesday for a new merged company to be formed in April 2017.

** Canadian industrial auctioneer Ritchie Bros Auctioneers Inc said it will buy IronPlanet, a privately held U.S. e-commerce site for used equipment, for about $758.5 million, as it looks to diversify its portfolio.

** Mondelez International Inc, the maker of Oreo cookies and Cadbury chocolates, said it was no longer pursuing the acquisition of Hershey Co, two months after the U.S. chocolate company turned down its $23 billion cash-and-stock bid.

** Twin Butte Energy Ltd debenture holders voted to reject a takeover bid by Hong Kong's privately held Reignwood Resources Holding Pte Ltd on Monday, throwing the cash-strapped Canadian oil and gas producer's financial future into uncertainty.

** L Catterton, the world's biggest consumer-focused buyout firm, is in talks to buy a controlling stake in Brazilian high-end supermarket chain St Marche, which took on too much debt following an aggressive expansion, three people with direct knowledge of the talks said.

** Italian motorway and airport caterer Autogrill says a company linked to Dutch hospitality chain Van der Valk has offered to buy its Autogrill Nederland BV, a subsidiary that manages 18 hotels with restaurants on Dutch highways. (Compiled by Akankshita Mukhopadhyay and Aishwarya Venugopal in Bengaluru)
* Migrant clampdown could hurt investment

* Economic indicators suggest second-half slowdown

* Deloitte UK full-year revenue up 11.2 pct

By Huw Jones

LONDON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Global accountant Deloitte has called on Britain's government not to clamp down on skilled migrants following Brexit, saying it could backfire on the economy.

Britain's vote in June on to leave the European Union means many banks and other financial firms will need advice from firms like Deloitte on whether to relocate business to the continent.

David Sproul, Deloitte UK's senior partner and chief executive, said Brexit also brings new challenges.

"The early economic indicators suggest the uncertainty created by the Brexit vote will lead to a slowdown in the second half of this year," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

A Deloitte survey of chief financial officers showed that restricting the inflow of skilled migrants to Britain could hurt the country's ability to attract investment.

Many of those who backed Brexit want migration curbed.

"The rights of EU migrants should be protected and any future migration policies should respond to our economic needs rather than be overly focused on total numbers. This is whilst recognising the need for politicians and business leaders to make the economic case for immigration more clearly," Sproul said.

Deloitte employs 16,006 people in Britain and Switzerland.

The company's UK arm, which includes its Swiss business, reported revenue in the financial year to May 2016 of 3.1 billion pounds ($4 billion), up 11.2 percent on the previous year and its fastest growth rate in a decade.

The average profit earned by each partner was 837,000 pounds, up from 822,000 pounds in the year before.

"We have had significant success in the audit market, with four wins in the FTSE 100, taking our market share to 23 percent," Sproul said.

Regulators have introduced rules to boost competition in the audit market but so far companies are mostly switching between Deloitte and the other "Big Four" auditors - KPMG, PwC and EY - which dominate the sector.

($1 = 0.7581 pounds) (Reporting by Huw Jones; editing by Susan Thomas)
Democratic candidates for President and the Senate are leading their Republican rivals in Pennsylvania, a new poll shows.

Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is ahead of Donald Trump by eight points, 48% to 40%, among likely voters in the state, according to results of the latest Monmouth University Poll, which were released Tuesday. A lot of her support in the state comes from the Philadelphia region, where she has a 62% to 29% edge over Trump.

It looks like Clintons got a friend in Pennsylvania, particularly in the Philly suburbs, Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, said in a statement. A key factor boosting Clintons support there is that about half of white voters in this region have a college degree, compared to just over one-third in the rest of the state.

U.S. Senate candidate Katie McGinty also has an advantage over her Republican opponent Pat Toomey, according to the poll. She leads 45% to 41%.

The Monmouth University Poll interviewed 402 likely voters in Pennsylvania between Aug. 26 and Aug. 29. It has a margin of error of +/-4.9%.
pat mccrory

Democrats are mocking North Carolina Republican Gov. Pat McCrory over his apparent decision to replace generic posters at a state building with pictures that show the his accomplishments.

Last week, the Raleigh Agenda reported that McCrory's office replaced photos in a state administrative building from movies shot in North Carolina, such as "The Hunger Games."

In their place are posters touting the governor's own policy positions and accomplishments, like the touting of an initiative to raise some teacher salaries to $50,000 a year and above.

On Tuesday, the Democratic Governors Association sent the governor its own "suggestions" for replacements for the remaining posters.

The DGA's set of fake movie posters criticized the state's low ranking for teacher pay and the governor's support earlier this year for a controversial bathroom law that effectively banned transgender residents from using the bathroom consistent with their gender identity.

The bill has faced backlash from many large businesses, such as PayPal and Deutsche Bank, which decided to scrap plans for expansion in the state.

DGA spokesman Austin Hicks joined other North Carolina Democrats in accusing the governor of using taxpayer money to, in effect, support his reelection campaign.

"We thought we'd take the opportunity to send Gov. McCrory some redecorating advice with posters that reflect his real record," Hicks told Business Insider, saying that the posters would "make propagandists proud."

He added: "As long as McCrory is using taxpayer dollars to promote his reelection, he might as well tell the truth: that he is 2016's most vulnerable governor."

The governor's office defended its decision to replace the posters, arguing that executives in both parties hang images of official state activities in state buildings.

But McCrory's poster debacle comes at a rough period for his campaign.

Story continues

The governor ran neck and neck with his Democratic opponent, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper, for months. But in recent weeks, Cooper has pulled ahead in many state polls. The attorney general leads by over 3 points, according to the RealClearPolitics average of recent state public-opinion surveys.

View some of the DGA posters below:

pat mccrory

NOW WATCH: Watch House Democrats shout down Paul Ryan during a gun-control protest





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Diane Kruger is a model turned movie star with a personal style even Chiara Ferragni is probably envious of. Yet, despite her celebrity and fashion icon status, the German-born beauty recently joined Instagram. I was hesitant at first, she says. Once you invite that in, I was scared that it was going to take over something. Now she has two accounts  one private and another public  and shes basically addicted. I think its been a really fun exchange with people thats more direct and more honest.

Thanks to the social media platform, shes also discovered the cult of Kayla Itsines, the Australian fitness guru with 5.5 million followers. And being able to do the #BBG program certainly helped while in France, where fitness isnt as fanatical as in the United States and where Kruger shot her latest film, Disorder. In it, she plays Jessie, the glamorous wife of a wealthy businessman, who seeks refuge in her PTSD-ridden security guard (Matthias Schoenaerts).

During the movies promo tour, Yahoo Style caught up with Kruger and discussed her disdain for thrift stores, how she didnt start working out until she was 32, and why she strives to look different from everybody else in Hollywood.

Yahoo Style: This film was sort of a darker, French version of The Bodyguard. What attracted you to this role?

Diane Kruger: There are many elements to this that I thought were interesting. Alice Winocour is a really interesting young filmmaker, and I think the way that she films is very innovative and she is able to convey a certain emotion and feeling without using many words. I just think shes a really skilled filmmaker. I really wanted to work with Matthias [Schoenaerts]. Im a really big fan. And I felt the character was really interesting. At first, shes this sort of trophy wife that you only look at from a distance, and I feel like through Alices way of filming, you start to see that there is more to this person than there appears to be. And I loved the arc of the character and how two lost people in very different social settings help each other to change their lives.

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Is it fun to work with a female filmmaker for a change?

Its weird. I feel like I have done so many movies with women. I am always excited to work with female directors because they are so demanding and so different to work with. I always find that they have a very, very interesting way of looking at things. Its just different. I find myself feeling very safe with them.

You are fluent in three different languages but do the majority of your work in English. Was it fun for you to film entirely in French?

Yeah. I always try to make at least one French movie per year. This one was special because I had been away from France for like two years because I was on The Bridge. So this was like the first movie back home I guess. So I was just really excited to be in a French film again. I started out in France. I went to drama school in France, and French is beautiful to me. I struggled at first a little bit to get the rhythm back and the nuance that a language requires, but its lovely to make a film in France. We were in the south of France. Its so fun. I love it.

You werent much of a social media user but you recently joined Instagram. Is it true that Matthias was the one who inspired you to join while you were working together on Disorder?

Yeah he did! He was very Instagram-y. So he kind of explained to me how it all works. I opened two  one private and one public  and I really got addicted, I have to say [laughs].

You seem like a person who prefers to stay out of the limelight. Were you initially hesitant to share certain details of your life with the public?

I was hesitant at first. Once you invite that in, I was scared that it was going to take over something. Then I felt like because of the films Ive made maybe and because of the roles that Ive played that people dont really know who I am. Even when you do an interview, obviously its a take by a journalist on how to describe you. Whether thats positive or negative, its never really accurate. I felt like Instagram was an opportunity to share not just me and my life but also the things that I like, whether its a painting or a phrase or just something that piques my interest. I think its been a really fun exchange with people thats more direct and more honest.

Youve always been such a fashion icon. Whats your personal style mantra these days?

I love fashion. I think its a really fun way to be a woman. I like to change it up. I like to try different things. These days, I guess you could say Im a kid of the 90s. Thats when I was a teenager. Im loving the whole slip dress-sneaker phase. I feel like thats how I went to school forever. I am unafraid of whatever is coming next. Im not scared by it. I like to have fun with it.

Youve said in the past that you dont work with a stylist. Are you still styling yourself these days?

I still style myself. For the red carpet, I often borrow dresses from designers though because thats easier in a way. You give it back and you dont have to go shopping for it. To be truthful, in my daily life, I dont really shop that much. I love online shopping. Every once in a while Ill go to Barneys and just have an indulgence day. But I love the convenience of ordering from home, I have to say.

I think people need stylists when they dont have time or they dont find it fun to do it themselves. At this point, I think if I had to do a big tour, I would use a stylist to pull clothes, but I just dont think I need a stylist.

Who are your top three designers on your speed dial when youre in a red carpet crunch?

Prada, Jason Wu, and Chanel.

What about thrift stores. Do you ever shop in them?

No. I know that is going to disappoint people, but I cannot shop in thrift stores. I hate the smell of them, and I cant ever get over it. I love used jeans, but they have to be in a regular store, or I order them online. I have ordered vintage jean jackets from online. But there is too much stuff in thrift stores. It takes me too long to go through stuff.

Weve seen you in everything from couture to Forever 21. Do you like mixing that high-low element of fashion?

Yeah. Couture to me still remains a very special occasion. I have such high respect for that. Its truly an art form. I have so much respect for that that I wouldnt wear the dress unless it was a very special occasion. But I love mixing. During the day I dont really  other than maybe a bag  wear very expensive stuff.

Do you do your own makeup as well?

It depends. For photo shoots, I always have a makeup person. But often for red carpets, I do it myself.

Does it take you longer to get ready for these events since you dont sit down with a whole crew?

Yeah, and I think thats sometimes why I dont do it. I like to take my time to get ready and have my own time. When there are too many people around, I feel like the day gets away from me. This morning I have been doing a big press day and then the premiere, so I got up early and had breakfast and did my own makeup. By the time I was done, the hairstylist arrived and an hour of hair and then we are out the door.

So hair is the one thing for which you will spring for a stylist?

Oh my gosh, yeah. I cant do my own hair if I tried. I dont have good hair either. I definitely need a hairstylist.

What is your off-camera style like? You seem to enjoy being more laid-back. Is that the case?

Yeah, for sure. Slip on shoes, jeans. If I go out on night, I put on a new skirt. I do like to get dressed up for a date, but during the day its just comfort.

If you could raid one of your characters closets, whose would it be?

Probably Bridget von Hammersmark [from Inglourious Basterds]. Those fabulous 40s suits. I loved those really tailored fringed jackets with the shoulder pads and really tight, sexy skirt.

Speaking of tailoring, do you have a go-to person?

Not really. Often if I borrow a dress and it has to be altered, they will have their tailor, so not really.

Does your fashion change a lot depending on where you are living? In L.A. you can go to breakfast in sweats, but in Paris it seems like you would need to be more fashion-forward all the time.

It does change just because weather alone  its so hot in L.A. and people wear jeans and little T-shirts all the time. New York, I think, is the most fun because you can be anyone you want to be. You want to wear a fishnet stocking bodysuit, you can totally get away with that. I love that. Paris is chic.

You grew up in Germany and youve said in the past that it wasnt really a place where talking about your looks was encouraged. How did you transition out of that into the Hollywood limelight, which is all about fashion and beauty?

It took me a minute. My mom always looked nice. She would definitely say, Those colors dont go together, and she would always wear makeup to go to work. But I wasnt allowed to wear makeup really until I left Germany to become a model. I think I was just fascinated with it once I started modeling and the stylists put it together and I learned about proportions. I think thats what I love most about fashion is proportions  different materials, different volumes, and how they can change your appearance. That, to me, is the art of styling. Thats the real styling. The red carpet is a very specific thing, but stylists that work for magazines like Vogue who really put looks together that are different, that I find super interesting. I guess once I started acting, I had the whole thing. Your agent tells you, you have to have a stylist, you have to have hair and makeup. I look back at some of those pictures from when I was first starting out and its like, Oh my God. That doesnt look like me. I started looking like everybody else. I think thats one of the reasons that I just scaled back.

And you have more control over it if you style yourself.

Yes. Hollywood can be very fake.

You bounce between L.A., Paris, and Vancouver a lot. Whats the secret to eating healthy and staying fit on all those different sets and with so much travel?

Over the years, Ive learned that you have to be very vigilant. I try to eat good. Im not obsessive about food, but I try to eat healthy. I really got into working out. I didnt used to work out for years and years and years because I used to be a ballet dancer, and then that didnt work out and then I totally gave up on working out. Also in France, nobody used to work out. There were no gyms. I think maybe two years ago, I looked at the state of my butt and was like, I need to do something. And so I got into working out. I got this trainer in L.A. who lives down the street from where I live and I got really into it. Now Im into it. I work out all the time. I really love it.

What kind of stuff do you do?

Just hit the gym, weights. I dont want to lose weight anymore, so all I do is lift weights and squats. I found this girl on Instagram called Kayla_Itsines. I follow her. Shes from Australia, and she has like 5.5 million followers. But shes this trainer that has the most insane body and is really feminine still, and I started following her and I do her stuff.

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President Barack Obama has long envisioned leaving office with two trade deals in place: the Trans-Pacific Partnership with 12 Asian nations, and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with Europe. Both now seem slated to fail.

On Sunday, German Economic Minister and vice chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, said that TTIP talks between the U.S. and EU have essentially fallen apart.

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 added that after 14 rounds of talks, the two sides havent agreed on one common item out of 27 chapters being discussed.

We mustnt submit to the American proposals, said Gabriel, who also heads Germanys center-left Social Democratic Party.

Chief EU negotiator Ignacio Garcia Bercero, asked Monday about Gabriels comments, said: No, no. Remember what Mark Twain said, referring to the American authors comment that reports of his death were exaggerated.

And Margaritis Schinas, chief spokesperson for the European commission, added Monday, Provided the conditions are right, the commission stands ready to close this deal by the end of the year, but he cautioned negotiators would not sacrifice Europeans safety, health, social and data protection standards or our cultural diversity to reach a deal with the United States.

Gabriels comments dont exactly come as a surprise. TTIP has never been popular in Germany. Politicians there are calling for protests against the deal ahead of general elections slated for Sept. 17.

According to Mujtaba Rahman, the head of practice for Europe at the Eurasia Group, the pact has been dying a slow death since Britain decided to leave the EU in June.

The Brits were really the only champions of TTIP in the EU, and with them now heading for the door, its going to significantly drop in priority over the coming years, Rahman told Foreign Policy. For Merkel, the key challenge is to show that Europe can work for its citizens and for now, that means addressing the risks thrown up by terrorism, open borders and youth unemployment. TTIP doesnt sit well with this narrative.

Now, instead of securing a wide-reaching trade pact between the United States and Europe as a farewell present, Obama will have to wait to see if TTIP ever gets done. And his dreams of a similar deal in Asia, formed by the TTP, is also suffering a slow agony. Both presidential candidates say they oppose it, and there arent enough votes in Congress to push the pact through in the lame duck session after the election.

Photo credit: JOHN THYS/Getty Images
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Digital maps company HERE, controlled by German carmakers BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen, aims to find a new investor by the end of the year, HERE chief Edzard Overbeek told a German newspaper. "The carmakers want to open the circle of shareholders. We are talking to dozens of parties interested in taking a stake," daily Handelsblatt quoted Overbeek as saying in an interview published on Tuesday. Germany's luxury automotive groups including Daimler's Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen's Audi division and BMW bought HERE for 2.5 billion euros ($2.8 billion) from Nokia last year to create an alternative digital mapping business to Google. Daimler confirmed in April it was in talks with Amazon.com and Microsoft about taking a minority stake in HERE. Auto supplier Bosch has also said it was in talks with HERE. "It is important to find the right mixture of owners... Partners from the IT sector, from logistics or retail are possible," Overbeek said, according to the newspaper, without naming any possible investors. Intelligent mapping systems supply information to control self-driving cars, which are equipped with street-scanning sensors to measure traffic and road conditions. This location data can in turn be shared with other map users. ($1 = 0.8957 euros) (Reporting by Maria Sheahan, editing by Louise Heavens)
By PTI: Patna, Aug 30 (PTI) Sanjhouli in Bihars Rohtas district, which hit headlines in July after a woman there mortgaged her magalsutra to fetch money for construction of a toilet at home, today became the first Open Defecation-Free (ODF) block in the state under Swachh Bharat Mission.

"The community of the block declared their ODF status today (30 August 2016) in a function. This is the first ODF block of Bihar under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin)," a statement from UNICEF which provided technical support said here.

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The mortgage incident had taken place at Barahkhanna village in the block following which a district wide campaign, Mission Pratistha, was launched to make Rohtas ODF in a time bound manner, under the leadership of District Magistrate Animesh Parasher.

State Rural Development Department is implementing the mission in Bihar, the statement said.

In the first phase, Sanjhouli was taken as a pilot to understand the community process by involving all the stakeholders at all levels.

The action plan for making Sanjhouli ODF was prepared just after the completion of training on Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), supported by UNICEF, on July 6.

The highlight of the action plan was the deputation of one District Officer as a nodal person to support the community motivators during the community facilitation process, the UNICEF statement said.

In only 55 days, all the 6 gram panchayats of the block become ODF and almost 6,000 families constructed toilet in their houses.

UNICEF has provided technical support during the conceptualisation to the actual implementation and finally making the block ODF in terms of capacity building, process formulation, communication materials and monitoring of the activity. PTI SNS NN KIS

--- ENDS ---
New York (AFP) - Venus Williams battled into the second round of the US Open on Tuesday, grabbing a slice of Grand Slam history along the way with her 72nd main draw appearance in a major.

On the same day that younger sister Serena was due to launch her bid for a record seventh US Open title -- and a record-setting 23rd Grand Slam crown -- the elder Williams broke the Open Era mark she had shared with Amy Frazier for most Grand Slams contested.

The 36-year-old Venus, enjoying something of a resurgence in a 2016 season that includes a WTA title in Taiwan, survived 63 unforced errors in a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 victory over 22-year-old Ukrainian Kateryna Kozlova, who has risen more than 80 spots in the world rankings since February to her current number 93.

"The errors told the story today," said Williams, whose aggressive game also produced 46 winners. "I'm going to try to change that for the second round."

The match closed out the afternoon action on the Arthur Ashe stadium court, setting the stage for a blockbuster night that included Serena's first-round clash with Russian veteran Ekaterina Makarova and second-seeded Andy Murray taking on Czech Lukas Rosol.

Serena's Wimbledon triumph in July saw her equal Steffi Graf's Open Era record of 22 major titles.

She has won four of five encounters with Makarova, including two US Open matches against the Russian left-hander.

Murray is bidding to become the fourth man in the Open Era to reach all four major finals in a calendar year.

Since capturing his second Wimbledon title Murray has gone on to defend his Olympic gold in Rio.

Murray has downplayed any grudge match aspect to his clash with Rosol, who provoked an angry outburst from the Briton when they met in the quarter-finals at Munich last year.

In other early matches, third-seeded Swiss Stan Wawrinka, a two-time semi-finalist, reached the second round with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 6-4 win over Spain's Fernando Verdasco.

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"I'm really happy," Wawrinka said after evening his career record against Verdasco at three wins apiece.

"Fernando is a tough player to play. He can be really aggressive. He doesn't give you so much rhythm, so it's not easy."

Kei Nishikori, who became Asia's first men's Grand Slam finalist in New York in 2014, when he fell to Marin Cilic in the final, also advanced, downing German Benjamin Becker 6-1, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

"It was a great feeling of course," said Nishikori, whose breakthrough run in 2014 was followed by an abrupt first-round exit last year.

"I have great memories here and I always love coming back to New York."

- Halep advances -

Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion, advanced with a 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) victory over fellow Argentine Diego Schwartzman.

The 27-year-old del Potro, almost pushed into retirement by three wrist surgeries, is back at Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2013, earning a wild card invitation with a stirring run to an Olympic silver medal.

Women's fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, trying to make it to the quarter-finals in New York for the first time, takes on American qualifier Jessica Pegula.

Fifth-seeded Romanian Simona Halep survived late jitters to make it safely into the second round with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Belgian Kirsten Flipkens.

Halep needed less than an hour, but admitted she was "too nervous to finish the match" after failing to take advantage of her first chance to close it out when leading 6-0, 5-0.

The late wobble, in front of a crowd that included compatriot Nadia Comeneci -- the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10 -- had Halep rating her own performance "less than nine".
DENVER -- After a stunningly successful debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers, veteran left-hander Rich Hill will make his second start for them Tuesday. Hill pitches off his highly effective overhand curveball. He will face the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field, where the mile-high altitude poses a challenge to any breaking pitch.

However, Hill, 36, has experience at Coors Field. He's 0-2 with an 8.80 ERA in three starts there, one each in 2006, 2007 and 2008 with the Chicago Cubs. The most recent and best start was April 23, 2008, and Hill allowed two runs on three hits in five innings with three strikeouts and four walks. He didn't figure in the decision in the Cubs' 7-6 win.

The Dodgers acquired Hill from Oakland on Aug. 1. The A's had placed him on the disabled list July 20 with a left middle finger blister. Hill went 9-3 with a 2.25 ERA in 14 starts for the A's this season while limiting the opposition to a .201 average.

In his Dodgers debut Wednesday, Hill outdueled the Giants' Johnny Cueto and was the winning pitcher in the Dodgers' 1-0 victory. Hill allowed five singles with no walks and three strikeouts while throwing 81 pitches, 63 strikes, in six scoreless innings. He went to a three-ball count once.

"Everything felt solid. Mentally, I felt great, body feels good," Hill said. "Something that I've emphasized throughout the entire season in Oakland and carried over here into L.A. is just stay within the moment, a pitch-to-pitch approach and really just making sure you execute each pitch."

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Hill, "The command wasn't perfect, but he willed himself to six innings. As seen on video, he has such good feel for the curveball. It wasn't right on point, but he was very good."

Left-hander Tyler Anderson will oppose Hill. Overall, Anderson is 4-5 with a 3.69 ERA. In his only previous game against the Dodgers, he held them to two runs and six hits in seven innings Aug. 3 and was the winning pitcher in Colorado's 12-2 romp. That was the last win for Anderson, who is 1-3 with a 4.91 ERA in his past four starts.

In his last game at Milwaukee on Wednesday, Anderson gave up three hits and two runs in five innings with two walks and a career-high 10 strikeouts, giving Anderson 77 strikeouts in 83 innings or an average of 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

"I think when he has his best changeup, he's going to miss bats," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said, "Typically he may get weak contact with that pitch. But it's good enough he can get swings and misses, too. I think it was real good that last start. He commanded the fastball with it, and he would speed guys up to get to that changeup. Once you speed them up, they're going to miss the changeup when you pull the string on them. I think that's what you saw in his last start."
About 30,000 cases of precut vegetables are being recalled in many Southeastern states because they could be contaminated with Listeria. But how, exactly, do these bacteria get into veggies?

This week, the food manufacturer Country Fresh announced a recall of several of its vegetable products  including precut onions, mushrooms and peppers  after one of its products being sold in a Georgia grocery store tested positive for Listeria bacteria. The recall affects products sold at a number of grocery stores  including Walmart, Harris Teeter and Winn-Dixie  in nine Southern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia).

Listeria is found naturally in soil and water, and animals can carry the bacteria without appearing sick, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Raw vegetables can become contaminated with Listeria either through contact with soil or with animal manure that is used as fertilizer, according to the Mayo Clinic. [Top 7 Germs in Food That Make You Sick]

From there, Listeriamay get into a food processing factory, where it might live for years on equipment, according to the CDC. Unlike many other types of bacteria, Listeria can grow in the colder temperatures of refrigerators and freezers. "It's a pathogen that's particularly problematic in food-processing plants because it really likes cold, moist, dark environments," Benjamin Chapman, a food safety expert at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, told Live Science in a 2015 interview.

Other foods that have been historically linked with Listeria outbreaks include raw milk, unpasteurized soft cheeses and deli meats, Chapman said.

So far, there have been no reported cases of anyone becoming sick with Listeria from Country Fresh's recalled vegetables, Country Fresh said in a statement.

But Listeria infections can be serious, and even deadly, particularly for certain groups of people, including young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. The infection can cause fever, muscle aches and diarrhea, and in pregnant women, it may cause miscarriage or stillbirth, the CDC says.

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The CDC offered the following general recommendations to reduce the risk of Listeria infection:

Rinse raw produce, including fruits and vegetables, before eating, cutting or cooking.

Use a produce brush to scrub firm vegetables, such as melons and cucumbers.

Dry produce with a clean cloth or paper towel.

When preparing food, separate uncooked meats from vegetables and cooked foods.

When you handle uncooked foods, be sure to wash your hands afterward, as well as the knives and cutting boards you used for the foods.

Do not drink unpasteurized milk.

Heat ready-to-eat foods and leftovers until they are steaming hot.

People at higher risk of infection, such as pregnant women, should not eat hot dogs, luncheon meats, cold cuts or other deli meats unless they are heated to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius). They should also avoid eating soft cheeses, unless the label says it's made with pasteurized milk.

Original article on Live Science.

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ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / August 30, 2016 / Dominovas Energy Corporation (DNRG) today released additional details of its second site visit to the University of Johannesburg as it progresses towards its delivery of the long-awaited RUBICON to the continent of Africa.

The delegation was led by Dominovas Energy Chairman and CEO Neal Allen who is personally managing the installation of the RUBICON. He was joined once more by the University of Johannesburg's Director, Manufacturing Research Centre, Department of Mechanical Engineering Science Professor Tien Chien Jen, along with the esteemed associate professor of electrical power engineering at the Durban University of Technology (www.dut.ac.za), non-executive member of ESKOM's Board of Directors (http://www.eskom.co.za/Pages/Landing.aspx), and senior member of IEEE Dr. Pat Naidoo. This leadership team was assisted by members of the Dominovas Energy staff along with key staff members of the University of Johannesburg.

The special purpose of this visit was to take specific measurements for the site on which the RUBICON showcase will be installed. The team also inspected the existing infrastructure at the University to ascertain what resources must be delivered to support the showcase and what existing inventory is on hand today to be able to support the installation. The team also took measurements of the proposed location to insure proper spacing for the RUBICON and its requisite support infrastructure.

Dominovas Energy Managing Director for Africa Kreneshen Moodley was quoted as saying, "This is a very exciting time for the Company and for me personally to realize the physical, on the ground steps for the 'showcase' installation. With boots on the ground, I have a deep appreciation for the amount of logistics in this entire undertaking. It has been quite an exercise, but I am thrilled seeing it take shape."

The team also utilized the time to further discuss steps in the plans for the development of the Institute for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology, which will be a collaborative venture between Dominovas Energy and the University of Johannesburg for the advancement of the study of fuel cell technology in and for the entire sub-Saharan region.

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The "Showcase" is a first step in Dominovas Energy's ultimate goal to deliver its one-of-a-kind multi-Megawatt system to the region, as the engineering effort continues for the presentation of the first system in 2017. Pictures of the second site visit can be found on the Dominovas Energy website.

About Dominovas Energy Corporation (DNRG)

Founded in 2005, Dominovas Energy Corporation (DEC) is a publicly traded company, based in Nevada. With its operating headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Dominovas Energy Corporation is a leading power solutions provider to emerging markets around the world. DEC employs its proprietary RUBICON Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology for deployment in multi-megawatt power generation units worldwide. The worldwide pursuit of clean and efficient production of electricity via Solid Oxide Fuel Cell technology inspired its founders to create an "energy solutions" company. Recognizing that "green" and "alternative energy" markets offer immense potential for growth, Dominovas Energy is aggressively moving to allocate its intellectual and financial capital forthwith, in order to strategically address a green energy solution that is 100% reliable, efficient, and measurably cleaner than GenSets and CCGT. Additionally, unlike wind and solar solutions the RUBICON provides baseload power 24/7/365 days a year. By manufacturing and deploying the RUBICON throughout of the world, Dominovas Energy is committed to creating shareholder value by not only generating guaranteed revenue streams, but also by increasing the value of "human and community capital." Devoted to core values by operating under the utmost of honesty and integrity in all its business transactions, Dominovas Energy is additionally dedicated to respecting the rights of all individuals, while acknowledging and respecting all cultures necessary to support the growth and development of the communities and countries in which it operates. The Company strongly believes in the impact this singularly advanced technology will make on the world and is resolute in its mission to provide electricity where and when economically viable.

For more information, visit www.dominovasenergy.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release, as well as other statements made by Dominovas Energy Corporation (the "Company"), contain forward-looking statements that reflect, when made, the Company's current views with respect to current events and financial performance. Such forward-looking statements are subject to many risks, uncertainties and factors relating to the Company's operations and business environment, which may cause the actual results of the Company to be materially different from any future results. All statements that address future operating, financial or business performance or the Company's strategies or expectations are forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements as is applicable would be discussed under captions as follows: "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in the Company's filings as would be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as required. New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible for us to predict these events or how they may affect the Company. It should be remembered that the price of the ordinary shares and any income from them can go down as well as up. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events and/or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

Media and Investor Contact:

QualityStocks

Scottsdale, Arizona

www.QualityStocks.com

480.374.1336 Office

Editor@QualityStocks.net

Investor Questions:

ir@dominovasenergy.com

SOURCE: Dominovas Energy Corporation
Donald Trump issued a statement this afternoon about Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedins decision to finally throw in the towel on her marriage to serial sexter/former congressman Anthony Weiner.

Huma is making a very wise decision. I know Anthony Weiner well, and she will be far better off without him, Trump began in his statement. I only worry for the country in that Hillary Clinton was careless and negligent in allowing Weiner to have such close proximity to highly classified information. Who knows what he learned and who he told? Its just another example of Hillary Clintons bad judgment. It is possible that our country and its security have been greatly compromised by this.

Clintons camp, and Reporters Who Cover Politics, had steeled themselves for something along these lines earlier this month when the New York Post, which broke the latest Weiner sexting story, reported that a Trump supporter had baited Weiner into a sexual online chat.

After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband, Abedin said this morning in a statement, taking top spot in the TV news cycle. That came hours after the Post published its front-page story about her husband that included another crotch shot he allegedly sent to another woman, in which he is seen in bed next to his and Abedins young son, who is asleep in the photo.

This afternoon, former Clinton White House legal counsel Lanny Davis suggested Clinton respond to Trumps statement by repeating the words of Joseph Welch to Sen. Joe McCarthy: Mr. Trump, have you no sense of decency at long last? 

Davis, talking to Wolf Blitzer on CNN, noted Trumps attempt to turn the end of Abedins marriage into a campaign talking point comes after the GOP candidate attacked a gold-star motherhe exploited the death of Dwayne Wades cousin, and now he is exploiting the painful experience within a marriage that Huma is going through.

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donald trump

Donald Trump on Tuesday appeared to reiterate his support for a physical wall along the US-Mexico border after days of speculation about whether he would support his previous immigration policies.

In a tweet Tuesday morning, the Republican presidential nominee reaffirmed his support for a wall and teased a speech on immigration he's set to deliver on Wednesday.

"From day one I said that I was going to build a great wall on the SOUTHERN BORDER, and much more. Stop illegal immigration. Watch Wednesday!" Trump wrote.

Though immigration has been a major theme of his campaign, in recent weeks the real-estate magnate and his campaign have waffled on some of the central premises of Trump's immigration pitch to Republican primary voters. The campaign has sent mixed signals about whether Trump still supports creating a deportation force to forcibly remove over 10 million immigrants living in the US without permission.

Some campaign surrogates have seemed to back away from the promise to build a wall along the Southern border. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani suggested in an interview this week that some of the wall would have digital features; last month, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry promised a similar virtual wall.

But in an interview on "Fox and Friends" on Tuesday, Trump spokesman Jason Miller reaffirmed that the wall would be physical.

"There's going to be a physical wall," Miller said. "There will be a physical wall on the Mexico border, and, as we know, Mexico is going to pay for it."

NOW WATCH: Watch this 11-year-old put Mike Pence on the spot with a tough question about his role as Trump's VP





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The Dow Chemical Company DOW declared that its joint venture (JV) in the Middle East, Sadara Chemical Company, has started the operations of its mixed feed cracker (MFC), marking an important milestone for the JV. Sadara is a JV between Dow and Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco).

Sadara is in line with Dow Chemicals initiative to grow in the Asia Pacific, Middle East, India, Africa as well as Eastern and Central Europe with cost advantages. The company aims to expand in markets including packaging, electronics, construction and transportation. The startup of the MFC marks an important step in realizing the full value of this state-of-the-art, global integrated complex, which is geared to provide emerging economies with differentiated and high-value plastics as well as specialty chemical products.

Sadaras Jubail Industrial City II complex will comprise 26 production assets, including the MFC. The MFC will manufacture ethylene and propylene which will then be converted into other plastics and chemicals in the facility. The facility already caters to nearly 100 customers spread across more than 25 countries. Sadara is progressing toward a start-up process, with the polyethylene and polyolefins envelope to help maximize timing in the ethylene cycle, and thereafter, ethylene oxide and propylene oxide along with their derivatives.

DOW CHEMICAL Price

DOW CHEMICAL Price | DOW CHEMICAL Quote

Dow Chemicals shares closed around 0.9% higher at $54.13 on Aug 29.

Dow Chemical topped earnings expectations in second-quarter 2016, aided by cost-cutting and productivity actions. The U.S. chemical giant registered adjusted earnings (barring one-time items) of 95 cents per share for the quarter that outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 85 cents. On a reported basis, the company logged profit of roughly $3.1 billion or $2.61 per share, an almost three-fold surge from a profit of around $1.1 billion or 97 cents per share recorded a year ago. The bottom line was boosted by a sizable gain associated with the Dow Corning ownership restructuring.

Story continues

Dow Chemical is expected to continue gaining from its productivity improvement and cost control initiatives. Moreover, the company remains committed to invest in attractive regions through highly-accretive projects including the expansions in the U.S. Gulf Coast and the Sadara JV.

Dow Chemical currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Better-ranked stocks in the diversified chemicals space include Stepan Company SCL, Innophos Holdings Inc IPHS and Innospec Inc. IOSP, all sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

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He was brought to the hospital in an unconscious state, by his disciples, where he was placed on ventilator support. A team of doctors are continuously monitoring the situation of the Shankracharya.

By Ashish Pandey: The 69th Pontiff of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, Swami Jayendra Saraswathi, was admitted to Andhra Hospital in Vijayawada on Tuesday following a sudden spurt in his blood pressure.

HOSPITALISED

He was brought to the hospital in an unconscious state, by his disciples, where he was placed on ventilator support. A team of doctors are continuously monitoring the situation of the Shankracharya.

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According to Andhra Hospital authorities, the seer is now on a ventilator and is being administered treatment. His disciples brought him to the hospital in an unconscious state after the spiritual guru complained of uneasiness.



PEOPLE GATHERING



As news of the Pontiff's condition spread, scores of his followers from Vijayawada and elsewhere started gathering at the hospital. A large number of VIPs and VVIPS too thronged into the hospital to inquire about the health of the holy man.

The Kanchi Shankracharya was nominated by his predecessor, Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swamigal, as his successor and was given the divinely ordained pontifical title of Sri Jayendra Saraswathi on March 22, 1954.



ALSO READ:

Shankaracharya for plebiscite on both sides of Kashmir

Vishal Dadlani's sarcastic tweet on Jain monk Tarun Sagar backfires, musician vows to quit politics

--- ENDS ---
John McCain, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Marco Rubio. (Yahoo News photo illustration: foreground photos by AP; background photos of Arizona voting sign and Florida voters by Matt York/AP, Alan Diaz/AP)

Down Ticket is Yahoo News complete guide to the most fascinating House, Senate and governors races of 2016. Coming to you every Tuesday and Thursday until Nov. 8. What you need to know today.

_____

Happy Florida Primary Day! Here are four storylines to watch as the results come rolling in.

If we had to pick just one state to watch for the rest of this election cycle, Florida would be it.

Forget about the marquee slugfest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. As

SNLs Stefon might say, the Sunshine States down-ballot races have everything:

 A former GOP White House candidate, Marco Rubio, who solemnly vowed not to run for reelection to the Senate this year  then decided to do it anyway.

 A Democratic Senate primary between a guy who has been accused of padding his resume (Rep. Patrick Murphy) and a guy who has been accused of abusing his now ex-wife (Rep. Alan Grayson).

 A race for the latters U.S. House seat that features both his current wife, Dena Grayson, and one of his top congressional aides, Susannah Randolph.

 A Democratic congresswoman, Corrine Brown, who is running for reelection while simultaneously being tried in a federal corruption case.

 Another Democratic House contest that pits a former candidate for lieutenant governor, Annette Taddeo, against her close friend and mentor, Joe Garcia. Garcia is a former congressman whose chief of staff was sent to jail in 2013 for orchestrating a fraudulent ballot scheme.

 A former Republican governor, Charlie Crist, who is now running for the House as a Democrat.

 And a recently dethroned chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, fighting for her political life against a nationwide movement of disgruntled progressives  including her partys 2016 presidential runner-up, Bernie Sanders.

Not to mention the fact that 24 of the states 27 congressional districts were redrawn last year after the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the old map was unconstitutional.

Story continues

Its basically the electoral version of the Florida Man meme, except with serious implications for control of Congress and the political direction of the nation as a whole.

Oh, and the Sunshine States primaries are today  meaning the fall campaigns are about to begin in earnest. If you havent tuned in yet, now is the time.

Here are four storylines to watch  all of them with national implications  as Floridians go to the polls.

1. Can anyone else pull a Trump?

Donald Trump may have defeated Marco Rubio by a dizzying 19 percentage points in Floridas March 15 presidential primary  even though Rubio is a Florida native who has held elected office in the state, in one capacity or another, for nearly 15 years. But that doesnt mean Trumps signature blend of hard-edged nativism and politically incorrect bomb-throwing is producing the same sort of results for Republicans who arent Donald Trump.

Quite the opposite, actually.

Take Carlos Beruff. When Rubio reversed himself and entered the Florida Senate race at the last minute  literally two days before the June 22 deadline  most of the other GOP candidates dutifully stepped aside.

Carlos Beruff announcing his candidacy in February. (Photo: Giorgio Viera/El Nuevo Herald/TNS via Getty Images)

Not Beruff. Instead, the wealthy Manatee County developer doubled down on his Donald impression, cutting attack ads that claim Rubio isnt as tough as Trump; proposing a ban on all Middle Eastern immigrants (except Israelis); and tweeting stuff like I wont read a bunch of crap off a teleprompter. He even parrots one of Trumps catchphrases: its time to put America first. The Miami New Times called Beruff the Cuban-American Donald Trump; Roll Call labeled him Little Trump of Florida.

The only problem? Beruff is going to lose on Tuesday  by a lot. The latest polls show him trailing Rubio by 30 to 60 points.

Its a result that, along with similar outcomes in various other contests, casts serious doubt on the existence of Trumpism minus Trump, writes Frank Bruni.

Or, at the very least, it casts serious doubt on the existence of Trumpism minus a candidate whos already famous in his or her right. So far, the lesson of this cycle is that if youre a Beruff or a Paul Nehlen  Paul Ryans unsuccessful primary challenger  and youre running against an incumbent as well-known as Rubio or Ryan, then youre going to lose every time.

In other words, the usual laws of politics still apply  no matter how slavishly you imitate the Donald.

2. Are Democrats blowing their big opportunity?

Last Thursday, the New York Times published a story headlined Democrats Weak Bench Undermines Hope of Taking Back Senate.

Senate Democrats, aware of the dead weight that Donald J. Trump has placed on their vulnerable Republican colleagues, can taste a reclaimed majority, it began. But just as Senate Republicans blew their chances in 2010 and 2012 before finally taking control in 2014, Democrats find themselves hobbled by less-than-stellar candidates in races that could make the difference in winning a majority.

Florida may be one of those races.

The primary between Orlando Rep. Alan Grayson and Treasure Coast Rep. Patrick Murphy has been one of the nastiest in recent Florida history  and thats saying something. Grayson has called Murphy a dishonest Republican sock puppet and slammed him for inflating his resume, for asking state officials to delay an announcement about the opening of a center to assist businesses affected by a toxic algae bloom, and for voting with Republicans on key issues.

Meanwhile, Murphy has repeatedly dismissed and disparaged Grayson, a left-wing firebrand, after allegations of a two-decade pattern of domestic abuse surfaced in Politico last month.

Patrick Murphy and Alan Grayson (Photos: Steve Cannon/AP)

Not that the confrontational, bombastic Grayson  a pol who once described a lobbyist as a K Street whore; who has accused Republicans of wanting Americans to die quickly; and who is currently under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for running his hedge fund while in office  was particularly popular with mainstream Democrats before that. Both Barack Obama and Joe Biden have taken the unusual step of endorsing Murphy, and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has publicly told Grayson, I want you to lose.

Murphy leads Grayson by a wide margin in the latest polls and is likely to win Tuesday  even as he trails Rubio in every survey released since the incumbent inserted himself into the race.

Sometimes rocky primaries strengthen candidates. But that doesnt seem to have been the case with Murphy (who is also being hounded by Republicans for receiving hefty financial support from his rich father at every stage of his career).

Its highly bitter and highly personal, Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida, recently told the Orlando Sentinel. It parallels what you see on every level, and its why so many people are tired of this election. The tone is just wearing on people.

Even more worrisome for Democrats than the timbre of this particular contest is the likelihood that it wont be the last of its kind.

In the New York Times, Jennifer Duffy, a senior editor and Senate analyst for the Cook Political Report, predicted that as Bernie Sanders-inspired progressives continue to challenge establishment favorites like Murphy, Democrats are going to have their own Tea Party moment in 2018. And with Republicans now controlling 68 of 98 partisan state legislative chambers, the highest number in GOP history, the Democratic bench is thinner than ever before  which means that Murphy wont be the last flawed candidate the party is forced to support.

3. Can Bernie defeat Debbie?

Speaking of Sanders, voters in Floridas 23rd Congressional District will finally decide Tuesday whether to heed the senators call to sack the controversial Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Sanders has been at war with the former Democratic National Committee chair for months, first accusing her of rigging the Democratic primary for Hillary Clinton and then, in the wake of last months DNC email hack, leading the charge that led to her resignation from the partys top post. All along, hes been ginning up support for Wasserman Schultzs challenger, a law professor named Tim Canova, via his powerful email list and fundraising operation.

Tim Canova joins union members at a Verizon protest in May. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

So far, Canova has received $3.8 million in Sanders-driven donations, even as Sanders himself has declined to stump for Canova in person.

All that money and proxy-war publicity have transformed Canova into a more credible challenger than anyone expected. But he still trails Wasserman Schultz by 10 percentage points in a heavily Jewish area where Clinton clobbered Sanders with more than 70 percent of the vote  and where Wasserman Schultz has won every election since 1992.

Canova is unlikely to break that streak Tuesday  suggesting that however popular Sanders was on a presidential level, he still has a long way to go before he revolutionizes the Democratic Party.

4. Will turnout change the game?

Theres still a chance, however, that Canova  and other legislative candidates across the state  could shock observers with upset victories this week.

Why? A fascinating new turnout trend. Ace Florida political reporter Adam Smith has the details:

Almost half of the mail ballots returned so far for Tuesdays primary election have come from Floridians who voted in either one or zero of the past four primary elections. That means a big, decisive chunk of the vote will come from people who have not been polled, and potentially not courted, targeted or accounted for by countless campaigns across the state.  As of Thursday morning, more than 855,000 primary ballots had been cast by mail. More than a quarter of those votes came from Floridians who had not voted in the last four primaries and another 20 percent from people who voted in just one of the last four primaries. In other words, these are not likely voters surveyed by most pollsters or targeted by sophisticated political campaigns. The trend applies to Democrats and Republicans alike and across the state. Driven by the new ease of absentee voting  Floridians now automatically receive ballots  and widespread frustration with the presidential clash between Trump and Clinton, voters who declined to participate in earlier primaries are suddenly weighing in. That could render some preprimary polling inaccurate and produce surprise results in any number of close races.

Canova, for one, is counting on it. Our ground game is so big  four field offices, 40 paid staffers, hundreds of volunteers  that weve really expanded the field, he recently told NBC News.

A voter hands in his absentee ballot. (Photo: Alan Diaz/AP)

This is huge, said Marian Johnson, senior vice president of political strategy for the Florida Chamber of Commerce (the first group to notice the uptick in unlikely voters). I can envision election night when the votes are counted that certain people win that nobody thought had a chance, and that being attributed to this trend.

In a state with more competitive House races than anywhere except for California or New York  including what promises to be a fierce battle in Floridas 26th Congressional District between endangered GOP incumbent Carlos Curbelo and whoever wins Tuesdays Democratic primary between former Rep. Joe Garcia and his mentee, Annette Taddeo  upsets Tuesday could either help or hinder the Democratic Partys long-shot campaign to recapture control of the lower chamber of Congress.

_____

Meanwhile, in Arizona

Florida isnt the only state thats holding its primaries today; Arizona is also heading to the polls.

This years marquee battle is the GOP Senate primary pitting five-term incumbent John McCain against former state Sen. Kelli Ward. McCains relationship with the state GOP has been tempestuous; in 2014, the state party formally censured him for breaking with conservatives on key issues, calling his record disastrous and harmful. Polls taken around the same time showed that more Arizona Republicans disapproved (55 percent) than approved (35 percent) of his performance in office.

Kelli Ward, right, who is running against Sen. John McCain in the Arizona Republican primary, talks to voters. (Photo: Ross D. Franklin/AP)

Ward embodies the rights dissatisfaction with McCain. A 47-year-old doctor of osteopathic medicine, she has taken a Trumpian approach to the incumbent, slamming him as a pro-immigrant, pro-war creature of the establishment who is virtually indistinguishable from Hillary Clinton. Ward has even suggested that McCain, 80, might die in office.

Im a doctor, Ward told Politico. The life expectancy of the American male is not 86. Its less.

(Fun fact: Ward is correct if you measure life expectancy at birth, averaging in all the people who die young, but as FactCheck.org points out, an American male who is already 80 can be expected to live another eight years.)

The race is closer than analysts expected it to be  and McCain isnt taking anything for granted. Still, barring a stunning upset, McCain should win  though perhaps by single digits, which would be the closest margin of his career. Bruised, the senator would then proceed to his second tough race of the year: a general election contest against Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, a well-funded, well-prepared Democrat.

And he would still have to deal with Donald Trump.

Trump has dogged McCain all year. The senator technically supports his partys nominee, though in the most tepid terms imaginable; Trump, meanwhile, has insulted McCain at every turn. As a result, Ward is attacking McCain for being insufficiently gung-ho about the Donald  and therefore insufficiently conservative  and Kirkpatrick is saying that a true maverick would never bow before a guy who once mocked his heroic service in Vietnam.

Its a rock-and-a-hard-place situation for McCain, and one that will likely persist through Nov. 8; the senator has promised that he wont turn on Trump in the general.

No, theres no reason to do that, McCain said last week. They all know me. Everybody in Arizona really knows me unless they just moved in.

Sen. John McCain and his wife, Cindy, leave a polling station after voting on Tuesday. (Photo: Matt York/AP)

On to the House. To run against McCain, Kirkpatrick had to vacate her seat in Arizonas First Congressional District, which runs from Flagstaff to the northern Tucson suburbs. The contest to replace her is expected to be one of the most competitive in the country. Democrat Tom OHalleran is expected to easily win Tuesdays Democratic primary, but no less than five Republicans  Springerville rancher and businessman Gary Kiehne, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, former Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, retired Air Force pilot Wendy Rogers, Navajo Nation businessman Shawn Redd  are battling to face off against him in November. Arizonas First District is one of only three Democratic-held House tossups this year, so whoever wins Tuesday will have the rare chance to pick up a seat for the GOP.

Arizonas Second Congressional District, which includes parts of Tucson and Cochise County, is also worth watching. There, Democrats Matt Heinz and Victoria Steele are vying to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Martha McSally, a first-term Republican who won by a mere 167 votes in 2014.

_____

The best of the rest

DSCC (+D Super PAC) delay ad spending on Ohio Senate race https://t.co/4srHCqLJUo #OHSEN  Michael LaRosa (@MichaelLaRosaDC) August 30, 2016

McCain explains why he will keep supporting, and criticizing, Donald Trump. Then he tells prison jokes to move on.https://t.co/U8LPo5wVf9  Paul Kane (@pkcapitol) August 29, 2016

Koch Bros & @SenatorReid square off for 1 last grudge match: Reid's successor. @hillhulse & some serious bad blood. https://t.co/TZfzcD3plv  Jonathan Weisman (@jonathanweisman) August 30, 2016

Sticker shock over Obamacare premium increases shaking up Senate races https://t.co/dyVoHIs3PX | AP Photo pic.twitter.com/o0dem3Abar  POLITICO (@politico) August 26, 2016

Rubio won't commit to serving 6-year term https://t.co/AQ9fAv0Vpi  Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) August 30, 2016

How the political revolution failed Tim Canova in his race against Debbie Wasserman Schultz https://t.co/aIAJ3n1jYM pic.twitter.com/Ch4XWLwagt  Clare Foran (@ckmarie) August 30, 2016

Senate Democrats Get New Ally  Bernie Sanders https://t.co/y4tVXeIKFy pic.twitter.com/FQahfuQ9Uj  Roll Call (@rollcall) August 30, 2016

_____

Countdown

_____
Apple (AAPL)  The European Commission has ordered the Irish government to recover up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) and interest in back taxes from the iPhone maker. Shares were 1 percent lower in premarket trade.

Mondelez (MDLZ), Hershey (HSY)  Merger talks between the two food manufacturers fell apart after the Oreo cookie maker said late Monday it ended discussions of a potential combination with the chocolate company. Mondelez shares were more than 3.5 percent higher in premarket trade, while Hershey shares were nearly 11 percent lower.

American Airlines (AAL), United Continental (UAL)  American Airlines President J. Scott Kirby left the firm for the same role at United, the companies said late Monday. American shares were off more than 2 percent in premarket trade, while United shares were up more than 4 percent.

Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF)  The teen apparel retailer posted a 14th-straight quarterly decline in sales. Same-store sales at Abercrombie stories open at least a year fell 7 percent in the quarter, versus the expected 6.5 percent decline, according to Consensus Metrix. Shares were more than 13 percent lower in premarket trade.

DSW (DSW)  The footwear retailer reported second-quarter earnings of 30 cents a share, matching expectations. Revenue of $659 million was a touch above the Reuters forecast of $658.7 million, while comparable sales for the quarter declined 1.4 percent. DSW reaffirmed full-year earnings guidance and its board of directors approved a quarterly dividend of 20 cents a share. Shares rose more than 2 percent in premarket trade.

G-III Apparel (GIII)  The owner of brands such as Guess and Calvin Klein reported a fiscal second-quarter loss of 3 cents a share. Sales of $442.3 million came in below the $484.9 million estimate. Full-year earnings and revenue forecasts were also below expectations. Shares fell more than 17 percent in premarket trade.

McDonald's (MCD)  Baird upgraded the stock to "outperform" with a $128 price target, for a nearly 12 percent upside from Monday's closing price. Baird cited more favorable risk-reward given the stock's underperformance so far this year, as well as support from the fast food giant's attractive dividend yield and opportunity for investor sentiment to improve with progress in the business model. Shares were more than half a percent higher in premarket trade.

Story continues

Reuters contributed to this report.





More From CNBC


By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) - The largest analysis yet has found Ebola virus particles present in semen as long as 565 days after recovery from an infection, highlighting the potential role of sex in sparking another outbreak, researchers reported on Tuesday. The study, published in the Lancet Global Affairs, involved 429 men seen between July 2015 and May 2016 who were part of the Liberian government's Men's Health Screening Program (MHSP), the first national semen testing program for Ebola virus. Of the participants, 38 men tested positive during the study period. Within this group, 24 men, or nearly two thirds, had semen samples that tested positive for Ebola fragments a year after recovering from disease. Ebola tended to linger longer in men over age 40, the researchers said. In one case, Ebola was detected at least 565 days after a man recovered from his illness. "Before this outbreak, scientists believed that Ebola virus could be found in semen for three months after recovery. With this study, we now know that virus may persist for a year or longer, said Dr. Moses Soka, coordinator of the Ebola Virus Disease Survivor Clinical Care at the Liberian Ministry of Health, who worked on the study. As part of Liberia's monitoring program, male survivors aged 15 and older can enroll for monthly tests of their semen. Participants also get counseling on safe sex and condoms at each visit. "This program provides important insights into how long Ebola remains in semen, a key component to preventing flare-ups of the disease and protecting survivors and their loved ones," Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is collaborating with the ministry. Other partners include the World Health Organization, and the Academic Consortium Combating Ebola in Liberia. Semen samples in the study were tested for genetic fragments known as the viral RNA, but the tests could not tell if the virus was capable of spreading disease. Sexual contact with an Ebola survivor in March 2015 resulted in the infection and eventual death of a woman from Monrovia, even after Liberia had been declared free of Ebola. Tests of the man's semen showed the presence of Ebola virus 199 days after he first became ill. The World Health Organization advises that all male Ebola survivors should be tested three months after the onset of symptoms and then monthly until they know they have no risk of passing on the virus. (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Smoke billows from a controlled burn of spilled oil off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico coast line June 13, 2010. REUTERS/Sean Gardner

Our climate is changing. There's no scientific debate about this.

In fact, in 2016  decades after scientists first warned of the sharp changes necessary to stop global warming  it's more accurate to say that our climate has changed.

"There's no stopping global warming," Gavin Schmidt, a climate scientist who is the director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, recently told my colleague, Sarah Kramer. "Everything that's happened so far is baked into the system."

At this point, the real question is: What are we going to do about it?

Hillary Clinton, the person who appears most likely to become our next president, has adopted a plan to reduce US emissions  the heat-trapping gases we pump into the air when we burn fossil fuels  80% by 2050 into her campaign platform. The Obama administration made it the country's stated aspiration at the 2016 international Paris Agreement to combat climate change.

So that raises a second question: Is this something we could actually pull off in the next 34 years?

In public policy, a good way to answer that question is to ask if we could afford it. Geoffrey Heal, a Columbia University environmental economist, recently published a paper examining what it would actually cost to meet that target.

Here's what he found.

There are limits to our ability to predict the future

us wind farm texas

The big headline number from Heal's paper is $42 billion to $176 billion per year every year between now and 2050.

That's not an exact figure plucked from a crystal ball, Heal told Business Insider, but more of a "rough estimate," or a figure that's in the right order of magnitude but "not claiming to be correct to three significant figures or anything like that."

Still, it's a useful measure for thinking about Clinton's target, said Heal. And to get there, he relied on a few assumptions:

Solar and wind energy will drive the vast majority of the shift to emissions-free energy.

Those technologies will improve and grow cheaper in predictable ways.

No major new technologies will upend the energy market in the next few decades.

Story continues

In the best-case scenario, Heal found that the US could probably wring an 80% drop in emissions out of about $1.28 trillion over 34 years. In the worst-case scenario, about $5.28 trillion.

Those numbers include the costs of the photovoltaic panels, molten salt towers, and wind farms necessary to generate enough clean energy to cover two-thirds of total US demand. But they also factor in the giant batteries and high-voltage interstate power lines that Heal said would also be necessary to help the country cope with a shift to power sources that generate energy only some of the time.

So is that a lot of money?

hunt for red october

When Heal set out to arrive at his figure, he wasn't sure what he'd find.

"I was genuinely curious whether this would be a financial ruinous proposition or whether it would be something we could live with," Heal said.

All told, $1.28 trillion, or $42 billion a year, would make an 80% emissions reduction about 33% more expensive than the war in Afghanistan  though spread over more than twice as much time  but just two-thirds of the cost of the war in Iraq. By another measure: about 12 Apollo programs or two 2008 TARP bank bailouts.

That places the goal squarely in the territory of things the US could achieve, given enough political will. Still, it would definitely be limited to the just-a-few-times-a-century category, Heal said.

But let's say that things go another way, and the final cost looks more like the $5.28 trillion  $176 billion a year  that Heal projects at the high end. Now we're talking about a project 25% more expensive than defeating Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan  though, again, spread out over a much longer period  or 2 1/2 Iraq Wars.

A better way to think about this, though, is in annual terms. Right now, yearly gross domestic product in the US is about $18.4 trillion. Everything we know about finance and history tells us that that number will grow significantly in the next 34 years. But right now, a $42 billion annual program would be about 0.2% of GDP. And a $176 billion annual program would cost about 1% of GDP.

That places the annual cost of an 80% emissions reduction somewhere between two NASAs and the US Air Force.

So is that a lot of money?

"I guess the conclusion that I've come to is that it's expensive but not ruinous," Heal said.

Most of the spending would come from private investors

It's important to understand here that when Heal talks about the cost of the 80% reduction, he's not talking about tax dollars.

"This is not something the government can do," Heal said. "This is private-sector investment in infrastructure, basically."

Historically, the role of government has been to wield carrots and sticks. Most of these lie in the tax code and have been shown to be fairly effective in guiding investors to projects the government is excited about.

Credits for producing renewable energy or buying electric cars would fall into the carrot category, Heal said. Sticks would look like a carbon tax or massive hike to the gasoline tax.

Whether or not the plan succeeds, we're likely to see the creation of a major new American industry

Tesla Powerwall

In Heal's calculations, the most significant variable was energy storage.

That's because solar and wind, the likely sources of clean energy in a low-emission America, rely on intermittent power sources. That's a fancy way of saying that sometimes it's nighttime or not very windy out.

Right now, the grid solves this problem mostly by importing traditional power to fill in the gaps left by solar and wind production. But if you're trying to go really clean, Heal said, then that's not an option.

So a national low-emissions energy grid would need to do two things well:

Move electricity over vast distances, so that if one state has a low-energy day, then another can lend a hand.

Store surplus power generated on good days to fill in the gaps on bad ones.

The first problem is fairly simple to solve, Heal said. Right now, the US grid is actually lots of little grids. But linking them up is mostly a matter of laying some high-voltage power lines. Not cheap, but a fairly straightforward upgrade to make to our existing infrastructure.

The second problem, though, is more complicated. We don't yet know how much power a national clean-energy grid could put out in a day, or how reliably long-distance sharing can make up for local shortfalls. That means we have very little idea how much power we have to sock away on good days to prepare for slow ones in a clean grid, Heal said.

"It's something we just haven't thought about because it hasn't been that relevant until now," Heal said.

For purposes of his calculations, Heal assumed that we'll need the capacity to store about two days' worth of renewable power.

"This figure has no rigorous scientific basis," he wrote in the paper, "but seems to pass a 'laugh test.'"

Storage raises a second, technological question.

Right now our best large-scale, long-term power-storage option is pretty crude: We can pump vast amounts of water up a hill on a good day, and then let it run downhill on a bad day to turn a hydroelectric turbine.

But Heal writes that most of the good sites for this method are already in use and can store only a fraction of the total energy we'll need. Home batteries from companies like Tesla and Mercedes-Benz can handle a bit more of the load, but it looks as if we will need massive, grid-scale batteries to get a clean power system working around the clock.

The thing is, these don't exist yet. No one yet knows how much they'll cost, which battery technologies they'll use, or who will build them.

We do know that they're likely to become a major industry, though. Depending on the amount of storage we end up needing and the technologies involved, Heal estimates that we'll spend $2.2 trillion to $5.1 trillion on these monsters over the next 34 years.

On the plus side, we'll save about $960 billion on fuel, which is why the final price tag of a clean grid is so much lower.

It might be time to think about nuclear again

nuclear power station in france

One interesting finding from Heal's calculations is that the cheapest route to an electric grid that emits 80% less emissions might involve nuclear power.

Though nuclear power plants have a scary reputation, they emit only water vapor. And they work round the clock, regardless of weather. With enough new facilities, Heal found that we'd need to replace only about half of US power generation with wind and solar rather than two-thirds, and the cost of storage would drop significantly.

"That was a calculation I found surprising," Heal said, "because nuclear is something that's regarded as very expensive and it's effectively priced itself out of the market these days."

Though nuclear power plants provide about 20% of US electricity, the last one to come online in the US was Tennessee's Watts Bar facility in 1996. Early preparations for Watts Bar 2 began this year. At the same time, as many as 20 aging plants could shut down in the next decade.

The Obama administration has broadly signaled its support for nuclear. But the politics of fission power are dicey at best, and it's easy to imagine a major nuclear power push struggling to get off the ground.

Heal's calculations may miss a key variable

Clouds pass over Capitol Hill in Washington August 1, 2011. Congressional leaders scrambled to line up Republican and Democratic votes for a White House House-backed deal to raise the borrowing limit and avert an unprecedented debt default. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

Economists are good at making judgments about cost and efficiency, but they can struggle to account for squishy human foibles like politics and short-term thinking.

Heal's paper assumes that society will work in a concerted, directed way to address climate change. That, for example, people will continue to move toward electric cars even if gas prices remain under $3 a gallon.

This isn't always how things work.

Myron Ebell, an energy and environmental policy analyst  and avowed climate-science skeptic  with the libertarian Competitive Enterprise Institute think tank, said a program on the scale Heal envisions would struggle to get off the ground.

"I think Obama has gone about as far as you can go in terms of twisting the current regulatory structure to try to do things," Ebell said. "At some point Congress would have to vote for this kind of program, and I think it's a long way in the future if at all. I have my doubts that it will ever happen, but right now you can say it's several Congresses away."

Ebell said that political "friction"  from opponents ranging from national lawmakers to local landowners objecting to power lines and windmills  will most likely add costs at every stage of a major national-energy overhaul.

Heal agrees that politics and planning could be a major hurdle.

"I don't think anyone has thought through in any detail what it would take to mobilize the amount of money that we're talking about here," he said.

"It's a question of providing a structure through which [investors] feel comfortable making these commitments, because they're huge commitments ... We'd need a carefully thought-out policy, establishing some clear expectation of continuity in the field over quite a long period of time."

NOW WATCH: Bill Nye has a great response to Trump's outrageous statements about climate change





More From Business Insider


One of the most memorable images of The Night Of, the now-concluded HBO miniseries that seemed only to ever deal in memorable images, was among its simplest. In Sundays finale, the lawyer John Stone (John Turturro) presented his client Nasir Khan (Riz Ahmed) with the difficult decision of whether to report his other lawyer, Chandra (Amara Karan), for kissing Naz. Doing so could result in a mistrialwhich could be a good thing for Naz, but would ruin Chandras career.

Naz said almost nothing as he listened to Stone. But his eyes were steadily focused, glassy, reflecting the white light of a window across the room. What do you care, you like her like you like Andrea? Stone asked, referring to Chandra and the woman Naz is accused of killing. He told Naz to think about looking in the mirror, 20 years from now, regretting his choice today.

Naz didnt move his head, just breathed deep, his chest slightly heaving. The reflection in his eyes looked like a glow from within. Stone understood. Is that a yes? It was.

The Night Of was a story about eyes: about first impressions that lead to stupid acts of generosity or monstrous acts of callousness, about surveillance as check on the imprecision of human sight and memory, about how people and systems trade an optimistic way of looking at the world for a jaded one over time. It signaled this theme by training the camera, time and again, on characters engaged in the simple act of seeing.

Recommended: Willy Wonka, Technology Critic

In the end, as many have pointed out, the show didnt entirely succeed in what initially seemed like its goal of avoiding the storytelling shortcuts used by the likes of paperback murder mysteries and Law and Order episodes: There were coincidence and mistakes that defied belief, and parts of some episodes dragged. But overall The Night Of was a hypnotic masterpiece of craft, and the fact that it looked so good to watch reflected its underlying mission to make the viewer question what it means for something to do exactly that.

Story continues

HBO

Naz found himself in trouble because of his sight: He let Andrea stay in his taxi because, as the prosecutor pointed out in the finale, she looked pretty. But he, in turn, was also saved by a kind of prettiness himself. Something about him made John Stone turn around in the police station on the night of his arrest. Something about him made a major law firm take his case. Something about himyou smell like innocencemade Rikerss kingpin, Freddy (Michael K. Williams), take him under protection.

That something is partly class and upbringing, clearlyfactors that, the show took pains to underline, separated Andrea and him from the average New York City murder victim and suspect who receive nowhere near comparable levels of media attention or lawyerly care. But that something also, it seemed, was ineffably tied to just the way Naz looks.

Reviewing the first few episodes of the show, I noted that his big eyes effect on other characters made me think of how Serials Sarah Koenig said that Adnan Syeds giant brown eyes, like a dairy cow made him seem innocent. The Night Of took the fact of Nazs magnetism a bit too far, perhaps, in having Chandra kiss him. A more effective illustration was the symbolism of Andreas cat, saved by John Stone from all the other abandoned animals by simple fact of right place, right time, and right cuteness.

HBO

In prison, though, Nazs air of innocence was a liabilityit made him a target. To get by, he physically altered himself: bulking up, shaving his head, changing his walk, getting tattoos. Of course, these things would only hurt his chances with the jury, a conundrum that encapsulates how the act of surviving in perilous social conditions can mark huge swaths of society for unsympathetic treatment by the legal system. John Stone was all too aware of how this works, which is why he minded what Naz wears to court, chided him for his ink, and abhorred the idea of him taking the stand.

Recommended: Did Colin Kaepernick Really Insult the Troops?

Chandra, meanwhile, still found Nazs lookand background, and personalityso compelling as to believe the jury would be smitten if he testified. This was despite how bad the image of Naz presented by the prosecutors looked, and despite the bias engendered by him being a Muslim. The show resolved the conflict with a tie in the jury box, an outcome whose ambiguity reflected the state that Naz found himself in after the trial: alive but changed mostly for the worse, with the eyes of his community regarding him wearily. Notably, the one helpful thing he gained from prison was a hardness of the eyes, an ability to stare down rivals.

HBO

Looks mattered in other ways throughout The Night Of. John Stones eczema was in large part an image problem, as were his subway ads. The prosecutor Helen Weiss (Jeannie Berlin) changed from pumps to sneakers the second she didnt have to be in front of a jury. The other potential suspects fit profiles more amenable to predetermined narratives of who commits murder. And the case itself boiled down to, as Helen said, a blindness: No one saw what happened at the time of the murder, save the murdererand those deer eyes that the show kept cutting to.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
"In my opinion, this LG of Delhi Mr. Jung is unsuited for this high post. He is another 420 like Kejri. We need a Sangh person in Delhi," Swamy tweeted today.

By India Today Web Desk: Subramanian Swamy, who has a reputation for targeting those in important positions, has now set his sights on Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, who for the BJP Rajya Sabha MP is "as 420" as Arvind Kejriwal.

"In my opinion, this LG of Delhi Mr. Jung is unsuited for this high post. He is another 420 like Kejri. We need a Sangh person in Delhi," Swamy tweeted today.

advertisement

Ironically, Kejriwal, in his ongoing tussle with the Centre, has often accused Jung of being a BJP agent in Delhi by not allowing his government to work.

The two have been at loggerheads for a long time, forcing the Delhi High Court to rule earlier this month that Jung remains the administrative head in the national capital.

In the past, Swamy was seen attacking the outgoing Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan, who was "mentally not fully Indian", and the government's Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian, who was "foisted on India by the US".

The controversy had forced Prime Minister Narendra Modi to rebuke Swamy for his "craving for publicity".

Also read:

Swamy ko gussa kyon aata hai: From Vajpayee to Obama, no one has escaped MP's bullets

PM Modi rebukes Subramanian Swamy: Breaking party line, seeking publicity wrong





--- ENDS ---
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Endesa Chile, the country's largest power generator, said on Tuesday it is rescinding the water rights to several hydroelectric projects and will take a $52 million writedown this year associated with those investments. "Endesa Chile wants to only move forward on projects that are technically and economically viable and that are embraced by the local communities," said Chief Executive Valter Moro. "In the case of these projects ... we've concluded that they are not viable and for that reason we are returning the water rights to the state so they can be used for some other type of development," he said in a statement. The company will give up water rights for the Bardon, Chillan 1 and 2, Futaleufu, Puelo and Huechun hydroelectric projects. Endesa Chile is a unit of Italian utility Enel SpA. (Reporting by Anthony Esposito; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Naloxone

The EpiPen and its maker, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, have been all over the news as of late.

Its price  which has gone from $93.88 to $608.61 since 2007  has sparked outrage from a number of members of Congress, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, and the general public.

But price hikes on crucial emergency medicine go far beyond the EpiPen.

Naloxone, a drug that instantly reverses opioid overdoses, has been skyrocketing in price for years. And Mylan, the company behind the EpiPen, is involved in the naloxone price hikes as well.

Frequently referred to as an "antidote" for opioid overdoses, naloxone has seen drastic price increases in recent years, according to information provided by Truven Health Analytics, a healthcare-analytics company. A popular injectable version of the drug has gone from $0.92 a dose to more than $15 a dose over the last decade. An auto-injector version is up to more than $2,000 a dose.

A report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in January revealed that drug-overdose deaths reached a new high in 2014, totaling 47,055 people. Opioids were involved in 60% of those deaths.

On the market since 1971, naloxone works by blocking opioid drugs from interacting with the brain's receptors, counteracting the drugs' dangerous side effects, like slow respiration, coma, and death, during an overdose. The drug almost instantly pulls an overdose victim back to sobriety and has only minor side effects for opioid users  and almost none if mistakenly administered to patients not suffering an overdose.

The price increases, however, have made affording the drug difficult for community organizations, which provide naloxone for free to drug users, their family members, and other nonmedical personnel.

These organizations, along with pharmacies, public-health departments, and substance-use treatment facilities, prevented more than 26,000 overdoses from 1996 to June 2014 by providing naloxone, according to a survey of 136 such organizations conducted by the Harm Reduction Coalition, a national advocacy group. That number is also likely lower than the actual number of overdoses prevented, according to the survey.

Story continues

We're not talking about a limited commodity.

Many see the drug's price hikes as unwarranted and are frustrated with the lack of access.

"We're not talking about a limited commodity. Naloxone is a medicine that is almost as cheap as sterile sodium chloride  salt water," Dan Bigg, the executive director of the Chicago Recovery Alliance, an outreach organization that has been providing naloxone to drug users for nearly 20 years, told Business Insider.

In June, Sens. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat from Missouri, and Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, sent a letter to the five pharmaceutical companies that produce naloxone  Amphastar, Pfizer, Adapt, Kaleo, and Mylan  asking for an explanation of the recent price changes.

"At the same time this epidemic is killing tens of thousands of Americans a year, we're seeing the price of naloxone go up by 1000% or more," McCaskill wrote. "Maybe there's a great reason for the price increases, but given the heart-breaking gravity of this epidemic and the need for this drug, I think we have to demand some answers."

How much it costs to save a life

naloxone training overdose

All five pharmaceutical companies that produce naloxone have seen price hikes in recent years or, for the newer entrants such as Adapt, priced their product far above the industry average several years ago.

As of January 2015, Amphastar's version of naloxone was up to $41 a dose, according to FiercePharma, a pharmaceutical-industry news site. That follows a price increase from $17 to $33 a dose in October 2014, according to data provided by Truven Health Analytics. In 2001, the price was just $12 a dose.

As of October 2014  the most recent time for which prices are available  Hospira's version of naloxone was $15.80 a dose. That's up from $0.92 a dose in 2005, according to Truven Health Analytics. The price of Hospira's version of naloxone hit a peak of $21.90 a dose in January 2014. Pfizer bought Hospira last year.

Meanwhile, Kaleo has raised the price of its naloxone product, Evzio, several times since last year. In November 2015, the price went up to $375, followed by an increase to $1,875 in February 2016. Since then, the price has been raised to $2,250 for each single-dose injector. Evzio, which is an auto-injector that works like an EpiPen and is specifically created for use by people without medical training, was introduced at $287.50 for each single-dose injector in July 2014, according to Truven.

Adapt's Narcan, a nasal-spray form of the drug released in February, costs $63 for each single-dose spray unit, though it does sell the product for approximately half that price to government agencies, community organizations, and patients without insurance, Matt Ruth, Adapt's chief commercial officer, told Business Insider.

Further exacerbating the price problem, according to Bigg, is that most organizations advocate providing overdose victims with multiple doses of naloxone because opioid drugs last longer than naloxone. Such a practice is necessary for safety, but means that these prices give only a partial picture of how difficult it is to fund such a program.

The price increases, combined with the increase in demand, have caused sales of naloxone to jump from $21.3 million in 2011 to $81.9 million last year, according to numbers from prescription-tracking company IMS Health and cited by the Los Angeles Times.

Amphastar, one of the two producers of the lower-priced injectable naloxone, saw a revenue increase of 4% in the first quarter of 2016 compared with the first quarter of 2015, according to a press release. The company attributed that increase largely "to an increase in sales of naloxone to $10.3 million from $6.7 million."

All prices stem from purchasing directly from the manufacturer, not the list price, which is higher because of distributor markup. The list price is paid primarily by consumers buying naloxone without a prescription.

The source of the increases

PricetrendFDA

According to Bigg, while price increases have been consistent for 20 years, the price hikes jumped in frequency and volume in 2008 after several manufacturers stopped producing the drug, leaving Hospira and Amphastar as the sole manufacturers of naloxone.

Mylan and Kaleo introduced naloxone products in 2014, and Adapt followed at the beginning of 2016.

Only Mylan, Amphastar, and Hospira, however, make injectable versions  by far the cheapest forms of the drug. Adapt and Kaleo make the more expensive nasal spray and auto-injector, respectively.

Bigg says that the limited number of producers has kept the price high and increasing.

But some think that the price hikes are a response to a big uptick in demand and point to new laws and programs designed to equip police officers and first responders with naloxone, as well as increase access for the general public.

"Naloxone used to be an item purchased by emergency rooms and ambulances ... Now that harm-reduction organizations have pushed for laws requiring everyone to carry it, the demand has gone up exponentially," Tessie Castillo, the advocacy and communication coordinator at the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, told Business Insider. Pharmaceutical companies "know that they can make more money because of the demand, so they try to."

Over the last couple of years, more than 30 states have acted to increase naloxone access, prescriptions, and use. In 2014, then US Attorney General Eric Holder urged federal law-enforcement agencies to train and equip personnel with naloxone. Such laws and policies were pushed by organizations like Castillo's.

Daniel Raymond, the policy director of the Harm Reduction Coalition, told Business Insider that his organization has noticed increases in the price of naloxone in recent months, but he said that he's skeptical that pharmaceutical companies were "profiteering" off of the opioid crisis.

Instead, he attributed the increase to broader dynamics "playing out across the pharmaceutical spectrum."

"If naloxone was the only pharmaceutical product that was seeing price increases, I would be very suspicious," Raymond said. "But because this is playing out across the sector ... it's part of a larger trend that the whole healthcare industry and policymakers are struggling to get a handle on."

A US Food and Drug Administration analysis of the naloxone market in 2015 attributed the price increase to a general trend across the pharmaceutical industry for generic injectable medicines.

Big Pharma's response

Naloxone

While a statement from Pfizer, on behalf of Hospira, did not respond directly to questions about recent price increases, the company emphasized that it believes it has priced naloxone "responsibly," taking into consideration "sensitivity to the need for the product" and "the investments necessary to produce high-quality generic drugs as well as ensure appropriate distribution through licensed medical professionals."

The company further touted its commitment to the naloxone market after other manufacturers ceased production.

Amphastar raised the price of its naloxone product because of rising manufacturing costs and investments made in developing its own intranasal naloxone product, Bill Peters, the company's chief financial officer, told the Los Angeles Times.

Kaleo points to the ease of use of its product, the Evzio auto-injector, as justification for its high price. Evzio's auto-injection system provides "voice and visual instruction" to aid administration in an emergency.

"The price of Evzio is reflective of its innovation, years of extensive research to ensure the device is easy to use and reliable and to ensure the broadest access to this potentially life-saving product," Kaleo spokesman Lora Grassilli said in a statement.

She added that Evzio is the first FDA-approved naloxone product specifically created for those without medical training.

Ruth, the chief commercial officer for Adapt, told Business Insider that Adapt researched the market before setting the price of its Narcan nasal spray in February, which he says has been "well received so far." Ruth further pointed to Adapt's awareness and access initiatives as reasons for Narcan's higher price point.

"Those initiatives aren't free," Ruth said. "We are looking to do this as efficiently as possible and charge an affordable and responsible rate for patients and organizations alike. We believe we've done that."

Both products are increasingly being pushed as the naloxone product of choice for police officers and the general public alike.

While Bigg and Castillo acknowledged that Evzio and Narcan are easier to use than a syringe and vial, both were skeptical that such advancements in delivery justified their considerably higher price tag.

The Chicago Recovery Alliance staff has been using syringes and vials since its inception, according to Bigg, who said that in 7,500 reports on overdose reversals, they've never had someone tell them that they couldn't or didn't understand how to use the syringe.

"We've had no problems with syringes. The syringes are really self-explanatory," Castillo said.

Amphastar has responded to the criticism over naloxone pricing through "increased discounting and rebates." In an Amphastar press release on 2016's first-quarter financials, the company noted that naloxone pricing was down compared with the previous quarter.

Increasing access to many, but not all

naloxone training overdose

Many large organizations like the Chicago Recovery Alliance and government agencies have been insulated to some extent from the rising prices, thanks to special discounts and donations from naloxone producers as well as grants to pay for such products.

Kaleo, for example, has donated 150,000 Evzio auto-injectors to first responders, public-health departments, and nonprofits since the product's approval in April 2014.

In January, Adapt announced a program in partnership with the Clinton Foundation to provide a free carton of Narcan to any high school in the US that asks for it. Adapt has also donated 50,000 doses of Narcan to various organizations.

Bigg and Castillo said that their organizations, which provide naloxone to those in need for free, would not be able to exist without such generosity on the part of pharmaceutical companies. According to Bigg, many police departments have money to pay for naloxone because of asset seizures, which confiscate the alleged proceeds or instruments related to crime. Many federal, state, and local government agencies have also been given grants to pay for naloxone.

While these measures have generally increased the availability of naloxone, Castillo says that the result is that those hardest hit by the high prices are smaller harm-reduction organizations or community programs that don't have the clout of larger government agencies or the renown of a large nonprofit like the Harm Reduction Coalition.

Castillo says that she has spoken to "lots and lots" of organizations and programs that have closed in recent years or failed to get started because of naloxone's high price tag.

"The companies have been pretty good about providing us with deals and discounts, but that's just to us. That is not a normal experience for most organizations that are trying to buy naloxone," Castillo said.

That system has left organizations like Castillo's at the mercy of pharmaceutical companies' generosity. When a pharmaceutical company changes policy  such as earlier this year when Kaleo suspended its charitable donations for the year because of "overwhelming demand"  it can be devastating.

Many of the companies have programs to ensure either lower prices or no cost for patients. Kaleo has a "patient-assistance program" that provides Evzio to people with commercial insurance at no cost. The program allows uninsured people with financial difficulties to request Evzio at no cost.

Adapt's "public-interest pricing" charges approximately half of its list price to community organizations, police departments, public-health organizations, and those without insurance.

Numerous solutions to the price problem have been suggested. Bigg believes that making naloxone available over the counter, as is now allowed in numerous states, would encourage more manufacturers to enter the marketplace and drive down the price  an effort applauded by many doctors and pharmacists. In addition, he thinks that once the FDA approves more naloxone products in development, the price should come down as well.

Castillo called for more consistent and transparent pricing, discounts, and donations for all organizations  government and community  that provide naloxone.

Raymond suggested that one factor unique to naloxone makes it difficult to rein in the price increases.

The primary buyers "are all purchasing individually in small amounts so they don't have the leverage to bargain for discounts," Raymond said. He suggested a solution in the form of a bulk-purchasing program that could aggregate demand and push suppliers to drop their prices.

The demand for naloxone isn't likely to go down anytime soon.

The law Obama signed on July 22, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, includes measures to make naloxone more readily available to the public, as well as to police officers and first responders.

Another bill, which Congress is scheduled to vote on in the coming weeks, would push doctors to co-prescribe naloxone with every opioid prescription that they write.

NOW WATCH: How NASAs groundbreaking work on human blood can predict your reaction to certain drugs





More From Business Insider


(Repeats to additional subscribers)

* Tax deal saw U.S. tech giant pay 1 pct tax on profit or less

* Final bill could be lowered if other states demand more tax

* Irish government, Apple plan to appeal

By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS, Aug 30 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators ordered Apple on Tuesday to pay up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in taxes plus interest to the Irish government after ruling that a special scheme to route profits through Ireland was illegal state aid.

The massive sum, 40 times bigger than the previous known demand by the European Commission to a company in such a case, could be reduced, the EU executive said in a statement, if other countries sought more tax themselves from the U.S. tech giant.

Apple, which with Ireland said it will appeal the decision, paid tax rates on European profits on sales of its iPhone and other devices and services of between just 0.005 percent in 2014 and 1 percent in 2003, the Commission said.

"Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years," said Competition Commission Margrethe Vestager, whose crackdown on mainly U.S. multinationals has angered Washington which accuses Brussels of protectionism.

Online retailer Amazon.com Inc and hamburger group McDonald's Corp face probes over taxes in Luxembourg, while coffee chain Starbucks Corp has been ordered to pay up to 30 million euros ($33 million) to the Dutch state.

A bill of 300 million euros this year for Swedish engineer Atlas Copco AB to pay Belgian tax is the current known record. Other companies ordered to pay back taxes in Belgium, many of them European, have not disclosed figures.

For Apple, whose earnings of $18 billion last year were the biggest ever reported by a corporation, finding several billion dollars should not be an insurmountable problem. The 13 billion euros represents about 6 percent of the firm's cash pile.

As of June, Apple reported it had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $231.5 billion, of which 92.8 percent, or $214.9 billion, were held in foreign subsidiaries. It paid $2.67 billion in taxes during its latest quarter at an effective tax rate of 25.5 percent, leaving it with net income of $7.8 billion according to company filings.

Story continues

The European Commission in 2014 accused Ireland of dodging international tax rules by letting Apple shelter profits worth tens of billions of dollars from tax collectors in return for maintaining jobs. Apple and Ireland rejected the accusation.

"I disagree profoundly with the Commission," Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan said in a statement. "The decision leaves me with no choice but to seek cabinet approval to appeal.

"This is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system; to provide tax certainty to business; and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation."

Ireland also said the disputed tax system used in the Apple case no longer applied and that the decision had no effect on Ireland's 12.5 percent corporate tax rate or on any other company with operations in the country.

Apple said in a statement it was confident of winning an appeal.

"The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process. The Commission's case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes, it's about which government collects the money. It will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe."

"REVERSE ENGINEERING"

When it opened the Apple investigation in 2014, the Commission told the Irish government that tax rulings it agreed in 1991 and 2007 with the company amounted to state aid and might have broken EU laws.

The Commission said the rulings were "reverse engineered" to ensure Apple had a minimal Irish bill and that minutes of meetings between Apple representatives and Irish tax officials showed the company's tax treatment had been "motivated by employment considerations."

Apple employs 5,500, or about a quarter of its Europe-based staff, in the Irish city of Cork, where it is the largest private sector employer. It has said it paid Ireland's 12.5 percent rate on all the income that it generates in the country.

Ireland's low corporate tax rate has been a cornerstone of economic policy for 20 years, drawing investors from multinational companies whose staff account for almost one in 10 workers in Ireland.

Some opposition Irish lawmakers have urged Dublin to collect whatever tax the Commission orders it to. But the main opposition party Fianna Fail, whose support the minority administration relies on to pass laws, said it would support an appeal based on reassurances it had been given by the government.

The U.S. Treasury Department published a white paper last week that said the EU executive's tax investigations departed from international taxation norms and would have an outsized impact on U.S. companies. The Commission said it treated all companies equally.

(Additional reporting by Padraic Halpin in Dublin, Robin Emmott, Philip Blenkinsop, Robert-Jan Bartunek and Alastair Macdonald in Brussels and Eric Auchard in Frankfurt; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Philip Blenkinsop)
* Tax deal saw U.S. tech giant pay 1 pct tax on profit or less

* Final bill could be lowered if other states demand more tax

* Irish government, Apple plan to appeal (Adds ruling)

By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS, Aug 30 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators ordered Apple on Tuesday to pay up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in taxes plus interest to the Irish government after ruling that a special scheme to route profits through Ireland was illegal state aid.

The massive sum, 40 times bigger than the previous known demand by the European Commission to a company in such a case, could be reduced, the EU executive said in a statement, if other countries sought more tax themselves from the U.S. tech giant.

Apple, which with Ireland said it will appeal the decision, paid tax rates on European profits on sales of its iPhone and other devices and services of between just 0.005 percent in 2014 and 1 percent in 2003, the Commission said.

"Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years," said Competition Commission Margrethe Vestager, whose crackdown on mainly U.S. multinationals has angered Washington which accuses Brussels of protectionism.

Online retailer Amazon.com Inc and hamburger group McDonald's Corp face probes over taxes in Luxembourg, while coffee chain Starbucks Corp has been ordered to pay up to 30 million euros ($33 million) to the Dutch state.

A bill of 300 million euros this year for Swedish engineer Atlas Copco AB to pay Belgian tax is the current known record. Other companies ordered to pay back taxes in Belgium, many of them European, have not disclosed figures.

For Apple, whose earnings of $18 billion last year were the biggest ever reported by a corporation, finding several billion dollars should not be an insurmountable problem. The 13 billion euros represents about 6 percent of the firm's cash pile.

As of June, Apple reported it had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $231.5 billion, of which 92.8 percent, or $214.9 billion, were held in foreign subsidiaries. It paid $2.67 billion in taxes during its latest quarter at an effective tax rate of 25.5 percent, leaving it with net income of $7.8 billion according to company filings.

Story continues

The European Commission in 2014 accused Ireland of dodging international tax rules by letting Apple shelter profits worth tens of billions of dollars from tax collectors in return for maintaining jobs. Apple and Ireland rejected the accusation.

"I disagree profoundly with the Commission," Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan said in a statement. "The decision leaves me with no choice but to seek cabinet approval to appeal.

"This is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system; to provide tax certainty to business; and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation."

Ireland also said the disputed tax system used in the Apple case no longer applied and that the decision had no effect on Ireland's 12.5 percent corporate tax rate or on any other company with operations in the country.

Apple said in a statement it was confident of winning an appeal.

"The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process. The Commission's case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes, it's about which government collects the money. It will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe."

"REVERSE ENGINEERING"

When it opened the Apple investigation in 2014, the Commission told the Irish government that tax rulings it agreed in 1991 and 2007 with the company amounted to state aid and might have broken EU laws.

The Commission said the rulings were "reverse engineered" to ensure Apple had a minimal Irish bill and that minutes of meetings between Apple representatives and Irish tax officials showed the company's tax treatment had been "motivated by employment considerations."

Apple employs 5,500, or about a quarter of its Europe-based staff, in the Irish city of Cork, where it is the largest private sector employer. It has said it paid Ireland's 12.5 percent rate on all the income that it generates in the country.

Ireland's low corporate tax rate has been a cornerstone of economic policy for 20 years, drawing investors from multinational companies whose staff account for almost one in 10 workers in Ireland.

Some opposition Irish lawmakers have urged Dublin to collect whatever tax the Commission orders it to. But the main opposition party Fianna Fail, whose support the minority administration relies on to pass laws, said it would support an appeal based on reassurances it had been given by the government.

The U.S. Treasury Department published a white paper last week that said the EU executive's tax investigations departed from international taxation norms and would have an outsized impact on U.S. companies. The Commission said it treated all companies equally.

(Additional reporting by Padraic Halpin in Dublin, Robin Emmott, Philip Blenkinsop, Robert-Jan Bartunek and Alastair Macdonald in Brussels and Eric Auchard in Frankfurt; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Philip Blenkinsop)
Apple faces a multi-billion dollar tax bill after a ruling Tuesday by the European Commission that the tech company's tax dealings with the Irish government violated European law.

In a press conference Tuesday, Margrethe Vestager, the European commissioner for competition, said the Commission has ruled after its antitrust investigation that the iPhone maker got undue tax benefits in Ireland, in breach of EU state aid laws. The Commission said Apple should pay back taxes amounting to up to $14.5 billion (&euro13 billion), the highest fine ever issued by the EU.

The ruling follows similar rulings against other big U.S. firms, including Amazon, Starbucks and McDonald's, but the fine for Apple trumps them all. It is the Europe's highest-ever fine for alleged corporate tax avoidance, topping the bill of $335 million (&euro300 million) for Swedish engineering company Atlas Copco to pay Belgian tax authorities earlier this year. In fact, the massive fine is 40 times larger than any previous penalty demand by the European Commission from a company in such a case. An EU executive said in a statement that the fine could be reduced if other countries sought to get more tax out of Apple themselves.

The European Commission found that Ireland allowed Apple to dodge international tax rules by letting the company shelter tens of billions of dollars from tax collectors in return for maintaining jobs in the region. About a quarter of Apple's European staffers, around 5,500 people, are based in the Irish city of Cork, where it is the largest private sector employer.

A preliminary report by the EU in late 2014 had already found, based on early investigations, that tax deals that Ireland granted Apple in 1991 and 2007 were illegal. Tuesday's announcement confirmed that.

The European Commission said Tuesday it has "concluded that Ireland granted undue tax benefits of up to &euro13 billion to Apple," adding: "This is illegal under EU state aid rules, because it allowed Apple to pay substantially less tax than other businesses. Ireland must now recover the illegal aid."

Story continues

Read more: EU Orders Apple to Pay $14.5 Billion in Back Taxes

Commissioner Vestager said: "Member states cannot give tax benefits to selected companies - this is illegal under EU state aid rules. The Commission's investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years. In fact, this selective treatment allowed Apple to pay an effective corporate tax rate of 1 percent on its European profits in 2003 down to 0.005 percent in 2014."

Both Apple and Ireland have rejected the accusations, saying Ireland's tax scheme was entirely legal. Apple has said it paid Ireland's 12.5 percent rate on all the income that it generates in the country. But the Commission ruled Tuesday that the Irish scheme amounted to state aid for the tech giant, something banned under Europe's laws for a single market.

Apple and Ireland said they would appeal the ruling. "Apple follows the law and pays all of the taxes we owe wherever we operate," the company said Tuesday. "We will appeal and we are confident the decision will be overturned."

It added: "The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process. The Commission's case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes, it's about which government collects the money. It will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe."

Apple CEO Tim Cook, responding to the claims that Apple engages in a "sophisticated scheme" to avoid paying taxes on $74 billion of revenue held overseas, in 2015 told 60 Minutes: "That is total political crap. There is no truth behind it. Apple pays every tax dollar we owe."

On Tuesday, he wrote in a message to "the Apple community in Europe," which the company published online: "Thirty-six years ago, long before introducing iPhone, iPod or even the Mac, Steve Jobs established Apple's first operations in Europe. At the time, the company knew that in order to serve customers in Europe, it would need a base there. So, in October 1980, Apple opened a factory in Cork, Ireland with 60 employees."

Read more: Apple CEO Tim Cook Annual Pay Rises 11.5 Percent to $10.3 Million

He continued: "We have operated continuously in Cork ever since, even through periods of uncertainty about our own business, and today we employ nearly 6,000 people across Ireland. The vast majority are still in Cork - including some of the very first employees - now performing a wide variety of functions as part of Apple's global footprint. Countless multinational companies followed Apple by investing in Cork, and today the local economy is stronger than ever. The success which has propelled Apple's growth in Cork comes from innovative products that delight our customers. It has helped create and sustain more than 1.5 million jobs across Europe - jobs at Apple, jobs for hundreds of thousands of creative app developers who thrive on the App Store, and jobs with manufacturers and other suppliers."

Cook then went on the offensive, writing: "The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process. The opinion issued on Aug. 30 alleges that Ireland gave Apple a special deal on our taxes. This claim has no basis in fact or in law. We never asked for, nor did we receive, any special deals. We now find ourselves in the unusual position of being ordered to retroactively pay additional taxes to a government that says we don't owe them any more than we've already paid. The Commission's move is unprecedented and it has serious, wide-reaching implications. It is effectively proposing to replace Irish tax laws with a view of what the Commission thinks the law should have been."

Cook also explained: "In Apple's case, nearly all of our research and development takes place in California, so the vast majority of our profits are taxed in the United States. European companies doing business in the U.S. are taxed according to the same principle. But the Commission is now calling to retroactively change those rules."

Concluded the Apple CEO: "We are committed to Ireland and we plan to continue investing there, growing and serving our customers with the same level of passion and commitment. We firmly believe that the facts and the established legal principles upon which the EU was founded will ultimately prevail."

Washington also won't be happy with the decision. The U.S. government had previously accused Brussels of unfairly singling out U.S. companies in its campaign against corporate tax avoidance.

Apple earned $18 billion last year, the biggest-ever result reported by a corporation, and the company in June reported it had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $231.5 billion, of which 92.8 percent, or $214.9 billion, were held in foreign subsidiaries. Even if it's forced to pay up, finding the money for the bill should not be a problem for Apple. During its latest quarter, the company paid nearly $2.7 billion in taxes, leaving it with net income of $7.8 billion, an effective tax rate of 25.5 percent, according to company filings.

Read more: EU Accuses Google of Antitrust Violations, Opens Android Probe
The European Commission on Tuesday ordered the Irish government to recover up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion)  plus interest  in back taxes from Apple (AAPL).

The executive arm of the European Union concluded that Ireland granted undue tax benefits to the U.S. tech giant, which is illegal under EU state aid rules, allowing Apple to pay an effective corporate tax rate of 1 per cent on its European profits in 2003 down to 0.005 per cent in 2014. It is also continuing to investigate Amazon (AMZN)and McDonald's (MCD) European tax affairs, EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager told reporters.

"If my effective tax rate was 0.05 percent, then falling to 0.005 percent, I would have the feeling that maybe I should have a second look at my tax bill," Vestager said in a rebuke to the iPhone maker, one of the world's biggest companies.



"We're sending a message to any taxpayer in Europe: This is a wonderful place to do business and invest, but you have to play by the rules," she told CNBC.

In premarket trading, Apple's stock was down 1 percent.

The ruling, which will be contested by Apple and the Irish government, may threaten Ireland's ability to attract investment from global companies eager to limit their tax bill on overseas earnings.

The U.S. government also expressed "disappointment" at the result, which has become a touchstone for concerns about U.S. multinationals keeping foreign profits offshore.

"We believe that retroactive tax assessments by the Commission are unfair, contrary to well-established legal principles, and call into question the tax rules of individual Member States," a Treasury spokesman said in a statement.

"This is not a penalty, this is unpaid taxes being paid," said Vestager, who heads competition policy at the EC.

"It's in the treaty that every member state apply their own tax rate. But Apple is very, very far away from Ireland's 12.5 percent rate."

She spoke of the "so-called head office" of Apple in Ireland and added that there was "no factual or economic justification" for the deal.

Story continues

The European Commission accused Ireland in 2014 of dodging international tax rules by letting Apple (AAPL) shelter profits worth tens of billions of dollars from tax collectors in return for maintaining jobs. Apple and Ireland rejected the accusation and have both said they will appeal any adverse ruling.

In a statement Tuesday, Apple said it would contest the ruling and it was "confident" the decision would be overturned.

"The Commission's case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes, it's about which government collects the money. It will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe," Apple said.

Apple was one of the first U.S. companies to relocate much of its earnings in Ireland, allowing the company to pay a much lower corporate tax rate in some years  as low as 2 percent, compared with 35 percent in the U.S.



Even though Apple first relocated its overseas operations to Ireland in 1980, the tax arrangement is the result of a meeting between Apple and Irish officials in 1991, which set up the company's tax arrangements with the country until 2007.

What are technology stocks doing? Track the sector here (NYSE Arca: IGM).





More From CNBC


(Adds Business Roundtable protest, Levin comment)

By David Morgan and Jason Lange

WASHINGTON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - A European Commission order requiring Apple Inc to pay Ireland $13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in unpaid taxes on Tuesday drew swift rebukes from the Obama administration and lawmakers in Congress, while reigniting calls for U.S. tax reform.

The White House and the Treasury Department, which enforces federal tax policy, warned that U.S.-EU economic relations could be affected by the European Commission's ruling that Apple had received illegal state aid under its agreement with Ireland.

Business groups protested. The Business Roundtable, which represents U.S. chief executives, called the decision "an act of aggression" against a law-abiding U.S. company and a sovereign government.

Members of both parties in Congress pointed to the stunning decision as evidence that the U.S. tax code should be rewritten to give American companies an incentive to bring home some $2.1 trillion in U.S. corporate profits held abroad. But there was no sign that lawmakers were any closer to bridging the substantial divides that have prevented agreement up to now.

"Above all, this is yet another reason why we need to fix our tax code," House Speaker Paul Ryan, the highest-ranking elected Republican, said in a statement. "Today's decision should be a spur to action."

Apple was found to be holding over $181 billion offshore, more than any U.S. company, in a study published last year by two left-leaning nonprofit groups: Citizens for Tax Justice and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund.

"This is yet another example of why we need to reform the international tax system to ensure these revenues come home," said Senator Charles Schumer, the chamber's No. 3 Democrat.

Even the European Commission voiced indirect criticism of the U.S. tax code, suggesting that Washington could require Apple's Irish operations to pay larger amounts of money to the U.S. parent to finance research and development, which would increase Apple's U.S. tax bill.

Story continues

Former Senator Carl Levin, a Democrat whose investigation of U.S. corporate tax avoidance was cited by European regulators, blamed the U.S. Internal Revenue Service for failing to challenge Apple's overseas arrangements.

Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have discussed plans to encourage the repatriation of U.S. profits abroad.

But House Republicans hope to move broader legislation next year that would cut the U.S. corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent and adopt a "territorial" system that would exempt the overseas earnings of U.S. companies from U.S. taxation. Democrats have dismissed that as a massive tax giveaway.

Other critics in Washington warned that Tuesday's European Commission move would encroach on U.S. government jurisdiction and ultimately add to the federal deficit.

"We are concerned about a unilateral approach ... that threaten(s) to undermine progress that we have made collaboratively with the Europeans to make the international taxation system fair," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters.

U.S. Representative Kevin Brady, Republican chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, called the decision "a predatory and naked tax grab".

Apple and Ireland said they would appeal the EU decision. But some analysts said the ruling, if upheld, could change the calculus that has kept U.S. corporate money overseas if it means higher taxes in low-tax European countries like Ireland.

"The scheme of U.S. multinationals parking money offshore indefinitely, taxed at zero, may be coming to an end," said Steven Rosenthal of the Tax Policy Center research group.

Online retailer Amazon.com Inc and fast-food company McDonald's Corp already face probes over taxes in Luxembourg, while coffee chain Starbucks Corp has been ordered to pay up to 30 million euros ($33 million) to the Dutch government.

(Reporting by David Morgan and Jason Lange; additional reporting by Jeff Mason and Diane Bartz; Editing by Julia Edwards and Jonathan Oatis)
Brussels (AFP) - The EU is expected to announce on Tuesday its decision on possible fines against American tech giant Apple, which is suspected of receiving preferential treatment from Ireland on taxes, sources said.

For weeks reports have emerged saying that the European Commission, the bloc's competition watchdog, was gearing up to hit Apple with a hefty penalty over tax agreements with the Irish government.

A source close to the matter told AFP on condition of anonymity that a decision was expected on Tuesday, while another source also cited that date.

Under European Union rules, which deem state tax aid illegal, the firm could be ordered to pay back taxes to Ireland.

A commission spokeswoman and Apple both declined to comment on news that a decision was forthcoming.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, in a Washington Post interview published August 13, said he hoped to "get a fair hearing" on the matter.

"If we don't, then we would obviously appeal it," he added.

The US stepped up its fight last Wednesday against the commission's crackdown on tax avoidance by Apple and other multinational companies, accusing it of unilateralism and overstepping its mandate.

In a white paper, the US Treasury said the commission probe into alleged special tax treatment that certain EU countries gave Apple, Amazon, Starbucks and Fiat Chrysler "undermines the international tax system."

- 'Defend our reputation' -

A US Treasury spokeswoman declined to comment on a possible ruling Tuesday from the commission.

The US has acknowledged the problems around the issue of multinational firms obtaining state aid, in the form of secret and extremely lucrative tax breaks, from Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg for setting up business in those countries.

But it said those deals were made under international treaties and accepted tax practices. The Treasury accused the commission in the white paper of taking a "new approach" to established EU tax law in challenging member states' legal tax breaks offered to multinational firms.

Story continues

Last week the commission denied it was targeting US companies in particular and said that EU rules do not allow national tax authorities to give tax breaks to some companies that are not available to others.

If such breaks are ruled illegal, the benefits from them have to be repaid.

"This is a standard feature of EU state aid rules," the commission's statement said.

Ireland has stood by its actions, with Junior finance minister Eoghan Murphy saying Sunday: "We don't believe we gave any state aid to Apple".

He reiterated the government's stance that it would appeal any decision that found against Ireland in the matter.

"It's in the national interest that we defend our international reputation in this regard," he said in the comments on RTE, the national broadcaster.
Sushil Modi said that Kishor who was appointed as CM's Advisor to implement Nitish's "saath nischay" or seven resolves remained absent from the state for too long.

Senior BJP leader Sushil Modi has demanded sacking of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's election strategist Prashant Kishor from the post of Advisor to CM on policy and program implementation. Sushil Modi said that Kishor who was appointed as CM's Advisor to implement Nitish's "saath nischay" or seven resolves remained absent from the state for too long. Kishor is also a member of the Bihar Vikas Mission, a body formed to work on implementing Nitish's seven resolves.

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"Prashant Kishor should be removed from the post of advisor to CM on policy and program implementation or he himself should tender his resignation" demanded Sushil Modi.

WHY PRASHANT KISHOR IS OUT OF BIHAR



Prashant Kishor for last several months is out of Bihar due to his engagement for the upcoming Punjab and Uttar Pradesh elections. Kishor has been working on the strategy to revive the poll prospects of the Congress party in both the states. He has remained absent from Bihar and also did not attend the crucial meeting of Bihar Vikas Mission held on May 31, this year.

It may be noted that, ahead of the Bihar assembly elections in 2015, Nitish Kumar hired the services of Prashant Kishor as his election strategist and entrusted him the responsibility of preparing a Vision Document - 2025 for the state.

VISION DOCUMENT NOT YET READY

Modi alleged that Kishor's organization "Citizen Alliance Private Ltd" was paid Rs. 9 crore for the job. However, what is interesting is that even after a year of being given the task, there is no Vision Document in sight from the master strategist.

"Kishor's organisation even after getting Rs. 9 crore has not prepared the Vision Document for the state. Had the Vision Document been prepared, developmental work in the state would have started", said the former deputy CM.

Kishor in 2014 played a key role in Narendra Modi's elevation as Gujarat CM to country's PM.

Also read:

UP Assembly elections: Prashant Kishor's plans leave state Congress leaders miffed

Kishor may have convinced Priyanka Gandhi to campaign in UP



--- ENDS ---
Tim Cook Congress

One of the worst-case scenarios for Apple's tax predicament looks as if it's about to come true.

Margrethe Vestager, the EU's competition commissioner, has distributed a 130-page judgment on Apple's Ireland operations, the Financial Times reports, ahead of an official ruling on Apple's tax structure expected on today.

The European Commission started to look into Apple's Irish tax rate in 2014, so Tuesday's decision will be the culmination of a three-year investigation.

The commission concluded that Apple received "illegal state aid" from Ireland  essentially a sweetheart deal that allowed the computer maker to unfairly reduce its tax bill in a way not available to other companies, according to the report.

The commission focused on how and where Apple lists its intellectual property for tax purposes, which is one of the major loopholes that critics claim tech companies use to funnel assets to low-tax countries.

The decision does not have a specific fine attached, but it is expected to be Europe's largest tax penalty ever, according to the Financial Times, which pegs the amount at "billions of euro." Vestager will reveal the commission's estimate on Tuesday.

Previous estimates have pegged Apple's liability over back taxes in Ireland at as much as $19 billion, but other estimates have it at under $1 billion.

Reuters reports that the commission will recommend that Ireland should recoup "over 1 billion euros" from Apple.

It is expected to be larger than the biggest EU penalty to date  1.4 billion euros, levied against French energy group EDF in 2015.

Apple may have to restate its accounts in Ireland and issue new financial statements.

Last week, the US Treasury warned the EU that if it decided to claw back large amounts of tax from Apple, that it could create an "unfortunate precedent."

Apple CEO Tim Cook has criticized the international tax system as "not good," and has vowed to appeal the decision if he feels that Apple didn't "get a fair hearing."

Story continues

"Let me explain what goes on with our international taxes. The money that's in Ireland that he's probably referring to is money that is subject to U.S. taxes. The tax law right now says we can keep that in Ireland or we can bring it back," Cook told The Washington Post.

"It's important for everyone to understand that the allegation made in the E.U. is that Ireland gave us a special deal. Ireland denies that," Cook said. "The basic controversy at the root of this is, people really aren't arguing that Apple should pay more taxes. They're arguing about who they should be paid to. And so there's a tug of war going on between the countries of how you allocate profits."

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

NOW WATCH: Apple just fixed a major security problem  and you should update your iPhone right now





More From Business Insider


The American tech giant Apple had $234 billion in annual revenues in 2015. Now, its going to have to pony up $14.5 billion to European authorities for skirting taxes.

Thats according to the European Commission, which announced Tuesday that Apple had paid a tax rate of just 1 percent or even less  .0005 percent, in some years  on its European profits while some of the companys operations were based in Ireland. The commission determined such a low tax rate was illegal because it creates an illegal trade incentive.

Member States cannot give tax benefits to selected companies  this is illegal under EU state aid rules. The Commissions investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years, commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said in a statement Tuesday.

The massive penalty is likely to send shockwaves through boardrooms of companies like Amazon and McDonalds that have extensive operations in Europe. European authorities are investigating both companies to see if they paid their fair share of taxes.

The ruling also puts the Obama administration in a tight spot. President Barack Obama wants to keep American companies in the country to contribute to U.S. revenue. At the same time, he doesnt want European authorities to target American companies simply because theyre American and doing business in Europe. In a statement Tuesday, the Treasury Department said it was disappointed in the ruling.

Republicans share the presidents frustration. In a statement, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin said, This decision is awful. Slamming a company with a giant tax bill  years after the fact  sends exactly the wrong message to job creators on both sides of the Atlantic. Its also in direct violation of many European countries treaty obligations.

Story continues

Both Apple, which has been operating in Ireland since 1980, and the Irish government have said they would appeal the ruling.

We never asked for, nor did we receive, any special deals. Apples Chief Executive Tim Cook, said in a letter to customers. We now find ourselves in the unusual position of being ordered to retroactively pay additional taxes to a government that says we dont owe them any more than weve already paid.

Andrea Montanino, director of global business and economics at the Atlantic Council who previously worked at the European Commission, put the blame for the mess on Dublin.

There are rules in Europe as there are rules in the United States, Montanino told Foreign Policy Tuesday. You have to comply with the rules. I would not say its the fault of Apple. Apple followed the rules. It is Ireland that broke the rules.

FPs John Hudson contributed to this report.

Photo credit: CARL COURT/Getty Images
Around 6,500 migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya on Monday, the Italian coastguard said, in one of its busiest days of life-saving in recent years. Some 204,000 others crossed the Mediterranean to Europe in the first six months of this year, the UN refugee agency said, as the continent battles its worst migration crisis since World War II.



VIDEOGRAPHIC
Apple and Ireland say that theyll contest a decision by the European Union today ordering the tech colossus to pay the country $14.5 billion in back taxes for what regulators call illegal tax benefits on its European profits.

Ireland enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years, says EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who oversees competition policy. The selective treatment allowed Apple to pay an effective corporate tax rate of 1% on its European profits in 2003 down to 0.005% in 2014.

The tax assessment covers the taxes the EU figures Apple should have paid Ireland, plus interest, from 2003 to 2014.

Apple CEO Tim Cook says that the EUs view has no basis in fact or in law. We never asked for, nor did we receive, any special deals. We now find ourselves in the unusual position of being ordered to retroactively pay additional taxes to a government that says we dont owe them any more than weve already paid.

The company is confident that the ruling will be reversed, he adds. If it stands, then it would strike a devastating blow to the sovereignty of EU member states over their own tax matters, and to the principle of certainty of law in Europe.

Apple assured shareholders that the decision wont affect its near-term financial results although it will probably have to place some amount of cash in an escrow account. It had more than $18.2 billion in cash and $43.5 billion in short term marketable securities on its balance sheet at the end of June.

The companys stock price fell less than 1% in early trading today.

The EU decision follows an investigation that began in mid 2014. It targeted Irish tax rulings that enabled Apple to benefit by allocating profits through a head office in the country even though it had no operating capacity to handle and manage the distribution business, or any other substantive business for that matter.

Story continues

Indeed, the office did not have any employees or own premises.

Cook counters that his company received guidance from Irish tax authorities on how to comply correctly with Irish tax lawApple follows the law and we pay all the taxes we owe.

The EU says that the $14.5 billion tax payment it ordered could be reduced if the US authorities were to require Apple to pay larger amounts of money to their US parent company for this period to finance research and development efforts.

In 2013 Carl Levin, then a Democratic senator from Michigan, told Cook that Apple created business arrangements that ensured its crown jewels  economic rights to more than two-thirds of its worldwide profits  are in three Irish companies that you control and dont pay taxes.

Cook responded that his company does have a low tax rate outside the U.S. but this is for products that we sell outside the US, not within. Theres no shifting going on.

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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic said he will visit Kiev on Friday to discuss energy reforms and lay the groundwork for trilateral talks with Ukraine and Russia that he hopes will help ensure uninterrupted gas supplies in the winter. The European Union relies on Russia for around a third of its gas. More than half of that arrives via Ukraine, but since ties between Russia and Ukraine hit rock bottom over Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Kiev in 2014, the potential for disputes over pricing and other issues has accelerated. "Despite a very difficult situation, especially in east Ukraine, the transit route through Ukraine has been working well. We consider it a priority that this route is fully operational this winter as well," Sefcovic told reporters. He said he would discuss the issue with Ukrainian officials, including the prime minister and energy minister, in Kiev on Friday. He said Ukrainian authorities were in favor of holding trilateral talks but Russia had yet to answer his letter outlining such a proposal. "These talks have always been about additional legal and political certainty that the three parties will work on this together," he said. Clarifying pricing, financial assistance to cash-strapped Ukraine and delivery points would be other key elements of the three-way talks, he said. Disputes over pricing and political rows in the past have led to cuts in Russian deliveries for Ukraine as well as for the EU. The European Commission has stepped in on some occasions, brokering agreements to help resume supplies. Sefcovic praised Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman's government for showing commitment to reforms in the former Soviet state, which is struggling with a weak economy and endemic corruption, on top of the military conflict. Sefcovic said further reforms on independent energy and utilities regulators, as well as the electricity market were crucial for unlocking more Western funds to modernize the sector and he hoped Kiev will pass them quickly. (Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Susan Fenton)
An honest look at building a relationship, Judd Apatow's Netflix series, Love, quickly earned praise among fans and critics alike thanks to the cast's standout performances led by co-creator Paul Rust, Gillian Jacobs and Claudia O'Doherty, who is also a first-time Emmy nominee as a writer for Inside Amy Schumer.

The show offered a "down-to-earth" look at dating as Mickey (Jacobs) and Gus (Rust) got to know each other after a chance encounter at a local convenience store. Needless to say, things weren't always pretty for Mickey and Gus, with the two blowing up at each other at the end of season one.

Season two quickly went into production -- thanks to Netflix's initial two-season order -- and wrapped filming at the end of July. A short time later, ET caught up with Apatow at the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal, Canada, where the notoriously tight-lipped co-creator and producer teased what's to come.

MORE: Gillian Jacobs Enjoys Acting Out in a Post-'Community' World

"You'll see what happens  We all know what's happening -- where it's going," Apatow said, suggesting that the two unlikely lovers will continue to explore the show's titular theme.

Apatow also confirmed that despite Andy Dick's controversial appearance in season one, the comedian will be back. "My part in season 2 of Love is small," Dick said, as he joined Apatow at the comedy festival. "It's still me, obviously. I come in, cry on Gillian's shoulder, she fluffs me up and I leave."

While Apatow was scant on show details, he did open up about his daughter Iris Apatow's foray into acting, including a supporting role on the series as Gus' pupil, child actor Arya. "We tried to do it slowly," he said of his and wife Leslie Mann's laissez-faire attitude about it. "And she is a really interesting, talented young lady."

Netflix

Story continues

"She really enjoys it. She's oddly very comfortable on the set, almost to the point of being bored and sleepy," Apatow continued. "She's just very good, so I'm glad that she's got to show that she can do it."

Besides, "why would you want your kids to get a real job?!" Apatow offered.

Meanwhile, the show's two female stars offered a few more specifics about their characters. "Mickey's grappling with some different issues in season two," Jacobs told ET during a break from filming. "You're going to see her be challenged in different ways as the show goes on."

She did add that there'll be some new characters, but the focus is still "on the ride with Gus and Mickey."

Netflix

O'Doherty, who rounds out the cast as Bertie, Mickey's chipper yet put-upon roommate who finds romance of her own as she starts dating giant teddy bear of a man Randy (Mike Mitchell), was too nervous to betray Apatow's trust. However, ET did get her to reveal that Bertie will still be living with Mickey and exploring her relationship with Randy. "In the beginning, things are going -- things are on," O'Doherty said of Bertie and Randy. "That's all I can say!"

Love returns to Netflix with 12 new episodes in 2017.

--Additional reporting by Emily Krauser and Stacy Lambe

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Looking good, Oprah Winfrey!

ET spoke with the 62-year-old media mogul at the Queen Sugar premiere at the Warner Bros. Studio Lot in Burbank, California, on Monday, where she stunned in a fitted black, La Petite Robe di Chiara Boni knee-length dress, which showed off a little bit of shoulder. A pair of open-toe heels, square frame eyeglasses and a sleek ponytail completed her effortless look.

Getty Images

PICS: Shocking Celebrity Weight-Loss Transformations

Getty Images

Winfrey acknowledged to ET's Nancy O'Dell that keeping up her weight loss has taken plenty of hard work.

"[Being on a] movie set, you know, it's so hard," she admitted, referring to currently filming the HBO movie The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. "You know, you are working those long days, and then by the end of the day you're like, 'Oh my God, a bag of hot Cheetos calling your name.'"

"You have to leave the craft table and ask for a plum," she added.

Obviously, the Weight Watchers part owner's dedication is paying off. When ET caught up with Winfrey last month at the Essence Festival in New Orleans, she said she was still sticking to the Weight Watchers eating plan. In March, she revealed she had already lost 30 pounds.

"I'm counting the points every day and slowly it's happening," she shared. "I love it."

She also revealed that she doesn't actually have a goal weight in mind.

"It's a feeling where you get to the point where [you think], 'Oh I can go to the store, I can pick that size, it's available, I don't have to, like, have it altered and all that stuff,'" she explained about her ultimate goals. "So, I'll know when I'm there."

Winfrey has been busy promoting Queen Sugar, a new drama on OWN following three siblings -- Nova Bordelon (Rutina Wesley), Charley Bordelon (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) and Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe) -- who reunite at their family's 800-acre Louisiana sugar cane farm after a family tragedy. Oprah co-created the series with Selma director Ava DuVernay, and the two assembled an all-female directorial team, including Neema Barnette, Kat Candler, Tina Mabry, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Tanya Hamilton, So Yong Kim and Victoria Mahoney.

Story continues

Getty Images

"That woman's voice and that point of view is something that I had to have," DuVernay told ET last month. "We opened it up and hand-picked some brilliant directors to collaborate and the results are stunning."

WATCH: EXCLUSIVE -- Orpah Winfrey Dishes On Goal Weight, Talk Show's 30th Anniversary: 'I Exited in the Exact Right Moment'

Queen Sugar debuts with a two-night premiere starting on Sept. 6 at 10 p.m. on OWN.

Watch our chat with Winfrey and DuVernay below:

Related Articles
Renee Zellweger may not be putting on the pounds this time to play the lovable Bridget Jones in Bridget Jones's Baby, but she is still stepping out of her comfort zone in another big way -- playing a first-time mother.

ET sat down with Zellweger and actors Colin Firth and Patrick Dempsey in London on Tuesday to talk about the highly anticipated third installment of the franchise, in which Bridget is pregnant with a baby, but doesn't know whether the father is Mark Darcy (Firth) or American businessman Jack Qwant (Dempsey). Zellweger, 47, strapped on a baby bump for the role, and says working with the children in the film was her favorite memory of filming in London.

"The children made me laugh," Zellweger exclusively tells ET's Carly Steel. "Adorable and sweet -- so sweet. That little Rafferty [Railton], he killed me."

WATCH: Check Out Renee Zellweger Sporting a Baby Bump on the Set of 'Bridget Jones's Baby'

Still, Zellweger is honest when asked if the role made her feel "maternal."

"Oh gosh, no. It just made me know I needed to get back to the gym and start using some dumbbells because those little guys are heavy," she jokes. "I had no idea. Kudos to the moms."

It's been 15 years since Bridget Jones's Diary first came out in 2001, and Zellweger says she's glad that plenty of time has passed since the second film of the franchise -- Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason -- hit theaters in 2004.

"It's kind of fun to catch up," she explains. "I was so happy to be back in her world and be reunited with her friends and her family, and it just reminded me of how much I love these characters."

"It really did add a whole dimension, for comedy value," Firth, 55, adds, "because you got a bit of nostalgia at play. Also, the audience has aged with us."

Of course, the film has some throwbacks to the earlier films, including Bridget's love for granny panties. But Zellweger says nobody has ever asked her to wear a pair in real life.

Story continues

"Oh gosh, no!" Zellweger says. "No, can you imagine? Especially a boyfriend!"

... But is newcomer Dempsey, 50, a fan of the granny panties?

"As much as anyone can be," he laughs.

NEWS: Renee Zellweger Reveals Why She Came Back to Hollywood After 6 Years Away -- 'I Felt Ready'

Bridget Jones's Baby hits theaters Sept. 16.

Watch the video below to see Zellweger and Dempsey looking adorable together posing for pics in Australia earlier this month, when the two officially embarked on the film's press tour.

Related Articles
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today met US Secretary of State John Kerry for the second round of India-US dialogue.

By India Today Web Desk: India today urged the US to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet project, the global solar alliance, while the US said it looks forward to finalise a framework with India against global cyber threats.

The two-day talk between India and the US being held in New Delhi is aimed at boosting business ties, and to encourage dialogue with Pakistan over Kashmir.



Here are the latest updates: At the opening session of the India-US Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi today, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said, "I would urge the United States to join the International Solar Alliance as an active member." Kerry said, "We look forward to finalise a cyber framework that will help us protect from global cyber threats." Kerry arrived in New Delhi on Monday night for the annual US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue after a one-day stop in Bangladesh. The situation in Kashmir and concerns over Afghanistan will be raised in talks on Tuesday with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, and on Wednesday with PM Modi. "Building convergences with the United States. EAM receives @JohnKerry for 2nd Strategic & Commercial Dialogue," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted. Swaraj and Kerry will lead their respective sides at the Dialogue to review the progress on decisions taken last time and identify new areas of cooperation. India and the US earlier today began the economic phase of their Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, with Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asking America Inc to join the country's 'Make in India' initiative. Sitharaman first met co-chair and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, following which they presided over the India-US CEO Forum, that has Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry and Honeywell Chairman Dave Cote as the co-hosts. On Monday, India had signed a series of defence agreements with the US, including a deal to share defence assets and bases. Modi and US President Barack Obama had decided in 2015 to elevate the then India-US engagement into a Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, reflecting the significance of the trade and economic ties between the two sides.

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Also read:

John Kerry gets a taste of Delhi traffic after rains throw it out of gear

Bangladesh, US to fight against terrorism together: John Kerry



Watch the video here:





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By Jonathan Spicer NEW YORK (Reuters) - Six U.S. senators have urged President Barack Obama to prioritize cyber crime at this weekend's Group of 20 summit in China, in the wake of the theft of $81 million from Bangladesh's central bank, according to a letter obtained by Reuters. In the letter sent to the White House ahead of the Sept. 4-5 summit, Sherrod Brown, a senior Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, and five other Democratic senators say they want the U.S. president to press leaders from the world's 20 biggest economies to commit in joint communiques to a "coordinated strategy to combat cyber-crime at critical financial institutions." The letter, dated Monday, suggests that concern among U.S. lawmakers is growing over the February incident in which hackers breached Bangladesh Bank's systems and used the SWIFT banking network to request nearly $1 billion from an account held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Some of the dozens of orders were filled, with much of the lost $81 million disappearing into Philippines casinos - prompting months of international finger-pointing, an ongoing investigation, and several requests from members of Congress for answers from the Fed and from SWIFT, the secure messaging service that banks use to transfer money around the world. "Our financial institutions are connected in order to facilitate global commerce, but cyber criminals - whether independent or state-sponsored - imperil this international system in a way few threats have," the senators, headed by Gary Peters of Michigan, wrote in the letter to Obama. "We strongly urge you to work with your counterparts and prioritize this discussion at the G20 leaders level in September," it said of the summit to be held in Hangzhou, China, adding that "executive leadership circles across the globe" needed to pay more attention to the risks. A senator in the Philippines has said Chinese hackers were likely to have pulled off the Bangladesh Bank heist, citing a network of Chinese people involved in the routing of the stolen funds through Manila. Beijing has dismissed the suggestion. Copies of the letter from the U.S. senators were also sent to Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen and U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew. OBAMA-XI TALKS The other senators signing the letter were Mark Warner and Martin Heinrich, both members of the Senate's Select Committee on Intelligence; Kirsten Gillibrand and Debbie Stabenow, the ranking Democrat on the Senate's Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. The White House expects G20 members at the summit "to affirm their commitment to cooperate to fight cybercrime and to enhance confidence and trust in the digital economy," a senior administration official said. Asked generally about cyber security on Monday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said at a press conference: "I would anticipate that this issue more generally will be on the agenda" when Obama meets Chinese President Xi Jinping, the G20 summit host, later this week. At a November summit, the G20 pledged not to conduct economically motivated cyber espionage, an agreement intended to reduce the estimated hundreds of billions of dollars worth of commercial trade secrets that are stolen by foreign governments seeking to benefit industry in their own countries. Since then, the Bangladesh Bank attack and others that have emerged are only some of the threats posed by cyber criminals, the senators wrote. World regulators should "erect more robust defenses and collaborative systems to prevent and mitigate the impact of successful attacks," the letter said, noting that steps already taken by SWIFT are not enough. Bangladesh said it supported raising the issue at G20. "In most cases, cyber attacks and crimes take place from outside the country," said Zunaid Ahmed Palak, a junior government minister for information and communications technology. "So while addressing fast growing cyber attacks, there should be a coordinated approach involving global stakeholders." The Fed and other U.S. regulators said in a letter last week they were focused on cyber risks and controls at banks in the wake of the Bangladesh incident, though they offered few specifics. Peters, a member of the Senate's Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, told Reuters he is considering requesting a committee hearing on the heist. "I am concerned about the response and what steps have been taken to make sure it doesn't happen again," he said in an interview. "You just need more collaboration and sharing of information... because often times all these entities aren't talking to each other." (This story has been refiled with full name of Bangladesh minister) (Reporting by Jonathan Spicer; Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton and Dustin Volz in Washington and Serajul Quadir in Dhaka; Editing by Bernard Orr, Leslie Adler and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
By Jonathan Spicer NEW YORK (Reuters) - Six U.S. senators have urged President Barack Obama to prioritize cyber crime at this weekend's Group of 20 summit in China, in the wake of the theft of $81 million from Bangladesh's central bank, according to a letter obtained by Reuters. In the letter sent to the White House ahead of the Sept. 4-5 summit, Sherrod Brown, a senior Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, and five other Democratic senators say they want the U.S. president to press leaders from the world's 20 biggest economies to commit in joint communiques to a "coordinated strategy to combat cyber-crime at critical financial institutions." The letter, dated Monday, suggests that concern among U.S. lawmakers is growing over the February incident in which hackers breached Bangladesh Bank's systems and used the SWIFT banking network to request nearly $1 billion from an account held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Some of the dozens of orders were filled, with much of the lost $81 million disappearing into Philippines casinos - prompting months of international finger-pointing, an ongoing investigation, and several requests from members of Congress for answers from the Fed and from SWIFT, the secure messaging service that banks use to transfer money around the world. "Our financial institutions are connected in order to facilitate global commerce, but cyber criminals - whether independent or state-sponsored - imperil this international system in a way few threats have," the senators, headed by Gary Peters of Michigan, wrote in the letter to Obama. "We strongly urge you to work with your counterparts and prioritize this discussion at the G20 leaders level in September," it said of the summit to be held in Hangzhou, China, adding that "executive leadership circles across the globe" needed to pay more attention to the risks. A senator in the Philippines has said Chinese hackers were likely to have pulled off the Bangladesh Bank heist, citing a network of Chinese people involved in the routing of the stolen funds through Manila. Beijing has dismissed the suggestion. Copies of the letter from the U.S. senators were also sent to Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen and U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew. OBAMA-XI TALKS The other senators signing the letter were Mark Warner and Martin Heinrich, both members of the Senate's Select Committee on Intelligence; Kirsten Gillibrand and Debbie Stabenow, the ranking Democrat on the Senate's Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. The White House expects G20 members at the summit "to affirm their commitment to cooperate to fight cybercrime and to enhance confidence and trust in the digital economy," a senior administration official said. Asked generally about cyber security on Monday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said at a press conference: "I would anticipate that this issue more generally will be on the agenda" when Obama meets Chinese President Xi Jinping, the G20 summit host, later this week. At a November summit, the G20 pledged not to conduct economically motivated cyber espionage, an agreement intended to reduce the estimated hundreds of billions of dollars worth of commercial trade secrets that are stolen by foreign governments seeking to benefit industry in their own countries. Since then, the Bangladesh Bank attack and others that have emerged are only some of the threats posed by cyber criminals, the senators wrote. World regulators should "erect more robust defenses and collaborative systems to prevent and mitigate the impact of successful attacks," the letter said, noting that steps already taken by SWIFT are not enough. Bangladesh said it supported raising the issue at G20. "In most cases, cyber attacks and crimes take place from outside the country," said Zunaid Ahmed Palak, a junior government minister for information and communications technology. "So while addressing fast growing cyber attacks, there should be a coordinated approach involving global stakeholders." The Fed and other U.S. regulators said in a letter last week they were focused on cyber risks and controls at banks in the wake of the Bangladesh incident, though they offered few specifics. Peters, a member of the Senate's Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, told Reuters he is considering requesting a committee hearing on the heist. "I am concerned about the response and what steps have been taken to make sure it doesn't happen again," he said in an interview. "You just need more collaboration and sharing of information... because often times all these entities aren't talking to each other." (Reporting by Jonathan Spicer; Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton and Dustin Volz in Washington and Serajul Quadir in Dhaka; Editing by Bernard Orr, Leslie Adler and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
The whole point of an emergency medication is that its there, ready to kick in, at a moments notice if anything goes wrong. Thats the purpose of epinephrine, the drug in EpiPens, to curtail anaphylactic shock caused by allergies. But not only do these potentially life-saving drugs need to be available, they need to be working at their highest effectiveness.

Thats what the expiration date is there to do. Its a gauge of how close to its optimal effectiveness a drug will function. That date is based on a number of factors, including how well the drug worked when it was tested and then sealed in its unopened container, and whether it was maintained at certain temperatures and moisture levels. Once a bottle of pills is opened, for example, that expiration date isnt as useful a gauge of that drugs effectiveness. Thats not the case for EpiPens, the subject of a controversial price increase by its manufacturer, Mylan, because those factors, like light and moisture, are non-factors since the pens are airtight.

In fact, with EpiPens, experts think the expiration date is a pretty good gauge of the injectable drugs potency. Because epinephrine doesnt maintain its chemical integrity and cant remain potent for very long, those dates are among the shortest in the drug industry, at about 18 months. And because EpiPens are needed to immediately combat the bodys potentially deadly spiral into shock, its imperative that the epinephrine be as close to its optimal effectiveness as possible.

Mohamed Jalloh, spokesperson for the American Pharmacists Association and assistant professor of pharmacy at Touro University, California, says theres another reason to follow expiration dates on the drugs: The primary concern is that epinephrine will oxidize over time, and because of that, create a byproduct that is associated with hallucinations and other psychiatric symptoms.

Thats another reason why its critical that people keep their EpiPens up to date, discard expired ones and replace them with fresh versions. Still, that doesnt mean that an EpiPen turns toxic or unusable the day after the date stamped on the box. Many doctors say, for example, that using an EpiPen thats expired by a few weeks or even a month or two is better than not treating someone who might be going into anaphylactic shock after an allergic reaction. As a pharmacist, if a patient needs an EpiPen and unfortunately the only one available is an expired one versus nothing, then the expired EpiPen is better than nothing in relieving the shock symptoms, says Jalloh.

For people who still find the price of the new authorized generic out reach, there is another option. People can ask doctors to write them prescriptions for an epinephrine autoinjection drug, which would allow pharmacists to fill it with another brand, known as Adrenaclick. It takes a little longer to administer (10 seconds to EpiPens 3) but its far less expensive. According to Consumer Reports, Adrenaclick can be bought for $140-205, depending on where you buy it and whether or not you use coupons.

To read more about other EpiPen alternatives, read Cheaper EpiPen Alternatives You Can Buy Right NowPlus More Coming Soon.
Facebook is a social network. Facebook is a conglomerate (it owns Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus VR). Facebook is a hardware company. Facebook is a software company.

Facebook is many things. For instance, it's also a media company.

Zuckerberg

This is the only description of Facebook, however, that makes CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg bristle.

"We're a technology company. We're not a media company. When you think about a media company, you know, people are producing content, people are editing content, and that's not us. We're a technology company. We build tools. We do not produce the content. We exist to give you the tools to curate and have the experience that you want, to connect with the people and businesses and institutions in the world that you want."

That's Zuck speaking during a Facebook town hall event held this week, after being asked about Facebook's role in media.

The actions of Facebook tell a different story.

Facebook's 1.7 billion users voraciously consume news through Facebook's social network. It's a major driver of traffic to publications small and large (including this one).

Up until last Friday, Facebook paid for a team of over 20 people to curate and maintain its "Trending Topics" section. If that sounds an awful lot like an editorial team, that's because it's an editorial team.

Facebook makes editorial judgments about what kind of violence it will allow in videos. For instance, when Diamond Reynolds took to Facebook Live, she livestreamed the shooting death of her boyfriend Philando Castile at the hands of police in a routine traffic stop. Facebook initially removed the video, though it was explained as a glitch (the video was back online an hour later).

Facebook is outright bankrolling media producers like The New York Times, BuzzFeed, Vox, and Business Insider to create content for its Facebook Live video service.

Facebook changed how its News Feed system works earlier this summer, with the intention of tamping down so-called "clickbait" pieces in favor of more traditional Facebook content (pictures of babies, for instance).

Story continues

Facebook's reluctance to accept its role as a news company has led to some messy gaffes.

First, there was the report by Gizmodo that the section of Facebook curated by an editorial team had a liberal-leaning slant. That resulted in a reprimand from Congress and Zuck having to make nice with Conservative leaders.

facebook trending topics

When Facebook fired the staff that ran Trending Topics and revamped the section last week, there was another gaffe pretty much immediately: a top trending topic all weekend was (false) news that Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly was being fired. Because Trending Topics was left to algorithms without any editorial oversight, no one was there to shut down the mass spread of false information before it happened.

And how did Facebook fix the issue? By simply removing it, never mind the hundreds of thousands/millions of people who read it and believed it. Facebook may not think it's a media company, but as a major distributor of news  likely the world's largest  it still faces the same responsibilities that a media company does.

What is a media company in 2016, anyway?

"One traditional definition of a media company is 'a company that delivers information to users and profits by selling ads next to the information.' By that definition, Facebook is a media company," CNN senior media correspondent and "Reliable Sources" host Brian Stelter told Business Insider in an email exchange. "Facebook does not produce the information it distributes, but it is profiting from the ads."

Reliable Sources

Stelter's been covering media for years, first on his own site, then at The New York Times alongside the late David Carr. Now he runs a CNN show on Sunday mornings named "Reliable Sources," which focuses on media.

"Ethically speaking, Facebook has some of the same obligations that other media companies have," he said. "I believe Facebook has an obligation not to knowingly promote hoax stories as trending topics."

This is why it's such a big problem that Facebook refuses to acknowledge itself as a media company: it shirks ethical responsibility in doing so. Not just a big problem for me, a guy who works in media, but for you, a Facebook user. Facebook refusing to accept it's a media company means it can, say, perpetuate a false report that a prominent news anchor is being fired when she isn't.

Facebook Trending Topics (Megyn Kelly)

In November 2014, Rolling Stone published a report titled, "A Rape on Campus." It was discredited in follow-up reporting, and ultimately retracted by the venerable magazine. There was (justifiable) outrage at the false claims in the piece. There was (justifiable) outrage that Rolling Stone had allowed a piece full of false information to be published. How long until Facebook finds itself in the same situation, promoting a false story to billions of people that has the potential to harm?

"[Facebook] doesn't have the sort of, 'We got it wrong, and here's our method of correcting.'  a Facebook version of an editor's note or a correction. It doesn't exist," Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan told Business Insider in a phone interview. "It would have to rise to an incredibly high level before there would be some sort of action...and I don't even know what that would be. But a note from Mark Zuckerberg about something? That's just not going to happen on a regular basis."

Sullivan knows a thing or two about media criticism. She served as the New York Times Public Editor for four years, a role that's essentially internal critic. Her current job is focused on the larger world of media, and she's written about Facebook's role as a media company before. She said that Facebook has a responsibility when it comes to disseminating information to 1.7 billion people, especially regarding mistakes.

Mark Zuckerberg

"I do think that there is a responsibility. When you've disseminated that information, there ought to be a way to say, 'Well, we got that wrong. Now it's down and it wasn't true to begin with.' But, from what I can tell, there is no way of communicating with the Facebook audience in that way," Sullivan said.

Indeed, Facebook has no "Public Editor" or "Ombudsman" role, no one to make sure that what you're seeing isn't straight up false. As Stelter put it, "Facebook makes echo chambers louder. But the company doesn't seem motivated to tamp down the noise."

The company prides itself on "getting people the stories that matter to them most," not on getting people stories that are factually accurate. That's a crucial difference, and one that has huge potential impact on what you see.

So, yes, Facebook is a technology company. It's also a news company, and one that has larger reach than any other news company on the planet. It's time to own that.

NOW WATCH: Heres how to see what Facebook thinks of your political views





More From Business Insider


Human rights activists and families of missing people rallied in Sri Lanka on Tuesday (August 30) in support of an office recently set up to independently investigate the cases of thousands of people who vanished during the government's long conflict with Tamil Tiger rebels. The march marks International Day Against Forced Disappearances and comes a day ahead of U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's three-day visit. Protesters marched silently through the streets of the capital Colombo, later gathering at a busy intersection holding up placards and banners supporting the Office Of Missing Person (OMP). The U.N. Human Rights Commission last year urged the government to investigate disappearances including those of people who were alleged to have been secretly abducted by state-backed groups and paramilitaries during the 26-year conflict which ended seven years ago. Sri Lanka agreed last year to establish a credible judicial process involving foreign judges and prosecutors to investigate alleged war crimes during the conflict with Tamil rebels, in line with United Nations recommendations. "The tragedy of the issue of missing persons is that the crime is not only about that person but the future of their families, especially the future of women," said Nimalka Fernando, a human rights activist at the march. Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa's government rejected the U.N. recommendations citing that it wanted to address human rights concerns without international pressure. Rajapaksa was unseated in January last year and become an opposition legislator after he lost his prime ministerial bid in August. Juan E. Mendez, a U.N. human right expert, said earlier this year that estimates of the numbers of missing people ranged from 16,000 to 22,000 from the time of the conflict and its immediate aftermath. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, a former president and head of the new government's reconciliation office, told journalists recently that an estimated 65,000 people are thought to have gone missing in the conflict since 1983. V
(Reuters) - The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Monday offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the capture of a Utah-based polygamous faith leader who escaped from home confinement ahead of his trial over food stamp fraud.

Lyle Jeffs, 56, fled confinement in Salt Lake City sometime over the weekend of June 18 - 19 and an arrest warrant was issued by a federal judge that Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

Prosecutors allege Jeffs and other leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS) in Arizona and South Dakota diverted money from the federal government food assistance program for the poor.

Jeffs pleaded not guilty to the two-count indictment in February and was released from jail on June 9 ahead of his October trial. Jeffs is the de facto leader of the (FLDS), an unacknowledged offshoot of the Mormon Church.

In all, the indictment charged 11 defendants with conspiring to defraud the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps, and conspiring to commit money laundering.

Prosecutors allege that in about 2011, the church leaders directed adherents to funnel food bought with SNAP money to an FLDS storehouse to feed the greater church community.

Money also was diverted to other leaders to pay bills, according to the charges. One spent $30,236 on a 2012 Ford F-350 truck and another paid $16,978 for paper products, prosecutors said.

Jeffs is the brother of Warren Jeffs, who is considered the prophet of the faith and is serving a sentence of up to life in prison plus 20 years in Texas for illegally marrying and sexually abusing underage girls.

The sect is based in the twin cities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona. It is an offshoot of the Salt Lake City-based mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which renounced polygamy in 1890 and has no affiliation with the FLDS.

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Alan Crosby)
FOX BUSINESS NETWORK'S STUART VARNEY TOPS CNBC FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER

FBNs Lou Dobbs Tonight Hits Eight Consecutive Months on Top

FOX Business Network (FBN) continues to break records for the month of August scoring the top two news programs in business television with Stuart Varneys Varney & Company and Lou Dobbs Tonight, according to Neilson Media Research. This is the first time ever that two FBN programs scored monthly wins over CNBC.

FBNs Varney & Company (9AM-12PM/ET) beat CNBCs Squawk on the Street/Squawk Alley for the first time ever with 180,000 vs 167,000 total viewers. Previously, Varney had won the 11AM/ET hour, but this is the first time the three-hour program has swept CNBCs combined market open coverage for a month. In addition Lou Dobbs Tonight (7-8PM/ET) topped CNBCs counter programming with 247,000 compared to 109,000 in total viewers and 44,000 vs 41,000 in the A25-54 demo, making it the number one rated program in both total viewers and the demo for the month of August. The show saw a 127 percent gain in total viewers compared to last year, helping to boost Dobbs to his eighth consecutive monthly win over CNBC.

Business Day (9:30AM-5PM/ET) programming posted gains across the board for FBN, up 56 percent in total viewers with an average of 139,000. Following Varneys lead, Neil Cavutos Cavuto: Coast to Coast (12-2PM/ET) was up 59 percent with 129,000 total viewers, while Trish Regans Intelligence Report (2-3PM/ET) saw a 70 percent gain with 119,000 total viewers. Liz Clamans market-close program Countdown to the Closing Bell (3-4PM/ET) grew 49 percent with 107,000 total viewers, while After the Bell (4-5PM/ET) was up 58 percent to average 106,000 total viewers. In addition, FBNs primetime programming grew 149 percent year over year for August.

The network also performed well across social media, once again ranking as the #1 business TV news brand on Facebook and Instagram. Additionally, FOXBusiness.com had posted a 6% for the month of July compared to June 2016.

Story continues

FOX Business Network (FBN) is a financial news channel delivering real-time information across all platforms that impact both Main Street and Wall Street. Headquartered in New Yorkthe business capital of the worldFBN launched in October 2007 and is available in more than 80 million homes in major markets across the United States. Owned by 21st Century Fox, the network has bureaus in Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, DC and London. On the web at www.foxbusiness.com.

###

FOX Business Network Media Contacts:

Caley Cronin/212-301-3972

Theresa Burek/212-301-3318

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By India Today Web Desk: Swara Bhaskar has already made a name for herself in the film industry, but now the popular actress is all set to mark her name in the digital world as well. According to recent reports, the actress will soon be seen in a web series, It's Not That Simple, opposite the talented television actor, Vivan Bhathena, who was last seen in reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi (KKK). Few people know that Vivan is also an ace photographer. He had also shot a personal calendar with his KKK co-participants.



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Also read:What a comeback! Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai gets tech-savvy; to return as a web series

The actor is currently on a roll as far as his professional life is concerned. Vivan will soon be seen sharing screen space with one of the biggest stars of the Hindi film industry, Aamir Khan, in the upcoming movie Dangal.

Television actor Vivan Bhathena. Picture courtesy: Instagram/vivan_bhatenaofficial

"The digital world never fails to shock me. Such interesting, engaging yet relatable stories being told through this medium. Which is why I chose to foray into this medium through a web series. Working with Swara, Akshay and Karan was great fun and I can't wait for the release of my first webs series --- It's Not That Simple," The Times of India quoted the actor as saying.

Actress Swara Bhaskar. Picture courtesy: Instagram/reallyswara

"It's a unique show about mature relationships and I get to play the fun guy who's living every guy's fantasy. He's a totally unpredictable character who is foot loose, but he has a serious side to him too. I can tell you more but, IT'S NOT THAT SIMPLE, you need to wait and watch," the actor joked lightly.

The series will release sometime in September.



--- ENDS ---
By Elisabeth O'Leary EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Islamic State (IS) violence can only be tackled if Muslims stand up for their views of what real Islam is, according to a rare female voice within the British Muslim community. Human rights campaigner Sara Khan argues in a new book that combating IS needs the development of religious counter-arguments to violent extremism, and she calls for an "amplification" of faith teaching which deconstructs Islamist ideology to help stop Islamists recruiting young Britons. "Confronting any type of extremism lies in championing genuine human rights and embracing democracy, none of which are antithetical to Islams teachings," Khan argues in "The Battle for British Islam", presented at the Edinburgh book festival. "If we are to have any hope of defeating Islamist extremism, we must all protect the middle ground." Khan has raised awareness of the complex issues for Muslims regarding violent extremism and hopes her work will encourage women to take a more prominent role. She has faced harassment and threats for working with a government-funded program which seeks to eradicate radicalization of young Muslims. "The seemingly unstoppable growth of puritanical and Islamist ideology in Muslim communities troubles me deeply," she says. "I still meet many young Muslims who believe that Islamism (which rejects gender equality and democracy) is authentic Islam." Her book, to be published in September, describes how young people are radicalized via social media, providing case studies. Thousands of Muslims, including more than 800 Britons, have left Europe for Iraq and Syria, many to join IS, according to the interior ministry. Khan told Reuters she herself had had to challenge her own beliefs. "For years I thought that wearing a headscarf was mandatory (...) but I found myself not identifying with it. I decided that I wanted someone to come to me without having assumptions." In France, a ban in some coastal towns on burkinis has been held up by the government as a "battle of cultures", but has caused fury among many women. "Can't we talk about high unemployment rates (among Muslim women)? We're still talking about women's clothing!" Khan said. Khan cites a YouGov poll from March 2015 which found that 55 percent of British voters believe there is a fundamental clash between Islam and the values of British society, compared with 22 percent who said they were "generally compatible." Issues of race came to the fore in the campaign for Britain's European Union referendum, with concerns about immigration prompting some people to vote to leave the bloc. It was too early to say if the June vote, which ignited pockets of racial violence, had had any sustained effect, she said. She noted, however, that Britain's new prime minister Theresa May in her former role as interior minister took part in a campaign to stamp out radicalization which sought to support Muslim women in the fight against extremism. A sign of "genuine hope" in Britain, Khan said, was the election this year of London's first Muslim mayor, Sadiq Khan. "There are a lot of Muslims who have progressive views but they just get on with it, and don't spend time shouting about it. But (shouting about it) is perhaps what they need to do." (Editing by Stephen Addison)
By Timothy Mclaughlin

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The chief of Chicago's police department recommended on Tuesday that five officers be fired over their role in the 2014 shooting death of an black teenager, an incident that heaped national scrutiny on the nation's second largest police force.

Superintendent Eddie Johnson recommended to the Chicago Police Board that officer Jason Van Dyke, who shot Laquan McDonald 16 times, be fired, along with another four officers.

The shooting made headlines across the country and sparked protests after the release of a dashboard video more than a year after the incident. The video shows the officer continued to fire after McDonald, 17, had fallen to the ground.

It also comes amid a string of high-profile killings of black men by police in various U.S. cities in the past two years which have renewed a national debate about racial discrimination in the American criminal justice system and given rise to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Johnson's recommendation marks the start of formal proceedings in the officers' firing. The Police Board, whose nine members are appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, must consider it and then make the decision on firing the officers.

Van Dyke is facing charges of first-degree murder and is on unpaid leave. He has pleaded not guilty.

Sergeant Stephen Franko, and officers Janet Mondragon, Daphne Sebastian and Ricardo Viramontes, are named along with Van Dyke. According to charges released on Tuesday, all allegedly made false or inaccurate statements about the circumstances surrounding McDonald's death.

"The Superintendent has recommended that each of the five officers be discharged from the Chicago Police Department," a statement from the Police Board said. "The public is reminded that the filing of charges is not evidence of guilt."

An initial status hearing for the cases is scheduled for Sept. 19.

The police reports on the October 2014 shooting conflicted with video footage of the incident, sparking accusations that Van Dyke's fellow officers were trying to cover up an unjustified shooting.

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Emanuel fired police Superintendent Garry McCarthy in the wake of the video release, and thousands of protesters took to the streets of Chicago over McDonald's death and the subsequent handling of the case.

Initially Johnson recommended that 10 officers be terminated, a number that dropped to seven because some officers retired, among other reasons, the Chicago Tribune reported. It was unclear why that number dropped to five officers.

On Tuesday, Emanuel unveiled a proposed Police Accountability Ordinance to overhaul current oversight in a move to ensure "investigations of officers are independent, fair, timely and transparent." Chicago City Council will vote on it on Sept. 29.

(Reporting by Timothy Mclaughlin in Chicago; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Alan Crosby)
(Reuters) - A former Federal Bureau of Investigation agent who confessed to stealing more than $136,000 in seized drug money and spending it on cars and cosmetic surgery for his wife was sentenced to three years in prison on Monday.

Scott Bowman, 45, pleaded guilty in May to charges of conversion of property by a federal employee, obstruction of justice, falsifying records, and witness tampering, according to a statement by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Bowman was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Jesus Bernal in Riverside, California, on Monday. Bernal also ordered Bowman to pay $136,462 in restitution, the Justice Department statement said.

Bowman's attorney, James W. Spertus, said he was disappointed in the sentence.

"Scott Bowman served his country for 18 years and had multiple tours of duty in combat, then had one month of bad judgment as a member of a corrupt task force," Spertus said.

According to a written agreement with prosecutors, Bowman admitted to misappropriating drug money seized by agents during the execution of three search warrants in the summer of 2014.

Bowman further admitted using the money to buy a 2012 Dodge Challenger and 2013 Scion FR-S coupe and to outfit the vehicles with speakers, rims, tires and other equipment, the court documents show.

He also admitted to spending $15,000 on cosmetic surgery for his wife, according to the plea agreement, and put some $10,000 of stolen funds into a new checking account.

The Justice Department said Bowman tried to hide the wrongdoing by falsifying FBI reports and submitting a receipt with a forged signature understating how much money had actually been seized.

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in SAN FRANCISCO; Editing by Paul Tait)
Paris (AFP) - France said Tuesday it wanted to halt thorny EU-US trade talks as President Francois Hollande underlined there would be no deal until after President Barack Obama leaves office in January.

But the White House said it still hoped to wrap up negotiations by the year's end to create the world's largest free trade area.

"Our position on this has not changed," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. "We are continuing to work toward a goal of completing those negotiations before the end of the year."

The EU commissioner in charge of the negotiations said talks have not broken down and the aim is still a deal by the time Obama leaves office.

But French junior trade minister Matthias Fekl said there was "no more political support in France" for the talks because US negotiators were offering "nothing or just crumbs".

"France calls for an end to these negotiations," Fekl told RMC radio.

Hollande, in a speech to France's diplomatic corps, chose his words more carefully saying it would be an "illusion" to say a deal was close.

"The current discussions on the treaty between Europe and the United States will not lead to an agreement by the end of the year," he said.

"France would rather see things as they are and not harbour the illusion that an agreement will be struck before the end of the US president's term in office."

EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem however said that she did not agree that the negotiations had failed.

"They have been difficult, of course, we knew from the beginning, but they have not failed," she said.

Germany's vice chancellor and economy minister Sigmar Gabriel had said Sunday the negotiations were effectively dead.

"The talks with the US have de facto failed because we Europeans of course must not succumb to American demands... nothing is moving forward", Gabriel said.

The EU Commission and US negotiators began work on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) in 2013.

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But the talks have become bogged down amid widespread suspicion in the 28-nation EU that a deal would undercut the bloc's standards in key areas such as health and welfare.

Malmstroem admitted there would be no deal by the end of this year as originally envisaged when the talks started.

"I don't want to analyse the mind and the intentions of President Hollande. And it is clear that for the moment we do not have enough -- we can't conclude before the end of the year," the Swede said.

She said the aim was still to conclude a deal under the Obama presidency, adding: "And if that is not possible it makes sense to make as much progress as possible."

However Fekl said Paris sees an imbalance in the negotiations in favour of the US side.

"The Americans give nothing or just crumbs... that is not how negotiations are done between allies," he said.

- 'Clear and definitive halt' -

"We need a clear and definitive halt to these negotiations in order to restart on a good foundation."

France will make its case for the talks to be halted at a meeting of foreign trade ministers in Bratislava in September, Fekl added.

He did not say when or under what conditions the talks could restart.

Germany's Gabriel on Tuesday said that "given the current state of the talks, no agreement is possible".

"We'll see if the US position changes after the presidential election. If there is no change, there will be no TTIP," he said.

Activists who have opposed TTIP since negotiations began say the deal would only benefit multinationals and harm consumers.

Behind the scenes, top diplomats have told AFP talks may be suspended until after the US presidential election in November and could even be put on hold until after elections in France and Germany next year.

The White House spokesman meanwhile said Obama will send his top trade official to Europe in the coming weeks for further discussions.

"There are significant aspects of the deal that need to be negotiated, but that's precisely why the president is sending his trade ambassador, Mike Froman, to travel to Europe in a couple of weeks to go continue those negotiations," he said.

All EU member states and the European parliament must ratify any TTIP deal before it can take effect.
PARIS (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday that talks on Britain exiting the European Union had to be concluded by 2019 and that the decision to leave the bloc was irreversible. "This choice means that Britain, once it leaves, cannot take part in European decisions. It will not be able to access the single market unless its accepts the four freedoms, all its regulation and budgetary solidarity," Hollande told an annual gathering of French ambassadors. He said British Prime Minister Theresa May had tough decisions to take and that she needed time, but that she could not wait on triggering exit talks. "It would neither be good for Britain not acceptable for Europe. For France, everything must be concluded by 2019," he said. (Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Ingrid Melander)
By Jean-Baptiste Vey and Leigh Thomas PARIS (Reuters) - French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron resigned on Tuesday to work on proposals "to transform France", clearing the way for a presidential bid that will further unsettle an already wide-open race. The 38-year-old former investment banker, one of France's most popular politicians, did not explicitly say he would run in the 2017 election but strongly hinted he would do so. "I am determined to do everything so our values, ideas and actions can transform France starting next year," Macron, who created his own political party in April, said as he announced his resignation. He said he was stepping down because he "needed to be free" to work on a plan to transform the country. Macron's place in the government had become increasingly awkward after he repeatedly criticized left-wing totems like France's 35-hour work week and created his 'En Marche' (Forward) party in April, casting it as leaning neither left nor right. A source in Macron's inner circle said the rapidly evolving political situation, in which former president Nicolas Sarkozy and two former Socialist ministers have declared their intention to run for president, had forced the hand of the minister. In an interview with TF1 television after the announcement, Macron said he had considered, but rejected, the idea of resigning in July, citing the Islamist militant attacks that took place that month in France as the reason for delay. "It was inconceivable for any responsible person to leave the government at that moment," he said. If confirmed, a Macron bid for the presidency would further harm President Francois Hollande's chances of re-election, with polls already suggesting he would be very unlikely to even make it into the run-off round. Hollande also has challengers from the left, including former industry minister Arnaud Montebourg and ex-education minister Benoit Hamon. A spokeswoman for Macron's 'En Marche' said the party would first conduct a door-to-door campaign to gauge opinion and collect voters' grievances by the end of September. "After that we will make proposals, and after that candidacy questions will be dealt with," the spokeswoman said. POPULAR, BUT ELECTABLE? A Macron bid would also hurt the chances of the man leading the polls on the center-right, former prime minister Alain Juppe, who would also target centrist voters. Juppe must first beat Sarkozy in what promises to be a bruising fight at the conservative Les Republicains' primaries in November. Macron ranks in polls just behind Juppe, but analysts say that popularity may not equal votes. "He needs to transform his considerable popularity into voting intentions, but it won't be easy because he's not well liked on the left and his popularity on the right would not necessarily translate into votes," said IFOP pollsters' analyst Frederic Dabi. Macron has won plaudits from economists and business leaders by pushing through a deregulation law cutting red tape for retailers and the legal profession among other areas. But while at ease on economic issues, he is untested on security in a country where a string of Islamist attacks has made law and order and immigration key vote winners, with Sarkozy vowing to ban the "burkini" full-body swimwear across France if returned to the top job. Finance Minister Michel Sapin, a close ally of Hollande, will add the economy ministry to his portfolio. Macron's private and working life to date has been an unusual and precocious one. By the age of 35 he had brokered a $10 billion takeover deal while working for the investment bank Rothschild. He has never been elected, has no party machine behind him, and joined the government only in 2014, having previously been adviser to Hollande. Becoming president next year, before his 40th birthday, may not be beyond him. (Additional reporting by Emmanuel Jarry, Chine Labbe, Bate Felix, Michel Rose and Elizabeth Pineau; Writing by Ingrid Melander and Andrew Callus; Editing by Ralph Boulton)
Sonali, a third-year engineering student, was attacked by former student Udhayakumar who hit her with a broken wooden leg of a classroom desk.

An incident where a girl student lost her life after being attacked by a former student inside a classroom in Karur has sent shockwaves through Tamil Nadu.

Sonali, a third-year student at a private engineering college in Karur, was inside a classroom when a former student Udhayakumar went to speak with her forcibly. Eyewitnesses claim that Udhayakumar approached Sonali, who was unwilling to talk to him. A bitter argument broke out and suddenly Udhayakumar took a broken wooden leg of a classroom desk and began hitting her repeatedly. Sonali fell down unconscious to the floor.

Udhayakumar beat Sonali to death using a broken wooden leg of a classroom desk.

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Udhayakumar escaped before anyone could apprehend him. Sonali was first rushed to a local hospital and then moved to Madurai. Doctors tried very hard to save her but unfortunately could not. Sonali died due to heavy blood loss and a blow to the head. Udhayakumar was later arrested by the police near Madurai.

After an Infosys techie, Swathi, was murdered in broad daylight, the Tamil Nadu government had stated that security for women in the state will be increased. However, a girl's death inside a 'secure' private institution has once again raised questions about women safety in the state.

Also read: Inhuman: Eight-month baby dies after being sexually assaulted in Tamil Nadu



--- ENDS ---
PARIS (Reuters) - A French police officer was injured by a knife-wielding man at a police station in the southern city of Toulouse on Tuesday, a police source said. Local newspaper La Depeche du Midi said the 31 year-old man entered the police station pretending to want to make a complaint. He then launched an attack with a knife on the female officer, injuring her on her neck. The assailant also tried to grab her weapon before he was subdued. French security forces have been targeted by Islamist militants who have carried out several attacks since January last year. In June, a Frenchman who pledged allegiance to Islamic State stabbed a police commander to death outside his home and killed his partner, who also worked for the police. (Reporting by Gerard Bon and Johanna Decorse; Writing by Bate Felix; Editing by Andrew Callus)
FRANKFURT, Aug 30 (Reuters) - FreedomPop, a U.S. startup challenging the mobile industry by offering free voice and data plans, has received a $50 million investment to fund international expansion from LetterOne, the investment vehicle owned by Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman.

Luxembourg-based LetterOne (L1) said on Tuesday it had received national security clearance from the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to complete the $50 million investment.

FreedomPop announced the investment earlier this year but did not reveal the identity of the investor.

FreedomPop, founded five years ago in Los Angeles, supplies voice and data services for mobile users by leasing wholesale network capacity from established mobile network providers such as Sprint and Hutchison's Three UK.

The company offers packages of voice calling minutes, text messages and data plans of around 200 megabytes free of charge, making money when consumers use up their free capacity and by charging for add-on services.

FreedomPop offers mobile voice and data services in the United States, Britain, and Spain. It now plans to enter eight more countries by the end of next year, followed by a fast roll-out across Asia, Europe and Latin America.

The company has introduced a variety of novel offers to the telecom industry including a low-cost Wi-Fi calling and data service across the United States and offers that give callers free access to WhatsApp in 30 countries.

LetterOne will help forge strategic partnerships in emerging markets for FreedomPop, the investor said. It seeks to fund late-stage high-growth Internet companies and announced a $200 million investment in Uber earlier this year.

L1 Senior Partner Mustafa Kiral will join FreedomPop's board of directors. He previously oversaw mergers and acquisitions at Altimo, the telecom investment arm of Fridman, including a joint venture between Russia's Vimpelcom and Wind Italy.

FreedomPop has raised around $109 million to date from a variety of top-tier Silicon Valley and European venture funds, along with Malaysian telecoms conglomerate Axiata Group .

(Reporting By Eric Auchard; Editing by Adrian Croft)
Libreville (AFP) - Security forces deployed on the deserted streets of Libreville Tuesday as Gabon awaited official results of the weekend presidential election that both the incumbent Ali Bongo and his main rival already claim to have won.

The interior minister said he would announce official results after the Cenap election commission meets at around 7:00 pm (1800 GMT), reiterating that it is illegal to release results before then.

Presidential challenger Jean Ping, a 73-year-old career diplomat, was said by his team to have a 60,000-vote lead over Bongo which could only be overturned with "massive fraud".

Bongo's camp said the president -- who came to power in a 2009 election held after the death of his father Omar Bongo, who had ruled the oil-rich central African country for 41 years -- was guaranteed victory.

Many in Gabon fear a repeat of the violence that followed the 2009 election.

On Tuesday afternoon anti-riot police began to take up positions around Libreville and later established checkpoints in various parts of the capital, blocking access to the presidential palace. Light armoured vehicles also began to patrol along the Atlantic coast.

The embassy of France, the former colonial power, told French nationals not to move around the city.

- 'Scared' locals stock food -

In the late morning, residents poured into supermarkets and bakeries to stock up with food.

"We are being careful, we don't know what is going to happen," said a bakery customer who gave his name only as Raymond.

Bakery worker Dieudonne spoke of "hundreds" of baguettes flying off the shelves.

"(People) are scared, they don't know what's going to happen but they have good reason to worry," he said.

EU observers said the vote in the oil-rich Central African country was "managed in a way that lacked transparency".

Observers identified issues including voter lists not being posted outside polling stations, poor control of indelible ink applied to voters' fingers to prevent them casting multiple ballots and ballot box seals that did not have serial numbers.

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- 'Heated' discussions -

Sources close to Cenap said that they expected the Ping and Bongo camps to be part of "heated" discussions when the commission meets later Tuesday to discuss the result, warning that talks could go on "for hours."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon phoned both candidates to express concern about the premature results they had released and urged them to ask their supporters to show restraint.

On Monday Ping accused the commission of tampering with the outcome of the poll and said the Gabonese people "want me to run the country and will never accept having the victory, their victory, stolen from them".

He said they would "defend by all means" his victory, raising the spectre of a repeat of 2009, when several people were killed in clashes, buildings were looted and the French consulate in the economic capital Port Gentil was torched.

- Bitter accusations -

Campaigning in this election was marked by months of bitter exchanges, including accusations -- and strenuous denials -- that Bongo was born in Nigeria and therefore ineligible to run.

While victory for the opposition would end nearly 50 years of one-family rule in Gabon, it would not be a total break with the Bongo era -- Ping worked for many years in the administration of Omar Bongo.

He later went on to serve as head of the African Union Commission and president of the UN General Assembly.

Gabon has seen growing popular unrest in recent months, with numerous public sector strikes and thousands of layoffs in the oil sector.

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.

The collapse in the price of oil has hit the Gabonese economy hard, and Ping has described Bongo's attempts to diversify away from petroleum as window dressing.

France is also keeping a close eye on the election in Gabon.

On Sunday, Ping said he was invited to the French embassy in Libreville.

"The Bongo family has been ruling Gabon for more than half a century. A change would be a sign of good democratic health, and it would set an example," France's governing Socialist Party said in a statement.

Bongo's spokesman hit back, branding the statement "interventionist and neo-colonial".

Pro-opposition media meanwhile began to celebrate.

"The French Socialist Party recognises Ping's victory," read the front page headline of opposition daily La Loupe.
By Andres Gonzalez and Alexander Hubner

MADRID/FRANKFURT, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Siemens and Gamesa have rejected a non-binding offer from General Electric for assets belonging to a wind power venture between Gamesa and Areva, sources close to the talks told Reuters on Tuesday.

Spain's Gamesa is merging with Siemen's wind power division to create the world's biggest builder of wind farms in a 10 billion euro ($11 billion) deal, but the Adwen venture between Gamesa and Areva has been a sticking point.

Germany's Siemens does not need the technology from Areva, which is majority owned by the French state, because it has developed its own offshore wind turbines.

Siemens and Gamesa said when they agreed their merger in June that Areva had three months to decide whether it wanted to buy out Gamesa's 50-percent stake in the venture, or sell it to them.

This opened the door for an offer from General Electric , which wants to become a major player in the offshore wind industry and has said it was in talks with the companies involved about buying Adwen if France consented.

"General Electric has made an offer for (Adwen's) assets, which is impossible to accept," one source said.

Representatives for Siemens, Areva and General Electric declined to comment.

A spokeswoman for Gamesa said the sale process was on track and there was no final decision made about it.

If Areva does not find a buyer before the mid-September deadline, the most likely outcome would be for Gamesa to exercise its purchase option and take over Areva's 50-percent stake, the source said.

Gamesa values its current stake in Adwen at 60.6 million euros, and the option gives the same value to Areva's half.

Another source said although the offer was not sufficient, General Electric could still improve it before the deadline.

($1 = 0.8974 euros) (Additional reporting by Georgina Prodhan in London and Bate Felix in Paris; editing by David Clarke)
Following the announcement that Gene Wilder died earlier this month of complications from Alzheimers disease, James Corden paid tribute to the actor during the opening monologue of The Late Late Show.

The host began Monday nights episode by telling the story of the time he met Wilder, recalling that he came to a play Corden was in soon after moving to New York and sat backstage with him afterward. If anyone else came backstage, theyd stay for five, six, 10 minutes tops  he sat in my room for half an hour, he said. We sat on this couch, and Ill never forget it as long as I live. The thing I remember  I was thinking about it today  was all he really wanted to talk about was how my wife and son were adjusting in New York, and were we happy, and was it fun? It was amazing.

Corden then revealed that he had tried to persuade Wilder to appear on the first episode of The Late Late Show  which included a Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory bit  but that he had refused him with an email that embodied everything Wilder was as a person.

Dearest James, I dont do or go where you are hoping, but Ill be looking for you. With my love, Gene

In the history of people saying no to things, it couldnt have been nicer, Corden said. Even the way he said no was so poetic. Even his emails sounded somehow like Willy Wonka.

Watch the full clip below.
Gene Wilder, the blue-eyed, frazzle-haired actor who elevated panic to a comic art form in frequent collaboration with Mel Brooks (The Producers, Young Frankenstein) and Richard Pryor (Silver Streak, Stir Crazy), died on Sunday in Stamford, Conn., from complications from Alzheimers disease. His family confirmed the news to the Associated Press. Wilder was 83.

Wilder perhaps is most fondly remembered as the captivating candy man and Pure Imagination crooner of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Blazing Saddles, helmed by Brooks and co-written by Brooks and Pryor, and Bonnie and Clyde are two other classics among Wilders roughly three dozen TV and film credits.

Gene Wilder-One of the truly great talents of our time. He blessed every film we did with his magic & he blessed me with his friendship.  Mel Brooks (@MelBrooks) August 29, 2016

Though associated with funnymen Brooks and Pryor  he worked on three movies in all with Brooks and co-starred opposite Pryor in four  Wilder was quietly adamant that he was not a comic.

I am really not  except in a comedy film, Wilder said in 2013.

Related: Gene Wilder  A Critical Appreciation

Maybe because others perceived him as an actor first as well, Wilder was the rare comedy star who was made welcome at the grownup table. He was twice nominated for an Oscar: a Best Supporting Actor nod for The Producers and a screenplay nod for his and Brookss Young Frankenstein.

Wilder was previously married to Saturday Night Live star Gilda Radner, and in the wake of her death in 1989, he became a leading proponent of ovarian cancer screening and research. Hes survived by his fourth wife, Karen Webb.

Born Jerome Silberman on June 11, 1933, in Milwaukee, the future star became a comic actor almost from the start  and for a tragic reason: His mother suffered from heart disease, and since it was feared stress would kill her, laughter was demanded. Wilder, who went on to be one of the screens leading neurotics, would trace his own neuroses to the experience.

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Related: Gene Wilders Most Memorable Roles Gallery

My mother was suffering every day of her life, and what right did I have to be happy if she was suffering? Wilder told the Washington Post in 2005. So whenever I got happy about something, I felt the need to cut it off, and the only way to cut it off was to pray. Forgive me, Lord. For what, I didnt know.

Wilders mother survived into his early 20s; she died, as Radner would decades later, of ovarian cancer. By the time of his mothers death, Wilder was already a veteran actor, having been drawn to the stage as a teen. His early life took the familiar course of the draft-era young man: college (University of Iowa, then Englands Bristol Old Vic Theatre), then the Army, then back to civilian life. The former Jerome Silberman marked his return with a new name: Gene, depending on the source, chosen either in honor of a Thomas Wolfe character or his late mother, Jeanne; Wilder, for the author Thornton Wilder.

Related: Celebrities Pay Tribute to Gene Wilder

Wilder began to appear on the Broadway stage in the early 1960s. The 1963 play Mother Courage and Her Children paired him with Anne Bancroft and brought him into the orbit of her then boyfriend, Mel Brooks.

Four years later, in 1967, and a few months after hed made his film debut in Bonnie and Clyde, Wilder starred in Brookss The Producers. (Because the future classic was a slow starter, to put it mildly, The Producers was not released in New York and Los Angeles until 1968.)

In Bonnie and Clyde and The Producers, Wilder played mild-mannered types driven to hyperventilation by bank robbers (the former) and a scheming Broadway impresario (the latter). The parts arguably were his destiny: When God saw Gene Wilder, Brooks was quoted as saying, He said, That is prey. And well put him on Earth and everybody will chase him and have some fun.

Related: Remembering Gene Wilder and Gilda Radners Beautiful, Sad Love Story

In his mid-30s, and amid the New Hollywood revolution, Wilder was suddenly a leading man. He was not, however, suddenly everywhere, in everything.

I was always very selective, Wilder said of his movie choices. No, selective isnt the right word.

Egomaniacal, he decided, was what he was looking for.

Gene Wilder in 1979. (Photo: Steve Wood/Rex/Shutterstock)

For the choosy Wilder, Willy Wonka, a musical rendering of the Roald Dahl childrens book about greed, chocolate, and one good kid, was just his fifth film. At the time of its release, in 1971, and for a few years after, it was portrayed as a flop because, box-office-wise, it was. For a time, even Wilder spoke of Willy Wonka as being one of the films that ended the first part of his movie career.

I started all over again with Woody Allen in Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex, Wilder said in 1976.

True enough, Wilder was a comic star anew for playing a doctor who falls in love with a sheep in Allens anthology. Then he reteamed with Brooks for Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, both released in 1974, and he was a comic superstar.

While Brooks wrote and directed the Old West spoof Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein was Wilders baby. He started with the title and worked it into a full-blown, homage/parody of the black-and-white Universal horror classics. Brooks would end up directing that movie too, as well as rewriting the script with Wilder.

While we were making Blazing Saddles, we worked on the second draft of Young Frankenstein, Wilder recalled.

Wilder and Brooks never collaborated in any significant way after Young Frankenstein. There was no falling out; there were just different styles.

Our ideas of comedy are quite different, Wilder told UPI in 1977. Mel likes the fall-down stuff. I favor romantic humor.

Wilder began directing himself, in 1975s The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes Smarter Brother, and 1977s The Worlds Greatest Lover, and found a new comedy partner in Pryor, starting with the 1976 heist comedy Silver Streak.

At the end of a take, Wilder recounted to the New York Daily News of his first day shooting with Pryor, we burst into the same song at the same time.  From then on, we began trusting each other in a way I havent experienced with any actor.

Silver Streak was a hit, as was the prison-set, Sidney Poitier-directed Stir Crazy, released in 1980, months after Pryors life- and career-changing self-immolation suicide attempt.

It would be almost a decade before Wilder and Pryor teamed up again, in 1989s See No Evil, Hear No Evil. In the interim, Wilder had acquired another screen partner: Radner.

The two met on the 1982 crime comedy Hanky Panky, also directed by Poitier. Wilder and Radner married in 1984 and went on to work together in 1984s The Woman in Red and 1986s Haunted Honeymoon, both directed by Wilder.

Then Radner began to not feel right  it would take doctors months to deliver the grim diagnosis: stage 4 ovarian cancer. For nearly three years, until her death at age 42 in 1989, Radner was in and out of treatment, and in and out of hospitals. Gilda went through the tortures of the damned, and at the end, I felt robbed, Wilder told People in 1991. All along I kept hearing Gilda saying, Dont just sit there, dummy, do something!'

Wilder would go on to testify before Congress about the importance of screenings and knowledge of family health history and co-found Gildas Club, a cancer-support organization that started (and remains) in New York City and spawned numerous chapters.

Wilder, who was married and divorced twice before his union to Radner, wed Webb, a hearing specialist hed worked with on Hear No Evil, See No Evil, in 1991.

Wilder would work in only a handful more TV and film projects, including one last comedy with Pryor, 1991s Another You. The movie was panned and, worse, showed Pryor in marked physical decline from the multiple sclerosis that would claim him in 2005.

In 1999, Wilder was diagnosed with lymphoma, but by the time he went public with his health, in 2000, he was already said to be in remission.

Wilder began a low-key retirement after winning a Primetime Emmy for a 2003 guest-starring turn on TVs Will & Grace.

Away from Hollywood, Wilder said he enjoyed his life, his wife, his writing, and no longer having to deal with the business of show business.

Along the way, Wilders old flop Willy Wonka became considered a childrens fantasy classic. The 2005 Johnny Depp-Tim Burton take, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, of which Wilder was famously no fan, served only to make the older version ever more relevant.

In the end, Wilder, who could do panic like few others onscreen, sounded serene.

Ive become pretty philosophical about a lot of things, including death. It doesnt get to me, Wilder told Londons Telegraph in 2005. At this point, the way I feel, if its over, its over.
They have not have won themselves a chocolate factory, but the child stars from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory scored more than a golden ticket from their time with the late Gene Wilder.



Following news of the legendary actor's passing on Sunday from complications from Alzheimer's disease, Wilder's costars from the 1971 classic mourned his loss on social media.



The woman who brought gum-loving Violet Beauregarde to life onscreen, Denise Nickerson, shared her sadness on Twitter.



"RIP Gene. You were so talented and kindhearted. You will be sorely missed by so many. All of us have lost OUR Willy Wonka," Nickerson wrote. She signed the message, "Love, Violet."









RIP Gene. You were so talented and kindhearted. You will be sorely missed by so many. All of us have lost OUR Willy Wonka. Love, Violet a Denise Nickerson (@deniseviolet71) August 30, 2016





Julie Dawn Cole, who portrayed spoiled brat Veruca Salt in the movie, also took to social media to express her condolences.



"Such very sad news. Words not enough. Treasured memories," she wrote along with a teardrop emoji.



Cole, who retweeted numerous tributes to the great actor, also shared a quote from Wilder.



"Time is a precious thing, never waste it," she wrote.





Such very sad news. Words not enough. Treasured memories a Julie Dawn Cole (@realverucasalt) August 29, 2016







"Time is a precious thing, never waste it" #genewilder a Julie Dawn Cole (@realverucasalt) August 30, 2016







Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka Costars Pay Tribute to Him: 'All of Us Have Lost OUR Willy Wonka'| Death, Tributes, Gene Wilder





Cole remembered times on set with the talented actor, who was always kind to the young cast.



"He was so patient with us kids! I was out on the movie for three months, and I didn't have any family with me," she told ITV. "He used to sit and tell me stories, and just a very, very kind person. Always generous. Always helping you to get your moment."



Paris Themmen, who played the rambunctious Mike Teevee, paid tribute to Wilder on social media as well, changing the cover photo on his Facebook page to a scene from the film where the glass elevator is flying around town. "Gene Wilder 1933-2016" is inscribed on the photo.





Story continues

Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka Costars Pay Tribute to Him: 'All of Us Have Lost OUR Willy Wonka'| Death, Tributes, Gene Wilder



Rusty Goffe, an English actor who portrayed an Oompa Loompa in the film, had nothing but praise for the man who will always live on as Willy Wonka.



"Gene Wilder was one of the nicest if not THE nicest actor I have ever worked with," Goffe shared. "I learnt a lot from him. A true star. Thank you Mr Wonka."





Gene Wilder was one of the nicest if not THE nicest actor I have ever worked with. I learnt a lot from him. A true star. Thank you Mr Wonka. a Rusty Goffe (@rustygoffe) August 29, 2016





Wilder died at age 83 of complications from Alzheimer's disease Sunday night at his home in Stamford, Connecticut, his nephew, Jordan Walker-Pearlman, said in a statement.



Despite living with the disease for three years, the actor chose to keep his health issues secret.



The statement read, "The decision to wait until this time to disclose his condition wasn't vanity, but more so that the countless young children that would smile or call out to him 'there's Willy Wonka,' would not have to be then exposed to an adult referencing illness or trouble and causing delight to travel to worry, disappointment or confusion. He simply couldn't bear the idea of one less smile in the world."
By PTI: (Attn.editors: The following press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire. PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same). Tata Capital Partners With CII for SME Finance

MUMBAI, August 30, 2016/PRNewswire/ -- The Partnership Will Help Give a Boost to SMEs Via Better Access to Finance and a Suite of Services Tata Capital, the financial services arm of the Tata Group, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to partner with them in the SME Finance Facilitation Centre initiative. The initiative has been launched to facilitate easier credit access to small and medium enterprises. This partnership will facilitate the distribution of Tata Capitals SME loan products through CII to its registered SME members. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160105/783392 )

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Under the MoU, a framework of cooperation between CII and Tata Capital will be developed under which Tata Capital will be empanelled as a Partnering Institution for the SME Finance Facilitation Centre. This will facilitate easy access to finance and credit for registered SME members of CII and provide advisory and credit facilitation support as well.

Tata Capitals Corporate Finance Division will be offering its entire suite of products to CIIs SME members. Speaking on the partnership, Mr. Pradeep Bandivadekar, Chief Operating Officer - Corporate Finance Division, Tata Capital said, "The partnership with CII signifies Tata Capitals strategic focus on the SME sector. SMEs are an important pillar of the Indian economy, contributing 38% of national GDP. We, at Tata Capital are determined to play a significant role in supporting the growth of the sector by extending our vast array of products which cater to the specific needs of the SMEs. Tata Capital and CII will also benefit from synergies due to their respective qualities of trust and innovation." MORE PRN PS

--- ENDS ---
BERLIN, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Germany's Defence Ministry on Tuesday informed lawmakers that its plan to lease armed Heron TP drones from Israel Aerospace Industries will be delayed by months given a fresh legal challenge filed by U.S. weapons maker General Atomics.

Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen in January announced the army would lease the Heron drones for about 580 million euros instead of buying Predator B drones from the privately held U.S. firm or Switzerland's RUAG, prompting protests by both firms which were denied in May.

"This move by General Atomics is very unfortunate and frustrating, especially since our legal position was upheld by the (cartel office) with very clear words," a senior ministry acquisition official told lawmakers in a letter seen by Reuters.

The ministry did not disclose General Atomics' arguments. No comment from General Atomics was immediately available.

It was the latest setback for the minister's efforts to rebuild the German military after years of declining military budgets and reports of ill-equipped troops.

Germany's air force is facing growing problems due to delays in deliveries of the Airbus A400M military transport, and a $4 billion air defence system to be built by Lockheed Martin Corp and MBDA is also facing possible delays. MBDA is jointly owned by Airbus, Britain's BAE Systems Plc and Italy's Leonardo Finmeccanica SpA.

General Atomics had in June asked the German cartel office to review a decision rejecting its protest of the contract decision, but the agency rejected that bid on Aug. 17, according to the ministry letter, which was first reported by Spiegel Online.

In response, the company on Monday filed a lawsuit with the German higher court in Duesseldorf, the final arbiter in the case, the ministry official said.

RUAG did not pursue its case with the cartel office.

The ministry official said the latest legal process could take three to nine months to resolve, which meant the Heron project could be delayed by months.

Story continues

Tobis Lindner, a Green party member of the parliamentary budget committee, said critics had long questioned whether von der Leyen's decision to lease the Israeli drones was the economically and technologically least risky option.

"It now appears that the Defence Ministry's plans are now falling apart. Ursula von der Leyen's ambitious drone plans are over for this legislative period," he said in a statement.

The leasing plan was intended as an interim measure until the EU has developed its own drone. Germany, France, Italy and Spain plan to jointly develop a drone by 2025.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Alison Williams)
Will Inbodens recent review of my biography of George W. Bush illustrates the Bush administrations ability to live in a world of make-believe. The errors he claims to have found in the biography exist not in the book but in his review.

Inboden begins by asserting that the conversation between Bush and French President Jacques Chirac on the eve of the Iraq war, in which Bush claimed the coming war was a battle against Gog and Magog before the final judgment, never took place. He also claims the source I cite, Kurt Eichenwalds 500 Days, is by a partisan journalist without any sourcing.

Inboden is wrong on both counts. Eichenwald explicitly cites the article describing the role played by professor Thomas Romer, the biblical scholar at the University of Lausanne, who was consulted by Chiracs office to interpret Bushs remarks. The article is titled George W. Bush et la Code Ezechiel and was published in Allez Savoir, the official journal of the University of Lausanne, in September 2007.

More importantly, Chirac himself confirmed the conversation in an interview with Jean-Claude Maurice, who was writing a book about Chirac. Maurices book, Si vous le repetez, je dementirai: Chirac, Sarkozy, Villepin (Paris: Plon, 2009), quotes Chirac at length about the discussion. Chirac said he was stupefied by Bushs invocation of biblical prophecy and wondered how someone could be so superficial and fanatical in their beliefs.

Inbodens denial of this incident sets the pace for his review, which is simply another attempt to rewrite history on Bushs behalf.

Inbodens next attack is on my attribution of the statement We make our own reality to Karl Rove. The statement appeared in a 2004 New York Times Magazine article by Ron Suskind, who attributed it to an unnamed Administration official. The journalist Mark Danner later said it came from Bushs Brain  for the unnamed official speaking to Suskind is widely known to have been none other than the selfsame architect of the aircraft-carrier moment, Karl Rove. Danner is correct, and writers since have attributed the comment to Rove.

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And so it goes. Inboden believes Bushs war with Iraq has made America safer. He seems unaware that it was Bush who unilaterally changed the purpose of the war in Iraq when he announced on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln that we were going to bring democracy to Iraq. That instead of being liberators we were going to become occupiers. The military had not prepared for this, and neither had Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld or Secretary of State Colin Powell. Diplomat Paul Bremer was named to head the occupation, the Baath Party was outlawed, the Iraqi Army dissolved, and the leadership council abolished. Bremer reported directly to the White House, and the progress that had been made toward restoring order was swept away. This was a personal decision made by Bush, facilitated by the White House staff, and the results have been horrendous.

Inboden attempts to place Bush in the same category as other presidents who often cited God in their public statements. All presidents do that. But Bush is the president who believed he was Gods agent put on Earth to destroy evil.

Overall, Inbodens review represents an attempt to rewrite history based on Bushs predilections. Bush was not Americas worst president, but the crises we face today because of the Islamic State are a direct result of his having led us to war unnecessarily. I have said elsewhere that the war in Iraq is the worst foreign policy decision ever made by an American president, and I see no reason to alter that assessment after reading Inbodens review.

Photo credit: STEPHEN JAFFE/AFP/Getty Images
Jesse Morton

George Washington University has hired Jesse Morton, a reformed Islamic extremist, to work as a fellow in its Program on Extremism, The New York Times reported this week.

"Mr. Mortons affiliation is groundbreaking, as this is the first time the perspective of a U.S.-born former Islamist extremist will be inserted into the American arena," program director Lorenzo Vidino said.

Morton, whom The Times described as one of the "most prolific recruiters for Al Qaeda," was previously known as Younus Abdullah Muhammad and helped form an extremist group called Revolution Muslim. Several of his recruits are now fighting for ISIS.

Morton will have a role at George Washington's Center for Cyber & Homeland Security, a nonpartisan think tank, completing writing and research.

Before hiring Morton, the university worked with FBI officials and the lawyers who prosecuted him during a yearlong vetting process.

The university believes that his background provides the opportunity for important change.

"We haven't figured out how to reach that individual who's going down the path of radicalization," Seamus Hughes, the deputy director of the Program on Extremism, told CNN. "Jesse has been in that world and got out of that world."

Morton now says he feels deep regret for his actions as a recruiter and aims to make amends in any small way possible.

Jesse Morton

"As many people as may have traveled, or may have committed criminal acts, because of my words, I hope that I can deter just as many," he told The Times. "I may never be able to repair the damage that I have done, but I think I can at least try."

Morton was born in Pennsylvania and turned to extremism after an abusive childhood. While spending time in jail on drug-related charges, he met an Islamic extremist and started his indoctrination process, CNN reported.

In 2008 he cofounded Revolution Muslim along with Joseph Leonard Cohen (who called himself Yousef al-Khattab). In 2010, Morton fled to Morocco after another individual involved in Revolution Muslim was arrested.

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Morton was eventually arrested in Morocco and extradited to the US to serve 11 years in prison, CNN reported.

But prison, especially the library, caused him to find value in tolerance and democracy through thinkers like John Locke and Jean-Jacque Rousseau, according to CNN. He deradicalized and became an informant for the FBI, which helped reduce his time in prison. Morton was released in 2015 after serving less than three years in prison.

Still, Morton is working to overcome the remorse he feels as a result of his work with Revolution Muslim.

"I suffer from a tremendous amount of guilt," he told CNN. "I have seen things that people have done and to know that I once sympathized and supported that view  it sickens me."

Since launching in June 2015, George Washington University's Program on Extremism has become a valuable source of research and analysis on both violent and nonviolent extremism. Currently, the program is interviewing radicals and former radicals, especially those convicted for terrorism activities related to 9/11, to hear their stories and the possible triggers for radicalization, according to Vidino.

Watch The Times' video about Morton below.





More From Business Insider


By David Beasley

ATLANTA (Reuters) - A Georgia sheriff who said he accidentally shot a friend while practicing police tactics pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of reckless conduct on Tuesday, his attorney said.

Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill, 51, was sentenced to 12 months probation and fined $1,000 after critically injuring Gwenevere McCord, a friend and realtor, in May 2015 inside a model home in suburban Atlanta.

Under Georgia's first offender law, his probation was automatically canceled after he paid the fine on Tuesday morning, said Mike Puglise, Hill's attorney.

A grand jury indicted Hill on the reckless conduct charge last year.

Hill told a 911 operator that his gun had accidentally discharged while he was "practicing police tactics," Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter said at the time. McCord survived her injuries.

Hill and Porter did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment.

In a statement posted on the Facebook page of the Clayton County Sheriff's Office shortly after the shooting, Hill called the incident "a tragic and heartbreaking accident" and referred to McCord as "very dear to me."

Hill was elected to a third term as sheriff earlier this year. Puglise said Tuesday's plea would not affect Hill's ability to continue serving in the job.

"Obviously he has a vote of confidence from the people of Clayton County," the attorney said.

(Editing by Letitia Stein and Paul Simao)
Berlin (AFP) - Germany's EU Commissioner Guenther Oettinger raised doubts Tuesday about whether Britain would leave the bloc, saying he wouldn't bet on "Brexit".

Oettinger told Germany's daily Bild that he assumed June's referendum outcome in favour of Britain exiting the EU was "binding".

"But it is possible that public opinion will tip if the economic situation in the wake of the Brexit vote worsens," said Oettinger, who is Digital Economy Commissioner.

"In any case, I wouldn't place any major bets on Brexit."

Oettinger predicted that the longer the British government waited to trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty -- the legal process for leaving the bloc -- "the more insecure the situation will become -- economically and politically".

Once Article 50 is triggered, it would start a two-year countdown to Britain's exit from the European Union.

Prime Minister Theresa May has said it will not be enacted this year, the government needing time to shape Britain's exit objectives first.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for giving London the time it needs to plot the way forward and has refused to enter into preliminary negotiations before Article 50 is activated.
washing machine whirlpool

Whirlpool found a simple solution to kids chronically missing class: Give schools washing machines.

As part of its Care Counts program, the home-appliance company donated a washer and dryer to 17 schools in two districts in St. Louis, Missouri and Fairfield, California. When Whirlpool compared attendance rates to how often schools did laundry, the data revealed startling progress.

During the 2015-2016 school year, teachers and other staff members told students to bring in whatever laundry they could fit in a single bag as often they needed. Parents or teachers from the school would handle the cleaning that day, at no cost to families.

By the end of the year, the schools had done a total of 2,000 loads of laundry.

Over 90% of kids in the 17 schools came to school more often than they did before the program began, with an average increase of 6.1 extra days per year. Teachers reported that over 89% of kids participated more in class, 95% interacted with their peers more, and nearly all of them were reported as being more motivated.

todays attendance

University of California, Irvine, sociologist Richard Arum says the program likely saw such stellar results for two reasons.

"The direct effects would be that the students are not embarrassed to come to school because they have clean clothes," Arum, dean of UCI's School of Education, tells Business Insider. "The indirect mechanism would be that the program suggests to them that the larger society cares about their schooling."

Chaketa Riddle, former principal of Central Middle School in St. Louis and the district's current assistant superintendent, agrees.

Riddle tells Business Insider that her experiences have taught her that before a school can raise attendance figures, let alone test scores, it needs to create a culture of safety and support. (She admits she was late to our phone call because she was helping a mother who was seven months pregnant navigate the social security enrollment process.)

Story continues

"They feel that they belong in our school community," Riddle says of her students. "They feel that we're a family. They feel that we definitely support their needs and want to make a fun and positive and exciting school experience for them."

woman doing laundry

Chronic absenteeism is one of the biggest problems facing America's low-income schools. Some six million kids miss at least 15 days a year for numerous reasons: sickness, lack of interest, family responsibilities, drugs.

But a less talked-about reason kids might not show up is that they don't have clean clothes, and feel too embarrassed to come to school dirty. As a result, they might skip days on end, setting them back academically and burdening the system overall.

The Care Counts program won't necessarily bring all attendance rates to 100%. Some kids are bound to skip school for reasons that have nothing to do with cleanliness. But Whirlpool brand manager Chelsey Lindstrom says the data was so compelling that Whirlpool wants to expand the program across the US.

Starting this September, the company will provide washers and dryers to an additional four or five districts, bringing the total number of participating schools to just under 50.

"I think you'll just continue to see that number grow year over year as we end up launching it nationally," Lindstrom says. In the long run, as evidenced by Arum and the kids from Fairfield and St. Louis, the small leg up that comes from clean clothes could lead to much higher achievement.

According to Riddle, the tight-knit group of parents and counselors she's assembled to help with the laundry program means her district is just getting started.

"You have the visible leadership teams within the schools who want to make sure that we're eliminating any barriers that our students may have, so that they can focus on what's most important. And that's coming to school to receive an education."

NOW WATCH: These high-tech classes are the coolest thing happening in schools today





More From Business Insider


Alphabet's Google (GOOGL) will launch a ride-sharing service in San Francisco this fall, and may expand it if successful, an unnamed source told The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.

The Google carpooling service, powered by navigation app Waze, could be a rival to services like UberPOOL, and comes on the heels of reports that Alphabet executive David Drummond resigned from Uber's board of directors over concerns about a conflict of interest.

Google's ride-sharing service began as a pilot program around the company's headquarters, and charged riders at most 54 cents a mile, according to the Journal. That's less than most rides from Uber , or competitor Lyft , the Journal said, although Google's app focuses specifically on shared rides, rather than on-demand taxi services.

Anyone with the Waze app in the San Francisco area could participate, the source told the Journal. The project builds on Waze's past ride-sharing ambitions, as well as Google's hopes for its self-driving technology, the Journal reported.

Google did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

For the full story, see the article at WSJ.com.





More From CNBC


In a fresh case, a sub-inspector posted in the Adilabad district died after he fatally shot himself.

By Ashish Pandey: In a span of 15 days, two sub-inspectors working with Telangana police committed suicide raising serious questions on the functioning of police in the state.

FATALLY SHOT HIMSELF



In a fresh case, a sub-inspector posted in the Adilabad district died after he fatally shot himself. The sub-inspector identified as K. Sridhar was a native of Avanur village in Siricilla mandal of Karimnagar district. He took charge as a probationary SI at Kerameri police station two days earlier after he successfully completed his training. His family members rushed him to Asifabad hospital where he died in surgery.

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POST MORTEM REPORT



The DIG of Nizamabad, Akun Sabharwal told India Today " The sub-inspector received bullet injuries near the right side of his forehead, we are awaiting the post mortem report. An inquiry under the supervision of Officer of Special Duty has been ordered."

MENTAL TORTURE



Earlier this month, on 17th August sub inspector Ramakrishna Reddy committed suicide in Medak district in a similar manner. In his suicide note the police officer alleged mental torture by his superior circle inspector and area DSP.

--- ENDS ---
Machinery company, Gorman-Rupp Co. GRC recently announced that its subsidiary, Patterson Pump Company has communicated its intention to acquire Florida-based Morrison Pump Company through a letter of intent. The financial terms of the proposed acquisition were undisclosed.



As revealed, Morrison Pump Company is recognised as a manufacturer of large capacity pumping stations. It also provides related-services mainly for flood control and water management programs of municipalities. The firms cater to markets in the Americas, the Middle East and Asia.



Gorman-Rupp anticipates that the acquired assets will be integrated with Patterson Pump Company and subsequently compliment its business of manufacturing large-scale flood control, wastewater management and fire suppression pumps and pump systems. Also, Morrison is likely to generate roughly $7 million in revenues in 2016.



We believe such inorganic ways of strengthening its business, supported by a solid balance sheet will allow Gorman-Rupp to offer better and innovative products to customers in various operating regions. Also, the company anticipates benefitting from its cost-savings strategies and efforts to improve operational efficiency.



Gorman-Rupps financial performance in three of last four quarters has been impressive, with an average positive earnings surprise of 10.08%. Last quarter, Gorman-Rupps earnings of 25 cents per share exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 22 cents by 13.6%. Currently, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the stock is at 95 cents per share for 2016 and $1.05 for 2017.

GORMAN RUPP CO Price and Consensus

GORMAN RUPP CO Price and Consensus | GORMAN RUPP CO Quote

Zacks Rank & Other Stocks to Consider



With a market capitalization of $716.5 million, Gorman-Rupp presently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other stocks worth considering in the industry include DXP Enterprises, Inc. DXPE, Tennant Company TNC and Illinois Tool Works Inc. ITW. While both DXP Enterprises and Tennant Company sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Illinois Tool Works carries the same Zacks Rank as Gorman-Rupp.



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By George Georgiopoulos

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's largest lender Piraeus Bank turned profitable in the second quarter, helped by lower provisions for impaired loans, while rival Alpha Bank widened its loss on higher bad credit charges.

Piraeus, which is 26.2 percent owned by the country's bank rescue fund HFSF after its recapitalisation late last year, reported a net profit of 20 million euros (17.04 million pounds) after a net loss of 37 million euros in the first quarter.

Greek banks still carry large problem loan portfolios after a deep, protracted recession pushed unemployment to record highs, making it hard for borrowers to service their debts.

More than 40 percent of the sector's loans are non-performing, making the reduction of bad loan stock the biggest swing factor for Greek lenders as they continue to provision for impaired credit.

Banks are also grappling with funding gaps after deposit flight last year that led to capital controls in June 2015. They still depend on central bank funding to plug the hole.

Piraeus, with a current market value of 1.14 billion euros, said loan-loss provisions fell 8.0 percent quarter-on-quarter to 265 million euros in April-to-June from 289 million in the first quarter.

"The stabilisation of economic activity in Greece was reflected in the gradual improvement of liquidity, with deposit inflows during the last three months," Piraeus Chief Executive George Poulopoulos said in a statement.

He said Piraeus remained on course to achieve its 2016 profitability targets. Non-performing credit dropped to 39.2 percent of the group's loan book at the end of June from 39.8 percent in the first quarter.

Alpha Bank, the country's fourth-largest lender by assets and 11 percent owned by the country's bank rescue fund HFSF after its recapitalisation late last year, reported a net loss of 16.8 million euros ($18.73 million) after a bottom line loss of 2.2 million euros in the first quarter.

Its provisions for bad debt rose 37 percent quarter-on-quarter to 350 million euros, affected by additional charges to account for the restructuring of large corporate loans.

Alpha's non-performing credit edged up to 37.8 percent of its loan book at end-June from 37.4 percent at end of March.

(Reporting by George Georgiopoulos; editing by Susan Thomas)
Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide made a rare public appearance to support his party's presidential candidate.

"All of Haiti's children must give a hand to help heal our country," said Aristide, who returned to Haiti in 2011 after being ousted in a coup seven years earlier.

Speaking in Creole with his signature use of metaphor, the former shantytown priest said he and candidate Maryse Narcisse were "bringing the strength of our dignity."

When he first returned to Haiti after his lengthy exile in South Africa, the man nicknamed "Titid" declared he had called it quits with politics.

But in October last year, he urged supporters to back Famni Lavalas, his party's candidate at the time.

During his latest political outing, he waved from the opening of his car's sunroof to thousands of supporters following his motorcade.

"This is a very important moment," supporter Pierre Glatson Julien said.

"This morning, he deemed it was necessary to come out, and he is also going to travel through the country's 10 departments to help elect Maryse Narcisse so we can end social injustice here."

But Narcisse did not confirm to reporters that the ex-president would stay involved in her campaign.

During last year's October 25 vote, ruling party candidate Jovenel Moise was first with 32.76 percent support. Narcisse landed in fourth place, with just 7.05 percent of the vote.

Challenged by the opposition after an independent commission concluded the vote had been plagued by "massive fraud," the government annulled the results and called for a fresh presidential election.

Nearly 6.2 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots on October 9 in the first round of the presidential election as well as a legislative vote.

The presidential election's second round is scheduled for January 8.
BOSTON (Reuters) - A girl who was the focus of a high-profile criminal trial last year after accusing a fellow student of sexual assault has said their elite New Hampshire prep school did not take the incident seriously.

In an interview broadcast on NBC's "Today" program on Tuesday, Chessy Prout, 17, identified herself publicly as the victim in the case and said she would not have pursued criminal charges against Owen Labrie had she received a letter of apology following the May 2014 incident.

"There was just no recognition that I had gone through something like this," Prout said. She returned to the St. Paul's School in Concord after the incident but said she was ostracized and subjected to jokes by male students.

"I tried my best to go back to my school and try to have a normal life again," she said. "But if they're going to treat this topic as a joke, this is not a place I want to be."

Labrie, now 20, was found not guilty in August 2015 of raping Prout, who was 15 at the time of the incident. He was sentenced to a year in prison for convictions on lesser charges, including using a computer to seduce a minor and three misdemeanor counts of having sex with a person under the age of consent.

The case shone a harsh light on the culture of St. Paul's, which Prout's family said turned a blind eye to an unofficial tradition known as the "senior salute," in which graduating students sought out younger students for sex.

Prout's family filed suit in June, charging the school did not do enough to protect her.

"We categorically deny that there ever existed at the school a culture or tradition of sexual assault," the school said in a statement on Tuesday. "However, theres no denying the survivor's experience caused us to look anew at the culture and environment."

St. Paul's said it had taken steps including upgrading security systems and providing new training to students and staff on preventing sex assault.

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Prout spent three days testifying during the trial, acknowledging she had accepted Labrie's invitation to meet but saying she expected to kiss him and not go much further.

Defense lawyers said Labrie and the girl had a mutually flirtatious relationship and went on to have a consensual encounter that stopped short of intercourse.

(Reporting by Scott Malone; Additional reporting by Laila Kearney in New York; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Bill Trott)
BOSTON (Reuters) - A girl who was the focus of a high-profile criminal trial last year after accusing a fellow student of sexual assault has said their elite New Hampshire prep school did not take the incident seriously. In an interview broadcast on NBC's "Today" program on Tuesday, Chessy Prout, 17, identified herself publicly as the victim in the case and said she would not have pursued criminal charges against Owen Labrie had she received a letter of apology following the May 2014 incident. "There was just no recognition that I had gone through something like this," Prout said. She returned to the St. Paul's School in Concord after the incident but said she was ostracized and subjected to jokes by male students. "I tried my best to go back to my school and try to have a normal life again," she said. "But if they're going to treat this topic as a joke, this is not a place I want to be." Labrie, now 20, was found not guilty in August 2015 of raping Prout, who was 15 at the time of the incident. He was sentenced to a year in prison for convictions on lesser charges, including using a computer to seduce a minor and three misdemeanor counts of having sex with a person under the age of consent. The case shone a harsh light on the culture of St. Paul's, which Prout's family said turned a blind eye to an unofficial tradition known as the "senior salute," in which graduating students sought out younger students for sex. Prout's family filed suit in June, charging the school did not do enough to protect her. "We categorically deny that there ever existed at the school a culture or tradition of sexual assault," the school said in a statement on Tuesday. "However, theres no denying the survivor's experience caused us to look anew at the culture and environment." St. Paul's said it had taken steps including upgrading security systems and providing new training to students and staff on preventing sex assault. Prout spent three days testifying during the trial, acknowledging she had accepted Labrie's invitation to meet but saying she expected to kiss him and not go much further. Defense lawyers said Labrie and the girl had a mutually flirtatious relationship and went on to have a consensual encounter that stopped short of intercourse. (Reporting by Scott Malone; Additional reporting by Laila Kearney in New York; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Bill Trott)
False reports of an active shooter at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday night created panic and chaos, as passengers fled terminals, airlines grounded flights, and police sought to gain control over the situation.

The incident echoes a similarand far too recentsituation at New York City's John F. Kennedy Airport earlier this month, when two people there reported hearing gunshots. Passengers were forced to evacuate from three terminals while police searched every floor for evidence.

False reports of gunfire at LAX sent some passengers into a panic. More top news here: https://t.co/AxxB4xDkDN pic.twitter.com/Z06m1eLiUQ

 Los Angeles Times (@latimes) August 29, 2016



#NOW: Unconfirmed reports of shots fired @ JFK Terminal 8. #SOD #ESU & @PAPD #ESU on the scene. Situation unfolding pic.twitter.com/VcYMmMbfPj

 NYPD Special Ops (@NYPDSpecialops) August 15, 2016

In Los Angeles, as in New York, hundreds of passengers were stranded outside the airport while authorities investigated the situation. Terrified travelers stampeded away from the perceived threat, some even running onto the tarmac, according to the Wall Street Journal. Passengers on arriving planes were told of a security situation that meant they would be spending some additional time on their planes, and traffic was quickly gridlocked as police set up barricades.

In both incidents, after a few hours the initial report was deemed a false alarm and police concluded that there were never any gunshots.

LAX Airport Evacuated After Unconfirmed Reports Of Shooting https://t.co/weWCIJw7mA pic.twitter.com/xndNaYhVYW

 BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) August 29, 2016



The man in a zorro costume that caused an active shooter scare at #LAX has been arrested pic.twitter.com/DYCzfDoLYU

 Al Boe (@AlBoeNEWS) August 29, 2016



Video shows panic and chaos that erupted during security scare at JFK airport. https://t.co/FtWSLFPsFphttps://t.co/YE5sPYoGSk

 ABC News (@ABC) August 15, 2016

During the chaos of these kinds of events, travelers often don't know what to think.

In New York, some travelers sprinted towards the closest exit while others dropped to the ground to seek cover. If youre forgetting anything, its not worth your life, everyone move now! one officer yelled during the evacuation.

In both instances, the causes were benign: Travelers cheering for the Olympics and a hoax in New York, loud noises and a man in a Zorro costume in Los Angeles.

However, with increased fear of terrorism around the world, travelers understand how misunderstandings quickly devolve into chaos and confusion. Here are some tips to remember in the unfortunate event you find yourself in an emergency situation at the airport.

Walk, dont run

Earlier this month, after the attack in Nice, firecrackers were set off in Juan-les-Pins, France. Locals and tourists in the Mediterranean beach town started a mad stampede after mistaking the firecrackers for gunshots. Police said that 41 people were injured.

The domino effect is real in emergency situations and can quickly turn a harmless misunderstanding into a serious and dangerous situation. Keep calm and avoid running, while moving quickly if told to evacuate.

Dont believe gossip

According to officials, part of what caused the widespread panic at JFK was a two-pronged attack of hoax 911 calls and word-of-mouth speculation.

Dont believe anything until youve verified with airport officials to ensure you have the most current and accurate information, Los Angeles World Airports advises travelers. And avoid the temptation to speak about your theories rather than whats actually been confirmed.

Listen to instructions

Airport officials are trained to respond to these types of situations. Follow instructions as they are given to ensure an efficient emergency response. In the (unlikely) event that airport officials are not on hand to provide information, proceed to the nearest, clearly-marked exit and wait for instruction.

STEP ahead if going abroad

If youre traveling abroad, be sure to register with Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). The program will automatically notify you of any travel alerts on your route, make sure the U.S. embassy can get in touch with you during an emergency and allow family members to easily contact you if something does go wrong.

Leave your bags behind

You dont need your luggage in an emergency. Just leave it behind.

If you require assistance

Find airport staff and let them know immediately that you will need additional assistance. There may be a specific evacuation area specifically designed for travelers with any sort of disability. Airport employees who are specially trained to provide extra assistance to travelers generally wear a brightly-colored jacket and are easily identifiable.

Cailey Rizzo writes about travel, art and culture and is the founding editor of The Local Dive. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter @misscaileyanne.
Sean Hannity

Sean Hannity on Tuesday laced into Glenn Beck, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, and the so-called Never Trump movement at large, saying on his radio program that he will hold those who refused to back Donald Trump responsible should Hillary Clinton win the White House in November.

"You own Hillary Clinton. National Review, you own it. Glenn Beck, you own it. Ted Cruz, you own it. ... She wins, I'm blaming all of you," Hannity said. "[Y]ou own all of her policies."

He added: "Yeah, I'm going to name names. I'm not sitting here and wimping out. I know there are people out there blaming me."

The conservative radio host first named Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and Cruz. He then went after members of the conservative media, particularly seeming to home in on Beck, whom he characterized as on a "holy war" against Trump.

Here's a glimpse of his fiery diatribe:

"Well, let me just say to all of you. And that includes the commentator class. That includes the Jonah Goldberg class, that includes radio talk show hosts. Glenn Beck is like on a  it's a holy war for him at this point. I mean, he's off the rails attacking me every day. Blaming me for Trump. Well, no. I was fair to everybody, Glenn. Whether you want to admit it or not. I know I was fair. My conscience is clear. And I, frankly, I'm proud to pull the lever for Donald Trump with a clear conscience.

[]

"So here's what I say to all of you Never Trumpers  Glenn Beck, I hope you're listening. You own Hillary Clinton's Supreme Court appointments. You own it! You are doing everything you can do to cast doubt in people's minds! Trump gave us a list. You own her Supreme Court nominees, you own her un-vetted refugees and the 550% increase she will bring into this country. You own the jobs that illegal immigrants will take from the 95 million Americans out of the labor force. You own Obamacare, which is a disaster for this country. You own education because she is beholden to the NEA [National Education Association]. And if we don't improve the lives of 95 million Americans out of the labor force, I blame you for that, too!

Story continues

"Because you're helping elect her. And I'm also saying that, hey, we have a $4,100 increase in healthcare payments since Obama has been president. It's only going to go higher. You get responsibility for that, too! We have got 12 million more Americans on food stamps. If that increases, I'm going to blame you! We have 46 million total. Eight million more Americans living in poverty. Fifty million Americans in poverty. If that gets worse, I'm blaming you! You know, we have the worst home ownership in 51 years. If that gets worse, guess who I'm blaming? I'm blaming all of you!

"Arrogant, stubborn, lying about what Trump has said and his record. Purposefully distorting, creating doubt, misperception  and you're so obsessed, some of you with Trump, you don't even go over how corrupt Hillary is! What a disaster Obama has been. And if we have 1 in 5 American families four years from now, still without a single family member working, I am blaming you. And if in four years from now we have 1 in 6 American men, 18 to 24, in jail or living in mommy's basement, I'll blame you. And if we continue to build up more debt than every other president combined like Obama did, well, that's your debt! And that's money you are helping to steal from our kids! And we have the lowest labor participation rate since the '70s, well, I blame you for that!

"And if we elect a president because you are so stubborn, arrogant, and stupid, that can't say 'radical Islam' and can't engage an enemy and identify it, that's your fault as well! And if you help elect the single most corrupt person to ever seek the presidency, somebody who lies like she did, somebody who sold out her office for gain like she has, somebody who has failed on Iran and ISIS and radical Islam in general, and Iraq and Iran and Syria and North Africa and Libya, I'm blaming you!

"And you are going to say, 'Hannity, we blame you. You gave Donald Trump time on your show.' And I gave every other candidate time. His agenda is infinitely better than hers. And if you can't see that, then that's your problem. You own it. You own her. You own every dumb thing she's about to do. I blame you. Got it? I am going to name names regularly if she wins."

Hannity concluded the segment by saying that, "on the flip side," if Trump were to win the White House and not keep his promises, then he would accept responsibility.

"I'll take the blame and responsibility," he said. "OK? Gladly. I will proudly pull the lever for Trump."

Hannity has railed against the Never Trump movement before, but he has almost always refrained from naming specific people, particularly Beck.

Beck, through a representative, declined to comment.

The tirade was likely to deepen an already-existing rift inside the conservative news media. Hannity, Matt Drudge, Ann Coulter, and the website Breitbart have found themselves at odds with Beck and more traditional conservative news outlets over their support for Trump in this election cycle.

NOW WATCH: Jon Stewart just ranted against Republicans who have praised Trump for the same things they have bashed Obama on





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Seven years ago, 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel vanished without a trace while on spring break in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Since then, her family and friends have longed to learn the truth about what happened to the New York teen.



Earlier this month, at last, an FBI agent told a judge that authorities think Drexel was kidnapped, gang raped and then shot to death. Her remains were disposed of in an unthinkable manner, the agent said.



The break in the case was a "jailhouse confession," he said.



Here are five things to know about the investigation into Drexel's disappearance after the disturbing new allegations.





1. An Inmate Said He Saw Drexel Sexually Abused Soon Before Her Death

On Aug. 15, FBI agent Gerrick Munoz testified in court to what authorities believe happened to the blonde teenager, citing a recent "jailhouse confession" from an inmate and other witness statements, according to a court transcript obtained by PEOPLE.



That inmate, Taquan Brown, claims he was present for the gunshots that may have ended Drexel's life, according to Munoz's testimony  though Brown heard them and did not see them.



Investigators have previously said they believe Drexel was was kidnapped and held against her will for days after her disappearance.



Munoz testified in court that she was subject to "a human trafficking situation."



Brown told investigators that in 2009, soon after Drexel's disappearance, he saw Timothy Da'Shaun Taylor with other men allegedly "sexually abusing" her at a "stash house" in the area of McClellanville, South Carolina, Munoz testified.



Brown alleges that Drexel tried to flee her captors, but was immediately caught in the house and pistol-whipped, Munoz testified. Brown told Munoz he heard two shots and assumed she'd been killed, possibly by Taylor's father who was also at the home.



"Then the girl's body was wrapped up and taken away," Munoz testified.





Story continues

What Happened to Brittanee Drexel? Spring Breaker Allegedly Kidnapped, Killed and Thrown in Alligator Pit| Crime & Courts, Murder, True Crime





2. Drexel's Remains Were Allegedly Thrown to Alligators

After the teen was shot, her captors allegedly took her body to one of the many alligator pits in the area, leaving it for the reptiles to devour, Munoz testified.



"Several witnesses have told us Miss Drexel's body was placed in a pit, or gator pit, to have her body disposed of. Eaten by the gators," Munoz testified.



Drexel's remains have never been recovered, he said.



 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.





3. Drexel Didn't Tell Her Parents She Was in Myrtle Beach

Drexel was still a high school student when she left her hometown of Chili, New York, for Myrtle Beach. But her parents had no idea she was traveling so far.



"I didn't know she was going," her mother, Dawn, previously told PEOPLE. "The day she left she was angry with me because she asked me if she could go and I told her no. I said, 'There's no adults going and I have no idea who these kids are and I don't feel comfortable with it.' "



"I told her I just felt something was going to happen to her," Dawn said. "I just felt it."





What Happened to Brittanee Drexel? Spring Breaker Allegedly Kidnapped, Killed and Thrown in Alligator Pit| Crime & Courts, Murder, True Crime





4. No Charges for Taylor in Drexel's Case

Munoz's testimony in August came during a detention hearing for Timothy Taylor, to determine whether he should be free as he awaits trial on unconnected federal robbery charges in a 2011 incident.



But as Taylor's defense attorney, David Aylor, noted in court: There is no hard evidence in the case and Taylor has not been charged in Drexel's disappearance or death.



Timothy earlier received 18 months' probation as the getaway driver in the 2011 robbery of a McDonald's in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, according to court records. He was at the fast food restaurant with two others, who held up the McDonald's, according to records.



But in June, the federal government brought new charges against Taylor because, they said, his sentence was relatively light compared to other two robbers.



Aylor has called the prosecution's argument a way to "squeeze" his client into cooperating with their case.





5. Drexel's Father Believes Taylor Is Involved

On Monday, Drexel's father, Chad Drexel, took to Facebook in reaction to the FBI testimony: Chad wrote that he believes Taylor, who was 16 in 2009 and is now 25, was involved with Brittanee's disappearance and death.



"Based on evidence the FBI and the Myrtle Beach Police department has gathered, along with facts and specific information gathered from a team of private investigators that I hired to work with local law enforcement actively during the case (which will soon come to light)  we have no doubt Timothy Da'Shaun Taylor played a significant role in the abduction and murder of my daughter," Chad wrote.



Taylor's mother, Joan, has reportedly called the government's accusations against her husband and son "craziness." She testified in court in August that her son would never have been in Myrtle Beach at 16.



She called him a "great kid."



Chad said he hopes other witnesses come forward. "Please keep our family and our Brittanee in your prayers!" he wrote.
Forty-six year-old Navinkumar Patel pleaded no contest to felony charges of attempted second-degree murder and criminal threat for the June 2015 attack on his wife at the Super 8 Motel in Lawrence.

An NRI was sentenced to probation in Kansas for trying to kill his wife with a pocketknife after his attorney argued that sending him to prison could cause the man's family to be ostracized as part of their Hindu culture.

Douglas County District Judge Robert Fairchild said the cultural considerations weighed into his sentencing decision for Navinkumar Patel.

The 46-year-old pleaded no contest to felony charges of attempted second-degree murder and criminal threat for the June 2015 attack on his wife at the Super 8 Motel in Lawrence, which he owns.

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HINDU CULTURE?

His lawyer, John Kerns, told the judge that in the "Hindu culture" of Patel's family, his wife and children would suffer if he were sentenced to prison.

"The cultural part of it is very significant in this case," Judge Fairchild said. He sentenced Patel to probation but won't announce the terms until next month.

Patel's wife had sat down to eat a bowl of cereal in the motel on June 24, 2015, when her husband began yelling that she was fat and he was going to kill her, police said.

The wife retreated to an office area, where Patel stabbed her twice in the abdomen before she broke away and ran for help.

BIPOLAR DISORDER

When officers arrived, Patel directed them to the office, handed an officer the pocketknife he was holding and stated that he had stabbed his wife, police said. The wife was treated at a hospital.

A doctor testified this week that Patel suffers from bipolar disorder, which was made worse by his alcohol addiction, the Lawrence Journal-World reported

If Patel stops drinking and continues to take his medication, he is at a low risk for a repeat offense, Dr Bradley Grinage said.

WIFE SUPPORTS HIM IN COURT

More than a dozen of Patel's family members, including his wife who was stabbed, showed up in court to support him.

Prosecutors argued that Patel's conviction carries a presumptive prison sentence, but Fairchild said he's allowed to depart from guidelines with "substantial and compelling reason."

Fairchild ordered that Patel remain in jail until a proper plan is established to reduce the risk of a repeat offense. The judge plans to announce terms of probation at a hearing on September 8.



ALSO READ:

--- ENDS ---
Here's something you hear right before workers start getting huge raises.

Via The Wall Street Journal's Kate Davidson:

"We've never spent more money in the history of our firm than we are now on recruiting," said Keith Albritton, chief executive of Allen Investments, an 84-year-old wealth-management company in Lakeland, Fla.

In 2014, the firm hired an industrial psychologist who helped it identify the traits of its top-performing employees, and then developed a test for job candidates to determine how closely they fit the bill.

Hiring a third-party professional to determine the best process for screening candidates that most closely resemble existing successful employees is how we end up with charts like this, from Deutsche Bank's Torsten Slk:

Screen Shot 2016 08 30 at 10.55.55 AM

Because as an employer, you have a few options for acquiring or retaining talent.

You can pay for services aimed at getting the best people in the door, which Allen Investments seems to have done.

You can pay up to keep the best people in the door by giving raises to existing employees. As of July, average hourly earnings across the economy were up 2.6% against the prior year, the most since the financial crisis.

Median earnings are up a bit more than that.

Screen Shot 2016 08 30 at 10.58.38 AM

But as The Journal's report makes clear, at a certain point you're simply left looking for workers that do not exist.

The hook of The Journal's report is that so-called "soft skills"  think of this as the ability to interact with other humans in a way that doesn't make them go, 'What's this guy's problem?'  are in short supply.

"I can teach somebody how to slice and dice onions. I can teach somebody how to cook a soup. But its hard to teach someone normal manners, or what you consider work ethic," restaurant owner Cindy Herold told The Journal.

The answer is that when you do find someone who fits the desired profile of an employee with work ethic and common sense is that you pay them more. Wages, in other words, are going up. Soon.

Story continues

But all of this, I think, goes even beyond the current labor market dynamics we're seeing play out.

Go to any high school or university today and you're likely to hear about STEM  Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math  programs that promote students focusing on fields of study where, we're told, "real skills" can be acquired.

This is both true and not.

Think about Ms. Herold's comments that you can teach someone to slice onions and cook soup. This is a commoditized skill that follows its own logic, has its own rules, and can be picked up by someone prepared to learn and be attentive.

And a commoditized skill following its own logic that can be learned by an attentive student sounds a lot like coding.

Which is not to say the emphasis towards STEM fields is necessarily misguided in its aims, but more that it is flawed in what it implicitly de-emphasizes.

The social sciences most simply teach students how to think critically and articulate their view on something. Basically, social sciences are long exercises in reading and writing well. Being creative. Thinking independently. This is the academic proxy for developing "common sense."

And of course, the STEM fields are not completely bereft of creative thinking.

Cornell University math professor Steven Strogatz told Business Insider earlier this year:

Because they see it as so black and white, they think math is cold or math doesnt leave room for creativity. But of course thats false because pretty much everything that human beings do leave room for creativity. And math is no different. An example would be when someone is solving a math problem; theres usually lots of different right ways to do it. And some will be more creative or more insightful than others. Its not true when people say that math is just right or wrong. You can have many things that are right, but some are more elegant or more creative or more insightful or illuminating than others.

But it's when we're unable to see past the either/or nature of emphasizing certain areas of study over others, combined with a strong labor market, that we begin to see the cracks form.

NOW WATCH: EX-UNDERCOVER DEA AGENT: What I did when drug dealers asked me to try the product





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From Esquire

Out in Colorado, incumbent Democratic Senator Michael Bennet was supposed to be one of the more endangered Democratic incumbents this year. However, according to the latest Quinnipiac poll, the man is cruising by 16 points. There is a reason for this. That reason is named Darryl Glenn, and he's the latest indicator of how The Base that the Republicans have cultivated so tenderly over the past 40 years can guarantee equally a primary upset win and a general election blowout loss, especially in presidential election years.

Now, though, to the list contained Sharron Angle and Christive O'Donnell, we can add the name of Darryl Glenn.

In June, to the enormous credit of himself and his staff, Glenn, an obscure county commissioner, won a five-way Republican primary by 13 points. He had virtually no name-recognition and even less money, but Ted Cruz and Sarah Palin both came riding to his rescue. Now, to be sure, the primary itself was a bit of a madhouse, as The Denver Post explains. It involved forgery, ads featuring an exploding toilet, and a cameo appearance by a Great Dane named Duke, who probably has sworn off politics forever. (Good dog!) That is the field out of which Glenn emerged by several lengths.

[contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related Story" customtitles="It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Marco Rubio!" customimages="" content="article.46072"]

Then, people started to notice him, and, yoicks, as ThinkProgress documented. He is wildly anti-choice. He thinks Social Security is like Jim Crow because people "bow to the government and not to God." (Next on CNN: Is Medicare An Offering To Baal? Our panel debates.) He's also a climate denialist, radically anti-equality for his LGBTQ constituents, and he doesn't think the United States military should have to abide by any war crimes standards.

Story continues

At the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, he got a primetime speaking slot and delivered a ragbag of talking points and banal exhortations. Via the Gazette:

Here's the bottom line: American exceptionalism is alive and well. Evil exists. But as God as my witness, this battle has already been fought and won. Believe we can win. Believe we can change things. Believe that together, we can Make America Great Again.

And, again according to The Denver Post, Glenn seems to share with his party's presidential nominee an inability to stop running for the Republican nomination. He is running as a full-tilt Trump Republican, speaking only before friendly audiences and blacklisting any media he doesn't like.

Glenn declined to talk to The Denver Post after the Lakewood event Tuesday. "My press secretary back there will handle all Denver Post questions," he said, repeating the same line four times when asked other questions. Glenn did not explain why he is blacklisting Colorado's largest newspaper, but in an interview Thursday with KFKA talk radio, he appeared to link his decision to the Post's coverage of his conflicting explanations of a 1983 charge for third-degree assault, which was later dropped. "The Denver Post, and quite frankly the people that are covering this, when they flat-out call you a liar, instead of becoming journalists, they become advocates," he said. "I think that's totally unacceptable. So I'm drawing a very bright line.

In the battle for the Senate, the Democrats have their own problems, god knows. (Was it really necessary to run Ted Strickland again in Ohio? I think he first ran against Garfield for the House.) But Colorado was one of the places where the Republicans could have had a shot, if their own damn voters, full to the gills with four decades of I-am-not-a-professional-politician GOP propaganda, hadn't got in the way again.

Click here to respond to this post on the official Esquire Politics Facebook page.

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Meg Whitman

Billionaire Meg Whitman, who has been a major fund-raising force in the Republican Party for eons, is putting her might behind her new candidate, Hillary Clinton.

On Tuesday, Whitman was in Denver delivering her first speech for the Democratic nominee.

Whitman is the CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise who once campaigned to be governor of California. During the primaries, the lifelong Republican was the national finance chairwoman of Gov. Chris Christie's campaign.

While Christie has since become a spokesman for Republican nominee Donald Trump, Whitman couldn't stomach Trump.

So earlier this month, Whitman surprised the political world by endorsing Clinton, lambasting Trump, and encouraging other Republicans to do the same.

"I urge all Republicans to reject Donald Trump this November," Whitman wrote.

She is now trying to lead other Republicans who are disenfranchised with Trump to back Clinton not just with their votes, but with donations.

When Whitman endorsed Clinton, she also promised to help rally support and fundraise for the candidate, and this first campaign speech shows her making good on that promise.

Lifelong Republican @MegWhitman in Denver, "Hillary would do a far better job in creating jobs and for our economy." pic.twitter.com/BLNkEi0PxB  Emmy Ruiz (@emmyruiz) August 30, 2016

Whitman told attendees at a breakfast with Colorado business leaders that "Hillary would do a far better job in creating jobs and for our economy."

She also said that Clinton "has the three C's  compassion, commitment, and courage."

In an interview with TV news reporter Kyle Clark of 9News, she said that after she helps Clinton defeat Trump, she's going to focus on rebuilding the GOP. Many pundits have said that Trump's ascendancy has torn the party apart.

Story continues

Republican @MegWhitman says she will support Hillary, then try to rebuild her party after a Trump loss. #copolitics pic.twitter.com/DZreixwe4j  Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) August 30, 2016

NOW WATCH: GOP STRATEGIST: Why you should stop referring to 'white nationalists' as the 'alt-right'





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tesla model s supercharger station 2

Tesla got some extra time to get its ducks in a row for a federal investigation into the first known fatality while a Tesla was driving in Autopilot.

A Tesla Model S was involved in the first known fatal crash while Autopilot was activated May 7, prompting two separate government investigations  a preliminary evaluation of Tesla's Autopilot system by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and a homicide investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.

On July 8, NHTSA submitted an information request to Matthew Schwall, Tesla's director of field performance engineering, requesting data from Tesla as part of the NHTSA investigation into Autopilot that was due August 26.

The document requests that Tesla state how many alleged defects the company is aware of that relate to Forward Collision Warning or Automatic Emergency Braking. It also asks for any tests Tesla has done or plans to do of those two Autopilot systems as well as any changes Tesla may have made that could result in the alleged defect.

Tesla did not complete the information request on time, asking NHTSA for a one-week extension. A NHTSA spokesperson told Businesss Insider that Tesla was granted the extension and that Tesla must submit the requested data by Friday.

A Tesla spokesperson said the automaker responded to the first part of the information request and asked for an extension when NHTSA modified its request to Tesla, which Tesla will complete by September 2.

tesla autopilot accident

NHTSA declined to give any estimate as to when the investigation will close, stating that "the agency never puts a deadline on open investigations because it takes however long it takes to do a thorough job."

A spokesperson for the Florida Highway Patrol told Business Insider earlier in August that the homicide investigation into the fatal Autopilot crash was slated for completion by the end of August. Steven Montiero, a community safety officer for the Florida Highway Patrol, said no new information is expected for another one to two weeks.

Story continues

As such, both federal investigations into the Tesla fatal accident have suffered delays.

Joshua Brown, a 40-year-old Canton, Ohio, resident, was the victim of the Tesla crash. The accident occurred when Frank Baressi, a 62-year-old resident of Tampa, made a left turn in his semi-truck in front of Brown's Tesla Model S.

Tesla wrote in a blog post at the time that the Autopilot system did not notice "the white side of the tractor trailer against a brightly lit sky, so the brake was not applied." The Tesla then drove under the trailer, cutting off its roof, and crashed into two fences and a pole before stopping.

This story was updated with a Tesla spokesperson's comment Wednesday.

NOW WATCH: Tesla cars just got a whole lot better  heres whats changing





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This hidden Harry Potter book detail proves just how sneaky J.K. Rowling was

This hidden Harry Potter book detail proves just how sneaky J.K. Rowling was

We could read and re-read every book in the Harry Potter series until the end of time and never find all the hidden chambers and secrets J.K. Rowling buried in her texts. Seriously  have you heard the one about how Rowling subtly  extremely subtly  foreshadowed Dumbledores death in book three, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban? (Yeah. That happened.)

As for the latest hidden treasure, it comes courtesy of Reddit user sunshineallday, who discovered that Hermione saved Harry and Rons butts yet again when she stopped them from buying Baruffios Brain Elixir before their O.W.L exams in book five, The Order of the Phoenix.

Sunshineallday shared a photo of passages from The Sorcerers Stone (the first book in the series) and The Order of the Phoenix with the caption,

Its a good thing Hermione confiscated it before you could buy it, Harry.

The passages suggest that Hermione remembered what Professor Flitwick said about Wizard Baruffio back when she, Harry, and Ron were in their first year at Hogwarts, and wisely stopped the boys from drinking the less-than-stellar wizards elixir before it was too late.

You can thank her later, fellas.

The post This hidden Harry Potter book detail proves just how sneaky J.K. Rowling was appeared first on HelloGiggles.
The reporters were summoned to a hotel conference room and told they had three hours to review 1,173 pages of the septuagenarian Republican presidential nominees medical history. Notebooks only. No pictures or photocopying. No Internet connections.

But nothing in the file folders was off-limits, and even the most mundane notes about earwax were included in a trove that offered a remarkable window into the GOPs leader and his physical fitness to lead the nation. The only request was that the journalists not disclose the pseudonym the candidate used when he was checked into hospitals.

That was 2008, and the nominee was 71-year-old Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a cancer survivor and former prisoner of war who could have become the oldest person to assume the Presidency.

Eight years after that, the latest Republican nominee has offered merely a 175-word statement from his doctor, declaring Donald Trump, now age 70, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the Presidency. Never mind that the statement was light on details and written in just five minutes as Trumps team waited in the limo downstairs. Trust them, Trumps campaign said, in a campaign environment so deeply rooted in distrust that even the most flimsy rumors have gained traction in some corners of the Internet.

Such is the state of the 2016 campaign, when traditions such as voluntarily releasing detailed medical disclosures and tax returns are being scrapped. Neither Trump nor his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, age 68, have followed long-held practices for transparency. Both sides are relentless in pointing out transgressions from tradition for the rival, but some of the most basics of presidential candidate decorum have fallen away, such as routine access for journalists traveling with the candidates.

If elected, Clinton at age 69 would the second-oldest person to take office for the first time, behind Ronald Reagan. Trump would beat both; he would be 70 on Inauguration Day.

Story continues

In recent days, Trump seemed eager to revisit one piece of the wall both campaigns have built around themselves. I think that both candidates, Crooked Hillary and myself, should release detailed medical records. I have no problem in doing so! Hillary? he tweeted Sunday evening.

But Clintons aides warned reporters not to hold their breath. They said the note from Clintons doctor already had more detail than the one Trump released.

While frustrating in the moment, the shift in what is acceptableand what is nothas long-term implication for how much Americans think they should know about their future leaders. Voters are left to fill in the gaps, often with incorrect information amplified on social media from like-minded friends. And, in an era when basic institutions such as government are viscerally distrusted, the lack of openness will undermine confidence when one of those two wins in November.

Campaigns, after all, are merely a preview of how the victor will govern. At this moment, a paltry 16% of voters see Trump as trustworthy, besting Clintons meager 11%.

Neither party is doing itself favors in the eyes of history. Take, for instance, the persistent rumors about Clinton. Her physician last year released a letter declaring her a healthy 67-year-old female whose current medical conditions include hypothyroidism and seasonal pollen allergies. Clinton at the time took blood thinners, medications to address a thyroid condition and has recovered from a concussion. She also had surgery in 2009 to repair a fractured elbow.

That hasnt been enough for Clintons foes. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee urged his supporters on Facebook to consider if Clinton was wearing a heavy coat to hide medical devices that are supposedly keeping her alive. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson called Clinton elderly and said she should fork over her health records. Former George W. Bush political maven Karl Rove said Clinton had spent a month in the hospital after a 2012 fall at home. (She spent three days there.) Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani told Fox News that voters should go online and put down Hillary Clinton illness and see what they find.

Voters who took Giulianis advice would quickly fall down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories. Her hypothetical ailments include seizures, Parkinsons, aphasia and dysphasia, a stroke, heart disease and multiple sclerosis. And thats just on the first page of search results on Google. Fake medical records even popped up online, claiming to show she suffers brain damage and is subject to blackouts.

Some die-hard Trump supporters clearly buy the outlandish theories, but the real point of the exercise is something else entirely. Its another opportunity for the Republican nominees camp to criticize Clinton over secrecy by arguing that she is covering something up. Its the same basic format as the arguments over her use of a private email server and allegations about donors to her familys foundation.

And for the GOP nominee, its a roundabout way to argue that Clinton is somehow too weak to be President. Look, what happens, she gives a short speech then she goes home, goes to sleep, she shows up two days later, Trump told one crowd in Florida.

Clinton brushed off the conspiracy-minded attacks, telling late-night host Jimmy Kimmel to take her pulse to prove shes still alive. With every breath I take, its like a new lease on life, she said last week.

But her summary of health recordssimilar to what Barack Obama did in 2008 and 2012, and what Mitt Romney did in 2012doesnt shut down those who think Clinton could die in office if elected. A Trump aide for the mid-Atlantic region told voters that the election is really between his boss and Clinton running mate Tim Kaine. This woman is very, very sick, and theyre covering it up, Virginia and Maryland Trump director John Jaggers said, according to the conservative Washington Examiner.

Trump, its worth noting, fares no better when it comes to transparency. The real estate mogul has proclaimed he is worth an estimated $10 billion but wont release tax returns that would prove it. (Forbes, which tracks the richest Americans, estimates a better number would be a still impressive $4.5 billion.) Trump claims he is facing an IRS audit, and it would be unfair to release incomplete financial reports. (Clinton has released hers dating back to 1977, when husband Bill Clinton was running for Governor and then President, long before she ran for the Senate, President and served as Secretary of State.) Adding to the aura of secrecy around the media-savvy Trump, he has also instituted a blacklist of news organizations that he refuses to issue coverage credentials and has suggested he would make it easier for public figures like himself to sue journalists he finds unfair or question his claims.

Then, theres the basic logistical question of whether reporters themselves should have access to the candidate. It was the topic of a widely shared New York Times column on Monday. It sagely noted: Imagine if reporters had not been on Air Force One when Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in after John F. Kennedys assassination, or on 9/11, when it became a flying, wayward bunker for President George W. Bush. There are moments when you want witnesses to history whose loyalties arent tied to the protagonist.

Clinton and Kaine routinely jump on their planes, and the traveling press corps on another. Clinton aides, tired of questions about why it has been 268 days since the boss last held a press conference, say that the travel logistics are expected to change after Labor Day and routinely point out that Clinton has taken questions more than 300 times during that period; they include people like Kimmel and local talk radio in the sum. Trump has his own jetliner, Trump Force One, that he travels on, with reporters on a separate plane. Only Trumps running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, shares a plane with his reporters at this moment. If candidates can blow off reporters now, how will they act as President? Already, reporters are not allowed to hear what the candidates are telling donors behind private doors, further inspiring suspicion that they say one thing in public and another in private. Will they be hiking in Rock Creek Park, while the press who for decades has sent representatives to track their every move when they leave the White House complex, be left watching social media for a spotting?

Who sits where on what planes or in which vans, of course, is a minor issue, and one few beyond reporters and historians fret over. But a candidates healthphysical and financialand accessibility is something that would be part of the conversation in any other election year. Its a far cry from just eight years ago, when voters learned that McCain was a two-pack-a-day smoker until 1980, had kidney stones and had recently switched medicine to keep his cholesterol in check. And remember those days spent speculating whether Obama had, in fact, quit smoking?

Theres plenty still of unknowns about these two candidates health, even after the summaries they have shared. And at a time neither is particularly trusted, its curious they dont show some measure of transparency. After all, if they are to believed, neither one has anything to hide.
Los Angeles (AFP) - The news of Hollywood legend Gene Wilder's death Monday was greeted with shock by his legion of fans and fellow stars, who took to social media to voice their sorrow.

The star of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" had a body of work spanning five decades, including some of Mel Brook's best-known comedies, as well as two Oscar nominations and an Emmy Award.

Here are some of the tributes from his numerous well-known admirers.

- Mel Brooks -

"Gene Wilder - One of the truly great talents of our time. He blessed every film we did with his magic & he blessed me with his friendship," the director said on Twitter.

- Rain Pryor -

"Forever a great comedy film duo Dad and #GeneWilder RIP," tweeted Rain Pryor, the daughter of Richard Pryor, who enjoyed a long comedy acting partnership with Wilder.

She explained on Facebook that the pair were never particularly close off screen, although they "saw each other's genius and created hit films and were the best comedy film friends of all time."

"Gene was a true grown-up and I never saw him party. Dad was younger and we all know, he liked to party," she added.

"The two together accepted the other. However, nothing could beat their magic on screen nor ever will."

- Will and Grace -

In 1997, Wilder guest-starred on two episodes of NBC's "Will and Grace," winning an Emmy Award for outstanding guest actor on a comedy series for his role as Mr Stein, Will Truman's boss.

Eric McCormack, who played Will, tweeted that Wilder was "a genius I stole from constantly, and one I was humbled & thrilled to work with."

"I can't say what it meant to act with him and get to know his heart," tweeted Debra Messing, who played Grace, describing Wilder as "a man who lit up the world with his joy and genius."

- Hollywood -

"Gene Wilder (was) one of my earliest heroes. Blazing Saddles, Willy Wonka, are CLINICS on comic acting. Sad to hear of his passing," said Hollywood A-lister Rob Lowe.

Story continues

Australian "Gladiator" star Russell Crowe tweeted: "I saw Blazing Saddles 7 times at the cinema with my school friends... Gene Wilder you were a genius. "

British comedian, actor and writer Stephen Fry thanked Wilder "for all those happy happy hours," describing him as a "comic genius," while "Frozen" actor Josh Gad said he was "the greatest comedic mind of my childhood."

"RIP Gene Wilder & thank you 4 your pure imagination," he added, in a reference to one of the "Willy Wonka" songs.

Gad, who appeared in Broadway musical "Book of Mormon," also offered a lengthy tribute on Instagram, describing Wilder as "one of a kind."

"His ability to turn a phrase was unlike anything I've ever seen. Whether he was channeling uncontained chaos in 'Young Frankenstein' or controlled nuance in 'Willy Wonka,' he was always a supernova of unmatched energy on screen," Gad wrote.

"He dared you to take his eyes off him and we the audience always lost the bet."

"Vinyl" actress Olivia Wilde said "thanks for stopping by Earth for a while," while director Kevin Smith described him as "the face of childhood joy for many a generation."

The numerous actors, filmmakers and other personalities to pay tribute to Wilder also included John Cusack, Ricky Gervais, Elizabeth Banks, Albert Brooks, James Urbaniak, Larry Wilmore, Alan Tudyk and Uzo Aduba.
Check out the companies making headlines after the bell on Tuesday:



Shares of H&R Block (HRB) fell more than 6 percent in extended trading after the company reported first-quarter results that missed analysts' estimates.

The company reported a first-quarter loss of 55 cents per share on revenue of $125 million. Analysts expected the company to report a loss of 53 cents per share on revenues of $133 million, according to a Thomson Reuters consensus estimate.

"Because of the highly seasonal nature of our business, the fiscal first quarter is not indicative of our full year results. That said, all of the company's efforts remain laser-focused on executing a successful tax season," said Bill Cobb, H&R Block's president and chief executive officer.



Shares of Palo Alto Networks (PANW) slid more than 3 percent after hours after the company reported a fourth-quarter revenue beat along with earnings in line with analysts' estimates.

The company reported fourth-quarter earnings of 50 cents per share ex-times on revenues of $401 million, compared to analysts' expectations for earnings of 50 cents per share on revenues of $390 million, according to a Thomson Reuters consensus estimate.

Palo Alto Networks also reported first-quarter earnings guidance in a range of 51 cents per share to 53 cents per share, slightly below analysts' estimated guidance of 56 cents per share for the current quarter.

Shares of Veeva Systems (VEEV) popped more than 3 percent in extended trading after the company reported second-quarter earnings and revenue beats.

The cloud-computing company reported second-quarter earnings of 15 cents per share on revenue of $131.4 million. Analysts expected earnings of 13 cents per share on revenues of $126.6 million, according to a Thomson Reuters consensus estimate.



Veeva reported a 40 percent year-over-year increase in subscription service revenue for the second quarter.

Shares of DSW (DSW) fell more than 1 percent in extended trading after the company reported its second-quarter earnings.

Story continues

DSW reported second-quarter earnings of 35 cents per share on revenues of $659 million, compared to analysts' expectations of 30 cents per share on revenues of $659 million, according to a Thomson Reuters consensus estimate.

The company also reported a 1.2 percent decline in comparable sales. Analysts expected a 2.8 percent decline in comparable sales, according to a Thomson Reuters consensus estimate.

Shares of Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) edged lower after hours after the company reported second-quarter losses that missed analyst's estimates.

The company reported a loss of 25 cents per share ex-items on revenues $783 million. Analysts expected losses of 20 cents per share on revenue of $783 million, according to a Thomson Reuters consensus estimate.

Correction: This story was revised to correct to DSW.





More From CNBC


The transformation of this black wedding dress reveals just how salty the Dead Sea is.

By India Today Web Desk:

After the #dressgate phenomenon divided the internet over its colour, here's another dress that's going viral. This time around, an artist shows the dramatic transformation of a black wedding dress that was submerged in the Dead Sea for months.

The Dead Sea, which is the lowest point on earth, is also known to be the saltiest of water bodies. The hyper-salinity makes it several times saltier than the open ocean.

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Israeli artist Sigalit Landau placed the early twentieth-century-style black gown in the waters of the Dead Sea for nearly two months in 2014 and kept it suspended using a synthetic net.

The 1920s-like old fashioned wedding gown was recently lifted from the salty waters and it had transformed into a shining salt encrusted sculpture. Over the course of two months, the artist clicked a series of photographs documenting the transition of the dress.



Studio Landau lifting "Small Salt Bride" from the waters of the Dead Sea. Photo: Matanya Tausig #SaltBride #SigalitLandau #Salt #DeadSea #marlboroughcontemporary A photo posted by Marlborough Contemporary (@marlborough_contemporary) on Aug 3, 2016 at 6:55am PDT



The artist who has been studying salt crystallisation of objects for years, said, "It looks like snow, like sugar, like death's embrace; solid tears, like a white surrender to fire and water combined."



The series of pictures documenting the surreal transformation of the dress are displayed at Londons Marlborough Contemporary. The exhibition which is open till September 3 is aptly been named as the Salt Bride.



Salt Bride #SigalitLandau #saltbride #deadsea #dybbuk A photo posted by Bald Ginger Real Estate (@baldginj) on Aug 24, 2016 at 2:33pm PDT





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Claiming that the entire visual effects industry now operates on race-to-the bottom conditions, IATSE president Matt Loeb has extended an open invitation to all members of the VFX community to offer assistance. The offer comes in the wake of this months bankruptcy of ARC Productions in Toronto, and allegations that Nitrogen Studios didnt pay overtime to animators on Sonys recent release Sausage Party, which was shot in British Columbia.

The union says it has offered to work with former ARC employees to help them with paperwork required by the government to claim a portion of unpaid wages, and with the former employees of ARC and Nitrogen by arranging a meeting with our legal counsel to determine if there is a process by which we can move forward.

Visual effects workers are in an untenable situation, and somethings gotta give, Loeb said in a statement posted on the unions website. IATSE does not want to see this situation continue to go unchecked, so we urge those in the VFX community to contact us for support and assistance. These workers deserve better.

The union says its been working closely with VFX artists for years, many of whom have relayed stories of unnecessary hardship and unfair treatment in the workplace. Many VFX artists have voiced an interest in union representation, but due to a number of factors they have expressed  including the temporary nature of their work and its portability  standing up and uniting has been challenging.

IATSE says its familiar with the situation and is encouraging these workers to reach out and begin the conversation.

The union is a bit late to the Sausage Party dispute, however, as Unifor Local 2000, a union representing media workers in British Columbia, recently filed a complaint with the B.C. Ministry of Labors Employment Standards Branch on behalf of the animators.

Nitrogen said the claims are without merit. Our production adhered to all overtime laws and regulations, as well as our contractual obligations with our artists.

Story continues

Arc Productions, the studio behind the Thomas & Friends animated kids show, shut down its operations August 2. We regret to inform you that Arc is experiencing significant financial difficulties and a liquidity crisis, CEO Tom Murray wrote in a letter to his staff. Despite the very best efforts of management to find a solution to this financial emergency, we have not been able to resolve this matter with our lender.

Arc was formerly Starz Animation until it was bought by a group of Canadian investors in 2011.

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By Krishna N. Das and Sankalp Phartiyal

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will auction a diamond project that global miner Rio Tinto is abandoning, or allocate it to a state firm, the mines secretary said on Tuesday, adding that the government would move fast to tap the resource.

The Bunder deposit, about 500 km (300 miles) southeast of New Delhi and discovered by Rio Tinto in 2004, is estimated to contain about 27.4 million carats of diamonds potentially worth billions of dollars.

But Rio Tinto said this month it would pull out of the project by the end of the year to conserve cash and cut costs. A spokesman for the company said it has spent around $90 million on Bunder over the past 14 years and that total investment planned had been $500 million.

In early August, the company reported a 47 percent slump in first-half profit to its weakest in 12 years and underlined the importance of cost-cutting.

Mines Secretary Balvinder Kumar told Reuters the withdrawal was a surprise as the company was close to getting a forest clearance for the mine from the environment ministry.

Rio Tinto's decision came at a time when the government was seeking the help of it and its rivals, such as Anglo American, to explore for diamonds and gold to make India a major mineral producer.

"It's a commercial decision taken by their headquarters in which we could have not done anything," said Kumar, who has been briefed by Rio Tinto India management on the exit.

"Bunder is one of the best deposits in India and we would like to make sure that it is tapped."

Kumar said he would talk to parties interested in Bunder when Rio Tinto formally hands the project back to the state government of Madhya Pradesh, where it is located.

Rio Tinto has said the company would work with the government on the future of Bunder and was "looking at options for a third-party investor to carry forward the development of the project".

Kumar, however, said as the Bunder deposit is located in a forested area important to tiger and other wildlife habitats, fresh environmental permissions maybe required for the next operator and that could be a challenge.

(Reporting by Krishna N. Das and Sankalp Phartiyal; Editing by Robert Birsel and Louise Heavens)
KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal on Tuesday banned an Indian couple from mountain climbing in the country for 10 years after they tried to fake a successful ascent of Mount Everest with digitally altered photographs, officials said. Police constables Tarakeshwari and Dinesh Rathod were among hundreds of climbers who attempted the 8,850 meter (29,035 feet) summit this climbing season, a year after the peak was closed following the death of 18 climbers in an avalanche triggered by an earthquake. Tourism Department official Gyanendra Shrestha said a government investigation had confirmed complaints by other climbers that the Indian couple had doctored photographs to show themselves at the top of the world's highest mountain. "We have revoked their climbing certificate," Shrestha told Reuters. "They will not be allowed to do any climbing activity in Nepal for 10 years." Tourism officials said that analysis of photos submitted by the couple showed they had superimposed their faces and the Indian flag on pictures taken by another climber who had climbed Everest a few days earlier than they claimed to have done so. They held a news conference in the capital, Kathmandu, on June 5 to say they had reached the peak of Everest on May 23. The Rathods, who serve in the police force in the city of Pune, could not immediately be reached for comment. The city's commissioner of police, Rashmi Shukla, said an inquiry had been opened into apparent discrepancies in their Everest account. "We are waiting for information from the Nepali side," Shukla told Reuters. Nepal is home to eight of the world's 14 highest peaks. The $11,000 permit fee paid by climbers is a key source of income for the cash-strapped country, in addition to outlays for logistics, sherpa guides and gear that support its economy. (Reporting by Gopal Sharma and Douglas Busvine; Editing by Robert Birsel)
An Indian minister who said foreign women visiting the country should not wear skirts hastily walked back his controversial comments Monday, saying he was only referring to religious places and said what he did out of concern.

I am a father of two daughters, I would never tell women what they should wear or not, said Mahesh Sharma, according to local broadcaster NDTV. Such a ban is unimaginable, but it is not a crime to be cautious.

Quiz: Can You Guess These Back to School Prices?

Sharma, a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and Minister of State for Culture and Tourism, had said a day earlier that women traveling to India should not wear skirts and avoid going out alone at night. His comments caused a storm and considerable ridicule on Twitter.

This is not the first time the politician has made questionable comments, saying last year that it was not acceptable in India for girls to go out at night.

[NDTV]
Sarah Palin suffered a nasty gash to her face and used the injury to take a few jabs at Hillary Clinton.

Read: Extramarital Affair Costs 'Swinger' Army General His Job: Reports

Palin posted photos Sunday that show her receiving medical care for a bloody and swollen cut over her eye.

The former governor of Alaska says she hurt herself after while rock running. It is unclear when or where she fell. Along with the photos, she posted a rant, accusing Clinton of dodging the press.

Leave Hillary alone, bullies, she sarcastically wrote.

Read: Anthony Weiner Reportedly Warned His Wife Huma That Raunchy Photos Were About to Be Leaked

She added: "Aww, c'mon guys, give her a break. Anyone can be out of commission.... for weeks on end... whilst in the heat of battle for the highest office in the land. No press conferences for nearly a year? No scheduled campaign events for days upon days? No statements, no answers, no accountability, no problem. Layin' low to run out the clock before November, but you're SEXIST for noticing it."

Since January, the outspoken Republican has been stumping for Trump.

Watch: Son of a Gun: Bristol Palin Took Her 7-Year-Old Boy Shooting to 'Teach Them Young'

Related Articles:
Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. INO announced that it has initiated the second study on its preventive Zika vaccine, GLS-5700, in Puerto Rico. The companys shares gained 4.6% on the news.

The placebo-controlled, double-blind study is being conducted in 160 healthy adult volunteers (80 patients will receive vaccine, while the other 80 will receive placebo) to evaluate the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of GLS-5700 when administered with Inovios proprietary intradermal DNA vaccine delivery device. The company will also evaluate the differences in Zika infection rates in participants given either placebo or vaccine as part of an exploratory endpoint.

Positive results from the study will allow Inovio to meet regulators in 2017 to determine the path forward for the Zika vaccine. This June, Inovio initiated the first study (phase I) on GLS-5700 in the U.S. and Canada. The study has been fully enrolled and patients have been dosed and Inovio anticipates results by the year end.

We note that Inovio is co-developing the Zika vaccine with South Korean DNA vaccine developer, GeneOne Life Science, Inc., and academic collaborators from the U.S. and Canada. These academic collaborators have also been working with Inovio to advance its Ebola and MERS vaccines through clinical development.

Zika Outbreak: Public Health Emergency in Puerto Rico

The commencement of the second study by Inovio followed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declaration of the outbreak of Zika virus in Puerto Rico as a public health emergency in early August. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention believes that Zika virus will infect more than 25% of the Puerto Rican population by the year end.

The widespread Zika outbreak in Puerto Rico has created an immediate and exclusive opportunity for Inovio to explore the early signals of its vaccine efficacy. It is aimed to help contain the outbreak, which has now expanded into the continental U.S.

Story continues

INOVIO PHARMAC Price

INOVIO PHARMAC Price | INOVIO PHARMAC Quote

About the Zika Virus

Per Inovios press release, this mosquito-borne virus has spread rapidly through the South Pacific and into South America, Central America and the Caribbean over the past 10 years. As of Aug 2016, 66 countries and territories have reported evidence of mosquito-borne transmission of the Zika virus since 2015, compared to the World Health Organizations (WHO) first Zika situation report of 33 countries in Feb 2016. The outbreak of Zika virus was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the WHO in February.

Although Zika virus is generally associated with common symptoms like fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis, it may also lead to a severe birth defect, called microcephaly (underdeveloped brains), in infants if their mothers are infected during pregnancy. Zika virus is also associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome, which causes muscle weakness of the limbs and in severe cases, may cause almost total paralysis including the inability to breathe.

With no approved vaccine or treatment for this contagious virus yet, companies including Intrexon Corporation XON are looking to develop Zika virus vaccines. However, only Inovio and a U.S. government research center have started clinical studies so far.

Inovio is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock. A couple of better-ranked stocks in the health care sector are ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ANIP and Geron Corporation GERN, both sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

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You may not know this, but there's an annual, bird-related event in Australia that's so hellish it gets it's own name; Magpie Season. This time around however, an interactive map is helping users avoid getting pecked by collating social media data, to document magpie attacks and provide friendly warnings in real time.

SEE ALSO: 8 Real Dangers of Spring in Australia

During spring, when the Australian magpie starts nesting, they become notoriously territorial that they dive-bomb, swoop, and generally stalk cyclists and pedestrians alike. It's terrifying.

Nesting season typically lasts for or four to six weeks between August to October, though this year Australians are being warned that the tyranny from the skies could extend right up until Christmas.

Magpie season is also prime GoPro season, with footage serving as a reminder while we may be top of the food chain, our heads are soft and a magpie's beak is hard.

Scared yet? If that's not enough, research from Professor Darryl Jones of Griffith University has indicated that the eye-gouging birds remember their victims.

A handful of the magpie attacks across Sydney in August 2016 as shown on the interactive map.

Image: magpiealert.com screenshot

The rise in magpie attacks usually sees a correlative increase in peculiar head adornment in cyclists, as they try to deter the birds from swooping. Everything from cable ties and pipe-cleaners sticking out of a helmet, to googly eyes, pictures of enlarged human eyes and to-scale models of other birds.

Want to stay alive > fear of looking silly.

Image: BikeHacks

Not that that will help you much. Professor Jones also told the Gold Coast Bulletin that If they think youre a threat they will follow you and attack you for years. If youve been attacked in the past youll probably get attacked in the future.

It's no laughing matter. That is, unless it's happening to someone else, and then it's a real doozy.
Dholavira is a site of an ancient metropolitan town of the Harappan period and was their largest port-town.

By PTI: Port town of Dholavira in Gujarat, the fifth largest Harappan site, might have been destroyed by a massive tsunami, a study by CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) has revealed.

Dholavira is a site of an ancient metropolitan town of the Harappan period and was their largest port-town.

HARAPPANS PIONEERS IN COASTAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT



"The results clearly indicate that massive tsunamis are not uncommon in the region. The thick wall in Dholavira shows that Harappans were not only aware of the potential threats from tsunamis, but they were also pioneers in coastal disaster management.

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"Most importantly, results of this study opens that possibly Dholavira, at least in part, could have been destroyed by such a tsunami," NIO Director Dr SWA Naqvi said yesterday.

He was sharing findings of the detailed study conducted by scientists of the Goa-based institute.

The team of scientists, led by Rajiv Nigam, had embarked on the study on the port town at a time when the real purpose of the Dholavira wall has been a topic of considerable debate.

The study has proposed that the thick wall was built to protect the town from extreme oceanic events such as storm surges and tsunamis, Naqvi said.

"This well-planned urban settlement flourished for about 1500 years from about 5000 to 3450 years before present archaeological excavations show that the township comprised three parts -- castle, the middle town and the lower town," he said.

DHOLAVIRA'S UNIQUE FEATURE



A unique feature of Dholavira is the presence of a 14-18 meters thick wall, apparently built as a protective measure.

"Intriguingly, walls of such thickness are not found even in historic times when the conflicts have been more common and the weapons had become increasingly more destructive," he said.

Naqvi said CSIR-NIO has carried out additional work at this site with a team of palaeoclimatologists, archaeologists and geophysicists from the institute surveyed a hitherto unexcavated area using Ground Penetrating Radar and systematically collected soil samples.

TSUNAMIS COMMON



The director said tsunamis are known to have hit the region during the historical period.

For example, the Makran Earthquake of November 28, 1945 generated a huge tsunami, over 10 meters in height that devastated large areas along the northern shores of the Arabian sea.

Naqvi said the exact timing of the sediments deposited in Dholavira is yet to be established.

Also Read: PM Modi launches irrigation project in Gujarat's Jamnagar

--- ENDS ---
IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 30, 2016 / Khang & Khang LLP (the "Firm") announces a class action lawsuit has been filed against Embraer S.A. ("Embraer" or the "Company") (ERJ). Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired shares between April 16, 2012 and July 28, 2016 inclusive (the "Class Period"), are encouraged to contact the Firm prior to the October 7, 2016 lead plaintiff motion deadline.

If you purchased shares of Embraer during the Class Period, please contact Joon M. Khang, Esquire, of Khang & Khang, 18101 Von Karman Avenue, 3rd Floor, Irvine, CA 92612, by telephone: (949) 419-3834, or by e-mail at joon@khanglaw.com.

There has been no class certification in this case yet. Until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. You may choose to take no action and remain a passive class member.

According to the complaint, the Company made false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose material facts, specifically that it paid bribes to Dominican Republic officials to secure contracts for aircraft sales; that Embraer's President and CEO Frederico Curado had knowledge of the bribe; that the fallout from this misconduct would cost Embraer hundreds of millions of dollars; and as a result of the above, the Company's statements about its business, operations, and prospects were false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.

In June 2016, the Company announced that CEO Frederico Curado would resign. On July 29, 2016, Embraer announced a loss of $99.4 million for the quarter after setting aside $200 million in connection with a U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act probe that it was negotiating with the U.S. Department of Justice since May 2015. The Company also reduced 2016 guidance for its executive jet business. When this information was released to the public, Embraer shares decreased in value, causing investors harm.

If you wish to learn more about this lawsuit, or if you have any questions concerning this notice or your rights, please contact Joon M. Khang, a prominent litigator for almost two decades, by telephone: (949) 419-3834, or by e-mail at joon@khanglaw.com.

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This press release may constitute Attorney Advertising in certain jurisdictions.

Contacts

Joon M. Khang, Esq.

Telephone: 949-419-3834

Facsimile: 949-225-4474

joon@khanglaw.com

SOURCE: Khang & Khang LLP
Stephanie Hughes used to watch TLCs I Didnt Know I Was Pregnant and think, There is no way that could ever happen to me.

And then it did.

On Friday, August 26, Hughes went to the hospital with bleeding and excruciating cramps. I thought it was a bad period, she tells Us Weekly. Less than three hours later, she welcomed a 6-pound, 13-ounce baby girl named Ames Unity Hughes, via C-section at UnityPoint Health Trinity Regional Medical Center in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

PHOTOS: Celebrity Babies 2016

I never had any cravings. I never got sick. I was still wearing my regular clothes, the 36-year-old tells Us. I had no signs of pregnancy.

The Iowa-based office worker and her husband of 12 years, Christian Hughes, are also parents of son Carmelo, 11. Christian has two children from a previous marriage, Derek Hughes, 29, and 33-year-old Leslie Hughes, who was on Sean Lowes season 17 of The Bachelor.



PHOTOS: The Bachelor After the Final Rose: Broken Engagements, Weddings, Babies and More!

Leslie was here just two weeks before I gave birth, and she thought it looked like Id lost weight, Stephanie tells Us. My mom just thought Id gained in the hips.





Stephanie knows she will face public backlash for not realizing that she carried a full-term pregnancy, but she believes this could happen to anyone. People ask me, Didnt you ever feel a kick? And no, not like with my son, she explains. My husband even asked me if I felt her move. When I was pregnant with my son, I could see him put his foot across my belly. With Carmelo I was emotional. I had heartburn.



Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale School of Medicine, has seen many cases like Hughes. Many of the women in this category are heavy and dont notice the extra weight, Dr. Minkin tells Us. Some of them have what is called an anterior placenta  and this sort of shields kicks that they might otherwise feel.

PHOTOS: Cutest Celebrity Baby Announcements

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Meanwhile, though Stephanie and Christian, 54, were not planning for baby No. 2, they are are smitten with their newborn, who is being monitored at Blank Childrens Hospital for low oxygen levels and a stomach infection. I didnt realize how fast I fell in love with her until the moment I found out that something was wrong, and I broke down and started crying, Christian tells Us. Its been five days now and were still waiting to get her home. I wish that day would get here so we can show her how much we love her.

Leslie Hughes set up a YouCaring page to help raise funds for Ames care and baby essentials such as diapers, a crib and a car seat.





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By Dmitry Zhdannikov

LONDON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Iraqi state oil firm SOMO has blacklisted three tankers involved in shipping crude from Kurdistan, stepping up pressure on the semi-autonomous region amid tense talks on sharing oil revenue.

Kurdistan has been exporting crude independently via Turkey since mid-2015 after saying Baghdad had failed to respect an oil revenue-sharing deal and transfer enough money to Erbil.

Baghdad, which exports most of its oil from the Gulf, has said Erbil was not exporting enough crude under the deal.

Last week SOMO sent market participants a letter - seen by Reuters - saying it would no longer allow the ships Maran Centaurus, Four Smile and SN Olivia, which had been shipping Kurdish oil, to enter Iraqi ports or export its crude.

Baghdad has regularly sent such letters in the past. It had refrained from doing so in recent months as it was preparing for new talks on revenue-sharing with Kurdistan and had resumed shipping crude from the northern Kirkuk fields to Kurdistan.

SOMO did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest letter.

The semi-autonomous region exports around 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) of its own crude from the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. Baghdad's shipments to Kurdistan of Kirkuk crude, which it restarted earlier this month, have been only half the previously supplied 180,000 bpd.

Baghdad said last week it could divert the Kirkuk crude to Iran by truck instead of sending it to Kurdistan via pipeline if the talks on revenue-sharing broke down.

The move may further undermine Kurdistan, whose funds have been sapped by its fight against Islamic State militants. The region's oil exports do not cover its budget needs.

Diverting oil to Iran could also damage the unity of Iraqi Kurdistan, which had been counting on additional crude from Kirkuk.

The only way SOMO could truck oil to Iran would be through the central Kurdish region of Suleimaniya, controlled by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, a rival of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Kurdish President Masoud Barzani in Erbil.

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"The move could be very divisive for the Kurds but also it could set a precedent for other political parties in Iraq to demand their own oil," a government source in Erbil said.

Sending crude to Iran would also involve significantly higher trucking costs - estimated at up to $20 per barrel - than sending oil by pipeline to the Mediterranean, thus further reducing revenues from oil exports.

(Reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov; Editing by Dale Hudson)
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq would support a decision by OPEC to freeze oil output to prop up prices, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told a news conference in Baghdad on Tuesday.

"We are with freezing production at the OPEC meeting," he said, in the clearest indication yet about the position Iraq will support when the oil exporters' group meets next month.

Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries are due to meet informally in Algeria on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum (IEF) on Sept. 26-28.

OPEC's second-largest producer, after Saudi Arabia, Iraq has previously sent contradictory signals about its position.

Oil Minister Jabar al-Luaibi last week said Iraq plans to play "a very active role" with other OPEC members to support prices while at the same time expanding its own output, which now stands at about 4.6 million barrels per day.

Iraq funds 95 percent of its budget through oil sales. Its economy is reeling under the double impact of lower crude prices and the cost of fighting Islamic State, the militant group that overran swathes of its territory two years ago.

(Reporting by Saif Hameed; writing by Maher Chmaytelli; editing by David Clarke)
By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraq is on track to meet its objective of retaking the city of Mosul from Islamic State later this year, should Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi choose to go forward as planned, the head of the U.S. military's Central Command said on Tuesday. "It's the prime minister's objective to have that done by the end of the year," General Joseph Votel, who oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East, told a news conference. "My assessment is that we can meet the ... prime minister's objectives, if that's what he chooses to do." Two years since Islamic State seized wide swathes of northern and western Iraq, Votel said momentum had firmly shifted against the militant group as it loses territory in its self-proclaimed "caliphate". Mosul has been the largest urban center under the militants' control, with a pre-war population of nearly 2 million. It was from Mosul's Grand Mosque in 2014 that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a "caliphate" spanning regions of Iraq and Syria. Votel said the battle for Mosul could present a mixed picture for war planners, with Islamic State retreating in some areas only to reinforce in others. "ISIL is having to make hard decisions, because they're being pressured in a variety of ways," Votel said. He pointed to the two-and-a-half month battle by U.S.-backed forces in Syria to take back the town of Manbij from Islamic State as an example of how fighting could become protracted. "We should expect that in some places, perhaps in some parts of Mosul, they will cede that area to us, to the coalition, to the Iraqis. And then in other areas, they will fight harder to hold onto that," Votel said. Although Iraqi and U.S. officials have not announced a timetable for moving on the city, a senior Baghdad-based diplomat said last month Abadi wanted to bring forward the start of the Mosul campaign to October. The U.N. estimates that under a worst-case scenario, more than 1 million people could be displaced from Mosul and another 830,000 from a populated corridor south of the city, adding to the burden of caring for 3.5 million Iraqis displaced by Islamic State's 2014 onslaught and U.S.-backed Iraqi counter-offensives. (Reporting by Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali and Ruthy Munoz; Editing by James Dalgleish)
By Stephen Kalin QAYYARA, Iraq (Reuters) - It gets darker earlier these days in the northern Iraqi town of Qayyara, which Islamic State militants abandoned about a week ago after setting fire to many of the region's oil wells. Smoke billowing into the sky during a Reuters visit on Monday blotted out the sun in central districts hours before nightfall, producing an apocalyptic scene in this desert settlement which lacks electricity amid 49 degree Celsius (120F) temperatures. The Iraqi military's recapture of Qayyara, along with a nearby airbase in July, is the latest and most significant advance in a U.S.-backed push to Mosul, the largest city under Islamic State control anywhere in its self-proclaimed caliphate. Baghdad wants to retake Mosul before the end of the year, which it says will effectively end the militants' presence in Iraq more than two years after they seized a third of its territory. Some officials from countries in the U.S.-led coalition supporting the Iraqi forces have said that timeline may be too ambitious. Yet the loss of Qayyara certainly dealt a blow to Islamic State, which had extracted oil from some 60 wells and sold it to help finance its activities. Islamic State used to ship at least 50 tanker truckloads a day from Qayyara and nearby Najma oilfields to neighboring Syria. A sign remains on the main road announcing prices of crude in places like the Syrian city of Aleppo, 550 km (340 miles) west of Qayyara. Rudimentary refineries once used to refine oil for local consumption have been abandoned on the side of the road leading east out of the town. The smell of petrol now overwhelms the area, wind carrying the smoke from well fires into the town center. More than a few minutes in the area leaves one's throat burning, and children walking the streets have quickly developed coughs. Abdel Aziz Saleh, a 25-year-old Qayyara resident, said he wants Baghdad to put out the fires as soon as possible. "They are suffocating us," he said. "The birds, the animals are black, the people are black. Gas rains down on us at night. Now the gas has reached the residential areas." He and other residents said oil had spilled into the nearby Tigris River - assertions denied by the oil ministry, which said the oil spills had been contained by trenches. While several bodies were seen floating in the river on Monday, Reuters could not confirm it had been contaminated with oil. Iraq says it has put out fires at four oil wells in the Qayyara region, but Reuters could not locate any such efforts at the wells closest to residential areas. Around a dozen separate plumes of smoke were still distinguishable across the horizon as night fell, when a convoy of firetrucks approached the town. It was not immediately clear how long it will take to extinguish the flames. When Iraq's military torched hundreds of Kuwaiti oil wells in 1991 ahead of advancing U.S.-led forces, most fires burned for around two months but some wells were not capped for almost a year. The oil ministry said it does not expect to resume production from the Qayyara region before Mosul's recapture. The two main fields, Qayyara and Najma, used to produce 30,000 barrels per day of heavy crude before the takeover by Islamic State. PEOPLE IN THE STREETS Despite the well fires, Qayyara remains full of inhabitants. Whereas civilians in most other areas recaptured from Islamic State fled ahead of or during government offensives the majority of Qayyara's roughly 20,000 residents have stayed put. A counter-terrorism officer said that was partly due to the speed with which the army recaptured Qayyara, surprising the Islamic State fighters before they were able to dig in. Qayyara is also located near a military airfield, so many residents in the area have relatives in the army. With no power and no more fear of punishment from Islamic State's harsh rule, much of the population was in the streets on Monday, waving to military vehicles that handed out basic supplies like cooking oil, sugar and canned food. Children flashed peace signs and some played in the black reflective pools of oil that spilled into main streets after Islamic State blew up pipelines and wells next to a main hospital in a likely attempt to obstruct visibility for coalition air strikes. Commanders are confident electricity can be restored soon in Qayyara and said booby trapped streets and buildings are less of a concern than they were in the western cities of Ramadi and Falluja. "We surrounded them quickly, so they didn't have time to lay many IEDs (improvised explosive devices)," said the officer from the elite counter-terrorism service (CTS), which spearheaded the Qayyara operation along with the army's 9th armored division. "There were a lot on the main street they thought we would use to enter but instead we came in from the desert." The militants still managed to put up a fight, he said, quickly mustering five vehicle-borne IEDs to attack the forces. The approach to the city shows signs of the fighting that followed, with many buildings collapsed by aerial bombardment. The U.S.-led coalition said it had launched more than 500 air strikes in support of Iraqi forces, nearly as many as in last year's battle for the much larger city of Ramadi. Qayyara and its nearby airbase - where the bulk of a 560-strong U.S. troop reinforcement will be based - will form the main staging base for the anticipated offensive on Mosul, 60 km (35 miles) to the north. Many neighborhoods in Qayyara appear mostly or completely intact, and civilians, many of whom appeared to have recently shaved the beards that Islamic State requires men to grow, said they feel safe in their homes. After showing off the body of an Islamic State fighter crushed when the building he was in was hit by an air strike, two men from Qayyara alerted soldiers to a possible suicide bomber hiding in a nearby home, which they proceeded to investigate. A hundred meters from the decomposing corpse, a well fire burned, spewing smoke and bright flashes into the sky. (Writing by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Dominic Evans)
Jerusalem (AFP) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Tuesday called criticism of Israeli settlement building "absurd" after a UN envoy strongly hit out at his government over the issue.

"The claim that it is illegal for Jews to build in Jerusalem is as absurd as saying Americans can't build in Washington or the French can't build in Paris," Netanyahu spokesman David Keyes said in a statement.

Nickolay Mladenov, the UN coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told the Security Council on Monday that Israeli settlement expansion has surged in the two months since a key report called for a halt.

The report by the diplomatic Quartet -- the European Union, Russia, the UN and the United States -- said construction of settlements on land earmarked to be part of a future Palestinian state is killing off prospects for a peace deal based on a two-state solution.

Since July 1, Israeli has advanced plans for more than 1,000 housing units in annexed east Jerusalem and 735 units in the occupied West Bank, Mladenov said.

He also said Israel has undertaken a land survey on the outskirts of Bethlehem for the establishment of a new settlement in a move that would contribute to the "dismemberment of the southern West Bank."

The Security Council declared Israeli settlements in occupied territory to be illegal in a resolution adopted in 1979.

Mladenov said that determination was "equally true and even more urgent a concern today."

Keyes said the UN envoy's comments "made peace harder to achieve by distorting history and international law".

"It is not the presence of Jews, who have lived in the West Bank and Jerusalem for thousands of years, that is a barrier to peace," he said.

"Rather, it is the unceasing efforts to deny that historical connection..."

Israel occupied the West Bank in the Six-Day War of 1967 in a move never recognised by the international community.

It later annexed east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians see as their future capital.
During a surprise visit to government offices, UAE vie-president and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktou, found missing managers. His tour was captured on a video and widely shared on social media.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is the ruler of Dubai, in a surprise spot check toured government offices only to find out some managers absent.

By Shashank Shekhar: UAE vice-president and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the ruler of Dubai, in a surprise spot check toured government offices only to find out some managers absent.

His tour was captured on a video published by Dubai's media office and widely shared on social media.

A similar move is recently seen in Delhi when on a surprise visit to a government hospital, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia found a long queue of patients and some employees not tending to them - with one sitting and watching a movie on his computer.

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Also Read: Watch: Manish Sisodia pulls off a Nayak, fires govt hospital staff watching movie on duty



NOT THE FIRST TIME

Catching him red handed, Sisodia walked up to him and blasted him before pulling up his supervisor and asking him to suspend the said employee for his lackadaisical attitude.

Sheikh Mohammed started his tour when he visited Dubai municipality, Dubai international airport, the land department and the department of economic development.

It is not the first time that Sheikh surprised employees in an attempt to keep work ethics on par with the best. A

AP leaders in Delhi also keep conducting surprise checks. Sisodia in the past had inspected several government schools and found irregularities and took action against them. Health minister Satyendra Jain as well carries several surprise visit to government hospitals.

AAP leaders in Delhi pay surprise visits to organisations often.

--- ENDS ---
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel's military overnight destroyed the home of a Palestinian accused of involvement in a shooting attack in the occupied West Bank that led to the death of a rabbi, it said Tuesday.

The army said it used explosives to destroy the home of Mohammed Abed Almajid Mohammed El-Amaira, 38, in Dura, southwest of the West Bank city of Hebron.

Amaira, a member of the Palestinian Authority security services, was arrested several weeks ago, accused of having helped plan and carry out the attack on July 1, when gunmen opened fire on a car near Hebron.

The car crashed, killing rabbi Michael Mark, who led a religious school in the Israeli settlement of Otniel, and injuring two family members, according to the army.

Amaira is accused of having been the driver in the attack.

Another Palestinian accused over the attack, Mohamed Fakih, 29, was killed during a raid in July that saw Israeli forces fire anti-tank missiles at a house in the West Bank village of Surif.

Israel regularly destroys the homes of Palestinians accused of attacks as part of efforts to deter future violence.

Palestinians and human rights activists say the policy amounts to collective punishment, forcing families to suffer for the acts of others.

Also overnight, the body of Thaer Abu Ghazaleh, a 19-year-old Palestinian shot dead after three passers-by were stabbed and lightly wounded in Tel Aviv last October, was finally returned to his relatives for burial.

Israel authorities have often withheld the bodies of Palestinians killed while carrying out attacks, in a policy which has divided Israeli officials.

A wave of violence since October has killed 222 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP tally.
The allegations made by Israeli authorities against the Gaza director of World Vision, a Christian aid group, read like a spy novel: An ostensible do-gooder infiltrates the top levels of a prominent charity, diverts $43 million to Hamas, but gets caught, risking reputational damage for his employer, which Israelis have now labeled an NGW, a nongovernmental war organization.

But yet the plot thickens. On Tuesday, Israel held a secret pre-trial hearing for the suspected mole, Mohammed el-Halabi, in a legal process that rights groups have characterized as very concerning.

Israels decision so far to shroud his trial in secrecy has violated international standards and could result in an unfair verdict, said Madalena Mughrabi, Amnesty Internationals deputy director for the Middle East.

Amnesty is concerned that Halabi was detained for around three weeks without access to his lawyer. The group is also concerned that Israeli interrogators extracted a confession from el-Halabi. Weve also seen reports in the press that he was forced to confess to the accusation that he belonged to Hamas, said Mughrabi. She called upon Israel to investigate these claims and throw out any confession that might have been obtained under duress.

The Israeli government said it has to hold Halabis trial in secrecy because of security reasons, and denies that it has violated his due process rights. It is standard practice anywhere around the world that cases related to security and terrorism be conducted behind closed doors, especially when sensitive intel is presented, said Itai Bardov, a spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Washington, in an email to Foreign Policy.

World Vision, the charity in Israeli crosshairs, has echoed Amnestys calls for a fair and open legal process, and expressed disbelief at the far-reaching accusations.

If any of these allegations are proven to be true, we will take swift and decisive action. Unfortunately, we still have not seen any of the evidence, said Kevin Jenkins, the CEO of World Vision, in a statement. He said that World Vision has suspended its operations in Gaza pending a full review of the allegations.

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According to an unnamed senior official with Israels internal security service, Shin Bet, Hamas recruited Halabi in 2004 and instructed him to infiltrate the top ranks of World Vision, where he could exploit its budget and use its humanitarian work as cover for a military buildup. He is accused of financing weapons purchases and the construction of a military base as well as tunnels stretching deep into Israeli territory.

If true, the accusations could tarnish World Visions reputation and complicate future efforts to deliver aid to Palestine. In addition to the money transfers, Halabi allegedly initiated a greenhouse project to conceal tunnel work and diverted motorboats and diving suits intended for struggling fishermen to Hamass marine unit, as well as food aid to soldiers instead of poor families.

But World Vision has pointed out what it says are possible holes in Israels story. The amount Israel accuses Halabi of stealing over the last five years  more than $40 million  would almost double the groups total budget for Gaza  at $22.5 million  over the past ten years, it said, making it hard to reconcile with the facts.

Additionally, the group said that managers like Halabi are authorized to spend only up to $15,000 at a time, casting further doubt over whether he was able to spend as much as Israel says he did.

Days after Halabis arrest, Israel detained a U.N. development worker for allegedly helping Hamas build a military jetty and also accused Halabi of recruiting a Save the Children employee.

Halabi has not yet spoken in court but intends to plead not guilty, according to his lawyer. The case will resume in early October.

Photo credit: MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images
ROME (Reuters) - Some 6,500 migrants were saved off the Libyan coast in 40 separate rescue missions on Monday, the Italian coast guard said on Twitter, in one of the largest influxes of refugees in a single day so far this year. The migrants were packed on board scores of boats, many of them flimsy rubber dinghies that become dangerously unstable in high seas. Most were believed to be Africans. Data from the International Organization for Migration released on Friday said around 105,000 migrants had reached Italy by boat so far in 2016, many of them setting sail from Libya. An estimated 2,726 men, women and children have died over the same period trying to make the journey. About 1,100 migrants were rescued from boats in the Strait of Sicily on Sunday as they tried to reach Europe, the coast guard said. More refugees were expected to set sail this week because of favourable weather conditions. Italy has been on the front line of Europe's migrant crisis for three years, and more than 400,000 have successfully made the voyage to Italy from North Africa since the beginning of 2014, fleeing violence and poverty. (Reporting by Crispian Balmer; editing by John Stonestreet)
* Hopes to cut cash call to 3 bln euros -sources

* Decision on bond conversion option by end-Sept -source

* Also looking for anchor investors -source (Adds source comments, background, bank comment)

By Francesca Landini and Stephen Jewkes

MILAN, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Monte dei Paschi di Siena may convert the bulk of its subordinated debt into equity to cut back a planned five billion euro ($5.6 billion) capital increase and make it more attractive for investors, three sources said on Tuesday.

Italy's third largest bank announced the share sale in July as part of a wider bailout plan to prevent it being wound down.

But the troubled lender, which emerged as Europe's weakest bank in stress tests last month, faces an uphill task convincing investors to buy into such a big share issue -- its third recapitalisation in as many years.

Monte dei Paschi's cash call comes as investors grow increasingly concerned over the outcome of a constitutional referendum Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has bet his political career on.

The rescue rights issue is part of a two-pronged plan for the world's oldest lender, including the sale of 9.2 billion euros of non-performing loans to clean up its balance sheet.

"The idea is to reduce the size of the capital hike to around 3 billion euros," one of the sources said.

A second source said cutting the size of the cash call to 3 billion euros would be a best-case scenario, implying the bank could raise 2 billion euros from the bond conversion.

The Tuscan bank's board met on Monday for an update on its restructuring plan, but made no decision on converting debt.

Monte dei Paschi declined to comment.

The bank's CEO Fabrizio Viola said in July it would be looking at ways to reduce the size of the capital increase.

Bankers have said a bond-to-equity conversion would be the most obvious choice.

The bank is being advised by JPMorgan and Mediobanca who are also global coordinators for the share sale, which must be completed by year end.

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One of the sources said the bond conversion, if it went ahead, would be voluntary.

"The bank is considering whether the bond-to-equity conversion should be offered to institutional investors only or also to retail," the source said.

The source said just over 4 billion euros of Monte dei Paschi's outstanding subordinated debt, out of a total of just over 5 billion euros, can be targeted for the conversion.

The fund raising also risks coming just before a bumper capital increase by Italy's biggest bank UniCredit which sources have said could be as much as 8 billion euros.

Because of the sheer size of Monte dei Paschi's capital increase, which compares to a market capitalisation of just 704 million euros, the bank's advisers are looking for "anchor investors", including funds, to commit to the deal to bolster sentiment, one of the sources said.

($1 = 0.8966 euros) (Editing by Silvia Aloisi and Alexander Smith)
ITT Technical Institute announced Monday that it has stopped enrolling all new students, a blow to the for-profit school.

The changeannounced Monday on the schools websitefollows the U.S. Department of Educations decision last week to ban ITT from enrolling new students who receive federal aid, an effort aimed at protecting students and taxpayers, the department said. The action comes amid a larger crackdown on for-profit schools by the Obama administration. Most ITT students receive federal aid, the Indianapolis Star reported.

In case the schools actions cause it to close, were increasing the amount of cash reserves it must send us and were ending its installment payment plan for the amount previously required, the Department of Education wrote in a blog post. Finally, were slowing down when ITT receives student aid from the government to ensure that ITT is handling its finances properly.

ITT has more than 130 campuses across the country, where more than 40,000 students are enrolled, according to its website.
J. Crew is making an unprecedented move to try and boost sales.

Beginning on September 12, the company will be selling some of its apparel at Nordstrom, according to a release.

J. Crew apparel will be available on Nordstroms website and at 16 Nordstrom stores.

This was an easy decision, CEO Mickey Drexler said in the release. Nordstrom is the perfect partner because we both share the same high standards of customer service and store experience. Additionally, we are known for exceptional design, quality and style, which we know will appeal to the Nordstrom customer.

But J. Crew has also become known for poorly executed styles and tumbling sales. Same-store sales dropped 8% in the first quarter of fiscal year 2016.

The retailer has been resorting to excessive discounts to clear inventory, which makes it harder for the company to demand a premium for its products.

Business Insider visited one the retailers stores in the Flatiron neighborhood of New York City in May and found it in disarray.

Nordstrom has been struggling to pull up its sales, too.

We know our customers love J.Crew and were excited to be offering this coveted brand in our stores and online. Partnering with quality brands like J.Crew that have exclusive distribution is part of our long-term strategic agenda, co-president Pete Nordstrom said in the release.

Interestingly, Nordstrom already sells clothes from Madewell, J. Crews more successful sister brand, online and at 76 Nordstrom stores.

NOW WATCH: A shopkeeper did something incredibly smart to scare off an armed robber

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James Franco, Zoe Kravitz, Jack Reynor, and Dennis Quaid have signed on for the independent sci-fi action-thriller Kin.

WME Global put the financing together for the film, which will begin shooting on Oct. 24, and will handle sales with Good Universe, which will launch at next weeks Toronto Film Festival.

Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen at 21 Laps will serve as producers with Jeff Arkuss, David Gross, and Jesse Shapira, who will produce under their No Trace Camping banner.

Siblings Jonathan and Josh Baker will co-direct the feature based on their short film Bag Man that premiered at South by Southwest in 2015. Reynor will portray a recently released ex-con who, along with his adopted younger brother, is forced to go on the run, chased by a vengeful criminal played by Franco. Quaid will play the brothers father and Kravitz joins the brothers journey as a trusted ally.

The script is written by Daniel Casey, whose recent work includes uncredited rewrites on 10 Cloverfield Lane, the crime-thriller Godforsaken  starring Sylvester Stallone  and a forthcoming untitled project with Bad Robot.

21 Laps recently produced the Netflixs Stranger Things and well as the Amy Adams sci-fi thriller Arrival, opening Nov. 11. No Trace Camping is a producer on Room.

The news was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.

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Japan pushed the UN Security Council on Tuesday to consider fresh sanctions against North Korea for test-firing a series of ballistic missiles that it said were a threat to the region and the entire world.

The council strongly condemned the series of launches on Friday and agreed in a unanimous statement backed by China to take "further significant measures."

"The number of provocative actions taken by North Korea has been phenomenal," said Japanese Ambassador Kero Bessho following a closed-door meeting of the council.

Bessho stressed that the high number of launches had led to "quite noteworthy" advances in North Korea's nuclear and missile technology programs.

"This presents a serious threat to the region and the world as a whole," he told reporters.

North Korea has been hit by five sets of UN sanctions since it first tested a nuclear device in 2006.

The council in March adopted the toughest sanctions resolution to date targeting North Korea's trade in minerals and tightening banking restrictions, after Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test.

Bessho noted that 52 countries had so far presented reports detailing how they are enforcing the new raft of sanctions under resolution 2270, but added that more sanctions were necessary.

"For Japan, we feel that sanctions are necessary," he said.

"We need to implement 2270 rigorously and we feel that we can do more in terms of sanctions in order to show to the DPRK that they just cannot keep on going in this way."

North Korea is barred under UN resolutions from any use of ballistic missile technology, but Pyongyang has carried out several launches following its fourth nuclear test in January.

The council statement was adopted after several rounds of negotiations with China, Pyongyang's ally, which has insisted over recent weeks on the need to avoid an escalation of tension on the Korean peninsula.

The Japanese ambassador said many council members supported the idea of further measures, but suggested that this fell short of a consensus.

Story continues

"The council should be united in taking action," said Bessho.

A previous bid by the council to condemn North Korea for firing a ballistic missile directly into Japanese-controlled waters on August 2 ran aground after China sought changes to the text.

The council was unable to agree after Beijing pressed for language in a statement opposing the THAAD missile defense system that the United States plans to deploy in South Korea.
By Hilary Russ (Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Tuesday vetoed a bill to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour over the next five years. The legislation would have made New Jersey the third state to adopt a $15 per hour minimum wage, Christie said in a statement. State voters agreed to a previous wage hike in 2013, to $8.25 from $7.25. New Jersey's rate is tied to the consumer price index and is now at $8.38, according to a database from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). "Despite having a constitutional mandate in place, the legislature now wants to increase the minimum wage by almost 80 percent just three years later," Christie said in a statement about his veto. Christie, a close ally of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, said the wage bill passed by Democrats, who control both houses of state legislature, failed to consider the ability of businesses to absorb the increased labor costs. Neighboring New York State, as well as California, became the first states to lift the minimum wage toward $15 earlier this year. While California's higher rate will be in effect statewide by 2022, New York created a two-speed system, with different timetables for New York City and nearby counties, versus the "upstate" regions where incomes are lower and labor markets less robust. Some cities are also stepping up to higher wage levels. Washington, D.C.'s minimum wage will reach $15 per hour by July 1, 2020, after it enacted a law this year. The city's current level is $10.50. Washington and 29 states have set minimum wages above the federal rate of $7.25 an hour, according to the NCSL. Michele Siekerka, president of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association, praised Christie's veto, saying the increase was "too much too fast." "Had this bill been signed, it would not only have hurt the New Jersey economy, but it would have hurt the exact workers the proponents of this policy are trying to help," she said in a statement. Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, lead sponsor of the bill, said in a statement the wage increase is a key component to Democrats' strategy to combat poverty. "A substantial minimum wage increase will help lift countless families out of poverty, decrease government dependency and boost commerce by pumping more dollars back into the economy," he said. (Reporting by Hilary Russ in New York; Editing by Chris Reese)
Another celebrity founder is joining the roster of mentors for Apple's forthcoming unscripted series, Planet of the Apps.

The Honest Co. co-founder Jessica Alba will act as a mentor and adviser to the app developers participating in the show. Alba, who will serve as an executive producer, joins previously announced mentors Gwyneth Paltrow, will.i.am and Gary Vaynerchuk.

For Alba, participating in Planet of the Apps will give her the opportunity to identify and work with entrepreneurs who have a mission, much like the one she had when she started Honest Co., which sells nontoxic baby products and other goods. "As a mentor on Planet of the Apps, I'm looking forward to meeting entrepreneurs looking to address a problem with an innovative solution, and to help them realize their vision," she said. "I can't wait to see the ideas the app developers bring to the table."

Read more: Gwyneth Paltrow, Will.i.am Join Apple's 'Planet of the Apps'

Meanwhile, Apple and co-producer Propagate, the production company from Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens, are ensuring that the apps developed on Planet of the Apps will be well funded. Silicon Valley venture capital firm Lightspeed Venture Partners, one of the early investors in Alba's Honest Co., has agreed to invest a minimum of $10 million in the apps that are developed on the show.

Owens said that Propagate "searched far and wide" for a VC partner before ultimately settling on Lightspeed, an early- stage firm that was the first investor in Snapchat and also has invested in Nest, Bonobos and TaskRabbit. Partner Jeremy Liew, who leads the firm's consumer investments, will be heavily involved in the series. "We are very fortunate to have Lightspeed join the series in this capacity," Owens added, noting that the firm and Liew "are recognized as top investors who can identify and help nurture some of the most lasting and meaningful tech companies in the world. Our partnership ensures that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for new business creators and that this show is truly the first of its kind."

Story continues

Liew tells The Hollywood Reporter that he was intrigued by the idea of working with Apple and Propagate to help influence the future of pop culture through apps. He points to apps like Musical.ly or Pokemon Go as an example of how such products can instantly become a hit.

Liew notes that the size of Lightspeed's commitment to the show will give the firm flexibility to invest the right amount, depending on the stage each company is in. For Lightspeed, he says, it's all about identifying apps or products that have the potential to become a habit that "should become an integral part of the lives of its users."

He adds: "The objective here is to showcase some of the fantastic work that entrepreneurs have been doing, building the next generation of mobile that can become pop culture. We'll help them continue to pursue their dreams and make it an entertaining show all the while. Everybody ends up getting excited about that."

Read more: Eddy Cue on Apple's TV Plans and Why Netflix Isn't a Competitor
The government-run Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital allegedly denied admission to 12-year-old Ansh and didn't even provide a stretcher to his father to carry him to another hospital. Father carried his son on his shoulders to nearby hospital but Ansh died on the way.

Sunil Kumar carried his 12-year-old son on his shoulder after the Lala Lajpat Rai hospital denied admitting him and didn't even give a stretcher. Photo: ANI

By India Today Web Desk: In a tragic incident, an ailing boy died on his father's shoulder in Kanpur city of Uttar Pradesh on Monday after the government-run Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital(LLR) allegedly denied admitting him.

The emergency section of the hospital refused to admit 12-year-old Ansh and asked his father, Sunil Kumar, to take him to a children's hospital.

Further, Kumar was not even provided a stretcher to carry his son to the children's hospital, which is 250 meters away from LLR.

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WHAT HAPPENED

According to reports, Kumar had to wait for at least half an hour before the staff at LLR hospital denied admitting his son. After half an hour, they asked Kumar to take his son to a children's hospital.

Kumar then rushed to the children's hospital, carrying Ansh on his shoulders. But sadly, he was too late.

The doctors at the children's hospital declared Ansh dead on arrival.

Even then, no body came for help. The poor father had to again carry his now dead son on his shoulders all the way back.

Sunil Kumar; Photo: ANI

Ansh was down with high fever since Sunday and was first taken to a neighbourhood doctor in Faizalgunj. The doctors there asked Kumar to take his son to a hospital with better facilities. It was then that Kumar went to the LLR hospital in Kanpur.

SERIES OF SUCH SHOCKING TRAGEDIES

This incident comes merely days after a video showing a tribal man in Odisha, carrying his dead wife on his shoulders, went viral. It was reported that the authorities did not help him and he was compelled to walk 10 km carrying his dead wife.

In another incident, a woman's body had to be broken at the hip so that men could carry it on a bamboo pole.

(With inputs from agencies)

Also Read: Dead bodies hauled over shoulders, corpses desecrated: India is no country to die in

Also Read: Odisha again: Now, woman's body broken at hip to carry it on bamboo pole

Also Read: Tribal man in Odisha had to walk 10 km carrying wife's body after being denied govt help



--- ENDS ---
Joel McHale is just settling in on The Great Indoors. He has taped the second episode of the new CBS multi-camera sitcom and is prepping to film the third, and his dressing room on the CBS Radford lot in Studio City is still sparse. Theres a couch, a chair, a few books.

Its a little early to make it a home. The Great Indoors wont premiere in its Thursday timeslot, post-The Big Bang Theory, until Oct. 27 (two days after the release of his comedic memoir Thanks For the Money), and though thats one of TVs most coveted slots, theres no guarantee of success.

McHale, whose cult-favorite series Community was on the verge of cancellation for five seasons at NBC (and earned one more season anchoring the ill-fated streaming slate at Yahoo), knows that all too well. But hes placing his bets on the broad appeal of CBS, the vision of creator Mike Gibbons (The Late Late Show with James Corden), and a promising cast that includes one of his idols, Stephen Fry.

Were you looking to get back into TV so quickly?

You mean make money for my family? We stopped shooting Community a year and a half ago. I havent been acting consistently, other than guest stuff and movies here and there. Ive been reading tons of stuff, and Great Indoors popped out because its world was so different. CBS has obviously done pretty well for itself in the last 15 years. They have been so effusive about marketing, and giving us a proper shot at a great time slot. Its really mine to f up. Or I can blame the rest of the cast. Or the writers.

How much multi-camera experience have you had?

My second job in LA was a small part on Will & Grace. They were looking for actors over 6 7 and I lied. Im 64 and I wore high-heeled boots. I got the part. That was multi-cam experience, and after that it was [a guest spot last season on] Dr. Ken. That was just an afternoon screwing around with Ken [Jeong].

Those years between Will & Grace and now are when multi-cam entered a bit of a decline.

Right after Will & Grace there was less being ordered, but then it felt like a sh ton were ordered. The Big Bang Theory is the most popular comedy in the history of the world at this point. And Two and a Half Men. Obviously, theyre both CBS. People talk about the format going away, but its more other formats entered the arena as well. Some formats became more chic, but you look at Jerrod Carmichael [and The Carmichael Show] on NBC. Nobody is going, Hey, thats not cool. Nobodys saying that. Because its cool.

Story continues

So theres no concern if The Great Indoors is seen by some as less cool than Community?

I think people get hung up on the format first in the last few years. You still love watching every episode of Seinfeld. You still love watching every episode of Cheers. And I know tons of young people watching those shows. When I talk to a 13-year-old who has seen every episode of Seinfeld, its like me watching Monty Python. I didnt think, this is dated, at all. If you look at the way television has gone, there are so many choices, so many formats. Right now I think one of the funniest shows on TV is The Amazing World of Gumball, a kids show on Cartoon Network. I had a conversation with Conan OBrien who said it was one of the funniest shows hed ever seen. Clarence on Cartoon Network too. They are remarkable in how funny they are, and they never wouldve existed before cable. I think there are more choices, so people think [multi-cam] has declined. But I disagree.

Looking back, how was the experience of making Community on Yahoo?

Dan [Harmon] was back, and it was as fun and good as ever. Every script I was happy to be a part of. Yahoo intensely supported us and promoted the show, but clearly the whole streaming part didnt work as well as they probably hoped. Im not sure what happened. But as far as the episodes, we were as proud of them as anything  a number of the cast members say its the funniest season we ever did. And we swore a couple times. And there werent people saying, You cant use that bag of chips with a name on it.

CBS has been so effusive about marketing and giving us a proper shot at a great time slot. Its really mine to f up. Or I can blame the rest of the cast. Or the writers. Joel McHale

Was there ever any indication from Yahoo about how the show was doing?

I dont know how many people saw it. Clearly it didnt put the streaming service on the map. Im not sure how it went down, but when it was first going, they were very happy. And then it was, The whole streaming service is going away. I think someone said we brought down the streaming service, and I thought, Wow, I have so much power. It could not have been a better experience. I know a lot of people didnt see it, but I encourage people to see it.

Do you think they had the right strategy for the release?

They tried a different tack by putting one episode up a week. My whole thing is, I dont think Netflix was an overnight success. Obviously Yahoo had many other issues. But I cant imagine Netflixs first year of streaming was like, Weve made half a billion dollars, were doing great guys! When youre putting out that much money to make original programming its like putting out 30 miles of fishing line. Thats expensive and time-consuming and you have to pay a lot of people to do it, but it takes a couple of hauls to see if its working. Obviously Netflix had the patience and its really working now. But I cant imagine the first couple of years was printing money.

Fans are still waiting for the other half of #SixSeasonsAndaMovie. Is a movie possible?

We would all love to do a movie. Wed probably have to shoot in Atlanta because of Donald [Glover]s show, but I love those people. Theyre lifelong friends. We still get together for dinners, and its like we never left off.

After all those years of Community competing against The Big Bang Theory on Thursday nights, how did it feel to find out they were your lead-in for the new show?

Exhilarating. I hugged every executive I could find, and they were like, Joel, please calm down, this is the upfront. CBS really knows how to launch comedies, and they have a marketing machine that is terrifyingly wonderful. I think itll give us the best shot at success we can have in this first season. Hopefully I wont f it up.

Do you feel like its a good fit with Big Bang?

If you had said, Cheers goes perfectly with Family Ties, and you definitely want to go with Night Court after that I dont know the chemical solution for making shows work together one right after another, but it does feel like, Hey, on The Big Bang Theory they talk about the things young people talk about and so do we! This must hold everybody over! I think so, but all I know is what weve been doing seems to be funny. If its making people laugh, hopefully that means its working.

You know from Community that signing on for a show can mean six years of your life. Was there anything you needed to find out to help you make that decision?

I met with the CBS executives, but I didnt ask Whats your five-year plan? I didnt do that with Community. I didnt do that with any of the pilots I was on. All you can do is go with your gut as a performer. I think its interesting, I think itll work. I hope Im right, but I might not be. From early on, I was well-trained to count on things not happening. Theres always so much disappointment as an actor, unless youre Channing Tatum. You end up not getting most of the jobs you want, and then you get some. With all the pilots Ive done I have a thick skin. Im definitely not spending the money Id make three years from now. You have to be very realistic. You could be a hit, but hits are very rare. When I hear people say, If I could just get a Big Bang Theory, I think, Yeah, if you could hit a grand slam twice in Yankee Stadium during a game, that would be great.

Youre playing your Community co-star Chevy Chase in A Futile & Stupid Gesture, the movie about National Lampoon co-founder Doug Kenney. Did your history with Chevy help you get the job?

David Wain, the director, wanted to meet with me. I am the right size to play Chevy, were the same height. And obviously I did know Chevy. To David Wains credit he gave me the role without seeing me do anything. I know A-list stars get to enjoy that luxury every day, but when it came to something as specific as playing Chevy I was like, You dont even know if I can do this? He was totally cool and hopefully happy. I called Chevy to warn him and let him know. We had a really good conversation. We talked about Doug Kenney and how they were friends. He was happy the movie is being made. It portrays the 1977 Chevy, when he was the king of the world.

Did you use Chevy as a resource after that conversation?

No, I was more studying old Chevy. No ones doing an impression in the movie. Its more the spirit of the person. Chevy was the most confident person on the planet and I wouldve been too in his position. Youre not gonna be like, Gosh, he nailed that Chevy Chase impression! Its not what the movie is.

What happened with The Soup?

How can I say this? Once the show got moved to Wednesday nights and they stopped rerunning it, because E! does a ton of reruns of their shows, the ratings werent as good. That was kind of it. We stayed on for a few years  and with this Ryan Lochte stuff going on my Twitter has exploded  but that was pretty much the end of it.

Did any of the jokes and swipes at E! take a toll over time?

When Ted Harbert was president, he couldnt have encouraged it more. He agreed if we couldnt make fun of ourselves  the network, The Soup itself  it wouldnt make sense to anybody. I cant imagine, and theres no way to determine it, that we ever put any show out of business. The Real Housewives shows could not be bigger. The Kardashians are still going. I dont think anyone said, You took down Being Bobby Brown! We only gave it more press.

Do you miss the opportunity for that kind of pop culture satire?

I loved doing it. Now I do standup almost every weekend, and thats a great way to get out there. I never stop talking about it. Now with Ryan Lochte, and Caitlyn getting canceled, theres all sorts of material. And Im still hosting stuff. If I didnt have The Soup, I wouldnt have gotten the White House Correspondents Dinner. Im the luckiest person on the planet. Well, not the luckiest. Thats Roger Federer. He doesnt work hard at all.

What are your favorite comedies on TV right now?

Anything my kids watch. I watch John Olivers show. I watched Gillian [Jacobs Netflix] show, Love. But I dont really watch a lot of TV. I watched so much reality television [for The Soup] that I dont know if I can ever watch it again without a tic. I dont have time to sit down at night. Im bragging at this point, but I have a pile of videogames unopened that are collecting dust. I still havent caught up on Tom Clancys The Division. And this is videogames. When Im doing dishes I watch Forensic Files on HLN. I saw Mike Birbiglias Dont Think Twice last week. That was the first time Id gone to a movie theater and paid for a movie in two years. I watch Game of Thrones. I dont watch much comedy. That sounds terrible. Sorry, all my friends on comedies.

Star Turns Community wrapped its run on Yahoo last year, but McHale hasnt stopped working, with a lineup of guest roles. The X-Files (2015) He played conservative radio show host Ted OMalley. BoJack Horsman (2015) He voiced a coma survivor. Difficult People (2016) He guest-starred as a personal trainer. Dr. Ken (2016) He reunited with his Community co-star Danny Pudi as a malpractice lawyer.

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Comedy's Comeback: Networks Push Boundaries With Bold New Half-Hours

Joel McHale Lists Los Angeles Home (EXCLUSIVE)

'Community' Season 6 Comes to Hulu Along with 'Rescue Me,' 'Underground' and 'Outsiders'
Its been nearly two decades since JonBenet Ramsey was found beaten and strangled in the basement of her familys Colorado home.

In a sneak peek look from a sit-down interview with Dr. Phil airing next month, the 6-year-old beauty pageant stars brother, Burke, finally opens up about the mysterious murder, revealing shocking, never-before-heard details about the famous Dec. 1996 case.

WATCH: Katy Perry Is Thought to Be JonBenet Ramsey in Outrageous Conspiracy Theories

I remember my mom searching my room that night saying, Wheres my baby? Wheres my baby? Burke reveals in his first-ever media interview. I know people think I did it; that my parents did it. I know that we were suspects.

I want to honor her memory by doing this interview, he adds. I dont want anyone to forget.

Burke was only 9-years-old when his sister died, but he says he still remembers specific moments from the unsolved case and her funeral clearly.

NEWS: JonBenet Ramsey Story Getting a Lifetime Movie

I remember the viewing, Burke, now 29, shares. The casket was small. Her eyes were closed.

More than 140 suspects and 1,400 pieces of evidence have been reviewed in JonBenets murder, one of Americas most talked-about cold cases. Burke and JonBenets parents, John and Patsy (who died in 2006 after a battle with ovarian cancer), were the primary suspects for more than a decade until police cleared them of any wrongdoing in 2008. The two made the initial call to police, saying they found a note demanding ransom for their daughter of $118,000. John later found his daughters body hours after police completed a search of the home.

The three-part season 15 premiere of Dr. Phil  which will also air never-before-seen interrogation interviews conducted with Burke when he was 9 and 12 years old  kicks off Monday, Sept. 12 and continues Tuesday, Sept. 13 and Monday, Sept. 19.

WATCH: Intense First Trailer for The Case of: JonBenet Ramsey Debuts

CBS is also revisiting the crime that transfixed the nation in a docu-series titled The Case of: JonBenet Ramsey. The six-hour limited series features a team of experts (including a few of the cases original investigators), who will re-examine the evidence 20 years later.

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Watch the video below to see a sneak peek look at the series ahead of its premiere on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

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"Fast & Furious" and "Star Trek Beyond" director, Justin Lin, is bringing Bruce Lee's crime drama "Warrior" to TV.

Martial artist and film star Bruce Lee wrote the original material that lies behind Cinemax's "Warrior," and Justin Lin is executive producing -- most likely also directing -- a pilot episode for the HBO subisduary.

The post-Civil War series will be set in San Francisco, Deadline details, and tells the story of a young martial arts practitioner who, fresh off the boat from China, becomes entangled in the Bay's Chinatown Tong wars.

Jonathan Tropper, co-creator of hit Cinemax series "Banshee," is attached as not only another executive producer but also as the series' writer.

Lin directed two 2015 episodes of season two of "True Detective" for HBO.

Lee became well known for his performances in a clutch of early 1970s features, including "Fist of Fury," "Way of the Dragon," and "Enter the Dragon" but died age 32 in 1973.
From Harper's BAZAAR

Kanye West's four minutes on stage was a mysterious, and highly anticipated, part of the MTV Video Music Awards. He gave a speech that addressed the controversy around his song "Famous," and whether Taylor Swift gave permission for her name to be used in his song. He also talked about his creative inspirations, and even shouted out his ex Amber Rose, before introducing his video for the song "Fade," featuring Teyana Taylor.

"I came here to present my new video, but before I do that, Imma talk." - @kanyewest #VMAs https://t.co/ukVtlkcIsD - MTV (@MTV) August 29, 2016

A partial transcript of his speech is below:

"I am Kanye West, and that feels really great to say, especially this year. I came here to present my new video, but before I do that, Imma talk. Now, later tonight, "Famous" might lose to Beyonce, but I can't be mad, I'm always wishing for Beyonce to win, so

But for people to understand just how blessed we are, it was an expression of our now. Our fame right now. Us on the inside of the TV. You know, just to put, the audacity to put Anna Wintour right next to Donald Trump. I mean, like, I put Ray J in there, bro! This is fame, bro! Like-I see you, Amber [Rose, West's ex.] My wife is a G, not many people's wives would let them say that. We came over in the same boat, now we all in the same bed. Well, maybe different boats.

But if you think about, last week, it was 22 people murdered in Chicago. You know, like, people come up to me, like, 'Man, that's right, tell Taylor this.' Bro, like, I love all y'all. That's why I called her.

So, I was speaking at the Art Institute last year, and one kid came up to me and he said, 'Three of my friends died, and I don't know if I'm going to be the next.' You know, you have to think, you know when you're a senior and it's your last month and you don't feel like doing any more work? If you feel like you're seeing people dying right next to you, you might feel like, 'What's the point?' Life might start to feel worthless in a way. For me, I sit down and talk to older, rich people, a.k.a. "white," you know, and they tell me, 'Don't compare yourself to Steve Jobs, don't compare yourself to Walt Disney.' My friend Sakiya told me, 'There are three keys to keeping people impoverished: taking away their esteem, taking away their resources, and taking away their role models.' My role models are artist-merchants. Less than 10 I can name in history. Truman, Ford, Hughes, Disney, Jobs, West.

Story continues

Tonight, we're here to have fun. I'm standing in front of my idol, Puff Daddy. I'm standing here in front of my wife, Kim Kardashian West. I'm standing in front of the future, Chance the Rapper. 2 Chainz, Jaden Smith. We are undeniably the influence, the thought leaders. I'm gonna play y'all a piece of my art, and I hope you just have a good time."

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NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's TransCentury Ltd said on Tuesday it swung to a 1.19 billion shilling ($11.75 million) pretax profit in the first half of 2016 from a loss of 646.34 million shillings in the same period the year before, helped by lower finance costs. The company said in a statement its net finance costs fell to 202.2 million shillings from 496.96 million shillings, which helped offset a 20 percent drop in its revenues to 4.14 billion shillings during the period ended June 30. TransCentury, established as an investment club in 1997 by a group of wealthy Kenyans, mainly focuses on electrical equipment and engineering work and also has operations in Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and South Africa. "The group is poised to report improved performance in the second half of the year as we continue on a growth trajectory with a growing order book in our power division," it said. "In our power division, we see a strong demand in our primary markets with continuation of electrification programmes and development of infrastructure projects in the region." TransCentury's earnings per share rose to 4.97 shillings from a loss per share of 2.16 shillings in the same period in 2015. ($1 = 101.3000 Kenyan shillings) (Reporting by George Obulutsa; Editing by Mark Potter)
John Kerry

Secretary of State John Kerry told an audience in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Monday that it might be better if the media covered terrorism with less frequency.

Kerry was speaking on relations between the two countries on Monday when he reached the subject of terrorism. Dhaka suffered its worst terror attack in history on July 1, when five militants took hostages at a bakery, killing roughly 30 and injuring 50. The Islamic State terror group later claimed responsibility for the attack.

"Remember this: No country is immune from terrorism," Kerry said, according to a State Department transcript. "Its easy to terrorize. Government and law enforcement have to be correct 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. But if you decide one day youre going to be a terrorist and youre willing to kill yourself, you can go out and kill some people. You can make some noise."

"Perhaps the media would do us all a service if they didnt cover it quite as much," he continued. "People wouldnt know whats going on."

The audience then reportedly applauded the comment.

"The fact is we have to stand together, and the United States is standing with Bangladesh in this fight," he said.

NOW WATCH: Trump strikes back after 'Morning Joe' host says he sounded like 'he's had a lot to drink'





More From Business Insider


New Delhi (AFP) - The United States and India urged Pakistan Tuesday to do more to counter extremist groups operating from its soil as the world's two largest democracies announced measures to strengthen security and energy ties.

Speaking on a visit to New Delhi, US Secretary of State John Kerry declared that ties once clouded by suspicion had progressed "amazingly" in the last two years and echoed President Barack Obama's description of their relationship as "the defining partnership of the 21st century".

India and the United States have a common goal in creating a counterbalance to the rise of China and hold regular top-level dialogue in Delhi and Washington under a formal strategic partnership.

But a flare-up in violence in Kashmir meant that India's arch-rival Pakistan featured prominently in talks between Kerry and his counterpart, Sushma Swaraj.

After Foreign Minister Swaraj reiterated long-running accusations that Pakistan was "providing safe havens to terror groups," Kerry also urged Islamabad to do more to combat extremists operating from its territory.

He said it was vital Islamabad moved to "deprive any group of sanctuary", highlighting the threat posed by Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based Kashmiri separatist group behind a string of anti-Indian attacks.

"We will not and we cannot make distinctions between good and bad terrorists... Terrorism is terrorism," Kerry said at a press conference alongside Swaraj.

Kerry said the US government had "had conversations with all members of the region frankly about efforts they need to take against terrorism which comes out of their country", adding that he had personally raised the issue with Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

India has accused Pakistan of stoking a new bout of unrest in Kashmir, the troubled Himalayan region which has been divided between the two countries since independence in 1947 and is claimed in full by both.

Story continues

Around 70 civilians have been killed since the beginning of last month in the aftermath of the Indian army's killing of a charismatic young separatist leader and a curfew remains in place in many parts of Kashmir.

Swaraj said there was "a meeting of minds" during her talks with Kerry on tackling the threats posed by extremists as she reiterated long-standing accusations that Pakistan was sponsoring "cross-border terrorism".

"We repeated our stand that Pakistan should stop providing safe havens to terror groups... We also agreed that countries must not categorise terrorists as good or bad," said the Indian foreign minister.

Both sides said that there had been an agreement to step up cooperation on intelligence.

"We agree on additional measures to strengthen our counterterrorism," said Swaraj. "We will intensify intelligence sharing."

- Nuclear progress -

In an illustration of the burgeoning cooperation, Kerry announced plans to revive trilateral talks between India, Afghanistan and the United States.

He also said there had been an agreement "to move forward" on long-standing plans for six nuclear reactors which he said would provide electricity to tens of millions of people, without giving more details.

The deal involving US giant Westinghouse has been held up in the past by concerns over an Indian law that would make US companies liable for accidents at plants they helped build.

The start of Kerry's two-day visit came only hours after the two sides signed an agreement in Washington that allows access to each other's military bases for repairs and resupplies.

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar sealed the pact in efforts to strengthen defence ties to counter concerns over China's growing military assertiveness.

Carter said the agreement would make joint operations between their militaries logistically easier and more efficient.

Washington has increasingly turned its focus to Asia as it tries to counter China's growing clout in the South China Sea, and is eager for India to play a greater role in a network of defence alliances.

The two sides are also keen to expand business ties, with the US targeting an increase in two-way trade from $100 billion to $500 billion.

US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, who is accompanying Kerry, praised recent reforms by the Indian government which has moved to ease caps on foreign direct investment in a range of business sectors.

"As a result of the reforms, the US and India trade more with each other, invest more in each other, and do more business together than ever before," she said.
Kim Ji-woons Age of Shadows, Warner Bros. first Korean-language production, has been selected as South Koreas contender for the foreign-language Academy Award race.

The film (aka Mil-jeong) is a 1920s set espionage drama involving resistance fighters trying to smuggle explosives from Shanghai into Japanese-occupied Korea. It stars Song Kang-ho (The Throne) as a Korean-born Japanese officer who has divided loyalties and Gong Yoo (Train to Busan) as the leader of the Korean resistance group. Last year, Song joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as one of the first Korean members.

It will have its world premiere at the Venice festival before then traveling to the Toronto festival. It goes on commercial release in Korea later this week (Sept. 7.)

The selection was made by a special committee of the Korean Film Council. Shadows earned high scores not only in terms of its aesthetic achievement, but also of the director and the actors recognition, international sales and marketing, said KOFIC in a statement.

Submissions for the Academy Awards foreign-language section close at the end of September. Nominations will not be announced by AMPAS until January. Despite Koreas impact on global film-making in the past 20 years, no Korean film has ever received a nomination from the Academy.

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Korea Box Office: 'Tunnel' Stays on Top for Third Weekend

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Lucknow, Aug 30 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (UPSCPCR) has ordered a probe into the Kanpur incident where a man alleged that his 12-year-old son died due to negligence of the doctors at JSVM Medical College.

"We have issued a notice to the district magistrate, who had submitted his reply that a two-member committee has been constituted to probe into the incident," Chairperson, UPSCPCR, Juhie Singh told PTI.

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She said the commission has asked the district magistrate to get the matter probed and submit his report within a week.

"We have asked that in case if he was not authorised to take action, then he should identify people who committed laxity and send his report," Singh said.

She said, "In that case, we will recommend it further and get it done at the government level."

Sunil Kumar had on August 28 brought his son Anshu, who was suffering from fever, to the emergency ward of Hallet hospital of JSVM Medical College in Kanpur and alleged that doctors asked him to go from one department to another which he did while carrying his son on his shoulders and in the process his son died, a charge which the hospital authorities have refuted.

JVSM Medical College Principal Navneet Kumar said the child was already brought dead to the hospital and an inquiry has been ordered into the matter.

A committee led by three doctors has been asked to submit a report on the matter within three days, Kumar said.

Kanpur District Magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma has also ordered an inquiry into the matter and has formed a two-member committee, comprising Additional City Magistrate and Additional Chief Medical Officer. PTI AVA SMI AQS RG AQS

--- ENDS ---
Kim Kardashian West's natural, beach-inspired beauty at the MTV Video Music Awards was by far one of the most talked-about looks on Sunday night.

The 35-year-old reality star rocked the white carpet in New York City, sporting barely-there makeup and an ensemble that was far less glam than her usual head-turning get-ups. The mother of two later took to her app to explain her seemingly effortless appearance.

WATCH: Kim Kardashian Parties With Everyone From Britney Spears to Michael Phelps at the 2016 MTV VMAs

"For this year's VMAs, I originally wanted to go for a really glammed up look, but I changed my mind last minute," Kim, who accessorized with Manolo Blahnik lace-up heels and Kanye West x Jacob the Jeweler jewelry, dished. "I was so inspired by my recent trip to Mexico, that I went with this amazing, vintage Galliano dress that I already had in my closet, for forever."

Getty Images

"[Makeup artist] Mario Dedivanovic gave me a bronzed natural makeup look and [hair stylist] Michael Silva went for a natural wet wavy hair style to complement my outfit," she continued. "We were so inspired by the beach hair and light makeup I did during a photoshoot at Casa Aramara!"

Getty Images

Dedivanovic also gushed over Kim's beachy vibes, taking to Instagram to explain how he was feeling inspired by his "recent trip to Hawaii and the bronzed beauties on the beach."

WATCH: Kim Kardashian Let Fans Pick Her 2016 MTV VMA Look

To create Kim's fresh-faced look, Dedivanovic used the following Laura Mercier products (and one Tatcha dewy face mist), totaling $516:

Infusion de Rose Nourishing Creme, $68

Dedivanovic began Kim's look with this cream base, which gave her skin a soft, dewy look.

Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundation in Maple, $48

"Apply a luminous foundation all over for glowy skin," Dedivanovic suggested via Kim's app.

Translucent Loose Setting Powder, $38

Dusting this product over the foundation gave Kim's face a flawless feel.

Story continues

Face Illuminator in Addiction and Devotion, $44 each

To get the perfect illuminator, "mix two illuminators," he explained. "Addiction is a golden highlighter that makes you look sun-kissed."

Matte Radiance Baked Powder Compact in Bronze, $40

Dedivanovic used this bronzer to give Kim's hairline, nose and cheeks the perfect contour.

Second Skin Cheek Color in Peach Whisper, $26

A pop of this fun color gave Kim's cheeks the perfect summery vibe.

Caviar Stick Eye Color in Sand Glow, $29

How did Kim's eyes appear so bright? The secret is in this creamy eyeshadow, which Dedivanovic brushed all over her lids.

Eye Art Caviar Color-Inspired Palette, $55

Dedivanovic also used the pretty "Copper" shade from this palette, brushing it on the outer corners of the Selfish author's eyelids and across her lower lash line.

Brow Dimension Fiber Infused Color Gel in Brunette, $24

Kim can credit this product for giving her "brows on fleek!"

Lip Pencil in Hazelnut Tea, $24

Dedivanovic outlined Kim's lips with this mauve-colored lip pencil.

Velour Lovers Lip Color in Sensual, $28

For the final touches on her lips, he filled them in with this soft, neutral hue.

Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist, $48

A little trick? "Finish with this spray to set it all and add more dew," Dedivanovic explained.

Relive more memorable moments from the MTV Video Music Awards in the video below.

WATCH: MTV VMAS -- 7 Behind-the-Scenes Moments Viewers Missed From the Broadcast

Related Articles
In the volatile global economic scenario, the consumer staples sector  normally defensive in nature  appears quite reliable.

Despite slowing growth in emerging markets like China and Brazil and fears of challenging economic/political conditions in Europe, post Brexit, the U.S. economy has remained strong this year. Improving home sales, stepped-up economic activities, robust business, higher government spending and a buildup in inventories have given a boost to the domestic economy.

However, lower crude oil prices have triggered worries like global deflation and economic slowdown. On the other hand, subsiding oil and natural gas prices mean that consumers are left with more disposable income. A rise in wages has also increased household wealth and encourage consumer spending. These positive sentiments are gradually translating into higher consumer spending in 2016.

An improving consumer spending power in-turn raises demand for goods sold by the consumer staples companies whose primary lines of business are food, beverages, tobacco and other household items.

Year to date, the U.S. consumer staples sector is a strong performer, with the S&P 500 Consumer Staples Index logging a 7.71% increase. Overall, the consumer staples sector reported modest results in the June quarter.

With positive momentum surrounding the consumer staples sector, it is fast becoming an enticing investment choice.

However, not all consumer staples companies are doing well. Some food companies like Kellogg Company K, Mondelez International, Inc. MDLZ and The Hershey Company HSY are struggling with their sales due to shifting consumer preference toward natural and organic ingredients over packaged and processed food. Others like the consumer goods giant, The Procter & Gamble Company PG, is also seeing weak sales due to a significant negative currency impact, weak volumes, brand divestures and slowing market growth primarily in emerging markets.

Story continues

As such, concerns are building up over consumer staples being overbought following an improving economic picture in the U.S. Nonetheless, here we highlight some consumer staples stocks that are still worth buying.

We have narrowed down the list of choices by looking at stocks with a favorable Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) or #2 (Buy). These stocks have also witnessed significant share price increase year to date and positive estimate revisions in the past 30 days.

The Kraft Heinz Company KHC

Kraft Heinz carries a Zacks Rank #2.

Kraft Heinz shares have had a good run this year, gaining 21.2% year to date. Over the past 30 days, the earnings estimates moved north by 5.5% for 2016 and 2.9% for 2017.

Though the Pittsburgh, PA, based packaged food companys sales have been relatively soft, cost savings have led to better margins, mainly in the developed markets of the U.S. and Europe.

While organic sales rose only 0.3% in first-half 2016, adjusted EBITDA surged over 25% on a constant currency basis. A portion of its savings is also being re-invested in the business for innovation, brand building and marketing to stimulate top-line growth.

Sysco Corporation SYY

The Houston, TX-based packaged food company carries a Zacks Rank #2.

Syscos shares have gained almost 30% year to date. Over the past 30 days, fiscal 2017 (ending Jun 2017) earnings estimates moved north by 2.2% while that for 2018 increased 2.8%.

Syscos sales have improved consistently driven by acquisitions and volume growth. The companys efforts to boost sales and margins are bearing fruit, as the company delivered positive gross margins in the last five consecutive quarters, after persistently declining for the last two fiscal years. Activist investor Nelson Peltzs investment fund, Trian Fund Management, also bolstered its stake in the company earlier this month.

Tyson Foods Inc. TSN

The Arkansas-based company produces, distributes and markets chicken, beef, pork, prepared foods and allied products. It carries a Zacks Rank #1. Its shares have risen almost 44% so far this calendar year.

Over the past 30 days, fiscal 2016 (ending Sep 2016) earnings estimates have risen 4% while that for 2017 have increased 9.3%.

Tyson Foods posted strong third-quarter fiscal 2016 results earlier this month, wherein both earnings and revenues beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate. While margins were strong, the company witnessed higher sales across most of its segments like chicken, beef, pork and prepared foods.

Pinnacle Foods Inc. PF

The NJ-based branded food products company has a Zacks Rank #2.

Its shares have risen 20% year to date. Over the past 30 days, 2016 earnings estimates have risen 1.4% while that for 2017 have increased 1.3%.

We are impressed with the companys strong innovation program, robust acquisition strategy and effective productivity programs.

Coty, Inc. COTY

The New York-based beauty products company carries a Zacks Rank #1. Its shares have risen 10% so far this calendar year.

Over the past 30 days, fiscal 2017 (ending Jun 2017) earnings estimates have gone up almost 6% while that for 2018 have increased 2.5%.

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By Sybille de La Hamaide and Pierre-Henri Allain

PARIS/RENNES (Reuters) - Lactalis, the world's largest dairy firm, reached a deal with French milk producers on Tuesday to raise prices paid to suppliers and farmers called off their week-long protests, the company and unions said.

Lactalis agreed to pay an average 275 euros ($307) per 1,000 litres of milk for the whole of 2016, Dominique Barrau, secretary general of France's largest farm union FNSEA, told Reuters.

"It brings Lactalis to the level of its competitors," Barrau said, adding that the union had called for an end to protests.

The offer was 10 euros higher than an initial proposal before the first talks on Thursday last week, but still well below production costs pegged at about 330 to 380 euros per 1,000 litres depending on the size of the farm, unions said.

Lactalis, which produces cheese, milk, butter and yoghurt with brands including President, Bridel, Galbani and Lactel, confirmed the agreement without giving any details.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls called the deal a positive agreement on Twitter.

Between 2,000 and 3,000 farmers have protested since Monday last week outside the family-owned firm's headquarters in Laval, northwestern France, bringing hundreds of tractors, cows and trailers. Farmers also carried out protests in supermarkets and called on consumers to boycott Lactalis products.

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.

Lactalis will lift prices to 290 euros per 1,000 litres for the milk purchased between August and December, a member of a producers group said.

"It's much better than what Lactalis had offered so far," Pascal Clement, president of the FNSEA's regional branch for western France, said.

The rise in price, which will top 300 euros by the end of the year, will represent an additional cost of around 150 million euros for the group in 2016, Lactalis said in a statement.

Story continues

"Lactalis Group is demonstrating though this agreement its willingness to support milk producers whose difficulties are real," the group said.

Separately, France said on Tuesday it would supplement a set of European subsidies announced last month to encourage milk producers to cut output and reduce overproduction to avert a collapse in prices.

Lactalis does not publish results but said on its website it has a turnover of 17 billion euros ($19 billion), employs nearly 75,000 people in 85 countries in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa, and has factories in 43 countries.

Lactalis stressed last week it faced strong competition elsewhere in the European Union, where milk prices have fallen more steeply than in France over the past year.

In June, raw milk prices paid to producers stood at 27.70 euros per 100 kg in France compared with 23.22 euros in top producer Germany, 25.12 euros in Britain and 25.00 euros in the Netherlands, European Commission data showed.

(Additional reporting by Pierre-Henri Allain in Rennes; editing by David Clarke and Adrian Croft)
Tripoli (AFP) - Libya has shipped the last of its chemical weapons stocks out of the country, officials said Tuesday, under a UN-backed plan to ensure the arsenal could not fall into the wrong hands.

The move will ease fears that extremists like the Islamic State group could gain access to the weapons in Libya, which has been wracked by chaos since the 2011 overthrow of Moamer Kadhafi.

A senior security official told AFP the stocks, including 23 tanks of chemicals, were shipped out on a Danish vessel on Saturday from the port of Misrata, under the supervision of the United Nations, and were destined for Germany.

The stocks had been stored in the central Jafa area, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) south of Sirte where Libyan pro-government forces are battling IS jihadists, he said.

"We as Libyans did not want these weapons, especially during the current security situation and with the presence of IS in the region," the security official said.

The deputy prime minister of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA), Mussa el-Koni, confirmed the operation.

"All of Libya's chemical arsenal has been shipped out of the country," he told AFP. "This is good news for Libya, and for the peace of Libya, and we thank all the countries that participated and the UN."

The Danish government had earlier this month offered to send a container vessel, support ship and 200 staff to handle the operation, coordinated by the UN-backed Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

- 500 tonnes of toxic chemicals -

In an emailed statement to AFP, the OPCW said: "We are not in a position to disclose operational details of an ongoing effort."

It specified however that the stocks in question "are industrial chemicals in wide use as well as precursor chemicals that are several stages away from being actual chemical weapons."

A German defence ministry spokesman said the shipment would arrive in Germany "in the coming weeks" and contained "about 500 tonnes of toxic chemical products" that would be destroyed by GEKA, Germany's state-owned company for disposing of chemical weapons.

Story continues

"These chemical products can be used to produce toxic gases or warfare agents, but are not toxic gases or warfare agents," the spokesman said.

A Danish foreign ministry spokesman said the government "can neither confirm nor deny" reports of its involvement.

The UN Security Council on July 22 endorsed plans to remove Libya's remaining chemical weapons from the country and prevent them from falling into the hands of extremists like IS.

Libya joined the UN convention on eliminating chemical weapons in 2004 as part of Kadhafi's ultimately abortive efforts to shake off the country's pariah status and mend relations with the West.

The convention uses a broad definition of "chemical weapons" to include not only those already prepared for delivery but also toxic chemicals intended for use in weapons and the precursors used to create them.

- Battle for Sirte -

At the time Libya joined the convention, it declared 24.7 tonnes of sulphur mustard, 1,390 tonnes of precursor chemicals and more than 3,500 aerial bombs containing chemical weapons.

It had eliminated all the aerial bombs, 51 percent of the sulphur mustard and 40 percent of the precursor chemicals by 2011, when operations to destroy the arsenal were interrupted by the uprising against Kadhafi, according to the OPCW.

Of three chemical weapons production facilities also declared in 2004, two were destroyed and one converted for civilian use, it said.

Fears over the remaining stockpiles grew with the rise of the Libyan branch of IS, which took advantage of the country's turmoil last year to seize control of the coastal city of Sirte.

Forces loyal to the internationally backed GNA, a unity government that was declared earlier this year but has struggled to assert its authority, have made significant gains against IS in Sirte.

After capturing most of the city including IS's central headquarters earlier this month, loyalist forces have cornered the jihadists in one last district.

"Preparations to liberate the entire city are ongoing today and we expect the situation to be resolved in a very short time," Reda Issa, a spokesman for the loyalist forces, told AFP on Tuesday.
New Delhi, Aug 30 (PTI) US today assured India of "doing more" by providing it finances for innovative renewable energy projects while asserting that it is the "only way" of meeting the challenge of climate change.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said that the civil nuclear cooperation between both the countries will bring affordable and clean energy to tens of millions of Indian households.

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"To build on our shared leadership in combating climate change, the US is going to do more to help India upgrade its powergrid and work with our private sector in order to help provide financing for innovative renewable energy projects and clean energy entrepreneurs.

"That is the only way we will have a chance of adequately meeting the promise of Paris and adequately meeting the challenge of climate change," Kerry said during the joint press interaction with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.

He said that US will soon make the promise made by more than 190 nations at the Paris Climate change summit last year a "reality" by officially joining the global climate agreement.

"Our civil nuclear cooperation will bring affordable clean energy to tens of millions of Indian households as we move closer in the use of safe, modern, latest generation nuclear power.

"My government looks forward to making the promise of Paris a reality and being one of the country that will soon officially join the global climate agreement," he said.

Meanwhile, Swaraj said that India had a detailed exchange of views on climate change and clean energy issues with US.

"Both our countries attach high importance to the full implementation of the Paris Agreement, in the finalization of which President Obama and Prime Minister Modi played key roles," she said.

Swaraj said that both the countries have agreed to scale up collaboration in clean energy and to "quickly" operationalize the different initiatives announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"We have agreed to scale up our collaboration in clean energy and to quickly operationalize the various initiatives that were announced during Prime Ministers visit to facilitate investments in this sector from US into India.

"We look forward to working with the US to ensure the success of the International Solar Alliance (ISA)," she said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with French President Francois Hollande had launched the ISA during the Paris Summit. PTI TDS RG

--- ENDS ---
By Ahmed Elumami TRIPOLI (Reuters) - A Libyan navy boat fired warning shots at a search and rescue vessel operated by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) earlier this month because it thought it was involved in smuggling, a spokesman said on Tuesday. MSF says the Bourbon Argos, which has long been conducting rescue missions for migrants trying to cross from Libya to Europe, was fired on and boarded by unidentified assailants on Aug. 17. It said some of the shots hit the boat, which was patrolling about 24 nautical miles off the Libyan coast, and that armed men spent about 50 minutes aboard as the crew sheltered in a safe area. There were no migrants on the boat that day, MSF said. Libyan navy spokesman Ayoub Qassem said the navy patrol boat had taken action after the Bourbon Argos failed to respond to calls and tried to change its route. "The boat was spotted in international waters and it's known to be an oil smuggling route, so that's why our costal guards had to intercept it," Qassem said. "But the crew tried to flee to the north." "The guards shot in the air to warn them but because our boat is small and was swaying due to heavy waves there might have been a hit to their boat. I confirm that it was not directly targeted." MSF said there was no "clear identification and communication or any radio answer" from the Libyan boat and that it had found out 10 days later about the navy's involvement from Libyan media. "MSF is currently engaging with the Libyan authorities in order to clarify what happened exactly during the incident and to ensure that similar events, that can put people in physical danger, do not occur in the future," the humanitarian group said in a statement issued on Saturday. Tens of thousands of migrants have crossed the central Mediterranean to Europe this year, most of them leaving from Libya. Traffickers generally provide flimsy rubber boats, and more than 2,700 have died attempting the journey. In recent days there has been a surge in departures. Qassem said the incident involving the Bourbon Argos took place off the coast near the western Libyan towns of Sabratha and Zuwara, an area where many boats have left in recent months. Fuel smuggling is also reported to be rife in the area. Libyan coastguard or naval vessels sometimes stop boats before they reach international waters and return migrants to Libya. The European Union is preparing to train Libyan coastguards in an attempt to help stem the flow crossings. (Reporting by Ahmed Elumami; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by James Dalgleish)
By Charlotte Greenfield

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A New Zealand judge gave permission on Tuesday for the hearing of German tech entrepreneur Kim Dotcom's appeal against his extradition to be streamed on YouTube, making it the country's first court case to be broadcast on the Internet.

The six-week hearing opened in Auckland this week, nine months after a lower court ruled Kim Dotcom could be sent to the United States to face copyright infringement and money-laundering charges over the filesharing website Megaupload.

The case has been closely watched by the media industry and developers in the file-sharing business for signs of how far the United States is willing to go to protect U.S. copyright holders.

"It's very important that the entire world gets to see the courtroom," said Dotcom's lawyer, Ira Rothken. "The Internet isn't run by any one nation, so we thought the solution itself would come from the Internet."

Dotcom was arranging for a videographer to start recording the proceedings from Wednesday, the lawyer added. They will appear on Youtube with a 20-minute time lag to ensure removal of any material suppressed by the court.

The judge ordered the stream to be taken down at the end of the hearing.

New Zealand government prosecutors, who are representing the United States, had argued against the live streaming.

The government law office did not immediately respond to a request for comment but a spokeswoman on Monday said it was not appropriate to comment while the matter was before the courts.

Media reported that the lawyers had argued on behalf of the U.S. that live streaming could be prejudicial, as submissions made in the New Zealand court could be inadmissible in a future trial in the United States.

Legal experts believe the live streaming of an entire hearing will be a first in New Zealand, although domestic media sometimes film brief snatches of courtroom argument.

"The New Zealand judiciary have been very cautious about letting cameras into the courtroom," said Bill Hodge, a criminal law professor at Auckland University, adding that the exceptional nature of the case could have contributed to the decision.

Story continues

Years of legal wrangling followed Dotcom's arrest during a raid by New Zealand police working in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2012.

It later emerged that the Government Communications Security Bureau had illegally spied on him before the raid.

U.S. authorities say Dotcom and three co-accused Megaupload executives cost film studios and record companies more than $500 million and generated more than $175 million by encouraging paying users to store and share copyrighted material.

(Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
By Charlotte Greenfield WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A New Zealand judge gave permission on Tuesday for the hearing of German tech entrepreneur Kim Dotcom's appeal against his extradition to be streamed on YouTube, making it the country's first court case to be broadcast on the Internet. The six-week hearing opened in Auckland this week, nine months after a lower court ruled Kim Dotcom could be sent to the United States to face copyright infringement and money-laundering charges over the filesharing website Megaupload. The case has been closely watched by the media industry and developers in the file-sharing business for signs of how far the United States is willing to go to protect U.S. copyright holders. "It's very important that the entire world gets to see the courtroom," said Dotcom's lawyer, Ira Rothken. "The Internet isn't run by any one nation, so we thought the solution itself would come from the Internet." Dotcom was arranging for a videographer to start recording the proceedings from Wednesday, the lawyer added. They will appear on Youtube with a 20-minute time lag to ensure removal of any material suppressed by the court. The judge ordered the stream to be taken down at the end of the hearing. New Zealand government prosecutors, who are representing the United States, had argued against the livestreaming. The government law office did not immediately respond to a request for comment but a spokeswoman on Monday said it was not appropriate to comment while the matter was before the courts. Media reported that the lawyers had argued on behalf of the U.S. that live streaming could be prejudicial, as submissions made in the New Zealand court could be inadmissible in a future trial in the United States. Legal experts believe the livestreaming of an entire hearing will be a first in New Zealand, although domestic media sometimes film brief snatches of courtroom argument. "The New Zealand judiciary have been very cautious about letting cameras into the courtroom," said Bill Hodge, a criminal law professor at Auckland University, adding that the exceptional nature of the case could have contributed to the decision. Years of legal wrangling followed Dotcom's arrest during a raid by New Zealand police working in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2012. It later emerged that the Government Communications Security Bureau had illegally spied on him before the raid. U.S. authorities say Dotcom and three co-accused Megaupload executives cost film studios and record companies more than $500 million and generated more than $175 million by encouraging paying users to store and share copyrighted material. (Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
nexus phone htc rumor

Google will stop using the Nexus branding it typically applies to the smartphones it builds with third-party manufacturers,

according to a new Android Central report.

The shift will reportedly take effect with the two handsets its expected to launch this fall, which are rumored to have 5- and 5.5-inch displays and come from HTC.

Android Central does not report what those phones will be called, but says Google will use them to emphasize its own branding instead.

Such a move would line up with a July report from Android Police, which detailed images of a phone with a small G logo on its back, instead of Nexus tag found on previous Google-branded phones. (The site reported images of the 5-inch model without the Google logo earlier this month, but said that that would be there by launch.)

Itd also line up with comments made by Sundar Pichai at Voxs Code Conference this past June. There, the Google CEO noted that the company would be more opinionated over the design of future Nexus devices.

Google declined a request for comment.

Read the full Android Central report for more details -->





More From Business Insider


By Jamie Freed

Aug 30 (Reuters) - U.S. home improvement chain Lowe's Companies Inc has begun legal proceedings against Australian retailer Woolworths Ltd for allegedly voting to end a joint venture without mutual consent, in violation of their partnership agreement.

The court filing comes after Woolworths last week said it would exit the home improvement business, earning A$1.5 billion ($1.14 billion) in gross proceeds via contracts that included the closure their Masters Home Improvement chain joint venture.

It was unclear what resolution Lowe's is seeking through the filing.

Woolworths on Monday said it was aware of the filing and that it had not been served with any related documents. The retailer declined to comment further when contacted on Tuesday.

Lowe's did not respond to a request for comment outside of regular U.S. business hours. A lawyer in Sydney representing Lowe's declined to comment.

In documents filed at Sydney's Federal Court, Lowe's said Woolworths gave its representatives insufficient time to review voluminous paperwork related to the closure, and that Woolworths voted for the closure without those representatives' consent.

It said Woolworths supplied paperwork 24 hours before board meetings on Aug. 23 and 24 that each exceeded 1,000 pages.

Woolworths held the vote on Aug. 24, a day before reporting earnings for 2015, Lowe's said in the filing. The retailer booked a record loss, which included more than $2 billion worth of writedowns in its hardware business.

The pair launched the venture in 2011 to compete with the Bunnings chain of Woolworths rival Wesfarmers Ltd, with Lowe's owning a third.

Woolworths on Jan. 18 said, on terminating the venture, it would be obliged to pay Lowe's the fair value of its stake. Neither party has announced any agreed value in the interim.

A case management hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday.

($1 = 1.3212 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Jamie Freed; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
By PTI: From Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Aug 30 (PTI) Pakistan today rejected as "baseless" the reports that US has reprimanded its ambassador in Washington after he tweeted an image of him and his wife with the first lady Michelle Obama.

In a statement, the Foreign Office said the media reports published regarding a letter of displeasure from the White House to Pakistans ambassador to the US Jalil Abbas Jilani was "completely incorrect and baseless".

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"No such letter from the White House has been received either in our Mission in Washington or this Ministry. It is nothing but a figment of the Reporters own imagination," it said.

It further said it was "unethical" on the part of the reporter, based in Washington, to have filed a "baseless story without verifying its authenticity."

In a report, Pakistani daily The News International claimed that in a strongly-worded letter addressed to the ambassador, the White House criticised the actions of Pakistans top diplomat.

Quoting sources, the paper said the official letter "showed displeasure" and accused the ambassador of breaching trust and being undiplomatic in his action.

It said the letter was sent in connection with a picture tweeted by the ambassador in May.

The tweeted image showed Ambassador Jilani and his wife with the first lady, Michelle. "It was an absolute delight hosting FLOTUS at Pakistan House today," Jilani had said in his tweet.

The tweet along with the picture dispensed the impression that Ambassador Jilani has close ties with America?s first family, it said.

A section of the press also carried out analysis that Michelle and Ambassador Jilani discussed bilateral relations.

The paper said the White House appeared disappointed by the impression that was forged and reminded in the letter that the first ladys short stopover at the ambassadors residence was personal and extracting any political gain out of that was unprofessional.

Michelle was invited to the ambassadors residence ? otherwise known as the Pakistan House ? to participate in his sons graduation party.

Ambassador Jilanis youngest son attended the same school as President Obamas daughters Malia and Sasha.

The envoy had removed the image from his twitter feed a few hours after tweeting it.

The paper also reported that when asked to comment on the incident, the ambassador in his one-liner reply termed it as "incorrect".

The Pak-US ties strained after Congressional restriction on financing of F-16 fighter jets sale from Foreign Military Financing programme, due to which Pakistan could not buy the jets.

The relationship further suffered when the US carried out a drone strike in Balochistan, killing the Taliban chief, which was termed by Pakistani leadership a violation of the countrys sovereignty. PTI SH PMS AKJ PMS

--- ENDS ---

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By PTI: Mysuru, Aug 30 (PTI) Maintaining that Karnataka was not in a position to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said his government will explain the ground realities to the Supreme Court, which has been approached by the neighbouring state over the issue.

"They (Tamil Nadu) have petitioned the Supreme Court. We will make Supreme Court aware about the ground realities in Karnataka," Siddaramaiah told reporters.

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He said, "Tamil Nadu is asking for 50 tm-ft that was to supposed be released in a normal year. Do we have a normal year?" and added that the water level in the KRS Dam here was 93 feet instead of the 124 feet it was supposed to be in rainy season.

"A total of 50 tmc-ft water is therefrom four reservoirs (in the Cauvery river basin) area whichwas supposed to be 114 tmc ft.

"It is not that we dont want to release water, but wedont have water. We dont have water for our crops; we want40 tmc ft water for drinking. Where do we have water to release?"Siddaramaiah said.

The Supreme Court on September 2 will hear Tamil Nadu governments plea seeking release of 50 TMC of water from Karnataka to meet its irrigation demands in the backdrop of the Cauvery water row.

A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur had last week posted the matter to September 2 after Tamil Nadu government mentioned it and sought an urgent hearing.

In the petition, Tamil Nadu has charged Karnataka with diverting water meant for farmers during distress years for undeclared projects, in violation of the final orders of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in 2007, apportioning the inter-state river water among the riparian states.

Karnataka had on August 27 made it clear that it wasnot possible for it to spare Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu given the "severe distress" it was facing with an all-party meeting deciding thatthe same stand should be placed before the Supreme Court. PTIKSU RA VS KIS

--- ENDS ---
Paris (AFP) - France's Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday he had quit as economy minister to focus on drawing up a "diagnosis" of the country's woes, but stopped short of declaring a bid for the presidency in 2017.

"I am determined to do everything so that our values, our ideas, our actions can transform France as soon as next year," the 38-year-old said in a speech to ministry staff.

Only by leaving the government would he have the freedom to promote his own ideas through his own political movement, Macron said.

"I want to begin a new stage of my fight and build a project that serves the public interest," he said.

Socialist President Francois Hollande named Macron to his cabinet in 2014, but the former investment banker has angered many colleagues by challenging the cherished tokens of the French left, such as the 35-hour work week.
Paul LePage

Gov. Paul LePage of Maine said Tuesday that he was considering resigning from office after recently leaving a Democratic politician a profanity-laced voicemail.

During an interview with WVOM, a talk-radio station in the city of Bangor, LePage said he was "looking at all options" when it came to finishing out his second term in office.

"I think some things I've been asked to do are beyond my ability," he said, noting the mounting pressure he had received from fellow Maine politicians in recent days. "I'm not going to say that I'm not going to finish it. I'm not saying that I am going to finish it."

"If I've lost my ability to help Maine's people, maybe it's time to move on," he later added.

The Maine Republican repeatedly apologized to the Democratic state lawmaker, Rep. Drew Gattine, whom he left the profane voicemail for, in which he called Gattine a "son of a b----" and a "c---sucker."

"When I was called a racist I just lost it, and there's no excuse," LePage said Tuesday. "Its unacceptable. It's totally my fault."

LePage left the wild voicemail Thursday morning after a reporter confronted him and suggested that Gattine was among several who labeled the Pine Tree State governor a racist following a series of comments made by LePage throughout the year.

"Mr. Gattine, this is Gov. Paul Richard LePage," began the voicemail, published Friday by the Portland Press Herald. "I would like to talk to you about your comments about my being a racist, you c---sucker. I want to talk to you."

"I want you to prove that I'm a racist," he continued. "I've spent my life helping black people and you little son-of-a-b---- socialist c---sucker. You ... I need you to, just friggin'  I want you to record this and make it public because I am after you. Thank-you."

After local media obtained the voicemail, the Maine Republican invited reporters to hear him out. The governor acknowledged that he left the voicemail and professed a desire to settle the dispute with Gattine in an armed duel.

Story continues

"When a snot-nosed little guy from Westbrook calls me a racist, now I'd like him to come up here because, tell you right now, I wish it were 1825," LePage said, according to the Press Herald.

"And we would have a duel, that's how angry I am, and I would not put my gun in the air, I guarantee you, I would not be [Alexander] Hamilton. I would point it right between his eyes, because he is a snot-nosed little runt and he has not done a damn thing since he's been in this Legislature to help move the state forward."

Paul LePage

Gattine told the Press Herald he never explicitly called LePage a racist.

LePage stirred up controversy on Wednesday when he said that for the past seven months he had kept a binder in which he inserted photos of drug dealers arrested in the state. LePage said he started logging the photos to justify racially tinged comments he made when speaking about drug-related problems in his state.

"I made the comment that black people are trafficking in our state," he said. "Now, ever since I said that comment I've been collecting every single drug dealer who has been arrested in our state."

"I don't ask them to come to Maine and sell their poison, but they come," he continued. "And I will tell you that 90-plus percent of those pictures in my book  and it's a three-ringed binder  are black and Hispanic people from Waterbury, Connecticut; the Bronx; and Brooklyn."

LePage said in January that "guys with the name D-Money, Smoothie," come to Maine to sell drugs and "impregnate a young, white girl."

"They come from Connecticut and New York, they come up here, they sell their heroin, they go back home," he said. "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 we have to deal with down the road."

He gave an apology for the comments in a subsequent news conference, saying he should have said "Maine women" instead of white women.

Later that month, he said convicted drug criminals should face "the guillotine."

LePage is an active supporter of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, introducing him at multiple Maine rallies. LePage's daughter also recently accepted a position in the Trump campaign.

NOW WATCH: Watch this 11-year-old put Mike Pence on the spot with a tough question about his role as Trump's VP





More From Business Insider


By Scott Malone

BOSTON (Reuters) - Combative Maine Governor Paul LePage told a radio host on Tuesday that he was considering not finishing his term in office, amid a wave of criticism after he left a lawmaker a profanity-filled voicemail.

But the two-term, Tea Party-backed Republican governor subsequently appeared to backtrack on the idea, paraphrasing Mark Twain in a tweet that read in part: The reports of my political demise are greatly exaggerated.

That message came hours after he told an interviewer on Maines WVOM-FM radio that he was looking at all options, when asked if he would finish his term, which extends through 2018.

LePages latest outburst came after a newspaper reporter told him state Representative Drew Gattine had described the governor as racist for focusing on black people as bearing primary responsibility for the drug trade in the state. LePage responded to Gattine with a blistering, profanity-laced voicemail that has been widely circulated.

Im not going to say that Im not going to finish it; Im not saying that I am going to finish it, LePage said on Tuesday, in reference to his term in office. What Im going to do right now is Im taking one step at a time. I want to meet with Mr. Gattine and then I want to meet with my team at my office and were going to look at what the proper steps are to move the state forward.

In last weeks voicemail, LePage called Gattine a little son-of-a-bitch, socialist cocksucker and encouraged him to share the message publicly because I am after you.

A LePage spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request to clarify the governors Twain tweet. Gattine also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

LePage has repeatedly described himself as a less-than-polished, plain-speaking politician.

Its possible it was a screw-up, said Michael Franz, chairman of the government department at Maines Bowdoin College, referring to the radio interview.

Its possible that on the fly he created this notion that hes thinking this way without realizing that would become the focal point, Franz said. My first inclination is that this is not serious and that hes just attempting to establish his regret.

Story continues

APOLOGY TO MAINE, FAMILIES

LePage, 67, said he had lost his temper when he was told that Gattine had described his views as racist. He told reporters he would like to engage in a duel with Gattine, a remark he later described as metaphoric.

I just want to apologize to the Maine people, to Gattines family and most of all to my family, LePage said in the 15-minute interview. And we will take action.

Some Democratic lawmakers have called for a special session of the legislature to censure LePage, who earlier this year fought off an impeachment effort.

A half-hearted, partial apology on a radio show does not get remotely close to addressing the core issue: Maine faces serious issues and its government is not functioning, the states Democratic House leadership said in a statement on Tuesday.

State Senate President Michael Thibodeau and other Republican legislative leaders convened a closed-door meeting with LePage late on Monday to discuss his future.

The governor told the group he was going to talk to friends and family about what he would do next and respond to them on Tuesday, said Jim Cyr, a spokesman for Thibodeau.

Hes hoping to hear from the governor to follow up about their meeting last night, Cyr said.

Controversial outbursts have marked LePages six years in office. Earlier this year, he denied he intended to be racist when he said drug dealers with the name D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty were coming to the state to impregnate white girls.

In 2013, he told a television interviewer that a political rival claims to be for the people but hes the first one to give it to the people without providing Vaseline.

LePage was targeted for impeachment last year by a group of lawmakers who contended he overstepped his authority by threatening to withhold funds from a nonprofit group that hired a political rival. The effort was dropped in January before it could be taken up by the full legislature.

(Reporting by Scott Malone; Editing by Bill Trott and Dan Grebler)

For more news videos visit Yahoo View.
From Country Living

The National Park Service celebrated its 100th birthday last Thursday with events across the U.S., a celebration that comes as the agency that manages national parks as well as historic places welcomes a new national monument.

President Barack Obama used his executive authority to create the park service's newest national monument, Katahdin Woods and Waters in Maine, last Wednesday. Donated by Burt's Bees co-founder Roxanne Quimby, the expanse features views of Mount Katahdin, the tallest mountain in Maine.

Visitors are already allowed into the woods, which was open to the public before the designation. There currently is no fee. The brochures for the monument are printed and signs are going up, and the National Park Passport Stamp beloved by park visitors is now available.

The monument's creation was opposed by state lawmakers and critics who fear that it will hinder efforts to rebuild a forest-based economy in the region. Quimby's son said many parks in the service's system have been criticized upon creation but "when we look to the future, we see huge amounts of success."

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Find out how a team of six people lived in isolation and survived without fresh food, air and privacy for one year for a Mars simulation experiment.

By India Today Web Desk:

A year-long HI-SEAS project, funded by NASA and run by the University of Hawaii, was about testing the mental and psychological rigors of long-term spaceflight. It was a part of the US space agency's mission to send people to Mars by 2030s.

The isolated dome

The six-member crew lived in close quarters, that was 36-feet in diameter and 20-feet-tall, in a dome on the barren northern slope of the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii.

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The team was locked in the dome on August 28, 2015 and were allowed to come out only in spacesuits. For a whole year they did not breathe the outside air or ate fresh vegetables instead they ate powdered cheese and canned tuna.

The six crew memebers inside the dome in Hawaii (Photo: Twitter/@HI_SEAS/S. Gifford)



Boredom and monotony

"We were always in the same place, always with the same people," said French astrobiologist Cyprien Verseux.

After coming out of the dome, the entire crew unanimously agreed on monotony being the hardest part of the experiment other than isolation, lack of fresh food and air.

Also read: Destination Mars: All you need to know about NASA's most powerful rocket ever

Inside the dome, each of the team member had their own small rooms that had a sleeping cot and desk. The dome was powered by solar energy and had composting toilets and showers.

During their excursions, the team members removed a vast amount of garbage from the flanks of the volcano in their excursions. One of the team members, Christiane Heinicke from Germany, said her main experiment was extracting water from the ground as the volcanic soil on Mauna Loa is very similar in mineral composition to the Martian soil.



"You can actually get water from a ground that is seemingly dry," she said. "The implication is that you could get water from Mars", she added.



She also spoke about the lack of privacy and the difficulty of living with the same group of people for a long time. She said she was planning to stay in close contact only with three other members.

Photo: Twitter/@HI_SEAS

"It is kind of like having roommates that just are always there and you can never escape them so I'm sure some people can imagine what that is like and if you can't then just imagine never being able to get away from anybody," mission commander Carmel Johnston said.



Also read: NASA is hiring: If you want to be an astronaut and go to Mars, here's your chance



Advice for the next batch

"Bring books", is what the French astrobiologist advises the new batch of volunteers who will be a part of a similar isolation experiment.

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American member Tristan Bassingthwaighte said that the team members engaged in hobbies such as salsa dancing and playing the ukulele to pass time. "If you can work on something that is self developmental, you will not go crazy," he said.

Also read: NASA will pay you Rs 12 lakh if you spend 70 days in bed smoking weed

Mission to Mars is realistic



The crew members are confident that a mission to Mars could succeed. "I can give you my personal impression which is that a mission to Mars in the close future is realistic," said Cyprien Verseux.

However, he said a key hurdle would involve producing food and a small-scale ecosystem on Mars because there the atmosphere is thin and water is scarce due to the dry ground.

Photo: Twitter/@HI_SEAS

--- ENDS ---
Vladimir Putin has been arrested in Florida.

Read: Busted... for Having a Very Memorable Mugshot

No, not the Russian leader, but a Florida man who bears the same name, was arrested August 21 in West Palm Beach for trespassing.

Police say the 48-year-old was arrested in a Publix supermarket after he was screaming at employees and refused to leave the store.

When police arrived on the scene, he refused to give his name, according to cops, and was also charged resisting an officer without violence.

Authorities initially listed Putin as "John Doe" in the police report after he allegedly refused to give any personal information. The report later indicated that "John Doe" was switched to Vladimir Putin.

Read: Wasn't This Supposed to Be a Rob Lowe Roast? Ann Coulter Torn to Shreds at Actor's Event

He appeared in court Monday after he was arrested for trespassing and resisting an officer without violence.

Watch: Donald Trump Invites Russia to Share Hillary Clinton's Hacked Emails With the Press, FBI

Related Articles:
Every summer, Queensferry, Scotland celebrates an ancient tradition called Burryman Day. Per the ritual, which dates back to pre-Christian times, a local man dresses in a suit made entirely of burrs (yes, the itchy, sticking kind). The Burryman then parades around the village, visiting homes and shops as villagers give him whiskey and receive good luck in return. Andrew Taylor has been the Burryman for the past five years and is honored to uphold the local custom.
From Esquire

It's pretty damn obnoxious when someone steals your beer without permission, but one woman decided to go to jail over it after she stabbed her husband for drinking her brews.

Tracey Lee Giffin is currently in the Fayette County jail in Pennsylvania, facing an aggravated assault charge after she stabbed and bit her husband, William Balas.

According to WKRC, the 45-year-old woman and her husband went to bed last Sunday night. Balas apparently couldn't sleep, so he decided to wash down a cold beer-apparently, one of Giffin's beers. Unluckily for him, she awoke and found him at it, and she responded by stabbing him and cutting him on the neck, chest, and head with scissors. For good measure, she also bit him on the arms and on one of his thumbs. You know, as one does.

It turns out this isn't the first time this couple's been in trouble with the law. Back in 2013, Balas and Giffin got into a physical argument after Balas forgot to buy Giffin barbecue sauce.

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Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f194660%2fskyscanner_thread_header

LONDON  There's a lot of competition for the greatest ever social media brand response out there, but Jen  a member of travel company Skyscanner's Facebook team  may just have taken the top spot.

SEE ALSO: This man's complaint about a dead worm in his cucumber escalated hilariously

The thread started last week, after a confusing flight suggestion from Skyscanner (a UK-based travel app that allows people to find cheap flights) led to the following query from a user called James Lloyd.

Image: facebook/james lloyd

There are probably loads of great things to do in Bangkok, in fairness, but 413,786 hours (or 47.2 years) does seem like quite a bit of time to fill.

Luckily, Skyscanner came back with a few suggestions.

Image: facebook/james lloyd

Within minutes, Jen from Skyscanner was everyone's new Internet hero.

Image: facebook/james lloyd

And when she waded into the comments, she became even more famous.

Image: facebook/james lloyd

Soon, Jen had her own fanclub.

Image: facebook/james lloyd

Over the next few days, Jen kept the responses coming.

Image: facebook/james lloyd

Image: facebook/james lloyd

Image: facebook/james lloyd

Image: facebook/james lloyd

Image: facebook/james lloyd

Image: facebook/james lloyd

The best part? The whole thing had a happy ending.

Image: facebook/james lloyd

Image: facebook/james lloyd

If Jen hasn't been promoted at least twice in the last week, there's surely something wrong with the world.
Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban denied reports Tuesday that he was asked to play the role of Donald Trump in Hillary Clinton's debate preparation.

The billionaire told Business Insider in an email that "[I] haven't been asked."

Earlier Tuesday, Fox Business correspondent Charles Gasparino tweeted, citing sources, that Cuban was asked to play Trump in the Democratic nominee's debate preparation and that the Clinton campaign was waiting for a response.

He later posted that sources confirmed to him that Cuban told the Clinton camp that he's willing to play Trump.

Some have recently endorsed the idea of Cuban playing Trump for Clinton because of the pair's similar personas and backgrounds.

Brian Fallon, press secretary for the Clinton campaign, told Business Insider that they are not "confirming or denying any of the various reports of who may play Trump at debate prep."

Cuban endorsed Clinton at a rally in Pittsburgh, his hometown, last month. In that rally, he referred to Trump as a "jagoff"  a demeaning slang term frequently used in western Pennsylvania  during the event. Cuban, the owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and star of ABC's "Shark Tank," has ripped Trump repeatedly on social media in recent months.

Earlier in the cycle, Cuban expressed interest in serving as either Trump's or Clinton's running mate before souring on the real-estate magnate's candidacy. In a Monday tweet, he wrote that he knew there "was no chance" that being picked as a running mate "was happening."

NOW WATCH: Theres something confusing in the fine print of Donald Trumps new $10 million TV ad





More From Business Insider


Mark Cuban

Billionaire business mogul Mark Cuban defended Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton from allegations that the Clinton Foundation was involved in a "pay to play" scheme while she was serving as secretary of state.

Cuban, the owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and a star of ABC's "Shark Tank," told CNN's Don Lemon in a Monday-night interview that he saw nothing wrong with the activities of the Clinton Foundation while Clinton was secretary of state.

"So let's put it in context," Cuban said of the allegation that foundation donors got special access to the state department when Clinton ran it. "Bill Clinton has a dramatically more valuable and bigger brand globally than Donald Trump. Bill Clinton as a brand for the rest of the world outside the United States is enormous. He was the leader of the free world for eight years. He knows how to do things in ways that Donald Trump and pretty much anybody else unless you were president don't  you know, only they know."

He continued: "And so for him to go out globally and talk to foreign nations and say, look, you know, I can help you, I can help you deal with issues that, you know, I've seen, that are unique to you, that apply to, you know, health initiatives, we're dealing with these health initiatives through the Clinton Global Initiative, the Clinton Foundation, and so I want you to donate to the Clinton Foundation. In exchange, and yes, there is an exchange, right, I'll help you where I can because I have knowledge that nobody else has and I can help you."

He said that though some "might not like this," Cuban said it was also how "my friends and my business associates deal with me when people try to pitch businesses."

"Along the way, is it fair for him to say, look, is there something that has to do with Hillary, we'll get somebody to send an email," Cuban said. "Now, if there's a good reason for her to meet with you, fine, and if not, fine. But it's her decision, and let me just tell you, it rarely happens. Just like my friends say to other people it rarely happens that Mark invests in businesses."

Story continues

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks at a rally at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada, August 25, 2016. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein/File Photo

Cuban said the difference between Trump, the Manhattan billionaire and current Republican nominee, and the former president, was that Trump "sells his name for hotels in exchange for a check" while "Bill Clinton uses his experience and provides help to a lot of foreign countries, a lot of other organizations, and in exchange, he provides them support."

"But rather than having the check written to himself, OK, you can say other than some speeches, the money goes to the foundation," Cuban said. "Big difference. And I don't see anything wrong with that even in the least bit."

The latest allegations of impropriety came after Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog organization, published emails that it said proved Clinton gave donors special access to the State Department while she was running it.

Clinton had denied such allegations in July, and her campaign chairman dismissed the allegations in a statement last week.

"The Foundation has already laid out the unprecedented steps the charity will take if Hillary Clinton becomes president," campaign chair John Podesta wrote.

Multiple outlets' editorial boards have called for Clinton to cut ties to the foundation, and Trump has seized on the foundation controversy in his latest round of attacks against the former secretary of state.

Cuban endorsed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton at a rally in Pittsburgh, his hometown, last month. He called Trump a "jagoff"  a demeaning slang term frequently used in western Pennsylvania  during the event. The bombastic billionaire has ripped Trump repeatedly on social media in recent months.

Earlier in the cycle, Cuban expressed interest in serving as either Trump's or Clinton's running mate before souring on the real-estate magnate's candidacy. In a Monday tweet, he wrote that he knew there "was no chance [that being picked as a running mate] was happening."

Watch Cuban's comments below:

Cuban defends Clinton Foundation on CNN: "I don't see anything wrong with that even in the least bit." https://t.co/Qras9hDe0q  Allan Smith (@akarl_smith) August 30, 2016

NOW WATCH: Trump spokeswoman: Capt. Khan's 2004 death was probably caused by Obama's and Hillary's policies





More From Business Insider


The Wrestling Federation of India has written to the United World Wrestling, seeking a confirmation on the development and they are expecting a clarification today.

By India Today Web Desk: Wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt today confirmed that his 2012 Olympics Bronze medal has been upgraded to Silver after reports suggested that Besik Kudukhov of Russia, who had earlier won the Silver at the London Games, has been stripped off his medal for using banned substance. (Rio 2016: Yogeshwar Dutt failure marks India's poor Olympic campaign)

?? ? ? ?? ? olympic medal upgrade ? ? Silver medal ? ? ? ? ? ? ??? ?? ? ?????? pic.twitter.com/S6qxNHW9Po Yogeshwar Dutt (@DuttYogi) August 30, 2016

Jo likha hota hai, wo hoke rehta hai: Yogeshwar Dutt on elevation to silver from '12 London Games bronze medal pic.twitter.com/clU2GjCi5X ANI (@ANI_news) August 30, 2016

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Yogeshwar now joins wrestler Sushil Kumar and shooter Vijay Kumar as India's Silver medallists from the London Games.



However, the United World Wrestling, the sport's governing body, is yet to confirm the upgrade.

Meanwhile, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has written to the United World Wrestling, seeking a confirmation on the development and they are expecting a clarification today.



RUSSIAN WRESTLER TESTS POSITIVE

According to Russian agency flowrestling.org, the four-time world champion and two-time Olympic medallist Kudukhov, who died in a car crash in 2013 in southern Russia, has been found positive in a dope test conducted by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

The result of the sample was out a couple of months back but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not make it public because of the Rio Olympics that concluded on August 21.



Yogeshwar, who bagged a Bronze in Men's 60kg Freestyle in London, had bowed out in the first round of Men's 65kg Freestyle in Rio. (Rio 2016: Sakshi Malik becomes first female among four Indian wrestlers to win Olympic medal)

--- ENDS ---
From ELLE

Justin Bieber-the guy who after his last award show posted a long Instagram about why he hates award shows-opted not to attend last night's MTV Video Music Awards. Bieber had been nominated for three awards there, including Video of the Year. He won zero.

At first, it seemed as if the Biebs was skipping the ceremony to hang with Sofia Richie in Cabo San Lucas. Fans photographed him in Mexico yesterday, and Richie shared many Snapchats of their solidly romantic getaway throughout the weekend.

But Bieber, it seems, did return to the States to give an intimate performance in Los Angeles: one at a karaoke bar.

Here he is, singing Jerry Lee Lewis's 1957 hit "Great Balls of Fire":

And, perhaps as a consolation prize to his fans, Bieber reactivated his Instagram-the one he deleted two weeks ago post-Selena Gomez Instagram showdown. There's a video of him and his adorable new pup Todd waiting for the Beliebers:

For one moment, he posted 9 blank Instagrams to signify a fresh start (at least aesthetically). Then he deleted them, but that message via screenshot lives forever:

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The controversial Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom will livestream his appeal to avoid extradition from New Zealand to the U.S., where he faces up to 20 years in prison on online-piracy charges.

The German-born Dotcom describes himself as an Internet freedom fighter and is best known as the founder of Megaupload, the massively popular file-sharing platform that was shut down by the FBI in 2012. Law-enforcement officials said that much of Megauploads content was pirated, and that the site cost copyright owners more than $500 million, Agence France-Presse reports.

Dotcom, 41, was living in Auckland at the time, and was arrested by police there. Last December, a court in New Zealand said that there was an overwhelming case to be made for Dotcoms extradition to the U.S.

Dotcom is legally appealing the extradition. He announced on Tuesday on Twitter that the judge presiding over the case had allowed him to livestream the proceedings. In a series of tweets, he celebrated the decision as a marker of New Zealands respect for transparent justice.

I love the Internet, he concluded. This will be fun.

Breaking News: Judge has granted live streaming! Success!  Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) August 29, 2016

I will post the live streaming link here ASAP. This is breaking new ground. New Zealand at the forefront of transparent Justice! Leadership!  Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) August 29, 2016

Live stream will start tomorrow. The cameraman needs to set this up professionally and implement the Judges live streaming rules. #winning  Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) August 29, 2016

Now that live streaming is granted you can dig into this corrupt case. We'll see brilliant edits & stories from the Internet generation   Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) August 30, 2016

DOJ evidence is full of deception, dishonesty, mistranslations, malicious misrepresentation of the law & tech. All for you to dissect :-)  Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) August 30, 2016

I love the Internet.

This will be fun :-)  Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) August 30, 2016

[AFP]
Hollywood is mourning the passing of Gene Wilder, who died Monday of complications from Alzheimers disease.

Read: 'Willy Wonka' Star and Frequent Mel Brooks Leading Man Gene Wilder Dead at 83

As news of the 83-year-old actor's death broke, his colleagues and those he influenced over the last five decades praised his wit, humor and body of work.

His longtime friend and director, Mel Brooks, who guided him in some of his most iconic roles in films such as Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles, took to Twitter to eulogize the comedian.

Gene Wilder-One of the truly great talents of our time. He blessed every film we did with his magic & he blessed me with his friendship.  Mel Brooks (@MelBrooks) August 29, 2016

Brooks will be in New York City Thursday for a special screening of Blazing Saddles at Radio City Music Hall, and will take questions from the audience following the film. The event, planned prior to Wilder's death, will now carry a heavy poignancy.

Read: Dick Van Dyke Breaks Into Impromptu 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' Performance at Denny's

Funnyman Jim Carrey may have had the most touching tribute of all to the Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory actor.

Gene Wilder was one of the funniest and sweetest energies ever to take a human form. If there's a heaven he has a Golden Ticket. ;^)  Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) August 29, 2016

Actor Russell Crowe took to Twitter to boast about how much he loved Blazing Saddles and its profound influence on him.

I saw Blazing Saddles 7 times at the cinema with my school friends . George St. Cows outside.

Gene Wilder you were a genius. Rest in Peace.  Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) August 29, 2016

Sarah Silverman called his passing a very sad moment.

Story continues

Hilarious & heartbreaking in the very same moment. #RIP beautiful Gene Wilder there was & will never be anyone like you  Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) August 29, 2016



Institutions like the Golden Globes and Oscars paid tribute to Wilder on social media.

Time is a precious thing. Never waste it. -Gene Wilder. As they say in Corsica... goodbye, friend. #RIP pic.twitter.com/YAC0DJaOrG  Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) August 29, 2016

Thank you Gene Wilder for all that you've given us. You'll be missed. pic.twitter.com/JU4GngwjqV  The Academy (@TheAcademy) August 29, 2016

Chris Rock took to Instagram and posted a photo of Wilder in Blazing Saddles, saying: Willy Wonka was a great movie but blazing saddles is the best thing he ever did. He will be missed.

Willy Wonka was a great movie but blazing saddles is the best thing he ever did. He will be missed. A photo posted by Chris Rock (@chrisrock) on Aug 29, 2016 at 3:26pm PDT

Margaret Cho called him a comedy legend who changed the world and brightened a room even through a screen.

A comedy legend who changed the world and brightened a room even through a screen. Rest in paradise #GeneWilder pic.twitter.com/7TTxL29dBy  Margaret Cho (@margaretcho) August 29, 2016



Shock rocker Marilyn Manson, who has often used Willy Wonka references in his act over the years, paid a touching tribute to Wilder on Instagram, saying my heart is sore. Gene Wilder, my childhood wouldnt have existed without you.

Sadly, the world lost one of the greatest actors today. My heart is sore. Gene Wilder, my childhood wouldn't have existed without him. May his memory live on in his work. A photo posted by Marilyn Manson (@marilynmanson) on Aug 29, 2016 at 4:49pm PDT

Guitarist Tom Morello said he recently watched Willy Wonka with his children and was reawakened to his charm and comic genius.

RIP #GeneWilder. Just watched Willy Wonka with my kids recently and was reawakened to his charm and comedic genius. "If the good Lord had intended us to walk he wouldn't have invented roller skates!" A photo posted by Tom Morello (@tommorello) on Aug 29, 2016 at 3:39pm PDT

A massive tribute to the actor came from a farmer in England who created an incredible maze in Willy Wonka's likeness in a corn field.



Watch: Paul McCartney Pays Tribute to 'Fifth Beatle' George Martin After He Dies at 90

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It seems that the days of men bringing in stiff leather briefcases to their offices are gone  and they might never come back.

At first replaced by messenger bags and backpacks, the briefcase now has a new challenger thats rising to be the ultimate carry-all for men who cant fit everything in their pockets.

Enter the humble tote. Once thought of as merely a beach bag or something to use for Sunday shopping, the tote has grown into an acceptable fashion accessory. In fact, many female consumers have gravitated towards the easy and cheap tote, and away from pricey designer handbags.

Now, for similar reasons, men are taking note of the totes broad appeal.

Sales for mens tote bags have risen 11% in the last year, and sales for mens bags in general have also gone up by double digits, as NPD Group told The New York Times.

The mens bag market is now estimated to be worth about $2.3 billion.

Male or female, consumers are carrying a lot of things around with them, Marshal Cohen, NPD Groups chief industry analyst, told The Times.

Keys, wallet, gum, subway pass, phone, headphones, book  its all too much, and guys are looking for a big enough place to stash them. The practicality, utilitarian design, and unisex appeal of the tote is making it look more and more like an attractive option. Brands like the sturdy Filson and the hip Herschel seem to be leading this trend, with designs that might appeal to masculine sensibilities.

Just dont call it a murse.

NOW WATCH: Why you should never throw away these bags again

More From Business Insider


By Erik Kirschbaum and Andrea Shalal BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany and other European Union countries turned a blind eye to the refugee crisis building on its external borders for too long, Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a German newspaper interview to be published on Wednesday. Merkel, who has faced criticism in Germany for launching her policies of welcoming refugees a year ago, also told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung that Germany and the EU will need patience and endurance in dealing with migration of people to Europe. "There are political issues that one can see coming but don't really register with people at that certain moment - and in Germany we ignored both the problem for too long and blocked out the need to find a pan-European solution," she said. Merkel made the comments in an unusually self-critical analysis that appeared to be timed to the one-year anniversary on Wednesday of her now-famous statement "wir schaffen das", or "we can do this", when asked about the rising tide of refugees. Her conservative party is expected to take a beating in two regional elections next month in part due to her refugee policies. She said Germany, which has taken in most of the more than 1 million refugees from the Middle East and Asia who arrived in the EU in the past year, had let Spain and other EU border countries deal with the refugees on their own. "Back then, we also rejected a proportional distribution of the refugees," she said. Merkel said Germany had not supported models such as the Frontex European border agency that would have impinged on the sovereignty of the EU member states. "We said we would deal with the problem at our airports since we don't have any other external EU boundaries. But that doesn't work." The three-term chancellor said refugees will be a long-term issue. "We didn't embrace the problem in an appropriate way," she added. "That goes as well for protecting the external border of the Schengen area," she said, referring to the EU's passport-free and frontier-free zone. Merkel said the EU needed to improve cooperation with and dramatically increase development aid to countries in Africa as well as Turkey and other troubled regions. Merkel said Germany had long been content to focus on other problems after years of welcoming refugees from the wars in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. "I cannot deny that," she said. She admonished German politicians to express themselves in moderate terms and not participate in the current ratcheting up of rhetoric about threats. A number of Germans had always had a certain racism toward foreigners and were willing to commit violent acts for that cause, but that tendency had grown over the past year, she said. The German leader, the daughter of pastor, also cautioned against equating all migrants with terrorists. "It's simply incorrect to say that terrorism came only with the refugees," she said. "It was already here in myriad forms and with the various potential attackers that we have been watching." (Reporting by Erik Kirschbaum and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Alison Williams)
Mexico City (AFP) - Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto fired federal police chief Enrique Galindo on Monday over allegations police summarily executed at least 22 suspected members of a drugs cartel and killed eight others during a protest.

"In light of the recent events and on instructions of the president, Police Commissioner Enrique Galindo has been removed from his position," Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said in a statement.

The move was aimed at facilitating "a quick and transparent investigation," he added without providing further details.

The move comes after the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) issued a scathing report earlier this month indicating police had "arbitrarily executed" 22 civilians during an anti-drug operation in May 2015 on a ranch in the town of Tanhuato, in the western state of Michoacan.

The operation against the powerful Jalisco New Generation cartel was one of the most violent clashes to have taken place since the government launched an anti-drug campaign in 2006. The gun battle killed 42 suspects along with a police officer.

The national security commissioner, Renato Sales, denied the accusations, saying the gun battle between security forces and heavily armed criminals broke out after they refused to surrender their weapons.

However, the CNDH accused police of tampering with evidence, recommending the government investigate the event and deliver financial compensation to victims' families.

Rivalry between cartels has helped make Michoacan one of the country's most violent states.

The authorities are also investigating police involvement during a confrontation with protesting teachers in the town of Nochixtlan, in southern Oaxaca state. It left eight dead, seven from gunshot wounds.

Federal police arrived in the village to remove a highway roadblock by the radical CNTE teachers union, which has led protests against Pena Nieto's education reform since 2013.

Story continues

Galindo initially said that uniformed police who arrived at the protest unarmed were forced to retreat before returning with weapons after they were confronted by some 2,000 angry protesters, some of them armed.

However, witnesses said the police opened fire first. Various media reports also contradict Galindo's testimony.

The event was the most violent confrontation between civilian protesters and federal police since the force was instituted in 1999.
Voice Assistants 2

This story was delivered to BI Intelligence Apps and Platforms Briefing subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here.

There is a race within the $1 billion digital microphone industry to address growing demands on the technology from vendors like Apple, Google, and Amazon, according to Bloomberg.

These vendors paint a picture of a future in which consumers are able to speak to their connected devices, and have a virtual assistant like Siri comprehend and take action. However, microphone performance and language recognition in smartphones has been slow to improve in line with these promises. This could impede the potential growth and adoption of voice as a primary interface of the future.

In her annual Internet Trends report, Kleiner Perkins partner Mary Meeker highlighted voice as a dominant computing interface of future devices. Once speech recognition reaches 99% (it's at approximately 90% now) Meeker noted that voice should become the most efficient form of computing input, primarily due to its always on nature. This will shift the way users interact with their connected devices, making voice the primary platform for consumerism.

Voice as a dominant computing interface offers consumers a hands-free way to complete tasks. Advances in microphone functionality, as well as other advances that make mobile communications more convenient, will help drive more user activity on mobile devices for more tasks. The addition of automated and artificially intelligent software, such as bots, will add further value to the field of voice communications.

Advancements in artificial intelligence, coupled with the proliferation of messaging apps, are fueling the development of chatbots  software programs that use messaging as the interface through which to carry out any number of tasks, from scheduling a meeting, to reporting weather, to helping users buy a pair of shoes.

Foreseeing immense potential, businesses are starting to invest heavily in the burgeoning bot economy. A number of brands and publishers have already deployed bots on messaging and collaboration channels, including HP, 1-800-Flowers, and CNN. While the bot revolution is still in the early phase, many believe 2016 will be the year these conversational interactions take off.

Story continues

Laurie Beaver, research associate for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on chatbots that explores the growing and disruptive bot landscape by investigating what bots are, how businesses are leveraging them, and where they will have the biggest impact.

The report outlines the burgeoning bot ecosystem by segment, looks at companies that offer bot-enabling technology, distribution channels, and some of the key third-party bots already on offer. The report also forecasts the potential annual savings that businesses could realize if chatbots replace some of their customer service and sales reps. Finally, it compares the potential of chatbot monetization on a platform like Facebook Messenger against the iOS App Store and Google Play store.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

AI has reached a stage in which chatbots can have increasingly engaging and human conversations, allowing businesses to leverage the inexpensive and wide-reaching technology to engage with more consumers.

Chatbots are particularly well suited for mobile  perhaps more so than apps. Messaging is at the heart of the mobile experience, as the rapid adoption of chat apps demonstrates.

The chatbot ecosystem is already robust, encompassing many different third-party chat bots, native bots, distribution channels, and enabling technology companies.

Chatbots could be lucrative for messaging apps and the developers who build bots for these platforms, similar to how app stores have developed into moneymaking ecosystems.

In full, the report:

Breaks down the pros and cons of chatbots.

Explains the different ways businesses can access, utilize, and distribute content via chatbots.

Forecasts the potential impact chatbots could have for businesses.

Looks at the potential barriers that could limit the growth, adoption, and use of chatbots.

To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options:

Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT

The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, youve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of chatbots.





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ATHENS (Reuters) - More than 460 migrants and refugees arrived on Greek islands from Turkey on Tuesday, the highest in several weeks, despite a European Union deal with Ankara agreed in March to close off that route. Greek authorities recorded 462 new arrivals between Monday and Tuesday morning, up from 149 the previous day. Most entered through the Aegean islands of Lesbos and Kos. The numbers are small compared to the number of those trying to reach Italy from Africa -- some 6,500 migrants were saved off the Libyan coast on Monday, the Italian coast guard said -- and far fewer than the thousands a day arriving in Greece last summer. Daily arrivals fluctuate, ranging from a couple of hundred migrants and refugees a day to just tens, but indicate a steady inflow five months after the deal with Turkey was agreed. Under the accord, those who cross to Greece without documents from March 20 will be sent back to Turkey unless they apply for asylum and their claim is accepted. The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said it recorded a rise in arrivals toward the end of August but it was too early to say if there had been a change in trends. "So far it doesn't look like that but we are following the situation very closely," UNHCR spokesman William Spindler told a U.N. briefing in Geneva. According to UNHCR, an average 100 people a day arrived on Greek islands from Turkey in August, up from 60 in July. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said 2,808 people arrived in Greece through August 28, the largest monthly number since April. IOM spokesman Joel Millman said the number of arrivals had been climbing in recent weeks and there were also signs of more migrants and refugees leaving Turkey for Bulgaria. So far under the deal, just 482 people have been deported to Turkey but none had applied for asylum, Greece says. No rejected asylum seekers have been sent back. That has pushed the number of migrants and refugees on Greece's islands to 12,120 from 5,538 in March. Most are Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis, living in overcrowded camps. More than 163,000 migrants and refugees have arrived in Greece by sea this year, UNHCR says. In 2015, it was the main gateway into Europe for over 1 million people fleeing war and conflict in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. This summer has seen a sharp rise in mostly African migrants and refugees trying to reach Italy from the north African coast. (Reporting by Karolina Tagaris in Athens and Tom Miles in Geneva; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-nominee and two-time Cannes Palme dOr winner Emir Kusturica will world premiere his latest film, On The Milky Road, in competition at the Venice Film Festival on September 9. Today, we have a first-look at the drama about a passionate, forbidden love set during wartime. Kusturica is seen frolicking in the clip above with Monica Bellucci in what appears to be an idyllic setting, until

The story centers on a milkman who each day crosses the front line on a donkey, dodging bullets to bring his precious wares to the soldiers. Blessed with good fortune on his mission and loved by a beautiful villager, a peaceful future seems to await him. Then, a mysterious Italian woman arrives to turns his life upside down.

Kusturica, who says the film is developed from many layers of his own life, describes it as a modern fairy tale in which he discovered beauty, and intense, human worlds.

On The Milky Road took three years to shoot and is the Underground, When Father Was Away On Business and Arizona Dream helmers first narrative feature since 2007s Promise Me This.

There had been speculation it would travel to the Riviera last May  Kusturica is a Cannes habitue. When it didnt turn up on the fests roster in April, the director rejected Russian press reports that Cannes refused it on political grounds. It simply wasnt ready in time, he and the producers said.

On The Milky Roads trip to Venice follows Kusturicas Lido appearances with such films as 1981s debut Do You Remember Dolly Bell? (which scooped the Golden Lion for a first film) and 1998s Black Cat, White Cat.

The film is produced by Paula Vaccaro, Emir Kusturica, Lucas Akoskin and Alex Garcia. Wild Bunch has international sales. ICM reps domestic.

Related stories

Damien Chazelle's 'La La Land', An Ode To Musicals, Romance & L.A., Ready To Launch Venice And Oscar Season

Story continues

'In Dubious Battle' Trailer: James Franco Takes On John Steinbeck - Venice

'American Anarchist': Charlie Siskel's Doc Probes 'Anarchist Cookbook' Author - Venice
Turns out Milo Yiannopoulos - scourge of Twitter and hater of the Ghostbusters remake - is very specific about his work requirements, and he'll prove it in a feature-length documentary to begin filming in a couple of weeks.

Yiannopoulos, the gay conservative banned from Twitter after engaging in an online feud with actress Leslie Jones, starts his "Dangerous Faggot Tour" in a few weeks, and the controversial pundit associated with the "alt-right" movement is demanding his bus and hotel rooms be outfitted with a litany of very specific items - including de-fuzzed peaches and KFC thighs with the skin removed.

Yiannopoulos also is requiring two dozen de-thorned white roses each day, placed next to his framed photo of Mariah Carey, according to a rider obtained by The Hollywood Reporter detailing the demands of the writer.

Read more: Milo's Revenge: Yiannopoulos "In Talks" for Reality TV, Movie After Twitter Ban

While declining to comment, Yiannopoulos confirmed the authenticity of the rider, even though many items seem ridiculous. For instance, security personnel should not wear T-shirts, no Adele music is allowed and 50 white doves must be released at each show.

During the tour, Yiannopoulos will ride around in a bus adorned with a giant photo of his face while visiting 45 college campuses and lecturing about Donald Trump, gay culture, feminism, free speech and his opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement.

The budget for the tour exceeds $1 million, according to people close to Yiannopoulos' business, and a crew is filming the proceedings for the upcoming movie. Sources say celebrities from traditional and digital media will make appearances at the various stops.

Read more: Twitter Permanently Suspends Breitbart Editor Milo Yiannopoulos After Leslie Jones Harassment

Some of the items on his rider are so outlandish (horse-oil hand lotion that's banned in the U.S., four topless Abercrombie & Fitch models, four hookahs) that the requests could be impossible to fill - at least legally. But insiders say the rider is not a publicity stunt (not entirely, at least) as the intention is to work those requests into the film. Expect Yiannopoulos, perhaps, to throw a fit when his every demand isn't met.

Story continues

In his rider, Yiannopoulos also asks for Double Stuf Oreo cookies, a snow-cone machine, Tahitian vanilla candles and, of course, a full-length mirror.

Breitbart News, where Yiannopoulos is an editor, didn't respond to a request for details of their employee's movie ambitions, and there's no word as to whether chairman Stephen Bannon is involved.

Bannon, who has produced several conservative documentary films, has been on hiatus from Breitbart since he was appointed CEO of Trump's presidential campaign.

Read more: Leslie Jones Talks Teaming With Twitter to Ban Harassers After Hate Posts
TOKYO (Reuters) - Mitsubishi Motors Corp (7211.T) overstated the fuel economy on eight of its vehicle models, in addition to four others the embattled Japanese automaker admitted to earlier this year, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Japan's transport ministry, which had been investigating the fuel economy on Mitsubishi models including the Pajero SUV, would report its findings as early as Tuesday, the Nikkei said, citing an unnamed source.

The Nikkei said the company would likely withdraw the affected vehicles from the market to revise its catalogs, a process which could take about two to three weeks. Compensation to customers was a possibility, it added.

Both Mitsubishi and the transport ministry declined to comment on the report. Shares in the automaker slipped 0.8 percent in early trade.

Japan's sixth-largest automaker has been struggling to recover after admitting in April that it had falsified the fuel economy on two of its minivehicle models, along with two similar models produced for Nissan Motor Co .

The scandal led to a suspension of sales for nearly three months, and prompted a slump in Mitsubishi's market value. The company sought financial assistance from Nissan, which agreed to buy a controlling one-third stake for $2.2 billion.

An internal investigation has uncovered poor communication, slack governance and pressure on resource-starved engineers at the root of Mitsubishi's problems.

Mitsubishi said last month that the resulting slump in domestic sales led to a 75 percent plunge in first-quarter operating profit, while the company said it booked an extraordinary loss of 125.9 billion yen ($1.24 billion) in the first quarter as a result of the cheating.

($1 = 101.8600 yen)

(Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu; Editing by Stephen Coates)
By Erwin Seba

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Motiva Enterprises LLC [MOTIV.UL] said on Tuesday the division of its U.S. refining assets between Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L) and Saudi Aramco (IPO-ARMO.SE) would take place on April 1, 2017, months later than originally expected.

The two Motiva partners announced last March they would divide their 20-year-old joint venture. The split, according to sources, had been expected to take place this October after completion of negotiations between Shell and Saudi Aramco over the division of assets and compensation due the partners.

"While Shell and Saudi Aramco work out the details of the transaction, Motiva is focussed on preparing the organisation to function as an autonomous entity," Motiva spokeswoman Angela Goodwin said in an emailed statement. "The separation transaction between Motivas owners is targeted to close April 1, 2017."

The main sticking point between the two companies has been Shell's demand for $2 billion as part of the breakup, sources close to the talks told Reuters in July.

A Shell spokesman said that given the partners' long history together, a change in the timing of the split was not surprising.

"Discontinuing the Motiva joint venture and dividing the assets, liabilities, and businesses between Shell and Saudi Aramco is a complex process given the long-standing nature of our relationship," said Shell spokesman Ray Fisher. "With a process this complex, it's typical to have adjustments and shifts in agreements and timing."

In the March 16 announcement of plans to break up Motiva, the partners said they had signed a non-binding letter of intent under which Saudi Aramco would keep the Motiva name and the 603,000 barrel-per-day Port Arthur, Texas, refinery, the nation's largest.

Aramco would also take over 26 distribution terminals and have exclusive license to use the Shell brand for gasoline and diesel sales in Texas, the majority of the Mississippi River Valley, and the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic markets.

Story continues

Shell is slated to become sole owner of two Louisiana refineries with a combined capacity of 472,700 bpd and Shell-branded gasoline stations in Florida, Louisiana and the Northeastern United States.

Sources familiar with the talks said on Tuesday the negotiations were focussed on a different division of the distribution terminals to reduce or eliminate Shell's demand for a payment.

(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Terry Wade and Peter Cooney)
The world is a little less funny today with the loss of comedic genius Gene Wilder. He truly was an amazing artist one of my favorites! God bless #genewilder

A photo posted by Slightly Stoopid (@slightlystoopid) on Aug 29, 2016 at 5:17pm PDT
A woman wearing a hijab walks past a voting sign in Brooklyn, N.Y. (Photo: Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

Alena Khan was catching up with friends at the start of the Pakistan Day parade in Edison, N.J., last weekend when she spotted a large blue-and-white banner for the New Jersey Muslim Voters Project (NJMVP), urging her to register to vote.

Ill be honest, Ive been meaning to register, Kahn, a 19-year-old pre-dental student told Yahoo News, amid billowing green-and-white flags and children lining up to have their faces painted with the star and crescent symbol of Islam. As unfortunate as it is, I feel like a lot of people my age want to vote, but if you give teenagers a process that takes longer than, like, two minutes, theyre really not gonna want to do it.

For most Americans her age, this will be the first presidential election in which they can vote. But for Khan, whose Pakistani-born parents are not citizens, it marks an even more momentous passage: She will become the first member of her immediate family to cast a ballot in a U.S. presidential election.

And for many Muslim Americans  who have been the target of vitriol and discriminatory policy proposals throughout much of the 2016 campaign cycle  theres never been a more important time to get out the vote.

Its the divisive rhetoric that makes us feel weve got to prove ourselves, said Shawn Butt, who helped found NJMVP with a small group of local Muslim leaders. He described its mission as [mobilizing] the Muslim population, get them registered to vote, and push them to go out and vote come Election Day.

It didnt take long for others in the community to get onboard. Within about a year and a half, the project had spread from five local groups into a statewide coalition of 120 Muslim organizations.

Though NJMVP explicitly does not endorse candidates, its leaders have no problem crediting Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumps anti-Muslim statements with helping to drive their effort.

Primarily because of the Trump situation, people are responding to all of the rhetoric by saying Muslims have to have their voices heard in the democratic process, said Mohammad Ali Chaudry, president of the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge and a founding member of NJMVP.

Story continues

So far, Chaudry said, much the outreach has involved meeting with Muslim leaders at various Islamic centers and mosques throughout the state, providing registration forms to share with congregants and helping organize small voter registration drives.

Then last week, for the second year in a row, New Jersey held its own Pakistan Day parade (separate from New York Citys longstanding celebration) in Edison, a South Asian microcosm that is home to New Jerseys more than 26,000 Pakistani-American residents. The event provided a perfect platform for NJMVP to reach a much larger pool of potential voters, who typically move from New York City to the New Jersey suburbs as soon as they can afford it.

In the perception of many Pakistani immigrants, New York is a steppingstone, said Butt. If you can make something of yourself, youll get a house in Jersey.

Butt followed the same path after he first landed at John F. Kennedy Airport in 1995. A Pakistani born in Iraqi-occupied Kuwait, he left home right before Desert Storm and landed in Manhattan, where he worked a variety of jobs, including waiter, cab driver and call-center operator, before starting a career in computers that gave him the means to establish himself in New Jersey. For the past 13 years, hes been running his own IT business.

This November will mark the third presidential election in which Butt has been eligible to vote. But whereas in the past hed approached voting as little more than a civic duty, this year its personal.

Whatever the outcome of this election, [it] is going to affect the future of how this country thinks, and eventually its going to affect my kids, Butt said, gesturing to his twin boys, Adam and Mohammad, clad in matching white tunics. They will turn 10 next month.

I know how it feels to be displaced out of the place where youre born and raised, he said. I dont want my kids to feel that ever.

While Muslim Americans make up an estimated 1 percent of the total U.S. population, approximately 400,000 New Jersey residents  or about 3 percent of the states population  are Muslim.

Of these 400,000, about 211,000 are eligible voters, said Butt. Of the 211,000 eligible voters, there are 48,000-and-change registered voters. Thats less than 25 percent. Of the 48,000 registered voters, we have numbers that show about 15-20 percent actually go out and vote.

If you think about that from the larger picture, thats less than 5 percent of the [New Jersey Muslim] population that votes, he added.

One reason for the low turnout, he said, was the belief that were so tiny, were so small, that our vote wont make a difference.

The other major reason, according to Butt, has to do with how long theyve been in the U.S. and where they came from.

The South Asian Muslim community is the least involved in politics because most of them are first-generation immigrants, he said. Back home, weve seen absolute levels of corruption in politics, and we kind of bring that mindset that It didnt work back home, its not gonna work here, so why bother?

Finally, he said, there is a very small portion of the Muslim population that believes that voting actually goes against Islam.

This, Butt insists, is a misinterpretation of the Quran promoted by a minuscule part of the population. Still, its significant that NJMVP is determined to combat that belief in order to engage more Muslims in the political process.

When youre a part of a society, you have to be part of it completely, he said.

Based on its own analysis of voter national registration files, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) estimates that 300,000 Muslim Americans have registered to vote since the last presidential election  with the number of registered Muslim voters rising dramatically from about 500,000 in 2012 to approximately 800,000 in May 2016.

Community religious and political leaders voice their concern about anti-Muslim remarks, at a news conference held last year by the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Jersey City, N.J. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

CAIR is among several national groups currently working under the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations in a larger effort to get a million Muslim Americans registered ahead of the 2016 election.

Robert McCaw, CAIRs director of governmental affairs, said that since 2012 there have been a number of failed attempts to launch Muslim voter registration initiatives. And while he agrees that the Trump campaign has certainly motivated more Muslim voters to get involved in the election process this year, McCaw argues that the rise in registered Muslim voters is also partly the gradual result of Muslim community becoming more engaged with electoral process.

American Muslims are the most diverse religious community in the country, said McCaw, noting that African-Americans make up one-third of the Muslim community, while the other two-thirds comprise immigrants  or the children of immigrants  from the Middle East and South Asia.

Its taken some time for immigrant Muslims to connect and work with domestic groups like the African-American community, McCaw said. Only now are we getting to see the fruits of that labor.

At the same time, McCaw said, Trumps anti-Muslim agenda seems to be pushing the Democratic Party to work twice as hard to engage Muslim voters, who, although composing only 1 percent of the countrys population, are highly concentrated in key battleground states like Ohio, Virginia and Florida.

I dont know if there would have been half as many Muslims speaking onstage at the DNC if Trump had not brought them into the spotlight, he said.

According to CAIR, 78 percent of Muslim voters cast their ballots for Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush in 2000, but ever since Sept. 11, 2001, American Muslims have been making a steady exodus from the GOP. Results of a CAIR poll of Muslim voters following the Super Tuesday primaries in March revealed that 46 percent supported Hillary Clinton, 25 percent backed Bernie Sanders, and only 11 percent favored Trump. The poll also found that the top issue concerning Muslim voters was rising Islamophobia in the U.S.

To McCaw as well as the leaders of NJMVP, 2016 marks the beginning of a new era of Muslim involvement in American politics.

Do you have friends here who need to register? Butt asked Alena Khan after she finished filling out her registration form.

Im gonna go find them, she said. I feel like people dont realize how much a vote can make a difference. A lot of people think [registering] is a process, so the fact that its here, why not?
PHILADELPHIA -- The Washington Nationals continue to get a great return on the enormous investment they made in right-hander Max Scherzer before last season.

Scherzer, signed to a seven-year, $210 million free-agent contract in January 2015, has been an All-Star each of his first two seasons with the Nationals.

This year he is 14-7 with a 2.92 ERA while leading the National League with 227 strikeouts.

He has been particularly effective of late, going 5-1 with a 2.36 ERA over nine starts heading into his outing against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night, in the middle game of a three-game series.

The 32-year-old Scherzer spent five seasons with the Detroit Tigers before signing with Washington. He made the American League All-Star team the last two seasons with Detroit and earned the Cy Young Award in 2013, when he went 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA.

Last year he went 14-12 with a 2.79 ERA for Washington, and fashioned a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 20. He led the National League in starts (33), complete games (four) and shutouts (three).

He added a 20-strikeout game against the Tigers on May 11 of this season. In 27 starts for the National League East leaders Scherzer has fanned 10 or more 11 times.

He stuck out exactly 10 his last time out, while pitching eight shutout innings in an eventual 4-0 victory over Baltimore. He allowed two hits and didn't walk a batter.

"He had it from the opening pitch," Washington manager Dusty Baker said to MLB.com. "That's what aces do. He shut down a very high-powered offense. That was a masterful job by Max."

Scherzer is 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA in three starts against Philadelphia this season. In his career has gone 6-1 with a 2.36 ERA against the Phillies.

Right-hander Jerad Eickhoff (9-12, 3.87) is the scheduled starter for the Phillies, who were blanked 4-0 by Tanner Roark and two relievers in Monday's series opener.

Eickhoff is 3-0 over his last four starts, despite a 5.04 ERA. His last time out he beat the Chicago White Sox, allowing two runs on four hits over six innings while striking out two. He didn't walk a batter.

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He has not faced Washington this season, but beat the Nats in his only career start against them, going seven innings and allowing two runs on five hits. He struck out 10, which matches his career high, and walked one.

He will be looking to follow the lead of rookie right-hander Jake Thompson, who allowed two runs on seven hits over seven innings Monday. It was far and away the best outing to date for Thompson, who tweaked his delivery after pitching to a 9.78 ERA over his first four major league starts.

"It was night and day from my performance my first four that I've had," he said. "It's kind of a relief. It feels a lot better."

Roark was even better, though, pitching seven shutout innings to improve to 14-7. His strong showing came after a rare poor outing his previous time out, against Baltimore.

"I kind of knew after the last one, he'd respond," Baker said.
Chipotle

Nearly 10,000 workers are accusing Chipotle of wage theft in a class-action lawsuit, CNN Money reports.

The lawsuit claims the company forced employees to work without pay after their scheduled shifts ended.

"Chipotle routinely requires hourly-paid restaurant employees to punch out, and then continue working until they are given permission to leave," the suit reads.

The lawsuit is called Turner v. Chipotle, after Leah Turner, a former manager at a Chipotle restaurant in Colorado. Turner claimed in a complaint filed in 2014 that "general managers are awarded bonuses and other compensation for staying within their payroll budgets. If a payroll budget is exceeded, the general manager's job security is threatened."

Chipotle has denied any wrongdoing.

The chain is renowned for its internal promotion program and for paying employees more than the industry average. Starting pay for crew members is about $10.50 an hour, or $21,000 annually, according to reports. Employees also get health insurance and two weeks of vacation.

As of last week, 9,961 current and former workers had joined the lawsuit, according to CNN Money.

Read the full story at CNN Money 

If you work at Chipotle and have a story to tell, please reach out to the author of this story at hpeterson@businessinsider.com.

NOW WATCH: 5 'healthy' fast food meals that are worse for you than pizza





More From Business Insider


LAGOS (Reuters) - A Nigerian militant group, which has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on oil and gas facilities in the southern Niger Delta energy hub in the last few months, said on Monday that it had halted hostilities. The statement by the Niger Delta Avengers comes just over a week after the militant group said it was ready for a ceasefire and talks with the government. The swampland region - which produces most of the oil that makes up 70 percent of government revenue - has been hit by pipeline attacks since January which have cut the OPEC member's output by 700,000 barrels a day to 1.56 million bpd. "We have listened carefully and halted hostilities in the Niger Delta," said the Avengers in the statement, presented as an "open letter" to President Muhammadu Buhari on the group's website. "We expect a genuine and positive attitude to restructuring and self-determination for every component unit of Nigeria," the group said. It added that "no amount of troop surge and simulation exercises will make you win the oil war". Nigeria's military on Saturday said that it had launched a new offensive against militants in the Delta, killing five and arresting 23, to crack down on criminal activities. (Reporting by Alexis Akwagyiram and Bangalore newsroom; editing by Ralph Boulton)
When medication and psychotherapy don't prove effective against depression, some patients find relief from another source: noninvasive brain stimulation.

"Patients are usually treated with medications and treated with psychotherapy, and if that's not enough, then they come to our clinic and consider noninvasive brain stimulation, or specifically TMS," says Dr. Michael D. Fox, an assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and an associate director of the Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. "The main FDA-approved indication for TMS -- transcranial magnetic stimulation -- is depression."

The non-surgical treatment involves holding an electromagnet on the surface of a person's scalp over a region of the brain called the frontal cortex to produce a change in brain activity. For depression, people come in every day, five days a week, for multiple consecutive weeks to receive the treatment, which can lead to a lasting improvement, Fox says. "There's now been multiple large clinical trials showing that TMS does appear to be effective for depression above and beyond just a placebo effect," he says of the treatment that's approved only for people who have failed to respond to medication to treat depression. Up to 20 percent of patients who undergo TMS experience mild headaches that typically go away shortly after treatment; the most severe side effect is seizure, Fox says, though it's rare, occurring in less than 1 in every 1,000 patients.

[See: 6 Ways Obesity Can Weigh on the Brain.]

Beyond depression, there's been many studies looking at noninvasive brain stimulation as a possible treatment for a range of psychiatric and neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease. For example: "There's some evidence that you can improve Parkinson's symptoms," Fox says, such as reducing stiffness, slowness of movement and difficulties walking, with noninvasive brain stimulation.

But while some research is promising, experts say many unknowns remain both in terms of TMS, and a lower-voltage variety of noninvasive brain stimulation called transcranial direct current stimulation, or tDCS. Not yet FDA-approved to treat any particular condition, tDCS has nonetheless been widely studied for applications ranging from treatment of depression and anxiety to neurological disorders; it has also been explored as a means of boosting a healthy person's cognitive abilities, such as problem-solving or learning potential.

The buzz over noninvasive brain stimulation has even spawned a niche consumer market, with gadgets available for purchase online that aim to deliver the type of low levels of electrical stimulation administered in tDCS research. That's raising concerns about potential safety hazards. At present, it's not not clear whether the devices will be regulated by the Food and Drug Administration as medical devices.

More sophisticated models connect to iPhones, while simpler devices essentially consist of two wires with electrodes attached to a 9-volt battery, and cost as little as $50, says Anna Wexler, a graduate student at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who is doing her Ph.D. research on the consumer use of noninvasive brain stimulation. Some DIYers build the devices from scratch. Typical brain stimulation do-it-yourselfers or home users are male, in their 20s to 50s, well-educated and employed, who are using it in an attempt to achieve cognitive enhancement or treat depression as well as other issues like anxiety, according to Wexler; some professionals and students use the gadgets in hopes of gaining a mental edge. "They want to improve their working memory. Maybe they want to increase their learning ability. [Or] they're taking a class and they want to be able to study better," she says. So they turn to home brain stimulation, despite the unproven nature of the gadgets and the many unknowns still surrounding the technology.

[See: Emerging Treatments for Alzheimer's Disease.]

While Wexler describes it as a subculture, the emergence of home use has garnered the attention of not only regulators but researchers, and it's providing a glimpse into both the promise and unknowns of noninvasive brain stimulation, in particular tDCS.

Recently, several brain stimulation experts penned an open letter concerning do-it-yourself tDCS, which was also signed by 39 other experts in the field, detailing the potential pitfalls associated with the technique. The letter, for which Fox was a corresponding author, was published in July in the Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and the Child Neurology Society.

"Whereas some risks, such as burns to the skin and complications resulting from electrical equipment failures, are well recognized, other problematic issues may not be readily apparent," the authors wrote. "We perceive an ethical obligation to draw attention to both professionals and DIY users to some of these issues." Stimulation, for example, may affect more areas of the brain than a user might expect. What's more, not everyone will respond the same way to the same pulses of energy. There may also be "trade-offs" to any gains reaped: While tDCS may increase the rate a person learns new material, for example, it could negatively affect one's ability to process what they learn. In short, experts say, it's unclear all the ways the technology could affect the brain.

"To our knowledge, tDCS is pretty safe technology. It has not yet been associated with serious adverse effects," says letter co-author Dr. Roy Hamilton, an assistant professor of neurology and director of the Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Nor does he suspect it will be, based on research to date. But given the experimental nature of the technology and the profound complexity of the brain, experts say there's still much to learn.

The same caution extends to using the technology to improve cognition or to treat a disorder like depression. "I would definitely recommend that people contact a health provider before they use tDCS to try and treat a specific neurological or psychiatric disease," Fox says.

[See: Easy Ways to Protect Your Aging Brain.]

For healthy individuals considering using noninvasive brain stimulation to attempt cognitive enhancement, the risk-benefit ratio is very different, clinicians and researchers say, than for patients undergoing experimental tDCS treatment for brain disease. "In other words, if your brain is already not working correctly, we'll accept a little bit more risk and a little bit more unknowns in order to try and get patients better," Fox says. "But when your brain is already working well, those unknowns and that level of risk become a little bit more concerning."

Michael Schroeder is a health editor at U.S. News. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at mschroeder@usnews.com.
Nordstrom Inc. JWN recently declared that it has inked a partnership with J.Crew Group to sell edited merchandise from the latters collection at select Nordstrom full-line outlets and Nordstrom.com. The deal will be effective from Sep 12. The merchandise will comprise womens clothing and accessories, along with petites, available exclusively online.



J.Crew is a global omni-channel retailer of men's, women's and children's apparel and accessories in the U.S., and serves customers through its outlets, Madewell stores and online. The companys recognized brand, Madewell has been in collaboration with Nordstrom since 2015, with assortments presently available at 76 Nordstrom locations and its website. Nordstrom is the only retail store in the U.S. to sell J.Crews and Madewells assortments, apart from their own outlets. Also, this deal forms part of Nordstroms long-term strategy.



The womens fall 2016 merchandise will incorporate signature J.Crew styles, which include iconic classics like Italian cashmere, Regent and Rhodes blazers, Martie pants and outerwear.



The 16 Nordstrom outlets to feature these assortments are Downtown Seattle in Seattle, Bellevue Square in Bellevue, D.C.; Washington Square in Tigard, OR; Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Oakbrook Center in Oak Brook, IL; Somerset Collection in Troy, MI; Scottsdale Fashion Square in Scottsdale, AZ; NorthPark Center in Dallas, Houston Galleria in Houston, Barton Creek Square in Austin, Domain Northside in Austin, TX; Tysons Corner Center in McLean, VA; The Plaza at King of Prussia in King of Prussia, PA; South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA; The Mall at Short Hills in Short Hills, NJ and The Mall at Green Hills in Nashville, TN. Among these, the Domain Northside Austin, TX store is slated to open doors on Sep 30.



Nordstrom offers a broad selection of over 500 brands, targeted toward the entire family, through a strong nationwide network of approximately 333 stores situated across 39 states. These include 121 full-line stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico; 204 Nordstrom Rack stores; 2 Jeffrey boutiques; and 1 clearance store. Also, the company serves customers through TrunkClub.com, along with 5 clubhouses.

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NORDSTROM INC Price

NORDSTROM INC Price | NORDSTROM INC Quote

Nordstrom has been making significant progress with respect to its customer-based strategy and is on track to reach its long-term sales growth target of $20 billion by 2020. Also, the company is persistently focused on its store-expansion strategy, and boosting e-commerce and digital networks, with supply-chain and marketing endeavors. We believe these efforts will help it to deliver sustainable growth over the long term.



Zacks Rank



Nordstrom currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other favorably ranked stocks in the same industry include The Children's Place, Inc. PLCE, Tillys Inc. TLYS and Urban Outfitters Inc. URBN, all sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

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By James Pearson and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has made considerable progress this year on weapons technology, including testing a submarine-launched missile for the first time, but it's still not clear if the isolated nation has developed a nuclear warhead. It also does not yet have a fleet of submarines that can launch the newly developed missile. Nevertheless, concerns about the threat posed by North Korea have spiraled since it conducted its fourth nuclear explosion in January and followed it up with a series of missile tests despite severe United Nations sanctions. Also, three major factories known to produce machine parts for North Korea's sanctioned nuclear and missile programs have been modernized or expanded, according to analysis of recent satellite imagery seen by Reuters, a further sign of its commitment of scarce resources to weapons. "North Korea has dramatically increased the pace of missile testing and invested heavily in modernizing its factories that produce them, something we can see in satellite images," said Jeffrey Lewis of the California-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies. "These investments have paid off with the recent test of a solid-fueled submarine-launched missile, but North Korea has not yet completed development of a submarine to carry that missile." In April, a South Korean official said the North had accomplished miniaturization of a nuclear warhead to mount on a missile, although there was no direct evidence it had done so. The United States has said the North's claim that it had miniaturized a warhead had to be taken as a credible threat. "I think North Korea is capable of miniaturizing nuclear bombs," said Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defence and Security Forum and a policy adviser to the South Korean navy. "But they don't have any standardized warhead yet to put on missiles. They keep gathering data through nuclear tests and working to standardize a warhead." Experts have predicted that the delivery vehicle for the North's first nuclear warhead would be the medium-range Rodong missile, which can fire a 1 tonne (1,100 lb) warhead up to 2,000 km (1,250 miles). Despite threats to strike the mainland United States, the North is seen as several years away from building an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can carry a nuclear warhead. EXPANDED PRODUCTION In the past year, North Korea has boasted of numerous weapons breakthroughs in unprecedented detail. Although some of it was bluster, international experts have concluded North Korea's missiles have flown higher and for longer than previously, indicating progress in the country's banned missile program. In June, after repeated failures, it successfully launched an intermediate-range missile, which can fly up to 3,500 km (2,100 miles). Analysis of satellite images shows that the North has recently expanded factories known to contribute to its nuclear and missile programs. An Aug 22 image of a sprawling plant in a rural area 60 km (37 miles) north of Pyongyang appears to show several new structures, extensive refurbishment of existing buildings and a new entrance to a probable underground facility, according to data from satellite imagery provider Planet that was analyzed by Lewis. The January 18 General Machine Plant has long been used to produce engines for tanks, missiles and other military vessels, according to experts. "This represents an enormous investment in North Korea's missile production infrastructure, something that is consistent with the propaganda offensive we have seen and the spike in missile testing," said Lewis. The Kanggye General Tractor Plant, believed by arms control experts to assemble North Koreans munitions, was also upgraded in the last year, according to imagery analyzed by Lewis. The plant is the country's "main weapons production base," a defector who worked in North Korea's secretive munitions industry told South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper in 2010. For Pyongyang, however, building a new submarine fleet seems to be a top priority. A new construction hall has come up at North Korea's Sinpo submarine base on the east coast, according to images collected by Planet. An image from Aug 10 shows a new structure being built beside a refurbished pier within the base, although it was not clear if the new hall would house a new class of submarine. Perfecting submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) technology and having a fleet of submarines that could deploy the weapons would raise North Korea's threat to Japan and U.S. interests in the Pacific to a new level, given the ability of submarines to escape a land attack and evade missile defense shields. Leader Kim Jong Un proclaimed the SLBM test the country's "greatest success" and said North Korea was at the "front-rank of nuclear powers". Moon Keun-sik, a retired South Korean submarine captain and squadron leader, said North Korea's conventional diesel-powered submarines were a persistent threat despite their age but its SLBM-capable craft could be a game-changer. "North Korea will be or is already in the process of building a newer, bigger submarine that may happen as early as next year," he said. (Additional reporting by Yun Hwan Chae in SEOUL and Tim Kelly in TOKYO; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea publicly executed two officials in early August for disobeying leader Kim Jong Un, a South Korean newspaper reported on Tuesday, in what would be the latest in a series of high-level purges under the young leader's rule, if confirmed. Kim took power in 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, and his consolidation of power has included purges and executions of top officials, South Korean officials have said. Citing an unidentified source familiar with the North, the JoongAng Ilbo daily said former agriculture minister Hwang Min and Ri Yong Jin, a senior official at the education ministry, had been executed. The report could not be independently verified, and South Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles North Korea-related matters, did not have immediate comment. Some previous media reports of executions and purges in the reclusive state later proved inaccurate. The report of the executions comes soon after the South said North Korea's deputy ambassador in London had defected and arrived in the South with his family, dealing an embarrassing blow to Kim's regime. North Korea rarely announces purges or executions, although state media confirmed execution of Kim's uncle and the man widely considered the second most powerful man in the country, Jang Song Thaek, in 2012 for factionalism and crimes damaging to the economy. A former defense minister, Hyun Yong Chol, is also believed to have been executed last year for treason, according to the South's spy agency. The JoongAng Ilbo said the two men were executed by anti-aircraft gun at a military academy in Pyongyang. North Korean state media described Hwang, one of the officials named, as agriculture minister in 2012, and referred to him as a vice minister of agriculture in 2014. Hwang was killed because his policy proposals were seen as a challenge to Kim Jong Un, JoongAng Ilbo said. Ri was caught nodding off during a meeting with Kim and later investigated for corruption and showing disrespect to the leader, it added. (Reporting by Ju-min Park; Additional reporting by James Pearson; Editing by Tony Munroe and Clarence Fernandez)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama shortened the prison sentences of 111 convicts serving time for drug-related offenses in his second round of clemency grants this month, the White House said on Tuesday. Obama has now granted a total of 673 commutations during his presidency, more than the number granted by the 10 previous presidents combined, as he seeks to reform the criminal justice system, it said. For some of the convicts, the commutations mean they will serve only half of their original prison sentences. For instance, Sly Stallone Aikens of South Carolina, serving a sentence of 360 months for using and carrying a gun during a drug trafficking crime, will now serve only 180 months. More than one-third of the 673 convicts had been serving life sentences. Obama has made reducing the number of people serving long sentences for nonviolent drug offenses a priority. It is one of the rare issues where the president gets support from Republican lawmakers. He launched the clemency program in 2014, inviting thousands of drug offenders and others to seek early release. It was the most ambitious such program in 40 years, but it has struggled under a flood of thousands of unprocessed cases. The White House counsel, Neil Eggleston, said he expects Obama will continue to grant commutations through the end of his presidency, which ends on Jan. 20. But only legislation passed by Congress can "achieve the broader reforms needed to ensure our federal sentencing system operates more fairly and effectively," Eggleston said. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner and Ayesha Rascoe; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Jonathan Oatis)
This is officially the biggest party school the USA now

This is officially the biggest party school the USA now

Founded when Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848 and remaining the official state university up to this day, the University of Wisconsin-Madison has more going for it than just a coveted public Ivy education and being really, really old.

University of Wisconsin-Madison is now, officially, the biggest party school in the United States, according to the Princeton Review

partyschool5

Beating out last years reigning champ, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, this is the first time the University of Wisconsin-Madison has achieved this honor in a decade.

Lets all pour one out for all of the hungover students in Madison who sacrificed their Sundays and their livers to make this dream a reality.

partyschool3

Many other schools achieved similar, if lesser, honors. To make it easier for you to pick out where you want to go to college, or where you want to transfer to, below is the Princeton Reviews top 20 party schools as provided by Seventeen. (Or, if your parents ask, were making it easier for you to pick out where you dont want to go)

University of Wisonsin-Madison West Virginia University University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Lehigh University Bucknell University University of Iowa University of Mississippi Syracuse University Tulane University Colgate University University of CaliforniaSanta Barbara University of Delaware University of Rhode Island Wake Forest University College of Charleston University of Maine University of Vermont University of Florida University of ColoradoBoulder Florida State University

According to the Huffington Post, the Princeton Review has been rating the top party schools in the country since 1933. They base the rankings on student surveys given to 143,000 students at 381 different colleges, so were inclined to believe them.

On the flip side, Brigham Young University has been ranked the most sober college for an incredible eighteenth year in a row.

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Were thinking BYU parties look something like this.

partyschool4

But, yknow. Were kinda into that.

Whatever youre into  parties so infamous that nobody can speak of them above a whisper or call them by name, or smaller get-togethers with less music and more conversation  this list is a great resource for scoping out what college has the scene most suited to you.

The post This is officially the biggest party school the USA now appeared first on HelloGiggles.
(Reuters) - A 49-year-old Oklahoma woman has been charged with first-degree murder on suspicion of killing her daughter whom she thought was possessed by the devil by jamming a crucifix down her throat and beating her, court records released on Tuesday showed.

Juanita Gomez was booked last week in the death of Geneva Gomez, whose body was found in an Oklahoma City home with a large cross on her chest, a probable cause affidavit said.

Local media said the daughter was 33 years old.

No lawyer was listed for Gomez in online jail records.

Police said Gomez confessed to the crime, telling officers she forced a crucifix and religious medallion down her daughter's throat until blood came out.

"Juanita saw her daughter die and then placed her body in the shape of a cross," the affidavit said.

Gomez was being held without bond at the Oklahoma County jail.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
By Lisa Twaronite KYOTO (Reuters) - For generations, artisans and merchants in Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto lived in thousands of traditional "machiya" townhouses that are steadily disappearing or falling into disrepair. To help restore the wooden-and-tile-roof structures, banks in Kyoto have tailored loans to help contribute to the preservation of architecture in a city that was once Japan's ancient capital and boasts a number of World Heritage sites. While borrowers are encouraged to preserve classic machiya features, such as latticed wood exteriors, they are allowed ample leeway in renovating their homes. Thanks to a loan from Kyoto Shinkin Bank, Sae Cardonnel and her French husband Sylvain outfitted their machiya with a modern kitchen and heated floors, as well as ample open space inside for their family of five. "We wanted to live in a home, not a history museum," she said. "The neighborhood children gather here to play on rainy days." The Cardonnel's nearly century-old home is now flanked by modern structures. While Kyoto survived World War II bombings as the city was spared, many machiya were wiped out afterward by modernization and development. Machiya were included in both the 2010 and the 2012 Watch lists of most at-risk assets compiled by the World Monuments Fund, a U.S. nonprofit organization aimed at preserving and protecting endangered architectural and cultural sites. Derelict machiya are common in Kyoto neighborhoods. About 13 percent of Kyoto's machiya were destroyed between 1996 and 2003 alone, and the number has declined since then. Over 80 percent of the surviving buildings have lost at least some aspect of the their traditional appearances. "There are more and more empty machiya in Kyoto. We'd like to preserve them, and the historic townscape," said Kazuhiro Waki, executive director of retail banking at Bank of Kyoto. Putting money into old houses shows a change of thinking in a country where such homes are often torn down because they're worth little more than the land they're built on, and bankers have recognized the need for a niche lending product. Bank of Kyoto, as well as rival Kyoto Chuo Shinkin Bank, began offering specialized loans last year. A third lender, Kyoto Shinkin Bank, pioneered machiya loans five years ago, and as of June, it had lent 2.9 billion yen ($28.87 million) for 112 restoration projects. The banks' loans work like this: Rather than basing the loans on assessed value alone, the banks include an evaluation from the Machiya Machizukuri Fund, which certifies a property as a machiya and also documents how much restoration work would be necessary. The Machiya Machizukuri, or "town-making," Fund is public-private cooperative agency set up in 2005 after the Kyoto government received a significant contribution from a private donor to support and subsidize renovation projects. TIME TO COME HOME Restoring old houses is relatively unusual in Japan because many people prefer newer residences. Most older buildings do not meet Japan's strict codes aimed at withstanding earthquakes. The country's Building Standards Act of 1950 requires that all new wooden structures be built using modern construction methods, which essentially rendered older buildings obsolete, no matter how structurally sound they might be. Already existing buildings are not required to meet modern standards, though many of their owners opt to reinforce them. Bankers hope the loans draw more buyers to machiya restoration projects, and make it easier for local real estate companies to market them. "For real estate companies, it would be easier to develop and promote machiya by using this program," said Bank of Kyoto's Waki. Interest in restoring machiya is growing from potential buyers outside Japan as well. Hachise Co, a Kyoto real estate agency, started a worldwide service in 2013 and an English-language website in 2014. The number of visitors to the site nearly doubled after attracting more than 30,000 in its first year, according to Shunsuke Bito from Hachise's global marketing team. Some clients do ask about the availability of mortgages. "There is certainly demand for them," Bito said. "We would prefer to sell to customers who love machiya and have the intention to preserve them." With help from Bank of Kyoto, Yoshinori Murase was able to restore his family's machiya, built in 1918, to an airy refuge, with polished wooden beams above floors covered with pristine tatami mats. "I really appreciated that such loans are now available," he said. Murase said he hopes his restored home would inspire other owners to renovate theirs - including the one attached to his. It now sits empty, as its owner, a childhood friend, lives in another city. "I hope he comes home to fix it someday," Murase said. (Reporting by Lisa Twaronite; Editing by Malcolm Foster and Simon Cameron-Moore)
There are many reasons you might consider a job to be temporary. Perhaps the position is not in your desired field, and you plan to move on as soon as you find a job that is a better match for your abilities. Or maybe you know you're planning to move to a new city within a few months. Regardless of why you don't plan to stay at a job over the long term, you will have to decide whether or not to participate in the company 401(k) plan. Here's how to decide whether to save in the 401(k) if you know you will be leaving soon.

[Read: How Your 401(k) Balance Stacks Up.]

Understand what you can take with you after you leave. Some short-term workers are concerned about opening a 401(k) because they don't want to lose money when they change employers. However, any money you contribute to a 401(k) is yours. When you leave your job, you can choose to roll the 401(k) into an individual retirement account or a new employer's 401(k) plan, or you can leave it where it is to grow over time.

However, you may not get to take all of the money an employer contributes to your 401(k) with you. Some employers match a proportion of your 401(k) contributions or put a percentage of your annual salary into the account. You don't get to keep the employer contributions until you are vested in the account. You may not be fully vested in these contributions for a few months or even years. This means that the employer will keep all or part of the company contributions to your 401(k) if you leave the job before you're fully vested.

Ask about employer contributions and vesting. Find out whether your employer will contribute to your 401(k) account and if you will be vested before you plan to leave. It's seldom a good idea to pass up additional compensation. So, if your employer will match up to 5 percent of your salary in 401(k) contributions, you will probably want to put at least 5 percent of your salary into your 401(k) so you can get the full match.

However, if the employer has a vesting schedule, those matching funds may not actually belong to you for several months or years. If you know you'll be walking out the door in six months, but you won't be vested in your 401(k) for a year, then you're not really passing up the employer contributions by not investing in your 401(k). However, if you aren't sure when you will leave and are simply hoping a better job opportunity will come along, you don't want to miss out on matching funds you could have gotten.

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Some employers have partial vesting schemes. For instance, you might be 25 percent vested right away, 50 percent vested after two years and 100 percent vested after five years. In this case, if your employer puts $1,000 into your 401(k) during your six months with the company, you'll take $250 of that with you when you leave. Vesting schemes vary by employer, so it's important to have a good grasp of your company's plan before making your 401(k) decision.

If it's likely you won't be vested at all before you leave your position, or if your employer doesn't offer matching incentives, there are other savings options beyond the 401(k). A traditional IRA offers the same tax-deferral benefits as a 401(k) plan, except that the contribution limit is lower. Or you could set yourself up for tax-free distributions in retirement by saving in a Roth IRA.

[See: 10 Ways to Make Your 401(k) Balance Grow Faster.]

Know how likely you are to leave. You may think a job is temporary, but wind up staying for years longer than you planned. If you stay at the job for longer than you expected to, but wait until you've been there a year or more to open a 401(k), you may miss out on employer contributions and growth potential.

If there's a possibility that your temporary position will turn permanent, think twice about passing up the opportunity to contribute to a 401(k). While you could open and contribute to a traditional or Roth IRA, contributing to a 401(k) from the start will ensure you don't miss out on any employer contributions if you do wind up staying with the company longer than expected.

On the other hand, if you know for certain that your job is a temporary assignment and you already have something else lined up, you might want to stick with contributing to an IRA for that time period. Rolling over a 401(k) isn't difficult, but it may be a hassle you don't want to encounter for a small amount of savings.

[Read: How to Avoid 401(k) Fees and Penalties.]

A company 401(k) plan provides the ability to defer taxes on part of your income, and you always get to keep the amount you contribute to the account. So, you aren't likely to come out behind by saving in a 401(k) account. However, make sure you understand the employer match and vesting schedule when contributing to a retirement account at a short-term job.

Abby Hayes is a freelance blogger and journalist who writes for the personal finance blog The Dough Roller, which covers topics ranging from credit scores and banking to how much money you should be saving.





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Heres how to order the Oatmeal Latte from Starbucks

Heres how to order the Oatmeal Latte from Starbucks

Trouble getting out of bed? Not enough time to eat a well-balanced meal and drink your coffee before work? Nothing but unhealthy options waiting for you in the office kitchen? Well, weve got a#protip to make your morning routine quick and tasty.

Combine your breakfast and your coffee into one caffeinated, nutritious, and all-around energizing super latte. Its called the Oatmeal Latte and yes you can order one at Starbucks, you just need to know how to ask for it. (Its not actually on the menu.)

The Oatmeal Latte originated in Colorado-based coffee shop Cuppa Joe as a quick and delicious way to start your day off with warm, comforting oatmeal, plus a kick of espresso, with half the prep time and only one convenient container, because even Miranda Priestleys assistant looked like a goon running around town loaded with Starbucks cups.

oatmeallatte1

PopSugar recently spilled the (coffee) beans on how to order an Oatmeal Latte at Starbucks, which makes your morning routine even easier.

Are you ready? Its as simple as 1, 2, 3.

oatmeallatte2

Order oatmeal, but ask them to make it with steamed milk (or dairy substitute of your choice.)

Order one shot of espresso if you want to wake up, two if you want to vibrate out of the stratosphere.

Add espresso and any toppings to oatmeal. Let it sit and grow into its final delicious, caffeinated state.

Mein neuer Liebling: #oatmeallatte. Mit Haferflocken, Milchschaum, Granola und naturlich #coffee  #2in1breakfast A photo posted by Dani Terbu (@daniterbu) on Aug 2, 2016 at 1:26am PDT

And then you eat it, and enjoy your Oatmeal Latter, the most genius secret menu item you can order from Starbucks since rumors of the Mexican hot chocolate cropped up.

The post Heres how to order the Oatmeal Latte from Starbucks appeared first on HelloGiggles.
By Barbara Liston

ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) - Panicked callers to 911 during June's mass shooting in Orlando told police of buildings hit by stray bullets and wounded friends stuck inside the gay nightclub where a gunman pledging allegiance to Islamic State killed 49 people.

"Gun shots were just like crazy," one caller outside the club told 911 operators, according to partial transcripts of the calls that were released on Tuesday.

Shooter Omar Mateen killed 49 people and wounded 53 at the Pulse nightclub in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

One neighbor near Pulse told 911 operators people were banging on his door to escape the shooting and others were seeking cover behind parked cars.

People reported on the carnage inside the club.

"One of our friends sent us a text and he said that hes been shot and hes in the bathroom and no one sees him," one caller told 911.

A woman told an operator her husband was in the club and he reported shooting.

"He told me he cannot get out. Hes over there (and) he said he cannot get out," the woman said.

A man said: "I just got home from the Pulse club ... My friends texted me (to) tell me there is a shooting going (on) A lot of my friends got shot."

The operator responds by saying not to text or call the friend.

Authorities did not release the names of those who called 911 or those who were mentioned as being inside the club.

Mateen, 29, was killed by police inside the nightclub.

He pledged allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State militant group during the rampage in which he used an assault rifle and pistol that had been legally purchased although he had twice been investigated by the FBI for possible connections with militant Islamist groups.

U.S. authorities believe that Mateen, who lived in Fort Pierce, Florida, with his wife and young child, was self-radicalized and acted alone without assistance or orders from abroad.

(Reporting by Barbara Liston; Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Alistair Bell)
EXCLUSIVE: The Emmy voting still has a few hours to go, but that didnt stop Sony Pictures Classics from officially launching Oscar season, or at least one aspect of it. The annual ritual practiced in this column of naming the winner of the first official screener sent to Academy voters goes to SPCs spring releases Maggies Plan and Miles Ahead. As one Academy member told me, They are miles ahead in this case. Indeed SPC is, but the timing is almost identical to last years winner, Ill See You in My Dreams, which Bleecker Street also sent out in the last week of August. That movie starring Blythe Danner went on to zero Oscar nominations, as did the previous years early screener victor Snowpiercer and 2013s Mud. But sometimes it pays off, and Sony Classics knows that from firsthand experience. In 2005 the company was first with their little gem Junebug, which went on to earn Amy Adams a Supporting Actress nomination against much better-known competition. Then in 2008 SPC sent Frozen River out first and eventually nabbed a Best Actress nomination for Melissa Leo and another for Original Screenplay. In 2012 Animal Kingdom was first to land in voters mailboxes, and that resulted in a Best Supporting Actress nod for Jacki Weaver.

They are no

Maggie's Plan poster

dummies, this company, and it certainly doesnt hurt to get out early, as it has proved repeatedly. This year SPC will be pushing several movies including Elle, Toni Erdmann, The Meddler, I Saw The Light, The Hollars and animated The Red Turtle along with the extraordinary documentary The Eagle Huntress, which I just saw today. For Miles Ahead, an unconventional biopic of jazz great Miles Davis that was directed by and stars Don Cheadle, there clearly will be a push for its leading man. SPC co-presidents Michael Barker and Tom Bernard have been touting him for about a year now, ever since the films debut at the 2015 New York Film Festival. For director Rebecca Millers comedy Maggies Plan, there likely will be a certain Golden Globes push for star Greta Gerwig , Ethan Hawke and Julianne Moore, the latter showing great comedy chops that she doesnt always get to display. If they land some attention there, perhaps its early exposure with Oscar voters will be a plus in that campaign.

With the Venice and Telluride film festivals kicking off this week, followed closely by Toronto and then NYFF, the long slog of Oscar season is upon us, like it or not. SPCs screener gambit is just one of the many chess moves you can expect in the next six months leading up to the big ceremony at the Dolby Theatre. Fasten your seatbelts.

Related stories

'The Hollars' Review: John Krasinski's Directorial Triumph Earns Laughs & Tears

Oscars: Germany Picks Cannes Standout 'Toni Erdmann' As Foreign Language Entry

Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Remainder Of Pedro Almodovar's Film Library
From Esquire

For the mountains of cocaine receiving screen time in the Netflix drama Narcos, one of the few people never shown actually ingesting any of the infamous white powder is the person most often associated with it: Pablo Escobar.

"Pablo never touched cocaine; he liked marijuana," says Wagner Moura, the Brazilian actor who plays the Medellin cartel boss on the Colombian-set period drama. "The fact that he was a pot smoker affects the character, in a way. But at the same time, he was a very grounded man. He never touched cocaine, and he never liked people who did."

Although he did not watch esteemed fictional Hollywood star Vincent Chase's attempt to play Escobar to disastrous consequences on the TV series Entourage-he heard it was just too cartoonish-Moura did his homework reading biographies and studying other film and TV depictions of the legendary crime boss. While he learned Spanish and immersed himself in Colombian culture during production, no one had to teach him how to roll joints.

"I knew it-trust me," he says with a twinkle in his eye.

We are talking in a very posh, very proper, and very deserted sitting area outside the restaurant at the London West Hollywood the week before Narcos' Season Two premiere, which hits Netflix on September 2. Moura's head-to-toe all-black ensemble of ankle boots, slim-legged pants, and a fitted light-weight sweater match the shade of his dark hair and scraggly beard, but the outfit clashes with his pot-bellied on-screen persona who, this season, becomes more emotionally wounded and reactionary before he is-spoiler alert to those without Wikipedia or who didn't see Moura talk about it with Jimmy Kimmel-taken out in a hail of bullets.

[contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related Story" customtitles="Watch the 'Narcos' Season Two Trailer" customimages="" content="article.46897"]

Story continues

"I tried to know as much as I could about Pablo, but I did that in order to create my own version of him," Moura says. "I don't think that actors should imitate [their subjects]. Otherwise, go see a documentary. You have to create your own. It's Pablo, but it's also a mix of Pablo and myself and the way I see him. In the end, I was doing things that he was doing, as well, but there was no rational decision. I learned organically about the way he would walk or the way he would wear his pants. I didn't want to have anyone on the set telling me Pablo wouldn't do this."

I don't think that actors should imitate [their subjects]. Otherwise, go see a documentary.

Even the idea of who actually did in Escobar in is up for debate. Was it members of Los Pepes, the rival group made up of his enemies? Was it an American sniper? Colombia's special ops Search Bloc? In any case, there is the iconic photo of grinning officials hovering over a bloodied corpse in faded jeans and a blue T-shirt like they had just completed an afternoon of successful deer hunting. The image is seen in Narcos' opening credits, and the show even shot its reenactment of that fateful shootout on the same rooftop.

"Narcos is a series where we really try to be as accurate as we can because we have this documentary style [of filming]," Moura says. "We really tried to be as accurate as possible with the Colombian history, but we get to a point where you have to imagine an intimate [conversation]. That has to be something we have to create."

Moura has not been in contact with Escobar's surviving family members, despite the fact that the late drug lord's brother, Roberto, has quite publicly insisted he prefer it otherwise.

"The greatest thing was when he said, 'I'm sure Wagner Moura has no experience running a drug cartel,'" he laughs. "Or, 'I'm sure he has no experience laundering money.' And he's absolutely right."

Photo credit: Juan Pablo Gutierrez/Netflix

Regardless of the insinuations that he is not actually a criminal, Moura's devotion to his craft did not go unnoticed by his bosses.

"The challenge of humanizing a monster like Pablo Escobar was something that we felt had hampered previous attempts to realize this story," Narcos executive producer Eric Newman says via email. "It took an actor of Wagner's caliber to pull it off. His commitment to getting inside the characters head, to showing sides of him that went deep, inspired and guided all of us in the making of Narcos. We never wanted to make an exploitation show about a drug dealer. Wagner's performance left little risk of that. I believe he is one of the best actors in the world, and I am honored to have helped introduce him to a global audience."

Photo credit: Netflix

The hurdles Newman is speaking of include requiring Moura to add excess body weight onto his normally trim frame (something he swore after Season One that he'd never do again-and which he insists again that he means it this time). Toward the end of this season, an ever-growing porcupine of prickly gray and black beard hair was glued to his face as his character went further on the lam. And Moura still continues deal with locals' pushback on his-and much of the rest of the cast's-grasp of Colombian dialect and accents on the series that has both English and Spanish dialogue.

"I tried in the first season; I did the best I could," he says in regards to what many thought was a failed attempt at interpreting Escobar's native tongue. "It's not that I didn't want to please Colombian people; I wanted them to feel that we respected them. But honestly the accent wasn't my main [concern]. It's a series where we have actors from Chile and Brazil andhonestly, it's a bunch of different Spanish accents. I was the main character. I'm Brazilian. I didn't speak Spanish before. And I expected to be the main target of criticism. But it isn't a series that is [just] made for Colombians. Though it tries to be respectful, it's Netflix, so it's seen around the whole world. And I love the fact that it's a bilingual show."

I expected to be the main target of criticism. But it isn't a series that is [just] made for Colombians. Though it tries to be respectful, it's Netflix, so it's seen around the whole world. And I love the fact that it's a bilingual show.

Vernacular is, of course, important to realism. But the vocal online community who took issue with these matters could have also been upset that, once again, outsiders are recognizing their country for its villain instead of a hero. Just hours after this interview ended, news broke that Colombia had declared peace with FARC. The left-wing rebel group had had its own dealings with Escobar and the Medellin cartel.

Moura understands this; after all the build up to the summer Olympics in Rio certainly aired his country's dirty laundry of political corruptness, environmental dangers and more to the rest of the world.

"I'm trying to be active politically, and it's been really hard because the country's polarized," says Moura, who will next be directing a film about Brazilian Marxist guerrilla Carlos Marighella. "We have a press in Brazil that [seems] as if every citizen were informed by Fox News. It's a very dark moment. So the Olympics were just bad timing. But it ended up being better than everyone thought it would be. And this is very Brazil." Yet Moura understands that expecting the unpredictable can also chance one's perspective of the present. "When you think things are going to get worse, we find a way to make it happen," he says. "The impact of the Olympics for the country is something we don't know yet. What's this going to mean to the country?"

For Colombia, he says, "the drug trade is a completely different thing."

"The Colombia you see in Narcos is completely different [than from today]," he says of the series, which is set in the latter part of the past century. "Colombia is now the second biggest economy in South America after Brazil. They reconstructed themselves in 25 years. It was amazing. Bogota is a very cultural, modernized city. For them, it kind of sucks when someone goes, 'Oh Colombia. I know cocaine.' But at the same time, I think that art and film and theater exists to put a mirror in front of yourself, but also in a bigger way in terms of society and history."

Photo credit: Juan Pablo Gutierrez/Netflix

Moura had not, however, thought about the implications his series might have on the U.S., given that it's told via the narration of Boyd Holbrook's DEA agent Steve Murphy-one of the people who took down Escobar. Narcos executive producer Jose Padilha recently told journalists that "the role of Mexico is very important to this story" of the drug trade. Is Moura concerned that his series might offer additional ammo for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's grand plans to build a wall to keep out alleged murderers and rapists?

"To say the political and social situation in Mexico is caused by the drug trade, like Donald Trump said, is just super unfair," Moura says after pausing to consider the question. "It's about prejudice and racism. This is a country that cannot close itself to the world. I'm not American, but from outside I just see that not only culturally, but also economically, it would be a really bad situation."

Personally, he says, "I think that the war on drugs is a big, big flop, and it's proven that it only exists to kill young people in poor neighborhoods of countries that produce and export drugs. El Chapo is in prison. Escobar is killed. But if you have the demand, you're not going to stop it. I think that drugs should be legalized."

El Chapo is in prison. Escobar is killed. But if you have the demand, you're not going to stop it.

That demand will continue to be seen onscreen as well. Javier Bardem is set to star in a film biopic about Escobar based on Colombian journalist Virginia Vallejo's brilliantly titled tell-all memoir about her romantic relationship with the drug lord, Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar. Moura cannot wait to see Bardem's performance.

"We will always be fascinated by stories of people that live above the law; people that don't respond to the same rules that we do," Moura says. "The old American films of the Old West and Bonnie and Clyde-there's always going to be [an appeal] to see things that we can't do. Pablo was a real character and really did all that crazy shit that he did. He was a mean man. He was a horrible man. But he was an interesting person, we have to give him that. He wasn't satisfied being the seventh richest man in the world. He wanted to be loved. He wanted to be respected. He wanted to be the president of Colombia. How crazy is that?"

Escobar might not have gone down in history the way he wanted. But one way or another, he will always be remembered.

[contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related Story" customtitles="El Chapo & the Secret History of the Heroin Crisis" customimages="" content="article.46918"]

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How Paul Simons Graceland became the soundtrack of my family

How Paul Simons Graceland became the soundtrack of my family

Its rare to encounter an album that changes your life. An album that truly alters the way you feel about yourself and your place in the world. Rarer still is for that album to ripple throughout your family, across generations, and become a pivotal part of your familys history. But thats just what Paul Simons seminal album, Graceland, did for my family and me. And it arrived in the nick of time.

paulsimonngrceland

My siblings and I are first-generation Americans. That designation can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people. But as an American child of immigrants from Liberia and Sierra Leone, I learned quickly from my classmates and through pop culture cues that whatever country my parents were from  it was wrong. Or at the very least, it was not as good as the U.S.

That goes double for any country on the African continent. When I was growing up in America, the continent of Africa was presented as a single, vast country that was a war-torn, famine-riddled, impoverished burden on the West. Classmates asked me if my parents grew up living in trees, teased me about their funny accents, and make all sorts of ignorant comments.

"Coming To America"

Coming To America

In retrospect, it was difficult to expect much more from them considering the typical media portrayals of Africans, and the fact that films like The Gods Must Be Crazy seemed to air every summer on local TV. Even films that attempted to portray Africans in a positive light, like Coming To America, felt off or left a sour taste.

Having spent part of my early childhood in Liberia, I knew Africa to be a dynamic continent full of multifaceted people and diverse cultures.

That complex impression of the continent didnt cross the Atlantic so, instead, Africa was used as the harshest insult a kid could wield. And being the recipient of it was hurtful and confusing. It played a part in me slowly and quietly rejecting my Africanness in order to fit in.

Story continues

Graceland felt like one of the few times in my young life that a reference to Africa didnt sound like a curse.

Paul Simon In Rotterdam

There are so many wonderful aspects to being first-generation. You gain an outsiders perspective on the U.S. and a unique way of looking at the world. Cultural reference points and influences are expansive and international. You feel like a part of the world in a very real way. The other side of that, however, is that you live with daily culture clashes at home. Parents and children can feel separated in almost tangible ways. It can feel like there is little common ground.

Our childhoods, for example, were remarkably different. It can be tough, as a kid, to articulate why this party or that dance is absolutely crucial to my life and my existence and ohmygod why dont you want me to have any friends  to someone who often didnt grow up with basic items I took for granted.

It was a case of first world problems confronting a third world perspective. That creates a gap that grows wider and fills itself with hurt feelings, frustrations, and resentment. You are, at once, part of America and your parents countries, balancing it all like the fulcrum of a seesaw.

Civil War Continues To Influence Daily Life In Liberia

I imagine it must be hard for foreign parents of American children, feeling rejected when their kids show little to no interest in their home countries, not completely understanding why.

Staring at each other uncomfortably across the cultural gap, Graceland, a glorious record, swooped in with its layered soulful beats and jubilant spirit  and it fell right into the breach.

It was pure joy. It was the rhythms of my childhood music pulsing beneath Simons odd, poignant lyrics.

Simon, when talking to NPRs World Cafe about being inspired by the Accordion Jive Hits by the Boyoyo Boys, said This is my favorite music. Im not interested in listening to anything else, and he soon moved to South Africa to begin working with musicians there. This is a testament to the consuming gorgeousness and heart-pounding beauty of African music. It has the power to truly sweep you away, and Simon got caught in one of the tides.

Every time I hear it, Im immediately transported to every party my parents ever had. And, if your parents are also West African, you know those parties include laughing and dancing until the wee, small hours of the morning.

Graceland felt familiar even on the first listen. It mixed American pop and folk with the deep richness and complexity of African music, which, in this case, was primarily South African.

It was the first record we could all agree on for road trips. We loved it and we knew every word. The minute those glorious horns from Call Me Al played, we sang loudly, giggling, and when it was over, one of my siblings would shout again! from the back of the car. And wed start the song all over again, never tiring of the lyrics.

Without fail, when we got to the chorus, wed scream at the top of our lungs If youll be my bodyguard/I can be your long-lost pal/I can call you Betty/And Betty when you call me/You can call me Al. It was the first time wed seen any part of Africa viewed positively in America. The album wasnt a joke or wielded as an insult. When an essential part of your identity is constantly greeted with a no, even the smallest, quietest yes is a welcome change.

But this was the opposite of quiet. It was a wild, free celebration of music, a celebration of the continent and the South African musicians who made that record possible. It was both African and American. It was us, my family, and it felt like all of the pieces from what seemed to be opposing sides finally clicked together.

The record trickled into mainstream culture and blew up. Al Gore used it as intro music at the 1992 Democratic National Convention. It won Grammys for both Album of the Year and Record of the Year. It was everywhere. The success of that record felt almost personal. It was proof that something both American and African could work in concert and result in something exceptional. It made all the difference.

Graceland is still a fixture in my familys life. It can be heard in every wedding, party, and gathering. It has been a celebration over time. It bonded us to this country, and it bonded us to each other.

In the opening chords of Call Me Al, I can hear the high-pitched thats-my-jam whoop of my mother, I can see the dance floor-owning moves of my father, and I can feel the joyful glee of my siblings. It is a part of us, year after year, milestone after milestone, joy after heartbreak. Youll find us all dancing to the same rhythm, singing in unison.

The post How Paul Simons Graceland became the soundtrack of my family appeared first on HelloGiggles.
MEXICO CITY, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Mexico's Pemex will seek partnerships with other companies to make its refineries more efficient, the head of the state oil giant said on Tuesday, citing its successful joint venture with Royal Dutch Shell in Texas.

Pemex, which is grappling with a complex financial situation, has six refineries in Mexico with a combined capacity to process 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd). But oil production has been declining and reached just 1.08 million bpd in July.

Pemex Chief Executive Officer Jose Antonio Gonzalez Anaya said the company is evaluating options to optimize processes and improve its finances, which have been hit by falling oil prices, by cutting costs and reducing liabilities.

"We are going to seek partnerships ... We have a deal with Shell in Houston and it has worked very well. Now, we want to do a similar deal here," he said at an economists' roundtable hosted by Reuters in Mexico City.

However, Gonzalez Anaya said that the partnership structures have not yet been defined.

Since 1993, Pemex, through its PMI Norteamerica subsidiary, has had a partnership with Shell in the Deer Park refinery in Texas. The plant has a capacity to process 340,000 bpd of crude.

Under its agreement, each company provides 50 percent of the crude oil processed by the refinery and owns 50 percent of the production.

Pemex has acknowledged that its refining sector generates huge losses and that its plans require investments that the company cannot make right now, so it is seeking partnerships and eyeing the sale of noncore assets.

(Reporting by Mexico City Newsroom; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
Being a twin may add a few extra years to your life, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that identical twins in Denmark tended to live longer than fraternal twins in that country, while both types of twins typically outlived men and women in Denmark who were not twins. The findings were published in May in the journal PLOS ONE, and the researchers announced their findings with a statement last week.

The findings show that twins have a survival advantage over the general population at nearly every age, and between the two types of twins, identical twins have a survival advantage over fraternal twins, said David Sharrow, the lead author of the study and a demographer and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington in Seattle.

The researchers said they suspect that the longevity boost in twins results from the social bonds between the two siblings, Sharrow said. The close relationships often shared by twins could act as a buffer against engaging in risky behaviors over their life spans, or provide a source of emotional or financial support, he suggested. [8 Fascinating Facts About Twins]

In the study, the researchers evaluated data from the Danish Twin Registry, one of the longest-running databases on twins in the world. The scientists looked at data on more than 2,900 same-sex pairs of twins who were born in Denmark between 1870 and 1900, limited to pairs in which both twins had survived to at least the age of 10.

All of these twins have since died, so the length of their lives is known. Slightly more than one-third of the Danish twins in the study were identical, while the rest were fraternal.

Longer lives

The researchers found that for both men and women, the average length of life for identical twins in Denmark who were born within the 30-year span around the turn of the 20th century was 4 to 5 years longer than that of the general Danish population from this same time period, Sharrow told Live Science.

When analyzing the data by gender, the researchers found that female identical twins lived, on average, about 63.4 years, whereas female fraternal twins lived about 61.4 years and the general Danish female population lived about 58.8 years, Sharrow said.

Story continues

In comparison, male identical twins in the study lived, on average, about 60.6 years, while male fraternal twins had a life expectancy of 59.1 years and males in the general Danish population lived about 57.5 years, Sharrow said.

It's not entirely clear why identical twins of both sexes may have slightly longer life spans than fraternal twins, but this is one of the study's most intriguing findings and deserves further investigation, Sharrow said. Previous studies have offered some clues, suggesting that identical twins may be more similar than fraternal twins in lifestyle habits that can influence health, or there may be differences in the closeness of the relationship between identical and fraternal twins, he said. [Extending Life: 7 Ways to Live Past 100]

Some limitations of the study are that it looked only at twins in one country born more than a century ago, so future research needs to determine if the findings hold up in other locations and time periods, Sharrow said. In addition, little information was available about the quality of the relationship between the twins, or about their health behaviors and lifestyles, he said.

Twin protection effect

Longevity studies that look at twins are often done to tease out the contributions of genetics (nature) and environmental factors (nurture) on life span. This new study, however, considered whether simply being a twin influenced the length of survival compared with people who are not twins, Sharrow said.

The findings suggest that being a twin offers social, psychological and physiological benefits that could improve health and extend longevity, Sharrow said. The researchers called this concept a "twin protection effect," he added.

The "twin protection effect" is a similar concept to the "marriage protection effect," which is the idea that married people generally have better health and live longer than unmarried adults, Sharrow said. But one of the criticisms of the "marriage protection effect" is that the health benefits observed could be caused by a selection effect, meaning that healthier men and women who tend to avoid risky behavior also tend to get married, while less healthy individuals might choose not to, he explained.

However, a selection bias would not apply to twins, because they don't choose to be twins and, therefore, don't select themselves into a healthier group, Sharrow said.

Moreover, people don't need to be twins to reap the health rewards of social relationships. There's a wide body of evidence that many different kinds of social relationships also offer a protection effect that could help people experience better health and longevity outcomes, Sharrow suggested. These relationships can range from having formal ties to a religious group to being part of other social networks.

Originally published on Live Science.

Editor's Recommendations

Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
(Adds details from budget proposal, context)

LIMA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Peru under new President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski will propose a 2017 budget that is up a nominal 4.7 percent from last year, with a focus on social projects and infrastructure, the government said on Tuesday.

It will propose a budget of 142.5 billion soles ($42.2 billion) for 2017, equivalent to around 20 percent of gross domestic product, according to a government document published on the Congress website on Tuesday.

Kuczynski, a 77-year-old former investment banker, took office July 28 after campaigning on promises to cut taxes, boost infrastructure investments and deliver running water and better quality health services and education to millions of Peruvians.

Peru's economy has more than doubled since the start of the century, helped by high prices for its mineral exports during a decade-long commodity boom. But one in four Peruvians still lives in poverty and many towns lack basic services.

The 2017 budget was drawn up "maintaining fiscal management that guarantees fiscal sustainability and implies nominal growth of 4.7 percent from the 2016 budget," the document said.

The government forecast at the weekend that the economy would likely expand 4 percent this year and 4.8 percent next year, boosted by new mines ramping up.

The 2017 budget proposal will include the issue of up to $2.5 billion in bonds, as well as debt swaps, buybacks and other tools to improve Peru's debt profile by up to $6 billion.

($1 = 3.3736 Peruvian soles) (Reporting by Ursula Scollo, writing by Rosalba O'Brien; editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
On Aug 29, 2016, we issued an updated research report on PetMed Express PETS. This nationwide pet pharmacy presently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

PetMed exhibited a better-than-expected earnings performance in first-quarter fiscal 2017, while revenues missed estimates. We are impressed with the fact that after continued drag in new order sales, the last three quarters saw a turnaround in the number, primarily on the back of aggressive pricing.

In the first quarter, new order sales increased 10% to $13.3 million largely driven by aggressive pricing. Average order size remained unchanged at $82 from the year-ago period. Additionally, the company is focusing on issues like limited consumer spending and a change in product mix to lower priced items, mainly generics. The company is also advising veterinarians to prescribe more of their brands.

Although we are encouraged by PetMeds efforts to revitalize the top line, barring the last three quarters, new order sales have been persistently sluggish over the last few quarters, impacted by a reduction in advertising. Although the company is optimistic about the latest increase, the sustainability of this growth remains a concern.

Besides, after two quarters of significant increase, reorder sales faced a setback in the first quarter of fiscal 2017. Reorder sales were down 0.7% year over year to $59.2 million. Meanwhile, the company continues to be stressed in the competitive and fragmented pet medications market.

Key Picks from the Sector

Medical stocks such as IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. IDXX, Masimo Corporation MASI and Natus Medical Inc. BABY, all sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), are expected to do well over the short term.

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Hip hop mogul Pharrell Williams is teaming up with gourmet food purveyor Dean & Deluca to launch a new line of specialty foods inspired by his dad's home cooking.

Set to launch in 2017, The Williams Family Kitchen will feature foods from dad Pharoah Williams' repertoire of recipes.

The partnership was announced at the Dean & Deluca store in Bangkok Monday, where son Pharrell spoke with fondness about his dad's home cooking.

His recipes are so good. My whole family is addicted to his cooking, he said.

At Pharrell's request, recipes for the Dean & Deluca line will be tweaked to offer healthy food options for the family, he added.

Our father-son agreement was that he would make food with healthier ingredients that were a better choice for his lifestyle and would essentially help add years to his life. The kitchen is where everyone hangs out to talk and eat, hence the name.

It's not the first food and drink-related business venture for the hip hop mogul. In 2011, Williams launched a premium liqueur with Diageo targeted towards the lady drinker called Qream with a Q. The partnership soured, however, with flagging sales, leading Pharrell to launch a $5 million lawsuit against Diageo North America.

Other collaborations include endorsements and product launches with Adidas, Moncler, G-Star Raw, Chanel and Uniqlo.

The Williams Family Kitchen is set to hit store shelves next spring.
The Philippine military deployed thousands of extra troops on Tuesday to destroy an Islamic extremist group notorious for kidnapping foreigners, after 15 soldiers were killed, authorities said.

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered his security forces to wipe out the Abu Sayyaf, which has declared allegiance to the Islamic State group and recently beheaded two Canadian hostages.

But an assault that began last week on the heavily forested island of Jolo, one of the Abu Sayyaf's strongholds about 900 kilometres (550 miles) south of Manila, has met fierce resistance.

Fifteen troops were killed and another 10 were injured in a single encounter with the Abu Sayyaf on Monday, regional military spokesman Major Filemon Tan said.

An additional 2,500 troops were on Tuesday deployed to Jolo and nearby islands, according to presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella.

"The president is focused on making sure that the threat from the Abu Sayyaf group should be terminated as soon as possible," Abella told reporters in Manila.

Tan said the extra troops would join two brigades already involved in the fighting. He declined to give specific numbers, but there are at least 1,000 soldiers in a brigade.

Tan said the military would be able to achieve the goal set by Duterte, but conceded the rough terrain and possible assistance from local Muslim residents were working to the Abu Sayyaf's advantage.

Duterte, who has been in office for two months, initially called on the Abu Sayyaf to lay down their arms but quickly adopted a tougher stance when his overtures were rejected.

"Go out and destroy them. Kill whoever they are," Duterte said last week, in reference to the Abu Sayyaf.

The Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of a militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network.

It is based in remote Muslim populated southern islands of the mainly Catholic Philippines, and has earned millions of dollars from kidnappings-for-ransom.

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While its leaders have in recent years pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, analysts say the group is mainly focused on a lucrative kidnapping business rather than religious ideology.

This year the militants beheaded two Canadians after their demands for millions of dollars in ransoms were rejected. The group is currently believed to be holding a Norwegian, a Dutchman and five Indonesian sailors, according to the military.

Tan said the military estimated it was fighting about 480 militants, but there could be more. He said the army had killed 30 militants, although this was impossible to verify.

Previous Philippine leaders made similar vows as Duterte to wipe out the Abu Sayyaf and failed, even with help from military ally the United States.
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A car bomb that exploded at a checkpoint outside the president's residence in the Somali capital has killed five soldiers, police said on Tuesday, while a radio station of the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group said it was behind the attack. "So far we know five government soldiers died in the blast. It exploded outside the SYL hotel which is also just at the checkpoint outside the palace. We believe the target was SYL which is frequented by officials. The death toll may rise," police officer Colonel Abdikadir Hussein told Reuters. Al Shabaab's Radio Andaluz said that the group was behind the attack. (Reporting by Feisal Omar and Abdi Sheikh; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Dominic Evans)
(Reuters) - A former Virginia politician who was jailed over a sex scandal involving a teenage girl leads a crowded field running for mayor of the state's capital city, a poll showed on Tuesday.

Joe Morrissey, 58, holds a commanding lead in the Richmond mayor's race with 28 percent of the vote city-wide, according to the Christopher Newport University poll. The poll showed him about 12 points ahead of the nearest of his seven competitors.

Morrissey pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in December 2014 for his relationship with a receptionist who began working in his office when she was 17. He is now married to the woman and they have two children.

Morrissey, who was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2007, was sentenced to six months in jail and resigned from office. He switched from Democrat to run as an independent in the special election to fill his seat.

During a three-month stay in an area jail, Morrissey commuted to the state legislature on work release and also ran his re-election campaign.

Morrissey stunned political pundits when he won in January 2015 while serving his jail sentence. He gave up his most recent bid to serve in the state Senate last September, citing health problems.

The poll was based on 600 live interviews with registered voters Aug. 18 through- 24 and has a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points.

Morrissey also had his license to practice law revoked by the Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Board in 2003.

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Dan Grebler)
(UNITED NATIONS) Portugals former prime minister Antonio Guterres topped the third successive poll of candidates seeking to succeed Ban Ki-moon as the next U.N. secretary-general, making him the clear front-runner for the job as the worlds top diplomat, U.N. diplomats said Monday.

Slovakias Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak was the big surprise of the informal vote  jumping to second place after finishing next to last in the second straw poll, said the diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because voting is supposed to be kept secret.

Irina Bokova of Bulgaria, who heads UNESCO, and Serbias former foreign minister Vuk Jeremic were tied for third place followed by Argentinas Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra, the diplomats said.

Read More: Q&A with UN Secretary General Candidate Antonio Guterres

By tradition, the job of secretary-general has rotated among regions. Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe have all held the post. East European nations, including Russia, argue that they have never had a secretary-general and it is their turn

There has also never been a woman secretary-general and more than 50 nations are campaigning to elect the first female U.N. chief, along with many organizations.

Secretary-General Ban, whose term expires on Dec. 31, said earlier this month that after eight men its high time now for a woman to head the United Nations.

Russias U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told The Associated Press on Monday that there should be a woman secretary-general. And you know what? The time will come.

But is this the time? This is the big question, Churkin replied, laughing.

The secretary-general is chosen by the 193-member General Assembly on the recommendation of the 15-member Security Council. In practice, this has meant that the councils five permanent members  the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France  have veto power over the candidates.

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In Mondays informal poll, council members voted whether to encourage, discourage, or express no opinion about the 10 candidates  five men and five women.

Read More: Here Are the Candidates for the Next U.N. Secretary-General

No women has placed above third in any of the polls and Malcorra was quoted by the Argentine newspaper Clarin as saying that there is still a biased vote against women at the U.N.

The results of Mondays poll quickly leaked.

General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft again criticized the Security Council for not releasing the vote, saying U.N. members who participated in question-and-answer sessions with every candidate for the first time this year expect a new standard of openness and transparency.

Guterres, who was Portugals center-left Socialist prime minister from 1995-2002 and U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees until the end of 2015, got 11 encourage votes, three discourage and one no opinion in Mondays poll. In the first straw poll he had no discourage votes, and in the second he had two.

Lajcak, a former European Union diplomat now serving his second stint as foreign minister, got nine encourage votes, five discourage and one no opinion.

In sixth place was former Macedonian foreign minister Srgjan Kerim followed by former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark, who heads the U.N. Development Program, and Slovenias former president Danilo Turk.

Moldovan Foreign Minister Natalia Gherman and Christiana Figueres of Costa Rica, the U.N. official who played a key role in shaping last Decembers historic agreement to fight climate change, tied for last place. Each got two encourage votes, 12 discourage and one no opinion.

Britains U.N. Ambassador Matthew Rycroft stressed that the straw polls should narrow the field.

He encouraged those with poor showings to assess how they can get the required minimum of nine yes votes and no vetoes, and if thats a long way off then I think they should follow the two candidates who have already dropped out.
According to Bloomberg, Agrium Inc. AGU and Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. POT are engaged in discussions about merging together. People familiar with the matter say that the consolidation could be announced as early as next week. These individuals also say that the deal has not been finalized, so there is still a possibility of the deal not going through. Shortly after the news leaked, Agrium has acknowledged that it is in preliminary discussions with Potash regarding a potential merger.

Today, shares of POT and AGU are up by 13.4% and 8% respectively. Trading for both companies has been halted on the Toronto Stock Exchange following the report on merger talks. If a merger takes place, both agricultural companies could be better off over the long run, as they could experience significant cost and strategic synergies.

The result of the combination stands to also diversify revenue sources for both companies. This could be especially important for Potash, as the fertilizer giants stock has become the victim of low crop prices which has put spending pressure on farmers. Agrium has retail stores which it uses to sell agricultural products and services. Like Potash, the company also engages in producing fertilizer and nutrients for crops.

Agricultural stocks in general have been facing pressure recently, so if youre looking for ways to play the agricultural crash, take a look at some recommendations from our stock strategists Tracey Ryniec and Jeremy Mullin.



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



POTASH SASK (POT): Free Stock Analysis Report



AGRIUM INC (AGU): Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



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A week removed from its 14th birthday, web-connected speaker company Sonos had a lot to share during an event held this morning (Aug. 30) at NeueHouse, a high-end co-working space located two blocks from Madison Square Park in Manhattan.

Through an event which dutifully ticked off the standardized must-haves of a technology company presentation -- excitement, length, features-that-help-better-integrate-said-tech-into-your-life, a token celebrity (Pusha T was seated in front of Amazon's Mike George, the latter who grinned widely throughout), understatedly fine t-shirt selections -- Sonos revealed some small, and large, changes to its popular product line.

The headline news, as that Amazon exec's presence indicated, is that Sonos and Amazon have made Amazon's voice-assistant software Alexa, via its smart-speaker product line Echo, play nicely with Sonos' speakers. During his presentation, George, in cowboy boots that looked to be made of orc leather, called the partnership "inevitable." It will allow users of both products (an Echo device is required) to voice-direct playback on their smart speakers at home. Voice technologies more generally have had a growth spurt in sophistication this year, and the pairing of Sonos with a leader in the space -- Amazon, Google, Hound and to a lesser extent (for now), Apple -- was indeed inevitable. That Sonos' new friend is Amazon isn't surprising, considering that Amazon's introduction of the Echo jumpstarted consumer interest in the space. Sonos and Amazon are expected to launch in beta later this year, with a "full voice experience," according to George, planned for 2017.

PHOTOS: Inside Sonos' First-Ever Retail Store in NYC

Sonos is also pushing into China, announcing a partnership with QQ Music, the streaming service owned by that company's largest tech company, Tencent. (Tencent's tech primacy is a recent occurrence). Not to be outdone, Sonos is also partnering with Airbnb, with Sonos Chief Marketing Officer Joy Howard saying the company is "offering" (probably not for free?) new Airbnb hosts Sonos systems.

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A smaller update came in the news that Spotify and Pandora users would be able to control their Sonos systems through those companies' streaming apps, instead of through the Sonos app specifically, as is required now.

Finally, the company announced its participation in Berklee College of Music's Open Music Initiative, a part of its Rethink Music campaign that was first announced in June. "We want to help create an open-source framework for music rights and music rights licensing," Panos Panay, the head of Berklee's Institute of Creative Entrepreneurship (ICE), told Billboard at the time of OMI's launch. In a statement on the partnership, Sonos says it will, somehow, "champion high-quality music experiences worth paying for, a major hurdle for continued growth."

Doubling down on its position, the presentation ended with a Q&A session led by Howard and featuring Pusha T, Sonos CEO John McFarlane and Pandora's Lars Murray, vp of industry relations, which focused on the music industry's continuing, and rocky, transition to streaming, which Pusha T called "the first access point for all fans," and which he said has "a little ways to go" before its co-existence with the traditional record business is harmonious.

Murray alluded to Pandora's company's plans for multiple pricing tiers of its forthcoming streaming service, often cited by industry analysts as a hindrance to streaming services reaching true scale (defined at this event as reaching the milestone of one billion people paying for streaming services). "A lot of research is gonna go into that," Murray said. If nothing else, he said that the industry's travails with streaming probably wouldn't get worse -- since they've gotten as bad as possible.

At the end of the chat, Pusha T was asked whether streaming technologies had affected his creative process. Answering, the rapper and GOOD Music president also encapsulated what music listeners think about the many-factioned streaming 'wars' currently raging; "I don't create with any vehicle in mind... I just create."
August 30 - The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

The Times

** A former Barclays Plc trader, Christopher Ashton, faces becoming the first individual to be fined over allegations that he rigged the foreign exchange market after U.S. regulators pressed ahead with moves to impose a penalty of more than $1 million. http://bit.ly/2bxurMN

** The fatal collapse of a Brazilian dam operated by a mining company owned by BHP Billiton Plc and Vale SA occurred because its poorly designed structure allowed water to seep into its infrastructure and left sand inside the dam "loose, uncompacted and saturated," an expert panel announced. http://bit.ly/2bxtCDn

The Guardian

** More than 75,000 people have signed an EU staff petition calling on former European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso to forfeit his pension because they say he brought the European Union into disrepute by joining Goldman Sachs. http://bit.ly/2bxu58H

** The government is considering a proposal to detach development of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant from an agreement allowing China to build a reactor in Essex. http://bit.ly/2bxtgwT

The Telegraph

** A former City minister has attacked SoftBank's perceived lack of commitments to ARM Holdings Plc as shareholders prepare to approve the 24.3 billion pounds ($31.84 billion) offer for Britain's most high-profile technology company. http://bit.ly/2bxtrrV

** BHS pensioners are facing a protracted wait over the future of their payments, as it will take "months" for Sir Philip Green to broker a deal to plug the retailer's pension black hole, it has emerged. http://bit.ly/2bxtwMn

Sky News

** Morgan Stanley is retreating from investing in European buyouts months after writing a big cheque to the campaign to keep the UK in the EU. http://bit.ly/2bxtNPe

** The multimillionaire founder of JJB Sports, Dave Whelan, has struck a deal to lead a break-up of Fitness First, the group that was once Britain's biggest gyms operator. http://bit.ly/2bxu84A

The Independent

** The Bank of Mum and Dad has the potential to branch out further as a major national mortgage lender, according to a new survey. More than a quarter of parents and grandparents might be interested in lending money to youngsters other than their own offspring to buy a home, according to insurance group Legal & General. http://ind.pn/2bxvk7T ($1 = 0.7631 pounds) (Compiled by Shalini Nagarajan in Bengaluru)
Aug 30 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories from selected Canadian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

THE GLOBE AND MAIL

** Canadians are split on whether trade or human rights should be the priority as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau launches his first official visit to China, a new poll has found. http://bit.ly/2bxb1c7

** Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to make reviews of oil-pipeline projects more credible. The country's pipeline regulator, the National Energy Board, has little choice but to kick out two of the three panelists who are supposed to review the controversial project. http://bit.ly/2bxb6fZ

** Toronto-Dominion Bank announced on Monday that it will issue preferred shares yielding 4.85 percent. While that looks attractive relative to the slim yields on government bonds, it is down from the much higher 5.5 percent yield on the previous round of TD preferred shares. http://bit.ly/2byRpy8

NATIONAL POST

** Tervita Corp, a privately held oilfield and environmental services company that employs 1,500 people, announced Monday it had struck a deal to sell its service rig business comprising 68 rigs and 300 people to High Arctic Energy Services Inc for C$42.8 million ($32.85 million). http://bit.ly/2bOQaA5

** Ivanhoe Mines Ltd announced Monday it will seek "strategic advice" after receiving unsolicited interest in the company and its projects from "significant mining industry participants" in Asia, Europe and Africa. http://bit.ly/2bFSxBY

** Canadian researchers have uncovered new evidence of an unusual link between two seemingly divergent maladies: an eye disease that is one of the most common causes of blindness - and impotence. http://bit.ly/2bSQ34d ($1 = 1.3029 Canadian dollars) (Compiled by Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru)
A new cosmetic surgery procedure that appeals mostly to men is beginning to see a rise in popularity

BEVERLY HILLS, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 30, 2016 / Shoulder implants, known in the medical community as deltoid implants, is the process of inserting a silicone implant under the deltoid muscle in the outer part of the shoulder. The implant delivers bulk, width and definition to shoulders.

"Some people can work out constantly, but they just cannot get the deltoid shape they want," said Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Ryan Stanton. "Implants provide the mass and definition they are looking for."

The surgery started out, as most cosmetic procedures do, to correct disfigurement from accidents and illness or congenital disorders. Then, a few people saw what it did and they opted to have the same thing done cosmetically.

"We still see it mostly in men, but fitness women may also utilizing shoulder implants. These women, particularly those who wear clothes with exposed shoulders are very interested in providing more definition and shape. The ability to round and add curve is one of the top reasons we're seeing for this procedure," Dr. Stanton said.

The surgery is done under general anesthesia usually. Patients can go home the same day and take a few days to recover. The incisions are small and done within the front and back armpit.

"Because this is the shoulder area and it's a joint region that has a wide range of motion, recovery periods vary. For sure, you're not going to do any lifting or straining with your arms for about six weeks." Dr. Stanton said.

Because this is a fairly new procedure, extremely few, even board certified plastic surgeons, are familiar with the technique. Therefore, make sure the surgeon you choose is qualified.

To start researching Dr. Stanton and the procedures he offers, visit www.drryanstanton.com.

ABOUT DR. STANTON - Dr. Ryan Stanton is a fully credentialed board certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon focusing on cosmetic plastic surgery in Beverly Hills, California. Before starting his Beverly Hills practice, Dr. Stanton gained a wealth of experience in aesthetic plastic surgery practicing in Miami, Florida. Dr. Stanton did his initial training in both general surgery, and then plastic surgery for a total of six years before completing a cosmetic plastic surgery fellowship in Miami, FL.

Story continues

For more information, please visit http://www.drryanstanton.com

Contact Info:

Name: Dr. Ryan A. Stanton

Organization: Dr. Ryan A. Stanton

Address: 9090 Burton Way, Beverly Hills, CA 90211

Phone: (310) 278-0077

Video URL: https://youtu.be/pr4lTg5Iw2s

SOURCE: Dr. Ryan A. Stanton
President Vladimir Putin will visit Japan in December as Moscow and Tokyo strive to ease old tensions over four disputed islands, the Kremlin said Tuesday.

Tokyo-Moscow relations are hamstrung by a row dating back to the end of World War II when Soviet troops seized the southernmost islands in the Pacific Kuril chain, known as the Northern Territories in Japan.

"Vladimir Putin's long-delayed visit to Japan will take place in December," Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told reporters.

"The time and date have already been agreed to, but we will announce them with the approval of the Japanese side."

The tensions have prevented the countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending wartime hostilities, hindering trade and investment ties.

Putin -- who last visited Japan in 2005 -- is set to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday on the sidelines of an economic forum in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok.

Senior Russian officials, including foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, energy minister Alexander Novak and Igor Sechin, the head of oil giant Rosneft -- are also set to take part in talks with the Japanese delegation, Ushakov said.

Abe visited Russia in May and the Kremlin then raised the possibility of a return visit by Putin before the end of the year as both sides look to rekindle talks aimed at resolving the territorial dispute.

The Kremlin at the time dismissed hopes of any major breakthrough but played up Abe's visit as a symbol of warming ties despite Western attempts to isolate Putin.

Tokyo is closely allied with Washington and has slapped sanctions on Moscow over its annexation of Crimea and the unrest in Ukraine.

Over the years, leaders from the two nations have tried to make headway on resolving the row but a solution has proved elusive and still looks some way off.

Foreign minister Lavrov said earlier this year that Russia wants to "move forward" its ties with Japan but is not prepared to budge on the "result of World War II".

Russia has angered Japan recently by building new modern compounds for its troops stationed on two of the disputed islands.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev infuriated Tokyo last year when he visited the islands, which are home to some 19,000 Russians.
On Tuesday morning, a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle through the gates of the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Then he blew himself up, injuring three local workers who were on the property at the time.

This was a suicide bomber; three people got injured; they were hospitalized, Deputy Prime Minister Zhenish Razakov said in a video posted online. Embassy personnel were escorted off the compound shortly after the attack, which came just one day before the Central Asian nations Independence Day.

The bombing has raised questions as to why the Chinese Embassy, which is located near the U.S. Embassy, was targeted by the attacker, who has not been identified but whom Kyrgyz officials have labeled a terrorist.

China is the largest economic player in the region and has heavily invested in infrastructure to promote its One Belt, One Road project, a 21st-century version of the Silk Road thats intended to connect China to Europe through its Central Asian neighbors. Although local governments have welcomed the influx of much needed foreign investment into the region, many Kyrgyz have grown to resent the initiative, seeing it as an opportunity for a foreign power to push further into Central Asia.

Beijings financial stakes in Central Asia are tied to Xinjiang, the far western Chinese region that borders both Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan and is already bogged down with its own internal struggles. Chinese officials there fear the strength of a separatist movement within the Uighur population of some 10 million Turkic speakers, who are mainly Muslims. Local media have said that Tuesdays attacker appears to have been ethnic Uighur, although it is not yet clear where specifically he was from.

The Foreign Ministry has immediately responded and asked the Kyrgyzstan side to take all effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel in the country, and to have a prompt and thorough investigation for the truth of the attack, and severely punish the attackers, Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for Chinas Foreign Ministry, said at a news conference in Beijing shortly after the attack.

Story continues

This is not the first time Chinese Embassy officials have been targeted in Kyrgyzstan. In 2002, unidentified gunmen shot and killed Wang Teng Ping, the Chinese Embassys first secretary in Bishkek, and his driver. And in 2000, Uighur separatists were blamed for an attack that left two other Chinese diplomats dead.

More recently, in 2014, as China came under scrutiny for its crackdown on the Uighur population, 11 Uighur men were killed trying to cross into Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyz officials claimed at the time that the men were a security threat.

Photo credit: VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO/AFP/Getty Images
Earlier this year, Leonardo DiCaprio traveled to Indonesia to raise awareness for deforestation, visiting an area on the island of Sumatra, home to indigenous tribes and endangered animals that his Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation has been helping protect.

The trip generated numerous newspaper column inches, alongside pictures of the newly minted Oscar winner with several endangered elephants.

But six months on, the actor is now being accused of "double standards" for accepting donations to his charity from people linked to a corruption scandal that is itself fueling deforestation less than 500 miles away.

The Bruno Manser Funds, a rainforest charity active in Malaysian Borneo, has written an open letter to DiCaprio calling on him to return money he received from individuals connected to the 1MDB Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, now the subject of a major Justice Department asset seizure complaint. While there is no direct link between the Bruno Manser Funds and the actor, the organization says DiCaprio, as founder of his environmental charity and a designated U.N. Messenger of Peace, has a responsibility to help stop corruption.

The development comes just a week after The Hollywood Reporter published a major expose looking into the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, questioning its ties to 1MDB and lack of transparency, as well as DiCaprio's relationship with controversial businessman Jho Low and Riza Aziz, the stepson of the Malaysian prime minister and co-founder of Red Granite Pictures, which produced the 2013 DiCaprio starrer The Wolf of Wall Street.

The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation is alleged to have received money from a Christie's charity auction in 2013 where Low is alleged to have used $1.1 million of diverted 1MDB funds to buy two works of art. Later that year, Low and Red Granite co-founder Joey McFarland were among those reported to have helped raise $3 million for the foundation by buying marked-up bottles of champagne at DiCaprio's birthday party. And just last year, Low donated a Roy Lichtenstein sculpture to the foundation, which auctioned it off at a charity event in St. Tropez.

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In its letter, the Bruno Manser Funds said it was "deeply disturbed" that DiCaprio and his foundation would accept "assets that originate from the proceeds of corruption in Malaysia," adding that it was a "total disgrace" and in "total contradiction" with the foundation's declared aims.

Read more: Follow the Money: 'The Wolf of Wall Street' Corruption Timeline

"We were appalled to see that a foundation that basically champions very similar causes to ours would accept corrupt funds," Bruno Manser Funds' executive director Lukas Straumann tells THR. "It's double standards. It really damages his credibility and the credibility of the foundation. If he wants to be a role model, a U.N. ambassador for peace and for climate change, then he should also be an example in how he handles his role."

But it's not simply DiCaprio's charitable finances that have been called into question, with Straumann also focusing on his wages for The Wolf of Wall Street, now alleged to have been funded via siphoned-off 1MBD funds. The actor is thought to have been paid as much as $25 million to star in the hit 2013 film, and more as a producer.

"Money was stolen from the treasury and went straight into Leo's pocket," says Straumann. "That is dirty money, and he should pay it back."

The charity boss asserts that political corruption in Malaysia - of which the 1MDB scandal is the biggest known example, with billions of dollars laundered internationally - has been a "major driver" of deforestation, with local politicians handed lucrative logging contracts as bribes to support the under-fire government.

"It's a corrupt system and directly affects the way natural resources are being handled," Straumann says. "Politicians in Malaysia have earned billions of dollars from cutting down the rainforest illegally."

Although Straumann doesn't doubt that the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation has put money to plenty of good causes, he doesn't believe that this should stop it from being called to account for its association with corruption.

"We hear he has a genuine commitment to nature and championing indigenous rights, and I think it's extremely important for someone in Hollywood to do that, but if it comes to accepting stolen money, that's a simple no go," Straumann says. "Maybe he has a bipolar personality."

The Bruno Manser Funds, which has been active in Malaysia for more than 20 years, was set up by Swiss environmental activist Bruno Manser, among the first to highlight deforestation in Malaysian Borneo. He went missing while visiting the province of Sarawak in 2000 and is presumed dead.

Read more: Leonardo DiCaprio, the Malaysian Money Scandal and His "Unusual" Foundation
According to a newly released ranking of the top 10 expat destinations around the world, the happiest expats live in Taiwan.

In their third annual report, expat network InterNations polled 14,000 respondents representing 174 nationalities to come up with the top 10 places to live as a foreigner.

This year, Taiwan knocked two-time frontrunner Ecuador off its perch and into third spot. Malta came in second place.

The list ranks 67 countries in total.

For the survey, respondents evaluated destinations across five broad categories: quality of life; ease of settling in; working abroad; family life; and personal finance.

According to the survey results, expats living in Taiwan enjoy the most financial freedom and quality of life (defined as leisure options, personal happiness, travel and transport, health and well-being, safety and security), as satisfied expats helped send the country into the top spot in both categories.

Likewise, the vast majority (93 percent) of expats living in Taiwan expressed general contentment with their new lives.

When it comes to ease of settling into the country, however, Taiwan falls to 10th place, with language barriers cited as a big challenge.

Meanwhile, other movers and shakers on the list this year include Vietnam, which made the biggest leap to rise 24 places to 11th spot, and Uganda, which also rose 20 spots to 25th position.

Both Vietnam and Uganda made big gains in the working abroad index and ease of settling in category.

At the other end of the spectrum, the worst places to live as an expat are Kuwait, Greece and Nigeria.

Expats living in the UAE also expressed growing discontent with their lives abroad, as the Arab Gulf state lost ground across all indices to plummet 21 spots, most noticeably in the working abroad category and cost of living index.

Here are the top 10 expat destinations 2016 according to InterNations:

1. Taiwan

2. Malta

3. Ecuador

4. Mexico

5. New Zealand

6. Costa Rica

7. Australia

8. Austria

9. Luxembourg

10. Czech Republic
By Simon Cambers New York (Reuters) - John McEnroe may not be on hand to offer advice this fortnight but Milos Raonic believes he is ready to go one better than Wimbledon and claim his first grand slam title. The Canadian, beaten by Andy Murray in what was his first grand slam final last month, confirmed on Monday that he would not be working with McEnroe for the duration of the U.S. Open because of the Americans television commitments. But Raonic, who eased into round two with a 7-5 6-3 6-4 win over Dustin Brown of Germany, said he felt he had learned from his defeat at Wimbledon. It was great to put myself in that situation, to have a chance to be one match away from winning a grand slam, said Raonic, who now plays American Ryan Harrison. But at the same time, the negative side of it was I wish I played with a little bit more intensity and stepped up a little bit better, which I would try (to do) if I could put myself back in the situation, which I believe I can. Raonic, one of the more studious players on Tour, said he had not realized how he had played against Murray until he examined the footage later. I thought I was doing it, that's the different aspect of it, he said. I know that everything I had I did put into that match, into that final, because I knew the importance of it. But I think I could have expressed it more externally to get a little bit of pressure off myself and get a little energy out and convert it and use it in a better way. Raonic worked with McEnroe in the days leading up to the tournament and the fifth seed said he understood the former world number ones reasons. I believe it was just too many things going on throughout this period of time, he said. He felt like that was the right decision. At the end of the day, it's a decision we're both OK with. We spoke about it, were up front, and there's no ill feelings over it. But Raonic said McEnroes influence would still be evident in his play over the next two weeks. There's certain things I'm trying to bring awareness to in my game, he said. I'm trying to improve what I feel I need to do better. "We've had some good matches to reflect on over the last little while. Hopefully I can implement those things I'm working on." (Editing by Steve Keating.)
From Town & Country

Relais & Chateaux, the network of 540 high-end hotels and restaurants around the world, is an exclusive club to begin with-but within it there's a even more elite organization open only to the most devoted travelers. And once you're in, the perks are pretty great: room upgrades, VIP welcome gifts, dedicated concierge service, and "Discovery Privilege" that's unique to each property.

While Club 5C has existed since 2004, there isn't much information about it out there (just take a look at its currently-under-construction website). So how does one become a member?

"It is a requirement to stay an average of 15 nights or dine 15 times in the last 12 months of the application at Relais & Chateaux hotels and restaurants," a representative tells T&C. American Express Centurion cardholders get automatic admission, and anyone who signs up for the new and buzzworthy Chase Sapphire Reserve receives accelerated access: they can join after staying a minimum of two nights in a 12-month period at Relais & Chateaux properties (such as Twin Farms, above).

The club's name is based on the "five characteristic values of Relais & Chateaux," which celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2014: "Calm, courtesy, charm, cuisine, character." There are 12,000 active members around the world, and each membership is good for two years and can be renewed as long as the conditions are met.

Examples of perks that members receive include the upcoming dinners at the Mount Gay distillery in Barbados open to 5C members staying at Cobbler's Cove, access to the upcoming Chantilly Arts et Elegance concours in France, and tickets to a Vancouver Art Gallery for members at the Wedgewood Hotel and Spa (an example of the aforementioned property-specific "Discovery Privilege").

We're already trying to figure out how soon we can book a stay.

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Ford

Three months before the delivery of the Navy's first-in-class, $13 billion Ford class carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, an independent review ordered by the Pentagon's top weapons buyer has revealed some serious problems with the program.

With the benefit of hindsight, it was clearly premature to include so many unproven technologies Frank Kendall said in an August 23 memo to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, as reported by Anthony Capaccio of Bloomberg News.

The Navy has been looking forward to the Ford class, originally promised to be delivered in 2014, to slowly start replacing the Nimitz class carriers that were originally introduced in 1975.

The Ford class promises several improvements on the aging Nimitzs, from improved launching and landing gear, radars, and ship design, all the way down to the nuclear core that powers the ship and it's power-generation capabilities.

ford class nimitz class aircraft carrier

But aircraft carriers already constitute some of the largest and most complicated machines ever built by man, and the independent review suggests the program may be buckling under the weight of it's own complexity.

The USS Ford, like every first-of-class ship ever built, has and will continue to face challenges, Commander Mike Kafka, a Navy spokesman told Bloomberg News.

However, the capabilities resident on Ford are needed now and in the future, and the Navy will continue to work hard to get Ford completed and into the fleet, paying close attention to both new and legacy systems.

But the problems with the USS Gerald R. Ford might be a bit more serious than just growing pains. The independent review states that the launching and landing gear have problems and the dual-band radar has serious integration issues that "need to be avoided" with the next ships in the class.

USS Gerald R. Ford

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Even the power plant of the ship, the nuclear core said to triple the Nimitz class' output so it can power weapons of the future (think railguns and lasers), has serious problems with the main turbine generator, according to the memo seen by Bloomberg.

Unfortunately, any significant changes to the Ford class will have to wait for years, as the USS Gerald R. Ford is built, and the USS John F. Kennedy is nearly built, leaving any improvements available only for the third ship in the class.

As for now, what we have to determine now is whether it is best to stay the course or adjust our plans, the independent review said.

NOW WATCH: This is why a US aircraft carrier is a force to be reckoned with





More From Business Insider


A South Carolina community is concerned after multiple reports of clown sightings by the edge of a wooded area.

The Greenville County Sheriffs Office questioned residents about the sightings and heard several different stories, according to a report. Children said that several people dressed as clowns tried to lure them into the woods near their apartment complex by displaying money. These children thought the clowns lived in a house by a pond inside the woods, but officers looked around the house and saw no signs of suspicious activity or characters dressed in clown attire. A woman said her son had seen clowns whispering and flashing green laser lights. Another woman said she exchanged waves with a clown with a blinking nose who did not otherwise attempt to make contact with her.

The veracity of the clown claims may be dubious, but residents are taking them seriously. The officers received a call about men in the apartment complex firing shots into the woods in the direction they thought the clowns might be.
The Innovative Conference for Online Advertisers, Merchants and Retailers will Take Place in Aspen, Colorado

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 30, 2016 / Walter Long, Senior Vice President of Business Development at RevGuard, is pleased to announce that his company will sponsor the IV/Oxygen bar at the upcoming ADSUM conference. The conference, which was founded by Nate Lind, will take place in scenic Aspen, Colorado from December 2-7, 2016.

To learn how RevGuard lowers costs, refunds and chargebacks and increases save sale revenue, please visit the RevGuard website.

"This event helps 'cut through the clutter' in gathering the brightest and most influential individuals that drive the Ecommerce Continuity marketplace - all within an atmosphere that encourages relationship building and collaboration," Long said.

The fact that RevGuard is sponsoring the IV/Oxygen bar at ADSUM will not surprise the many clients that have worked with the company. Since RevGuard first opened, they have earned a well-deserved reputation for taking great care of their customers.

As Long noted, RevGuard's unique and proprietary technology that personalizes, customizes and A/B tests messaging within automated customer service environments is guaranteed to lower chargebacks by 23 percent and increase Customer Lifetime Value by $5-plus, or their clients don't pay.

There is a full-service team to help in every step of the way from set-up, scripting, analytics to ongoing optimization, Long said, and the software is integrated with Konnektive, LimeLight CRM, Triangle, Orange, UltraCart, Infusionsoft, Salesforce and over 20 custom CRMs.

Lind said he was thrilled to learn of RevGuard's generous offer to sponsor the IV/Oxygen bar, which is sure to be a big hit among attendees of ADSUM.

"Walter and his team have shown a great level of enthusiasm to bring advancements and new tools to the industry," Lind said.

"It's exciting to see how far his service has come and that his team sincerely desires to use data and reporting to prove their service's value."

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About ADSUM:

ADSUM is a conference for online advertisers, merchants, and retailers to cultivate networking and collaboration to enhance the performance marketing industry. RevGuard works with any customer service environment to lower costs, lower refunds, lower chargebacks and increase save sale revenue.

About RevGuard

RevGuard is a Saas-based company which uses A/B and Multivariate testing in a Cloud-hosted environment to dramatically improve the profitability of its merchant clients. Optimized Customer Outcome ("OCO") is a patent-pending technology that operates through Cloud-hosted IVR, hosted web and email applications which fully integrate into customer CRM's. The addition of chat, text, social media and Live CSR (through integrated partners) testing is scheduled for completion in 2015. For more information on RevGuard OCO, please visit RevGuard's website.

For more information, please visit http://www.adsum.net/ and http://www.revguard.com/

Contact:

Craig Morton

admin@rocketfactor.com

(949) 555-2861

SOURCE: ADSUM
Rider Destinations: Arches National Park

It's hard to deny that Utah has some of the best riding in the United States, so picking just one spot to ride can be a bit of a challenge.

For those who haven't ridden through the Beehive State (yes, that is really their official nickname) you might have images of dusty expanses that can only be conquered by a fully kitted out BMW R 1200 GS. While there are plenty of parts that can only be reached on a serious off-road machine, there are still thousands of miles of paved roads for those of us who like to stay on the blacktop.

Just north of the city of Moab you'll find Arches National Park, which has some of the most breathtaking rock formations that you'll find anywhere in the continental United States. No trip to Utah is complete without visiting this park and it is impressive enough to warrant a trip just to check it out.

Mandatory photo at the park entrance.

Although it has taken millions of years for nature to create the wonders at Arches National Park, the 120-square-mile park has only been an official national park since 1971. Without going into a full lecture on geology, here's the "Clif Notes" version of how the unusual variety of formations came about:

The entire park sits atop a massive layer of salt (thousands of feet thick in some places) which is the remnant of an inland sea that dried out some 65 million years ago. Over millions of years, debris was deposited on top of the salt layer forming a layer of sandstone. Eventually these layers were thrust upward by various geological processes (salt makes for an unstable base layer) and then spent millions of years being eroded into the shapes we see today. The park boasts more than 2,000 natural stone arches as well as hundreds of stone pinnacles, fins, and balanced rocks.

Parade of Elephants formation. Don't worry, I don't see the elephants either...

After you enter the park (entrance fees are $15 per motorcycle), the first thing you are going to do is start to climb. The park elevations range from 4,000 to 5,600 feet. It's not in the clouds, but there are some steep uphill and downhill grades. You'll hit a couple tight switchbacks at the beginning, which are easy enough on a motorcycle, but do keep an eye out for rental RVs crossing the double line as their drivers navigate tight curves for the first time.

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Luckily, this section is fairly short and in a few miles things will start to straighten out to easier curves and you'll only need to keep an eye out for vehicles pulling out from the various overlooks. It is good to keep in mind that with all the natural wonders just off the side of the road most people (including yourself) are not always going to be looking out for other road users.

The park is loaded with scenic overlooks that look even better with a couple of motorcycles in the frame.

The first noteworthy formation inside the park is called Park Place. It is basically just a small one-mile-long canyon with a hiking trail along its floor. If you have a passenger with you, they can hike the short trail and you can pick them up at the other end, as the main road wraps around the canyon. Unless you just really have to hike everything, you can see all of the canyon just by stopping at both ends.

You can just make out a group of hikers heading down the center of Park Place.

At the other end of Park Place is the Courthouse Towers viewpoint, so you can catch the end of the canyon and another nice formation with just one stop.

Courthouse Towers

Continuing on down the road, you'll pass the petrified dunes before reaching the Balanced Rock viewpoint. I definitely recommend stopping here for a photo as this is really an impressive formation and who knows when enough erosion will cause it to collapse...

Balanced Rock

Now it's time turn off the main road and take a short side trip through the Windows Section. It's a short detour and it takes you to some of the park's largest arches. If you've got an extra half hour to spare, you can also hike under either the Double Arches or the North Arch, which is well worth the extra 30 minutes. Don't worry about packing hiking boots either, the walk to these arches is just a wide, sandy trail.

Double Arch

Once you are back on the main road it's only a few miles to the next detour, which will take you to the park's most famous feature: Delicate Arch. You can hike all the way to the arch if you are ready for 3 miles round trip on what the park service calls a "difficult" trail, or you can still see plenty of arch just by riding down to the overlooks. Of the two overlooks, one is basically right next to the parking lot and the other is a half mile hike up a rocky trail. I made it to both in my riding boots without any issues, so don't let terms like "moderately strenuous" on the map keep you from checking it out.

Delicate Arch as seen from the upper viewpoint

After you get back from viewing the Delicate Arch, you have a couple of options. There are ranger-led hikes of the Fiery Furnace, which is a section of narrow canyons and requires paying an extra fee. There are also a number of other arches that you can go check out, but these all require more substantial hikes of a few miles, at least.

The park is open 24 hours, so you can beat the heat and cruise at sunset.

Camping is available right inside the park, too, but I recommend staying just outside the park in Moab. There is a nice KOA outside of town and it is within walking distance to at least a handful of restaurants if you didn't get in enough hiking while at the park.

The Arches National Park is open 364 days a year (only closed on Christmas), so planning a trip that fits within your schedule shouldn't be a problem. It is important to note that the Arches is not the only place worth visiting near Moab, the Canyonlands National Park and Hovenweep National Monument are both worth visiting, as well.

The Arches take on a whole new look every afternoon at sunset.

If you find yourself riding through Utah or if you need an excuse to visit, then checking out the Arches National Park makes for a great day of riding. Whether you just want to observe from the back of your bike or get off and do some serious hiking, the Arches will not disappoint.

The variation in terrains means there is something unique around almost every bend in the road and even if you are not a geology buff you'll still be able to appreciate the grandeur of the park. Being from the East Coast, I was captivated by the alien landscape that reminded me more of pictures from Mars than something I expected to find in the United States. It may be too late to plan a ride to Utah this season, but you have all winter to figure it out.
Washington (AFP) - White nationalist and former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke is urging voters in a robocall to vote for him for Senate and Donald Trump in the presidential election.

"Unless massive immigration is stopped now, we'll be outnumbered and out-voted in our own nation. It's happening," Duke said in the automated call, a recording of which was posted online by Buzzfeed on Monday.

"We're taxed to death. We're losing our jobs and business to unfair trade. We're losing our country," he added.

"It's time to stand up and vote for Donald Trump for president and vote for me, David Duke, for the US Senate."

The 66-year-old Duke, a former KKK imperial wizard repudiated as racist and anti-Semitic, confirmed to Buzzfeed that it was his voice on the call.

Trump, 70, was criticized by some, including members of rival Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, for not swiftly and forcefully denouncing Duke six months ago when Duke expressed support for the provocative billionaire's White House bid.

He later disavowed Duke, but not before the incident fueled an already controversial national debate about race.

Trump's campaign was quick to repudiate Duke's robocall.

"It's absolutely disturbing," Trump campaign spokeswoman Katrina Pierson told CNN.

Trump's team "has no knowledge of the campaign that David Duke is running, and we have disavowed David Duke and don't condone any of the activities that he's doing," she added.

Duke, running as a Republican to fill an empty Senate seat for Louisiana, has discomfited many Republicans by pushing racial overtones onto the political stage.

The so-called "alt-right" political movement has formed a substantial chunk of Trump's base of support. Clinton unveiled an attack ad last week seeking to paint Trump as the candidate for neo-Nazis, racists and white supremacists.

Duke has run unsuccessfully for multiple political positions including president, although he did serve in the Louisiana House from 1989 until 1992.

On Monday, Clinton called Duke "despicable," telling supporters in Easthampton, New York that she "wanted to pull it out from under the rock so people could see it and understand that David Duke has endorsed Donald Trump."
Rush Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh said Monday that he never took Donald Trump "seriously" when he said he would deport millions of people residing in the US illegally.

The remarks from the king of conservative talk radio came when a Los Angeles caller identified as Rick confronted him about Trump's waffling on the issue. In recent days, the Republican nominee has appeared to back off his initial calls for mass deportation.

"I just distinctly heard you say it's not considered a flip-flop," the caller said. "And I just want to tell you that you are doing a disservice to all of us Republican primary voters who didn't vote for Trump, that are struggling whether or not to vote for Trump."

The caller continued:

"When you diminish the impact of his single policy that he ridiculed all other candidates for over a year. I mean, John Kasich classically said on the debate stage  he laughingly said, 'C'mon folks. This isn't serious. He's not going to deport everyone.' And Trump went ahead and ridiculed anyone who wasn't for deportation.

"And for all of us who were saying it was a con job, it was a snow job, he doesn't know what he's talking about, that he's unqualified to be president  for you to sit here and say now that he adopts all the positions of everybody he ridiculed as not even being a flip-flop and it's no big deal? This is why so many Republican voters have such a hard time going to the con man."

Limbaugh told the caller that he didn't believe "Trump has actually changed that much from what he said," but the caller wasn't having it:

"With all due respect, Rush, on Chuck Todd's show, he specifically said, when asked the question 'You mean you're going to rip the families apart?' [Trump] said, 'No, I'm not going to rip the families apart. They all have to go, even the US citizen children.'

"He then got in the middle of the debate and the argument between Marco [Rubio] and Ted [Cruz]. When Ted wanted legalization and Marco wanted citizenship as part of a comprehensive plan, he said they were both wrong, and they were both being absurd, and they all have to go or we don't have a nation of laws. C'mon! You were watching the debate as well as the rest of us were! You know exactly what he said, and you know exactly the way he ridiculed everyone on that stage!"

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Limbaugh then said something he admitted would likely "enrage" the caller.

"I never took him seriously on this!" Limbaugh said.

"But 30 million or 15 or 10 million people did," the caller said.

"Yeah, and they still don't care," Limbaugh replied. "That my point  they still don't care! They're going to stick with him no matter what."

The caller continued to go after Limbaugh.

"This is why Trump is going to get annihilated," he said. "Because nobody called him out early on about his absurd policies."

Limbaugh argued that each of the Republican candidates "called him out."

The caller replied by noting that "unfortunately, the No. 1 place where Republican primary voters get their news" failed to do so.

"Oh no! It's on me!" Limbaugh exclaimed before cutting to a break.

Listen to the tense exchange:





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From Redbook

It was Memorial Day weekend this year, the unofficial start of the summer, and 3-year-old Aaliyah Sanchez couldn't wait to go on her favorite amusement park ride, the Frog Hopper at Lakeside Amusement Park in Colorado.

Aaliyah, her two sisters, her dad, and her grandparents arrived as soon as the park opened. She waited in line patiently. When it was finally her turn, Aaliyah took a seat on the ride, a row of six seats that bounces up and down.

Her grandfather Gary De Leon says he watched from behind the fence as the ride operator stepped away from his post to talk to a friend, leaving one of the gates open. That's when a group of kids getting off the nearby rollercoaster ran through the still-open exit gate to jump on to the Frog Hopper into Aaliyah's row. De Leon recalls a boy pulling down the large, heavy metal bar, which sits on top of riders' laps.

The bar slammed onto Aaliyah's wrist.

"She screamed bloody murder," De Leon says.

The family took Aaliyah to the hospital a couple of days later when she continued to complain about the pain, and found out she'd broken her wrist. Her brace came off July 18, on Aaliyah's fourth birthday, but she's still terrified of hurting herself - even from riding her bike.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Gary De Leon

This summer, an alarming number of accidents have been reported at amusement and water parks.

Earlier this month, 10-year-old Caleb Schwab was decapitated while riding a waterslide in Kansas City. That same week, three young girls fell from a Tennessee ferris wheel when the ride malfunctioned and the container overturned: One girl was hospitalized for traumatic brain injury and another sustained a broken arm, according to People magazine. Then, six children were shocked by electricity on a ride at an amusement park in Connecticut. Earlier this summer, 11-year-old Elizabeth "Lulu" Gilreath had her scalp torn off by a carnival ride in Nebraska. She's since undergone multiple surgeries, according to the Facebook page of her mom, Virginia Cooksey.

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But just how common are these horrifying incidents? Despite reading through studies and incident reports, speaking to experts, and taking to families who've lived through their own amusement park nightmares, it's hard to get a straight answer. Though some parks keep a public log of injuries, most don't. And experts say a lack of a central agency to keep tabs of incidents like the ones making headlines this summer makes it hard to tell if injuries are on the rise or rare flukes. How's that for scary?

Lakeside Amusement Park did not respond to repeated messages asking for a comment on De Leon's account. However, the park issued a statement to Colorado's Channel 2:

"All of Lakeside's rides are inspected annually by a third party inspector (this generally occurs every June). In addition, daily ride inspections are conducted by both Lakeside's maintenance and operations departments. The Frog Hopper was inspected every operating day of our 2016 season and during the 2015 third party inspection. It was not inspected during the annual inspection in June of 2016, because it was closed for investigation. It will require a third party inspection prior to opening to the public. Lakeside is continuing an investigation into the incident with the frog hopper and there is currently no set date for inspection or re-opening."

"It was determined there was not a proper inspection done prior to operating the ride and that was the cause of the injury," Cher Haavind, of the Division of Oil and Public Safety, the agency that oversees Colorado's amusement parks, told Channel 2. "It was a restraining bar that was malfunctioning."

The state shut down the ride and fined the park $2,000 for not reporting the injury, according to Channel 2. De Leon says his family has hired a lawyer in an attempt to get the park to pay for Aaliyah's medical bills.

A glaring problem with amusement park safety is the inconsistent oversight, says Dr. Gary Smith, president of the Child Injury Prevention Alliance. Every state has a different department regulating these rides. In Kansas, for instance, it's the Department of Labor, according to ridesdatabase.org; in Delaware, it's the Office of the State Fire Marshall.

"We know from experience that there is a public health approach to public health problems, and this is a public health problem," says Smith, who recommends a centralized federal system in which all parks report accidents. "The patchwork approach we have currently is bankrupt, and despite the fact that, compared to the number of users, a relatively low number of injuries are occurring, we know we can do better. And that's really what we should be focusing on."

A study found that between 1990 and 2010, there were an average of 4,423 injuries a year involving amusement rides.

Smith conducted a study of pediatric injuries involving amusement rides (not including water parks) from 1990 and 2010 - using reports from hospital emergency departments - and found that there were an average of 4,423 injuries a year. The most common injuries were to the head and neck, and they were most often caused from falling in, on, off, or against the ride. He believes his study is a conservative estimate of injuries, due to the difficulty of gathering data.

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), a trade association representing the parks, insists it's safe to spend an afternoon with your family riding rides.

Approximately 335 million guests go on 1.6 billion rides across 400 amusement parks in the U.S. every year, according to the organization, which claims that the chance of being seriously injured on a fixed-site amusement ride is 1 in 16 million. As far as water parks go, it says 85 million people visit them annually; Cameron Jacobs, IAAPA's manager of media relations, said via email that "rides undergo multiple layers of inspection. U.S. fixed-site amusement park rides are subject to one or more layers of independent examination, including state and local government, insurance companies, and private safety firms." Jacobs added, "Incidents are extremely rare."

Still, attorney Jason Melton, of Florida's Whittle and Melton law firm, which has handled amusement park litigation, says every May his office gets a summer rush of calls from injured riders. He points out that the people operating the rides are usually young, seasonal employees.

"Who is at the wheel when you go to these parks? Who is telling you what the rules are? Sixteen year olds! They're all summer jobs!" he says. "A lot of times, these kids don't go back to the same park to work the next summer, so it's very common that almost all of these employees just started working there and they're prone to making mistakes. It's like a smoking cauldron of negligence waiting to happen. It's the type of thing that can really freak out a parent if they think about it. People need to have their guards up when they go to these establishments."

Photo credit: Getty

He describes a common water park mishap known as "The All Clear," which is a classic example of distracted employees. It's when the employee at the top of a waterslide gets an "all clear" from the worker at the bottom - meaning a child has just gone through the slide and is now a safe distance away - but the child is still making his or her way down the ride. The result: Riders smash into each other.

In Virginia, the teen workforce is so valuable that the state prohibits city and county school districts from starting class before Labor Day, thanks to a 1986 law designed to keep the state's parks, along with restaurants and other aspects of the tourism industry, staffed through the holiday weekend, according to The Washingtonian.

Experts say it's important to be aware of the dangers and to speak up. Dr. Gary Smith says to make sure you know what your child can and cannot handle - is she old enough and responsible enough to read instructions and to follow them? Jason Melton recommends voicing your concerns to your favorite park. Inspection standards vary by state - ask about the security and inspection practices your favorite park has in place and let them know if their requirements make you uncomfortable. You can also check out the listings of the nonprofit Amusement Safety Organization, which, according to Time, has been tracking amusement ride injuries since 2000 - but only those which are self-reported, and it doesn't include every park.

Lana Barfield says lax supervision may have played a part in her son Bronson's 2010 injury. Then-10-year-old Bronson zoomed down a waterslide at a Texas water park, where he banged the back of his head. Bronson seemed dazed when she met him at the bottom of the slide, Barfield says. And afterwards, as they walked around the park, Bronson began repeating himself.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Lana Barfield

"We went into the gift shop, and he just kept repeating himself. He'd ask, Why are we in here, mom? And then, not even a minute later, Why are we in here, mom?" she says.

She took him to the emergency room and was told he had a Grade 2, or moderate, concussion. "I don't think anybody showed him how to properly lay down," Barfield says. "He was sitting up and when you go on a slide like that, you've got to lay down."

The water park did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Now 16 years old, Barfield says her son still loves water parks, but refuses to ride body slides, preferring attractions with inner tubes and the wave pool. She says she's been watching the news of the recent incidents in horror.

"The one that really bothered me the most was the little boy who was decapitated. I couldn't even imagine what those parents were going through," she says. "I'm a single mom; he's my whole world. The whole thing really shook me up."

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(Adds link to graphic)

By Marta Nogueira and Stephen Eisenhammer

BELO HORIZONTE/RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 29 (Reuters) - The deadly collapse of a tailings dam last November at the Samarco mine, owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton, was caused by drainage and design flaws, a report into Brazil's worst-ever environmental disaster showed on Monday.

The 76-page report commissioned by the companies responsible for the spill, which killed 19 people, attributed the dam burst to a chain of events dating back to 2009, but did not assign blame or highlight specific errors in corporate or regulatory practice.

Norbert Morgenstern, a geotechnical engineering professor who headed the investigation, repeatedly told reporters he could not answer their questions when quizzed on whether there was negligence or malpractice on the part of the companies involved.

A separate police investigation has accused Samarco of willful misconduct, saying the company ignored clear signs the dam was at risk of collapsing. Samarco denies any wrongdoing.

BHP Billiton's chief commercial officer, Dean Dalla Valle, said cost-cutting since 2012 was "absolutely not" a factor and there was no evidence anyone had prioritised production over safety.

"We have no reason to believe that anyone at BHP had any information that indicated that the dam was in danger of collapsing," Dalla Valle told reporters in Australia on a conference call from Belo Horizonte.

The report stressed that a change in the dam's design between 2011 and 2012 led to less efficient water drainage that saturated sand in the dam and resulted in liquefaction.

Liquefaction is a process whereby a solid material such as sand loses strength and stiffness and behaves more like a liquid. It is a common cause for the collapse of dams holding mining waste, known as tailings, because the walls of these dams are mostly built with dried tailings which consist of a mixture of sand and clay-like mud.

"There was a fundamental change in the design concept whereby more widespread saturation was allowed and accepted," the report said, adding "this increase in the extent of saturation introduced the potential for sand liquefaction."

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Liquefaction was triggered by increased weight on the tailings as the height of the dam was raised, reaching 100 meters (109 yards) at the time of collapse.

This weight pushed the clay-like mud in the dam outwards "like toothpaste from a tube," resulting in a loosening of the sand which had more space to spread and ultimately caused it to flow like a liquid and cause the dam's wall to collapse.

A small earthquake on the day of the dam burst may also have "accelerated" the failure, the report said.

Carlos Eduardo Pinto, a prosecutor in the case against Samarco, said much of what was in the report had already been shown in the police investigation.

"Samarco has long claimed it performs good practice but the report did not demonstrate this," Pinto told Reuters. "Quite the opposite, it showed the company altered the project in a way that would not have been permitted."

BHP Billiton said it had learned from the tragedy. It had already reviewed 10 of its biggest tailings dams and said they were stable, but was taking steps to improve risk management.

The disaster has already cost BHP Billiton $2.2 billion, including a total write-off of its investment in Samarco, due to uncertainty over when the mine will reopen, and funds for its share of agreed compensation and damages.

BHP and Vale's shares, mauled last November after the dam disaster, were unharmed by the release of the report. Vale's shares rose 2.4 percent on Monday and BHP's shares rose 1 percent in early trading on Tuesday.

(Additional reporting by Sonali Paul in Melbourne; Editing by Alan Crosby and Richard Pullin)
DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia signed 15 preliminary agreements with China on Tuesday in sectors from energy to housing on a trip headed by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aimed at bolstering relations with a top energy customer and trade partner. The visit is part of a broad reform drive championed by the powerful prince to cut the kingdom's reliance on oil exports and showcase Saudi Arabia as a dynamic nation with diverse opportunities for global investors. Prince Mohammed met China's vice premier Zhang Gaoli on Tuesday, state news agency SPA reported. "During the meeting, the strategic relationships and future opportunities to enhance the existing partnership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and China were reviewed," SPA said. Fifteen memorandums of understanding (MoU) were later signed between the two nations in fields including oil storage, water resources, cooperation on science and technology, and cultural cooperation, SPA said. Among the MoUs was a plan for the two countries to cooperate in building 100,000 homes in the Asfar suburb of the eastern Saudi city of al-Ahsa. Saudi Arabia's Housing Ministry signed similar memorandums with South Korea and a Saudi-South Korean consortium in March to develop 100,000 housing units in northern Riyadh over 10 years. In April, Prince Mohammed launched radical economic reforms designed to develop non-oil industries in Saudi Arabia and attract billions of dollars of foreign investment. Chinese and Japanese banks and companies are expected to play major roles. Prince Mohammed arrived in China on Monday for talks on economic ties as well as security issues. He will then visit Japan from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3, meeting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. From Japan, the prince will return to China to chair Saudi Arabia's delegation to the Sept. 4-5 summit of leaders of the world's 20 biggest economies in the eastern city of Hangzhou. A Saudi source familiar with the trip said Prince Mohammed would present to the G20 his economic reform plan, which envisages state spending of around 270 billion riyals ($72 billion) in the next five years on projects to diversify the economy. Prince Mohammed's father, King Salman, led the Saudi delegation to last year's G20 summit in Turkey. Heading this year's delegation would be a political boost for the 31-year-old prince, who rose to prominence when his father took the throne in January 2015. Saudi officials will also discuss energy cooperation agreements with Japan, the Saudi cabinet said last week. Saudi Arabia has traditionally accounted for most of Asia's crude imports, but the world's largest oil exporter has lost ground in a number of major markets including Russia and China, and faces a further threat from Iran, which is ramping up exports after the removal of Western sanctions. Under Prince Mohammed's economic reforms, Riyadh plans to sell a stake of less than 5 percent in national oil giant Saudi Aramco that could be worth tens of billions of dollars, and Chinese and Japanese money could prove crucial in smoothing the sale. (Reporting by Rania El Gamal and Katie Paul, Editing by William Maclean and Alison Williams)
New Delhi [India], Aug. 30 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea of Kashmir's longest serving prisoner, Ashiq Hussain Faktoo, to reconsider his conviction and life term. A top-ranking former commander of the Islamist outfit Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen (JM) and a separatist, Faktoo has been serving a life term on account of his alleged involvement in the murder of human rights activist Hridhay Nath Wanchoo in 1992 and has been in jail since 1993. A Jammu court had acquitted Faktoo in 2001, but the Supreme Court overturned this verdict and held him guilty and has spent more than 20 years in prison. In prison, he completed his doctorate in Islamic studies. More than 125 students have completed their bachelors' preparatory program, graduation, post graduation under his guidance. He is married to an equally prominent separatist activist and Dukhtaraan-e-Millat (DM) chief, Syeda Asiya Andrabi. Faktoo has the distinction of being the only Kashmiri militant to have completed his PhD while detention. He was awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy by the Department of Islamic Studies of the University of Kashmir. During his detention, Faktoo joined as head of the Muslim League. His deputy, Massarat Alam, played arguably the most prominent role in a street agitation over Amarnath land row in Kashmir in 2008. His wife Asiya Andrabi has openly called for Kashmir's accession to Pakistan.(ANI)
By Matt Scuffham TORONTO (Reuters) - Bank of Nova Scotia , Canada's third-biggest lender, has pulled back on mortgage lending in its domestic market, potentially insulating itself if house prices fall in Vancouver and Toronto. Canada's banks face heightened scrutiny of their mortgage underwriting practices as authorities try to tackle the potential threat of a housing bubble in the two cities, where prices have soared. "We've ceded some market share. That is very much a choice," James O'Sullivan, group head for Canadian Banking, told investors after the bank reported third-quarter earnings that beat analyst estimates. "I think we're being prudent, I think we're being vigilant in this market but we're not overly concerned. We believe we've constructed a very solid mortgage book here," he said. O'Sullivan said Scotiabank was turning down more mortgage applications than it had done in the past. "We have been taking progressive actions across a number of portfolios. Those would include tightening exceptions, tightening of originations and reduced pre-approvals," he said. Canada's third-biggest lender earned C$1.55 per share in the quarter, up from C$1.46 a year earlier. Analysts had on average expected earnings of C$1.48 per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. The bank benefited from a decline in funds set aside to cover bad loans to energy companies, with a partial recovery in the price of oil helping borrowers pay back credit. Like other Canadian and U.S. lenders, Scotiabank had seen a rise in delinquent loans to energy firms due to weakness in the price of oil, which was at a 13-year low of $25 a barrel in January. But a 30 percent recovery in the price of oil during the latest quarter has alleviated some of those pressures. Scotiabank's provision for credit losses fell to C$571 million, a C$181 million decline from the last quarter. The bank's total net income rose to C$1.96 billion from C$1.85 billion previously. Its Canadian business grew its earnings by 8 percent to C$930 million during the quarter, benefiting from a 13-basis-point margin improvement. Its international business saw earnings increase by 9 percent to C$527 million, driven by growth in Mexico, Peru, Chile and Columbia. The bank announced a quarterly dividend increase of 2 cents per share to 74 cents. Shares in Scotiabank were up 0.9 percent in early trading. Rivals Royal Bank of Canada , Toronto-Dominion , Bank of Montreal and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce all reported results that beat market expectations last week. (This version of the story corrects the identity of executive named in 3rd and 5th paragraphs to James O'Sullivan, group head for Canadian Banking, from James McPhedran, executive vice president, Canadian Banking) (Reporting by Matt Scuffham; Editing by Mark Potter and Bernadette Baum)
By Suzanne Barlyn

(Reuters) - A former Monsanto Co (MON.N) executive who tipped the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to accounting improprieties involving the company's top-selling Roundup product has been awarded more than $22 million from the agency's whistleblower program, the executive's lawyer said on Tuesday.

The award of $22,437,800 was tied to an $80 million settlement between the SEC and Monsanto in February, according to the lawyer, Stuart Meissner in New York, in a statement. It is the agency's second largest under the program.

Meissner declined to reveal the whistleblower's identity.

Monsanto said in an emailed statement, "It would be inappropriate for our company to comment on the SECs whistleblower program or this specific award."

The Dodd Frank financial reform law empowered the SEC to award money to whistleblowers who give information to the agency which leads to a fine.

Awards to 33 whistleblowers by the SEC's program have now surpassed a total of $107 million since the agency launched the program in 2011, the agency said in a statement on Tuesday. The largest award, in 2014, was $30 million, the agency said.

Monsanto's $80 million SEC settlement followed allegations that the company misstated its earnings in connection with Roundup, a popular weed killer.

The SEC's case against Monsanto revolved around a corporate rebate program designed to boost Roundup sales.

The SEC had said that Monsanto lacked sufficient internal controls to account for millions of dollars in rebates that it offered to retailers and distributors. It ultimately booked a sizeable amount of revenue, but then failed to recognize the costs of the rebate programs on its books.

That led the St. Louis-based agriculture company to "materially" misstate its consolidated earnings for a three-year period.

Monsanto neither admitted nor denied the charges and said at the time that it fully reserved funds to pay for the penalty in fiscal year 2015.

Story continues

The SEC announced the award earlier on Tuesday, but did not reveal the enforcement action to which it was linked or the whistleblower's identity.

Company employees are in unique positions behind-the-scenes to unravel complex or deeply buried wrongdoing. Without this whistleblowers courage, information, and assistance, it would have been extremely difficult for law enforcement to discover this securities fraud on its own, said Jane Norberg, Acting Chief of the SECs Office of the Whistleblower, in a statement.

The award represents more than 28 percent of the total penalty and nearly the 30 percent maximum allowed under the SEC's bounty program for payments higher than $1 million, Meissner said.

(Reporting by Suzanne Barlyn; Editing by Steve Orlofsky, Bernard Orr)
The bloodshed came later. But Dec. 6, 1917, was a triumph of the peaceful, democratic variety. Finlands parliament, the Eduskunta, voted that day to leave post-revolution Russia, and Vladimir Lenin, a man with other preoccupations and ulterior long-term motives, decided not to put up a fight.

Nearly a century before Great Britain voted to Leave, this Nordic country  now 5.5 million strong  engineered its own exit from a superpower. Though it initially looked like a clean break, the departure really sowed seeds for a disastrous civil war that erupted a year later amid the continent-wide upheaval of World War I. Still, Finland has maintained a stable independence and is now a peaceful, high-income success. Other nations that were in a similar boat in 1917  like Ukraine  remained under the Soviet thumb and went in a starkly different direction. But Finland was hardly a font of anti-imperialism in the early 20th century, according to University of Helsinki history professor Laura Kolbe, who says Finnish independence arrived more or less by accident.

Lenin was so confident of Marxist doctrine and worldwide revolution that he was convinced Finland would come crawling back.

The country, which is slightly larger than the U.S. state of New Mexico, had spent the previous century as a semiautonomous region of Russia; before that, it was part of Sweden. Finland developed its own bureaucratic institutions and governing system for just about everything except the army. It even had its own currency while enjoying the protection of the Russian emperor  so there was not much of an independence movement. There was also good reason for Russia to hold tight but treat Finland well, as czarist-era Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin told the British historian Bernard Pares, noting how the Finnish border was only 20 miles from St. Petersburg, as recounted in The Finnish Civil War 1918: History, Memory, Legacy, by Tuomas Tepora and Aapo Roselius. Would England tolerate an autonomous state within its empire that close to London? A few years after he made the comment, World War I broke out, shaking all assumptions about the world order.

The Great Wars decimation helped lead to the Russian Revolution of 1917, ending centuries of imperial rule and leaving a sudden political vacuum. Torn between two powers, Finland elected a pro-German government, and its leaders declared that they wanted out from under Russias rule. Following the November takeover by the Bolsheviks, Finnish leaders quickly drafted and passed a Declaration of Independence.

A Finnish delegation headed by Pehr Evind Svinhufvud went to St. Petersburg to meet Lenin and ask for a clean break, which the new leader provided. Kolbe says Lenin was so confident of Marxist doctrine and worldwide revolution that he was convinced Finland would come crawling back. Independent states, sooner or later their working class creates revolution and wants to be part of the Soviet Union, Kolbe says. That was his genius plan. Lenins idea was not too far-fetched. Inspired by the Bolsheviks next door, Finnish socialists had declared a general strike in November, and the new independent government was not eager for compromise. The departure of Russian troops left the streets unpoliced, and the revolutionaries were emboldened by unrest throughout the region.

Gettyimages 3068543

A Communist base burns during the Finnish civil war in 1917.

Source General Photographic Agency/Getty

Finlands four-month civil war began in January 1918, pitting the urban working-class Red Guard against the bourgeois Whites. It was also a proxy war between Russia and Germany  though the Russian troops pulled back early. There is no verified figure, but more than 30,000 people died, an astronomical sum within just a few months  many perishing in refugee camps or through extrajudicial means, not just in battle. Russians were murdered in circumstances that can only be described as ethnic cleansing, Tepora and Roselius write in The Finnish Civil War 1918.

The Germans were briefly in control but left by years end, after losing World War I. Finland was again a Soviet-Germany battlefield in World War II, but it remained independent, never giving in to Lenins fantasy. The working class was incorporated into the political system, and the Communist Party never gained much traction. It eventually turned into a stable liberal democracy, compared to other Russian border states. Next year marks the centennial of the Finlexit vote, and the government is preparing for Finlands biggest-ever birthday party, beginning with a televised bash on New Years Eve. As far as birthday presents go, it would be hard to top a proposal in neighboring Norway, where leaders are considering shifting the border and offering their 4,478-foot Mount Halti summit to Finland  giving the nation a new highest peak with which to celebrate its centennial.

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SYDNEY (Reuters) - A second British backpacker died on Tuesday a week after he was stabbed trying to protect a fellow traveller during an attack at a hostel in northern Australia, police said. A 21-year-old woman, Mia Ayliffe-Chung, was killed last Tuesday when she was attacked by a 29-year-old Frenchman who shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest) as he stabbed her at the hostel in Townsville in the state of Queensland. Thomas Jackson, 30, was stabbed in the face, head and body while trying to protect Ayliffe-Chung. Queensland police said they would charge the Frenchman with two counts of murder. (Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Earlier this year, in the heat of the Republican presidential primary campaign, Donald Trump called arch rival Sen. Marco Rubio Little Marco, and suggested that he had used money from the Florida Republican party to cover strictly personal expenses and should be indicted.

"Rubio stole from the Republican Party," Trump said of the Florida senator in their escalating war of words. But you know what happened? They said, 'You stole from the party.' He says, 'No, I didn't.' 'Yes, you did, you had a driveway bill,' 'No, I didn't,' 'Yes, you did,' 'Oh, OK, well, uh,' he reimbursed them."

Related: How Marco Rubio Could Save the Senate for the GOP

The year before, Trump denounced another Republican senator who had crossed his path, John McCain of Arizona, a decorated Vietnam War era pilot who spent five and a half years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. During an appearance at the Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa, in July 2015, the billionaire businessman said of McCain: Hes not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who werent captured.

Under normal circumstances, comments like that would have irretrievably destroyed Trumps relationship with Rubio and McCain and left a lingering bitterness. But these arent normal times. The youthful Rubio, 45, and the elder statesman McCain, who just turned 80, are both fighting to hang onto their Senate seats, beginning with GOP primary elections on Tuesday.

While the two no doubt would love to publicly denounce Trump as an unprincipled lout, both must scrupulously avoid offending Trumps conservative supporters in their states to get past their primaries and move on to the general election. Trump is trailing in his general election campaign against Hillary Clinton and faces the prospects of widespread defections from many rank and file Republicans  especially more educated women.

After belatedly deciding to seek a second term as senator after his presidential campaign crashed and burned this spring, Rubio now cant afford to offend Floridians who are still enthralled with Trump. Rubio, who once described Trump as the most vulgar person ever to aspire to the presidency, endorsed him in a video shown last month at the Republican National Convention.

Story continues

Related: Trump to GOP Leadership: Sit Down and Shut Up

And McCain, who was first elected to the Senate in 1986 and ran as the Republican presidential nominee in 2008, is desperate to hang on for one last six-year term in Congress. But the long-time political maverick who frequently has clashed with the most conservative elements of the Arizona Republican party, has been forced to bite his tongue when anyone asks him about Trump.

McCain is almost certain to win his primary contest against GOP challenger Kelli Ward, a former state senator and physician, although there were signs his substantial lead in a CNN/ORC poll last week may be shrinking. Ward has said that McCain is too old for his job and should retire.

McCain has been frequently pressed by reporters to say whether he would pivot and speak out against Trump in the general election campaign  joining many of his Republican colleagues, including fellow Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, who are distancing themselves from Trump. But he always has the same answer:

No. Theres no reason to do that, McCain told Politico during an interview in his campaign headquarters. They [Arizona voters] all know me. Everybody in Arizona really knows me unless they just moved in.

Related: How Trumps Need for Vengeance Is Killing His Campaign

But McCain and Rubio may have to reconsider their strategies later this fall, in the event that Trumps campaign begins to crumble in Arizona and Florida. Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, who will challenge McCain this fall, ridicules the one time maverick for being afraid to stand up to Trumps personal attacks.

Meanwhile, Rubio will coast to victory in his GOP primary on Tuesday against wealthy homebuilder Carlos Beruff. At the same time, two Democratic House members  Patrick Murphy and Alan Grayson  will slug it out in a nasty Democratic primary battle for the nomination.

Another Florida race that will get some attention: Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who recently was deposed as chair of the Democratic National Committee, is being challenged in the primary by Tim Conova, a law professor who was backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Schultz was forced out of her party post literally hours before the start of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, following leaks of party emails showing that Democratic officials had worked behind the scenes against Sanders and to help Clinton secure the Democratic nomination.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
By Alexandria Sage

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Silicon Valley self-driving startup Drive.ai has named to its board a former Wall Street investment banker and General Motors Co executive as investor interest in autonomous vehicles intensifies.

Steve Girsky, a former GM vice chairman and Morgan Stanley alum, was named a Drive.ai director on Tuesday. The appointment comes roughly five months after GM bought Cruise Automation, a one-time rival of Drive.ai, for $1 billion. Just earlier this month, Uber acquired another one-time rival, Otto, for an undisclosed sum estimated at close to $700 million.

Drive.ai is one of a handful of startups building fully autonomous systems for cars, a sector that has drawn more attention since the Cruise and Otto deals.

Drive.ai plans to distinguish itself through the team's expertise in robotics and "deep learning," Carol Reiley, the company's president and co-founder, said in an interview.

Girsky, who left GM's board after seven years in April, was instrumental in reviving the Detroit automaker following its 2009 bankruptcy and brings "deep expertise within corporate management and the automotive industry" to Drive.ai, the company said.

The addition of Girsky is a high-profile get for Drive.ai, which was launched last year with an engineering team from Stanford University's Artificial Intelligence lab and has until now stayed under the radar.

Drive.ai wants to build a hardware and software kit powered by artificial intelligence for carmakers. It is already working with unnamed vehicle manufacturers, but has not disclosed a timeline.

Drive.ai said its first market foray will focus on vehicle fleets on consistent routes, whether for delivering packages, ride-sharing or public/private transit.

Drive.ai believes self-driving is best achieved through deep learning, a complex subset of artificial intelligence in which systems are trained by running massive amounts of data through them until they are able to "think" for themselves.

Story continues

Reiley, a roboticist, told Reuters that deep learning best resembles how humans think. It is more dynamic than strict machine learning - in which a car drives according to rules programmed through algorithms - and better for interpreting "edge cases," unforeseen events that an algorithm cannot solve.

"I view a self-driving car as a robot," Reiley said. "This will be the first social robot that goes into the world."

She also believes Drive.ai's technology can replicate "emotional intelligence," the part of the brain that deals with social behavior and non-verbal communication - the kind of awareness that drivers rely on at a four-way stop.

"It needs to be baked in," said Reiley, who said cars also need a hardware revamp, with targeted lights and sounds to better communicate with other cars and pedestrians.

Drive.ai, she said, envisions a new vehicle language, "enabling them to show intent and interact in complex ways with humans inside and outside the car."

That could mean, for example, a roof-mounted exterior communication system that signals to pedestrians "safe to cross."

Drive.ai closed a $12 million funding round earlier this year with strategic and other partners, including Oriza Ventures and China-based Northern Light Venture Capital.

(Reporting by Alexandria Sage; Editing by Leslie Adler)
By Diane Bartz WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Elizabeth Warren and 19 other U.S. senators voiced concern to the chief executive of Mylan NV about the high cost of its EpiPen on Tuesday, calling the device used in the case of life-threatening allergies "exorbitantly expensive." Mylan has been under fire for steadily raising the price of the device from about $100 in 2008 to about $600 currently. In a letter to Mylan CEO Heather Bresch, the daughter of Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, the lawmakers asked the company to spell out the company's programs to provide some people with lower cost EpiPens. Such discount programs are often an "industry tactic to keep costs high through a complex shell game," the letter said. "Insurance companies, the government and employers still bear the burden of these excessive prices. In turn, those costs are eventually passed on to consumers in the form of higher premiums," the senators wrote. Mylan said this week it would launch the first generic version of its allergy auto-injector EpiPen for $300, half the price of the branded product, the drugmaker's second step in less than a week to counter the backlash over the product's steep price. It also reduced the out-of-pocket costs of EpiPen for some patients last week. EpiPen has a 94 percent market share for auto-injector devices, which jab a dose of the drug epinephrine into the thigh to counter dangerous allergic reactions such as to peanuts, other foods and bee stings. Asked about the letter, Mylan spokeswoman Lauren Kashtan said in an email statement: "We have acknowledged receipt of letters from congressional offices and intend to respond to them." Mylan has defended EpiPen's high price, saying it spent hundreds of millions of dollars to improve the product since acquiring it in 2007. It has also said it recoups less than half the list price for EpiPens. In their letter, the lawmakers asked Mylan how much insurers paid for the EpiPen in 2009 and how much they pay now. They also asked how many EpiPens Mylan provided to low income, uninsured consumers and how many schools purchased EpiPens versus how many received them for free. In addition to Warren, other signatories included Senators Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee; Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat; Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat; Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, both Democrats from Rhode Island and Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat. (Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Tom Brown)
Twelve South Korean victims of wartime sexual slavery said Tuesday they would take their government to court over its agreement with Japan last year intended to end the bitter historical dispute.

The so-called "comfort women" filed a lawsuit against the government for signing the agreement with Tokyo even though Japan refuses to acknowledge formal legal responsibility for the slavery.

In the action filed with the Seoul Central District Court, the 12 plaintiffs each seek 100 million won (US$90,000) in compensation from the Seoul government, said a group called the Foundation for Justice and Remembrance for the Issue of Military Sexual Slavery.

The plight of the women forced into Japanese military brothels, who are now in their 80s or 90s, is a hugely emotional issue that has marred relations between Seoul and Japan for decades.

For many South Koreans it symbolises the abuses of Japan's 1910-45 harsh colonial rule over the Korean peninsula.

Last December the two nations reached a "final and irreversible" agreement, under which Tokyo offered an apology and a total of one billion yen ($8.5 million) to open a foundation for the dwindling number of comfort women who are still alive.

South Korea's foreign ministry said last week that part of the money would be used for "individual" financial assistance, providing 100 million won each to surviving victims and 20 million won for the families of those who have died.

But the offer was rebuffed by some of the women, who object to the Japanese government's refusal to accept legal responsibility.

The 12 plaintiffs represent nearly a third of the 40 surviving Korean victims.

Mainstream historians say up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea but also other parts of Asia including China, were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II.
BELGRADE (Reuters) - The Serbian authorities have detained three men on suspicion of the attempted smuggling of 64 Afghan migrants, including women and infants, in the south east of the country near the border with Bulgaria, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday. So far this year Serbia has arrested 360 suspects accused of smuggling 2,000 migrants and refugees, part of a mass influx of people heading to Western Europe from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere. In July, Serbia deployed joint military and police patrols to its border as the flow of migrants did not stop, even after other Balkan countries closed their borders in March. Three men from the capital Belgrade were arrested near the southeastern town of Zajecar, some 10 kilometers (six miles) west of the Bulgarian border, as they boarded migrants onto a van and cars, the defense ministry said in a statement. In the van there were 34 Afghans, including four women, one of them pregnant, an infant and a child, while another two cars were about pick up another 30 people, including three children, the ministry said. There are some 4,000 asylum seekers in Serbia at present, mainly from the Middle East and Asia, though most do not want to stay there, aiming instead for Germany or Sweden. Since the beginning of 2016 more than 103,000 migrants have passed through Serbia, which wants to join the European Union, mainly through neighboring Hungary. Last week Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said his country plans to build a second fence on its border with Serbia to keep out any major new wave of migrants. Hungary also offered Serbia to send its police officers to Serbia's borders with Macedonia and Bulgaria. (Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by)
TORONTO (Reuters) - The number of sexual-offence complaints in the Canadian Armed Forces increased 22 percent this year, but that is a "positive indicator" because it means more alleged victims are speaking up, according to a military report released on Tuesday. The progress report was the second on Operation Honour, a military program to tackle the issue started in 2015 after an external investigation said the Canadian military had an underlying sexualized culture hostile to women and gays. Western militaries are increasingly coming under scrutiny for their handling of sexual offences. A Pentagon report in May said sexual assaults in the U.S. military are still underreported. According to the Canadian report, the military saw 106 founded complaints for incidents in the first six months of this year, which it said was a 22 percent increase without providing a comparative figure. It said there were 174 founded complaints in all of 2015. "This increase appears to be a positive indicator that military members are more aware of the problem and more confident in stepping forward and reporting incidents," the report said. The investigation in 2015, by a former Supreme Court justice, found a broadly held perception in the lower ranks that those higher up condone inappropriate sexual conduct or are willing to turn a blind eye. Chief of the Defence Staff General Jonathan Vance said the new progress report shows Operation Honour has been working, and that he felt encouraged. He told a news conference in Ottawa that as result of investigations between April and July this year, 30 people received career-impacting punishments. "Those who do not see the wisdom of what we are trying to accomplish and choose not to modify their negative behavior will be compelled to do so or they will be released," he said. (Reporting by Ethan Lou in Toronto; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 30, 2016 / The following statement is being issued by Levi & Korsinsky, LLP:

To: All Persons or Entities who purchased USMD Holdings, Inc. ("USMD") (USMD) stock prior to August 30, 2016 .

You are hereby notified that Levi & Korsinsky, LLP has commenced an investigation into the fairness of the sale of USMD to WellMed Medical Management, Inc. for $22.34 per share. To learn more about the action and your rights, go to:

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or contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. either via email at jlevi@zlk.com or by telephone at (212) 363-7500, toll-free: (877) 363-5972. There is no cost or obligation to you.

Levi & Korsinsky is a national firm with offices in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California, and Washington D.C. The firm's attorneys have extensive expertise in prosecuting securities litigation involving financial fraud, representing investors throughout the nation in securities lawsuits and have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for aggrieved shareholders. For more information, please feel free to contact any of the attorneys listed below. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

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SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 29, 2016 / Lundin Law PC (the "Firm") announces a class action lawsuit has been filed against The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. ("Hain" or the "Company") (HAIN) concerning possible violations of federal securities laws between November 9, 2015 and August 15, 2016 inclusive (the "Class Period"). Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired shares during the Class Period should contact the Firm in advance of the October 17, 2016 lead plaintiff motion deadline.

To participate in this class action lawsuit, click here. You can also call Brian Lundin, Esquire, of Lundin Law PC, at 888-713-1033, or e-mail him at brian@lundinlawpc.com.

No class has been certified in the above action. Until a class is certified, you are not considered represented by an attorney. You may also choose to do nothing and be an absent class member.

According to the complaint, during the Class Period, the Company made false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose: that Hain lacked effective internal control over financial reporting; that the Company failed to properly account for revenue associated with concessions that were granted to certain distributors in the United States; and a result of the above, Hain's statements about its business, operations and prospects, were false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When this news was announced to the public, shares of Hain decreased in value, causing investors harm.

Lundin Law PC was founded by Brian Lundin, a securities litigator based in Los Angeles dedicated to upholding shareholders' rights.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

Contact:

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Brian Lundin, Esq.

Telephone: 888-713-1033

Facsimile: 888-713-1125

brian@lundinlawpc.com

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SOURCE: Lundin Law PC
Students at an Arizona high school walked out of class Monday morning in protest that the school had banned a sophomore girl from wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt.

Mariah Harvard, a 10th-grade student at Buckeye Union High School, wrote in a Facebook post with more than 2,000 shares that the schools vice principal asked her to remove her Black Lives Matter T-shirt because it created a disruption in the learning of education.

The vice principal asked Harvard to change into a plain white T-shirt because of a previous argument she had with a young caucasian boy who said black lives dont matter and that shirt is meaningless,' Harvard wrote.

Harvard was joined by nine other students, their parents and representatives of civil rights organizations on Monday as they gathered outside the school in demonstration, the Arizona Republic reported.

In a statement, the Buckeye Union High School District said it was working with staff, local leaders and Black Lives Matters representatives to turn the incident involving the black lives matter T-shirt from a negative situation into a positive learning experience.
* 26 more Zika cases confirmed in past 24 hours

* Pregnant women advised to avoid travel to Singapore

* Malaysia, Indonesia step up Singapore arrivals checks

* Singapore says premature to determine impact on tourism

* Nationalities of infected foreign workers undisclosed (Recasts; adds U.S. travel warning, background and medical expert comment)

By Marius Zaharia

SINGAPORE, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Confirmed cases of Zika virus in Singapore rose to 82 on Tuesday, as the United States joined a growing list of countries warning pregnant women or those trying to get pregnant to avoid travel to the city-state.

The mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has caused explosive outbreaks in the Americas and the Caribbean since late last year, poses a particular risk to pregnant women because it can cause microcephaly, a severe birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains.

On Tuesday, the United States warned pregnant women not to travel to Singapore, joining Australia, Taiwan and South Korea.

The warnings followed news that Zika transmission appears to be occurring outside of the original cluster, with at least five of 26 new cases confirmed late on Tuesday detected in the Aljunied area in the southeast of Singapore, the health ministry and National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a joint statement.

Singapore has advised pregnant women to take a free Zika test if they showed any symptoms or if their partners tested positive. "This is regardless of whether they have been to Zika-affected areas," health officials said in a statement.

The outbreak and advisories come as the tourism industry in one of the world's busiest travel hubs already faces weak global economic growth. Singapore's Tourism Board said it was premature to consider any impact on the sector, adding it remained a "safe travel destination".

More than 55 million people pass through Singapore's Changi airport every year. In the first half of this year, tourism arrivals topped 8 million, around 1 million more than a year earlier.

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MOZZIE SPRAY SALES

Singapore reported its first case of locally-transmitted Zika at the weekend, and the number of confirmed infections has risen steadily since then. At least three dozen patients have made a full recovery.

Neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia have stepped up protective measures, introducing thermal scanners at airports and border checkpoints with the island state. Such measures, however, will only identify symptomatic cases of Zika, but only one in five people have symptoms of the virus, which include fever, rash, joint pain and pink eye.

Singapore residents responded to government calls to be vigilant and to take precautions against mosquito bites.

Online retailer Lazada Singapore said sales of insect repellents jumped five-fold in the past three days. FairPrice supermarkets and Watsons pharmacies said their sales of such products had doubled.

Most of the early infections were among foreign workers, hundreds of thousands of whom, mainly from the Asian sub-continent, work on Singapore's construction sites and in the marine sector.

The Singapore government has not said where the infected foreign workers are from. The foreign ministry directed queries to the health ministry, which did not respond to Reuters questions on the issue. The Ministry of Manpower also did not respond to a request for comment made outside working hours.

The High Commission of Bangladesh, which represents the largest community of foreign workers, said none of those infected were Bangladeshis, and the Thai foreign ministry said none were from Thailand. The embassies of China, India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar said they had not been notified by Singapore whether their citizens were among those infected.

Authorities inspected thousands of homes in seven parts of Singapore, including five foreign worker dormitories, spraying insecticide and removing potential mosquito breeding habitats.

The NEA has inspected about 5,000 premises in and around the initial outbreak area, issuing 400 notices to owners of buildings they could not access. The NEA can force entry into those premises if needed.

Zika was first discovered in Uganda in 1947. It caused clusters of human infections from the 1960s to 1980s across Africa and Asia, according to the World Health Organization.

The outbreak in the Americas was caused by a Zika strain from Asia, possibly carried to Brazil through travel to a sporting event. Many experts believe once infected, Zika produces lifelong immunity.

"Unfortunately, it is not clear the level of immunity that is currently in Asia," said Alessandro Vespignani of Northeastern University in Boston.

WHO declared Zika a global health emergency because of its link with microcephaly. In Brazil, Zika has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly.

(Reporting by Marius Zaharia, with additional reporting by Edgar Su, Aradhana Aravindan, Masayuki Kitano and Mark Tay in Singapore and Jeong Eun Lee in Seoul and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Editing by Jane Wardell, Ian Geoghegan and Bernard Orr)
U.S. allies shooting it out in Syria. Adding to Syrias already chaotic landscape, two U.S. allies who had pledged to fight the Islamic State have turned their guns on each other. And there doesnt appear to be any end in sight. Late last week, Free Syrian Army rebels, once trained and equipped by U.S. special forces and now backed by Turkey, pushed into Syria to attack U.S.-supported Kurdish and Arab Syrian Democratic Forces.

In a visit to the border with Syria over the weekend, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to continue the fight. We are as determined about the [Kurds], he said. We will continue until we uproot this terror organization, until theyre pushed off Turkeys southern border. Ankara sees no difference between the Kurdish PKK, which has fought the government for decades in southern Turkey, and the Syria-based Kurdish YPG, which has emerged as the only group capable of taking on ISIS in Syria.

Turkish F-16s hit several Kurdish YPG militia positions over the weekend, and dozens have been killed in fighting  including a Turkish soldier  as Free Syrian Army commanders pledge to keep hitting the Kurds until theyre pushed east of the Euphrates river. Some rebels have threatened to keeping moving forward until they take the city of Manbij, which the Kurdish-led forces recently took from ISIS after with the help of dozens of American airstrikes.

The fighting also calls into question the safety of U.S. special forces teams who are embedded with the Kurds. Earlier this month, U.S. jets scrambled several times after Syrian jets came close to hitting Americans while bombing the Kurds near Hasakah.

For a visual aid, check out this CNN graphic which maps who is fighting who, and where they get their support.

Over the (other) border. In a related story, Kurdish Peshmerga forces in northern Iraq are very much redrawing the map of the country, as they continue to press closer to the ISIS-held city of Mosul, claiming more and more territory as they go. Some fear a confrontation with Baghdad is on the horizon.

Story continues

Sub race. China is fueling a submarine race in the Pacific, FPs Elias Groll and Dan De Luce tell us in a smart new story, writing that thanks to Chinas huge increases in defense spending and making aggressive claims to disputed island chains, Beijings regional rivals are investing in the one weapon that can undercut the increasingly potent Peoples Liberation Army. Across South and East Asia, Chinas neighbors are spending heavily on submarines, purchasing silent diesel-electric machines capable of slipping past Chinese defenses.

But its not only subs. New Zealand recently signed a $26 million contract with Boeing to upgrade its fleet of five P-3 Orion submarine hunting surveillance planes. This is particularly important in the Asia-Pacific region which is home to two-thirds of the worlds submarines New Zealands defence minister Gerry Brownlee said.

India dealing. Defense Secretary Ash Carter is back from vacation and will host Indias Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar at the Pentagon Monday. A joint press conference is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. in the Pentagon Briefing Room. Livestream here. FPs Keith Johnson and Dan De Luce have written about the closer defense ties between India and the U.S., and the country looks to upgrade its military in the face of Chinas military buildup.

Body count. American jets recently bombed a village in Syria. There are multiple stories about why, and what happened next.

Good morning and as always, if you have any thoughts, announcements, tips, or national security-related events to share, please pass them along to SitRep HQ. Best way is to send them to: paul.mcleary@foreignpolicy.com or on Twitter: @paulmcleary or @arawnsley

Japan

The Japanese military is about to start training for peacekeeping operations abroad, which could involve combat, Bloomberg reports. Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said that training for the Self Defense Forces will begin soon for peacekeeping work in South Sudan. The operation could see Japanese troops called on to use their weapons in a stark break from Japans traditionally pacifist post-war tradition. The training and the operations it envisions are part of a general shift for Japan, as it slowly becomes more comfortable with the use of force.

Afghanistan

The Taliban is close to capturing 10 more districts in Afghanistan, according to TOLO News. Anonymous government officials say districts in Uruzgan, Nangarhar, Sar-e Pol provinces, among others, are at risk of falling to the Islamist insurgent group. Officials say corruption has undermined the Afghan militarys ability to respond to rising Taliban threats by interfering with the selection of local commanders. A spokesman for the Interior Ministry decried the interference from non-military individuals in the appointment of local military commanders. The Institute for the Study of War has a great new assessment and map of the fighting in the country.

Hundreds of fighters from the Haqqani network overran a small, 90-man outpost in Paktia province, the New York Times reports. The Haqqani network has played an increasingly influential role within the Taliban as the groups new emir Mullah Haibatullah Akhunzada relies on it for the military savvy he lacks. The move by the network in Paktia could foreshadow more dramatic operations in the southeast of Afghanistan.

Iran

Iran says it has arrested a spy, a dual citizen who worked on last years nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States. Iranian news outlets pointed to Abdolrasoul Dorri Esfahani, an accountant who participated in the financial aspects of the negotiations, as the accused spy. Whether Esfahani had British or Canadian dual citizenship remains unclear, but a member of Irans parliament said he gave invaluable information to the US during the negotiations.

Iranian media reports that the country has deployed its newly-arrived Russian S-300 air defense missiles to protect the Fordow nuclear facility. Iranian television broadcast a segment showing the S-300 at Fordow with Air Defense Force commander Brig. Gen Farzad Esmaili declaring that the countrys nuclear assets will be defended in all circumstances. Iran recently received completed S-300 batteries from Russia following a protracted negotiation after Moscow initially canceled the sale in 2009 following western pressure.

Iran said Monday that its military detected a U.S. drone entering Iranian airspace, and issued a warning for it to leave, which it did, according to Irans Tasnim news agency. Irans army air defense detected and warned an American drone in the eastern airspace of the country. It was coming from Afghanistan. The drone left the area, Tasnim quoted the Iranian military as saying.

Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy is becoming more aggressive towards American ships in the Gulf this year. Navy Times reports that statistics compiled by U.S. Central Commands 5th Fleet show that there have already been 250 confrontations between the two countries vessels in the first half of this year, putting 2016 in position to demolish last years total of 300 such incidents. Experts worry that the rising tensions, close proximity and frequent encounters could lead to a miscalculation that would escalate into a wider conflict.

Cybersecurity

The FBIs Cyber Division says foreign hackers may have broken into electoral websites in two states, according to a report from Yahoo News. The attacks reportedly hit election websites in Illinois and Arizona In the Illinois attack, hackers made off with a voter registration database. Theres no official attribution of the attacks yet but experts say some of the IP addresses recorded in the attacks have previously been linked to Russian cybercriminals and the tools in the breach bear similarity to those used by Russian state-sponsored attackers against the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Islamic State

A suicide car bombing claimed by the Islamic State has killed at least 54 people in Yemen, Reuters reports. The attacker struck a facility used by the Popular Committees militia recruits in Aden, infiltrating the compound by driving behind a vehicle used to bring breakfast to the troops. The Amaq news agency, an Islamic State-linked propaganda outlet, issued a claim of responsibility for the attack on behalf of the jihadist group, asserting that 60 people had been killed in the bombing.

Photo Credit: Cem Ozdel/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
War stories. Officials at the Pentagon thought they had a deal with their Turkish counterparts for a joint operation to take the Islamic State-held town of Jarablus. But while the White House dragged its feet on making a decision, the Turks moved, catching Washington off guard and adding a new strain on an already frayed relationship. The Wall Street Journal provides a insider tick-tock of the on-and-off talks between the two countries over the past year, which culminated in the unilateral Turkish move, thrusting hundreds of Syrian rebels over the border and setting off violent clashes with U.S.-backed Kurdish YPG fighters.

On Monday, U.S. officials walked a diplomatic tightrope, making clear that while Washington supported the Turkish effort to clear Jarablus of ISIS, it would also continue to back the Kurds in their fight against the terror group.

President Barack Obamas deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes said Monday that while the U.S. has supported the Turkish effort to clear Jarablus of ISIS fighters, there are limits. We do not support, and we would oppose, efforts to move south and engage in activities against the [mostly Kurdish] Syrian Democratic opposition which we have supported. Defense Secretary Ash Carter told reporters at the Pentagon Monday that weve called on both sides to not fight with one another, to continue to focus the fight on ISIL

Boom. The Turkish military said that U.S. warplanes hit two ISIS targets near Jarablus Tuesday, a day after Washington said it would pull air support if the Turks continued to push south toward Manbij, which is occupied by American allies from the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Weighing in. French President Francois Hollande isnt having any of it. During a speech on Tuesday he criticized Turkeys contradictory push into Syria while warning Moscow not to become a protagonist in the war. The multiple, contradictory interventions carry the risk of a general inflammation of the already horrific five-year civil war, he said.

Story continues

Talking through the problem. In a sign of how important the relationship is the Washington, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Joseph Dunford called his Turkish counterpart on Sunday, and Carter said hell meet with Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik next week. While on a trip to China for Group of 20 meetings, President Barack Obama will also meet with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Sept. 4 for the first time since the failed military coup in July. Obama dispatched Vice President Joe Biden to Ankara last week to meet with Erdogan, a visit which followed a visit by Dunford to help soothe relations.

Syria for Syrians. The Turkish intervention using Syrian proxies shows again how outside powers  Turkey, the United States, and Russia  have thrust themselves directly into the fighting, using local militias to pursue their interests. And the Syrians arent blind to that fact. One Turkish-backed rebel told the New York Times, everyone is pursuing their own interests, not Syriasthe problem is the same everywhere in Syria.

Safety check. As American-made bombs from American-made Saudi jets continue to kill civilians in Yemen, a group of congressmen are trying to halt a $1.5 billion arms deal with the kingdom. FPs John Hudson has a copy of a letter that a bipartisan group of 60 lawmakers will send to President Barack Obama Tuesday calling for a halt to the sale of tanks and other weapons until Congress can debate the package. The group is concerned that the request was sent to the Hill during the August recess, which takes away much of the 30-day window for debate.

The reason for the letter is pretty clear: This military campaign has had a deeply troubling impact on civilians, wrote the lawmakers. Just in the last several days, a Saudi airstrike on a school in Yemen killed 10 children  some as young as 6-years-old  and a Saudi airstrike on an MSF hospital in Yemen killed 11 people.

Do fences make good neighbors? The Institute for the Study of war is out with another handy map showing where Moscow has placed its most advanced missile defense systems, creating a virtual wall stretching from Syria to its frontier with Finland.

The Cold War for control of the electromagnetic spectrum in the South China Sea is also heating up, warns the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. China has placed a series of radar installations across man-made islands in the South China Sea, buttressing the militarys intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. But the installations may also be useful in jamming enemy radars, as reports of interference with the satellite uplinks of American Global Hawk surveillance drones last year suggest. For its part, the U.S. has also deployed EA-18G Growler aircraft to the Philippines, which capable of conducting electronic attack operations.

Good morning and as always, if you have any thoughts, announcements, tips, or national security-related events to share, please pass them along to SitRep HQ. Best way is to send them to: paul.mcleary@foreignpolicy.com or on Twitter: @paulmcleary or @arawnsley

Buy American

Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar is in the middle of a three-day visit to the U.S., a good chunk of which hell spend talking to the U.S. defense industry. The two countries have been working on a series of deals for jet engines, helicopters, technology transfers and a key logistics agreement for several years, some of which are starting to happen.

The minister will attend a meeting Tuesday sponsored by the U.S.-India Business Council along with about 25 defense firms, including giants Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Textron, Defense News reports. Boeing will get some extra attention when Parrikar stops by a Boeing facility near Philadelphia that is churning out CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters that India purchased last year as part of a $3.1 billion order for 22 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and 15 Chinooks.

China

A suicide bomber attacked the Chinese embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan early Tuesday, according to the New York Times. The attack wounded three local Kyrgyz citizens employed by the embassy. Kyrgyz authorities say the bomber was a Uighur, a Central Asian ethnic group. Uighur Muslims living in Chinas Xinjiang province have pushed for independence and some groups, like the Turkistan Islamic Party, have taken to terrorist violence in order to advance a separatist agenda.

Syria

Russias introduction of airpower to Syria a year ago has helped stem the bleeding for the Assad regime, but it hasnt been decisive in winning back the city of Aleppo from rebels, Reuters reports. One Russian defense ministry source tells the wire service that the failure to completely subdue rebels has left Russian policy in Syria adrift, complaining that coordination with Iran is not at the required level and that Moscow has been running around in a circle since September of last year. Russian officials had hoped that the push to retake Aleppo would be decisive, with the introduction of more Hezbollah ground troops and the use of a base in Iran to facilitate heavy bombers, but rebels managed to withstand the onslaught and even counterattack.

An investigation by the Guardian finds that U.N. aid organizations have paid millions of dollars to groups and individuals within the Assad regimes inner circle, leading to accusations that its effectively become an instrument of the government. In a number of instances, the U.N. gave money to individuals and organizations under international sanctions or who had been accused of corruption. Some worry that the money spent on nominally humanitarian aid program may be diverted towards military purposes. The World Health Organization, for example, paid $5 million to support a blood bank run by the regime despite fears within the organization that blood supplies would be used by the Syrian military.

The Islamic State

The Islamic States loss of Jarablus and Manbij, two strongholds in Syria, has prompted the intelligence community to conclude that the group is now officially on the back foot, the Los Angeles Times reports. Fighters for the Islamic State reportedly retreated after putting up little resistance in the two cities, and analysts believe that the losses will be a further gut punch to morale within its ranks. Nonetheless, officials still caution that the group will likely remain capable of inspiring terrorist attacks around the world despite its loss of territory.

Colombia

One of South Americas longest running conflicts appears to be at an end as Colombias left-wing FARC has agreed to a comprehensive ceasefire with the government in Bogota. Under the terms of the peace agreement, the FARC, designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department, will pursue its agenda through formal politics rather than violence. The half century long war between the group and the Colombian government has claimed over 260,000 lives.

Cybersecurity

The Russian intelligence-linked hackers behind the breach at the Democratic National Committee also targeted a handful of Washington, DC think tanks, according to a scoop from Defense One. The attacks were detected by the threat intelligence firm CrowdStrike, which provides security for the five think tanks hit in the campaign. CrowdStrike wouldnt name its affected clients, but the Center for Strategic and International Studies told Defense One that it was among those breached in the attacks.

Photo Credit: Stringer/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Sky continues to make major movies into the theatrical cinema world in Italy, where it announced a major distribution deal Monday with five of the country's top production companies - Palomar, Wildside, Cattleya, Indiana and Italian International Film.

The Murdoch-owned pay TV provider has been making leaps into original content and the film world with longform TV from popular shows including Gomorrah and 1992, and the upcoming Paolo Sorrentino-helmed The Young Pope, as well as various local film productions. It also took over production of Italy's cinema honors, the David di Donatello awards, from state-owned Rai this year, a gesture that shows it intends to lead the way with the country's key movers and shakers.

The new company, which is still unnamed, "is designed to support and promote Italian cinema through an innovative, open and collaborative model. For the first time, a media company operating in both the Pay TV and FTA business will be joining forces with some of the major Italian independent producers," Sky said in a statement. "The newly formed theatrical distribution company will offer the market new opportunities, exploring and embracing different paths and models in the area of distribution, content and language."

In addition to launching films theatrically in Italy, the company may also invest in individual productions. Sky naturally will own all TV rights.

The move puts Sky Italia in a prime position against competitors Rai, which runs 01 Distribution, and Mediaset, which owns distribution and production arm Medusa as well as production company TaoDue, responsible for some of Italy's top films in recent years.

As Italian content is still the most popular content across Sky channels, the new company represents a strong strategy in being able to own the rights for a wide berth of homegrown films from the start.

Read more: Venice Film Fest: Paolo Sorrentinos 'The Young Pope' to Get World Premiere
The Oil and Gas sector continues to remain in troubled waters with a new report mentioning that in 2015 explorers had managed to discover only about 10% of the average level of oil found annually since 1960 and the level is expected to decline even further. This has raised apprehensions that the amount of oil discovered might be too less to meet future demand.



Oil prices have more than halved since the commodity prices started tumbling two years ago. As a result, drillers have cut their exploration budgets enormously, which in turn, has resulted in discovery of just 2.7 billion barrels of new supply. Per the figures from Edinburgh-based consulting firm Wood Mackenzie Ltd., this is the lowest level since 1947. As of the end of last month, drillers found just 736 million barrels of conventional crude.



Per the U.S. Energy Information Administration, global oil demand is expected to grow to 105.3 million barrels in 2026 from 94.8 million barrels a day in 2016. However, the slowdown in the discoveries has raised questions regarding the ability to meet this increasing demand. Though the U.S. shale boom has the potential to make up for the difference, prices locked below $50 a barrel undermine the possibility of growth in the area.



Wood Mackenzie reported that global spending on exploration  seismic studies to actual drilling  has been lowered to $40 billion in 2016 from about $100 billion in 2014. The spending level is expected to remain flat through 2018. Moreover, through August this year only 209 wells were drilled as against 680 in 2015 and 1,167 in 2014. This compares unfavorably with an annual average of 1,500 in data from 1960.



The low exploration data indicates that production might be obstructed few years down the line, which in turn, would push up the oil prices. Currently, oil prices are hovering around $50 a barrel that is less than half their 2014 peak. In a Saudi Arabia-led strategy to augment market share, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) decided to continue pumping without limits. This pushed down the U.S. production to a two-year low.



According to the CEO of Royal Dutch Shell plc RDS.A, oil companies will need to invest about $1 trillion a year to continue to meet demand. The CEO expects demands to rise by 1 million to 1.5 million barrels a day, with about 5% of supply lost to natural declines every year.



The persistent weakness in prices has forced explorers to find new resources that are less risky as well as cheap. As a result, these companies are focusing more on appraisal wells on already-discovered fields and less on frontier areas such as the Arctic. Companies that have abandoned exploration in Alaska last year include Statoil ASA STO and Royal Dutch Shell.



ExxonMobil Corporation (XOM) has also decided against investing further in the proposed Alaska LNG facility. The other stake owners in the project are BP plc BP and ConocoPhillips COP holding 20% each. These companies too have indicated their possibility of withdrawing from the project.



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By 1976, Ronald Reagan had been a successful actor, broadcaster, corporate spokesman and governor of California. But the story of Reagan the president and conservative icon doesnt really begin until the year of the American bicentennial, when the 65-year-old upstart challenged the leader of his party, and sitting president, Gerald Ford, in one of the most contested primaries in U.S. history.

Hard as it may be to imagine, Reagan was once a joke in the party that idolizes him today. The GOP establishment despised the telegenic conservative (President Richard Nixon called him a lightweight in internal memos), a candidate they believed would fall to pieces if he strayed from his prepared remarks and talking points. A view that seemed validated after Reagan lost the first five straight primary contests in 1976, and found himself with more than $2 million in campaign debt and members of his own staff urging him to quit the race.

Learn more about Reagans iconic 76 run in The Contenders: 16 for 16, a new TV series from OZY  airing every Tuesday this fall on PBS  that celebrates the men and women who have run the ultimate political gauntlet in pursuit of the most powerful job on Earth.

Reagans broke campaign would rally, however, to win in North Carolina in May, and 11 other states, racking up over 1,000 delegates  enough to ensure that President Ford would not be able to clinch the nomination ahead of the partys August convention in Kansas City. At that convention, the nation at large got a taste of the Great Communicator, and the delegates in the hall were left to wonder whether they had chosen the right man.

Heres a taste of Reagans performance, as seen in The Contenders.

Related Articles
Snoop Dogg is one step closer to trial with Pabst Brewing Co. after a California judge on Monday declined to drop the rapper's lawsuit against the beverage company like it's hot.

Snoop sued in 2015, claiming Pabst breached their endorsement deal when the company was sold and it didn't pay him the contractually agreed-upon 10 percent.

Halloween Trial Pits Snoop Dogg Against Pabst

"It's maddening," judge Malcom H. Mackey said of the case in a Monday hearing, telling attorneys "you gentlemen have conjured up a lot of facts on this case."

Mackey denied Pabst's motion for summary judgment in its entirety, find the conflicting facts that have been presented raised too many questions for him to rule as a matter of law.

In 2011, Snoop signed on to be the face of Blast by Colt 45, a brightly colored, fruity spinoff of the classic malt beverage. In addition to standard fees and royalties, his contract contained a phantom equity clause that entitled him to a portion of the profits if the brand was sold before January 2016.

In 2014, the brewer's grandparent company, Pabst Corporate Holdings, sold to a third party all of its stock in Pabst Holdings Inc., which is the sole shareholder of Pabst Brewing. The dispute centers on whether that sale triggered the phantom equity clause.

Snoop's attorney Alex Weingarten says the case is "lousy with evidence" that Snoop was shorted, and says even the company's former owner, billionaire C. Dean Metropoulos, admitted in a deposition that the sale would have triggered the clause.

Pabst argues that the sale merely transferred control of the brand, not ownership, and that isn't covered by Snoop's deal.

Snoop Dogg Sues Pabst Over Alcohol Endorsement Deal

"That transaction did not result in the sale of 'the Blast by Colt 45 brand or the entire Colt 45 brand family,'" writes Pabst attorney Robert Dugdale in the motion for summary judgment. "PBC owns these brands in their entirety to this day."

Story continues

In his opposition to the motion, Weingarten called that argument "nonsense" and said it's further evidence that the company "structured the sale of Pabst in an effort to intentionally frustrate Plaintiffs' rights through a sham alter ego holding company structure."

During the Monday hearing, Dugdale argued it "would have been ridiculous" to specifically structure a complex nine-figure deal just to avoid paying Snoop his equity. (Read his full argument against the "sham" here.)

Mackey nearly dismissed Snoop's claim for conversion, which the judge described as a "nice way of saying theft," but ultimately decided to allow the claims to proceed.

"Pabst is trying to pull a fast one and argue that even though they sold this company for close to $700 million, they didn't really sell the company," Weingarten tells The Hollywood Reporter. "It is preposterous and just like the Judge saw through this nonsense today, we are confident that a jury will agree at our upcoming trial."

Trial is currently set for October.

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
A teenage girl protests the unfair hair rules at Pretoria High School for Girls. (Photo: Twitter)

You would think that of all places in the world, South Africa would be one where black women and girls could wear their hair the way it grows out of their heads and not be an issue. But that is apparently not the case at Pretoria High School for Girls.

Black students at Pretoria are saying that the schools rules relating to how pupils wear their hair are racist. The current dress code allows for locs, cornrows (as long as they go straight back), and singles/braids with or without extensions  if they are no more than 10 millimeters in diameter. It also says that hair must be off the face and out of students eyes.

The students claim that hairstyles like Afros (what African hair looks like in its natural state) and Bantu knots (ironically, a traditional style worn for centuries by the Bantu people of Southern Africa) are not allowed in school and that students are also banned from speaking in their native tongue while in school, though those who speak Afrikaans go unpunished. Black students have also been accused of conspiring when standing around together in small groups.

A petition calling for change at the school has garnered more than 20,000 signatures. We stand in solidarity with the learners, who marched at the school on the 26th to say enough is enough, the petition reads. It is unacceptable that in a country in which Black people are a demographic majority, we still today continue to be expected to pander to whiteness and to have it enforced through school policy. Black children should be allowed to just be children, without being burdened with having to assert their humanity. The petition mentions Gauteng MEC of Education Panyaza Lesufi and the schools headmistress, Mrs. K Du Toit. Lesufi is said to be looking into the claims and visited the school on Monday.

They were told by their school that their hair is untidy. They are now protesting.#StopRacismAtPretoriaGirlsHigh pic.twitter.com/WEaRZqbQQF  Philip Lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) August 29, 2016

This weekend, current and former students showed up to stage a protest against the unjust behavior. The protestors, many of whom were diminutive teenage girls, were threatened with arrest by security, to which they responded, take us. Take us all, guys. Video of a former student explains that while the schools handbook doesnt specifically ban them, students are told by administrators that their Afros are untidy and should be straightened.

Story continues

The feels. The chills. School girls threatened with arrest. And how they respond ???? #StopRacismAtPretoriaGirlsHigh pic.twitter.com/DNr1lhpiN4  The Daily VOX (@thedailyvox) August 29, 2016

People on social media have tweeted their support for the girls, who, quite frankly, shouldnt be fighting to wear their hair in its natural state in their own country.

Tiisetso Phetla former pupil at the school says, she experienced this #StopRacismAtPretoriaGirlsHigh pic.twitter.com/QsTlSf9rTw  Zikhona Tshona (@ZikhonaTshona) August 29, 2016

The problem with the rules is that they are still written through a white gaze so our hair is supposed to conform to what our white counterparts hair is supposed to look like, Pretoria alum and columnist Zama Ndlovu says. What is defined and conceived as neat is still the same as it was before, and we used to justify it by saying to ourselves this was very soon after 1994 and the spaces had not been used to having black students. Its been nearly 15 years since we matriculated and that same gaze is still there, that same attack on the black childs body is still there.

And Pretoria isnt the only school with this problem. As Mishka Wazar writes for the Daily Vox: The frustration and helplessness that these students feel are not limited to this school. The attitude of South African schools, in particular former Model-C schools, and indeed the South African education system as a whole, is racist and steeped in coloniality and imperialism. The constant policing of the clothing, hair, bodies, and behavior of women of color takes its toll on the psyche of young girls, who must begin to unlearn and recover from their education in the tertiary sector.

For those wondering why hair in black communities across the world is still an issue, this is just another example. Until black people can wear their hair in its natural state without having to cater to Eurocentric notions of what hair should look like, its going to continue to be a problem, and were going to continue to hear about it. Indeed, Eurocentric beauty values have so permeated societies worldwide, that even in countries with black majorities, black people are still made to adhere to these standards. In order for us all to move past this issue, black hair needs to be accepted as it is. Until that happens, we will still have brave people like the girls at Pretoria Girls High fighting for the right to exist as God made them.

Lets keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Beauty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
* Rand weakens over ANC stance on police summons

* Party says police must not "humiliate" Gordhan

* ANC concerned by row between the Treasury and Eskom

* Finmin in probe over suspected spy unit at tax service (Adds Denel spat)

By Stella Mapenzauswa

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 30 (Reuters) - South Africa's ruling party backed Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan on Tuesday but urged him to cooperate with police investigations, days after Gordhan declined to meet detectives looking into his time at the tax office.

Gordhan said last week he had done nothing wrong and had no legal obligation to obey a police summons over the inquiry into whether he used a surveillance unit set up when he was head of the tax service to spy on politicians.

State prosecutors have denied suggestions in local media that Gordhan could be charged over the investigation; but the speculation has hit South African assets.

The main opposition party Democratic Alliance said last week the police investigation into Gordhan was a "witch-hunt". Political commentators say the probe is supported by a faction allied to President Jacob Zuma, who is said to have been among the politicians spied on by the tax surveillance unit.

Zuma - who has said he backs Gordhan but cannot stop the investigation - has denied warring with the finance minister.

"The ANC reaffirms its unreserved confidence in the Minister," the African National Congress (ANC) Secretary General Gwede Mantashe said, warning that speculation over the minister was hurting the economy and the case could be dealt with better.

The rand gained after Mantashe expressed confidence in Gordhan but then went into reverse, falling 0.6 percent to a session low, after he said the minister must obey the police summons.

"The minister must cooperate with processes. If he has no case to answer he can only prove that through processes," Mantashe told a news conference.

Mantashe said the investigation into Gordhan should be carried out in a manner that does not embarrass the minister.

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"All we are saying is that please deal with this matter in a decent way. We don't say Pravin Gordhan must be untouchable," he said, adding the probe should be conducted without "having an element of humiliating this minister."

Analysts said the ANC was split on how to handle the fallout from the Gordhan investigation.

"The ANC is also divided on the question of whether the Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan should remain or should be removed which ever way it turns it will affect the ANC," said Professor Shadrack Gutto, a law lecturer at the University of South Africa.

TREASURY, ESKOM ROW

Mantashe also said the ANC was concerned about a dispute between the Treasury and state-owned power utility Eskom.

The Treasury on Monday accused Eskom executives of blocking the probe of coal contracts between the utility and a company linked to the wealthy Gupta family that is accused of holding undue political sway over Zuma.

Eskom said it was cooperating with investigations and had not been involved in any wrongdoing.

The Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown said she was concerned that the row could lead to the utility being downgraded by credit rating agencies and ordred the utility to provide a report to facilitate the probe.

The utility later said it sent the report to the Treasury.

"It has been unfortunate that Eskom and National Treasury have also taken their disagreement to the public domain on matters relating to procurement issues," Mantashe said.

In another public spat between the Treasury and a state-run company, South African arms maker Denel said late on Tuesday it would fight a bid to halt a joint venture it has been pursuing called Denel Asia.

Local media have reported that the company is linked to the Gupta family but Denel said this was not the case and there were no grounds for the Treasury to block the joint venture.

"The allegations that Denel is 'captured by the Guptas' are unfounded and politically motivated. The Gupta family has no business joint venture with Denel and none of the Gupta family members or relatives are shareholders in Denel Asia," Denel said in a statement.

(Additional reporting by Tanisha Heiberg and Zimasa Mpemnyama and Ed Stoddard; Writing by James Macharia; editing by Ralph Boulton)
Southwest Airlines Co. LUV announced that it has formulated a new tentative agreement with its pilots. The company and the union representing its pilots, Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association, have agreed in principle to the terms of this new contract.

The airline has been negotiating for a while, with the assistance of the National Mediation Board. The final draft of the agreement will be prepared by the Negotiating Committees, post which the union ratification process will begin. The company will announce the details related to the ratification process later.

The current contract  applicable to 8000 pilots of the company  became amendable on Sep 1, 2012. Per media reports, the new contract also includes retroactive pay to 2013 and salary hikes. The deal, on materialization, will apparently continue till Aug 31, 2020.

Earlier this year, Southwest reached a deal with its ground staff. The companys Ramp, Operations, Provisioning, and Cargo Agents had approved the tentative agreement reached in Dec 2015 by a narrow margin.

Recently, the airlines announced that the Senior Vice President of Labor Relations  Randy Babbitt  will be retiring in fall this year. His retirement comes at a crucial point for the company when it is striving to reach deals with its employees and improve performance and revenues.

Recent Incidents

Southwest has been facing some challenges of late. A Southwest plane from New Orleans to Florida suffered an engine issue and had to make an emergency landing at Pensacola International Airport. The incident is currently under investigation.

The carrier also faced a computer router failure a few weeks back, resulting in the cancellation and delays of several Southwest flights worldwide. This led to curtailing the Revenue per Available Seat Mile (RASM) guidance for the third quarter. RASM is now expected to decline in the range of 3.5-4.5% in the quarter compared with the earlier projected range of a decline of 3.04.0%.

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Zacks Rank and Stocks to Consider

Southwest currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). Some better-ranked stocks in the airline industry include ANA Holdings Inc. ALNPY, Copa Holdings SA CPA and SkyWest Inc. SKYW with a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

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By Irene Klotz

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Aug 30 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's SpaceX has signed its first customer to use a previously flown rocket, with launch planned for later this year, the companies said on Tuesday.

The launch for Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES SA will mark the first commercial reuse of a Falcon 9 rocket, which is crucial to efforts by technology entrepreneur Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp to reduce the cost of space launches.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell previously said the company was targeting a 30 percent discount for launches aboard previously flown rockets, which would bring the price down to about $43 million per flight, a fraction of what competitors charge.

SpaceX has so far landed six Falcon 9 rockets and will attempt to land its seventh after Saturday's scheduled launch in Florida of an Israeli communications satellite.

"We believe reusable rockets will open up a new era of spaceflight, and make access to space more efficient in terms of cost and manifest management," Martin Halliwell, SES chief technology officer, said in a statement.

SES, which in 2013 became SpaceX's first commercial customer, plans to launch its SES-10 communications satellite on a used Falcon 9 rocket in late 2016.

The rocket previously flew in April to send a cargo ship on its way to the International Space Station for NASA, said SpaceX spokesman John Taylor.

"Re-launching a rocket that has already delivered spacecraft to orbit is an important milestone on the path to complete and rapid reusability," Shotwell said in the statement.

Musk founded SpaceX in 2002 with the goal of slashing launch costs to make travel to Mars affordable. The company plans to fly its first unmanned spacecraft to Mars in 2018 and send humans to Mars as early as 2024.

Musk is expected to unveil details of his Mars program at the International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, next month.

SpaceX's major competitors are United Launch Alliance, a partnership of Lockheed Martin and Boeing, and Europe's Arianespace.

(Reporting by Irene Klotz; Editing by Alistair Bell)
Spike Jonze hasnt made a movie since 2013s Her. But the prolific writer/director/producer has continued to carve out an eclectic career thanks to his work in both music videos and commercials. And for his latest spastically silly advertisement, hes channeling one of his old dance-centric clips.

In a new promo for KENZO World perfumes new fragrance, Jonze enlists the assistance of Margaret Qualley  best known for her roles as Justin Therouxs daughter on HBOs The Leftovers, and as a missing girl in Shane Blacks The Nice Guys. Qualley plays a green-gowned guest at a swanky awards ceremony who, after exiting the main ballroom, begins spastically flailing about to the sounds of Mutant Brain, an original rasta-electronica-hip-hop track from Sam Spiegel & Ape Drums feat. Assassin. And while her flipping skills are impressive, theyre nothing compared with her ability to soar through a giant eye made of flowers and to shoot lasers from her fingertips.

In its focus on one person boogying through a luxurious indoor setting, Jonzes commercial invariably recalls his famous music video for Fatboy Slims Weapon of Choice (viewable below), which showcased Christopher Walkens cool dance moves. While it isnt quite the feature-film follow-up wed hoped from the director, it remains yet another example of his unique artistry.
The teenage victim in a high-profile prep school rape case revealed her identity on national TV Tuesday morning, saying shes not afraid or ashamed anymore.

Chessy Prout, a former student at the prestigious St. Pauls School in Concord, N.H., told NBCs Today that shes coming forward to embolden all victims of sexual assault.

I want other people to feel empowered and just strong enough to be able to say, I have the right to my body. I have the right to say no, said Prout, whose name was previously withheld because of the nature of the crime. I just cant imagine how scary it is for other people to have to do this alone, and I dont want anybody else to be alone anymore.

Former St. Pauls School student Owen Labrie testifies at his trial in 2015. He is currently out on bail while appealing the verdict in the sexual assault case against him. (Photo: Charles Krupa/AP)

Owen Labrie, now 20, was accused of raping Prout at the historic co-ed school in May 2014. His arrest and conviction exposed a tradition at the $55,290-a-year boarding school called senior salute, in which some graduating boys allegedly kept score of how many younger students they had sex with.

The trial, which took place a year ago, was the focus of national media attention.

Labrie was acquitted of three felony charges and misdemeanor assault but convicted on three counts of misdemeanor sexual assault and misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child. Jurors also found him guilty of using a computer to seduce, solicit, lure or entice a child under the age of 16, a felony.

They said that they didnt believe that he did it knowingly, and that frustrated me a lot because he definitely did do it knowingly, Prout said Tuesday. And the fact that he was still able to pull the wool over a group of peoples eyes bothered me a lot and just disgusted me in some way.

The entrance to the elite St. Pauls School in Concord, N.H., where Owen Labrie assaulted Chessy Prout in May 2014. (Photo: Jim Cole/AP)

On the stand, Labrie described their activity, which he said was consensual, but he denied having sex with Prout.

It wouldnt have been a good move to have sex with this girl, he recalled thinking at the time when he said he and the girl were kissing in a school tower.

A judge sentenced Labrie to a year in jail, but he is currently out on bail while appealing the verdict.

Prout now volunteers with the advocacy group PAVE (Promoting Awareness/Victim Empowerment). On Tuesday, the nonprofit organization launched a social media campaign tied to the St. Pauls case, which they said prompted an important conversation about sexual assault and bullying in high school.

I hope he learns, Prout told Today. I hope he gets help. And thats all I can ever hope for in any sort of process like this. Because if he doesnt learn, he will do it to another young woman.
Stanford rapist Brock Turner will be released this Friday

Stanford rapist Brock Turner will be released this Friday

This years Stanford rape case was undeniably one that shook the nation, not because sexual violence on our college campuses is rare (unfortunately, its all too common), but because of how vocal the survivor was about the trauma she experienced. Everyone from Joe Biden to Roxane Gay to Channing Tatum spoke out in support of her case, and, as a result, we were hopeful that her rapist, Brock Turner, would actually be fittingly punished for his horrendous crime.

Unfortunately, thats not what happened. Though he was banned from all USA swim team events, the punishment Brock Turner was given was hardly punishment at all, and now hes to be released.

Brock Turner is getting out of jail EARLY, despite raping someone.

On Friday. Brock Turner will be allowed to re-enter our society as if he did nothing wrong, or as if the negligible amount of time he served in jail was anything close to the trauma faced by the Stanford Survivor.

#brockturner father: son not "violent" only got "20 mins of action" shouldn't have to go to prison. @thehuntinground pic.twitter.com/IFECJs687b  Michele Dauber (@mldauber) June 5, 2016

Though many, including his father, believed any punishment was too close to destroying his bright future, its careless and dangerous to argue that a rapist being served a reasonable punishment could ever come close to what its like to be a victim or survivor of sexual violence.

People are extremely upset, and rightfully so.

#brockturner, the man who raped a defenseless woman behind a dumpster is ALREADY out of jail. BEYOND SCANDALOUS. https://t.co/cQGhd1dHmb  Brianna Wu (@Spacekatgal) August 29, 2016

Brock Turner serving half of a 6 month sentence after violently sexually assaulting a woman is a great representation of our justice system.  Alexis Isabel (@lexi4prez) August 29, 2016

@charlottesaysit @papermagazine Sadly, whoever punches him in the face will probably get a longer sentence.  ! (@katjapurrs) August 29, 2016

This isnt how things should work. It simply isnt fair, and our hearts go out to her, and our rage goes toward pushing the system to change.

The post Stanford rapist Brock Turner will be released this Friday appeared first on HelloGiggles.
From Cosmopolitan

Despite being sentenced to six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner will now be released Friday, Sept. 2, three months ahead of schedule. As previously reported, Turner's unusually light sentence was shortened before it even began, due to "automatically applied 'credits'" for good behavior.

In January 2015, multiple people witnessed Turner sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster on Stanford University's campus. When two graduate students approached him to make sure the woman was all right, Turner fled - only to be tackled moments later and held down until police arrived at the scene.

Turner was found guilty of three felony counts of sexual assault in June, crimes that normally carry a minimum two-year sentence. However, the judge in the case, Aaron Persky, instead elected to sentence Turner to six months plus probation, a decision that sparked national outrage and multiple petitions demanding he be disbarred. Judge Persky has since announced he will no longer hear criminal cases, according to CNN.

Meanwhile, California state lawmakers passed a new bill inspired by Turner's case Monday, which would make prison sentences mandatory in cases of sexual assault that involve someone who is unconscious or otherwise unable to give consent. As the Los Angeles Times reports, current California law only requires prison time for "those convicted of rape using additional physical force."

"If we let a rapist off with probation and little jail time, we re-victimize the victim, we dissuade other victims from coming forward, and we send a message that sexual assault of an incapacitated victim is just no big deal," Assemblyman Bill Dodd said, when presenting the bill.

Assembly Bill 2888 was passed unanimously and will now be sent to Governor Jerry Brown.

Follow Gina on Twitter.

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LITTLEON, CO / ACCESSWIRE / August 30, 2016 / Star Mountain Resources, Inc. (SMRS) ("Star Mountain Resources" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the results of its district-wide review and evaluation of the historic exploration drilling program that targeted zinc mineralization in the Balmat-Edwards Mining District, St. Lawrence County, New York. Our review identified significant potential zinc mineralization in the Upper Marble unit (the host unit for zinc mineralization for all the mines in the Balmat-Edwards District) at a location approximately one mile southwest of the historic Hyatt Mine and four miles northeast of the Balmat #4 Mine (the "Sully discovery").

The Sully discovery lies within the 80,582 acres of mineral rights we control in St. Lawrence County, New York. Twelve drill holes were completed on the Sully target in 2007and 2008 of which seven intersected massive sulfide zinc mineralization in Upper Marble unit rocks (see Table 1 below). The drilling shows significant thicknesses of zinc mineralization that can be correlated over approximately 1,500 feet along strike and up to 500 feet across strike.

The mineralization remains open in every direction and a follow up drilling program is planned to confirm the discovery and to determine the extent and limits of the mineralization.





Star Mountain Resources President Mark Osterberg commented, "The Balmat-Edwards District has been in near continuous production for 100 years and the exploration history documents a record of new mine discovery every 17 years on average. We expect to continue our review and evaluation of historic exploration drilling and to advance exploration efforts on the Sully discovery in the Balmat-Edwards District and we are confident that we can add to the record of discovery."

About Us

Star Mountain Resources, Inc. is a junior exploration and mining company focused on acquiring and consolidating mining claims, mineral leases, producing mines, and historic mines with production and future growth potential. Our operations are currently focused on base metal and precious metal mining acquisitions in North America, and re-commencing mining activities at the Balmat Zinc mine in upstate New York. For additional information visit www.starmountainresources.com.

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Cautionary Statement Regarding Mineralized Material

"Mineralized material," as used in this news release, although permissible under the United States Securities and Exchange Commission's ("SEC") Industry Guide 7, does not indicate "reserves" by SEC standards. We cannot be certain that any deposits from the Sully discovery will ever be confirmed or converted into SEC Industry Guide 7 compliant "reserves." Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of the disclosed mineralized material estimates will ever be confirmed or converted into reserves or that mineralized material can be economically or legally extracted.

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release contains statements that involve expectations, plans or intentions (such as those relating to future discoveries, the potential mineral deposits within the Sully discovery and future business or financial results) and other factors discussed from time to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. These statements are forward-looking and are subject to risks and uncertainties, so actual results may vary materially. You can identify these forward-looking statements by words such as "may," "should," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend," "plan" and other similar expressions. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors not within the control of the company. The company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The company disclaims any obligation subsequently to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.

Contact:

Wayne Rich

mail@starmountainresources.com

844-443-7677

SOURCE: Star Mountain Resources, Inc.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday it was monitoring the case of an American citizen facing weapons charges in Venezuela, and urged the government in Caracas to ensure that he receives a fair trial next month. State Department spokesman John Kirby confirmed that U.S. citizen Joshua Holt was arrested on June 30 in Venezuela on weapons charges. He said consular officials from the U.S. Embassy were providing all possible assistance to Holt, visiting him most recently on Aug. 16. Kirby called on the Venezuelan government to "respect due process and human rights and guarantee a fair trial" for Holt. He said State Department officials had been in contact with the Venezuelan government regarding the case. Fox News Latino reported last month that Holt, 24, a Utah resident, was arrested five days after marrying a Venezuelan woman he had met on line through a Mormon website. Fox cited local reports as saying police found a grenade, an AK-47 and an M4 assault rifle in the house where the couple was staying. Kirby said Holt would continue to receive regular consular visits from U.S. officials as he awaits trial in the middle of next month. Kirby said it was typical for the embassy to send a representative to trials for U.S. citizens overseas, but he could not say for sure that would happen in the Venezuela case. (Reporting by David Alexander; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Green Bank Telescope

Fifteen months after an intriguing radio signal was picked up from a sunlike star in the constellation Hercules, follow-up observations over the past couple of days have so far yielded nothing notable.

That shouldnt be too surprising. Its the way things have always turned out so far in the 56-year history of the radio search for extraterrestrial intelligence, known as SETI.

Nevertheless, the focus on a star called HD 164595 has served as a teachable moment for those interested in the search.

Our follow-up observations of HD 164595 remind us of the importance of developing the organizational infrastructure that will let SETI research groups around the world communicate easily with one another, so interesting signals can get a fast follow-up observation from an independent site, Doug Vakoch, president of METI International, told GeekWire in an email.

Back in May 2015, Russian researchers using the RATAN-600 radio telescope picked up a strong spike at the 11 GHz radio frequency, bearing the signature of a point-like transmission source. They traced the source to the vicinity of HD 164595, 94 light-years away.

It wasnt until a few weeks ago that word about the detection filtered out to SETI researchers, in preparation for next months International Astronautical Congress in Mexico. And it wasnt until last weekend that the report came into the public eye.

Since then, the SETI Institute has been checking up on HD 164595 using the Allen Telescope Array in California, while the Breakthrough Listen Initiative is employing the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia. Both groups say theyve detected no signals worthy of note.

In a preliminary report, the Breakthrough Listen team says last years transient radio flash was so bright that its unlikely to have been caused by a natural astrophysical phenomenon. The question in our mind is, why arent we seeing things like this all over the sky? team member Steve Croft, an astronomer at the University of California at Berkeley, told GeekWire.

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That suggests that the Russian researchers were either extremely lucky to detect this source in their observations, or that the transient is due to local interference or other calibration issues, the team said. Interference could have come from an earthly source (even a microwave oven) or a satellite passing overhead.

The SETI Institute and Breakthrough Listen have added HD 164595 to the list of thousands of stars that they monitor for anomalous signals, including nearby prospects as well as stars known to have potentially habitable planets.

It wouldnt be surprising if last years blast was a one-off occurrence, similar to the Wow Signal that apparently emanated from somewhere in the constellation Sagittarius in 1977. If thats what happens to HD 164595, Vakoch advises that we should let it fade away:

Assuming we dont find any evidence of a transmitting civilization as we conduct follow-up observations, the worst outcome would be to turn HD 164595 into another Wow signal  seen once, never confirmed, but lurking in the imagination as perhaps really a message from another world. Unless we can observe another similar signal from the vicinity of this star, we need to dismiss the May 2015 signal as a spurious result, and not wishfully hope it was really from ET.

But that doesnt mean SETI researchers should just go back to square one. Vakochs organization, for instance, is trying to set up a network of modest-sized telescopes capable of spotting anomalous flashes of light in optical wavelengths.

One such telescope, the Boquete Optical SETI Observatory, has been primed in Panama to observe HD 164595, but so far the weather hasnt been cooperating.

SETI groups are also looking into ways to work more closely together on follow-up observations. And by October, Breakthrough Listen expects to bring the Parkes Telescope in Australia online for SETI observations. Croft said that will eventually boost the teams target list from thousands of stars to a million.

Croft said he and his colleagues are also talking about setting up a rating scale for SETI cases, based on the existing Rio Scale. Were thinking about ways in which we might be able to quantify the significance of claims like this, he said, referring to the claims made for HD 164595.

Such a scale would serve the same purpose that the Torino and Palermo scales serve for potential asteroid threats. The Torino Scale for asteroid risk assessment goes from 1 to 10, and so far, no case has ever risen above Level 4.

The Rio Scale also goes from 1 to 10, and by my reckoning, HD 164595 rates a 3.

Will anything ever crank the dial up to 11? Probably not  but whether its aliens or asteroids, its still a good idea to keep watching the skies.

More from GeekWire:
Daptomycin

The first priority document was a very short and simple document, with limited disclosure and a single claim:





A method for the reducing muscle toxicity of daptomycin comprising the steps of administering to a patient in need of such therapy a therapeutically effective amount of daptomycin at a dose of 2-10 mg/kg of daptomycin and re-administering the same dose at intervals of between 12 and 24 hours.

Micelle formation explained

The IPKat likes to explore micelle formation in his spare time





This case concerns three patents owned by the defendant Cubist Pharmaceuticals LLC relating to the antibiotic daptomycin, originally discovered by Eli Lilly in the 1980s. Patent EP1115417 (the 417 patent) claims a range of doses of the drug to be administered once a day. The other two patents, EP1252179 and EP2264047 (the 179 patent and the 047 patent respectively), claim different methods of purifying daptomycin. The claimant, Hospira UK Limited, sought the revocation of all three patents, which were all considered in a single trial. Mr Justice Carr found all three patents to be invalid.This patent claimed daptomycin doses of 3-10 mg/kg to be taken once every 24 hours. Hospira alleged that the patent was not entitled to either of its priority dates. If the claim to the first priority date was found invalid, Hospira asserted that a press release by Cubist on 01/03/1999 anticipated the claims of the patent and also made them obvious. They also alleged that the patent lacked inventive step over a paper published by Lilly in 1992, referred to henceforth as Woodworth, a Phase I trial of daptomycin.There was no disclosure in its description of a once daily dose of 3-10mg/kg. For this reason, the claim to the first priority date of 25/09/1998 was held invalid.The second priority document contained more detailed information about trials of the drug on dogs, with an explicit disclosure of the dose range and the once daily regime of taking the dose. As a result, the judge held valid the second priority date of 24/03/1999.Woodworth was a phase I trial study of daptomycin in which healthy individuals were given varying doses followed by monitoring of drug plasma concentration over 72 hours. Woodworth observed that 4 and 6mg/kg doses had few side effects, and stated that the activity of daptomycin at the 6mg/kg dose would be expected to last 14-20 hours. From these results, it was predicted that a dosage of 4-6mg/kg of daptomycin in a day, in one or more doses over the day, would be the most effective. A person skilled in the art would know that for practical reasons, 24 hour doses were advantageous. The judge decided that a person skilled in the art, upon reading Woodward, would expect that a once daily dose of the quantities claimed in the 417 patent would be effective.Lilly failed to achieve a viable treatment using daptomycin around the time of the research for Woodworth, and Cubist argued that this meant that it was not obvious to the skilled person to reconsider this line of research into this drug. However, the judge noted that the need for new antibiotics had increased dramatically between the publishing of Woodworth and the 417 patent filing, so the lack of success by Lilly did not preclude the finding of obviousness.The Cubist press release announced phase II and III trials of daptomycin as a treatment for combatting life-threatening infections. In this press release, the dose of 4mg/kg administered every 24 hours was explicitly disclosed. It was ruled that this press release did not anticipate any of the claims, as the trials had not been carried out yet. However, it was ruled that a skilled person would expect that, as a phase III trial had been approved, efficacy must have been demonstrated in Phase II trials at doses which were sufficiently safe to proceed to Phase III trials, indicating a very good prospect of success and thus rendering obvious the claimed range in the 417 patent.This patent claimed a purification of daptomycin using an anion exchange column (AEC) comprising an ion exchange resin, a modified buffer, and a chaotropic agent, to prevent aggregation. Hospira alleged that the 179 patent lacked inventive step over both general knowledge in the field, and an earlier patent granted on 15/11/1988, US4784843 (henceforth referred to as US 843.)US 843 discloses a method for separating and purifying a wide variety of fermentation products, one of which is daptomycin. The invention utilises a reverse phase non-functional HP-20 SS resin, a standard resin in this field, in a method known as hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC), with adsorption being carried out in aqueous phase and resolution in organic phase. Hospira alleged that it was obvious to use AEC in place of, or in conjunction with, HIC in the invention disclosed in US 843. Cubist argued that AEC was not an obvious process to combine with the HIC process of US 843, and therefore their claimed method was not obvious. Similarly to their defence of the 417 patent, they also argued that the fact Lilly did not adopt the AEC method, would lead the skilled person to assume it was ineffective. However, the judge noted that there was considerable motivation to improve on the 93% purity of US 843. The judge also rejected the allegation that the skilled person would simply use HIC multiple times to purify the daptomycin, as it would make sense to use more than one different method of purification to obtain a higher purity. It was also noted that AEC is well known to be an advantageous first step in a purification as it greatly reduces the volume of solvent in a general fermentation broth. As US 843 makes no mention of AEC being an unsuitable method for the purification of daptomycin specifically, it would be obvious to a skilled person to start with this method. Finally, US 843 refers to a feedstock of partially purified daptomycin. The judge decided that a skilled person would deduce that the feedstock would be compatible with US 843 if it had undergone a method of purification such as AEC, prior to the application of the invention disclosed in US 843.The judge held that all the claims for which independent validity was contended were obvious.With regard to lack of inventive step over general knowledge alone, the Judge held claim 1 to be obvious, since AEC is a standard method of purification, and tris(tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane), the buffer, and urea, the chaotropic agent, are both standard agents employed in such purifications. Furthermore, there was no disclosure in the prior art that such agents are ineffective in the purification of daptomycin. However, claim 3 was held to be inventive over general knowledge alone, as while Hospira argued that the steps outlined in claim 3 are well known in the field, Cubist asserted and the judge agreed that the order in which they are carried out is important, and this was not known in the common general knowledge.This patent claimed a method of purifying daptomycin by inducing its molecules to form micelles by varying the pH of a liquid mixture containing impure daptomycin while the mixture undergoes ultrafiltration. A micelle is a sphere made up of a number of surfactant molecules, characterised by each molecule having a lyophilic end (attracted to the surrounding liquid) on the surface of the sphere and a lyophobic end (little attraction to the surrounding liquid) pointing into the sphere. By switching between the larger micelles and the smaller surfactant monomers, it is possible to remove both very small and very large impurities with ultrafiltration. At surfactant concentrations above what is known as the critical micelle concentration (CMC), micelles begin to form. According to the invention, the CMC is changed by variation of the pH.Cubist argued that while it was common general knowledge that daptomycin is a lipoprotein, it was not obvious that it is a surfactant capable of forming micelles. This was rejected by the judge as it was recognised that the shape and structure of a daptomycin molecule, having a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail, and its similarity to the well-known surfactant surfactin, would lead the skilled person to recognise its potential to form micelles. Standard tests could be carried out, which would confirm that this expectation was correct.Hospira argued that the invention disclosed in the 047 patent was obvious in light of a paper (Lin and Jiang, 1997) on the purification of surfactin, which stated that this process can be further modified and employed for the recovery and purification of most surfactants from aqueous solutions at concentrations above the critical micelle concentration. The process involved changing the CMC of the surfactant using the addition of methanol to filter out different sized impurities. Cubist argued that from Lin and Jiang it was not obvious that pH should be controlled to affect the CMC rather than methanol, and that at the priority date varying pH was not recognised as a method to control CMC, only temperature control, varying of the solvent, or adding an inert electrolyte.The judge decided that the fact daptomycin was a drug molecule would immediately deter the skilled person from using methanol in a purification process, given its toxicity. Also, a large amount of methanol would be required to induce the change in CMC, leading to the skilled person to look for ways to change the CMC that involved less toxic methods that are easy to control and require little addition of fluid to the mixture. It was considered obvious to the skilled person to explore how varying the pH would affect the properties of a substance, such as its CMC. Cubist also alleged that the process described in the paper would not remove all impurities from the surfactin mixture, so it would not be obvious to apply this imperfect purification concept to daptomycin. This too was rejected as at no point in Lin and Jiang or indeed in 047 does it state that this method alone would be used to remove all impurities, and that, as discussed earlier with regards to 179, the skilled person would be inclined to use this method in conjunction with other purifications to obtain the best results, and therefore would not dismiss the teaching of Lin and Jiang simply because it didnt yield a completely pure biosurfactant. The judge decided that 047 was obvious in light of Lin and Jiang: even though the process it disclosed was for purifying surfactin, it explicitly stated that it could be reasonably applied to other biosurfactants; also, the use of methanol in the method would prompt the skilled person to seek a different way, one easy to control, to vary the CMC of the surfactant, and pH was a standard variable to change.Hospira argued that all the Cubist patents were insufficient as they described a method that obtained daptomycin with a D-Asn residue (the Ls and Ds indicate the handedness of each component amino acid) in the peptide, as detailed by Miao et al in a paper published in 2005, but daptomycin was earlier described by Balz in a textbook in 1997 (wrongly) as having an L-Asn residue in its peptide sequence (see figure 1A from Balz Biotechnology of Antibiotics). They argued that daptomycin as referred to in all of the Cubist patents would be understood as referring to the Baltz structure, but the patents did not enable a method of making daptomycin, characterised as having an L-Asn residue.The judge rejected this argument as the inventions disclosed in the Cubist patents did not entail characterization of a particular daptomycin isomer, since they were concerned with dose and purification techniques. Furthermore, the judge decided that a skilled person would recognise the large number of possible isomers of daptomycin due to the handedness of each component amino acid, and recognise that the inventions claimed in the Cubist patents reference the general daptomycin structure rather than a specific isomer. Lillys work was carried out between Balz and Miao, and was unaffected by a lack of knowledge of the stereochemistry of the daptomycin they were working with, so while the general understanding of the field changed over time, it was clear that the actual methods Lilly and Cubist used were effective without knowing the stereochemistry.The final verdict was that all three Cubist patents were to be revoked. The 417 patent was entitled to its second priority date, but was deemed obvious in light of both Woodworth and Cubists own press release. The 179 patent was decided to lack inventive step over US 843, and claim 1 was also obvious in light of the general knowledge alone. The 047 patent lacked inventive step over Lin and Jiang.
From Country Living

Lee Hatton of Lexington, Alabama, was six years old when he started hunting raccoons. His cousin Franky was a veteran at nine. The boys carried .22 long rifles. Because raccoons are nocturnal, hunting was a nighttime sport. It was a pitch black outside when Milton Hatton, Franky's dad, unleashed his hound. "The dog treed a raccoon and I shook it out," Franky recalls.

Milton got them started, as his father had started him, and the cousins have been hunting together in the hills of northwest Alabama ever since. "My daddy said keep boys in the woods and you'll keep them out of meanness," Franky says, "and it worked for us."

Now they're passing the sport and its customs on to their boys, the fourth generation of Hatton hunters. One custom is honoring their coon dogs with burial in Alabama's Coon Dog Cemetery- the Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard, officially-about 20 miles southwest of Tuscumbia. Lee buried a dog named Rage at the cemetery in August 2015. Franky had already laid two dogs to rest there.

A black English coonhound with a white face and white paws, Rage was a United Kennel Club Grand Nite Champion who was first owned and trained by a man named, aptly, Hunter Jones. When Jones retired Rage from competition, Lee took him to sire and train puppies.

"These days hunting's about competition," says Lee. "Used to, people hunted [raccoons] for their hides or in the Depression, they ate them, but we don't shoot [raccoons] anymore."

Competition is rigorous if a dog is to be a champion.

"You want a dog to be independent, meaning it'll hunt on its own; honest, meaning it won't run deer or rabbits; and it'll stay put, meaning it'll stay no matter rain, a storm, or another dog aggravating it," says Lee.

When a coonhound picks up its prey's scent, it issues a certain type of back called a "strike." When the dog spots the raccoon climbing, it vocalizes with a "locate bark." A third bark, called a "change-over," signals that they are waiting on the hunters to catch up.

Story continues

It takes 100 hard-earned points to become a champion. That's when the stiff competition begins. Rage earned his UKC title by beating five other champions. He also held a Professional Kennel Club Champion title. When Rage died, the Hattons and Joneses dug his grave together. They go back to the cemetery on occasion to keep their dogs' graves cleared off and the headstones erect. And of course they return every Labor Day for the yearly celebration.

"You want a dog to be independent and honest...one that will stay no matter if there's rain, a storm, or another dog aggravating it."

It was Labor Day in 1937 when Key Underwood said goodbye to his legendary coonhound Troop. He wrapped him in a cotton pick sack and buried him three feet under the grassy wilderness of an old hunting camp. He and Troup had been faithful friends for more than 15 years. They spent many hours at the camp with other raccoon hunters: the men chewing tobacco, swapping tales, and extolling the skills of their dogs. The hunters always acknowledged Troup as the best.

Half redbone coonhound and half birdsong, Troup was "cold-nosed," meaning he could follow cold raccoon tracks until he found it, and he wouldn't give up until it was treed. Underwood unearthed an old chimney rock and scratched Troup's name and the date on it with a screwdriver to mark the grave.

Now, 79 years later, the stone still marks Troup's grave. Alongside it lie 311 more graves, the resting place of cherished coon dogs from across the United States. Every Labor Day, the dog's owners, families, and the general public drive along a narrow but well-marked road deep into the boonies to pay respects and celebrate.

Janice Williams, director of the non-profit that oversees the cemetery, says 70,000 visitors sign the guest book annually, some from as far away as Japan and Germany. She expects three to four thousand this Labor Day, when American flags and plastic flowers will adorn he graves. They'll listen to fiddlers, dance, laugh at a Liars Contest-where entrants compete to tell outrageous lies with convincing conviction-and tell tales about hunting.

The Hattons and their boys will be there. They have a proud tradition to uphold.

Download the free Country Living Now app to stay up-to-date on the latest country decor, craft ideas, comfort food recipes, and more .

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From Town & Country

In the chaos of Italy's devastating earthquake, an older sister's embrace allowed a young girl to survive.

The heartbreaking story of 9-year-old Giulia Rinaldo and her younger sister Giorgia was recounted Saturday by the bishop who celebrated a funeral Mass for 35 of the 290 people killed by the quake that ravaged central Italy before dawn Wednesday.

Bishop Giovanni D'Ercole recalled that around 6 or 6:30 p.m. Wednesday - 15 hours after the quake struck - he returned to a church in his diocese in the town of Pescara Del Tronto to recover its crucifix.

At the time, only meters (yards) from the church, firefighters were using their hands to dig out the two sisters, he said.

"The older one, Giulia, was sprawled over the smaller one, Giorgia. Giulia, dead, Giorgia, alive. They were in an embrace," D'Ercole said.

He spoke beneath the crucifix that he recovered that evening, hung in a community gym transformed into a makeshift chapel, as Italy held a national day of mourning.

As weeping Italians bid Giulia and 34 other quake victims farewell with a state funeral, Giorgia spent her fourth birthday in a nearby hospital Saturday, recovering from her ordeal.

Massimo Caico, the firefighter who pulled the girls out, told Italy's La Repubblica newspaper that the position of the older girl's body apparently created a pocket of air that allowed Giorgia to survive.

He recounted how a black Labrador, Leo, first gave a sign that he smelled something. Rescuers began digging, finding at first a doll and then a cold human leg, that of Giulia.

Then he saw the ground nearby moving "in the rhythm of what could be breathing."

"Maybe they hugged each other in their sleep or in fear, and the body of Giulia saved Giorgia," Caico told the newspaper.

According to Italian news reports, Giorgia is in a state of shock and is practically not speaking anymore. She is only sleeping, crying and asking for her doll and her mother, who is also recovering from earthquake injuries.

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When Pastor Mark Willhoite sat down at the piano while visiting a Texas hospital, he could never have predicted the performance he was about to give.

Another visitor, Vera Swain, was looking for the bathroom at the Houston Methodist San Jacinto Hospital in Baytown, Texas, when she heard him playing  and decided to join him.

Read: Grandmother Dances With Hospital Staff After Double Lung Transplant

What resulted was two strangers, seated side by side, giving a performance that left witnesses speechless. A video of the duet recorded by his wife Sherry has racked up six million views.

"It was unplanned," Pastor Willhoite told InsideEdition.com. "It was amazing... incredible."

The Willhoites perform each week for patients and visitors at the hospital. During their visit on August 18, their music caught the ear of Swain, who also volunteers at the hospital.

"She stopped at the piano and started singing," Willhoite said. "The more I heard her sing, I thought, 'this woman has got something special.'"

He asked to share one of his new songs, entitled "What the World Needs Is Love," with her.

"She began doing harmonies and adlibbing," he recalled. "She's singing a song she's never heard before... I said, 'this is incredible.'"

Read: Watch Heart-Stopping Moment Homeless 'Piano Man' Performs National Anthem at Football Game

All told, the pair sang together for an hour.

Now Willhoite hopes the song that brought him and Swain together will unite others.

The duo will travel to Good Hope, Georgia, this week to record the tune with producer David W. Huff, whom Willhoite met in church 35 years ago.

They also plan to perform it with a choir and with homeless people in downtown Atlanta.

"This is going to be a mega song to bring people together," Willhoite said. "We need to send a message that theres not as much hate as we think there is."

Story continues

Watch: Teen Plays On Damaged Piano Amid Louisiana Flooding Destruction

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Tokyo (AFP) - A strong typhoon slammed into northeastern Japan on Tuesday, dumping heavy rain and generating high waves that caused flooding along the Pacific coast.

Typhoon Lionrock made landfall near the city of Ofunato shortly before 6 pm (0900 GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency said, after moving up Japan's Pacific Ocean coastline.

Packing wind gusts up to 162 kilometres (100 miles) per hour, the storm was moving northwest at 50 kilometres per hour, it said.

It is the first typhoon to directly land in the region from the Pacific Ocean since the country's present weather observation system was introduced in 1951, the agency said.

Typhoons usually approach Japan from the south and southwest before moving northward across the archipelago.

While there were no official reports of casualties, local media reported some minor injuries, such as a fall by a 40-year-old woman in strong winds.

Authorities warned of landslides and high water due to expected heavy rain of up to eight centimetres per hour. Landfall, which came at high tide, brought flooding along the coast.

Television footage showed local residents struggling to walk amid water above their knees in the city of Miyako, where some cars were half-submerged and some 600 people were advised to evacuate.

Miyako was one of the northeastern coastline cities hit in March 2011 by a deadly tsunami generated by a massive magnitude 9.0 offshore earthquake, which also triggered meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Local authorities were using heavy machinery to pile huge sandbags along the coast in a bid to hold back raging waves, as they opened up some public buildings for use as shelters.

Schools were closed across the affected area, broadcasters reported.

At the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, efforts were made to secure construction cranes and equipment from violent winds, operator Tokyo Electric Power Co said. Some sensitive decommissioning work was suspended, they added.

Story continues

The typhoon was affecting manufacturing and travel, with Toyota suspending production at two of its plants in the region, the company said, though added they were expected to restart on Wednesday.

Some 120 domestic flights have also been cancelled, public broadcaster NHK said.

In the northern part of the country, some Shinkansen super fast bullet trains were suspended.

Lionrock comes on the heels of two others that hit Japan in the past nine days, resulting in two deaths, the cancellation of hundreds of domestic flights and disruptions to train services.

Formed more than 10 days ago, it has become the longest-lasting typhoon of those that have developed north of the 30th parallel north, breaking a 46-year-old record, according to the private Weathernews agency.

The previous record-holding typhoon in that category was in 1970, which survived for nine days and six hours, Weathernews said on its website.

Lionrock was expected to cut across Japan's main island of Honshu and head out to sea towards Russia and China, according to the weather agency.
From Good Housekeeping

Baby Mozart may be the go-to to give your child an early brain boost, but it might actually be more important for moms-to-be to focus on what they snack on instead. According to a recent study by researchers at the University of Alberta, one food group just might do the trick - fruit!

The findings are preliminary, but they certainly are intriguing: By analyzing data on 688 children who were a part of the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development study, the researchers found that every additional serving of fruit a woman consumed per day during pregnancy corresponded with an increase in her child's cognitive scores one year after birth, the Wall Street Journal reports. In the past, only one other food - fish - has been linked to a boost in children's cognitive development.

Dr. Piush Mandhane, an associate professor of pediatrics at University of Alberta and one of the two senior authors of the paper, told the Journal that he was surprised by the strong correlation between a pregnant woman's fruit consumption and her child's increased cognitive scores. But even still, this study should only be taken as a mere suggestion.

"We don't want pregnant women to go out and eat a tremendous amount of fruit," Dr. Mandhane said. "It's a single study, and we haven't looked at the health effects of increased fruit intake." (As the Journal notes in its article on the study, eating too much fruit during pregnancy might increase a woman's risk of developing gestational diabetes or lead to excessive weight gain.)

Ultimately, Dr. Mandhane told the Journal that he suggests pregnant women simply "meet the recommendations" the U.S. government sets for daily fruit consumption, which is one and a half to two cups of fruit per day.

The study also found approximately 50% of pregnant women aren't even eating that government-recommended amount of fruit. To up your fruit intake during pregnancy, Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Director Jaclyn London, MS, RD, CDN, suggests adding a serving of it to your breakfast, your salad at lunch and your mid-afternoon snack. "Fruit is an amazing source of phytonutrients, antioxidants, key vitamins and minerals and prebiotic fiber - all of which can play a role in improved cognitive function both in-vitro and in-vivo. This study serves as a great reminder to eat-up!"

Story continues

[h/t Wall Street Journal]

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Alicia Keys Responds to Haters of Her Makeup-Free VMAs Look [Twitter]

Earlier this year, Alicia Keys embraced a makeup-free look, and she rocked her bare face at the VMAs last night - though not everyone was ready for it. While there was mostly an outpouring of support for the 35-year-old, there were also some haters who insinuated that Keys was shaming women who enjoyed wearing makeup. On Twitter on Monday, however, Keys clairified, "Y'all, me choosing to be makeup free doesn't mean I'm anti-makeup. Do you!"

Y'all, me choosing to be makeup free doesn't mean I'm anti-makeup. Do you! pic.twitter.com/Mg0Ug9YA9q

- Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys) August 29, 2016

Urban Decay Under Fire for Ad Referencing Self-Harm [Seventeen]

Urban Decay's latest campaign sparked Twitter outrage after users insisted that the ads glorified self-harm, specifically cutting. The image in question shows a wrist with color swatches of the brand's new "Razor Sharp" eyeliners in a configuration resembling cutting scars. Urban Decay clarified that the configuration was simply a coincidence, as it is common practice to showcase swatches on the inner arm, and "razor sharp" is a reference to the tool's precision.

Oh @UrbanDecay no no no.... Bad bad move! Very distasteful! pic.twitter.com/OzpXQJf1MC

- Niamh Dermody (@NiamhDermody) August 25, 2016

We swatch on the inner arm to show texture & shades. We didn't intend to reference self-harm as the product is named Razor Sharp Eyeliner.

- Urban Decay (@UrbanDecay) August 24, 2016

Brunello Cucinelli's Menswear Collection Stolen [WWD]

Brunello Cucinelli's fall menswear collection was stolen out of the fashion house's Milan showroom on Saturday evening. A group of thieves reportedly broke in through a rear window and nabbed only the menswear; the women's collection was found intact.

Nordstrom to Carry J. Crew [Fortune]

Nordstrom will begin carrying J. Crew in 16 select stores and online beginning Sept. 12. The department store currently carries J. Crew's little sister line, Madewell. The partnership is beneficial to both parties, who have been in a rut as of late. Like many mall staples, J. Crew has struggled to keep its core customer base and reported an 8 percent drop in comparable sales for the quarter ending in May.

Story continues

Comme des Garcons Rumored to Be Launching Fragrance With Gosha Rubchinskiy [WWD]

Russian designer Gosha Rubchinskiy is reportedly working on a fragrance in collaboration with Comme des Garcons, which currently backs his eponymous menswear label. Comme des Garcons has collaborated on several fragrances in the past, including the recently launched Grace by Grace Coddington.
Khartoum (AFP) - Some 800 African migrants and a group of smugglers were arrested near Sudan's border with Libya while trying to reach Europe between June and August, security officers told reporters Tuesday.

Between June 27 and August 16, security forces arrested 816 African migrants attempting to enter Libya, senior army and police officers said.

They included 347 Eritreans, 130 Ethiopians and 90 Sudanese.

Ten smugglers were also arrested on August 16 after clashing with security forces near the border.

"An officer and two soldiers were killed in the firefight," army General Aseer Hussein Bashir told a press conference at the defence ministry in Khartoum.

"These people will face legal charges, after which they will be deported," police General Awad Dahia said of the migrants who were detained.

Thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa try to reach Libya daily, from where they embark en masse for Europe on flimsy and overcrowded boats.

Sudan is a key transit route for these migrants, especially those arriving from Eritrea.

On Tuesday, security forces allowed dozens of migrants who had been arrested to talk to journalists.

Eritrean Cassinet Abrehelli told AFP he had arrived in Khartoum five months ago.

"A month ago, I left Khartoum in a small truck. My plan was to travel to Libya and then to Europe," he said.

"I travelled for seven days in the desert before we were arrested by the Sudanese army on August 16."

Behind him dozens of migrants sat in a tent put up in the defence ministry complex.

"I entered this business just three months ago," said Jumaa Fdi Mohammed from Chad, one of the 10 suspected smugglers arrested by the security forces.

"We work with a guy who tells us to pick up these people and smuggle them into Libya... we don't know what happens to them in Libya," he said.

He said that after every trip he was paid about 1,500 Libyan dinars ($1,100, 986 euros).

Story continues

- 'Smugglers have huge funds' -

Sudanese officers said the human traffickers were cash-rich and well-equipped.

"They have huge funds and modern communication equipment," said General Azeri Kamal of Sudan's powerful National Intelligence and Security Service.

"This makes it easy for them to travel through areas that are not monitored by security forces."

Sudan earlier this year deported hundreds of Eritreans to their own country after they were arrested while trying to enter Libya.

The UN refugee agency has criticised Sudan, with which the European Union is trying to work to manage the flow of migrants, for deporting the Eritreans.

Rights groups said the deported Eritreans were likely to face abuse from a repressive government in their country.

Refugees from the repressive Red Sea state have in recent years made up one of the largest contingents of people risking the dangerous journey to a new life in Europe.

On Monday, the Italian coastguard rescued about 6,500 migrants off Libya a day after more than 1,100 were rescued in the same area of the Mediterranean.

The total number of arrivals in Italy this year now stands at 112,500, according to the UN's refugee agency and the coastguard, slightly below the 116,000 recorded by the same point in 2015.

Almost all of those migrants originate from West Africa and the Horn of Africa.

More than 3,000 migrants have died at sea trying to reach either Greece or Italy this year, an increase of some 50 percent on the same period in 2015.

Some 204,000 crossed the Mediterranean to Europe in the first six months of 2016, the UN refugee agency said, as the continent battles its worst migration crisis since World War II.
Mogadishu (AFP) - At least five people were killed and 28 injured when jihadists exploded a suicide car bomb outside a popular hotel close to the presidential palace in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Tuesday.

"We have confirmed five people killed including security guards", police officer Mohamed Abdulkadir said.

He said the vehicle rammed through a checkpoint and was fired on by security forces before it exploded outside the SYL hotel.

The hotel is situated close to the main entrance to the Villa Somalia government complex that includes the presidential palace, ministry buildings and residences.

"The blast was very huge but thanks to God the number of casualties is less than the devastation suggests," Abdulkadir said.

"We have received 28 people who were wounded in the blast," said Mohamed Yusuf, director of the city's main Medina hospital.

A witness described seeing a large blast and a thick plume of smoke that rose high into the air.

"I saw a car speeding towards the area and huge smoke and fire went up in the sky," said Elmi Ahmed.

An AFP journalist at the scene described widespread damage to buildings in the area. The blast left a crater in the road, nearby walls collapsed and debris scattered across the usually busy carriageway.

- Repeat target -

The Al-Qaeda-aligned Shabaab jihadist group said it was responsible for the attack, saying the SYL hotel was targeted because it "is close to the presidential palace, and also home to apostates and unbelievers."

The group claimed to have killed 30 in the "martyrdom operation" and said a number of ministers and MPs were injured.

The claim could not immediately be verified but the Shabaab frequently exaggerates the impact of its attacks.

The fortified hotel, popular with government officials, business people and visiting diplomats and delegations, was previously attacked in both February this year and January last year.

Story continues

The January 2015 attack killed at least five people when a suicide car bomber rammed the hotel gates on the eve of a visit by Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In February this year 14 people were killed when twin blasts were triggered close to the hotel and the neighbouring Peace Garden on a busy Friday afternoon.

Both previous attacks were also claimed by the Shabaab, which quit the capital five years ago but continues to launch attacks against government, military, civilian and foreign targets in its fight to overthrow the internationally-backed government.

The group is expected to try and violently disrupt elections due to be held in September and October.

The jihadists have also staged repeated attacks in neighbouring Kenya and a recent security analysis warned the group was expanding its horizons with cells active in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as Somalia.
The Impala has a new backseat passenger in the first photos from Supernaturals Season 12 premiere.

After being resurrected by The Darkness, Mary Winchester is adjusting to all that life on Earth entails, like riding in the car alongside son Dean and angel Castiel. While she appears shaken by her new surroundings, the former hunter still looks comfortable with a blade. Good thing, too, because its not long before the trio are attacked, leaving them battered and bloodied.

RELATEDSupernatural Stars Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles on Marys Tricky Family Reunion  Plus: Whats Mom Hiding?

Elsewhere, the Men of Letters British chapter has captured Sam and  sorry, Jared Padalecki  are torturing him with a blowtorch.

In addition to the returns of Samantha Smith and Elizabeth Blackmore as Mary and Lady Toni, respectively, Season 12 will also welcome guest star Rick Springfield as Lucifers new vessel.

Supernatural returns on its new night, Thursday, Oct. 13 at 9/8c on The CW.

RELATEDCW Boss: Supernatural Could Outlast My Tenure as Network President

Click through the gallery below (or right here for direct access), then hit the comments with your guesses on who dares point a gun at Dean.



Launch Gallery: <i>Supernatural</i> Season 12 Photos

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Prior to the executions, Mr. Shaheed had appealed to the Iranian regime, pleading not to go ahead with the executions in the Karaj Central Prison. He reminded that death penalty should only be applied for the most serious crimes. Mr. Shaheed stressed that the regimes concern over drug abuse issues does not justify the use of the death penalty in drug-related cases.

Although drug trafficking is a serious problem in Iran, the rights of the 12 prisoners, including Alireza Madadpour, were not respected and therefore their execution was unlawful by international standards. In Mr. Madadpours case, Mr. Shaheed expressed that there was no fair trial that respects the most stringent due process guarantees.

By ignoring Mr. Shaheeds concerns as a UN Human Rights Council representative, the Iranian government has broken all international conventions. Mr. Shaheed condemned this ignorance by stating that the execution of Mr. Madadpour and 11 others shows the Iranian authorities complete disregard of its obligations under international human rights law and especially of international fair trial standards and due process guarantees.

These executions are even more worrying in the light of the recent shocking events in Iran. Earlier in August, 25 Sunni prisoners were mass-executed without a fair trial, echoing the 1988 massacre which saw more than 30,000 executed unlawfully, including pregnant women and children. Many Iranians fear that another tragedy of this calibre may occur, considering that many officials who oversaw the 1988 executions now enjoy positions of power in the current Iranian government.

Mr. Shaheed, who has been appointed as the Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran by the UN since 2011, called on the Iranian government to put an immediate end to all executions in Iran and to prohibit the death penalty.
Belgian Malinois dog jumping leaping flying shutterstock

The gravity-defying pup that is floating above this text is a member of the most active dog breed in America.

That's according to data shared exclusively with Business Insider by Whistle, a company that makes a GPS and activity-tracking dog collar.

We asked Whistle to help us suss out the most active dog breeds and least active dog breeds in the US, and the company analyzed data from its roughly 150,000 "smart collar" users.

The Belgian Malinois came out as top dog for the most active breed on a daily basis among nearly 100 breeds listed in Whistle's database.

Belgian Malinois dogs running sand dune dirt shutterstock

According to the American Belgian Malinois Club, the dog emerged in the 19th century from one of four varieties of herding shepherds.

The club says that its poster breed is "not your typical dog" and requires a lot of mental and physical battery-draining: "Without intensive and long-term training, Malinois will create their own activities  and those activities can be destructive."

And it's no wonder.

The typical Belgian Malinois gets outside and moves around an average of 102 minutes 52 seconds per day, according to Whistle's data. If you walk a dog three times per day, then that's less than 34 minutes 17 seconds per walk.

But one of the most active Belgian Malinois with a Whistle smart collar averaged 323 minutes 35 seconds of activity per day. That's more than five hours of nonstop movement.

Like all data, however, Whistle's set has limitations.

whistle gps collar pit bull dog labeled dave mosher

For one, dogs under 10 pounds are not well represented since the GPS collar is usually too big for them. So toy breeds could be more active, but Whistle's data wouldn't necessarily reveal that.

Further, the data includes dogs that were active for only more than 14 days in a row. This improves data reliability, but it also weeds out otherwise active  or very lazy  dogs whose owners forgot to consistently use the device, let the collar's battery die, or prematurely canceled their $9.99-a-month subscription, among other reasons.

Story continues

Also, Business Insider's testing of a Whistle GPS collar loaned to us by the company showed that it does not record indoor activity  or any activity too close to a base station that "talks" to the collar. It also couldn't accurately log intensity, including the difference between walking and running.

Practically, this means that a fierce game of tug or running around in circles on a bed doesn't usually count toward active time. A gallop at full speed also doesn't "count" more in the data than a leisurely stroll.

Most importantly, correlation isn't necessarily causation. Owners who are very active may gravitate toward breeds like the Belgian Malinois, instead of the breeds being super active themselves.

The truth probably rests  or leaps and bounds  somewhere in between.

NOW WATCH: This is why you should stop letting your dog lick your face





More From Business Insider


* RHB expects 3-3.5 times price to book multiple -sources

* Other buyers waiting in the wings if talks fail -sources

* Malaysia general insurance market grew 3 pct in H1 (Adds details of Malaysian general insurance market, share reaction)

By Denny Thomas

HONG KONG, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Tokio Marine Holdings Inc is in exclusive talks to buy RHB Bank's general insurance unit in a deal that also includes an agreement to distribute the Japanese insurer's products through the Malaysian lender, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

RHB, Malaysia's fourth-biggest lender, expects the buyer to pay 3-3.5 times book value of the business, which could make it one of the most expensive non-life insurance deals in Southeast Asia, the people said.

One person estimated the deal value at up to $500 million.

Tokio Marine, Japan's largest property and casualty insurer by market value, has been the most aggressive among its peers in expanding its global footprint as it fights a shrinking market at home. The planned deal builds upon an exclusive distribution agreement with RHB Bank to sell life insurance products in Malaysia.

Insurers are among the most acquisitive companies in Japan. Tokio Marine alone has spent more than $15 billion on international deals since 2008. That includes U.S. insurers HCC Insurance Holdings Inc for $7.5 billion last year, Philadelphia Consolidated for $4.7 billion in 2008 and Delphi Financial for $2.7 billion in 2012.

Tokio Marine officials were not immediately available for comment, while RHB did not offer an immediate comment. Sources declined to be identified as the information has not been disclosed by the companies.

RHB had initially planned to run a competitive sale process to find the buyer for the general insurance unit, but last week it entered into exclusive talks with Tokio Marine, the people added.

Several other global insurers are still keen to buy the RHB unit if Tokio Marine fails to meet RHB's price expectations, the people added.

Story continues

RHB shares were up 1.4 percent in Tuesday afternoon trade, while the benchmark Malaysian share index was down 0.3 percent. Prior to news of the talks, Tokio Marine shares ended down 0.3 percent.

Germany's Allianz was the top general insurer in Malaysia last year, while MSIG Insurance, owned by Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group ranked second and domestic player AmGeneral Insurance was third. Tokio Marine was No. 7 last year, according to industry association data.

Malaysia's general insurance market grew 3 percent in the first half of this year, with gross premiums reaching 9.34 billion ringgit ($2.3 billion), while underwriting profit for the sector jumped 11 percent to 836 million ringgit.

The country's economic growth is, however, slowing as global demand for commodities remains weak and the General Insurance Association of Malaysia has said it expects the second half to be challenging. ($1 = 4.0520 ringgit) (Reporting by Denny Thomas in Hong Kong and Taiga Uranaka in Tokyo; Additional reporting by Liz Lee in Kuala Lumpur; Editing by Stephen Coates and Edwina Gibbs)
If you only read one thing: Donald Trump is set to clarify his revolving rhetoric on immigration in a speech in Phoenix Wednesday. It comes after Trump was burned for the first time by his deliberate ambiguity on policya tactic that had served him well until it was extended to his core issue. For Trump, policy positions are just another communications tooldesigned to be massaged and amended to suit an audience. It makes him an almost perfect opposite to Clinton, for whom policywith a few key exceptions [cough, TPP, cough, debt-free college, cough]is carefully crafted and put on a pedestal. Clintons team has produced the equivalent of a small books worth of policy plans, while Trump barely reads his far smaller teams bullet-points. By avoiding being pinned down he hopes to be everything to everyone. But even Trumps elasticity on the issues has its limits, requiring the specific speech tomorrow to clear up the confusion for his core supporters.

Its primary day in Florida and Arizona, where Marco Rubio and John McCain face primary fights that they are expected to win. The races represent the limits of Trump-style insurgent candidates, who can talk the talk, but cant walk the walk.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are less forthcoming than their predecessors, raising questions about their potential administrations. Clinton talks debating Trump. And Rush Limbaugh claims he never fell for Trumps immigration plan.

Here are your must reads:

Must Reads

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Are Less Forthcoming Than Past Candidates

A precedent that could haunt the winner, TIMEs Philip Elliott writes

How Tuesdays Primaries Reflect the 2016 Elections

TIMEs Jay Newton-Small on todays contests

Fired Manager Corey Lewandowski Still Involved in Donald Trump Campaign

Ousted in shakeup, hes back in the inner circle [ABC]

Story continues

Trump Woos Women and Minorities by Pitting One Group Against Another

Trumps us-versus-them pitch [Washington Post]

Trumps Deportation Waffle Highlights Campaign Weaknesses

His lack of a firm grip on his own policies bites him in the back [Associated Press]

Donald Trumps Unorthodoxy Extends to Spending

Half of the GOP presidential nominees top-10 paid consultants never worked on a presidential campaign [Wall Street Journal]

Sound Off

Im running against someone who will say or do anything. And who knows what that might be  I do not know which Donald Trump will show up. Maybe hell try to be presidential and try to convey a gravity. Or maybe hell try to come in and try to  score some points.  Hillary Clinton Monday overheard by reporters in a conversation with donors on Long Island

I wanted to pull it out from under the rock so people could see it and understand that David Duke has endorsed Donald Trump, he is the former Grand Wizard of the Klu Klux Klan.  Clinton to donors on her alt-right speech last week

Bits and Bites

Donald Trump Surrogate Tweets Cartoon of Hillary Clinton in Blackface [TIME]

John McCain is in the fight of his political life in the age of Donald Trump [Washington Post]

Limbaugh Swears He Never Took Trump Seriously on Immigration [Mediaite]

Hillary Clinton Piles Up Research in Bid to Needle Donald Trump at First Debate [New York Times]

Harry Reid Cites Evidence of Russian Tampering in U.S. Vote, and Seeks F.B.I. Inquiry [New York Times]

Democrats delay ad spending on Ohio Senate race [Washington Post]

Rick Perry joins Dancing With the Stars [ET]

Kasich back in New Hampshire with nostalgia, eye on future [Associated Press]

Donald Trump to Press Case With Black Voters in Detroit [New York Times]

Trump Revealed: The reporting archive [Washington Post]
Abu Muhammad al-Adnani

The death of the ISIS leader who oversaw external attacks could have significant implications for the group as it pivots from seizing territory in the Middle East to launching attacks on Western targets.

The terrorist group announced on Tuesday that its spokesman, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, had been killed near Aleppo, Syria. His apparent loss marks a major blow to a group that's already struggling for long-term survival.

"This really sends the message out that ISIS is truly on the decline because he was such a figurehead," Clint Watts, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and former US Army officer and FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force special agent, told Business Insider. "[A]dnani was such a key person for building support, propaganda, and online recruitment. He was a key figure."

Adnani's death could hurt the group's attack capability in the long term, Watts said. And it's unclear whether ISIS has a successor in line to take over Adnani's role in the group.

Colin P. Clarke, a terrorism expert and political scientist at the RAND Corp., speculated that it won't be easy finding a replacement for Adnani.

"Replacing Adnani will be hard," Clarke tweeted. "He had logistical/comms expertise which isn't easily replicated but learned through tacit knowledge transfer."

Clarke called Adnani's death "a severe blow to the group's external-operations network."

Bridget Moreng, an analyst who studies ISIS's global strategy, noted that in addition to leading external operations, Adnani was thought to be the next in line to lead ISIS in the event of "caliph" Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's death.

And because it's not clear who might be taking over Adnani's job, there could be some infighting that would further fracture the group.

"Key question is how IS will adjust to Adnani's death: smooth succession or power vacuum/infighting for position," Moreng tweeted. "The latter is likely."

But terrorist groups like ISIS are generally equipped to survive the deaths of top leaders. Al Qaeda, for instance, is still a major player in the world of terrorism despite the death of its founder, Osama bin Laden.

Story continues

"These leadership strikes, they're important," Thomas Joscelyn, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and an expert on terrorist groups, told Business Insider. "Killing top leaders definitely weakens the organization. But a lot of the time, they have people to replace them that nobody knew about."

Al Qaeda "has replaced its external operations chief over and over again," Joscelyn said.

"The loss of leadership definitely weakens organizations, and it may lead to a further degradation of ISIS's capabilities, but we've seen them adapt and survive in the past," he said. "These organizations aren't built around one or two guys. They have a deep bench of leadership."

ISIS also has plenty of lower-ranking operatives responsible for coordinating external attacks.

"A lot of times the middle managers are the ones who make things happen," Joscelyn said. They "have people who have detailed local knowledge who they rely on for tactical planning in operations in the West."

Still, ISIS has recruited its base of support around its message of "remaining and expanding," not simply surviving. And Adnani's death could hurt morale within the group as it continues to lose territory in Iraq and Syria. ISIS might try to execute more plots against the West to head off any drop in morale or perception that the group is being defeated.

"What you may see is an actual increase in attacks," Watts said. "Whoever [Adnani's] successor is may want to be more aggressive. If there's any in the pipeline, they might be accelerated by Adnani's death."

Past the short term, however, Adnani's death might not inspire many future attacks. Unlike Anwar al-Awlaki, the notorious preacher and Al Qaeda recruiter, Adnani didn't speak English or build up a library of speeches online that supporters  or curious individuals  could access.

"When you think about it, who will be talking about Adnani in two years?" Watts wondered. "I don't know."

NOW WATCH: The US Army is sending Apache attack helicopters to fight ISIS in Iraq





More From Business Insider


This tourist drew a map on a postcard in lieu of an address and it actually got delivered

This tourist drew a map on a postcard in lieu of an address and it actually got delivered

I dont know if its the fact that Im easily entertained or that this is really, really freaking cool, but check this out! A Reddit user uploaded a photo of a postcard that was successfully delivered in Iceland. Big deal right? WELL, the sender actually had no idea what the persons address was, so they drew a map instead and hoped for the best.

Aside from this being pretty incredible on its own, if you scour through the comments, youll find out that this is actually a pretty common practice in other countries. I legit thought I was pretty much the only one who gave directions like, Turn right at the big oak tree, go like, 3 streets, youll see a small coffee shop with outdoor seating and one umbrella, go past that for the time of a standard Bon Iver song, make a slight right at the pink house, Im the fifth apartment back.

According to user msleepd, they basically had to do the same thing when mailing something to Managua, Nicaragua: I once mailed a letter there, with essentially a paragraph describing the location. Basically went something like From the school, make a right. Go past the third street, which has a big avocado tree, then make a left (if youre past the street hump youve gone too far). Make another left. When the road is paved make the first right, then left. The house is one story, red and has a guard from [guard company] stationed outside.'

Pretty cool if you ask me! Next time I mail a letter, I might just draw a map on the address line and hope for the best!

mail

The post This tourist drew a map on a postcard in lieu of an address and it actually got delivered appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Called, 30,000 Souls Taken, The Media Express called the exhibition of photographs and artefacts, a chilling evocation.

Craig Davison interviewed Jacques Boutault, Mayor of Paris 2nd arrondissement and the host of the event, who spoke of the killings taking place in the greatest secrecy within Irans prisons. He continued, Today, those responsible for the massacre are still in power in Iran. The international community must speak the truth and press for political change in Iran so that Iranians can practise democracy and a free form of Islam, Boutault said.

French politician, Rama Yade, also attended the event. We have a duty, a mission, to help [Maryam Rajavi] to introduce liberty and human rights in [Iran], she said.

Rassoul Asghari, an exile in France, was also interviewed by The Media Express. Asghari, who was once the editor of Iranian state-run newspaper, Sarmayeh, said, the injury that occurred in 1988 has still not been repaired..The families of the victims have not stopped seeking justice for their loved ones.

Many of those executed were university students. Many had already served their sentences. Teenagers and pregnant women were not spared. Annihilate the enemies of Islam immediately, Khomeinis fatwa decreed.
By Emily Stephenson and Ginger Gibson EVERETT, Washington/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Donald Trump, who has made his criticism of a pending Pacific trade agreement central to his campaign, on Tuesday was to visit a Seattle suburb that is home to a large Boeing Co plane manufacturing facility that depends heavily on sales to Asian markets. Trump's campaign has booked the Xfinity Arena, which seats thousands of people, in anticipation of a large crowd. The Republican presidential candidate, who has courted manufacturing workers with vows to tear up trade agreements, is due to speak at 7 p.m. Pacific Time (10 p.m. EDT). The rally is likely to attract workers from Boeing, the world's largest aerospace company. Supporters of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) point to Boeing's aircraft sales to Asia to tout the benefits of the agreement. Secretary of State John Kerry visited a nearby plant earlier this year to rally support for the pact. Trump presents a conundrum for the unions who represent those workers. The unions agree with Trump on his opposition to TPP and the export of jobs overseas, but officials said they find his track record unconvincing. "The fact is that Trump has had the opportunity to bring jobs to American, and he's chosen to outsource them," said Larry Brown, legislative and political director for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 751, which represents about 32,000 workers in the state, mostly at Boeing. Boeing produces some of its largest planes only miles from where Trump will be speaking. As they are assembled, the painted tails of the planes show the airlines that ordered them, and many are Asian. Major components of each plane come from overseas: South Korea, China and Europe. Over the next 20 years, Boeing projects that Asian customers will account for 40 percent of the total global jetliner's market, the company said in a recent report. "Trade is a huge part of the success of manufacturing in Washington," said Linda Dempsey, vice president of international economic affairs for the National Association of Manufacturers, which Boeing belongs to. "They are exporting $73 billion in manufactured goods." But Trump offers a more dire outlook, arguing that only he can keep Boeing from moving those high-paying manufacturing jobs from Washington to China. "They'll start taking your business away, and you won't have much of Boeing," Trump told Seattle's KIRO radio on Monday. RALLYING WORKERS Trump has broken with the Republican Party's traditional embrace of free trade. He has vowed to rip up the TPP and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, an existing deal with Canada and Mexico which he blames for the loss of U.S. jobs. The Republican Party's support for free trade has put it in sync with large business groups such as the Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers. Tony Fratto, a former official in the administration of Republican George W. Bush, criticized Trump as out of step with the party. "Trump's policies in this area are really dumb generally, but are particularly dumb for a major exporting company," said Fratto, who worked on behalf of a coalition of large companies, including Boeing, that were pushing for renewal of the Export-Import Bank. Visiting Washington state is also unlikely to get Trump much closer to victory on Nov. 8. Clinton leads by large margins in the state, according to opinion polls. But voters there remain divided. Corey McNally, 40, of Whidbey Island, Washington, has not decided whom he will vote for. "The union members love Hillary just because they're supposed to because she's a liberal," said McNally. And Trump, whom he called "just kind of a big show," may be too late to change anything. "This company's been outsourcing jobs for years," he said of Boeing. (Writing by Ginger Gibson; Reporting by Emily Stephenson in Everett, Washington; Alwyn Scott in Seattle and Ginger Gibson in Washington; Editing by Caren Bohan and Jonathan Oatis)
By Ho Binh Minh HANOI (Reuters) - Trading in Vietnamese coffee was lacklustre this week as buyers waited on the sidelines ahead of the arrival of the country's new crop, which is expected to begin in about two months, traders said on Tuesday. Harvesting of the 2016/2017 crop in Vietnam, the world's largest robusta producer, will start late October in the Central Highlands, with fresh beans expected to load early November. Robusta prices in Daklak, Vietnam's top growing province, eased to 38,400-38,800 dong ($1.72-$1.74) per kg on Tuesday, from 38,500-38,900 last Tuesday. "There've been some transactions, but overall the market is still quiet," a trader at a foreign firm in Ho Chi Minh City said, adding Vietnamese robustas grade 2, 5 percent black and broken beans were traded at a discount of $20 a ton to the ICE November contract. The ICE November robusta contract ended 1.2 percent higher at $1,819 a ton on Monday, but has dropped 0.66 percent in the week ended Aug. 29. Other dealers said the variety traded at discounts of $5-$10 a ton, compared with prices that ranged from at par with London to a discount of $5 last Tuesday. Vietnam's coffee crop year lasts between October and September, but the government uses calendar year figures for its statistics. The government said on Friday that exports rose 38.7 percent from a year ago in the first eight months this year to an estimated 1.26 million tonnes. A separate report over the weekend on a government website cited a projection by industry body Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association as saying exports in 2016 could reach 1.5 million tonnes, up from its forecast in April of 1 million tonnes exports. (baochinhphu.vn) Coffee exports this year are expected to be 12 percent higher than the 1.34 million tonnes shipped in 2015. Revenue from exports last year stood at $2.67 billion, down 25 percent from 2014, government data showed. ($1=22,270 dong) (Reporting by Ho Binh Minh; Editing by Biju Dwarakanath)
Popular American grocery store Trader Joes is going back to court in its case against a Canadian store that sells its merchandise.

Vancouver retailer Pirate Joes were sued by Trader Joes several years ago on the grounds that the Canadian store infringed upon the American stores trademark, but the case was dismissed in October 2013, according to the Guardian.

The ninth circuit court of appeals, however, ruled last week that trial can proceed because the Canadians could be devaluing the American trademark.

Pirate Joes bills itself as an unaffiliated unauthorized re-seller of Trader Joes products in Canada (where there currently arent any Trader Joes locations), according to the stores website.

Pirate Joes founder Michael Hallat hires people across the country to shop for him at Trader Joes locations, then takes the groceries across the border to Canada. The goods are sold for a higher price up north, about 30-40% higher according to the stores website, which the Pirate Joes attributes to paying rent and suppliers.

The case will return to federal district court in Washington state, the Guardian reports.
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Tuesday said the United States had effectively ended talks on a free trade deal with the European Union because Washington had not wanted to compromise with its European counterparts.

The U.S. and the EU have been negotiating the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) for three years and both had aimed to agree a deal this year. A spokesman for the U.S. trade chief told Der Spiegel on Tuesday that talks on TTIP were progressing.

"I believe that the Americans have actively ended TTIP. I don't see any willingness to compromise with the Europeans," Gabriel told a news conference in Berlin.

He added that TTIP had no chance of being agreed before a U.S. election due in November.

(Reporting by Michelle Martin and Joseph Nasr)
(Photo by: Associated Press)



The governments of UK, Australia, South Korea and Taiwan have issued travel advisories for tourists to Singapore as the city-state reported new locally transmitted Zika cases.



Pregnant women and women planning to get pregnant have been urged to defer all non-essential travel to Singapore and exercise precaution against mosquitoes in the city-state.



Singapore, which had initially reported 41 locally transmitted Zika cases over the weekend, confirmed another 15 cases on Monday (29 August)  bringing the tally up to 56.

Most of those infected have been foreign workers, mostly employed in construction and marine industries.

Neighbouring Malaysia announced an increase of precautionary measures such as thermal scanners to detect fever at major entry points in Johor and various airports since Monday. Indonesia has also stepped up protective measures following the reports.

Singapore authorities have continued to inspect thousands of homes around the country, spraying insecticides and removing potential mosquito breeding habitats.
From Popular Mechanics

In case you didn't hear, there is an Earth-sized planet orbiting the closest star to us-the red dwarf Proxima Centauri-and it is within the star's habitable zone where liquid water could exist. At 1.3 times the mass of Earth, Proxima B is possibly rocky, could have an atmosphere, and most importantly, it's only 4.2 light years away. In other words, the closest planet to us that doesn't orbit the sun, could possibly, potentially harbor life.

So how can we get there to find out?

Photo credit: Skatebiker

Interstellar travel isn't actually all that farfetched. At least if you're patient. "It's a little out there, but it's really not as crazy as most people think initially," says Jeff Coughlin, a SETI astronomer working with NASA's Kepler mission to search for exoplanets. "It all depends on politics and funding."

There is a new research proposal about every decade that takes an earnest look at the possibility of sending a spacecraft to another star, and physicists have been seriously pondering this problem since the 1950s. If we assume widespread international cooperation, there are a number of ways we could send a probe to our closest neighbor star with existing technology, possibly even reaching that new planet within our lifetimes.

Nuclear Bombs

Photo credit: Nuclear Pulse Propulsion

The first serious proposal to build a starship involved detonating nuclear weapons in space to ride the shockwaves. "It sounds like a crazy idea, but it's not that crazy," says Coughlin. "If you're out in the middle of interstellar space, who cares if you detonate a nuke out there? It's not going to affect anything."

Detonating a nuke near your spacecraft brings up a number of concerns, not least of which is the possibility of blowing up the spacecraft. "The idea is that you wouldn't set it off right next to the craft," he says. "You would basically have a long spacecraft, and attached to the back of it would be this large pusher plate. You would want it to be fairly large so that you can capture a significant chunk of the shockwave and capture all those particles to propel you forward."

Story continues

As dangerous as it sounds, nuclear pulse propulsion hypothetically could be used to carry humans on board. "If you build it like a giant spring basically, you could cushion the blow of each impact so that the spacecraft wasn't jerking forward too uncontrollably, making it a smoother ride," Coughlin says. Human cargo does complicate things, though, since you can't accelerate too fast without killing the passengers.

"If you're out in the middle of interstellar space, who cares if you detonate a nuke out there?"

The good thing about nukes (or bad thing, depending on your perspective) is unlike other interstellar ideas, we already have the fuel source.

"We have gotten quite good at producing nuclear weapons. ... we have them laying around," Coughlin says. "I think it's a better use in space than down here."

Photonic Propulsion

Photo credit: The Verge/YouTube

Photonic propulsion, which involves pushing a small space probe with a laser beam, is perhaps our best bet to reach the Proxima Centauri system quickly. It is fairly cost-effective, the technology exists, and Russian Billionaire Yuri Milner has invested $100 million in research and development as part of the Breakthrough Starshot project, with the likes of Stephen Hawking and Mark Zuckerburg serving as board members.

"The advantage of [photonic propulsion] is that you don't have to take your reactor with you," says Coughlin. "You can basically have a giant power source on Earth and beam the lasers. If you don't have to take your source of fuel with you, your craft is a lot lighter. In this case, if you just had a lot of nanoprobes, it wouldn't take a lot of energy to accelerate them."

Although light does not have mass, photons do carry momentum, and when they bounce off a reflective surface that momentum is transferred into a small amount of kinetic energy, propelling the reflective surface. You might have heard of solar sails, which work this way by harnessing sunlight. In the frictionless vacuum of space, a constant stream of photons from a laser beam could propel a small craft to relativistic speeds in the neighborhood of 20 percent of the speed of light, or more than 100 million mph. At those speeds, it would only take 25 to 30 years to get to Proxima B.

One big hurdle for this plan? Keeping the probe from getting shredded to bits at such ludicrous velocities.

"Even a few hydrogen atoms at 20 percent the speed of light are going to do some damage," says Coughlin. "So those nanoprobes would need to have some sort of protection. ... It would likely have to have an ablative coating-something that when the interstellar molecules hit it, little pieces come off, but they are not critical to the probe itself. ... Each little atom on its own isn't going to do a whole lot, but over the course of the mission it would reduce the mass of the spacecraft by about 30 or 40 percent."

"You can basically have a giant power source on Earth and beam the lasers."

We would also need a massive laser system spread around the planet to constantly bombard the probe with photons-at least, until the probe is too far away for this to work. In addition to "big honkin' lasers," Coughlin says, we need bigger and better communication receivers to detect a signal once our probe arrives at its destination (actually, the signal we receive 4.2 years after our probe arrives.)

"The proposal is to have a small plutonium power source on there, but at the nanoscale that these things would be, you really couldn't get a very powerful transmitter," Coughlin says. "In theory, you could build something like Arecibo-or in this case probably something 10 times bigger than Arecibo-but if you build a big enough radio dish, you could detect even a small signal from the probes."

Milner's Breakthrough Starshot is well aware of the problem of the spacecraft getting eaten away at by collisions with interstellar material and is currently researching ways to protect the small craft. Cornell University is developing small "chipsats," which basically amount to a small circuit board with some basic electronics-a proof-of-concept that could be imitated for an eventual trip to Proxima Centauri. And with the completion of China's FAST telescope, the largest single-dish observatory in the world, our ability to detect faint signals keeps getting better and better.

Nuclear Fusion

Photo credit: University of Washington

"If you really want to build a spacecraft to travel to Alpha Centauri, fusion would be a major breakthrough," says Coughlin. "That would be the way to do it." Hydrogen fuel is much lighter than the plutonium or uranium required for nuclear fission reactors, and it could be harvested along the way from interstellar space.

"If you can do fusion... you are actually combining two hydrogen atoms and getting energy out of it-that's an even more energy-dense fuel source," says Coughlin. "There are ideas to have a large electromagnetic funnel on the front of your spacecraft. ... This idea, called a ramjet, would collect interstellar hydrogen gas as you go."

Of course, there is one huge problem: we don't have an energy-positive fusion reactor on the ground yet. We can achieve nuclear fusion here on Earth, but it requires us to put more power into the reaction than we get out of it.

A plethora of physicists, researchers, and engineers are working in earnest to achieve a fusion breakthrough-not to travel to the stars, but because harnessed nuclear fusion would a wonder source of clean energy. If we were to develop the technology on Earth, it wouldn't be that hard to turn a fusion reactor into a propulsion engine.

"Basically, when you initiate the fusion, different forms of energy are produced," explains Coughlin. "You'd have to find a way to redirect that energy out the back of your spacecraft where you want it to go. ... You're essentially creating helium from hydrogen, and that helium is very energetic and would just go right out the back of your spacecraft."

Why We Should Try

Reaching Proxima B in our lifetimes would be incredibly difficult. Decades of research and development need to be completed before we could launch, and then decades of travel time would follow, and then another four years of waiting to get a signal or photo back from the spacecraft once it arrives. Which is exactly why we should get started.

"If you can develop this technology, there are a whole bunch of other benefits. If you could develop fusion for this, well, fusion would be very useful on Earth. If you could send something to Alpha Centauri in a reasonable timeframe, all of a sudden getting out to Jupiter, getting out to Pluto is incredibly fast, and then you're able to talk about sending humans around the solar system. ... It all plays off each other."

The earlier we implement serious attempts to reach the stars, the more likely we are to eventually become an interplanetary or even an interstellar species. "If we start the ball rolling now, another generation can pick it up, and then another generation will reap the rewards."

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One of Chicagos most distinctive landmarks  the Tribune Tower, built in 1925  is about to change hands. Tribune Media has accepted an offer potentially worth $240 million from Los Angeles-based CIM Group, which is expected to use the 35-story building as the centerpiece of a Michigan Avenue hotel, residential and retail development.

Tribune Tower has been a unique part of Chicagos skyline since the 1920s, Tribune Media CEO Peter Liguori says. It is a gem of architectural and structural accomplishment and a constant reminder of the important role that Tribune has played in the development of the city itself.

The company began its search for a buyer in October. It will receive $205 million at the closing and could collect an additional $35 million if it fulfills what it describes as certain conditions. They expect the deal to close by the end of September.

This sale was a strategic priority for the company, Liguori says. He noted that the terms are consistent with the $1 billion valuation of our [real estate] portfolio.

The sale will include 740,000 square feet in the tower, as well as a 36,000-square-foot development site on Cityfront Plaza.

This is the latest of several real estate deals Tribune has made as it struggles to round up cash  and potentially a buyer. In February it hired two financial advisers, Moelis & Co and Guggenheim Securities, to explore the full range of strategic and financial alternatives to enhance shareholder value.

In 2016 it has collected $89 million from sales of properties in markets including South Florida and Seattle. It expects to soon close agreements to sell the north block of the Los Angeles Times Square property and the nearby Olympic printing plant.

CIM Group Principal Avi Shemesh says that over the last decade we have recently made several compelling investments that have expanded our growing presence in the city. Tribune Tower is a prominent property with a rich history that has been a feature of the Chicago skyline for nearly a century. Its in an area that, today, is attracting new businesses and residents.

Story continues

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td9 wind forecast noaa

Forecasters expect a tropical cyclone that's brewing in the Gulf of Mexico to soon gain enough strength to be named a tropical storm.

For now, weather experts are calling it "tropical depression nine," or "TD9," which means that it can blow sustained winds up to 38 mph for at least a minute.

TD9 first appeared on August 28 near Havana, Cuba, and has moved west into the gulf's warm waters ever since.

Most computer models predict that TD9 will gain steam before curving northeast and cutting across central to northern Florida.

Dr. Rick Knabb, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center, gave it up to a 50% chance of becoming a tropical storm before it makes landfall just north of Tampa:

Chances of winds of tropical storm force at individual locations in central/north FL 30-50%. https://t.co/s0BJ7uZuy1 pic.twitter.com/w1Luq9mk8l  Dr. Rick Knabb (@NHCDirector) August 30, 2016

But a number of computer models also predict that the storm will continue north and then stall over the Eastern Seaboard of the US:

A few models showing possibility of #TD9 stalling a bit off the East Coast this weekend. Will have to watch closely. pic.twitter.com/E73lNJ1Il8  Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) August 30, 2016

Three of the models even predict that the storm will blow out slightly into the Atlantic and then hook back westward to affect the New England area sometime over Labor Day weekend:

Story continues

GFDL & HWRF similar to Euro...sends storm past us, then hooks it back west late weekend. pic.twitter.com/N5FI2LBwR7  Eric Fisher (@ericfisher) August 30, 2016

Still, as many meteorologists are reminding their followers, it's still early for TD9.

Until a "hurricane hunter" mission returns from its flight to gather fresh data and gauge the depression's strength, all bets are off.

Stay tuned to Business Insider this week as we keep tabs on TD9 and other powerful weather systems.

NOW WATCH: These futuristic beach homes were inspired by the devastating power of hurricanes





More From Business Insider


Tokyo (AFP) - A woman has been killed after a truck carrying airbag parts made by Japan's troubled Takata exploded in a massive fireball on a US highway, the firm confirmed Tuesday.

Four others were injured when the vehicle, which was on its way to a company factory, erupted "like a big bomb", local police said.

The damage was so extensive that the dead woman had to be identified through dental records, they said.

"It created a big crater," said Tom Schmerber, the sheriff of Maverick County, Texas, where the August 22 accident occurred.

"It burned and killed a woman in a house 30 feet (nine metres) away. Her body was completely disintegrated, but they did manage to find two teeth so they could identify her."

However, Tokyo-based Takata -- hammered by a defect in its airbag inflators linked to at least 15 deaths and scores of injuries globally -- denied the accident was related to the problem part.

"We don't think the accident has anything to do with the defect," a company spokeswoman said, adding that it appeared the supply truck was in a road accident that caused a fire and then the deadly explosion.

In a statement, the company said: "Takata has strict safety procedures relating to the transportation of its products that meet or exceed all regulatory requirements.

"Our thoughts are with the family of the woman who died as a result of this accident."

Some 100 million Takata airbags have been recalled and the firm is facing lawsuits, investigations and huge compensation costs over the problem, which can send metal and plastic shrapnel from the inflator canister hurtling toward drivers and passengers when an airbag is deployed.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has said the risk was greatest in hot and humid regions of the US, such as Florida, Texas and the Gulf Coast.

- Bloomberg News contributed to this report
Donald Trumps campaign has finally begun to step up its media campaign, unveiling a new ad in nine key battleground states attacking Hillary Clinton on the economy.

In only the second round of major ad buys since the start of the general election campaign in late June, Trumps campaign is spending $10 million over the coming week in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia. The ad, entitled Two Americas: Economy  attempts to contrast Trumps economic plans from Clintons.

Related: The Map That Keeps Getting Uglier for Trump

In Hillary Clintons America, the middle class gets crushed, spending goes up, taxes go up, hundreds of thousands of jobs disappear. Its more of the same  but worse, the narrator asserts. In Donald Trumps America working families get tax relief, millions of new jobs created, wages go up, small businesses thrive, the American dream  achievable. Change that makes America great again.

But Trumps campaign and allied groups remain woefully behind Clinton and her Super PACs in spending on TV ads. Clintons tens of millions of dollars of media buys have for the most part hammered away at Trump, often using his own words to belittle the GOP nominee as a dangerous and racially intolerant person who is unfit to be commander in chief. Trump until recently has spent nothing on paid media, instead attempting to get by with earned media from coverage of political rallies and interviews on Sunday talk shows and cable news.

The vast disparity in spending on more traditional campaign media may help explain why Clinton leads Trump in both national polls and surveys in key battleground states despite numerous political problems of her own, including persistent controversies over her handling of top secret documents and emails while secretary of state and cozy relations between the State Department and Clintons family foundation. Politico noted just last week that Clinton has faced fewer TV attack ads in the 2016 campaign than Marco Rubio. Strategists from both parties told the site that Clinton has gone deeper into the election calendar than any non-incumbent president they can remember in the modern era without sustained, paid opposition on television.



An estimated $517 million has been spent so far by both parties on presidential campaign media during the 2015-2016 election cycle, according to a new analysis by the Wesleyan Media Project and the Center for Responsive Politics. That represents about a third of the $1.56 billion spent so far on all political advertising, including for congressional and gubernatorial races.

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According to the analysis, Clintons campaign over the past year and a half has aired more than 70,000 ads at an estimated cost of $57 million, while Priorities USA Action, a super PAC supporting Clinton, has aired 28,000 ads at an estimated cost of $26.7 million. That totals $83 million in overall spending on Clintons behalf to produce 98,000 ads, most of them targeted to battleground states.

Related: Who Is Steve Bannon? 13 Things to Know About Trumps New Guru

Before mid-August, the Trump campaign had purchased no ads on broadcast television. That changed on Aug. 19, when Trumps campaign began airing ads focusing on illegal immigration and terrorism issues in 19 media markets in North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida. A pro-Trump super PAC, Rebuilding America Now PAC, supplemented that spending by airing about 5,000 ads at an estimated cost of $5.4 million. The NRA Political Victory Fund has also aired over 3,600 ads supporting Trump, according to the analysis.

Ad Totals

And now Trump is broadening his on-air attack with only 71 days remaining in the campaign.

We havent seen a modern presidential campaign that is so lopsided in terms of advertising, Erika Franklin Fowler, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, said in a statement accompanying the analysis. Its tough to parse out advertisings contribution to Clintons current lead in polls relative to other factors, but there is little doubt that Trump could use more disciplined messaging on air right now  precisely the kind of messaging typically provided by television advertising.

Related: The Campaigns Have Spent Half a Billion Dollars on TV Ads So Far

The Wesleyan Media Project study, based on an analysis of Kantar Media/CMAG data, shows that ground zero of the campaign media wars are Florida and Ohio. The Tampa market has seen the most presidential campaign ads since June 8, a total of 6,553, followed by Orlando with 5,723 ads aired. Cleveland comes in second, with just over 5,000 ads airing during that period, followed by relatively heavy saturation in North Carolina, Nevada, Colorado, Iowa, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Clinton and her allies have dominated the ad spending in many of those states. And with polls showing Clinton well ahead of Trump in two of those battleground states, Virginia and Colorado, her campaign has felt comfortable enough to pull ads from those states for the time being.

Since Trumps first general election ad buy this month, media markets in Florida (Tampa, Orlando and West Palm Beach) and Ohio (Columbus and Toledo) have become more competitive, according to the Wesleyan Media report. However, Clinton maintained large advantages in markets in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Iowa and Nevada, the study said.

Related: Is Trump Really Running a Campaign Anymore?

President Obama carried North Carolina in 2008, but the conservative leaning state voted for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in 2012. Now Clinton and her advisers believe they have a chance of bringing the state back into the Democratic column and are funneling resources there.

Judging by where advertisers are putting their money, Florida, Ohio and North Carolina are the biggest presidential battlegrounds in 2016, said Michael Franz, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, in a statement. These swing states have not changed much, if any, from four years ago.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Iran was permitted to keep a portion of the enrichment centrifuges that were already operating at the site, but under the agreement with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, Iran is technically banned from enriching uranium at Fordo for approximately the next 15 years. The facility is now ostensibly committed only to producing isotopes of other elements for medical research and other scientific purposes. But the move to protect Fordo with advanced missiles seems to cast doubt upon Irans commitment to this provision.

In fact, the Washington Post pointed out that General Farzad Esmaili, the head of Irans air defense, had commented on the S-300 situation by saying that Irans nuclear enrichment facilities are national achievements that must be vigorously protected. Iranian officials also stated that the bolstered defense was aimed at preventing airstrikes by the regional enemies or the United States. But it is difficult to imagine what reason there would be for such airstrikes if Iran continues to abide by the relevant provisions of the nuclear agreement.

If Irans supposedly defensive gesture is an indicator of long-term interest in violating the nuclear agreement, it is far from being the first such indicator. In recent weeks, Iranian officials have made various statements detailing plans to effectively cancel the JCPOA if they feel they are not deriving adequate benefit from it. On orders from government officials, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran outlined specific details on how it would ramp up enrichment activities beyond their pre-JCPOA levels, in response to perceived American aggression.

At the same time, a number of Iranian officials have been intent on encouraging the perception that that aggression is a persistent threat, even as the Obama administration has been widely criticized by his political adversaries for maintaining an excessively permissive Iran policy. Iranian hardliners, particularly members of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, routinely boast of military readiness and technological advancements with the explicit intent of giving the impression of readiness for war with the United States.

It is perhaps not mere coincidence that the defensive gestures around Fordo were revealed at roughly the same time that Irans state media claimed that an American surveillance drone had violated the countrys airspace and been warned off by Iranian military. Deutsche Welle detailed the alleged incident and its coincidence with the S-300 unveiling.

Iranian state media appeared eager to portray the supposed drone encounter as a victory for Iran over enemies and arrogant powers in the West. In this way it is reminiscent of a number of previous statements and incidents, including situations last week in which Iranian naval vessels moved close enough to American ships that the US Navy was compelled to fire warning shots. Those provocations came shortly after the Revolutionary Guards reiterated previous claims that they would close off the Strait of Hormuz if ever they felt threatened by the US.

Although analysts tend to agree that Iran could do some damage to Western forces using asymmetrical warfare tactics such as placing mines in the Strait, it is generally understood that Iranian claims about its military capabilities and overall readiness are highly exaggerated. Those exaggerations continued in recent days when, according to the Clarion Project, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan said that there is no limit for the range of the countrys ballistic missiles.

The most advanced known Iranian missiles are capable of reaching Israel, but Irans military technology is reportedly some ways off from being able to reach Western Europe or the United States. Nevertheless, Dehqan, other officials, and Iranian state media appear intent on convincing the widest possible domestic audience that the Islamic Republic is capable of standing up military to a global superpower. In fact, Dehqans latest comments specifically included the claim that Iran has matched the rest of the worlds standards for most domestically-produced weapons.

Such provocative statements help to cast doubt upon Tehrans claims that such actions as the S-300 deployment are purely defensive in nature. Whats more, at least one state-affiliated outlet, Fars News Agency declared that Iran now possesses a multi-warhead ballistic missile that would make an efficient area attack weapon.

The Clarion Project article also detailed a number of other provocative Iranian gestures and the ways in which theyve been utilized by state media to create a narrative of Iranian strength and American weakness. Meanwhile, other reports have highlighted the ways in which Tehran is trying to tighten control over domestic information, a move that could make state medias boastful narrative seem more plausible to a certain segment of the Iranian population.

But at the same time, Irans own account of its control over media seems to be prone to exaggeration. On Monday, the BBC reported that Iranian Communications and Information Technology Minister Ali Vaezi had announced the completion of the first phase of a project aimed at isolating the Iranian internet from the rest of the world, with the stated purpose of exclusively promoting content that reflects Islamic values.

Although such claims are reflective of Irans commitment to information control, they are also dubious in a way that is similar to Irans claims about its military advancements. The halal net program has been publicly discussed among Iranian officials since 2010 and was originally supposed to complete its third and final phase in 2015. But prior to the latest announcement there had been little indication of progress toward that goal, and many analysts have expressed doubt about the logistical and technological feasibility of such comprehensive restrictions.

Presently, many Iranians reach Western media outlets and other banned online materials using proxy servers, and even if Vaezis claims are accurate the first phase of the national internet project will not change this.
Donald Trump reaffirmed his commitment Tuesday morning to building a massive wall along the U.S.-Mexico border amid reports that the GOP nominees planned project might actually be a virtual rather than physical construction.

Trump, whose proposed wall has been a centerpiece of his campaign since it was launched last summer, tweeted that the great wall would in fact be built along the countrys southern border  just as hed been saying all along.

From day one I said that I was going to build a great wall on the SOUTHERN BORDER, and much more. Stop illegal immigration. Watch Wednesday!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2016

Trump is scheduled to outline his immigration plan on Wednesday after weeks of heated discussion around whether or not he flip-flopped by softening his rhetoric on illegal immigrants. Trump also appeared to waver on his proposal for a deportation force to kick out the estimated 11 million people who immigrated illegally to the U.S.

And then theres Trumps wall. During the primary, Trump would sometimes speculate about the construction project shooting 40 feet into the air or higher. Mexico would pay for it too, he promised.

But former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said on Monday that the wall would be technological as well as physical. On Good Luck America last month, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who is supporting Trump, said that the border wall would be technological and digital.

On Monday, NBC News journalist Hallie Jackson delivered an on-camera report in which she discussed the lack of clarity coming from Trumps team regarding his immigration policies.

You have some of his surrogates now saying that Donald Trump, when he talks about the wall, is also talking about not just a physical wall but a technological or a virtual wall  raising some questions about what exactly that means, Jackson said on MSNBC. Trump has avoided, largely, these specifics at his rallies over these last couple of weeks, as questions about his immigration policy have come up.

Story continues

Ari Melber, the chief legal correspondent for MSNBC, tweeted about Jacksons report.

Trump may be shifting towards building more of a virtual wall on the border, reports @halliejackson  Ari Melber MSNBC (@AriMelber) August 29, 2016

But the Trump campaign didnt let these reports go by unchallenged. Anonymous Trump sources told the Washington Post that the NBC report wasnt true. A senior Trump adviser told CNN that the wall would be an impenetrable physical barrier.

Sr. Trump adv: Reports of virtual wall are false. Trump determined to build wall, adv says: It will be an impenetrable physical barrier.  Jim Acosta (@Acosta) August 29, 2016

Jason Miller, Trumps senior communications adviser, told Fox & Friends on Tuesday that there would be a physical wall and that the GOP candidate has been remarkably consistent.

Related video:
Just because its August and the lead up Labor Day weekend doesnt mean that politics is totally asleep. On Tuesday, congressional primary voters in Arizona and Florida will head to the polls to pick their favorite candidates to run for Congress in November.

Congressional primaries are even smaller than presidential primaries with often only a couple thousand people swinging a vote, which makes them unpredictable. And primaries held after the national conventions are usually more subject to national trends. Indeed in the two races that matter most on Tuesdaythe reelection bids of Arizona Sen. John McCain and Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultznational figures loom larger than the candidates themselves; in McCains case GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump and in Wasserman Schultzs case Bernie Sanders. That said, both incumbents are looking likely to winat least this around.

McCain, who turned 80 on Monday, is looking for a sixth term and he looks likely to beat long shot primary opponent State Sen. Kelli Ward. But Trump is complicating this race. Not only did Trump question McCains status as a war hero because he had the misfortune of being imprisoned and tortured by the North Vietnamese, but for a couple of weeks this summer Trump also refused to endorse McCain. McCain, afraid of any weakness before his primary, where a small number of voters could make a big difference, is refusing to un-endorse Trumpas most of his former staff and friends have.

If McCain wins his primary, his support of Trump may not last long. By far his bigger worry in this race is Democratic challenger Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick in the general election. Kirkpatrick was within two points of McCain in a June poll and for all that McCains continued support of Trump helps him in his primary, it hurts him in a general election where the electorate could be as much as 30 percent Latino. Compounding this is Trumps announcement this week that he plans to give a major immigration speech in Arizona on Wednesday, the day after the primaryprobably not a speech McCain wants to attend as he tries to pivot to a general election stance that is more appealing to Latino voters.

Overall, Trump and Clinton are neck-in-neck in Arizona, usually a solid red state. Trump leads Clinton by two percentage points, according to a RealClearPolitics average of state surveys.

Meanwhile, in Florida Wasserman Schultz is facing a primary challenge from her left. The former Democratic National Committee chair was accused by erstwhile Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders of rigging the system for Hillary Clinton.

Wasserman Schultz denied those charges, but stepped down in July after Russian hackers released thousands of internal DNC emails, many of them including anti-Sanders riffs. Sanders has endorsed her opponent Tim Canova. Canova has closed the gap with Wasserman Schultz, but still trails the six-term lawmaker, and the momentum is not on his side. Sanders strategist Tad Devine went down to Fort Lauderdale to work for Canova in July, but left less than two weeks laterperhaps a sign that the law professor isnt quite yet ready for prime time.

In Florida, Clinton leads Trump by an average of 2.7 percentage points, according to a RealClearPolitics average of surveys in that state.
Ankara (Turkey) (AFP) - Turkey on Tuesday repeated its demand that the Kurdish-backed Syrian fighters it has targeted in a cross-border offensive return east of the Euphrates, neither confirming or denying reports of a US-brokered truce.

The US defence official told AFP in Washington that Turkish and US-backed Kurdish forces in northern Syria had reached a "loose agreement" to stop fighting each other -- a claim confirmed by a spokesman for the pro-Kurdish forces.

Turkey did not confirm it had agreed to hold fire, saying only that it would hold the US to a commitment that the Kurdish PYD party and its YPG militia would retreat eastwards.

YPG-led forces moved west from the main Kurdish-controlled region in the northeast to fight Islamic State for the city of Manbij.

"Our ally, the US, promised before the operation to rid Manbij of Daesh (IS) that PYD/YPG elements would not remain west of the Euphrates and we await the fulfilment of this commitment as soon as possible," the ministry said in a statement.

The US says the YPG has "largely" upheld its promise and criticised the clashes with the Kurdish-backed forces as "unacceptable."

US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter appealed to both sides to fight Islamic State, not each other.

Turkey hit back at the criticism from its NATO ally of its week-old operation, which is at both the jihadists and the YPG.

"What US officials say about the scope and objectives of Operation Euphrates Shield is unacceptable," the ministry said.

Turkey sees the YPG as a "terrorist" offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a deadly insurgency on Turkish territory for over three decades.

The foreign ministry insisted the Syrian operation would continue until "the scourge of terrorism" was eliminated.

On Monday, Turkey shelled 21 "terrorist" targets near the border town of Jarabulus, which Turkish-backed rebels took from IS on the first day of the offensive.

But it appeared to have eased fire Tuesday.

NTV television said three soldiers were injured when a tank was hit by a rocket near Jarabulus, without saying which group was suspected of the attack.
By Seda Sezer ISTANBUL (Reuters) - With the summer holiday almost over, computer science student Hande Tekiner should be gearing up for a year of cram sessions and late-night homework. Instead, she may have nowhere to return to, as her university was shut after Turkey's failed coup. Authorities have closed 15 universities and around 1,000 secondary schools linked to Fethullah Gulen, the U.S.-based Muslim cleric blamed for the July 15 attempted putsch. Gulen has denied involvement in the plot and condemned it. The closures have left about 200,000 students in Turkey in academic limbo, wondering if they can continue their studies and worried about the black mark of a Gulen school on their college record. Tens of thousands of academics and school teachers have also been purged, deepening concern about curtailment of academic freedom and free speech. "As students at universities that have been shut, we are being victimized, even though those schools were opened with state approval," said Tekiner. The 23-year-old had been due to start her fourth and final year at Mevlana University in the central city of Konya before the coup. "I have doubts if I will be able to finish my studies," she said. Tekiner said she and others were harassed on social media, labeled by anonymous accusers as supporters of the coup because they attended Gulen schools. President Tayyip Erdogan and the government say the cleric's network used the schools to recruit followers who then infiltrated the military, civil service and judiciary. Gulen, who has lived in Pennsylvania since 1999, denies the charges. Turkey has asked the United States to extradite him but Washington says only a federal court can make that decision. Since the coup, in which at least 240 people died, Turkey has detained about 40,000 people and formally arrested half of them. Rights groups and some in the West fear Erdogan is using the purges to stifle dissent and tighten his grip on power. PIOUS MASSES Until a public falling-out in 2013, Erdogan and Gulen were allies. Erdogan initially saw the cleric as useful in taming the influence of the military and secular elite who had dominated Turkey since the founding of the modern republic. For years Gulen's followers have run schools across Turkey and as far afield as Africa and the United States, blending Islam with an emphasis on science and interfaith dialogue. The schools helped to open up higher education to Erdogan's voter base - the pious masses often from poorer regions who were traditionally shut out of elite universities in Istanbul and Ankara. Erdogan, himself a graduate of a religious school, has fought to bring religious education into the mainstream of constitutionally secular Turkey and worked to overturn a ban on the headscarf in parliament and universities. But the closure of Gulen schools is troubling for students in towns where there are no other universities. Those from modest backgrounds - and female students from pious families - cannot afford, or may not be allowed, to live away from home. "The reason I chose my university is to be close to home," said another student from Konya's Mevlana University. "As a girl, my family would never allow me to study in another town." The Council of Higher Education, known as "YOK" in Turkish, provoked widespread outrage when it said students would be placed at new universities based on exam scores, meaning they could end up at a school on the other side of the country. It later relented following a number social media campaigns, including one under the hashtag "#YOKbizimagduretme" or "YOK, don't victimize us". PURGES Roughly 80,000 people in the military, civil service, and judiciary have been sacked or suspended in the purges. Around half of those have been in education, according to state media. Teachers' unions and some opposition politicians say authorities are targeting educators based on evidence that is tenuous at best - such as having opened a savings account at Bank Asya, a now defunct lender founded by Gulen's followers. The government has said the investigations and other measures are necessary to prevent another coup. But Kamuran Karaca, who heads one of Turkey's biggest teachers' unions, said the wrong people were being targeted. Since the coup, 88 members of his Egitim-Sen union have been suspended. "All of our members who have been suspended, rather than being supporters of Gulen, are on the contrary people who strive for secular education and a secular life," said Karaca. "We believe they were blacklisted because they deposited their rent in Bank Asya, or took a loan from it, or a relative took a loan from it." Gaye Usluer, a lawmaker from the opposition Republican People's Party, criticized what she said was a "sweeping" crackdown that has also harmed people who may be innocent. Candan Badem, a Marxist historian, was briefly detained for possessing a book by Gulen in his home, his lawyer told Reuters. He was later released. Badem signed an "Academics for Peace" petition this year that criticized military action in the largely Kurdish southeast. Erdogan denounced the more than 1,000 signatories, which also included U.S. linguist and activist Noam Chomsky, and some Turkish academics were detained over it. DEFENDING THE PURGE Several academics and teachers declined to talk to Reuters about the purge, saying they were afraid to go on the record. "The freedom to communicate and the freedom to collaborate are essential to functioning good science," said Rush Holt of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, who wrote an open letter to Erdogan urging protection of the rights of the scientific community. The European University Association has said that measures introduced in the wake of coup "go in the wrong direction". Still, some academics defend the crackdown. "Nobody knows where this illegal organization starts and where it ends," said Sedat Gumus, an associate professor at Necmettin Erbakan University in central Konya. "In such a context, suspending many people from their jobs is understandable. In the investigation it will be revealed who was involved to what extent. If there are people who are falsely accused, they should be able to return to their jobs." (Editing by David Dolan and David Stamp)
Paris (AFP) - French President Francois Hollande warned Tuesday that "contradictory interventions" by Turkish and Russian forces in Syria could spark an escalation of the conflict.

"These multiple, contradictory interventions carry the risk of a wider conflagration," Hollande told a meeting with the diplomatic corps in France, calling for an "absolutely urgent" halt to fighting after Turkey attacked a US-backed Kurdish militia in Syria.

"Syria has been living a terrible tragedy for the past five years," Hollande said.

He said the country's shattered second city Aleppo had endured a "large-scale humanitarian catastrophe".

Calling for an "immediate" ceasefire, he added: "For nearly a year, Russia has been supporting the regime of Bashar al-Assad, who is using this support to bomb rebels as well as civilian populations, which plays into the hands of extremists of all kinds."

He said it was "perfectly understandable" for Turkey to seek to defend itself against the Islamic State group "after the attacks that this country suffered, and to control its border" with Syria.

However, Hollande said Turkey was now also carrying out "actions against Kurds who are themselves fighting IS with the support of the (US-led) coalition."

Turkish forces last week launched a two-pronged operation against IS and Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) inside Syria.

The military action began after 54 people were killed in a weekend suicide attack in the city of Gaziantep near the Syrian border that was blamed on IS.

The YPG is the main component of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which have been fighting IS in northern Syria.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 40 civilians were killed on Sunday in Turkish shelling and airstrikes, claims that were strongly rejected by Ankara.

Ankara said it killed 25 Kurdish "terrorists" in strikes on YPG positions that day -- meaning the two US-backed partner forces were fighting each other.
ATHENS (Reuters) - A 48-year-old Turkish judge has requested political asylum in Greece, claiming persecution by the government of President Tayyip Erdogan, the Athens News Agency said on Tuesday. Eight Turkish soldiers requested political asylum in Greece in July, fleeing Turkey in a military helicopter after a failed coup attempt. Turkey has since detained thousands of soldiers and half its generals alongside thousands of judges and prosecutors. The Greek coast guard said only that a Turkish national had been arrested on Tuesday after being rescued along with six migrants from a boat off the Greek island of Chios. It did not give the nationality of the migrants. The coast guard and police would not comment specifically on the agency report. (Reporting by Karolina Tagaris; editing by Ralph Boulton)
Beirut (AFP) - Kurdish-backed militias in Syria agreed Tuesday to a US initiative to stop fighting Turkish forces whose week-old incursion in the country has stoked tensions between Washington and Ankara.

The truce was announced separately by a senior US defence official in Washington and the Kurdish-backed Syrian fighters, but Turkey neither confirmed nor denied it had agreed to hold fire.

Turkey launched an unprecedented cross-border offensive into Syria last Wednesday, saying it was aimed at ridding the frontier of both Islamic State group jihadists and a Kurdish militia.

IS said Tuesday its spokesman Abu Mohamed al-Adnani was killed in the Syrian province of Aleppo, as the US confirmed a "senior leader" from the group was targeted in the same area.

Kurds have carved out a semi-autonomous region in Syria's north and northeast, with their People's Protection Units (YPG) becoming a key partner of the US-led coalition fighting IS.

The YPG is also a key component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which groups diverse factions battling the jihadists.

Ankara fears the emergence of an autonomous Kurdish region in Syria would bolster the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) across the border in southeastern Turkey.

At the weekend Turkish forces killed several Kurdish fighters while its tanks rolled across the border to help Syrian Arab rebels rout IS from the frontier district of Jarabulus.

The military operation triggered alarm bells in Washington, which is trying to contain the violence between its Turkish and Kurdish allies.

"In the last several hours, we have received assurance that all parties involved are going to stop shooting at each other and focus on the ISIL threat," US Central Command spokesman, Colonel John Thomas, said using an acronym for IS.

"It's a loose agreement for at least the next couple of days and we are hoping that will solidify" Thomas said.

He said the Turkish and SDF had opened communications with the United States and between each other "with the goal of limiting hostilities".

Story continues

The Kurdish-backed Jarablus Military Council supported by the SFD confirmed a truce had been reached.

"We agreed on a ceasefire with the Turkish state via the United States and the international coalition" that is fighting IS, said council spokesman Ali Hajo.

- Turkey seeks US guarantees -

Speaking to AFP by telephone, Hajo said the truce took effect at midnight (2100 GMT Monday) and was expected to last "for an unspecified period of time".

"We are continuing to negotiate (with the Turkish forces) through the Americans," he said without elaborating.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor reported calm Tuesday on the southern front of Jarablus, which Turkish forces captured from IS jihadists last week on the first day of their incursion.

But Turkey neither confirmed nor denied the claim, saying only it awaited the fulfullment of a Kurdish promise to the United States to retreat east of the Euphrates river "as soon as possible".

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus confirmed Monday the army aimed to prevent the creation of a Kurdish-controlled corridor running nearly the entire length of the border.

Ankara sees the YPG as a "terrorist" offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party and fears an autonomous Kurdish region in Syria would bolster the PKK in southeast Turkey.

Also on Monday, Turkey warned it would carry out more strikes on the US-backed YPG in Syria if it fails to retreat from the border area.

But analysts said further Turkish involvement in Syria's five-year war and clashes with the YPG were fraught with risks and could stoke tensions with NATO ally Washington.

Defending a buffer zone between Kurdish-controlled areas on either side of the Euphrates could suck Turkey deeper into the conflict, said Aykan Erdemir, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

"Ultimately, Syria could yet turn into a territorial extension of the protracted fighting between Turkey and the PKK going on since 1984," he said.

The PKK has waged a deadly insurgency on Turkish territory for more than three decades.

"It is hard to see how this does not get messy," the European Council on Foreign Relations wrote in a paper, referring to the situation in northern Syria.
(WASHINGTON)  The Agriculture Department said Tuesday it had closed offices in five states after receiving anonymous threats that it considered serious.

USDA spokesman Matthew Herrick said in a statement that the department had received several anonymous messages late Monday that raised concerns about the safety of USDA personnel and facilities. He said six offices were closed Tuesday morning until further notice.

Herrick said the department is working with the FBI and federal and local law enforcement to determine whether the threats are credible.

In an email to employees, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said USDA is closing the offices due to the serious nature of these threats. He did not characterize the threats or say how they were received, but asked employees to be aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity.

The closed facilities are in Fort Collins, Colorado; Hamden, Connecticut; Beltsville, Maryland; Raleigh, North Carolina; Kearneysville, West Virginia and Leetown, West Virginia.

They include offices for eight USDA agencies, including the Forest Service and the Food Safety and Inspection Service. Among the sites affected was USDAs sprawling agricultural research center and library in Beltsville, where employees were informed of the threat Tuesday morning and sent home.

The closures may affect some tourists. In Colorado, the Forest Services Canyon Lakes Ranger District tweeted that their information center is closed.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter called on Turkey to stay focused on fighting Islamic State militants and not to target Kurdish elements of Syrian rebels. "We have called upon Turkey... to stay focused on the fight against ISIL and not to engage Syrian Defense Forces, and we've had a number of contacts over the last several days," Carter said in a media briefing on Monday, using an Arab acronym for Islamic State. Carter said Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, had spoken with his Turkish counterpart on Sunday. (Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; Editing by Bill Rigby)
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday that the United States would launch trilateral talks with India and Afghanistan at next month's United Nations meetings in New York after strategy talks in the Indian capital New Delhi. Kerry, addressing a news conference, also denounced terrorism and said the perpetrators of attacks on Indian soil - in Mumbai in 2008 and at the Pathankot airbase last January - should be brought to justice. "We cannot and will not make distinctions between good and bad terrorists," Kerry said. "Terror is terror no matter where it comes from, (or) who carries it out." India accuses Pakistan of responsibility for both attacks. Pakistan is trying suspects in the Mumbai attacks, in which 166 people died. Investigations into this year's airbase attack have so far been inconclusive. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Writing by Douglas Busvine; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
By Lesley Wroughton NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Pakistan needs to join other nations in fighting terrorists within its borders, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged on Tuesday, saying Islamabad should not feel isolated by talks between the United States, India and Afghanistan next month in New York. Kerry announced the Afghanistan initiative on a visit to New Delhi for the annual U.S.-India strategic dialogue. His show of support for his Indian hosts marked a change from Washington's usual neutrality regarding India and Pakistan, South Asia's two nuclear-armed antagonists. Tensions between Pakistan and India have spiked of late, as an uprising in Indian-administered Kashmir killed more than 60 people and injured thousands. Pakistan and India each claim the disputed territory in full but rule it only in part. Washington has long urged India and Pakistan to reopen talks to resolve the tensions and Kerry will discuss the issue with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. Addressing a news conference, Kerry denounced terrorism in all its forms. He said the perpetrators of attacks on Indian soil - in Mumbai in 2008 and at an airbase in Punjab last January - should be brought to justice. "We cannot and will not make distinctions between good and bad terrorists," Kerry said. "Terror is terror no matter where it comes from, (or) who carries it out." India accuses Pakistan of responsibility for both attacks. Pakistan is trying suspects in the Mumbai attacks, in which 166 people died. Investigations into this year's airbase attack have so far been inconclusive. India's minister for external affairs, Sushma Swaraj, struck a similar note, saying there was a "meeting of minds" between her and Kerry on terrorism, which she described as the foremost threat to international peace and security. Kerry said the United States would open the trilateral talks on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York next month. Its goal is to stabilize Afghanistan, whose U.S.-backed government is struggling to contain Taliban rebels. India has provided a little over $2 billion in economic assistance to Afghanistan in the last 15 years and said recently it would deliver more arms to Afghanistan. Kerry said the United States was working to address tensions in Afghanistan's fragile coalition of President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah. India's participation in the talks could only help strengthen those efforts and underscore to the Afghan leaders the importance of a stable and unified Afghanistan, he added. "My hope is that Pakistan as a country is not isolated by this but is encouraged by this," Kerry said. He said had spoken to Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif about the need for his country to deprive any group of "sanctuary." "It is vital that Pakistan join with other nations in tackling this challenge, and in fairness in recent weeks and months they have been moving more authoritatively in the western part of the country," Kerry added. Asked what it will take to re-open talks with Pakistan, Suwaraj said India was not the one creating tensions with Pakistan. "We told them we want to solve our problems through talks," she said, "But they did things that forced us to suspend the dialogue. The least we expect is there should be action against the perpetrators. Talks can only happen if there is action on their side." STRONGER TIES Kerry described the talks with India as "constructive" and said the sides had made headway on a variety of issues, including cyber-security and expanded cooperation on terrorist screening. He said the United States would do more to help upgrade India's power grid and work to provide financing for clean energy projects. "We are witnessing a moment that defines for certain a very different and renewed relationship between the United States and India," Kerry said. U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said she would look into India's concerns over an increase in visa fee for professionals that New Delhi has protested, arguing it is a barrier to the movement of workers. "It is imperative that we look into that issue," Pritzker told the news conference. "The United States recognizes the enormous contribution of foreign workers to our economy, including workers from India." In March, India filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization, protesting the doubling of the fees for H-1B and L-1 work visas and limits on their numbers. Earlier, Swaraj said she hoped the next U.S. president would continue the dialogue that also seeks input from companies, which this year included e-commerce giant Amazon and wireless technology firm Qualcomm. India is keen to attract foreign investment to back Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make in India" initiative. Foreign investors want reassurance that Asia's third-largest economy is becoming an easier place to do business. (Editing by Douglas Busvine and Simon Cameron-Moore, Larry King.)
By Yeganeh Torbati and Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and India signed an agreement on Monday governing the use of each other's land, air and naval bases for repair and resupply, a step toward building defense ties as they seek to counter the growing maritime assertiveness of China. The agreement, a relatively mundane one concerning day-to-day military logistics, is nonetheless a milestone in the U.S.-India defense relationship because of the outsized political importance it had taken on in India, where it had touched on domestic sensitivities, experts said. The signing of the agreement will "make the logistics of joint operations so much easier and so much more efficient," U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a news briefing with Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. The agreement will allow the Indian and U.S. navies to have an easier time supporting each other in joint operations and exercises and when providing humanitarian assistance, Parrikar said. Washington's desire for deeper security cooperation with India had been complicated without the signing of the logistics agreement as well as two other pacts that would allow for secure communications and the exchange of nautical and other data. The agreements are considered routine between the United States and its other defense partners. But India has had concerns such an agreement would commit it to hosting U.S. troops at its bases, or draw it into a military alliance with the United States and undermine its traditional autonomy. Carter and Parrikar reached an agreement "in principle" in April, but had yet to finalize the details. Carter has made closer military ties with India a priority, and established a special unit within the Pentagon last year to promote cooperation with that country. Parrikar's visit to Washington this week marks the sixth interaction between the two top defense officials. The signing of the logistics agreement indicates the priority the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi places on a closer defense relationship with the United States, said Benjamin Schwartz, until last year the India country director at the Pentagon. "For years, there has been tremendous misinformation put out into the Indian press about these agreements," said Schwartz, now with the U.S.-India Business Council, which promotes trade ties between the two countries. "What the signing of this shows is that the Modi government is willing to take and suffer the short-term political criticism of signing these things for the longer-term benefit of building the defense relationship with the United States." Both Carter and Parrikar went to pains on Monday to make clear that the logistics agreement did not allow for basing of U.S. troops in India. "It's not a basing agreement of any kind," Carter said. The debate over the logistics agreement had served as a vehicle for the distrust some of India's political class has towards the United States, said Shane Mason, a research associate at the Stimson Center. The United States had previously imposed sanctions on India related to its 1998 nuclear test, although the sanctions were eased later. "From the U.S. perspective this was kind of a low hanging fruit," Mason said. "We have logistic support agreements with many, many other countries and in most cases it's a relatively uncontroversial thing." The U.S. military has made clear it wants to do more with India, especially in countering China, which U.S. officials say is risking stoking conflict through its claims in the South China Sea, a vital trade waterway. Without naming China, both Carter and Parrikar mentioned the importance of the free flow of trade to both countries. "India and the United States have a shared interest in freedom of navigation and overflight and unimpeded commerce as part of rule-based order in (the) Indo-Pacific," Parrikar said. China hoped cooperation between India and the United States would be "constructive and positive" for the region's peace and stability and development, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters at a regular briefing on Tuesday. "So, we look favorably on this sort of normal relationship between India and the United States," Hua said. (Additional reporting by Ruthy Munoz and Phil Stewart in Washington, and Michael Martina in Beijing; Editing by Peter Cooney and Alistair Bell)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Tuesday lauded the apparent halt in fighting between Turkish military troops and moderate Syrian rebel groups, both of which are members of the coalition fighting Islamic State militants. "The United States welcomes the overnight calm between the Turkish military and other counter-ISIL forces in Syria," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, using an acronym for Islamic State. "It continues to encourage these moves as a way to prevent further hostilities and loss of life between all counter-ISIL forces operating in the area." (Reporting by David Alexander; Editing by Tim Ahmann)
By Ayesha Rascoe and Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration will meet its goal of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees this fiscal year a month ahead of schedule and is working with Congress to increase the target by a few thousand in 2017, the White House said on Monday. The 10,000th Syrian refugee was scheduled to arrive in the United States on Monday afternoon, national security advisor Susan Rice said in a statement. The White House had pledged to admit at least 10,000 displaced Syrians during the current fiscal year, which wraps up at the end of September. "While refugee admissions are only a small part of our broader humanitarian efforts in Syria and the region, the president understood the important message this decision would send, not just to the Syrian people but to the broader international community," Rice said. U.S. admission of Syrian refugees has been a hot button issue in the 2016 race for the White House, with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump warning that violent militants could enter the country posing as refugees. Trump has said that if he is elected he would persuade Gulf states to bankroll safe zones for Syrian refugees so they would not have to be brought to the United States. In addition, some Democrats in Congress have pressed to toughen the screening process for Syrian refugees. The civil war in Syria has led to a flood of millions of refugees from Syria. But so far, the United States has offered refuge to far fewer than many of its allies have. Germany has taken in hundreds of thousands and Canada admitted nearly 30,000 between November last year and May 1. The United States took in 29 Syrian refugees in fiscal 2011, 31 in fiscal 2012, 36 in fiscal 2013, 105 in fiscal 2014 and 1,682 in fiscal 2015, according to U.S. State Department statistics. White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters the administration plans to increase the number by a few thousand in fiscal 2017. Secretary of State John Kerry will hold talks with lawmakers in Congress before the administration sets the figure for that year. Obama leaves office on Jan. 20, 2017. "I anticipate in the next few weeks we will have some additional news on this," Earnest told reporters. Obama would like to see a "ramping up of those efforts" but is realistic about how quickly that could happen, he said. (This version of the story has been refiled to state that White House corrects year referenced in first paragraph, and in penultimate paragraph, makes clear it plans to increase number of refugees by a few thousand in 2017) (Reporting by Ayesha Rascoe, Timothy Gardner and Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and James Dalgleish)
By Mohammed Ghobari SANAA (Reuters) - At least 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen's 18-month-old civil war, the United Nations on Tuesday, approaching double the estimates of more than 6,000 cited by officials and aid workers for much of 2016. The war pits the Iran-allied Houthi group and supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh against President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is supported by an alliance of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia. The new toll is based on official information from medical facilities in Yemen, U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick told a news conference in the capital Sanaa. It might rise as some areas had no medical facilities, and people were often buried without official records. The United Nations human rights office said last week that 3,799 civilians have been killed in the conflict, with air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition responsible for some 60 percent of deaths. McGoldrick gave no breakdown on civilian casualties, adding the conflict has displaced three million Yemenis and forced 200,000 to seek refuge abroad. The United Nations had information that 900,000 of the displaced intended to try to return to their homes. "This is a big challenge, especially in areas still experiencing conflict," McGoldrick said. Some 14 million of Yemen's 26 million population needed food aid and 7 million were suffering from food insecurity. McGoldrick said the human situation in Yemen was "tragic". "Humanitarian work alone cannot solve these problems," he said. U.N.-sponsored peace talks ended earlier this month without agreement, and without an agreement for a new round. The collapse of negotiations was followed by stepped-up fighting across Yemen. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said after talks in Saudi Arabia last week that the United States, Gulf Arab states and the United Nations had agreed on a new push for peace. He said the new talks would try to twin a proposal for the Houthis to withdraw from cities they seized since 2014 with setting up an inclusive government. (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by William Maclean and John Stonestreet)
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said on Tuesday she would look into India's concerns over a hike in visa fee for professionals. New Delhi has protested against the hike, which it says is a barrier to the movement of workers. "It is imperative that we look into that issue," Pritzker told a news conference in New Delhi at the end of a strategic and commercial dialogue between the two countries. In March, India filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization, protesting against the doubling of the fees for H-1B and L-1 work visas and limits on their numbers. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Writing by Rajesh Kumar Singh)
* Washington warns $14.5 billion Irish bill may hurt relations

* U.S. probe first alerted EU to tax schemes by Apple and others

* Senator who chaired hearings blames IRS, says EU 'fills vacuum'

By Foo Yun Chee and Alastair Macdonald

BRUSSELS, Aug 30 - The United States is furious at the European Union for handing Apple Inc a $14.5 billion tax demand on Tuesday but EU officials say it was Washington which put them on to the scheme in the first place.

It was a U.S. Senate report in May 2013 revealing the tech giant's deal with the Irish government to rule a big slice of its global earnings untaxable that prompted the European Commission to launch its own inquiries the following month.

The U.S. Treasury said the Commission's order that Apple pay 13 billion euros in back taxes to Ireland - which the company and Dublin are appealing - endangers EU-U.S. economic relations just as efforts to reach a transatlantic free trade pact unravel .

A senior Democratic senator said Brussels had made "a cheap money grab" for U.S. revenues.

But his party colleague who chaired hearings into Apple's taxes three years ago, Carl Levin, said the Europeans were only trying to take what U.S. authorities had failed to claim by not closing loopholes that allowed firms to hoard profits overseas.

"The IRS has failed to stake a claim for U.S. taxes on those revenues," he said in a statement, referring to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. "So Europe attempts to fill the vacuum. Shame on Apple for dodging U.S. taxes. Shame on the IRS for failing to challenge Apple's tax avoidance."

For Marcel Fratzscher, president of leading German economic think-tank DIW Berlin and author of a new book on growing inequality, the mudslinging between politicians reflects how global corporations have exploited competition for investment to blunt states' efforts to co-operate against tax avoidance.

"Companies are playing one government against another," he told Reuters.

EU LISTENED TO SENATE

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EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, a straight-talking Dane who dismisses talk of leading an anti-American crusade, says the hearings at the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations chaired by Levin were what gave her Spanish predecessor grounds to demand disclosure by Apple and Ireland.

"The Commission listened and decided to look deeper into the matter," Vestager said in June, crediting media reporting and hearings in the British parliament for also providing evidence to help break secrecy around nearly 1,000 cases across Europe.

The Commission said in its judgment on Apple that the United States and other countries were welcome to try and claim some of the unpaid taxes for themselves - highlighting just the complaints of Levin and other senators three years ago when they skewered Apple CEO Tim Cook for failing to bring cash home.

As well as Apple, Starbucks Corp was ordered to pay more Dutch taxes and Amazon.com Inc and McDonald's Corp are still being investigated; a series of EU accusations that Google, part of Alphabet Inc, has abused its market power have also fuelled complaints from U.S. President Barack Obama's administration that Europe is out to punish American success.

Competition lawyer Pierre Sabbadini said political pressures drove different responses by different authorities. Leaks and public hearings on tax deals had created pressure among voters for the EU to act in 2013, he said, while the size of the companies targeted gave them clout with political leaders, too.

"When investigation-target companies have grown to the size of Apple, they can reach out for political support," he said.

The Obama administration has taken its own action to curb tax avoidance schemes lately. In April, amid public controversy over drug company Pfizer Inc's proposed merger with Allergan Plc of Ireland, it announced plans to curb so-called "tax inversions", by which U.S. firms have undertaken cross-border mergers in order to switch to a domicile abroad and so avoid U.S. taxes.

Pfizer abandoned the merger.

(Additional reporting by David Morgan in Washington; Editing by Bill Rigby)
BERLIN (Reuters) - Talks on a free trade deal being negotiated by the United States and the European Union are making progress, a spokesman for the U.S. trade chief told Der Spiegel, contradicting the German economy minister, who said the discussions had failed.

The U.S. and the EU have been negotiating the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) for three years and both had sought to conclude talks this year, but differences remain.

Germany's Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday that talks had "de facto failed".

But a spokesman for U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman told the German magazine: "Negotiations are in fact making steady progress."

French Trade Minister Matthias Fekl said on Tuesday that this round of talks should be ended and a new set started.

(Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Louise Ireland)
(ANKARA, Turkey)  The U.S. on Monday urged Turkish troops and Kurdish forces in northern Syria to halt their fighting, saying it hinders efforts to defeat the Islamic State group. But Turkeys president vowed to press ahead with the military operation until the IS and Kurdish Syrian fighters no longer pose a security threat to Ankara.

It was the first U.S. criticism of its NATO ally since it launched a U.S.-backed incursion into northern Syria to help Syrian rebels seize the town of Jarablus from the Islamic State group. They have been clashing with Kurdish Syrian forces around the town to try to halt their advance.

The battle now pits Turkey against the Kurdish-led force known as the Syria Democratic Forces  a U.S.-backed proxy that is the most effective ground force battling ISIS militants in Syrias 5-year-old civil war. It puts Washington in the difficult spot of having to choose between two allies, and it is likely to divert resources from the fight against IS.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Washington has asked Turkey to stay focused on the fight against the Islamic State and not to engage with the SDF.

Weve called on both sides not to fight one another, not to fight each other, Carter said.

He told reporters at the Pentagon that Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke to his Turkish counterpart Sunday. Carter added that he intends to discuss the issue next week in Europe with Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said the clashes were of deep concern, adding that they were not coordinated with U.S. forces, and we do not support them.

Uncoordinated operations and maneuvers only provide room for ISIL to find sanctuary and continue planning attacks against Turkey, the SDF, the United States, and our partners around the world, the statement said.

Turkish officials responded by insisting that Kurdish forces immediately withdraw east of the Euphrates River or face more attacks by Turkish forces.

Story continues

No one has the right to tell Turkey to fight this terror organization but dont fight that terror organization,' said Omer Celik, a Turkish cabinet minister.

Turkeys Hurriyet newspaper, in an online edition, quoted Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus as responding to the Pentagon by saying the U.S. should keep to its promise and use its influence to press its Kurdish allies to withdraw to the east.

The sharp rhetoric  and the continued fighting  reflects the complicated and conflicting interests at stake in northern Syria after Turkish tanks rolled across the border Aug. 24 with the dual aim of containing the ISIS group and Kurdish forces.

The U.S. has supported Turkey in its demand that the SDF withdraw east of the Euphrates, which cuts into Jarablus. The goal is to clear the region south of Jarablus of Kurdish forces, thus keeping them from linking with other Kurdish-controlled areas in Afrin in Syrias northwestern corner.

Turkey pressed ahead with its offensive, seemingly bent on creating a de facto safe zone free of ISIS and the Kurds near its border. The Turkish military said Turkey-backed Syrian rebels  a mix of various Islamist rebel factions  have cleared 10 more villages of terrorist entities and now control of an area totaling some 400 square kilometers (about 150 square miles) south and west of Jarablus.

In an emailed statement, Turkish military officials said Syrian opposition forces were continuing their operations to clear IS-controlled areas.

Syrian opposition groups, meanwhile, reported that Turkish-backed Syrian rebels have captured more towns and villages as part of the operation named Euphrates Shield, now in its sixth day.

Cook said the U.S. doesnt support reported Turkish airstrikes and artillery shelling of U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters  or Kurdish attacks on Turkish troops  in areas where ISIS fighters no longer operate.

In another sign of brewing discord, Cook said the Kurdish pullback to the east side of the Euphrates has largely occurred.

At the White House, Ben Rhodes, President Barack Obamas deputy national security adviser, expressed concern that further action by Turkish troops against the Kurdish-led Syria Democratic Forces would complicate efforts to have that united front against ISIL that we want, using another acronym for the Islamic State group.

Rhodes said that while the U.S. supported Turkeys efforts to clear IS fighters from Jarablus and secure its border, it would oppose Turkish efforts to move south and engage in activities against the SDF. He also said the U.S. has communicated to the SDF that they should not engage in military activity against Turkish forces.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkish operations will continue until terror organizations such as Daesh, the PKK and its Syrian arm, the YPG, cease to be threats for our citizens.

Daesh is the Arabic name for the Islamic State group; the PKK is the Kurdistan Workers Party, which has waged a 30-year insurgency in Turkey; and the YPG is the main Syrian Kurdish force known as the Peoples Protection Units.

Earlier this month, the Kurdish-led Syria Democratic Forces crossed the Euphrates and drove IS militants out of Manbij, a key supply hub south of Jarablus, following a costly 10-week campaign.

The SDF have proven to be a reliable and capable force, and our support for the SDF in its fight against ISIL is ongoing and will continue to do so, Cook said, using another acronym to refer to the Islamic State group. They have fought hard and sacrificed to try and rid Syria of this hateful group.

The Jarablus Military Council, which is part of the SDF, said its fighters will withdraw to areas south of the Sajour River, a tributary of the Euphrates. The Sajour is north of Manbij.

We declare the withdrawal of our forces to south, to the Sajour River, to preserve the lives of civilians and so that they (Turks and their allies) dont have any justification to continue shelling civilians, the council said.

The move is unlikely to be accepted by Turkey, since Ankara wants the rebels to withdraw completely east of the Euphrates.

Syrian opposition activists have said at least 35 civilians were killed in northern Syria in the Turkish-led operation so far. Turkey denied any civilians had been hit. A Turkish soldier was killed Saturday by a Kurdish rocket attack, the first such fatality in Turkeys ground offensive.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Turkey-backed rebels have captured 21 towns and villages near Jarablus from the Kurdish-dominated SDF.

The Observatory also reported clashes between rebels and IS fighters on the western edge of Jarablus. The Local Coordination Committees, an activist collective, said the rebels captured seven more villages since late Sunday.

Turkish artillery fired 61 rounds against 20 terrorist targets in and around Jarablus in the past 24 hours, Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

___

Karam reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this report.
By Heather Somerville and Subrat Patnaik

(Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] has plucked a top executive from U.S. retailer Target to help lead the growing ride-services company and reshape its image.

Uber said on Tuesday it hired Jeff Jones, chief marketing officer for Target Corp, to oversee the bulk of its global operations. Jones will be president of ride-sharing at Uber, running local Uber services in every city, as well as marketing efforts and customer support.

The hire underscores efforts by Uber, which has become the dominant on-demand ride service, to bolster its reputation and brand. Since 2009, the company has aggressively expanded to more than 450 cities, at times steamrolling regulators and launching campaigns against local lawmakers.

Jones joined Target in 2012 to rejuvenate its brand and is credited with modernizing the retailer's marketing efforts. He led campaigns including #MoreMusic, under which Target partnered with singer Gwen Stefani for a live video that aired during the Grammy Awards and released exclusive tracks from artists such as Adele, part of an effort to burnish Target's cool image.

Prior to that, Jones led marketing for Gap Inc and worked for Coca-Cola and advertising firm McKinney.

"Jones has a strong track record of driving the narrative around Target's brand, and will now try to do the same for Uber," said Mike Mannor, associate professor at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business.

"You can surely expect to see stakeholders responding positively to Uber CEO Travis Kalanick taking steps to upgrade his middling in-house talent with proven professional chops."

Kalanick said in a blog post that he and Jones met in February and "within minutes we were debating how Uber could improve its reputation." (http://ubr.to/2cclIj5)

Kalanick said he wants to align Uber's marketing functions more closely with individual city operations and put more focus on customer service.

Uber's global operations span dozens of countries and about 1.5 million drivers.

Story continues

Jones' hiring marks a change for Ryan Graves, who has been at Uber since 2010 and ran the company's operations and global expansion. Graves will give up some of those responsibilities but continue to work on Uber's delivery businesses, including UberEats and UberRush, as well as other projects, Kalanick said.

Jones' exit is the latest in a string of executive departures from Target, which has made a series of management changes since last year.

Among other moves, the big-box retailer appointed Chief Financial Officer John Mulligan to the newly created role of chief operating officer. It has also added new hires as it focuses on higher-margin categories such as baby and wellness products and revamps online sales.

(Reporting by Heather Somerville in San Francisco and Subrat Patnaik in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Tom Brown)
A UFC Fight Night 93: Arlovski vs. Barnett preliminary bout between Alex Enlund and Martin Buschkamp has been cancelled due to injury.

No specifics were revealed, but UFC officials on Tuesday announced that Enlund suffered an injury, which forced the bout's cancellation. Matchmakers will book Buschkamp in another fight on a future fight card.

Alex Enlund vs. Martin Buschkamp at #UFCHamburg is OFF due to an injury to Enlund. Buschkamp will get a new bout at a later date.  UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) August 30, 2016



Enlund (14-2) and Buschkamp (9-0) are both newcomers to the UFC, so it was surely a big disappointment to have their Octagon debuts cancelled.

RELATED > UFC Fight Night Night 93 Free Fight: Andrei Arlovski Knocks Out Bigfoot Silva

The UFC has held four previous events in Germany, but UFC Fight Night 93 marks the promotion's first venture into Hamburg. It is headlined by a heavyweight non-title fight between former champions Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett on Saturday at Barclaycard Arena.

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By Elias Biryabarema KAMPALA (Reuters) - Uganda granted on Tuesday five production licences to UK-listed explorer Tullow Oil and three to France's Total, clearing a major hurdle as the east African country aims to move more quickly towards crude production. Commercial oil reserves were discovered in Uganda a decade ago, but production has been repeatedly delayed amid wrangling over taxation and field development strategy. The licences cover Exploration Area One (EA1), operated by Total, and Exploration Area Two (EA2), operated by Tullow, Energy Minister Irene Muloni told reporters. Muloni said the offer of licences ended a period of protracted negotiations and it was "now time for serious work to start." "The grant of these production licences will trigger the immediate work programme ... for production of petroleum in Uganda." Total, Tullow, and China's CNOOC jointly own Uganda's fields and the Chinese firm was the first to be granted a production licence in 2013. The licences offered on Tuesday are valid for 25 years and can be renewed for an additional five years. Tullow and Total are required to make final investment decisions 18 months after receiving the licences and Muloni said commercial oil production was expected to begin in 2020. When production from all the nine licensed areas starts, output would be between 200,000-230,000 barrels per day, Muloni said. Uganda wants to build a $2.5 billion refinery to process its crude so it can earn more from its oil resources, which it discovered in 2006. Efforts to secure a private developer and operator of the facility are underway. The domestic refinery, aimed at processing 60,000 barrels per day, will reserve the right of priority access to the Ugandan crude and the remainder will be exported via a crude pipeline to the Indian Ocean port of Tanga. Tullow and Total are expected to invest a combined $8 billion in infrastructure required to support oil production, including drilling 500 wells and erecting central processing facilities and feeder pipelines. Uganda has 6.5 billion barrels worth of reserves in its fields located near its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to estimates by government geologists. (Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by George Obulutsa and Mark Potter)
LONDON (Reuters) - The British government has no legal obligation to consult parliament on triggering the formal divorce procedure with the European Union, but lawmakers will have a say, a spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday. May has said she will not invoke Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, beginning the formal two-year process for leaving the bloc, before the end of the year to allow the government time to prepare an exit strategy. Some opponents of Brexit say that since the EU referendum result is not legally binding, elected lawmakers should review the vote before the process is started but the government has insisted the prime minister has the power to trigger an exit. On Saturday the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported May would not hold a parliamentary vote before invoking Article 50. "The will of the people must be respected and it must be implemented ... There is no legal obligation to consult parliament on triggering Article 50 - that position has been well set out," the spokesman told reporters, adding that parliament had overwhelmingly backed holding the EU referendum. "Parliament will be involved, it will have a say, opinions will be aired." London law firm Mishcon de Reya has begun legal action to demand the British government win legislative approval from parliament before triggering Article 50. A hearing is scheduled in mid-October. The investment manager behind the legal challenge has said many British voters were fooled into backing Brexit without realizing there was no credible plan. (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; editing by Stephen Addison)
(This Aug. 26 story corrects paragraph 5 to remove reference to Costa and Eat being Restaurant Group's brands)

(Reuters) - Britain's Restaurant Group will sell or close 33 outlets, it announced on Friday, sending shares in the operator of Frankie and Benny's and other brands up more than seven percent.

The company is making changes after issuing two profit warnings and removing its CEO and CFO this year.

"We scored a lot of own goals over last three years," Chairman Debbie Hewitt said on a call with journalists. "We can fix those."

It will sell or close 33 underperforming stores and make other changes, including repricing and adding back some popular dishes to the menus at its Frankie & Benny's outlets.

Restaurant Group's other brands include Garfunkel's, Chiquito, Coast to Coast, Brunning & Price and Joe's Kitchen.

It said the 33 underperforming sites comprised 14 Frankie and Benny's outlets, 11 Chiquito restaurants and eight at its other brands

The company, which operates more than 500 restaurants in Britain, has faced increased competition from pubs and restaurant chains and lowering footfall in retail parks where most of its restaurants are located.

Hewitt said the second phase of Restaurant Group's strategic review would focus on its pub business, TRG Concessions.

Operating profit fell 4.4 percent to 37.5 million pounds on revenue up 3.4 percent to 358.7 million for the 27 weeks to July 3.

The group said it would take an exceptional charge of 59.1 million pounds for the period from the prospective site closures and 29 site asset value impairments.

Shares in Restaurant Group, which maintained its full-year profit forecast, hit a high of 437 pence and were trading at 422p, up 3.7 percent, at 1207 GMT.

Hewitt said consumer demand had not been hit by Britain's decision to leave the European Union and that she did not expect that to change.

British retailers reported their strongest sales in six months in August, industry figures showed on Thursday.

(Reporting by Rahul B and Esha Vaish in Bengaluru; editing by Jason Neely)
Geneva (AFP) - The UN on Tuesday welcomed a decision by France's highest administrative court to suspend a controversial ban on burkini swimwear, warning that the ban had fuelled religious intolerance and stigmatisation.

"These decrees do not improve the security situation but rather fuel religious intolerance and the stigmatisation of Muslims in France, especially women," Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN rights office, told reporters.

"Dress codes such as the anti-burkini decrees disproportionately affect women and girls, undermining their autonomy by denying them the ability to make independent decisions about how to dress, and clearly discriminate against them," he said.

He also decried that "the manner in which the anti-burkini decrees have been implemented in some French resorts has been humiliating and degrading."

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.

The bans come in the wake of a string of Islamist attacks to hit France over the past 18 months, which have raised questions over security failures and resulted in a spike in Islamophobia.

Colville said the UN rights office welcomed the ruling affecting the seaside town of Villeneuve-Loubet, urging authorities in other French seaside towns and resorts that had adopted similar bans "to repeal them immediately."

He stressed that the bans would do nothing to make people safer.

"Clearly, individuals wearing burkinis, or any other form of clothing for that matter, cannot be blamed for the violent or hostile reactions of others," he said.

He warned that "by stimulating polarisation between communities, these clothing bans have only succeeded in increasing tensions ... (and may) undermine the effort to fight and prevent violent extremism."

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Colville pointed out that according to international human rights standards, "limitations on manifestations of religion or belief, including choice of clothing, are only permitted in very limited circumstances, including public safety, public order, and public health or morals."

Such measures, he said, "must be appropriate, necessary, and proportionate."

"Gender equality cannot be achieved by restricting individual freedoms including by policing what individual women choose to wear," he said.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - A confidential UN document accuses Morocco and the Polisario Front of ceasefire violations in Western Sahara after they sent security forces and fighters into a buffer zone.

The document sent to the Security Council this week states that Morocco carried out an operation between August 16 and 25 in which armed security personnel were deployed beyond the berm delimiting the buffer zone in the southern Guerguerat region.

On Sunday, the UN mission known as MINURSO said it had spotted in the buffer zone about 32 fighters from the Polisario Front, which is campaigning for the independence of Western Sahara.

MINURSO also said about 10 Moroccan gendarmes were in the area and both sides were notified that the incursions were in violation of the ceasefire, according to the document seen by AFP on Tuesday.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday urged Morocco and the Polisario to withdraw soldiers and fighters from the buffer strip and to "suspend any action that alters that status quo."

MINURSO has set up a patrol near the tense area to monitor the situation.

MINURSO was established in 1991 after a ceasefire ended a war that broke out when Morocco sent troops to the former Spanish territory in 1975 and fought Sahrawi rebels of the Polisario Front.

The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, declared by the Polisario in 1976, is a full member of the African Union.

Morocco maintains that Western Sahara is an integral part of the kingdom despite UN resolutions that task MINURSO with organizing 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.

In March, Rabat expelled dozens of UN personnel in angry retaliation and only about 25 have been allowed since to return to MINURSO.
Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi cyber experts held urgent talks on Tuesday after government facilities were hacked, official media reported.

The cyber attacks "in recent weeks targeted government institutions and vital installations in the kingdom," the Saudi Press Agency reported, without identifying the targeted agencies.

It said the kingdom's Cybersecurity Centre "held an urgent workshop with a number of parties" to discuss the results of its investigations.

The attacks originated abroad and subjected users' accounts to viruses which spy on information, it said.

Experts outlined how the attacks occurred and presented "necessary procedures to fix and to protect those sites", Saudi Press Agency said.

It gave no indication as to the source of the hacking.

In June a major Saudi newspaper said hackers briefly seized control of its website to publish false information.

Four years ago, a damaging malware assault hit the state oil company Saudi Aramco. US intelligence officials believed it was linked to Iran.
(Adds details on threats to universities, CHICAGO dateline)

By Timothy Mclaughlin

CHICAGO, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture has closed six offices in five states after receiving anonymous threats, a USDA spokesman said on Tuesday, and police were investigating similar threats to faculty members from at least two universities in eastern states.

"Yesterday, USDA received several anonymous messages that are concerning for the safety of USDA personnel and its facilities. As a precaution, USDA has closed offices," department spokesman Matthew Herrick said.

One email message was sent to multiple employees at offices in Fort Collins, Colorado; Hamden, Connecticut; Beltsville, Maryland; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Kearneysville and Leetown, West Virginia, Herrick said.

The agency was working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement agencies to determine whether the threat was credible, Herrick said.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the USDA was working with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure the safety of the agency's offices and personnel, but he declined to provide any details about the threats.

"In consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, USDA has taken some prudent steps to ensure the protection of their facilities and their personnel," Earnest told a news conference.

In West Virginia, Jefferson County Sheriff Pete Dougherty said by telephone that his office was notified of the threat on Monday by a USDA employee in the Kearneysville facility, located in the northeastern part of the state.

"It's a threat to do harm to people at the facility until the police arrive. They were going to break into the building," Dougherty said by telephone.

Dougherty said the emailed threat did not name the facility specifically, and was similar to, or the same as, electronic threats sent to other facilities.

In Colorado, an employee working at the United States Geological Survey's offices in Fort Collins, located in the same compound as the USDA building, said the offices were evacuated at around 8:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday by building security.

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"They (security officers) were checking to make sure everyone was out and told us to leave," the employee said.

A number of other universities were threatened this week, school officials said.

"Along with individuals at other universities and the USDA, two faculty members at NC State received an email that included a general, unconfirmed threat to campus," the school said in a statement.

Police at NC State said they determined that several dozen individuals at Virginia Tech University, in Blacksburg, Virginia, received the same email threat on Monday.

Virginia Tech's police chief, Kevin Foust, said in a statement that "other schools have also received cyber-threats," and that the campus was operating normally.

(Reporting by Tim Ahmann in Washington, P.J. Huffstutter and Timothy McLaughlin in Chicago, and Eric M. Johnson in Seattle, writing by Michael Hirtzer; editing by Matthew Lewis and G Crosse)
By Timothy Mclaughlin

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture has closed six offices in five states after receiving anonymous threats, a USDA spokesman said on Tuesday, and police were investigating similar threats to faculty members from at least two universities in eastern states.

"Yesterday, USDA received several anonymous messages that are concerning for the safety of USDA personnel and its facilities. As a precaution, USDA has closed offices," department spokesman Matthew Herrick said.

One email message was sent to multiple employees at offices in Fort Collins, Colorado; Hamden, Connecticut; Beltsville, Maryland; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Kearneysville and Leetown, West Virginia, Herrick said.

The agency was working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement agencies to determine whether the threat was credible, Herrick said.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the USDA was working with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure the safety of the agency's offices and personnel, but he declined to provide any details about the threats.

"In consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, USDA has taken some prudent steps to ensure the protection of their facilities and their personnel," Earnest told a news conference.

In West Virginia, Jefferson County Sheriff Pete Dougherty said by telephone that his office was notified of the threat on Monday by a USDA employee in the Kearneysville facility, located in the northeastern part of the state.

"It's a threat to do harm to people at the facility until the police arrive. They were going to break into the building," Dougherty said by telephone.

Dougherty said the emailed threat did not name the facility specifically, and was similar to, or the same as, electronic threats sent to other facilities.

In Colorado, an employee working at the United States Geological Survey's offices in Fort Collins, located in the same compound as the USDA building, said the offices were evacuated at around 8:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday by building security.

Story continues

"They (security officers) were checking to make sure everyone was out and told us to leave," the employee said.

A number of other universities were threatened this week, school officials said.

"Along with individuals at other universities and the USDA, two faculty members at NC State received an email that included a general, unconfirmed threat to campus," the school said in a statement.

Police at NC State said they determined that several dozen individuals at Virginia Tech University, in Blacksburg, Virginia, received the same email threat on Monday.

Virginia Tech's police chief, Kevin Foust, said in a statement that "other schools have also received cyber-threats," and that the campus was operating normally.

(Reporting by Tim Ahmann in Washington, P.J. Huffstutter and Timothy McLaughlin in Chicago, and Eric M. Johnson in Seattle, writing by Michael Hirtzer; editing by Matthew Lewis and G Crosse)
Moscow (AFP) - Ex-Soviet nation Uzbekistan has plunged into unchartered territory after strongman leader Islam Karimov, who has dominated the country for over 25 years, was rushed into intensive care with a brain haemorrhage.

While conflicting rumours of Karimov's condition buzz through the Central Asian nation, one thing is sure -- the strategic country is facing a moment of uncertainty unparallelled in its post-Soviet history.

"The developments are unprecedented," Steve Swerdlow, Central Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch, told AFP.

"The entire state has been Islam Karimov, Islam Karimov has been the state for over quarter of a century ruling with an iron fist."

Former Soviet apparatchik Karimov, 78, whose brutal crackdown on dissent has been widely criticised by rights groups, has been at the helm of the strategic country bordering Afghanistan from since before it gained independence from Moscow in 1991.

His younger daughter Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva announced on social media Monday that he was in a "stable" condition in hospital after suffering a cerebral haemorrhage over the weekend.

Since then the authorities in the tightly-controlled state have released no further official statement on his health.

- 'No one knows' -

While there has been no confirmation of Karimov's latest condition and he could in theory stage a recovery, the gravity of his illness has left many in the country now facing up to the prospect of life without the only ruler they have ever known.

"Uzbeks have known for a long time that that moment would arrive, so no one would be surprised, but no one knows what will happen next," said Scott Radnitz, an associate professor at the University of Washington told AFP.

Despite being dogged by persistent health rumours, Karimov lacks a clear successor after being re-elected to a fifth term in 2015 with more than 90 percent of the vote. The country has never held an election judged free and fair by international monitors.

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"There are two questions now: First, is there a plan for succession we don't know about? Second, even if there is, will the principals stick to it?" Radnitz said.

In theory the head of the senate should step in if Karimov dies or is incapable of ruling, but analysts dismissed him as a water-carrier.

Instead those tipped to take over more long term in the case of Karimov's long illness or death include Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Azimov, Kamoliddin Rabbimov, an independent Uzbek political analyst based in France, told AFP.

"I think in the corridors of power they have already started fighting," Rabbimov said, while predicting the elite will be keen to ensure the transition is "more or less stable."

"On the one hand the political elite is fighting each other and regrouping but on the other, they understand they need to keep control of the country. They have gained massive wealth under Karimov."

Critics accuse Karimov of ruthlessly eviscerating all opposition in the cotton-rich country -- most prominently with the alleged massacre of hundreds of protesters in the city of Andijan in 2005.

But the veteran operator has managed to play Russia, the West and China off against each other to keep his regime from total isolation.

Swerdlow from Human Rights Watch said that while "certainly we could get more of the same or we could get even worse" in terms of human rights from any new leadership, this was a moment for "maximum leverage" from the West for Uzbekistan to clean up its act.

"The fear is that in order to avoid any future leader of Uzbekistan running closely into the embrace of the Kremlin they'll need to reserve their criticism," Swerdlow said.

"The truth is if Western diplomats are looking at this objectively is that Uzbekistan has always charted a course away or independent of Moscow and will likely continue to do so."
Caracas (AFP) - Venezuela on Tuesday was set to expel a crew of Al Jazeera journalists who were intending to cover an opposition march against President Nicolas Maduro, the country's union of journalists said.

With Venezuela in the throes of severe economic and political crises, the opposition has called for a march on Caracas on Thursday to press its constitutionally sanctioned demand for a referendum to remove Maduro.

The authorities detained three employees of the Qatar-based channel when they arrived Monday at Maiquetia international airport outside Caracas, the National Union of Press Workers (SNTP) said on Twitter.

"Teresa Bo, correspondent, Lagmi Chavez, producer, and a cameraman (from) @AlJazeera were detained in Maiquetia," the SNTP tweeted, saying their equipment was confiscated.

The cameraman was named in local media reports as Mariano Rosendi.

The journalists travelled from Argentina but are to be deported to Colombia, the SNTP added.

Media rights groups frequently criticize Venezuela for violating the freedom of the press. One local group, Espacio Publico, registered 286 incidents last year, mainly in the form of intimidation and harassment.

Reporters Without Borders ranked the country 137th out of 180 last year on its worldwide press freedom index.
Montevideo (AFP) - A former Guantanamo Bay inmate who was resettled in Uruguay and then arrested in Venezuela after going missing has been sent back to Uruguay, officials said Tuesday.

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 the radar in Uruguay then traveling to Venezuela, apparently evading border control.

His lawyer, who was denied access to him, had said Diyab had launched a hunger strike to protest his looming deportation to Uruguay.

Diyab and five other ex-Guantanamo inmates resettled along with him have had a running dispute with the Uruguayan government over housing, living allowances and other conditions of their resettlement.

Uruguayan Foreign Minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa said Diyab was undergoing health checks at a hospital in the capital Montevideo and appeared to be well.

"He was even eating on the plane," he told journalists.

"He will surely get the all-clear (from doctors), because he does not have any medical issues."

Nin Novoa earlier this month called Diyab an "ingrate" for trying to leave Uruguay.

Diyab had shown up at the Uruguayan consulate in Caracas asking to be taken to his family in Turkey.

Uruguayan officials say Turkey has refused to allow him entry, but they are trying to arrange for his family to be relocated to Uruguay.

The six ex-Guantanamo detainees were resettled in Uruguay as part of US President Barack Obama's effort to fulfill his long-delayed promise to close the prison set up in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

Accused of terrorist links, the men -- four Syrians, a Palestinian and a Tunisian -- were never charged or tried. They had been cleared for release but could not be sent to their home countries because of unrest there.
While most major festivals still struggle to represent adequate gender diversity in their lineups (the Venice Film Festival has only two female directors, out of 21 participants, in competition), Venice Days, the fest's independent sidebar, has an incredible seven films in its lineup directed by women.

As with the Locarno Film Festival just to the north, which this year also saw a healthy representation across both genders, the lineup focuses on many new voices - rather than relying on the old voices of cinema - with seven films represented by first-timers.

Both the opening- and closing-night films show two very different faces of contemporary war from female voices: Syrian Obaidah Zytoon's The War Show follows the civil war in her home country, and Italian Paola Piacenza's The War Within follows the hellscape of abducted Italian journalist Domenico Quirico.

In other highlights, Valerie Muller teamed up with famed choreographer Angelin Preljocaj for Polina, the story of a talented young ballerina who pursues her passions from the Bolshoi to France to Belgium. The dance sequences alone may give Black Swan a run for its money.

Amanda Kernell's Sameblod explores racism against the Sami people, the only group indigenous to Scandinavia. Elle is a 14-year-old reindeer breeder who longs for a different life away from her culture. In Quit Staring at My Plate, Hana Jusic explores the sexual and social explorations of a young girl after she is is forced to take care of her family, who all live on top of each other inside a tiny apartment.

In addition to the strong representation of female directors, there is a a strong theme of female-focused films, including the visually stunning third feature of Edoardo De Angelis, Indivisible, which follows the singing conjoined twins Daisy and Violet in the south of Italy. One longs to separate while the other can't imagine a life apart from her sister.

Venice Days has again teamed up with Miu Miu, which has used the festival throughout the years as a platform to promote female filmmakers through short films (often with some product placement thrown in for good measure). This year, Naomi Kawase (Still the Water) and Crystal Moselle (The Wolfpack) will unveil new shorts for the festival audience.

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Venice Days director Giorgio Gosetti doesn't blame his colleagues for the seeming preference toward male directors in Cannes, Berlin or Venice, but simply blames it on the "sexist world" we live in. He reaffirms that he doesn't choose his lineup based on diversity, but it's a very happy coincidence when the lineup comes out so diverse. THR spoke with Gosetti on the eve of the festival about how the programming came together and what he's particularly looking forward to.

How did it come to be that you have so many female directors in the lineup?

To be honest, we didn't discover it until the final rush of our selection. I don't really want to know a lot about the films and their directors before the first screening. And I'm not convinced that there is every time a distinguished female path in the way a story is told. For sure it is possible to find a different approach and style, but every artist is a single personality instead of a single gender. But at the end of the day now I'm very happy of the final choice and proud to encourage feminine creativity in Venice Days.

Read more: Venice Film Festival: Where to Eat, Play and Stay in the Italian City

Venice Days has always had a focus on female directors with Miu Miu Women's Tales. Is this a mission of the programming, to highlight female directors?

When we started the Women's Tales experience four years ago, it seemed to us crucial to underline how vital and creative is the feminine creativity in cinema; even on the artistic basis or on the professional one. So we decided together with Miu Miu to host every year a couple of short films specially conceived by great and promising women directors (this time it is a special honor to receive Naomi Kawase) and to dedicate a couple of days to discuss with different protagonists of the cinematic planet their own approach and story.

The major film festivals - Cannes, Berlin and even Venice - have been criticized for their lack of female directors. Why do you think this is?

I don't think that my colleagues have a sort of prejudice against women. It is real that in the past it was more difficult to find good female directors and that we still live in a sexist world. It is also true that Venice Days show a special sensibility in this matter, but in the end it is also a stroke of luck: You can select if the artists come to you. We are happy enough because of the attention of women directors toward us.

Do you think the trend is reversing? That women will be more accepted into the lineups of major international film festivals?

Definitively, yes.

What do you think is most necessary to have more diversity in programming lineups?

I'm not so fond about the political correctness when you have to deal with an artistic selection: You have to see movies and make your choice because of your personal idea about a program and about art. Diversity is a very actual subject and so you have to face it in your choices but you can't compose your selection because of diversity. Nevertheless we will have a special panel on this subject during the festival, which shows our attention to the theme.

Read more: Locarno Film Fest Finds Voice With Female-Centered Lineup
Kicking in its Venice business, Germanys The Match Factory, often one of the most active sales on the Lido, has licensed Rama Burshteins Through the Wall for Italy to vet Valerio de Paolis new distribution house Cinema SRL.

Through the Wall, Burshteins second feature, is sparking expectation after her debut, Fill the Void, written under the acknowledged influence of Jane Austen, broke out at the 2012 Venice Festival to rave reviews.

With Fill the Void, Rama Burshteins impressive debut, theres so much skill on display that auds disinclined to look kindly on pics presenting marriage as a womans ultimate goal will struggle to find technical faults, Variety reported.

In Through the Wall, Burshtein, a formerly secular Jew who joined the Haredim, returns to the world of an Orthodox Jewish family in Tel Aviv. Its story turns on a 32-year-old woman. Machal, who has set a date for her wedding  on the 8th candle of Hanuka. She has her dress and the venue; God should not have too much trouble in finding me a groom, she declares. But God and Machal are on a rather tight deadline, and Machals frantic dating and matchmaking has come to nothing.

We are happy to continue our long-term relationship with Valerio de Paolis said Michael Weber, The Match Factory managing director.

He added: Its an honour to be part of the slate of his recently founded company Cinema s.r.l. which will be the perfect home for Rama Burshteins heartwarming comedy-drama.

De Paolis said: We are delighted for several reasons: Firstly, continuing our relationship with Michael and The Match Factory, which has given us many successful movies over the years, is a pleasure,

And second, he added: We have this wonderful movie from Rama, which is great as a series of unfortunate events meant that we missed out on her first film, which showcased her talent. We are confident that her keen sense of observation and delightful characterisation will appeal to the Italian audience.

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Through the Wall re-teams The Match Factory and producer Assaf Amir, at Israels Norma Productions. Norma Productions Distribution will release the dramedy in Israel on Oct. 27.

Just as with the U.S. for mainstream independent titles and France throughout the year on arthouse fare, the caliber and quality of a films Italian distributor and whether it snags a sale to Italy before or at the festival are early signs of a films larger market potential as a movie heads to Toronto.

Launched by De Paolis in 2014, though it acquires largely European dramas, the Rome-based Cinema SRLs movie pickups for Italy range from high-profile crossovers such as Suffragette to the more upscale mainstream (The People vs. Fritz Bauer), straight-arrow auteur films (Naomi Kawasis An) and re-issues (An American in Paris).

Related stories

Venice: Still Moving Acquires Ala Eddine Slim's 'The Last of Us' (EXCLUSIVE)

Venice Film Festival Cancels Opening Gala Following Italy Earthquake

Watch: Trailer for Venice Film Festival's 'Quit Staring at my Plate' Bows (EXCLUSIVE)
SPRINGFIELD, VA / ACCESSWIRE / August 30, 2016 / Versar, Inc. (NYSE MKT: VSR) announced today that the General Services Administration has awarded the Company a Task Order to provide the U.S. Army Reserve 88th Regional Support Command (RSC) with Operations, Plans, Engineering and Environmental Technical Support. Versar's Professional Services Group (PSG) will perform these varied and sophisticated services across the 88th RSC's vast 19 state area of responsibility. The task order has a five-year period of performance and is valued at an estimated $37 million.

Tony Otten, Chief Executive Officer of Versar, commented that: "This is another great win for Versar, especially for PSG. We are proud to have contributed to the successful operations of the 88th RSC for the last ten years and look forward to continuing this support for many years to come."



VERSAR, INC., headquartered in Springfield, Virginia, is a publicly-traded global project management company providing sustainable value oriented solutions to government and commercial clients in the construction management, environmental services, and professional services market areas.

VERSAR operates the following websites: www.versar.com and www.versarpps.com.

Find out more about VERSAR at



https://twitter.com/VersarInc

https://www.facebook.com/VersarInc

http://www.linkedin.com/company/38251

This news release contains forward-looking information. The forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be significantly impacted by certain risks and uncertainties described herein and in Versar's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the fiscal year ended June 26, 2015, as updated from time to time in the Company's periodic filings. The forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and Versar does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements.

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Contact:

Karin Weber

M&A, Investor Relations Manager

Versar, Inc.

(703) 642-6706

kweber@versar.com

Robert Ferri

Robert Ferri Partners

(415) 575-1589

robert.ferri@robertferri.com

SOURCE: Versar, Inc.
By David Schwartz

PHOENIX (Reuters) - The Arizona sheriff famous for his tough stance on illegal immigration and keeping jail inmates in tents faces a primary challenge from three fellow Republicans on Tuesday and a difficult race for re-election in November.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who is seeking election to a seventh term as the top lawman for the area around Phoenix, is up against ex-police chief and three-time opponent Dan Saban and two others in the Republican primary.

Arpaio, 84, was expected to win despite a judges request that criminal contempt charges be brought against him stemming from a 2007 racial profiling case where he was found to have violated the constitutional rights of Latino motorists.

The investigation and possible prosecution was turned over to the U.S. Justice Department last week. It was not clear when a decision would be made.

Arizona pollster Mike O'Neil predicted that Arpaio would win the primary even with the possibility of a contempt charge hanging over him.

ONeil said the primary is well-suited for Arpaio, with his core of Republican support, known for turning out in large numbers.

Arpaio, who styles himself as Americas toughest sheriff, said he expects to prevail at the polls and win against any prosecution efforts.

But Saban, his main Republican opposition, said it is time to retire the longtime incumbent after his latest legal troubles.

Saban has called on Arpaio to resign, saying the sheriff has soiled his badge and made himself ineffective as a lawman.

Arpaio, along with three others, could face incarceration and fines if convicted of any criminal charges. Arpaio and his second-in-command, Gerard Sheridan, already have been cited and admitted to civil contempt.

The charges center on unlawful traffic stops and detentions by deputies of Latino drivers for 18 months after the judge ordered them to cease.

Opponents also have targeted the profiling lawsuits high cost to the county, which will have spent an estimated $54 million on the case by next summer.

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Also on the Republican primary ballot are Wayne Baker, a retired deputy sheriff, and Marsha Ann Hill, an ex-sheriffs volunteer.

The primary winner will go against Democrat Paul Penzone, who is unopposed in his party's primary. Penzone, a former Phoenix police officer who is expected to present a tough challenge to Arpaio in November, lost to the longtime sheriff in 2012 by six percentage points.

(Editing by Sharon Bernstein and Bill Rigby)
A teen who was sexually assaulted at a prestigious New Hampshire prep school made national headlines has identified herself, two years after her world was turned upside down.

Chessy Prout was just 15 when she accused Owen Labrie of rape following the so-called "Senior Salute" at St. Paul's School in Concord in 2014.

Read: Birthday Memorial Planned for Girl Cops Say Was Brutally Raped, Murdered as Mother Watched

On Tuesday, Prout revealed herself to the world on NBC's TODAY show.

"I want everyone to know that I am not afraid or ashamed anymore, and I never should have been,'' Prout told Savannah Guthrie.

Prout said she met with Labrie on a campus rooftop after he approached her via email for the "Senior Salute," a campus "tradition" designed to pair seniors with underage students. The encounter began with consensual kissing before she claims it escalated into rape.

A jury found Labrie not guilty of felony rape. He was convicted in 2015 of misdemeanor counts of sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

"It's been two years now since the whole ordeal, and I feel ready to stand up and own what happened to me and make sure other people, other girls and boys, don't need to be ashamed, either,'' Prout said.

As Labrie, now 20, remains out on bail pending appeal, Prout told TODAY that she hopes he gets help.

"I hope he learns,'' Prout said. "And that's all I can ever hope for in any sort of process like this. Because if he doesn't learn, he will do it to another young woman."

Read: 3 Boys Found Butchered to Death in Home, Mom Eyed as Suspect: 'An Absolutely Horrific Scene'

Meanwhile, Prout's family is geared up for a legal fight against St. Paul's School, which they say failed to protect their daughter.

In response to the civil suit filed in June, St. Paul's School said the following:

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"As was the case when the survivor was a student here and subsequently, the School admires her courage and condemns unkind behavior toward her. We feel deeply for her and her family. We have always placed the safety and well-being of our students first and are confident that the environment and culture of the school have supported that.

"We categorically deny that there ever existed at the School a culture or tradition of sexual assault. However, theres no denying the survivors experience caused us to look anew at the culture and environment. This fresh look has brought about positive changes at the School."

Watch: Why Stanford University Students Showed Solidarity to Rape Victim at Graduation

Related Articles:
Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang warned on Tuesday there would be no winners in any armed conflict sparked by territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Quang, who is on a state visit to Singapore, told a forum that recent developments there were threatening regional security.

The Vietnamese leader did not mention any country but there is growing unease over China's actions.

China claims most of the South China Sea. It has reclaimed reefs and built airstrips capable of hosting military equipment, sparking anger from competing claimants led by Vietnam and the Philippines.

"The South China Sea, located at the heart of Southeast Asia, not only brings about many important benefits to nations in the region but it is also a vital route to maritime and air transport of the world," Quang said.

But "recent worrying developments" there "have had a negative impact on the security environment of the region, especially maritime security and safety, freedom of navigation and overflight".

"And should we allow instability to take place, especially in the case of armed conflicts, there will be neither winners or losers but rather all will lose," he warned.

Tran was speaking to diplomats, academics and students at a forum organised by the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute.

Four Southeast Asian states -- Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam -- as well as Taiwan have competing claims in the sea.

Vietnam has been among the most vocal critics of China's blanket territorial claims. In 2014 China moved a controversial oil rig into contested territory, prompting riots in Vietnam.

China's activities in the sea have also drawn criticism from the United States, which says it seeks to ensure freedom of navigation in the waterway through which $5 trillion in annual global trade passes.

The sea row has also driven a wedge between members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which has failed to forge a unified front against Beijing's actions.

Last month the Philippines won a case against China at a UN-backed tribunal in the Hague which rejected Beiijing's claims to most of the sea.

China boycotted the hearing and has refused to recognise the ruling.
A man named Vladimir Putin has been arrested in Florida.

No, not Russian President and Donald Trump bro Vladimir Putin. Instead, a West Palm Beach man who shares Putins name was arrested for screaming at employees at a Publix supermarket.

According to police reports, Putin was busted on Aug. 21, and local news indicates he was in court Monday to face a charge of resisting/obstructing officer without violence.

What makes the incident all the more curious is that Putin was born, according to his arrest record, in 1968, well before the Russian strongman rose to the public stage. Only in Florida, I guess.

Twitter, of course, is having fun with the incident. Below are some of the better messages circulating the Twitter-verse.

Vladimir Putin arrested at Florida supermarket. Seriously. https://t.co/guxsUKK2I8  Lukas I. Alpert (@lalpert1) August 30, 2016

.@realDonaldTrump Do you or your campaign have an official statement about Vladimir Putin being arrested at Publix?  Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) August 30, 2016

BREAKING: Vladimir Putin has been arrested. pic.twitter.com/PVu1FJNc6Z  Eric Hoteham (@erichoteham) August 30, 2016

Photo credit: LINTAO ZHANG/Getty Images
On Aug. 16, Russian bombers took off from Shahid Nojeh air base near the Iranian city of Hamadan reportedly to bomb Islamic State targets in Syria. The fact that the Russian air force had based planes inside Iran was not only a surprise to American diplomats  it was news to many Iranian officials as well. While State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the Russian action may have violated a U.N. Security Council resolution, 20 Iranian legislators demanded a closed session of parliament to discuss why Iran had allowed foreign forces to base themselves in the country for the first time since World War II.

Against the backdrop of outrage in Tehran, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan accused Moscow of ungentlemanly behavior in publicizing Russias use of the base, denied reports citing Russian officials that Moscow and Tehran had signed an agreement for Russia to use the base, and announced that Iran would no longer allow Russian bombers to fly from the airstrip. In an apparent attempt to save face, Russian Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said the Russian planes had successfully completed their mission and returned to Russia.

This may have seemed a brief hiccup in an otherwise solid alliance between Russia and Iran. But its worth remembering that its the romance, not the strife, that is the aberration. Never in the countries hundreds of years of dealing with each other have they cooperated so closely. Its Americas misfortune that Moscow and Tehran have just recently discovered that there is vast overlap in their interests in the Middle East  not least, in opposing U.S. interests there.

Convergence of interests

Russia and Iran have traditionally been suspicious of each other. Although there has been occasional cooperation, relations have usually vacillated between direct rivalry and veiled competition. At times, the two countries have descended into armed conflict: They fought two wars in the 19th century, and Russian forces occupied lands the Iranian shah considered his own in what is now Turkmenistan. After the Bolshevik Revolution, Soviet forces sponsored separatist movements, first in the northern Iranian province of Gilan on the Caspian Sea and, in the wake of World War II, in both Iranian Azerbaijan and Kurdistan. The 1946 Azerbaijan crisis  the first real crisis of the Cold War  was sparked by Soviet Premier Joseph Stalins refusal to withdraw the Red Army from Iran in 1946, where it had been stationed during World War II in order to help secure a supply route.

The seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran after the Iranian revolution might have symbolized revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeinis animosity toward the United States, but his distrust of the Soviet Union was just as deep. Neither East nor West but Islamic republic became a defining slogan of Iranian revolutionaries.

But with Khomeinis death in 1989, some Iranian officials sought to improve ties with Moscow. Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani even traveled to Moscow to explore rapprochement. By the end of the 1990s, Russia had emerged as Irans main conventional arms supplier and began assisting in its nuclear program.

When Vladimir Putin rose to power in 2000, the relationship grew even warmer. The arms trade between the two countries expanded even further, and the Kremlins diplomats vocally supported Irans nuclear program as a peaceful endeavor and worked diligently to dilute sanctions on Tehran. High-level meetings of the countries top officials are now almost routine: Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Iran in January 2015, and Putin visited in November  the first visits by Putin and a Russian defense minister in a decade. Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, have met several times since then, as have their ministers and aides. This summer, Putin called for Irans admission into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, something he had never done for any Arab state.

Anti-Western alliance

Some of the motivation for this warming of ties may have been economic, as Russian military and nuclear industries saw Iran as an increasingly lucrative market. But Moscow and Tehran have also been brought together by a growing number of shared political interests. Both countries are concerned about the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan following the U.S. withdrawal. Both fear the rise of Sunni extremism, which for Russia is connected to the historic instability in the North Caucasus region that goes back to the war with Chechnya, when Moscows abusive policies radicalized what began as a secular separatist struggle. Russia and Iran also see possibilities for growing cooperation in Eurasia; for example, three years ago, Russian and Iranian officials discussed the idea of Tehran joining the Moscow-led Customs Union, which aims to counterbalance the European Union.

The Syrian crisis has taken Russia-Iran cooperation to new heights. The war-torn country has become the perfect place for both regimes to check U.S. influence in the Middle East and expand their own power in the region. Putin especially wants to promote himself as a great world leader and cynically uses talk of anti-terrorism cooperation in Syria to advance this goal, even as he failed to target the Islamic State with any consistency and in some cases may even have strengthened it.

From Putins paranoid perspective, support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is the same as supporting his own grip on power. The Russian president believes that the West orchestrated the color revolutions in Eastern Europe and other anti-regime protests in the Middle East and Russia. If he does not reduce Western influence, he believes, the West will oust him. Iran also needs Moscows help to prop up its client and wants to obtain more Russian weapons.

Putin says he is friends with everyone in the Middle East, but, in reality, his policies favor the Shiite axis in the region. Russian experts and officials claim that Iran is a potentially secular force to counter Sunni Islamists. Indeed, Moscow has designated the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic State as terrorist organizations  but not the Shiite Islamist Hezbollah. Meanwhile, the Russian media trumpet the countrys alliance with Iran and the public acknowledgment of Russian forces based there.

Putin is a cynical pragmatist. Even as he courts Iran and the Syrian regime, for example, he has also worked to improve relations with Turkey and Israel. Yet the Middle Easts Shiite powers tend to be more anti-Western than the Sunni bloc  an alliance with them aligns with Putins goal of countering the West and positioning himself as the leader of a great power.

Damage to U.S. interests

Irans decision to cut off Russias use of Shahid Nojeh air base was most likely due to a domestic political backlash. In any case, the anger was not about Moscows use of the base, but about Russias decision to publicize it.

Moscow and Tehran are therefore likely to continue cooperation. Theirs is an alliance of dictatorships, and dictators can put their differences aside when it suits their interests.

Still, this doesnt mean their alliance is built to last. Putin may think he can continue to successfully balance the Arab worlds rival Sunni and Shiite powers on one hand and Iran and Israel on the other, but the Middle East is volatile and unpredictable. Iranian officials cynicism that Putin will throw Tehran under the bus when it suits his short-term interests and anti-Russian sentiments among ordinary Iranians will continue to undercut long-term ties.

But a short-term alliance can do long-term damage to U.S. interests, and tactical victories can add up to a strategy. U.S. and European officials should neither underestimate Putins Middle Eastern ambitions nor the challenges that his growing anti-Western alliance in the region presents.

Alexey Filippov / Host Photo Agency/Ria Novosti via Getty Images
(Instagram/trentinireal) (Instagram/trentinireal)

While most were focused on the controversial Paralympics spread in the recent September issue of Vogue Brazil, another controversy was taking place right on the cover of the magazine.

In a spread by photographer Zee Nunes, Brazilian fashion model (and mom of two) Carol Trentini was shown breastfeeding her newest son while wearing a loosely tied trench coat. Inside, a spread featured a then-pregnant Trentini posing with her other son in stunning couture. Its one of the first times such daring (and beautiful) images of motherhood have been featured in the magazine.

While many new moms might argue this isnt exactly an accurate depiction of what its like to be a new mom, the fact that the magazine is recognizing pregnancy and breastfeeding as something fashionable is a big step forward.

Click through the gallery to see images from the issue and let us know your thoughts by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA.
SEOUL (Reuters) - Volkswagen <VOWG_p.DE> decided against suing South Korea which last month suspended sales of most of its models and slapped a fine of 17.8 billion won ($15.93 million) on the German carmaker.

Instead, Volkswagen will try to achieve certification for the affected models and resume sales quickly rather than taking on a lengthy legal process, a spokesman for Volkswagen's South Korean unit said.

Last month, the government revoked certification for 80 model variants of VW, Audi and Bentley vehicles on grounds that the German automaker fabricated certificates of vehicle emissions and noise-levels.

At that time, Volkswagen described the ruling as "most severe" and said it would consider a legal challenge.

Volkswagen's sales slumped 40 percent to 12,888 vehicles from January to July in South Korea, after jumping 17 percent last year, in the wake of its emissions-test cheating scandal.

Nissan Motor's <7201.T> South Korean unit has filed a lawsuit over claims by the environment ministry that it had cheated on emissions with its Qashqai diesel sport utility vehicle.

($1 = 1,117.7000 won)

(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Stephen Coates)
By Ben Gruber SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A California startup has developed a portable technology that will allow consumers to test their food for gluten on the go. "Even when you go out and see these labeled menu items, you are still playing Russian roulette," said Shireen Yates, co-founder and chief executive of NIMA, which was founded in 2013. Designed in San Francisco by a team from MIT, Stanford, Google and Nike, NIMA can analyze any type of food or beverage for gluten down to 20 parts per million, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classification for gluten-free products. "There is still cross contamination, there is miscommunication, you just never know," Yates added. An estimated 15 million people in the United States have some form of food allergy or sensitivity, a statistic that is on the rise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Users of the device are instructed to fill a disposable cartridge with a pea-sized sample of food and then load it into the device, which is about half the size of a smartphone. Roughly two minutes later, after the device measures the chemical reaction between antibody proteins and gluten, the screen will display a happy face if no gluten was detected. Conversely, a wheat icon and text that reads "gluten found" will appear if any gluten is detected. According to Yates, the antibodies bind to the presence of gluten if it is present in the sample, triggering a change that a sensor picks up on, Yates said. To date, the company has raised $14 million in total with the help of a $9.2 million Series A round of venture capital funding earlier this year. The funding, Yates said, will drive the company's next generation sensor, which consumers will be able to purchase as soon as 2017 if they want to detect milk and peanut allergens in their food as well. Yates is launching an iPhone application to complement the device, allowing users to share their results. The first orders of the gluten device, priced at $199, are expected to ship out to customers by the end of the year.
Today is Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) chairman and CEO Warren Buffett 's birthday. He is 87, but the best birthday present he ever received came long ago, before he made his first penny  before he was even born. It didn't come wrapped; it doesn't even take a physical form. It's called luck.

Of course Buffett's made a lot of money  for those who like playing around with numbers, like Buffett does, his fortune works out to millions of dollars per each day of his life . But even with Berkshire Hathaway shares up about 20 percent in the past year  easily outpacing the S&P 500 and sitting near an annual high  and Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), one of his shrewd post-crisis financial investments, reaching a $12 billion paper profit , some recent headlines suggest that his luck may be running out: Sempra Energy outbid master dealmaker Buffett's $9 billion offer for energy company Oncor.

But luck, or winning the "ovarian lottery," as Buffett called it, has been as instrumental as any factor in building his billionaire fortune.

Luck doesn't get the recognition it deserves as a success factor. Analysis of the traits of billionaires and the effort to uncover their secret to success tend to go granular: Do they awake at 4 a.m. ? Do they write handwritten notes from their CEO desk to everyone, even the little people? Or does success tend to circle around some new (and not necessarily improved) versions of habits already covered by the likes of Stephen Covey?

Some American billionaires and captains of industry attempt to encapsulate business brilliance in methodical form and with their own pen, such as Koch Industries' Charles Koch, who shared his market-based management approach in his book "The Science of Success."

But luck matters.

"Having the good luck to win the 'ovarian lottery' is a major determinant in success in life in general  and in business in particular," Professor David Kass told CNBC. The clinical professor of finance for the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland was the first to publish Buffett's "ovarian lottery" comments, based on notes he took at a 2013 graduate student event where Buffett spoke.

Story continues

Luck may seem like the least tangible, least controllable success factor. After all, what can one do about luck? But there's a perfect example from Buffett's business history that Kass shared with CNBC, showing how those who believe in luck are also on the lookout for luck when it delivers an opportunity into their lap:

When Buffett was a 20-year-old MBA student at Columbia University, he learned that his hero, Professor Benjamin Graham, was the Chairman of the Board of GEICO. Since Buffett was interested in anything that Graham was interested in, he took a train to Washington from New York (1950), arriving on a Saturday morning. Without calling or writing ahead of time, Buffett was very lucky that one employee was there, Lorimar Davidson, who spent four hours explaining both insurance and GEICO to Buffett. Buffett immediately grasped that GEICO would have an enduring competitive advantage. (Davidson subsequently became CEO of GEICO.) Insurance later became the primary business and building block of Berkshire Hathaway.

"Warren Buffett has stressed the importance of luck in his life, focusing not only on where he was born but also when. His primary skill of allocation of capital has worked well for him in the United States and in his lifetime," Kass said.

Michael Mauboussin, a managing director and head of global financial strategies at Credit Suisse and author of "The Success Equation," which looks at the role of skill and luck, said Buffett's example reveals something fundamental about business greatness: Positive outliers, including Buffett, "are the product of lots of skill and lots of luck ... in business dealings."

You set the rules

Buffett's view of luck is also important to how a business culture is built, as reflected in this key section from Professor Kass' notes:

"Just imagine that it is 24 hours before you are born. A genie comes and says to you in the womb, 'You look like an extraordinarily responsible, intelligent, potential human being. [You're] going to emerge in 24 hours and it is an enormous responsibility I am going to assign to you  determination of the political, economic and social system into which you are going to emerge. You set the rules, any political system, democracy, parliamentary, anything you wish  you can set the economic structure, communistic, capitalistic, set anything in motion, and I guarantee you that when you emerge, this world will exist for you, your children and grandchildren. What's the catch? One catch  just before you emerge, you have to go through a huge bucket with 7 billion slips, one for each human. Dip your hand in and that is what you get "

Lawrence A. Cunningham, Henry St. George Tucker III Research Professor of Law at George Washington University and author of several books about Buffett, including "Berkshire Beyond Buffett," said Buffett borrowed this idea from Harvard philosopher John Rawls and his canonical work, "A Theory of Justice." A just society is based on principles everyone would agree to if impartial and if starting from an original position behind a "veil of ignorance"  not knowing who they would be or which side of an argument they would be on.

Rawls' philosophical treatise on how to create a just society includes a much simpler message for those building a business on their own: "Treat everyone on your team  whether employee, customer, supplier, financier  the way you would want to be treated if you were them.  The golden rule, in a nutshell," Cunningham said.

Kass added, "For entrepreneurs who hope to have as much luck for as long as Buffett has had it, be humble about your own contributions and the contributions from others upon which you depend. Appreciating the contributions of the teachers we have had and the people before us who have assisted us is a critical attribute of luck and lasting business success."

That's a practical philosophy worth practicing every day of the year.

You can read Buffett's full quote on the nature of luck at Professor Kass' blog.

This story, originally published on August 29, 2016, has been updated to reflect Warren Buffett's performance over the past year.





More From CNBC


By Marcin Goclowski

WARSAW, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Poland's deputy prime minister is due to meet a string of banks in London this week as the country tries to boost its status as one of Europe's fastest growing financial centres and benefit from Britain's decision to leave the European Union.

Poland has already attracted a number of financial investors such as UBS, Credit Suisse, Bank of NY Mellon and HSBC, which have opened large back office operations.

It is hoping to build on that by attracting more banks, especially in areas such as risk management and IT services.

"We're not without a chance when it comes to luring interesting investors to the so-called middle office, or back office," Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told private broadcaster TVN24 on Tuesday.

"But there are also highly-paid development functions such as risk management, IT management, information management, data management. These are very important and interesting corporate functions."

Morawiecki believes Poland, which will be the biggest non euro-zone economy in the EU once Britain leaves, could be a good partner for British financial firms by offering them access to the single market.

Big financial firms London are losing faith in a quick fix to get access to the EU after Britain leaves and are drawing up contingency plans.

European heavyweights Germany and France have played down hopes of an easy deal to keep London's financial hub intact and Frankfurt, Paris, Dublin, Luxembourg, Milan and Amsterdam are vying to woo UK-based firms.

According to one government source, Morawiecki will fly to London on Wednesday evening ahead of meetings with dozens of firms, including Barclays, Credit Suisse, BNP Paribas and Citibank, as well as pension funds and hedge funds.

"There is a slight increase in financial firms' interest in moving to Poland from the City but it is still hard work to attract them as Poland is not in the euro zone. Their primary options are places like Brussels, Amsterdam," a senior government source said.

Story continues

Morawiecki will also participate in meetings Poland's biggest bank, state-run PKO BP, has organised with investment funds.

Poland is betting its relatively fast-growing economy and below-average salaries will attract new players. But investors will have to consider rising policy uncertainty as the ruling conservative Law and Justice party (PiS) moves to introduce more state control over the economy.

This month, rating agency Moody's said a constitutional crisis in Poland was threatening its relationship with the European Union and investors.

(Additional reporting by Wojciech Zurawski in Krakow; editing by David Clarke)
By David Morgan and Jason Lange

WASHINGTON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - A European Commission order requiring Apple Inc to pay $13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in taxes on Tuesday drew swift and angry rebukes from the Obama administration and lawmakers in Congress, while reigniting calls for international tax reform.

The U.S. Treasury Department, which enforces federal tax policy, warned that U.S.-EU economic relations could be affected by the stunning decision by the European Commission. Critics in Congress denounced the move as a predatory money grab that would encroach on U.S. government jurisdiction and ultimately add to the federal deficit.

The Treasury had previously warned that making U.S. companies pay back taxes in Europe could hit the United States' own coffers because tax payments overseas can be deducted against U.S. taxes.

But it was not clear what Washington could do to counter the regulatory order, which ruled that Apple had received illegal state aid under its tax agreement with Ireland and must pay back the taxes plus interest.

Analysts said the move could add a compelling new dimension to the tax reform debate surrounding the treatment of more than $2.1 trillion in U.S. corporate profits held offshore to avoid U.S. taxes.

"The European Commission's decision is a predatory and naked tax grab," U.S. Representative Kevin Brady, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, fumed in a statement.

The sum is 40 times bigger than the previous known demand by the European Commission. Online retailer Amazon.com Inc and fast-food company McDonald's Corp face probes over taxes in Luxembourg, while coffee chain Starbucks Corp has been ordered to pay up to 30 million euros ($33 million) to the Dutch government.

Apple and Ireland said they would appeal the decision.

A Treasury representative said on Tuesday that the ruling could "threaten to undermine foreign investment, the business climate in Europe, and the important spirit of economic partnership between the U.S. and the EU."

Story continues

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch said lawmakers would examine the EU decision but warned that it was inconsistent with international standards.

"It appears the European Commission has issued an extraordinary decision that targets U.S. business by rewriting already existing tax policies," the Republican said in a statement.

Senator Charles Schumer, the chamber's No. 3 Democrat, called the move "a cheap money grab."

"The EU is unfairly undermining our ability to compete economically in Europe while grabbing tax revenues that should go toward investment here in the United States," he said.

(Reporting by David Morgan and Jason Lange; Editing by Julia Edwards and Jonathan Oatis)
Save your pennies: Gavin DeGraw's fifth studio album, Something Worth Saving, will drop next month. But if you can't wait until then, the country ace has shared a taste of things to come.

DeGraw sat down with Billboard for a mini-set featuring new tracks "She Sets The City on Fire" and "Making Love with the Radio On," plus "Not Over You" from his 2011 set Sweeter.

Something Worth Saving will drop Sept. 9 via RCA Records, with "Making Love With The Radio On" now available as an instant-grat track with digital pre-orders. "Making Love With The Radio On" follows "She Sets The City On Fire," the album's first official single release, which arrived mid-July and was co-written by Gavin DeGraw and Gregg Wattenberg (Wattenberg also produced).

Gavin is supporting his new album on a co-headlining 2016 North American tour with Andy Grammer, which kicked off Sunday (Aug. 28) at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in New York.

Preorder the album here at iTunes and visit gavindegraw.com for tour dates. Watch DeGraw's performance for Billboard below.
Operation Inherent Resolve, the US-led air campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, continued throughout August, as strikes hit ISIS infrastructure and fighting positions in northern Iraq. The strikes come as the effort to retake Mosul, currently the largest city held by ISIS, continues apace.

In the GIF below, airstrikes level what the US government referred to as a vehicle-borne improvised-explosive-device factory near Mosul on August 25. The footage was released nearly three weeks after another video showed US-led strikes hitting an ISIS fighting position about 30 miles south of Mosul.

The US-led coalition has hit ISIS targets from the air for much of the last two months, as Iraqi Security Forces work on the ground to retake ISIS-held territory.

In Baghdad, however, political wrangling and accusations of corruption in the Iraqi parliament led to Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi  who oversaw many of the Iraqi military's recent successes against the terrorist group  being forced out by a no-confidence vote on August 25.

Ministry of Defense spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, speaking from the new frontline some 40 miles from Mosul, said "the fighters and officers are frustrated that the defense minister was sacked in this way," according to Haaretz. But, Rasool added, "despite the frustration we will continue to fight and expel Daesh."

Despite those tensions, the US military said on Tuesday that Iraqi forces were on track to retake Mosul by the end of this year.

"It's the prime minister's objective to have that done by the end of the year," said Gen. Joseph Votel, who oversees US forces in the Middle East, according to Reuters. "My assessment is that we can meet the ... prime minister's objectives, if that's what he chooses to do."

See the full video of the August 25 airstrike below:

NOW WATCH: CHILCOT IRAQ INQUIRY: 'Military action was not a last resort'





More From Business Insider


[August 29, 2016] Chelsio Terminator 5 Unified Wire Adapters Achieve Windows Server 2016 Certification

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Chelsio Communications, Inc., a leading provider of high performance Ethernet adapters for storage networking, virtualized enterprise datacenters, cloud service installations, and cluster computing environments, today announced that its line of Terminator 5 (T5) 10 and 40 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) iWARP (RDMA/TCP) enabled Unified Wire adapters have achieved "Certified for Windows Server 2016" hardware certification. The iWARP standard enables building very efficient, high performance, Microsoft Cloud deployments very quickly. iWARP works with any legacy Ethernet switch, thereby enabling incremental Windows Server 2016 installations without requiring a concurrent forklift upgrade of the switch infrastructure, or the entire datacenter . This ability to work with any non-DCBX switch, allows use of the most cost effective new or existing switch infrastructure with the least amount of support, while enabling an immediate plug-and-play deployment. In addition, Microsoft's support of iWARP protocol since Windows Server 2012-R2 release, has allowed for years of testing for a very robust, tested, deployment with iWARP. As a long-standing partner of Microsoft, Chelsio invests heavily in joint engineering resources and expertise to test and validate upcoming versions of Microsoft Windows software on Chelsio networking infrastructure. Continuing on this long tradition of cooperative engineering, Chelsio is committed to delivering broad high-performance iWARP networking adapter support for Windows Server 2016 environments after Microsoft's general availability, as well as for Windows 10 Enterprise. Chelsio iWARP enabled Unified Wire adapters power a range of Windows Server 2016 capabilities including Storage Spaces Direct software-defined storage, Storage Replica for disaster recovery, SMB Direct for high performance file access, Network Direct for Windows HPC deployments, hardware offloaded iSCSI initiator for SAN applications, and Nano Server for cloud applications. In addition, Chelsio's concurrent certification for Windows 10 Enterprise, enables Client RDMA functions and allows the iWARP wire protocol be used on both ends of th wire to enable high performance client-server installations using RDMA over regular TCP/IP and using legacy switches . This will truly enable an incremental install of servers using Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016, without requiring a concurrent switch upgrade .



"Chelsio continues to provide high-performance networking solutions that have helped customers efficiently and cost-effectively scale their Microsoft Cloud environments to derive the full benefit of cloud computing," said Kianoosh Naghshineh, CEO at Chelsio Communications. "This announcement represents the enormous value derived through joint collaboration to help customers transform and accelerate their journey to the cloud." "iWARP is the preferred high performance RDMA over Ethernet solution for Microsoft private clouds, and allows leveraging existing Ethernet infrastructure without the limitations, complexity and costs of other RDMA protocols," said Daniel Weissenborn, Solution Architect at ClearPointe, a Gold level Microsoft datacenter partner. "Chelsio iWARP RDMA adapters have been proven to deliver the high throughput and low latency needed to fully leverage high performance Windows Server 2016 Storage Spaces Direct."

"Chelsio 10/40GbE Unified Wire iWARP adapters greatly simplify bringing RDMA to the software defined datacenter, through leveraging existing Ethernet infrastructure and maintaining interoperability with technologies staff already know, it offers the low-risk path for Ethernet-based large-scale Windows Server 2016 deployments," said Philip Moss, CPO at Acuutech, a UK-based service provider and Microsoft Cloud OS networking partner providing cloud solutions. "Chelsio iWARP integrates seamlessly with Storage Spaces Direct, which is crucial to our cloud offering, and with its high performance and support of incremental Windows Server 2016 deployments, adopting iWARP was no-brainer." About Chelsio iWARP

Chelsio's Terminator 5 ASIC offers a high performance, robust third generation implementation of RDMA (Remote Direct Memory Access) over 40Gb Ethernet  iWARP. T5 delivers end-to-end RDMA latency that is comparable to InfiniBand, using standard Ethernet infrastructure. Chelsio's iWARP is in production today in GPU applications, in storage applications as a fabric for clustered storage, for Lustre and other storage applications, for HPC applications, and for remote replication and disaster recovery. It is a high performance, robust, reliable, and mature protocol that enables direct data placement, CPU savings, and RDMA functionality over TCP/IP and legacy Ethernet switches and internet with no performance penalties. About Chelsio Communications

Chelsio is a recognized leader in high performance (10Gb/25Gb/40Gb/50Gb/100Gb) Ethernet adapters for networking and storage within virtualized enterprise datacenters, public and private hyperscale clouds, and cluster computing environments. With a clear emphasis on performance and delivering the only robust offload solution, as opposed to simple speeds and feeds, Chelsio has set itself apart from the competition. The Chelsio Unified Wire fully offloads all protocol traffic, providing no-compromise performance with high packet processing capacity, sub-microsecond hardware latency and high bandwidth. Visit the company at www.chelsio.com, and follow the company on Twitter and Facebook. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130611/SF30203LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chelsio-terminator-5-unified-wire-adapters-achieve-windows-server-2016-certification-300319436.html SOURCE Chelsio Communications, Inc.

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Mirai Clinical deodorizing hair brush liner. (Photo: Mirai Clinical)

Move over, dry shampoo: Deodorizing hairbrush liners are here to freshen dirty, not-so-great smelling locks. This popular Japanese way of dry cleaning ones hair is set for an American takeover, thanks to skin and body care brand Mirai Clinical.

The hairbrush liners contain extracts of persimmon  that bright, orange fruit thats not only good for eating, but used by geisha to clean and preserve their colorful kimonos. Persimmon works as an antiseptic, anti-bug, and a great deodorant, says Koko Hayashi, the founder and CEO of Mirai Clinical. A geisha will squeeze persimmon into the water of a bath basin to cleanse the kimono.

Hayashi tells Yahoo Beauty that the company gather persimmons after the yearly harvest in fall. Our lab breaks it down, mixes it with water, stirs, ferments it, sterilizes, and extracts persimmon tannins from the liquid, she says. The difference from other deodorizers is that persimmon is very effective to eliminate all kinds of odors, including nonenal, the cause of hormone imbalance or aging odor.

Each liner boasts hard-to-tear mesh that fits perfectly into most paddle or boar-bristle brushes. If youre someone who uses tons of hair sprays, gels, and pomades each day, Hayashi recommends switching out your liner daily. Otherwise, changing it every two to three days is just fine. Because the dirt and fallen hair on the sheet are clearly visible, you will know when its time to change, she says.

We see these fragrant hair brush liners becoming a permanent fixture in our daily beauty routine, especially if theyre going to help keep our bathroom countertops free of shedding hair and dandruff flakes.

Mirai Clinical Deodorizing Hair Brush Liner with Japanese Persimmon ($6.00 for 30 sheets) are available for purchase at miraiclinical.com.

Lets keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Beauty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Washington (AFP) - The White House on Tuesday warned the European Union against taking "unilateral" measures after it demanded California-based tech giant Apple pay 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in back taxes in Ireland.

"We are concerned about a unilateral approach," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest, adding that the move "threatens to undermine progress that we have made collaboratively with the Europeans to make the international taxation system fair."

"When I say fair, I mean fair primarly to taxpayers but also fair to companies that are trying to do business around the world that ultimately benefits the economies," Earnest added.

Brussels said Apple, the world's most valuable company, avoided virtually all tax on its business in the bloc by illegal arrangements with Dublin, which gave the company an unfair advantage over competitors.

Apple and the Irish government immediately said they would appeal against the European Commission ruling, with the iPhone maker warning it could cost European jobs.
Rent-A-Center, Inc. RCII is one such stock that is struggling to find a place in investors portfolio. Why is it so? Share price of this rent-to-own operator has declined roughly 16% year to date, and is now hovering close to its 52-week low of $9.76. Moreover, the company currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). This implies that analysts covering the stock are not convinced about Rent-A-Centers performance in the near future. As a result, the Zacks Consensus Estimate too has witnessed a downtrend.

Why is the Stock Out of Favor Now?

After registering an earnings beat in five straight quarters, Rent-A-Center succumbed to a negative earnings surprise in the second quarter of 2016. Notably, this also marked the fourth consecutive quarter of sales miss for the company. Moreover, both top and bottom lines declined year over year. The decrease in the top line is attributable to a decline witnessed across the Core U.S., Acceptance Now and Mexico segments.

The companys quarterly earnings of 41 cents a share fell 18% short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate and the year-ago figure of 50 cents. Consolidated total revenue tumbled 8.1% to $749.6 million in the reported quarter and also came in below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $786.2 million.

Accelerated point of sale system rollout, persistent sluggishness across the computers and tablets categories, headwinds across the oil-impacted markets and continued smartphones recast impacted results.

RENT-A-CENTER Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

RENT-A-CENTER Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | RENT-A-CENTER Quote

Subdued Outlook Triggered a Downtrend in Estimates

Following the murky performance, management lowered its previously issued outlook for 2016. The company now anticipates Core U.S. revenue to decrease in the band of 8.5%11.5%, with comparable sales decline expected in a range of 5%8%. Management had earlier projected Core U.S. revenue to fall 4%6% in 2016, impacted by a comps decline of 1%3%.

Story continues

Rent-A-Center now projects Acceptance Now revenue between $805 million and $835 million for the full year, down from the previous guidance range of $850$900 million. Based on these expectations, management envisions 2016 earnings per share to range from $1.65$1.85.

Analysts polled by Zacks are less constructive on the stock. Over the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.74 for 2016 and 2017 has declined 31 cents and 37 cents, respectively. Moreover, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the third quarter has dropped 12 cents to 40 cents over the same time frame.

Stocks that Warrant a Look

It would be prudent for investors to look beyond Rent-A-Center, at least for the time being. Investors may consider better-ranked stocks such as Outerwall Inc. OUTR, The Children's Place, Inc. PLCE and Urban Outfitters Inc. URBN, all sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

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RENT-A-CENTER (RCII): Free Stock Analysis Report



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Latin American carrier Copa Holdings CPA has been outperforming of late. Shares of this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) carrier have gained over 16% in the past month.

Strong Second Quarter

Copa Holdings performed impressively in the second quarter, coming up with better-than-expected earnings as well as revenues. The Panama City-based carriers second-quarter earnings (on an adjusted basis) of 51 cents per share were well above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 23 cents. Quarterly revenues of $494 million also beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $483 million.

Average fuel price per gallon declined 21.3% year over year. Passenger traffic (on a consolidated basis) grew 6.2%, whereas capacity contracted 0.4% during the quarter. Load factor climbed 490 basis points to 78.3% as traffic expanded while capacity contracted. Naturally the strong earnings report led to the significant appreciation in share price of the carrier.

Estimates on the Upswing

We note that earnings estimates for Copa Holdings have displayed a healthy uptrend following strong second-quarter results. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate of earnings for 2016 has gone up 66 cents to $4.45 per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2017 has jumped 69 cents over the last month to $5.47 per share.

COPA HLDGS SA-A Price and Consensus

COPA HLDGS SA-A Price and Consensus | COPA HLDGS SA-A Quote

Expansion Efforts in Place

We are encouraged by the carriers efforts to expand its operations. In July this year, the carrier launched flights to Rosario, Argentina  marking its third new destination in the current year. The carrier, which exited the second quarter with a fleet of over 100 planes, took delivery of one Boeing 737-800 aircraft during the quarter.

The carriers efforts to reward its shareholders through dividend payments are also encouraging. Copa Holdings' quarterly dividend of 51 cents per share ($2.04 on an annualized basis), currently yields almost 2.6%. The carrier will pay its dividend for the third quarter on Sep 15. The past records bear evidence of Copa Holdings stable dividend payment history.

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Other Stocks to Consider

Apart from Copa Holdings, investors interested in the broader transportation space may also consider stocks like SkyWest, Inc. SKYW, ANA Holdings Inc. ALNPY and Air Transport Services Group, Inc. ATSG. All the three stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Confidential from Zacks



Beyond this Analyst Blog, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>>



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[August 29, 2016] Toshiba Multifunction Peripherals' Outstanding Environmental Performance Achieve Excellent ECP Elite Certification

Toshiba Tec Corporation (TOKYO:6588) announced today that all of its newly-engineered multifunction peripherals (MFPs): the e-STUDIO2500AC series, e-STUDIO5005AC series, e-STUDIO7506AC series, e-STUDIO5008A series, and e-STUDIO8508A series, have attained Toshiba's (News - Alert) elite certification, the Excellent ECP (Environmentally Conscious Product) which is awarded only to the products achieving the highest level of environmental performance in the industry1. This marks the first time for an entire Toshiba Tec line to achieve such an accomplishment. Toshiba Tec has been promoting environmental initiatives under its own environmental policy: Green Product, Green Process, and Green Management. Green product is the core of its policy, and three approaches, which include the mitigation of climate change, efficient use of resources, and management of chemicals, are taken. Certfying the Excellent ECP is the result of this process.



All new Toshiba products are certified as ECPs which require products attain a high level of environmental performance. This entails products meeting the rigid Energy Star and RoHS program specifications, recycled plastic use, Halogen and PVC (Polyvinyl chloride)-free materials and reduced product weight and/or footprint. To gain the Excellent ECP certification, the products also need to address a series of "eco-targets," Toshiba's stringent benchmark for its products to reach top-level environmental performance in the industry1. Toshiba's five new MFP series needed to improve TEC (Typical Electricity Consumption) value2, footprint, and usage ratio of recycled materials to attain Excellent ECP status. To reduce the TEC value Toshiba Tec used its industry-leading low temperature fixing toner and IH (Induction Heating) fusing system3. Reducing recovery time from sleep mode by as much as 79% - in comparison to conventional products - results in further energy savings4. Minimizing the footprint by reducing the number of parts and amount of material, and increasing the usage ratio of recycled plastic to maximum 18.7%5 will also achieve resource savings.

Achieving these "eco-targets" promotes environmental protection while facilitating easy and efficient use. "We are pleased that all of our new MFP series have been certified as Excellent ECP, and we are confident that our products are eco conscious. And at the same time, we believe these ecologically-oriented features will benefit our customers. As one of the world's foremost eco-conscious companies, we will continue to meet the strict ecological standard to attain Excellent ECP certification for all of our products," says Isao Sugehara, Chief Marketing Executive of Printing Solutions Business Group. For rich value creation and global environmental harmony Toshiba Tec works to help provide enriching lives for people in harmony with the environment. 1 At the time of release

2 TEC (Typical Electricity Consumption) value: It is the standard for conformance with the international ENERGY STAR (News - Alert) Program. It refers to the amount of electricity, typically consumed in one week (Wh) by office equipment.

3 Surveyed by Toshiba Tec: Comparison of competitor's toner under the same condition.

4 Color MFP comparison (e-STUDIO6560 vs. e-STUDIO6506AC)

5 Monochrome MFP (e-STUDIO8508A). The usage ratio of recycled plastic is calculated based on Toshiba Tec's original standard. About Toshiba Tec Toshiba Tec Corporation is a Toshiba's group company, a leading provider of technology solutions, operating across multiple industries - ranging from retail, education and business services to hospitality and manufacturing. With headquarters in Japan and over 80 subsidiaries worldwide, Toshiba Tec Corporation helps organizations transform the way they create, record, share, manage and display information. Please visit http://www.toshibatec.com/

In USA: http://business.toshiba.com/usa/index.html

In Europe: http://toshibatec.eu

In Australia: http://www.toshiba-business.com.au

In China: http://www.toshiba-tec.com.cn/ Unless otherwise specified and/or credited all images, artwork, text and graphics, logos and logotypes are the copyright and/or trademark of the respective owners. All rights reserved. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160829005043/en/

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stephen colbert bill clinton

Stephen Colbert is excited about the possibility of Bill Clinton as the first male spouse of the US president, and on Monday's "Late Show," he examined how Bill is preparing for the job.

"As America's potential First Ladies' Man, Bill Clinton is already making spousal history," Colbert said, before launching into the various traditional requirements of the First Lady.

The Family Circle First Lady Cookie Contest dates back to Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign, when Hillary controversially said, "I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was to fulfill my profession." The comment was taken by some at the time as a slight against stay-at-home moms.

Nevertheless, Hillary participated in the cookie contest, and now Bill is doing the same  sort of. The contest has actually been renamed the Presidential Cookie Poll.

"Because when you're forcing the spouses of preisdential candidates to be judged on their baking, you don't want to sound sexist," Colbert deadpanned.

Not only that, it turns out Bill Clinton submitted the exact same recipe Hillary had used before, as The Washington Post points out. It won in both 1992 and '96, and will go up against Melania Trump's sugar cookies.

"Cmon, man. Who would've thought Bill Clinton was a cheater?" Colbert joked. "Be careful, Bill. You can't just use all of Hillary's old moves. First of all, you're never going to fit into her inaugural gown."

The cookie exercise aside, which critics have long called retrograde and sexist, Colbert is excited about everything Bill would have to jump into as the first spouse if Hillary is elected.

"I'm excited about Bill Clinton's potential first huband-dom. If I were Hillary, I'd come up with many more traditions for him to be in charge of," the host said. "Really, just anything to keep him busy."

Watch the video below:

NOW WATCH: 7 things you missed in the new Star Wars Rogue One trailer





More From Business Insider


Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images; Peter Meiner/ullstein bild via Getty Images

Who doesnt like snooping, in a nonstalker way, on the rich and fabulousand maybe an ex-flame or twothrough photos of their real estate? God bless you, Google Street View! It allows anyone with a reliable internet connection and an address to zoom in on the curbside views of properties. Its almost like standing right in front of themand taking a stroll in their hood!

Except, as it turns out, not every home in purportedly covered areas of large U.S. cities is viewable on this free service of Google Maps. Not one of the 648 homes in the appropriately named, swanky community of Hidden Hillsa Los Angeles enclave of A-list celebrities and the one-percentersappears on Google Street View, according to a recent Financial Times article. Not one!

Inhabitants of these multimillion-dollar homes reportedly include the likes of Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, and Jennifer Lopez. The median list price of a home in the gated community is a cool $1.9 million, according to realtor.com.

And Hidden Hills is far from the only pricey community thats photographically MIA. Bradbury, CA, also in Los Angeles, and Bell Canyon, CA, about an hour outside of the city, arent on Street View either. And apparently the more you look for cool panoramic views of some of the nations truly exclusive uber-priced real estate, the more you might come up with nothing but internet static

Thats because these communities have reportedly banned Googles distinctive photography vehicles from entering their gates, according to the Times. Most of the Street View pictures come from Googles tricked-out cars, but the company reportedly also uses pedestrians, bikes, boats, and even snowmobiles to get its shots.

All of those have probably been banned, too.

Those intent on eyeballing the luxe mansions in such communities can still check out the Gods eye view aerial shots of Google Earth. But if you want to check out what kind of front door knobs are favored by Kimye, youre straight out of luck.

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The anti-Street View measures are purportedly taken to protect the privacy of these communities affluent residents. It helps keep crazed fans and paparazzi at bayas well as potential criminals. Anyone remember the Bling Ring, a group of young adults who broke into the homes of celebrities like Paris Hilton and stole their stuff?

Out of sight [means] out of mindand out of the reach of burglars, Geoff Manaugh, author of A Burglars Guide to the City, told the Times.

But that could make selling one of the luxury properties in such communities a bit harder. Buyers, for example, cant get a street-side view of the Hidden Hills six-bedroom home with a chefs kitchen and pizza oven, dog kennel, and pools with cascading waterfalls for sale at $6,895,000. Or the $4,890,000, four-bedroom, French estate that comes with a wine room, outdoor kitchen and pavilion, and fruit orchard.

Many wealthy individuals are so worried about unwanted attention that they use shell companies and other methods to buy property to make it harder to trace the purchases back to them. Theyre also spending more on security.

There are always people who want whats known as curb appeal, but there are many others who dont want anyone to know where they live. They want to be discreet, David Forbes, head of private office at estate agent Savills, told the Times.

The post Why You Cant See Kim and Kanyes Home on Google Street View appeared first on Real Estate News and Advice - realtor.com.
Odd News

Winging it: Boeing sets Guinness World Record for largest 3D-printed object

Boeing and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory have together landed a new world record for creating the largest solid object 3D-printed in a single piece. The printed product, known as a trim-and-drill tool, will help create the wings of Boeings next-generation 777X jet. The result of a joint project between Boeing and the Department of Energys Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee was the record-breaking 17.5-foot-long, 5.5-foot-wide and 1.5-foot-tall piece that is comparable in length to a large sport utility vehicle, the team said in a news release.

[The wing trim tool] will save energy, time, labor and production cost and are part of our overall strategy to apply 3D-printing technology in key production areas. Leo Christodoulou, Boeings director of structures and materials

Of course, a giant 3D-printed object requires a giant 3D printer, with Oak Ridge calling upon its Big Area Additive Manufacturing machine for the ambitious Boeing project. Boeings director of structures and material said the current more expensive metallic tooling option  typically takes three months to manufacture using conventional techniques, whereas, the 3D-printed equivalent took just 30 hours to construct.
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f194570%2fuber_journey_tweet_hannah_warman

LONDON  Remember that British guy who got charged 102 ($133) back in March for an Uber he took home after a night out? The one that should have taken about 20 minutes, but took considerably longer after the driver went on a very windy detour?

Well this one's sort of like that, only worse.

SEE ALSO: Uber drivers are under criminal investigation in Finland

When London-based comedian Hannah Warman was heading home on Sunday night, she decided to skip the short walk in favour of an Uber.

After she fell asleep on the journey home, though, things took a turn for the strange.

Image: twitter/@hannahwarman

What should have been a very brief journey became a one-and-a-half hour, 35-mile detour around London. The total charge was 84.95 ($111).

Warman told Mashable she only realised what had happened the following day, when she saw the email receipt from Uber.

"First of all I was shocked and upset about how expensive it was because I thought the driver must've got lost and I shouldn't have been charged for his mistake," she explained. "Then I realised he couldn't have got that lost because they have Sat Navs and the map with the start and end point would've been in front of him. It looks like he went the longest way around possible.

"Then I started to worry why I'd been driven around and felt a bit shaken and unsafe."

Warman's tweet about the incident quickly wracked up well over 1,000 retweets. Others also chipped in with their own, similar experiences.

A few hours later, Uber followed up.

Warman eventually received a full refund from Uber, but told Mashable she wasn't impressed by its initial response.

"I had to email a few times to get a reply, then got a partial refund, but I wasn't given an explanation or the reassurance I felt was needed," she explained. "Since I tweeted about it, however, I have been fully refunded, but they said they can't tell me anything about the driver or the action that was taken due to confidentiality."

Story continues

"I think people need to be aware that stuff like this goes on because there's a blase confidence everyone has with using Uber that maybe isn't warranted," Warman concluded.

"I still believe that most Uber drivers are good, hard-working people who probably have the customer's best interest in mind, but I think it's too easy for the less nice ones to get away with conning people, or worse."

Mashable has reached out to Uber for comment.

UPDATE: Aug. 30, 2016, 2:18 p.m. BST An Uber spokesperson sent the following statement to Mashable:
Could dreadlocks be the reason one woman lost her job at a five-star hotel? (Photo: Getty Images)

When Rachel Sakabo was unceremoniously dumped from her prominent position as a front desk concierge at the St. Regis hotel in Manhattan, she was told it was because she wasnt a good fit with the culture of the establishment. But Sakabo is crying foul on the excuse, claiming instead that she was canned for having dreadlocks, according to Buzzfeed News.

Sakabo remembers being floored when she was offered the super prestigious role at the five-star hotel, especially since shed been unemployed for seven months leading up to it. I wanted this job, and when I got hired I felt so proud, she told Buzzfeed News. But just two weeks into her tenure, the front-desk manager at the St. Regis pulled Sakabo aside to inform her of the hotels policy on sporting braids, the article says. Sakabo assured her manager, Theyre arent braids; theyre locs, according to the publication, but the manager replied, Well, can you unlock them?

Feeling shamed, Sakabo retreated to the bathroom to cry, but not before offering to shave her head in order to keep her job, according to the story, as dreadlocks cant be undone. Wondering what her rights are in a situation like this, Sakabo talked to a fellow African American colleague, who urged the 32-year-old to consult her hotel union representative. Until she had completed the mandatory 60-day probationary period required by law, though, Sakabo could not be protected by the union.

AfroPunk 2016 Street Style Photos That Prove Blackness Is Not a Costume

John Turchiano, a spokesperson for the New York Hotel Workers Union, told BuzzFeed News, Its in the collective bargaining agreement that management has the right to terminate an employee, with or without cause, within the 60-day probationary period without any recourse for the unions arbitration machinery, Turchiano said, though he wishes the union could have heard the issue.

But her employers made no mention of her hair when they let her go a week later. Instead, they pointed out that she didnt fit in with the culture of the hotel, and even suggested shed fare better at a more laid-back hotel like the W, according to Buzzfeed. When Sakabo asked them to clarify exactly what the St Regis culture is and why she doesnt fit in, though, her employers wouldnt elaborate.

Story continues

Now, she feels the warning she received about her hair was a precursor to her firing. I dont think I was rightfully let go. I definitely think it has to do with the fact that Im black and I have dreads, Sakabo told BuzzFeed News. She even produced a copy of the St. Regis Appearance Standards, a document that makes no mention of dreadlocks or braids, but rather requests that hair style and color should be conservative and not fall on the face or obstruct eye-to-eye contact. A photo Sakabo provided of her dreadlocked look shows she did not violate those standards.

This Magazine Is All About the Beauty of Natural Hair

All this just to say even though they didnt mention my hair, its just so very convenient that this happened right after. Just saying I dont fit into the culture is so damaging. Because, then what is the culture then? I need answers, Sakabo told Buzzfeed News. While she doesnt have any proof, Sakabo goes on to speculate to the publication that the firing was even more personal, saying that she believes it was an internal managerial issue specific at the St. Regis in Manhattan and by someone who does not feel comfortable with me being there, according to the publication, which adds that Sakabo does not believe her treatment is reflective of Starwood Hotels or the St. Regis chain at large.

During Sakabos interviews, orientation, and first weeks of work, according to Buzzfeed News, she had her hair in dreadlocks , and no time during orientation or the interviews was there any mention of her hairstyle or hairstyles in general. This led one Buzzfeed News reader to speculate that a complaint from someone staying at the hotel may have spurred the firing. Its always better to tell an employee why you were dissatisfied with their performance. Keeping them guessing is what causes accusations of unfair firing, the commenter suggested.

If the hair thing had never been brought up, I never would have thought this thing was unfair, Sakabo said, according to Buzzfeed News. She plans to contact the Department of Labor and Starwood Hotels in search of answers, and is currently unemployed again.

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From Cosmopolitan

Pavlina Pizova says she couldn't 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 Wednesday from a park warden's 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.

Pizova's comments came soon after rescuers retrieved the body of her partner, 27-year-old Ondrej Petr.

The couple set out July 26 to hike the scenic track, a 32-kilometer (20-mile) 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 didn't tell anybody of their specific plans, they didn't 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 couldn't 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.

Story continues

Pizova says she finally found her way to the Lake Mackenzie Hut and broke into the warden's 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 that would later impress rescuers. But Kennett said she never made it more than a few hundred meters (yards) before turning back.

"She wasn't confident to carry on but she didn't 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 don't 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 Wednesday and they launched a search the same day.

He said police found the couple's car at the trailhead and sent a helicopter along the route. He said Pizova was relieved to see her rescuers.

"It's very unusual for someone to be missing in the New Zealand bush for such a long period without it being reported," Jensen said.

Pizova, who was traveling around New Zealand on a working holiday with her partner, is eager to return home as soon as possible, Kennett said.

Pizova said she wanted to warn other travelers to seek good information and to be aware how quickly the New Zealand weather can change.

Kennett said she can barely understand how the hiker managed to survive her ordeal.

"I think she is a really tough woman," she said.
Jerusalem (AFP) - World Vision's global president has questioned Israeli accusations that the NGO's Gaza head diverted millions of dollars in aid to Hamas and said his trial should be open to the public.

A pre-trial hearing for World Vision's Mohammed al-Halabi was held in secret Tuesday morning in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba.

"A trial is legitimate if it is transparent," World Vision International's president Kevin Jenkins told AFP in one of his first interviews since Halabi was charged on August 4.

"Obviously with such serious allegations against a staff member, we are calling for him to have a fair hearing."

He said the allegations against Halabi were so serious that the NGO was hoping for an open trial to learn as many lessons as possible if they were proved correct.

"As much as our donors want the truth to come out, we want the truth to come out," he said. "Our whole reputation is based on integrity."

All media and even World Vision staff were prevented from attending Tuesday's hearing, Halabi's lawyer said.

The accusations against him were read out while Halabi, wearing a brown prisoner's uniform, stood motionless, lawyer Lea Tsemel said.

Halabi has not yet spoken in the court but intends to plead not guilty, she said.

The case will reconvene in early October.

Israel foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said such closed doors trials were "standard practice" due to the sensitive nature of the information presented.

It is "standard practice in terrorism cases all over the Western world," he told AFP.

On August 4, Israel alleged that Halabi had diverted more than $7.2 million each year since 2010 to Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip.

This allegedly equated to 60 percent of the NGO's budget for Gaza, with much of the money being syphoned off to Hamas's military wing to fight Israel, according to the charges.

Story continues

Halabi initially confessed, Israel said, but Amnesty International said there were allegations he had been mistreated in custody and "may have been forced into 'confessing' under duress."

Amnesty also called for the trial to be opened to the media.

- 'Difficult to reconcile' -

Halabi's arrest was followed by similar allegations against a Save the Children employee and the arrest of a United Nations worker for allegedly funnelling rubble to Hamas to build a military jetty.

The UN has disputed the allegations.

Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008 and Hamas is labelled a terrorist organisation by the United States and the European Union.

Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said the allegations showed a "troubling trend of the systematic exploitation (of aid) by Hamas terrorists."

But Jenkins called the scale of the allegations against Halabi "very difficult to reconcile" with reality.

The NGO has said its Gaza budget for the past 10 years was only $22.5 million, making the numbers alleged all but impossible.

Charities working in Gaza have some of the tightest controls on funds in the world, partly due to tough counter-terrorism legislation.

The impoverished Palestinian enclave has one of the world's highest unemployment rates and the UN says that more than two-thirds of the population rely on some form of foreign aid.

"We are not a naive organisation. We have world-class systems to prevent the sort of things that are being alleged here," Jenkins said.

"They are not foolproof, (but) they would generally have all sorts of red lights going off if anything close to what is being alleged should happen.

"It is very difficult to reconcile those numbers against the controls we have in place."

Jenkins defended World Vision's work in Gaza over the years, saying it had performed "with integrity" and last year provided support for more than 40,000 children.

The NGO has currently suspended its projects in the Palestinian territories pending an internal review, but Jenkins said there was a "strong desire to return to Gaza".

"We can only work in places where we can perform our work with integrity. We feel like we have done that in the past. I feel like we will be able to do it going forward."
[August 30, 2016] Innovative Math Game Surpasses 1 M Downloads, Challenging K-6 Youth

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The new school year is fast approaching, and for kids it is often a stressful period as they wind down from summer time fun to resume learning. But it is not all dull and grey especially since learning is now made so much more exciting with Zap Zap Math, a fun and engaging gamified math platform designed by Visual Math Interactive for students in grades K-6. Zap Zap Math is the world's first critical thinking gamified math universe that was developed by Singapore and Malaysian teachers to help young learners master their math skills. The platform incorporates hundreds of exercises that are tied to Common Core or State standards. "After long holiday breaks, it can be challenging for kids going back to school to get back on track, much less learn new topics, especially when it comes to difficult subjects like math. But it does not necessarily have to be that way. With Zap Zap Math, they can make the transition effortlessly as the platform comes with highly interactive and engaging space-themed math challenges. Students learn as they play," said Zap Zap Math CEO and Co-Founder John Ng. "As a former math teacher in Singapore, I could see how students struggled with worksheets that were basically one dimensional. Irrespective of the difficulties they were facing, students were forced to complete them anyway. But with Zap Zap Math, they get to go on a space odyssey of math challenges comprising animated and colourful characters with different levels of difficulties. If they get stuck on one challenge, they can always go back and try again, and get rewarded with points! It's self paced to encourage independent, learning addiction -- no coercion involved," enthused Ng. According to Ng, he was initially surprised to see the response and traction that Zap Zap platform has received to date with more than 1 million downloads (Zap Zap Math, Fraction Basics, Fraction Calculator, Zap Zap Fraction: Visual ractions Tutor and Zap Zap Fraction Extended). It was also recently featured "Best New App" in the Apple App Store.



Since the launch of the Zap Zap Math platform almost a year ago, we have received numerous positive feedback from students, parents and teachers. Students are learning and having fun at the same time; while both parents and teachers are involved in the student's learning progress as they can monitor each activity in real-time and gauge real results via the Parent/Teacher Dashboard. Just in time for the new school year, Zap Zap Math will be launching its latest update which includes more than 160 topics mapped to cover students' math curriculum for the entire school year.

"We are always looking for ways to improve Zap Zap Math and our latest update comprises several big changes: The platform now comes with a new and improved user interface for easier navigation with grade selector and slider, curriculum matching for all games, and simplified topic explanation for students' easy comprehension. It also includes clear mapping of topics to state standards. "Beyond learning and memorizing topics, Zap Zap Math further develops higher-order thinking as it inculcates critical thinking and problem solving skills, which is often difficult to teach and learn in a usual classroom setting," he added. "Schools are embracing technology wholeheartedly and we're definitely seeing a growing momentum in this space with more schools integrating Zap Zap Math in their math curriculum. It's an exciting time for us as eight schools in the US and Malaysia have worked with us to use our platform." As for future plans, Ng was tight-lipped about further platform enhancements but hinted on the possibility of making Zap Zap Math a more immersive virtual learning experience for students far and wide. Users can find and download Zap Zap Math through the Apple App Store, Google Play and Amazon App Store for free. More information on Zap Zap Math can be found at www.zapzapmath.com. Media Contact for Zap Zap Math: Beverly Bav

Chief Marketing Officer

+6012 4690196

[email protected] John Ng

Co-Founder, CEO

[email protected] Zap Zap Math visuals, are available through our dropbox link below:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vx8271s14onjqbe/AABG_cfxkoRnPcKWyjz4tnGca?dl=0 About Zap Zap Math Zap Zap Math, developed by Visual Math Interactive, is a math-based ecosystem which constantly innovates on the best education practices. The company's highly experienced team is made up of former math teachers, creative people, technologists and strategists, who work closely with a number of advisors including teachers, principals and education consultants across seven countries to ensure its games and content are both fun and effective. The app is currently available for play in three languages: English, Spanish and Bahasa Malaysia. More languages are in development, so watch for updates! Follow Zap Zap Math on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/zapzapmathapp), Twitter (@zapzapmath) and their website (www.zapzapmath.com). Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402045LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/innovative-math-game-surpasses-1-m-downloads-challenging-k-6-youth-300319857.html SOURCE Visual Math Interactive

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DanWilliams

Last year, while the Oakland Raiders struggled to defend against the pass, they did rather well against the run. In fact, at one point, they had the second best run defense in the entire NFL. This preseason, however, the Raiders have been getting gashed left and right in the run game. So whats going wrong and what can the team do to fix what is looking like a rather big problem?

AROUND COVER32

Protest: Colin Kaepernick rocks the boat on race

Highlights: The top plays from Preseason Week 3

Fantasy Football: Three deep zero RB sleepers

Fantasy Football: DFS picks for Fridays preseason games

Raiders News: Quick thoughts and key points from the Raiders vs. Titans game.

Raiders News: Middle linebackers looking like an area of concern for the Raiders.

Block Shedding

First and foremost, players are simply not winning their one on one battles. From the defensive linemen to the linebackers, play after play Ive watched as Raiders defenders were swallowed up by blockers, never to be seen again. One of the biggest keys to winning in the run game is shedding blocks and making plays. Trying to avoid blockers is a great way to take yourself out of the play. Instead, a good defender takes the blocker head on, reads where the running back is going then sheds the block in order to make a tackle. So far, weve seen very few linebackers shedding blocks to make plays, just linebackers getting overtaken by blockers while running backs make it to the second level with ease.

This might be the most important thing the Raiders need to fix. The problem is, this has nothing to do with scheme or play calling. It has to do with one on one competition, and recently the Raiders have been losing those battles.

Gap Responsibilities

The Raiders run a defense that requires defenders to be responsible certain gaps. A gap is an area typically between two linemen. For example, a defensive tackle might be responsible for the gap between the center and the right guard. When a play begins, it is that defenders responsibility to make sure the running back cannot attack that gap. The problem is, this defense requires a lot of discipline. Its easy to see a gap before the snap, but once nine 300+ pound men start fighting each other, its not so clear. Maintaining gap discipline has been an issue this preseason and a major reason why the Raiders have struggled in run defense. This is fixable, but unlike form or technique, this isnt something thats teachable. Players simply need to play with more discipline.

Story continues

Push on the Line of Scrimmage

Part of the issue has been pretty simple. The defensive line has been losing the battle at the line of scrimmage. When the ball is snapped, you will see Raiders linemen being pushed back off of their spots. Once this happens, it doesnt matter if you have good gap responsibility or can shed your blocks because by the time the running back is on you, hes already picked up five yards. First and foremost, the Raiders need to start winning the battle in the trenches and stop being pushed off of their spots. Too often this preseason weve seen the trenches move a good four to five feet into the second level of the defense before the back is even handed the ball. The Raiders simply cannot give up that much push at the point of attack and hope to maintain a strong run defense.

The post Whats wrong with the Raiders run defense? appeared first on Cover32.
From Esquire

In other news, not only is Vladimir Putin not welcome in the Ukraine, he's not welcome in the grocery stores of West Palm Beach, either. Thisis CNN.

This Vladimir Putin was arrested after cops responded to a report that a man was screaming at employees at the grocery store in Florida. Putin told police he had missed his ride, which would never happen to the other Putin. According to a police report, he also refused to give officers his name. We can't imagine why. West Palm Beach Putin, which is a really great alias he should consider, was charged with resisting and/or obstructing an officer without violence. No word on whether he's retained a lawyer.

Obviously, since this Vladmir Putin has nothing to do with Paul Manafort's good pal in the Kremlin, the Trump campaign should be badgered for four days for a reaction to this imperial aggression in the produce aisles of Florida. That, of course, assumes that The New York Times employs the same standards of journalism that are in play whenever it writes about the Clintons.

The Times obsession with finding something-anything!-it could hang on the Clintons goes all the way back to that moment three editors ago when the paper realized that its big Whitewater scoop was little more than a bag of Arkansas hot air. It has continued through the coverage of the Benghazi nothingburger, the e-mail nothingburger, and now, the Clinton Foundation nothingburger. When it comes to the once and (perhaps) future president of the United States, the Newspaper of Record is the In-and-Out of nothingburgers.

[contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related Story" customtitles="The New York Times Is Obsessed with 2 Things" customimages="" content="article.41327"]

I thought that Dowd's effort over the weekend-which can be fairly summarized as "The Republican presidential campaign is an obvious freak show but Hillary Rodham Clinton Still Has Cooties"-might have been the height of the form. However, I had not reckoned with the paper's coverage of the unfortunate episode currently ongoing between Huma Abedin and Anthony Weiner. You want to see some tasty nothingburger, check out this passage.

Story continues

From the Times:

Now, Mr. Weiner's tawdry activities may have claimed his marriage-Ms. Abedin told him that she wanted to separate-and have cast another shadow on the adviser and confidante who has been by Mrs. Clinton's side for the past two decades. Ms. Abedin was already a major figure this summer in controversies over Mrs. Clinton's handling of classified information as secretary of state and over ties between the Clinton family foundation and Mrs. Clinton's State Department.

This is horrible. This is ghastly. This is cheap shot by deliberate imprecision. This is the kind of thing that would get thrown back in the face of rookie reporters in Seagoville, Texas.

What "shadow," precisely, is it that her husband's misbehavior is casting over Ms. Abedin? Other than the fact that summoning up this "shadow" is a way to get the words "classified information" into a story about the sad public dissolution of a marriage, as well as a way to wedge in a reference to the Clinton Foundation. This is one large storage space of a "shadow." I mean it. Who in the unholy fck thinks like this?

[contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related Story" customtitles="The Clinton Rules Redux" customimages="" content="article.34563"]

Believe it or not-and by now you should-it gets even worse.

Mr. Weiner's extramarital behavior also threatens to remind voters about the troubles in the Clintons' own marriage over the decades, including Mrs. Clinton's much-debated decision to remain with then-President Bill Clinton after revelations of his relationship with Monica Lewinsky. Ms. Abedin's choice to separate from her husband evokes the debates that erupted over Mrs. Clinton's handling of the Lewinsky affair, a scandal her campaign wants left in the past.

Does the Times really believe that anyone needs "reminding" about the Lewinsky scandal? Do I need to remind the Times that, judging by the results of the 1998 midterm elections and by Bill Clinton's approval ratings when he left office, the country understood that scandal well enough to be thoroughly sick of it almost 20 years ago?

Further, was HRC's decision to stay married really "much-debated?" Were there really debates that "erupted" over HRC's handling of the Lewinsky affair? Were they loud enough that anyone remembers them well enough to use them in calculating for whom to cast a vote in 2016? They certainly don't seem to be relevant to this campaign anywhere save the Times newsroom, the universe of wingnut talk-radio, and the vast, echoing canyons of Maureen Dowd's mind.

The Times remains a great newspaper. I stand by my opinion that the Times can do one thing better than any other newspaper-it can be The New York Times. But, when it comes to the Clintons, Jesus God, the paper is one hot mess. That does not bode well for the next four to eight years, either.

Click here to respond to this post on the official Esquire Politics Facebook page.

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When Kimberly Jones got a text from her 11-year-old daughter, Bella, she was upset.

Not because her daughter was texting while at school, but because the Lansing, Kansas middle schooler was forced to swap her leggings for school sweatpants after being told her tunic was too short and a dress code violation.

Jones detailed the incident and the embarrassment her daughter felt in a Facebook post that has since gone viral.

SEE ALSO: Woman fights racist workplace dress code with cosplay

She texted me all upset sobbing that they told her not to call me and that she had to wear borrowed sweatpants all day, Jones wrote on Facebook, which has since been removed. Their policy is that they are not allowed to change. The Facebook post has since been removed, but a screengrab of the text is below.

She was begging to move because they embarrassed and harassed her. Why? Because apparently 13 year old boys (shes 11 in 6th grade) cant control themselves around this. The code was because her shirt was too short, Jones explained. In what world is it acceptable to call out and embarrass a child over THIS outfit? Her butt is even covered!

According to a local news report, Bella was told she was unable to contact her mother. A school district official says this rule is in place so that students facing disciplinary action can stay in the classroom and not wait in the office for their parents to arrive.

As I sat there waiting for the principal I saw a teacher walk by with pants so tight I could see her underwearbut this is unacceptable? Are we living in the 1900s? And am I being punked because I just cannot believe this crap is real, Jones wrote on Facebook.

Leggings have now been specifically deemed prohibited in the schools handbook and, according to a statement from the school to TODAY, it will continue to examine our policies, how they are enforced, and how to maintain an effective learning environment while continuing to make sure all students and parents are treated with dignity and respect
Who will Liza choose?

When TV Land's Younger returns for season three, Sutton Foster's Liza will find herself torn between the two men in her life: ex-boyfriend Josh (Nico Tortorella) and boss and new love interest Charles (Peter Hermann).

Season two left off with Liza turning to both Josh and Charles when stricken with guilt over Kelsey (Hilary Duff) blaming her for boyfriend Thad's (Dan Amboyer) death. After the funeral, Liza turned to Josh for sex-with-an-ex but later, after she quit her job at Empirical, Charles kissed her - finally - in hopes of convincing her to come back. Charles' grand gesture worked and Liza returned to the publishing house where she and Charles could presumably explore the tension that had been simmering all season long. But in the finale's ending moments, Josh appeared on Liza's doorstep to say that he is all in and wants to give them another try.

In the Sept. 28 premiere, Liza will be faced with a difficult decision as her love life continues to be torn in two directions, and the key art, revealed exclusively by The Hollywood Reporter below, teases a third season with the Josh-Liza-Charles love triangle in headlines.

While Josh knows Liza's secret - the 40-year-old is posing as 26 - Charles remains unaware.

Younger has already been renewed for a fourth season, as Viacom-owned TV Land picked up the single-camera comedy from executive producer Darren Star in June. The announcement marked Younger's second early renewal after season three was greenlit, also ahead of season two's debut.

Season three premieres Wednesday, Sept. 28, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Watch the trailer and check out the new photos below.

THE SEASON 3 TRAILER IS HERE. RETWEET IF YOU'RE EXCITED! pic.twitter.com/GYTOK5WWce

- #YoungerTV (@YoungerTV) September 1, 2016

Read more: 'Younger' Nabs Early Season 4 Renewal at TV Land

Sept. 1, 10:40 a.m. PT: Updated with season trailer.

Photos: TV Land
For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL  August 30, 2016 - Stocks in this weeks article include: American Woodmark Corp. (AMWD), Nordson Corporation (NDSN), Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (SWHC), NetEase, Inc. (NTES) and LendingTree, Inc. ( TREE).

Screen of the Week of Zacks Investment Research:



Invest Like Driehaus in These 5 Momentum Stocks

Banking on the "buy high and sell higher" principle, Richard Driehaus  a strong advocator of momentum investing  came out with a successful investment strategy that made him popular in the 1980s and 1990s. Barron honored Driehaus by including his name in its All-Century Team. Risk loving investors favor the momentum strategy as its known to be a high yielding one like Driehaus strategy.

The American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) proved that the strategy has the potential to offer high returns. AAIIs portfolio, which was developed following the strategy, returned 13.5% and 18.1% in the five- and 10- year timeframe, respectively, compared with -1.1% and 4.2% returns registered by the S&P 500. Thus, investors with a high risk appetite may opt for this strategy to boost their portfolio returns.

A Detailed Look into Driehaus Strategy

Regarding the strategy, Driehaus once said: I would much rather invest in a stock thats increasing in price and take the risk that it may begin to decline than invest in a stock thats already in a decline and try to guess when it will turn around. In line with this insight, AAII took into account the percentage 50-day moving average as one of the key criteria before creating a portfolio following Driehaus philosophy.

It is calculated by dividing the numerator (month-end price minus 50-day moving average of month-end price) by the 50-day moving average of the month-end price. Another momentum indicator  positive relative strength  has also been included in this strategy. A positive percentage 50-day moving average indicates that the stock is trading at a price higher than its 50-day moving average level, indicating an uptrend.

Story continues

Moreover, AAII found that Driehaus primarily focused on strong earnings growth rates and impressive earnings projections to pick potential outperformers. Companies with a strong history of beating estimates are also given importance in this strategy, which was made to provide better returns over the long term.

Screening Parameters

In order to make the strategy more profitable, we have considered only those stocks that have a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and a momentum score of A or B. Our research shows that stocks with a Style Score of A or B when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 offer the best upside potential.

 Zacks Rank equal to or less than #2

(Only Strong Buy and Buy rated stocks can get through.)

 Last 5-year average EPS growth rates above 2%

(Strong EPS growth history ensures improving business.)

 Trailing 12 month EPS growth higher than 0 and industry median

(Higher EPS growth compared to the industry average indicates superior stocks.)

 Last four-quarter average EPS surprise greater than 5

(Positive EPS surprise indicates potential.)

 Positive % 50-day moving average and relative strength over 4 weeks

(High % 50-day moving average and relative strength signal uptrend.)

 Momentum Score equal to A or B

(Favorable momentum score indicates that it is ideal to take advantage of the momentum with the highest probability of success.)

These few parameters narrowed down the universe of over 7,700 stocks to only 25.

Here are five of the 25 stocks:

American Woodmark Corp. (AMWD) is involved in producing and selling of kitchen cabinets and vanities in the U.S. American Woodmark has a Zacks Rank #1 with a Momentum score of A. AMWD has an average four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 33.1%.

Nordson Corporation (NDSN) is one of the world's leading producers of precision dispensing equipment that applies adhesives, sealants and coatings. Nordson has a Zacks Rank #1 with a Momentum score of A. NDSN has an average four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 9.1%.

Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (SWHC) is one of the world's leading producers of quality handguns, law enforcement products and firearm safety and security products. Smith & Wesson has a Zacks Rank #1 with a Momentum score of A. SWHC has an average four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 34.1%.

NetEase, Inc. (NTES) is an Internet technology company engaged in the development of applications, services and other technologies for the Internet in China. NetEase has a Zacks Rank #1 with a Momentum score of B. NTES has an average four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 28.3%.

LendingTree, Inc. (TREE) is the one of the leading online loan marketplaces in the country, empowering consumers as they comparison-shop across a full suite of loan and credit-based offerings. LendingTree has a Zacks Rank #2 with a Momentum score of B. TREE has an average four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 86.4%.

Get the rest of the stocks on the list and start putting this and other ideas to the test. It can all be done with the Research Wizard stock picking and backtesting software.

The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.

Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today .

Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.

Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance .

Zacks Restaurant Recommendations: In addition to dining at these special places, you can feast on their stock shares. A Zacks Special Report spotlights 5 recent IPOs to watch plus 2 stocks that offer immediate promise in a booming sector. Download it free 

Sign up now for your free trial today and start picking better stocks immediately. And with the backtesting feature, you can test your ideas to see how you can improve your trading in both up markets and down markets. Dont wait for the market to get better before you decide to do better. Start learning how to be a better trader today: https://at.zacks.com/?id=111



Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.



About Screen of the Week

Zacks.com created the first and best screening system on the web earning the distinction as the "#1 site for screening stocks" by Money Magazine. But powerful screening tools is just the start. That is why Zacks created the Screen of the Week to highlight profitable stock picking strategies that investors can actively use. Each week, Zacks Profit from the Pros free email newsletter shares a new screening strategy. Learn more about it here https://at.zacks.com/?id=112

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Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978. The later formation of the Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock picking system; continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Click here for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros.

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Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer .

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



AMER WOODMARK (AMWD): Free Stock Analysis Report



NORDSON CORP (NDSN): Free Stock Analysis Report



SMITH & WESSON (SWHC): Free Stock Analysis Report



NETEASE INC (NTES): Free Stock Analysis Report



LENDINGTREE INC (TREE): Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - A study in Brazil of 70 babies whose mothers had confirmed Zika infections found that nearly 6 percent had hearing loss, adding a new complication to the list of ills the virus can cause when women are infected during pregnancy. The Brazilian study, published on Tuesday in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's weekly report on death and disease, confirmed less rigorous reports of deafness among infants born to mothers with Zika infections. The finding is part of an effort to fully characterize the harm caused by the Zika virus during pregnancy. The virus is best known for causing the severe birth defect microcephaly, characterized by undersized heads and underdeveloped brains. But other studies have shown that Zika can cause other brain abnormalities, vision problems and joint deformities. In the latest study, a team led by Dr. Marli Tenorio and Dr. Ernesto Marques of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Pernambuco, Brazil, examined records from 70 infants with microcephaly whose mothers had laboratory-confirmed Zika infections during pregnancy. They found that nearly 6 percent had hearing loss without any other plausible cause. Several other viral infections during pregnancy can cause hearing loss, including rubella and cytomegalovirus, or CMV, infections. The current study adds Zika infection to that list. Scientists say Zika should now be considered a risk factor for hearing loss, and children who were exposed during pregnancy but have normal hearing at birth should be screened regularly for delayed or progressive hearing loss. The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last fall in Brazil, which has since confirmed more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly. (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
[August 30, 2016] Mimvi Technology Group Takes Over New York's IT Sector

NEW YORK, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to operating a business, technology is crucial, meaning it is imperative to have an IT company for support; Mimvi Technology is now the leader in IT support and managed IT set-ups for all businesses across New York. Mimvi, headed by CEO Marcus Becker, is already Long Island's leader in Search Engine Optimization. Mimvi SEO is now proud to announce the formation of its sister company, Mimvi Technology Group. Mimvi Tech uses groundbreaking "technology-for-the-future" to efficiently provide implementation of your business's technological needs, and continue to provide top-notch IT support for your business. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402468 As a technology company, Mimvi Technology Group understands that even a momentary lapse in your business's connectivity could cost you a pretty penny. That reason alone has driven Mr. Becker to strive to be the best in the industry for IT support. Mimvi SEO, a company that already provides first rate SEO, web design, Internet Marketig and reputation management has now, at the highest levels, entered the world of networking, web development, server side support, remote support, disaster recovery and CRM management.



Hesitant to go with a start-up company? In this industry, this economy, this location, we understand that. The thing is, Mimvi Technology Group may be, in principle, new to the market; but its experience is not. Mr. Becker and his team, at remarkably young ages, have tremendous experience in the IT industry. New in name, new in industry impact, but certainly not new in intelligence, personality, quality support and, importantly, experience. "Managed IT Services in New York is a vital component of any business. Mimvi Technology Group is an extension of your business. We have professional technicians that are able to prevent problems from arising initially; efficiently troubleshoot when problems do arise; and consult and support your business with all of your technology related needs," says Mr. Becker.

Computers and the internet are crucial in today's business world. The down side: there are definitely security risks. The up side: with Mimvi Technology Group, those risks will not come to fruition! If your company has a technology issue, concern or question, or you just need the best IT management your dollar can buy, Mimvi Technology Group is the company for you. Mimvi not only provides both on- and off-site support, but also has consultants working, literally, around the clock to make sure your business is running as optimally as Mimvi itself strives to run. Mimvi Tech is now New York's one-stop-shop for all networking and technology business-related needs. Contact Mimvi Tech today to ensure your business's online success! Contact Information

Marcus Becker

917-477-6502

http://mimvi.tech Related Files mimvi-it.png This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mimvi-technology-group-takes-over-new-yorks-it-sector-300319827.html SOURCE Mimvi

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A mum has been forced to defend her sons love of wearing sparkly tutus [Photo: Facebook/Jen Anderson Shattuck]

If you give little boys free reign to pick their clothes for the day, some would automatically make a beeline for a superhero costumes. But others, well they might just fancy donning a pink tutu. And why the hell not?

But one mum has been forced to leap to her sons defence after a stranger accosted her three year old in a park and demanded to know why he was wearing a tutu, before going on to accuse his mother of child abuse.

Jen Anderson Shattuck, 35, from Plymouth, Massachusetts took to Facebook to pen an open letter to the man claiming that she would defend her son, whose nickname is Roo, and his right to wear whatever he liked.



My three-and-a-half-year old son lies to play trucks. He likes to do jigsaw puzzles. He likes to eat plums. And he likes to wear sparkly tutus, Jen wrote in the post.



If asked, he will say the tutus make him feel beautiful and brave. If asked, he will say there are no rules about what boys can wear or what girls can wear.

Jen went on to say that Roo has worn a tutu at various different places and there has never been a problem, until last week when she was walking with her son in the park and was accosted by a man who demanded to know why Roo was wearing a skirt.

He told them it was wrong for boys to wear skirts and then spoke directly to Roo, telling him: Youre a boy. Shes a bad mommy. Its child abuse.

Jen claims the man went on to take pictures of her son, even though she asked him not to and said he was going to share them, so everyone will know.



She called the police who came and took a report. But although the police officers kindly complimented her son on his tutu, Jen says little Roo is now self-conscious about wearing it and is nervous about the man coming back.

Though Jen says she cant say for sure whether they will see the man again shes determined not to let him and his opinions intimidate her. I will not be intimidated, she wrote. I will not let angry strangers tell my son what he can or cannot wear. I will defend, shouting, his right to walk down the street in peace, wearing whatever items of clothing he wants to wear.



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The post is quickly going viral [Photo: Facebook/Jen Anderson Shattuck]

And Jens passionate post has certainly struck a chord with other parents as since posting earlier this week the post has received over 65K likes and been shared almost 50K times. It has even sparked its own hashtag #TuTusForRoo with men sharing pictures of themselves donning tutus in solidarity.

My son wore princess dresses all the time. I am so angry for your and your poor boy, one woman wrote.



Another shared a picture of her son and daughter dancing in their tutus.



Taking to Facebook to share her gratitude for peoples support, Jen called on people to continue to share her story in the hope that attitudes about gender stereotypes will continue to be challenged.



Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your kindness (and for the many photos you have sent of your dress, skirt, and tutu-loving offspring, who are adorable.) she wrote.



She went on to say that she didnt want to change the minds of people who disagreed with her parenting choices, but that her only goal was supporting her son.

Roo may not always want to dress this way, but we hope that hell remember that, when he did, he was loved. We hope hell know that no matter what other people thought or said in response, there was always peace and safety in our home.

What do you think? Let us know @YahooStyleUK

Why This Touching Birth Picture Is Winning The Internet

Mums Viral Post Slams The Idea Of A C-Section Being The Easy Way Out
Sonos wasnt the first company in the world to release a wireless speaker, but theres little question that the company played a major role in popularizing the category. Thanks to the success Sonos has had, every audio company imaginable has jumped head first into wireless speakers.

While theres no question whatsoever that Sonos remains one of the best in the business when it comes to wireless home audio solutions, one size never fits all. Some people want different designs, and others might not want to work within the confines of the services Sonos supports. Whatever the case, rest assured that there are plenty of other great options out there for people in search of a new wireless speaker. In this post, well check out five Sonos alternatives that offer great designs and fantastic sound.

DONT MISS: There are still two big problems with Apples iPhones, but the iPhone 7 will solve one of them

Naim Mu-So Qb Wireless Music System

Some like to save the best for last, but we decided to highlight our favorite pick at the top of this list. Meet the Naim Mu-So Qb.

Naim is a familiar brand to any audiophile, with a rich history of premium audio products. The Mu-So Qb is the latest addition to the companys lineup, and its also one of our favorite. The speakers compact design measures less than 9 inches on any side and yet it delivers a powerful 300 Watts of sound that fill a room far more impressively than one might imagine.

The Mu-So Qb has a lot going for it, but it shines brightest in two key areas. The first is design. A products appearance will always be a matter of opinion but for our money, this is one of the most sleek and sophisticated speakers weve ever seen. And the second is clarity. Even at high volumes, the Mu-So Qb is clear across the full audio spectrum.

Naims Mu-So Qb supports high-resolution audio from supported apps (Spotify, TIDAL and "iRadio" Internet radio) just like Sonos speakers, or you can connect via AirPlay, Bluetooth or a physical cable to play music from any source. It also supports multi-room functionality so you can chain multiple Naim speakers together. Its versatile, its gorgeous and it produces crystal clear high-quality sound, just like you would expect from a Naim speaker.

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Bose SoundTouch 10 Wireless Music System

The Bose SoundTouch 10 speaker wont turn heads like the Mu-So Qb and it doesnt feature sound thats quite as big, but it also costs just a small fraction of what Naim charges. In terms of bang for your buck, it doesnt get much better than this wireless speaker.

The SoundTouch 10 is the smallest speaker in the Bose SoundTouch lineup, but dont let its diminutive stature fool you. Like all Bose speakers, this model offers high-quality audio you have to hear to believe.

Boses SoundTouch 10 supports Bluetooth as well as integrated apps like Amazon Prime Music, Spotify and Pandora, which will deliver higher-quality sound as a result of direct support.

Raumfeld One S Wireless Streaming Speaker

Next up is the Raumfeld One S, which is a compact speaker just like the Bose SoundTouch 10 and is priced just a touch higher at $249.

For that price you get a speaker that fills a room a bit better than the Bose model, though, to our ear, the audio quality isnt quite as rich. Thats not to say it doesnt sound great  its just not quite on par with that great Bose sound you know and love. The Raumfeld One S projects sound much better though, so it all depends on what your priorities are. Do you want better range but slightly lower-quality sound, or better sound and slightly lower-quality range?

The One S supports streaming from TuneIn, TIDAL, SoundCloud, Napster and Spotify Premium, though it doesnt support Bluetooth. The company says support for additional services including Pandora, iHeart Radio, Google Play Music and more is coming soon.

Definitive Technology W7 Wireless Speaker

The Definitive Technology W7 wireless speaker is a good option for people who like the look of the Naim model we covered, but who cant afford to cough up that kind of cash.

This great model from Definitive Technology doesnt support Bluetooth, just like Sonos speakers. Instead, it uses DTS Play-Fi wireless streaming technology to deliver high-quality sound that Bluetooth will never be able to match. The speaker itself packs a 4-inch woofer alongside four 1-inch aluminum dome tweeters that keep music loud and clean. Bass is powerful, mids are never muddy and highs shine at low volume or high volume.

Supported services include Pandora, Sirius XM, Napster, Songza, Deezer, AM/FM, Internet radio, iTunes and more.

Denon HEOS 5 Wireless Speaker

Last but certainly not least, we have the Denon HEOS 5. This speaker looks great, it sounds great, and the price places it right in the middle of the pack.

The HEOS 5 supports Bluetooth streaming as well as high-resolution audio from a wide range of services. Amazon Prime Music, Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, SiriusXM, SoundCloud, TIDAL and Napster are all covered with this speaker.

Inside the unique design sit four custom drivers, a passive radiator and four amplifiers. And speaking of that unique design, it features an integrated handle for portability but you cant see it from the front, so it doesnt ruin the look.

This Denon speaker offers great sound as well as wonderful versatility. Its definitely worth checking out.

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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager will hold a news conference at midday (1000 GMT) on Tuesday on an antitrust case, the European Commission said in a statement, giving no further details.

Sources familiar with the case said on Monday that the Commission would rule against Ireland's tax dealings with Apple <AAPL.O> on Tuesday. One source said Dublin would be told to recoup over 1 billion euros in back taxes.

(Reporting by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Robert-Jan Bartunek)
By Julia Fioretti BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union telecoms regulators adopted strict rules on Tuesday limiting how telecoms firms like Vodafone and Orange can prioritize some types of Internet traffic, dealing a blow to an industry hoping to boost revenues. The guidelines on net neutrality - the principle that all Internet traffic should be treated equally - were welcomed by Internet activists. The new rules will ensure the web remains an open platform and will not become a two-speed highway, benefiting only companies with deep pockets that can pay for prioritized delivery, they said. The European Union adopted its first ever net neutrality rules last year and Tuesday's guidelines will be used by regulators to enforce the law. Telecoms companies will only be able to offer so-called specialized services - such as connectivity for driverless cars and Internet-connected devices - over dedicated network capacity if it is "objectively necessary" and only if it does not negatively affect the Internet. The telecoms industry is seeking to increase revenues by offering specialized services that need a guaranteed level of quality, to offset declining turnover from its traditional telephony business. Companies had pushed hard for leeway allowing them to prioritize some types of data over others. Services such as high-quality voice calling on mobile networks, live television delivered over the Internet and remote surgery, or telesurgery, are likely to be allowed as specialized services, according to the guidelines. Regulators will assess whether a service needs to be delivered separately from the rest of the Internet on a case-by-case basis. The telecoms industry said it was essential to avoid "restrictive interpretations" of Europe's net neutrality law. "Let's make sure the implementation of net neutrality rules does not hamper new applications and services," said Lise Fuhr, director general of ETNO, a telecoms lobbying group representing operators including Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica and Telecom Italia. The regulators also limited the extent to which telecoms operators may exempt some applications, for example Facebook, from a customer's data usage, a practice known as zero-rating. Operators will only be able to offer some applications completely free until the customer has hit their data cap. So, customers would not be able to continue using Facebook or, say, Spotify, for free once they have used up all the data in their subscription. "Europe is now a global standard setter in the defense of the open, competitive and neutral Internet", said Joe McNamee, executive director of European Digital Rights, an association of civil and human rights organizations. (Reporting by Julia Fioretti; Editing by Susan Fenton)
Mark Zuckerberg's smart home system is based on voice and facial recognition.

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg hopes to demonstrate the domestic artificial intelligence system installed in his home this September.

Zuckerberg gave the update on his home AI system, the creation of which was a personal goal for 2016, during a Facebook Townhall Q&A held in Rome and broadcast online.

"When I walk up to my gate, I don't have to put in a code or something like that to get in, or put in a key. It just sees my face and it lets me in," he said.

The system can control gates, lights, and temperature, but so far has been calibrated for use solely by Zuckerberg himself. "It's getting there," he said.

Thus Facebook could soon introduce its own answer to smart home control systems proposed by other consumer-facing technology giants such as Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit.
Even though Captain America: Civil War was as entertaining as any of Marvel's recent films, there was an interesting omission from the cast that had me distracted for a vast majority of the movie. Where in the world was Thor?

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Of course, the actual answer is that Thor would have completely ruined the balance between the two warring factions, as he's, you know, a god. But over the weekend, Marvel shared a short video that gives a far sillier explanation:

That's right  Thor was spending all of his time with Darryl, some random Australian with an office job. It sounds like he would have been more than happy to get involved in the fight, but Tony Stark and Steve Rogers apparently never sent that raven. Poor Thor. It's tough being a handsome god.

This is a pretty fantastic reintroduction to Thor, but as anyone who has been keeping track of the Marvel Cinematic Universe knows, the real reason that Thor didn't take part in the Civil War was because he was out on his own adventure with Hulk, which we'll see in Thor: Ragnarok on November 3rd, 2017.

The special feature you saw above was directed by Taika Waititi, who is also directing Ragnarok. It's just one of the features available when Captain America: Civil War releases on Digital HD on September 2nd.

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A few days ago, Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams who plays Arya on the show said that nothing will prepare us for season 7, without revealing any other details about it. She did say on Twitter that she had finished reading the script for HBOs next Thrones season. In an extensive interview about her character, her experience on the set and the fact that shes nominated for an Emmy, Williams further explained why fans have to deal with the fact that Game of Thrones is ending soon, and why its perfectly okay to have a shorter season next year.

DONT MISS: After killing data plans just 2 weeks ago, T-Mobile already introduced a new data plan

Williams said that appreciates the way Game of Thrones was constructed. It had a clear ending from the start, as the show runners knew exactly what they wanted to do with the show. That means that dragging the story on was never on the table, and even HBO respected this decision.

It sucks for the audience because they love the episodes, but what well never do on this show is drag it out, and Im so thrilled about that, the young actress told Variety. Too many shows start out about making a great show, and by Season 6 its about making money and all they want to do is write more episodes and make more money. This show makes a lot of money, and it would be easy for HBO to be like were gonna do four more seasons, and were gonna extend them to 12 episodes. I really respect David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss] for holding their ground and for HBO to be like no were gonna tell this story, and were gonna end it, and thatll be final.

"Good things must come to an end or theyre not good anymore. It doesnt last forever, and weve done what we came to do, its time to wrap this up, and it will have the ending it was always supposed to have, and thats very special, Williams added, offering a small we-already-knew-it spoiler: Winter is coming.

David and Dan started writing this show knowing the end, not knowing that it might actually come around, and we might be allowed to make that many [seasons]  at the beginning we were just willing to make one [season]. They started this with an end in sight, and so its exciting to be closing it Im just excited to see everyone again  we start a lot later this year because winter has arrived, so that cant happen in sunny Belfast. Yes, that's why season 7 will launch later next year.

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Varietys full interview with Williams is worth a read, as the 19-year-old offers exciting behind-the-scene details about playing Arya, including tidbits on what it was like to film the scene where Arya kills Walder Frey.

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See the original version of this article on BGR.com
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Defence Ministry on Tuesday informed lawmakers that its plan to lease armed Heron TP drones from Israel Aerospace Industries [ISRAI.UL] will be delayed by months given a fresh legal challenge filed by U.S. weapons maker General Atomics. Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen in January announced the army would lease the Heron drones for about 580 million euros instead of buying Predator B drones from the privately held U.S. firm or Switzerland's RUAG, prompting protests by both firms which were denied in May. "This move by General Atomics is very unfortunate and frustrating, especially since our legal position was upheld by the (cartel office) with very clear words," a senior ministry acquisition official told lawmakers in a letter seen by Reuters. The ministry did not disclose General Atomics' arguments. No comment from General Atomics was immediately available. It was the latest setback for the minister's efforts to rebuild the German military after years of declining military budgets and reports of ill-equipped troops. Germany's air force is facing growing problems due to delays in deliveries of the Airbus A400M military transport, and a $4 billion air defense system to be built by Lockheed Martin Corp and MBDA is also facing possible delays. MBDA is jointly owned by Airbus, Britain's BAE Systems Plc and Italy's Leonardo Finmeccanica SpA. General Atomics had in June asked the German cartel office to review a decision rejecting its protest of the contract decision, but the agency rejected that bid on Aug. 17, according to the ministry letter, which was first reported by Spiegel Online. In response, the company on Monday filed a lawsuit with the German higher court in Duesseldorf, the final arbiter in the case, the ministry official said. RUAG did not pursue its case with the cartel office. The ministry official said the latest legal process could take three to nine months to resolve, which meant the Heron project could be delayed by months. Tobis Lindner, a Green party member of the parliamentary budget committee, said critics had long questioned whether von der Leyen's decision to lease the Israeli drones was the economically and technologically least risky option. "It now appears that the Defence Ministry's plans are now falling apart. Ursula von der Leyen's ambitious drone plans are over for this legislative period," he said in a statement. The leasing plan was intended as an interim measure until the EU has developed its own drone. Germany, France, Italy and Spain plan to jointly develop a drone by 2025. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Alison Williams)
[August 30, 2016] Bovie J-Plasma Precise 360 Handpiece Named 'Innovation of the Year' by the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS)

Bovie Medical (NYSE:BVX), a maker of medical devices and supplies and the developer of J-Plasma, a patented new surgical product, announced that the Bovie J-Plasma product extension, branded the Precise 360, has been named an "Innovation of the Year" by The Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS). This J-Plasma hand piece has an angled and rotating tip that enables surgeons access to structures that are difficult to reach using a straight laparoscopic device. J-Plasma, Bovie's transformational surgical product, uses helium ionization to allow surgeons to cut and coagulate with greater precision on and around delicate structures. This marks the third consecutive year that a J-Plasma product has been cited for innovation: in 2014, J-Plasma product line won this distinction, and in 2015, it was given to the Bovie Ultimate Operating Room Generator, a product that combines J-Plasma technology with the highest wattage monopolor and bipolor electrosurgical generator. Commenting on this achievement, Mr. Robert L. Gershon, Chief Executive Officer said, "We are proud that a third J-Plasma product has been honored as an innovation of the year, highlighting the unique advantages of this exciting technology. The Precise 360 leverages J-Plasma's precision and adds flexibility in procedures on hard-to-reach structures including the culdesac and anterior abdominal wall. We are committed to developing innovative surgical devices, and appreciate this reconition from the Society of Laparoendoscopic surgeons."



The Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS) is an educational, non-profit organization established to ensure the highest standards for the practice of laparoscopic, endoscopic and minimally invasive surgery. Each year, SLS recognizes the most innovative products of the past year that have a multidisciplinary application in minimally invasive surgery. Bovie Medical will receive the recognition at the opening ceremony of SLS' Minimally Invasive Surgery Week Annual Meeting and Endo Expo, to be held in Boston, Massachusetts, on Wednesday August, 31, 2016.

About Bovie Medical Corporation Bovie Medical Corporation is a leading maker of medical devices and supplies as well as the developer of J-Plasma, a patented new plasma-based surgical product for cutting and coagulation. J-Plasma utilizes a helium ionization process to produce a stable, focused beam of ionized gas that provides surgeons with greater precision, minimal invasiveness and an absence of conductive currents through the patient during surgery. Bovie Medical Corporation is also a leader in the manufacture of a range of electrosurgical products and technologies, marketed through both private labels and the Company's own well-respected brands (Bovie, Aaron, IDS and ICON) to distributors worldwide. The Company also leverages its expertise through original equipment manufacturing (OEM) agreements with other medical device manufacturers. For further information about the Company's current and new products, please refer to the Investor Relations section of Bovie Medical Corporation's website www.boviemed.com. About SLS The Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons was established as an educational, non-profit organization to help ensure the highest standards for the practice of laparoscopic, endoscopic and minimally invasive surgery. The Society serves surgeons from various specialties and other health professionals who are interested in advancing their expertise in the diagnostic and therapeutic uses of Laparoendoscopic and minimally invasive surgical techniques. With an international membership of over 6,000 surgeons, the organization offers a unique approach to the study and education of minimally invasive surgery by bringing together different medical specialties that use the techniques and tools of minimally invasive surgery. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830005736/en/

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You have to give Google credit. While the companys primary revenue generator remains search-based advertising, Google has never been shy about exploring new ideas and business ventures. And while some of Googles bold new initiatives have worked out swimmingly (Android), the vast majority have been, to put it bluntly, embarrassing failures. To be fair, this isnt a knock against Google, but rather the inevitable result of the old adage that if you dream big, you run the risk of failing big.

Say what you will about Google, theres simply no denying that the company loves to dream big. In turn, the company also has a long list of failures to its name. Whereas Apple prides itself on saying no, Google prides itself on saying yes. In fact, Googles failures are so numerous that its hard to pinpoint any specific venture as being the most disastrous. I mean, how can one reasonably choose between Google Wave, Google Plus or Google Glass?

DON'T MISS: The worst thing about yesterdays big iPhone 7 specs leak

As for the latter product, I was lucky enough to get to try on a pair of Google Glasses a few years ago, back when the hype surrounding the product was still fresh and palpable. I was beyond curious and excited to see what the fuss was all about. However, that excitement quickly turned to disappointment the moment I gave the glasses a spin. What I soon discovered was that Google Glass sported incredibly cool technology but was, nonetheless, practically useless. In short, there's a fundamental difference between creating a product or gadget that nerds might like and a product with mainstream appeal.

Again, were not trying to rag on Google here as the company does a few things exceedingly well, with search and maps being obvious examples. Still, its somewhat fascinating that a company like Google, with so many talented engineers and scientist under its employ, can be home to no shortage of public-facing product failures.

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A recent Quora thread on the topic asks What are Googles most surprising product failures? and the listed answers are quite fascinating to look over. Whats especially interesting is that many of Googles failures were either a) horribly executed or b) arguably ahead of their time. That being said, one answer in particular -- from former Googler Lewis Lin -- details a number of Google failures while also listing what those products had the potential to become.

Google Wave . It could have been Slack.

Orkut . It could have been Facebook.

Google+ . It could have been Snapchat or WhatsApp.

Google Hangouts on Air . It could have been Facebook Live or Periscope.

Google Answers . It could have been Quora.

Google Catalog Search . It could have been Pinterest.

Dodgeball . It could have been FourSquare or related social networking site.

Google Notebook . It could have been Evernote.

Google Page Creator . It could have been Squarespace.

Google Video. It wasnt YouTube.

No I dont agree with all of these but it's still a fine list; for example, I dont think Orkut ever had a chance to become Facebook. Still, its fascinating to see just how open Google is to try new initiatives and, more than that, how willing it is to fail, regroup, and try something completely different.

Funny enough, there are so many failed Google initiatives that some didnt even warrant attention. For example, remember Google Buzz? How about the company's Boston Dynamics acquisition that went nowhere?

The entire Quora thread is well worth checking and can be viewed via the source link below.

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In a ruling handed down this morning, Apple was given a $14.5 billion bill for back taxes by the European Commission, related to its business in Europe and Ireland. Apple's tax situation, including the hundreds of billions in cash held offshore, has always been a hot topic for the company. But how did it land in this mess, and who does it even owe money to anyway?

DON'T MISS: There are still two big problems with Apples iPhones, but the iPhone 7 will solve one of them

The situation right now is a little unclear. This morning's ruling was given by the European Commission, which says that both Apple and Ireland made a tax arrangement against the rules of the EU. As a result, Apple owes money to Ireland, but the country disagrees. In a statement, the Finance Minister said he "disagrees profoundly" with the EC's ruling, and will appeal.

As you might expect, Apple is also planning on launching an appeal. CEO Tim Cook argues that because Apple complied with Irish tax authorities, there shouldn't be any penalties applied, and Cook is confident that Apple's case will "ultimately prevail." Oh, and the US government is also on Apple's side, accusing the EU in a statement last week of acting as a "supra-national tax authority."

In other words, we have the stage set for one hell of a fight. In one corner, the European Commission, a powerful international body with the backing of all the EU member states (except Ireland), who are tired of having Apple pay very little tax on billions in sales. In the other, we have the world's largest corporation, the US Treasury Department, and an Irish government that really doesn't want to be labelled as a tax haven.

Apple's tax arrangement

What the sides ultimately disagree on is how Apple's taxes are structured through Ireland. It's a complicated arrangement used by hundreds of big companies aside from Apple, but it works something like this. Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe are two Irish-registered companies, which hold the intellectual property to Apple products and brands outside of North and South America.

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Using legal tax mechanisms, all sales of Apple products in Europe went to these companies, so the bulk of all profits made in Europe ended up in Ireland. Using transfer pricing like this to funnel profits into a particular country is a legal and well-used (if ethically dubious) practice.

The real problem is how profits were taxed once they got to Ireland. Apple and Ireland agreed on a system that channeled "most profits...away from Ireland to a 'head office' within Apple Sales International," according to the EC. The Commission's investigation showed that Apple had been given a tax rate as low as 0.005 percent at some points, far lower than the already-low Irish corporation tax rate of 12.5 percent.

So whose rules did Apple break?

The EU's involvement makes this a weird case. Normally, tax evasion is pretty cut-and-dry: a country has rules on tax, a corporation breaks them, and then the company is found out and has to pay up. But in this case, Apple was in compliance with Ireland's rules. It was Ireland's rules that were out of line with the EU's taxation policies, which don't allow member states to act as tax havens.

So Apple has to pay back taxes to Ireland, but Ireland doesn't want the money. Directly after the Commission released its findings, Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan released a statement, saying "I disagree profoundly with the Commissions decision," and that he has "no choice but to seek Cabinet approval to appeal the decision before the European Courts. This is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system; to provide tax certainty to business; and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules into the sovereign Member State competence of taxation."

What does Apple say?

Obviously, Apple isn't happy about the ruling. Tim Cook issued an open letter to customers this morning, seeking to reassure them. In it, he restates Apple's long-running justification of the Irish tax arrangements. Cook points out that Apple has had a tangible presence in Ireland for decades, starting with a factory with 60 employees in Cork, Ireland back in 1980.

He goes on to say that "over the years, we received guidance from Irish tax authorities on how to comply correctly with Irish tax law  the same kind of guidance available to any company doing business there. In Ireland and in every country where we operate, Apple follows the law and we pay all the taxes we owe."

Cook's final argument goes back to one of the principles of taxation, that "a companys profits should be taxed in the country where the value is created." Since Apple's R&D is mostly done in California, Cook argues, that's where Apple should be taxed.

They're all powerful-sounding arguments, but most don't apply to this ruling. Apple does have a physical presence in Ireland, but its low taxation rate really depends on the existence of a "head office" in the country that coordinates worldwide sales. According to the EC investigation, the head office exists on paper only.

The fact that Apple was in accordance with Irish tax law is also a moot point. The European Commission objects to Ireland's own taxation policies, claiming they're out of line with EU rules. You can see the point: the EU is a free trade zone, so if one country can manipulate its taxation code to offer low rates to multinationals, it's offering all of the benefits of a tax haven while also being inside the world's biggest single market.

Cook's final argument also ignores some important facts -- mainly that if Apple should be taxed where it creates the value (R&D in California), why are hundreds of billions of dollars sitting offshore?

What about the US government?

The US Treasury Department has been unusually vocal about this case, in statements last week and also after the ruling was handed down today. Mostly, the Department objects to retroactive taxation, which is says is "unfair, contrary to well-established legal principles, and call into question the tax rules of individual Member States."

So what happens next?

After the international hand-wringing is done, Apple is highly unlikely to just sit down and pay up. (Although it's worth mentioning that the $14.5 billion back tax bill is barely 10 percent of Apple's offshore tax holdings.) Both Apple and Ireland have said they will appeal the decision. Given that EU bureaucracy moves at a truly glacial pace, and the first investigation took three years, don't expect this to be settled soon.

But there is also a very good chance Apple ends up paying some money from this. Ireland and the United States may well disagree with the ruling, but public opinion in the 27 other EU member states is on the other side. Ireland offering favourable rates has enabled dozens of other high-profile multinationals like Starbucks and Google to avoid paying taxes in other countries.

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Verizon Communications Inc. (ticker: VZ) isn't playing around in the great mobile wars of 2016, attempting to give consumers more of what they want in the face of bolstered competitor efforts.

The company touted new 50 percent faster peak wireless data speeds for 39 of its capable phones and tablets -- dubbed Verizon LTE Advanced -- in a news release, available in 461 cities across the U.S. The new technology funnels two or three multiple bandwidth channels into one larger one, enabling data to function most efficiently. This is referred to as carrier aggregation.

The update comes at no added cost for consumers. Engadget notes, though, the company didn't specify how the phone will actually "take advantage of these higher speeds."

This latest news from Verizon comes after major shifts from its competitors Sprint Corp. (S), T-Mobile US (TMUS) and AT&T (T) in the realm of unlimited data and the elimination of overage charges. Verizon also recently launched an attack ad featuring Jamie Foxx against Sprint after it hired away Verizon's "Can you hear me now" pitchman, Paul Marcarelli. Foxx has now appeared in a series of company ads.

Marcelo Claure, Sprint's CEO, is a particularly prolific Twitter user and shows no hesitation in calling out his competitors. In recent days, he shared Sprint and Samsung's three-channel carrier aggregation live demonstration press release on the platform and retweeted a dig at Verizon.

Sprint and Samsung Take Three-Channel Carrier Aggregation into the Field with Live Demonstration in Chicago https://t.co/IxSwNMjT3z

-- MarceloClaure (@marceloclaure) August 29, 2016

Jamie Foxx also shows map of @verizon customers with no Unlimited option. #SwitchToSprint @marceloclaure @GregPost11 pic.twitter.com/nlWQD3KJoX

-- Ken (@4GKennyG) August 28, 2016

On Aug. 18, he tweeted "Delete Your Account" at Verizon's incoming Wireless CEO, Ronan Dunne. Dunne, however, could prove a new Twitter adversary for Claure.

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Hint @ronandunneo2 Delete Your Account https://t.co/MvFbLgsQGC

-- MarceloClaure (@marceloclaure) August 18, 2016

Verizon's stock was down 0.75 percent on Tuesday, although it is up about 13 percent on the year.

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David Oliver is Associate Editor, Social Media at U.S. News & World Report. Follow him on Twitter, connect with him on LinkedIn, or send him an email at doliver@usnews.com.
[August 30, 2016] Easy Solutions Enhances Biometric Offering, Integrates Proven Face and Voice Recognition Technologies

Easy Solutions, the Total Fraud Protection company, today announced partnerships with two biometrics vendors, Auraya Systems Pty Ltd, the producers of ArmorVox, the world's only universal core voice biometric engine, and FacePhi, a global leader in facial recognition technology. Both technologies fully integrate with Easy Solutions' state-of-the-art authentication framework. After announcing support for biometrics earlier this year, Easy Solutions is now making the deployment of industry-leading biometric authentication even easier for existing and prospective clients. ArmorVox voice recognition technologies have been deployed in Canada, the United States, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Germany. Similarly, FacePhi has been deployed in the financial sector in 18 different countries across banking and private and public sectors. "The biometric component of our multi-layered approach to fraud protection allows organizations to establish trusted identity online with minimum friction, balancing both convenience and security," said Ricardo Villadiego, CEO of Easy Solutions. "As we predicted earlier this year, biometric technologies are the next wave of strong, efficient authentication solutions. Auraya and FacePhi are proven technologies that have been adopted globally, and we are proud to team with them to offer the best-in-clss user authentication solution available in the anti-fraud market today."



Easy Solutions Authentication Mobile SDK allows organizations to embed in-app biometric authentication capabilities directly into their mobile app, enabling organizations to offer consumers the ability to easily authenticate their identity by taking a selfie or repeating their passphrase. When combined with other layered security, biometric authentication provides consumers a rapid and expedient way to complete secure transactions on a mobile device, creating a balance of strong security and consumer convenience. "Our proprietary technology allows ArmorVox to optimize performance across all languages and accents, making us a market leader in voice recognition biometrics," said Auraya CEO Dr. Clive Summerfield. "It's this very technology that makes us ideally suited to partner with Easy Solutions as they bring their state-of-the-art authentication framework to an even wider market."

"Our algorithms can be used in any platform, but we are especially focused on mobile banking solutions because we see this niche has been growing internationally in the last term," said Javier Mira, co-founder and CEO of FacePhi. "Selphi also ensures high security and incorporates a 'liveness filter,' where technology is able to distinguish between a photograph and the person in front of the mobile device, thoroughly analyzing the way you blink and thereby avoiding phishing." With the additions of the Armorvox and FacePhi technologies to the Easy Solutions platform, customers will now benefit from industry-leading biometrics technology built directly into their banking, financial services and other applications. Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, Auraya is the developer of ArmorVox, the world's most advanced and most accurate core voice biometric technology. Proven in major applications in government, banking, financial services, telecommunications, help desks, healthcare, smartphone security, law enforcement and justice, ArmorVox is the ideal core voice biometrics for the strong identity authentication and fraud detection required by Easy Solutions customers and clients, alike. FacePhi is a global leader in facial recognition technology. With a strong concentration in the financial sector, its product is rapidly becoming a service used by banks all over the world. It is the only company that has entirely designed and developed its own robust algorithm, already validated by the banking sector. FacePhi provides Selphi, a novel alternative for mobile banking users. This solution can be downloaded to a Smartphone, providing users the option to access mobile banking accounts without a username or a password. Selphi stands out in being the only facial biometric solution adapted to mobile banking, where users can access their banking accounts just by taking a selfie. ABOUT EASY SOLUTIONS Easy Solutions is a leading security vendor focused on the comprehensive detection and prevention of electronic fraud across all devices, channels and clouds. Our products range from anti-phishing and secure browsing to multifactor authentication and transaction anomaly detection, offering a one-stop shop for multiple fraud prevention services. The online activities of over 94 million customers 350 leading financial services companies, security firms, retailers, airlines and other entities all over the world are protected by Easy Solutions fraud prevention systems. United States: 8550 N.W. 33 Street, Miami FL 33122. Phone (News - Alert): 1 (866) 524 4782 EMEA: Parkshot House, 5 Kew Road, Richmond, TW9 2PR. Phone: +44 (0) 7917-798861 Latin America: Cra. 13A No. 98 - 21 Of. 401. Bogota, Colombia. Phone: +57 1 - 742 5570 View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830005232/en/

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[August 30, 2016] Instor Solutions Establishes East Coast Presence with Opening of Virginia Office

Instor Solutions (Instor), a global leader in data center infrastructure solutions, announced today the next step in its strategic expansion with the establishment of a new East Coast office and addition of senior personnel. Originally founded in the heart of Silicon Valley, Instor Solutions has been instrumental in the design and installation of infrastructure solutions for both new and expanding data centers since the 1980's. The company announced international expansion with the establishment of its Ireland office in August of 2015 and, due to continued growth, has recently opened a location on the East Coast. Located at 43940 Digital Loudoun Plaza, Building G, Suite 144, Ashburn, VA 20147, this new site will serve as the company's primary presence for the Eastern United States and better enable both New England and Mid-Atlantic customers and partners to forge successful projects with Instor. Jim Levin is leading this growth as the newly appointed Vice President of Business Development. Having entered the data center and mission critical space in 2007, Mr. Levin has nearly 30 years of experience in sales and consulting throughout a variety of industries. Most recently with JAL Consulting where he served as Principal, Mr. Levin was previously the Director, Strategic Sales Groupfor Clearwater Systems Corporation.



Gary Wong joins Mr. Levin in spearheading Instor's growing presence on the East Coast. In his new role as Instor's Director of Applications Engineering, Mr. Wong brings over 25 years of experience in both operations and as a solutions provider within the financial and multi-tenant data center sectors. A former Director with Digital Realty, he has also held positions in Professional Services, Applications Engineering, Product Management and Sales Engineering with Eaton, Schneider Electric (News - Alert) and others. Eric Linden, Director of Sales, East, is the third hire to drive the establishment of Instor's East Coast office. Mr. Linden has over 15 years of experience in the telecommunications industry within multiple sectors, including: banking, pharmaceutical, and Government. From his relationships with major telecommunication infrastructure manufacturers: Corning, Siemon (News - Alert), CommScope, Ortronics, among others, Mr. Linden brings a high-level knowledge about the intersection of data centers and telecom to the team.

"It's not a secret that the East Coast, and Virginia in particular has become one of the fastest growing areas of data center expansion in the United States," said Jack Vonich, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Instor. "There has been a rising need for mission critical expansion throughout the Eastern United States as rapid movement to the cloud and steadily increasing IT activity are taxing existing data center infrastructure. Instor is well-positioned to meet this demand through our new office and seasoned personnel. We look forward to connecting with existing customers and partners in the region and beyond, as well as building new relationships with the surrounding data center communities." Learn more about Instor's experience building out data center infrastructure through its recently announced Data Center Fit Up service. About Instor Solutions Instor Solutions is a leader in data center infrastructure solutions with a strategic IT focus. Instor partners with manufacturers who produce the most innovative solutions for the data center, including intelligent power distribution and monitoring, environmental monitoring, asset management, air containment and custom server enclosures. Instor provides a wide variety of products and services used to support IT in both large and small enterprises. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a second office in Ashburn, Virginia and a European branch in Dublin, Ireland, Instor operates throughout the U.S. and in the European Union. Since the early 1980s, Instor has designed and installed infrastructure solutions for high-growth startups to Fortune 100 companies and public institutions. Additional information can be found at http://www.instor.com View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830005827/en/

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[August 30, 2016] LECIP Fare Collection System Enhances C-TRAN Customer Experience

LECIP INC., a provider of integrated and optimized solutions for public transport, today announced that we introduced an Automated Fare Collection (AFC) System for fixed route buses of the Clark County Public Transit Benefit Area (C-TRAN) in the United States. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830005556/en/ LECIP Farebox for C-TRAN buses (Photo: Business Wire) C-TRAN of Clark County, WA has been providing safe, reliable, and convenient public transportation for 35 years, but their fareboxes were 25 years old, causing delays and frustrating the passengers and operators. So the C-TRAN Board of Directors approved a Request for Proposals (RFP) to procure a new automated fare collection (AFC) system. C-TRAN puts the customer experience first; takes the LECIP leap Bob Medcraft, C-TRAN's Field Operations Manager, wanted to ensure that the customer experiencewas fully considered at every step of the procurement. "Procuring a customer-friendly system was my highest priority," said Medcraft.





LECIP has been a proven market leader in Asia since 1953, but they were unknown to C-TRAN. C-TRAN learned that LECIP has an office and distribution facility in Illinois, with manufacturing in both New York and Illinois. C-TRAN also received strong references from LECIP's long-term customers. According to Akio Fujii, COO of LECIP Inc., "LECIP's commitment to developing business in the US based on our strong references elsewhere had a big influence over C-TRAN's decision."

According to both Medcraft and Akio, there are several features of the LECIP farebox that are superior. For instance, delays are reduced because passengers can insert many coins at once, and the operators do not have to worry about being late. "Our farebox is built modularly," added Akio, "so if there is a failure, the agency can replace the suspected module instead of changing the entire farebox." C-TRAN selected LECIP's solution, even though C-TRAN's would be the first LECIP installation in the US. "Our proposal was based on our successes in Japan and Asia," said Akio. "Therefore, LECIP may sound new to US customers, but we are a very proven and viable alternative." Mission Accomplished! With LECIP, C-TRAN implemented the new AFC system they had envisioned. According to Medcraft, the C-TRAN operators really like the new system. "The operators no longer need to perform any manual punching, the validation of the currency is nearly flawless, and our routes run on time." Of course the passengers love the new AFC system, too. "With the support of LECIP, we have greatly improved the C-TRAN customer experience," said Medcraft. About LECIP

LECIP is a leading company mainly engaged in the manufacture and sale of transportation equipment. Incorporated in 1953 as the Sanyo (News - Alert) Electronics Company, LECIP provides Automated Fare Collection system, including smart card reader, farebox, and ticket issuer, as well as LED lighting and LCD displays for public transport. The LECIP Group is owned by a holding company, LECIP HOLDINGS CORPORATION (TOKYO:7213), which is listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. For more information about LECIP products and system, please visit http://www.lecip.com View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830005556/en/

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[August 30, 2016] European Cybercrime Sleuths Plot Data Exchange Strategies to Confront Cybercrime Gangs at Bratislava Conference

Global cybercrime-fighting association APWG.EU is hosting its eCrime 2016 program on October 5-7 in Bratislava, Slovakia, presenting advanced data analysis and data exchange schemes to automate the global response to cybercrime. Cybercrime researchers and responders will be focusing on shared platforms for the capture and exchange of event data and intelligence related to cybercrimes to inform programmatic responses on a global scale. "Cybercrime gangs' cooperation in development of their attack programs is key to their success. Investigators and responders have a lot to learn from them in that regard," said APWG Secretary General Peter Cassidy. The agenda is here: https://apwg.eu/apwg-events/ecrime2016eu/agenda Among the key research presented this October are presentations on: Analysis of transaction data related to the exchange of virtual currencies

Recruitment of electronic event data for programmatic response to cybercrime

Virtual currency transaction analytics

Development of a European sensor network for capture and delivery of event data related to cybercrime

Reports of policy and logistics impediments of data related to cybercrime - and discussion of potential resolutions

A proposal for a global, multi-stakeholder cybercrime data sharing community

A panel on managing the threat of advanced information hiding "The response to cybercrime must be as programmatic as the crimes themselves if the responder community is to keep pace. This conference features presentations on cooperative data collection, data analysis and data exchange routines to confound the felonious enterprises of the attacking cybergangs," said Mr. Cassidy. In observance of European CyberSecurity Month (ECSM), APWG.EU will be hosting a Train the Trainer session at the start of the conference on Wednesday, October 5 to train cybersecurity activists from Slovakia in imparting cybersafety principles and practices to large audiences of users. The conference, which will take place during the Slovak presidency of the Council of the EU, will be hosed by Slovenska sporitelna (a member of the Erste Group), the country's leading retail bank. It will also count with the support of ESET, Slovakia's corporate flagship and one of the world's best-known AV, and Preventista.sk, a local civic organization aimed at raising awareness against cybercrime.



Conference registration data is here: https://apwg.eu/apwg-events/ecrime2016eu/register Venue data is here: https://apwg.eu/apwg-events/ecrime2016eu/venue

Sponsors and participants can contact the organizers at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter (News - Alert): @apwg_eu About the APWG and APWG.EU The APWG, founded in 2003 as the Anti-Phishing Working Group, is a global industry, law enforcement, and government coalition of more than 1,800 institutions working to unify the global response to electronic crime. Since 2004, the APWG has developed and curated one of the world's largest NGO-managed clearinghouses of cybercrime event data enabling the sharing of this data to protect consumers and businesses alike. APWG's directors, managers and research fellows advise and correspond with national governments; global governance bodies like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, International Telecommunications Union and ICANN; hemispheric and global trade groups; and multilateral treaty organizations such as the European Commission, the G8 High Technology Crime Subgroup, Council of Europe's Convention on Cybercrime, United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Europol EC3, the Organization of American States and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. APWG is a member of the steering group of the Commonwealth Cybercrime Initiative at the Commonwealth of Nations. Membership is open to qualified financial institutions, online retailers, ISPs and Telcos, the law enforcement community, solutions providers, multi-lateral treaty organizations, research centers, trade associations and government agencies. The APWG's <www.apwg.org> and <education.apwg.org> websites offer the public, industry and government agencies practical information about phishing and electronically mediated fraud as well as pointers to pragmatic technical solutions that provide immediate protection. APWG is co-founder and co-manager of the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Messaging Convention, the global online safety public awareness collaborative <https://education.apwg.org/safety-messaging-convention/> and founder/curator of the eCrime Researchers Summit, the world's first peer-reviewed conference dedicated specifically to electronic crime studies <www.ecrimeresearch.org>. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830006115/en/

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Welcome, Neighbor!

Thank you for sharing my journey with me. It's a bumpy ride, but hopefully you'll find it worthwhile! To reach out to me, send me an e-mail at jamesbradfordpate@yahoo.com.


MATTOON (JG-TC) -- The City Council is scheduled to hold a special meeting today to consider hiring a probationary firefighter.

Fire Chief Tony Nichols said the hiring of this prospective firefighter, Jacob Mohr, needs to take place in time for him to be enrolled in the University of Illinois Fire Service Institute academy session that starts on Sept. 6.

Nichols said the next regularly scheduled city council meeting will not take place until the evening of Sept. 6, so a special meeting is needed to expedite the hiring process. The hiring of Mohr as a probationary firefighter would be effective Sept. 1.

Hiring Mohr will fill a vacancy created by the retirement of one of the shift captains, Denny Kingery, in July and bring the Mattoon Fire Department back up to its full staffing level of 30 firefighters as required by contract, Nichols said. Mohr currently serves with the fire and ambulance service in his hometown of Carlock, he said.

The special council meeting is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. today in City Hall, 208 N. 19th St.
SPRINGIFLED -- Personal information on as many as 200,000 Illinois voters was taken earlier this summer when hackers broke into the states voter registration database, the Illinois State Board of Elections said Monday.

Meanwhile, the FBI issued an alert earlier this month to election authorities across the country in the wake of the Illinois cyberattack, first reported in July by the JG-TC Springfield bureau, and another in Arizona. The alert, first reported Monday by Yahoo News, urges election officials to be on the lookout for similar attempts.

Ken Menzel, general counsel for the Illinois elections board, said the state has yet to notify those whose information was accessed because it remains unclear exactly what data was taken. Under state law, notification is required only if the data included information that is not publicly available, such as Social Security or drivers license numbers.

Menzel said the information that was taken likely included some voters drivers license numbers and the last four digits of their social security numbers.

Due to the ambiguous nature of the attack we may never know the exact number of affected voters, according to a written update provided to elections board members last week ahead of their Friday meeting. We can confirm that no voting history information and no voter signature images were captured.

Election officials have said from the beginning that theyre confident no information in the database was deleted or altered.

Menzel said its believed the attack may have been the work of foreign hackers.

Were focused more on the what? and the how?  he said. In addition to the what? and the how?, FBI is also focused on the who? 

The FBI alert obtained by Yahoo News lists eight IP addresses the bureau believes were used in the Illinois and Arizona attacks, including one used in both.

The FBI is requesting that states contact their Board of Elections and determine if any similar activity to their logs, both inbound and outbound, has been detected, the FBI alert says.

Brad Ware, a spokesman for the FBIs Springfield office, declined to answer questions about the investigation.

While we cannot comment on specific alerts, what I can say is that in furtherance of public-private partnerships, the FBI routinely advises private industry of various cyber threat indicators observed during the course of our investigations, Ware said in an emailed statement. This data is provided in order to help systems administrators guard against the actions of persistent cyber criminals.

According to the elections board update, the state is also working with the federal Department of Homeland Securitys United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson held a conference call with state election officials earlier this month to offer the departments help to manage risks to voting systems in each state's jurisdiction ahead of the Nov. 8 election, according to a summary of the call posted on the departments website.

Illinois elections board first became aware of the attack, which began June 23, on July 12 and took the states voter registration database offline the following day. After security upgrades, it was brought fully back online July 28.

The attackers continued to hit (State Board of Elections) IP addresses 5 times per second until August 12th when attacks abruptly ceased, according to the update.

Menzel said the voter registration database has been functioning properly since being brought back online.
CHARLESTON (JG-TC) -- Over the last three to four weeks, numerous reports have surfaced of attempts to pass counterfeit bills or the currency allegedly being passed at various local businesses, according to a police press release.

The release states that the Charleston Police Department has handled multiple reports which are currently being investigated. These reports involve both counterfeit $100 bills and $50 bills being passed.

The $100 bills have For Motion Picture Use written on them in three different locations and have the following serial number, PR10008679P, printed on them, while the $50 bills appear more real and have the serial numbers, JG68375471A, JK21536354A and MF14226571A printed on them, according to the press release.

Police urge local citizens and businesses to be aware of this and encourage them to inspect all bills prior to accepting them from customers, the release says.

Those who receive bills with these serial numbers on them are urged to contact the police department in their jurisdiction and file a report, according to the release. Also, if anyone has any information on who may be responsible for creating or passing these bills, they are encouraged to contact the Coles County Crime Stoppers tip line at 866-345-8488, the release continued.
Its Groundhog Day for the people of Illinois. Once again, we lose because of one person: House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Sixty-four percent of Illinois voters supported the creation of an independent commission to draw legislative district boundaries in a recent Paul Simon Public Policy Institute poll.

This year, nearly 600,000 people signed Independent Maps petition that would place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would change the way legislative maps are drawn so that peoplenot politiciansdraw legislative district maps.

Likewise, I have sponsored proposals in the legislature to change the process, taking the map drawing power out of the hands of a ruling party.

Despite widespread support of establishing a fair and balanced approach to drawing legislative district boundaries every 10 years, something President Obama even supports, all of that doesnt seem to matter to Speaker Madigan and the people he controls. He fights against it. What a man will do to keep his reign of power.

Is it any surprise then the Illinois Supreme Court ruled 4-3 with all four democrats voting to throw out that proposed referendum? Is it any surprise the attorney who fought to get it off the ballot is a longtime ally of Madigan?

Justice Robert Thomas, in his dissenting opinion, couldnt have said it better, The Illinois Constitution is meant to prevent tyranny, not to enshrine it.

The power grip Madigan has on this state is so suffocating, none of us can breathe anymore.

The Democrat-majority in Illinois has clearly manipulated and drawn the boundaries of legislative districts for their advantage. Just look at the make-up of the Illinois General Assembly. The people of Illinois are not allowed to choose their elected officials. Instead, elected officials, especially through the hands of Speaker Madigan, are choosing them.

Map reform is just one piece -- albeit a big piece -- in turning the state around. Drawing maps in a fair way and solving issues in a bipartisan way is what needs to happen in Springfield. But when you have one man who has ruled for 30 years, retaining that power is all he cares about.

Judge Thomas stressed in his opinion that a muzzle has been placed on the people of this state. That muzzle continues to get tighter.

State Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon (55th Senate District)
On 3-5 October 2017 Kyiv is going to host the Space and Future Forum to network international experts and youth, many of whom will also participate at the first CosmoHack in the world. Joinfo provides media coverage of the Forum, and some of its topics were already discussed ...
Nebraska banks earned less money in the second quarter than they did a year ago.

According to data released Tuesday by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., Nebraska-based banks collectively earned $209 million in the second quarter, down from a record $228 million in the second quarter of 2015.

For the year, the state's banks have now earned $421 million, down from $433 million in the first six months of 2015.

Lincoln-based banks also saw a decrease in their profits, although it was slight.

The nine banks headquartered in Lincoln made $35.47 million in the second quarter, down less than half a percent from $35.52 million in the second quarter of 2015.

Of the nine banks, seven saw their profits decline, with only Pinnacle Bank and West Gate Bank making more than they did a year ago.

Though none of the Lincoln-based banks lost money, the percentage of banks losing money statewide more than doubled, although it remained very small. Slightly more than 2 percent of Nebraska banks lost money in the second quarter, up from 1 percent a year ago.

Total loans at state banks rose nearly 10 percent compared with a year ago, but banks also saw their non-current loans and their loan-loss allowances increase slightly.

Nationally, banks saw their second-quarter earnings rise 1.4 percent to a record $43.6 billion.

Around 60 percent of banks nationally reported an increase in profit from a year earlier. Only 4.5 percent of banks were unprofitable, down sharply from 5.8 percent in the second quarter of 2015.

Separately, the FDIC said Tuesday that its Deposit Insurance Fund balance hit an eight-year high of $77.9 billion. Because of that, the commission said deposit insurance rates will decline for more than 90 percent of banks with less than $10 billion in assets -- which is nearly all Nebraska-based banks.
Lincoln has the third-best real estate market among mid-sized cities and the 15th-best real estate market overall, according to a study released Tuesday.

Personal finance website WalletHub examined 300 U.S. cities across 16 key metrics, including median home-price appreciation, housing affordability and job growth, to find the most-attractive real estate markets.

Lincoln came in third among cities with populations of 150,000 to 300,000, ranking behind Overland Park, Kansas, and Plano, Texas, and 15th among cities of all sizes.

Texas cities dominated the list, taking the top three places and five of the top six. Lincoln and Overland Park were the only Midwestern cities to make the top 20.

To see the full list, go to: https://wallethub.com/edu/best-real-estate-markets/14889/#main-findings
This website is intended for U.S. visitors only.
The Department of Correctional Services will provide staff members in high-turnover and high-vacancy positions one-time $500 retention bonuses, Director Scott Frakes announced Tuesday in a memo to staff.

The bonuses would be for corrections officers, corporals, caseworkers, food service specialists, chemical dependency counselors and treatment specialists, licensed mental health practitioners, and registered and licensed practical nurses who were hired before Jan. 1. The bonuses would be paid on Sept. 14.

The money for the bonuses will come from funds available from the last fiscal year budget and projected savings in overtime and staff training as more workers are retained, Frakes said.

In a memorandum to staff, Frakes said many employees have already started taking advantage of professional development provided by $1.5 million from the Legislature.

Desert Waters Correctional Outreach will be in Nebraska in September to do resiliency training for about 600 employees. And commuting bonuses are helping workers get to Tecumseh State Correctional Institution. Also, the Tecumseh prison and Nebraska State Penitentiary are designing staff wellness centers.

The latest announcement follows several initiatives launched by the department over the past few months to address staffing and retention challenges, Frakes said.

Those include a partnership with the Correctional Peace Officer Foundation to promote a positive image of the profession and assist families of fallen correctional professionals, and four initiatives addressing workforce concerns in a department culture study, including a 12-hour shift pilot program, shift sergeants pilot program, facility security/procedure audits, and construction of a 100-bed temporary housing unit.

A request has also been made for union negotiations, Frakes said, specific to a bargaining agreement for Corrections employees, seeking additional flexibility to reward and retain top job performers, increase base salaries and provide alternative shifts.

Mike Marvin, executive director of NAPE/AFSCME Local 61, said the union is always willing to talk about working conditions within any agency, and recognizes the department's issues with retaining employees.

At the same time, he said, calls for a separate bargaining agreement for Corrections are not consistent with the state collective bargaining act. Bargaining is to be done by units, such as the protective services bargaining unit, not by agency, he said.
A 28-year-old man faces a felony weapons charge after police say they found a knife shaped like a handgun in his waistband after a chase early Monday.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln police stopped Justin E. Kinnear's car for driving the wrong way on Q Street downtown around 1 a.m., an affidavit for Kinnear's arrest said.

As the officer was talking to him, Kinnear reached for his ID and revealed what appeared to be a small handgun in his waistband, the officer said in the affidavit.

Kinnear fled northbound, the affidavit said.

Soon, police were called to the parking lot outside Schramm Hall, a student dormitory, where an officer spotted Kinnear's vehicle. Kinnear was found lying on a retaining wall under a bush, the affidavit said.

A search of Kinnear revealed the handgun-shaped knife, which police say he is prohibited from possessing for prior convictions.

He was taken to jail, and prosecutors on Monday charged Kinnear with possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person, and a judge set his bond at $25,000.
A judge on Monday sentenced a 27-year-old Illinois woman to seven days in jail for failing to obey a lawful order last year.

Alicia Campbell was driving near 91st Street and Nebraska 2 when Trooper Kyle Gress stopped her for going 79 mph in a 65 mph zone.

Campbell is the fiancee of Devin James, who wrote a book about unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, after the 2014 shooting of a young black man by police. James is the CEO of the Devin James Group and travels the country training law enforcement agencies on bias-free, colorblind and community-conscious policing.

James, a passenger in the car on Aug. 27, 2015, said they were stopped outside of Lincoln for driving while black.

A Lancaster County District Court jury in June acquitted James of assaulting the trooper. Campbell was acquitted of the same charge a day later, but the jury found her guilty of failing to follow Gress' order.

The trooper's dash cam video played during trial showed Gress walking to the passenger side of the car to avoid passing traffic.

The trooper testified that James began interrupting him from the start, making it difficult for him to talk with Campbell. James said he was asking why they were stopped, and when Gress asked Campbell to get out of the car two minutes into the stop, he got nervous and told her not to get out.

When Gress got to her side of the car, Campbell asked if she was under arrest and why she had to get out. No, Gress replied, but he needed her to get out to complete the stop.

They argued, and both James and Campbell continued to interrupt the trooper, the recording showed. Gress called for backup four minutes into the stop, and Campbell said she'd get out of the car when his supervisor arrived.

When Gress' supervisor arrived 10 minutes after he called for one, troopers arrested both Campbell and James.

Lancaster County District Judge Andrew Jacobsen said although it was a misdemeanor, it was a serious offense. Campbell will get one day credit for time served.

She was fined $75 for speeding, $300 for possession of marijuana 1 ounce or less and $100 for possession or use of drug paraphernalia.
The victim, 20, reported he and a group of friends, including Carr, went out for New Year's Eve. When they returned to the victim's apartment, Carr tripped him, knocked him to the floor and then punched him in the face and mouth seven to eight times, according to Officer Katie Flood.
COLUMBUS  Thirty-five people have applied to lead the Nebraska Tourism Commission following the previous director's firing earlier this year.

Kathy McKillip lost her job as executive director in May after a state audit revealed the commission had reimbursed alcohol purchases using government money and had allowed advertising firm Bailey Lauerman to overrun its contract for the state's main tourism campaign by $4.4 million.

McKillip has since opened an ice cream parlor in Brownville.

Tourism Commission Chairwoman-elect Deb Loseke of Columbus, who is leading a search committee for the new executive director, said the job posting opened two weeks ago, and will close Sept. 13.

Commissioners hope to have a replacement hired in time for the annual Nebraska Tourism Conference, which is scheduled for Oct. 18 in Gering.

"Were not sure thats going to be possible but well do our best," Loseke said Tuesday during a regular commission meeting at the Holiday Inn Express in Columbus. "We want to be sure we hire the right candidate for this position.

Commissioners and Tourism staff have spent the past several months mopping up the mess uncovered by the audit, which was released by State Auditor Charlie Janssen's office in April.

The commission is still crafting regulations, policies and procedures recommended by the audit, with help from the state attorney general's office, said Commissioner Roger Kuhn of Lincoln.

On Tuesday, commissioners approved a two-year funding request that includes an 8 percent cut in appropriations from the state's mainline budget. The request must still be approved by the Legislature and Gov. Pete Ricketts, who recommended the 8 percent reduction to help ease the state's budget crunch.

The Tourism Commission continues to meet despite most of its members having reached the end of their terms.

Commissioners are appointed to four-year terms by the governor, and five of the nine commissioners' terms expired July 1. The rest expire in 2018.

Loseke said the commission has consulted with Ricketts' office and was told the members could continue to serve until their replacements are appointed.

Also Tuesday, commissioners approved the 2017 Nebraska Tourism Calendar. The calendar, which is produced under the contract with Bailey Lauerman and is expected to be available sometime in October, features submitted photos and postcards from across the state, along with narratives about each picture.

Commissioners complimented the calendar, which leans heavily on rural imagery.

"These are Nebraska. One of a kind, specific, Nebraska," said Commissioner Lisa Burke of North Platte.

John Chapo of Lincoln, whose term as chairman ended Tuesday, was pleased as well: "I have people who wait for these calendars, and this one I think is going to be over the top."
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Recent revelations on the growing reach and power of international hackers should send a shudder through the general public.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed Monday that voter registration databases in Illinois and Arizona had been breached. The FBI warned of election-day attacks.

In another alarming development powerful computer hacking tools created by the National Security Agency were posted online by hackers.

Without a doubt, theyre the key to the kingdom, an anonymous source who worked in the agencys hacking division told the Washington Post.

The tools are expensive software with the ability to take control of firewalls such as Cisco and Fortinet used by large government and corporate organizations, the newspaper reported.

The fact that the tools are available online  the hackers are trying to sell additional tools they say they possess  means that they have already slipped through the NSAs fingers.

Cyber attacks have been escalating in severity and consequence. Last year hackers, believed to be Russian, succeeded in turning off the electricity in Ukraine. Experts warned that the U.S. grid was also vulnerable.

Russian hackers recently penetrated the computer network of the Democratic National Committee to the extent they were able to read all email and chat traffic, DNC officials said.

In a panel discussion last month in Omaha, Stratcom commander Navy Adm. Cecil D. Haney said the military is strengthening our cyber defenses and increasing options available in case of strategic attack in response to increased threats.

One indication of the disruption cyber attacks can wreak was shown when two apparently independent hacking groups posted documents that were stolen from a philanthropy run by George Soros.

One version of the documents had been altered with the intent to cast blame on a Soros for providing funding to Russian anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny. The hackers apparently hoped that linking Navalny to Soros would divert attention from Navalnys charges that senior Kremlin officials were corrupt to a controversy over the question if Soros was meddling in Russias internal affairs.

The editing adds another layer of suspicion when documents are leaked online.

Earlier this year Sen. Ben Sasse suggested that Congress needs to devote more attention to the problem.

Its a formidable task, however, to enlist colleagues to work on that task at a time when the major political parties are focused mainly on finding ways to make the other party look bad as they battle for control of Congress in the November election.

Maybe now that hackers are threatening to disrupt the election system itself, Congress will finally pay attention. With NSAs powerful hacking tools available, the risks that a foreign cyber attack could cause severe harm to U.S. interests have risen sharply. Congress should help strengthen American cyber defenses before its too late.
Cal Thomas, it is time for someone to speak the truth about David Clarke ("Sheriff David Clarke dares to speak the truth," Aug. 18). Along with his dog-whistle simplifications to solve urban American problems comes a lot of ugly truth. He is a member of a fiercely antigovernment militaristic group that believes local sheriffs should supplant federal and state laws. What's really incredible about David Clarke is that one could predict that, in spite of his city burning with racial tension, he found plenty of time to appear with Trump and FOX News. Thank God our law enforcement in Lincoln, and most places, don't have publicity-seeking David Clarke on the payroll. Here's to all the fine officers on the job, not making time for Sean Hannity.
RACINE COUNTY  A recent increase in requests from clients has spurred Burlington Municipal Airport to once again consider runway expansion.

The airport, located about a mile northwest of Downtown Burlington, has a 4,350-foot runway, but Airport Manager Gary Meisner said clients such as Nestle, the chocolate maker located in the city, have asked for expansion to nearly 5,000 feet for safety reasons.

The extra length for the runway to take off and land, theres an added safety (factor), Meisner said. Weve had more inquiries from people to do it, so were looking at it.

The runway has measured 4,350 feet for as long as Meisner can remember. In 2000, a similar extension was proposed, but public backlash over the possible effect on property values and quality of life forced the Burlington City Council to limit expansion to 4,900 feet and simply propose the details of a plan without actually approving any action.

Its been on the plan for quite a while, Meisner said. Its just there and nobodys done it.

At its Aug. 25 meeting, the Burlington Airport Committee discussed requesting that the City Council contact the Wisconsin Department of Transportation regarding a feasibility study on runway expansion. The committee vote to move forward with the feasibility study was unanimous, according to Meisner.

The issue has not been placed on a City Council agenda yet, according to City Clerk Diahnn Halbach. Mayor Jeannie Hefty said Meisner will present to the council in the near future and that she expects the project to be received better than it was in 2000.

I think this is a little bit different, Hefty said. That was a whole expansion, where now youre only talking about a runway.

No taxpayer impact

The expansion would come at no cost to Burlington residents; the city already owns the land needed for expansion, according to Meisner. The estimated $1 million price tag for the expansion would be paid for almost in its entirety by the federal government, with the airport making up the difference out of its own budget.

The airport is totally self-sufficient, Meisner said. It doesnt take any money from the taxpayer at all. We have a surplus of funds and its another way to improve the airport.

As far as the quality of life concerns go, Meisner doesnt anticipate a huge bump in airport traffic as a result of the expansion.

There may be a few airplanes that come here a few more times each year, he said. I dont think youll see a notable increase.

Additionally, the expanded runway would allow planes to fly higher over populated areas near the airport, alleviating another citizen concern.They would fly higher, Meisner said. Theyll take off sooner and theyll be higher because it (the runway) will be longer.The proposed expansion could take several years to complete since the airport has to petition the state, get letters of authorization and conduct an environmental study, Meisner said. This is nothing that can happen instantly, he said. Its a year or two at least.
RACINE  A Dover man has been charged with attempted robbery of a Racine financial institution after reportedly trying to rob a bank in June.

Adam A. Neibauer, 34, of the 24900 block of Madison Street in the Eagle Lake area of Dover, attempted the robbery at about 4:20 p.m. June 20 at the BMO Harris Bank branch, 4100 Durand Ave., according to his criminal complaint.

Neibauer reportedly walked into the bank and approached a teller. He then told the teller he was unsure of a letter he received in the mail and handed it to the teller, the complaint said.

When the teller read the note, it allegedly stated, "This is a robbery. Stay calm. Do what you normally do and give me all the money," according to the complaint.

The teller then began to message her manager while Neibauer continuously stated that he had received the letter in the mail, the complaint said.

Neibauer then reportedly grabbed the note and left the bank. Nothing was taken from the bank and Neibauer did not display or imply a weapon, according to the complaint.

Neibauer was later arrested after allegedly stealing a Honda Civic from a car dealership in Kenosha, which occurred shortly after the bank robbery, the complaint said.

The car was taken on a test drive, during which Neibauer reportedly forced the salesman out of the vehicle with a handgun and stated, "I just robbed a bank, get out," according to the complaint.

Neibauer was arrested in Cook County, Illinois, and the note used for the robbery was recovered during the arrest, the complaint said.

He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 7 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave.
BURLINGTON  A Waukesha County man was arrested Monday evening after allegedly attempting to steal trading cards from the Burlington Walmart.

Jason A. Stowe, 31, of the 20400 block of W. Good Hope Road in Lannon, reportedly attempted to steal 27 packs of Magic: The Gathering cards from the Walmart, 1901 Milwaukee Ave., according to the criminal complaint.

Magic: The Gathering is a trading card game that involves players battling each other using cards with spells, artifacts and creatures to defeat their opponents.

Stowe allegedly walked into the store and picked up numerous packages of the cards. He then allegedly went into the mens apparel section and began to put the plastic-wrapped sets of cards into his pockets, the complaint said.

When he attempted to leave, Stowe was stopped by security. Stowe returned 16 packs of the cards to Walmart security, but was asked to come to the security office, according to the complaint.

Stowe ignored the security officer and was found by an officer outside the store soon after, the complaint said.

According to the complaint, Stowe unsuccessfully called his girlfriend 12 times.

She was waiting in the car when he went into the store. She was later arrested as well, according to the complaint. Her name was not included in Stowes complaint.

In total, Stowe attempted to steal 27 packs of cards worth $112.86.

Stowe faces a misdemeanor retail theft charge. He is scheduled for a pretrial conference at 3:15 p.m. Sept. 29 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave.

He remained in custody at the jail as of Tuesday night, online records showed.
CALEDONIA  A Mount Pleasant man is facing his fifth operating while intoxicated offense after a traffic stop Monday in Caledonia.

Scott M. OConnor, 54, of the 1300 block of Fancher Road, was reportedly pulled over Monday in the 4700 block of Green Bay Road, according to the criminal complaint.

The officer who pulled over OConnor reportedly smelled an odor of intoxicants and marijuana during the stop, the complaint said.

Police had OConnor perform field sobriety tests; he allegedly failed the tests and blew a .126 during a Breathalyzer test, according to the complaint.

OConnor also had a warrant out for his arrest at the time of the stop, the complaint said.

The officer later found marijuana in OConnors front pocket, according to the complaint.

OConnor faces two felony charges for possession of marijuana and for his fifth operating while intoxicated offense. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 8 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave.

He remained in custody at the County Jail as of Tuesday night, online records showed.
RACINE  A Racine man faces his seventh operating while impaired charge after he allegedly crashed into a car while being pulled over for a traffic stop.

Gabriel. O. Guerra, 57, of the 3600 block of Durand Avenue, was pulled over Sunday afternoon after he was reported driving while intoxicated, according to a criminal complaint.

Emergency dispatchers were informed that a vehicle had hit a curb and was driving on the wrong side of the road at times. It was also initially reported that Guerra was drinking alcohol while driving, the complaint said, although it did not specify a location.

A Racine Police Department officer located the car, noticed it had a flat front tire and pulled it over, according to the complaint.

While pulling over, Guerra allegedly struck another vehicle. The officer reported that it appeared Guerra was unable to hit the brakes and crashed into the vehicle to stop, the complaint said.

The officer exited his vehicle and Guerra allegedly began to back up toward the squad car. The officer pulled Guerra from the vehicle and detained him, according to the complaint.

Guerra was placed in handcuffs; when asked if he had been drinking, said he had. Due to Guerra not being able to stand on his feet, he was carried to a patrol wagon, the complaint said.

While searching Guerras car, officers reportedly located a half-empty bottle of UV Vodka, according to the complaint.

The witness who initially reported Guerras driving told officers that Guerra crossed the center line numerous times. The witness also stated that Guerra allegedly had exited his vehicle to throw up while it was still in motion and the vehicle struck a curb, the complaint said.

Guerra told police he had drank a quart of unknown alcohol beginning in the morning and had his last drink an hour prior to being pulled over, according to the complaint.

Guerra was taken to Wheaton Franciscan-All Saints hospital for an evidentiary blood draw. Almost two hours after he had blood drawn, Guerra blew a 0.35 during a Breathalyzer test, according to the complaint.

After Guerra was read his Miranda rights, he stated he had had one beer and did not remember being in an accident. He also stated he was not under the influence, the complaint said.

Guerra is also charged with operating a motor vehicle with a revoked license. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 8 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave.

Guerra remained in custody at the jail as of Monday night, online records showed.
RACINE  A 16-year-old tied to a reported burglary in July at a Sturtevant auto dealership was waived into adult court on Monday.

The teen is scheduled to make an initial appearance in adult court at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to Racine County Deputy District Attorney Tricia Hanson.

The burglary at Racine Hyundai, 9503 Washington Ave., came amid a string of car dealership burglaries that occurred in July.

The July 13 incident at Racine Hyundai sparked a police pursuit after Mount Pleasant police noticed the absence of license plates and the presence of blue/white dealer-type plates on the cars.

Due to the high rate of speed and reckless nature of the drivers, the chase was terminated at the Racine-Milwaukee county line.

Officers then checked area dealerships to see where the vehicles were stolen from and discovered the cars were taken from Racine Hyundai. Substantial damage was reportedly done to the business.

The suspects reportedly broke windows to enter the dealerships showroom. They then drove the cars through a window to exit the dealership, according to Sturtevant Police.

Later that day, Milwaukee police stopped a black Hyundai Elantra in the 6600 block of West Keefe Avenue Parkway. Milwaukee police discovered it was one of the cars stolen from Racine Hyundai and arrested the 16-year-old driver, who was transported back to Racine County to be held as a juvenile, Sturtevant Police Chief Sean Marschke said.

Milwaukee Police identified the second Hyundai that was stolen from Racine Hyundai at about 6:15 p.m. July 13 in the 3100 block of N. 74th Street in Milwaukee.

Both the 2016 blue Hyundai and black Hyundai Elantra, which the 16-year-old suspect was driving, were recovered.

In the wake of the dealership burglaries, Racine County District Attorney Rich Chiapete said he was looking to prosecute the juveniles involved in the incidents as adults.

We take these crimes very seriously, Chiapete said in an email on July 14. There is no place for this in our community. We will be taking a hard stance on these matters.
Gun Control Lessons for Morons

By Dan Mitchell. August 28th, 2016

While I'm depressed about the election and America's economic future, the news isn't completely grim. Advocates of personal freedom are winning on the issue of guns.

Gun ownership has become more pervasive and legal protections for the Second Amendment have expanded, all of which is very good news for those of us who want a more law-abiding society.

And we also get lots of clever humor on the issue. Though I must confess that I've been negligent about collecting and sharing examples of anti-gun control humor in recent months. I did have an amusing comparison of how Texans and Europeans fight terrorism last month, but otherwise you have to go back to 2015 (see here, here, here, here, and here) and earlier.

So it's time to atone for this oversight with some new humor targeting the pro-gun control crowd.

We'll start with a visit to the University of Texas, which has been the scene of protests because a handful of students are upset that the law has been reformed to allow concealed carry on campus.

David French of National Review looks at this issue with an appropriately sarcastic piece that mocks the left-wing students for their silly tactics. .......

Dan Michell opines on the state of the pro 'gun control' crowd, along with some humor. He also sees an observed improvement in the Second Amendment's legal protections. One statistic which many realize, is that concealed carry people are almost the most law-abiding demographic of Americans - in fact comparing them to the police (Crime Prevention Research Center study ), they only contribute to 14% of firearms violations.

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Banks told to increase direct lending in phases

Banks and financial institutions (BFI) have to increase the proportion of their direct lending to the deprived sector to 2 percent in four phases, as per a new directive issued by Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB).
Big three meet inconclusive after heated exchange between Nidhi and Rawal

A meeting of major three political parties convened by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to discuss local body restructuring and amendment of the constitution ended inconclusively on Tuesday after Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bimilendra Nidhi and CPN-UML Vice Chairman Bhim Rawal had a heated argument.
Caan likely to terminate contract with Spain firm

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (Caan) is highly likely to terminate its contract with Spanish contractor Constructora Sanjose for the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) improvement project, according to a high-level Caan source.
Denting the state exchequer

A Cabinet decision last week to provide at least Rs 6 million to the former president for his treatment in the United States has become a talking point of late, bringing to the fore the fact how key political leaders for years have been claiming excessive privileges.
Anup Ojha is a reporter for The Kathmandu Post primarily covering social issues and human interest stories. Before moving to the social beat, Ojha covered arts and culture for the Post for four years.
Facebook overhauls Trending feature after bias claims

Social media giant Facebook has overhauled the Trending feature on its site to make posts more automated after claims of left-wing bias.
Fast track construction by Nepal was my idea: PM Dahal

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has claimed that the idea of Nepal constructing the Kathmandu-Nijgadh Fast Track on its own was in fact floated by him when he was the chairman of a high-level coordination committee during the previous governments tenure.
House passes Sez Bill 2014

The Legislative Parliament on Monday approved the Special Economic Zone (Sez) Bill 2014.
Kin of disappeared demand truth, ache for justice

Bhojiliya Chaudhari broke into tears as she recalled how for 10 long years she ached for her daughter who disappeared in November 2005 during the Maoist insurgency.
Man goes missing in stream after tuin snaps

A worker involved in a reconstruction project in Langtang area has been missing since Sunday after a tuin snapped while he was crossing the Langtang stream.
Minister Gurung drops hint at revising free-visa-free-ticket policy scheme

Newly appointed Minister for Labour and Employment Surya Man Gurung has hinted at revising the free-visa-free-ticket policy if the low cost recruitment scheme continues to have adverse impact on the remittance.
Minister Thapa asks to submit 100-day action plan within a week

Minister for Health, Gagan Kumar Thapa, has directed the division chiefs under the ministry to submit 100-day action plan along with schedule within a week.
Notorious gangster Manange sent to custody on extortion case

The Kathmandu District Court has remanded notorious gangster Rajiv Gurung alias Deepak Manange and his aide Rajan Kumar Singh into custody for trail on Tuesday. He has been taken to Dillibazar jail.
Govt slaps 10-yr ban on Indian police pair claiming to have scaled Everest

Department of Tourism has issued a 10-year ban against two climbers who claim to be the first Indian couple to conquer Everest.
Rights activists stage sit-in in Baluwatar, seeking justice to Ganga Maya

Human rights activists on Tuesday organised a sit-in in front of the Prime Minister's official residence, Baluwatar demanding the government save the life of Ganga Maya Adhikari, who is on a fast-onto-death at Bir Hospital seeking justice for the murder of her son during the decade-long Maoist insurgency.
Saarc energy cooperation pact gets Parliament nod

The Legislature Parliament on Monday approved the Saarc Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation.
Saying sorry

The apology campaign has the potential to begin a movement to transform Nepals social landscape
Still missing

Families of the disappeared have received no word even 10 years after the conflict
Teachers calls for further amendment

Teachers Struggle Central Committee have handed a memorandum to Prime Minster Puspha Kamal Dahal, demanding another amendment to the Education Act.
UN officials, PM discuss peace process, post-quake recovery

Two UN officilas on Monday paid separate courtesy calls on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and discussed wide range of issues related to Nepal and the UN on Monday.
Unleashing diaspora potential

It is imperative for Nepals growth that second generation Nepalis feel connected to the country and keep in touch with it
Yes, its hard to to tell when one enters the city limits

Yes, they will make the city more inviting

Maybe ... does it really matter?

No, the signs in place are fine

No, it would be a waste of taxpayer dollars

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Former Central Police Station DPC Aaron Baguma has been charged with murder of city business woman and remanded to Kigo government prison.

Early this afternoon, Baguma secretly and voluntarily, in the company of his lawyer Abraham Mpumwire turned himself in at Buganda Road court this afternoon.

He appeared before Grade One Magistrate Joan Aciro who charged him with murder, aggravated robbery and kidnap with intent to kill.

He was barred from pleading to these aggravated offences which are only triable by the High Court.

His lawyer Mpumwire asked court that due to security reasons, Baguma be remanded to Kigo government prison instead of Luzira prison where his 8 co-accused are held, a request that the state prosecutor Peter Mugisha has not objected to.

Baguma is jointly charged with 8 others including the Pine Car Bond proprietor Muhammad Ssebufu with the murder of a city businesswoman Donah Betty Katushabe over a Shs9 million debt.

He returns to court on September 1st for mention of the case.

This however comes just hours after the family of the deceased wrote to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions asking for withdrawal of the said charges.

In a letter written by one Alex Masereka Epafura, an heir to the deceased father Epafura Kule, the family has requested the AS Aaron Baguma be dropped from among the accused persons.

One of the reason they state for their request is that it is Baguma who helped arrest Ssebuffuufu at the time he was planning to leave the country.

Andt that he helped them access the Inspector General of Police (IGP) who then ordered that a new team of investigator be appointed after the former had been grossly compromised.

They add that it was Baguma who assembled some of the key witnesses who came out to testify amid fear and intimidation.

Story By Ruth Anderah
A Sri Lankan teenager has been arrested for allegedly hacking the website of President Maithripala Sirisena.

The site was hacked on Thursday and Friday by a group calling itself the Sri Lanka Youth.

It demanded that A-level exams due to be held in April be rescheduled because they clashed with Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations.

The student, 17, is being questioned to determine any other motives.

A message posted by the group in Sinhala protested about new exam times and called on the president to take care of the security of Sri Lankan websites or face a cyber war.

If you cannot control the situation, hold a presidential election, the message said, along with a call for the president to stop the prime ministers irresponsible work and look more into the problems of the university students.

It was removed soon after it appeared, alongside a message notifying users that the site was temporarily out of service so that it could be maintained.

But soon after it was back in action it was hacked once again, this time with no message.
A Galaxy S7 user was able to survive a shipwreck in the Philippines thanks to the phone's waterproof features, said South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics on Tuesday.

In a letter sent to the tech firm, the user, whose identity has been withheld, was on boat heading to Sabang Beach in central Philippines for a scuba dive trip with 10 others on July 30.

The ship overturned amid a storm and the people were stranded on the foundering vessel for about an hour before being picked up by a nearby fishing boat, according to the letter.

He was only able to contact authorities with his Galaxy S7, Samsung said, noting that the battery had more than 50 percent power although in had been over 24 hours since the last charging.

According to the company, the S7 series has a IA68 rating, meaning that the gears are fit enough to withstand dust, dirt and sand, and are resistant to submersion up to a maximum depth of 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes.

The combined global sales of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are estimated to have reached 25 million worldwide as of the end of June. (Yonhap)
No

Yes, a light case

Yes, two or more light cases

One serious case

Two or more serious bouts

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Youll usually find just four ingredients in beer, but for all that simplicity, there sure is a wide range of outcomes.

Within the four  malt, hops, yeast and even water  theres a wide enough range of variation to create every beer style from the palest ale to the darkest imperial stout. And thats even before brewers start messing around with fruit, spices and other so-called adjuncts.

Ive written a lot about hop varieties in this space and the sometimes dramatically different effects they can have on the flavor and aroma of a beer. In most beers, multiple hop varieties are selected to achieve the brewers desired balance of bitterness and aromatic qualities.

While malt varieties are not talked about nearly as much by beer geeks, those are a thing, too, with perhaps even more of a range of flavors, aromas and colors represented.

Like hops they have names  some broad categories, some brand names: chocolate, Pilsner, Golden Promise, caramel, Munich, black patent, Midnight Wheat.

The vast majority of beers made by commercial brewers today uses a combination of these malts to achieve the desired color, flavor, body and sugar levels (the key factor in alcohol content). Most use a somewhat neutral base malt as a canvas and lesser quantities of specialty malts as paint.

All of this means beer has a lot of ingredient dials to turn, which is why SMASH beers are fun little zymurgic experiments. These single-malt and single-hop beers (see it?) isolate two of the most variable variables in beer to allow their drinkers to evaluate them on their own merits. Its like evaluating individual violin and cello players in a duet versus a symphony.

SMASH beers have proliferated in recent years in step with the number of highly engaged people who would consider drinking them. Wisconsin breweries offer a couple of notable examples: Oso Brewings Hop Whoopin IPA has for years been an ambitious SMASH experiment, using a rotating hop variety  most frequently Summit, but with Eureka, Denali and a few experimental varieties coming in 2017  with a uniform two-row malt. Lakefront Brewery this spring introduced SMaSH Ale, which deployed European Vienna malt with classic American Willamette hops  a tweak from the originally planned recipe I mentioned last winter. Lakefront SMaSH Ale is sticking around, with Vienna as the single malt and a rotating hop complement. Citra arrives in October and a new hop, yet to be determined, is planned for February release.

One of the newest beers on Wisconsin shelves is a new entry in the SMASH wars, pairing a new-wave American hop variety with a classic English malt variety.

Mosaic SMASH

Style: Imperial India pale ale

Brewed by: Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co., the label says, of ... wait, Wausau? Yep, while Great Dane has four locations in the Madison area, its limited-release bombers are produced at the Wausau brewpub.

What its like: Its not Sosus, the Toppling Goliath single-hop Mosaic imperial IPA that I love only slightly less than the Baroness and the Green Bay Packers. Its not Sosus. But... no, its not Sosus. But its kind of similar? But its not Sosus. Its not Sosus.

Where, how much: The 22-ounce bottles hit shelves about a week ago for $8-$9 apiece. As with any hop-forward beer, now is the time to get it and drink it for optimum freshness.

The beer: Mosaic SMASH pours a pale orange, appropriate because the aroma is crushed citrus  orange, pineapple and a touch of pink grapefruit  with a little bit of a dank, resinous edge. Most of those classic Mosaic hop notes come through in the flavor, too, but the malt is not bossed around by its fashionable hop partner. The Maris Otter brings distinctive nutty caramel character and an ample sweetness. This aspect amplifies if youre patient enough to sip Mosaic SMASH slow and let it warm.

The Oxford Companion to Beer describes Maris Otter as a very malty-tasting malt, commonly used to boost the maltiness and body of augment lower-gravity beers like an English bitter. So when you use nothing but that variety in a beer and raise the malt bill to imperial IPA scale, youre going to get a big, chewy beer, and thats exactly what Mosaic SMASH is.

Booze factor: While high-octane by most measures, Mosaic SMASHs 8.3 percent ABV is relatively calm for its style. Still, one bomber will put you to bed at night.

The buzz: While both Maris Otter and Mosaic are proclaimed on the label, its telling that the hop gets top billing in the beers name. I called for a Mosaic revolution in 2014 after having my mind blown consecutively by Sosus and Great Lakes Chillwave, and brewers more or less complied. (I was not alone, it turned out, in demanding more Mosaic beers.)

Mosaic has become a common hop addition in hop-forward new releases, from a complementary hop in New Belgiums Slow Ride session IPA, which debuted nearly nationwide in spring 2015, to the star of the show in Karben4s Dragon Flute pale ale, which joined the Madison brewerys bottle lineup this spring. Mosaic (along with Citra and Simcoe) also factors heavily in Karben4s excellent Idiot Farm imperial IPA, which is for some reason lingering on shelves this summer.

So many breweries making beers using Mosaic hops is a sure sign that the supply has loosened up a bit  a big problem for brewers during the hops commercial infancy a few years ago. That so many breweries are also using Mosaic in the names of the beers containing the hop shows its brand appeal among hopheads.

Bottom line: 4 stars (out of five)
ST. JOSEPH  Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin continued efforts to woo the rural electorate Monday during a campaign stop at St. Joseph Equipment.

The senator is running for re-election against Democratic challenger Russ Feingold, who Johnson beat in 2010 for the seat. During his visit to the farm implement dealer, Johnson met with the company's third-generation owners, toured the facilities and spoke briefly with reporters before meeting in private with supporters for a Q&A.

"We need this guy for another term," Dan Kapanke, La Crosse Loggers owner and the Republican challenger to Jennifer Shilling's Wisconsin Senate seat, said to about 30 supporters gathered to meet with Johnson. "He has done more in one term than his predecessor in three."

This is the second recent visit for Johnson to the La Crosse area and both visits have focused on rural voters. He visited a Barre Mills dairy farm in May as part of his campaign's kickoff tour of the state, speaking about the burdens of federal regulations on farmers, which he said greatly increase the cost of doing business.

"People creating jobs in Wisconsin will support my campaign," Johnson said Monday. Government makes it hard to grow a business, he added, saying as a businessman he knows how to create jobs.

The most recent poll by the Marquette University Law School showed Feingold ahead of Johnson 6 points among registered voters and 11 points among likely voters. Both Johnson's campaign and the Super PAC supporting him, Let America Work, are hoping to shorten that margin with advertising campaigns announced this week.

During questions with reporters at St. Joseph, Johnson said the government needed to scrap the current tax code, and replace it with "elegant simplicity." While not providing any details of what that framework would look like, he did say that a better tax code would only raise the revenue needed by the government and get rid of incentives and other social engineering measures.

Over-regulation is an even bigger issue, he said, costing billions of dollars every year for businesses to comply with federal mandates. That's money that could be better spent on families and growing businesses, such as St. Joseph or family farms.

"Agriculture is crucial to the Wisconsin economy," Johnson said.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is expected to provide more details of his proposed immigration policy later this week in Arizona. When asked what kind of a policy he would like to see in Washington, Johnson said the priority is securing the borders.

As chairman of the Senate's Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Johnson said border security is under his jurisdiction. One of the ways to secure the border, he said, was to reform the guest worker program so that states can let in the number of workers they need to fill the needs of industry, such as dairy farming.

"There is a common-sense way to solve the problem," he said. "It's ending incentives to cross the border illegally."
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker declared a State of Emergency Monday for Buffalo, Trempealeau and Eau Claire counties in response to this months heavy rains and flooding.

The emergency declaration will help local governments and residents recover from the damages caused by severe storms and flooding, which occurred Aug. 10-11. Between five and eight inches of rain fell in the three-county area during the storms, resulting in several road closures and an estimated $1.8 million in damages.

Heavy rains earlier this month resulted in significant damage to public and private properties across a portion of western Wisconsin, Walker said in a statement. Were focusing state and federal resources to repair damaged infrastructure and keep people and commerce moving.

Buffalo and Tremplealeau counties were hit with the greatest damage. Across both counties, low-lying properties were reduced to swamp, and major roads were deemed impassable due to crumbling patches and washed-out bridges.

In Buffalo County, where the storm was the strongest, several families were displaced and put under county care. No injuries were reported.

Emergency management officials with the counties have been assessing storm damage during the past two weeks. They had initially hoped to qualify for federal disaster relief  but the assessment totals were nowhere close to $8 million, the number needed.

Stephen Schiffli, emergency management director for Buffalo County, has said most of the needs in Buffalo could be handled through the Wisconsin Disaster Fund and grant programs under the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

There are programs that could help our communities immensely, he said.

The second half of this summer has brought recurrent heavy rains to southeast Minnesota and west-central Wisconsin.

Given the fragile state of some roads in the aftermath of this months storms, emergency management officials are urging residents to be cautious when driving in bad weather, and to avoid roads where there is standing water.
For generations, public universities have been seen as great equalizers in the United States, especially for the middle class. In many states, a high-achieving student could go to a Public Ivy, a land-grant, flagship university in Michigan, Wisconsin or California, among others, and receive a Harvard- or Yale-caliber education at an affordable price.

But this model depends on another that stands in sudden danger of collapse: bipartisan  indeed, nonpartisan  political support. There always have been politicians willing to assail the so-called ivory tower, but elected officials have almost always unified across partisan lines in not merely support of but also pride in their public universities. Increasingly, however, they are retreating behind those lines to attack the schools.

This trend, which threatens the fundamental promise of the Public Ivies, is evident in deep and ongoing cuts in state support, renewed political attacks on faculty and the tenure system that protects their freedom, and a growing focus on the economic rather than the humanizing role of education. That those lobbing the attacks are increasingly identifiable by partisan labels is perhaps the most discrete cause for alarm.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that states have slashed per-student spending at public colleges and universities by 17 percent since the Great Recession, while tuition has shot up by a third.

Weve certainly seen it in Wisconsin, where I recently completed 13 years of service on the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. The Wisconsin Idea  that the university system serves not just students but also the state as a whole  once bound even intensely divided political leaders in the belief that the public university was both a point of pride and an anchor of opportunity.

Between 2003, when I joined the regents, and 2010, aid declined precipitously while tuition rose by 71 percent. In 2000, almost 10 cents of every tax dollar in Wisconsin went to the university system. Today, it is close to 6 cents. Meanwhile, the same elected officials slashing aid are now forbidding any tuition increases that might compensate for continued cuts.

Such policies compromise the historic promise of the Public Ivies: excellence and affordability, made possible by robust state support. Now, having made incompatible promises to slash funding and freeze tuition, politicians have set aside leadership and chosen the course of attack instead. In my state, they say the university is out of touch, its business model broken. The idea is to set up a partisan debate between largely Democratic defenders and largely Republican critics of the university.

This process of partisan polarization surrounding universities has occurred in other states as well, from Virginia and North Carolina to Colorado and Arizona. In North Carolina, Republican Gov. Pat McCrory said the state should only subsidize university classes that would get someone a job. Elsewhere, more in-state students are losing their places to full pay students from other states or countries as universities desperately search for new revenue to offset budget cuts. A recent discovery of billions of dollars held in reserve at the University of Virginia stirred legislative criticism even though, as university officials tried to explain, most of these dollars came originally from sources other than state aid or tuition and, in an era of declining state support, a reserve fund is an essential component of sound fiscal management.

At a meeting not long ago between state legislative leaders and regents of the University of Wisconsin, for example, the Republican speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly, Robin Vos, told the regents we had a choice: be cheerleaders for the university or advocates for the taxpayers. The once-unifying Wisconsin Idea had held that to be one was to be the other. Meanwhile, in his 2015 budget, Republican Gov. Scott Walker simultaneously proposed slashing a record $350 million from the university while removing tenure protections for faculty. Walker also proposed rewriting the institutions mission statement  which focuses on the search for truth and improvement of the human condition, the traditional and noble role of the university  so that it focused on training workers instead.

In the face of criticism, Walker called these changes a drafting error. An error can reveal a great deal about ones underlying values, and this one did. The governor and his allies spoke of modernizing the mission statement. But the search for truth and the sifting and winnowing of knowledge in its pursuit are not out of date. They are timeless and, indeed, they have never been more urgently relevant.

There are lessons in this for policymakers across the country. The implicit dichotomy between a humanizing education and a lucrative one is false. Employers consistently say they seek graduates who can think independently and analytically. Students learn to do so by means of technical skills, of course  which public universities teach  but also by learning the great and timeless ideas an education at a Public Ivy conveys.

That used to be a unifying idea. But to say the Public Ivies used to unite the parties is to say too little. They used to transcend such divisions. That they are now being used to inflame them bodes ill  not just for the Public Ivies, but for public discourse, too.
Its time for Wisconsin to increase its investment in its public universities.

After too many years of huge cuts by both Democrats and Republicans, the University of Wisconsin System deserves the additional $42.5 million investment it is seeking in the next state budget.

The key word is investment.

Members of the Board of Regents  most of them appointees of Gov. Scott Walker  have approved the plan, which now must go through the state budgeting process.

Regent President Regina Millner said the UW budget request is reasonable and targeted to the states needs. She said the investment will mean increasing the number of college graduates ready to enter the workplace in high-demand areas; reducing time-to-graduation to increase affordability for Wisconsin families; and providing services to ensure students have the support and programs they need, whether traditional students or working adults.

The request was developed after more than two dozen meetings throughout the state  including in La Crosse  to hear community feedback on ways the UW must continue to grow the economy.

UW President Ray Cross, who visited the La Crosse Tribune editorial board last week, points out that the bulk of the job growth comes from jobs requiring a bachelors degree or higher  a creative, innovative workforce.

Cross says that for every dollar invested in the UW System, Wisconsin receives $10 in economic impact.

Part of our job is explaining how critical this is to our economy, he said. And you cant ignore the data.

On an annual basis, the data show that UW:

Generates 7 percent of Wisconsins gross state product.

Confers 36,000 degrees.

Receives 176 patents for student work.

Brings in almost $300 million in private grants and contracts.

Provides more than 185,000 hours of volunteer help through students and UW-Extension.

The data are especially impressive given years of budget cuts.

At the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, the latest round of budget cuts meant the elimination of 54 positions  something that doesnt help reduce class size or speed the time to graduation.

And the economic impact of 54 jobs lost doesnt help the area economy.

While the need for financial investment is crucial, its also well past time to stop denigrating UWs positive impact on our state, its people and our economy.

Wisconsin is once again last  thats 50th out of 50  in the United States in business startups, according to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

Consider there are more than 331 UW-related business startups  something that deserves praise, not criticism.

Wisconsin drew nationwide notice recently when Ron Johnson, its senior U.S. senator, criticized what he called a higher education cartel  a word more often associated with Colombian drug lords and OPEC oil ministers  and suggested Ken Burns documentaries could replace some history professors.

If such rhetoric is meant to help the UW Systems stellar reputation and its effort to retain and recruit top talent to its campuses, its not working.

As Cross told the Tribune: This reveals his lack of understanding about learning. A dialogue must occur (between the professor and the pupil). It is hard to make that efficient.

In addition to increasing its UW investment, the state also should begin allowing UW to manage its own construction projects, instead of sending them through the Department of Administration.

Were convinced  and weve seen examples on the La Crosse campus  that construction can be finished at lower cost and in less time if UW manages these projects.

The UW System continues to be respected nationwide  for its graduates, its faculty and its contributions to the state and its economy.

Its time for the UW to receive the respect  and investment  that it deserves in Wisconsin.
Winona man charged for imprisoning, beating woman in car

A Winona man accused of false imprisonment and felony battery in the repeated beating of a woman inside his vehicle has a hearing in Buffalo County on Sept. 29.

Four criminal charges against 27-year-old Roy Charles Glissendorf accuse him of false imprisonment, disorderly conduct, intimidation by threat of force and causing substantial battery with intent to cause bodily harm.

Glissendorf punched and hit her repeatedly while driving her around in his vehicle in June 2015, after she initially voluntarily got in to talk with Glissendorf after the two had argued, according to the criminal complaint.

Once she entered the vehicle Glissendorf sped off, control-locked the doors, grabbed hold of the womans hair, and drove toward the interstate bridge to head for Wisconsin, the complaint said.

Before returning to Winona, Glissendorf threatened to have her shot, the woman told authorities.

Glissendorf denied the beating and death threat allegations, and when questioned by investigators denied telling the woman he would dump her body along the river.

The preliminary court hearing will determine if there is probable cause to proceed with the charges and take the case to trial.

- Winona Daily News

Man loses part of his nose in La Crosse bar fight

A Chicago man remains hospitalized after a man bit off a chunk of his nose during a bar fight early Sunday in La Crosse, according to police reports.

Jesse Stringer, 29, failed to identify his attacker and needed emergency surgery after the brawl at the Old Style Inn, which involved 10 people fighting with pool cues and chairs, according to La Crosse police reports.

Police discovered a blood-soaked floor, overturned bar stools and a piece of flesh inside the tavern, and Stringer bleeding heavily from his face. He lied to police about his name and did not want charges filed in the assault.

An ambulance took Stringer to Gundersen Health System about 12:20 a.m., although he left the hospital for his girlfriends house. Still bleeding, he retreated inside the house when police arrived, slammed a door on an officers hand and locked himself inside a bathroom until police coaxed him out, according to reports.

Back at the hospital, Stringer said a bar patron punched him in the head before he slammed the man to the ground and lay on him, according to reports. The man then bit Stringers nose and fingers when Stringer pried the mans mouth open.

He faces charges of obstructing and resisting officers and disorderly conduct when he returns to jail and appears in court.

- La Crosse Tribune

Winona man arrested on suspicion of terroristic threats





A Winona man was arrested Friday evening on a felony warrant on the west end of town.

Kyle Elliot Paulson, 33, of Winona, was taken into custody on the 100 block of Lenox Street after 5 p.m., following a report that Paulson had been in a vehicle and following a woman walking in the area and harassing her, according to the Winona Police Department.

Paulson initially ran into a house on the block, and because of a report that he may have been carrying a firearm, the Winona County Emergency Response Team was called to the area.

Paulson was arrested without incident, and was held Monday for a time, before later being released, in the Winona County Jail on suspicion of making terroristic threats and failing to pay ordered child support.

- Winona Daily News

Abandoned vehicle leads to drug referrals

An abandoned vehicle in the town of Adrian, Wis., 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.

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 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.

- Tomah Journal
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A mass wedding has been canceled in northern Nigeria, leaving about 100 couples wondering when they will get another chance to marry.

The couples from rural areas in Kano state were to be married in the middle of August. But tensions between the governor and a state senator who organized the ceremony forced a delay.

The postponement was enforced by police. They said they had been told the event could be a security threat.

Plans had already been made when the postponement was announced the day before the wedding. The wedding meal was prepared. A goat had been slaughtered. Chickens were roasting and rice had been bought.

Organizers said thousands of people were expected to attend, including governors from five other states.

I had already invited my friends and many of them had come from faraway places, only to come to Kano to hear that the wedding will not be taking place, said Inuwa Inuwa. The 22-year old Inuwa had planned to marry his 16-year-old girlfriend Kaishia Yunusa.

Mass weddings paid for by the government are common in this mostly Muslim state. All costs are covered, including the venue, gifts and food. The government buys furniture for each couple and gives them some money to start out.

The Kano state government has held mass weddings for more than 4,000 couples in recent years. The governors office said it will try to organize a new mass wedding in Kano as soon as possible.

Single women register for mass weddings with an Islamic, or Sharia committee. The committee helps match them with a man and organizes the wedding ceremonies. Couples who do not have enough money for their own weddings can also register.

Abubukar Jiddere is a political scientist with the Aminu Kano Center for Democratic Research and Training in Kano City, Nigeria. He says the wedding program is good for society and can improve a womans social status.

It is essentially meant to promote gender equity, in terms of providing sustainable lifestyles for the women.

In Nigerian culture, a sustainable lifestyle means getting married and staying married. But many couples are also getting divorced.

Economy affecting marriages

Population growth and falling oil revenues have made the economy worse making it harder to find a job in Nigeria. This has caused many families to force their young girls into early marriage. But many newly married couples find they are not happy together and cannot pay their debts.

It is harder for people married in mass weddings to get a divorce. The couple must bring their marriage disputes to officials who enforce Muslim Sharia law. Husbands are required to pay a $600 fine to divorce.

Local activist Zubaida Nagee says the high divorce rate causes problems for women. She believes the real issue is that too many women lack education and are poor. She says many of these women are desperate and see a government-sponsored marriage as a way out of their problems.

There are better ways of taking care of women. For the government to come up with mass weddings, it is only a short term solution to the problem.

She says marriage naturally leads to children who add to the financial burden of the family. She would like to see the government do more to help the women in other ways.

As for Inuwa, he now has a job as a driver. He says he can now afford to take care of a wife on his own. But, he says he would not turn down a government offer to pay for his wedding.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Chika Oduah reported this story for VOA News. Bryan Lynn adapted it for Learning English. Pete Heinlein was the editor.

We want to hear from you. What do you think about the holding of mass weddings? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

slaughter  v. to kill an animal for meat

venue  n. a place to hold a wedding or other special event

furniture  n. chairs, tables and other items used inside a house

equity  n. when everyone is treated fairly and equally

sustainable  adj. able to stay or continue over time

divorce  n. the official or legal end of a marriage

desperate  adj. a feeling of hopelessness

burden  n. something difficult or unpleasant to deal with
The memory of a beloved pet inspires one couple's fight against injustice.
Broadband may get broader. That's the goal, anyway.

U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Federal Communication Commission Commissioner Michael O'Rielly held a roundtable discussion on broadband internet's role in agriculture Monday at the Nebraska State Fair.

Fischer is a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, and hosted the discusion to explore policies to make broadband access more accessible to rural Nebraskans and agriculture producers.

Besides Sen. Fischer and O'Rielly, the roundtable consisted of about 12 other people from the telecommunications and agriculture industry.

"We really need to make sure we have all the tools that are out there and that we have the tools to advance and continue to grow," Fischer said about broadband and agriculture.

Sen. Fischer introduced O'Rielly, who spent his first day in Nebraska.

"I'm here to listen," O'Rielly said.

Sen. Fischer prompted discussion questions and started off the roundtable.

"What do ag people use broadband for?" Fischer prompted.

Andy Jobman representing the Nebraska Corn Growers Association said many farming machines manage tasks using internet. He said farmers can create a map in an office and send it to a machine in a cellular network.

Jobman said expanding broadband to rural areas and providing better, faster service will allow farmers to get more done and be more efficent in the fields.

"The amount of acres and the amount of data that we use on a daily basis is increasing," Jobman said.

Tyler Fitzkey of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation said he's heard of virtual technical support on combine monitors. Instead of making a service call, virtual assistance would allow the problem to be potentially fixed on-scene, with the help of internet communication.

"It's good to have good access," Fitzkey said.

Telecommunications workers brought a different view to the roundtable discussion.

Ken Pfister of Great Plains Communications said population density is a big factor in broadband internet. It's harder to extend coverage to rural areas because not as many customers live there.

"We're a very sparse state," Pfister said while explaining that cellular companies often can't afford to put multiple strands of broadband fiber in a rural area.

But Pfister agreed that more people in Nebraska need better broadband access.

"Let's get as much of it out to as many people as possible," Pfister said.

O'Rielly brought up the Nebraska Universal Service Fund, which is a program "to ensure that all Nebraskans have access to quality telecommunications and information services at affordable and comparable rates," according to the NPSC website.

The rural Nebraskan areas of broadband service to improve come in pockets and splotches.

Sarah Werner representing the Nebraska Cattlemen's Association said she lives in a part of the state where it's normal for people to carry two cell phones because of poor coverage. She also has spotty broadband for agricultural purposes. She said weather affects the broadband because it's not strong enough. Werner said even with a half-inch of rain, the broadband connection went out just that morning. But that's normal, she said, which shouldn't be.

O'Rielly said he's been working on getting this issue noticed by his colleagues at the FCC. He said he's been wanting to have a reverse auction with providing broadband service to rural areas. The FCC would set the standard for what kind of service it's willing to pay for, and the providers will bid. The FCC would try to get the lowest possible price for service to make it affordable for customers.

"We're going to get our dollars-worth to make sure our service is provided," O'Rielly said.

Fischer said she thinks Nebraskans understand that expanding broadband to rural areas may be costly and timely, but it needs to be decided if rural Nebraska should have the same governmental service and the same access as any other American with good broadband access. Sen. Fischer said she thinks it will be beneficial for the whole state if different people and entities work together on this issue.

"I think that's a policy discussion and a decision has to be made on it," Fischer said.
OGALLALA  A Florida truck driver has been freed on bail while he awaits trial in connection with a fiery five-vehicle crash July 29 that killed six people on a construction-narrowed stretch of Interstate 80 four miles west of Brule.

On Monday, Tony A. Weekly Jr., 53, waived his right to a preliminary hearing before Keith County Judge Edward Steenburg on six counts of felony motor vehicle homicide and two related misdemeanor counts of reckless driving.

Weeklys wife, Debra, and his parents, Tony Weekly Sr. and Sue Weekly, watched as Steenburg ordered Weekly to answer the charges before a Keith County district judge on a date yet to be determined.

The judge also reduced Weeklys bail from $1 million to $100,000. Weekly, of Baker, Florida, posted 10 percent of the reduced amount later Monday and was released from the Keith County Jail.

An arrest affidavit filed before Weeklys first court appearance Aug. 2 said Weekly was inattentive and distracted by outside influences as he entered a 9-mile-long I-80 work zone. Only two head-to-head lanes were open; the others were being rebuilt.

Weeklys truck was traveling at a high rate of speed and didnt slow down until it rear-ended a minivan carrying Jamison and Kathryne Pals and their three small children, Trooper Darrell Crawford of Ogallala said in the affidavit. No new evidence was presented at Mondays hearing.

The impact killed all five members of the St. Paul, Minnesota, family, set both vehicles on fire and pushed them forward into three other vehicles, Crawford said. Terry Sullivan, 56, who was in the next vehicle in line, died of his injuries Aug. 2 in a Denver hospital. Five others in the forward three vehicles were injured. Weekly was treated and released at a hospital in Julesburg, Colorado.

Keith County prosecutors werent officially notified of Sullivans death until after Weekly first appeared in court in connection with the Palses deaths. County Attorney Randy Fair subsequently filed the sixth charge of felony motor vehicle homicide, as well as a second reckless-driving charge, corresponding to Sullivans death.

When linked with a reckless-driving charge, felony motor vehicle homicide carries a penalty of up to three years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both. Each reckless-driving charge is punishable by a $500 fine, up to three months in jail or both.
Students from three local elementary schools brought home notes after the first day of school, informing parents that they wouldnt need to send lunch money this year.

While some parents celebrated the savings, at least one parent with a child at a non-qualifying school believes the program is unfair.

The North Platte Public School District signed on to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision program this year, allowing more than 860 elementary students at Buffalo, Jefferson and Lincoln to receive free lunches, regardless of their family income.

While the district provides free breakfast to all students, in the past free or reduced-price lunches were available only to low-income students whose families qualified financially. The Community Eligibility Provision of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 allows schools and local educational agencies with high poverty rates to provide free breakfast and lunch to students.

The provision is available to schools where at least 40 percent of the students qualify for free meals without an application, because theyve been identified as eligible through another program such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

These three North Platte Public Schools are the only schools eligible based upon criteria set by the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, the district said in a statement Monday.

Stuart Simpson, executive director of finance, facilities and operations for the North Platte district, said the program benefits students, parents and school staff.

Students have an opportunity to eat a good, nutritious lunch ... and theres no money out of their pocket, Simpson said.

If students bring a sack lunch and want milk, there is a 50-cent charge, Simpson said.

It would cost an elementary student $348.60 to buy lunch every day during the school year. Buying lunch every day during the school year costs $394.80 for secondary students.

The program cuts down on paperwork for parents, because theyll no longer need to apply for free or reduced-price lunches, unless they have a child in another school. And it cuts down on paperwork for the school as well, because applications dont have to be collected.

Federal funding pays for 85 percent of the meal costs and the district makes up the additional 15 percent. Simpson said its difficult to place a dollar amount on the program until the meal numbers are figured, but called the cost nominal during an interview last week.

Were excited to use the opportunity provided by Community Eligibility to invest in our students and make sure no child is going into the classroom thinking about being hungry instead of being ready to learn, said Simpson in a statement sent out by Nebraska Appleseed earlier this month.

Megan Baker, whose child attends a non-qualifying school, has started a change.org petition calling for a free lunch program to be available to all students. She plans to forward the petition to district officials as well as to state and national political representatives.

I am very supportive of the effort to ensure that all students receive a healthy lunch and hope that the decision to exclude certain students will be reconsidered, Baker said in the petition.

Baker said she believes the program contradicts the districts desire for all students to learn.

Why are all kids not being given the same opportunities? Baker said in an interview. If feeding the kids two meals a day is giving those students a leg up ... why do the other kids have to suffer?

Baker said that while the other schools have fewer students at the poverty level, they still have families struggling to feed their children.

The economy is bad and everyone is struggling, Baker said. There are all kinds of programs for low-income families, but theres nothing for the middle-class families who are just over the income guidelines for help.

Sometimes families make too much to qualify for help but not enough to make ends meet, she explained. In some cases, parents cut back from full-time to part-time work or take a lower-paying job, so they can qualify for more assistance and better provide for their families.

This should never be something a family has to choose, Baker said. Families should be able to better themselves  [not be] forced to take less hours or [quit] jobs because they cant afford things like school lunch.

When asked whether it would be possible to feed all children in the district free lunch, Simpson said the cost hasnt been determined because it would not be financially feasible.

In the past, constituents have raised concerns about paying for the districts school breakfast program, with some stating during school board hearings that it isnt their responsibility to keep students fed.

The proposed nutrition fund in the districts 2016-17 budget is $2.53 million, an increase of about 17 percent from last years $2.16 million. Providing free lunch to all students would likely increase the budget further, even with the use of federal poverty funds.

Baker said that shed prefer to pay extra taxes, rather than know that some children were going hungry.

It takes a village to raise kids is a good saying, Baker said. Id rather see all kids given equal treatment in school and pay a little more in taxes than see them suffer.
An ironworker was critically injured Monday morning at the Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium.

According to reports to Douglas County 911 dispatchers, the man was struck by a 500-pound beam around 11:20 a.m.

The ironworker is employed by subcontractor M&M Steel Erection, said Tom Janssen, a spokesman for Kiewit Corp. He was injured while working on the Conservation Academy, which is under construction, Janssen said.

The man was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center for treatment of his injuries. He was conscious and alert as he headed to the hospital, Janssen said.

The zoo broke ground in April on the Conservation Academy and Adventure Trails, a new headquarters for the zoos education program and a hub for young children. The project is set to open in the summer of 2017. The construction area is just north of the zoos Desert Dome.  Jay Withrow and Chris Peters
Intel began shipping 7th-gen Core chips to device makers this summer, and now the company is finally ready to explain what makes the new processors tick.

The company is launching new 4.5 watt and 15 watt, dual-core chips based on Kaby Lake architecture. Theyre expected to show up in laptops, 2-in-1 tablets, and low-power desktops in the coming months.

Expect to see a lot of Kaby Lake-powered devices announced at the IFA show in Berlin this week.

Kaby Lake is Intels third generation of chips to be based on 14nm process, disrupting the companys usual tick-tock development schedule, which is now described at process -> architecture -> optimization, with Kaby Lake representing the optimization stage.

What kind of optimization? Intel says Kaby lake chips include some of the following improvements:

Up to 12 percent faster productivity performance and up to 19 percent faster web performance when compared with 6th-gen Skylake chips

Native support for 4K HEVC and VP9 video decoding

Intel is also promising better battery life, improved gaming performance due to updated integrated graphics chips, and faster video encoding for folks that want to do multimedia editing without a discrete graphics card.

The first Kaby Lake chips to ship will be part of the 15 watt Kaby Lake-U series and the 4.5 watt Kaby Lake-Y series and as expected, the naming is about to get a lot more confusing.

For the past few years all of Intels 4.5 watt chips were branded as Core M processors. But this year Intel is only using the Core M brand for its lowest-performance chip. Other Kaby Lake-Y chips will be branded under the Core i5 and Core i7 names although if you pay attention to the model numbers its pretty easy to tell a 4.5 watt chip from a 15 watt chip at a glance.

Heres a run-down of the 7th-gen Intel Core chips coming soon:

4.5 watt Y series (max 16GB RAM)

15 watt U series (max 32GB RAM)

Interestingly the pricing isnt all that different for the different classes of chips, and the peak performance should also be similar the key differences between Y and U series chips is the base clock speed. U series chips will have a base clock speed thats about twice that of their Y series counterparts, which means even when not working at full capacity, theyll be faster.

Meanwhile, the lower-power Y series chips should be able to offer longer battery life in some situations (assuming you have the same sized battery) and/or fit into thinner, lighter form factors.

That helps explain the change in naming: Intel and its hardware partners dont want you to think of Core M/Y-series chips as cheaper, lower-performance cousins to their Core i/U-series processors. Instead, theyre simply designed to fit into tight spaces where more power-hungry chips might overheat.

At least thats the idea. Itll be interesting to see how it holds up in real-world performance.
Google has been partnering with hardware companies to offer Nexus-branded smartphones, tablets, and TV boxes since 2009. But for the first time this year the company may work with a partner to launch a line of smartphones with premium features, Android software, and a name other than Nexus.

Android Central reports that when Google and HTC officially launch two new smartphones this fall, they wont have the Nexus name anywhere on them, and theyll have software that differs in some ways from stock Google Android.

That said, its possible that the phones will basically be Nexus in all but name.

Rumors have been circulating for months about a new 5 inch phone code-named Sailfish and a 5.5 inch model code-named Marlin. Both are expected to feature Qualcomm Snapdragon 820/821 processors, 4GB of RAM, and fingerprint sensors. The Marlin will likely have a 1440p display, while the Sailfish is said to have a 1080p screen.

And of course, both phones are likely to ship with Android 7.0 (or maybe Android 7.1) software, as well as Googles suite of apps including the Google launcher, Gmail, YouTube, Google Play, and other apps. But what about those other Nexus-specific features Android Central suggests the phones may have?

I wouldnt be surprised if theyre not so much Nexus-exclusives, as Nexus-firsts. And by Nexus, I mean whatever these phones will actually be called.

Android Police has noted that Google seems to be working on a new home screen/launcher app that could launch with the Sailfish and Marlin phones, for example. And I wouldnt be surprised if the phones are also among the first to support Google Assistant, the updated voice tool that Google unveiled in May.

Its also possible that the phones could have some features that truly arent available on any other handsets.

Google has been offering some Nexus-specific features in recent years, such as Nexus Imprint (the companys fingerprint software for the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P), or the Ambient Display feature that allows you to see some content on the displays of select Nexus phones without unlocking the device.

Its also possible that Android Centrals sources are wrong or that Googles plans could change by the time the company is ready to launch its new phones this fall. So maybe the Nexus brand isnt dead after all.
As the Boys and Girls Clubs of Deep East Texas Corporate Board begins its search for a new President and CEO following the death of Jeff Woods
The African Leadership Academy, in partnership with The MasterCard Foundation, has announced Africa's top youth entrepreneur finalists for the sixth annual Anzisha Prize. This year, the Prize celebrates increased presence in Northern African markets such as Morocco and Egypt; and francophone countries such as Madagascar and Niger, and increased diversity in the business ventures represented.

Benedict Kusi Ampofo

The increased reach is made possible by Anzisha Prize outreach efforts and a partner network of youth development organisations supporting the spread into new communities in order to recognise the yet uncelebrated youth agents of change across Africa. The 12 Anzisha Prize finalists were hand-picked from an applicant pool of 550 entrepreneurs from 32 African countries.

The Anzisha Prize applauds outstanding youth entrepreneurs between the ages of 15 and 22 for effecting change through innovative, people-centred solutions across Africa. The 2016 cohort comprises a diverse blend of young minds who are leading the mandate of socio-economic development and job creation in their communities and beyond. They are competing for their share of $100 000 USD in cash prizes.

The 12 finalists receive an all-expenses paid trip to Johannesburg for a rigorous two-week business accelerator camp beginning on13 October 2016. The grand prize-winner will be announced at an exclusive gala event on 25 October 2016.

The momentum behind the Anzisha Prize has grown and we are starting to see a real impact, said Koffi Assouan, program manager, Youth Livelihoods at The MasterCard Foundation. Anzisha Fellows are forming a strong, African network of young business innovators that transcends their individual sectors and geographical areas. They are learning from each other, growing their ventures and advancing the spirit of social entrepreneurship.

In addition to winning a share of the prize money, the finalists are given access to Anzisha Prize Youth Entrepreneur Support Unit services valued at $7,500 USD. The fellowship package includes business support, implementation of projects to grow their businesses, access to business subject matter experts and access to numerous networking opportunities.

The tide is turning around the youth entrepreneurship narrative in Africa, Anzisha Prize senior programs manager Grace Kalisha said, There has been an extraordinary rise of Africa-bred entrepreneurs in the continent and their stories are being told. We are pleased that such an impressive group of entrepreneurs will participate in the Anzisha Prize this year. This is a promise of great things to come for African entrepreneurship.

Some of the innovations seen among the applicants and finalists for the 2016 Anzisha Prize are in the agriculture sector, which is gaining in prominence among youth. The entrepreneurs have embarked upon opportunities and explored a wider spectrum of the agricultural sectors value chain. For example, 2016 Anzisha Fellows N'guessan Olivier and Heritiana Randriamananatahina are this generations players in food processing; while Benedict Ampofo empowers smallholder farmers and rural youth with requisite skills in agriculture. These forward-thinking entrepreneurs announce/herald an era in which Africas youth are driving job creation for other youth.

Asha Abbas

The 2016 finalists for the Anzisha Prize are:
There's been a lot written and even more said about the alleged Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh rivalry in the run-up to Padmavati.

Various news reports had claimed that Ranveer had a falling-out with his mentor Sanjay Leela Bhansali over Shahid's involvement in the project.

More specifically, the reports claimed that Ranveer was no longer part of the project after he asked Bhansali for a bound script before signing on the dotted line for Padmavati  and that his request was prompted by the fact that Bhansali had given Shahid a bound script for the film.

Speculation then flew fast and thick  had Ranveer been replaced by Shah Rukh? Had Shah Rukh been replaced by Hrithik Roshan?

And then, Ranveer returned from abroad (he was in Europe for the Befikre shoot and later, a long holiday), paid a visit to Bhansali's home and moved into a new apartment to be closer to the sets for Padmavati.

As for those Shah Rukh reports, it soon emerged that Bhansali was possibly considering a project with the superstar, with Kangana Ranaut as the leading lady.

And now it seems that gossip about the rift between Ranveer and Shahid too was just that  gossip.

The two actors have been spotted working out at the gym together (probably as they get into even better shape to play their onscreen characters) and from the looks of it, there's no bad blood or animosity between the two.

In Padmavati, Shahid will play Rawal Ratan Singh of Chittor, the husband of Rani Padmini (played by Deepika Padukone) and Ranveer essays the part of Alauddin Khilji.

Reports state that Shahid has asked Bhansali to allow him some time before beginning with the Padmavati shoot as he wants to spend some time with his newborn daughter.

Incidentally, a Ram-Lakhan remake featuring Shahid and Ranveer had long been discussed.
The news of Gene Wilders death is sure to bring back myriad memories of the funny man for those who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s. For the millennials, on the other hand, looking at the countless Wilder obituaries the one question that would pop up in their minds would be  who is this strange-looking man pretending to be Johnny Depp by prancing around as Willy Wonka circa 1970? Today would be as good a day as any for the young and old alike to relive Gene Wilder, one of the few writer-actors who transformed American film comedy.

Best known for his trilogy, The Producers (1968), Blazing Saddles (1972) and Young Frankenstein (1974) with Mel Brooks (another trailblazer when it came to cinematic comedy), Gene Wilder was nothing less than a genius. Unlike other greats like Chaplin or Buster Keaton or Jerry Lewis, Wilders brilliance didnt lie in his writing or his execution but in his capacity to understand comedy. Some of Wilders greatest works have been collaborations and in that too, Wilder knew that even a dash of something could transform the entire dish.

Every comedian relies on a limited number of tricks  like a quirky walk, a deadpan glance, a half-smile or a wry beam to get the viewer to look at them. Once the viewer is invested, the comic then displays the one thing that separates them from everyone else but in Wilders case, he truly didnt need anything to get the viewer hooked on. Perhaps this is the reason why he recognised the importance of sharing the stage.

In Young Frankenstein, a film that he co-wrote with Brooks and directed as well, Wilder builds the iconic Puttin on the Ritz dance where Wilders Frankenstein does all the hard work  dancing, singing, the grinning and what have you but right at the moment of the payoff he makes the Monster (Peter Boyle) mouth the nearly dim Puttin on the Ritz line, which gets the most laughs. As a writer, Wilder knew that everyone was expecting him to sign off but letting Boyle deliver the punch line made it a masterstroke.

Wilder first came into the limelight with Mel Brooks The Producers but it was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1972) that made him a well-known name. Unlike the 2005 Depp version, Wilders adaptation of the beloved Roald Dahl book kept the focus on the children. In fact, Wilder was even missing through the initial third of the film and even when he appears, he is the antagonist and not given any hero like treatment even though the title of the film was changed to include his characters name. Wilder then collaborated with Woody Allen on Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex... (1972) where he played an empathetic Chaplin-esque character of a doctor who gets attracted to a sheep. The one that followed rewrote many rules and became a touchstone of sorts where Wilder and his generation of funnymen changed American comedy.

On the face of it Blazing Saddles (1974) was exactly like Vincent Canbys original New York Times review defined it  every Western you've ever seen turned upside down and inside out, but scratch a little deeper and youd see how it smashed stereotypical tenets. Here you had a state Attorney General Lamarr (Harvey Korman) in 1874 trying to scare off an entire town for grabbing their land by appointing a black sheriff Black Bart (Cleavon Little) hoping that this would make them run away. But Bart teams up with gunslinger Jim (Gene Wilder) and the two win over the unrepentantly racist town.

Read on Firstpost  Gene Wilder: Remembering the legend of Willy Wonka and The Waco Kid

Blazing Saddles took the concept of the interracial buddy films as seen in The Defiant Ones (1958) two men, one bigoted white and one proud black, are thrown together by circumstances and forced to work together for a common goal and turned it around with a liberal dose of reality. This template was seen again in In the Heat of the Night (1967) or even Guess Whos Coming To Dinner (1967) but here you had director Mel Brooks kicking subtlety out and putting in every ethnic and racial stereotype Hollywood could ever imagine. Along with Richard Pryor, who was one of the co-writers, Brooks put in Mexican bandidos, Chinese laborers, Jewish Native Americans and Arabs riding camels and instead of long speeches, the screenplay simply satirised racism.

Wilder is also the biggest contributor in making Richard Pryor a Hollywood star. Following Brooks, Wilders second greatest collaboration was with Pryor, whom he pushed into the spotlight in their first film together Silver Streak (1976). Wilder used his box-office clout to allow new comedians such as Pryor to be featured prominently and whenever they worked together  Stir Crazy (1980), See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989), and Another You (1991)  he simply let Pryor be Pryor.

Like many from his generation of writer-filmmakers Charles Chaplin also inspired Wilder. Wilder cited City Lights (1931) and its ability to be funny, then sad, then both at the same time as a great inspiration. Could it have also blessed him with an ability to infuse the funniest things with a trace of anguish? Wilders sardonic humor hid the ironies of life and the best example of this can be seen in The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975), a film that he wrote, directed and played the part eponymous hero, Sigerson 

Orville: Do you have a brother whose first name is Sherlock?

Sigerson Holmes: I do not.

Orville: You do have a brother?

Sigerson Holmes: I do.

Orville: Might I inquire as to his first name?

Sigerson Holmes: "Sheer luck."

Gene Wilder has been called the Mad Hatter of American comedy and even though the contribution of a Buster Keaton, a Charles Chaplin, an Abbott and Costello or even a Jerry Lewis appears to be more celebrated, and their debt practically inescapable, the impact that Wilder and his pals had cant be undermined. Most of the stuff that Gene Wilder did wouldnt be possible today for a host of reasons, primary amongst them our collective stupidity to ignore the obvious inconvenient truths for comforting lies. And, till the time we remember how to laugh and learn something its best to relive the Gene Wilders for there wont be more like em.
Panaji: Nearly 2.5 kg of gold jewellery concealed in a toilet of an Air India flight, which on Monday arrived at Goa airport from Dubai, was seized by the Customs and Central Excise officials.

"The gold was hidden in the toilet on the flight which arrived here this morning. We found 2.5 kg of unclaimed gold worth Rs 70 lakh," a Customs spokesman said.

The airlines staff is under the scanner, he said, adding that investigators are also going through the list of passengers who flew in the flight.

The flight left for Bengaluru from Goa after the Customs officials completed their formalities.

This is the third such instance of unclaimed gold being found in Air India flight which arrived from Dubai to Goa this year, he said.
New Delhi: Indian Oil Corp, the nation's biggest oil firm, has raised crude oil import from Iran to four fold and has cleared most of the past payments as sanctions against the Persian Gulf nation were eased.

"We have contracted to import 5 million tonnes (MT)of crude oil from Iran in 2016-17, up from 1.2 MT," IOC Director (Finance) A K Sharma said here.

India has steadily raised crude oil imports from Iran after US sanctions were lifted in January this year. Iran today is India's fourth biggest crude oil supplier.

Iran, which was India's second biggest supplier of crude oil after Saudi Arabia till 2010-11, had been relegated to 7th place in 2013-14 and 2014-15 out of the 50-odd nations India sources its crude oil from.

But with the lifting of sanctions in January this year, crude oil imports have steadily climbed. India imported 12.7 MT of crude oil in 2015-16, up from 11 MT in the previous two fiscals. That made it 6th largest supplier of oil to India.

In April-June this year, India bought 5 MT of crude oil from Iran, making it the fourth largest supplier just a shade behind Venezuela which exported 5.2 MT.

Iran had in 2009-10 supplied 21.2 MT which came down to 18.5 MT in 2010-11 and to 18.1 MT in the year after. Sharma said imports from Iran were going exactly in line with the plans. "Month-wise lifting is in line with the 5 MT contracted volume," he said.

IOC Director (Refineries) Sanjiv Singh said the company had paid $510 million out of the total outstanding of $621 million due to Iran in past oil dues.

Sanctions had blocked payment routes and dues had accumulated over the past couple of years. After accounting for the exchange variations, the total outstanding due is only $55 million now, he said.

Iraq this year has overtaken Saudi Arabia as India's top oil exporter. It sold 11 MT of crude oil to India during April-June, higher than 10 MT sourced from Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has been India's top supplier of crude oil - selling 35 MT of oil in 2014-15 and 40.04 MT in 2015-16.

During the first three months of current fiscal, India imported 53.2 MT of crude oil, 65 percent of which came from the volatile Middle East region. India imports about 80 percent of its oil needs.
Mumbai: Outgoing RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has warned banks against "unrealistic application" of stressed asset resolution schemes to postpone recognition of NPAs.

Rajan said RBI has a variety of schemes - the 5/25, the SDR and sustainable structuring of assets (S4A) - by which a more sensible capital structure can be crafted for the project which are standard but struggling.

"Some of the current difficulties come from an unrealistic application by banks of a scheme so as to postpone

recognition of a loan turning NPA rather than because of a carefully analysed move to effect management or capital

structure change," Rajan said in the foreword to annual report 2015-16 released on Tuesday.

"RBI will continue its monitoring to ensure that schemes are used as warranted," he said.

Rajan said that an area of short-term focus with macroeconomic relevance is stressed asset resolution. The

Asset Quality Review (AQR) initiated in early 2015-16 has improved recognition of NPAs and provisioning in banks enormously. Some banks have taken significant steps in recognising incipient stress early.

The Governor said that focus should now move to improving operational efficiency of stressed assets and creating the right capital structure so that all stakeholders can benefit.

"Where necessary, new management teams have to be brought in, sometimes as owners, and where not possible, as managers."

Creative search for new management teams, including the possible use of public sector firms or private sector agents, is necessary, as are well-structured performance incentives such as bonuses for meeting cash flow or profit benchmarks and stock options, he said.

If the existing promoters are capable and reliable, they should be retained, he added.
Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India today said its balance sheet rose by 12.3 percent to Rs 32,43,011 crore for the year ended June 30. During the similar period ended last year, its balance sheet was at Rs 28,89,152 crore.

"The increase on the asset side was due to increase in foreign investments and domestic investments by 7.98 percent and 35.64 percent, respectively, and on the liability side due to increase in notes in circulation and other liabilities and provisions by 15.92 percent and 14.77 perdocent, respectively," RBI said in its annual report for 2015-16 released on Monday.

During the period, domestic assets constituted 24.59 percent while the foreign currency assets and gold (including gold held in the country) constituted 75.41 percent of total assets as against 21.86 percent and 78.14 percent, respectively, as on June 30, 2015.

It said, while income for the year 2015-16 increased marginally by 2.04 percent, expenditure increased by 12.23

percent primarily due to provision made for reimbursing service tax on agency commission paid to agency banks.

The bank transferred an overall surplus of Rs 65,876 crore during the year as against Rs 65,896 crore in 2014-15,

representing a marginal decline of 0.03 percent. It did not transfer any amount to Contingency Fund (CF).

A provision of Rs 1,000 crore was made for additional capital contribution in Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran

(BRBNMPL) and transferred to Asset Development Fund (ADF).
New Delhi: After a cap on cost of dengue test last month, Delhi government on Tuesday announced a similar ceiling for chikungunya, even as the city continues to grapple with rising cases of the two vector-borne diseases.

The government in a statement said, it has decided to cap the price for "chikungunya serology IgM at Rs 600 and for RT PCR for chikungunya at Rs 1,500".

It also warned private hospitals and laboratories and nursing homes against overcharging.

With spurt in dengue cases, Delhi government last month capped at Rs 600 the cost of test to diagnose the vector-borne disease and Rs 50 for ascertaining the platelet count in private hospitals in the national capital.

"This is continuation of the previous office order... wherein ceiling price has been fixed in all private sector at Rs 600 for each NS1-Ag (ELISA based) and MAC ELISA test for antibodies and Rs 50 for platelets," the statement said.

Last year also, the AAP government had capped the dengue test charges following complaints that many private hospitals and laboratories were overcharging, sensing an opportunity to make profit.

Chikungunya cases in Delhi have shot up to 432 a massive rise in the figure released by civic authorities, who had reported just 20 cases till last week.

According to a municipal report released yesterday, 43 cases had been diagnosed in the national capital till 27 August. Safdarjung Hospital had reported nearly 250 cases till 29 August.

Meanwhile, 487 cases of dengue have so far been reported in the national capital this season, with 368 of them being

recorded in August.

Till 20 August, 311 cases of the vector-borne disease were reported while 176 cases came to light in last week alone,

marking a rise of nearly 57 per cent.

An 18-year-old boy died Sunday of dengue at Apollo Hospital in south Delhi, taking to five the number of fatalities due to the vector-borne disease.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said, "We have 10,000 beds and the number of fever clinics has been increased from 55 last year to 355. People should not panic."
The media outrage on Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma's advise to the foreign women tourists in India to not wear skirts has given BJP's political rivals an opportunity to corner the Modi government yet again. Sharma, on the other hand, has tried to justify his comments stating he was talking only in the context of religious spaces and that his comment was a mere advisory and not a blanket ban.

On Sunday, while addressing a press meet in Agra, the Union Culture and Tourism Minister asked women foreign tourists to not wear skirts and said they should refrain from venturing out alone at night for their own safety. After this wide swept outrage in media and political circles have been doing rounds.

However, all the political brouhaha aside, it looks like what Sharma said has neither been said nor observed for the first time. A look at the advisory issued by several western nations to their citizens travelling in India reflects that they share similar sentiments and are as apprehensive of women's safety as the minister.

The British advisory to its citizens, while they travel in India, advises women travellers to respect local dress codes and customs and avoid travelling to isolated spots, besides cautioning all British nationals to avoid offending religious sentiments. Canadian tourist advisory also resounds similar cautions. It states, "Dress conservatively, behave discreetly and respect religious and social traditions to avoid offending local sensitivities. Physical contact, such as holding hands, between men and women in public is frowned upon." Similarly, the US also issues similar cautions to its nationals while they visit India. Besides this, these nations also caution their citizens against rampant crimes against women, tricksters, violence, and the general situation of law and order.

While all of this should surely leave not just the government but all Indians red-faced, it's not something that we can completely deny. Our image as a country deemed unsafe for foreign nationals and women in general is a hard one to shake off.

However, it will also be unfair not to point out that the tourist advisory for women travelling alone generally entails such precautions. The US Passport and International Travel Department advises solo women travellers to remain watchful of their surroundings and to respect local customs. It also advises them against venturing out at night and visiting isolated places. "Each country that you visit will have different local laws and customs about womens clothing and appearance. For example, what you wear in a mall in Mexico might not be acceptable in a mall in the United Arab Emirates," the advisory reads.

Canada too advises its women nationals to practice similar precautions while travelling abroad. "The fact that activities, such as wearing a bikini or having premarital sex, are legal in Canada doesnt mean theyll be so in a foreign country. Based on your research, develop a risk-management strategy outlining hazards you should be aware of and precautions you can take," the Canadian advisory for women travellers reads. The advisory also warns against venturing out alone at night stating, "Understand that, in many parts of the world, decent women dont go out alone after dark, and doing so could put you at risk."

Also, while this is nothing to be proud of, but we are not the only nation in the world where such restrictions are advised and often imposed on foreign nationals.

Travel advisory to Afghanistan, while seriously outlines the threat of terrorism in the country, doesn't fail to mention that public display of affection, homosexuality and dresses considered immodest according to the local culture should be avoided. Canada warns its tourists that safety is a major concern and travel plans to Afghanistan should at best be avoided.

Similarly, Turkey too outlaws something as common as smoking in areas other than those specially dedicated for it. Britain advises its nationals to dress modestly while visiting a mosque or a religious shrine. The UK also warns that homosexuality and public display of affection though not illegal is frowned upon in the society. Australia too issues similar warnings to its nationals travelling to Turkey.

Most travel websites also guide travellers to remain watchful of local culture and constraints while travelling in Middle East. Head scarves are recommended for women travellers and they are advised against wearing short or skimpy clothes. "Modestly for men (i.e no shorts) and for women, a headscarf is an essential and absolutely no bare arms or bare legs," a travel website advises people planning a trip to the region.

However, the travel advisories issued by most western countries for their citizens while they visit China or Japan should inspire us to improve upon our standards. Most countries, including Canada, US and UK deem China and Japan considerably safe.

In China they mostly point out petty thefts, pick-pocketing and bicycle theft as crimes that one should watch out for. In Japan, most travel advisories caution against the strict laws and the difficult conditions meted out to criminals.

"Conditions in detention houses and prisons are difficult. The rules are rigid and an infraction can result in solitary confinement and loss of privileges," the Canadian advisory warns. Similarly, UK too warns of the stricter regulations observed in Japan, "Penalties for most offences tend to be more severe than in the UK. Detention, including for minor offences, is generally longer than in the UK and prison regimes in Japan are very strict." The UK advisory also adds that Japanese although friendly are reserved. "Most Japanese people are very friendly and welcoming but can be reserved. Loud, boisterous behaviour is not as acceptable as it is in the UK," it says.
Debunking the age-old male orthodoxies, the Bombay High Court on 26 August allowed women to enter the inner sanctum of the Haji Ali Dargah 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 refused to accept the arguments of the trust that allowing women in close proximity to the grave of the male Muslim saint is sin in Islam. The trust had also quoted and submitted certain verses from the Quran to support its claim.

"Simply making the aforesaid statement and quoting verses are not sufficient, more particularly, when women were being permitted to enter the sanctum sanctorum up to 2012. There is nothing in any of the aforesaid verses which show that Islam does not permit entry of women at all, into a dargah/mosque and that their entry was sinful in Islam," the court had said.

The court has, however, stayed its order for six weeks following a plea by Haji Ali Dargah Trust, which wants to challenge it in the Supreme Court. According to this report by The Indian Express, the Haji Ali Trust has decided to consult public over the next few days so that they come up with a certain 'action plan'.

"We held detailed discussions yesterday over the issue in the wake of the HC verdict and sought the opinion of each of the management members. But we are going to hold a few more rounds of meetings to get the opinion of other stakeholders as well," Sohail Khandwani, a trustee of the century-old Dargah told PTI.

"The trust would meet Islamic theologians as well as sections of the community to get their opinion on the issue," Suhail Yacoob Khandwani, one of the trustees, was quoted as saying in The Indian Express report.

Zakia Soman, one of the co-founders of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) and petitioners in this case, told Firstpost that it's surprising, because these people never adopted any kind of democratic language. "On the face of it, it is a welcome step. But the simple question here is: How many Muslim women will they consult? If they want to speak to other extremists and scholars, it's up to them. We don't buy this argument," Soman said.

"Also, since when have they started caring for public opinion? Their intentions, however, don't seem democratic. In the first place, they were not willing to talk to us, or explain to us, sheerly because we are women. That's the very reason why the need to file a PIL arose," Soman said.

This extra-constitutional means which they have adopted and having normally taken decisions unilaterally, asking public opinion appears more like a ploy to do some kind of politics, the activist said.

When asked what should be the ideal next step.

"They (dargah trustees) should gracefully accept the HC verdict and implement its order. Because it was in the same dargah women were allowed to enter the inner sanctum till 2011. They should accept that they made a mistake by barring the women," she said.

Large sections of the society, especially Muslim women, are really overjoyed with the ruling. The opposing voices are only coming from those with some vested interest or in some way or the other connected to the custodians of religion, the BMMA co-founder said.

Furthermore, Soman questioned the rationale behind gender discrimination when there are so many verses in Quran where Allah is addressing men and women as equal.

"Ask any ordinary Indian: Does it agree with their sense of justice that women should be discriminated just because they are women? When Allah is not discriminating between men and women who are these patriarchal custodians of religion to come in the way?" asked Soman.

Although the HC has given them six weeks to go to Supreme Court, Bhumata Brigade activist Trupti Desai asserted that the high court's decision would be binding. Speaking to Firstpost, Desai said, "The decision we are confident that even the SC would rule in the favour of women. When I met the trustees, I clearly told them not to mix religion in the fight for gender rights. When god never discriminated between men and women, why are you? Instead of moving Supreme Court, they should allow the women to enter the inner sanctum."

When Desai spoke to Abdul Satar Merchant, president of the dargah trust, on lifting the ban, Merchant did not deny but said that he will consult the other trustees of the dargah. However, he reiterated the fact that it is against Islam to allow women inside the sanctum, Desai said.

Echoing Soman's views, Desai said, "The trustees should mainly consult Muslim women, instead of the Islamic clerics. They should ask female Muslim scholars too."

Soman stressed that today, many Islamic and Sufi scholars in India and abroad are speaking out stating that it is sad that the court had to intervene. This shouldn't have been the case because it is simply our right, the activist said.

"Forbidding women from entering the religious places only does further disservice to the religion and Muslims. If you see, there is demonisation of Islam and Muslims all over the world. This kind of behaviour only fuels it. Where is this discriminating mindset going to lead and is it doing any service or it is doing a lot of harm to the religion and to the whole community?" the BMCA co-founder asked.

Indian women are coming out in the open demanding justice and challenging the male hegemony over religion, wrote Zakia Soman and Noorjehan Niaz in a Firstpost article.

Fighting for equal rights is nothing new.

The HC ruling strengthens the hope that the tilting balance of rights against which the women activists have been fighting for ages is perhaps on the course of correction.
Two seemingly unrelated events are clear indicators of Prime Minister Narendra Modis determined attempt to break the existing silos in Indias governance structure.

On 26 August, the Niti Aayog drew up a list of 1400-odd government servants and initiated a lecture series known as transforming India.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, inaugurated the series at New Delhis Vigyan Bhavan in which PM Modi, along with his cabinet colleagues and officials to the level of director in the government of India, were attendees.

After Modis introductory speech, the stage was left for the guest to wax eloquent over Indias handicaps and the expectations of the world on the country. Modi, along with his entire cabinet and top policy makers, were patient listeners.

Those who attended the lecture were quite impressed, not only by the outstanding exposition of Shanmugaratnam but also by his profound understanding of Indias social and economic complexities.

For instance, Shanmugaratnam pointed out that India had been expending its energy more on over-regulation and less on building a stronger society. He took cues from Modis speech, who emphasised that a strong society was a sine qua non for a strong country.

But what was particularly interesting in the lecture was that Modi requested the guest to not hold back on his punches while making critical references to Indias policies. Shanmugaratnam did exactly that; in a friendly atmosphere with 1400-odd top policy makers of the country, listening attentively in the spirit of learning.

Impressed by the experience, the prime minister directed the Niti Aayog to organise at least four such lectures in a year, to expose the Indian policy honchos to outsiders perspective on India.

It was a unique experience to see the prime minister sitting with everyone, like a student in the session, said one of the participants.

Only a day after Indias top political executives, along with the bureaucrats, learnt a lesson or two about globalisation and its benefits, Modi addressed a meeting of chief ministers of the BJP-ruled states on 27 August, and encouraged them to share the best practices initiated by each of the governments.

Curiously enough, Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar and his officials gave a PowerPoint presentation on the institutionalised mechanisms established by the state's government for the transfers of teachers. The presentation won the adulation of the prime minister, as he was well aware of the rampant corruption involved in the transfer of teachers in Haryana.

Khattar later revealed that he had borrowed the idea from Gujarat, where former Chief Minister Anandiben Patel had put in place a system, allowing senior most teachers to choose their place of posting.

This has drastically reduced the complaints of corruption and curbed the discretionary powers of the bureaucracy, said one of the officials, who had made the presentation for the state government.

Similarly, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh also gave presentations about the best governance practices that they had innovated. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, came out with a detailed presentation about his governments plan for doubling the income of farmers in the state by 2022  a promise that the union government had made in its budget.

In the one-on-one meetings with the CMs, Modi pointed out that such an exercise would not only help share the best practices of governance on a wider scale, but would also give innovative ideas to the chief ministers to devise effective methods of governance.

Those working closely with Modi admit that the prime minister had all along been insistent that the ministries should avoid the tendency to work in silos. That is the precise reason why Modi has been holding meetings with secretaries of the government on a regular basis  to monitor the pending projects and confront the officials if they were responsible for holding up projects.

With monthly meetings, Modi has also been in touch with chief secretaries  through video-conferencing  to remove irritants between the Centre and the states, and expedite development projects.

Source in the government point out that of late, the government has roped in several experts into various ministries in order to inculcate an efficient work culture in governance. Apparently, these experts have been playing critical roles in running highly technical ministries like power, surface transport and railways  by introducing a new culture of efficiency and transparency, and by orienting the bureaucracy to adapt to a new style.

In the Niti Aayog, nearly 40-odd graduates  passed out freshly from prestigious institutes all over the country  have been inducted to formulate a long-term economic perspective for the country, and to assess the impact of the government's policies.

The inaugural session of the transforming India lecture  by Singapore Deputy Prime Minister, to address Indias top echelons  is being seen as Modis attempt to gradually unclutter the bureaucracy and to orient them along the best practices of governance on the international level.

On a political level, he is goading the BJP-ruled states to learn from the best practices from other states. Though the initiative is still at an incipient stage, it is nevertheless regarded as a positive step for evolving a coherent and effective development plan for the country.
Ranchi: Police said one person was killed in firing on protesting villagers in Jharkhand's Ramgarh district on Monday, but according to sources two people may have been killed.

The incident took place at Inland Power's plant situated at Gola in Ramgarh as villagers were protesting against displacement. The management of the plant had called the villagers for talks on Monday.

"One group went for talks with Inland Power authorities and the second group was involved in ransacking. Villagers pelted stones at the police in which seven policemen were injured. The police retaliated by firing killing one villager. A probe has been ordered into the incident. Hazaribagh Commissioner and Deputy Inspector General of Police will probe the incident," Jharkhand police chief DK Pandey told IANS.

Sources in police, however, confirmed the death of two people.

After the firing, villagers torched official vehicles and blocked the Ranchi-Sikidiri and Gola road. The situation is tense and additional forces have been rushed to the spot.

Inland Power is an arm of Inland World Logistics and its project involves installing two 63 MW coal-based thermal power plants near Gola.

The first phase of the 63-MW plant has already been commissioned and began generating power from May 2014. The second unit is scheduled to be commissioned by 2017.
New Delhi: Taking a dig at Union minister Mahesh Sharma over his "skirt" remarks, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said women had greater freedom to wear clothes of their choice during Vedic times as compared to "Modi times".

"Women had greater freedom to wear clothes of their choice in Vedic times than they have in Modi times," Kejriwal said in a tweet.

Women had greater freedom to wear clothes of their choice in Vedic times than they have in Modi times https://t.co/8nKdRAhXIC  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 29, 2016

The Culture Minister had stoked controversy after suggesting that women tourists should not wear skirts in India.

"For their own safety, women foreign tourists should not wear short dresses and skirts... Indian culture is different from the western (culture)," he had told reporters in Agra on Sunday.

He had also said that a "welcome card" was being provided to tourists visiting India and the "do's and dont's" on the card advise women not to roam alone at night and not to wear skirts.

The comments also did not go down well with Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal who asked Sharma to focus on governance than clothes of women. She also hit out at drawing parallels between rape and the attire of a woman.

"Rape of 2 year is also due to wearing skirts? Improve law and order, please stop telling women what to wear or not wear. Can't believe politicians continue to equate rape with wearing a skirt. So easy to shirk responsibility and blame a women's attire for rape," she said in a series of tweets.

"Please improve governance. No correlation in wearing skirt n rape. You have put the onus of rape on the girl which is pathetic," Maliwal added.
Palghar: A 25-year-old man was arrested in Palghar for allegedly abducting and raping a minor girl, police said on Tuesday.

The accused, identified as Prem Rai, was held on Monday in connection with the incident that took place on 7 August in Palghar, Additional SP, Vasai Division, Yogesh Kumar said.

The accused took the victim, aged around 15, by force to the terrace of a building in Vasai and allegedly committed the crime. He also threatened her with a blade and fled the spot with her mobile phone, he said.

A case was lodged with regard to the incident under IPC section 376 (rape), 363 (kidnapping), 342 (wrongful confinement), 392 (robbery), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act.

During investigation, based on CCTV footage, the police team searched hotels, lodges, mobile shops and gas agencies in Vasai and Virar area.

Later, police got a tip off that a 'habitual criminal' who targeted mostly young girls only on weekends, is at large.

The accused was spotted loitering in and around Vasai and was nabbed on Monday, he said.

He was produced before a local court, which remanded him in police custody till 3 September.

Investigating officer sub-inspector Sarjerao Kumbhar said that one more victim, a minor, came forward on Monday to lodge a complaint against Rai, a resident of 24 Pargana district in West Bengal.

The case was registered under section 354 (d) (sexual harassment), 342, 323, 504, 506 of the IPC and also under relevant sections of POCSO Act, he said.
Indian ministers, regardless of their political affiliation, have always shown far greater keenness to lecture women on dress codes than hold the police accountable for not doing their job: that is, ensuring the safety of women in all spaces at all times, day or night.

Keeping firmly within this tradition, Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma cautioned women tourists against wearing skirts and travelling alone in Indias small towns. According to a report in The Indian Express, while addressing a press conference in Agra on Sunday, Sharma said: Paryatako ko, jab wo airport par aate hain, unko ek welcome kit di jaa rahi hai. Ek card hai usme, usme dos and donts, kya karein aur kya na karein. Jaise chhoti chhoti batein hain, humne unhe bataya ke aap chhoti jagah par raat-waat ke time akele na niklein, skirts na pahnein Doosra humne unhe bataya ki aap jis gaadi mein baithe, us gaadi ki number plate ka photo le lein aur apne kisi dost ko forward kar dein (We give welcome kits to tourists when they land at the airport. The kit includes a card with dos and donts such as, do not venture out alone at night in small towns, do not wear skirts, take a picture of the registration number of the vehicle you use and send it to a friend)

It is a sad reflection on the state of the country that one of its cabinet ministers is considering announcing dress code advisories and restrictions on foreign women tourists. This move only confirms what other countries have often suspected about India. To recall, in this context, the travel advisories periodically issued by foreign governments about visiting India have reached a crescendo, of course, after the gangrape of the medical student in Delhi on 16 December, 2012. In other words, many international governments did not, and often do not, consider India as a safe destination safe for its women citizens.

Now, our own government too seems to be admitting to this fact and almost conceding its failure in ensuring womens safety across India. If such an admission doesnt embarrass us or the government, then surely nothing else will. After all, what would smart cities and bullet trains be worth if women who access these places and transport systems have to dress, according to government advisories and travel while constantly looking over their shoulders?

But the bizarre thing about all this is that the culture minister seems unaware that he has actually made a public admission of his governments failure to ensure safety. In fact, on Sunday he appeared to suggest that the onus of safety falls on women tourists themselves. One wonders why it never struck the minister that the onus should, in fact, rest primarily and decisively on the police and local administrations around the country. Not a word was said about the police in this context.

The subtext of the ministers proposed advisory instead reiterates the age-old misogynist belief that women are molested, harassed, and raped because of the way they dress

Provocative, revealing is how politicians  like many other men  are prone to describe any attire they believe to be an invitation to sexual predators.

Making matters worse, Sharma later invoked his status as the father of two daughters to clarify that he has not proposed a dress code or banned skirts. I am a father of two daughters... I would never tell women what they should wear or not. This is not the first time that politicians have fallen back on their daughters to prove how aware they are of womens rights and their concerns. What that has to do with ensuring safety for women is, of course, anybodys guess.

Last but not least, Sharma intoned the governments favourite advertising jingle. He said Indian culture espouses Atithi Devobhava (a guest is akin to god). Such a ban (on wearing a skirt) is unimaginable, but it is not a crime to be cautious. Different countries issue advisories from time to time, but I never said change ones way of dressing, the minister said. Clearly, like his countless other colleagues across party lines, Sharma doesnt get the nub of the matter: that he is tacitly admitting that Indian men can turn into sexual predators at any moment if provoked. This is hardly a flattering tagline for a nation jostling to get a seat on the world stage.
We are not calling it overreach yet, not even judicial activism. Perhaps the word indiscretion fits the bill. Should the courts be wasting their time judging whether a personal remark, even if it comes from a political leader, is insensitive or not?

Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khans comment that the Bulandshahr gang rape is the "outcome of a political conspiracy" is reprehensible to the core.

It not only reflects his utter insensitivity towards the victims but also the growing tendency in the political class to create a smokescreen of doubts and suspicion to obfuscate real issues. Accept for the moment that it is the official position of his party. Even then should the courts get involved, particularly when they have to handle a backlog of over three crore cases? The answer, as common sense dictates, should be no.

Such remarks discredit the person and the party making these among people. Moreover, these call for a political response and social shaming, not a legal one. Why should people in power and authority make such remarks? asked a Supreme Court bench while hearing a petition from a survivor of that incident. It sought an explanation from Azam Khan why a criminal case should not be lodged against him. The court also wanted to study whether such statements violated the Constitution.

One sympathises fully with the petitioner; she has reason to be aggrieved but if courts started weighing the constitutionality or ethicality of every remark made by politicians where would it end? Is it possible for them to judge the sensitivity or lack of it in every statement politicians make? In a country where political attacks border on the defamatory almost as a rule and some organisations thrive on being insensitive and hurtful, theres not much courts can do. The response has to come from somewhere else.

Take the case of Rahul Gandhi where he was dragged to court for allegedly calling the RSS the killers of Gandhi. In his speech, he said people from the RSS killed MK Gandhi. A case was filed soon enough, accusing him of holding RSS as an organisation responsible for the killing. The court asked: Did Rahul imply so in his speech? His lawyer said no. Rahul did not blame the organisation as a whole but its people, which is evident in the recording of his speech, he argued. The court was satisfied. Now, why should the courts entertain petitions on what is implied or not? In more serious cases the courts can get into that but why not exercise discretion in others?

Chief Justice TS Thakur painted a grim scenario of the judiciary when he said recently that as many as 70,000 judges would be required to clear the pending cases in the country. There were 900 sanctioned posts in high courts, of which 450 remain vacant, he added. If the scene is not bad enough we have a surge in litigation over the last couple of years. Soon after Congress leader Ramya Krishnan said Pakistan was not hell and people there were like Indians, someone rushed to the court calling her words amounted to sedition. Ever since the issue of nationalism came to dominate the public discourse there have been flurry of cases charging people with being anti-national.

Most of these cases are frivolous in nature, aimed at garnering publicity and media glory. They have saddled the judiciary with additional burden. The latter by entertaining such litigation is only encouraging a trend that should be discouraged. Post-Emergency, the practice of PILs increased the burden on the judiciary but still had a purpose that was noble. It allowed ordinary citizens power against the instruments of the state. The judiciary was accused of overreach and excessive activism because it tended to encroach upon the domain of the executive and the legislature. Yet it was acceptable. The other institutions had ceded space. But the trend now is different. The courts are being asked to decide issues that dont render themselves easily to a legal solution. The cases are more in the nature of personal point-scoring. The silliness shows.

At some point, courts must draw the line and say enough is enough.
New Delhi: Several top bureaucrats overseeing implementation of a number of ambitious projects of AAP government were on Tuesday transferred by Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, prompting angry reaction from Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was behind the reshuffle.

Jung went ahead with the transfers notwithstanding requests by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia not to transfer bureaucrats handling flagship programmes including Health Secretary Tarun Seem, handling setting up of Mohalla Clinics, and PWD Secretary Sarvagya Srivastava, overseeing construction of school buildings.

It was the first major bureaucratic reshuffle in Delhi administration by Jung after the Delhi High Court judgment earlier this month ruling that LG is the administrative head of the national capital.

Environment Secretary Chandrakar Bharti has been transfered as Secretary Health while Social Welfare Secretary Ashwani Kumar has been appointed as new PWD Secretary in place of non-IAS cadre officer Srivastava.

"Today, several officers transferred by LG directly. Files not even shown to CM or any minister. Is this Modi model of democracy?... Manish Sisodia requested LG not to transfer these two officers looking after works of setting mohalla clinics and new schools till March 31, but he (LG) did not relent," Kejriwal tweeted.

Today, several officers transferred by LG directly. Files not even shown to CM or any minister. Is this Modi model of democracy?  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 30, 2016

 LG            secretaries  31         https://t.co/J69h3p64z4  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 30, 2016

The Chief Minister alleged that the Prime Minister was "hell bent" to "destroy" Delhi. Addressing a press conference, Sisodia also targeted Modi for the transfers and said he will be responsible if quality of health services and education deteriorates.

"We have got to know that Modiji has asked LG on phone to transfer these two offices. Modi can go to any extent. If education and health quality deteriorates, Modiji will be responsible for this," he alleged.

In another order, Jung has given specific directions for transfer and postings of officers of IAS, DANICS and DASS cadres, principal private secretaries, while suspending all previous orders of the AAP government. In the order, Jung said the LG will be the approving authority for transfer and postings of IAS, DANICS, All India Service Officers, equivalent officers of central civil services. The Chief Secretary will be the approving authority for transfer and postings of DASS Grade I/II, private secretaries and senior personal assistants.

Jung has also ordered withdrawal of Delhi government's suspension order of the chief minister's former Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modis mentioning the suppression of human rights in Balochistan in his independence-Day speech continues to evoke mixed reactions, the latest being the interesting spectacle of the expatriate Baloch freedom fighters celebrating his speech on the streets of Germany on Saturday while the Islamabad-guided Balochistan Assembly has adopted a unanimous resolution condemning him.

Is highlighting the violation of human rights, which include political rights in a foreign country by India a "new' development, something that has to do with the unique Modi-factor? The answer is no, if one goes by the history of Independent India's foreign policy. I will like to highlight this theme in this analysis.

In what is considered a significant shift in policy on Pakistan, Modi in his speech had made a reference to the Baloch freedom struggle, just few days after he vowed before an all-party delegation on the Kashmir issue that he would take up take up atrocities by the Pakistani government in of Balochistan, as also in Gilgit and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.

Today from the ramparts of Red Fort, I want to greet and express my thanks to some people. In the last few days, people of Balochistan, Gilgit, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have thanked me, have expressed gratitude, and expressed good wishes for me. The people who are living far away, whom I have never seen, never met  such people have expressed appreciation for Prime Minister of India, for 125 crore countrymen, Modi had said.

It may be noted that under the previous UPA government led by Manmohan Singh, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) had referred to Pakistani government bombing its people in Balochistan (in December 2005), and had criticised the killing of Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Shahbaz Khan Bugti in an airstrike (in 2006). But in the present instance, the fact that none other than the Prime Minister of India has spoken about Balochistan, the troubled unit of another sovereign country is an important development. But then, its importance cannot be overstretched.

Thanks to the immense influence of the Gandhian and Nehruvian thoughts during India's Independence, human rights constituted an integral part of Indian foreign policy. And this continued to be the case until the end of the Cold War, following the disintegration of the then Soviet Union. India was a leading advocate in the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. As historian Arnold Toynbee observed: "Nehru was a pioneer in taking nothing less than the world itself as the field for his public activity."

In fact, it was Nehrus concept of One World and his sense of internationalism that led to Indian foreign policy developing some of some of the countrys core principles  non-alignment, decolonisaion, anti-racism and Third World solidarity. As an internationalist, Nehru saw human rights as a global value that required international scrutiny and intervention. He argued that national sovereignty should not be allowed to block the international defence of human rights.

Of course, as with every leader, there were streaks of contradictions in Nehrus approach, evident in his silence on the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956. But overall, we can say that in the first decades after independence, India was quite vocal in advocating the cause of human rights. It was reflected in its assertive diplomacy in opposing European colonialism, apartheid, and Israeli actions against Palestinians. And most significantly, on two occasions, it intervened militarily outside its borders, invoking human rights. On the first occasion, it participated in the struggle for liberation of Bangladesh against Pakistan in 1971. On the second occasion, it aligned with the then government in Sri Lanka in 1987 in fighting against the Tamil terrorists. And needless to say, on both these occasions, India had Congress Prime Ministers (Indira Gandhi in 1971 and Rajiv Gandhi in 1987).

However, things underwent a change as far as Indias approach towards human rights was concerned with the end of the Cold War and onset of the current process of globalisation. Significantly, this coincided with the aggravation of internal unrest or disturbances in Punjab, Kashmir, Northeast, coupled with Maoist violence and communal incidents. Instead of keeping up with its assertive diplomacy on human rights and pointing fingers at others, India now became a target of others; it had to be now defensive on matters of human rights. In fact, for India human rights meant now securing a population of more than one billion and working towards its empowerment and development.

As the then junior foreign minister Salman Khurshid told the Human Rights Commission in 1996, Today, we are concerned that the spirit of consensus and cooperation that had marked the adoption of the Vienna Declaration [of the World Conference on Human Rights of the UN General Assembly in 1993] is being steadily eroded through the politicisation of the human rights agenda (and) the selective targeting of certain countries. Attempts to make human rights issues a matter of NorthSouth or bilateral confrontation are an anti-thesis to what we had agreed a few short years ago. The politics of power in order to establish dominance and legally suspect theories of the right of intervention on humanitarian grounds unfortunately appear to have become popular with some countries.

In other words, central to India's defensive human rights diplomacy now was opposition to the unfair and intrusive use of the international human rights regime by Pakistan, some Western countries, and non-governmental organisations (NGO). At the same time, careful attempts were made to exercise restraint in pointing out the Western double standards on human rights, evident through invasions of Iraq, Libya, former Yugoslavia, Haiti, and Rwanda, to cite few examples. One of the important reasons here was that India economy was opening up for which Western investments were crucially important. India simply could not afford to annoy the West.

Interestingly, this factor of economic development and Western assistance brought India and China together in 1990s. Both remained silent on the violation of human rights in each other. India did not join the rest of the world in condemning the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square incident in Beijing June 1989, and China came to India's aid at a crucial vote on a Pakistani resolution about Kashmir in 1994 at the UN Human Rights Commission. In fact, both India and China pursued a realistic policy on the matter of human rights  defend the charges against you but do not necessarily charge your critics, particularly if they are the developed countries whose contributions are required for your economic development. This was particularly the case with regard to the United States, even if the US Congress and Administration continued attacking Indias record, be it in child labour, religious intolerance and insurgencies in Punjab and Kashmir.

The rationale has been that once your economy becomes strong, countries like the United States will start respecting you, deal with you in multifarious ways and use human rights only as rhetoric. To a great extent, this rationale has worked, both for China and now India.

In other words, Indias foreign policy with regard to human rights has been conditioned by its perceived national interests in general and development, in particular, on the one hand and international discourse and action on human rights on the other. During initial decades after independence international discourse and actions mattered more, but now, in the post Cold War phase, it is national interests and development that weigh far more. Therefore, Indian policy will continue to be defensive on human rights, even under Modi.

Viewed thus, Modis remarks on Balochistan may not be more than oratory. Under the plea of human rights, Modi is unlikely to practice assertive diplomacy in favour of the Balochi freedom fighters, at least until and unless Pakistan crosses all the limits of its intervention in Kashmir and thus challenges vital Indian national interests
Politics is the art of possible.

It also makes for strange bedfellows.

Thats the first thought which comes to the mind when one looks at this all smiles photo tweeted by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the 'Art of Living' guru featuring him with Muzaffar Wani, the father of Burhan Wani, the Hizbul Mujahideen commander, whose killing more than a month ago has brought the Kashmir Valley on the edge of the precipice.

It surely earned some brownie points for Sri Sri. Even an ardent critique like journalist Rajdeep Sardesai was impressed.

On a different note, does anyone remember this meeting between journalist, Ved Pratap Vedic and Lashkar-e-Tayyabas Amir, Hafiz Saeed? The photo of Sri Sri and Wani reminds one of that.

Just look at that photo again. The casting of characters in it tells us something. After receiving brickbats from the opposition and Kashmiris alike, the government is surely looking for some desperate measures to recover the lost initiative and launch dialogue in Kashmir. And this meeting between Sri Sri and Wani appears to be the first salvo.

On Kashmirs streets today when the mainstream pro-India parties stand discredited and when even the diktats of the likes of SAS Geelani and the Hurriyat are no longer valid, Muzaffar Wani has emerged as a voice who can speak with command and authority for the entire Azaadi seeking brigade in Kashmir. More than one and half a month after Burhan Wanis killing, his house in Tral continues to receive hordes of Kashmiris, seeking to pay their obeisance to the family and Muzaffar is the main person that they are seeking.

As for the other person in the photo, it is entirely possible that the government must have been really hard-pressed to find someone who could reach out to him and put forward the Indian viewpoint. And ultimately it settled down for Sri Sri.

After all, how can we forget that Sri Sri and his million dollar spiritual empire is currently at the centre of controversy for allegedly destroying the Yamuna floodplains when he hosted the World Culture Festival earlier this year.

And it doesnt help the case, that Sri Sris earlier forays in resolving another conflict has turned out to be a big dud.

But it doesnt matter. Over the last few days it appears that New Delhi and Srinagar are trying hard to make a course correction on Kashmir, even as the security forces slug it out on Srinagars streets. An outreach has been made. The dialogue between Sri Sri and Muzaffar Wani may or may not sustain, but it surely has fired the curiosities and imaginations of Kashmiris and Indians alike. Most of them, actually the conspiracy theories.

Something is brewing in Kashmir and for once it appears to have a positive vibe.
Did you know August was Women in Translation Month? In 2014, Meytal Radzinski, a young science scholar, translator and blogger, decided to start Women in Translation Month to encourage people to seek out translated texts by women, which are often overlooked for translation into English. And since we barely need an excuse to talk about women writers and womens writing, we thought wed look at back at books by Indian women translated into English in the last year. From memoirs to fiction to poetry, here are some works to get your hands on:

I, The Salt Doll: A Memoir by Vandana Mishra, translated by Jerry Pinto

This Marathi memoir (Mee Mithachi Bahuli) by actor Vandana Mishra, born Sushila Lotlikar in 1927, offers a fascinating glimpse of life as a Mumbaikar, as a woman, and as a theatre actor from an era in which having women on stage was only just beginning to be accepted. Mishra went on to be a very successful actor in Marathi, Gujarati and Marwadi theatre until her marriage in her early twenties to a fellow actor, and made a comeback 20 years later. Salt Doll is a book as memorable for its details of life in an older Mumbai as it is for the moments in which Mishra talks about her personal life, such as being asked not to wear high heels as the neighbours in her chawl might think her success as an actor had gone to her head.

The Gospel of Yudas by KR Meera, translated by Rajesh Rajamohan

This is a novella set in Kerala by Malayalam author KR Meera, recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award and the author of Aarachar (available in translation as Hangwoman), among other works. It tells the story of Prema, a young woman who falls in love with Yudas, a former Naxalite, who now pulls out corpses from the bottom of a lake near Premas house. A part of Premas love and attraction to the Naxalite ideology comes from wanting to escape the tyranny of her father, a policeman who tortured Naxalite rebels during the Emergency, including, she suspects, Yudas. Yudas is fascinating not only for its questioning of the politics of ideology, but also because of Prema, a woman unashamed of wanting Yudas, taking it upon herself to do everything she can to be with him.

Andal: The Autobiography of a Goddess, translated by Priya Sarukkai Chabria and Ravi Shankar

Andal was a young 9th century mystic poet in Tamil Nadu. A devotee of Vishnu and the only female Alvar saint, legend has it that she was around 16 when she merged with her god, and a few centuries after her death, she was considered a goddess. Her poems spoke of female desire, situated in the body, and a need for spiritual and sexual union with her god.

Chabria and Shankar, who present multiple translations of Andals poetry, note that her songs are self-portraits that suggest both revelation and veiling. They say, When we receive Andal, we must keep her youthfulness in mind. She conflates extreme violence with swooning surrender; splices the desires of the sexual body with visions of cosmic temporality. Yet we refrain from applying the term transgressive to Andal as it suggests a deliberate breaking of rules. It appears she did not bother with any social conventions or rules at all  except those of poetry.

Fence by Ila Arab Mehta, translated by Rita Kothari

Ila Arab Mehtas novel (Vaad in Gujarati) was published in 2011, inspired by a piece she read by a Muslim woman who wrote to a Gujarati magazine about how difficult it was for her to find a house. Her protagonist is a young Muslim woman, Fateema Lokhandwala, living in a fictional village, possibly after the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat. Although her brother goes down the fundamentalist path, Fateema is set on breaking barriers: with a firm belief in education, she moves to a city in a search of a job and dreams of owning her own home. Its a tale of narrow definitions of identity and a desire for independence.

The Sharp Knife of Memory by Kondapalli Koteswaramma, translated by Sowmya VB

Koteswaramma was a worker for the Communist Party who went underground in the late 1940s, running from one safe house to the next. This memoir is the story of how she educated herself, raised her grandchildren, took up a job, and also established herself as a writer of poetry and prose. Originally published in Telugu, this memoir is also a story of the Independence and Naxalite movements in Andhra Pradesh (her husband, Kondapalli Seetharamaiah, who deserted her, was the founder of the Maoist movement in AP).

These are just some of the books we found translated into English in the last year, which has also seen short stories, essays and other works by women in translation; even a speech by Telugu poet Joopaka Subhadra, which inspired the title of the book in which it appears: Hatred in the Belly: Politics Behind the Appropriation of Dr Ambedkars Writings. Weve also seen the deaths of two important literary figures; the Bengali writer Mahasweta Devi, whose work has been rendered in English by translators such as Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, and Lakshmi Holmstrom, whose translations from Tamil of works by women such as Bamas Karukku and Sangati and Salmas The Hour Past Midnight have left us with a rich body of literature to explore.

What work by a woman in translation will you be reading this year?

The Ladies Finger is a leading online feminist magazine.
The rains have started letting up, the flood waters have started receding, life, as it is its wont, is slowly limping back to normalcy in the flood hit plains of the Gnaga. The hundreds of thousands rendered homeless by the fury of the river they worship as a God will rebuild their lives with bare hands and true grit and, maybe, a trickle of help from the government.

Life will go on  but only till the next flooding, maybe the year after, maybe two years down the line. For there is no escaping floods on the Gangetic belt any more. Laloo Prasad Yadavs twisted logic may well turn out to be correct, Ganga Maia will come visiting the lowliest of the low on its banks in Bihar, UP, West Bengal regularly from now on. Even if the monsoon is not exceptionally heavy, even if steps, like strengthening the embankments say, are taken in time. Flood relief will have to be factored in into state budgets every year.

Scientists are almost unanimous, regular flooding of the banks of the Gangetic plain can now be taken as a fact of life unless drastic measures are taken soon. But not quite what Nitish Kumar has proposed: Dismantle the Farakka Barrage in northern Bengal which to him is the chief culprit for all the ills that have begun to plague his state every monsoon. Even though he is not wholly wrong.

The history of the Farakka Barrage is a cautionary tale in how not to tamper with nature, how geopolitical changes can lay to waste the best laid plans of man, how hope can be easily belied if based on incomplete knowledge. It is also an object lesson in how politicians interpret the greater good to the detriment of the country as a whole.

It all began at a time when Calcutta (not Kolkata) mattered. A Calcutta that became a bustling, chaotic port after Job Charnock docked there in the seventeenth century but carried the seeds of its destruction in the choice of its location: not on the mighty Ganga itself but on an offshoot of the river, the Bhagirathi-Hughli. Even being the capital of an empire could not save Calcuttas port from natures depredations.

The rapid silting of the river, making it un-navigable for large ships, was noticeable even in the nineteenth century. The proposal to save the port by constructing a barrage across the Ganga and diverting some of its waters into the Bhagirathi was made by Sir Arthur Cotton as far back as 1853. It remained on paper for over a hundred years.

In 1957, an India that was rushing to build temples of modernity with its big dams and huge public sector undertakings, invited another British engineer, Dr W. Hensen, to suggest a way out. Calcutta still held hope. Saving it was important to the nations psyche.

Dr Hensen echoed Sir Arthur and suggested Farakka in northern Bengal as the spot for the barrage to come up, ten miles upstream from the border with then East Pakistan through which the river travelled to reach the sea. Except that it is called the Padma there, after it joins up with the Brahmaputra.

Naturally Pakistan protested, but water wars were unheard of then, in fact water was yet to be seen as a scarce commodity, river water sharing was not the sensitive issue it is today, the UN hadnt begun to take note of it as seriously as it does nowadays. Pakistans concerns were dismissed outright.

By the time the barrage was built East Pakistan had become Bangladesh but it remains a sticky issue between the two countries till today. Usually Bangladesh complains of lack of water; today it is complaining of excessive discharge from the Farakka Barrage which has opened all its hundred plus gates to manage the swollen, heaving river.

Started in 1962, the 2.62 km long Farakka Barrage was completed in 1971. The excavation of a 38 kilometre-long feeder canal took another four years and the whole project was finally commissioned with much pomp and ceremony on 21 May, 1975. Billed as an infrastructure marvel of strategic importance it was a proud moment for India.

One lonely voice did protest. Kapil Bhattacharya, the chief engineer of the government of Bengal, predicted that it was a pointless exercise; worse, it would do more harm than good as it would lead to vast deposits of sediment upstream that would raise the riverbed higher and higher so that there would be catastrophic floods, in time even if there was normal rainfall.

Precisely the scenario in Bihar today. The rainfall there has been slightly below average so far but the flooding has been massive. Of course, Kapil Bhattacharya was not thanked for his pains. Rather, he was promptly dubbed a Pakistani agent (anti-national in todays lingo) and forced to resign.

Bhattacharya was prescient about the Farakka Barrages primary objective too  rejuvenating the Calcutta port. You dont need to be an expert to see how miserably it has failed on that count. The silt accumulated, the water from Farakka was not enough to flush it out, Calcutta stopped being a port city decades ago and lives only in the pages of Amitav Ghoshs books, namely his recent Ibis trilogy.

According to Dr Jayanta Bandopadhyay, former professor and head of the Centre for Development and Environment, Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, The Europeans were clueless about the nature of the Himalayan rivers. Their own rivers are subjected to slow rain almost daily. Our monsoons, the torrential rains they bring for a few months, the siltation that takes place after they hit the Himalayas, these are things they were quite unfamiliar with. A lot of solid flows in the Himalayan rivers, unlike rivers in the West. Naturally their calculations about the Farakka Barrage went completely awry.

In fact, the way things are going, the Ganga may soon outflank the barrage and flow through its old 15th century course which will reduce the Farakka barrage to just a bridge, an important bridge no doubt linking north and south Bengal but a bridge nevertheless. Nitish Kumar would get his wish and the Farakka Barrage would stand testament to mans hubris about nature.

But work on the construction of another barrage would have to begin almost immediately and it would be started by Nitish Kumars friendly neighbour Mamata Banerjee. However much the Bihar chief minister may decry the barrage, for Bengals chief minister it is absolutely vital. Not for what it was meant to be but for what it has become: The chief source of water supply, a lifeline for the thickly populated, politically and culturally influential southern Bengal which includes the city of Kolkata.

No wonder Dr Kalyan Rudra, chairman of the State Pollution Control Board and an expert on river sciences, scoffs at Nitish Kumars proposal that the Farakka Barrage be done away with. Utterly ridiculous, he retorts. An absurd idea. About 200 kilometres of the non-tidal part of the river would dry up. It would be a disaster for Bengal.

In sum, not just floods but water wars are on the cards that might one day, and not too far off, threaten to drown the Third Front bonhomie that the chief ministers of Bengal and Bihar are working so assiduously to create. But then, as Bandopadhyay points out, political compulsions will always dictate the way the different chief ministers behave.

Dams and five-star hotels are built in the upper reaches of the Ganga even though they destabilise the entire river basin because it serves the immediate interests of the leaders there to do so. The only way out, he says, is to have a Ganga river basin authority that can take a holistic approach and serve the river and all the states on its banks equally.

An unlikely prospect given that the central government is already drawing up plans to divert waters, build dams and link rivers to create an inland waterway that may well repeat the mistakes of the past. As they say, those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Patel heartland Rajkot on Tuesday, there would be a lot more on his mind than the launch of Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (SAUNI) Yojna. In a visit loaded with political significance, he is likely to signal his first direct intervention in the continuing Patel unrest in Gujarat, if not through announcements, then through subtle messaging.

This is his second visit to the region in 15 days  underlining a renewed sense of urgency in the BJP to bring the Patel community, a robust support base of over two decades, back in its fold. The party realises that it has allowed the Hardik Patel-led agitation to linger for long; with assembly elections not too far off it has to act fast. Modi had visited the state on 15 August to condole the death of spiritual guru Pramukh Swami, of the Swaminarayan sect which is popular among Patels.

For the first time since 1996, the BJP is staring at the prospect of an electoral defeat in Gujarat, thanks to the Patel agitation. If that happens then it would not be a matter of simple electoral loss for Modi and party president Amit Shah; it would be a huge blow to their national stature. Both have made Gujarat the partys show piece state, flaunting its achievements without reservation. In the long run-up to the general elections of 2014, they had sold the Gujarat model to the country, claiming it had no parallel elsewhere. A defeat in the elections  it would be the first one in a decade with no Modi helming the state  would leave them exposed to many questions, not from the opposition but from within too.

With prestige at stake, both leaders are leaving nothing to chance. Post-Anandiben, who many in the party unit believe let the agitation go out of hand, both leaders have put damage control moves in place quickly. The new chief minister Vijay Rupani, who belongs to the Saurashtra region, is known to be close to Patels while his deputy Nitin Patel is a leader of the community. The new party chief Jitu Vaghani, from the Bhavnagar region, is also a Patel.

What makes them see danger signals? The community has been sturdy supporters of the party for long. Patels constitute around 18 percent of the states population but they punch way above their weight in politics as they are an economically and socially strong community. The community contributed two chief ministers to the state, Keshubhai Patel and Anandiben. However, the support base has been eroding ever since a section of the community hit the streets demanding reservation in schools and government jobs. There are signs that with job options restricted, the younger generation is getting disenchanted with the party and would not hesitate to look for other alternatives.

After Modis exit from the state, the party seems to have lost the connect with them. Their leader, Hardik, is yet to be pacified and he promises revenge after a stint in jail. The anger of the community was evident in the local body elections earlier this year when the party suffered in rural areas as the Patels did not vote for it.

So it is on to Modi to tilt the balance in favour of the BJP again. Considering the circumstances  the Dalits are in the agitation mode too - it is a big task. In the 182-strong assembly, the BJP has 123 seats. When Modi was hief minister he never let it slip below 117. Given his reputation it would be a loss of face if he fails to manage this number in the election next year.
New Delhi: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will pay a three-day visit to his Amethi parliamentary constituency from Wednesday.

"Will be in Amethi from 31st Aug-2nd Sept. Looking forward to meeting everyone! (sic)," he tweeted.

District Congress chief Yogendra Mishra said, "On Wednesday, Rahul would reach Amethi late in the evening."

The next day, he would meet people at Munshiganj guest house and address a public meeting in Jafarganj in Jagdishpur Assembly constituency.

Rahul would also tour some villages, Mishra said.

On 2 September, the Amethi MP would attend a meeting of district vigilance and monitoring committee before leaving for Delhi.

The Amethi visit comes ahead of Rahul's proposed mahayatra from Deoria in eastern Uttar Pradesh to Delhi from 6 September traversing as many as 233 Assembly constituencies to reach out to people ahead of the crucial Uttar Pradesh polls slated for early next year.

The Congress vice-president would travel through 39 districts of Uttar Pradesh, covering 2,500 km in the nearly month-long exercise.

The mahayatra is a programme organised after the successful roadshow of Congress President Sonia Gandhi earlier this month.
In a setback for former NCP leader and former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday cancelled nearly 300 tenders of irrigation projects worth Rs 6,000 crore due to pending investigation by the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in the multi-crore irrigation scam.

It has been alleged that Ajit Pawar, who was Water Resources Minister between 1999 and 2009, had approved projects worth Rs 20,000 crore in 2009 by tweaking rules and without clearance of Governing Council of Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC).

Reacting to this move by the Maharashtra government, NCP leader Nawab Malik questioned the timing of this move and told Times Now that the government was only interested in targeting Pawar. In response, Shiv Sena leader Manisha Kayande said, "We are concerned about the people of Maharashtra, not the people of NCP and Congress."

Malik also said that the allegations against Pawar were false. "Where is the outcome of the enquiry (against Ajit Pawar)?" he said.

The entire scam was brought to light back in 2012 when Vijay Pandhare, the then chief engineer in the water resources department, wrote letters to the Maharashtra chief minister and governor pointing out the irregularities and cost variation in irrigation projects.

Moreover, despite huge expenditure, it appeared that there was no significant rise in irrigated land in the state. The percentage of irrigation potential had increased by just 0.1 percent in past ten years, despite an expenditure of Rs 70,000 crores on such projects.

The furor had led to the resignation of Ajit Pawar.

Later on in 2012, the then Maharashtra government, led by Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan, had tabled a white paper on the issue in the Maharashtra Assembly, giving a clean chit to Pawar. After the clean chit, Pawar was brought back in the Maharashtra cabinet.

Both the NCP and Congress had to face a lot of flak for both the scam and the move to reinstate Pawar as Deputy CM.

After Devendra Fadnavis assumed power in Maharashtra in 2014, he had ordered ACB to conduct an enquiry into the alleged scam.

On 8 August this year, the ACB had filed a chargesheet against 10 people in connection with the Balganga irrigation scam, before a district court in Thane.

The ACB slapped various sections of IPC for cheating and fraud, besides the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 against the accused.

Even though the chargesheet had not named Pawar, it had sought further permission to investigate the deals which directly involved him.

With inputs from agencies
Mumbai: NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Tuesday accused Maharashtra ATS of "terrorising" Muslim youths on "mere suspicion" and detaining them illegally, sparking criticism from BJP and AIMIM that he is taking "opportunistic stance" for political gains.

Addressing a press meet in Mumbai, Pawar said a delegation of various Muslim outfits met him recently and aired their concern over the youths from the community being "terrorised" on mere suspicion of having links with Islamic State and other banned organisations.

"A 28-member delegation representing various Muslim organisations met me recently and complained that the ATS is terrorising Muslim youths in the name of IS and other banned organisations. This delegation strongly condemned IS and said the youths of their community would never support their activities," Pawar said.

He claimed that there have been several instances, especially in Marathwada region, where youths had been picked up by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on grounds of suspicion and detained "illegally."

"According to the law, an arrested person has to be presented before a magistrate within 24 hours. But there have been cases where even after 120 hours the detained persons are kept in some isolated location and not let out. The government needs to take serious cognizance of this," the former Maharashtra chief minister said.

The arrested should be immediately produced before a magistrate, there should be an immediate chargesheet and they should be tried in a fast track court, he said. "A criminal has no caste or creed. A particular community should not be labelled (as criminal)," he said.

Meanwhile Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the statement of Sharad Pawar on ATS is misleading.

https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/770635930189299712

AIMIM MLA Waris Pathan said Pawar was suffering from "selective amnesia" and sought to know what he had done to protect innocent Muslims implicated in cases when he was in power in the state.

U-turn on atrocity

The NCP supremo said he had never made any demand on the abolition of The Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

"In some of the cases, which were brought to my notice, the provisions of The Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act were used by rivals groups from the upper class to settle scores. There was no misuse from the Dalit community. Recently, the parliament has amended the Act. My only submission is that its misuse be avoided," Pawar was quoted as saying by The Business Standard. The NCP chief also warned the the government agencies from misusing the law.

According to The Times of India, referring to the Kopardi rape-murder case, Pawar said, "Girls and women are subjected to abuses.demand for scrapping of the act is a social reaction which needs to be considered seriously."

BJP wants to back Emergency

Commenting upon the government's proposed internal security law, Pawar said these (the BJP) are the same people who took a moral high ground against the Emergency imposed in 1975 by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the India Today reported.

"The government has changed and so the system of making law, it seems. The thumb rule has been that the CM and his Council of Ministers decide to make a particular law and ask his Secretary to frame it. Here it is reverse," he said, referring to Additional Chief Secretary (Home) KP Bakshi's contention that the proposed law had been made at the secretarial level and there were no discussions at the ministerial level.

Backing Maratha reservation

The Business Standard reported that Pawar said his party is in the favour of reservation to economically backward Muslim and Maratha communities but without disturbing the present reservation quota provided to scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes.

With inputs from PTI
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis came out in support of the anti-terrorism squad after NCP president Sharad Pawar said earlier on Tuesday that the agency was "terrorising" Muslim youth.

"Whatever Sharad Pawar has spoken against the ATS is based on incorrect briefing. So we have decided to send him the correct facts (about recent arrest of suspected ISIS sympathisers). We believe that terrorism has no connection with religion," Fadnavis told PTI.

"The ATS is doing a good job and every political party should back it in the interest of national security....such allegations against the ATS are baseless," he added. Fadnavis, who himself handles the home portfolio, said that ATS had arrested four youths from Parbhani and seized IEDs from them. It had also questioned 30 other youths, but they were let off because they were innocent, he pointed out.

"No youth has been detained illegally. Religious preachers from the minority community too have supported our effort to de-radicalise the youth," the Chief Minister said, adding that in some cases parents themselves contacted police saying their children were doing something wrong, and ATS counselled such youths.

ATS had also successfully brought back some youths who had travelled abroad, misguided by the ISIS, Fadnavis noted. Earlier, Pawar accused the Maharashtra ATS of "terrorising" the Muslim youth "on mere suspicion of being associated with outfits like ISIS". It sparked criticism from the BJP as well as the AIMIM that he was taking an opportunistic stand.

Pawar claimed there were several instances, especially in Marathwada, where youths were picked up by the investigation agency on suspicion and detained illegally.
New Delhi: Insisting that signing of the defence logistics sharing pact with the US is a "fundamental departure" from India's policy of 'strategic military neutrality', Congress on Tuesday demanded the contents of the agreement be placed in public domain as the Modi government has acted "unilaterally without national consensus".

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter on Tuesday signed the 'Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement' (LEMOA) that will enable the two militaries use each other's assets and bases for repair and replenishment.

"Signing of LEMOA is a fundamental departure from India's time-tested policy of 'strategic military neutrality'. It raises a genuine and grave apprehension regarding India being unwarrantedly drawn into an operational military design in Asia-Pacific Region and the Middle East", party's chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said in a statement.

He claimed this would "jeopardise" India's national, geo-global and strategic interests and cause "serious misgivings" unless explained and justified among traditional partners and time-tested allies - regionally and globally. "Modi government has neither explained the reasons which prompted this major shift nor made the contents of the agreement public," he said.

"Congress demands that contents of the agreement be placed in public domain or at least shared with leadership of Opposition parties as this decision has been taken in an opaque manner by stealth as also unilaterally without national consensus," he said.

He said that in April this year, Congress had expressed concerns about steps being taken by the government to enter into three 'strategic foundational agreements' with the United States.
Washington: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has suggested that Huma Abedin may have ties to terrorism even as he expressed sympathy for the top Hillary Clinton aide after she filed for separation from her husband.

"Huma is making a very wise decision," Trump said after Huma in a statement said that she is separating from his husband Anthony Weiner, former New York congressman who had been involved in yet another sexting scandal.

"I know Anthony Weiner well, and she will be far better off without him," the 70-year-old said.

"I only worry for the country in that Hillary Clinton was careless and negligent in allowing Weiner to have such close proximity to highly classified information. Who knows what he learned and who he told? It's just another example of Hillary Clinton's bad judgment. It is possible that our country and its security have been greatly compromised by this," Trump alleged.

"Terribly. I said a long time ago that she's married to a guy who is a disaster. I've known him for a long time. Here's a guy who, what he's done over the internet is disgusting and he's a pervert and just a very sick guy and she is married to him," Trump said.

During the course of the interview, Trump suggested to allege that 40-year-old Huma, whose father is from India and mother Pakistan, may have ties to terrorism.

"Take a look at where she worked, by the way, and take a look at where her mother worked and works. You take a look at the whole event," he alleged.

"But in the case of Anthony Wiener, she's married to a guy who is uncontrolled and uncontrollable. He's a sick person and she has access to classified information. Huma has access to classified information," he said.

"How Hillary got away with that one, nobody will ever know. But to think that it's very likely that much of this information, Anthony Wiener would know about and I think that's something that was terrible.

"At the same time, knowing Wiener, I think Huma did a very, very smart thing when she finally decided to leave him.

Very smart. She had no choice," Trump alleged. Huma yesterday said that she has filed for separation from her husband.

"After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband," Huma, vice chairwoman of the Clinton Campaign, said in a statement.

"Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what is best for our son, who is the light of our life. During this difficult time, I ask for respect for our privacy," Abedin said in a statement.
Beirut: French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday criticised Turkey's "contradictory" military intervention in Syria and warned Russia not to become a "protagonist" in the war, a day after a US official warned that clashes between Turkish troops and Kurdish forces would detract from the fight against the Islamic State group.

The mounting criticism comes as a spokesman for the Kurdish-led forces in Syria said IS militants carried out a two-pronged attack on villages south and west of the former militant stronghold of Manbij, taking advantage of clashes between his forces and Turkey-backed Syrian rebels.

The Kurdish-led forces seized Manbij from IS earlier thismonth after a 10-week campaign. Turkish troops entered Syria last week and together with allied Syrian rebels have pushed to clear both IS militants and Kurdish-led forces from the border area around the Syrian town of Jarablus.

Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish forces an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, a domestic group it deems a terrorist organisation. In a speech Tuesday, Hollande said "multiple, contradictory interventions carry the risk of a general

inflammation" of the fighting that has devastated the country.

He said he could understand Turkey's concern about protecting its borders and fighting the Islamic State group, but criticized Ankara's actions against Kurdish rebels allied with the US-led coalition who are fighting the extremists. France is part of that coalition.

Shervan Darwish, a spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, part of the US-backed Kurdish-led Syria Democratic Forces, said the militants used at least three car bombs in Tuesday's attacks.

The SDF, aided by airstrikes from the US-led coalition, repelled the attack initially but Darwish said clashes continued on Tuesday. In a statement on Twitter, IS said they seized two villages in the area.

"The Turkish occupation of parts of Syria hampers the war against terrorism and by targeting us (the Turkey-backed forces) gave Daesh the space to reorganize its ranks and attack us," Darwish told The Associated Press, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.

Turkish troops and the Syrian rebels they are backing are "aiming for our troops, not Daesh," Darwish added. Turkey's president vowed to press ahead with the military operation until IS and Kurdish Syrian fighters no longer pose a security threat to Ankara.

In comments published on Tuesday in the pro-government newspaper, Daily Sabah, Turkey's presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin called on the US to "revise their policy of supporting (the Kurdish-led force) at all costs."
Singapore: Praising India's naval and maritime policy, a top Singaporean diplomat on Tuesday said India will continue to play a positive role in maintaining peace and order in the world's oceans, including the disputed South China Sea.

"India is a rising power. And in time, India will achieve a status of great power," said Singapore Ambassador at Large, Tommy Koh, who co-chaired the 9th India-Singapore Strategic Dialogue held from 29 August to 30 August.

"We have looked at something new (during the dialogue)," he said, referring to the Indian maritime policy and its implication to Singapore and to member countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean).

India's naval power will grow and demonstrate its strength, he said, adding that it is natural that in this progression, India's horizon expands from focusing exclusively on Indian Ocean to now focusing on the larger Asia Pacific.

"Singapore welcomes this enlargement of India's horizon," said Koh, at the dialogue's follow on seminar "India: A bright

spark in a gloomy world economy?".

"We are sure that India has played, continue to play and will play a positive role in maintaining peace and order in the world's oceans  not just Indian Ocean, the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean," he said.

"There were opportunities for India to advance its naval capability to help the Asean countries enhance their capacity, it can help in training, and it can help Asean countries in maintaining the rule of law and peace and order in the worlds oceans," he added.

Koh said the dialogue also took note of India's historic links with Myanmar and Iran.

India and Singapore, as strategic partners, can work together in looking for investment and partnership opportunities in Myanmar and Iran, he added.

"Singapore's call for India to build infrastructure and create the jobs do reforms in education governance and ease of doing business as well as improve exports," chairman of the Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co Ltd who attended the event said.

"A lot is being done but it is a complex issue in manufacturing," said Godrej.
Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan): A car driven by a suicide bomber exploded after ramming through a gate at the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday, wounding three people, authorities said.

"As a result of the explosion, only the suicide bomber terrorist died. Security guards were injured," Kyrgyzstan's Deputy Prime Minister Jenish Razakov told journalists.

Razakov said the three wounded were all Kyrgyz employees of the Chinese embassy and that they had been taken to the hospital.

Local medics said their injuries were not serious. Bishkek police sources told AFP that a Mitsubishi Delica car smashed through a gate at the embassy before blowing up in the centre of the compound close to the ambassador's residence.

Another source from the security service of the ex-Soviet Central Asian nation  which borders China  said an "explosive device" had been placed inside the vehicle.

Local residents told AFP that the blast had blown in their windows and caused their houses to shake.

Employees from the Chinese and nearby American embassy on the edge of the city were evacuated, the Kyrgyz emergency service said.

Impoverished majority Muslim Kyrgyzstan has a history of political instability and battling Islamist extremism.

The economically troubled ally of Russia has seen two governments overthrown and ethnic violence claim hundreds of lives since it gained independence in 1991.

The authorities regularly announce that they have foiled attacks planned by the Islamic State group in the country.

Security forces last year said they had engaged in several deadly shootouts with suspected "terrorists" in Bishkek.

Officials say that some 500 Kyrgyz are thought to have joined the ranks of Islamic State fighting in Syria and Iraq.

Chinese officials in the country have previously been targeted, with one shot dead in 2000 in an attack blamed on radicals from China's Uighur minority.

Kyrgyzstan and the other ex-Soviet Central Asian nations have come under fire for using a purported terror threat to silence criticism of their secular regimes.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is in the US, alleged that forces across the border are fomenting trouble in violence-hit Kashmir and said that "a small percentage" of people in the Valley are holding the majority to ransom. He said the government is working "proactively" in handling the violence in the state.

"As far as Kashmir is concerned, the Indian government has been very proactive in handling the violence which comes from across the border" Parrikar told Pentagon reporters at a joint news conference with US Defence Secretary, Ashton Carter.

"A few small percentage is holding the majority to ransom," he added.

Asked about the current situation in Kashmir, he said curfew has already been lifted and an all-party delegation is also heading to the Valley.

"Kashmir is actually having a government which is a democratically elected. And the chief minister belongs to the Valley," he said.

Additionally, India and the US on Monday signed a historical agreement on sharing logistics, though both Parrikar and US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter clarified that it will not involve in setting up of military bases.

The two countries signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), which facilitates the provision of logistical support, supplies, and services between the US and Indian militaries on a reimbursable basis, and provides a framework to govern them.

This may include food, water, billeting, transportation, petroleum, oils, lubricants, clothing, medical services, spare parts and components, repair and maintenance services, training services, and other logistical items and services.

"It (LEMOA) doesn't have anything to do with the setting up of base. It's basically logistics support to each other's fleet, like supply of fuel, supply of many other things which are required for joint operations, humanitarian assistance and many other relief operations. So, it basically will ensure that both navies can be supportive of each other in the joint venture operations we do, exercises we do," said Parrikar.

Referring to the Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA); Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for Geospatial Intelligence, Parrikar indicated that India is not in a hurry to sign these agreements which America has been pushing for the past several years.

"I think after 12, 13 years, we have managed to get logistic agreement in place. You could see the logistic agreement was being mixed up with setting of bases. So let me get this logistic agreement in the public domain properly and explain to the people. Then we will eventually go into the other aspects," Parrikar told reporters at a joint news conference with Carter.

Carter, on the other hand, said he has spent more time with Parrikar in little over an year than any of his other foreign counterparts, a relationship he attributed to "the new bonhomie" in India-US ties.

"Even before today's very productive discussion, which was our sixth meeting since I became Secretary of Defence, I had already spent more time with Minister Parrikar than I had with any other defence counterpart anywhere in the world, said Carter.

Carter described Parrikar as a strong and effective leader and said, "He's a great partner and a true friend."

"The second reason that Parrikar and I spent so much time together is that the US-India relationship is

destined to be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century," he said.

"We share so much, so many interests and values, as well as a common vision for peace, for stability and prosperity in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. As Parrikar's busy itinerary and our extensive deliberations today demonstrate, that destiny is rapidly and surely becoming a reality," Carter said.

After according Parrikar a ceremonial welcome at the Pentagon, the Defence Secretary accompanied him to the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon.

"Fifteen years ago this week, our DOD community lost so many friends and colleagues and our nation lost too many fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters, sons and daughters," he said.

"Unfortunately, I know also that the Indian Air Force recently experienced a tragedy of its own. One of its aircraft disappeared last month with nearly 30 people on board. On behalf of the men and women of the Defence Department, I offer our thoughts and our prayers for those missing and their families," Carter said.
Kathmandu: Nepal has imposed a 10-year mountaineering ban on an Indian couple who faked photographs purporting to show them at the top of Mount Everest, an official said Tuesday.

Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod, both police constables, said they reached the top of the world's highest mountain on 23 May. But fellow climbers cast doubt on their claim, saying their photos at the summit were doctored.

Nepal's tourism department initially certified their claim but later conducted an investigation.

"Our investigation shows that the couple faked their summit. We have imposed a 10-year ban against them from climbing any mountain in Nepal," tourism department chief Sudarshan Prasad Dhakal told AFP of the decision made on Monday.

Dhakal said an analysis of the photos submitted by the couple showed they had superimposed themselves and their banners on photos taken by another Indian climber of his Everest summit.

"Despite several attempts to get clarifications from them, they did not cooperate with us during the investigation. The two Sherpas that assisted them are also absconding," Dhakal said.

"The ban should serve as a warning for mountaineers to follow ethics," he said.

Many of those who reach the top of the 8,848 metre (29,029 feet) mountain have gone on to make money or forge careers as motivational speakers and authors.

A total of 456 people, including more than 250 foreigners, summited Everest during the recently-ended spring season, after two consecutive years of deadly disasters that led to almost all attempts being abandoned.

Mountaineering is a major revenue-earner for the impoverished Himalayan nation. This year's string of successful summits is expected to boost the industry, which was left reeling after an earthquake last year killed almost 9,000 people nationwide.

Hundreds fled Everest last year after an earthquake-triggered avalanche at base camp killed 18 people.

Only one climber reached the top in 2014 after an avalanche killed 16 Nepali guides that year.
Singapore: Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang warned on Tuesday there would be no winners in any armed conflict sparked by territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Quang, who is on a state visit to Singapore, told a forum that recent developments there were threatening regional security.

The Vietnamese leader did not mention any country but there is growing unease over China's actions.

China claims most of the South China Sea. It has reclaimed reefs and built airstrips capable of hosting military equipment, sparking anger from competing claimants led by Vietnam and the Philippines.

"The South China Sea, located at the heart of Southeast Asia, not only brings about many important benefits to nations in the region but it is also a vital route to maritime and air transport of the world," Quang said.

But "recent worrying developments" there "have had a negative impact on the security environment of the region, especially maritime security and safety, freedom of navigation and overflight".

"And should we allow instability to take place, especially in the case of armed conflicts, there will be neither winners or losers but rather all will lose," he warned.

Tran was speaking to diplomats, academics and students at a forum organised by the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute.

Four Southeast Asian states  Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam  as well as Taiwan have competing claims in the sea.

Vietnam has been among the most vocal critics of China's blanket territorial claims. In 2014 China moved a controversial oil rig into contested territory, prompting riots in Vietnam.

China's activities in the sea have also drawn criticism from the United States, which says it seeks to ensure freedom of navigation in the waterway through which $5 trillion in annual global trade passes.

The sea row has also driven a wedge between members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which has failed to forge a unified front against Beijing's actions.

Last month the Philippines won a case against China at a UN-backed tribunal in the Hague which rejected Beiijing's claims to most of the sea.

China boycotted the hearing and has refused to recognise the ruling.
Washington: US President Barack Obama will embark on his last Asia trip later this week which would focus on key issues of climate change, global economy and those concerning Asia Pacific region, a top offical has said.

Obama will leave for a week-long trip to Asia  his 10th to the Asia Pacific region  that would take him to China and Laos. He would be the first US president to visit Laos.

In China, Obama would be attending the G-20 Summit, scheduled for 4 September, which among others would be attended by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Obama and Modi are likely to meet on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit, but no announcement has been made yet. Obama would meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on 3 September.

"We'll be reviewing all of the issues that have been front and centre in the US-China relationship for the last seven and a half years.

"On the positive side, we'll be able to review the progress we've made on the global economy, on climate change, our shared efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons through the Iran deal, our shared concern about the situation on the Korean Peninsula," said Ben Rhodes, the Deputy National Security Advisor.

They would also be addressing differences, in the area of cyber, some of the economic practices, tensions around maritime issues in the South China Sea and, differences on human rights as well.

"But, again, I think this is going to be the last occasion of this sort for the President to spend several hours with his Chinese counterpart and to review the state of US- China relations and to try to see where we can make progress, and working together on areas of common interest or bridging some of the differences that have been characteristic of the relationship," he said.

After attending the G-20 Summit, Obama will fly to Laos, where he will attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summit and will have bilateral meetings with the Laos leadership.

In a speech in Laos, Obama is expected to review his Asia policy over the course of the last seven years.

"He will talk about how far we've come in shaping an architecture in the Asia Pacific for the US to lead and to be at the table in forums like ASEAN and the East Asia Summit.

"He will speak to the fact that we've significantly upgraded our commercial and economic diplomacy in the region, our security presence in the partnerships that we're building, both with allies but also with emerging partners on issues like maritime security and disaster response," Rhodes said.

The US President will also make a strong pitch for TPP and why it is essential to American economic and security interests for Congress to move forward with approval of TPP.

Senior presidential advisor Brian Deese said US has now developed quite a significant record of working collaboratively with the Chinese on climate change.

"The Paris agreement to formally enter into force, 55 countries representing 55 per cent of global emissions must formally join. Together, the US and China represent just under 40 per cent of global emissions. So the act of our two countries joining, as and when that happens, will help move us closer to that goal," he said.

The Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics Wally Adeyemo Obama's final G-20 Summit will provide an opportunity for leaders to continue addressing how to boost global growth while they also ensure that the benefits of globalisation, digitisation, integration are shared more broadly.

"On this year's agenda will be important issues such as reducing global excess capacity of steel, advancing the WTO Environmental Goods Agreement that eliminates trade barriers for a variety of green products, better preparing the international financial institutions to address the challenges associated with the global migration crisis, and advancing our shared climate and development agenda," he said.

This year's G20 Leader's Summit will provide a chance to affirm the G20's commitments to upholding high standards, protecting workers, ensuring a level playing field, and expanding opportunity, Adeyemo said.

"In addition to the summit, top of mind for many of the countries sitting there will be TPP, which we see as essential to both our economic opportunity in our country but also to our national security priorities.

A number of G20 countries are members of TPP and this will provide the President an opportunity to see them and to discuss how we advance that shared agenda of creating a rules-based order in the Asia Pacific that provides real

opportunities to level the playing field for our workers and our firms. We look forward to a successful summit," he said.
Dhaka: Bangladesh's Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence it handed down to senior Jamaat-e-Islami leader and key financier Mir Quasem Ali for committing war crimes during the country's 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan.

The five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha pronounced a single-word judgement in the court room. "Rejected," said top judge, who is the first Hindu to occupy the post in the Muslim-majority country, about 64-year-old Ali's appeal.

Ali is considered as the key-financier of Jamaat, which was opposed to Bangladesh's 1971 independence from Pakistan.

In his brief comments after the verdict, attorney general Mahbubey Alam told reporters that Ali could now seek presidential clemency as his last resort to save himself from the gallows.

"He now could be (sent) to (the) gallows anytime if he does not seek clemency or his mercy petition is rejected," Alam said.

Ali's lawyers were not immediately available for comments.

The decision paves the way for Ali's execution unless he is pardoned by the president.

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 and media outlets including a now suspended TV channel and is a central executive council member of Jamaat-e-Islami.

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.

Prosecution lawyers had earlier said Ali had exhausted all efforts to influence his trial on charges of committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.

They had said that Ali made a $25 million deal with US lobby firm Cassidy and Associates for engaging with the governments of the United States and Bangladesh to protect "his interest".

During the appeal hearing against his death sentence the state-side submitted to the court a receipt issued by the US lobby firm for what it said "professional service".

The evidence suggested that in March, 2014, another deal worth of $50,000 was struck with the same lobby firm on Ali's behalf for "condemning" the actions of the International Crimes Tribunal-Bangladesh.

Under the deal, the firm was asked to do everything possible to get incorporated an anti-ICT-BD legislative language in the House/Senate Department.

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.
Naypyidaw: Myanmar's stateless Rohingya should be given the right to citizenship after generations living in the country, UN chief Ban Ki-Moon said on Tuesday.

Many from the million-strong Muslim minority are denied citizenship, voting and work rights and reviled as imposters in overwhelmingly Buddhist Myanmar.

More than 120,000 have been displaced, many to squalid displacement camps in western Rakhine state, after fleeing violence stirred by Buddhist nationalists in 2012.

Thousands have fled to other Southeast Asian countries on rickety boats in search of better lives, only to drown or fall victim to human traffickers.

In June, the UN said the Rohingya suffered entrenched discrimination so deep it may amount to crimes against humanity.

"This is not just a question of the Rohingya community's right to self-identify," Ban told a press conference alongside Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

"People who have been living for generations in this country should enjoy the same legal status and citizenship as everyone else."

His comments come as Myanmar's new civilian government is seeking to tackle the seemingly intractable issue that has dogged Nobel laureate Suu Kyi for years.

Even the word Rohingya has become loaded  with Buddhist nationalists having staged protests across the country against using the term. They instead label the group "Bengalis" and cast them as illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh.

The veteran democracy activist has come under fire from international rights groups for failing to address the plight of the Rohingya, as she seeks to avoid stoking further unrest over the sensitive issue.

Last week, the government announced it would set up an advisory panel chaired by former UN secretary general Kofi Annan to find "lasting solutions to the complex and delicate issues in the Rakhine State".

His appointment has triggered a backlash from nationalists, including the local Arakan National Party, who denounced what they saw as foreign meddling.

Ban said he would support his predecessor's work in Rakhine and work with Myanmar's central authorities to tackle the Rohingya issue.

"The situation is complex (in Rakhine) and the government has assured me of their commitment to address the roots of the problem," he said.

"All of Myanmar's people, of every ethnicity and background, should be able to live in equality and harmony side by side with their neighbours."

Ban's speech comes on the eve of the opening of the new government's flagship peace conference to broker a deal with the country's warring ethnic minorities.

The five-day gathering is Suu Kyi's first big drive to end multiple insurgencies that have raged in Myanmar's borderlands since independence in 1948.

Organisers have been pushing for a unilateral ceasefire, but hopes have been shattered by renewed outbreaks of fighting, according to negotiators.
US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in New Delhi on Monday to participate in the second Indo-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue. He addressed the opening plenary session with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday.

Delhi: EAM Sushma Swaraj at the opening plenary session with US Secretary of State John Kerry pic.twitter.com/neYwsRYbr9  ANI (@ANI_news) August 30, 2016

Both Swaraj and Kerry lauded the partnership and deep ties between the two nations. Kerry said that he was honoured to be back in Delhi and participate in the dialogue but expressed regret because it will be the last time he will be able to lead such a dialogue with the upcoming elections.

Inspite of that, he expressed a confidence that both the countries will continue to strengthen what President Barack Obama has called defining partnership of the 21st century.

Swaraj urged the United States to join the international solar alliance as an active member. She also stressed on the need to strengthen partnership with the US in the field of Green Energy.

While stressing on the relationship between the two nations, Swaraj said that the citizens of both the nations are living and earnig their livelihood in each others countries like never before.

Kerry too praised the relationship that has developed between the two countries in recent years. He said that we should all take pride in everything that we have accomplished in all these years.

India and the US have deep ties in the fields of defence, counter terrorism and cyber crimes, he added.

We seek to support one anothers growth, vitality and security, he said. He also pointed out the challenges that technology throws at us, specifically in the cyber field.

India will also host the US governments 2017 global entrepreneurship summit, which is an evidence of the two nations growing ties. In security and economic sector, India and US have managed to expand their cooperation, said Kerry.

Kerry was also grateful to India for its leadership during the Climate Change Summit in Paris. Our cooperation in battling climate change has been significant, he said.

By overcoming decades of differences, our governments came together to finalise the most ambitious climate agreement, added Kerry about the climate change summit held in Paris.

The US is also working to bring technologies to help India meet its ambitious renewable energy target. Kerry also hoped that civil nuclear cooperation between India and the US would take shape, which will help deliver electricity to tens and millions of Indians.

Swaraj, however, urged the US to treat the issue of Indias membership to APEC forum positively. India also hoped that the next US administration will continue to support the Paris agreement with the same seriousness and purpose as the Obama government had.

Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her US counterpart Penny Pritzker co-chaired the meeting. MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup had earlier called the dialogue the most comprehensive engagement between the two countries.
In a press meeting jointly addressed by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry, both the nations reiterated their commitment towards strengthening the Indo-US relationship.

Kerry arrived in New Delhi on Monday to participate in the second Indo-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.

Swaraj started her address by informing the media that she has apprised Kerry of cross-border terrorism from Pakistan. There cannot be double standards in combating terrorism. There is no good or bad terrorism, she said.

There was discussion on terror,& clearly we agreed on all points:EAM Swaraj on ANI's question on cross border terror pic.twitter.com/I5JaG3gkou  ANI (@ANI_news) August 30, 2016

Pakistan should withdraw safe havens provided to Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohamad and D-company. There was a meeting of mind between the two sides on the issue of terrorism, she added.

Both the countries also agreed that Pakistan needs to take swift action to catch the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attacks and the Pathankot attack.

Kerry reiterated the US commitment of bring the perpetrators of these attacks to justice. He also said that there should be no double standards while looking at terrorism. Terror is terror, he said.

"I have talked to the Pakistan Prime Minister and General Raheel Sharif for the need for Pakistan to deprive any group (terrorist) of sanctuary," he said. It is well known that LeT and Haqqani network have operated from Pakistan, Kerry said.

While responding to a question by ANI on Pakistan sponsored terrorism in India, Kerry said that "US stands in strong partnership with India on Pakistan sponsored terrorism in India."

Swaraj also thanked Kerry for US constant support to Indias membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

I thanked Secy Kerry for USA's constant support for India's membership in NSG: EAM Sushma Swaraj  ANI (@ANI_news) August 30, 2016

We have agreed to scale up our collaboration in clean energy and to quickly operationalize the various initiatives that were announced during Prime Ministers visit to facilitate investments in this sector from US into India, Swaraj said.

Kerry lauded Swaraj for always living up to the reputation of being a a fierce advocate of Indias interests and its citizens. He also commended the minister for never wavering on the belief about strengthening the relationship between India and the US."

While recalling his previous trip to India as a senator, Kerry said that both the countries were struggling to build their relationship during that period. However, in recent years, we have moved amazingly and there has been no sense of that struggle.

We have moved amazingly in this relationship (Indo-US), says US Secretary of State John Kerry pic.twitter.com/Ihu9fp88Fk  ANI (@ANI_news) August 30, 2016

He mentioned the meeting between the Defence Ministers of India and the US, who have signed a a defence logistics agreement during their meeting in the US.

Kerry and Swaraj signed a cyber framework to reduce cyber crime and improve coordination among the law enforcement agencies even as the US reaffirmed India as a major cyber partner.

The two leaders also briefed each other on the developments in Afghanistan with Kerry appreciating Indias efforts in the region.

Both Kerry and Swaraj focussed on carrying the civil nuclear cooperation between the two nations to another level which will ensure clean energy to many nations. In his press briefing with his Indian counterpart, the visiting US secretary of state indicated that the US is likely to join the global climate agreement soon.

Cooperation in the field of health, particularly research and development of newer drugs was also discussed between the two leaders as both the countries intended to develop and start clinical trials of vaccines.

To prevent diseases we intend to start clinical trials for vaccines against Tuberculosis & Dengi: US Secy of State John Kerry  ANI (@ANI_news) August 30, 2016

Both the nations have also agreed to cooperate more in space technology and making it easier for Indian travellers to enter US.

Kerry reiterated that India and the US are more deeply engaged than ever before because of the respect that we have for each other and the personal bond of President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

We are witnessing a moment that defines a very different and renewed relationship between US and India," he said.

While talking to Swaraj on Tuesday afternoon, he realised that two democracies as big and vibrant as ours, can have a positive impact on the people.

Overall, our meeting has contributed to our efforts to forge a closer partnership with the US in pursuit of our development goals and strategic priorities. We are certain that the India-US partnership will continue to benefit not only both our peoples but also become a factor for peace and stability in the region and the wider world,  Swaraj said while ending her address.

Ministry of External Affairs released a copy of Swaraj's address on Tuesday:

Remarks by External Affairs Minister by Firstpost on Scribd

With inputs from PTI.
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Fighting to save her job, suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff told senators yesterday that the allegations against her have no merit and that history would judge the country if she is removed from office.

I know I will be judged, but my conscience is clear. I did not commit a crime, Rousseff told senators at her impeachment trial.

Rousseff reminded senators that she was re-

elected in 2014 by 54 million voters. She said that at every moment she has followed the constitution and done what was best for the country.

I cant help but taste the bitterness of injustice of this process, she said.

After her 30-minute speech, Rousseff was to take questions from senators. The showdown will include accusations that the she hurt Brazils economy with illegal budget manipulations and defenders arguing that she is being targeted by corrupt lawmakers.

The impeachment process began late last year, when opponents in Congress presented a measure to remove her from office. Her appearance comes a day or two before the Senate votes on whether to oust her from the presidency.

Several hundred supporters demonstrated outside Congress, and cheered when she arrived. Outside Congress, a huge wall was put up to separate Rousseff supporters and pro-impeachment activists.

The Senate voted 55-22 in May to suspend Rousseff from office for up to 180 days while a trial was prepared. Michel Temer, who was her vice president and turned into her nemesis, took over as interim president. If Rousseff is permanently removed, Temer will serve the rest of her term, which goes through 2018.

Rousseffs address comes on the fourth day of the trial which has seen name-calling, shouting and a declaration by the Senate President Renan Calheiros that stupidity is limitless.

In the middle of her second term, the left-leaning leader is accused of breaking fiscal rules to hide problems in the federal budget. She denies wrongdoing and argues that her enemies are carrying out a coup detat.

Opponents claim her maneuvers were an attempt to continue high spending and mask deficits, which ultimately exacerbated a severe recession in Latin Americas largest economy.

According to the official close to Rousseff, she planned remarks that would be firm, but not arrogant. The official agreed to discuss the speech only if not quoted by name because he wasnt authorized to divulge its details.

The trial is being presided over by Supreme Court Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski. AP


Attackers rammed a car through the gates of Belgiums crime institute early yesterday and set fire to a lab containing crime scene samples, apparently in an effort to destroy evidence, Brussels prosecutors said.

As the blaze in the north Brussels suburb erupted, residents heard at least one explosion and Belgian media reported a bomb attack, but investigators said the noise was probably materials going up in flames.

Belgium has been on high alert since suicide bombings at the Brussels airport and subway killed 32 people on March 22, and security forces remain on standby for another attack.
The Parisian Macao completed a fire drill yesterday in preparation for its Sept. 13 opening. Around 600 Parisian team members participated in the 11 a.m. drill, demonstrating the emergency-response readiness of the 3,000-room integrated resort.

The emergency scenario simulated an electrical fire in an 8th floor guest room and one guest injured during the subsequent evacuation, said Sands China in a statement. The Fire Services Department dispatched four fire brigades and two ambulances to the scene for the simulation.

Hotel rooms and other integrated resort facilities at soon-to-open resort are all equipped with sprinklers, the latest smoke detectors and fire-fighting equipment, in accordance with international standards and local requirements.

Conducting successful fire response simulations is very important for Sands China whenever we open a new property, to ensure the safety of our staff, guests and visitors, said Brian Taylor, director of fire life safety for Sands China Ltd.

CEM announces its cooking contest winners

The Fifth Healthy Eating Induction Cooking Contest rounded off successfully at the Catering Services & Cooking Training Centre of Macau Federation of Trade Unions Sunday.

The contest, co-organized by CEM and the Catering Services & Cooking Training Centre, attracted twenty contestants who designed nutritious dishes and cooked with induction cookers on-site within 20 minutes.

In order to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the contest, CEM will print a cookbook that includes all dishes made by the finalists after the contest, in a bid to encourage the public to use induction cookers and attach importance to food nutrition.

The selected participants used induction cookers to prepare healthy family dishes on-site and the judging panel score the dishes according to a number of criteria, such as appearance, taste, eco-friendly ingredients selection and composition; nutritional value and as well as practicality.

The electric company said induction cookers boast one-third shorter cooking time than flame cooking, which contributes to an energy reduction of 30 percent to 45 percent.
The leader of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) has left his Beirut headquarters after more than a decade.

Yasser Arafat has been forced out of Lebanon following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon some three months ago.

Israeli forces entered the country after an assassination attempt on their ambassador in London by Palestinian dissidents.

Their original aim was to wipe out Palestinian guerrilla bases near Israels northern border but their forces pushed all the way to Beirut.

Mr Arafats departure is the culmination of an agreed evacuation of the PLO from Beirut following what is widely regarded as a heavy defeat for the Palestinians.

Thousands of Palestinians who remain in Beirut cheered Mr Arafat as he left the former PLO offices for the port.

At the same time, more than 2,000 Syrian troops also began leaving the Lebanese capital.

They have occupied Beirut since 1976 when they arrived to protect Lebanese Christians in their civil war against left-wing Palestinians and Muslims. Syria has since become the PLOs ally in its fight against Israel.

It seems unlikely that Mr Arafat, now heading for Greece by ship, will find another Arab government willing to take him in after the calamitous effect of his stay in Lebanon.

Large areas of the once beautiful and prosperous city have been reduced to rubble by seven years of unrest and civil war sparked by Mr Arafats presence.

His forced departure from Lebanon is a grave blow to Palestinian hopes of re-gaining their homeland, part of which is now occupied by Israel.

Mr Arafats power base is now shattered with his men scattered about the Arab world.

Under the agreed evacuation plan most of the PLO fighters will go to Cyprus and then be dispersed to Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Sudan, North and South Yemen, Tunisia and Greece.

The new PLO headquarters will be in Tunisia.

Courtesy BBC News

In context

On 16 September 1982, Israeli-backed Christian militias entered two refugee camps in Beirut and massacred many hundreds of Palestinians over a period of three days. It was in revenge for the assassination of president-elect Bashir Gemayel four days earlier.

Estimates of the number killed range from 800 to 3,500 people.

The PLO established new headquarters in Tunis.

Years of violence followed before agreements on partial autonomy were signed in 1993 and 1995 between the PLO and Israel.

The Palestinian National Authority took control of the newly autonomous areas  Gaza and Jericho  with Yasser Arafat as its elected president from 1996.

The Palestinian Liberation Army replaced Israeli troops within the authoritys jurisdiction.

Yasser Arafat died in November 2004. Following elections, Mahmoud Abbas was sworn in as Palestinian president in January 2005 and called for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte told Chinas ambassador yesterday that he will not immediately press Beijing to comply with an international tribunals ruling that invalidated Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea, but would do so in the future.

Duterte made the comments in a speech marking Philippine heroes day that was attended by Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua and other diplomats. Zhao was apparently surprised by the remarks and just smiled in response.

China avoids discussion of its territorial disputes in the presence of other governments.

Duterte said pressing China to comply now might result in the suspension of talks between the two countries, which would not be good.

I will not use the arbitral judgment now, but I would one day sit in front of your representative or you and then I will lay bare my position, Duterte said, addressing his remarks to Zhao.

Duterte has said he will also not raise the arbitration decision at an annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Laos next week, although he might discuss the issue if other leaders bring it up.

The tribunal ruled in July that Chinas extensive territorial claims, which overlap those of the Philippines and four other governments, are invalid under a 1982 U.N. treaty, in a major setback for Beijing. China has ignored the decision and refused to hold any talks with the Philippines based on the ruling.

Duterte added in jest that if the Philippines had as many ships as Beijing, he might consider a more forceful action.

Philippine acquiescence to talks that would not directly take up the arbitration decision would allow Dutertes government to discuss pressing issues such as asking China to allow Filipino fishermen to regain access to disputed Scarborough Shoal, which Beijing effectively seized in 2012. Chinese coast guard ships have been blocking Filipino fishermen from the rich fishing area.

I hope that you treat us as your brothers, not your enemies, and take note of the plight of our citizens, Duterte told Zhao.

No genocide in drug war

Meanwhile, at home, Duterte has enough to deal with.

The Philippine president defended his bloody anti-drug campaign, saying the nearly 1,800 deaths in two months didnt compare with brutality in Syria or atrocities committed by Islamic State group extremists.

I did not kill any child. I did not drop barrel [bombs] like [Syrian President Bashar] Assad, Duterte said in a speech marking National Heroes Day. Im fighting [] criminals.

Referring to Islamic State group militants, whom he called idiots, Duterte said, I do not burn women because they refuse to have sex.

At least 1,779 drug suspects have been killed in Dutertes campaign, including 712 who were gunned down in clashes with police, with the rest being slain in still-unclear circumstances, the national police chief told a Senate inquiry last week.

Duterte said at least 3.7 million Filipinos have become addicted to methamphetamine, a stimulant known locally as shabu, with about 600,000 drug users and dealers surrendering to authorities.

Human rights groups have expressed alarm over the killings, and U.N.-appointed human rights experts have warned that steps should be taken to halt the violence, adding that the government and law enforcers could be held responsible.

Claims to fight the illicit drug trade do not absolve the government from its international legal obligations and do not shield state actors or others from responsibility for illegal killings, U.N. Special Rapporteur on summary executions Agnes Callamard said in a statement this month.

Duterte, 71, who took office June 30, built a name with a deadly crime-busting style as the longtime mayor of southern Davao city. He described his campaign against drugs as a harsh war that would involve the military because the problem is now a crisis and claimed the lives of law enforcers.

We might still end up like the South American countries and their fractured governments. I am declaring war, he told the audience that included ambassadors, war veterans and security officials. The drug menace, he said, has infected every nook and corner of this country involving generals, mayors, governors, barangay [village] captains and policemen.

Pressing his campaign, Duterte announced bounties of 2 million pesos (USD42,000) for information that would help the government identify any police officer protecting drugs syndicates.

He repeated his pledge to defend the police and military, but warned law enforcers against conniving with criminals.

In the pursuit of law and order, pursuant to my directions, you do not have to worry about criminal liability, he said. I will go to the prison for you. I take full legal responsibility, you just do it according to the books.

But for those in government, the police, the corrupt police and the corrupt judges and the corrupt prosecutors, there will be a day of comeuppance, there will always be a day of reckoning, Duterte said.

Yesterday, an unidentified gunman killed a suspected drug lord, Melvin Odicta Sr., and his wife after they got off an inter-island ferry in central Aklan province, police said. The killer escaped.

Odicta, a wealthy businessman who owned a fleet of taxis, a bar and a restaurant, denied involvement in the illegal drug trade when he and his wife met officials in Manila last week.

Asked about Odicta, Duterte told reporters the slain man was a leading suspected drug lord in the central Philippines. He really got unlucky. Who wants to step in next after Odicta? Duterte asked. AP

15 philippine troops killed in clash with abu sayyaf rebels

Officials say 15 army soldiers have been killed in a clash with Abu Sayyaf extremists in a major offensive in the south.

Military officials said five other soldiers were wounded in fierce fighting yesterday that killed at least two militants in Sulu provinces mountainous Patikul town, where the Abu Sayyaf have detained many of their kidnapped victims.

It was the largest single-day combat loss under President Rodrigo Duterte, who ordered government troops to crush the Abu Sayyaf militants last week after they beheaded a kidnapped villager whose family was too poor to pay a ransom.
East Timor and Australia opened conciliation talks yesterday in their bitter legal battle to set a permanent maritime boundary that will carve up billions of dollars in oil and gas reserves underneath the seabed.

East Timor, one of the worlds most impoverished nations, is seeking to draw a border midway between the two countries that would give it more of the sea bed than under current agreements with its wealthy neighbor to the south.

Australia says the government in Dili should stick to treaties negotiated between the two countries that it says fairly carves up revenue and provides resource companies a stable legal framework that gives them confidence to invest in exploiting the rich underground reserves.

The acrimonious dispute has long soured relations between East Timor and Australia, which played a pivotal role in helping East Timor gain independence after a long occupation by Indonesia.

The relationship plumbed new depths in 2013 amid allegations that Australian spies bugged the East Timorese Cabinet ahead of crucial revenue-sharing negotiations. Australia rejects the claim, which is the focus of a separate arbitration case between the two countries in which East Timor is seeking to invalidate a Timor Sea treaty.

We have not come to The Hague to ask for favors or special treatment. We have come to seek our rights under international law, Xanana Gusmao, a former guerrilla leader who became his countrys first president when Indonesian rule ended in 2002, told a panel of five experts at a conciliation commission convened under an international treaty governing the laws of the seas.

It is not clear when the commission will issue its non-binding ruling.

Australia argues that the Hague-based panel does not have jurisdiction to set the border and that Australia is committed to upholding existing treaties between the two countries, which comply with international law.

The treaties, really are a model example of how two states can work together for mutual benefit despite different views on how to finalize boundaries, said Australian foreign ministry representative Gary Quinlan. Mike Corder, The Hague, AP
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called yesterday for Bangladesh to step up efforts to fight extremist violence and protect and promote human rights amid increasing concern about terrorism in the South Asian nation in the wake of a series of militant attacks.

Kerry, on his first trip to Bangladesh as Americas top diplomat, met in Dhaka with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Abdul Hassam Mahmood Ali , opposition officials and students. Bangladesh is struggling to deal with the rash of attacks, the most recent of which killed 20 people, including 17 foreigners, at a popular restaurant last month in Dhaka, the capital.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Bangladeshi authorities maintain that IS has no presence in the country and that a local banned group, Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh, or JMB, was behind it. Some have accused Bangladesh of turning a blind eye to the possibility of outsiders radicalizing elements of the Muslim-majority nation.

Kerry rejected that criticism, saying he does not believe that the government of a Bangladesh has its head in the sand.

But, he spoke pointedly of the transnational threat posed by terrorism. The July 1 attack on Dhakas Holey Artisan Bakery was an outrage clearly designed to divide Bangladesh, designed to try to cut off this welcoming society from the outside world, Kerry said.

These heinous acts of violence  and too many others worldwide  are a stark, painful reminder that those who aid terrorist groups or perpetrate these acts have no respect for national boundaries, no concern for the rights of others, no regard for the rule of law, he said. Kerry said a longstanding counterterrorism dialogue has intensified in recent months and work with the Bangladeshi police and military will continue with an eye toward further cooperation.

On Saturday, police said they had killed three suspected militants, including an alleged mastermind of the cafe attack. But many of the perpetrators of a string of attacks over the past two years that have killed atheist bloggers, foreign aid workers and religious minorities remain at large.

Kerry urged the government of Bangladesh to resist the temptation to shut down public debate or stifle opposition groups as a way to combat the threat.

Democracy, he said, still provides the most resilient and reliable platform we have for preventing and responding to violent extremism [] to defeat terrorists, we must uphold, not betray, the democratic principles we cherish and they abhor.

Kerry also spoke of the need for authorities to protect the rights and safety of its workers, particularly those in the garment industry that earns the country more than USD20 billion a year from exports, mainly to the United States and Europe and employs about 4 million workers, mostly women, in 4,000 factories.

Bangladesh cannot truly meet the aspirations of its people and share prosperity if its workers are not safe and their rights are not ensured, he said, referring to the 2013 collapse of a building that housed five garment factories and killed more than 1,100 people in the countrys worst industrial disaster.

After his brief stop in Bangladesh, Kerry travels to India later for the seventh meeting of the U.S.-India strategic dialogue, which seeks to improve security and well as economic and development ties between the nations.

This years discussions are taking place as tensions rise in the disputed region of Kashmir, scene of some of the largest protests against Indian rule in recent years. Since early July, at least 67 civilians have been killed and thousands injured, mostly by government forces firing bullets and shotguns at rock-throwing protesters. Two policemen have been killed and hundreds of government forces have been injured in the clashes. Yesterday, Indian authorities lifted a curfew in most parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir as part of a 52-day security lockdown but tensions persist. Matthew Lee, Dhaka, AP
Hong Kongs first homebuilt and locally registered aircraft took off on Sunday to complete a three-month Around the World Journey. At 8:30 a.m., the aircraft revved up at the Hong Kong International Airport and headed off on the first leg of the trip to the Clark International Airport in the Philippines.

The aircraft, called Inspiration, will fly across all meridians and most latitudes outside the Arctic and Antarctic circles, covering approximately 55,000 km. Inspiration will stop at around 50 airports in 25 regions, including Australia, United States, United Kingdom and Italy, returning to Hong Kong in November after a brief stop in Macau.

With pilot Hang Cheng at the controls, and with the support of flight engineer Gary Tat, the B-Koo Inspiration will travel through Southeast Asia, Australia, before crossing over the Pacific. The longest leg the aircraft will endure is the challenge posed by the distance from Hawaii to San Jose, California, which will take about 13 to 14 hours. After crossing North America, Cheng will fly across Europe, before heading to Jordan, and them continuing on through Indonesia and Thailand, to finally land in Macau.

Before departing, Cheng exclaimed: This is the day finally! [] I hope Hong Kongs public will be inspired by our story  this is much more important than myself being the first in Hong Kong [to do this] He also thanked his family for their unending and constant support.

Growing up in Hong Kong, Cheng had always dreamed of building his own aircraft locally and flying it around the world. For seven years, he worked closely with groups of secondary school students and with engineers from Hong Kong to construct the aircraft.

According to a report by the Standards, Inspiration, a kit-built, RV-8-single a-engine aircraft was built at a cost of HKD1.5 million, from the combined efforts of 500 students, pilots and engineers.

Originally designed in 1996, Inspiration was fully built and took flight for the first time on November 15, 2015 from the Hong Kong International Airport. It also went through 40 hours of flight tests in Australia before the beginning of this journey.
India is failing to help and protect journalists who are facing violent threats or attacks for their work, an international watchdog agency said yesterday, noting a pattern of resistance in investigating crimes targeting reporters.

The Committee to Protect Journalists counted 27 journalists killed for their work since 1992, and noted that it was still investigating more than two dozen cases to determine whether those journalists deaths were also work-related. Most at risk are small-town journalists investigating corruption, rather than journalists in big cities like New Delhi or Mumbai.

The New York-based watchdog said in a report released yesterday that it could find only one case in 10 years in India in which a suspect was prosecuted and convicted for killing a journalist, but that the suspect was later released on appeal.

Perpetrators are seldom arrested, said Sujata Madhok, a member of the watchdog. The torturously slow Indian judicial system, together with corruption in the police force and the criminalization of politics, makes it possible to literally get away with murder.

The watchdogs findings are supported by another report, released in 2015 by Indias own media watchdog, the Press Council of India. That report found that even though the countrys democratic institutions and independent judiciary were strong, people who killed journalists were getting away with impunity.

The situation is truly alarming, the Press Council said, warning that the trend could hurt Indias democracy, and pressing Parliament to pass a nationwide law ensuring journalists safety.

The Committee to Protect Journalists blamed successive Indian governments and local officials for doing little to address a problem that has existed for decades.

It noted that while newspaper reports on corruption scandals made for attention-grabbing headlines, those same corruption investigations tended to end abruptly if an involved journalist was killed.

No government in India has been an ardent champion of press freedom, the report said. Small-town journalists, even if a handful work for big media, will often find themselves alone and abandoned when trouble strikes.

The report focused on three cases of journalist killings in India, including the death in July 2015 of investigative reporter Akshay Singh, who was working on a story linked to an alleged AUD1 billion racket for providing jobs and college admissions in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.

A month before that, freelance reporter Jagendra Singh died after being set on fire while reporting on allegations of rape and land fraud leveled against a local minister in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

And in 2011 in the eastern state of Chattisgarh, journalist Umesh Rajput was shot dead while investigating alleged medical negligence as well as separate claims that a politicians son was involved in an illegal gambling business.

I can think of several cases where the polices first response to a threat, attack or killing of a journalist was to claim that the victim was not a journalist, or that the attack was not work-related, the report quoted Mumbai-based editor Geeta Seshu of the media-themed website The Hoot as saying.

Indian journalists contacted by The Associated Press agreed that while journalists were key in exposing the countrys widespread and endemic corruption, they were doing so despite inadequate safety guarantees.

Authorities need to take the risk more seriously or risk having reporters abandon their investigations, journalists said.

Journalists have become vulnerable to pressure from local mafia, businesses, newspaper managements and the government, said Rahul Jalali, president of New Delhis press club.

He and others noted, however, that while the press clubs scattered across the country were more focused on lobbying for labor rights and wage protections, they were also increasingly demanding better law and safety.

We should try to compel governments and police to act more fairly, justly and quickly, veteran journalist and author Palagummi Sainath said. We can also ask media owners to take the safety of their journalists more seriously. Ashok Sharma, New Delhi, AP
The image of the teachers body tied to a tree and riddled with bullets still haunts his son 14 years later. Communist militants allegedly dragged the Nepalese man from the class he was teaching and then killed him for refusing to give part of his salary to fund their bloody rebellion.

Suman Adhikari has little hope he will get justice for his fathers death  not with the same Maoist fighters-turned-

politicians controlling the Himalayan countrys government.

Despite international pressure and government promises, including by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Center) themselves, Adhikari and thousands of other conflict victims are still waiting for information about loved ones who were among the 17,000 killed or hundreds who disappeared during the decade-long insurgency demanding an end to the countrys now-defunct monarchy.

The Maoists want everyone to forgive and forget whatever happened during the conflict, but that is not acceptable to us, said 40-year-old Adhikari, who works for a Kathmandu-

based charity that works with the deaf.

Earlier this month, Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal became Nepals prime minister, leading the poor and politically fractious countrys ninth coalition government in 10 years. His ascent to the top elected position completed the Maoists political rehabilitation started in 2006 when they signed a U.N.-brokered peace accord to end their guerrilla campaign against authorities.

Meanwhile, Nepal is still beset by ethnic conflict and protests against its new constitution, and coping from widespread damage caused by earthquakes that killed thousands last year.

For victims of the old insurgency, the Maoists rise was nothing to celebrate. Those hoping for resolution from a newly assembled Truth and Reconciliation Committee fear the Maoists will seek to sweep away post-conflict cases by delaying investigations, ignoring advice to prosecute or even legislating for a general amnesty that would absolve all crimes.

With the committees mandate expiring in February next year, some of its 100 staff members admit they have neither the time nor the manpower to investigate the more than 53,000 complaints alleging human rights violations unless the government extends its mission. None of the cases have been resolved so far.

In the time we have left, I dont think we will be able to deal with even a fraction of the number of cases we have in our hands, commissioner Madhavi Bhatta told The Associated Press. They also have asked the government to revise the rules for investigating, for example, to include torture as a listed crime and to extend the six-month statute of limitations on rape so that decades-old assault allegations can be considered. The committee can only recommend prosecution for government lawyers to pursue; it cannot take such action on its own.

The Maoists have pledged they will not seek amnesty and would help bring justice for victims of crimes outside of war rules, according to spokeswoman Pampha Bhusal.

We will not suppress these cases but will resolve them, she said. We are going to resolve all these issues on the basis of international norms and human rights and the peace agreement we signed.

Victims and rights groups expressed doubt about the Maoists sincerity.

In one of their recent pushes for a general amnesty, the Maoists in May forced then-

Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli to sign an agreement saying the government would immediately initiate the process to withdraw or give clemency on insurgency-era cases and other politically-motivated cases filed on various occasions

And former Maoist parliament member Bal Krishna Dhugel was convicted in 2010 of a 1998 murder, but Maoist pressure and a pending clemency request have ensured he remains free despite a Supreme Court order this year not to grant him amnesty.

Analysts said the Maoists would have trouble pushing for a blanket amnesty. They do not have the necessary parliamentary majority to vote such an amnesty into law, and even the suggestion could upset their coalition partners and undermine the stability of their government.

What they [Maoists] have been saying in the past, that they will go for blanket amnesty, is not possible this time, said Deepak Prakash Bhatt, internal security professor at Tribhuwan University in Kathmandu. There are checks and balances. Because they are not heading the defense ministry, home ministry and foreign ministry, it is not possible.

But delaying the investigations could leave them unfinished, rights activists said.

The whole process has been prolonged so much that the proof and evidence we have is getting lost or disappearing, said Sudip Pathak of Nepals National Human Rights Commission. I dont believe the victims will get justice any time soon.

Analysts and rights groups have pressed the government to speed up reconciliation efforts or risk becoming even more unpopular in Nepal, where many people express frustration with widespread corruption and regret losing the monarchy.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch together warned Nepal not to bargain away justice while negotiating coalition government politics.

Nepal should take immediate and effective steps to safeguard victims rights to truth, justice and reparation through a credible transitional justice process that is free of any political interference or any forms of pressure or intimidation, the groups said in a joint statement issued in May.

To victims and their families, the prospect of resolving past crimes and healing old wounds looks bleak.

We want to know why they were killed; they were unarmed and not part of the fighting, said Anita Jnawali, who said her father was a local politician in the western village of Kerunga when he was hacked to death inside his home for refusing to join the Maoists in their fight.

We have almost lost hope, the 33-year-old drinking water consultant said. The Maoists are always trying to suppress our cases, and now that they are in the government we are even more suspicious that they will bring new laws and make attempts to provide amnesty to their people. Binaj Gurubacharya, Kathmandu, AP
China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., the refining giant known as Sinopec, outshined its domestic state-run rivals in the first half of the year as its fuel-making business helped it weather the worst crude crash in a generation.

The worlds biggest refiner reported 19.9 billion yuan (USD3 billion) in profit for the first half of the year, according to a filing this week with the Hong Kong stock exchange. While thats down 22 percent from the same period in 2015, its more than double its net income in the second half of last year, when it posted its weakest earnings since 2002. Shares yesterday closed 0.2 percent lower at HKD5.61, compared with a 0.4 percent decline in the citys benchmark Hang Seng Index.

Sinopec continues to be a defensive play among Chinas Big Three oil companies as its huge refining exposure puts it in a good position to benefit from a low crude price environment, Gordon Kwan, head of Asia oil and gas research at Nomura Holdings Inc. in Hong Kong, said by phone. Sinopecs management deserves a lot of credit for maximizing refining incomes while containing crude losses.

The companys rival PetroChina Co., the countrys biggest oil and gas producer, saw net income drop to 531 million yuan in the first half of the year, a 98 percent plunge even after booking a 24.5 billion yuan gain from selling a Central Asian gas pipeline network. Cnooc Ltd., Chinas largest offshore explorer, reported a 7.74 billion yuan loss, mainly from a charge on the value of its Canadian oil sands assets.

A slump in crude prices benefits fuel makers like Sinopec as their supply costs fall, though the company is still vulnerable to the collapse as its the countrys third-biggest oil and gas producer. Brent crude, the global benchmark, averaged about USD41 a barrel during the first half of the year, down roughly 30 percent from the same period in 2015.

The companys refining margin, or the profit from turning crude into fuels, rose nearly 48 percent from same period last year to 514.4 yuan a ton, it said in a separate statement on Sunday.

Sinopec processed 115.9 million tons of crude into fuels during the first half of the year. Thats roughly equal to almost 4.67 million barrels a day, according to Bloomberg calculations. PetroChina refined the equivalent of nearly 2.66 million barrels a day, the company said in its release last week.

Sinopec will raise refining throughput in the second half of the year to 120 million tons, up 3.5 percent from the first six months, the company said. Bloomberg
Portugals former prime minister Antonio Guterres topped the third successive poll of candidates seeking to succeed Ban Ki-moon as the next U.N. secretary-general, making him the clear front-runner for the job as the worlds top diplomat, U.N. diplomats said.

Slovakias Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak was the big surprise of the informal vote  jumping to second place after finishing next to last in the second straw poll, said the diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because voting is supposed to be kept secret.

Irina Bokova of Bulgaria, who heads UNESCO, and Serbias former foreign minister Vuk Jeremic were tied for third place followed by Argentinas Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra, the diplomats said.

By tradition, the job of secretary-general has rotated among regions. Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe have all held the post. East European nations, including Russia, argue that they have never had a secretary-general and it is their turn.

There has also never been a woman secretary-general and more than 50 nations are campaigning to elect the first female U.N. chief, along with many organizations.

Secretary-General Ban, whose term expires on Dec. 31, said earlier this month that after eight men its high time now for a woman to head the United Nations.

Russias U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told The Associated Press yesterday that there should be a woman secretary-general. And you know what? The time will come.

But is this the time? This is the big question, Churkin replied, laughing.

The secretary-general is chosen by the 193-member General Assembly on the recommendation of the 15-member Security Council. In practice, this has meant that the councils five permanent members  the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France  have veto power over the candidates.

In the informal poll, council members voted whether to encourage, discourage, or express no opinion about the 10 candidates  five men and five women.

No women has placed above third in any of the polls and Malcorra was quoted by the Argentine newspaper Clarin as saying that there is still a biased vote against women at the U.N.

The results of yesterdays poll quickly leaked.

General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft again criticized the Security Council for not releasing the vote, saying U.N. members who participated in question-and-answer sessions with every candidate for the first time this year expect a new standard of openness and transparency.

Guterres, who was Portugals center-left Socialist prime minister from 1995-2002 and U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees until the end of 2015, got 11 encourage votes, three discourage and one no opinion in the poll. In the first straw poll he had no discourage votes, and in the second he had two. AP


PHILIPPINES-CHINA President Rodrigo Duterte told Chinas ambassador yesterday that he will not immediately press Beijing to comply with an international tribunals ruling that invalidated Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea, but would do so in the future.

EAST TIMOR-AUSTRALIA East Timor and Australia opened conciliation talks yesterday in their bitter legal battle to set a permanent maritime boundary that will carve up billions of dollars in oil and gas reserves underneath the seabed.



SOUTH KOREAs Defense Ministry says it has no plans to introduce nuclear-powered submarines, despite calls by lawmakers to do so following a recent test of a submarine-launched missile by rival North Korea.



JAPAN Tokyos first female governor said yesterday she will use her platform to host a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly 2020 Olympics and push a womens rights agenda that she hopes will be a model for Japans central government.

India is failing to help and protect journalists who are facing violent threats or attacks for their work, an international watchdog agency says, noting a pattern of resistance in investigating crimes targeting reporters.



AFGHANISTAN Two roadside bombs have killed at least nine Afghan civilians, officials said yesterday. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Taliban insurgents frequently target security forces with homemade bombs placed along roads and footpaths.

LIBYA At least 38 Libyan forces were killed as the Islamic State group dispatched a dozen suicide bombers to stop their final push to drive the extremists out of their last major bastion in the country, officials said yesterday.

POLAND says German Chancellor Angela Merkel is wrong to criticize European Union partners who are refusing to give refugee protection to Muslims. Deputy foreign minister, Konrad Szymanski, said in an interview yesterday that countries such as Poland, which reject EU-negotiated refugee quotas, are in line with the public mood.



BRAZIL Fighting to save her job, suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff told senators on yesterday that the allegations against her have no merit and that history would judge the country if she is removed from office. I know I will be judged, but my conscience is clear. I did not commit a crime, Rousseff told senators at her impeachment trial.
SAN DIEGO  The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, in association with Zillow, released its fifth annual Top 250 agent report recognizing exceptional Latino real estate agents from around the country.

Hailing from 30 states with aggregate sales over $5 billion, this years report includes lists of top millennial agents, top individual agents and for the first time also ranks agents by volume and gross commission income.

Among the nations top 250 agents was Alex Castaneda of Blue Lake Real Estate Co. Castaneda was noted as No. 126 on the Top 250 list for achieving 73 transactions in the 2015 calendar year.

With a strong surge in Hispanic homeownership, it was an outstanding year for new homebuyers and the real estate professionals who served them, said Joseph Nery, NAHREP president, It is exciting to see a distinguished list of new and repeat agents who are helping to build wealth and improve the quality of life for homebuyers in communities across the country.

NAHREPs Top 250 Latino Agent report can be found at nahrep.org/2016-top250-agents. The list was compiled using data from submissions through an open nomination process and applications were verified for accuracy.

The Top 250 Latino Agents will receive special recognition at NAHREPs 2016 National Convention & Latin Music Festival Sept. 17-20 in Los Angeles.
JEROME  A Hazelton man whose first plea deal was rejected for being too lenient was sentenced Monday to a therapeutic and educational prison program for leaving the scene of a crash last year that killed his best friend.

Abraham Cervantes-Ortiz, 24, pleaded guilty in January to a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in injury or death, but District Judge John Butler rejected an initial plea deal, which called for probation only and no time in custody.

Mr. Cervantes admitted he was the driver of the vehicle and there was death involved in the matter, Butler said earlier this year. It seems probation seriously depreciates this particular crime.

Because Butler rejected the deal, Cervantes-Ortiz was able to withdraw his guilty plea, and a new trial date was set. But before the trial began, the attorneys worked out a new deal  one that was acceptable to Butler  that called for a retained-jurisdiction Rider program, a therapeutic and education program directed by the Idaho Department of Correction.

Butler on Monday imposed a two to five year prison sentence that will be suspended in favor of probation if Cervantes-Ortiz successfully completes the retained-jurisdiction therapeutic programming. His attorney, Brad Calbo, said the Rider is expected to last at least six months.

Because the case involved death, the punishment was appropriate, Calbo told the court Monday.

Prosecutors originally charged Cervantes-Ortiz with vehicular manslaughter for the Feb. 2, 2015 crash that killed his passenger, 22-year-old Ricardo Lopez. Prosecutors later amended the charge to the lesser felony of leaving the scene.

The individual who died was Abrahams best friend, Calbo said Monday.

Families are the ones that hurt

Cervantes-Ortiz was driving a 1997 Dodge Caravan last Feb. 2 on Crestview Road just north of Interstate 84 when he failed to negotiate a turn and went off the road, court documents said. The van crashed into a wooden fence and several of the planks smashed through the van and injured Lopez. Rather than call 911, Cervantes-Ortiz and Lopez got into another mans car and left the scene to go to a hospital.

But the other car broke down, and when police arrived on scene, Lopez was lying on his side covered in blood and struggling to breathe, court documents said. He was rushed to Minidoka Memorial Hospital with critical injuries and then flown to University of Utah Hospital, but he later died.

Yuri Lopez, Ricardos widow, confirmed in a phone conversation Monday that Cervantes-Ortiz was her husbands best friend. But still, she said his sentence should have been harsher.

I dont think its justice, hes really not getting what he should be getting, Lopez said Monday. To have my kids grow up without their dad, its not fair.

But Yuri Lopez hopes the Rider program will convince Cervantes-Ortiz he should never again drink and drive. Even though he was never charged with driving under the influence, court documents said Cervantes-Ortizs blood-alcohol level after the crash was 0.12, above the legal limit to drive in Idaho.

Hopefully he understands what hes done, she said. Hopefully he learns from this and doesnt drink and drive. It should teach him a lesson that its not worth it.

Calbo on Monday said that because of the legal proceedings, Cervantes-Ortiz was unable to reach out and express sorrow to his friends widow and her two children. But he said in private, his client showed remorse, grief and sorrow.

Yuri Lopez said she saw that remorse in his eyes during past hearings and believed he did want to apologize.

Finally on Monday, though Yuri Lopez wasnt able to attend the sentencing, Cervantes-Ortiz offered that long-awaited apology.

Im sorry for what happened, he said through the courts Spanish interpreter. I feel a lot of pain, and Im just really sorry.

As for Yuri Lopez, she hopes the entire ordeal will teach others not to drink and drive.

A familys life can just change like that, she said, adding that her children, 6 and 4, are the ones who have especially suffered without their father.

The families are the ones that hurt, she said.

That was clear Monday not just for the victims family, but also for the defendants family.

As the judge read his sentence, a bailiff handed a woman in the second row a box of tissues. The woman, who arrived at court with Cervantes-Ortiz, sobbed quietly during the imposition of sentence, then louder as the same bailiff who gave her the tissue handcuffed Cervantes-Ortiz to take him to begin his Rider.
TWIN FALLS  A long-awaited trial has been delayed again in the case of Tigre Darin Martinez, who was found dead last year after being beaten and robbed.

Two people have pleaded guilty in connection to the robbery, while two others are still facing charges; the four were accused of binding, beating and robbing Martinez, 45, just hours before he was found dead May 26, 2015, in a Twin Falls home.

Dwayne Lee McCormick, 32, of Twin Falls was set to go on trial next month in the case. Hes charged with felony counts of robbery, robbery conspiracy and aggravated battery.

But McCormicks attorney, Steven McRae, said Monday during a pretrial conference that his client recently disclosed new information to me that, quite frankly, changed the way I view the case significantly.

The highly relevant details McCormick disclosed will require additional witness testimony, research and trial planning, McRae wrote in an affidavit supporting his motion to delay the trial.

Without the additional time, McRae wrote he could not effectively or ethically represent Mr. McCormick at trial on September 13.

Deputy prosecutor Rosemary Emory agreed with the defense attorneys request to delay but noted that Martinezs family, in attendance at Mondays pretrial conference, was very interested in seeing the matter go to trial.

Obviously the state would prefer to try it sooner rather than later, Emory said. But we understand why the defense counsel requested that continuance.

District Judge Richard Bevan granted the delay, but not before he addressed Martinezs family, telling them he understood their concerns. But he explained that if he forced the matter to go to trial, McCormick would likely win an appeal and there would be a good chance wed be back having another trial after that.

But I truly hope this is the last continuance, Bevan added. There have been two already. We need to get this done for everybodys interests.

No date was set for the new trial, which is expected to last about seven days, though the judge set a window between November and March. McRae seemed to imply it would happen toward the end of that window.

Meanwhile, Oct. 12 is still set as the trial date for Laaken Shai Draper, 20, whos charged with robbery conspiracy in the case.

Two others charged in the case have already pleaded guilty. Caleb Jon Hinton, 33, was sentenced to 15 to 20 years in prison for the robbery. Katie Lynn Pingree, 20, was sentenced to three to five years in prison.
TWIN FALLS  A 21-year-old Twin Falls man admitted to police that he had sex with a girl he knew was only 14, police said.

Michael James Charron was arraigned Monday in Twin Falls County Magistrate Court on a felony count of lewd conduct with a child under 16. He was also charged with a misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana stemming from his arrest Saturday on a $50,000 warrant.

Prosecutors said the alleged crime happened July 16, about a week and a half before Charrons 21st birthday, at his parents home. Officers were called to that home when the girls mother told police her daughter spent the night there after lying about sleeping over at a friends house.

When police went to the home, Charrons parents said their son had two girls over to the house who claimed they were 18 but who the parents suspected were minors because of the juvenile appearance of both females, court documents said. Charron and the girls were no longer at the house, but the parents helped track them down at the Twin Falls City Park.

At the park, both Charron and the alleged victim denied having sex, and the girl said that bite marks on her shoulders and chest came from a friend just messing around, court documents said. Charron told police he and the girl kissed and bit each other when she slept over, but he also denied having sex.

But the girl later told police that they did have sex, and Charron, who earlier told officers he knew she was only 14-years-old, also admitted that he had sex with her but lied because he did not want to get into trouble because he knew that she was a minor.

Charron is being held in lieu of $25,000 bond at the Twin Falls County Jail, and a preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 9.
TWIN FALLS  The Twin Falls School District continues to see an influx of students, with about 200 more in classrooms than last school year.

Thats a 2 percent increase, for a total of 9,269 children. School started Aug. 18.

As new companies come to Twin Falls and the citys population grows, student numbers continue to grow. But two new elementary schools are helping to alleviate overcrowding.

Across the districts 15 campuses, enrollment is still fluctuating on a daily basis. Superintendent Wiley Dobbs expects to see even more students before the districts official reporting date  the fourth Friday in September  used for budget purposes.

Im going to project higher numbers this year, he said Monday. Thats partly because more students are arriving late as they into the area or finish up family vacations.

So far, elementary school enrollment is similar to what school officials predicted in the spring. Growth at middle and high school campuses is slightly lower than expected.

Over the last decade, enrollment district-wide has increased anywhere from 2 to 4 percent each year.

This school year, each of the nine elementary schools are under capacity. Many have at least 100 fewer students than last year.

Thats because Rock Creek and Pillar Falls elementary schools opened in August, paid for by a nearly $74 million bond voters approved in 2014.

One of the most drastic changes: 246 fewer students at I.B. Perrine Elementary. At this time last year, the schools enrollment was 800. Now, its 554.

Rock Creek and Pillar Falls  in the fastest-growing areas of Twin Falls  each have about 30 more students than expected.

Most elementary campuses are seeing student numbers hover in the 500s. The exception: Bickel Elementary School.

Its a smaller campus and has a comfortable capacity of 360 students. School officials were projecting 300 students for this school year, but only 268 are enrolled.

Its something were going to want to watch, Dobbs said.

A rezoning committee is predicting growth within Bickels attendance zone, school district spokeswoman Eva Craner said. But theres a lower growth rate and potential for new home construction than other areas of the city.

Across the district, four elementary school teachers  out of 175 total  were transferred to different schools the day before school started to help balance out class sizes. Of those, three were Bickel teachers.

At the middle school level, theres still overcrowding. But relief is coming soon. South Hills Middle School opens in 2017, paid for using bond money.

Vera C. OLeary Middle School gained about 30 students. And on Monday alone, seven new students registered.

The school had 973 students, as of Friday. The campus is more than 70 students over capacity.

The space crunch is even worse at Robert Stuart Middle School. Theres 1,007 students, more than 100 over capacity.

The buildings are definitely full, said L.T. Erickson, secondary programs director.

High school enrollment is up slightly over last year.

At Canyon Ridge High School, theres 19 new classrooms thanks to a $5.5 million bond project. Now, every teacher has their own classroom.

What about other school districts?

Jerome has about 4,000 students, up about 125 over last year.

Its a continuation of a growth trend over four years, But this year, even more students arrived than expected.

The largest growth is at the middle and high schools. The reason for the high school growth: Going back a number of years, the younger grades started increasing, Superintendent Dale Layne said. This is the first year theyve hit the high school.

But hes not sure whats causing an influx of students at Jerome Middle School, which has about 70 more children than predicted.

At the elementary school level, fourth and fifth grades each gained about 20 children. Kindergarten through third grade numbers remained fairly flat.

To handle the growth, the school district hired seven additional teachers before the school year began.

In Wendell, enrollment is flat. As of Wednesday  the third day of school  a total of 1,208 students were in preschool through 12th grades.

Thats about par for this time of year, Superintendent Greg Lowe said. It has been very consistent over the last few years, which is pretty good for a rural school district.
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TWIN FALLS  The citys 2016-2017 budget has been passed.

The City Council voted Monday evening to pass a budget with a hike in property tax collections of 3 percent plus the value of new construction, bringing the tax rate up by 30 cents, to $8.16 per $1,000 in assessed value. The Council also decided, after some debate over exactly how to allocate it and several failed motions, to allocate the $287,000 that wasnt divvied out in the draft budget because it was put together using a lower estimate of the citys total value than what turned out to be the case.

Of this money, $64,000 will go toward hiring a victim-witness coordinator at the police department. The Council also set aside $180,000 to operate the city pool that is currently operated by the YMCA, in the event that the city needs to take it over. The future of the pool and of the citys relationship with the Y has been in question since news came out in May that the YMCA was on probation with its national parent organization after years of financial mismanagement. If this money isnt needed for the pool, the Council will decide later what to do with it.

The other $43,000 will be set aside as seed money to buy an electronic reader board that would go downtown to advertise community events, an idea the Council started to discuss publicly since voting to stop hanging banners over Shoshone Street. The reader board would cost an estimated $150,000, and some of the money needed for it could also come from private fundraising.

The Council voted separately, before the budget hearing and debate, to pass the water, wastewater and sanitation rate hikes for the next budget year. Water rates are increasing by one-half of 1 percent, wastewater rates by 5 percent and sanitation rates by 2.3 percent.

The citys net budget for 2017  the total budget minus fund transfers  is $60.96 million, an increase of one-third of 1 percent. One major item in the budget is that it gives 5 percent raises to city employees plus adjusting the citys salary table upwards by 5 percent, a move meant to make it easier to hire qualified applicants and to reduce the number of city workers who leave for higher-paying jobs elsewhere.

The city used to have its own victim-witness coordinator. The Twin Falls County Sheriffs Offices coordinator is Lori Stewart, and she is also the sheriffs office spokeswoman. City Manager Travis Rothweiler said he probably would have included the position in his original budget proposal had he know at the time the extra money would be available.

I cant overstate how important that position is to fill again, City Councilman Don Hall said.

Police Chief Craig Kingsbury said the value of the position is that a victim-witness coordinator can help people during the period between when a report is filed and when a case gets turned over to a prosecutor. He pointed to the rising number of domestic violence complaints  there were 177 such reports in 2012 and 204 in 2015  as showing the need for the job.

As the chief of police, I feel were not reaching those victims to the extent that we need to be reaching those victims, he said.

Kingsbury said he especially wants to improve how the department works with victims in misdemeanor domestic violence cases and also that he wants to work better with the children that are involved in domestic violence cases.

Both Kingsbury and Hall said their support for the position wasnt a direct reaction to the reported sexual assault of a 5-year-old girl at the Fawnbrook Apartments by three Middle Eastern boys in early June, and that the idea was being discussed before that.

I had these conversations well before the aforementioned incident occurred, Kingsbury said.

Councilman Chris Talkington was the only vote against adding the position, listing several concerns during the debate and saying it would make more sense to look into it further and include it, if the Council were to decide its needed, in the 2017-18 budget. The other budget-related resolutions that passed, passed unanimously.
TWIN FALLS  The B-25 bomber shook as its engines started to turn.

Wear your headsets  itll get loud, Jerry Geezer Washburn, a pilot with the Commemorative Air Force, told a handful of passengers.

The World War II bomber sputtered and smoked Monday as Jordan Brown, pilot in command, idled her down the tarmac at Joslin Field Magic Valley Regional Airport.

A deafening roar replaced the sputtering as Brown revved the 1,700-horsepower engines and spun the old girl at the end of the runway. Seconds later, the runway released its grip on the 73-year-old combat veteran and Maid in the Shade took flight over Twin Falls.

Through Labor Day, Maid in the Shade  one of 10,000 B-25 bombers built  will be on display for the 20-week-long Flying Legends Victory Tour.

Theres not many of these birds left, said retired pilot Kevin Trainor of Twin Falls, who had come to admire the machine. I cant imagine flying one of these off a carrier.

Trainor, a naval flight officer during the Vietnam War, was anxious to get inside the iconic plane, which was based at Corsica Island in the Mediterranean during WWII. Fifteen bomb shells painted on the fuselage indicate the number of combat missions during the war.

Only 34 B-25J bombers  the last series made  still fly.

Shes the only B-25 left that flew in combat in WWII, Washburn told Trainor. Others were either shot down or scrapped after the war.

While the planes are rare, so are the veterans who flew them. WWII veterans are dying at a rate of nearly 500 per day.

Our mission is to keep these planes flying, Washburn said. And to keep the memories alive.

The Commemorative Air Force is a Dallas-based organization with 12,000 members across the U.S.

Maid in the Shade is now based in Mesa, Ariz., and is one of 160 CAF aircraft still flying, Washburn said.

Its a living, flying museum.
This appeared in the Idaho Press-Tribune:

The situation involving two Idaho state legislators involved in an alleged affair is a tough one for everyone to deal with right now  their friends and families, fellow lawmakers, the constituents they represent and editorial boards who want to offer advice on how to proceed.

Nonetheless, were talking about two elected officials who are tasked with doing the states business and representing you in the Statehouse, and were talking about your tax dollars being used to do it. So for that reason, its more than a private matter thats none of anyones business. Our other elected officials and you, the voters, need to have a full understanding of what happened.

As you probably know by now, Nampa Rep. Christy Perry and Sen Jim Guthrie of Inkom, both Republicans, have been accused of having liaisons in the past, and it has been alleged that they used state funds inappropriately in the process.

The first question the public should have is, were they using taxpayer money to pay for travel and lodging expenses for their meetings. Based on what weve determined, at least to this point, there dont seem to be hundreds of dollars of travel expenses that cant be accounted for from the two lawmakers. In fact, most the reimbursement forms appear to be related to legitimate events they attended as part of their jobs as elected officials, although there is one day in Guthries requests that cant be immediately accounted for.

But it starts to get dicey when you wonder whether their relationship interfered with the business they were supposed to be conducting at those events. Were they really devoting their full time and attention to their jobs on those occasions, or did they just show up for a short time and disappear? That isnt something a financial audit can determine, but its something we taxpayers have a right to be concerned about.

As lawmakers, both can introduce legislation, and both have the power not only to vote on each others legislation but to lobby their colleagues for or against it. An inappropriate personal relationship could get in the way of important public business that would affect every resident in the state.

Then theres the issue of whether lawmakers who are engaged in such relationships without using any taxpayer dollars are still engaging in conduct unbecoming elected officials in the state of Idaho. Some voters may ask, if they cant be faithful to their own spouses with the most sacred vow they make, how can they be faithful to us as voters in the performance of their duties as elected officials? This was the argument many Republicans made when pushing to impeach former President Bill Clinton.

In her three terms representing Nampa, Perry has shown herself to be studious and informed on the issues. You may disagree with her take on some of those, but she has always come across as smart and respectful. And at a time when Guthrie hasnt said a word publicly to anyone, Perry at least deserves credit for speaking to our reporters and taking ownership of what happened when the news broke. You can imagine how difficult that must be.

Assuming she doesnt withdraw from her re-election bid this fall, you as voters will have to determine how youll weigh her job performance vs. her conduct with Guthrie. It will be a tough call for her supporters.

Give credit to the lawmakers and auditors who immediately launched a thorough investigation of the payments made to the two legislators over a three-year period for per diem and lodging expenses. Thats what we would expect, and they didnt waste any time getting it done.

We also believe an ethics investigation is warranted when the Legislature convenes again this winter, if indeed one or both is re-elected. You should hold your elected officials to a high standard, because they are your representatives.

Regardless of how such an investigation would turn out, voters in Nampa will likely be able to make the ultimate determination on Perrys fate in a little more than two months. Theyll have a tough call to make, and theyve been put in that position because of a very bad mistake on the part of two legislators.
The following editorial appears on Bloomberg View:

Like all of us, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are going to die. Will it be in the next four years? Probably  ideally  not. But for voters, thats a reasonable question, especially given that Clinton is 68 and Trump, 70. Unfortunately, the candidates have refused to divulge the kind of information that would enable anyone to arrive at an informed opinion about their health.

Citizens weigh many factors when selecting a president, and health is a legitimate one. If a candidate is pushing past the traditional retirement age, and especially if voters have concerns about his or her vice-presidential pick, health may weigh heavily. That was the case for some Americans in 2008, when Sen. John McCain  who was 72 on Election Day  chose Sarah Palin as a running mate.

McCain, however, allowed reporters to see eight years and more than 1,000 pages of his medical records. The public learned details about his bouts with skin cancer, kidney stones, an enlarged prostate and other conditions. That level of transparency was unusual, but given Clinton and Trumps age, it should be their model.

Instead, both have released only perfunctory letters from their personal doctors, lacking in detail. Clintons doctor provided at least some information on her medical history and current vital signs, similar to what Barack Obama released in 2008. But Obama was then only 46. And just four years ago, Clinton suffered a terrible concussion that required six months of very serious work to get over, according to her husband.

Trumps doctor issued an even shorter letter calling Trumps blood pressure and unspecified lab results exceedingly excellent. He ended the letter by declaring, If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest person ever elected to the presidency  giving new meaning to the term spin doctor. Trump has tweeted that he has no problem releasing detailed medical records, but so far has not done so.

Voters have learned to take doctors notes with a dose of skepticism, ever since a doctor who had treated Paul Tsongas, a 1992 contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, withheld information about his history with cancer. By the time Bill Clinton took the oath of office the following year, Tsongas was back to battling cancer. He died days before Clintons first term expired.

That prompted calls for an independent committee of medical experts to review candidates medical records and release summary reports. Nothing came of it  though it remains a good idea, if still unlikely to happen.

Mandating such disclosure would be a step too far; it might not even be constitutional. But voters should demand that Clinton and Trump be more forthcoming.
Microsoft did not dispute reports that it would spend $1.1 billion on the Boydton data center, and said that on average, data centers employ tens to several dozen people, in a mixture of corporate and contracted positions. It declined to let a reporter tour the site.

They talked about 100 jobs, but its a slow process, said Thomas C. Coleman III, the mayor of Boydton. So far, he says, the biggest impact has been a couple of lunch tables at the Triangle gas station.
Politics Is Getting in the Way of Chinas Critical Economic Reforms

BY JACOB SHAPIRO : Two important reports were recently published on the current state of the Chinese economy. The first was the IMFs annual review. It said the outlook for Chinas near-term growth had improved. But, it pointed out that corporate debt is rising. Also, capital outflows for 2016 will equal 2015s at $1 trillion.

The second report was Chinas monthly release of investment data. This showed that fixed asset investment growth in China slowed to 8.1% in July. According to Caixin, thats the slowest year-to-date fixed asset investment growth in 16 years.

These two reports outline the problems the Chinese economy faces. Ultimately, Chinas problems are not only about facts and figures, but also about politics.

The IMF suggests ways to solve these problems. China must reduce corporate debt, restructure or even liquidate underperforming state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and accept lower growth. But, these economic policy decisions have political consequences. This makes it harder to achieve goals.

Economics outweighed by social and political costs

China knows it needs to reform SOEs. President Xi Jinpings government has publicly said that it will cut 1.8 million jobs in the coal and steel sectors. However, the timeline has not been set.

The IMF wants China to cut 8 million jobs in a few key sectors. This is an unrealistic figure as the social and political costs outweigh the economic.

The corporate debt problem is similar. The IMF report sees rapid credit growth as the main issue. The highest credit levels are mostly in the northeastern and north-central provinces, where industry is the main driver of the economy.

Premier Li Keqiang spoke to provincial governors in July and told them to get rid of inefficiencies. In other words, they should not lend money to struggling SOEs.

Local officials take short-term view

Even though China is an authoritarian state, Beijing cannot simply dictate its will.

The advantages of a long-term approach are clear to the IMF and even Beijing. But, real reform depends on local officials taking a long-term view.

This is hard when they are used to short-term solutions and a system that lets them profit from their activities. They also want to avoid protests, which may break out when SOEs fail and millions lose their jobs.

Beijing is caught between encouraging growth to maintain employment and accepting less growth. It must also boost domestic consumption.

This is clear from the monthly investment numbers released by the Chinese. The report also shows that the trend began around December 2015.

The percentage growth between investment in fixed assets by SOEs and by private enterprises was roughly equal before December 2015.

Shocks in the stock markets in January, however, hurt investor confidence. In response, China relied on more stimuli in Q1 2016 than in any quarter since the 2008 financial crisis.

Private investment in fixed assets slowed to just 2.1% in July. This is despite Chinas State Council issuing new guidelines in June to stimulate private investment.

In July, the government eased investment rules in free trade zones. It granted foreign investors permission to found companies in various sectors. Previously, companies would need to be co-owned by Chinese interests.

XIs hands are tied

Meanwhile, SOE investment in fixed assets doubled between November and February. (China did not report any data for January.) Though growth slowed slightly in July, it remains at 21.8%. This is well above its previous levels, before China began pumping money into the system.

Chinese companies now increasingly depend on borrowing money to pay back loans. A Goldman Sachs report last month estimated that the debt service ratio for China was around 20%.

These companies are the same SOEs that China says it wants to restructure (and the IMF wants China to reform). But, China needs these SOEs to prop up economic growth and stimulate the domestic economy.

The IMF projects that Chinese GDP growth will fall slowly, from 6.6% in 2016 to 5.8% in 2021. This assumes that China will implement most of the proposed reforms.

The Chinese government wants to undertake many of these reforms, but it is constrained. This is why Xi is consolidating his power base. He knows that China must change and that Beijing must have the influence to do it. But, even a powerful Xi cannot eliminate corporate debt or conjure 8 million jobs out of thin air.

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Chairman of the Tripoli-based National Oil Corporation (NOC) Mustafa Sanalla has demanded explanations from the Presidency Council (PC) headed by Faiez Serraj for the lack of financial allocation to the state-owned institution.

In a statement posted on NOCs website, he urged the PCs Financial Arrangements Committee to explain the delay because every day our country loses over $10 million because of the shortfall, and that is money we will never recover.

The statement signals frustrations of the NOC after it stated last month that it was aspiring to increase its current production of less than 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) by 150,000 on a daily basis within two weeks following the reopening of the major terminals that were blocked by the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) militia led by Ibrahim Jadhran.

Sanalla warned the PC that blocking payments to NOC is harming the Libyan people as he accused the UN-backed body of being reluctant because the money is there. He wondered why the financial allocation is not being made because the Treasury would recover its investment in two or three months, and almost double its income as well.

Chairman Sanalla said the situation, which began since the PC started to oversee state spending in March, has caused a shortfall in production by the Arabian Gulf Company and Sirte Oil.

The state-owned company wants to increase its output production to 900,000 bpd before 2017. Prior to the uprising against Gadhafis regime in 2011, Libya had a peak production of 1.6 million bpd.
A source at the Iranian Defense Ministry has hinted that a US drone that was about to enter Iranian airspace probably from Afghanistan did not do so after responding to a warning because if it entered, it would have been downed.

The drone that allegedly attempted to enter Iran from the east was in all likelihood on a reconnaissance mission to the Fordo nuclear facility where the recently received Russian-made S-300 air defense missile systems have been deployed.

The systems were deployed on Sunday and the drone infiltration attempt took place on Monday.

General Farzad Esmaili, commander of Irans air defenses, said they have one of the most secure skies in the region and the continued opposition and hype on the S-300 or the Fordo site are examples of the viciousness of the enemy. He stressed that protecting nuclear facilities is paramount in all circumstances and the source from the Defense Ministry claimed that there have been instances of planes entering the Iranian airspace and being downed.

US State Department Press Secretary John Kirby said they are concerned about the deployment of the missile systems to the Fordo site. We have long objected to the sale to Iranof these kind of capabilities, Kirby said.

The Fordo site, located south of Tehran, was one of the nuclear plants used by Iran under its controversial nuclear program.

Russia had cancelled the delivery of the systems to Iran in 2010 due to UN nuclear sanctions but it was lifted by president Putin in April 2015 ahead of the nuclear framework agreement that was reached in July 2015 between Iran and the so-called P5+1. Last week, Tehran unveiled locally made Bavar-373 missile defense system capable of neutralizing flying objects like drones, missiles and combat aircrafts.
Israel is not threatened externally; the existential threat Israel faces comes from the division within it, ex-Mossad chief Tamir Pardo told reporters at a press conference ahead of a march to be held at the end of September in commemoration of the fallen Druze fighters of the Israeli Defense Force.

He stressed that a State is a combination of unity and individuality with their own unique characteristics, but we also have things that unite us. Some want to apply their unique characteristics to the entire societyand they fail.

He called for compromise in some aspects because at the end of the day, there is more that unites us than divides us. However, some prefer to emphasize what divides the Israeli society rather than what unites, he said as he deplored that it is a phenomenon that exists among all sectors in the country. Tamir Pardo warned that if a divided society crosses a certain line, a civil war becomes a possibility in the most extreme scenario and he fears that Israel is heading in this direction.

The former intelligence chief took time to blast politicians as he underlined that the problem with us is that our leadership is constantly in election period which he said is disgusting because things are said during elections that are meant to help the candidates.

Citing the Brexit vote and US primaries as examples, Pardo explained that voters are not often aware of the consequences of their choices when exercising their right. We live in a world dealing with a serious problem of distrust between the citizens and their governments, he said.

For Israel to be comfortable with its Arab neighbors and the Arab World in general, Pardo noted that only a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can pave the way for a true partnership with Arab countries.
The former Chairman of the AU Commission and Gabonese main opposition candidate, Jean Ping, on Sunday declared himself winner of the 2016 presidential election in the central African nation.

I am the one. I expect the outgoing president to call me to congratulate me, Ping told media and his supporters on Sunday in Libreville ahead of the official results expected to be released by the electoral commission on Tuesday.

As I speak to you, the trends indicate we are the winner of this important presidential election. You have thwarted the plans of fraud that we have finally kicked out, 73-year-old Jean Ping told a crowd of supporters gathered at his campaign headquarters in the capital Libreville.

Incumbent president Ali Bongo Ondimba has called on his supporters to remain calm and wait for official results.

His camp also claimed victory shortly after his main rival Jean Ping said trends indicated that the opposition was leading.

We are confidently waiting and I want to say big thank you to everyone; be confident great things await us, Ali Bongo told his supporters at his campaign headquarters.

Some 628,124 registered voters participated in the relatively calm election to choose among 11 challengers vying for the presidential position. Three presidential hopefuls withdrew to support the main opposition leader Jean Ping.

The incumbent president Ali Ondimba Bongo is running for a second term after taking over from his father in 2009 who ruled the country for 42 years before his demise.
The Japanese government this weekend pledged to give Kenya about $9.78 million in aid to spur economic and social development in the Eastern African nation.

Japan will extend grant aid for economic and social development amounting to one billion yen, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said in a joint statement late on Sunday.

Japan will also provide a concessional loan to the Olkaria geothermal project, operated by state-run Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), the two leaders added.

Speaking during the Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD) in Nairobi on Sunday, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said that the summit of African government and business leaders with their Japanese counterparts had the potential to transform the African continent.

We laud Japan and the co-organizers for their continued commitment to Africas development, on the basis of the twin principles of Africas ownership and international partnership, Kenyatta said.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, told delegates that Tokyo would also commit $30 billion in public and private support for infrastructure development, education and healthcare expansion in the continent.

Note that Japans 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.
Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari this weekend agreed to exchange detained Boko Haram fighters for the Chibok girls held captive by the Islamist terrorists since 2014.

Speaking on the sidelines of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, Buhari told the media that the government is ready to dialogue with Boko Harm leaders.

If they do not want to talk to us directly, let them pick an internationally recognized Non-Governmental Organization, 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, President Buharis official spokesperson Garba Shehu quoted him as saying.

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 wrote on his twitter handle.

Boko Haram fighters stormed a school in the remote northeastern Nigerian town of Chibok on April 2014, seizing 276 girls who were preparing for end-of-year exams in an abduction that shocked the world.

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.

Pressure has been mounting on the Nigerian government to act swiftly in the search for the school girls.
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Each can of a sugar sweetened beverage has nine teaspoons of sugar. This is more than the recommended daily limit of six. Credit: Shutterstock

Debates on a proposed tax for sugar sweetened beverages in South Africa have reached fever pitch with the local food and beverage industry squaring up against the proposed sugary drinks tax expected to be implemented in April 2017. Professor Karen Hofman and Aviva Tugendhaft provide a few facts.

What difference has a sugar tax made in other countries?

There are many cities and countries that have instituted a sugar tax. These include Mexico, France, Hungary, Chile, Columbia, Brazil, 23 states in the US and the cities of Philadelphia and Berkeley.

The introduction of a sugar tax in Mexico in 2014 resulted in a marked difference in consumption patterns. The country is one of the highest consumers of sugary beverages and has one of the highest obesity rates globally. More than one in three adults were classified as obese.

After the introduction of a 10% tax, the purchase of sugary beverages fell by 12% in the first year. Studies have also shown that since the tax was implemented people have switched to drinking water.

New evidence released in Berkeley in the US this year shows that after a sugar tax was introduced in the city sales of sugar sweetened beverages fell by as much as 20% in some areas.

What is important to note is that the introduction of a sugar tax always triggers a much greater level of awareness about why sugar, particularly liquid sugar, is especially harmful.

Why should there be a sugary beverage tax in South Africa?

It is well established that taxes are the most effective of several ways to reduce the consumption of sugary beverages. This is because taxes reach the entire population and are easily implemented.

South Africa needs one. The country has a massive and growing obesity epidemic. Obesity related lifestyle diseases now rival HIV/AIDS and TB in terms of their impact. About 40% of women and 11% of men suffer from obesity in the country. And 25% of teenage girls in rural South Africa are overweight or obese.

Across the country, research from the Global Burden of Diseases Nutrition and Chronic Diseases Expert Group shows that chronic diseases result in one death every hour. Obesity not only shortens a person's lifespan, it also affects their quality of life. It leads to lifestyle diseases that result in strokes, blindness, amputations and kidney failure.

This health burden is linked to South Africans' daily sugar consumption. According to the World Health Organisation, people should not consume more than six teaspoons of sugar a day. Most 330ml fizzy sugary beverages contain nine teaspoons of sugar while fruit juices have 10. These sugary drinks have no nutritional value, don't satisfy hunger and are particularly harmful to the body in liquid form.

An average teenager in Soweto consumes double the recommended daily limit through sugar sweetened beverages.

Business says jobs will be lost. South Africa's Health Minister says the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages is having a huge impact on the health system. Who is right?

The cost of sugar consumption to health care and to companies should not be underestimated.

Severe obesity has been linked to a 23% increase in health care costs.

But the impact on companies must also be viewed through loss of productivity and absenteeism. Projections indicate that obesity will reduce South Africa's gross domestic product by 7% by 2030. Based on experience with the successful tobacco tax in SA, money spent on cigarettes were spent in other sectors, thus saving lives.

Without any interventions the situation is likely to get worse. Our research shows that there will be an additional 1.2 million obese people in the next few years if nothing is done. Of these, almost 300 000 will be obese due to consuming sugar sweetened beverages.

It must also be remembered that job loss figures quoted by companies are based on industry commissioned studies which are not peer-reviewed. An evaluation of the impact in Mexico shows no job losses.

The fightback against initiatives to curb sugar consumption has been very aggressive. Reports show that in the US alone between 2009 and 2014 beverage companies spent US $100 million to sway public and political opinion from initiatives to curb sugar consumption.

Aren't there better ways to do this, like banning advertising?

There are several other initiatives that can and should take place. Taxing sugar is by far the best prevention focused initiative and is the first of several steps. Food advertising regulations are the next best way to curb the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages, alongside front of pack labelling and work site and school based interventions.

In South Africa there is a voluntary marketing pledge under which the food and beverage industry has promised not to advertise unhealthy products to children under the age of 12. But this is ignored.A recent study in Soweto, considered one of the biggest urban settlements in Africa, showed billboards advertising sugar sweetened beverages close to schools in the area.

Taxing sugar sweetened beverages should be done in conjunction with awareness initiatives as well as mandatory advertising regulations and front of pack labelling.

Explore further Soda tax linked to drop in sugary beverage drinking in low-income Berkeley neighborhoods

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.


Credit: University of Rochester Medical Center

A recent study by University of Rochester Medical Center researchers proves why leukemia is so difficult to treat and suggests that the current approach to drug development should be adjusted to target a broader range of genes or signaling pathways.

Lead author Michael Becker, M.D., associate professor of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology at the UR's Wilmot Cancer Institute, explains that some of the new drugs for acute leukemia attack very specific proteins expressed by leukemia cells. But Becker's study breaks new ground by showing that as the disease progresses, leukemia stem cells (the root of the disease) change and often begin expressing additional proteins that weren't present when the cancer first occurred or lose protein expression when the cancer relapses.

His investigation, published in the journal Blood, is believed to be the first to examine how leukemia stem cells change over time, and the first to look for several known gene biomarkers simultaneously.

"It's a wake-up call for future therapy development," said Becker, who also directs Wilmot's Blood and Marrow Transplantation (BMT) Program, one of the largest in New York. "Over the last several years a lot of effort has been placed on the development of a few drugs that target proteins such as CD33, CD123, and CD47 on acute leukemia cells. The next generation of immunotherapies also targets very specific proteins. But to achieve long-term remissions and cures, our findings argue against this approach."

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most difficult blood malignancy to treat and has a dismal prognosis if the disease comes back after initial therapy, as it often does.

Back in the mid-1990s, scientists identified a rare subset of leukemia stem cells (LSC) associated with acute leukemia. Knowing that these stem cells existed helped researchers understand why leukemia is not easily killed by chemotherapy. LSCs, they discovered, have different properties than other cancer cells and normal cells, and can lay dormant for long periods. Leukemia stem cells also can behave differently in each patient.

But few scientists have used leukemia cells from patients to closely study the changes that take place at various time points in the disease. Wilmot researchers have been collecting LSC samples from patients at diagnosis, during treatment, and again if the disease relapses. Investigators analyze the samples using a method that involves isolating stem cell populations. Then they watch for changes among the many protein biomarkers and for signs that the numbers of leukemia stem cells are expanding.

The newly published data from 25 patients show a previously unreported nine to 90-fold increase in the pool of LSCs between diagnosis and relapse. With proof of the expanded pool of stem cells, which are resistant to therapy, scientists have a better understanding of why so few patients survive after the disease comes back, Becker said.

"Our work suggests that we might be able to reduce the numbers of leukemia stem cells by looking at the pathways responsible for stem cell expansion," he said.

For AML patients, the study underlines the importance of receiving therapy that has the highest likelihood of achieving long-term remission on the first attempt, Becker said. The next step in research is to identify drugs that allow patients to remain in remission.

Explore further Researchers find a new way to identify and target malignant aging in leukemia

More information: T.-C. Ho et al. Evolution of acute myelogenous leukemia stem cell properties following treatment and progression, Blood (2016). Journal information: Blood T.-C. Ho et al. Evolution of acute myelogenous leukemia stem cell properties following treatment and progression,(2016). DOI: 10.1182/blood-2016-02-695312
Research in nonhuman primates (NHP) has led to some of the most significant medical advancements known today and will be essential to continued biomedical progress, according to the new white paper "The Critical Role of Nonhuman Primates in Medical Research." Experts from the American Physiological Society (APS) contributed to the development of the report along with experts from the American Academy of Neurology, American Transplant Foundation, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Society for Neuroscience, American Society for Microbiology, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, Endocrine Society and Foundation for Biomedical Research.

"While NHPs account for just one-half of one percent of animals in current medical research, it is no exaggeration to say they are essential to our ability to find cures for cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, obesity/diabetes and dozens of other diseases that cause human suffering and death," the report noted. "Research with monkeys is critical to increasing our knowledge of how the human brain works and its role in cognitive, motor and mental illnesses such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and depression. This research is also fundamental to understanding how to prevent and treat emerging infectious diseases like Zika and Ebola. NHP research is uncovering critical information about the most common and costly metabolic disorder in the U.S.  type 2 diabetes  as well as the obesity that leads to most cases."

"When a scientific problem requires that we study a living animal, researchers start by finding out as much as possible with species such as fruit flies, zebrafish and rodents," APS Executive Director Martin Frank said. "Nevertheless, because the immune system, metabolism and brain structures of nonhuman primates much more closely resemble those of humans, nonhuman primates play a critical role in the search to understand basic biology and find cures for disease."

Most NHP research in the U.S. involves monkeys such as macaques, squirrel monkeys and African green monkeys. Some of the research also involves other species such as baboons and marmosets. As noted in the white paper, research with NHPs is subject to a high level of regulatory scrutiny including the requirement that scientists may only study them if no other species will suffice to answer a scientific question.

The white paper highlights some of the promising areas of research involving nonhuman primates including:

Treating glioblastoma with a modified version of the polio virus to help the body's immune system mobilize against this deadly brain cancer.

Using antibodiesmolecules that are part of the immune systemto prevent HIV-positive mothers from transmitting this virus to their babies.

Boosting the effectiveness of treatments for HIV and chronic hepatitis B with a combination of drugs to stimulate the immune system.

Understanding how the Zika virus can infect a fetus and the mother's placenta to prevent this from happening.

Coaxing the immune system of patients to tolerate organ transplants without the need for drugs that suppress all of the body's immune defenses.

Mapping how the brain works to find better ways to treat diseases including Parkinson's, other movement disorders, Alzheimer's, alcoholism, drug addiction, bipolar disorder, and autism.

Developing technology to enable paralyzed individuals to control a prosthetic arm through a brain-machine interface.

Understanding why blood pressure rises as we age and more about one inherited form of hypertension to reduce heart disease, kidney damage, memory problems, and more.

Finding safe and effective treatments to address obesity and diabetes.

Explore further Vaccine candidates protect against Zika virus in rhesus monkeys

More information: The Critical Role of Nonhuman Primates in Medical Research. The Critical Role of Nonhuman Primates in Medical Research. www.the-aps.org/mm/SciencePoli  ical-Researchpdf.pdf
Retinoic acid, a compound derived in the body from vitamin A, plays a critical role in suppressing colorectal cancer in mice and humans, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Mice with the cancer have lower-than-normal levels of the metabolite in their gut, the researchers found. Furthermore, colorectal cancer patients whose intestinal tissues express high levels of a protein that degrades retinoic acid tend to fare more poorly than their peers.

The research is the first to unravel a complicated dance between retinoic acid levels, immune-related inflammation and gut microorganisms. It may suggest new ways to prevent or treat colorectal cancer in humans.

"The intestine is constantly bombarded by foreign organisms," said Edgar Engleman, MD, professor of pathology and of medicine. "As a result, its immune system is very complex. There's a clear link in humans between inflammatory bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis, and the eventual development of colorectal cancer. Retinoic acid has been known for years to be involved in suppressing inflammation in the intestine. We wanted to connect the dots and learn whether and how retinoic acid levels directly affect cancer development."

Engleman is the senior author of the research, which will be published online Aug. 30 in Immunity. Postdoctoral scholar Nupur Bhattacharya, PhD, and graduate student Robert Yuan share lead authorship of the study.

Tumors in mice

Retinoic acid is essential for many processes of growth and development, but it also degrades quickly when exposed to light. This makes it extremely difficult to accurately detect levels of the metabolite in the body.

The Stanford researchers collaborated with colleagues at the University of California-Berkeley, who devised a way to use a technique called quantitative mass spectrometry to measure the retinoic acid in intestinal tissues of mice treated with one or both of two chemicals: a chemical that causes intestinal inflammation, and a chemical that stimulates the development of colorectal cancer. Mice who received both chemicals develop intestinal tumors within nine to 10 weeks of treatment; those treated with just the first chemical develop intestinal inflammation but not cancers.

Engleman and his colleagues found that the mice that developed colorectal cancer had significantly lower-than-normal levels of retinoic acid in their gut than those whose intestines were inflamed but not cancerous. Further investigation showed the intestinal tissue of the animals with cancer made less of a protein that synthesizes retinoic acid and about four times more of a protein that degrades retinoic acid, leading to a rapid net decrease in levels of the metabolite.

Restoring retinoic acid levels

The researchers then tested whether it was possible to affect the disease progression by bringing the levels of retinoic acid in the tissue back into a more normal range.

"When we increased the amount of retinoic acid in the intestine, either by supplementing the animal with retinoic acid or by blocking the activity of the degradation enzyme, we were able to dramatically reduce the tumor burden in the animals," said Engleman. "Conversely, inhibiting retinoic acid activity significantly increased the tumor burden."

The researchers next investigated the levels of the synthesis and degradation proteins in stored samples of intestinal tissue obtained from people with either ulcerative colitis or colorectal cancer associated with ulcerative colitis. Because the samples had been stored, rather than freshly collected, it was not possible to directly measure the retinoic acid levels in the human tissues.

The researchers found that, similar to what they had seen in the mice, human colorectal cancer tissue had higher levels of the degradation protein and lower levels of the synthesis protein than were found in tissue that was simply inflamed. Furthermore, they saw an inverse correlation in the amount of degradation protein and how long the patient had lived. In other words, those patients with increased amounts of the degradation enzyme in their intestinal tissue tended to fare more poorly than others with less of the enzyme.

Because the researchers also observed similar changes in protein levels in tissue samples from patients with colorectal cancer but with no prior history of ulcerative colitis, they wondered if there could be another cause of intestinal inflammation that affects retinoic acid levels. They knew that naturally occurring bacteria in the gut can sometimes cause local inflammation and hypothesized that they might contribute to the development of retinoic acid deficiency and colorectal cancer. Depleting these bacteria by treating mice with broad-spectrum antibiotics dramatically reduced tumor formation in several colorectal cancer models and prevented the alteration in retinoic acid metabolism that was seen in mice with colorectal cancer and in the human intestinal tissue.

"We found that bacteria, or molecules produced by bacteria, can cause a massive inflammatory reaction in the gut that directly affects retinoic acid metabolism," said Engleman. "Normally retinoic acid levels are regulated extremely tightly. This discovery could have important implications for the treatment of human colorectal cancer."

Further investigation showed that retinoic acid blocks or slows cancer development by activating a type of immune cell called a CD8 T cell. These T cells then kill off the cancer cells. In mice, lower levels of retinoic acid led to reduced numbers and activation of CD8 T cells in the intestinal tissue and increased the animals' tumor burden, the researchers found.

"It's become very clear through many studies that chronic, smoldering inflammation is a very important risk factor for many types of cancer," said Engleman. "Now that we've shown a role for retinoic acid deficiency in colorectal cancer, we'd like to identify the specific microorganisms that initiate these changes in humans. Ultimately we hope to determine whether our findings could be useful for the prevention or treatment of colorectal cancer."

Explore further Can vitamin A turn back the clock on breast cancer?
Credit: Vera Kratochvil/public domain

Smoking is strongly linked to relapse of a serious bowel condition, research has confirmed.

People with Crohn's disease are more likely to experience a recurrence after surgery if they continue to smoke, the study found.

Doctors recommend people with the condition stop smoking to avoid their illness worsening.

The researchers also assessed whether a drug treatment that is commonly used in treating the disease is effective at preventing it from coming back after surgery.

They found that the therapy had limited beneficial effects for non-smokers in preventing relapse after surgery. It did, however, offer protection for smokers.

The team says people who are unable to quit smoking may be offered the therapy immediately after surgery but the evidence does not justify the use of the drug in non-smokers

Crohn's disease occurs when the immune system attacks the lining of the gut and bowel to cause severe inflammation. It results in abdominal pain, urgent diarrhoea, sickness and profound lethargy.

Patients are initially treated with one of a class of drugs called thiopurines, which dampen the immune system.

More than half of patients require surgery to remove the affected section of their bowel. Surgery is not curative, however, and the condition often relapses.

Thiopurines have often been prescribed to patients after surgery to try to prevent relapse but until now, it was not clear whether the therapy offers any benefit.

Researchers led by the University of Edinburgh conducted a UK-wide trial of the therapy involving 240 people with Crohn's disease.

Patients were monitored for three years after they had undergone surgery. Some 128 patients were treated with a drug from the thiopurine family called mercaptopurine and 122 were given a dummy medicine.

Only three of 29 smokers treated with the therapy experienced a relapse compared with 12 of 26 who received the dummy drug.

The rate of relapse in the non-smoking group was much lower and was unaffected by treatment with the medicine.

Professor Jack Satsangi, of the Gastro-intestinal Unit, Centre of Genomics and Experimental Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, and Consultant Physician at the Western General Hospital said: "There is an unmet need to identify therapies or life-style changes that prevent Crohn's disease recurrence after surgery to avoid patients having to undergo multiple operations.

"Our study confirms that the most important thing somebody with Crohn's disease can do for their health is not to smoke. People who are unable to quit smoking are at high risk of relapse after surgery and may begin treatment with thiopurines immediately after their operation.

"For non-smokers, however, we found that thiopurines offer little benefit at preventing relapse after surgery. For these patients, close monitoring in the first year is the best course of action, rather than immediate drug therapy."

Crohn's disease is highly prevalent in Scotland, and the incidence in children has risen dramatically in recent years.

The study, published in The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Explore further Drugs cut need for surgery for Crohn's disease sufferers by more than half

More information: The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology, DOI: 10.1016/S2468-1253(16)30078-4
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Local family makes wine from grape variety feared extinct

A family living in central Georgia is injecting life back into traditional winemaking and producing wine from a grape variety that was once feared extinct.The Vanishvili family recently opened the Chateu Ateni wine cellar in Ateni Village, in central Shida Kartli region, and started producing wine from the very rare Georgian grape variety, Atenuri.The cellars owner Ioseb Vanishvili said Chateu Ateni would offer two types of wines - Atenuri and Tavkveri  as well as chacha, which is a strong spirit similar to vodka or brandy that some refer to as vine vodka or Georgian grappa.Georgias Deputy Minister of Agriculture Levan Davitashvili praised the opening of the boutique wine cellar and especially the revival of the rare grape variety.Opening these types of family wine cellars is very important for developing Atenuri wines, agro-tourism and wine industry development, he said.Atenuri is very popular grape type and unfortunately, very few wines using this grape variety is produced. This small family business can contribute greatly to promoting and developing this grape variety, Davitashvili added.Meanwhile, the head of Georgias National Wine Agency Giorgi Samanishvili said there was large potential for Atenuri wine to be exported.Atenuri is one of the most popular and ancient Georgian wines and unfortunately, has become less known in recent years, especially in our export markets. Development of small and medium-sized wine cellars is the first step to promoting and strengthening the local wine industry in Kartli, Samanishvili said.
10-day moratorium on cutting trees

By Messenger Staff

The Mayor of Tbilisi, David Narmania, has announced a ten-day moratorium on cutting down trees in the city after more than 40 trees were allegedly illegally cut down on Kazbegi Avenue as a result of construction projects.Narmania said that over the next 10 days, discussions will be held about the issue with any public organization or individuals in City Hall."It is true that we have made some changes some time ago; we changed some rules, although it seems that this issue will be reviewed. We are ready to sit down with all interested parties and discuss these issues in order to make the regulations even stricter, Narmania said.However, the Mayor, who promised to plant one million trees if elected, said that during this process business interests must still be respected.We should bear in mind that urbanization is an irreversible process in the 21st century, that's why we have to take certain regulations which will enable us to further develop our city, said Narmania.The Prosecutor's Office of Tbilisi launched an investigation into the illegal felling of trees on Kazbegi Avenue, while a local company strives to launch construction projects.It is one of the major priorities of all developed countries and cities to maximally promote green areas, when Tbilisi, which once was one of the greenest cities in Europe, is turning into a concrete jungle.Tbilisi, which is considered as one of the country's main tourist attractions, has no genuine city development plan.Meanwhile, the Mayor claims he is actively engaged in the planting of trees. Indeed, thousands of trees have been planted, but without necessary care, and many are already dying.Narmania was one of the picks of Georgias ex-Prime Minister and founder of the current ruling Georgian Dream (GD) coalition, Bidzina Ivanishvili.Analysts agree it was the public's attitude to Ivanishvili and not to Narmania which encouraged people to vote for him.However, after elected, a range of negative assessments are being voiced over the Mayor's conduct, among them his attitude towards environmental and infrastructural issues.If Narmania continues his current path it is unlikely that he will be re-elected, especially when the peoples positive attitude towards Ivanishvili has significantly decreased since 2012.
The News in Brief

French online magazine of Islamic State publishes testament of Tarkhan Batirashvili



The French online magazine of the Islamic State has published a testament to Tarkhan Batirashvili. According to the testament, Tarkhan Batirashvili left several recommendations and expressed hope that they would be fulfilled.



"My last recommendations, which, hopefully, will be implemented are as follows: I appeal to all Mujahideen, who were subordinated to me: please forgive me if I hurt you. As for me, I have forgiven you. I advise you to ask Allah for forgiveness.



The second recommendation: never give up on Jihad and Hijra, as only these two things can save our souls and our religion.



The third recommendation: I particularly appeal to emirs. When choosing companions, pay attention not to their origin, but to their fear towards Allah.



The fourth recommendation: reject this disgusting worldly life and remember that you will be judged for all the property that was in your hands.



The fifth recommendation: oh, Emir of believers, Allah bless you and help you to unite the scattered believers and to conquer two sacred places, countries, as well as Jerusalem.



And finally, Emir of believers, please, do not forget the Caucasus, says the will.



The Islamic State confirmed the death of Tarkhan Batirashvili in July. Batirashvili was a citizen of Georgia and one of the influential figures of the Islamic State, serving as the Islamic State's so-called war minister.

(IPN)







Protesters blame Georgias drug policy for young mans suicide



Activists clashed with police in a town in western Georgia on Saturday; the protesters blame the governments drug policy for driving a 22-year-old man to take his own life.



Protesters gathered in front of the Samtredia police station shouting no to the police regime and the government murdered Demur Sturua.



There was a brief clash between the police and the crowd of protesters.



When the young man, Demur Sturua, committed suicide more than a week ago, he left a note where he wrote that a policeman had threatened him to reveal the identity of people dealing marijuana in the town, Samtredia.



The note also said the police asked him for information about anyone cultivating the plant in the villages Dapnari, Kulashi and Sajavakho.



Sturua wrote in his note that the policeman took him to the village Ianeti, beat him and threatened to charge him with a crime he didnt commit.



The young mans family wants the policeman arrested.



The case is being investigated under article 115 of the Criminal Code about bringing someone to the point of suicide.



The policeman who was named in the suicide note has taken leave until the investigation is completed.



After Saturdays rally outside the police building was over, the crowd continued demonstrating in the streets of Samtredia, gathered in a park in front of the municipality building, and then dissolved.



One of the participants, Giorgi Sopromadze, was arrested. The police said that they had wanted to question him as a witness, but he refused. Sopromadze may soon be released, as he has a right to refuse to give testimony to the police without going before a court.



A spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) told Interpressnews that one of the participants at the rally was questioned as a witness.



Also on Saturday, a rally was held in front of the government building in Tbilisi, where protesters accused the government of having murdered Sturua.

(df watch)







GDDG Replaces Majoritarian MP Candidate in Khobi



The ruling Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia (GDDG) party has replaced its majoritarian MP candidate in the Samegrelo regions Khobi single-mandate district, MP Goderdzi Bukia, with Irakli Beraia.



Bukia withdrew from the race less than a month after he was named by GDDG as its candidate. Bukia is a majoritarian MP from Khobi in the outgoing parliament; he was elected in 2012 elections as a member of UNM party, which he quit after the latter was defeated in the elections of four years ago.



PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili, who chairs the GDDG party, said on Sunday that Bukia plans to pursue business activities and has a number of investment projects with possible involvement of the state's Partnership Fund; he said that Bukia decided not to run for re-election in the Parliament in order to avoid any possible conflict of interest.



The GDDGs new candidate in Khobi, Irakli Beraia, has been part of a management team in former PM Bidzina Ivanishvilis Cartu Bank for the past decade. More recently he served as the director of the centralized administration department at Cartu Bank. The GDDGs two other majoritarian MP candidates, whose previous tenures were related to Cartu Bank, are Guram Macharashvili, who is running in Kakhetis Lagodekhi district and Grigol Liluashvili, who is running in Imereti regions Vani and Khoni single-mandate district.



The head of the UNM opposition partys local branch in Khobi, Mamuka Chokhonelidze, as well as two independent candidates are also running in the Khobi single-mandate constituency.



Georgia has a mixed electoral system in which 73 lawmakers are elected in 73 single-member constituencies, known in Georgia as majoritarian mandates (a candidate has to win over 50% of votes in order to be an outright winner otherwise a second round should be held), and rest 77 seats are allocated proportionally under the party-list contest among political parties, which clear 5% threshold in nationwide popular vote.

(Civil.ge)




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HAMILTON  Hes not the only person in western Montana who cares about ecology.

But Marshall Bloom, associate director for scientific management at Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, may be different from most in that a growing preoccupation for him and for many of his scientific colleagues in Hamilton is a far more specialized discipline: virus ecology.

At Rocky Mountain Laboratories  a laboratory of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which in turn is one of 27 institutes that make up the National Institutes of Health  it's all part of the job. Scientists say finding out how a virus behaves on its home turf can help understand how viral disease outbreaks occur and how to better respond. Its one of the ways scientists study current health threats such as the Zika virus, and before that, Ebola virus and West Nile virus.

Like with Ebola virus, you have outbreaks every once in a while, so where is that virus when its not in an outbreak? Where does it exist in nature? What is the reservoir species? How does it spill over? Bloom says.

Just as with ecologists studying, say, reptiles or amphibians or birds or mammals, scientists who study diseases are taking into consideration factors such as climate change. Mosquito-borne Zika virus is the current case in point.

Its been around since the late 1940s, but only when it got into Brazil did it become such a big problem and people are trying to figure out what the causes of its sudden emergence as a problematic disease are there, Bloom said. Many people feel that climate change is a cause for emergence of some of these infectious diseases.

As the climate changes, the boundary between tropical and temperate zones gets a little blurred, Bloom explained, meaning the mosquitoes that transmit some diseases such as Zika are no longer confined to smaller areas in tropical regions.

Scientists who study infectious disease also share other concerns of conventional ecologists. For example, the destruction of habitat and incursion of settlements into previously remote areas puts humans in contact with animals and insects which might be carrying infectious diseases.

In addition, factors such as global trade and global travel, and cultural practices, even sexual practices, affect how diseases spread.

Unfortunately for public health, Bloom sees no shortage of work for the scientists of Rocky Mountain Laboratories. Infectious disease may, in fact, be a greater concern than in the past.

Its going to be an ongoing problem. The key is having a robust basic research program to understand the basic molecular biology of the infectious agents, and also a robust research program to understand how the bodies of animals or people react to those infectious diseases so that we can quickly come to a realization, This virus is able to evade this part of the human response against it, how can we help the human response against it do a better job?

Fortunately, thats what the scientists of Rocky Mountain Laboratories have been doing since the lab got its start from work more than a century ago.

You can trace the antecedents of Rocky Mountain Lab back to over a hundred years ago to the hunt for the etiology of Rocky Mountain spotted fever right around 1900. That became a big issue. It was what we would now call an emerging infectious disease and Dr. Howard T. Ricketts was sent out here to try to figure out what was going on. In a few short years he figured out that it was an infectious disease and it could be transmitted by the bite of a tick.

The bacterium that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Rickettsia rickettsii, is named for Rickets.

In 1910 Ricketts died of typhus while studying an outbreak in Mexico City, so although his work directly led to the creation of Rocky Mountain Labs, he never saw that happen. The state of Montana and the federal government continued the work in various ways and in 1928, the first building of The Rocky Mountain Labs was completed.

In the years since then theres been virtually an encyclopedia of important infectious disease work done in Hamilton, Bloom says, with work continuing on Rocky Mountain spotted fever, but also on Q-fever, tularemia, Salmonella, staph infections, Chlamydia, relapsing fever, bubonic plague and others.

In World War II, all of the yellow fever vaccine which was used in Allied troops was made here on this site  millions of doses over the course of the war, Bloom said.

Lyme disease  named after Lyme, Connecticut  was understood to be carried by ticks, but researchers in the East turned to the lab in Hamilton for help understanding it better.

The people on the East Coast werent able to identify an infectious agent so they sent some of the infected ticks to Rocky Mountain Labs to be studied by Dr. Willy Burgdorfer, who was an expert in the infections of ticks. He was able to identify by microscopy some bacteria that looked kind of like little corkscrews. He saw those those and he realized those looked like what are called borrelia, and immediately drew the tentative conclusion that they were probably the causative agent of Lyme disease.

Subsequent work with other scientists at Rocky Mountain labs proved him right. Borrelia burgdorferi, as the bacterial species is known, is named in his honor.

In 2001 the federal government decided to construct one of the few Biosafety Level 4 laboratories in the United States in Hamilton at Rocky Mountain Laboratories, taking the Hamilton lab's work to a new level. Bloom can demonstrate the level of security it involves by donning a "positive pressure suit" in the training lab of the facility. Rigorous training and specialized equipment such as this are necessary for scientists who work with some infectious diseases.

But are emerging diseases become more of a problem?

In my own personal opinion, the answer to that question would be yes. I think theres more infectious diseases emerging because of the reasons we listed, Bloom said.

In addition, Bloom said, the ability to identify new infectious agents is improving, meaning scientists may be able to identify some diseases even before they become serious threats to the public.

Using the new next-generation sequencing methods are going to enable us to identify infectious agents which have not been previously described or a new variant of some existing infectious disease.

That could give scientists a head start in understanding infectious diseases as they emerge.

Ecology and that kind of disease modeling is prediction is going to become an important part of the armamentarium against emerging infectious diseases, Bloom said.
Coming soon

Red Cross blood drives  During National Preparedness Month in September, the American Red Cross encourages eligible donors to give blood to help ensure a readily available blood supply for emergencies. Donors of all blood types are needed. To make an appointment to give blood, download the Red Cross Blood Donor app, visit redcrossblood.org or call 800-733-2767. Donors are encouraged to make appointments and complete the RapidPass online health history questionnaire at redcrossblood.org/rapidpass to help reduce wait times. Upcoming blood drives:

Columbia Falls: noon-5 p.m. Thursday, North Valley Community Center, 235 Nucleus Ave.

noon-5 p.m. Thursday, North Valley Community Center, 235 Nucleus Ave. Missoula: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday, University of Montana Continuing Education Building, 32 Campus Drive; 2-6:15 p.m. Thursday, The Womens Club, 2105 Bow St.; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Missoula Blood Donation Center, 2401 Reserve St., Suites 6 and 7; 10 a.m.-2:15 p.m. Friday, Walmart, 4000 U.S. Highway 93 S.; 8 a.m.-noon Monday, Missoula Blood Donation Center; 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, St. Patrick Hospital, 500 W. Broadway; 2-6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, Missoula Blood Donation Center.

11 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday, University of Montana Continuing Education Building, 32 Campus Drive; 2-6:15 p.m. Thursday, The Womens Club, 2105 Bow St.; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Missoula Blood Donation Center, 2401 Reserve St., Suites 6 and 7; 10 a.m.-2:15 p.m. Friday, Walmart, 4000 U.S. Highway 93 S.; 8 a.m.-noon Monday, Missoula Blood Donation Center; 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, St. Patrick Hospital, 500 W. Broadway; 2-6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, Missoula Blood Donation Center. Kalispell: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Kalispell Blood Donation Center, 126 N. Meridian Road; and 2-5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, Kalispell Blood Donation Center.

Red Willow Center  For more information on the following classes at the learning center, 825 W. Kent, call 721-0033 or visit redwillowlearning.org:

"Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction" with Greg Satya Shanks, Sept. 13-Nov. 8, 6-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, $300. Attendance at a free class 6-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30, is required

"Intro to T'ai Chi Chuan" with Michael Norvelle, Sept. 7-28, 7:45-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, $40.

"Breath, Mindfulness and Movement" with Kathy McIntyre, Sept. 19, 6-7:30 p.m., $40.

"Basics of Resilience" with Kathy Mangan, Sept. 22, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., free.

Ongoing classes include "Yoga for Wellness" at noon Mondays, $12 or $40 for four weeks; "Mindfulness Meditation" at 12:10 p.m. Tuesdays, $12 or $40 for four weeks; "Yoga Beyond Cancer" at 4 p.m. Tuesdays, $40 for any weeks; "Yoga for Chronic Pain" at 4 p.m. Wednesdays, $40 for four weeks plus $50 for prerequisite screening.

Ongoing programs

AA and Al-Anon  For the latest Alcoholics Anonymous meetings list, visit aa-montana.org or call the Missoula hotline at 543-0011. For more information on Al-Anon and Alateen, which are 12-step recovery programs for relatives and friends whose lives have been affected by alcoholism, visit mt.al-anon.alateen.org.

Acupuncture for cancer caregivers  Missoula Community Acupuncture, located in the Radio Central Building, 127 E Main St., Suite 314, offers free acupuncture treatments for friends, family, nurses, doctors or anyone who takes care of cancer patients 5-7 p.m. Wednesdays. No appointment is necessary. For more information, call Michael Peluso at 406-926-1611.

Adult Asperger's support group  An open meeting for those with Asperger's as well as their family and friends is held every Thursday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the University Center, Room 215, on campus. Contact Monique Casbeer at 721-3947 or Cindy Bacon Janego at cjanego@communitymed.org for more information.

Alzheimers support  Meets the second Wednesday of each month at noon at the Summit Independent Living conference room, 700 S.W. Higgins Ave. Another group meets the fourth Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the Missoula Senior Center, 705 S. Higgins Ave. For more information, contact Jackie Johnson at 549-3433 or jackiej45@yahoo.com.

Alzheimers caregivers support group  Meets the fourth Monday at 6:30 p.m. of each month at the Missoula Senior Center, 705 S. Higgins Ave. For more information, call Jackie Johnson at 549-3433.

Arthritis programs  The Montana Arthritis Program offers physical activity and self-management education programs, such as the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program, Walk with Ease and Stanfords Chronic Disease Self-Management Program. Classes are available in several communities including Florence, Hamilton, Kalispell, Libby, Missoula, Plains and Polson. To find a class or for more information, visit dphhs.mt.gov/publichealth/arthritis.

Bereavement support groups  Frontier Hospice offers open door meetings 6-7 p.m. Thursdays at the following locations: The Springs at Whitefish on the first Thursday; Rising Mountains Assisted Living Community in Bigfork on the third Thursday; and Frontier Hospice in Kalispell on the second and fourth Thursdays. Call 406-755-4923 for more information.

Breast cancer support group  Meets the first and third Wednesday of the month from 11 a.m. to noon at the Montana Cancer Center, St. Patrick Hospital Broadway Building, second floor. Call 329-5656.

Cancer Center support group  Meets noon-1:30 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at the Montana Cancer Center, 500 W. Broadway. For more information, call Bonnie at 240-0996.

Cancer Resource Guide  The online guide covers resources including support groups, treatment centers, camps and retreats, in Missoula, Mineral and Ravalli counties. It is available at CancerResourcesMT.org.

Cancer support group  A support group for anyone affected by cancer meets noon-1 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays at the Polson United Methodist Church, 301 16th Ave. For more information, call Tammy at 406-883-7284 or 824-2868.

Celebrate Recovery  The Christian-based 12-step recovery program meets 6-9:30 p.m. every Friday at Christian Assembly Foursquare Church, 1001 Cleveland St. Dinner is available from 6 to 7 p.m. and child care is provided for ages birth to 11. For more information, call 721-6884 or email cafc@4bible.com.

Cheerful Heart  Lake County cancer patients in treatment can receive a massage and help with hair and skin problems, free of charge, from local therapists and cosmetologists. Other non-medical services include transportation to treatment and doctor appointments, running errands, yard work and meal preparation. Appointments may be scheduled by calling 406-883-3070.

Colorectal Cancer Support Group  Meets 1-2 p.m. the third Friday of every month through March 20, Community Cancer Care Conference Room, 2827 Fort Missoula Road.

"Coping, Education & Support for Women with All Cancer Types"  The support group for women in all stages of cancer treatment or survivorship will be held noon-1:30 p.m. the second Monday of every month through March 14, 2016, at the Community Cancer Care Conference Room, 2837 Fort Missoula Road. For more information, call Deb Rivey at 327-3912, Terri Paxinos at 327-3957 or Kimberly Hardwick at 327-3906.

Diabetes program  At 6:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month, there will be a short presentation on a topic related to the management of type 1 diabetes at the YMCA, 3000 S. Russell St. It will be followed by the option for socializing in the foyer or being active together at the Y. A fee of $5 per individual will be collected at the door for those choosing to use the facility. Designed for ages 14 and older, children are welcome but must be accompanied by a parent/caregiver.

Double Trouble in Recovery  The 12-step program for people with mental health and addiction issues meets 3-4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Winds of Change Recovery Mall, 2685 Palmer St., No. C (second floor). Coffee is provided. For more information, call Veronica at 721-2038.

Epilepsy support group  Meets the first Monday of the month from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Summit Independent Living Center, 700 S.W. Higgins Ave., Suite 101. Patients, friends, family and caregivers welcome. Call Debbie at 721-0707 for more information.

Free health exams  Women ages 30 to 64 who meet necessary income guidelines and either have no health insurance or have insurance that will not pay for breast and cervical health exams can receive free exams through Partnership Health Centers Montana Cancer Screening Program. Call 258-4162 for more information.

Gentle yoga class  The Missoula Senior Citizen Center, 705 S. Higgins Ave., offers a class that focuses on balance training, back strength and core conditioning through gentle yoga matwork every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 9 a.m. Fee is $4 per class. All ages welcome. For more information, call 543-7154.

Health Insurance Assistance Service  Montana cancer patients can call the American Cancer Societys 24-hour toll-free number to be connected to a health insurance specialist to ask about coverage and insurance programs specific to the state. The number is 800-227-2345.

Mens cancer support group  Open to men in all phases of testing, treatment and followup, the group meets the fourth Tuesday of the month from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Montana Cancer Center, 500 W. Broadway. It is facilitated by Gary Weisbrich and Tom King. Call 329-5628 or email gary.weisbrich@providence.org for more information.

Narcotics Anonymous  Meets at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Alano Club, 8 Third Ave. W., Polson. Call 406-883-4135.

National Alliance on Mental Illness  NAMI Missoula meets every Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon in the lower level (behind the cafeteria) of the Providence Center. It is open to anyone affected by mental illness or interested in learning more about the group. The NAMI Connection group for adults living with mental illness meets 1:30-3 p.m. Thursdays at the NAMI offices, 202 Brooks St., Room 210. Call 880-1013 with questions.

NAMI Family Support Group  National Alliance on Mental Illness Missoula meets Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 202 Brooks St., in Room 210. The peer-led support for adult family members, caregivers and loved ones of individuals with mental illness is free. For more information, call 406-880-1013 or email namimissoula@gmail.com.

My No-Nonsense Nutrition Program  A seven-week webinar course to improve your nutrition and fitness. Faith based approach to better health. Free initial consult with Judy Gilman, registered nurse, diabetes and wellness educator. mynononsensenutrition.com or 546-7819.

Overeaters Anonymous  Local meetings include 7 p.m. Monday and 9 a.m. Saturday at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 202 Brooks St. A meeting for newcomers is at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday followed by a "Back to Basics" meeting at 7 p.m. at St. Paul's. Everyone who wants to stop eating compulsively is welcome. There are no dues, weigh-ins or lectures. For more meeting information, visit oa.org.

SAA  For the latest Sex Addicts Anonymous meeting list visit saa-recovery.org, call the Missoula hotline at 241-4005 or email MissoulaBetterway@yahoo.com. SAA is a 12-step fellowship of men and women who share experience, strength and hope for the purpose of finding freedom from addictive sexual behavior and helping others recover from sex addiction.

S-Anon  Local meetings are held weekly for this recovery program for people affected by another persons sexual behavior. Visit sanonmontana.org or call 406-544-1271 to learn more.

Stroke and Brain Injury Support Group  Meets the second Thursday of each month from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Providence Center, 902 N. Orange St., in the dining area on the fourth floor. For details, call 329-5784.

Tai Chi for Arthritis  Class offered 9:15 a.m. Mondays at the Missoula Senior Citizens Center, 705 S. Higgins Ave. $4 per class. All ages welcome.

Tai Chi Chih  Classes are offered at the following locations: Missoula Senior Citizens Center, 705 S. Higgins Ave., 9:15 a.m. Wednesdays, $4 per class; PEAK Health & Wellness Center, 5000 Blue Mountain Road, 11 a.m. Tuesdays, call 251-3344; and The Womens Club, 2105 Bow St., 9 a.m. Fridays, call 728-4410.

TOPS  Take Off Pounds Sensibly, an affordable, nonprofit, weight-loss support and wellness organization, meets at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the First Christian Church, 2701 S. Russell St. Another TOPS meeting is 6:30 p.m. Monday at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 2512 Sunset Lane. For additional meetings, go to tops.org, click on "Find a Meeting" and enter your zip code or call 800-932-8677.

The Women's Club  For more information on the following classes at The Women's Club, 2105 Bow St., call 728-4410:

Foundation Training, 12:15-1 p.m. Monday and Thursday. Improve posture, strength and athletic ability.

Pickle ball open play, 1-4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Paddles provided. All levels welcome.

Kick and Core high-intensity cardio workout with focus on strengthening core.
Credit: Jimi GiannattiJimmy Eat World has revealed the details of their next album. The ninth studio effort from the Arizona band is titled Integrity Blues, and will be released October 21.

Along with the album announcement, Jimmy Eat World has also shared a new song called "Sure and Certain," streaming now on YouTube. "Sure and Certain" is the second Integrity Blues track to be released, following "Get Right."

Next week, Jimmy Eat World will embark on a European tour to preview Integrity Blues, and they'll return to the U.S. for sets at Riot Fest Chicago and the Life Is Beautiful festival later in September.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Investigators from two federal authorities arrived in Missoula Monday to begin what could be a yearlong investigation into the fatal plane crash in Rock Creek on Sunday.

Missoula County Sheriffs Office Patrol Capt. Bill Burt said the pilot of the downed craft, Mike Melotz, bought the plane from Ronan resident Leon Dolence on Friday. The sheriffs office contacted Dolence after the crash.

One investigator from the NTSB and Bobby Riedtke with the FAA Flight Standards District office in Helena are investigating the crash. They spent about four hours at the crash site beside I-90 this morning.

I know the guy there. This is all he does, so he knows Cessnas inside and out, Burt said of the NTSB investigator.

Some portions and parts of the plane will be shipped to Bozeman for further analysis, Burt said. He didnt know when the crash site would be cleaned up and the parts sent over.

Debbie Alke, administrator for the Montana Department of Transportations Aeronautics Division, said the single-runway Rock Creek Airport is owned and operated by the state.

Its just a small, general aviation airport, she said.

The airport is unmanned and any hangars or buildings next to the runway are privately owned.

The sheriffs office doesnt help in the crash investigation at all, Burt said. Deputies guard the site and fulfilled their usual duties of notifying next of kin and acting as coroner.

Deputy Ryan Dunster will assist Sheriff T.J. McDermott with coroner duties. The autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday and Burt expected either dental or DNA identification to be used.

There was fire involved, which makes it difficult to make a positive identification, Burt said.

Those results could take anywhere from 10 days to two weeks to be processed.

Terry Williams, spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, said their investigator from the Western Pacific Office is gathering facts for his report, which involves looking around the crash site and interviewing witnesses.

Were still in the very, very early stages of this investigation, Williams said.

Itll be seven to 10 days before a preliminary report, with basic information about the crash, is published, Williams said. It will take about a year for the final report to be published.

On the FAA registry, the Cessna 182 is still registered to Dolence, who could not be reached for comment. Melotz owned Melotz Transport in Missoula.

The FAA and the Montana Department of Transportation showed the planes ownership status as active Monday. A pending status would indicate a transfer of ownership.

The Montana Department of Transportations website said pilots have up to 30 days to register a newly purchased plane with the state.
A high-tech piece of equipment that connects patients to off-site doctors and nurses will soon be installed at St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson, thanks to a $100,000 fundraising campaign.

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, the hospital held a private gala on Aug. 25 and donors stepped up to raise the money for equipment necessary to install an electronic Intensive Care Unit.

An eICU is a critical care telehealth program that combines technology with the bedside team of medical providers, said James Kiser, the chief executive of St. Joes. Working with our own local physicians, an off-site team of specially trained critical care physicians and nurses connects with patients through real-time audio, visual and electronic means. The eICU can provide real-time laboratory results, diagnostic tests, treatments and interventions. Its an incredibly sophisticated way of giving the patients the best care possible  right here in Polson.

Because it is a critical access hospital, St. Joes did not previously have the ability to treat patients who required that higher level of care, due to its size and location. Patients in critical condition had to be transferred to larger hospitals.

Critical access hospitals were established in 1997 by the federal government to stop the closure of hospitals in rural areas. They are often smaller and act as places where patients can be initially assessed, and if they are in critical condition, stabilized and transferred to a larger facility.

The eICU will allow the hospital to take care of patients closer to their homes while at the same time reducing stress and costs. The installation of an eICU requires significant up-front capital investment, according to Megan Beard, the development and outreach officer at the hospital.

A whole host of businesses in western Montana sponsored the fundraising event.

Were incredibly humbled by the generosity of all who came forth to ensure the eICU was funded as we celebrated St. Joes Centennial, said Fran Albrecht, executive director of the Providence Montana Health Foundation.

This cutting edge, life-changing program is an example of the health care technology that Providence St. Joseph Medical Center plans to invest in the Polson community over the next 100 years. The foundation is proud to have led the fundraising efforts that will, in turn, provide excellent, accessible care and save lives here in the Flathead and Mission Valleys.

Beard said the hospital's tentative plan is to install the equipment in the first quarter of 2017.
As Montana veterans, we feel it's our duty and obligation to hold our elected officials accountable for living up to the promises they make to us and our families.

Montana has a long, proud tradition of military service. A higher percentage of our men and women serve in the military than almost every other state. Our veterans are proud patriots who put their unit and their country ahead of themselves.

Unfortunately, Congressman Ryan Zinke seems to have forgotten what military service is all about. And that's exactly why we stood on the steps of our capitol in Helena to share our frustration that the congressman plays politics with Montana veterans.

Make no mistake, we're not dismissing Zinke's service in the Navy SEALs. But we're expressing our disappointment in how he's chosen to serve his fellow veterans as a member of Congress.

Zinke has spent his time in office shamelessly touting his military service while at the same time disparaging and undermining veterans.

Zinke once compared veterans who receive Veterans Administration benefits to "economic slaves." How can he equate men and women who served our nation and earned the benefits that come with that service to slaves?

At the same time, Zinke himself has received almost $2,000 each month in veterans benefits.

The congressman also told Iraq and Afghanistan veterans on a talk show dont be a victim, while voting against $15 million for veterans' health services and making it harder for VA workers to report evidence of wrongdoing.

We've all seen trouble at the VA  from wait times to lack of critical care for too many veterans  and we expect our elected leaders to help fix it. But how can the VA improve if Zinke stands in the way of efforts to make it work better?

We're also appalled that Zinke skips votes on veterans issues to promote his own brand on cable news stations.

We, too, have served. In fact, one of us also served as a Navy SEAL, but bragging about our accomplishments  the number of people weve killed  was never part of our training. But Zinke brags about his kills.

The congressman also supports a presidential candidate in Donald Trump who insults families of fallen soldiers, prisoners of war and Purple Heart recipients.

We think Zinke needs to apologize to the veterans he has insulted for promoting himself over service, voting against issues that would support our fellow veterans and standing by a presidential candidate who would be a disaster for our nation and our overall security (and wed rather take the word of 50 top national security advisers who have expressed concern about Trump over Ryan Zinke on this).

If Congressman Ryan Zinke wont apologize to the veterans hes forsaken in pursuit of his own prosperity, he needs to get out of the way, so we can elect a leader who will not forget the contributions that Montana's 100,000 veterans made to this great state and country.
As a retired teacher, I am deeply offended by the misinformation being mailed to Montanans by the out-of-state group Americans for Prosperity.

The mailer claims Gov. Steve Bullock turned his back on special needs children by vetoing House Bill 322.

HB 322 was a terrible bill. Im glad Bullock vetoed it.

HB 322 would have pulled millions of dollars out of Montanas public schools for the benefit of private schools. It applied not just to children with special needs, but to their siblings and children of military parents as well.

I have nothing against private schools. I just dont think I should have to pay for them with my tax dollars, especially when there is no public accountability. HB 322 specifically said the private schools that received public funds wouldnt have to meet standards of educational quality.

Bullock has been a champion for all our children, including those with special needs. One example: Montanas public schools have struggled with insufficient funding for decades. Gov. Bullock secured a major funding increase for our schools  without raising taxes.

These critically needed funds help all Montana children. Unlike so many private schools (including Greg Gianfortes Petra Academy) that pick and choose which students they admit, our public schools accept, cherish and educate all children, including those with special needs.

Kristy Michael,

Bozeman
COLUMBIA FALLS  A spider, electrical problems, religion and an inmate escape play into a lawsuit filed against the city of Columbia Falls by its former chief of police.

Dave Perry says he was wrongfully terminated by City Manager Susan Nicosia on July 1.

Perrys firing came after an investigation into a May incident in which a man arrested for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend escaped while in Perrys custody.

The lawsuit contends that prior to Christopher Calf Lookings escape, Nicosia had told city employees, including police officers, that she wanted to get rid of Perry as police chief.

Perrys attorney, Doug Scotti of Whitefish, says in court documents that the citys investigation into the escape was instigated to target Perry for termination.

Perry had joined the Columbia Falls Police Department as an officer in 1990, and had served as chief for 19 years.

***

The escape that led to Perrys termination unfolded this way, according to the lawsuit.

Officer Mike Johnson took Calf Looking, of East Glacier, into custody on May 12 for alleged partner or family member assault.

The holding cell in the Columbia Falls Police Station was malfunctioning that day due to electrical issues, and Johnson had to put Calf Looking into an unsecured shower stall while awaiting a bond hearing.

At 2:30 p.m., Perry returned from firearms qualification and relieved Johnson, who told the chief that Calf Looking was awaiting transportation to the Flathead County Detention Center in Kalispell.

About 10 minutes later, Calf Looking began yelling loudly and Perry went to investigate.

***

Calf Looking very excitedly pointed to the room toilet and explained that he thought he saw a brown recluse spider, and that his religious beliefs would not allow him to kill the spider, according to the lawsuit.

Perry unlocked the cell door and ordered (Calf) Looking to stand against a wall while Perry investigated the spiders location, the document continues. Perry found no spider in the room and exited the room.

When he did so, the chief saw the booking room exit door closing. Calf Looking, whose shoes and socks had been taken from him before he was placed in the shower stall, was gone.

The lawsuit does not explain the discrepancy about Calf Looking being in an unsecured shower stall and Perry unlocking a cell door.

Perry was unable to locate the suspect, the lawsuit says, and was also unable to find the alleged victims contact information in the paperwork left by Johnson.

Police dispatch reported that (Calf) Looking had returned to the Columbia Falls residence near where he had been arrested, the lawsuit says. Perry, Johnson and Sgt. Sean Murphy immediately went to the home, but Calf Looking was already gone.

The chief followed normal protocol and requested an arrest warrant, it says.

***

Perry was criticized at the time on social media from people who felt he should have alerted schools and local residents that an escapee was on the loose.

Ruder Elementary School is in the vicinity of the Wildcat Drive residence where Calf Looking had allegedly punched his girlfriend in the face after she told him to move out, and where he reportedly returned after escaping.

The police chief, at the time, maintained notification wasnt necessary because a manhunt was launched, and that Calf Looking was spotted near the Flathead River by a helicopter pilot.

U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested Calf Looking shortly after 4 p.m.

Nicosia, city manager since 2011, did not afford Perry an opportunity for corrective discipline, despite the facts, the lawsuit says.

On June 30, it maintains, Nicosia called Perry into a meeting where counsel for (the city) advised Perry that he had committed a terminable offense and should resign.

After Perry declined, he was given a letter from Nicosia terminating his employment effective the next day, on July 1, for lack of due diligence and sense of public duty.

***

The lawsuit says city policy calls for annual performance reviews of non-probationary employees such as Perry. Despite that, Perry had not had a performance review from Nicosia, his supervisor, since 2012.

In that review, Nicosia said Perry met or exceeded expectations in every category, the lawsuit says.

It goes on to allege that during her time supervising Perry, Nicosia was conflict avoidant with Perry personally, while she undermined Perrys authority behind his back.

Nicosias discharge of Perry was wrongful and not for good cause, the lawsuit says, adding it was the consequence of Nicosias personal desire to see Perry terminated.

The suit seeks lost wages and fringe benefits and interest on them, actual and compensatory damages, punitive and exemplary damages, and attorney fees and costs.

Prosecutors, meantime, never charged Calf Looking with either partner or family member assault, or escape, according to the lawsuit.
A former top executive of RightNow Technologies, the Bozeman company founded by Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte, said her pick for governor is incumbent Democrat, Steve Bullock.

Over the last month, Susan Carstensen has written two letters to the editor in which she argues that her former boss is not the right person to lead the state. She worked at the company for almost 13 years as chief financial officer, chief operating officer and senior vice president.

I dont believe that his success in business translates to success in public service, read a letter published today.

Although not unheard of, Carstensen admits her public opposition is unusual for the small, tight-knit business community in Montana. It also highlights the political involvement of former RightNow leaders. Republican Sen. Steve Daines, once a vice president at the company, has campaigned in support of Gianforte.

In an interview, Carstensen said did not intend to attack Gianforte, who she called a great businessman.

My goal is to say hes not the only voice of business, Carstensen said. Weve always had very different points of view. It never changed our working relationship and I wouldnt expect it to in the future.

Campaign spokesman Aaron Flint said the fact Gianforte worked alongside Carstensen so well for so long was evidence of his management ability. He also dinged Bullock for a public falling out with his former lieutenant governor, Angela McLean, late last year.

"Susan Carstensen's liberal politics are no secret in Bozeman, and the fact that Greg promoted someone with differing political beliefs to such a prestigious position in the company is testament to Greg Gianforte's leadership and ability to motivate a diverse team, Flint wrote in a statement. What a contrast between a high-wage job creator like Greg Gianforte and a career politician like Steve Bullock, who locked his female Lieutenant Governor out of her Twitter account, and forced her out of office.

Carstensen, the current interim CEO of Utah-based software company Workfront, joined RightNow in 1999 as CFO and left the company as the Senior Vice President of Customer Experience after it was bought by Oracle in 2012 for nearly $2 billion.

She has long donated to Democratic campaigns, finance records show, and volunteered for political causes. For instance, in the last year she worked for Early Edge Action, an advocacy nonprofit organized to support Bullocks proposal for universal preschool. She also was a speaker at an Equal Pay Summit organized by the governors office to discuss the gender wage gap.

She is one of seven Montana business leaders who founded OpenSourceMT, an independent political action committee, to support Bullocks reelection. Other members include Senior Director of Mergers at Oracle and former RightNow VP of Operations Kim Scurry, Submittable CEO Michael FitzGerald of Missoula and NorthFork Financial President Bill Stoddart of Bozeman.

To create the right conditions for better jobs and economic futures, the groups says the state needs to support public education, promote inclusion and diversity, protect the environment and public access, and invest in infrastructure. On their website, they argue that Bullock has more clearly supported those policies.

After Carstensen wrote a short letter to the Chronicle earlier this month, replying to writers who touted Gianforte as a business leader, she said some members of OpenSourceMT, as well as other Montana business people hesitant to openly identify as Democrats, had emailed her and urged her to write a more detailed letter.

She also said she had sat down with members of Bullocks campaign staff to ask what else I could do to be helpful [and] we settled on a letter. She said campaign staff helped her gather and confirm stats about the state economy and Bullocks record on business issues.

Montana campaign finance law allows campaigns and committees to assist or direct volunteers, as was the case with Carstensens letter. Even if she had been paid for the letter or written it as an OpenSourceMT representative, the strategy conversations would be legal, Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl said. Campaigns can pay grassroots organizers for their work and coordinate with independent committees, so long as that time and expense is properly reported on state election disclosure forms and, if it qualifies as a contribution, does not exceed limits.

Carstensen signed her letters to the editor as an individual rather than as a founder of the independent committee, but the parallel messages are clear.

Governor Bullock understands what attracts companies, big and small, to Montana: a strong public education system, access to public lands, fiscal discipline, responsible investments in infrastructure, and a culture that welcomes all perspectives, she wrote. Greg has a record of opposing these things. Regardless of where he is from or how long he has been in Montana, he doesnt share those values or support those policies.

Among other criticisms, she decried Gianfortes opposition to a non-discrimination ordinance in Bozeman, saying that those protections are needed, in part, to draw LGBT workers and inclusive-minded companies to the state.

She also said that his business credentials do not translate into a preparedness for public office. For instance, Carstensen said RightNow was built on a model of cutting costs for companies by eliminating and outsourcing jobs overseas. RightNow offered customer service software that automated and centralized some aspects of customer interaction that previously might have been handled by call centers or on-site staff.

Just because he was part of a business that created 500 jobs in Montana, I dont think theres any direct connection that he therefore could create jobs as governor. Theres just no correlation, she said.

Flint did not respond to criticisms in Carstensens letter.

His statement did include a link to a 2013 Bozeman Chronicle story about the Montana Democratic Party apologizing to Gianforte for false claims it made in mailers about the company itself outsourcing workers to India. The fliers targeted Steve Daines, a former RightNow vice president, in his bid for U.S. Senate. Still at the helm of RightNow, Gianforte sued the party for false claims but requested the judge drop the case after the party sent the apology letter.
Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke and Democratic challenger Denise Juneau meet Monday night in Frazer for the first of two debates scheduled this week.

The debate on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation begins at 7 p.m. It will be moderated by journalists from Yellowstone Public Radio and the Glasgow Courier. A second debate will be held on Thursday in Billings. That will be followed by an Oct. 5 debate in Great Falls.
HELENA  The state is no longer challenging a judge's order that overturned the deliberate homicide conviction and life sentence of a man who said he was wrongly convicted of killing his best friend nearly two decades ago.

District Judge James Wheelis last November overturned Richard Raugust's conviction for the shooting death of Joe Tash in northwestern Montana. Wheelis said the state withheld evidence from Raugust's defense team that might have led to a different verdict.

Wheelis freed Raugust, 49, from custody in December after he spent more than 18 years in prison. Raugust now lives in Missoula.

The state appealed Wheelis' ruling but last week moved to dismiss that appeal. John Barnes, a spokesman with the state attorney general's office, had no immediate comment Monday on why the appeal was dropped.

Sanders County Attorney Robert Zimmerman did not respond to an email from The Associated Press Monday asking if he planned to re-file the murder charge.

Raugust was found guilty in 1998 in the death of Tash, whose body was found inside a camp trailer near Trout Creek. He had been shot in the head with a shotgun while lying unconscious in bed after a night of drinking and smoking marijuana.

Raugust said he and Tash had been friends since they were boys growing up in California. Tash was living at a Montana campsite after his father died and encouraged Raugust to join him.

"He was my best friend. He knew I liked big mountains and dense forests, and when I asked him about the trees, he told me, 'Some of them, you can't even see through them,'" Raugust told the Flathead Beacon during a July 2015 prison interview.

The men worked logging and construction jobs, spent their evenings at a local saloon, fished and smoked marijuana, Raugust said.

On the night Tash was killed, Raugust said he stayed in Trout Creek after everyone left the bar because he had to work early in the morning. The others went out to the campsite to continue partying.

The Montana Innocence Project appealed Raugust's conviction in 2012, arguing his defense attorneys did not know that a sheriff's deputy working the night before the killing made observations that corroborated Raugust's story that he stayed in town the night of the murder and could not have killed his friend.

Wheelis' ruling also said that Rory Ross  who testified at trial that he saw Raugust shoot Tash after an argument  made statements to people that he had killed Tash.

Zimmerman in court documents described Ross as an alcoholic, saying that "the mumblings of a town drunk" are unreliable.

Missoula attorney Brett Schandelson said officials contradicted themselves by presenting Ross at trial as a star witness and later labeling him unreliable.

Ross refused to testify during a December 2014 evidentiary hearing on Raugust's petition, agreeing when the judge asked if he was afraid of saying something incriminatory.

Schandelson said he and the Montana Innocence Project look forward to defending Raugust if the charge is revived.

Raugust's appeal included a sworn statement from the forewoman of his jury who said she felt the conviction was a miscarriage of justice, did not believe the state proved its case and felt pressured to deliver a guilty verdict after a judge said the government could not afford another trial.
FRAZER  It didnt take long for U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau to spar over who is a bigger advocate for Indian Country in a debate held here Monday night.

In what tribal leaders said was the first debate between candidates for Montanas lone seat in Congress held on the Fort Peck reservation, Juneau worked to characterize Zinke as out of touch with Montanas tribes and the state as a whole, while Zinke said Juneau has lied about him and his record during this election cycle.

In the elementary school gym packed with about 200 people, the candidates fielded questions with a decidedly tribal and rural Montana flavor  health care and veterans affairs were key topics, but moderators and the audience also asked about management of bison herds, sage grouse, rural water compacts and the meth epidemic on Montanas reservations.

Juneau, who grew up in Browning and is an enrolled member of the Mandan and Hidatsa tribes, played to what felt like a home field advantage. She said the Fort Peck tribe has given her its full support.

Zinke said he was adopted into the Assiniboine Tribe by the family of a U.S. Navy Seal whose son was killed in 2006. He then said his strong family roots in Eastern Montana make him the right choice to represent this region. I recognize that the east oftentimes gets ignored, but youre not alone, Zinke said. Montana often gets ignored.

Zinke is a first-term congressman. He defeated John Lewis in 2014 to win Montanas lone seat in the U.S. House. He had run as a lieutenant governor candidate with Neil Livingstone in 2012, coming in fifth in a primary with seven candidates. Previously Zinke served as a state senator for one term, representing Whitefish.

For the last eight years Juneau has been Montana's superintendent of public instruction. She is term-limited from running for that post again. She was the first American Indian elected to a statewide office in Montana. As superintendent of public instruction she has seen Montana's graduation rate increase nearly 5 percent, an accomplishment she referred to many times Monday night.

The nights first question centered on comments made by a candidate in a different race entirely, Republican candidate for governor Greg Gianforte. News outlets around the state last week ran stories quoting Gianforte as saying Indian reservations hinder the free market, do not have consistent rule of law, suffer from nepotism and dont have a culture that celebrates success. Candidates were asked if they agreed with Gianforte.

In her denouncement of the statements, Juneau was quick to tie Zinke to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who many view as anti-Native, and highlight her knowledge of Indian Country issues.

We dont need politicians and candidates for elected office that denigrate Native communities, she said. We need to work with them.

Zinke almost immediately invoked Democratic candidate for president Hillary Clinton in his response, saying both she and Juneau are liars.

I think my opponent has the same problem Hillary does, the truth. The truth is I support tribes, Zinke said. He cited the Blackfeet Water Compact, working to recognize the Little Shell Tribe and introducing bills to help pay for water projects.

Juneau said Zinke had let Indian Country down by voting against the Violence Against Women Act.

Hes not supported Indian Country, she said. He will go out and say one thing, but look at his actions. We can do better, we can do better for Indian Country and we can do better for Montana.

Through the debate, Juneau often fell back on her record as the state Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Zinke is not providing the leadership, she said. We need someone who has actually gotten something done for our state, who has a record of accomplishment.

Zinke pushed back, again calling Juneau a liar. He referenced her campaigns push earlier this summer saying the congressman voted to sell off public lands.

I voted 17 times in support of public land, and yet my opponent said I wanted to sell and transfer lands, and that is false. If were going to have a debate, lets talk about the truth. I mean what I say and I say what I mean.

Neither candidate offered up much in the way of specifics when asked about land management issues including bison herds, sage grouse and the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Juneau used questions on these topics to say that she believes decisions are best made with Montanans sitting around the table talking, while Zinke repeated that he thinks issues affecting Montanans should be settled by Montanans and not lawmakers in Washington, D.C.

Montana needs a say in how we manage our lands, Zinke said. If youre looking for a solution from Washington, D.C., youre not going to find it because the solution is us.

Early in the debate a member of the audience asked the candidates where they stood on allowing refugees from Syria into the U.S. Juneau said the country has a vetting process in place that allows for the safe process of letting people into the country.

When they come here to be resettled we need to remember that we also have a humanitarian side, she said.

Zinke, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, said the current vetting process isnt enough and thats why he proposed the the American SAFE Act to amp up the screening process to include the FBI and Department of Homeland Security.

If I could say children and women arent threats, it would be a wonderful world, Zinke said. Ive had to engage children with weapons. Its unvetted refugees we have to worry about. I fought there so it wouldnt come here.

Again and again responses circled back to Indian Country issues.

Juneau said Zinke hasnt supported Montanas tribes or spent the time in communities and talking to tribal governments like she has. She brought up Zinkes support of the English Language Unity Act and his appearance with the ProEnglish organization, which has been called a racist group. Zinke said he voted for the act because it was about making certain U.S. government documents that should be in English.

Zinke said he sees desperation across Indian Country and hes worked by supporting the Blackfeet Water and Northern Plains Water compacts as well as recognition of the Little Shell Tribe.

The candidates traded barbs on support for veterans, with Juneau lambasting Zinke for not denouncing comments made by Trump disparaging Gold Star families of fallen service members after Trump attacked Khizr Khan, the father of a deceased U.S. Muslim soldier, after he spoke at the Democratic National Convention.

Congressman Zinke sided with a guy who has degraded a Gold Star family, Juneau said.

Zinke quickly turned the conversation back to Clinton, saying she lied about being under sniper fire and what happened in Benghazi, where Zinke said two of his friends died.

I dont agree with Trump on a lot of issues, and I do not agree with corruption and lying, Zinke said.

When asked why reservation schools are still struggling, Juneau pointed around the gym, saying Frazer was one of the original locations to participate in her Schools of Promise program that focused on putting resources in some of the lowest performing schools in the state.

Theyve done great. We can look at data in our Schools of Promise and see that it has been successful.

Zinke responded by saying that students are still not proficient at reading and math and many need remedial courses when entering universities and community colleges. How you make it better is you empower the school boards, he said.

On a question focused on health care, Zinke called the Affordable Care Act an unmitigated disaster, saying the program hasnt meet goals of better access to health care at lower costs and hard-to-get appointments.

A lot of people criticize the VA, Zinke said. Indian Health Services is a superstar compared to the VA. Again he advocated for putting resources in communities and not in Washington.

Juneau said the Affordable Care Act has done some good in Montana and in Indian Country. The law does need fixing, she said, but shouldnt be thrown out and more should be done to take insurance companies out of the drivers seat.

Zinke told the crowd he thought the best way to fix the program was to let decisions be made in Montana.

Veterans should not die waiting in line for service, he said. If you cant get an appointment, you should have immediate access to an appointment somewhere else.

Zinke also said the VA has not done enough to address women's health and needs to stabilize its leadership.

One of the last questions of the night focused on the methamphetamine epidemic on Montanas Indian reservations. Poplar, 40 miles east of the debate site, has seen an increase in the use of the drug and several high-profile crimes tied to its abuse.

Zinke said there are too few local resources to effectively fight the problem. Washington is not going to fix this problem, he said. We need to give you resources here, clinics here so you dont send someone away outside of their tribal network.

Meth is a threat equal to that posed by ISIS, Zinke said, Because it is killing us from within.

Juneau told the crowd shes been to all of Montanas reservations and that tribes need more law enforcement and tribal courts that can effectively prosecute.

Nancy and Albert Foote came from Poplar in part to drums and sing before the debate. The couple, who have lived in Poplar most of their lives, said they came to support the community and Juneau.

Shes a Native representative and its important we have somebody in there able to speak up for Native issues, Albert Foote said.

Foote said one of the biggest issues for him this election cycle is clean drinking water. He said Juneau has a better chance of understanding issues like that because shes also from a reservation.

Its important for us to have a representative that understands us, he said.

Brent McRae and his wife Hillari drove in from Jordan. Theyre Zinke supporters and said hes done good work to support Montana's rural electric cooperatives.

Hes helped us many times, McRae, who is who is president of the Montana Electric Cooperatives' Association, said. He was hoping to learn more about Juneaus stance on issues he said he hasnt been glean from her website.

Both Juneau and Zinke supporters said they were happy the debate was close to home.

Im really pleased they came to Eastern Montana for the debate because sometimes northeastern Montana is forgotten, McRae said.

Monday nights debate was the first of four scheduled between Zinke and Juneau. Another is set for Thursday in Billings. Two more are set for Great Falls on Oct. 5 and Oct. 8. The candidates have said they would like to hold a debate on the Crow Reservation but that has not been scheduled.
" " Items like these Jordanian bills are part of the collection of unclaimed property at the Chief Financial Officer's office in downtown Washington D.C. Rich Lipski/The Washington Post/Getty Images

Imagine that your reclusive old uncle living in California turns out to be a brilliant treasure hunter. In fact, he has millions of dollars in rare diamonds and jewelry stashed away in his safe deposit box. When he dies, the bank has no contact information for next of kin, so it passes the unclaimed riches along to the state, where they sit waiting for a rightful heir to claim them. The only thing standing between you and a one-way ticket to rich-ville is a phone call. What are you waiting for?

While it's unlikely that any of your distant relatives are secret billionaires, the truth is that $58 billion of unclaimed cash and property are out there waiting for their rightful owners. Most of it  around $42 billion  is held by individual states, but other unclaimed funds sit in pensions, insurance policies, class-action legal settlements and even forgotten U.S. savings bonds [source: Hicken]. In most cases, not only the account owners, but also their rightful heirs can claim the marooned money. So we ask again, what are you waiting for?

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We've assembled a list of the top 10 sources for digging up unclaimed money. Let the treasure hunt begin!
Copyright  2022 HT Digital Streams Ltd All Right Reserved
The Nez Perce Fire, 15 miles north of Butte near Elk Park, gained momentum and grew to 69 acres as of Tuesday morning, said Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest officials.

The Forest Service ordered a helicopter from Salmon, Idaho, to drop water on the blaze. Two engines and one attack crew from Whitehall and one engine from Butte monitoring the fire are also on scene.

About 10 to 15 people live within one mile south of the fire. Butte district ranger Dave Sabo said the Forest Service is in contact with the residents.

The lightning-caused fire began around Aug. 7, when the area registered more than 1,000 lightning strikes from a storm, said Sabo. The fire smoldered for almost a full week and was reported by a passing motorist on Interstate 15 on Aug. 13. Due to the steep, rocky terrain, crews could not reach the fire safely.

Sabo said heavy fuels and current weather conditions have enabled the fire to grow. Sabo said the Forest Service will continue to monitor the fire daily but residents may see smoke from the blaze until the first snow falls.
Does Greg Gianforte want to build a wall around Montana? Sure sounds like it when he campaigns on banning war refugees from countries suffering terrorist attacks and stopping any refugee resettlement until the vetting system is fixed.

He sounds like GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has called for shutting out immigrants.

The myth that governors can block refugee settlement keeps popping up, thanks to politicians campaigning on fears they help intensify. Federal law  not state law  sets rules for who may enter the United States. People who want to come into our nation as refugees are vetted more extensively, through a lengthier process than other types of immigrants or foreign visitors.

Consider the efforts of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton who attempted to block resettlement of two Syrian families in their state. Earlier this summer, a federal judge in Dallas, barred the state from excluding refugees screened and resettled under U.S. law.

About a week ago, the Gianforte campaign mailed fliers ominously warning that Gov. Steve Bullock supports bringing Syrian refugees into Montana. Those words appeared beside the black and red image of an armed man with a scarf concealing his face, except for the eyes. Below the scary picture was a photo of Bullock. On the flip side, the flier had a flattering, full-color photo of Gianforte standing over the words Montana security first.

Some Montana Republicans have been saying for months that Bullock wants unvetted Syrian refugees to come to our state. After former Texas Gov. Rick Perry campaigned for Gianforte in Montana, Perry repeated that false statement about Bullock on Fox News. Bullock critics then trumpet the news that the story has gone national.

Repeating a lie doesnt make it true.

On the issue of refugee settlement, Bullock acknowledges the rule of law. As a former Montana attorney general, he should know the law. Think about it: Bullock grew up in Helena, he has a family with young children, and his political opponents are telling us he wants to bring terrorists to his home state.

As governor, Bullock has responsibility for public safety. That duty is carried out as head of the Montana National Guard, in policies and programs that protect us from crime, fires, drug abuse, unsafe water, hazardous roads and preventable diseases. There are many serious dangers for Montanans to worry about; unvetted Syrian refugees next door isnt one of them.

Between 2011 when civil war erupted in Syria and 2015, the United States admitted 2,000 Syrian refugees. However, about 86,000 Syrian immigrants live in the United States, mostly people who have followed relatives here since 1990. According to the Migration Policy Institute, Syrian immigrants, on average are older and have higher education than the general U.S. population. A smaller portion of Syrian women work, compared with the overall U.S. population. But a larger portion of Syrian men are in the labor force. Syrians, on average earn more than other immigrant groups, but less than the general population. Forty-nine percent of Syrian immigrants were employed in management, business, science or arts in 2014.

Before refugees are allowed into the United States, they are thoroughly screened by the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security in processes that take 18 to 24 months. Among 784,000 refuges (from all over the world) who have been resettled in the United States since Sept. 11, 2001, three have been arrested for planning terrorist attacks  two of whom were planning attacks outside the country, according to the Migration Policy Institute.

Gianfortes attack fliers arrived in mail boxes just as the first refugee family in years arrived in Missoula. These two parents fled war in the Congo. Three of their four children were born in a refugee camp in Tanzania and had never lived anywhere else before making it to safety to the United States. These are the type of people allowed into our nation as refugees in 2016.

Its just really disinformation and its disheartening that people seeking a position of power would promote that misinformation and play off of such a persecuted population, Mary Poole, founder of the Missoula resettlement organization told Gazette state reporter Jayme Fraser. Amen, Mary, amen.

-- The Billings Gazette
The late August sun is a smoky red ball, reminding Montanans of the fires that have destroyed homes and curtailed business in the West this summer. Its so dry in parts of Montana, Wyoming, California and other Western states that big fires are likely to burn until autumn snow falls. If lightning storms and wind persist, the fires will be bigger and more numerous.

The destruction is costly, and so is the firefighting. One year ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported on the rising cost of fire operations and how it affected the Forest Services other work. The numbers indicate that the Forest Service ought to be called the fire service because thats how the agency spent most of its budget. The USDA summed up the problem of the depletion of non-fire programs to pay for the ever-increasing costs of fire." This has resulted in:

Less money for restoration work that would help prevent catastrophic fires

Less protection of watersheds and cultural resources

Reduced upkeep of programs and infrastructure that support thousands of recreation jobs and billions of dollars economic growth in rural communities

Reduced support for the range of multiple uses, benefits and ecosystem services

Less research and technical assistance

Firefighting staff has increased from 5,700 in 1998 to more than 12,000 in 2015. Meanwhile, the non-firefighting forest workers have been reduced by 39 percent  from 18,000 employees in 1998 to fewer than 11,000 last year.

Every non-firefighting program has been slashed. Forest road-building has been reduced 46 percent. Deferred maintenance funding was cut 95 percent despite a backlog of more than $5.1 billion in dam repairs, roads, sewer and water system improvements.

Lack of funding for everything but fires has prevented the agency from doing things that would save money in the long term. Energy efficiency projects have been deferred. Funding hasnt been available for partnership programs that generate private matching funds.

The report concluded with the solution that Congress has been delaying for years: Change the way we pay for wildfire fighting. Treat wildfires as the natural disasters they are.

In June, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., spoke on behalf of draft legislation called the Wildfire Budgeting, Response and Forest Management Act. The first thing it would do, according to a Daines news release, is end the unsustainable practice of fire borrowing by enabling a transfer of limited funds to the Forest Service and the Department of Interior through a budget cap adjustment when all appropriated suppressions funding (100 percent of the 10-year average) has been exhausted.

Last week in Billings, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., reaffirmed his support for the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act. Both he and Daines are co-sponsors of the act, which would pay for catastrophic wildfires through separate emergency funding, allowing the Forest Service to devote more resources to proactive forest management like trail maintenance and timber harvest.

Tester noted that wildfire costs consumed 52 percent of the Forest Service budget last year, compared with 16 percent 20 years ago.

If S.235, which both of our U.S. senators are co-sponsoring, had been enacted and funded last year, the Forest Service would have $1.4 billion more to fight wildfires this year. But it didnt pass, so the Forest Service will again have to rob all its other operations to pay for the fiery disasters this year.

The Wildfire Disaster Funding Act has 21 co-sponsors, including senators from Colorado, California, Idaho, Hawaii, Minnesota and Wisconsin. In introducing the bill, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said its purpose is to ensure that federal agencies have the resources and funding they need to not only fight the wildfires that erupt yearly in our nations forests, but to effectively manage forests to prevent future infernos.

Montanas senators are in a good position to promote this bipartisan solution. Among many proposals for forest management involving timber harvest, recreation and conservation, nothing else is going to work well if the budget continues to be diverted to wildfire.

Lawmakers must stop the fire borrowing before another wildfire season begins. We call on Daines and Tester to work together to unite other Western senators and pass wildfire disaster legislation this year.

-- The Billings Gazette
A former top executive of RightNow Technologies, the Bozeman company founded by Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte, said incumbent Democrat Steve Bullock is her pick for governor.

Over the last month, Susan Carstensen has written two letters to the editor in which she argues that her former boss is not the right person to lead the state. She worked at the company for almost 13 years as chief financial officer, chief operating officer and senior vice president.

I dont believe that his success in business translates to success in public service, read a letter published Monday.

Carstensen admits her public opposition is unusual for the small, tight-knit business community in Montana. It also highlights the political involvement of former RightNow leaders. Republican Sen. Steve Daines, once a vice president at the company, has campaigned in support of Gianforte.

In an interview, Carstensen said did not intend to attack Gianforte, whom she called a great businessman.

My goal is to say hes not the only voice of business, Carstensen said. Weve always had very different point of views. It never changed our working relationship and I wouldnt expect it to in the future.

Campaign Spokesman Aaron Flint said the fact Gianforte worked alongside Carstensen so well for so long was evidence of his management ability. He also dinged Bullock for a public falling out with his former lieutenant governor, Angela McLean, late last year.

"Susan Carstensen's liberal politics are no secret in Bozeman, and the fact that Greg promoted someone with differing political beliefs to such a prestigious position in the company is testament to Greg Gianforte's leadership and ability to motivate a diverse team, Flint wrote in a statement. What a contrast between a high wage job creator like Greg Gianforte and a career politician like Steve Bullock, who locked his female Lieutenant Governor out of her Twitter account, and forced her out of office.

Carstensen, the current interim CEO of Utah-based software company Workfront, joined RightNow in 1999 as CFO and left the company as the Senior Vice President of Customer Experience after it was bought by Oracle in 2012 for nearly $2 billion. She has long donated to Democratic campaigns, finance records show, and volunteered for political causes. For instance, in the last year she worked for Early Edge Action, an advocacy nonprofit organized to support Bullocks proposal for universal preschool. She also was a speaker at an Equal Pay Summit organized by the governors office to discuss the gender wage gap.

She is one of seven Montana business leaders who founded OpenSourceMT, an independent political action committee, to support Bullocks reelection. Other members include Senior Director of Mergers at Oracle and former RightNow VP of Operations Kim Scurry, Submittable CEO Michael FitzGerald of Missoula and NorthFork Financial President Bill Stoddart of Bozeman.

To create the right conditions for better jobs and economic futures, the groups says the state needs to support public education, promote inclusion and diversity, protect the environment and public access, and invest in infrastructure. On their website, they argue that Bullock has more clearly supported those policies.

After Carstensen wrote a short letter to the Chronicle in earlier this month, replying to writers who touted Gianforte as a business leader, she said some members of OpenSourceMT, as well as other Montana business people hesitant to openly identify as Democrats, had emailed her and urged her to write a more detailed letter.

She also said she had sat down with members of Bullocks campaign staff to ask what else I could do to be helpful [and] we settled on a letter. She said campaign staff helped her gather and confirm stats about the state economy and Bullocks record on business issues.

Montana campaign finance law allows campaigns and committees to assist or direct volunteers, as was the case with Carstensens letter. Even if she had been paid for the letter or written it as ab OpenSourceMT representative, the strategy conversations would be legal, Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl said. Campaigns can pay grassroots organizers for their work and coordinate with independent committees, so long as that time and expense is properly reported on state election disclosure forms and, if it qualifies as a contribution, does not exceed limits.

Carstensen signed her letters to the editor as an individual rather than as a founder of the independent committee, but the parallel messages are clear.

Governor Bullock understands what attracts companies, big and small, to Montana: a strong public education system, access to public lands, fiscal discipline, responsible investments in infrastructure, and a culture that welcomes all perspectives, she wrote. Greg has a record of opposing these things. Regardless of where he is from or how long he has been in Montana, he doesnt share those values or support those policies.

Among other criticisms, she decried Gianfortes opposition to a non-discrimination ordinance in Bozeman, saying that those protections are needed, in part, to draw LGBT workers and inclusive-minded companies to the state.

She also said that his business credentials do not translate into a preparedness for public office. For insance, Carstensen said RightNow was built upon a model of cutting costs for companies by eliminating and outsourcing jobs overseas. RightNow offered customer service software that automated and centralized some aspects of customer interaction that previously might have been handled by call centers or on-site staff.

Just because he was part of a business that created 500 jobs in Montana, I dont think theres any direct connection that he therefore could create jobs as governor. Theres just no correlation, she said.

Flint did not respond to criticisms in Carstensens letter.

His statement did include a link to a 2013 Bozeman Chronicle story about the Montana Democratic Party apologizing to Gianforte for false claims it made in mailers about the company itself outsourcing workers to India. The fliers targeted Steve Daines, a former RightNow vice president, in his bid for U.S. Senate. Still at the helm of RightNow, Gianforte sued the party for false claims but requested the judge drop the case after the party sent the apology letter.
ORIGINAL NOTICE

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE FOR NRZ PASS-THROUGH TRUST V,

Plaintiff,

vs.

RANDY E. AUSTIN, SPOUSE OF RANDY E. AUSTIN, ELIZABETH A. AUSTIN, SPOUSE OF ELIZABETH A. AUSTIN, WUNDER LAW OFFICE, IOWA DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, GPC KFI VII CREDIT UNION, KRIEGER MOTOR COMPANY, AND PARTIES IN POSSESSION,

Defendants.

TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANT(S):

You are notified that a petition has been filed in the office of the clerk of this court, naming you as a defendant in this action, for foreclosure of the property legally described as: THE WEST HALF OF LOT 12, AND THE WEST HALF OF THE NORTH 20 FEET OF LOT 13, OF THE 1ST SECTION OF WEST ADDITION, CITY OF MUSCATINE, MUSCATINE COUNTY, IOWA, SUBJECT TO ALL EASEMENTS, RESTRICTIONS, AND COVENANTS OF RECORD (Mortgaged Premises) due to a default in making contractual payments on a promissory note; for judgment in rem against the mortgaged premises for the principal amount of $89,279.13 plus interest as provided in the Note and as may have been subsequently adjusted thereafter, fees, costs, and attorney's fees, for a declaration of the sum due as a lien on the premises, a declaration that the mortgage is prior and superior to all of the other liens on the property, for a special execution to issue for sale of the Mortgaged Premises at sheriff's sale, for the issuance of a writ of possession, for a appointment of a receiver upon plaintiff's application, and for such further relief the Court deems just and equitable.

FOR FURTHER PARTICULARS SEE THE PETITION NOW CONTAINED IN THE COURT FILE

NOTICE

THE PLAINTIFF HAS ELECTED FORECLOSURE WITHOUT REDEMPTION. THIS MEANS THAT THE SALE OF THE MORTGAGED PROPERTY WILL OCCUR PROMPTLY AFTER ENTRY OF JUDGMENT UNLESS YOU FILE WITH THE COURT A WRITTEN DEMAND TO DELAY THE SALE. IF YOU FILE A WRITTEN DEMAND, THE SALE WILL BE DELAYED UNTIL SIX MONTHS FROM ENTRY OF JUDGMENT IF THE MORTGAGED PROPERTY IS YOUR RESIDENCE AND IS A ONE-FAMILY OR TWO-FAMILY DWELLING OR UNTIL TWO MONTHS FROM ENTRY OF JUDGMENT IF THE MORTGAGED PROPERTY IS NOT YOUR RESIDENCE OR IS YOUR RESIDENCE BUT NOT A ONE-FAMILY OR TWO-FAMILY DWELLING. YOU WILL HAVE NO RIGHT OF REDEMPTION AFTER THE SALE. THE PURCHASER AT THE SALE WILL BE ENTITLED TO IMMEDIATE POSSESSION OF THE MORTGAGED PROPERTY. YOU MAY PURCHASE AT THE SALE.

IF YOU DO NOT FILE A WRITTEN DEMAND TO DELAY THE SALE AND IF THE MORTGAGED PROPERTY IS YOUR RESIDENCE AND IS A ONE-FAMILY OR TWO-FAMILY DWELLING, THEN A DEFICIENCY JUDGMENT WILL NOT BE ENTERED AGAINST YOU. IF YOU DO FILE A WRITTEN DEMAND TO DELAY THE SALE, THEN A DEFICIENCY JUDGMENT MAY BE ENTERED AGAINST YOU IF THE PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF THE MORTGAGED PROPERTY ARE INSUFFICIENT TO SATISFY THE AMOUNT OF THE MORTGAGED DEBT AND COSTS.

IF THE MORTGAGED PROPERTY IS NOT YOUR RESIDENCE OR IS NOT A ONE-FAMILY OR TWO-FAMILY DWELLING, THEN A DEFICIENCY JUDGMENT MAY BE ENTERED AGAINST YOU WHETHER OR NOT YOU FILE A WRITTEN DEMAND TO DELAY THE SALE.

You are further notified that unless you serve and, within a reasonable time thereafter, file a motion or answer on or before September 26, 2016, in the Iowa District Court for Muscatine County, Iowa, at the Courthouse in Muscatine, Iowa, judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Petition.

If you need assistance to participate in court due to a disability, call the disability coordinator at 563-328-4145. Persons who are hearing or speech impaired may call Relay Iowa TTY (1-800-735-2942). Disability coordinators cannot provide legal advice.

Jeff Tollenaer

Clerk of Court

Muscatine County Courthouse

Muscatine, Iowa

IMPORTANT: YOU ARE ADVISED TO SEEK LEGAL ADVICE AT ONCE

TO PROTECT YOUR INTERESTS.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  A Muscatine man was arrested Thursday, Aug. 25, after he led officers on a chase in Muscatine.

Jose Agustin Sanchez, 25, of Muscatine, has been charged with eluding, reckless driving, and numerous traffic violations, according to Muscatine County Attorney Alan Ostergren.

At 11:32 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 25, the Muscatine Police Department responded to a complaint of loud music in the 400 Block of Evans Street, and a vehicle pursuit ensued.

Sanchez was arrested near the A&E Convenience Store on South Highway 61, according to Ostergren.

The Muscatine County Sheriffs Office, Iowa State Patrol, and the Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Enforcement Agency assisted in the chase, according to the Sheriff's Office.

His bond has been set at $7,000 cash or surety, and his initial appearance has been set for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6.

Emily Wenger of the Muscatine Journal
A new school year is getting under way. I know local educators will provide great opportunities for our students with the resources they have.

The struggle to provide sufficient, timely funding has put local schools in a bind in recent years. We took a small step in the right direction this year by increasing state support for schools by 2.25 percent. That will give our K-12 schools an additional $145 per student, on average (SF 174).

Its not nearly enough to make up for many lean years, but I hope itll reverse the trend that has dropped Iowa below the national average when it comes to how much we invest in each student.

Were also focusing special attention on ensuring kids get the strong reading skills they need to succeed in school and life with:

 Intensive literacy programs and reading resources (SF 2323).

 Training for reading teachers, including how to recognize and teach dyslexic students (SF 2196).

 Improved updates for parents on their childrens reading progress (HF 2413).

In addition, Iowa is among the first states to implement a new initiative that has our most effective educators working with new teachers and mentoring those looking to improve.

The Teacher Leadership & Compensation System and other targeted investments in STEM, Career Technical Education, reading skills and online learning are great tools. But they need a strong base to build upon, which means adequately funding the day-to-day operations of our schools.

Iowa students have shown theyre eager for the learning opportunities available to them. They lead the nation in high school graduation rates, according to the Iowa Department of Education. More than 90 percent of Iowas Class of 2015 graduated on time, making them the first class in the nation to do so.

I am committed to making Iowa schools No. 1 again, and will continue fighting for the kind of investment our students deserveone that puts them at a competitive advantage when it comes to education and job opportunities.

Additional information

To contact Senator Brase when the Senate is in session, call the Senate Switchboard at 515-281-3371. Otherwise, he can be reached at 563-260-5416. E-mail him at chris.brase@legis.iowa.gov.

Senator Brase is chair of the Administration & Regulation Budget Subcommittee. He also serves on the Agriculture, Appropriations, Labor & Business Relations, Local Government, Natural Resources & Environment, and Transportation committees.
IOWA CITY, Iowa  Iowa City Hospice recognizes the immense value of family caregivers and strives to sustain them in their roles through support and education. Iowa City Hospice and Pathways Adult Day Health Center offer a support group for caregivers that are open and free to all community members at any point in their care giving journey.

The Caregiver Support Group offers emotional and educational support in a nonjudgmental atmosphere.

The group meets on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 1:00-2:30 p.m. at Johnson County Extension, 3109 Old Hwy 218 South, Iowa City, 52246.

For more information on support groups contact Steve Siglin at 319-351-5665 or steve.siglin@iowacityhospice.org, or Jeff Kellbach at 319-339-6162 or jkellbach@abbe.org.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  The Muscatine Board of Realtors will host a community blood drive from 12-3 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 21, at the Muscatine Donor Center, 2604 Second Avenue, Suite 6, Muscatine. The drive is being held in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and is open to the public. To donate, please contact Deb Paint at 563-264-0240 or visit www.bloodcenterimpact.org and use code 3195 to locate the drive.

To thank those who support the blood supply at this time of year the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center (MVRBC) is also offering the following special incentives for blood donors:

 New Ford Fiesta SE (sponsored by Lindquist Ford and Clinton Auto Group): one winner chosen from all registered donors May 1-Sept. 30 (some exclusions apply, see www.bloodcenter.org/win for details)

 $300 Gas gift card drawing: 1 winner per month, selected from all registered donors
MUSCATINE, Iowa  The Muscatine County Board of Supervisors approved the first reading of a rezoning following a public hearing on Monday.

The board approved the first reading of an ordinance rezoning approximately 21.9 acres of property in Sweetland Township along Geneva Hills Road from A-1 Agricultural District to R-1 Residential.

Gary and Agnes Johnson assured the board that they plan to build a single family dwelling on the property.

Shirley and Kenneth McDaniel, who own the land north of the Johnsons property, were concerned that the aerial spraying in their agricultural fields would be an issue. Gary Johnson said the trees on his property should effectively block any overspray.

We dont have an issue with that, he said.

Supervisor Kas Kelly said she was happy to them checking in on the new neighbors.

I think its absolutely so cool and neighborly that youve come here to voice your concern for them and what might happen to them I think thats the way its supposed to work and I appreciate that and Im sure they do to, she said.

Gary Johnson said if neighbors are concerned about what will be put on the property, they are welcome to ask.

Weve had an open door policy with all our neighbors and we talk to them and anybody that had any questions feel free to ask us, well answer everything honestly and truthfully so you understand whats going in, he said.

He asked if the second and third readings could be waived, to allow building to begin following some delays related to confusion on the tax classification.

The guys that were going to build want to get started. Wed like to see these builders feed their families because theyre currently unemployed, Gary Johnson said.

The board stated that waiving the second and third readings was not on the agenda, but they plan to waive the third reading when the vote on the second at a special meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6. The board will not meet on Labor Day.

Were not trying to create a hardship for anyone, especially the workers, said Supervisor Robert Howard.

In other business:

The board awarded a bid for the Community Services DHS I.T. Closet to Crawford Company.

The board also approved a Communication Services Proposal for MachLink Area Network Services between Muscatine Power and Water and Muscatine County. Information Services Director Bill Riley said service will be improved and the price will go down slightly.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  It may not have been the sweetest music ever heard but elementary students were able to test out different instruments at McKinley Elementary Monday to find one that they would like to play.

Band and orchestra teachers traveled to McKinley Elementary School on Monday and will be at Madison, Jefferson, Franklin and Colorado Elementary Schools throughout the week to introduce students to a variety of musical instruments.

"We're trying all the basic instruments to see which one is easy for the student to play and which one they like the best, because how do they know if they've never tried it before?" said elementary band teacher Alyce Spoto.

Spoto said Grant, Mulberry, and Washington Elementary students tried instruments in the spring.

In addition to gauging student ability, Spoto and the other music teachers asked students what they liked to play and filled out information forms for students to take home for their parents to approve.

Spoto asked students which one sounded and felt the best, instructed students not to "puff" their cheeks when blowing the trumpet and listened to their input when recommending an instrument.

Instructors also sanitized the mouthpieces, to avoid passing germs around the room.

Gwenyth Scadlock, a fifth-grade student at McKinley, said she really liked the chance to try the different instruments.

"It was fun, this was new for me. I love the cello and bass, those are my two favorites," she said.

Scadlock said the way teachers approached the instrument testing was helpful, especially because she had never before had the chance to try all the instruments available on Monday.

"You get to see what's the perfect fit for you, and which one's easier, which one's harder, what fits you and what's right," she said.

Fifth-grader Kate Bower said her favorite instruments were the clarinet, the violin and the cello.

"Trying all the instruments is hard for some people, but some of them are easy," she said.

Alex Strause, a fifth grader, said he had tried several of the instruments before, but was looking forward to trying them again.

"I think it's cool because you get to see what the sounds are," he said.

As students blew loudly on the trumpet, or dragged a bow across a cello, short notes on various instruments echoed in the hallways of McKinley, and band teachers helped around 70 students test them on Monday to find their favorite.

Michelle Bovenkamp, a community member and former band director, assisted Spoto. She said she has continued to teach and be involved in music and enjoyed helping students find the right instrument for them.

"We like to find one that not only is easy for them to play but that they're interested in playing, because if they like it they'll be more likely to practice," she said.

Bovenkamp has two children at Mulberry Elementary School and said she knows that they are more likely to practice if they like their instrument.

"I know firsthand how that goes, if they want to play it and they have that interest in doing it they'll practice," she said.

Spoto said allowing the students to try as many instruments as possible has been the practice at Muscatine elementary schools for three or four years, and she and the other teachers will work with more than 300 students this week to help them find their favorite.

"We've tried to make it a priority to give the students as much information as we can, and let them try as many different things as we can and take the time for them to explore all their options," she said.
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 []
Vodacom has appointed Takalani Netshitenzhe, a former ambassador to Hungary and Croatia, as its new chief officer of corporate affairs.

Netshitenzhe is the sister Joel Netshitenzhe, an ANC stalwart who was a powerful political player when Thabo Mbeki was president.

Netshitenzhe has spent most of her career in government, and is currently the Head of Office and Policy Services of the Intelligence Council at the Ministry of State Security.

She previously served as Intelligence Policy and Legal Advisor at the Ministry of State Security, and ambassador on home transfer at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

She was also the CEO of the Electronic Communications Security Agency from 2004 to 2008.

Netshitenzhe is an admitted advocate in the High Court and hold numerous degrees and qualifications, including a Masters in Security Studies from the University of Pretoria.

Netshitenzhe replaces Maya Makanjee, who left Vodacom at the end of July 2016.

She will join Vodacom on 15 September 2016.

More on Vodacom

Vodacom achieves the impossible

Vodacom named South Africas favourite brand
The DAs Marian Shinn has stated that the court case on the spectrum stand-off between Icasa and the Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services, Siyabonga Cwele, will hopefully clarify the legality of Icasas proposed auction.

The parliamentary portfolio Committee on Telecommunications and Postal Services heard today that Icasa is confident in the process it followed in the gazetting of an Invitation to Apply to participate in an auction for high-demand spectrum, said Shinn.

It is our view that the invitation be amended in response to valid criticisms lodged with Icasa and any actions that the court may request to ensure speedy auction of the spectrum.

South Africa desperately needs the spectrum to rapidly bridge the digital divide between marginalised and privileged communities in the best interests of service delivery, economic growth, and international inclusion.

Cwele was today loathe to engage the committee on the details of his application, despite having conducted a number of media interviews on why the auction was at odds with his (unpublished) plans for a Wireless Open Access Network as envisaged in the ICT White Paper.

The review of ICT policy was started in 2012 and the resultant White Paper has been bogged down by the Cabinet approval process since 2 March 2016.

She said Icasa gave the committee the history of its actions, maintaining its view that it followed an inclusive and open process before gazetting the invitation.

More on spectrum

Telkom considers suing Icasa over spectrum

Telecommunications Ministry files legal suit to block sale of spectrum
The Labour Court has denied an application from the Communication Workers Union (CWU) for an interdict against Telkom.

The union sought to stop Telkom from proceeding with retrenchments, with the CWU stating that the company did not properly include it in the process.

In an explanation for the ruling, Judge AJ Snyman lambasted the union.

Snyman said the CWUs attitude was confrontational and its approach obstructive.

I have little doubt that the motivating idea behind this approach was to cause such disruption in the process so as to convince Telkom to abandon it, said Snyman.

The judge said the CWU had every opportunity to participate in the consultation process, yet there was not one example in any of the consultations conducted where the CWU made a proper proposal.

If ever there is an example of how not to conduct a proper consultation, this case would be it.

Snyman said it was tempting to award costs against the CWU considering its conduct, but the CWU and Telkom have a continued relationship going forward.

The pair will most likely have further engagement in this same retrenchment process into the future.

More on Telkoms retrenchment process

Massive Telkom outage after sabotage

Telkom CEOs letter to striking employees

Telkom offers R1-million reward to catch network saboteurs

Telkom salary increases despite failed talks
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In todays fast-paced world where many businesses seem to be growing more detached from their communities, with distant corporate ownership and generic products and services, Alans in St. Helena is bucking the trend.

Located between Main Street and Oak Avenue, just behind St. Helena Hotel at 1310 Oak Ave., Alans has provided framing, photographic and design services to Napa Valley customers since 1977.

We often have long-term relationships with those we serve, said Alan Fowler, founder of the company.

Were a small community without many of the big-box stores, and I think thats always been one of the attractions of this place. What we try and offer is one-on-one personalized service, working with our customers, understanding their unique needs, dreams and time frames.

Fowler grew up in Southern California, married and eventually migrated to St. Helena in the mid-1970s. After completing his degree in small-business management at Sonoma State University, he took what might have seemed an odd job at the time.

My wife and I were struggling, we were on food stamps and the whole shooting match, said Fowler.

But lo and behold thats when a friend told me about a possible job, saying there was a guy, Homer Denton, who owned the local yarn shop. Homer had a framing business and he needed help. So I took the job and absolutely fell in love with the business. Later, I bought the framing business from Homer.

The frame shop remained at its original location on Main Street until 2008, when increasing rents drove Fowler to relocate to the current address, which is a beautiful and ivy-covered stone building with few windows and heavy-hung doors.

We think the building was built in the late 1880s and was used for grain storage, Fowler said.

But for us, we have found the space to be an ideal location and environment with a nice large parking lot. Inside, the space is intimate and friendly  Its not your typical retail space. The stone and wood structure provides warmth and a welcoming environment, kind of like coming home. We have color balanced the lighting to provide very similar lighting to what you might find in your own home. Proper lighting is very important to our work.

Beyond Alans framing business, he has partnered with graphic-design expert Angela Lagle to create a place where customers who are looking for solutions for nearly any creative project can come.

Of course, we can help our customers with their custom-framing needs, but we also offer the ability to print photos, process film, scan slides, even restore old or new photographs, said Fowler.

With our 44-inch printer with 120-foot rolls we are also able to create prints ranging from small to large, even long-mural-styled printouts. We also have the largest selection of frame and matting samples in all of Northern California. And with Angelas expertise in graphic design, we help clients with web and logo creation, develop marketing materials for print and web, and design packaging and style guides. We can even help develop brand identity.

Working with Alan has been a wonderful experience, said Lagle.

And our customers, many of whom are longtime clients, bring in such interesting projects that we are kept on our toes. We also provide other services, too, including taking passport photos, notary services  we even have an instant photo kiosk where customers can print photos directly from their smartphones. For those who need professional product photographs, such as those of wine bottles or labels, we provide this service, too.

Beyond the many useful offerings, what makes Alans especially compelling seems to be the exceptional service and level of quality.

Alans has a way of taking a project to the next level, transforming it into a record of a moment in time, said Jordan Felling, owner of Pollinate, an experience-design firm, and former chief of staff for Garen Staglin, owner of Staglin Family Winery.

After many of our wine events, the Staglins might say, Just take this down to Alan. Id bring down a pile of menus and photos from a wine event, and when Id come back hed transformed it into a stunning record of a moment in time. And now, working with Angela, weve even come up with the marketing imagery and material for my new company, Pollinate. For wineries, many bring in a wine bottle for a professional photo but then have them create tasting sheets, collateral and even get info ready for the website. This is basically a one-stop shop.

As if on cue, during a recent interview, a woman entered the shop and Fowler excused himself to greet her warmly, as one might welcome an old friend.

I just wanted to give you this, the woman said, thrusting out a box of locally made Woodhouse chocolates.

Thank you, but what is this for? he asked, taking the box.

Just a small gift to thank you for that rush job you did for me last week, she said.

You didnt have to do that, said Fowler, obviously touched by the encounter.

I know, but neither did you, she said.

The woman was Napa Valley resident Stephanie Gamble.

Whenever I come into the shop Alan is so kind and friendly, which I am always grateful for, said Gamble.

Just last week I came in with a special-rush request. I knew they were really busy, but somehow they were able to get my project completed in time and I was able to take a special gift to my cousin, whod lost her mother. And it was this gift, the gift that Alan preserved and framed for me so beautifully, that meant so much. He came through for me and it made all the difference for both me and my cousin.
Smoke testing in the citys sewer collection system will begin Tuesday south of Napa River, said a city official.

The process, which will be conducted by city workers, helps find leaks in the system caused by broken pipes or those that are illegally connected to the citys system.

"Our focus is south of the river," said Derek Reyner, public works deputy director. There is no schedule yet for whole city. "We have to fit in smoke testing along with all our other responsibilities and plan to put in a day every week or two towards this testing."

A machine will blow smoke, which is not harmful or hazardous, into the sewer system while workers search housetops for vents that are releasing the smoke. That is a normal scene, but smoke coming from the ground indicates a break in the pipeline where repair or replacement will need to occur.

Residents with questions should contact the citys Public Works department at 942-2828.
Galpao Gaucho Brazilian Steakhouse is like no other restaurant in Napa, but its menu is tailor made for Napa Valley wines.

Inspired by the gaucho culture of southern Brazil and the dining tradition of the Brazilian cowboy, one similar to the life of the gauchos across the border in Argentina, the new restaurant occupies the site at Trower and Highway 29 that was once Marie Callenders and most recently Oventi  but its far removed from those origins.

Its been redecorated with the warm masculine feel of a classic American steak house but its menu goes far beyond steaks and baked potatoes.

The restaurant is owned by Alberto Wachholz, who grew up in the cattle-raising Rio Grande do Sul state of Brazil.

The restaurant uses a special rotisserie designed for this type of restaurant in Brazil, and serves 14 different cuts of meats including beef, pork, chicken, lamb and fish, each brought to your table by a server on its skewer and sliced to your desired size and doneness.

The specialty is the picanha (nh in Portuguese is like n in Spanish, pronounced ny) or top sirloin cap, a piece little known here and often called the rump cover, rump cap or coulotte.

The menu also includes a massive salad bar  really an appetizer bar  with almost 40 items like Brazilian hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, beets, asparagus, imported cheeses, smoked salmon and cured meats. It does include some salads including Wachholzs mothers potato salad from Brazil.

Traditional side dishes like garlic mashed potatoes, caramelized bananas, traditional rice and black beans are also part of the meal.

Wachholz says that black beans is a typical dish from Brazil. Its part of the everyday meal of the workmen, especially in the rural areas of Brazil. The main item is black beans, and we add different pork meats like sausage, ribs, bacon and pork tenderloin and other special ingredients for the typical flavor.

He adds, The black bean ... has its origins in South America and is rich in iron. There is a saying in Brazil if you want to grow and be strong you need to eat beans because it is rich in vitamins.

If you can imagine eating dessert after all that food, they have flan, creme brulee, chocolate lava cake and papaya and strawberry creams.

Wachholz says, Papaya cream is the pairing dessert that we like to offer our guests. Its made with fresh papaya and vanilla bean ice cream blended together and topped off with a dash of creme de cassis. Its very refreshing and light as the papaya has natural enzymes that help digest the meat so its the perfect combination.

The whole meal costs $37.50 for lunch or $57.50 at dinner. That seems a lot until you realize that top steak houses can charge that for a single steak without any side dishes or appetizers. We believe we have a strong value proposition given what is offered for the price, Wachholz said.

Wachholz also has a successful Galpao Gaucho in San Antonio, where, he reports, Texans typically eat two pounds of meat.

He recognizes that Californians are more moderate, so in place of the full menu, you can have the impressive buffet for $23.50 at lunch or $25.50 for dinner.

Or try the lounge happy hour menu: you can order a lamb chop, chicken, salmon or the traditional picanha or cheese platter at the bar and in the comfortable adjacent lounge for modest prices.

Wachholz says that he plans to expand the happy hour menu with more option and maybe a late-night happy hour.

Napa wines the perfect fit

The meat-centered menu calls for Napa red wines, and 70 percent of the wine list is from Napa with some Argentine and Chilean wines. He offers big name steak wines like Caymus and Dunn. Most people buy Napa wines, he noted.

Brazil does make wine, by the way, but its hard to come by here, as is Brazilian beer. Galpao Gaucho serves beer on tap; one will be the restaurants own.

Corkage is $25 and waived if you buy a bottle from the list.

Galpao Gaucho has a happy hour Monday to Friday starting at 4 p.m. that has proven to be a great success among locals with discounted drinks like the Brazilian nation drink, the caipirinha made with cachaca (a clear spirit made from sugar cane), lime juice (or passion fruit or strawberry) and simple syrup.

Wacholz worked in restaurants to pay for college back home, then got a job with a big chain that transferred him to Chicago to help open a restaurant there. I served as a server to chef to general manger, he said. He was transferred to Denver and then to the company headquarters restaurant in Dallas.

In 2015, he joined a partner to open a Galpao Gaucho restaurant in San Antonio.

Over the years, he made many trips to Napa both for business  tasting wines  and leisure. It makes great wines that are perfect with great steaks, he exclaimed. He decided it would be a good place to open a restaurant.

Wachholz commented, We didnt know what to expect exactly since Napa is a food Mecca, and the location had its challenges in the past, but we were confident we had a strong concept and great experience to offer to an already amazing restaurant area.

We have a different concept but we were very well received by the community. We are really happy that we surpassed our initial budget. We found that Galpao Gaucho is looking like its going to be a great fit for the valley and its restaurant scene.

He added, We are especially happy that 90 percent of our customers are local, and we are getting very positive feedback from them. We have a lot of regular customer dining with us on a regular basis, some for the full experience and some for the happy hour menu.

He noted that people from wineries are finding their way to the restaurant, including for lunch.

He now plans to upgrade the exterior of the restaurant, including adding a palm tree or two to suggest Brazil.

Galpao Gaucho, at 1990 Trower Ave. in Napa, is open Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch and Monday-Friday 5-10 p.m., Saturday 3-10:30 p.m. and Sunday 1-9 p.m. for dinner.

The restaurant is quite large, with 200 seats including a large private area that would be ideal for parties. It is broken up, however, and seems more intimate.

Call 255-5121 for reservations.
The same company that invested in vitaminwater, popchips, Muscle Milk and Smashbox Cosmetics is the new owner of the Napa Valleys Duckhorn Wine Co.

Duckhorn Wine Co. and TSG Consumer Partners, a San Francisco-based strategic equity investor in consumer brands, announced Monday that TSG will acquire Duckhorn Wine Co. from its most recent owner, GI Partners.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. However, in 2007, GI was reported to have paid about $250 million for the company. On Monday, one wine industry expert estimated the sale at more than $600 million.

Barbara Insel, president and CEO of Stonebridge Research Group, wasnt completely surprised by the sale.

In the past, she had heard rumors that Constellation Brands was going to buy Duckhorn Wine Co.

In that case, sales, marketing and finance operations would have likely been consolidated within Constellation, she noted. With the sale to TSG, its more likely that Duckhorn will maintain its distinctive identity, she said.

They seem to have found an interesting firm that has a lot of strong consumer brands, Insel said. They found people who understand high-end consumer and food brands.

Some that have put their money in wine dont really understand what wine is, said Insel. They should be understanding owners, who will try and build the group.

She said a guesstimate for a sale price would be more than $600 million, which is a breathtaking number. It is kind of amazing.

We look forward to working with TSG, said Duckhorn Wine Co. President and CEO Alex Ryan.

We are thrilled by this incredible opportunity to partner with and invest in Duckhorn, wrote Jamie OHara, TSG president.

The transaction includes all six Duckhorn Wine Co. wineries: Duckhorn Vineyards, Goldeneye, Paraduxx, Migration, Decoy and Canvasback and corresponding properties, along with more than 600 acres of estate vineyards, including the legendary Three Palms Vineyard in Napa Valley.

All employees are being retained, including the winemakers for all six wineries, and the company will continue to be guided by CEO Ryan, who has been with DWC since 1988. Dan and Margaret Duckhorn, the Duckhorn founders, will also remain involved.

TSG recognizes and values how unique we are in the North American wine industry and is committed to preserving the strong culture that defines us, Ryan said in a statement.

By combining their consumer expertise and global reach with our luxury wine market proficiency and focus on quality, we can ensure that our next 40 years will be as exceptional as our first four decades.

OHara described Duckhorn Wine Co. as one of the most respected wine portfolios in the world.

Our goal is to support the companys vision and to use our consumer expertise to bring the Duckhorn portfolio of wines to an even broader global audience, said OHara.

In 1978, Dan and Margaret Duckhorn changed the face of the U.S. wine industry when they made 800 cases each of their inaugural Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

Beginning in the late 1980s, the Duckhorns began leading Duckhorn Vineyards through a period of growth, expanding its estate program and diversifying its parent company, Duckhorn Wine Co.

When Duckhorn Wine Co. was sold to GI Partners of San Francisco in 2007, the Duckhorns stayed on, and worked closely with Ryan to write the next chapter of the winery.

While many wineries consolidated production and sold assets during the Great Recession, GI Partners invested more than $60 million in the companys future.

It expanded its estate vineyard portfolio by 350 vine acres, built and acquired state-of-the-art winemaking facilities and unveiled several new wines.

The company just had its most profitable fiscal year to date, said the release.

As far as what this sale means for the Napa County wine industry, Insole said, Strong brands are getting stronger, especially if well-managed. If you build a strong brand with reasonable scale, you have a very strong position in the industry. There arent many of them, though.

People think Im going to get rich starting a little winery, Insole said. It definitely doesnt work like that.

Since its founding in 1987, TSG has been an active investor in the food, beverage, beauty, personal care, household and apparel & accessories, and e-commerce sectors. Representative past and present partner companies include vitaminwater, thinkThin, popchips, Muscle Milk, Stumptown, Pabst, Planet Fitness, REVOLVE, PAIGE, Smashbox Cosmetics, Pureology, Sexy Hair, e.l.f. cosmetics and IT Cosmetics.
A critic of a new Calistoga vineyard project has reached an agreement to have the owner contribute $22,000 to plant oak trees as a partial environmental mitigation.

The critic, local resident Jim Wilson, calls the payment part of an amicable settlement in which he withdraws his appeal of the vineyard planting to the Board of Supervisors.

The owner of the Lazy Susan vineyard, Dirk Fulton, views the settlement differently. While the money is going to a good cause, the episode felt like a shakedown to me, he said. Fulton said he feared Wilson would, if Lazy Susan prevailed before the Board of Supervisors, take the matter to court.

Vines will be planted on a ranch west of Calistoga, and, in return, oaks will be planted elsewhere in the latest chapter of Napa Countys ongoing carbon-cutting debate.

The $22,000 will go to the Napa County Resource Conservation District to plant acorns, with Wilson receiving no money. Oaks sequester carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, removing it from the atmosphere.

Deforestation has grave consequences for the climate already in peril, Wilson said.

Lazy Susan Ranch is located at 263 Petrified Forest Road in the mountains west of Calistoga. The project approved by the county calls for creating a 17-acre vineyard and removing about 1,500 trees, a county report said.

A county environmental report found greenhouse gas emissions from the project would be less than significant. Wilson challenged the reports conclusions.

Wilson placed the value of the trees to be lost to vineyards at about $106,000, if the Napa County Resource Conservation District were to replace all of them. He said the $22,000 for new oaks in the settlement accounts for roughly a fifth of the trees that will be lost.

That was the best the two parties could come up with, Wilson said.

Napa County has an extensive number of vineyard projects poised for approval that would result in native trees being cut down, Wilson said. This runs contrary to Californias push to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, he said.

The back-and-forth between the county and Wilson documented in papers is technical. It extends into such topics as sequestered carbon lost from cut-down oaks when they are burned or decompose.

Fulton had a different view of the Lazy Susan project.

We think the vineyards together with healthy cover crops sequester greenhouse gases as well or almost as well as scrub oak and manzanita do, Fulton said.

Without the planned vineyard, the 20,000-gallon-a-year winery is forced to truck fruit from south Napa County and the Coombsville area, creating greenhouse gases, he said. Also, one county condition for the project is a deed restriction preserving 40 acres of woodland, he said.

I think all of those in combination will argue his appeal wasnt well thought-out, Fulton said.

In deciding to make a payment to end the appeal, Fulton noted, We had already been three years on the project and we wanted to get started with the project, if we could.

The $22,000 will go to the Napa County Resource Conservation Districts ongoing push to plant 5,000 oaks in three years, agency Executive Director Leigh Sharp said.

This oak-planting push is taking place on both private property and such public spaces as Alston Park in Napa. It includes community days that anybody can attend to plant oaks and the Acorns to Oaks planting days with students.

Conservation officials estimate Napa Valley has seen its oak forests dwindle from 37,000 acres to 115 acres on the valley floor. The oak-planting spree is an effort to reforest the valley.

Carbon-cutting efforts will come into even sharper focus in coming months. The county is working on a climate action plan to reduce greenhouse gases.
Napa Police were called at 7 a.m. Saturday to investigate a report of non-guests using the hot tub at the Hampton Inn & Suites, 945 Hartle Court.

Two transients were arrested: Lavetta Conley, 41, and Chad Bueno, 41, police said.

Bueno, who was arrested while hiding behind Target, was booked at the Napa County jail for possessing burglary tools -- shaved keys that can be used to start older Volkswagens, Mazdas and Hondas, police said.

Conley was arrested for suspected possession of methamphetamines and a drug syringe and for violating probation for narcotics, police said.
The next president should recognize that Russia under Vladimir Putin is an authoritarian, kleptocratic regime that poses a serious threat to our values, interests and allies. We should contain and deter Russian aggression by reassuring our NATO allies that we will defend them, fulfilling the collective-defense guarantees of Article 5 and reaffirming our support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and aspirations of Russia's neighbors to join NATO or the European Union. We must also support those living inside Russia who are struggling for a better, more democratic future.

The problem boils down to the nature of the Putin regime. Since coming to power 17 years ago (initially as prime minister) by ordering brutal force against Russia's region of Chechnya, Putin has demonstrated a ruthless willingness to do whatever is necessary to stay in power. Any threat - real or imagined - is dealt with decisively, whether it originates inside Russia or abroad.

Since returning to the presidency in May 2012 after a four-year stint as prime minister, Putin has launched the worst crackdown on human rights in Russia in decades. Critics, journalists and opposition figures are regularly harassed and arrested - even killed, as happened to Boris Nemtsov just yards from the Kremlin in February 2015.

In Ukraine, Putin couldn't stomach the prospect of citizens demanding an end to corruption and deeper integration with the West. Were Ukraine to succeed, it might pose a threatening alternative to Putin's corrupt authoritarianism in Russia. So he invaded Ukraine in late February 2014, starting with the annexation of Crimea. Since then, nearly 10,000 Ukrainians have been killed trying to defend their country against Putin's aggression. The next American president should provide lethal military assistance to help Ukrainians defend themselves.

Putin also intervened to prop up the murderous Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and the vast majority of Russian military strikes there have hit non-Islamic State targets. He threatens countries that host NATO's missile defense system or that want to join NATO or the European Union. To justify his way of governing, he and his propagandists demonize the United States, perpetuating the myth that the United States is the biggest threat to Russia. His zero-sum way of thinking, demand for recognition of a Russian sphere of influence, interference in elections in other countries (even attempting to meddle in U.S. elections) and support for like-minded authoritarian leaders mean that Putin's interests and ours are almost diametrically opposite.

The next U.S. administration should recognize that the nature of the Putin regime precludes real partnership between the United States and Russia and vastly limits areas of cooperation. Increasing engagement will not change that - both George W. Bush and Barack Obama tried and failed - and even risks appearing desperate, which Putin would exploit as weakness on our part.

We should stay true to our values and restore the notion of "linkage" by making clear that Putin's mistreatment of his own people - and his neighbors - will adversely affect our bilateral ties. The next administration should implement more aggressively the Magnitsky Act for gross human rights abuses and maintain - even ramp up - sanctions against Russia for its ongoing violation of Ukraine's sovereignty. And we should make sure that Putin's best export - corruption - does not pollute our own way of doing business.

Kramer is senior director for human rights and democracy at the McCain Institute for International Leadership and a former assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor in the George W. Bush administration. He wrote this as part of a series by The Washington Post asking experts about issues that will face the next president.
Like others, two of the front-page articles in the Aug. 17 edition related to Napa Valley's oak woodlands caught my attention. One concerned "The Memory of a Tree ("Oak-themed 'Memory of a Tree' mural to adorn Yountville gateway"), about the Yountville residents' wise choice to use the design by artists Sofia Lacin and Hennessy Christophel for murals to grace the Highway 29 underpass and the authorities for providing the resources to complete them.

It appears the artists' conceptual framework recognizes the history and significance of the mighty oaks to Napa Valley as well as their markedly diminishing numbers. This will, I hope, remind all of us, residents and passing tourists alike, of the significant role these disappearing giants play in our well-being by filtering the water we drink and the air we breathe as well as lending beauty to our surroundings.

The second article ("City of Napa, Walt Ranch reach agreement on water quality") centered around one of the major causes of the ongoing and increasing diminution of the oak woodlands, namely destruction/clear-cutting of significant numbers of trees (think filters) to make way for various entrepreneurial projects, e.g., the Walt Ranch (an operation reportedly held by Hall Brambletree Associates from Texas), which is not the only project, but certainly one, if not the biggest due to its size and widespread destruction/alteration of all or at least most aspects of the environment across the huge property.

It seems there is general agreement that the watersheds, particularly the Milliken, which delivers water to the residents of Napa city that is described as "pristine" (water currently being filtered by the mighty oak and other vegetation, the composition and configuration of the geological environment and relative absence of impact of man-generated pollutants), may be negatively impacted if Walt Ranch is allowed to proceed. The article references prior documents that indicated that to maintain the quality of the city water supply fouled by the project, filters costing an estimated $20 million would be necessary and the expense would be passed on to existing water customers.

Reportedly, Walt Ranch officials balked at picking up the tab. It's not clear if this would be a one-time expense or a periodic necessity like replacing the filter on a Brita home filter. For whatever reason, these details/concerns were dropped and city officials agreed to sign off on the project if the county includes requirements that Walt Ranch "monitor runoff water at nine locations and take steps to deal with problems that might arise."

I'm sorry but this seems like a very poor deal for the environment and everyone in it, except those directly connected to the Walt Ranch, because once the geology is disturbed and the tens of thousands of trees are destroyed, there is no going back to nature's filtration systems (not for generations to come) and residents are left with the bill for the filters.

If anyone is interested in seeing the speciousness of the argument that planting saplings (welcome as they are) will mitigate clear-cutting of mature oaks, they can judge for themselves by walking parts of our new bike path, or wander along the Yountville drainage collector outfalls where 10 to 15 years ago county flood control officials planted filling-in saplings along the banks. While they appear to be doing well, having been planted on creek banks, I think no one would argue that they even come close to approaching the size or filtering/soil stabilizing/shade capacity of a mature oak.

Another issue of significant concern, that of the pumping of hundreds of millions of gallons of water from our aquifers, was brought into sharp focus by an article in the August volume of National Geographic titled "To the Last Drop" authored by Laura Parker. The article chronicles in poignant fashion the draining of what is said to be North America's largest aquifer, the Ogallala that spans several central states. Reasons she identifies include the farmers' expansionistic over-farming in the quest for more income (an example, of what I think some politicians refer to as "growth" when occurring with businesses, communities, states, etc.), their unwillingness to self-regulate the amount of water they were pumping, even with the knowledge that, despite rain/snow fall of 50 to 100 percent above average, the aquifer did not recharge to previous levels and wells ran dry, as well as their officials' unwillingness to impose limits.

Maybe Napa County and the rest of the state -- certainly the Central Valley, which is already sinking -- have reached the tipping point where too much of a good thing leads to a disaster like that in the states served by the Ogallala aquifer. As a friend recently queried, "When is enough enough?" If subscribers have not read Ms. Parker's article, perhaps you can find the time to do so and hopefully we will treat "Yountville Tree Mural" with more respect and care than we have been doing with the real ones.

Stephen J. Donoviel

Napa
Just over a year ago, I embarked on the best adventure in my lifetime. Though I am only 17 years old, I know that I will be talking about this journey for years upon years to come.

In October of 2014, I was given the information that I would be the next exchange student in the Rotary Youth Exchange program. I flew to Switzerland the next school year in 2015 and no one could have known that this past year would be the best year of my life.

The St. Helena Rotary Club has done so much for me in helping out and being there for my struggles and accomplishments. Rotary is kind and every member has a big heart. They do so much for the community although they are rarely talked about. I know, at least for me, I had no idea of this amazing organization before I went on exchange. I will forever be grateful for the chance and experience they gave me.

The point I am trying to make is the St. Helena Rotary Club has a special place in my heart. I wish for many others to consider joining the St. Helena Rotary Club or your local Rotary club to help in community projects, activities, and other organizations. I also encourage any person in high school to spend a year abroad through the Rotary program.

To me, they are more than just a group of people getting together for lunch every week, they are the people who helped me get to where I am and be my best possible me. Thank you so much for everything, St. Helena Rotary Club.

Gabby Gomez

St. Helena
Rosaura Segura, an Upvalley community leader for 20 years, is seeking election to the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees.

A former board member of the St. Helena Public School Foundation and the St. Helena Boys and Girls Club Board, Segura is running for the college trustee seat being vacated by JoAnn Busenbark, who announced she is endorsing Segura.

Rosa is an exceptional problem solver, an expert on immigration and a wine industry leader who is devoted to serving the community, said Busenbark. Segura is a former member of the Napa County Grand Jury.

Also running for the Area 6 seat in the Nov. 8 election is longtime education advocate Debbie Alter-Starr. Area 6 on the colleges board of trustees includes north-central Napa, Yountville, Oakville, Rutherford and St. Helena.

According to a news release, Segura, a child of Mexican immigrants, owns a small vineyard and also owns and operates Rosaura Segura Immigration Services, serves as treasurer of the nonprofit Mexican American Vintners Association, chairs the Napa Valley Migrant Farm Worker Housing Committee and is an advisor to the Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary by the way of the Institute of Mexicans Abroad.

A longtime member of the St. Helena Catholic Church, Segura is a member of the Napa County Housing Committee responsible for updating the Housing Element of the Napa County General Plan and was honored by the California Human Development Corp. for excellent service provided to the community.

Seguras father, Don Enrique Segura, signed up for the guest-worker Bracero program in 1946, working in the Dakotas, the Carolinas, Montana, Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas. He came to California in the 1950s, settled in the Napa Valley and gained a steady job with Beringer in 1954.

After obtaining permanent residence in 1961, he was hired by Robert and Peter Mondavi at Charles Krug Winery, and was a driver for their parents, Rosa and Cesario Mondavi. He was able to bring two of his eldest children to Napa in 1968, and finally, in 1972, with their help, brought his wife and their younger kids to Napa Valley.

He worked at Krug until his death in 1983.

Her son, Horacio Lopez-Segura, was honored to receive the 2009 Aldo Delfino Scholarship, awarded by the Napa County Farm Bureau and has graduated Fresno State University with Bachelors of Science degrees in Viticulture and Enology. Additionally, Segura has two children attending Napa Valley College and another returning in the spring semester.
St. Helena Historical Societys 14th annual Spirits of St. Helena Cemetery Tour called Old Soldiers Go West: Civil War Veterans is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 10. The event begins at 1 p.m., with tours departing from the front gate at 1 and 2 p.m. Each tour will visit selected gravesites on the grounds.

The year 2016 marks 160 years since the first burial at St. Helena Cemetery.

This years theme is Old Soldiers Go West, as the graves of St. Helenans who fought in the U.S. Civil War from 1861-1865 are visited. In partnership with St. Helena High School Drama Department, local drama students will be Civil War reenactors, which is new this year.

Mariam Hansen, research director for the St. Helena Historical Society, said, We are very excited to have these young thespians step into the 1860s and be the Civil War soldiers that are buried in St. Helena Cemetery. Imagine them saying, What is left of me is buried here.

An additional bonus is the professional Civil War reenactor in full uniform who will impersonate Capt. Augustus Starr of the California Cavalry.

For 160 years, soldiers from all our countrys wars have been buried at the St. Helena Cemetery. They were Mexican, Civil War, Spanish-American, World War I and WWII veterans and more, Hansen said. You will learn how St. Helena Cemetery started with the 1856 burial of Sarah Hudson and fascinating glimpses of other people buried there.

St. Helena Cemetery is located at 2461 Spring St. in St. Helena. Tours will take place rain or shine. Please wear comfortable walking shoes and bring an umbrella. The entire community is encouraged to attend this fun and educational event. Admission is $10 and no RSVPs are necessary.

For more information, call 967-5502, or email shstory@shstory.org, visit the website at shstory.org, or find the SHHS on Facebook.
From Vidovich Avenue to Andrea Way, property owners and members of the Tree Committee are celebrating the planting of trees they say will help beautify St. Helena, provide shade and gobble up carbon dioxide.

Its privacy, its shade, its lower temperatures, said Dan Hale, who planted four crepe myrtles in front of his Andrea Way home. It makes the whole street look more friendly.

Scott Gay of Velo Vino said he hopes that the four maples he recently planted along Vidovich will provide more shade, attract business and enhance the propertys aesthetics. The property is irrigated by a well, so the trees wont use city water.

The idea is to increase the greening of our public spaces as much as we can, he said. The whole thing cost about $300, which is relatively nothing.

This is the perfect time to start planting, according to Edie Kausch, a landscape designer and chair of St. Helenas Tree Committee. Trees planted in the fall tend to grow the fastest, and the leaves that fall from other trees provide free fertilizer.

Trees are good for the whole city, Kausch said. They reduce the temperature around them by preventing sunlight from reflecting off the sidewalk or road surface. The more trees you have, the more shade you have. The more shade you have, the lower the temperature is and the more oxygen you have.

The Tree Committee strives to protect the St. Helenas tree canopy. However, the city has limited resources available to plant trees, and regulations proposed by the committee to protect trees on private property are still under staff review. So the committee is instead hoping that property owners will see the benefits of planting their own street trees.

Trees should be chosen carefully to suit the place where theyre being planted, Kausch said. The city has a list of ideal street trees, based on factors like size and root systems.

Deep-rooted trees are preferable to trees that spread their roots outward and tend to damage sidewalks, foundations and sewer lines. The root system also depends on the size of the tree. Tall trees with big canopies tend to have correspondingly large root systems.

When buying from a nursery, Kausch usually advises her clients to buy small young trees, not because theyre cheaper than big older ones (although they are) but because the buyer will still have a chance to shape their structure and development.

Velo Vino went with maples that can thrive in direct sunlight  not the Japanese maples that need shade. The Andrea Way location has power lines overhead, so the homeowners chose low-growing crepe myrtles.

The new trees on Vidovich and Andrea are the first ones on their respective sidewalks, and Kausch hopes they will start a trend.

The Tree Committee also encourages the preservation and planting of oaks, which can sometimes be suitable as street trees. Environmentalist and former postmaster Peter Mennen has pledged up to $50,000 to fund the re-oaking of St. Helena.

Young 15-gallon trees other than oaks are typically cheap, costing between $55 to $150. Trees planted in the public right-of-way require a $75 city permit, which Kausch said is not difficult to obtain.

Property owners looking to plant inside the public right-of-way should contact the city or go to cityofsthelena.org for a tree permit.
Do organic wines taste better than conventional wines? Conventional wisdom would say no. We may shop at Whole Foods Market or MOM's Organic Market, and we may pull over in traffic at the sight of a farmer with a load of tomatoes on a parked flatbed truck, but apparently we raise a skeptical eyebrow at the word "organic" on a wine label. Organic wine is still stuck with the "hippie wine" image of grapes trodden with unsanitary feet and juice that goes funky in the bottle.

Maybe it's time to rethink that image. A new study out of UCLA published in the Journal of Wine Economics concludes that organic wines do taste better, as measured in the scores of leading wine critics. The authors - Magali Delmas, Olivier Gergaud and Jinghui Lim - analyzed the reviews and scores of more than 74,000 California wines from the 1998 to 2009 vintages in three magazines: Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast. They found that "eco-certified" wines scored significantly higher than other wines and that reviews used more positive words about them.

Here's why this finding could be important: All three publications rate wines blind, meaning the reviewers don't know what wines they are tasting. The researchers used all sorts of statistical wizardry to control for vintage variation and other factors, so the difference in scores should be attributable just to environmental certification. And the results counter what can best be called a counterintuitive conventional wisdom: that "organic" in wine means lower quality. As the authors noted, many of the certified wines did not mention the certification on the label because the producers fear a consumer backlash. They may be missing a potentially important marketing point.

The problem is in definition, and here we can blame the U.S. government for some of the confusion. Under U.S. Agriculture Department regulations issued a decade ago, an "organic" wine is made not only without synthetic herbicides and pesticides in the vineyard but also without sulfites added in the winery. (The limit is 10 parts per million natural sulfites.) Sulfur is an important preservative that keeps wine from spoiling in the bottle, so this restriction accounts for much of organic wine's poor reputation. As a compromise, the USDA allows wines to be labeled as "made from organically grown grapes." That means the vineyard practices are certified organic, but it allows the winemaker to add sulfites to protect the wine. The study included both types of organic wine certification, as well as the Demeter organization's biodynamic certification, another type of organic farming that emphasizes the ecosystem of the vineyard.

The study did not single out wines labeled "sustainable" or with other sorts of "eco-labeling" that do not involve formal certification. Many wineries follow sustainable, organic or biodynamic practices but don't seek certification, which can be expensive. And if the weather turns bad during the growing season, vintners like to have the flexibility to save their crop with conventional methods. Therefore, the authors note, their findings may actually understate the effect of eco-friendly farming on wine quality.

Maybe wineries should be touting their organic certification. At MOM's Organic Markets, "we have customers who seek out wines made without sulfites, and the only way to get that is with the organic seal on the label," says Crystal Lyle, the wine buyer for seven MOM's outlets in Maryland, the District and Northern Virginia. MOM's does carry wines labeled sustainable, but Lyle said most are made with certified organic grapes. Lyle prefers it that way.

"If they aren't willing to put it on the label, then I don't want the wine on our shelves," she told me. "I would prefer they have a certification on the label so our customers know what they are buying."

Personally, I've found eco-certification is not a guarantee of high quality. But wines made from organic grapes or with biodynamic viticulture - or even those labeled "sustainable," with or without certification - often taste more lively, even more compelling, than other wines. Other factors may influence that perception. Wineries certified organic or biodynamic tend to be small, family producers that may take other steps to increase quality, such as maintaining low yields or other labor-intensive farming practices.

And maybe that's just another reason to seek these wines out.
President discusses latest foreign political developments around Artsakh

Azerbaijan officials considering opening embassy in Israel

Armenia PM, EU Special Representative for South Caucasus discuss regional security and peace

Nikol Pashinyan, Garo Paylan exchange views on Armenia-Turkey normalization process

Quake hits Armenia-Turkey border zone

Armenia ruling party adopting new vision regarding Karabakh conflict settlement

Russia MOD: Ukraine carried out terrorist attack on Black Sea Fleet ships, civilian ships in Sevastopol

Premier: CSTO should plan force operation, restore Armenias territorial integrity

Armenia PM: All countries consider Karabakh to be part of Azerbaijan

Armenias Pashinyan: CSTO does not exist

Kremlin responds to question on extending mandate of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh

Armenia premier: We need to know, ultimately, what Russian peacekeepers are doing in Nagorno-Karabakh

Armenia PM: Im ready to sign document, accept that Russian peacekeepers term in Karabakh be extended 10-20 years

Armenias Pashinyan: We are ready to delegate border guard service operation to Russian border guards

Finland, Sweden promise to join NATO together

European Parliament calls on Armenia to consider diversifying its security partnerships

Visiting Armenia MPs brief Canada lawmaker on recent Azerbaijan military aggression

Armenia PM at ruling party congress: We declared repairing states foundation our primary task

Karabakh President: Russia leaders statement inspires certain hopes

Armenia ruling party congress kicks off

Man breaks into US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home, demands to speak with her, beats husband with hammer

EU-Armenia Joint Committee on Research and Innovation first meeting to be held in November

Provincial governor of Armenias Gegharkunik: EU monitoring mission already started

US accuses Russia of disinformation regarding Washington intentions towards Armenia, Azerbaijan

Mexico fully legalizes gay marriage

Newspaper: Azerbaijan not inclined to sign anything with Armenia in Russias Sochi

Armenia ruling party convening closed convention

Italian prime minister demands that she be addressed as prime minister in masculine form

Pentagon to send Ukraine new aid package worth $275 million

Europe will ban sale of one type of car

European Commission head announces new aid and investments for Serbia

Biden calls Putin's rhetoric on nuclear weapons 'dangerous'

Lukashenko on Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict: What are you fighting for in these mountains, where not even goats walk?

Swedish authorities offer to create united northern army

Lukashenko: Conflict issue between Armenia and Azerbaijan must be resolved now - with Ilham Aliyev

Lukashenko about situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border: Where are we racing horses, where are we rushing to?

Pashinyan: Armenia-Diaspora relations undergo profound substantive changes

Lukashenko to Pashinyan: Sit down with Aliyev and make a decision, if you don't make it today, it will be worse

Bulgarian interim government urges to speed up transition to euro zone

President of Karabakh: It is necessary to unite all national potential and efforts

IMF: China's sharp and uncharacteristic economic slowdown will stall growth in Asia by the end of 2023

Iran: Riots in country were planned by the intelligence services of the USA, England, Israel and the KSA

Steinmeier: Ukraine war caused 'epochal break' in Germany's relations with Russia

Gas prices in Europe remain high in coming years

Ararat Mirzoyan and Toivo Klaar stress importance of hosting EU civilian mission in Armenia

Armenia's ambassador-at-large: Daily false propaganda can't cover up Azerbaijani war crimes

Taiwan MFA outraged by Putin's speech on his status and Pelosi's visit

Armenia gives no response to peace treaty proposals, Bayramov says

Netanyahu expects return to power after 5th Israeli election in 4 years

Armenian gravestone found in Trabzon, Turkey neighborhood

Pashinyan: CSTO Secretary General's report mainly reflects existing realities

Azerbaijan talks possible deliveries of its gas to international Turkish hub

CSTO leaders to meet in late November: Situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border will be discussed

Dollar, euro continue falling in Armenia

Pelosi's house attacked, her husband injured

Russias Putin to have private talks with Armenias Pashinyan, Azerbaijans Aliyev

Mher Grigoryan: CIS needs a new scientific and technical agreement

Pentagon strategy doesn't rule out use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear threats

French National Assembly plans to pass resolution proposing certain sanctions against Azerbaijan

Mher Grigoryan: There are no other corridors in the trilateral statement other than Lachin's

Konstantin Zatulin: Russia should have made maximum efforts so that there would be no war in Karabakh

The Hill: The American people deserve to know how the war in Ukraine will end

Sochi to host trilateral talks of Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders on October 31

Poland receives first Turkish drones

Hungarian government may extend price limits on fuel and some basic foodstuffs

Armenias Simonyan attends meeting of heads of EEU countries parliaments

Polish general appointed as head of EU mission to train Ukrainian troops

Russia MP: Karabakh status decision is in fact its Armenians safety guarantee

Zatulin: West seeks to push Russia out of negotiation process at any cost

Legislature head proposes to organize, under CIS auspices, return of Armenians detained in Azerbaijan

Iran prevents bomb explosion in Shiraz crowded street

Iraqi parliament expresses vote of confidence in new cabinet

France lawmakers visit Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan

Putin: Moscow is doing everything possible to normalize relations between Yerevan and Baku

Annual shopping festival kicks off in Dubai on December 15

Lazarevsky Club: Minute of silence held in memory of fallen Russian and Armenian soldiers

Bayramov and US Assistant Secretary of State discuss Yerevan-Baku relations

Expansion of cooperation with Interpol is important, Armenia PM says

Armenia defense minister briefs Austria envoy on situation due to recent Azerbaijan military aggression (PHOTOS)

Australia can't rule out energy price caps

Armenia parliament speaker: Use, threat of force undermine processes aimed at establishing peace

Garo Paylan is in Yerevan

Barack Obama tries to help Democrats win midterm elections

Azerbaijan president, Russia first deputy PM discuss North-South transport corridor project

PM Pashinyan receives France-Armenia friendship group delegation from French parliament

Taiwan urges China to start talking

Armen Grigoryan and Toivo Klaar discuss Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiation process

Matviyenko: Russia will continue mediation for signing Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty

Politico: Scholz and Macron threaten U.S. trade retaliation

CIS premiers sign several agreements at Kazakhstan meeting

Konstantin Zatulin: Nagorno-Karabakh peoples right to self-determination must be respected

Armenia legislature head: Policy of threats, coercion is unacceptable to us

U.S. must strengthen its defense against growing threats from both China, Russia

Karabakh ex-President: Necessary to rule out mistakes, miscalculations which will have irreversible consequences

EU reaches agreement to ban new cars with internal combustion engine by 2035

Benny Gantz: Future of Israel and Turkey is promising

EU Special Representative for South Caucasus arrives in Armenia

Lazarevsky Club meeting underway in Yerevan, Moscow

Yellen sees no sign of recession in U.S. economy in near future

Cannes palm trees promenade named after Charles Aznavour
On September 2, 2016, Armenians will mark the 25th anniversary of the proclamation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR/Artsakh).

On that day in 1991, its Parliament adopted the Declaration of Independence. And on December 10 of the same year, the people of Artsakh confirmed, through a referendum, the proclamation of NKR independence.

But a quarter century after gaining independence, and despite numerous achievements, Nagorno-Karabakh still faces major challenges.

The Armenian News-NEWS.am camera crews were in Artsakh ahead of the anniversary, to try to encapsulate todays NKR, together with its problems and successes.

The Armenian News-NEWS.am staff members have also met with the families of fallen soldiers, most of whom live in difficult social conditions. In addition, they got together with those families of soldiers killed in the four-day warwhich Azerbaijan had unleashed against the NKR in early Aprilwhere there are underage children, and which have received monetary assistance that was collected during Armenian News-NEWS.ams annual charity event devoted to International Childrens Day.

In the coming days, Armenian News-NEWS.am will present, under the theme, Karabakh: Quarter Century of Independence, reports, interviews and photo reports from, and footage from drones flying over, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
YEREVAN.  Hovhannes Harutyunyana wounded member of the Sasna Tsrer armed group which took over a police patrol regiment building, but later surrendered in Armenias capital city of Yerevan in Julyis in serious condition, and he needs emergency medical treatment, his attorney, Hayarpi Sargsyan, said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Different doctors examined [him], who explain that he cant be operated on, since his wounds have not yet healed, noted Sargsyan. On July 26, armed police patrolled at the intensive care unit of Erebouni hospital, whose meaning we didnt understand as well.

A nurse asked them to leave, noting that they are not sterile. Hovhannes also asked that the police leave, but the police responded: Ill spit on you! Afterward, Hovhannes Harutyunyan was taken to the Prison Hospital.

He was taken, thrown into a [prison] cell, where conditions are inhumane.

The attorney also noted that she is being pressured since she is raising the matter of the room conditions of the Prison Hospital.

Hayarpi Sargsyan added that the apathy, which exists with respect to Hovhannes Harutyunyan, is nonexistent regarding the other members of Sasna Tsrer.

Attorney Ara Gharagyozyan likewise noted that the Penitentiary Department disseminates misinformation in connection with Harutyunyans prison conditions.

Hovhannes Harutyunyans sister, Tamara Hovhannisyan, for her part, stated that political persecution is carried out against her brother, since he had made some statements to reporters while still at the aforesaid police patrol regiment building, and that these statements were not to the liking of the authorities.
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza(WASHINGTON) -- Donald Trumps immigration plan is set to be announced later this week. And if previous comments are any indication, the Republican presidential contender said he plans to focus on deporting criminals, similar to the current strategy of the Obama administration.



"On Day One, I am going to begin swiftly removing criminal illegal immigrants from this country," he said at Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst's Roast and Ride event Saturday in Des Moines, saying he would not focus on the 11 million undocumented residents who have lived in the U.S. for a long time without incident.



Trump has not given specific details about his immigration policy plans, but is expected to explain more Wednesday.



Based on statements so far, Trump's plan to remove the undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes is similar to what President Obama declared in 2014. Here's a look at some of the numbers:



How many people have been deported under Obama?

President Barack Obama has often been referred to by immigration groups as the "Deporter in Chief."



Between 2009 and 2015 his administration has removed more than 2.5 million people through immigration orders, which doesnt include the number of people who "self-deported" or were turned away and/or returned to their home country at the border by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).



How does he compare to other presidents?

According to governmental data, the Obama administration has deported more people than any other president's administration in history.



In fact, they have deported more than the sum of all the presidents of the 20th century.



President George W. Bush's administration deported just over two million during his time in office; and Obamas numbers dont reflect his last year in office, for which data is not yet available.



Who is being deported?

President Obama directed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to focus on criminals, not families, during his November 2014 executive action on immigration.



According to their website, "ICE has continued to increase its focus on identifying, arresting, and removing convicted criminals in prisons and jails, and also at-large arrests in the interior."



In fiscal year 2015, 91 percent of people removed from inside the U.S. were previously convicted of a crime.



The administration made the first priority "threats to national security, border security, and public safety." That includes gang members, convicted felons or charged with "aggravated felony" and anyone apprehended at the border trying to enter the country illegally.



In 2015, 81 percent, or 113,385, of the removals were the priority one removals.



Priority two includes "misdemeanants and new immigration violators."



That includes "aliens convicted of three or more misdemeanor offenses, other than minor traffic" violations, as well as those convicted of domestic violence, sexual abuse, burglary, DUIs or drug trafficking.



Who is not being deported?

With the focus on criminals and not families, the administration has moved away from those living and working in the U.S. without a criminal history.



"Felons, not families. Criminals, not children. Gang members, not a mom whos working hard to provide for her kids. Well prioritize, just like law enforcement does every day," Obama said in November 2014 when announcing his executive action on immigration.



And while he tried to provide relief and a way "out of the shadows" for those without criminal histories with his immigration action, that was eventually stricken down by the Supreme Court not issuing a decision on the case, thereby upholding the lower courts action.



But by refocusing on criminals most families who are living and following the law are not targets for deportations.



What about raids against mothers and children?

Priority three for the administration is focused on those who have arrived after January 1, 2014. The administration has focused on preventing families from sending their children unaccompanied on a dangerous trek by emphasizing they will be returned.



Many of these unaccompanied children and mothers with children are fleeing violence in central Americacoming from the northern triangle of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, some of the most dangerous countries in the world.



Many of the people migrating from that area to the U.S. claim refugee status and, if they can prove real harm will result in their being returned, they are allowed to remain until their case is heard.



There are critics, however, who state that many are not getting a fair shot at claiming refugee status and are being returned too hastily.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Meline, the 6-year-old daughter of Sergeant Vachik Movsisyan who had fallen during Azerbaijani aggression in April against the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR/Artsakh), will start school this year.

She continues listening to adult conversation. And when her fathers name is mentioned, she says: He said, I may not come [back].

The little girls mother, Ida Manucharyan, recalled that when going to his military service, her husband had told her not to bother the children.

Because I may not return, he had said.

On the morning of April 26, Sergeant Movsisyan, as usual, was getting ready to go to his military unit. But his children had clung to his weapon, and they were asking him to stay.

But on that day, he did not return.

Nerkin Horatagh village in NKR Martakert Region is located near the line of contact with Azerbaijan. The villagers still live under the rules of the time of the Karabakh War. They do not turn on electricity at night, so as not to become targets for the Azerbaijani armed forces.

When the scale of Azerbaijan aggression in April became known, women and children were evacuated from the village to Artsakh capital city of Stepanakert. But when the shooting was over, everyone returned; they could not to leave their husbands all alone.

The fallen sergeants family raises three boys and one girl. The two older boys, 10-year-old Ruben and 8-year-old Davit, were not at home. Davit had gone to his grandmothers home, whereas Ruben had traveled to Greece, for a camp. This trip for the children of fallen soldiers was organized by the NKR government.

The youngest boy, 2-year-old Karen, played with us. And when he got tired, he was taken for a nap.

The large family, however, still does not have its own place to live. They were living on rent, but now, Ida lives at a relatives home, together with her four children.

She said that officials had come, after the death of her husband, inquired about her housing issue, and promised to seek a house for her in Nerkin Horatagh, since her husband was registered in this village.
European Free Alliance within the European Parliament cooperates with the deputies of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR).

The Latvian member of the European Parliament (MEP) Tatjana Zdanoka, who is also a member of the Greens/ European Free Alliance, told the aforementioned to Armenian News  NEWS.am.

It is always hard for regionalists and supporters of ethnic minorities to win votes. For instance, in Latvia part of the voters is deprived of voting rights (Russian-speaking population, among whom there are many supporters of Latvian-Russian Union).

As to the Karabakh issue, personally I have a little different position on that unlike some of my colleagues, not least because I am included in the Greens faction, Zdanoka noted.

Greens/ European Free Alliance has a significant autonomy, and in a number of cases it comes up with its own position, she added.

Specifically, the Alliance invited the representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh to its recent conferences, including the one held in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, in 2014. Even the issue of the potential membership of Karabakh deputies is considered, she added.

Anyway, we support inter-party relations with them, the Latvian MEP noted.

Zdanoka, who is a Co-Chairman of the Latvian-Russian Union, has been involved in the protection of the Russian-speaking population of Latvia for many years.
YEREVAN. - The newly appointed Ambassador of Georgia to Armenia Giorgi Saganelidze extended his credentials to the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on Tuesday.

Sargsyan congratulated the Ambassador on his appointment, wishing him success in his diplomatic mission in Armenia. The President expressed conviction that the newly appointed diplomat will significantly contribute to the development of bilateral ties and strengthening of the Armenian-Georgian friendly relations in different areas. Expressing satisfaction with the intensification of high-level interstate contacts during recent years, the President said that Armenia is looking forward to the upcoming official visit of the Prime Minister of Georgia.

Ambassador Saganelidze assured that during his mission he will do his best to deepen the existing close and good-neighborly relations between Armenia and Georgia. He also added that he is honored to work in a country whose centuries-long history and culture are well known to him.

The interlocutors stressed that the active interstate dialogue anchored in the historically traditional friendship and understanding of the two nations has become a strong base for identifying new areas of cooperation.

President Serzh Sargsyan and Ambassador Giorgi Saganelidze concurred that along with the high-level political relations there also exist wide opportunities and still unused huge potential for the development of the trade and economic ties, as well as expansion of cooperation in a number of promising areas such as tourism, agriculture, energy, culture, etc.

The Armenian President and Georgian Ambassador also underscored the importance of the active work aimed at strengthening the inter-parliamentary ties.
The ban on wearing burkini on the beaches of France should be immediately removed. Such an appeal was made by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to the authorities of the French coastal towns and resorts, reports the TASS. The representative of the Office Rupert Kolvil during a briefing in Geneva welcomed the decision of the French Council of State, which canceled the ban on wearing burkini accepted by the Mayors Office in Villeneuve-Loubet.

Kolvil recalled that in accordance with international standards, the limits on religion, including the choice of clothes, is allowed in very limited circumstances, including public safety, order, health, and morality.

The official noted that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights fully understands and shares the bitterness and indignation caused by the terrorist acts in France in recent months. At the same time, he emphasized that decisions on burkini ban will not improve the situation in the sphere of security, but rather will incite religious intolerance and stigmatization of Muslims, particularly Muslim women in France.
The Nagorno-Karabakh peoples right to self-determination cannot be called into question.

Armenian National Assembly (NA) Vice President Hermine Naghdalyan said the aforementioned during the meeting with Polish Sejm Deputy Marshal Ryszard Terlecki in the framework of the Solidarity and Sovereignty parliamentary conference of the Central and Eastern Europe countries launched in Warsaw on Tuesday.

At the meeting, Naghdalyan was accompanied by the Armenian Ambassador to Poland Edgar Ghazaryan, head of the Polish delegation to PACE Wodzimierz Bernacki and other officials.

The Deputy Marshal of Sejm highly appreciated the interstate relations between the two countries, which are distinguished for the deep content of their agenda.In this context, attention was attached to a number of high-level mutual visits, including at the level of the presidents of both countries.The interlocutors also underscored the role of inter-parliamentary cooperation.

For her part, NA Vice President Hermine Naghdalyan greatly appreciated the Armenian-Polish cooperation not only in bilateral, but also multilateral format. In this context, she underscored the importance of developing constructive cooperation between the parliamentary representatives of both friendly countries.

Naghdalyan noted that Poland is one of he important partners for Armenia in Armenia-European Union relations. Being the only member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Armenia continues to consistently expand the cooperation agenda with the EU.

Welcoming this format of European discussions, Naghdalyan expressed hope that it will serve to find new ways to solve a number of current challenges in Europe, i.e. dual standards, injustice, migration, terrorism, etc.

Referring to one of the key issues in Armenias foreign policy, the Karabakh conflict, Naghdalyan drew her Polish counterparts attention to the military actions unleashed by Azerbaijan in April and the numerous resulting human losses, including among civilians.

In such conditions, the right of the Nagorno-Karabakh people to self-determination cannot be called into question, since the issue concerns the physical existence of the people, she said, stressing that although Armenia positively assesses the condemnation of the ceasefire violations by the international community, general and untargeted condemnation is not enough to restrain the side responsible for the large-scale military clash.

According to Naghdalyan, it is already 25 years the Artsakh people have been building their state, which exceeds Azerbaijan several times by all the standards of democracy. Today Artsakh people strive for one thing, namely to ensure their peaceful life and regular development of their homeland, she added.

She stressed that Azerbaijans ambition with regard to Karabakh is an apparent signature of an aggressor. Azerbaijans torpedoing and flopping all the constructive and humanitarian proposals during the entire process of talks is a vivid proof thereof, Naghdalyan said.

By the end of the meeting, the Armenian NA Vice President thanked her Polish counterpart for the warm reception and meeting.

The conference will continue its work also tomorrow. Parliament chairmen, parliamentary vice presidents, deputies and other high-ranking officials from over 10 countries, including Georgia, Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Belarus, Turkey and Azerbaijan, are taking part in it.
The rapprochement between Ankara and Moscow is indicative of the rise of Russias cherished concept of multipolarity, British journalist and Carnegie Center expert Thomas de Waal writes in his article.

In his words, by their meeting in Saint Petersburg, the two leaders wanted to manifest their displeasure with the West. In particular, Erdogan wished to register his disapproval of how Western leaders had not backed him as unequivocally as he had hoped after the failed coup detat in Turkey in July and of their continued criticism of his authoritarian methods.

According to the expert, both sides had good reason to make up their icy relations: The Turkish economy badly suffered from the fall in the number of Russian tourists and embargo on Turkish goods, whereas Russia wants to cut its dependency on Ukraine as a gas export route and revive the Turkish Stream.

Moreover, as has been frequently remarked, Erdogan and Putin share similar pugnacious personalities and an allergy to the perceived domination of a Western liberal consensus in world affairs. That prickliness also masks a persistent feeling of insecurity. Both Russians and Turks are inclined to think that Europe is unfair to two big countries on its flanks that, as they see it, buffer the rest of the continent from a host of troubles emanating from the East and the South, the author writes.

In his words, Russia and Turkey are the heirs of the Russian and Ottoman empires, powers that used to be constant rivals and thus it takes more than a single friendly meeting to overcome this legacy.

They cannot overcome it, any more than either can resolve similar deep-rooted issues with the third big power in this regional triangle, Iran. [] In Syria, the two countries appear to have done a tactical deal to cooperate against the so-called Islamic State in the north of the country, but they are still backing opposite sides in the battle over Aleppo.

So, according to de Waal, this reconciliation looks more like a business deal with limited aims and an economic rationale than a new strategic alliance.

The author stressed that this way both Putin and Erdogan see a world in which alliances like NATO or transnational organizations like the EU are weaker and mean less. The two leaders are more comfortable with a world in which alliances are transient and transactional and traditional great powers set the agenda and reserve the right to change their minds at a moments notice if they choose to, while smaller countries have to fall in line.

But of course, more multipolarity means less multilateralism. If the European organizations like the EU, NATO, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) want to combat the multipolar trend, they need to become more attractive and more inclusive to the nations on the edge of Europe, the expert concludes.
MELBOURNE, Florida  The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Brevard Zoo will hold an Exotic Pet Amnesty Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 3, 2016, in front of the Nyami Nyami River Lodge at Brevard Zoo located at 8225 North Wickham Road in Melbourne, Florida.





Exotic pets can be surrendered with no questions asked. Every pet that is surrendered is inspected by a veterinarian, and all healthy pets are placed with pre-qualified adopters that same day.







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The Exotic Pet Amnesty Program is an effort to reduce the number of nonnative species being released into the wild by exotic pet owners who can no longer care for their pets or no longer wish to keep them. Amnesty Day events are held around the State of Florida to provide the opportunity for people to surrender their exotic pets free of charge and with no penalties.

When exotic pets are released into the wild, they often become an invasive species that can harm native species, and endanger people and pets. Floridas subtropical climate is one reason the state has the worlds largest number of invasive species. The State of Florida spends over $80 million a year to help rid the Sunshine State of these invasive species.





Two Green Anacondas, considered to be the largest snake species in the world, were found in the wild in Brevard County in February 2016 and December 2015 .

Another invasive species that is spreading from South Florida into Brevard County is the Nile monitor lizard which can grow to over 5 feet long and weigh close to 15 pounds. The monitors are known in their native Africa to prey or scavenge for a variety of small animals, including domestic cats.
When news came that the first Ebola patients were on their way to ELWA Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia, Nancy Writebol recalls feeling a surge of adrenaline.

It was the summer of 2014, and concern about the gathering epidemic had been building throughout West Africa for months. Now the disease was set to arrive on their doorstep, since ELWA was one of only two hospitals in Liberia that could offer a makeshift isolation unit.

Early detection and limited supportive care were all they could provide, Writebol told a packed audience of future nurses at the Glenn Memorial Auditorium on Friday for the 111th convocation of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing.

As a clinical nurse associate, Writebols role would be to protect and decontaminate aid workers who were directly treating Ebola patients  preparing bleach water and taping down sleeves and gloves to ensure no skin was exposed to the virus, which at the time was nearly always fatal.

Writebol considered her job in the low risk zone. And yet by late summer, she was exhibiting flu-like symptoms herself. She tested positive first for malaria, then later, for the Ebola virus.

By the time she was taken to a local airfield for transport to Atlanta to be treated at Emory University Hospital, Writebol was too weak to walk up the steps of the plane.

As she lay on a stretcher on a baggage ramp, a nurse laid a gloved hand on her face and said, Nancy, were going to take you home and were going to take really good care of you.

That is the face of a nurse, Writebol told the convocation audience. And just as Writebol found comfort in her care, she charged nursing students to offer the face of compassion to their own patients.

I challenge you to be the best of the best, she said. Stand and dont be afraid. Wear the uniform with pride and serve the people who come through the door.

You are entering one of the finest medical universities in the world, she continued. Keep learning, but at the end of the day, remember, show compassion.

Convocation traditionally marks the beginning of an academic journey for Emory nursing students, and this years class is one for the record books, according to Linda McCauley, dean of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing.

The fall semester brings the largest class of students ever enrolled in the School of Nursing, with 395 new students across all programs. Enrollment increased by 117 students over last years applications, she said, noting the opportunities and needs for nursing have never been greater.

The face of compassion

Two years ago this month, Writebol and medical missionary Dr. Kent Brantly arrived at the special Serious Communicable Diseases Unit at Emory University Hospital, where they would become the first people treated for Ebola virus disease in the United States.

Reflecting back on that fragile time, Writebol offered praise for the lifesaving care she received at Emory through a team of five superstar doctors and nearly two dozen nurses, some who had cancelled vacations to help with her care.

Its a privilege and an honor to be with you and to be once again at Emory University, this time standing and not on a stretcher, she laughed.

Critical care nurse clinician Jill Morgan is the first person Writebol remembers meeting when she arrived at Emory. Can you tell me your name? Morgan quizzed her. Do you know where you are?

Writebol knew only that she was in a hospital, but her face and the faces of so many other nurses were always of care, she told the students. For the next 14 days, Jill and a team of 20 other nurses cared for Dr. Brantly and myself physically and as a person  and they cared for our families.

Writebol praised her care providers for assessing all aspects of their needs  our bodies, our physical condition, our minds, and our spirits  and addressing them as a whole.

When nurses are willing to give you a pedicure, ask what your favorite drink was and its there every day, when nurses care for your family like its their family, thats compassion, she said. You are the face of compassion to your patients.

As todays students begin their own journey into nursing care, Writebol challenged them to always look at the patient and try to anticipate what personal needs they may have.

See them as a person, dont see them as a disease. Advocate for your patients, speak to the doctors about what you are seeing, dont be afraid.

Serving in the time of Ebola

In many ways, thats what Writebol did herself  pressing forward to be of service in the Ebola crisis at a time when many were fleeing.

She recalls some Liberian hospital workers who refused to don protective gear and treat Ebola victims, who were kept in a makeshift isolation unit they had created in a hospital chapel.

There was no treatment, no vaccine, she said. Ebola took 90 percent of those affected in early stages. There was so much fear.

At times reading from her journal, Writebol described how the crisis that would eventually capture worldwide headlines began quietly in a village in southeastern Guinea with the death of a 2-year-old child in December 2013.

By March, health workers had alerted the Guinea Ministry of Health that a problem was building; Doctors Without Borders were warning of a mysterious disease that caused fever, diarrhea and vomiting.

The World Health Organization (WHO) would eventually confirm that the outbreak was linked to Ebola, a hemorrhagic disease that typically led to death.

Later, the WHO would call the Ebola outbreak in Western Africa among the worst in world history. The disease ultimately claimed the lives of more than 11,000 people and infected thousands of others throughout the region.

In her address, Writebol suggested that might actually be a conservative estimate. Many people who sought help at the time were turned away due to a lack of space and resources and returned home to die, she said.

Reading from her journal, Writebol recounted the day the first Ebola patients arrived at the ELWA Hospital. They included a man, already deceased and showing signs of rigor mortis; a woman, so anxious to be away from the dead man that she lay on the ground outside the ambulance in the rain; and a child.

The woman was moved under a veranda. That night, Brantly would return to decontaminate the area. Later, seeing men gather on a bench in that spot, My heart sinks, thinking of the danger we may have put them in, Writebol wrote. The ambulance leaves with the dead body and the child. What will become of the child?

Surviving Ebola

Today, Writebol has returned to live and work in Liberia; if anything, surviving Ebola has given her the wisdom of first-hand experience, which now informs her care-giving.

In serving survivors, we are often reminded of the compassion and kindness shown to us at Emory, she says. Our work in trauma healing is one area we can show compassion and kindness to a country that has lost thousands to Ebola.

In partnership with Samaritans Purse, ELWA has pledged to dedicate a new hospital to serve the people of Liberia. Plans call for it to include an isolation unit, one that looks as if it would come from a first-world country, she said.
Nudges help students select healthy lunches

With back-to-school season in full swing, imagine this: Your child orders lunch via computer and gets a little message saying he or she needs to add more nutritious food groups.

That combination helped some youngsters pick healthier meals, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences study shows.

Researchers caution that their findings are not generalizable -- given the small sample size -- but they say the methods give school lunch programs and parents potential tools to help children eat more nutritious meals at school.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 5 billion school lunches are served daily in the United States. Additionally, although 99.9 percent of American children aged 12 to 18 consume fruits and vegetables daily, less than 1 percent eat the federally recommended amount of those foods. So the UF study could show helpful, albeit early, findings.

In a published study in August issue of the Journal of Economic Psychology, UF researchers recruited 71 students to participate in the National School Lunch Program at a Florida public school.

Two groups of fifth- and sixth-grade students preordered their lunches via computer. One of those groups received messages  what researchers call nudges -- indicating they had not selected all five components of a healthy lunch. Those are meat or a meat alternative, grain, fruit, vegetable and low-fat milk.

The control group ordered their meals in the regular school lunch lines.

Researchers found the students in the group that received nudges chose 51 percent more fruits, 29.7 percent more vegetables and 37 percent more low-fat milk than the control group. The group that simply ordered online without nudges chose 27 percent more fruits, 15.8 percent more vegetables and 16.3 percent more low-fat milk than the control group.

The study did not examine actual food consumption.

The nudges come from the U.S. Department of Agricultures MyPlate program. According to its website, www.choosemyplate.gov/, MyPlate reminds consumers to find their healthy eating style and build it throughout their lifetimes. According to the MyPlate website, this means:

Focus on variety, amount and nutrition.

Choose foods and beverages with less saturated fat, sodium and added sugars.

Start with small changes to build healthier eating styles.

Support healthy eating for everyone.

Jaclyn Kropp, a UF assistant professor of food and resource economics and the lead author on the study, emphasized researchers must further study the impact of nudges on school lunch selections.

While more research is needed to determine the long-term effects of repeated nudging, there is evidence that low-cost nudges can encourage the selection of healthy items in the school lunchroom, Kropp said.

Kropp conducted the study with help from other UF/IFAS researchers and Sonam Gupta, a senior research associate with IMPAQ International in Columbia, Maryland.
Canada is working hard to reach an agreement with Chinese counterparts to resolve a dispute over canola imports, said Canadian trade minister Chrystia Freeland on Tuesday.Canada, the world's biggest canola exporter, wants China, its top export market for the oilseed, to drop plans to toughen canola inspection standards on Sept 1."We've made very clear what a key issue this is," Freeland said during a visit to Beijing. REUTERS DS BD1425 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-910398.Xml
Zaman Daulat and Mamum Liakot Ali, who had previously denied the charges against them under the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act (TSOFA), pleaded guilty bringing the number of those convicted on similar charges to six, Xinhua news agency reported.

The two men were included in the group comprising of eight radicalised male Bangladeshi workers, who planned to overthrow the Bangladeshi government by force and establish an Islamic state in Bangladesh.

Four members of the group in May pleaded guilty in Singapore to one or two counts each of providing or collecting hundreds of dollars to fund terror attacks.

The four men were sentenced to between 24 and 60 months in jail.

--IANS sm/ksk/dg

( 144 Words)

2016-08-30-16:27:58 (IANS)
Urging people to oppose the strike called by the central trade unions on September 2, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said people should come out without any fear and promised to provide compensation if property is damaged by strike supporters. "The state will take responsibility to provide compensation if properties or vehicles are damaged by strike enforcers ... don't allow hooliganism by some who were defeated in the democratic election. You come out without any fear and keep everything normal," Banerjee said. Elaborating her party's stand on strike she said: "It is our standing policy to oppose shutdown or strike. We are against it. We support some of the issues raised by the trade unions. But there is scope to discuss and raise such issues at the proper platform." "Trinamool Congress would not support shutdowns. Strike is like a casual leave," Banerjee told reporters at the West Bengal Legislative Assembly premises. Referring to the amount of economic loss due to a strike, she said: "The state government has been repaying a huge amount for servicing the debt, which was inherited. If we lose our revenue from such a shutdown, state will not be able to grow." On Friday, Banerjee had said the state would not allow any strike on September 2. The national general strike has been called by the central trade unions to protest against the "anti-people, anti-national and anti-worker" policies of the central government. INTUC President G. Sanjeeva Reddy in July had announced that he would urge Banerjee to give her nod to Trinamool Congress's trade union wing to participate in the strike. --IANS bdc/ssp/lok/dg ( 281 Words) 2016-08-29-19:43:56 (IANS)
The central government would soon grant new scholarships worth Rs 60,000 per month for five years to students of Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) selected to promote innovation, an IIT official said on Monday. "Though there are many scholarships for various courses and research projects, this is the first time the government is offering a big amount (Rs.60,000) per month to promote innovation in IITs," IIT-Dharwad dean Narayan Punekar told IANS here. Announcing the new scholarship scheme on Sunday after formally unveiling the new IIT-Dharwad here, about 420km from Bengaluru, Union Human Resources Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said his ministry would invite innovative ideas from students and the best among the selected would be given Rs 60,000 per month for five years. "The new scheme is to encourage IIT students to innovate for the growth of industries and groom them into entrepreneurs while studying for degree. You sell your ideas and we (government) will fund them," Javadekar told about 120 students, who joined the institute a month ago from across the country. The minister also assured the first batch of students of the new IIT in the state of building its new campus at the sprawling 470 acres of land the state government has allotted at nearby Kelgeri town free of cost. The institute is mentored byAIIT-Bombay for the next three years, with its faculty on deputation till new faculty is recruited. Reiterating the government's commitment to promote the growth of higher education with thrust on research, the minister said more funds would be provided to ensure more eligible students get scholarships for research and innovation. As the 23rd IIT in the country, the institute started the new academic year on August 2, holding classes at the state-run Water and Land Management Institute (Walmi) on the city's outskirts till its permanent campus is built in the next three years. "We are teaching three courses - mechanical, electrical and computer science in the first year, with 40 students in each section. We will offer more courses from next year as we add a fresh batch of 120 students every year," Punekar added. --IANS fb/vd ( 364 Words) 2016-08-29-21:25:56 (IANS)
The United Kingdom's Secretary of State for International Trade, Liam Fox, is visiting New Delhi and Mumbai from 28 to 30 August. This is the Secretary of State's first visit to India in his current role. The visit aims to boost UK-India bilateral commercial ties and highlights the importance of India as a key strategic partner across trade, investment and defence. In New Delhi, Dr. Fox met Indian Minister for Finance Mr Arun Jaitley and discussed furthering economic cooperation with India. He met Minister for Commerce Ms Nirmala Sitharaman. They spoke at length about forging deeper trade and investment arrangements between the two countries. Dr Fox announced his participation and the UK's commitment to the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) to be held on 7 November alongside the 'India-UK TECH Summit'. Dr. Fox met the President of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Mr. Naushad Forbes and explored the potential to further improve UK-India business relationships during JETCO and the 'India UK TECH Summit'. The UK is the country partner for the Summit in partnership with CII, as announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his highly successful visit to the UK last year. The TECH Summit will demonstrate the depth of India-UK partnerships in business, innovation, research, education and entrepreneurship, with the biggest showcase of British expertise and commitment to strengthening relationships in every sphere. It will also host a major delegation from the UK, highlighting the UK's capabilities across important sectors like smart cities, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, agri-tech, education and skills. While addressing a gathering of senior CII members Dr Fox said: "The UK-India partnership lies at the very heart of the strategic relationship between our two nations, a relationship that has never been more important than it is today." "The India-UK Tech Summit in November will be a further celebration of this partnership, where sector experts ranging from smart cities, healthcare, agri-tech and others will come together to boost trade, R&D as well as academic ties between the UK and India." CII President Mr Forbes said: "Technical capability is the source of prosperity for business. The India-UK Tech Summit promises to be a platform which will unleash new possibilities and add new dimensions to our long relationship." Chandrajit Banerjee, DG, CII added : "CII is happy to be a part of this important bilateral initiative which began with Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi's visit to the UK last year. I hope Indian industry will take maximum advantage of the presence of a large number of British companies in India on this occasion and go all out to forge new partnerships." Dr. Fox also met major Indian companies in the Information Technology sector including HCL and Tech Mahindra. The UK is the investment destination of choice for Indian ICT companies, and the Secretary of State discussed future investment opportunities in the UK. He also met senior Indian business leaders. In Mumbai, he will meet with top Indian businessmen including Ajay Piramal, as well as Indian financial technology entrepreneurs. Dr Fox will give a speech about the UK's place in the global economy post EU Referendum to a large audience of Mumbai's business community among other key engagements in the financial capital. This is the fourth visit by a British Minister to India since Theresa May took over as the Prime Minister of the country. Earlier this month British Secretary of State for Business and Energy Greg Clark and Secretary of State for International Development, Ms. Priti Patel visited India. (ANI)
Around 33 lakh employees of the central government had a reason to cheer on Tuesday with the government announcing their annual bonus that has been pending for two years. "The bonus entitlement for 2014-15 and 2015-16 will be released on the revised norms for central government employees. This was pending for two years. After this, the bonus will be covered under the 7th Pay Commission," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters here. The Bonus Amendment Act will be implemented strictly, Jaitley said at the press conference on charter of demands of Central Trade Unions. The conference was also attended by Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and Power Minister Piyush Goyal. As a measure to dissuade trade unions from going on strike on September 2, the government has also decided to raise the daily minimum wage for unskilled non-agricultural workers for 'C' category areas to Rs 350 from the earlier Rs 112. Further, Jaitley said the government will write to all states regarding compliance of contract workers law. The registration of the contract workers and their staffing agencies is mandatory as per law and states will be advised to strictly implement the same. The issue of giving social security benefit to the unorganised sector (e.g., Anganwadi, Mid-day meal, Asha, Volunteers etc.) will be examined by a committee which will give its report at the earliest, Jaitley said. Advisories will be issued to all the state governments to ensure that registration of trade unions takes place within 45 days. "We have had meeting with trade unions individually and collectively. We have had discussions with trade unions. We have had meeting with all trade unions," Jaitley told reporters. Jaitley also allayed fears of the public sector bank employees who are opposing the merger of State Bank of India with associate banks, saying that the merger will not affect the service conditions of bank workers. A spokesperson for the BJP-affliated trade union Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) told IANS that they have called off the September 2 strike as the government has conceded a number of their demands in the charter. BMS, in a statement separately, also directed all its affiliate unions, members and well wishers not to participate in any strike on September 2. "BMS strongly feels that the outcome of the talks was the most fruitful and great achievement for Indian workers in the recent past. The BMS expresses its sincere thanks to the Government of India for taking right decisions," the trade union said. Tuesday's announcements by the government were the outcome of an emergency meeting here on Monday, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to decide on the demands of the trade unions to pre-empt the September 2 strike. --IANS mm-ap/lok/dg ( 462 Words) 2016-08-30-17:37:56 (IANS)
After meeting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here, Agarwal said the government has assured him that Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) would provide the feedstock for the smelter in Kalahandi district, which is currently not running to its full capacity.

The company has already invested Rs 50,000 crore and looking at expanding to two million tonne per annum (mtpa), he said.

The present capacity of the plant is one mtpa.

"If we get bauxite from the state government, we will expand it to six mtpa," said Agarwal.

Vedanta's smelter and refinery are currently not running to their full capacity due to shortage of bauxite to feed the plants.

Earlier, Steel and Mines Minister Prafulla Kumar Mallick had said the state government is planning to supply bauxite to Vedanta's Lanjigarh alumina plant from Kodingamali bauxite mines in Koraput.

Meanwhile, Odisha government on Tuesday announced setting up a government medical college in Kalahandi district for which infrastructure would be provided by the Vedanta Group.

Vedanta would provide Rs 100 crore to develop infrastructure to set up the medical college and hospital, said Agarwal.

The plan to provide a medical college in Kalahandi was anticipated after Odisha government got some bad press about a tribal man walking 10 km carrying his wife's body on his shoulders because no ambulance was available.

--IANS cd/kb/vm

( 259 Words)

2016-08-30-19:26:00 (IANS)
The 31-year-old pretty actress recently shared a picture on Instagram that hinted on her desire to work behind the lens too.

Spotted clutching a camera placed on the tripod, Jennifer captioned the picture as, "Someday.. Maybe ... Who knows?!#camerateur#behindthelens."

The actress will now be seen playing the role of an obsessive lover with grey shades in Sony's 'Beyhadh'opposite Kushal Tandon. (ANI)
Amidst talk of India possibly inviting people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir living outside Pakistan for a Pravasiya Bharatiya Diwas (celebration of overseas Indian community) in January 2017 in Bengaluru, one can't help wondering what Arif Shahid would have thought of the idea had he been alive. Shahid was the tallest leader of Pakistani Kashmiris. A pacifist, he raised the issue of atrocities on Pakistani Kashmiris in a democratic manner. Shahid was the President of the Jammu and Kashmir National Liberation Conference (JKNLC) and the Chairman of the All Parties National Alliance (APNA). In May 2013, this affable leader was assassinated in cold blood in his own home. No enquiry was ordered and his assassins walked free. There was no condemnation of Shahid's killing. Pakistani politicians and civil society members maintained a conspiratorial silence. Shahid had been labeled an Indian agent by the all powerful Pakistani intelligence agency - ISI. People of 'Azad Kashmir' or Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan were shocked at the snuffing out of the genuine voice of Kashmiris. Shahid's fatal flaw was that he believed that the rule of law would ensure his safety. He stayed back in Pakistan and did not live in enforced exile like Baloch leaders Bugti, Murri and others. In 2004, Arif Shahid, while addressing a rally, said, "Pakistani generals have flourished in the name of Kashmir. Kill 5 - 20 in the name of Kashmir - get promoted from Colonel to Brigadier. Kill 25-30 in the name of Kashmir; get promoted from Brigadier to General. And if a General is able to push jehadis across the LoC and they die there killing others, then get promoted to a Lt General...in 1947, 1965, 1971 Pakistani generals have waged their wars in our (Kashmir) name. It is their war, and proxy war not ours." Arif Shahid sought to distance Kashmiris from the concept of Jihad. In the books he authored, his interviews and speeches, Shahid spoke of how jihad or religious war is alien to Kashmir. He said, "The erstwhile princely state of Kashmir has Shias, Sunnis, Noor Bakshi, Islaimi, Pandits, Dogras, Buddhists..the theo-fascists of Pakistani intelligence try to work jihadi networks and make it a religious issue. Only secularism can work in Kashmir." Shahid was a true leader of Kashmiris under Pakistani occupation. He preferred not to leave the land of his forefathers and staunchly defended his organisation from scurrilous attacks by establishment stooges. But like Saleem Shahzad, the brave journalist who was brutally killed in 2011, Arif Shahid too was mercilessly eliminated, another victim of state sponsored snuffing of brave voices in Pakistan. Shahid had been warned several times by well wishers that he should tone down his criticism of the Pakistan military, else he would be killed, but he seemed to prefer death rather than toe the line of the establishment. The APNA movement lost its steam with Shahid's assassination. His followers have gone underground, living lives of anonymity. They have not surfaced even after India sought to voice their plight now in international forums. Unlike Baloch leaders who live abroad in exile and run their movements for independence from Europe and the US, Kashmiris from 'AJK' and Gilgit Baltistan are a leaderless lot. There were some stalwarts like Shafqat Inqalabi, Manzoor Parwana, Wajahat Hassan Khan and Nawaz Khan Niazi, all of whom cannot indulge in any political activity in Pakistan. They have been placed under Exit Control List and are not allowed to speak to the Pakistani media. The media too dare not speak to them about any Kashmir-related issue. Big brother is watching. When it comes to Kashmir, you will see the likes of Hafiz Saeed and Syed Salahuddin on Pakistani TV debates. And neither of them speaks about the status or plight of 'Azad Kashmir' or Gilgit Baltistan. But now their plight is going to be highlighted by India in the new turn of events is taking place. Had Arif Shahid been alive he would have quoted his favourite poem once more. Dukh ki kali lambi raatein Zulm kay dhoop main vaar na dena Jabr (force) ka suraj dhal kay rahega Log himmat haar na dena Zindaano (jails) ke salakhen tootenge Quflon (locks) ko pareshan dekhenge Daawa hai hamaara zanjeeron Hum jashn-e-bahara (spring) dekhenge Kya dar hai ki noor ki chahat mey Hum ko bhi shab-e-gam kha jaye Kuch log toh aise bhi honge Jo suraj darakshan (brightness) dekhenge (ANI)
The Congress Party on Monday hit out at the Hurriyat Conference for describing the summoning of Nayeem Zafar Geelani, Syed Geelani's elder son, by the National Investigative Agency (NIA) in connection with a probe into suspected terror funds as a "pre-planned psychological crackdown," saying the separatist body has no grounds to make this assertion. "I don't know about putting pressure on the Hurriyat, even the Hurriyat puts pressure on us. What is Hurriyat, it is an organistaion which orchestrates stone throwing activities. They take money from Pakistan. It has been playing the politics of putting pressure for long," Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit told ANI. He said Geelani should instead let the investigative agency do its work. Reacting to the summons, the Hurriyat, on Monday, said that Geelani's family is being "terrified and maligned in a well knit conspiracy of Indian imperialist agencies." "After miserably and humiliatingly failing to curb and contain the current mass uprising by all the military might, the Indian government is frustrated to the extent that they frame and arrest pro-freedom leaders and activists on the pre-planned psychological crackdown, so that they surrender and stop voicing the sentiments of their nation, thereby covering and shielding their atrocities and barbarism against common and unarmed people," the Hurriyat statement read. The summoning pertains to a preliminary enquiry registered by the NIA to probe the flow of funds into various bank accounts from overseas which are allegedly being used for terrorism Nayeem Geelani is a doctor who was in Pakistan for 12 years before returning to the Kashmir Valley in November 2010. (ANI)
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Sudhindra Bhadoria on Tuesday dubbed Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's forthcoming 'mahayatra' in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh as 'cosmetic measures' which will not get the support of the people, particularly farmers. Bhadoria told ANI that by doing road shows and by travelling by car to different places, will not get the confidence and the support of the people, particularly farmers. "The reason being that, unless you work amongst them, which the Bahujan Samaj Party workers have been doing for long there is no chance getting confidence among the people. I think these kind cosmetic measures cannot bring support to a party. We are confident that people of Uttar Pradesh will stand by Behan Mayawati and BSP," he added. According to reports, Gandhi will launch his mega roadshow in Uttar Pradesh on September 6, starting from Deoria in eastern UP and travelling 2,500km before culminating in Delhi. The 'mahayatra' will touch 39 districts, 55 Lok Sabha constituencies and 233 assembly constituencies, a mega outreach to voters in the heartland, AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Monday. The yatra has been billed as a major Congress outreach ahead of the 2017 elections in UP, and will run parallel to the twin yatras, which are led by state unit chief Raj Babbar and by chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit. (ANI)
Scores of farmers and representatives ofvarious political parties were arrested across Tamil Nadu asthey attempted rail and road roko agitations as part of theone-day dawn-to-dusk bandh demanding release of Cauvery watersby Karnataka and to protect the State's rights on various inter-state issues. While the agitation was near total in Cauvery delta districtsincluding Thanjavur and Tiruvarur, where traders downed their shutters and pledged their full support, the bandh evoked mixedresponse in other parts of the state. The bandh was called by the Farmers' Coordination Committee of Cauvery Delta All Farmers' Association demanding the Centreand the state governments to restore the rights of Tamil Nadu on inter-state water disputes. Association Coordinator P R Pandian, who had announced thatroad roko would be held in 1,000 places across the State and rail roko in 100 places, was arrested at Egmore railway stationin Chennai for attempting to stage a rail roko stir. Police have made elaborate security arrangements to preventany untoward incident. As a precautionary measure, inter-state bus services to Karnataka were stopped in the Tamil Nadu border. Buses werestopped near Hosur, Sathyamangalam and other border areasand were not operated to Karnataka. The bus services wouldresume at 1800 hours this evening. Police pickets were also posted in border areas of Tamil Naduand Karnataka. In several places, tense moments prevailed as the farmersattempted to break the police barricades to enter the railwaystations to block trains. In Thanjavur and Tiruvarur, farmers felled trees and blockedthe roads. Major political parties, including the DMK, the Congressand the left parties, Tamil Nadu Sand Lorry Owners Federation, Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peramaippu, besides various trade unions have extended their support to the bandh, which was being organised after the state government did not acceptthe farmer's demand to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the inter-state water disputes. Mr Pandian said Tamil Nadu is facing a three-pronged attack from neighbouring states like Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. While Karnataka government was refusing to release Cauvery River water for raising samba crop in Delta region and wasadamant in constructing a dam at Mekedatu across river cauvery, the Kerala government has proposed to construct a new dam at Attappady across Siruvani river for which the Expert Appraisal Committee for River Valley and Hydroelectric Projects of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, recommended grant of Standard Terms of Reference for conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study. The third attack was from Andhra Pradesh, which was trying toobstruct the natural flow of Palar River to Tamil Nadu by increasing the height of a check dam at Perumballam in Chittoor district affecting the ryots of northern districts of the state. Since Tamil Nadu was facing the danger of losing its rights on inter-state water disputes, the Centre should take immediate steps to protect the state's rights and ensure release of 74 tmc of cauvery water by Karnataka, besides constituting the Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee for implementing the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, Mr Pandian said.UNI GV CS 1149 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-910156.Xml
Following Parliamentary Committee recommendations to impose accountability on celebrities for endorsing products and misleading advertisements, the Congress Party on Monday said the manufacturer must also be covered under the ambit of Consumer Protection Bill 2015. Congress leader Tom Vadakkan said that brand ambassadors working for the government must also be brought under the scanner. "I think the offender is not just the brand ambassador but the manufacturer too. The brand ambassador is aware that the product is a bad quality, punishing the brand ambassador for that is understandable, but misleading the brand ambassador to believe that the product is good in good faith is also some kind of a fraud and that also needs to be looked into. Brand ambassadors working for the government must also be under the scanner for advertising, briefing the community on issues which they do themselves don't practice," he told ANI. An inter-ministerial meet, headed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, will today discuss the draft bill prepared by the consumer affairs ministry. The panel includes Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, Heath Minister J.P. Nadda, Transport Minister Nitin Gakari, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Power Minister Piyush Goyal and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. In August 2015, the government had introduced the Consumer Protection Bill 2015 in the Parliament. In April this year, the Parliamentary Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, chaired by Telugu Desam Party leader J.C. Divakar Reddy, unanimously adopted the report. The new Bill seeks to make any 'false or misleading' endorsement which is 'prejudicial to the interest of any consumer' a penal offence, punishable with a jail term of up to two years and a fine of Rs. 10 lakh for the first such offence, and imprisonment of five years along with a fine of Rs. 50 lakh for the second and subsequent offences. (ANI)
Protesting against non release of Cauvery water for Samba cultivation and to restore the rights of Tamil Nadu in the inter-State river water disputes, thousands of farmers staged road and rail rook agitations across the State as part of a day's bandh, today. Majority of shops and business establishments remained closed in Delta districts of Thanjavur, Tiruchirapalli, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Pudukottai and Cuddalore districts and elsewhere in the state. Thousands of farmers courted arrest after they blocked vehicular traffic in 1,000 places and rail roko agitation at 100 railway stations. The bandh call was given by Farmers' Coordination Committee of Cauvery Delta All Farmers' Association. Major political parties, except the ruling AIADMK, various trade unions, Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peramaippu, Tamil Nadu Sand Lorry Owners Federations and other outfits extended their support to the bandh. The farmers were demanding the Centre to direct Karnataka to immediately release Cauvery water for raising samba crop in Delta region, to stop Karnataka government's plan to construct a dam across River Cauvery at Mekedatu and to protect the state's interests in Palar and Siruvani river disputes. They were also demanding the Centre to constitute Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee for implementing the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal. UNI GSM ADB1345 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-910331.Xml
President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday stressed on the need for better outreach of the government's social programmes while praising the work of the Indian Red Cross Society. The President was speaking here at the ceremonial session of the annual general meeting of the Indian Red Cross Society and St. John Ambulance (India). He also presented awards for the best performing branches and distinguished Red Cross and St. John volunteers on the occasion. "Our vast country needs more numbers -- more skilled human resources -- not only for times of trouble but also when normalcy prevails, to help bring our government's social programmes within reach of the target communities," Mukherjee said. He said the awards are a fitting recognition of the outstanding work of individuals and organisations in relief and rescue, promoting health, providing care to the vulnerable and advancing these objectives by educating communities. "The work of the Red Cross in risk reduction, capacity building, humanitarian logistics, development work, disaster and crisis management has been invaluable in providing relief and succour across the world," Mukherjee said. He expressed concern over migration -- whether internal or across borders -- and said "in such situations the need is not only of material relief and involvement of well trained volunteers but also for hands-on support by society at large and delivered in a sensitive and humane manner". --IANS rak/kb/bg ( 232 Words) 2016-08-30-16:59:57 (IANS)
As many as 450 youths will promote awareness about the need for sanitation under 'Asli Tarakki (real development)' campaign which will be launched by the Ministry of Urban Development soon in five cities of NCR region. The intensive Swachhta awareness drive will be launched in five municipal areas of Delhi (NDMC, NMCD, SMCD, EMCD and Delhi Cantonment), Faridabad, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and Noida. Under Rs 4.70 crore pilot youth engagement, a total of 23,400 man days would be spent promoting Swachh Bharat Mission objectives in urban areas. This youth engagement will be launched after completion of preparatory work like organising workshop, selection of youth and fabrication of chariots. ''Ministry of Urban Development will soon launch an 'Asli Tarakki (real development)' campaign in the five cities of the NCR with 450 youths with communication skills and leadership qualities as lead motivators to promote awareness about the need for sanitation,'' the Ministry said in a statement. The Ministry today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Nehru Yuvak Kendra in the presence of Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and Minister of State for Urban Development Rao Inderjit Singh. The MoU was signed by Mr Praveen Prakash, Joint Secretary on behalf of the Ministry and Major General Dilawar Singh, Director General of Nehru Yuvak Kendra. Mr Rajiv Gupta, Secretary (Youth Affairs) was also present on the occasion. ''As per the MoU, NYK will deploy 50 enthusiastic, experienced in public speaking, motivated and educated youth for 52 days each of the five municipal areas of Delhi (NDMC, NMCD, SMCD, EMCD and Delhi Cantonment), Faridabad, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and Noida for a mass awareness movement for successful implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission,'' the Ministry said. The youth will be selected during a two-day orientation workshop and will be given further training to undertake awareness and motivational campaigns through elocution, cultural performances and nukkad nataks. They will be engaged to spread the message of 'Asli Tarakki' suggesting that having and using toilet to be a major priority, encouraging citizens to give feedback on different components of 'Swachh Survekshan-2017' launched earlier this month, encourage people to take Swachh Bharat pledge for a clean India and to inform targeted beneficiaries about the government support for building individual, community and public toilets. Four chariots will be deployed in each of the nine municipal areas with banners and posters on sanitation , public address system for addressing people on key issues with facilities for showing audio-visual films and for distribution of IEC material. The youth would also use social media extensively. Mr Naidu lauded the pilot youth engagement and asked the officials and NYK to ensure its success so that the same could be replicated in other parts. The Ministry would enable a dedicated page on Swachh Bharat Urban portal for weekly uploading of activities and furnishing information on number of citizens reached out, activities etc.UNI NY SW RSA 1627 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0099-910610.Xml
Aimed to boost UK-India bilateral commercial ties and highlight the importance of India as a key strategic partner across trade, investment and defence, UK Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox today said the partnership lies at the very heart of the strategic relationship between the two nations. "The UK-India partnership lies at the very heart of the strategic relationship between our two nations, a relationship that has never been more important than it is today," Dr Fox said while addressing a gathering of CII members. On his maiden visit after becoming the minister, Dr Fox met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and discussed furthering economic cooperation between both the countries.Besides, the visiting minister also announced his participation and the UK's commitment to the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) to be held on November 7, 2016 alongside the 'India-UK TECH Summit'. The UK is the partner country for the Summit in the partnership with CII. The TECH Summit will demonstrate the depth of India-UK partnerships in business, innovation, research, education and entrepreneurship, with the biggest showcase of British expertise and commitment to strengthening relationships in every sphere. It will also host a major delegation from the UK, highlighting the UK's capabilities across important sectors like smart cities, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, agri-tech, education and skills. "The India-UK Tech Summit in November will be a further celebration of this partnership, where sector experts ranging from smart cities, healthcare, agri-tech and others will come together to boost trade, R&D as well as academic ties between the UK and India," Dr Fox said. CII president Naushad Forbes said, "Technical capability is the source of prosperity for business. The India-UK Tech Summit promises to be a platform which will unleash new possibilities and add new dimensions to our long relationship." Dr Fox has left for Mumbai today where he will give a speech about the UK's place in the global economy post EU Referendum among other key engagements in the financial capital.UNI ASH SW RSA 1717 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0388-910781.Xml
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today apologised to the people of Gujarat, for unable to devote more time to the state as earlier, but promised this would not happen again. Beginning his speech chanting 'Narmade Sarvade', here, he asked a mass public rally here, "kem chho? (how are you)". He said, "I am the same as you had sent me to Delhi. From the way I said 'Narmade Sarvade' you must have understood I am the same.""Yes," the crowd lustily cheered back. Mr Modi, who earlier inaugurated the first phase of the SAUNI water and irrigation project for the drought-prone Saurashtra region, was addressing a public meeting in his home state after long gap. The PM said, "Last time, Anandiben Patel (former Chief Minister) had complained that I wasn't coming to Gujarat. This complaint was increasing and had started coming from even other sections like party workers and people at large." "I respect this complain of Gujarat. But you are aware when I went to Delhi, the work there was new for me. I had to learn a lot, work hard and give enough time," he said. "Now I have learnt things well. Now I will not give you a chance to complain. But whatever Gujarat taught me, whatever I learned here, is proving very beneficial to me," he said. "Today a son of Gujarat is serving the nation. Gujarat knows it very well that when a son of Gujarat is responsible for whole nation, he will never let Gujarat down and will continue to strive for the welfare of the nation in the same way as he did for Gujarat as the Chief Minister," he said. UNI ND PY SB 1906 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0298-911168.Xml
Vice President M Hamid Ansari today launched the second stage of total e-literacy programme in Kerala that will benefit five million villagers, saying that poor and marginalised communities face tremendous challenges in overcoming the "digital divide" in the country. Addressing the gathering here, he said Kerala has been a pioneer state in terms of ushering in programmes aimed at improving the human condition and empowering the citizens and the quest for 100 per cent e-literacy was reflective of that drive and spirit. Pointing out that the second stage of total e-literacy program would involve establishing 100 digital libraries, which will provide resources and information to over five million villagers in the state, the Vice President said Internet was a powerful tool to improve livelihoods and to provide new economic and social opportunities, particularly for young people in poor communities as they connect with the rest of the world. ''It is a means of overcoming social exclusion providing a "digital bridge" out of poverty. In rural areas, the Internet can provide a powerful equalizing tool allowing people to receive access to key information and to connect with each other, overcoming social and geographical boundaries,'' he added. The Vice President said that the penetration of internet, both conventional and mobile, in India has been growing at an increasing rate and the global system for mobile (GSM) communication occasioned the preponderant use of cellular phones in India which has allowed us to leap-frog the infrastructural constraints of traditional access to internet and ICT and ICT enabled services. He further said that mandatory use of e-skills has been imposed on our citizens in the form of e-government, e-learning, e-health etc. Thus, the lack of e-literacy skills seems more debilitating than basic literacy skills because of the ubiquitous applications of ICT in civic, work and personal situations and with improved e-literacy skills, more individuals can access ICT based skill-development and vocational training programmes, he added. He said that e-literacy skills are also very useful in effective participation in e-government, e-commerce, e-health and use of personal electronic gadgets. E-literacy skills and access to Internet provide the citizen with an almost unlimited amount of knowledge and information which is the key to empowering the citizen and for the making of a successful democracy, he added. The Vice President commended the government of Kerala for setting up this institution in the memory of Mr P N Panicker, Father of the Library Movement, and appreciated that the PN Panicker Vigyan Vikas Kendra has taken the lead towards realizing the aim of making Kerala the first e-literate state of the country, within a time frame of 33 months. UNI CR CS 1830 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0324-911043.Xml
Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare J P Nadda today called upon the voluntary organisations to bridge the gap between the schemes initiated by the government and the community. He was speaking at the Business Session of the Annual General Meeting of the Indian Red Cross Society and St John Ambulance (India) held here today. He further said that Indian Red Cross branches have been doing creditable work in imparting first aid training to the people. However, there was a need to enhance the quality of training for strengthening service delivery. The Health Minister informed that the Ministry had launched Mission Indradhanush as a special drive to vaccinate all unvaccinated and partially vaccinated children under Universal Immunization Programme (UIP). "I exhort volunteers of Red Cross and St John and Junior and Youth Red Cross members of all the states specially Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to actively participate in this mission and contribute to making a "Swasth Bharat", Mr Nadda stated. He said the Indian Red Cross could play a very important role in deworming initiative of the government that was aimed to protect more than 24 crore children in the ages of 1-19 years from intestinal worms. Appreciating the Indian Red Cross for taking up initiative to set up a centre of excellence in first aid at the Central Training Institute at Bahadurgarh, he said this would help provide high quality education in First Aid. The Health Minister also welcomed the Netherland Red Cross, University College of Dublin, Irish Red Cross and MDA of Israel as the new partners in India. "I am informed that several corporate houses have supported the Indian Red Cross Society and St John Ambulance in the recent past. I would like to invite other partners from the corporate sector to join us and help us in making the citizens of our great country more resilient", Mr Nadda said while stressing on the need to collaborate with private sector. He congratulated the staff of the blood bank at the national headquarters that has issued more than 50,000 units of blood and blood components in 2015. "This is a very important mission of the IRCS and I also exhort the other blood banks run by the Red Cross across the country to adapt practices to encourage voluntary blood donation and to ensure that the safest blood is issued to the needy," he elaborated. The Health Minister also presented Indian Red Cross certificates of merit to workers during the business session. Also present were Avinash Rai Khanna, Vice Chairman of Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS), S C Goyal, Vice Chairperson of St John Ambulance (India) and other dignitaries.UNI RBE SB 2032 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0427-911369.Xml
Calling for creating a new basis of legitimacy for the peace and resolution process to take shape, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said the challenge before the leadership of the state and the country is to insulate the process from the setbacks that have derailed it in the past. ''The focus has to be on involving the principal stakeholders the people of Jammu and Kashmir in the resolution process to make it sustainable and productive,'' Ms Mufti said while addressing a public gathering after inaugurating a new building for the Government Degree College in Nowshera town of Rajouri district. The Chief Minister also laid stress on revival and continuation of peace and confidence building process with Pakistan which had helped transform the situation in the State and along the borders between 2002 and 2005. ''The Government of India must, with fresh resolve, work through reconciliatory political measures and through public participation towards the resolution of the issue,'' she said and added that J&K could become a bridge of peace and a hub of economic activity in the region given its geo-strategic location. Calling for expanding the ambit and scope of the cross-LoC movement of the people and goods, the Chief Minister said the full potential of the State can be harnessed only through opening it up and empowering all the regions to benefit from the new market economy growing in the region. ''For a lasting solution of the State's problems, substantial political and economic measures have to be taken that meet the reasonable aspirations of the people in all the regions of the State,'' she said. Ms Mufti said even if Pakistan may be, due to own political reasons, presently reluctant to reciprocate the peace overtures from New Delhi, whatever can be done to address the internal dimensions of the Kashmir issue must be done without delay. 'The Centre shall have to take one or more steps than our neighboring country (Pakistan) as Jammu and Kashmir is our state and we have to apply balm on the wounds of the people,'' she said and added that,''we have to have a roadmap of hope for the people of Jammu and Kashmir who are embroiled in a challenging and pernicious situation.''UNI VBH PY SB 2126 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0298-911526.Xml
At least 40 children fell sick after consuming mid-day meals at Kushde Middle School under Lalganj police station area in Vaishali district today. Police said here children complained of itching soon after eating mid day meals. The school administration promptly rushed the sick children to local referral hospital. The health condition of children improved after they took anti-allergic medicines. Later, all children were discharged from the hospital.UNI XC DH PY 2215 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0298-911555.Xml
Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) today arrested Manish, main accused in the attack on senior BJP leader Brijpal Teotia from Muradnagar area today. STF Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amit Pathak said here some people had attacked Mr Teotia and five others, including his personal gunner on past August 11. Five of the accused had been arrested by STF earlier, while Manish was arrested today from Muradnagar area after a short encounter. Mr Pathak said one 30mm carbine with cartridges and a motorbike were recovered from him. During interrogation, the accused told that his father Suvesh Deewan was murdered on June 11, 1999 in Delhi. A case was registered in which Teotia's name was also involved. STF SSP said Manish always blamed Teotia for the murder of his father and and to avenge, he planned to attack him. Manish involved his cousin brother Manoj and brother-in-law Sansar Singh in his conspiracy .Then he gathered a gang to execute the crime. Mr Pathak said these criminals used AK 47 and other automatic weapons in the crime.UNI JDM MB PY 2245 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0298-911597.Xml
After signing a landmark pact on military logistics sharing, the United States has agreed to elevate defence, trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with its closest allies and partners. The announcement to this effect was made here yesterday in a joint statement issued after the Defence Ministerial talks between visiting Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter. Mr Parrikar and Mr Carter discussed India's "Major Defense Partner" designation, announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington in June. They agreed on the importance this framework will provide to facilitate innovative and advanced opportunities in defence technology and trade cooperation. "We appreciate the decision of the US government to designate India as Major Defence Partner. In our discussions, we looked at how this could provide further energy and momentum to our partnership on defence technology and manufacturing," Mr Parrikar said in his opening remarks at joint press conference with Mr Carter. He said,'' The US today was one of India's primary sources of defence equipment. The US has shared some of its cutting-edge platforms with India.'' "We would like to take this forward through greater collaborative projects spanning even higher levels of technology and through cooperation in manufacturing ventures," he said. In addition to his official meetings at the Pentagon and joint visit to the 9/11 Memorial with Secretary Carter, Mr Parrikar also met with the leadership of the Defence Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) and visited US Cyber Command (CYBERCOM). He will also visit the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and Joint Base Langley-Eustis for a tour of the Air Combat Command (ACC) and the 480th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Wing. In addition, he will interact with representatives of US Defence industry during the visit.UNI MK PR SV 1101 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0329-910068.Xml
Sri Lanka police today arrested a 17-year old school boy on suspicion of hacking into the president's official website, demanding that his university entrance examination dates not be changed, officials said today.The website of President Maithripala Sirisena, www.president.gov.lk, was first hacked on Thursday and then again on Friday.The hacker, who made his claim as "The Sri Lankan Youth", posted a message on the website demanding a presidential election immediately if Sirisena was unable to address his demand of not changing the examination dates to April, the month most Sri Lankans celebrate traditional new year.University entrance exams are held in August. But the government is considering shifting them to April though no final decision has been made yet."The CID (Criminal Investigation Department) officials arrested a 17-year old school boy in connection with the hacking and he will be produced before the courts tomorrow," the president's spokesman, Dharmasri Bandara, told Reuters.The hacking comes as Sirisena is facing a split in his Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) with some party legislators backing former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was ousted in January 2015.REUTERS RSD 0035 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-909957.Xml
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi promised today to present a national plan to make Italy safer against earthquakes as rescuers continued to search for bodies after last week's quake that killed at least 292 people.Renzi said Italy needed a "change of mentality" and he would present a project dubbed "Italy's House" in the coming days and seek the involvement of politicians, trade unions, technical experts and building companies.He said the country would spend as much as required for the envisaged plan, which will include making structures earthquake-proof, energy efficiency measures and land reclamation, though without specifying an amount."To Europe, we say that we will spend whatever it takes," said Renzi, speaking in an interview to national broadcaster Rai later in the day.He stressed that in the reconstruction effort "timings (will) have to be clear and the supervision on how money is spent must be efficient" and said his government would appoint a special commissioner by the end of the week."What has often been lacking in the past is the construction of a plan for the whole country based on prevention," Renzi wrote in a newsletter to his supporters earlier in the day.He said he had already discussed the new plan with Italian architect Renzo Piano who told him it may take two generations - or around 50 years - to bring Italy up to the best international safety standards."But the fact that it's a long-term project isn't a good reason not to start immediately," Renzi said.PUBLIC DEBTItaly has suffered 36 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5 and above since 1900, almost every one bringing death, destruction and recriminations about why successive governments have not done more to defend Italians' lives and heritage.Prosecutors are investigating why supposedly quake-proofed buildings collapsed in the August 24 tremors in one of the world's most seismically active countries.It remains to be seen whether Renzi's plans will have more success than in the past. Italy has one of the world's largest public debts and with a virtually stagnant economy it will struggle to find the funds for costly civil defence programmes.Renzi's own future is also in doubt. He faces a referendum in the autumn on a strongly contested plan for constitutional reform, and has said he will step down if he loses.He promised to rebuild Amatrice and the other mountain communities in central Italy shattered in the latest quake, saying his government would "ensure that these places with such a precious past will also have a future."Reconstruction efforts following a 2009 quake which killed more than 300 people in the nearby city of L'Aquila have been hampered by red-tape and corruption, and only a tiny part of the town centre has been rebuilt.Aftershocks continued today, five days after the first quake. Geologists say there have been more than 2,000 since the original magnitude 6.2 earthquake."Here the ground doesn't stop shaking, I don't know, I have the impression a huge rift will open and we will all fall in it," said Roberto De Cesaris, a resident in Amatrice.A large state funeral is scheduled to take place in Amatrice today for many of the more than 240 people who died in the town. State funerals for 35 of the victims were celebrated on Saturday in the town of Ascoli Piceno.REUTERS RSD 0037 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-909958.Xml
US Defense Secretary Ash Carter called on Turkey to stay focused on fighting Islamic State militants and not to target Kurdish elements of Syrian rebels."We have called upon Turkey... to stay focused on the fight against ISIL and not to engage Syrian Defense Forces, and we've had a number of contacts over the last several days," Carter said in a media briefing today, using an Arab acronym for Islamic State.Carter said Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, had spoken with his Turkish counterpart yesterday. REUTERS RSD 0055 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-909960.Xml
According to Xinhua news agency, a car rammed onto the gates of the embassy which caused the explosion.

The identities and nationalities of the injured were yet to be ascertained.

The driver of the vehicle reportedly died in the blast, RT news reported.

Kyrgyz security officials quoted by the local AKIpress news agency described the blast as a terrorist attack.

The news agency also quoted the chief of security at the Chinese embassy as saying that no staff were injured, the BBC reported.

Social media footage showed smoke billowing above the building.

--IANS ksk

( 131 Words)

2016-08-30-11:23:57 (IANS)
Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay on Tuesday saud that the issuance of haj passports has become a source of corruption in the Foreign Department.

"This has really been the source of these fraudulent transactions and corruption," he said.

Because of this, the secretary said the government is considering to suspend issuing these kind of documents for good.

The haj passports is a special travel document issued by pilgrims to Mecca.

On August 19, Philippine immigration agents detained at least 177 Indonesian nationals who attempted to leave the Philippines allegedly using the haj passports. Also detained were the Filipino escorts who apparently facilitated the issuance of such passports.

Initial investigation showed the Indonesians paid $6,000 to 10,000 each to obtain the travel documents.

--IANS ksk

( 161 Words)

2016-08-30-11:35:56 (IANS)
An explosion near China's embassy in Kyrgyzstan today was a "suicide car bombing attack", state news agency Xinhua said, citing a Kyrgyz security official.The driver of the vehicle tried to ram the embassy's gate, the offical was reported as saying.The healthcare ministry earlier said the driver of the vehicle was killed and three people were injured. REUTERS SHS PM1122 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-910125.Xml
A five-member bench of Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha dismissed the plea against death awarded to him by a specialised war trial tribunal two years ago, which was later upheld by the apex court.

The condemned war criminal now has the lone chance to appeal against the ruling before President Abdul Hamid.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said that Quasem's death-sentence will be carried out after the Supreme Court releases full text of the verdict, reports the Daily Star.

The International Crimes Tribunal-2 on November 2, 2014, handed capital punishment to 63-year-old Jamaat leader over crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War in 1971.

The verdict was upheld by the Appellate Division on March 8 this year and the full text was released on June 6, hours after which the ICT had issued a death warrant for him.

Quasem on June 19 submitted his petition seeking a review of death.

He emerged as one of the leading business tycoons of Bangladesh, the birth of which he vehemently opposed in 1971.

Quasem was the general secretary of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, in 1971.

He became the founding president of Islami Chhatra Shibir after the student body re-emerged in 1977.(ANI)
Iraq doesn't expect to resume production from the northern Qayyara oil region before the capture of nearby Mosul from Islamic State, an oil ministry spokesman said today.The region's two main fields, Qayyara and Najma, used to produce up to 30,000 barrels per day of heavy crude before it fell under control of the ultra-hardline militants two years ago. It has also a small refinery to process some local oil."The rehabilitation process cannot resume unless the security situation improves with the conclusion of the battle for Mosul" some 60 kilometres north of Qayyara, oil ministry spokesman Asim Jihad told Reuters.The Iraqi army took Qayyara back last week and oil ministry services started putting out fires at wells caused by insurgents as a tactic to escape air surveillance and hamper the progression of Iraqi forces.The oil ministry also dug trenches to prevent oil spills from reaching the Tigris river, Jihad said. "They were contained," he added.Angolan oil company Sonangol pulled out from an agreement to increase output at the Qayyara fields in 2014, citing the increased security risk.Iraq, OPEC's second-largest producer after Saudi Arabia, pumps most of its crude from the southern region. The nation has an average daily output of 4.6 million barrels per day. REUTERS DS AS1448 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-910442.Xml
Current transatlantic trade talks should be halted and a new set started, France's trade minister said today, adding his voice to some calls from Germany for an end to the negotiations.Matthias Fekl said he would request a halt to negotiations with the United States over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) on behalf of France at next month's meeting of European Union trade ministers in Bratislava."There should be an absolute clear end so that we can restart them on good basis," he said on RMC Radio, adding he would suggest that course to fellow ministers.German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday that TTIP negotiations had effectively failed after Europe refused to accept some US demands.Gabriel is the chairman of Germany's Social Democrats (SPD), who share power with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives. Many Social Democrats have serious reservations about TTIP but Merkel backs the talks.Her spokesman insisted on Monday that talks should continue, while Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier - also a member of the SPD - said today that both sides were still far away from agreeing on standards and procedures.Fekl's and Gabriel's highlighted discrepancies between the views in the EU's two biggest economies and the official line from both the European Commission, the bloc's executive, and the US Trade Representative Michael Froman.Three years of talks have failed to resolve multiple differences, including over food and environmental safety, but the USTR's spokesman told German magazine Der Spiegel the negotiations "are in fact making steady progress".The White House has said this week it aims to reach a deal by the end of the year. "It's going to require the resolution of some pretty thorny negotiations, but the president and his team are committed to doing that," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in Washington.The Commission also remains upbeat."Although trade talks take time, the ball is rolling right now and the Commission is making steady progress in the ongoing TTIP negotiations," the executive's spokesman, Margaritis Schinas, told a news conference in Brussels yesterday.Supporters say the TTIP could deliver more than 100 billion dollars worth of economic gains on both sides of the Atlantic, but critics say the pact would hand too much power to big multinationals at the expense of consumers and workers.Paris threatened to stall further negotiations as long ago as April, but there are national elections due in both France and Germany in 2017, and before the summer, experts were saying that this year -- ahead of the US presidential election -- may be the best opportunity to strike a deal.That prospect looks less likely now, and Britain's June vote to leave the EU has further clouded the picture, even though the Commission has a mandate to finalise TTIP talks on behalf of all EU 28 members.REUTERS DS AS1504 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-910473.Xml
Trudeau, who will be in China from August 30 till September 6, will visit the cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong besides participating in the G20 summit next week at Hangzhou, EFE news reported.

The Prime Minister is accompanied by his wife Sophie Gregorie Trudeau and daughter Ella-Grace, along with his delegation that includes Foreign Minister Stephane Dion, Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland and Finance Minister Bill Morneau.

During his visit, Trudeau is expected to push trade ties with China and discuss a possible free trade agreement, as well as the eventual inclusion of Canada in the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

He is also likely to discuss the human rights situation in China and the difficulties faced by people who hold double-citizenship in the country.

Trudeau is also expected to meet Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, e-retail giant Alibaba's founder Jack Ma, and Hong Kong multimillionaire Li Ka-Shing, a shareholder in Canada-based Husky Energy, among others.

His job, however, will not be easy as ties between the two countries have been strained since 2012, when the Canadian government, led by Stephen Harper, imposed measures to restrict acquisition of oil sand companies after China National OffShore Oil Corporation agreed to purchase Canada's Nexen.

Beijing, on its part, imposed strict restrictions on import of rapeseed oil from Canada, which it is expected to further strengthen in September.

Canada is also among the seven countries that came together to express concern over China's claims in the South China Sea, which further upset Beijing.

"Canada was among the first western power to establish diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1970 and I hope to start the process of rekindling bilateral ties," said Trudeau.

China is Canada's second largest trade partner after the US.

--IANS ss/ksk/dg

( 322 Words)

2016-08-30-15:27:57 (IANS)
German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel today said the United States had effectively ended talks on a free trade deal with the European Union because Washington had not wanted to compromise with its European counterparts.The US and the EU have been negotiating the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) for three years and both had aimed to agree a deal this year. A spokesman for the US trade chief told Der Spiegel today that talks on TTIP were progressing."I believe that the Americans have actively ended TTIP. I don't see any willingness to compromise with the Europeans," Gabriel told a news conference in Berlin.He added that TTIP had no chance of being agreed before a US election due in November. REUTERS DS VP1630 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-910685.Xml
Turkey's military push against Kurds in northern Syria risks escalating the conflict, French President Francois Hollande said today, calling on all parties to stop fighting and return to peace talks.Hollande told an annual gathering of French ambassadors that almost a year after Russia intervened in support of Bashar al-Assad's government, "today it is Turkey that has made the choice to deploy its army on Syrian territory to defend itself against Daesh (Islamic State)."But also to carry out actions against Kurds who themselves have confronted Islamic State with the support of the coalition. These multiple, contradictory interventions carry risks of a general flare-up," Hollande said.The United States scrambled yesterday to get its feuding allies, Turkey and the Kurdish YPG militia, to focus their firepower on Islamic State instead of each other, after clashes that have threatened to unravel America's war strategy in Syria .Hollande, who has special forces operating in Syria alongside Kurdish and Arab forces as part of an international coalition fighting the militant group, said it was a matter of absolute urgency to stop the bloodshed.As part of those efforts, Paris wants a UN Security Council resolution condemning the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government and Islamic State.Hollande said Russia, Assad's main backer, could not ignore the use of such weapons and had to support the resolution, which could then lead to a resumption of peace talks."The regime and its foreign backers still believe today in a military solution when the solution can only be political," Hollande said.He added that he would push Russian President Vladimir Putin on the issue when they meet at the G20 next week and when Putin visits Paris in October. REUTERS DS VN1653 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-910740.Xml
German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said today there would not be an official declaration that negotiations on a free trade deal between the United States and the European Union had ended without an agreement although talks had de facto failed."It doesn't make sense to end talks on such issues - neither with Turkey nor with Russia nor with America," Gabriel said during a news conference."But if the Americans don't move towards the Europeans, then Europe can't agree to a 'TTIP light'. And with this, the project - at least how it was all planned for this year - has failed."Earlier today, Gabriel said that the United States had effectively ended the TTIP because Washington had not wanted to compromise with its European counterparts.REUTERS DS BD1702 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-910755.Xml
An international agreement on climate change struck in Paris last year is still far from being implemented, French President Francois Hollande said today, and he urged countries to ensure it was ratified by year-end.The agreement obligates states to take concrete measures to curb emissions that contribute to climate change. It takes effect once at least 55 nations accounting for at least 55 per cent of global emissions ratify it. Only 23 countries, accounting for 1.08 per cent of emissions, have done so."The immediate urgency is to ensure the (climate agreement) is put into action by year-end. That's far from being achieved. I ask you to double your efforts to push countries where you reside to ratify the accord before Marrakesh," Hollande said, referring to the next round of UN climate talks in November.Global temperatures reached record highs for the 15th straight month in July, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the United States reported. July was also the hottest month since global record began in 1880, NOAA said.The new United Nations Environment chief, Erik Solheim, said it was good that France was urging people to sign the agreement. At a news conference in Geneva, though, he said he was more optimistic about the rate of ratifications."The United States and China have said they would do it this year and I visited Brasilia a couple of weeks back, and the Brazilians made it absolutely clear that they would, even in the midst of this big, big crisis in the land, they would sign off to Paris in September."So at the end of the year you will see a completely different pattern when it comes to signing the Paris agreement."The United States and China, whose pledges created the momentum for a rare global commitment in Paris, are widely expected to join the accord before a G20 meeting in China this weekend.REUTERS DS BD1745 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-910906.Xml
The rally was carried out yesterday to protest the recent military operations in different parts of Balochistan including Dera Bugti and the intervention of China on Baloch soil.

The protestors raised slogans in support of top Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Brahumdagh Bugti besides chanting "down with Pakistan, long live Nawab Brahumdagh Bugti."

They also raised slogans against the Chinese intervention on Baloch soil through so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which the Baloch people see as a threat to their identity and existence.

A large number of activists, including women and children, participated in the rally and protested against China and Pakistan for looting Baloch resources and conducting military operations against the civil Baloch populace.

Earlier media reports have also highlighted the manner in which the CPEC project was being constructed against the will of the local population in Balochistan, leading to the heavy presence of Pakistani military and police apparatus in the area.

The Pakistani Army has also been alleged of forceful evacuation of people from their traditional homesteads and farmlands in several areas of Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan so as to make the land available for the CPEC. (ANI)
The father claims the boy's mother was "one of the world's most wanted terrorists", Sally Jones, according to RT online.

The man, who asked to remain nameless for safety reasons, said he was shocked to see his son in the Islamic State video.

He and Sally Jones, a 47-year-old mother of two, split soon after Jojo was born in Kent in 2004.

Sally Jones then converted to Islam, married computer hacker Junaid Hussain and relocated to Syria in 2013 along with a then-10-year-old Jojo.

It was believed her husband died in a drone strike last year, reported the Mail on Sunday.

In the video released on Saturday, five boys of similar age, all dressed in army clothing, line up behind a row of Kurdish captives in orange jumpsuits.

The boy thought to be Jojo was referred to in the footage as Abdullah al-Britani (Briton) while the other boys seemingly hail from Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey and Uzbekistan.

"He was brilliant, just a normal boy - always chasing bugs, going down the park... It's disgusting he's been brainwashed," said the boy's father in an interview.

--IANS ahm/mr

( 217 Words)

2016-08-30-18:47:56 (IANS)
Neighbouring Pakistan and China reacted warily to the development.

Going a step further, the US agreed to elevate its defence ties with India to a level commensurate with its closest allies and partners.

The landmark agreement was signed here during the talks between visiting Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his US counterpart Ashton Carter.

Reacting to the development, China's 'Global Times,' said India has practised the principles of non-alignment since independence, which have been advocated by Indian elites. However, in recent years, Washington has deliberately wooed New Delhi to become its quasi ally so as to impose geopolitical pressure on China.More UNI MK RP1830

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0090-911092.Xml
Trade talks between the European Union and the United States should be halted and a new set started, France's trade minister said today, adding his voice to calls from within Germany for an end to the negotiations.Three years of talks on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) have failed to resolve multiple differences, including over food and environmental safety. Critics say the pact would hand too much power to big multinationals at the expense of consumers and workers.But despite a weekend comment by German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel that the talks had "de facto failed", which found an echo today by French Trade Minister Matthias Fekl, the European Commission says negotiations are making steady progress and there is an outline of a future agreement.Fekl said he would request a halt to TTIP talks at next month's meeting of EU trade ministers in Bratislava."There should be an absolute clear end so that we can restart them on a good basis," Fekl said on RMC Radio, calling the process "opaque" and unbalanced.Paris threatened to stall further negotiations as long ago as April. But with national elections due in both France and Germany in 2017, experts were saying before the summer that this year -- before the end of President Barack Obama's mandate in January -- may be the best opportunity to strike a deal.President Francois Hollande today appeared to endorse Fekl's position, telling ambassadors that he could not back a deal by that deadline."The negotiations are bogged down, positions have not been respected, it's clearly unbalanced," he said.Italy's trade and industry minister meanwhile said it was essential for Italian exporters that the negotiations bore fruit."TTIP will be sealed. It is inevitable," the minister, Carlo Calenda, said in an interview with Corriere della Sera newspaper published today. But he too said it would be difficult to reach a deal before Obama left office at the end of the year.Germany's Gabriel is the chairman of the Social Democrats who share power with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives.But Merkel backs the talks and her spokesman insisted today that they should continue.The official line from both the European Commission, the bloc's executive, and the United States, is also that the talks are progressing."Although trade talks take time, the ball is rolling right now and the Commission is making steady progress in the ongoing TTIP negotiations," Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas told a news conference in Brussels yesterday.US Trade Representative Michael Froman told German magazine Der Spiegel the negotiations "are in fact making steady progress".Supporters of the talks say the TTIP could deliver more than 100 billion dollars worth of economic gains on both sides of the Atlantic, but critics say the pact would hand too much power to big multinationals at the expense of consumers and workers.Britain's June vote to leave the EU has further clouded the picture, even though the Commission has a mandate to finalise TTIP talks on behalf of all EU 28 members.REUTERS DS BD1904 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-911097.Xml
Two days back, Afghanistan had reportedly deported 250 Pakistani workers over deadlock along the Durand Line near Chaman with the border crossing remaining closed for the 10th consecutive day.

The Friendship Gate was closed 10 days ago after Pakistani officials claimed that several Afghan demonstrators attacked the gate and disrespected the Pakistani flag.

Earlier too, tension intensified between the two neighbouring countries on several occasions during the past recent months, mainly due to the establishment of gates and other installations.

The Afghan and Pakistani forces exchanged fire in Torkham in June which resulted in to the closure of the gate for several days. (ANI)
Director of Hamid Karzai International Airport, Mohammad Asif Jabbarkhail said on Tuesday that over the past few days, Pakistan has deported or banned entry to at least ten Afghans after finding Indian visas in their passports, reports Tolo News.

Responding to this new sanction, Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has said the decision is unacceptable and that Kabul has resumed negotiations with Islamabad to resolve the issue.

"It is a disputed issue, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs conducts discussions with Pakistan officials to resolve the problems of our citizens," said MoFA spokesman Ahmad Shekib Mustaghni.

A number of documents indicate that Pakistan International Airline (PIA) has put embargo on Afghan citizens, who have travelled to India.

"Airline companies are still informing the passengers that they cannot take them to Pakistan if there is an Indian visa in their passport," said Jabbarkhail.

The new move by Pakistan has had an impact on airlines and travel companies as well.

"The Pakistan banning of Afghan nationals is a concerning issue, the government must tackle the problem swiftly," said Massoud Bina, deputy of Tourism Union.

Muzghan Sulaimankhail, an Afghan national, was denied entry into Pakistan because of an Indian visa in her passport.

"I went for medical treatment to Pakistan; when I arrived at the airport officials told me that they cannot allow me to enter Pakistan because of the existence of an Indian visa in my passport," she said. (ANI)
JUBA, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- The recently approved fiscal year budget in South Sudan, which recorded a 187 percent rise above the previous year's budget, is expected to make little difference to the country's devastated economy, an analyst said on Monday.

Professor James Alic Garang of Upper Nile University said the 520 million U.S. dollars for the financial year 2016/2017 which was unveiled last week is too little to run an economy in a volatile country like South Sudan.

"The government must resort to alternative ways including acquiring external funding to have a well running economy," Garang told Xinhua in Juba.

"If the price of goods in the market continues to rise, then very little will be done as people will continue to suffer," he said.

South Sudan's currency, the pound, has fallen sharply since the government allowed free floating of exchange rate in December, pushing price to increase several times.

Information Minister Michael Makuei said the government will fund its budget through oil and non-oil revenues.

He said the increase in the budget is meant to cover peace implementation and expand transitional government of national unity.

He however noted that the success or failure of the proposed budget will depend on the level of peace and the performance of the revenue and price stability in the country.

Over the years since the country achieved independence, 98 percent of its budget has been coming from oil, but civil strife which broke out in December 2013 and a drop in the global oil price have complicated matters for the country.
RAMALLAH, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian was elected as the chairman of the International Federation for Human Rights during the 39th annual conference held in Johannesburg, a senior Palestinian official said Monday.

Saeb Erekat, Secretary General of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee, said in an emailed press statement that Sha'wan Jabarin, a prominent Palestinian right activist, was elected as the chairman of the federation.

"The Palestinian people and the state of Palestine are proud of this historic victory. The Palestinians have always played a role in defending human rights and confronting the Israeli violations of their rights," said Erekat.

Jabarin is a rights activist from the West Bank and he is the chairman of the Palestinian rights group called al-Haq (the right) for human rights. He was elected as the federation's deputy chairman in the conference held in Turkey in 2013.

"Electing Jabarin as the chairman of the federation is the practical response by all the international rights associations and establishments, members of the federation, to the Israeli campaigns against his organization al-Haq," said Erekat.

In recent weeks, Israel waged a campaign against Jabarin and his rights group which had a significant role in documenting the Israeli violations during its large-scale military offensive waged on the Gaza Strip for 50 days in 2014.

"Documenting all these violations against the Palestinian people by Palestinian rights groups aims at suing the (Israeli) occupation and its war criminals before the international courts of crimes," said Erekat.

The annual conference of the international federation for human rights was held on Aug. 22 for six days. At least 400 world rights activists representing 193 human rights organizations coming from 122 countries participated in the conference.
Chinese Ambassador to Germany Shi Mingde (R) speaks during an interview with Xinhua News Agency in Berlin, Germany, on Aug. 29, 2016. The G20 has become a representative, equitable and effective mechanism for global governance. Holding the presidency this year, China would like to strengthen cooperation with Germany, the host next year, and make joint efforts to revive the world economy, said Chinese Ambassador to Germany Shi Mingde on Monday. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)

by Tang Zhiqiang, Yan Feng

BERLIN, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- The G20 has become a representative, equitable and effective mechanism for global governance. Holding the presidency this year, China would like to strengthen cooperation with Germany, the host next year, and make joint efforts to revive the world economy, said Chinese Ambassador to Germany Shi Mingde on Monday.

"Good cooperation between China and Germany under the G20 framework is important for the success of the mechanism," Shi said in an interview with Xinhua ahead of the G20 summit in China's eastern city of Hangzhou.

"On the issue of global economic and financial governance, China and Germany have lots of common grounds," he said, citing both countries' preference for real economy, and support for structural reforms.

"Both sides believe that sustainable recovery of the world economy could not depend solely on fiscal stimulation and easy monetary policies," Shi added.

China chose "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy" as the theme for this year's G20 summit, and set innovation, structural reforms, trade and investment, and sustainable development as the main topics.

"The Hangzhou summit is likely to achieve nearly 30 major results, which will make it the most fruitful one compared with previous summits," said Shi.

According to the ambassador, China and Germany have been communicating with each other intensively in preparation for the Hangzhou summit. Such coordination will continue with an aim to ensure successful G20 meetings in both this year and next.

"As the first international economic governance mechanism participated equitably by developed countries and developing countries, G20 offers a good dialogue platform for major economies," Shi said, "It enhances the coordination of its member states and improves the unification and sustainability of their policies."

He added that by hosting the G20 summit this year, China gets an opportunity to participate in global economic governance in a broader scale and higher level, and to make better contribution to the stability and development of the world economy.

"On both China and the whole world, the G20 summit this year will have very huge and deep influence," the ambassador said.

He noted that via structural reforms, China has shifted its economic driving force and improved the quality of its growth.

The Chinese economy grew at an average annual level of 7.3 percent from 2011 to 2015, compared to the world average of 2.4 percent.

"Despite the existence of some downward pressure, the Chinese economy retains potential for medium-high speed growth," Shi said, "At the moment when global recovery remains subdued, China helps support the stability of world economy."

Citing the Belt and Road initiative, BRICS Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the ambassador said China is contributing its wisdom and solutions to global economic governance.

"In the future, China's role as an engine of global economic growth will be more enhanced," he said.
ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Airlines has announced that it has finalized preparations to launch flights to Moroni, Comoros with the latest B737-800 as of the 30th of Oct. 2016.

Moroni is the largest city, the federal capital and seat of the government of the Union of the Comoros, a sovereign archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean.

The flights to Moroni will be operated thrice weekly via Dar es Salaam, according to the statement from the company on Monday.

Moroni will be the airline's 54th African destination, noted the statement.

"We believe our flights to Moroni and elsewhere in our beloved continent, Africa, contribute positively to the overall development of the continent and serve as a critically essential vehicle for the flow of investment, trade and tourism," said CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Tewolde GebreMariam.
CAPE TOWN, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- A heated debate is unfolding over a policy which requires black learners at the Pretoria High School for Girls to straighten their hair.

The policy has prompted students at the school to stage protests against what they call racism against black learners.

According to the school's 36-page Code of Conduct, pupils can wear braids, cornrows or dreadlocks, but only if they are a maximum of 10mm in diameter.

Under the code, all hair has to be brushed, neatly tied back if long enough, and kept out of the face, and no patterned cornrows are allowed. Moreover, longer braids have to be tied back. No decorations or beads are allowed in the hair.

On Monday, the African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) condemned the racist policy passed by the management of the school.

"It should be noted that the ANCWL is appalled by their behaviour of the school management to allow young children to be manhandled by big security men for raising their concerns," ANCWL Secretary General Meokgo Matuba said in a statement emailed to Xinhua.

The ANCWL expressed support for the young black girls at the school for standing firm in dealing with the racism they are experiencing.

"South Africans should not tolerate any form of racism and must work together to deal with structural racism in our previously white schools.

"It is the firm belief of the ANCWL that South Africa should start moving towards criminalizing all forms of racist behaviors. Any form of reversing the gains of our democracy must be unashamedly exposed and unapologetically confronted by all of us," Matuba said.

The ANCWL said it supports the young fearless black learners who firmly stood up against racism when it reared its ugly head.

"We encourage all South Africans not to tolerate any form of racism and must work together to deal with structural racism in some of the Private schools around the country," the organization said.

The Department of Education in Gauteng Province has set up a fact finding mission with a hope to restore the dignity of black girls.

The ANCWL said it will join other progressive structures to highlight the matter to Human Rights Commission.

Also on Monday, the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) said the latest revelations regarding "hair policy" have brought to attention some school policies which are both divisive and discriminatory.

"Policies that unfairly discriminate against people are unconstitutional and do not have a place in our democratic dispensation," the DA said.

The school management, however, remains defiant, saying that any school has the right to make its code of conduct for students to follow.
ACCRA, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- The government of Ghana will raise at least 25.3 billion Ghana cedis (6.4 billion U.S. dollars) from the domestic bonds market during the Aug.-Dec. period of the year, a statement on the bank's official website on Monday.

The bank's Revised Issuance Calendar explained that part of the bond receipts would be used to roll over maturing debts equivalent to 6.04 billion U.S. dollars.

The remaining amount of 358.8 million dollars of fresh issuance, it said, would be used to meet the government's financing requirements.

The debt instruments range between 91-day treasury bills and 10-year-bonds.

The 91-day and the 182-day treasury bills is to be issued weekly while the one-year note will be issued every two weeks through primary auctions.

"The two-year note will be issued monthly through the primary auction with settlement occurring on the second Monday of each month," the Bank of Ghana stated.
Former European commission delegation head to Turkey Stefano Manservisi (C) speaks at a forum in Alpbach, Austria, Aug. 29, 2016. Though it is "difficult", but we should find a solution, Stefano Manservisi told Xinhua on Monday. (Xinhua/Qian Yi)

ALPBACH, Austria, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Though it is "difficult", but we should go forward to find a solution, former European commission delegation head to Turkey told Xinhua on Monday.

In response of the recent development of EU-Turkey relation, Stefano Manservisi, the Director-General of Directorate-General International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO) of the European commission said politicians could use their "leverage" over a certain issue, but this should not be taken to the negotiation as sides need to find a solution of the issue.

Manservisi also served as the head of delegation of the European commission to Turkey.

Turkey said it might walk away from the deal with EU over the refugee crisis if the EU refuse to offer Turkish free visa. The relation between the two sides seems to be more sensitive recently after the failed coup in Turkey.

Turkey play a key role in the refugee crisis as many refugees are settled in the country, stopping the refugee influx.

Some Europeans got concerned if the EU and Turkey failed to bridge gaps, there could be a new wave of refugee influx.

We should focus on the issue, although now is difficult, but should be on the right way, Manservisi noted.
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov on Monday urged Israel to end settlement construction in occupied territory and called for joint efforts to restore hope for two-state solution.

Since July 1, Israel has advanced plans for over 1,000 housing units in occupied East Jerusalem, as well as 735 units in settlements in the West Bank, Mladenov said at a UN Security Council meeting calling on Israel to "cease and reverse these decisions" .

He pointed out that the recommendations offered by the Middle East Quartet on July 1 to ensure a return to meaningful negotiations "continue to be ignored," with a surge in Israeli settlement-related announcements and continuing demolitions.

"Let me be clear: no legal acrobatics can change the fact that all outposts -- whether 'legalised' under Israeli law or not, whether located on state land, or absentee land, or private land -- just like all settlements in Area C and East Jerusalem, remain illegal under international law," he said.

The coordinator called on the leaders on both sides to end the conflict.

The peace talks between Israel and Palestine have been stalled since April 2014. The U.S.-sponsored talks that lasted for nine months achieved no tangible results.

"Both sides should work to reverse the negative trajectory, to build trust and to restore hope that a negotiated two-state solution is not just a political slogan but a reality that can be achieved through negotiations in our lifetime," he said.
CHICAGO, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) grains futures closed lower Friday, with wheat futures falling for a sixth consecutive session to a 10-year low, as ample global stocks and a regulatory clamp-down from the world's largest buyer of the grain dragged on prices.

Corn futures slid and soybean futures also dropped. Vast worldwide supplies of grain that will only increase with the fall harvest are weighing on markets, along with favorable weather forecasts, analysts observed.

The most active corn contract for December delivery was down 4.25 cents, or 1.31 percent, to 3.2075 dollars per bushel. December wheat delivery fell 10.5 cents, or 2.58 percent, to 3.97 dollars per bushel. November soybeans fell 3 cents, or 0.31 percent, to 9.6425 dollars per bushel.

Wheat slid after Egypt, the world's biggest wheat importer, reinstated on Sunday a controversial ban on wheat shipments containing even the slightest amount of a common grain fungus, ergot. The move baffled traders who had returned to the Egyptian market just last month when the ban was lifted.

"There is a big supply and uncertainty of demand," said Don Roose, founder of U.S. Commodities in West Des Moines,Iowa.

Analysts pointed to the grain piling up, with the bumper harvest estimates from USDA and the ProFarmer Midwest Crop Tour.

The Pro Farmer newsletter on Friday predicted that U.S. average corn yields in 2016 will be 170.2 bushels per acre, or enough to produce a record-large 14.728 billion-bushel crop.

Pro Farmer projected soybean production at a record 4.093 billion bushels, with an average yield of 49.3 bushels per acre. Its estimates topped the USDA's Aug. 12 outlook for a 4.060 billion-bushel crop with a yield of 48.9 bushels per acre.

After the CBOT close, the USDA rated 75 percent of the U.S. corn crop in good to excellent condition, unchanged from a week earlier, and 73 percent of the soybean crop as good to excellent, up from 72 percent the previous week. Both figures are historically high.
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday called on all countries to work to bring the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) as soon as possible.

Open for signature in 1996, the legally binding CTBT is a multilateral treaty by which states agree to ban all nuclear explosions, for both civilian and military purposes.

In a message to the International Day against Nuclear Tests, Ban noted since its adoption 20 years ago, the CTBT has yet to enter into force.

Ban said a prohibition on all nuclear testing will boost momentum for other disarmament measures, and it will build confidence for other regional security measures, including a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction.

The UN General Assembly declared Aug. 29 the International Day against Nuclear Tests in 2009, calling for increasing awareness about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions and the need for their cessation as one of the means to achieve the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.
BRUSSELS, Aug. 29(Xinhua)-- The European Commission is making steady progress in the ongoing Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations and "the ball is rolling" on it, a spokesman of the European Union's (EU) executive body said on Monday.

"Although trade talks take time, the ball is rolling right now and the Commission is making steady progress in the ongoing TTIP negotiations," chief spokesperson of the Commission Margaritis Schinas told a news conference.

"Talks are now indeed entering crucial stage as we have proposals for almost all chapters on the table and a good sense of the outline of the future agreement," he added.

Schinas said Brussels was still negotiating on behalf of all 28 members of the EU, including Britain after it voted to leave the bloc.

He also stressed that the Commission was still hoped to conclude the deal by the end of the year but not at the expense of "Europe's safety, health, social and data protection standards, or our cultural diversity".

Sigmar Gabriel, Germany'economy minister, said on Sunday in an interview with German ZDF television that negotiations over TTIP had "de facto failed" because "Europeans, of course, should not subject ourselves to American demands".

He has noted that the two sides could not agree on a single chapter of the deal being discussed.

TTIP comprises of three main blocks, market access for EU and U.S. companies, cooperation on regulatory issues and global rules of trade such as sustainable development or competition policy.

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.
Argentine Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra addresses a seminar in Buenos Aires Aug. 29, 2016. Susana Malcorra on Monday praised China's development policy as "consistent and coherent in the long term." (Xinhua/Martin Zabala)

BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Argentinian Foreign Affairs Minister Susana Malcorra on Monday praised China's development policy as "consistent and coherent in the long term."

Speaking at a seminar held at the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange on China's role in Latin American industry, Malcorra said the Asian giant has made notable progress in the last three decades in keeping with its own farsighted development programs.

"While in the 1980s, Latin America's GDP (gross domestic product) surpassed China's by 150 percent, in 2013 it represented 60 percent of China's GDP," said Malcorra, who will travel to China on Wednesday, accompanying President Mauricio Macri to attend Group of 20 (G20) Summit.

The 11th G20 summit is to be held on Sept. 4-5 in China's eastern city of Hangzhou under the theme of "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy."

The minister called for greater efforts to understand and learn "what it means to have ties with China, a country that plans for the long term."

"China is consistent and coherent in the long term. Food security is one of the major issues that concerns many regions of the world, including China, and that is an opportunity for the region," said Malcorra.

"If we begin to understand its long-term outlook, perhaps we can forge a position for the region that will facilitate the relationship," she said.

China is Argentina's second largest trade partner, after Brazil, and main export destination for agrifoods, and the two countries have elevated ties to the level of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

At the same event, Lucio Castro, secretary of productive transformation at the Ministry of Production, also underscored bilateral ties with the Asian country, saying "China is an important, essential partner of Argentina's."

"As President Mauricio Macri has noted, we are going through a new stage, marked by more balanced trade," said Castro.

"The relationship with China is important, because the national productive plan aims for an intelligent insertion into the world, taking care of employment, and because the focus of the plan is to try to break with a growth scheme based on crises, currency exchange adjustments and collapsed wages instead of competitivity," said Castro.

"China presents a challenge and an opportunity for Argentina, due to its structural change from an export-driven economy to a consumer-driven one," Castro said.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in China, the White House said Monday.

Obama will discuss with the Turkish leader the circumstances in the country since the attempted coup, the campaign against the Islamic State group, Syria, and the refugee crisis, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters.

It will be the first meeting between Obama and Erdogan since the failed attempted coup in Turkish last month.

The meeting will come at a time when the failed coup attempt in Turkey has left relations between Washington and Ankara in a state of uncertainty.

Erdogan blamed the followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric living in exile in Pennsylvania, the United States, for the coup attempt and demanded his extradition.

The United States has insisted that the cleric would only be extradited as a result of a legal process according to the relevant laws and treaties.

The 11th G20 summit is to be held on Sept. 4-5 in China' s eastern city of Hangzhou. Following the summit, Obama will travel to Laos, the first ever U.S. presidential visit to the Southeast Asia country, according to Rhodes.
MONTEVIDEO, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Uruguay's President Tabare Vazquez said Monday that the marijuana market regulation, which has been in force in the country since 2010, does not encourage the substance's consumption.

"The fact that the marijuana trade has been regulated does not mean it is encouraging its consumption," said the president while in the western city of Fray Bentos, cited on Monday by the government's official media service.

"Taking drugs is not necessary, the human body does not need them, apart from when a properly trained professional is prescribing them for a particular illness," said the president during a news conference.

"We need to lead a healthy life, do sport, eat well and enjoy life. Drugs are not needed in any of this," said the president who is also an oncologist by profession and has headed an unwavering anti-tobacco campaign since his first term in office (2005-2010).

Producing and marketing marijuana is authorized in Uruguay under state supervision, according to a law from 2013. At the same time, self-cultivation is allowed if the user is registered before the Cannabis Regulation and Control Institute (Ircca).

Currently over 3,000 people are self-growers registered with Ircca. They can grow up to six female plants per household.

The 17 membership clubs which are also contemplated for in the law, can have up to 99 plants.

Uruguay's government assigned the growing of marijuana to two private companies in October 2015 and announced that cannabis would be sold in pharmacies from 2016Enditem
BRASILIA, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- If Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff is impeached by the Senate, it will spark demand for new presidential elections, a former member of her cabinet said on Monday.

Miguel Rossetto, a fellow member of the leftist Workers' Party (PT) and former Minister of Agricultural Development, said a vote to impeach Rousseff would launch the "Direct Elections Now" movement.

Brazilians did not vote for the right-leaning interim government that has succeeded Rousseff and aims to see through her term through 2018, he said.

Brazil's Senate is expected to vote for or against impeachment by Wednesday the latest.

Rossetto, one of Rousseff's closest former aides, said the PT and other social groups will mobilize street protests to call for new elections, rather than having the interim government officially instated.

"If this process (impeachment) passes, a movement for Direct Elections Now should be immediately launched," said Rossetto.

The majority of Brazilians are not going to accept the "regressive agenda" of interim President Michel Temer's government, he added.

The trial sidelined Rousseff and the left-leaning PT, bringing Temer of the conservative Brazilian Social Democracy Party to power.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Monday urged the Turkish troops not to fight Syrian Kurds in northern Syria, warning that their conflict with the Kurdish forces would hinder efforts to defeat the Islamic State (IS).

"We have called upon Turkey to stay focused on the fight against the ISIL and not to engage Syrian defense forces," said Carter here at a press conference, referring to another acronym of IS.

The Turkish foreign minister said Monday that the People's Protection Units (YPG), a Syrian group linked to the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), would remain targeted until it retreats to east of Euphrates River.

The YPG, a part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, had reportedly been a partner in the U.S.-led campaign against the IS in Syria.

The conflicts between Pentagon's feuding allies came at a time when the U.S.-led coalition was scrambling to forge a united front against the IS.

"We've called on both sides to not fight with one another, to continue to focus the fight on ISIL," said Carter. "That's the basis of our cooperation with both of them. And specifically, not to engage one another and to retain those geographic commitments that they've made."
MELBOURNE, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Australian Border Force (ABF) authorities in Western Australia (WA) have discovered 45 kilograms of methamphetamine, known as "ice", worth 34 million U.S. dollars, in a shipping container from Africa.

Rod O'Donnell, regional commander of the ABF in WA, told Fairfax media Tuesday that the seizure was just one example of the AFP and ABF's commitment to stemming the illegal drug trade in Australia.

Around 106 packages of methamphetamine were detected in the container, which was deemed suspicious. When it was X-rayed, the drugs were found concealed within timber logs.

"This seizure is yet another example of the ABF's success in targeting large shipments of methamphetamine arriving in air and sea cargo," O'Donnell said.

WA Police and Australian Federal Police (AFP) tracked the containers delivery address to Baldivis, a semi-rural suburb 50 kilometers south of Perth, where two men, aged 54 and 42 respectively, were arrested and charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported drug.

Another 33-year-old WA man and a 29-year-old Nigerian man in Victoria were also arrested in connection to the crime and charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.

Sewage tests carried out in August revealed that West Australians are using two tons of methamphetamine, worth 1.5 billion U.S. dollars, every year.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Commerce Department on Monday announced its preliminary affirmative determination in the antidumping duty (AD) investigation against imports of truck and bus tires from China, signaling that it may impose punitive duties on the products.

The department said that such products from China had been sold in the United States at dumping margins of 20.87 percent to 22.57 percent.

As a result of the preliminary affirmative determination, the department will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to require cash deposits based on these preliminary rates.

The U.S. Commerce Department launched AD and countervailing duty investigations against imports of such products from China in February 2016, in response to a request from United Steelworkers based in Pennsylvania.

The department is scheduled to make its final determination in January next year, unless the statutory deadline is extended.

Punitive duties would be imposed after both the Commerce Department and the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) make affirmative final rulings. The USITC is scheduled to make its final determination in March, 2017.

Imports of these products from China were estimated at about 1.07 billion U.S. dollars in 2015, according to U.S. official data.

China's Ministry of Commerce has repeatedly urged the United States to abide by its commitment against protectionism and work with China and other members of the international community to maintain a free, open and just international trade environment.
LA PAZ, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Bolivian President Evo Morales demanded on Monday a "thorough investigation" into the killing of Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes and three miners last week.

"We mourn the fallen brothers. There has to be a thorough investigation and come what may, they have to be prosecuted," said Morales during a ceremony with the unionized miners from Colquiri held at the presidential palace.

Bolivian police have arrested 10 miners and are searching for 12 other people implicated in the murder of Illanes, who was sent last Thursday to have a dialogue with protesting miners, but was kidnapped and tortured.

The Public Prosecutor's Office said suspects are largely leaders of the unions who issued threats at the scene. Police had released some 40 protesters arrested earlier over Illanes' death.

According to officials, some 100 miners "forced him to climb a hill on his knees" until his bones were fractured "before stoning him to death." Meanwhile, the miners laid a trap with explosives in case police arrived.

Illanes' death led to an end Friday of weeks of violent protests in which miners had blocked a highway and clashed with police for more union rights and more mining concessions from the government.

Bolivia's energy sector is nationalized. Protesters' demands included freedom to sign contracts with private mining firms and a free supply of electricity.

On Monday, Morales said that in the past weeks "we experienced very difficult moments in Bolivia."

"There is no point abusing our trade union strength. There is no point abusing the social force in any sector, you need to be careful of this as it is the heritage of the workers," he noted.

The president, who said Saturday the protesters showed a "clear intent" to destabilize the government, said he regretted that some sectors wanted to "take advantage of" the government intention for dialogue, trying to pressure the government into meeting their demands.
State Development & Investment Corp's headquarters in Beijing, April 29, 2015. [Photo / VCG]

Firm to cement its future in Southeast Asian nation with big investment over next 5 years

State Development & Investment Corp, the country's largest State-owned investment holding company by fund volume, will expand its investment categories from cement factories to nickel ore mines, power plants and ports in Indonesia over the next five years, said its senior executive on Monday.

With a total investment of 2.2 billion yuan ($329 million), SDIC invested and launched the production of the first phase of a cement plant in Indonesia's West Papua province last week.

After a 16 month construction period, the plant will be able to produce 1.5 million tons of cement annually to meet the country's surging demand for various infrastructure projects.

Li Bing, SDIC's vice-president, said the company will invest in the second phase of the cement plant after six months if the operation and sales could maintain a fast growth pace. This would add a further 1.5 million tons of annual cement production capacity to the project.

Anhui Conch Cement Co, China's largest cement maker by market value, is responsible for the design of the plants.

The project currently has 309 employees, including 173 Indonesian staff. It is part of SDIC's effort to get more opportunities from the Belt and Road Initiative.

Supported by more than 200 subsidiaries, SDIC has built a strong market presence in both developed and developing markets, in particular in the markets of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in recent years.

"Restrained by weak industrial and logistics foundations in certain parts of Southeast Asia, many Indonesian and foreign construction contractors have to cope with local cement that costs too much and is often in short supply," said Li.

This makes it even harder to complete projects on time. Delays caused by substandard port and road facilities, and delayed shipments from Asia, the Middle East and Europe, make matters worse.

Tamba Hutapea, deputy chairman of Indonesia's Investment Coordinating Board, or BKPM, said this is the first cement project to be put into production in West Papua province. It will alter the current situation in which eastern Indonesia does not have a cement industry to support the country's industrialization and urbanization.

"It certainly is not cheap to ship cement to Indonesia or other parts of Southeast Asia from China, mainly due to container loading costs," said Sun Fuquan, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development in Beijing.

"The cement must be properly packed and protected, otherwise it is easy to get wet and will become useless."

Sun said it appears Chinese companies have found a new growth area in Southeast Asia's cement and power industries. Less competition in this market also gives them an early advantage to secure a better position.
MOSCOW, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama may communicate with each other on the sidelines of the G20 summit to be held in China on Sept. 4-5, the Russian news agency TASS reported Tuesday.

Earlier on Monday, Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser, said the U.S. president hopes to meet his Russian counterpart to discuss some issues during the summit.

"We also hope (for such an opportunity)," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying. "We are ready, although the final decision has not been made yet," he added.

The last Putin-Obama meeting took place at the International Climate Change Conference in Paris in late November.

Apart from the G20 summit in China, another likely occasion for a meeting between the two presidents this year is the APEC summit to be held on Nov. 18-19 in Peru.
NEW DELHI, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Indian Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma may mean well, but his advice of "don't wear skirts" still didn't play out well to audiences from home and abroad.

In a speech delivered Sunday, Sharma said his department will be giving out flyers to foreign tourists that contain tips on visiting India.

The suggestions include avoid wearing skirts and going out alone at night in smaller cities.

The advice immediate earned the minister a storm of criticism and Sharma was forced to defend himself Monday by saying that he was only suggesting that foreign tourists refrain from wearing skirts in religious places.

"I am a father of two daughters...I would never tall women what they should wear or not," Sharma was quoted as saying.

The controversy over how women should dress has drawn global attention in part because of the rampant raping across the country, with reports of female tourists from the United States, Switzerland, Denmark, Japan and Israel becoming victims of sexual assault.
by Liu Chuntao, Naim-Ul-Karim

DHAKA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Officials and executives of banking and non-banking financial institutions are joining a new and growing trend of learning Chinese in Bangladesh, a country in which proficiency in English has long been the desirable language goal to achieve success.

What the officials maintain is changing because in today's modern economy knowing Mandarin and understanding China, which has more than 5,000 years of history and 1.28 billion people, is a must.

People, particularly business people here, understand that the studying of the Chinese language can pave the way for them to further explore both professional and cultural opportunities.

People from different industries and backgrounds are now showing more interest in learning Chinese in the hope to understand the world's second-largest economy better, and to benefit from knowing the most widely spoken language in the world, whether it is for personal reasons or in the pursuit of furthering business opportunities.

Language teachers in Dhaka have recently noted a high number of banking and non-financial institutions are seeking their support to teach a rising number of officials and executives the Chinese language.

A Dhaka University teacher said they are teaching Chinese to as many 29 officials from just one single bank.

Zubaida is one of the 29 officials of Bangladesh's leading AB Bank Limited who is learning the Chinese language at the Modern Language Institution of Dhaka University.

"Our relationship with China is growing rapidly," said Zubaida who uses a single name.

"In the business sector they are making so many valuable contributions. So in future for the good of business relationships we need to know the Chinese people and their backgrounds and speak their language. Doing so will help us develop deeper relationships in banking with them."

She added that China has a long and rich history and its people account for one fifth of the global population and therefore being able to speak, read and write Mandarin and understanding China in general is exceedingly important in today's global environment.

"And we also know that over one in four people are talking Chinese. So it's like I feel proud if I can be one of those special people and communicate with so many people easily," said Zubaida, adding that a new era of business could be explored by visiting China and that many cross-cultural and other reciprocal benefits could be made by Bangladeshis immersing themselves in Chinese culture and language.

Zubaid's colleague Porshia said, "Right now we are communicating with our Chinese business parters using English, but perhaps, for better communication, if we talk in their own language it might be smoother for us to communicate with them and both parties will feel comfortable."

She added "They will feel that communicating with us is easy. That's why our bank sent us here to learn the Chinese language."

"Our bank is trying to further develop business relationships with Chinese companies and communicate with our partners better," she said.

Afazal Hossain, assistant professor and head of the Chinese Department of Modern Language Institution at Dhaka University, said many organizations are seeking their support to teach their officials the Chinese language.

"The Chinese language is also one of the official languages of the United Nations and every sector including banks, officials need to develop this language skill," Hossain said.

Language is the bridge between two countries, two nations and between two people, he added.

Echoing almost a similar view, Guo Lei, Chinese Language Director at the Confucius Institute at Bangladesh's leading private North South University in Dhaka, said Chinese teaching services are increasing day by day not only in Bangladesh but all over the world.

He said there are more than 20 Chinese teachers in Bangladesh who are teaching the Chinese language in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country.

According to Guo, many Bangladeshi educational institutions are seeking support from his institute to teach their teachers and students the Chinese language.

"I think because the Chinese economy is growing so fast and its influence is expanding, many officials from the bank and other companies are interested in doing business with China," said Guo.

"If they can learn the Chinese language and speak Chinese they can promote their businesses better," he added.
Some of the delegates pose for a group photo during the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Summit and Expo in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, Aug. 29, 2016. (Xinhua/Liu Tian)

ISLAMABAD, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- A two-day summit and expo regarding China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has been started in Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Monday, with an aim to provide a platform for exchanging ideas and open new avenues for increasing businesses and to explore opportunities in CPEC.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the two-day CPEC Summit and Expo at the Pakistan-China Friendship Center in Islamabad, which is being organized by Pakistan's Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms.

Inaugural session was also attended by Pakistan's Federal Minister of Planning, Development and Reforms, Ahsan Iqbal, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Sun Weidong, Chief Ministers of Pakistani provinces, diplomats, members of the parliament, academics, heads of Chinese companies investing in Pakistan, and 110 other delegates from China.

Addressing the inaugural session, Prime Minister Sharif said the CPEC would not only serve as a game-changer for Pakistan, but a fate-changer for entire region by helping it get rid of economic deprivation and attain peace and prosperity.

"The CPEC is a new concept of diplomacy based on shared goals of prosperity for Pakistan and the region, and a project to eliminate poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment. It will not only improvePakistan's own infrastructure but will also provide it the much needed know-how, knowledge and expertise in new technologies," said the Prime Minister.

The PM also visited the stalls, set up by Pakistani and Chinese companies and by different departments of Pakistan's federal and provincial governments at the exhibition halls, and expressed satisfaction over their performance in the projects related to the CPEC.

On the occasion, Pakistan's Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms, Ahsan Iqbal, said the summit is organized to mark the completion of three years of signing of CPEC project between China andPakistan and its main aim is to strengthen business to business relationships besides enabling Pakistani provinces to explore opportunities in CPEC to promote inclusive development.

"The Summit and Expo will also help to create strong links between academia and industry for collaborative research in areas relating of CPEC. It will bring opportunities for Pakistani investors and will enable them to develop collaboration with Chinese enterprises, besides creating awareness about CPEC among private sector of Pakistan," said the minister.

Addressing the audience at the jam-packed hall of the China-Pakistan Friendship Center, Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong said China-Pakistan relations have now entered into a new phase of development, the phase with a lot of opportunities and that the CPEC is a project of livelihood, which has already created tens of thousands of job opportunities for Pakistani people.

Terming CPEC as the leader and pilot project of China's Belt and Road initiative, Ambassador Sun said "CPEC has now entered into fully implementation and it is making smooth progress. Chinese gov't encourages its qualified and confident enterprises to make investment in Pakistan and explore opportunities of industrial cooperation, technological research and development."

During the two-day summit, the participants will feature in eight sessions of discussions under different topics, including Sharing the fruits of regional development, China-Pakistan CEOs Forum, CPEC 2013-2030 Business Opportunities for Pakistan and China, opportunities forPakistan's businesses under CEPC projects, business opportunities in energy and connectivity infrastructure, CPEC and the sub-regional socio-economic development in Pakistan, rejuvenating old and creating new cities as centers of growth under CPEC, and business opportunities in trade & industry under CPEC.

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong (L) addresses the opening ceremony of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Summit and Expo in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, Aug. 29, 2016. (Xinhua/Liu Tian)
SINGAPORE, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is not doomed to be anyone's puppet and can instead be a worthy partner, Chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) Simon Tay said.

ASEAN and China share a strong relationship which is economically critical, Tay told Xinhua on the sidelines of a forum on ASEAN and Asia.

China has already remained the largest trade partner for ASEAN, and it's time to export some of its jobs to ASEAN at this stage, he added.

"Besides trade, we see that investment has picked up. And China is also important for infrastructural development," Tay said. "It's no longer just trade alone that we need to really understand."

Tay explained that the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that China and ASEAN signed may have looked good at that time, but when reviewed from today's perspective, it is still limited. He believed more can be done, such as in service sectors.

"There is a deeply strong relationship beyond just trade, and the relationship (between China and ASEAN) is already there. It can grow further," he said.

"Some areas like services are not yet open. So if we open them up more, the relationship will go up further."

The SIIA chairman also underlined the importance of China's Belt and Road Initiative and establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), saying physical infrastructure can make a difference.

"A trade agreement is like a policy to connect. But without the physical connection, the policy is hard to work," explained Tay.

He stressed the development of China's western region, as he thought it will be great if western China can be connected to Southeast Asia, resulting in a surge in logistics.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in July at an ASEAN meeting in Laos that "over the past 25 years, the China-ASEAN partnership has become the most broad, fruitful and closest ties among ASEAN's dialogue partners."

There was a need to review the China-ASEAN relationship and develop it more broadly.

Tay said the China-ASEAN relationship cannot be expanded just economically, as the overall context of the relationship can help to fully understand it.

As for the disputes in the South China Sea, he used the analogies of "hot egg" and "lunch box" to illustrate his opinion on the China-ASEAN relations.

"You cannot hold the hot item by yourself, but you can put it into the lunch box to handle it," said Tay. "When you put the egg into the lunch box, the lunch box itself will get warm, but hopefully the other things in the lunch box will make it containable."

The expert mentioned that the Belt and Road Initiative and the AIIB are "the other things" in the lunch box, which have shown China is creating a much more cooperative space.

"Some people think China will dominate ASEAN, but I don't think this is inevitable, both China's own restraint plus ASEAN's efforts can make this a more positive partnership," said Tay.
BISHKEK, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- A car exploded in front of the Chinese embassy here in the Kyrgyz capital on Tuesday, causing casualties, authorities and witnesses said.

A Kyrgyz senior security officer told Xinhua that it was a suicide car bombing attack, in which the driver tried to ram the gate of the embassy compound.

The incident left three people injured, but their identities and nationalities are yet to be determined, he said, without offering more details.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Despite concerns about the slowdown of the world's second-largest economy, China remains the single largest contributor to global economic growth, a U.S. expert said on Monday.

If China's economy grows at 6.7 percent in 2016, in line with the government's official target, it would account for 1.2 percentage points of global GDP (gross domestic product) growth this year, said Stephen Roach, a senior fellow at Yale University and former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia.

With the International Monetary Fund (IMF) currently expecting the world economy to expand at only 3.1 percent this year, China would contribute nearly 39 percent of the overall global growth, dwarfing the contribution of other major economies, Roach wrote in an analysis on news site Project Syndicate.

The U.S. economy, the world's largest economy, is expected to grow at 2.2 percent this year, contributing just 0.3 percentage points to overall global GDP growth, or only about one-fourth of the contribution made by China, according to the expert.

"China's contribution to global growth is, in fact, 50 percent larger than the combined 0.8-percentage-point contribution likely to be made by all of the so-called advanced economies," he said.

Moreover, no developing country comes close to China's contribution to global growth, according to Roach. For example, India is expected to grow by 7.4 percent this year, but it would likely contribute just 0.6 percentage points to global growth as the country accounts for only 7.6 percent of world output.

"No matter how you slice it, China remains the world's major growth engine," Roach said, noting that global economic growth "remains heavily dependent" on China even if the economy is transitioning to what the Chinese leadership has dubbed the "new normal."

Highlighting a "China-centric global growth dynamic," Roach believed the global economy stands to benefit greatly from a successful rebalancing of China's economy towards services and household consumption.

"A successful Chinese rebalancing scenario has the potential to jump-start global demand with a new and important source of aggregate demand -- a powerful antidote to an otherwise sluggish world," he said, noting that Chinese domestic demand has the potential to become an increasingly important source of export-led growth for China's major trading partners.

"Despite all the focus on the United States, Europe, or Japan, China continues to hold the trump card in today's weakened global economy," Roach said. "The world needs a successful China more than ever."
SEOUL, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- New corporate set-ups in South Korea declined last month due to the weakening of industrial activity in construction and manufacturing sectors, a government report showed on Tuesday.

The number of newly established corporate bodies reached 8,253 in July, down 7.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the Small and Medium Business Administration.

The agency attributed the fall to soft industrial activity among manufacturers and construction firms, caused by faltering exports amid delayed global recovery and a slide in construction orders especially from oil-exporting countries amid cheaper crude oil.

The number of newly founded companies in the wholesale & retail industry ranked first with 1,979 in July, accounting for 24 percent of the total. It was followed by manufacturers with 19.7 percent, builders with 10.2 percent and real estate firms with 10.1 percent.

By age, those in their 40s established 2,997 new companies last month, taking up 36.3 percent of the total. Those in their 50s set up 2,165 companies in July.
by Naim-Ul-Karim

DHAKA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh's Supreme Court rejected a final appeal by a key Islamist party financier against his death sentence for atrocities committed during the 1971 war of independence, lawyers said on Tuesday.

The supreme court in March upheld the death penalty for Mir Quasem Ali, Jamaat-e-Islmai party's central executive committee member.

A five-member Appellate Division bench of the Bangladesh Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, on Tuesday dismissed the review petition of Ali for his execution.

The Appellate Division bench read the verdict at a jam-packed court room in the presence of a huge crowd of people particularly journalists and lawyers amid tight security.

Security has been beefed up in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country after the verdict against Ali, 64, who is now behind bars.

Ali is well known as a key financier of Jamaat-e-Islami.

In June 2014 Ali was arrested 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 who made his own and party's financial and political fortunes with extraordinary shrewdness after 1971.

Ali, the sixth war criminal to see the verdict at its execution level, reportedly appointed a U.S. lobbyist firm to make the war crimes trial questionable.

He 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 war.

The indictment order said Ali was one of the key organizers of the Al-Badr, an auxiliary force of then Pakistani army, which planned and executed the killing of Bangalee intellectuals at the end of the war.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told journalists shortly after the final apex court ruling that there was no legal bar to execute condemned killer unless he sought presidential pardon.

As per procedure, Alam said death-row war criminal would be asked whether he would seek presidential clemency.

A certified copy of the full review verdict will reportedly be sent shortly to the Dhaka Central Jail through the ICT.

Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, principal counsel for Ali, said that the Jamaat leader and his family would make the decision on whether to seek president's mercy.

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 1971 war.

Four 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.

Apart from them, opposition BNP leader Salaudin Quader Chowdhury was executed on Nov. 22 last year.

Both BNP and Jamaat have dismissed the court as a government "show trial," saying it is a domestic set-up without the oversight or involvement of the United Nations.

Muslim-majority Bangladesh was called East Pakistan until 1971. The government of Hasina said about 3 million people were killed in the waralthough independent researchers think that between 300,000 and 500,000 died.
SEOUL, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's budget plan topped 400 trillion won (360 billion U.S. dollars) for the first time on the back of rising welfare demand, a government report showed on Tuesday.

The government-proposed budget plan for 2017 was 400.7 trillion won, up 14.3 trillion won, or 3.7 percent, from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. It was faster growth than a 2.9 percent increase for this year.

The cabinet meeting was held to fix the 2017 budget bill that would be submitted to the National Assembly on Friday.

If approved, the 2017 budget would more than quadruple in the past two decades. South Korea's national budget topped 100 trillion won in 2001, rising to 200 trillion won in 2005 and 300 trillion won in 2011.

Budget for welfare, health and labor would surpass 130 trillion won for the first time, up 5.3 percent from the previous year. The welfare budget's portion kept a record-breaking trend at 32.4 percent of the total.

Allotted budget for job creation would increase 10.7 percent, with those for youths jumping 15 percent.

Gross national income is forecast at 414.5 trillion won for 2017, up 6 percent from a year earlier. Among them, national revenue is expected to rise 8.4 percent to 241.8 trillion won.

The government set its outlook for 2017 real gross domestic product (GDP) growth at 3.0 percent.

Government debts are projected to reach 683 trillion won in 2017, up 38 trillion won from a year ago. The ratio of government debts to GDP is expected to rise from 40.1 percent to 40.4 percent next year.
DALIAN, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Police in the northeastern city of Dalian have arrested more than 30 suspects associated with an organized drug ring,with imitation guns and narcotics seized during the raids.

Police confiscated 3 kg of methamphetamine, or "ice," and 10 replica firearms, according to the Public Security Bureau of Dalian on Tuesday.

The investigation first began in February and the arrest of four major suspects in Dalian followed on July 25. Police seized 2.65 kg of "ice" and 10 imitation guns during the bust.

Two other leading members of the group were arrested in the southern province of Guangdong on Aug. 11. The rest were apprehended across Dalian.

Sixteen suspects were given criminal detention terms for drug dealing charges. Seventeen others received administrative detention for drug abuse, the police said.
SYDNEY, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- A British backpacker who was brutally attacked while trying to save the life of another traveller at a hostel in Australia's Queensland died on Tuesday.

Queensland police confirmed that Tom Jackson, 30, who had earlier been hailed as a hero for aiding another British national Mia Ayliffe-Chung has succumbed to his injuries and died at a Townsville Hospital, a week after the attack took place.

The 29-year-old attacker Frenchman Smail Ayad will be charged with two counts murder for Ayliffe-Chung and Jackson, one attempted murder charge on an unnamed man, 12 counts of assault against police officers and one count of animal cruelty for killing a dog.

Ayliffe-Chung, a 21-year-old backpacker who was killed in Queensland on Aug. 24, had captured media attention within Australia and abroad after it was alleged that her murderer Ayad had uttered the words "Allahu Akbar" (which means God is Great in Arabic) when stabbing the victims.

However, despite the utterance, Australian authorities were refusing to rule out terror motivations and were investigating the possibility that Ayad had become obsessed with the young British backpacker instead.

Investigations on to the incident were still ongoing with Ayad expected to have his next court appearance in Townsville on Oct 28.

Meanwhile, Ayliffe-Chung's mother has said that a passage from the Koran will be read out at her funeral.

Rosie Ayliffe said she was planning a multi-faith funeral for her daughter to celebrate her life and had decided to include a reading from the Koran in light of the media attention given to the religion of Mia's alleged killer Ayad.

"After talking about the misrepresentation of Mia's death in the media as an act of terrorism on the part of an Islamic fundamentalist, the minister delivering the service suggested we include a Koranic reading, and he will find something suitable with a friend who is an Islamic scholar," Ayliffe said in a blogpost she wrote for British news website The Independent.
COLOMBO, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan police on Tuesday arrested a second individual from capital Colombo for allegedly hacking into the president's official website last week.

The arrest came hours after a 17 year old school boy was taken into custody by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) over the alleged incident.

"The 26 year old man was arrested from Moratuwa and has been taken in for questioning," police said.

Police on Monday said they were also on the look out for a Bangladeshi national for hacking into the president's official site.

President Maithripala Sirisena's website and a few other government websites were hacked for two consecutive days on Aug. 25 and 26 by a group calling itself the "Sri Lankan Youth".

The hackers had posted a statement in the local language Sinhala on the web page and the site was inaccessible for a few hours.
NEW DELHI, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Australian apex court has directed a news organisation to remove all sensitive data related to Scorpene submarines from its website and stop from publishing further information on the project, India's state-run broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) said Tuesday.

"The temporary order expires on Thursday as the Australian Supreme Court is set to hear the case on Sept. 1," the broadcaster said.

French shipbuilder DCNS has approached Australian court seeking an injunction against news website "The Australian" over the publication of data related to Scorpene submarines.

Last week, "The Australian" uploaded data pertaining to India's Scorpene submarines. The data leak revealed the detailed information about the combat capability and operating instructions of underwater warfare system of the six Scorpene submarines being built by DCNS in India.

The massive data leak of more than 22,000 classified pages has hit the DCNS.

DCNS lawyer Justine Munsie in affidavit to the court submitted that publication of highly valuable document has been causing a direct harm to DCNS and its customer in terms of spread of sensitive and restricted information, image and reputation.

The newspaper according to reports was contemplating to publish further documents regarding the weapons system of the submarine.

Indian Navy following the leak stated the documents posted by the Australian news website pertaining to Scorpene submarines do not pose any "security compromise" as the "vital parameters have been blacked out".

However, it said they have taken up the matter with Director General of Armament of the French Government expressing concern over this incident and asked for an investigation into the leak.

Indian Navy has also ordered an internal audit of procedures to rule out any security compromise after India's Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar sought a report from the Indian Navy chief on the leak.

"Leak of information related to Scorpene submarine is a matter of serious concern and we have asked French Defense firm DCNS to launch an urgent investigation," India Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba told media on Monday.

"The committee will be headed by deputy chief of Naval Staff Admiral Ashok Kumar and based on the report of the committee, Navy will see what mitigation measures need to be taken."

So far, it is unclear whether the leak occurred in India or in France and how the Australian media obtained the confidential documents.

India signed a 3.5 billion U.S. dollars deal with French manufacturer DCNS for six Scorpene submarines in 2005 to be built in Mumbai with an Indian government-owned shipbuilder.
YANGON, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- An expert in Myanmar on Tuesday stressed the need for the country to exert its best efforts in order to catch up with three other less-developed member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) in Economic Community building, out of three pillars of the ASEAN Community.

U Nyunt Maung Shein, chairman of the Myanmar Institute of Strategic and International Studies, made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

Despite being a bigger country compared to other less-developed ASEAN member nations including Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos and having an abundance of human resources, Myanmar lags behind them and has to exert greater efforts to overtake them, he said.

He admitted that Myanmar's small and medium industries remain at a non-advanced stage in terms of technological knowhow due to financial difficulties related to sourcing loans from banks, which requires insurance such as land to qualify for a mortgage.

He pointed out that Myanmar's per capita annual income stands at just 1,200 U.S. dollars, the lowest figure compared to the three other less-developed ASEAN member countries.

With regard to the political-security community, he said ASEAN is not like the European Union (EU), which has identical foreign policies practiced among all member countries.
NANJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Du Shanxue, former deputy governor of Shanxi Province in north China, stood trial in the eastern city of Xuzhou in Jiangsu Province on Tuesday for graft.

Du, who is also a former member of the Standing Committee of the Shanxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), was accused of accepting bribes totaling 80.11 million yuan (about 11.99 million U.S. dollars) from 28 individuals and organizations personally or through a third party, according to the prosecutors.

Prosecutors also alleged that he had offered 100,000 euro (about 111,000 U.S. dollars) to Ling Zhengce, then vice chairman of the Shanxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, for his endorsement in a CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee election in 2011.

Moreover, Du was unable to prove that 89.62 million yuan of family assets was acquired from legitimate sources, prosecutors said.

Du's legal team was with him throughout the trial, and both the prosecution and defense were given the opportunity to fully review the evidence and express their opinions, the court said.

The defendant pled guilty and expressed remorse for his wrongdoings.

More than 60 people, including Du's relatives, local lawmakers, political advisors and reporters observed the trial.

The verdict will be announced at a later date.
Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan (L front) holds a welcoming ceremony for his Vietnamese counterpart Ngo Xuan Lich before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 30, 2016. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Defense ministers of China and Vietnam held talks Tuesday in Beijing, saying the two countries should boost military cooperation and make contribution to regional peace.

Defense Minister Chang Wanquan told his Vietnamese counterpart Ngo Xuan Lich that the Chinese military is ready to beef up cooperation with Vietnam in areas including high-level exchanges, personnel education and training, border defense, mutual visits and multilateral security affairs.

Chang expressed the hope that the two sides could properly deal with differences, so as to contribute to regional peace and stability.

Ngo Xuan Lich stressed that the two countries should enhance military cooperation and strive to make military ties a key aspect of bilateral relations to benefit the people of the two countries.
SEOUL, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- South Korea raised its 2017 defense budget to speed up efforts at building its homegrown missile defense system amid an advance in nuclear and missile technologies of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Allotted defense budget for 2017 was 40.33 trillion won (36.1 billion U.S. dollars), up 4.0 percent from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. If the budget bill is approved through the National Assembly, it would surpass 40 trillion won for the first time.

Budget to build the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD), the country's indigenous missile defense system, reached 533.1 billion won in 2017, up 40.5 percent from a year earlier.

The KAMD, which Seoul's military aims to deploy by mid-2020s, consists of medium-range surface-to-air missile (M-SAM), long-range surface-to-air missiles (L-SAM), U.S. Patriot missiles and early-warning radars to shoot down DPRK missiles at a terminal phase.

The acceleration in the KAMD development came amid what Seoul says growing nuclear and missile threats from Pyongyang following its fourth nuclear test in January and the launch in February of a long-range rocket.

On Aug. 24, the DPRK test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine off its east coast, traveling 500 km toward Japan. The flight distance far exceeded 300 km, which South Korean defense ministry regards as a success.

Budget for Korea Fighter eXperimental (KF-X), the country's development program for homegrown combat aircrafts, surged to 303 billion won in 2017 from 67 billion won in 2016.

The KF-X is South Korea's largest-ever defense project, into which 17.6 trillion won will be spent to complete development by 2025 and deploy 120 next-generation homegrown fighter jets by 2032.

Welfare budget for soldiers increased 4.5 percent from the previous year to 17.15 trillion won for next year.

The 2017 budget for reunification of the two Koreas stood at 1.28 trillion won, down 16 percent from the previous year as relations between South Korea and the DPRK remain at a low point.

Almost all of civilian exchanges between the two Koreas have been suspended after Seoul shut down Kaesong Industrial Complex, the last remaining inter-Korean economic project, in retaliation for Pyongyang's nuclear test.

Meanwhile, the country's budget for 2017 totaled 400.7 trillion won, up 3.7 percent from the previous year. If approved, it would surpass 400 trillion won for the first time.

South Korea's national budget topped 100 trillion won in 2001, rising to 200 trillion won in 2005 and 300 trillion won in 2011.

Budget for welfare, health and labor would surpass 130 trillion won for the first time, up 5.3 percent from the previous year. The welfare budget's portion kept a record-breaking trend at 32.4 percent of the total.

Allotted budget for job creation would increase 10.7 percent, with those for youths jumping 15 percent.

Gross national income is forecast at 414.5 trillion won for 2017, up 6 percent from a year earlier. Among them, national revenue is expected to rise 8.4 percent to 241.8 trillion won.

The government set its outlook for 2017 real gross domestic product (GDP) growth at 3.0 percent.

Government debts are projected to reach 683 trillion won in 2017, up 38 trillion won from a year ago. The ratio of government debts to GDP is expected to rise from 40.1 percent to 40.4 percent next year.

Related:

U.S. Army chief to visit S. Korea this week amid tensions on THAAD

SEOUL, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chief of the U.S. Army plans to visit South Korea this week, Seoul's defense ministry said on Tuesday.

Gen. Mark Milley, U.S. Army chief of staff, will make a three-day visit to South Korea from Wednesday, meeting his South Korean counterpart on Friday, a South Korean army official told a regular press briefing. Full story

News Analysis: THAAD's defense effect in S.Korea may be exaggerated

by Yoo Seungki

SEOUL, July 13 (Xinhua) -- South Korea decided Wednesday to deploy the U.S. missile defense system, namely the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), to its southeastern region, but it might have limited defense effect against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s missile attacks, experts said.
TEHRAN, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the deadly bomb attack in Iraq's Karbala province which claimed the lives of 15 people, semi-official Mehr news agency reported Tuesday.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi expressed sympathy with the families of the victims and the Iraqi government.

"Terrorists who carry out these wicked assaults and slaughter innocent people are fully aware that they are drawing their last breaths in Iraq," Qasemi was quoted as saying.

The Iranian spokesman hoped all people in Iraq would join hands in restoring peace and prosperity to their country.

On Sunday, a bomb attack ripped through a wedding in the south of Baghdad in Iraq's province of Karbala, killing at least 15 people.
Iraqis light candles on August 3, 2016 at the site of an explosion which killed more than 300 people in Baghdad's Karrada district, as they mark one month since the bombing. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

TEHRAN, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the deadly bomb attack in Iraq's Karbala province which claimed the lives of 15 people, semi-official Mehr news agency reported Tuesday.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi expressed sympathy with the families of the victims and the Iraqi government.

"Terrorists who carry out these wicked assaults and slaughter innocent people are fully aware that they are drawing their last breaths in Iraq," Qasemi was quoted as saying.

The Iranian spokesman hoped all people in Iraq would join hands in restoring peace and prosperity to their country.

On Sunday, a bomb attack ripped through a wedding in the south of Baghdad in Iraq's province of Karbala, killing at least 15 people.
BISHKEK, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- A lone assailant was killed and five others were wounded in a powerful explosion when the unidentified assailant drove an explosive-laden car and tried to crash it into the the Chinese embassy here in the Kyrgyz capital city on Tuesday morning.

The attack took place at around 10:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday (0400GMT). The unidentified assailant drove a Mitsubishi car and rammed the gate of the Chinese embassy compound in Bishkek, causing a big explosion, killing himself and wounding two security guards and three local people working at the embassy.

The explosion also caused damage to the embassy door and wall, as well as buildings next to the Chinese embassy.

The embassy compound and the area in the vicinity are currently under police blockade due to security concerns, with bomb disposal experts working on the scene.

A senior Kyrgyz security officer told Xinhua that according to preliminary information, it was quite likely that the explosives planted inside the car caused the explosion, and Kyrgyz police are now investigating the identity of the assailant.
by Jit Kumar

NEW DELHI, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- For more than 90 years traditional khaki knickers have been the most iconic attire for India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

But now the knee-length shorts are all set to be revamped and will be replaced with proper brown trousers, which are intended to attract the country's youth and lay to rest the many jokes made about them.

The first batch of such trousers has already arrived at RSS headquarters in Nagpur in the western Indian state of Maharashtra and even gone on sale for Rs 250 (4 U.S. dollars) each, with the official attire change slated for Oct. 11.

"Every member of the RSS has to purchase the uniform. No one is excluded from this," former RSS functionary, Dilip Deodhar, told local media recently.

While the old guards at RSS feel the shorts gave them a distinct identity and are actually more comfortable than wearing slacks, the man believed to have been behind the change, the organization's current chief, Mohan Bhagwat, 65, feels the khaki trousers will encourage more young people to join the RSS.

The decision to switch to the khaki pants was made earlier this year. They will be paired with the white shirt, black cap, brown socks, and the bamboo sticks that make up the RSS uniform.

Changes to the uniform, however, are not unheard of since the familiar RSS dress was first adopted in 1925. In those days the uniform included leather belts, long black shoes, khaki caps and sticks, and the first change was made in 1930, when the khaki cap was replaced with a black one, and this was followed by a white shirt replacing its khaki predecessor.

Again, in 1973, there was a third alteration when lighter shoes were introduced. The last change to the uniform was made in 2011, when the RSS replaced its leather belts with ones made of thick canvas.

Founded on September 27, 1925, by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a doctor in the city of Nagpur, then under British India, the RSS is one of the world's largest non-governmental organizations and pledges a commitment of selfless servitude to India.

Gradually the RSS grew into a prominent Hindu nationalist umbrella organization, spawning several affiliated organizations that established numerous schools, charities and clubs to spread its ideological beliefs.

The RSS, which promotes the ideals of upholding the values of Indian culture and civilization, was banned once during British rule and thereafter post-independence, including in 1948 following Mahatma Gandhi's assassination and then again after the demolition of a mosque in 1992.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many other ministers have an RSS background. Modi had joined the outfit from as early as eight years old, and became the the pracharak in-charge of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the RSS, before joining the BJP.
School students attend activities in Pretoria, South Africa, March 22, 2012, to commemorate the Human Rights Day in South Africa and the 22th Anniversary since Nelson Mandela, former South African President, was released from prison. (Xinhua/Li Qihua)

CAPE TOWN, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- A heated debate is unfolding over a policy that requires black learners at a South African school to straighten their hair.

The policy has prompted students at the Pretoria High School for Girls to stage protests against what they call racism against black learners.

According to the school's 36-page Code of Conduct, pupils can wear braids, cornrows or dreadlocks, but only if they are a maximum of 10mm in diameter.

Under the code, all hair has to be brushed, neatly tied back if long enough, and kept out of the face, and no patterned cornrows are allowed. Moreover, longer braids have to be tied back. No decorations or beads are allowed in the hair.

On Monday, the African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) condemned the racist policy passed by the management of the school.

"It should be noted that the ANCWL is appalled by their behaviour of the school management to allow young children to be manhandled by big security men for raising their concerns," ANCWL Secretary General Meokgo Matuba said in a statement emailed to Xinhua.

The ANCWL expressed support for the young black girls at the school for standing firm in dealing with the racism they are experiencing.

"South Africans should not tolerate any form of racism and must work together to deal with structural racism in our previously white schools.

"It is the firm belief of the ANCWL that South Africa should start moving towards criminalizing all forms of racist behaviors. Any form of reversing the gains of our democracy must be unashamedly exposed and unapologetically confronted by all of us," Matuba said.

The ANCWL said it supports the young fearless black learners who firmly stood up against racism when it reared its ugly head.

"We encourage all South Africans not to tolerate any form of racism and must work together to deal with structural racism in some of the Private schools around the country," the organization said.

The Department of Education in Gauteng Province has set up a fact finding mission with a hope to restore the dignity of black girls.

The ANCWL said it will join other progressive structures to highlight the matter to Human Rights Commission.

Also on Monday, the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) said the latest revelations regarding "hair policy" have brought to attention some school policies which are both divisive and discriminatory.

"Policies that unfairly discriminate against people are unconstitutional and do not have a place in our democratic dispensation," the DA said.

The school management, however, remains defiant, saying that any school has the right to make its code of conduct for students to follow.
SINGAPORE, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Two Bangladeshi workers, who were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in April, pleaded guilty to financing terrorism, local media reported here on Tuesday.

Zzaman Daulat and Mamum Leakot Ali, who had previously denied the charges against them under the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act (TSOFA), pleaded guilty on Tuesday. This brings the number of those convicted under the new Act to six.

The two men were included in the group comprising of eight radicalized male Bangladeshi workers, who planned to return to overthrow the Bangladeshi government through the use of force, establish an Islamic state in Bangladesh. They were detained under ISA in April 2016.

Four members of the group, Rahman Mizanur, Miah Rubel, Md Jabath Kysar Haje Norul Islam Sowdagar and Sohel Hawlader Ismail Hawlader, had plead guilty in Singapore in May to one or two counts each of providing or collecting hundreds of dollars to fund terror attacks.

The four men were sentenced between 24 to 60 months in jail for financing terrorism. It was the first time that anyone had been convicted under the Act.
A student taking the Chinese language class in the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi, in Kenya's capital Nairobi, on June 26, 2015. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei)

ANTANANARIVO, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- For Malagasy youth who hope to study in China with scholarship, the local Confucius Institute is offering a good chance.

The Confucius Institute in Madagascar said 54 of its students had received Chinese government scholarships this year to study in 11 universities in China for a period from 6 months to four years. The students will fly to China early in September.

The Chinese director of the institute Chen Lijuan said the number of scholarships represented an increase this year from around 30 annually in the past years.

The institute earlier this month graduated 55 students in Chinese language and culture in the country's capital Antananarivo.

Some of the 55 graduates will continue their studies in China while some will work in companies as interpreters and tourist guides, the Malagasy director of the institute Zo Rasendra told Xinhua.

At the graduation ceremony, Panja Ramanoelina, president of Antananarivo University where the institute is located, appreciated the efficiency of Confucius Institute in promoting education in Madagascar and was grateful to Chinese investors for job opportunities they constantly offer to the graduates.

"On behalf of the Malagasy government, I express our deep gratitude to the Chinese government and the Confucius Institute which gave opportunities for Malagasy youth to have a better future," the secretary general of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research Christian Ralijaona said during his speech.

Learning of Chinese language is essential in mutual understanding between Malagasy and Chinese peoples and the Confucius Institute has continued to promote this mutual relationship since its establishment in Madagascar in 2008, Ralijaon said.

After eight years of operation in Madagascar, the Confucius Institute now works with more than 40 schools in the country to teach Chinese language for local students.
BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- As Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Tuesday started a week-long trip to China, he should grasp the opportunity to build a new golden era of relations with China.

Trudeau expected the trip, his first to China since taking office in November 2015, would lay the groundwork for a "closer, more balanced" relationship between the two countries.

However, the trip has been complicated by some hindrances in bilateral ties, such as the frequent bias-ridden debates about China's human rights.

During his visit to Canada in June, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi firmly rejected human rights accusations against Beijing. His attitude represents a general sentiment among the Chinese people that should be respected by Western governments and media.

In fact, the so-called human rights issue stems from the West's long-standing prejudice and arrogance against China, even after the country has adopted the policy of reform and opening up for more than three decades, lifted more than 600 million people out of poverty and grown into the world's economic power house.

China included the line -- "The state respects and guarantees human rights" -- in its Constitution in 2004, launched national human rights action plans in 2009 to review its human rights progress and has promised harder efforts in the future.

Ottawa should not allow such groundless concerns stand in the way of mutually beneficial cooperation with Beijing, which has demonstrated its sincerity and willingness for a win-win future by concrete initiatives, projects and deals.

In fact, all countries, including Canada, have improvement to make over the human rights issue. For example, some indigenous people in Canada still live in miserable conditions. They deserve more support and real changes in their lives.

It is penny wise and pound foolish to spoil China-Canada ties with these domestic concerns in Canada.

That is probably what has prompted Trudeau to start his China trip, which he believed would create new opportunities for his country's businesses and sluggish economy.

A half million Canadian jobs are believed to depend on bilateral trade between China and Canada, which amounted to about 67.16 billion U.S. dollars in 2015, a 10.1-percent increase over 2014, and accounted for 8.1 percent of Canada's total merchandise trade.

The joint China-Canada projects in such areas as nuclear energy, infrastructure, interconnectivity, modern agriculture and innovation, have great potential.

The two countries can also deepen people-to-people and local exchanges as well as enhance cooperation in law enforcement and anti-corruption.

The upcoming Hangzhou summit of the G20, a multilateral framework to which Canada has made important contributions, will also offer an opportunity for the two countries to maintain coordination in regional and international affairs.

Both being important countries in the Asia-Pacific, China and Canada should put aside their differences, enhance mutual political trust and enrich the connotation of their strategic partnership.

It is hoped that Trudeau will follow the path of his liberal predecessors -- his father Pierre Trudeau who pioneered in setting up the diplomatic ties with China and Jean Chretien who started a golden decade of bilateral ties -- to create another golden era of relations with China.
BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- China is shocked and strongly condemns a car bombing near the Chinese Embassy in Kyrgyzstan, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

The Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek was attacked by a car bomb Tuesday morning, causing injuries to three people of the embassy, spokesperson Hua Chunying told a press conference.

The Foreign Ministry has launched emergency procedures, and China requires Kyrgyzstan to take immediate and necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese people and institutions, Hua said.

She also urged the Kyrgyz side to investigate the bombing and bring the perpetrators to justice.
SINGAPORE, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was conferred an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters by National University of Singapore (NUS) on Tuesday during his two-day visit to the city state.

Ban was conferred the honorary doctorate by Singapore's president, NUS Chancellor Tony Tan Keng Yam in a conferment ceremony held at Istana.

The honorary degree was awarded in recognition of Ban's international efforts to promote sustainable development, human rights, global peace and security.

NUS President Prof. Tan Chorh Chuan said NUS is honored and privileged to confer the honorary doctorate. "Ban's global leadership has helped to improve and secure the well-being of peoples throughout the world. We celebrate and are inspired by his determined efforts to find solutions to the most pressing challenges facing mankind today," added Tan.

Ban thanked NUS for the recognition.

"For the past decade as Secretary-General, I have sought to promote not only an effective and responsive United Nations, but also a greater spirit of collective purpose. We need greater compassion among people. And we need stronger solidarity among nations."

Ban mentioned the enormous challenges and also noted that the capacity to solve these challenges is even greater. "If we work together, we can build a better world for all, where nobody is left behind."

Before the honorary doctorate conferment ceremony, Ban attended "Thought Leaders @ NUS: In Conversation with the Secretary-General of the United Nations," sharing his insights on global issues with NUS students.

During his two-day visit, Ban called on Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan respectively. Ban was also be hosted to lunch by Singapore's Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

In addition, Ban delivered a speech at the 8th Lecture in Singapore Management University's Ho Rih Hwa Leadership in Asia Public Lecture Series on Monday.

Ban was accompanied by his wife Ban Soon-taek and senior officials from UN. Ban last visited Singapore in 2012.
MOGADISHU, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- A suicide bomber detonated a car bomb near the popular Syl Hotel in Somali capital Mogadishu, which is very close to the presidential palace on Tuesday, police said.

There is no confirmation of casualties yet. Gunfire still could be heard from the hotel.
BISHKEK, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan was attacked Tuesday morning by a suicide car bomber, in which the lone assailant was killed and five others were wounded besides serious material damage.

In staging the car bomb attack, the unidentified assailant drove a Mitsubishi car and parked at the west gate of the Chinese embassy at 9:28 a.m. local time (0328 GMT). At around 9:31 a.m. (0331 GMT), another car arrived at the same place and parked there. The relation between the two cars is yet to be established.

At 9:32 a.m. (0332 GMT), the explosive-laden car started ramming the embassy door and powerfully exploded inside the embassy, killing the assailant and wounding two security guards and three local people working at the embassy. The explosion is equivalent to 100 kg of TNT.

The explosion also caused damage to the embassy door and wall, as well as buildings next to the Chinese embassy.

The embassy compound and the area in the vicinity are currently under police blockade due to security concerns, with bomb disposal experts working on the scene.

A senior Kyrgyz security officer told Xinhua that according to preliminary information, it was quite likely that the explosives planted inside the car caused the explosion.

The assailant was blown into bits and local police are trying to identify the assailant using DNA extracted from remains of the assailant.
MOGADISHU, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- At least two people were killed and several others injured in an explosion near the SYL Hotel, which is close to presidential palace in Somali capital of Mogadishu on Tuesday, police said.

Police officer Mahad Afrah said suicide car bomber had targeted the popular hotel frequented by senior government and UN officials.

"The car exploded when the soldiers fired on the speedy car. We can confirm that two people were killed but we are gathering more details," Afrah told Xinhua from the scene.

There are fears of more casualties, and sources said journalists are among the victims.

Witnesses said there is massive destruction in and around the hotel amid gunfire which could be heard from the distance.

Somalia-based Al-Shabaab terror group, which repeatedly staged similar attacks on government buildings and officials, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
MANILA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- A three-day international conference on the prospects of nuclear power in the Asia Pacific Region opened Tuesday in the Philippine capital.

The conference aims to look at the potential and crucial role of nuclear energy in improving a nation's energy supply situation, while also considering the institutional and regional challenges in developing the needed policy frameworks and competencies for an efficient and effective nuclear program, said Philippine Department of Energy (DOE) Undersecretary Donato Marcos, chair of the Inter-Agency Committee that organized the event.

It is the fourth in a series of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regional conferences and is being attended by the representatives from IAEA member-countries and various international and national agencies.

Philippine DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi, speaking in the event also, said the nuclear technology can be an option for the country in order to meet the growing capacity requirement.

This was despite the mothballed 620-megawatt Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, which was built in the late 1970s but was never operated after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

"With intensified eletrification programs, increasing population and strong GDP (gross domestic product) growth, demand for electricity is expected to grow by an average of 5 percent per year until 2030, or around 126 terra-watt from 2015 level of 82 terra-watt hour," Cusi said.

"This is the most pressing concern for the country," he said, adding, "given its known characteristics, nuclear energy can be viable choice for the country."
Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli (R) and Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also the country's defense minister, sign 17 cooperative agreements after the first meeting of a high-level steering committee for coordinating bilateral cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 30, 2016. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- China and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday signed 17 cooperative agreements after the first meeting of a high-level steering committee for coordinating bilateral cooperation.

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli and Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman co-chaired the meeting in Beijing.

The cooperative documents covered politics, energy, finance, investment, housing, water resources, quality inspection, science, technology and culture.

Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Saudi Arabia in January, reaching a consensus on various issues with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

During that visit, the two countries announced a comprehensive strategic partnership and set up a high-level steering committee to guide and coordinate cooperation.

Noting that Saudi Arabia is an important cooperative partner of China in the West Asian and North African region, Zhang said China views bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective.

China is willing to share experience with Saudi Arabia on state governance, he said, calling on the two sides to support each other's core interests and major concerns and cement strategic mutual trust.

China is ready to synergize the Belt and Road Initiative and Saudi Arabia's Economic Vision 2030, he said.

Under the framework, Zhang suggested the two sides promote cooperation in industrial capacity, equipment manufacturing, energy, trade, investment, finance, science and technology, culture and security.

Mohammed said relations between Saudi Arabia and China are of strategic importance, noting that the two sides enjoy great potential for cooperation.

Saudi Arabia firmly supports China's stance on issues related to Taiwan, Xinjiang and the South China Sea, he said.

Saudi Arabia hopes to join in the Belt and Road Initiative and forge a stronger partnership with China in the areas of energy, trade, investment, finance, industrialization and mining, he added.

The Saudi prince also called on the two sides to strengthen coordination, jointly fight terrorism, and promote international and regional peace and stability.

Saudi Arabia supports China in holding a successful G20 Summit, he said.

Mohammed, also the country's defense minister, will attend the G20 Summit in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, scheduled for Sept. 4-5.
BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will visit Laos and attend the 11th East Asia Summit in Vientiane next week at the invitation of his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

Hua Chunying said Li will also attend the 19th China-ASEAN (10+1) leaders' meeting, a summit marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue relations between China and ASEAN, and the 19th ASEAN-China, Japan and Republic of Korea (10+3) leaders' meeting from Sept. 6 to 9.

She said at a daily news briefing that Li's attendance at the East Asian leaders' meetings will promote China-ASEAN ties and enhance regional cooperation.

The Chinese side stands ready to work with ASEAN to hold a successful summit and take the 25th anniversary of dialogue relations as an opportunity to build a closer China-ASEAN community of common destiny, Hua said.

"We expect the East Asian cooperation meetings to focus on development, and push forward cooperation in such areas as finance, capacity, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, free trade area construction, and non-traditional security," the spokesperson said.

As China's good neighbor and an important member and the rotating chair of ASEAN, China attaches great importance to the development of the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation, she said.

This year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of China-Laos diplomatic ties, Hua said, noting that both sides have maintained frequent high-level exchanges, cemented political mutual trust and achieved fruitful results in economic and trade cooperation.

She said it will be the first visit made by Premier Li to Laos, and he will hold talks with Thongloun and exchange views on bilateral ties and issues of common concern.

Li's visit will bring the China-Laos comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation to a new high and bring more benefits to both peoples, Hua added.
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Aiming to further bolster the already existing strong security alliance, Brunei and Singapore signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defense Technology Cooperation to further promote cooperation in defense research and development.

The agreement will promote sharing of knowledge and best practices in defense acquisitions, and cooperation and collaboration in technology management, local media reports said Tuesday, citing a statement from Brunei's Ministry of Defense.

"Based on the principles of equality, mutual benefits and respect for the sovereignty of both nations, the MoU aims to promote cooperation in key areas of defense technology."

Singaporean Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen and Brunei's Deputy Minister of Defense Abdul Aziz were on hand to witness the MoU signing at the defense ministry headquarters.

The Singaporean defense minister is in the sultanate on a two-day visit from Monday to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Brunei-Singapore defense relations, which began in 1976. Signing of the MoU was part of the commemorative event.
BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for solid efforts to press ahead with the country's planned reforms in accordance with established timetable and roadmap.

The country should focus more on economic system reforms and improve fundamental mechanisms that support these overhauls, according to a statement released after a meeting of the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform, chaired by Xi.

The meeting passed a string of policies concerning green finance, intellectual property rights, resource allocation and poverty relief, among others.

Policymakers promised to "significantly reduce" the government's role in the direct allocation of resources and, instead, rely more on the power of the market, and improve intellectual property rights protection.

More will be done to encourage private investors to explore opportunities in environmentally friendly sectors, according to the statement.

Local authorities at all levels were ordered to fulfill their poverty relief responsibilities and improve land reforms for rural areas.

As part of efforts to improve the environment, a pilot environment damage compensation system will be rolled out across the regions of Jilin, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hunan, Chongqing, Guizhou and Yunnan.

While acknowledging the progress already made in major fields, the statement said that inspections were needed to review the implementation and results of the reforms.

Over the course of the 27 meetings convened by the leading group since December 2013, hundreds of measures have been designed and released to address various issues, including urbanization, poverty alleviation, innovation and the market's role in resource allocation.

The latest emphasis on reform came nearly three years after the key Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 2013, which featured a comprehensive reform package that covered 15 areas and 60 tasks.

China vowed that it would achieve "decisive results" in major reform areas by 2020.

Related:

China eyes reform, innovation to drive less-developed areas

NANCHANG, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Premier Li Keqiang has stressed the need for more reforms and innovation to boost economic growth in the less-developed central and western China.

"China's central and western parts have ample room for the economy to expand and can be important in accelerating the shift of economic engines," Li said during a tour of Jiangxi Province. Full Story

Xinhua Insight: Reform,innovation upgrade China's economy

SHANGHAI/GUANGZHOU, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- When Shanghai INESA held its first technology meeting in 2010, a board erected at the door of the meeting room had almost nothing to display as there were no "decent" quality products at that time.
BISHKEK, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan was attacked Tuesday morning by a suicide car bomber, in which the lone assailant was killed and five others were wounded besides serious material damage.

In staging the car bomb attack, the unidentified assailant drove a Mitsubishi Delica van and parked at the west gate of the Chinese embassy at 9:28 a.m. local time (0328 GMT). At around 9:31 a.m. (0331 GMT), another car arrived at the same place and parked there. The relation between the two cars is yet to be established, a local security official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

At 9:32 a.m. (0332 GMT), the explosive-laden van started ramming the embassy door and crashed into the compound. The driver immediately detonated the explosive device packed in the van, causing a powerful explosion, killing himself and wounding two security guards and three local people working at the embassy. The explosion was equivalent to 100 kg of TNT, the official said.

"As a result of the explosion, only the suicide bomber terrorist died. Security guards were injured," Kyrgyzstan's Deputy Prime Minister Jenish Razakov told reporters after the blast.

The wounded have only suffered minor injuries, and are currently under treatment at the hospital.

Razakov also called the attack as a "terrorist act."

The bomber has been blown into pieces, and local police are trying to identify the assailant using DNA extracted from remains of the attacker.

The explosion also caused damage to the embassy's east door and walls, as well as buildings next to the Chinese embassy.

The embassy compound and the area in the vicinity are currently under police blockade due to security concerns, with bomb disposal experts working on the scene.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry immediately expressed shock at the attack. It strongly condemned the car bombing, and required Kyrgyzstan to "take immediate and necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese people and institutions," according to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.

She also urged the Kyrgyz side to investigate the bombing and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The attack occurred one day before Kyrgyzstan celebrates the 25th anniversary of independence from the former Soviet Union. On Tuesday, Razakov convened a security meeting to discuss heightened security measures for the Independence Day celebrations.
KATHMANDU, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese health institution has offered assistance to improve Nepal's maternal and children health sector under its Maternal and Children Health Program'.

During a meeting with the officials of Nepal's Department of Health held here in capital on Tuesday, a Chinese medical team proposed to improve the maternal and children health of the Himalayan country through its four different programs.

The proposal was put forward by Hebei Women and Children's Health Center located in Hebei province of China.

"We are willing to improve the maternal and children health situation of Nepal through training, nutrition and equipment handover programs. We want to begin this program right from the next month", Yang Rongshan, Director of Hebei Women and Children's Health Center told Xinhua.

To begin with, the center plans to provide one-month long training to Nepali doctors and nurses in China representing Obstetrics, Gynecology and Neurology. Secondly, it will send a team of Chinese medical experts to Nepal for two weeks to work jointly with Nepali professionals in different hospitals.

"The training and exchange program will enhance the medical skill of Nepalese doctors", Yang added.

Under its Nutrition Improvement Program, the center plans to provide free nutritional package to a hundred Nepali children along with free physical examination for a year.

Likewise, Hebei Women and Children's Health Center will be handing over hemoglobin, height and intelligence test equipments to the Nepali side.

Dr. Basu Dev Pandey, Deputy Director General at Department of Health told Xinhua, "The proposal is very helpful for providing better health services to Nepali maternal women and children. I hope the Ministry of Health and Population will accept it and begin the process as soon as possible."

The Maternal and Children Health Program' is expected to be completed by the end of 2016. Enditem
BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- In the lead up to the G20 summit in Hangzhou, which will run from Sept. 4 to 5, there are few phrases being bandied around as much as "inclusive growth."

Those keen to explore the concept's potential to elevate slow, uneven growth and benefit every section of society, however, need look no further than China.

"Through our projects with Myanmar -- ranging from roads to canals, from medical services to education -- we hope to share the benefits of China's growth," said Cui Yi, who manages a large joint venture project in Myanmar with Guangdong Zhenrong Energy Co. Ltd.

The Chinese firm is constructing a 5-million-tonne annual capacity oil refinery, an oil wharf and roads in Myanmar's southernmost region of Tanintharyi.

At the same time, the company is also involved in social, community and outreach programs, and is especially proud of its relationships with the citizens of Tanintharyi.

This cooperation with Myanmar is just one example of China's commitment to inclusive growth strategies with its economic partners.

The theme of the Hangzhou summit -- "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy" -- features inclusive growth along side a suite of other concepts that could alleviate the burdens of the current economic climate.

"Inclusive and interconnected development is expected to be a highlight of the summit," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said Friday, adding that this term refers to both the path and pattern of growth, spanning market access, regulatory environments and resources, among others.

During the summit, China is expected to present a cooperation proposal for Africa and lesser developed countries that will support industrialization, poverty reduction and sustainable development; the essential elements needed for successful growth.

To that end, the China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Belt and Road Initiative will provide cooperation platforms for G20 members to pursue inclusive development, said Zhang Yongjun, an economist with the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.

Launched in late 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative is an umbrella term for the land-based Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. It will be a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa, along the ancient trade routes.

Another case in point, Huajian Group, one of China's leading shoe manufacturers, broke ground on a 126-hectare industrial park in Ethiopia in April 2015, which will cost 3.2 billion yuan (about 480 million U.S. dollars) to build. The industrial park could generate 30,000 local jobs when it is finished by 2020.

The shoe firm's Ethiopian subsidiary began production in 2012 and now employs more than 4,000 locals, generating more than 3 million U.S. dollars in foreign exchange through exports for the northeast African country's coffers.

Moreover, Huajian recruited 200 Ethiopian university graduates this year and enrolled them on vocational training courses in China.

So far, 34 countries and international organizations have signed inter-governmental cooperation agreements with China on Belt and Road projects, while more than 70 countries and organizations have expressed their support or willingness to join -- sowing the seeds for an international cooperation framework with extensive influence.

For growth to be inclusive, productivity must improve, thus, China has been pushing to create opportunities for investment and employment through the implementation of the initiative. In late 2014, for example, the country established the Silk Road Fund, with first-phase capital of 10 billion U.S. dollars.

The Silk Road Fund and the AIIB, which was founded on Dec. 25, 2015, are crucial tools that will help level the playing field in Asia so that investment is channeled toward connectivity and infrastructure development.

"The AIIB with its capital of 100 billion U.S. dollars, China's Belt and Road Initiative, and the ADB provide much needed capital that will fund energy, power, transport and telecommunications infrastructure in Asia," Cambodian Transport Minister Sun Chanthol said Monday during an ASEAN meeting in Cambodia.

From January to July, China's non-financial outbound direct investment (ODI) soared to 673.24 billion yuan, a 61.8 percent year-on-year increase, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed.

By the end of July, China's accumulated investment under the Belt and Road Initiative hit 51.1 billion U.S. dollars, or 12 percent of the country's total ODI.

"Despite all the hand-wringing over the vaunted China slowdown, the Chinese economy remains the single largest contributor to world GDP growth," said Stephen S. Roach, a senior fellow at Yale University's Jackson Institute of Global Affairs and former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, in an op-ed published Monday.

If China posts GDP growth of 6.7 percent in 2016 -- in line with the government's official target and only slightly above the International Monetary Fund's latest prediction of 6.6 percent -- China would account for 1.2 percentage points of world GDP growth.

That share dwarfs the contribution of other major economies, such as the projected 0.3 percentage points contribution made by the United States, said Roach.

"For a global economy limping along at stall speed -- and most likely unable to withstand a significant shock without toppling into renewed recession -- that contribution is all the more important," he said.
MOGADISHU, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- A senior Al-Shabaab fighter has surrendered to Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency under amnesty offered by the Somali government.

Somali Minister of Internal Security Abdirisak Omar Mohamed told Xinhua by phone on Tuesday that the government facilitated the defection of Ibrahim Aden Ibrahim on Monday evening.

The minister said the government welcomes anyone in the terrorist group who decides to leave the group of defect under the amnesty period.

Ibrahim told journalists on Monday that he has been in the group for nine years and was planning to defect to government two years earlier.

"I was Al-Shabaab official in charge of education issues," said Ibrahim, who is expected to provide crucial information that may lead to the arrest of other insurgents who have been fighting the transitional government.
DUBAI, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of construction workers were evacuated from a 28-story under-construction building that caught fire Tuesday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital Abu Dhabi, local media reported.

Fire engines and civil defense helicopters rushed to the site to prevent workers from being trapped by the flames, UAE daily The National reported.

No immediate reports about human casualties were available. Images show the high-rise building was near completion as most of the facade and cladding installed.

A witness construction worker said that the blaze had started at about 10.30 a.m.

Abu Dhabi police vehicles have cordoned off the area surrounding the building, including an adjacent bridge leading to Abu Dhabi's Al Maryah Island.

Debris fell off the building amid a clear blue sky and temperatures above 41 degrees Celsius.

A nearby luxury hotel run by the local Rotana Corporation was closed but The National said no damage was reported at the hotel.
BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- China strongly condemned a terrorist attack near the Chinese Embassy in Kyrgyzstan, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a press release Tuesday evening.

The Chinese Embassy in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, was the site of a car bomb Tuesday morning, injuring three people employed by the embassy, spokesperson Hua Chunying told a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

In the press release, Hua called terrorism "a public enemy of the international community," as well as the most serious threat in the region.

Hua said that China was ready to cooperate with Kyrgyzstan and other countries in the region to fight terrorism and maintain regional safety and stability.

Stressing that China opposes terrorism in any form, she said China would continue to ensure the safety of the Chinese people and institutions in other countries.
BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- China Judgement Online, a website featuring over 20 million court documents, has registered more than two billion hits by users from over 190 countries and regions, the Supreme People's Court (SPC) said on Tuesday.

Among two billion visits to the website, http://wenshu.court.gov.cn, more than 500 million were from overseas users, including 100 million from North America.

Chinese courts have been gradually uploading their documents to the site since 2014.

The SPC on July 25 ruled that almost all judgement documents, except those involving state secrets and crimes by minors, should be released online.
BERLIN, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel reiterated his doubts about a free trade deal between the European Union(EU) and United States on Tuesday, saying it would not be possible to conclude negotiations this year.

Gabriel said in Berlin that no significant issue in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) had been clarified after 14 rounds of talks since July 2013. "This state of negotiations allows no conclusion".

It would be "pure fiction" that an agreement would be reached by the end of this year, before the U.S. President Barack Obama leaves the office, the German minister said, arguing that the Americans were unwilling to make compromise with Europeans.

He believed that the TTIP negotiations would come back on the agenda long after the U.S. election and might need a new mandate from the new U.S. government.

On Sunday, Gabriel claimed that the negotiations between EU and U.S. had "de factor failed", even though no one admitted it.

Politicians from the EU and United States, however, contradicted his declaration on Monday, saying the negotiations were making steady progress.
LONDON, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The British Prime Minister has no legal obligation to consult parliament on invoking Article 50 of the European Union's Lisbon Treaty to trigger the formal exit procedure from the bloc, a spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday.

He said May did not need to hold a parliamentary vote to initiate the formal divorce procedure.

According to media reports over the weekend, May had been advised by leading constitutional lawyers that she did not have to seek the approval of parliament before she triggers the Article 50 procedure that will make parting with Europe irreversible.

However, that won't stop a group of lawyers who have already mounted a legal challenge in a bid to force May to hold a parliamentary vote.

In October, the high court will hear lawyers argue that Article 50 cannot be invoked until the British Parliament's European Communities Act of 1972 is repealed.
COPENHAGEN, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Danish government unveiled on Tuesday an economic long-term plan that aims to reach structural budget balance in 2025 thorough measures including tax and labor market reforms.

Entitled "Master Plan - for a stronger Denmark", the plan aims to boost economic growth and encourage 250,000 more people to join the labour market by 2025.

"It is a plan that can have significant importance for the next decade," Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said while presenting the plan. "It will help to maintain the high confidence in the Danish economy and that we have the room for manoeuvre if new economic downturn comes."

According to the plan, Denmark will reform the current tax system and public welfare schemes, providing better conditions for business, and limiting the refugees influx.

These measures are expected to double the fiscal room for manoeuvre from 12 billion kroner(1.80 billion U.S. dollars) to 24 billion kroner in 2020, reaching 57 billion kroner in 2025.

As such, the government will increase public investment with a total of approximately 27 billion kroner by 2025.

The plan also proposed to allow public sector spending to grow by 0.5 percent annually until 2025, which equals to approximately 2.5 billion kroner extra per year.

While proposing a top tax reduction of five percentage points for those earning between half and one million kroner annually, the government also wants to cut taxes for low income earners.

Meanwhile, an increase in pension age, from 67 to 67.5 years, is scheduled to start in 2025, with early retirement age raising accordingly by six months from 63 to 63.5 years from 2021.

The new plan must be approved by a majority in Danish parliament, which means parts of it may have to be negotiated with opposition parties.
JERUSALEM, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Tuesday slammed a report by the United Nations' diplomatic quartet accusing it of building in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

"The UN envoy to the Middle East's remarks to the Security Council distort history and international law and push peace farther away," a statement by the prime minister's office read on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister's media adviser, who signed on the statement, went on to call the accusations of illegal Israeli settlement construction "absurd."

"The claim that Jewish construction in Jerusalem is illegal as absurd as the claim that American construction in Washington or French construction in Paris is illegal," the statement read.

"Jews have been in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria (the Jewish biblical names for the West Bank) for thousands of years and their presence there is not an obstacle to peace," it added.

Israel occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip territories, home to millions of Palestinians, during the 1967 Mideast War. The Palestinians wish to establish a state in these territories.

The international community views the Jewish settlements as an obstacle to peace between Israel and the Palestinians based on the two-state solution.

On Monday, Nickolay Mladenov, the United Nations' coordinator for the Middle East process, told the UN Security Council that Israel's construction in the Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem had surged in the past two months.

The report is the result of the work of the diplomatic Quartet, namely the UN, the U.S., the European Union and Russia.

It charges that since July 1, Israeli authorities have advanced plans for more than 1,000 housing units in East Jerusalem, annexed in 1981, and 735 housing units in the West Bank.
BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Canadian government is "looking very favorably" at the possibility of joining the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday as he kicked off his week-long official visit to China.

Trudeau made the remarks in a dialogue session with Chinese entrepreneurs, during his first visit to China after he took office as Canadian prime minister last November.

"My government believes very much in the importance of investing in infrastructure, that is one of the reasons why we are looking very favorably at the possibility of joining the AIIB," he said.

The AIIB, a not-for-profit multilateral development bank initiated by China, was officially established last December and started operating in January. There are now more than 30 countries waiting to join the AIIB in addition to its 57 founding members, officials at the bank said.

On the trip to strengthen bilateral relations with China, Trudeau is scheduled to meet with Chinese government leaders and members of the business community and the general public. He is also scheduled to attend the Group of 20 summit hosted in China's eastern city of Hangzhou.

China plays an essential role in driving global economic growth as the world's second largest economy, Trudeau said at an event hosted by the China Entrepreneur Club, the first agenda item on his official visit to China.

He noted that "a renewed relationship" will benefit both countries and create new opportunities for trade and investment.

"Any economic strategy that ignores China or treat that valuable relationship as anything less than critical and important is not just short-sighted, it is irresponsible," Trudeau said. "We know that a stronger and deeper relationship with China is essential if we are to achieve our own objectives to create Canadian jobs, to strengthen the middle class, and to grow the Canadian economy."

China is now Canada's second largest trading partner. The trade between the two countries amounted to nearly 67.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2015, a 10.1 percent increase over 2014, and accounted for 8.1 percent of Canada's total merchandise trade, according to Canadian statistics.

Trudeau's visit comes 43 years after his father, Pierre Trudeau, became the first Canadian prime minister to visit China in 1973.

Justin Trudeau, who brought his own daughter on the trip, said he hoped to pass along "friendship and the openness towards China" not only to his own children, but also to the future generations of Canada.
Israeli troops locked down the occupied West Bank's most populous city Hebron and surrounding villages on July 2 after two Israelis were killed in Palestinian attacks nearby. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

JERUSALEM, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Tuesday slammed a report by the United Nations' diplomatic quartet accusing it of building in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

"The UN envoy to the Middle East's remarks to the Security Council distort history and international law and push peace farther away," a statement by the prime minister's office read on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister's media adviser, who signed on the statement, went on to call the accusations of illegal Israeli settlement construction "absurd."

"The claim that Jewish construction in Jerusalem is illegal as absurd as the claim that American construction in Washington or French construction in Paris is illegal," the statement read.

"Jews have been in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria (the Jewish biblical names for the West Bank) for thousands of years and their presence there is not an obstacle to peace," it added.

Israel occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip territories, home to millions of Palestinians, during the 1967 Mideast War. The Palestinians wish to establish a state in these territories.

The international community views the Jewish settlements as an obstacle to peace between Israel and the Palestinians based on the two-state solution.

On Monday, Nickolay Mladenov, the United Nations' coordinator for the Middle East process, told the UN Security Council that Israel's construction in the Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem had surged in the past two months.

The report is the result of the work of the diplomatic Quartet, namely the UN, the U.S., the European Union and Russia.

It charges that since July 1, Israeli authorities have advanced plans for more than 1,000 housing units in East Jerusalem, annexed in 1981, and 735 housing units in the West Bank.
PHNOM PENH, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian police raided a rented apartment building in southeastern Phnom Penh on Tuesday and netted 64 Chinese nationals, including eight women, for allegedly involving in a telephone scam, an immigration police official said.

The initial information shows that 52 suspects are from the Chinese mainland and 12 from China's Taiwan region, Major General Ouk Hai Seila, director of the investigation and procedure department at the General Department of Immigration, said, adding that a number of telephones and laptops were seized as evidence.

"They are accused of using VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol, a type of internet phone service) from Cambodia to threaten and extort money from victims in China," he told Xinhua.

The suspects would be deported to face legal action in China, he said.
COLOMBO, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lanka Ports Authority said on Tuesday that it had launched an investigation into a fire that broke out at a private construction site in the Colombo port on Monday.

The fire broke out at a stack of scrap rubber tubes that had been used to pump sand to the land from the sea during dredging and not at the East Container Terminal, the Ports Authority said in a statement.

"There was no disturbance to the day to day activities of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority or for the Colombo Port terminals," the statement said.

"The private site is located outside the shipping operation area of the Colombo Port. No property of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority was lost and no personal injuries were reported due to the fire."

The fire broke out on Monday afternoon with several fire trucks taking at least three hours to put out the flames.
by Maria Spiliopoulou

ATHENS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Turkey will not continue the implementation of the agreement struck with European Union in March to stem the refugee flow if Europe fails to grant visa free travel to Turkish nationals by October this year, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has warned.

The Turkish official made the remarks during an interview on the sidelines of his unofficial one day visit on Sunday to Crete island, where he held talks with his Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias. The interview was printed on Greek newspaper "Kathimerini" (Daily) on Tuesday.

Under March's agreement, Ankara has stepped up efforts to crack down on the smuggling rings which have been sending thousands of refugees and migrants from Turkey's shores to the Greek islands on boats.

The results were impressive. Only a few dozen people per day have been landing on the Greek shores over the next three months, instead of the thousands who were reaching Greece on a daily basis in particular since the summer of 2015.

Since January 2015 more than a million people have crossed the Aegean Sea on their journey to Europe, while some 3,500 have perished in the waters across the Mediterranean.

In exchange for Ankara's cooperation, among other terms, the visa requirement for travel to Europe for Turkish citizens would be abolished within months.

"We did our share in this cooperation... We do not see the EU keen on delivering its promises...We expect visa liberalization for Turkish citizens at the latest in October 2016," Cavusoglu said.

In June, the EU did not grant Turkey the visa- free travel for its nationals, arguing that Ankara has not met all preconditions set.

Following the July 15 failed coup attempt, refugee arrivals to the Greek islands from Turkish shores are on the rise, according to official data from the Greek Coast Guard. About 450 new arrivals were recorded on Monday and Tuesday.

More than 11,000 people are currently stranded on the Aegean Sea islands awaiting the assessment of their asylum bids, their relocation in the mainland or deportation to Turkey.

After the closure of the Balkan route to central Europe in February in Greece's northern borders, approximately 58,000 people have been stranded in Greece in overcrowded reception camps.
RIYADH, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Saudi Interior Ministry announced Tuesday the foiling of hacking attempts at several government cyber networks, Sabq local online news reported.

The hacking attempts were done through foreign attackers who exploited a fault in the email server, in which the ministry highlighted that the level of harms was determined, and authorities concerned were notified for precautionary measures.

The ministry said that the e-security centre held a workshop to discussed the hacking attacks and measures to secure e-networks.

The country announced in 2013 the establishment of a National Authority for Information Security to protect the e-system of the state from hackers.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R front) meets with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 30, 2016. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) - Visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said here on Tuesday that he was "ready to keep and strengthen the strong friendship" between Canada and China.

Trudeau made the remarks in a brief meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing.

It is good to start a stronger relationship, Trudeau said.

Li said the two countries had witnessed deepening relations in such areas as politics, trade, culture and people-to-people exchanges since the establishment of diplomatic relations 46 years ago.

Both are facing broad prospects for bilateral relations and cooperation, Li said.

He said the Chinese side was ready to work with the new Canadian government to create a new development era for bilateral ties and reciprocity.

This is the first official visit of Trudeau since taking office in November 2015. His father, former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, was the first Canadian prime minister to visit China after the establishment of diplomatic relations.

After his stay in Beijing, Trudeau will fly to Hangzhou to attend the G20 summit.

Related:

Canada "looking favorably" at possibility of joining AIIB: PM

BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Canadian government is "looking very favorably" at the possibility of joining the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday as he kicked off his week-long official visit to China.
GENEVA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported Tuesday that some 111,500 migrants have been rescued at sea on the central Mediterranean passage linking North Africa with Italy since the beginning of 2016.

By far the deadliest route for maritime migrants seeking to reach European shores, the sea-passage has already claimed the lives of 2,726 individuals so far this year.

An additional 386 migrants and refugees have drowned on the eastern Mediterranean route separating Turkey and Greece, while 53 have died crossing the Western Mediterranean and Western African passages.

According to IOM figures, over 272,000 maritime arrivals have been recorded in Europe so far this year, most of them in Greece (163,105 entries) and Italy (106,461).

The arrival-count for the first eight months of 2016 is significantly lower than the 354,618 entries registered by authorities over the same period in 2015, a year which saw over one million maritime arrivals in Europe.
BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Four officials are being investigated by prosecutors for taking bribes and other offenses, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP).

They are Wang Zongya, former vice head of the mineral development and management bureau under the Ministry of Land and Resources; Wei Ningxian, former head of the traffic police team with the public security department of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; Azizi Keyum, former head of the forestry department of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region; Wang Jianghua, former head of the publicity department of the Hami city in Xinjiang.

Wang and Wang (which refer to different characters in Chinese) are also being investigated for abuse of power, the statement said.

The last three officials have also been placed under "coercive measures," which include arrest, detention, issuing a warrant to compel a suspect to appear, bail pending trial, or residential surveillance, while their cases are being investigated.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx (L) and Cuban Minister of Transportation Adel Yzquierdo shake hands after signing an agreement authorizing up to 110 scheduled daily commercial flights to Havana and nine other destinations on the island at National Hotel in Havana, on February 16, 2016. (Xinhua/AFP)

HAVANA, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx will travel to Cuba this week to mark the resumption of regularly scheduled direct commercial flights between the two countries, a top Cuban official said on Monday.

Foxx will arrive on Wednesday, the same day U.S. airline JetBlue will fly from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to the central Cuban city of Santa Clara, resuming regular flights after more than 50 years, Deputy Transportation Minister Eduardo Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez, according to Havana-based news agency Prensa Latina, described the resumption of flights as "a positive step and a contribution to the process of improving ties between the two countries."

He added that Cuban and U.S. officials were in talks to include U.S. cities on the itinerary of Cubana de Aviacion, the national airline.

In Havana, Foxx is expected to meet with his Cuban counterpart Adel Yzquierdo and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.

JetBlue will operate thrice weekly flights to Santa Clara until Oct. 29, and then a weekly flight.

On Thursday, Silver Airways will launch flights, also to Santa Clara, followed by American Airlines on Sept. 7, initially to the provinces of Holguin and Cienfuegos.

U.S. law bars its citizens from traveling freely to Cuba, though some travel is allowed, especially for cultural or religious purposes.
Libya has shipped the last of its chemical weapons stocks out of the country on a Danish vessel, under a UN-backed plan to eliminate the arsenal, officials said on August 30, 2016. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

TRIPOLI, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Libya's remaining chemical weapons were shipped out of the country to Germany by Danish ships on Tuesday, an official said.

Libyan Deputy Prime Minister Musa Al-Koni said "Libya's entire inventory of chemical weapons has been shipped abroad."

The process is supervised by the United Nations, based on UN Security Council resolution No. 2298, which was adopted on July 22. The resolution authorized member states to transfer and destroy Libya's chemical weapons.

On Aug. 19, Danish parliament officially decided to lead a maritime operation to remove Libyan chemical weapons to Germany.

"We will undertake a leading role in an important operation to remove the remainder of Libya's chemical stockpile, which otherwise risks falling into the wrong hands," Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Kristian Jensen said.

Libya's remaining chemical weapons belong to Muammar Gaddafi's regime, which was overthrown in the 2011 uprising.

The chemicals have been shipped off the coast of Misrata (some 200 km east the capital Tripoli).

An official from the city said that "Libya has become free of chemical weapons.

"We did not want these weapons in the light of the current security situation and the presence of Daesh in the region," the official said.

The chemicals have been stored in Al-Jufrah region, about 200 km south of Sirte, where forces loyal to the government have been fighting Islamic State affiliates since May.
A fire broke out in an oil refinery in Iran's South Pars gas field on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

TEHRAN, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- A fire broke out in an oil refinery in Iran's South Pars gas field Tuesday, according to the official IRNA news agency.

The fire erupted at the eighth refinery's sewage unit of phases 15 and 16 of the gas field, according to the report. No casualties have been reported so far, said IRNA.

Firefighters have been dispatched to the refinery to contain the fire, and rescue operators are also on site, the report said.

However, the refinery's operation has not been interrupted, it added.

Recently, similar incidents have been reported in other petrochemical plants in the country.

In July, a fire broke out at a petrochemical complex's storage tank in Iran's western province of Kermanshah. Investigations suggested that a faulty electrical system may have caused the accident.

Furthermore, in June, the Bou Ali Sina Petrochemical Plant in Iran's Mahshahr port city in the south west damaged key parts of the complex.

Local reports estimated the damage to that complex at around 66.3 million U.S. dollars.

Sabotage has not been ruled out as a possibility by some local officials.
BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese lawmakers on Tuesday suggested that regulations limiting the fees paid to actors/actresses should be included in a draft film law currently being deliberated.

During panel discussions, some legislators agreed that the exorbitant wages paid to some high-profile actors/actresses in China could compromise the quality of film making, thus, harming the future of the domestic movie industry.

The draft was submitted Monday to a bi-monthly session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, the national legislature, for its second reading. The session will end Saturday.

Limits on the salaries of actors/actresses would help producers and directors refocus on creating quality works, with more leeway in the budget to cover facilities and post-production, said NPC Standing Committee member Sun Baoshu during a group deliberation.

Lauding Sun's opinion, legislator Dong Zhongyuan said regulations on "appropriate remuneration" should encourage actors/actresses to be self-disciplined and build a better public image, Dong added.

The revised draft added a provision regarding the ethics of those working in the film industry, which said they should strive for "excellence in both professionalism and moral integrity."

The topic of fees paid to actors/actresses is widely known in China. Last week, a state media report claimed that some top Chinese stars received upwards of 100 million yuan (about 14.97 million U.S. dollars).

In a statement issued Friday by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, the country's film watchdog, it said it would direct actors' associations and film production companies to formulate systems to manage the proper remuneration of performers.

Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, attended the deliberation Tuesday morning, during which draft amendments to four laws were also discussed.
TEHRAN, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian lawmakers on Tuesday reaffirmed their support for the Bahraini political and religious dissident groups, local Press TV reported.

In a statement, 203 Iranian lawmakers said the Bahraini people have long been under the "oppressive" policies of the government.

The lawmakers rebuked the Bahraini government for revoking the citizenship of top Shiite cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim.

The Bahraini people are peacefully protesting against the oppressive policies of the ruling regime, but the international organizations remain silent and refrain from taking any measures, according to the statement.

They "regard this issue as a great historic disgrace for international bodies and so-called advocates of human rights as well as the United States, Saudi Arabia and the Bahraini kingdom," the statement said.

Bahrain stripped Isa Qassim's citizenship in June, a move the kingdom claimed as part of its measures to fight extremism.

The Gulf state has long accused Iran of trying to stir up unrest among its Shiite population, despite denies from Iran.
COLOMBO, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Delegations from over 71 countries will attend an annual defence seminar in Sri Lanka this week, the Sri Lankan army said on Tuesday.

The 6th "Colombo Defence Seminar - 2016" will take place in the capital on Thursday and Friday with the participation of 800 guests, including 125 foreigners from 71 countries.

Themed "Soft Power and its Influence on Global Issues" in the context of fast waning "hard power" at global level, this year's sessions are aimed at providing a platform to global experts to identify and discuss means of achieving foreign policy frameworks and perspectives of nation states through which horizons of professional knowledge of army personnel could be expanded to suit fast changing global trends.

This year's sessions are segmented into nine sessions under sub themes such as "Concept of Power", "Soft Power and Varied Impacts", "Soft Power Peace Building and Armed Forces" and "Influence of Soft Power on Global Issues".

In addition, a separate expert panel, including professors, security and military experts and administrative officers at foreign and national level would contribute to the session.

Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi and Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva, Commander of the army are scheduled to deliver the keynote address and introductory remarks respectively during the inaugural sessions on the first day.
BRUSSELS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) said U.S. tech giant Apple must repay up to 13 billion euros (14.5 billion U.S. dollars) to the Irish government after ruling that some tax treatment granted by Ireland to Apple was illegal under EU state aid rules.

"The European Commission has concluded that Ireland granted undue tax benefits of up to 13 billion euros to Apple. This is illegal under EU state aid rules, because it allowed Apple to pay substantially less tax than other businesses," the statement said.

Ireland must now recover the unpaid taxes in Ireland from Apple for the years 2003 to 2014 of up to 13 billion euros, plus interest, it added.

Margrethe Vestager, the EU Commissioner in charge of competition, said "selective treatment" in Ireland allowed Apple to pay an effective corporate tax rate of 1 percent on its European profits in 2003 down to 0.005 percent in 2014.

However, both Ireland and Apple said that they plan to appeal the Commission's ruling.

Michael Noonan, the Irish Minister for Finance, said he would seek permission from the Irish Cabinet to appeal the Commission decision to the European Courts.

"I disagree profoundly with the Commission's decision. Our tax system is founded on the strict application of the law, as enacted by the Oireachtas (parliament), without exception," Noonan said.

"It is important that we send a strong message that Ireland remains an attractive and stable location of choice for long-term substantive investment. Apple has been in Ireland since the 1980s and employs thousands of people in Cork. The company has continued to expand its operations in Ireland in recent times," he added.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has published an open letter to customers in Europe, after the European Commission announced its decision.

"The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process," he said in the letter.

"The opinion issued on Aug. 30 alleges that Ireland gave Apple a special deal on our taxes. This claim has no basis in fact or in law," he added.

Cook said Apple plan to appeal the Commission's ruling and he was confident that the Commission's order would be reversed.

The U.S. Treasury Department was widely reported to be "disappointed" with the European Commission's decision.

"We believe that retroactive tax assessments by the Commission are unfair, contrary to well-established legal principles and call into question the tax rules of individual Member States," a spokesperson for the department said.

The case could undermine "the important spirit of economic partnership between the United States and the EU," the spokesperson added.

In 1980, Apple established its first operations in Europe by opening a factory in Cork, Ireland with 60 employees.
BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- China and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday signed 17 cooperative agreements after the first meeting of a high-level steering committee for coordinating bilateral cooperation.

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli and Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman co-chaired the meeting in Beijing.

The documents covered politics, energy, finance, investment, housing, water resources, quality inspection, science, technology and culture.

Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Saudi Arabia in January, reaching a consensus on various issues with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

During that visit, the two countries announced a comprehensive strategic partnership and set up a high-level steering committee to guide and coordinate cooperation.

Noting that Saudi Arabia is an important cooperative partner of China in the West Asian and North African region, Zhang said China views bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective.

China is willing to share experiences with Saudi Arabia on state governance, he said, calling on the two sides to support each other's core interests and major concerns and cement strategic mutual trust.

China is ready to synergize the Belt and Road Initiative and Saudi Arabia's Economic Vision 2030, he said.

Under the framework, Zhang suggested the two sides promote cooperation in industrial capacity, equipment manufacturing, energy, trade, investment, finance, science and technology, culture and security.

Mohammed said relations between Saudi Arabia and China are of strategic importance, noting that the two sides enjoy great potential for cooperation.

Saudi Arabia firmly supports China's stance on issues related to Taiwan, Xinjiang and the South China Sea, he said.

Saudi Arabia hopes to join in the Belt and Road Initiative and forge a stronger partnership with China in the areas of energy, trade, investment, finance, industrialization and mining, he added.

The Saudi prince also called on the two sides to strengthen coordination, jointly fight terrorism, and promote international and regional peace and stability.

Saudi Arabia supports China in holding a successful G20 Summit, he said.

Later on Tuesday, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi met with Mohammed bin Salman. He said China values Saudi Arabia's support within the G20 framework, hoping the two countries will make joint efforts with other relevant parties for a successful G20 Summit.

Mohammed, also Saudi Arabia's defense minister, will attend the G20 Summit in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, scheduled for Sept. 4-5.
by Naim-Ul-Karim

DHAKA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- In Bangladesh, millions of people are still unbanked and rely on cash or informal financial services.

Traditional banking infrastructure is underdeveloped in the country which deprives Bangladesh poor people's access to the range of financial services, said the speakers at a seminar Tuesday in Dhaka.

They said the country is at present largely an over-the-counter (OTC) market. Because of this, they said unregistered mobile money users are generally limited to simply transferring money. For instance, while more and more people in developed countries use their accounts for advanced functions such as purchasing goods, receiving salaries and taking loans, in Bangladesh, mobile money use is heavily based on person-to-person transfers.

To give a big boost to the efforts made by the state machinery, the speakers urged the government to better engage the country's cell phone companies which with nearly 129 million customers serve people deep into the rural areas.

In the seminar of the Telecom Reporters' Network of Bangladesh (TRNB), they said mobile financial services in the country of about 160 million people has a lot of room to grow.

Against this backdrop, they said mobile phone operators can offer integrated mobile financial services in-built in the handsets in a bid to help the market grow faster.

Referring to the country's existing bank-led financial services, they said the non-banking institutions can also invest in an operator-led mobile financial service through online solutions.

The number of registered clients reached 36.5 million as of July this year, the Bangladesh Bank data showed.

It showed the number of transactions by July this year surged to 119.5 million, making the monthly transaction amount via mobile staggering 2,250 million U.S. dollars on an average.

Presenting a paper in the seminar, TRNB General Secretary Shamim Ahamed, a senior journalist of Bangladesh's leading bdnews24.com, said due to entry barriers industry lacks competition, adequate investment and innovation to foster market growth.

He said 29 financial institutions have the license to run MFS but 20 are in operation and two -- bKash and Dutch-Bangla Bank -- are widely visible with market activities.

bKash reportedly dominates the market with almost half of the market share followed by Dutch-Bangla Bank, with the rest of the 10 providers accounting for around a quarter of the total market share.

In the seminar titled "Financial Inclusion in Bangladesh: opportunities, challenges and way forward through 'Digital Financial Service' (DFS)" organized by TRNB with its President Rased Mehedi, a senior journalist of The Daily Samakal, in the chair, discussants said Bangladesh needs to involve every stakeholders both from the banks and the mobile operators.

And the country needs a level playing field if it's to prosper DFS, they said, adding Bangladesh is currently channeling all mobile transactions through bank-led companies.

Nurul Kabir, the secretary general and CEO of the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB), the national apex body of all cellular companies, urged the relevant government authorities for allowing all banking and non-banking financial institutions to open their subsidiaries for running MFS.

He said mobile operators will immensely contribute if they are allowed to engage with the MFS.

"We're keen to broaden mobile financial services. We want many players to join our efforts to reach more unbanked people in rural areas," Bangladesh State Minister for Posts and Telecommunications Tarana Halim said.

Mobile operators should have the opportunity to engage with MFS so that they play their roles to reach more unbanked people in rural bangladesh, she said.

She stressed the need for healthy competition so that all stakeholders concerned may support the government's efforts to broaden financial inclusion.

Mahmud Hossain, chief corporate affairs officer at Bangladesh's largest mobile operator GrameenPhone, said mobile operators are really in a position to contribute to the efforts of the state machinery to expand significantly mobile financial services.

He said operators can offer integrated mobile financial services in-built in the handsets that can help the market grow faster.

Reyad Hasnain, Bangladesh country manager of Mahindra Comviva, a global leader in providing mobility solutions, said more steps needed to be taken to reduce cash transactions.

He also stressed the need for introducing more new services to squeeze cash money transactions.

Progga Paromita, a senior Bangladesh Bank official, said steps are underway to further broaden the MFS through offering conducive policies.

She said interoperability can be considered to make electronic payments in a convenient, affordable, fast, seamless and secure way through a transaction account.
NAY PYI TAW, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Visiting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Tuesday reiterated the international organization's continued support for Myanmar's peace process and the new government 's building of the democratic society.

Ban made the remarks in a joint press conference in Nay Pyi Taw following his meeting with Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi. The remarks also came a day before the holding of the country's 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference in the capital.

His coming to Myanmar at this time shows such support for the country, Ban said said, adding that he is delighted to be invited to the conference.

Hailing Myanmar's transition, Ban expressed appreciation over the former leadership of U Thein Sein's handling for harmonious transition for democracy, saying that the new government still has the challenge with the peace process, which is really expected by the international community.

He disclosed that he talked with Aung San Suu Kyi on the complex situation in Rakhine state and vowed to stand with the new government and support former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's involvement in the advisory commission on Rakhine state to resolve the protracted regional issue.

He agreed with Aung San Suu Kyi that the people in Myanmar, whatever their religion, ethnicity and economic status, will have better economic opportunity and to be in frequent and secured environment.

On the border issue, Ban stressed living in harmony between neighbors with different ethnicity and background.

The 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference of Myanmar, which aims to unite with all ethnic nationalities and build a democratic federal union, is due to kick off in Nay Phi Taw Wednesday morning with key speeches by Aung San Suu Kyi and Ban Ki-Moon.

The five-day historical Panglong Conference will gather representatives of the government, the parliament, the military, political parties, ethnic armed and non-armed organizations and civil society to touch on the framework of political dialogue for ending several decades' long armed conflicts in the country.
BERLIN, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel reiterated his doubts about negotiations over a controversial free trade deal between the European Union and the United States on Tuesday, ignoring contradictory remarks from German Chancellor Angela Merkel made a day earlier.

Analysts said the conflicts within the German coalition showed competition between parties as Germany's parliamentary election approaches.

Gabriel, who is also chairman of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD), said here on Tuesday that no significant issue in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) had been clarified after 14 rounds of talks since July 2013. It would be "pure fiction" that an agreement would be reached by the end of this year, before U.S. President Barack Obama leaves office.

On Sunday, he claimed that the negotiations between the EU and the United States had "de facto failed," even though no one admitted it.

"We, as Europeans, should not subject ourselves to American demands," he said.

On Monday, however, Chancellor Merkel, who leads the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party of Germany, rejected Gabriel's declaration.

"The negotiations are still not over," her spokesman Steffen Seibert said, adding that although the EU and U.S. positions were partly different, decisive compromises were often only achieved in the last round of talks.

Negotiators on both sides of the Atlantic seek to reach an agreement by the end of this year, but the public is worried that jobs would be lost, and consumer protection and environmental standards would be weakened under the agreement.

An earlier survey found that public support for the agreement has dropped sharply in both Germany and the United States in recent years. Campaigners have called for protests against TTIP across Germany on Sept. 17.

"There is a competition between the party leader and the economy minister," said Martin Wansleben, chief executive of the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), referring to Gabriel's dual role.

"At the moment, the economy minister has lost," he told Deutschlandfunk radio, "The reality is the reality. The election campaign is in sight."

Germany is set to hold a parliamentary election in autumn 2017. In 2013, Merkel's Union party, a bloc of CDU and its Bavarian sister Christian Social Union (CSU), formed a grand coalition with Gabriel's SPD, as neither party was able to hold a majority in the lower house of German parliament.

According to the latest poll, 30.5 percent of Germans supported the CDU/CSU union, while SPD gained 21 percent.

"TTIP must not fall victim to the incipient election campaign," warned Matthias Wissmann, head of the German automakers' association, VDA, arguing that a cross-Atlantic free trade zone would create opportunities for growth and jobs.
PARIS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- European and U.S. negotiators are unlikely to reach "a positive conclusion" over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) by the end of this year, French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday.

"France cannot approve an accord without basis essential to reach a positive conclusion," Hollande said at a meeting with French ambassadors.

"The negotiations are bogged down, positions have not been respected, and there is a clear unbalance. It's better to acknowledge failure rather than continuing negotiations that won't come to an accord," he added.

The French leader underlined the importance of supporting free trade that respects the rules of reciprocity, transparency, environment and culture.

Earlier on Tuesday, French Trade Minister Matthias Fekl said France would ask to end TTIP negotiations during a meeting of European Union trade ministers in Bratislava scheduled for Sept. 23.

After three years of talks, negotiators from the EU and the United States have failed to bridge differences mainly on improving transparency, guaranteeing food safety and facilitating access of European small and medium-sized companies to U.S. markets.
BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- On his first official visit to China, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday made it clear that he is seeking to rebuild ties with China and that Canada is treating the relationship with China as nothing less than critical and important.

RENEWED RELATIONSHIP

"Any economic strategy that ignores China or treats that valuable relationship as anything less than critical and important is not just short-sighted, it is irresponsible," Trudeau said in a dialogue session with Chinese entrepreneurs Tuesday.

Remembering fondly his first visit as a child to China with his father, former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau, the younger Trudeau said that he brought his daughter with him on this trip, and that he hoped to pass along "the friendship and the openness towards China" not only to his own children, but also to the future generations of Canada.

Qian Hao, director of the Canada Research Center at Shanghai International Studies University, said that China-Canada ties weren't at their best during former prime minister Stephen Harper's government, and that Trudeau is looking to reset the relationship.

"A stronger and deeper relationship with China is essential if we are to achieve our own objectives to create Canadian jobs, to strengthen the middle class, and to grow the Canadian economy," Trudeau said in a statement before embarking on the visit to China.

"China is willing to further deepen China-Canada ties, and make joint efforts with other G20 members to build a better future for the world economy," Chinese Ambassador to Canada Luo Zhaohui said.

"LOOKING FAVORABLY AT JOINING AIIB"

Investment cooperation is obviously on Trudeau's mind, as the Canadian government is "looking very favorably" at the possibility of joining the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Trudeau said.

"My government believes very much in the importance of investing in infrastructure, that is one of the reasons why we are looking very favorably at the possibility of joining the AIIB," he said.

The AIIB, a not-for-profit multilateral development bank initiated by China, was officially established last December and started operating in January. There are more than 30 countries waiting to join the AIIB, which already has 57 founding members, officials at the bank said.

"It's important that global business leaders like you know Canada is a good place to invest," Trudeau said, touting his country's agriculture, energy, culture, technology and other sectors.

Chu Jian, an expert with the Bejing-based think tank Center for China and Globalization, said that Trudeau wants to cement economic ties with China on the visit and that Canada wants "a piece of the pie" as an increasing number of Chinese companies eye investment opportunities abroad.

China's total investment in Canada hit 58.3 billion dollars last year. The first Chinese yuan clearing center in North America was launched in Toronto last year.

TRADE, GLOBALIZATION

During his week-long visit, Trudeau is scheduled to meet with Chinese government leaders, members of the business community and the general public, as well as attend the Group of 20 summit to be hosted in the eastern city of Hangzhou.

Before the big gathering of leaders from the world's most important economies, Trudeau has been keen on singing the praises of globalization and trade.

"We are at a time where international trade and international investment often get looked through a populous lens as being something that is bad," said Trudeau, mentioning Britain's referendum on an exit from the European Union and the polarizing politics seen in this year's U.S. presidential election cycle.

Canadians "have always known trade is essential to creating success for our citizens," he said.

China is now Canada's second largest trading partner. The trade between the two countries amounted to nearly 67.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2015, a 10.1 percent increase over 2014, and accounted for 8.1 percent of Canada's total merchandise trade, according to Canadian statistics.

"As prime minister, it is my job to make sure that our government helps to create the best conditions for economic growth, and in Canada, we know, we can't do that on our own," said Trudeau. "As the world's second largest economy, China plays a central role in driving global economic growth."
Ugandan traffic police mount barricades on the Kampala-Masaka Highway in an operation to arrest errant drivers, Aug. 16, 2016. Over the last three months over 50 people have been killed by road accidents on the highway. (Xinhua/Ronald Ssekandi)

by Ronald Ssekandi

MASAKA, Uganda, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Shattered windscreen, blood stains, abandoned shoes and wreaths are grisly reminders of "a killer more ferocious than AIDS" on the Kampala-Masaka highway.

Accidents on this road, linking central Uganda to the west, have claimed 50 lives over the last three months. In one of the worse accidents, over 20 people were killed as five vehicles crashed together last month.

Yet the accident may have served as a wake-up call, as police and government agencies in Uganda are now in a war against the country's notoriously high traffic accident rates with stricter law enforcement and heftier penalties.

The highway is now at the front of the "Fika Salama" operation, translated as "Reach Well" that targets reckless driving. Road barricades were mounted on the highway and vehicles found to be in poor condition would be towed away.

Drivers found not to have driving licenses or found over speeding would be prosecuted and face fines of about 200 U.S. dollars or six months in prison.

Police figures show that over 560 drivers have been taken to court over the past one month since the operation started a month ago.

"This operation is aimed at creating discipline on the highway... So far I am seeing at least a change: drivers are complying and discipline is coming back," Fabian Betuza, Assistant Superintendent of Police told Xinhua in an interview.

A Ugandan police officer stops traffic on the Kampala-Masaka Highway in an operation aimed at arrest errant drivers, Aug. 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Ronald Ssekandi)

Traffic police vigilance is also being extended to other highways in the country.

Uganda has one of the highest rate of road accidents in the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), with 19,870 accidents in 2012 and 18,368 in 2013.

Steven Kasiima, Traffic Police Chief told reporters on Monday that road accidents are killing more people than HIV/AIDS and malaria in the country.

Some drivers blame the accidents on narrow highways, while police records show that most accidents are due to speeding and reckless driving, driving under the influence of alcohol, and use of vehicles in poor mechanical condition.

"My humble appeal to all road users is that road safety is every person's duty, not only the police. Every person must come up, and those ones who drive badly must be reported," Betuza said.
PARIS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- France on Tuesday expressed solidarity with China after an attack hit the Chinese Embassy in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, the French Foreign Ministry said.

France condemns the car bomb which targeted at the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek, the ministry said in a statement.

It also expressed solidarity with the staff of the diplomatic mission as well as with the Chinese authorities, it added.

The Chinese Embassy in Bishkek was the site of a car bomb Tuesday morning. Three people employed by the embassy were injured in the attack.
DAMASCUS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- A Kurdish-led rebel group said it had reached a ceasefire agreement with Turkish military forces on Tuesday, in a bid to bring a temporary truce to a contested area in northern Syria.

In a statement, the Jarablus Military Council (JMC), which is backed by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said the ceasefire agreement was reached with the Turkish army under the mediation of the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition.

The JMC said the ceasefire started at midnight Monday in the countryside of the northern city of Jarablus, which was overran last week by Turkish forces and Syrian rebel group, called Free Syrian Army (FSA).

"After intensified negotiations, and under the auspices of the international coalition under the leadership of the United States, and to curb the bloodshed of the innocents, we declare that we reached a temporary ceasefire... with the forces of the Turkish occupation," the statement said.

It added that the mediators are trying to make the ceasefire permanent.

"Our acceptance of the ceasefire doesn't mean our acceptance to the Turkish occupation of Jarablus in any way possible," the statement read.

The JMC stressed that the deal was concluded with the Turkish forces, not the FSA, which is backed by Turkey.

One of the SDF officers confirmed to Xinhua, via a phone call, the news of the ceasefire deal.

The truce came against the backdrop of a recent showdown between both rebel groups in that region, especially after Turkey pushed in with special forces, tanks, and FSA fighters from its side of the borders and captured Jarablus from the hands of the Islamic State (IS) group last week.

The Turkish move came to cut the road before the Kurdish-led SDF, who has made sweeping victories against the IS near the Turkish borders, which raised the ire of Ankara and nurtured its fears of a growing Kurdish influence at its backdoor.

Following capturing Jarablus, the FSA reached areas in the southern countryside of that city, where they had several confrontations with the SDF fighters, coupled by Turkish shelling of the Kurdish-backed group.

It's worth mentioning that both the SDF and the FSA are supported by the air cover of the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition, which put Washington in a tight spot.

Tuesday's truce came apparently as part of Washington's effort to defuse the tension between both parties.

Turkey has long feared a strong Kurdish presence near its borders, which was one of the main reason it crossed the borders with its tanks and Syrian rebels it was training.

The U.S. has warned the Kurds to withdraw to the eastern bank of Euphrates, as apparently the western side, close to Turkey, was a red line agreed upon between Ankara and Washington to alley the Turkish fears of further Kurdish expansion.

For its part, the Syrian government condemned the Turkish military intervention as flagrant violation to the Syrian sovereignty, while the Kurds said the aim of Ankara was not to fight the IS but to curb the momentum of the Kurdish groups.

The Kurds further made several statements, in which they threatened Turkey of further escalation.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The United States is offering a reward of up to 3 million U.S. dollars for information about Gulmurod Khalimov, a key leader of the terrorist group Islamic State (IS), the State Department said Tuesday.

Khalimov, now an IS member and recruiter, is a former Tajik special operations colonel, police commander, and military sniper. He was also the commander of a police special operations unit in the Ministry of Interior of Tajikistan, according to a statement issued by the State Department.

In May 2015, Khalimov announced in a 10-minute propaganda video that he fights for IS and has called publicly for violent acts against the United States, Russia, and Tajikistan.

Khalimov has been blacklisted as a terrorist by the U.S. and was sanctioned by an anti-terrorism committee of the United Nations Security Council.

The terrorist is also wanted by the government of Tajikistan and the International Criminal Police Organization, or INTERPOL.
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Tuesday extended the mandate of UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, by another year as ceasefire violations might happen.

In a unanimously adopted resolution, the 15-nation council decided to extend the mandate of UNIFIL until Aug. 31, 2017.

It further urged international support for the Lebanese Armed Forces in areas of counter-terrorism and border protection, and called on all parties to respect the cessation of hostilities.

UNIFIL was originally created by the Security Council in March 1978 to confirm the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, restore international peace and security and assist the Lebanese government in restoring its effective authority in the area.

Following the July-August 2006 crisis triggered by the war between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, the Security Council enhanced UNIFIL and decided that in addition to its original mandate, UNIFIL would also monitor the cessation of hostilities, accompany and support the Lebanese armed forces as they deploy throughout the south of Lebanon.
DAMASCUS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Kurdish fighters and the Turkey-backed Syrian rebels agreed on a truce in a contested area in northern Syria on Tuesday, pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV reported.

A cessation of hostilities was reached between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) group in the countryside of the northern city of Jarablus, said the report.

The truce came against the backdrop of a recent showdown between both rebel groups in that region, especially after Turkey pushed in with special forces, tanks, and FSA fighters from its side of the borders and captured Jarablus from the hands of the Islamic State (IS) group last week.

The Turkish move came to cut the road before the Kurdish-led SDF, who has made sweeping victories against the IS near the Turkish borders, which raised the ire of Ankara and nurtured its fears of a growing Kurdish influence at its backdoor.

After capturing Jarablus, the FSA reached areas in the southern countryside of that city, where they had several confrontations with the SDF fighters, coupled by Turkish shelling of the positions of the Kurdish-backed group.

It's worth mentioning that both the SDF and the FSA are supported by the air cover of the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition, which put Washington in a tight spot.

Tuesday's truce came apparently as part of Washington's effort to defuse the tension between both parties.

Turkey has long feared a strong Kurdish presence near its borders, which was one of the main reasons it crossed the borders with its tanks and Syrian rebels it was training last week.

The U.S. has warned the Kurds to withdraw to the eastern bank of Euphrates River in Syria, as the western side, close to Turkey, was apparently a red line agreed upon between Ankara and Washington to alley the Turkish fears of further Kurdish expansion.

For its part, the Syrian government condemned the Turkish military's intervention as flagrant violation to the Syrian sovereignty, while the Kurds said the aim of Ankara was not to fight the IS but to curb the momentum of the Kurdish groups.

The Kurds have further made several statements recently, promising Turkey of further escalation if it kept on targeting them.
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan on Tuesday condemned the terrorist attack at the Chinese embassy in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

The Chinese Embassy in Bishkek was the site of a car bomb Tuesday morning. Three people employed by the embassy were injured in the attack.

"The government of Pakistan condemns in strongest terms, the cowardly terrorist attack at the Chinese embassy in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, this morning. We stand in solidarity with the People's Republic of China at this difficult time," the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said.

"We express our solidarity with the government of the People's Republic of China. Our sympathies are also with the government of Kyrgyz Republic, whose nationals were injured in this brutal terrorist attack and pray for their speedy recovery," a Foreign Ministry statement said.

The statement added that Pakistan reiterates its condemnation of terrorism in all forms and manifestations.
BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Kyrgyz counterpart, Erlan Abdyldaev, on Tuesday discussed in a phone conversation the terrorist attack against the Chinese Embassy to Kyrgyzstan and pledged closer cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

Abdyldaev said the Kyrgyz side condemned the suicide attack "in the strongest terms," and that on behalf of the Kyrgyz leaders, he conveyed sympathy to the Chinese embassy and those injured in the attack.

The Kyrgyz side has taken all emergency measures after the attack, and will carry out a thorough investigation and punish those responsible, said Abdyldaev.

He said Kyrgyzstan will do its utmost to ensure the safety of the Chinese citizens and institutions in Kyrgyzstan, and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in the fight against the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism.

Wang, for his part, also strongly condemned the attack, and asked the Kyrgyz side to immediately find out what really happened, punish those responsible and avoid a reoccurrence of such attacks.

China will deepen anti-terrorism cooperation with Kyrgyzstan to safeguard mutual security interests of the two countries, he added.

The Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan was attacked Tuesday morning by a suicide car bomber, with the lone assailant killed and five others wounded.
NEW DELHI, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- India and the United States signed a major defense agreement that will allow the two countries to use each other's military bases, officials said Tuesday.

The agreement was signed by India's Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar who is currently on a visit to United States.

"India and the U.S. have signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in Washington DC," reads a statement issued by the Indian government on Tuesday.

"LEMOA is a facilitating agreement that establishes basic terms, conditions, and procedures for reciprocal provision of logistic support, supplies, and services between the armed forces of India and the U.S."

Following the signing of agreement, Parrikar addressed a joint news conference with U.S. Defence Secretary Ashton Carter at Pentagon office.

"We have had excellent discussions, and both of us are satisfied at the progress we are making in our defence ties," Parrikar in his statement at joint press conference said.

"As was noted, this is our sixth meeting in about a year. Indeed, defence cooperation between India and the U.S. has never been stronger than it is today."

As per the pact, the militaries of two countries can use each other's land, air and naval bases for repair and resupply. The agreement is viewed as an indication of growing deeper defense ties between the two countries.

Reports said the discussions to ink the pact were going on between the two nations for nearly a decade. Indian politicians and its defense officials were wary that it would bring New Delhi into a formal military alliance with United States, where India has to support conflicts of the United States, which would likely earn an ire from other countries.

The process to deepen the ties and increase the proximity, however, accelerated during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure.

The LEMOA also allows for reciprocal exchange of logistics support, supplies and services between the militaries of two countries.

"Logistic support, supplies, and services include food, water, billeting, transportation, petroleum, oils, lubricants, clothing, communication services, medical services, storage services, training services, spare parts and components, repair and maintenance services, calibration services, and port services," the official release said.

"Reciprocal logistic support would be used exclusively during authorised port visits, joint exercises, joint training, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts."

However, this agreement, according to officials, is not incumbent on either party to carry out any joint activity or establishment of bases.

"The agreement does not create any obligations on either party to carry out any joint activity," officials said. "It does not provide for the establishment of any bases or basing arrangements."

Indian defense ministry officials believe that the agreement would significantly enhance the operational capacity of the Indian armed forces especially during their response to humanitarian crisis or disaster relief.
A Turkish boy waves to Turkish tank convoy driving into Syria from the Turkish Syrian border city of Karkamis in the southern region of Gaziantep, on August 26, 2016. (AFP/Xinhua)

DAMASCUS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- A Kurdish-led rebel group said it had reached a ceasefire agreement with Turkish military forces on Tuesday, in a bid to bring a temporary truce to a contested area in northern Syria.

In a statement, the Jarablus Military Council (JMC), which is backed by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said the ceasefire agreement was reached with the Turkish army under the mediation of the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition.

The JMC said the ceasefire started at midnight Monday in the countryside of the northern city of Jarablus, which was overran last week by Turkish forces and Syrian rebel group, called Free Syrian Army (FSA).

"After intensified negotiations, and under the auspices of the international coalition under the leadership of the United States, and to curb the bloodshed of the innocents, we declare that we reached a temporary ceasefire... with the forces of the Turkish occupation," the statement said.

It added that the mediators are trying to make the ceasefire permanent.

"Our acceptance of the ceasefire doesn't mean our acceptance to the Turkish occupation of Jarablus in any way possible," the statement read.

The JMC stressed that the deal was concluded with the Turkish forces, not the FSA, which is backed by Turkey.

One of the SDF officers confirmed to Xinhua, via a phone call, the news of the ceasefire deal.

The truce came against the backdrop of a recent showdown between both rebel groups in that region, especially after Turkey pushed in with special forces, tanks, and FSA fighters from its side of the borders and captured Jarablus from the hands of the Islamic State (IS) group last week.

The Turkish move came to cut the road before the Kurdish-led SDF, who has made sweeping victories against the IS near the Turkish borders, which raised the ire of Ankara and nurtured its fears of a growing Kurdish influence at its backdoor.

Following capturing Jarablus, the FSA reached areas in the southern countryside of that city, where they had several confrontations with the SDF fighters, coupled by Turkish shelling of the Kurdish-backed group.

It's worth mentioning that both the SDF and the FSA are supported by the air cover of the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition, which put Washington in a tight spot.

Tuesday's truce came apparently as part of Washington's effort to defuse the tension between both parties.

Turkey has long feared a strong Kurdish presence near its borders, which was one of the main reason it crossed the borders with its tanks and Syrian rebels it was training.

The U.S. has warned the Kurds to withdraw to the eastern bank of Euphrates, as apparently the western side, close to Turkey, was a red line agreed upon between Ankara and Washington to alley the Turkish fears of further Kurdish expansion.

For its part, the Syrian government condemned the Turkish military intervention as flagrant violation to the Syrian sovereignty, while the Kurds said the aim of Ankara was not to fight the IS but to curb the momentum of the Kurdish groups.

The Kurds further made several statements, in which they threatened Turkey of further escalation.
A Turkish boy waves to Turkish tank convoy driving into Syria from the Turkish Syrian border city of Karkamis in the southern region of Gaziantep, on August 26, 2016. (AFP/Xinhua)

DAMASCUS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Kurdish fighters and the Turkey-backed Syrian rebels agreed on a truce in a contested area in northern Syria on Tuesday, pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV reported.

A cessation of hostilities was reached between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) group in the countryside of the northern city of Jarablus, said the report.

The truce came against the backdrop of a recent showdown between both rebel groups in that region, especially after Turkey pushed in with special forces, tanks, and FSA fighters from its side of the borders and captured Jarablus from the hands of the Islamic State (IS) group last week.

The Turkish move came to cut the road before the Kurdish-led SDF, who has made sweeping victories against the IS near the Turkish borders, which raised the ire of Ankara and nurtured its fears of a growing Kurdish influence at its backdoor.

After capturing Jarablus, the FSA reached areas in the southern countryside of that city, where they had several confrontations with the SDF fighters, coupled by Turkish shelling of the positions of the Kurdish-backed group.

It's worth mentioning that both the SDF and the FSA are supported by the air cover of the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition, which put Washington in a tight spot.

Tuesday's truce came apparently as part of Washington's effort to defuse the tension between both parties.

Turkey has long feared a strong Kurdish presence near its borders, which was one of the main reasons it crossed the borders with its tanks and Syrian rebels it was training last week.

The U.S. has warned the Kurds to withdraw to the eastern bank of Euphrates River in Syria, as the western side, close to Turkey, was apparently a red line agreed upon between Ankara and Washington to alley the Turkish fears of further Kurdish expansion.

For its part, the Syrian government condemned the Turkish military's intervention as flagrant violation to the Syrian sovereignty, while the Kurds said the aim of Ankara was not to fight the IS but to curb the momentum of the Kurdish groups.

The Kurds have further made several statements recently, promising Turkey of further escalation if it kept on targeting them.
NAIROBI, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The international community must galvanize financial resources and political action to contain a dire humanitarian situation in Somalia and South Sudan, an international relief agency official said here on Tuesday.

President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Peter Maurer told Xinhua in an exclusive interview that conflicts and natural calamities have exacerbated the humanitarian crises in the two African nations.

"Civilian population in Somalia is still suffering from effects of war. At present we have continuous disruption by violence in the horn of African state and this is a major concern," Maurer remarked.

ICRC has been providing humanitarian assistance to Somalia in the last 25 years since the country erupted into civil strife.

Maurer regretted that insecurity has undermined provision of relief food, medicine and water to civilians displaced by war in Somalia.

He clarified that distribution of emergency assistance to internally displaced civilians has improved in several regions like Jubaland and Somaliland in Somalia in the last 12 months.

Maurer is also optimistic that presidential elections to be held in Somalia at the end of October will usher in a new era of peace and stability.

"We all hope that over time, the conflict in Somalia will be resolved and the situation gets better. We are determined to stabilize livelihoods in Somalia," said Maurer.

He added that ICRC will continue to support innovative programs that strengthen the resilience of Somalia people in the face of devastation caused by civil turmoil and natural calamities.

"Currently, we are supporting local farmers with inputs such as seeds and tractors. We encourage agricultural activities to feed the population," Maurer said.

Speaking of South Sudan, Maurer warned that the humanitarian crisis in the world's youngest nation could worsen unless an urgent political solution is found.

"South Sudan today is our second largest operation after Syria and Afghanistan," said Maurer, noting that a political solution to the South Sudan conflict is urgent to end suffering of civilians.

Relief agencies in 2015 made the largest humanitarian appeal since the Second World War totaling 25 billion U.S. dollars.

Maurer stressed that strengthening resilience of communities in trouble spots is key to revitalizing social stability and economic growth.
LONDON, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- A 17-year-old boy who went missing after a dinghy capsized off the coast of Sunderland, northeast of England, has been rescued and airlifted to a hospital, local media reported on Tuesday.

The boy was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation by the rescue team before being rushed to a local hospital, according to Sky News.

Two 17-year-old boys and two 17-year-old girls were on board the dingy, when the accident occurred. Multiple 999 calls reporting four people in the water were received by the coastguard at around 3:20 p.m. local time, said the broadcaster.

The two girls and one of the boys have been rescued.
JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The ruling African National Congress (ANC) on Tuesday stressed the need to rid all schools of racial discrimination and enforced cultural assimilation.

This came as a debate was unfolding over a hair policy which requires black learners at the Pretoria High School for Girls to straighten their hair and prohibits them from conversing amongst each other in vernacular.

The policy has prompted students at the school to stage protests against what they call racism against black learners.

According to the school's 36-page Code of Conduct, pupils can wear braids, cornrows or dreadlocks, but only if they are a maximum of 10mm in diameter.

Under the code, all hair has to be brushed, neatly tied back if long enough, and kept out of the face, and no patterned cornrows are allowed. Moreover, longer braids have to be tied back and no decorations or beads are allowed in the hair.

"The recent events at the Pretoria High School for Girls, which we believe are symptomatic of a greater problem, demonstrate the need for society to work together to rid all our schools of racial discrimination and enforced cultural assimilation," ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe said in a statement.

The ANC encourages more students to come to the fore to expose racism wherever it presents itself, said Mantashe.

"ANC Branches working with School Governing Bodies must be vigilant against any racist practices in schools and take up campaigns to review the Codes of Conduct, if necessary," he said.

Panyaza Lesufi, member of executive council at the Department of Education in Gauteng Province, has set up a fact finding mission with a hope to restore the dignity of black girls.

The ANC commends the action by Lesufi for speedy action against the racist action at the Pretoria High School for Girls, Mantashe said.
VILNIUS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Lithuanian army had bought kitchen items for around eight times the market prices in 2014, announced Lithuania's public procurement office on Tuesday after an investigation.

Lithuania's top public procurement controlling body announced that Lithuanian army had purchased cutting boards for 180 euros (200.72 U.S. dollars) one piece, compared to 28 euros in a store, bread knives had been purchased for 142 euros each, compared to 13 euros market price, knife sharpeners had been bought for a price of 103 euros each, butcher knives had been purchased for 250 euros each.

"The public procurement office has made an evaluation of aforementioned contracts at the request of law enforcement authorities and have found violations," said the office in its announcement.

According to the public procurement office, the army had bought the items from Nota bene, its long-term supplier. The company was the only one to submit the tender.

"Tendering processes with one participant and long-term relations with one particular supplier eliminates the purchasing organizations' rational attitude towards the use of state funds," said the office, noting that since 2006 Nota bene has won the army's public tenders worth 30 million euros.

Though, the army's purchase of kitchen items was worth only 173,800 euros, the revealed pricing of purchased kitchen items has angered Lithuania's top officials and media.

President Dalia Grybauskaite said it was "an open robbery of Lithuanian people" and urged Lithuanian Defense Minister Juozas Olekas to take personal responsibility. She reminded that the country's defense ministry is responsible for the army's public procurement.

"I think, if the minister fails to sort it out again, this person should not expect any serious position in the future," added the president.

Following the public procurement office's report, Olekas held a press conference in which he claimed he had initiated an internal audit of the suspicious purchase and applied to the country's prosecutors asking to launch an investigation into possible fraud in 2014.

The military officer responsible for the procurement procedures received a disciplinary sanction, according to Olekas.

"But the story isn't over yet, we try to hold the officers and the company to account and return our money," Olekas said in an interview to Lithuanian national radio LRT.

One of the owners of Nota bene told business website vz.lt that he's surprised by the scandal and claimed the pricing of the kitchen items varies because of the quality differences between the mass and the professional production.

Defense analysts say the scandal causes moral damage to the country's ongoing efforts to increase defense spending.

"How can we explain to our people that we need to increase spending for national defense when we see money being wasted on golden forks," columnist and political analyst Audrius Baciulis told Lithuanian national radio LRT.

Lithuania's defense budget amounts to around 575 million euros, or around 1.5 percent of the country's GDP. The country has set itself a goal to increase defense spending up to 2 percent of GDP by 2018.

In recent years, the Baltic country has stepped up its defense capabilities and increased defense spending. (1 euro =1.12 U.S. dollars)
LUSAKA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- International rating agency Fitch said that an International Monetary Fund (IMF) financing program would provide balance of payments support to Zambia and unlock other sources of external financing, a Fitch statement seen on Tuesday said.

Early this month, Zambian President Edgar Lungu said the government had made great progress and reached consensus on key areas of the IMF financing arrangement.

Fitch Ratings said the IMF program would also ease the country's risks from falling export earnings as lower copper prices and falling copper production have pushed the current account into deficit.

According to the statement, an IMF program would also provide an anchor for fiscal policy, adding that the IMF has identified deficit reduction as a key priority.

"We forecast 2016 deficit to be 7.1 percent of GDP and financing options are limited," the statement said.

Improving Zambia's external and fiscal positions could ease pressure on the country's "B"/Negative sovereign rating, it added.

In April, the Zambian government announced it would seek an aid program from the IMF which was expected to be finalized by the end of this year. The IMF was expected to provide up to 1.2 billion U.S. dollars.

Among some of the conditions for the financing program include removal or reductions of energy and agricultural subsidies.

Lungu said his government will take tough decisions once the IMF program comes into effect.
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- A total of 33 U.S. postal employees in Southern California were charged in 28 cases for stealing, amassing mails and other illegal activities, according to a statement released by the U.S. attorney's office of the Central District of California.

Among the 33 defendants, arrest warrants were issued for six, according to the statement released Friday.

The large scale of mail theft and related crimes in Southern California was found as part of a sweep targeting corruption and criminal activity affecting the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), the U.S. attorney's office of the Central District of California said.

The 33 defendants ranged in age from 23 to 73, and most cases involved Postal Service employees, the attorney's office said. Some of cases make people dumbfounded.

In one case, the 33-year-old defendant, Jarol Garcia, a former mail handler who previously served as local area president of the Mail Handlers Union, stole at least 166 mobile phones from packages going through the Moreno Valley Delivery Distribution Center, where he worked. Garcia would then trade the phones on a website, according to an indictment.

In another case, 48-year-old postal carrier Sherry Naomi Watanabe is charged with delaying the mail after investigators found "approximately 48,288 pieces" of mail stashed in her Los Angeles-area home, according to a plea agreement.

Among them, a 25-year-old USPS mail processing clerk, Justin Brewster, is accused of stealing video games that were mailed to or from a video game rental service.

Several defendants were charged with mail theft or with dumping mail altogether.

"The mail system plays an important role in our country's commerce and social communication," U.S. Attorney Eileen Decker said in a statement. "Maintaining its integrity is vital. As a result, we are stepping up enforcement activities, including dealing aggressively with corruption within the Postal Service."

Decker noted that mail theft, which has increased significantly across Southern California recently, is a precursor to other crimes such as identity theft and drug offenses.

In response to the postal service scandal, a USPS spokesman told media that "the criminal charges filed against these Postal Service employees are very concerning."

The USPS spokesman refused to comment on the specific cases because some were under investigation and said that the overwhelming majority of employees "are honest, hard-working and trustworthy individuals who would never engage in criminal behavior."

The USPS is an independent agency and an establishment of the executive branch of the U.S. government.

For years, the postal service builds an image of responsible and honest. However, under the impact of the increasing use of email and the Internet for correspondence and business transactions, USPS suffered operating losses in recent 15 years.
Yemenis inspect the rubble of a house in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa on August 11, 2016, after it was reportedly hit by a Saudi-led coalition air strike. (AFP/Xinhua)

by Fuad Rajeh

SANAA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Yemeni factions have warily welcomed the U.S. initiative to salvage the peace process.

The Saudi-backed government said it will deal with any effort to end the conflict if it is in line with the GCC-drafted power transfer deal in 2011, the outcomes of the national dialogue conference and the UN Security Council's resolution 2216.

And the Houthi-Saleh alliance represented by the lately formed supreme political council said it will deal positively with any peace effort if it guarantees an end to Saudi-led military campaign and blockade on Yemen.

Actually their wariness is not a good sign, observers said, while expecting Kerry's initiative revealed on Thursday is likely to be a waste of time like previous efforts.

In content, the initiative had nothing new and did not say how controversial issues would be solved practically, observers said. On the other hand, it appears to be a response to growing criticism of the U.S. involvement in the Saudi-led military operation either through providing logistic support or arms sales, they said.

Moreover, observers argued that the U.S. effort comes to help Saudi Arabia out of a catastrophic intervention in Yemen as signs indicate the war will not end at short and medium-terms.

Hasan Al-Warith, a political analyst, said the U.S. initiative is a sign the UN has failed to help Yemenis find a solution to the conflict which means the U.S., which is complicit in the war on Yemen, wants to pull Saudi Arabia out of Yemen swamp.

"The U.S. is seeking to help Saudi Arabia to escape criminal and moral responsibilities after its intervention in Yemen, a goal which Saudi Arabia failed to achieve at peace talks in Geneva and Kuwait," said Al-Warith.

"Saying that Houthis will be given a share in the government is very smart, as if the U.S. wants to picture the conflict as being with the Houthis alone and then break the Houthi-Saleh political council," he added.

Yaseen Al-Tamimi, a political analyst and writer, said: "the U.S. initiative gives priority to Saudi Arabia's security as it insists any peaceful solution to the conflict in Yemen should guarantee no more attacks on Saudi border."

"Moreover, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry focused on the Houthi minority in Yemen, reminding us with the U.S. tradition of destabilizing states in the region under pretexts of empowering minorities and spreading democracy," he added.

PEACE REQUIREMENTS

Observers said peace in Yemen first requires the international community either through collective approaches or individual initiatives like the U.S. one to guarantee implementation of the UN Security Council's resolution 2216 and the consensual outcomes of the national dialogue conference in 2013.

Fuad Alsalahi, a political sociology professor at Sanaa University, said peace in Yemen requires not to give priority to power quotas but rather to building a true state with effective authorities dedicated to development goals, a constitution and a united army.

"International peace efforts have proved to be unhelpful or rather problematic creating more conflicts," Alsalahi said.

"The U.S. is now talking abut the Houthi minority. It seems Yemen will be divided on sectarian bases and that means the U.S. initiative will be counterproductive," he added.

Observers also said any peaceful solution to the conflict in Yemen should take into account regional developments, particularly bringing key players such as Saudi Arabia and Iran into the table.

In this context, some observers said the long equation of West's hegemony here should be broken through engaging Russia effectively in all conflicts here.

CONFLICT

Saudi Arabia led a coalition of nine Arab countries and launched a bombing campaign in Yemen in March 2015.

The aim was to restore the government's legitimacy after the Houthi militants with support from the former president forces had carried out a coup. More than 3,900 civilians have been killed mostly by Saudi-led airstrikes.

The campaign along with ground battles have left the country on the brink of total collapse. All basic services have deteriorated alarmingly because of shortages of supplies primarily due to the embargo by the Saudi-led coalition.

Also, the conflict has left Yemen to face the worst humanitarian catastrophe in its modern history.

The UN says 85 percent of total population, around 22 million, now need basic aid.

Moreover, an estimated 14.4 million Yemenis are food insecure, 7.6 million are severely food insecure, 19.4 million lack access to clean water and sanitation, 14.1 million lack access to adequate healthcare, and more than three million have been displaced.
LUSAKA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Zambian President Edgar Lungu's office on Tuesday dismissed reports that there has been a power vacuum in the country following a petition challenging his re-election.

The main opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) has petitioned the Constitutional Court to nullify Lungu's re-election in the August 11 polls, citing malpractices in the vote count.

The country's constitution stipulates that Speaker of the National Assembly should act as president if there is a petition challenging the declaration of a presidential winner.

Lungu has refused to step aside, forcing the opposition party to ask the Constitutional Court to rule on the matter.

But Amos Chanda, presidential spokesperson said Lungu was in charge and that there was no vacuum as all the government departments have continued operating smoothly.

He told reporters at a press briefing held at State House that Lungu was still president and leader of the armed forces, adding that he has the constitutional mandate to president over national matters, including maintaining peace and order.

He said the government decided to suspend the inauguration of the present-elect because Lungu respects the constitution and wanted the court to decide on the petition.

Lungu was declared winner of the August 11 general elections after getting 1,860,877 votes while his main challenger Hakainde Hichilema of the UPND got 1,760,347.
BAGHDAD, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- At least two people were killed and 10 others injured on Tuesday in two bomb attacks, including a suicide bombing, in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source said.

The attack occurred in the evening when a suicide bomber wearing explosive vest detonated himself at the crowded Darwish Intersection in Eilam neighborhood in southern Baghdad, leaving at least two people killed and eight others injured, the source told Xinhua citing initial report.

Meanwhile, two people were wounded when a sticky bomb attached to their car detonated in the predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City in eastern Baghdad, the source said.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is responsible for the suicide attacks, targeting areas where crowds of people gather, including markets, cafes and mosques across Iraq.

Iraq has witnessed intense violence since the IS took control of parts of its northern and western regions in June 2014.

A report by UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) estimated that 759 Iraqis were killed and 1,207 others wounded in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in July across Iraq.

Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups, such as the IS, on the U.S. that invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003.
KHARTOUM, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese authorities announced on Tuesday that they had arrested 190 illegal immigrants in the border region with Libya, including children and women of different nationalities.

Police Lieutenant General, Awad al-Neel Dahiya, director of immigration and civil register, said that the armed forces stopped seven cars carrying 190 illegal immigrants on Sudanese-Libyan borders.

"The arrestees are from different countries," Dahiya said. "The police assumed the duty of questioning them, including a smuggling gang."

He said the armed forces treated the arrested immigrants humanely and decently, confirming that they were transported safely to Khartoum and handed over to the police for investigation in accordance with legal rules.

Sudan will continue to combat illegal immigration in coordination with all relevant authorities to control borders, rescue immigrants and dismantle human trafficking gangs, the official said.

He said Sudan is viewed as a transit country for many refugees travel to European countries, further affirming Sudan's commitment to international agreements on combating illegal immigration.

Staff Lieutenant General Assir Husein Bashir, chief of staff of Sudanese land troops, accused European parties of being behind human trafficking operations, adding that Darfur rebel movements have turned into human trafficking gangs after their rise from the region.
BISHKEK, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan, an intelligence agency, has initiated a criminal investigation into the attack targeting the Chinese Embassy in Kyrgyzstan capital Bishkek, the press service of the agency said on Tuesday.

The attack on the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday morning involved a suicide car bomber, who was killed instantly.

According to preliminary data, three Kyrgyz employees of the embassy were wounded in the terrorist attack and their injuries were not serious.

China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying also confirmed at a press conference that three people of the Chinese embassy were injured in the attack.

Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev was briefed on Tuesday by heads of law enforcement agencies about the preliminary investigation into the terrorist attack, the press service of the presidential office said.

The president ordered Chairman of the State Committee for National Security Abdil Segizbayev and Interior Minister Kashkar Dzhunushaliev to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.

Secretary of the Defense Council Temir Dzhumakadyrov has been instructed to lead the investigation.

In addition, Atambayev ordered the government and the heads of security agencies to step up anti-terrorism measures in the capital and elsewhere, strengthening the protection of important facilities and diplomatic missions and providing all necessary security measures in public places.

The attack occurred just one day before Kyrgyzstan celebrates its 25th anniversary of independence from the former Soviet Union. The country will also host the Second World Nomad Games on Sept. 3-8.

The suicide bomber has been blown into pieces, and local police are trying to identify the assailant using DNA extracted from remains of the attacker.

The explosion also caused damage to the Chinese embassy's east door and walls, as well as buildings next to the Chinese embassy.

The embassy compound and the area in the vicinity are currently under police blockade due to security concerns, with bomb disposal experts working on the scene.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry immediately expressed shock at the attack. It strongly condemned the car bombing, and required Kyrgyzstan to "take immediate and necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese people and institutions," Hua said.

She urged the Kyrgyz side to investigate the bombing and bring the perpetrators to justice.

So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Tuesday reiterated his stance on building a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border amid speculation that he may soften his hard-line position on immigration in the upcoming speech on the issue.

"From day one I said that I was going to build a great wall on the SOUTHERN BORDER, and much more. Stop illegal immigration," the New York billionaire developer tweeted.

The remark came one day before Trump was to deliver what his campaign had billed as a major immigration speech, the latest of a series of steps designed to put an end to Trump's trailing behind his Democratic counterpart Hillary Clinton in polls.

After a bruised and chaotic primary season, where his hard-line immigration stance played a pivotal role in routing all other Republican contenders, Trump had recently been signaling that he may be open to a "softening" of his extreme immigration positions, including his previous pledge to deport an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants living in the country.

"There certainly can be a softening because we're not looking to hurt people," Trump reportedly said on Aug. 23 during a town hall with Fox News in Austin, Texas. "We want people- we have some great people in this country."

The town hall event was closed to the press.

According to BuzzFeed, an Internet media outlet, during his meeting with Hispanic leaders early this month, Trump also indicated an openness to legalization for undocumented immigrants, a claim later denied by the Trump campaign.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Tuesday temporarily closed six offices in five U.S. states after receiving anonymous threats.

According to the U.S. TV network CNN, the anonymous messages received by the department late Monday were about the safety of USDA personnel and facilities.

The affected offices are in Fort Collins, Colorado; Hamden, Connecticut; Beltsville, Maryland; Raleigh, North Carolina; Kearneysville, West Virginia and Leetown, West Virginia.

Details of the messages were not available at the moment and White House Spokesman Josh Earnest said on Tuesday the department was working closely with the Department of Homeland Security "to ensure the safety of their offices and the personnel that work there."

"When it comes to the safety and security and U.S. personnel, military or civilian, we take that quite seriously," said Earnest here during the daily briefing.
BEIRUT, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag said on Tuesday that the living condition of the Palestinian refugees in the camps needs to be improved, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.

Kaag visited the Ain el Helwe camp in Sidon accompanied by UNRWA's General Director Mathias Schmale and UNRWA's Director in Sidon Ibrahim Al Khatib.

According to the NNA report, a group of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) officials in Lebanon received the UN delegation.

"Media gives a negative image of the camp as schools and basic services are required to improve people's living conditions," said Kaag.

She said she was in regular communication with local general security director and army commander, adding that "we are working with the United Nations Relief and Work Agency to find the necessary funding for all Palestinian refugees."
Photo taken on Aug. 30, 2016 shows a scene of a Senate session in Brasilia, Brazil. Starting on Tuesday, Brazilian senators will decide whether Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff will be impeached or not. The impeachment requires a two-thirds vote, or 54 of the 81 senators. (Xinhua/Li Ming)

BRASILIA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The impeachment trial of Brazilian suspended president Dilma Rousseff entered the final stretch on Tuesday morning, with the defense and prosecution set to present their closing arguments.

The head of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), Ricardo Lewandowski, opened the session at 10:26 a.m. local time, saying each side would have at least 90 minutes to make their case.

Senators then have 10 minutes each to address the session, should they want to. Some 60 of the 81 senators were registered to do so as the day's proceedings got underway.

The legislators will vote on whether or not to impeach Rousseff on Wednesday, said Lewandowski, to avoid extending Tuesday's session through the night.

On Monday, Rousseff spoke in her defense and was then cross-examined for some 14 hours by Senators who believe she is "criminally responsible" for masking a large public deficit to improve her chances of being reelected to a second term.

Senators opposed to impeachment used their allotted time to praise Rousseff's performance as president and denounce the impeachment process as an attempt to seize power.

Rousseff denies the charges and has described the trial as a legislative coup by the conservative political opposition to oust her leftist Workers' Party from power.

Her running mate and vice president, Michel Temer, joined the cause of the opposition senators during their campaign to get an impeachment trial underway, and was made interim president.

If Rousseff is impeached, he would be instated to serve the remainder of her term through 2018.
Photo taken on May 17, 2016 shows a cargo ship departing from a dock at the bonded port area of Qinzhou, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Established in 2006, the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone comprises six cities: Nanning, Beihai, Qinzhou, Fangchenggang, Yulin and Chongzuo. After ten years of development, the total output value of Nanning, Beihai, Qinzhou and Fangchenggang has risen to 586.7 billion yuan (about 89.47 billion US dollars)in 2015 and the total value for import and export has increased to 24.1 billion US dollars. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- China's economic restructuring and rebalancing has implications not only for Chinese economy but also for the world, said BCG Chairman Hans-Paul Burkner.

"In the long run, we believe reforms will improve the health of the Chinese economy," Burkner told Xinhua recently.

He said that China has made progress in its early stage of reforms, with consumption contributing to 73.4 percent of GDP growth in the first half of this year.

China's supply-side reforms, such as overcapacity reduction, deleveraging, and goals for innovation and "Made in China 2025" , will also help China upgrade its industry mix and foster healthier development, according to Burkner.

"Ultimately, this (economic restructuring and rebalancing) will put China on a more sustainable growth path, and will help solidify its role as a main economic driver in the global economy," said Burkner.

However, he emphasized that the transition will be painful. The growth rate is slowing and will continue to slow; employees in overcapacity industries will need re-deployment and re-employment; and local governments will see their fiscal revenues cut in the process of overcapacity reduction.

Burkner also suggested that China need to manage downside risks of declining investment capital efficiency and excessive bad debt "which can significantly rock investor confidence and global markets" .

In a global economy with uncertainties, there are rising concerns about the world economy stuck in low-growth trap and the popularity of skepticism about globalization.

The G20 and B20 summits which will be held in September in Hangzhou, China, will give government and business leaders an opportunity to discuss challenges the world economy is facing, said Burkner. But he added that major breakthrough will be challenging to achieve in near term, because it will take time to implement actions agreed to during the summits.

Since the global financial crisis in 2008, there has been broad use of monetary stimulus which seems to hit the limit now. Fiscal policy played a role to shore up the growth after the crisis, and many economists and government officials agreed that fiscal policy will play a bigger role against the background of current slow and uneven global growth.

"There is widespread recognition that structural reforms are required," said Burkner. The B20 task-forces this year, such as infrastructure, trade and investment, and employment, have worked to discuss structural reforms to improve labor and capital deployment, as well as to create conducive environment to spur efficiency and innovation.

"As China plays an increasingly important role on the global stage, we expect to see increasing Chinese leadership in the G20 to define a joint vision and to initiate actions for the global economic agenda," said Burkner.

In regard to the mounting anti-globalization rhetoric, Burkner said that the nationalistic rhetoric and the distrust of globalization and technology reflect widespread and growing dissatisfaction with entrenched economic and social inequality and greater personal uncertainty in a fast-changing global economy.

He stressed that protectionism and economic isolationism are not a solution to this challenge, since globalization has been a core driver of global economic prosperity. "The path forward should not be to hamper efforts to 'grow the pie', but rather to address how businesses and governments 'distribute the pie'", said Burkner.

As a co-chair of the infrastructure task-force under the B20, Burkner also called on G20 members to accelerate the pipeline of high-quality bankable infrastructure projects, develop conducive regulations, deploy asset-monetization strategies and promote new financial instruments to unlock long-term investment in infrastructure.
COPENHAGEN, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Danish government presented on Tuesday its draft budget for 2017, aiming to ensure better core welfare and a more secure and safer Denmark.

"It is essential for the government to strengthen core welfare, so all Danes can feel it in daily life," Danish Finance Minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen said in a statement.

"We will create security, both in relation to external threats and that for us all to get a good and dignified life," he added.

The government will continue to prioritize the health sector through the new Cancer Plan IV, which carries a total budget of 2.2 billion Danish kroner (about 331 million U.S. dollars) by 2020.

While 1 billion kroner will be earmarked in 2017 to reinforce the core welfare of health, elderly and day care, another 1 billion kroner will go towards a range of initiatives targeting the socially vulnerable.

The government will also set aside 1.3 billion kroner in 2017 and a total of 6.8 billion kroner over the next four years for the recovery of Danish tax authority SKAT that has been hit by multi-billion kroner tax fraud and plagued by problems with its tax collection IT system.

In terms of national security, the government has also proposed a 2.2 billion kroner as a reserve security fund to ensure that Denmark continues to be a safe and secure country.

Additionally, around 525 million kroner will be earmarked in the period 2017-2020 for the expansion of a motorway linking Aarhus, the country's second largest city in the western Jutland peninsula, and Skanderborg, some 30 km to its southwest.

Previously there was a political consensus that the country's structural account must be balanced by 2020. However, in a new economic plan released also on Tuesday, the government has set a target to reach structural budget balance in 2025.

It will accept a structural deficit of 0.25 percent of GDP in 2020 and a fund of 5 billion kroner is expected to be gathered in 2020 by postponing the goal of balance in the economy.

"By setting the target in 2025, we can afford to spend money now when it is really needed," said Frederiksen. (1 U.S. dollar = 6.65 Danish kroner)
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Over 1.3 million children in West and Central Africa risk missing out on school meals from the World Food Program (WFP) due to lack of fund, said the UN Spokesperson Office on Tuesday.

According to WFP, as a consequence of dwindling financial resources for its school meal programs, more than half a million children across Cameroon, Mali, Mauritania and Niger would start the school year without the meals next month.

By the end of 2016, assistance will run out for a further 700,000 children in 11 other countries, it added.

WFP Regional Director for West Africa Abdou Dieng said school meals have been a lifeline for children in most countries in West and Central Africa in the grip of chronic hunger and malnutrition.

Therefore, the agency is appealing for 48 million U.S. dollars to fund its school meal programs to continue the assistance to children in the region.
BRUSSELS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- To promote innovation-driven growth for the global economy, the upcoming G20 summit needs to coordinate national efforts and share best practices, a foreign policy expert told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Balazs Ujvari, research fellow at the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations, said alongside the G20 summit themes of finance and trade, there is a special focus on innovation as a driving force of growth.

"By putting innovation as the foremost priority on the G20's agenda, China seeks to ensure that growth across G20 countries (economies) is increasingly led by innovation," he said.

Ujvari said it is important to encourage the members to improve their domestic environment to support innovation first.

On Sept. 4-5, leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) will be gathering in Hangzhou, capital city of China's Zhejiang province, seeking solutions for the sluggish global economy.

China has set out the main theme of the G20 as "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy."

China has already acted domestically on this, the expert said. The G20 host province of Zhejiang, for instance, is home to some of China's most innovative companies such as Alibaba and Geely, Ujvari pointed out.

However, any action that aims to render domestic environments more conducive to innovation has to be done at the national level, he stressed, adding that opinions may differ on modus operandi.

"The G20 in Hangzhou may serve to co-ordinate national efforts and share best practices," he said, "it is an opportunity for China to push participants to come to joint approaches."

Meanwhile, Ujvari, whose research area concentrates on global governance and the approaches of key international actors to multilateral issues, suggested China align innovations with former commitment make by G20 members.

In the G20 meeting in 2014 in Brisbane, Australia, members aimed to lift the G20's GDP by an additional 2 percent by 2018.

"China may initiate an inquiry into whether the 20 members are complying with the objective, so as to ensure that growth strategies are innovation-centered," he said.

However, given that innovation policies tend to yield results in the long term, contrasting with the G20's focus hitherto on immediate crisis management, a key challenge for the major economies will reside in striking a balance with expedient policy options, Ujvari said.
ANKARA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- A Turkish judge escaped to Greece on a migrant boat Tuesday and sought political asylum, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

According to Greek coast guard officials, the 50-year-old judge embarked on a boat carrying six Syrian migrants bound for the Greek island of Chios.

The judge sought to apply for political asylum in Greece and will face charges of illegally entering the country by Greek prosecutor.

Greek media reported that the judge would be transferred to Athens for his asylum proceedings.
China wants to work with Vietnam on handling and resolving disputes properly to take bilateral ties to a new level, top military officer Fan Changlong said on Monday.

Fan made the remark while meeting with Ngo Xuan Lich, Vietnam's minister of national defense and vice-secretary of the Central Military Commission, who is on a four-day trip to China with a delegation of senior military officers.

It is his first visit to China since becoming defense minister in April. He also met with Vice-President Li Yuanchao on Monday.

President Xi Jinping and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong have met with each other many times in recent years.

They have reached a high consensus on jointly building a strategic China-Vietnam community of common destiny, said Fan, vice-chairman of China's Central Military Commission. The commission is chaired by Xi.

The development of military ties between the two countries is gaining momentum with the guidance of top leaders from both nations, and China wants to make continuous efforts with Vietnam to safeguard regional peace and stability, Fan said.

China accuses Vietnam of illegally occupying 29 of about 50 islands and reefs in the South China Sea. Tension rose early this month after the reported deployment of rocket launchers by Vietnam on several of the Nansha Islands.

Lich said Vietnam wants to make joint efforts with China to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries to make new progress on bilateral ties.

Referring to their deep military friendship, Lich said the two countries should continue to boost political trust and handle disputes properly.

Hong Xiaoyong, China's ambassador to Vietnam, attended an airport departure ceremony in Hanoi for the Vietnamese delegation on Saturday, according to the Chinese embassy's website.

Lich's visit is of great significance and contributes to boosting ties between the two armies and countries, Hong said.

The ambassador said the land border between the two countries is becoming one of China's safest. The two armies have worked together on defense strategy dialogue, border exchanges, joint maritime patrols, training and sharing of experience in Party and political work and United Nations peacekeeping missions.

In September 2011, Lich, who was then head of the Political Department of the Vietnam People's Army, visited China for talks with Xi, who was then China's vice-president.

Jia Duqiang, a senior researcher of Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the top leaders of both countries have agreed to handle disputes and enhance cooperation even though the South China Sea remains a sensitive issue in bilateral ties.
A Turkish boy waves to Turkish tank convoy driving into Syria from the Turkish Syrian border city of Karkamis in the southern region of Gaziantep, on August 26, 2016. (AFP/Xinhua)

ANKARA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that comments from the U.S. about the target of the Turkish military operation in Syria were "unacceptable."

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Tuesday urged Turkey to stay focused on fighting the Islamic State (IS) militants and not to engage the Kurdish elements of Syrian rebel forces, which Washington backs.

He warned at a press conference that their conflict with the Kurdish forces would hinder efforts to defeat the IS.

Tension between Ankara and Washington over Kurdish forces in Syria is continuing to simmer amid the differences on Turkey's recent military operation in northern Syria.

The Foreign Ministry responded that the operation would continue until the terrorism threats in the region reached a level that would "not disturb our citizens."

"Turkey is waiting for the U.S. to fulfill its commitment that there would be no Democratic Union Party (PYD) or People's Protection Units (YPG) elements in the west of Euphrates," the statement said.

The Pentagon described the clashes, which it said were in areas where the IS is not located, as "unacceptable and a source of deep concern" and called on all sides to stand down.

The YPG, a part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, had reportedly been a partner in the U.S.-led campaign against the IS in Syria, and Ankara claims it is linked to the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK).

The Turkish Foreign Ministry had also summoned U.S. ambassador to Ankara John Bass on Monday, Daily Sabah reported.

Turkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield on Wednesday, aiming at eliminating the terror threat along the Turkish border.

Ankara has frequently voiced its concern over the YPG's activity along the Turkish border and insists that the YPG forces should not pass to the west of the Euphrates River.

"Turkey is determined to take steps to insure its citizens' security at home and in neighboring countries," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech on the eve of Tuesday's national Victory Day holiday.

Meanwhile, a senior Turkish military official on Tuesday denied that Turkey and the U.S. reached a "loose" ceasefire agreement between the Turkish forces and YPG.

Media reports said the Turkish and Kurdish forces in northern Syria had reached a "loose agreement" to stop fighting each other.

"We are not aware of such an agreement. If the U.S. announced such a thing that means they are trying to present terrorist organizations as formal parties," the Turkish official said.

A top Turkish official told Daily Sabah that the Turkish military will hit YPG forces if the terrorist group does not retreat to the east of the Euphrates.

Turkish European Affairs Minister Omer Celik said Monday at a news conference that "no one has the right to tell us which terrorist organization we can fight against."
HAVANA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Cuba's senior Foreign Ministry official said Tuesday that the direct scheduled flights from the United States, which will resume from Wednesday, will only have real potential when the U.S. government puts an end to the economic blockade against the Caribbean island.

"Scheduled flights (from) the U.S. will reach real potential only when the travel ban to Cuba, which is still in place due to the blockade, comes to an end," wrote Josefina Vidal, director general for U.S. affairs in Cuba's Foreign Ministry, on her official Twitter account.

U.S. airline JetBlue will have the honor of officially starting up commercial flights between the U.S. and Cuba. The company will open a route between the Fort Lauderdale international airport in Florida and the "Abel Santamaria" terminal in Santa Clara, in the centre of the island, putting an end to over 50 years of suspension.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx will arrive in JetBlue's Airbus A320, kicking off his official visit to Cuba which will include holding conversations with his Cuban counterpart Adel Yzquierdo and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.

Resuming scheduled flights between Cuba and the United States is one of the most important advances in the normalization process, after the official renewal of bilateral relations in July 2015.

U.S. companies JetBlue, Silver Airways, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines were authorized in July by the U.S. Department of Transport to run a total of 110 flights a day to Cuba. Out of this number, 90 land in cities that are not Havana and 20 flights a day go to the Cuban capital.

Since the thaw in relations between Havana and Washington, U.S. President Barack Obama, a Democrat, has adopted a series of measures to ease the trade restrictions with the island. However, the U.S. Congress, of Republican majority, remain unwilling to lift the trade embargo imposed by the White House in 1962.

This policy, which Cuba sees as the main obstacle towards the total normalization of bilateral relations, includes banning U.S. citizens from travelling to the Caribbean island for tourism purposes.
Donald Trump takes the stage on the last day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, the United States, July 21, 2016. New York billionaire Donald Trump officially accepted the presidential nomination of the U.S. Republican Party Thursday night on the final day of the Republican National Convention. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- As U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump prepares to make a speech on the hot-button issue of immigration on Wednesday, analysts said he needs to tread softly if he wants to woo moderates voters.

The controversy over Trump began around a year ago when the bombastic billionaire sparked a firestorm by comparing Mexican immigrants to criminals and rapists, while vowing to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to keep illegal migrants from entering the U.S.

While his over-the-top way of speaking has galvanized white, working-class males, it has turned off most other demographics. And Trump needs to move beyond his base to win the presidential race in November, analysts said.

In recent weeks, Trump has made an effort to tone down his rash rhetoric.

Dan Mahaffee, an analyst with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, told Xinhua that to reach the broader electorate, Trump's best hope is to explain that he understands the anger of many Americans about illegal immigration.

Trump also needs to tell Americans that he wants to combine a tough approach to border security and deportation of immigrants with criminal records alongside a realistic and humane approach to the 11 million illegal migrants, taking into consideration their contribution to the economy, Mahaffee said.

This is similar to what former Republican nomination contenders Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio proposed, but goes against a lot of Trump's previous positions on this topic.

"Sounding more presidential and moderating these policies will be important, yet Trump can be unpredictable in whether he is reaching out to moderates or firing up his populist base," Mahaffee said, referring to Wednesday's upcoming speech.

Indeed, recent months have seen Trump make an effort to seem more presidential, making serious foreign policy speeches, but then days later has reverted back to insulting his opponents, which has turned off moderates.

While the last week has seen a more serious Trump focused on the issues rather than on making what critics see as crude comments, analysts wonder whether Trump can avoid the temptation to make off-the-cuff and controversial remarks.

While this has won him major points with his supporters, who are fed up with the political correctness of Washington while the country goes down the tubes, it will not help Trump win over moderates.

Meanwhile, there remains much controversy over the wall on the U.S.-Mexican border that Trump said he wants to build.

Mahaffee said many Americans want a secure border, yet understand that a wall will be costly, and likely ineffective on a border as long as that of the U.S. and Mexico.

For many moderates, the question remains, is the wall an actual wall, or was it a campaign promise designed to appeal to the Republican base, while the reality will be improved surveillance, patrols, and electronic monitoring, he said.

Darrell West, vice president and director of governance studies of the Brookings Institution, told Xinhua the wall with Mexico helps Trump with his populist base, but turns off moderate voters.

"Building something like this over the long border between the two countries would cost many billion dollars," West said.

It is not clear that wall would stop the flow of illegal immigrants because it would take years to build and would immediately lead to tunnels under the wall, West added.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 30 out of the 14,900 deleted emails recently recovered by the FBI in U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's email setup probe may involve the 2012 attack on Benghazi, Libya, State Department lawyers said at a hearing on Tuesday.

Besides the cache of 30,000 emails Clinton voluntarily turned over to the State Department in 2014, the FBI has uncovered these previously undisclosed documents to or from Clinton when she served as the U.S. Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013, U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta was told.

"Using broad search terms, we have identified approximately 30 documents potentially responsive to a Benghazi-related request," State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.

"At this time, we have not confirmed that the documents are, in fact, responsive, or whether they are duplicates of materials already provided to the Department by former Secretary Clinton in December 2014." he said.

The State Department has committed to releasing these emails under a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits launched by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch, but insisted it will only do that after weighing whether the emails are personal or work-related.

It remains unclear whether all the recovered emails can be made public before the general elections set on Nov. 8 on the requirement of Judicial Watch.

Following media reports on some 30 Benghazi-related emails recovered in the Cliton email setup probe, Republican nominee Donald Trump's campaign quickly opened fire on the former secretary of state.

"Clinton swore before a federal court and told the American people she handed over all of her work-related emails. If Clinton did not consider emails about something as important as Benghazi to be work-related, one has to wonder what is contained in the other emails she attempted to wipe from her server," Trump's senior communications adviser Jason Miller said in a statement.

In July, the U.S. Justice Department closed a yearlong criminal probe with no charges into the handling of classified material in Clinton' s email setup, which FBI Director James B. Comey reproached "extremely careless."
VILNIUS, Aug.30 (Xinhua) -- The world expects realistic decisions and clear messages which could help stabilize the global economic and geopolitical environment, said a Lithuanian expert on Tuesday.

Osvaldas Ciuksys, former and the first chairman of Lithuania-China Business Council, told Xinhua in an interview that "we hope that this year G20 summit will provide more answers how to find effective and long lasting remedies for the most dangerous tendency in the world's economic development."

He pointed out that all countries need clear answers from the leaders of the economies.

"Other countries, as well as international companies, are adjusting their policies and strategies for development in accordance with the decisions taken in G20 forums," Ciuksys continued.

"The cooperation between G20 and other countries could be directed in diversifying collaboration formats and even broader involvement of economic policymakers and business leaders from other countries. We see that G20 countries (members) are moving to this direction of cooperation and it's very positive," he stressed.

"Current G20 meeting has a clear scope of main issues to be tackled. It has to identify new drivers for growth, make suggestions on how to improve international policy coordination and reform global governance bodies,"said Ciuksys.

The expert noted G20 is becoming more important, with more and more participating and contributing partners involved.

"Involvement of the experts and decisionmakers from different developing and smaller countries is a clear way how to improve G20 and its efficiency in the nearest future."

Lithuania "will benefit from all the decisions of G20 summit," said the expert.

"There are many companies having plans for sales development in different markets, including China. Having such structure of the economy, we are very exposed to any good news from such forums."

Talking about China, Ciuksys said,"China's balanced economic growth and 'new normal' phase of development will be a dominating catalyst of the world's economy for many years to come."

The G20 Summit in 2016 will be held on Sept.4-5 in Hangzhou, China.
BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Argentine media on Tuesday spotlighted China's role as the host of the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) Summit, as President Mauricio Macri said he would take the message that his country was ready "to work together" with fellow members of the bloc.

Just hours before his departure, Macri told reporters he would attend the Sept. 4-5 gathering in Hangzhou "with humility."

"I am going to tell them that Argentinians understand ... that our future depends on us and on our capacity to work together. We are no longer going to go to these gatherings to tell them what it is that they have to do, but to humbly tell them that we want to work together with them," said Macri.

Meanwhile, the daily La Nacion said in an article headlined "China Takes Center Stage Again," that "the Asian giant wants to relaunch the forum and give emerging countries a greater role."

"The countdown has begun: in five days China will play host to the heads of state and government of the G20, a kind of international club that concentrates 85 percent of global GDP, 80 percent of (global) trade and two-thirds of the population of the planet," the author wrote.

The article, in the daily's business section, reported on a seminar offered by China's Ambassador to Argentina Yang Wanming on the "Opportunities and challenges for South-South cooperation within the framework of the G20," which was organized by the embassy in conjunction with the Center for the Implementation of Public Policies for Equity and Growth (Cippec).

At the seminar, the ambassador highlighted the central themes of the summit -- including finding a new path to growth, devising effective global financial governance, and promoting inclusive development -- and underscored the need for consensus to advance on any of those issues.

While the gathering of the world's 20 largest economies is set to tackle such problems as the global economic slowdown and financial market instability, the daily said "it is clear that the summit ... is an exceptional opportunity for China to reaffirm its global economic and political leadership."

Ambassador Yang noted that China and Latin America's emerging economies, such as Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, "have similar positions towards international issues related to global financial and economic governance."

"We are willing to strengthen the communication and coordination of policies with emerging economies such as Latin America in the framework of the G20, to acquire the right to a larger voice and greater institutional power, and inject new vitality ... in South-South cooperation," said Yang.

According to the daily, "with just days to go before the summit, the G20 is shaping into an exceptional showcase for China to strengthen its global leadership."

Argentina is to host the G20 Summit in 2018.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Supporters of Brazil's suspended president Dilma Rousseff on Tuesday blocked roads to the city of Sao Paulo in protest of her impeachment process.

Demonstrators set up roadblocks by setting fire to tires along six of the city's major access routes, and carried banners that read "Temer Out," in reference to the interim president who has taken place during the proceedings.

Should Rousseff be impeached in a Senate vote on Wednesday, Michel Temer would be instated to complete her term through the end of 2018.

The protesters were members of Brazil's Landless Worker's Movement (MST), which backs Rousseff and the left-leaning coalition led by the Workers' Party (PT) that brought her to power.

Authorities arrested four people, including the driver of a truck loaded with tires that were to be used to put up another roadblock.

In a statement posted on social networks, Guilherme Boulos, the leader of the MST, said "today's actions are an expression of the resistance against the coup d'etat underway in Brazil."

Rousseff and her supporters say she has not committed any crimes, and charges of alleged fiscal wrongdoing have been fabricated by the conservative opposition, which lost 2014 presidential elections, to seize power.

During the fourth day of the trial Monday, police used tear gas to disperse another protest by Rousseff sympathizers.
Photo taken on Aug. 27, 2016 shows two sightseeing boats on the West Lake in Hangzhou, capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province. West Lake, located to the west of Hangzhou where this year's G20 summit is to be held, is a renowned tourist attraction not only for its picturesque landscape but also for its association with Chinese cultures embodied with historic scholars and national heroes. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)
Cars move on a street in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, Aug 27, 2016. The 11th G20 summit will be held from Sept 4 to 5 in Hangzhou. [Photo/Xinhua]

As global leaders prepare to gather in picturesque Hangzhou in East China's Zhejiang province to attend this year's G20 Leaders' Summit, and the German port city of Hamburg prepares to play host to the next G20 summit, they can learn a great deal from a rapidly growing economy and an industrialized giant about how to improve their respective economies.

But to lead the world economy out of the ongoing downturn, world leaders have to think "beyond G20", which means they have to focus on more than macroeconomic policy coordination and make earnest efforts to reform the global financial regime. For example, they should seek to improve the livelihoods of people across the world and increase their respective countries' competitiveness.

The mission of the G20 summit is to inject new life into the global economy, something which China and Germany, as G20 summit hosts in 2016 and 2017, can review to improve their own competitiveness.

The failure of the United States to regulate Wall Street, especially stock traders' greedwhich led to the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008 and subsequently the global financial crisiswas criticized at the G20 summit in Washington in 2008. While all countries made efforts to plug the loopholes in the financial and banking sectors and regulate their fiscal policies, Germany shone the most for keeping its real economy thriving, the jobless rate low, and remaining a strong regional power despite being a part of the European Union.

The Germany we see today has grown out of the rubble of World War II and has remained committed to global peace. On the economic front, Berlin's forward-looking strategy of Industry 4.0 vision is visionary and successful. It has entered into partnership with Beijing to enrich and further develop Industry 4.0 to cash in on internet technologies and revolutionize the real economy. Germany, in fact, has been one of the rare Western industrial powers willing to share its high-tech expertise with China. Of course, China too has lots of experiences to share in return.
Final Order Issued in Long-Standing Fair Use Dispute



A History of Fair Use at Universities

A long-standing and complex copyright dispute between academic publishers and an academic institution may be coming to a close. In late July, a federal district court issued a final order in the lawsuit filed by Cambridge University Press and other book publishers against Georgia State University. This follows an earlier finding that the university had only infringed on four out of 48 copyrighted works. The July order denied the publishers request for an injunction and additional proceedings against Georgia State to prevent what the publishers claimed to be continuing unlicensed use of their works and works being used without permission. The court simply required Georgia State to maintain copyright policies that respect fair use and to disseminate those policies to faculty and staff members.

The case arose out of a common practice at colleges and universities: the copying or scanning of excerpts from books for use on course websites and in academic library e-reserve services. It is common for faculty members to assign particular readings to their students that may be outside or in lieu of an assigned textbook. In the pre-digital days, this was usually done by the creation of a course pack, a printed and bound set of copied readings that were sold to the students in the class. Justification for this practice arises out of copyrights Fair Use DoctrineTitle 17, Section 107 of the U.S. Codewhich allows for limited uses of copyrighted works for purposes such as teaching, research, or scholarship.

Guidelines developed in the 1970s established certain minimum safe harbors for copying educational materials, including the use of a single chapter from a book, articles of 2,500 words or fewer, or book sections made up of no more than 10% of a work. However, those guidelines did not have the force of law and were intended to pertain to in-class handouts, not course packs. Two court decisions from the 1990s tested how fair use and these guidelines applied to course packs. In both cases, the packs were developed by faculty members, but their actual printing, distribution, and sale were done by commercial copy shops. The court in both cases said that the commercial nature of the shops was not supportive of fair use with regard to the amount of the works being used and the availability of permissions or licenses for the works being copied. The cases did not address whether fair use would have applied if the copying had been done by the nonprofit universities.

Following those decisions, it has largely been a standard practice for all course packswhether printed by commercial copy shops or university copy centersto be permitted or licensed with royalties included in their cost. Stories were often shared about exorbitant course pack costs in the hundreds or even thousands of dollars, largely due to the royalties.

As electronic distribution of scholarly content became more prevalent, practices changed. Faculty members began distributing readings through course websites, school-sponsored learning tools such as Blackboard or Canvas, and university library e-reserve systems. In some cases, a university might have had a license for an electronic edition of a readingsuch as an ejournal articleso no additional permission or royalty was required. However, in other cases, often involving excerpts from books or other materials that were not available electronically, school or library staffers would scan the excerpt and post it to the website, learning tool, or e-reserve system. As this practice became more common, it became less common to pay royalties or to obtain permission for these scanned works.

The acts of scanning and posting the readings both involve copyright restrictions, but given the structure of the copy shop court cases, they did not make the issue of fair use very clear. The purpose of copying was certainly educational, and no commercial company was involved, so the facts that were not supportive of fair use were different. Many institutions also used varying internal policies or guidelines to determine how much copying was allowed by fair use.

Fair Use at Georgia State

Georgia State was one such institution, scanning materials from a number of publishers to course web sites and e-reserves under a policy that suggested up to 20 percent of a work could be posted under fair use. Concerned about these practices, Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, and SAGE sued Georgia State in 2008 for copyright infringement. After a lengthy trial, a court determined in 2012 that mostbut not allof the copying was fair use. It found that the works purpose was educational and that they were more informational in nature than creative (both factors favor fair use). The court then set a standard of 10%, or one chapter of a book, as a fair use safe harbor and said that not having a readily available mechanism for digital permissions for an excerpt also favored fair use. The court then applied these four standards to each act of copying, and if at least three of them favored fair use, no infringement was found.

In 2014, an appellate court overturned the trial courts decision. While it agreed with many of the trial courts findings, it found that it had applied them too mechanistically and that a more holistic analysis was required.

This sent the case back to the trial court, which, in spring 2016, found that 44 of 48 specifically identified acts of copying were considered fair use, and only four were considered infringement. The court was more careful in evaluating and weighing the factors, considering not only the educational use, amount used, and availability or non-availability of a licensing system, but also the transformative or nontransformative nature of the use, whether the amount chosen was narrowly tailored to fit the pedagogical aim of the course, and the overall impact on the market and value of the work.

For the 44 cases considered fair use, the court generally found that they were educational, informative more than creative, and narrowly tailored to fit the course. It also found that even if copying practices such as Georgia States were widespread, there would be little impact on the market for the book or the licensing revenue. For the four items found not to be fair use, the decisions were usually based on the amount being copied or the impact on the market.

The courts evaluation was extensiveit went through each act of copying, taking up 190 pages of a 212-page opinionand very thorough. The court invited the publishers to propose terms for a future injunction to ensure that Georgia State complies with the courts decision. The publishers wanted rigid and burdensome requirements that the university maintain extensive records, make modifications to its website, and mandate broad publication of the injunctions requirements. Instead, the court simply ordered that Georgia State maintain and disseminate a new fair use policy consistent with the courts rulings.

While its possible that the publishers may again appeal the courts orders, the thoroughness of the evaluation and the diligence in complying with the appeals courts rules suggest that any appeal would be an uphill battle. Also, the court did state that the availability of a licensing system for excerpts similar to the Copyright Clearance Centers system for journals would make a fair use finding more difficult. The best solution may be to end the litigation and focus on a system that allows for easy licensing and royalties for all academic scholarship.
Methanex mentorship delivers tangible rewards

I didnt know what to expect when a teacher recommended that I should take part in the programme when I was in Form 2.

To be honest, I had some attitude problems but I decided to give it a try. I am not exagger ating when I say that it has changed my life in a very positive manner.

I can relate better to people now. I am more disciplined and more focused on my goals and I truly believe that I can achieve whatever I put my mind to, said an assured James, who went back to Methanex in August to say a hearty thank you to his mentors.

James mentorship experience was shared by three other Methanex prot?g?s who all hailed the positive impact that the programme has had on their lives. James and his school mates, Arianna Balgobin and Anjali Rambarran, together with Warren Joseph of Carapichaima East Secondary School, interacted with mentors, Sab Ribeiro, Anthony Narine and Juliana Pierre, proudly showing off trophies and certificates of their academic and extra- curricular achievements.

They were also warmly congratulated by Managing Director and President of Methanex Trinidad, Charles Percy.

I can say with absolute certainty that the two years I spent in the Mentoring Our Children programme has made a really big difference in my life. The experience has been truly revolutionary. It has given me self-confidence and self-esteem.

I am able to assist my peers academically and emotionally. I can also communicate much better with my family, friends and neighbours. I believe I am a much better person as a result of the Methanex mentorship, said Arianna Balgobin, valedictorian of her graduating class.

Warren Joseph, is a consummate all-rounder. Like his peers, he excels at his academic studies. But he is also steeped in extra-curricular activities, as a respected member of the Trinidad and Tobago Cadet Force and a player with Angel Harps Steel Orchestra. I am enjoying many benefits as a result of this programme.

I have learnt how to deal with stress and trouble situations, the value of teamwork, how to interact with my peers and adults, proper etiquette and greater self-confidence, said Joseph.

For Anjali Rambarran, a prot?g? of the 2012-2014 programme, there has been an additional benefit, with her family enjoying a new home through a partnership between Methanex and Habitat for Humanity (Trinidad and Tobago) which extended the reach of the programme to deliver basic housing to qualifying families of students from participating schools.

Delighted with the far-reaching outcomes of the initiative, Methanexs Charles Percy pointed out that the unique mentoring relationship delivers lasting benefit to everyone involved, the prot?g?s, their schools and their families, as well as the mentors and the company itself.

This initiative is very dear to us at Methanex.

It allows our employees to become mentors to young people who could possibly be misled without proper guidance and support.

As a Responsible Care company, we believe that the best legacy we can leave as a company is to touch the lives of our youths in a positive way that builds character, helps them to achieve their goals and empowers them to be the best they can be! Percy explained.
Man killed by police, daughter wants answers

Speaking to reporters at the Forensic Science Centre in St James, a visibly distraught Moses said that despite being told by police officers that her father was killed, she has not seen his body and she has yet to receive any details of the circumstances surrounding his killing.

I got a call from police officers who told me that my dad was shot and killed, Moses said.

So I visited the Barataria Police Station and they showed me his identification card as well as other personal items that they recovered from the body. I came to the Forensic Sciences Centre this morning and they (the police) are saying that his body isnt here.

They are saying that his body is at a funeral home in San Juan. I dont understand how it can be at a funeral home and not at Forensics.

Right now Im just trying to get some information on what happened. Moses said the funeral home, confirmed that her fathers body is being kept there, but she was not allowed to view the body and, despite repeated attempts, she has not received any information into his death.

All theyre saying is that they dont have any information. Its very hard for all of us. I would just like to know where his body is right now and theyre not giving me any information at this time.

They wont even tell me why I cant go and see my fathers body.

Im not pointing any fingers, I would just like to know what happened. Moses, described her father as a colourful man who was loved by many and was not in trouble with the law. He wasnt involved in anything illegal. When he was younger he was arrested for marijuana possession, not for guns or ammunition or anything like that. He served his time and that was years ago. I was told that he was shot by a young officer with little more than a years experience.

He surrendered to police and he was still shot. Moses said that she intends to file a formal complaint with the Police Complaints Authority.

According to reports at about midnight last Friday, Curt Moses a labourer, of Second Caledonia, Morvant, entered a taxi in San Juan. Officers of the Barataria Police Station, who were on patrol in the area, intercepted the vehicle in which he was traveling.

He attempted to exit the vehicle when he was shot and killed
Turtle in court for gun-related offences

Mc Clarence appeared in the First Court before Senior Magistrate Nanette Forde-John who read the charges, all of which stemmed from a shooting on August 1, at Charles Street, La Romaine. The accused, of La Romaine, is alleged to have wounded Keenan Boyce with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm. It is also alleged that Mc Clarence shot at another man.

He is also charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition as well as possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life. Sgt Dale Ramroop, of the San Fernando CID, laid the charges, all of which are indictable.

Mc Clarence was not called upon to plead to any of the charges. It is alleged that Boyce, 19, of La Romaine, was driving a car in company with a friend along Charles Street, La Romaine, when they observed two men approaching the vehicle. Police reports are the men took out their guns and proceeded to open fire on them.

Boyce sustained a gunshot wound and, up to yesterday, remained warded at the San Fernando General Hospital. His friend escaped unharmed. Yesterday Forde- John denied bail to the accused and remanded him into police custody to reappear in court on Thursday.

Court prosecutor and attorney Cleydon Seedan prosecuted
Legal action against WASA for miscarriage

Cyrilla Singh was left unemployed due to injuries she sustained because of the fall. According to a pre-action letter, sent by attorney Alana Rambaran, of Freedom House Chambers, on behalf of Singh, her client was injured while performing her duties as an Office Assistant of the Operations Department at WASAs Central Liberty Convention Centre in Chaguanas. Singh, of Sangre Grande, was five months pregnant at the time of her fall on a flight of stairs while carrying a file of documents.

The incident took place on January 8. According to Rambarans letter, Singh slipped through the spaces of the staircase when her foot became trapped between the steps.

She fell backwards and tumbled down the stairs and immediately felt a sharp, stinging pain in her lower back, buttocks and thighs.

Singh was immediately taken to the Chaguanas District Health Facility, where she was given pain medication, an injection and an ointment to rub on her lower back for the pain.

Singh suffered a sprain to her right foot.

She was also told to use a brace to support her back and immediately visit the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EW MSC) for a further and more thorough medical examination of her injuries.

She was also recommended to undergo an Magnetic Resonance Imaging (M.R.I.) scan at St Clair MRI Centre.

At the EW MSC, Singh was medically examined and after a blood test and ultrasound performed, she was told that she suffered a miscarriage due to the impact of her fall.

She also suffered injuries to her spine and suffered from unbearable pain for several weeks. An MRI was done and it was recommended that she undergo physiotherapy sessions.

In May and June, Singh had to be further medically examined after she complained of abdominal pains and dizzy spells, as well as pain in her lower back area and vaginal bleeding.

It was also revealed upon examination of my client that there was severe diminished back mobility and tenderness to her spinal area. In addition, nerves, tone and power were normal at her lower back but there was diminished coordination due to pain, reflexes and diminished sensation in the left foot. The medical report also showed that there was back pain radiating to the left and right anterior thighs and big toes and buttocks which continued with intermittent numbness and weakness of the lower limbs plus imbalance and falling necessitating a cane to assist her to walk and magnetic belt. The MRI scan showed a hernia at her lumbar discs and my client was advised to do lower back exercises and precautions, physiotherapy. My client was advised to take Tramacet tablets and wear a lumosacral corset, the letter read.
Two men get 24 years for murder

High Court judge Justice Gillian Lucky last week sentenced Colin Edgehill and Marcus Marshall, who pleaded guilty to killing former Rotoplastics director Russell Govia on October 27, 2003.

However, Edgehill, 41, of Success Village, Laventille, and 35-year-old Marcus Marshall, of Dorata Street, Morvant, are expected to be released in less than two years, as they received several discounts to their sentences.

Each man was given the mandatory onethird discount afforded to people who plead guilty and the 12 years and ten months they spent on remand while awaiting trial was deducted from their sentences.

Lucky also agreed to an additional one-year discount because of positive testimonials from prison staff on the mens behalf.

Lucky urged both men to remain law-abiding citizens once released.

You are not at the starting block or finish line, but you are on the track to progressing and bettering your lives, she said.

According to the evidence against the two, Govia was driving into his Cascade home when he was ambushed by Edgehill and Marshall, who attempted to rob him of his Nissan Almera. The incident took place on October 27, 2003.

Govia allowed the men to take the car, but as they were driving away he drew his licensed firearm and shot at them, hitting Edgehill on his shoulder.

The gunmen returned fire and Govia was shot several times.

They abandoned the car a short distance away. Govia collapsed on the front steps of his home. A post-mortem done one day later confirmed that Govia died from gunshot wounds to his left chest.

When Edgehill was arrested days later he confessed to participating in the robbery. He was taken to hospital and a bullet fragment was removed from his wound and was later matched to Govias firearm.

In 2009, Edgehill and Marshall went on trial for the crime and were convicted by a 12-member-jury but their convictions were overturned by the Court of Appeal.

Edgehill was represented by Selwyn Mohammed, while Delicia Helwig appeared for Marshall
Court prosecutor answers charges in court

Appearing before Magistrate Christine Charles in the Portof- Spain Magistrates Court, Carty, an acting inspector, pleaded not guilty to three charges. The matter, which came up in the 4A courtroom, was adjourned to October 4.

The proceedings have been instituted by the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), the police watchdog body.

The authority has been conducting a probe into the events of the day of total policing which took place on March 23, 2015.

On July 21, the PCA invoked its powers under its statute to charge Cathy in relation to inquiries tied to this probe.

It is alleged that Cathy failed or refused to produce within 14 days the agenda and minutes of a meeting held by the PSWA on March 19, 2015, days before a crippling nationwide blockade.

This, in contravention of Section 22(2) (A) of the Act. The offence carries a fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for five years.

Another charge alleges Carty failed to disclose the names of the attendees of the same meeting, also within the stipulated 14-day time frame.

This carries the same penalty.

A third charge alleges the police prosecutor hindered the PCA in the discharge of its functions by refusing to provide it with information and documents requested by letter dated June 3, 2016, relating to the same meeting. This, in contravention of Section 47 (H) (I). The penalty is also the same.

Police officers said Carty would still perform his duties as a court prosecutor notwithstanding the proceedings.

Carty became a trustee of the PSWA earlier this year as part of the Police Empowerment Party slate. He previously served as assistant secretary. The PSWAs secretary, Inspector Anand Ramesar, has expressed concern over the PCAs institution of proceedings. PCA Director David West attended court yesterday but declined comment.

The PCA is being represented in the matter by attorney Ravi Rajcoomar.

Carty was represented by attorney Michelle Solomon-Baksh.

Previously, former Attorney General Anand Ramlogan was tied to the case in initial reports. But Ramlogan said yesterday he does not have a practice in the magistrates court.
Duck thief to be sentenced on Thursday

In an unrelated incident, Khan will also be sentenced on Thursday, charged with house-breaking and larceny of another neighbour.

Khan, of Soomai Trace, Debe, pleaded guilty to the both sets of charges before Senior Magistrate Nanette Forde-John, who presides in the First Court. Court prosecutor and attorney Cleydon Seedan told the court that on August 11, Siew Roopnarine, also of Soomai Trace, secured his ducks and retired to bed.

Some hours later, loud noises awoke the duck owner.

He observed Khan walking out of his (Roopnarines) premises, with four ducks in his hands.

The ducks were valued $1,200.

Roopnarine reported the matter to the San Fernando CID and PC Lange conducted enquires and arrested Khan over the weekend.

The prosecutor added that upon arrest, Khan admitted to stealing the ducks which he said he later sold.

The second charge against Khan is that he broke into the home of Lutchmiepersad Siew, on Friday, and stole an air rifle value $5,000 and a quantity of jewellery and other personal items.

The court heard that police went to his home on Saturday when he handed over the air rifle and a some coins.

PC Ramchairth charged him with the offence.

Forde-John yesterday denied bail and remanded Khan into police custody.
La Romaine crime spike blamed on drug turf war

Police are working on information that the regular gun play is as a result of a known criminal gang from San Fernando now slowly moving in to certain areas in La Romaine in an attempt to take over their blocks. On Saturday, a mobile police unit was installed at the corner of Potato Trace, La Romaine as officers of the Southern Division grapple with the increase in shootings and woundings in the area. Police said except for the murder of Adrian Paul, 29, on Friday night, considered unrelated to the ongoing warfare, the area was very quiet over the weekend.

A senior officer told Newsday yesterday, Over the weekend, La Romaine was like a ghost town.

Nobody was liming on the main road as usually happens. We had a murder in the community but it was not in that zone and that death was over a man leaning on a next mans car. The officer said although businessmen welcomed the presence of a mobile unit in the area, they are complaining about the drop in sales. Yesterday a 40-year-old man appeared before a San Fernando Magistrate on six gun related charges. He was one of six persons detained last week following Pauls murder. Police are yet to arrest anyone in connection with Pauls killing even as the search continues for the person who shot and killed Brown who lived at Phyllis Street, La Romaine.

A visually impaired man, who was at the bar when Paul was killed, has since distanced himself from the shooting incident. The 35 year old PH driver has now going into hiding for fear of his own life saying that persons believe he knows the person who pulled the trigger
PM, Kamla talk crime Friday

In a signed letter dated August. 29 (yesterday), Permanent Secretary. to the Prime Minister Sandra. Jones informed Persad-Bissessar. that Rowley would meet with her. on Friday. Jones indicated that the. Prime Minister would be grateful. if Persad-Bissessar would send. him a suggested agenda of items. which she would raise at the. meeting. She asked Persad-Bissessar. to submit this agenda by. the close of business today,

In another signed letter, dated. August 25, Jones advised Persad-. Bissessar that Rowley had. received her letter dated August. 24, entitled crime crisis. She. told Persad-Bissessar that Rowley. would communicate with her on. a later date to discuss the issues. raised in her letter. In a brief. response yesterday, Persad-Bissessar. said, I welcome the invite. and we (Opposition) will attend.. Speaking at the post-Cabinet. news conference at the Office of. the Prime Minister on August 25,. Rowley said, I will receive her. (Persad-Bissessar) in the same. way that she received me when. she was prime minister.. He added, I hope there are. suggestions that we can all agree. on and if there is anything the. Government can do to improve. the situation, we have no problem. with that.. At that briefing, Rowley assured. that the National Security. Council, which he chairs and the. countrys law enforcement agencies. are working to bring crime in. TT under control,

.
Birdsong in the cold

At about 6.30 am yesterday, workmen under the supervision of a High Court marshal and police officers, constructed a fence and placed No Trespassing signs around the premises.

Parents and birdsong employees, dragged pans, benches and other equipment out of the structure into the yards and homes of neighbours.

Students arrived at the premises for regular practice and were distraught at what they witnessed. Many broke down in tears as they saw their home away from home being stripped.

Keith Diaz, PanTrinbagos President, begged the country to look at the bigger picture. He said demolishing birdsong is the same as disabling the steelband movement.

It is an attack on culture and youth, Diaz said. He told reporters that the programme has helped to curb gang violence and keep many young persons out of negative situations. Diaz further reiterated that the eviction showed that the country has no regard for its own national instrument and culture. Other countries are taking pan and doing amazing things with it, but in Trinidad and Tobago, we dont care about our own pan movement. He made a call to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, begging him to listen to the cries of birdsong.

In spite of the situation, Nyol Manswell, a blind past pupil and tutor, said, They can tear down the building, but they cant break our spirits. The music will go on. Victoria Guevara, past student and now tutor, shared her disappointment as the national instrument was made homeless so close to Independence day. The government needs to get involved. If I could speak to the prime minister, I would tell him shame on you for not getting involved. Sachelle Thomas, a student asked, where else in the world would you see someone destroying education just to make more money. In 2011, birdsong Enterprises (bEnt) was formed to provide a form of income generation and employment for members of the steelband. bEnt has been participating in the Community- Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) since then.

Due to the eviction, many are unsure of their future in the programme.
A space in memory of Freddie

In an interview with Newsday yesterday, Daniel said in the groups 50th anniversary magazine, it was suggested by Jean Sue Wing that the countrys Old Public Library, located on Knox Street, Port-of-Spain be dedicated to Kissoon for his contribution to arts and be made a space for the countrys local thespians.

If some space could be contributed to Kissoon that would be nice, he said.

Kissoon died at his Diamond Vale, Diego Martin home on Sunday.

He was 86.

Daniel, who worked with Kissoons Strolling Players during the years 1972 to 2014 described him as a very private man. He recalled going on Kissoons various tours throughout the country and, having to do something in the car.

He did not listen to radio, whether it was sing, or have a conversation. He said that there was nothing, he and Kissoon did not do together. Daniel said he had the opportunity to write and direct plays with Kissoon.

Daniel said Kissoon ensured that his productions started on time and that members were punctual. When Freddie said 8.30, he meant 8.30. If we started late, we had to explain why. He also recalled that Kissoon ensured that his productions could be enjoyed by an entire family.

When Newsday attempted to contact Shirley King, aka Beulah, who worked closely with Kissoon, we were told by her husband Melville King that she was unable to speak with Newsday via the phone since she had a stroke three months ago. Attempts to contact his sons, Richard and William, about funeral plans were unsuccessful.
Camille surprised by CDA letters

Amid uncertainty over whether the tenants leases complied with a 1974 Development Plan for Chaguaramas, former CDA chairman, Anthony Pierre, had issued letters of comfort, but had then resigned after the CA Board overruled him and voided the documents.

Robinson-Regis supported Pierres resignation for giving the nod to Fouraime Enterprises and Starburst Parks to build a water park and safari park respectively, prematurely in early August without the authority of his Board or the line Minister.

In an interview with Newsday she refuted one media houses allegation that she had been tardy in consulting Cabinet on the whole issue, during which time Pierre had issued the letters.

She said the June 9 offering a legal opinion on the validity of the tenants leases was just a draft document that she had only received in late June or early July.

The Minister said she had then only got the final report in July, to be examined by her, her technocrats and then her permanent secretary and then be set to Cabinet. She said that when the brouhaha erupted, she was in the process of preparing a Cabinet Note, noting, There is a process.

She related that during her visit to Chaguaramas in late July, she had openly indicated to the media that while projects may not comply with the 1974 Plan, their advanced state of development meant they are now hard to stop.

The Minister said Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley had named a Cabinet sub committee to mull the matter, and that a position could be negotiated with the tenants.

In the face of all of that it was a surprise that the letters of comfort were issued, because there was an ongoing discussion, said Robinson-Regis.

Neither the Minister nor the Board had seen the letters of comfort, so the chairman acted outside of the authority of the Board. Anthony Pierre told Newsday, I have nothing more to say.

He said he wont be attending todays CDA meeting, as hes no longer a CDA member
Anti-gun zealots now trying to disarm the elderly JUST BECAUSE THEYRE OLD

Richard Swift could be anyones grandfather. Born in 1949, he grew up around guns. He got his first .22 at age 12 and learned how to pick off rodents on his family farm in southeastern Pennsylvania. Said Swift: Mostly, I was just shooting things that were there, like a stick floating down the creek. Id shoot bumblebees if they settled on a limb  any kind of small, challenging target.

Article by Bob Adelmann

When he joined the National Guard, he competed in marksmanship matches, and when he delivered cash between branches of a local bank, he carried a firearm for protection.

But now hes retired and still owns that .22, along with a couple of other rifles, two pistols, and a pair of shotguns. And he has no plans to dispose of any of them.

And that makes Shannon Frattaroli very nervous. An associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, she told the Silver Century Foundation:

When I think about older adults and access to guns, the thing that immediately springs to mind is their incredibly high rates of suicide  and suicides from guns in particular. From a public health perspective, thats a really big concern. With that in mind, any conversation about guns has to include a conversation [about] gun ownership among older adults.

And then she added ominously: Theres definitely more to be done on that issue in the United States.

Cher Ann Kier, a licensed clinical social worker affiliated with the University of Washington, goes a step further:

If someone has frontal lobe dementia  he could be at a greater risk of using that firearm to harm themselves [sic] or others as they misinterpret their environment. [Dementia can result in] behavioral discontrol [sic] and angry outbursts and  could result in gun violence.

Other concerns from those who are calling for restricting the Second Amendment rights for older citizens include the loss of manual dexterity, reduction of visual acuity, and degradation in the hand strength needed to operate a firearm.

California, leading the attack about such concerns, has adopted Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs), effective the first of next year, that family members and concerned friends and neighbors will be able to use to forcibly remove firearms from people they think might be at risk to themselves or others. They can request a temporary GVRO that would allow police to seize a persons firearms for up to a year. This would give authorities plenty of time to determine if the action is reasonable  if Grandpa can still be trusted to own firearms, or not.

In other words, GVROs override the U.S. Constitutions Fourth Amendment, which demands probable cause before such an action can be taken. As explained by Los Angeles Police Department Assistant Chief Michael Moore:

This law gives us a vehicle to cause the person to surrender their weapons, to have a time out, if you will. It allows [time for] further examination of the persons mental state. Its a short duration and it allows for due process.

That due process, however, comes only after the seizure, when Grandpa will be allowed to sue for the return of his confiscated weapons.

This is how rights are lost: slowly, over time, and then all at once. Reasonable infringements of the Second Amendment include restricting those with a history of felonies, especially those where firearms were involved. Others might include mental illness where there is a history of an individual spending time in a mental hospital. Another group whose rights might be infringed are those convicted of drug abuse involving, perhaps, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines, and the like.

But as the attack on the Second Amendment continues unabated, one doesnt need to be paranoid to see the trend. Veterans, especially those disabled, are on the list, along with Social Security recipients who use a bookkeeper or other financial advisor to help manage their affairs. There are others whose weapons might be seized: someone suffering from a job loss, or the death of a spouse, or from depression. After all, grandchildren could be put at risk if they find a gun at Grandpas house or, Heaven forbid, he might get upset with them. In addition there could be accidents due to Grandpas increasing frailty. The list goes on.

Doctors must ask their patients if they have a gun at home. Frattaroli applauds this: I certainly think its a reasonable area for physicians to pursue, particularly when were taking about people who are at higher risks of suicide.

Others are suggesting that Grandpa submit himself to competency tests such as those some states require in order to keep his drivers license current.

It was Pastor Martin Niemoller who first spelled out the dangers of such reasonable incrementalism in sermons he gave following World War II. Niemoller saw that incrementalism firsthand, and spent time in a German concentration camp for resisting it. He explained,

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out  because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out  because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out  because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me  and there was no one left to speak for me.

Read more at Thenewamerican.com

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Lenovo Z2 Plus To Land In Indian Market Soon

New Delhi, Tue, 30 Aug 2016 NI Wire

It's not been too long since we updated you about the new budget device - Moto G4 Play, being on the verge of getting a release in the Indian market.

And now the buzz has it that Motorola's parent company, Lenovo, is planning to release its next budget flagship, the Lenovo Z2 Plus. Like Moto G4 Play, this new smartphone will also be vying the Indian smartphone market. The news grabbed attention after Lenovo took to Twitter and posted a teasing post which stated, "IMPATIENCE IS A VIRTUE #FastForward". This tweet from Lenovo had letter Z' entailed graphically in the background.

This clearly hints that the device is a part of the Z series and will soon be heading to India. Talking more about the device, sources have revealed that Z2 Plus will come as the successor of another of Lenovo's sub-brand  the ZUK Z1. It's notable that ZUK Z1 was launched in India in the month of May this year. The device currently is being sold in China as ZUK Z2 and now will arrive in India too.

So, let us here explore the Z2 Plus in detail and see what all expected features this device is supposed to feature.

Z2 Plus: An Overview

Sources say that the all new ZUK Z2 comes with a full-metal body on its back. To the front of the device, you will find 5.0-inch full HD LCD screen (1920x1080p) with 2.5D curved glass shield and a pixel density of 414 ppi (pixels per inch).

Like the other smartphone devices, this one also has a fingerprint sensor but with a difference, it has a new generation -Touch 2.0 fingerprint scanner. Reports state that it has super fast response time which is less than 0.1 seconds. Now this one can surely be great bait for the device and would help it stand out from its competitors.

Moving on to the processor, it's stated that Z2 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor, Adreno 530 GPU, and runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow-based ZUK 2.0 UI under-the-hood. For storage purpose it has 4GB RAM and extravagant 64GB inbuilt memory. It supports 4G-LTE.

As for camera, it has a 13MP main camera with 1.34m pixels, EIS, f/2.2 aperture, ISOCELL sensor, LED flash, 5 physical lens, PDAF+CAF (0.1 seconds autofocus), HDR, and 4K video recording. There is an 8MP selfie camera which has 78.9 wide angle lens, f/2.0 aperture, and 1.4m pixels.

The device has 3500mAh which comes with the Quick Charge 3.0 feature. Other than the new generation fingerprint sensor, Z2 Plus has other added features like dual-SIM slots, Bluetooth v4.1 BLE, GPS/GLONASS, A-GPS, USB Type-C v2.0, and Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac; dual-band: 2.4GHz/5GHz).

The device measures 141.5 x 68.88 x 8.45 mm and weighs 149g. As reported, Z2 Plus is going to be made available in the shades of white and black. For now, it's assumed that this new smartphone from Lenovo will be priced 1799 which is nearly, $273/245/Rs. 18,403.

The details are all out, but we are yet to know of its release date. So, let's see when does Lenovo makes the news official and gives out some more details.

Till then, stay tuned to this space for all recent updates!
It's been quite a year. And I make no predictions about the one to come. I do know that it will -- at least where we are -- start ou...
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For the second time in August, Muslims in the Occupied Moroccan city if Melilla took to the streets in protest against a Spanish authorities ban on Moroccan sheep ahead of the Eid Al Adha feast.

Thousands staged a protest march along the streets of the occupied city where they raised slogans calling on authorities to backtrack on the ban on Moroccan sheep, threatening that the protest will continue until Spain allows the import of Moroccan sheep in Melilla as usual.

According to Moroccan daily Akhbar Al Yaoum, which quotes an informed source, the decision to ban Moroccan sheep in the occupied city has nothing to do with the safety or health considerations as Morocco undertakes regular checks. The ban is rather an economic decision aiming at marketing Spanish sheep in Ceuta and Melilla.

Earlier this month, Spanish authorities in Melilla ascribed the ban on the import of 6000 sheep to fears of the foot-and-mouth disease propagating to its own cattle after cases were found in Morocco last year.
Morocco stunned global community of inventors and innovators Saturday in Toronto, Canada by winning eight gold medals at the International Invention and Innovation Contest (iCAN 2016.)

Six of the medals were awarded by the contest organizers, Moroccan media le360.ma reports. Morocco also received a gold medal from the International Federation of Inventors Association at the award ceremony held on Saturday in Toronto. The Moroccan delegation also received acclaims from the Indonesian Association of Investors.

The Moroccan Association of Inventors hailed the stunning and historic performance of the Moroccan delegation as well as Moroccan authorities efforts to ensure that the North African country is well represented in the contest.

The Moroccan Association of Inventors seeks to promote inventions and to support inventors in the country as well as throughout the African continent.

A Senegalese inventor, member of the Moroccan Association of the Investors, also won a gold medal.

The Moroccan Association of Inventors is led by Majid El Bouazzaoui; a well-known scientific figure in Morocco. He was recently decorated by King Mohammed VI with Wissam Al Moukafaa Al Wathania for his contribution to invention and innovation in Morocco.

El Bouazzaoui is credited with 13 inventions.
The Japan-Africa economic summit, held in Nairobi August 27-28, was an opportunity for Morocco to stress the centrality of trilateral cooperation in the Kingdoms foreign policy.

Speaking at the summit, Moroccos Ambassador to Kenya Abdelilah Benryane reiterated the Kingdoms willingness to share its expertise and know-how with African countries through trilateral cooperation frameworks involving countries such as Japan.

He said priority should be given to training and development as well as boosting Africas resilience.

The Ambassador noted that Morocco attaches a solidarity and inclusive dimension to its cooperation ties with Africa, which should not be considered only as a supplier of raw material to industrialized countries.

Climate challenges should be a prominent feature in cooperation programs with Africa, said Benryane, adding that efforts to boost African countries economies should be based on models enabling economic adaptations to climate change along with the facilitation of technology and know-how, notably in future sectors such as renewable energy.

On the occasion of the summit, Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that his country will invest $30 billion in support of Africas economic growth and infrastructure over the next three years.

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, organized 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.
French security authorities announced Friday the deportation of two Moroccans who posed a threat to security and peace on French territory.

The two Moroccan nationals, whose identities have not been revealed, have been radicalized, the French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said in a statement.

Bernard Cazeneuve announced few days ago the deportation of Mohsen MHadi, a Tunisian flagged dangerous for security.

French authorities have been in hot water following a series of terrorist attacks with critics accusing them of security negligence. Cazeneuve has vowed to fight terrorism by all legal laws including deportations.

According to the French official, six people have been deported since the beginning of August, bringing the total number of deportations this year to 15.

Two other Moroccans according to online media huffpostmaghreb.com were deported last month from Italy as part of Italian authorities counter-terrorism strategy.

The two men were reportedly arrested along with a third man whose nationality was not revealed.

France is the most exposed European country to terrorism. Some 230 and plus people have been killed since last year. Five terrorist attacks hit France in 18 months since last year.
Incumbent President Ali Bongos rival in the Saturday presidential election has claimed victory, calling Bongo to admit his defeat as the national electoral commission is pressed to ease tension by release the results.

Jean Ping, 75, former head of the African Union commission on Monday called on ruling president Ali Bongo to admit defeat.

I encourage Ali Bongo to submit to the verdict of the ballot box, he said at a news conference.

The electoral commission is expected to publish the results on Tuesday. The candidate with the greatest number of votes wins the one-round election according to the central African countrys constitution.

On Sunday both rivals camps claimed victory and traded accusations of electoral fraud.

Ali Bongo, 57 has been in power since 2009 after winning vote following the death of his father Omar Bongo who ruled the oil-rich country for 42 years.

Ali Bongo is contested for perpetuating the Bongo dynasty. Despite oil resources and other natural resources assortment, large proportion of the countrys 2 million inhabitants are still leaving under the poverty line.

The EUs election monitoring team in the country pointed at irregularities in the vote process. The team noted that most of the irregularities favored Alis camp, Reuters reports.

Frances Socialist Party has called on Ali Bongo to step down and allow power change.
Three Tunisian military personnel Monday lost their lives in an ambush laid by terrorists in the mountainous region of Douar Ben Njeh, near the Algerian border, Defense Ministry spokesman told reporters.

The three soldiers were killed as their tank hit landmines, Belhassen Ouslati indicated adding that the soldiers were further targeted by rifle shots and rocket propelled grenades.

Seven other soldiers were injured in the attack, the spokesman said, pointing out that two terrorists were also killed as they exploded themselves while approaching the army patrol.

Terrorists use rugged regions between Tunisia and Algeria as their base where they indulge in illegal activities. They also stage surprising attacks against the army patrolling the region.

Tunisia has been facing a surge in terrorist activities since 2011  year former autocratic leader Ben Ali was swept way in a revolution.

Security has been a major equation for the North African country, which has seen thousands of its citizens joining terrorist organizations in lawless Libya, Iraq and Syria.
The Tunisian national air carrier Tunisair will proceed to financial and structural adjustment leading to 1,000 job cut in a bid to trim public spending and improve international competition, Transport minister announced on Monday.

The announcement came as new Prime Minister Youssef Chaheds cabinet was sworn in.

Chahed in an address to the Tunisian parliament before he won the vote of confidence indicated that he would implement tough measures, including austerity measures to save the countrys economy.

Public spending has soared up over the past five years. Government payouts are estimated at 13.4 billion dinars while public sector contributors have plummeted forcing the government to rely on foreign assistance.

Public sector wages at about 13.5 percent of gross domestic product are among the highest in the world, Reuters reports.

Tunisair is a major state-owned employer. About 8,200 full-time workers are currently employed by the national carrier.

We will soon lay off 400 employees who have chosen to leave voluntarily and they will receive compensation, Transport Minister Anis Guedira said.

Job cuts will reach 1,000 in Tunisair in total.

Guedira told Reuters the decision was made months ago in agreement with unions in order to reduce costs and improve competition.

About $50 million will be disbursed in compensation for 1,000 workers.
Italian coastguard Monday indicated that they saved around 6,500 migrants off the Libyan coast in forty operations making Monday the busiest day for rescuers.

The migrants according to Italian authorities left the Libyan town of Sabratha.

The Italian coastguards, humanitarian NGOs Proactiva Open Arms and Medecins Sans Frontieres and EUs border agency Frontex took part in 40 rescue operations 20 km off the Libyan coasts to save the migrants; some of whom jumped to the sea to reach the rescuers.

Some 1,100 migrants were also rescued on Sunday in the same area.

Migrants from southern Sahara, Eritrea, Somalia fleeing war, famine attempt the perilous Mediterranean crossing, hoping to join Europe for better life.

About 106,000 people according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have already arrived in Italy. Around 3,000 have perished trying the crossing.

275,000 other migrants are waiting in Libya to cross the Mediterranean, the IOM says.

The lawlessness in Libya has facilitated migrant smuggling. The North African country has become the main departure point for migrants who are helped by criminal networks.
View of various high-rise buildings and brownstones along Atlantic Avenue (near the intersection with Third Avenue) in downtown Brooklyn, New York, April 23, 2016. Photo: Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images

Residential buildings are rising in downtown Brooklyn. The area near Barclays Center will deliver a fifth of the citys new apartments this year and next  and now landlords really, really need to fill them.

According to a report in the New York Times, Brooklyns construction boom has given way to a saturated real-estate market:

There are 19 residential towers either under construction or recently completed along the 10-block section of Flatbush stretching from Barclays Center north to Myrtle Avenue. When all of them are finished, they will have added more than 6,500 apartments  overwhelmingly rentals  to New York Citys housing stock. Another four buildings on Myrtle Avenue will add almost 1,000 more units.

That surplus is creating a favorable renters market for these (mostly) higher-end apartments. Landlords are offering discounts on rent  two or three months free  or adding cushy amenities, like gym access, free of charge. Even with these perks, many of the apartments are still pretty pricey  more than $3,000 for a one-bedroom, for example. Its too many units skewed to the upper end of the market, Jonathan J. Miller, president and chief executive of Miller Samuel, a real-estate appraisal and consulting firm, told the Times. The top of the market is soft for both rentals and condos. Thats where the bulk of the new supply is coming.

Low- and middle-income tenants will have a harder time taking advantage of the flooded rental market. More than 1,600 new downtown Brooklyn apartments  about a quarter of the new Flatbush units  will be set aside for middle- and low-income tenants under the (now expired) 421-a program, which offers tax abatements to developers for designating a percentage of units for affordable housing. But these spots, in Brooklyn and pretty much everywhere else in the city, are in extreme demand. At downtown Brooklyns City Point tower at 7 DeKalb, more than 87,700 people applied for just 200 apartments for lower- and middle-income tenants in March. According to the Times, that 23-story building is offering two months of free rent to market-rate tenants for a 14-month lease.

Its not just downtown Brooklyn, either. Manhattans luxury buyers market took a hit in the last months of 2015, with a surplus of units and a decreased demand for those fancy pads. And a report released earlier this month showed that the number of available apartments in Manhattan and Brooklyn this July were the highest in years, and  again, at the higher end  vacancies rose 2.49 percent in Manhattan, the largest increase in nine years.
Pope Franciss rebuke of Trumps views on immigration may not be the only cause of the moguls trouble with Catholic voters. But it sure didnt help. Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images; Franco Origlia/Getty Images

For months the only publicly available breakouts of religious groups in presidential polling usually involved white evangelicals, a crucial demographic for Donald Trump in both the primaries and the general election.

But now comes the Public Religion Research Institute with a more thorough set of religious slicing and dicing, producing a near-screaming headline at the Washington Post: Donald Trump has a massive Catholic problem.

Noting that exit-poll data has in recent elections identified the Catholic vote as quite even and something of a bellwether, the Posts Aaron Blake marveled at the 23-point advantage PRRIs survey gave Clinton at present, and wondered if this might be a bigger problem for Trump than all the others we keep talking about. Did Trumps tiff with Pope Francis over immigration policy hurt him more than we realized? Have ancestral white Catholic memories of insults from Protestant nativists been awakened by Trumps nasty comments about (largely Catholic) Mexican drug runners and rapists?

There may be a little of both of those factors coming into play: Franciss not-so-subtle rebuke of people with Trumps views being not Christian was unusual to say the least, and American Catholic solicitude for immigrants does indeed have a very long history.

But its also worth noting that PRRIs top-line numbers were a bit outlier-ish (they showed HRC up by 13 points), and also that National Election Study numbers show that Catholics in recent elections lean more toward Democrats (e.g., showing Obama winning the Catholic vote by 14 points in 2008 and 9 points in 2012) than do the less accurate exit polls Blake cites, meaning Trump is already at a disadvantage with that demographic. So its not clear that Trumps standing is as catastrophic as the comparison between this one poll and the exits might suggest.

That said, it is interesting to look at the makeup of Trumps unusually poor standing among Catholics in the PRRI survey. It shows him losing white Catholics (lately a marginally pro-Republican group) by a 41-44 margin, while losing Latino Catholics (typically a more liberal group when compared to Protestants, who tend to belong to fundamentalist or Pentecostal faith communities) by a catastrophic 13-76 margin. Unless you buy the poorly documented idea that Trump does just fine among Latinos, it should not be surprising that the faith tradition to which a majority of Latino-Americans belong would push the overall preferences of their religious colleagues in a pretty decisive direction away from the mogul. Beyond that, yes, it seems that a relative weakness among white Catholics  whatever its genesis  is keeping Trump from winning the kind of super majorities among palefaces he is relying on to offset his stark unpopularity with people of color.

I hope more attention is paid to this dynamic in surveys undertaken from here on out. Im curious how the guy who won 82 percent of the vote in the white Catholic stronghold of Staten Island in the New York Republican primary back in April is now struggling with the children of Mother Church.
Photo: Robert Daly/Getty Images/Caiaimage

A true story: In the neighborhood where I grew up, there is a family that owns a dog named Poophead. The parents told their son he could name the dog; the son chose what probably was, to an elementary-school boy, a pretty hilarious name; the parents learned that elementary-school boys should never be in charge of naming anything, but stuck to their word nonetheless.

And here we are. Poor Poophead doesnt know any better  he just knows that his name is his name, because dogs only know the meaning that we teach them. They hear good boy as theyre getting a treat or a belly rub, and figure out that it means praise. They use context clues to learn that no means theyve done something wrong, that shake means they should offer up a paw.

And they learn these things as much through our tone of voice as they do from the actual words were saying. Both what we say and how we say it matters to dogs, Attila Andics, a research fellow at Hungarys Eotvos Lorand University, told the New York Times today. In a forthcoming study in the journal Science, Andics and his colleagues trained dogs to lie still in an MRI machine, where they recorded the animals responses to various words and phrases:

A trainer spoke words in Hungarian  common words of praise used by dog owners like good boy, super and well done. The trainer also tried neutral words like however and nevertheless. Both the praise words and neutral words were offered in positive and neutral tones.



The positive words spoken in a positive tone prompted strong activity in the brains reward centers. All the other conditions resulted in significantly less action, and all at the same level.



In other words, affectionate words are meaningless when they arent delivered with the corresponding emotion  only praise presented as praise will register.

This is very similar to what human brains do, Andics said in a statement. Like us, the studys canine subjects processed the word itself in the brains left hemisphere and its intonation in the right, linking the two together for a complete meaning. Dogs not only tell apart what we say and how we say it, but they can also combine the two, for a correct interpretation of what those words really meant.

Or at least, they can correctly interpret those words within the context of what theyve already been taught. The study findings [dont] mean a dog wont wag its tail and look happy when you say, You stinky mess in a happy voice, the Times wrote. But the dog is looking at your body language and your eyes, and perhaps starting to infer that stinky mess is a word of praise. Or that when someone calls you Poophead, you happily come over with your tail wagging.
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AL-SAYYID, Negev Desert  In al-Sayyid, a Bedouin village in a remote corner of Israels Negev desert, deafness is considered less a disability and more a fact of life. The rate of deafness in the community is 50 times the world average; out of 4,000 residents, some 150 are deaf, the result of a gene that first emerged in the villagers ancestors a few generations ago. Deaf men work alongside their hearing relatives in construction jobs in nearby Israeli towns, and the deaf marry both deaf and hearing relatives  sometimes both, as the Bedouin tradition allows for polygamy and for the marriage between cousins.

Most important, both hearing and deaf members of the community speak al-Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language, a local language that developed in the village as its deaf population grew. ABSL, like other, similar village sign languages, is not a counterpart to any other spoken or signed language: It does not share characteristics with the Bedouin Arabic dialect, Modern Standard Arabic, or Israeli Sign Language, all of which are also used in the village.

One of the most exciting things about this language is that it arose out of nothing, says Wendy Sandler, the director of the Sign Language Research Lab at Haifa University, who has studied the al-Sayyids sign language since 2000, along with fellow linguists Irit Meir, also from Haifa University; Carol Padden of University of California, San Diego; and Mark Aronoff of Stony Brook University. Village sign languages, Sandler says, are appealing to researchers for two reasons: One, they match form to function more directly than in spoken languages; and two, when theyre still evolving, they offer a chance to literally see [the language] unfold. Which means al-Sayyid has become a perfect laboratory for linguists looking to answer an age-old question: How does a language form in the first place? And can the evolution of a relatively new one, like ABSL, tell us anything about the traits all languages have in common?

Researchers can accurately date the origins of ABSL to 200 years ago, a time when nomadic Arab tribes roamed the dunes of the Negev desert and survived by herding goats. The head of one of those tribes was the sheikh of the al-Sayyid clan, an Egyptian peasant who migrated to the area after a family feud, married a number of local women, and adopted the Bedouin way of life. When his children, two of whom carried the recessive deafness gene, were rejected as foreigners by surrounding Bedouin tribes, they married among themselves. Four generations later, the first deaf children were born; as their deaf children had deaf children of their own, the language started to form.

By now, the al-Sayyid clan is nonetheless capable of using the languages vast sign vocabulary for anything. They fluently describe dreams and ambitions, gossip about upcoming weddings or births, and converse in great detail on national insurance or upcoming construction projects in the village. Complexity is achieved by the joining of simpler words. Sweat and sun combine to mean summer, pray and house to mean mosque. ABSL also incorporates frames of reference to locate both places and family members. When Kawkeb al-Sayyid, a 22-year-old deaf teaching assistant, speaks about her cousin Khlas, she points to the cousins house instead of spelling out her name. When referring to significant locations, like Jerusalem, she uses a sign that looks like prayer combined with a reference to the direction of the city from her current location.

But ABSLs relative newness means that it hasnt yet fully developed some of the features that researchers once believed all languages to share. For most of its existence, ABSL has lacked many rules of grammar, which are just now beginning to take shape  and the slow pace has led researchers to question some conventional wisdom about the human capacity for language. The linguist Noam Chomsky, for instance, has argued that humans  unique among all animals  are born with a universal grammar already in place, and that an understanding of language is genetic and innate rather than learned. According to this view, all language is made up of deep structures, or underlying units of meaning, and surface structures, the specific combination of words chosen to represent that meaning; vocabularies may differ from one language to another, but they all have their roots in the same cognitive processes.

ABSL, though, with its relative lack of grammar and its creative blending of signs, challenges that idea. Meir, one of the researchers on the ABSL study, says that ABSL is a testament to humans ability to process linguistic diversity. We have a feeling that we date back to the Tower of Babel, but were giving less credit than we should to our ability to sustain variation, she says. If we hear different accents, were not so bothered by it. In small multi-lingual situations like al-Sayyid, theyre less bothered by different means of communication.

Some have taken this idea even further. In a controversial 2009 article titled The Myth of Language Universals, linguists Nicholas Evans and Stephen Levinson claimed that linguistic diversity, more than the use of grammar or syntax, is the biggest thing separating human language from all other animal methods of communication  and that only once researchers understand that can they begin to learn more about the cognitive process that underpins language development. But the study of linguistic diversity, they argued, has been falsely informed by Eurocentric perspectives  most European languages are connected by underlying structures as Chomsky has described, they wrote, but the same cant be said of all 6,000 to 8,000 languages that exist in the world, many of which are far more structurally varied.

The claims of Universal Grammar  are either empirically false, unfalsifiable, or misleading in that they refer to tendencies rather than strict universals, Evans and Levinson wrote. Structural differences should instead be accepted for what they are, and integrated into a new approach to language and cognition that places diversity at center stage.

Significantly, ABSL also contains some traits never before documented in sign languages, leading researchers to wonder if it might not have certain aspects in common with other spoken languages rather than signed ones. For example, many sign languages use classifiers, shaping the hand in a specific way to describe the spatial nature of an action or how that action relates to other things, like two cars passing one another. But ABSL is unique in applying classifiers to nouns, too  the ABSL sign for egg, for instance, consists of the sign for chicken together with a pantomimed oval object, a gesture that makes use of the shape of the hand.

Many village sign languages have emerged in isolated areas or islands. One of the earliest known examples arose in Marthas Vineyard, where, like in al-Sayyid, a high incidence of congenital deafness meant that sign language was widely shared by both deaf and hearing community members. It disappeared before ever being documented. Today, at least 24 village sign languages exist across the globe, including communities in Ghana, Indonesia, Thailand, and at least three different towns in Israel.

But as globalization corrodes the borders that once insulated these small communities, their languages are vanishing. The 19th edition of the Ethnologue, a catalogue of the worlds living languages, counts 138 living sign languages, though its editors predict the real number to be higher. Within that category, all of the village sign languages are considered endangered to various degrees, usually a casualty of advancing deaf-education systems that teach and prioritize a standardized national sign language.

While its difficult to mourn changes that give deaf children greater access to education and job prospects, the erosion of ABSL also threatens an identity, and a way of life, that has long been central to the al-Sayyid community. Salah al-Sayyid, a principal at a local school and the son of one of the villages first signers, notes a growing dissonance between ABSL-signing parents and their children. Village residents under 30, he says, have a greater command in Israeli Sign Language (ISL), knowledge theyve picked up from school, television, and social networks that expand beyond the boundaries of the village.

We believe that this is the beginning of the end for the language, said Salah. One of Salahs deaf daughters was arranged to marry a Bedouin man from the center of Israel, with whom she communicates in Israeli Sign Language. It is a trend that Salah expects to grow as more young people go out to work in nearby Israeli towns, and, with the help of video messaging apps like Skype, find it easier to socialize with other deaf people from urban and rural communities.

Because Salah does not understand ISL, however, ABSL is still the dominant language in his household, where 2 of his 14 children are deaf. As the language persists, for now, within multigenerational households, al-Sayyid village continues as a large-scale case study, and one which researchers believe will continue even as it departs from its pristine state. While Israeli Sign Language has not yet influenced ABSL linguistic structures, Sandlers team expects ABSL to eventually become a creole influenced by ISL, which would likely impact its lexical structures.

Still, though hes convinced of its inevitability, Salah al-Sayyid is not overly sentimental about ABSLs gradual fade.

Language is a tool for communication, so it needs to be constantly undergoing revival and renewal, he says. Just as you may like to look at a picture of your grandfathers car, you wouldnt want to drive that car, because it wouldnt hold up to the standards of today. We cant preserve everything.

But, he adds, when ABSL dies, so too will an opportunity to understand everything that comes with it. Hes referring, he says, to the culture of our ancestors, their values of hospitality and of hard work, but the statement also applies to an issue both more mysterious and more universal.
Photo: Image Source/Fang Zhou/Getty Images

Start-ups can be difficult places to work: long hours, small paychecks, high stress, and the ever-looming prospect of sudden collapse. But even regular start-up work sounds like a union 9-to-5 compared to the story of Penny Kim.

On Sunday evening, Kim, a former marketing director at an unnamed San Francisco start-up, posted a lengthy recollection of a summer from hell. In the span of a few months, she had been recruited to work at a nascent tech start-up, experienced deceptive management practices, run into payroll issues, and allegedly encountered outright fraud.

Kim anonymized her account, not naming the start-up and changing names (nevertheless, the start-up itself was swiftly identified; more on that in a minute). The company she worked for was another job-search site, self-described as the Credit Karma of LinkedIn (always a good sign when you need to describe yourself using two already-existent companies). The two men running the company, Michael and Charlie, recruited Kim, and she moved from Dallas to SF, having been promised a signing bonus. Before she started, the company hired an underling without her input who, in her opinion, immediately started gunning for Kims job.

Thats a bad experience, but not entirely abnormal. Where it really started to go off the rails is when Kim talked to co-workers following a missed paycheck and another one paid with a cashiers check:

Around this time, [another co-worker] Bruce and I were sharing personal concerns and he confided in me that he had let Michael borrow $50,000 from his personal savings. Did you read that? A startup employee gave his life savings to our CEO. He wasnt the only one. Another biz dev team bro who was crashing on the CEOs couch, Bobby, apparently lent Michael five figures too. In disbelief, I asked why he needed money when he has $2M already committed in the company. Bruce said that Michael had his offshore money tied up with the IRS because of unpaid taxes and essentially his assets were frozen until he went to court.

Lord knows I am not a business man, but it strikes me that a company where the CEO borrows $50,000 from an employee may not be on the soundest footing.

After hassling her boss about her missing paycheck and bonus for days, Kim says that Michael emailed each employee a receipt for a Wells Fargo wire transfer for their paycheck. The only problem was that in the footer of the receipt, Kim found a copyright dated 19952014, which seemed to indicate that Michael had forged personalized receipts for more than a dozen employees  many of whom were on H1B visas. She found the likely template with a quick Google search.

The story was widely circulated on Monday, and on the popular start-up discussion forum Hacker News commenters identified the likely real-life startup as WrkRiot  formerly known as JobSonic, and 1for.one before that (archived pages back this up).

Last night, WrkRiot made the decision to publicly address the matter on their Facebook page, inadvertently confirming that the saga was about them. Stating that it was considering legal action against an unnamed Kim, it said, in part:

While it is not our policy to discuss personnel matters, we want to make it clear that this former employee was fired for cause. Signed affidavits from current employees attest to this former employees failure to perform her required duties in the workplace. In addition, they attest to her participation in an attempt to undermine or oust certain members of management.



This former employee demanded a sum of $50,000 upon her departure. Under no verbal agreement, contract or any other type of covenant was this person entitled to such a sum. After learning that WrkRiot would not pay what it considered extortion money, this former employee began her campaign of slanderous of activity over the Internet.



The post concluded, Further, we want to make it clear that we will seek any and all legal remedies to end this campaign of slander. Heres the first legal tip: The blog post, if defamatory, would technically be libel.

Update: This post initially stated that JobScore was one of the companys former names. The name was actually JobSonic and has been corrected.
On Monday, London comedian Hannah Warman decided to take an Uber home. She opened up the app, agreed to 1.4x surge pricing, and ordered a car. When it arrived, she hopped in expecting a quick ride to her destination. Except Warman fell asleep during the ride. And when she checked her receipt the next day, it showed her driver had taken a roundabout way back to her home and what would have been a five minute walk took an hour and a half by car.

When u think "It's only a 5 min walk but f**k it, I'll get an uber!"

& u fall asleep #LookAtTheRouteHeTook! @uber pic.twitter.com/xsELKpsgjF  Hannah Warman (@hannahwarman) August 29, 2016

According to Warmans tweet, the circuitous route to her home added an extra 35 miles and cost $111, she told Mashable. I was shocked and upset about how expensive it was because I thought the driver mustve got lost, she said. Then I realised he couldnt have got that lost because they have Sat Navs and the map with the start and end point wouldve been in front of him. It looks like he went the longest way around possible. Uber has since refunded Warman for the ride. (The company did not immediately respond to Select Alls request for comment.) Moral of the story: Dont fall asleep in an Uber. (Second moral of the story: Always read your receipts.)
Photo: George Doyle/Getty Images

A 17-year-old boy in Mexico City has died after suffering a stroke that doctors believe was caused by a hickey.



Julio Macias Gonzalez reportedly had convulsions during dinner with his family and died before emergency medical services arrived. He had seen his girlfriend beforehand. Doctors suspect that the suction of a hickey from his girlfriend led to a blood clot that traveled to his brain, causing a stroke.



This is at least the second case of a hickey-induced stroke. In 2010, a New Zealand woman went to the ER when she couldnt move her left arm. Doctors determined that she suffered a minor stroke, which they attributedto a love bite on her neck. She recovered fully after being treated with a blood thinner. Gonzalez was not so lucky.
The following is an excerpt from the forthcoming book Hidden Figures, a movie version of which will be released in January 2017 starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kevin Costner, and Kirsten Dunst.

It was on a trip to the post office during the spring of 1943 that Dorothy Vaughan spied the notice for the laundry job at Camp Pickett. But the word on another bulletin also caught her eye: mathematics. A federal agency in Hampton, Virginia, sought women to fill a number of mathematical jobs having to do with airplanes. The bulletin, the handiwork of Melvin Butler and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics personnel department, was most certainly meant for the eyes of the white, well-to-do students at the all-female State Teachers College there in Farmville. The laboratory had sent application forms, civil-service examination notices, and booklets describing the NACAs work to the schools job-placement offices, asking faculty and staff to spread the word about the open positions among potential candidates.

This organization is considering a plan to visit certain womens colleges in this area and interview senior students majoring in mathematics, the laboratory wrote. It is expected that outstanding students will be offered positions in this laboratory. Dorothys house on South Main sat down the street from the college campus. Every morning as she walked the two blocks to her job at Moton High School, a U-shaped building perched on a triangular block at the south end of town, she saw the State Teachers College coeds with their books, disappearing into classrooms in their leafy sanctuary of a campus. Dorothy walked to school on the other side of the street, toeing the invisible line that separated them.

It would no sooner have occurred to her that a place with so baroque a name as the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory would solicit an application from Negro women than that the white women at the college across the street would beckon her through the front doors of their manicured enclave. Black newspapers, however, worked indefatigably to spread the word far and wide about available war jobs and exhorted their readers to apply.

Photograph courtesy of the Family of Dorothy J. Vaughan

As a college graduate and a teacher, Dorothy stood near the top of what most Negro women could hope to achieve. Teachers were considered the upper level of training and intelligence in the race, a ground force of educators who would not just impart book learning but live in the Negro community and direct its thoughts and head its social movements. She had earned a full-tuition scholarship to Wilberforce University, the countrys old private Negro college, in Xenia, Ohio. At Wilberforce, Dorothy earned splendid grades and chose math as her major. When she was an upperclassman, one of Dorothys professors at Wilberforce recommended her for graduate study in mathematics at Howard University, in what would be the inaugural class for a masters degree in the subject. Possessed of an inner confidence that attributed no shortcoming either to her race or her gender, Dorothy welcomed the chance to prove herself in a competitive academic arena. But the economic reality that confronted Dorothy when she came out of college made graduate study seem like an irresponsible extravagance. With the onset of the Great Depression, Dorothys parents, like a third of all Americans, found steady work hard to come by. An extra income would help keep the household above water and improve the odds that Dorothys sister might be able to follow her path to college. Dorothy, though, only 19 years old, felt it was her responsibility to ensure that the family could make its way through the hard times, even though it meant closing the door on her own ambitions, at least for the moment. She opted to earn a degree in education and pursue teaching, the most stable career for a black woman with a college degree.

In the first week of May 1943, the Norfolk Journal and Guide published an article that would call to Dorothy like a signpost for the road not taken. Paving the Way for Women Engineers, read the headline. The accompanying photo showed 11 well-dressed Negro women in front of Hampton Institutes Bemis Laboratory, graduates of Engineering for Women, a war training class. Founded in 1868, Hampton Institute had grown out of the classes held by the free Negro teacher Mary Peake, in the shade of a majestic tree known as the Emancipation Oak.

On the eve of World War II, Hampton was one of the leading Negro colleges in the country and the focal point of the black communitys participation in the conflict.There were black jobs, and there were good black jobs. Sorting in the laundry, making beds in white folks houses, stemming in the tobacco plant  those were black jobs. Owning a barbershop or a funeral home, working in the post office, or riding the rails as a Pullman porter  those were good black jobs. Teacher, preacher, doctor, lawyer  now those were very good black jobs, bringing stability and the esteem that accompanied formal training.

But the job at the aeronautical laboratory was something new, something so unusual it hadnt yet entered the collective dreams. Not even the long-stalled plan to equalize Negro teachers salaries with those of their white counterparts could beat this opportunity. Even if the war ended in six months or a year, a much higher salary even for that brief time would bring Dorothy that much closer to assuring her childrens future.

So that spring, Dorothy Vaughan carefully filled out and mailed two job applications: one to work at Camp Pickett, where the need for labor was so great, so undifferentiated, that there was virtually no possibility that they would not hire her. The other, much longer application reviewed her qualifications in detail. Work history. Personal references. Schools attended: high school and college. Courses taken, grades received. Languages spoken (French). Foreign travels (none). Would you be willing to accept a position abroad? (No.) Would you be willing to accept a position in Washington, D.C.? (Yes.) How soon could you be ready to start work? She knew the answer before her fingers carved it into the blank: Forty-eight hours, she wrote. I can be ready to go within 48 hours.

Melvin Butler, the personnel officer at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, had a problem, the scope and nature of which was made plain in a May 1943 telegram to the civil services chief of field operations. This establishment has urgent need for approximately 100 Junior Physicists and Mathematicians, 100 Assistant Computers, 75 Minor Laboratory Apprentices, 125 Helper Trainees, 50 Stenographers and Typists, exclaimed the missive. Every morning at 7 a.m., the bow-tied Butler and his staff sprang to life, dispatching the labs station wagon to the local rail depot, the bus station, and the ferry terminal to collect the men and women  so many women now, each day more women  who had made their way to the lonely finger of land on the Virginia coast. The shuttle conveyed the recruits to the door of the laboratorys Service Building, on the campus of Langley Field. Upstairs, Butlers staff whisked them through the first-day stations: forms, photos, and the oath of office: I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic  so help me God.

Thus installed, the newly minted civil servants fanned out to take their places in one of the research facilitys expanding inventory of buildings, each already as full as a pod ripe with peas. No sooner had Sherwood Butler, the laboratorys head of Procurement, set the final stone on a new building than his brother Melvin set about filling it with new employees. Closets and hallways, stockrooms and model shop floors stood in as makeshift offices. Someone came up with the bright idea of putting two desks head to head and jury-rigged the new piece of furniture with a jumpseat, in order to squeeze three workers into space designed for two. In the four years since Hitlers troops had overrun Poland  since American interest and the European War had converged into an all-consuming one  the laboratorys complement of 500 odd employees at the close of the decade had was on its way to 1,500. Yet the great groaning war machine swallowed them whole and remained hungry for more.

Just two years prior, with the storm clouds gathering, President Roosevelt had challenged the nation to ramp up its production of airplanes to 50,000 per year. It seemed an impossible task for a country tooled to stamp out just 3,000 of the flying machines in a year. Now, Americas aircraft industry was a production miracle, easily surpassing the mark by more than half. It was the largest industry in the world, the most productive, the most sophisticated, outproducing the Germans by more than three times and the Japanese by nearly five. The facts were clear to all belligerents: The final conquest would come from the sky.

Victory through Air Power! Henry Reid, engineer-in-charge of the Langley Laboratory, crooned to his employees, the shibboleth a reminder of the importance of the airplane to the wars outcome. Victory through Air Power! the NACA-ites repeated to each other, minding each decimal point, poring over differential equations and pressure-distribution charts until their eyes fatigued. In the battle of research, victory would be theirs.

Unless, of course, Melvin Butler failed to feed the three-shift, six-day-a-week operation with fresh minds. The engineers were one thing, but each engineer required the support of a number of others: craftsmen to build airplane models tested in the tunnels, mechanics to maintain the tunnels, and the nimble number crunchers to process the numerical deluge that issued from the research. Lift and drag, friction and flow. What was a plane but a bundle of physics? Physics, of course, meant math, and math meant mathematicians. And since the middle of the last decade, mathematicians had meant women. Langleys first female computing pool, started in 1935, had caused an uproar among the men of the laboratory. How could a female mind process something so rigorous and precise as math? The very idea, investing $500 on a calculating machine so it could be used by a girl! But the girls had been good, very good  better at computing, in fact, than many of the engineers, the men themselves grudgingly admitted. With only a handful of girls winning the title mathematician  a professional designation that put them on equal footing with entry-level male employees  the fact that most computers were designated as lower-paid subprofessionals provided a boost to the laboratorys bottom line.

But in 1943, the girls were harder to come by. Virginia Tucker, Langleys head computer, ran laps up and down the East Coast searching for coeds with even a modicum of analytical or mechanical skill, hoping for matriculating college students to fill the hundreds of open positions for computers, scientific aides, model-makers, laboratory assistants, and, yes, even mathematicians. She conscripted what seemed like entire classes of math graduates from her North Carolina alma mater, the Greenboro College for Women, and hunted at Virginia schools like Sweetbriar in Lynchburg and the State Teachers College in Farmville.

Melvin Butler leaned on the Civil Service and War Manpower Commission as hard as he could so that the laboratory might get top priority on the limited pool of qualified applicants. He penned ads for the local newspaper, the Daily Press: Reduce your household duties! Women who are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and do jobs previously filled by men should call the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, read one notice. The personnel department published fervent pleas in the employee newsletter Air Scoop. Are there members of your family or others you know who would like to play a part in gaining supremacy of the air? they wrote. Have you friends of either sex who would like to do important work toward winning and shortening the war? With men being absorbed into the military services, with women already being demanded by eager employers, the labor market was as exhausted as the war workers themselves.

A bright spot presented itself in the form of another mans problem. History would forever associate the black-freedom movement with Martin Luther King Jr.s name, but as America oriented every aspect of its society toward war for the second time in 30 years, it was A. Philip Randolphs long-term vision and the specter of a march that never happened that pried open a door that had been closed like a bank vault since the end of Reconstruction. With two strokes of a pen  Executive Order 8802, ordering the desegregation of the defense industry, and Executive Order 9346, creating the Fair Employment Practices Committee to monitor the national project of economic inclusion  Roosevelt primed the pump for a new source of labor to come into the tight production process.

Nearly two years later, as the laboratorys personnel needs reached the civil service, applications of qualified Negro female candidates began filtering in to the Service Building, presenting themselves for consideration by the laboratorys personnel staff. No photo advised as to the applicants color  that requirement, instituted by the administration of Woodrow Wilson, had been stricken down the year as the Roosevelt administration tried to dismantle discrimination in hiring practices. But their alma maters tipped the hand  West Virginia State University, Howard, Arkansas A&M, Hampton Institute just across town, all Negro schools. Nothing in the applications indicated anything less than fitness for the job. If anything, they came with more experience than the white girls, with many years of teaching experience on top of math or science degrees.

They would need a separate space for them, Melvin Butler knew. Then they would have to appoint someone to head the new group, an experienced girl  white, obviously  someone whose disposition suited the sensitivity of the assignment. With around-the-clock pressure to test the airplanes queued up in the hangar, engineers would welcome the additional hands. So many of the engineers were Northerners, agnostic on the racial issue but devout when it came to mathematical talent.

There had always been Negro employees in the lab  janitors, cafeteria workers, mechanics assistants, groundskeepers. But opening the door to Negroes who would be considered professional peers, that was something new.

Butler proceeded with discretion: no big announcement in the Daily Press, no fanfare in Air Scoop. But he also proceeded with direction: nothing to herald the arrival of the Negro women to the laboratory, but nothing to derail their arrival either. Maybe Melvin Butler was progressive for his time and place, or maybe he was just a functionary carrying out his duty. Maybe he was both. State law  and Virginia custom  kept him from truly progressive action, but perhaps the promise of a segregated office was just the cover he needed to get the black women in the door, a Trojan horse of segregation opening the door to integration.

The shuttle bus made the West Side rounds, stopping to deposit Dorothy at the front door of an outpost called the Warehouse Building.

There was nothing to distinguish the building or its offices from any of the other unremarkable spaces on the laboratorys register: same narrow windows with a view of the fevered construction taking place outside, same office-bright ceiling lights, same government-issue desks arranged classroom style. Even before she walked through the door that would be her workaday home for the duration, she could hear the music of the calculating machines inside the room: a click every time its minder hit a key to enter a number, a drumbeat in response to an operations key, a full drumroll as the machine ran through a complex calculation; the cumulative effect sounded like the practice room of a military bands percussion unit. The arrangement played in all the rooms where women were engaged in aeronautical research at its most granular level, from the central computing pool over on the East Side to the smaller groups of computers attached to specific wind tunnels or engineering groups. The only difference between the other rooms at Langley and the one that Dorothy walked into was that the women sitting at the desks, plying the machines for answers to the question What makes things fly?, were black.

Dorothy took a seat as the women greeted her over the din of the calculating machines; she knew without needing to ask that they were all part of the same confederation of black colleges, alumni associations, civic organizations, and churches. Many of them belonged to Greek letter organizations like Delta Sigma Theta or Alpha Kappa Alpha, which Dorothy had joined at Wilberforce. By securing jobs in Langleys West Computing section, they now had pledged one of the worlds most exclusive sororities. In 1940, just 2 percent of all black women earned college degrees, and 60 percent of those women became teachers, mostly in public elementary and high schools. Exactly zero percent of those 1940 college graduates became engineers. And yet, in an era when just 10 percent of white women and not even a full third of white men had earned college degrees, the West Computers had found jobs and each other at the single best and biggest aeronautical research complex in the world.

After 12 years at the head of the classroom, the tables had turned, and for the first time since graduating from Wilberforce University, Dorothy Vaughan gave herself fully to the discipline that had most engaged her youthful mind. She had come full circle and then some, as she tried to attune her ear to the argot that flew back and forth between the inhabitants of the laboratory, all seeking to answer the fundamental question What makes things fly? Dorothy herself had never flown on a plane  something she shared with more than 98 percent of all Americans  and in all likelihood, before landing at Langley, she had never given the question more than a passing consideration.

For seven months Dorothy Vaughan apprenticed as a mathematician, growing more confident with the concepts, the numbers and the people at Langley. Her work was making a difference in the outcome of the war. And the devastation  she had a part in that as well. Honed to a razors edge by the women and men at the laboratory  flying farther, faster, and with a heavier bomb load than any plane in history  B-29s dropped precision bombs over the country of Japan from high in sky. They brought destruction at close range with incendiary bombs, and they released annihilation  and a new, modern fear  with the atomic bombs that they delivered. War, technology, and social progress  it seemed that the second two always came with the first. The NACAs work  work intense and interesting as she never would have imagined  would remain her work for the duration.

Courtesy of William Morrow

When the war ended three years later, nearly to a woman, the West Computers had decided they were going to hold on to their seats, whatever it took. Black or white, East or West, single or married, mothers or childless, women were now a fundamental part of the aeronautical-research process.

Not a year after the end of the war, the familiar announcements of vacancies at the laboratory, including openings for computers, began to appear in the newsletter again. As the United States downshifted from a flat-out sprint to victory to a more measured pace of economic activity, and as the laboratory began to forget that it had ever operated without the female computers, Dorothy had time to pause and give consideration to what a long-term career as a mathematician might look like.

How could she entertain the idea of returning to Farmville and giving up a job she was good at, that she enjoyed, that paid two or three times more than teaching? Working as a research mathematician at Langley was a very, very good black job  and it was also a very, very good female job. The state of the aeronautics industry was strong, and the engineers were just as interested in retaining the services of the women who did the calculations as the aircraft manufacturers had been in keeping the laundry workers who supported their factory workers on the job.

A new future stretched out before them, but Dorothy Vaughan and the others found themselves at the beginning of a career, with few role models to follow to its end. Just as they had learned the techniques of aeronautical research on the job, the ambitious among them would have to figure out for themselves what it would take to advance as a woman in a profession that was built by men.

Dorothy Vaughan might have eventually lobbied for a job working directly for an engineering section. As a supervisor she came into contact with engineers from a variety of groups, some of whom came to the office insisting that she personally handle their jobs. In 1949, however, the death of her white supervisor would bind Dorothy to the West Area computing office for the next decade.

A June 3, 1949, note in Air Scoop was brusque: Blanche Sponsler Fitchett, Head of West Computing Section, died last Sunday after a six-month illness. The cause of her death, not revealed in the note or in her obituary in the Daily Press, was entered on her death certificate as dementia praecox. Whether Blanche died as a result of treatments designed to cure an illness that would eventually become known as schizophrenia or from suicide or another cause altogether was known only to her doctors and family.

Blanches absence left West Computing with an empty desk, but not a vacuum. It wasnt the way Dorothy would have wanted to take the next step in her career, but Blanches tragedy pushed her up the ladder nonetheless. In April 1949, six weeks after Blanche left the office for the last time, the laboratory appointed Dorothy Vaughan acting head of West Computing.

There were limited ways for a white computer to break into management at Langley. Finding a way to move from being one of the girls to one of the Head Girls took time and persistence, pluck and luck, and there were only so many slots available: while even lower-level male managers might supervise the work of female computers, it was simply unthinkable for a man to report to a woman. Women with an eye on a management job were limited to heading a section in one of the now-decentralized computing pools or in another division with many female employees, such as personnel.

For a black woman, there was exactly one track: It began at the back of the West Area computing office and ended at the front, where Dorothy Vaughan now sat. The view from the supervisors desk, with the rows of brown faces looking back at their new boss, wasnt that different from being at the head of the classroom at Moton: The segregation laws of the state applied just as vigorously to the roomful of highly educated college graduates as they did to the rural black students of Prince Edward County. Yet with its bright lights, government-issue desks, late-model calculating machines, and proximity to tens of millions of dollars worth of aeronautical research tools, West Computing was a world away from Moton High Schools deficient building, rundown chairs, worn-out textbooks, and general sense of powerlessness.

It would take Dorothy Vaughan two years to earn the full title of section head. The men she now worked for  Rufus House was her new supervisor  held her in limbo, waiting either until a more acceptable candidate presented herself or until they were confident she was fit to execute the job on a permanent basis. Or maybe the idea of installing the first black manager in all of the NACAs expanding national empire caused them to demur, lest they stoke the racial anxieties among members of the laboratory and in the town.

Whatever skepticism might have existed among the powers that be about Dorothys qualifications, whatever lobbying and advocacy may have been required on Dorothys part, the outstanding issue was resolved by a memo that circulated in January 1951. Effective this date, Dorothy J. Vaughan, who has been acting head of the West Area Computers unit, is hereby appointed head of that unit. Dorothy must have known it. Her girls and her peers knew it. Many of the engineers knew it, and her bosses eventually came to the same conclusion. History would prove them all right: There was no one better qualified for the job than Dorothy Vaughan.

From the forthcoming book HIDDEN FIGURES: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, by Margot Lee Shetterly. Copyright 2016 by Margot Lee Shetterly. To be published on September 6, 2016, by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Excerpted by permission.

Opening Photo: Courtesy of Chernin Entertainment
She's such a goddess. She can do better and she deserves better.

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this

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he's made a career out of being a ~vulnerable~ fuckboy and associating with people that traffic women, so ia

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HOLY SHIT Rihanna is killing it in that post VMA dress.

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I think it's a jumpsuit-- which makes it more ridiculous but I kind of love it?

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I fucking love it, it's so OTT.

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its gorgeoussss

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Lol I just asked about this! I saw it on Instagram and neither have talked about it and I'm so confused

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oh boy what is this

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omg are they gonna tour



i feel so rewarded for being aubrih trash :')

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Is this legit or a fan made hoax

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Lolololol we got scammed.

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Are they a thing?

What's ovo?



I'm so confused????

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ovo is drake's label. stands for october's very own.

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it literally means egg in portuguese and i was so fucking confused the first time i saw that, like why the fuck would anyone use egg as a brand wtf

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suddenly the koons is Rachael Ray

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LMAO. OVO means egg in portuguese language xD

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Pretty sure my parents' couch had that fringe on it in the 80s.



(Not shade, I mean this literally)

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so they're a for real thing?

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is she straight? 'cause if not, i'd love to see her dump this douche and hook up with another awesome black woman. my wife would finally feel like celebrities are ~just like us~ lmao



Edited at 2016-08-30 07:30 pm (UTC)

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 her legs omggg! honestly I wouldn't claim 'community dick' drake in public either sis but is there any tea on his harems reactions?

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damn is the harem literal enough to have reactions? do they all have a joint twitter acct?

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in the golden age of the harem like a couple years ago LSA kept tabs on all the girls' social media and it used to be easy to see them react to shit, but then I think some of drake's boys started lurking there and it all got shut down. I don't know if we even know who's still in

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so is he in love with her or with the idea of her?

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good question

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hes probably into how shes 'hard to get' too

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whats not the love tho???



she is stunning, nice, funny, humble, even more successful than he is, filthy rich, did i mention STUNNNNING.



She is very easy to fall inlove with.

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the idea of her, 100%. they're so on/off and he's got a billion side chicks in every city in north america, he's so clearly more about proving to everyone else that he is capable of getting with her more than he actually cares about her as a person.

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i think since they've been on and off over the years, he's had the chance to get over the 'idealization' phase, i think he is genuinely into her.

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i want to believe but probably not

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yessss riri work that white shirt!!

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I feel like Rih can do so much better but she also deserves someone to worship the ground she walks on and that corny ass drake looks like he's good at it.

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yeah, it's easy to see why Rih would be into Drake after what she went through with that guy who the police want to surrender at this very moment



Edited at 2016-08-30 08:03 pm (UTC)

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I just don't get what she sees in him...The dick must be really good.

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physically I totally agree. but he's really successful right now and some people are drawn to that, I think she's the type who would be

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I think she likes that he worships the ground she walks on and she finds that convenient.

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i feel like rihanna these days, there is this dude who's all over me and i'm like meh give me your dick

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lmao do you, girl!



Edited at 2016-08-31 07:02 pm (UTC)

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BLESS THIS POST! without a full-time job right now I slept till noon which sounds nice in theory but fucked with my head in practice



Rih's rocking that men's shirt with the belt but I see her holding it down which I'd do too, I'd be nervous about shots from the back

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My parents aren't divorced but they probably should be tbh

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Same

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same :(

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that sounds like your mom's secretly planning to slip antifreeze into your dad's food.

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Mine too but my Dad makes that impossible.

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same



e: codependency is a bitch and will fuck your children up



Edited at 2016-08-30 09:40 pm (UTC)

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yep. stayed together for the kids~

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i grew up thinking that my parents should just get a divorce. they finally did after 18 years. i was so happy ngl

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this is my mom and stepdad, they've been married 20 years and have made a total mess of it all

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Same. My dad's already been married once though. My mom constantly complains but won't do anything.

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my parents should have never been married tbh. they've had a fucked up relationship since they were teenagers.

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same

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same

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same here

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My grandparents should've been divorced but it wasn't common in their generation.

And now the rest of us have to suffer watching them drive each other crazy.

I mean loss of hearing, heart conditions, diabetes, and Alzheimer ain't enough for them, add a new battle everyday for their ongoing world war three in the mix and its exhausting af.





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same, but that's not really a "thing" here.

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Gotta work together to claim that money I guess

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right?! sheeeeiiit

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oop yeah I guess it doesn't matter if they're legally bound now that their daughter is almost 20 and all her money goes directly to her

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Oh

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my parents are together and def shouldn't be lmao

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i really like zendaya. she posted something about how people act all weird with her and her mom and i really relate

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she seems real af, I wonder if she'll stay that way once she gets more and more famous

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She's a Chris Brown fan tho.

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act weird in what way?

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My parents are kinda the same. They "separated" romantically years ago, but they still live together and are legally married in order to keep our family together and just because it's convenient. They're like best friends. I always get the strangest looks when I tell people that my separated parents still live together lol.

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my parents are the same, except they did divorce but still live together and are best buds. my dad also has a gf he stays at during the weekend, so... lol.

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my dad is the only one on his side of the family who hasn't been divorced. my parents are more like siblings: they argue all the time but they still love each other. and their sex life is non-existent, or at least i like to think it is.

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exaactly at the siblings thing, mine too

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My parents are the same too.

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YES same with mine

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my parents were never married or even lived together and still got along when it came to something regarding me (only child), couldn't ask for a better deal TBH

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my parents are divorced. i don't know if they hate each other but my dad wasn't a very good husband. i'm actually glad, i wouldn't liked to have been raised by my dad (he's not a totally horrible person just not father material). he rich tho and i wish i could have enjoyed some of that money, he somehow avoided having to pay child support.

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Omg he's rich and avoided paying child support and feels no guilt



No wonder you say he's horrible father material



My father threw some money at my mom somewhat regularly but when I turned 18 the phone calls, letters and money stopped. Then he showed up when my mom was dying only to try and make it about him.



A few years after she died, he sent me $200 bucks for my bday and I spent it at the strip club

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Shocked about this tbh. But as she said we don't know their life My parents divorced when I was 3, they hated each other so much that the day after my mom filed divorced papers she fled with my brother and me to the UK (he was abusive). Then when we came back 2 months later to sort out custody arrangements, he hauled ass back to Canada. He visited the US again to see us during Christmas when I was 6 and I haven't seen him since lmao. My childhood was idyllic as fuck because of this.

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I was also really shocked when I saw her tweet because I still see her parents together all the time. But it makes sense if she says that they're still friends.



And I'm glad your mom got to leave your abusive dad. Some women never get out of those relationships.

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Thanks bb! I'm glad she got away too. I don't like to think about how my childhood would have turned out had she stayed.

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My parents are 2 yrs away from 4 decades of marriage. Only 1 of my 4 siblings are married. We are in no rush. Lol!



Divorce isn't always a bad thing. Some people get along better after they break up.

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Just last night I dreamt that my parents got into a serious light saber fight and I was panicking trying to stop them cos I knew my mom would end him. 

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Lmaoooo 

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lmaooo this is so cute.

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lmao

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Aww, what kind of Reylo teas? lmfao

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lmao i love this

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this is my favorite comment today i giggled

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The question, sis, is... did you succeed?

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My parents got divorced when I was in 7th grade. I'm 30 now so basically forever.



My parents get along so much better now, but my stepmother is a real drag.





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Okay

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lol something about her reply is so obnoxious. She replying like people cared like that to begin with. She coulda kept it mute but she likes to talk.

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TMZ cared enough to report on it

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TMZ, the Daily Mail and other tabloids started reporting it, so \_()_/



She just wanted people to know that it was old news.

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The young homeless man who accompanied Miley Cyrus to the MTV Video Music Awards and who had been sought on an Oregon arrest warrant has turned himself in and posted bail, an Oregon official said Thursday night.



The young homeless man who accompanied Miley Cyrus to the MTV Video Music Awards and who had been sought on an Oregon arrest warrant has turned himself in and posted bail, an Oregon official said Thursday night.

Jesse Helt, 22, turned himself in at the Polk County Jail in the Willamette Valley community of Dallas, Oregon, was booked on a probation violation warrant and then posted $2,500 bail, said Martin Silbernagel, director of Polk County Community Corrections. Helt will be expected to appear before a judge in about two weeks, Silbernagel said in a telephone interview.





Court records show that Helt pleaded guilty to misdemeanour criminal mischief and criminal trespass several years ago after breaking into the apartment of a man he believed to be selling bad marijuana. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and probation. The arrest warrant was issued in November 2011 after he violated probation.





Helt moved to Los Angeles and lived on the streets while trying to find work as a model. He gained worldwide attention Sunday when Cyrus let him accept her award for video of the year. Helt, who met Cyrus through the Hollywood homeless centre My Friend's Place, used the platform to call attention to the issue of youth homelessness. "I am accepting this award on behalf of the 1.6 million runaways and homeless youth in the United States who are starving, lost, and scared for their lives right now," Helt said. "I know this because I am one of these people." C yrus selected the charity with help from her friend Trevor Neilson, the president of G2 Investment Group and co-founder of Global Philanthropy Group.





"Jesse Helt turned himself in tonight to Polk County authorities to address his outstanding legal issues," Neilson said in an email late Thursday. "Miley Cyrus will be assisting him with this process, and they both are committed to working to help the other 1.6 million youth who experience homelessness in America each year."





Jesse's mother, Linda Helt, said late Thursday that the past four days had been a whirlwind experience, and she confirmed that Cyrus has offered to help pay for her son's legal help.


When taking a quick look at some of the critical figures and data in the energy markets this week, we see that the U.S. oil rig count remains unchanged, while oil prices are falling as a result of a stronger U.S. dollar.

(Click to enlarge)

Chart of the Week

(Click to enlarge)

 OPEC members earned $404 billion in oil export revenues last year, a decline by roughly half from the $753 billion they earned in 2014, according to the EIA.

 The 2015 total was the worst performance since 2004. The EIA says that OPEC members earned about $606 per capita for its population from oil export revenue, down from about $3,500 per person in 1980.

 This year will likely be worse. The EIA projects OPEC oil revenue to fall to $341 billion this year but could rebound to $427 billion next year. However, those are just rough estimates, using assumption for oil prices for the next 18 months.

Market Movers

 Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) said that it would sell some of its Gulf of Mexico assets for $425 million to Houston-based EnVen Energy. The sale includes the Brutus/Gilder assets, which include four blocks plus a subsea pipeline and platform.

 Oil production at Enis (NYSE: E) Goliat oil platform in the Barents Sea was shut down last week because of a power failure, requiring a partial evacuation. The Norwegian government is requesting that Eni come up with a plan to prevent future interruptions.

 An anti-fracking vote failed to qualify for the November ballot in Colorado, falling short of the signatures needed to make the cut. The measures could have been severely restrictive to oil and gas drilling in the state.

Tuesday August 30, 2016

Oil prices dipped on Monday as oil traders took a more pessimistic view of the forthcoming OPEC meeting in Algeria. A stronger dollar and an improved security outlook in Nigeria also weighed on prices. Last week, a surprise build in crude oil inventories dashed hopes that the bull market would continue. On top of these fundamentals, the U.S. dollar also gained strength as the Fed appeared to put a near-term rate hike back on the table last week. Taken together the glut has kept oil prices from rising back to $50 per barrel.

The bearish news was offset on Tuesday by a temporary shutdown in recent days of about 170,000 barrels per day in the Gulf of Mexico because of tropical storm concerns. Oil traded up slightly on Tuesday  WTI moved above $47 per barrel during midday trading and Brent was just shy of $50.

Oil price volatility here to stay. Top oil executives do not see an end to the volatility in the oil markets for the foreseeable future. The volatility is here to stay, ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) CEO Ryan Lance said at a Conference in Norway on Monday, according to Bloomberg. The ongoing process of adjustment to oil supply and demand will extend into 2017. The inventory levels are still quite high." Other oil executives agree. Martin Bachmann, the top official from Wintershall AGs exploration and production unit for Europe and the Middle East, said that [t]here will be a rebalancing. Over what timeframe is the big question. He went on to add, [b]asically, volatility is the word.

A return to sub-$40 oil? "While we see high probability of some 80 to 90 percent of a return to $39 WTI, we also feel that achievement of this objective could still be some four to five weeks away," said Jim Ritterbusch of the oil consultancy Ritterbusch & Associates, according to Reuters.

Strong rebound next year. While some analysts are concerned that oil could dip again in the short run, Bank of America Merrill Lynch says that oil is set for strong gains in 2017, expecting WTI and Brent to rise to $70 per barrel. BofA Merrill Lynch says that the oil market will flip from glut to deficit next year, with demand outstripping supply by as much as 800,000 barrels per day. Francisco Blanch, head of global commodities research at BofA Merrill Lynch drew a parallel with the 2010 rally, which saw strong price gains amid a supply deficit. In 2010 oil surged to the mid-$90s per barrel because of the supply shortfall, but Blanch says that the potential for tighter monetary policy could keep oil prices from reaching that level this time around.

Oil majors pull out of Alaska LNG. A massive project to build a long-distance natural gas pipeline and LNG export terminal in Alaska just took a hit, as one of the main private sector sponsors pulled out amid high costs. ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) said that despite the 20 percent reduction in the expected cost for the project, it is still not economically viable. Exxon is a joint owner of the project, along with BP (NYSE: BP), ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), and the state of Alaska. The companies say they believe the project will cost $45 billion, at the lower end of a previous estimated range of $45 to $65 billion. Instead, they support a state-led ownership model for the project, but exactly how that would work has yet to be determined. The 800-mile pipeline and LNG export terminal is among one of the worlds costliest on the drawing board. LNG prices have crashed in recent years, throwing the projects economic case into doubt. Related: Dakota Access Pipeline Is Set To Become The Second Keystone XL



Mexico hedges $9.5 billion worth of oil. Mexico once again hedged a large volume of its oil sales for the year ahead, locking in the equivalent of $9.5 billion of oil sales to ensure predictable prices. Mexico does not like to play with chance  it is the largest sovereign oil hedger in the world, according to Bloomberg. Mexico locked in 250 million barrels of oil at $38 per barrel, a few dollars below last weeks close of $41 per barrel (Mexicos crude stream trades at a discount to the more widely traded international benchmarks). That is the lowest price it has hedged at since 2008. But while last years hedging looked too cautious at the time, it ended up yielding $6.4 billion in savings, and Mexicos hedging could save $3 billion this year. Still, the willingness to hedge at $38 per barrel says a lot about where Mexico believes the oil price is heading over the next 12 months.

Oil discoveries continue to plummet. In 2015 the oil industry logged new discoveries that represented just one tenth of the annual average dating back to 1960, Bloomberg reports. This year could be even worse as the industry slashes spending on exploration. The figures come from a new Wood Mackenzie report, which found that only 2.7 billion barrels of new oil was discovered in 2015, and only 736 million barrels have been discovered so far this year. The poor results raise questions about the industrys ability to bring enough supply online to meet future demand.

U.S. regulators says fix to faulty offshore drilling bolts needed. The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) warned offshore oil drillers and equipment suppliers that faulty bolts used in the drilling process could lead to a catastrophic oil spill. Fortunately, as of today weve had no major catastrophes from bolt failures, Brian Salerno, Director of BSEE, said at a forum on Monday hosted by the agency. We believe it may only be a matter of time before our luck runs out. A pattern of bolt failures used in key equipment such as blowout preventers have been reported in recent years, parts manufactured by General Electric (NYSE: GE), Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB) and National Oilwell Varco (NYSE: NOV), according to The Wall Street Journal. We could have another Macondo or something similar from this piece of equipment, said Joe Levine, a BSEE official. BSEE is working with industry trade groups to figure out the problem.

By Evan Kelly of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
With sun-drenched deserts to the north and the windswept Atlantic on its western coast, South Africa has abundant clean energy reserves. Recently discovered natural gas in neighboring Mozambique could add another relatively clean source of energy for Africas largest economy, and yet the South African government has opted to prioritize dirty coal and expensive nuclear as the answer to its ongoing energy crisis.

While the national monopoly Eskom celebrated a year without power cuts (or load shedding, as the company likes to call them) with glitzy ads, the underlying problems that made possible the 99 days of rolling blackouts are far from being solved.



The power cuts have been blamed for shaving a full percentage point off South Africas GDP and contributing to the 1.2 percent contraction in the first quarter. Describing the power outages as the countrys biggest challenge, President Jacob Zuma has been keen to promote his governments efforts to boost the countrys power supply. Part of the plan involves the opening of up to three new coal-fired plants, the first of which, located at Medupi, north of Johannesburg, went live last August, producing 794 MW (of a projected total of 4,764 MW once all six units of the plant are complete in 2019). A second plant at Kusile is also slated to begin operations next year, although many are skeptical.



Apart from the long delays and huge cost overruns that saw four executives from Eskom suspended during an investigation into their management of the projects, increasing South Africas coal powered energy output is only going to add to the environmental and health woes already plaguing the country. In the Mpumalanga province - which currently hosts 12 coal plants - levels of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter are often twice the recommended maximum level, causing severe respiratory problems and lung cancer among a population where many residents already have compromised immune systems due to the prevalence of HIV.



Indeed, coal can never be a long-term solution in the post-COP21 world. As such, South Africa is exploring a series of potential options to meet its energy demands and Zuma announced that the country would build up to eight nuclear power plants to generate 9,200MW of energy by 2030. The catch is that nuclear power comes not just with an eye-watering price tag of $100 billion, but also with multiple security concerns. Observers have been quick to cast a skeptical eye on the plans, noting that the first phase of the Medupi plant was originally due to open in 2011 and ended up costing $10 billion, more than twice the initial estimate. Related: Forget Driverless Cars  Driverless Air Taxis Are The Future



By the same logic, Hartmut Winkler, a professor of physics at the Johannesburg University writes that, if similar circumstances prevail in the nuclear build, that would result in a construction process of 20 years or more and a price tag of one or two trillion rand. This is without factoring in the likely legal challenges to the construction of nuclear facilities by local populations worried of a Fukushima style accident occurring at one of the plants. The countrys finances are in dire straits as well, with a Reuters poll finding that a majority of analysts expect the credit rating to be cut to junk status this year.



To be fair, South Africa does intend to generate 42 percent of its energy mix from renewable sources by 2030, and has made significant strides in that direction, adding over 4,000 MW of renewable energy capacity in less than four years. That figure is nearly equal to what the Medupi plant has managed to deliver in the nine years since it was first mooted in 2007. Similarly, wind energy has taken off exponentially at the same time, thanks in large part to the construction of the Cookhouse Wind farm in the Eastern Cape. Related: The Magic Number For Oil Bulls Remains In Sight



Finally, the discovery of natural gas reserves in neighboring Mozambique provides a huge opportunity for South Africa to procure some of its supply from a relatively clean and proximate source. Earlier this year, the Italian company ENI was awarded a contract by the Mozambican government to build a floating liquefied natural gas plant to begin exploiting the estimated 180 trillion cubic feet of gas off the coast of the East African country. Shortly after ENI secured that deal, the governments of Mozambique and South Africa agreed to build a 2,600 km pipeline to transport the gas to South Africa. In order to protect its offshore energy infrastructure, Mozambique took a series of steps, such as buying a fleet of patrol vessels through the EMATUM government agency to stave off the growing piracy threat plaguing its shores.



Again, the contrast in time and cost between gas-to-power and coal is stark, with the former requiring a three-year construction time and costing $0.80 per watt versus 10 years for coal at a cost of $5 per watt. Even if gas prices are at an all-time low due to global excess capacity, and it could, in the short-term, be cheaper to import LNG from the U.S., South Africas focus on regional LNG supplies makes sense over the long run.



Celebrating a year without load shedding does not mean that blackouts have become a thing of the past. With a bit of help from renewables and Mozambiques LNG, South Africas power generation should receive a nudge in the right direction, but that will not cancel out years of underinvestment and public malfeasance.

By Scott Belinski for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Oil prices enjoyed a bump last week, thanks in part to a weakened dollar and some geopolitical tensions in the Persian Gulf. But a large factor in the recent rally has been the return of a possible OPEC production freeze, a subject that was last tossed around before the organizations much-publicized, and ultimately unproductive, meeting in Doha last April. The likelihood of a freeze sent markets up on Thursday, though some less-than-confident comments from the Saudi oil minister sent them dropping back on Friday.

Whether a freeze occurs or not is likely to be the trending gossip among speculators for the next month, at a time when such talk is exerting greater-than-average pull on the crude price. But a question worth asking is whether a freeze is even possible, given the state of OPEC and the increasingly divergent interests of its fourteen members.

This new attempt at a production freeze comes as Saudi Arabia, OPECs largest producer and de facto leader, reaches a new production record of 10.67 million barrels, more than 400,000 more than when the last freeze was discussed, while its oil revenues continue to plummet. OPEC profits have fallen 55 percent since 2014, according to the EIA. Ecuador, Kuwait and other Gulf producers want the price to recover past $50 a barrel. If a production freeze is on the cards, it will be discussed in late September during an informal meeting of the OPEC states at the International Energy Forum in Algeria.

Iraq and Iran, OPECs number two and three producers, respectively, have offered tacit acceptance of a production freeze, with important caveats.

In the case of Iran, a freeze will not interfere with the countrys long campaign to re-capture market share, as oil minister Bijan Zanganeh made quite clear in a recent statement. The question of where, exactly, Irans production will reach before a freeze is open for debate. The widely-cited figure is Irans pre-sanctions production level of 4 million barrels, and the Iranian government has claimed that it will consider a freeze once production reaches this level.

If the current trend holds, Iran will reach 4 million barrels by September, in time for the Algeria meeting. Increasing production past 4 million will require new investment, which Iran is preparing to court with new contracts, and which it desperately needs in order to repair its infrastructure and expand beyond its aging fields.

But will Iran (or Zanganeh) be satisfied with 4 million? Irans all-time high of 6.3 million barrels per day was reached in the 1970s. Its possible that Zanganeh will insist that Iranian production increase to its historic maximum, just as Saudi Arabia has allowed its production to sky-rocket. It may give tacit approval to a freeze, in order to bring prices up, but its unlikely to adhere to it in any practical sense.

In other words, Iran will agree to a production freezeas long as it doesnt have to participate. Related: Forget Driverless Cars  Driverless Air Taxis Are The Future

Iraq, meanwhile, has been pushing as hard as it can to increase production in advance of any possible freeze. It has asked the international companies currently present in Iraq to increase investment and bring up production, which has already reached 4.78 million barrels per day. But companies are only willing to invest if they can be sure of compensation from the Iraqi state, which failed to deliver last year and had to instruct companies to bring down their level of investment.

Other OPEC members, including Nigeria and Venezuela, are facing nothing less than an economic Armageddon and are desperate for an increase in price. Nigeria however has seen its production decline to a 30-year low due to violence in the Niger Delta. Venezuela is less likely to make waves, as its economy has been hit harder than any other OPEC member by the current crisis, so any recovery in price would be worthwhile. But Nigeria probably wont agree to freeze at current levels: like Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, its leaders will want to pump more before bringing production to a halt.

So, if there is a freeze, where will production be frozen, exactly? Since April, Iran and Saudi Arabia together are pumping 1 million barrels more than they were the last time a freeze was contemplated. David Hufton, of the PVM Group in London, has noted that a 34 million barrel a day freeze is not the same as one at 33 million barrels, and that given current market conditions it could take a year for the price to stabilize at such a level.

This comes as the EIA estimates lower demand for oil in 2017, surging activity in wind and solar power, and increased interest in electric, AI-guided automobiles. Taken with the ongoing geopolitical factors tugging at OPECs frayed sense of coherence, including divisions among Middle Eastern states over the war in Syria and the ongoing Tehran-Riyadh rivalry, the state of oil production in OPECs many members makes a freeze agreement in late September look increasingly unlikely and, ultimately, impossible. What is possible, however, is that continued talk of a freeze will continue to exert influence over the market, which has see-sawed between bearish and bullish for weeks now.

By Gregory Brew for Oilprice.com

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Yemeni Houthi armed forces today purportedly struck facilities of Saudi oil giant Aramco in the southwestern part of Saudi Arabia as well as the airport of Abha in the kingdom, Iranian Fars News reports. The attacksthe second such reported incident in a week--according to Iranian media reports citing Yemeni sources, came in retaliation for Saudi air strikes targeting civilians in Yemen.

The attack that prompted the retaliatory move took place on Friday, when Saudi fighters, according to Iranian media, targeted residential areas in the district of Baqim, in the northwestern Saada province. The attack resulted in 11 casualties and came after another one on Thursday, which again had a civilian target: a bazaar in the same district. Seven were killed in that attack, and 10 others were injured.

According to the Al Masirah website, which Fars News quotes, the damage to Aramcos facilities in todays attack has been considerable, but no specific details were offered, and Saudi Arabia has not confirmed the veracity of the reports.

The Yemeni attack comes just days after another one, launched by the Houthi rebel group, also targeting Aramco facilities. Neither of the attacks has been confirmed by Saudi sources or Aramco itself. After the Friday attack, Aramco officials told Bloomberg all its refineries were operating as usual.

State-controlled Saudi media, however, acknowledged a missile strike from Yemen on Friday, which caused a fire at a power relay facility in Narjan, southern Saudi Arabia, which was quickly put out. Related: Yemens Houthi Forces Claim Missile Hit On Saudi Aramco Oil Facilities

Yemen is the site of a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and Iranian media are the first to report on Houthi claims coming out of Yemen. Yemens geographical position is strategic because it sits on the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden--a waterway for much of the oil shipments in the region.

In February 2015, the Houthi rebels forced President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia. The Shiite Houthis are allied with Iran, Saudi Arabias regional archrival. The international community recognizes Hadi as Yemens legitimate leader.

Last week, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, accused Saudi forces of using cluster bombs against Yemeni civilians, which violates international laws, directly blaming the Saudi-led coalition for a disproportionate amount of the attacks against civilian targets.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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As Jack Handey aptly pointed out Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes. Often arguments are caused by entities talking past each other, as personal vantage points dont allow them to see from the others perspective.

With European gas demand rising in 2015 for the first time in four years and internal gas production on the decline, and fewer new sources of gas being brought online in Europe, the search is on for new sources of the fuel. A more fuel-hungry west and an east increasingly weary of Russias monopoly on the gas markets is fueling a debate over what the solution should be to the gas supply question.

Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller seems little concerned after Polish antitrust authority UOKiK ruled last week that the Gazprom-led consortium looking to develop Nord Stream 2 would create too large of a monopoly and inhibit competition in the European gas network.

Miller noted that the ruling may prove not to be a stumbling block at all as he said a new solution should be found by October. Nord Stream 2, a project to twin the Nord Stream 1 line from Russian gas fields to Germany, is being developed as a consortium led by Gazprom (50%), with partnerships from European entities: E.ON (10%), OMV (10%), Shell (10%),Wintershall (10%) and ENGIE (10%).

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North-western Europe support for Nord Stream 2

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Although Estonia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia have signed a letter opposing the opening of Nord Stream 2, many of the pipelines investors and benefactors are Western European countries, making them more invested in the projects success. Further, many NWE countries have traditionally had more than three gas suppliers, and on top of that there is now an additional new source of supply in the form of American LNG. As a result, the region does not normally see the difficulties of having a monopolistic player on its gas markets.

(Click to enlarge)

With gas extraction falling from states like the Netherlands to 25bn m3/yr down from 42.5 bn m3/yr in 2014 due to earthquakes, Western Europe is looking to supplant this supply with new sources. With the long-term decline of gas production in the UK and with steady demand, NWE is looking hard for new stable sources of gas.

(Click to enlarge)

As even Norways gas fields are approaching maturity, NWE will need to develop other options for a gas supply. The Nord Stream 2 pipeline proves to be a good solution. North-central Europe sees extra capacity in Yamal and Ukrainian Corridor gas lines, and sees Nord Stream 2 as a way to lower gas transit fees ultimately paid for by the region. If the Nord Stream 2 line were to be built, Germany would enjoy lower gas prices as less transit fees to Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, the Czech Republic and Slovakia would be paid. Related: Has The Gulf Of Mexico Fallen Out Of Favor With The Oil Majors?

Further to the point, although LNG is a viable option for NWE as well, the region is more conscious of GHG emissions, and LNG has more related emissions due to the energy required for liquefaction and gasification, and gasses released during the processes. Considering that LNG, which currently supplies about 10 percent of NWEs gas, is expected to increase to 20 percent, a new economic and GHG friendlier pipeline looks like a compelling option.

(Click to enlarge)

(Click to enlarge)

North-central states on course for gas market diversification

Weary of Russias multiple-decade long gas monopoly on its gas supply, north-central Europe is looking to diversify its gas system. To a large extent, this is happening with some success.

Poland has recently received its first commercial LNG shipment in June at its 5bn m3/yr Swinoujscie terminal, a third of Polands 16 bn m3/yr consumption. Having just been commissioned, the terminal is already expanding to 7.5bn m3/yr, and will increase competitiveness on its domestic market.

Although Polands plans to develop shale gas have largely ended in a whimper, there is a chance for coal bed methane development. With PGNiG currently developing the Gilowice-1 and-2 pilot boreholes into coal-seams using hydraulic fracturing technology, the jury is still out how these developments will affect Polands gas supply. The country is also looking to develop a pipeline from Norway with a capacity of 2-3bn m3/yr, with hopes of completion by 2022, the same year that long-term contracts with Gazprom are set to expire.

Right next to Poland, Lithuanias Klaipeda LNG FSRU terminal, constructed in late 2014, has a capacity of 4bn m3/yr. The terminal posted a 1.9 percent increase in profits from the previous year, as pipeline and storage capacity bottlenecks inside the country and the three Baltic states were cleared and more gas was imported. This terminal is greater than Lithuanias supply, and can offset part of Latvias gas demand.

Meanwhile, funding for the 187.5 million Balticconnector pipeline connecting Estonia to Finland was announced on August 12. With the connection of the Baltics to Finland, another LNG terminal could be a compelling investment for the combined 7.5bn m3/yr Lithuania-Latvia-Estonia-Finland gas market.

July 10th marked the arrival of the first LNG cargo to Finlands newly completed LNG terminal in Pori with a storage capacity of 30 000 m3, with commercial deliveries starting in September. The combined storage capacity of the Pori terminal and two other LNG terminals set to complete construction in 2017 in Finland is 90 000 m3  assuming the same downstream processing capacity as the Swinoujscie Terminal (320 000 storage capacity), this amounts to an annual processing capacity of 1.4bn m3/yr.

The company Vopak EOS which operates 1 million m3 of crude oil and related petroleum product storage capacity in Tallinn, Estonia is looking to build a 160 000 m expandable-to 320 000 m of LNG storage in Estonia by 2017 for half capacity and by 2019 for full capacity.

All these terminals, with the Balticconnector pipeline would be able to supply more than the four countries 7.5bn m/yr of demand, and allow the nations to export a nominal amount of gas, for example to Poland. A 560 million euro, 2.5 bn m/yr pipeline between Poland and Lithuania is set to open in 2019.



Russia looking to break through its besieged fortress mentality

With these developments to Gazproms LNG clients and a potential Baltic electricity link, from an economic markets perspective it is understandable that Russia has a besieged fortress mentality. The reduction in revenue from energy players in Russia has a direct effect on its state budget, and the limitations of Russias influence on energy markets moves it from a price maker to a price taker. When Lithuania was willing to pay a 10 percent premium on Lithuanian over Russian gas last year, Gazprom noted that a diversified approach was the best path, and that it was mostly unaffected by western sanctions.

To adapt to the changing market dynamics, Gazprom is hoping to build its own LNG export terminal. The company signed a memorandum of understanding with Shell to develop a 10 million tonne (about 13.7 bn m3) LNG terminal in Ust-Luga, 110km east of St. Petersburg near the Estonia-Russia border. The plant has an option to expand to 15 million tonnes, and the $10 billion dollar deal hopes to start operating in 2021.

Further, last week Russia opened an LNG export (liquefaction) terminal in Pskov, not too far from Estonia. At 31.7 million cm / year, the terminal is relatively small, however will be a step for Russia to develop its LNG capabilities on the Baltic. Estonia and the client company of Gazprom that runs the terminal signed a contract to supply gas to Estonia. To help develop its LNG capabilities, Gazprom has been in talks with Russias largest shipping company, Sovcomflot.

Gazprom is also looking to develop pipelines to Turkey via the Turkish stream, and is in close talks with Chinese partners to develop export capabilities to the country. Russia and China have two agreements for Russia to supply a total of 38 bn cm / yr of gas to China. The company looks to develop a diversified, multi-pronged approach to its natural gas export capabilities. In this way the company can guarantee its long-term viability while natural gas markets equalize across the globe.

As Gazproms market capitalization for the first time fell below that of Sberbank, Russias most respected bank, the company is looking to diversify its markets as more new sources of gas are brought online in the world.

Ukraine looking to solve its own energy challenges

With the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine causing challenges for commercial gas contracts, Ukraine has been steadily decreasing its dependence on Russian gas. Last year for the first time Ukraine produced more than half its gas requirements at 20 bn m3, and imported 16.5 bn m3 from Russia. After Shell pulled out of the development of Ukraines largest gas field last year, citing falling gas prices and uncertainty due to the conflict, the country recently awarded a new company, Yuzgas B.V., set up by investment fund Emerstone Energy. The fund is headed by former European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Ukraine country head Jaroslav Kinach, and will look to develop the 7,800 square kilometer Yuzivska gas field, which could yield 8-10 bn m3 / yr.

The 5 bn m3 / yr UkrTransGaz pipeline between Poland and Ukraine is set to start construction next year and be complete by 2020. This pipeline will give Ukraine access to LNG gas supplies via the LNG terminal recently finished in Poland. If production numbers prove to be as expected from the prospective Ukrainian gas field, the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) could bring money to Ukraines budget, offsetting potential loss of gas transit fees.

Increasing energy efficiency at a time

It is interesting to note that Ukraines total gas consumption in 2013 was 55 bn m3, while in 2015 it was 36.5 bn m3. Although some of this decrease is due to territorial disputes and conflict, some of the decrease was due to an increasingly efficient Ukrainian energy system. Indeed, with funding from the International Monetary Fund, the Ukraine hopes to move to install gas and heat metering to have universal consumption-based billing by the end of this year. According to the International Energy Agency, Ukraines National Energy Efficiency Plan which it has submitted to the European Commission outlines how energy efficiency measures by themselves that could decrease gas imports in 2020 by 40 percent from 2014 numbers. Related: Ignoring Fundamentals: Speculation Has Been Driving Oil Prices

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(Click to enlarge)

If Ukraine was able to coordinate development of solar energy in Odessa, Wind energy in the Carpathian Mountains near Lviv, gas developments around Lviv, the Polish-Ukrainian gas pipeline, and a national energy efficiency program, Ukraines gas import woes could largely be overcome by 2020. This type of development would be on the scale of a national Energiewende for Ukraine, and such coordination would be difficult for a conflict-torn nation. However, the country has already surpassed 1GW of installed renewable energy capacity this year, and is planning on entering the race for the worlds first 1GW solar plant in Chernobyl.

Conclusion

With north-central Europes traditional Russian monopoly on its gas markets, the region is looking to diversify its gas supply and increase competition. It worries that a second Nord Stream line would allow Gazprom to further monopolize the European gas market, and isolate Ukraine for political means. The region is developing LNG gasification terminals to help with its gas diversification.

Western Europe sees Nord Stream 2 as a strictly economic pipeline to limit transit fees, and also sees line as having the potential to lower GHG emissions. The region has not traditionally had a single sourced natural gas market, and does not see a monopolistic threat from Gazprom.

Both regions however, are weary of the situation in Ukraine. The West sees the best solution as increasing Ukraines renewable energy mix and increasing the countrys energy efficiency.

With the large potential to fully remove Ukraines gas dependency on Russia, north-central Europes successful gas diversification using LNG, and Western Europes decrease in production combined with steady demand, Nord Stream 2 is a viable economic option. However, with increased U.S. LNG exports, an increased ability for north-central Europe to accept LNG imports, the line is not completely necessary for long term energy security.

Disclosure: Although I am a Polish citizen and hence my views are influenced by this, I am also a Canadian citizen, spent most of my life in Canada, have spent the last year living in Moscow, and am studying at a University in the UK through distance learning. In short, Im comfortable looking at Europe through a macro perspective.

By Matt Slowikowski for Oilprice.com

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Multiple media outlets have reported the death of long-standing Uzbek President Islam Karimov, but no official confirmation has been given and speculation of a power struggle over his successor intensifies.

On Monday night, Fergana news agency reported that Karimovhospitalized on Friday after an apparently severe stroke--had died, according to a detailed timeline by the Moscow Times.

Interfax said officials in Tashkent denied the rumors, insisting that Karimov remained in a serious, but stable position after suffering a stroke on Friday.

The New York Times reports that the Uzbeki website Fergana has been banned at home since 2005 and has been run from Moscow by editor Daniil Kislov since then.

The nightly news show on Uzbekistans main television channel did not comment on the health of the president at all on Sunday Night.

On Monday, Lola Karimov, the presidents youngest daughter used Instagram to report that the president had been hospitalized for a stroke.

The 78-year-old leader was last seen in public on August 17th and had been slated to participate in Uzbekistans 25th Independence Day celebrations on September 1st.

Sources from the opposition party, the Peoples Movement of Uzbekistan, said Karimov lost consciousness during a party on Friday thrown to celebrate the countrys Olympic team and its 13 new medals from the Rio de Janeiro games.

The reception ended at 10 p.m., when Karimov fainted because he had drunk too much vodka.

Over the weekend, medical professionals from Germany and Israel had been flown to Tashkent to provide care before Karimov was hospitalized.

Questions about succession are now at the forefront, despite the lack of confirmation of Karimovs death, and Russia will be a major factor in this potential new playing field, likely playing a behind-the-scenes role in support of the Uzbek security services.

Islam Karimov has built a very stable system of power, which is based on the power of the special services, Kislov told The Times. Regardless of who is the main person in the country, the real power will be with the special services.



Related: Colorado Drillers See Share Prices Spike As Anti-Fracking Campaign Falters

Karimov first came to power when Uzbekistan was still the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic in 1989. He is the only person to hold the office of president since the country gained independence in 1991.

Karimovs authoritarian tactics put him at odds with human rights organizations worldwide.

Thousands of people are imprisoned on politically motivated charges, torture is endemic, and authorities regularly harass human rights activists, opposition members, and journalists, Human Rights Watch reported earlier this year.

By Zainab Calcuttawala for Oilprice.com

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The Chief Energy Adviser at Shell, Wim Thomas, on Monday claimed that the glut in oil supplies that have forced down prices for more than two years will not likely clear until the latter half of 2017.

In remarks made to the Reuters news agency, Thomas observed that several factors would push a rebalancing of the oil market later than forecasted by most commodity analysts, including the possibility of uncertainty related to oil output in Iraq and Iran.

The Iraqi government and foreign oil investors earlier this month vowed to restart suspended investment and boost crude production for 2017. Iranian officials, meanwhile, have conditionally agreed to cooperate with a potential production freeze by OPEC members, despite wanting to increase national output.

Thomas further cited the probable return to the market of approximately 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil from the African states of Libya and Nigeria. Libyan production fell to 320,000 bpd in June, though the unblocking of several key ports will likely help increase exports. The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently estimated Nigerian oil production will stay low into 2017.

"All these things when they come back on the market can again postpone the true balancing," Thomas said in an interview on the sidelines of the ONS oil conference in Stavanger, Norway.

The Shell analysts further noted that oil prices, which have plummeted by more than 70 percent from 2014 highs, could strengthen if OPEC opts to enact a production freeze. Other considerations he said could quickly boost oil prices are stronger demand from China and India, along with the resilience of U.S. shale producers to weak prices.

With regards to Shell, Thomas said the major energy producer is prepared for all outcomes of the future of global oil supplies, and is very serious in developing the offshore wind market.

By Erwin Cifuentes for Oilprice.com

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Later this week, Wisconsin's children start back to school. In honor of that, this week's column takes a look at some recent school-related fictions and attempts to explain the actual facts.

1. FICTION: Teachers can be replaced by VCRs

FACT: On August 18, Wisconsin's senior Senator, Ron Johnson, told a WisPolitics forum audience that we need "disruptive technology for our higher education system" in order to eliminate the "higher education cartel." "Disruptive technology" is often code for "cheaper" or "without actual workers." Think Uber  driverless Uber, even  but for college professors.

There are so many things wrong here, starting with Johnson's calling the country's university system a "cartel," as if college professors are drug dealers and deans kingpins. Johnson goes on to blast professors for not working 40 hours a week, a common right wing talking point despite overwhelming evidence that professors actually work more like 60 hours a week.

But what drew headlines was Johnson's suggestion that universities and K-12 schools should take the Khan Academy approach: "If you want to teach the Civil War across the country, are you better off having, I dont know, tens of thousands of history teachers that kind of know the subject, or would you be better off popping in 14 hours of 'Ken Burns Civil War' tape and then have those teachers proctor based on that excellent video production already done?"

Ken Burns, needless to say, was not in favor of the idea, tweeting out that he's "here to support teachers, not replace them." And despite invoking its name, Johnson also seems to fundamentally misunderstand the Khan Academy model of teaching. Sal Khan himself is emphatic that teaching-by-video has limitations, and his videos are not for replacing teachers but helping teachers use classroom time more effectively.

That's why the brick-and-mortar Khan Academy has, you know, teachers. "We view the virtual as something that can empower the physical," Khan says. "If students can get lectures at their own time and pace, they can get exercises, they can have a programming platform, that doesn't mean that the classroom gets replaced; it means the classroom gets liberated." The videos, he explains, are "valuable, but I'd never say they somehow constitute a complete education."

Sorry, Sen. Johnson, but you're peddling fiction rather than fact.

2: FICTION: Wisconsin's Act 10 has been great for teachers

FACT: Act 10, for those of you new to Wisconsin or just waking up from a five-year nap, was the contentious Wisconsin law that stripped most public-sector unions of almost all their power to bargain collectively for things like pay, benefits, working conditions and more. The law was transparently aimed at teachers' unions, the most effective and vociferous opponents of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and legislative Republicans; State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald told Fox News viewers that he expected Act 10 to make re-electing President Obama more difficult without the unions' spending on advertising and organizing.

But those in favor of the bill kept promising us teachers that being freed from the talons of our union bosses would be in our best interest. Of course, that is not true; teachers across the board have taken pay cuts, and the legislature's school funding cuts have meant a declining teacher workforce that has is generally less experienced and lower paid, with many districts facing massive teacher shortages.

This has led to two unintended consequences in the news right now. One is that competition among districts has led to teacher "poaching," to use a term WI State Superintendent Tony Evers used at a Wisconsin Public Education Network conference last week. While the free-marketeers on the right see this as "opportunity" for teachers, it's actually a tremendously dangerous and troubling thing for districts, schools, students and teachers left behind after such poaching.

I've written about teacher retention before, and about the academic and financial toll losing teachers takes on schools. But just as bad is the effect on teachers ourselves; no one has expressed more eloquently what Act 10 did to Wisconsin teachers than my friend and former Wisconsin teacher of the year Claudia Felske: "The new paradigm? Frozen pay scales, lack of bargaining rights, privatization (vouchers and charters) have all contributed to suspicion in the faculty lounge, decreased collegiality, and a greater tendency to view co-workers as transitory acquaintances rather than lifelong friends. All of this has greatly affected morale and job satisfaction."

Even worse that poaching is news from UW researcher Peter Goff that, post-Act 10, male teachers are earning more than female teachers in Wisconsin.

Teaching used to be one of the most reliably gender gap-free professions in the country. In general, women earn less than 80 percent of the salary that men do in the same professions. But in teaching, primarily to its historically strong unions, pay was equitable. Indeed, teachers unions and tenure began in part as a way to protect the jobs and salaries of women. During the Act 10 debate, many people pointed out that the bill was an attack aimed squarely at women-dominated professions like teaching and nursing, further evidence that Republicans have long engaged in a "war on women."

But Wisconsin's women now no longer have teaching as a bulwark against wage discrimination, thanks to the changes forced on unions, tenure and bargaining in Act 10  further evidence that Act 10 has, in fact, been very bad for teachers.

3. FICTION: The drop in Wisconsin's ACT scores means ... something bad!

FACT: Depending on the source, the news last week about lower ACT scores among Wisconsin graduates was evidence our schools were miserably failing our students, or our state was failing its schools through underfunding and the damage done by Act 10. Either way, Wisconsin has fallen to  gasp  average on its ACT scores, and last week, there was a minor panic about it.

I don't know, first of all, why these scores are "news," since we did this already when the scores were first reported in January. As I said then, the lower scores are hardly a harbinger of doom or a reason to panic. The class of 2016 was the first class where every graduate in Wisconsin was required to take the ACT, and the pool of test-takers expanded from only those thinking they were college-bound to everyone  about 20,000 more students  the scores were bound to fall.

The scores are also not out of line with what we see in other test results. According to the DPI press release last week, 41% of our high-school graduates are "college-ready" in reading; the most recent state test scores showed 51% of students in grades 3-8 were "proficient" or higher in reading. If we take "college-ready" to mean something above merely proficient, then I would argue the two scores are comparable (even though the state's proficiency bar is set artificially high  I mean, do you really believe half of our state's kids are reading below grade level?)

But I would also argue that there's good news in the more complete release of results last week. For example, composite scores among those who planned to get a four-year degree (20.9 out of 36) or a graduate degree (23.9) are not that different from the previous year's overall state average composite score of 22.2. In other words, if you analyzed the class of 2016's ACT scores using a similar sample to who took the test in previous years, you're not really seeing a drop at all.

Another bright spot: It should now be clear that perhaps some of the legislature's laser-like focus on the Milwaukee Public Schools should be directed elsewhere. MPS has been giving the ACT to all of its graduates for years  since the class of 2010  and now that the whole state is taking it, it's clear that MPS and its students' scores aren't as much of a drag on the whole state as some might claim. In fact, MPS's ACT scores have been inching up steadily since that class of 2010 (15.8 out of 36) to the class of 2015 (16.2). District-level scores aren't public yet for the class of 2016 through DPI's online reporting, though they have been given to districts.

MPS educates something like three-quarters of the state's African American students, and their scores, like the district's as a whole, have been improving, and the gap between white and black students shrank from 5.1 composite points in 2010 to 4.8 point in 2015. For the class of 2015, when all of MPS's students took the ACT but it was not required of the rest of the state, the state's composite score for black students was 16.3; that fell to 15.9 for the class of 2016 and the gap for the whole state between black and white students was 5.6 composite points. In other words, MPS has been making progress closing the gap while the rest of the state, we know now, has not been giving enough attention to that gap.

To be clear, I'm not saying MPS's scores are worth celebrating  in all groups, the district's scores still lag behind the state's. However, MPS's steady improvement on the ACT, compared to what we now see across the state in an apples-to-apples comparison, should make plain that MPS needs support for the reforms and efforts already in place, rather than attacks and plans to break up or harm the state's largest school system.

There's one last point to make about the ACT in Wisconsin. A couple of weeks ago in this space, I alluded to how Wisconsin districts are forbidden by law from starting school before September 1. This is not the case around the country  I have an aunt who teaches in Florida who sees students three weeks before I do here in Milwaukee  and indeed schools all over are considering ways to shorten summer break. As that article notes, one important consideration is tests like the ACT and Advanced Placement exams given on the same day to all students nation-wide. My AP students are competing with students in other states who get a three- or four-week head start on them.

The same is true for the ACT. Other states that require all students to take the test, like our neighbors in Minnesota, let schools start before September 1. It also doesn't help that Wisconsin chooses an early ACT test date. In 2017, our state's juniors will take the ACT on February 28, while a number of other states are opting for the ACT's April 19 date. The late start and the early test date put Wisconsin students at an eight or nine week disadvantage compared to students in other states.

So maybe it's not fiction at all that the new ACT scores represent something bad; it's just that what I take away from these scores is that Wisconsin needs to reconsider its school calendar.

And that's all we have room for in this edition of fact versus fiction. See you next time!


Crowd inside West Hartford Town Hall

(Image by ragesoss) Details DMCA



Originally published in Truthout

Twenty-four US states have the ballot initiative. Unfortunately, the process is heavily skewed in favor of rich interests and unsuitable for making informed decisions. A much better method of citizen lawmaking is needed.

Problems with the ballot initiative



In a ballot initiative, citizens can put a measure (proposed law) on the ballot for a binding vote in an upcoming election by gathering a large number of petition signatures within a set time. Most successful signature drives are expensive professionally run affairs with paid signature collectors, something only the well-funded can afford. Although grassroots groups can theoretically run a volunteer signature drive, the vast majority of these fail because few can field a sufficiently large, determined and reliable army of volunteer signature collectors. The signature requirement is for these reasons more a matter of rule by dollars than rule by the people.

If a measure gets on the ballot, running an effective initiative vote campaign can be very costly. For example, in California, over $50 million has sometimes been spent supporting or opposing a ballot measure, on top of the $1 million to $3 million that may have been spent meeting the signature requirement. Billionaires and large corporations can afford to spend what is needed; modestly funded public interest groups cannot. Rich interests that face opponents of moderate means can use their wealth to ensure their side of the story is heard far more than the other. In the initiative, democracy is, to a large extent, displaced by the power of money.

Initiative voters tend to be poorly informed about the measures they vote on. This is largely because they only learn about them voluntarily in their spare time, and their attention is diffused across the various items on the ballot. The problem can be especially bad for measures that attract little public interest, involve things that are not easily and readily understood and when one side greatly outspends the other.

Legislative juries and informed rule by the people



Classical Athens, often called the birthplace of democracy, sheds light on how citizen lawmaking can be done in an informed, fair and highly democratic way. In Athens, much of the decision-making was done by various juries chosen from the citizens by lottery. This kept a wide range of decisions in the hands of the citizens, prevented elite rule and provided a more informed version of citizen rule than popular vote. Jurors were paid so that all citizens could afford to serve. In the 4th century BCE, laws were passed by the majority vote of legislative juries made up of hundreds of legislative jurors (nomothetai).

More or less following Athens' example, juries chosen from the public by random selection can meet to make informed decisions by majority vote. Jurors can be paid to work full-time for as many days or weeks as needed. As representative cross-sections of the public who are engaged to take the time to make an informed decision, randomly sampled juries provide the democratic ideal of informed rule by the people.

Instead of using the initiative's signature requirement to "qualify" a measure for the ballot, the vote of a jury at a preliminary hearing can be used. Perhaps once every two years, new juries can hold preliminary hearings for all the measures citizens bring forward. After the preliminary hearing for each measure, the jury would decide whether to qualify it.

When a measure is qualified, instead of going on the ballot for an initiative vote, it can go to a legislative jury for a full and thorough hearing. After taking as much time as needed, the legislative jury would decide whether the measure becomes a law.

A level playing field

Supporters and opponents of each measure would be given equal time to present their case to the jurors, at both the preliminary hearing and legislative jury stages. The juries might number 500 to 1,000 citizens.

Juries put public interest groups of modest means on a level playing field with big money interests, or at least far more so than the ballot initiative does. Public interest groups appear before the jurors face to face, with no need to pay for a signature drive, nor for costly advertising to the entire electorate. Instead of being shut out by the high cost of using the initiative, any public interest group that can afford a few staff can have them make the case for a measure at a preliminary hearing and before a legislative jury. Unlike in an initiative vote, moneyed interests cannot use their wealth to drown out the other side, as both sides get equal time before the jurors.

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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.

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 spil l 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.

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.

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.

"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.

The bird song says this is true.

Originally Published at Huffington Post
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USA,India defence agreement to have direct impact on Pakistan,China

WASHINGTON: The United States and India on Monday signed a defence agreement that will have a direct impact on both Pakistan and China.



The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) allows the two allies to use each others military facilities for checking Chinas growing influence in Asia and in the fight against terrorists.



Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar  in the US on a four-day visit, his second in eight months  will also carry forward talks on acquiring jet engine technology and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). He met US Defence Secretary Ash Carter on Monday.



The text for the logistics cooperation agreement was finalised during a visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington in June.



The US and India are also finalising two foundational agreements  the Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation (BECA).



The logistics agreement provides for each country to use the other for supplies, spare parts, services and refuelling. Effectively, US armed forces can operate out of Indian bases, and India can use US bases across the globe.



China and Pakistan beware  this week, India and US sign major war pact, warned the Forbes magazine in an article.



The US media noted that the agreement was a key part of the Obama administrations strategy to contain China, which has been spreading its influence across Asia.



The media reported that the US Navy planned to deploy 60 per cent of its surface ships in the Indo-Pacific in the near future.



The media reports pointed out that unlike Afghanistan and Iraq, where the US had to build everything from scratch, India already had the military facilities the United States could use when needed.



The Indian media, however, warned that such agreements could irk Russia, a long-time Indian ally. But Indian media reports also noted that Prime Minister Modi did not appear much concerned about Russias possible reaction to his closeness to the US. The Modi administration had committed itself to building a new alliance with the US and its allies, such as Japan and Australia, the reports added.



The US media noted that India remained on hostile terms with China and this hostility had moved from border disputes to economic and strategic competition for influence.



They noted that the US would like to use the LEMOA to counter Chinas growing military might  particularly airbases  in the South China Sea. But the agreement would allow India and the US also to use each others facilities against their common enemy, religious terrorism.



The reports noted that a recent bombing by the militant Islamic State group in Bangladesh rang alarm bells in Washington where defence experts were already worried about its efforts to increase its influence in Pakistan and Afghanistan.



Having LEMOA makes it much simpler for American naval and air forces to fight there. The US does not have actual bases in India. But, it has the next best thing  a simple way to use Indias bases, Forbes noted.



The magazine described the LEMOA as the key way-station on agreements still to come of military technology sharing of tremendous importance for India.



The future agreements, like the CISMOA and BECA, would help India stand up to the emerging superpower of China, the report added.



But experts warned that Indias ability to build jet engines or acquire UAV technology from the US would further weaken Pakistans conventional defence capability as well.



The United States already recognises India as a Major Defence Partner, helped it join the Missile Technology Control Regime and is willing to provide licences for top US defence technology.



The Forbes article noted that arms India acquired from the US would help it in many friction points, such as in the fight against terrorist groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed.



It pointed out that the group was considered an enemy both by the US and India and its chief Masood Azhar was on Indias hit list.
The mathematical (and other) thoughts of a (now retired) math teacher,
The Nine, fine-art photographer Katy Grannans first feature film, will have its U.S. premier at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival in Hot Springs, Arkansas in October, and will also feature at the New Orleans Film Festival that same month.

Grannan recently spoke with PDN about the the film, which chronicles the lives of a community of people in Modesto, California, for whom prostitution, addiction and poverty are part of daily life. However, Grannans film is far from a typical depiction of prostitution and addiction. By giving voice to her characters and shooting the film in an impressionistic, cinema verite style, Grannan urges viewers to think about who her characters really are, rather than about what they do out of desperation.

THE NINE | TRAILER (2016) from Katy Grannan on Vimeo.

To read more from Grannan about how she gained the trust of her subjects and made the film, see our story from the August issue of PDN:

Katy Grannan On Making Her First Feature Film, The Nine
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Artists impression of the planet orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri. Credit: ESO

The world's attention is now on Proxima Centauri b, a possibly Earth-like planet orbiting the closest star, 4.22 light-years away. The planet's orbit is just right to allow liquid water on its surface, needed for life. But could it in fact be habitable?

If life is possible there, the planet evolved very differently than Earth, say researchers at the University of Washington-based Virtual Planetary Laboratory, where astronomers, geophysicists, climatologists, evolutionary biologists and others team to study how distant planets might host life.

Astronomers at Queen Mary University in London have announced discovery of Proxima Centauri b, a planet orbiting close to a star 4.22 light years away. The find has been called "the biggest exoplanet discovery since the discovery of exoplanets."

Rory Barnes, UW research assistant professor of astronomy, published a blog post about the discovery at palereddot.org, a website dedicated to the search for life around Proxima Centauri. His essay describes research underway through the UW planetary labpart of the NASA Astrobiology Instituteto answer the question, is life possible on this world?

"The short answer is, 'It's complicated,' Barnes writes. "Our observations are few, and what we do know allows for a dizzying array of possibilities"and almost as many questions.

The Virtual Planetary Laboratory is directed by Victoria Meadows, UW professor of astronomy. UW-affiliated researchers include Giada Arney, Edward Schwieterman and Rodrigo Luger. Using computer models, the researchers studied clues from the orbits of the planet, its system, its host star and apparent companion stars Alpha Centauri A and B plus what is known of stellar evolution to begin evaluating Proxima b's chances.

Relatively little is known about Proxima:

It's at least as massive as Earth and may be several times more massive, and its "year"the time it takes to orbit its staris only 11 days.

Its star is only 12 percent as massive as our sun and much dimmer (so its habitable zone, allowing liquid water on the surface, is much closer in) and the planet is 25 times closer in than Earth is to our Sun.

The star may form a third part of the Alpha Centauri binary star system, separated by a distance of 15,000 "astronomical units," which could affect the planet's orbit and history

The new data hint at the existence of a second planet in the system with an orbital period near 200 days, but this has not been proven

Perhaps the biggest obstacle to life on the planet, Barnes writes, is the brightness of its host star. Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf star, is comparatively dim, but wasn't always so.

"Proxima's brightness evolution has been slow and complicated," Barnes writes. "Stellar evolution models all predict that for the first one billion years Proxima slowly dimmed to its current brightness, which implies that for about the first quarter of a billion years, planet b's surface would have been too hot for Earth-like conditions."

Barnes notes that he and UW graduate student Rodrigo Luger recently showed that had modern Earth been in such a situation, "it would have become a Venus-like world, in a runaway greenhouse state that can destroy all of the planet's primordial water," thus extinguishing any chance for life.

Next come a host of questions about the planet's makeup, location and history, and the team's work toward discerning answers.

Is the planet "rocky" like Earth? Most orbits simulated by the planetary lab suggest it could beand thus can host water in liquid form, a prerequisite for life.

Where did it form, and was there water? Whether it formed in place or further from its star, where ice is more likely, planetary lab researchers believe it "entirely possible" Proxima b could be water-rich, though they are not certain.

Did it start out as a hydrogen-enveloped Neptune-like planet and then lose its hydrogen to become Earth-like? Planetary laboratory research shows this is indeed possible, and could be a viable pathway to habitability.

Proxima Centauri flares more often than our sun; might such flares have long-since burned away atmospheric ozone that might protect the surface and any life? This is possible, though a strong magnetic field, as Earth has, could protect the surface. Also, any life under even a few meters of liquid water would be protected from radiation.

Another concern is that the planet might be tidally locked, meaning one side permanently faces its star, as the moon does Earth. Astronomers long thought this to mean a world could not support life, but now believe planetwide atmospheric winds would transport heat around the planet.

"These questions are central to unlocking Proxima's potential habitability and determining if our nearest galactic neighbor is an inhospitable wasteland, an inhabited planet, or a future home for humanity," Barnes writes.

Planetary lab researchers also are developing techniques to determine whether Proxima b's atmosphere is amenable to life.

"Nearly all the components of an atmosphere imprint their presence in a spectrum (of light)," Barnes writes. "So with our knowledge of the possible histories of this planet, we can begin to develop instruments and plan observations that pinpoint the critical differences."

At high enough pressures, he notes, oxygen molecules can momentarily bind to each other to produce an observable feature in the light spectrum.

"Crucially, the pressures required to be detectable are large enough to discriminate between a planet with too much oxygen, and one with just the right amount for life.

As we learn more about the planet and the system, we can build a library of possible spectra from which to quantitatively determine how likely it is that life exists on planet b."

Our own Sun is expected to burn out in about 4 billion years, but Proxima Centauri has a much better forecast, perhaps burning for 4 trillion years longer.

"If Proxima b is habitable, then it might be an ideal place to move. Perhaps we have just discovered a future home for humanity. But in order to know for sure, we must make more observations, run many more computer simulations and, hopefully, send probes to perform the first direct reconnaissance of an exoplanet," Barnes writes. "The challenges are huge, but Proxima b offers a bounty of possibilities that fills me with wonder."

Proxima Centauri b may be the first exoplanet to be directly characterized by powerful ground- and space-based telescopes planned, and its atmosphere spectroscopically probed for active biology.

The research was funded by the NASA Astrobiology Institute.

"Whether habitable or not," Barnes concluded, "Proxima Centauri b offers a new glimpse into how the planets and life fit into our universe."
This screengrab of the mapping tool shows that the gentrification of the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles has been happening longer than in surrounding neighborhoods. Credit: Urban Displacement Project

A team of researchers at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs has created an interactive mapping tool to help community leaders better understand the effects of new light-rail and subway projects and related developmentsespecially on low-income communities.

Researchers view the project as a resource to help communities and policymakers identify the pressures associated with development and figure out how to take more effective action to ensure that new construction isn't always accompanied by current residents being priced out of their neighborhoods.

The Southern California portion of the joint UCLA-UC Berkeley Urban Displacement Project on gentrification and displacement in urban communities is available online.

"There has been a strong interest in neighborhoods around subway stations and light-rail stops," said Paul Ong, director of UCLA Luskin's Center for Neighborhood Knowledge and a professor of urban planning. "These locations have the potential for extensive private investments because transit gives people an alternative to using cars. This is particularly attractive to today's young professionals."

However, according to Ong, the downside to this "upscaling" is that changing the character of a neighborhood with additional transportation options can lead to lower-income households being pushed out.

"Sometimes, landlords aggressivelyand perhaps illegally force them out," said Ong, who is also a member of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. "Higher rents make it difficult for low-income households to move into the neighborhood, so we see a net decline in their numbers. They are replaced by those who can afford the higher housing costpeople referred to as 'gentrifiers.'"

Ong said that most of those who can afford higher housing costs do not purposefully want to displace people living in poorer households, "but, nonetheless, gentrifiers are a part of the larger socioeconomic process." The goal of the Urban Displacement Project, according to the researchers, is not to stop neighborhood change because many people can benefit from these developments. "The challenge," Ong said, "is ensuring that progress is fair and just."

The UCLA team, funded in part by the California Air Resources Board, created a database for the Los Angeles County region that included information on demographics, socio-economic and housing characteristics in neighborhoods that are near transit projects and those that are not.

Key findings by UCLA researchers for L.A. County include:

Areas around transit stations are changing and many of the changes are in the direction of neighborhood upscaling and gentrification.

Examining changes relative to areas not near light-rail or subway projects from 2000 to 2013, neighborhoods near those forms of transit are more associated with increases in white, college-educated, higher-income households and greater increases in the cost of rents. Conversely, neighborhoods near rail development are associated with greater losses in disadvantaged populations, including individuals with less than a high school diploma and lower-income households.

The impacts vary across locations, but the biggest impacts seem to be around the downtown areas where transit-oriented developments interact with other interventions aiming to physically revitalize those neighborhoods.

Users of the mapping tool can examine neighborhood-level data on racial/ethnic composition, which areas have seen upscaling, gentrification, population density, percentage of people living in poverty, median household income, and level of education. More specific data is also available, including the number of households with a Section 8 housing voucher and low-income housing tax credits.

"Our goal is that local and state governments will use the information to guide decisions regarding public investments that are just; community groups will use the information to help tell their stories of preserving the best parts of their neighborhood; and engaged citizens will become more aware of critical issues facing society," Ong said.

As part of the study, the Bay Area team analyzed nine case studies and the UCLA team looked at six more in L.A. County to capture geographic diversity and to examine different stages of the gentrification and displacement process.

"Also, we want to focus in more detail on the phenomenon of commercial gentrification, which leads to the closing down of mom-and-pop stores and ethnic small businesses in some neighborhoods," said Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, principal investigator on the Los Angeles team. Most of the existing studies focus only on residential gentrification said Loukaitou-Sideris, professor of urban planning and associate dean of the Luskin School.

For example, the UCLA team looked at studies based on the "live experiences of real communities" such as six disadvantaged neighborhoods located near Los Angeles Metro rail stations. They also examined the impacts on Asian-American businesses near transit-oriented developments, as well as the impact of new outlets such as Wal-Mart and Starbucks on ethnic small businesses in L.A.'s Chinatown.

Loukaitou-Sideris said the researchers discovered one important difference between the strategies used by Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

"We found that Bay Area municipalities have in their books many more anti-displacement policies than municipalities in L.A. County," she said. "However, we do not know yet how effective these policies have been in limiting displacement."

Explore further Researchers stress role of subsidized housing in easing affordability crisis
Take one set of European profits, one phantom headquarters and two companies and there you have it: Apple's recipe for avoiding tax.

The deal that Brussels on Tuesday ruled illegal and ordered the tech giant to pay 13 billion euros in back taxes for is relatively simple despite the huge sums involved.

Double Irish

The deal was made possible by two "tax rulings" in 1991 and 2007 granted by Ireland as it tried to make itself competitive in attracting international firms.

The deals made it possible for companies to redistribute profits internally, and for whatever money was left to be taxed at a low rate of 12.5 percent. Ireland scrapped them in 2015.

Apple first set up two companies incorporated in Ireland: Apple Sales International, which is in charge of selling the group's products in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India; and Apple Operations Europe, a smaller firm which makes some kinds of hardware.

All profits from Europefor example from an iPhone sold in London or Paristherefore go through Ireland.

But under an agreement with the parent company in California, those two companies financeto the tune of at least two billion euros a yearmore than half of Apple's research into intellectual property worldwide.

Under the Irish rules, those expenses can then be offset against Apple's profits from Europe.

Ghost HQ

The next step was to internally allocate most of the profits away from Ireland to a "head office" within Apple Sales International.

The European Commission, however, said that this effectively did not exist.

"The 'so called head office only existed on paper. It had no employees, no premises and no real activities," Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said on Tuesday.

Its only real activity was occasional board meetings, the Commission said.

0.005 percent tax

As a result, in 2011 Apple Sales International recorded $22 billion in profits but was only taxed in Ireland on $50 million, the Commission said, citing figures from US Senate hearings.

By 2014 its profits had risen but the amount of tax paid did not, leading to an effective tax rate of 0.005 percent in 2014, the Commission said.

Brussels said that while the tax rulings were "perfectly legal" in themselves, they amounted to illegal state aid when offered by Irish government to Apple to encourage its investment.

Finally, the Commission added that while Ireland is expected to recover the tax, it may not get the whole 13 billion: if any other country is found to have made similar illegal state aid offers they may also be forced to claw back some of this overall amount.

Apple by the numbers

The European Union on Tuesday ordered Apple to pay a record 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in back taxes in Ireland, but the Silicon Valley technology colossus is on firm financial footing.

Below is a look at Apple by the numbers:

FY 2015

- $53 billion profit for fiscal year 2015.

Apple touted fiscal 2015 as its most successful year ever, with revenue growing 28 percent to nearly $234 billion and net income topping $53 billion.

LAST QUARTER

- $7.8 billion profit in the quarter ending June 25

Apple's most recent quarterly earnings report topped Wall Street expectations despite a 27 percent drop in profit to $7.8 billion on a sharp fall in iPhone sales.

CASH ON HAND

- $231.5 billion in cash plus marketable securities at the end of June.

Of that, $214.8 billion, or 93% of the total, was said to be outside the United States, Apple's chief financial officer Luca Maestri said on the latest earnings call.

iPHONES SOLD

- Apple said in July that it had sold its billionth iPhone. The smartphone launched in 2007 is at the heart of the company's money-making machine.

APPS

- Apple chief executive Time Cook said at a developers conference in June that the online App Store boasted more than two million applications and 130 billion downloads.

SHARE PRICE

- Apple shares were down less than one percent to $105.81 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq exchange, giving the company a market capitalization of $569.53 billion.

EMPLOYEES

- Apple said in its most recent earnings report that it has 100,000 employees worldwide.

Explore further Apple says will appeal EU tax ruling

 2016 AFP
The control room of the experiment on testing of new prototypes of transition radiation detector. Credit: National Research Nuclear University

In June and July 2016, a group of young scientists at MEPhI tested detector prototypes for future experiments at the Large Hadron Collider with the participation of colleagues from LPI (Russia), MSU (Russia), the University of Bonn (Germany) and the University of Bari (Italy).

The prototypes should accomplish the division of various particles, including protons and kaons, at energies of several teraelectron volts (TeV). A sharp growth in high-energy particle production in proton collisions on the LHC is connected with increased energy of colliding particle beams. Since 2015, the collision energy on the accelerator has grown up to 13 TeV. Together with the decrease of the interval between collisions, this change should expand the horizons of existing research up to the scale of energies and conditions achievable only during the Big Bang.

Studying physics arising in such extreme conditions, scientists from all over the world hope to answer the most relevant questions from the field of physics of high energies, such as the origin of the dark matter and the existence of supersymmetry and to confirm or dismiss the predictions of the Standard Model, the current theory of particles and fields.

The experiments have strict requirements for measuring equipment. The methods require equipment updates and modification to guarantee high efficiency and productivity during the registration of physical processes. Professor Anatoliy Romaniuk, who has been the Head of MEPhI ATLAS group and ATLAS TRT collaboration for several years, told about the ideas, which are in the basis of TRT and new prototypes:

"ATLAS Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT) is a part of ATLAS inner detector and is aimed at the registration of traces (tracks) of particles, measuring of their impulses and their identification on the basis of transition radiation phenomenon. Transition radiation is the radiation by charged particles of photons (quantums of electromagnetic interaction) at the moment of passing the border between two environments with different refraction indexes. Its peculiarity is that its probability (intensity) is measured in dependence on the Lorentz factor, which is different for particles of different mass and same energy. This peculiarity allows, for example, successfully separate electrons from pi-mesons in ATLAS experiment using the information from TRT. TRT detector, created by employees of our university, doesn't have analogues in the world. Many developments have found application in other international experiments in physics of high energies and astrophysics, where our employees have taken part: transition radiation detector for HERA-B (DESY) experiment, transition radiation detector for TRT AMS experiment (International Space Station), front tracking detector for ZEUS (DESY) experiment and others.

The experience gained over many years of work will allow to take the next step in the development of transition radiation detectors. Tests with new prototypes researched new concepts of transition radiation detectors, which should allow widen the field of particle identification up to the highest energies, possible on modern accelerators".

Graphic representation of the Higgs boson decay into 4 electrons (red and blue lines), recorded at the ATLAS experiment. In the central part we can clearly see changed TRT (red and white dots) on the tracks of charged particles (orange curves), including tracks on registered electrons.

The scheme of the experiment was described by MEPhI young specialist in detectors 28-year old Konstantin Vorobiev, who has 5 years of work experience at ATLAS.

"The whole facility consists of several parts and includes: Cherenkov counter, used as an input flip-flop, aimed at the identification of electrons and Yukawa mesons; the system of the beam stabilization; gas-pixel set-up; two prototypes of a future gas detector, consisting of the gas discharge tubes (straw set-ups), working on the effect of transition radiation; two transition radiation detectors; system of scintillation units for the adjustment of the beam geometry and the coincidence circuit with an input trigger and, finally, a calorimeter for the division of electrons and pi-mesons on return. The coincidence scheme is a useful tool, signaling, that a particle beam goes through all the elements of the facility. As we can see, there are other elements on the facility, apart from new prototypes, which are able to divide particles according to the type, but they have a smaller efficiency, than tested prototypes, and are used to check the quality of the beam.

Graphic representation of the Higgs boson decay into 4 electrons (red and blue lines), recorded at the ATLAS experiment. In the central part we can clearly see changed TRT (red and white dots) on the tracks of charged particles (orange curves), including tracks on registered electrons. Credit: National Research Nuclear University

The researchers needed to answer the questions:

Can transition radiation detectors be used for the identification of particles under extremely high energies? If yes, what should the geometry of the detector and radiator be like? Is there a possibility to use the information about exit angle of transition radiation for the improvement of identification?

They had two prototypes on the basis of straw setups, the assembly of which they started long before the start of the experiments. The main differences of these prototypes are in geometrical peculiarity of the straw position. The main difference is that the signal from the ionizing radiation in one prototype was read summarily in each layer, while in another prototype, the reading happened separately for each straw. The first option allows more precise capture of the projection of particles after radiators and minimizes possible losses of particles that miss the detectors.

The first tests were conducted in the laboratory with radioactive sources. The researchers also had several transition radiation detectors with different geometry. A gas-pixel detector was used to test the possibility of using of information about exit angles of photons for particle identification.

The tests have been conducted with beams of electrons and muons, which come to from the SPS accelerator, which is one of the elements of the LHC accelerator system. The energies have reached hundreds of gigaelectron volts. It's not TeV, but a small mass of electrons and muons allows researchers to study Lorentz factors, which can have protons and kaons under extremely high energies. The researchers had one week for all the tests, which were preceded by a month of installation and equipment assembly.

In the first days, when statistics assembly started, there were a lot of things to do. They needed to tune the equipment, the beam geometry, correct faults of the assembly and perform the calibration of the prototypes.

"Some expected effects could be observed during the early testing of prototypes with the help of an up-to-date system of data collection. After the disassembly of the equipment for the experiment, the prototypes were installed in the laboratory, where there is a system of reading off and recording of the signals from detectors, similar to the one which was on the beam. It can be useful in future interpretation of results." says Konstantin.

Daniil Ponomarenko, a post-graduate student, spoke about the primary processing of data from prototypes: "The long period of preparation of the equipment and software in the lab preceded data assembly. Data acquisition systems play the key role in any experiment. They should meet the requirements of the fault tolerance, stability and the speed of work. The efficiency of the record of chosen events should be close to 100 percent.

"We used software that we inherited from previous research of gaseous mixtures, conducted last year. Then it was necessary to adapt all the programs to the new configuration of detectors and improve the functionality of the interface used by operators. We made the maximum automation of error processing, sending crash reports to the experts, the primary processing of the data and their transfer to the RAID long-term storage. A full cycle of program development has been conducted from concept to testing. The second task was the creation of a simple and clear service for online data tracking for the estimation of its quality.

"The data accumulation was successful, and we met the deadline, which is important in CERN laboratories," said Professor Anatoliy Romaniuk.

Explore further Transition radiation detectors work in record-high energy fields
An artists impression of meteors crashing into water on the young Earth. Did they bring phosphorous with them? Image credit: David A Aguilar (CfA). Credit: Astrobio.net

Meteorites that crashed onto Earth billions of years ago may have provided the phosphorous essential to the biological systems of terrestrial life. The meteorites are believed to have contained a phosphorus-bearing mineral called schreibersite, and scientists have recently developed a synthetic version that reacts chemically with organic molecules, showing its potential as a nutrient for life.

Phosphorus is one of life's most vital components, but often goes unheralded. It helps form the backbone of the long chains of nucleotides that create RNA and DNA; it is part of the phospholipids in cell membranes; and is a building block of the coenzyme used as an energy carrier in cells, adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

Yet the majority of phosphorus on Earth is found in the form of inert phosphates that are insoluble in water and are generally unable to react with organic molecules. This appears at odds with phosphorus' ubiquity in biochemistry, so how did phosphorus end up being critical to life?

In 2004, Matthew Pasek, an astrobiologist and geochemist from the University of South Florida, developed the idea that schreibersite [(Fe, Ni)3P], which is found in a range of meteorites from chondrites to stonyiron pallasites, could be the original source of life's phosphorus. Because the phosphorus within schreibersite is a phosphide, which is a compound containing a phosphorus ion bonded to a metal, it behaves in a more reactive fashion than the phosphate typically found on Earth.

Finding naturally-formed schreibersite to use in laboratory experiments can be time consuming when harvesting from newly-fallen meteorites and expensive when buying from private collectors. Instead, it has become easier to produce schreibersite synthetically for use in the laboratory.

Natural schreibersite is an alloy of iron, phosphorous and nickel, but the common form of synthetic schreibersite that has typically been used in experiments is made of just iron and phosphorus, and is easily obtainable as a natural byproduct of iron manufacturing. Previous experiments have indicated it reacts with organics to form chemical bonds with oxygen, the first step towards integrating phosphorous into biological systems.

However, since natural schreibersite also incorporates nickel, some scientific criticism has pointed out that the nickel could potentially alter the chemistry of the mineral, rendering it non-reactive despite the presence phosphides. If this were the case it would mean that the experiments with the ironphosphorous synthetic schreibersite would not represent the behavior of the mineral in nature.

Since the natural version incorporates nickel, there has always been the worry that the synthetic version is not representative of how schreibersite actually reacts and that the nickel might somehow hamper those chemical reactions.

"There was always this criticism that if we did include nickel it might not react as much," says Pasek.

Pasek and his colleagues have addressed this criticism by developing a synthetic form of schreibersite that includes nickel.

This 15cm wide fragment of the Seymchan meteorite found in Russia in 1967 is an iron-nickel pallasite. The long filament of dark grey material in the center is schreibersite. Im-age credit: University of South Florida. Credit: Astrobio.net

Nickel-flavored schreibersite

In a recent paper published in the journal Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, Pasek and lead author and geochemist Nikita La Cruz of the University of Michigan show how a form of synthetic schreibersite that includes nickel reacts when exposed to water. As the water evaporates, it creates phosphorusoxygen (PO) bonds on the surface of the schreibersite, making the phosphorus bioavailable to life. The findings seem to remove any doubts as to whether meteoritic schreibersite could stimulate organic reactions.

"Biological systems have a phosphorus atom surrounded by four oxygen atoms, so the first step is to put one oxygen atom and one phosphorous atom together in a single PO bond," Pasek explains.

Terry Kee, a geochemist at the University of Leeds and president of the Astrobiology Society of Britain, has conducted his own extensive work with schreibersite and, along with Pasek, is one of the original champions of the idea that it could be the source of life's phosphorus.

"The bottom line of what [La Cruz and Pasek] have done is that it appears that this form of nickel-flavored synthetic schreibersite reacts pretty much the same as the previous synthetic form of schreibersite," he says.

This puts to rest any criticism that previous experiments lacked nickel.

Shallow pools and volcanic vents

Pasek describes how meteors would have fallen into shallow pools of water on ancient Earth. The pools would then have undergone cycles of evaporation and rehydration, a crucial process for chemical reactions to take place. As the surface of the schreibersite dries, it allows molecules to join into longer chains. Then, when the water returns, these chains become mobile, bumping into other chains. When the pool dries out again, the chains bond and build ever larger structures.

"The reactions need to lose water in some way in order to build the molecules that make up life," says Pasek. "If you have a long enough system with enough complex organics then, hypothetically, you could build longer and longer polymers to make bigger pieces of RNA. The idea is that at some point you might have enough RNA to begin to catalyze other reactions, starting a chain reaction that builds up to some sort of primitive biochemistry, but there's still a lot of steps we don't understand."

Demonstrating that nickel-flavored schreibersite, of the sort contained in meteorites, can produce phosphorus-based chemistry is exciting. However, Kee says further evidence is needed to show that the raw materials of life on Earth came from space.

A bubbling hydrothermal pool in the Myvatn area of Iceland. Could such pools have pro-moted PO bonds on the surfaces of schreibersite meteorites that had fallen into the pools? Credit: Keith Cooper

"I wouldn't necessarily say that the meteoric origin of phosphorus is the strongest idea," he says. "Although it's certainly one of the more pre-biotically plausible routes."

Despite having co-developed much of the theory behind schreibersite with Pasek, Kee points out that hydrothermal vents could rival the meteoritic model. Deep sea volcanic vents are already known to produce iron-nickel alloys such as awaruite and Kee says that the search is now on for the existence of awaruite's phosphide equivalent in the vents: schreibersite.

"If it could be shown that schreibersite can be produced in the conditions found in ventsand I think those conditions are highly conducive to forming schreibersitethen you've got the potential for a lot of interesting phosphorylation chemistry to take place," says Kee.

Pasek agrees that hydrothermal vents could prove a good environment to promote phosphorus chemistry with the heat driving off the water to allow the PO bonds to form. "Essentially it's this driving off of water that you've got to look for," he adds.

Pasek and Kee both agree that it is possible that both mechanismsthe meteorites in the shallow pools and the deep sea hydrothermal ventscould have been at work during the same time period and provided phosphorus for life on the young Earth.

Meanwhile David Deamer, a biologist from the University of California, Santa Cruz, has gone one step further by merging the two models, describing schreibersite reacting in hydrothermal fields of bubbling shallow pools in volcanic locations similar to those found today in locations such as Iceland or Yellowstone.

Certainly, La Cruz and Pasek's results indicate that schreibersite becomes more reactive the warmer the environment in which it exists.

"Although we see the reaction occurring at room temperature, if you increase the temperature to 60 or 80 degree Celsius, you get increased reactivity," says Pasek. "So, hypothetically, if you have a warmer Earth you should get more reactivity."

One twist to the tale is the possibility that phosphorus could have bonded with oxygen in space, beginning the construction of life's molecules before ever reaching Earth. Schreibersite-rich grains coated in ice and then heated by shocks in planet-forming disks of gas and dust could potentially have provided conditions suitable for simple biochemistry. While Pasek agrees in principle, he says he has "a hard time seeing bigger things like RNA or DNA forming in space without fluid to promote them."

Explore further Geologists focus on mineral for clues to beginning of biological life on earth

This story is republished courtesy of NASA's Astrobiology Magazine. Explore the Earth and beyond at www.astrobio.net .
An illustration shows what happens in a typical experiment with SLACs LCLS X-ray laser, top, versus what happened in this study with an especially intense X-ray pulse. Normally the X-ray pulses -- which are shown coming in from the right -- scatter off electrons in a sample and produce a pattern in a detector. But when researchers cranked up the intensity of the X-ray pulses, the pulses seemed to go straight through the sample, as if it were not there, and the pattern in the detector vanished. Two recent papers describe and explain this surprising result, which is due to a nonlinear effect where particles of X-ray light team up to cause unexpected things to happen. Credit: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Imagine getting a medical X-ray that comes out blank  as if your bones had vanished. That's what happened when scientists cranked up the intensity of the world's first X-ray laser, at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, to get a better look at a sample they were studying: The X-rays seemed to go right through it as if it were not there.

This result was so weird that the leader of the experiment, SLAC Professor Joachim Stohr, devoted the next three years to developing a theory that explains why it happened. Now his team has published a paper in Physical Review Letters describing the 2012 experiment for the first time.

What they saw was a so-called nonlinear effect where more than one photon, or particle of X-ray light, enters a sample at the same time, and they team up to cause unexpected things to happen.

"In this case, the X-rays wiggled electrons in the sample and made them emit a new beam of X-rays that was identical to the one that went in," said Stohr, who is an investigator with the Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences at SLAC. "It continued along the same path and hit a detector. So from the outside, it looked like a single beam went straight through and the sample was completely transparent."

This effect, called "stimulated scattering," had never been seen in X-rays before. In fact, it took an extremely intense beam from SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), which is a billion times brighter than any X-ray source before it, to make this happen.

A Milestone in Understanding How Light Interacts with Matter

The observation is a milestone in the quest to understand how light interacts with matter, Stohr said.

"What will we do with it? I think we're just starting to learn. This is a new phenomenon and I don't want to speculate," he said. "But it opens the door to controlling the electrons that are closest to the core of atoms  boosting them into higher orbitals, and driving them back down in a very controlled manner, and doing this over and over again."

Nonlinear optical effects are nothing new. They were discovered in the1960s with the invention of the laser  the first source of light so bright that it could send more than one photon into a sample at a time, triggering responses that seemed all out of proportion to the amount of light energy going in. Scientists use these effects to shift laser light to much higher energies and focus optical microscopes on much smaller objects than anyone had thought possible.

The 2009 opening of LCLS as a DOE Office of Science User Facility introduced another fundamentally new tool, the X-ray free-electron laser, and scientists have spent a lot of time since then figuring out exactly what it can do. For instance, a SLAC-led team recently published the first report of nonlinear effects produced by its brilliant pulses.

"The X-ray laser is really a quantum leap, the equivalent of going from a light bulb to an optical laser," Stohr said. "So it's not just that you have more X-rays. The interaction of the X-rays with the sample is very different, and there are effects you could never see at other types of X-ray light sources."

A Most Puzzling Result

Stohr stumbled on this latest discovery by accident. Then director of LCLS, he was working with Andreas Scherz, a SLAC staff scientist, who is now with the soon-to-open European XFEL in Hamburg, Germany, and Stanford graduate student Benny Wu to look at the fine structure of a common magnetic material used in data storage.

To enhance the contrast of their image, they tuned the LCLS beam to a wavelength that would resonate with cobalt atoms in the sample and amplify the signal in their detector. The initial results looked great. So they turned up the intensity of the laser beam in the hope of making the images even sharper.

That's when the speckled pattern they'd been seeing in their detector went blank, as if the sample had disappeared.

"We thought maybe we had missed the sample, so we checked the alignment and tried again," Stohr said. "But it kept happening. We knew this was strange  that there was something here that needed to be understood."

Stohr is an experimentalist, not a theorist, but he was determined to find answers. He and Scherz dove deeply into the scientific literature. Meanwhile Wu finished his PhD thesis, which described the experiment and its unexpected result, and went on to a job in industry. But the team held off on publishing their experimental results in a scientific journal until they could explain what happened.

Stohr and Scherz published their explanation last fall in Physical Review Letters.

"We are developing a whole new field of nonlinear X-ray science, and our study is just one building block in this field," Stohr said. "We are basically opening Pandora's box, learning about all the different nonlinear effects, and eventually some of those will turn out to be more important than others."

Explore further SLAC receives new mirrors for X-ray laser

More information: B. Wu et al. Elimination of X-Ray Diffraction through Stimulated X-Ray Transmission, Physical Review Letters (2016). B. Wu et al. Elimination of X-Ray Diffraction through Stimulated X-Ray Transmission,(2016). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.027401 J. Stohr et al. Creation of X-Ray Transparency of Matter by Stimulated Elastic Forward Scattering, Physical Review Letters (2015). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.107402 Journal information: Physical Review Letters
Chinese Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Zhang Ming says words should be followed by action. Photo by Lucie Morangi

A high-level Chinese official is urging international partners to align their project plans with development strategies of African governments.

Zhang Ming, vice-minister of Foreign Affairs of China, said this will ensure Africa reaps maximum benefits while avoiding waste and duplication.

"Impressive proposals are made during international forums, but very little is achieved in the implementation stage. Commitments should be made in line with Africa's development strategy to buoy African confidence in the projects. Otherwise, if the proposals are one-sided, the implementation may fail to address the key needs and thus be unbeneficial," said Zhang at the end of the Tokyo International Conference of Africa's Development (TICAD).

He also said that Africans, on the other side, should launch evaluation mechanisms to ensure they actively participate in the development. Emphasis should not be on commitment but on results.

The three-day event in Nairobi saw the Japanese government pledge $30 billion to develop infrastructure, health-care systems and other projects to drive the continents economic growth.

Zhang also welcomed more development partners to Africa. He said China continues to uphold an open and inclusive attitude in China-Africa co-operation. "We also hold an open attitude to the third-party co-operation. But we need to follow the principle, which is gaining Africas consent and participation. Without the consent and participation, such cooperation will not be blessed by the African people. In fact, during the Chinese cooperation with Africa, there is a great batch of third-party cooperation projects."

The sixth TICAD was held for the first time in Africa.
Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce is planning a 21st Congressional race debate in October, Tori Riley, the chamber's president and chief executive officer.

Details will be announced once a date is confirmed with candidates, she said.

The candidates are U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Wilsboro; Democrat Mike Derrick, a retired Army colonel from Peru, in Clinton County, and Green Party candidate Matt Funiciello, a bread company owner and political activist from Hudson Falls.
U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, will receive a portion of campaign cash House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers raises at a Sept. 27 fundraiser for women Republican House candidates, Politico reported on Tuesday.

McMorris Rodgers' Republicans Inspiring Success and Empowerment (RISE) political action committee is conducting the event.

McMorris Rodgers already has contributed $5,000 through a separate CMR PAC to Stefanik's campaign this election cycle, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

CMR PAC contributed $4,500 to Stefanik's 2014 campaign.

Stefanik is running for re-election in the 21st Congressional District against Democrat Mike Derrick, a retired Army colonel from Peru, in Clinton County, and Green Party candidate Matt Funiciello, a bread company owner and political activist from Hudson Falls.
WHITEHALL  Anthony G. Tony Scrimo, 73, of Broadway, passed away unexpectedly at his home Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016.

Family and friends may call from 1 to 3 p.m. and from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, at Jillson Funeral Home Inc., 46 Williams St., Whitehall.

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 1, at Our Lady of Hope Roman Catholic Church in Whitehall, with the Rev. Rendell Torres, pastor, officiating.

A full obituary will appear in Tuesdays edition of The Post-Star.
EASTON  State Police arrested a man for driving under the influence of drugs and seized an illegal rifle during a traffic stop on Route 29 on Monday night, authorities said.

Bryant J. Gibbons, 21, of Cambridge, was arrested after police received a 9:12 p.m. call about an erratic driver heading east, according to State Police.

The vehicle was located, and troopers smelled marijuana and spotted an open container of beer in the vehicle, authorities said.

Gibbons admitted smoking marijuana and taking the prescription drug Xanax, and a search of the vehicle turned up at least two types of prescription drugs and a Stag Arms semiautomatic rifle that had been illegally modified, police said.

He was charged with third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a felony, and misdemeanor counts of driving while ability impaired by drugs and criminal possession of a controlled substance, as well as non-criminal counts of unlawful possession of marijuana, having an open container of alcohol in a vehicle and ticketed for failure to keep right, police records show.

He was arraigned before Cambridge Village Justice Phil Sica and released pending prosecution in Easton Town Court.
Editor's Note: The first paragraph was clarified.

County supervisors in Warren and Washington counties went on record Tuesday calling for a stop to "advertising and promoting of the controversial annual Lake George party known as Log Bay Day to end dangerous and destructive activities that stem from the bash.

The resolution unanimously passed by the Public Safety Committee in Washington County and Legislative & Rules Committee in Warren County stopped short of calling for an end to the event.

Argyle Supervisor Robert Henke, chairman of the Washington County Board of Supervisors, said the counties dont seem to have standing to do that on a lake that is owned by the state and where adjoining state-owned land is used to access Log Bay.

What it does is asks the state agencies to do something about it. It uses a lot of our resources, Henke said.

The resolution calls on the state Department of Environmental Conservation and Lake George Park Commission to curtail the event, which is blamed annually for dozens of arrests and injuries and destruction of state property on the lakes eastern shore in Fort Ann.

The calls for a crackdown, which included an online petition that garnered 1,169 signatures, grew this year after an 8-year-old girl was killed in a boating crash that involved a group of young people who had spent hours of their day at Log Bay Day.

The gathering occurs the last Monday in July each year on the shallow, sandy bay and the woods around it.

The DEC has not taken a stance on the event, but Park Commission leadership has begun planning to put an end to the gathering next July.

Queensbury Supervisor John Strough, chairman of the Warren County Legislative & Rules Committee, said the resolution sends a message to the agencies to take action.

I think we need to go on public record that we have some concerns and we need to be strong with it, said Glens Falls 2nd Ward Supervisor Peter McDevitt.

Henke, who authored the resolution, said the county Sheriffs Office and Department of Public Safety personnel, including the agencys command vehicle, are assigned to the state land in Fort Ann, at the countys cost, to deal with partiers.

In addition to the fatal boat crash, police reported one serious injury, at least 26 criminal arrests and 50 tickets for motor vehicle violations and non-criminal offenses such as underage drinking.

Full boards of supervisors in both counties will consider the resolutions at their regular monthly meetings Sept. 16.

The Lake George Village Board is also considering a resolution asking the Park Commission and DEC to crack down on the party.
HOOSICK FALLS  State health and environmental officials are asking the federal government to reimburse New York for cleanup costs associated with PFOA contamination not paid for by polluters.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation and state Department of Health have sent a letter to the federal Environmental Protection Agency seeking reimbursement for costs associated with the cleanup of the contaminant.

The state has spent $25 million to date on remediation of PFOA pollution in drinking water, and officials anticipate spending an additional $50 million, according to a news release issued Tuesday.

The state has reached a settlement with the Saint-Gobain corporation for cleanup costs associated with PFOA pollution of drinking water in Hoosick Falls, Petersburgh and other areas. PFOA is a chemical used in the manufacture of nonstick coatings.

DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos and DOH Commissioner Howard Zucker cited conflicting guidance from EPA, which changed the PFOA contamination threshold from 400 parts per trillion to 100 parts per trillion, and changing the lifetime exposure advisory level to 70 parts per trillion.

This generated undue public anxiety and different strategies and deployments for our agencies, resulting in the state marshaling unprecedented resources in order to adapt to the constantly shifting guidance and recommendations from the EPA, the commissioners said in the letter. As a result, the EPA should reimburse the state for any costs not ultimately borne by the responsible parties.

The announcement Tuesday came on the day that the Senate health and environmental conservation committees held a joint hearing on the PFOA issue at Hoosick Falls High School.

Hoosick Falls resident Michael Hickey spoke emotionally at the hearing. After the death of a local teacher, Hickey said he looked into what could be causing what people in the village believed was a disproportionately high number of cases of cancer. He researched online and found information about PFOA, which had been linked to cancer.

His father, who worked in a Teflon plant and also was a school bus driver, also died after an instance of kidney cancer returned.

Hickey said it has been a difficult process, and he understands that people were upset with him at the beginning for raising this issue because it could hurt local industry.

I think back to my dad and think what he would have wanted me to do. I think it goes back to the kids on the bus, Hickey said, taking a long pause. For him, that was his family as well. And I think that what he would have wanted was to protect them.

Commissioner Zucker said the health effects of exposure to PFOA are not certain. That is why more study is needed. The department is in the middle of compiling a report about instances of cancer in Hoosick Falls from 1995 to 2013, according to Zucker.

I really feel for everyones whose (PFOA) numbers are higher. We cant give you information predicting what will happen in the future, he said.

Lawmakers wanted to know how the different standard came into being. Zucker said it came out of left field when the EPA in December issued an advisory for Hoosick Falls residents not to drink the water. This was after the EPA first learned of the chemical in 2001, but did not phase out its use in industry until 2006 and did not issue any drinking water guidelines until 2009.

Then, in January the EPA for this region of the country settled on the 100 parts per trillion standard.

In May, the EPA issued a new health advisory indicating a lifetime exposure to PFOA limit of 70 parts per trillion.

Sen. Elizabeth Little, R-Queensbury, agreed that it was confusing to have different standards.

Does every region take the EPA guidelines and do what they think is best with them? she said.

State Sen. Kathy Marchione, R-Halfmoon, said she has two bills in the legislative session for medical monitoring as well as a property tax reduction bill for people in Hoosick Falls for an extended period of time.

Not present at the hearing were any representatives from the EPA nor anyone from the Saint-Gobain, Taconic Plastics or Honeywell companies.

This was the first of three hearings that will be held on the PFOA issue. The next two will be hosted by the Assembly. One will take place on Sept. 7 at 11 a.m. at the Legislative Office Building in Albany and the other one will take place on Sept. 12 on Long Island.

State Sen. John DeFrancisco said he is concerned about a lack of transparency.

People have filed Freedom of Information Law requests dating back to December seeking information about whether the water is safe to drink and have not received answers.

DeFrancisco said he wants to know the facts upon which DOH is basing its conclusion in its fact sheet that we do not expect health effects to occur from the normal use of water.

Zucker said he would check into the matter.

White Creek meeting

Another town affected by PFOA contamination, White Creek in Washington County, is setting up a meeting for people affected by PFOA contamination of wells in that town. The meeting is aimed at addressing residents questions and concerns.

The meeting is tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 14 at Cambridge Central School.

State health and environmental conservation representatives are planning to attend, according to town Supervisor Robert Shay. County representatives will likely be present, too, Shay said.

The state Department of Health has found concentrations of the chemical at levels above the Environmental Protection Agencys advisory limit of 70 parts per trillion in 27 of the 126 well samples in southern Washington County. That figure was as of Aug. 10 and more recent numbers were not immediately available.

The state has installed filtration systems to remove the PFOA from the water.

Shay said he hopes the meeting will answer some of the questions that residents have, including why some residents have the contamination in their wells and their neighbors may not.

The source of the PFOA contamination in White Creek has not been determined.
Inventory needs to be managed and managed well, or you are going to get in recurring trouble, and lose your credibility and hard-earned conversions, whether 

Read more
The development, he opines, is in complete aberrant with governments policy to promote local rice production in the country.

He was speaking at the 3rd Ghana Rice Festival held in Accra.

We want to plead with the government on behalf of our rice farmers to close the inland borders that have been opened to bring in more foreign rice when we still have porous inland borders with lots of unapproved routes for smuggling, he said.

This development is contradictory to governments position to promote the production and consumption of the countrys local own foodstuffs.

The government had earlier allayed the fears of the local rice producers, saying it will team up with the security services to check the menace of smuggling.

The head of tax advisory unit at the Trade and Industry Ministry, Lawrence Osei Boateng, said that small-scale rice importance has assured the ministry that they will do clean business by avoiding under invoicing and smugling.
According to H-Metro, the love-struck teenager did not come to terms that his older lover could cheat on him and decided to take his own life when he found out.

Chinhengo, who was from the Landas business center in Chihota area of the country, was arrested and detained for allegedly stabbing the woman several times but he killed himself inside the police cells.

It was gathered that Chinhengo had trailed Chiweshe and saw her coming out of a toilet in the company, and suspecting that she had gone into the toilet to have sex with the man, the young boy grabbed a bottle, broke it and used it to stab Chiwese several times on the head using a glass, before she was rescued and rushed to the Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals where she is currently battling for her life.

The deceased was later arrested and detained at the Mahusekwa Police Station where he later committed suicide using a strap from the blanket cell.

A police officer who confirmed the incident, the boy had confessed that he bitter that his lover was sleeping with another man.

It is believed that he used a strap from his blanket in the cell to hang himself from the window in his cell. He was sharing the same cell with another suspect.

The other suspect was taken for investigation and when an officer returned the suspect to the cell, he found Timothy dead.

Speaking on the untimely demise of the teenager, one of his aunts, Sarah Mhondiwa, recounted that his family knew of his sexual relationship with the older woman and that she had tried to stop the union but he was adamant on carrying on with the affair.

I really dont know how to explain the story as I am in shock. Timothy met Patricia at some bar. Patricia was said to be a prostitute at the time. They started co-habiting despite our protests.

The matter was reported to the chief and both were lashed. We even approached the police who said they could not intervene.

After his arrest, I visited him last Sunday while he was in police custody. He told me that he attacked Patricia because she was cheating on him with a guard who works at a bar somewhere at Landas shopping center."

"He said he had heard rumors and he finally saw it for himself. Patricia told him to mind his own business. He did not manage to tell me the rest of the story because we were told that visiting time was over.
SG Bank followed closely, with rates ranging between 21.8 percent to 29.8 percent. The fourth, fifth and sixth positions are occupied by Energy bank with 28.5 percent Zenith bank 29 percent and FBN Ghana from 29.1 percent to 31 percent.

READ MORE:Banking in Ghana Bank of Baroda and StanChart provide cheapest loans in Ghana

Seventh was HFC with between 29.7 percent and 30.3 percent, followed by Stanbic bank at number 8 with 30 percent, GN Bank number 9 at 31.3 to 38.4 percent and UT bank at 32.2- 35.2 percent.

Royal bank(40.2), Bank of Africa(36.5), Barclays bank (40.1) were found to be the most expensive.
If the economy is challenged, the insurance industry, just as other industries, is also challenged as most of our clients are from the manufacturing, service and industry sectors of the economy who feel the harsh impact of the economy.

So it is very important for insurance companies to look at the informal sector and bring innovative products to attract them to expand their clientele base, he said.

The insurer also called for the diversification of the economy and the stabilisation of the local currency to make key sectors of the economy such as manufacturing, service and industry to pick-up to boost the insurance business.

He said the practice where some companies undercut premiums to gain customers is not best practice as it is gradually crippling the growth of the industry and affecting solvency and ability to pay claims. He urged players to desist from it and develop innovative products that are tailor-made for customers.

If you undercut you charge a lower premium for a higher risk so you are not able to raise enough to pay claims and this bring about loss of confidence in the industry.

He called on industry players to intensify the campaign of educating the public to understand the policies of their products to inform customers decisions to go for the right insurance policies.

Low penetration of insurance is as a result of limited knowledge of the general public about insurance. As practitioners, we have not educated the public well and this has also resulted in the seeming loss of confidence in the insurance industry because people have had bad experiences with the industry, he said.

At NSIA Insurance we are doing our best to educate the public while selling our products. We try to educate them about the products as well as the policy details and tell them how it works, and the processes one can use to get his claims.

Before we give you the policy, we explain and give you the terms of the policy so when an event occurs you will know whether you are entitled to a claim or not, he added.

In Ghana, the National Insurance Commission (NIC) has begun the implementation of a number of policies in a bid to boost confidence and trust to grow the industry. Among others, the regulator has been championing micro-insurance  which targets low-income economic sectors  as a strategy to improve penetration and is currently working on a new industry law that takes cognizance of this little explored area.

It has also been trying to boost confidence through policies to strengthen claims-payment capacity of insurers. Since April 2014, it has been implementing a No premium, No Cover policy that prohibits the sale of insurance on credit. The NICs objective is to enable cash-strapped insurers promptly respond to claims  at least within a month when they fall due and all necessary documentations submitted.

Mr. Adoteye-Asare said NSIA Insurance Ghana is well-positioned to increase its market share, being the most solvent insurer currently on the market with over 660% solvency ratio as at July 2016. NSIA Insurance Ghana recently launched an online communication campaign, Insurance Made Easy to help demystify insurance for its clients and the general public, whilst bringing the real value of insurance to the fore.
READ ALSO: Biomedical laboratory scientists declare strike

According to the laboratory scientists, the Health Ministry has been lackadaisical in the implementation of the policy which is meant to raise the quality of laboratory science practice nationwide.

A statement signed by the President of GABMLS, Ignatius Awinibuno, accused the Health Ministry of disregarding their needs by refusing to show up at a planned meeting which was to address the stalled implementation of the policy.

READ ALSO: Health Ministry begs laboratory scientists not to strike

The NLC subsequently described the strike by the biomedical laboratory scientists as illegal.

It filed a suit last week Tuesday at the Labour Division of the High Court, praying the court to compel the scientists to go back to work.

In his response, the President of the association, Mr Ignatius Abowini Nchor Awinibiino said it is not in the power of the NLC to determine whether or not the strike is illegal.
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Maybe you do a small stretch before heading to wash. Well, it's time to turn that stretch into a yoga session. You'll soon feel great. This ancient practice dates back to India. It is about finding peace and focus and is great for the body, from your posture to your flexibility.

Here is why you should do some yoga every morning at home.

It will get you moving

Mornings are best for exercise because you have the day ahead of you and no excuses. Often when you wait until the end of the day, something will come up. Yoga is a great workout and you tailor it to your needs or ability.

You connect to your body

Yoga is about strength and durability, going deep into a pose and holding it. You learn your limits and to respect them. It's all about you, no competition. Doing it regularly will help you learn more about the way you move and how you may want to improve flexibility or movement.

You will be calmer and have a better breathing technique

One of the dominant aspects of yoga is the breathing exercises, also known as pranayama, which are incorporated into positions and then on their own. Your best bet is checking out some YouTube videos and being guided through the breathing exercises. They will help you manage stress through the day.

It will improve your posture

You may go and sit all day after your yoga practice, but hopefully you will become more mindful. Yoga is pretty effective at helping you develop proper posture, since a lot of the breathing and seated positions require a straight back for proper effect. You learn how to elongate your spine and engage your stomach muscles.

Less back pain

Yoga is a great way to combat back pain. It's recommended by the USA National Institutes of Health as a way to ease pain and stretch muscles. A study funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) found that after six months of yoga, those suffering from low back pain had significantly less pain, disability, and depression. Depending on the pain you are experiencing a quick search on YouTube will find an exercise suited to you.
With a contemporary setting where a mother-in-law intrudes the marriage of her daughter and eventually falls for her in-law, My Wife-In-Law is another high voltage, side-splitting comedy brewed in a pot of common sense.

The three-cast play which was launched on social media last May is finally ready to be premiered this September on Legon campus. It hinges on why whatever happens in a marriage should stay there, especially if couples can solve them. Typical of a Kobina Ansah play, theres a lot to learn and laugh about.

Read More:

In this melodrama, Baaba invites her bitter divorcee of a mother who has a history of snatching husbands at the speed of light to help solve her marital problems. Her mother ends up worsening their challenges while trying to seduce Yoofi, Baabas husband.

Kobina Ansah is known for his plays This Family Is Not For Sale Season 1, This Family Is Not For Sale Season 2 and I Want To Sue God! The The Mirror columnist is commonly identified with the wits, humor and lessons which accompany his works.

The iconic satirist confessed on his Facebook page, If you think you had the loudest laugh at #IWantToSueGod, wait to see #MyWifeInLaw.

"My Wife-In-Law" shows on University of Ghana campus. Venue is the R.S. Amegashie Hall inside the University of Ghana Business School. Time is 5pm and 8pm. Hotlines are +233-554-265-431 and +233-269-654-873.
According to him, The Presby Church of Ghana doesnt belong to any party and does not support any party. It has been in existence before all the political parties came, the religious leader said at a press conference.

Read more: Presby church expresses willingness to partner NPP

We have seen government upon government. We partnered JJ Rawlings, John Kufuor and Atta Mills in the fourth republic and today were partnering John Mahama. So we will partner any government that comes.

See more:Reverend Emmanuel Martey commended

Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey also revealed he was approached with a whopping $100,000 by politicians to woo him. He added that the desperate politicians upped their bid with a house that has a swimming pool at the plush Trasacco Valley and a 4X4 vehicle.

Though he would not mention persons who tried to court his support or the party the agents were working for, he noted that the unnamed party had wanted to silence him with the bribe.
This is according to the Central and Western regional branches of the association.

According to the memo, there was a meeting where members gathered that Monney was using his powers to choose Anas as the winner.

Find below the memo written by the two regional chairpersons

August 29, 16

Dear Sir or Madam:

We, members of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in the Western and Central zones wish to express concerns over some fallouts from the 21st GJA awards ceremony and leadership challenges in the Association.

We first of all would like to state that the GJA still remains an independent group of professional journalists with a common purpose and interest and not an appendage of any individual, group or organisation connected to it.

Recent developments, actions and the leadership style of the President, Mr. Roland Affail Monney has made the Association unattractive in recent times.

Perennial rancor

The Association's AGMs are flawed with omissions, inaccuracies, shortcomings and other administrative lapses that should not be said of an Association that seeks to 'right the wrong'. This is because the President has failed to lead his team.

Every award since Mr. Monney took office, come with controversies that did not augur well for members. He takes unilateral decisions in most critical issues that made companies shy away from the Association because they do not know if we are political, neutral or embedded.

His posture and alacrity at which he pushes the Association to the corridors of power and money are unacceptable. Some of these decisions have to do with the sponsorship of the Associations awards and which entrant becomes the journalist of the year among others.

Sponsorship by the highest bidder

It is important to note that, many companies have vowed never to support the GJA again because of the way the President operates and many journalists have also vowed not to be members.

In the 2014 awards, the GJA took money from Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to be the lead sponsors of the associations awards.

Just as the team from GNPC arrived to take position, the lead sponsor was changed to Ideal Finance who promised to train journalists.

In his address in 2014, Mr. Monney said Ideal Finance had come up with gargantuan amount to support the association, in this day and age, we have a donor who donates cars to the association.

Again in 2015 awards after smoking the peace pipe with GNPC, he threw their GH150,000.00 sponsorship package through the window and later asked them to become co-sponsors.

GNPC declined and went away with their money then came the Ideal moment for the president and Ideal finance to unleash their products on us and our invited guest.

For pride & lost of citations

It should be on record that we are not in for money from any company, if they choose to support, so be, it but not being given the chance to support and hijacking what could be the loveliest ceremony to reward excellence.

The awards committee after their hard work, made recommendations and also took time to write citations for each category.

But because the lead sponsor have given us cars, the president of the association in haste to be seen as a celebrity for being the first to have given cars to journalists allowed the lead sponsors financial products to be announced instead of reading the citations.

The 21 Awards entries came with special works in all the categories that won the award such as My baby my Farm, Poison in the calabash, Locked and forgotten, among others.

The awards would have been complete if the citations accompanying the stories were read, instead of the products of the lead sponsor.

As journalists, we are proud to quote John Muir a Scottish-American naturalist, author, and an advocate who said hidden in the glorious wildness like unmined gold, therefore we cannot sell ourselves for free like that.

Therefore, as journalists, our focus should be on what changes society, the unmined gold not the financial gains by selling the association to the highest bidder.

Journalist of the Year

It is sad to note that, the president took the decision to decide who becomes the journalist of the year, without discussing with the other five members of his team at the national level.

We recall that after a chaotic emergency general meeting, some members picked up information that Mr. Monney wanted to change who becomes the next journalist of the year contrary to what was recommended by the award committee made up of eminent members.

It should be on record that, the President unilaterally threw aside the recommendations of a committee and changed the journalist of the year to Anas without consulting anyone. More so when it was on record that Anas did not enter the awards.

Mr. Monney failed to discuss with his vice, general secretary, treasurer, organizing secretary and the associations public relations officer.

On Friday, August 27, 2016, when the issues started coming up, some regional executives overheard the discussion that Mr. Monney want to switch the overall best award winner to our own brother, Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

After the meeting, the Western Regional Chairman of the association, caught up with him at the main entrance to the building, and questioned him.

His responses were that, No, you know the name of award winners have been announced and the Journalists of the Year is among them and the name is in a sealed enveloped we have not even opened it.

I can assure you that it is not Anas and Anas is nowhere near those recommended for the award, it is therefore sad that, our president fibbed.

It was obvious that Mr. Monneys speech did not focus on the theme, Media for Undisputed and Peaceful 2016 Election: The Support of Civil Society, but rather dwelled on Anas latest work, which is still pending in court just to back his solitary motives. His message in the booklet is different from what he delivered.

Yes Anas, a colleague, a good choice, a committed member of the association with focus on ensuring social justice, but was the decision an informed one from the national executives? No.

Our code of ethics/ Tiger Eye or Anas

We were ashamed when somebody in the audience pointed to me after the awards, that Article 10 Section II of the GJA Code of Ethics, which states, Any report or write-up affecting the reputation of an individual or an organisation without a chance to reply is unfair and must be avoided by journalists.

Mr. GJA President, our questions are: did we award the work of Anas as a director of Tiger Eye, as a company or Anas as an individual member whose report goes to Tiger Eye first?

It was interesting to note that, the representative of Anas said they were surprised to be called to come for award. When they did not even submit an entry and came to the Banquet Hall with a prepared speech.

Today, because of such solitary act on the part of the GJA President, Derys lawyer has threatened action against GJA over Anas Journalist of the Year award.

The lawyer condemned the GJA for awarding the mastermind of the shocking expose that landed his client in trouble and described the act by our noble association as shameful and in contempt of court.

Arise past Presidents

An Akan Proverb says that, when a king has good counselors, his reign is peaceful, but that king must first listen and consult his kinsmen. That is why we call on the past presidents of the association to step in to save the GJA.

After all the GJA has now has only the awards ceremony as the main unifier.

Also there is the need for the current president be cautious in his dealings with other members of the public and should learn to consult widely for consensus; again it is an association and must remain as such.

I will use this opportunity to call on other impeccable past leaders and our senior colleagues of the association the likes of Ransford Tetteh, Madam Adwoa Yeboah Aferi, Kabral Blay Amihere, Madam Gifty Afenyi Dadzie and host of others to call the President of the association to order.

This is because; there is no need to fight now, as a Nigerian Proverb said, In the moment of crisis, the wise build bridges and the foolish build dams.

The President should also do the honorable thing by apologizing to both regional and national executive members and the entire membership of the association. And that should not be a precedent

Signed:

M. Dotsey Koblah Aklorbortu, Chairman-one, Western Region
This is the response of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) to critics who argue Anas should not be awarded.

Speaking to Accra-based Unique FM, President of the GJA Affail Monney said: Our lawyers are ready to back us up in court if it really becomes necessary. He argued that they are ready to defend the decision either in the law court or anywhere. We will refer the matter to our lawyers who are ready to address it.

Monney defended the GJAs decision to award Anas saying even the people on the street will agree that as far as 2015 was concerned Anas is the best journalist.

Monney explained that a journalist does not have to necessarily submit an entry before been adjudged the best for the year.

READ ALSO: Find out the award winners at the GJA awards

He also disputed the notion that the person with the most awards at the event must necessarily win the best journalist of the year.

Justice Paul Dery, one of the High Court judges in Anas Aremeyaw Anas corruption expose accused the GJA of contempt of Court for adjudging Anas as the best journalist of the year.

According to a statement signed by the lawyer for Justice Dery, "the Supreme Court of this Nation has stated that the actions of Anas Aremeyaw Anas and Tiger Eye PI are unlawful in respect of showing that video to the general public, were unconstitutional and a slap in the face of common sense."
An Interior Ministry spokesman said the car exploded inside the compound and quoted Deputy Prime Minister Janysh Razakov as describing the blast as "a terrorist act".

Police, who cordoned off the building and the adjacent area, and the GKNB state security service said they were investigating the incident, which occurred around 1000 local time (0400 GMT).

Authorities in Kyrgyzstan, a mostly Muslim former Soviet republic of 6 million people, routinely detain suspected Islamist militants accused of being linked to the Islamic State, which actively recruits from Central Asia.
According to the Aden governor's office and medics, no fewer than 71 people were said to have been killed in the attack, and at least 33 others were wounded.

Report said the car bomb exploded inside a training camp for forces allied to Saudi-backed Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi.

The explosion reportedly occurred around 8:15 a.m. local time while recruits were waiting in line to be enrolled among troops heading to battle at the Saudi-Yemeni border, officials said.

ALSO READ: ISIS claims responsibility for Maiduguri suicide attack

Aden has been the de-facto capital of Hadi's Saudi-backed government. The actual capital, Sanaa, has been under the control of Houthi rebels since last year.

Monday's attack is the latest in the country's civil war.

-----------------------------------------------
They were denied entry by armed military and police personnel stationed at the entrance to the plant.

"Come to think of it, the security men said management have asked them to deny us entry because we are a threat to the facility. Does demonstrating against bad management practices and poor working conditions constitute a security threat? We have agreed to stay away because of Awulae. [the Paramount Chief of Eastern Nzema Traditional Area Awulae Amihere Kpanyile who was recently made a board member of Ghana Gas]"

Sources at Ghana Gas told pulse.com.gh that "the Operations Manager Robert Lartey informed us in an email that we can resume work on Monday. But to our surprise 35 of us on shift today were denied access.
According to him, his 1 village, 1 dam policy is to help Ghana produce more food for its citizens and for export to the sub-region.

You have been hearing me talking about 1-District-1-Factory. As far as this part of the country is concerned, I even want to go further and talk about 1-village-1-dam, to make sure that in every village, we have a functioning dam to support agriculture. If Ghanas agriculture is working well, the nation is capable of feeding West Africa, he indicated.

The NPP flagbearer made this known while speaking to the Bolgatanga Traditional Council in the Upper East Region about his plans for Ghanas agriculture under his government.

The government has since described the policy as nothing new, as it is already implementing a similar project.

Some opposition groups still argue that the 1-village-1-dam policy is not feasible.

But the chairman of the NPPs campaign committee in charge of agriculture, Dr. Afriyie Akoto Osei has rubbished those claims.

He told Accra-based 3FM that 55 million will be more enough to supply every village in the Savannah zone with a dam.

Akufo-Addos latest promise follows his earlier 1 district, 1 factory promise which he made a few months ago.

According to him, the setting up of these factories across the country will, not only, commence the rapid industrialization of Ghanas economy, but also, will result in the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs needed by the masses of unemployed Ghanaian youth.
When we are tallying in the collation process to remove errors, we think it may be beneficial to have another layer of checks so the lawyers will make sure that the forms are properly filled and the accountants will check and make sure that the numbers have been added up properly, Charlotte Osei said.

The ruling National Democratic Congress has since expressed misgivings about the decision.

Director of Elections of the NDC, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo has said he will be taking the matter to the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) for further discussion.

But the pro-opposition group, LMVCA believes the EC has taken the right step ahead of the elections.

It, however, asked the EC to ensure that the recruitment process is more stringent, and non-partisan.

We know there are several professionals, including teachers, health workers, civil servants and bank workers, who will be happy to sacrifice one day of the next four years for their country.We will therefore encourage the EC to make extra effort to make it easier for professionals to sign up for work as EC officials at the polling stations.

This will significantly improve the manner in which elections are conducted, results recorded and collated, thereby, increasing the degree of accuracy to enhance the credibility of the entire electoral process, a statement signed by Convener of the group, David Asante said.

Below is the full statement from the group:

PRESS RELEASE

29 August, 2016

The decision by the Electoral Commission to engage professionals, notably accountants and lawyers, as collation officers and returning officers at the constituency level for the December 7 general elections is commendable.

The Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA) will not only praise the EC for doing this but encourage the Commission to establish a system of greater transparency for the recruitment of people of basic integrity to be election officers at all 29,000 polling stations nationwide.

The principles which inform the engagement of professionals for collation purposes are equally vital to be applied at the polling station level, where voters are verified, ballot papers issued, votes are counted and recorded.

Accuracy, honesty, impartiality, integrity have been found to be wanting where it matters most, at the polling station.

Whiles it is impossible to find enough lawyers and accountants to fill the over 150,000 election officer slots vacant at the 29,000 centres, the EC should take serious lessons from the debacle of 2012 and make the recruitment process more stringent.

We know there are several professionals, including teachers, health workers, civil servants and bank workers, who will be happy to sacrifice one day of the next four years for their country.We will therefore encourage the EC to make extra effort to make it easier for professionals to sign up for work as EC officials at the polling stations.

This will significantly improve the manner in which elections are conducted, results recorded and collated, thereby, increasing the degree of accuracy to enhance the credibility of the entire electoral process.

LMVCA held a press conference on 14th July, 2016 during which we stated emphatically that the involvement of professionals with integrity in the electoral process would reduce errors during the counting, recording and collation of election results, and considerably enhance the credibility of elections. We are urging the EC to make it a policy to extend the involvement of professionals to the polling station.

The Election Petition, which ensued after the 2012 elections unveiled the multitude of errors that characterized the 2012 elections. Today, in commemoration of the third anniversary of the Supreme Court Ruling on the Election Petition, LMVCA calls on all professionals, particularly accountants and lawyers, etc. to take up the role and challenge to get involved in the forthcoming elections either as constituency collation officers or polling station presiding officers.

Having credible and peaceful elections are crucial to the stability and development of our country. It is therefore incumbent on all patriotic citizens of integrity, with a high understanding of numeracy and the electoral process, to get involved to ensure credible elections for the consolidation of democracy in Ghana.

LMVCA urges all political parties to support the decision of the EC to engage lawyers and accountants in the collation of election results. What they should rather focus on is the recruitment criterion, which should frown on partisanship.

We further challenge political parties to recruit and train highly qualified persons to act as political party agents to police the ballot.

Elections are so crucial that, the entire process must be entrusted into the hands of persons who are highly qualified and who have a high level of understanding of the electoral process.

To Ghanaian professionals we say let us all get involved to support the EC get it right for Ghana in 2016.

Thank you.
Speaking to Accra-based Citi FM Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu said he was surprised when he heard of the recall.

he added.

READ ALSO: Parliament recalled over Mahama impeachment

A statement from Parliament indicated that the house is set to reconvene on Thursday, September 1, 2016.

It is believed that the recall is in connection with a motion to impeach President John Mahama over the controversial Ford Expedition gift saga.

Some sections of Ghanaians expressed anger over reports that President Mahama was given a brand new Ford Expedition in 2012 by a Burkinabe contractor, Djibril Kanazoe who won the bid to construct the $650,000 Ghana Embassy Wall in the Burkina Faso capital, Ouagadougou.

Some minority MPs have reportedly signed a petition to commence an impeachment process against the President for accepting the gift.
According to him, reports, which emanated from the visit of President Mahama to his palace earlier this month, that he had declared his support for the President are not true.

The Bawku Naba explained that, when President Mahama visited, I was in possession of a white handkerchief. The journalists present alleged that this was an endorsement of President Mahama. It is not true. The same way I am dressed before Nana is the same way I was dressed before the President.

Naba Asigiri Azoka Abugrago II, without hesitation, indicated that this is the proper endorsement I want to make. God willing this year, you will get what you want and become the President of Ghana.

The Paramount Chief of Bawku made this known on Monday, August 29, when the 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, paid a courtesy call on him at his palace, as part of his tour of the Upper East Region.

Whilst in Bawku, Nana Akufo-Addo also received a ringing endorsement from the Chief of Garu, Naba Asuguru Akuntam Wini, who declared his support for the NPP flagbearer in this years elections.

According to the Chief, the NPP has a rich history of delivering on its electoral promises, and is in no doubt that voting for Nana Akufo-Addo will only bring progress and prosperity to his people.

Our problem, in the past, was a district. President Kufuor, before the 2000 elections, came here and told us that if he won the election, it will be done. True to his word, the creation of the district was done. When NPP promises you something, it will be done. Thanks to his Excellency, President Kufuor, for giving us the district, he said.

The Chief appealed to Nana Akufo-Addo to construct a district hospital in Garu, when he wins the elections. The appeal for the construction of the hospital, according to the Chief, stems from the propaganda being churned out by activists and functionaries of the ruling government, who claim the Garu District hospital is at various stages of completion. The Garu Naba indicated that this claim was completely false.

See also: NDC executives invoke curses over damaged billboard

Additionally, with the mainstay of the residents of Garu being agriculture, Naba Asuguru Akuntam Wini noted that the desire of farmers in Garu is for an all-year-round agriculture. This, he explained, can be achieved by the construction of an irrigation dam at Tamve. This, he added, will help alleviate the poverty of the people of Garu.

I listen to the radio all the time and I have heard your campaign promises - 1-District-1-Factory, 1-Village-1-Dam. These promises have touched my heart. Just as President Kufuor fulfilled his promise to us, please fulfill these promises to us also when you win the election, he urged the NPP flagbearer.

On the deplorable nature of the roads in Garu, the Chief wondered when the much touted Eastern Corridor road development will reach Garu.

He appealed to the NPP flagbearer that when you win, let that road be your priority. It will help our pregnant women, it will help our people and it will reduce accidents and people can be able to move safely.

In concluding, Naba Asuguru Akuntam Wini noted, with worry, that the National Health Insurance Scheme, under President Mahama, is no longer functioning in Garu.
According to him, mobile money operators have deployed technologies and infrastructure that is driving financial inclusion as envisaged.

He was speaking at the launch of the 2016 Banking Survey by PWC last week.

So lets leverage on the technology and agent network to promote financial inclusion without risking the general safety and soundness of the financial system, he said.

The survey report, titled How to win in an era of mobile money, noted among other things that banks are increasingly worried the mobile money operators will metamorphose into banks.

Nonetheless, Dr Asiama said the central bank will strive to ensure that risks in the financial sector is reduced and achieve financial inclusion as well as build a robust financial system.

As regulators, BoG will continue t dialogue and fine-tune the regulatory and supervisory framework to ensure that we minimize the risks and vulnerabilities in the system so that we can achieve our financial inclusion objectives whilst we build a robust payments system infrastructure for the country, he said.

Mobile money deposit, according to data from the Bank of Ghana, at the end of June 2016 stood at GHC679.2 million compared to GHC341.3 million in 2015.

Dr Asiama disclosed that there are some 108,531 registered mobile money agents in June 2016 compared to 38,400 in June 2015, adding that the trend confirms the wide and growing acceptance of mobile money services as an alternative to other modes of transaction.

He disclosed that the volume of transactions recorded using the mobile money platform could have gone outside the formal banking system since the funds are mobilized for the banks at no cost to them.
Jordan Walker-Pearlman, who is a nephew to the actor, announced the news concerning his death on Monday, August 29, 2016.

According to a statement released by the nephew, the late actor died from complications resulting from Alzheimer's disease.

ALSO READ: Actor dies at 85

Wilder reportedly passed away at his home in Stamford, Connecticut, leaving a sharp feeling of nostalgia on his fans.

Mel Brooks, a leading American actor and comedian was among the host of associates who poured in their tributes to the late comic.
The swank king, popularly known for his hit song,Classic Man, will be visiting Lagos, Nigeria for an exclusive album launch party which will take place on September 1, 2016 at the music hub of Nigeria.

Jidenna will be debuting his album "Long Live The Chief" at Hard Rock Cafe, Lagos, on Thursday, September 1, 2016.

Jidenna will tour the African continent for a series of exclusive performances, album release parties and the filming of a BBC documentary, which will chronicle his homecoming journey to Nigeria.

Speaking on the album, Jidenna says The record as a whole represents all my experiences of the many worlds Ive lived in and traveled through from Lagos to Los Angeles.
The veteran actress took to Instagram yesterday, August 29, 2016 writing, "I am a PRETTY MAMA. GOD i thank you for the way you moulded me SO make i carry go. I can never be YOU. I am who i am and that makes me a UNIQUE person. The good thing is, if you don't notice my BEAUTY, u must notice my #BLACK EYE PENCIL# My GREAT PEOPLE dis new WEEK , whatever an enemy PLAN against YOU must be back to the PLANNER. Have a lovely BLESSED stress free week IJMN."

Edochie was recently decorated with an Ambassador For Peace Award by Universal Peace Federation.

The decoration recognises Edochie for her passion in promoting peace and encouraging others to live a worthy life of emulation in all facets of human endeavour.

She also revealed she was a victim of sexual abuse years ago.

Edochie who was a guest at a seminar to end violence against children called on parents to regularly communicate with their children.

She revealed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. According to her, she was sexually violated at a young age by a family friend.
A picture of her in an obvious display of excitement over her engagement was posted on Instagram through her fan page account.

The post, which was made on Tuesday, August 30, 2016, had the caption " OMGGGGGG Congratulations!!!! @stephaniecoker #SoHappyMan  - @lolaoj."

This was followed by a congratulatory message from a user with the profile name 'ade_motola' who wrote, "Congrats to my everyday look up to.... Wish you the very best @stephaniecokerfanpage @stephaniecoker."

Coker is engaged to Olumide Aderinokun, 40, the younger brother of GTB co-founder Tayo Aderinokun. Should be in his 40s. Aderinokun has a daughter from a previous relationship. This is his first marriage.
The Nigerian queen of pop music at age 27 graduated from

Tiwa Savage came back to Nigeria to pursue her musical ambitions. If she couldn't conquer the world, she could conquer Nigeria. Call it perfect timing or luck but when Ms Savage landed on the scene the Nigerian music scene started getting the attention of the world.

Today, Tiwa Savage has gone beyond being a local champion. She is a fast rising star in North America who has penned a deal with Roc Nation and headlining the Africa One Music Fest in Brooklyn, New York.

ALSO READ: Tiwa Savage hits the subway in New York

On August 27, 2016, Tiwa Savage hung out with the larger-than-life Hip Hop personalityDJ Khaled a.k.a the SnapChat king in Manhattan, New York.

Earlier in the day, she rubbed shoulders with fellow African international stars Jidenna, Lupita Nyong'o and Janelle Monae. Also Tiwa Savage attended the MTV VMAs on Sunday, August 29, 2016, which held in New York.

Hands down Tiwa Savage is the biggest female music celebrity in Nigeria at this moment. As Nigeria's pop culture continues to move into North America, Tiwa Savage has become one of the leading figures in this movement.

During her interview on Hot 97 in July on-air-personality Ebro described Tiwa Savage as the Beyonce. That's the best description for Tiwa Savage right now. She is the queen right now and her international fame has come full circle.
It was a different ball game this year as Lagos State  the social, cultural and bubbling hub of the nation came out to play. The governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has been keen to show Lagos as a city that works, so it made perfect sense to spread the message of the new dawn to other Nigerians in diaspora.

Top Lagos state officials that visited the English capital include the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde, Special Adviser to the governor on Arts and Culture, Hon. Adebimpe Akinsola and Special Adviser to the governor for the Office of Overseas Affairs and Investments, Professor Ademola Abass.

The One Lagos weekend kicked off with a Town Hall meeting in the classical Woburn House Conference Centre in central London. Here, the ambassadors of Lagos State informed the diasporic community of the changes in the state since the new administration took over the reins.

After a civilised morning, the evening gave way to comedy as the Discovery Centre in Barking, Essex played host to iLaff with MC Abbey while seasoned comedians such as Gordons, Seyi Brown, Buchi, EmmaOhMaGod, Kenny Blaq and more thrilled guests. Music was performed by praise veterans Nikki Laoye and Mike Aremu.

The laughter and hilarity continued into the next day as all of London joined Julius Agwu for the 11 edition of the Crack Ya Ribs show. With Osinachi crooner, Humblesmith, as the headline musical act, the fun and dancing continued late into the night.

The peak of the weekends event was the Notting Hill Carnival. Known for the last 30 years as the Nigerian Corner, its little part of the carnival got a makeover as the Lagos Corner where there was dancing, merrymaking and Nigerian beats to give the glorious weekend a befitting send off.

Highly rated Celebs and Media personalities spotted in the VIP section of the Notting Hill Carnival (Lagos Corner) include Majek Fashek, Gbenga Adeyinka, Yeni Kuti, Maleek Berry, Ayo Shonaiya, Seyi Brown, Koker, Actress Tayo Sobola, MC Abbey, Yaw, Buchi, DJ Abass, Sammy Okposo, Niki Laoye, Sautisol, Sope Olajide.
It was gathered that the suspects, alongside others who are now on the run, had broken into the shops which deal in female panties and lingeries and carted away the items before they were nabbed by Zonal Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Onikan, area of the state.

According to the Zone 2 Police spokesperson, SP Muyiwa Adejobi, Musa, a 48-year-old father of five, and his accomplice would be charged to court at the end of investigations.

They were caught in the act on Friday at about 4pm while burgling shops at the Idumota and Balogun markets. Ten bags of women underwear, two cutlasses, two chisels, one heavy cutter, an unregistered Toyota Corolla, (the gangs operational vehicle), were recovered by police operatives.

The Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIGP, Abdulmajid Ali, in charge of the zone, has directed the Officer-In-Charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit to arrest other fleeing members of the gang and their receivers."
The Governor has reiterated his commitment to making Lagos a safe, clean and prosperous mega-city, insisting that the task before the committee is non-negotiable.

Ambode, while speaking at the inauguration of the 15-member special committee headed by the Secretary to the State Government, Tunji Bello, emphasized that his administration is determined to rescue Lagos environment from avoidable impediments through a major clean-up exercise of Victoria Island, Ikoyi and Lekki areas.

He added that gross abuse of urban planning and environmental laws of the state necessitated the action to clean up its environment and restore it to its desired form.

Cases of abandoned properties have become very rampant with miscreants and criminal elements taking over these properties as their base to cause havoc.

The neat roadsides of the past now parade pockets of kiosks, illegal parking lots, unapproved mechanic workshops, roadside beer parlours and commercial centers.

In addition, originally residential areas now have industrial and commercial concerns located there, distorting the balance of the environment.

These bad environmental practices, thriving in these prime areas, can no longer be tolerated and will be brought to an end immediately. These areas must regain their lost glory as this administration demands a return of environmental normalcy.

A safe, clean and prosperous Lagos is non-negotiable; that is the commitment of our administration. We will not allow these environmental infractions to continue.

We cannot allow our beautiful environment to be destroyed by people who have no regard for beauty, serenity, law and order.
US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign event at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada, August 25, 2016. [Photo/VCG]

WASHINGTON - US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on Monday outlined a sweeping mental-health agenda that would integrate the mental health services into the nation's health care system.

According to the plan released by the Clinton campaign, the initiatives would expand reimbursement structures in Medicare and Medicaid and a national initiative for suicide prevention would also be launched.

According to the US National Center for Health Statistics, the overall rate of suicide in the United States increased by 24 percent between 1999 and 2014.

Clinton's plan would also aim to enforce the nation's mental health laws, which are "too often ignored or not enforced," said the campaign in a statement.

As a result of the new plan, randomized audits would be launched to detect violations and disclosure requirements be enforced to prevent insurers from concealing their practices for denying mental health care.

Meanwhile, as previous studies showed that one in every 10 police encounters may involve individuals with some type of mental health issues, the new plan would also seek to prepare law enforcement officials for dealing with people with mental health problems.

"Her (Clinton's) goal is that within her time in office, Americans will no longer separate mental health from physical health when it comes to access to care or quality of treatment," said the statement, adding that if elected, Clinton would also hold a White House conference on mental health within her first year in office.

According to a government study, about one in five US adults, or about 43.6 million nationwide, had mental health issues in 2014.
The woman, Preye Kokorifa, narrated that her son, Innocent, was murdered by the police in a brazen extra-judicial killing but tried to shift the blame to hoodlums.

I sent Innocent to go and give N2,000 to my elder sisters daughter around 11am on Thursday morning. Later in the day, I was informed that Innocent was shot by the police, and I called my husband, who was in Port Harcourt and he asked me to go and find out what happened.

First, when I went to the Anti-Kidnapping office of the police and told them that they have killed my son, they asked me to say that it was bad boys that killed him so that they can investigate quickly.

When my husband who works in Port Harcourt came back after I informed him of the incident, we also went to the SCIID and they asked me to write a statement that it was bad boys that killed my son so that they could investigate the matter, but I refused.

The father of the late teenager, David Kokorifa, an officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Rivers State Sector Command, has also alleged that his son was killed by a police team in Yenagoa, the capital of the state and that the team was even led by his close friend who knows his son well.

On August 18, 2016, my wife called me that our son was shot dead by the police. We went to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, but they denied knowledge of the incident.

We went to the anti-vice unit and they also denied. When we went to the scene of the incident, we discovered that it was the anti-vice team that came for the operation.

The following morning, I went to the anti-vice team again, but they denied knowledge of it. I saw a friend who works there. When I asked him, he also denied any knowledge of it. But I later discovered that it was my friend, who led the team that killed my son.

From there, I went to the Emergency Ward at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, in search of my son. There, I was told that the police brought the boy in the night around 11pm, the doctors said the boy was brought dead.

That was how I knew my son was dead. I went inside the mortuary with my sons picture and my ID card before they allowed me in. I saw his lifeless body in the morgue.

From birth, he never had any criminal record. The day he died was the day his principal called me that he made all his papers. Now, he is dead. All I demand is justice, the sad father pleaded.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Amiengheme Andy, has assured the family that the police will get to the root of the matter and fish out the culprit.

We do not encourage such things. We all have children and nobody will send anyone out to shoot anybody and anyone who does that will pay dearly for it. We want to assure the family that nobody will cover up the matter.
The accused, who resides at 12, Alaafia Street, Mokola, Ibadan, has been remanded in prison to answer for her offence.

Doris was arraigned at the Iyaganku Chief Magistrates Court, where Sergeant Femi Omilana revealed that the woman stabbed her husband Vincent in the stomach over a misunderstanding.

ALSO READ: Man who killed business partner in Delta begs for forgiveness from the ghost

The accused committed the act on August 3, at about 11.30 p.m."

The incident resulted to the death of Vincent, the prosecutor said, adding that the offence contravened section 316 and 319 of the Criminal Code Cap 38, Vol.II, Laws of Oyo State 2000", Omilana said.
It was gathered that Fr. Ochigbo was arraigned on a one-count charge of rape before the judge, Alhaji Umar Kagarko.

The police prosecutor, John Ijagbemi, had earlier told the court one Grace Ibong of Kuruduma village, Asokoro, reported the rape to the FCT Police Command on August 17, 2016, with the Commissioner of Police mandating that the police should investigate the matter and bring the suspect to book if found guilty.

Ijagbemi told the court that the complainant said after a church program in the said church on Sunday, August 14, Fr. Ochigbo had asked her to leave her two daughters, the 10-year-old and an eight-year-old girl, to spend the night with him, which she did.

The prosecutor further said when the Ibong went back to the Father's house to pick her children the following day, she discovered an unusual movement from her 10-year-old daughter and when she inquired what happened to her, the little girl told her that the Reverend Father forcefully had carnal knowledge of her during the night.

Fr. Ochigbo's counsel, Godwin Chukwukere, reportedly applied for his bail pursuant to sections 158, 162, 163 and 164 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), urging the court to grant the defendant bail because he was still innocent until proven otherwise and that though the offence is not a bailable one, Section 162 gives the court wide powers to grant bail in cases like this, but Ijagbemi opposed the application, saying that the defendant was not given administrative bail.
According to Hausa News site, Zuma Times, the mother of the toddler had divorced from her father and he left her in the care of his second wife, not knowing that the woman was not happy with his decision.

The incident, it was gathered, occurred after the allegedly subjected the poor girl to a series of torture without the knowledge of her father till she collapsed and was rushed to the hospital.

At the hospital, the doctors noticed the severe injuries on the girl and when the woman was questioned, she was said to have answered that the girl got the injuries when she had a seizure but the doctors were not satisfied and called in the police who took the stepmother away for interrogation.

It was during the session that she allegedly confessed to torturing the girl.

However, the kid could not make it as she gave up the ghost before doctors could save her life.
The Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami, on Tuesday, August 30, signed the MoU in Abuja on behalf of the Nigerian government.

The move followed the agreement reached at the London anti-corruption summit in May.

Malami said the agreement reflects the willingness of both countries to continue cooperation and mutual support, adding that both countries recognise that they have a mutual interest in ensuring that returned assets are not at risk of being misappropriated again.

"And that both countries recognised they have obligations toward their own citizens for providing such assurances. That both countries recognised the importance of ensuring that the highest possible standard of transparency and accountability are applied for the return of assets." he said.

He assured the international community that all funds recovered will be judiciously utilised for projects that will benefit poor Nigerians.

Speaking on the agreement, leader of the UK delegation, British Minister of State for Immigration, Robert Goodwill, said that the MoU provides the mechanism by which monies could be returned.

ALSO READ: FG to keep recovered money in special account

"Our ability to recover and return stolen assets should send a clear message to all who may seek to habour such assets that there is no safe haven in the U.K, Goodwill said.

"We are keen to do this as soon as the necessary legal process allow. As outlined at the summit, we will be taking steps to accelerate the procedures for identification and confiscation of illegally acquired assets.

Forty jurisdictions, including British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies announced that they will automatically share beneficial ownership information relating to companies, trusts, foundations, Shell companies and other relevant entities and legal arrangements. It is important that everyone can see how returned assets are used to benefit Nigerians. We have therefore agreed in this MoU to be fully transparent about this."
He said that past administrations in the country had reduced activities at the local governments to nothing.

"Workers only visit the councils at the end of each month to collect salaries and allowances, he said.

Abubakar said that if the councils were optimally utilised, they would propel all core developmental issues such as security, poverty alleviation, mass mobilisation and infrastructure development.

He said that both state and federal governments would have less to do because many problems bedevilling African countries needed solutions from the grassroots.

Abubakar said local governments, if effectively utilised, would wipe out poverty and create wealth.

He said that the country needed radical measures that would proffer sustainable solutions to the myriads of problems and scarce resources facing the country.

Abubakar urged the chairmen to be vanguards of progressive change, and develop agricultural ventures that would erode the current trend where 100 per cent of the nations income comes from the oil sector.

He charged the chairmen to give stakeholders in their areas a sense of belonging and ensure equity toward the development of the state.

The governor directed them to improve the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of their councils and to use same in paying workers' salaries.

He called on them to reconstitute security committees and revitalise them in order to improve the peaceful coexistence and security prevailing in the state.

Alhaji Adamu Galambi, one of the chairmen, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said the councils would champion good governance at the grassroots.
The EFCC also said that it would prosecute every House of Representatives member found guilty of the allegations.

The assurance was given on Monday, August 29, 2016, by EFCC Deputy Director, Operations, Lagos, Iliyasu Kwarbai while speaking to protesters who were demonstrating against the apparent silence of the agency on the allegations.

We are already in receipt of petitions from some other members of the public and the investigation is being done in Abuja. When petitions are received, we look at them, make some analyses, and commence investigation, Kwarbai said according to Punch.

We do what we call preliminary investigation without inviting the accused persons. We carry out some investigations and gather some facts to ascertain the truthfulness of that petition. When we find them culpable, then, we go into inviting the accused persons.

What we are doing is to look at the case since we have already received some of the petitions; our men are already on the ground, carrying out very thorough investigations. So dont be in doubt; the EFCC cannot be cowed. Anybody involved in corruption, no matter how highly placed, we dont cover any person at all.

Once we receive your petition, once it is being investigated, once you are indicted, definitely, we go into inviting you. Definitely, whoever is involved in the issue of budget padding will never go free, he added.

Details of the alleged scandal were provided by the former Chairman of the House Appropriation Committee, Abdulmumin Jibrin.

According to Jibrin, Speaker, Yakubu Dogara and other principal officers of the House connived to smuggle N284 billion into the budget.
She made the comments on Tuesday, August 30, 2016, while speaking with journalists after a protest march in Abuja.

What we have heard has been a lot of tentativeness, at the recent development where our president said that he is ready to do a prisoner swap and that Boko Haram can nominate an international NGO to intermediate that, Ezekwesili said according to The Cable.

As far as we are concerned, thats not sufficient. What our president needs to do is to take this matter hands-on and to determine a lot of the steps towards any kind of closure on this matter.

Every time a statement comes out of the federal government, it is tentative. Every time a statement comes out that seems to put responsibility on those who are holding our children, it just makes us feel the kind of decisiveness and the engagement that we should see coming out of this; it is not happening.

We should be determining a lot of things whether it is military operation, whether it is negotiation, if its the combination of military operations and negotiation, we should be in the driver seat of this.

We are not leaving it to for actions that come from the other end; we must take charge; we are the nation-state. Our girls are out there in the wild with men of dishonourable intent; we must take charge, she added.

Buhari recently said that the government would be willing to negotiate with Boko Haram for the girls release if it could prove it was agreeing with the legitimate leaders of the sect.

ALSO READ: Ezekwesili denies attacking Buhari

Meanwhile, the BBOG group has vowed to march to the Presidential Villa every 72 hours until the government briefs it on concrete plans to rescue the missing girls.
The report said Chagoury, who applied for a visitor's visa at the U.S. embassy in Paris last summer, was denied over alleged links to a terrorist group, Hezbollah.

He was said to have sponsored a Lebanese politician, Michael Aoun, whose party is in political coalition with Hezbollah.

The US had tagged Hezbollah a terrorist organisation after the double bombings in 1983, which killed 63 people at the U.S. embassy in Beirut, Lebanon capital, and another attack that left 241 people dead at a Marine barracks later that year was also believed to have been masterminded by the group.

Chagoury's trouble with American security officials began in 2010, when he was pulled off a private jet in Teterboro, New Jersey, and questioned by Homeland Security officials for four hours because his name was on the no-fly list within the United States, the report said.

Later, he was said to have received a letter that said his name was taken off the list and he was then considered a selectee, meaning he was allowed to fly, but would be subjected to extra scrutiny.

In 2013 and FBI intelligence report claimed Chagoury sent funds to Aoun, who, in turn, gave the money to Hezbollah. The report said the information was unverified from a source, who also said the Lebanese Christian politician was facilitating fundraising for Hezbollah.

The billionaire's name was consequently added to a database used to screen passengers for terror links.

According to the recent WikiLeaks publication, Chagoury also donated heavily to the Clinton Foundation to buy favours from Hillary Clinton when she served as the US Secretary of State.

The revelation has been an issue in Hillary's campaign for US presidency, as her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, among others have been using Chagoury's 'selfish' relationship with the Clintons to score political points.

As part of the benefit of Chagoury's donations to the Clintons, it was reported that last summer, US diplomats selected a 9.9-acre property at Eko Atlantic as the preferred site for a new Lagos consulate.

Two months ago, James Entwistle, who was then the U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, wrote to Washington, asking permission to sign a 99-year lease, State Department documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times show also showed.

The State Department spokesperson, Elizabeth Trudeau, however, said no deal has been signed. She was said to have denied questions about whether the Clintons recommended Eko Atlantic.

Chagoury, whose wealth was said to have been largely acquired after Nigeria's late dictator General Sani Abacha seized power in 1993.
The governor made the comments while speaking during an interview with magazine The Interview

For six years, we had a Niger Delta president. Let us see what difference he made in six years when he was president, he said.

When the excess crude account became pocket money, how much of the money went to the Niger Delta? he added.

Meanwhile, Jonathan has been accused of sponsoring the activities of militant group, Niger Delta Avengers.
Now in an exclusive video Pulse obtained, the extent of the hunger which led to their dissatisfaction, and eventually, protest, can be seen.

Obviously angered men and women in the clip can be seen and heard expressing their discontent noisily.

There is also the moving sight of a woman who broke down in tears as her scrawny, malnourished, and very hungry child was held up to the camera.

ALSO READ:IDPs not eager to go home

The occurrences of hunger and lack of supplies at the Borno camp for internally displaced people is one which stretches back to over a year, despite several reports of donations and government intervention.

When, finally, one of the IDPs gets in front of the camera, he speaks, in broken English, of how 20 or more people die daily of hunger in the camp.

The unidentified man echoes what we have already heard - No food for the people, no provision of drugs for the kids, and even he, according to him, had not had any food in two days at the time of the video.

He pleads with the government to have a word with the committee in charge of their feeding, using words like they should give us what is ours; a suggestion that there are supplies, but the supplies were deliberately being held back from them.

Words like they should not spoil his regime also resonates to support this.

Another man speaks of how food, drug and cloth supplies were regularly being delivered, and promptly distributed in the months leading to the last general elections in 2015.

Afterwards, however, he says, there was nothing; leading to a prolonged period of hunger, frustration and abandonment.

For over one year, we have been suffering here, he says in clear terms.

The protest has now been called off, however, after the camp feeding committee was disbanded.
Addressing journalists during the rally, CATE secretary general, Comrade Daniel Obaje said the Buhari administration had made significant progress in addressing security breaches that threatened the integrity of Nigeria.

He noted that Boko Haram camps have been cleared while some displaced persons were beginning to return to their villages.

"The Army freed over 5000 persons that the terrorists once held captive even as efforts are being intensified to free those that are yet to regain freedom," Obaje said.

"Remnants of the terrorists are risking death to flee across the desert into the Mediterranean. The group in his defeat can only now think of hit and run attacks by drug addled fighters who now increasingly opt to fail in their assignment so that the military can capture them for rehabilitation.

"The recent weeks have seen the higher echelon of Boko Haram decimated with several commanders killed in troops operations. Others have been captured, which has left the group being fragmented with split in its leadership. Everything points to a group that has been finished.

"We therefore want to urge Mr President not relent in continuing with measures that will ensure Boko Haram terrorists are not allowed to regroup anywhere on our territory ever again. In fact, we urge that Nigeria does all that is necessary to make sure these killers do not regroup in Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic, all of which share borders with us," he added.

Ibrahim Bapetel Hasan while receiving the protesters on behalf of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation said the report will be passed to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Meanwhile, Nigerian-Lebanese billionaire Gilbert Chagoury, owner of the popular Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos and the massive Eko Atlantic City, was barred from entering the United States over alleged links with terrorist group, Hezbollah.
According to IPOB, the recent riot in the Kuje Prison was an attempt to assassinate Kanu.

The group made the comments via a statement released by spokesman, Emma Powerful.

The statement reads:

The Federal Government and its secret police, the DSS through the prison authorities and warders in charge of Kuje Prisons have perfected arrangements to snuff life out of our leader, Mazi Kanu and those with him in the prison by separating the inmates who had misunderstanding with fellow inmates.

There were teargas and gun shots into Mazi Nnamdi Kanu s cell for him to die systematically. However, we observed that the government and its security agents through their prison warders orchestrated the violence in the prison in order to have excuses to eliminate Kanu.

The orchestrated violence to be executed by prison warders started when the security agents shot sporadically towards the doors and windows where our leader Mazi Kanu and two other IPOB members were being detained.

The prison officials went to search some prison inmates whose cells were very far from where Kanu and two others were kept but all of a sudden, they started shooting live bullets towards the direction where our leader was kept. The cannon of teargas was thrown inside the room that he stays.

Right now, we dont know the condition of our leader and others detained with him. We are calling on the international community, the United Nations UN, the African Union AU, lovers of freedom, Amnesty International, AI, Human Rights watch/NGOs and well-meaning Nigerians who understand the meaning of self-determination to come to our rescue because right now, we dont know the condition of our leader.

We in IPOB family worldwide under the leadership of prophet Nnamdi Kanu are still intact in the pursuit of Biafra restoration irrespective of the attacks from the FG and DSS.

We, however, call on the agents of darkness in our midst and in Biafraland and government to look for another place because IPOB under Kanu is intact, no factions or crises within us and nobody can divide this group which has the divine mandate to liberate the people of Biafra from the shackles of slavery and bondage.

Nevertheless, all the members of IPOB are advised to be resolute, watchful and mindful of whom they allow into their midst. We congratulate the international community, all rights organizations/NGOs, Christian community and well-meaning Nigerians who deemed it so wise to advise Nigerian government to release Nnamdi Kanu and other members of IPOB and pro Biafra agitators detained in different prisons and security cells across the country.
ALSO READ: undefined

Wilder made his first big screen appearance in the 1967 movie "Bonnie and Clyde," and made his last in 1991.

To pay tribute, we have put together five films that makes the actor unforgettable.

In no particular order, here we go:

1. "Blazing Saddles" (1974)

A 1974 comedy film directed by Mel Brooks, "Blazing Saddles" is based on Bergman's story and the draft.

It received three Academy Awards and has the sixth spot on the American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Laughs list.

ALSO READ:undefined

2. "Young Frankenstein" (1974)

The movie which won Wilder an Academy award for best-adapted screenplay stars him as the title character.

Directed by Mel Brooks, the American horror comedy film stars Wilder as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein. The screenplay was written by Wilder and Brooks.

ALSO READ: TOP 30 MOVIES OF LATE MUNA OBIEKWE

3. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

The 1971 British-American musical fantasy film stars Wilder as Willy Wonka. An adaptation of the 1964 novel "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," the movie tells the story of Charlie Bucket as he receives a Golden Ticket and visits Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.

ALSO READ: TOP 10 MOVIES OF LATE CHRISTOPHER LEE

4. "The Producers" (1967)

The movie which earned him an Academy Awards for 'best supporting role,' starred the late actor as Leo Bloom, the accountant.

The film tells the story of a producer and an accountant who take more money from investors than they can repay to make a Broadway flop. They plan to abscond to Brazil after the play, only for things to take a different turn when the show becomes a hit.

ALSO READ:undefined

5. "The Woman in Red" (1984)

Directed by and starring Gene Wilder, the movie is adapted from Yves Robert film "Pardon Mon Affaire."
The party's Board of Trustees (BoT) gave the advise in a statement issued after the BoT meeting in Abuja on Monday, August 29.

National Chairman of the board, Sen. Walid Jubrin, who read the statement, also advised the caretaker committee to constitute a new convention planning committee.

"To ensure a credible, transparent, free and fair convention, a new Convention Planning Committee should be constituted by the National Caretaker Committee and approved by National Executive Committee (NEC)," he said.

Walid added that the BoT would facilitate the raising of adequate funds for the partys activities, including the convention.

The BoT which passed a vote of confidence on the caretaker committee, charged it to, as soon as possible, convene a meeting of the NEC of the party.

According to him, the NECs meeting should be convened to accordingly, approve proposals for moving the party forward.

He had urged the BoTs reconciliation committee headed by Prof. Jerry Gana, to continue with all its reconciliation efforts.
The campaign has been going on well, but PDP has started what they know best which is violence, but that will back fire. They are organizing thugs, creating tension where there is none, Uyigue said on Monday, August 29, 2016, according to Vanguard.

There is no magic that can make the PDP win this election; Oshiomhole has done what Napoleon could not do when it comes to Edo State politics. Since I joined politics, I am yet to see a governor like him.

Before, the PDP used to tell us how mammy water has stopped them from constructing roads, but today where is the Mammy water. Oshiomhole is constructing roads everywhere, schools, look at the hospital he built even if you are sick and go there you will be healed immediately, he added.

ALSO READ: Oshiomhole threatens to arrest PDP members
In a statement issued in Abuja by the factions Deputy National Chairman, Dr Cairo Ojougboh, on Tuesday, August 30, it said the outcome of the BoT Mondays meeting was not in line with the faction's earlier decision with the partys reconciliation committee.

The BoT had yesterday, August 29, advised the National Caretaker Committee of the party led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi to hold the next national convention in Abuja.

It also recommended that a new convention planning committee should be constituted by the Caretaker Committee and approved by the National Executive Committee (NEC) to ensure a free and fair election.

But the Sheriff faction claimed the BoT recommendations breached the agreement it had with the reconciliation committee.

The statement said: Having deliberated on the reported outcome of the BoT meeting of Aug. 29, we have resolved that the resolutions feel short of the decision reached with the Dickson/Mantu reconciliation committee.

The agreement we had is that Sheriff should chair a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting where Makarfi will attend as a member of the BoT.

At the meeting, a chairman of convention committee will be agreed upon, a new convention committee setup, including all other sub-committees, zoning, finance, accreditation, etc.

The venue of the convention will be in Abuja, where a new leadership of the party will emerge, internal democracy will be respected and confidence will return to the party."

The faction blamed the crisis rocking the party on the BoT Chairman, Sen. Walid Jubrin.

In any case, his tenure has expired as he has spent more than 10 years as secretary and chairman of BoT, which runs contrary to the Constitution," Sheriff group said.

A party where we have eminently qualified persons like Sen. David Mark, Babangida Aliyu and others, cannot be led by individuals controlled by the love for money.

The source of irritation in the party is the still-born illegal caretaker committee and the Board of Trustees should have advised that the illegality be addressed.

We make bold to state that until we get it right and check impunity, the Nigerian opposition party wont perform as required.

As we move towards reconciliation, PDP should prevent any person or group from hijacking the party."
Okogie also urged the President to fulfil the promises he made to Nigerians when he was campaigning.

Nigerians are waiting for you to fulfill the promises you made during the campaign. They voted you into office because of those promises. The introduction of town hall meetings is a commendable idea. But in practice, you, not just your ministers, must converse with Nigerians. You are the President. You must be accountable to them. The buck stops on your desk. Even if your administration has no magic wand at least give some words of encouragement.

Okogie also asked the President to implement the change agenda in truth, because change is not real when old things that we ought to discard refuse to pass away.

The Priest, who said this in an open letter to Buhari, said Today, cries of hunger could be heard across the length and breadth of our vast country. Nigerians hunger, not only for food, but also for good leadership, for peace, security and justice.

He also said This letter is to appeal to you to do something fast, and, if you are already doing something, to redouble your effort. May it not be written on the pages of history that Nigerians die of starvation under your watch.

As President, you are the chief servant of the nation. I therefore urge you to live up to the huge expectation of millions of Nigerians. A stitch in time saves nine.
The couple currently both on admission in the Piedmont Fayette Hospital were not allowed to stay in the same room. The hospital policy prohibits orthopaedic patients from sharing private rooms.

Tom could not bear the thought of being away from his wife so the hospital worked a visiting schedule that allows him to stay with his wife for hours,

My wife is the finest woman in the world, I just cant be away from her, Tom told the hospital team.

The hospital has since posted the picture of the aged couple and wished them a speedy recovery.

ALSO READ: Man gifts girlfriend a car for accepting his marriage proposal

"Fayetteville residents Tom and Arnisteen Clark have been married for 68 years. The only time they have been apart during their marriage is when Tom, an Army veteran, was stationed in Korea.

This made their stay in different rooms in the hospital very difficult for them, so Tina Mann, Manager, Orthopedics Medical-Surgical 4, with help from the clinical staff, went above and beyond to make a special arrangement for Tom, 96, to visit his wife, in her room.

Overcome with joy, he wept as he described the deep love he has for Arnisteen, 92. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery for the Clarks and many more happy years together," the hospital captioned on Facebook.
Reuters witnesses said gunfire could be heard after the explosion and a huge cloud of smoke could be seen above the president's palace, outside which were the remnants of the car and splattered blood.

"A suicide car bomb exploded outside the presidential palace. So far two hotels opposite the palace are partially destroyed," police officer Major Mohamed Ali told Reuters by phone.

Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for several recent explosions in Mogadishu, including a car bomb and gun attack last week at a popular beach restaurant in the capital that killed 10 people.

"So far we know five government soldiers died in the blast. It exploded outside the SYL hotel which is also just at the checkpoint outside the palace. We believe the target was SYL which is frequented by officials. The death toll may rise," police officer Colonel Abdikadir Hussein told Reuters.

Al Shabaab's Radio Andaluz said that the group was behind the attack.

In a separate incident, al Shabaab fighters attacked military bases housing government and African Union troops south west of the capital Mogadishu late on Monday, police and the group said on Tuesday.

Military officer Major Bile Farah said a soldier and two al Shabaab fighters were killed in the attack in K-50 and Muri in Lower Shabelle region,

Al Shabaab's military operations spokesman, Abdiasis Abu Musab, said the group's fighters had killed 10 soldiers and commandeered a vehicle from the Somali government soldiers.

The militants were pushed out of Mogadishu by the African Union peacekeeping force AMISOM in 2011 but have remained a serious threat, launching frequent attacks aimed at overthrowing the government.
Political tension is rising in the southern African nation, where public anger at the dire state of the economy, in particular an 80 percent jobless rate, cash shortages and delays in salaries for public workers, has spilled onto the streets.

Zimbabwe's police have a history of violence against President Robert Mugabe's opponents and last month a trauma clinic said dozens of people, including children, suffered "savage" abuse after a demonstration.

Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba declined to comment on the findings of the ZHRC, an independent body formed in 2013.

In its first statement on the protests the commission said its investigations had revealed "unbecoming and violent conduct" by police officers and urged victims to make formal complaints.

"It is noted with regret that the police did violate the fundamental rights of the people as evidenced by the facts gathered on the ground," it said.

"Security concerns should not be used as an excuse to harass demonstrators and non-demonstrators. Citizens should enjoy police protection and not brutality."

The commission also said demonstrations should be peaceful, after protests on Friday descended into some of the worst violence seen in the former British colony for two decades.

Sixty-eight people have been charged with public violence at Friday's clashes. A court was due to rule on Tuesday whether they should be released from custody while they await trial.

More anti-government protests are planned for Wednesday and Friday.

Mugabe has said there would be no "Arab Spring" in Zimbabwe, referring to a wave of revolts in the Middle East and North Africa in 2011, some of which toppled governments, while others were stamped out by security forces.

Information Minister Christopher Mushohwe rejected criticism from the United States and Canada.
As Islamic State's spokesman, he was its most visible member. As head of external operations, he was in charge of attacks overseas, an increasingly important tactic for the group as its core Iraqi and Syrian territory has been eroded by military losses.

Islamic State's Amaq News Agency reported that Adnani was killed "while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo". Islamic State holds territory in the province of Aleppo, but not in the city where rebels are fighting Syrian government forces.

Amaq did not say how Adnani, born Taha Subhi Falaha in Syria's Idlib Province in 1977, was killed. Islamic State published a eulogy dated Aug. 29 but giving no further details.

Recent advances by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, and by Syrian rebels backed by Turkey, have made inroads into Islamic State holdings in Aleppo province, cutting them off from the Turkish border and supply lines along it.

There are conflicting reports as to where and how he died.

A senior Syrian rebel official said Adnani was most probably killed in the Islamic State-held city of al-Bab in an air strike. Citing unconfirmed reports, he said Adnani was in the Aleppo region to raise morale as the group comes under mounting pressure

Hisham al-Hashimi, a security analyst who advises the Iraqi government on Islamic State, said Adnani was injured in a coalition strike on Aug. 17 near al-Rai, north of Aleppo, where Islamic State is fighting Turkish and U.S.-backed Syrian rebels.

READ ALSO: 6 of the most notorious terror attacks by ISIS in 2016

Hashimi said he died from his wounds on Monday.

A U.S. counter-terrorism official who monitors Islamic State said that Adnani's death will hurt the militants "in the area that increasingly concerns us as the group loses more and more of its caliphate and its financial base ... and turns to mounting and inspiring more attacks in Europe, Southeast Asia and elsewhere".
An arbitration court in The Hague infuriated China in July when it ruled that China had no historical title over the South China Sea and it had breached the Philippines' sovereign rights.

China has ignored the ruling that none of its claims in the disputed Spratly Islands entitled it to a 200-mile (320 km) exclusive economic zone. Its construction work on reefs there has alarmed other claimants, as well the United States and Japan.

"We are trying to make China understand especially when the dust settles that unless they respect and recognise the arbitral tribunal, they will be the losers at the end of that day on this matter," Yasay told a congressional hearing.

China seized Scarborough Shoal in 2012, denying Philippine fishermen access, one of the factors that prompted Manila to seek arbitration.

"When we start formal negotiations or bilateral engagements with China, we will have to do it within the context of the arbitral decision. There are no buts or ifs insofar as our policy on this matter is concerned," Yasay said.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims in the sea, believed to be rich in energy deposits.
Law enforcement officers will be atop Dunkin Donuts locations in Davenport and Muscatine 6-10 a.m. Friday to raise money for Special Olympics Iowa.

Law-enforcement officials will be at Dunkin Donuts, 2519 E. 53rd St., Davenport, and 2603 2nd Ave., Muscatine, during the state-wide "Copy on a Rooftop" event. Volunteers will collect donations at the entrances and drive-throughs of the businesses.

Visitors will receive a free coffee coupon from participating Dunkin Donuts stores when they make donations.

The annual event is planned and implemented by the Law Enforcement Torch Run in support of Special Olympics Iowa.
A Vietnam War veteran from Davenport who admitted that he purchased numerous military awards without authorization was sentenced Tuesday to five years of probation and a $5,000 fine.

Im sorry for my part in all this, Robert E. Brooks Jr. said in a short statement in U.S. District Court, Davenport.

Brooks, 70, said he "didn't mean to harm" other veterans before Judge Stephanie Rose handed down the sentence.

He pleaded guilty on March 28 to purchasing military awards and decorations without authorization, a misdemeanor that carries a potential sentence of up to a year in prison.

Per the plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of no more than five years' probation.

According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Brooks served in the U.S. Navy from November 1962 to September 1966; the U.S. Army from May 1967 to September 1970; the Army Reserves from September 1970 to September 1974; and in the Navy from September 1974 to Jan. 31, 1986.

He was discharged from the Navy under other than honorable conditions, according to the release.

Sometime between 1971-74 and during his service in the Reserves, Brooks compiled a list of awards and decorations he thought he deserved but had not validly been awarded, according to release.

Brooks knowingly provided the list to another person and the information was falsely added to his official military file, according to the release.

Brooks falsely reported that he earned a Silver Star medal with two oak leaf clusters, a Purple Heart with four oak leaf clusters, and a Combat Infantry Badge, among other awards and decorations, according to the release.

FBI agents who searched Brooks home on Oct. 15 seized around 20 awards and decorations, including the Silver Star and Purple Heart, without proper support, approval and authorization.

During Tuesday's sentencing hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Westphal acknowledged Brooks military service and the awards he legitimately received.

However, that very honorable service alone was not sufficient for him, Westphal said.

He said Brooks had a number of opportunities to correct the record to his family friends and to other veterans, but he refused to do that.

Brooks attorney, Terence McAtee, said he has legitimately earned "quite a few medals" during his military service and has volunteered for years with several veterans organizations.

McAtee said Brooks hopes to continue to work with those groups in the future.

Its important for him that veterans have a place to turn, McAtee said.

The judge, while handing down the sentence, noted Brooks' many years of military service, but that he "made a lifetime career" of fabricating his record.

She said he used those fabrications to receive benefits that he was not entitled to and "valor that you weren't entitled to."

Rose ordered that Brooks not possess any firearms or ammunition in his home. He must also get a mental health evaluation and participate in any recommended treatment.
Since 2012, the job performance of Art Tate, superintendent of the Davenport Community School District, has been reviewed in open, public sessions.

Tate's annual evaluation for 2015-16 was no exception as the Davenport School Board spent three hours Monday discussing how the past year had gone for the district's leader.

For his part, Tate had no complaints. "It was a good, healthy discussion for all of us," he said after the session.

The school board retired into executive session to discuss Tate's contract and pay scale. In the past, Tate has not accepted salary increases and has a base pay of $195,868.

Next year, Tate will focus on ways to reduce the achievement gap in the district. He argued for that single goal, noting other concerns, such as fighting poverty, are included in aspects of the gap.

Throughout the discussion, board members voiced concerns about minority students in the district. Julie DeSalvo pointed out results of the Iowa Assessments, which showed what she termed "horrible differences" between the cultures. "That was very disturbing," she said.

"Somehow the African American boys are falling through the cracks," board member Linda Hayes said. "We can't seem to reach them."

Tate explained that professional development is most helpful when he, as the leader of Davenport's schools, consults with officials of similar-sized districts. The Sioux City, Iowa, district has had some luck in reducing the achievement gap and Tate will meet with officials from Sioux City during the 2016-17 school year.

The bulk of the meeting was devoted to discussing Tate's job performance in six categories:

Promoting a district vision.

DeSalvo was impressed when Tate received the state's test scores and came to the board with a plan to address the problems. "He'd worked on it all summer, went to staff, and teachers, right to those involved. That was very impressive to me," she said.

Advocate for culture of learning.

Hayes, citing Tate's visits to 1,700 classrooms, said he's meeting the majority of students, but not all cultures. Board member Jamie Snyder agreed with Hayes, and said the situation with African-American boys and their test assessments needs the attention of everyone in the district.

"This needs to be made right," he said.

Board member Clyde Mayfield described Tate as "one of the most brilliant superintendents ever seen in Davenport," and that it's not fair to blame him for shortcomings that have persisted for years.

In the end, all board members agreed that Tate fulfilled the requirements of this category except for Mayfield.

Manage all operations for success.

DeSalvo cited district success stories, like Davenport's Diversion program to help keep troubled youths in school, and Tate's attempts to balance the district's budget that involve very public discussions, and at the level of the Iowa Legislature.

Mayfield said Tate met the standards in this category, but added that the financial situation is partly caused by the district starting new programs, and then not eliminating them when the money ran out.

Collaborates with whole community.

Board members cited Tate's ability to land a multi-million dollar grant from the John Deere Foundation to fight poverty, grants to begin the district's Creative Arts Academy and Tate's involvement in community organizations.

"The superintendent spends so much time to promote our district and he gets out there to respond to our diverse community needs," board president Ralph Johanson said.

Conducts himself ethically.

Snyder, citing the open public evaluation process, said Tate is "nothing if not fair, ethical, and acting with integrity."

Understands and influences community.

It's important to understand that a school superintendent has to take care of the district, first, Tate said, before worrying about issues beyond school boundaries. "This is a great area and region to work in."

The board singled out several achievements, including Tate's efforts to keep students in school, the grants, and his leadership in technology.

Some places for improvement were also included in the evaluation, such as building respect for staff members, and between students themselves.

Tate said he'll continue to work on behavioral problems in the schools, and floated the idea of starting a student council on violence. "Let's see what's out there," he said.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Quad-Cities will celebrate Mexican heritage, culture and tradition with a parade and fiesta Sunday, Sept. 18, in East Moline.

The parade, which begins at noon, will run from 3rd to 10th Street. For more information, call Abel Zertuche, 309-737-5915.

A Mexican Independence Day fiesta will begin at 2 p.m. at the intersection of 15th Avenue and 8th Street. There is no admission fee.

The event will feature food and merchandise vendors, live performances and music that will include the Glenview Mariachi Band.

Organizations, clubs, businesses or families can register a float in the parade by calling Zertuche. Parade organizers seek floats that represent the various states of Mexico and showcase authentic costumes.
Neat people are nit-pickers who snatch up every gum wrapper they see on the sidewalk. They keep close tabs on their checkbooks and know what happens to every dollar bill kept neatly folded in their billfolds. Their office desks are spick and span. Their basements and garages are equally as immaculate.

My problem with tidy types is gnawing because our daughter, a tidy school teacher, paid me an office visit. How do you ever find anything in this mess? she asked. I told her that everything in my tiny office is a treasure, like my old high school wooden locker door, a pay telephone and a long pole once used to pull open tall classroom windows.

"WHAT'S IN that tied sack? she asked. I opened it, just to calm her down. It was a gift to me from someone who had dropped it off at our newspapers front desk.

Inside were hundreds and hundreds of old plastic finger rings advertising Peter Pan Bread. With those rings was a white bakers cap that said Peter Pan Buns, a new white canvas sack imprinted Peter Pan Buns and a bakers apron. I put on the cap and tossed the rings in the air so Jeff Cook, one of this noospapers photographers, could take a picture.

Our daughter shook her head, I suppose youre going to keep all those things. Of course, they are treasures, I said. Peter Pan quit baking buns and bread in Davenport 50 years ago and closed their big Rockingham Road bakery. I shall keep all these Peter Pan bakery artifacts and some day give them to the Putnam Museum.

Our daughter's dismay encouraged me to make a cursory clean-up of my treasure trove of an office. I began with the top of my rolltop desk and could part with nothing. I could never give up the note mailed to me on a pancake hardened with Elmers Glue any more than a gift from an ex-publisher, a plaque that says, Impossible you say? Nothing is impossible when you work for the circus. She was suggesting that I quit writing and run off with the circus. There was no parting with a nearby bobblehead of Mr. Bill from Saturday Night Live.

EVERYTHING I save is old. My rolltop has 60 compartments to hold treasures. I began cleaning and found an orange ticket for the Burtis Opera House, that was the classist spot in Davenport when it opened in 1867. There was also a 2011 Walgreens receipt for Smith Bros. Cough Drops, $1.97, and a $10 gift certificate for the Dock restaurant with an expiration date of June 4, 1994. You see, I never throw anything away, like a cake of Lifebuoy Soap. In one compartment, I found a packet of rubber bands, hiding a pair of eyeglass that I thought was lost five years ago and in a gleaming casette, a deck of cards from the Idler, a Clinton houseboat once owned by the Lamb dynasty.

Tucked alongside my computer is a heavy stone engraved, Hope, that was put in my hand after 44 cancer treatments. I found a $10 bill with Jacksons picture, a sentimental gift from Tom Saul, who is no longer with us. He gave it to me as a Secret Santa gift because it was the oldest thing he could find.

Two desk slots were tightly filled with old picture postcards. Some of them were from Grandpa Wundram, who sent them from Germany when I was a youngster whom he addressed as My little Billy Boy.

I cant throw away my notebooks. I pulled out one of them and an autographed page flopped out, To Bill, Love, Deana Martin. She was singing with the Les Brown band and said her daddy was Dino. Sticking out from another niche was a $25 receipt for a bucket of black walnut taffy from McMeens State Fair Taffy Co., Clinton. Alongside it, a plastic bag held a bunch of bus tokens,

In a 1944-labeled jar from the Airliner, a favorite University of Iowa student hangout, was assorted pens and pencils and sticking out taller than the rest was a shiny magicians wand. It was presented to me at a long-ago work-anniversary celebration with the command, Keep the magic coming.

With that, I decided to give up cleaning my desk. I may never clean it again.
Jon Alexander Editorial Page Editor Editorial Page Editor, Quad-City Times Follow Jon Alexander 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

Get a grip, dear students.

That's the message University of Chicago's Dean of Students John Ellison sent last week to incoming freshman. In Ellison's so-called welcome letter, students were reminded that disagreement is at the core of the free-exchange of ideas. Self-isolation is not an option. And, it's very likely, the most sensitive will hear words and concepts that they won't like.

"... we do not support so-called trigger warnings, we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual safe spaces where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own, Ellison wrote.

Mic drop.

Do not confuse Ellison's protest with the whiny "political correctness" complaints of white people upset that there might be consequences to saying racist things.

Go ahead, say whatever you like. You might be challenged for it. You might face stringent opposition. In extreme cases, it could cost your job. But, again, you have every right to say whatever you like. Just be ready for the blow back.

There is no codified right to not be offended.

Just last week, the Quad-City Times detailed a "safe room" at Thurgood Marshall Learning Center in Rock Island. It's a plush, comfy little respite for "traumatized" and "anxious" high schoolers.

Tell me, exactly how many 17-year-olds aren't anxious? Teenage angst has propelled countless music careers. And let's not even start on the alleged bullying epidemic. Every single human system -- from the playground to the stock exchange -- revolves around submission and domination. Grappling with that reality is a necessity if pumping out fully formed humans is at all the goal.

And that's Ellison's hook. An open society not only permits free speech, it also provides the forum for the debate. Argument is where bad ideas go to die. Sticking one's head in the proverbial sand is not an option.

Sure, the Klu Klux Klan offends me to no end. But I'd defend its right to parade down 4th Street on these very pages.

The world is a varied place, filled with varied, often threatening ideas and concepts. Self-prescribed echo chambers are home to the weak and afraid. Far too many speakers, particularly conservative ones, have been canceled by hand-wringing colleges and universities administrators when the student body's precious little flowers threw a fit.

The urge to hide from society is dangerous. The sudden expectation to be shielded from that which upsets is small-minded. Educators aren't doing anyone any favors when they opt to protect and coddle. It's part of a trend that's infecting American politics.

Earlier this month, the Washington Post sent a reporter to north Idaho, home of the "American Redoubt." It's where the paranoid are moving to secure racial homogeneity and neighbors who share the same ideas, fears and views.

If people want to isolate themselves into tribes, more power to them. If group-think and intellectual isolation is what some find comforting, have at it. But facing questions about an idea is a valuable exercise for even the most stalwart believer. It forces one to truly reflect on that which they assume to be true.

Well-rounded minds are those capable of being challenged and brave enough to have the argument. As Ellison made clear, "safe spaces" have no place in academia.
The Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump campaigns hurl insults at each other without limitations and the political pundits gleefully repeat the vilifications.

The polls indicate that 65 to 70 percent of Americans believe our country is headed in the wrong direction. That implies that we the people desire a change. When you set aside the smear tactics and media bias and look at where the two major candidates stand on the issues, the choice becomes clear.

 Mrs. Clinton wants to continue the current direction the country is going. Mr. Trump wants to change it.

 Mrs. Clinton wants to continue the current approach to illegal immigration. Mr. Trump wants to change it.

 Mrs. Clinton wants to continue the current trade policies. Mr. Trump wants to change them.

 Mrs. Clinton wants to continue the crushing regulations on businesses and raise taxes. Mr. Trump wants to reduce them.

 Mrs. Clinton wants to continue the current approach toward large inner cities. Mr. Trump wants to change it.

 Mrs. Clinton wants to continue the Affordable Care Act. Mr. Trump wants to replace it.

 Mrs. Clinton wants to continue abortion at all stages. Mr. Trump wants to stop it.

 Mrs. Clinton wants to continue covering up her many scandals. Mr. Trump wants to expose them.

We may not know what we will get with a Trump presidency; we do however know what we will get with Clinton - more of the same.

Erv Smith

Moline
BOONE, Iowa  Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey and leaders from the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance announced plans Tuesday to work with a broad cross-section of Iowans to help identify potential economic development opportunities associated with achieving the goals of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy.

Many of the ag businesses located in Iowa and doing business here are already leading the way in integrating water quality efforts into their business and bringing new tools to farmers to help them keep nutrients on their farm, Northey told a news conference at the Farm Progress Show.

This new effort is focused on seeing if there are opportunities to support additional business development as we continue to scale-up efforts to improve water quality and maintain the tremendous productivity of Iowa agriculture, he added.

As part of the effort, alliance leaders, business owners and state ag officials will identify current gaps in conservation/business infrastructure and develop an action plan focused on accelerated implementation of conservation practices focused on water quality, Northey said.

The action plan will focus on identifying economic drivers and market-based solutions to improving water quality and quantifying both the public and private benefits associated with successful implementation of water quality practices.

Northey will serve as co-chair of the conservation infrastructure effort with Ray Gaesser, a farmer from Corning, Iowa and past-president of the American Soybean Association. Northey, Gaesser and Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance (IAWA) officials made the announcement at the Farm Progress Show, which is being held this week at the Central Iowa Expo in Boone.

Preserving and enhancing Iowa's resources benefits everyone, Gaesser said. This is really figuring out the additional expertise and finance needed to help farmers continue improving water quality while meeting the global needs of feeding people. Adapting requires continual research, inspiration, education and action. There's opportunity in that for farmers and the business community.

The IAWA Business Council, which also was launched Tuesday, will play a key role in helping to shape the conservation infrastructure strategy along with the existing IAWA Advisory Council, said alliance executive director Sean McMahon. We look forward to partnering with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and our many other highly valued partners to help align public and private efforts and identify business opportunities to improve Iowas water quality and strengthen rural communities, McMahon said.
State Rep. Dan Dryden of Rapid City  a respected lawmaker and former school administrator  died Tuesday morning after a long battle with cancer.

Dryden, 72, a retired Rapid City school system business manager, had represented District 34 in the state House of Representatives since 2011 and was the vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee.

South Dakota has lost a true public servant. Dan Dryden was respected in the Legislature for his steady, common-sense approach, Gov. Dennis Daugaard said in a news release confirming Dryden's death.

Former Rapid City mayor Ed McLaughlin first became acquainted with Dryden while serving as an adjunct faculty member of the South Dakota State University West River Graduate Center where he taught courses in public school administration and instructional law.

Dryden completed his graduate level courses and went on to a long career with the Rapid City Area Schools as finance officer. In 2011, he succeeded McLaughlin as District 34 state representative.

He was one of my star students, McLaughlin said. He was very, very capable and always had the best interests of the community at heart, and the students when he was with the schools.

He was an excellent finance officer and probably knew more about public school finance than about anybody Ive ever talked with, McLaughlin added.

Daugaard has ordered flags to fly at half-staff statewide in honor of Rep. Dryden on the day of his funeral, set for 10 a.m. Friday at Canyon Lake United Methodist Church in Rapid City.

He was committed to sound financial management, and was an expert in school finance. Like many others, I admired Dans dedication to serving our state, even as he quietly fought his battle with cancer. Linda and I offer our condolences to Judy, the Dryden family and Dans many friends at this difficult time, Daugaard said.
HOT SPRINGS  Following the Fall River Common Core Conference held in Hot Springs on Aug. 17, the Hot Springs Star spoke with Hot Springs Schools Superintendent Kevin Coles to get his thoughts on the concerns raised at the meeting.

Coles, who recently began his second year as Superintendent in Hot Springs, said he did not attend the conference so was unfamiliar with all that was brought up but was very open to discussing the subject of Common Core and its role in education in the state.

As he understood it, the Common Core State Standards got their start after individual state governors from around the country got together to discuss a way in which uniform standards could be developed in order to provide consistent levels of teaching in the area of English/Language/Arts and Math.

From an education standpoint it makes sense, he said, to have teachers teaching the same things to their students in one state as they are in another state.

He admitted that there have been some concerns brought up by parents since the implementation of Common Core, but primarily only in the area of Math.

Change is always difficult, he said, while adding that the new Common Core Math includes a depth of learning that most adults  and also some older students  are not accustomed to seeing. This new depth focuses more on understanding the concepts behind math, and not just the final answer.

While it has been difficult for some older students to transition from learning one way of the doing math to the new way, he said, there has been some very positive results with students just coming into elementary school whom have learned the so-called new math from the beginning.

Supt. Coles said even long before the Common Core State Standards were ever implemented in any state, there has always been the concept of trying to create standardized goals to help teachers set consistent benchmarks of learning, compared to other teachers from other schools.

He recalled 20 years ago, meeting with a regional group of Science teachers in North Dakota whom discussed some of the same concepts that are a part of the current Common Core State Standards.

Supt. Coles shared what the current South Dakota Content Standards do, which: focus on deep thinking, conceptual understanding, and real-world problem solving; set expectations for students to be College, Career and Life ready; and, increase rigor and grade-level expectation.

He said what the states Content Standards do not do, is: dictate how teachers should teach; mandate a specific curriculum; or, limit advanced work beyond the standards.

So while the teachers in Hot Springs are given standards to achieve, our teachers are not told how to teach. How they teach is a local decision, he said.
Thomas Craig Pfeifle of Rapid City, the 19-year-old son of two state judges, died on Monday of injuries received in a mountain-climbing accident in Montana earlier this month.

Pfeifle  the son of S.D. Seventh Circuit Court judges Craig Pfeifle and Jane Wipf Pfeifle of Rapid City  died at a Seattle hospital on Monday morning, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Pfeifle had been taken there after an Aug. 8 accident in which he had fallen 20 to 30 feet while climbing Granite Peak, Montana's highest point, according to Park County, Mont., authorities.

Pfeifle was rescued by helicopter and flown to the Billings Clinic, where he was treated for a head injury. He was then transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where a hospital spokeswoman described his condition Aug. 9 as critical.

Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Gregg told the Journal that Pfeifle passed away at the hospital Monday morning.

Judge Craig Pfeifle posted a notice in a website announcing his son's passing and sharing the family's pain over their loss.

"With broken hearts we tell you our beautiful, brilliant, vibrant, adventurous shining light son died," said the post attributed to Craig Pfeifle.

"Tom is today leading a climb in heaven. The comments about Tom have confirmed how he impacted so many, many lives in such a positive fashion. Even here Tom has been a positive impact for his doctors and nurses.; they admired his spirit and his clarity in letting us know exactly what he wanted.

We are so grateful to God for the gift Tom has been. We can't imagine a life without that gift, even though we lost him early. Thank you you for your love and support."

According to a press release from the Park County Sheriff's Office, Pfeifle fell near the summit of the 12,808-foot mountain while climbing with at least four others.

The King County Medical Examiner said in a phone interview that Pfeifle's official cause of death had not yet been determined, but that more information may be forthcoming.

Many area residents had been keeping a quiet vigil for Thomas on social media, and in their hearts, as the Pfeifle family has remained private during the struggle.
STURGIS | Phase Two of a major road project that will redefine the look of downtown Sturgis  with new landscaping, decorative lighting and signage, and a smooth main drag  will begin early next month.

The South Dakota Department of Transportation says crews are set to begin work on Main Street from west of Junction Avenue to Fourth Street on Sept. 6 in this Black Hills city known for the annual cycle rally.

The $3.5 million project is being constructed in two phases. The first phase from Middle Street to Junction Avenue began last spring and finished in July.

The project includes a new 8-inch water main, storm sewer, asphalt surfacing, curb and gutter, sidewalks, decorative roadway lighting and signage. At each intersection, landscaping, irrigation and planter rails will be incorporated along with colored crosswalks and sidewalks.

Initially, the first two blocks of Main Street, west of Junction Avenue, will be closed to traffic. A week later, the other two blocks west to Fourth Street will be closed.

There will be no access across Main Street at the First Street intersection, but the sidewalk on each side of Main Street will remain open for pedestrians.

A detour route will be in place to guide traffic around the work zone. Access to businesses located on Main Street from west of Junction Avenue to Harley-Davidson Way will be maintained via the alleys.

The prime contractor on the project is Heavy Constructors of Rapid City.

DOT Project Engineer Brenda Flottmeyer said the state and the contractors hosted a meeting this week in Sturgis to outline Phase Two.

"We had a real good turnout. A lot of the business owners from Main Street showed up," she said.

She said the business owners had questions about timelines and access to their businesses during the project.

"They did ask about parking for employees and customers as well as signage," she said.

Flottmeyer said both the state and the contractor want to keep the lines of communication open during the project.

"We want to make this as positive as possible," she said.

The city will piggyback on the project to replace water and sewer lines under the street. That means there will be some times when businesses will be without water.

Flottmeyer said the contractor is working to provide alternative water sources during those times.

To keep in contact with business owners on Main Street and others in the community, a Facebook page has been created called: Sturgis Main Street Project.

The project is one of many downtown improvements that came about from efforts of Future Sturgis, the Sturgis Comprehensive Plan and many other committee recommendations over the past few years.

The overall completion date of the Main Street reconstruction project is June 30, 2017.

During construction, local drivers and some events will be affected by the road work.

The Sturgis Brown High School homecoming parade, for example, will need to take a new route this year.

The tradition of the school's marching band and other parade entries taking the road through the hub of downtown will be modified because of the Main Street reconstruction.

Sturgis Brown High Activities Director Mike Paris said the school and city officials are working on a new parade route, but have no final plan yet.
The South Dakota representative who left for Washington, D.C., a few years ago with high hopes and shiny new boots has changed.

Kristi Noems hair was longer, her attire fitted her country style, and her notions of governance were in the formative stages, especially her ideas about the Capitol. I took photos of her interacting with a group of conservation leaders just after she was elected. She was determined and attentive and working hard to come up to speed on bark beetles and the timber market.

Speaking to the Black Hills Forum and Press Club recently, she seemed determined if more subdued, a little distracted, and even more focused on realities of political life. If anything, she is more urgently engaged in trying to change a few things.

She has adapted to the situation, right down to shorter hair (easier to manage) and business attire unique to the Capitol that brands the wearer as an old hand. She has a steadiness in the face of tough issues that comes from understanding one person cant do much, but has to try.

Shes picked her fights and is figuring out how to move forward on some issues, like immigration and Indian Health Service.

I dont really watch the news anymore, she told us in response to questions about how stories are covered, including immigration.

I dont think people understand how much we rely on immigrants, she said, referring to the millions of people it takes to run agricultural operations, provide visitor services in tourist economies, and many other occupations we wouldnt fill without immigrants, legal or not. We were all immigrants,

Noem said she would like to reform immigration policy so people can come here more easily and participate in our "Grand Experiment" more openly.

Her legislation before the House now would provide a comprehensive approach to solving the problems with Indian Health Service. Legislation is complicated, with intended and unintended consequences.

Unlike California with dozens of natural allies in the form of representatives from different congressional districts in the same state, Kristi is alone, wandering the miles of Washington corridors getting to know everyone, meeting everyone and listening to everyone, because she has to build coalitions for issues that matter to her, and theres no shortcut. You walk a lot in Washington, and Kristi probably makes her 10,000 steps a day before lunch.

(The IHS has) no integrity, she said, in response to my question about accountability at the agency. I dont trust them.

In common with the rest of our federal delegation, Kristi met the brick wall of bureaucracy that maddens citizens and elected officials alike. Lee Iacocca wrote a book about trying to influence health-care policy in this country. He failed.

Many of our tribes would like to run their own hospitals, she said, but the outcomes of that approach seem doomed by inter- and intra-tribal politics and intergovernmental wrangling.

She prefers an approach that would use federal money to provide long-term contracts with private medical providers like Rapid Regional, Sanford and Avera. Cutting IHS out of the picture and providing high-quality health care at Pine Ridge and Rosebud makes too much sense to succeed, but she is doing what she can.

While Kristi thinks health care on reservations deserves more money and more resources, she is not about to support giving any more money to bureaucrats who refuse to be accountable for the money they spend now, with more than 65 percent of funds going to administration. Its a puzzle. I think shes giving it her best shot.
Moscow court registers another Googles lawsuit against antimonopoly watchdog

MOSCOW, August 30 (RAPSI)  The Moscow Commercial Court has registered a new lawsuit filed by Google against Russias Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS), the courts documents read on Tuesday.

The lawsuit reached the court on August 29, no additional information is available yet.

On August 17 the Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals has dismissed an appeal filed by Google against a ruling that the US company had broken Russian anti-monopoly legislation by abusing its dominance on the Russian market of mobile applications.

On September 18, 2015, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) found Google guilty of violation the legislation.

On March 15, 2016, the Moscow Commercial Court dismissed Googles petition requesting to abolish the FAS decision and order issued in September 2015, which stated that the company had violated the Federal Law on Protection of Competition and accusing it of abuse of dominance on the market of preinstalled applications in the Android operating system.
Three firms demand $6 million from MIEL Group ex-owner accused of embezzlement

MOSCOW, August 30 (RAPSI)  Three companies have filed applications with the Moscow Commercial Court seeking to include a debt of founder of one of the largest federal chains of real estate agencies in Russia MIEL Group, Grigoriy Kulikov, who stands charged with multi-million embezzlement, amounted to 400 million rubles ($6 million) on the list of creditors' claims, according to court records.

The Asphalt Blues company seeks for 164 million rubles ($2.5 million); M2M Private Bank demands 122.4 million rubles ($1.8 million) from Kulikov; the North Park company asks to include Kulikovs debt valued at 115.2 million rubles ($1.7 million) on the list.

In mid-June, the Moscow Commercial Court declared Kulikov bankrupt.

Bankruptcy procedure has been initiated against Kulikov as an individual entrepreneur. Later all assets belonging to the businessman must be sold out and the raised funds should be returned to creditors.

In early June, Kulikov was arrested in Latvia by request of the Russian General Prosecutors Office. He faces extradition to Russia.

Russian investigators allege that Kulikov is responsible for large scale embezzlement of funds from the investors of elite settlement Barvikha-Village. The cost of the settlement, according to MIEL Group, is estimated at 4.17 billion rubles ($64.4 million). Main investigative Directorate of Moscow police charged Kulikov in absentia. Later Kulikov was arrested in absentia.

According to Vedomosti newspaper, Kulikov is charged with embezzling over 85 million rubles ($1.3 million) from several people and legal entities in 2007-2008. In November 2014, Kulikov was put on the Federal wanted list; in September 2015, he was put on the Interpol international wanted list.
IKEA ordered to pay Russian businessman $7.8 million amid fraud allegations

MOSCOW, August 30 (RAPSI) - A court in the Smolensk region ordered IKEA's Russian division IKEA Mos to pay over 507 million rubles (approximately $7.8 million) to businessman Konstantin Ponomarev over rented diesel generators, RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday.

IKEA Mos is ordered to pay penalty as it failed to buy out generators, according to the ruling of the court.

The ruling was handed down after Joakim Virtanen, former general manager at IKEA division in St. Petersburg, had admitted to giving false testimony against Ponomarev in the case.

Virtanen said that he lied to investigators and gave false testimony in court at the request of lawyers who acted on behalf of IKEA Mos.

As a result, Alexaner Khokhlov and Semyon Shevchenko who had been hired by IKEA Mos are suspected of pressing witnesses, evidence tampering and procuring perjury. A complaint against the lawyers has been filed with the Prosecutor Generals Office. Moscow City Bar is requested to check the lawyers for breach of Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.

Ponomarev is embroiled in a long-standing dispute with IKEA that opted to rent diesel generators to power its shopping malls in St. Petersburg. Five criminal cases were opened against the businessman at the request of the Swedish retailer. However, a probe over alleged fraud found nothing, and the cases were dropped.

As a matter of fact, Ponomarev is one of the key witnesses in the case against Hermitage Capital Management CEO William Browder who stands accused of tax evasion on a large scale in Russia. According to investigators, Browder and Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer and auditor, set up an illegal scheme to siphon off over 500 million rubles (about $7.7 million). Browder was sentenced in July 2013 to nine years in prison in absentia. Magnitsky, who died in prison in suspicious circumstances, was found guilty of tax evasion in a posthumous trial.
Hearings in Trust Bank embezzlement case to begin on September 5

MOSCOW, August 30 (RAPSI)  Preliminary hearings in a criminal case against two former Trust Bank top managers Oleg Dikusar and Yevgeny Romakov, who stand charged with embezzling 14.6 billion rubles ($227 million), will begin on September 5, RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday.

Investigators believe that from 2012 to 2014, Dikusar, ex-deputy chairman of the board at Trust Bank, and former banks CFO Romakov forged loan agreements with several Cyprus-based companies inflicting a 9.9 billion ruble ($154 million) loss on the bank.

Moreover, between 2013 and 2014, Dikusar alienated a total of 4.6 billion rubles ($71.6 million) Eurobonds which were on the banks balance sheet on behalf of Trust Bank owners.

Dikusar and Romakov are currently in detention.

A criminal case against former owners of Trust Bank has been singled out.

Russias Deposit Insurance Agency sustained large damages because it was required to compensate the embezzled funds to defrauded investors.

Midsized lender Trust Bank reported losses of 18.8 billion rubles ($293 million) in 2014 amid a financial crisis. As of December 1, 2014, its assets were estimated at over 290 billion rubles ($4.5 billion).

The Central Bank estimated that the banks debts exceeded the value of its assets by 67.8 billion rubles ($1 billion).
Extension of house arrest for imam accused of justifying terrorism appealed

MOSCOW, August 30 (RAPSI, Oleg Sivozhelezov)  Defense of Moscow imam Makhmud Velitov, who is charged with justifying terrorism, appealed a court ruling extending his house arrest, RAPSI learnt in the Butyrsky District Court on Tuesday.

On August 25, the court prolonged Velitovs house arrest until October 27.

On September 23, 2013, Velitov, being a council chair and imam of a religious organization, made a public speech justifying activity of one of Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami terrorist organizations members during a prayer in a Moscow mosque, according to the Investigative Committee. This organization has been banned by Russias Supreme Court.

As follows from the conclusion of a forensic examination, the imams speech contained a set of psychological and linguistic features of justifying terrorist activities, the investigators statement reads.

According to defense, Velitov performed a religious ritual allowed by canons of Islam regarding a deceased Muslim.

Hizb ut-Tahrir (the Party of Islamic Liberation), founded in Jerusalem in 1953, is banned in several Arab and Central Asian countries. Russia's Supreme Court banned the group from operating on the territory of the country in 2003, describing it as a terrorist organization.

Hizb ut-Tahrir members are regularly arrested by the police across Russia, mainly in big cities in central Russia, the Volga region and Siberia. Also, there are many supporters in Crimea, which rejoined Russia last spring.
RAPID CITY, S.D.  Thomas Craig Pfeifle of Rapid City, the 19-year-old son of two state judges, died Monday of injuries received in a mountain-climbing accident in Montana earlier this month.

Pfeifle  the son of South Dakota Seventh Circuit Court judges Craig Pfeifle and Jane Wipf Pfeifle of Rapid City  died at a Seattle hospital on Monday morning, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Pfeifle had been taken there after an Aug. 8 accident in which he had fallen 20 to 30 feet while climbing Granite Peak, Montana's highest point, according to Park County authorities.

Pfeifle was rescued by helicopter and flown to the Billings Clinic, where he was treated for a head injury. He was then transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where a hospital spokeswoman described his condition Aug. 9 as critical.

Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Gregg told the Journal that Pfeifle died at the hospital Monday morning.

According to a news release from the Park County Sheriff's Office, Pfeifle fell near the summit of the 12,808-foot mountain while climbing with at least four others.

The King County Medical Examiner said in a phone interview that Pfeifle's official cause of death had not yet been determined, but that more information may be forthcoming.
On August 16, 2016, the Northwest Religious Liberty Association (NRLA) celebrated its 25th anniversary by highlighting key legislative achievements, including the passage of the Idaho Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) in 2000 and the two-part passage of the Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act (WRFA) in 2009 and 2010.

In his introductory remarks, NRLA president Gregory Hamilton described the role of the organization. The role of the Northwest Religious Liberty Association is to build relationships with those on either side of the political aisle who will champion the values of religious freedom. Every effort we make to protect the religious freedom of each citizen also benefits the right of every person of faith to carry out their unique mission. Every time we fail to stand up for the religious freedom of others, we lessen our own a little more.

When the North Pacific Union Conference was organized in 1906, it immediately founded the North Pacific Religious Liberty Association to counteract an ongoing threat of national Sunday laws. In 1922, Oregon gubernatorial candidate Walter Pierce promised to outlaw all private and parochial schools. The bill was inspired by the Ku Klux Klan which had claimed that Communism would most easily infiltrate the United States through Catholic Schools.

Hamilton pointed out that since most children attended public schools it was mainly left to the Catholics, Seventh-day Adventists, Episcopalians and Presbyterians to protest such an unconstitutional proposal.

In 1923, Governor Pierce signed the Compulsory Education Bill into law. The Oregon legislature also passed legislation outlawing the wearing of religious garb by public school teachers. Teachers who wore religious garb as part of their personal religious practice would lose their teaching credentials. Although the Compulsory Education law was unanimously overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925), the prohibition on religious garb remained in force. As recently as 1986, the Oregon Supreme Court had unanimously upheld the firing and revocation of the teaching credentials of a Sikh schoolteacher, Janet Cooper, who had worn traditional white robes and a turban in violation of the 1923 law.

This law against religious diversity remained in place until 2010 when it was overturned in the second round of Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act legislation championed by the Northwest Religious Liberty Association and other religious and public interest groups. The Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act applies a fairer standard for religious minorities and all conscientious employees of faith seeking holy day and religious garb accommodations.

Hamilton and Max Torkelson, president of the North Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, gave special recognition to those who had assisted the organization in key moments of its history.

These included former Oregon Speaker of the House Dave Hunt who had introduced and reintroduced the Oregon WRFA from 2003 until it passed and fellow Democrat Brad Avakian who had pushed for the legislation both as a legislator and then as Oregon Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries. NRLA also recognized the work of Willamette University law professor Steven Green who served on the Governors post-signing commission to provide practical guidelines on the implementation of the legislation; Muslim public affairs advocate Saba Ahmed who tirelessly lobbied on behalf of the bill; and ReligiousLiberty.TV founder and attorney Michael Peabody who provided strategic advice and testified before the Oregon House Judiciary Committee.

The Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act was the final act in overturning a 1923 law that outlawed private religious education under the influence of the Ku Klux Klan. The law, initially passed to block Catholic education, was overturned in a 9-0 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court (Pierce v. Society of Sisters). However, a provision that prohibited public school teachers from wearing distinctively religious dress in the classroomrevoking their teaching credential if they did soremained on the books until 2010. While some organizations had subsequently interpreted the law as protecting the separation of church and state, Oregon law made it impossible for Sikhs among others to teach in public schools while retaining their personal religious convictions.

The NRLA also honored the late Idaho Senator Grant Ipsen who introduced and sponsored the passage of Idahos Free Exercise of Religion Act. The bill, passed in 2000 with the strong support of the NRLA, restored the compelling interest and least restrictive means legal tests to free exercise jurisprudence, so that when religious individuals and institutions religious practices are challenged by the state, the burden of proof was returned to the shoulders of the state.

Religious liberty and civil rights are intertwined. During his keynote address Walla Walla University Professor Timothy Golden, who is also an attorney, described how working toward the cause of civil rights strengthens the work of religious liberty. Golden noted that religious minorities rely on the anti-discrimination provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but that without the March on Washington in 1963, there would have been no Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Awardees for service to the cause of religious liberty included Richard Fenn, the president of NRLA from 1991-98, Liberty magazine editor Lincoln Steed, Jim Wibberding who served as the chaplain of the Idaho Senate in 2012, NRLA vice president for legal affairs Charles Steinberg, and attorney Alan Reinach. Participants in the capitol pastor program, a program unique to the NRLA which trains and equips pastors in proximity to state capitols to provide legislative advocacy, also received medallions for their service.

The Northwest Religious Liberty Association addresses religious liberty concerns throughout the states of the North Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists including Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. In addition to the passage of the Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act and Idahos Free Exercise of Religion Act, the NRLA has also worked on behalf of Native American inmates in Washington State on policies that allow dual religious preference for prisoner registration in 2006, defeated the forced unionization of all private healthcare centers in Washington, and defeated Greater Seattles Growth Management Act in 2001 which attempted to place a moratorium on the building of new churches and schools in rural King County.



In recent years, the NRLA has also been active in international legislation. Gregory Hamilton, who has extensive knowledge on foreign policy issues, has traveled to Romania where he worked alongside local religious leaders to influence senators in the Romanian parliament to discourage a six-day work week law which would have allowed Sunday rest only and the constitutional recognition of the Romanian Orthodox Church as the only state-approved religion.

Looking forward to the next 25 years, Hamilton said, We need to build relationships with more men and women on either side of the political aisle who will champion the values of religious freedom. Every effort we make to protect the religious freedom of each citizen also benefits the right of every person of faith to carry out our unique mission.

###

For more information about the Northwest Religious Liberty Association, visit nrla.com

Photos by Anthony White for the NPUC Gleaner (for more photos of the event visit the Gleaner gallery).
To an objective viewer, it is curious that Donald Trump has such upside down numbers with the minority community, women, and moderate Republicans. Hillary Clinton has not provided any rational explanation for the comingling of Clinton Foundation interactions with the State Department. This type of scandal would sink almost any other candidate. However, after months of demonizing Trump through distorted ads and her surrogates in the press, Hillary's campaign has succeeded in painting Trump as a danger to our nation that makes him unfit. Sounds like the work that helped defeat Mitt Romney in 2012. Clearly, his crude and non-nuanced comments play to this theme. But, can the Trump campaign finally respond in a way that makes him acceptable to these groups?

The Trump campaign must focus him on the issues and avoid inflammatory language ("bigot"), the stuff of Democrat candidates. The media avoids any discussion of the California KKK support for Clinton, but this has become routine. If the campaign points out the differences on the issues, there is every reason to believe that Republicans can be successful. The undecided voters generally prefer a dignified or "Presidential" candidate.

The press suppresses negative material related to Hillary, claiming it is repetitive, already disposed, and boring, while replaying contradictions and questionable statements from Trump's mouth. Which is more dangerous to the nation, poor public pronouncements by Trump or the selling of access to the State Department officials by the Clinton Foundation? As more e-mails emerge on this issue will the press finally do their job? Will they report that the Clinton server was scrubbed by "BleachBit" (not a cloth) intended to make the hard-drive unrecoverable by the FBI? Why would innocent personal material be so carefully removed? Where are the investigative reporters on this question?

Trump opposes the failing ObamaCare, while Hillary endorses it. He should detail what his legislation would eliminate and what he would keep. Clearly the reduction of federal mandates would lower the cost and provide greater choices. He has stated that he would not support allowing "people to die in the streets" demonstrating his compassion. Trump should run ads on this issue contrasting the differences.

Trump opposes the globalist foreign policy of some Republicans and Democrats. He should articulate his strategy for use of force and contrast it with Hillary's errors in judgment while in office (including Libya, Egypt, Syria, Russia, and Iraq). A well-placed ad on this subject will help reassure the undecided, including younger citizens who worry about endless Middle East wars; these are the type of people looking toward Libertarian Gary Johnson.

The fear of financial insecurity among the younger educated population and women can be answered by a clear growth program. Contrasting the differences between the two candidates' tax plans and regulatory programs will give these people a chance to weigh the differences. Workers displaced by the loss of manufacturing jobs may already see Trump as an alternative, due to his trade policies. Again, ads will allow the Trump campaign to break through the press stranglehold.

Attempts to attract minority voters should focus on the pain within the communities. Providing enterprise zones in these neighborhoods to encourage private business and private sector jobs within these areas as opposed to more government spending on welfare programs (Hillary's approach) will encourage ownership and wealth accumulation. Law and order affects such movements, but should not be offered in a way that can be played as racism. Trump must point out the lack of safety for so many minority victims. Cuts in federal help for local police departments, which Hillary would continue, has contributed to this problem. He should continue visits to minority communities and request their support and offer proposals.

Independents oppose the establish order within the political parties. This is Trump's best argument for their vote. He is an outsider from the Washington elite. Hillary is the epitome of this establishment. He can tout his economic success through the private sector, while Hillary has gained financially through her and her husband's public positions.

Trump has not spent enough on ads in the swing states. He must dip into his personal wealth now; he can fundraise and reimburse himself later. The Republican Party is divided partly due to his personality, partly because he is not a strict "Constitutionist", and partly because he came from the outside to destroy the aspirations of established politicos. His Court appointments would be preferable to Hillary's for any conservative. He is a capitalist compared with Hillary's progressivism. He would attempt to improve the Veterans Administration, unlike Hillary. He does not distain the military or police as the left does. He should continue outreach to hesitant Republicans and help unify the party.

Perhaps the most crucial tactical issue for Kellyanne Conway is to build the necessary ground game to get the vote to the polls. The polling data shows some tightening of the numbers, but Trump's campaign must make the case that a Johnson vote is wasted. Bill Clinton never managed 50% of the vote, but won twice as Ross Perot helped divide the opposition vote. Hillary is counting on this strategy as she is unpopular.

The media has not published polling data with enthusiasm as it tightens. Reagan was a great communicator as he found ways to jump over the media against a sitting president. Will the Trump campaign find a path to do the same?
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday called on Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in North Block at Central Secretariat in New Delhi and apprised him of the devastating floods that lashed the State and sought Centreas assistance by the way of releasing funds quickly.

The meeting lasted for nearly 30 minutes during which Chief Minister Sonowal gave a detailed overview of the loss that the State has incurred in terms of lives, properties and agricultural crops.

Sonowal also said that the waves of floods dealt a severe blow to the State's economy by breaching embankments, destroying agricultural lands and damaging lakhs of dwelling houses.

The Assam CM informed the Union Finance Minister that 44 people lost their lives in the floods.

Sonowal briefed him about the urgent need of central assistance and requested him to release fund to help the State Government's bid in relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction measures for the flood affected people.

Meanwhile, the Assam CM also met Union Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan on Monday who informed the Chief Minister about his proposed visit to the State next week to assess the damages caused by the floods and erosion in the State.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
FILE a A man walking on stilts and dressed like the Statue of Liberty attends a protest against the planned Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, TTIP, ahead of the visit of United States President Barack Obama in Hannover, Germany, on April 23, 2016. Photo: AP

PARIS: Frances trade chief says he wants to ask the European Union to end talks with the US on forging a sweeping trade deal that his socialist government sees as too friendly to US business.

Matthias Fekl, Frances secretary of state for foreign trade, said Tuesday on RMC radio that we need a clear, clean, definitive stop to the negotiations on a proposed Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. He said talks could resume if wider EU-US trade relations improved.

Accusing the American side of offering just crumbs, Fekl said France would ask the European Commission to halt the talks at a trade ministers meeting in Slovakia next month.

Germanys economy minister said Sunday that negotiations have effectively collapsed, but a US trade official said theyre making steady progress.
Guwahati, August 27 : A top leader of Karbi militant group KPLT was gunned down during a gun fight with security forces in Assam's Karbi Anglong district on Saturday evening, officials said.

According to the reports, following a tip-off, police and army had launched operation at Bhelaghat area in West Karbi Anglong where a Karbi militant group was hiding.

When the troops reached the remote area the militants started firing and bullets were exchanged, in which a militant killed on spot.

The slain militant was identified as Singri who is the self styled Defence secretary of the outfit group.

Security personnel also nabbed a militant and recovered two 9 mm pistols, ten rounds live ammunition, extortion notes from the area.

The Karbi militant group is active in the hill district and bordering areas of Nagaon.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Kathmandu, Nepal: The Government of Nepal has imposed a 10-year ban on the Indian police couple for morphing the photographs to obtain their Everest summit certificates.

With the Minister level decision, the couple would not be allowed to inter in Nepal for 10 years and with ban in mountaineering expedition. Likewise, the government has also rescinded the certificates they gained.

The Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Jeeban Bahadur Shahi has endorsed the legal action against the couple as per a recommendation made by the investigation committee.

The Indian Police couple Dinesh Chandrakant Rathod and his wife Tarkeshwari Chandrakant Bhelerao had made a false claim of having reached the summit point on May 23. They had submitted morphed photographs while applying for the summit certificates.
KATHMANDU, Aug 30: Human rights activists today organised a sit-in in front of the Prime Ministerial official residence, Baluwatar demanding the government save the life of Ganga Maya Adhikari who is on a fast-onto-death at Bir Hospital to get murders of her son killed during the Maoist decade-long insurgency booked.

As part of 'Save Ganga Maya Campaign', they have taken to the streets and staged the sit-in from 9 to 10am today with black arm bands tied in their arms.

The protesters have demanded justice for Ganga Maya. Ganga Maya, who is on the hunger strike for the past 18 days, is being treated in the intensive care unit after her health deteriorated.

Although Ganga Maya alongside her husband Nanda Prasad launched a hunger strike for the past six years, her husband lost his life to their battle to get justice.

Krishna Prasad, the youngest son to the Adhikari couple of Phujel of Gorkha was killed during the Maoist insurgency after abduction as he was in Chitwan to meet his grandparents.

Ganga Maya said that she would not end her strike until she gets justice. RSS
LA PAZ - Bolivian President Evo Morales demanded on Monday a "thorough investigation" into the killing of Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes and three miners last week.

"We mourn the fallen brothers. There has to be a thorough investigation and come what may, they have to be prosecuted," said Morales during a ceremony with the unionized miners from Colquiri held at the presidential palace.

Bolivian police have arrested 10 miners and are searching for 12 other people implicated in the murder of Illanes, who was sent last Thursday to have a dialogue with protesting miners, but was kidnapped and tortured.

The Public Prosecutor's Office said suspects are largely leaders of the unions who issued threats at the scene. Police had released some 40 protesters arrested earlier over Illanes' death.

According to officials, some 100 miners "forced him to climb a hill on his knees" until his bones were fractured "before stoning him to death." Meanwhile, the miners laid a trap with explosives in case police arrived.

Illanes' death led to an end Friday of weeks of violent protests in which miners had blocked a highway and clashed with police for more union rights and more mining concessions from the government.

Bolivia's energy sector is nationalized. Protesters' demands included freedom to sign contracts with private mining firms and a free supply of electricity.

On Monday, Morales said that in the past weeks "we experienced very difficult moments in Bolivia".

"There is no point abusing our trade union strength. There is no point abusing the social force in any sector, you need to be careful of this as it is the heritage of the workers," he noted.

The president, who said Saturday the protesters showed a "clear intent" to destabilize the government, said he regretted that some sectors wanted to "take advantage of" the government intention for dialogue, trying to pressure the government into meeting their demands.
President Bidya Devi Bhandari holding a meeting with the visiting Under-Secretary General of United Nations, Atul Khare, in presence of officials at Sheetal Niwas in Kathmandu, on Tuesday, August 30, 2016. Courtesy: Presidentas office

Kathmandu, Nepal: The visiting United Nations Under-Secretary-General of Department of Field Support, Atul Khare, paid a courtesy call on President Bidya Devi Bhandari at the latters office in Sheetal Niwas in Kathmandu, on Tuesday.

During the meeting, United Nations Under-Secretary-General of Department of Field Support, Atul and President Bhandari discussed on ranges of issues including the relationships between Nepal and the United Nations.

United Nations Under-Secretary-General of Department of Field Support, Atul praised role that Nepal has played in the UN peacekeeping missions.
Welcome to the PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE. We are a multi-racial, multi-issue "rainbow coalition" dedicated to social justice, peace and building progressive power. Our key priorities include economic justice; equal rights and equal opportunities for all regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation; international solidarity; humanitarian service; eradicating poverty at home and abroad; environmental protection and sustainable development; and electing progressives to public office and then holding them accountable.




Indian Cultural Forum

Govind Pansareas wife (in pink) leading the protest march. Credit: Siddharth Varadarajan

The brutal murder of the Kannada scholar Dr. M. M. Kalburgi in August last year had resulted in a sharp reaction from Indian intellectuals, literary scholars and artists. Earlier rationalist Dr. Narendra Dabholkar was killed in Pune and Comrade Govind Pansare in Kolhapur in Maharashtra. Reacting to these attacks on intellectuals, several artists and writers had returned their awards to the awarding bodies as a way of protest.

Though in none of the three cases the respective state governments have been able to get to the bottom of these attacks, there has been some progress in the Dabholkar murder case. Despite appeals from individuals and concerned bodies from all parts of the country and even outside, the investigation in Dr. Kalburgias murder has made negligible progress.

In order to protest the governmentas indifferent attitude to such an important case and to remember Dr. Kalburgi, a silent walk is being staged in Dharwad on the 30th of August, the day that marks a year since the tragic killing. Over 90 organisations from Karnataka and a similarly large number of orgaisations from outside have come together to hold the Silent Walk and a public meeting following the march.

The organizations that have converged on this issue include cultural bodies, student organizations, literary associations, professional unions, womenas organizations and various colleges and publishing houses. Important literary figures participating in the march range from octogenarian poet Channavir Kanavi to the teenage award winning writer Muddu Theerthally. Writers from several states, ranging from Punjab to Kerala will come together in Dharwad on the morning of the 30th. Similarly, the spouses of the three victims of intolerance will be present at the beginning point of the Silent Walk. It is expected that over 10,000 individuals will participate in the protest.

Local organizers of the event have received messages from several important thinkers and social activists from across the country. Among the important speakers at the Open Meeting following the Silent walk will be writer and editor, Antara Dev Sen, media persons Kumar Ketkar and Siddhartha Varadrajan, novelist Rajan Khan, poet Sanjeev Khandekar, film artists Anjum Rajbali.

Nearly a thousand literary persons from Karnataka will arrive in Dharwad on the 30th to participate in the protest and eminent scholars like Rahmant Tarikere, Rajendra Chenni, Narahari Balasubramanyam, Chandrashekhar Patil (Champa), B. Suresh, K. S. Bhagwan, Muzaffar Asadi, Sarju Katkar, T. R. Chandrashekhar, G. Rajashekhar, and many others will address the meeting to be held at the Town Hall located on the R. L. S. Campus. A compilation of essays about Dr. Kalburgi will be released on the occasion.

A similar protest was organized in Maharashtra on the 20th August to mark Dr. Dabholkaras memory. The growing restlessness and unease among intellectuals about governmentas indifference to the attacks on intellectuals is likely to be given full vent during the public meeting. Given the scale of the protest, all eyes remain focused on Dharwad on the 30th August.

Prof. Ganesh Devy, writer and activist, is founder director of the Bhasha Research Centre and has chaired the Peoples Linguistic Survey of India.
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Aug-30-2016 12:00 TweetFollow @OregonNews Hostile Takeover of a Longtime Cannabis Icon They havent paid me a penny, but theyve taken everything Ive owned in my whole life. - Paul Stanford

Paul Stanford

Photo by Michael Bachara

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - There have been news stories lately about investors getting taken to the cleaners. Cannabis dreamers that get an influx of cash for their venture, then whether maliciously or just bad luck, do not follow through, no one makes the promised profit and the debt does not get paid. Taking a chance on a new venture is a risk, and some people have found that out the hard way. On the other hand, there are some very established cannabis companies that are not a risk for investors, and in fact can be a prime target to be taken advantage of. The current upheaval of the Empower Clinics (formerly THCF Clinics) is one such tragic example. Everything I have worked for, everything I own, thats what they are taking from me," said Paul Stanford, Oregon cannabis icon. "The activist formerly known as Paul Stanford" Paul Stanford was fired June 10th. BLINDSIDED, he would say. He received a certified letter from S.M.A.A.R.T., the corporation he owns a majority of, telling him he was out. For reasons wrought with legalese and plenty of supposition, the S.M.A.A.R.T. board of directors opted to remove him, without ever even calling a single shareholder or board of directors meeting. On June 9th, the lawyers representing Adira, a Canadian/Israeli petroleum and natural gas company, asked the Multnomah County Court in Portland for a TRO (temporary restraining order) against Paul Stanford to stop imminent harm and because they werent able to take the company public in August. That meant no access to his office, or his bank accounts. The possible loss of future financial gain for these Canadians was apparently enough for the judge to agree, as she made her ruling in less than 20 minutes. LESS THAN 20 MINUTES. The Judge caused harm, Stanford insists. Harm against an honest business. The impact is far reaching. They gave the court $10,000 in bond, which is less than an day's average gross revenue for these multiple clinics, and the judge allowed them to remove Paul Stanford from his own company. Paul Stanford was hit with another wave of potential personal destruction: They want him to stop using his name. His name . They also want him to stop using THCF and The Hemp & Cannabis Foundation, which is an Oregon non-profit, and has nothing to do with their deal. They havent paid me a penny, but theyve taken everything Ive owned in my whole life, said Stanford. The corporation doesnt mind capitalizing on the past 15+ years of Stanfords dedicated effort. Now, "the Canadians" also claim to own any/all websites that hes created. If they want to build on the companys good will and increase connections, this is certainly an odd way to start. Paul Stanford is one of the most trusted names in cannabis around the globe. He has been an cannabis activist since 1978, and started working on the Oregon Marijuana Initiative in 1984. He has never stopped. He opened the first clinic in 1999. The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation (THCF) began in 1999 in Portland, Oregon, and with Stanford at the helm, evolved into the nations premier physicians clinic, helping over 250,000 patients in 12 states become a certified medical cannabis patient. Stanford wrote and paid to put Oregon's Measure 80 on the 2012 ballot to legalize cannabis for adults and hemp for fuel, fiber and food. Measure 80 garnered 47 percent of the November 2012 vote. Paul Stanford is a globally-renowned expert and featured speaker at national and international cannabis conferences, forums, and festivals. Stanford regularly participates in numerous events, most recently Expoweed Mexico, and the Kyoto Hemp Forum in Japan; as well as the Expogrow in Spain, the annual Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Fest in Madison, Wisconsin, the Seattle HEMPFEST, the worlds largest annual cannabis protestival, and many more. That level of experience cannot be replicated, and will not cease to exist, regardless of whether he goes by a name. 23 Million Shares ...out of the nowhere into the here. How could this happen? Paul Stanford is a smart guy; it makes no sense. Right. In general, to maintain control of your business, you want to keep 51%, or more. Its also mandatory that the people you do business with are upfront, have the same vision for the future, and work with agreed-upon policy and procedure. In fact, there are rules about such things. Paul Stanford believed these standards were well in hand when he accepted the offer from Adira Energy in 2015. Stanford kept majority ownership with 51% of the shares, but received no money. In June, he was surprised to discover that unbeknownst to him, 23 million shares had been added, and hed lost majority control without even having a meeting. In the complaint, they allege that Stanford intentionally, and with an improper purpose and by improper means, interfered with plaintiffs' current contractual relationships with their customers, employees, independent contractors, and vendors by, among other things, directing employees not to communicate with plaintiffs' newly appointed management of the Subsidiaries; directing the Subsidiaries' accountant not to cooperate with the audit; and instructing vendors not to provide information to plaintiffs. He steadfastly rebukes their allegations. They are liars, Stanford insists. Instantly, Stanfords share in his own company was reduced to as low as 3%. According to Stanfords attorney, the issuance of 23 million shares being added is a deliberate attempt, done in bad faith, to dilute Stanfords shares in S.M.A.A.R.T. On June 10, Paul Stanford formally objected to S.M.A.A.R.T. conducting a non-brokered private placement of 23,000,000 common shares at the price of .01087 CAD per share. He disputes the purported amount of his shares in S.M.A.A.R.T. along with the authority of Mr. Bajic to act on behalf of S.M.A.A.R.T. What should the value of the shares be? More. According to attorney Jessica L. McConnell, the new offering price of each share directly conflicts with the value of the shares in S.M.A.A.R.T.s historical financial statements, representations made to S.M.A.A.R.T.s investors and Adira Energy, and presentations made directly to Paul Stanford. Jessica McConnell, Stanfords attorney, says he has repeatedly made written demands formally calling for an initial shareholder meeting, and, to date, Mr. Bajic has refused to hold a shareholders meeting. He also made a request for documents to be received no later than June 22; he said they made promises and refused to provide documents. Nothing has come through. They are refusing all discovery whatsoever, Stanford said. The Takeover Puts Medical Privacy at Risk Over a quarter of a million people have entrusted the Empower Clinics with their personal medical records since 1999. They expect their information to be protected. Have the medical records of the Empower Clinics been sold? Unconfirmed sources say, Yes. Ample Organics is the probable buyer, a data compliance company that works with medical marijuana businesses. This is a shocking revelation. Hearing about private medical records being sold is like fingernails on a chalkboard. The 270,000 records are estimated to be worth about $27 million, if sold. David Dodge, M.D. has served as attending physician at the THCF (now Empower) clinics since 2004. He has seen thousands of patients, and is himself a patient of a different doctor at the same clinic. On June 12, Dr. David Dodge made a formal request that Empower Clinic and its new usurpers, SMAART (BC) and SMAART (Nevada), to be denied to his, and his patients medical records, or that they sign a promise with assurance that they will not share the medical records in any form, or that all his records be deleted. I have now been told, and believe, that the new usurpers of Empower Clinics intend to sell my patients and my own private, confidential, HIPAA-protected records to other businesses, Dr. David Dodge wrote in his declaration. I will suffer irreparable harm and likely be inundated by commercial communications from strangers who have my medical records without my consent, as will each of my patients. This violation of my physician-patient right to confidentiality, my personal privacy rights and my patients medical informations privacy causes me great anxiety," said Dr. Dodge. "I object. George Soros and his minions are the usurpers In 2014, Stanford was working to pass Oregons marijuana initiative. He was approached by a prospective Canadian investor, but declined the investment in lieu of a donation for the initiative. He told them if they came through with $400,000 for the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act petition campaign, he would work with them to go public. They created a debt for $550k, but, when the money arrived in mid-June, two weeks before the signature turn-in deadline, it was too late to qualify OCTA 2014, Stanford said. And still, I personally havent been paid a dime. A rocky start perhaps, but still worth moving forward for the greater cause, which was to help more medical patients. The Canadians named the new Vancouver, BC-based corporation Stanford Medical, Agricultural and Applied Retail Technologies, Inc. (S.M.A.A.R.T. Holdings Inc.) in 2015. Then, in November 2015, the Canadians moved to merge with Adira Energy. Adira is not a well-known name in the cannabis community, because it has nothing to do with cannabis. Its an Israeli gas and oil exploration company, listed in the Toronto stock exchange, owned in part by billionaire George Soros. Ethan Nadelmann is drug policy advisor to George Soros, and backed a competing initiative petition campaign which became Measure 91. Though OCTA failed to qualify, Stanford had been in dozens of meetings drafting Measure 91, and campaigned for it in the Summer and Fall of 2014. George Soros is pro-pot, and he is one of the 30 richest people in the world. He is notorious, dubbed "The Man Who Broke the Bank of England" for making a profit of $1 billion during the 1992 Black Wednesday UK currency crisis. In 1994, with the philanthropic support of George Soros, Ethan Nadelmann founded the Lindesmith Center; that group merged into the Drug Policy Alliance six years later. Soros funds the nonprofit with roughly $4 million a year via his Foundation to Promote an Open Society. According to The Washington Times, Soros has spent at least $80 million on the legalization effort since 1994, through a network of nonprofit groups. This is the kind of backing that could make all the difference for the future of medical marijuana in America. Or so Stanford once hoped. If only Id known this has always been a set up to take our data and stop my ability to help fund political change, Stanford remarked regretfully. Now these Canadian usurpers have transferred our patients' private medical records to a Canadian marijuana data company called Ample Organics, outside the jurisdiction of US medical privacy laws, Stanford said. A Fight for His Life Paul Stanford has been fighting for other peoples rights most of his adult life. Sure, hes had his trials and tribulations, and has faced the music himself many times. Hes always come through the difficulties stronger than he was before. This is a unique event. Most people never have to fight for their livelihood, let alone their very name. Their game strategy is to Out-lawyer him, but they may be disappointed. These tactics may work with others, but not with Paul Stanford. He has a long history of survival and ultimate success. He says he will never give up. Stanford says. Ill never surrender to these lying swindlers. That sounds like a promise. _________________________________________

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The number of abandoned shopping carts located in and around Lompoc could soon be on the decline.
Some aloha and community support may help fill the air travel gap created by United Airlin

Santa Maria Public Airport will lose its main hub destination in early October after United 

Im not willing to pay a fare premium

Less than once a month

More than once a month

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Which Hub airport would you like to see replace the service which ends soon to San Francisco by United Airlines.

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What would you use the airport for more?

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" " Those tiny metal pieces on your aviator shades have to be made somehow. And brazing can help with that. Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock

The next time you put on your $200 aviator sunglasses, thank the Mesopotamians. That's right, the metalwork used to join the small, delicate pieces of your Ray-Bans can trace its roots back to ancient Sumerian blacksmiths.

Here's how the basic history goes: First, humans discovered metals, including the seven metals of antiquity -- gold, copper, silver, lead, tin, iron and mercury. The first two to be widely used were gold and copper, and the Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Greeks and the Romans all produced artisans who hammered the soft metals into sheets and fashioned them into everything from utensils and cups to jewelry and weapons.

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It didn't take long for these craftsmen to move from simple objects made from a single piece of metal to complex objects made by joining several pieces together. For example, during the first dynasty of Ur, circa 2650 to 2500 B.C.E., metalworkers created some remarkable architectural decorations fashioned from copper. One such decoration, which adorned the temple at al-'Ubaid, features an eagle with a lion's head, holding two stags by their tails. The stags' antlers were fashioned separately and then joined to the larger piece.

The oldest method of joining metal involved rivets -- short pins driven into holes punched in metal sheets. Unfortunately, rivets (and their modern counterpart, nuts and bolts) can become loose over time and don't always lead to the strongest joint. This led craftsmen to look for other ways to fuse their bits and pieces of metal. As iron became more prevalent, they relied on forge welding, which required preformed metal pieces to be superheated and then hammered -- or pressed -- together.

Today, other techniques have replaced forge welding, although they all need heat to work. These include soldering, welding and brazing. Each of these methods uses heat to melt a filler metal into the gap formed between two pieces of metal that need to become one. What's different is the intensity of the heat, the nature of the filler and, as a result, the strength and durability of the joint. In brazing, temperatures must be hot enough to melt the filler metal but cool enough not to melt the metals being joined. Often, that filler is a silver alloy, which leads to brazing's other common name, "silver brazing."

On the next few pages, we'll take a closer look at brazing to understand how it works and why someone might choose the technique over welding. Let's begin by taking a microscopic look at the boundary formed when two pieces of metal come together.
Chris Klein can't catch a break in our exclusive clip from Game of Aces.

He portrays Captain Jackson Cove, an American pilot flying for the British allied forces. He's sent on a mission to rescue a German double agent who needs rescue from the Arabian Desert but things don't start well. As our clip begins, he's crash-landed in the desert (upside down) and his circumstances are dire.

Watch the clip below to see how he deals with the situation.

To give context, here's the official synopsis:

When American fighter pilot Jackson Cove hazards the Arabian Desert to rescue his downed German counterpart, the ensuing mayhem has him wondering if he'll get out of WWI alive.

WWI, "The Great War," is raging across Europe and the Middle East. In the desolate heart of the Arabian Desert a downed German double agent awaits rescue. Enter Captain Jackson Cove, an American pilot flying for the British allied forces, sent in to recover Captain Josef von Zimmerman and the information he's carrying for the Allies.

Cove's joined by young English nurse and German translator Eleanor Morgan, who struggles to keep up in the arid wasteland. When they find Zimmerman, severely injured and suffering from amnesia, Cove discovers all is not as it seems. The mission soon disintegrates into a sandstorm of deceit, confusion and danger, and Cove, caught in the middle, has got to fly his way out.

Damien Lay wrote and directed; Chris Klein, Victoria Summer, and Werner Daehn star. The film will open in select U.S. theaters on Friday, September 2.
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The presumed release event for the iPhone 7 is now officially on the books for September 7, right after Labor Day, as is customary for Apple's annual release schedule. As Recode reports, in addition to the iPhone release, Apple is expected to possibly announce updates to the Apple Watch line, and they note via the image on the invitation that it's likely a subtle hint that the phone's new camera will be a primary focus of the event.

We learned earlier, via leaks, that at least one of the iPhone 7 models, possibly the Plus, will come with a dual-lens camera capable of taking higher resolution photos than ever before. (Recode says that the camera will also, apparently, "allow for different focusing tricks such as the blurry background Apple has in its invite.") Also expected on the new phone is the disappearance of the headphone jack, so that headphones will now plug into the same lightning port as the power cable.

News of the event comes just as Reuters is reporting on a class action suit filed Saturday against Apple over the widespread touchscreen failure on iPhone 6 models that we first reported on last week. The suit alleges, much as non-Apple repair experts have noted, that the company is at fault for not using "a metal 'shield' or 'underfill' to protect the relevant parts [within the phone], as it did on versions of the iPhone 5."

The problem, which may stem from the phone being repeatedly dropped or bent, seems to be caused by soldered connections getting cracked leading to loss of communication with the chips governing the phone's touch sensor. The bug renders the phones unusable, and Apple refuses to offer fixes or replacements past warranty, though non-Apple repair people have been able to fix the issue.

The lawsuit, filed by named plaintiffs Todd Cleary of California, Jun Bai of Delaware, and Thomas Davidson of Pennsylvania, seeks unspecified damages and accuses the company of fraud, as well as violating California's consumer protection laws.

As we noted here earlier, it is somewhat predictable, though, that such a flaw in the phone should manifest itself almost exactly two years after the phones' release, just in time for a new model.

Previously: Many iPhone 6 Owners Complaining Of 'Touch Disease' Rendering Touchscreens Unusable

YouTube Guy Gets Leaked iPhone 7 Mockup, Confirms No Headphone Jack
If you, like Denise Barton and her young twin daughters, are evicted from an apartment in California, like they were from theirs in the Outer Richmond, you can fight... but she chose not to. That's because it's so risky: You really want to win your legal challenge in 60 days or fewer, otherwise, you could end up on a private blacklist for renters, the kind that landlords typically use to weed out potential tenants.

To illustrate the status quo, ABC 7 spoke to Barton, who was evicted last year before moving to El Cerrito. "They told me I had to be out in 60 days," Barton told the news channel, "And in that notice they threatened that if I did not leave, they would file an unlawful detainer action against me." Barton's choice: Fight the detainer, or leave quietly.

As a lawyer herself, she was inclined to do the former. But the new mother soon found out about registry lists, like UD Registry and RentCheck. Those are used by landlords to see if tenants have had legal squabbles with landlords in the past. "If I didn't prevail within 60 days, my name would go on this blacklist," Barton realized, "[and] I would be prevented from renting again or my credit would be destroyed for seven years." To clarify, even if Barton were to win her case within 61 days, she could still remain on the list. But that state of affairs could soon change thanks to legislation written by San Francisco State Assemblyman David Chiu.

AB 2819, which narrowly passed through the legislature, is now before Governor Brown. "The names of thousands of innocent tenants whose cases are resolved only after the 60-day deadline appear on unlawful detainer registries," the bill explains. "Many of these tenants successfully settle, secure a dismissal, or win at trial, and would have escaped negative credit reporting if only they had prevailed before the deadline," the bill goes on. According to a press release from Chiu's office, roughly 500 eviction lawsuits were unresolved within 60 days in San Francisco; In Alameda County, 1,400 were unresolved within 60 days, with that number 6,000 in Los Angeles.

There are other legal complaints that might never be dismissed, also leaving tenants to languish on blacklists. "In other instances, unlawful detainer complaints are filed against tenants but never served. Because these complaints are never dismissed, the tenants name is publicly released after 60 days and negative credit reporting ensues."

Amidst a housing shortage, in an increasingly competitive California rental market, the weight given to blacklists can be even more disproportionate. From the language of the bill: "Because landlords, who are attempting to decide between numerous applicants for scarce rental housing, rely on unlawful detainer registries and on credit reports, landlords often choose not to rent to tenants who appear on these registries, even if the tenants were eventually found innocent of unlawful detainer."

Landlord groups are opposed to the bill, obviously, and are lobbying hard for the Governor's veto. "Many of our members have only one rental, often in the same building where we live," Small Property Owners SF president Noni Richen told ABC 7 via email." We need to be able to access full credit information as any other business." But regardless of the outcome, it's too late for some like Barton. She and her twins will be leaving the By Area, as she tells the news channel.

Related: SF Man Hit With Massive Rent Increase Following Loss Of His Partner To Suicide
Vegan protest loudly interrupts Eat Drink SF 2016 merriment https://t.co/xd0GAE00Gv pic.twitter.com/7i5ElRqig4  Eater SF (@eatersf) August 29, 2016

An animal rights group called Direct Action Everywhere staged a protest Sunday outside the festival pavilion at Fort Mason where Eat Drink SF was taking place. As Eater reports, the dozen or so protesters chanted "Its not food, its violence," starting around 12:30 p.m., and their action included a naked man covered in fake blood and wrapped in cellophane on top of what was supposed to look like a styrofoam meat tray.

Activist Zach Groff tells Eater, "By having an actual human in what was made to resemble a meat container, we hope to make the point that just as he has friends, families, loved ones, and a life he loves that he doesn't want to lose, so do animals."

Gwyneth Borden, executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association which organized the event, tells Eater, "Its always useful to have lively conversations around food and why it matters, and we were prepared and designated a safe space for them. We obviously don't agree, but its their constitutional right to protest."

While the protest appears to have been about the consumption of animal products in general, Eat Drink SF did feature a booth by one of the nation's two remaining foie gras producers, Hudson Valley Foie Gras. On Friday that booth was serving small cones of foie gras ice cream, as well as duck ham and cheese sandwiches with foie gras butter. The latter were very delicious.

As you may recall, after California's legislature passed the ban on the creation and sale of the fatty duck liver, and after the ban took effect in 2012, California's only foie gras producer Sonoma Artisan Foie Gras had to go out of business. The ban was subsequently struck down by a federal judge in 2015, who said that the banning of the sale of foie gras from other states in California violated the regulatory domain of the federal government over interstate commerce.

Previously: The Best Thing At Eat Drink SF Was This Burrata Doughnut


As another Labor Day approaches, so do tens of thousands of Burners to Gerlach, Nevada, the last stop, so to speak, before entering the Black Rock Desert and the temporary, though exponentially larger city built there ever summer for ticket-holding Burning Man-goers. And once again we have a news article profiling the city and quoting some of its townspeople who annually must endure the pilgrimage and exodus, and annually get their chance to bitch about it to whoever will listen. This time it's the Las Vegas Review-Journal that's on the case, and they find that in the tiny former gypsum mining town of 120, folks are still divided in their feelings about the festival, which they've been living with as it's grown in size since becoming a public event on the next-door ancient lake bed 20 years ago.

Inevitably, the older people who have been there the longest remain the staunchest foes of the fest, with local potter John Bogard giving almost the same quote he gave to the LA Times 16 years ago. That year, in 2000, Bogard said, "It's become a sort of Medusa, a monster growing more heads," adding that even though he was an early participant in the festival, just a few years later he was done with it and "the numbers have just become preposterous." Flash forward to 2016, and Bogard still runs Planet X Pottery in town, and he tells the Review-Journal, "Burning Man is a Medusa that each year grows more heads. And dont think of chopping any of them off, because their lawyers are better than your lawyers."

These days, some organizers of the festival own year-round homes in Gerlach, and earlier this year we learned that the non-profit Burning Man Project had purchased a 3,800-acre piece of land known as Fly Ranch, which lies 21 miles north of Gerlach and adjacent to the lake bed where Burning Man happens. The organization has long had its eyes on the property as a potential place to create a year-round retreat or resort built upon Burning Man principles, and that naturally has locals even more worried than before.

Will Roger, a founding member of the Burning Man board, insists to the Review-Journal, "Gerlach is going to become an arts community," and he's bought property there presumably to help make this happen.

Lacey Holle, a waitress at the town's main hub, Brunos restaurant and bar, tells the paper, "This is the dawn of a new era for Gerlach. The mining culture is dead; the old miners are dying off. These people are the future."

But critics say that if nothing's happened for Gerlach in the last 20 years, what's to say it's going to happen now  and to be fair, the "dawn" of any new era would have been 20 years ago, or at least 15, when the numbers of attendees to the festival started to swell. And it's not like Burners have left behind much in the way of public art or lasting improvements in Gerlach proper.

These days attendance is capped by the Bureau of Land Management at 70,000, up from the 8,000 or so who attended back in 1996, and the 100 or so who attended the first private version of the fest in the Black Rock Desert in 1991.

Steve Miller, one local resident who says he still goes to the festival every year, sounds pretty down on the new crop of Burners overall, and tells the Review-Journal he's worried about what the future will bring once they develop Fly Ranch. "Most annoying is that attitude that says, Look what we do. Well, screw you. Gerlach was here long before you arrived and will still be here when you leave."

There's not much to do, though, except embrace change, and maybe Roger is right: Once Fly Ranch becomes a year-round Burner destination, maybe that will do something to boost the year-round economy in Gerlach, as opposed to just creating a sudden in-and-out tsunami of traffic and people buying beer and water.

Onetime Gerlach chamber of commerce president, Michael Flash Hopkins, says he told the townspeople 25 years ago, "Theyre coming over that hill. Get ready for it." Now he puts it this way to the paper: "The reality here is many people dont want any kind of change at all, and thats just not reality."

Previously: Burning Man Just Bought A 3,800-Acre Chunk Of Desert To Establish A Year-Round Community


European Union regulators announced today that following a two-year investigation into Ireland's treatment of two corporate entities operated by Apple in Cork, they've concluded that Ireland illegally offered tax breaks to Apple dating back to 1991 that by 2014 amounted to them paying an effective corporate tax rate of 0.005 percent. In a just-released statement, European competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said, "Member States cannot give tax benefits to selected companies  this is illegal under EU state aid rules... [and it's clear] Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years."

Vestager says the European Commission concluded that Apple owes 13 billion euros, or $14.5 billion in back taxes, plus interest, after "two tax rulings issued by Ireland to Apple have substantially and artificially lowered the tax paid by Apple in Ireland since 1991."

Apple CEO Tim Cook immediately issued an open letter "to the Apple community in Europe" saying that Apple's first operations in Cork date back 36 years, "long before introducing iPhone, iPod or even the Mac," and "As our business has grown over the years, we have become the largest taxpayer in Ireland, the largest taxpayer in the United States, and the largest taxpayer in the world."

Cook says further, "The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apples history in Europe, ignore Irelands tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process." And he says that the claim that Apple gave special tax breaks to the company "has no basis in fact or in law."

As the SF Chronicle reports, Vestager went further in a news conference to illustrate her point about how easily Apple has been getting off, tax-wise, saying that for every million euros earned, Apple had only been paying 50 euros in tax.

If Apple were to comply with the ruling, it would be a major windfall for Ireland, a country of just 4.6 million people, the equivalent of over $3,000 for every person there.

This could get interesting given that claims about Apple dodging paying their fair share in taxes go back a while now, and Ireland has long been known as a low-tax shelter by many American companies. Back in 2012, the New York Times reported how Apple paid only $3 billion in worldwide taxes the previous year, an effective tax rate of 10 percent, which was about 14 percent less than one would expect from non-tech companies like Wal-Mart. They did this, reportedly, by allocating about 70 percent of its profits to overseas entities, including the two they own in Ireland.

Earlier this year, the mayor of Cupertino, home to Apple HQ which is soon to look like a giant spaceship, was waging a campaign to shine light on how little Apple is paying in local and US taxes. Ron Eckstein of the advocacy group Americans for Tax Fairness put it this way: "Theyre all just as good at engineering their own tax rates as they are at engineering new technology."



As Bloomberg reports, Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan said, "I disagree profoundly with the commissions decision," and he claims that there had been no exceptions made in how Apple was taxed.

Specifically, regulators object to the practice of routing all the company's European profits through the "head offices" in Ireland, and thereby justifying only paying taxes in that one low-tax country.

From the statement:

In fact, the tax treatment in Ireland enabled Apple to avoid taxation on almost all profits generated by sales of Apple products in the entire EU Single Market. This is due to Apple's decision to record all sales in Ireland rather than in the countries where the products were sold. This structure is however outside the remit of EU state aid control. If other countries were to require Apple to pay more tax on profits of the two companies over the same period under their national taxation rules, this would reduce the amount to be recovered by Ireland.

Cook says that this ruling could "strike a devastating blow to the sovereignty of EU member states over their own tax matters," adding, "Ireland has said they plan to appeal the Commissions ruling and Apple will do the same."

Previously: Apple Barely Pays Any Taxes
As San Francisco nears the end of its search for a police chief to replace ousted Greg Suhr, an interesting wrinkle has developed in current interim chief Toney Chaplin's attempt to get the job for real: He is refusing to say where he earned his bachelor's degree. What's more, ABC 7 reports that Chaplin won't say when he got it, or what the degree is in. Which: What?

Indeed, Chaplin doesn't have to provide that information to be considered for the job, as we've discussed here before. The Chronicle reiterates that unlike in most major American cities, in San Francisco a bachelor's degree isn't a prerequisite for the role of police chief. Rather, here in SF, it is merely "highly desirable."

Regardless, this refusal to be forthcoming with what is widely viewed as routine background information  not personal/private details  is worrying to at least one Supervisor who fears it may speak to a potentially less than transparent tenure if Chaplin is eventually hired for the role.

"A chief who is going to be open and provide as much information as possible, what you see is what you get, so in that sense it's not encouraging," Supervisor David Campos told ABC 7.

And while Mayor Ed Lee has denied it, signs do suggest that he may have already made up his mind about Chaplin. Although the deadline to submit an application isn't until tomorrow, the job listing was pulled last week. When called out, members of San Francisco's Police Commission told the Examiner that the listing was just a first draft.

Chaplin has spoken a bit about his higher education, but only in a loose manner. I probably have 200 credits, he told the Chronicle. However, on his application for a management certificate with the state Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training in January of last year he listed 65 credits but no information about a degree.

That Chaplin could put this entire controversy to rest simply by providing details about his higher education, and that he still refuses to do so, isn't the only thing about him raising eyebrows. And as discussed earlier as well, Chaplin lives in the East Bay, so if he's selected as the new chief he would be the first person in recent memory to hold that job who doesn't live in the city.

Fortunately however for Chaplin, much like having a college degree, living in SF isn't a requirement for the job.

Previously: Confusion At SF's Police Commission As Police Chief Help Wanted Ad Goes Up And Down

SFPD's Acting Top Cop Says He Wants The Chief Job For Real
Officials say an unlikely culprit is to blame for one of the many wildfires currently ravaging the California wilderness, but their unusual findings are being met with skepticism and disbelief. The Chronicle reports that investigators with the US Forest Service have pinned the cause of the Rock Creek Fire in Inyo National Forest on a bicycle  a bike pedal, to be precise.

"Investigators have concluded that the fire was started from a bicycle pedal strike to a rock," officials with the US Forest Service explained on their Facebook page. "Conclusive evidence was found in the fire origin area that was on the Lower Rock Creek mountain bike trail. A fire ignition from this type of trigger is a testament to how dry the area is right now."

The Rock Creek Fire started on August 5 and encompassed 122 acres. While it was initially believed to be human caused, that a bike pedal is at fault instead of, say, a campfire, a cigarette, a joint, or a woman high on drugs with an exposed wheel rim, isn't sitting well with some commenters on the US Forest Service's Facebook page.

"I'm an avid mountain biker and I can tell you it's highly unlikely a pedal strike caused this fire," wrote one man (punctuation corrected throughout). "As others have said, pedals are primarily constructed of aluminum alloy not steel. The internal parts that are steel are recessed in such a way that contact with a rock would not happen."

The sentiment was shared by others. "I call BS as a scientific skeptic until someone can show this actually happening," wrote another person on Facebook. "If this really could happen, it would happen more often and we would have already seen this occurring while in a mountain bike ride."

The Lower Rock Creek Trail is a 7.8-mile-long mountain biking trail that passes through the national forest, so it would not be unusual for cyclists to be in the area. Fire prevention technician Kirstie Butler told the Chronicle that officials do not know who was riding the bike that caused the spark, but that as it is believed to be accidental they are not pursuing the matter for prosecution.

Officials say that the probability of this happening is so low that they intend to close no mountain bike trails as a result.

Related: Check Out This Crazy Looking 'Ash Devil' Menacing Yreka
A lighthouse keepers life is not for everyone, but solitude suits Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender) just fine. As The Light Between Oceans begins, Tom has just returned to Australia after four years of front-line horror during World War I. His sad eyes reveal that hes seen too much. A bit of isolation might do his soul some good.

That he wont remain a solitary man for long is obvious from the way his eyes keep meeting those of the village girl, Isabel (Alicia Vikander), a pre-Raphaelite beauty in flowing peasant dress. While hes emotionally closed, shes vivacious and open. Opposites attract and soon enough Isabel becomes the lighthouse keepers wife, heading for a new life across the deep channel to a barren rock crowned by Toms candy-stripped lighthouse. It looks as if a happy ending has arrived half an hour into the movie; however, an ominous note is struck early on when we learn that Toms predecessor has gone mad while tending the light on that isolated rock in the sea.

Based on the novel by M.L. Stedman, The Light Between Oceans takes the turn toward tragedy after Isabel survives two miscarriages. Traumatized and high-strung, her desire for a child seems fulfilled when a cry is heard from the sea. A dingy washes ashore, bearing a dead man and a screaming baby girl. Although Tom harbors grave doubts, Isabel has her way: They keep the child, pretending its theirs (and burying the dead man). Of course, thats not the end of the story. A few happy years go by before Tom discovers that their girls birth mother (Rachel Weisz) lives near the town across the channel and remains devastated by loss. He wrestles with doing what he thinks is right, knowing that pain will result from any decision.

Although buoyed by fine acting (even from the supporting cast), The Light Between Oceans drags on too long with a clumsily handled backstory flashback (concerning the girls birth family) and a downward spiral toward soap opera melodrama as nature struggles with nurture once the biological mother arrives. The best parts come early with the love between Tom and Isabel and even earlier as the emotionally battened-down lighthouse keeper stands surrounded by wind, waves and sky. The setting and cinematography are impressive, especially when seen on a movie theaters big screen.

The Light Between Oceans

Michael Fassbender

Alicia Vikander

Directed by Derek Cianfrance

Rated PG-13
We cheered when state Rep. David Bowen and Rep. Evan Goyke, both Milwaukee Democrats, asked the U.S. Department of Justice to take over the investigation into the Aug. 13 shooting of Sylville Smith by a Milwaukee Police Department officer in the Sherman Park neighborhood.

The lawmakers say the feds need to come into to ensure that the investigation is independent and can be trusted by the public.

Two years ago, legislators passed a law requiring the state Department of Justice to take over every investigation involving an officer-involved shooting so that police departments arent investigating their own officers. Gov. Scott Walker and state Attorney General Brad Schimel tout the bipartisan law as a national model whenever theres a police shooting in Wisconsin, which happens all too frequently.

That said, Schimel acknowledged last week that two ex-MPD officers are investigating the shooting of Smith, which is allowed under the law but goes against the spirit of it and undermines public confidence. After all, if they are investigating former co-workersand possibly friendshow can the public trust the results of their inquiry?

Bowen and Goyke want federal investigators to step in so that the public is assured that the investigation is independent and impartial.

We are urging U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to accept Bowen and Goykes request and take over the investigation into the Smith shooting. Were also asking lawmakers to close this loophole in the next session so that the public can feel confident about the results of any officer-involved shooting investigation.
Photo Credit City of Milwaukee, Flickr CC

In any debate over crime and public safety, we can always expect many of the worst ideas of the past to resurface once again even though theyve already been shown to reduce public safety rather than improve it.

Still, there couldnt be a worse time for the Milwaukee Common Councils Public Safety Committee to release a series of mean-spirited, mostly failed and discredited proposals to get tough on crime.

Coming in the aftermath of violent protests in Sherman Park over a deadly police shooting, the so-called Public Safety Action Plan is a nasty slap in the face for responsible community leaders sincerely working together to reduce the racial and economic disparities that feed violence.

The chair of the Public Safety Committee is Ald. Bob Donovan. In April, Mayor Tom Barrett overwhelmingly won re-election with 70% of the vote over Donovan, who was soundly rejected pushing the same harsh, anti-crime solutions of more police and more incarceration.

Yet there it all was again, the wish lists of Donovan and right-wing radio repackaged as an action plan for Milwaukee. The terrible ideas ranged from oppressive to dangerous to absolutely counterproductive. Hundreds more police officers flooding into black and brown communities and another 150 sheriffs deputies in county parks.

Above all, incarceration, incarceration and more incarceration. Expansion of the countys juvenile detention center to incarcerate more children at an early age. Construction of a regional detention facility to replace the states brutalizing youth prison systemnow under federal investigation. Eliminating electronic monitoring for both youths and adults and replacing it with even more incarceration.

Thrown in was a brand-new institution of incarceration described as a boot-camp or boarding school facility in the county for at-risk youth.

The right-wing loves boot camps, even though corrections professionals know they do virtually nothing to change anyones life for the better. The right just really likes the idea of boot camps treating young minorities like dirt and yelling in their faces.

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The last remaining law enforcement official to support boot camps locally no surprisewas Sheriff David Fox News Clarke.

Clarke eliminated all beneficial education, drug and alcohol treatment and job training programs when he ran the House of Correction. His only programming was a mean, little boot camp program for a small number of offenders. Thats the primary reason the county removed the House of Correction from Clarkes control and appointed a professional superintendent to restore job training, education and treatment that reduces recidivism and increases community safety.

Enlightened public officials are now realizing incarceration is a terrible way to teach people how to live nonviolently in a free society. Even worse is the collateral damage to the community when incarceration becomes a lifetime obstacle to legitimate employment for anyone with a criminal record.

We Need Concrete Action on Racial Disparities

Fortunately, a majority of local officials not named Donovan or Clarke appear to know this.

When Donovans proposals were finally released, Council President Ashanti Hamilton and other aldermen already began distancing themselves from the very worst ideas such as increasing incarceration.

Hamilton held up a copy of Michelle Alexanders bestseller, The New Jim Crow, comparing the enormous racial disparities in mass incarceration to previous intentional efforts throughout U.S. history to deny equal rights and opportunities to African Americans.

The Public Safety Committee proposals are only intended as a starting point for community discussions about improving public safety, Hamilton said. But if thats the goal, there are certainly far more knowledgeable groups to lead such discussions.

One would be the Community Justice Council, chaired by Chief Judge Maxine White, which includes all the major players working to reduce disparities in criminal justice locally. Only Sheriff Clarke is fighting real improvements the council is making in criminal justice with major outside funding.

Another would be the countys newly formed Office of African American Affairs, which was created specifically to deal with racial disparities in the community.

The unrest in Sherman Park already has propelled discussion far past Donovans outmoded ideas. Community leaders are ready to move beyond mere talk to concrete action to increase equal opportunities for African Americansmore access to jobs and educational opportunities, fewer heavy-handed police encounters and less incarceration.

Its just a pittance, but the $4.5 million Gov. Scott Walker announced to start creating jobs and rehabbing or demolishing foreclosed properties in Milwaukee will be meaningful if its really the beginning of the state providing resources to reduce hardships in impoverished neighborhoods instead of slashing state shared revenue and making urban life harder.

Hey, its never too late to start doing the right thing.

Institutional racism can be defined as all the practices the white majority continues without thinking that they promote racial oppression and unequal treatment and opportunities for other races.

Donovans Public Safety Committee has come up with a handy list of really bad ideas everyone should be working together to root out instead of perpetuating.
About a dozen certified nursing assistants (CNAs) gathered outside a Milwaukee-based health care management group to call attention to the crisis looming in the long-term care industry: Low wages are forcing workers out of nursing at the same time the demographic trend lines show Wisconsins aging population is growing and will increasingly need skilled nursing services in the years to come.

The current median starting wage for personal caregivers in Wisconsin is $10.75, according to a report compiled by industry groups. The low pay has led to workers leaving the industry for better pay and the remaining CNAs at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities struggling to make ends meet while working a stressful job tending to frail elderly and the disabled.

Just last year, an estimated 10,600 caregivers in the state may have left for better positions outside of health care, according to data analyzed by LeadingAge Wisconsin, Wisconsin Health Care Association/Wisconsin Center for Assisted Living, Wisconsin Assisted Living Association and Residential Services Association of Wisconsin.

The groups found that one in seven caregiving staff positions in Wisconsin is unfilled. Long-term care facilities and nursing homes are filling the gap by refusing to take on new patients and requiring their staff to work more hours or double shifts.

As Ive worked as a CNA for 20 years I find its gotten harder and harder due to shortage of staff, said Milwaukee-based CNA Kent Robinson at Thursdays rally, organized by SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin. We have to take care of a lot of people, sometimes 13 or 14 people per shift. This means we only have 35 minutes per resident in an eight-hour shift. Thirty-five minutes is not enough to do care. Its not enough for us. We cant sit down and talk to the residents. We cant take them outside and do things to make their life feel more enjoyable.

A Looming Crisis in Long-Term Care

The shortage of skilled caregivers could become a crisis in the near future.

Currently, about one in seven Wisconsinites is over the age of 65. But that will tick up to one in four Wisconsinites in the next 30 years, leading to an increasing reliance on personal caregivers.

Its really important that we get a handle on this because one day there might not be health care workers to provide care to our infirm, said Dian Palmer, SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin president.

Also putting pressure on long-term care facilities is Wisconsins low Medicaid reimbursement rate.

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The industry groups pointed to a recent independent report for the American Health Care Association (AHCA) showing that Wisconsins Medicaid reimbursement system is the worst in the country. The report found that Wisconsins skilled nursing facilities had a Medicaid deficit of $331.8 million in 2014-2015, meaning these facilities lost that amount of money caring for their residents covered by federal and state Medicaid funds. That translates into a projected loss of $52.84 each day for each Medicaid patient in 2015. The national average is a $22.46 Medicaid shortfall per day in 2015, according to the AHCA.

The current state budget does not include a Medicaid rate increase for nursing facilities, although providers requested a 5% increase to make up for some of the Medicaid shortfall.

State Rep. Jonathan Brostoff (D-Milwaukee), a member of the Legislatures Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care, highlighted the Medicaid reimbursement problem when speaking to the SEIU CNAs on Thursday. Brostoff is advocating for a Medicaid wage pass-through, which would designate some Medicaid funds for increasing workers wages.

We need a wage pass-through so that we can have working families get taken care of so that they can take care of our working families, so that you guys are getting adequate compensation, getting paid, and also that people will want to come into the profession, Brostoff said.

The CNAs gathered outside of Fortis Management Group in Downtown Milwaukee to call attention to the need to pay their workers a living wage. (The Fortis Management Group is in no way connected to the Shepherds publisher, Louis Fortis.) SEIU is currently bargaining a new contract for about 500 Fortis CNAs employed throughout the state and the workers say they would like to see a path to $15 an hour included in the new agreement.

Kim Mackle, a longtime CNA from Sheboygan, said $15 an hour would help ease the financial and emotional stress that she and her fellow workers face as they care for their frail elderly and disabled residents.

Good happy employees make for a great work environment and a happier home for our residents, Mackle said.

Fortis Management Group could not be reached for comment.
Photo via Aidan Wakely-Mulroney, Flickr CC

In the midst of a citywide conversation about reducing tension between the police and the community, the Milwaukee Common Council released its Public Safety Action Plan, which offers no new programs for actually improving police-community relations.

Instead, it calls for hiring an additional 280 police officers, adding more detectives and seasonal officers and suggesting that Milwaukee County hire 150 more sheriffs deputies, establish a local boot camp-style boarding school, and ease up on its reliance on electronic monitoring of youth and adults, among other law enforcement-heavy plans.

With the added strength of 280 new police officers, the Milwaukee Police Department will have the resources to be proactive, stabilize neighborhoods in crisis and push back against crime and disorder plaguing Milwaukee, the report states in bold type.

Not everyone seems to be on board. The plan was released with a disclaimer in its preface stating that the report is not final and will be undergoing further review.

Other forthcoming proposals will incorporate resident engagement, public education, community relations and job-creation strategies, it states, along with a promise to hold two listening sessions with the community in the future.

Whats the Cost?

Theres no price tag attached to the plan, but the report floats ideas for funding it, including raising property taxes, asking the state to create a sales tax for public safety, getting tougher on collecting bad debt, reinstating furlough days for city workers and hiring young police officers to replace retiring ones.

The Milwaukee Police Departments 2016 budget is $277 million and takes up 42.4% of the citys operating budget. According to Barretts 2017 budget overview, the MPDs budget is up $97 million from $179 million in 2004 at the same time state shared revenue has decreased $12 million. MPDs 2017 budget request is $305 million.

In July, prior to the reports release, Ald. Terry Witkowski had suggested putting a referendum question on the November ballot on whether the city should hire 150 new officers on via a property tax hike. The cost for the temporary surge of 150 new officers, along with a loss of state revenue, was estimated to be $87 million over five years. That idea went nowhere in the council and Monday, Aug. 29, was the final deadline for getting a referendum question on the fall ballot. The citys next opportunity for a referendum question on the matter is in two years and Witkowski announced last week hed drop the referendum for now.

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We run a frugal city, Witkowski said in a press release. We cant simply cut our way to the funding we need.

Milwaukee Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton and Ald. Bob Donovan, who released the plan last week, didnt respond to the Shepherds multiple calls to discuss how the plan will be implemented. But if the council intends to include facets of the plan in next years budget, then it better hurry. Mayor Tom Barrett is slated to release his proposed budget on Sept. 26, after which the council will review and add amendments to it and finalize it no later than Nov. 14.

Barrett hasnt exactly signed on to the councils plan. He released a statement noting that the citys Office of Violence Prevention will be launching its own comprehensive safety plan next month with the aid of the Prevention Institute of Oakland, Calif.

As Ive said repeatedly, law enforcement is an important part of the public safety equation but not the only piece, Barrett said in a press statement. If we have learned anything from the events over the past two weeks, it is imperative that we all work together to address the factors that we know drive crime and disorder in communities. This is an issue that the city cant shoulder alone. We look forward to engaging multiple sectors including business, education, community, youth, health and officials across all levels of government in identifying comprehensive strategies that we can align resources and policy to launch and sustain.

Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn released a statement to the Shepherd, saying, We are appreciative of the Public Safety Committees sincere effort to take a system-wide view of public safety in Milwaukee and look forward to future conversations.

Will Police-Community Relations Improve?

The report comes out of a summers worth of testimony in front of Donovans Public Safety Committee in a series of meetings relating to crime, fear and disorder in the City of Milwaukee, in which Flynn, Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm and a handful of criminal justice experts explained why the city seems to be in the midst of a crime wave.

Chris Ahmuty, executive director of the ACLU of Wisconsin, noted that none of the committee hearings allowed public testimony, nor did the committee hear from non-government experts.

Ahmuty called the plan uninformed, ideological, out of touch and harmful.

He said it represented a commitment to the broken windows theory of policing, in which police officers target small offenses with the hopes of disrupting or discouraging larger crimes from occurring. Flynn was brought to Milwaukee in 2008, with the backing of the conservative Bradley Foundation, because of his support for broken windows-style policing.

The leaders of the ACLU, NAACP, the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin, WISDOM and other community organizations sent Barrett, Flynn and Hamilton a letter on Aug. 1 asking for a reconsideration of the committees focus on heavy law enforcement. The letter requested that the city look into new policing strategies as advocated in the presidents Task Force on 21st Century Policing as well as the Milwaukee Community Justice Councils efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in our jails and keep those with mental illnesses out of the criminal justice system, which is funded by a $2 million McArthur Foundation grant. The letter also called for research on the effectiveness of crime-fighting strategies and the smart use of technology. Overall, the letter asks law enforcement leaders to abandon business as usual and try to foster better relations with city residents.

In metro Milwaukee, black men, Latino men and other people of color, regardless of background and professional accomplishment, speak of their anxiety at being stopped by the police, the letter states. Women of color, too, often speak of the same fear. Their anxiety is not unfounded considering that, nationwide, police have killed more than 100 black men thus far in 2016.

The letter was written before an MPD officer killed Sylville Smith on Aug. 13 in Milwaukees Sherman Park neighborhood.

The councils plan does give a nod to Dallas Police Chief Dave Brown, whose department shifted its policing strategy, reduced crime and improved its relationship with the community. The plan also requests the citys Fire and Police Commission hold community meetings at least twice a year to hear from the public about their concerns about local law enforcement.

It noted that the commission, comprised of mayoral appointees, is directly responsible for prescribing general policies and standards for the police department, indicating that although Common Council members have the power of the purse, they dont have the final say over Milwaukees policing strategies.
LE MARS, Iowa | A former Sioux City teacher was killed Sunday after her vehicle struck an oncoming semi on Highway 3 northeast of Le Mars.

Shortly before 11:30 p.m. Sunday, Donna Wynn, of Sioux City, was driving a 2011 Honda CR-V west on Highway 3 when she failed to negotiate a curve in the road, according to a news release from the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office. Wynn's vehicle traveled into the eastbound lanes, where it struck a 1997 International semi driven by Jason Ducommun, of Larrabee, Iowa.

The release said Ducommun had tried to avoid Wynn's vehicle by swerving to the south, but Wynn's vehicle struck the left front of the semi tractor.

Wynn was transported to Floyd Valley Hospital in Le Mars, where she was later pronounced deceased, the release said. Ducommun was not injured in the crash.

The release said authorities have not determined why Wynn's vehicle traveled into the path of the semi. The Plymouth County Sheriff's Office and the Le Mars Police Department are continuing to investigate the crash.

Wynn, 67, retired from the Sioux City School District in 2011 after teaching in there for nearly four decades. She was the recipient of the 2009 Iowa History Teacher of the Year award.
SIOUX CITY | U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley on Monday said people who doubt that outspoken Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump can be elected president should remember that Ronald Reagan shifted gears in his 1980 victory.

"Everybody thought a movie star could not be a president of the United States," Grassley, R-Iowa, said.

During a Q&A at the Sioux City Rotary Club meeting, Grassley was asked if he thought Trump, a blunt-spoken business mogul who has received criticism for controversial statements on immigrants and other people, would stick with a new plan to moderate his remarks by sticking to scripted speeches. Grassley responded with the comparison to Reagan, and added that Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton also speaks in ways that upset some people.

"It is just as bad as Hillary trying to advocate him to the Ku Klux Klan, which is in her advertisements," Grassley said, of an August campaign ad by Clinton that links Trump's to some white supremacists.

Clinton is leading nationally and in many other swing states, but polls in Iowa show a close race.

Grassley said he isn't trying to talk people into voting for Trump, telling the dozens of Rotarians to "look at all the candidates and satisfy yourself." He added that a vote for Clinton would extend the eight-year trend of policies under Democratic President Barack Obama, which Grassley cited as resulting in high taxes and regulations and stagnant income growth for the middle class.

Grassley, 82, is running for his seventh, six-year term in November against Democrat Patty Judge, a former Iowa lieutenant governor and secretary of agriculture.

At the Rotary meeting at the Convention Center, Grassley fielded 10 questions, including two on the presidential race and two on the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy that began in February when Justice Antonin Scalia died. Grassley, the Senate Judiciary Commitee chairman, has continued refusals to hold hearings to fill the vacancy until after a new president is inaugurated in January. Obama nominated appeals court judge Merrick Garland for the open spot on the nine-member Supreme Court.

Grassley said there has been a well-accepted "understanding" in Senate since 1987 that no Supreme Court vacancies should be filled in the final year of a presidential term.

"It had nothing to do with Garland (personally)," Grassley said.

Grassley said the only way his stance could change is if a large number of senators strongly urged him to consider the nomination during a so-called "lame-duck session," of Congress, during the time after the Nov. 8 election and before the new Congress takes office in January.

While in Northwest Iowa Monday, Grassley also:

-- Commended local law enforcement officials involved in the successful arrest and prosecution of Jamal Dean during a stop at Sioux City Police headquarters. Last week, Grassley attended a ceremony in Washington where the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives presented the Distinguished Service Medal to ATF Special Agent Todd Monney and the ATF Honor Award to Assistant U.S. Attorney Forde Fairchild and Sioux City police detectives Troy Hansen and Kevin McCormick.

Dean, 24, was sentenced to life in prison in January 2015 after being found guilty in federal court of several charges in connection with two separate robberies of cash, drugs and cars from drug dealers in April 2013. He's also serving 25 years in prison on a state charge of attempted murder for the April 29, 2013, shooting of McCormick during a traffic stop.

-- Toured the Sioux Honey Association's Sioux City offices and plant and took part in a Q&A with employees at the facility, which packages the Sue Bee Honey brand. Grassley said he was asked to help resolve a dispute over funds collected by World Trade Organization sanctions involving the dumping of Chinese honey on the U.S. market. At issue is the interest on the money, which has been been held in trust pending distribution to U.S. honey producers, he said.

-- Took part in a town hall meeting in Cherokee, Iowa. He will have one more Siouxland stop on Tuesday, when he holds a 10:15 a.m. town hall meeting at the Sioux Rapids Memorial Library, 215 Second St.

None of Grassley's stops in the area were official campaign events.
SIOUX CITY | The 2016 election is 10 weeks off, but a Republican has already announced he plans to run in 2018 to oust a longtime state senator from Northwest Iowa who withdrew his Republican registration to protest the party's embrace of Donald Trump as its presidential nominee.

Zach Whiting, 28, of Spencer, told the Journal on Monday that he will run for Iowa Senate District 1, which state Sen. David Johnson, of Ocheyedan, has represented since 1999. Johnson in June said he was leaving the Republican Party, due to Trump's controversial statements on immigration and other issues.

Whiting has been a policy adviser in U.S. Rep. Steve King's Spencer office for just over a week, after shifting from working for the outspoken Republican congressman in Washington. While living in Spirit Lake at age 22, Whiting unsuccessfully ran for an Iowa House seat in 2010, falling in a Republican primary to eventual Rep. Jeff Smith.

With six more years of life experience, including earning a law degree and getting married, Whiting said, "I have a better understanding of politics and policy."

Iowa Senate District 1 includes all or parts of Clay, Dickinson, Lyon, Osceola and Palo Alto counties. Based on voter registration statistics, it is the second-most Republican district in Iowa, behind only the neighboring District 2. (In a tweet this weekend in which he trumpeted Whiting as District 1's next senator, King mistakenly referred to that district as the most Republican.)

Johnson has said he won't vote for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, nor will he vote for Trump, whom he has called a bigot. Whiting said district voters are without the representation, since they expected Johnson would work as a Republican when he was elected to another four-year term in 2014.

Whiting said Johnson, as an independent, now holds no committee assignments, which means he can't work effectively for district residents. Whiting said he believes in fiscal and social policies of the political right, which are "conservative principles that (Johnson) has abandoned."

Johnson also took a contrarian stance earlier this year in supporting King's 4th District opponent, state Sen. Rick Bertrand of Sioux City, when King faced a Republican primary challenge for the first time. King defeated Bertrand in June, and now faces Democrat Kim Weaver, of Sheldon, in November.

Johnson was the only elected official in Iowa who publicly supported Bertrand. After King defeated Bertrand, Johnson told the Journal he would support Bertrand in another primary contest to defeat King: "There is too much blind loyalty to Steve King."

Whiting said Johnson's stance on the Republican congressional primary did not impact his decision to run in 2018.

"No, not at all...It is not sour grapes," Whiting said.

He said if that were his motivation, he would have announced his candidacy in June.

Whiting said if Johnson "will sneak around and rejoin" the Republican Party and run for re-election, they would meet in the June 2018 primary. If Johnson remains an independent and gathers enough signatures to have his name placed on the November ballot, Whiting would face him as the GOP nominee.
STORM LAKE, Iowa | A Storm Lake man is facing a pair of assault charges after police say he choked a woman and assaulted another victim at his residence Monday morning.

Shortly before 4:20 a.m. Monday, 30-year-old Tommy Thiessen, of Storm Lake, began destroying items inside his residence at 613 Ontario St. while he was believed to be intoxicated, according to a news release from the Storm Lake Police Department. Thiessen then entered a woman's bedroom at the residence and jumped on top of her, assaulting and choking her, the release said.

The victim was able to escape and called a friend, the release said. Upon the friend's arrival, police believe Thiessen then assaulted the friend.

Police officers arrested Thiessen at the scene and transported him to Buena Vista Regional Medical Center for treatment of undisclosed injuries. He was then taken to Buena Vista County Jail and charged with assault and domestic assault strangulation.

He is being held without bond.

The victim sustained injuries but refused medical attention, the release said.
His name doesn't even appear in the book.

But make no mistake. "Hillbilly Elegy," the new best-seller by J.D. Vance, is, in a very real sense, about Donald Trump. More to the point, it's about the people who have made his unlikely run for the presidency possible.

It is also, not coincidentally, a book about being invisible. Not H.G. Wells invisible, with objects seeming to float in mid-air. Rather, Ralph Ellison invisible, when you are right there in three dimensions, but somehow, unseen.

First and foremost, though, Vance's book is a memoir about growing up hardscrabble and white in clannish, insular communities in Kentucky and Ohio. It was a tough, unstable life. Vance was in and out of his mother's house -- she was a drug user with a procession of boyfriends and husbands -- and was raised mostly by his grandparents -- "Papaw" and "Mamaw."

Mamaw was no June Cleaver. A gun-toting "lunatic" with a menthol cigarette forever dangling from her lips, she was rumored to have once almost killed a man who stole from her family. Her favorite descriptive term was the verb form of the F-word. But her love for her grandson was iron.

That grandson did a hitch in the Marines, went to college, went to law school at Yale. But he never lost a certain tough-minded pride of people and place.

"I may be white," writes Vance, now a Silicon Valley investment executive, "but I do not identify with the WASPs of the Northeast. Instead, I identify with the millions of working-class white Americans of Scots-Irish descent who have no college degree. To these folks, poverty is the family tradition -- their ancestors were day laborers in the Southern slave economy, sharecroppers after that, coal miners after that, and machinists and mill workers during more recent times. Americans call them hillbillies, rednecks, or white trash. I call them neighbors, friends and family."

In other words, Vance's people are Trump's base. And the book is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand Trump's appeal. "Hillbilly Elegy" is a compelling and compassionate portrait of a people politicians seldom address and media seldom reflect.

They love Trump because he sees them.

Yes, he's a racist clown who lies like bunnies copulate. Yes, he appeals to their lowest selves, to their hatreds and fears. But he sees them and speaks to them, something neither Democrats nor Republicans do. When you feel yourself forgotten, when work and hope have fled, when you live by a tough-minded pride of people and place, yet also by a whisper of embarrassment that your people and place are so often sick, unschooled and hungry, the simple fact of being seen and spoken to is powerful.

The one great flaw in Vance's book is a disingenuous near-silence on his kinsmen's attitudes about race. And a passage wherein he claims their antipathy toward Barack Obama has "nothing to do with skin color" but rather, with the fact that he is "brilliant, wealthy, and speaks like a constitutional law professor" is flat out intellectually dishonest.

Obama is hardly the first politician to be smart, rich and well-spoken. He is, however, the first to be hounded into producing his long form birth certificate.

Still, that flaw does not outweigh Vance's triumph, which is to give substance and dimension to those America has made invisible. Democrats, Republicans and media struggling to comprehend the forces that have upended politics should be asking themselves a question. Donald Trump shattered the paradigm because he sees J.D. Vance's people.

Why is he the only one who does?
Dana Milbank's Aug. 25 column in The Journal carried an unfair assessment of Noam Chomsky as "leftist." As someone who has followed Chomsky for 35 years, I can tell you that he is a realist and sees the world not through political filters, but as an unbiased observer concerned with the human condition. Chomsky, a Jew, is anti-Israel because of their repeated U.N. human rights violations against the Palestinians.

Chomsky also doesn't believe in fighting wars that benefit multi-national corporate business interests. Milbank is a Washington insider with connections to corporate America.

Concerning the 2016 presidential election, what Chomsky actually said was that he couldn't vote for Donald Trump because he feared Trump would do nothing to stop global warming. That is not exactly supporting Clinton.

This election cycle has seen the press lose all sense of objectivity and erase the line between reporting and pathetic pandering to the uninformed. What I find even more sickening is pieces appearing as "opinion" that are full of half-truths, and outright lies. I do not have a horse in this race. Because of philosophical views, I no longer vote. Still, I like to be informed.

Yet, I find pieces written by self-important, self-appointed elitists insulting to common-sense Midwest folk. They are not better than we are, if they were they wouldn't have to write lies to prop themselves up. - Douglas Heeren, Spink, S.D.
SIOUX CITY | Police said Tuesday the parking lot of a Chili's Grill & Bar where an apparent attempted murder-suicide occurred Sunday appears to have been a "meeting spot" for the gunman and the victim.

Michael Hasson, 46, a North Sioux City man, died Sunday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head after shooting Christine Fuentes, 54, in the upper torso. As of Tuesday morning, Fuentes remained hospitalized.

Hasson and Fuentes arrived at the parking lot in separate vehicles, Sioux City Police Detective Brad Echter said Tuesday. After arriving, Hasson entered Fuentes' Toyota sport utility vehicle and sat in the passenger seat. Echter said Hasson had been in the passenger seat when the shooting occurred.

At no time did the parties enter the restaurant at 110 Nebraska. St., Echter said.

"They were not inside. It was just a meeting spot for the two," he said.

Echter said the circumstances surrounding the meeting remain under investigation. Police said Monday they believe Hasson and Fuentes were romantically involved.

Mercy spokeswoman Dianne Krier confirmed Tuesday that Fuentes is a patient at Mercy Medical Center -- Sioux City. No information is being released on her condition. Police said Monday they believed her injury was not life-threatening.

Police responded to Sunday's shooting around 6 p.m. after receiving a 911 call from Fuentes, who told authorities she had been shot. Upon their arrival, medical personnel transported Fuentes to Mercy. Hasson was declared deceased at the scene.

Police confirmed Monday that a preliminary investigation of the shooting points toward an attempted murder-suicide. Fuentes is not a suspect in the investigation.

The investigation is pending an autopsy and further examination of forensic evidence.
DES MOINES  Michele Meadors wants everyone to remember her face.

This face could be your body from automobile accident in a heartbeat, she told legislators on Monday morning at the State Capitol.

She was one of more than a dozen health care providers and Medicaid beneficiaries who came to Des Moines to speak about the challenges and frustrations of the Iowas managed care transition.

Meadors, who must use a wheelchair, relies on a home health care worker, or a C-DAC provider, for help with things such as bathing, eating and grocery shopping. But since the state handed over its $5 billion Medicaid program with 560,000 beneficiaries on April 1 to three private insurers, her C-DAC provider has not received any payments, she said.

My provider needs that extra income, being a single parent, she said. You would think that eating would be fairly important. You would think that the supplies you need to shower and shave, thats essential.

I couldnt get supplies. It took six weeks to get catheters ... . That directly affects someone like me.

The public listening post took place before a four-hour long Legislative Health Policy Oversight Committee meeting  the first of two Medicaid managed-care oversight meetings held by a joint, bicameral committee.

And similar to the out-of-session Senate Human Resources committee meeting held in July, discussion of provider payments and lengthy pre-authorization requirements took center stage. Providers across the state have told legislators and media outlets that they have received late and inaccurate payments, some totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. But data released by the state on Friday and discussed during the oversight committee shows that all three MCOs met the requirement of paying or denying 90 percent of clean claims  properly completed claims forms  within 14 days.

I have trouble reconciling what we hear and what this data tells me, said Rep. Cindy Winckler, D-Davenport.

Thats because if a provider is receiving payment, even for the wrong amount, it is considered a clean claim, said Derek Laney, program director of Iowa Focus during the listening post.

The social service agency in Council Bluffs provides home and community based services. His organization is owed about $78,000, he said, and all that money either is from the managed-care organization paying the agency incorrectly or denying the claim.

The clean claims metric is whats being used as primary defense against any problems or complaints. That is phony.  One hundred percent of the claims denied are what (Iowa Medicaid Enterprise) would call clean claims, he said.

Its what weve known for 22 years as clean claims. Claims are being sent back because of an error on their end, well, I question the definition of clean claims because we have the dates right, codes right, addresses right.

That question came up repeatedly during the Monday meeting, in which DHS officials presented quarterly data and legislators questioned the heads of the three managed-care organizations  AmeriHealth Caritas Iowa, Amerigroup Iowa and UnitedHealthcare of the River Valley.

Rep. Lisa Heddens, D-Ames, said she hasnt talked to a provider yet who has been paid 100 percent of what they are owed.

A clean claim that isnt 100 percent paid  so it could be 20 percent paid or 40 percent paid. What category is that in? she asked.

Thats more difficult to see in the data, the MCOs and the state conceded.

The percentage of clean claims paid within certain time periods, that data is just reflective that theyre paid, not if accurate payments are made or fees are loaded appropriately, said Liz Matney, DHS managed care bureau chief. Were making sure those are reprocessed and monitoring closely as we become aware of them.

The MCOs told legislators they are working to fix systematic provider-payment problems as well as work with providers individually to resolve issues.

In addition, Iowa Medicaid Director Mikki Stier told legislators the state is hosting provider trainings in 11 communities across the state to help those providers fill out forms more effectively.

Gov. Terry Branstad on Monday continued to tout the effectiveness and transparency of the Medicaid managed-care system, telling reporter during his weekly news conference that the quarterly report released Friday is the most transparent and comprehensive report that any state has done on Medicaid.

He added that Iowa, under managed care, will be able to dramatically reduce payment error rates. Under the state-run system, Iowa had an error rate of more than nine percent, Branstad said, referring to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services fiscal year 2014 report.

We want to make sure that not only do we need to improve the health of people under the Medicaid system but we also protect the taxpayers. And I believe that this system is doing that as it has in many other states, he said.

Journal Des Moines Bureau reporter Erin Murphy contributed to this story.
PELLA  Dan Houston, president and CEO of Principal Financial Group, called it a big deal and something that is imperative the state accomplish.

Houston was speaking of Iowa Gov. Terry Branstads goal of getting 70 percent of the states workforce equipped with some form of post-high school education or training by 2025. Roughly half of the workforce has such credentials today, Branstad says.

Branstad on Monday announced the creation of a stakeholder group that will be charged with developing recommendations as to how the state can achieve that goal.

Branstad used his executive authority to create the Future Ready Alliance, to which he will appoint representatives from state government, business, education, labor, economic development and nonprofits, among other arenas.

The group will be led by Houston and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Its a big deal, and its something that is imperative we get done, Houston said. To say that a prepared workforce for jobs in Iowa is critical, frankly, is an understatement.

Houston said Principal is in the midst of a $400 million expansion, one the company would not make without faith in the Iowa workforce.

That $400 million investment would not have been made unless we thought that the workforce in Iowa was ready to perform the kinds of jobs with the kinds of skill sets that we needed, Houston said.

Houston said the group will work to identify the high-demand jobs of today and the future, work closer with educators to prepare students for careers and find ways to offer more education and training for adults.

Branstad said the group also will be charged with developing a timeline and metrics to determine the states success in achieving its goal. He expects the group to meet periodically and submit its report by October 2017.

The groups work will be funded with grant money. Lumina Foundation, an Indiana-based private foundation dedicated to increasing the number of Americans with degrees, certificates and other credentials, has contributed a $100,000 grant. The state also will use roughly $30,000 remaining from a previously issued National Governors Association grant.

Iowa needs to build on the work already underway to design a dynamic, 21st-century education-to-employment system to help more students and adults prepare and advance, with an emphasis on high-demand jobs, Branstad said.

Branstad signed the executive order at Career Academy, a division of the Pella Community School District that gives students hands-on experience with trade professions. In addition to Houston and Reynolds, Branstad was joined by representatives from the Academy, the Lumina Foundation and Vermeer, a Pella-based manufacturer.
Something of value could actually get done during the upcoming lame-duck session of Congress. That's if Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley launches an immediate Senate investigation of drug maker Mylan.

Grassley, R-Iowa, is one of a bipartisan slew of federal lawmakers demanding answers from Mylan and its CEO, Heather Bresch. Republicans and Democrats alike are teeing off on Bresch, the daughter of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, after the drug company hiked prices of the life-saving EpiPen by 400 percent since purchasing rights to the anti-allergy technology in 2007. Once less than $100, a two-week supply now costs north of $600, instigating charges of price gouging.

Last week, Grassley rejected the company's supposed fix -- a rebate card that, most observers say, is little but a public relations stunt that does little to help most EpiPen users and, ultimately, simply shifts the cost hike onto insurers and taxpayer-funded programs, such as Medicaid.

The announcement today doesnt appear to change the product price. The price is what Medicare, Medicaid and insurance companies pay. Its what patients who dont get assistance cards pay. And when drug companies offer patient assistance cards, its usually not clear how many patients benefit," Grassley said in a press release.

The situation has gotten so bad that, just last week, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation permitting first responders to use a syringe instead of Mylan's outrageously priced alternative.

Bresch has taken to the airwaves in an attempt to defend herself and stem her company's plummeting stock prices. Don't blame her company, she said. The "system is broken," she argued.

Yes. It's broken. And medical monopolies, such as Mylan, are what's clogging the gears. Whether she likes it, Bresch has earned comparisons with former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli, who last year became the poster-boy for unfettered capitalism after his firm purchased a life-saving HIV drug and immediately jacked the price from $13.50 per tablet to $750. Shkreli doubled-down in an exceedingly smug testimony before a congressional panel. Unsurprisingly, he's now one of Bresch's biggest defenders.

Greed knows greed.

Strongly worded letters from senators aren't enough. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, ranking Democrat on Grassley's Judiciary Committee, is absolutely correct in her calls for sweeping investigations into Mylan's EpiPen monopoly.

Grassley should demand Bresch defend her company's apparent moral bankruptcy in front of the Judiciary Committee. He should demand a Federal Trade Commission probe into Mylan's actions. He should spearhead legislative reform that, once and for all, will put teeth into anti-trust and gouging laws that drug companies seem so keen on flouting. He should lead efforts to empower the government to better renegotiate drug prices on pharmaceuticals purchased by public programs.

Grassley last week rightly demanded answers. He should spend September toughening protections for Iowans whose lives depend on access to affordable drugs.

Quad-City (Iowa) Times
Whether its for disaster recovery, retirement or other business eventualities, Millennial entrepreneurs seem better prepared then their older counterparts, a recent poll finds.

Nationwides Small Business Indicator  a survey conducted by Harris Poll of 502 U.S. small business owners in mid-June  revealed that Millennial small business owners are more likely than any other generation to have a disaster recovery plan, a cyber security plan, a retirement plan and even a plan for their business after theyre ready to hand over the reins of day-to-day involvement.

Nationwides data broke down how each generation  Millennials, GenXers and Baby Boomers  is preparing for each of these scenarios. And the differences in some instances are substantial.

Characteristics of Millennial Entrepreneurs

For example, just more than half of all Millennial business owners (51 percent) have a disaster recovery plan in place. Only 30 percent of Generation X business owners and 29 percent of Baby Boomers have such a plan, the surwv shows.

And while cyber security has been in the news often of late, many seem unaware of the risks cyber security poses to their small businesses.

Yet, 42 percent of Millennial small business owners told Nationwide that they had a cyber security plan in place. Compare that to only 17 percent of Gen X business owners who have a cyber security plan and only 12 percent of Baby Boomers who have such a plan in place.

Business succession is another area where Millennials appear to be more prepared. The same survey found that 61 percent have a plan like that in place. Gen X and Baby Boomer business owners were about half as likely to have that kind of plan in place. Just 32 percent of each generation said they had made these formal arrangements.

One area where most small business owners did have some form of plan for the future or the unexpected in place was in regard to employee benefits and retirement planning.

The data shows that Millennials were more likely than others to offer retirement benefits to their employees, 59 percent saying they did. However, when it comes to benefits of any kind, a lot of small business owners despite their age or generation, seemed to have a plan.

Millennials were also more likely than any other group of small business owners to offer a range of employee benefits including retirement plans, medical benefits, life insurance, paid leave, disability insurance and domestic partner benefits.

Eighty -four percent of Millennial business owners said they offered at least one of these types of benefits to their employees. By contrast, only 60 percent of Gen X business owners and 46 percent of Baby Boomers said the same.

At first glance, it might seem that the results reveal that Millennial business owners or more compassionate and concerned about their employees than small business owners then other generations might be.

But on closer examination, researchers suggests other factors might influence the choices of Millennial small business owners when compared with older generations.

This might especially be the case when looking at cyber security plans and plans aimed at ensuring the financial security of their employees and their companies, explains Mark Berven, president of Nationwide Property & Casualty, says in a statement accompanying the data.

Some of our survey data may seem surprising, Berven said But if you think about the risks many Millennials have experienced and grown up with  everything from cyberattacks to an economic meltdown  it makes sense that they would be some of the most concerned individuals out there. They want to protect what matters most to them  their business.
If you've not read my last post on measuring security you probably should. It talks about how to measure the security of things that ma...
International Relations  August 30, 2016  Phil Hearse

Turkeys incursion into northern Syria on 24 August was flagged up as a move to drive the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) out of the border town of Jarabulus. But that is just a cover: Turkeys not very secret major objective is to crush the 50,000-strong Kurdish YPG (Peoples Protection Unit) militia, and overrun the three autonomous Kurdish dominated areas, collectively called Rojava by the Kurds.

Two days into the Turkish invasion, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim stated bluntly that this operation would not be ended until Islamic State and other militants had been crushed. Already there are reports of fighting between Turkish-led forces and the YPG south of Jarabulus and thousands of Turkish troops massing on the border.

Turkey struck first toward Jarabulus because the government of Islamist president Recep Erdogan was concerned that the town should not follow the example of Manbic (Manbij), where ISIS was driven out by the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance, which has the Kurdish YPG (Peoples Protection Units) at its core. This was a stunning military and political coup for the YPG.

Within Sight of the Turkish Border

Jarabulus lies within sight of the Turkish border, just on the western side of the Euphrates. A brief glance at a map reveals its strategic significance.

Erdogan wants to do two things. First, prevent the Kurdish YPG fighters from linking up two of the areas they control  Afrin canton on the west side and Kobani canton the east side of the Euphrates river. If these were linked, the Kurdish dominated area would form a contiguous area  effectively a mini-state  running alongside the Turkish border. On the other side of that border is Turkish Kurdistan, which the Kurds call north Kurdistan. The possibility of a political link-up between Rojava and Turkish Kurdistan would be immediately on the agenda.

The second Turkish objective is to keep open the corridor to the south which has been essential for Turkeys supplies to Islamic State and other Islamist fighters it backs (and for oil going in the other direction from the ISIS-controlled oilfields).

Erdogans road to intervening was cleared by two diplomatic coups. First he went three weeks ago to see Russian president Vladimir Putin. Doubtless Putin, acting as the agent of Syrian president Assad, assured him that the Russian-Syrian-Iranian axis do not support the creation of a Kurdish-dominated autonomous region and would not interfere with Turkish action against the YPG and SDF.

More important perhaps was getting the U.S. to back off from its support for the Kurdish fighters. U.S. warplanes have provided cover for SDF-YPG action against ISIS. There have been U.S. Special Forces on the ground fighting with YPG units. This was only ever a short-term tactical alliance, one that the Obama government would obviously ditch the moment U.S. long-term political interests demanded it.

Turkeys medium term goal is to crush the Kurdish YPG, widely seen as the Syrian Kurdish co-thinkers of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) in Turkey. Erdogans government also wants to definitively crush the three established cantons of Rojava. But its not only Turkey that doesnt want a self-governing Kurdish area in Syria  this is also opposed by the Syrian government and all the significant Syrian rebel groups. Indeed one of the allegedly moderate Syrian opposition groups, the Free Syrian Army, is providing the ground troops alongside Turkish tanks and planes.

However some reports say local people recognized some ISIS fighters coming into the town with the Turkish tanks. It certainly seems likely that ISIS were tipped off by the Turkish government and moved out to avoid a fight.

According to a statement by the Executive Council of the Kurdistan National Congress, The Turkish state is operating in partnership with the El-Qaida affiliated Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (previously Al Nusra) and ISIS. Jarablus has been seized through an agreement between them. We believe that, the Turkish state and these terrorist groups will spread their attacks across the region.

Marriage of Convenience for Some

Backing from the United States has been crucial on the ground for the YPGs military victories against ISIS, but Erdogans regime has been campaigning fiercely to disrupt it. On 24 August, Turkey demanded that Kurdish forces fall back to the east of the Euphrates or face an all-out attack. This was backed up by U.S. vice president Joe Biden, in the wake of his discussions with Erdogan in Ankara, who said that if the YPG did not fall back across the river then the U.S. would end its support for them.

Will the YPG pull back to the other side of the Euphrates or stand and fight? One YPG commander was quoted as saying that the Kurdish fighters would refuse to comply with the Turkish order to move east. Other statements said that the YPG-SDF were in fact moving east to make preparations for an attack on Raqqa  de facto headquarters of ISIS in Syria.

The American alliance with the YPG has always been a paradox. The U.S. backed the Kurdish fighters because it saw them as an effective fighting force against ISIS, in fact spectacularly the most effective force. However, the Kurdish controlled cantons of Rojava have been the site of a spectacular radical social experiment in both democratic self-organization and womens equality as well as ethnic inclusion, absolutely not the kind of thing the U.S. wants to support. So this was always a marriage of convenience, very time limited.

The U.S. says it will stop helping the YPG unless they accede to Turkeys demand and retreat east of the Euphrates, but the more that Turkey directly engages the YPG-SDF forces, the more the U.S. will back off support for the YPG.

Erdogan had for two years demanded the creation of a buffer zone along the Turksh border in which Syrian refugees from the fighting could be placed. This was always a euphemism for destroy Rojava and drive out the Kurds. Now Turkey is trying to put this into action.

The situation is now extremely dangerous. After the failed coup, Turkish president Erdogan feels he is in an unchallengeable situation. The destruction and massacre of hundreds of thousands in Syria is a grim warning. The West will do little or nothing to prevent a massacre of the Kurdish people and Rojava being overrun if Erdogan unleashes the full weight of his military might against them. The need for solidarity with the Kurdish people has never been greater. 

This article first appeared on www.marxsite.com.
The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.
Nigeria, Israel Cooperate On Technology Transfer, Rapid Industrialisation

Scientific advances and technological change are important drivers of a nation's economic performance. The ability to create, distribute and exploit knowledge has become a major source of competitive advantage, wealth creation and improvements in the quality of life.



Some of the main features of this transformation are the growing impact of science and technology on the economy and on society; the rapid application of recent scientific advances in new products and processes; a high rate of innovation across countries; a shift to more knowledge-intensive industries and services; and rising skill requirements.



These changes imply that science, technology and innovation are now key to improving economic performance and social well-being.



In the case of Nigeria's scientific development, researchers and inventors have come up with various inventions which, regrettably, do not meet international standards to positively affect the nation's economy.



With the nation's current economic recession and the Federal Government's determination to diversify the economy, the nation is currently looking for strategic partnership to grow various sectors of the economy.



Speaking recently when he received the deputy chief of mission, Embassy of Israel in Nigeria, Nadan Goren, in his office in Abuja, the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, stressed the need for strategic partnership with other developed nations to strengthen Nigeria's economy.

He re-echoed the federal government's determination to strengthen trade and bilateral relations with the Israeli government through science and technology innovations (STI) to drive food security, improve health care and rapid industrialisation.

He said the Nigerian government would partner Israeli government in the area of science and technology to improve food security, make sure we have high yielding resistant seedlings, pest control and mechanization.

"If we don't mechanise the process of faming we can never get young people to farm because I cannot see any young person who will go and use the machete that our great grandfathers used.

"We are more interested in producing food to make sure that Nigerians are not hungry, to make sure we are producing enough power to light our factory and our homes and we make sure that we power the industrialization drive of the nation for alternative source of energy" the minister stated.

He restated the ministry's determination to make sure that we move our economy from resource- based to knowledge-based and effectively utilise all the resources available in the country.

He said the ministry was working hard to help create jobs through research and innovations that would help our country to grow its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He said: "As part of the activities put in place to drive the commercialisation process, the ministry is planning science, technology and innovation expo, which we believe will be a multiple exposition in the country that will involve not just the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, but all research institutes in the country, all universities, all research laboratories in our various industries and those who are in the informal sector. We want to make sure we pull all the resources together then we will invite the entrepreneurs, we will invite the investors to help us in the search for commercialization of our research findings."

The Israeli envoy, Goren said Israel was ready to share its knowledge on technology and innovation with a country like Nigeria.

"Israel is good example of a country in which natural resources, two thirds of their land is arid and officially desert and the only way we overcame these challenges was using technology, innovation and I think a country that has this experience can share this experience, can share this knowledge on technology, innovation with a country like Nigeria.

"I believe the progress on the future we are talking about is on innovation and technology and also looking into education and the people, the human resources as the most important resources.

"We are committed to promoting bilateral trade, we are looking forward to transfer knowledge and technology, once Nigeria has the technology and the know-how all the technology will be here. We really hope that you take this opportunity and have your industry here, technology here, so that you may very soon export as much as we import from Nigeria," the ambassador stated.

www.allafrica.com
ANNAPOLIS

(Aug. 29, 2016)Two Anne Arundel County men were charged on Aug. 19 with multiple violations in connection with a fist fight that occurred last month aboard a boat on the Choptank River, the Maryland Natural Resources Police reported.Asia Cooper Jr., 21, and Joel Thomas Cooper, 19, both of Crownsville, were charged with second-degree assault, malicious destruction of property in excess of $1,000, disorderly conduct and affrayfighting in public in a manner that disturbs the peace. In addition, Asia Cooper Jr. was charged with reckless operation and negligent operation.On July 23, department officers, the U.S. Coast Guard and Cambridge Police responded to a call for help from members of the Cambridge Yacht Club, who reported that a powerboat with five passengers aboard was interfering with a sailboat race and that two men were fighting. The incident was video recorded by members of the race safety committee.The rented powerboat sustained about $3,000 in damages. The subsequent police investigation identified both suspects.A date has not been set in Dorchester County District Court. If found guilty of all charges, Asia Cooper Jr. could be fined as much as $6,500 and sentenced to jail. Joel Cooper could be fined as much as $5,500.
WASHINGTON

(Aug. 29, 2016)The U.S. Department of Defense today announced the following contract awards that pertain to local Navy activities., was awardedfor modification P00001 to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm, cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-16-C-0004) for additional sustainment in support of Low Rate Initial Production Lot 10 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. Support to be provided includes non-air vehicle spares, support equipment, Autonomic Logistics Information System hardware and software upgrades, supply chain management, full mission simulators and non-recurring engineering services for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida (79 percent); Redondo Beach, California (10 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (9 percent), and Samlesbury, United Kingdom (2 percent), and is expected to be completed July, 2022. Fiscal 2014 aircraft procurement (Navy, Air Force) funding in the amount of $26,840,000 are being obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy ($22,340,000; 79 percent) and U.S Air Force ($5,900,000; 21 percent). This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 2304c(1) and Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1(a)(2). The, is the contracting activity. (Awarded August 26, 2016), is being awardedfor firm-fixed-price delivery order 4039 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-14-G-0004) for MH-60R unique configuration non-recurring engineering and interactive electronic technical manual development in support of the Government of Saudi Arabia under the Foreign Military Sales Program. Work will be performed in Stratford, Connecticut, and is expected to be completed in December 2019. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $27,114,058 are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is being awarded ancost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for engineering and technical support for reliability, maintainability, testability, quality assurance and diagnostic and system safety analyses during the design, development, production and in-service life cycles of all naval aircraft platforms and their systems. Work will be performed in the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland (83 percent); West Palm Beach, Florida (13 percent) and at various installations within the United States (4 percent), and is expected to be completed in May 2017. No funds are being obligated at time of award. Funds will be obligated against individual delivery orders as they are issued. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 2304(C)(1). The, is the contracting activity (N00421-16-D-0011).
Top to bottom: Eric Gallodoro, 26, of Lusby; Chester Jones, 37, of North Beach; and Jeremy Smith, 29, of Monroe, Michigan. Booking photos via CalCoSO.

PRINCE FREDERICK, 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. 30, 2016)The Calvert County Sheriff's Office today released the following incident and arrest reports.WEEKLY SUMMARY: During the week of August 22 through August 28, deputies responded to 1,659 calls for service throughout the community.CDS VIOLATION CASE #16-47905: On August 25, at approximately 2:00pm, Deputy B. Boerum was dispatched to the Stoney's Kingfisher Restaurant in Solomon's for the report of a patron injecting himself with heroin in the men's bathroom. Upon arrival and after determining, 26, of Lusby, to be responsible, he was arrested for Possession of Paraphernalia (syringe) and Destruction of Property, due to damage he caused when a brief struggle ensued during his arrest. Mr. Gallodoro was also issued a trespass warning and advised would be placed under arrest if he were to return to Stoney's Restaurant.CDS VIOLATION CASE #16-47648: On August 24, at approximately 2:00pm, Deputy B. Pounsberry received information from a witness who observed a CDS exchange in the parking lot on Bayside Road in Chesapeake Beach. When making contact with, 37, of North Beach, he attempted to destroy the contents of a plastic bag by tearing it open in his mouth and swallowing the powder. Mr. Jones was placed under arrest for possession of CDS Possession-Not Marijuana (Heroin), as well as obstructing and hindering an investigation by attempting to destroy evidence.DAMAGED PROPERTY CASE #16-48693: On August 22, at approximately 8:00pm, Deputy J. Buck was dispatched Ridge View Road in Lusby for the report of damaged property. The complainant stated that sometime between 4:45pm7:30pm that day, an unknown person(s) scratched an "X" in the driver's side door of their vehicle.DAMAGED PROPERTY CASE #16-47864: On August 24, Deputy B. Boerum was dispatched to Lloyd Bowen Road in St. Leonard for the report of damage to a vehicle. The victim stated sometime between 6:00pm on August 24th10:00am on August 25th, someone punctured three (3) of the four (4) vehicle tires which was parked out front of their home.DAMAGED PROPERTY CASE #16-47498: On August 23, at approximately 6:30pm, Deputy J. Migliaccio was dispatched to Inverness Way in Dunkirk in response to a destruction of property complaint. The victim advised that sometime between the evening of August 21st and the afternoon hours of August 23rd, someone shattered the rear window of a vehicle parked in their driveway. It did not appear entry was made to the vehicle or that anything was stolen.DAMAGED PROPERTY CASE #16-47149: On August 22, Deputy G. Gott was dispatched to the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons for the report of damaged property. He made contact with the victim who reported damage to two (2) Porta Johns that J & J Portables had dropped off to be used for an upcoming concert. A nearby fork lift had been intentionally driven into the side of the Porta Johns. The investigation is continuing.DISORDERLY CONDUCT CASE #16-48680: On August 28, at approximately 6:00pm, Deputy C. Fox was approached by a concerned citizen who had observed a male individual staggering down the middle of Bayside Road in Chesapeake Beach and almost got struck by several cars. They said he may possibly be intoxicated or impaired by drugs. Deputy Fox located the person in question,, 29, of Monroe, Michigan, who he found to be highly intoxicated. Due to Smith posing a danger to himself and others by stumbling in the roadway, he was placed under arrest for Disorderly Public Intoxication. He was transported to the Calvert County Detention Center for processing.THEFT CASE #16-48014: On August 25, at approximately 11:45pm, Deputy R. Spalding responded to the Prince Frederick Wawa, located on Market Square Drive, for the report of a theft. Upon arrival the complainant stated an unknown male jumped over the front counter and stole one (1) carton of Marlboro Menthol 100 cigarettes. A search of the area for the suspect was conducted with negative results. The investigation is continuing.THEFT CASE #16-47724: On August 24, Deputy S. Trotter was dispatched to the Calvert County Health Department, located on Stafford Road in Prince Frederick, for the report of a theft. The complainant reported petty cash has been stolen from a cash drawer for a third time this month. The investigation is continuing.THEFT CASE #16-47700: On August 24, Deputy C. Callison responded to Nick's of Calvert, located on Costly Way in Prince Frederick, for the report of a shoplifting. The store manager reported observing a woman place food items into a plastic store bag and proceed to the rear of the store to exit. When the woman was approached and questioned, she left through the back door and proceeded to run towards the front of the store. The investigation is continuing.THEFT CASE #16-47451: On August 23, Deputy S. Rediker responded to Saddle Court in Lusby for the report of a theft. He made contact with a SMECO employee who stated while conducting equipment checks, he discovered an electrical meter missing from the side of a residence.THEFT CASE #16-47253: On August 22, Deputy C. Fox was dispatched to Cannoncade Court in Chesapeake Beach for the report of a theft. The complainant reported items used for 'staging' a home, which is being listed for sale, were stolen. The investigation is open for further investigation.
(EDGE) Matt Bomer has found his latest project.

The "Suits" star will play a transgender worker in the upcoming film "Anything," based on Timothy McNeil's play of the same name, Variety reports.

"Anything" also stars John Carroll Lynch, a suicidal man who is distraught over the death of his wife and moves to Mississippi to L.A. to be near his sister, played by Maura Tierney. He then starts a friendship with Bomer's character and the duo "must reconcile their vastly different backgrounds as they fill the void in each other's lives," Variety writes.

Rounding out the "Anything" cast is Micah Hauptman, Margot Bingham and Melora Hardin. McNeil is also directing the movie, which is being produced by Mark Ruffalo.

Related: Director Cuts 'Tarzan' Gay Kiss: 'It Was Almost Too Much'

Some cis male actors have been hit with heat for playing trans characters. Jared Leto played a trans woman in "Dallas Buyers Club," which earned him an Oscar win. But while his performance was lauded, many took issue with the win. Time magazine called his portrayal a "transgender 'mammy.'" Eddie Redmayne was hit with similar backlash for starring in "The Danish Girl," playing Lili Elbe, a trans woman in the 1920s. Nevertheless, Redmayne was nominated for his role at the Academy Awards earlier this year but did not win.

In 2015, the Advocate published a piece about "transface" being an issue in Hollywood. Read that here.

Some Twitter users have already called out Bomer for his new role.

Matt Bomer who is playing a trans woman, is blocking trans actresses who want to talk to him.



Good look, bro. Good look.  Thirty Helens (@30_Helens) August 30, 2016

Congratulations to Matt Bomer on his role as a trans woman, it takes courage to attempt something thats literally impossible for you to do.  Avery Edison (@aedison) August 29, 2016

matt bomer walks into a bar, uses a pick-up line on bette midler & this joke has no end just as casting cis ppl playing trans ppl has no end  Patience be. (@patienceinbee) August 30, 2016

Trans actress and star of Netflix's "Sense8" Jamie Clayton tweeted about Bomer's casting news as well.

I really hope you both choose to do some actual good for the trans community one day. @MRodOfficial @MattBomer https://t.co/9WHwNu7HFm  Jamie Clayton (@MsJamieClayton) August 30, 2016

She later posted a screen shot that shows Bomer apparently blocked her on Twitter.
The Greater Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce was awarded a $5,000 grant at this years National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerces Business & Leadership Conference.

The 2016 Conference was held in Palm Springs, California last week and Keith Blackburn represented the Greater Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

The annual conference provides a wealth of information and is extremely useful to the management and growth of our chamber, said Blackburn, President and Chief Executive Officer of the GFLGLCC. This year, we had about 18 members who attended the conference. For them, the focus was on building their business, networking, educational and matchmaker meetings with major corporations seeking business with LGBT business.

RELATED: 2015 CONFERENCE IN FORT LAUDERDALE

Funded by Wells Fargo Foundation, the grant, Blackburn said, will be used to fully launch the chambers Business Connect program.

This program aims to make tangible connections between members who share similar and complementary interests and needs, Blackburn said.

Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa hosted last years NGLCCs Business and Leadership Conference which featured a presentations by financial advisor and author Suze Orman and CNN newsman Richard Quest. Blackburn said there are currently 52 NGLCC affiliate members.

Up next for the GFLGLCC is a quarterly networking luncheon, Sept. 13, hosted by the B Ocean Resort in Fort Lauderdale Beach. For more information, visit gogayfortlauderdale.com
(EDGE) An 18-year-old teen boy was arrested in connection to a paintball attack that took place outside a gay club in Stockton, Calif., in June, CBS Sacramento reports.

Austin Richardson was arrested Monday and is the third teen booked in connection to the incident, which took place at Paradise Club. Patrons said they were shot at by paintball guns on the night of June 12. The attack happened the same night when 49 people were killed at the gay club Pulse in Orlando, Fla., which is the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.



Richardson was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and hate crime, the Stockton Police Department said, according to news station KCRA.



Brand Staples, 19, was arrested in connection to the paintball shooting in June. An unidentified 16-year-old suspect was also arrested.
(OF) On Saturday, members of the queer anti-gun group Gays Against Guns staged a die-in at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. while hundreds others marched in the National Action Networks Unity Rally in D.C. to commemorate the 53rd anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.s I Have a Dream speech.

Protestors outside the memorial hoped tourists visiting the capital would take away the message that the gun lobby is killing this country and vote against politicians who are NRA puppets.

This isnt the first die-in that the newly formed Gays Against Guns  its birth was a response to the Pulse Nightclub shooting in mid June.

Related: Gays and Guns: Pink Pistols members arm themselves against murderous bigots with guns

Die-ins have also been held outside the NYC offices of investment film BlackRock, which has shares in Smith & Wesson and Sturm Ruger, at NYC Pride, and outside CrossFit, which gave out a Glock as a prize for the 2016 CrossFit Games. On August 15, Gays Against Guns staged a die-in at BlackRocks Manhattan office. The group was protesting against the worlds biggest investment manager because it has shares in Sturm Ruger and Smith & Wesson. The two companies are manufacturers of guns that have been used in mass shootings.

On that same day, the American Federation of Teachers launched a protest outside of the National Rifle Associations D.C. office, which Gays Against Guns participated in. The gun violence prevention group then made its way to Martin Luther King memorial, then to the National Mall, and from there to the Lincoln Memorial.

The group claimed they took part in the march to identify the chain of death that is the NRA, gun lobbyists, politicians held by the NRA and gun manufacturers,John Grauwiler of New York City, told Washington D.C. radio station, WTOP.

Check them out in action below!
Reagan Bluel

University of Missouri Extension in Barry County

417-847-3161

CASSVILLE, Mo.,  Jimmy and Talana Hinson and family of Cassville were among the families honored during the Missouri Farm Family Day, Aug. 15 at the Missouri State Fair.

The Hinson family was selected as the Barry County Missouri Farm Family by the Barry County Extension Council and local Farm Bureau. The family includes Tierany, Cameron and Jaret Hinson.

Each year, the fair sets aside a day to recognize farm families from across the state who are active in their communities, involved in agriculture and participate in local outreach and extension programs such as 4-H or FFA.

The Hinson family operates a 500 acre cow/calf operation. In addition, Mr. Hinson is the Ag teacher at Cassville High School where Talana is a speech teacher. Of the Hinsons four children, the three youngest, which are still living at home, raise and show swine. The children are very involved in the farm operation.

The annual event is sponsored by five partner agencies, including the Missouri Farm Bureau, the Missouri Department of Agriculture, the Missouri State Fair and Commissioners, the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, and University of Missouri Extension.

This was the first year in its 58-year history that all 114 counties participated by nominating a family.

The event showcases the impact Missouri Farm Families have on the economy and heritage of our state. These families are involved in agriculture activities in their communities, and are active participants in local outreach and extension, said Missouri State Fair Director Mark Wolfe. As the showcase for Missouri agriculture, the Missouri State Fair is most certainly the appropriate place to celebrate these families.





Caption for Picture : Back row dignitaries include : Marshall Stewart, Vice Chancellor for Extension & Engagement, MU Extension Sherry Jones, State Fair Commissioner Mark Wolfe, MO, State Fair Director Lowell Mohler, State Fair Commissioner Richard Fordyce, Director of Agriculture, Missouri Department of Agriculture Blake Hurst, President, Missouri farm Bureau Front Row: Talana, Jaret, Tierany, Camron, and Jimmy Hinson




Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres.




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...
The Greek crisis was just the latest in a series of such euro-induced crisis. Stiglitz cites Spain and Ireland as examples of "lessons not learned."

"Convergence criteria did not do the trick. But the EU doubled down on them instead. Now reform or else divorce amicably," is his message.

So, what happens next?

"No reforms will bring more stagnation. This will lead, sooner or later, to a referendum in the Eurozone" and the unravelling of the euro will begin, according to Stiglitz.

Stiglitz describes the euro as "an example of economic integration out of sync with political integration."

But Dr. Giacche, author of "Anschluss"  a study of Germany's 1990 currency unification  explains why even political integration is hardly a panacea.

"The currency unification between West and East Germany was a disaster," Dr. Giacche said quoting the Bundesbank's governor of the time, Karl-Otto Pohl.

"Before the reunification, one West D-Mark was exchanged with 4,5 East Marks. The decision to value the East Mark at parity with the West Mark made the prices of East German products increase by 350% overnight, and destroying Eastern industries.

"This is the fate of all currency unions between countries or regions whose economies are at different levels of development. In these cases, a single currency does not reduce the gap between the economies. It widens it," Dr, Giacche told Sputnik.

'No Transfers, We Are Germans'

Dr. Giacche goes on to explain that, once the former East Germany had been deindustrialized, "massive injections of western money were needed to finance consumption."
"According to Plato's dialogues, the first thing we see at the entrance to the Strait of Sicily is Sardinia. Plato said that 'the first thing on the other side of the Pillars of Hercules is a huge island, from which you can get to the other islands.'"

Plato wrote the dialogue Timaeus around 360 BC. In it, he referred to "a mighty power [which] came forth out of the Atlantic Ocean" from "an island situated in front of the straits which are by you called the Pillars of Heracles (or Hercules)."

The island was "larger than Libya and Asia put together," the philosopher wrote.

Frau said that he has used drones to explore Sardinia, and found evidence which corroborates Plato's description of the island.

"Confirming this theory is very important to me. According to Plato, Zeus (Greek god of the sky) wanted to punish the arrogant inhabitants of the island, and sent them a great flood. Homer described the punishment of Phaeacians by Poseidon, who sent a tsunami and thus buried the city 'under a huge mountain because they accompanied Odysseus to Ithaca.'"
However, as SFGATE reported, Nadine Gary is not only a feminist activist, but a priestess of the Raelian religion.

In fact, the GoTopless organization was established in 2007 by Frenchman Claude Vorhilon, who is also known as Rael.



Before turning his attention to issue of toplessness, Rael was known for establishing Raelism, a UFO religion, in the 1970s.

Rael was working as an automobile journalist when he was allegedly visited by aliens called Elohim. According to Rael, the Elohim chose him as their ambassador to Earth, and instructed him to create their embassy on this planet.

The resulting Raelian movement teaches that life on Earth was scientifically created by a species of extraterrestrials, called Elohim.

French writer Roger Gonnet, who campaigns against sects including Raelism and Scientology, told Sputnik that rather than being motivated by support of feminist principles, Sunday's GoTopless event was no more than a recruitment drive for the Raelists.

"This is all advertising for Rael. He is trying to attract people, particularly men, by showing women who are presented as Raelists," Gonnet said.
Eventually decontamination costs will be covered by the process of TEPCO selling its shares to government-backed organizations. The loans provided for the shares have been guaranteed by the government. If the TEPCO stock price makes lending unprofitable, the loans will be repaid using tax revenue.

The government is hoping for about 2.5 trillion yen in profit from the sale of TEPCO shares. For that to happen TEPCO stock would have to trade at roughly 1,050 yen, which a significantly sharp uptick from the current market price of 360 yen.
Gao Chengyong, 52, was arrested on Friday by Gansu Province Police in Baiyin at a grocery store he ran with his wife. Nine of the murders took place in Baiyin, others in nearby Inner Mongolia. The Ministry of Public Security has announced that Chengyong has confessed.

It was not until 2004 that police linked all 11 murders through DNA evidence to the same person, despite stories that kept people afraid to walk alone well beyond the 15 years he was active. Based on evidence, police believed the killer was between the ages 33 to 40.

Now convinced that they were dealing with a serial killer, police offered a reward of 200,000 yuan ($30,000) for information.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Bangladeshi Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the appeal against death sentence imposed on Mir Quasem Ali, a tycoon and financier of Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party, over war crimes, local media reported.

The verdict was pronounced by a five-member Appellate Division panel, the Newsnext news outlet said.

Bangladesh Supreme Court upholds the death sentence for Jamaat e Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali for 1971 War crimes: Reuters  ANI (@ANI_news) 30  2016 .

Mir Quasem Ali was convicted of wartime crimes against humanity committed during Bangladesh's war of independence from Pakistan in 1971.
BEIJING (Sputnik)  Beijing is confident in the success of the upcoming G20 summit in Hangzhou, official spokeswoman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Hua Chunying said Tuesday, following a car bomb attack at the Chinese Embassy in Kyrgyzstan.

Earlier in the day, at least one person was killed and two more injured in an explosion at the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

"We strongly condemn this attack. We are requesting the details from the Kyrgyz side, and that they would inform us as soon as possible. We are confident in the success of the G20 summit, and we believe that with the support of other parties and efforts the summit will be carried out smoothly," the spokeswoman said, answering a question about whether the attack is thought to have been directed against China.
With the appearance of Daesh, many of the countrys residents began fleeing into Syria and Iraq to join the military operations on their territories. Sometimes they leave with their whole families.

According to local estimates, the expert says, up to 500 Kyrgyz nationals are fighting among the ranks of Daesh jihadists.

The threat of Daesh militants returning, nationals of post-Soviet states, back to their homelands has become one of the main reasons for Russias military operation in Syria.

Simultaneously with the deterioration of the situation in Kyrgyzstan, the underground terrorist cells have recently become more active in China.

The geography of their activities has largely expanded and the frequency and the scale of their terrorist attacks has intensified.

The attack on the Chinese embassy in Bishkek is an alarm bell, signaling the serious deterioration of the situation in the region, Kashin said.

The negative scenarios for the further developments in Central Asia, which have long been the cause of concern both for Russia and China, are now gradually materializing, he added.

The elderly generation of authoritative leaders is gradually quitting, economic and demographic problems are mounting and the popularity of radical religious movements is growing.


New Delhi (Sputnik)One more Chinese mobile manufacturer, LeEcom, has set up a manufacturing unit in India; it managed to do so after just eight months of operation. Sources from LeEcom say that the company has delivered more than a million mobile handsets in India in the last eight months, which prompted it to set up a manufacturing unit in the country. Other Chinese manufacturers like Xiaomi, Vivo, and Gionee have already set up manufacturing units in India and are operating successfully under Make in India, a government initiative.

LeEcom, formerly known as Letv, is producing close to 60,000 phones per month and has plans to ramp up the production to approximately 200,000 Superphones per month by the end of 2016. The company has made an initial investment of USD 5 million and a further USD 2 million has been earmarked for the automation process.

Atul Jain, COO of LeEco Technology says, India will be a global export hub. We are already in China, Hong Kong and next month we are entering the Russian market. Indonesia and the US are the other markets we are eyeing.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  As many as seven people have been injured and more than 470,000 were recommended to evacuate after the Lionrock typhoon struck in the Japanese Tohoku region in northeast, media reported Tuesday.

Municipalities in Iwate, Aomori and Miyagi prefectures have issued evacuation advisories and approximately 4,000 people have been placed in the evacuation centers, Kyodo News reported.

Power outages have affected 83,000 households in the northern part of the Honshu Island, while major carriers canceled more than 120 flights, most of them bound for or departing from northern parts of Japan.
He incurred the wrath of Kim after he dozed off during a meeting presided over by Kim. He was arrested on site and intensively questioned by the state security ministry. He was executed after other charges such as corruption were found during the probe.

Yong-jin is at least the second person to be executed for falling asleep in the presence of Kim Jong-un.

In April of 2015, North Koreas former defense chief Hyon Yong-chol was executed by firing squad for the offense of falling asleep during a meeting attended by the DPRKs supreme leader.

The two latest executions may mark a new reign of terror, as there is talk of instability and a lack of unity among North Korean elites, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.

If the report is true, it would mark the first execution ordered by Kim Jong-un from outside the Workers Party and military, the South Korean source noted.
In March 2015, Sandy Phan-Gillis, arriving in China as a member of a trade delegation, was detained while crossing from China into Macau, an autonomous region, and was detained without charges.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, at a briefing, stated that "the relevant Chinese department will handle the case strictly according to law," without further detailing the violations said to have been committed by Phan-Gillis.

A US State Department official asked for details on the case and demanded "full and unfettered" access to Phan-Gillis. The official stated, "We urge Chinese authorities to explain the reasons for Ms. Phan-Gillis' ongoing detention."

A UN recommendation to release Phan-Gillis, as her detention violates international human rights norms, was criticized by the Chinese government.


"Royal Dutch Shell plc, through its affiliate Shell Offshore Inc. (Shell), today announces it has an agreement to sell 100 percent of its record title interest in Gulf of Mexico Green Canyon Blocks 114, 158, 202 and 248, referred to as the Brutus/Glider assets, to EnVen Energy Corporation, through its affiliate EnVen Energy Ventures, LLC. In line with Shells global divestment plans, this transaction includes $425 million in cash," the statement published on Monday said.

The statement added that the company expected the transaction to close in October.
Kristian Rouz  The outgoing Obama administration announced on Monday that the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade and investment deal with 12 Pacific Rim nations could be finalized and go into effect before the sitting President leaves office at noon, 20 January, 2017. In light of broadening opposition to the deal from both the right and the left, with GOP nominee Donald Trump being the most vocal opponent of such trade agreements, the current administration is pushing the deal through, motivated primarily by political considerations rather than economic reasoning.

The current administration sees the US losing political influence in the Pacific Rim, and is attempting to solidify its cooperation with perceived US allies in the region by promoting a greater interconnectedness, which it hopes to achieve through the power of multinational corporations.

"The president is going to make a strong case that we have made progress and there is a path for us to get this done before the president leaves office," Josh Earnest, spokesperson for the Obama administration, said. Obama is going on a tour of Asia this week.
A list of state companies whose shares may go up for sale was drafted years ago, long before the present economic slowdown and even before the 2014 crisis in relations with the West over Ukraine. However, commenting on the proposal, independent economic journalist Dmitri Pskezin pointed out that "as time goes by, this list hasn't gotten any shorter." The key question, according to the analyst, is "Why?"

In an analysis published by the independent news and analysis portal PolitRussia, Pskezin noted that "at first glance, the state's actions seem absolutely illogical" from a financial standpoint. "Instead of selling choice pieces of state property to private investors, and thus receiving much-needed funds to help plug holes in the budget, the government has persistently chosen to bear the almost unbearable burden of supporting state companies instead."

The privatization initiative's lack of momentum has been underscored by government statistics. In late July, the Accounts Chamber prepared its report auditing the execution of the budget for the first half of 2016. The report confirmed that "Transactions involving the shares of the major companies listed in Chapter 1 of the Privatization Program for the Years 2014-2016, implemented on the basis of the decision of the Russian government, have not been made, as of July 1, 2016."
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The LetterOne international investment company, owned by Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman, is investing $50 million in the US-based FreedomPop telecommunications company to help with its expansion abroad, LetterOne said Tuesday.

"L1 is partnering with FreedomPop to extend its deep operating relationships and knowledge of, emerging markets and telecoms which will be crucial in helping FreedomPop achieve its global targets This announcement follows L1s receipt of clearance from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States ('CFIUS') to complete its $50 million investment in FreedomPop," the company said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, FreedomPop CEO Stephen Stokols told The Financial Times newspaper that the funds would be used to expand operations into up to 10 countries as well as step up current overseas activities.


New Delhi (Sputnik)India, with the help of Russia, plans to set up a logistics hub for its most lethal combat aircraft, the Su-30MKI, at the facilities of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) in Bangalore. Sources from India's Ministry of Defense told Sputnik, "we are trying to ensure the maximum operational availability of Su-30MKI fighters at any given time. We have improved the serviceability of the aircraft from 46% to more than 60%. Notwithstanding, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has also finalized long term repair agreement with Russian original equipment manufacturers to improve the availability of aircraft for operational use but the long process of getting spare parts delivered is negatively impacting the operational availability of the aircraft.A spare parts logistics center will solve this problem."

Currently, it takes up to 18 months to deliver spare parts to India from Russia, mainly due to cumbersome bureaucratic process, customs, bank guarantees, etc.

Air Marshal P. P. Khandekar, Air Officer-in-Charge for Maintenance at Air HQ IAF says, "For a small fleet, there is no need to set up infrastructure in the country. Our indigenous infrastructure development requirement is mainly for when the fleet is large."
"I am a bit surprised that every time I go to Syria, nobody questions me," Damien Rieu of SOS Chretiens d'Orient, who also serves as deputy PR director of administration for the French city of Beaucaire, told Sputnik. "Nobody checks me, when I return home."

Video footage Rieu recorded at the French border shows him putting his passport into a reader and putting his finger on a scanner. This fully automated procedure takes less time than brushing your teeth.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The most distant galaxy cluster yet discovered has been observed creating new stars at a rate of 3,000 per year, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said in a press release on Tuesday.

"This galaxy cluster isnt just remarkable for its distance, its also going through an amazing growth spurt unlike any weve ever seen," said French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) lead scientist Tao Wang said in the release.

The core of CL J1001 contains eleven massive galaxies, nine of which are experiencing an impressive baby boom of stars, the release explained.
"The entrance is open, no questions are asked, and you don't even talk to anybody if you have a biometric passport."

Video footage Rieu recorded at the French border shows him putting his biometric passport into a reader, and then putting his finger on a scanner. This fully automated procedure takes less time than brushing your teeth.

Je rentre de #Syrie. En arrivant a Roissy, aucun interrogatoire. Je rentre dans #Schengen en 3 minutes. Hallucinant. pic.twitter.com/Kgp7iP9sIt  Damien Rieu (@DamienRieu) 20  2016 .

"I think that, now, when we live almost under martial law, it is totally incredible. Whatever a person does in Syria, no matter if they go there on humanitarian mission or otherwise, it is necessary for the police to at least check on them, ask some questions about going to such a dangerous country."

Gerald Arboit, senior researcher at the French Center for Research and Intelligence (CF2R), argues that people like Rieu, who legally enter Syria who have a clear purpose for their trip, are known to intelligence and that is why they are not subject to special procedures.

"Most terrorists board a plane in Turkey and fly to Charles de Gaulle airport, where DGSI, the General Directorate of Internal Security fishes them out automatically and sends them to investigators," he said.

"The most savvy ones board a ship or travel with refuges to Athens. There, using their clean EU passport  pretending they never were in Syria or Turkey  they board a plane and fly to some small airport in Germany or France  to Beauvais, if possible. There they change plane to their destination. Thus, they fly from a Schengen zone airport so they have no problems," Arboit explained.

According to Arboit, "everyone who goes abroad is expected to come back. Those who go there with tourist or humanitarian purposes  although I don't understand how can one go touring at this time  all these people are known about, their ID is certain, there are photos of them. So when they come back, they just enter the Schengen ID' line, and no one would force check them."

"On the other hand, why check them in the first place? Only because they come from a country which is not a territory of peace like the rest of Europe?" he said.
The southern-Iceland volcano has not erupted since 1918, and scientists believe that a violent release is long overdue. From AD 930 to 1918, there were twenty large-scale eruptions documented by Katla, generally every 1395 years.

In the early hours on Monday the area was hit by magnitude 4.5 and 4.6 quakes, similar to movements it experienced in 2011.

"It is quite a dynamic situation now, in the next hours and days following this, but as we speak at the moment we do not see any signs that there is an imminent hazardous unrest about to happen," Matthew Roberts, a natural-hazards scientist at the Icelandic Met Office told Reuters.
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PRAGUE (Sputnik)  An international air force exercise, dubbed Ample Strike 2016 (AMSE16), involving 1,500 troops from 17 NATO member and partner states started on Tuesday in the Czech Republic.

The aim of AMSE16 is to hone the interactions between ground-based forward air controllers and the crews on board planes and helicopters, which are tasked with striking ground targets of hypothetical opponents. The aircraft involved in the exercises will depart from airfields in the United Kingdom, Germany and Hungary as well as from the Czech Republic.

"The aircraft coming for drills from abroad will not use artillery. Those participants deployed on the Czech territory will have guns on board," Col. Zdenek Bauer, from the Czech Air Force, who is coordinating drills, told local media ahead of the drills.
The couple, which reside in Laholm Municipality in southern Sweden, were first scrutinized by the authorities in 2009, following anonymous complaints from animal rights activists. The local council ruled that the cat-loving couple could not own more than nine adult cats. This summer, the ban was extended to an overall prohibition as one of the cats had to be euthanized.

However, when animal protection officers paid the notorious cat-lovers a visit, the ban was found to have been broken by a wide margin, local newspaper Hallandsposten reported.

"Around 100 cats were discovered at the premises," animal welfare officer Sara Olsson told regional newspaper Hallandsposten. "The county council has never before taken care of so many cats," she said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  A team of Russian rescuers will arrive in Italy on September 5 to assist in clearing the debris after a powerful earthquake hit the country , Italian Ambassador in Moscow Cesare Maria Ragaglini said on Tuesday.

On August 24, a 6.0-magnitude quake shook central Italy, causing damage across numerous towns and resulting in the deaths of over 290 people. The earthquake was followed by multiple aftershocks.

"A special crew of Russian rescuers will arrive to Italy on September 5 with all the necessary equipment to participate in rescue and reconstruction operations," Ragaglini told reporters at the ceremonial opening of a book of condolence in the Italian embassy in Moscow.
Danish Police are still looking for clues in a spate of car fires, which hit the country's capital Copenhagen. Overall, 30 cars have been burned in August alone. The arson has not stopped despite the arrest of a 21-year-old man.

Last night, two more cars were set on fire in Copenhagen, the Danish tabloid newspaper Extra Bladet reported. According to Copenhagen Police, the two incidents happened in adjacent neighborhoods. As the two locations were only about two kilometers apart, the fires could have been started by the same offender.

So far, no one has been injured in the wave of vehicular arson that Copenhagen has endured for over a week now. Danish police have been cautious about drawing suggestive parallels with Sweden, where the never-ending series of car blazes triggered strong reactions from irate residents, struggling police and the confused authorities.
MOSCOW/YEREVAN (Sputnik)  Russian citizen Sergei Mironov, who was detained in Armenia following a request by the United States and later released, will return to his home country on August 31, his lawyer Karen Nersesyan said Tuesday.

On Saturday, Mironov, 33, was detained in the Armenian capital, Yerevan. US authorities suspect Mironov of laundering $50,000 and of an illegal technology transfer.

"Mironov has a round-trip ticket. He has a return ticket for tomorrow, for August 31. If the prosecutor's office does not summon him, we will leave for Russia," Nersesyan told RIA Novosti, adding that no summons has been received so far.
"Indeed, it would be inconsistent with EU legal principles to do so. Moreover, imposing retroactive recoveries would undermine the G20's efforts to improve tax certainty and set an undesirable precedent for tax authorities in other countries," the report said.

Margrethe Vestager, the European Commissioner for Competition said:

"The European Commission has today adopted a decision that Apple's tax benefits in Ireland are illegal. Two tax rulings granted by Ireland have artificially reduced Apple's tax burden for over two decades in beach of EU state aid rules. Apple will now have to repay the benefits, worth up to US$14.5 billion plus interest.

"This decision sends a clear message: member states cannot give unfair tax benefits to selected companies no matter if they are European or foreign, large or small, part of a group or not."

Irish tax rulings to Apple are illegal state aid. Effective taxation as low as 0,005 pct. #Apple has to repay up to 13 billion unpaid tax.  Margrethe Vestager (@vestager) August 30, 2016

Trade Deal Strain

The heavyweight intervention in EU affairs  amid rising opposition to US firms using aggressive tax measures to reduce their tax bills in EU states  comes at a critical time, as the US is trying to push through the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

This parrot is dead. It has ceased to be. If it wasnt still nailed to the perch. #TTIP https://t.co/nhIZD6JQ2d  Paul Bernal (@PaulbernalUK) August 30, 2016

The strong language in the report backing the US-based companies will be seen by many critics of TTIP as a further sign that the US is using the trade agreement to favor US firms doing business in the EU. There has already been criticism of the US side attempting to water down strict EU standards on food and pharmaceutical safety, the environment and workers' rights.

Both Ireland and Apple have said they will appeal against the Commission's ruling.
After the Polar Empress's hull was finished in the Polish port city of Gdynia, the rest of the ship was completed by the Kleven Maritime shipyard in Gursken, Norway, north of Bergen. When the Labor Inspectorate in Gdynia began to examine the matter, they found out that the Polish staffing company Armex had obtained as many as 90 percent of their workers from North Korea. Additionally, signs were found that Armex had close ties to the North Korean government, which was firmly rejected by the firm's founder Cecylia Kowalska.

Subsequently, a group of Dutch researchers at the University of Leiden became interested in the inhumane exploitation of North Korean expatriates in Europe and initiated an investigative project: "Slaves to the System." The final report, which was presented earlier this summer, revealed that numerous EU member states had entered legal agreements with Pyongyang that lay the foundation for modern slavery, disguised as legitimate business transactions.

According to Teknisk Ukeblad, there are contracts linking both the Polish shipyard and the controversial staffing company to the construction of at least nine Norwegian ships, which are intended to conduct high-tech exploration in the oil industry. Naturally, the dismal finds cast a gloom over the Norwegian shipbuilding industry, which prides itself on its respect for fairness and human rights.
October's historical reelection, which came about after the country's Constitutional Court ruled to annul the results of May's runoff elections due to irregularities, is a two man race between the right-wing populist Freedom Party's Norbert Hofer, and independent, Green Party affiliated politician Alexander Van der Bellen, a social liberal and environmentalist. Opinion polling from late August showed Hofer leading his opponent 53% to 47%, according to Gallup/Osterreich, with the race remaining virtually neck and neck since the revote was announced.

Through the course of the campaign, the Freedom Party has continued to push its anti-immigration policies, which became a hot-button issue recently amid Europe's Mideast migrant crisis. At the same time, Hofer and his party have softened their anti-EU rhetoric, and stopped agitating for 'Austerexit', Austria's withdrawal from the European Union. Hofer has even suggested that Vienna and Brussels may "work more closely together" on "major issues," including security and the European economy.

Most interestingly of all, Hofer and the Freedom Party have creating a unique idea for increasing Austria's geopolitical clout in European affairs. On Monday, the candidate said that he would like to establish a 'Benelux-like' union within the EU featuring neighboring states including Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Croatia and Slovenia. The point of the new entity? To increase Vienna's influence in Brussels, thereby assuring the defense of Vienna's national interests.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  German Economic Affairs Minister Sigmar Gabriel expressed doubt Tuesday that the proposed EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) trade deal would be concluded before the US presidential elections.

"I cannot tell you whether there is one more chance for TTIP after the US presidential election, but before there is ultimately no such chance," Gabriel told a press conference.
According to the EU, Operation Sophia which has five vessels, three helicopters and three other aircraft has rescued 21,958 people from the sea in the past year and arrested 84 suspected smugglers.

But the recent agreement with the EU and the GNA has been rejected by Libya's parliament and many of the country's armed factions, fueling smugglers gains and jihadist groups' strong holds. There are also concerns Daesh fighters are spreading from Sirte into the rest of the country.

More than 3,000 migrants have died so far this year as Italy's coastguard rescued 6,500 people on one of the biggest rescue operations on one day so far this year.

"The command center coordinated 40 rescue operations," according to the Italian coastguard. It included ships from EU's border agency Frontex and humanitarian organizations.

For migrants leaving Libya, they cite the breakdown in law and order which engulfed the oil rich country after NATO and EU forces overthrew Muammar Gaddafi. Migrants rescued in June 2016 by aid workers from Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) revealed bodily wounds surmounting to slave labor, with stories of kidnap, torture and ransom becoming an increasingly familiar tale.

"You can have the biggest imagination in the world and you can't imagine the kind of violence they've been subjected to," Paola Mazzoni, MSF doctor told reporters in June.

However, an effort to stem migration from Libya is an "impossible task," according to a British parliamentary report.

"A military response can never, in itself, solve the problem of irregular migration. As long as there is need for asylum from refugees and demand from economic migrants, the business of people smuggling will continue to exist," the report said.

Following the operation to save around 6,500 people off Libya, it seems that rescuing migrants from coastlines nearer to source countries will continue to be a risky and regular business.
BERLIN (Sputnik)  German Chancellor Angela Merkel will have a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit while other bilateral talks have not been scheduled yet, a diplomatic source told reporters in Berlin on Tuesday.

"Of course, in spite of a very tight schedule, bilateral talks on the sidelines will be held. The chancellor will have a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during which the transfer of the G20 presidency to Germany will be discussed Other bilateral meetings have not been agreed finally yet," the source said.

Earlier this month, the Kremlins press service said that Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French leader Francois Hollande had agreed during a phone conversation to have a joint meeting to discuss the Ukrainian conflict on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
His comments come days after Germany Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said that the TTIP talks "de facto have failed, even though nobody is really admitting it."

Kevin Smith a spokesperson for campaign group Global Justice Now told Sputnik: "The fact that TTIP has failed is testament to the hundreds of thousands of people who took to the streets to protest against it, the three million people who signed a petition calling for it to be scrapped, and the huge coalition of civil society groups, trade unions and activists who came together to stop it.

"TTIP would have resulted in a massive corporate power grab, and sovereign democracies across the EU would have been deeply compromised," he said.

French President Francois Hollande put the deal further into doubt when he told diplomats Tuesday (August 30):

"These discussions cannot result in an agreement by the end of the year. The negotiations have bogged down, the positions have not been respected, the imbalance is obvious."

Deep Divisions

The TTIP would create the biggest trading zone in the world opening up the EU and US markets to each other. However, the talks have been mired in controversy because of their secretive nature, disagreements over regulatory issues  food safety and genetic modification in particular  and the contentious Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism.

One of the major stumbling blocks has been over the detail of regulatory difference between the US and the EU. A common trade agreement requires commonality of regulatory issues. None is more important than food and farming  affecting what people put in their mouths.

"TTIP has failed"  A victory for people power  our response to the #noTTIP news https://t.co/q1EwB2vGLo pic.twitter.com/anqlLHhddU  Global Justice Now (@GlobalJusticeUK) August 29, 2016

Food regulations in the EU and the US are different, with the EU being less open to genetic modification that the US. In order to have a trade agreement, the two sides need to agree on a common regulatory framework.

In the event of a US firm not being allowed to sell its products  such as beef and pork treated with growth hormones, chicken washed in chlorine, fruit and vegetables treated with endocrine-disrupting pesticides and genetically engineered and modified foods, as are all currently allowed in the US  in the EU, the firm could sue the EU or member states.

French minister calls for halt to TTIP talks cos no political support for #TTIP in France https://t.co/kTQ4yo6Qo6 So then also reject #CETA  GMWatch (@GMWatch) August 30, 2016

Such a situation would trigger the controversial ISDS mechanism, which critics say is a secretive trade tribunal system, separate from EU member states judiciary systems.

EU spokesman Margaritis Schinas denied the talk had broken down, saying: "The ball keeps rolling on TTIP [but that it would not] sacrifice Europe's safety, health, social and data protection standards or our cultural diversity on the altar of free trade," signaling the difficulties the negotiations were in.
He also mentioned that he has had many conversations with members of the Sanders team that have influenced his digital plans, as well as being a key motivation previously with the phone canvassing app used in his earlier campaigning.

He elaborated further on his plans for a people's charter of Digital Liberty Rights  launching of a public consultation with people and parties across the political spectrum to draw up a digital bill of rights; and providing a Universal Service Network  delivering nationwide, high-speed broadband that is affordable for every household, company and organization and covering inner city neighborhoods to the remotest rural locations.

Time to end the ripoff prices and speeds of British broadband companies. #DigitalDemocracy  Harry Fisher (@Harry_J_Fisher) August 30, 2016

When speaking about funding his plan to connect every home to high-speed broadband, he said it would cost around US$33 billion (25bn) and that it could be funded by his proposed National Investment Bank.

He talked of the importance of academic material produced with public funding being made available for free when published in academic journals. There was also talk about Labour's commitment towards a more "People Power Politics" as an acknowledgement for the importance of digital power being for public and not just the commercial networks.

"The creativity of the networked young generation is phenomenal. We have thousands of young volunteers on our campaign taking part in this digital revolution. We will channel this new energy and creativity into Labour's general election campaign whenever it comes," Corbyn said.

Corbyn's timing to make #DigitalDemocracy a national conversation was acknowledged as part of Labour's realization that it cannot win elections by fighting them in the way it has fought them in the past. Under his prospective leadership, and if he was to defeat his rival Owen Smith, he said that the Labour Party would use: "digital technology to mobilize most visible general election campaign ever!"

Some critics online spoke about how after 30 years of the Internet existing, talk now of "democratizing" what is already deemed as a fairly democratic global online space sounds a little overdue.
"It was horrendous," said John Lawrie, a seaman  now 97-years-old.

"If any part of your skin got stuck to metal you couldn't get it off. Even when there was a hurricane or a blizzard you had to cut the words from your mouth if you spoke It was 50 or 60 below at times."

Despite the language barrier, the Scots nevertheless were able engage in the exchange of goods with their Soviet counterparts. Cigarettes and chocolate, as Jack Lawrie recalls, were the most sought-after items.

#ArcticConvoy veteran John Lawrie (97) describes how they traded British cigarettes for Soviet star badges pic.twitter.com/B5uWkDMhjG  Sputnik UK (@SputnikNewsUK) August 30, 2016

Another veteran, Donald Dawkins, was only 16-years-old when he joined the Convoys as a leading telegraphist.

He recalled being asked, "Are you sure you want to join," to which he replied, "Yes!"

"I was so excited," he told Sputnik, as he described his best moments.

The importance of the Arctic Convoys' role in defeating Nazi Germany cannot be underestimated.

"Their contribution to the achievement after the Second World War was immense. I think it's been recognized now by both the British and Russian governments that the Arctic Convoys were a very important aspect of the eventual victory," Commander Dairmid Gunn, Vice-President of the Russia-Scotland Forum told Sputnik.

The Consul General has sought out every Arctic Convoy survivor in recent years, in order to present them with the Ushakov medal, an award given to Russian (and previously Soviet) sailors and soldiers. He told Sputnik that there are further plans to commemorate the Arctic Convoys, including a museum and special monument in the UK.

Consul General @RusCG_Edinburgh Andrey A. Pritsepov and vets D. Dawkins, J. Lawrie at 75th #ArcticConvoy anniversary pic.twitter.com/XwrKacfxOf  Sputnik UK (@SputnikNewsUK) August 30, 2016

"I think that what they've done overshadows any volatility in bilateral relations. They are giants  they show us how to cooperate when we are facing challenges. I do think it's maybe a lost generation that knew right from wrong," Mr. Pritsepov told Sputnik.

The Consul continued by emphasizing the importance of history and learning from the mistakes of the past. He cited the Russian saying, "We shouldn't just learn from our fathers and grandfathers, we should be worthy of them."


MOSCOW (Sputnik)In 2013, 7,709 arrests for illegal entry to the country were made versus 9,600 arrests in 2015, the BBC broadcaster reported, referring to figures obtained from 39 police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In total, suspects in 27,800 cases of illegal entry were arrested between January 2013 and April 2016, the media said, adding that this number excludes those arrested by the UK Border Force.

The United Kingdom is experiencing a major wave of immigration, with 633,000 people having immigrated to the country in the year ending March 2016, according to the UK Office for National Statistics data.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Danish government is seeking to introduce new legislation to allow for asylum seekers to be turned away at the border in the event of the de-facto failure of the Dublin Regulation, under which the first EU country of entry is responsible for processing an individual's asylum application, the Ministry of Immigration, Integration and Housing said Tuesday.

"We should be able to handle the pressure. That is why we are now introducing an 'emergency brake' that would enable us to reject asylum seekers at the border in a situation where the Dublin system de facto breaks down. We are also introducing a number of measures making it less [financially] attractive to apply here, and we will provide more assistance [in areas near conflict zones], where the money will benefit the most," the head of the ministry, Inger Stojberg, was quoted as saying in a press release.
At first glance, it might seem that the luster from this early champion of the sharing economy is starting to fade.

Not so, say many UK business leaders.

Laurent Gibb is the founder and CEO of Staff Heroes UK, an on-demand sharing economy app that matches employers and temporary staff.

He believes that although there are regulatory challenges, more and more people are choosing to take part in the sharing economy:

"There's no stopping it. It's growing rapidly and will continue to do so," Mr. Gibb told Sputnik.

"Essentially, the sharing economy is an old model but where new technology has been applied. We are a market place empowering businesses and workers to have flexibility.

"We are trying to disrupt the traditional agency model, where an agency would have a certain number of workers on their books, and then match them with businesses. Our platform is self-service and fully automated: it doesn't rely on a big team. And businesses benefit from the transparency. They are able to see exactly who they're bringing in: they can see reviews of workers. Flexibility and efficiency are key," he added.

It is this flexibility, which many consumers continue to be attracted to.

A survey this month of 1,000 people, conducted by peer-to-peer car rental company easyCar Club, found that 70 percent of Brits actively use sharing economy businesses in their day to day lives, to save money or have more personal control over how they access services..

And in May this year, the UK government cut red tape to allow home owners to rent their rooms out with Airbnb  a home rentals website that connects travelers in need of a place to stay with locals looking to rent out a spare bedroom or property  for up to 90 days a year.
TALLINN (Sputnik)  The Estonian parliament failed to elect the Baltic countrys president in the third balloting round after neither of the two candidates gained the needed votes, the chair of Estonias electoral committee Tuesday.

The candidate had to earn at least two-thirds of the lawmakers votes to win the secret ballot in parliament, or at least 68 out of 101 votes, Meelis Eerik said.

"During the vote, ruling coalition Reform Party and Social Democratic Party factions [Siim] Kallas obtained 42 votes. His rival Mailis Reps, put forward by the parliamentary faction of the opposition Centre Party, received 26 votes. Thirty ballots did not mark a single candidate," Eerik specified.
She said that the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) had thousands of new employees dealing with the newcomers and that the government in Berlin is supporting local administrations and state governments in overcoming the crisis.

Meanwhile, half of those polled for newspaper Welt am Sonntag said Merkel should not stand for a fourth consecutive term in next year's election.

Merkel is already facing a tough battle in regional elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony and Berlin in September. In the latest poll, commissioned for media outlets Ostsee-Zeitung, Nordkurier, Schweriner Volkszeitung and NDR, almost one in four will vote for either the right-wing populist AfD or the far-right ultranationalist National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD).

Popularity Plummeting

Merkel has refused to bend for call to cap the total number of refugees Germany will take this year, causing anger in Bavaria, where her sister party leader Horst Seehofer has had to deal with the flood of migrants coming over the border from Austria. He has threatened to stand against her in the federal elections next year.

#Merkel visits #Prague to hundreds of protesters. Her popularity is very low here, seen responsible for migration. pic.twitter.com/11iDBlABAr  Peter  Spina (@goldseek) August 25, 2016

Merkel said, June 18, refugees had not brought terrorism to Germany, adding that Islam belonged in the country as long as it was practiced in a way that respected the constitution. Germany has been rocked by a spate of attacks on civilians  some of them connected with Daesh, or ISIL, stoking further anti-migrant sentiment within Germany.

"The phenomenon of Islamist terrorism, of IS [Daesh], is not a phenomenon that came to us with the refugees," Merkel said at an election campaign event for her Christian Democrats in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Merkel's popularity has suffered in the wake of the attacks and 52 percent of Germans think her migrant policy is bad, according to a recent poll published by broadcaster ZDF.
The man was found guilty of starting a fire in his room in the shelter in July, which subsequently engulfed the 17th century wooden wing of a mansion near Surahammar, which had housed refugees since 2011, according to The Local media outlet.

Reportedly, the arsonist confessed to being suicidal, citing depression from living with other residents and his inability to leave the shelter.
The MEP said that a European Parliament vote blocking the agreement is more likely to happen before Brexit happens, and the UK leaves the bloc

"I think the majority of UK representatives to the European Parliament are probably against the TTIP project. It would be better to hold the vote before the UK leaves," Tarabella said.

Charles-Henri Gallois, economic spokesman for France's Eurosceptic Popular Republican Union party, told Sputnik that elections being held in the US, Germany and France over the next 18 months are an important factor for politicians who are keen to be seen listening to voters' concerns.

"Discussion of this topic is being postponed for the election period. Something similar happened with the TiSA (Trade in Services Agreement, currently being negotiated by 23 members of the World Trade Organisation). TTIP is very unpopular in Europe, but it doesn't have much support in the US, either."

Gallois said that while the UK's exit from the EU might affect the fate of TTIP, the Transatlantic Free Trade Area (TAFTA) proposal is still on the table.

"Taking into account that all the other countries listen to the US  I think that Brexit won't directly affect the negotiations for TAFTA, which will surely be resumed soon," Gallois said.
Italy "rescues" them.

They travel to #Calais unhindered & unregistered.

Then Sarkozy says they are UK's problem? https://t.co/VZLHUpWsjh  UK Rants (@uk_rants) 29 August 2016

It's a situation that is becoming increasingly intolerable for the residents of the French port city.

Two key votes have intensified this row.

Brexit and Borders

The Brexit vote, when on June 23, the UK voted to leave the EU in a decision that sent shock waves around the continent. Less than 12 hours after the result, the mayor of Calais urged that the Le Touquet deal be scrapped.

Natacha Bouchart said that Britain must "take the consequences" of its vote. She added that in separating from the EU, Britain must itself take care of the issue of hopeful refugees aspiring to settle in Britain  on its side of the Channel.

"The British people have chosen to take back their freedom, they must take back their borders," she said.

The British Home Office has dismissed such demands as "a non-starter".
RIGA (Sputnik)  Latvia's nationalist Daugavas Vanagi Latvija (DV) organization has destroyed a Soviet-era World War II monument in the town of Limbazi in the north of the country, DV leader Gunars Grinbergs said Tuesday.

"Over the weekend, Daugavas Vanagi Latvija destroyed a monument to Soviet navy sailors," Grinbergs told reporters.

The monument, which was erected in 1974 near the town's school and created in the shape of the hull of a ship, was dedicated to Soviet seamen who died in the first weeks of World War II while fighting local Nazi collaborators. It was protected by the 1994 Russia-Latvian agreements, under which Latvia is obliged to maintain Soviet memorials and war graves.
Holidaying in the UK has become cheaper for international visitors as far afield as Asia. Tourists from India, China and Japan are taking the best advantage of this by getting more value with their currencies. There is also a rise in travelers from the US who are getting "more value for the buck."

Parents going on holiday to UK in few weeks. Cha Ching! #UKref  Adam Brooks (@brookssensei) June 24, 2016

According to price comparison site Cheapflights, searches for flights from Canada to both London and Edinburgh rose by 33% in the 4 weeks following the referendum, while the demand from the US increased by more than 20%.

As a result of the sudden pound slump, domestic travel within the UK has also interestingly become a more favorable choice for those based across the isles of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Previously, a holiday choice for the majority of British families would mostly be abroad, but many businesses operating within UK tourism markets are tapping into the opportunity to attract more closer to home visitors.

A small Bed and Breakfast (B&B) owner in Chippenham  which is a popular tourist destination quite close to the historic town of Bath in UK  told Sputnuk:

"After Brexit, we instantly noticed an increase in bookings and with many more people traveling from around the UK."

Apart from the constantly busy attractions of London, outside the capital, the Scottish tourist industry has also benefited from the post-Brexit summer boost.

In the long run, prices within the UK as well as to and from Europe will very likely be expected to increase again, but there are still a number of grey areas prior to the official kick-starting of the formal Brexit process such as what may happen to the EU  US Open Skies Agreement, which has been allowing for more airlines, more routes, and lower fares between EU member states.

Look at all these Spaniards going on holiday to UK hotspot #Bournemouth pic.twitter.com/KN5pIftfAw  Martin Grinham (@inourday) April 9, 2016

Now with summer nearly over, travel operators must ensure they don't experience a slump, both with international visitors and those traveling within the UK and browsing across travel provider websites currently there are a number of offers leading up towards the 'back to school' time coming up.

Is a visit to Castle Combe on your Wiltshire bucket list? https://t.co/0gyLFOmzbO #timeforwiltshire pic.twitter.com/BsinGbMhYu  VisitWiltshire (@VisitWiltshire) August 29, 2016

And as would be expected, a large proportion of this summer's tourist increase has been in the capital and at the countless major London attractions and in order for business owners and tourist-dependent businesses to continue the surge, it is probably quite important that they drive up marketing campaigns and competitively price their services in order to tap into the trend for more visitors visiting.
"Merkel is a supporter of the idea that it is Germanys natural role to become the leader of Eastern Europe (especially of Poland and the Baltic states, and Ukraine), and to drive the economic development of these countries," said Alexei Fenenko, a senior researcher with the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of International Security Studies.

Since the political elites in these countries are typically anti-Russian, Merkel "is turning Germany into the leader of an anti-Russian bloc."

A policy reversal could be an indication that the German leader has recognized the political and economic benefits of mending ties with Russia.

"Germany has always been important to Russia as a kind of bridge  a point of contact between Russia, the US and the rest of the West. If we completely lose Germany  we will lose an influential international mediator," Fenenko said.
Jean-Baptiste Devreux, the owner-chef of Le Cenacle, a restaurant in Tremblay-en-France, is seen approaching the women and demanding, I dont want people like you in my place Get out, during an encounter on Saturday.

Racists are not thugs, racists like me, they dont kill people, Devreux says as he flips the women off.

The women remained calm as they were berated by Devreux in the upscale establishment, asserting clearly that they would not have come if it had been clear that Muslims were not welcome.
BELGRADE (Sputnik)  On August 4, Kosovo's parliament building was attacked with an explosive device. The building and several parked cars were damaged while no human casualties were reported. Police later found a grenade launcher and a burning motorcycle in close vicinity of the building.

"After a detailed investigation by the prosecutor's office, we found the necessary evidence and raided six sites where weapons were found. After the attack, we interviewed witnesses and reviewed surveillance footage, which led to the arrest of six suspects and the prosecution now has enough evidence to say that a terrorist act was carried out," Islami said, as quoted by the Radio Television of Kosovo public broadcaster.

The detainees are reportedly members of the Movement for Self-Determination (Vetevendosje) opposition bloc. The organization's general secretary Dardan Molicaj and press secretary Fraser Krasnici are among those detained.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On Monday, Rousseff delivered a speech at her impeachment trial, saying she had not committed crimes she was accused of. During the trial, people started gathering in Sao Paulo, as well as in other cities across the country, protesting against Rousseff possible resignation.

The scene on Sao Paulo's Avenida Paulista as Brazil's Senate goes through the motions of definitively removing Dilma pic.twitter.com/qWk4EIgGpc  Simon Romero (@viaSimonRomero) August 29, 2016

Law enforcement officers started firing grenades with tear gas to disperse the protesters demanding end of the impeachment process and calling for the resignation of acting President Michel Temer, to the Brazilian Folha de S.Paulo newspaper reported Monday.

In May, the upper house of the Brazilian parliament voted 55-22 to start impeachment proceedings against Rousseff after she was accused of concealing the countrys budget deficit ahead of the 2014 election. Rousseff has been suspended from office for 180 days. Temer has being fulfilling the functions of the presidency during that period.
"I don't know how it [the show of solidarity] will change the voices in the Senate, but it is of great historic significance. It will be remembered by present and future generations of Brazilians, as well as this injustice and violence over democracy," he said in a clear nod to the ongoing impeachment trial.

Carvalho also underscored the significance of "today's speech by Rousseff," which he said "will demoralize the organizers of the coup who temporarily seized power and who will undoubtedly yield to the people's will."

For his part, International Relations Professor Leonardo Paz of the Rio-based Ibmec Institute told Sputnik that Dilma's political fate has already been prejudged and that it is unlikely that anything will change.

"If she is permanently removed from office, Rousseff will be banned from being elected in the next eight years. I do not think that during this period she will be engaged in any party activities," he said.

Joselicio Junior of the Marxist-Leninist Brazilian Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL), said in a separate interview with Sputnik that the PSOL has already warned against the impeachment, adding that voting in favor of dismissing Rousseff would be a big mistake.

"We do not consider the budgetary manipulations sufficient justification for her dismissal," Joselicio said.

According to him, "if Dilma does not return to office, the decision about the country's future should be taken by people rather than those in the government who staged this institutional coup."

He added that the country's left-wing forces now have a lot of proposals, including one related to holding a new presidential election.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Venezuelan authorities detained a TV crew from the broadcaster Al Jazeera at Maiquetia international airport outside Caracas and plan to expel them, a local journalists union said Tuesday.

"Members of the Al Jazeera crew were detained in Maiquetia. The authorities want to deport them from the country on a first flight to Bogota," the National Union of Press Workers (SNTP) posted in its official Twitter account.

#ALERTA miembros del equipo reporteril de @AlJazeera son retenidos en Maiquetia. Autoridades quieren deportarlos en el primer vuelo a Bogota  SNTP (@sntpvenezuela) August 29, 2016

Al Jazeera has not officially commented on the situation as yet.
Bing Translator, an app contained within Microsofts Bing search engine, allows internet users to translate over 3 dozen languages. As with every translation app or website, by typing in a word or phrase in a chosen language the application renders it in another language.

Over the weekend, some users noticed a questionable result when the Arabic word for the Daesh terrorist group was entered into the program. Translated into English, "Daesh" became "Saudi Arabia."

Naturally, representatives of the Saudi monarchy were irate, with many calling for a boycott of Bing and its parent company, Microsoft.
"The drama played by the Turkish regime through entering Jarabulus city, where it didnt shoot fire a single bullet at ISIS [Daesh], rather it let ISIS join the Turkish army and enter Jarabulus is an evidence on the cooperation between the Turkish regime and ISIS," the ministry said in a statement, as quoted by SANA news agency.

Damascus said that any anti-terror activity on the Syrian land should be done through coordination with the Syrian government and the army.
Although the city of Jarabulus in northern Syria has already been liberated from Daesh terrorists, Turkey has yet to open the border so that tens of thousands of former residents can return home, a Sputnik Turkey correspondent reports.

Many Jarabulus residents fled to Turkey after Daesh seized the city in 2014. Once news broke about Turkish forces entering the city, hundreds of Jarabulus citizens arrived at the Turkish border town of Karkamis, hoping to return home as soon as possible.

In an interview with Sputnik, 28-year-old local Abid Abdulhekim said that he and his family are looking forward to the moment when it will be possible for them to go back to Jarabulus.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Two Iraqi government-backed militias are recruiting children for the operation to liberate the city of Mosul from the Daesh terrorist group, a prominent watchdog said on Tuesday, calling on Baghdad to ensure all underage fighters are demobilized.

According to the Human Right Watch (HRW), the two militias in the Kurdish part of Iraq have been recruiting underage soldiers from a displaced peoples camp south of the city of Irbil, where some 35,000 people are estimated to be living.

The recruitment of children as fighters for the Mosul operation should be a warning sign for the Iraqi government. The government and its foreign allies need to take action now, or children are going to be fighting on both sides in Mosul, Bill Van Esveld, HRWs senior childrens rights researcher, was quoted as saying in the statement.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Turkey should resolve its conflict with the Kurds through dialogue instead of through force in the form of military campaigns in Syria, Samir Aita, a member of the Syrian Democratic Forum opposition party, told Sputnik.

Ankara announced on Wednesday that Turkish forces, backed by US-led coalition aircraft, had begun a military operation to clear the Syrian border town of Jarabulus of militants from the Daesh terrorist group. Turkish forces have also turned on Syrian Kurdish groups. On Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara will continue its operation until the threat posed by Kurdish militants active in the area is eliminated.

"The Turkish government should concentrate on Daesh instead of using the Syrian conflict to solve its internal problems. The Turkish government should solve its issues with the PKK [Kurdistan Workers Party] through negotiations," Aita said.
Speaking to Sputnik, 24-year-old Cumha Yasin said that the FSA is currently preparing for a military operation in the area adjacent to Al-Bab and Manbij so as to completely cleanse the cities from Daesh terrorists and the YPG.

"After that, we plan to move to Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor to drive Daesh out of these cities," the 24-year-old added in an interview that took place at a FAS training camp in the village of Keklice to the west of the Turkish border town of Karkamis.

Yasin, who told Sputnik that he's fought against the jihadists and the government troops for two years now, underscored the importance of Jarabulus being liberated from Daesh.

#Syria BREAKING: the border town of Jarabulus is now under full Free Syrian Army (#FSA) control pic.twitter.com/AeBrPDAN4k  Thomas van Linge (@arabthomness) 24  2016 .

"I'm going to enter Syrian territory to join the fight against Daesh and the YPG. The liberation of Jarabulus is a very important victory that boosted our morale for a further offensive in the region. As for Turkey, it has rendered considerable logistical, military and air support to us," he said.

Turkey launched its offensive, formally known as Operation Euphrates Shield, early on August 24 to cleanse the border area around Jarabulus of Daesh and prevent the Syrian Kurds from occupying the critical border city on the west bank of the Euphrates river on the Turkish border and advancing further west.

LATEST  The Free Syrian Army captures five more villages held by Daesh terrorists near Jarablus, Syria  DAILY SABAH (@DailySabah) 27  2016 .

Ankara maintains that both pose a major security threat to the well-being of the Turks.

The Syrian Kurds, for their part, suspect that something was fishy about Ankara's military incursion into the neighboring nation. They point to the fact that Turkish armed forces and the FSA were able to push Daesh out of Jarabulus within hours, despite previous unsuccessful attempts to free the border town since 2013.
Upon releasing the report, Australian Justice Minister Michael Keenan said between 500 and 800 people had traveled from southeast Asian countries to fight in Syria and Iraq.

This has led to fears that many currently fighting alongside groups like Daesh and al-Qaeda could return home and carry out attacks in southeast Asia.

The region is no stranger to terrorism, with the popular Indonesian tourist destination of Bali rocked with terror attacks in 2002 and 2005, with members of the radical Islamist group Jemaah Islamiyah convicted of crimes in relation to the 2002 attack.

The region's strong Muslim population has also led to fears that Islamic extremists may try to radicalize locals, with the Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf group among those pledging allegiance to Daesh.

In order to combat extremism in southeast Asia, the report said correcting false claims made by jihadist groups would help, along with even "poking fun at [extremists'] objectives, aims, tactics or beliefs."

The report also stated that former terrorists and the families of radicalized people were key in the fight against terrorism in the region.

Western Intervention in Middle East Seen as Key Factor

The Hedayah Institute's findings draw a direct link between the impacts the two US-led military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq had on global extremism, providing more criticism of the actions of western governments in the wake of 9/11.


MOSCOW (Sputnik)Senior Iranian presidential adviser Ali Younesi called Tuesday for Russia using the Iranian air base of Hamadan to fight terrorism in Syria.

"I consider this military cooperation which is carried out to counter the threat of terrorism important, strategic and essential I am a I am a staunch advocate of this cooperation and hope that this cooperation is correct," Younesi said answering a question on Russia using the base to fight terrorism.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  US forces conducted seven airstrikes near the Libyan city of Sirte as part of an aerial campaign against the Daesh terror group, the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said in a press release on Tuesday.

"This airstrike brings the total number of airstrikes in support of Operation Odyssey Lightning, which began Aug. 1, to 99," the release stated.

The release noted that the airstrikes hit 16 enemy fighting positions and one vehicle-borne improvised explosive device.
In his defense, man told the court that he entered the military fitness program as a kind of fat-camp.

Questioned why he decided to use recruitment training offered by a global terrorist organization, the man failed to provide a clear answer.

Several Saudis have earlier been convicted at the Riyadh Erie court hearings after they were caught trying to leave the country to engage in terrorist activities. According to Saudi media reports, the fate of the accused will not be publically released.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Hmeymim group of internal Syrian opposition welcomes recent talks between US and Russian officials in Geneva, but maintains that questions related to the Syrian future and reconciliation should be addressed through negotiations between the Syrians, including by the participants of the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva, Mais Krydee, one of the group's leaders, told Sputnik on Tuesday.

Last week, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed in Geneva the Syrian issues including an agreement on military cooperation, the situation in Aleppo and prospects of the intra-Syrian dialogue.

"We believe in intra-Syrian dialogue. We agree that it is important for the United States and Russia to have an agreement, however, the real decision must be taken by the Syrians and during the intra-Syrian dialogue," Krydee said.
ATHENS (Sputnik)  A Turkish prosecutor arrived at the Greek island of Chios on Tuesday seeking political asylum there, as the Turkish authorities continue post-coup purge in the country, local media reported.

According to the Astraparis media outlet, the 50-year-old prosecutor arrived in the island located in the Aegean Sea on Tuesday morning in a boat with Syrian refugees and applied for a political asylum. The prosecutor has been charged with illegal entry into the country and given a two-month prison sentence on probation.

He is reportedly the 16th Turkish national to claim asylum in Greece amid Turkey's purge after the failed coup attempt.
ALEPPO (Sputnik)  The military council of Jarabulus (JMC) and the Turkish army have agreed on a temporary cessation of hostilities in the Syrian town of Jarabulus and its outskirts, Rejzan Hedu, member of the Democratic Union Party formed by Syrian Kurds, told Sputnik on Tuesday.

"The first stage envisions a temporary agreement, not a permanent one.If the agreement is not violated, a dialogue will ensue, for example, on the exchange of prisoners," Hedu said.

The Kurdish politician stressed that the agreement has been reached exclusively between the JMC and the Turkish army, while the Kurdish militia and the Democratic Union Party are not part of this agreement.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The United Nations corrected its estimates of the number of people killed in the Yemen civil war over the past 18 months, revising them from 6,000 up to 10,000, UN Humanitarian Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick said on Tuesday, as cited by media.

According to McGoldrick, the estimates were based on data collected from healthcare facilities, Yemeni Akhbar daily said. He added that the figures could increase as there were no health facilities in many of the country's regions.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The US-led air campaign against the Daesh terrorist group hit nine sites in Syria on Monday and seven locations in Iraq, the US Central Command announced in a press release on Tuesday.

"Strike assessments are based on initial reports," the release said. "All aircraft returned to base safely."
Replying to a question regarding Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolution, Pardo said that a two-state solution would be fulfilled, following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's repeated statements about improving diplomatic relations with Arab countries.

Speaking of comparisons between the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal with six world powers and the 1938 Munich agreement between European powers and Nazi Germany, Pardo slammed the Avigdor Liberman-led Israeli Defense Ministry for conflating the two.
YALTA (Sputnik)  Since the early 2000s, Russia has been pushing the idea of a "euro-squadron" to be used by all participating countries in case of emergency, like devastating fires currently underway in Portugal, Spain and France.

"We have signed all the agreements on the creation of the 'euro-squadron'. The issues are in the development stage. I hope that they will be implemented in the coming years," Puchkov told journalists.

He added that the Russian pilots, who currently providing assistance in Portugal, receive positive feedback.
The F35B short-takeoff and vertical landing aircraft poses other challenges, the commander noted, including how to secure its composite airframe on a pitching and rolling warship along with the need to store weapons in internal bays to maintain stealth, issues that need to be ironed out during crew training.

"Being that its more composite than ever, the techniques you use on how to chain it down, how tight they are and everything else become more and more important so that we dont mess up a $100-million jet, Miller said.

The Navy and Marine Corps are trying to refine hearing protection schemes for flight deck personnel to handle the larger, louder F-35 jet engines, Miller noted.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The radio communications equipment will be provided over a five year period starting now and ending on August 30, 2021, the release noted.

Datron World Communications, Inc., Vista, California, was awarded a $495,000,000 foreign military sales [Afghanistan] contract for DATRON family of radios and support equipment, the release stated on Monday.

Datron World Communications specializes in tactical military communications equipment which it exports to more than 80 countries, according to the companys web site.
Over the course of several years Arye Eliyahu Eli Cohen appropriated components for army missiles, personnel carriers and fighter jets sold by the United States to Israel. After reshuffling US-Israeli orders, he and his brother-in-law Avihai Weinstein exported the equipment to Iran, through go-betweens in Europe and Asia.



Greek media reported that, in December 2012 and April 2013, Cohen and Weinstein exported Phantom F-4 parts to Iran via Greece.



US security authorities carried out a sting operation by presenting themselves as dealers looking for a middleman to sell military equipment to Iran. In 2013, after the Federal District Court of Connecticut filed the charges, the US made its extradition request, but Cohen appealed to the Israeli Supreme Court.

Currently, Cohen, after serving some time in jail, is free under the legal system of Israel. But a Sunday statement by Jerusalem claimed that Cohen will now be extradited to the US in order to stand trial for the commission of federal offences of trading military spare parts with Iran.

In the event of a conviction, Cohen could face up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Moscow has decided to expand the scope of the information on military drills that it shares with its foreign partners to improve transparency amid Western concerns over Russian surprise combat readiness checks, local media reported Tuesday, citing the first deputy head of the defense committee of Russia's upper house of parliament.

According to the Izvestia newspaper, the new format of informing foreign military officials about Russian drills will include not only the basic information required under the Vienna Document ratified by Moscow in 2011, but also additional details.

Scheduled drills are not sufficient to maintain combat readiness, surprise checks are also needed, but such inspections cause concern among our foreign partners, we understand that. Therefore, we have decided to make a gesture of good will  a decision was made to unilaterally inform [our] foreign partners when we conduct unscheduled exercises in more detail, Franz Klintsevich was quoted as saying by the paper.
According to Ukroboronprom's official press release, Tether will serve as an "advisor on the long-term development" of the Ukrainian defense industry. The American made history by becoming the conglomorate's first-ever foreign consultant. His competencies are expected to include offering advice on developing Ukraine's military-industrial complex, and selling its weapons abroad.

Behind the scenes, speaking to US media after his swearing-in ceremony, Tether hinted that US defense firms will now be more interested in direct investments into Ukrainian companies. He also admitted that discussions about possible US buyouts of major Ukrainian enterprises like Antonov were part of the mandate granted to him by Ukroboronprom, though they do not constitute the focus of his efforts as an advisor.
The new, unproven technologies include propulsion and electrical system components, launch and recover systems for aircraft, and radar "integration issues."

"What we have to determine now is whether it is best to stay the course or adjust our plans," the memo reads.

A review is needed not only to solve inherent problems with the USS Ford, but to ensure that the second and third Ford-class ships arent built with the same errors. All told, the program is expected to cost roughly $42 billion.

Speaking with the Japan Times, Navy spokesman Cmdr. Mike Kafka attempted to downplay the ships problems.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Earlier on Tuesday, a group of 60 US lawmakers called on President Barack Obama to postpone the sale of $1.15 billion worth of arms and ammunition to Saudi Arabia because of the impact Riyadhs military campaign has had on civilians in Yemen.

General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, Garland, Texas, was awarded a $39,258,206 modification to foreign military sales contract [for] Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, France and Iraq for MK82-1 bomb bodies (162); MK82-6 bomb bodies (7,245); and MK84-10 bomb bodies (9,664), the release said on Tuesday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On July 28, May visited Slovakia and answered affirmatively on the question about her possibility to use atomic weapons if necessary.

"I noticed that UK Prime Minister Theresa May answered 'Yes' without thinking twice on a question about her readiness to use atomic weapons. It is bad. It is necessary to remind people that during the World War II elimination of the entire nations had been prepared and 50 millions died in it. That's why, I would like to hold everyone accountable, when the speech is about strong words in the context of the use of weapons," Fico said, as quoted by the Pravda newspaper.

Fico added that he was worried about the growth of hatred across the world.
"It is almost as if Washington wants to provoke a nuclear war with Russia without any emotional and rational comprehension of what these actions could accrue."

Caldicott said that unless US policymakers started to take a far more rigorous and responsible attitude towards rash suggestions that were proposed to them, the dangers of a future miscalculation leading to full scale war between the thermonuclear powers would grow alarmingly.

"I fear very much for the future and that of our children globally."

Caldicott is the author of many other books, including "The New Nuclear Danger: George W. Bushs Military Industrial Complex" and "War in Heaven: The Arms Race in Outer Space."
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russian President Vladimir Putin does not plan to visit Turkey in the near future, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a reconciliatory visit to St. Petersburg on August 9 to restart bilateral ties after the downing of Russias Su-24 jet last fall effectively froze bilateral ties.

"This information does not correspond to reality, there are no plans for now in the near future," Peskov told reporters answering a question on whether the Russian head of state planned to travel to Turkey.
On the other hand, Carter emphasized, the Kurdish People's Protection Units, which constitute a considerable portion of the SDF, should in their turn withdraw their forces east of the Euphrates.

"So we've called on both sides to not fight with one another, to continue to focus the fight on ISIL. That's the basis of our cooperation with both of them. And specifically, not to engage one another and to retain those geographic commitments that they've made," Secretary Carter underscored.

Carter told journalists that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford discussed the issue with his Turkish counterpart on August 28 and asserted that he himself will turn the spotlight on the matter next week, during his meeting with Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik in Europe.

The remarks come after a series of clashes between the Turkish Armed Forces and the Kurdish militants over the weekend.
According to the expert, by playing the "Sunni card" US hawks are trying to put the "necessity" to topple Bashar al-Assad before that of defeating Daesh in Syria

Christopher R. Hill, former US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, believes that the Obama administration's policy toward Bashar al-Assad failed because of poor analysis of what was going on on the ground in Syria.

"The flaws in the Obama administration's appraisal of the Syrian crisis soon became apparent. Most obvious, Sunni radicals with foreign support quickly dominated the 'popular democratic movement'," Hill writes in his article for Project Syndicate, adding that as a result, Daesh has emerged in Syria.

"To be sure, many outsiders claim that radicalization was not inevitable, and that it occurred precisely because external powers like the US failed to intervene earlier and more forcefully. But studies indicate that the shift happened very early on. Indeed, the anti-Assad movement may never have been the enlightened democratic coalition that its international supporters claimed it was, at least not completely," the former US official highlights.

Porter poses the question whether top level Obama administration officials couldn't really foresee that a war to overthrow Bashar al-Assad "would inevitably become an enormous sectarian bloodbath."

"It took a remarkable degree of denial and self-deception for the Obama administration to believe that it was somehow acting to rescue the Syrian people from the bloodletting when it was doing precisely the opposite," he emphasizes.
Accordingly, Russia is interested in the development of a long-term partnership with Tehran, and in as short a timeframe as possible. The ties, Sazhin said, must be made firm enough to be able to withstand any political fluctuations in either country and in the region as a whole.

In early August, the presidents of Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan met in Baku. A great deal of time was devoted to cooperation in the oil and gas sector, with Vladimir Putin and Hasan Rouhani specifically commenting on the 'special impetus' that had been given to the development of relations in this sector.

As a result, several weeks later, Russia's Krasnye Barrikady Shipyard and Iran's Sadid Industrial Group signed a contract on the creation of offshore oil rigs. The contract has quickly grown to become among the largest economic projects agreed to between Moscow and Tehran since the signing of the Iran nuclear deal and the lifting of international sanctions against Tehran last year.

Speaking to Sputnik about the deal, Krasnye Barrikady deputy general director Viktor Nikolaev pointed out that the Russian shipyard has maintained warm relations with the Sadid Group for quite a long time before the deal was actually reached. It was the Iranian company that sought out Krasnye Barrikady, "when they were looking for the opportunity to build floating drilling rigs in the Persian Gulf," the company official said.

Having toured several other Russian shipyards, Sadid settled on the Astrakhan company. "And their decision is easy to explain," Nikolaev explained. "Our enterprise has built 12 floating drilling rigs, 8 of them in the Caspian Sea, for Azerbaijan, 2 in the Black Sea, on Ukraine's request, and one for [Russia's] Lukoil, located in the Caspian and successfully exploring and producing oil since 1995. Several years ago, we completed a floating drilling rig for the Chinese company Yantai CIMC Raffles, operating in the Caspian. In other words, we have a great deal of experience."
"Certainly the United States is  we are not concerned or worried about bilateral relations between Russia and Japan and we leave it to them to define what the relationship is going to be," Kirby stated.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Kremlin press service confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will meet on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum on September 2.
"Frankly, I don't but we continue to, of course, analyze the report but again there are two cases which they suggest is the fault of the Syrian side. We have very serious questions," Churkin told reporters after the Tuesday UNSC session, answering a question about the sufficiency of the report's results for introduction of the sanctions.

"We have started our discussion so  there is nobody to sanction in the report which was issued. It contains no names, it contains no specifics, as I say, there are no fingerprints. We have to behave professionally."
Todays main stories: The President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, has suggested that a Senator leading the probe into alleged extra judicial killings under his administration should resign and "hang herself". We talk to Chito Gascon, Chair of the Human Rights Commission of the Philippines.

Demonstrations are planned this week in Venezuela amidst the ongoing economic crisis and the potential recall of President Nicolas Maduro, but government sources are concerned that the protests could escalate into a destabilising event or even a coup. We speak with Francisco Dominguez, a senior lecturer at Middlesex University, where he is head of the Centre for Brazilian and Latin American Studies, and secretary of the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign.

You can find previous editions of World in Focus here.
Tank crews arguing with citizens are not the sign of a successful coup. As Monday wears on it occurs to me that this coup really isnt working out very well. In short, coups have to be fast and total or they trickle away.

Armstrong recalled that two crucial factors for a successful coup were already clearly missing in the reports from Moscow.

Nobody from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) was in the Extraordinary Committee at the head of the coup, and where were the planes flying low and loud? In short, not everyone is on board.

Armstrong recalled that the same day he told a reporter from Torontos The Globe and Mail that the coup had already proven unsuccessful and would soon collapse.

By Wednesday, the third day of the coup, it was clear that it had already failed and that it was wrapping up.
Earlier this year Alrosa Supervisory Board approved the decision to open a branch in Vladivostok, near the border with China.

It is the first step on the way to creating Russian Diamond Centre in the Russias Far East, in Primorye Territory in a bid to increase sales to Asia-Pacific nations and improve cooperation with companies in the region.

The branch is also in charge of the search for potential partners and investors to set up manufacturing facilities for the use of industrial grade diamonds and production of equipment for diamond cutting industry.

Alrosa will also use the branch to collect information about the Asia-Pacific region from the point of view of the companys interests.

The launch of the Vladivostok special economic zone in October 2015 and relaxed visa requirements for foreign citizens were among the factors prompting it to open a branch in Vladivostok, the company added.

Last week the company already opened an international auction of raw diamonds of special sizes with the weight over 10 carats and a diamond tender on the verge of the second Eastern Economic Forum, which is set to be held in Vladivostok on September 2-3.

"Auctions are held on the verge of the second Eastern Economic Forum from August 23 to September 3 on the Russky Island in Vladivostok. 19 lots of diamonds with the total weight of 1,098 carats will be offered. The largest raw diamond on the auction has the weight of 401.97 carats," the company said.


MOSCOW (Sputnik)The Southern Military District hosts the final two-day stage of the August 25-31 inspections, the ministry noted.

Groupings of various strike forces of the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla will hold a series of maneuvers in the waters of the Black Sea and the Caspian to work out tasks of defeating simulated enemy ships, suppressing attempts to lift the Kerch Strait blockade, one of the gas-condensate fields, and the release of a coastguard ship captured by terrorists, the press service said.

The troops will also practice loading on large landing ships and deploying on unequipped coastlines, the ministry added.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Advanced S-300 and S-400 air defense systems deployed in southern Russia during ongoing snap military drills have destroyed a variety of aerial target drones simulating 'adversary' aircraft and cruise missiles, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

"Air defense units of the Southern Military District armed with S-300 and S-400 air defense systems have detected, monitored and destroyed target drones imitating adversary aircraft, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles during snap drills at the Ashuluk testing range [in the Astrakhan region]," the ministry said in a statement.

According to the statement, the S-300 and S-400 units have carried out over 30 missile launches at targets flying at varying speeds and at altitudes between extremely low and up to five kilometers (some 16,500 feet).
Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko made this statement while presenting the regions socioeconomic development strategy until 2030 to the business community.

The region has an obvious advantage in terms of its strategic development. We rank among the top 10 regions with the most stable budgets. Our companies have obtained additional competitive advantages at this time of sanctions and are boosting their export potential. Predictably, industrial production and economic investment volumes have increased by 5.8% and 44%, respectively, with real incomes growing by 8.8%, the governor told 650 delegates of the Leningrad Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Regional authorities plan to step up work to build major infrastructure facilities, including an airport for low-cost airlines in Siverskaya and a second motorway bypassing St. Petersburg, Mr. Drozdenko noted. There are also plans to expedite construction of local roads, bridges and electric substations. In an effort to more quickly implement business projects, the regional government and energy companies are ready to shorten network connection deadlines to 140 days.
"The S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation (RSC) Energia and IBMP are interested in building such a base in the Far East, probably near Vostochny Cosmodrome. Such talks are ongoing. In case of the project's implementation, Russia will have a place for full ground-based training sessions of crews, including for future Mars expeditions," Vadim Gushchin told RIA Novosti on Monday.

Gushchin added that such experiments as the simulation of landing on Mars held in Hawaii by the United States were also desirable in Russia.
"Every submarine counts," says Captain Michael Stevens, the Navy's Virginia-class program manager. "Every submarine is needed out there."

Military.com says that first lady Michelle Obama, "who made it a priority to support military families," traditionally christened the ship by breaking a bottle of champagne across the submarine's bow last year.

The USS Illinois is the 13th Virginia-class submarine to be built. The Navy has reportedly ordered 15 more Virginia-class submarines, and 10 of those are currently under construction. The final ship is expected to be delivered to the US Navy in 2014.
One of those emails comes from DNC's former communications director Luis Miranda, saying that Clinton's Republican-friendly strategy is a problem for the DNC.

The email states, "we would basically have to throw out our entire frame that the GOP made Trump through years of divisive and ugly politics. We would have to say that Republicans are reasonable and that the good ones will shun Trump. It just doesn't work from the Party side."

Miranda added in the same email that the "strategy would ALSO put us at odds basically all of our Congressional Democrats who have embraced our talking points that GOPers in Congress have been pushing these ugly policies for years."

Clinton's recent policy seems strange, remarked Sacks, noting that a major part of her primary speeches detailed how she was going to help take back the house in the Senate for the Democrats.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  A hackers group, allegedly linked to Russia, broke into servers of several Washington-based think tanks, the founder of US cybersecurity technology company CrowdStrike said as cited by media.

CrowdStrike's founder and CEO, Dmitri Alperovitch, told the Defense One news website on Monday that a group dubbed COZY BEAR had attacked up to four think tanks, such as the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and 10 staffers specializing in Russia.

According to CrowdStrike, COZY BEAR was one of the hacker groups responsible for the recent US Democratic National Committee (DNC) email hack.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned US officials of a potential threat of a cyberattacks on computer networks containing voters data, calling on the states to improve cybersecurity, after two attempted breaches into state computer systems.

"The FBI is requesting that states contact their Board of Elections and determine if any similar activity to their logs, both inbound and outbound, has been detected. Attempts should not be made to touch or ping the IP addresses directly," the FBIs Cyber Division "flash" alert, obtained and released by the Yahoo News media outlet Monday, said.

The statement, dated August 18, also included a list of recommendations for the state officials to follow in light of the growing threat of new cyberattacks.
Lucy, one of the few specimens of the early hominid species Australopithecus afarensis, died about 3.18 million years ago in what would eventually become Ethiopia, where her well-preserved fossil was found in 1974.

It was one of the oldest and most complete early hominin fossils ever discovered in human history, and the Beatles-inspired researchers named her after the song "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds". However, what caused her death remains a mystery.

New research suggests 'Lucy,' human ancestor from 3M years ago, died after falling from tree https://t.co/W2722Ulf61 pic.twitter.com/PzbG9fnI2Z  ABC News (@ABC) August 30, 2016

John Kappelman, an anthropologist at the University of Texas, examined Lucys skeleton and revealed fractures. According to the professor, 3D scans have revealed multiple broken bones; the breaks occur at pressure points where bones of living organisms often fracture when subject to stress.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The United States will continue to accept refugees from Syria at about the same pace through the end of the fiscal year following the US governments announcement that the annual goal of 10,000 resettled refugees has been achieved, a White House official told Sputnik on Tuesday.

"Having met the Presidents target, we will continue to welcome Syrian refugees at approximately the same pace through the end of the fiscal year," the official said. "This is consistent with our goals from the beginning of this process."

The official noted that as there were many factors that could influence the final number of arrivals from Syria, they could not make a firm projection at the moment.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Ratification of the convention, Price continued, will let more US children receive financial support from their parents, whether their parents reside in the United States or in a foreign country that is party to the accord.

"President [Obama] signed the instrument of ratification for the Hague Convention on International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance," Price stated.

The convention, Price added, also contains groundbreaking provisions to establish uniform, efficient and inexpensive procedures for processing international child support cases.
"Maybe theyll show that she really did lose most of her brain function in that fall several years ago and is now relying on Anthony Weiner to make all of her decisions."

The article provides no evidence to back its accusations, and appears to rest solely on a Foreign Policy article that claims hackers leaked altered documents in an effort to besmirch George Soross Open Society Foundation. This article, too, provides zero evidence that the Russian government was behind the hack.

Milbank also cites questionable FBI claims that a Russian hacking group recently infiltrated voter databases in two US states. But this interpretation is also up for grabs, given the fact that the information contained in those databases is largely available to the public online. This information includes voter names, phone numbers, addresses, and party affiliations  information that is generally less useful than a phone book to any state actor.
Radio Sputniks Loud & Clear spoke with YahNe Ndgo of Revolt Against Plutocracy, about changes needed within the Democratic Party and the different forms Sanders political revolution has taken.

Tim Canova is a law professor at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who heeded Sanders call to get involved in electoral politics. With an endorsement from Sanders, Canova has been able to raise $3.5 million for is campaign, which is centered around removing corporate influence and corruption from politics.

Ndgo told Sputnik that the electoral arena is only one way to achieve change, but feels the ballot remains a valuable tactic. "I do think that theres value in having an inside-outside strategy," she said, adding, "I dont think theres one path or one approach that people could take or that people should take, I think there needs to be a combination."
During sex, diastolic blood pressure decreases, systolic blood pressure increases, people sweat more and their heart rate increases. The hormones released during a positive sexual experience not only have health benefits but can also strengthen relationships.

"A regular sex experience with our partner, that's positive, is going to facilitate a connection," Tilley says, adding, "We may have the function of oxytocin in there, or the love hormone as it's often referred to as, which can help facilitate people's love and trust of one another."
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  A group of 60 US lawmakers will send a letter to President Barack Obama later on Tuesday calling on him to postpone the sale of $1.15 billion worth of arms and ammunition to Saudi Arabia, local media reported.

The letter cites the growing casualties among civilians in Yemen caused by the Saudi-led coalition airstrikes as the reason for the delay.

This military campaign has had a deeply troubling impact on civilians. Just in the last several days, a Saudi airstrike on a school in Yemen killed 10 children  some as young as 6-years-old  and a Saudi airstrike on an MSF hospital in Yemen killed 11 people, the draft letter, obtained by the Foreign Policy, said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The US-EU talks on the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement are making steady progress, a spokesperson of US Trade Representative Michael Froman said on Tuesday, following recent remarks of some European top officials on the failure of negotiations.

On Sunday, Germany's Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said that Brussels and Washington could not reach an agreement on TTIP due to EU concerns over the deal's possible adverse effects. He was followed by French Foreign Trade Minister Matthias Fekl who announced on Monday France's intention to make a halt in the talks.

The negotiations are in fact making steady progress, Froman's spokesperson told Der Spiegel newspaper and confirmed US intention to review agreements reached so far at the September talks over the issue.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Last week, the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) released the results of a joint inquiry into chemical weapon attacks in Syria in 2014 and 2015 that attributed two attacks to the Syrian government and one attack to the Islamic State jihadist group, outlawed in Russia.

"Now that a UN investigation has officially identified responsibility for several chemical weapon attacks in Syria, the focus should turn to bringing those responsible to account," a statement by Human Rights Watch cited its senior international justice counsel Balkees Jarrah as saying.

The watchdog also called for those responsible for attacks to be prosecuted in the International Criminal Court.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russia would like to see greater effort from the United States for greater cooperation with Moscow on Syria, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.

"To our regret, we are still far from real cooperation," Peskov told reporters, answering a question on whether the Kremlin was satisfied with Russian-US interaction on Syria.

Russia and Syria have agreed on specific steps that must be taken to settle the situation in Syria and will continue to work with the groups they can influence to reach lasting ceasefire in the country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday following 12-hour talks with the US Secretary of State John Kerry in Geneva.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet US President Barack Obama at the G20 summit next month and decide on further bilateral talks on their own, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.

"It is self-evident that the presidents will in one way or another meet within the framework of the G20 forum," Peskov told reporters, noting that the two leaders would make a separate decision of a meeting on the sidelines of the summit.

US National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes said Monday that Obama and Putin were likely to speak on the sidelines of the G20 despite having no formal meeting scheduled.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday called on the United Nations to impose sanctions on the Damascus authorities, saying that he has evidence of the Syrian army's use of illicit chemical weapons.

"We have evidence that the Damascus regime uses chemical weapons against its people. I appeal to the United Nations to condemn these despicable acts and adopt sanctions," Hollande said, as quoted on the Elysee Palaces Twitter page.

Earlier in the day, the Human Rights Watch watchdog called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) for sanctions to be imposed on Damascus for its alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold a meeting on September 2 in Russia, the Kremlin press service said Tuesday.

"On September 2talks will be held between President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who will be visiting Russia to take part in the [Eastern Economic] Forum," the press service said in a statement.

The two leaders are set to discuss bilateral cooperation in the fields of energy, politics, trade and culture, as well as key international matters.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russian President Vladimir Putin and his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-hye will hold talks on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia's Vladivostok on September 3, the Kremlin press service said Tuesday.

"On September 3, the head of state will take part in a plenary session of the second Eastern Economic Forum. Following the plenary session, a meeting will be held between President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and President of the Republic of Korea Park Geun-hye, who will also take part in the Eastern Economic Forum in the framework of her working visit to Russia," the press service said in a statement.

The two leaders are set to discuss bilateral cooperation in various fields and "pay particular attention to international and regional problems," according to the statement. A number of documents are set to be signed following the talks.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) The United Nations welcomes the decision of France's top administrative court to suspend the ban on wearing burkinis, spokesman for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Rupert Colville said Tuesday.

"These decrees do not improve the security situation but rather fuel religious intolerance and the stigmatisation of Muslims in France, especially women Dress codes such as the anti-burqini decrees disproportionately affect women and girls, undermining their autonomy by denying them the ability to make independent decisions about how to dress, and clearly discriminate against them," he was quoted as saying by The Local France newspaper.

He also added that the way in which the bans on burkinis have been implemented in French resorts was "humiliating and degrading."
In an interview with Sputnik, Viktor Baranets, a military expert from the Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, said that NATO's major military exercises on Czech soil are helping the alliance resolve several tasks; first and foremost, the drills allow NATO to prod Prague to show adherence to the stance of Brussels and Washington in the fight against terrorism.

The interview came after an international air force exercise, dubbed Ample Strike 2016 (AMSE16), involving 1,500 troops from 17 NATO member and partner states kicked off in the Czech Republic on August 30.

Apart from making Prague show its loyalty to NATO, the drills also aim to test the Czech Republic's combat readiness in light of the US-led coalition's ongoing air campaign against Daesh, according to Baranets.


WASHINGTON (Sputnik)The US Department of the Treasury has lifted sanctions against Jad Dagher, general manager of DK Group, a Beirut-based company that was alleged to have sent Syrian banknotes from Russia to the Central Bank of Syria, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The following [SYRIA] entities have been removed: DAGHER, JadDK Group," the OFAC document stated.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The United States has offered a $3 million reward for information that would lead to the capture and conviction of a former Tajik police commander who is currently one of the key Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) terrorist group leaders, the US Department of State said in a press release on Tuesday.

"The US Department of States Rewards for Justice Program is offering a reward of up to $3 million for information leading to the location, arrest, and/or conviction of Gulmurod Khalimov (variant Halimov), a key leader of the terrorist group ISIL [Islamic State], also known in Arabic as Daesh," the release stated.

The State Department noted that Khalimov is a former Tajik special operations colonel, police commander and military sniper, and served as the commander of a police special operations unit in the Ministry of Interior of Tajikistan.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  President Barack Obama must choose whether he will impose costs on alleged Russian and Chinese hackers or risk impacting his legacy in his final months in office, former US officials said at a Center for Strategic and International Studies press briefing on Tuesday.

"Administrations in the last six months, historically, are loathe to impose costs," former US National Security Council Director for Asian Affairs Michael Green said, addressing the possibility of a US response to alleged Chinese and Russian cyberattacks.

Green explained that presidents are not likely to levy new costs in foreign policy at the end of their term that might "risk creating a crisis" for their successor, or that could "ruin [their] legacy" if the affected nation retaliates.


WASHINGTON (Sputnik)The lack of fighting between US allies Turkey and Kurdish forces in Northern Syria last night offers an encouraging sign that multiple armies in the region remain dedicated to defeat Daesh terrorists, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a briefing on Tuesday.

The United States welcomes the overnight calm between the Turkish military and other counter-Daesh forces in Syria, Earnest told reporters. Our priority here totally needs to be on fighting Daesh.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  US businesses remain committed to concluding the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) free trade agreement and delivering the "best possible deal" despite the recently-voiced reluctance by France and Germany, policy officer for the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union (AmCham EU) Timothy Adamson told Sputnik.

Earlier on Tuesday, both French President Francois Hollande and German Economic Affairs Minister Sigmar Gabriel suggested in separate statements that it would be impossible to conclude the TTIP agreement before the end of the year.

"AmCham EU and business groups in the EU and US are convinced that TTIP would boost growth, jobs and standards on both sides of the Atlantic. We remain ready and willing to engage with all stakeholders to help deliver the best possible deal," Adamson said.


MOSCOW (Sputnik)The Istanbul Chief Prosecutor's Office has issued warrants for 35 journalists, while Turkish police detained at least nine as of Tuesday in a post-coup crackdown on media in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in a press release.

"The Istanbul Chief Prosecutor's Office today ordered 35 journalists to be detained in scope of investigations into a July 15 failed military coup that left more than 200 people dead, according to news reports. The Turkish government accuses the Hizmet movement, or FETO [the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization], of being a terrorist organization with a parallel state structure that orchestrated the attempted coup," the press release reads.

The nine detained journalists come from Istanbul, Ankara and Kocaeli province, nearly 66 miles east of Istanbul.
RAMALLAH (Palestine) (Sputnik)  Possible talks between Palestinian and Israeli leaders in Moscow may break political deadlock in the Middle East peace process, given the Israeli government fulfills its commitments, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee member Ahmed Majdalani told Sputnik.

"We do not want negotiations for the sake of negotiations, we want Russian mediation which will bring about a serious breakthrough and will help to break the political deadlock," Majdalani said.

"We have no preconditions which [Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin] Netanyahu speaks about in an effort to distort [the information]. Meanwhile the Israeli government has commitments it must fulfill under UN Resolution 1515," Majdalani said.
Two of the sports biggest breeding operations in all of harness racing, Hanover Shoe Farms in North America and Alabar Stud in Australia/New Zealand, have both signed on as new sponsors for the sixth annual Vincent Delaney Memorial Weekend in Ireland for 2017.

In addition, Diamond Creek Farm and Joe Bellino Racing Stable in the USA, PJI Engineering and Oakwood Stud in Ireland, have all re-upped their race sponsorships for the big race weekend.

The Vincent Delaney Memorial Weekend is the creation of Derek and James Delaney of Offlay, Ireland, who is 2012, a year after the tragic death of their younger brother Vincent, decided to have a memorial race in his honour.

Little did they know that their weekend honouring their lost brother would develop into the richest harness racing stakes event in all of Ireland and the UK.

My brother James and I look back at what weve done with our brothers race in just four years, said Derek Delaney. And it blows us away. We have a VDM Committee who is the backbone of our big weekend and now we hire some outside agencys to help us. Its amazing. We know that Vincent is very proud of what we have done in his memory.

Hanover Shoe Farms is the leading money earning breeding farm in racing and they are now the title sponsor of the Vincent Delaney Memorial Colt Pace for two-year-olds.

The icing on the cake for Hanover Shoe Farms management may have been after Tyrion Hanover, a son of Somebeachsomewhere, won the VDM colt division on August 14. He was purchased at Hanovers Harrisburg Sale at a yearling and flown back to the UK.

Murray (Brown) came back with great enthusiasm about the weekend in Ireland, said Jim Simpson, president of Hanover Shoe Farms. He told me how they are in it for the love of Horse Racing...not the money. The sponsorship was available so we took it. We sponsor races in Lexington, Meadowlands, The Hambletonian, The Little Brown Jug, Chester, The Meadows, Pocono Downs, UK and Germany. So why not Ireland?

Simpson said that he is already planning on coming to Ireland next year for the VDM Weekend.

The Diamond Creek Farm VDM filly division is being sponsored for the second straight year by Diamond Creek Farm and the Adam Bowden Family.

It was an easy decision, Bowden said. After going to Ireland for the 2016 edition of the VDM Memorial we were blown away by the hospitality of the Irish people as well as the Delaney family.

Joining a grassroots movement is addicting, Bowden explained, And being part of something great is what we are all about. Diamond Creek Farm wants to be involved in events that showcase the greatness of Standardbred racing both at home in the US as well as abroad. Derek Delaney, single-handedly has energized the sport in that region and we could not be more excited about what the future will bring.

How could you not be entirely blown away over there? Bowden added. You can see the event in pictures or follow Heather Vitale's live Facebook posts, but being there in person is an out of this world experience. My wife and I could not be more thankful for the opportunity and the generosity shown by everyone we came in contact with.

I grew up going to the races in Maine (especially the Cumberland Fair in my hometown), Bowden added, and being at Portmarnock Raceway was like being transported back in time to 1985 when I was a little kid and reliving my first harness racing experiences where everything was novel and new. It was grassroots racing at its finest.

The VDM is the worlds most rugged race for two-year-olds, requiring the young horses to race Saturday in elimination divisions and then return Sunday for their respective finals in the one-mile race.

We even have sponsors now for the VDM elimination races, Derek Delaney added. Clive and Anne Dalton from Australia have signed on and are guaranteeing that each elimination division for both the colts and fillies will race for 2,000 each.

Alabar Stud, the largest breeding operation down under with 28 stallions in Australia and New Zealand, is now co-sponsoring the Alabar-Oakwood Derby for three-year-old pacers. This race calls for the same format as the VDM, eliminations Saturday (if necessary) and the finals on Sunday. The race is also at a one-mile distance.

And, with the Alabar sponsorship, there will also be a filly division for the Three-Year-Old Derby in 2017.

Alan Galloway, owner and director of Alabar Stud, was in Ireland for the VDM Weekend this past August and was infatuated with everything he saw.

It was my first time in Ireland for the VDM, said Galloway, And what a show they put on. Just a fantastic race weekend. So much excitement. So much passion for the sport that I knew Alabar had to get involved again.

We actually were sponsors when the first Breeders Crown UK & Ireland came about over ten years ago. Galloway said. We were invited to come over and help them and the Ireland improve racing. I met and worked with its president, David Wilson, when he first developed the Breeders Crown series.

We bred over 100 mares back then, Galloway said. We sent over Village Jasper, Armbro Operative and Safely Kept. It was very difficult getting all the approvals from the government but we got it done. Many of the horses racing there now are from their offsprings.

I was really taken back this year, Galloway said. The Irish are such lovely people. Everything that Derek Delaney and his brother have done to promote this weekend is fantastic. Their story is very moving, so emotional, its what we at Alabar want to be part of.

Another major sponsor, smitten by coming to the VDM this year, was Joe Bellino and his family, all eight of them. The Bellino Racing Stable in the USA had agreed to sponsor the Rocknroll Heaven/Pet Rock Irish-American FFA Pace this year and was so enthralled with the entire Ireland experience, Joe re-upped for 2017 even before he came home.

It was the way the people in racing there embraced my family, Joe Bellino said. And their deep love for the sport that convinced me to want to sponsor the race again. The way they celebrated a win with cheering and excitement. Its just the same way I am whether racing for $100 purse or $500,000. It was also great to see and feel it firsthand.

In some way in North America we have lost our way with that sort of enthusiasm. Bellino explained. Its almost like the people who win are used to winning and have come to expect it. Thats why I really appreciated the Hambo this year as it was great to see and feel the passion for our sport just as they do in Ireland.

PJI Engineering of England, one of the largest metal fabricators in all of the UK and Ireland, has come back on board as the sponsor of the Junior FFA Pace.

I first met Derek and James in 2015, explained Paul Johnson, owner of PJI Engineering in England, and he was telling me the story on Vincent and the passion the two of them have for the sport is unbelievable.

These two are trying there utmost to take this sport to the next level, Johnson said, and the VDM has done so. This is an event that everyone looks forward to every year now, and it gets better every year. Let's not forget the charity's they give to as well. We look forward to be a part of the VDM for many years to come!

With new and renewed sponsorship support coming from around the world, Derek and James Delaney are putting the money right back into their big race weekend.

Because of the great growth of sponsors for the VDM Weekend, Derek Delaney said, we will be able in 2017 to also expand the Paul Murtagh, Sr. Memorial for four-year-olds to both a horse and mare divisions with Yirribee Stud in Australia taking on as sponsor of the mare division and there will be an increase in purse for the Elvin-Delaney Invitation Le Trot race. This is all so grand!

We now have many of the worlds leading harness racing breeders, owners, trainer, drivers, announcers and journalists coming to Ireland for the VDM, Delaney added, Its hard to imagine that just five years ago we raced for 20,000 ($25,000US) in total purses that first year and now in 2017 the weekend will feature more than 100,000 ($127,000US) in purses.

The VDM has become a major success story to have the biggest breeding farms in the world sponsoring our brothers memorial weekend, Delaney added, and it's also a major step in the right direction for our breeders, owners, trainers and drivers that they can now breed and sell, train or own horses that has real earning potential in juvenile racing and more!

When you have Alan Galloway and Alabar Farms, Joe Bellino and his Bellino Racing Stables, Jim Simpson & Murray Brown of Hanover shoe Farms, Adam Bowden and Diamond Creek Farms, Rod Woodhouse of Yirribee Stud Australia, all willing to advise and sponsor us and help improve the breeding in Ireland and the UK, said Delaney.

We all know this can only mean a very strong future for the Vincent Delaney Memorial Weekend and a very bright future for our Oakwood Stud, Delaney added, We have been a major factor in the racing and breeding in Ireland and the UK and I believe our Standardbreds will become world class in the future. Ireland has a history for producing the best gallopers in the world, so why can't we in Ireland and UK not be the best producers of Standardbreds in the world or at least one of the best!

We are also working with Sire Stakes Ireland and the Breeders Crown UK and Ireland, bricking and building stronger with devoted people like my brother James Delaney, Bernie Kelly, Dave Wilson, Jackie Mann, Thomas Bennett and others. It's all going to complement our events and others stakes. Its going to be something special how our racing will be growing in the next two to three years time, getting stronger year on year.

Maybe most important about all of this, Delaney said, is the great new friends we have made over the years that will last a lifetime.

For more information, visit www.vincentdelaneymemorial.com.

The dates for the 2017 Vincent Delaney Memorial Weekend are Saturday and Sunday, August 12 and 13.

(Steve Wolf)
On Thursday, August 25, horseman John Hippie MacEachern, 45, of Fort McMurray, passed away with his loving family by his side.

He was born in Inverness, Nova Scotia, September 13, 1970. Hippie is survived by his fiance, Anna Lee Nutter; mother Gloria (Colonel), brothers, Jimmy, Al (Emma); sister Norma Jean (Trent); nieces, Sarah, Chloe; nephews, Seth (Godson), Mitchell; aunts, uncles, numerous cousins, and friends. He was predeceased by his father, Norman, aunt Lena, uncle, John, paternal/maternal grandparents, and his loving fur baby, Buddy.

Hippie had a passion for harness racing. Over the years, he owned, trained and drove horses in Canada and the United States. His wins came with such horses as, Lingan Mine, Tassie Mac, Sonnets Skipper, and his last win was in 2010 on McNamara.

Hippie loved helping others, and his kindness was shown to many who made their journey to Fort McMurray to work. Hippie would do whatever he could to help them out. He loved music, the beach, family and friends.

Visitation is Thursday, September 1 from 10-10:45 a.m., with funeral service at 11a.m. at Stella Maris Church with Fr Duncan MacIsaac officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Cancer Society.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of John Hippie MacEachern.
Horseman and racing official Placido Pat Anthony Salerno, 81, of Flemington, N.J., passed away on Friday, August 26, surrounded by his family.

He was the husband of Betty (Coopersmith) Salerno. They would have celebrated 61 years of marriage in October.

Born February 28, 1935, in Easton, Pa., he was the son of Anthony and Margaret (Vacaro) Salerno. He graduated from Easton High School in 1953. He was an accomplished musician who belonged to several bands that played throughout New York and the Poconos. In 1958, his band, the Bobby Warren 5, recorded its hit single Nightbeat.

Salerno attended Trenton State College and received his teaching degree. He became director of the music department at St. Anthony's High School. There he developed one of the finest music programs in the state, and many of his students went on to be successful professional musicians.

He had a deep love for horses and racing. In the summer months, when school was out, he became involved in pony races at Spruce Run Park in Flemington, N.J. After several summers of pony races, he took the next step and bought his first racehorse, and what started out as a hobby quickly became a career. In 1974, he gave up teaching and with the help of his sons, he opened Salerno Stables, which went on to be a successful career for him and his sons.

In 1985, Salerno became the executive director of the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen's Association and later served as the executive director of the Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey. He worked tirelessly for the benefit of all involved in the sport that he loved.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Pat Salerno.

(USTA)
Judicial Watch Uncovers CIA Inspector General's 'Watergate History' Report

Contact: Jill Farrell, Judicial Watch , 202-646-5172WASHINGTON, Aug. 30, 2016 / Standard Newswire / -- Judicial Watch today released a new document obtained from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) through litigation ( Judicial Watch v. Central Intelligence Agency (No. 1:16-cv-00146)) titled: " Working Draft  CIA Watergate History ," that was prepared by the agency's Office of the Inspector General. The document was, "compiled during the latter part of 1973 and 1974." The introduction to the agency history states: "Undertaken as an internal CIA review of the matter, it is incomplete and remains a working paper." The CIA evidently never finalized the report.The report reveals that Lieutenant General Vernon A. Walters, the Deputy Director of the CIA, met with Acting Director L. Patrick Gray of the FBI on July 12, 1972, to discuss assistance the CIA had provided to retired CIA officer E. Howard Hunt, of the White House Special Investigations Unit ("The Plumbers"). CIA assistance to The Plumbers was terminated in August 1971. The report states the CIA assistance had been at the request of the White House for the purported purpose of tracking down security leaks in the government.During the July 12, 1972, meeting, Gray told Walters that he had received a call from President Nixon. During the call, "He [Gray] told the President that he had talked to Walters and that both Walters and Gray felt the President should get rid of the people involved in the cover-up, no matter how high. Gray said he had also told this to Dean."Also of note is the identification of Eugenio "Musculito" Martinez as the only one of the Watergate burglars still actively being paid by the CIA at the time of the arrests on June 17, 1972. At one point, the report quoted a CIA attorney referring to Martinez, in discussions with lawyers from the Watergate Special Prosecution Force (WSPF) on October 12, 1973, as "an agent.""Under no circumstances would the Agency give up all records relating to the Agency's relationship with Martinez," the CIA lawyer told WSPF, for to do so would represent "the breaking of trust of an agent."This means the CIA, at the time of the Watergate break-in, had "an agent" planted on the break-in team. (The FBI determined that when arrested, Martinez possessed a key to the desk of Maxie Wells, the secretary to Democratic Party official R. Spencer Oliver whose telephone was wiretapped in the Watergate break-in operation.) While Martinez's dual role has been discussed in other Watergate histories, the declaration by CIA lawyers of Martinez's status as "an agent" appears to add new information to the Watergate saga.MORE: www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/judicial-watch-uncovers-cia-inspector-generals-watergate-history-report
Standard Newswire is a cost-effective and efficient newswire service for public policy groups, government agencies, PR firms, think-tanks, watchdog groups, advocacy groups, coalitions, foundations, colleges, universities, activists, politicians, and candidates to distribute their press releases to journalists who truly want to hear from them.Do not settle for an email blasting service or a newswire overloaded with financial statements. Standard Newswire gets your news into the hands of working journalists, broadcast hosts, and news producers.Find out how you can start using Standard Newswire to

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Turkey has invaded Syria in derogation of international law (Nuremberg) with the blessing of the US and the international community.

According to press reports Turkeys air force and artillery were involved in pounding ISIS strongholds in Jarablus. Turkeys mandate according to an official communique is to completely cleanse terrorists from its border region with Syria.

The media applauds. Turkey has a humanitarian mission under the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine.

The truth of the matter is that Turkey sponsors the terrorists and then invades Syria on the pretext that it must protect Syria from the ISIS.

Erdogan is going after his own terrorists. The ISIS is sponsored and supported by the Turkish High command.

Since the onset of the Turkish invasion, extensive atrocities have been committed by Turkish forces under the cloak of combating Daesh and Al Qaeda. which are supported, trained and financed by Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Turkey has gone on a military rampage in Northern Syria. Lest we forget, a war of aggression is a crime against the peace, it is the ultimate war crime under Nuremberg.

Crimes against Peace and War (Nuremberg Principle VI) are punishable as crimes under international law. These consist in (i) Planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances;

Nuremberg trial (image right)

a person who committed an act which constitutes a crime under international law acted as Head of State [Erdogan, Obama, et al] or responsible government official does not relieve him from responsibility under international law.

The Turkish armys air and artillery forces, in coordination with the armed terrorist organizations, targeted the villages of Jub al-Kusa and al-Amarneh to the south of Jarabulus city in Aleppo through shelling randomly, leading to a massacre and killing 35 civilians, 20 of them were killed in Jub al-Kusa and 15 others in al-Amarneh village, in addition to dozens wounded persons,

The Foreign Ministry said in two identical letters sent to the UN Secretary-General and President of Security Council about the bloody ugly massacre committed by the Turkish army in the north of Syria.

The government of the Syrian Arab Republic condemns, with the strongest terms, the repeated crimes, violations, aggression and massacres perpetrated by the regime in Ankara against the Syrian people, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic for more than five years, the two letters affirmed.

Syria calls on Security Councils member states to condemn those cowardly crimes and to exert all pressures and take all effective measures to guarantee the recovering of Turkish regime to its senses and forcing it abandon its support of terrorism or using it as a pretext to interfere in the domestic affairs of Syria, the Ministry went on to say.
De Franse president Hollande erkent dat de onderhandelingen met de Amerikanen over TTIP vastzitten. Zijn staatssecretaris van handel vindt zelfs dat Europa moet stoppen met praten over het vrijhandelsverdrag. Toch is het te vroeg om








The REAL reason we are going to India.





People travel for many different reasons.

I once was getting a Thai massage in Chiang Mai, when the woman in the bed next to mine started talking to me.





She told me that she had come to Thailand to get a hip operation and that she was elated at how well it had gone, and how caring the people had been.

She said that she gets a daily massage, eats good food, and rests in a tropical paradise where everyone treats her like royalty.





It was the first time I had met a person traveling under the category of "Medical Tourism."





People travel far and wide to dine in Michelin-starred restaurants, as I have also done.

In my early twenties, before I opened my restaurant in Tel Aviv, Israel, I flew to Italy and France with my first husband, and together we dined in two and three Michelin-starred restaurants every night for two weeks.





Years later, when Jules and I got married, I again traveled to France, mostly to dine in Michelin restaurants with at least one star.

Jules' secretary, who was Haitian and spoke good French, called and made all the bookings for us, since the Internet and 'Open Table' were only in their diapers at that time.





People travel for sacred music festivals, to raft a river, to climb a mountain, to learn a language, to visit special museums or hotels, to take a cruise or just out of curiosity, just to see the landscape or how people live in other parts of the world.





Sometimes I am not fully aware of why we go places.

Take Singapore, for instance.

We are going there after our trip to India, on our way back to New Zealand.





The choice to go there was not a deliberate one.

Our flight to New Zealand connected in Singapore, so we decided to extend our stay, to enjoy Singapore for an extra nine days, since we have not been there in years.





But I am fully aware of WHY I am going to India.

It might sound like the heartfelt wishes of a naive kid, but I will share it with you anyway......





We have been to India twice before, but my reason for this trip is far beyond tasting the street food of Mumbai, or seeing other parts of the country that we have not seen before.





Jules is probably going to India because he is an adventurous soul who loves to have adventures with me, but I am going to India and in particular to the Himalayas.......to look for and hopefully to meet Babaji, the "Deathless Master."





We have no exact plans, only a notion that we want to meet the deathless Master Babaji.... That is, if we can find him and if he deems us worthy of revealing himself to us.





Thus with this goal in mind, we plan to visit Kashmir, Ladakh, and Amritsar in the Far North, and then move on to Rishikesh to see some of the ashrams there, and then make our way down the country to visit the Ajanta Buddhist Caves and the Ellora caves in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state.

We plan to visit the holy city of Varanasi, and then on to Puri and Konark and Goa before at last we depart from Mumbai.





Allow me to add that I KNOW that flying to India and spending all this money in search of the Deathless Master Babaji, is as hard and possibly as futile a task as going to look for the illusive Yeti.





I would like to say a few words of explanation about my search, for those of you who have not heard about Babaji.





Human beings are not weak and mortal creatures, born but to suffer decay, limitations, old age and death.





Human beings are actually powerful spiritual Beings who never die, but only go on to reincarnate again and again until they become fully awakened to their true spiritual nature and finally experience full enlightenment, which allows them to become conscious creators of their own realities.





But even while human beings are completely ignorant of their unlimited Divine and godly nature, they are not without powers.





Each one of us is endowed with dozens of supernatural powers that we can tap into, consciously or subconsciously.





While only advanced masters are able to levitate, manifest things directly from the Universal, dematerialize themselves and re-materialize their bodies in different places, walk on water, move mountains, part the sea, manifest and play with radiant light, heal the sick and raise the dead, many other powers are fully available to all human beings to tap into and use.





We all can have access to the inner Third Eye and have psychic powers, the ability to dream, imagine and WILL things into reality, and the ability to rejuvenate and heal our bodies.





Science has fully confirmed that our bodies, at any given moment, are never older than ten years old.

Every cell in our bodies is constantly being renewed, and so we have a whole new body every ten years.





(Read the New York Times article titled: "Your Body is younger than you think!"

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/02/science/your-body-is-younger-than-you-think.html)





The body you have today was not meant to last for only about a hundred years, it was meant to last for thousands of years, with the capacity to constantly evolve and to fully renew itself.





You have the divine capacity to become more and more full of light, until you are able to walk on air and be absorbed into the Infinite by choice.





I think this spiritual truth is worth repeating:

The body was NOT designed at its highest code, to last only a hundred years or so, it was designed to last for thousands of years if not abused and depleted by the low vibrational thoughts that we all hold and by the low and finite ideas that we keep in our powerful minds.





In fact, the body can go on living for eternity, and you have the choice to drop it or to leave it behind ONLY when you choose to do so.





You might be wondering, why is all this not manifested in your reality, right now?





Well....There are many reasons for that.





For one, there is your utter lack of belief that this is even true.





You do not see yourself as one with God, created exactly in God's own image and likeness, and endowed with all the powers and possibilities that God has.

Albeit, your powers are not as strong since you have not yet learnt how to direct your attention to create ONLY what is for your best and highest good.





You do not believe that you are unlimited, but that you ARE your body, and that you cease to exist when you no longer manifest a body.





You believe that bodies are finite and subject to random sickness and failure, which can strike at any moment.





You do not TRAIN yourself to become immortal, a spiritual warrior who is able to EMBODY the Infinite.





In his books, Carlos Castaneda talks about his teacher, the shaman sorcerer Don Juan, who told him that a person MUST become a strong Spiritual warrior in order to face the unknown.





A spiritual warrior is not war-like.

They are actually exceptionally loving and peaceful people.





A spiritual warrior is a master who is no longer at the mercy of her whims, desires and emotions, but is able to stay centered in the truth.





The reason that I paint spiritual warriors wearing elaborate and beautiful armor that often show beautiful scenes of birds, flowers and landscapes, is because a really effective armor is not one which protects you from arrows or insults, but one that helps you to merge with the universe and become spiritually absorbed into the field of light.





Spiritual warriors are depicted holding swords, because they symbolize the ability to slice between the eternal spiritual truth, and the meaningless nonsense of the world's dreams and illusions.





Don Juan used the word "Tonal" when talking about the need to develop our own personal powers to become powerful warriors.





He was talking about the need to develop emotional strength, a sharp and not fuzzy mental attitude, and a strong, agile and capable body.





Buddhism teaches those sincere students who want to become masters, to do exactly the same things.





In order to develop our "Tonal," we need to learn to control our weaknesses, push ourselves in order to stretch beyond our perceived limits, and stretch beyond our ideas of pain and pleasure.





You move beyond the normal notion of pain when you learn how to fast, to walk long distances, to sit without movement and meditate for hours and to stay sharply focused.





A spiritual warrior must overcome all addictions, even the "good" addictions to comfort, family and to our own sense of self, including our past self-images.





What that means is that we must not be attached to our own identity and self importance.

We must learn to be humble and unimportant.





We must be willing to let go of our attachments to our past accomplishments and preferences, in order to truly evolve into becoming one with the Universal.





For those of you who are not familiar with Babaji, the Enlightened Deathless master, allow me to give you a little background.





Paramahansa Yogananda is a beloved yogi and spiritual teacher who wrote the fabulous book, "Autobiography of a Yogi."





In this autobiography, Yogananda wrote about the enlightened deathless master Babaji, who was the Guru of his own guru, Lahiri Mahashai, in the lineage of the spiritual masters practicing Kriya Yoga.





Babaji is reputed to live in the high Himalayas, and it is said that he is an immortal who has never known death.

He has no known address, and he does not show himself often.





Babaji has no need for a human body, which is just an outer manifestation of the energy, emotions, ideas and beliefs that each individual holds at any given time.





He can come and go into the infinite field of existence, without the need of death and reincarnation.





The northern Himalayan rugged cliffs near Badrinarayan are still blessed by the living presence of Babaji, the guru of Lahiri Mahasaya.





The secluded master has retained his physical form for centuries, perhaps for millennia.





The deathless Babaji is a living AVATAR.

Krishna, Rama, Buddha, and Patanjali were among the ancient Indian avatars.





Agastya is another South Indian avatar from the State of Tamil Nadu.

He worked many miracles during the centuries preceding and following the Christian era, and is credited with retaining his physical form even to this day.





Babaji generally speaks in Hindi, but he converses easily in any language.

He has adopted the simple name of Babaji (revered father).





"Whenever anyone utters with reverence the name of Babaji," Lahiri Mahasaya said, "that devotee attracts an instant spiritual blessing."





The deathless guru bears no marks of age on his body.

He appears to be no more than a youth of twenty-five.

Fair-skinned, of medium build and height, Babaji's beautiful, strong body radiates a perceptible glow.

His eyes are dark, calm, and tender; his long, lustrous hair is copper-colored.





Yogananda wrote:





"The peerless master moves with his group from place to place in the mountains.

His small band contains two highly advanced American disciples.





After Babaji has been in one locality for some time, he says: 'DERA DANDA UTHAO.' ('Let us lift our camp and staff.')

He carries with him a symbolic DANDA (bamboo staff).

His words are the signal for moving with his group instantaneously to another place. He does not always employ this method of astral travel; sometimes he goes on foot from peak to peak."





"Babaji can be seen or recognized by others ONLY when HE so desires.

He is known to have appeared in many slightly different forms to various devotees-sometimes without beard and moustache, and sometimes with them.





As his undecaying body requires no food, the master seldom eats.

As a social courtesy to visiting disciples, he occasionally accepts fruits, or rice cooked in milk and clarified butter.





An avatar lives in the omnipresent Spirit; for him there is no distance.

Only one reason can motivate Babaji to maintain his physical form from century to century, the desire to furnish humanity with a concrete example of our OWN POSSIBILITIES.





Because people never got a glimpse of real Divinity in the flesh, they remain ignorant and oppressed by the heavy delusion that they cannot transcend their own mortality."





Yogananda also wrote:





"During my visit at Ranbajpur with Ram Gopal, "The Sleepless Saint," he related the wondrous story of his first meeting with Babaji:





"I sometimes left my isolated cave to sit at Lahiri Mahasaya's feet in Benares.

One midnight as I was silently meditating in a group of his disciples, the master made a surprising request. "Ram Gopal," he said, "go at once to the Dasasamedh bathing GHAT."

I soon reached the secluded spot.

The night was bright with moonlight and the glittering stars.

After I had sat in patient silence for awhile, my attention was drawn to a huge stone slab near my feet.

It rose gradually, revealing an underground cave.





As the stone remained balanced in some unknown manner, the draped form of a young and surpassingly lovely woman was levitated from the cave high into the air. Surrounded by a soft halo, she slowly descended in front of me and stood motionless, steeped in an inner state of ecstasy.





She finally stirred, and spoke gently. "'I am Mataji, the sister of Babaji.

I have asked him and also Lahiri Mahasaya to come to my cave tonight to discuss a matter of great importance.'





"A nebulous light was rapidly floating over the Ganges; the strange luminescence was reflected in the opaque waters.

It approached nearer and nearer until, with a blinding flash, it appeared by the side of Mataji and condensed itself instantly into the human form of Lahiri Mahasaya.





He bowed humbly at the feet of the woman saint.

"Before I had recovered from my bewilderment, I was further wonderstruck to behold a circling mass of mystical light traveling in the sky.

Descending swiftly, the flaming whirlpool neared our group and materialized itself into the body of a beautiful youth who, I understood at once, was Babaji.





He looked like Lahiri Mahasaya, the only difference being that Babaji appeared much younger, and had long, bright hair.





"Lahiri Mahasaya, Mataji, and myself knelt at the guru's feet.

An ethereal sensation of beatific glory thrilled every fiber of my being as I touched his divine flesh."





'Blessed sister,' Babaji said, 'I am intending to shed my form and plunge into the Infinite Current.'





"I have already glimpsed your plan, beloved master," said Mataji.

I wanted to discuss it with you tonight.

Why should you leave your body?'





The glorious woman looked at him beseechingly.





"What is the difference if I wear a visible or invisible wave around the ocean of my Spirit?'" Babaji answered.





Mataji replied with a quaint flash of wit: "Deathless guru, if it makes no difference, then please do not ever relinquish your form."





"Be it so," Babaji said solemnly. "I will never leave my physical body.

It will always remain visible to at least a small number of people on this earth.

The Lord has spoken His own wish through your lips."





Now.... Will Jules and I be among the small number of people who will glimpse the beloved deathless master Babaji?......





Please...please....please.... Be it so...





Only time will tell.....





We promise to have a wonderful time during the two month journey.





When I mentioned to a friend in India who is the author of the book, "Songs Of The Mist," that the REAL reason that I am coming to India is to meet Babaji, this is what he wrote back to me:





..."Now I do believe in synchronicity and as you said in your email that you intend to visit the Himalaya with a view to see the deathless Master Babaji, I would like to quote from the last page of my book:





"For many centuries, it is believed that in the Himalayas, behind the snow capped mountain peaks, deep in the forests, wanders an immortal soul who is known to guide people who are looking for him.

Start your journey, perhaps, you will find him as well!!!"





"...The Monk Character in my book is based on Mahavtaar Babaji, who is supposed to be the living Lord Shiva, and to hear you say that you are seeking Him, makes me feel wonderful.

So I guess you should 'Start your journey, and perhaps, you will find him'."





Cheers,

Shashi

  

Om Namah Shivaya"

http://themonkkey.com





Wishing you all a wonderful week,

Tali




KALAMA  Shawn Marie Higgins has been a mom, a business owner, doula (childbirth assistant) and hiker. Now she is combing all those experiences to be a resource for local parents as the owner of River Rock Kids, a childrens clothing and consignment shop.

The store opened on July 2. It features new and locally crafted childrens items and clothing as well as consigned clothing, furniture, toys and accessories.

Higgins formerly was a corporate wellness program coordinator in the Seattle area. She moved to Kalama last year after she and her husband, Andrew, had their first child. After being a stay-at-home mom for a few months, Higgins decided to fulfill her dream of opening a small local store that uses her talent for bargaining hunting.

Im a thrifty shopper, and I like deals, but I also like to splurge and have nicer items every once in a while, Higgins said. That was the mix that we were going for.

The front of the store contains local and boutique items, including shirts, pants, dresses, backpacks, blankets, and natural bath products. Higgins has about 10 local artisans who sell their merchandise in her shop.

A table in the center of the store features handmade hats, diaper covers and booties by Kalama mother Emily McBride. McBride, who sells her products under the name Crochet for Shay, began crocheting in the hospital after her son was diagnosed with brain and spinal tumors.

The most fun for me is being able to sit down with a local artist, Higgins said. Its new for them and its exciting for them to have stuff in the store.

River Rock Kids is not just a store, said Higgins. Another room in the back will be solely dedicated to event space, where she hopes to host parenting classes on a regular basis.

Were talking with several different childbirth education representatives in the area. Were trying to eventually offer those classes here or just support them, Higgins said. Sometimes its really hard to find that kind of stuff when youve just found out youre pregnant.

The stores first class is coming in September, presented by New Notes Music Together, which presents music and movement programs for infants through age five.

Theres just a gap there where people are looking to get their kids into some type of activity and music classes, Higgins said. Meanwhile, the store has an open playroom for children to enjoy while moms and dads. It includes a play tent and inflatable campfire.

While she isnt running the store, Higgins helps lead the Cowlitz County branch of Hike It Baby, a non-profit, volunteer-based program started in Portland in 2013. Its website connects parents who enjoy hiking and who want to get on the trail with their children, creating a community of healthy parents and babies.

Its been a great way to meet people, said Higgins. I didnt know anybody when I moved here, and I started leading a hike down at the Port of Kalama. ... All of a sudden I knew all of these local moms living in Kalama and Longview.

Higgins friends from the group have helped her decide what products and classes to offer in her store.

The shop will host an open house on Sept. 22 featuring how-to advice on cloth diapering, using essential oils and hiking with infants. Higgins expects the store will change over time, but right now shes happy to be a local resource so that parents dont have to travel to Portland or Vancouver.

You have one direction or one picture of what its going to be and then it just kind of evolves into what the community wants or is looking for. It will change up over time.
Knee specialists from various parts of the nation have attained the Arthroplasty Arthroscopy Summit 2016, which was held on Sunday by Apollo Hospitals, where they talked about the requirement for reporting Indian knee sizes and strategies to Make in India for knee implants. All the Orthopedic surgeons, who went to attain the summit talked about the highlighted issues that knee substitution surgeries in India. As the major parts of knee implants utilized for operation are imported from foreign and all of the exported implants firmly depend on of on the sizes of the patients of American and European.

But now the knee surgeons are looking forward to taking initiative to indigenize manufacture of customized & affordable knee implants. The individuals who have knee diseases could anticipate indigenous knee implement if the planning of knee specialists are to run well. Make in India is heading with a one-year-old project in which a team of Orthopedic Surgeons is working on developing size institutionalization and recognizing strategies for creating reasonable knee implants. This research and development are functioning as a part of Make in India project and will soon be presented its fully-developed, cheap and customized knee implants.

On Sunday, Mithin Aachi, Senior Orthopaedics & Joint Replacement Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals announced this revolutionary news at the Arthroplasty Arthroscopy Summit 2016 hosted by Apollo Hospitals.

Throughout the following 12 months of research and testing, groups of leading knee specialists have taken into account more than 1.5 lakh patients all through the nation for diving to the development of perfect Indian size prerequisites. The information would be nourished into an exceptional programming in a joint effort with DRDO and IITs for further research.

Mithin also said that the developed Indian knee implants are completely different from the parts imported from America and Europe and c be customized as per the size of the patients knee. Additionally, they will be much reasonable the foreign parts.
Love bite that gives heavenly pleasure can be deadly as well. Yes, you are reading it right, a love bite or hickey can kill you. It can give you so much pleasure that you end up developing stroke resulting in paralysis or death.

In a similar scenario, a 17-year-old boy from Mexico died after getting a love bite from his 24-year-old girlfriend. Julio Macias Gonzalez was having dinner with his family when he had convulsions. Parents soon took him to the nearest hospital where doctors declared him dead of stroke.

According to doctors, the love bite from the girl resulted in a blood clot, which travelled to Mr. Gonzalezs brain and caused the stroke. The report came as a shock to parents and they started blaming the girl for the death. As per the latest reports, the girl is hiding somewhere and her location is still unknown.

It is not the first case of stroke from love bite. Earlier in 2011, a 44-year-old woman from New Zealand developed stroke after love bite and lost movements in her left arm. Doctors were puzzled to know the cause of the stroke untill they saw a mark on right side of her neck that gave clear indications how she got stroke. She received treatment at Aucklands Middlemore Hospital.

What is a stroke?

For readers those who dont know, a stroke is a medical emergency that arises when arteries that supply blood to the brain get affected. As a result, the brain doesnt receive sufficient blood, and when the brain doesnt get oxygen and nutrients even for a few minutes, it can result in paralysis or even death.

Types of stroke

Ischemic stroke: it is caused due to a block in the blood vessel

Haemorrhagic stroke: it is caused by bleeding through a tear in the blood vessel

How to prevent stroke?
NASAs Sample Return Robot Competition has reached final stage after five years. Over 40 teams from around the globe participated in the competition and only 7 teams have managed to enter into finals of the competition with $1.36 million prize purse. Finals will be held on the campus of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Massachusetts, Sept. 4-6.

In this final round of the challenge, teams have up to two hours each to locate as many as 10 unknown samples that vary in size, shape, location and difficulty. The samples are classified as easy, intermediate and hard and are assigned corresponding point values. One team could win the entire prize purse, or multiple teams could share a percentage of the prize.

The three-day event will conclude with an awards ceremony and press conference at 11:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday, Sept. 6, at the Quadrangle at WPI. WPI is located at 100 Institute Road in Worcester.

Participants at the press conference will be:

Congressman Jim McGovern of Massachusetts

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden

Laurie Leshin, president, WPI

Dennis Andrucyk, deputy associate administrator, NASAs Space Technology Mission Directorate

Media who wish to attend any part of the event should contact Molly Porter at 256-544-3340 or [email protected]

Qualifying teams for the final round are:

Team Al  Toronto, Canada

Alabama Astrobotics  Tuscaloosa, Alabama

MAXed Out  Santa Clara, California

Mind & Iron  Seattle, Washington

Sirius  South Hadley, Massachusetts

Survey  Los Angeles

West Virginia University Mountaineers  Morgantown, West Virginia

Prior to this final round of competition, the teams competed in Level 1, where robots had to return two known sample types but from an unknown location within 30 minutes without human control or the aid of Earth-based technologies, such as GPS or magnetic compassing. Since the challenge began in 2012, only seven teams have advanced to Level 2.

The Sample Return Robot Challenge, part of NASAs Centennial Challenges Program, aims to encourage innovation in robotics technologies relevant to space exploration and broader applications that benefit life on Earth. This event brings together tech-savvy citizens, entrepreneurs, educators and students to demonstrate robots that can locate and collect geologic samples from a wide and varied landscape without human control and within a specified time.

NASAs Centennial Challenges program is part of the agencys Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). STMD uses challenges to gather the best and brightest minds in academia, industry and government to drive innovation and enable solutions in important technology focus areas. WPI has hosted the Sample Return Robot Challenge since it began in 2012.
Naina Khedekar

Finally, it's official! As expected, Apple has sent out invites for the next high-profile event that will take place on 7 September. It is likely to announce the iPhone 7 or iPhone 6SE or whatever the company plans to call it. Besides, one can also expect an Apple Watch 2 along with a host of other announcements. Apple will be live streaming the event that can be watched here at 10:30PM IST.

Here's what to expect:

iPhone 7

The next iPhone is said to come with minimum changes. Rumours have it that the company plans to launch the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, which may sport almost identical design to their predecessor, despite the no 's' year. So far, the highlights of the device are waterproof ability, Force Touch home button and a dual camera setup. The company is also expected to give the audio jack a miss.

The chipset is expected to be bumped to A10, along with the speculated 3GB RAM. Rumours also point out no home button, which means Apple could be looking at using an ultrasonic fingerprint reader that can read through glass. A home button with Force Touch capabilities would also mean an updated scanning technology from Sonavation, believed to be the only other company that has developed ultrasonic fingerprint reading technologies.

A previous Weibo pricing leak had revealed how finally Apple could do away with the 16GB model, with options like 32GB, 64GB and 128GB. The leak had showed three iPhone 7 models. Going by some previous leaks, the device pre-orders could be scheduled for 9 September and units could hit stores on 23 September.

iPhone 6SE

The latest reports have it that the company plans a new iPhone 6 revamp called iPhone 6SE. This is contradictory to the previous report that said, the iPhone 7 may be launched as the iPhone SE. However, the launch date seems like a giveaway that iPhone 7 is likely yo be the name, and 6SE could be another third model instead of the previously rumoured iPhone 7 Pro.

Just like SE was an upgrade to iPhone 5, the 6SE (with probably 3D Touch) could take the features of the iPhone 6 a notch higher for the emerging markets like India and China that seem o have become Apple's key interest. We've already seem images of the 6SE packaging material, something we had also heard from rumours that emerged from supply chain sources.

Furthermore, recent benchmark leaks show a single core score of 3042 and multi-core score of 5210. And these are impressive, considering that the currently available Apple iPhone 6s scores 2,542 in the single core test and 4,427 points in the multi-core benchmark.

Watch 2

Another highlight of the event is likely to be the Watch 2. The company is likely to launch two models of the Watch this year, according to KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

The new models will bring better waterproofing, along with hardware features such as a GPS, thinner display with One Glass Solution, a barometer and a higher capacity battery life. Similar to the Apple iPhone that will not get a design refresh this year, even the Watch models are expected to come without any cosmetic changes. One of the big rumours ongoing for months was the inclusion of cellular connectivity. However, Apple is said to have tried and failed to implement it successfully as it faced massive battery drain issues. So, the company is now looking for low-power cellular chips for the future devices.

While there is no date set to the long-awaited refresh to the Macbook Pro computers, a new VentureBeat report points out Apple's plans for a more expansive refresh of the Mac profile, for the iMacs and Macbook Air, is expected sometime in October. However, there is no word if the company will make the announcements at the 7 September event.
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The European Commission will rule against Ireland's tax dealings with Apple on Tuesday, two sources familiar with the decision told Reuters, one of whom said Dublin would be told to recoup over 1 billion euros in back taxes. The Commission declined to comment on Monday.

The European Commission accused Ireland in 2014 of dodging international tax rules by letting Apple shelter profits worth tens of billions of dollars from tax collectors in return for maintaining jobs. Apple and Ireland rejected the accusation; both have said they will appeal any adverse ruling. The source said the Commission will recommend a figure in back taxes that it expects to be collected, but it will be up to Irish authorities to calculate exactly what is owed.

A bill in excess of 1 billion euros ($1.12 billion) would be far more than the 30 million euros each the European Commission previously ordered Dutch authorities to recover from U.S. coffee chain Starbucks and Luxembourg from Fiat Chrysler for their tax deals. Both companies and countries have appealed those decisions.

When it opened the Apple investigation in 2014, the Commission told the Irish government that tax rulings it agreed in 1991 and 2007 with the iPhone maker amounted to state aid and might have broken EU laws. The Commission said the rulings were "reverse engineered" to ensure that Apple had a minimal Irish bill and that minutes of meetings between Apple representatives and Irish tax officials showed the company's tax treatment had been "motivated by employment considerations."

Apple employs 5,500 workers, or about a quarter of its European-based staff in the Irish city of Cork, where it is the largest private sector employer. It has said it paid Ireland's 12.5 percent rate on all the income that it generates in the country. Ireland's low corporate tax rate has been a cornerstone of economic policy for 20 years, drawing investors from major multinational companies whose staff account for almost one in 10 workers in Ireland.

Some opposition Irish lawmakers have urged Dublin to collect whatever tax the Commission orders it to. But the main opposition party Fianna Fail, whose support the minority administration relies on to pass laws, said it would support an appeal based on the reassurances it had been given by the government to date. The U.S. Treasury Department published a white paper last week that said the EU executive's tax investigations departed from international taxation norms and would have an outsized impact on U.S. companies. The Commission said it treated all companies equally.

Reuters
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Facebook Inc. will not become a media company, its founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Monday, telling students the firm would remain a technology platform. An increasing number of users are turning to social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, to find their news, but Zuckerberg said his firm had no ambitions to become a content provider.

"No, we are a tech company, not a media company," said Zuckerberg, after a young Italian asked him whether Facebook intended to become a news editor. While acknowledging the role Facebook has in supplying users with news through their connections and stressing the advantages of obtaining information from different parts of the world, Zuckerberg said Facebook was "a technology company, we build the tools, we do not produce any content".

"The world needs news companies, but also technology platforms, like what we do, and we take our role in this very seriously," he said, speaking from Rome's Luiss university. Earlier on Monday, Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan had a private audience with Pope Francis. It was the latest in a string of meetings the pontiff has held with Silicon Valley leaders, including Apple CEO Tim Cook and Alphabet's boss Eric Schmidt.

Zuckerberg said he gave the Argentine pontiff a model of Aquila, Facebook's lightweight solar-powered drone aimed at beaming lasers to extend internet access to places that have yet to be connected. "We ... discussed the importance of connecting people, especially in parts of the world without internet access," Zuckerberg posted on his personal Facebook profile after the meeting. Zuckerberg also on Monday met Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who is pushing to upgrade Italy's limited internet infrastructure.

Reuters
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Germany's interior minister visited Facebook's offices in Berlin on Monday and said it should be more proactive in removing forbidden content from its social network platform. "Facebook should take down racist content or calls for violence from its pages on its own initiative even if it hasn't yet received a complaint," Thomas de Maiziere said. "Facebook has an immensely important economic position and just like every other large enterprise it has a immensely important social responsibility."

The German government has been critical of Facebook in the past. Political leaders and regulators have complained the world's largest social network, with 1.6 billion monthly users, had been slow to respond to hate speech and anti-immigrant messages. Last year Justice Minister Heiko Maas told Reuters that Facebook must abide by stricter German laws banning racist sentiment even if it might be allowed in the United States under freedom of speech.

De Maiziere said he recognized Facebook's efforts to develop software that can better identify outlawed content and praised its efforts to fight child pornography. He said it was right to warn users in its terms against the dissemination of illegal content. "But it's up to the company to ensure those terms are upheld," he said. "A company with a good reputation for innovation will have to earn a good reputation in this area."

Eva-Maria Kirschsieper, Facebook's head of Public Policy in Germany, told reporters during de Maiziere's visit that the discussions between political leaders and companies in social media would continue. "We see ourselves as part of German society and part of the German economy," she said. "And we know that we have a major responsibility and we want to live up to this responsibility. We take this issue very seriously indeed."

Mark Wallace, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who now heads the Counter Extremist Project (CEP) in New York, a non-profit group that maintains a database of information about extremist groups, said Facebook was a leader in the social media sector in combating extremism, but more work was needed. "Of all the companies, Facebook has done the most, but theyre all just starting to recognize that the weaponization of social media platforms is not good business and not good for society, Wallace told Reuters.

CEP is completing testing of a new software tool that will identify new images and videos published on social media sites by Islamic State and other extremist groups, and remove them instantly wherever they occur, much as already done with child pornography images. Earlier this year, Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg came to Berlin to respond to the criticism. He said he had learned from Facebook's experience in Germany that migrants were a group of people who also needed to be protected from hate speech online.

Reuters
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation has found breaches in Illinois and Arizona's voter registration databases and is urging states to increase computer security ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential election, according to a U.S. official familiar with the probe. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Monday that investigators were also seeking evidence of whether other states may have been targeted.

The FBI warning in an Aug. 18 flash alert from the agency's Cyber Division did not identify the intruders or the two states targeted. Reuters obtained a copy of the document after Yahoo News first reported the story Monday. Accessing information in a voter database, much of which is publicly accessible, does not necessarily suggest an effort to manipulate the votes themselves. When registering, voters typically provide their names, home addresses, driver's license or identification numbers, and party affiliations.

But U.S. intelligence officials have become increasingly worried that hackers sponsored by Russia or other countries may attempt to disrupt the presidential election. Officials and cyber security experts say recent breaches at the Democratic National Committee and elsewhere in the Democratic Party were likely carried out by people within the Russian government. Kremlin officials have denied that.

An FBI spokeswoman would not comment on the alerts but said the agency "routinely advises" on "various cyber threat indicators observed during the course of our investigations." The intrusions come amid repeated unsubstantiated claims by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that the U.S. election system is "rigged." Trump has cited emails leaked from the DNC that indicated the party leadership favored Hillary Clinton over rival candidate Bernie Sanders as reason to cast doubt on the electoral process in general.

David Kennedy, chief executive officer of information security consulting company TrustedSec, said the attacks referenced in the FBI alert appeared to be largely exploratory and not especially sophisticated. "It could be a precursor to a larger attack," he added. Citing a state election board official, Yahoo News said the Illinois voter registration system was shut down for 10 days in late July after hackers downloaded personal data on up to 200,000 voters.

State voter systems are often targeted by hackers, and 200,000 is a relatively small number compared to other recent incidents. An independent computer security researcher uncovered in December of last year a database on 191 million voters that was exposed on the open Internet due to an incorrect configuration. The Arizona attack was more limited and involved introducing malicious software into one state employee's computer, said Matt Roberts, communications director for the Arizona secretary of state's office.

That office publicly reported a cyber incident in June after being contacted by the FBI, which led to it temporarily shutting down its election site to deal with the potential threat. Roberts said he was uncertain if the FBI advisory was in reference to that same June incident, during which investigators found no evidence of any data exfiltration.

In that episode, the FBI told Arizona officials the hackers were believed to be Russian and described it as an "eight out of 10" on a threat severity scale, Roberts said. Arizona will hold Republican and Democratic primaries for congressional races on Tuesday.

Reuters
tech2 News Staff

Indian defence Minister Manohar Parrikar is on an official tour of the US and on the agenda is the procurement of 100 Predator drones by General Atomics. A defence deal with US counterpart Ash Carter is expected to be signed during the visit, according to a report in Defenseworld. The Predator family of unmanned aerial vehicles are armed and combat ready, and India intends to use them in the long porous land border it shares with Pakistan and China. The drones are also expected to be active in the South China Sea, where there is an increasing Chinese presence.

The predator drones are sold by the US to Middle Eastern, North African and South American countries. In early July this year, India officially joined the elite Missile Technology Control Regime, which was a crucial step in opening up the possibility of India being able to buy these drones. India has previously purchased surveillance drones from Israel, as well as developed indigenous unmanned aerial vehicles, including the Nishant, and an accompanying launcher.

Previously, the US was not selling Predator drones to India under the assumption that they would be used against Pakistan, with whom the US was co-operating to tackle the Al-Qaeda. The shift of the fight to a battle against Islamic State Militants, as well as the codified protocols of missile use in the Missile Technology Control Regime, has made the US more willing to make these technologies available for India. These Predator drones are deployed by the US on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
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More than one out of three Indians -- 36 per cent -- share personal data or sensitive information using public Wi-Fi while travelling which can lead to data stealing, a study by Intel Security revealed on Tuesday. The ADigital Detox: Unplugging on Vacation' study was conducted across 14 countries (including India) with 14,000 people to understand consumer behaviour when travelling. With 36 per cent, India leads the pack when it comes to sharing information online.

"Through this survey, we wanted to raise awareness about the need to adopt safe digital habits and share security measures to prevent personal information from being compromised while travelling," said Venkat Krishnapur, Head, R&D Operations, Intel Security's India Development Centre, in a statement. Nearly 37 per cent of Indians could not last a day on vacation without checking social media. This was second only to Japan (45 per cent) when compared globally.

Majority of Indians (54 per cent) were not willing to leave their smartphone at home while on vacation. "Travelers can be targets for cybercriminals who count on human and device vulnerabilities to provide them with a point of access to consumers' data and devices. They can gain access to sensitive information via unsecured smartphones, laptops and even wearables, while also collecting data from social channels," the findings showed. Connecting to unprotected Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices can expose personal information to a cybercriminal. One should be especially careful when exchanging payment information.

"With this in mind, make sure to update your Bluetooth and Wi-Fi history by removing previously Aremembered' wireless networks, like Acafewifi,'" the study noted. Whether it's your location or selfie, criminals are more able to monitor your whereabouts via social activity and take advantage of you when you have the weakest protection. The pervasive use of technology in our day-to-day lives and popularity of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) ties our personal and work lives more closely than ever before -- especially on vacation.

"This can puts travellers at risk as they share their personal/confidential information online," the study noted.

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Six U.S. senators have urged President Barack Obama to prioritize cyber crime at this weekend's Group of 20 summit in China, in the wake of the theft of $81 million from Bangladesh's central bank, according to a letter obtained by Reuters. In the letter sent to the White House ahead of the Sept. 4-5 summit, Sherrod Brown, a senior Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, and five other Democratic senators say they want the U.S. president to press leaders from the world's 20 biggest economies to commit in joint communiques to a "coordinated strategy to combat cyber-crime at critical financial institutions."

The letter, dated Monday, suggests that concern among U.S. lawmakers is growing over the February incident in which hackers breached Bangladesh Bank's systems and used the SWIFT banking network to request nearly $1 billion from an account held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Some of the dozens of orders were filled, with much of the lost $81 million disappearing into Philippines casinos - prompting months of international finger-pointing, an ongoing investigation, and several requests from members of Congress for answers from the Fed and from SWIFT, the secure messaging service that banks use to transfer money around the world.

"Our financial institutions are connected in order to facilitate global commerce, but cyber criminals - whether independent or state-sponsored - imperil this international system in a way few threats have," the senators, headed by Gary Peters of Michigan, wrote in the letter to Obama. "We strongly urge you to work with your counterparts and prioritize this discussion at the G20 leaders level in September," it said of the summit to be held in Hangzhou, China, adding that "executive leadership circles across the globe" needed to pay more attention to the risks.

A senator in the Philippines has said Chinese hackers were likely to have pulled off the Bangladesh Bank heist, citing a network of Chinese people involved in the routing of the stolen funds through Manila. Beijing has dismissed the suggestion. Copies of the letter from the U.S. senators were also sent to Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen and U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew.

The other senators signing the letter were Mark Warner and Martin Heinrich, both members of the Senate's Select Committee on Intelligence; Kirsten Gillibrand and Debbie Stabenow, the ranking Democrat on the Senate's Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. The White House expects G20 members at the summit "to affirm their commitment to cooperate to fight cybercrime and to enhance confidence and trust in the digital economy," a senior administration official said.

Asked generally about cyber security on Monday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said at a press conference: "I would anticipate that this issue more generally will be on the agenda" when Obama meets Chinese President Xi Jinping, the G20 summit host, later this week. At a November summit, the G20 pledged not to conduct economically motivated cyber espionage, an agreement intended to reduce the estimated hundreds of billions of dollars worth of commercial trade secrets that are stolen by foreign governments seeking to benefit industry in their own countries.

Since then, the Bangladesh Bank attack and others that have emerged are only some of the threats posed by cyber criminals, the senators wrote. World regulators should "erect more robust defenses and collaborative systems to prevent and mitigate the impact of successful attacks," the letter said, noting that steps already taken by SWIFT are not enough. The Fed and other U.S. regulators said in a letter last week they were focused on cyber risks and controls at banks in the wake of the Bangladesh incident, though they offered few specifics.

Peters, a member of the Senate's Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, told Reuters he is considering requesting a committee hearing on the heist. "I am concerned about the response and what steps have been taken to make sure it doesn't happen again," he said in an interview. "You just need more collaboration and sharing of information... because often times all these entities aren't talking to each other."

Reuters
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A security panic that crippled Los Angeles International Airport and sent hundreds of passengers fleeing from terminals was triggered by reports of gunfire that proved false but were amplified by word-of-mouth and social media, police said on Monday. The shooting scare on Sunday night, which marked the worst security disruption in nearly three years at the second-busiest U.S. airport, began with police receiving a call reporting gunshots fired at a United Airlines gate inside Terminal 8, police said.

The initial call came in moments after airport police had responded to separate reports of a man wearing a black cape and mask and carrying a sword in the baggage area of an adjacent terminal, according to airport police spokesman Robert Pedregon. The man, who had dressed as the swashbuckling western character "Zorro" to pick up an arriving friend, was questioned and released. Investigators believe his appearance was merely coincidental to the gunfire reports, Pedregon said.

As officers converged on Terminal 8, police began to receive additional reports of gunfire around the airport, some second-hand from passengers who had seen reports on Twitter and other social media, Pedregon said. Hundreds of panicked travelers and employees bolted from five of the nine main LAX passenger terminals, some pouring through security gates onto the tarmac and others out of ticketing and baggage areas into the street.

"Arriving at LAX off flight when people started pouring out of term 4 onto Tarmac. Security said 'shots fired. Run!'" NBC Nightly News television anchor Lester Holt said on Twitter. "Witness tells me she heard 'pops' in lax term 4. Others say they just heard 'run!'" Motor vehicle traffic was halted at the horseshoe-shaped central terminal, and flights were halted on the south side of the airport as police searched for possible suspects or signs of gunfire, Pedregon said.

None was found. But the chaos had a cascading effect that took more than two hours to sort out, he said. "It was a general panic that took place," Pedregon said. "It was like a snowball, like dominoes, however you want to describe it." The source of the noises taken for gunfire remained a mystery the morning after the incident began at about 8:45 p.m. PDT (0345 GMT). "We are investigating it but we haven't been able to confirm any source of those noises," he said.

During the scare, 27 incoming flights were diverted to other airports, and airlines reported 281 flights - 120 arrivals and 161 departures - were delayed, LAX said. Airlines reported just two flights canceled. Pedregon said the incident marked the worst security upheaval at the airport since November 2013, when a gunman walked into Terminal 3 with a semi-automatic rifle and opened fire, killing a U.S. Transportation Security Administration agent.

The scare came two months after police temporarily evacuated a terminal at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport after reports of gunfire. It also turned out to be a false report. A preliminary investigation of that incident, which also occurred on a Sunday evening, found no evidence of foul play or suspicious activity. U.S. airport security officials have been on heightened alert in recent months after deadly attacks at international airports in Belgium and Turkey.

Reuters
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Sri Lanka police on Monday arrested a 17-year old school boy on suspicion of hacking into the president's official website, demanding that his university entrance examination dates not be changed, officials said on Monday. The website of President Maithripala Sirisena, www.president.gov.lk, was first hacked on Thursday and then again on Friday.

The hacker, who made his claim as "The Sri Lankan Youth", posted a message on the website demanding a presidential election immediately if Sirisena was unable to address his demand of not changing the examination dates to April, the month most Sri Lankans celebrate traditional new year.

University entrance exams are held in August. But the government is considering shifting them to April though no final decision has been made yet. "The CID (Criminal Investigation Department) officials arrested a 17-year old school boy in connection with the hacking and he will be produced before the courts tomorrow," the president's spokesman, Dharmasri Bandara, told Reuters.

The hacking comes as Sirisena is facing a split in his Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) with some party legislators backing former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was ousted in January 2015. This comes during a time when cyber crimes are at an all-time high and senators in USA have urged Obama to take the issue up in G20.

Reuters
Cuba Ready for U.S. Commercial Flights

The Cuban government advised on Friday that it would start accepting commercial fights from the U.S., 55 years after their suspension.



Beginning on Wednesday, Aug. 31, JetBlue will begin sending some of its commercial plane fleet to the island nation with a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Villa Clara. Other airlines will follow, with American Airlines set to start flying to Cuba in September.



Cuban Deputy Transportation Minister Eduardo Rodriguez called the air traffic between the two countries a positive step and contribution to their improving relations.



The relationship between the two longtime enemies has been thawing since the Obama administration and Cuban diplomats started talks on a renewal four years ago, two years prior to President Obama announcing in December 2013 that his administration would begin taking steps to move away from detachment.


Gallows Mir Quasem`s ultimate fate as review turned down

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday upheld the death penalty for war criminal Mir Quasem Ali. The apex court rejected a petition filed by the Jamaat-e-Islami leader seeking a review of its earlier verdict that upheld his death sentence. A five-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha issued the order. With the rejection of the review plea, there has remained no further legal bar for going through the process for execution of Mir Quasem Ali, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said, expressing his satisfaction over the judgment. Now the last option that remains for the Jamaat leader is to seek presidential clemency, the top legal officer added. On June 19, Barrister Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem, son of Mir Quasem, filed the 68-page review petition with the Appellate Division against the death penalty handed down to him for his crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971. International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) issued death warrant for Mir Quasem hours after the apex court released the full text of its verdict upholding his death penalty 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 30 (UNB)
BCL activist sent to jail for disgraceful comment against AL MP on FB



Police arrested Junayed Ahmed Sumon, a BCL activist and student of Social Welfare Department of Barisal Govt. B M College, for disgraceful comment against AL lawmaker Jebunnessa Afroj on facebook wall.

Rajib Hossain, district BCL organising secretary, said accused BCL activist Sumon was son of Kabir Farazi from Badura village under Mathbaria upazila of Pirojpur district.

Shah Md. Awlad Hossain, Kotwali police station officer in charge, said the accused copied a photo of the lawmaker addressing a meeting from a facebook status. Then he cutting face of the lawmaker attached that with lower part of the body of an Indian model actress. After that Sumon attaching that photo on his facebook wall commented that female lawmaker now turned to a female model.

Shoyeb Ahmed Sejan, city Jubo League activist, seeing that photo and comment on facebook wall lodged a case in this connection against Sumon under ICT act with Kotwali police station on Sunday night.

Then police arrested accused Sujon from a student mess at Kawnia area on early Monday and sent him to jail after producing before the Barisal metropolitan magistrate court on Monday afternoon, police sources said.

Prof. Imanul Hakim, principal B M College, said he heard about the matter and disciplinary action against the accused would be taken.




US meets target of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees



AP, Washington :

The United States on Monday met President Barack Obama's goal of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees into the country, the White House announced.

Obama sought a sixfold increase in the number of Syrian refugees provided safe haven in the United States. After a slow start, the administration was able to hit the goal about a month early and just a few weeks before Obama convenes a summit on refugees during the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Obama would have been hard-pressed to make the case for other countries to do more with the U.S. failing to reach a goal that amounts to only about 2 percent of the 480,000 Syrian refugees in need of resettlement. Millions more Syrians have fled to neighboring states such as Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon and to countries in Europe since the civil war broke out in 2011.

"On behalf of the president and his administration, I extend the warmest of welcomes to each and every one of our Syrian arrivals, as well as the many other refugees resettled this year from all over the world," National Security Adviser Susan Rice said in a statement.

Rice said the summit in New York City will highlight the contributions the U.S. and other nations have made to help refugees. She said the U.S. has committed to working with the international community to increase funding for humanitarian assistance and double the number of refugees afforded the opportunity to resettle.

The increase in Syrian refugees also comes at a time of heightened national security concerns following extremist attacks in the U.S. and abroad. The Obama administration has said that refugees fleeing war and persecution are the most scrutinized of all immigrants who come into the United States. The process typically takes 12 months to 18 months and includes in-person interviews and a review of biographical and biometric information.

Officers with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services travel to the country where the refugees fled to interview them. Upon completion of security and medical screening, the Homeland Security officer may approve the refugee's application for U.S. resettlement. After approval, arrangements are made to match the refugee with a voluntary agency in the U.S. that specializes in helping them find a new home and employment.




Agitating students of Jagannath University staged a sit-in at the Central Shaheed Minar in the city on Tuesday reiterating their demand for dormitories on the land of old Dhaka Central Jail.
China turning to a consumer economy

Andrew Sheng :

China's transformation from a manufacturing-driven and export-led economy to one underpinned by services and domestic consumption is firmly underway. And that's good news not just for China, but also for the future of the global economy.

The 2016-17 edition of the Blue Book of China's Commercial Sector by Fung Business Intelligence and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences maps the change. China's retail markets reached CN30 trillion ($4.6 trillion) in 2015, after more than a decade of double-digit growth. Household consumption has begun to climb, even as the pace of investment has fallen, and now exceeds 60% of GDP. Though the consumption growth rate has slowed to 10.7%, the Blue Book projects that China's domestic market may reach CN50 trillion by 2020.

A key driver of this transformation has been Internet technology. Building on heavy investments in public infrastructure, such as ports, airports, roads, rail, and telecommunications, the Internet is now expanding rapidly the range of choices available to Chinese consumers, while lowering costs and accelerating delivery.

As a result, China's online retail sales have surged in recent years, from 6.3% of total retail sales in 2012 to 12.9% by 2015. By 2020, 40% of all retail transactions in China may be conducted online. Online sales via mobile phones have jumped from only 1.5% in 2011 to 55.5% in 2015, and may reach 73.8% by 2018.

China has now overtaken the United States to build the world's largest online retail market. With a growth rate of some 33%, it is also the fastest-growing such market. And despite growth in Internet use - the number of connected Chinese has risen from 253 million in 2008 to 688 million last year - there is plenty of room for further expansion.

This progress reflects innovations that enable broad-based consumption without the construction and maintenance of expensive brick-and-mortar outlets. In fact, growth in mobile sales has been driven by lower-income consumers, particularly in rural areas, where more than 81% of Internet use occurs via mobile devices.

One key innovation has been multi-sided platforms like Alibaba, which, by providing access to production, logistics, distribution, and payments, challenge traditional business models - and with considerable success. In the second quarter of 2016, Alibaba announced that its revenue from China's retail market had increased by 49% year on year; another online platform, Tencent, reported a 52% increase.

By connecting small and medium-size enterprises (which account for 80% of employment in China) with the consumer base, such platforms erode some of the competitive advantage of large state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Indeed, while the returns from China's Internet retailing revolution have been highly concentrated, for once this concentration has not been in the state sector.

In online retailing via mobile devices, Alibaba held an 84.2% share of the market last year, with the next largest online retailer, JD.com, capturing just 5.7%. In the business-to-consumer market, Alibaba's Tmall claimed a 58% market share in the third quarter of 2015, with JD.com taking just 22.9%. In third-party online payment services, Alipay held 47.5% of the market, while Tenpay captured 20%, and UnionPay, the only service developed by the banking community, had 10.9%.

As a result, SOEs, which have long specialized in single markets or products, have now begun to recognize that they need to re-tool to compete both in China and in global markets. Given that SOE reform has long been on China's agenda, this extra impetus may prove beneficial. But the challenge of determining how to create a level playing field for healthy competition and improve capital allocation in the Internet age remains.

It is not just China's large companies that need to rethink their business models. As China's e-commerce platforms become increasingly global, they may erode the dominance of giant multinationals in international trade. Already in 2015, China's cross-border e-commerce amounted to an estimated 5.2 trillion, or 17.6% of the country's total trade; it may reach 8 trillion, or 23% of total trade, by next year.

All of this growth is great news for China; indeed, at a time of slowing performance in many traditional sectors, online retailing could be an economic lifesaver. But it also represents a major challenge for a government that has long relied on top-down decision-making.

China's e-commerce revolution enables the country's consumers to decide where to put their money. They can choose not only what kinds of goods and services they deem worthwhile, but also where to live and receive an education. As a result, they have become a key driver behind the transformation of the housing market, supply chains, finance, and even monetary policy.

The task for China's leaders is to respond more effectively to their citizens' needs and desires, including by accelerating progress on economic reform. Specifically, they must phase out obsolete supply chains saddled with overcapacity, bad debts, and falling employment, while taxing the winners in the e-commerce game. These imperatives are challenging traditional approaches to monetary, fiscal, industrial, environmental, and social policy, while testing the capacity of the bureaucracy and political system.

China's transformation into a consumer society will have profound implications for domestic and global suppliers and distributors of goods and services. At first, it might hurt some of China's trading partners, particularly the emerging economies that have long depended on Chinese demand for their commodity exports. The decline in Chinese imports has already contributed to a decline in commodity prices. Moreover, foreign importers may find that Chinese-manufactured consumer goods now cater more to local tastes and preferences.

Whatever challenges emerge, the fact is that a prosperous China, underpinned by local consumers, will contribute to - and shape - a prosperous global economy. We can thank e-commerce for that.

(Andrew Sheng, Distinguished Fellow of the Asia Global Institute at the University of Hong Kong and a member of the UNEP Advisory Council on Sustainable Finance, is a former chairman of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission.

Xiao Geng, Director of the IFF Institute, is a professor at the University of Hong Kong and a fellow at its Asia Global Institute).

Courtesy: Project Syndicate
Ultimatum to nab killer by tomorrow: Sister, brother-in-law held

Students of Willes Little Flower School continuing demonstration for 3rd consecutive day on Tuesday for immediate arrest of the killer of fellow Suraiya Akhter Risha. This photo was taken from Kakrail area.

Staff Reporter :Students of Willes Little Flower School on Tuesday gave an ultimatum to arrest the killer of their fellow Suraiya Akhter Risha by tomorrow (Thursday) for exemplary punishment. They announced to hold human chain and sit-in-programme at all the educational institutions across the country on Thursday. The students will also arrange a Doa Mahfil and mourning meeting today (Wednesday) at the Willes Little Flower School. They announced the programmes from a protest rally held in front of the Willes Little Flower School in the city on Tuesday. The agitating students also called upon the students of other schools across the country to express solidarity with their announced programmes. The vehicular movement in front of the road at Kakrail was suspended for five hours following the demonstration by the students of the institution.Meanwhile, police arrested a sister and brother-in-law of Obaidul, the killer of Suraiya Akhter Risha, from Niratongi village in Birganj upazila of Dinajpur district on Monday night.The arrestees were identified as M Khadiza Begum, 36, and her husband Khadimul Islam, 46, of the village.Officer-in-charge of Birganj Police Station Abu Akkas Ahmed said a police team of Ramna Police Station under Dhaka Metropolitan Police, led by sub-inspector Mosharraf Hossain, conducted a drive at the Niratongi village and arrested the couple. Later, the arrestees were taken to Birganj Police Station for interrogation, he said.Suraiya Akhter Risha, 14, daughter of Md Ramzan Ali of Bangshal of old Dhaka and an eighth-grader of Willes Little Flower School and College, was stabbed by Obaidul in front of her educational institution at Kakrail in the capital on August 24.She succumbed to her wounds at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) on Sunday morning.
BD couple killed in Texas road crash

Mahbubul Sourav (right) and his wife Safina Sourav was holidaying in Texas. Photo taken from family album. Internet photo

A Bangladeshi couple living in New York have died while their son was admitted to the hospital with critical injuries following a car crash in the US State of Texas. Mahbubul Sourav, 55, and his wife Safina Sourav, 48, hailed from Bangladesh's Tangail but lived in Elmhurst near Jackson Heights in New York. Mahbubul was holidaying in Texas with his family.

Their son Shadab Sourab 23, who was driving the car, has been admitted to a local hospital in critical condition.

Texas state police said the mishap occurred on Sunday night when two cars collided head-on near the Normangee town. Three people died in the accident, police said.

The third victim has been identified as Carlos Lopez, 27, the driver of the other car.
Obama's legacy and John Kerry's last mission

Abu Hena :

It happened in 2004 when John Forbes Kerry, a Vietnam War veteran fought the presidential election as a Democratic Party nominee and was about to win the White House. The early exit polls suggested that John Kerry had won the election - but the final result did not emerge until 3am although the networks usually declare the winner soon after the polls are closed. Finally at the end of an inconvenient drama, John Kerry conceded to George W. Bush. He joined the U.S. State Department as President Obama's top diplomat in 2013.It was the time when the World of great power rivalry started resurfacing with a vengeance since the fleeting post-Soviet interlude of the 1990s. It is a new old-world of clashing interests and alliances between great powers.

The American foreign policy itself had assumed an oddly 19th Century characteristic during George W. Bush. Embroiled in foreign wars thousands of miles from home, Bush fought 'crusades' against Muslim zealots from Mesopotamia to Afghanistan. This was hardly the agenda President Obama would have chosen for himself. In his first term he looked like a conciliator who would co-ordinate a rescue of the World economy, tackle climate change, reform global institutions, and revive America's international reputation. His election, according to critics and admirers alike, ushered in a new era in American foreign policy. But, although he carried out complete withdrawal of combat forces from Iraq and Afghanistan as promised, his presidency did not usher in a new era in American warfare. Under Obama, America continued fighting almost in the same way that it did under his predecessor - for similar reasons, with similar justifications. It proves the fact that when it comes to war, Presidents do what they think they must. This simple truth cannot be avoided.

Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State during the first term of Obama Administration, presided over the pull out from Iraq and Afghanistan and steered the course of the 'Arab Spring' in which Egyptians, Libyans and Tunisians forced their own autocratic leaders from power. But the aftermath of the changes have failed to bring desired results. The Egyptian government has changed hands installing a military dictator again. Experiment in Libya has yielded chaos.

The civil war devastated Libya's already weak institutions , and a patchwork of militias began battling over the spoils. Iraq is far from stable. The government is dominated by Shias who neither have a place for the formerly dominant Sunnis nor resolved the explosive dispute with the Kurds over the control of Kirkuk. As a result civil war broke out resulting in the creation of the Islamic State. Many may think that too fast a U.S.exit might have acted as a catalyst for the conflagration in the region but Obama had no choice. America's military machine as well as its money machine was on the rack. The move for a regime change in Syria has failed. Syria's Bashar al -Assad has hit back with Russian help and the situation in Syria presents a human tragedy. Russian bombers conducted air strikes against targets in Syria from an airbase in Iran. Meanwhile Amnesty International reported that 18,000 people have died in Syria's prisons at the hands of the regime. During the four years of civil war 400,000 lives have been lost, 6.6 million people have been displaced internally and 2 million children are out of school. The bloodstained picture of a boy, Omran who was recently pulled out of the ravaged building, shelled by Russian bombers, has captured the horrors of the Syrian civil war.

Two years after the annexation of Crimea Russian President Putin has deployed additional military forces and weapons to East Ukraine signalling a wider armed confrontation. Ukraine's President has condemned Russian shelling saying, "Putin wants whole Ukraine."

Russia has also begun a cyber-war at the invitation of Donald Trump to manipulate the 8 November U.S. Presidential Election. Now, China has announced closer military cooperation with Syrian Government. China has reportedly promised a $25 billion investment in Myanmar, during Aung San Suu Kyi's visit. Obama has stopped the Iranians acquiring a nuclear bomb by a "grand design" but Iran's intentions are hard to decipher. Nobody knows how much influence it would demand in the Gulf region and beyond in return.

" You may not be interested in war," Trotsky once said, "but war is interested in you." And so, although America had elected an antiwar President, it simply turned out not to be true. Rather, the "universal nation" elected a President in the tradition of American wartime leaders: a man ultimately willing to sacrifice idealism for pragmatism in pursuit of his primary duty of keeping America safe.

The crescent of instability from the Levant to Pakistan has consumed the White House and the State Department for a long period, and will certainly dominate the thinking of the new ones, who will assume the responsibility after 8 November election. At present Russia poses the greatest danger and with few more months to go John Kerry may still be scratching his head over how to read Russia's swaggering attitude under Putin. Russia's advance in Ukraine and airstrikes in Syria from Iranian airbase are enough evidence that Russia's grudging acquiescence can no longer be taken for granted. Russia wants to be accepted again as a great power and will resist a farther enlargement of NATO. With its nuclear arsenal, its threat to remobilize conventional forces, its control over gas supplies to Europe, its arms sales, and its power over the Security Council, Russia has plenty of ways to create problem for the United States and Europe.

With the Russian resurgence looming large in the horizon, fanciful 'terrorism' fears have led U.S.'s NATO allies to crackdown on garments worn traditionally by some Muslim women since the 7th century. In France where full-face veils like the 'burqa' are already banned, three seafront towns recently prohibited full-body swimsuits, or 'burkinis'. Other countries are similarly busy pursuing their own bans. Before leaving office in January, Secretary Kerry may do a great service to the world by cautioning his Western allies about the 'distraction' and ask them to be pragmatic and realize the gravity of the impending danger.

This time Russia has made its intentions clear: it is not interested in fighting a 'cold war', which Donald Trump rightly thinks, has ended. This time Russia will fight open wars in all fronts including the cyber-war to destabilize America .The Autocratic rulers everywhere have been exploiting 'Islam phobia' to suppress the opposition with impunity and thereby achieve their dirty political ends. It is now an accepted fact that the incidents like the Nine Eleven attacks in the United States and the massacre in Nice in France were possible because of gross failure of security, but neither the French nor the U.S. administration accepted the responsibility.

Most of the killings in the recent past, in Europe and America, have been carried out by people suffering from mental illnesses. In most cases the prosecutors failed to find any connection of the perpetrators with any international terrorist outfit. In the Eastern countries, 'terrorism' has been used as a mask and a shield by the rogue dictatorial regimes to destroy all opposition and perpetuate their heinous autocratic rule by foul play. Reacting to the recent killing of the priest in France, Pope Francis said that a war is going on in the world but that war is not a religious war. It is a war of interest. Yet the Republican nominee in the United States, who has no regard for any religion, puts all blame squarely on the Muslims for all the world's conflicts and ills and expresses his highest admiration and reverence for his great hero, the Russian President Vladimir Putin.



[Writer was elected MP in the 7th and the 8th parliaments of Bangladesh.]


BB yet to place probe report before JS body

Sagar Biswas :

Despite repeated directives, the Bangladesh Bank authorities on Tuesday failed to submit the investigation report over reserve heist before the Parliamentary Standing Committee. The report was prepared by a three-member team led by former central bank governor Dr Mohammed Farashuddin.

Earlier on August 17, the Parliamentary standing Committee on Public Undertaking took the decision to sit in a closed door meeting with the central bank's top brass apparently to discuss the findings of the investigation report. In accordance with the minutes, the BB was asked to attend yesterday's meeting with the probe report.

But significantly, the central bank governor Fazle Kabir did not attend the meeting. Instead, the BB team was headed by Deputy Governor Abu Hena Md Razi Hassan. Explaining the reason for not placing the report, the BB deputy governor told the meeting that it was with the Finance Ministry. The ministry did not give it to the BB till the date, the meeting sources said.

The Deputy Governor, however, promised to submit the probe report before the JS body whenever he would get it, the sources added. Presided over by Chairman of Committee Colonel [retd] Shawkat Ali, the meeting was also attended by Nurul Majid Mamun Humayun, Muhibur Rahman Manik, among others. Besides, senior officials of concerned ministries and divisions were present.

"We had earlier taken decision to sit in a closed door meeting to discuss the report. So, we called the meeting on Tuesday. But they [BB] did not bring the report. They said that the Finance Ministry did not give them the report," Colonel Shawkat Ali, chairman of the committee, told The New Nation last night.

"We're going to call the concerned BB officials again soonThe meeting will be held next month," the chairman said, adding, "We've asked them [BB] to ensure discipline in the economic and finance sectors. We have recommended the BB to resolve the audit objections through bilateral or tripartite meetings as soon as possible."

The annoyed JS body took the tough decision to scrutinize the investigation report when the Finance Ministry has been showing dilly-dally attitude about making the report public.

The investigation report was handed over to Finance Minister AMA Muhith on May 30. The minister at the time had said that the report would be made public after going through it, but it never saw the day light. The head of investigation team had hinted about the involvement of central bank insiders in the report.

Against the backdrop of cyber heist, the BB authorities, informed the meeting that a befitting IT security plan, titled 'Remediation Plan', has been taken with the cooperation of experts of Bangladesh Computer Council, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Ahsanullah Science and Technology University, IT Governance of BB and Risk Management Specialist [international consultant]. The 'Remediation Plan' will be materialized with highest priority after getting approval from BB Board of Directors.

In this situation, the JS body asked the BB authorities to speeding up the process to bring back the heist money from Philippines.

Earlier, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance Ministry in its meeting on August 11 also expressed severe dissatisfaction over the issue. The finance committee had proposed the government to send a delegation to the Philippines to discuss the matter in the political circle to make a way to bring back the money to Bangladesh.

Not only that, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts also expressed its discontent over the BB heist earlier in a meeting in May. At the same time, the JS body recommended the government to punish the officials who are responsible for the incident. The JS body also wanted to know the exact role of SWIFT, Federal Reserve Bank and Rizal Bank of Philippines in the incident.

A gang of highly-skilled hackers tried to swindle $1 billion from BB accounts with Federal Reserve Bank of New York applying forged commands through Swift Messaging system, which was the biggest bank heist in the country's history.

Using five messages the hackers ultimately managed to drain off $81 million to an account in the Philippines and $20 million were sent to Sri Lanka by another command. The Sri Lankan transfer was stopped luckily, but the Philippines transfer was clicked. After conversion into the local currency, the money finally made its way to casinos, which is not yet recovered despite repeated attempts.


Fire breaks out at Kurmitola General Hospital

Staff Reporter :A big fire broke out at the Bangladesh Army operated Kurmitola General Hospital at Dhaka Cantonment on Tuesday night."The fire broke out at the fourth floor of the 10-storey hospital building at about 9:34pm. On information, nine units of firefighters rushed to the spot to douse the flame," Babul Hossain, Duty Officer at Fire Services and Civil Defense Headquarters, told The New Nation."The cause of the fire could not be ascertained immediately. No casualty was reported so far," he added.
Manna gets bail in sedition case

UNB, Dhaka :The High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Nagarik Oikya convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna in a sedition case filed against him with Gulshan Police Station in the city.A two-member HC bench comprising Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah passed theorder after disposing of a rule. On March 21, the HC issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain as to why the Nagarik Oikya leader would not be granted bail in the case.However, Manna cannot be released from jail as he was arrested in another case filed with the same police station. On February 24 last year, plainclothes police arrested Manna from a house in the city's Banani area and handed him over to police the following day.
Police firm to risk lives to fight militants: IGP

UNB, Dhaka :

Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Hoque on Tuesday said Bangladesh Police is committed to work against militants and terrorism risking their lives.

The IGP said this while addressing a function to

hand over financial assistance to the family members of the four policemen, who sacrificed their lives in Gilshan and Shulakia militant attacks, at Shaheed SI Shiro Mia Auditorium at Rajarbagh Police Lines in the capital. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and Bangladesh Police Service Association handed over Tk 1.28 crore to the family members of the killed policemen and three injured cops in the two militant attacks. Remembering the sacrifice of the four policemen, the top police official said the four cops have made us indebted by giving their lives to ensure public safety.
Rupali Bank sinking

Kazi Zahidul Hasan :The financial health of Rupali Bank is deteriorating fast following an alarming rise in defaulted loans in its overall credit portfolio.Defaulted loans at the bank rose sharply by 48 per cent in the second quarter (April-June) to Tk 2,361 crore, which is 15.31 per cent of its total disbursed loans.Rupali reported an amount of Tk 1,598 crore default loans in its books in the first quarter (January-March). The amount was 11 per cent of the bank's total disbursed loans.It also reported Tk 775.56 crore provision shortfall at the end of June 30 this year. When contacted, Md Ataur Rahman, the newly appointed Managing Director of the bank, told The New Nation yesterday that he has already discussed the issue with the senior executives of the bank. "We have also chalked out several short and long-term plans to improve financial health of the bank," he said.Rahman also said that the authorities of the bank set priority to rein in the tide of rising defaulted loans along with recovery of bad debts. "The Bank's top management adopted aggressive lending policy for the last few years that mainly responsible for the swelling defaults loans," a senior executive of the bank seeking anonymity told The New Nation yesterday.He said: Many loan proposals were approved through anomalies and corrupt practices to support the policy. These loans were not properly monitored causing the defaults. Necessary actions have also not been taken to realize them turning a significant portion of such loans into bad ones.According to an official figure, the total amount of defaulted loans at Rupali Bank was Tk 790 crore in 2010. But it went high to Tk 2,360.99 crore at the end of June this year. That means the bank's overall defaults rose to Tk 1,570 crore within a span of five years. "Out of the total defaults, an amount of Tk 1,788 crore has already turned bad loans and their recovery is almost uncertain," said the bank official. "The soaring defaulted loans has seriously impacted on both the financial health and lending ability of the bank. It has also badly affected the bank's operating profit", he added.The operating net profit of the bank stood at Tk 121.56 crore in 2012 and it came down to Tk 23.64 crore last year (2015) with Tk 228 crore capital shortfall.In 2015, the bank reported Tk 2,568 crore defaulted loans in its book of account, including the written off loan Tk 1,019 core, according to the financial statement of the bank.Rupali Bank distributed Tk 13,771 crore loans in 2015. As on June 30 this year, the amount stood at Tk 15,421 crore. "The financial health of Rupali Bank like other public banks is deteriorating rapidly mainly due to the higher volume of its defaulted and bad loans," Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, a former Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor told The New Nation on Tuesday.He said the bank sanctioned a large amount of loans under various influences and without diligence or through corrupt practices. Such loans later turned soured pushing up defaulted loans at the bank. "Poor portfolio and loan management is manly responsible for the ever-increasing accumulation of bad loans and stressed assets in the bank. The problem lies with the governance. So, radical reforms in the structure of governance are necessary to overcome the problem," suggested Dr Salehuddin Ahmed.
Indian whims made JRC a meaningless forum

NO meeting of Joint River Commission (JRC) was held between Bangladesh and India in the past six years although it was supposed to meet at least twice a year to settle issues relating to common rivers. An English daily reported on Tuesday that the latest JRC meeting was held in New Delhi in March 2010. India last week opened all sluice gates of Farakka Barrage without any consultation with Bangladesh. In the meantime several lakh people, croplands, educational institutions in low-lying areas adjacent to the River Padma have been badly affected by the sudden swelling of the river. It is posing a fresh threat of flooding in some parts of the country at a time when the flood situation was just improving. The JRC meeting was now essential as the River Padma, the lower part of the Ganges, was now swelling and causing huge damage inside Bangladesh.

Established in 1972, the Joint River Commission (JRC), among its other functions is supposed to 'maintain liaison between the participating countries in order to ensure the most effective joint efforts to maximizing the benefits from common river systems to both the countries'. Although the two neighbours share 54 transboundary rivers, they have an agreement only on the Ganges water sharing and the Commission is mandated to monitor its implementation. Whereas the two countries need to have treaties on all the trans-boundary rivers so that both were equally benefitted. As the Commission should work to this end, it is apparent that its workload is huge and complicated. So, we should expect that JRC would go through very busy time to accomplish its works. But we have seen that this forum was not in a position to meet even once in past six years. Surely, it was affecting the overall activities of the forum for decision on sharing of common river waters.

India has been imposing its unilateral decision on common rivers' water sharing. The flow in the Padma was the lowest ever in Bangladesh part during the lean season early this year because of unilateral withdrawal of water from the upstream in India to 'save' Kolkata port. Now India with its unilateral decision has opened all the gates of Farakka Barrage to 'save' Bihar from flood, inviting disaster for Bangladesh. India is using delaying tactics to solve Teesta water issue. In this background Bangladesh should continue its efforts to ensure rightful share of waters of the common rivers the two neighbours shared.
Let's all take a moment of silence and watch Young Frankenstein followed by Willy Wonka and maybe Blazing Saddles after that if there's time. RIP, Gene Wilder. You left behind quite a legacy.

Half a million dollars worth of cows was stolen from a farm in New Zealand sometime between the beginning of July and now. Poirot, we need you on the case.

Well, we did it. Humans have officially created a new epoch, distinguished by the horrifying extent that we've managed to alter the natural world with our plastic-y presence and nuclear bombs. Welcome to the Anthropocene.

Remember Brock Turner, the rapist from Stanford University? His six-month jail sentence was cut down to three on grounds of good behavior and an unhappy public is already planning protests for his release.

The ocean is a better artist than I am.

Scientists have come up with a new theory about our Australopithecus ancestor, Lucy, claiming that she fell from a tree. Some scientists reject the theory, calling the paper click bait for media coverage. Regardless of who's right, it's an interesting read.
If you are looking for the new Immoral Minority posts, you should know that they can be found here at our new home Please stop by to get caught up on politics, join the conversations, or simply check out the new digs.
President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine. The United States generally imports about 100,000 barrels a day from Russia, only about 5% of Russia's crude oil exports, according to Rystad Energy. Last year, roughly 8% of U.S. imports of oil and petroleum products came from Russia. Gas prices have been rising for weeks due to the conflict and in anticipation of potential sanctions on the Russian energy sector. The U.S. national average for a gallon of gasoline soared 45 cents a gallon in the past week and topped $4.06 on Monday, according to auto club AAA. Should the US ban Russian oil imports over Ukraine war?

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ISIS claims responsibility for a total solar eclipse over the lands of American crusaders and nonbelievers

When asked if they could point to North Korea on a map many college students didn't know what a map was

CNN: We must bring America into the 21st century by replacing the 18th century Constitution with 19th century poetry

Pelosi: 'We have to impeach the president in order to find out what we impeached him for'

BREAKING: As of Saturday July 8, 2017, all of Earth's ecosystems have shut down as per Prince Charles's super scientific pronouncement made 96 months ago. Everything is dead. All is lost. Life on Earth is no more.

DNC to pick new election slogan out of four finalists: 'Give us more government or everyone dies,' 'Vote for Democrats or everyone dies,' 'Impeach Trump or everyone dies,' 'Stop the fearmongering or everyone dies'

Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power" is humanity's last chance to save the Earth before it ends five years ago

Experts: The more we embrace diversity the more everything is the same

BOMBSHELL: TMZ offers Kathy Griffin $5 mil to keep any future sex tape private

DEVELOPING: CNN, WaPo, NYT anonymous sources say Vladimir Putin may have ties to Russia

BREAKING: Manning and Snowden have come out with strong condemnation of Donald Trump leaking classified information to Russia

Gun store goes into lockdown over report an "active university professor" roving the grounds

Dozens injured at Ralph Lauren & Louis Vuitton headquarters after Ivanka calls in missile strikes on rival fashion houses

BOMBSHELL: Evidence proves Donald Trump conspired with his campaign to defeat Hillary Clinton

University ranked "very intolerant of free speech" fights the accusation by banning the study and all involved

Concerned that Russians don't consume enough alcohol in the month of March, Russia's Orthodox Church makes St. Patrick's Day official holiday

Grassroots group calls for "The Million Regulators March" on Washington, supported by all who fear the loss of their betters telling them what to do

Experts: Starbucks CEO Schultz's hiring of 10,000 Muslim refugees likely to blow up in his face

Will the groundprog be frightened by its own shadow and hide - or will there be another season of insane protests?

Trump signs executive order making California and New York national monuments; residents have two days to vacate

Women's March against fascism completed with 400,000 fewer deaths than anticipated

Feminist historians uncover ghastly concentration camps where so-called "housewives" were forced to live inauthentic lives slaving away in kitchens

Dictionary of the future: Global Warming was a popular computer simulation game, where the only way to win was not to play

"Anti-fascist" groups violently protest misspelling of their original name, "aren't-we-fascists"

Post-inauguration blues: millions of democrats distraught as the reality of having to find real jobs sets in

"Journalism is the continuation of war by other means" is exposed as a fake quote by mainstream media journalists

Congressional Democrats: "We cannot just simply replace Obamacare with freedom because then millions of Americans will suddenly become free"

Schoolchildren jailed for building only white snowmen

Obama's reckless attacks on Russia serve as recruitment tool to create more Russian hackers

Hillary: "I lost, so I'm going to follow our democratic traditions, poison the wells, and scorch the earth"

Children in Venezuela cook and eat their Christmas toys

Hillary: "I can hack Russia from my bathroom"

Hillary suggests to counter "fake news" with government newspaper called "Truth" ("Pravda" for Russian speakers)

BREAKING: Millions of uncounted votes found on Hillary's private voting machine in her Chappaqua bathroom

New York Times: Fidel Castro world's sexiest corpse

After years of trial and error, CIA finally succeeds with the "waiting it out" technique on Fidel Castro

Post-election shopping tip: look for the PoliticsFree label at your local grocer to make sure you don't buy from companies that don't want your business anymore

In Hillary's America, email server scrubs you

Obama transfers his Nobel Peace Prize to anti-Trump rioters

Democrats blame Hillary's criminal e-mail server for her loss, demand it face prison

Afraid of "dangerous" Trump presidency, protesters pre-emptively burn America down to the ground

Clinton Foundation in foreclosure as foreign donors demand refunds

Hillary Clinton blames YouTube video for unexpected and spontaneous voter uprising that prevented her inevitable move into the White House

Sudden rise in sea levels explained by disproportionately large tears shed by climate scientists in the aftermath of Trump's electoral victory

FBI director Comey delighted after receiving Nobel Prize for Speed Reading (650,000 emails in one week)

U.N. deploys troops to American college campuses in order to combat staggeringly low rape rates

Responding to Trump's surging poll numbers, Obama preemptively pardons himself for treason

Following hurricane Matthew's failure to devastate Florida, activists flock to the Sunshine State and destroy Trump signs manually

Tim Kaine takes credit for interrupting hurricane Matthew while debating weather in Florida

Study: Many non-voters still undecided on how they're not going to vote

The Evolution of Dissent: on November 8th the nation is to decide whether dissent will stop being racist and become sexist - or it will once again be patriotic as it was for 8 years under George W. Bush

Venezuela solves starvation problem by making it mandatory to buy food

Breaking: the Clinton Foundation set to investigate the FBI

Obama captures rare Pokemon while visiting Hiroshima

Movie news: 'The Big Friendly Giant Government' flops at box office; audiences say "It's creepy"

Barack Obama: "If I had a son, he'd look like Micah Johnson"

White House edits Orlando 911 transcript to say shooter pledged allegiance to NRA and Republican Party

President George Washington: 'Redcoats do not represent British Empire; King George promotes a distorted version of British colonialism'

Following Obama's 'Okie-Doke' speech, stock of Okie-Doke soars; NASDAQ: 'Obama best Okie-Doke salesman'

Weaponized baby formula threatens Planned Parenthood office; ACLU demands federal investigation of Gerber

Experts: melting Antarctic glacier could cause sale levels to rise up to 80% off select items by this weekend

Travel advisory: airlines now offering flights to front of TSA line

As Obama instructs his administration to get ready for presidential transition, Trump preemptively purchases 'T' keys for White House keyboards

John Kasich self-identifies as GOP primary winner, demands access to White House bathroom

Upcoming Trump/Kelly interview on FoxNews sponsored by 'Let's Make a Deal' and 'The Price is Right'

News from 2017: once the evacuation of Lena Dunham and 90% of other Hollywood celebrities to Canada is confirmed, Trump resigns from presidency: "My work here is done"

Non-presidential candidate Paul Ryan pledges not to run for president in new non-presidential non-ad campaign

Trump suggests creating 'Muslim database'; Obama symbolically protests by shredding White House guest logs beginning 2009

National Enquirer: John Kasich's real dad was the milkman, not mailman

National Enquirer: Bound delegates from Colorado, Wyoming found in Ted Cruzs basement

Iran breaks its pinky-swear promise not to support terrorism; US State Department vows rock-paper-scissors strategic response

Women across the country cheer as racist Democrat president on $20 bill is replaced by black pro-gun Republican

Federal Reserve solves budget crisis by writing itself a 20-trillion-dollar check

Widows, orphans claim responsibility for Brussels airport bombing

Che Guevara's son hopes Cuba's communism will rub off on US, proposes a long list of people the government should execute first

Susan Sarandon: "I don't vote with my vagina." Voters in line behind her still suspicious, use hand sanitizer

Campaign memo typo causes Hillary to court 'New Black Panties' vote

New Hampshire votes for socialist Sanders, changes state motto to "Live FOR Free or Die"

Martin O'Malley drops out of race after Iowa Caucus; nation shocked with revelation he has been running for president

Statisticians: one out of three Bernie Sanders supporters is just as dumb as the other two

Hillary campaign denies accusations of smoking-gun evidence in her emails, claims they contain only smoking-circumstantial-gun evidence

Obama stops short of firing US Congress upon realizing the difficulty of assembling another group of such tractable yes-men

In effort to contol wild passions for violent jihad, White House urges gun owners to keep their firearms covered in gun burkas

TV horror live: A Charlie Brown Christmas gets shot up on air by Mohammed cartoons

Democrats vow to burn the country down over Ted Cruz statement, 'The overwhelming majority of violent criminals are Democrats'

Russia's trend to sign bombs dropped on ISIS with "This is for Paris" found response in Obama administration's trend to sign American bombs with "Return to sender"

University researchers of cultural appropriation quit upon discovery that their research is appropriation from a culture that created universities

Archeologists discover remains of what Barack Obama has described as unprecedented, un-American, and not-who-we-are immigration screening process in Ellis Island

Mizzou protests lead to declaring entire state a "safe space," changing Missouri motto to "The don't show me state"

Green energy fact: if we put all green energy subsidies together in one-dollar bills and burn them, we could generate more electricity than has been produced by subsidized green energy

State officials improve chances of healthcare payouts by replacing ObamaCare with state lottery

NASA's new mission to search for racism, sexism, and economic inequality in deep space suffers from race, gender, and class power struggles over multibillion-dollar budget

College progress enforcement squads issue schematic humor charts so students know if a joke may be spontaneously laughed at or if regulations require other action

ISIS opens suicide hotline for US teens depressed by climate change and other progressive doomsday scenarios

Virginia county to close schools after teacher asks students to write 'death to America' in Arabic

'Wear hijab to school day' ends with spontaneous female circumcision and stoning of a classmate during lunch break

ISIS releases new, even more barbaric video in an effort to regain mantle from Planned Parenthood

Impressed by Fox News stellar rating during GOP debates, CNN to use same formula on Democrat candidates asking tough, pointed questions about Republicans

Shocking new book explores pros and cons of socialism, discovers they are same people

Pope outraged by Planned Parenthood's "unfettered capitalism," demands equal redistribution of baby parts to each according to his need

John Kerry accepts Iran's "Golden Taquiyya" award, requests jalapenos on the side

Citizens of Pluto protest US government's surveillance of their planetoid and its moons with New Horizons space drone

John Kerry proposes 3-day waiting period for all terrorist nations trying to acquire nuclear weapons

Chicago Police trying to identify flag that caused nine murders and 53 injuries in the city this past weekend

Cuba opens to affordable medical tourism for Americans who can't afford Obamacare deductibles

State-funded research proves existence of Quantum Aggression Particles (Heterons) in Large Hadron Collider

Student job opportunities: make big bucks this summer as Hillarys Ordinary-American; all expenses paid, travel, free acting lessons

Experts debate whether Iranian negotiators broke John Kerry's leg or he did it himself to get out of negotiations

Junior Varsity takes Ramadi, advances to quarterfinals

US media to GOP pool of candidates: 'Knowing what we know now, would you have had anything to do with the founding of the United States?'

NY Mayor to hold peace talks with rats, apologize for previous Mayor's cowboy diplomacy

China launches cube-shaped space object with a message to aliens: "The inhabitants of Earth will steal your intellectual property, copy it, manufacture it in sweatshops with slave labor, and sell it back to you at ridiculously low prices"

Progressive scientists: Truth is a variable deduced by subtracting 'what is' from 'what ought to be'

Experts agree: Hillary Clinton best candidate to lessen percentage of Americans in top 1%

America's attempts at peace talks with the White House continue to be met with lies, stalling tactics, and bad faith

Starbucks new policy to talk race with customers prompts new hashtag #DontHoldUpTheLine

Hillary: DELETE is the new RESET

Charlie Hebdo receives Islamophobe 2015 award; the cartoonists could not be reached for comment due to their inexplicable, illogical deaths

Russia sends 'reset' button back to Hillary: 'You need it now more than we do'

Barack Obama finds out from CNN that Hillary Clinton spent four years being his Secretary of State

President Obama honors Leonard Nimoy by taking selfie in front of Starship Enterprise

Police: If Obama had a convenience store, it would look like Obama Express Food Market

Study finds stunning lack of racial, gender, and economic diversity among middle-class white males

NASA: We're 80% sure about being 20% sure about being 17% sure about being 38% sure about 2014 being the hottest year on record

People holding '$15 an Hour Now' posters sue Democratic party demanding raise to $15 an hour for rendered professional protesting services

Cuba-US normalization: US tourists flock to see Cuba before it looks like the US and Cubans flock to see the US before it looks like Cuba

White House describes attacks on Sony Pictures as 'spontaneous hacking in response to offensive video mocking Juche and its prophet'

CIA responds to Democrat calls for transparency by releasing the director's cut of The Making Of Obama's Birth Certificate

Obama: 'If I had a city, it would look like Ferguson'

Biden: 'If I had a Ferguson (hic), it would look like a city'

Obama signs executive order renaming 'looters' to 'undocumented shoppers'

Ethicists agree: two wrongs do make a right so long as Bush did it first

The aftermath of the 'War on Women 2014' finds a new 'Lost Generation' of disillusioned Democrat politicians, unable to cope with life out of office

White House: Republican takeover of the Senate is a clear mandate from the American people for President Obama to rule by executive orders

Nurse Kaci Hickox angrily tells reporters that she won't change her clocks for daylight savings time

Democratic Party leaders in panic after recent poll shows most Democratic voters think 'midterm' is when to end pregnancy

Desperate Democratic candidates plead with Obama to stop backing them and instead support their GOP opponents

Ebola Czar issues five-year plan with mandatory quotas of Ebola infections per each state based on voting preferences

Study: crony capitalism is to the free market what the Westboro Baptist Church is to Christianity

Fun facts about world languages: the Left has more words for statism than the Eskimos have for snow

African countries to ban all flights from the United States because "Obama is incompetent, it scares us"

Nobel Peace Prize controversy: Hillary not nominated despite having done even less than Obama to deserve it

Obama: 'Ebola is the JV of viruses'

BREAKING: Secret Service foils Secret Service plot to protect Obama

Revised 1st Amendment: buy one speech, get the second free

Sharpton calls on white NFL players to beat their women in the interests of racial fairness

President Obama appoints his weekly approval poll as new national security adviser

Obama wags pen and phone at Putin; Europe offers support with powerful pens and phones from NATO members

White House pledges to embarrass ISIS back to the Stone Age with a barrage of fearsome Twitter messages and fatally ironic Instagram photos

Obama to fight ISIS with new federal Terrorist Regulatory Agency

Obama vows ISIS will never raise their flag over the eighteenth hole

Harry Reid: "Sometimes I say the wong thing"

Elian Gonzalez wishes he had come to the U.S. on a bus from Central America like all the other kids

Obama visits US-Mexican border, calls for a two-state solution

Obama draws "blue line" in Iraq after Putin took away his red crayon

"Hard Choices," a porno flick loosely based on Hillary Clinton's memoir and starring Hillary Hellfire as a drinking, whoring Secretary of State, wildly outsells the flabby, sagging original

Accusations of siding with the enemy leave Sgt. Bergdahl with only two options: pursue a doctorate at Berkley or become a Senator from Massachusetts

Jay Carney stuck in line behind Eric Shinseki to leave the White House; estimated wait time from 15 min to 6 weeks

100% of scientists agree that if man-made global warming were real, "the last people we'd want to help us is the Obama administration"

Jay Carney says he found out that Obama found out that he found out that Obama found out that he found out about the latest Obama administration scandal on the news

"Anarchy Now!" meeting turns into riot over points of order, bylaws, and whether or not 'kicking the #^@&*! ass' of the person trying to speak is or is not violence

Obama retaliates against Putin by prohibiting unionized federal employees from dating hot Russian girls online during work hours

Russian separatists in Ukraine riot over an offensive YouTube video showing the toppling of Lenin statues

"Free Speech Zones" confuse Obamaphone owners who roam streets in search of additional air minutes

Obamacare bolsters employment for professionals with skills to convert meth back into sudafed

Gloves finally off: Obama uses pen and phone to cancel Putin's Netflix account

Joe Biden to Russia: "We will bury you by turning more of Eastern Europe over to your control!"

In last-ditch effort to help Ukraine, Obama deploys Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Jackson's Rainbow Coalition to Crimea

Al Sharpton: "Not even Putin can withstand our signature chanting, 'racist, sexist, anti-gay, Russian army go away'!"

Mardi Gras in North Korea: "Throw me some food!"

Obama's foreign policy works: "War, invasion, and conquest are signs of weakness; we've got Putin right where we want him"

US offers military solution to Ukraine crisis: "We will only fight countries that have LGBT military"

Putin annexes Brighton Beach to protect ethnic Russians in Brooklyn, Obama appeals to UN and EU for help

The 1980s: "Mr. Obama, we're just calling to ask if you want our foreign policy back. The 1970s are right here with us, and they're wondering, too."

In a stunning act of defiance, Obama courageously unfriends Putin on Facebook

MSNBC: Obama secures alliance with Austro-Hungarian Empire against Russias aggression in Ukraine

Study: springbreak is to STDs what April 15th is to accountants

Efforts to achieve moisture justice for California thwarted by unfair redistribution of snow in America

North Korean voters unanimous: "We are the 100%"

Leader of authoritarian gulag-site, The People's Cube, unanimously 're-elected' with 100% voter turnout

Super Bowl: Obama blames Fox News for Broncos' loss

Feminist author slams gay marriage: "a man needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle"

Beverly Hills campaign heats up between Henry Waxman and Marianne Williamson over the widening income gap between millionaires and billionaires in their district

Biden to lower $10,000-a-plate Dinner For The Homeless to $5,000 so more homeless can attend

Kim becomes world leader, feeds uncle to dogs; Obama eats dogs, becomes world leader, America cries uncle

North Korean leader executes own uncle for talking about Obamacare at family Christmas party

White House hires part-time schizophrenic Mandela sign interpreter to help sell Obamacare

Kim Jong Un executes own "crazy uncle" to keep him from ruining another family Christmas

OFA admits its advice for area activists to give Obamacare Talk at shooting ranges was a bad idea

President resolves Obamacare debacle with executive order declaring all Americans equally healthy

Obama to Iran: "If you like your nuclear program, you can keep your nuclear program"

Bovine community outraged by flatulence coming from Washington DC

Obama: "I'm not particularly ideological; I believe in a good pragmatic five-year plan"

Shocker: Obama had no knowledge he'd been reelected until he read about it in the local newspaper last week

Server problems at HealthCare.gov so bad, it now flashes 'Error 808' message

NSA marks National Best Friend Day with official announcement: "Government is your best friend; we know you like no one else, we're always there, we're always willing to listen"

Al Qaeda cancels attack on USA citing launch of Obamacare as devastating enough

The President's latest talking point on Obamacare: "I didn't build that"

Dizzy with success, Obama renames his wildly popular healthcare mandate to HillaryCare

Carney: huge ObamaCare deductibles won't look as bad come hyperinflation

Washington Redskins drop 'Washington' from their name as offensive to most Americans

Poll: 83% of Americans favor cowboy diplomacy over rodeo clown diplomacy

GOVERNMENT WARNING: If you were able to complete ObamaCare form online, it wasn't a legitimate gov't website; you should report online fraud and change all your passwords

Obama administration gets serious, threatens Syria with ObamaCare

Obama authorizes the use of Vice President Joe Biden's double-barrel shotgun to fire a couple of blasts at Syria

Sharpton: "British royals should have named baby 'Trayvon.' By choosing 'George' they sided with white Hispanic racist Zimmerman"

DNC launches 'Carlos Danger' action figure; proceeds to fund a charity helping survivors of the Republican War on Women

Nancy Pelosi extends abortion rights to the birds and the bees

Hubble discovers planetary drift to the left

Obama: 'If I had a daughter-in-law, she would look like Rachael Jeantel'

FISA court rubberstamps statement denying its portrayal as government's rubber stamp

Every time ObamaCare gets delayed, a Julia somewhere dies

GOP to Schumer: 'Force full implementation of ObamaCare before 2014 or Dems will never win another election'

Obama: 'If I had a son... no, wait, my daughter can now marry a woman!'

Janet Napolitano: TSA findings reveal that since none of the hijackers were babies, elderly, or Tea Partiers, 9/11 was not an act of terrorism

News Flash: Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) can see Canada from South Dakota

Susan Rice: IRS actions against tea parties caused by anti-tax YouTube video that was insulting to their faith

Drudge Report reduces font to fit all White House scandals onto one page

Obama: the IRS is a constitutional right, just like the Second Amendment

White House: top Obama officials using secret email accounts a result of bad IT advice to avoid spam mail from Nigeria

Jay Carney to critics: 'Pinocchio never said anything inconsistent'

Obama: If I had a gay son, he'd look like Jason Collins

Gosnell's office in Benghazi raided by the IRS: mainstream media's worst cover-up challenge to date

IRS targeting pro-gay-marriage LGBT groups leads to gayest tax revolt in U.S. history

After Arlington Cemetery rejects offer to bury Boston bomber, Westboro Babtist Church steps up with premium front lawn plot

Boston: Obama Administration to reclassify marathon bombing as 'sportsplace violence'

Study: Success has many fathers but failure becomes a government program

US Media: Can Pope Francis possibly clear up Vatican bureaucracy and banking without blaming the previous administration?

Michelle Obama praises weekend rampage by Chicago teens as good way to burn calories and stay healthy

This Passover, Obama urges his subjects to paint lamb's blood above doors in order to avoid the Sequester



White House to American children: Sequester causes layoffs among hens that lay Easter eggs; union-wage Easter Bunnies to be replaced by Mexican Chupacabras

Time Mag names Hugo Chavez world's sexiest corpse

Boy, 8, pretends banana is gun, makes daring escape from school

Study: Free lunches overpriced, lack nutrition

Oscars 2013: Michelle Obama announces long-awaited merger of Hollywood and the State

Joe Salazar defends the right of women to be raped in gun-free environment: 'rapists and rapees should work together to prevent gun violence for the common good'

Dept. of Health and Human Services eliminates rape by reclassifying assailants as 'undocumented sex partners'

Kremlin puts out warning not to photoshop Putin riding meteor unless bare-chested

Deeming football too violent, Obama moves to introduce Super Drone Sundays instead

Japan offers to extend nuclear umbrella to cover U.S. should America suffer devastating attack on its own defense spending

Feminists organize one billion women to protest male oppression with one billion lap dances

Urban community protests Mayor Bloomberg's ban on extra-large pop singers owning assault weapons

Concerned with mounting death toll, Taliban offers to send peacekeeping advisers to Chicago

Karl Rove puts an end to Tea Party with new 'Republicans For Democrats' strategy aimed at losing elections

Answering public skepticism, President Obama authorizes unlimited drone attacks on all skeet targets throughout the country

Skeet Ulrich denies claims he had been shot by President but considers changing his name to 'Traps'

White House releases new exciting photos of Obama standing, sitting, looking thoughtful, and even breathing in and out

New York Times hacked by Chinese government, Paul Krugman's economic policies stolen

White House: when President shoots skeet, he donates the meat to food banks that feed the middle class

To prove he is serious, Obama eliminates armed guard protection for President, Vice-President, and their families; establishes Gun-Free Zones around them instead

State Dept to send 100,000 American college students to China as security for US debt obligations

Jay Carney: Al Qaeda is on the run, they're just running forward

President issues executive orders banning cliffs, ceilings, obstructions, statistics, and other notions that prevent us from moving forwards and upward

Fearing the worst, Obama Administration outlaws the fan to prevent it from being hit by certain objects

World ends; S&P soars

Riddle of universe solved; answer not understood

Meek inherit Earth, can't afford estate taxes

Greece abandons Euro; accountants find Greece has no Euros anyway

Wheel finally reinvented; axles to be gradually reinvented in 3rd quarter of 2013

Bigfoot found in Ohio, mysteriously not voting for Obama

As Santa's workshop files for bankruptcy, Fed offers bailout in exchange for control of 'naughty and nice' list

Freak flying pig accident causes bacon to fly off shelves

Obama: green economy likely to transform America into a leading third world country of the new millennium

Report: President Obama to visit the United States in the near future

Obama promises to create thousands more economically neutral jobs

Modernizing Islam: New York imam proposes to canonize Saul Alinsky as religion's latter day prophet

Imam Rauf's peaceful solution: 'Move Ground Zero a few blocks away from the mosque and no one gets hurt'

Study: Obama's threat to burn tax money in Washington 'recruitment bonanza' for Tea Parties

Study: no Social Security reform will be needed if gov't raises retirement age to at least 814 years

Obama attends church service, worships self

Obama proposes national 'Win The Future' lottery; proceeds of new WTF Powerball to finance more gov't spending

Historical revisionists: "Hey, you never know"

Vice President Biden: criticizing Egypt is un-pharaoh

Israelis to Egyptian rioters: "don't damage the pyramids, we will not rebuild"

Lake Superior renamed Lake Inferior in spirit of tolerance and inclusiveness

Al Gore: It's a shame that a family can be torn apart by something as simple as a pack of polar bears

Michael Moore: As long as there is anyone with money to shake down, this country is not broke

Obama's teleprompters unionize, demand collective bargaining rights

Obama calls new taxes 'spending reductions in tax code.' Elsewhere rapists tout 'consent reductions in sexual intercourse'

Obama's teleprompter unhappy with White House Twitter: "Too few words"

Obama's Regulation Reduction committee finds US Constitution to be expensive outdated framework inefficiently regulating federal gov't

Taking a page from the Reagan years, Obama announces new era of Perestroika and Glasnost

Responding to Oslo shootings, Obama declares Christianity "Religion of Peace," praises "moderate Christians," promises to send one into space

Republicans block Obama's $420 billion program to give American families free charms that ward off economic bad luck

White House to impose Chimney tax on Santa Claus

Obama decrees the economy is not soaring as much as previously decreeed

Conservative think tank introduces children to capitalism with pop-up picture book "The Road to Smurfdom"

Al Gore proposes to combat Global Warming by extracting silver linings from clouds in Earth's atmosphere

Obama refutes charges of him being unresponsive to people's suffering: "When you pray to God, do you always hear a response?"

Obama regrets the US government didn't provide his mother with free contraceptives when she was in college

Fluke to Congress: drill, baby, drill!

Planned Parenthood introduces Frequent Flucker reward card: 'Come again soon!'

Obama to tornado victims: 'We inherited this weather from the previous administration'

Obama congratulates Putin on Chicago-style election outcome

People's Cube gives itself Hero of Socialist Labor medal in recognition of continued expert advice provided to the Obama Administration helping to shape its foreign and domestic policies

Hamas: Israeli air defense unfair to 99% of our missiles, "only 1% allowed to reach Israel"

Democrat strategist: without government supervision, women would have never evolved into humans

Voters Without Borders oppose Texas new voter ID law

Enraged by accusation that they are doing Obama's bidding, media leaders demand instructions from White House on how to respond

Obama blames previous Olympics for failure to win at this Olympics

Official: China plans to land on Moon or at least on cheap knockoff thereof

Koran-Contra: Obama secretly arms Syrian rebels

Poll: Progressive slogan 'We should be more like Europe' most popular with members of American Nazi Party

Obama to Evangelicals: Jesus saves, I just spend

May Day: Anarchists plan, schedule, synchronize, and execute a coordinated campaign against all of the above

Midwestern farmers hooked on new erotic novel "50 Shades of Hay"

Study: 99% of Liberals give the rest a bad name

Obama meets with Jewish leaders, proposes deeper circumcisions for the rich

Historians: Before HOPE & CHANGE there was HEMP & CHOOM at ten bucks a bag

Cancer once again fails to cure Venezuela of its "President for Life"

Tragic spelling error causes Muslim protesters to burn local boob-tube factory

Secretary of Energy Steven Chu: due to energy conservation, the light at the end of the tunnel will be switched off

Obama Administration running food stamps across the border with Mexico in an operation code-named "Fat And Furious"

Pakistan explodes in protest over new Adobe Acrobat update; 17 local acrobats killed

White House: "Let them eat statistics"

Special Ops: if Benedict Arnold had a son, he would look like Barack Obama







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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.

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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.
CARBONDALE  A general election is set for next April for residents of Carbondale as seats for three members expire on the City Council.

With the general election to take place Tuesday, April 4, 2017, City Clerk Jennifer Sorrell said candidates may now place their signed nominating petitions in hopes of filling the three seats.

"Really what they need to do is to familiarize themselves with the candidate's guide on the State Board of Elections' website and the consult with an attorney before they chose to run so they understand what the requirements are and kind of get a sense of what it is that they would be signing up for," Sorrell said.

The three seats for the April 2017 election are held by City Council members Jessica Bradshaw, Lee Fronabarger and Carolin Harvey, who were elected in April 2013.

In an interview with The Southern, Bradshaw said she plans to run for re-election in April 2017 and is "interested to see who else will be caught in ring."

Harvey, whose seat will also expire in April 2017, said she too will reapply for her spot on the City Council.

Fronabarger did not return calls from The Southern.

If 13 or more applications are filed for the positions, a primary election will be Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, followed by the general election in April, Sorrell said. Successful candidates will then take office May 2 and serve as members of the City Council for four years to the May 2, 2017, date.

The seats of Carbondale Mayor Mike Henry and Council members Tom Grant, Navreet Kang and Adam Loos expire in April 2019.

Signed nominating petitions must be submitted to the City Clerk's office in Room 165 of the City Hall at 200 S. Illinois Ave. during the statutory filing period of Nov. 21 to Nov. 28  this period excludes Thanksgiving holidays, during which offices will be closed.
SPRINGFIELD  Former Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn is offering a leaner and cleaner proposal to take lawmakers out of the once-a-decade process of redrawing legislative districts after the Illinois Supreme Court last week blocked a redistricting referendum from the November ballot.

In a 4-3 decision, the states high court ruled that a proposal to amend the Illinois Constitution to create an independent redistricting commission went beyond whats allowed for a petition initiative. The proposal from the group Independent Maps, which gathered more than half a million signatures in support of its effort, would have given the state auditor general a new role in the process, but petition-driven referendums are limited to making structural and procedural changes to the General Assembly.

Quinn said during a news conference Tuesday in Chicago that his proposal was tailored to the ruling.

Im somebody who has been passing petitions in Illinois for the past 40 years, said Quinn, who led the 1980 referendum effort that reduced the size of the Legislature, the only time the Illinois Constitution has been amended through a petition drive. I believe that voters in our state should have a chance to vote not only for candidates  but also have a chance to vote on issues.

Under Quinns plan, the Supreme Court, which already has a role in the redistricting process, would appoint an 11-member commission to draw a new map every 10 years after the U.S. census. No more than six members could belong to the same political party, and seven members would have to sign off for the new map to take effect.

Quinn said he plans to reach out to Independent Maps with his idea in hopes of putting the question to voters in the 2018 election.

Independent Maps has scheduled a Wednesday morning news conference to announce its plans following last weeks Supreme Court defeat. The group has said its considering whether to ask the court for a rehearing.

Quinn, who also led a 1976 referendum effort that the high court ruled unconstitutional, likened a request for rehearing to a Hail Mary pass.

Youre on the 1-yard line and youre trying to drop back in the end zone and throw a 100-yard touchdown pass, Quinn said. Its always worth a try.  Its better to sort of study what the court said, see what the rules are, and then draft something that fits in those rules.

But Scott Szala, an adjunct professor who teaches a course on the state constitution at the University of Illinois law school, said more time is needed to determine exactly what those rules are.

Were only a few days from the Illinois Supreme Courts 4-3 decision, and I think every practitioner needs to study the opinion a few more days before necessarily deciding which way to go on any follow-up proposal, Szala said, expressing his opinion and not that of the university.

He said one potential pitfall of Quinns idea is that having the Supreme Court appoint the commissions members and rule on any legal challenges to the map they draw could create conflicts of interest.

Theres also the question of whether assigning a new task to the court would pass constitutional muster, Szala said.

Meanwhile, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and his party are making redistricting reform a major campaign issue in the lead up to the Nov. 8 election even though the question wont be on the ballot.

They accuse House Speaker Michael Madigan, who also heads the state Democratic Party, of orchestrating the effort to block the Independent Maps amendment in order protect his partys supermajorities in the General Assembly. The lawyer who challenged the proposal is an election attorney for many prominent Democrats, including Madigan.

Rauner talked about the importance of redistricting reform during an unannounced stop in Moline on Monday and in a series of TV interviews over the past two days.

People deserve to vote on the measure, he said in Moline, criticizing the court ruling, which split along party lines.

While that sentiment might sound similar to Quinns, the Illinois Republican Party was quick to dismiss the former governors proposal, noting the he signed off on the current Democratic-drawn map in 2011.

Instead of standing up for reform when he was in charge of the state, Quinn worked with Mike Madigan to rig the political system in their favor, state GOP spokesman Steven Yaffe said in a written statement. We dont need Pat Quinn to fix Pat Quinns map.
A man accused of murdering a 79-year-old St. Matthews resident is facing a new charge unrelated to the death.

Orangeburg Department of Public Safety investigators charged Edward Britt Jr., 56, of 117 South Sumter St., Columbia, with grand larceny.

ODPS officers served Britt with the warrant on Monday. Hes being held without bond at the Orangeburg County Detention Center.

The warrant alleges that on Aug. 23, Britt took a 2005 burgundy Ford Focus sedan for a test drive from Hartzog Motor Company, but never returned it.

The vehicles value is $2,210.

Calhoun County Sheriff Thomas Summers said that although deputies located the stolen vehicle in Calhoun County, the grand larceny case is not related to the shooting death of 79-year-old Franklin Parker.

Calhoun County Coroner Donnie Porth said on Tuesday that Parker was likely shot to death at 11:45 p.m. on Aug. 24.

Parker was shot multiple times in the torso and died due to excessive blood loss.

Law enforcement learned of Parkers death on Aug. 25.

Britts rap sheet is lengthy and includes one grand larceny conviction in Darlington County in 2010.

Britt currently faces three charges in Parkers death: murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a felony.
Calhoun County Sheriff Thomas Summers said that investigators are trying to learn more about a woman who allegedly dragged a puppy down Kennerly Road until it died.

A concerned citizen called law enforcement at 8:51 p.m. Friday after spotting a driver holding a rope with a puppy attached to the end of it.

The puppy quit running and was then being drug behind the vehicle, a sheriffs office incident report states.

The concerned citizen attempted to stop the driver of the vehicle and eventually the driver pulled over to the roadside.

The driver told the citizen that the dog was a good dog however he tried to bite at the grandkids on occasion, the report states.

When the citizen checked on the dog, the driver drove away.

The concerned citizen gathered the puppy and took him home, then called law enforcement.

Responding deputies noted that the mostly black dog appeared to be an 8 month-old German shepherd.

The puppy had a large laceration to his throat, flesh scraped from his feet and scrapes on his belly.

The puppy had a black collar with a small piece of knotted white rope attached to it.

Deputies drove to the area of Kennerly Road where the concerned citizen said the incident took place.

Deputies observed two blood trails that stretched one half-mile and stopped at a pool of blood.

No charges have been filed in the case at this time. It remains under investigation.

Anyone with any information on the case can contact the Calhoun County Sheriffs Office at 803-874-2741.
Fifty-three years ago, on Aug. 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave one of the most iconic speeches in American history at the March on Washington.

Kings masterful speech drew on Americas founding documents  the Constitution and Declaration of Independence  which, according to Dr. King, promised the riches of freedom and the security of justice to all Americans. The quiz below, from the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University in Ohio, provides an opportunity for you to test your knowledge of the March on Washington, Martin Luther King, Jr.s I Have a Dream Speech and the Civil Rights Movement more generally.

1. What sentence was not in Martin Luther King Jr.s final written draft of the I Have a Dream speech?

A. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.

B. I have a dream.

C. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation.

D. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off.

2. In his speech, Dr. King said that civil rights activists had come to Washington to do what?

A. Cash a check

B. Demand equal pay

C. Criticize the Kennedy administration D. Disobey unjust laws

3. The first black civil rights activist to propose a march on Washington was:

A. W.E.B. Du Bois

B. A. Philip Randolph

C. Frederick Douglass

D. Martin Luther King Jr.

4. The year 1963 marked the centennial of what historic event?

A. The end of the Civil War

B. The passage of the 13th Amendment

C. Union victory at the Battle of Antietam D. The issuance of the

Emancipation Proclamation

5. Dr. King hoped his speech would be received the same way as:

A. The Declaration of Independence

B. Frederick Douglass speech, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?

C. The Gettysburg Address

D. Abraham Lincolns Second Inaugural Address

6. Civil rights activists organized the March on Washington to:

A. Mourn the loss of Civil Rights organizer Medgar Evers B. Demand

greater employment opportunities and racial justice C. Show their

support for the Civil Rights Act then stalled in Congress D. Engage in

massive demonstrations of civil disobedience

7. Following Reconstruction, when were federal troops called to the South for the first time to enforce civil rights?

A. The integration of Little Rocks Central High School in 1957.

B. To intervene in Birmingham, Alabama, during the May 1963 Childrens Crusade.

C. To protect CORE Freedom Riders in 1961 D. To protect those participating in lunch counter sit-ins, which began in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1960.

8. Which civil rights activist argued that sit-in protests were bigger than a hamburger?

A. John Lewis

B. Ella Baker

C. Stokely Carmichael

D. Fannie Lou Hamer

9. Who is known as the sacrificial lamb of the Civil Rights Movement?

A. Malcolm X

B. Medgar Evers

C. Martin Luther King Jr.

D. Emmett Til

10. What was not a part of the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, decision?

A. The separate but equal doctrine adopted in Plessy v. Ferguson has no place in the field of public education.

B. Segregation of children in public schools on the basis of race deprives children of the minority group of equal educational opportunities.

C. Desegregation will commence with all deliberate speed.

D. Segregation in schools is a denial of the Constitutions equal protection guarantee.

ANSWERS:

1-B, 2-A, 3-B, 4-D, 5-C, 6-C, 7-A, 8-B, 9-D, 10-C
Politicians spend a good bit of their time complaining about the media. But why should they have all the fun?

Im going to join in, though I tend to get upset about different things than most sitting politicians do. You see, I dont actually mind when journalists  whether in print, on television or online  treat what politicians say with skepticism. That means theyre doing their jobs.

But this doesnt happen nearly as much these days as it should. The media today is less objective, more ideological, and much showier than it once was. What you see can be eye-catching  both the graphics and the personalities  but it is also brash and relentlessly self-promoting. A lot of journalists dont just want to report the news, they want to be players and affect policy. They see politics as a blood sport, often exaggerating the differences among players.

As one observer said, the media is drawn to "superficiality, sensationalism, scandal, and sleaze." Theyre all too happy to seize on small points of contention and fan them into major points of discord. They make building a consensus  the key task of the democratic process  much harder.

The field has been moving in this direction over decades, and theres a reason for it: All these changes have been well received by the public. They draw viewers, readers and clicks. And theyve encouraged consumers to pay attention only to the sources that reflect and broadcast their own viewpoint.

I dont want to be a fogey here. Yes, I grew up in the days of Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite, and I still think they were solid journalists, but what I miss is not the voice-of-authority-from-on-high thats so often associated with them. Instead, what I too often find lacking now is the spirit that drove the profession in those days. I think the news media had a sense of responsibility to make representative democracy function. Journalists imbued their work with a palpable sense that they were involved in a public service.

There are still really excellent journalists out there who are doing their best to serve both their profession and the country. Every day they struggle to make sense of enormously complex events. What they understand  and what I wish more of their colleagues believed  is that democracy demands journalism that improves its workings. Properly done, journalism can bridge differences, help consensus emerge, improve the knowledge and judgment of voters, and sharpen the performance of public officials and government as a whole.

In the end, the democratic process is about overcoming disagreement. This is virtually impossible without a solid base of information and analysis.

Governing well is immensely difficult, and good journalism can keep government open and honest  which serves not just the voters, but politicians who are trying to resolve the problems facing the country. Journalists can and should be watchdogs, keeping a watchful eye on politicians  what they do, what they sayand what they dont do or say. They should serve not just the elites, but the underdogs and have-nots in society.

The independence of our press was hard to win, and its vital that we sustain it. People must have sources they can rely on in order to make our system work. Our democracy needs well-informed citizens making decisions based on facts about both policies and politicians.

This means that the model of the journalist that seems to be going out of fashion  reporters who were reasonably objective, independent of outside groups, and even independent of their companys owners  is actually crucial to representative government. Curious, skeptical journalists who point out inconsistencies, draw attention to mistakes, call out misleading statements and identify outright lies serve a larger purpose: They provide citizens what they need to know in order to be a good citizen, and public officials what they need in order to do their work well.

This is quite an ideal, especially in this age of economic turmoil within the media universe. But I dont think its too much to hope that as the profession sorts out its future, it takes seriously its leadership role in advancing the public good, and doesnt sacrifice its part in making representative democracy work properly.
I make it a point of not missing the annual Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy, and this year was/is no different as it's a street pho...
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Artists come together to drink beer and make art. Participants must bring personal supplies.

Join us every Monday evening at 8 on the patio at Tractor Brewing Company in Nob Hill for ABQ Pens & Pints! Where Albuquerque artists spend quality time drinking beer and doing artwork together.

Bring any of your current art to work on, and look for the tables reserved with our logo. We do not provide any extra art supplies, so make sure to bring your own.

This is a low-key, no agenda, show-up-&-leave-whenever event, so let nothing hold you back from joining us!

The Virginia Creepers will be having their usual Monday night "Tractor Tune-Up" from 7-9, so come early if you like bluegrass, and come late if you don't!

Oh, and did we mention, Happy Hour starts at 9. Wahoo!

Like us on Facebook to get more connected + involved in the ABQ art scene!
Tuesday, August 30, 2016 at 10:35AM

Dark Boy



by ETHAN PETERSON



I Am Not A Serial Killer

dir. Billy O'Brien

104 minutes

John Wayne Cleaver (Max Records) lives above a mortuary with his mother (Laura Fraser). His father was a gregarious nincompoop who beat his mother and bailed on the family structure. He and his mother are awakened at all times of night to service the various dead of the small Minnesota town they call home. They pump bright pink embalming fluid into the bodies in order to prepare the corpses for viewing. It is a virtual certainty that after the first twenty minutes of I Am Not A Serial Killer, opting for cremation will be the first thing on your mind.

Records has a natural affability that on the surface makes him a strange choice for a role as sociopath. Whenever he gets a violent urge  like wanting to tear someone's head from their body, or torch a cat  John has a simple rule that gets him back on the golden path: he pays the person who is angering him a compliment.

His therapist Dr. Neblin (Karl Geary) loves birdwatching, the kind of eerie pastime that suggests perhaps he is the man making all the bodies turn up dead in the mortuary. Whoever is doing the killing is removing particular organs from the deceased, and Cleaver wants to put together the pieces of the puzzle. What is the killer doing that he doesn't have to do? he wonders to his soon-to-be ex-friend Max.

The answer is quite a lot. Max quickly begins to suspect his neighbor Mr. Crowley (Christopher Lloyd) of the crimes. He plants a GPS in Crowley's car and discovers him impaling a drifter with a strange weapon on a frozen-over lake. Yes, it is self-defense, but why doesn't Crowley report the situation?

In high school, Cleaver is mostly ostracized except for the attentions of Brooke (the promising young actress Lucy Lawton). He is not much of a target for bullies whoever, who he threatens and frightens with dismemberment. They become the bullied ones, and report his language to the school. His mother tries to discipline him, but she can't think of any punishment he would either not enjoy or isn't already meting out on himself.

It is actually hard to believe that Cleaver is a sociopath, since he is aware that he does not have the feelings he should, which means on some level he is actually experiencing the correct response to events. He is utterly baffled at Brooke's attentions and can think only of what her head would look like on a stick.

Dan Wells wrote the novel series that the film of I Am Not A Serial Killer is based on. He couldn't wait to get his central character out of high school, since even he seems uncomfortable with the idea of a cold-blooded murderer around all these helpless children. I Am Not A Serial Killer is surprisingly uncontroversial for being a story which could push so many buttons in the contemporary climate. It almost feels like John Wayne Cleaver is the guy who went up the beanstock.

The novels themselves are sadly pretty terrible; without spoiling what Christopher Lloyd is revealed as being, it is a revelation that works a lot better in this adaptation than it ever did in the books. I Am Not A Serial Killer never becomes the slightest bit scary or threatening; it is the most feel good story about a sociopath hunting another serial killer ever conceived.

Maybe that's all for the best, as this lack of tension allows second-time director Billy O'Brien to focus on the more subtle moments. How Cleaver approachs and feeds a fire, talks to his mother, sister and aunt are all given far more time than they would in the Hollywood version of this. O'Brien does a fantastic job making I Am Not A Serial Killer look like a first class production despite working with the equivalent of the catering budget on a Dwayne Johnson movie.

Christopher Lloyd himself makes a big difference. His casting in the Back to the Future series was in some sense a shame, since he was just 47 when he played Doc Brown and he was only cast as an old man for decades afterwards. As Crowley, Lloyd is clearly having great fun lurching around, making his movements just unnatural enough to where he becomes entirely alien and yet nowhere near as threatening as the protagonist himself.

For his birthday Cleaver's father sends an mp3 player but forgets to fill it with all the songs of John's childhood. He is really upset by this, and tries to think of what personal rule against violence he can break. He never goes through with it, never scares us by doing anything a sociopath actually would. He's the dark boy who cried wolf.

Ethan Peterson is the senior contributor to This Recording. He is a writer living in New York.
By Azernews





By Laman Ismayilova

"Cultural heritage" exhibition has wrapped up in Baku, Trend Life reported.

The exhibition was organized by ASAN Volunteers with the financial support of the Youth Foundation under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The event also featured excursions to famous landmarks, theaters and museums, where guests of the event were able to estimate the rich cultural heritage of the Land of Fire.

The project helps to enhance the role of youth in promotion and preservation of national cultural heritage as well as to attract the attention of a new generation to theater, art and culture.

ASAN Volunteers was established in 2009. The main mission of the organization is to support young generation and create opportunities for volunteers to improve their self- development.

Seeing voluntary work as a culture of movement, service develops opportunities for learning, inspiration and action to induce social change.
By Azertac





Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order providing additional funding for the construction of Liman-Narimanabad-Baliqchilar highway in the city of Lankaran.





Under the presidential order, 900,000 manats were allocated from the 2016 State Budget for the completion of the construction of the road, which links three residential areas with the total population of 10,000 people.
By Azernews





By Gunay Hasanova

Russian President Vladimir Putin is not planning to visit Turkey any time soon, said Dmitry Peskov, Russian presidential spokesman on August 29, RIA Novosti reported.

"No, this information is not true, there are no such plans for the nearest future, said Peskov, answering the question whether the Russian leader is going to visit Turkey.

The crisis in relations between Turkey and Russia began after the incident with the downed Russian plane. After the incident, the Russian president signed a decree on measures to ensure national security and launch special economic measures against Turkey.

The relations began to recover after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to his Russian counterpart, where he expressed condolences to the family of the deceased pilot of SU-24 and regret over the incident with the Russian aircraft.

Later, after months of enmity between the two countries the Presidents of Turkey and Russia met in St. Petersburg on August 9.

The meeting between Erdogan and Putin moved the relations between Turkey and Russia to a new positive direction and served as the beginning of restoration of axis of friendship and clean slate between Ankara and Moscow.

Different aspects of further cooperation in the spheres of energy, trade and investment were discussed at the meeting.
By Azernews





By Nigar Abbasova

Turkmenistan, an energy-rich Central Asian nation with abundant hydrocarbon reserves, is keen to diversify the routes of its gas export. Being the sixth in the world for the volume of natural gas reserves, the former Soviet republic is considering Europe as one of the most promising markets for the supply of energy resources and continuously studies opportunities for entering it.

Turkmenistan is discussing diversifying its gas exports and selling gas to European Union countries, Turkmen President said Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on August 29.

Turkmenistan has been in talks with the EU countries on the deliveries of Turkmen gas to Europe since 2011.

The Turkmen president said his country was also hoping to sell gas to Europe and had been in discussions with EU leaders to resolve legal and technical issues.

We in Turkmenistan are interested in delivering our energy resources to the West, Berdimuhamedov said, adding that his government had presented the European Commission with proposals for how to proceed.

We hope that Germany, which is a respected and authoritative member of the EU, will further render its support in this regards, he said, underlining that there are a lot of legislative issues that depend on the EU.

Merkel, in turn, said she hopes remaining obstacles could be resolved soon to allow gas imports from Turkmenistan.

I hope the problems that still exist can be overcome, she said.

The Turkmen gas deliveries to the EU would come via the Caspian Sea, which will also require approval by Russia and Iran.

A project on construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline through the Caspian Sea to the coast of Azerbaijan is considered to be the most optimal and promising project for delivery of Turkmen resources to the European market. Then Turkmen fuel can be delivered to Turkey, which borders with European countries.

Energy-rich Turkmenistan, producing about 70-80 billion cubic meters of gas a year, is interested in the construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline, as it will create an additional guarantee for the reliable and stable export of Turkmen energy resources to international markets.

Azerbaijan is also interested in the construction of the Trans-Caspian Pipeline as it can get huge benefits from the transportation the Turkmen gas via its territory. The country has repeatedly voiced its readiness for the allocation of its territory, transit opportunities and infrastructure for the implementation of the project, the length of which is expected to reach 300 km.

Most of Turkmenistan's proven gas reserves are located in the Amu Darya basin in the south-east and in the Murgab South Caspian basins in the western part of the country. The Central Asian country has also been lately engaging in gas talks with China, India and Afghanistan.
A comprehensive new plan to overhaul public school education in the UAE has been approved by Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.



The plan, developed by the Ministry of Education, aims to revise the curriculum, enhance skills, introduce new subjects and streams, further enrich learning and enhance the evaluation systems both for schools and students, said a Wam report.



HH Sheikh Mohammed reviewed the plan at the headquarters of the Ministry of Education yesterday (August 29). He was received by Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education; Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs; Jameela bint Salem Al Muhairi, Minister of State for Public Education; and Dr Ahmad bin Abdulla Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Higher Education.



The new curriculum will cover technology, innovative design, health sciences, career guidance, general skills and business management.



A special elite stream designed to nurture gifted students will be introduced. In addition, a new system to evaluate students through mid-year and end-of-year exams will be implemented, the report said.



As part of the new plan, the curriculum will be gradually made bilingual and have a specific focus on deepening the students national identity and building their critical thinking and innovation skills as well as developing teamwork and problem solving capabilities using innovative information and communication technology.



With the support of 19 specialised local and international bodies, the new comprehensive plan seeks to develop a new integrated kindergarten curriculum, a new policy for evaluation of kindergarten schools that involves parents, and an integrated reading programme for students of all grades. International partnerships will also be established to develop new mathematics and science textbooks.



Syllabuses for subjects such as history, geography, economy and social studies will be integrated into one core curriculum. The mathematics curriculum will be developed to ensure it is on par with international standards. A new course on information technology and programming will be introduced both in primary and secondary schools. The English syllabus, which will follow the Cambridge English curriculum, will be overseen by specialists from both the UAE Ministry of Education and Cambridge University.



The new comprehensive development plan also includes the development of a training centre focused on developing teachers skills in line with current international standards.



HH Sheikh Mohammed directed teachers and parents to work together in implementing the school education development plan. He said that the progress of all plans to boost the education sector is being monitored by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan together with him and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.



He said schools are where the future begins and called on everybody to fulfill their responsibilities towards the new generation.



"We are counting on the teachers and the Ministry of Education to help school education make a great leap forward," Sheikh Mohammed said, stressing that developing education is a vital task that requires focus and perseverance. "There is no room for excuses," he said. "We look forward to developing a new generation of students that is equipped to use the tools of the future," he added.



The new plan is guided by the strategic objectives outlined by the Ministry of Education to improve learning outcomes and strengthen the partnership between the private and public education sectors as well as expand research and development in education in the UAE.
The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have funded a new major regional programme to empower young Arab women scientists and leaders in agricultural research and development.



Launched by the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), the design phase will lay the groundwork for the Young Arab Women Scientists Leadership (Tamkeen) Programme, the first of its kind in the Mena region.



The programme will help to build and improve skills and capacities of a new generation of young Arab women scientists and leaders, contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goal on gender equality and women's empowerment.



Dr Ismahane Elouafi, director general of ICBA, said: "Women are keepers and developers. They do deserve and require more opportunities. That is why in this Programme we wanted to give priority to equipping women, namely women scientists, with necessary knowledge, skills and tools so that they can realize their full potential and contribute more to their countries' economies."



The past few decades have seen a considerable increase in the number of women scientists and leaders working in agricultural research in both industrialized and developing countries.



However, empirical evidence shows that there is a disproportionately low number of women working in senior scientific and managerial positions, especially in the Mena region.



Women scientists face a wide range of barriers ranging from family and social expectations to limited networking opportunities to lack of targeted leadership programmes. These challenges limit women's opportunities for advancement into senior positions.



"IsDB pays significant attention to the role of women in development. Therefore, improving the skills of Arab women scientists in agricultural research is a step in the right direction, stated Dr Osman El-Feil, director, Agriculture and Rural Development Department, IsDB.



We believe that empowering women with the right skills in agricultural research will contribute to alleviating poverty and making food available to the poor. We will work with our partners to ensure that skill acquisition in our member countries is barrier free.



Hassan Al-Damluji, head of Middle East Relations at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said: "At the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we are incredibly optimistic about the role science can play in driving change for the world's poorest people. We are also determined to ensure that women are front and center in all aspects of development work, and that includes women scientists creating new solutions to food security challenges. That is why we are so excited about our partnership with ICBA and the Programme that this grant will help to design."



The design phase will serve to identify the barriers and challenges facing young Arab women scientists working in agricultural research and development, as well as knowledge and skills they need to advance their careers. ICBA will assess leadership and innovation modules of agricultural science programmes, as well as the needs of women scientists in the Mena region, focusing on nine Arab countries (Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates).



The findings will inform the Programme that will help to improve leadership opportunities for women scientists in agricultural research institutions throughout the Mena region and increase knowledge exchange and active peer/mentor networks for Arab women scientists.



The Programme will also help to identify and empower groups of women champions and build a critical mass of pathfinders, visionary leaders, and change agents, ultimately contributing to better and more women-centered solutions for improved food security and nutrition in the Mena region.



The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) is an international, non-profit organization that aims to strengthen agricultural productivity in marginal and saline environments through identifying, testing and facilitating access to sustainable solutions for food, nutrition and income security.  TradeArabia News Service
Sany Port Machinery, a company specialised in manufacturing port machinery, recently exported 31 mobile port machines, valued at almost $7.5 million, to King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.



This is the largest mobile port machinery order the company has ever fulfilled, said a statement from Sany Port Machinery, a subsidiary of Sany Group.



Sany will provide 10T - 46T forklifts, reach stackers and container handlers, as well as special attachments for handling bulk cargo such as steel pipes and steel coils, it said.



"Sany Port Machinery is extremely reliable and engineered to meet local customer needs," said Sany Port Machinery's Middle East regional manager. "Sany and its local dealers work together to deliver timely and reliable service to our customers. Our efforts to ensure that we provide efficient part delivery has earned us recognition from our customers and led to the success of our business."



Sany Port Machinery was established in 2010 and has since become a global leader in the development and manufacture of high-performance logistics equipment. It has established two world-class manufacturing plants in Changsha and Zhuhai, China. At these locations Sany engineers more than 150 models of mobile port machinery, large port machinery, and marine equipment.



Since 2011, the number of Sany machines used at ports and in container yards in Saudi Arabia has risen from 8 to nearly 100. The company has used a strong network of dealers to distribute machinery and promote its brand throughout Saudi Arabia. As a result, Sany now holds a 35 per cent market share for mobile port machinery in the country.



Two Sany post-Panamax container cranes and a rubber-tired gantry crane are used at the Yanbu Commercial Port on the East Coast of the Red Sea.



Sany's STS6101, a ship-to-shore container crane, has been stationed at one of the most significant seaports in Saudi Arabia, the Port of Jeddah, since 2015. This port links the East-West trade routes, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
Andre Borschberg, chairman and co-pilot of the Solar Impulse Project, the solar airplane that completed a circumnavigation of the world in July 2016, will provide the plenary address at the 11th Annual GPCA Forum, in Dubai, UAE.



Hosted by the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA), the conference will be held from November 27 to 29, 2016.



Dr Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun, secretary general, GPCA, said: The Solar Impulse project represents the very best aspects of innovation across the energy value chain.



While the planes journey was fully powered by the sun, the design and weight of the planedependent on the use of cutting-edge chemical technologies  ensured that the jet plane sized vehicle was as light as a car, and therefore resulted in energy efficiency measures that were unthinkable a decade ago, he said.



Through the development of this project, Borschberg has gathered partners in renewable energy, utilities and the chemical industry to create a truly unique venture that demonstrates that inter-industry collaboration can achieve great things, he added.



Advanced plastic composite, derivatives of oil and gas, where extensively used in the development of the project, allowing the plane to be light, agile and durable, explained Dr Al Sadoun.



He further stated that the body of the plane was made up of carbon fibre polymer, a cousin of plastic; the insulation materials consisted of polyurethane, while the windows are made from polycarbonate sheets.



Abu Dhabis Masdar is one of the major sponsors of the project, reflecting its focus on promoting renewable energy



Dr Al Sadoun said: This project encapsulates the GPCA Forums theme of Competitiveness: Riding New Waves perfectly.



We are honoured to host Borschberg, and hope that this project will inspire other leaders to engage in innovative projects like this one, he concluded.



Borschberg said: Solar Impulse is a demonstration of energy efficiency and smart energy management, similar to a flying smart grid. Initially the aviation industry told us it was impossible to build such an airplane, but we believed we could do it thanks to all our partners technologies.



The round-the-world solar flight proved that change is possible when we have the right mind set and are not afraid to push the limits. Today, Solar Impulse is more than a demonstration-- it is a confirmation that these technologies are truly dependable and reliable, he added.



The Annual GPCA Forum will gather local and global leaders across every aspect of the energy industry to discuss, debate and chart strategies that will impact the sectors future, said a statement.



This years conference will commence with speeches from Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and chief executive officer of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), and Amin H Nasser, president and chief executive officer of Saudi Aramco, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service


The US and India have signed an agreement governing the use of each other's land, air and naval bases for repair and resupply, a step toward building defence ties as they seek to counter the growing maritime assertiveness of China.



The agreement, a relatively mundane one concerning day-to-day military logistics, is nonetheless a milestone in the US-India defence relationship because of the outsized political importance it had taken on in India, where it had touched on domestic sensitivities, experts said.



The signing of the agreement will "make the logistics of joint operations so much easier and so much more efficient," US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a news briefing with Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.



The agreement will allow the Indian and US navies to have an easier time supporting each other in joint operations and exercises and when providing humanitarian assistance, Parrikar said.



Washington's desire for deeper security cooperation with India had been complicated without the signing of the logistics agreement as well as two other pacts that would allow for secure communications and the exchange of nautical and other data. The agreements are considered routine between the US and its other defence partners.



But India has had concerns such an agreement would commit it to hosting US troops at its bases, or draw it into a military alliance with the US and undermine its traditional autonomy. Carter and Parrikar reached an agreement "in principle" in April, but had yet to finalise the details.



Carter has made closer military ties with India a priority, and established a special unit within the Pentagon last year to promote cooperation with that country. Parrikar's visit to Washington this week marks the sixth interaction between the two top defense officials.



The signing of the logistics agreement indicates the priority the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi places on a closer defence relationship with the US, said Benjamin Schwartz, until last year the India country director at the Pentagon.



"For years, there has been tremendous misinformation put out into the Indian press about these agreements," said Schwartz, now with the US-India Business Council, which promotes trade ties between the two countries.



"What the signing of this shows is that the Modi government is willing to take and suffer the short-term political criticism of signing these things for the longer-term benefit of building the defence relationship with the United States."



Both Carter and Parrikar went to pains on Monday to make clear that the logistics agreement did not allow for basing of US troops in India.



"It's not a basing agreement of any kind," Carter said.



The debate over the logistics agreement had served as a vehicle for the distrust some of India's political class has towards the United States, said Shane Mason, a research associate at the Stimson Center. The United States had previously imposed sanctions on India related to its 1998 nuclear test, although the sanctions were eased later.



"From the US perspective this was kind of a low hanging fruit," Mason said. "We have logistic support agreements with many, many other countries and in most cases it's a relatively uncontroversial thing."



The US military has made clear it wants to do more with India, especially in countering China, which US officials say is risking stoking conflict through its claims in the South China Sea, a vital trade waterway.



Without naming China, both Carter and Parrikar mentioned the importance of the free flow of trade to both countries.



"India and the United States have a shared interest in freedom of navigation and overflight and unimpeded commerce as part of rule-based order in (the) Indo-Pacific," Parrikar said.



China hoped cooperation between India and the United States would be "constructive and positive" for the region's peace and stability and development, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters at a regular briefing on Tuesday.



"So, we look favorably on this sort of normal relationship between India and the United States," Hua said. - Reuters
The Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG), a research and teaching institution specialised in public policy in the Arab world, today launched a book titled The India Connection during a ceremony organised at the Convention Tower of Dubai World Trade Centre.



Based on entrepreneurship, innovation and cultural diversity in the UAEs labour market and their impact on sustainable economic development, the book highlights the experiences of Indian entrepreneurs in the UAE through case studies and interviews.

The special launch event was attended by Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of State for Tolerance; the Consul-General of India to the UAE, Anurag Bhushan; Dr Ali Sebaa Al Marri, executive president, MBRSG; and the authors of the book Dr Immanuel Azaad Moonesar, assistant professor at MBRSG, and Dr Melodena Stephens Balakrishnan, associate professor at the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD).

Among the attendees were a number of leading Indian entrepreneurs whose experiences have served as case studies in the book and research experts.

Sheikha Lubna stressed the importance of academic publications that study the evolution of investment trends across different periods in the UAEs history.

She said: Since the establishment of the UAE, our founding father late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan realised the importance of developing strong foreign relations especially with countries that have a significant impact - geographically, culturally, economically and politically - on the UAE, such as India. Sheikh Zayeds visit to India in 1975 helped establish growing and prosperous synergies between our two countries.

She added: Today our bilateral relationship has strengthened. The UAE has ratified an increasing number of cooperation agreements with India in the political, cultural, and economic arenas, among others. We look forward to seeing more research conducted on this historic relationship between the two countries that will go a long way in ensuring the sustainability of this relationship and help us identify best ways for future cooperation. I am confident that the UAEs appealing investment environment  strategically developed over the past few years  as well as its tolerant culture that welcomes all nationalities and provides them with opportunities for success and stability, offer great scope for future studies on similar success stories with regard to other nationalities working and living in the UAE, she said.



The book is part of a series titled Actions and Insights that discusses Mena affairs. The series is published by the University of Wollongong in Dubai in collaboration with the International Business Academy in the Middle East and North Africa. The publication series turns the scanner on young human capital in emerging countries and its role in overcoming the current challenges in the field of business and international trade. It also points out that youth are the hope for a country to step-up its adoption of modern market concepts, such as innovation.

In compiling The India Connection researchers delved deep into the stories of entrepreneurs from the Indian community who settled in and founded successful businesses in the UAE. They have also attempted to study the gradual shift of the centre of world economy from the West to the East - a phenomenon that has occupied the attention of experts and policy makers worldwide and one that merits ongoing monitoring.

For his part, H.E. Dr Ali Sebaa Al Marri, said this book stands as another testimony about the historic friendship between Dubai and India.

Sanjay Verma, former Indian Consul General in Dubai, said in his introduction to the book that the UAE accounts for 77 per cent of Indias exports to the region, with over 26,000 Indian companies registered with Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The total number of functional Indian companies in Dubai exceeds 50,000.  TradeArabia News Service
Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the international financial centre in Abu Dhabi, has appointed Lord McGhie as a judge to Abu Dhabi Global Market Courts (ADGM Courts).



Lord McGhie will preside over cases in the Small Claims Division of the Court of First Instance.



Utilising his extensive expertise and experience in modernising court procedures and enhancing litigants access to all forms of dispute resolution, Lord McGhie will ensure that cases before the Small Claims Division are dealt with fairly, efficiently and economically and in accordance with the streamlined and simplified procedures that apply in that division.



Lord McGhie will also have the support and assistance of innovative technology to implement ADGM Courts policy of maximum use of electronic services for all cases, including for case management conferences and, where appropriate, trials.



Commenting on the appointment, Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, chairman of ADGM, said: The appointment of Lord McGhie to ADGM Courts has again strengthened ADGMs judicial capacity. The chief justice and judges of ADGM Courts bring with them vast experience and expertise to the resolution of civil and commercial disputes, thus reaffirming ADGMs commitment to instituting a world class and robust legal framework for the many organisations that are establishing a business presence in our international financial centre.



Lord David Hope, Chief Justice of Abu Dhabi Global Market Courts, said: Lord McGhies appointment is a very welcome development for ADGM Courts. His experience and background, particularly in reforming court procedures and assisting self-represented litigants and solicitor advocates in understanding dispute resolution before a court, will serve the needs of the community well and again demonstrates our commitment to providing a service for the resolution of disputes that is of the highest quality.



Lord McGhie was appointed to the joint posts of chairman of the Scottish Land Court and president of the Land Tribunal for Scotland in 1996, where he remained until his retirement in 2012. Since 2012, he has been sitting as a part-time judge in the Inner House of the Court of Session  the Scottish civil appeal court. - TradeArabia News Service


The Smart Dubai Office hosted 30 MBA students from the International Institute of Management Development (IMD), Switzerland for an interactive workshop held at His Highness the Rulers Court.



The one-hour workshop included Dr Aisha Bin Bishr, director general of the Smart Dubai Office sharing an overview of the office, its current initiatives and future plans.



Wesam Lootah, CEO, Smart Dubai Government Establishment, also shared updates on the Smart Dubai Platform, the new digital backbone of Dubai, announced in partnership with du earlier this year.



Lootah elaborated on how the platform will unite infrastructure, data, city services and applications for the first time, becoming the central operating system for the city.



Being an alumni myself, hosting current IMD students for this workshop was an incredibly fulfilling experience for me. The enthusiasm and curiosity exhibited by the students about what we are doing through Smart Dubai and the impact our work will have on the city of the future, was both gratifying and inspiring. I hope the students will learn from our approach, always putting peoples happiness first, and apply this in their own careers, wherever their paths may lead. said Dr Bin Bishr.



Students, business leaders and entrepreneurs are vital to the success of our smart transformation. Engaging with the IMD students today was a perfect example of how these workshops can enhance the short and long-term impact of our work. The Smart Dubai Platform will be even better for the whole city, thanks to our discussion today. I look forward to many more such opportunities, to share our journey and engage in discussions with our community, said Lootah.



Smart Dubai is a unique leading initiative not only in the region but across the world. Dubai has designed an impressive unified strategy to stimulate and channel innovation and technology in service of its citizens. IMD MBA students from more than 30 nationalities visited the Smart Dubai Government Establishment to learn and to enjoy a dialogue with HE Dr Aisha Bin Bishr and her team. This will give our MBAs the chance to gain insights about how city-wide smart transformation impacts the quality of life of citizens and their happiness, said Dr Hischam El-Agamy of IMD Business School. - TradeArabia News Service


The Iraqi government and the Kurdish regional authorities agreed to start talks to resolve a dispute on oil revenue-sharing that is holding back the nation's crude exports, according to a statement from the Iraqi prime minister's office.



The statement was published after a meeting in Baghdad between Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Nechirvan Barzani, prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government.



Iraq's oil ministry said on Friday it would consider selling crude through Iran should talks with the autonomous Kurds about oil exported by pipeline through their region from the northern Kirkuk fields to Turkey fail.



"The meeting dealt with issues related to oil production and distribution from the field of Kirkuk and the region" of Kurdistan, the statement said. "It was agreed to start technical talks" between the oil ministries of the two sides.



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 re-route 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.



Iraq's state-run North Oil Company resumed pumping crude through the Kurdish-controlled pipeline to Turkey earlier this month as "a sign of goodwill" to invite the Kurds to start negotiations, Deputy Oil Minister Fayadh al-Nema said in an interview with Reuters on Friday.



But the flow of crude extracted from Kirkuk by North Oil and pumped in the pipeline has been running at about 75,000 bpd since, or half the rate before it was halted in March, he said. It would only be increased if there is an agreement, he added.



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.  Reuters
Iran has signed seven new initial agreements with foreign oil companies, Ali Kardor, managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), was quoted as saying by the oil ministry's news agency Shana on Tuesday.



The contracts to study Iranian oilfields were signed with firms including Austria's OMV, France's Total , Germany's Wintershall, Indonesia's Pertamina, Russia's Lukoil and Zarubezhneft, he said.



Iran needs foreign investment to repair and upgrade its oil and gas fields and is also seeking the transfer of technology to its oil industry after a decade of isolation.



Many Western and Asian oil firms are still waiting for Tehran to unveil oil and gas contracts (IPCs) with new terms.  Reuters
With high levels of disposal income, world-leading internet and smartphone penetration, and changing consumer preferences, the GCC has the potential to become the worlds fastest growing e-commerce playground, a report said.



Currently, the e-commerce market in the region is much smaller compared to mature markets with similar economic fundamentals, added the report titled Getting in on the GCC E-commerce Game from A T Kearney, a global management consulting firm.



With an estimated market size of $5.3 billion in 2015, e-commerce contributes only about 0.4 per cent to the regions GDP  a miniscule amount which is 4-8 times lower than other comparable markets.



According to the report, there are several obstacles preventing e-commerce in the GCC region from reaching its potential, including consumer trust and awareness, gaps in payment systems, distribution and logistical infrastructure, government policies, data security and fraud. Furthermore, e-commerce offerings from the retailer side are also lacking.



The A T Kearney study reveals 34 per cent of major GCC retailers have an e-commerce channel, compared to 58 per cent in the US. However, there are significant opportunities to overcome these challenges and facilitate growth in the sector, with the study expecting, the market to quadruple its value to $20 billion by 2020 if the right set of enablers are put in place.



Laurent Viviez, partner, A T Kearney said: We expect the growth of e-commerce in the GCC to transform the future of businesses, economics and lives across the region  but only with the right set of enablers in place. And it doesnt rule out traditional retailers, who can be on the winning side of e-commerce by adopting an omni-channel approach. We see the future for the sector as not digital-only but physical with digital  traditional retailers can really tap into this.



The report states that online payments and wary shoppers are among the biggest factors holding back e-commerce growth in GCC. As a result of these factors, 60 per cent of online orders are still paid in cash at the point of delivery. Cash on delivery is not only expensive for retailers as they bear transaction and cash transportation risks, but also affects negatively impacts cash flow.



This should be a focus area for retailers as they select best payment options to ensure transaction security as well as enjoyable customer experience. They need to form payment ecosystems to ensure interoperability, and forge strategic partnerships with the best-of-breed providers that are already active in this space and also enable mobile-based payments collaborating with telecom players and taking advantage of the regions high mobile penetration, said Adel Belcaid, principal, A T Kearney.



With opportunities galore, it is prime time for the GCC to take the plunge and drive growth in its e-commerce sector. As consumers become more tech-savvy and embrace e-commerce, e-tailers will have the first-mover advantage. Traditional retailers that took a wait-and-see-approach will need to act now to reserve a share of this fast-growing market.  TradeArabia News Service
In an era when getting on an airplane is not only feasible but also practical, road trips seem passe. But what if you are told road-trips are flexible, can be taken at any time of the year, and are much more cost-effective than elaborate vacations?



Leading holiday booking portal HolidayMe.com has listed four road trips travellers can take with friends and/or family within GCC countries.



 Abu Dhabi, UAE  Al Gharbia, UAE

Distance: (Via Abu Dhabi - Ghweifat International Hwy/E11) 236 km,

Approx. time: 3 hours 30 minutes



Travellers lookinh to experience UAEs most adventurous off-road driving can head to Al Gharbia, the municipal region of Abu Dhabi. The three and half hours long journey offers incredibly dramatic scenery including the magnificent sight of the largest dunes, this side of the Sahara. Along its hundreds of kilometres long coastline are fabulous beaches and islands while its revered history is encompassed with myriad of ancient forts. Al Gharbia is sparsely populated and also home to UAEs rarest wildlife. If the trip is planned well, holidaymakers could attend a falconry festival or the Liwa Date Festival.



 Bahrain to Kuwait

Distance: (Via Route 95) 494 Km,

Time: 4 hours 45 mins



Spectacular views on the way aided by a uber smooth drive and lip-smacking food, a road trip from Bahrain to Kuwait promises all of it and so much more! The promise begins with grand views of the sea in the very first lap of the journey from Bahrain to Kuwait. Imagine 25 kms of super smooth drive, thanks to the King Fahad Causeway, with breath-taking views. Make sure to carry all the relevant documents  right from identification papers to car documents. Once in Kuwait, feast on a local fish speciality zbey-di, a delightful variety served fresh almost only in Kuwait. Visitors could also go shopping at one of oldest and traditional markets in downtown Kuwait, El Mbarkeya souq, as well as explore the museums, parks and malls of this beautiful city.



 Doha, Qatar  Zekreet, Qatar

Distance: (Via Dukhan Highway) 81.4 km,

Time: 1 hours 10 mins



Take an exhilarating road trip from the capital city of Qatar, Doha to Zekreet village, and be greeted by the prehistoric bird creature -Ostrich sprinting along beside you. The ostrichs roam-free farm of Zekreet is the biggest in the region. Drive a little further and youll find the Oryx farm. Travellers can visit and view the royal deer-like creatures with their typical sloping horns. That is not all - Zekreet is also home to amazing rock formations and views.



 Amman to Wadi Rum

Distance: (Via Desert Highway) 326.5 Kms,

Time: 4 hours



If road-tripping the entire country in the span of two weeks seems impossible, then travellers should take a trip up to Wadi Rum or the valley of Moon, a 74000-hectare property, from Jordan's capital city  Amman.



This protected valley boasts of lofty sandstone mountains, rugged river beds and steep gorges, all coated in a kaleidoscope of natural rock colors right from faint pinks to vivid reds. It takes roughly 4 hours to arrive at Wadi entrance. Holidaymakers can opt for a guided tour, a popular way to explore this gorgeous set up. A typical two-hour tour includes being driven in a 4X4 with a bedouin driver, a 30-minute camel ride and a visit to Bedouin tent to meet the friendly locals. - TradeArabia News Service


Meet award-winning artisans and buy their products at Kerala Arts and Crafts Village
Mills Mayor Marrolyce Wilson has resigned her office, months after allegations arose that she tried to stymie an investigation into possible embezzlement by the towns treasurer.

The towns interim treasurer, Dawn Kopp, confirmed Tuesday that Wilson submitted a resignation letter. Kopp did not explain why Wilson had offered her resignation and declined to provide a copy of the letter to the Star-Tribune because Wilson has not yet left office.

Wilsons registration is effective Thursday.

Wyomings Division of Criminal Investigation accused Wilson of being uncooperative during interviews with state agents, allegedly covering her ears with her hands during an interview and discouraging town employees from cooperating with the investigation.

Wilson subsequently released a statement saying she cooperated fully and will continue to cooperate fully with the investigation into the alleged embezzlement.

Treasurer Lisa Whetstone is charged with embezzling more than $64,000 of city funds that she was supposed to deposit into a government bank account. In June, she pleaded not guilty to felony theft and failing to account for public property.

Whetstone faces up to 15 years in prison. She is free on bond pending trial but has been placed on administrative leave by Wilson. Prosecutors allege she spent embezzled funds on credit card payments and personal expenses.

Wilson was first elected in 2012 after four town officials, including the mayor, resigned.Wilson was reelected in 2014. During her tenure, she oversaw new development and reasserted the towns growth boundaries. She generated controversy after passing over the chosen successor of the towns retiring police chief in favor of a less experienced officer.
A Casper man is facing felony charges for allegedly striking his stepdaughter in the face with a shoe and smoking methamphetamine around her, court documents show.

Daniel J. Fisher pleaded not guilty Tuesday to child abuse, child endangering with meth and possession of meth and marijuana. He faces up to 12 years in prison.

Fisher has been released from jail on bond.

A Natrona County sheriffs deputy responded April 25 to Mountain View Elementary School after the victim told a school counselor about the alleged abuse, according to court documents. The deputy saw red marks on the girls right cheek and below her right eye.

The girl, who was born in 2008, was taken into protective custody and was interviewed the next day at the Childrens Advocacy Project, the documents state. She told the interviewer that on April 24, her stepdad became upset with her for not cleaning her room. She said Fisher slapped her in the face and then picked up a shoe and struck her in the right eye with it.

Also during the interview, the girl said her parents would often smoke drugs in the house, according to the documents.

Deputies searched the familys home that day and found marijuana and methamphetamine in the couples bedroom, the documents state.
After slicing nearly $250 million from Wyoming agencies budgets, Gov. Matt Mead will not make any new cuts to state government between now and the January legislative session, he said Tuesday.

Mead cautioned during a news conference that if the Legislature implements new cuts, that would likely result in layoffs of state employees. Fewer than 10 state workers lost their jobs in the last round of cuts, announced in late June.

The governor also said he opposed raising taxes on wind energy, groceries and property  ideas that have been bandied about by lawmakers to increase revenues.

Mead told reporters the solution to the states revenue slump from declining oil, gas and coal production is dipping into state savings.

The governor said he is not pushing lawmakers into a corner, forcing them to make tough decisions on their watch rather than his own.

I am not trying to play a game of chicken, he said. But Ill just say the cuts need to be viewed in the same way as additional taxes are: How are we going to use the rainy day fund? Before you cut this program that affects my community, my state, my family  what is the rainy day fund for?

A panel of economists and number-crunchers representing the legislative and executive branches is expected to release a report in October that will project revenues from minerals, which the state heavily relies upon to fund government.

I will not make additional cuts before the session as I did in June, depending on the October CREG, Mead said, referring to the panel, the Consensus Revenue Estimating Group. I may make recommendations for additional cuts for the Legislature. But I will not make those cuts until the Legislature meets.

The cuts Mead announced in late June are being felt throughout the state. He said his office has received calls from concerned members of the public about the elimination of people and programs.

If we have to make additional cuts  I think that would require layoffs, he said. And so it is yet another reason that Ive said Im not going to make more cuts before the Legislature meets.

Mead said lawmakers are also likely receiving calls from constituents who are concerned about the cuts.

Its not just painful to those individual people, its services they provide to the state of Wyoming, he said.

At $1.8 billion, the states rainy day fund is the largest in the country relative to general fund expenses. In March, the Legislature agreed to tap into it and spend about $221 million to balance the $3 billion, two-year budget. That means by June 2018, the fund will hold about $1.6 billion.

Mead had recommended the Legislature spend more of the rainy day fund.

Before we go that route (of more cuts), I think we need to continue to look at the rainy day fund  how were going to use that? Whats the appropriate amount to use, recognizing the cuts are felt by all of Wyoming? he said.

Mead said he will continue to push lawmakers to accept federal money to expand Medicaid expansion to 20,000 low-income adults if Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton is elected to the White House. Clinton has said she will continue to support the Affordable Care Act. Republican Donald Trump said he will get rid of the law and replace it with another set of reforms.

Last week, Mead said he told state agency directors to prepare for further budget cuts. But on Tuesday, he clarified he does not expect those cuts to happen before the Legislature convenes in January and that he doesnt believe there should be cuts.

Rep. Steve Harshman, R-Casper, said that the longer the state delays cuts, the deeper they will be. Harshman is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, the first committee to adopt the state budget.

If he made cuts in October, were only into the budget a few months, he said, referring to Wyomings fiscal year beginning July 1. But if he waits for us, itll be March, April. You lose five or six more months.

Harshman doubts the Legislature will increase taxes. Although lawmakers are sensitive to layoffs, cuts may be needed, depending on the states revenue picture, he said. Harshman noted that even though only a handful of state employees lost jobs in the June cuts, hundreds of people in the private sector lost jobs when contracts with the state were reduced.

You could spend all the rainy day fund in about two and a half years, he said. Were going to have to spend less. Theres no doubt about it.

Sen. Chris Rothfuss, the Democratic leader in the Senate, said he doesnt blame Mead for leaving the hard decisions to the Legislature. After all, lawmakers left Cheyenne earlier this year without giving the governor flexibility to shore up funds through tools such as rainy day fund. That forced him to announce the cuts in June.

But the Legislature is supposed to pass the budget, said Rothfuss, of Laramie.

Were supposed to make all those hard choices, and theyre politically not easy choices, he said. Its an election year.

Mead said this fall, he will unveil a long-term plan to diversify the economy, with help from the University of Wyoming, the Wyoming Business Council and other entities.

I think where I may have made a mistake, and some previous governors have made a mistake, is they looked at diversity in terms of a four-year plan or an eight-year plan, he said. It needs to be a 20-year plan, so that we can, through administrations, continue this effort that is most needed in the state.
The Wyoming Green Party is poised to land its presidential nominee, Jill Stein, on the state ballot for the first time in the partys 20-year history after submitting 11,766 signatures to the Secretary of States office Monday, the party said in a statement.

The outcome of a last-minute push to add anti-Donald Trump Republican Evan McMullin to Wyomings ballot was murkier Monday, with volunteers submitting about 4,000 signatures to the state, his campaign said.

Candidates need 3,302 signatures to qualify for the Wyoming ballot, but State Elections Director Kai Schon said usually 50 to 60 percent of submitted signatures are valid if campaigns have done their work well.

Monday was the deadline for independent presidential candidates to qualify for the November ballot.

Id just say were feeling very good about exceeding the required number, McMullin spokeswoman Rina Shah said. This is grassroots evidence that the people out West really want a candidate they can feel good voting for.

McMullin is a former CIA operative and chief policy director for House Republicans. He joined the race this month as an alternative to GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

The McMullin campaign began a hasty effort to collect signatures late last week. In contrast, Wyoming Green Party secretary Matthew Link said dozens of volunteers had been collecting signatures around the state for months. Two weeks ago the national Stein campaign invested in the effort, paying professional signature gatherers $5 to $6 per signature.

The paid petitions that came in  really made the big difference here, Link said.

The Green Party did not collect enough signatures earlier this year to automatically qualify its candidate for the state ballot. As a result, if the petition is approved, Stein will stand as an independent.

Stein, a medical doctor, is running on a platform to the left of Democrat Hillary Clinton. She has won support from many Bernie Sanders supporters for her progressive views on the environment and economy.

However, she has also drawn flack for allegedly expressing skepticism over the safety of vaccines as well as questioning whether Wi-Fi gives schoolchildren cancer and publicly mourning Harambe, a gorilla shot by keepers at an Ohio zoo, who has become something of an internet phenomenon.

Obscure Democrat Roque De La Fuente also submitted signatures to qualify for the presidential ballot, Schon said. The campaign did not respond to requests for comment on the candidates effort to land on Wyomings ballot.

The elections department is currently pre-processing the petitions by going through the submitted sheets and checking the details. Once that is done, workers will verify every signature to check whether the signee is a Wyoming resident and registered voter who meets the requirements.

Schon said the department will announce the results of the verification process by Sept. 8.
LIBYA

European ships rescue thousands of migrants

OFF THE COAST OF LIBYA  Italian naval ships and vessels from non-government groups rescued thousands of migrants off the Libyan coast on Monday, the latest surge in desperate attempts to flee to Europe driven by war, poverty, and human traffickers.

The dramatic operation took place just 13 miles north of the town of Sabratha in Libya. Groups such as Proactiva Open Arms and Doctors Without Borders helped take on some 3,000 people who had been travelling in some 20 small wooden boats.

In images and video by The Associated Press, migrants from Eritrea and Somalia cheered as the rescue boats arrived, with some jumping into the water and swimming toward them while others carefully carried babies onto the rescue ships.

PUERTO RICO

US firm launches Zika vaccine trial

SAN JUAN  A Pennsylvania drug company announced Monday that it has launched a clinical trial of an experimental Zika vaccine in Puerto Rico, the part of the U.S. hardest hit by the mosquito-borne virus.

Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. will be testing its DNA-based vaccine candidate on 160 adult volunteers in Puerto Rico. If the results are promising, the company would meet with regulators next year to discuss plans to develop the vaccine, CEO J. Joseph Kim said.

Inovio conducted the first vaccine trial in June with volunteers in the U.S. and Canada. It expects results later this year. Small, early-stage studies help assess the safety and promise of an experimental vaccine but cannot prove if it really works.

yemen

IS bombing kills 54 govt recruits

SANAA  A suicide car bombing claimed by the Islamic State in Yemens southern city of Aden on Monday killed at least 54 pro-government recruits, officials said, underscoring how the militant group has been able to exploit Yemens civil war to stage large-scale attacks.

In the attack in Aden, the men were gathered at a staging area near two schools and a mosque when a pickup truck suddenly accelerated through the buildings gate as a food delivery arrived, exploding amid the crowd.

The director of Adens Health Ministry, Khidra Lasour, said 54 had died from the explosion. Almost 70 people were wounded.

BRAZIL

Rousseff says accusations lack merit

BRASILIA  Fighting to save her job, suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff told senators on Monday that the allegations against her have no merit and that history would judge the country if she is removed from office.

I know I will be judged, but my conscience is clear. I did not commit a crime, Rousseff said at her impeachment trial. Rousseff reminded senators that she was re-elected in 2014 by more than 54 million voters. She said that at every moment she has followed the constitution and done what was best for the country.

In the middle of her second term, the left-leaning leader is accused of breaking fiscal rules to hide problems in the federal budget. Brazils first female president denies wrongdoing and argues that her enemies are carrying out a coup detat.

NORWAY

Lightning kills more than 300 reindeer

More than 300 wild reindeer have been killed by lightning in central Norway.

The Norwegian Environment Agency released images showing a jumble of reindeer carcasses scattered across a small area on the Hardangervidda mountain plateau.

Wire reports
TUCSON

Registration open for lunch featuring Caterpillar exec

Space is filling up for seats at Sun Corridor Incs annual luncheon, whose keynote address will be given by a Caterpillar Inc. executive, the local economic development agency said in an e-mail Monday.

The event will be held at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 14 at Hilton El Conquistador Resort, 10000 N. Oracle Road.

Tom Bluth, vice president of Caterpillars Surface Mining & Technology Division, will discuss the companys recent decision to move divisional offices to Tucson and his vision to establish a next-generation global mining and technology center in Southern Arizona.

Also, Sun Corridor Inc. will present its annual economic development update.

Tickets for the general public cost $85. To register, see http://tinyurl.com/suncorridor .

ARIZONA

Developer sentenced to prison for false statements

PHOENIX  An Arizona real estate developer has been sentenced to two years in prison for submitting false statements in his bankruptcy petition.

Federal prosecutors say 62-year-old Alexander Papakyriakou  also known as Alex Papas  was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Phoenix.

A judge will impose restitution at an Oct. 21 hearing.

Papakyriakou pleaded guilty in February to falsification of records in bankruptcy. Prosecutors say he tried to conceal assets and property transfers from the bankruptcy trustee.

In 2011, Papakyriakou filed a voluntary bankruptcy petition in which he claimed he had less than $1 million in assets and more than $144 million in liabilities.

As part of his guilty plea, Papakyriakou admitted he transferred all of his significant holdings into the names of other entities while still maintaining control.
Colleges and universities in Mexico and the United States should lead by example on cross-border cooperation, said a top official from the largest university in Latin America.

While academics are not going to solve the problems of international relations by themselves, their collaborations can serve as a point of reference, said Manuel Perlo Cohen, director of the institute for social research at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

If we can spread that good example into government, entrepreneurs and different organizations, I think we would be doing our job, he said.

Perlo Cohen spoke at the Mexican Consulate in Tucson as part of a larger program that brings UNAM officials and researchers to cities across the United States in which Mexicos top university has set up learning centers.

The Center for Mexican Studies in Tucson of the National Autonomous University of Mexico opened at the University of Arizona last year. Other centers are located in San Antonio, Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle.

Ricardo Pineda, Mexican consul in Tucson, said the presence in the region of Mexicos top university has been a boon to the consulate.

Overnight we have another positive messenger to promote Mexico, our culture and our art, and demystify and dispel unfounded perceptions, so that we can look beyond and build bridges of understanding, he said.

The University of Arizona has a long tradition of working across the border, said Perlo Cohen, but he was still struck by just how deep the ties run between Mexico and UA faculty and students.

They travel and work there, they produce articles and books, he said. They are part of extremely solid networks that can withstand absolutely anything. Changes in government, politics, walls, whatever. The bridges built by these relations are permanent.

The goal of having UNAM scholars visit partner universities in the U.S. is to spread the word on what is being done in Mexico and how researchers are tackling issues that affect both countries, said Claudio Estrada, director of the Center for Mexican Studies.

The visit has already given fruit, he said, with plans to host an international forum in Mexico City on water issues, which are Perlo Cohens main area of focus, along with a similar forum in Tucson to follow.

Perlo Cohen said he was very impressed by the faculty and staff he met at the UA and that hes ready to come back to Tucson and meet with local and state officials as well.

The hope is that we can strengthen our relations and continue to work together, to look for new avenues of cooperation and how we can extend that to other communities, he said.
A former Douglas Unified School District superintendent has filed a $1.1 million notice of claim against the Town of Oro Valley saying his reputation was damaged when its police department unfairly characterized him as a suspicious person.

On March 7, Oro Valley police sent a news release about a suspicious man, who it said offered a ride to a Canyon del Oro High School student multiple times on March 4. It described the suspect as an older man in a green van with a grey and black mustache and a wrinkled face. The release concluded with a public service message about the dangers of minors making contact with strangers.

Weeks later, on March 24, the agency updated the news release, saying an arrest had been made and identified Jesus Greer, the former Douglas educator, as the suspicious person. The agency also provided a booking photo of Greer, which was published and aired on multiple news organizations, including the Star.

However, Greer was not arrested on charges of suspicious activity, his attorney, Jeff Gould said. He was arrested on charges of having an open container and littering while walking in the parking lot at the Oracle Crossings Mall.

Greer told Oro Valley police officers that he had offered a ride to someone on March 4, and cooperated with their investigation, his attorney said. But his client offers rides to people all the time and he was subsequently cleared from being a person of interest, he added.

Greers family found out about the incident when his son saw his fathers booking photo on television, the attorney added.

Twenty-five years of a mans life, his reputation and his legacy as an educator and superintendent are gone, Gould said. His entire body of work involved helping students.

The former superintendent was previously found guilty of violating the Arizona School Finance procurement code in 2005, for which he had to pay the district $830 in restitution. But the offense was a misdemeanor and the incident for which he was found guilty happened after his retirement in 2002, Gould said. And frankly, that has nothing to do with his booking photo being circulated as a stranger danger alert, he added.

Lt. Chris Olson, a spokesman for the Oro Valley Police Department, said the department stands by their news releases. In fact, the initial release led to community members reaching out to the agency with leads, which then led to its contact with Greer.

Oro Valley police will take any matter involving children and strange adults seriously, Olson said. As a police department, its our responsibility to keep the community safe.
PHOENIX  State election officials are looking at an additional level of security after fears earlier this year that the voter database had been hacked.

Matt Roberts, spokesman for the secretary of states office, said Monday the agency wants to implement two-factor authentication before anyone can get access to the list of registered voters. That would involve users providing more than just the sign-in name and password now required.

The move follows what Roberts said was the FBI telling state officials nearly two months ago there was a credible threat that the database had been compromised.

He said the state took the database offline and then examined it to see if any malware had been uploaded into it.

We were unable to find any of that, Roberts said.

We didnt find any evidence that anyone had penetrated the system at all, he explained. It was, according to those cybersecurity folks, a localized attack where an election employee had downloaded a virus inadvertently.

That localized attack was the result of a Gila County election official, who was not identified, apparently had some malware that exposed that persons username and password for the state voter registration database.

All passwords for the state system were subsequently changed.

The problems were disclosed in early July by Capitol Media Services.

On Monday Yahoo News quoted from an FBI flash alert released nearly two weeks ago citing prior efforts to hack state election systems.

The Yahoo report mentioned Arizona and said there was a similar attack in Illinois. And it noted the FBI is urging election officials nationwide to be vigilant and take additional security measures.

Roberts said his agency, in an abundance of caution, is now looking at so-called two-factor authentication where it takes something beyond a username and password to log into the system.

That is something the secretary feels strongly should be implemented and were going to talk to our counties to gauge their interest, he said.

The issue for county election officials, who use the statewide database, is that it will make access more difficult.

In general, it can require something beyond a password, like a person identification number. Other forms can require that the person enter a unique number that the system sends to an email or phone that is accessible only to that person.

There also are more complex forms that include things like fingerprints.

But Roberts said he expects counties to go along, even with the additional steps.

Even if hackers had been able to actually get into the database and alter it, some counties have taken their own steps to protect the records.

Chris Roads, Pima Countys registrar of voters, said his county maintains its own separate database to run its elections. Aside from having its own security features, Roads said it is stored on computers with no internet connection, making cyberattacks much less likely.

You can only be hacked if you connect to the internet, he said. Weve gone to great lengths to protect the database.

Roads said Maricopa County also maintains its own voter database but the other 13 counties rely on the state database to run elections.
Browse volunteer opportunities on the Volunteer Center at United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizonas website, volunteer.unitedwaytucson.org, click on find needs and search for agency name.

Arizona Aerospace Foundation: Titan Missile Museum is seeking a volunteer greeter.

Pima Adult Basic Education: In need of volunteers who are willing to work with refugees learning English. Classes meet for two-hour blocks Monday-Thursday.

Arts for All Inc.: Volunteers needed to teach jewelry making and crafts. Minimum of three years experience teaching subject and two years experience working with children. Fingerprint clearance card required.

Child Parent Centers: Volunteers needed to help newcomers learn to speak English.

Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona: Seeking volunteers to research and write blogs about nutrition, hunger and the food bank. Writing skills, ability to work independently and interest in food security preferred.
NASAs OSIRIS-REx mission, led by the University of Arizonas Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, is set to blast off in nine days.

It will take about two years for OSIRIS-REx to reach asteroid Bennu on a flight of 1.2 billion miles.

The spacecraft will enter solar orbit after launch. After one year, it will perform a close flyby of Earth and use our planets orbital energy to slingshot toward the asteroid.

To rendezvous in 2018, the spacecraft will have to reach the same spot in space at the same time Bennu does, traveling at an exact speed and direction.

OSIRIS-REx, which will have been zooming along at 63,000 mph, will use numerous small thrusters to slow down and approach Bennu at a relative speed of half a mile per hour. The craft will then spend the next year surveying the asteroid at different distances, mapping and finding the best location for retrieving a sample in 2020.
Help India!

By Manzar Imam for TwoCircles.net

Dingarheri (Tauru/Nuh): The mood in Dingarheri village, surrounded by green fields and looking greener after heavy rains, is gloomy. Hundreds of people from dozens of nearby villages under Tauru police station in the newly-carved Nuh district of Haryana are gathered in front of the two small one-room houses of the 65-year-old Zahuruddin, whose family lost all during the terrible night of 24-25 August 2016.

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The injured in a Nuh hospital



That night, about half a dozen men entered the room where Zahurs son Ibrahim and his wife Raseedan were sleeping. They tied Ibrahim (40) and Raseedan (36), took all their belongings and then mercilessly beat them to death with sticks, rods and knives.

Hearing their cries, Zahurs son-in-law Zafaruddin and his wife, sleeping a few meters away on the charpoys in the open, rushed to the room. Both of them were thrashed severely. Zafar is in a critical condition, and has been been shifted to the Trauma Centre of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.

Zafars three children, besides his elder brothers 12-year-old daughter slept in another room. The childrentwo of them girls between the age 10 and 19 were not only beaten and stabbed but are also repeatedly gangraped. One of the children called out grandfather Zahuruddin after the perpetrators left.





Spot of the crime



The news of the ghastly incident spread by the morning and people from the surrounding villages of Nuh and other districts of Mewat throng the spot of the crime, shell-shocked.

But the news remains unreported in the so-called national media even after four days. Although a few Hindi dailies reported the incident in their regional additions, the city-centric news television channels remain oblivious.

Zahurs nephew Arif says that electronic media has been avoiding to cover the incident for reasons he does not know.

Maulana Mohammad Asrarul Haque Qasmi, Member of Parliament from Kishanganj Lok Sabha Constituency of Bihar visited the village on 28 August to take stock of the situation after being approached by dozens of residents of different places of the Mewat region.

The MP, while urging people to stand for justice for the grieved family, said that the incident was not with any particular family or community but with humanity itself.





MP, Maulana Asrarul Hque Qasmi talking to Zahuruddin



The only thing I demand, said a distressed Haque is that justice should be done. Haque commended the people of Haryana in general and of the Mewat region in particular for their simplicity, humble and humanistic attitude and peaceful living. He said that the anguished faces of the people of all communities gathered were an assertion of their hope and faith in the Indian democracy and the law of the land.

Maulana Hakimuddin Ashraf Utawari, General Secretary of Jamiat Ulama, District Gurgaon and Mewat, said, Whoever has committed this inhuman crime should be given strongest punishment. It is important to point out that in April this year, a 15-year-old girl was gangraped and murdered in the same region.

While interacting with the people, this correspondent came to know that the Haryana Government has so far given no compensation to any of the victims, which is shocking. The Haryana Waqf Board, however, has announced that it will give Rs 1 lakh each to the family of the dead and Rs 50,000 each to those seriously injured.

Zafaruddin, one of the critically injured has been shifted to the Trauma Centre of AIIMS, New Delhi, while three others, who were also badly injured, are being treated in a city hospital in Nuh.

It is surprising as to why the injured victims who could help identify the culprits are not being shifted to either AIIMS or Medanta or any other major hospital in New Delhi or Gurgaon, both of which falling within the 80-90 km radius of Tauru. However, it is important to also point while filing report, this correspondent received the news that four persons allegedly involved in the Dingarheri dual murder and gangrape have been arrested.

However, despite the arrests made, the ugliness and intensity of the crime has sent shock waves throughout the region. The brutal manner with which the murder and rape have been executed makes one shudder. Anger and fear were writ large on peoples faces. Pradeep Singh Zaildar, General Secretary of Haryana Pradesh Congress called the dual murder and gangrape bigger than the Nirbhaya case. Once the perpetrators are identified, they should be tried under the fast track court, demands Zaildar.





MP, Maulana Asrarul Haque Qasmi addressing the people at Dingarheri



This incident also raises serious questions especially about the role of the electronic media in raising the voices of the poor and the wronged.

The impunity with which serious crimes like rape and murder are being committed in Haryana or elsewhere makes us all pose and think about the so-called vigilant police and state administrations tall claims of a crime free nation where women enjoy as much liberty as men do.

The author is a freelance journalist based in New Delhi
Help India!

By Shiva Thorat, TwoCircles.net

Recently, the debate on the usage of the word Dalit was highlighted again. The petition of one Pankaj Liladhar Meshram with the support of lawyer Shailesh Nanaware has become a trigger point, highlighting the issue in Maharashtra. The petition was filed against the record of Maharashtra Government where Dalit word is used, says Meshram. Meshram is General Secretary of Bhimshakti, an Ambedkarite organisation in Amravati district.

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Meshram said, the word Dalit is hurtful to the Bahujans. Social media is spreading word intentionally to take down Bahujans. I am filing a petition to stop the intentions of the dominant culture, it is unconstitutional to call a Scheduled Caste as Dalit.

When TCN asked what dominant culture Meshram referring to, Meshram replied saying, dominant culture knows what Dalit word stands for. It is disgust and begging from someone. Why they do not want to use Scheduled Caste or just oppressed community, their thinking should be better. The word Dalit translates as split, broken, cracked. It was first popularly used in the Dalit Panthers manifesto in the 1970s and originally was used to refer to all the oppressed castes.

Amol Vajji, a PhD student doing his research on social movements of Maharashtra in Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi (JNU) and activist for BAMCEF (The All India Backward And Minority Communities Employees Federation) said that, the word Dalit is labelled on the Bahujans because of high class politics. In the second round table conference Dr. B R Ambedkar opposed the word Dalit in front of Ramsay Macdonald in 1935. That time only law was created for the Indian state. The British never use Dalit in their constitution and credit goes to Dr. B R Ambedkar. Scheduled Caste was accepted after that. Although TCN wasnt able to verify this incident, the term Dalit was experiencing some level of usage in the 1930s.

One of the residents of Chembur, Mumbai, Sachin Salve, a 40-year old auto driver by profession said, when Dalit Panthers rose in India, they had good feelings for the peoples but they did not have an intellectual clarity, they used Dalit just to popularise the movement all over the India. It is seen that after the Dalit Panther movements, the word prevailed over the mind of peoples.

Pankaj Meshram also said that, the past and present governments were never with Scheduled Caste peoples. The census of India is one of them. By making Scheduled Caste as Dalit they just want to confuse the Scheduled Caste population.

Anis Ambade, a social worker who lives in Aurangabad said that, there is different arguments from people like Stalin Padma-the maker of India Untouchable-that if the Black movement used black to progress their own politics why not Scheduled Caste use Dalit to effect change.

Not counting Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims, the Scheduled Castes represent about 16% of the population of India,. Amol Vajji said, The historic document newspaper Janata which was begun to support Dr B R Ambedkar, also use word Dalit but it was totally different from his politics and that was the reason to close down the Janata, just after that, Dr B R Ambedkar started daily newspaper Prabuddha Bharata.

In Maharashtra, many Buddhists who converted from their untouchable castes do not feel good when someone calls them Dalit. Surendra Wankhede, Secretary of cultural group, Bahujan Rangbhoomi in Nagpur, explained the issue. There are groups who called themselves Dalit Muslim, Dalit Christian, they have departed from untouchability but are they able to depart the stigma of being Dalit?, No. Buddhism is different, those who are converted to Buddhism never call themselves Dalit Buddhists. But people still automatically make us Dalit in other notions and popular concepts. Why are we not just perceived as Buddhists? he said.

Surendra added, This debate on Dalit word is creating confusion to divert from the other real issues. We have Rohith, we have Khairlanji, we have Ahmednagar, Shirdi and many other concerns, but all our organisations are busy fighting over the word

Anand Teltumbde, civil rights activist wrote, notwithstanding the textual source of the term, which happens to be dalit bandhu, in a periodical started by Vitthal Ramji Shinde in Pune in 1930, and later in Ambedkars speeches and writings, one finds the word, dalit, in common usage in Marathi referring to the untouchables.

Nisaar, a poet and lyricist who lives in Kalyan, Mumbai offered a different view on the matter. Those who become middle-class Buddhists dont like word Dalit, poor Buddhists from zopadpattis who are struggling for survival, dont care for this kind of debate. They have other issues they want to focus on, he says.
In any public discussion of Britain in US politics, the phrase special relationship will inevitably be mentioned. This special relationship has overcome numerous challenges, most notably the relationship between US President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair, recently exposed in the Chilcot Report. However, perhaps the greatest challenge will come now, after Britain voted to leave the European Union, putting the very existence of this special relationship into question.

'Special relationship'?

Before the referendum on 23rd June, President Obama, who backed the Remain Campaign, travelled to Britain where he stated that the UK would be at the back of the queue regarding a new trade deal if it voted to leave the EU.

However, the integrity of this statement can be called into question, as both President Obama and the Democrats new presidential nominee Hilary Clinton have both stressed that the special relationship will endure. Brexit will affect not only economic ties between the US and Britain, but also security arrangements, especially in regard to NATO. Indeed, the US still appears to be moving forward with plans for a Joint Intelligence Analysis Complex at RAF Croughton, which will form a central part of the US militarys European Command, which plays an essential part in their NATO role. The Obama administration has also expressed clear opposition to the re-establishment of a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, especially poignant as the US is a guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, signed in 1998.

Trouble over trade

The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, has however announced that no trade agreement between Britain and the US can be completed under Britain has concluded negotiations with the EU. Indeed, whilst Britain is still a member of the European Union, it is legally barred from signing a new trade deal of its own, and Mike Froman, the US trade representative, has stated that the terms of any US-UK deal would partly depend on the outcome of negotiations between the UK and the EU.

However, preliminary talks have already begun, with new Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox travelling to Washington to speak to White House trade representatives. The effect of Brexit on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the EU and the US must also be considered. Billed as an economic version of NATO, the trade agreement has been in negotiation since 2013, and officials hoped to conclude these before the end of the Obama administration in January of next year.

EU diplomats say that Brexit has made the outcome of the deal more uncertain than ever, whilst John Kerry has stated that the conclusion of the trade agreement is even more important post-Brexit. Nevertheless, with the UK as the strongest pro-US voice in the EU, Brexit threatens to weaken US influence in the union.

Difference of opinion

However, the overall reaction in the US to the referendum result was divided deeply along party lines; although the Democrats were clearly concerned about the implications of Brexit, the Republicans instead sympathised with Britains desire for greater sovereignty. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump praised the result shortly after it was announced, stating that a break-up of the European Union looks like its on its way, as he drew similarities between the result and his own presidential campaign, especially regarding discontent over immigration. Indeed, Frank Luntz, a US political consultant, predicted that if a wave of voter populism can sweep Britain out of Europe, it can sweep Donald Trump to the presidency in America
Abiraterone acetate (AA), used to treat metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), inhibits androgen biosynthesis by blocking cytochrome P450 (CYP) 17A1. It also inhibits other cytochromes involved in the metabolism of various widely used medications.

As such, there is presumably a high potential for drug-drug interactions (DDIs) that can diminish the efficacy of AA or concurrent medications, or increase the risk of DDI-related adverse events (AEs). However, the scale of AA-associated DDIs is currently unknown.

We conducted a retrospective review of pharmacy records and electronic patient charts to retrieve individual drug histories and on-treatment AEs of mCRPC patients beginning AA therapy in a tertiary care setting. Potential DDIs were analyzed using two commercial databases, Lexicomp and Micromedex.

Eighty-four informative patients were identified. Sixty-five patients (77 %) and 44 patients (52 %) were flagged for one or more potential DDIs by the Lexicomp and Micromedex databases, respectively. One hundred eighty-four potential DDIs were identified overall, with a median of 1 DDI per patient in both databases. Possibly due to rigorous DDI screening before AA treatment initiation, we did not identify a definite instance of DDI-related AEs.

The use of commercial DDI databases suggests a substantial risk of potentially consequential DDIs in mCRPC patients undergoing AA therapy. However, prospective investigations with larger patient populations are required to better establish the clinical relevance of these DDIs.

European journal of clinical pharmacology. 2016 Aug 25 [Epub ahead of print]

Rehana Jamani, Esther K Lee, Scott R Berry, Ronak Saluja, Carlo DeAngelis, Angie Giotis, Urban Emmenegger

Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, ON, M4N 3M5, Canada., Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, ON, M4N 3M5, Canada. .



Go Beyond the Abstract - Read an article commentary written by the authors

PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27561266
Gavin Schmidt, the director of NASAs GISS, told the Guardian the Earth was warming at a rate not seen in the last 1,000 years, days before President Obama is expected to ratify the Paris Climate Agreement. Schmidt said the average global temperature for the twenty-first century is 1.38 degrees Celsius higher than the nineteenth-century average. His dire predictions also come less than a week before the G-20 Summit convenes on September 4, where global warming will get some renewed attention.

As noted before, there has been a well-documented pause in warming from 1998 to 2015, bookended by two strong, naturally occurring El Ninos that raised temperatures worldwide.

Already temperatures are drifting back to normal despite Schmidts so-called concern for runaway global warming. The 1930s is still the reigning champ of highest temperatures ever recorded, long before carbon dioxide (CO2) levels started increasing.

Nasa: Earth is warming at a pace 'unprecedented in 1,000 years' https://t.co/qZ8OiFjugB  Guardian Environment (@guardianeco) August 30, 2016

Observed science versus wishful thinking

Even the leftwing Guardian admitted that relying on temperatures from proxy data (by using ice cores, marine sediments, and rocks) were not an exact science, but exact enough to say that temperatures have been rising ten times faster than prior warming rates or more than in the last 1,000 years.

Extrapolating further out generated a rate at least 20 times faster over the next 100 years. Sounds dire and catastrophic, which may be the point.

Analysis by Tony Heller at the website Real Climate Science showed the 1930s was by far the hottest decade in U.S. history, with every state broiling during that decade. As for 2016, there wasnt a single state that was abnormally hot when compared to the historical record.

1930s Were Hot In Every State | Real Science https://t.co/cLPJQQ1rdA  IdontbelieveinCAGW (@IdontbelieveinC) August 30, 2016

Heller based his work on actual observed temperature data. Schmidt, however, based his estimations on reconstructed proxy data and altered datasets supplied by NOAA. In both cases, they magically whisked away the well-documented Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age (both occurred in the last 1,000 years).

As for the instrumental record, peer-reviewed studies have shown how NOAA and NASA have systematically altered the observed temperature data of the 1900s to make the present look much warmer.

Schmidt even reiterated his prediction that he is 99 percent sure that 2016 will be the warmest year ever, despite all evidence showing its nowhere near the highs of the 1930s. In NASAs climate science, you can say (or tweet) anything you want because upper management supports your activism.

Taking the Space out of NASA

If youre wondering why National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is spending so much time on the climate (and Twitter), look no further than the Obama administration. After taking office, Obama made dramatic changes to much of our space program.

He cut Mars exploration funding, shut down the shuttle program, and shunted more taxpayer dollars into global warming research. In fact, Obamas last budget proposal had NASA spending more money on climate research than the agencys stated mission of exploring space.

Obamas NASA Budget Is All About Global Warming, Not Space https://t.co/SMGjFQUqYN pic.twitter.com/H2enqs3Zgi  Washington DC News (@washdcnews) February 10, 2016

When expert meteorologist Joe Bastardilooked at the August global temperatures, he said that based on the actual data, this past summer has not been unusually warm in the U.S. or in third-world countries.

Warming Not Global Joe Bastardi: Most Of The Global Warming Is Happening At The Arctic And Antarctic.: At ... https://t.co/24gHSfiy24  P Gosselin (@NoTricksZone) August 30, 2016

He also scoffed at unsupportable claims that you can actually detect a .02 degree Celsius warming increase per decade or that it would have any negligible impact.

He also said that Arctic sea ice extent would not reach a new record low this year, despite claims in the Guardian it would happen this year. How can Bastardi's claims be so divergent from NASA's? Bastardi isn't beholden to a higher power: Obama.
President Obama, despite not having the support of the senate, will sign and ratify the Paris Climate Agreement this Friday, a Chinese news outlet is reporting. The news has set off alarm bells among opponents of the climate change accord, which calls for nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to avert warming 1.5 degrees Celsius. Republicans have insisted that the pact is a treaty and must be ratified by the senate, as laid out in the U.S. constitution.

Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping are planning to announce their joint ratification of the accord two days before the G-20 Summit begins on Sunday, September 4, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang.

The Post also writes that senior climate officials from both governments have been working late into the night in Beijing to finalize the details. As climate change experts have noted, averting warming by 1.5 degrees wont occur without a complete power shutdown of all greenhouse-emitting sources, which would send the world into a new stone age.

US and China to jointly announce ratification of Paris #climate deal before G20, according to Chinese press https://t.co/c6gJGYeuNj  Zachary Davies Boren (@zdboren) August 25, 2016

Obamas second-term dictatorship?

In the United States, only the senate can ratify treaties via a two-thirds vote. In communist China, however, a treaty only requires its leader to say, So be it. Thats according to Myron Ebell, the energy and environmental director at the free-market Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), who said Obama is ratifying a treaty the same way Chinas communist dictator is doing it: by saying three magic words, So be it. Prior to being elected a second time, Obama repeatedly said he was not an emperor and he cant wave a magic wand and do whatever he pleases.

That changed in his final term.

Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), chairman of the Senates Environment Committee, has cautioned other countries that without senate ratification, the Paris climate accord would be dead in the water. Inhofe said in April that he wanted to make sure international participants knew President Obama was going rogue and didnt have the support of his own government.

As such, Inhofe said, the pact will fail. Obamas Clean Power Plan, part of this climate treaty, has been put on hold by the Supreme Court while 29 states and industry groups have time to litigate its legality.

U.N. urging Obama, China

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked top emitters like the U.S. and China to accelerate the process of ratifying the accord after countries were slow to do it.

Currently, China, the United States, the EU, and India are the top greenhouse gas emitters. The climate accord can only move forward if 55 nations representing at least 55 percent of global emissions ratify the agreement. Only 23 nations that cover roughly 1.08 percent of emissions have actually ratified the pact. Signing the accord is the first stage before ratification.

Accountability is cool and this tracker let's you see where countries are re: Paris agreement ratification #COP21 https://t.co/7LJk3qD7Mp  Emile Lavergne (@e_lava) April 16, 2016

India said in June it is reticent of ratifying such an agreement as it would seriously hinder its own countrys economic development. If the U.S. and China sign and ratify the climate accord, that would mean 39 percent of global emissions and 26 more countries would be needed to make it official, according to CAIT Climate Data Explorer, which has also been tracking the accords progress.

Secretary of State John Kerry was adamant the Paris Climate Agreement did not contain the word treaty, as that would trigger the senates approval. Republicans dispute Kerrys vernacular embellishments because once the pact is ratified, it would require legally binding targets be set by the United States. This is part of the regulatory regime Obama created with a pen and a phone, which many financial experts believe is behind the countrys long-running, stagnant GDP, the worst its been since 1949. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has warned he would renegotiate the treaty or toss it out, while Hillary Clinton said she would expand its scope.
Three officers indicted in Taiwan's fatal missile misfire Updated: 2016-08-29 12:29 (Xinhua)

TAIPEI -- A petty officer surnamed Kao has been charged with negligent homicide in a case involving a Taiwan military missile misfire on July 1, Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office said Monday.

A chief petty officer who supervised Kao, and an officer responsible for the ship's weapon systems have been indicted for dereliction of duty, according to prosecutors.

The missile was erroneously launched from a corvette battleship in Zuoying Harbor in Kaohsiung, island authorities said. It fell into the waters off Penghu Island after hitting a fishing boat, killing the captain and injuring three of the crew.

Island authorities blamed the misfire on failure of personnel to follow procedures during a test.
3 charged in fatal missile shot Updated: 2016-08-30 08:10 (China Daily)

Three naval personnel from Taiwan have been indicted for a fatal missile misfiring incident last month, the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office said on Monday.

Naval officer Kao Chia-chun was charged with negligence leading to death and injuries, as well as damaging weaponry.

His supervisor Chen Ming-hsiu and Hsu Po-wei, a lieutenant who was responsible for overseeing weapons, were charged with neglecting official public duties leading to a catastrophe, the prosecutors said.

The Hsiung-Feng III (Brave Wind) missile was launched in error from a corvette battleship in Zuoying Harbor in Kaohsiung, authorities in Taiwan said. It hit a trawler from the island on July 1, killing the skipper and injuring three other crew members.

Prosecutors in Kaohsiung said on Monday that Kao had been left alone in the main control room for as long as seven minutes.

The incident was caused by what an initial investigation found to be human error by officers on the corvette Chinchiang.

Island authorities blamed the misfiring on the failure of personnel to follow procedures during a test.

The misfiring, the biggest military error in Taiwan since the island's new leader Tsai Ing-wen took office in May, sparked uproar and drew a stern rebuke from the Chinese mainland.

Zhang Zhijun, head of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said in July, "The incident occurred and had a severe impact at a time when the mainland had repeatedly emphasized safeguarding peaceful development of cross-Straits relations based on the political foundation of the 1992 Consensus."

This states that the mainland and Taiwan are parts of one China.

Responding to media questions, Zhang said that authorities in Taiwan should give an explanation for the incident.

Xinhua and AFP contributed to this story.
Beijing aiming to take ties with Hanoi to a new level Updated: 2016-08-30 07:33 By An Baijie(China Daily)

China wants to work with Vietnam on handling and resolving disputes properly to take bilateral ties to a new level, top military officer Fan Changlong said on Monday.

Fan made the remark while meeting with Ngo Xuan Lich, Vietnam's minister of national defense and vice-secretary of the Central Military Commission, who is on a four-day trip to China with a delegation of senior military officers.

It is his first visit to China since becoming defense minister in April. He also met with Vice-President Li Yuanchao on Monday.

President Xi Jinping and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong have met with each other many times in recent years.

They have reached a high consensus on jointly building a strategic China-Vietnam community of common destiny, said Fan, vice-chairman of China's Central Military Commission. The commission is chaired by Xi.

The development of military ties between the two countries is gaining momentum with the guidance of top leaders from both nations, and China wants to make continuous efforts with Vietnam to safeguard regional peace and stability, Fan said.

China accuses Vietnam of illegally occupying 29 of about 50 islands and reefs in the South China Sea. Tension rose early this month after the reported deployment of rocket launchers by Vietnam on several of the Nansha Islands.

Lich said Vietnam wants to make joint efforts with China to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries to make new progress on bilateral ties.

Referring to their deep military friendship, Lich said the two countries should continue to boost political trust and handle disputes properly.

Hong Xiaoyong, China's ambassador to Vietnam, attended an airport departure ceremony in Hanoi for the Vietnamese delegation on Saturday, according to the Chinese embassy's website.

Lich's visit is of great significance and contributes to boosting ties between the two armies and countries, Hong said.

The ambassador said the land border between the two countries is becoming one of China's safest. The two armies have worked together on defense strategy dialogue, border exchanges, joint maritime patrols, training and sharing of experience in Party and political work and United Nations peacekeeping missions.

In September 2011, Lich, who was then head of the Political Department of the Vietnam People's Army, visited China for talks with Xi, who was then China's vice-president.

Jia Duqiang, a senior researcher of Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the top leaders of both countries have agreed to handle disputes and enhance cooperation even though the South China Sea remains a sensitive issue in bilateral ties.
New Party chief in Tibet praised for focus on people's livelihoods Updated: 2016-08-30 07:35 By Palden Nyima and Da Qiong in Lhasa(China Daily)

The newly-appointed top official of Tibet has won applause for saying people's livelihoods have been his top priority during his entire political life in the autonomous region.

Named Party chief of the Tibet autonomous region by the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Sunday, Wu Yingjie, 59, is the first person to hold the position after spending his whole political career in the region.

Since 1974, Wu, who was born in Shandong province, has worked on livestock farms, at power plants, in education and for the government and Party Committee in Tibet.

"Since I was young, I have lived, worked and grown up in Tibet. I was brought up by the Party, the people, the Tibetan Plateau and all the ethnic groups of Tibet," he was quoted as saying by Tibet Daily.

"Tibet is my second home. I think of myself as a local Tibetan," he said. "I deeply love the land and the hardworking people here."

The 59-year-old Wu said he has experienced hardships and enjoyed the happiness of success with the people of Tibet.

"In my new position, I will continue to serve the more than 3 million people of Tibet. I know it is a glorious mission, but I do not think it will be easy," he said.

Huang Keqing, the supervisory board chairman of Tibet's State-owned Assets Management Company, said she was pleased with Wu's promotion.

"He knows Tibet well," she said. "I constantly see him on TV making trips to remote places, and I think he is especially concerned about the residents in remote areas and vulnerable groups."

She described him as being "approachable".

After Wu began working on Tibet's Regional Education Committee in 1983, he spent almost two decades in the education sector.

Dorjee Dradul, an editor and translator at the region's teaching materials compilation center, said Wu made great contributions to Tibet's educational development.

"He has a heart for Tibet. He has done much for the compulsory education system and for illiterate young adults."

He was instrumental, Dorjee Dradul said, in implementing tuition-free schools, with paid living costs and allowances.

Contact the writers at palden_nyima@chinadaily.com.cn
Premier Li to visit Laos next week Updated: 2016-08-30 20:09 By Hu Yongqi(chinadaily.com.cn)

Premier Li Keqiang is to attend the China-ASEAN leaders' meetings in Vientiane and pay the neighboring country an official visit from Sept 6 to 9, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

Laos assumes the chairmanship of Association of Southeast Asian Nations this year and hosts all ASEAN and East Asian summits along with other high-level meetings, which will bring hundreds of international delegations to Vientiane.

The premier is scheduled to attend the 19th China-ASEAN Leaders' Meeting, which also marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of China-ASEAN ties, the 19th ASEAN-China, Japan and South Korea leaders' meeting, as well as the 11th East Asia Summit, according to the ministry.

Premier Li's trip will be of great significance to further develop China-ASEAN ties and promote regional cooperation in East Asia, said the ministry's spokeswoman Hua Chunying.

This year also marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Laos, Hua said. It will be Li's first visit to the Southeast Asian neighbor since taking office. He will hold talks with Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and other leaders to exchange views on issues of common concerns.

"I believe Premier Li's visit will bring the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries to a new high level and more benefits to both peoples," Hua added.
Bank of China announces $13.93 billion profit in first half of 2016 Updated: 2016-08-30 20:14 By Jiang Xueqing(chinadaily.com.cn)

Pedestrians walk past a Bank of China sign at its branch in Beijing, March 26, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]

Bank of China Ltd announced on Thursday a profit attributable to equity holders of 93.04 billion yuan ($13.93 billion) for the first six months of 2016, increasing by 2.52 percent year-on-year.

As of the end of June, the bank's total assets amounted to 17.6 trillion yuan. Its nonperforming loan ratio was 1.47 percent in the first half of this year. The bank's domestic institutions stepped up efforts on NPLs resolution, resolving 63.78 billion yuan of distressed assets, up 46.78 percent year-on-year.

BOC continued to promote its overseas business development during the first six months. Its overseas institutions realized a profit before tax of $8.57 billion, rising 84.16 percent year-on-year and representing 43.22 percent of its total profit before tax.

Contact the writer at jiangxueqing@chinadaily.com.cn
Multicolored bear statues spring up in Alaska's largest city Updated: 2016-08-30 09:24 By Associated Press in Anchorage, Alaska(China Daily USA)

Alaska's largest city is home to more than 300 grizzly and black bears and now more than a dozen multicolored ones.

Life-size bear statues painted by city artists, part of Bears on Parade, are popping up as they're completed. They're part of a continuing effort to raise awareness that if you live in Anchorage, you live near bears.

"The whole point of this is to engage in conversation about bears and their habitat - the food that they eat, where they live," says Brenda Carlson, who helps organize the program.

Carlson is visitor-services director for Visit Anchorage, the city tourism marketing group. She's also a member of the state department of fish and game's Anchorage Bear Committee, dedicated to bear conservation in the municipality.

The city covers 5,071 square kilometers but people occupy only about 528 square kilometers, according to the department. The rest of the city includes national forest, a state wildlife refuge, 55 to 65 grizzlies and 250 to 350 black bears.

Bears can be deadly if they're surprised. To minimize maulings, the committee tries to educate people about how to live with bears.

"Not all bears eat salmon," Carlson says. "Some eat berries, depending on where they are. We really wanted it to spark conversation about the bears."

The committee also wanted to coordinate the statues' installation with a summer conference of 700 international bear scientists brought to Anchorage by the International Association for Bear Research & Management.

Carlson reached out to America's Fiberglass Animals of Seward, Nebraska, which has helped create more than 300 public art projects with fiberglass sculptures.

Fifteen bears arrived by flatbed truck looking like polar bears - completely white. Sponsors paid either $1,750 or $3,000 for bears. So far 13 have been painted, sealed and erected.

Artists received loose instructions. The adornment had to be family friendly and reflect the beauty of Alaska, Carlson says.

One bear has a birch forest painted on its side. Others are painted with rivers, wildflowers or northern lights. A bear sponsored by an ice-cream shop added a tongue that appears to be licking ice cream off the bear's face.

The committee is donating nearly $8,000 from statue sponsorships to the next bear conference for scientists' expenses.

(China Daily USA 08/30/2016 page9)
'Rommel of the East' honored in Virginia Updated: 2016-08-30 11:10 By LIA ZHU in San Francisco(China Daily USA)

California Assemblyman Kansen Chu (second from right) and his wife Daisy (third from left) join Sun Shanwei (left), director of the American Sun Li-Jen Historical Association, and his brother Sun Shanzhi (second from left), as well as Sun Di, chairman of Anhui Hongtian Culture & Media Co, to discuss the details of the upcoming exhibition on "the ever-victorious general". LIA ZHU / CHINA DAILY

Chinese war hero Sun Li-jen, known as "the ever-victorious general" for his feats fighting the Japanese in Burma in World War II, will be honored at Virginia Military Institute, his alma mater.

An exhibition of more than 300 historical photos taken from 1942 to 1945 will be displayed in Marshall Hall-Hall of Valor at VMI from Sept 3 to 10 to commemorate Gen Sun's key achievements in the China-Burma-India Theater (CBI).

The photos, selected from the US National Archives, depict such moments as the victory leading to the openings of the Stilwell and Burma Roads, the Chinese lifeline in the last stages of the war, and Gen Joseph Stilwell, representing President Roosevelt, awarding the Legion of Merit medal to Sun in a simple ceremony in the jungle.

As part of the Spirit of '45 movement, a campaign aiming to preserve and honor the legacy of the World War II generation, the Gen Sun exhibit offers an opportunity to learn more about WWII events, especially the CBI Theater, according to California Assemblyman Kansen Chu, who helped organize the event and is also a descendant of Sun.

It also reminds people of the friendship that existed between the Americans and the Chinese as their countries joined forces during the war, Chu added.

"At a time when the international relationship is strained, this chapter of history can help educate the public as well as governments to better communicate with each other," said Chu.

Born in Anhui Province in 1900, Sun graduated from Purdue University in 1924 with a degree in civil engineering and from VMI in 1927.

After returning to China, he joined the National Revolutionary Army and was later sent to Burma to protect the Burma Road. In one operation, Sun led a Chinese regiment through difficult terrain to relieve 7,000 British forces trapped by the Japanese. For that he received the Commander of the British Empire medal.

In 1943, Sun's division was incorporated in the New First Army under the command of Gen Stilwell, American commander of all American and Chinese troops in the CBI. Sun's troops spearheaded Stilwell's Burma Campaign to re-establish the land route to China. Via the new route, later renamed "Stilwell Road", the Western Allies could supply the Chinese as an alternative to the Burma Road, which had been cut off by the Japanese in 1942.

For his achievements, Sun was considered by Stilwell the most capable Chinese field commander in the entire war. He also got the laudatory nickname "Rommel of the East".

To give the exhibition a traditional touch, all the photos were printed on handmade xun paper and mounted on 50 vertical panels, according to Sun Di, chairman of Anhui Hongtian Culture and Media Co, one of the organizers.

Also on display will be a 12-by-1-meter work of traditional Chinese painting titled The Historical Monument in which artist Hou Zhen depicts scenes of Allied military leaders and soldiers in CBI battles.

All of the photos and a full-scale replica of the painting will be donated to the VMI museum after the show. A traditional Chinese thread-bound book illustrating Gen Sun's experience and a short film documenting the production of the panels, rice paper, and thread-bound book will also be donated.

"For today's younger audiences not as familiar with the 20th Century's Eastern countries and cultures, Gen Sun's life provides a compelling narrative, a life of valor, and glorious military victories countered by great personal tribulations," said Sun Shanwei, director of the American Sun Li-Jen Historical Association and a grandson of the late general's cousin.
Canada to offer more opportunities to Chinese investors Updated: 2016-08-30 21:44 By Chen Yingqun(chinadaily.com.cn)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at the China Entrepreneur Club Leaders Forum in Beijing, on Aug 30, 2016. [Photo by China Entrepreneur Club]

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in Beijing on Tuesday that Canada welcomes Chinese investment and he would try his best to offer more opportunities to Chinese enterprises.

He made these remarks while talking with more than 70 Chinese entrepreneurs at the China Entrepreneur Club Leaders Forum organized by the China Entrepreneur Club. This is his first stop of his China visit from Aug 30 to Sept 6.

He says that as the world's second largest economy, China plays a central role in driving global economic growth. The strengthening relationship with China is beneficial for both sides. Canada, as a country that is willing to support the development of enterprises, is very willing to cooperate with Chinese enterprises and support their development.

Established in 2006 as an NGO by 31 Chinese business leaders, the China Entrepreneur Club has been promoting the sustainable development of the economy and entrepreneurship. At present, most of the member companies are leaders of various industries, and the annual income of the 50 member companies totaled more than 3 trillion yuan ($0.44 trillion).

Leading Chinese companies in different areas asked separate questions of Trudeau.

Trudeau says that as Chinese's growing middle class are looking for more high-quality and safe products from all over the world, Canada is very passionate about working together with Chinese investors to help Canadian products enter the Chinese market.

"Canada has always had the reputation as a very safe, clean, responsible country, in our agriculture, we create high-quality products and goods," he says.

Meanwhile, as Canada has a long cold winter, they have also researched some very advanced agricultural technology that might be applicable to the Chinese market.
Facebook faces algorithmic gaffes Updated: 2016-08-30 11:08 By Heng Weili in New York and Reuters(China Daily USA)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is seen on stage during a town hall at Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, California in September 2015. Stephen Lam / Reuters

Facebook, whose CEO said Monday is a tech company, not a media company, has had some glitches recently with how its technology side handles its media side.

On Aug. 26, the world's largest social network fired the curators in its Trending Topics section, which is seen by some 1.7 billion netizens each month. The Menlo Park, California-based company replaced the human team with an algorithm.

The shift came about four months after the site was accused of suppressing trending conservative news stories; Facebook denied it did so.

Over the weekend, the new automated module put out a bogus story about Fox News host Megyn Kelly; a piece about a comedian's obscenity-laden attack of conservative pundit Ann Coulter; and links to an article about a video of a man doing something crude with a chicken sandwich, The Guardian reported.

The headline about Kelly called her a "traitor" and claimed that the cable channel has "Kick[ed] her out for backing Hillary." (That is not true.)

The Guardian reported the trending news team was fired without notice in a meeting with a security guard present. The dismissed workers got four weeks' severance pay.

Global business site Quartz.com reported that Facebook "unceremoniously fired at least 15 editors". Tech blog Gizmodo.com first reported in May about Trending Topics' alleged suppression.

On Aug 26, Facebook posted a statement on its newsroom.fb.com about the changes:

"Our goal is to enable Trending for as many people as possible, which would be hard to do if we relied solely on summarizing topics by hand. A more algorithmically driven process allows us to scale Trending to cover more topics and make it available to more people globally over time.

"Earlier this year, we shared more information about Trending in response to questions about alleged political bias in the product. We looked into these claims and found no evidence of systematic bias. Still, making these changes to the product allows our team to make fewer individual decisions about topics."

An increasing number of users are turning to social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter to find their news, but Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his firm had no ambitions to become a content provider.

"No, we are a tech company, not a media company," said Zuckerberg, after a young person asked him in Italy on Monday whether Facebook intended to become a news site.

While acknowledging the role Facebook has in supplying users with news through their connections and stressing the advantages of obtaining information from different parts of the globe, Zuckerberg said Facebook was "a technology company, we build the tools, we do not produce any content".

"The world needs news companies, but also technology platforms, like what we do, and we take our role in this very seriously," he said at Luiss University in Rome.

Earlier on Monday, Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan had a private audience with Pope Francis. It was the latest in a string of meetings the pontiff has held with Silicon Valley leaders, including Apple CEO Tim Cook and Alphabet Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt.

Zuckerberg said he gave the Argentine pontiff a model of Aquila, Facebook's lightweight solar-powered drone aimed at beaming lasers to extend internet access to places that have yet to be connected.

"We ... discussed the importance of connecting people, especially in parts of the world without internet access," Zuckerberg posted on his personal Facebook profile after the meeting.

Contact the writers at hengweili@chinadailyusa.com
'Rommel of the East' Sun Li-jen honored by VMI Updated: 2016-08-30 11:08 By Lia Zhu in San Francisco(China Daily USA)

California Assemblyman Kansen Chu (second from right) and his wife Daisy(third from left) join Sun Shanwei (left), director of the American Sun Li-Jen Historical Association, and his brother Sun Shanzhi (second from left), as well as Sun Di, chairman of Anhui Hongtian Culture & Media Co, to discuss the details of the upcoming exhibition on the ever-victorious general. Lia Zhu / China Daily

Chinese war hero Sun Li-jen, known as "the ever-victorious general" for his feats fighting the Japanese in Burma in World War II, will be honored at Virginia Military Institute, his alma mater.

An exhibition of more than 300 historical photos taken from 1942 to 1945 will be displayed in Marshall Hall-Hall of Valor at VMI from Sept 3 to 10 to commemorate Gen Sun's key achievements in the China-Burma-India Theater (CBI).

The photos, selected from the US National Archives, depict such moments as the victory leading to the openings of the Stilwell and Burma Roads, the Chinese lifeline in the last stages of the war, and Gen Joseph Stilwell, representing President Roosevelt, awarding the Legion of Merit medal to Sun in a simple ceremony in the jungle.

As part of the Spirit of '45 movement, a campaign aiming to preserve and honor the legacy of the World War II generation, the Gen Sun exhibit offers an opportunity to learn more about WWII events, especially the CBI Theater, according to California Assemblyman Kansen Chu, who helped organize the event and is also a descendant of Sun.

It also reminds people of the friendship that existed between the Americans and the Chinese as their countries joined forces during the war, Chu added.

"At a time when the international relationship is strained, this chapter of history can help educate the public as well as governments to better communicate with each other," said Chu.

Born in Anhui province in 1900, Sun graduated from Purdue University in 1924 with a degree in civil engineering and from VMI in 1927.

After returning to China, he joined the National Revolutionary Army and was later sent to Burma to protect the Burma Road.

In one operation, Sun led a Chinese regiment through difficult terrain to relieve 7,000 British forces trapped by the Japanese. He received the Commander of the British Empire medal.

In 1943, Sun's division was incorporated in the New First Army under the command of Stilwell, American commander of all American and Chinese troops in the CBI. Sun's troops spearheaded Stilwell's Burma Campaign to re-establish the land route to China.

Via the new route, later renamed "Stilwell Road", the Western Allies could supply the Chinese as an alternative to the Burma Road, which had been cut off by the Japanese in 1942.

For his achievements, Sun was considered by Stilwell the most capable Chinese field commander in the entire war. He also got the nickname "Rommel of the East".

To give the exhibition a traditional touch, all the photos were printed on handmade xun paper and mounted on 50 vertical panels, according to Sun Di, chairman of Anhui Hongtian Culture and Media Co, one of the organizers.

Also on display will be a 12-by-1-meter work of traditional Chinese painting titled The Historical Monument in which artist Hou Zhen depicts scenes of Allied military leaders and soldiers in CBI battles.

liazhu@chinadailyusa.com
Premier Li welcomes Canadian Prime Minister in Forbidden City Updated: 2016-08-30 22:52 By Hu Yongqi(chinadaily.com.cn)

Premier Li Keqiang meets Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Forbidden City in Beijing, Aug 30, 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Forty-three years after joining his father on a visit to the Forbidden City, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was welcomed by Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday at the UNESCO World Heritage site as he started an eight-day visit to China.

The wooden chairs and tea tables in traditional Chinese style might have reminded Trudeau of his subsequent private visits to the Forbidden City. On Tuesday, he wore a red tie, a color often interpreted as a token of luck in China, to dine with Li in a rare arrangement at Jianfu Palace inside the Forbidden City.

Trudeau will also visit Shanghai and Hong Kong and attend next week's G20 Leaders Summit in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

This is Trudeau's first visit to China since taking office in November. In 1973, his father, Pierre Trudeau, was the first Canadian prime minister to visit Beijing, three years after diplomatic ties were established.

Since the establishment of ties, the two countries have greatly deepened political, economic, trade and people-to-people links, Li said.

Premier Li Keqiang meets Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Forbidden City in Beijing, Aug 30, 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

China is now Canada's second-largest trade partner, second-biggest source of imports and second-largest export market, and both countries have bright prospects for bilateral relations and cooperation, the premier said.

Both countries advocate diverse cultures, Li added, and China is willing to work with the Canadian government to take bilateral relations to a new stage of development and achieve mutual benefits.

Trudeau said his administration will continue its traditional friendship with China and deepen bilateral relations and all-around pragmatic cooperation to enhance their positive, stable and strong relationship.

In the first 11 months last year, bilateral trade between China and Canada reached $50.5 billion, a year-on-year increase of 1.6 percent, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Trudeau's private visits to Beijing, including as a toddler with his father 43 years ago, might have influenced his friendly policies toward China, said Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies. "His visit is expected to restart relations with China, as the new government wants to expand economic ties and trade with us."

Premier Li Keqiang meets Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Forbidden City in Beijing, Aug 30, 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Canadian Ambassador to China Guy Saint-Jacques said, "Our prime minister wants to be very supportive of China and wants to make a success of the summit."

Saint-Jacques said Canada's new government is putting a lot of effort into expanding its relations with China in all fields, including trade and the economy, since Trudeau wants to have "a robust and comprehensive relation with China".

He also said the Canadian government is considering ways to increase trade. Regarding a free trade agreement between the two countries, the ambassador said there is a lot of work being done to speed up negotiations.

Mo Jingxi contributed to this story.
China condemns car bomb attack that hurt 3 at embassy in Kyrgyzstan Updated: 2016-08-31 07:05 By Wang Qingyun(China Daily)

Police officers gather near the Chinese embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, after a car bomb attack on Tuesday. [Photo/Xinhua]

China said it strongly condemns the "severe terrorist attack" on its embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, which injured three people and killed the attacker, and it reiterated its determination to crack down on terrorism.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the remarks on Tuesday after confirming that the embassy was hit by a car bomb on Tuesday morning, slightly injuring three embassy staff members.

Calling terrorism "the common enemy to the international community and the most severe threat that countries of this region face", Hua said China will strengthen counterterrorism cooperation with countries in the region including Kyrgyzstan, both on the bilateral level and within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Through such cooperation, China will firmly crack down on all forms of terrorism, protect Chinese in other countries and maintain regional security and stability, Hua said.

"China has asked Kyrgyzstan to adopt whatever measures are necessary to ensure the safety of China's organizations and Chinese people in Kyrgyzstan, have a rapid and thorough investigation of the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice," the spokeswoman told a daily news conference.

The attacker was killed by the explosion, which caused damage to the embassy door, and local police were trying to identify the assailant using DNA, Xinhua reported.

Li Wei, an anti-terrorism expert at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said the attack will encourage China and Kyrgyzstan to strengthen counterterrorism cooperation, as well as lead Kyrgyzstan to strengthen efforts to maintain its security.

International cooperation is "one of the most effective ways to crack down on and contain terrorism", he said.

"The international community should join efforts to fight terrorism, no matter where it takes place or whom it targets," Li said.
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NA Deputy Chairman Uong Chu Luu speaks at the conference to implement the 2016-17 law- and ordinance-making program __Photo: An Dang/VNA

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The National Assembly (NA) recently adopted a resolution adjusting the law- and ordinance-making program for the remaining months of 2016 and announcing the legislative program for 2017.According to the resolution, coded 22/2016/QH14, at its second session in October, the National Assembly will debate and pass a resolution revising Resolution No. 55/2010/QH12 on agricultural land use tax exemption and reduction and give opinions on the draft Planning Law, in addition to the approved law-making agenda of the session.The NA Standing Committee will also hear two additional ordinances on court fees and amendments to the Ordinance on Preferential Treatment toward People with Meritorious Service in November.According to the Committee, the above documents have been carefully prepared and finalized and are qualified for submission to the NA Standing Committee.Meanwhile, five laws are withdrawn from this years legislative program. They are the Law on Demonstration, the Law on Certification, the Law on Blood and Stem Cell, the revised Law on National Defense, and the revised Law on Nuclear Energy.Explaining the withdrawal of the Demonstration Law, Chairman of the NA Law Committee Nguyen Khac Dinh said the NA Standing Committee agreed that such law should be soon put into place as a legal basis for citizens to exercise their constitutional right. However, the law still has some controversial issues which need to be thoroughly researched before submission, he said.As for the 2017 legislative agenda, the resolution says at its third session to be held in early 2017, the NA will consider and pass 14 draft laws and one draft resolution, including the Anti-Corruption Law, the Law on Foreign Trade Management, the Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives and Supporting Tools, the Law on Support for Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises; the revised Law on Management and Use of State Assets, and the Planning Law, among others.At the fourth session, legislators will consider and pass nine drafts, including two new laws on protection of state secrets and application of pre-lawsuit interim urgent measures; three revised laws on competition, public debt management and fisheries, as well as amendments to the Labor Code and the Law on Representative Missions of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.Notably, the Law on Public Administration, the first-ever motion put forward by a NA deputy, is also included in next years legislative program. It will be submitted to the NA for discussion at the fourth session, together with five other drafts.According to the NA Standing Committee, the 2017 legislative agenda has given priority to laws and ordinances to enforce the 2013 Constitution and implement international commitments and treaties to which Vietnam has acceded, especially free trade agreements and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, and to meet urgent requirements of socio-economic development, state management and social management.Addressing a conference held in Hanoi this month on the NAs legislative work in late 2016 and 2017, NA Deputy Chairman Uong Chu Luu said 2016 is the year of transition between the XIIIand XIVtenures of the NA and also the first year of implementation of the 2015 Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents. Agencies and organizations involved in the legislative process and full-time NA deputies should thoroughly grasp and well implement the new provisions of the 2015 Law, contributing to raising the quality and effectiveness of legislative work, he said.Chairman of the NA Law Committee Nguyen Khac Dinh pointed out that the new Law introduces a totally new law-making process by separating the policy making process from the law-drafting process.From July 1, the compilation, appraisal, verification, consideration and passage of draft laws, resolutions and ordinances must comply with the 2015 Law, Dinh stressed.Resolution 22 also urges competent agencies, organizations and persons to properly compile, appraise, verify and give opinions on draft laws, ordinances and resolutions and not to submit to the National Assembly and its Standing Committee poor-quality drafts. They should also create favorable conditions for NA deputies to propose and realize their legislative initiatives in accordance with the Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents.The resolution again asks the Government, ministers and heads of ministerial-level agencies and other related agencies to early issue implementation regulations so that they can take effect concurrently with the relevant laws, ordinances or resolutions.The Government is also urged to propose laws and regulations to further institutionalize the Partys resolutions, enforce the Constitution, address burning issues for the people, and implement treaties to which Vietnam is a contracting party.Specifically, the resolution instructs the Government to expeditiously finish the draft Law amending the laws on investment and business and the draft Law on Demonstration and submit them to the NA Standing Committee for consideration and inclusion in the NAs legislative agenda.According to the 2015 Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents, from this year the NA will adopt annual legislative programs instead of five-year and annual ones as before.-
Nguyen Hoang Tuan.  Photo thanhnien.vn

Two good friends, Nguyen Hoang Tuan and Lam Van Vui, from the southern Bac Lieu Province, had to bring an awkward case to court to determine who deserved the lottery money they won.

While drinking alcohol with Vui, Tuan bought five lottery tickets issued by Bac Lieu Province Lottery Company and handed them to Vui, asking him to keep them. Tuan hoped that his friends luck would bring him a prize.

Tuans wish came true, and two of five tickets won a prize of VN2.7 billion (US$120,000).

Vui considered the tickets a present from his friend and believed he was the rightful recipient of the money. The next day, Vui went to the lottery company to collect the cash and surprised Tuan with an amount of shared money worth VN200 million ($8,900). But shortly after that, Tuan realised he deserved more.

The Peoples Court of Bac Lieu Province decided that the money must be shared and that each man should receive VN1.35 billion ($60,000), Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reported.

While both men walked away with a nice chunk of change, the lesson learned is to keep your lottery tickets tightly in your pocket.

Daredevil thief left hanging after failed heist

An online video featuring a female thief who was treated with kindness by the home owners she attempted to rob received some laughs.

The female thief took great pains to create a hole in the roof to sneak into the house. She had to cling to the roof and swing herself inside, but she couldnt find a way to get down to the floor.

While dangling from the ceiling, she was discovered by the house owners.

The house owners and their neighbours had to help pull her down. Some witnesses were so surprised by the brave female that they kept asking her, Is there anyone else or just you? But she was too exhausted to say anything and only asked for water.

The house owners were kind enough to give her water before locking her hands and taking her to the police.

Local residents said she must have been the most well-treated thief.

Bad news travels fast with an official stamp

A death notice for the mother of the Customs Department head in the southern ong Nai Province was posted in local newspapers. But that was not the only way the news was spread.

The announcement containing the time and place of the funeral was delivered to local agencies via a document signed by Le The Tu, the chief of the department office.

Tu confirmed his signing with Lao ong (Labour) newspaper, saying that Nguyen Phuc Tho, Customs Department deputy head, ordered the document to be sent.

Tho told the media he just wanted to find the fastest way to announce the news to everyone so that they could go to the funeral.

When snail mail just isnt quick enough, it pays to be creative. VNS


HA NOI  Viet Nam has become a big importer for goods from ASEAN countries seven months after joining in ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Deputy Prime Minister Vuong inh Hue has said.

Hue told a conference on the countrys international integration in Ha Noi last week that Viet Nam saw big trade deficits with Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. The country reported a small trade surplus with Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

He said Thailand surpassed South Korea to become the biggest automobile exporter to Viet Nam though the tax on the product has not reduced to zero under AECs commitments. India has also been a potential rival.

Statistics from General Statistics Office showed that in the first seven months of the year, the total import-export turnover among Viet Nam and ASEAN countries was US$22.8 billion, posting 8.3 per cent year-on-year decrease. Of this, Viet Nams exports to the countries reduced 12.3 per cent to $9.6 billion while its imports was 13.2 billion, making a trade deficit of $3.6 billion.

Hue wondered whether the risk could be prolonged or not. He also asked the government to conduct studies and analyses on the risks for solutions to resolve the situation.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh said ASEAN or ASEAN+ markets have not brought clear benefits to Viet Nam as most of the partners have similar and competitive economic structures in their countries.

In addition, local businesses have not been known to exploit opportunities from signed trade agreements. Several Vietnamese firms have not themselves sought partners. They have also not paid attention to tax reduction and removal as they still depended on middlemen, Khanh said.

He suggested that the government should encourage and facilitate businesses such as Vinamilk, TH True Milk, Minh Phu and Vinh Hoan, which have good investments in foreign markets.

He added that Viet Nam should choose markets which have a supplemental economic structure.

In reality, some markets such as Japan and South Korea which have a supplemental economic structure, have helped Viet Nams narrow trade gap with the countries.

Nguyen The Phuong, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment shared the ideas, adding that the government should have solutions to improve competitiveness in each product and sector to help Viet Nam have enough capacity in international integration.

We could be lost in the ASEAN market if we do not enhance our competitiveness, Phuong said.

Viet Nam has to date established trade ties with over 200 countries and territories. More than 100 countries and territories are running investment projects in Viet Nam, while domestic firms are also investing in projects in more than 70 nations and territories.  VNS
THANH HOA  Scientists have confirmed their first findings of traces of ancient wells from the Cham Pa Civilisation in the central province of Thanh Hoa.

Trinh Nang Chung, Ph D, from the Institute of Archaeology, acknowledged that his delegation has discovered many wells built in the style of the Cham Pa civilisation in Nghi Son Island, Tinh Gia District of the province.

Most of these wells remain intact and are identified due to their square mouths.

The largest well measures 2.9m on each side and has a depth of over 5m. The well is located in Gieng Hamlet, Nam Son Village. Its wall was built with thick stones, which were carefully carved. The stones have not been affixed to one another using any materials. The bottom of the well was made smaller than its mouth with stone layers laid like staircases in a square form.

The stone layers are loaded on two thick pieces of wood, which made up the wells bottom. The water in the well always remains at a depth of 1m. Also, local residents said the water in the well has never dried up, even during serious droughts.

At present, to preserve the well, locals covered gaps between stones with cement and built two staircases outside the well.

Local residents also revealed that there had been some ancient wells near todays Nghi Son Deep Water Port. But the wells were destroyed during the construction of the industrial zone at the port.

A few months ago, residents at on Hamlet, Bac Son Village in the same district, destroyed an ancient well while building a house. There is still a part of the wells mouth which can be seen.

Prof Chung said beside similar characteristics of forms and building techniques, the wells found here share the same geological features that are found near the ancient coastline.

This shows the early peoples skills in choosing the underground fresh water source, Chung said, Though the wells lie near the sea, their water remain fresh.

The water sources for the wells have never dried and locals still use them in their daily lives, he noted.

Recently built dams, roads and buildings have encroached on the coastline, in comparison with the past.

Prof Chung confirmed that the wells display defined features from the Cham Pa civilisation.

The wells might have been built at the same time the Tay Son regime built the Tam iep and Bien Son Defendence System. In 1789, Nguyen Hue (1753-1792), who was also known as King Quang Trung, used Bien Son as a naval base to send fighting ships to co-ordinate with army troops on land who were marching to Thang Long Citadel in the north to fight against the troops from the Qing dynasty from China.

In King Quang Trungs army, there were Cham Pa ethnic people. They might have helped build the wells in their traditional style, Chung said.

According to historic materials, Nghi Son Island was also known as Bien Son. The island was compared to a giant arm reaching to the sea, embracing a bay with a proper depth for ships seeking refuge during storms.

The island now is home to the four villages of Thanh Son, Bac Son, Trung Son and Nam Son. The villages are located in the north of the island and are linked with one another by a small path nearly 2km long. The road runs parallel with the coastline in a north-south direction.

The area still hosts various relics from temples, communal houses and traditional festivals dedicated to King Quang Trung.

The term Champa refers to a collection of independent Cham polities that extended across the coast of what is todays central and southern Viet Nam from approximately the 2nd century (192) through the 19th century (1832).

The kingdom was known variously as Cham Pa in Vietnamese (Chiem Thanh in Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary).  VNS
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  Photo AFP

HA NOI  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make an official visit to Viet Nam on Saturday at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This will be the first visit to Viet Nam by Modi as Prime Minister.

India is one of the 10 biggest trade partners of Viet Nam. Two-way trade turnover between the two countries hit more than US$5 billion a year.  VNS
PHNOM PENH  The Viet Nam  Cambodia Joint Committee on Land Border Demarcation and Marker Planting held a meeting in Phnom Penh on August 29-30 to review their cooperation.

The Vietnamese side was led by Deputy Foreign Minister and Head of the National Border Committee Le Hoai Trung while the Cambodian delegation was headed by Senior Minister and Government advisor for border issues Var Kim Hong.

Viet Nam and Cambodia have fulfilled about 83 percent of the goals they set in the Treaty on the Delimitation of National Boundaries in 1985 and a Supplementary Treaty in 2005.

Both sides discussed how to address shortcomings such as implementing bilateral treaties and agreements on boundary delimitation and territory, and inviting international experts to consult.

They also discussed how to stabilise the lives of residents of the Mekong Delta province of Long An and the Central Highland province of ak Lak, in areas sharing borders with Cambodia.

They agreed to accelerate the construction of auxiliary border markers and complete profiles on border demarcation.

The two sides expressed delight at the quite stable border between the two countries.

Relations among localities and people in border areas continue to be reinforced in the spirit of building good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, and comprehensive, sustainable and long-term cooperation.

Both nations have maintained regular delegation exchanges while economic collaboration in the border areas has been strengthened.

At the meeting, participants also raised problems in border management work.

The Vietnamese delegation head clarified the countrys policy and standpoint in the field.

While awaiting the completion of the border demarcation, Viet Nam and Cambodia agreed to continue implementing border management in accordance with the 1983 agreement on regulating border management and a joint press communique in 1995.

The agreement stresses that the two nations will not change or remove border markers while waiting for the settlement of existing problems in the field. It also highlights the need to raise peoples awareness of cooperation to maintain order and security in border areas.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese delegation head paid a courtesy visit to Prak Sokhonn, Senior Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation.VNS
Deputy Prime Minister Vuong inh Hue delivers speech at a meeting with leaders of the Viet Nam Co-operative Alliance (VCA) yesterday.  Photo tienphong.vn

HA NOI  Deputy Prime Minister Vuong inh Hue yesterday said preferential loans were needed for co-operatives to develop in a sustainable manner and in line with value chains.

Involved ministries, agencies and localities arranged funding to boost the collective economic sector, particularly co-operatives, Hue said at the meeting with leaders of the Viet Nam Co-operative Alliance (VCA) yesterday.

He said that Viet Nam had policies that supported co-operatives, which were regulated in laws, Government decisions and directives, but the policies had failed to bring the expected impact in reality.

For example, 18 out of 64 cities and provinces across the country did not establish a credit guarantee fund. Or according to the Party Central Committees Economic Commission, none of more than 20,000 co-operatives nationwide accessed the maximum loan for co-operatives, VN500 million (US$22,400).

Hue said that only ten per cent of co-operatives paid proper attention to seek markets or output for their products, while the other 90 per cent concentrated too much on production, without tightening links to the market.

The Deputy PM asked the Ministry of Planning and Investment to review and identify causes for the improper production-consumption link.

Lack of resources, impractical policies or poor implementation, which should be blamed for the modest performance of co-operatives? Hue asked.

Chairman of the VCA Vo Kim Cu said that 13 million households with more than 30 million labourers were joined in over 150,000 groups and 20,000 co-operatives.

By July 1, more than 9,000 co-operatives had re-registered, the qualification criteria for a co-operative as defined in a new Law on Co-operatives that the National Assembly approved in 2012.

Many previous co-operatives failed to shift to the new-style of co-operative because of financial problems or debts.

Cu said that the Governments policies for co-operatives had failed to catch up with reality and were not systematic.

For example, co-operatives in 18 provinces are under the supervision of Planning and Investment Departments, in another 13 province they are under supervision of the Viet Nam Co-operative Alliance, while in other provinces, no agency is directly in charge of co-operatives operations.

Local authorities paid modest care to boost the development of co-operatives, he said.  VNS
Pham uc Trung, the pilot killed in a military aircraft crash during a training session on August 26, has been posthumously honoured with the Fatherland Protection Order (first class).  Photo VGP

HA NOI  Pham uc Trung, the pilot killed in a military aircraft crash during a training session on August 26, has been posthumously honoured with the Fatherland Protection Order (first class).

On behalf of President Tran ai Quang, Minister-Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung paid respects to the soldier and presented the Order at the funeral held at the General Hospital of Phu Yen Province on August 27.

Trung, 22, was a trainee pilot of Regiment 910 of the Air Force Officers School under the Air Defence-Air Force Service.

He died while piloting an L39 aircraft which crashed into a rice paddy in Hoa Thanh Commune of ong Hoa District minutes after taking off from Tuy Hoa Airport at 8:45am on August 26.

The Defence Ministry blamed the incident on engine failure.

Also at the funeral, Lieutenant General Le Huy Vinh, Commander of the Air Defence-Air Force Service, told the bereaved family of the Defence Ministers decision to promote Trung from Master Sergeant to Second Lieutenant.  VNS
The Viet Nam Golden Book of Creativity 2016, the first book to honour Vietnamese peoples creativeness in science and technology, made its debut yesterday in Ha Noi.  Photo vietnamplus.vn

HA NOI  The Viet Nam Golden Book of Creativity 2016, the first book to honour Vietnamese peoples creativeness in science and technology, made its debut yesterday in Ha Noi.

The book, which was published on the 71st anniversary of countrys Independence Day on September 2, introduces 71 examples of research work and creative solutions in science and technology covering areas such as agriculture, health and industry. All the research and solutions are said to be highly practical and bring about pragmatic results in daily life.

Addressing its launch, Politburo member and President of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Nguyen Thien Nhan said the book aimed to honour researchers and research groups who have made outstanding works in social and applied science that considerably contribute to national socio-economic development.

It is a precious document which helps to encourage every citizen, State agency, organisation, and enterprise to actively join in creative activities, scientific and technological research, and put forth initiatives in all areas in order to improve productivity and product quality for successful international integration, he said.

On behalf of Vietnamese State and Party leaders, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan congratulated the scientists and inventors whose research was selected for the book.

She also lauded the initiative to publish the book by the Viet Nam Fatherland Front, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations.

The compiling and publishing of the book is creative and very timely in order to encourage and honour scientists and inventors.

At the same time, it provides Vietnamese people nationwide an insight into scientific and technological solutions which have made up the nations achievements in the reform process over the past years, she said.

She hoped the book would contribute to building up a creative culture in Vietnamese people.

She asked related agencies to continue to attach importance to and encourage industries, organisations and agencies at all levels, as well as Vietnamese people inside the country and overseas, to actively join in the campaign of promoting scientific and technological research and application to contribute to national development.

At the ceremony, the organisers presented certificates and copies of the book to the researchers and groups whose works are introduced in the book.

Among them are Mai Van Cuc from Binh Phuoc Province, who created a biological trap to kill fruit flies; Phan Thi Thuan from My uc Silk Ltd. Co, who invented a method to make silkworms weave quilts themselves; and Tan My Dao, a Dao ethnic woman from the mountainous Sin Ho District in Lao Cai Province, who managed to multiply a species of tree that is traditionally used in herbal medicine.

From this year, the Viet Nam Golden Book of Creativity, will be published annually.  VNS
NGHE AN  Hundreds of parents at a primary school in the central province of Nghe An have demanded an end to the application of a new learning and teaching model called the Viet Nam Escuela Nueva (VNEN).

At a meeting held over the weekend between representatives from Nghe An Provinces Educational and Training Department and leaders of the school, parents from Nguyen Trai Primary School said on Monday they wanted the school to use a traditional education model this school year.

Since the 2012-2013 school year, 73 primary schools in Nghe An Province have applied the VNEN method, funded by the Global Partnership for Education. VNEN was designed to make students more engaged in class with teachers serving as facilitators, and parents and other community members getting more involved to make learning relevant to children.

Last Tuesday, hundreds of parents gathered at the school to protest against the new education model, saying that VNEN was not appropriate for their children.

In accordance with this model, students sit in an abnormal position, which might affect their backbones and cause a loss of vision and limited ability to acquire knowledge, especially for those with lower aptitude, according to the parents.

Under this model, students no longer sit facing the teacher. Instead, a class is divided into groups with 4-6 students per group, and a student is assigned to lead the group by reading textbooks following the teachers instructions and relaying the content to other students.

Parents said the programme was more suitable for those who were gifted and talented because teachers take a hands-off role and only raise questions and topics for students to discuss, which is difficult for students who have trouble learning even in a traditional setting.

Some parents expressed support for the VNEN model. They said great efforts had been made by the school to improve the campus, and teachers were dedicated and enthusiastic. However, they said, its not the right time to apply VNEN, and the adoption of this model takes time. If the school continued the programme, they would not allow their children to go to school, they said

At the end of the meeting, Thai Huy Vinh, deputy director of the provincial Department of Education and Training, said the department would assign the school to gather opinions and then decide if the project should continue.

The most important issue was to stabilise the psychological state of students before they enter a new school year, he said.

The VNEN project, worth about US$84.6 million, was run in more than 2,300 primary schools and about 1,000 secondary schools between January 2013 and May 2016.  VNS
At least 70 Chinese labourers have been working illegally at Lee & Man Viet Nam, located in the southern province of Hau Giangs Chau Thanh District industrial zone, the Management Board of the provinces Industrial Zones reported on Sunday.  Photo baodatviet.vn

HAU GIANG  At least 70 Chinese labourers have been working illegally at Lee & Man Viet Nam, located in the southern province of Hau Giangs Chau Thanh District industrial zone, the Management Board of the provinces Industrial Zones reported on Sunday.

The board said Lee & Man Viet Nam, under Chinas Lee &Man Paper Manufacturing Limited, employed 168 foreign labourers but 70 werent registered to work in Viet Nam.

Chinese labourers were working illegally at Lee & Man Viet Nam, Nguyen Ngoc ien, deputy chief of Management Board of Hau Giang southern provinces Industrial Zones told Phap luat TP HCM ( HCM City Law) newspaper.

The Chinese arrived in Viet Nam on tourist visas but in fact worked for Lee & Man Viet Nam.

According to ien, the Management Board reported the situation to Hau Giang Province Peoples Committee and proposed a solution.

We are authorised to license foreign workers engaged in industrial zones managed by Hau Giang Province Industrial Zones Management Board, ien said.

However, there are shortcomings in that we provide licences without inspections. Therefore, we asked the provincial Peoples Committee to give direction for tackling the problem, as well as re-building regulations between relevant offices.

Earlier in August, Hau Giang Provinces Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs inspected and discovered 145 Chinese working at Lee & Man Viet Nam, of which 40 were working without a licence, according to Phap Luat TP HCM newspaper.

The department informed the provincial Peoples Committee, and co-ordinated with relevant offices and provincial police to investigate further.

A Hau Giang Province Peoples Committee spokesman refused to answer reporters questions on measure to deal with the illegal Chinese labourers, but admitted that the Committee knew about the problem. VNS
Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong delivers speech at a ceremony to honour 20 youths who follow late President Ho Chi Minhs teachings in Ha Noi yesterday.  Photo thanhnien.vn

HA NOI  Twenty youths who follow late President Ho Chi Minhs teachings were honoured at a ceremony in Ha Noi yesterday.

They were among delegates to the fourth national congress for youths excelling in following President Ho Chi Minhs teachings between 2014 and 2016. Their achievements in studying, working and self-improvement have positively influenced society.

Addressing the ceremony, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong described the 445 delegates to the congress as precious seeds that represent over 25 million members of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union nationwide.

He said that the Party, State and people put their trust in the youth union and the youth of Viet Nam, expecting that the union will train young generations into pioneers of national development and defence.

The fourth national congress, held on August 28-29, honours young role models while devising measures to realise the Politburos Directive No. 05 on enhancing the studying and following of President Ho Chi Minhs teachings.

Delegates include scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, farmers, workers, soldiers, students and public servants. They come from different ethnic groups and religions, as well as from overseas.

The congress featured forums on the youths role in integration, voluntary activities, self-improvement, start-up and creativity.--VNS
An Agent Orange victim is given care at the veteran nursing centre in Nho Quan District of northern Ninh Binh Province.  VNA/VNS Photo Ninh uc Phuong

CAN THO  The next court hearing of an Agent Orange (AO) lawsuit filed by a French-Vietnamese woman against 26 US chemical companies is expected to be held in early 2017.

The information was revealed at a dialogue held in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho yesterday by the provincial Association of Agent Orange Victims.

The past six court hearings of Tran To Ngas lawsuit were held between April 2015 and July 2016.

The 73-year-old dioxin-affected Nga is suing the companies that manufactured Agent Orange, the defoliant used by the US during the war in Viet Nam. Lawyers Amelie Lefebvre and Bertrand Repold represent her.

In 2009, Nga, who contracted a number of acute diseases, appeared as a witness at the International Peoples Tribunal of Conscience in Paris, France against the US chemical companies. The complaint and related documents were handed over to the Crown Court of Evry city in the suburbs of Paris.

Nga said at the dialogue that the lawsuit appearing in the court was an initial victory for not only her but other AO victims.

She said she had prepared evidence as well as her spirit to join the next hearing.

A similar dialogue will be held in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang.

Nga was a correspondent for the Liberation News Agency, which later merged with Vietnam News Agency, during the fiercest period of the war. From 1966 she lived in areas hit by the herbicide, including Cu Chi District in HCM City and along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

She later gave birth to three children, the eldest of which died of a heart disorder, while the second inherited a blood disease from her.

Nga herself suffers from numerous diseases as a consequence of her exposure to AO, many of which have been recognised by the US government as associated with the toxic chemical.

Ngas status as an AO victim and French national have allowed the lawyers to sue the US chemical firms in France, which could end up benefiting not only Nga but also millions of Vietnamese AO victims.

Nga said she decided to file the suit not for her benefit but for other Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange.  VNS




HA NOI  Education for Nature-Viet Nam (ENV) yesterday said it had rescued six lorises, whose scientific name is Lorisidae, three days after they were advertised for sale on line by wild animal traffickers.

Last Tuesday, an ENV volunteer informed the organisation that some people had advertised on a social network to sell the lorises on a well-known forum about pet trading.

ENV reported the information to the HCM City Environment Police.

Last Saturday, the ENV staff, in co-ordination with the police, nabbed Le Huynh Tri Ngoc, 28, and Mai Van Nhi, 26, from the central city of Nha Trang.

The lorises are currently being looked after at the HCM City Environment Police. They will then be transported to a rescue centre.

Also last week, a gibbon was rescued in the Central Highlands province of ak Lak thanks to information from a volunteer.

A resident from Krong Kma Town in Krong Bong District called the hotline number 18001522 with information that a gibbon was being raised by a family.

A volunteer in ak Lak Province came to the spot to verify the information and collect evidence on the case.

The gibbon was rescued by the Krong Bong Forest Management Unit.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam, Laos and Thailand are considering introducing bus routes to offer the public better transport connectivity between the three countries.

The transport ministries of the three countries had agreed to conduct surveys on the routes at the first meeting on the initiative held in December last year. They also agreed that the operation of these routes would be based on shared interests, which would be identified by their transport enterprises.

Two routes starts from Thailands Bangkok, running through Nakhon Phanom Province in northeast Thailand and Laoss Thakhek Town to Viet Nams Ha Tinh Province, while the third route is from Thailands Mukdahan Province to Viet Nams a Nang City.

The Directorate for Roads of Viet Nam (DRVN) said surveys had been conducted on the first route from Bangkok to Ha Tinh.

The DRVN would co-ordinate with its Thai and Lao counterparts to complete surveys on the other two routes, it said.

The second meeting on the initiative will be held this year in Laos, however, the date has not yet been announced.

During the meeting, transport firms from the three countries are expected to discuss the operation mechanism of the Bangkok-Ha Tinh route, keeping the interests of all parties in mind.

The new routes are expected to promote trade and tourism between countries in Southeast Asia in the future.

Viet Nam is operating international bus routes connecting the country with Laos, Cambodia and China.  VNS
HA NOI  Vaccination has covered only about half of newborns in Viet Nam, which makes experts worry as the country has the highest number of patients in the West Pacific region.

While the vaccination is effective, it has not reached the desired rate among newborns as only about 50-60 per cent of infants across the country receive the hepatitis B vaccination within two days of being born.

Duong Thi Hong, deputy director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, said this at a conference organised by the Ministry of Health (MoH) yesterday in Ha Noi on preventing hepatitis caused by virus.

According to Hong, in the first half of this year, 22 out of 63 provinces and cities across the country have 30 per cent of newborns receive the vaccine. Several provinces have only 11-12 per cent of newborns get the vaccination.

The national immunisation programme this year hoped to reach 75-80 per cent of newborns, which meant that some 36-40 per cent of the infants should have received the vaccine in the first half of the year, she said.

However, in 22 provinces and cities, including Son La, Cao Bang, ien Bien and Lang Son, as well as Gia Lai, Nghe An, Lai Chau and Quang Binh, along with Binh inh, Hai Phong and Bac Giang, the success rate is under 30 per cent.

Hong called the conditions alarming. He said the health sector hoped to raise the rate to 75 per cent.

Last year, the countrys average rate of receiving the hepatitis B vaccine was 69.8 per cent, and this was uneven in different localities.

Referring to the reasons for the low rate in some areas, Hong said medical workers were worried about the after-effects of the vaccination, and so they hesitated.

In addition, several hospitals did not focus on the immunisation programme, while some mothers were afraid of the side-effects, and so chose not to give their newborns the injection, she said.

Dr Lokky Wai, World Health Organisation (WHO) representative in Viet Nam, said hepatitis in Viet Nam was worrying as the country had the highest number of patients in the West Pacific region.

At present, Viet Nam has some 8.7 million people affected by hepatitis B and one million others affected by hepatitis C, according to statistics revealed by the MoH, in co-ordination with the WHO.

The burden caused by hepatitis in Viet Nam was 40 times higher than that caused by HIV, Wai said.

The WHO has recommended that a combined treatment and prevention strategy could eliminate hepatitis B and C in 2030.

Preventive methods included injecting newborns with the hepatitis B vaccine within two days of being born, especially infants living in areas with a high risk of the disease, and controlling bacterial contamination inside and outside the medical stations.  VNS
ROME  Around 6,500 migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya, the Italian coastguard said, in one of its busiest days of life-saving in recent years.

Dramatic images of one operation showed about 700 migrants crammed onto a fishing boat, with some of them jumping off the vessel in life jackets and swimming towards rescuers.

A five-day-old baby was among those rescued along with other infants and was airlifted to an Italian hospital, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which took part in operations.

"The command centre coordinated 40 rescue operations" that included vessels from Italy, humanitarian organisations as well as the EUs border agency Frontex, saving 6,500 migrants, the coastguard wrote on Twitter.

"Weve been particularly busy today," a spokesman for the Italian coastguard said.

On Sunday more than 1,100 migrants were rescued in the same area.

The total number of arrivals in Italy this year now stands at 112,500, according to the UNs refugee agency and the coastguard, slightly below the 116,000 recorded by the same point in 2015.

Almost all of those migrants originate from West Africa and the Horn of Africa, often departing from Libya en masse when the sea is calm and a southern wind can push boats up into international waters.

Such days often come one after another, leading to large numbers of boats over a short period. More than 13,000 people were rescued in under a week at the end of May, and 8,300 more at the start of August.

The Italian coastguard predicted that weather conditions would encourage the departure of further migrant boats on Tuesday.

The vessels are often flimsy and overcrowded while some of the migrants set off in such poor health that even if the crossing is calm they cannot survive a day at sea.

There are around a dozen vessels run by humanitarian groups that patrol the waters off the Libyan coast, but tensions in the zone have flared recently as rival factions battle to control migrant trafficking.

This month an MSF ship taking part in migrant rescue operations came under attack from armed men who shot at the vessel before briefly climbing aboard, the medical charity said.

Nobody was hurt in the incident, which took place on August 17, the group said.

More than 3,000 migrants have died at sea while trying to reach either Greece or Italy since the start of this year, an increase of some 50 percent on the same period in 2015.

Some 204,000 others crossed the Mediterranean to Europe in the first six months of this year, the UN refugee agency said, as the continent battles its worst migration crisis since World War II.

Last year more than one million migrants made the journey to Europe, with the majority fleeing war in Syria and the Middle East.  AFP
WASHINGTON - Clashes between Turkish forces and units affiliated with a US-backed Kurdish-led alliance in Syria are "unacceptable," the Pentagon has said, asking all sides to stand down.

"Weve called on both sides to not fight with one another, to continue to focus the fight on ISIL," Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Monday, using an acronym for the Islamic State group (IS).

"Thats the basis of our cooperation with both of them -- specifically not to engage."

Turkish forces last week launched a two-pronged operation against IS and Kurdish fighters from the Peoples Protection Units (YPG) inside Syria.

The YPG is the main component of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which has been fighting IS in northern Syria.

The US-led coalition has been backing the YPG with training and equipment to fight IS, while at the same time the United States has also supported Syrian opposition groups fighting with the Turks in northern Syria.

Ankara has said it killed 25 Kurdish "terrorists" in strikes on YPG positions on Sunday -- meaning the two US-backed partner forces were fighting each other.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook condemned the fighting south of the Syrian town of Jarabulus, where Turkish armed troops had fought with the SDF.

"We want to make clear that we find these clashes unacceptable and they are a source of deep concern," Cook said.

"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."

Crossing the Euphrates

But Turkey considers the YPG a "terrorist" group and said on Monday it would continue to target the YPG if it failed to retreat east of the Euphrates River.

"The YPG elements of (the SDF) will withdraw, and is withdrawing, east of the Euphrates," Carter said.

"That will naturally separate them from Turkish forces that are heading down in the Jarabulus area."

Turkish forces backed by pro-Ankara rebels seized the town of Jarabulus from IS last week, but also clashed with local fighters affiliated with the SDF.

Two US defense officials said on Monday that the SDF withdrawal was essentially complete, but they acknowledged some Kurdish people remained to the west of the Euphrates.

Another defense official said some SDF forces remained in the city of Manbij, south of Jarabulus, which was this month wrested from IS.

US Vice President Joe Biden made a visit to Turkey last week, during which he said Washington was looking to preserve the territorial integrity of Syria.

And President Barack Obama will meet his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan next weekend in China, on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit, with Syria high on the agenda.

Dozens of people were killed in Turkish bombardments in Syria on Sunday as Ankara ramped up its unprecedented offensive.

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, the first report of significant civilian casualties in Turkeys operation.  AFP
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan  A car driven by a suicide bomber exploded after ramming through a gate at the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday, wounding three people, authorities said.

"As a result of the explosion, only the suicide bomber terrorist died.

Security guards were injured," Kyrgyzstans Deputy Prime Minister Jenish Razakov told journalists.

Razakov said the three wounded were all Kyrgyz employees of the Chinese embassy and that they had been taken to hospital. Local medics said their injuries were not serious.

Bishkek police sources said that a Mitsubishi Delica car smashed through a gate at the embassy before blowing up in the centre of the compound close to the ambassadors residence.

Another source from the security service of the ex-Soviet Central Asian nation  which borders China  said an "explosive device" had been placed inside the vehicle.

Local residents said that the blast had blown in their windows and caused their houses to shake.

Employees from the Chinese and nearby American embassy on the edge of the city were evacuated, the Kyrgyz emergency service said.

Kyrgyzstan has a history of political instability and battling Islamist extremism.

The economically troubled country has seen two governments overthrown and ethnic violence claim hundreds of lives since it gained independence in 1991.

The authorities regularly announce that they have foiled attacks planned by the Islamic State group in the country.

Security forces last year said they had engaged in several deadly shootouts with suspected "terrorists" in Bishkek.

Officials say that some 500 Kyrgyz are thought to have joined the ranks of Islamic State fighting in Syria and Iraq.

Chinese officials in the country have previously been targeted, with one shot dead in 2000 in an attack blamed on radicals from Chinas Uighur minority.

Kyrgyzstan and the other ex-Soviet Central Asian nations have come under fire for using a purported terror threat to silence criticism of their secular regimes.  AFP
The is planning to exit low margins business in India and abroad, as part of its plan to reorganise its activities, post-merger of its two holding - Grasim and Aditya Birla Nuvo. As part of its strategem, the group has identified the sale of its fertiliser business that had earned it ~2,498-crore of revenue in FY16. The business is currently operated by Indo Gulf Fertilisers, a subsidiary of Aditya Birla Nuvo.


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.
CEDAR FALLS  Myra Seichter watched from the side of the room as Kirsten Jacobsen, director of rehabilitation at Reliant Rehabilitation, lowered a large platform down below the floor. Water began filling the space.

It kept going lower  it can go down to five feet below the surface of the water  and that had Seichter a bit worried.

What about for a short person like me? she finally asked.

It can stop at any point, Jacobsen reassured her.

Seichter, who was touring Pinnacle Specialty Cares brand-new facility behind Menards in Cedar Falls, was floored.

Ive never heard of it before  the idea that you can walk out on it, she said. And Ive always heard that pool therapy is good.

Pinnacles staff hopes the hydrotherapy, which has a treadmill, jets and support bars, will be one of the unique features that will convince people like Seichter to move to the new long-term care facility  or get their rehabilitation therapy done there.

Administrators and executives touted the pool, as well as the buildings eco-friendly materials and other amenities, during their open house Monday afternoon.

Just eight or 10 short months ago, we were having a rafter-raising, said Jason Bridie, director of marketing for Care Initiatives, which owns Pinnacle. This whole area is growing, and were proud to be a part of it.

The 100-bed facility is an open-concept design, with five wings that all meet in a central entry, dining area and courtyard. Besides the therapy pool, there is a therapy gym, a whirlpool room and shower room and several common areas.

Isnt it amazing what you can do with a piece of ground and 15 million dollars? said Miles King, CEO of Care Initiatives.

Several speakers at Mondays event touted the facilitys beauty, noting a few residents and families got a sneak peek on Friday. Theyll begin moving in this week.

One resident said, Ive never been to a place this nice, and I said, Well, its about time. Welcome home, said Teri Osborn, administrator of Pinnacle.

Most of the first residents will be moving directly from Windsor Specialty Care in Cedar Falls, which is being replaced by Pinnacle. Its one of 14 nursing homes in the state of Iowa under Care Initiatives umbrella that has been replaced. Care Initiatives owns 44 facilities in Iowa.

What a beautiful place to work in, to live in, said Char Schlepp, vice president and director of operations at Care Initiative.

But Pinnacles charm  like its hydrotherapy pool  goes deeper than its beauty, said King.

The building is beautiful, but its about the care, and thats what theyre going to get, he said.
WATERLOO  A Waterloo man has been sentenced to prison for returning to the United States after he had been removed from the country.

Authorities said 46-year-old Manuel Sanchez-Rojas had been deported in 1992, 1997, 2000, 2004, and 2005. In April 2016, he was arrested in Waterloo as part of a theft investigation, and when immigration agents took custody of him, he allegedly threatened to shoot them, according to court records.

On Tuesday, Judge Leonard Strand sentenced Sanchez to three years and one month in prison on a plea to a charge of illegal reentry following a felony conviction.

Court records indicate Sanchez has been convicted of 11 crimes in the United States between 1991 and 2016. Charges include assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, possession of a firearm, escape and theft in California and Illinois.

His most recent arrests came in 2015 for stealing beer from the Kwik Star on Franklin Street in Waterloo and a camera from the Waterloo Wal-Mart in 2016.
WATERLOO  A Waterloo man has been arrested for allegedly luring two teens from Chicago and then forcing them to work in the sex trade and shoplift.

Lawrence Edward Campbell Jr., 35, of 2100 Clearview St., was arrested Tuesday morning for two counts each of human trafficking and using a juvenile to commit an offense. He was taken to the Black Hawk County Jail, and bond was set at $40,000.

Waterloo police discovered the scheme on Monday when one of the girls was detained for shoplifting at Target in Waterloo.

Both girls are 16 years old, and one was listed as a runaway, said Capt. David Mohlis with the Waterloo Police Department. He said the parents and guardians have been notified to come to Iowa to pick up the girls.

According to investigators, Campbell met the two through the internet, telling them to come to Waterloo for a better life. He bought bus tickets for the girls, and when they arrived, he told them they would have to engage in sex acts for money, court records state.

Campbell had the girls pose for photos, which were posted on an internet page that that offered their services, police said.

Campbell arranged several contact between male and both (girls) in when they would engage in sex acts with each other and the male in exchange for money, records state.

The girls were also directed to steal from local stores, and the merchandise would be resold on the streets.

Officers searched Campbells home and found clothing with tags and security devices, and the found clothing the girls wore on images posted on the webpage. They also discovered bus ticket stubs.
WATERLOO  A Waterloo man who allegedly shot a dog during an October argument has been sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison on firearm charges.

Charles Brewer Jr., 19, may also be spending more time behind bars. Judge Linda Reade ordered that his sentence for being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm be added to a time he spends on a state domestic abuse charge.

Two months before the shooting, Brewer had been granted a deferred judgment with probation in the domestic abuse case. But authorities filed a probation violation following the shooting, and the outcome is still pending.

After his prison time, Brewer will be on supervised release for three years, under his federal sentence.

Authorities said Brewer, who was prohibited from handling firearms because of a no-contact order stemming from the May 2015 domestic case, got in an argument with Larry Chestnut outside Chestnuts West Mullan Avenue home on Oct. 5. A fight developed, and when Chestnuts dog came to his aid, Brewer shot the dog with a small-caliber pistol and fled.

He was arrested in March after authorities found him in East Chicago, Ind.
SHEFFIELD  After 20 visits to the doctor for her sick son, Heather Tollefson knew something was wrong.

Over the winter, she grew frustrated as her son Landon, now 3, battled continual ear infections. He had fevers when he wasnt sick. He was constantly on antibiotics.

Doctors told her it was a normal part of childhood.

I wasnt having it anymore, said Tollefson, 27, of Sheffield.

On April 27, when his leg was turning a swollen purple, she and her husband, Jerry, took him back to the doctor. He was rushed by ambulance to Iowa City.

At the University of Iowa Hospital, doctors examined the growth on his groin and diagnosed him with acute myeloid leukemia.

After doctors told her years earlier it would be difficult to conceive a child because of a thyroid condition, the diagnosis was especially difficult.

Its a shock, she said. You just kinda go numb and you wonder if your child is going to die.

The next day, he started the first of three rounds of chemotherapy.

For her son, who loves dinosaurs, superheroes and playing outdoors, she has been amazed by his resilience as he undergoes painful cancer treatments.

He doesnt cry, hes just so brave, she said. He does what he needs to do. Hes a survivor.

When Landons Sheffield daycare owner Lori Sanders, 50, heard the news, it brought back painful memories of her nephew who had died of cancer at age 9.

It was kinda like deja vu for me, she said. Landon is just a baby.

Now, Sanders is helping to organize a fundraiser with Heathers mother, Tammy Sorensen, at West Fork High School 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 18.

For now, Tollefson said they continue to wait as Landon has .002 percent of the cancer left in his body.

We wont know for a couple more weeks if its gone or not, she said.

He is scheduled to undergo a bone marrow transplant Oct. 13.

On Wednesday, Landon celebrated his birthday at the hospital. Nurses brought gifts, decorations and a cookie cake, Tollefson said that day via a text message.

She ordered a lemon poppyseed muffin cake from the local Hy-Vee  since his chemotherapy began, the muffins have been one of his favorite foods, she said.

This will probably be the hardest thing he ever does, Tollefson said.

He is just so strong and so brave. I always knew that about Landon, she said. This just tops the cake.

For more information, go to the LANDON STRONG  STOMPING CANCERS BUTT Facebook page.

A GoFundMe page is available at: gofundme.com/226yzj5y.
DES MOINES -- The effort to try to keep an underground crude oil pipeline from being built in Iowa is moving from court action to civil disobedience at construction sites.

Ed Fallon, a former state legislator and candidate for governor and Congress who now serves as Bold Iowa's state director, said he will be among 50 to 100 people who plan a nonviolent "direct action" Wednesday in Boone County to protest Dakota Access' project to place 346 miles of pipeline in 18 Iowa counties, crossing the state on a diagonal from northwest to southeast.

Fallon called the direct action a "last resort" after a district judge denied a motion Monday by 14 affected Iowa landowners to temporarily stop construction of the Texas-based company's Bakken pipeline while a lawsuit remains pending in Polk County District Court challenging the use of government sanctioned-eminent domain to take their land.

In denying a temporary stay, District Judge Jeffrey Farrell said the Iowa Utilities Board had conducted a thorough vetting of the issues before granting Dakota Access a state permit and eminent domain authority and it appeared the petitioning landowners "are not likely to prevail on the merits of their constitutional claim" based upon his cursory review of U.S. Supreme Court case law.

However, Fallon said he believes the $3.8 billion project to transport up to 570,000 barrels of crude oil daily from North Dakota's Bakken oil fields through Iowa to a distribution hub at Patoka, Ill., is illegal and violates an eminent domain law he helped pass as a legislator in 2006 and wants to see it halted until the legal challenges are resolved by the Iowa Supreme Court.

"I don't know anybody who wants to risk getting arrested, but you get to the point in many struggles for justice where people have to take that stand," Fallon told a news conference called to discuss an analysis of Bakken oil samples indicating the presence of benzene and other cancer-causing compounds that would potentially flow through the Dakota Access pipeline.

"Dakota Access is just pushing ahead with this as if it's a done deal and we have to do everything we can to stand on the side of justice," Fallon told reporters. "We can't stand back and do nothing. We have to take action.

"We're really passionate about making sure that landowners are protected, that our water is protected and we'll do what we have to do non-violently to respond to the continued efforts to construct this pipeline, especially where landowners have said no," he added.

Fallon's comments came one day after Dakota Access filed a motion in federal court seeking a restraining order against Bold Iowa and Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) to keep the protesting groups and their leaders at least 25 feet away from right-of-way easements allowing pipeline construction to proceed in Iowa.

Fallon said he did not like to risk arrest but added he opponents would not be intimidated by the pipeline company.

"I feel we're up against the wall at this point and it is a last resort," he said. "We're not going to back down. We're not going to let this company intimidate us. They've been trying to intimidate landowners all along and they have been successful in intimidating some into signing easements against their better judgment."

Protesters expressed disappointment with President Obama and Gov. Terry Branstad for not coming to the aid of Iowa landowners, but Branstad spokesman Ben Hammes issued a statement Tuesday saying Iowa law clearly gives the responsibility to the Iowa Utilities Board to decide where pipelines should be approved and he believes the panel was "careful and thoughtful" in granting the permit and "respects the decision made."

During his weekly news conference Monday, the governor indicated state law enforcement authorities would "do what is necessary" to protect the safety of Iowa citizens and construction workers.

At opponents' news conference Tuesday, retired farmer Tim Hooper of Boone said he obtained samples of Bakken oil from an undisclosed well location during a trip to North Dakota and had it analyzed by Iowa State University's Chemical Instrumentation Facility, which found benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and several other volatile organic compounds that are known to cause cancer and other negative health issues.

Hooper expressed concern over the potential health risks of a pipeline break and the fact that the project "goes right through the very best" farmland and soil in Iowa and cuts existing tile lines.

Donnielle Wanatee, a member of Sac and Fox of the Mississippi in Iowa, said the project poses a threat to Iowa's land and water with no benefit for the residents of the state, while Keith Puntenney, one of the landowners who brought legal action against Dakota Access, said called the pressurized pipeline "a bomb waiting to go off" near a number of Iowa water sources.
CEDAR RAPIDS  Hillary Clinton hit a home run with her plan to integrate mental and physical health care and enhance community-based treatment opportunities, according to an Iowa lawmaker on the frontline of those issues.

She covered all the bases, Senate President Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, told reporters Tuesday on a conference organized by Hillary for Iowa. Its one of the many reasons I decided to support Hillary.

Nearly 20 percent of American adults, 40 million people, have mental health issues, according to the campaign. In Iowa, that includes about 392,000 and one in nine children, Jochum said.

The problem is particularly acute in Iowa, she said, because of Gov. Terry Branstads unilateral decision to gut mental health system and privatize Medicaid.

There just is nowhere for many of these people to get the treatment they need, Jochum said. The closure of these facilities without a clear plan to fill the gap is symptomatic of a much broader lack of support for mental health.

That prompted a response from the Branstad administration, which said facts arent getting in the way of fiction from Sen. Jochum.

The facts are, Branstad spokesman Ben Hammes said, that Jochum voted three times to close two of the states mental health institutions since 2009, there are more than 100 mental health beds currently available across the state and Branstad has signed more than $310 million in mental health funding since returning to office in 2011.

The fact is, the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan provides mental health care to 150,000 more Iowans today that did not have coverage before, Hammes said. The fact is, Iowans have more access to mental health care than ever before in a community based setting, which experts agree, is better for the patient.

However, mental health advocate Jennifer Herrington of Clarinda, said Clintons plan takes into account concerns she heard from Iowas during her listening tour in April 2015.

We talked a lot of issues, but what struck me was how frequently the conversation turned back to mental health, she said on the call. Hillary knew all about the global, national, big picture issues related to mental health and then was very in tune with what was happening here in Iowa.

She was able to connect all those dots  substance abuse, the social determinants of health, trauma, access, how all of those things compound challenges for people with serious mental illness, Herrington said. Shes our champion.

Clintons plan https://www.hillaryclinton.com/briefing/factsheets/2016/08/29/hillary-clintons-comprehensive-agenda-on-mental-health/ calls for integrating mental and physical health care and increasing community-based treatment opportunities; promoting early diagnosis and intervention; enforcing current mental health parity laws; train law enforcement to deal with people with mental health issues; and invest in brain and behavioral research.

She didnt include a price tag.
Donald Trump. Would that it were unnecessary to mention his name except, say, as a Viagra pitchman.

Despite such casting perfection, this isnt intended as a personal metaphor for the man, though it is for the GOP. Cue sound of balloon losing vigor. The erstwhile party of Lincoln has rendered itself impotent by its clammy-handed embrace of the sad clown who made everybody laugh  for a while.

But the enchanted evening Republicans fantasized when they nominated the biggest goofball ever to enter the Oval Office sweepstakes is over. The clock has struck midnight, the carriage is ablaze; the golden-haired prince is a bloated chimneysweep ranting at rooftops. The partys footmen, blind mice begging for scraps of mercy, scatter in search of cover.

Even Rep. Mark Sanford, the disgraced former governor of South Carolina, took to the quill, writing in a New York Times op-ed he might no longer support Trump if he doesnt produce his tax returns. Knowing with 99 percent certainty this wont happen, Sanford has carved a tiny escape hole in the baseboard for himself.

At the same time, talk radio hustlers whove more or less directed the GOP platform the past two decades or so, beginning with the Clinton administration, seem to be coming undone, floundering in the full-circleness of their anti-Clinton credo. Rush Limbaugh, to be precise, recently dissolved into a fit of giggles as he tried to pronounce the stupidity of Trumps softening on immigration.

Poor Ann, he rasped, referring to Ann Coulters new book, In Trump We Trust. Anti-amnesty Ann, now on what she says may be the shortest book tour ever, has had to dial back her support for the GOP nominee if he doesnt return to his hard-line deportation promise.

Quelle situation! The very policy undergirding Trumps campaign suddenly became a negotiable talking point. Draconian Trump suddenly became Care Bear Trump: We need to be fair and maybe some should stay, he said. Then, just as suddenly  feeling the heat from his courtiers  he was back to dear old Draco. But of course hes going to send them all back. Then, when they come back legally, if they do, theyll have to pay taxes.

Because every ordinary billionaire does?

Trump was never going to build a wall, this columnist wrote. He was never going to deport 11 million people, she said. How exactly does one do this without sending armed forces to arrest Madre in the kitchen and Padre on the phone while their citizen-children watch in horror? Think back to the 2000 image of Elian Gonzalezs rescue by masked, armed men, brought to you by the Clinton administration, let the record show.

For many of us scribes, Trumps true nature and character were obvious from the start, not to mention 20 years before that. No degree of fleeting niceness (which, ahem, I gamely recognized in a recent column written for sport in response to a challenge) was going to make Trump less repugnant or more appealing for long. Predictably, he couldnt sustain it. A person can only fake who he is for so long before the interior self emerges. Trumps nice side, you can be certain, isnt what appeals to members of the Ku Klux Klan or other white nationalist groups who find his ideas in sync with their own.

Trumps calling Hillary Clinton a bigot when he is the bigots candidate should be viewed as the last gasp of a desperate nominee with no one left to insult. African-Americans, previously ignored, are now in the sights of the flaming eye of Sauron.

This dark fairy tale was bound to end, if later than many expected. Sure, droves will vote for Trump no matter what  and weve learned no-matter-what has quite elastic boundaries. His fans arent crazy or stupid, one is bound to say, and may justify their votes with concern for the future composition of the Supreme Court or for some variation of Trumps shifting immigration policy.

But the truth is, most will be voting against Hillary Clinton, whom they dislike with such ferocity theyd rather vote for Mickey Mouse  or even Donald Trump, master puppeteer and ringmaster of the Freakiest Show on Earth.
Police misconduct

LaTANYA GRAVES

WATERLOO  Too many times we overlook what is clearly in front of our eyes. Whether subtle hints of overt harassment or misconduct are occurring or blatant acts that continue to be investigated internally and are quickly deemed unfounded, it is time to face the music. The evidence continues to speak for itself!

Active participation and excessive use of force can be construed as two separate entities depending on who is investigating, or as intertwined so one will not occur without the other. Thus, Im led to believe, due to our lack of knowledge and/or inadequate training, incidents will continue to happen that should not merit disciplinary infractions.

Yet, at the same time there is much talk about transparency and building relationships that are meaningful and heartfelt. Until wrongdoing is held accountable and dwelt with expeditiously, the presence of truly sincere persons with heartfelt intentions interacting within the community will continue to be viewed as surface traits. Though events are held with the hopes of bridging the ever widening gap and viewed as a success, these successes will always be over shadowed by a failed system.

Imminent dangers

ROGER W. SMITH

WATERLOO  There should be no doubt the greatest and most immediate threat to life and property in the U.S. is posed by radical Islamism. A commentary relative to that threat and its origins may be found in Robert R. Reilleys important book, The Closing of the Muslim Mind: How Intellectual Suicide Created the Modern Islamist Crisis.

There also should be no doubt, despite the collapse of the Soviet empire and the ideological shifts in the Peoples Republic of China, the deadly and pervasive ideas of Marx, Lenin, Stalin and Mao have not gone away. There remain powerful forces both within and without our government who continue to struggle for all The Communist Manifesto sought to impose on the world.

See, for example, the platform of the Democratic Party and the private and public pronouncements of its most important supporters  who would never acknowledge their Marxist-Leninist orientations.

We should not ignore either of these imminent dangers to what we once called our American way of life.

Friedrich Nietzsche proclaimed, God is dead. He was no more in error than those who vainly argue Communism is dead. Reform could start in our government schools.

Rod Blums ad

JANE TEAFORD

CEDAR FALLS  Does anybody else have a problem believing Congressman Rod Blum when he says he lived in a house with dirt floors and chickens in the attic? I was born on a farm in Kansas in 1935 when farmers couldnt grow crops to even feed their livestock and dust storms turned day into night. I take a back seat to no one in coming from a poor family, but we never lived in a house with dirt floors.

And, anyone who has ever raised chickens would never think of putting them in the attic. I served in the Iowa legislature for eight years and never once thought being poor when I was young was any qualification for elective office.
As some Pagans and Heathens attempt to revive ancient or indigenous religions they often rely on the work of historians, primary texts and archaeologists. For this reason, when something new pops up that challenges long held academic ideas on cultural or religious practice, we pay attention. Here are some of the new(er) finds making waves in archaeological circles.

The Land Bridge Theory Collapses

Humans first came to the Americas by crossing from Russia into Alaska using the Bering land bridge. Or did they?

In May, archaeologists uncovered a set of stone tools and butchered mastodon bones at the bottom of a river in southern Florida. The tools and bones are dated to 14,550-years ago, more than 1000 years earlier than archaeologists first thought.

So why couldnt those mastodon munching humans have crossed using the Bering land bridge?

Researches took ice core samples out of areas where the Bering land bridge used to exist. They found out that animals and plants werent established until about 12,600 years ago. Simply put, humans couldnt have used the corridor until 12,600 years ago because they couldnt have walked along a thousand kilometer stretch of land without any food.



New Images in Mayan Codex Revealed

Archaeologists have discovered hidden pictographs on a Mayan codex previously thought to be blank. The Seldon Codex is a 20 page long document created by the Mayans in the 16th century and pre-dates the Spanish invasion. While scientists have long suspected that the specially prepared deer hide may have images under the layer of white chalk and plaster, it wasnt until they were able to use a new imaging process called hyperspectral imaging that they were able to see what those images are.

The pictographs are brightly colored images of figures and glyphs. Some of the images appear to be of two figures thought to represent siblings, since they are connected with a red umbilical cord. Other figures depict people walking with sticks or spears, and some of the female figures have appear to have red hair. The name of one individual preserved in Codex Selden resembles that of an important ancestral figure recorded in other codices, but archaeologists say more research is needed before they can confirm that interpretation.

This new Codex information is one of only 20 left in existence and helps piece together the religion, customs, and political systems of the Mayans.



Hawaii Has Pictures, Too

Shifting sands revealed 17 petroglyphs on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The images are 400 years old and were etched into sandstone. One of the glyphs measures between four and five feet, and depicts a detailed human.

In an interview with the Star Advertiser, Glen Kila, a lineal descendant of the aboriginal families who first settled on the Waianae Coast, said petroglyphs record genealogy and religion. Its very important to know about the lineal descendants of the area and their understanding of these petroglyphs, Kila said. The interpretation of these petroglyphs can only be interpreted by the lineal descendants who are familiar with its history and culture.

The land the glyphs are on is currently managed by the US Army.



Magic Shoe Wards off Evil

Looking to keep evil spirits at bay? It has been discovered that the Master of Cambridge Universitys St. Johns College protected his personal quarters by burying a shoe, possibly his own, in the portion of the wall between the fireplace and window. The found shoe dates back about 300 years and was discovered during maintenance work on the structure. The college plans to replace the shoe inside the wall together with a time capsule once work in the room is complete.



While Gold Tablets Can Curse

Curse tablets were a common practice among the Greeks and Romans, and a Roman example of such a tablet may have been found in Serbia.

Curse tablets were usually tiny pieces of thin lead that persons would engrave detailed and very explicit things they wished to befall an enemy. Normally these were stuck into the wall of the enemys home, neatly breaking through any protections that the intended target may have placed on their home. In dire cases, the tablets were buried with a trusted dead relative or friend for personal delivery to the Gods.

The tablets found in Serbia date to the 4th century and are engraved pieces of gold and silver, encased in lead amulets and placed inside of a grave. The tablets havent been deciphered yet, but could contain curses or they could contain an important message or request. While the alphabet used is Greek, the language appear to be Aramaic. What linguists have discovered is that the names of powerful spirits were carved onto the tiny scrolls.



Uni May Finally Be Known

Not much is known about the chief female Etruscan deity named Uni, and almost nothing is known about her worship. The Etruscans flourished in Northern Italy from around 700 BCE until the Romans gradually absorbed them starting in 500 BCE. Most surviving written accounts are from later Roman period and conflate Uni with the Roman Goddess Juno.

But that has now changed. Archaeologists have discovered a 2,500 year old stella at an Etruscan sanctuary. The stella, which measures four feet by two feet, is the longest example of Etruscan writing found to date. One name, Uni, has already been deciphered and lends credence to the theory that the sanctuary was once dedicated to the Goddess. The stella appears to focus on the Goddess Uni and may include information on the laws of the sanctuary or the ceremonies that took place there.



Are the Rumors About Zeus True?

Its long been whispered that human sacrifice took place at the remote sanctuary of Zeus on the summit of Mount Lykaion. Only animal bones have been found there. Until now.

Starting in the sixteenth century BCE, thousands of animals were sacrificed to Zeus at the site. But around the eleventh century BCE a young teen also met an end atop the mountain. Archaeologists found this human body mixed in with ashes of animals. It was laid out between two lines of stones on an east-west axis.

But was this teen sacrificed? As of yet, archaeologists dont know.
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De Rivaz's open letter on Hinkley

30 August 2016

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While Hinkley Point remains in limbo pending a government commitment to support the project, EDF Energy CEO Vincent de Rivaz has written an open letter addressing questions on security and cost.

UK industry was poised to celebrate the go-ahead for Hinkley Point C on 28 July when the EDF board made its long-awaited final investment decision. However, just hours before a planned press conference at the site the government put on the brakes saying it needed some time to "consider carefully all the component parts of this project and make a decision in the early autumn." Since then the attention of media and commentators has been focused primarily on two aspects of the project: the agreed strike price of 92.50 ($121.03) per MWh generated, and the significant investment by Chinese firms, which some people consider a potential national security issue.

The question of Chinese involvement was roundly dismissed by de Rivaz, writing an open letter in the Sunday Telegraph. "All staff on nuclear projects are rigorously vetted, wherever they come from," he wrote. "As is standard practice, the control systems will be isolated from IT systems and the internet."

"We know and trust our Chinese partners," said de Rivaz, "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."

Such concerns are also ignorant of what de Rivaz described as "a 30-year partnership between EDF and CGN in nuclear construction in China", which has the largest nuclear program in the world, including two reactors of the same EPR design, nearing completion at Taishan.

Apprentices at EDF's Hinkley Point B nuclear power plant, which is expected to close in 2023. The new plant, Hinkley Point C, is hoped to begin generation two years later (Image: EDF Energy)

All UK new-build plans involve foreign ownership: As well as EDF being French and investors CGN and CNNC being Chinese, the owner of Horizon Nuclear Power is Japan's Hitachi, while NuGen is jointly owned by Toshiba of Japan and Engie of Belgium. Significantly, however, part of the Hinkley Point deal would grant the Chinese investors the opportunity to build a new nuclear plant at the Bradwell site.

"We need to replace our ageing fossil fuel plants with new low-carbon electricity. It's 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," wrote de Rivaz, "There is no single technology which offers a panacea for our future needs. We need them all, including new nuclear."

Wind power has grown significantly in the UK in recent years and now provides about 15% of electricity. However, de Rivaz also noted that auctions for offshore wind have recently averaged 137 per MWh, with a further 10 per MWh required to cover its intermittency, which compares poorly to Hinkley Point's 92.50 per MWh.

Hinkley Point C has regulatory approval as well as planning permission. With Chinese investment secured and EDF's board having made the decision to build, the only remaining piece of the project structure is final government signature on the Contract for Difference scheme that will provide a fixed income from generation. The new government of prime minister Theresa May has not announced a more specific date for this than "early autumn".

"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," de Rivaz concluded.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
CHICAGO, IL, August 30, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- There could be no better place than Chicago for the acclaimed local brewery, Dovetail Brewery (1800 W. Belle Plaine at Ravenswood in the North Center neighborhood), to release a classic Grodziskie (pronounced grod-zjisk-hee-eh). This classic Polish craft beer will be a highlight of the late summer season for Chicago's beer lovers, because Dovetail Grodziskie--a beer that is very hard to find--will be on tap around the city for the next several weeks.



Grodziskie is a seasonal specialty beer named after the town in Poland where it was first brewed. "It's a cool and refreshing late summer beer that goes down nice and easy in warm summer weather," said Dovetail co-owner Bill Wesselink.



Pale straw in color, with a feisty effervescence, it is more carbonated than Dovetail's Hefeweizen and lower in alcohol (3.8%). Grodziskie is a 100% smoked wheat beer that offers light, citrus-like overtones with just a surprising hint of spice and smoke in the backnotes. This beer is served with a lush head of foam and laces the glass beautifully with every sip. It's a perfect way to beat the heat at a late summer barbecue.



Beer lovers are encouraged to enjoy this wonderful seasonal specialty beer during the next few weeks, because once it's gone, it won't be available again until next year. The Grodziskie is available on tap at Hopleaf (5148 N. Clark), Fountainhead (1970 W. Montrose), Quenchers (2401 N. Western) and the Links Taproom (1559 N. Milwaukee) as well as at the Dovetail Brewery taproom with its newly expanded hours. The taproom is now open Tuesday through Sunday.



This month, Dovetail Brewery's taproom was named one of the Five Hottest Bars in Chicago Right Now by Chicago Magazine.



Stop by to visit the taproom, grab a beer and remember to BYOF (Bring your own food). In addition, some of Chicago's finest food trucks frequently can be found parked in front of the taproom.



About Dovetail Brewery

Dovetail Brewery, located at 1800 W. Belle Plaine in Chicago, Illinois, is a craft brewery owned by master brewers Hagen Dost and Bill Wesselink, specializing in delicious, balanced beers brewed using traditional German and Belgian brewing methods. Signature beers include unfiltered German-style lagers, traditional Hefeweizen, Rauchbier and Lambic-style sour beers. Dovetail Brewery also produces a variety of special seasonal beers.



Taproom hours are: Tuesday- 2 pm - 10 pm;

Wednesday- 2 pm - 10 pm; Thursday- 2 pm - 10 pm; Friday- 12 pm - 11 pm; Saturday- 11 am - 11 pm; Sunday- 10 am - 8 pm.



The 22,000 square foot brewing facility includes an attractive tap room that is open to the public for drinking and retail sales. The tap room is also available as a rental space for private events.



Dovetail Brewery delivers beer by the keg to venues near the brewery and also to some select venues closer to the Loop. All bars, taverns and restaurants in the greater Chicagoland area that wish to serve Dovetail beer on tap are welcome to pick up kegs, in two sizes, at the brewery during normal business hours.



For more information about Dovetail Brewery, please visit the brewery's website at http://dovetailbrewery.com (under construction), their newsroom at http://www.newsline360.com/dovetailbrewery or contact Bill Wesselink by email at [email protected] or Hagen Dost by email at [email protected]. For additional information, call 773-683-1414.



Follow Dovetail Brewery on Twitter (www.twitter.com/dovetailbrewchi; @DovetailBrewChi)

Follow Dovetail Brewery on Facebook (www.facebook.com/dovetailbrewchi)



# # #
Aug 30, 2016 | By Nick

Artificial intelligence could design prosthetic limbs in the future, slashing costs and cutting the design time to just minutes.

With 3D printing, we can then potentially cut the process of producing a prosthetic arm, leg or hand from weeks to just hours. The costs will fall by a massive margin and we can give a better quality of life to millions of people around the world that simply cannot afford the prosthetics they need.

Janis Jatnieks gave a fascinating TED Talk on the subject at the recent TEDxRiga event. The CEO of Baltic3D.eu points to a future where a 3D scanner can feed directly into an AI program and modify an existing prosthetic design. That app can then send the whole package to the nearest 3D printer and 3D scanning, design and fitting could be done within a day. Its an enticing prospect.

Jatnieks offers a 3D printing service, for everything from iPhone cases to medical models and aerospace components. Two years ago a woman visited his company, though, and potentially changed the world.

She wanted a version of the e-NABLE Raptor hand for her son, so Jatnieks set to work. He immediately ran into problems scaling down the readily available versions of the hand he found online.

A usable prototype took tens of 3D prints to get right, which costs times and money. At the first fitting, the hand was so bad that Jatnieks freely admits he felt ashamed of his own work.

Generic designs, then, dont really work. It took two weeks of custom design to make a hand that really did the job. It changed the childs life in an instant.

Jatnieks could have rested on his laurels, but the whole experience left a lasting impression. He realized that people around the world need a hand, arm or leg and they just dont have access to this level of service.

The Baltics3D boss reckons there are 2 million people that could feel the benefit of 3D-printed prosthetics in the US alone. Europe has another 4 million and globally there could be 50 million people that need a prosthetic device.

Jatnieks wanted a solution for everyone and that means that manual fittings, measurements and modeling had to fall by the wayside. 3D printed prosthetics can be made in days, rather than the weeks it took for traditional manufacturing. Now the bottleneck in the process and the most expensive part of the equation is the fitting.

There is a solution, which is simple in theory and yet exceptionally complex to achieve. Jatnieks was determined to replace the manual measurements with 3D scanning. This helped the team reduce the digital manipulation of the basic prosthetic hand to just two hours, the 3D printing took six hours and the whole process was done in a day. It still wasnt enough.

The e-NABLE Community has 7000 members that delivered 1032 hands in 2015 and the organization is planning to double that this year. It has made its own strides to automate the design process, too, with low-cost solutions like the online Hand-o-Matic. The non-profit is doing great work, but it is simply overwhelmed by the amount of people that need help.

Peter Diamandis at Singularity University predicts there will be 5 billion internet connected smartphones in the world by 2020. At the same time, we should have 4 million 3D printers. So we will have the tools to 3D print the hands, legs and arms. We will also have the 3D scanners in our pocket.

The phones arent quite there yet and they need an additional camera, but soon well be able to 3D scan a limb or hand in just one minute. So we just need to connect them to the 3D printers via a painful interim step.

Jatnieks has spent 18 months working with Artificial Intelligence software, specialist surgeons and 3D modelers to create a solution that takes the human being out of the loop. The end result of that arduous work is a program that can take a smartphone scan and turn it into a 3D printable design in just 15 minutes.

The team started with hands, but this process has already proven its worth producing a back support for Latvian Paralympic fencer Polina Rozkova. She took the design to Rio, so if the support breaks then she can walk in to any local 3D printing supplier in Brazil and have another within hours.

So we are on the cusp of a new age. In short order, people that need a prosthetic device can 3D scan the affected limb themselves and send the design to a local 3D print shop in New York, Namibia or Nepal. It will take hours, rather than weeks, and the non-profits can pour their time and resources into getting the prosthetics to people that need them.

This was a chance encounter, but theres a real chance it is going to make this world a better place and give people in need a better quality of life.

Its coming, and we cant wait to see it.

Posted in 3D Design

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According to AARPs "Home and Community Preferences" survey, 3 out of 4 adults age 50 or older say they want to stay in their homes and communities as they age. And many do: Nearly 9 in 10 care recipients live in their own home, in someone elses home or in their caregivers home. Some homes are well-suited for aging and providing care, but many require modifications.



When my parents needed 24-hour care and moved in with me, we didn't have the budget to build an addition or completely revamp the house. But with some research and advice, I found easier, affordable ways to make the home safe and navigable. And I continued to adapt as their needs changed. Eventually, I was able to fully remodel a bathroom for Dads safety, as well as get entry threshold ramps.

The goal is to help loved ones be as independent as possible at home, for as long as possible. To tailor your or your loved ones residence for care at home, you can start with a home assessment by an occupational therapist, physical therapist, geriatric care manager (aging life care specialist), certified aging-in-place specialist (CAPS) or qualified professional via the area agency on aging or Department of Veterans Affairs.

Some tips to get you started:

1. Make basic home modifications.

Use universal design principles to ensure the home is comfortable and safe for people of all ages and abilities. Make any alterations easily adaptable, since needs and abilities change over time. A safe home doesnt have to be unattractive  modifications can be beautiful and stylish. If you engage a contractor, find one who has proven experience in this arena. You can search for a contractor who has the CAPS designation in the National Association of Home Builders Directory. Also, considers AARPs HomeFit Guide and HomeFit AR app to walk through the home and determine needed changes.
The idea

I recently caught up with Bogle, who told me the idea came from his 1951 senior thesis at Princeton University. Yet Bogle said it wasnt until the summer of 1975 that he compared the returns of the average stock mutual fund with the S&P 500 Index for the period 1945-1975. Over that 30-year period, the average stock fund underperformed the index by 1.6 percent a year. This compelling evidence, along with a paper by Nobel prize-winning economist Paul Samuelson calling for an unmanaged index fund, helped him persuade the Vanguard directors to approve the creation of the worlds first index mutual fund.

Not an instant success

Despite the innovative concept, compelling story and hard work, the index fund launched with a mere $11 million, which Bogle considered to be a flop. Even a decade later, he recalled that the index fund only had marginal acceptance, as competitors were quick to label it Bogles Folly. One detractor even produced posters calling the index fund un-American, and illustrated the point with a picture of Uncle Sam stamping out index funds. That poster still hangs in Bogles office.

See also: Social Security's dramatic start

He told me his attitude was to press on regardless, and his patience paid off. Today, Bogle quotes data from Strategic Insight that shows that as of June 30, index funds account for 40.4 percent of the assets in U.S. stock mutual funds and exchange traded funds (ETFs).

Join the party

For those wondering if its too late to join the party, the answer is absolutely not. According to Chicago-based investment research company Morningstar, the Vanguard S&P 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares (ticker symbol: VFIAX) has earned 7.82 percent annually over the past decade as of Aug. 8, 2016, beating 81 percent of funds investing in large U.S. companies. That figure would be higher if the comparison included other funds that went out of business for poor performance. With an annual management expense of only 0.05 percent ($5 for every $10,000 invested), Bogle says the fund offers investors their fair share of stock market returns.
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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.


2016 Financial Results Presentation

Sydney, Aug 30, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Horizon Oil Limited ( ASX:HZN ) ( HZNFF:OTCMKTS ) are pleased to provide the Company's Financial Results Presentation for August 2016.



Financial year highlights



Performance:



- 3% increase in production from prior year to 1,354,982 barrels, 13% increase in sales to 1,376,069 barrels at an average realised price (inclusive of hedging) of US$55.19 per barrel, generating revenue of US$76.0 million.



Cash:



- US$16.1 million cash on hand at 30 June 2016. Net cash from operating activities of US$44.2 million was offset by debt reduction, development and exploration drilling, and growth projects.



Production:



- Combined production rate of Maari and Beibu Gulf fields ~3,900 bopd net to Horizon Oil at year end.



- Cumulative gross oil production since commencement, as at 30 June 2016: Maari field 31.6 million barrels; Beibu Gulf fields 12.3 million barrels.



Profit & Loss:



- An underlying profit of US$3.0 million, excluding the impact of US$147.5 million non-cash impairment write-downs.



- EBITDAX of US$54.0 million.



Capex:



- Capex spending was reduced by ~68% from prior year to US$24.5 million, US$17.5 million of the spending was related to finalisation of development work in New Zealand and an appraisal/development well in China.



Debt:



- Horizon Oil and its major shareholder, IMC Investments Limited, executed a subordinated secured non-amortising debt facility of US$50 million to refinance the remaining US$58.8 million convertible bonds, subject to shareholder approval.



- Early redemption of US$21.2 million of 5.5% convertible bonds in the year, realising a US$1.2 million gain.



Outlook for the next 12 months



Corporate Outlook



- Barring unforeseen events, operating cashflows expected to increase as a result of additional revenues earned from China production entitlement through cost recovery, combined with effect of hedge position



- Continued focus on reduction of overall gearing levels, following redemption of remaining US$58.8 million Convertible Bonds in September 2016 using proceeds of IMC subordinated secured non-amortising debt facility of US$50 million



- Maintenance of low capex profile and G&A over the course of FY17



Maari/Manaia, offshore New Zealand



- Further optimisation of oil production through workover program following the successful completion of the Maari Growth Projects



- Finalise insurance recoveries in relation to facility repairs and equipment upgrades associated with the FPSO Raroa's mooring system



Block 22/12, offshore China



- Horizon Oil's entitlement to cost recovery oil at 30 June 2016 was US$114.0 million, and our production entitlement has increased from 26.95% to over 35% of production as historical exploration and development costs are preferentially recovered



- Progress Beibu Gulf fields Phase II development plan for the WZ 12-8E with integration of WZ 12-10-1 and WZ 12-3-1 discoveries (11.1 mmbo gross, 3.0 mmbo net), with aim for submission of Overall Development Plan late CY16 / early 2017



PDL 10 (Stanley), PRL 21 (Elevala/Tingu/Ketu) and onshore Papua New Guinea



- Progress arrangements for sales of Stanley gas to regional PNG industrial consumers, while refining project costs



- Progress feasibility study for a Western Province-based greenfield mid-scale LNG project, while monitoring other gas commercialisation opportunities in the region.



To view full Results Presentation, please visit:

http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/WMUI7RG6





About Horizon Oil Ltd





Horizon Oil Limited (ASX:HZN) (OTCMKTS:HZNFF) is an ASX-listed petroleum exploration and production company, with a geographic focus on the Asia-Pacific region. The company currently produces over 4,000 barrels of oil per day net from its fields in New Zealand and China, which generated over US$80 million in net operating income after operating expense for the year ended 30 June 2015. Further development candidates remain in and around these producing fields.

Horizon Oil maintains prudent policies of oil price hedging and loss of production insurance to ensure that sufficient cash flow is generated to meet the funding requirements of its growth program.

The company holds a large undeveloped reserves and contingent resource position in Western Province, onshore Papua New Guinea. These are liquids-rich gas resources and reflect Horizon Oils strategy to focus on Asian gas for growth. Gas constitute about 2/3 of the reserves and resource base. Commercialisation pathways for the gas are emerging.

Although Horizon Oil anticipates continuing strong cash generation over the medium term from its existing producing fields, these developed reserves account for only 10% of total reserves and resource base. The focus going forward will be on new field development, funded largely from existing production cash flow.


Reports Higher Full Year 2016 Underlying Profit

Perth, Aug 30, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Financial services company Cash Converters International Ltd ( ASX:CCV ) ( LON:CCVU ) ( CKKIF:OTCMKTS ) today reported a 10.2 per cent increase in underlying EBITDA profit to $69.1 million (FY 2015: $62.7 million) for the 12 months to 30 June 2016. Revenue was $379.3 million (FY 2015: $374.3 million).



Highlights:



- FY 2016 underlying EBITDA profit up 10.2 per cent to $69.1 million (FY 2015: $62.7 million)



- Net statutory loss after tax $11.1 million (FY 2015: net loss of $21.4 million)

- Revenue higher at $379.3 million (FY 2015: $374.3 million)



- Australia performed well with underlying EBITDA steady at $72.3 million (FY 2015: $71.3 million)



- Strong growth in online channel sales in Australia and the United Kingdom



- Key strategy initiatives well advanced and within budget



- Exited all corporate stores in the United Kingdom with the majority sold



- CCUK ceased personal loan lending in May, with the loan book expected to wind-down by November 2016



- Green Light Auto Finance business started with early sales promising



The statutory net loss for the year was $11.1 million compared with a loss of $21.4 million previously.



Cash Converters is well advanced with the implementation of the corporate strategy and associated restructure announced to the market earlier in the year.



In the United Kingdom, the Company has exited its corporate owned stores and is operating as the master franchisor. It is also winding down the United Kingdom personal loan book and expects to have that closed by November 2016. Lending ceased from 31 May 2016.



In Australia, Carboodle has been closed and Green Light Auto Finance started. The focus of the business is to provide loan products rather than a complete car package. Early sales of the new vehicle finance company's principal and loan interest product have been encouraging.



A new loan product is planned for release in November 2016. These will be medium amount credit contracts (MACC) with the loans ranging in value from $2,000 to $5,000.



Managing Director Peter Cumins said: "We are making good progress with the implementation of the new corporate strategy we announced earlier this year. The key changes to our businesses in the United Kingdom and Australia are proceeding as planned and within our estimated budget.



"Our 2016 full year revenue and underlying profit are up, with Australia continuing to be a strong performer. Our efforts to lift the efficiency and reduce the costs in the United Kingdom improved our results. They have also provided a solid foundation for our new business model there," he said.



Full Year results



Underlying EBITDA profit was up 10.2 per cent to $69.1 million following a 1.3 per cent growth in revenue to $379.3 million.



Cash Converters booked $33.3 million in restructuring costs for the year, mainly asset write-downs associated with the corporate stores in the United Kingdom of $22.6 million. A provision of $12.5 million has also been made in relation to on-going discussions between the Company and ASIC about potential compliance issues. (Cash Converters issued a statement in regard to this matter on August 26, 2016).



After taking into account these and other costs, the full year 2016 net loss was $11.1 million compared with a net loss of $21.4 million in the previous corresponding period.



Total store and franchise operations revenues were higher at $196.6 million (FY 2015: $190.3 million) and $22.2 million (FY 2015: $18.9 million) respectively. In financial services operations, total revenue from personal loans was down slightly at $162.4 million (FY 2015: $164.3 million). Financial services - administration revenue was steady at $14.2 million (FY 2015: $14.7 million).



On a geographic basis, the Australian business continued to perform well with underlying EBITDA profit of $72.3 million (FY 2015: $71.3 million) and solid contributions from all channels.



Recent efforts to lift operational efficiency and reduce costs in the United Kingdom improved results with the latest underlying EBITDA loss of $4.1 million, compared with a loss of $9.0 million previously.



The value of Cash Converters ongoing investment in online facilities was evident across all business segments. In Australia, Webshop sales were up 37.6% in corporate stores and online personal loans up 34.0%. In the United Kingdom, online retail sales were up 34.3%. Australia currently has over 100,000 registered online users and the United Kingdom over 300,000.



Strategy implementation



The new strategy announced in early 2016 is to maximise the value of the Cash Converters brand and franchise network through a focus on high return businesses.



Key elements of the strategy include investing for sustainable market leadership and growth in Australia, operating in the United Kingdom solely as a master franchisor and building brand presence in New Zealand. The current international master franchise operations will continue. The strategy also included the closure of Carboodle and the start of a specialist vehicle finance company in Australia.



In the United Kingdom, Cash Converters has exited the corporate store segment with the sale of 44 stores and the closure of 15. The company is now operating as a master franchisor and services 201 stores held between 50 franchisees. The United Kingdom will return a profit in 2017. As part of the new United Kingdom business model the personal loan book is being wound down and is expected to close by November 2016, with no new loans issued after May 2016.



In Australia, Green Light Auto Finance has replaced the former Carboodle operating leases with a more traditional principal and interest loan product. On offer since March 2016, the Green Light Auto Finance loan book was $3.3 million at June 30 and is expected to grow around $1.0 million a month.



The Cash Converters organisational structure has been streamlined following the changes to the United Kingdom and Carboodle businesses.



The strategic priorities in the year ahead include expansion of the stores network in Australia and New Zealand, a review of financial services product options and increased investment in online capabilities.



Finance and banking arrangements



During the year, Cash Converters successfully negotiated new financing and banking arrangements. A five year loan securitisation facility was arranged with Fortress Investment Group on market competitive terms. Another five year agreement was signed with a service provider for transactional banking facilities. Cash Converters is well positioned to grow the business through its new financial product range including MACC products and car loan products.



Dividend



The Directors of the company recommend that a final dividend of 1.0 cent per share be paid on 28 October 2016 to those shareholders on the register at the close of business on 14 October 2016. The company's Dividend Reinvestment Plan will apply to this dividend, providing shareholders with the option to reinvest all or part of their eligible dividend at a discount of 2.5% of the price established by the five day volume weighted average price up to and including the record date.



EZCORP Inc., ( NASDAQ:EZPW ) the company's largest shareholder, has advised Cash Converters that it will exercise its full DRP rights.



Outlook



In commenting on the outlook for Cash Converters, Peter Cumins said the company made a solid start to implementing the new corporate strategy and three year plan.



"We have delivered creditable financial results given the substantial changes we are managing across our businesses and industry. The second year of our strategy will involve more changes as we build a stronger business model.



"We will continue to improve our internal compliance and responsible lending systems policies and procedures. We will also work closely with government, regulators and industry to achieve better balance between financial inclusion, responsible lending and corporate profitability objectives.



"We are well positioned financially and we expect demand for our well established retail and pawn broking services to remain solid.



"We have decided to reduce our small amount lending with various customer segments and that will impact our overall SACC loan volumes in Australia. This will have a substantial impact on earnings.



"We expect NPAT in 2017 to be in the range of $20 to $23 million.



"The coming year will be the second in our overall company transformation and we expect sustained growth in our new MACC product and Green Light Auto Finance . Our aim is that in the third year of our strategy, sales from these new channels will offset the fall in SACC volumes and we will return to overall lending and earnings growth.



"We will continue to carefully manage the impact of restructuring costs and regulatory changes on our revenue and profits," he said.



Additional information



Additional information about Cash Converters financial results and strategy progress is available in the Investor Presentation lodged with this release, refer to link below, or visit: http://www.cashconverters.com



There will also be an Investor Conference call. The details are:



Date: Tuesday 30 August 2016

Time: 10.00am AWST, 12.00 pm AEST

National Toll Free Number: 1800 280 741

Overseas Toll Free Number: +61 3 8687 0650



Participants are requested to dial in 5-10 minutes prior to the start time.



To register your attendance, please email: general.enquiries@cashconverters.com



To view the Investor Presentation, please visit:

http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/S7593903





About Cash Converters International Ltd





Cash Converters International (ASX:CCV) is a franchised retail network listed on the ASX. It specialises in the sale of second-hand goods. The Cash Converters group employs modern retailing practices, professional management techniques and high ethical standards to the management of its stores throughout the chain which appeal to a wide cross section of the community. As a result, Cash Converters has been able to position its outlets as credible retail merchandise stores, resulting in a profitable market for the group.
Lekki Lagos, February 1st 2019. Rilla Web Hosting, one of the top players in domain registration and web hosting has announces its full ...
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The Business Learning Institute announced on Tuesday that twenty up-and-coming professionals have graduated from their 2016 Leadership Academy. Held Aug. 24-26 in Towson, Md., the annual event gathers top CPAs and teaches them strategic thinking, leadership skills, and network-building.

Founded in 1999 by the Maryland Association of CPAs (MACPA), the BLI offers further development and sharing of best practices to ensure successful leadership in the modern business world.

Nearly 10,000 baby boomers retire every day, but based on the talent we saw in our Leadership Academy classroom, the future of the CPA profession is in good hands, stated Tom Hood, president and CEO of the Business Learning Institute and the Maryland Association of CPAs. These next-gen leaders are excited to be leading the transition and transformation of our profession for the future. They are ready to be positive and inspirational leaders capable of mobilizing people to accomplish great things.

Hood and fellow presenter Gretchen Pisano utilized BLI's own Insights to Action (i2A) system to teach attendees how to develop their executive presence, as well as utilizing team strength and strategies. The graduating class also predicted seven current and future trends impacting the accounting and finance professionals, including:

Remote workforces

Artificial intelligence

The presidential election

Social media

Globalization / convergence of international standards

Cloud accounting / data security

The need for proactive advisors

The group also produced four opportunities for the CPA profession to develop in the future, including expanding value-added services; leveraging technology for efficiency and insight; becoming a talent magnet; and preparing for succession planning. The group plans to create a whitepaper later this year that will specify how the profession can best address these trends.

The 2016 Leadership Academy graduates are as follows:

Brianne Baccaro-Norris (Weyrich, Cronin & Sorra)

Megan Baker (McLean, Koehler, Sparks and Hammond)

Erica Beaumont (Arthur Bell CPAs)

Lee Brody (Cohn Reznick)

Shawn Burman (MKS&H)

Michael Derbin (Arthur Bell CPAs)

Kelly DeRose (Gary R. Bozel & Associates)

Jason Friedman (Arthur Bell CPAs)

Alina Korsak (Melanson Heath)

Megan Lindenmeyer (Gary R. Bozel & Associates)

Erinn Madden (Berman Goldman & Ribakow)

Edith Orenstein (Maryland Association of CPAs)

Kevin Pyzik (Mister, Burton & French)

Paige Sawicki (Maryland Association of CPAs)

Greg Scherer (Weyrich, Cronin & Sorra)

Christie Stravino (Arthur Bell CPAs)

Shanda Swann (Aronson)

Andrew Venters (Novotny, Larash & Venters)

Daniel Weimer (Arthur Bell CPAs)

Susanne Wolfe (Arthur Bell CPAs)

For more on the Business Learning Institute, head to their site here.
The Securities and Exchange Commission gave out its second-largest whistleblower award ever to a former Monsanto financial executive who alerted it to accounting violations and improper financial reporting.

The $22.44 million award represented more than 28 percent of an $80 million penalty that Monsanto agreed to in order to settle charges that it had violated GAAP and misstated corporate earnings relating to its flagship weed killer Roundup. Whistleblower awards are capped at no more than 30 percent of a penalty over $1 million.

Besides paying the penalty, Monsanto agreed to improve its accounting controls and retain an independent compliance monitor to review its accounting procedures. The company neither admitted nor denied the allegations. "Monsanto remains committed to operating its business with the utmost integrity and transparency and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations," a spokesperson said.

According to law firm Meissner Associates, which represented the whistleblower, an SEC investigation revealed that Monsantos lax internal controls failed to account for tens of millions of dollars in rebates given to retailers and distributors as incentives to drive sales of Roundup.

Company employees are in unique positions behind-the-scenes to unravel complex or deeply buried wrongdoing. Without this whistleblowers courage, information, and assistance, it would have been extremely difficult for law enforcement to discover this securities fraud on its own, said Jane Norberg, acting chief of the SECs Office of the Whistleblower, in a statement.

I applaud the SEC for how quickly they took action in responding to my submission and the tremendous effort put forward in this case, the whistleblower, whose anonymity is protected by the commission, said in a statement. The agency performed an invaluable public service in creating its whistleblower program  my hope is that others will stand up for investors by doing the right thing and bring forward information related to corporate wrongdoing. I believe the case will raise awareness of the gaps that still exist today with respect to auditor independence and result in regulators looking closer at this issue and ultimately bring new rules forward to mitigate the impact this has on investors.

We are extremely pleased with the award granted to our client and especially with the SECs persistence in undertaking a highly complex investigation of accounting weaknesses at Monsanto, which aggressively fought the case all along, said Stuart Meissner, who represented the whistleblower. He noted in a statement that his client only shared his concerns with the SEC after first trying to correct the issues internally.
A roundup of recent expansions, additions, new services and other news from firms across the country.

ARIZONA

ICB USA and the Landy Insurance Agency have formed a partnership to offer ICB USA members professional insurance services. (See the story.)

CALIFORNIA

BlackLine, Los Angeles, has been named to the 2016 Inc. 500/5000 list, its ninth annual appearance on the list.

MICHIGAN

Lewis & Knopf, Flint, is marking the 60th anniversary of its founding in 1936. It now has offices in Flint, Fenton and Brighton, and 45 employees.

NEW JERSEY

SaxBST, Clifton, has relaunched as Sax, with a renewed focus on its regional New Jersey/New York markets.

NEW YORK

Ernst & Young LLP has been named CPA Firm of the Year by Captive Review Magazine at the 2016 US Captive Services Awards, which recognize leading providers of captive insurance products and services.  Marks Paneth LLP, New York, has been shortlisted for the Communication Campaign of the Year Award in The Accountant & International Accounting Bulletin 2016 Awards.

OHIO

For the second time, Skoda Minotti, Cleveland, has received an Inavero Best of Accounting Award for providing superior service to its clients.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Graydon Thompson CPAs is moving its Greenville offices from Whitsett Street to 401 Parker Ivey Drive, near Woodruff Road and the confluence of I-85 and I-385. All e-mails and phone numbers for the Graydon Thompson team remain unchanged.

VIRGINIA

Cherry Bekaert LLP, Richmond, has launched an Innovation Fund to encourage its associates to create innovative solutions that will focus on developing ideas to enhance its clients experiences, drive efficiencies, and create valuable solutions for our clients. Associates whose ideas are selected to be supported by the Innovation Fund will have an opportunity to collaborate with a team to develop their ideas and see them through to fruition. Each idea will be evaluated on criteria such as the value it brings to clients, the financial impact to the firm, and how the idea strengthens the Firms position as a thought leader in accounting and business advisory services.



Send your firm announcements to AcToday@SourceMedia.com.
(Bloomberg) On Tuesday, Apple was ordered to repay as much as 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) plus interest after the European Commission said Ireland illegally slashed the iPhone makers tax bill between 2003-2014.

The commission ruled that Ireland provided Apple illegal aid through a favorable tax arrangement, which violated the European Unions state-aid rules. It's the largest tax penalty in a three-year crackdown on sweetheart fiscal deals granted to multinationals by EU nations. The EU, like other global regulators, has targeted firms that sidestep taxes by moving around profits and costs to wherever they are taxed most advantageously -- exploiting loopholes or special deals granted by friendly governments.

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in an e-mailed statement that member states of the EU cannot give tax benefits to selected companies. "This is illegal under EU state aid rules," she said. "The commission's investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years."

The decision covers taxes which would have been due in 2003-2014. It says Apple paid an effective corporate tax rate of 1 per cent on its European profits in 2003 down to 0.005 per cent in 2014.

Apple and the Irish government have both vowed to appeal the decision. The appeal process could take as long as three or four years.

In a statement, Apple said: "The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apples history in Europe, ignore Irelands tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process. The commissions case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes, its about which government collects the money. It will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe. Apple follows the law and pays all of the taxes we owe wherever we operate. We will appeal and we are confident the decision will be overturned.

Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan said, I disagree profoundly with the commissions decision." Irelands tax system is founded on the strict application of the law without exception, he said.

In an e-mailed statement, a U.S. Treasury spokesperson said: "We believe that retroactive tax assessments by the commission are unfair, contrary to well-established legal principles, and call into question the tax rules of individual member states. The commissions actions could threaten to undermine foreign investment, the business climate in Europe, and the important spirit of economic partnership between the U.S. and the EU. We will continue to monitor these cases as they progress, and we will continue to work with the commission toward our shared objective of preventing the erosion of our corporate tax bases.?

Apple can easily afford to pay the bill: As of last month, it had $232 billion in cash, with about $214 billion of that being held overseas. If Apple pays, the money would go to Ireland, which would put those funds into an escrow account and leave it there until any appeal process has fully concluded.

Apple isnt the only company facing this issue. The EU authority has already ordered the Netherlands and Luxembourg to recover as much as 30 million euros ($33.3 million) apiece in back taxes from Starbucks Corp. and a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV unit. Vestager is also probing Amazon Inc. and McDonalds Corp.s affairs in Luxembourg and has signaled that shes willing to add Google parent Alphabet Inc.s 130 million-pound ($184 million) tax deal with the U.K. to her growing list of investigations.

--With assistance from Dara Doyle, Stephani Bodoni, Aoife White, Peter Chapman
Analysts weighing in on the tax proposals of the two major candidates not surprisingly prefer one plan or the other depending on where they fall on the political spectrum. Those who are looking for equality and fairness tend largely to prefer the plans put forth by Hillary Clinton, while those who desire more simplicity and lower rates to spur growth favor the proposals of Donald Trump. (For more specific details on their platforms, see "Tax on the campaign trail.")

AN OVERVIEW

Trumps plan is vague on the pay-fors but the Clinton plan is short on details in some respects as well, said Mark Luscombe, principal federal tax analyst for Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting. Trump goes beyond the House Republican plan in its concept of not just lowering the corporate tax rate, but lowering the business income tax rate to 15 percent. The fact that the ordinary income rate goes up to 33 percent under the plan creates a real incentive for a sole proprietor or pass-through to shift what would otherwise be ordinary income into business income. The Trump people have said they would come up with something to prevent people trying to game the system. Theyre aware of the problem, but they havent identified a solution.

Under the current system an employee serves as a check on the employer that wants to treat a worker as an independent contractor, he said. The employer would push to have a worker treated as an independent contractor because it would allow the employer to avoid paying half of the payroll taxes. But under the Trump plan the worker would also benefit from being treated as an independent contractor. They would have to pick up the payroll taxes but what was ordinary income to the employee would become business income to the independent contractor.

Both Trump and Clinton have said they wouldnt touch the charitable or mortgage interest deductions, Luscombe observed. On the corporate side, they talk about closing loopholes but have offered nothing specific about what to eliminate to reduce tax rates. Clinton wants to make corporations more competitive but hasnt proposed anything specific on the corporate side at all.

A PRACTICAL LOOK

Always look at these practically, in terms of whats going on and whats possible, said Dean Zerbe, national managing director of alliantgroup and former senior counsel on the Senate Finance Committee. So you have to filter out your dreams, hopes and aspirations.

Trumps proposal is more straightforward. He wants to cut taxes. ... If he keeps the Senate and House, he would be seeing what [Speaker of the House Paul] Ryan and [current Ways and Means Committee chair Kevin] Brady have been putting in the House as the starting point of a discussion. Its a gut check as to how much in tax cuts he would get. ... People tend to forget that a not-insignificant part of the Republican base is concerned about the deficit, and Trumps current proposal would increase the deficit.

I think that Trump has made it clear that for him its all about negotiations, Zerbe explained. He views his position as an opening bid. It would be interesting to see House Republicans negotiate with a Republican president who is more fervent about tax cuts than they are.

So I would look for a reduction in the corporate rate but not as much as they propose, a reduction in the individual rate, while striking down the health care increases, and probably not any changes in the estate tax, Zerbe predicted. Carried interest would go for sure.

THE OTHER SIDE

Clinton has ambitious proposals, according to Zerbe. If she wins, theres a good chance the Democrats will take over the Senate, he said. Its not in the cards that they take over the House as well, but if they did it would change the calculus.

There are a little bit of small-ball proposals that shes got, he said. If she were to do international tax reform, it would be along the lines that [New York Senator Chuck] Schumer proposed. She could get it done, although it wouldnt endear her to the Sanders folk.

The House Republicans dont have to do anything, he said. AMT and the extenders are taken care of. The expiring provisions are all ones that they dont care about. She can say she wants a massive tax increase, but the House will simply not act on it. Its already an extremely ugly election process. If Clinton wins, theyll view it as due to anti-Trump feelings, not as a mandate. No candidate will have a strong mandate  the feeling is that everyone is voting against the other person. 

The Republicans are happy to not feel any heat opposing the Buffett Rule [a 30 percent minimum tax on individuals making more than a million dollars a year], he continued. Thats not going anywhere unless the Democrats take over the House, at which point they can say they have a mandate beyond the presidency. In that case I think they will quickly blink and set exceptions and loopholes. The Buffett Rule is a good rhetorical line but it hasnt been thought through, especially in its implications for tax-exempt bonds.

Clinton could have a minor bill on energy extenders, and some of the other expiring provisions would be revisited. She would get rid of the breaks for fossil fuels, but Brady is from Texas and she might pivot a bit if she overplays her ability to work with Republicans. To be blunt, Trump wants to cut taxes and she wants to raise taxes, but I dont think she has the zeal for raising taxes that the current administration had when it came in.

Congressional Democrats will have some priorities, but tax reform wont be one of them, he said. Getting more money for infrastructure will be a priority, to keep the building unions happy. But there wont be any eye-watering increases unless she gets the House  in that case, hold onto your wallet.

CARRIED INTEREST

Gary DuBoff, a CPA and a principal at Florida-based Top 100 Firm MBAF, noted that both candidates would eliminate special treatment for carried interest. However, private equity firms managed more than $3.8 trillion dollars at the end of 2014, he said. The tax revenues generated by eliminating preferential tax treatment on carried interests would be substantial. Care must be taken that any changes in this area are cautiously crafted so that the tax consequences to middle-class entrepreneurs who invest their time and energy  sweat equity  with little capital invested ... are not hurt unintentionally.

In addition, some argue that a change in how private equity firms are compensated may change the industry and have a long-term impact on the overall economy, he said. In all likelihood, the lobby for private equity and other industries affected by proposals from both candidates on carried interest will make dramatic changes difficult at best.

Clintons proposal to reduce short-term trading involves a reduction in rates the longer an investment is held, DuBoff observed. So for example, a taxpayer would pay ordinary tax rates for up to a two-year holding period, a reduction to 36 percent for more than two years, 32 percent for more than three years, 28 percent for more than four years, 24 percent for more than five years, and a 20 percent rate for more than six years. Now, surprisingly the long-term rates  greater than six years  remain at 20 percent. These rates dont include the 3.8 percent Medicare tax. Clinton also favors preferential tax rates for investors in small business or in communities that are challenged economically.

WHICH WOULD HURT MORE?

Clintons plan will have the lesser effect on the economy, as Trumps plan would require massive reductions in tax benefits currently enjoyed by many industries unless he plans to pay for it with increased deficits, said Tom Wheelwright, founder and chief executive of accounting firm ProVision.

Clintons plan will certainly have an impact on the flow of investment dollars as more people will let their money sit, instead of moving it into different investments. It will likely impact the stock market, at least in the short term, Wheelwright said.

But every major tax overhaul produces unintended consequences, according to Wheelwright. The unintended consequences of the Trump plan are unknown. Remember, though, that the unintended consequence of the Reagan tax plan was the failure of the savings and loans and the massive loss of wealth to those who owned real estate. The loss of value in real estate as a result of the 1986 tax act was much greater than the loss of value in 2009 and 2010 as a result of the mortgage failures. Until we get details of where Trump will cut tax benefits, we wont know which industries will be affected. We just know that there will absolutely be unintended consequences whenever you have major changes to the incentives in the tax law.

Wheelwright noted that the reason Warren Buffet has called on Trump to release his tax returns is simply because Buffet knows that the way the tax law works, its unlikely that Trump pays much, if anything, in taxes. The tax law is set up to heavily reward real estate investors. So it is likely that Trump pays an even lower tax rate than Buffet or Romney, he said. That might not play well with the public, as few understand that the tax law is really a series of incentives for business owners and investors. A sophisticated business owner and investor like Trump is going to hire the best advisors to take advantage of all of the legal incentives the government would legally provide to him.

LOVING INFRASTRUCTURE

Both the Clinton plan and the Trump plan envision spending more money on infrastructure, according to John Arensmeyer, founder and chief executive of Small Business Majority. We feel this is great for small business, he said. The difference is that Clinton has a series of proposals that are paid for, whereas the Trump proposals are not. When we analyze the Trump plan, it would add $9.5 trillion to the deficit over the next decade.

Clintons proposed fair share surcharge and the Buffett Rule would not negatively impact small business, according to Arensmeyer. Contrary to what you might hear, these dont affect small business, he said. Less than one-half of 1 percent of small businesses pays tax at the top rate. When we talk about tax on the very wealthy, it just doesnt have an impact on small business.

Clintons plan to aid students by refinancing will enable many of them to become entrepreneurs, Arensmeyer observed. Massive amounts of debt are an impediment to young people who want to start businesses, he said. Likewise, her proposal to cap the cost of child care at 10 percent of family income would be a huge factor in womens ability to start a business, he said. On the flip side, Trumps proposal to make child care free would massively increase the deficit, said Arensmeyer.

Were in favor of some cut in the business rate, but a 15 percent rate would be too drastic, he said. And eliminating the estate tax does nothing for small business except to add to the deficit. Its a myth to say that cutting the estate tax will have an impact on small business.

For a Tax Code thats already too complicated, there hasnt been any talk about real simplification, said Roger Harris, president of Padgett Business Services. Thats the sad part about both plans. It sounds simple in a campaign to say youll put in a new deduction or credit or a sliding scale or a longer holding period for certain types of investments, but in practice it becomes very complex when it goes into the code or regulations. What sounds easy in a speech can become very complex. For example, if you want to make child care expenses deductible, how many pages of rules and regulations do you think it will take?
Full-service digital agency, BC Web Wise, announced today the appointment of Leeladhar B. Laheri as Vice President  Media. In the newly-created position, Leeladhar will be responsible for reinforcing BCWWs media capabilities and driving new business through the implementation of digital analytics and programmatic strategies across its client portfolio.

Leeladhar joins BC Web Wise from Mindshare (Group M) where he handled media strategy for Idea Cellular in his role as Sr. Account Director - Digital Media Planning & Buying. Previously he worked at DraftFCB+Ulka handling digital media planning for brands such as Tata Motors, TCS, Tata Housing, LIC, Club Mahindra, and Amul among others.

We are thrilled to welcome Leeladhar to the team, said Chaaya Baradhwaaj, Founder-MD, BC Web Wise. He is a widely respected professional with a proven track record in driving RoI-effective media strategies for digital focussed brands. He will play an instrumental role in beefing up our media strengths.

The appointment is aimed at strengthening the agencys media services through data-driven, targeted and consumer-centric strategies that leverage the ever increasing number of digital touch points. With over a decade of technical and business experience under his belt, Leeladhar will introduce new platforms and processes aimed at increasing advertising effectiveness for new and existing clients. He will also be responsible for training the team in the intricacies of programmatic buying.

Elstan Rebello, Sr. VP  Sales & Servicing said, Leeladhar is an important addition to the team. He will provide critical support in terms of articulating programmatic strategies for our clients.

On his appointment, Leeladhar had this to say, While BCWWs core strength has always been creative, what really impressed me was the growth and impact the agency has been seeing in digital media buying and planning. Meeting with Chaaya and Elstan further fuelled my belief in their business values. Their vision for the agency and roadmap to achieve it is amazing. I am eagerly looking forward to working with them and shaping the media wing at BC Web Wise.

BC Web Wise is best known for its strategic brand solutions and world-class creatives. Founded by Chaaya Baradhwaaj in 2000, the agency has a presence in Mumbai and Delhi. It is amongst the few independent digital agencies in India with a vast and reputed client portfolio including Hero MotoCorp, Hindustan Unilever, ASUS, Pidilite Industries, ICICI Securities, ITC, Godrej Consumer Products, IDFC, Ruchi Soya and Emami among several others. The agencys integrated digital solutions range from web and mobile marketing, UX, and branding to media planning and buying, analytics, e-commerce and extend to web-based outdoor digital installations.
It is learnt that RK Arora, Executive Director & CEO, Zee Media Corporation, has put in his papers. Arora had joined Zee Media as COO in May last year.

Arora was appointed as CEO and Executive Director of the company in May this year after Subhash Chandra stepped down as Director & Non-Executive Chairman of Zee Media Corporation.

Prior to joining Zee, Arora was CEO - Broadcasting at News Nation Network for six months  from December 2014 to May 2015, where he was looking after the overall operations of the seven channels of ITV Network.

Arora had an over decade-long stint as India TV from November 2000 to January 2011, where he was looking after finance and distribution. He was Executive Director & CFO at the time of leaving India TV.

His has also worked with News 24 and INX News in his over two decades long career span.
Spikes Asia, a three-day Festival of inspiration and celebration for the creative communications industries and home to the regions coveted Spikes awards, has today announced this years talent and training initiatives. Investment in the brightest future leaders is central to the Festival, which takes place in Singapore from 21-23 September 2016.

This year will deliver the biggest and brightest range of learning opportunities, bringing industry heroes to lead specialist sessions. The Think Tank, in association with J. Walter Thompson, is designed for senior marketers and brand managers working in client organisations within the APAC region, while the YouTube Creative Hack, for professionals aged 30 and under, is a one-day challenge to create a mini-campaign.

Five Young Spikes Academies are targeted towards the brightest talent aged 30 years or under. Each academy is carefully structured for a different career discipline, combining exclusive classroom speakers and main stage content. Each student will learn to think about their personal brand to help them achieve their potential.

The Cheil sponsored Young Creative Academy is led by Noor Azhar, Senior Lecturer, SP Design School; Young Account Executives is led by Commercial Marketer Catherine Williams-Treloar and Young Digital will be facilitated by John Lambie, Founder and Director The Appalladium Pty Ltd. Young Marketers will learn from Khoo Kar Khoon, Former Communications Director at Nestle Malaysia and Young Media is led by Pete Mitchell, Partner at Kudos Content.

This years exciting Young Spikes competitions, supported by Grey, give professionals, aged 30 years or under, two days to create innovative campaigns across Integrated, Media, Digital and the Student Creative Award for Print.

Steve Latham, Director of Talent and Training for Spikes Asia, said, Were delighted to announce this years programme. Supporting the young rising stars of communications has always played a central role in the spirit of Spikes Asia to ensure we represent and support the future innovators and award-winners of the industry.

Delegates can still register to attend the Festival and further information about can be found on the Spikes Asia website
Steven Zaillians The Night Of turned out be the big hit that no one ever expected it to be. After all the obstacles it overcame and the amount of years it took for the miniseries to finally make it to television screens, The Night Of, since its premiere, led to a lot of conversations among audiences and continued with the same momentum to consistently peak everyones attention.

The show follows the journey of a lawyer Jack Stone (John Turturro), who seeks to absolve a young Pakistani-American student (Riz Ahmed) accused of brutally murdering a girl on the Upper West Side.

Drawing close to its end, The Night Of, has managed to garner immense conversation, suspecting, assuming and contemplating Andreas real killer. Now with the last episode on the cards this Wednesday night at 10 PM on Star World Premiere HD, questions are being raised more so now than ever before. Could it be her gold-digging step-father or her mothers financial advisor? Could it be the creepy neighbor or the weird black guy Naz and Andrea encounter while heading to her place? Or is Naz himself the killer? Will we get the definitive ending we have hoped for all this while?

Coming from Oscar winner Steven Zaillian and renowned novelist Richard Price, The Night of is a strong mix of heavy-duty performances, layered character developments and a complex core mystery that is equal parts horrifying and frustrating as we approach the nail-gritting finale episode.

Speaking about if he ever had any misgivings about telling the cast the end of the story, director and producer of the show, Steve Zaillian stated, First of all to me thats not the crucial piece of information in the whole story - but obviously people are interested in that. I never had long conversations with any of the actors about that. If they would ask me, well why do you want to know? Would you play it differently if it was this or that? If the answer is yes, well then were not going to talk about it any more. It shouldnt matter to the performance.

He further spoke about the attention to detail used in the series that has been widely spoken about and appreciated, I like conveying a story point visually as much as I can, as opposed to in dialogue. A lot of times that requires to shoot it in a certain way in order to tell that story. I just prefer that; Im not a big dialogue guy, Im not a guy who wants people to come out and say what they mean; usually if they say anything its something other than what they mean.

Starring stellar actors  Poorna Jagannathan, Riz Ahmed, John Turturro, Peyman Moaadi and Amara Karan in the lead, the 9.1 IMDB-rated show airs its finale episode this Wednesday, 10 PM on Star World Premiere HD!
To mark the relaunch in Oman of the UK's coveted Chevening programme, eight Omanis have been awarded full Masters degree scholarships in the UK, two of which will be sponsored by BAE Systems.





Above: Matthew Foster with recipients.



Chevening Scholarships are awarded by Britains Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and were established in 1983 to nurture talent and foster lasting relationships with important countries such as Oman. The programme was discontinued in 2010, reflecting Omans development, but it has been re-established this year as part of the UKs renewed educational support programme in Oman.



The British Ambassador to the Sultanate, Jonathan Wilks, said I am delighted to re-establish the Chevening Scholarships programme in Oman with the generous help of BAE Systems. Omans economy will rely more in the future on the contribution of well-educated young Omanis. I want the UK to be at the forefront of helping Oman to build that future.



Taking its name from Chevening House, the official residence of the British Foreign Secretary located in Kent, England, Chevening Scholarships have benefited over 44,000 individuals from 160 eligible countries and territories over 33 years.



Chevening Scholarships set a gold standard for the UKs educational support in Oman, said Wilks. The programme offers a unique opportunity for future leaders, influencers, and decision-makers to develop professionally and academically, experience UK culture and build lasting positive relationships with the UK. I am grateful for BAE Systems support in enabling us to restart this programme in Oman after a long absence and I hope to see more UK companies join in sponsoring Masters Degree scholarships in years to come.



Matt Foster, General Manager of BAE Systems Oman, said We are delighted to commence our support for Chevening Scholarships and wish our Omani scholars every success with their studies in Britain. As a technology business we are committed to promoting education and careers in technology and engineering in the markets in which we operate. We have a long history of cooperation with the Armed Forces of the Sultanate, and hope to continue that support for many more years into the future. Supporting young Omanis, and their education and development, is part of our bond with Oman, and a sign of our support to the development of Oman.



BAE Systems works collaboratively with governments throughout the Gulf, the British Council and local institutions to encourage young people to embrace science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects throughout their education; at School, College, University and beyond.



Earlier this year BAE Systems partnered with the Oman Ministry of Education, National Career Guidance Centre (NCGC), to present workshops on STEM at Sultan Qaboos University and the Caledonian College of Engineering. BAE Systems commitment to Omani educational development is also demonstrated through its patronage of the annual EY Student Excellence Awards.



In the Middle East, more than 3,200 Chevening Scholarships have been awarded since its inception with an active alumni from Oman, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Palestine.


Leading travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth details notable trends among Americans traveling this fall. See the full report for more data.

Where are Americans traveling this fall?

149% increase in Americans insuring trips to Cuba this fall as commercial flights are set to begin

73% boost in travelers insuring fall trips to Spain, replacing France as the No. 3 international destination

80% rise in travelers insuring trips to South Africa, the greatest growth among the top 20 international destinations

Top 5 International Destinations for Fall Travel

1. Italy (+25%)

2. Mexico (+23%)

3. Spain (+73%)

4. France (-3.9%)

5. Canada (+32%)

Numbers indicate percentage change in total travelers over the previous year

What are travelers concerned about this fall?

127% more customers searching specifically for terrorism coverage when purchasing a policy

61% more customers searching specifically for hurricane coverage when buying a policy

Who is traveling this fall?

20% more travelers are insuring fall travel than last year

53% of Squaremouth customers traveling this fall are baby boomers

Italy and Spain at the top of the list for travelers aged 65+

Mexico and Bahamas top the fall destinations for travelers under 50

How much are Americans spending on fall travel?

On average, Americans are spending $2,836 per person to travel this fall

The average total cost of a trip this fall is $8,040, 5.7% higher than last fall

All data is based on American travelers insured on travel insurance policies purchased through Squaremouth prior to 8/23/16 for travel during 9/10/16-11/30/16. Travelers who are visiting multiple countries only have to enter one destination when purchasing a policy on Squaremouth.com. This report represents the destinations selected by travelers. Statistics reflect changes from the same period in 2015 unless otherwise noted.

Related:

2016 Squaremouth Summer Travel Trends Report

2016 Squaremouth Spring Travel Trends Report

ABOUT SQUAREMOUTH

Squaremouth is an online company that compares travel insurance products from virtually every major travel insurance provider in the United States. Using Squaremouths comparison engine and third-party customer reviews, travelers can research and compare insurance products side-by-side. More information can be found at www.squaremouth.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830006135/en/

Squaremouth

Available Topic Expert:

Rachael Taft, 727-264-5174

rtaft@squaremouth.com
CANCUN, Mexico, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- According to new data from the Mexican government, Cancun/Riviera Maya is continuing its strong growth trend that began more than a decade ago. For just the first half of 2016, for example, nearly 11 million people flew into and out of the Cancun International Airport. That represents almost an 8 percent increase from one year ago. El Cid Vacations Club notes that Mexican officials have confirmed the status of Cancun/Riviera Maya as one of the nation's fastest growing tourist destinations.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160823/400692

Besides the obvious, there are in fact many reasons to visit Cancun. For example, the city features some of the best and most diverse cuisine in Mexico. A truly international culinary culture caters to every taste under the sun. Seafood (of course) is the best of the best, as are the local vegetable dishes, Italian specialties, sushi, curries and soups from around the world, pizza, pasta and the standard American "burger and fries." Cancun's international flavor is one of the many characteristics that attract repeat visitors, according to El Cid Vacations Club.

Often forgotten amid the discussion of beaches and wonderful food is the incredible wildlife in the greater Cancun/Riviera Maya area. Nature lovers come back year after year to study and observe the marine life and gorgeous coral reefs. Indeed, there are hundreds of tropical species that even an amateur can view up close. Endangered sea turtles and lemon sharks are but two of the unique aquatic denizens that ply the waters of Cancun, the city that seems to be all things to all people.

Besides world class shopping, Cancun's most enduring attraction, and the key reason for its booming tourism industry, is its ideal year-round weather. Aside from a few tropical storms, the temperatures are always beach-friendly, and the water always seems to be just the right temperature for swimming, diving and snorkeling. The Yucatan Peninsula is one of the world's most temperate climate zones, which explains a lot about the area's growing tour trade and image as one of the globe's best beach locales.

Ancient ruins and 2,000-year-old temples are only a few minutes from the sunny beaches of Cancun and on down the coast to Playa del Carmen, which means that the distant past is always within reach. Cancun/Riviera Maya is much more than it appears. It is a true gem of Mexican culture that offers historical and adventure experiences for those who are up to the challenge.

Indeed, Cancun/Riviera Maya has something for everyone. The Yucatan is a global travel destination, as are the ruins of Tulum, while places like Puerto Morelos offer a small-town charm that is hard to find in many tourist areas.

About ECVC 

El Cid Vacations Club is a global leader in the vacation ownership and resort industry, delivering a wide variety of memorable vacation experiences for members. El Cid Vacations Club continually strives to enhance its member services and guest experiences. Members are invited to take advantage of downloading the complimentary El Cid Vacations Club Member mobile app available on both the App Store and Google Play (keyword "ecvc"). This application allows members to stay up to date on the most recent news, make reservations, and always stay in contact with El Cid Vacations Club. This is the perfect opportunity for El Cid Vacations Club members to plan their next dream vacation at one of the many stunning El Cid properties. For more information, visit http://www.elcidvacationsclub.com.

Media Contact: El Cid Vacations Club, El Cid Vacations Club, 1 866 552 7320, ownersrelations@elcid.com.mx

News distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.com

SOURCE El Cid Vacations Club
$378K Grant from FHLB Dallas and Wells Fargo Aided in Construction of the Imperial Building

Local dignitaries today joined representatives from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas), Wells Fargo, and YES Housing for the grand opening of the Imperial Building in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico. Among those in attendance were U.S. Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-District 1), Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry, Bernalillo County Commissioner Chair Art De La Cruz, and City Councilors Isaac Benton and Klarissa Pena.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160829006053/en/

U.S. Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-District 1) and Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry are joined August 29, 2016, by local dignitaries and representatives of Wells Fargo, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, and YES Housing for the grand opening of the Imperial Building in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico. (Photo: Business Wire)

The Imperial Building, a 74-unit mixed-use, multifamily rental property, received a $378,000 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) Grant in 2014 from FHLB Dallas and Wells Fargo. The grant provided gap funding, which aided in the construction of the building that opened in May. Developed by YES Housing, the $19 million apartment community is anchored by a 10,000-square-foot grocery store, retail services, and underground parking.

I am gratified that our office was able to help ensure federal tax credits were available for this project, Congresswoman Lujan Grisham said. Now we have more housing, including affordable housing, in the heart of downtown. We have this wonderful grocery store that supports not only these residents, but the entire region so we can address hunger and promote nutrition in these neighborhoods.

Mayor Berry echoed Congresswoman Lujan Grishams sentiments, also applauding Wells Fargo and FHLB Dallas for contributing to the revitalization of Albuquerques economic landscape.

This mixed-use building is one of the great catalysts for downtown, the mayor said. The grand opening of the Imperial Building is a testament to the great things that happen when the private and public sectors come together on a project such as this one.

The opening of the new apartment community comes at a time of growth and economic development for downtown Albuquerque, according to Chris Baca, president and CEO of YES Housing.

The Imperial Building will have a substantial impact on the livability and walkability to a population that is critically underserved, Mr. Baca said. The apartment community, including the commercial space and the grocery store, will help stabilize one of the oldest sections of the city and revitalize the downtown core of Albuquerque.

The Imperial Building will provide affordable housing for very low-income residents, as well as those who have special needs. For many who fall into these categories, the Imperial Building is a breath of fresh air.

Ron RC Casias, 56, is a resident of the Imperial Building and founder, president, and chair of the Silver Barelas Downtown Neighborhood Association. The former on-air radio personality  who is known to friends as The Verbal Assassin  moved into the Imperial Building in May from a nearby apartment building, where he said he paid more money for less space.

Moving into the Imperial Building changed my life, said Mr. Casias. I deal with chronic daily pain and getting around can be kind of a challenge for me. How cool is it that I can take an elevator to the grocery store? Plus, I have a view of the beautiful Sandia Mountains.

Mr. Casias also expressed his gratitude for the AHP.

When I fell into health setbacks, I was blessed that programs like this existed because they helped people like me, he said. YES Housing, Wells Fargo, and FHLB Dallas are redefining affordable housing with projects like the Imperial Building.

Additional funding for the project was provided by the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority, and the MFA Primero Loan Program.

Pat Nie, vice president of Community Development at Wells Fargo, expressed her excitement about the opening of the Imperial Building and the development of downtown Albuquerque.

We are proud to support this community in any way we can, she said. Wells Fargo is honored to partner with FHLB Dallas and play a role in seeing this project come to fruition.

FHLB Dallas annually returns 10 percent of its profits in the form of AHP grants to the communities served by its member institutions, like Wells Fargo. AHP grants fund a variety of projects, including home rehabilitation and modifications for low-income, elderly, and special needs residents; down payment and closing cost assistance for qualified first-time homebuyers; and the construction of low-income, multifamily rental communities and single-family homes. In 2016, FHLB Dallas awarded $7.8 million in AHP grants across its five-state District of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas.

Greg Hettrick, FHLB Dallas first vice president and director of Community Investment, said the AHP grant provides tremendous opportunities to underserved areas and strengthens members ties to the community.

The AHP grant provides critical gap funding for affordable housing projects like the construction of the Imperial Building, said Mr. Hettrick. It is a community investment tool we are happy to provide through our member, Wells Fargo.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.7 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 8,700 locations, 12,500 ATMs, and the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 266,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 30 on Fortunes 2015 rankings of America's largest corporations. Wells Fargos vision is to satisfy all our customers financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at Wells Fargo Blogs and Wells Fargo Stories.

About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank System created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $54.4 billion as of June 30, 2016, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced loans and other credit products to approximately 850 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas. For more information, visit our website at fhlb.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160829006053/en/

Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas

Corporate Communications, 214-441-8445

www.fhlb.com
142,000 SF on 7.8 acres, 6-building, partially leased, high-tech manufacturing campus, located in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

Imagine owning a high-tech industrial facility in one of the foremost sought after locations in the world. Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, houses some of the best high-tech firms, manufacturing firms, and distribution companies in the Midwest. LFC Group of Companies online real estate transaction platform, www.FRE.com in association with Newmark Grubb/Pfefferle is currently conducting an online auction for a massive 142,000 SF, 6-building, partially leased, hi-tech manufacturing campus on 7.8 acres in the heart of Chippewa Falls, WI, with a minimum bid of $695,000.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830006197/en/

One of the six buildings is currently under lease on a month-to-month basis and offers the new owner the flexibility of acquiring an income producing property in addition to a large amount of remaining square footage to occupy and operate a thriving business.

Formerly the Cray Supercomputer and Silicon Graphics site, it is ideally suited for semiconductor R&D/pilot line manufacturing as well as adaptive reuse for industries such as data center, biomedical, energy, and others that would benefit from the facility's robust infrastructure, said William W. Lange, CEO of LFC Group of Companies.

The 6-building campus consists of:

Fab I 12,187 SF

Fab II 42,335 SF

NTL 10,860 SF

Development Building 67,209 SF

Conference Center 5,480 SF (currently leased M-2-M)

890 Building 4,033 SF

Bids can be submitted via www.NGKFbid.com/208D8 up until the bid deadline of September 29th, 2016. Happy Bidding!

For more information about FREs exclusive website for the real estate industry, visit www.FRE.com or call (949) 706-6117.

About LFC and FRE.com

The LFC Group of Companies has been auction marketing real estate for over 35 years and pioneered online property auctions on the FRE website more than 12 years ago. LFC which maintains offices in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Madrid, Spain and Newport Beach, California, has conducted US $ billions in online real estate transactions for land, commercial and residential properties, in association with local real estate brokers and agents around the world.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830006197/en/

FRE.COM, The Future of Real Estate

Mary McDonough

Director of Advertising & Public Relations

(949) 706-6113

mmcdonough@FRE.COM
DUBLIN, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Saudi Arabia Electric Motors Market By Type (AC and DC), By End User (Residential, Manufacturing, Commercial, Real Estate, etc.), By Application (Pumps, Compressors, Fans, etc.), By Rating, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011-2021" report to their offering.

Electric motors market in Saud Arabia is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8% during 2016 - 2021, especially due to increasing demand from commercial and industrial sectors.

Growing number of power plants and oil rigs, coupled with rapid commercialization and urbanization is boosting demand for electric motors in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, rising demand for air conditioning and HVAC systems is also propelling growth in the country's electric motors market. Saudi Arabia's electric motors market is highly import dependent market, with only one domestic electric motor manufacturing facility operating in the country.

Presence of large oil & gas fields such as Al-hasa, Qatif, Safaniya, Al-Jauf and Turaif in the country, huge manufacturing industry base in northern & eastern regions, and increasing inflow of pilgrims visiting Makkah and Madina leading to a surge in commercial and transportation activities, are few of the major factors anticipated to boost demand for electric motors in the coming years. Electric motor refurbishment/repair services market in Saudi Arabia is also growing, due to various huge ongoing construction projects such as mega cities, metro rail and hotels.

"Saudi Arabia Electric Motors Market 2011-2021" discusses

Electric Motor Market Size, Share & Forecast

Electric Motors Segmental Analysis- By Type (AC & DC), By Application (Pumps, Compressors, Fans & Mechanical Movement), By End User (Residential, Manufacturing, Commercial, Real Estate & Others)

Saudi Arabia Electric Motor Refurbishment / Repair Services Market Size & Forecast

Policy and Regulatory Landscape

Changing Market Trends & Emerging Opportunities

Competitive Landscape & Strategic Recommendations

Market Trends & Developments

Growing Demand for Energy Efficient Motors

Flourishing Electric Motors Refurbishment & Repair Services Market

Import Driven Market for Electric Motors

Rising Penetration of Chinese & Korean Players

Increasing Industrialization

Companies Mentioned

ABB Electrical Industries Co. Ltd.

ATB SCHORCH GmbH

Alfanar Electrical Systems LLC

Ashoor Electric Motors Factory

CG Power Systems Belgium NV

Nidec Motor Corporation

Saudi French Company

Siemens Limited

TECO Middle East Electrical and Machinery Co. Ltd.

WEG Middle East FZE

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/kwdzdc/saudi_arabia

Related Topics: Motors

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

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F-35A continues fifth-generation tradition of air superiority against legacy aircraft

Years ago, Lt. Col. Brad Bashore flew against the F-22 Raptor as an F-15E Strike Eagle pilot. Now, as an F-35A Lightning II pilot at this years exercise Northern Lightning, it was his turn to deliver fire from the clouds.



Its not a fair fight, and thats exactly what we want for our adversaries, said Bashore, the 58th Fighter Squadron commander. To be on the offensive side this time and getting a chance to employ (those capabilities), I couldnt ask for anything better. Its like fighting somebody with their hands tied behind their back.



Bashore and his wingmen at the 58th FS, which belongs to the 33rd Fighter Wing, have been employing the capabilities of the F-35A, scoring as many as 27 kills in a single sortie at Northern Lightning, a large force exercise where fifth- and fourth-generation aircraft engage in a contested, degraded environment.



I remember the first time I flew against (fifth-generation aircraft), Bashore said. Its a change in mindset because you cant target anything on your radar because its not there, and by the time you do potentially find something, its too late and they have already shot you.



Its frustrating, but at the same time understanding that its our asset is invigorating and gives you a lot of hope for the future as far as how successful this platform is going to be.



While sharing many similarities with the F-22, the F-35As main advantage is its robust suite of sensors that give it the ability to process and share information with other players in the battlespace. These capabilities make the F-35A more lethal and survivable than any legacy aircraft, and eliminate any safe space for the enemy to hide.



We took off out of Madison (to join the fight), said Lt. Col. Bart Van Roo, the commander of the Wisconsin Air National Guards 176th FS, which has F-16 Fighting Falcons. We went to our simulated airfield out in the far part of the airspace. As the two ship from the northern half of the airspace we turned hot, drove for about 30 seconds and we were dead, just like that. We never even saw (the F-35A).



Van Roo has been flying the F-16 since 2001 and as red air during Northern Lightning for 13 years. Red air is a formation of aircraft acting as the enemy for air-to-air tactics training.



For us, as a capable fourth-generation fighter, we are used to being able to see and counter most adversaries that we have out there when we are playing red air, Van Roo said. Versus the F-35, its completely different. The most difficult thing is we just cant see them like they can see us. It can feel like you are out there with a blindfold on trying to find someone in a huge space.



We have been reliant on visual pickups of the aircraft only, which is extremely difficult to do, and at those ranges we are already dead before we could shoot back.



Fortunately, the red air pilots at this years Northern Lightning can take solace that the F-35A is on their side for future combat deployments and will help ensure their ability to fly, fight and win against possible near peer adversaries.



The significant increase in situational awareness that it gives us on the battlefield, the information sharing between jets, radar capability and of course the capability that we will have with our opponents not being able to see us will be a game changer, Van Roo said.
For the first time in 12 years, the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance program is having an open season, which will run from Sept. 1-30.During the open season, eligible federal employees can enroll in FEGLI or increase coverage up to the maximum offered by the program, including Option C coverage on the lives of spouses and eligible dependent children under age 22. In order to participate in the open season, employees must be in a retirement covered position authorized for FEGLI coverage.The federal government established the FEGLI program on Aug. 29, 1954. The largest group life insurance program in the world, FEGLI covers over 4 million federal employees and retirees, as well as many of their family members.Opportunities for federal civilians to enroll in the FEGLI program or to pick up coverage that was waived are normally limited to newly hired/newly eligible employees, rehired employees with a break of 180 days or more, open season, provision of medical information, a life event or designation as emergency essential in the Defense Department, and deployment in support of a contingency operation in a civilian capacity.Enrolled employees can cancel or reduce coverage or change beneficiaries at any time without waiting for an open season. Elections or changes made during the 2016 FEGLI open season are effective Oct. 1, 2017.Employees will make their elections in the Employee Benefits Information System via the AFPC Secure website More information on FEGLI is available on the OPM website For more information about Air Force personnel programs, go to the myPers website . Individuals who do not have a myPers account can request one by following the instructions on the Air Force Retirees Services website
-- On this look around the Air Force, the enlisted remotely piloted aircraft program opens to all career fields, the Air Force is making the upgrade to Windows 10, and the Air Force officially welcomes its new vice chief of staff. Hosted by Staff Sgt. Traci Keller.For previous episodes, click here for the Air Force TV page.Related links:
Airmen aid elderly woman after trail fall

For four Airmen from the 916th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, a weekend hiking trip in Montana while on annual tour recently turned into an invaluable opportunity to embody the Air Force core value of service before self.



We were on our way back from Avalanche Lake and we came upon this elderly lady who had fallen, said Tech. Sgt. Kristopher Huffman, 916th AMDS laboratory NCO in charge.



Huffman said the woman was on the ground and unable to walk. She also complained of hip pain, nausea and cold.



As soon as I saw her laying on the ground, I was like this is literally what we do,' said Senior Airman Joshua Moser, 916th AMDS aerospace medicine technician. When I looked at her, I wasnt nervous; I was confident.



I was adopted by my grandparents so I saw my grandmother lying there, said Huffman. She is 74 years old and she loves to hike, so I immediately thought of her.



Suddenly, all of their training and preparation as aerospace medicine personnel became critically relevant.



The Airmen worked as a team to quickly assess the situation and begin to comfort and seek aid for the injured woman.



We decided that Airman Mosier should stay with the patient and me and Airman Kreger should run for help, said Huffman.



Huffman is a savvy runner with years of experience and although they were traveling downhill, the descent proved to have its own difficulties.



It started raining; it was slippery and muddy and of course, other people were on these trails going down the mountain. said Huffman.



Mosier and Staff Sgt. Gladys St. Peter, 916th AMDS health services technician, remained to monitor and provide immediate support for the injured woman.



The trickiest part wasnt any of the assessing, but it was keeping up friendly banter the whole time, said Moser. It was like three hours, and shes in pain and sitting in an uncomfortable position, and you got to keep telling her you dont want to move or you could be dead in a minute.



As Airman Joshua Kreger, 916th AMDS optometry technician, and Huffman searched for park rangers at the foot of the trail, the situation at the top of the trail grew more severe.



We could hear thunder constantly, said Moser. At this point, its like big black thunderstorm clouds brewing."



Eventually, Kreger and Huffman returned with park rangers and a litter to transport the woman off the mountain. The Airmen then led the effort to place the woman onto a wheeled litter and began the descent.



It was a scoop litter, so we put the two sides around her and kind of clamped it together to pick her up, said Moser.



The team carried the woman two miles to the trailhead where an ambulance was waiting for them. Even as conditions worsened, their determination never wavered.



Were going downhill; it started getting muddyyou got roots, you got branches, hundred foot drops right beside you, said Kreger. We had to be slower which means everybody was getting more drenched.



The team eventually made it to the end of the trail and the woman was taken to a nearby hospital.



We actually kept up with her. said Kreger. She got through surgery, got fixed up and recovered. Shes doing great and hopefully going down smaller mountains.



Col. Stephen Irvin, 916th AMDS commander, was thrilled to hear that his Airmen worked so effectively together to rescue an injured civilian.



Given the inclement weather, scarcity of resources and distance from a developed area, the efforts of these Airmen undoubtedly contributed to the successful outcome of the incident, said Irvin.



Irvin went on to highlight the selflessness and courage of his Airmen who were involved in the rescue and said he was proud and honored to have them in the unit.



Huffman summarized the events that transpired that day saying that without their timely, decisive, and patient-centered care, she would have been at the mercy of the elements; her situation could have had a much worse outcome without the 916th reservists' intervention.


Bangladeshs Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence it handed down to senior Jamaat-e- Islami leader and key financier Mir Quasem Ali for committing war crimes during the countrys 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan. The five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha pronounced a single-word judgement in the court room.



Rejected, said top judge, who is the first Hindu to occupy the post in the Muslim-majority country, about 64-year-old Alis appeal. Ali is considered as the key-financier of Jamaat, which was opposed to Bangladeshs 1971 independence from Pakistan.

In his brief comments after the verdict, attorney general Mahbubey Alam told reporters that Ali could now seek presidential clemency as his last resort to save himself from the gallows. He now could be (sent) to (the) gallows anytime if he does not seek clemency or his mercy petition is rejected, Alam said.

Alis lawyers were not immediately available for comments. The decision paves the way for Alis execution unless he is pardoned by the president. 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 and media outlets including a now suspended TV channel and is a central executive council member of Jamaat-e-Islami. 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.

Prosecution lawyers had earlier said Ali had exhausted all efforts to influence his trial on charges of committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War. They had said that Ali made a USD 25 million deal with US lobby firm Cassidy and Associates for engaging with the governments of the United States and Bangladesh to protect his interest.

During the appeal hearing against his death sentence the state-side submitted to the court a receipt issued by the US lobby firm for what it said professional service.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui has aced the common man roles in Bollywood but he feels that maximum stories dont focus on grey emotions and are only comedy or melodrama.

Best known for his roles in Kahaani, Gangs of Wasseypur, Talaash, Siddiqui still feels that the Hindi cinema does not explore nau ras (nine emotions) that exist in Natyaashashtra.

People go and watch a film either for laughter or expect it to be an emotional. In our films, we only work on two or three emotions but there are other five-six emotions in the Natyashastra but our industry works very less on it. These are the most difficult emotions to present on the big screen, said Siddiqui.

Quoting Hollywood veteran Robert De Niro, the Manjhi star said, Like Robert De Niro has said, a person publicly hides his emotions. But in films, we deliberately act. In my case, I prefer to do such roles where I dont have to show my emotions much.

In Freaky Ali, Siddiqui, who has mostly dealt with intense roles, will be doing a full-fledged comedic role for the first time and the actor says he prefers it to be effortless.

We have this trend of comedy here that actors make weird faces on the big screen, they use punch lines and put in so much effort to make audience laugh. According to me, it should not be like that That effort should not be there, he said.

Siddiqui, 42, also believes that larger-than-life roles are easy to portray rather than playing common parts.

I never repeated my roles. The most difficult role is to play a common man in the film. Playing larger-than-life roles are quite easy because that character has a certain image. But grey shade are a lot more difficult.

Freaky Ali, also starring Arbaaz Khan, Amy Jackson and Jas Arora, will hit the theatres on September 9.
A father lost his ailing son on his shoulder after he was allegedly turned down at the government-run Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Deteriorating health facilities at hospitals have been magnified by the death of a 12-year-old boy because he was denied timely access to medical facilities at different hospitals.

Sunil Kumar has alleged that his son Ansh died on his shoulder after he carried him from hospital to hospital on Friday.

He was in Class 6 and very intelligent. I took him to a local hospital within 9 minutes, they asked me to take him to the government hospital, Mr. Kumar says. His son had high fever since Sunday night.

The hospitals emergency section refused to admit Sunil Kumars son. They suggested him to take Ansh to a childrens medical centre but did not provide any assistance to carry the boy.

I begged doctors at the emergency to examine my son and admit him. They took 30 minutes before telling me to take the kid to the childrens hospital. I asked for a stretcher to carry my son, but the request was turned down, Kumar said.

As no one came for help, Kumar bundled his sons body on his shoulder and walked home.

Denying the allegations, the hospital authorities said, We admitted him. We found that there was no heart rate, no pulse, and the pupils are fixated and dilated. We could tell from his condition that he died two to three hours before being brought in, said Dr. RC Gupta, the chief medical officer of the hospital.

The incident highlights the pitiable condition of the health sector in this country. Last week, the video of a farmer in Odisha  Dana Majhi  had gone viral, where he was seen carrying his dead wife on his shoulder after he was denied an ambulance from the hospital authorities. Majhis wife had died of tuberculosis on Wednesday last in Bhawanipatna, and when he wasnt provided an ambulance to take her to the burial site, some 30 kms away, Majhi carried her on his shoulders.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated first phase of the ambitious Narmada water-based pipeline project that aims to bring Narmada water to fill 115 dams and reservoirs in 11 districts in Saurashtra, a water starved and rain deficit region, and addressed his first public rally in the state after he became the Prime Minister in May 2014.

The PM had inaugurated the first phase of a mega-irrigation project  the Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (SAUNI)  which is expected to bring relief to the water-scarce districts of the Saurashtra peninsula.

Gujarat has adopted the Mantra of Vikas. This mantra will transform the state, the Prime Minister said, speaking in Gujarati and detailing his governments initiatives for farmers.

He had taken to Delhi what he learnt in Gujarat, said Prime Minister Modi, who was the states chief minister for 13 years till he became PM after leading the BJP to a sweep of the 2014 national election.

Modi said, Whatever I learnt in Gujarat has helped me a lot when I went to Delhi. When I had took oath as (Gujarat) CM, I told farmers that what is most important for you is water. Few people did not like what I said then, they disagreed with me but I remained firm on my stand that water is of prime importance. The water table of Gujarat which was falling began to rise. Check dams were built in large numbers. SAUNI project is an initiative that will make every Gujarati proud. All of us should take note of how this project has come through.

A farmer from any part of India, give that farmer water and see the wonders the farmer can do, PM Modi said at the rally. He called the SAUNI project an initiative that will make every Gujarati proud.

I still remember when I met lawmakers of Saurashtra and talked about SAUNI Yojana, he added, reminiscing about the initiatives hed taken during his tenure as CM to move the project forward. Before the PMs visit, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani  who was also present at the rally  had tweeted that SAUNI was Modis dream project when he was Gujarat CM.
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he familiar RSS dress symbolised by knickers was adopted in 1925, including leather belts, long black shoes, khaki cap and a stick. The first change took place in 1930, when the khaki cap was replaced by a black one, and this was followed by a white shirt in place of khaki. Again, in 1973, there was a third alteration when lighter shoes were introduced. The last change came in 2011, when Jain muni Tarun Sagar said the use of a leather belt was not so related to non-violence. The leather belt was overnight replaced with a canvas belt. RSS units outside India are known as the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh and its members are allowed to use trousers. The revamped attire has gone on sale, marking a radical departure, the first such in the organisations 91-year history.

Bidding goodbye to the traditional khaki knickers, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) launched the sale of its new uniform  brown trousers  at its headquarters in Nagpur. The decision to replace the khaki shorts with trousers was taken at the RSSs Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha held at Nagaur, Rajasthan, earlier this year. The new uniforms were made in Rajasthan and the first consignment reached Nagpur. The price of the new attire has been kept at Rs. 250 and the rest of the uniform  white shirt, canvas belt, black cap, black shoes  is also being sold along with the belt.

There were lots of jokes and humour on social network when RSS declared change in its uniform. Nowadays, even RSS are making bold decisions which were never expected. Their support to womens entry in temples is one of them. They said both men and women should be treated equally; this is very progressive and realistic move by RSS. This is far beyond the conservative thoughts too, as people are projecting the organization as orthodox. RSS might be going little liberal looking at peoples disagreement for them. When the question rose about compromising the core ideology of Sangh Parivar in any action of the central government or the BJP, Amit Shah publically announced that government actions will be dictated by the ideology and principles for which the BJP was established and for which thousands of swayamsevaks have laid down their lives. During the three-day RSS Pratinidhi Sabha, Shah made a detailed presentation to the RSS functionaries on the work done by the BJP in the last one year. Shah was flanked by the BJPs National General Secretary for the organisation, Ram Lal, when he spoke to the RSS brass.

Shah started by recounting the major achievements of the Modi government over the last one year. He also spoke about the extensive ideological training programme that is currently underway for BJP workers. The BJP chief also briefed the RSS about the efforts being made to build a party office in every district of the country. Hitting out at the so called pseudo-secularists; Shah described Modi as a champion of nationalism. He emphasised the need for greater synergy between different wings of the RSS and the Modi government and said that every action of the government would be in keeping with the core ideology of the Sangh Parivar. Shah even said the budget proposal to tax Provident Fund was rolled back by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley after feedback was given by the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh. He asked the RSS affiliates to show patience on contentious issues where they felt the government was not moving with speed. He said that the lack of majority in the Rajya Sabha was holding back some of the steps the government wanted to take and promised that this would get resolved in time to come.

The BJP president also appealed to RSS functionaries to help the party campaign in the forthcoming UP Assembly elections. Usually, the RSS is wary of campaigning for regular elections and wants its functionaries to be involved convincing only in exceptional circumstances, like the 2014 general elections. However, Shah is trying to convince the RSS to help them in every election. BJP and RSS both needs each other by their side to survive, elections in UP are core key issue and its a question of BJPs credibility.

RSS members said they are not rigid, so changing with time is necessity of the nature. Pants are a regular feature in todays social life, so they took the decision accordingly. For many decades the loose fitting, flappy khaki knickers have been the most visible manifestation of RSS volunteers. A large section of the RSS now feels that the time has come to move on from the khaki shorts but some old timers continue to hold out saying that there is no need to be swayed by fashion trends. Suggestions have come for changing the trademark khaki to blue or grey, keeping in the mind sensibilities of the new generation, which RSS says is flocking to its shakhas. The khaki uniform, the organisation claims, was designed by its first Sarsanghchalak KB Hedgewar, who borrowed it from the Congress Sewa Dal, a Congress sister organisation founded in 1924. In 1930, the black cap was adopted. In 1940, white shirts were introduced as the British banned private institutions from conducting drills as World War II broke out.

For many decades, the loose fitting flappy khakhi knickers have been the most visible manifestation of RSS volunteers. Now, they are changing with the time and accepting modern things. When the proposal was last debated some 5 years ago, it was rejected by the senior members of the hardcore Hindutva organization. Finally, they said, Goodbye to knickers and hello to trousers.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
A leading Australian daily on Tuesday said it will not be publishing more confidential data on the Indian Scorpene Class submarines after a court imposed a temporary ban on further publication of the documents.

The New South Wales Supreme Court issued the order on Monday and ordered The Australian to remove documents from its website, from which the newspaper had already redacted security-sensitive material, and to give French defence firm DCNS all of the company material in its possession by 5 PM on Wednesday, according to media reports.

The courts order came following an affidavit filed by DCNS which sought a ban on the publication of the sensitive documents by The Australian.

The courts order preventing the newspaper from using the leaked material expires at 5 PM on Thursday.

The case will again be listed for hearing on Thursday in the Supreme Court.

In its affidavit, DCNS said the disclosure of the material had caused a prejudice against it because its competitors now have access to some of the companys material, according to media reports.

The massive media coverage of the leak had jeopardised the companys international image and reputation, the affidavit was quoted as saying.

The sensitive and protected nature of the documents also covers the nature, structure and the mere existence of the documents themselves, it said.
A suspected suicide bomber rammed the gates of the Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishek on Tuesday, killing himself and wounding three others, officials said.



Police, who cordoned off the building and the adjacent area, and the GKNB state security service said they were investigating the incident.

A source at the Bishkek police told AFP that the Mitsubishi Delica car smashed a gate on the embassy before blowing up in the centre of the compound, close to the ambassadors residence.

Another source with the Central Asian nations security service said an explosive device had been placed inside the vehicle.

Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for Chinas foreign ministry, said China was deeply shocked by the extreme and violent attack.

We are demanding that Kyrgyzstan find out the truth rapidly and punish [those responsible], she told a press conference in Beijing.

Asked whether other Chinese diplomatic facilities had stepped up security measures following the attack, Hua said: We attach great importance to the safety of Chinese personnel abroad. We have always taken protective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel overseas.

Authorities in Kyrgyzstan, a mostly Muslim former Soviet republic of 6 million people, routinely detain suspected Islamist militants accused of being linked to the Islamic State, which actively recruits from Central Asia.

An anti-Chinese militant group made up of ethnic Uighurs is also active in the region. In 2014, Kyrgyz border guards killed 11 people believed to be members of that group who had illegally crossed the Chinese-Kyrgyz border.








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An eye witness in Vancouver has recently reported sighting a red-star like object in the skies as he was relaxing on the roof of his house.

While going out onto my roof for some air, I immediately took notice of an exceptionally brilliant and vibrant red star to my right side or directionally due NNE, the witness stated.

At about 50 degrees elevation, it grew to a size that seemed to be traveling directly towards me at an incredible speed. It appeared to come to a stop, where it neither grew nor shifted in any noticeable manner. 

The object was extremely red, almost as if it was burning but had the quality of a bright light.

I had about 15-30 seconds in which I stared at the object as it rhythmically pulsated, an extremely vibrant and intense red. It also had a vibrating throbbing shiftiness accompanying the consistent pulsating, the witness stated.

The object travelled for a while, 3-5 kilometers in a straight line to the western skyline, Downtown Vancouver before coming to a halt. It paused for a split second before shooting up to about 50-100 feet, a move that made its glow diminish.

At this time I ran inside to grab my partner as well as my phone and iPad so as to take a few pictures. At about 1-2 minutes later, Im fiddling with turning these contraptions on while Im watching the object top burning almost completely and morph into a flat, convex black shape, retaining some of the red but weakly.

The resulting object shot off to the WSW for no more than 2 seconds and vanished, leaving no trace.

It was then that I heard a jet overhead racing towards the area, where it made 6-7 circles over the area where it vanished before heading back east, over my head,  the witness stated.

I never managed to capture any images it all occurred far too fast and if I was to stop for a second I may have missed some crucial information.

The event took place on August 23, 2016 at around 9.13 p.m. and was reported to MUFON on August 24, 2016.

Investigations are still ongoing.
For almost thirty years, August has meant returning to Jackson, Wyoming, the Grand Teton National Park, the Bridger-Teton National Forest and the Yellowstone ecosystem. It is fishing, hiking, photography, reading under the aspens, the Grand Teton Music Festival.and more fishing. Most importantly, it is quality family time.

The Bridger-Teton National Forest is at our backyard in Jackson and as remote as you can get in the Continental United States, which is our goal during the August Congressional recess (especially this election year).

The Bridger-Teton is 3.4 million acres including 1.2 million acres of designated wilderness, making it the third largest National Forest outside of Alaska.and bigger than Yellowstone National Park. Wildlife on the Bridger-Teton is diverse and a major attraction. The Forest provides habitat for an abundance of species. Visitors are likely to see trumpeter swans, Sandhill cranes, coyotes, bald eagles, and elk. Other wildlife includes moose, mule deer, antelope, black bears and grizzlies too, along with over 355 species of birds.

While the Bridger-Teton National Forest comprises a large part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, it is overlooked by many of the 4-5 million visitors to Yellowstone each year. Yellowstone is actually surrounded by five national forests and the health of these forests has a direct impact on the health of Yellowstone, and vice versa. In fact, many of our most famous national parks adjoin national forests.

The Bridger Teton is one of 154 national forests and 20 grasslands in 44 states and Puerto Rico administered by the Department of Agricultures Forest Service. The mission of the Forest Service, as distinct from the National Park Service, is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the national forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. It is a multiple-use goal.

Gifford Pinchot, first Chief of the Forest Service, summed up the mission of the Forest Service: "to provide the greatest good for the greatest number of people in the long run."

This year, our family returned to Washington at the end of August more concerned than ever about the future of the Bridger Teton National Forest and the other Western National Forests that are struggling to survive.

There was more brown this year..large sections of trees that have been killed by beetles and climate change or burned by fire. Just this summer, the Cliff Creek, Berry and Lava Mountain fires have consumed more than 30,000 acres and cost more than $12 million to fight.

Fuel moistures are at record low levels. This coupled with beetle mortality and climate change in the past few decades, along with not enough resources for proper management, means the simple buildup of timber on the forest is increasing, said Tricia OConnor, the Bridger-Teton Forest Supervisor. In addition, the abundance of snags (dead standing trees) due to the beetle kill creates a situation where it can be too dangerous to send firefighters on the line to fight the fire. And these fires are small compared to what is happening in California.

The resources needed to properly manage the forests are not available because each year funding for fire suppression consumes a larger percentage of the Forest Service budget. That will continue until the Congress establishes an emergency fund for fires, as we have for other natural disasters, and until we start harvesting some of the millions of tons of forest fuels that have accumulated over the last three decades.

During the time we were in Wyoming, smoke from forest and park fires completely blocked the famous view of the Grand Tetons and the highway from Jackson, Wyoming to Yellowstone had to be closed.

Mr. Jim Neiman, the President of the Board of the Federal Forest Resource Coalition, and from Wyoming, understands the problem. According to Neiman, Congress needs to enact legislation that will provide adequate funds for fire suppression plus expanded forest management to reduce the potential for catastrophic forest fires. The dramatic increase in spending each year to fight forest fires is taking the money from forest management..resulting in more fires. In short it is a Catch-22. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack makes the larger point that funding fire suppression out of the USDA discretionary budget not only drains funds from forest management, but it drains funding from all other USDA discretionary budget accounts. That includes agriculture research, food safety and rural development, along with other priorities. In short, fire suppression is an emergency and there should be a separate account to deal with this problem. The following graph makes two important points. First, in 1962, the National Forests harvested 75% of the net growth. By comparison, in 2011 this had dropped to just 10%. That means 90% of the growth is not harvested, year after year, and is piling up becoming fuel, making the fires more intense and more expensive to extinguish. The fires we are seeing today are more catastrophic and more damaging than they were even a few years ago. Second, the annual mortality of trees continues to increase, largely the result of catastrophic insect epidemics and fires. These trends do not bode well for the health of our national forests. Second, the annual mortality of trees continues to increase, largely the result of catastrophic insect epidemics and fires. These trends do not bode well for the health of our national forests.




Buying innovative and proven defence technology directly from our allies is just one of the many ways in which the Government of Canada is able to deliver the right equipment to the Canadian Armed Forces at the best value for Canadians, said the Canadian Minister of Public Services and Procurement Judy M. Foote.





The RQ-21A Blackjack is a small unmanned aircraft that will provide the Canadian Army with persistent, real-time intelligence through aerial surveillance and reconnaissance. It is a critical component of the Land Force Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance program. The system will be used for surveillance purposes only and will offer imagery and communication capabilities to help give soldiers an operational advantage in all environments. It will allow Army commanders to immediately identify threats, to take time sensitive decisions, and to respond quickly.



The Blackjack aerial surveillance system will provide the Canadian Armed Forces with modern, sophisticated technology that will give commanders the situational awareness they need to conduct missions effectively. We are pleased to work cooperatively with the U.S. government and the U.S. Navy to bring this leading-edge technology to Canada. the country's Minister of National Defence Harjit S. Sajjan added.

Canada is the first foreign military to acquire the system from the U.S. Navy. The system includes five unmanned aircraft, two ground control stations and one launch and recovery system. Each aircraft is capable of providing surveillance coverage of over 100 km for over 16 hours. The Blackjack has a ceiling of 5,900 m and a top speed of 166km/h.

The Blackjack is produced by Boeing Insitu, based in Bingen, Washington. Once delivered to the Canadian Army in 2017, the system will be based out of Canadian Forces Base Gagetown and operated by the 4th Artillery Regiment (General Support).
August 29, 2016

BABIL, Iraq  As preparations continue to have Babylon recognized by the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2017, the city of Borsippa, which is 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon, is on the top of the list of archaeological sites that are most likely to be inscribed on the world list, as the city has not witnessed any construction changes beyond UNESCO specifications.

The city has not had a face-lift for thousands of years, Hussein Falih, the director of the archaeological site, told Al-Monitor. The Department of Antiquities in Babil governorate is careful not to make any change that would reduce the historical value of the site and is keen on intensifying security measures and protection, Falih said.

Working on inscribing Borsippa to the World Heritage List requires efforts to preserve the archaeological hills of the city that also include valuable relics that have yet to be excavated. The citys high tower should also be sustained in a scientific manner to prevent its collapse without changing its original structure. We ought also to embark on a media campaign to promote this ancient archaeological site, Falih added.

If the city of Babylon is a historical attraction for tourists, Borsippa combines both historical and mythological aspects. It is commonly believed that the city witnessed the clash between the Prophet Ibrahim [Abraham] and the pagan King Nimrod, according to religious narratives, Haytham al-Yasiri, a cleric from Babylon, told Al-Monitor. Given the historical and religious tourism, Borsippa has outstripped Babylon in terms of the numbers of visitors, Yasiri added.

Those who arrive at the site notice that it is divided into two parts. First, there is the plateau where a large mosque stands surrounded by orchards and is topped with a 10-meter-high (32-foot) green minaret.

The mosque was built under a cave, where it is said that Prophet Ibrahim was hidden when he was born, after King Nimrods clerics and priests had ordered him to be killed, as they thought he would be a danger to the king when he comes of age, Yasiri said.

The second part of the city is visible 1 kilometer into the flat land  the archaeological hill, where a ziggurat rises 47 meters (154 feet) above the ground. According to Yasiri, The ziggurat served as a pyre set by King Nimrod to burn the Prophet Ibrahim.

Hamid Sabar al-Fahdawi, who is interested and versed in archaeology and anthropology, told Al-Monitor, The ziggurat at the bottom of the tower was the temple of the god Nabu, who was the patron god of the city of Babylon, which is seen as a pagan symbol. On the opposite side, one can see another temple, which serves as the shrine of Prophet Ibrahim, which indicates the multiculturalism of the citys people.

The ziggurat is topped by two massive and narrow walls rising 12.5 meters (41 feet) into the sky. According to Fahdawi, Historical sources confirm that they are the remains of the Tower of Babel (Babylon), which was mentioned in Genesis. It was said that King Nimrod built the tower to fight his god from a high altitude.

He added, Regardless of the different interpretations, some people view the Tower of Babylon as a realistic fact. The rest of Borsippa symbols are interpreted the same way, where mythology is mixed with history.

Al-Monitor visited the hill with film director Hussein Ali, who is currently making a documentary on the archaeological site as part of the promotional media preparations to add Borsippa to the World Heritage list.

According to archaeologists, who shared their input in the documentary, the site has very high chances to be inscribed to the list, as all the revamping works done to the city were in accordance to UNESCO standards, Ali said.

Visitors were swarming to the site for religious and archaeological tourism. Saad al-Husseini, a teacher from Babylon, told Al-Monitor that he was visiting the site to see the historic monuments that existed during the time of Prophet Ibrahim.

In fact, most visitors come for religious purposes, visiting the Borsippa hill only to rush to Ibrahims temple through the low plain.

It appears that no major excavation work has been done at the site since the work of the first exploration led by German archaeologist Robert Koldewey in 1902. The most recent excavations were carried out in the city in 1990 by an Austrian mission.

Unfortunately, Borsippa has not escaped illegal excavation work, which is visible by the dozens of pits dug by smugglers on the site.

The archaeological site also lacks some services and advanced protection systems against natural conditions, such as wind and soil erosion due to rain, which has caused some relics to emerge in the hills in March 2016. The relic police have collected and delivered them to the National Museum. In December 2013, torrential rains also revealed 114 archaeological pieces at the site.

There is a governmental plan to give many archaeological sites a face-lift, mainly the city of Borsippa, which was provided with the necessary security protection to prevent any illegal excavations in preparation to include it on the world list, Falih said.

Including Borsippa on the World Heritage list would draw much attention to this historic monument and would allow UNESCO to support any future excavation works and protect it from its archaeological features being destroyed. However, what matters more is that Iraq will benefit from the expertise of international archaeologists at the site.
August 30, 2016

CAIRO  Amid fierce criticism from parliamentarians and the media, Egyptian Minister of Supply Khaled Hanafy announced his resignation in a press conference Aug. 25. His departure comes following accusations of corruption regarding wheat supply and of wasting public funds, estimated by the public prosecution at more than 500 million Egyptian pounds ($56.3 million). Financial subsidies provided to Egyptian wheat-producing farmers were allegedly stolen and low-price wheat was supplied instead of Egyptian wheat, in addition to allegations that quantities of wheat were falsely reported as being supplied.

In this regard, the fact-finding commission investigating corruption in Egypts wheat supply submitted its final report to parliament Aug. 25 and accused Hanafy both politically and legally of corruption and manipulation of the wheat system. The wheat deficit reached 559.7 million Egyptian pounds based on the commissions field visits to silos. Accordingly, the commission, which began its work July 2, decided to refer the entire report to the public prosecutor and the Illicit Gains Authority for investigation.

Egyptian Attorney General Nabil Sadek said in a statement Aug. 7 that investigations into the wheat corruption case resulted in the emergence of new facts whereby some [wheat silo owners] forged documents in the names of farmers and owners of agricultural lands proving the cultivation of those lands with wheat and the supply of crops  which was not true.

He added that the 13 detained people who were accused of corruption managed to seize funds estimated at more than $55 million under the pretext that this was the value of the local wheat that was supplied.

Hanafy commented on the fact-finding commissions report in an Aug. 24 interview with Youm 7, saying, The points mentioned [in the report] conveyed nothing new. The final report included seven issues related to legal aspects of accountability, and no point condemned the minister of supply.

Also, Mustafa Bakri, a member of parliament and of the legislature's Egypt Support Coalition, which supports Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, accused the resigned minister of staying in a five-star hotel in Cairo since officially appointed in February 2014. This stay cost 7 million Egyptian pounds (about $800,000). Bakri asked how Hanafy managed to justify this cost at a time when the government was suffering from a severe economic crisis that forced it to set up a program of economic reform and resort to the International Monetary Fund for a loan of $12 billion over 3 years.

Hanafy, who lived in Alexandria before being appointed as minister, said that he was staying at a hotel in Cairo but that the total cost of his stay amounted to 500,000 Egyptian pounds ($56,000), which he paid from his own funds, not from public monies.

Following a lengthy Cabinet meeting, the minister of supply announced his resignation in a press conference and said, Accordingly, and given that a large part of the raised issues are overstated personal issues  and I have all the supporting evidence  I announce my resignation with all honesty and content so that the state could choose someone to continue the journey of giving and reform that our political leadership called for with courage and bravery.

Member of parliament Yasser Omar, the head of the Planning and Budget Committee and a member of the fact-finding commission, described Hanafy's resignation as sound because he did not want to cause any embarrassment to the government. He said that Hanafy is politically responsible for the corruption, and thus paid the price.

Omar told Al-Monitor that the government advised Hanafy to resign. Had Hanafy not resigned, Omar said, there would have been a tendency in the parliament to withdraw confidence from him given the inquiries directed at him.

Asked about the fate of these inquiries, Omar said, They were automatically dropped given Hanafys resignation." He added, "On Aug. 29, we [parliament] voted on the report and legislators agreed to send it  with all accompanying documents and attachments  to the public prosecutor and the illicit gains authority [to investigate the violations therein]."

Following the revolution of June 30, 2013, Egypt had also witnessed a resignation based on allegations of corruption and the squandering of public money. The Ministry of Agricultures corruption caused the downfall of Ibrahim Mehlebs government after the National Security and Management Control arrested former Agriculture Minister Salah al-Hilal in Tahrir Square after he had submitted a written resignation to the government.

It should be noted that Hanafy was seemingly forced to submit his resignation, as he wrote his resignation letter by hand during the Cabinet meeting and that wording in the letter had been crossed out. Also, days before his leaving the ministry, following his participation at a meeting of the parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Irrigation to discuss the price of rice crops, Hanafy had said his resignation from the ministry is not whatsoever on the table.

Sisi said in a speech during the May 12 inauguration of a national project, Egypt should be a state of institutions where the law is applied to everyone. No one is above the law and whoever violates the law will be held accountable.

Member of parliament Magdi Malak, the head of the fact-finding commission, told Al-Monitor, Regardless of whether it is a resignation by choice or a firing, what is important is that the minister of supply is no longer in office, and this is a move that reflects the executive branchs political will to hold to account whomever is found to be involved in cases of corruption affecting our ailing economy.

We have to turn the page of the minister of supply. The ministry contains sectors that provide services to the Egyptian citizens, and we ought to evaluate these services, Malak added.

He said, Wheat supply has been marred by corruption for several years now, and we have a plan regarding the reform of the system pending the parliament and the governments approval to apply the plan starting next season.

Regarding the fight against corruption in Egypt, Negad El-Borai, the head of the United Group Consulting Law Firm and a rights activist, said that the state seems to be fighting corruption with no clear strategy. He told Al-Monitor that the parliament is unable to pass any legislation aimed at combating corruption.

The anti-corruption conditions do not go in line with the January 25 and June 30 revolutions, and the situation has been degenerating since 2005, he added.

Tarek Fahmy, a political science professor at Cairo University, said Hanafy's resignation triggered a crisis in the government in terms of the nature of its work and the mechanisms it follows in the selection of ministers. He expected Hanafy not to be hastily replaced and added, The last reshuffle of Sherif Ismails government took place in March, which is not so long ago, and 10 ministers were replaced back then. Thus, it is imperative that the government finds good alternatives, especially since the names will be presented to the parliament.

Fahmy told Al-Monitor that government spokesman Hossam El-Kawishs ruling out of a Cabinet reshuffle anytime soon is just a guess, and he expected surprises in this regard, especially considering Egypt's adoption of an economic reform program.

No Cabinet reshuffle will take place, but a new prime minister and a new lineup are likely to emerge in the coming period, especially since the next Cabinet will determine whether or not President Sisi will be serving another term. Therefore, this government ought to submit a plan of action capable of overcoming this crucial stage in this country, he said.
August 26, 2016

Baghdad  After a long, hard process of give and take, the Iraqi parliament approved a General Amnesty Law Aug. 25. The vote was 250-78, with a majority of the Sunni blocs supporting the law, while a group of Shiite legislators from the National Alliance opposed it. The law took effect immediately.

Debate on the law had been held Aug. 15 before being postponed to Aug. 23, due to the Badr Organization, Islamic Virtue Party and State of Law Coalition, all members of the National Alliance, withdrawing in protest against the reading of a previous draft of the legislation under which more people would qualify for release than they wanted. The Aug. 23 session was also postponed, due to differences among the political blocs.

People convicted between 2003 and the date the law was approved are eligible to apply for amnesty, except those convicted of 13 types of crimes, among them acts of terror resulting in death or permanent disability, human trafficking, rape, money laundering and embezzlement and theft of state funds. Investigating judges and competent courts are charged with implementing the provisions of the statute. If a convict is ruled ineligible for amnesty, he or she can appeal to the Court of Cassation.

Writer and political analyst Mohammed al-Kaabi told Al-Monitor that the passage of an amnesty law had been included as part of the political document allowing Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to form a government in 2014. He said its delay was largely related to the crisis in confidence between the political components and the influence of foreign parties on Iraq's political and legislative institutions.

Several amendments were made to the draft of the new law to satisfy opponents who were worried about the release of dangerous individuals. Rule of Law representative Sadiq al-Laban told Al-Monitor, We tried to exclude from the general amnesty law cases that pose a threat to society, as the release of such prisoners could lead them to commit other acts of terrorism. In this regard, many amendments were made to prevent terrorists from exploiting the general amnesty law and to evaluate prisoners with the aim of sorting out the terrorists.

Laban said that while the predominantly Shiite National Alliance tried its best to prevent the release of convicted terrorists, legislators from the all-Sunni Iraqi Forces Coalition had sought to expand the law to include people convicted under Article 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Law, as they believe innocent people, mainly Sunnis, were wrongly prosecuted under the act for political reasons during the two terms of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. In the version of the law that ultimately passed, individuals serving Article 4 sentences can apply for amnesty as long as their alleged crime did not result in someone's death or disability.

Laban explained that disagreements over the scope of the amnesty were overcome by adopting the process of judges reviewing cases and allowing appeals for those denied amnesty. He charged that the Sunni forces had wanted an amnesty that would have covered former Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, who is in exile and was convicted and sentenced to death in absentia for terrorism, and other alleged terrorists, but they did not succeed. He claimed that no international or regional pressure had been applied to pass or amend the legislation.

Rasool al-Tai from al-Ahrar bloc, affiliated with Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, supported the law and told Al-Monitor that leaders in the Shiite State of Law Coalition, who opposed the law during the parliamentary debate, had previously released terrorists and corrupt individuals outside the framework of legal channels. He explained further that they had released several terrorists, people involved in corruption and fake degree holders from prison through politically expedient pardons issued by both President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Maliki, one example being Mishaan al-Juburi  convicted of cooperating with terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda, and encouraging acts of terror  who received a pardon from Maliki and now sits in the current parliament.

Hakem al-Zamili from al-Ahrar bloc worked to ensure the law did not overlook 30 prisoners from the Sadrist movement who had been tried at the request of the United States for attacks on foreign forces, that is, US military personnel. The inclusion of Sadrist prisoners followed an Aug. 16 visit by Zamili to the Rusafa Court of Appeals, which will have a hand in examining amnesty requests, to see the head of the court and discuss the sections of the draft law related to the Sadrists.

Although the law was passed with majorities from all the parliamentary blocs supporting it, a group of representatives from the National Alliance announced Aug. 25 that they planned to appeal it before the Supreme Federal Court, calling the law's approval a gift for terrorists and members of IS [Islamic State], and a betrayal of the blood of the martyrs and victims. State of Law Coalition member Adnan al-Asadi claimed that the law allows the release of IS muftis who issued fatwas for the group.

Raad al-Dahlaki, a representative for the Iraqi Forces Coalition denied there being fundamental differences over the General Amnesty Law, telling Al-Monitor, All blocs agreed on the law, but there are still insignificant differences that appear in the media reflecting political posturing.

Asked about pressures that might have affected voting on the law, such as threats by militias to break into prisons and kill convicted terrorists, Kurdistan Alliance representative Arafat Karam Mustafa Brayem told Al-Monitor, Threats by militia leaders reveal the weakness of the government, but [they] did not serve as a means of pressure on the procedures of voting on the general amnesty law.

Kaabi also underplayed the threat posed by militias, viewing their statement as mere muscle flexing for show. In the end, the law was passed because Iraq's often contentious political parties were able to strike a deal.
August 30, 2016

TEHRAN, Iran  News of Russian warplanes flying missions from an air base in Irans western province of Hamedan first made headlines Aug. 15. The Arab outlet Al-Masdar News scooped the development, publishing exclusive footage of Russian TU-22M3 bombers and Sukhoi-34 strike fighters in the Islamic Republic. Soon afterward, Russias Defense Ministry confirmed that it was launching attacks against Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria from Iranian soil.

In Tehran, Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, confirmed the operations, highlighting that they had been carried out with the council's mandate, and said that cooperation between Iran and Russia in the fight against IS would continue until they [the militants] are fully annihilated. A few days later, however, both Russian and Iranian media outlets reported a surprising halt to the Russian operations out of Hamedan and that Russian planes were leaving Iran. There was also speculation about the consequences of these developments on Iranian-Russian relations. It remains unknown why Iran allowed the Russians to use the air base in the first place and also why the Russians left so quickly.

The Russian air force had been targeting positions in Syria from the Mozdok military base in the Caucasus. To reach targets in Syria from Mozdok, jets have to fly some 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles). Use of the Hamedan base reduces that distance to 900 kilometers (560 miles), thus benefiting Moscow economically and strategically. Russia had also been launching strikes from the Khmeimim air base, in Syrias Latakia province, to which it was granted access in late 2015. Khmeimim, however, is not suitable for Russias massive TU-22M3, one of the largest bombers in the world.

Iran has always supported the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and considers its support to be strategic. Thus, one can assume that Tehran views its cooperation with Russia in Syria as falling within the framework of the pursuit of its own goals and interests. Moreover, Irans military operates under the supervision and command of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose strong personal inclination is to preserve the ideological-strategic interests of Iran in Syria.

Given these tendencies, strategic cooperation with governments that share Irans interests in Syria would not be difficult to forge. Indeed, the decision to allow the Russians on Iranian soil was made by the Supreme National Security Council, consisting of representatives from all pillars of power in the country. Given this, the opposition expressed by 20 lawmakers in the 290-member parliament is insignificant by comparison and cannot be the reason for Russias sudden departure from Hamedan. Several theories have been put forth about the possible reasons for the withdrawal.

There has been speculation that Moscows primary motive for using the Hamedan air base was to catch its targets off guard. The reasoning behind this claim is that since all Russian planes flying over Syria are monitored by Western spy satellites, Syrian opposition positions could be receiving notification of pending airstrikes. Thus, when the news of Moscow using the air base in Iran surfaced, the element of surprise was gone.

It is also possible that the Russians do not consider the Hamedan base fit for their massive TU-22M3 bombers. Indeed, after conducting a few flights, they may have conducted a more thorough evaluation of the facilities and capabilities as well as the deficiencies of the base so that necessary improvements can be made for future operations. If so, it is also possible that the Russians simply decided to pursue operations from Khmeimim for the time being and to refrain from employing the TU-22M3s. Indeed, if needed, TU-22M3 flights could be conducted from the Caucasus.

There is also the theory that Russia never actually withdrew its planes from Iran and that the announcement of the withdrawal was a strategic deception to maintain the element of surprise. This, however, can easily be dispelled with satellite imagery.

How these developments might impact the Russian-Iranian relationship should be analyzed from two angles: the impact of their cooperation in the Syrian crisis, which is to the strategic advantage of all the governments that support Assad, and overall cooperation at the tactical and strategic levels.

Given the difficult history of Russian-Iranian relations, most Iranian elites are inclined toward cooperation with the West rather than Russia. Indeed, even today, these elites view Russias behavior as too fluid and unpredictable, which, coupled with the perception of a lack of common strategic interests at the international level, makes it clear that Moscow and Tehran will have a difficult time forming a strategic union or alliance.

Moreover, some Iranians view Iran as the inheritor of a great empire, while others view Iran as the leader of the Muslim world. In the eyes of both these camps, elevated ties with Russia are only acceptable if strategic cooperation is based on equal standing and partnership. This is problematic because the Russians are arguably not looking for an equal partner but an ally of lesser standing and power.

There are a number of other obstacles to the formation of an Iranian-Russian alliance. Among them, Article 146 of the Iranian Constitution prohibits foreign military bases on Iranian soil. A strategic alliance could be assumed to entail the permanent positioning of Russian military assets inside Iran, as in the case of the Khmeimim base in Syria. Last but certainly not least, Irans political structure is a fundamental obstacle to the definition of a common political identity and broader shared political interests, given that Russia is a secular country with global goals, while Iran is a theocracy with religious objectives.

These circumstances have served to keep bilateral relations at a tactical level, rather than a strategic level. Nonetheless, despite the obstacles, given a shared tactical interest in Syria, a repeat of not only Russias use of the Hamedan air base but also other Iranian military facilities is wholly conceivable.
August 30, 2016

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman's plan for Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank is already being implemented, even before its official launch.

On Aug. 17, Liberman presented a plan to deal with Palestinian terrorism by dividing Palestinian towns and villages into green ones whose residents have abstained from terror activity and red for those whose residents have engaged in attacks against Israelis. Israel would deal with the red ones with an iron fist, whereas the green ones would enjoy economic benefits and goodwill gestures.

In recent weeks, according to Palestinians who spoke to Al-Monitor, even before the plans official publication, Israels military activity in the West Bank has undergone a significant overhaul. Israeli troops conduct almost nightly operations in the refugee camps and in villages and towns whose residents have allegedly attacked Israeli targets. One of the main targets of this activity, according to the Palestinians, is the Dheisheh refugee camp south of Bethlehem. In addition, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) units conduct operations almost every night in Palestinian villages in the Hebron district.

Most of the military activity takes place in the part of the West Bank designated in the Oslo Accord as Area A, which is under the full civilian and military control of the Palestinian Authority (PA). The IDF generally avoids entering the area, other than in emergencies. The reported nightly military activities reflect the new policy adopted by Israeli security forces  a policy that is the exact opposite of the strategy implemented in the past by former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, who believed that any friction with the Palestinian population could increase the motivation of young people to carry out attacks and escalate tensions.

The spokesman for the Palestinian security forces, Col. Adnan al-Damiri, told Al-Monitor that the PAs policy is to focus only on those harming Palestinian interests and operating against the explicit orders of President Mahmoud Abbas. Palestinian interests is a common way to refer to Palestinian security activities without suggesting that these activities constitute cooperation with Israel. It is a way of arguing that the Palestinian efforts to thwart attacks, including the arrests of young Palestinians on intelligence provided by Israel, are only designed to maintain law and order in the territories and protect Palestinians' own interests.

Damiri also said that given the tensions resulting from the intensive IDF activity, any wrong step, however small, could ignite a spark that could result in loss of control and chaos.

Majid Faraj, the PAs intelligence chief and a resident of the Dheisheh refugee camp, claimed in January that Palestinian security agencies had foiled some 200 attacks against Israelis since the current wave of terrorism began in October last year. The remarks by Faraj, whose father was shot dead by Israeli troops during the second intifada, drew harsh criticism on the Palestinian street and even threats to place him on a blacklist compiled by a group calling itself the coalition of the young that organizes demonstrations against the PA. Now he faces a dilemma: IDF units are carrying out extensive activities in the refugee camp where his family lives, clashing with local residents, and he is supposed to instruct his forces to detain Palestinians suspected of planning attacks against Israel.

One of the best-known activists in Dheisheh told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that in the past Israeli troops would operate in the camp once every two weeks or even once a month, whereas now it has become a nightly routine. He said, Every night we hear shooting, and I run to my daughters rooms to reassure them. Life here has become intolerable. We hear explosions at night and in the morning we get updates on the number of wounded and their condition. The situation has become explosive, young Palestinians are being shot and left disabled and the motivation to retaliate is growing, he added.

Young residents of the camp recently claimed that an Israeli commander who is actually a Shin Bet operative told them that they would soon be invalids. These remarks, quoted by Palestinian media outlets, caused a storm, but were denied outright by the Israeli military spokesman.

We call the Israeli commander in charge of the Dheisheh area Nidal, thats the name weve given him, said the activist. Now we have placed large signs at the entrance to the camp warning that we will not be silent in the face of additional harm to our young people. Signs reading Nidal, beware, dont enter the camp have been distributed throughout the Dheisheh refugee camp.

Asked whether he had personally heard the Israeli commanders alleged comments, he told Al-Monitor he had not, but added, Facts on the ground speak for themselves. Just in the past month, he said, dozens of young Palestinians have been injured by Israeli troops who broke into homes and fired indiscriminately.

The Palestinian information center Badil issued a report Aug. 23 detailing the number of Palestinians injured in the nightly IDF raids in the past month, and included photos of dozens of young people it said were wounded by IDF gunfire directed at their legs. According to the data collected by the center, 18 Dheisheh residents aged 17 to 27 were hurt, and Israeli military activity was also conducted in the nearby villages of Doha and al-Fawar in the Hebron district.

The report was issued before an Aug. 26 raid in Dheisheh, in the course of which two additional young Palestinians were injured. Lets be clear, the activist told Al-Monitor, in the past, the Palestinian security agencies operated here quietly and sensibly. Now Liberman comes in, pours a barrel of oil on the ground and is about to set the area on fire. Be careful.
August 30, 2016

When the website of late Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri posted an audio recording of his objections to the execution of thousands of people, mostly members of the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK) in the late 1980s, it revealed little new information beyond what had been printed in Montazeris autobiography. One thing the recording does confirm, however, is the identities of the individuals involved in carrying out the executions, some of whom hold important positions in the Islamic Republic today.

No one has more vociferously defended their actions from that time than Justice Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi, who was the Intelligence Ministrys representative at Evin Prison when the executions took place. Pourmohammadi and three other individuals were in charge of the committee that oversaw the executions. Using the religiously charged term hypocrites to refer to MEK members, Pourmohammadi told reporters Aug. 28, You cannot show mercy to the hypocrites, because if they can bloody and soil you, they will. He added, We take pride in executing the orders with respect to the hypocrites.

The name of Assembly of Experts member Ayatollah Mohammad Reyshahri, who headed the Intelligence Ministry during the executions, is not heard in the audio recording. Nonetheless, Reyshahri condemned the release of the audio file, charging that the people behind it were trying to whitewash the image of the MEK at a time when the MEK is aligning with Irans regional rival, Saudi Arabia. He accused the people formerly in Montazeris inner circle of either having a relationship with the MEK or having been penetrated by them.

Montazeris son Ahmad, who was behind making the audio file public, has not provided a clear explanation for his action, only saying that he wanted to set the record straight for those who seek to distort his fathers image. Ahmad Montazeri, a cleric, has twice been interrogated by the Special Court for the Clergy about the release of the tape. According to him, the interrogators accused him of divulging state secrets and helping the alliance of Saudi Arabia and the MEK.

During an Aug. 24 meeting with Cabinet officials at which Pourmohammadi was present, the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, characterized the latest news about the MEK as a publicity campaign to cleanse their image. Khamenei noted that the MEK had killed thousands of people, including highly placed government and religious figures, in bombing campaigns after the revolution. He accused Western countries and their followers and sympathizers inside the country of trying to create an acceptable and oppressed depiction of the MEK. Khamenei added that these attempts had failed in the past, and that future ones would also fail.

Even Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, considered a moderate in Iranian politics, criticized the release of the tape, calling it an attempt to tarnish the image of the late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who died in 1989, and Khomeini's son Ahmad, who died in 1995. Rafsanjani and Ahmad Khomeini were probably the two individuals closest to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini during his last years.

Very few government officials have defended the release of the tape or criticized the MEK executions. Ali Motahari, a member of parliament representing Tehran, published an open letter to Pourmohammadi Aug. 27, saying that while the MEKs crimes are known to everyone, Pourmohammadi should respond to doubts and questions about the executions. Motahari wrote, In an Islamic government, even against such criminals, they should not be oppressed. In response, 35 members of parliament signed a letter of complaint against him.

The MEK was one of the primary actors leading up to the revolution that overthrew the government of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1979. Shortly after the revolution, the MEK fell out with the Islamic Republic leadership, after which the MEK launched a bombing campaign, killing a number of high-ranking officials, including the prime minister and president in 1981. The orders to execute MEK members came as the Iran-Iraq War was coming to a close, and MEK members who had taken refuge in Iraq launched an assault on western Iran. Critics of the executions argued that the MEK prisoners in Iran could not have known of the attack beforehand and should not have been punished for it.
August 30, 2016

The summer months are the high season for cultural activities in Palestine, when folkloric troupes, dabke dance groups and theater companies put on performances for large audiences. The Palestinian Tourism Ministry has a dedicated webpage promoting such artistic, musical and other cultural events.

Once summer passes, these artistic groups become focused on invitations to dance and perform in world capitals and at international festivals. Palestinian cultural institutions dream of performing in major festivals and in front of foreign and Arab audiences as well as Palestinian crowds in the diaspora. These institutions compete to represent Palestine, and they pride themselves in the number of festivals that invite them to appear.

This summer, scandal ensued after Palestinian artists discovered that their own Foreign Ministry had recommended one troupe above all others for performances abroad. In a June 30 memo from Foreign Minister Riyad Malki, all Palestinian embassies around the world were informed that if asked to recommend a folkloric dance troupe, they should suggest al-Funoun al-Shaabiya, affiliated with the Istiqlal (Independence) University in Jericho. The university is a military academy headed by Tawfiq Tirawi, the former head of the General Intelligence Service and member of Fatah's Central Committee.

Eman Hamouri, the head of the Popular Art Centre, was quoted Aug. 11 by Maan News, as arguing, This is a cultural issue, and it should be handled by the Ministry of Culture. A few days later, on Aug. 13, a number of artists and dance companies sent a letter of protest to Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah. Among other things, they, too, noted that issues of culture and art are the domain of the Culture Ministry, not the Foreign Ministry, and called on the prime minister to intervene and override the memo. Hamdallah has not yet publicly responded to the letter or the issue.

Seventy-eight artists and cultural centers issued a strong statement against the Foreign Ministry memo on Aug. 15. Al-Monitor spoke to representatives of several artistic groups who expressed their dissatisfaction with the Foreign Ministry's intervention in the Palestinian cultural scene.

There is some uncertainty in regard to when the letter from the Foreign Ministry was first issued. Culture Minister Ihab Bseiso said that the original memo dates to 2015, which is before he took office. On Aug. 11, he told local radio station 24 FM, Nevertheless, I will check with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to try and understand what the background of that memo is.

In other remarks to the press, Bseiso insisted that he supports all Palestinian artistic groups and acknowledged how hard they work to overcome the challenges facing them in presenting Palestinian culture. Our ministry will work to ensure that the rights of all artists and groups can represent Palestine [around the world] and reflect the Palestinian artistic narrative, Bseiso told the Hadf news website Aug. 13.

Neeman al-Qaq, the artistic director of the Istiqlal University dance troupe, spoke at length to Al-Monitor, revealing that they had heard about the memo from the media. We were in Oman when I saw the comments on Facebook by fellow artists, he said. We had nothing to do with this recommendation. Although Qaq distanced his group from the memo, he had no problem with the concept itself, stating, We are trying to culturally bring back the glorious days of Palestine.

There is also confusion over the memo as it refers to the Istiqlal troupe as al-Funoun al-Shaabiya, which is also the name of one of the leading and oldest Palestinian musical companies, based in al-Bireh.

Qaq, who along with his father grew up dancing with the al-Bireh-based al-Funoun, said that his Istiqlal University troupe has in six years traveled more than al-Bireh's troupe has in its 36 years of existence. We travel anywhere we are invited, we dont ask for money and we dont care if we are hosted in a three-star or a five-star hotel, Qaq said.

The prime ministers office directed Al-Monitor to the respective ministries, but efforts to obtain reactions from the Ministry of Culture and the Foreign Ministry were unsuccessful.

Art and other aspects of culture play a big role in Palestinian society and are a major part of efforts to share national Palestinian folklore, which speaks volumes about the history of Palestinians on their land. The importance of reflecting the breadth and width of Palestinian art and culture is important not only for its own value, but also in recognizing its richness and plurality. If asked to recommend a particular folkloric group, it would therefore seem appropriate for Palestinian embassies to provide information on the leading troupes, not favoring one of them. That the Foreign Ministry has chosen to recommend a single folkloric group at the expense of all others has produced major push back, taking it and the Culture Ministry by surprise.
August 30, 2016

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Hisham Kahil, the executive director of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC), revealed during a televised interview with the local Wattan News Agency on July 23 that the local elections scheduled for Oct. 8 will cost $8 million  $5.5 million in the West Bank and $2.5 million in the Gaza Strip  an amount that the government has pledged to provide from the state budget.

CEC spokesman Fareed Taamallah told Al-Monitor, The $8 million will cover the entire cost of the electoral process, including publications, awareness campaigns, training, staff, electoral materials, stationery and others.

He explained how the cost is calculated, We have previous experience in this regard. We rely on the presidential elections in 2005 and the legislative elections in 2006 to determine the number of polling stations and their staffing needs as well as requirements, such as ballot boxes, stationery, transportation fees and others, in order to determine the total cost.

He said, Elections create temporary jobs for thousands of citizens, as the commission employs a large number of people on the polling day. These workers are given a training course two days before the election day.  They are entrusted with receiving the voters inside the polling stations, guiding and giving them directions on the electoral process and supervising the ballot boxes and the voting process.

He also pointed out that 15,600 workers will be recruited." He added, "They will be selected from among teachers in collaboration with the Ministry of Education in both the West Bank and Gaza to work in 1,032 stations, including 758 in the West Bank and 274 in the Gaza Strip.

Taamallah explained that the polling stations will be mostly in schools run by the government, and some by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.

The 2005 presidential elections and the 2006 legislative elections were the first elections to be held under the Palestinian Authority (PA) in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip. There were no elections before that date, as Fatah leader Yasser Arafat presided over the PA since its establishment. After his death, the PLO and Fatah announced that presidential elections would be held to elect a successor, and Mahmoud Abbas was elected president. Subsequently, Abbas issued a decree on holding legislative elections for the first time in the West Bank and Gaza, where Hamas obtained the majority of seats. The last local council elections held in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip at once was in 2005. In 2012, local elections were held in West Bank, but not in Gaza.

These local council elections will be the first to be held under the PA in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip together after the internal Palestinian division that started in 2007, when Hamas and its military wing Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades took over the Gaza Strip.

Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education Azzam Abu Bakr told Al-Monitor that the ministry is providing logistical support to the commission by hosting polling stations at schools and providing workers from the various schools across the provinces of Gaza and the West Bank from among the qualified and experienced teachers who were recruited in previous elections.

On the ministry's cooperation with the CEC, he said, The commission submits a complete estimate of the number of stations and their distribution in the various governorates as well as the needed number of teachers according to geographic areas. The ministry appoints coordinators from the various departments to draw up the inventories, equip schools, communicate with the selected teachers and appoint heads of stations from among teachers with experience and know-how.

Taxi driver Tariq Ahmad thinks the elections are a waste of time and money. He told Al-Monitor, I do not think these elections will be successful in light of the current internal Palestinian division and the different programs and ideas between Fatah and Hamas. Even if the elections are held, there is zero possibility for any change as long as each party controls its own area of influence.

Nurse Riham Khaled expressed her discontent, telling Al-Monitor, These elections will be like all other elections and will only be a waste of time and effort and a loss of money. Neither of the parties accepts the other, and neither party has sincere intentions to reconcile and end the division. Each party wants to monopolize decision-making in Palestine.

In turn, Mazen al-Ajala, an economic researcher and lecturer at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, told Al-Monitor, The elections cost ought to be covered by funds from donors instead of exhausting the states treasury. He said, We cannot really tell whether this cost will be commensurate with the electoral process. We will have to wait and see if the elections will be a success or a flop.

Ajala added, I dont think that the local council elections should be a priority at the moment as they are not the key to national unity and ending division. On the contrary, they are likely to entrench division, as each party is claiming that the results are a foregone conclusion, while trying to sabotage each other.

In this context, Bahjat al-Hilou, an education and training coordinator in the Independent Commission for Human Rights, told Al-Monitor, The success of the electoral process is not measured in terms of the availability of funds, budgets and workers, but in terms of ensuring a sound electoral environment in which rights are respected and where the ruling power does not interfere but rather provides an appropriate political and security atmosphere for holding elections.

He said, Local and international human rights organizations are recruiting hundreds of local and international observers and are spending a lot of money to monitor the electoral process and record observations on integrity and fairness, which makes it imperative [for Palestinians] to abide by electoral rules and respect the public interest so that the money that has been spent will not have been a waste.

During a press conference held in Gaza Aug. 25, Undersecretary of the Interior Ministry Kamel Abu Madi said that his ministry is ready to ensure an appropriate atmosphere for the elections and that all security forces in Gaza will be working to secure the polling stations.
August 30, 2016

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Amid calls to postpone the local elections slated for Oct. 8, the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC) announced Aug. 25 that the nomination process has ended. On the same day, most of the electoral lists submitted the names of their candidates for the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the outskirts of East Jerusalem, which amounted to 860 candidacies distributed over 414 local councils.

Those who have been calling for the postponement of elections are mostly from the northern West Bank city of Nablus, where security has been deteriorating. On Aug. 18-19, armed clashes between individuals and security forces led to a man being beaten to death while in detention in Juneid prison. Despite the tense situation there, four electoral lists submitted their candidacies in Nablus just hours before the submission period ended.

Jamal Tirawi, a Fatah leader and member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, told Al-Monitor, I keep calling for the postponement of local elections because I am convinced that the current situation in the Palestinian territories and the unfortunate events in Nablus in particular, in addition to the Palestinian division, make it imperative.

He added, When all our internal issues are addressed, we can hold the elections again, noting that many Fatah officials are calling for the postponement.

Tirawi explained that as a movement, Fatah is also concerned about Israeli threats to the Palestinian national project, especially after Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman announced his Village Leagues plan Aug. 17. This plan aims to end the Palestinian Authority (PA) and divide the West Bank into local bodies affiliated with the Israeli civil administration  the situation before the PA was established in 1994. Tirawi believes focusing on confronting this plan is more important than holding local elections.

Sirhan Dweikat, the member of Fatahs Revolutionary Council in charge of communicating with Palestinian factions regarding the local elections, suspended talks due to the Aug. 18 security incidents and called on the Palestinian government to postpone the voting in Nablus. In an Aug. 20 press release, Dweikat called on all forces, factions and institutions to fulfill their responsibilities toward the community and the Nablus governorate and to find a solution to the violence.

Other Palestinian factions and local institutions in the city of Nablus demanded the government postpone the elections after a meeting held at the Chamber of Commerce headquarters Aug. 24. However, the representative for the Coordinating Committee of Political Factions in Nablus, Nasr Abu Jeish, said in a statement to Nablus TV on Aug. 25 that the Palestinian government denied the request.

Palestinian government spokesman Jamal Dajani told Al-Monitor that the elections will be held as scheduled in all Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, per the government's decision issued June 21. He urged those calling for the postponement to submit a formal request so the government may study it.

Dajani predicted that Nablus would be able to overcome its crisis by the time the local elections are held Oct. 8. There are 190,000 Palestinians over the age of 16 who hold IDs or passports in the city of Nablus, out of 2 million eligible voters in all of the Palestinian territories.

Anis Abu Sbaa, the head of the CEC's political parties and candidates department, told Al-Monitor, The decision to postpone or cancel the elections for any constituency in the Palestinian territories is up to the Palestinian Cabinet, and only after the CEC submits a technical recommendation suspending the elections in said district.

He noted that the general Palestinian situation is no excuse to postpone the elections in any district, adding, If anything were to happen to impede the elections in any constituency, the recommendation could be submitted by the CEC even just a few hours before the voting starts, so long as the elections are held one month after the date of postponement, according to Article 5 of the Local Elections Law.

On Aug. 25, the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council issued a statement warning about the consequences of postponing the elections, expressing concern after the Palestinian Bar Association's Aug. 24 statement about the exclusion of East Jerusalem from the elections. The council noted that the statement had no legal basis, and stressed that the decision to conduct local elections did not exclude East Jerusalem and Jerusalemites from participating in the electoral process. The initial lists of candidates published by the CEC on Aug. 29 show that 37 electoral lists from East Jerusalem will be competing for 28 local councils.

Nablus resident Fouad Nasri said he supports the calls for postponement, telling Al-Monitor, Postponing the elections is better than shedding more blood. The tension in the city has grown after the killings. He added, My family and I will not cast our votes should the elections be held, as I fear armed clashes might break out on election day because of Fatahs internal differences that might be reflected in the electoral lists. The safety of my family is much more important than the ballot box.

Siham al-Masri, a resident of the old town of Nablus, told Al-Monitor, It is not even safe for us to leave the house and go to the market to buy things we need. And they want me to cast my vote? The government must provide security before holding the elections.

As security unrest continues in Nablus, no one can predict when an armed individual might go out into the streets and start shooting to avenge the deaths of other gunmen who were killed by security forces. But despite the insistence of many on postponement, the elections seem likely to go forward as planned.
August 29, 2016

The countdown to the Palestinian local elections has begun. The atmosphere is tense, with remarkable participation by tribes and families in addition to the usual political forces.

Palestinian tribes started mobilizing immediately after the announcement of the electoral process and the major families started to prepare their candidates.

While dialogues and consultations to form electoral lists for the Oct. 8 election of 414 local councils in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are ongoing, it's clear that families and tribes are asserting themselves in the various Palestinian regions. If this force proves to be the most powerful, the election will not be decided based on the candidates competencies and capabilities or on the provision of services and good governance, but rather on family affiliations. Some Palestinians fear that familism in the upcoming elections will break down the local social fabric and weaken the Palestinian national movement in some villages and towns.

The various political factions appear to agree that political affiliations will rule the day.

A source at the Central Elections Commission told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, Since the start of the electoral process July 23, it has become clear that factions and tribes are taking advantage of each other.  A review of the Palestinian political forces lists shows that family kinships are accorded more importance than technical expertise. Despite this, tribe members will cast their ballots for the factions they are affiliated with, rather than their families.

In the latest polls by the Arab World for Research and Development, on Aug. 24, 37% of respondents said they believe that the family factor will be the most decisive one in the local elections, while the same figure said that the candidates partisan/political affiliation will influence the electors choice on polling day. Only 13% believe that the candidates' professional skills will come into play, while none said they believe the candidates records in the national struggle will influence the vote.

Hamas' representative to the Central Elections Commission, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Al-Monitor, Hamas will not take part in local elections through partisan lists in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Rather, it will support lists consisting of competent and professional candidates and some family figures. Hamas does not overlook family affiliations in local elections, provided that this factor does not overshadow the candidates competence, professionalism and political affiliation. This is because local elections concern local councils in each town, village or city. Family and tribal affiliations are strongly present, but should not be a major criterion in the formation of electoral lists.

Iyad Qarnaz, Fatahs representative in the Central Elections Commission, told Al-Monitor, The tribal affiliations were taken into account during the formation of Fatahs lists  as tribes consist of a key component of Palestinian society  but not at the expense of competency-related criteria. This is because competencies are important for the furthering of the citizens interests, and Fatah is striving to form an electoral list guaranteeing fair representation of all Palestinian social groups. On election day, Fatah members will be voting for those candidates selected by the movement, rather than candidates based on tribal affiliation, in a way that is satisfactory to the families and that serves the peoples interests at the same time.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestines representative in the Central Elections Commission, Osama al-Hage Ahmed, told Al-Monitor, The PFLP is taking into account the candidates competence, integrity and history of national struggle, apart from any considerations related to the family. This is because the tribal factor is no longer a reference in Palestinian territories, especially in Gaza, which is dominated by political and factional considerations. The majority of the youths are affiliated with factions, and on election day, our members will be voting for lists representing a civilized civil society that has democratic tendencies, away from any tribal considerations.

However, analysts of Palestinians' actual behavior suggest that tribal affiliations will trump politics.

Abdel Sattar Qassem, a professor of political science at An-Najah National University, Nablus, told Al-Monitor, The remarkable presence of Palestinian tribes is clearly seen in Gaza City and Hebron. Although the tribes are a main source of backwardness in Palestinian society, on polling day, Palestinians will vote based on tribal rather than partisan affiliations. This makes sense in light of the Palestinian factions declining popularity and a lack of confidence in these factions. It means that clans and tribes will triumph over factions and parties in the upcoming local elections.

Al-Monitor has learned from a source within a Palestinian faction that declined to be named that said faction had held discussions to select its candidates, but found itself up against the families' and tribes choices. Tribes and families have opposed candidates suggested by factions and promoted their own candidates despite their rejection by the parties leadership and popular base. Many electoral lists are thus being formed based on familial and tribal factors. In some cases a single family has placed multiple candidates in a single list, and in others, the same family nominated candidates in competing lists to guarantee a win.
August 29, 2016

According to an Iranian news outlets, Tehrans City Council is caught up in a corruption scandal involving Tehran real estate. Memari News reported Aug. 27 that it had acquired documents showing that 1,100,000 square meters of government-owned property, including apartments and villas, had ended up in the possession of various individuals, including government officials, sometimes sold at a 50% discount.

According to the article, the names of the individuals and the specific properties involved were leaked in a document from the General Inspection Office, which is linked to the judiciary. The General Inspection Office had reportedly written a letter to the mayors office and the Tehran City Council about the matter. Municipal officials and city council members were reportedly among the 250 individuals whose names appeared in the document.

Memari News reported that it is up to the General Inspection Office to determine whether laws have been broken. The article argued, however, that even if the General Inspection Office determines that no laws were broken, given the housing crisis in Tehran, the seven members of the city council must ask themselves, With what moral and civil justifications can they give themselves these concessions?

Some city officials have defended the transfers of property, arguing that as members of housing cooperatives for city managers, they have certain legal rights. Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf said, The handing over of the licenses and land was based on regulations. Which licenses Ghalibaf might have been referring to was unclear.

City council member Masoumeh Abad, whose name was mentioned in the documents, told Fars News that she lives in her own apartment and that it has no relationship to the municipality. Tehran City Council member Mohammad-Mehdi Tondgooyan was reported as complaining that the head of the council, Mehdi Chamran, has not shown the letter to the other members of the council.

The conservative Tasnim news agency viewed the accusations as part of a media campaign led by Reformists to tarnish Ghalibaf's image ahead of the 2017 presidential election. It is likely that Reformists will continue to support President Hassan Rouhani if popular Reformists are prevented from running in the election. While Ghalibaf has not yet announced if he will run, Tasnim reported that at a recent Reformist meeting, Ghalibaf had been identified as the primary danger in the election and devised five destructive campaigns against him. The article claimed that one of the projects was launched in the last few days by linking Ghalibaf and the city council to the real estate issue currently in the media.

A number of Iranian parliamentarians have said they will also investigate the accusations.

In news elsewhere, the parliament member who previously said that parliament is no place for children, donkeys or women is back in the news, this time over allegations that he struck a reporter. After an open parliamentary session, Nader Ghazipour was approached by a reporter who questioned his plans to create a Turkish-speaking legislative fraction. Ghazipour accused the reporter of being against the Islamic Republic and against Irans form of clerical government. When the reporter refused to back down and continued to press him, Ghazipour then physically attacked the reporter, punching him in the face a number of times.
August 29, 2016

Everyone wonders how long Operation Euphrates Shield, launched Aug. 24, will continue.

What are the strategic goals of this operation? Can it expand to the al Rai-Azaz line in the west and, even more important, southeast toward al-Bab to interdict the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and prevent them from advancing westward and defying Turkeys oft-stated red lines?

An Aug. 25 headline in the pro-government daily Yeni Safak read, This is just a beginning. Sources in the Free Syrian Army (FSA) who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity described Euphrates Shield as a complex operation "with major goals. In Ankara, the prevailing belief is that the operation is, above all, a diplomatic success of Turkeys changing approach to Syria and the intensive shuttle diplomacy that was conducted. On the military front, Ankara sees the capture of Jarablus in 12 hours without casualties and avoiding a major clash with the Islamic State (IS) as a significant success. A security source in Ankara told Al-Monitor, It is time to benefit from these successes. It would be a gross mistake to think of limiting the operation only to Jarablus, after preparing for it for a year.

Sources in Ankaras strategic corridors and in the field spoke with Al-Monitor about the envisaged duration of the operation and its dimensions. Ankaras goals can roughly be divided into political and field objectives.

On a political level, Ankara wants to consolidate Sunni armed opposition under a single roof, at least in northern Syria, but preferably in the entire country. Ankara appears to have persuaded Washington and Moscow that a significant portion of the Syrian opposition should not be sidelined as Syria's future is being determined. Turkey thinks that with this operation it has scored an opportunity to unite the Syrian opposition militarily toward a single objective, under a single command and in a single military structure. Ankara hopes that by uniting the opposition ranks first in northern Syria, then in Aleppo and Idlib, the FSA can become a credible force on the ground and be accepted at the negotiation table.

But the past record of the FSA raises questions about its performance on the ground. A source who spoke with Al-Monitor but did not want to be identified said, The war in Syria is a war of ideologies. A Shiite militiaman dies for Twelver imams; a YPG man dies for [imprisoned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) Abdullah] Ocalan and Kurdish nationalism. Who will the FSA militant sacrifice himself for? Without jihadi motivation, the majority of the FSA looks more like a mercenary gang fighting for money.

Although Ankara might have seen an opportunity to consolidate the Syrian opposition politically and militarily, motivating these forces will not be easy. They will need an incentive to boost their combat effectiveness, but overdoing it could spill over into "terrorism." No doubt the participation of "moderate jihadi" groups such as Faylaq al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham will provide some motivation. Ankara has to be careful using such groups in a blend with the FSA, so as not to worry Washington and Moscow.

On the military level, Ankara exhibits three strategic goals.

The primary goal of this operation is to establish in the Jarablus region a permanent military base where it can train and equip the FSA while dominating the terrain. This base will be linked to Turkey with an air corridor. Ongoing engineering works in Jarablus indicate such a goal. If Ankara sends a commando battalion to Jarablus, then we will understand that Ankara is very seriously considering a permanent military base at Jarablus. If Ankara cannot persuade other countries to go along with the idea, then Ankaras Plan B is to structure Jarablus as a military power center for the FSA in northern Syria, with a presence of Turkish soldiers.

Turkeys second strategic goal with this operation is to capitalize on its success by advancing west to the al Rai-Azaz line, which Ankara calls the Jarablus-Cobanbey line. Ankara has two objectives with such an expansion. First will be to totally dominate the 55-mile border stretch between Jarablus and Cobanbey. The other goal will be to apply pressure from the east on the Afrin canton of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), which already is under pressure from the north. Actually, both Washington and Moscow favor Ankaras severing this most important supply line of IS inside Syria. This will of course require Ankara to assure Washington and Moscow that it actually intends to combat IS. The lack of strong reactions from the United States and Russia to Ankaras operation until now suggests such assurances were given and the countries are satisfied, at least for the time being.

Ankara's third goal with Euphrates Shield is the most risky one: to take advantage of the success at Jarablus to advance southwest and capture al-Bab. If Ankara opts for this goal, the name of the operation will have to be changed from Euphrates Shield to "Euphrates Dagger," because it will terminate the PYD's dream of linking up with Afrin via al-Bab and dominating the area northwest of Aleppo, as well as totally eradicating IS connections to Turkey.

Long-term IS preparations at al-Bab have turned the town into a formidable resistance stronghold. Unlike at Jarablus, IS has heavy manpower strength and fortifications in al-Bab, where thousands of civilians live. But we also know that the Syrian Democratic Forces, which is made up mostly of Kurdish YPG, has its eyes on al-Bab as well. If the FSA, supported by Ankara, keeps up the momentum it displayed at Jarablus and captures al-Bab, it will have a major stronghold in northern Syria.

Ankaras increasing artillery fire from Turkey on YPG targets in the Afrin canton as of Aug. 26, and the first-ever bombing of YPG targets in Afrin by Turkish warplanes, could be harbingers of a westward shift of operations.

Now everyone, especially Washington and Moscow, is closely monitoring the field performance of the Turkish-supported FSA. If the performance is impressive, then as a sign of goodwill to Ankara, Washington and Moscow might give the FSA the opportunity to liberate al-Bab. If the performance is poor, then the Kurdish YPG will be allowed to assault al-Bab. Washington and Moscow, which have staged a deadly competition between the FSA and the YPG, are pleased with the developments. Ankaras test will be motivating the FSA. The Syrian Kurdish PYD will then have to decide if it can accept that its rise in northern Syria has ended and that now there is a highly motivated, competitive force supported by Ankara.

In the coming days, the most critical question will be who will capture al-Bab from IS: the YPG, supported by the PKK, or the FSA, supported by Ankara?

To read Ankara's intentions, the type of military units it uses in Syria and its military moves will have to be watched carefully. Dont forget, if Ankara dispatches a commando battalion to Jarablus, it will mean Turkey is there to stay indefinitely. If it sends the mechanized infantry brigade waiting at the border, then Ankaras intention will be to expand toward the west and clean up the border stretch by moving to Azaz via al-Rai. But if it sends an armored brigade along with its mechanized infantry brigade, then we will know that Ankaras next target is al-Bab. My understanding is that Ankara will first try to complete its full control of the Jarablus region. Prolonging the operation's duration will provide Ankara with more cards at the negotiation table, so one can surmise that it intends to stay in northern Syria for the long term.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) sustained its first fatality in Euphrates Shield, confirming experts' concerns that clashes between the TSK and the YPG were imminent. On Aug. 27, Kurdish YPG militants some 4 miles south of Jarablus hit two Turkish tanks with Russian-made Kornet anti-tank missiles, killing one sergeant and wounding three soldiers. The TSK responded with artillery and tank fire and sent in reinforcements to Jarablus. Reports from the ground say Turkey continued air force and artillery fire on YPG targets Aug. 28.

Although not yet confirmed, there were also reports of the first civilian casualties from Turkish shelling and air attacks. Turkey has rejected the claims, saying most of the casualties were YPG militants taking cover in villages.
August 29, 2016

When US Vice President Joe Biden recently met with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim in Ankara, Turkeys recent attempted coup, Fethullah Gulen and Syria were the main items discussed. However, in a press conference following the meeting with the prime minister, Biden highlighted two other points: The United States and Turkey have pledged to encourage Cypriot leaders to conclude negotiations on establishing a bizonal and bicommunal confederation, and Turkey and the United States will join efforts to support regional energy security.

Though few analysts focused on these items, it is worth noting that regional energy security actually is a factor linking the Gulen case, the situation in Syria and the Cyprus issue.

Biden finished his press briefing by saying, We also spoke about how the United States and Turkey can continue to support Cypriot leaders as they work to conclude an agreement this year, hopefully that will reunify the island in a bizonal, bicommunal federation. And we discussed the joint effort to support regional energy security.

This reference to Cyprus and energy security issues was not expected. Before his arrival in Turkey, Biden wrote, in an op-ed for the Turkish daily Milliyet, about the objectives for his visit. He mentioned US support for Turkeys democratically elected government, US legal procedures for the Gulen case and the situation in Syria. In his article, Biden mentioned neither the situation in Cyprus nor regional energy issues. But they became subjects of his meetings nevertheless.

This is not the first time Biden has raised the issues of energy security and Cyprus with the Turkish government. When the vice president visited Turkey earlier this year, traveling to Istanbul in January, Cyprus and energy appeared on the agenda at that time as well. While meeting with then-Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Biden noted that he had been in consultation with Israeli and Greek Cypriot leaders on power-sharing issues between Turkish and Greek Cypriots  a subject later White House briefings categorized as energy security. The two issues are, indeed, linked, as a resolution of the Cyprus issue will not only solve the problem of sharing the islands natural gas resources, but would also prepare a safe maritime transit zone for Israeli and Egyptian gas, as it would reduce tensions stemming from disputes over Mediterranean territorial waters.

Biden also linked the Cyprus issue directly to European energy security as a way to limit Russias ability to use its energy supply as a foreign policy weapon during remarks at the November 2014 Atlantic Council Summit. In that speech, Biden had stated how he wanted to encourage Cypriots to develop their energy resources, in cooperation with all their neighbors, to benefit the entire eastern Mediterranean. For the region, it holds the promise of enhancing stability and prosperity by bringing together Israel, Turkey, Egypt, Greece, Cyprus and hopefully one day Lebanon, Biden said at that time. It also has the potential to bring new supplies into Europe, to increase its energy security by diversifying energy resources.

A glance at a map can easily fill in the missing piece of the comprehensive Mediterranean energy bridge Biden alluded to: Syrias Mediterranean shore, west of the Euphrates River. Ankara has long insisted that the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) should not have a presence west of the Euphrates. This has been underscored by Turkeys recent Operation Euphrates Shield, which, while aimed at liberating Jarablus from the Islamic State, also aims at pushing the YPG east of the Euphrates, a notion Biden appeared to support during his Ankara visit. Syrias Mediterranean shore not only has a strategic role for Mediterranean energy cooperation, but also represents a natural shore for Iranian and Iraqi energy resources having access to maritime routes linked with Europe, as envisioned in the Iran-Iraq-Syria gas pipeline project.

To meet its ambition of being an energy hub, Turkey should share a negotiation platform with the Syrian actor that has control of areas west of the Euphrates. Bidens words clearly showed that Turkey and the United States would never accept this actor being the YPG.

The energy security deals defended by Biden also draw attention to the Gulen movement. In December 2013, Istanbul police launched an anti-corruption operation that arrested 80 people, including the sons of four Cabinet ministers. The government branded the investigation an attack by an illegal group within the state, meaning the Gulen movement. With the arrest of such names as Suleyman Aslan, the director of state-owned Halkbank, and Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab, the query made public Turkeys barely legal gas trade with Iran via Halkbank. Restricted by US sanctions, Turkey had developed a gold trade formula  i.e., Turkey was settling its oil and gas bills with Iran using Turkish liras held in Halkbank. Iran was then using those liras to buy gold in Turkey, and couriers were carrying this gold in their luggage to Dubai, where it was then either sold for foreign currency or shipped to Iran.

In January 2013, Halkbank became the only authorized payment channel for Turkish oil and gas purchases. When, in March 2013, Erdogan was pushing ahead with plans to export oil from Iraqs Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) via the Ceyhan terminal, the plan was for money deposits to be handled through Halkbank. When the Dec. 17 operation unveiled the money trafficking and vulnerabilities in the system, KRG authorities canceled the deal, costing the Turkish government the energy revenues that would have stemmed from it.

This energy trade via Halkbank was barely legal (and hardly transparent) due to the limits drawn by the United States for the regions energy trade. And this lack of transparency created opportunities for personal interests to make the state vulnerable. In this context, Turkish-American joint efforts in energy security and the regional energy trade would avoid these duplicitous operations.

Although Biden pointed to crucial issues during his visit, some Turkish media have reported on the Ankara meetings by writing headlines such as Biden wasted a trip, Turkey wasted time, or  when being more generous  writing that Biden scored a minor diplomatic win. Most analysts limited their commentary to the vice presidents remarks on the rule of law and the separation of powers. American media summarized the meeting by saying Erdogan was seeking Gulen's extradition, while the European press did not look further than Turkeys Jarablus operation.

The medias selective perception for Bidens visit has been limited to short-term analysis. Despite the medias lack of notice, it is clear that Turkish and American decision-makers in this visit seem to have had a more long-term objective, with a deeper strategic approach, considering their decision to discuss the subject of energy cooperation, which is not only crucial for current Middle East conflicts and Mediterranean tensions, but for security that can build new strong links and shifting political roles.
August 30, 2016

Turkeys radically new approach to Syria since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan replaced Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in May with his trusted acolyte Binali Yildirim is unfolding fast. Turkeys military operation in northern Syria, named Operation Euphrates Shield, which includes Turkish-trained Free Syrian Army (FSA) elements, reflects the new climate prevailing in Ankara.

The United States has welcomed the Turkish-led liberation of Jarablus from the Islamic State (IS), to which the US Air Force also contributed. It is displeased, however, with Turkeys operations south of Jarablus against the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), the armed wing of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Syria.

The YPG is the main element of the US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which recently wrested the strategic city of Manbij, west of the Euphrates River, from IS. The continued presence of YPG fighters in Manbij is causing fresh tensions between Ankara and Washington.

Turkey says the PYD and YPG are terrorist groups linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been waging a separatist terror campaign against civilians and security personnel in Turkey. Ankara does not want an autonomous Kurdish region along its borders.

Washington agrees that the PKK is a terrorist group, but refuses to accept that the PYD and YPG, which have been its allies against IS, are terrorist groups.

The failed coup in July appears to have also strengthened Erdogans hand in Syria against the United States. Russia and Iran condemned the coup attempt outright, without waiting to see its outcome, which is the opposite of what the West did in Turkish eyes.

The result is that many Turks consider Russia and Iran to be more reliable than Western countries. After Turkey reset its Syria policy, Ankara is also closer to Moscows and Tehrans positions regarding the future of Syria. Ankara is better poised now to get Russian and Iranian support for its approach to Syrian Kurdish aspirations.

The perception that the United States is reluctant to extradite Fethullah Gulen, the alleged mastermind of the attempted coup, has also resulted in a sharp increase in anti-American sentiments among Turkish government officials.

Russias relatively mild response to Turkeys Operation Euphrates Shield is also noteworthy. Moscow merely said it was deeply worried over this development, but issued no admonitions, even though Damascus characterized this operation as a blatant violation of its sovereignty.

The Syrian statement was also accepted generally as being pro forma. Many believe Turkey is being tacitly supported by Russia and Iran, and also by the Bashar al-Assad regime, because its military operation will stop fresh gains by US-supported Kurds.

Turkey wants YPG forces to move to the east of the Euphrates. It also wants the PYD to end its efforts to join the lands west of the river stretching to the Azaz district, hoping to establish an autonomous Kurdish region.

Complicating the situation for Washington is the fact that Ankara is actively taking on IS now. Washingtons dilemma regarding this operation is also working to Ankaras advantage since the United States has had to underline at the highest level that it does not support Kurdish aspirations in Syria.

During his recent fence-mending mission to Ankara, Vice President Joe Biden emphasized that the United States does not support a separate Kurdish entity. Biden said US officials have made it absolutely clear to the YPG that it must move back across the Euphrates, in line with promises made prior to the capture of the strategic city of Manbij from IS with US support.

They cannot, will not and under no circumstances get American support if they do not keep that commitment. Biden said

Ankara, however, is determined to maintain a wait-and-see stance rather than accepting such assurances at face value. The shelling of YPG positions south of Jarablus over the past few days by the Turkish military shows that it is not convinced yet that its demands have been met.

Turkeys actions against the YPG elicited the first angry responses from Washington since the start of Operation Euphrates Shield on Aug. 24. "The United States was very supportive, and is very supportive of their general counter-[IS] activities and everything they did to secure the area between the border and Jarablus and then westward, but not south of Jarablus," US Defense Secretary Ash Carter told reporters Aug. 29.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told the Voice of America on the same day that clashes between Turkish forces and the YPG were unacceptable. Indicating that there are no IS fighters where those clashes are taking place, Cook said they are prepared to support Turkeys operations against IS, but would also continue supporting Kurdish-led forces, operating under the SDF banner.

"Uncoordinated operations and maneuvers only provide room for [IS] to find sanctuary and continue planning attacks against Turkey, the SDF, the United States and our partners around the world," Cook said, appearing to suggest that if these attacks came, Turkey would also be to blame.

Turkey is unlikely to be swayed by such dire warnings until it is convinced the Kurds have complied with its demands. Erdogan and Yildirim have said openly that the dual purpose of Euphrates Shield is to destroy IS and roll back the Kurds.

Responding to statements from Washington calling on Turkey to stop its operations against the Kurds, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus was defiant. [The United States] is aware of our sensitivity in this regard. There are also promises that have been made. The PYD will not have a presence west of the Euphrates.  We are waiting for the United States to use its influence on the PYD, Kurtulmus told reporters in Ankara.

Burhanettin Duran, an analyst for the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research in Ankara, which is close to the government, spelled out the main objectives of the Turkish military in Syria in a recent article.

He said this operation was the result of a need to put a stop to problems created by the manner in which the US is combating [IS].

Clearing [IS] by using the YPG has caused double trouble. It enabled the area controlled by the YPG to expand and also forced [IS] to increasingly hit at Turkey as it was being pushed back, Duran argued.

There are those, however, who believe Turkey was pushed into this intervention by the United States and will pay for it. Mehmet Yilmaz, a popular liberal columnist for the daily Hurriyet, is among those who believe this.

Yilmaz pointed to pictures of Turkish-supported FSA fighters in Syria wearing flip-flops and said they do not appear to be the force that will defeat IS.

It seems the United States realized that the YPG-PKK is also not capable of destroying IS and wanted the only other standing army in the region [the first one being Iran] to get involved in this matter, he claimed, echoing the sentiments of many Turks.

We are up to our necks in the Syrian quagmire now, and it is not clear when we will get out, or how many of our citizens will suffer, Yilmaz argued, adding that it had been childs play for Washington to drag Turkey into this quagmire by using the Kurdish card.
Idie.jpg

Idie Hastings

By Idie Hastings

Photo by 205 Photography

This story appears in Birmingham magazine's September 2016 Issue. Subscribe today!

Birmingham Originals, a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit business, was established in 2002 by a small group of restaurateurs. We were formed to create awareness of local eateries, and to help consumers make an informed decision on where to dine. We wanted to be a voice for the value and importance of eating locally, teaching people the importance of where their food came from, and the availability of nutritious ingredients. We were "local" long before it was cool!

The organization is comprised of more than 35 restaurants. The food scene includes all types of restaurants from barbeque to fine dining and everything in between. The owners of these establishments have their own families to feed, educate, and support. When a customer spends a dollar in our restaurants, that dollar stays in Birmingham. We employ local people that live--and spend their money--in Birmingham. How great is it that local farmers, fishermen, shrimpers, and more do business with us daily to ensure our food is true to where it lives? The growth we have seen from 2002 to today has been tremendous. There has arisen a plethora of purveyor support in Birmingham. They have grown with us and can meet our needs with any special food item request. People are definitely more involved and sophisticated today in what they choose to eat, and our local food culture has grown to reflect that.

Our value is also demonstrated by giving back to the community through our charitable donations. The Birmingham Originals have donated their time and more than $115,000 to local charities that impact our community. In addition, our restaurant community has become a family within a family. The chefs and employees know each other, and bond through donating their time together while giving back to the community. Think about this, whenever you visit a town, one of the first questions is "where should I eat?" We know first-hand what our neighbor is serving and we are proud to recommend them.

Our annual event, Breakin' Bread, gives everyone a chance to celebrate the local flavors. This premier food event showcases all the restaurants in addition to signature wines, local craft beer, cooking demonstrations, and live music. Breakin' Bread has been named one of the Top 10 attractions in Alabama by the Alabama Board of Tourism. Join us this year on Sunday, September 25, from 1 p.m.-5 p.m., at historic Sloss Furnaces. The 2016 Breakin' Bread proceeds will benefit Jones Valley Teaching Farm. We have taken it one step further and have requested the fund is earmarked for the Woodlawn High School Urban Farm and culinary scholarships for Birmingham students. Now that is an impact on the City of Birmingham!

It has been a pleasure and honor for Birmingham Originals to continue our mission and celebrate our 14th year with the city of Birmingham.

Breakin' Bread | Sept. 25, 1 p.m. | Sloss Furnaces | Early General Admission $30 | birminghamoriginals.org
Here are the top stories in Alabama business for Monday, Aug. 29, 2016:

An Ohio manufacturer has chosen Irondale for a new polymer lab and blending facility that will ultimately result in a $1.3 million investment. By the end of the year, Creative Polymer Solutions plans to employ eight people, with plans for future expansions.

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Emma's Tea Room will close in Huntsville after more than a decade. Saturday will be the last day for the restaurant and tea room in Five Points.

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Miss the opportunity for a year's worth of free french fries from MOOYAH? There's still a chance to chance to win some cash - The chain is giving away $100 a day for 100 days through the MOOYAH Rewards App.

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Austal lost $63.5 million in the most recent financial reporting period. The Australian-based shipbuilder blamed the loss on its Littoral Combat Ship manufacturing operation in Mobile.

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Tuscaloosa's getting another fast-casual burger option as Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers opens its first location in the city. The Kansas-based chain already has a Hoover restuarant.

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Canfor Southern Pine, Inc., is relocating its U.S. Headquarters to Mobile. It's leased 18,000 square feet of space in the Van Antwerp building at 101 Dauphin St. in Mobile.

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Follow all of Alabama's business news here anytime.
Straight to Ale

(Courtesy of Straight to Ale)

A partnership between Straight to Ale and Whole Foods Market will bring a new line of specialty brews to grocery stores across the Southeast.

(Courtesy of Straight to Ale)

Straight to Ale co-founder Dan Perry said his Huntsville brewery recently started work on the Rumble Seat Beer Project, a line of experimental beers brewed exclusively for Whole Foods locations in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

The packaged beers - Rumble Seat Citrus Witte and Rumble Seat India Pale Ale - will hit store shelves over the Labor Day weekend. Perry said a draft-only West Coast-style Imperial Red will also be available to customers.

"Whole Foods has long been a supporter of Straight To Ale, selling our beers in many of their stores throughout our footprint, and when we approached them with the idea of expanding our partnership into a special line of beers exclusively for them, they were very open to it," he told AL.com.

The Rumble Seat IPA has floral and citrus undertones and a medium bitterness, while the Citrus Witte is a traditional Belgian drink with a sweet orange peel flavor. The Imperial Red is hoppy and has a rich malt backbone.

Whole Foods said Straight to Ale's newer, larger facility at Campus No. 805 near downtown Huntsville has allowed the brewery to experiment more with different beers at the original location on 3200 Leeman Ferry Road.

"It has been very exciting to watch Straight To Ale shape the craft brewing industry in Alabama," said Patty Hines, Whole Foods specialty associate coordinator. "Here at Whole Foods Market, one of our core values is to create ongoing win-win partnerships with our suppliers. Being the adventurous brand that they are, and understanding their goals, we were excited to venture into this project with Straight To Ale."

Straight to Ale debuted its new 45,000-square-foot brewhouse, taproom and mixed-use event space in early July. Perry said Shelta Cavern Spirits, the on-site distillery, is fully built and licensed, but needs final approval from the fire marshal before launching.

Ale's Kitchen, a joint venture of Dave Stanley and Dion Denton, recently opened at the site offering handmade, from-scratch bar grub with some international flavors and Straight to Ale beer mixed in. Perry said they have also expanded taproom hours from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

"The response to our new facility at Campus 805 has been outstanding," he said. "With the increased space, we can host so many more people at once, and people are coming out to sample our locally-produced beer in record numbers."
Gaynell Mathers used to dream of owning a diner like the one on the late 1970s sitcom "Alice." Maybe it was because she could relate to Alabama-born actress Polly Holliday as the gum-smacking redheaded waitress Flo, who was famous for the line she often delivered in the fictional Mel's Diner: "Kiss my grits."

Still a fiery redhead at age 84, Gaynell is otherwise known as the queen behind Queen G's Cafe in midtown Mobile. She's too much of a lady to tell anyone to kiss her grits, but she's had to tell off a customer or two in her day.

Most customers, though, are remembered with fondness and even love. "I've just met so many wonderful people," said Gaynell - like Paul Wimpee, a Queen G's customer from the beginning who became "a really good friend," like a son to her.

"You know," she said with a glance around the tiny restaurant she opened in 1989, "I could really write a book on this place."

Reminiscing about the years she spent at Queen G's - often working until late at night to get ready for lunch the next day - she laughs often at the stories and then, suddenly, she places her hands over her eyes as they fill with tears, when she thinks about what's coming.

Later this year, construction will begin on a new Publix shopping center at the corner of Old Shell Road and Florida Street, and Queen G's is on the chopping block. The building is one of several that will be demolished, its sturdy cinder blocks reduced to rubble.

Her lookalike daughter, Carolyn, who has run Queen G's since 2004, immediately tears up when she looks at her mother. "I can't stand to see her cry," she said.

Queen G's last day of business will be Friday, Sept. 16.

'I loved to cook'

When Gaynell opened Queen G's, her two children - daughter Carolyn, and son Glenn - were nearly grown, and she felt "lost." She had worked for the local phone company for 20 years, but she had that vision of "a little diner" like Mel's on "Alice."

"I knew nothing about the restaurant business and had never worked in a restaurant, but I loved to cook," she said.

The building that had housed the locally famous Rebel Queen - a hangout for students from nearby UMS and Murphy high schools, who would stop by after school for their hamburgers (with steamed buns), spearmint slushes and orange freezes -- was for rent.

Her husband, John B. Mathers, "didn't want me to do it," she said. "He was from the old school and didn't want his wife to work."

She was determined, though, and - stubborn redhead that she is - she persuaded him that she should give it a shot. With his help, they renovated the little building, upgrading the plumbing and electrical systems and painting it a cheery yellow.

Gaynell, who that year was named queen of her Mardi Gras organization, the Polka Dots, named her new restaurant Queen G's. She opened on May 9, 1989.

Her very first customer was Leland Waite, who brought all of his employees to breakfast from his nearby business, Waite's Cleaners. She soon stopped serving breakfast, though, and focused solely on lunch.

At first, she used white cloth napkins and didn't allow men to wear caps. She tells a funny story of how she once pulled a customer's fishing hat right off his head, and his toupee came along with it.

She didn't even know how much to charge for lunch, but she knew she wanted to keep it under five dollars. For $3.95, a customer could get an entree, two vegetables and tea. Finally, one day, one of her customers pulled her aside and told her she wasn't charging enough.

"That's when I went up on the prices," she said.

Gaynell changed the menu daily, but she said she was best known for her Shrimp Creole and homemade chicken pot pies. She also offered cornbread muffins, which are still served with every meal, and whole green onions.

To those who didn't know her, she sometimes appeared to be gruff, but Gaynell has a heart of gold. When a teacher at the nearby Augusta Evans School would bring special-needs students in to the restaurant so they could learn how to order and pay for lunch, Gaynell would take their money and then give it back to the teacher on her way out.

Over the years, both children worked for her off and on. Glenn was the "salad man," and so many of his friends waited tables at Queen G's that they would hire the next crew before they left.

When Gaynell had heart surgery about 14 years ago, Carolyn stepped in to help. "I didn't want anything to do with it, but it was either step up to the plate or it's going to close," she said.

Her mother returned to work, and in 2004 Carolyn took over the business. In 2008, with the help of the late Chris Bowen of Bowen Realty - "the best friend we ever had," Gaynell said - Carolyn bought the property.

Meanwhile, Gaynell would continue to come in and "make an appearance," she said. "I talked to the people and tried to keep Carolyn straight." She winks when she mentions her daughter. They constantly bicker and tease one another, but their mutual admiration is undeniable.

"She's a good cook, and she is so fast in that kitchen," Gaynell said of Carolyn.

"When my mother puts her heart and soul into something, it is genuine, and it is forever," said Carolyn. "This is very difficult to her for so many reasons, and saying goodbye is never easy, especially after so many years."

End of an era?

Though she was reluctant to follow in her mother's footsteps, Carolyn, a striking redhead with green eyes and a dimpled smile, has made her own mark on Queen G's. She has become known for her tender, tasty fried oysters, which come with two sides and that same trademark cornbread her mother served. On a busy day, she'll cook 30 plates of oysters.

Carolyn didn't learn how to cook from Gaynell, though. "Growing up, she couldn't stand to have anyone in the kitchen," she said. Both women believe their cooking ability is in inherited from Gaynell's mother. Neither one uses recipes, but they are planning to develop some to compile in a cookbook.

Other than tweaking the menu, Carolyn has changed very little about the restaurant over the years. In 2011, she hosted French-trained celebrity chef Ludo Lefebvre, who brought a Sundance Channel camera crew and his rather demanding personality to Queen G's, where the miniscule kitchen was among his complaints, for an episode of "Ludo Bites America."

Carolyn smartly capitalized on that exposure, which drew new customers to Queen G's. A fixture at the restaurant, as her mother was before her, Carolyn always has an apron tied around her waist, greeting many customers in the 30-seat eatery by name.

But business has had its ups and downs at Queen G's. At times, it's been feast or famine, and it's not unusual for Carolyn to go without a salary. She had secretly listed the restaurant for sale, so it was something of a mixed blessing recently when she was offered her asking price.

She jokes that she'd like to get a T-shirt printed that tells customers the closing date of Queen G's, because almost everyone who's walked in the door in recent weeks asks about it. With the approval of a new Publix grocery store on the site of the former Augusta Evans School, the old building that has held so many memories over the years, from the Rebel Queen to Queen G's, is going to be torn down.

The framed poster of a black-and-white photo of the Rebel Queen - a gift from a customer that hangs just inside the door - will go to the Dew Drop Inn, another Old Shell Road mainstay, for the time being.

Over the summer, Gaynell - who hasn't been able to help out as much since she fell and broke her arm more than a year ago - spent some time in the kitchen with her granddaughters, Macy and Anan, teaching them to cook some of her specialties.

"I didn't get sad until I started thinking about my nieces," said Carolyn. "I wanted this to be their first job. But just because we're leaving locations doesn't mean it's the end of an era."

She's hoping to find an investor who will give her a job and operate under the Queen G's name, she said. Like her mother, Carolyn also dreams of a '50s-style diner, with a lunch counter with stainless steel countertops and stools.

After the restaurant closes in a couple of weeks, Carolyn, who serves as cantor at her church, said she wants to learn to play the guitar and relax at the beach. But first, she wants to "take a month and not do anything."

"I hope she spends some time with her mother," Gaynell quipped.

In addition to her customers, Carolyn is going to miss her birds. Every day for years, she has fed them leftover cornbread behind her building. "They know my vehicle, and when I pull up they start to gather," she said. "It makes me so sad to think they'll be waiting to eat the cornbread I put out and it's not there."
One man is in custody and authorities are searching for two others after a break-in today near Vestavia Hills.

Vestavia Hills police responded about 3 p.m. to a report of a burglary in progress at Kreekview Apartments off of Columbiana Road. When they arrived on the scene, said Capt. Kevin York, three Hispanic males took off running in three different directions. Several stolen televisions were lined up in the breezeway of one of the apartment buildings.

Officers were able to capture one of the suspects. A Jefferson County Sheriff's Office tracking dog has been brought to the scene to help locate the other two. Other dogs may be en route.

A moving perimeter has been set up near a wooded area off of Massey Road.
Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir  For Abdul Rehman Mir, the grief over the death of his son has turned to anger.

He is sitting on the living-room floor of his small family home in the Tengpora neighbourhood of Kashmirs summer capital, Srinagar, surrounded by nearly 30 neighbours.

His son Shabir, 24, was killed by police on July 10  two days into the mass protests against the Indian security forces killing of Kashmiri rebel commander Burhan Wani.

His neighbours urge him to speak but the 48-year-old is reluctant. What good will it do to talk about what happened? he asks. I only want justice. Whatever happens after that, I dont care.

One of the neighbours, Mohammed Haneef, tries to placate him. He was your son. Only you can know the intense pain you are going through, says 42-year-old Haneef. Today it happened to your son, but tomorrow, it could happen to mine. We are with you.

READ MORE: Amnesty  Stop using pellet guns on Kashmiri protesters

Mir begins to open up, explaining how on the evening of July 10 his family was watching television and drinking tea after returning home from the nearby mosque. He heard shouting outside, he says. From an upstairs window, he witnessed police officers smashing the windows on the ground floor of the house. They broke in and fired tear gas, he says.

I asked why they were firing tear gas on us. What have we done? We are inside our home. Arent you Muslims [like us]? he remembers.

Mirs face was contorted with anger as he narrated the events that led to his sons death. He added that the police beat him and his wife, Shahazada Banu, 47. When Shabir tried to step in, they shot him in his stomach in the corridor near the main door.

My son tried to escape through the window, but security forces ran after him and fired a second shot in his stomach. He took a few steps and then fell down, he said with his eyes fixed on the wall.

I held him in my arms. He died in my arms.

There was no one like him

Shabir was the second of Rehman and Shahazadas five children. As a tile mason, he was the familys breadwinner.

Rehman recalls how, after he suffered heart problems four years ago, Shabir had told him: Father, youve done enough looking after us all our lives. Its time for you to rest now.

Neighbours remember Shabir as gentle and virtuous. There was no one like him in our neighbourhood, says Shabir Ahmad Dar, 26. He always walked with his head down. He never fought with anyone. He was a good man.

Local men gathered around said that on the evening of Shabirs death, there were no protests taking place outside Mirs house but some youths who had been protesting nearby had come to the area to take shelter from the security forces.

The Mir family says they tried to file an official complaint called a First Information Report (FIR) against a senior Jammu and Kashmir police officer, who they say shot Shabir, at the local police station, but the police refused. The states high court then ordered a contempt notice against the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Senior Superintendent of Police for refusing to lodge the FIR. But Indias Supreme Court revoked that order a few days later and has since ordered an investigation into the killing.

FAST FACTS: Origins of the conflict In 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh, the king of Muslim majority Jammu and Kashmir state, requested Indias help to repel an invading Pakistani tribal army

In return, Singh, a Hindu, signed an instrument of accession with New Delhi

The Indian prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, himself from Kashmir, promised that the Kashmiri people would be allowed to decide their future in a plebiscite

In 1948, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution asking for the withdrawal of Indian and Pakistani forces and a plebiscite. That hasnt happened

Shabirs body has now been exhumed and a post-mortem completed as part of the investigation. The results have not been made public yet.

Al Jazeera called the IGP, Syed Javaid Mujtaba Geelani, several times, but he refused to comment and hung up after saying, I dont have time to talk to you right now. Repeated attempts by Al Jazeera to reach him over the phone were unsuccessful.

Human rights activists say the security forces enjoy impunity from prosecution.

The [successive] governments [Indias federal government] have made it impossible for justice to be delivered, says Khurram Parvez, the programme coordinator of the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS).

The violence that was perpetrated in Jammu and Kashmir and continues to be perpetrated today is institutional, adds Parvez, whose organisation documents human rights violations in the state and provides litigation for its victims.

In its report, Structures of Violence, JKCCS documented 313 cases involving alleged abuses by 1,000 police and security force personnel between 1990 and 2015. None of those allegedly involved have been prosecuted, Parvez says.

The legend of Burhan Wani

Shabir is one of the 77 people, including seven security forces personnel, killed in the biggest anti-government protests in Kashmir in six years. They erupted after the killing of Burhan Wani, a 22-year-old rebel commander who had become a household name because of his use of social media.

Wanis story has become legend. He was a 15-year-old high school student with good grades when the security forces approached him and his brother Khalid. Although Khalid bought them cigarettes, as requested, they still allegedly beat him and broke his bike.

Wani stopped his studies and joined the armed group Hizbul Mujahideen, which wants the region to become part of Pakistan and is designated a terrorist organisation by India, the United States and the European Union.

Khalid was killed by the security forces last year, allegedly for recruiting Kashmiris for Burhan, but his family says that he was tortured and killed for being the brother of a rebel leader.

Tens of thousands of mourners attended Wanis funeral and protesters poured onto the streets.

Wani will recruit more people from his grave than when he was alive, says Umair Gul, who has been researching Indias armed groups at Jamia Millia Islamias Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution in New Delhi.

FAST FACTS: Who claims what? Both India and Pakistan lay claim to all five regions of water-rich Jammu and Kashmir

Pakistan controls Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Kashmir

Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh fell under Indian control

The two countries have fought three wars  in 1947-48, 1965 and 1999  over the disputed territory

The 700km Line of Control, which was demarcated in 1972, separates Indian-administered Kashmir from the Pakistan-administered part of the Himalayan territory

His name is seen and heard all over Kashmir, in the graffiti that declares Burhan Bhai [brother] Freedom Fighter and Burhan [is] still alive and from the loudspeakers of mosques that blare songs extolling him.

Nineteen-year-old protester Umer explains: Burhan Wani wasnt a terrorist. He was a freedom fighter.

He was to us what your Gandhi was to you, Umer, who used one name for the fear of being identified, told Al Jazeera in the Nowhatta area of downtown Srinagar.

Another countrys propaganda

Another protester from the same area, 19-year-old university student Faizan, is one of about 20 boys and men throwing stones at the security forces. When asked why, he responds: For freedom.

Boys as young as four join in; older men look on, smiling.

Theres no other solution, Faizan, who also uses one name for security reasons, says.

Theyve been committing crimes against us since 1947. So many boys have been martyred, injured. These [security forces] are the supporters of the Indian government. They come to our mosques. They break our windows. They come into our homes when were praying. They beat our mothers. They beat our sisters. We want to take our revenge against the Indian government.

Faizans target is a group of about 20 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) paramilitary personnel standing a few hundred metres away with polycarbonate shields to protect them from the stones.

Sub-Inspector Hari Om says: They dont understand the real situation. Those people who are calling out Pakistan have forgotten history. Pakistan once attacked, then we came here to protect them, and today we are standing here to protect them.

FAST FACTS: An uprising in the valley Following the alleged rigging of the 1987 state election, some groups in the Kashmir Valley took up arms

The armed rebellion against the Indian state began in 1989

Hizbul Mujahideen and the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) emerged as the leading armed groups during the 1990s

The first wants integration with Pakistan, the second favours an independent Kashmir

Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed, mostly by the security forces since 1990

Hundreds of thousands of Hindus fled their homes in the early months of 1990 after rebels killed prominent Hindu officials they accused of being Indian agents

By the mid-2000s, the Indian security forces had crushed the armed rebellion, but not the political aims behind it

The sub-inspectors words echo the mainstream Indian view of Kashmirs history and the current government line.

The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in power in New Delhi, is part of the coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir for the first time in the states history. It draws its support from the Hindu majority population of southern Jammu region of the state.

The BJPs Nirmal Singh is the states deputy chief minister. Pakistan has not accepted the reality that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India, he tells Al Jazeera.

The Muslim-majority region has been divided between India and Pakistan, but claimed in full by both, since the two countries gained independence from Britain in 1947.

When asked how he feels about the graffiti that reads Indian Dogs Go Back, Sub-Inspector Hari Om, in a softly spoken manner, says: This may be another countrys propaganda to misguide people. He is referring to Pakistan.

And even local politicians are imparting bad ideas to the children, he said as he nodded his head towards the group of protesters. Like in this group, a five-year-old is throwing stones, a three-year-old! What you are taught as a child, you can never forget, and yet, we think of these people as our own.

An integral part

The Indian government often refers to Kashmir as its atoot ang  an unseverable limb or an integral part. Most Kashmiris seem to feel differently.

In his partially shuttered newspaper stand in central Srinagars Lal Chowk area, 40-year-old Ahmed Mizgar says he has lost a lot of money since July 8.

The central government says you are an integral part, but it doesnt consider us their own people. It doesnt care about Kashmiris. It wants the land, not the people, he told Al Jazeera as he looked despondent.

Lal Chowk would usually be teeming with activity on a Sunday afternoon but the government imposed a strict curfew after Wanis killing to keep people off the streets.

The National Highway, which links the Kashmir Valley to the rest of India, has been closed. Phone and internet services have either been cut off or only work intermittently. Shops remain closed throughout the day.

On days when the curfew is eased, children come out to play on the streets; young boys ride bicycles; old men venture out to buy newspapers; groups of men play carom on the pavements, but they tell Al Jazeera that they do not want their photographs taken as that might give the impression that things are normal in Kashmir.

FAST FACTS: The worlds most militarised zone Indias offensive against the rebels between 1990 and the mid-2000s has seen the number of rebel fighters decrease from nearly 30,000 to around 200 now, according to Umair Gul, a scholar from from Jamia Millia Islamia University

Despite that, Indian-administered Kashmir remains the most militarised place in the world

Khurram Parvez says there are more than 650,000 troops stationed in the region  that is one soldier for every 17 Kashmiris. Independent analysts, however, believe the number of Indian troops to be around half a million. The Indian government does not release official figures on the number of its troops in the disputed region

Human rights organisations have accused Indian forces in Kashmir of unlawful killings, disappearances, rape and torture

But the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which was introduced in the state in 1990, gives security forces virtual immunity from prosecution

They [the government] impose a curfew and say this is a law and order problem. Its not. Its a political dispute. They have to solve it politically. They have to talk to us, but they only kill and injure us, says Mizgar.

What has he got to lose?

At least 8,500 people have been injured in the unrest since July 9, 5,000 by pellet guns that fire hundreds of tiny steel pellets per round.

Srinagars Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital is filled with victims. Nearly 500 people have been treated for serious eye injuries since the violence broke out.

Eighteen-year-old Mohammed lies motionless on a hospital bed in the casualty ward. His exposed torso is covered in small bloody holes, where pellets entered his body the day before. His gaze is fixed on the ceiling.

The medical report and X-rays by his bed show multiple pellets in his heart, lungs and stomach. Mohammeds cousin, 20-year-old Amir, says Mohammed was throwing stones at security forces during protests in the Imam Sahib village of Shopian district, when security forces retaliated by firing pellets.

Amir says Mohammed doesnt have the energy to speak. When asked if he will protest again, Amir answers for him. What has he got to lose? he says.

Like Mohammed, 18-year-old Mehraj was also throwing stones at security forces. His face is covered with pellet wounds. Both of his eyes are bruised and swollen.

None of the injured Al Jazeera spoke to wanted to reveal their full names for fear of being identified.

Doctors dont know whether he has lost the vision in his right eye, which is swollen shut. If God wishes and my eye heals, I will protest again, Mehraj says.

The beds in the ophthalmology ward are filled with young men wearing sunglasses. Of the 5,000 people who have been injured by pellet guns, hundreds, including young children and bystanders, have been blinded.

Dr Yousef, 27, says the hospital has treated thousands of pellet injuries since July 8. Most of them  are above the waist. Theyre on the chest or head, the eyes. They have specifically targeted the eyes, he explains.

The CRPF spokesman Rajesh Yadav says the paramilitary troops only use pellet guns when they absolutely have to. Troops are not here to target innocent civilians. CRPF has maintained the highest level of restraint so far. If somebodys getting injured or theres a casualty, that is only when they are getting very close to the camp, he adds.

They try to harm somebody physically. Theyre trying to snatch the weapons or set the bunkers on fire. Only in these cases are pellets being used.

Yadav says between 1,600 and 1,800 officers have been injured. But when asked if Al Jazeera could visit the injured officers, he says that wont be possible.

Pellet guns against protesters Indian security forces dont use pellet guns anywhere else in the country and are now under pressure to stop using them in Kashmir

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association has filed a petition at the states High Court, asking for the use of pellet guns to be stopped, saying they are a lethal weapon

Bashir Sidiq, the associations general secretary, led a group of lawyers in protest outside the High Court. He told Al Jazeera: You can never expect a mob to be disciplined, but CRPF have to be disciplined

The Indian government has appointed a committee to review the use of pellet guns. The army has recommended replacing them with less lethal weapons such as sound cannons, pepper shotguns and chilli grenades

Dr Yousef, who didnt want his full name to be revealed, thinks the injuries wont deter protesters. We have even got some patients whose guts are perforated and they are asking when they can go back and join the protests, he says.

Unlike Mohammed and Mehraj, who admit that they were throwing stones at the security forces, many patients say they were either protesting peacefully, were bystanders or, like the Mir family, were in their own homes when they were hit by pellets or bullets.

Fifteen-year-old Riyaz was shot in the chest during what, he says, was a peaceful protest march in Srinagars Beerwah area.

He says the police had given his group permission to protest, but later opened fire on them. Eighty people were injured; two died. When asked if hell protest again, Riyaz answers with those words so familiar in Kashmir: Yes. We want freedom.

Al Jazeera tried to confirm the allegation with the security forces but they failed to provide details of the incident.

Beyond fear

Away from Srinagar, protests in Kashmirs southern districts, where most of the remaining rebels are based, are more violent. The town of Bijbehara in Anantnag district sits on the National Highway.

Protesters have built roadblocks with piles of heavy stones, tree trunks and barbed wire to keep out the security forces and the media. Hundreds of angry boys and men hurl rocks and abuse at a large contingent of army and police personnel.

The sound of tear gas canisters being fired pierces the air. The anger on both sides is palpable. One army officer grabs Al Jazeeras photographer by his collar and asks him to delete his photos. Another yells, Youre destroying Indias reputation abroad by documenting whats going on.

Thirty-year-old shopkeeper Atif Hassan says he has been arrested or placed in preventative detention nearly 60 times since the 2008 protests against the Indian governments decision to transfer land for a Hindu pilgrimage site. Kashmiris saw the transfer as an attempt to settle Hindus in the majority-Muslim valley and change its demographics. Hassan was also arrested during protests in 2010, which followed the Indian armys killing of three men it said were terrorists, but who turned out to be innocent villagers.

When asked why he continues to protest, Hassan answers: We have to lose something if we demand something. We demand freedom. We demand what they promised us in 1947. When I was young, I used to be afraid of them, but not any more. It is beyond fear now.

Hassan says he wants complete freedom from India and wants to be given the choice of merging with Pakistan.

Khurram Parvez says: If you see the trajectory of protests in Kashmir, they are only intensifying. Theyre becoming far more desperate, from the Kashmiri point of view.

There was a time when if security forces fired on the street, people wouldnt come out for days. Today, people are attacking police stations, attacking army camps. India used fear as a weapon of war, but it overused it, and people arent fearful any more.

All around Kashmir, the chant most often heard is Hum kya Chahte? Azadi!, or What do we want? Freedom! but the problem for the many Kashmiris who are asking for the right to choose between being a part of India, Pakistan and an independent nation is that the Indian government will not allow it.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which runs the state government in a coalition with the BJP, does not seem willing to talk.

A referendum is not on our list of priorities, a spokesperson for the PDP, Nayeem Akhter, told Al Jazeera. Somebodys slogan is not a resolution.

Nirmal Singh, the states BJP deputy chief minister, echoes that point: The referendum is not acceptable under any conditions. Thats the stand of the BJP government at the centre, the government of Jammu and Kashmir and all the mainstream parties, including the Congress and the National Conference.

The separatists

The movement that does call for Kashmiris right to self-determination through a plebiscite is the separatist All Parties Hurriyat Conference  an alliance of political groups formed in 1993. Hurriyat is widely supported by Kashmiris, but has never been part of a government because it doesnt contest elections, saying it wont recognise the Indian constitutions rights over Kashmir.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is the head of the Awami Action faction of Hurriyat. Farooq, who had been confined to his Srinagar house since July 8, was arrested on Friday. Separatist leaders such as Farooq are often put under house arrest in an effort to keep them away from their supporters.

Speaking on the phone from his home in Srinagar, Farooq says: The government of India does not want to acknowledge Kashmir as a political problem because if they do that, they are on a weaker wicket because Indias political case is very weak. Thats why the government says its terrorism, its extremism, its Islamic fundamentalism.

Maybe the government is much more comfortable dealing with an armed resistance rather than a peaceful resistance. They dont have 600,000 troops to fight the 100 militants. They have troops to fight the people because thats where the real power is, he adds.

Despite Hurriyats popularity, Kashmiris largely ignored its call for a boycott of the 2014 state elections and turned out in record numbers to vote. The PDP-BJP coalition says this is proof that Kashmiris support their alternative of dialogue over the separatists call for a referendum. Hurriyat says elections are only for administrative purposes, and dont address the root of political problems.

When people vote in elections, this is a vote for day-to-day issues  infrastructure, roads, water, electricity, hospitals. It is never a vote for India, Farooq says.

When asked why Hurriyat doesnt contest elections instead of calling for protests and strikes, Farooq answers: If theres an election under the ambit of the Indian constitution where the only aim is to form a government that will ratify Indias claims on Kashmir, obviously Hurriyat has a problem with that because we have always maintained that our position on Kashmir is, its a dispute. Even the UN resolutions are very clear  that no election in Kashmir can be a substitute for self-determination.

Where the government and Hurriyat agree is their fear that things will only get worse.

The PDP had traditionally been the defender of human rights in Kashmir. It had, according to Akhter, galvanised those people who were living in the grey space  who believed in peaceful methods, but who did not believe in the constitution.

But as the death toll and injuries have climbed, the PDPs popularity seems to have declined.

Our worry is the people who have come back to the mainstream, who had developed a stake in the democratic system, they should not go back into the same whirlpool, from which their retrieval will become more difficult, Akhter says.

Follow Al Jazeeras coverage of the Kashmir unrest

Farooq reflects: In the 90s when the movement started, in 2000, there was anger, there was alienation among the youth, but todays generation, there is absolute hate vis-a-vis India and that is something which is pushing the youth towards extremes. Every Kashmiri identifies himself with the story of Burhan because every Kashmiri boy or young man has suffered at the hands of Indian security forces.

So in that context, a new generation of these young, educated boys are being pushed against the wall, pushed to take up the gun, to take up violence once again, which obviously we dont want.

The Indian army may have all but crushed the armed rebellion, but the cries of ordinary Kashmiris are now louder than ever.
Ten years after the war, relatives of nearly 1,400 disappeared see little hope of finding loved ones or seeing justice.

Bardiya and Kathmandu  Lautan Kumari Chaudhary remembers the knock on her door. It was 3am on April 11, 2002, and people had come looking for her husband in Mangalpur, their village in Bardiya districts Rajapur.

We were sleeping. Somebody called, Comrade! Open the door! I opened the door. Three people  two were in army uniform  entered, says Lautan, who, like her husband, belongs to the historically persecuted indigenous Tharu ethnic group.

Located on a dense delta created by the River Karnali and extending to the border with India in the south, Rajapur is predominantly populated by ethnic Tharu people. Until a year ago, the region could only be accessed by boat, but the government has now built a bridge.

Landlessness has long been common among the Tharus and, before the war, many worked as bonded labourers for upper-caste landlords.

The Maoist war changed the landlord-labour relations. Tharus began to assert as Maoists raised their issues. Many of the Zamindars [landlords] who exploited them fled the areas, selling their land, explains local activist Bhagiram Chaudhary.

They tied both hands of my husband and took him away, Lautan remembers. My [four-year-old] son woke up and started to cry.

She never saw her husband again, and says he wasnt a Maoist.

Two other men were also picked up from the neighbourhood that night. They, too, never returned.

At least 15 members of the Tharu community  including Bhagirams brother and sister-in-law  disappeared from the villages of Rajapur. Bhagiram says the Tharus were systematically targeted.

Justice for disappeared

Nationwide, nearly 1,400 people were disappeared during the war. According to the UN, more than 250 cases of enforced disappearances were reported in Bardiya district alone  the highest number in a single district.

Nearly 85 percent of those who disappeared in Bardiya were Tharus. Lautan, like many other war widows, was forced to fend for herself and her son after her husband, until then the only breadwinner in their family, disappeared. She took up tailoring. Her son is now training to be a paramedic.

The security forces assured Lautan, then 19, that her husband would be returned after a normal inquiry, but 14 years on, she has found no trace of him.

READ MORE: Nepals transitional injustice

Nothing has been found, she says, nervously scratching at the wooden base of her sewing machine. Lautan says she just wants closure.

If my husband is alive they should bring him here. If hes dead, they should show me where he is buried. They should show us his bones, she says, wiping away her tears.

Ram Kumar Bhandari, whose father was disappeared, has travelled across the country, bringing together families of victims of atrocities committed by both sides in the war. He says 90 percent of disappearances were carried out by the police and army.

Last year, the government established the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), beginning a long-delayed process of providing transitional justice.

The two commissions have received more than 50,000 complaints, but the UN has refused to support the process, saying it lacks international standard.

But in April this year, when the two commissions finally began registering complaints from victims, Ram Kumar says some of those who had filed cases were threatened by the accused.

He believes the Maoists have betrayed the victims of war crimes by promoting security personnel suspected of involvement in enforced disappearances once they were in government.

IN PICTURES: What became of 1,400 people who disappeared in Nepal?

That impression was further compounded when, in May 2016, the Maoists, led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is popularly known as Prachanda, prevailed upon the then government to provide amnesty to alleged perpetrators. The move has been criticised by human rights organisations.

If the existing law is not amended, if there is no significant pressure from all sides, including the international community, then I am personally not very hopeful that justice will be served to conflict victims, explains Rameshwar Nepal, the national director of Amnesty International Nepal.

So far, the government has provided compensation of $500,000 Nepali rupees (around $4,705) to the affected families and scholarships to the children of the disappeared.

Continued tensions

But today, relations between Tharus and people from the hills of Nepal, known as Pahadis, who have traditionally been better represented by the ruling elite, remain fraught.

In 2015, protests by Tharus who were dissatisfied with the countrys new constitution, in the district of Kailali, resulted in the deaths of eight police officers. In response, a Pahadi mob burned down dozens of Tharu houses, as security forces looked on. Thousands of Tharu men fled their villages, fearing retaliation.

Ram Kumar says taking on the powerful has not been easy, and that he has faced intimidation from the security forces and the Maoists.

I openly challenged them. I am not afraid to die. We have died many times, he says.

I know the perpetrator of my fathers disappearance. Even the National Human Rights Commission named him. My father did not take up arms and was not an active member of the Maoists.

Tara Bahadur Karki, a spokesperson for Nepals army, says: The army has provided all the material it has concerning disappearances to the TRC through the defence ministry. The army has helped fully to support the TRC and the investigation of the disappeared from its side and will continue to do so.
Critics worry that new campus carry law will cause self-censorship and put students and faculty at risk.

Denton, Texas  As history professor Todd Moye returned to campus after the summer break, he felt a certain unease.

Under a new campus carry law in Texas, concealed handguns are now allowed to be carried in university buildings, including classrooms and dorms.

Moye, whose curriculum at the University of North Texas (UNT) centres on race relations in US history, told Al Jazeera that he worries especially about the presence of guns during lectures on topics that arouse strong feelings.

Will I have to censor myself or tamp down discussions? he asked.

Ive never had to lead a discussion while wondering whether someone in the room might get upset enough to shoot a fellow student or me. These are not the kinds of questions I want to be thinking about; I want to concentrate on how I can best teach my students.

For most of the 36,000 UNT students, Monday was the first day of lectures since the states campus carry law went into effect on August 1.

The law stipulates that individuals must be at least 21 and have a valid concealed weapon permit in order to carry a gun on campus.

The law has been championed by gun advocacy groups, while gun-control advocates, student activists and many professors have protested against it.

It makes me uncomfortable, Raneisha Lawes, an undergraduate student, told Al Jazeera as she waited for her ride in the drizzling rain. I feel like guns dont have a place on school grounds at all.

While public universities are obliged to respect the law, private academic institutions have the chance to opt out. Dozens of private universities in Texas have decided to ban campus carry, while only one will permit it.

State law still bans weapons from some campus areas, such as hospitals and sporting events. A handful of schools have also allowed professors to ban concealed carry in their offices as part of gun-free zones.

Sex-toy protest

Opponents of the new law argue that the presence of guns on campus can put students and faculty at risk of self-censorship, intimidation, threats and gun violence, while others point out that it heightens risks for students who may be suicidal.

Last week at the University of Texas (UT), in the state capital of Austin, hundreds of students protested against the law and mocked its supporters by brandishing sex toys  an act considered illegal under local indecency laws.

Richelle King, a student organiser and senior gender and womens studies major at UT, said protests need to be supplemented by a sustained campaign of voter registration and lobbying state politicians in order to repeal the law and prevent future bills like it from passing.

[The law] causes a huge shift on the college campus because it normalises gun use; it normalises having a weapon, King told Al Jazeera by telephone.

I think thats incredibly damaging to marginalised identities who already face exponentially more gun violence and police brutality in general, she said, explaining that gun violence puts marginalised demographic groups such as people of colour, the LGBT community and transgender people at greater risk.

A recent poll conducted by the Institute for Urban Policy Research and Analysis found that 79 percent of black voters, 66 percent of Latino voters and 47 percent of white voters do not support the campus carry law.

More than 100,000 Americans are killed or injured by gun violence each year, according to The Joyce Foundation, an organisation that lobbies for gun control and policies to reduce and prevent gun violence.

The Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a national advocacy group, issued a condemnation of campus carry on August 1, the 50th anniversary of a mass shooting that left 14 students dead and more than 30 injured at the UT in Austin.

It is disturbing to witness the new guns on campus law go into effect on the anniversary of one of the deadliest school mass shootings in American history, Alexander Chasse, a volunteer with the organisation, said in the statement.

The implementation of this dangerous law on this anniversary is yet another example of tone-deaf Texas lawmakers kowtowing to the gun lobby and ignoring the safety and concerns of the majority of Texans including faculty, staff, campus police and students.

On August 22, a federal judge denied a preliminary injunction to three UT professors seeking to raise a legal challenge to the law.

The professors, who sued the state and their university, argue that the presence of firearms in classrooms can have a chilling effect on their ability to exercise their right to freedom of speech, as protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was named in the lawsuit, said he was pleased with the judges decision.

The right to keep and bear arms is guaranteed for all Americans, including college students, and I will always stand ready to protect that right, he said in a statement.

The National Rifle Association (NRA), a right-wing nonprofit organisation that lobbies politicians to push policies deregulating gun control, has campaigned in support of campus carry in Texas and elsewhere.

The group has vowed to continue backing and pushing for similar bills in all 50 US states. Including Texas, eight states now allow students to carry guns into college buildings.

Fundamental right

Kendrick Melville, a fourth-year history student at UNT, said he ultimately supports the campus carry law, although he believes people should be judicious.

You have the right to self-preservation, he told Al Jazeera, sitting outside a coffee shop on campus. Thats a fundamental right.

His friend Kyle Allen, who studies international relations, nodded in agreement. I agree that overall people with the proper licensing should be allowed [to carry a concealed weapon on campus], he said. But at the same time, I dont disagree with efforts to make it more regulated  such as better background checks.

But Professor Moye said he was incensed by his universitys ruling that teachers cannot ban guns from their classrooms or offices.

Our representatives talk a lot about the need for local control, but under this law I cant even control my own office, he said.

Will I have to worry about whats in every students backpack? Should I only hold office hours in public, well-lit places with potential witnesses just in case the worst happens?

Follow Patrick Strickland on Twitter: @P_Strickland_
AUAF and institutions like it are at the forefront of the war on terror, fighting theoretical foundations of extremism.

Moh Sayed Madadi is an alumnus of the American University of Afghanistan.

Death is a fact of life, but we cant stop living because we might die someday, Jamshid Zafar, a student who was killed in the August 24 attack at the American University of Afghanistan had written on his Facebook page. He continued living not realising that someday would arrive so soon, or so brutally.

For 15 years the targets of terrorist attacks in Afghanistan have been either government offices or foreign missions. Not any more.

Now it is the values new Afghanistan should stand for: education, civil society, free media, as the attack on the American University of Afghanistan, or AUAF, demonstrates.

An attack on Afghanistans future

The night of the attack was hours of torture for me as I was trying to reach friends  professors, staff, students  who were stuck inside.

AUAF is not just a college, it is another home for us  maybe for some a better home  a place for refuge.

Its founding values and environment gives us a space to escape the traumas of residing in Kabul  to run away from the fatigue of workdays, from the insecurity of restaurants and from the impudence of social misjudgments.

It isnt just a place to study, it is a milieu for recreation  intellectual and social. That is why our connection outlasts our time as student and our success as professionals.

Since its foundation in 2004, AUAFs more than 700 alumni compete for esteemed positions and prestigious graduate scholarships  to become deputy ministers, chiefs of staff, senior managers in international organisations, while they have won more than 50 Fulbright, Chevening and DAAD scholarships.

With mounting corruption and political instability, for many, the only beacon of hope is the new generation of Afghans who commit to modern education, who struggle for democracy, and who administer a free and critical media. by

The assault that killed 16 and injured many more was an attack on Afghanistans future. Among the victims was Naqib Khpulwak, a young lecturer. I remember the first day he took over an international humanitarian law class for practice after he had returned from the Fulbright Program  his voice was quavering as he was a little nervous.

It only took him that one class, however, to become an authoritative lecturer; contemplative and motivational, earnest and compassionate.

He had returned to pay his debt to 30 million Afghans who had invested in his future, as he had put it to a friend.

Another was Sami Sarwari, a graduate of Afghanistan National Institute of Music, who had made his way from vending on the streets of Kabul to most illustrious international stages such as the Kennedy Center.

The onslaught was a testimony to AUAFs valence as a driver of change.

Expunging a civil movement

This attack, however was not the only or the first of its kind. On July 23, two Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) affiliates infiltrated a peaceful demonstration in Kabul leaving 80 people dead and injuring more than 230. The majority, including myself, were students from a historically suppressed minority, the Hazaras.

Shrapnel passed from between my heart and spinal cord and my doctor said that it was a miracle that I had survived.

INFOGRAPHIC: Afghanistan  Who controls what?

During more than a week in the hospital, I walked from bed to bed talking to more than 50 young wounded students.

They were devastated that the attack had taken some of their bests, that it had expunged a nascent civil movement. But they were unwaveringly consigned to education, to peace, to civil protest.

Earlier this year, a car bomb targeted a van of TOLO News, Afghanistans first 24-hour news channel. The victims were young editors and dubbing staff.

The best response to extremism

With mounting corruption and political instability, for many, the only beacon of hope is the new generation of Afghans who commit to modern education  and by extension to humanitarian and citizenry values  who struggle for democracy, and who administer a free and critical media.

Two years ago, Professor Frederick Starr of Johns Hopkins University, said in an AUAF lecture that the roots of Afghanistans turbulence lay in the absence of social tolerance that had once made it a cultural and economic hub of the region.

OPINION: The need for inclusive partnership in Afghanistan

The importance of AUAF resides in its role in promoting tolerance and social dialogue more than in its capacity to train computer engineers.

Thus, AUAF, and institutions like it, are at the forefront of the war on terror  they fight the theoretical foundations of extremism.

It is consoling that AUAF is committed to reopen soon  a testimony of the resilience of young Afghans evident in the many who lay on hospital beds determined to resume classes as soon as the university reopens.

While the loss of Khpulwak and others is unfathomable, such cowardly assaults only make us more committed, as Khpulwak was, following an attack in August 2015, when he told his Stanford University colleagues: We were in a meeting today when the blast happened one kilometre away from us. Trust me, it did not stop us from our work for one minute. I work 12 hours per day, six days a week this summer. This is my response to them. We dont surrender to repressive extremism.

Moh Sayed Madadi is an alumnus of the American University of Afghanistan, now a graduate student at Stanford Universitys Ford Dorsey Program in International Policy Studies.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
By claiming that the other side is using human shields, the attacker provides itself with a pre-emptive legal defence.

Human shields have been making headlines for some time. Before the recent fray between the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) and Iraqi army in Fallujah, the United Press International released an article entitled Iraqi forces halt Fallujah advance amid fears for 50,000 human shields.

Indeed, not a day has passed in the past several months without an array of newspapers mentioning human shields in different theatres of violence: Fom Syria, where ISIL fighters fled Manbij in convoys apparently using human shields; through Kashmir, where army and police used civilians as human shields in operations against militants; to Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists were accused of using international observers as shields.

Moreover, the phrase human shields is not only used to describe the use of civilians in the midst of war, but to depict civilians in protests, from Ferguson in the United States, to Zimbabwe and Ethiopia.

Liberal democratic states are not the only ones who are warning the world of the increasing use of human shields; rather authoritarian regimes as well as a variety of local and international organisations of different kinds, from the Red Cross and human rights NGOs to the United Nations, are invoking the term.

In a recent confidential UN report, Houthi rebels were blamed for concealing fighters and equipment in or close to civilians  with the deliberate aim of avoiding attack.

Allowing killing

Although different forms of human shielding have probably been conceptualised and mobilised since the invention of war, its quotidian use is a completely novel phenomenon. Why, one might ask, has this term suddenly become so pervasive?

Legally speaking, human shields refer to the use of civilians as defensive weapons in order to render combatants or military sites immune from attack. The idea behind the term is that civilians, who are protected under international law, should not be exploited to gain a military advantage.

Given the strategic and pervasive adoption of the phrase human shields, it seems clear that the term is not only being deployed as a descriptive expression to depict the use of civilians as weapons, but also as a kind of pre-emptive legal defence against the accusations of having killed or injured them. by

While most people will undoubtedly be familiar with this definition, less known is the fact that international law not only prohibits the use of human shields but also renders it legitimate for militaries to attack areas being protected by human shields.

The US Air Force, for example, maintains that lawful targets shielded with protected civilians may be attacked, and the protected civilians may be considered as collateral damage, provided the collateral damage is not excessive compared with the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated by the attack.

Along similar lines, the 2013 document on joint targeting published by the US Joint Chiefs of Staff underscores the importance of the principle of proportionality, it also notes that, otherwise lawful targets involuntarily shielded with protected civilians may be attacked  provided that the collateral damage is not excessive compared with the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated by the attack. (PDF)

OPINION: Gaza  No innocent victims?

What all this means, quite simply, is that human shields can be legally killed so long as the deployment of violence does not breach the principle of proportionality  which requires belligerents to refrain from causing damage disproportionate to the military advantage to be gained.

It now appears that police forces the world over are adopting a similar perspective as they confront protests and riots.

The motivation behind the adoption of such guidelines by domestic and international actors is clear: It allows security forces to relax the rules of engagement, while framing those who deploy shields as morally deplorable and in breach of international law.

Pre-emptive legal defence

Given the strategic and pervasive adoption of the phrase human shields, it seems clear that the term is not only being deployed as a descriptive expression to depict the use of civilians as weapons, but also as a kind of pre-emptive legal defence against the accusations of having killed or injured them.

Put differently, if any one of Fallujahs 50,000 civilians is killed during an anti-ISIL onslaught, then it is not the US-backed attacking forces that are to blame, but rather ISIL itself, which illegally and immorally used civilians as shields.

OPINION: The wrong mindset to fight terrorism

Moreover, it increasingly appears that it is enough to claim  in advance  that the enemy is using human shields in order to warrant the killing of non-combatants.

Even though it is undeniable that many militaries and non-state armed groups do, in fact, use human shields, the potential ramifications of the mere accusation are extremely worrisome.

In other words, by claiming that the other side is using human shields, the attacking force provides itself with a pre-emptive legal defence.

To understand fully the implications of this framing it is imperative to take into account that urban areas, as Stephen Graham from Newcastle University put it, have become the lightning conductors for our planets political violence.

The fact that warfare currently shapes urban life in many areas around the globe means that civilians occupy and will continue to occupy the frontlines of much of the fighting.

This leaves them extremely vulnerable to being framed as human shields, since it would be enough to say in advance that the residents of a city are shields for their deaths to be legal and justified.

Insofar as this is the case, then the pre-emptive legal defence may very well be used as part of a horrifying process aimed at legalising and normalising the massive slaughtering of civilians.

Neve Gordon is a Leverhulme visiting fellow at SOAS, University of London.

Nicola Perugini is lecturer at the School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
UN says at least 10,000 killed in war, compared to a previous estimate of 6,000, and warns actual figure is much higher.

The United Nations has significantly revised the estimated death toll from Yemens 18-month civil war to up to 10,000 people  a huge increase on the previous estimate of more than 6,000.

Speaking from the capital Sanaa on Tuesday, Jamie McGoldrick, the UN humanitarian coordinator, said the new figure was based on official information from medical facilities in Yemen.





The number could rise further, McGoldrick said, as some areas had no medical facilities, and people were often buried without any official record being made.

We know the numbers are much higher but we cant tell you by how much, McGoldrick told reporters

The figures we have are probably incomplete because we take the numbers from functioning health services, and in some of these areas there are no functioning health services, he added.

People get killed or die and are actually buried before they are recorded, and we dont have a way of recording that.

Previous estimates cited by officials and aid groups for much of 2016 said the conflict had killed some 6,500 people, half of them civilians.

Worsening humanitarian conditions

Long-running negotiations have failed to end the conflict between government forces, backed by an Arab coalition, and Houthi rebels, who are supported by Iran.

Yemen descended into chaos after the 2012 removal of long-time President Ali Abdullah Saleh, whose forces are now fighting alongside Houthis.

OPINION: The search for common ground in Yemen

A Saudi-led Arab military coalition started air strikes against Houthis in support of the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in March 2015.

Security deteriorated further after the Houthis swept into Sanaa in September 2014 and pushed south, forcing Hadis government to flee into exile.

The conflict has displaced three million Yemenis and forced 200,000 people to seek refuge abroad, McGoldrick said.

The UN had information that 900,000 of those displaced intended to try to return to their homes, he said.

This is a big challenge, especially in areas still experiencing conflict, McGoldrick said.

Some 14 million of Yemens 26 million population need food aid and seven million are suffering from food insecurity, he said.
Education authorities give Pretoria high school a deadline to reassess its rules on how black students wear their hair.

A South African school has been ordered to suspend allegedly racist hairstyle regulations after black pupils said they had been called monkeys by teachers for wearing banned afros, and were forced to chemically straighten their hair.

Pretoria High School for Girls was given 21 days on Tuesday to re-assess its rules pertaining to black pupils hair after protests by students triggered a public dispute over racism.

Learners feel that they are not allowed to wear Black hairstyles, such as Afro. Specifically, the school policy limits the length of the hairstyle, the education ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said that the schools code of conduct  must be reviewed and the clause dealing with hairstyles should be suspended in the meantime.

Some educators tell them [the pupils] they look like monkeys, or have nests on their heads.

Suspension of the rules on hair styles was issued after talks on Monday between senior staff, pupils and Provincial Education Minister Panyaza Lesufi, who said an inquiry into allegations of racial discrimination would be launched.





At the weekend, defiant black pupils with afro hairstyles and braids held a protest at the school against the long-standing regulations.

We wanted to show that we have had enough of the bigotry and racism that we face at school, a pupil, who requested anonymity, told Al Jazeera on Monday.

The high school was also accused by the ministry of a heavy-handed response to the protest for calling in police and armed security guards.

It was odd. Weve never had security at assembly before, the pupil said.

Images of the pupil protests went viral, with messages of solidarity on social media using the hashtag #StopRacismAtPretoriaGirlsHigh.

Alumni have also rallied behind the pupils, with one group writing to a university online newspaper to express their anger over racism, bullying and patently race-based shaming of black womens bodies by staff.

We pledge our support to the crop of young women leaders who have brought national attention to issues we are sorely aware are rampant not only at Pretoria High School for Girls, the letter said.

The school was historically attended by whites only but it admitted black children following the end of apartheid in 1994.

South Africa is still grappling with racial issues 22 years after the end of white-minority rule, with bitter race rows erupting regularly in politics and on social media.
Granting them fewer rights than Guantanamo detainees, the court ordered the Latin American families to be sent back.

The Associated Press reported erroneously that some of the women seeking asylum were from Ecuador. The women were from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, not Ecuador. The earlier version also reported erroneously that the court found the women's fears of violence at home were "not credible." The panel did not rule on the credibility of their claims.

A legal ruling that would send 28 detained immigrant mothers and their children back to Latin America despite their claims that they would be persecuted upon return was upheld on Monday by a federal appeals court.

A panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit denied asylum to the women from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

A report by the United Nations childrens agency earlier this month indicated that people are fleeing some Latin American countries, such as Guatemala and Honduras, due to high crime and poverty, and that deporting vulnerable people back would be tantamount to a death sentence.

Judge David Brooks Smith wrote in the decision that the justices were sympathetic to the plight of the petitioners, but he added that since the women arrived in the US surreptitiously they were not entitled to constitutional protections.

The women came over the US border into Texas but are being held at the Berks County Residential Center in Pennsylvania, said Lee Gelernt, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer, who represented the families.

The decision is wrong as a matter of history and precedent, and if left intact, will be the first time in the history of the country that noncitizens on US soil cannot obtain federal court review of the legality of their deportation, Gelernt said in a statement.

The families plan to appeal, he said.

Government attorney Joseph Darrow, representing the federal agencies, said that he was unable to comment.

An email seeking comment from a Department of Justice spokesman wasnt immediately returned on Monday.

Gerald Neuman, a Harvard Law School professor who co-chairs the schools Human Rights Programme, said on Monday that the ruling is a shocking outcome.

This court has held that these people have no rights under the Suspension Clause, he said, referring to a section of the US Constitution which says that the right of habeas corpus cannot be suspended unless in cases of rebellion or invasion.

Neuman pointed out that courts have even ruled that prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay have the right to contest their imprisonment.

Neuman and more than a dozen scholars and organisations filed a brief in support of the immigrants arguments, outlining why they should have the right to contest their detention.

No other court has taken a serious look at whether people who crossed the border and are arrested in the interior of the country have the right to challenge the legality of their being held for removal, Neuman said, adding that he hopes the full court of appeals takes a look at the case.

This case has significance, he said. Where is this going to stop?

The residential centre where the women are being held, in Leesport, about 104km northwest of Philadelphia, has been under contract with immigration authorities since 2001.

It is one of three such facilities nationwide. The other two are in Texas.
Ireland deals enabled tech firm to avoid paying taxes on almost all profits from sales within EU market, says official.

The European Union has said that US tech company Apple must repay a record 13bn euros ($14.5bn) in taxes after ruling that a special scheme to route profits through Ireland was illegal state aid.

Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years, Margrethe Vestager, the EU competition commissioner, said on Tuesday.

Apples selective treatment by the Irish government meant it paid an effective tax rate of only 1 percent on its European profits in 2003, which then fell to a bare 0.005 percent by 2014.

The tax treatment in Ireland enabled Apple to avoid taxation on almost all profits generated by sales of Apple products in the entire EU single market, Vestager said.

Brussels launched an inquiry into Apples tax arrangements in Ireland in 2014, one of a series of anti-trust cases targeting major US corporations that have angered the US administration.

The European Commission accused Ireland of dodging international tax rules by letting Apple shelter profits worth tens of billions of dollars from tax collectors in return for maintaining jobs.

An exercise in politics

Apple and Ireland rejected the accusation, with Michael Noonan, the Irish finance minister, calling the ruling bizarre, and a political exercise by the EUs competition commission.

As far as I am concerned there is no economic basis for this decision, Noonan told state broadcaster RTE.

Its bizarre and its an exercise in politics by the Competition Commission, he said, according to Reuters news agency.

Noonan also issued a statement saying he disagreed profoundly with the Commission, and would seek cabinet approval to appeal the ruling.

This is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system; to provide tax certainty to business; and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation, he said.

It is important that we send a strong message that Ireland remains an attractive and stable location of choice for long-term substantive investment.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement that the European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apples history in Europe, ignore Irelands tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process.

Beyond the obvious targeting of Apple, the most profound and harmful effect of this ruling will be on investment and job creation in Europe. Using the Commissions theory, every company in Ireland and across Europe is suddenly at risk of being subjected to taxes under laws that never existed, Cook wrote.

For Apple, whose earnings of $18bn last year were the biggest ever reported by a corporation, finding several billion dollars to repay Ireland should not be an insurmountable problem, Reuters reported. The 13bn euros represents about 6 percent of the firms cash pile.
Thousands of people killed by ISIL are believed to be buried in 72 mass graves in Iraq and Syria.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group has buried thousands of their victims in at least 72 mass graves across Iraq and Syria, according to exclusive interviews, photos and research conducted by the Associated Press news agency.

In what amounts to the most comprehensive survey of ISIL massacre sites to date, AP obtained locations of 17 mass graves in Syria, including one with the bodies of hundreds of members of a single tribe all but exterminated when ISIL took over their region.

Of the 72 mass graves documented in the investigation, the smallest contained three bodies; the largest is believed to hold thousands, but no one knows for sure.

ISIL, also known as ISIS, has made no attempt to hide its atrocities. In fact it boasted of them. But proving what United Nations officials and others have described as an ongoing genocide  and prosecuting those behind it  will be complicated as the graves deteriorate.

In its own propaganda, ISIL made clear its intention to wipe out the Yazidi community.

The Yazidi faith, one of the regions oldest, has elements of Christianity and Islam but is distinct. In an issue of its online English-language magazine Dabiq, ISIL scolded Muslims for allowing the Yazidis to continue existing, calling their ancient religion a form of paganism.





We see clear evidence of the intent to destroy the Yazidi people, said Naomi Kikoler, who recently visited the region for the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC.

Theres been virtually no effort to systematically document the crimes perpetrated, to preserve the evidence, and to ensure that mass graves are identified and protected.

Nearly all of the areas recaptured from ISIL control have unmasked new graves, many of which are covered with just a thin coating of earth.

They dont even try to hide their crimes, said Sirwan Jalal, the director of Iraqi Kurdistans agency in charge of mass graves.

They are beheading them, shooting them, running them over in cars, all kinds of killing techniques, and they dont even try to hide it.

Steve Wood, from the satellite intelligence agency AllSource, said: Ultimately there are many, many more sites across Iraq and Syria that have yet to be either forensically exhumed or be able to be detailed, adding that there is more research that needs to take place.

The key to uncovering hidden sites, Wood said, is having photographs to indicate a graves location that has been taken soon after its creation.

READ MORE: Iraq hangs 36 men over 2014 Camp Speicher massacre

Ongoing conflict is hindering the ability of officials to develop estimates of the likely number of ISIL mass graves. For example, at least 16 of the grave sites discovered in Iraq are, as it currently stands, too dangerous to investigate.

In the meantime, estimates of the numbers killed and dumped in mass graves are currently based on the reports of traumatised survivors, ISIL propaganda and what can be gleaned from a cursory look at the Earth from satellite and other imagery.

On August 21, Iraq hanged 36 men convicted over the 2014 ISIL mass killing of hundreds of Iraqi soldiers at Camp Speicher, where about 1,700 army recruits were forced to lie face-down in a ditch and then get machine-gunned.

The hanging suggests that the government is eager to implement hardline consequences for perpetrators.

But justice is likely to be elusive in areas still firmly occupied by ISIL, even though the groups fighters regularly have regularly filmed themselves committing the atrocities.

Activists believe there are hundreds of mass graves in ISIL-controlled areas of Syria that can only be explored when fighting stops.

By that time, they fear any effort to document the massacres, exhume and identify the remains will become infinitely more complicated.
ISIL-linked website says Adnani was killed while monitoring military operations in Aleppo province.

The main spokesman for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) armed group, Abu Mohamed al-Adnani, has been killed in the Syrian province of Aleppo, according to an ISIL-linked website.

Amaq, the ISIL-affiliated media, said on Tuesday Adnani was killed while monitoring military operations in Aleppo.





A US defence official said the US-led coalition forces battling ISIL had conducted an air strike Tuesday targeting a senior leader of the group, without specifying who the leader was.

Coalition forces conducted an air strike in al-Bab, Syria, targeting an [ISIL] senior leader, the official said, according to the Paris-based AFP news agency.

We are still assessing the results of the operation at this time.

Adnani, described as ISILs second most senior leader, was one of the groups longest-serving figures.

The details of Adnanis death remain unclear.

Al Jazeeras Patty Culhane, reporting from Washington DC, said there was no immediate comment or confirmation from US officials of his death.

Believed to had been born in Syria, Adnani was often seen on video urging followers to carry out attacks abroad, our correspondent said.

READ MORE: Killer of French police couple acted on ISIL message

Adnani has been the voice of ISIL, also known as ISIS, over the past few years, and has released numerous, lengthy audio files online in which he urged followers to carry out attacks.

Adnani commanded widespread respect within the movement [ISIL], Shiraz Maher, Deputy Director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at Kings College London, said.

What made him particularly dangerous was that he personally oversaw and directed ISILs external operations. His prominence meant that he even eclipsed the leader of ISIL, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in terms of public pronouncements, so the group will feel his absence quite pointedly.

Earlier this year, Adnani called for massive attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. He has also called for attacks in Western countries.

ISIL controls large swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq, and is fighting Syrian troops, US-backed fighters and other rebel groups in northern Syria, as well as in Iraq.
Coastguard says refugees packed aboard a number of dinghies saved in 40 different operations in one day.

Around 6,500 refugees and migrants were saved off the Libyan coast in 40 separate rescue missions by the Italian coastguard.

Mondays efforts for one of the largest influxes of refugees in a single day this year showed people wearing life jackets jumping off one of the boats and into the Mediterranean before swimming towards rescuers.

The refugees, believed to be mostly from Somalia and Eritrea, were on flimsy rubber dinghies that become highly unstable in high seas.





The command centre coordinated 40 rescue operations that included vessels from Italy, humanitarian organisations as well as the European Unions border agency Frontex, and saved 6,500 migrants and refugees, the coastguard wrote on Twitter.

Five-day-old twins were was among those rescued and airlifted to an Italian hospital, according to Doctors Without Borders, which took part in the operations.

On Sunday, more than 1,100 people were rescued in the same area.

Data released on Friday by the International Organisation for Migration said more than 100,000 migrants and refugees had reached Italy by boat this year, many of them setting sail from Libya.

An estimated 2,726 men, women and children have died over the same period trying to make the journey, an increase of about 50 percent on the same period in 2015.

Italy has been on the frontline of Europes refugee and migrant crisis for three years.

More than more than 400,000 have successfully made the voyage to Italy from North Africa since the beginning of 2014, fleeing violence and poverty.

According to AFP news agency, there are about a dozen vessels run by humanitarian groups that patrol the waters off the Libyan coast, but tensions in the zone have flared recently as rival factions battle to control migrant trafficking.
Activists in rebel-held Idlib say cluster bombs hit a vegetable market in Syrian city, killing seven and wounding 30.

At least seven civilians have been killed and dozens of others wounded in air strikes on the suburbs of the rebel-held city of Idlib in northwestern Syria, activists say.

Tuesdays attack, blamed on the Syrian government and Russian warplanes, struck a vegetable market in the Marret Masreen village, according to the Syrian Civil Defence, a volunteer rescue group.





At 10am (07:00 GMT) the warplanes dropped cluster bombs on the al-Hal souq. The initial death toll is seven, mostly men, while between 30 to 35 have been injured so far, some critically, Hatem al-Shab, head of the Syrian Civil Defence centre in Marret Masreen, told Al Jazeera.

We are still transferring people to hospitals.

Volunteers said the Syrian army and its Russian ally have intensified their attacks on the province in recent weeks.

On Monday, the group, also known as the White Helmets, recorded the death of six civilians, including two children, in attacks on the Abu Dhoor, Khan Shaykhoun and Marret Naaman areas in Idlib province.

This last week, most of the villages in the Idlib province have been targeted, mainly with cluster bombs, Ahmad Sheikho, the head of the media centre for the group, told Al Jazeera.

READ MORE: Deadly air strike hits Idlib maternity hospital

Idlib, the provincial capital in Syrias northwest, has been held by opposition rebels since March 2015.

In June this year, residents faced the heaviest bombardment in months. Thousands were forced to leave the city, with activists estimating that approximately three quarters of the citys population had fled.

The shelling is random and indiscriminatory. Civilians have nothing to depend on, with the shelling targeting the citys infrastructure and residential neighbourhoods, Sheikho told Al Jazeera.

We just want the shelling to stop. We want to stop having to pull out civilians and those that were killed from under the rubble.

READ MORE: Syrias civil war  Civilians flee Idlib bombardment

Adnan al-Ghajer, a Gazientep-based activist for the Local Coordination Committees, a Syrian network documenting daily developments in the country, said the increase in shelling was a result of the Syrian government losing ground.

The violence increases whenever the regime is irritated at losing power in several places, specifically more recently in Aleppo and Hama.

Syrian rebels, mainly the hardline Jund al-Aqsa, alongside the Free Syrian Army, reported in recent days that they have overrun several army and pro-government checkpoints in the northern countryside of the west-central city of Hama.

Earlier this month, rebels also managed to break a month-long government siege on the northern city of Aleppo, which has been divided by opposition control in the east and government control in the west since mid-2012.

The Syrian conflict began as a mostly unarmed uprising against Assad in March 2011, but quickly escalated into a full-blown civil war.

More than 280,000 Syrians have been killed throughout the five years of bloodshed, 4.8 million have fled the country, and 6.6 million have become internally displaced by the violence, according to the UN.
The White House says it is working with Congress to increase the target by a few thousand for 2017.

The Obama administration is set to meet its goal of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees this fiscal year, a month ahead of schedule.

The White House also said that it is working with Congress to increase the target by a few thousand for the following year.

The government had pledged to admit at least 10,000 displaced Syrians during the current fiscal year, which wraps up at the end of September.





While refugee admissions are only a small part of our broader humanitarian efforts in Syria and the region, the president understood the important message this decision would send, not just to the Syrian people but to the broader international community, Susan Rice, US national security adviser, said.

US admission of Syrian refugees has been a hot issue in the 2016 race for the White House, with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump warning that fighters could enter the country posing as refugees.

Trump said that if he is elected, he would persuade Gulf states to bankroll safe zones for Syrian refugees so they would not have to be brought to the US.

In addition, some Democrats in Congress have pressed to toughen the screening process for Syrian refugees.

Syrias civil war has led to a flood of millions of refugees. But so far the United States has offered refuge to far fewer than many of its allies.

Germany has taken in hundreds of thousands and Canada admitted nearly 30,000 refugees between November last year and May 1.

The US took in 29 Syrian refugees in fiscal 2011, 31 in fiscal 2012, 36 in fiscal 2013, 105 in fiscal 2014 and 1,682 in fiscal 2015, according to the US state department.

John Kerry, US secretary of state, will hold talks with politicians in Congress before the administration sets the figure for 2017.

I anticipate that in the next few weeks we will have some additional news on this, Josh Earnest, White House spokesperson, said.

Obama would like to see a ramping up of those efforts but is realistic about how quickly that could happen, he said.
Hollowed out by emigration and lack of opportunities, Camini undergoes revival thanks to an influx of refugees.

Mohamed al-Okla and his wife Amal fled Syrias civil war with their five children in order to resettle in Italy.

Hoping for a fresh start away from the horrors of war, the family has found a place they can call home.

In stark contrast to the transitory way of life in migration centres, the small village of Camini in southern Italy has helped bring a sense of normality to the Syrian family.

The children are happy here, and so am I, Mohamed told Al Jazeera. Here, its calm, tranquil, its good. Were now living in a democratic country and, most importantly, there is peace.

While the continuous influx of refugees is seen as a concern for most European nations, the Camini community has welcomed their arrival as it has helped bring new life to the village.

IN PICTURES: Refugees revive fading Italian villages

Half a century ago, hundreds of locals were driven away by poverty and lack of opportunities.

But with homes being refurbished and children filling up classrooms, the town in the region of Calabria is undergoing a revival.

More work created

Rosaria Zulzolo, who leads the cooperative, appreciates the increased business the inflow of refugees and migrants has brought.

We never thought it would be like a resource for us, said Zulzolo. We just wanted to receive people who were running away from war and offer them hospitality.

And in this hospitality, we saw that shopkeepers were selling more goods, more work was being created.

Around 105,000 refugees and migrants have reached Italy by boat so far this year, according to data from the International Organization for Migration.

An estimated 2,726 men, women and children have died over the same period trying to make the journey.

The Syrian civil war has left more than 270,000 people dead in the past five years.
As US says Ankara-backed rebels and Kurdish forces agree to brief halt in fighting, Turkey insists operation will go on.

US officials said Turkish-backed Syrian rebels and Kurdish forces had agreed to a temporary pause in fighting in northern Syria, as Turkey insisted it planned to continue military operations in the region until all threats to its security were removed.





In the last several hours, we have received assurance that all parties involved are going to stop shooting at each other and focus on the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant [ISIL] threat, Colonel John Thomas, spokesman for the US Central Command, said on Tuesday.

Its a loose agreement for at least the next couple of days and we are hoping that will solidify, he told AFP news agency.

Thomas said the Turkish and Syrian Democratic Forces, made up largely of Kurdish fighters from the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), had opened communications with the US and between each other with the goal of limiting hostilities.

Thomas called the reported agreement between the two groups encouraging.

INSIDE STORY: Does Turkey trust Washington?

The White House also lauded the apparent halt in fighting between anti-ISIL forces in Syria.





The United States welcomes the overnight calm between the Turkish military and other counter-ISIL forces in Syria, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Tuesday.

It continues to encourage these moves as a way to prevent further hostilities and loss of life between all counter-ISIL forces operating in the area.

YPG representative to the global anti-ISIL coalition, Polat Can, also confirmed that they had reached a truce with Turkish-backed rebels.

We have reached a temporary ceasefire between the Jarablus Military Council and the occupying Turkish army in the Jarablus area under the supervision of the global coalition, he said on Twitter.

Unacceptable comments

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Tanju Bilgic, the official spokesman for Turkeys foreign ministry, did not confirm or deny the reported ceasefire.

In a later statement, Bilgic said Turkeys Euphrates Shield operation  will continue, with utmost respect to the territorial integrity of Syria, until the calamity of terror is not disturbing Turkish citizens.

The foreign ministry statement also said that comments from the US about the target and scope of the week-long Turkish military operation in Syria were unacceptable, adding that Ankara expected a US pledge that the YPG would remain east of the Euphrates to be fulfilled as soon as possible.

Separately, Turkish military sources told Reuters news agency that the countrys army had not agreed to any ceasefire with Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.

A senior Turkish military official also told the Sabah daily: We are not aware of such an agreement. If the US announced such a thing that means they are trying to present terrorist organisations as formal parties as if we deal with them.

These conflicting reports could be a further indication of mounting tension between Turkey and the US about how to deal with northern Syria, Al Jazeeras Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Gaziantep on the Turkish side of the Syria-Turkey border, said.

Weve been talking to [Free Syrian Army] factions operating on the ground, he said. They are basically saying that as far as they are concerned there is no truce.

They told me that they have been shelling some areas under YPG control north of Manbij, he added. Their strategy basically is to continue the fight until they push YPG across the Euphrates River.

In a separate statement late on Tuesday, the Turkish military said that three of its soldiers were wounded and a tank was slightly damaged in a rocket attack in western Jarablus, without mentioning which group was behind the strike.

The wounded soldiers were immediately rushed to a hospital and ISIL targets in Syrias Kulliyah region were destroyed with precision, the statement added.

The US has long been trying to avert an escalation in violence between Turkish-backed FSA forces operating in and around the Syrian border town of Jarablus and YPG fighters in the same region.

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter called on Turkey on Monday to stay focused on fighting ISIL and not target the YPG. He said a continued Turkish push would complicate the fight against ISIL.

Both sides are backed by the US in their fight against ISIL, but Turkey, a key NATO ally, views the YPG as a threat because of its close links to the Kurdistan Workers Party, which has been fighting Turkish forces for the past three decades.

Turkish forces last week launched a two-pronged operation inside Syria against ISIL (also known as ISIS) fighters and the YPG, shelling more than a dozen targets.

Over the weekend, clashes between Turkish-backed FSA fighters and the YPG killed at least 25 Kurdish fighters, according to Ankara. Turkey was also accused of targeting Kurdish civilians in air strikes, claims which it denied.

On Monday, Turkish-backed Syrian rebels said they were advancing towards Manbij, a city on the west bank of the Euphrates River, captured earlier this month by Kurdish forces.

Also on Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the YPG needs to cross east of the Euphrates as soon as possible. So long as they dont, they will be a target.

The Turkish government clearly says that it will stop this military operation if the YPG crosses the Euphrates River, Al Jazeeras Alelbarra said. So, there is still a way forward to solve this crisis diplomatically.

However, if the YPG stays in Manbij, we are likely to see the FSA continue fighting until they capture the city. 
Turkey detains Istanbuls former police chief, several governors and journalists as part of probe into failed coup bid.

Turkey has detained a former police chief, several governors and nine journalists, according to state media, the latest in a string of detentions since a failed attempt to topple the government last month.

The Istanbul chief public prosecutors office issued a detention order on Tuesday for Huseyin Capkin, the citys ex-police chief, after new evidence surfaced in its investigation into the finances of a movement led by US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara blames for the July 15 events.

Gulen denies any involvement in the failed coup bid.





Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency said Capkin was held in the western city of Izmir.

A detention order was also issued for an unnamed governor and two unidentified district governors.

Eight governors, including former Istanbul Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu, one deputy governor and three district governors had been put under arrest earlier this month as part of the failed coup probe.

Journalists held

Detention warrants were also issued on Tuesday for a total of 35 journalists, accused of using the media organisations they worked for and their social media accounts to make propaganda on behalf of the Gulen movement, Turkish daily Hurriyet reported.

ANALYSIS: Is press freedom under attack in Turkey?

Nine journalists were held in police operations in Istanbul, Ankara and the northwestern province of Kocaeli on Tuesday, according to Anadolu.

Dincer Gokce, the editor of Hurriyets English-language website, was among those arrested.

Former writers for the Bugun, Radikal and Yeni Safak dailies, and the defunct Zaman newspaper, were also arrested, according to Turkish broadcaster NTV.

Eighteen of the journalists have left the country and authorities were still searching for the remaining eight, Anadolu said.

In a separate development, Greek authorities said on Tuesday that a man claiming to be a judge facing persecution in Turkey after the failed coup attempt had reached the eastern Aegean island of Chios on a boat with a small group of refugees.

Greeces merchant marine ministry says the 48-year-old Turk was arrested for illegally entering the country . A ministry official said the man had told authorities he would seek asylum in Greece.

Crucial test

Meanwhile, the European Parliaments Foreign Affairs Committee Turkey rapporteur said on Tuesday that the respect of human rights and the rule of law in the aftermath of the failed coup attempt would be a crucial test for the state of Turkeys democracy.

The traumatic effect of the coup attempt on Turkish society should not be underestimated, Kati Piri said in a statement.

She also emphasised, however, that the aftermath of the coup attempt involved the arrest of thousands of people [] who definitely were not involved in the coup.

OPINION: Could Turkey turn its back to the West?

The rule of law, including access to lawyers and fair trials, must be respected and this will be a crucial test for democracy in Turkey, she said.

Some 35,000 people have been held for questioning and more than 17,000 of them have been formally arrested to face trial, including soldiers, police, judges and journalists.

Tens of thousands more, suspected of links to Gulen, have been suspended or dismissed from their jobs in the judiciary, media, education, healthcare, military and local government. Some critics say they may have been wrongly dismissed.

Ankaras moves have raised concerns among Turkeys Western allies and human rights organisations, who have urged the government to show restraint.
Pentagon calls for end to clashes between Turkish military and a US-backed Kurdish-led alliance in northern Syria.

The US defence secretary has called on Turkey and Kurdish forces in northern Syria to stay focused on fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group and not to target each other.

Mondays statement by Ash Carter came after Turkish forces launched a two-pronged operation last week against ISIL, also known as ISIS, and Kurdish forces from the Peoples Protection Units (YPG) inside Syria.

Turkey said it killed 25 Kurdish terrorists in strikes on YPG positions on Sunday  meaning the two US-backed partner forces were fighting each other.

We have called upon Turkey  to stay focused on the fight against ISIL and not to engage Syrian Defence Forces (SDF), and we have had a number of contacts over the last several days, Carter said.

We have called on both sides to not fight with one another, to continue to focus the fight on ISIL  That is the basis of our cooperation with both of them  specifically not to engage.

The SDF is a group of fighters formed to fight against ISIL and is led by the YPG.

Turkish determination

Turkey said on Monday it would continue to target the YPG if it failed to retreat east of the Euphrates River.

Carter said the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Joseph Dunford, had spoken to his Turkish counterpart on Sunday over the issue.

The US-led coalition has been backing the YPG with training and equipment to fight ISIL, while at the same time the US has also supported Syrian opposition groups fighting with the Turks in northern Syria.





Turkey regards the YPG as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been battling the Turkish military for more than 40 years.

Peter Cook, Pentagon press secretary, also condemned the clashes in northern Syria.

We want to make clear that we find these clashes unacceptable and they are a source of deep concern, Cook said on Monday, seconding Carters call.

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.

In his remarks, Carter said: The YPG elements of [the SDF] will withdraw, and is withdrawing, east of the Euphrates.

INTERACTIVE: Timeline of attacks in Turkey

That will naturally separate them from Turkish forces that are heading down in the Jarablus area.

Turkish forces, backed by allied Syrian rebels, seized the town of Jarablus from ISIL last week, but also clashed with local fighters affiliated with the SDF.

In an interview published on Monday in the Turkish daily Hurriyet, Hulusi Akar, Turkish chief of staff, was quoted as saying that Kurdish forces around Jarablus have been attacking Turkish soldiers there.

They have to withdraw to the east of Jarablus. Otherwise we will do what is necessary, he told Hurriyet.

On Monday, Turkish-backed Syrian rebels said they were advancing towards Manbij in northern Syria, a city captured earlier this month by Kurdish forces.
Gathering of new recruits at army training camp in northern part of Aden was targeted in suicide car bombing.

The death toll in a suicide car bomb attack on an army training camp in Yemens port city of Aden has risen to 70, according to medical sources.

The incident took place at a camp in northern Aden on Monday when the attacker drove his vehicle into a gathering of new recruits at the camp.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group claimed responsibility for the attack later on Monday.

Khidra Lasour, the director general of Yemens health ministry in Aden, told Reuters news agency that at least 67 people were wounded.

Its a massacre. This is the highest death toll in any attack that has happened in Aden, Hakim Almasmari, editor-in-chief of Yemen Post newspaper, told Al Jazeera.

Scattered debris

Witnesses said the suicide bomber entered the compound behind a truck that had brought breakfast for the recruits, who had queued for the meal.

Officials said some recruits were buried when a roof collapsed after the blast. Debris was scattered around the complex and nearby buildings were damaged as well.





Aden, the temporary base of Yemens Arab Gulf-backed government, has seen a wave of bombings and shootings targeting officials and security forces.

Yemeni authorities have trained hundreds of soldiers in Aden over the past two months as part of operations to retake neighbouring southern provinces from fighters.

Earlier this month, Yemen government forces entered Abyans provincial capital Zinjibar.

Troops retook other towns across Abyan but have met fierce resistance in a key al-Qaeda stronghold, Al-Mahfid, a town which lies further east, security sources said.

Fighters still at large

The fighters are still present in areas surrounding the recaptured towns and control large parts of the neighbouring Shabwa province, the sources say.

The Arab coalition which backs the Yemeni government against Iran-backed rebels has also been providing troops with air cover throughout the war against the fighters.

The coalition assembled by Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen in March last year and has helped government troops to push the rebels out of Aden and four other southern provinces.

But authorities have been struggling to secure these provinces.

More than 6,600 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Yemen since March 2015 and more than 80 percent of the population has been left in need of humanitarian aid, according to the UN.
For Hallie Uhrig, attending UF is a family tradition that began in 1925.

Her great-grandmother, Lassie Goodbread Black, was the first female student to enroll at the university, and the legacy continued. Uhrigs grandmother, a majorette

in the UF Fightin Gator Marching Band, graduated in 1958, and her mother, one of the first to certify in hand therapy, graduated in 1983.

Years of Gator cheerleading outfits and orange-and-blue shoes later, it was expected that Uhrig would follow the UF tradition. But before she enrolled this summer as a UF architecture sophomore, she took a slight detour into rival territory by enrolling at Florida State University.

Initially rejected from UF when she applied in high school, she stayed at FSU for a year before transferring.

While Uhrig was happy at FSU, having gone with high school friends and being part of the honors program, FSUs architecture program only offered interior architectural design, not the full architecture program offered at UF, Uhrig said.

I didnt even know I wanted to go into architecture until my Spring semester at FSU, she said. I was not upset or unhappy about going to FSU, rather really excited to possibly start my own legacy outside of the UF one.

Sara Uhrig, Hallies mother, who majored in health science, said she encouraged her daughter to transfer to UF.

She said she wanted her daughter to carry on the line of Uhrig women who attended UF, even if she didnt start as a freshman.

Carl Van Ness, the UF historian, said legacy candidates used to have preference over other applicants. But that no longer applies.

During the 1920s, UF lacked diversity, he said. African-Americans couldnt attend, and there were few Hispanic and Asian students.

The Buckman Act of 1905 stipulated that only men could attend UF, Van Ness said. FSU, known then as the Florida State College for Women, took female students.

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In 1925, Van Ness said, the Florida legislature passed an act allowing women to enroll at UF if they were 21 years or older, had completed two years of college and wanted to study agriculture, law or pharmacy.

When Goodbread Black first tried to enroll at UF that year, she was turned away. But she came back, enrolling the next day, Sara Uhrig said.

Goodbread Black, married to a UF law student, earned her bachelors degree in agriculture before graduating in 1940 with three children, she said. Her daughter, Carolyn Lucille Black, graduated with two children. Sara Uhrig, Carolyns daughter, graduated with a bachelors degree in health science.

The multigenerational Gator families, like Hallies, are an indication of an institutions maturity and success, Van Ness said.

By coming to UF, Hallie Uhrig said she feels a kinship with her great-grandmother. After both being turned away, they each came back.

I am proud of my legacy, and it reminds me of what a strong family I come from, that we must always push boundaries and persevere for what we want, she said. I am sure my great-grandmother would have been proud of me.

From left: Sara Uhrig, Edna Black Hindson and Hallie Uhrig hold a photo from 1925 of Lassie Goodbread Black. The picture was taken at Smathers Library during a video interview on July 29.
After more than a decade of research, Andrea Dutton, a UF assistant professor in the Department of Geological Sciences, hopes to inform UF students and the public about climate change and the rising sea level.

This is just kind of the first step in a very long process that we have set into motion, she said. We need to be addressing it rather than ignoring it.

Thats why shes participating in Explore More: Sea Level Rise, a free discussion hosted by the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at 6 p.m. today in Pugh Hall. The discussion is designed to create dialogue about sea level rise from local experts.

Both Dutton and Kathryn Frank, an assistant professor in the UF Department of Urban and Regional Planning, will speak about the impact of sea level rising as part of a partnership between the Graham Center and the UF Office of Research.

Kevin Baron, the civic engagement coordinator for the center, said the topic of sea level rise is relevant to Floridians because of the states below-sea-level status.

The potential impact from all of this could be huge, he said. This is an issue in an area that I think students especially should be engaged with.

Dutton said she hopes that people who attend think about the bigger problem of climate change and how they impact the environment daily.

I think people dont really realize the commitment that were making with our current activities, she said.
A week after being charged with attempted sexual battery, an Alachua County assistant attorney has committed suicide, authorities say.

On Aug. 24, Gainesville Police arrested Robert Livingston IV and charged him with attempting to sexually assault two minors.

Tuesday, deputies with the Alachua County Sheriffs Office found him dead in a canoe on Newnans Lake, said spokesman Art Forgey.

Livingston had shot himself, Forgey said.

The sheriffs office received a call at about 10 a.m. Tuesday that a man who rented a canoe Monday night from Kates Fish Camp had not returned it, Forgey said.

About an hour later, deputies spotted Livingstons body via helicopter.

Deputies searched the lakes 5,800 acres by boat and air before finding him. The District Eight Medical Examiners Office will now conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

Well go ahead and work the case and finish the case and close it, Forgey said.

Livingston is listed as one of three assistant attorneys employed by the county, according to the countys website. He had been placed on administrative leave with pay, said Mark Sexton, a county spokesman, in a statement issued Aug. 25.

Mr. Livingston is at the beginning of a legal process, according to the statement. The County has taken the appropriate step based on the information we have available to us at this time.

The charges stemmed from incidents that occurred in 2012, when Livingston, now 54, would walk into the room of a then-16-year-old girl as she slept and touch her breasts and genitals underneath her clothes, according to a police report.

This happened five or six times that year, according to the report. When the victim would wake up, Livingston would stop and leave.

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The victim moved away from the house. But as time passed and another girl living in the house began to mature, the victim reported Livingstons abuse to police in an attempt to prevent further abuse, according to the report.

Prior to telling police, she told Melissa Latham Livingston, Roberts wife, about the abuse. Melissa, 63, then ordered Robert to install locks inside the rooms of the girl and her younger sister, according to the report.

But the locks lasted a few months before Robert removed them, according to the report.

Sometime in June, the girl, now 17, said someone had entered her room as she slept and began to touch her genitals underneath her clothes, according to the report.

At the time, the girl said, she thought she was dreaming but soon realized the incident was too real to be fake, according to the report.

When the girl stirred, the person stopped, and although the girl said she was too scared to open her eyes, she said she believed Livingston was the one who touched her, according to the report.

Afterward, the girl left her room to find Livingston standing in the kitchen with his wife, according to the report. The only other person inside the house was the girls younger sister, who was asleep on a couch.

Scared, the girl then tried to leave the house. When she did, however, Melissa bear hugged her in the homes garage and called for her husband, according to the report.

She broke free and ran to the door, but Robert slammed it closed and pushed her to the ground, according to the report.

When she ran back to the garage, the couple cornered her. Melissa grabbed her around the neck and pushed her against a washing machine, according to the report. After the girl broke free, Robert pinned her to the ground, but the girls younger sister distracted him, giving her time to run to a neighbors house, where she could call police.

The altercation left the girl with bruises on her elbow and forearm, rug burns on her knees and scratches on her neck, according to the report.

Police arrested Robert Livingston and charged him with two counts of attempted sexual battery on a victim 12 years old or greater and child abuse without great bodily harm. Melissa was arrested and charged with one count of child abuse without great bodily harm.

Both were taken to the Alachua County Jail where Robert was released Thursday at 3:27 p.m. on a $50,000 bond and Melissa was released Thursday at 1:46 p.m. on a $10,000 bond.
For the last week, the scandal that plagued Gawker.com has remained silent, its front page littered with parting words from editors and writers alike. Their headlines include, How Guilty Should I Feel? Gawker Was Murdered by Gaslight, and What Was Gawker? These final articles read like obituaries, mourning the impending shutdown of a site that, according to Gawker.com writer Hamilton Nolan, was, anarchist journalism at its finest.

Anarchist, indeed. A past Alligator opinions editor first introduced me to Gawker.com, and I was instantly drawn to its rebellious and profane take-no-prisoners approach to online journalism. No one would ever mistake Gawker.com for The New York Times, The Guardian or its other more pedigreed cousins, as the gossip-news site lacked the well-groomed air of those esteemed publications. Gawker.com shirked traditional journalisms high standards and conservative ethics, often resulting in morally questionable stories. It also had way more f---- sprinkled into its headlines.

The divisive sites downfall began in 2007, when it claimed Silicon Valley billionaire and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel was gay. It then sped up in 2012 following Gawker.coms release of WWE star and fellow Pinellas County, Florida, resident Hulk Hogans sex tape. Thiel silently financed Hogans legal battle, resulting in a jury award of $140 million against Gawker Media, and consequently its founder, Nick Denton. Both Denton and Gawker Media filed for bankruptcy, and thus ushered in the latters auction off to Spanish broadcast company Univision for $135 million. Shortly after winning the bankruptcy auction, Univision announced that while Gawker.coms sister sites Jezebel, Deadspin, Gizmodo, Lifehacker, Jalopnik and Kotaku would live on, Gawker.com itself would be shut down.

Thiels battle against Gawker.com has spawned countless numbers of think pieces and arguments about new media, the First Amendment, privacy rights and how they interact in a world more connected than ever before. In his guest opinions piece published by The New York Times, Thiel painted Gawker.com as a reckless coalition motivated by, cruelty and recklessness, constantly violating privacy rights. Gawker.com branded Thiel as a malicious, revenge-seeking billionaire infringing on First Amendment rights.

Gawker.com undoubtedly exercised questionable ethics in its journalistic approach. Taking its tagline, Todays gossip is tomorrows news, to heart, the sites stories often took on the tone of an outsider looking in, giving us the harsh reality that the insiders often smoothed over. As a result, Gawker.com courted controversy and bad choices with astounding frequency, including its 2015 story outing a New York magazine executive who allegedly offered to hire a male escort on a trip to Chicago. But these missteps were juxtaposed with harsh but necessary insights into the stories other journalistic sources deemed too controversial to address, such as Bill Cosbys public history of sexual assault.

And then there was Thiels role. Is he a billionaire crusader, taking on the reckless gossip site that trampled on countless public figures privacy rights? Or, is he a Silicon Valley plutocrat, hell-bent on destroying the entity that hurt his feelings? Despite the internets contention that he must be one or the other, I have yet to be convinced its that black and white.

What I am sure of is that Ill miss Gawker.com and its crass, harsh and offensive voice. Ill miss editorials detailing the widespread abuse of university adjunct professors and articles detailing the logistics behind Trumps ridiculous hairpiece sitting side by side on the same webpage. In Nolans final post on Gawker.com, he pointed out, Most journalism jobs exist on a continuum between audience and freedom, where you either get to say what you want or have people read it, but not both. Gawker.com proved to be the exception, and whether that was to its benefit or detriment is for you to decide.

Marisa Papenfuss is a UF English senior. Her column appears on Tuesdays.
We live in a world full of myths. Never mind the tales of Japanese-born mutant animals that enticed millions of us to actually leave our homes over the Summer and systematically enslave them within our smartphones or the tales of food items having wild sex orgy parties in supermarkets. (Dont make the same mistake as our opinions editor and watch Sausage Party with your parents, thinking its only a comedy flick.).

No, were addressing common beliefs so unfounded they may as well be considered myths. This week, we tackle ageism.

Ageism is everywhere in our society. You see it probably most blatantly in politics as a means of attacking certain candidates. Take Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, for instance: In 2008, when he ran against then Ohio senator, Barack Obama, he was slammed again and again for being too old to run for president. McCain was 71 at the time. Compare that to our current presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton, 68, and Donald Trump, 70: Theyve all run presidential campaigns at effectively the same age, but why arent Trump and Clinton being vilified for their age the way McCain was?

Well, because age doesnt really have anything to do with effectively handling the presidency. If people werent hung up on nonlinear Hillarys crookedness or Trumps  well, everything  you would definitely start hearing about how their age makes them incompetent or unfit for the job. How can we say this so confidentially? Just look at what happened to the best hope this campaign had to offer: Bobby Jindal  clearly. Does anyone even remember that guy?

For real, though: Bernie Sanders. Even for those of you who dont favor him, you have to admit its hard to actually dislike the man the way you would any other politician. So to attack him and his campaign, what did much of the media and his political opponents resort to? His age.

Every pundit and his or her mother referred to him as, a 74-year-old socialist, when he announced his candidacy, and the Clinton campaign and surrogates were sure to drive home the point of Bernies potentially ill health, as he continued to challenge Clinton during the race. Meanwhile, theres only a 6-year age gap between Clinton and Sanders.

Even outside of presidential politics, just look at the way some of our leaders talk about social security: Its too costly, We need to cut it, Government handouts are ruining America. Meanwhile, the number of seniors working after the retirement age continues to grow, and likewise, our economy will increasingly depend on their contributions: According to Census estimates, by 2050 the population of Americans age 65 and older will account for about one fifth of the population.

This isnt the agequake or demographic time bomb many claim an aging population to be; its an opportunity for us to shift how we view our elders. Americas senior population isnt meant to retire and disappear into nursing homes for the rest of their lives, subject to less-than-regular visits from their grandkids  who, lets face it, are kind of annoying anyway.

Bernie Sanders, at 74 years old, ran a grueling three-rallies-a-day presidential campaign and changed the country. Three of the four members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers are in their 50s, and two still have Greek-god bodies; Flea, the bassist, 53, is still running around like a maniac on stage, doing handstands and jumping off of amps. Joan Rivers, who died in 2014 at 81 years old, was still one of the most active comedians in the country. And there are so many more examples.

Age isnt a limit or a setback; its an opportunity to raise the bar of greatness in this country, and we need to start treating it as such.

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English News Commentary: Acting against globalization will only hurt the world economy

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 29 Aout 2016





By Luo Zeyu on Peoples Daily



The 2016 G20 Hangzhou Summit takes Working Towards an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy as its theme. This 4I theme not only echoes the global economys need for new development concepts, but also goes hand-in-hand with the innovative five development philosophies proposed by China.



Taking the reins of the G20 presidency this year, China aims to share its experiences concerning development with the rest of the world in order to help promote the sustainable development of the global economy.



Since 2008, the global economy has taken a hard fall, with the IMF and the World Bank frequently downsizing economic growth forecasts and trade growth falling behind economic growth for several consecutive years. While major economies have successively launched stimulus packages aimed at their own economies, a new robust driving force for the global economy has yet to form.



Given this downturn, several developed countries turned away from globalization and began calling for the reindustrialization of local industries in order to protect their domestic markets. Global trade and investment mechanisms have shifted their focuses while the Spaghetti bowl effect in free trade zones became more severe.



Whats worse, the policymakers of many states are currently more focused on addressing present difficulties rather than dealing with long-term maladies.



As a result, roadblocks have started to block the way when it comes to international economic cooperation. If insufficient communication continues the situation will only worsen as the macro-economic policies of various nations will end up contradicting each other.



Globalization has led to the world becoming an interdependent global village. Reversing this trend is not the right choice for the world economy, nor is engaging in trade protectionism under the veil of reindustrialization. For example, attempts to alleviate exchange rate depreciation is only addressing a symptom instead of the root causes.



In light of these challenges, the world needs to increase cooperation and mutual assistance. This in turn calls for the global community to show broader vision.



At the fifth plenary session of the CPC Central Committee in 2015, China put forward its five development philosophies: innovation, coordination, green technologies, openness and shared development.



With the economic slowdown and the lackluster performance of the countrys traditional driving force, China needs innovation and coordination to maintain economic vitality and stable growth. It requires green technology and openness to establish new models and expand into new development space. Last but not least, shared development will lead to long-term, inclusive and balanced development.



The almost 40-year-long experience of Chinas reform and opening-up indicates that in order to deal with lackluster economic growth, we should encourage innovation and entrepreneurship and improve efficiency through scientific technology. As to the trade slump, conventional methodologies including industry protection and market share competition are not the way to go. Only through consultation, collaboration, resource optimization and complementary advantages can we remedy the overall economic situation.



Blindly shutting our doors on the world is not the way to deal with domestic enterprises going bankrupt and unemployment. The right choice should be to expand into new markets by aiding the industrialization and urbanization of underdeveloped countries.



According to the 2016 Global Innovation Index released by the World Intellectual Property Organization, the Britain-based INSEAD and the US-headquartered Cornell University, Chinas innovation capacity rose from last years 29th place to 25th place. This is the first time a middle-income-country has entered the top 25.



In recent years, in order to achieve interconnected development with the world, China has proposed its Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiatives, worked towards enhanced international production capacity cooperation and put forward a series of other initiatives.



In the meantime, the Chinese government has been devoted to logistical reform and industrial transformation and upgrading. In 2015, there were 4.439 million newly-registered enterprises across the country, a 21.6 percent year-on-year increase, while the number of daily registered companies reached 12,000. Patent applications exceeded 1 million for the first time and contribution from technological improvement increased to 55.1 percent.



Actually, the 4I represents Chinas five development philosophies in the global arena, as the two share the same core. With innovative development a highlight of cooperation mechanisms, collaboration frameworks are sure to be be more open, inclusive and independent.



For instance, unlike past institutional arrangements such as closed off free trade zones, common markets and economic alliances or one-way industrial shifts, the Belt and Road initiative and international production capacity cooperation efforts put more emphasis on networked collaboration. Improved global infrastructure connectivity can also boost the sustained and interconnected development of the global economy.



The principles of inclusiveness and sharing are also important when establishing platforms. The China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, on one hand, has worked to raise funds to help developing and underdeveloped countries address capital shortages for infrastructure construction projects, while on the other hand, it has modestly learned from the operation experiences of its so-called competitors, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.



Choosing the picturesque Hangzhou as the site for the summit also conveys Chinas vision for realizing the green development of the world economy.



Taking on the responsibilities of the G20 presidency, China will share its philosophies, confidence, vision and sincerity through this international arena. China also hopes the 4I theme can inspire a fifth I - Incentive.



(The author is a research fellow belonging to the Development Research Center of the State Councils Foreign Economic Relations Research Department)



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)










English News Hangzhou G20 Summit Just fits the opportune moment

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 29 Aout 2016





By Martin Jacques, Provided by the Peoples Daily



The forthcoming G20 summit comes at an appropriate moment in the evolution of Chinas own relationship with the global economy and its governance.



Chinas formal entry into the global economy was marked by its admission to the WTO in 2001. For more than a decade after that, with economic growth averaging around 10%, trade expanding to the point where China became the worlds biggest trading nation, and overseas investment growing very rapidly albeit from a very low base, China chose to take a back seat while learning the ropes of its newly acquired status.



But over the last two years, China has shifted from being a passive player to an increasingly proactive role. Rather than being a follower, it is increasingly becoming a maker and shaper of globalisation. China can no longer be accused of being a free rider, which in any case was always an unfair accusation against a developing country that was a relative newcomer to the global economy. The two most obvious examples of Chinas new role are the formation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which will be overwhelmingly the most institution funding infrastructure in Asia, with a membership drawn from across Asia and Europe; and the One Belt One Road project, which promises to be the most ambitious multinational development program ever seen.



The biggest single problem that China will face as the host and chair of the G20 Summit is that while its global reach is extending and intensifying in a variety of ways  AIIB, OBOR, overseas investment, the expansion of the role of the RMB, and the internationalization of its companies  the growth in international trade and investment has been declining. Even more seriously, there are increasing signs in the West of a popular revolt against globalization. The two most dramatic illustrations of this are the rise of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders and their argument that globalisation has harmed the wages and job prospects of the American working class. The other example is the Brexit vote in the UK, with 52% of the UK population voting to leave the European Union after 41 years of membership. The central question posed by these developments is whether the dynamic of globalisation is faltering and beginning to fragment?



These trends cannot be brushed aside because they enjoy a deep groundswell of popular support in the US and UK and elsewhere. The problem is not globalization per se but the type of globalization that has been pursued; namely, that large sections of the population in the US and Europe have not benefited, while a wealthy minority have, thereby exacerbating inequality and breeding resentment.



The four topics chosen for the Summit are highly relevant. Breaking a new path for growth is the key problem facing the global economy as growth slows. The most dramatic illustration of the latter is to be found in Europe and the United States. The West has never recovered from the financial crisis and shows no signs of doing so. The EU economy is barely bigger than it was in 2007 and is now facing the almost certain prospect of a lost decade; the United States has done a little better, but its growth rate remains disappointing. The policy response to stagnation has been grossly inadequate in both the US and Europe. They have relied overwhelmingly on monetary policy, and above all quantitative easing, which has singularly failed to revive growth.

The danger facing the global economy is a further decline in growth, stagnation in the West, the weakening of integration and a trend towards fragmentation. It is now clear that the Western financial crisis marked the end of the era of globalization that began around 1980 and ushered in a new period of extremely low Western growth.



The importance of China is that, by global standards, it is still growing very rapidly and remains strongly committed to the importance of globalization and interdependence. It is in a powerful position  by virtue of both its performance and its commitment to globalization  to offer a different model for the future based on growth, co-operation and a different kind of globalization. The West needs to embrace a different policy response, one that recognizes the need to boost effective demand. That cannot be achieved by relying on monetary policy alone. The United States, for example, has a decaying infrastructure which impedes its growth performance. It needs to throw large amounts of money at renewing its infrastructure as it did in the New Deal in the 1930s.



Let me mention in conclusion the second priority identified for the Summit: more effective and efficient global economic and financial governance. There is clearly an underlying and intensifying crisis in this area. You dont need to be Albert Einstein to understand why. There has been a dramatic shift in the center of gravity of the global economy from the developed to the developing world over the last 40 years: in the mid-70s the developed world accounted for two-thirds of global GDP, by 2030 it is projected that figure will be more like one-third. Yet the formal global economic governance structure has changed relatively little during recent decades.

The two most significant developments have been the de facto replacement of the G7 by the G20 and the belated changes in the voting system at the IMF and World Bank. At an informal level there have been far more dramatic changes, notably the formation of the AIIB and the New Development Bank, and the rise of the renminbi as an international currency. One Belt One Road too will prefigure new bilateral and multilateral governance models. These changes are the embryo of a new global economic governance structure that is in the process of creation.



Of course, governance is about power  and the shift in power. The problem with the present formal structure is that it no longer reflects the distribution of economic power in the world. A major consequence of this is that the IMF and the World Bank no longer have the kind of resources  dependent as they are, for the most part, on Western countries and Japan  that are required to fund a much larger global economy, which is increasingly concentrated in the developing world. An obvious role for the World Bank, one might think, would have been the funding of infrastructural development in Asia. But because it is a Western institution, it has neither the resources nor the political will and priority to do this.



Given the state of the West  and the fact that elections will soon take place in the US, Germany and France  it is difficult to see any major breakthroughs taking place at the G20. It has taken nearly a decade for the G20 Summit to take place in China. Given that China (together with a robust Indian growth rate) is presently by far the most positive development in the global economy and that China lies at the heart of the future of the global economy and its governance, the Hangzhou Summit is an historic moment. If China could offer some new imaginative proposals at the Summit, then it could make the Summit a very memorable occasion indeed.



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)
Just as some people are starting to fear whether driverless cars will do us more harm than good, there's a growing concern that the use of artificial intelligence  letting software and machines make decisions rather than people  could lead to legal and ethical problems in financial services.

Letting a software program decide on its own who may obtain a checking account, who can get a loan and what rates they should be charged could have unintended consequences that include people being excluded from mainstream finance.

Some would argue there is nothing fairer than an algorithm  pure math, after all, cannot be biased, right?

"A machine or a robot is going to base decisions on facts and criteria," said Steve Palomino, director of financial transformation at Redwood Software. "Removing the human element means you're going to apply criteria based on facts and circumstances, not based on preference or personal biases or experiences." A machine could also keep better records about exceptions, he said.

One flaw in this argument is algorithms are written by people, who can be and usually are biased, often in subtle ways they themselves fail to recognize. Those biases can be built into algorithms. For example, last year Carnegie Mellon University researchers tested how Google's algorithms deliver ads to people. They found that Google showed jobs with higher salaries to people who had selected "male" in their ad settings than to those who clicked "female."

At an extreme, an artificial intelligence engine making credit decisions could approve only people who graduated from Ivy League schools, for example, or who have household incomes above $300,000.

Artificial intelligence, by its very nature, cannot be completely controlled the way today's rules-based systems are. In AI, computers learn what to do over time the way people generally do: by receiving information, making decisions based on that data and observing the results. As they learn from mistakes and from good choices, they modify their own rules and algorithms and start to draw their own conclusions.

Amitai Etzioni, a professor of international affairs and director of the Institute for Communitarian Policy Studies at George Washington University, noted that driverless cars are instructed not to speed, but they are also designed to learn. When they are around other cars that are speeding, they will speed.

The same principle could apply with AI-delivered mortgage decisions. "The bank tells the program, under no circumstances should you use race as a criterion," he said. "The program goes out there and sees that risks are associated with income, education and ZIP codes. And the program says you know what, race is a factor, because education and ZIP code associate with race. Why don't I use race as my criterion?"

AI programs lack a conscience. "It's hard to encode morals and colorblindness into a machine  its only purpose is to look for solutions for the company," said Steve Ehrlich, associate at Spitzberg Partners, a New York corporate advisory and investment firm.

Checks and balances?

Etzioni suggested that what's needed are AI "guardians"  companion AI systems that make sure the artificial intelligence engines do not stray from certain values.

Couldn't an AI guardian end up learning bad habits, too?

"That question has been asked since Plato," Etzioni said. "Who will guard the guardians? In the end, a human being would have to be in the loop."

This leads to a third issue  the inner workings of artificial intelligence programs tend to be hidden, even from their creators. In other words, AI "darkens the dark box," Etzioni said. The decisions financial institutions make about who they take on as customers, to whom they lend, the rates they charge, and so forth become unknowable.

These are not just problems to consider in traditional financial institutions. Many fintech companies have black-box automated decision-making and a heavy reliance on algorithms. The marketplace lender Social Finance has declared itself a "FICO-free zone," meaning it does not use the FICO score most lenders rely on to determine creditworthiness.

But it will not answer questions about what data it does use in its algorithms. Prosper's Chief Executive Ron Suber has said the company analyzes 500 pieces of data on each borrower, but the company will not say which data points those are.

Ehrlich says letting artificial intelligence engines make financial decisions also raises privacy issues around the data being fed into the machines.

"Say a company wants to look at your social media or your search engine history to determine your creditworthiness," he said. "They go into Facebook and find a picture of you that you didn't upload  it's a picture of you at a bachelor party or gambling at a casino  and that data gets fed into the algorithm." The bank should at least tell the customer it plans to use that information.

Etzioni offers another example: a bank's AI program could "learn" that a customer has cancer based on hospital or doctor bills or buying patterns (e.g. a wig, vitamin supplements, anti-nausea medication) and call in her loan.

Of course, data privacy issues exist with or without artificial intelligence. But the success of an AI program hinges on its ability to analyze massive amounts of data. Before IBM's Watson competed on the game show "Jeopardy!" it consumed 200 million pages of structured and unstructured content, including the full text of Wikipedia. Without all that data, Watson would have been stumped by many of the questions.

Unlike IBM in that instance, banks cannot just throw everything into their AI engines, Ehrlich said.

"It's tempting to just suck up as much as you can and keep it in one central repository, without saying what you'll be using it for in the future," he said. Banks need to be upfront about what information they collect, how it is collected and what it is used for. This is also a concern for Facebook's payment services and PayPal's credit services, where the companies have personal, intimate information about their customers.

Recourse

Another issue with automating decisions using AI, especially if they are executed automatically through smart contracts, is recourse.

"If we're not careful, we may not be doing the good we think we are by automating everything," said Christine Duhaime, a Toronto lawyer who specializes in anti-money-laundering rules, counterterrorist financing and foreign asset recovery and is the founder of the Digital Finance Institute. "The reason is because the more we automate, the less easy it is to talk to a human about what your problem is. Try to reach Google. I don't know that I've ever succeeded in reaching Google for anything in my life."

Ehrlich also noted that if an automated decision has a negative outcome for the customer, the person needs to have a way to protest it.

There is also extra onus on the company in this case to make sure all the data used in the decision is accurate and up-to-date, he said. Automated decisions should not be allowed, he said, unless users give explicit consent for them, the company has appropriate technical safeguards and privacy policies in place, and the company is only using data to which it has authorized access, that is accurate, and that is categorized properly.

And there is a danger in AI of excluding people who do not use computers or mobile devices because they are disabled or elderly, Duhaime noted. "Because we're talking to machines, we're going to lose a lot of customer service and we're going to lose a lot of ability to solve the banking problems we have," she said. "That's going to create other banking problems that can never get solved because there aren't humans ever available to solve them."

AI systems could be used to build technology for disabled people, she said. "If we don't accommodate disability in a lot of this, I think we'll be causing more harm than good."

Editor at Large Penny Crosman welcomes feedback at penny.crosman@sourcemedia.com.
Call him the mentor-in-chief.

While Elmer Laslo is officially the chairman and chief executive at 1st Summit Bank in Johnstown, Pa., he also doubles as the head of professional development. He leads orientation programs for new hires. He runs financial wellness seminars for employees who want guidance on saving, investing and managing their money. He even heads a formal mentoring program, routinely teaching classes with such titles as "Achieving Peak Performance," "Interacting with Others" and "Effective Time Management."

It's an unusual level of engagement for a bank CEO, and Polly Preivite, the senior vice president of operations, said it is part of what makes 1st Summit a special place to work. A typical class includes a mix of employees from multiple departments, ranging from entry-level tellers and back-office workers to senior executives.

"Regardless of your position you are given the same attention from the CEO, and the same opportunity to grow and excel," Preivite said. "We invest in everybody. Why wouldn't you want to work here?"

Laslo, who has been CEO of 1st Summit for 39 years, likes to say that he manages "by walking around." Apart from leading many of the bank's professional development efforts, he also makes regular visits to the branches and hosts monthly meetings of non-officers to get feedback on how 1st Summit could improve.

These interactions "give me information as to what they are thinking," Laslo said. "It makes me approachable so they are not afraid to make suggestions or voice concerns."

Laslo also wants employees to see 1st Summit as a fun place to work. Four times a year, the bank hosts outings that are designed partly to recognize employees for jobs well done, but also to give them a chance "to let their hair down and enjoy each other's company," Laslo said. The biggest event is a summer picnic, held every August, that includes a softball game and other outdoor activities and is followed by an awards ceremony.

Few CEOs have been on the job as long as Laslo. At the time he took the helm nearly 40 years ago  when he was just 28  1st Summit had a handful of branches and just $17 million of assets. He has since built it into a $950 million-asset institution with 16 locations in five western Pennsylvania counties, all without ever making an acquisition.

Laslo attributes that growth in large part to the bank's efforts to create a fun, nurturing work environment. (It has been on the list of Best Banks to Work For several years running.)

"People see 1st Summit Bank as a company that not only cares about its customers, it cares about its employees," he said. "They can see that happy employees make for happy customers."

Its efforts are paying off for shareholders too. The bank has for years been among the most profitable in the country in its asset class, even posting double-digit returns on equity during the height of the financial crisis. It recently placed No. 22 in American Banker's ranking of the top-performing community banks based on three-year return on average equity.
To an objective viewer, it is curious that Donald Trump has such upside down numbers with the minority community, women, and moderate Republicans. Hillary Clinton has not provided any rational explanation for the comingling of Clinton Foundation interactions with the State Department. This type of scandal would sink almost any other candidate. However, after months of demonizing Trump through distorted ads and her surrogates in the press, Hillarys campaign has succeeded in painting Trump as a danger to our nation that makes him unfit. Sounds like the work that helped defeat Mitt Romney in 2012. Clearly, his crude and non-nuanced comments play to this theme. But, can the Trump campaign finally respond in a way that makes him acceptable to these groups?

The Trump campaign must focus him on the issues and avoid inflammatory language (bigot), the stuff of Democrat candidates. The media avoids any discussion of the California KKK support for Clinton, but this has become routine. If the campaign points out the differences on the issues, there is every reason to believe that Republicans can be successful. The undecided voters generally prefer a dignified or Presidential candidate.

The press suppresses negative material related to Hillary, claiming it is repetitive, already disposed, and boring, while replaying contradictions and questionable statements from Trumps mouth. Which is more dangerous to the nation, poor public pronouncements by Trump or the selling of access to the State Department officials by the Clinton Foundation? As more e-mails emerge on this issue will the press finally do their job? Will they report that the Clinton server was scrubbed by BleachBit (not a cloth) intended to make the hard-drive unrecoverable by the FBI? Why would innocent personal material be so carefully removed? Where are the investigative reporters on this question?

Trump opposes the failing ObamaCare, while Hillary endorses it. He should detail what his legislation would eliminate and what he would keep. Clearly the reduction of federal mandates would lower the cost and provide greater choices. He has stated that he would not support allowing people to die in the streets demonstrating his compassion. Trump should run ads on this issue contrasting the differences.

Trump opposes the globalist foreign policy of some Republicans and Democrats. He should articulate his strategy for use of force and contrast it with Hillarys errors in judgment while in office (including Libya, Egypt, Syria, Russia, and Iraq). A well-placed ad on this subject will help reassure the undecided, including younger citizens who worry about endless Middle East wars; these are the type of people looking toward Libertarian Gary Johnson.

The fear of financial insecurity among the younger educated population and women can be answered by a clear growth program. Contrasting the differences between the two candidates tax plans and regulatory programs will give these people a chance to weigh the differences. Workers displaced by the loss of manufacturing jobs may already see Trump as an alternative, due to his trade policies. Again, ads will allow the Trump campaign to break through the press stranglehold.

Attempts to attract minority voters should focus on the pain within the communities. Providing enterprise zones in these neighborhoods to encourage private business and private sector jobs within these areas as opposed to more government spending on welfare programs (Hillarys approach) will encourage ownership and wealth accumulation. Law and order affects such movements, but should not be offered in a way that can be played as racism. Trump must point out the lack of safety for so many minority victims. Cuts in federal help for local police departments, which Hillary would continue, has contributed to this problem. He should continue visits to minority communities and request their support and offer proposals.

Independents oppose the establish order within the political parties. This is Trumps best argument for their vote. He is an outsider from the Washington elite. Hillary is the epitome of this establishment. He can tout his economic success through the private sector, while Hillary has gained financially through her and her husbands public positions.

Trump has not spent enough on ads in the swing states. He must dip into his personal wealth now; he can fundraise and reimburse himself later. The Republican Party is divided partly due to his personality, partly because he is not a strict Constitutionist, and partly because he came from the outside to destroy the aspirations of established politicos. His Court appointments would be preferable to Hillarys for any conservative. He is a capitalist compared with Hillarys progressivism. He would attempt to improve the Veterans Administration, unlike Hillary. He does not distain the military or police as the left does. He should continue outreach to hesitant Republicans and help unify the party.

Perhaps the most crucial tactical issue for Kellyanne Conway is to build the necessary ground game to get the vote to the polls. The polling data shows some tightening of the numbers, but Trumps campaign must make the case that a Johnson vote is wasted. Bill Clinton never managed 50% of the vote, but won twice as Ross Perot helped divide the opposition vote. Hillary is counting on this strategy as she is unpopular.

The media has not published polling data with enthusiasm as it tightens. Reagan was a great communicator as he found ways to jump over the media against a sitting president. Will the Trump campaign find a path to do the same?
In 1871, Karl Marx published a pamphlet, "The Civil War in France," discussing the fight between the radical Commune radical group that had ruled Paris for a few months and the national government that resulted in more than 20,000 casualties. The Commune attempted to institute political and social reforms, particularly the separation of church and state, and better social conditions.

In summer 2016, a political and legal civil war has erupted in France on what is not simply a trivial issue of women's swimsuits, but a symbol of controversial issues of Islamic identity within a secular society, adherence to French law and custom, and freedom of expression.

French society has been concerned for nearly 30 years with the problem of the clothes of Muslim women. Now it is divided over the wearing by Muslims of burkinis, the swimsuits that cover the full body except the face, hands, and feet, on the beaches of France. So far, we have not heard from Brigitte Bardot, the scantily clad movie goddess who popularized the bikini in the 1956 film And God Created Woman. Her voice might be helpful in resolving the question of whether French administrators of beaches today should allow only the bikini-clad equivalents of Bardot in her glory days...or should they permit Muslim women wearing the more substantial and controversial costume?

At this point, the burkini, or more precisely what French officials term "beachwear that ostentatiously displays religious affiliation," had been banned by mayors in 30 towns on the basis of a threat to law and order. Some small fines had been imposed, particularly in Nice, where the city government fined 24 women for wearing the garment.

The highest administrative court in France, the Conseil d'Etat, has now entered the battle. The French Human Rights League and the Collective against Islamophobia in France had challenged the ban on the wearing of burkinis imposed by the mayor of Villeneuve-sur-Loubet, one of the 30 towns that had issued them. A local court in that town upheld the regulation.

On August 26, 2016, the three senior judges of the Conseil d'Etat held that the ban was "a serious and manifestly illegal infringement of fundamental liberties such as freedom of movement, freedom of conscience and personal liberty." For the Court, the burkini did not constitute a risk to public order.

The non-military civil war on the question involves political figures within the French political class as well as outside the government and some dignitaries from other countries. According to one survey, 64 percent of French people favor a ban, while only 6 percent were opposed, and 30 percent were indifferent.

Not surprisingly, Nicolas Sarkozy, former president and again a presidential candidate, a law and order candidate, demanded a nationwide ban of burkinis. The mayor of Nice, David Lisnard, referred to the burkini as like a uniform, a symbol of Islamist extremism  not simply an innocent religious symbol, but also a militant emblem of radical Islam, consciously marking a separation of a group from the mainstream.

The Muslim mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, in a visit to Paris, condemned the ban as impractical and illiberal. The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, confined herself to condemning "hysteria" on the issue. Not unexpectedly, the responsible official of Amnesty International remarked that the bans did nothing to increase public safety but did a lot to promote public humiliation.

Within the socialist government there was a clash between Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Minister of Education Najat Vallaud-Belkacem. Valls defended the existing short-term local regulations, though not any nationwide legislation. Valls argued on two grounds. One is on the fact that the bans were imposed in the name of public order, because only a few days earlier, the massacre had occurred of 86 civilians in Nice. As a result, there was understandably considerable tension in the south of France as well as in the country as a whole. The other, more controversial, reason was his argument that the burkini is a symbol of the enslavement of women. President Francois Hollande entered the discussion by declaring that wearing a burkini is a political act, a militant provocation.

In contrast, Vallaud-Belkacem, Moroccan-born, who describes herself as a non-practicing Muslim, said the ban "had let loose" verbal racism, is dangerous for national cohesion, and raised the issue of individual freedom. She wondered to what extent France should go to ensure an attire that is respectful of good morals. In what seems a curious statement when defending women who want to hide their bodies, she asserted that permitting women to wear the burkini would promote a society where women could be free and proud of their bodies. The government minister for women, Laurence Rossignol, more appropriately said that burkinis were designed to hide women's bodies.

There are several questions to be considered. Is the "law and order" approach valid? It is true that a burkini cannot conceal a weapon. Though it is not an exact equivalent, an interesting precedent bolstering the argument of those advocating law and order was the event in London in July 2015 when a nine-member gang wearing burkas who had engaged in ten robberies were arrested. Among the places robbed were Selfridges, Prada, and Jimmy Choo. The haul included Rolex watches worth half a million dollars.

More relevant is the issue of the nature of France, the place of Islam within French culture, and adherence to French behavior and custom. France is symbolized in different ways, but a starting point might be the allegorical image of the nation in the Delacroix painting "Liberty Leading the People," one of the prized works of art in the Louvre. The image, widely identified as a representation of France, is of a rather sensual Marianne, topless and holding the tricolor flag in one hand and a musket in the other.

Everyone recognizes that the image signifies France as a country of liberty and equality, but it also symbolizes three specific aspects of France as a country that is secular, hedonistic, and a supporter of women's liberation, to all of which the burkini poses a challenge.

A compromise solution might be to distinguish among the various forms of Muslim women's attire, from the mildest to the most extreme, the hijab, the chador, the niqab, and the burka, but this would be avoiding the main issue. The issue of public order in France is ever present because of Islamist activity. Yet the burkini is not a major factor on this issue, though it is unclear whether the decision of the Conseil d'Etat, removing the ban, will calm or heighten tensions and passions.

The real question is whether all Muslims living in France and in other Western democratic societies will accept Western values. To what extent will they obey the national law instead of sharia law, respect French accepted customs of behavior and dress, and adhere to rules of hygiene and safety in public, including bathing, areas?

The overriding issue is adherence of all people in the country to the principle of laicite, the secularist principle, on which French society rests. The issue goes back to the 1905 constitution in the attempt to separate church and state, with freedom of conscience, the principle of no official recognition of a religion, and neutrality in religious affairs. Secularism in education is ordained, while freedom of religion and freedom to exercise it are guaranteed. In 2016, president Hollande proposed a temporary ban on foreign funding for mosques and closed 20 mosques preaching radical Islamist ideology.

With the entrance into France of large numbers of Muslims, mostly from North Africa, various additions to the law were made relevant to that immigration. In 2004, a law forbade "dissimulation of the face," the wearing of conspicuous religious signs, religious emblems, Christian crosses, and Jewish kippas as well as the Islamic hijab in public schools and colleges. The question now is whether that law should be extended to all public spaces, and this would include beaches.

In 2010, France, the first European country to do so, banned full-faced Islamic veils from public places. The government minister for women's rights at the time, Pascale Boistard, supported banning students from wearing veils at French universities. The ban was upheld in July 2014 by the European Court of Human Rights, which held that the preservation of a certain idea of living together was a legitimate aim of French authorities.

There are two overriding issues. One is whether Muslim women's attire signifies oppression rather than liberation of women. The other is whether the wearing of the burkini is a deliberate way of indicating religious identity in public places and therefore explicitly constitutes Islamic propaganda. For the sake of peace and stability and "living together" in France, the better part of wisdom is to allow the ban on burkinis to continue.
As the polls tighten with Donald Trump pulling even or ahead of Hillary Clinton, the left is getting frantic. Mrs. Clinton is reaching into the Democrat playbook, pulling out their go-to and typically successful Hail Mary fourth down play: the race card. And not just a single card. She is throwing the entire deck at Trump.

Her speech last Thursday was an appeal to disaffected Republicans to abandon Trump and join the Clinton train. The GOP establishment, from National Review and The Weekly Standard to Fox News and the rest of the inside-the-Beltway elites, have long ago ditched Trump, Pollyannaishly waiting for their unicorn candidate to magically appear. Mrs. Clinton trotted out the usual canards  "dog-whistle", "hate speech", "far-right fringe"  with the only new bogeyman being the new "alt-right" movement.

Beyond the rhetoric, let's see who the real racist candidate is. Sorry, MSNBC  it is not Donald Trump, but rather your anointed candidate.

Hillary Clinton accuses Trump of "pushing discredited conspiracy theories with racist undertones." I presume she is referring to the many still unanswered questions about Barack Obama's childhood and life story. Who was the original birther? Not Donald Trump. Not John McCain, who bristled if any of his supporters even mentioned Obama's middle name. The original birther was the 2007 Hillary Clinton campaign. Her chief strategist, Mark Penn, wrote a memo: "I cannot imagine America electing a president during a time of war who is not at his center fundamentally American in his thinking and in his values." Penn proposed targeting Obama's "lack of American roots." Sounds like birtherism to me. And from the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Trump is the racist?

Hillary Clinton, on 60 Minutes in 2008, was asked by Steve Kroft if she believed that Obama is a Muslim. She answered, "Of course not" but ended her denials with the caveat: "as far as I know." A non-denial denial. A dog whistle to the birthers saying that even though she can't prove it, the allegation may still be true.

Trump is the racist?

Around that same time, Bill Clinton was trying to secure an endorsement for his wife's campaign from Ted Kennedy. Bill remarked about Obama, "A few years ago, this guy would have been getting us coffee." When Kennedy endorsed Obama, Bill then said, "The only reason you are endorsing him is because he's black. Let's just be clear."

Trump is the racist?

Mrs. Clinton is not bigoted not just against blacks, but against Jews as well. A Clinton biographer reported that when Bill Clinton unexpectedly lost his Arkansas congressional election in 1974, Hillary shrieked, as she is well known to do, at his campaign manager, "You f------ Jew b------."

Trump is the bigot?

Listening to Mrs. Clinton, one would think the KKK is all in for The Donald. Not so fast. KKK Grand Dragon Will Quigg is on the "I'm With Her" bandwagon. "We want Hillary Clinton to win," he told reporters. The Clinton campaign has also received more than $20,000 in donations from KKK members.

Trump is the racist?

Speaking of the KKK, a now deceased U.S. senator, Robert Byrd, was a prominent member of the KKK. Of importance, Senator Byrd was a Democrat, not a Republican. He rose within the KKK to the lofty position of "Exalted Cyclops." His Senate accomplishments included joining other Democrat senators in a filibuster of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which eventually passed due to overwhelming Republican, not Democrat, support. Upon Senator Byrd's passing, Mrs. Clinton eulogized him, saying, "Today our country has lost a true American original, my friend and mentor Robert Byrd." Interesting that a KKK bigwig is Mrs. Clinton's "friend and mentor."

Trump is the racist?

Aside from attempting to block the Civil Rights Act, the Democrats have a rich racist history, conveniently overlooked by the media and the Democrats themselves. The KKK originated with the Democrats. Founded in 1866, it was "a vehicle for white southern resistance to the Republican Party's Reconstruction-era policies aimed at establishing political and economic equality for blacks." Not a Republican creation; instead, "the organization saw its primary goal  the reestablishment of white supremacy  fulfilled through Democratic victories in state legislatures across the South in the 1870s." Ignored by Mrs. Clinton and her media fanboys who continue trying to tie the KKK to the GOP.

Republicans are the racists?

Don't forget Bull Connor, another favorite of the Democrat race-baiters. MSNBC Clinton campaign staffer Chris Matthews called Rick Perry "Bull Connor with a smile." Unfortunately for those entrusted with accurately reporting the news, Bull Connor was a Democrat, as was his ideological cousin, George Wallace. If you need a reminder, Bull Connor was a white supremacist who ordered the police to use fire hoses and police dogs against civil rights protesters. George Wallace, four-term Democrat governor of Alabama, also supported white supremacy and segregation.

Republicans are the racists?

Beyond individuals, look at Democrat policies and racism. Barack Obama owns this economy, for better or for worse. Blacks are far worse off economically under Democrat policies  and when it comes to abortion, a Democrat core belief. Blacks constitute 13 percent of the female population but account for 36 percent of abortions in the U.S. One could reasonably call this genocide, aided and abetted by Democrats, not Republicans.

Republicans are the racists?

Donald Trump is right in calling Hillary Clinton "a bigot who sees people of color only as votes, not as human beings worthy of a better future." Her words, her associations, and the actions of the political party she represents all confirm the inconvenient truth that she is the racist. Trump continued, "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."

Isn't it interesting that Donald Trump has been on the national stage for decades, frequently interviewed, host of a popular television reality show, and has never been called a racist or bigot until he decided to run for president as a Republican? Now that the presidential race is a dead heat, Hillary Clinton is running scared, dragging out the hackneyed race card against Trump.

This time, however, the Republic candidate is fighting back, correctly calling out Mrs. Clinton as the real racist. What a refreshing change from past campaigns where Republicans shrink like wilted daisies in the face of being called names such as racist, bigot, sexist, homophobe, and so on. Trump, however, is the only Republican who has a spine. Where are the other leading Republicans defending Trump on race? Silent, as the Washington Post points out.

Hence Trump's popularity among "we the people," tired of bowing to political correctness and the narrative of the elites, punching back against hypocritical Democrat accusations of racism. And pointing out that Hillary Clinton is the real racist.

Brian C Joondeph, M.D., MPS is a Denver-based retina surgeon, radio personality, and writer. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
Two states  Illinois and Arizona  have reported that their voter registration lists have been penetrated by hackers, prompting the FBI to issue an unprecedented alert to all 50 states about the possibility that a foreign government may be trying to sabotage the November election.

Politico:

Its possible that the motivation behind the two state hacks was less about the political system and more about cash. Voter registration data sets include valuable information  such as names, birth dates, phone numbers and physical and email addresses  that criminal hackers can bundle and flip on the black-market dark web for thousands of dollars.

But some cyber experts said the FBIs alert, first revealed by Yahoo News on Monday, could be a sign that investigators are worried that foreign actors are attempting a wide-scale digital onslaught.

A former lead agent in the FBIs Cyber Division said the hackers use of a particular attack tool and the level of the FBIs alert more than likely means nation-state attackers. The alert was coded Amber, designating messages with sensitive information that should not be widely distributed and should not be made public, the ex-official said.

One person who works with state election officials called the FBIs memo completely unprecedented.

Theres never been an alert like that before that we know of, said the person, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive intergovernmental conversations.

Multiple former officials and security researchers said the cyberattacks on Arizonas and Illinois voter databases could be part of a suspected Russian attempt to meddle in the U.S. election, a campaign that has already included successful intrusions at major Democratic Party organizations and the selective leaking of documents embarrassing to Democrats. Hillary Clintons campaign has alleged that the digital attacks on her party are an effort by Russian President Vladimir Putins regime to sway the election to GOP nominee Donald Trump. Moscow has denied any involvement.

Hacking state election offices could offer new tools for affecting the outcome of the vote.

Having access to voter rolls, for example, could allow hackers to digitally alter or delete registration information, potentially denying people a chance to vote on Election Day. Or news of the attack could simply fuel further distrust in the U.S. election system, which Trump has repeatedly alleged is rigged.
Brexit means that the British people have already clearly signaled that we are no longer under EU law. We are under British law as enacted at Westminster and promulgated by Royal Assent. All these EU laws and directives have been declared null and void by the people. A lot of M.P.s and civil servants have just not twigged on to that as yet. Brexit already is!

Article 50 is a part of EU law. It is designed to be a delaying operation. It is not part of British law. We simply need to declare that we have left the EU, to which rightly we never belonged, and to stop paying in the 10 billion a year, or whatever is the exact net figure.

Since the NHS is in immediate crisis, with talk of cutting hospitals, it is even more imperative that we stop supporting a monstrous bureaucracy that has nothing to do with us.

So Project Fear has now, within two months, proven to be a busted flush. The FTSE has held up and the pound has gone down, with the result that our tourist trade is apparently better than ever. In France, tourism has declined by 7%. (See France Soir.) Germany is on edge, fearing the impact of our exit on the EU finances and the possible impact on Germany's motor trade. (See Notes below.)

All this dithering on the part of politicians is unnerving. The longer we delay, the stronger grow the Remainers, though God knows why anyone would want to Remain now. We do not need two years of negotiations. John Redwood, M.P.* is for revoking the 1972 Act and thereby leaving the EU at once. Is even that necessary? The British people have already spoken. We do not need to pander to EU laws, which technically have never been our laws.

British laws are formed at Westminster and promulgated by Royal Assent. The directives from the EU do not have this "imprimatur," this Royal Assent. We do not need to revoke EU laws one by one but simply to declare that the whole lot of EU regulations and directives are null and void. Period.

Parliament can then get on with the business of enacting British laws for British people. Will we be excluded from selling to the EU and buying from the EU? Will we be excluded from the Single Market? Only the Remainers have such a mindset, never having been in business. In fact, the world is our oyster  we have nothing to fear. As the pound has gone down, our exports have gone up. Sales depend upon price and quality, not on belonging to a club. And price in turn depends so much on the cost of energy. Let us hope that Brexit will quickly be succeeded by "Clexit," the climate nonsense with which we have all been afflicted for decades.

Retail sales at home are booming. The cost of foodstuffs is steady, the housing market likewise, and both will surge again once the "silly season" is over, the P.M. has returned from walking in the Alps, and the kids go back to school. Moreover, that myth about the "young people" being Remainers has been and is being exploded. The continent is still open for holidays, and the pound sterling is especially welcome.

To hell with Article 50! To hell with EU directives and regulations! Let us get on with ruling ourselves instead of kowtowing to Herr Juncker and Frau Merkel.

* Notes on the EU
In 1992, the Bill Clinton presidential campaign reputedly had a sign in its Little Rock headquarters reminding campaign workers to stay on message. That sign said: Its the economy, stupid!

Many have taken that to mean that the economy remained the important issue to most American voters that it always had been in the past. In part, the idea that Americans care most about the economy was the reason for nominating Mitt Romney in 2012. As we all know, that did not work out for the Republicans. Possibly it did not work out because the economy as an issue works differently for Republican presidential candidates from how it works for Democrat presidential candidates.

A bad economy can be an issue that a Democrat presidential candidate can use to attract some otherwise GOP-leaning voters to his candidacy. Blue-collar voters who may be socially conservative with a tendency to vote GOP may turn to a Democratic candidate when the GOP is the incumbent party and the economy is weak. So to a Democratic presidential candidate, a weak economy can be a wedge issue to get some swing or GOP voters to come to his side.

As opposed to the past, a weak economy may not be an issue that cuts across party lines. Even if, like this year or even four years ago, the economy is in an anemic recovery, the economy may not directly be as good an issue for a Republican to attract Democrat-leaning voters to the Republicans candidacy. A higher percentage of Democratic-leaning voters are less directly affected by the economy than Republican-leaning voters because Democratic-leaning voters are more likely government workers or out of the labor force and do not depend as directly on the state of the economy.

So while the economic wedge issue works for a Democratic presidential candidate when the GOP is the incumbent party and the economy is weak, it is less likely to work for a Republican presidential candidate when the Democrats are in. A Republican presidential candidate might well hang a sign that says, Its the benefits, stupid!

Mitt Romney four years ago might have been well served by such a sign. It might have served to remind him to keep hammering hard on President Obamas $700-billion cut in Medicare. Democratic spin doctors like Howard Dean claimed that no one would believe that the Democrats cut Medicare by that huge amount after Romney mentioned that cut in a debate. Had Romney stayed focused on that issue, he might have attracted some Democratic-leaning voters he could not reach with an appeal on the anemic recovery of the economy.

Donald Trump also might do well to post an Its the benefits, stupid! sign. As he seeks votes from black Americans and other Democratic-leaning voters, he might point out the Democratic record and ask those voters if they worry that their benefits might be on the line. Certainly, the Trump campaign is appealing to Democratic-leaning blue-collar voters including black Americans by pointing out that the Democrats seemingly now are willing to favor even illegal Hispanics at the expense of blue-collar black Americans and other blue-collar voters. This really is what the illegal immigration issue is all about.

A better economy also means the people of the country can do more for the disadvantaged. Historically, Americans increase the help they give to those in need when the economy grows. Too often, Republicans are associated only with trying to stop those not in need from exploiting the social safety net.

So "Its the economy, stupid" is a reminder for Republican presidential candidates to stay focused on what is important to many Republican-leaning voters. Its the benefits, stupid can be a reminder for current and future Republican presidential candidates to remain on the offensive and try to attract voters away from the Democrats.
U.S. secretary of state John Kerry said at a news conference in Bangladesh that the press would do us all a service if they didnt cover terrorism quite as much.

Out of sight, out of mind, I guess.

CNS News:

Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday during an appearance in Bangladesh that the media could do us all a service if they didnt cover terrorism quite as much. No country is immune from terrorism," Kerry said at a press availability in Dhaka, Bangladesh. "Its easy to terrorize. Government and law enforcement have to be correct 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. But if you decide one day youre going to be a terrorist and youre willing to kill yourself, you can go out and kill some people. You can make some noise. Perhaps the media would do us all a service if they didnt cover it quite as much. People wouldnt know whats going on. Kerry referenced the July 1st attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka, calling it an an outrage clearly designed to divide Bangladesh, designed to try to cut off this welcoming society from the outside world. Dozens of smaller-scale attacks have been carried out during the past several years, often directed at members of religious minorities, foreigners, bloggers, and security officials, and the reason for this is obviously they want to divide you. They want to push people apart. They want to create internal strife, he said.

Again, Kerry reiterated the tired mantra that terrorists are created because of poverty and hopelessness:

"Its not just the battlefield; its the minds, he continued. And if we have too many young people who cant go to school, or too many young people who are frustrated, or they cant find a job  if we leave those minds out there for extremists to recruit, then it will continue, and none of us would be doing our jobs if we allowed that to happen.

This is a man in denial who doesn't want the world to know he and his boss are so out of touch. Kerry is correct in saying terrorist groups give recruits a sense of identity, or purpose, or power. But how can he say that without explaining what the identity and purpose is? It is an Islamic identity whose purpose is to advance Islamic supremacy around the world. But Kerry doesnt want the press to cover terrorist acts so intensely because the questions raised, including why, are so uncomfortable.

Kerry wants everyone else to stick his head in the sand about terrorism, too. We would do well to ignore him.
With this election, the New York Times has in effect announced a new business as well as journalistic strategy. Instead of its hard won, expensive, and demanding strategy of being the newspaper of record, where all significant stories can be found (and therefore indispensible to a broad range of readers), it has become a partisan cheerleader, as its media columnist Jim Rutenberg all but conceded in a now infamous August 7 column.

Of course, the most insidious form of bias consists of not reporting the stories that contradict the preferred narrative. All the more so when the Times maintains its archaic ex-slogan at the top of the paper: All the news thats fit to print. This is false advertising. Definitive evidence is now available.

The nations largest news-gathering agency, the Associated Press, spent years doing the sort of investigative journalism celebrated in thousands of banquets, awards, and honors that professional journalists obsessively confer on each other. The resulting story documented that more than half of the visitors that were not from outside governments and official agencies that met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were donors to the foundation bearing her name.

The Times pretended for most of a week that the story did not exist. I confess that I do not exhaustively read the Times every day, so I hadnt noticed the vacuum. But Steven Braun and Eileen Sullivan, writing at the New York Observer (which is owned by Donald Trumps son-in-law Jared Feldshcreiber), claim:

The New York Times has taken its censorship a step further; the day after the AP story broke there was no mention of it in their entire paper and this has remained the case until late Monday afternoona week laterwhen Maggie Haberman finally mentioned that [Clinton] and her campaign have denounced an Associated Press report.

Assuming this is true, somewhere in the Times editorial bureaucracy, the decision was made to ignore the story. Id be very interested in knowing how that decision was reached. Maybe the Times ombudsman will address the issue?

Of course, the Times was not alone in attacking the story. But the Times has claimed to be the newspaper of record. Thats clearly not true anymore. The Times is now the lifestyle (including ideology) guide to affluent cosmopolitan, deep blue urbanites everywhere. As a business strategy, it makes sense. They spend a lot of money on themselves and so are a great market for advertisers.

The Braun and Sullivan piece has a lot more on other media suppression of the story, and the sheer coincidence that some of these organizations have also donated to the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation.
A woman by the name of Nina Revoyr had an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times on Sunday entitled Whats missing when you hike the California backcountry? People of color. Here, But its better entitled Climbing Aboard The Crazy Train.

Because Nina believes (or says she believes) that one reason that people of color are not well represented in the hiking and camping community is that:

For many, the wilderness, historically, is dangerous territory. Escaped slaves passed through forests full of danger 

Of course, a scholar might ask if anybody anywhere at any time in all the immense body of literature recording the black experience in America ever noted a tendency on the part of black parents to pass on a fear of the forests.

But scholarship hasnt very much attraction to race-baiters like Ms. Revoyr, wholl seize upon any silliness to illustrate how steeped in hatred America is even to the point of reformulating Congressman Alcee Hastingss wacko idea that national parks are racist because blacks were once lynched from trees and there are any number of trees in those parks (see the Frontpage Magazine article here).

Or was she not race-baiting at all, and just having a bad day? Lets look.

Wiki describes her as an author of a number of novels, so I go to Amazon, and the first of her books I come to is entitled Wingshooters, whose first review is from Booklist and begins:

Revoyr continues her unique and affecting exploration of American racism in a concentrated novel that draws breathtaking contrasts between all that is beautiful in life and the malignancy of hate. Charlie, an alpha blue-collar male and a bigot like his buddies, is horrified when his son marries a Japanese exchange student

So no, she wasnt just having a bad day. Indeed, shes not just a racial grievance writer; shes a committed racial grievance writer. A career racial grievance writer.

And, according to her, set on that path in life by her horrible experiences growing up in the U.S. as a child of mixed Japanese and Polish parentage.

Yet, as I believe Agatha Christies Hercule Poirot once said, Hastings [another Hastings], you persist in believing something is true just because someone says it is true. That is almost always a mistake.

One of my five sons married a Japanese exchange student. In fact, of my six grandchildren, four are either part Vietnamese or part Japanese. Im kind of a blue-collar guy  at least thats my family background. I associate with such folks at the American Legion, in gun clubs, church, even Overeaters Anonymous. I know literally hundreds of them and have never encountered any malignancy of hate toward these children.

Indeed, quite the opposite. When I took two of my young grandchildren to a show put on by a local woodworking club, I almost couldnt escape the abundance of enthusiasm those white blue-collar guys and girls showed for kids, any kids, and they left with pockets stuffed with tiny hand-made wooden airplanes, giraffes, and stirring spoons. Same thing at an encampment of Revolutionary War reenactors, where a big burley guy insisted they fire his gigantic antique brass horse pistol, and if saner heads had not prevailed, he would have had them loading and firing cannon.

Most American people, blue-collar people, white-collar people, collarless people any color or tinge, just love kids. Any sort of kids. And will do anything for them. One hundred percent white or not.

And lets bear in mind that my grandchildren were and are growing up in a majority-white working-class American small town where the race-baiters like Ms. Revoyr tell us the American malignancy of hate both endures and propagates.

In short, I dont believe that Nina Revoyr is telling us the truth, or at least not the whole truth, about either her own experience or the experience of others.

But returning to Ms. Revoyrs original topic, maybe blacks just dont like hiking and camping? Has she ever thought of that? Has she ever talked to a wide cross-section of blacks and asked why theyre not schlepping through the poison ivy and sleeping in the cold rain like the rest of us? Ms. Revoyr describes herself as half-Japanese and half-Polish; has she ever remarked on the fact that blacks dont like Polka music all that much, either?

Arent blacks, or anybody else, for that matter, allowed to like what they want to like without some darker meaning being attributed to it in a major publication?

So will these people like Ms. Revoyr ever give up making things up about racial animosities? Answer: not any time soon, because there is a market for what theyre cranking out, its extremely addictive, and just like cocaine as long as people keep buying people like Ms. Revoyr will keep pushing.

But my real question is, when will blacks themselves finally start telling liberal America haters like Ms. Revoyr to shut up? No, you idiot  were not afraid of forests or trees or Polka music. Were not afraid of Sharknado, David Duke, or those disgusting corn dogs whites insist on eating at county fairs, either. The only thing were afraid of is being forced to listen to white grievance street walkers like you telling us what were thinking and feeling.

But until then, lets not take any more rides on the Crazy Train.

And oh yeah, arent I lucky to have grandchildren in America? And arent they lucky to be growing up in America? And of course, arent they lucky to have me for a grandfather?

Even if I wouldnt let some enthusiast help them load up an old cannon with gunpowder and fire it off.

Richard F. Miniter is the author of The Things I Want Most, Random House, BDD. See it here. He lives and writes in the colonial-era hamlet of Stone Ridge, New York, blogs here, and can also be reached at miniterhome@gmail.com.
A 16-year-old British girl committed suicide rather than be accused of being a racist, according to a story in the Telegraph.

Phoebe Connop sent a private message to her friends in jest that was leaked online and resulted in some feedback suggesting she was a racist. She later hung herself.

Daily Caller:

Phoebe Connop, a 16 year old and a talented gymnast, sent her friends a picture in which she had darkened her skin tone and put a scarf around her head. In the message, she told her friends that the parents of the young Asian man she was seeing would only accept her if she looked like she did in the photograph, according to the Telegraph. One of her friends leaked the photo, and reports say that Phoebe received some initial negative feedback for the photo. Her father dropped her off from school early July 7 recalling that his daughter didnt feel well and wanted to go home to rest. When he returned home, he found that Phoebe had hung herself. Her father told the press that she had shown me no indication in the weeks leading up to her death that there was anything wrong, let alone anything that would lead her to do this. The detective in-charge of investigating Miss Connops case stated: There had been some negative reaction (to the photo) and she confided in her friend, who did take the image down at her request, that she was scared of what the reaction might be from the Asian community in her area, the Sunreports. Following the suicide, her school opened up an online forum for students, teachers, and members of the community to post their thoughts and feelings about Phoebe. Phoebes principal, Stephen Lanckham, said, We in the Windsor community are deeply saddened by this sudden and tragic loss. He went on to say that the community will remember her as comforting, warm, and caring.

"Asian" is usually British media-speak for "Muslim." It isn't so much that the backlash against the young girl was so intense that it triggered her suicide. This is a case where the potential backlash by Muslims  the fear of politically correct personal attacks  made life going forward unbearable.

There may have been other issues involved in the girl's suicide. But the signs point to a relatively popular, happy young girl who feared the anger and threats that would have come from internet social media over what amounted to a harmless joke. It was harmless because it was never meant to be seen by anyone who could possibly have been offended.

The world has lost its sense of humor, and political correctness is wholly to blame.
Our friend Fausta Rodriguez Wertz has been on this story for a week.

It begs the question: What was The Clinton Foundation looking for in Colombia? Here is a bit of the very complicated story: Fondo Acceso was founded in 2010 by Bill Clinton, the Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, and the Canadian mining magnate Frank Giustra. The Clinton Foundation and the SLIM Foundation committed $10 million each to the fund. The Clinton Foundation is a 50 percent shareholder in the company, according to its tax records. Numerous Clinton Foundation and Clinton-Giustra Enterprise Partnership officials are listed as Fondo Acceso directors in Colombian corporate filings. The fund has reportedly distributed $1.5 million to Alimentos SAS, a fruit-pulping company, and $250,000 to the telecommunications firm Fontel SA in exchange for shareholding agreements. The Clinton Foundation and CGEP have declined to release a full list of Fondo Accesos investments.

What exactly is the point of having President Clinton in business in Colombia with a Mexican telecommunications billionaire and a Canadian mining magnate? Why all the secrecy? Why was the website taken down?

I have a few other questions:

1) Did they do this to avoid regulations in Colombia or the U.S.? Or to create a fund to go around U.S. oversight or campaign laws?

2) Why didn't President Clinton create the fund to boost business in the U.S.? For example, how about a fund to invest in our inner cities? Why promote investment in other places when our cities are desperately lacking in jobs?

3) Did secretary of state Hillary Clinton have any role in this?

According to Fausta, Hillary Clinton's timeline is interesting  or maybe Clintonian:

2008: Hillary Clinton campaigns for president, is against the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. 2009: Hillary Clinton becomes Secretary of State. She starts lobbying members of Congress for approval of the CFTA, as revealed on emails released on February 2016. 2010: Bill Clinton, Carlos Slim, and Frank Giustra (who pledged $100 million to the Foundation) open Fondo Acceso. Previously, in June 2005, Gold Service International, a South American business group, paid Bill Clinton $800,000 to deliver four speeches in South America. Gold Service was pushing for the free trade agreement, which would help boost Colombian exports to the United States, and Clinton was supportive of the policy.

The Clinton apologists will say that this is all coincidence, as they always do. My answer to the Clinton apologists is to remind them of Ian Fleming's line about coincidence:

Once is happenstance.

Twice is coincidence.

Three times is enemy action.

Finally, am I the only one who finds Mrs. Clinton's change of heart about the Colombia Free Trade Agreement just a bit too cute?

This is especially relevant because she was for the Trans Pacific Partnership until she was against it. Can we believe anything this woman says? Will she flip as President Clinton to take care of some donation that someone gave to the Clinton Foundation?

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Im headed off to the 2016 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference in Springfield, Illinois. Tomorrow Ill be turning my focus over to the conference for the remainder of this week. Time to ketchup.

On Friday, FamilySearch released its Whats New for August.

FamilySearch added the ability to quickly attached unindexed FamilySearch Historical Records as sources in FamilySearch Family Tree.

They will soon release a new home page. It will provide individualized information for you based on your activity in Family Tree, photos and stories others have posted about your relatives, recommended tasks, and recently viewed persons.

They have changed which page you go to when you select Memories in the menu bar. For a while it went straight to gallery. Now theyve restored a landing page from which you can go to various parts of the Memories section of FamilySearch.org.

As I reported during the BYU conference, the Memories App now provides a suggested list of questions that you can ask of a relative.

They added a Search Historical Records option to the main menu of the Family Tree mobile app. It just takes you to the Search Historical Records section on the web.

Like the person page on FamilySearch Family Tree on the web, you can tap a search button and search for that person either in Family Tree or on Ancestry.com.

In the Family Tree mobile app you can add Notes about a person.

In the Family Tree mobile app they added a page to view all memories about a person.

In Family Tree on iOS (Android coming soon), you can view a map showing the location of an event in a persons life.

For more information, see Whats New on FamilySearchAugust 2016 on the FamilySearch blog.

Reader BKip pointed out that Ancestry.com has done something relative to the RootsWeb free pages manager at http://freepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/fileman/file_manager.cgi. It now returns a different error message. Thats good in the sense that it means theyve turned their attention to this portion of the RootsWeb website.

FamilySearch is presenting a week-long European Family History Conference, online or in person at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. In person seating is limited to 190 and online participation to 500, so register soon. Lab participation is even more limited, 26 onsite and 100 online. The conference is free and will be held 12-16 September 2016. It is for beginner and intermediate genealogists. Explore such topics as census, church, immigration, and vital records. Learn more about German, Swiss, Russian, and Polish research. Discover new techniques, strategies, and methodology to apply to your genealogical research problems. A syllabus will be available for anyone to download. For more information, see European Family History Conference on the FamilySearch blog.

I came across a record set on Findmypast for a database that I think they obtained through the Mocavo purchase: The California birth index. It should be viewable for free, but I wasnt able to figure out how. Has anyone else found a way to view the former Mocavo databases for free on Findmypast? Let everyone know. I wonder if Findmypast will put together a page listing all the Mocavo databases. That would be a good way to attract potential customers. I could only find a couple Mocavo databases mentioned online: the California birth index, the California death index, the Social Security Death Index, and the Connecticut death index.

Judging from his slides, I missed a good presentation about FamilySearch at the July 2016 Riverton FamilySearch Library Saturday Seminar by Dan Peay. While a lot of the information was directed at members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, some might be of general interest. Dan showed that FamilySearchs executive leadership from the Churchthe FamilySearch board of directors, if you willhas changed. Elder Allan Packer has been replace by Elder Bradley D. Foster as the executive director (chairman of the board). He is assisted by directors with regional assignments: Elder C. Scott Grow over the United States and Canada, Elder Eduardo Gavarret over the rest of the Americas, Elder Ian S. Ardern over southern Asia, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, and Elder Erich W. Kopischke over Africa, Europe, and north Asia. Rod DeGiulio, formerly over the Records Division of FamilySearch, now leads a division named Priesthood Area Support, with direct reports corresponding to each of the aforementioned areas of the world.

Dan showed some numbers: 6.0 B searchable names, 1.5 M new names daily, 18 P [petabytes] digital storage.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is one of the most powerful devices out in the market at the moment. This is Samsungs latest flagship phablet which was introduced earlier this month, and it is available in a number of regions already. The Galaxy Note 7 ships with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, and some of you probably noticed some rumors floating around saying that a 6GB RAM (+128GB of storage) variant of this handset is on its way to China. Well, that might still be the case, despite the fact a regular Galaxy Note 7 variant got listed for pre-order in China a couple of days ago.

If you take a look at the image down below, youll get to see yet another leak that suggests the 6GB RAM Galaxy Note 7 is a thing. This image seemingly shows off Galaxy Note 7s specifications listed on the phones retail box. If this leak is legit, the 6GB RAM variant of the Galaxy Note 7 might launch in China in the near future, though we still dont know when exactly. Weve seen way too many rumors / leaks when it comes to this variant of the device, so chances are Samsung will eventually release it, retail boxes seem to be ready to go. If previous rumors are accurate, this variant of the device might end up costing around $1,050, which would make this one of the more expensive flagships out in the market.

Now, as you can see, this image says that the device will ship with a QHD Super AMOLED panel, 6GB of RAM and that it will be fueled by a 64-bit octa-core processor. Furthermore, the 12-megapixel rear-facing and a 5-megapixel front-facing snappers are listed here as well, and so are 4G LTE details as well. This more or less confirms that this variant of the Galaxy Note 7 will be identical to the regular one, aside from its RAM and storage details, of course. In addition to all this, it is worth mentioning that the Galaxy Note 7 is made out of metal and glass, has IP68 certification for water and dust resistance, and it ships with the new and improved S Pen stylus. For those of you who would like to know more about the device by checking out our full review, click here.
Over the past few years, budget-minded smartphones have become a lot better, and for the average user these devices do the majority of what they want them to do, at a fraction of the cost. One brand, from France, that has been selling quality budget-minded devices for a long, long time is introducing a handful of new devices this week during IFA 2016. The new 50 Saphir is a device that costs just 199 which comes with some pretty respectable specs for something of that price, as well as a rugged build that ensures the device wont crumble like all the rest, and its also water-resistant as well.

Under-the-hood of the 50 Saphir packs a MediaTek MT6737 clocked up to 1.5 Ghz and also features 2GB of RAM as well as 16GB of onboard storage. Keeping the show running is Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and is often the case with Archos, the 50 Saphir will ship with a near-stock build of Android, albeit with a few custom apps thrown in. As for the rugged look and feel of this new device, Archos has achieved an IP68 rating for the 50 Saphir, which guarantees that the device will survive submersion up to 1 Meter for as long as 30-minutes, which is similar to the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy Note 7 lines of devices. In the images provided by Archos, as well as the overall look and feel, users would think that this is a device that can take a beating, and theyd be right, but the French firm is only guaranteeing it to survive drops from 1 Meter, or a little over three feet. While this isnt a great specification listing on its own, this could be more Archos covering their back than anything else as the device does look capable of handling itself in the majority of situations.

Another major feature here is the sizeable 5,000 mAh battery that Archos has crammed in here, which is presumably why the device is almost 14mm thick. This is a large battery, and while Archos say it should last two days or so on a single charge, some users might be able to get more out of it if they turn it off overnight, for example. Coupled with a lower-resolution 720p display thats 5.0-inches in size, the 50 Saphir should sip away at power, and with such a large reserve, should certainly offer those demanding users some good longevity when away from the charger.

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For just 199, which is roughly $220, Archos have a compelling smartphone on their hands here. The French brand will be releasing the 50 Saphir sometime in October, and while it will be readily available in Europe, getting a hold of it in the US or further afield might prove a little tricky.
Baidu, which has been working on its own self-driving tech for a few years now, has confirmed plans to switch its self-driving fleet to electric-powered vehicles. Up until now, the company, often called the Google of China, had been using a modified BMW 3-series for its testing but it has now confirmed that it will is swapping it out for a modified Chery EQ, a small four-door hatchback thats manufactured in China.

According to a Baidu spokesperson, the electric vehicle has already joined the fleet, though the modifications that Baidu have made to it are currently unknown. The Cherry EQ claims to have a range of 120 miles while only costing the equivalent of $9,000, allowing the company to order a high number of these vehicles for further testing and eventual use by the public.

Baidus goal in China is to have a shuttle service up and running by 2018, meaning this new electric vehicle should be perfect, considering they are small and have enough range to last a number of journeys before needing a recharge. Unfortunately, Baidus timeframe coincides with that of Nutonomy, a company which only recently started testing its self-driving shuttle service in Singapore, meaning the company could have some fierce competition on their hands by the time they launch. As well as Nutonomy, the company also faces fierce competition from the likes of Didi, which recently acquired Uber China.

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In an attempt to ensure it can compete, Baidu has increased the amount of research and investments on its self-driving project over the past 12 months, with the company opening R&D centers in the United States, where it is also testing its vehicles. In order to compete against the likes of Didi and Nutonomy, there appear to be two options for the company. The first option would be beating both companies to the market, which would hopefully allow them to gain enough market share to eventually fend off the competition. On the other hand, the company could also wait longer before launching, in the hope of creating the better service and therefore attracting more customers. What do you think of Baidus efforts? Let us know in the comments below.
Google had recently released the Duo app to the Google Play Store, a video chatting app the company had announced back during the Google I/O earlier this year. The Google Allo app is expected to arrive soon as well, and the company had recently updated the Hangouts app for Android. That being said, Google has now started rolling out a new update for their Contacts app which comes pre-installed on the companys Nexus devices, read on.

The Google Contacts app v1.5 is now out, and it brings quite a few new features. Now, the Google Contacts app has always been quite functional, but it wasnt as feature-packed as some of us would have liked, and Google has just made a step forward in the right direction. As some of you might know, there are two tabs (Favorites and All) available in the current Google Contacts app, well, in Google Contacts v1.5, youll get a whole hamburger menu on the left. The company has included quite a few features in that hamburger menu, so lets see whats new. The first option youll see once you open the hamburger menu is Contacts, which is essentially your default view once you fire up this application. Now, below Contacts, lies our first new feature, Duplicates. Once you hit this option, the app will sort out duplicate contacts you have saved, and will give you the option to delete one of the two, or merge them (youll also be able to dismiss contacts if theyre not duplicates though, of course), which is something you were not able to do from your smartphone until now (at least not through Googles official app).

Moving on, below the Duplicates option, youll get to see that Google included labels here, which is also something that is welcomed, especially for those of you who like to keep things extremely organized. You can now also switch between your Google accounts within Google Contacts app, which is quite convenient. And last, but not least, the Settings menu has been moved to the bottom of the hamburger menu in Google Contacts v1.5, though there are still the same options available once you tap on it. As you can see, Google has included a number of new features with this update, and those of you who use Googles Contacts app, and cannot wait to get this update, feel free to manually download and install it, just follow the link down below.

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Download Google Contacts v1.5
In the wireless industry, the definition of unlimited is not quite concrete in the views of some, with carriers walking a fine line between what is really unlimited, which potentially opens themselves up to losing customers to competitors that are offering unlimited plans, or having customers abuse their networks. At one point, AT&T found themselves in the crosshairs of authorities because of this complex balancing act. They offered unlimited data plans, but customers were left unaware that their speeds would be knocked down to near-unusable levels after they had used a certain amount of data, the threshold for which has changed a few times since this saga began in 2011. A lawsuit brought forth by the Federal Trade Commission seemed to be the climax of the issue, with AT&T having made multiple motions to have it dismissed as they fought it down the years, but today, the final incarnation of the suit seems to be gone for good.

After getting through a class action suit of this sort once before, AT&T still found themselves on the hook with authorities. On Monday, however, The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in California ruled to throw out the FTCs lawsuit, close to two years in the making in this instance, and ordered any involved lower courts to do the same. The FTC would have otherwise had a valid case, but AT&T argued that they could be termed a common carrier, and thus be exempt from the laws that practices such as not telling customers about the throttling would fall under. With the appeals court behind them, AT&Ts motion has settled a hairy and long-running court battle with the powers that be, though the saga is not quite over yet.

Last year, the FCC got in on the action, proposing a fine of $100 million against AT&T over the matter. While throttling high-consumption customers to free up network resources is acceptable, AT&T is not the only carrier that does this in some form, as T-Mobile, for example, deprioritizes customers at 23GB in a month. Their devices are still capable of full speeds, but their traffic is then set at a lower priority when weighed against the large amount of other people on their local network, meaning they will typically see slower speeds during peak hours or in crowded areas, but usually nothing unusable. As things stand right now, the FCC is still looking to fine AT&T the proposed $100 million despite AT&Ts past formal objections to the fine. No dates are set, for now, for the case to move forward.
Last year, the Safe Harbor overseas data security laws that governed any and all digital interaction in and out of the EU when involved the US, especially in light of Edward Snowdens discoveries, was declared outdated and invalid by European authorities. The European Union and the US Department of Commerce worked hand in hand to create an alternative to those outdated laws. Called Privacy Shield, the new legal framework is built to provide a greater minimum standard of security, more accountability, and to add in some recourse for those who find their data compromised on the way over the ocean. As of Monday, Google has submitted their official application to the US Department of Commerce to be counted among tech firms that are fully compliant with the new laws, joining big names like Microsoft.

While Google and Alphabet at large have been complying fully with the new laws since their inception back in July of this year, companies hoping to attain the status of officially compliant have to not only walk the walk, but also talk the talk; they must submit a formal application, which will prompt authorities to review their products, services, and transmissions to ensure compliance. Only at this point is a companys compliance with the act certified and official.

Google has been one of the biggest supporters of a new framework since the dissolution of the Safe Harbor laws back in October, and had been aiding in figuring out how best to handle enacting new laws since then. Ever since the official unveiling of Safe Harbor back in July, Google has been complying with all of the new guidelines, and publicly declared as much. In a climate rife with privacy controversies and a raging dispute over encryption and backdoors, they were even bold enough to state that they will cooperate fully in all investigations launched in compliance with the new laws. Full compliance not only means ensuring that their transmissions are up to snuff, but also declaring compliance within products privacy policies, and giving users a link to review the terms of Privacy Shield for themselves, along with a way to lodge complaints and request investigations. Essentially, companies that claim compliance and do not deliver open themselves up to litigation on a private level and with authorities, meaning that Google vying for official status is a big commitment.
Mark Zuckerberg is in Roma (Rome) this week and participated in a Town Hall Questions & Answer session as Luiss University, where he was asked if Facebook has changed or ruined how people communicate with one another. This is a common criticism of not only Facebook, but of many ways that people communicate today including instant messenger services, texting, forums and of course, social networks. The person asking the question colored it by stating the extremely vague, its true that people used to communicate with real smiles, face-to-face more often than now. That the question was asked shows that the Town Hall Q&A sessions do not stringently vet questions before the event!

Mark tackled the question head on. He opened with the statement that he did not believe Facebook had ruined face to face communication and that if he did, he would change the product. The audience did not respond to his initial response so he elaborated, highlighting that people dont use Facebook for replacing face-to-face conversations and interactions but instead use it as a means for communicating with people that they would otherwise not. Mark highlighted that when he is with his family in the same building he did not go into the other room and communicate with them using Facebook. Mark went on to explain that his sister lived on the other side of the United States but he was able to keep up with her and her family via Facebook post updates, messages on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. He was able to keep up via the Facebook service but he would still spend time with his sister.

There are many people who see people using their smartphones in public, when commuting, waiting to travel, or hanging out with friends as antisocial but one of the many facets of human behavior is that the need to be doing something whilst waiting around is nothing new. Before the smartphone, many commuters kept themselves occupied with a newspaper. A quick Google Images search shows rows of people reading a newspaper doing other activities such as walking down the street, riding the train to work, waiting for the bus or at family meal times. Does this sound familiar? As a species we have a massive thirst for information, news or gossip, and Facebook is one such source for this information. Indeed, Facebooks changes to the newsfeed designed to bring back the local highlight the importance of local news to the service.
Lenovo had introduced several devices under the Moto brand this year, ranging from the entry-level Moto G4 Play, and mid-range Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus, all the way to the high-end Moto Z and Moto Z Force smartphones. In addition to all the aforementioned models, yet another Moto-branded device is expected to land soon, the Moto Z Play. Thats not it though, two Moto M smartphones have leaked quite recently, the Moto M got listed on GFXBench yesterday, and it was just (reportedly) certified by TENAA (Chinas equivalent to the FCC) along with the Moto M Plus (at least reports claim that will be its name). Thanks to those two listings, we now not only know what these two devices will look like, but what specs they will sport, do keep in mind that we were unable to locate those phones on TENAA, so were basing the following info based on reports.

These two handsets will look identical on the outside it seems, though their display size will be different, of course. The Moto M devices will be made out of metal, as you can see in the images down below. The Moto branding is placed below the display of these two devices, while the phones will also ship with a fingerprint scanner on the back, along with the Motorola logo. The power / lock and volume rocker keys will be placed on the right-hand side of these two phones, while the SIM tray will be available on the left. The camera will protrude on the back, not by much though. Now, as far as specs are concerned, we do have more spec info when it comes to the Moto M as it was listed on GFXBench yesterday, Moto M Plus specs are still somewhat unknown, but chances are these two devices will be quite similar aside from the display and battery size.

The Moto M is said to sport a 4.6-inch 1080p (1920 x 1080) display, along with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The phone will be fueled by MediaTeks MT6750 64-bit octa-core processor running at 1.9GHz, along with the Mali-T860 GPU for graphics. The 16-megapixel snapper will be available on the back of the Moto M, and an 8-megapixel shooter will be placed on the phones front side. Android 6.0 Marshmallow will come pre-installed on this smartphone, and on top of it, youll be able to find a couple of Moto apps. The Moto M Plus, on the other hand, will come with a 5.5-inch fullHD display, and a 3,000mAh non-removable battery. Now, do keep in mind that these two devices were listed under the same model number, which is quite odd, so take this info with a grain of salt.
The next major tech event of the year is fast approaching. This is of course, IFA, which takes place in Berlin. As is the case every year, a number of high-profile companies are expected to be in attendance and showcasing their latest wares. In particular, Huawei is set to be at the event and it is looking increasingly likely that the company will be unveiling a number of products.

Over the last few weeks there has been a number of teasers and rumors circulated that Huawei will be unveiling a new tablet, one which could be the Huawei MediaPad M3. This is a tablet which saw its specs leak fairly recently. However over the same period, speculation has also started to mount that Huawei might be unveiling a new smartphone too. While little seems to be known about the smartphone, one particular rumor points towards the Huawei Nova being the smartphone in question. What made this particular rumor so interesting is that the smartphone is said to be one which is designed for women. Now, the latest rumor coming through is that there will be two smartphones and a tablet unveiled by Huawei during the event.

This latest rumor comes by way of known tipster @evelaks who earlier today sent out a tweet confirming as much. The tweet which reads Huawei Nova, Nova Plus, and MediaPad M3 launching at IFA, looks to confirm the previous rumors that Huawei will be unveiling a new smartphone, the Huawei Nova, and a new tablet, the MediaPad M3. However, the tweet also does note that as well as the Huawei Nova, Huawei will be unveiling a second smartphone, dubbed the Huawei Nova Plus. While little is currently known about this second handset, with the Plus moniker in use, it does stand to reason this will likely be a larger version of the Nova or possibly, a more powerful one. Either way, with the Huawei press conference only a few days away, it wont be long until it is clear whether Huawei has one or two new smartphones as well as a new tablet coming.
Out of Africa: Cody converses in French with Senegalese elementary students at a market in Dakar. Courtesy Photo

Dr. Karen Codys educational influence will soon reach well beyond her Angelo State classes following her completion of a Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program this summer in the West African nation of Senegal.

Dr. Karen Cody An ASU faculty member since 2001, Cody teaches French, Spanish and linguistics. She was one of only 16 faculty from universities across the U.S. chosen for the Fulbright-Hays Seminar in Senegal.

This Fulbright was to study linguistic, ethnic and religious diversity in West Africa, Cody said. Ive taught about West Africa all my career in French, Ive taught about the diversity of language in my linguistics classes, and Ive known about Islam from my own college classes. This was my opportunity to go to Africa and see it first-hand, so I couldnt have designed a better program for me personally or professionally.

We are required to upload a curricular unit to the Department of Education website, she added. My unit is on teacher education because thats one of the things I do at ASU. Im teaching the future teachers of Spanish and English as a second language.

Through the Department of Education website and its links to the U.S. State Department website, teachers all over the world will be able to access Codys curricular unit, expanding her reach on a global scale.

Based at the West African Research Center in Dakar, Codys Fulbright group traveled around Senegal visiting with scholars, government ministers, heads of NGOs, village elders and religious leaders to gather information and research for their curricular units. They also visited tourist sites and game preserves and attended an international conference.

We were all looking at everything from different perspectives, Cody said, and we all agreed that we learned so much more as a consequence of that. We think that as a country, Senegal has been spectacularly successful at setting up a society that will serve the majority of its citizens in the long run.

We are a big human family, and we cant discount the role that access to education plays in that. Dr. Karen Cody

Cody also had the advantage of being the only one in her group who spoke French. Though it is not the native language of the region, it is the official language of the education system. That meant Cody could communicate with just about everyone except the smaller children who were not yet in school.

I could work independently with the people, Cody said, and I could go into the schools and look at what was happening in the classrooms and also how they were training their teachers. All of their teachers deliver their content in French, which is not the home language of any of their students, and they are doing it successfully.

Dr. Karen Cody in Senegal











Now that she has returned to ASU, Cody is hard at work completing her curricular unit for the Department of Education. But perhaps her biggest personal benefit from the trip is the reinforcement of ideas she had formed through previous sociolinguistic study and research.

Essentially, we are a human family who all want the best for our children, Cody said, and we do what we need to do to provide the most opportunities for the next generations. There are different factors that influence that, like politics and social advantages people may or may not have, and different environments. But we are a big human family, and we cant discount the role that access to education plays in that.

Dr. Cody and another in her group were invited by a local family to share a late meal after a day of Ramadan fasting during her trip to Senegal. Students in Codys ASU classes this fall will have first access to her African experience.

They have always heard about these topics from me, Cody said. What will be different is that I now have first-hand knowledge of things that I had been taught, read in books or seen in videos and movies. In my sociolinguistics classes, there will be additional first-hand things I can share. In my French classes, Ill be able to give more specific examples of different things. That will also carry over into my Spanish classes.

The other requirement from Fulbright is that we disseminate the information we learned to as wide an audience as possible, she added. So its not just in my classes where Im expected to share. Ive also had requests to go talk to history, political science and security studies classes and to speak to the Honors Program students. There will also be some additional larger public forums where I will speak, including around Texas and out of state.

Fulbright Fellowships are extremely competitive awards, so Im extraordinarily grateful to have been given this opportunity.
North Korea uses anti-aircraft gun to execute man who fell asleep as the leader spoke

North Korea finds a use for its vast haul of bullets:

Two senior North Korean officials were executed with an anti-aircraft gun in early August on the orders of Kim Jong-un, South Koreas JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported, citing people it did not identify.

Unless North Korea is saving every bullet it can and the officials were beaten with the anti-aircraft gun or it was dropped on them?

Ri Yong Jin, a senior official in the education ministry  possibly minister  was arrested for dozing off during a meeting with Kim and charged with corruption before being killed, the paper said. Former Agriculture Minister Hwang Min was purged over a proposed project seen as a direct challenge to Kims leadership, it said.

Sleeping in class is a crime:

Since taking over after his fathers death in late 2011, Kim has carried out a series of executions of party and military officials. The most high-profile was the December 2013 execution of Jang Song-thaek, Kims uncle and former political guardian. Another high-profile execution was that of Hyon Yong-chol, North Koreas former defense chief, who South Korean intelligence said was executed by firing squad in April 2015 on charges of dozing off during a meeting attended by the supreme leader.

Remains are then tossed to the dogs. Well, maybe. The source for this story offers no evidence. In fact, we never see any evidence of Mr Kims toughness:

In late April [2015], the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea uncovered a ghastly sight at a military firing range: analyzed satellite images showed six anti-aircraft gun systems being fired upon a small target at short range last October. The group assessing the bizarre scene decided it was an execution that had been watched by high-level officials whod driven in from the capital of Pyongyang.

Anyone who has witnessed the damage one single U.S. .50 caliber round does to the human body will shudder just trying to imagine a battery of 24 heavy machine guns being fired at human beings. Bodies would be nearly pulverized, the report reads. The gut-wrenching viciousness of such an act would make cruel and unusual punishment sound like a gross understatement. Hes a vicious sod is Mr Kim. Well, so they say

The victims of this brutality are unknown, but there is no shortage of past examples. In 2012, a shocked international press reported that a military officer was sentenced to death for drinking during the official mourning period for Kims father, Kim Jong Il. The method of execution was reportedly by short-range mortar firing squad. According to a source talking to South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, it was ordered that no trace of him [be left] behind, down to his hair.

Show me the body.

Anorak

Posted: 30th, August 2016 | In: Politicians, Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
Facebook bans Stephen Ellcock and his photos of art

Good news. Facebook has reconsidered. The picture of 16th-century theologian Desiderius Erasmuss fingers is not offensive. When Stephen Ellcock posted the image on his Facebook page, Facebook banned him, suspending him from posting for 30 days.

Facebook soon blamed it on human error by one of its employees and reinstated his account.

Mr Ellcock, 59, tells the Times:

Ive had death threats, Ive had stalkers. I have received threatening messages from photo agencies and American academic institutions warning me of dire consequences if I didnt stop posting copyrighted material What Im trying to do is create an online museum in the same way Uber is a cab company without any cabs.

Were delighted to say that Stephen Ellcock will soon be contributing to flashbak.com.

Anorak

Posted: 30th, August 2016 | In: Reviews Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink
TUNIS - Tunisia's interior ministry has prevented about 18,000 of the country's young citizens from leaving to join Jihadists fighting in Syria, Iraq and Libya, former Premier Habib Essid said.



During the ceremony in which Essid handed over the helm of Tunisia's national unity government to new premier Youssef Chahed, he highlighted this as one of the most important successes of his government.



Essid also said he hoped the new executive would be committed to pursuing his efforts to support military and security institutions fighting against Jihadist terrorism.



On Monday, three soldiers were killed and nine were injured in a terror attack on Mount Semmama near the Algerian border.
Tunisia terror group claims deadly attack on troops Three soldiers died, nine injured

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, AUGUST 30 - The Tunisian al-Qaeda-linked Okba Ibn Nafaa brigade has claimed responsibility for an attack on Monday on Tunisian troops in Mount Sammama, which left three soldiers dead and nine injured.



Tunisian special forces launched a crackdown on the group shortly after the terror attack on the Bardo Museum in Tunis in March 2015, killing its Algerian leader Lokman Abou Sakhr.



Okba Ibn Nafaa brigade operates around Mounts Chaambi and Selloum, in Kasserine, not far from the Algerian border. It is assisted by Algerian elements in its struggle against Tunis authorities, particularly armed forces and police. (ANSAmed).




Aisha Al Mansoori said: I fell in love with aviation during the 2007 Al Ain Air Show and joined Etihad the following year as a cadet. After qualifying, I started as a Second Officer on the Airbus A320 and now Im a First Officer on the A380. I hope to become Captain so I can train other aviators.

A total of 11 Emirati women are fully operational as pilots with the airline, while 38 others are navigating their way through cadet pilot training.



Etihad held a series of events to mark the second year of Emirati Womens day, a government-led initiative now held annually on 28 August to recognise the role of Emirati women in the development of the UAE. This years theme is Emirati Women and Innovation.



The most symbolic of the events was a visit to Etihad Airways Training Academy by ten longstanding members of the UAE General Womens Union (GWU). The delegation met some of the airlines Emirati female pilots, engineers and business leaders  bringing two generations together in a powerful illustration of the journey of Emirati women and the progress that has been made.



The GWU was established 41 years ago on 28 August, the same day now celebrated as Emirati Womens Day. The delegation was led by its first member, 65-year old Zulaikha AL Sayed AL Hashemi.



Noura Khalifa Al Suwaidi, director-general of the UAE General Women's Union, said: Such achievements would not have been possible without the vision, direction and unwavering support of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood. We were happy to meet ambitious Emirati women working across Etihad Airways, both locally and globally, in areas such as flight operations, engineering and management.

Mona Walid, vice president, human resources for Etihad Airways and Etihad Airways Engineering, said: Since Etihads launch in 2003, the company has focused on attracting and developing both male and female Emirati talent. As we nurture the leaders of the future, we are committed to elevating Emirati women to the forefront of aviation to play their part in the growth of the economy.

Of the more than 3,200 Emiratis employed by the airline, 1,661 are women  or 51 per cent. This includes the 137 at the award winning, all-female Al Ain Contact Centre, reflecting the appeal of Etihad as an employer of Emirati women.
Since March, airlines have been unable to repatriate the full amount due them under international conventions, as a result of restrictions imposed by the Government of Egypt. The current value of funds blocked in Egypt stands at US$275 million.



Discussions between airlines, the Central bank of Egypt and Egypt's Civil Aviation Authority have resulted in the release of US$240m for repatriation. Talks continue towards establishing a realistic and achievable payment schedule to settle the remaining amount.



Connectivity is critical for Egypt. Aviation supports over 1 million jobs and provides US$13.1 billion in social and economic benefits to the country.



The economic impact of the connectivity that aviation provides is essential for Egypt to overcome current economic challenges. Airlines struggle to provide vital connectivity if they are not able to recover revenues which are essential to covering their costs. IATA, the airlines serving Egypt and the Government of Egypt are working closely to find a solution that will comply with international obligations and facilitate effective air links in support of Egyptian business, including trade and tourism.
Designed for protection against swine flu, H1N1, H7N9, Ebola, Mers and Zika, Oman Air staff members currently use the wipes to disinfect aircraft galleys, lavatories and door handles.



We are committed to maintaining a healthy and safe environment for our passengers and employees, said Miguel Serra, Vice president of ground operations at Oman Air. Our partnership with Virus-Guard helps to ensure that we are taking all of the necessary steps and precautions for swift and coordinated action against international health threats.

In February, Oman Air announced that its leadership was monitoring the Zika virus situation in South America, posting additional information on its website from the World Health Organization and offering refunds and rebooking assistance to pregnant women scheduled to travel to the region.



Oman Air's use of Virus-Guard products is one of several necessary steps the airline is taking to minimize the threat of the Zika virus, as well as reduce the risk of the spread of this and other viruses and bacteria.



Virus-Guard disinfectant wipes are a ready-to-use product that provides long-term efficacy, and is an easy-to-use solution for eradicating germs. The wipes contain benzalkonium chloride, sodium pyrithione and polycondenstaes, a combination commonly used in hospitals and other medical treatment facilities. The wipes do not contain aldehyde or phenol.



Virus-Guard disinfectants are also available in a 500-milliliter spray bottle, five-liter canister and nebulizer. All Virus-Guard products are, biocompatible, approved for Airbus, Boeing and boast a long-time antimicrobial effect.



The number of infections by micro-organisms has grown tremendously, said Alex, founder of Virus-Guard. We are working diligently with our aviation industry partners to implement infection control measures and protocols. Our goal is to help these industry leaders to quickly adapt in order to continue to make customer safety their top priority.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. The Defense Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh says the Azerbaijani forces made 18 ceasefire violations across Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact.

The Ministrys announcement reads: Overnight August 29-30 the Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire regime 18 times by firing over 90 shots from various caliber weapons at the Armenian positions in Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact.

The Defense Army forces mainly adhered to the ceasefire regime and took counter measures only in case of strict necessity.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. The USC Institute of Armenian Studies along with USC School of Cinematic Arts and the USC Shoah Foundation will host the screening of director Eric Nazarian and writer Nare Mkrtchyans Armenian Genocide themed film, The Other Side of Home, on September 1, 2016, at the Ray Stark Family Theatre in Los Angeles, Asbarez reported.

The film is about a Turkish woman named Maya discovers in 2015 that her great grandmother was a survivor of the Armenian Genocide. As Maya wrestles with this new reality, she comes to embody the conflict that remains unresolved between the two peoples. She has two conflicting identities: one that suffers and the other that denies the suffering and its causes. The Other Side of Home is a documentary that follows Maya as she goes to Armenia to take part in the 100th commemoration of the Genocide and to explore her new-found roots.

Mkrtchyan describes her film as a universal story of identity, denial, and how the experience of genocide creates a ripple effect for future generations on both sides.

The 40-minute film will be followed by a conversation with the films director and USC Institute of Armenian Studies Fellow, Filmmaker Eric Nazarian.

Mkrtchyan is a filmmaker living in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. Her passion is telling unique human stories that connect people and move beyond the boundaries of nationality, gender, and religion.

Born in Armenia and raised in Los Angeles, Nazarian is also a graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He has lectured on the origins of cinema and the Armenian Genocide on campuses across the U.S. and Europe. Nazarian is currently working on the film adaptation of The Sandcastle Girls, Chris Bohjalians critically acclaimed bestselling novel. He is a member of the Writers Guild of America.

Salpi Ghazarian, the director of the USC Institute of Armenian Studies, says, After the Genocide, most of the Armenian survivors who stayed in Turkey took on new identities  sometimes voluntarily, often not. These were the hidden Armenians who knew who they were. But as the genocide generation disappears, the third and fourth generations who are slowly discovering their roots are shocked and unprepared for their new identity. This film adds to the conversation about this difficult transition.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. The economic issues will prevail in the session of the Prime Ministers of CIS states which is going to be held on October 28 in Minsk, Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee Sergey Lebedev said, RIA Novosti reported.

Currently the session of the CIS affiliate authorized representatives is being held in the capital of Belarus. They are discussing the draft agenda of the upcoming council session of the heads of governments.

It is supposed to include a number of issues, first of all, economic issues, Lebedev said. He said the agenda will include issues related to transportation, energy, protection of the environment.

He also informed that the CIS financial-economic forum will be held in Minsk in October.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. The August conference of the school principals of Yerevan has taken place. Minister of Education and Science of Armenia Levon Mkrtchyan touched upon educational issues and the works done by the ministry at the conference. When elaborating a national educational system it is important to figure out the specializations demanded in our country. We must develop natural sciences to be able to produce aerial vehicles, launch the nuclear power plant, and solve defense issues, Armenpress reports the Minister mentioning.

In the words of Levon Mkrtchyan, school gives children freedom and knowledge, while in the upper grades shapes a good citizen. The Minister said they will do everything so as the pupils are not frightened by difficult subjects and to ease the transition from lower grades to upper ones.
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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.
The jihadist attack hit a training center for new soldiers. Yemeni authorities speak of "massacre" with "the highest number of victims" ever recorded. Analysts and experts point out that the attack shows the difficulties of the government to restore security. Government and rebels ready for a new peace initiative.

Sana'a (AsiaNews / Agencies) - 71 dead and at least 98 injured is the updated toll of a suicide attack yesterday in Aden, southern Yemen, by militias of the Islamic State (IS). The target of the attack were young army recruits, fighting against the Houthi rebels and against Islamic extremist movements, including the same Daesh [Arabic acronym for the IS] in the area.

Yesterday's attack targeted a training camp in the north of Aden. The suicide bomber, on board a truck packed with explosives, rammed his vehicle into a group of new recruits waiting for the morning meal.

In the late afternoon IS leaders claimed responsibility for the attack in Aden, the "provisional capital" of Yemen, in the portion of the territory controlled by the government. Yemeni authorities describe a "massacre", with "the highest ever number of casualties in the city."

Witnesses said that the explosion was so strong "it collapsed the ceiling" of "hall which caved in upon "many recruits" present in the area.

Over the past two months, the government leaders have recruited and trained hundreds of soldiers in Aden, in the context of a campaign launched to retake the southern provinces from ihadists. However, analysts and experts point out that yesterday's attack shows the difficulties faced by local authorities in trying to restore security in the area.

Meanwhile, the government and rebels have responded positively to a new peace initiative, launched by Gulf countries to put an end the conflict. The goal is the retreat of the Houthi rebels from the capital Sana'a and the formation of a government of national unity. The rebels are open to talks, provided that the Saudi-led coalition stop the attacks and the siege on the territories under their control.

Since January 2015, Yemen has been the scene of a bloody internal conflict pitting the countrys Sunni leaders, backed by Riyadh, against Shia Houthi rebels, close to Iran.

In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition began air strikes against the rebels in an attempt to free the capital Sana'a and bring back then exiled President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi. So far the air campaign  criticised by the UN - has killed at least 6,600 people, mostly civilians and many children. At least 2.5 million people have been displaced from their homes.

For Saudi Arabia, the Houthis, allied to forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, are supported militarily by Iran, a charge that Tehran rejects.

Extremist groups linked to al Qaeda and jihadist militias linked to Islamic State are active in the country, a fact that has helped escalate violence and terror.
The vehicle broke through the gate and exploded in the courtyard. The victim is the driver of the car. The head of Chinese embassy security said that there are no injuries on the staff. According to local authorities it is a terrorist attack.

Bishkek (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A car bomb was detonated this morning near the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan situated to the north of the country. Local sources report that the vehicle broke through the gates of the structure and then explodedcourt in the yard, near the home of the ambassador. The provisional toll is one dead, most likely the driver of the car.

The Kyrgyz Ministry of Health said that three people were injured, while the head of the embassy's security assured that the delegation members are all fine.

The local AKIpress news agency reported the statements of the Kyrgyz authorities that it would be a terrorist attack. All the embassy staff was evacuated along with the nearby US delegation.

Kyrgyzstan is one of the republics of Central Asia, a region where Beijing's influence has increased enormously in recent years. Taking advantage of internal weaknesses in countries, China is taking control of businesses and agricultural land, often causing discontent among the local population.
The Archbishop of Manila condemns the "unpunished massacre" taking place in the country, but widens the field: "Life must be defended in all its forms. We must be concerned for what is happening on the streets, but also of abortion! These are also the forms of murder ".

Manila (AsiaNews) - The extrajudicial killings are worrying, "but I hope that we can worry in the same way even about abortion. Why do fewer and fewer people speak against abortion? This too is a form of murder"stated by the Archbishop of Manila, Card. Luis Antonio Tagle, speaking on Radio Veritas. The prelate spoke also about the age-issue that is dividing the country: the war on drugs "by any means" launched by President Rodrigo Duterte.

The "zero tolerance" against drug dealers and drug addicts, promised during the election campaign, has turned into a massacre of suspected criminals. The confirmed victims are now more than 2 thousand - and some civil society groups speak of double this amount - while there were no investigations against police or vigilantes who opened fire on these often unarmed people. The national police chief has even invited addicts to "set fire" to the homes of the "drug lords" and vowed their impunity: "You are the victim, you will not be punished".

Against this drift the president of the Filipino bishops' conference, Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, has intervened on several occasions with an appeal "to humanity of the police" and has published a prayer "to heal the wounds of society."

He has been joined by many other Catholic leaders, including Card. Tagle. According to the archbishop of the capital, the issue is inclusive: "We must always promote respect for human life, which is sacred. It should be protected in all conditions and at all stages of its evolution. "

With the same hardness, the prelate condemns the drug market: "Selling these illegal substances and pushing young people into the habit is another form of murder: You kill their dreams, their minds and their social and family relationships" . Faced with a culprit, he concluded, "we must work for them to reform, change their life and a give them another chance to get on their feet."

The position of Archbishop of Manila clarifies that of the Filipino Catholic Church, which some national commentators had called "split" on the position to be taken against Duterte.
by Nirmala Carvalho

For Fr. Frederick D'Souza the nun who will be canonized next September 4, has transformed the experience of the Church. The diaconate is not only service, but sacrifice and gift of self.

Delhi (AsiaNews) - Mother Teresa of Calcutta is "the compassionate face of the Church" and the "role model for millions of Caritas workers worldwide", says Fr. Frederick D'Souza, director of Caritas India speaking to AsiaNews a few days ahead of the canonization of Mother Teresa, which will take place in St Peter's Square at the Vatican next September 4th.

"In a few days - said Fr. D'Souza - Mother Teresa will be elevated as a saint of the Catholic Church. This is an honor and a recognition that was already in the hearts and minds of millions of people worldwide. Many people have written about her, some recognizing her as 'the Apostle of Mercy'; others criticizing her work as she had conquered the imagination of many people.

It is thanks to her that the works of mercy have been revitalized in the Church and through her this profound witness to the love of God has revived the faith of the people.

Liturgy, kerygma (announcement), diakonia (service) are the three basic characteristics of the Church's life. The ministry of the mandate received from the apostolic community, has suffered many interpretations and suffered emphasis and attention [unbalanced]. Mother Teresa has not onlycomprehensively revitalized the spirit of the diaconate, but gave it a new meaning: the diaconate is fruitful only if it is accompanied by sacrifice and self-giving.

Caritas, which expresses the ministry of the diaconate in the Church celebrates this important ecclesial event because Mother Teresa continues to inspire millions of Caritas operators worldwide.

These workers are often on the frontiers of natural or man-made disasters, or even war, risking their lives, bringing relief, aid, assistance. May the spirit of Mother Teresa help the Caritas Confederation to be the compassionate face of the Church ".
Turkeys offensive in Syrian territory continues with more than 50 tanks still across the border. Ankara announces the killing of "25 Kurdish terrorists". Human rights activists say those killed were civilians. Erdogan and Obama are set to meet in China on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. For Saywan S. Barzani, "proxy wars" are fought in the Middle East "between different countries, behind whom one finds the Americans and the Russians".

Membej (AsiaNews)  The United States "has used the Kurds" and then "abandoned them" as already happened in the past. Such events "have been going for a century, said Saywan S. Barzani, Iraqi ambassador to Holland and nephew of Masoud Barzani, the governor of Kurdistan.

Speaking to AsiaNews about "proxy wars" fought in the Middle East "between different countries, behind whom one finds the Americans and the Russians," he said that what is needed is "an agreement" between "the two world powers. Sadly, They use religion and ideologies for a war of economics and influence".

Meanwhile, in northern Syria, Turkey continues its invasion in violation of international law to stop the advance of Kurdish militias.

Yesterday, the Syrian government sent a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council of the United Nations accusing Turkey of "repeated crimes, violations, aggression and massacres against civilians.

Turkey sent some 50 tanks into Syrian territory that continue to push forward, beyond the stated mission, which the US backed, against Daesh (Arabic acronym for the Islamic state). In reality, Turkish forces have not yet hit any position held by jihadists.

The real aim for Turkeys incursion into Syria appears to be the creation of a buffer zone between Syria and Turkey, something that it has sought for the past five years. This entails preventing the Kurds from setting up Rojava, their own Syrian-Kurdish autonomous province.

Should the latter come into being, along with the already existing autonomous province of Iraqi Kurdistan, would represent the most explicit encouragement for Kurds in Turkey to secede and create the much desired federation of a united and independent Kurdistan.

For now, Turkish military occupation in parts of northern Syria has scuttled that dream, breaking the Kurdish territorial continuity from Ain el Arab and Afrin to in Jarablus and Mirado.

The advance stopped suddenly, after the occupation of some 30 villages south of Jarablus, in the northwestern part of Aleppo province.

Following Washingtons request, Syrian Kurds pulled back to the east bank of the Euphrates, with regrets and resentment.

Among Kurds, the USs U-turn still smarts. After encouraging them in the past months to occupy Membej and fight Daesh, Washington told them to go back to the other side of the river.

The feeling is that the Kurds who died to free Membej on US behalf died in vain. Now they accuse everyone  Washington, Moscow, Tehran, Damascus, Tel Aviv  of abandoning and betraying them.

According to Turkey, its Air Force strikes killed "25 Kurdish terrorists" and "destroyed five buildings used as" headquarters in northern Syria.

By contrast, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported dozens of civilians killed as a result of the Turkish bombing south of Jarablus.

Turkish news agency Dogan announced that one Turkish soldier was killed and two were wounded, in addition to damage to two tanks hit by rockets.

For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to meet US President Barack Obama in China, next Sunday, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hangzhou. This is the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders after the failed coup d'etat in Turkey.

According to reports from the White House, the situation in northern Syria after the Turkish invasion and "fighting Daesh will be at the centre of the discussions.

Asked by AsiaNews, Saywan S. Barzani said that "the wars in the Middle East", even the one against the self-styled Islamic State were manufactured" and are the result of the clash between two fronts.

On one side, we have Iran and Syria, which are under the umbrella of the Russian Federation; on the other, we have Europe, the US, Arabs and Turkey, where, however, there are conflicting interests at stake. They are divided among themselves and pursue sometimes opposite goals.

"We need an international agreement, Iraqs ambassador to the Netherlands said, to bring order to an area of the world where there is anarchy, in which the Kurds have been subject to abuse, violence, genocide and persecution for over a century.

The Middle East, in his view, "needs democracy, openness, secularism, but also protection by the international community. The West and the free countries must support democratic and open governments . . . Instead, in conflict areas, we find militiamen from more than 102 nations. There is talk about the problem of terrorism, but different interests of international powers are the reality." (PB)
by Shafique Khokhar

AsiaNews heard the history of Victorias family, forced to abandon their hometowns because they are Christian. They moved to Lahore, but here too, Christians endure attitudes of intolerance and hatred against minorities, a far cry from what is said in political proclamations.

Lahore (AsiaNews)  A Christian family living in Lahore was forced to flee Punjab as a result of Muslim threats.

The mother, Victoria (not her real name for security reasons) spoke to AsiaNews about her familys story.

Their predicament is indicative of the many backward steps Pakistan has taken in recent years with respect to religious minorities, which Mohammad Ali Jinnah had praised for their great contribution to the nation.

On 11 August 1947, the founder of modern Pakistan made a memorable speech before the Constitutive Assembly of the newborn state. This year, fear of new persecution has made a comeback on 11 August.

Victoria, 45, is Christian. With her husband and three children (one male and two females), she lives in a small two-room house in Lahore. In the morning, she teaches in a Christian school and in the afternoon she gives private lessons at her home.

Her family is originally from Khanewal, a town in southern Punjab. She used to teach in a local school with a regular contract and pension plan. Her husband ran a small shop, whilst the three children attended an English-language middle school.

Their life was spent with serenity until one afternoon in 2013, the eldest son Najam (shortened to N, name changed for security reasons) said he did not want to go to school.

Victoria was taken aback by his decision and demanded an explanation. After listening to her children, she found out that N had been thrown to the ground in the school by a bigger guy. As he was pushing down on Ns throat preventing him from breathing, the boy shouted at him, Recite the Kalimas, the six articles of faith by which one converts to Islam.

Victoria went to the school administration, which apologised and said it would solve the issue. However, after a few months, her two daughters were forced by a student to recite the Naat, a poem honouring Muhammad, before the school assembly. After that episode, the students father claimed that the girls were no longer Christian. This led Victoria to leave the city to avoid sadder consequences.

One night in December 2013, the family left behind their home, ties, and jobs and moved to Lahore, the city that some friends had recommended as more respectful of minorities.

The children went back to school with good results; however, her husband was not able to open a new business. Hence, Victoria became the main, albeit precarious breadwinner.

On 11 August of this year, the day Pakistan celebrated Minorities Day to mark Jinnahs historic speech in 1947, the family plunged again into fear. N was the victim of harassment at a private university in Gahzi Chowk on Ferozepur Road.

The young man attended a public college since the family could not afford the fees at a private school. However, public schools organise training days at private ones.

On one of these days, N took part in a compulsory Islamic science class where the teacher, instead of sticking to the programme, delivered a provocative speech and preached against non-Muslims.

N and two other Christian students were petrified when they heard the teacher say that "the universe was created for Muslims, and non-Muslims unfairly benefit from it. So killing Christians, Jews and Hindus is justified. "

N feared for his life. "If my classmates discovered my religion, they would tear me into pieces, he said. He was especially shocked by the fact that it was a teacher who said those words.

In Khanewal, "the oppressor was a student, who freed me as soon as the teacher came into the classroom. In Lahore, the oppressor was the teacher himself."

What worries the most, said his mother, is that the persecution comes from those who should set an example. "High-sounding political propaganda calls for an end to 'hate speech', but the facts show the other side of the coin."
Taiwans deputy foreign minister dismisses rumours that his government is concerned about an alleged rapprochement between Beijing and the Holy See. Due to the Vaticans mission to promote universal values, which would be good for China, Taiwan is not only not opposed to, but also thinks it is positive. Taiwans vice president will attend Mother Teresas canonisation.

Taipei (AsiaNews)  Taipei and the Holy See are diplomatic allies connected by the same values, sharing a consensus on many aspects, including religious freedom, democracy, human rights and humanitarian aid, said Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Chih-chung at a forum on the islands democratic development.

Wu also noted that, due to its mission to promote human rights and religious freedom, the Vatican is supposed to engage in dialogue with China, something that Taiwan is not only not opposed to, but also thinks is positive.

After Mao Zedong seized power, Taiwan has led a parallel life from mainland China. Until the 1970s, it was recognised by the international community as the legitimate seat of the Chinese government, albeit in exile, but the rapprochement between Beijing and Washington changed things.

Since then Taipei has had to struggle to maintain diplomatic relations with other countries, whose number has steadily dropped.

The State of Vatican City is one of the islands last official diplomatic allies, even though for China, it is a "rebel province" that needs to be brought back into the fold.

For Beijing, in addition to the thorny issue of episcopal appointment, diplomatic relations with the Holy See are premised on ending ties with Taipei.

For many analysts, rumours of an imminent" rapprochement with China have raised concerns in Taiwan. However, the current government has denied them, adding that open diplomatic channels are a positive step.

Asked about the status of Taiwan-Vatican relations, Wu said the ties have been and are expected to remain relatively stable, but acknowledged that this might not last forever, as many things are changing.

Wu will be in the Vatican on 2 September with a delegation accompanying Vice President Chen Chien-jen for the canonisation of Mother Teresa.

For him, the Vatican is not a country that puts national interests above all else but aims to push for religious freedom and the promotion of the Catholic faith.

As far as the government is concerned, our priority is to maintain official diplomatic ties with the Vatican, Wu noted.
The defence ministers of the two countries signed the agreement yesterday. Although never mentioned, China is the main target. Indian and US navies will help each other in military exercises, joint peacekeeping operations and humanitarian assistance. Another aim is to contain extremism in Pakistan.

Washington (AsiaNews)  The United States and India signed an agreement on Monday governing the use of each other's land, air and naval bases for repair and resupply.

The goal is to provide either country with logistical support in what is a milestone in the defence field. It has the explicit goal of containing China's growing maritime assertiveness in Asia and curb terrorist groups in Pakistan.

The military logistics agreement between the two countries was first proposed in 2002 but India did not agree to signing until last April.

The terms were defined last June during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the US and then made public yesterday at a conference at the Pentagon.

US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter and Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar took centre stage at the event showing solidarity in intent and objectives.

The signing of the agreement will "make the logistics of joint operations so much easier and so much more efficient," Secretary Carter said.

The agreement will allow the Indian and US navies to have an easier time supporting each other in joint operations and exercises and when providing humanitarian assistance, Parrikar said.

Although not named, the deal was aimed at China, whose influence on the South China Sea is increasingly opposed by both governments. Carter and Parrikar stressed the importance of free maritime trade.

India and the United States have a shared interest in freedom of navigation and overflight and unimpeded commerce as part of rule-based order in (the) Indo-Pacific, Parrikar said.

As for security, US media believe the agreement will also help counter religious extremism.

Concerned about the sectarian slide in Bangladesh after the attack on a Dhaka bar frequented by foreigners, the Pentagon pushed for the agreement.

This will send direct signals to Islamic State militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
A new bill was drafted in mid-August, but has not yet been released. The authorities want to approve it this year. A Buddhist leader and a Catholic praised the law at a Patriotic Front meeting. However, critics continue to slam the draft for its restrictions on the activities of religious communities.

Hanoi (AsiaNews/EDA)  The Vietnamese government is speeding the approval process of its new law on religions and beliefs, which has been sharply criticised by the countrys religious leaders since April 2015.

Overshadowed by the 12th Communist Party Congress last January and the election of the new National Assembly in May, the draft has taken centre stage again in mid-August with the government pledging to have it adopted this year.

The Patriotic Front, an organisation linked to the Communist Party, met on 17 August to discuss expert opinions on the draft law on beliefs and religions.

The meeting resulted in a new version of the law, which has not been made public for now. However, the Party has published speeches by some prominent Vietnamese religious leaders with close ties to the authorities.

Official media reported the words of Thich Thien Duc, general secretary of the management committee of the Buddhist church, an institution founded and sponsored by the state. Overall, he came out in favour of the law with some minor criticism.

The second address cited in the communist press was by a Catholic, Pham Huy Thong, presented as head of the Commission on religious thought, linked to the Centre for the Scientific Study of Ideas, set up by the Party. He is also president of the Catholic Union Committee, a government agency with no real influence on the lives of Catholics in the country.

Pham Huy Thong noted several positive aspects in the new legislation, including the freedom of citizens to practice or not a religion, a right also granted to prisoners, as well as the inclusion of religions in public discussions on education, vocational training, and medical care. Since the new draft has not been made public, it is impossible to verify these claims.

Since it was first presented in April 2015, the draft has sparked protests from leaders of the main religious institutions, including Caodaists and Catholics, and a sharp criticism from the bishop of Kontum, Mgr Michael Hoang Duc Qanh.

The law is in fact full of constraints on the registration of places of worship, staff, activities, staff destinations, programmes (requiring a year prior approval), making any action impossible.

Representatives from five Catholic institutions have called the draft "a step back even compared to the 2004 Regulations on beliefs and religions".

The new law, they say, "creates cumbersome procedures, suffocating mechanisms, a number of constraints that make it impossible to conduct any religious activity".
While 4K TVs are carving out a niche market for themselves, electronic giants Sony and Panasonic are already planning the next step ahead. The companies are planning to release 8K TVs, also known as Super Hi-Vision, in time for Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Sony and Panasonic will be joining hands with Japanese national broadcaster NHK for this purpose. According to Nikkei, the companies will assist NHK in research and development of appropriate technologies. NHK has already announced its plan to broadcast Olympics 2020 in 8K format. The broadcaster carried out select test 8K broadcast for Rio Olympics as well.

Slashgear reports that currently only Sharp has an 8K TV under its belt. The model was released late last year and is priced at $157,000. Apart from formidable pricing, lack of compatible content is another roadblock for 8K TVs. These TVs will be able to offer 4 times sharper resolution than the current 4K standard and 16 times sharper than 1080p. At the very same time, it will also require four times the bandwidth of 4K format.

NHK is widely considered to be a pioneer in the field of broadcast. It debuted HD TV format in the 1980s, almost a decade before its mass market release. For Rio Olympics, the company provided select footage along with other content such as a pop music concert in 8K format. Due to relative unavailability of 8K TVs, the company organized public viewing stations.

Sony is reportedly planning to sell its 8K TVs by 2020. Panasonic, on the other hand, is keeping its cards close to its chest. NHK is looking to start mass broadcasting of 8K format in 2018.

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Simmons & Simmons has introduced dedicated Iran desks across its global offices in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.The firms Iran-focused teams provide advice in Farsi, Arabic, English and French and have assisted many multinational companies in operating in Iran following the partial lifting of sanctions at the start of 2016.Clients of Herbert Smith Freehills can now access advice from its Global Cyber Security Practice with the introduction of a new initiative.The firm will offer clients five hours of advice per month in areas such as cyber security policies & procedures and procurement & supply chain risk. Clients will access the information online or by phone.Corporate partner Ezra Borut has relocated from New York to Tokyo at US firm Debevoise & Plimpton.Boruts practice ranges from multinational joint ventures to complex corporate restructurings to U.S. domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions.He joins the firms burgeoning office in Tokyo, which opened in March 2016. He previously spent 6 months as an intern at Nishimura & Partners (now Nishismura & Asahi) and concentrated on Japan while studying East Asia at Yale University.Entrepreneur Kim Dotcoms bid to avoid extradition from New Zealand to the US will be streamed live on the internet. Dotcom is facing charges in the US of massive copyright infringement and the Americans want him extradited.His appeal against extradition begins in the New Zealand courts on Wednesday and he has been given permission for the proceedings to be streamed, a decision Dotcom says should become the new normal.He will provide his own cameraman but the footage will be delayed by 20 minutes in order for any sensitive information to be removed."New Zealand at the forefront of transparent justice!" the entrepreneur posted on Twitter.
International law firms have shared the equivalent of AU$345.6 million in fees from what will become the biggest acquisition of a UK listed company. Freshfields and Linklaters are the largest beneficiaries of the deal; a $143 billion takeover of London-listed SABMiller by US firm Anheuser-Busch In-Bev.Also working on elements of the deal are Clifford Chance , Cravath Swain & Moore, and Sullivan & Cromwell and multiple law firms have handled local competition and tax issues for the global brewers.The legal profession in Singapore has too many graduates for the available placements at law firms and a new panel will consider what can be done to address the oversupply.Representatives from the city-states judiciary and justice ministry will form the 14-strong Committee for the Professional Training of Lawyers.With 509 lawyers called to the Bar at Singapores Supreme Court last week but 650 law graduates there were around 100 who missed out on training contracts.The committees study of the market will consider many options including the possibility of introducing regulation of training contracts and the operation of the retention process for trainee lawyers.More lawyers specializing in the aerospace industry will be required if Myanmar achieves its aim to become a global center of excellence in the sector.Plans for the country to become a regional hub for the sector by 2030 will require local small and medium law firms to support foreign enterprises to grow in the market.Abdullah Chan & Co partner Datuk Muthanna Abdullah said that while many firms do occasional work for the sector, it is specialists that are in short supply.They do not do it all the time. I think when you dont do it all the time, you cannot call yourself a specialist. When we look at international law firms specialising in aviation and aerospace, its all they do. They are specialists, he told the Business Times.
A lawyer who allegedly profited from peddling licenses to grow medical marijuana is currently facing a racketeering charge in Florida.



Ian Christensen through his law firm reportedly told people, including the couple Scott and Marsha Yandell, that they could get a certificate that protects them from being arrested should they prove they medically needed marijuana.



The certification reportedly cost about $800 each.



However, the Yandells faced criminal prosecution in 2015 for manufacturing, possessing with intent to sell and trafficking cannabis after the lawyer told them they could legally use marijuana, The Florida Times-Union reported.



The Yandells  who have since settled case with 3 years probation, a $15,000 fine and 100 hours of community service  are suing Christensen. They are also among the lawyers former clients who have complained to the Florida Bar about the lawyer.



Christensen, for his part, has written in response to the lawsuit that the certification he offered can only be used after arrest as defence. He also said he didnt profit from his business.



I never told people they could not be arrested, but there were plenty of instances where they were not arrested, the lawyer said.



Nonetheless, The Florida Times-Union reported that the law firms site included the following erroneous passage: if a patient can prove to a law enforcement officer that cannabis is the safest medication available to treat their diagnosed condition, they are NOT subject to arrest.



The lawyer is said to have been part of the opposition in 2014 for a constitutional amendment to make marijuana legal. He said then that it was already legal.
Following the official posting of more than $1 billion in losses for the 2016 fiscal year, Slater & Gordon is revamping its board while it faces closer scrutiny from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission over its accounting practices.According to a report from The Australian, three directors will leave the battered law firm. Only one of these directors will be replaced.Meanwhile, the Australian Financial Review revealed that documents point to the ASIC tightly monitoring and having concerns about Slater & Gordons accounting of recognised revenues, work in progress (WIP) and goodwill, and deferred tax liabilities."The WIP calculations are supported by undocumented judgments on estimated fees, probability of success and percentage of completion," ASIC head of audit Doug Niven wrote in an email to Commissioner John Price on September 9, 2015, the publication quotes.Subject to further discussion with the company, these judgements do not appear fully consistent with our own analysis of historical data and performance.Last week, Slater & Gordon, the first law firm to be listed on a stock exchange, prepared shareholders for the largest-ever annual loss in the legal sector.The loss of $1.017 billion includes an $879.5m non-cash goodwill impairment for its UK business. Last year, the law firm acquired Quindell in the UK for 700m.The firm reported a $958.3m loss in the first half and an additional $59.3m net loss before tax for the second half. Non-GAAP revenue for the whole fiscal year is $908.2m.Though the firm said second half performance improved, it had outflows of $20.9m in the period. For the first half, it had outflows of $83.3m for a total of $104.2m in the year.The Australian notes that even setting aside provisions, writedowns, finance costs and restructuring charges, the Slater & Gordon group had a normalised loss $48.7m in FY2016.Slater & Gordons FY16 performance is a story of two different halves. The results for the first half were extremely disappointing and well below expectations. In the second half we have taken significant steps towards turning around the performance of the UK business, Andrew Grech , group managing director, said in an earlier statement.Whilst the UK performance improvement program is still in its early stages, the second half results indicate that our efforts are beginning to bear fruit.Grech had tendered his resignation to the board but was convinced to stay.
By Olivia Carter, Senior Lecturer & ARC Future Fellow, University of Melbourne

It is hard to find the words to describe how I feel at the moment because my brain is only working at about 10% capacity. At least I made it to work today. This is an improvement on last week, when I decided to stay home after waking up exhausted with a warm and unpleasant throbbing pressure spreading into my eyeballs and across my sinuses.

I dont know exactly what flavour of miscellaneous virus I currently have, but I am also sure it doesnt really matter much anyway. My symptoms of coughing, mild fever, loss of appetite, lethargy and generally feeling crappy represent the familiar and generalised response of the body to the countless viruses responsible for cold and flue like symptoms experienced by most of the population every winter.

This symptom cluster is now often referred to as sickness behaviour, and is something I have been meaning to write about for a while because it is such a big part of my familys life.

I should clarify that overall we are an extremely healthy bunch, but it is simply impossible to avoid catching different things with three kids exposed to the germ smorgasbord provided by their three different day-care/kinder/school environments. And thats to say nothing about my own daily exposure to the diverse university student and staff population.

There is now increasing evidence that the wide range of symptoms that are frequently experienced with illness reflects a coordinated response to molecular products  cytokines  associated with the activation of the bodys immune system.

It now appears that there may be specialised processes in the brain that detect elevated levels of cytokines and then trigger the subsequent full range of effects that sickness can have on a persons subjective experience and behaviour:

Fever

Increased sleep and general lethargy

Loss of interest or motivation for usual activities

Increased pain sensation

Reduced appetite

Depressed mood

Decreased social interaction

Impaired concentration

While the existence of sickness behaviour is not particularly controversial  most of us will have had personal recent experience with it  the exact mechanisms and pathways underlying these responses remain a mystery.

Based on the obvious overlap in symptomatology, a few have suggested that impaired, heightened or persisting sickness behaviour may have some role to play in more severe clinical conditions such as major depression and chronic fatigue syndrome. However, the evidence for these links is still very unclear.

Other researchers have asked why the body would have a distinct system apparently designed to make us feel so horrible. Particularly if it does turn out to be true that the these symptoms are really just an indirect form of collateral damage that is separate from the front-line attack of the immune system on the underlying infection.

This is a hard question to answer based on detailed scientific evidence. It is however, easy to imagine a possible evolutionary benefit to ones family and local community if the level of social engagement of sick individuals was reduced through this type of self-imposed quarantining mechanism.

The more specific symptoms of pain and fever also require further investigation. A recent review published in the journal Brain, Behaviour and Immunity asks whether fever and sickness behaviour is friend or foe.

It concludes that fever and sickness behaviour are likely to have evolved to protect organisms and improve outcomes. However, it also finds no direct evidence that using over-the-counter medications to reduce the symptoms of pain and fever impairs recovery or causes any other adverse effects (beyond the mild effects such as increased in drowsiness and nausea sometimes caused by these medications).

Given the huge economic cost in terms of lost productivity, there are clear reasons why better management of the symptoms of sickness behaviour is important.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that between 5-10% of adults and 20-30% of children are infected by the influezna virus every year. This, of course, does not include the less serious versions of the common cold that effect the community at even higher rates.

It is not surprising, then, that the economic costs of colds and flu to Australia is informally estimated at between A$30-50 billion annually (in the last five years no formal estimate has been conducted for Australia).

From the financial perspective, it is clear that the sooner people can get back to work the better. Unfortunately, the ability to manage the symptoms of sickness behaviour before the underlying illness has been overcome will only increase the likelihood the underlying bug will be transmitted to family, friends and colleagues.

This is why many government and industry bodies now strongly encourage, and often support the cost, of annual flu vaccinations. It is definitely a case of prevention being better than a cure.

Back at our house, I seem to be through the worst of the symptoms. However, based on the resent conversation I had with my 4-year-old, I fear it might be a while before sickness behaviour is done with our family

Me: What would you like for breakfast?

Max: Nothing

Me: Do you want to go to the park?

Max: No I dont want to go anywhere

Me: What would you like to do then?

Max: I want to do a puzzle. But when I am sick I only do one piece and you have to do the rest. when I am sick.

Me: When do you think you will start feeling better?

Max: After all of the numbers on the clock run out

Me: You mean at the end of time?

Disclosure

Olivia Carter receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Originally published in The Conversation.
By Steve Goschnick, Adjunct Professor, Swinburne University of Technology

Shutterstock/Pan Xunbin

The concept of tracking your fitness with wearable technology is not new but the rate at which activity trackers are being worn by school children, is. And its causing quite a range of reactions.

In the UK, a mother withdrew her child from primary school because it stopped him from wearing his electronic fitness bracelet, although following protests the school later allowed pupils to wear Fitbits (except during physical education class).

In New Zealand, high school counsellors said they were concerned the Fitbit devices could become a fixation, particularly with girls trying to lose weight and keep fit.

In Australia, students in some schools are wearing these devices (for example, nine of the 24 in my daughters grade 4 class) despite terms-of-service such as Fitbits saying users should be aged over 13 to use its service.

As for older students, Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma said earlier this year it was giving new students the option of wearing of a Fitbit as part of its ongoing fitness program. However, this caused some concern and sparked an online petition over fears it could promote eating disorders.









Flickr/Melies The Bunny, CC BY-NC





What gets children moving?

You only have to witness the magnetic attraction between kids and their small screens to realise why the modern parent is looking for an antidote to the exercise aversion of their offspring.

Theres no doubt most kids thrive on structure put around their lives, such as enforcing some screen-time limits. The introduction of self-governance for kids at home is generally one of gradual steps and missteps.

An attractive feature of activity-trackers is that they come with an app that children are able to locate and install at kid-speed.

Your average self-tracking device does daily tallies for: steps-taken, kilometres-covered, calories-consumed and so on.

Parents will be happy to see children push up their daily step-count, and watch their young charges spending more time perusing exercise metrics and rewards, over first-person shooters and the demolition of rival buildings in Minecraft.

One reassuring aspect of the Fitbit daily dashboard, from the point of view of parents with slovenly kids in the home-zone, is that primary school kids are generally clocking-up lots of activity during their school day.

Self improvement

Researchers in pervasive computing see self-tracking as a significant tool in behavioural change in optimising ones self. From a sociology perspective, self-tracking is seen as heavily correlated with selfhood and identity.

These devices collect new information about ones self, capturing raw data that was previously hard-won or totally unavailable, and then present it visually for reflection, all with little-to-no effort by the individual. In doing so they offer a new source of rich knowledge about oneself.

Australian research into the phenomenon of self-tracking points to a philosophical grounding offered by French philosopher Michel Foucault. That individuals have a moral and ethical imperative to take up practices that help them achieve happiness, healthiness and wisdom. Practises that nourish both body and soul.

But despite the emphasis on self in this whole new scheme of smart things, the information being collected by these devices is also held by corporate entities beyond the individual.

Employers, with a vested interest in their employees' health and well-being, are also getting enthusiastic about these fitness devices.

In September 2015, the US retail giant Target offered more than 300,000 free Fitbit Zip devices to improve the wellness of employees, and the corporate image.

Some health insurance companies in the US and elsewhere, are now offering savings for people that wear such devices.

Any concerns?

So, what is the range of the growing concerns being raised about these self-tracking devices?

The computer scientist Jaron Lanier, author of Who Owns the Future?, was strapping technology onto his body back in the 1980s and has a good overarching measure of the dangers inherent in self-tracking:

There are two dangers: one is compromising privacy and the other is (that) participants can narrow themselves. Extreme adherents hyperconcentrate on certain kinds of numbers about themselves, and it can make them a little more robotic than other people.

Nonetheless, he missed the problem of low-grade devices. Fastfood giant McDonalds recently issued STEP-iT Activity Bands with Happy Meals in the US with 33 million Chinese-made wristbands set to go, only to recall them this month when burns and skin irritations were reported.

A growing concern is that self-tracking is becoming self-surveillance. And yet, in the public health domain self-tracking technologies dovetail nicely with the emphasis on self-management, on moving some personal responsibility and control back to individuals who require care.

It largely comes down to who has access to the data, what they use it for, and whether they have appropriate permission to do so.

Still, if it gets children off the couch and doing more exercise in the real world, by the time they are fit and healthy young adults they may well have cast off the activity tracking bracelet.

Or it just may evolve into a permanent augmentation, facilitating an optimised human life, from cradle to grave.

Steve Goschnick has received research funding from the Australian Research Council, The University of Melbourne, and a Telstra Broadband Development Grant (2004), to research and develop personal assistant software agents.

Originally published in The Conversation.
Non citizens in Australia are being reminded that they must have a valid visa while living and working in the country, with concerns growing about the number of Irish people overstaying what is allowed on their documents.It is understood that immigration officials do not go hunting for specific people who may have breached their visas by overstaying and many come to their notice for other reasons such as a driving offence or tax irregularities.However, immigration officers do encourage those who have overstayed their visa to get in touch with officials, even if they live in locations outside of the major cities. For example, officials are visiting south west New South Wales in September to provide immigration information to people who may need it.A spokesperson for the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) said the Community Status Resolution Service (CSRS) outreach programme enables people in regional communities, who do not have a valid Australian visa or are on a bridging visa, to talk with immigration officers about specific issues they might be facing.'The Department is committed to ensuring the integrity of Australia's migration and visa programmes. Non-citizens must have a valid visa to remain in Australia and this is an opportunity for people to get their visa status in order before they are detected in a compliance operation,' the spokesman added.He pointed out that it is always preferable for unlawful non-citizens to come forward voluntarily and work with the Department to resolve their immigration status issues. There are significant penalties including lengthy exclusion bans for persons who are removed from Australia.'In addition to providing information, DIBP staff can, where appropriate, grant a short term bridging visa to people while they work through their immigration matter,' the spokesman said.But there is growing evidence that even in large cities there are growing numbers of visa over stayers. According to the Claddagh Association in Perth, which helps Irish nationals in difficulty, hundreds are overstaying their temporary visas and many don't want to go back home so work for cash under the system to try to stay in Australia.It is estimated that more than 100,000 Irish people moved to Australia in the six years after the economic crash in Ireland in 2008 on employer-sponsored 457 visas which allow them to stay for up to four years. But they have found it hard to find more permanent employment that would allow them to stay longer. Many were able to get unskilled jobs on construction sites, but now there are fewer jobs and they don't have the required qualifications to get a more skilled job.Figures from the DIBP show that between July 2014 and June 2015 some 92 Irish citizens were removed for visa misdemeanours, up from just 16 in 2010/2011. A further 309 returned to Ireland voluntarily following discussions with immigration officials about overstaying their visas.
Hi,

I am in the process of applying for Subclass 489 visa but it seems that the employment offer is a must. I am trying through job search sites but the probability in getting an offer is very low since I am outside Australia.

I need the contact of Placement & Recruitment Agencies who can help me finding a job and getting an employment offer in order to proceed with the visa process.

Thanks,
Jeep commences its India ops with two dealers. Prices for the Wrangler, Grand Cherokee and SRT announced.

The iconic Jeep brand has finally made its entry into India. Jeeps initial line-up for our market includes two models, the Wrangler Unlimited and the Grand Cherokee SUV. Also launched is the high-performance Grand Cherokee SRT, which also marks the debut of the SRT performance brand in India.

Prices for the Jeep models in India are:

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 2.8 CRD: Rs 71.59 lakh

Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit: Rs 1.03 crore

Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited: Rs 93.64 lakh

Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT: Rs 1.12 crore

(All prices ex-showroom, Delhi)

Prices for the models are unexpectedly high, which is possibly due to the vehicles being fully imported as CBUs from the North American plant. These prices make the Grand Cherokee uncompetitive against its conventional rivals like the BMW X5 and the Mercedes GLE. However, the high-performance SRT seems to be competitively priced when stacked against performance SUVs like the Cayenne Turbo and the X6 M.

Currently, Jeep has only two dealerships in India  in Ahmedabad and Delhi  which limits its market reach. However, operations in Chennai and Mumbai are expected to start in October, followed by Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Kochi and Bengaluru later in the year. Jeep has also inagurated a parts distribution centre in Chakan.

The retro-styled Wrangler has been launched only in the long-wheelbase Unlimited trim, powered by a 2.8-litre diesel engine good for 200hp. The shorter, standard wheelbase Wrangler will not make it to our shores as of now. The Wrangler Unlimited comes with a five-speed automatic gearbox and standard four-wheel drive with heavy duty solid axles and a lockable centre differential. Also part of the kit is a 6.5-inch U-Connect infotainment system.

The second model from Jeep, the Grand Cherokee will, for now, be the mainstay for the brand in India. The Grand Cherokee comes in three trims  Limited, Summit and the high-powered Grand Cherokee SRT.

The Grand Cherokee Limited and Summit variants draw power from a 240hp 3.0-litre V6 diesel motor paired to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The Grand Cherokee diesel delivers 12.8kpl. The SRT uses a 475hp 6.4-litre Hemi V8 petrol motor mated to the same eight-speed automatic gearbox. All three variants are equipped with Quadratrack-2 four-wheel-drive system, with the SRT additionally getting high-performance Brembo brakes and active damping suspension.

All models are offered with an extended warranty and a comprehensive roadside assistance program.

While both the Grand Cherokee and the Wrangler currently get diesel engines, Jeep will launch petrol-powered derivatives for these models by November this year.

The Jeep brand had to go through a series of delays for an India launch due to various reasons. Speaking to Autocar India, Kevin Flynn, CEO Fiat India said This was a setback, but one that proved in some way good as now Jeep is backed up by a robust and ambitious local manufacturing plan. Earlier it would have only been a niche player.

While the Wrangler and the Grand Cherokee have marked Jeep's entry in India and are sold as CBUs, the carmaker will locally manufacture a third model that will set to roll out next year. This new SUV, currently known as the Jeep C-SUV, will likely carry the 'Jeep Compass' moniker. For the production of this model, parent company FCA has invested USD 280 million at its Ranjangaon facility.

The C-SUV is expected to be priced between Rs 13-20 lakh. Power is expected to be between 107hp and 122hp from a 1.5-litre Fiat Multijet diesel engine (a downsized version the international 1.6-litre block) for the 2WD model. An all-wheel-drive version, powered by a larger 2.0-litre Multijet engine making 170hp, will also be produced.

Also read

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited review

Jeep Grand Cherokee review

Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT review
The iconic Jeep off-roader is available in the four-door Unlimited form and in only one variant; powered by a 200hp 2.8-litre diesel engine.

Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles has launched the iconic American off-road brand, Jeep, in India. The automaker has entered the market with two models, the Grand Cherokee and the Wrangler in its long-wheelbase Unlimited body style. Both are being imported as CBUs

Jeep has priced the Wrangler Unlimited at a rather steep Rs 71.59 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Available in only one variant, the off-roader is powered by a 200hp 2.8-litre diesel engine paired to a five-speed automatic gearbox and shift-on-the-fly all-wheel drive.

In terms of equipment, Jeep has loaded the Wrangler with quite a bit of kit and key features including:

All-wheel drive with low range

Heavy duty axles and suspension

Heated front seats

Automatic climate control

6.5-inch UConnect touchscreen infotainment system with navigation and voice control

Tyre pressure monitoring system

On/off-road tyres

Automatic headlamps

Heated wing mirrors

Dual airbags

Traction control

Electronic stability and roll control

Additionally, the Wrangler is offered with a hard-top and soft-top. While the features may not seem to justify the steep pricing, the Wrangler hasnt been designed keeping luxury in mind. It is infact a comfortable true-blue off-roader with mechanicals designed to cope up with nearly any kind of terrain.

Jeep is currently selling the Wrangler Unlimited through two dealerships located in Ahmedabad and Delhi. The model is available with a two-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty along with roadside assistance for that period.

While it is currently available as a diesel only, Jeep has confirmed the addition of a petrol variant to its line-up before the end of the year. The engine will be the automakers 285hp 3.6-litre V6 engine, with the petrol Wrangler already imported for testing purposes.
Some unknown Russian mechanics decided the predecessor of the Chevrolet Spark was the ideal car to make into a pickup truck. And so that's exactly what they did.Most pickup conversions start with either a car that's badly damaged or one that's got way too many miles on the clock. The Matiz donor car has a little bit of both. Most of its sisters and brothers are rusting away in the scrapyard. And that kind of reminds us of the crash MINI turned intro a truck from a while back.We doubt that it will ever be used the way a pickup is supposed to. No weekly trips to the farmer's market or delivering drilling equipment fro this baby. The most action it will see is being surrounded by people who want a photo of it.The attention to detail on this Matiz pickup is pretty nice. After chopping off some of the roof and tailgate, the owner had to fabricate a custom tailgate and covered the newly made bed with corrugated steel plate. After that, he even gave it a durable rubberized coating.These photos we got from English Russia suggest the Matiz got a new rear window from some sort of van. The headlights are the first thing that draws your attention at the front. They feature projectors, so they are most likely of the aftermarket variety.After that, our eyes are drawn to the wider tracks, which are most likely the result of some wheel spacers. For the paintjob, the Matiz features a new coat of neon yellow with the roof, and newly added rails finished in satin black.
The accident took place in the great city of Lijiang in Yunnen Province. We've never heard of that place either, but maybe the next Tokyo Drift will be filmed there since the locals certainly have a love for speeding.The Chinese media is reporting that the driver told police he swerved to avoid a dog and crashed. But considering he hit not only another car but also the rail, we don't think that's what happened. Teacher, the dog ate my homework, and he crashed my car too!The chances of two of the same car crashing into each other are pretty slim. In fact, I've never seen it happen in real life. But let's consider the fact that Ferraris are not as common as Volkswagens. Production of the 488 GTB only recently started, so there can't be more than a few thousand in the world.Two Ferrari owners in the same city undoubtedly know each other. And the chances of them engaging in a race are pretty high. But we're not here to point fingers at anybody. What the wealthy Chinese do with their time and money is their business.What we can say is that the crash caused a huge scene. Police had to divert traffic and even in the photos you can see there's oil and gasoline all over the place. Considering how prone supercars are to catching fire, we're glad nobody got killed here.For whatever reason, the owners also had their official indoor tarp with them. So they tried to cover things up and went as far as to put newspapers over the license plates. Could we be looking at the children of government officials again?
A photo posted by Pasin Lathouras uii (@lathouras_p) on Aug 23, 2016 at 10:33am PDT

A photo posted by Pasin Lathouras uii (@lathouras_p) on Aug 4, 2016 at 2:21pm PDT

Well, picking up a Koenigsegg trimmed with gold leaf should do the trick for such an aficionado and this is exactly what Pasin Lathouras (now you also know the name of the team) recently did. We're talking about the brand spanking shining new Koenigsegg Agera RS Naraya, which you can see in the images to your right.The Thai car enthusiast has already shared multiple teaser pics of the Naraya (apparently, the designation is linked to his family and you can also find it on the motorsport crew's machines) on his Instagram account. And with the build process having taken 18 months, it's not difficult to understand why.By the way, this is also a good occasion to understand how things work inside the Swedish carmaker's Angelholm factory - the company is currently also rebuilding the crashed One:1 for a new Nurburgring record attempt and taking further car of the 1,500 hp Regera hybrid 's market introduction, among others.We're talking about the first Agera RS delivered in Europe (the hypercar will be displayed at Britain's upcoming Salon Prive high-octane event), so we can consider it the Old Continent equivalent of the US-delivered Agera XS . You know, the RS whose name spells just what you think it does and went to Lamborghini Veneno owner Kris Singh.The gold leaf was actually applied by Ettore Blaster Callegaro, an Italian craftsman who's famous for his custom cars and bikes efforts. Koenigsegg brought the man in, with the specialist spending two weeks on the job. 72-hour work weeks, that is.Curious about the details of the process? No problem, the K people were kind enough to go into the details: "The leaf is applied to the glued surface of the part/panel and once secure, it is turned by hand using a small tool the size of a champagne cork. The gold leaf is then finished with multiple coats of clear, along with the rest of the body, to protect it from scratching,"And the lavish play doesn't end here. The Naraya's Blue carbon body comes with a just-as-Blue carbon fiber tub chassis, a first for the automaker, while the gold found inside and outside the machine is accompanied by 155 cultured diamonds coming from California's Ada Diamonds.You shouldn't fret, though - all the glitter in the world couldn't outshine the performance of the Naraya. Not on the 1,160 hp twin-turbo V8's watch. So you can enjoy these pics without the slightest trace of guilt.
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Apart from a lot of media outlets who questioned Tesla 's decision to put the feature on the market so soon, there have been some other voices that carry a lot more weight than journalists usually do. Take NASA, for example, the North American Space Agency who, over the years, has conducted tests on the psychological effects of automation on humans for years and has plenty of insights into the matter.The studies were intended for aviation use, but it's all the same with cars now. As Stephen Casner, a research psychologist at NASA' s Human Systems Integration Division told Scientific American , "cars in 2017 equal airplanes in 1983." And even though they don't fly, judging by the level of automation, you have to agree with him.He says the main issue with semi-autonomous systems in cars is the time in which the human operator is required to regain control of the vehicle. The fact that this moment can occur at any time means that the driver has to be constantly alert, something that studies have shown to be absolutely impossible.Elon Musk kept defending the feature by saying it is similar to the ones used in airplanes, hence the name. Mr. Casner disagrees, saying that in aviation, the pilot is eased back into control, whereas the Tesla Autopilot can require the driver to take command in no more than a second.Ironically, it turns out that the better the automated system, the greater the chances for the driver to distance themselves from the traffic, thus increasing the danger of crashing should something unexpected happen.These nuggets of information coming from a very credible source seem to suggest that the best way to approach automated driving is to wait until there is a system capable of Level 4 autonomy - a car that can travel from one point to another completely unaided. That's the path taken by Google 's project, for example, as well as other car manufacturers such as Volvo , who are only releasing more and more driving aid features in the meantime.
The German corporation has received a sales ban on 32 models from its portfolio , which were homologated using falsified noise or fuel economy reports . South Korea also removed the certification of approval for 209,000 units, which will require new certificates to be entirely compliant with South Korean legislation.The number of vehicles that have lost their certification of approval has reached 68% of the total sales registered in the country by the Volkswagen Group since 2007.Contrary to previous rumors, Volkswagen has decided not to pursue legal action against the ban, but to attempt to achieve certification for the affected cars.This would also fix the problem for those that already own cars that have had their certificates revoked because Volkswagen falsified them.In total, the Volkswagen Group had lost approval to sell about 80 model variants in South Korea, including Audi, Bentley, and Volkswagen cars. A spokesperson for Volkswagens South Korean division has stated that the corporation has decided to avoid a lengthy legal process for a solution that will lead to the quick restart of sales, which will be handled through the same channels regarding matters of certification.As we previously noted, approximately 126,000 of the total of 209,000 Volkswagen Group vehicles sold in South Korea were affected by Dieselgate and also had been homologated using falsified data for noise and fuel economy reports. As Automotive News mentions, Volkswagen also received a fine of $15.93 million from the South Korean government because of this matter.At the same time, Volkswagen is experiencing issues in the United States of America, where almost half of the affected owners of the Dieselgate situation are interested in selling their cars back to the corporation. If this plan becomes reality, Volkswagen will end up with higher costs for the entire Dieselgate affair.On the other hand, Nissans South Korean unit will pursue the local environment ministry in court after it was accused of cheating on emissions analyses. Nissan had also received a temporary sales ban of the diesel versions of the Qashqai until the situation had been resolved.
Photo of Tuscon Fuel Cell courtesy of Hyundai.

Hyundai is developing a successor to its Tucson Fuel Cell compact SUV that should cost less and significantly boost range, reports the Korean Herald.

The new fuel cell vehicle would cost significantly less and increase range to 600 kilometers (372 miles) from the 415-kilometer (257-mile) range of the Tucson Fuel Cell.

Hyundai announced its initiative on Aug. 24 at a government-industry alliance event in South Korea. The Tucson Fuel Cell is the first mass-produced fuel cell vehicle and has been available on a retail lease in the U.S. since 2013.
Great news to all car/truck lovers out there as we now have a larger selection of powerful trucks to look forward to. Automakers are releasing their work before the year ends since the demands on trucks has elevated. The 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro, Ford Super Duty and Honda Ridgeline will capture and caught the interests of their loyal customers.



Owning a pickup truck always give us a glimpse of long driving and mind blowing experience of summer trips with our families and friends. Known for its incredible strength, carrying space and durable engine, there's more to this vehicles over other automobiles that are more fun and enjoyable to drive.



We have already seen what Honda is looking to offer later this year on the Honda Ridgeline. The freshly revised 2017 Honda Ridgeline is returning to the US Market after being out of the loop for three years beats other pickups but plays its own game. The ridgeline impresses in the passenger-car pursuits: ride, handling, acceleration and fuel economy. It is an excellent choice for those living in the city. It hauls things around effortlessly and aside from its versatility, is also spacious, comfortable and reliable. The starting price is $29,475 which is quite expensive to most people.



The latest Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro will soon be available and will arrive with a wider, higher stance, heritage-inspired Toyota grille and contrasting black details that isn't afraid to show its wild side. This new truck will help you go off the road, ready for the challenges you might face while you conquer the wilderness with your adventurous side. This new truck will help you go off the road, ready for the challenges as you conquer wilderness to come across your adventurous side.



Arriving this year will be the 2017 Ford Super Duty model with its new features. It replaces the old frames with new aluminum ones. Ford strengthened the frame and the drivetrain with fortified driveshaft, axles, brakes and the 4WD transfer case. It has been said that this new truck is tougher than ever, more heavy work- capable than the previous and has more pulling power than before.
Police said a first officers blood alcohol content was 0.3, or seven times the legal limit, when he was tested at Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City, Michigan, last Thursday and removed from the cockpit of a Talon Air Challenger 604 charter flight. The captain of the flight, Manny Ramirez, reportedly noticed that the first officer smelled of alcohol and slurred his speech, according to the Traverse City Record-Eagle. Ramirez called the dispatch office, and police were called to the cockpit. The first officer told police hed had nothing to drink since two beers at lunch the day before. He was arraigned on Friday and entered a not-guilty plea.

We are very proud of Captain Manny Ramirezimmediate action in detecting the co-pilots condition and removing him from his position, Talon Air said in a statement to local news media. Talon Air said the first officer, who was identified in local news reports as Sean Fitzgerald, 35, of Boca Raton, Florida, was immediately terminated after the incident. Fitzgerald could face up to 93 days in jail or a minimum fine of $100 under local laws. He was released on personal recognizance but is prohibited from flying until the case is settled. A hearing is set for Sept. 8.
The private-jet market overall has been slumping so far this year, as reported in the latest GAMA tally, but a closer look at the data shows that small private jets are in growth mode, according to a recent analysis by the Wichita Eagle. The Eagle found that shipments of small and midsize jets grew by nearly 11 percent in the first half of this year, compared to the same period last year. Included in that category are jets built by Cessna, Embraer, Gulfstream, Honda Aircraft and One Aviation.

Business jet sales were down 4.3 percent overall in the GAMA analysis. One factor cited for the fall in larger jet sales was declining demand in Russia, the Middle East and China. GAMA President Pete Bunce also said the U.S. Congress has not done its part to support aircraft manufacturers. North America continues to be strong in jet sales, and the small to midsize jets tend to be popular for those operators, according to the Eagle.
Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamian discussed with other senior officials on Tuesday possible changes in Armenias new Tax Code which his government pushed through parliament in June over strong objections voiced by the opposition and some business leaders.

The code passed by the National Assembly in the first reading will replace all other Armenian tax laws that have been enforced until now. It is meant to streamline taxation procedures and complicate tax evasion in the country.

The 700-page legislation also calls for higher taxes on fuel, alcohol and tobacco and a lower income ceiling for small businesses paying a single turnover tax. More importantly, it increases income taxes levied from workers earning between 120,000 and 2 million drams ($250-$4,150) per month.

These provisions were criticized not only by opposition but also some pro-government lawmakers when the code was debated by the Armenian parliament. Several Armenian business associations publicly added their voice to the criticism, saying that higher taxes would seriously hurt many businesses.

By contrast, the International Monetary Fund has defended the new tax rates sought by the government. A senior IMF official said later in June that the code will pave the way for a badly needed increase in public spending and improve tax administration in Armenia.

Still, Abrahamian promised during the heated parliamentary debates that the government will consider reasonable amendments to the Tax Code before it is passed in the final reading in September.

Abrahamian chaired on Tuesday a meeting on the issue with Deputy Prime Minister Vache Gabrielian, Economy Minister Artsvik Minasian and senior tax officials. A statement by his press office said they looked into numerous proposals submitted by lawmakers, business groups as well as unnamed international structures.

The statement cited Abrahamian as saying that those proposals should be analyzed in detail before the final parliament debates on the code. He said the government is ready to accept those draft amendments that would make Armenias business environment more transparent and competitive and render the country more attractive to investors.

The Armenian governments tax revenue has increased considerably in the past several years. But it is still equivalent to only one-fifth of Gross Domestic Product, a low figure even by ex-Soviet standards. The modest ratio results, in large measure, from widespread tax evasion, corruption and privileged treatment of entrepreneurs linked to the government.

The IMF and the World Bank have long pressed the authorities in Yerevan to improve tax collection.
30 August 2016 13:11 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Being unable to solve problems constantly emerging in the country, the Armenian government instead opts to arrest people who show their resentment with the current situation. As a result, dozens of people get taken in prisons with false and inadequate reasons in their criminal cases, beaten there by police officers and kept in awful conditions.

Thus, Armenian national liberal party Heritage demands to abandon the far-fetched accusations against its members and political prisoners including Andrias Ghukasyan. He was arrested in July of this year for alleged organization of mass riots during the seizure of a police station in Yerevan, and still remains behind bars. This and many other opposition parties cannot properly continue their actions in Armenia after a lot of their members were taken to prisons.

The isolation of political and public figures seems to lead to resistance in Armenia. The authorities solve only the current issues but do not think about the future, stated Spokesman of Heritage party David Sanasaryan. Maybe they solved the short-term problem, but not the long-term. We will fight against such phenomena as political prisoners, he claimed.

Moreover, cancelled court cases of some arrestees have not been completely closed, although Armenian citizens participated just in peaceful protests sanctioned by the Armenian Constitution. They have been released on bail before the trial date, but not released completely, notes Heritage.

Meanwhile, hundreds of cases of police brutality, who used police batons, stun grenades and other weapons against defenseless population remain out of Armenian governments sight, that uses every opportunity to suppress the population in its resentment actions, no matter how.

Moreover, the Armenian government creates obstacles for political parties of the country. Thus, political persecution forced Heritage party to suspend the elections for its heads in Gyumri and Vanadzor cities of Armenia.

Although Armenian government dismissed some officials in the Police system after the July events, Armenians consider that as an inadequate and insufficient measure. Sanasaryan believes those people should be not dismissed but judged: That is a real gift for them. They remain in reserve and after a certain time get a new post. However, they shouldve been prosecuted.

So, Armenian authorities continue their autocratic policy  Armenians are afraid of sharing their points of view on pain of being arrested or even killed. Now, the only thing to do for Armenian population is to stand its deranged government...or to overthrow it.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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30 August 2016 10:33 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Armenias armed forces have 16 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 30.

Armenian army was using large-caliber weapons.

The Armenian armed forces stationed in the Dovekh village of the Noyemberyan district, Chinari village of the Berd district and on nameless heights of the Krasnoselsk district of Armenia opened fire at the Azerbaijani positions located in the Kemerli village of the Gazakh district, Kokhanabi village of the Tovuz district and on nameless heights of the Gadabay district.

Positions of the Azerbaijani army also underwent fire from the Armenian positions located near the Chilaburt village of Azerbaijans Terter district, as well as from the positions located on nameless heights of the Goranboy and Fuzuli districts.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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30 August 2016 10:57 (UTC+04:00)

By Joschka Fischer

Most of Europes history has been marked by conflict. The American historian Robert Kagan wrote in 2003 that Americans are from Mars and Europeans are from Venus; but Europe was for centuries home to the Roman god of war, not the goddess of love.

Venus found a home in Europe only after World War II, when many global governance institutions emerged, including the United Nations, the World Bank, and the Bretton Woods monetary system. During the Cold War, European countries all but lost their sovereignty to two new global superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union.

The two superpowers divided control was eventually relinquished, and the old European state system was replaced by the European Union, with its promise of eternal peace between EU member states, and between Europe and the larger world. The collapse of communism in Europe, followed by that of the Soviet Union in 1991, was described triumphantly in Europe and the United States as the end of history  the global triumph of liberal democracy and free-market capitalism.

A few short decades later, in the annus horribilis of 2016, this all sounds quite naive. Instead of sustained peace and ever-closer union, Europeans are experiencing episodes of disorder and violence almost on a daily basis. These include the United Kingdoms decision to leave the EU; a spate of terrorist attacks in Paris, Nice, Normandy, and elsewhere; renewed aggression by Russia; and a bloody failed coupin Turkey, followed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans crackdown on Turkish civil society, which has raised concerns about Turkeys reliability as a partner to the West.

Moreover, Europes refugee crisis, with asylum-seekers pouring in from the Middle East and North Africa, has yet to be resolved. The spillover effects of civil wars and military dictatorships in Europes neighborhood continue to threaten the continent, and the US seems to be tiring of its role as the universal guarantor of global security and order. These and other factors have led many Europeans to believe that the years of peace are over.

One would think that this congeries of problems would prompt Europeans to strengthen the EU, in order to take control of the situation and mitigate the growing risks. Instead, many Europeans are following populist banners back toward the nationalism and isolationism of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

This doesnt bode well for Europe. In the twenty-first century, the turn away from cooperation and integration amounts to burying ones head in the sand and hoping the dangers will pass. And, in the meantime, the resurgence of xenophobia and outright racism is shredding the social fabric that Europe will need to prevent threats to peace and order.

How did we get here? Looking back 26 years, we should admit that the disintegration of the Soviet Union  and with it, the end of the Cold War  was not the end of history, but rather the beginning of the Western liberal orders denouement. In losing its existential enemy, the West lost the foil against which it declared its own moral superiority.

The years 1989-1991 were the start of a historic transition away from the bipolar world of the post-World War II era toward todays globalized world, a familiar place, but one that we still do not fully understand.

One thing is clear: Political and economic power is shifting from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and away from Europe. This leaves many open questions: Which power (or powers) will shape this future world order? Will the transition be peaceful, and will the West survive it intact? What kind of new global-governance institutions will emerge? And what will become of the old Europe  and of transatlanticism  in a Pacific era?

This might be Europes last chance to finish the project of unification. The historic window of opportunity that was opened during the period of Western liberal internationalism is quickly closing. If Europe misses its chance, it is no exaggeration to say that disaster awaits it.

European politicians today present voters with a choice between modest pragmatism and blustery nationalism. But what Europe needs now is a third way: political leadership that can think creatively and act boldly for the long term. Otherwise, Europe is in for a rude awakening.

Copyright: Project Syndicate: Europes Last Chance

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30 August 2016 18:23 (UTC+04:00)

By Rufiz Hafizoglu

Turkey's military operations in Syria against the Islamic State (IS, ISIL, ISIS or Daesh) terrorist group and the YPG (Kurdish People's Protection Units), as well as the Democratic Union Party (PYD, the Kurdish political party) resulted in activation of members of these organizations, as well as the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in the country.

For example, immediately after the start of the military operation Shield of the Euphrates in the Turkish province of Sirnak, an attempt to assassinate the leader of the Turkish opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu took place, and the PKK has taken the responsibility for that.

It is worth noting that if previously the CHP criticized operations by Turkish Armed Forces against the PKK, after the incident, the party began to support military efforts of the countrys authorities against the terrorists.

In general, the results of the military operation Shield of the Euphrates are successful: groups of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) with the support of the Turkish Armed Forces liberated more than 33 settlements from the IS in northern Syria near the city of Jarabulus on the eastern bank of the Euphrates.

According to the Turkish media, at present, more than 400 square kilometers on the eastern bank of the Euphrates river are controlled by the Free Syrian Army and the Turkish armed forces.

The Turkish armed forces and the Free Syrian Army aim at not only liberating Jarabulus city but also Syrian Manbij city controlled by YPG and PYD.

According to the Turkish media, the Turkish armed forces and the Free Syrian Army are attacking Manbij city as part of the "Shield of the Euphrates", and apparently the operation on Manbij city liberation will not be easy.

The Free Syrian Army has obtained information that YPG and PYD acquired chemical weapons, and there is a high probability that the weapons can be used against the Free Syrian Army and the Turkish armed forces.

The information was also confirmed by Zahir al-Sakit, former general of the Syrian army.

The information about using of chemical weapons by militants in Syria is not new.

The IS has already used chemical weapons against the Free Syrian Army.

Chemical weapons use by militants is a threat not only for Turkish forces in Syria, but also it can lead to a new refugee wave from Syria, which is one of the aims of IS militants.

The fact is that each new wave of refugees from Syria to Turkey creates new problems for Ankara.

Moreover, it is not only a humanitarian catastrophe for Syrian refugees; the main threat for Turkey is the entry of IS militants into Turkish territory as refugees.

Earlier, militants of IS and PYD have repeatedly entered Turkey as refugees and committed terror attacks in the country.

In order to prevent such a scenario, enhancing control at the Turkish-Syrian border within the Shield of the Euphrates operation will be a priority for Ankara.

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30 August 2016 10:40 (UTC+04:00)

Baku Expo Center will host the Caspian regions major event in the construction field - the 22nd Azerbaijan International Construction Exhibition, BakuBuild 2016 on October 19-22.

The event will mark the beginning of Caspian Construction Week, Azertac reported. This is a long-awaited exhibition for many experts from various countries, as BakuBuild is the most important professional event in the field of architecture and construction, design and maintenance in the region.

This year, the exhibition, which includes over 400 companies from more than 23 countries, will occupy all 3 pavilions of the Baku Expo Center. Italy, Germany, the UAE and Iran will all have national display booths, and Turkey will host a large stand as well. BakuBuild 2016 will cover a full range of building materials, ceramics, finishing stone, marble, paints, windows and doors, interior, roofing and flooring, metal and bronze works, construction machinery and much more. One additional feature this year will be the active participation of furniture companies from Azerbaijan, Italy, Ukraine and other countries preparing to showcase a wide range of luxury furniture at the exhibition.

This year's exhibition features numerous innovations, from both local and foreign companies. Among these are Color Mix - a rock/stone/cement mixture of several colours, which will be presented for the first time in Azerbaijan by the Vibrostone company, liquid rubber (Azbuild LLC), electric fireplaces (Line Ltd.), a new line of shingles (Technonicol), abrasives (Klingspor), and more.

The Sponsors of BakuBuild 2016 are Corella (NB Group), and Akkord Cement, and the media partner of the exhibition is the trade magazine House and Interior (Dom i Interyer).

BakuBuild 2016 promises to deliver a wide range of current products and services, communication with industry executives and professionals and much more.

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30 August 2016 12:41 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

The tombstone of the eldest son of great Azerbaijani general Huseyn Khan Nakhchivanski, has been discovered in Saint-Petersburg.

The interesting fingding has been found during the restoration of the monument to the famous Russian writer Nikolai Chernyshevsky, Trend Life reported.

The Chernyshevsky monument is one of the finest compositions made in 1947. The monument was architected by V. Yakovlev and sculptured by V. Lishev.

The monument is a stone sculpture of Chernyshevsky with a book, majestically sitting on a huge concrete pedestal and staring mysteriously into the distance. Surrounded by lush greenery, this monument is one of the most important attractions and landmarks in the city.

Great Azerbaijani general, Huseyn Nakhchivanski was born on July 28, 1863 in Nakhchivan City. His paternal grandfather Ehsan Nakhchivanski was the last ruler of the Nakhchivan Khanate.

In the Russo-Japanese War, he was the commander of the second Dagestani cavalry regiment, and held the command of the second Cavalry Corps in the World War I.

In 1874, Nakhchivanski was admitted to the Page Corps and graduated with honors in 1883. He received the rank of cornet and was assigned to the elite Leib Guard cavalry regiment. Nakhchivanski served there for twenty years and ascended positions from cornet to Colonel of the Leib Guard.

He was the commander of the 44th Nizhegorodski Dragoon regiment from November 1905, and in 1906, he was made Fliegel-Adjutant of H. I. M. Retinue and appointed the commander of Leib Guard cavalry regiment, where he started his military career. In 1907, he attained the rank of major-general.

In 1912, the general was appointed as the commander of the 1st detached cavalry brigade, in 1914 he was conferred the rank of lieutenant-general and became the commander of 2nd cavalry division entering World War I with this position.

Nakhchivanski married Sophia Taube, daughter of the Russian poet and translator Nikolai Gerbel. Together they had three children: Nicholas (died in 1912), Tatiana and Georges. After the October Revolution, the Nakhchivanskis emigrated. Their descendants lived (and some continue to live) in France, Lebanon, Egypt, and the United States.

He was supposedly executed by the Bolsheviks in January 1919.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter

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30 August 2016 13:24 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

A book entitled "Nouvelles Nouvelles DAzerbaidjan"(New novellas about Azerbaijan) was published in France, Trend Life reported.

The book was published at the initiative of the France-Azerbaijan friendship group, supported by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the French Embassy in Baku, Unibank, the French company "Total", Baku International Centre of Multiculturalism and the UFC.

The publication includes short stories by modern French writers dedicated to their visit to Azerbaijan.

The novels feature such beautiful Azerbaijani cities as Baku, Sumgayit, Gabala and Sheki.

The book also talks about secular, tolerant state with a tradition of multiculturalism.

Tolerance and multiculturalism in secular Azerbaijan is a style of life for over 9.6 million people living at the crossroad of the East and West, and combining traditions and cultures. Despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of the population (about 96 percent) of the country is Muslims, worshippers of other religions enjoy freedom here, and one can often witness Jewish synagogues and Orthodox and Christian churches and other religious centers functioning freely.

Here in Azerbaijan, the representatives of all religions and nationalities live here as a family, in an atmosphere of peace, friendship, tranquility and mutual understanding. This is Azerbaijan's great heritage, a great advantage.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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30 August 2016 10:20 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order providing additional funding for the construction of Liman-Narimanabad-Baliqchilar highway in the city of Lankaran, Azertac reported.

Under the presidential order, 900,000 manats were allocated from the 2016 State Budget for the completion of the construction of the road, which links three residential areas with the total population of 10,000 people.

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30 August 2016 11:41 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikashvili will visit Azerbaijan with an official visit in the coming days. This was announced after a meeting of Kvirkiashvili with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, who was in Tbilisi for an official visit on August 29.

Kvirikashvili and Mammadyarov discussed the issues of strategic cooperation between the two countries, as well as prospects for deepening of partnership in the spheres of politics, culture, energy, trade and economy.

They also spoke about the joint large-scale energy projects of regional significance.

They noted that Georgia and Azerbaijan are the main transport links of communication between East and West.

At the meeting the strategic nature of Southern Gas Corridor was stressed and importance of regional projects being carried out to this end, as well as existing active cooperation between the two countries were highlighted.

Kvirikashvili informed about the progress of the construction of the Georgian section of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line and expressed his hopes for completion of the project on time.

Mammadyarov, in turn, stressed the strategic nature of relations between the two countries and underlined that the development of these ties are in progress.

Implementation of joint main infrastructure projects and importance of mutual investments were also mentioned and successful activity and work of State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) in Georgia were commended.

During a one-day visit, Mammadyarov also met with the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament David Usupashvili. The sides discussed bilateral relations, including the issues of inter-parliamentary and economic cooperation.

Prior to these meetings Azerbaijani FM met with his Georgian counterpart Mikheil Janelidze, where the sides stressed that Azerbaijan and Georgia will continue cooperation and mutual support in international organizations, particularly in the UN and its divisions, GUAM, Council of Europe, European Union, and BSEC.

Georgia and Azerbaijan established diplomatic relations in 1992. The countries are actively cooperating in trade, transport and energy spheres.

--

Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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30 August 2016 12:24 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Azerbaijan is currently engaged in preparations for the upcoming constitutional referendum, which is scheduled for September 26, 2016.

In a bill sent to the Constitutional Court, President Ilham Aliyev proposed amendments to 29 Articles of Azerbaijans current constitution.

The Constitutional Court concluded that the changes proposed by President Aliyev are in line with the requirements of the Constitution of Azerbaijan and may be put up for a nationwide vote. The amendments envisage extension of the presidential term from five to seven years, establishment of the first vice-president and vice-president positions in the country as well as abolishment of minimum age limit for presidential candidates, dissolution of parliament by the president.

Head of the department at the Public Administration Academy under the President, Fakhreddin Nagiyev, commenting on the changes proposed to the Constitution, told Trend that the establishment of the institution of vice presidency will make the system of the state management close to the population, as well as become the strengthening point of the presidential control over administrative and management arrangements.

He reminded that the proposed changes do not contain any information on a definite number of vice-presidents. Nevertheless, the changes stipulate the establishment of positions of the first vice president and vice presidents. Nagiyev said that the institution of vice presidency is a widely used phenomenon in world practice, while vice-presidents conduct their activities in different spheres.

It is possible that institutions of vice-presidency on regions or different spheres of the state management, economy will be created in Azerbaijan, he said.

Nagiyev further added that the extension of the presidential term from five to seven years, which is also among the proposed changes, is a totally normal phenomenon used in many countries.

If we draw attention to the experience of other countries, we will see that presidential term has been repeatedly changed and there were different reasons for that. For instance, several years ago president in France was elected for seven years, but then the term was shortened to five years. The reason for that was the fact that the period of two or three years was between the presidential and parliamentary elections. Confrontation in the country might be triggered if rightist or left-wing forces won presidential elections, and opposite forces won parliamentary elections three years later. Solution for the confrontation in this case is either resignation of the President or dissolution of parliament. Therefore, the country decided to shorten presidential term. There is no such a problem in Azerbaijan. The extension of presidential term, in my opinion is related to the approval of the state program. The state program is optimized for 10 or even 15 years, therefore changes in the presidency may trigger certain problems, he said.

Nagiyev underlined that introduction of changes to the Constitution is a right of each nation.

Referendums were also held in Azerbaijan in 1995, 2002. The last time changes to the Constitution were made seven years ago, following Constitutional referendum held in 2009.

Nagiyev said that holding of referendum each seven years is a result of dynamic development of the country.

Main aim of the Constitution is regulation of social relations. The relations are developing and changing steadily and eventually reach such a level of development, that requires holding of referendums in the system of state management, judicial system or the sphere of international relations, he said.

Final results of the Referendum will be announced till October 21.

--

Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

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30 August 2016 12:26 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Georgia and Turkey have so far received 5.5 and 41 billion cubic meters of gas respectively through the Southern Caucasus Pipeline as part of Shahdeniz-1 project, said Khoshbakht Yusifzade, the first vice-president of SOCAR, while addressing the first Eurasian conference of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE).

SCP, built to export Shah Deniz gas from Azerbaijan to Georgia and Turkey, starts from the Sangachal terminal near Baku and follows further the route of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline.

Yusifzade said that Georgia now receives about 1.6 mcm, while Turkey gets about 16.8 mcm of gas per day within the framework of the project.

We currently extract approximately 29 mcm of gas and more than 7,000 tons of condensate from eight wells on Shah Deniz field. We have so far produced some 74 bcm of gas and 19 million tons of condensate from the field, he said.

Azerbaijan exported 422 million tons of oil to the world market as of August 1, with some 307 million tons being exported by means of BTC. Yusifzade has also highlighted the process of oil extraction on other fields of the country.

About 404.1 million tons of oil, with 224 million falling to a share of Azerbaijans profit oil, and 123 bcm of accompanying gas were produced on Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) block of oil and gas fields in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea as for August 1. Monthly volume of extraction amounts to 2.8 cmillion tons of oil and more than one bcm of gas, he said.

The volume of the countrys profit oil is increasing steadily. Some 11.5 million tons or 57.2 percent of the total volume of 19.6 million tons of oil sold in the first seven months of 2016 accounts for the profit oil of Azerbaijan,  Yusifzade said.

The volume of proved oil reserves of the country currently amounts to approximately 2 billion tons, while gas reserves volumes stand at 2.6 trillion of cubic meters (tcm), forecasted reserves of oil and gas stand at about 4.5 million tons and 5.4 tcm respectively.

The contract on the development of ACG block was signed in 1994 and covered the development of three large oil fields including Azeri (113 km), Chirag (94 km) and Deepwater portion of the Gunashli field (82 km) became first offshore PCA agreement of the country. The agreement became known as a Contract of the Century. The proven oil reserves of the block amounts to approximately one billion tons.

The Shah Deniz (SD) field, discovered in 1999, is considered to be one of the worlds largest gas-condensate fields, with the estimated reserves standing at 1.2 tcm. Annual production is expected to increase up to 16 bcm of gas within the framework of the Shah-Deniz 2 project. It is located on the deep water shelf of the Caspian Sea, 70 km south-east of Baku, in water depths ranging from 50 to 500 meters.

--

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30 August 2016 16:51 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

World oil prices have recorded a growth amid output suspensions in the U.S. Gulf due to expected weather deterioration and speculation that the upcoming Algeria meeting will be a turning point for reaching a supply and demand balance in the "black gold" market.

Brent crude futures were 47 cents up from the previous close at $49.73 on August 30. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up 45 cents at $47.43 per barrel, CNBC reported.

Oil and gas operators in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico have shut output equal to 168,334 barrels per day (bpd) of oil and 190 million cubic feet per day of natural gas as a precaution against a tropical storm, the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said on Monday.

The rise was also triggered by speculation that producers meeting in Algeria next month will support the prices. "Prices are still finding support from the expectations of an agreement on production caps being reached at the late-September meeting," Commerzbank said in a note, Reuters reported.

Nevertheless, most of analysts say that disagreements within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and especially its key members -- Saudi Arabia and Iran, undermine expectations of any positive impact on global output from the upcoming talks.

Theres a lot of price uncertainty, Robert Boslego, managing director of Boslego Risk Services in Santa Barbara, Calif, told the WST. Oil inventories keep reaching new highs, he said, adding that the big question whether OPEC members will intervene if prices go back down to $40.

Moreover, pessimistic expectations on the possible output freeze even strengthened after Iraqs new Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi asked the multinational corporations extracting oil on Iraqi lands to increase output.

Iraq, which exported more crude this month from its southern ports than in July - will continue ramping up output.

--

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30 August 2016 18:03 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

The construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), through which Azerbaijani gas will go to Europe, will enable Greece and the countries of Southeast Europe to reduce dependence on Russian gas.

President of the Hellenic Association of Energy Economics, Professor Costas Andriosopoulos made the remarks at the First International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE) Eurasian Conference being held in Baku on August 30.

He noted that currently the region's dependence on supplies of Russian Gazprom company is very high, and it continues to grow as consumption grows.

In order to reduce dependence of the countries of Southeast Europe, it is also necessary to build Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), which will make it possible to deliver gas from the TAP pipeline further to Europe, Andriosopoulos said.

Development of the system for supply of the LNG (liquefied natural gas) from different countries will also help to reduce the region's dependence on Russian gas, according to the expert.

Andriosopoulos noted that the global LNG market will continue to grow, and is projected to reach 470 million tons per year by 2030 compared with the current 245 million tons per year.

TANAP project, worth $9.2 billion, envisages transportation of gas of Azerbaijans Shah Deniz field from Georgian-Turkish border to the western borders of Turkey. The gas will be delivered to Turkey in 2018, and after completion of the Trans Adriatic Pipelines (TAP) construction, the gas will be delivered to Europe in early 2020.

TAP's initial capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year with the possibility of expanding it to 20 billion cubic meters.

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30 August 2016 18:38 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

BP expects oil production in Azerbaijan in July-December 2016 to reach a level not less than in the same period of 2015, Bakhtiyar Aslanbayli, BPs vice president for external affairs and strategy in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, told reporters in Baku on August 30.

In the second half of 2015 oil production of BP in Azerbaijan amounted to 641,000 barrels a day.

Aslanbeyli also reported that two stops for maintenance works are planned at Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli (ACG) blocks platforms in the second half of 2016, therefore, it will be difficult to maintain the level of production.

In the first half of the current year, BP produced oil at a level of 655,000 barrels per day, said Aslanbayli.

The contract for development of the ACG block of fields was signed in 1994. The proven oil reserve of the block nears one billion tons.

The shareholders of the project are: BP - 35.78 percent, Chevron - 11.28 percent, Inpex - 10.96 percent, AzACG - 11.65 percent, Statoil - 8.56 percent, Exxon - 8 percent, TPAO - 6.75 percent, Itochu - 4.3 percent and ONGC - 2.72 percent.

Aslanbayli also mentioned that BP does not plan to leave the projects of Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), and the company will have no problems with financing a 12 percent share in TANAP project.

Such plans have never been on the agenda of BP. The company plans to stay in the Azerbaijani market at least for a few more decades, he added.

TANAP provides for Azerbaijani Shah Deniz fields gas transportation from the Georgian-Turkish border to the Western border of Turkey.

The gas will arrive in Turkey in 2018, and after the construction of TAP completes, approximately in the beginning of 2020, gas will be delivered to Europe.

Additionally, Aslanbayli spoke about reducing of costs of Shah Deniz project  the reduction is due to optimization he said. Project costs are now even lower than the annual budget which is agreed with SOCAR company.

At the current price of oil, cost optimization is continuing in all projects. As for Shah Deniz, the cost reduction is less than for other projects, noted Aslanbayli.

The shareholders of the Shah Deniz project are BP (operator - 28.8 percent), AzSD (10 percent), SGC Upstream (6.7 percent), Petronas (15.5 percent), Lukoil (10 percent), NICO (10 percent) and TPAO (19 percent).

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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30 August 2016 11:11 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

Presidents Barack Obama and Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet on September 4 amid tensions over Turkeys ongoing operation Euphrates Shield, Anadolu reported on August 29.

The meeting will take place this week before the G20 summit in China, Obamas deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters at the White House.

President Obama wants to discuss, obviously, the circumstances in Turkey since the attempted coup, as well as our counter-ISIL campaign and our efforts to promote greater stability in Syria and response to the refugee crisis, Rhodes said.

The meeting will be the first between Obama and Erdogan since the July 15 failed coup attempt in Turkey.

It comes as the U.S. has urged Turkey to focus its efforts in Syria on Daesh, and to avoid engaging with the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Washingtons principal partner in Syria.

Turkey views the YPG as the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terror group, which the U.S. and EU also list as a terrorist organization.

On August 24 morning, the Turkish Air Force with the support of the coalition aircrafts 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. Jarabulus is located 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Turkish-Syrian border.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that this operation will continue until the PYD militants are completely liquidated.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department expanded the list of the voluntarily departing diplomats and their family members from the U.S. embassy and Consulate General in Turkey due to the unstable security situation.

The State Department took this decision in connection with the increased threats to the U.S. citizens from terrorist groups in Turkey, especially in south-eastern Turkey.

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30 August 2016 12:46 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

U.S. President Barack Obama hopes to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin "on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the Chinese city of Hangzhou,U.S. President's Deputy Assistant for National Security Ben Rhodes said at a White House briefing on August 29, TASS reported.

Rhodes noted that the official meeting between the leaders of Russia and the U.S. is not scheduled.

However, in all forums with Russias participation, we always try to find a way to communicate with them, he said, adding that Syria and Ukraine issues are usually in the attention point.

"We also hope (for such an opportunity)," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying. "We are ready, although the final decision has not been made yet," he added.

The last Putin-Obama meeting took place at the International Climate Change Conference in Paris in late November.

Previously, Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry held negotiations at the President Wilson Hotel in Geneva (Switzerland).

The main topic of discussions was the coordination between Russia and the U.S. in the fight against terrorists in Syria.

Moreover, the parties discussed the situation in Ukraine and issues on the bilateral agenda.

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30 August 2016 12:36 (UTC+04:00)

Turkey celebrates the 94th anniversary of the Victory Day on August 30, which marks the Turkish victory over invaders, the final battle in the War of Independence in 1922m, Azertac reported.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, ministers, senior officials and high-ranking military staff have visited and laid a wreath at Antkabir, the mausoleum of Turkeys founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk on a hill overlooking Ankara.

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30 August 2016 14:07 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The Turkish armed forces destroyed 12 positions of the Islamic State (IS, ISIL, ISIS or Daesh) militants in Syria, the Turkish General Staff said on August 30.

According to the General Staff, the military operations are being held against the IS in Syria.

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.

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30 August 2016 16:33 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Turkmenistan, an energy-rich Central Asian nation with abundant hydrocarbon reserves, is keen to diversify the routes of its gas export. Being the sixth in the world for the volume of natural gas reserves, the former Soviet republic is considering Europe as one of the most promising markets for the supply of energy resources and continuously studies opportunities for entering it.

Turkmenistan is discussing diversifying its gas exports and selling gas to European Union countries, Turkmen President said Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on August 29.

Turkmenistan has been in talks with the EU countries on the deliveries of Turkmen gas to Europe since 2011.

The Turkmen president said his country was also hoping to sell gas to Europe and had been in discussions with EU leaders to resolve legal and technical issues.

We in Turkmenistan are interested in delivering our energy resources to the West, Berdimuhamedov said, adding that his government had presented the European Commission with proposals for how to proceed.

We hope that Germany, which is a respected and authoritative member of the EU, will further render its support in this regards, he said, underlining that there are a lot of legislative issues that depend on the EU.

Merkel, in turn, said she hopes remaining obstacles could be resolved soon to allow gas imports from Turkmenistan.

I hope the problems that still exist can be overcome, she said.

The Turkmen gas deliveries to the EU would come via the Caspian Sea, which will also require approval by Russia and Iran.

A project on construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline through the Caspian Sea to the coast of Azerbaijan is considered to be the most optimal and promising project for delivery of Turkmen resources to the European market. Then Turkmen fuel can be delivered to Turkey, which borders with European countries.

Energy-rich Turkmenistan, producing about 70-80 billion cubic meters of gas a year, is interested in the construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline, as it will create an additional guarantee for the reliable and stable export of Turkmen energy resources to international markets.

Azerbaijan is also interested in the construction of the Trans-Caspian Pipeline as it can get huge benefits from the transportation the Turkmen gas via its territory. The country has repeatedly voiced its readiness for the allocation of its territory, transit opportunities and infrastructure for the implementation of the project, the length of which is expected to reach 300 km.

Most of Turkmenistan's proven gas reserves are located in the Amu Darya basin in the south-east and in the Murgab South Caspian basins in the western part of the country. The Central Asian country has also been lately engaging in gas talks with China, India and Afghanistan.

--

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30 August 2016 14:44 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

Russian President Vladimir Putin is not planning to visit Turkey any time soon, said Dmitry Peskov, Russian presidential spokesman on August 29, RIA Novosti reported.

"No, this information is not true, there are no such plans for the nearest future, said Peskov, answering the question whether the Russian leader is going to visit Turkey.

The crisis in relations between Turkey and Russia began after the incident with the downed Russian plane. After the incident, the Russian president signed a decree on measures to ensure national security and launch special economic measures against Turkey.

The relations began to recover after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to his Russian counterpart, where he expressed condolences to the family of the deceased pilot of SU-24 and regret over the incident with the Russian aircraft.

Later, after months of enmity between the two countries the Presidents of Turkey and Russia met in St. Petersburg on August 9.

The meeting between Erdogan and Putin moved the relations between Turkey and Russia to a new positive direction and served as the beginning of restoration of axis of friendship and clean slate between Ankara and Moscow.

Different aspects of further cooperation in the spheres of energy, trade and investment were discussed at the meeting.

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30 August 2016 15:36 (UTC+04:00)

Huseyin Capkin, former police chief of Istanbul, was detained, the Turkish Haber7 newspaper reported Aug. 30 citing the countrys law enforcement agencies.

According to the newspaper, Capkin was detained as part of the fight against the Fethullah Gulen movement, accused of involvement in a military coup.



In particular, Capkin is accused of covering the Gulen movement's actions, the message said.

According to the message, Capkin headed the police department in Istanbul from 2009 to 2013.

Previously, the Istanbul court passed a judgment to arrest Gulen.

On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed.

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people, excluding the coup plotters, and over 2,000 people were wounded.

Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20.
30 August 2016 17:24 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

A delegation of Russias Gazprom led by Alexei Miller is to visit Turkey on August 31, RIA Novosti reported.

The two sides are expected to discuss resumption of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project, said Alexander Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Gazprom board of directors.

"We plan a visit to Turkey on the agenda on our relations," he said answering the question whether a delegation led by Miller plans to visit Turkey on August 31.

As for whether the sides will discuss the resumption of the Turkish stream project, Medvedev said: "Including this too."

After the August 9 meeting between the Turkish and Russian presidents, Turkey has confirmed that its ready to continue negotiations on the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project

In addition, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak previously said the agreement on the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project envisions the construction of one pipeline leg by late 2019, with a possible expansion to two.

The minister said Russia and Turkey agreed to set up a working group to implement the project aiming to bring Russian natural gas to Southern Europe via Turkey.

Forecasting its construction timeline at second half of 2019, the minister added that an intergovernmental agreement on the Turkish Stream could be reached and signed by October.

The construction of the Turkish Stream pipeline to deliver Russian gas to Turkey via the Black Sea was initially scheduled to begin in 2014 but was delayed after the failure to reach an intergovernmental agreement. Negotiations on the project were suspended after the downing of a Russian plane in Syria in November 2015.

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30 August 2016 17:05 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

New air service agreement signed with the government of Luxembourg will promote Turkmenistan's intensive integration into the modern world economic system, the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper reported on August 30.

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who is on a working visit to Germany (August 29-30), has met with Maxim Strauss, vice president for corporate development of one of Europe's largest all-cargo carriers - Luxembourg-based Cargolux Airlines International S.A..

The parties discussed the possibility of further expansion of partnership on economically mutually beneficial and long-term basis.

Turkmenistan attaches great importance to the improvement of transport sector, and above all, infrastructure modernization and technical upgrade of the aviation sphere, which plays an important role in passenger and freight transportation  both at domestic and international routes, Berdimuhamedov said.

At the meeting it was noted that due to its favorable geographical position, Turkmenistan has a significant transit potential and can become an important link for a considerable part of the Eurasian international freight transport flows, and the company is ready to double the number of weekly flights.

Construction of new and reconstruction of the existing airports, terminals, facilities of engineering purposes is underway in Ashgabat and the regions of Turkmenistan, within the National Program of Civil Aviation Development of the country for 2012-2030.

Since 2015, Cargolux regularly delivers loads of different purposes through the Turkmenbashi International Airport - from Luxembourg to Taipei, from Hong Kong to Vienna and Budapest.

In summer 2016, the company has increased the number of transit cargo flights to airports in Turkmenistan.

In total, since July 1, 2016, the carrier has weekly performed 11 flights through airports of Turkmenistan, and in 2017 it plans to ship cargo through the cities of Turkmenbashi and Ashgabat on a daily basis.

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30 August 2016 18:35 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Turkmenistan, which seeks to become one of the largest intercontinental transportation centers, attaches great importance to the improvement of transport sector, modernization of infrastructure and technical upgrade of its aviation sphere, which plays a key role in passenger and freight transportation both at domestic and international routes. The country seeks to even strengthen its cooperation with leading aviation companies of the world.

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who is on a working visit to Germany, has met with Marwan Lahoud, Airbus Group executive vice-president of international, strategy and public affairs, Turkmen Altyn Asyr TV channel reported on August 30.

Lahoud stressed that the desire of foreign companies to expand their presence on the dynamically developing Turkmen market seems very promising due to the existing huge resource and economic potential of the country, as well as a favorable investment climate created for foreign business.

"Turkmenistan is always open for a constructive dialogue with the leading companies, which can offer the best innovations in various fields," the channel cited President Berdimuhamedov as saying.

Along with being a global pioneer in aeronautics, space and defense-related services Airbus Group is one of the worlds biggest drivers of innovation, which creates cutting-edge technologies. The company constantly strives for improvement by driving technological innovation, forging new partnerships and strengthening its localized presence around the globe.

Currently, Turkmenistan Airlines, in addition to domestic flights, carries out regular flights to dozens of countries. The area of the flights is constantly expanding.

Construction of new and reconstruction of the existing airports, terminals, facilities of engineering purposes is underway in Ashgabat and the regions of Turkmenistan, within the National Program of Civil Aviation Development of the country for 2012-2030.

New International Airport in Ashgabat, which is currently under construction is expected to become the largest in the Central Asian region.

--

Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

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30 August 2016 18:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan are expected to discuss the construction of Akkuyu NPP and Turkish Stream pipeline project, said Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, RIA Novosti reported.

"During the meeting in Hangzhou, China [on the sidelines of the G20 summit] it is scheduled to discuss the prospects of realizing joint strategic projects - the construction of Turkey's first nuclear power plant Akkuyu and Turkish Stream pipeline, he said.

Previously, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said that on August 9 meeting Turkey and Russia discussed going ahead with Turkeys Akkuyu nuclear power plant.

"We discussed some investment projects, including the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant. There is some progress here already. The necessary regulatory framework is being finished by the Turkish side. We expect to be able to move forward quite quickly," Dvorkovich said.

The 2016 G20 summit of the worlds 20 biggest economies will be held on September 45 in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.

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30 August 2016 09:54 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Baku, also known as the City of Winds, has observed a large influx of tourists from Arab countries this summer.

Baku streets, restaurants and hotels are full of crowds of Arab citizens, who are delighted with the wonderful weather, the food and the beauty of the country. Not only the capital city of Azerbaijan, but also its regions saw a record number of Gulf tourists this year.

One of the main reasons for the rising number of Arab tourists is the introduction of a simplified visa regime from this year for citizens of Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and other countries.

Overall, in the first half of 2016, Azerbaijan was visited by 25,000 tourists from Arab countries, while the figure approximately 22,000 people or eight times more than in the same period of last year.

Interestingly, Iraq demonstrates the highest rate for this indicator among Arab countries. In the first six months of this year the country was visited by 11,000 Iraqi tourists, which is 30 times more than in January-June of 2015.

Experts say that there are different reasons attracting Arab tourists in Azerbaijan including beautiful nature, halal foods in restaurants, direct flights as well as short distance between the countries.



In addition to the abolition of visas, Muzaffar Agakarimov, the adviser of the Chairman of the Azerbaijani Tourism Association sees the cause of massive growth of Arab tourists in the country's security and safety, as well as in multicultural values of Azerbaijan.

Arab tourists, according to Agakarimov, visit the countrys attractions such as Icherisheher, Gobustan and Ateshgah. However, the most popular places among them are the north-eastern and north-western regions of the country like Guba, Gusar, Khachmaz, Sheki, Ismayilli, Agsu and Gabala, he said adding that Arab tourists also frequently visit beaches.

Azerbaijan has factors bringing together Europe and Asia, what attract tourists. Tourists mostly prefer to get acquainted themselves with the countrys sightseeing. They like Baku Boulevard. Many of them love Azerbaijani nature, cuisine and historical monuments. Stability is another factor attracting tourists to Azerbaijan, he said.

Agakarimov noted that Arab tourists arriving to Azerbaijan stay here for about a week. Arab tourists actively use city tours, he said. Some of them stay in 5-star hotels and some in 2-3-stay hotels. Tourists from UAE and Kuwait mostly stay in 5-star hotels.

Agakerimov also emphasized that Arab tourists are going to visit Azerbaijan in winter season as well.

According to our analysis, Arab tourists will visit Azerbaijan not only in summer, but also in winter, since our country has good conditions for winter tourism, he said.

--

Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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Susan Yarnell, who is the manager of Southport-based cafe A Great Little Place has been shortlisted for her sandwich design skills at the Cafe Life Awards held at The Lunch! exhibition on Wednesday 21 September.

Yarnell made the cut thanks to her Jewel Studded Whipped Feta with Nectarine, Lime and Mini Salsa entry.

The cafe specialises in making a difference to the lives of people with autism. It is a social enterprise operated by Autism Ventures, a subsidiary of the charity Autism Initiatives UK.

The business offers work experience to people with autism, which helps them develop work, behavioural and social skills.

The Cafe Life awards, which are about recognising and celebrating the cafe sector in the UK, showcase excellence and encourage innovation.

This year, head judge and celebrity chef Theo Randall will be helping to judge Yarnells delicious offering at the Grand Final.

Yarnell said: Im thrilled to make it to the finals of this national competition  it is a great boost for the charity to know our great little places are recognised alongside market leaders in our field.

Earlier this month, PanArtisan will be focusing on its handcrafted Focaccia Romana at this years Lunch! exhibition.
GroceryAid, the trading name of the National Grocers Benevolent Fund (NGBF), is searching for volunteers to help with its welfare work.

The company is seeking volunteers, who have some spare time on their hands, to help somebody in need.

Those who put themselves forward will receive professional training, regular support to fulfil their duties and will be paid expenses.

Cathy Mercer, welfare development director said: We currently have 62 volunteer welfare assessors who work around the UK providing assistance to our beneficiaries. The feedback we receive from our beneficiaries is incredibly heart-warming and shows how much they appreciate the work our volunteers do. Were extremely grateful for everything they do for us.

Welfare assessors are the front line of the charity and without the input, GroceryAid would be unaware of the real needs of the beneficiaries. The recommendations of welfare assessors can often result in beneficiaries receiving basic household items such as fridges, cookers and beds, as well as emergency grants to help with items such as leaking roofs or boiler repairs.

Find out more from their website: groceryaid.org.uk.

In July, Grocery Aid spent 4.3m on welfare projects, according to its end-of- year financial results.
A man accused of sexually battering and impregnating an 11-year-old girl is back in the U.S. to face charges.



Suspect extradited from Guatemala

Accused of impregnating a then-11-year-old girl

Girl gave birth in May 2015

Rony Mendez, 25, was extradited from Guatemala. He had a first appearance Tuesday afternoon at the Bartow Courthouse.



Polk County Sheriff's deputies said Mendez, who was 23 years old at the time, sexually molested and impregnated a then-11-year-old girl with whom he had access.

Polk Sheriff Grady Judd said that when the girls mother found out she was pregnant in 2014 she told Mendez. Judd said Mendez immediately left work and fled to Guatemala.

An arrest warrant was obtained on November 27, 2014, charging Mendez with three counts sexual battery on a minor under 12 years old and one count of lewd molestation. The sheriffs office worked with federal and international law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, to get Mendez arrested in Guatemala.

"When we say that we'll chase you to the ends of the earth in order to arrest you, please understand that's exactly what we did, said Judd during a press conference Tuesday.

MORE POLK COUNTY NEWS: Polk man survives lightning strike, spider bite and now rattlesnake bite

Once Mendez was arrested, the extradition process took several months.

"That may seem like a long time, the four months," said FBI Supervisory Special Agent Terry Rahl. "But I can tell you that in the big picture of international extraditions it is not."

Mendez arrived in Tampa Monday night, and he was booked into the Polk County Jail. During his court appearance Tuesday, the judge ruled that Mendez would be held without bond.

Sheriff Judd said the girl is doing well, and her baby is about a year old now. The baby is in good health and being raised by the girl and her family.

"Can you imagine the responsibility that child and her family have, because of this person we still call a human being? said Judd.


Band Mixes Celtic and Appalachian at Intriguing Oregon Coast Concert

Published 08/30/2016 at 5:31 AM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff





(Lincoln City, Oregon)  An extraordinary musical journey that encompasses two continents will touch down on the central Oregon coast in early September, as the Lincoln City Cultural Center brings an evening of traditional Irish, Appalachian, Scottish and Breton music, performed by four up-and-coming musicians in the traditional Celtic scene: Na Rosai. (Above: Na Rosai plays Lincoln City).

It takes place on September 10 at the central Oregon coast hotspot, which is located at 540 NE Hwy. 101 in Lincoln City. Showtime for this all-ages concert is 7 p.m., with doors open at 6:30 p.m.

With fiddle, flute, uilleann pipes, bouzouki, whistles - and sweet, mellow vocals - Na Rosai explores the links between the musical traditions of the Celtic regions and North America by arranging tunes from the two regions with a traditional sensibility. Na Rosai is Irish Gaelic for The Roses in honor of Portland, the City of Roses, and its pronounced nrosie.

In 2010 Erik Killops returned to Portland after studying Irish Fiddle at the University of Limerick in Ireland. Shortly after his homecoming he met recent New Hampshire transplant and bouzouki player Richie Rosencrans and California native and piper Preston Howard at sessions around town. After realizing common musical interests they began a weekly performance at a local pub. In the autumn of 2012 flute player Conor O Bryan moved to Portland from Chico, California and immediately joined the ranks of the group.

Of their debut album, Devon Leger (Hearth Music) wrote: This is a killer debut from a young band on the scene with a lot of new ideas and talent to spare. Be sure to catch this one!

At this vibrant Lincoln City show, volunteers will be selling Northwest beers and wines along with My Petite Sweet cookies and brownies, and Mountain Man nuts and snacks, all to benefit the nonprofit LCCC.

Tickets are $20 in advance, $22 at the door, with a $2 discount for current LCCC members. Youth ages 18 and under will be admitted free. To reserve, click the Buy Tickets Now button at lincolncity-culturalcenter.org, or call 541-994-9994.

More interesting shows are coming to this Oregon coast venue. Upcoming concerts in the 150-seat auditorium include the Ukulele Road Show on Thursday, September 15, and the gypsy jazz group Rhythm Future Quartet on September 28. More on Lincoln City below and at the Lincoln City Virtual Tour, Map. Lincoln City Hotels/Lodgings for this event - Where to eat - Map and Virtual Tour



















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World-renowned classical musician Itzhak Perlman is scheduled to speak at Lamar University on Oct. 6.

The speech, part of the school's Judge Joe J. Fisher Distinguished Lecture Series, will be from 7:30-8:30 p.m. and will be free to the public.

The lecture is titled "a moderated presentation featuring Itzhak Perlman's violin to demonstrate the power of music to emotionally connect with an audience," according to a release from Lamar University.

Perlman is a four-time Emmy award winner and 16-time Grammy award winner, according to the release. Born in Israel, Perlman attended the Julliard School and has enjoyed a successful worldwide career.

Past speakers in the Judge Joe J. Fisher Distinguished Lecture Series include former president Gerald Ford, Larry McMurtry, Antonin Scalia, Stephen Jay Gould and more.
SABINE PASS -- A Port Arthur man working on an offshore rig in Sabine Pass fell 100 feet to his death Tuesday, local authorities said after spending six hours searching for him in the water.

Divers recovered the body of Ramiro Ayala, 40, about 3 p.m. near the rig, which is undergoing decommissioning.

Ayala worked for Environmental Remediation Services Inc., which was contracted to help take apart the rig.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration launched an investigation into the workplace death.

Ayala fell about 9 a.m., the Port Arthur Fire Department reported, from the rig Sovereign Explorer near the U.S. Coast Guard's Station Sabine, which is a search and recovery and law enforcement unit.

A piece of debris, which looked like a catwalk from the rig, might have figured in Ayala's fall, said Port Arthur Fire Marshal Paul Washburn.

A crane finally pulled the piece of catwalk from the water after a strap on the crane broke, further complicating the search.

Ayala's body was not entangled in it, Washburn said.

In the early stages of the search, a Coast Guard helicopter hovered above the scene, but it departed once fire department divers arrived.

In the first two hours, two divers searched for Ayala on the rig's left side, but stopped because the area was considered "dangerous" for only two divers, Washburn said.

The fire department sent for a backup dive team.

By 1 p.m., the divers had to take a mandated safety break, resuming around 1:30 p.m.

Washburn called the second period the most important of the day before the tide began to move. Divers located the body right at the end of that window of calm in the ship channel, which was never closed to vessel traffic.

Ayala, married and a father, was working on the rig's top deck at the time of the accident. A fall from that height to the surface would have taken about 2.5 seconds.

Impact on water from that height would have been the same as hitting a road surface.

Cliff divers who jump from similar heights point themselves in such a way as to minimize their impact. In an accidental fall, a person has almost no chance to orient himself to survive.

Washburn said the family had no comment.

SFlores@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/_SaraEFlores
An appointed prosecutor is challenging a judge's decision to toss tampering charges against two high-ranking Jefferson County sheriff's deputies.

Visiting Judge Stephen Ables set aside charges against Chief Deputy Tim Smith and Sgt. John Chad Kolander after their attorneys on Aug. 15 argued the indictments were too vague.

Smith and Kolander were charged with tampering with physical evidence and a government document involving a process server who tried to serve a district judge with a lawsuit in open court three years ago.

Smith and Kolander were accused of lying about how they obtained evidence against the process server and of rewriting a search warrant after another deputy had already taken the evidence home.

The May 11 indictments, however, were not as specific.

Ables gave appointed prosecutor Josh Schaffer a 10-day window to amend the document.

Schaffer on Friday filed a notice of appeal, asking Ables to explain his legal basis for tossing the charges.

Smith is the second-highest ranking deputy at the sheriff's office.

He was the district attorney's office lead investigator in 2013.

Kolander is a detective with more than 20 years at the sheriff's office.

Both have been on paid administrative leave since they were indicted nearly four months ago. Sheriff Mitch Woods said Monday he wants Smith and Kolander back on the job.

Woods said he hopes to make a decision later this week on whether to reinstate the deputies.

Retired sheriff's deputy Steven Broussard also faces tampering charges. Broussard is accused of taking the evidence home before a search warrant had been signed.

Former Judge Layne Walker is charged with abuse of official capacity.

His attorney Dan Cogdell last week asked Ables to release a written transcript of his client's grand jury testimony. Walker was originally under investigation for obstruction related to the process server incident.

The grand jury instead charged Walker with abusing the office after documents also contained in the case file revealed allegations he directed county employees to work on his personal business dealings, including campaign finance reports and real estate sales.

Walker tried unsuccessfully to have his charges dropped at the Aug. 15 hearing.

Cogdell argued the grand jury proceedings were improper because of a judge's interest in the case.

Criminal District Judge John Stevens presided over the grand jury but also brought the allegations to investigators' attention shortly after Walker resigned from the bench in 2014.

Ables ruled the potential conflict did not violate Walker's rights.

A conference call between Ables and attorneys is scheduled for Sept. 15.

Reporter Dan Wallach contributed.

BScott@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/BrandonKScott
Richard Vazquez, MD, is a private practice general surgeon and an assistant clinical professor of surgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. He along with George Cybulski, MD, have designed SafeStart.

SafeStart is a safety solution that modernizes and extends the surgical safety process. It brings together patients, nurses, physicians and facility and allows them to develop a surgical safety process together. The use of the SafeStart patient portal can improve patient safety by decreasing the risk or occurrence of never events.

Question: What is SafeStart and how does it work?

Dr. Richard Vazquez: What we have done out of necessity is we have reengineered the surgical safety process to decrease case cancellations and delays for the facility, improve patient safety and patient satisfaction with the surgical safety process, decrease risk for all stakeholders.

Normally the surgical safety process starts in the preop area. When you're a patient, you're sitting there frequently cold and anxious with the curtains drawn and they're getting you ready to go into the operating room.

What we've done is we started the surgical process at the intake visit with the surgeon in the surgeon's office and we enhanced the workflow and the surgical safety process.

We take a patient's customized safety checklist that is photo and text rich, and we send it to our secure cloud server and we invite the patient to customize that information that the surgeons and nurses will use in their final check list in the operating room. Patients verify or reject all of the intake information and surgical consent.

That same information follows the patient area to the pre-op area, and from the pre-op area it follows the patient to the operating room. The patient actually gets a chance to participate in the surgical safety process.

Q: Why is phlebology and endovenous treatment of chronic venous insufficiency so important to you?

RV: My interest in phlebology (venous disorders) dates back to the 1980s.

I was a member of the Chicago Medical Society Medical Practice Committee.

I was dispatched to learn about the validity of treating venous disease with injections (sclerotherapy). Sclerotherapy is a legitimate and acceptable method of treating varicose veins. Vein stripping was the surgical alternative.

I was fortunate to be able to work with John Bergan, MD, a renowned expert who taught me sclerotherapy and refinements in vein surgery.

The disruptive technology known as endovenous radiofrequency venous ablation was introduced by VNUS technology in 1999. The EVTA soon became the industry standard for treating the major superficial veins which cause varicose veins and could previously be treated in the main by surgery under general anesthesia or by sclerotherapy with less success.

Today, ablations done with radiofrequency energy are done under local anesthesia in an office not operating room setting. I found the procedure, its adjunct procedures such as vascular ultrasound examinations appealing since they afforded reasonable reimbursement and permitted surgical autonomy. I underwrote many of the general surgical procedures for which reimbursement was decreasing with the vein work.

I eventually was credentialed as a registered vascular technician and registered physician in vascular interpretation in 2009.

Learn more from Dr. Vazquez at the 15th Annual Spine, Orthopedic & Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference + The Future of Spine in June 2017! Click here for more information.

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Prince Rupert Regional Hospital, of Canada, admitted to using an improperly cleaned endoscope from April until the end of June 2016 at five different ear, nose and throat clinics affecting 104 patients, CBC News reports.

Here's what you should know.

1. The hospital sent a letter to the affected patients in the middle of August.

2. Northern Health, the medical system Prince Rupert is part of, said the affected patients should not worry because the endoscope was still being cleaned. It was just with the wrong solution.

3. Northern Health has admitted to using improperly cleaned medical instruments in the past.

Between 2012 and 2014, 10,000 patients in Prince George Regional Hospital underwent procedures with improperly cleaned gastrointestinal endoscopes.

4. Chief Medical Officer Ronald Chapman, MD, stressed the incidents were isolated occurrences.

The hospital has standards and procedures in place that are followed, but Dr. Chapman admitted that mistakes do happen.

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Here are eight recent healthcare startups using blockchain, a data structure that maintains and secures information. It creates a log of events that are unchangeable, which preserves data integrity and security as data moves to different touchpoints. Blockchain has roots in the bitcoin phenomenon but now tech start-ups, including those in healthcare, are adopting the framework for new purposes.

1. Guardtime partnered with Estonian eHealth Foundation in March to deploy a blockchain-based system that will secure over 1 million patient healthcare records, integrating Guardtime's keyless signature infrastructure blockchain into the foundation's Oracle database.

2. Gem, a company focused on blockchain tech launched Gem Health in April to promote collaboration in the healthcare space with Philips as its first partner. The company also plans to build out a private Ethereum blockchain to develop enterprise healthcare applications, according to CoinDesk.

3. Australian startup Brontech created the healthcare platform Cyph with blockchain. The platform will be used to build secure digital identities for healthcare providers to communicate private information safely.

4. MedRec is a system, currently in development, that manages medical records through the Ethereum blockchain. It gives users access to census-level data of the medical records, making it both a clinical and research blockchain.

5. Blockchain Health Co. is a San Francisco-based software company that uses blockchain technology to create a direct connection between medical research and users. BHC allows users to share information directly to researchers using their platform built on the blockchain.

6. Pokitdok aims to change how healthcare stakeholders communicate by giving customers access to technology that will connect healthcare's fragmented silos. The system offers payers, health systems and technology companies seamless communication.

7. HealthCombix is an incentivized, blockchain-based community care coordination program that ACOs and managed care organizations can license per patient subscriptions. The platform supports community-based care with patient health challenges while leveraging behavioral economics, social networking, cryptocurrency rewards and telehealth.

8. PointNurse is a seed-stage on-demand nursing app designed for consumer-focused engagement, referrals, population management, triage and telemedicine. Members connect with consumers and patients to seek navigation, referral, live consultation, disease management and additional services.



Becker's Hospital Review looks to continuously add to this list. Please contact Laura Dyrda at ldyrda@beckershealthcare.com to recommend additions.
Stephen L. McKernan, DO, CEO of Lone Star Family Health Center in Conroe, Texas, is leaving his position, according to a report by The Courier of Montgomery County. The health center board had recently announced that it is eliminating the CEO position all together.

Health center spokesperson Ashley Hamlin said the board plans to split the duties of the CEO position between two roles, due to the center's rapid growth. The board did not name the new roles.

Dr. McKernan has led the health center for the last 10 years and has been instrumental in its growth. The center now sees nearly 100,000 patients per year. He declined to give The Courier a comment regarding his departure, although the Ms. Hamlin said he will pursue other opportunities.

"None of the board has any ill will against Dr. McKernan. It was just a strategy decision that they thought was really important," Mr. Hamlin told The Courier.
Nico Gomez, CEO of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, told the agency's board in a letter that he was resigning after 16 years at the helm, according to NewsOK.

Mr. Gomez noted in the letter that it was the "right time to explore options in the private sector," according to the report.

As CEO of the Health Care Authority, Mr. Gomez also oversees the state's Medicaid program, SoonerCare, which covers 800,000 low-income enrollees, including 523,000 children, according to the report.

Mr. Gomez said he would like to serve his last day as CEO on Sept. 30. The Health Care Authority board is expected to discuss his resignation at their next meeting Sept. 8.

Read the full report here.
Traditionally, medical practice calls for physicians to inform patients when an unrelated, but suspicious lesion appears on a CT scan or MRI  but a group of researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center in New York want to challenge that practice.

The researchers, led by Stella Kang, MD, assistant professor of radiology and population health at NYU Medical School, wrote in a paper published by the Journal of the American College of Radiology that such incidental findings, when low-risk, often lead to unnecessary additional testing, invasive procedures and overtreatment.

Radiologists and other physicians feel obligated to remove, test or treat incidental lesions to ensure the patient is OK  which can be life-saving in some cases. However, the researchers challenge that more often than not, the additional treatment associated with incidental findings can also drive up costs and create additional clinical issues. It often makes more sense, both clinically and financially, not disclose incidental findings with patients  but is it ethical?

The researchers suggest more dialogue is necessary, but that radiologists might look to the field of genetics to sort out these dilemmas. In particular, the researchers called for more research into how patients feel about low-risk incidental findings, how patient preferences can be applied to uniform recommendations for decision making, and how physicians can approach care if patients do not want to discover low-risk incidental findings.

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Waltham, Mass.-based Alere, a medical diagnostics products company, has sued Chicago-based Abbott Laboratories to force the company to complete its $5.8 billion acquisition of Alere, according to The Boston Globe.

Alere executives filed a complaint in Delaware Chancery Court Aug. 26 alleging Abbott failed to obtain the necessary U.S. antitrust approvals for the merger.

In March, Alere disclosed the Justice Department had subpoenaed documents from the company to investigate Alere's overseas business practices.

Alere has since disclosed a separate U.S. investigation into billing practices at a Texas-based laboratory., according to the article.

Despite Alere's legal troubles, Abbott said in a statement that the company remains committed to the acquisition.
A Kanawha County Circuit Court judge denied Steel of West Virginia's request to halt Cabell Huntington (W.Va) Hospital's acquisition of Huntington, W.Va.-based St. Mary's Medical Center until after the appeal process, according to The Herald-Dispatch.

Judge James Stucky said in his opinion that Huntington-based Steel of West Virginia did not sufficiently prove that the appeal would benefit the parties involved, that the company would be harmed if the stay was not granted, that the stay would benefit the public interest or that Cabell Huntington would not be substantially harmed, according to the article.

Steel of West Virginia has until Sept. 12 to submit its brief to the circuit court for appeal. The hospital will have 30 days to respond.

Cabell Huntington began its $165 million acquisition of St. Mary's in 2014. The West Virginia Health Care Authority approved the acquisition in June 2015.

The FTC filed a complaint against the merger in November 2015, but dropped its complaint last month in light of the state-issued cooperative agreement law passed in March.

In August, a judge denied Cabell Huntington's motion to dismiss the appeal and denied the FTC's motion to be granted affected party status for the appeal.
Wyoming has asked a federal appeals court in Denver to block a judge's ruling on the state's ability to regulate air ambulance companies, reports Washington Times.

In May, U.S. District Judge Alan Johnson ruled in favor of four air transport companies that filed suit against Wyoming last year. The suit alleged a state compensation law  which capped state reimbursement for air ambulance services for injured workers at $3,900  violated a federal airline deregulation law that prohibits states from regulating prices, routes and services.

The suit alleged Wyoming owes the ambulance companies collectively more than $2 million in unpaid claims by refusing to pay more than the capped amount.
On Aug. 25, a psychiatric patient at Decatur (Ala.) Morgan Hospital hijacked a hospital ambulance after being released from treatment, according to the Decatur Daily.

The ambulance had been running with the keys in the ignition. Paramedics were reportedly dropping off patients at the time. After being notified via a 911 call, law enforcement detained the patient  Bobbie Garrison, 39  and recovered the ambulance on Alabama 67 between Decatur and Priceville. There have been no reported injuries in relation to the theft.

According to the Decatur Daily, Ms. Garrison has been charged with first-degree theft, a Class B felony, punishable by two to 20 years in prison. She was taken to Morgan County Jail. Her bail was set at $2,500.

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A retired Florida nurse was charged with second-degree murder in connection with the May 19 hospital death of her husband, according to a report on CBSNews.com.

Authorities said 61-year-old Jan Sochalski of Palm Coast, Fla., suffocated her husband, 64-year-old Henry Sochalski, in his hospital bed as he was recovering from elective back surgery, according to the article. They said a nurse found Ms. Sochalski on top of her husband in his bed shortly before he died at Daytona Beach-based Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center.

Arrest documents also show Ms. Sochalski's husband was hooked up to a pain medication machine when she pressed the button 264 times in an eight hour period, according to the article, which cites information from CBS affiliate WKMG. It should have only been pressed six times an hour, authorities said.

Ms. Sochalski denies killing her husband.




Atlanta-based Piedmont Healthcare and Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealthcare have reached a three-year contract agreement to bring all six Piedmont facilities back into UnitedHealthcare's network, reports WTVM.

The two parties failed to reach a new agreement before contracts that covered six Piedmont facilities expired in June and July. At the time, a spokesperson for UnitedHealthcare said in a statement that Piedmont wanted to raise its rates by nearly 30 percent during the next few years.

The new agreement reached Monday is retroactive to July 1, meaning UnitedHealthcare policy holders who received care at Piedmont during the period from July 1 to Aug. 29 will have their claims to reflect in-network rates.
Montpellier, France-based MEDTECH will present its ROSA robot at three international congresses in September.

Here are three highlights:

1. MEDTECH will first showcase its robot at the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies congress from Sept. 4 to Sept. 8 in Athens, Greece. About 2,500 brain and spine surgeons will attend this event.

Germany-based Frankfurt University Hospital's Dr. Thomas Freiman will present his study on robotic accuracy in stereotactic procedures with the ROSA Brain during this conference.

2. From Sept. 26 to Sept. 28, MEDTECH will present its robot at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons meeting in San Diego. About 3,000 brain and spine surgeons will attend this meeting.

The company will offer demonstrations of the robot for minimally invasive surgical procedures of the central nervous system.

3. Finally, MEDTECH will appear at the European Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery's meeting from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1, in Madrid, Spain.

Three neurosurgeons will present their research on robotic activity for MIS brain and spine surgery utilizing the ROSA robotic system.
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The controversial European/US free trade deal is still being negotiated and will happen, the European Union's most senior diplomat to Washington has said.

The view of EU ambassador to the US David O'Sullivan contradicts weekend comments by German economy minister Sigmar Gabriel, who effectively said the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) deal was dead in the water.

The German economy minister said the talks had "de facto failed" because Europe rejected some US demands.

However, in Dublin yesterday David O'Sullivan rejected that view.

"We are continuing to work to see if this can be concluded this year with this (Obama) administration," he said at an event in Dublin.

Even if that timeline slips a deal will eventually be agreed, he said.

"I do believe this deal will be done. It needs to be done," Mr O'Sullivan said.

He rejected suggestions that a deal with the US would lead to lower standards in Europe, including in relation to food - a key stumbling block.

Politicians in the EU and the US would still set their own standards after any deal, he said. In Brussels, the European Commission also insisted that a trade deal is still on the table.

A commission spokesman said yesterday that it had a unanimous mandate from the bloc's 28 members to finalise negotiations on a free trade deal with the United States.

Asked to comment on Sigmar Gabriel's remarks, a European Commission spokesman said "the ball is still rolling" on TTIP.
The European Commission has ordered Ireland to recoup 13 billion euro (11.1 billion) from tech giant Apple over a sweetheart tax deal.

A three-year investigation by Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager found the arrangements dating back to the early 1990s were illegal under state aid rules.

She said it allowed Apple to pay substantially less tax than other businesses - 1% on its European profits in 2003 and 0.0005% in 2014.

The Republic of Ireland's tax inspectors have been told to recover the unpaid billions.

"Member states cannot give tax benefits to selected companies - this is illegal under EU state aid rules," the commissioner said.

"The Commission's investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years."

Ms Vestager found two tax rulings issued by Ireland to Apple which she said substantially and artificially lowered the tax paid by the multinational maker of iPhones and iPads.

She said the arrangements to establish the taxable profits for two Irish incorporated companies of the Apple group - Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe - did not correspond to economic reality.

The commissioner said almost all sales profits recorded by the two companies were internally attributed to a "head office" which only existed on paper and could not have generated such profits.

Her inquiry found the profits were not subject to tax anywhere.

Expand Close iGraphic - Apple Inc. was ordered to repay a record 13 billion plus interest after Ireland illegally slashed the tech-giantss tax bill. It is the largest penalty in a three-year EU crackdown on sweetheart tax deals. / Facebook

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Whatsapp iGraphic - Apple Inc. was ordered to repay a record 13 billion plus interest after Ireland illegally slashed the tech-giantss tax bill. It is the largest penalty in a three-year EU crackdown on sweetheart tax deals.

Ireland's Finance Minister Michael Noonan said he profoundly disagreed with the verdict.

His office said the Republic does not do "deals" with taxpayers.

"Our tax system is founded on the strict application of the law ... without exception," Mr Noonan said.

The minister said he would seek Government support to challenge the commissioner's findings in the European courts.

"This is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system, to provide tax certainty to business, and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation," he said.

"It is important that we send a strong message that Ireland remains an attractive and stable location of choice for long-term substantive investment."

The tax bill covers a 10-year period, the longest the commissioner could enforce, for the years 2003 to 2014 of up to 13 billion euro (11.1 billion), plus interest.

The inquiry found that Ireland's treatment of Apple allowed the global brand to avoid taxation on almost all profits generated by sales of Apple products in the entire European single market.

It said this was because Apple recorded all its sales in Ireland rather than in the countries where the products were sold.

Niall Cody, chairman of the Ireland's Revenue Commissioners, insisted that it collected the full amount of tax due from Apple under Irish law.

"Under Irish tax law, non-resident companies are chargeable to Irish corporation tax only on the profits attributable to their Irish branches by reference to the facts and circumstances," Mr Cody said.

"The profits of non-resident companies that are not generated by their Irish branches - such as profits from technology, design and marketing that are generated outside Ireland - cannot be charged with Irish tax under Irish tax law."

The case is one of the most high-profile in the fight to redraw boundaries on aggressive tax avoidance, a fight which has put the EU at odds with the US government.

Apple has had a base in Ireland since 1980, long before it became the global brand it is today thanks to its iPhones, iPads and App Store.

It employs around 5,500 people in the country, with its biggest operations in Cork.

The findings are expected to throw further pressure on the Irish Government's pursuit of foreign investment through its attractive but much-maligned corporation tax rate of 12.5% for business profits.

Ms Vestager's ruling also comes just a week before Apple's biggest product launch of the year, with the iPhone 7 and a new version of the Apple Watch to be unveiled in San Francisco.

Her office's investigations have also targeted aggressive tax planning by Starbucks and Fiat, both of which are appealing against rulings ordering them to pay back taxes to the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Apple has 22,000 employees across Europe.

It also claims to have helped create more than 1.4 million jobs since its App Store launched eight years ago, and said it spent 11 billion euro (9.4 billion) with more than 4,500 European suppliers in 2013.

Apple also has plans for a major data centre near Athenry, Co Galway, in Ireland and another in Denmark.

Chief executive Tim Cook told the Washington Post earlier this month: "I hope that we get a fair hearing. If we don't, then we would obviously appeal it."
Bunzl said it had acquired two Canadian companies and one in Hungary

Business supplies firm and outsourcer Bunzl has notched up a rise in profits for the first half of the year and announced a trio of acquisitions.

Pre-tax profits rose 6% to 155.6 million in the period, driven by a strong performance in continental Europe. Revenues were up 10% to 3.4 billion.

The group added that it has bagged two businesses in Canada - cleaning products firms Plus II Sanitation Supplies and Apex Sanitation Products, and Silwell Kft, a disposable food service company in Hungary.

Bunzl chief executive Frank van Zanten, who took up the role in April, said: "Going forward, we will focus on further expansion of the group, continuing our investments in IT and digital projects and intensifying the sharing of best practice across our businesses globally."

However, revenue and profits dipped in the UK and Ireland, with the firm flagging a "weaker performance".

On Brexit, Bunzl said that while it is "difficult to give a firm view as to the probable impact of the recent referendum result in the UK", it does not expect the impact on its business to be significant.

More than 85% of its business is based outside the UK.

Bunzl hiked its interim dividend by 11% to 13p per share.
The Mellon Country Hotel in Omagh is on the market for 450,000 after going into administration

A Co Tyrone hotel famous for hosting country music events left behind debts of more than 1.6m and made all its 30 staff redundant after going bust.

The Mellon Country Hotel in Omagh has been put up for sale for 450,000, after going into administrative receivership.

The 18-room venue, which has played host to a number of country stars like Lisa McHugh, Derek Ryan and Johnny Buckley, is on the market.

Now, a detailed report from administrators Keenan Corporate Finance shows the losses and financial position of the hotel.

It says the hotel was kept open until June 30, but was then shut "due to its loss-making position and the inability to fund working capital". But it said that "all of the employees were made redundant".

It's understood around 30 staff, mainly part-time, had worked at the hotel.

It left behind debts of more than 650,000 to KBC Bank Ireland.

Its biggest debts were to unsecured creditors, amounting to more than 1m.

The bulk of that was a business loan to Liam Duddy, amounting to 970,000.

Other debts include 1,500 owed to Lynas Foods and more than 7,500 to Northwest Liquor.

Administrators say the redundancy claims relating to job losses are thought to be around 15,000.

The administrators said: "We have continued to process outstanding redundancy and statutory entitlements".

The sale process of the hotel is "ongoing". And it says, based on initial estimates, "we do not anticipate that a dividend will be payable to unsecured non-preferential creditors".

A creditors' meeting is now scheduled to take place in Belfast next month.

As well as its 18 en-suite rooms, the hotel, which is on the Beltany Road between Omagh and Enniskillen, has function rooms, a bar and a restaurant.

KBC Bank appointed Keenan Corporate Finance as administrative receiver to the company that owns the hotel, Mellon Country Hotel Limited, in June.

Meanwhile, in Co Antrim, the Curran Court Hotel has gone on the market just weeks after the business was placed into receivership.

The hotel, which is marking 41 years in business, and the Bodega Bar in Larne are now being run by administrators Ernst and Young (EY).

EY is now advertising for potential buyers of the popular spot, which employs 65 people.

It is marketing the hotel as "trading successfully on the Port of Larne with 33 en-suite bedrooms, a large bar and renowned Alexandra restaurant".

It's understood it has been trading well since entering administrative receivership, with bookings being taken.

Customers flooded Facebook with messages of support for the hotel, after it entered administration. The hotel has 33 bedrooms and was run by businessman Crawford Leitch.

EY would not reveal a guide price for the business or how much it was likely to fetch.

It's now seeking new owners for both businesses, along with the buildings and other assets.

There were reports a small number of staff have been let go from the business. However, it's not clear whether there are any redundancies planned following the receivership.
Irish restaurant chain Camile Thai is seeking to expand into Northern Ireland as it offers franchise opportunities for potential Belfast restaurateurs.

The healthy Thai food delivery business currently has 14 locations in the Republic.

It's now opening three more, creating 100 new jobs.

But the company says it is now offering franchise opportunities for Belfast.

Investment in a Camile Thai franchise costs between 250,000 (214,000) and 400,000 (341,000) for a 1,000 to 2,000 sq foot restaurant in Belfast.

The new branches will open in Stillorgan and Artane in Dublin and in Sligo town.

Brody Sweeney, founder of Camile Thai, said: "An indigenous Irish company, Camile Thai has gone from strength to strength over the past six years and is now market leader in Ireland.

"Our aim is to double the size of the chain over the next few years and continue to be one of the leading brands, offering customers restaurant quality food delivered straight to their door; 70% of our customers are repeat customers and sales in some of our larger branches are well in excess of 1m (850,000) per annum.

"We are offering potential franchise owners the chance to become part of a proven and successful food business model, and the opportunity to create a strong income stream and significant capital growth."

Earlier this year another Irish chain, Apache Pizza, said it hopes to open as many as 40 locations in Northern Ireland.

Boss Robert Pendleton said the business was opening eight outlets here this year alone.
US investors could buy one of Northern Ireland's main oil terminals, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal.

And there are concerns that the sale of the BP terminal at Airport Road West could affect petrol and heating oil prices. There are four terminals through which oil-based products enter Northern Ireland. Three of these are based in Belfast, with the fourth site in Londonderry.

The terminals are the only importers of oil-based products to Northern Ireland, and act as suppliers to the various fuel distributors across the province.

The largest of its kind in Northern Ireland is the huge site in Belfast, which features several large oil containers.

"The (new) owner would have some market power, and if they chose to improve their profit margin, that could work its way down to you and I as customers," economist John Simpson said.

And he said if the new owner stopped running fuel through the facility, it could instead come from further afield - potentially pushing up the prices.

BP is selling off a string of fuel storage terminals as well as its stake in a large pipeline as part of a shake-up of its operations in the UK. It's due to sell off storage terminals at Belfast, Hamble and Northampton, as well its stake in the Kingsbury terminal.

The terminal stores petrol, diesel and jet fuel.

The sale of BP's Belfast site and others in the UK would leave it with just two such sites.

The oil giant has around 45 staff at the terminals, and has already said it hopes workers will be kept on by whoever takes on the sites.

"It is close to being a monopoly in terms of the supply," Mr Simpson said.

"If it (oil) wasn't coming through a Belfast storage unit, it could be coming through Dublin and shipped by road.

"It's a critical piece of the apparatus. I would imagine whoever was to buy it would want to keep it as a distribution system."

However, Mr Simpson said it had been around 40 to 50 years since the terminal in Belfast had undergone any major investment. "Some of the bits may be at the end of the line," he said.

"But they (new owners) can't push the price up by too much, as it would be cheaper to import through some other port."

Tom Kool of Oilprice.com said: "I think it's too early to say with certainty that prices of home/business heating oil could be affected.

"The new owner could decide to slightly up the prices, but because of brimming storage elsewhere in Europe it seems like the prices for heating oil will remain subdued in the near-term."

Other fuel sites include one in Londonderry, which can hold 88,000 tonnes of fuel, along with NuStar and Emo in Belfast.

BP didn't wish to comment further on potential buyers interested in taking over the Belfast terminal.
Love-hungry bachelors heading to the matchmaking festival in Lisdoonvarna have been advised to brush up on their grooming techniques - because supermodel Naomi Campbell may be visiting.

Excitement has reached fever pitch ahead of the start of the six-week Co Clare love-fest this weekend after word spread that festival chiefs had issued an invitation to the 46-year-old beauty.

But traditional matchmaker Willie Daly urged single male festival-goers to smarten themselves to boost their chances of turning the London-born model's head.

Love doctor Willie said: "Naomi Campbell has been invited, but we haven't heard back yet whether she's coming or not.

"But I'd think she'd be picky when it comes to fellas, so I'd advise any lads coming to the festival to be looking their best.

"I'd be telling them to take a bit of time to spruce themselves up, run an auld comb through their hair, iron their shirts and give their teeth an extra bit of attention."

Silver-bearded Willie, who's a father-of-eight and a part-time farmer, is celebrating his 50th year as a third-generation matchmaker - the last of his kind in Ireland.

But the 74-year-old - who still uses a tatty 150-year-old 'love ledger' to arrange his matches, and insists on being present to introduce couples on their first dates - said he'd no plans to retire from matchmaking.

"I won't be giving it up at this stage, I'm too old to retire," he laughed.

"I still enjoy doing it and it gives me great pleasure to bring couples together.

"Over the past 12 months I would say I've introduced around 300 couples, and some of those would have the potential to go on and get married."

Tens of thousands of singletons are expected to flock to the centuries-old festival, which is Europe's largest singles event, when it kicks off on Friday night.

Willie added: "There's a few big groups of American ladies coming over to find an Irish husband.

"These ladies would be financially secure, but they told me they're looking for an Irish character who can sing and dance and maybe play a bit of music. So, I'm sure there's going to be plenty of romance in the air."
An overwhelming majority of Northern Ireland businesses say they had no plans on how to deal with Brexit leading up to the referendum, a new survey has shown

An overwhelming majority of Northern Ireland businesses say they had no plans on how to deal with Brexit leading up to the referendum, a new survey has shown.

Around a fifth of Northern Ireland companies say they now expect to decrease their level and speed of planned investment, according to IntertradeIrelands quarterly business survey.

And its the hospitality sector which is most pessimistic about a negative impact caused by Brexit.

Questioned in the days after the vote on June 23, 84% of companies said they were expecting a downturn.

That was higher than the other sectors, with around half of manufacturing, construction and services firms saying they were expecting a slowdown.

A quarter of firms in Northern Ireland said they think Brexit will have a negative impact on cross-border sales.

However, in the Republic, more than double that number  57% of businesses  said cross-border sales would fall as a result of the UKs vote to leave the EU.

Around two-thirds of Northern Ireland businesses said they wanted to keep access to the single market, along with the free movement of people.

Aidan Gough (below), strategy and policy director at InterTradeIreland, said it is evident in the latest survey that the outcome of the EU referendum has caught many businesses on the hop and introduced a large degree of uncertainty into the marketplace.

Clearly businesses will need support particularly in the provision of timely and relevant information to assist them to adjust to any new trading relationships that emerge from Brexit negotiations, he said.

In the short term, while companies will still trade under the same rules and regulations, we would encourage them to hedge any exposure their business may have to volatile movements in the sterling and euro exchange rate.

In Northern Ireland, more than half of companies said their businesses were stable, with 31% saying they were growing and 13% suffering a decline.

Concerns among businesses have also changed since the previous survey, with 14% more businesses questioned saying exchange rates were an important issue, along with energy costs, overheads and a lack of skills.

Other issues, including cash flow, new competitors and access to finance remain important to many firms, but dropped significantly in importance, according to the report.

We encourage businesses, particularly small and medium sized enterprises, to continue to exploit the cross-border market, taking a planned approach to export development or supply chain management, Mr Gough said.

We may see uncertainty continuing in forthcoming quarters while companies adjust to changing realities. However, it is encouraging that almost two-thirds of businesses on the island state that they have ambition to grow in the immediate future.

Resilience in the face of any adversity remains high and this can be seen across each of the sectors.
Recently I was listening to a radio programme in which a Canadian author described how often the weather surprises him in Northern Saskatchewan. There is a natural phenomenon, he said, that occurs when moisture in the air freezes, but doesn't precipitate. During the night these crystals attach themselves to objects they bump into so that you awaken to the dazzling spectacle of bejewelled trees sparkling diamond-like in the morning air.

As I've certainly been pleasantly surprised by the beautiful end of our summer, this all made me think about the concept of surprise in general. Surprise isn't really an emotion as such although children are taught it is. Rather, it's a survival tactic which allows us to instantly move from one state of mind to the next.

Just think about what would happen to the grazing deer that lacked the capacity for surprise when a pack of wolves appeared on the horizon. Well, like many of us, it would ignore the danger and just keep grazing.

As a hypnotist, this is very interesting to me. Many people today still hold the 19th century notion that hypnosis is something mystical, other-worldly, new age-y, or mysterious.

They are always somewhat surprised when I explain that 90% of my work is de-hypnotizing clients from the self-limiting beliefs that we've managed to talk ourselves into. De-hypnosis is much harder than hypnosis and one of the techniques that we've developed over the years in order to help clients open up a new world of possibilities is indeed one based on a sudden jolt out of your ordinary consciousness.

This so-called "shock induction" is used by stage hypnotists because it's fast and dramatic but you can get a similar but much gentler effect in your own life. If surprise helps other animals become more alive and aware, then let's start cultivating it.

Take a salsa class, sleep on the other side of the bed, or rearrange your furniture. Call an old friend or make a new one. Try new dishes. In as many ways as possible, explore new experiences. You too may awaken to a world of marvels in the morning air.

Joseph Pond is a clinical hypnotherapist, an acupuncturist, and a mindfulness instructor. He is co-founder of Hypnosis Explorers NI and conducts workshops in hypnosis with PowerTrance. Reach him at josephpond@yahoo.com or at https://www.facebook.com/ Belfast Hypnosis/?ref=hl/?ref=hl
Security cameras may be installed at council cemeteries in Belfast after Jewish graves were destroyed in a racist attack.

Ulster Unionist councillor Jim Rodgers said he was appalled at last Friday's incident, when 13 graves in the Jewish plot of the City Cemetery in west Belfast were wrecked.

The anti-Semitic hate crime has been making headlines in Israel, after 13 graves were destroyed in the Jewish plot, which dates back to 1871.

Around eight youths knocked over and smashed headstones.

The graves are in a walled-off, often locked section, at the rear of the huge cemetery on the Falls Road.

Mr Rodgers - who is chairman of Belfast City Council's cemeteries working group - said that it was time to undertake a review of security at council-owned burial grounds.

"Unfortunately, we may need to consider installing security cameras," he said.

"These thugs need to be caught and punished so that a strong message is sent out that the law-abiding people of Belfast are not prepared to put up with this."

In July it was announced that cameras will be installed at Derry City Cemetery in an attempt to curb a spate of vandalism in the graveyard. In the weeks beforehand, plots were desecrated and headstones and ornaments smashed.

However, CCTV systems are notoriously expensive, and last year Mr Rodgers' party voted with the DUP and Sinn Fein not to extend funding for security cameras in the Holylands area of south Belfast.

Mr Rodgers described the recent vandalism as "another horrid act of anti-Semitism against the Jewish community of Belfast who have given so much to the life and wellbeing of this city".

"The thugs who were responsible need brought to justice as quickly as possible, but that will only happen if the PSNI have information with which to apprehend the perpetrators," he said.

"That's why I am calling for a review of security at all Belfast City Council cemeteries and have asked for it to be on the agenda of the Peoples and Communities Committee, which is due to meet in two weeks' time."

Mr Rodgers said the review should also include cemeteries in Dundonald, Roselawn, Knockbreda, Knock and Balmoral.

"This isn't the first time that the Jewish graves have been vandalised and unless there is something done about it, it will happen again and again," he said.

"There have been other incidents of people either under the influence of drugs, or even distributing drugs within the confines of city cemeteries, causing trouble and wrecking graves, but very few have been brought to justice.

"I'm not aware of the last time that someone appeared in court in relation to causing damage in one of the city cemeteries."

Michael Black, chairman of the Belfast Jewish Community, told the Belfast Telegraph earlier: "It is important for us to get the cemetery back to normal as soon as possible.

"We have already had letters of support from the parties at Belfast City Hall and I have no doubt they will want to do all they can to help us.

"We have been trying to get the graves cleared, the rest is up to the authorities, so there will be some sort of compromise."
Michelle and Barry Rocks at Belfast Coroner's Court where an inquest for their still born daughter Cara is being held.

A catalogue of failures contributed to the stillbirth of a baby girl at a Northern Ireland hospital, a landmark inquest has heard.

The Northern Health and Social Care Trust apologised for the death of baby Cara Rocks in June 2013, admitting a number of mistakes had been made.

Barrister David Dunlop told Belfast Coroner's Court: "It is likely if an elective or emergency c-section had taken place baby Cara would not have been stillborn."

The hearing, which is listed for five days, is the first ever stillbirth inquest in Northern Ireland and follows a Court of Appeal ruling in November 2013.

Coroner Joe McCrisken said the region was "leading the way" in the examination of stillbirth causes.

Cara Rocks died at the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine, Co Londonderry on June 26 2013.

In a statement, a lawyer for the Northern Trust said it was " accepted" a number of errors had played a part in her death.

These included:

:: Wrongly categorising Michelle Rocks, who had a previous caesarean section, as "low risk".

:: Inadequate levels of counselling from a senior medic on the mode of delivery.

:: Administration of the hormone, Propess to induce labour without the risks being discussed with Mrs Rocks.

:: Incorrect recording of baby Cara's heart rate as suspicious, not pathological meaning critical, following induction.

:: Delays in the decision to proceed to an emergency c-section because of time spent trying to locate a foetal heart rate.

The Trust's lawyer added: "The Trust wishes to express an apology to Mr and Mrs Rocks for the unfortunate death of baby Cara.

"Obviously this is a tragedy for the family. It is not taken lightly and is recognised by all members of the Trust who were involved in this case."

In the witness box Michelle Rocks, 38, from Moneymore near Magherafelt in Co Londonderry, b roke down as details of the delivery were read out.

She recalled repeatedly requesting a planned c-section over fears of complications and risks following bad experiences with her two sons.

She said: "Because I had an emergency section with Daniel and a normal birth with Tony which ended up in a vacuum delivery, I knew I couldn't deliver.

"I had gone through both so I knew what was best for me."

Mrs Rocks described feeling "very upset" and said she was "in tears" when she was informed her request for an elective c-section would not be facilitated and that she was "capable" of delivering naturally.

She added: "I thought that they had the right to refuse me.

"I thought the decision was made and that's that."

The court also heard how Mrs Rocks was sent home after presenting at the Causeway Hospital at 38 weeks' gestation with her baby in a transverse position.

She "begged" for a c-section but was turned down, it was claimed.

Following her daughter's death, Mrs Rocks said she was left feeling a ngry, anxious and distressed at the sight of other babies.

She also lost faith in the medical profession, the inquest heard.

"Our lives were turned upside down. I do not think that we will ever get over the loss," said Mrs Rocks.

"We were robbed of our daughter; our sons of their sister and parents of their granddaughter.

"We only wish that she had that chance to live."

It was later revealed that Mrs Rocks and her husband Barry have since had another daughter, Megan-Rose, who was delivered by a planned c-section 18 months ago.

Among the medics to give evidence was midwife of over 20 years Michaela Doherty who had cared for Mrs Rocks in the delivery suite.

She too broke down in tears recalling the tragedy and said despite difficulties in reading baby Cara's heart rate she did not believe it was not there.

Later, she told the court she had been informed that baby Cara's umbilical cord had been wrapped around her neck.

"I was told the chord was tightly round the neck three times," said Ms Doherty.

"It was common knowledge."

Another midwife Lisa Richmond claimed she was not aware of a situation where a woman's preference for an elective cesarean section had been refused.

Opening the case, the coroner cautioned that the five-day hearing was not a trial.

Mr McCrisken said: "This is not a trial and no one is on trial.

"This is a fact finding inquiry. I am not here to attribute any blame or responsibility."

The case continues.
An expert panel has outlined serious problems at the west Belfast establishment

An independent review is to be held into child safeguarding at De La Salle College in Belfast.

An incident last October has already been described by experts as a significant turning point which disrupted the normal functioning of the school. It is the subject of legal proceedings.

An expert panel led by Professor Sir Robert Salisbury has outlined serious problems at the west Belfast establishment including claims of bullying following leadership difficulties.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Education said: "The Department can confirm that an independent external review of safeguarding policies, practice, training and understanding in relation to safeguarding issues at De La Salle is planned to take place as soon as possible.

"It has not yet been confirmed who will carry out the review."

Sir Robert's panel said it was unacceptable that broken relationships were allowed to affect pupils.

The panel received extensive submissions about the handling of the aftermath of the safeguarding incident.

It wrote: "Overall, however, the panel records that it is not in keeping with normal standards and requirements for the management of a child protection/safeguarding incident for a wide group of staff and others to become involved in discussions and actions relating to that incident.

"It is also our view that many of the actions and reactions by all parties were influenced by the pre-existing underlying lack of trust and confidence in school working relationships."

It said school management considered actions by staff unacceptable.

But the expert group heard that the staff's response was in part strongly motivated by growing concerns that the school management would no longer support any staff member in dealing with difficult situations with pupils.

A group of parents noted the safeguarding review.

A statement said: "The Concerned Parents Committee have been advised that following the concerns that were confirmed regarding the serious child protection issues there will now be a full and thorough independent investigation into child protection safeguarding procedures and responsibilities.

"All those authorities and persons responsible for safeguarding our children will be subject to this investigation."
Researchers suggest an upturn in fortunes for people in Northern Ireland

People in Northern Ireland are more prosperous overall than a year ago, analysts said.

Average annual pay, the proportion of households donating to charity, business rates and exam scores were used to form the Barclays Prosperity Map.

Despite uncertain economic conditions due to volatile stock markets, China's slowdown and the lead up to Brexit, Northern Ireland saw average earnings increase by almost a 10th.

GDP per person grew faster than in London. Unemployment reduced and exam results were the best across the UK, the report's authors said.

The number of millionaires stands at 13,000 - 2% of the UK total.

The growth in Northern Ireland's housing market has exceeded that experienced in Wales and Scotland, as well as northern regions of England.

The average house price in Northern Ireland is 119,500, a rise of 4% on the previous year's figure of 114,465.

Jonathan Dobbin, head of wealth and investment management Northern Ireland at Barclays, said: "It is very encouraging to see that prosperity in Northern Ireland is on an upwards trajectory.

"In 2015, we had the highest levels of educational attainment right across the UK regions; an increase in GDP and average earnings, and a reduction in unemployment.

"It's clear that we have the skill set to compete with other regions when it comes to providing the right conditions to start and grow a successful business and drive prosperity more widely.

"With positive growth in prosperity recorded across the UK, it is clear that Northern Ireland is playing a key role in this trend.

"It is more important than ever that business leaders and policy makers continue to create new opportunities to keep our region, and the UK as a whole, 'open for business' and continuing on this trajectory."
Carnfunnock Country Park near Larne in County Antrim, where a haul of bomb making equipment was recovered by security forces

Police are conducting fresh searches in Northern Ireland as part of a terrorism investigation which prompted the arrest of a Royal Marine.

Ciaran Maxwell, 30, from Larne, Co Antrim, was detained by Metropolitan Police officers in southern England during a pre-planned swoop last week. He is still being questioned.

It is understood the operation is linked to the discovery of two dissident arsenals in woodland in Northern Ireland earlier this year and today's renewed activity by officers is being carried out nearby.

A Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) statement said: "Police are conducting a search in the Inver Road area of Larne linked to the ongoing investigation into Northern Ireland-related terrorism which has resulted in the arrest of a 30-year-old member of the armed forces in Somerset last week."

Last Wednesday's arrest operation involved searches at a house and wooded area in south Devon.

Searches at the property in Exminster and nearby Powderham New Plantation woods continued the following day.

In Northern Ireland, officers searched a number of properties in Larne last Wednesday - near the two forest parks where the weapons dumps were unearthed earlier this year.

Expand Close ATO are searching an area in Larne in connection with Northern Ireland-related terrorism investigation. Photo: Pacemaker / Facebook

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Maxwell is being detained on suspicion of preparation for acts of terrorism.

While the threat posed by violent dissident republicans in Northern Ireland has been classified as severe for a number of years, in May the UK intelligence services raised the threat level in Great Britain from moderate to substantial.

Two separate hauls of weapons were discovered in Carnfunnock and Capanagh parks within three months of each other.

Expand Close Soldier Ciaran Maxwell was arrested in England in connection with dissident republican weapon hauls / Facebook

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An armour-piercing improvised rocket and two anti-personnel mines were among the cache recovered at Capanagh in May.

Several pipe bombs, magazines and ammunition for an assault rifle as well as bomb component parts and command wires were also concealed in barrels in purpose-built holes in woodland.

In March, bomb-making items were found at nearby Carnfunnock Country Park.

Police said four barrels were unearthed at Carnfunnock - two barrels were empty but two contained a variety of bomb-making components, including wiring, toggle switches, circuit boards, partially constructed timer power units, ball bearings and a small quantity of explosives.

Larne is predominantly unionist/loyalist in community make-up, so the discovery of the finds led to some initial speculation that they could be linked to loyalist paramilitaries. However, after assessing the nature of the weaponry, police concluded they most likely belonged to dissident republicans.

The extremists intent on bringing about a united Ireland by violent means are small in both number and capacity compared with the republican paramilitary organisations of the Troubles, but they retain the ability to launch deadly if sporadic attacks on the security forces.

Since 2009, dissidents have murdered two soldiers, two policemen and two prison officers in Northern Ireland.
Katherine Neill was determined to enjoy life despite suffering from a rare form of cancer. She died last week at the age of 18

Katherine Neill was determined to enjoy life despite suffering from a rare form of cancer. She died last week at the age of 18

The mother of a teenager who died from cancer a week after receiving her A-level results has paid tribute to her "beautiful daughter with a massive smile".

Katherine Neill was just 18 when she passed away at her home in Banbridge on Thursday, surrounded by her family.

In the days since her death, the family have raised over 8,000 for a cancer charity in her memory.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph yesterday, her mum Roisin remembered her "very special daughter".

"She had this big, massive smile," she said,

"Even when she was really, really sick, she would say she was fine and smile. She has left a very big void in our lives."

Roisin said the family have been amazed by the thousands of pounds which have been raised.

Just the week before her death, Katherine received her A-level results and achieved an A and an A* grade, despite spending the last year in and out of hospital.

The talented teenager was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma in July 2015 and although she was heartbroken that she had to give up the ballet dancing that had been part of her life since she was four, she was determined to try and keep her life as normal as possible.

The Banbridge Academy pupil was too unwell to study at school so with the help of local charities, she was tutored at home and was able to sit two A-levels in Maths and Psychology in June.

Roisin explained: "Her tutors were fantastic and we live right beside school so her friends would come over a few times a week at lunchtime or during their study periods and really kept her in the loop. She was still very much a part of school life. I think that kept her strong and positive throughout the last year."

She also passed her driving test and had a huge party in March to celebrate her 18th birthday, in between spells in hospital.

"She was so talented and clever," Roisin added. "She never complained and didn't want anyone's sympathy. She just said this was something that was happening and she just got on with it. She was a really determined young woman and just wanted to be doing what her friends were doing."

In June, Katherine, Roisin, her dad Gary and brother James (16) were told that her cancer was too aggressive and could not be cured.

Her mum said: "At that time, Katherine knew it was incurable but she said she was still going to make the most of her time. In the past few weeks, she wanted to go to her favourite restaurant - Deanes at Queen's - but she wasn't really well enough.

"I contacted Deanes and Michael Deane himself got involved. They arranged for a chef to come to our house and cook her favourite meal - pork belly - and all her friends were there. It was really, really special for them. She had this really big group of friends but they were very close. They got her through everything."

Following her death, her family set up a fundraising page to allow for donations in lieu of flowers for her funeral, which took place on Sunday.

They chose the Boom Foundation, which is a Northern Ireland-based charity for patients battling sarcoma.

They have already raised almost 7,800 from over 250 people in just a few days.

Her mum added: "We never dreamt it would be this much. It has brought us some comfort and it shows the respect people had for her. I have also loved reading all the lovely messages about her on the page. She really touched a lot of people."

To donate in memory of Katherine, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Roisin-neill2?utm_source=facebook
Northern Ireland has 13,000 millionaires - one of the lowest totals in the UK, according to new research.

And that is 1,000 fewer than the year before, the latest Barclays Prosperity Map reveals.

Super-rich NI stars Rory McIlroy, Liam Neeson and Eddie Irvine have wealth only a few can aspire to, but already more than 2% of people in the UK have at least a million in the bank.

However, Northern Ireland's dwindling population of millionaires puts it third from bottom among the UK's regions, according to the latest figures for 2015.

It just managed to beat Wales and the North East, which have 12,000 millionaires each.

The report showed that the UK's richest prefer to set up base in London, and the top five regions were all in England.

London had over a quarter of UK millionaires, followed by the South East, where one in five of the wealthiest resided, and Eastern England, where just under one in eight millionaires lived.

Overall, the UK's millionaire population soared 34% in five years to 689,000. However, a smaller proportion are now living in Northern Ireland, Scotland, the East of England, the South East and the South West.

But there is some good financial news for the province.

Despite our low number of millionaires, Barclay's named the province the fifth most prosperous part of the UK. The bank's report calculates regional scores on factors such as gross domestic product (GDP), house prices, charitable giving, working hours and average house prices.

High exam attainment and the largest proportion of charity givers boosted the region's ranking, despite lower than average house prices and salaries.

Barclays said every region in Britain was now more prosperous than the previous year.

Colm Murphy - who has compiled The Sunday Times Rich List for Ireland for the past 20 years - said there were a number of factors working in Northern Ireland's favour.

"Firstly, there is a relatively high proportion of farms owned without debt compared to other parts of the UK," he said.

"Many farms would easily be worth over 1m, making their owners millionaires (although few would see themselves as such given their wealth is all tied up in their business).

"Secondly, in Belfast and its surrounding 20-mile radius, again you have a lot of people owning large houses with good land surrounding them (half-acre to acre). These have spiralled in value in the past 15 years and most are easily worth over 1m. If you look at any town in Northern Ireland, all the shops, offices and industrial buildings are largely owned by individuals and often debt-free. Many are worth over 1m or close to it.

"Thirdly, you have an increasing number of entrepreneurs who own companies or stakes in companies or have sold them. Again, many are worth over 1m.

"You also have old money passed through generations - harder to measure, but again significant given that in the 1900s Northern Ireland was one of the most prosperous and industrious parts of the British empire.

"This money is often still held by family members through property or share portfolios."
Aiden Gallagher who died in the blast

The Real IRA bomb attack in Omagh in 1998

People injured in the Omagh bombing are still waiting on compensation - nearly two decades after the Real IRA massacre which devastated the town.

Paperwork delays and red tape have meant some personal injury claims linked to the 1998 atrocity have yet to be settled.

Those affected are believed to be among the most seriously injured.

The 18-year wait has been branded "extraordinary" by victims' families, who described the compensation process as "horrendous".

Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden was among the dead, said it was "absolutely shocking".

"If a case is not resolved within 18 years, how long will it go on?" he said.

"Here we are, almost two decades since it happened. It really is quite extraordinary."

The Omagh bomb was the single worst atrocity in 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland.

Twenty-nine died and hundreds more were injured when a 500lb car bomb exploded in the Co Tyrone town on August 15, 1998.

The death toll included nine children and three generations of the same family.

Most of the compensation claims were settled in the years immediately following the blast.

By 2005 more than 20m had been paid out in respect of 826 claims.

However, enquiries by the Belfast Telegraph have established that two cases are yet to be resolved.

Compensation Services falls under the remit of the Department of Justice.

A spokesman said: "Compensation Service has two outstanding personal injury claims in connection to the Omagh bomb.

"Both cases are being held by Compensation Services until further instruction is received from the victims' legal representatives."

Mr Gallagher helped form the Omagh Support and Self Help Group, which worked with many of the victims.

He said the compensation process had been "horrendous".

"It is determined on the monetary value that you will lose as a result of your injuries," he explained. "There can be drastic variations between two people who might otherwise look to have very similar circumstances. It is a very arbitrary system."

He added: "The compensation is something that nobody wants to even face because of the circumstances.

"Then, when you do face that, there are all sorts of answers demanded of the victims."

In 2008 the Belfast Telegraph reported that nine claims had still to be settled.

At the time Compensation Services, then known as the Compensation Agency, said the process had been hampered by a delay in receiving evidence to support some of the claims.

It said the unresolved cases "represent some of the most seriously injured and thereby the most complex of claims".

West Tyrone MLA Ross Hussey said it was unacceptable that some victims are still waiting on compensation.

"I would have thought any claim would have been settled within a reasonable period of time, and nobody could describe 18 years as reasonable," he said.

"This should have all been sorted years ago.

"I can't understand why any claim would drag on so long.

"I would call on the relevant departments to look on this sympathetically and try and get it resolved as soon as possible, for all the parties involved.

"Nobody would have expected that, 18 years later, this matter would still be unresolved."

No one has been convicted in a criminal court of bombing Omagh.

At the time, Prime Minister Tony Blair said the bombers would be "pursued to the utmost".

But despite a huge cross-border police investigation costing tens of millions of pounds, they have never been brought to justice.

In June 2009 a landmark civil case taken by victims' relatives concluded with four men - Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt, Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy and Seamus Daly - being held responsible.

The 12 relatives who had taken the action were awarded more than 1.6m in damages.

A fifth man, Seamus McKenna, who died in July 2013, was cleared of involvement.

In April 2014 Mr Daly, a bricklayer from Jonesborough, south Armagh, was arrested and charged with 29 counts of murder.

He also faced charges of causing the explosion and possessing the bomb, and two charges relating to another bomb plot in Lisburn in April 1998.

He denied the charges, and in March they were withdrawn after the Public Prosecution Service decided there was no reasonable prospect of his conviction.
The scene of a security alert in the Beechmount Crescent Area of West Belfast on Tuesday. Pupils from St Paul's Primary School have been evacuated to the Mica Day Centre due to a suspect package. Pacemaker Press

The scene of a security alert in the Beechmount Crescent Area of West Belfast on Tuesday. Pupils from St Paul's Primary School have been evacuated to the Mica Day Centre due to a suspect package. Pacemaker Press

The scene of a security alert in the Beechmount Crescent Area of West Belfast on Tuesday. Pupils from St Paul's Primary School have been evacuated to the Mica Day Centre due to a suspect package. Pacemaker Press

A security alert which prompted the evacuation of a Belfast primary school has been declared a hoax.

St Paul's Primary School in Beechmount in west Belfast was evacuated on its first day back from the summer holidays.

The alert was sparked as police dealt with a suspect package in the Beechmount Crescent area.

Army bomb experts attended and have declared it a hoax.

Pupils from St Paul's Primary School were sent to the Mica Day Centre. St Paul's Parish Centre was also opened for any residents needing shelter.

The school's principal Sean McNamee described the alert as a "negative" which they didn't want.

He told the Belfast Telegraph: "Within this area the parents and local community is hugely supportive of the school. This incident doesn't reflect upon them.

"It shapes the year and it's a negative we don't want"

Alliance Justice spokesperson Trevor Lunn said he was "appalled" after the disruption to the school.

The MLA said: "I cannot believe someone would stoop as low as to leave a hoax device so close to a primary school.

The pupils should have been enjoying the first day of the new school year and instead they were evacuated, which no doubt was a traumatic experience for them.

Although the suspicious package was a hoax device, the effect and disruption are the same as if it had been a viable device. I utterly condemn the actions of those responsible for this absolutely appalling incident.

The people behind this must be found and taken off the streets immediately. I would urge anyone with information on this matter to contact police.
A Sinn Fein councillor and 17 party activists in north Antrim have dramatically quit the party following the resignation of MLA Daithi McKay.

In a letter sent to local Sinn Fein officials and seen by the Ballymena Guardian, the members said the mass resignations were in reaction to the treatment of the former MLA.

Sinn Fein have expressed their "disappointment" at the decision.

Daithi McKay resigned from the party after it was revealed that he had been in contact with loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson ahead of him giving evidence to the Stormont finance committee into the Nama scandal inquiry.

The committee was investigating the sale of Nama's Northern Ireland loan book.

In his resignation letter Mr Kay acknowledged his conduct was "inappropriate, ill-advised and wrong".

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In reaction, the 18 party members said it was "inconceivable" that they could remain in the light of the way Mr McKay was treated.

Councillor Paul Maguire has said he intends to remain in council sitting as an independent.

The party announced last week that Mr McKay would be replaced by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Councillor Philip McGuigan.

Those who have quit, criticised the decision to appoint the successor, without any consulation.

The statement given to the Ballymena Guardian reads: "We here the undersigned, hereby resign from Sinn Fein with immediate effect.

"It is inconceivable for us to remain in light of the way Daithi McKay has been treated by the Cuige (Council) 'leadership' after his years of dedicated service to the party, and the subsequent 'anointing' of his successor, Philip McGuigan.

"We request no contact from Sinn Fein regarding our resignations, and any such contact will be considered to be unsolicited, and treated accorrdingly.

"We may provide third party contact details later, for the purpose of concluding outstanding business, if any."

In response Sinn Fein said it would continue to provide "first-class representation for the people of North Antrim".

A spokesman said: "Sinn Fein is disappointed at the decision of individuals in North Antrim to resign from the party following Daithi McKay's resignation as MLA.

Daithi McKay acknowledged that his contact with loyalist Jamie Bryson was inappropriate and wrong.

"Sinn Fein's Cuige Uladh consulted with party activists in the North Antrim area and, following approval by the party's Ard Chomhairle, Philip McGuigan was coopted as an MLA for the constituency.

"We are disappointed at the decision of the individuals to resign.

"Sinn Fein will continue to provide first-class representation for the people of North Antrim."
Sinn Fein has said it is disappointed after a councillor and 17 activists quit the party.

The North Antrim members blamed the move on the treatment of former Assembly member Daithi McKay.

He resigned earlier this month over contacts with loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson during a Stormont committee probe into Nama's deal to sell off its Northern Ireland property portfolio.

A party statement said Mr McKay had acknowledged that his contact with Mr Bryson was inappropriate and wrong.

"Sinn Fein is disappointed at the decision of individuals in North Antrim to resign from the party following Daithi McKay's resignation as MLA."

The resignations were announced in the Ballymena Guardian.

The party added: " Sinn Fein's cuige uladh consulted with party activists in the North Antrim area and, following approval by the party's ard chomhairle, Philip McGuigan was co-opted as an MLA for the constituency.

"We are disappointed at the decision of the individuals to resign.

"Sinn Fein will continue to provide first-class representation for the people of North Antrim."

Mr McKay apologised and stepped down over his back channel contact with inquiry witness Mr Bryson.

He is a former Sinn Fein chairman of the Assembly's finance committee who oversaw an investigation into Northern Ireland's largest ever property deal during the last mandate.

He was in contact with Mr Bryson via Twitter before he gave explosive evidence to Stormont's finance committee about the efforts of Ireland's bank for bad loans to dispose of its Northern Ireland portfolio to US investors.

Mr Bryson was preparing to name former Democratic Unionist leader Peter Robinson in connection with the case.

The then-first minister strongly denied seeking to benefit from the agreement involving US investors and the National Asset Management Agency (Nama).
Racist graffiti, including a swastika, daubed on the door of a house in the Orangefield area of Co Armagh (PSNI/PA)

Almost eight hate crimes or incidents are reported to police in Northern Ireland every day, a report said.

The number of racist cases reduced slightly to 1,133 in the 12 months to June but remained one of the highest tallies since records began in 2004, according to Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) statistics.

Amnesty International said the level of crime inspired by racism, sectarianism or homophobia was disturbing.

Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty's Northern Ireland director, said: "These hate crime figures are worryingly high.

"Overall, there are eight hate-motivated incidents or crimes reported to the police every day in Northern Ireland.

"Three times a day there is a racism-motivated incident or crime - almost as high as the figures for incidents motivated by sectarianism, despite the relatively small numbers of people in Northern Ireland from ethnic minorities or from other countries."

There were 1,208 sectarian incidents including 874 sectarian crimes, as well as 324 incidents including 201 crimes with a homophobic motivation, according to a PSNI report to the end of June.

Mr Corrigan said: "The police figures show that fewer than one in five racist crimes result in any specific outcome, suggesting that over 80% of such hate crimes result in no prosecution or even warning for the offender."

They included theft, assaults and criminal damage.

The Amnesty chief added: "Homophobic hate crime remains disturbingly high with figures almost identical to those of the last two years, the highest ever recorded by the police.

"Attacks on premises such as Orange Halls have grown, an ugly trend which must be ended."

This month, a rock was thrown through the window of a Slovakian family's house in Belfast.

Last year, an African pensioner whose house was targeted by racists in a paint bomb attack left his home.

Mr Corrigan said: "We welcome the publication of these figures by the PSNI and the slight decrease in some forms of hate crime they show.

"But overall the response must be of huge concern given that almost 3,000 such incidents were recorded by the police last year."

The 2011 census found that 32,400 people - 1.8% of the usually resident population - belonged to ethnic minority groups. This was more than double the proportion a decade earlier.

In recent years many of the racist incidents took place in working class loyalist areas, where housing is cheap and minorities congregated. However, racist incidents are not confined to loyalist areas.

At one point, Northern Ireland was dubbed the race hate capital of Europe following a police suggestion that a paramilitary group was involved in racist violence.

The authorities have introduced a range of measures to support victims, including assistance in securing social housing and have conducted anti-racism training.

Former First Minister Peter Robinson apologised for insensitive remarks about Muslims after he suggested he would not trust those devoted to sharia law and defended a pastor who called Islam "heathen" and "satanic".
Coffins are taken to hearses at the scene in Oakdene, Barconey, Ballyjamesduff in Cavan, where a family of five were found dead in their countryside home. PA

The hearses and a Garda car leave the scene of the tragedy in Ballyjamesduff

Five hearses arrive at the house at Barconey, Ballyjamesduff, in Cavan to remove the bodies for post-mortem

Alan Hawe from Ballyjamesduff, Cavan pictured with his sons (l-r) Ryan (6), Liam (13) and Niall (11) at a East Cavan Eagles basketball team

Garda believe "all the answers are within the house" as they investigate the deaths of a married Irish couple and their three children.

Assistant Commissioner Jack O'Driscoll confirmed that a number of objects found in the house at Ballyjamesduff are under examination as officers piece together the tragic family's final movements.

He said: "We are not looking for anybody else.

"We believe all the answers are within that house."

"The most likely scenario is that one person in that house may have caused the death of others.

"All the circumstances will be explored."

It is suspected that mother and primary school teacher Clodagh and her children Liam (13), Niall (11) and Ryan (6) Hawe were all murdered by their father Alan Hawe before he took his own life at their home in Oakdene, Barconey, Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan.

Assistant Commissioner O'Driscoll described the five deaths as "a very sensitive case".

"Nothing had happened prior to this grim discovery this morning which gave rise to anybody, including the Garda Siochana, that anything was untoward.

"The family were engaged with the community and seen yesterday (Sunday). None of the activity and the interaction with other people gave rise to any suspicion," he said.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Alan Hawe from Ballyjamesduff, Cavan pictured with his sons (l-r) Ryan (6), Liam (13) and Niall (11) at a East Cavan Eagles basketball team Five hearses arrive at the house at Barconey, Ballyjamesduff, in Cavan to remove the bodies for post-mortem The hearses and a Garda car leave the scene of the tragedy in Ballyjamesduff Coffins are taken to hearses at the scene in Oakdene, Barconey, Ballyjamesduff in Cavan, where a family of five were found dead in their countryside home. PA PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Alan Hawe from Ballyjamesduff, Cavan pictured with his sons (l-r) Ryan (6), Liam (13) and Niall (11) at a East Cavan Eagles basketball team

The Garda is working quickly on the case.

"We have identified everybody we believe can be of assistance in this matter. When we have spoken to all of those people, we will have more answers," the senior officer said.

Gardai in Monaghan were alerted to the deaths at the family home at around 10.45am yesterday.

"Having called to the house in question, two members of the force called to that house and entered the house and made the grim discovery.

"On finding five deceased people, immediately a full investigation has been launched," Mr O'Driscoll said.

"There is no evidence that a firearm was used. In the course of a technical examination, which has been continuing for some time, we will have a more defiant answer to the exact cause of death.

"A number of objects that have been found in the house are subject to the detailed technical examination.

"Until that examination is complete, we are not in a position to say the exact cause of death," he said.

"There are family members who have a very difficult time to deal with.

"We need to speak to them and discuss the circumstances with them.

"Over the coming days more information will be revealed," he added.

Source independent.ie
Gardai have sealed off the crime scene.

An associate of the Hutch family has been stabbed in an attack in Dublin city centre this morning.

The 19-year-old man was reportedly attacked in Kevin Barry House on Coleraine Street, in the north inner city.

The attack happened at around 9am this morning and the injured man has been taken to the Mater Hospital where his condition is currently unknown.

Gardai have sealed off the crime scene.

The attack comes just two weeks after the fatal shooting of innocent father-of-three Trevor O'Neill in Majorca in a case of mistaken identity.

The death of Trevor O'Neill was the 10th murder linked to the ongoing Hutch/Kinahan feud.

Mr O'Neill was the second person to be killed in a case of mistaken identity, with father Martin O'Rourke (24) also mistakenly gunned down in April.

Mr O'Neill is due to be buried today.

Source Indepednet.ie
The RNLI is searching for a missing 17 year old boy

A 17-year-old boy who was pulled from the sea by the emergency services after a search and rescue operation is in a critical condition.

The teenager, along with three others, is understood to have got into difficulties in a dinghy at the mouth of the River Wear, near to the Old Pier at Sunderland Yacht Club.

At around 3.22pm the teenager, along with another 17-year-old, were spotted in the water.

Emergency services were able to rescue the second boy as well as two teenage girls from the dinghy - but the 17-year-old remained missing.

Following a multi-agency search, at around 5.10pm the police helicopter spotted something in the water. RNLI lifeguards retrieved a male who was then airlifted to the RVI hospital with serious injuries.

Northumbria Police said it is thought the boys had been in the dinghy when they got out to swim before getting into difficulty.

The 17-year-old is in a critical condition, while the other three teenagers are in a stable condition, police said.
Conjoined twins who had a slim chance of survival are now preparing to go to school for the first time.

Rosie and Ruby Formosa (4), who were born joined at the abdomen and shared part of the intestine, needed an emergency operation to separate them when they were born in 2012.

Their parents Angela and Daniel Formosa were told the girls had a low chance of survival.

But after a successful separation operation at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh), the identical twins lead happy and healthy lives and are preparing to start school next month.

The Kent twins are "very excited" to be starting school like their big sister Lily (9), Mrs Formosa said. "Four years ago it wasn't in my mind that this would ever happen. When I was pregnant I didn't think I'd ever see their first day at school so it is really amazing and all thanks to Gosh, really," she added.
The Jungle camp in Calais has become a source of resentment among the French

Britain and France have pledged to work together to address the Calais migrant crisis in the wake of questions about the future of co-operation on border controls.

The governments of the two countries presented a united front after a meeting between Home Secretary Amber Rudd and her counterpart, French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve.

It follows controversy over a proposal to allow migrants to lodge UK asylum claims on French soil - a plan dismissed by a Home Office source as a "complete non-starter".

A joint statement from both governments after talks between Ms Rudd and Mr Cazeneuve in Paris said: "I n the face of the challenges posed by ongoing migratory flows in Europe, and taking into account the migratory pressure in the Calais region and the particularly difficult humanitarian situation, we are committed to working together to strengthen the security of our shared border, to strongly diminish the migratory pressure in Calais and preserve the vital economic link supported by the juxtaposed controls in Calais."

The two nations committed to a number of specific steps, including:

:: Further securing the ports and tunnel in the region. Britain has already provided around 85 million to reinforce security;

:: Addressing humanitarian challenges in Calais, where around 7,000 migrants are now gathered - including 5,000 without housing;

:: Continuing to work together to return illegal migrants in Calais who are not in need of protection;

:: Bringing unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to the UK when in their best interest.

The statement, which reaffirmed a commitment to closer cooperation on counter-terrorism, security and migration, comes after a long-standing agreement on border controls came under scrutiny.

Under the Treaty of Le Touquet, British immigration officials check passports in Calais while their French counterparts do the same in Dover - an arrangement known as "juxtaposed controls".

On Monday, Xavier Bertrand, president of the Hauts-de-France Nord Pas De Calais-Picardie region, which includes Calais, said he wants a "new treatment" for asylum seekers trying to get to Britain from France.

He said: "If the British Government don't want to open this discussion, we will tell you the Touquet Agreement is over."

A Downing Street spokesman said local politicians in France occasionally called for changes to the Le Touquet arrangements, but that the Paris government's continued support for the agreement was clearly restated last month in talks between Prime Minister Theresa May and French president Francois Hollande.

Asked about presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy's call for a processing centre in England to deal with asylum requests from those in Calais, the No 10 spokesman declined to speculate on the position of a possible future French administration.

He pointed out that it was Mr Sarkozy, in a previous stint as interior minister, who first struck the Le Touquet deal with the UK.

Dover MP Charlie Elphicke said: "Today's statement is a welcome step in the right direction.

"I'm delighted there is a greater focus on cracking down on people-traffickers and repatriating migrants."

He went on: "Yet the swelling of numbers at the Jungle camp, migrant landings on British beaches and nightly attacks on lorries underlines the need for more action.

"That is why Britain and France should go further - dismantle the Jungle, protect lorries from attacks and ensure there is a new Dover Patrol to keep the English Channel safe and secure."
Theresa May will discuss Brexit with ministers at Chequers

The UK will never leave the EU because Boris Johnson and other leading Brexiteers did not realise the full complexity of the process, a leading expert has claimed.

Professor Thom Brooks, who is head of Law at the University of Durham, said Article 50 is unlikely to ever be invoked, and if it was it could "let down the next generation".

Prof Brooks, who advised the Electoral Commission on the wording of the referendum question, said:I do not think Article 50 will be invoked.

The closer the government looks at what is actually involved in leaving then the less likely they are going to be jumping ship.

There is a 42 year evolving legal relationship that is not so easy to unpick. It is an absolutely massive task.

He also dismissed Theresa Mays talk of "Brexit as Gobbledygook.

Prof Brooks's comments echo those of several EU politicians, law-makers and academics, including Austrian finance minister, Jorg Shcelling, who last month said he was confident thre would still be 28 members countries in the EU in five years time.

Britains former cabinet secretary Gus ODonnell also angered Eurosceptics by suggesting Britain could stay in a broader, more loosely aligned group".

Speaking to The Independent, Prof Brooks said he believed a hasty Brexit could "let down the next generation".

"We really need a clearer sense of what Brexit 'is'," he said, "as we still have little idea about what it looks like."

"This continued uncertainty does little good - and any benefits appear speculative".

The university lecturer, whose research has been quoted in the House of Lords, predicted Brexit ministers would U-turn on their commitment to leave the EU and call for a second referendum in due course.

He added that Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson had only backed Leave for political point scoring and called International Trade Secretary Liam Fox naive for not realising the sheer enormity of the work involved in enacting Article 50.

He said: "I expect May will have Boris and other Brexiteers submit a plan for a second referendum.

"This will be presented as the government's best efforts to honour the previous referendum result - however far short it may fall of Britain leaving the EU altogether.

"This second referendum will either see Britain changing its mind on Brexit or voting for something other than a full withdrawal."

Government officials have dismissed Prof Brooks's predictions and insisted Article 50 will be invoked as planned.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: The Prime Minister has been very clear on this issue. Brexit means Brexit.

The Department for Exiting the European Union said: I would refer you to the Prime Ministers previous comments.

Brexit means Brexit. We will be invoking Article 50."

Independent
At least 54 pro-government recruits have died in a suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State group in Yemens southern city of Aden, officials said. File image

At least 54 pro-government recruits have died in a suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State group in Yemens southern city of Aden, officials said.

The recruits were signing up to join a new unit the Saudis hope will ultimately be made up of 5,000 fighters.

The men were at a staging area near two schools and a mosque when a pick-up truck suddenly accelerated through the buildings gate as a food delivery arrived, exploding amid the crowd, said witnesses.

Bodies and body parts are scattered all over the place, said Mohammed Osman, a neighbour who rushed to the scene.

It was a massacre, he said.

The death toll steadily rose yesterday and by mid-afternoon, the director of Adens health ministry, Khidra Lasour, said 54 had died. Almost 70 people were wounded, 30 seriously, and were being treated in area hospitals.

Security officials identified the bomber as one Ahmed Seif.

Aid group Doctors Without Borders reported on social media that their hospital in Aden had received 45 dead.

The IS-run Aamaq news agency said the attack was carried out by a fighter from the Islamic State who targeted a recruitment centre.

Site security was lax, said Ahmed al-Fatih, who had worked there. There was no consideration of security, he said.

Yemen is embroiled in a civil war pitting the internationally-recognised government and a Saudi-led coalition against the Shiite Houthi rebels, who are allied with army units loyal to a former president.
Police said the bomb exploded in a morning traffic jam in Mogadishu

A suicide bomber has detonated an explosives-laden truck near the gate of Somalia's presidential palace in Mogadishu, killing at least 12 people, police said.

The bomb exploded during a morning traffic jam in the capital, said Captain Mohamed Hussein, a senior police officer.

The blast damaged nearby hotels often frequented by government officials and business executives, he said, and some cabinet ministers at the SYL hotel were among 31 injured.

The explosion was heard across Mogadishu, and smoke was seen billowing over the presidential compound.

Somalia's Islamic extremist group al-Shabab has claimed the blast, according to the rebels' Andalus radio station.

The injured were taken to Mogadishu's Madina Hospital, said Dr Mohamed Yusuf, the hospital's director.

The massive blast left a trail of destruction across the hilltop presidential complex and nearby buildings. The bombing tore into blast walls protecting hotels and blew off the roofs of houses.

"Security forces tried to stop the bomber who used back roads before he sped through checkpoints near the presidential palace and detonated the bomb," said police spokesman Colonel Ali Nur. "He reached near the gate of the state house with flat tyres."

While al-Shabab has been ousted from most of Somalia's cities, it continues to carry out bombings and suicide attacks, notably in the capital.

In late July, two al-Shabab suicide bombers detonated explosives-laden cars outside the office of the UN's mine-clearing agency and an army checkpoint near the African Union's main base in Mogadishu, killing 13.

In June, gunmen stormed the Nasa-Hablod hotel, killing at least 14. Two weeks before that, more gunmen killed 15, including two members of parliament, at the Ambassador hotel.

AP
Thousands of migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast by Italian naval ships and vessels from non-government groups on Monday.

The operation was the latest surge in desperate attempts to flee to Europe driven by war, poverty, and human traffickers.

The dramatic operation took place just 13 miles north of the town of Sabratha in Libya.

Groups such as Proactiva Open Arms and Doctors Without Borders helped take on some 3,000 people who had been travelling in some 20 small wooden boats.

Migrants from Eritrea and Somalia cheered as the rescue boats arrived, with some jumping into the water and swimming toward them while others carefully carried babies on to the rescue ships.

Tens of thousands of Africans take the dangerous Mediterranean route as a gateway to a better life in Europe, alongside those fleeing wars from Syria to Afghanistan.

Libya's chaos and lack of border controls have made it into a transit route.

The country has sunk into lawlessness since the 2011 ousting and killing of long-time Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, facing a myriad of militias vying for influence and an emerging Islamic State affiliate.

The European Union expanded its anti-smuggling operation in the central Mediterranean in June to include training Libyan coastal and naval forces.

These are intercepting boats and returning migrants to Libya, where some are being held in abusive conditions.

Rights groups and experts estimate that there are about 3,500 migrants held in roughly 20 official detention facilities across Libya.

Others are held in informal detention centres controlled by criminal gangs or armed groups.

AP
Attack comes after Turkey suffered its first loss of life since launching an operation in Syria (AP)

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.

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.

Independent
Why are the Catholic bishops so concerned about Mormons baptising dead parishioners? The Mormons didnt invent baptism of the dead. The practice has a significant history within mainstream Christianity. The decision to order its abandonment was taken only after heated debate, and was a close-run thing.

Whats the difference, anyway, between baptising the dead and baptising babies? A tiny infant will have as much understanding as a dead person  none at all  of the complex philosophical belief-system its being inducted into when baptised, say, a Catholic. Transubstantiation? Theres daily communicants go to their deaths without any clear understanding of the concept. So what chance the mewling tot?

Indeed, given that all Christian Churches believe that the soul lives on after death and retains understanding and consciousness of self, doesnt it make more sense to baptise dead adults than live babies?

Apart from which, if the Catholic bishops hold that the beliefs of the Mormons are pure baloney (as they must), and their rituals therefore perfectly meaningless, how can it matter to them what mumbo-jumbo Mormons might mutter over Catholic cadavers?

The current controversy has been prompted by Archbishop Dermot Clifford and Bishop Bill Murphy complaining to the National Library in Dublin about records handed over by the Church being made available to all and sundry. The Mormons are believed to have taken advantage of this facility to comb through parish records and baptise the souls enumerated therein, a batch at a time.

The bishops stepped in after the Vatican warned all national churches earlier this year about Mormons misusing diocesan records. I have heard it suggested that the alarm of the Holy See had escalated after reports that Mormon multiple baptisms were regularly breaking the official record set by General Liu Kung Lee who, in one afternoon, baptised seven regiments of Chinese soldiers into Christianity with a fire-hose.

Lets look at the facts as understood by the early followers of Christ. For more than 300 years after the Crucifixion, baptism of the dead was widely accepted, its biblical basis located in 1 Corinthians 15, 29: Otherwise, what shall they do who are baptised for the dead if the dead rise not again at all? Why are they then baptised for them. In other words, a deceased person could be baptised by proxy: otherwise, how could such a person be included in the Resurrection? A good question.

The radical Cerinthians and the Marcionites were especially energetic baptisers of the dead. It was to wrong-foot these sects, seen as competitors with the official Church at a time when it was consolidating its position as the State religion of the Roman Empire, that the Synods of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397) voted, after bitter debate, to condemn the practice.

Interestingly, a clear trace of baptism of the dead has lingered in official practice to the present day, in the form of prayers for divine intercession on behalf of the unbaptised souls. Prayers for intervention were encouraged in Catholic schools in the 1950s. For all I know, this remains the case.

Baptising the dead might be seen as analogous, too, to the Jewish prayer of intercession. Which serves as a reminder that US Jews put a halt to galloping post-mortem Mormonism a couple of years ago by arguing that deJudaising those whod perished in the concentration camps constituted a profound insult to Holocaust victims. Following talks in New York between leaders of the two religions, the Mormons backed off.

The key point is, surely, that all religions believe that the soul, after death, at last knows whats what  whether Hinduism, Free Presbyterianism, Jainism, Judaism, Islam, Catholicism or whatever is the true religion. What if its Mormonism? What if its an everyday occurrence on the other side that Catholics and Protestants are left standing dumbstruck at the Gates, gasping: Mormons! Whod have believed it? And maybe a wife berating her husband: There! I told you it would be the Mormons! But would you listen?! Now its eternal hellfire for the two of us, I hope youre satisfied.

In that scenario, shouldnt all members of all other religions be literally eternally grateful to the Mormons for sharing their saving grace even unto and after death?

If, on the other hand, it isnt the Mormons at all, those who turn out to have been right can wave a merry farewell to the crestfallen followers of Brigham Young as they trundle downwards to their eternal comeuppance.

Whats the problem?
How incredible to see the once-tolerant land of France being reduced to a scene where a police officer can stand over a Muslim woman, insisting she take her clothes off (Saturday Review, August 27). You could not make it up.

If this ludicrous act of intolerance is in some way intended to deter terrorism, it won't work. This act shows France effectively giving into the tyranny of the terrorists, reducing the human rights of its citizens at the behest of the perceived threat.

Britain can provide the evidence of what happens when a single religion, or nationality, is made into a suspect community. The British did it to the Irish during the war in Northern Ireland.

A community under attack closes in on itself, providing harbour for those who might move to extreme actions and be radicalised.

The call of "give me your liberties and I will provide security" has been the cry of dictators down the ages.

It would be sad to see the great nation of France succumbing to such a call and, in the process, destroying the very liberties it has fought for so many centuries to preserve.

PAUL DONOVAN

By email
Once upon a time, if you saw a good-looking person on TV, you just turned to whoever was sitting next to you on the sofa, said "he's a bit of alright, isn't he?" or "she's not bad, eh?" and that was the end of it.

Now you can get out your smartphone and tweet the person on the screen directly to let them know that they weren't exactly at the back of the queue when God was handing out good looks. They probably knew it already, but everyone's ego needs a little boost now and then.

The latest recipient of such online attention was Detective Superintendent Bobby Singleton following his media appearances at the Tennent's Vital festival on Boucher Road in Belfast.

Hundreds of messages were left on the PSNI's Facebook page by female and male admirers, complimenting DS Singleton on being, as one put it, "the best looking policeman I've ever seen in Northern Ireland".

Imagine the almighty stink if a policewoman's physical attributes were subjected to this much scrutiny.

Still, it must have made a welcome relief for the force in the midst of a summer that has mainly brought bad news, culminating in Chief Constable George Hamilton's infamous "dry your eyes, do the job or move on" tweet about under-pressure officers.

If only the PSNI was equally skilled at getting good PR for actual policing reasons, such as bringing to book some of those who've been setting fire to Orange halls in a series of arson attacks this year.

Alas, so far there have been no convictions, and the attacks go on with shocking regularity in all six counties.

The latest was the destruction of Salterstown Orange hall in Ballyronan on the shores of Lough Neagh - the 21st such incident since January. That's approximately one every 11 days. One hall was targeted three times in a few weeks.

That's not even counting the paint and graffiti attacks which have also been taking place on Orange properties, all of which add to a sense of siege in the communities using them.

Because, as Nelson McCausland points out, it's not only Orangemen who are affected. These are shared spaces used by many in the wider locale for social events, keep fit classes and the like.

They're often one of the few suitable buildings in such under-funded areas where people can meet.

In the past these remote parts of the country were just names on the news.

A reporter would stand by the side of a quiet road, describing some incident that had happened, then it was over to the weather. Now anyone can use Google Maps to walk around these places for themselves.

Do so, and what you immediately notice is how remote many of these Orange halls are.

There might be a house or two nearby, or a farm over the next hill, but there's no CCTV or street lights, and few main roads nearby.

The chances of there being any witnesses in the middle of the night when these attacks take place are practically nil. It illustrates how easy it is to target such out of the way spots, and how easy to get away afterwards, before the blaze has even taken hold.

It's not only buildings which are damaged, or band regalia and instruments that might have been inside when the flames started, it's the very sense of security that these quiet communities need in order to feel safe. It also sends a clear message to similar communities that they're not safe either.

Perhaps arson doesn't attract a high priority from police because it's considered a "lesser" crime, but that's a shortsighted way of looking at it. These attacks are clearly not isolated incidents, they're organised, and they're being co-ordinated by extremely dangerous people. Mainstream republicans always used such low risk, low level activities as a way of keeping "volunteers" active between bigger operations. Their dissident admirers have clearly learned well. Far from being lesser crimes, this sectarian vandalism is the thin end of a wedge that leads to the worst imaginable atrocities, which is why it's important to nip it in the bud at the earliest opportunity.

Picking up the culprits would also enable police to build a better picture of the people getting involved in these hate crimes and on whose orders they're acting.

David Blevins' report last week for Sky News on the unsolved murders of the Troubles rightly drew praise for highlighting the way that victims and their families have been sidelined.

It's one of the worst failures of the political process that followed the signing of the Belfast Agreement that, nearly 20 years on, no one seems able to agree on how those who suffered most during the Troubles should have that suffering acknowledged.

These victims were asked to make the ultimate sacrifice, by consigning their pain to the past, but how can they do that, and why should they, when they can see the same mistakes being made all over again?

Blind eyes are turned. Awkward truths are brushed under the carpet for the sake of a quiet life. Policing and politics seem as entwined as ever, generally to the short-term benefit of politics rather than the long-term need for dependable policing.

It's no secret that there are long-standing tensions between the PSNI and the Orange Order over the policing of parades. Orangemen have not always behaved well in those disputes; the police are often over a barrel, damned by one side or another whatever they do.

But the spate of attacks on Orange halls is one instance where good, old-fashioned policing could help repair some of the damage, and it's hardly unreasonable for those affected to expect action. These are not victimless crimes.

McCausland has a point, after all, when he says that, had there been 21 attacks this year alone on churches, it would be considered a political and policing priority rather than a little local misfortune.

The desecration of Jewish graves at the City Cemetery made national and even some international headlines; there was a widespread sense of shame across Belfast.

Hate crimes directed against any group ought to prompt the same determination to identify and punish the perpetrators, because it's not that big a step from targeting Orange halls or Jewish graves or Catholic churches to attacking those who represent the symbols of a marginalised and belittled identity.

Stopping them now would be worth far more to the PSNI in good publicity than any number of pictures of handsome, well-groomed officers.
The bun is back for drugs mule Michaella McCollum as she settles into life after returning to her home town.

In contrast to the glamorous hairstyles she was showing off while in Peru following her release from jail, the cocaine smuggler was sporting a plain look when Sunday Life caught up with her in Dungannon last week.

The 23-year-old  free after less than half of her six years and eight months sentence behind bars  was out and about last week with mum Norah, sister Samantha, niece and future brother-in-law.

McCollum was looking dishevelled with no make-up, wearing leggings, a vest and flip-flops  and of course sporting her instantly recognisable bun.

It was a world away from the glamorous social media snaps taken just before she left South America, which we have printed today.

In the shots McCollum, who with Scot Melissa Reid tried to smuggle 1.5 million worth of cocaine out of Peru, is seen living the high life with other women she met in the notorious Ancon 2 jail.

We can also reveal she enjoyed a pizza party with a prison pal on her last night in the country.

McCollums best friends in Peru  Kaouthar Essafi and Chinagul Yulip  are foreigners living in Lima who met Michaella behind bars.

Filipina mother-of-two Yulip claims to have shared good surprising memories with McCollum inside and out of prison.

She has posted dozens of photos showing McCollum getting her nails done and dining in the swanky Malecon Costa Sur area.

The pair can also be seen having bonding time while eating Japanese food. Yulip, who has now turned to God, even took to social media to thank Jehovah for their food and friendship.

Behind bars, McCollum claims to have been top dog, organising dance competitions and running a thriving beauty salon.

Fellow inmates paid her for a range of treatments, including bikini waxes for 35 Peruvian soles (around 8), 25 soles for a blow dry (around 5) and haircuts and facials for 20 soles each (4.60).

Raking in 1,000 soles a week (230), McCollum was able to employ a Spanish inmate to do most of the work, and she paid prisoners to clean her cell.

But since her parole a few months ago it seems McCollum grew fed up of doing the treatments herself.

Pictures posted by McCollum and Yulip, who is known as Jackie, show off a set of new nails painted by Yulip at Amarige Spa in San Isidro, where she works. In one of the snaps McCollum flaunts her Barbie nails after another bonding session.

In a number of posts Yulip refers to the magic of God who has seen the convicts through hard times and good times together.

The pair grew so close that Yulip accompanied McCollum to the airport for her flight home.

Yulip took pictures from inside and outside the airport with the caption Airborne to London... I will miss u baby girl @michaellaconnolly... Love you.

McCollums beautician pal in Peru then took to Instagram to share a cute collage of the pals having fun on dinner dates and girls nights in.

McCollum then responded by taking and sending a selfie from the plane before it took off.

While McCollum has changed her name to Connolly and turned her social media accounts to private, her friends in Peru have been very public about their time together.

Dutch gym fanatic Essafi, who was caught trying to traffic 16 kilograms of cocaine from Peru to Spain in 2011, has also shared dozens of photos of the pair partying, shopping, eating out and exercising.

It was at the same airport in Lima where McCollum and Reid, then 20 and 19, were arrested in August 2013 with 11kg of cocaine hidden in food packets as they attempted to fly to Spain.

They created an elaborate story claiming they were forced into carrying the drugs.

But the pair pleaded guilty to the charges later that year.

McCollum was released on parole in March this year, but a court ordered her to spend the next six years of her sentence in Peru.

However, the decision was overturned and she was given the go-ahead to fly home on August 12.

In June fellow drug smuggler Reid, from Lenzie near Glasgow, was released and allowed to fly home to Scotland under an early release scheme for deporting first-time drug offenders.

She was spotted last week in Edinburgh bar Sportsters cosying up to her new boyfriend.

Punters looked on as Reid snogged her beau while he slipped his hand inside her waistcoat in the middle of the packed pub during the capitals busy Festival week.

During her prison stretch, McCollum not only made friends with fellow inmates, but also attracted more than 500 love letters.

She claims to have received a marriage proposal from a prison psychologist, who turned nasty when she rejected him.

He once told me we could live happily ever after, she said.

He tried to propose. Once I rejected him he sent letters to the court saying I was the head of a drug mafia.

He told me I would never see the light of day.

And one lovelorn prisoner from the jails male wing even pretended to guards that he was McCollums husband to try and secure a visit with her.

Since her return, McCollum has admitted she had gone on a four-day bender on magic mushrooms and class A drug ketamine before agreeing to traffick the cocaine from Lima to Spain.

Reid has also admitted to taking large amounts of ecstacy while in Ibiza, where they were both working at the time.

The Co Tyrone woman says her actions lost three years of her life.

She said: What I went through was completely my fault and I lost three years of my life.

You get an adrenaline high because youre doing something you know you shouldnt be doing. No one put a gun to my head.

No recent pictures have been released of the Peru 2, but McCollum claims to speak to fellow drug mule Reid every day on the phone.
Northern Ireland will have a link to the "best tourists in the world" when a direct air route between Belfast International Airport and Berlin starts up, it's been claimed.

Irish budget airline Ryanair starts its first international flight from Belfast International with the Berlin route on Thursday, which will operate three times a week.

And the airport said the route had already led to strong demand in both directions but would not give details on numbers.

It's also introducing its routes from Belfast International to Spain this week, along with Milan Bergamo.

Ryanair will be hoping for more success on the Berlin route than rival easyJet, which cancelled its former Belfast-Berlin flights in 2008 after around three years. It announced its return to Belfast - five years after pulling out of Belfast City - in January.

Simon Calder, travel editor at The Independent, said he believed the route would be a success.

"Germans are the best tourists in the world, at least in terms of the numbers that they export," he added.

"So even if a country attracts only a tiny percentage of international travellers from Germany, that amounts to a healthy number. Germans are also very good at spotting opportunities - such as the value and lack of crowds offered by Northern Ireland, which is still some way from achieving its full tourist potential."

Belfast International managing director Graham Keddie said: "Germany is one of the biggest outbound tourist markets in the world and for far too long, we weren't able to attract visitors directly to Northern Ireland. At no cost to the taxpayer, Ryanair will deliver thousands of German tourists in its first full year of operation."

This month, United Airline's route from Belfast International Airport to Newark Airport in New York State received a 9m bail-out from the Executive.

And Economy Minister Simon Hamilton said the new German route would bring an economic benefit to Northern Ireland.

"Connecting with new and strategic destinations such as Berlin will be a huge boost for the business and tourism markets," he added.

"With air passenger numbers at our airports continuing to grow, this new Ryanair Berlin route is further evidence of a returning confidence to the Northern Ireland travel market."

The Irish airline - which campaigned against Brexit - also starts a new route travelling to Milan Bergamo twice a week. And it is also introducing new routes to the sun destinations of Alicante, Malaga and Tenerife, and to the Polish destinations of Gdansk, Krakow, Warsaw and Wroclaw.

Following the Brexit vote, Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary said the airline would start focusing on EU airports beyond the UK.

He said the vote had been a "surprise and a disappointment".

"In the meantime, we will pivot our growth away from UK airports and focus more on growing at our EU airports over the next two years," he added.
Bangladesh police stand guard in Narayanganj outside the hideout where officers shot and killed Tamim Chowdhury, the suspected mastermind of the July 1 Gulshan attack, and two others, Aug. 27, 2016.

Updated at 6:56 a.m. ET on 2016-08-30

An Indian national who is a suspected Islamic State operative claimed a link to Bangladeshi militants when he recently told investigators that a Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) leader involved in the July 1 attack in Dhaka has served as his handler for two years.

Mohammad Mosihuddin, alias Abu Musa, 25, told Indias National Investigation Agency (NIA) that JMB leader Mohammed Suleiman had tasked him with creating an IS cell in India and choosing non-Muslim targets for attacks, according to sources in the agency, who spoke to BenarNews on condition of anonymity.

Musa was arrested in Burdwan district of Indias West Bengal state on July 4. Bangladeshi police, who sent a three-member team to Kolkata on Aug. 15 to interrogate Musa, confirmed that Musa had been in contact with the JMB.

During interrogation, Musa said JMB leaders from Bangladesh radicalized him in India and ordered him to carry out operations. Neo-JMB is the party that nurtures ISs ideology and is responsible for recent atrocities, Monirul Islam, the chief of Bangladeshs counter-terrorism and transnational unit, told BenarNews.

We asked him about the militant attacks that took place in the Bangladesh. Musa replied that some JMB leaders encouraged him in fundamentalism and showed him some targets for attacks, he said.

The comments by security officials on both sides come in stark contrast to the repeated assertion by the Bangladesh home minister and others that IS does not have a foothold in the Muslim-majority country.

Directly involved

Suleiman has been described by Bangladeshi officials as one of the masterminds of the deadly siege at the Holey Artisan cafe in Dhakas diplomatic quarter on July 1 that left 20 hostages dead, most of them foreigners.

During questioning, Musa revealed that Suleiman was directly involved in the April 23 killing of Rajshahi University English professor A.F.M. Rezaul Karim Siddique for his atheist beliefs, sources said.

Musa told interrogators that Suleiman slipped into India two days after the professors slaying and planned the Dhaka cafe attack from a hideout in West Bengal, sources said. They added that that Suleiman could still be holed up somewhere in northeast India and a manhunt to nab him was ongoing.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has blamed the Dhaka cafe siege and a string of other attacks on secular intellectuals on home-grown radical outfits including JMB.

On Saturday, Bangladeshi police gunned down Tamim Chowdhury, suspected to be the main mastermind of the Gulshan cafe attack, along with two other suspects. Chowdhury, police said, headed a faction of the JMB known as Neo JMB.

Inroads in India

While in India, the visiting Bangladeshi police team extracted names of 12 JMB operatives, including Suleiman, while questioning Musa, Islam said. Two of them have subsequently been arrested.

JMB acts as ISs sleeper cell and has made inroads into West Bengal, which shares a porous border with Bangladesh, a senior NIA official told BenarNews on condition of anonymity.

The comment appeared to corroborate a recent dossier from Dhaka that named as many of 100 suspected JMB members who had gone missing and could have taken shelter in the northeastern state.

Apart from Suleiman, whom he had met five to six times since 2015, Musa was also in touch with Shafi Armar, his Syria-based handler, via social networking sites, the official said. Musa came in contact with Suleiman in late 2014 through a social networking website.

Musa, who worked in a grocery store in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, came under scrutiny of security agencies soon after the Dhaka cafe attack when his calls and emails were traced to Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Syria, the official said.

Musa had been directed to find new recruits for IS and look out for areas where tourists from the United States, Britain and Russia hang out, a senior official of the NIA told BenarNews.

For this purpose, he made recreational trips to the Mother Teresa center in Kolkata and the Dal Lake in Srinagar to plan stabbing attacks similar to the July 1 assault in the Holey Artisan cafe.

Acting on a tip from the NIA and Indias Intelligence Bureau that Musa was heading to his birthplace in West Bengals Birbhum district, state officials picked him up at Burdwan railway station on July 4. Police claim he had an improvised gun, a 13-inch dagger and fake currency notes from Afghanistan and Syria.

While government officials constantly deny that IS has made any significant inroads in India, intelligence agencies claim about 50 Indian Muslims have left for Iraq and Syria to fight alongside the Middle East-based terror outfit. Among them, six have died in battle. About 30 Indians have been prevented from leaving the country to join the outfit and more than 150 are under surveillance for showing sympathy toward the organization.

A security expert based in northeast India said the regions porous border with Bangladesh poses a grave threat to the country.

The language similarities between the two neighboring countries make places like West Bengal and Assam an ideal ground for militants from Bangladesh to increase their foothold in the Indian sub-continent and carry out deadly attacks, G.M. Srivastava, Assams former director general of police, told BenarNews.

Kamran Reza Chowdhury and Shahriar Sharif in Dhaka contributed to this report.

An earlier version incorrectly identified Tamim Chowdhury as the head of JMB.


U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Bangladeshi officials Monday that the United States had evidence of contacts between the Islamic State (IS) and militants in Bangladesh, following months of denials from Dhaka about any such links.

[W]e made it very clear  that there is evidence that ISIL (using another acronym for IS) in Iraq and Syria has contacts with about eight different entities around the world, and one of them is in South Asia, Kerry told reporters during a one-day visit to Dhaka, his first visit as secretary of state.

And they are connected to some degree with some of the operatives here, and we made that very clear in our conversation. There was no argument about it, Kerry said, according to a transcript from the U.S. State Department.

IS has claimed responsibility for terrorist attacks in Bangladesh, including last months siege at a cafe in Dhaka where 20 hostages  including a U.S. citizen  were killed. But Bangladeshi officials have rejected any alleged IS connection, blaming home-grown militant groups including Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (JMB) for the acts.

Kerry met with Bangladeshs prime minister, foreign minister, home minister and opposition leaders to discuss bilateral issues, including matters of security, international peacekeeping, climate change, human rights and democracy, state department officials said.

Kerry said the two countries agreed to boost bilateral counter terrorism efforts between their intelligence services and law enforcement agencies.

Responding to a reporters question about IS links to Bangladesh, Kerry said we had a very candid conversation, adding that he did not think that the Bangladeshi government had its head in the sand over the issue.

In his meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Kerry told her that IS had been cornered in Syria and Iraq and that its non-Arab fighters were returning to their countries of origin, her press secretary told reporters.

Hasina told the top American diplomat that Bangladesh needed American support to combat terrorists and asked for U.S. cooperation in sharing intelligence on the threat, her spokesman said.

The two leaders agreed to work together to combat terrorism, press secretary Ihsanul Karim said.

Following his 10-hour stop in Dhaka, Kerry flew to India on Monday night.

Tamim Chowdhury: ISs emir in Bangladesh?

Dating to last year, Bangladeshi officials from the prime minister on down have denied that Islamic State or any other transnational terror group had any links to home-grown militant groups, or that IS or al-Qaeda has a presence in their country.

Since February 2015 a series of killings has gripped Bangladesh, targeting secular bloggers, intellectuals, and religious minorities, among others. Dual U.S.-Bangladeshi citizen and secular blogger Avijit Roy and Xulhaz Mannan, a gay-rights activist who worked in Dhaka for the U.S. government, were among those killed in smaller-scale machete attacks.

Yet the mass killing of 20 hostages  mostly foreigners  at the Holey Artisan Bakery cafe in Dhakas diplomatic quarter on July 1 took the terror threat to a new level.

Kerrys visit took place two days after Bangladeshi security forces shot and killed three suspected JMB militants in a raid on a house on the outskirts of Dhaka, including a Canadian citizen, Tamim Chowdhury.

Bangladeshi officials said Chowdhury, 30, led a faction of JMB known as Neo-JMB and they believed he was the main mastermind of the cafe attack. Earlier, police identified him as one of 10 masterminds behind the attack.

But, according to a recent edition of IS propaganda magazine Dabiq, Chowdhury was the leader of ISs Bangladeshi network  an allegation that Bangladeshi officials rejected, even after his death. The edition, which came out in April, referred to Chowdhury by a different name  Shaykh Abu Ibrahim al-Hafiz  and described him as the Amir [Emir] of the Khilafahs soldiers in Bengal, a reference to Bangladesh and ISs self-proclaimed caliphate in the Middle East.

On Sunday, Bangladeshi authorities identified the two other suspects killed alongside Chowdhury. One was Towsif Hossain, a student at the Kuala Lumpur campus of Australias Monash University who came from a well-healed neighborhood in Dhaka and had been missing since February, police told Reuters. One of the five men killed after allegedly attacking the Holey Artisan Bakery, Nibras Islam, also was a student at the campus in Malaysia, Reuters said.

The other alleged militant slain in Saturdays raid in Naryanganj district, Fazle Rabbi, came from Jessore district and had been missing from his family since April, police told Reuters.

Their twisted quest for fame

Bangladeshi newspapers the Dhaka Tribune and Daily Star newspaper reported Chowdhury, a resident of Windsor, Ontario, was born in Canada on July 25, 1986, the son of merchant mariner who emigrated from Bangladeshs northeastern district of Sylhet. The Tribune noted that Chowdhury majored in chemistry at the University of Windsor.

Bangladeshi police said that Chowdhury arrived in Bangladesh in October 2013 from Abu Dhabi.

Professor Amarnath Amarasingham, a post-doctoral fellow at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia who specializes in counter-terrorism, told the National Post of Canada that he had heard that Chowdhury had emerged as a leader of the regional affiliate of IS after arriving in Bangladesh.

In an interview published in the Dhaka Tribune on Sunday, Amarasingham spoke about the implications of Chowdhurys killing.

Symbolically, it wont much matter to his supporters who will see him as a martyr for the cause, continue to recruit and continue to plot attacks if possible, the academic told the newspaper.

Operationally, I think it could be quite significant. If as seems likely, the network in Bangladesh is small, the death of key operatives over the last several months will basically kill the movement. We will have to wait and see, he added.

Since news of Chowdhurys death spread, Bangladeshi immigrant communities in Canada condemned the violence allegedly espoused by the former resident of Windsor.

The Windsor Islamic Council, which earlier had confirmed that Chowdhury was a son of the city, said on Saturday that it had no knowledge of his background, according to the Canadian Press.

In a statement posted on its website, the council said it had adopted a policy of not talking about the lives of violent extremists.

This policy stems from [a] deep conviction that talking about the lives of such individuals only dignifies their heinous acts and serves their twisted quest for fame, the statement read.

[W]e do not only condemn and reject all forms of violence in the name of our noble faith, but renew our commitment and determination to expose the criminal and anti-Islamic nature of extremism and terrorism, it added.
A Chinese college student and political asylum-seeker detained in Thailand for having an expired passport is incommunicado after going back to China voluntarily, fellow activists said.

Xu Zhenxin, 19, was detained last month after Thai police asked for his identification en route to the northern city of Chiang Rai, where he had hoped to find work.



Veteran Thailand-based political refugee Li Yuzhou, who had been living in the country for seven years, also voluntarily returned to China, local sources told Radio Free Asia, a sister entity of BenarNews.



Xu arrived back in China at Guangzhous international airport on Aug. 24, after which he was briefly contacted by a fellow refugee.



He got out of the airport after getting off the plane at Guangzhou airport, and I was talking to him by phone at that time, the refugee, who asked to remain anonymous, said.



But we only spoke a few words, then he hung up.



The Thailand-based Chinese asylum-seeker said Xu said he was acting of his own free will, but that friends who met with him thought was wasnt himself.



He said he was determined to go home, and that hed already bought the plane ticket, the refugee said. But we havent heard anything from him since, and we dont know if hes been detained or not.



Miserable



Thailand-based political activist Li Xiaolong said Xu had seemed miserable when he visited him last month at the immigration detention center where he was being held.



Xiao Lin [another activist] later told me he had already attempted suicide, Li said.



Xu arrived in Thailand last November after taking a cross-border bus to Vietnam and a flight to Bangkok.



He had already received approval for resettlement as a political asylum-seeker, and held a UNHCR letter of protection.



A former freshman student at the Nanjing Post and Telecommunications University, Xu described himself as a political activist who frequently handed out leaflets calling for democratic reform on the streets of the city.



He had been interrogated several times by the citys state security police, who had beaten him at least twice, fellow refugees said.



He also spent a week in a black jail, an unofficial detention center, they said.



Climate of fear



Xus detention comes amid a growing climate of fear for Chinese dissidents who have sought political refuge in Thailand.



Claims of his voluntary return are also reminiscent of statements made by Chinese police that five Hong Kong booksellers detained last year for selling banned books to customers in China had willingly cooperated with police investigations.



Veteran refugee Li Yuzhou had also asked to go back to China after getting into an altercation last month with guards at the Bangkok Immigration Detention Center, Li said.



The guards at the immigration detention center told my wife that he was sent back to China on Aug. 29, he said.



[They said] that Li Yuzhou wanted to leave Thailand, because he would have been effectively locked up here indefinitely, Li said.



Thailand-based refugee Lin Dajun said Li Yuzhou had been talking of going back to China for the past couple of years, but his friends had tried to stop him.



He had been talking about going back for the past couple of years, but a lot of people told him to wait and see whether the United Nations would help him or not, Lin said.



The U.N. handled his case very badly, so this isnt a recent thing, he said. We all told him that if he went home, hed never get the chance to leave again.



Repeated calls to the Bangkok Immigration Detention Center rang unanswered during office hours on Monday.



Pressure to spy



Li Yuzhou fled China in 2002 after Beijing state security police put pressure on him to spy on fellow political activists in the Youth Study Group.



Li Yuzhou wrote about their demands and posted the information online. He then joined the Thailand branch of the banned opposition China Democracy Party (CDP) soon after arriving in the country.



He was detained in an immigration detention center in Sept. 9, 2009, after being accused of planting fake explosive devices, and had twice resisted attempts by the Chinese government to extradite him.



Li Xiaolongs wife Gu Qiao is facing deportation for illegal immigration after the family were rescued from the wreck of a sailing yacht off the coast of southern Thailand.



Gu, who holds no passport, is being held in an immigration detention center, and recently pleaded guilty to immigration offenses, paving the way for her repatriation.



Li was released on bail with the children, while another refugee who sailed with them, Zhao Wei, was released because he holds a valid Thai visa, as were two other members of the yachts crew.



Gu was later transferred to the Bangkok Immigration Detention Center from a similar facility in Chumphon, where the rescue operation took place.



Two handed back



Li, a founding member of the CDP from the southwestern province of Guangxi, escaped China with his family in 2014, before being classified a genuine refugee by UNHCR.



He had set up a local chapter of the party while in Thailand, and was also vocal in the campaign to prevent the repatriation of Chongqing-based activists Dong Guangping and Jiang Yefei.



Jiang and Dong, who had fled persecution in their home country, were handed back to Chinese authorities last November in a move that drew strong criticism from the U.N. They are now in criminal detention in Chongqing, where they face subversion charges.



Jiangs wife Chu Ling and Dongs wife Gu Shuhua and daughter Dong Xuerui flew to Canada from Bangkok for resettlement as political refugees just days after the two men were repatriated. They now fear Jiang and Dong are at risk of torture and other violations of their rights.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan (left) is pictured with his Malaysian counterpart Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Aug. 29, 2016.

Thailand confirmed Tuesday that it was processing a Malaysian request to extradite 10 suspects to the neighbouring country in connection with the discovery of mass graves at a human trafficking camp in northern Malaysia in May 2015.

Speaking after a cabinet meeting Tuesday, Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan, Thailands deputy prime minister and defense minister, said the extradition would happen if all legal requirements were met.

If it is doable, we can send them over. I am having the immigration police see what happened and at which stage they are at. If we can send [them], we will, Prawit told reporters in Bangkok.

The nationalities of suspects were not immediately disclosed.

On Tuesday, a senior Malaysian official  Norzihan Tamdi, special officer to Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi  told BenarNews they were Thai nationals.

Zahid announced the extradition deal after bilateral meetings during Prawits one-day visit to Malaysia on Monday.

He said Malaysian officials had advised Bangkok in early August about 10 individuals between the ages of 35 and 60, who were wanted in connection with mass graves discovered in Wang Kelian in the northern state of Perlis in May 2015.

I handed over the names and today, the Thai authorities informed us of the action taken as a follow-up to Malaysias request. We will take custody of the 10 people as soon as Thailand hands them over to us, Malaysian state news agency Bernama quoted him as saying.

They must be extradited to allow for legal action to be taken against them. We do not want the international community to view the case as only a Malaysian one, but a cross-border crime, he said.

However, the extradition must go through several processes as well as legal procedures, and it must be in accordance with the International Transfer of Prisoners, Zahid added.

Some of the 10 suspects were already in Thai custody, Zahid said.

Three sentenced so far

Zahid  who is also Malaysias home minister  added that his country was seeking Thai cooperation in identifying individuals with dual nationalities. Malaysia has asked Thailand to provide fingerprints or biometric data to positively identify dual Malay-Thai citizens as a security precaution.

In May 2015, Malaysian officials discovered 139 graves containing 106 corpses in abandoned human smuggling camps in Bukit Genting Perah and Bukit Wang Burma, hundreds of meters from the Thai-Malaysia border, near the town of Wang Kelian.

The same month, 36 corpses were found in similar sites on the Thai side of the border.

Following that discovery, Thailand launched a crackdown on human smuggling that triggered a humanitarian crisis. Close to 3,000 ethnic Rohingya from Myanmar and Bangladesh nationals, abandoned by their handlers, suddenly came ashore in Malaysia and Indonesia.

As many as 103 individuals, including a Thai army general, are on trial for human smuggling in Thailand, a lawyer involved in the case told BenarNews.

For the last two years, in its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, the U.S. government has placed Malaysia on its Tier Two Watch List  one level above the lowest ranking. Thailand was upgraded from Tier Three this year.

Malaysia has launched a national action plan with the aim of reaching tier one by 2020.

To date, however, the country has prosecuted only three individuals for human trafficking stemming from the Wang Kelian case.

On Aug. 19, a court in Perlis sentenced two 18-year-old Myanmar nationals to three years in prison for smuggling a 15-year-old boy in the Wang Kelian area between August 2014 and March 2015. The two defendants, named as Shahidullah and Momotin, told the court they had committed the crime to avoid being beaten.

In June 2016, the Perlis High Court sentenced Bangladeshi national, Nurul Islam, 32, to 10 years in prison on three counts of human smuggling and trafficking. During his trial, Nurul Islam claimed he was forced to commit the offenses by another agent of a smuggling syndicate who would beat him if he refused to follow orders.
Officials investigate the scene of a bombing at the Southern View Hotel complex in Pattani, Thailand, Aug. 24, 2016.

Thailands deputy prime minister has confirmed that peace talks with southern rebels will take place in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, but that the Thai government is moving to boost security in the insurgency zone through a new forward command post.

For peace talks, we will follow up on Sept. 2, Deputy PM and Defense Minister Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan told journalists in Bangkok on Monday, confirming information reported by BenarNews last week.

He was answering a question about the prospect of Malaysia-brokered exploratory negotiations resuming for the first time in four months, despite a spate of bombings that killed six and injured dozens more in Thailands upper south and insurgency-ridden Deep South earlier this month.

The confirmation came a week after Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha told reporters that Thailands military government was considering a date for a new round of informal talks with MARA Patani, a panel representing rebel groups and factions from the Deep South. But, Prayuth warned, the junta would not be forced through violence into speeding up talks.

Meanwhile, investigators probing 11 bombings and a series of arson attacks that hit tourist hotspots across the upper south on Aug. 11 and 12 have said that at least 20 people from the Deep South were involved in those deadly plots.

Thai NSC chief: We will see how it comes out

The talks, aimed ultimately at ending a separatist insurgency that has killed more than 6,000 people in Thailands predominantly Muslim and Malay-speaking southern border region, stalled nearly four months ago when the Thai side declined to sign off on ground rules, known as Terms of Reference (TOR), for future negotiations. Thailand has not held formal peace talks with the rebels since December 2013, when a civilian government was in charge.

Prawit spoke to reporters after returning Monday from a visit to neighboring Malaysia, where he discussed bilateral security cooperation with Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the Bangkok Post reported.

The next day, the secretary general of Thailands National Security Council spoke to BenarNews about the upcoming talks in Malaysia.

Malaysia will be a facilitator. It all depends on when and how we and the dissidents are ready to talk, Gen. Taweep Netniyom said in a phone interview.

Gen. Aksara (Kerdpol) is prepared for the talks and we will see how it comes out, Taweep said, referring to the head of the Thai delegation. We need to be sure that the talks represent all sides so they are effective.

The government has set a precondition that a safety zone  or ceasefire zone  be established to demonstrate that MARA Patani can control insurgents on the ground.

The current peace efforts ground to a halt in late April  the last time that the two sides met in Kuala Lumpur  because the two sides could not agree to a limited ceasefire, which the government was pushing as a condition for advancing the talks.

However, negotiators from both sides met on Aug. 14 to 16 to reach an agreement on new terms of reference ahead of Fridays meeting. No details were released following that meeting.

Government forward command

In his comments to reporters, Prawit said that the government was also planning to establish a forward command post to contain violence tied to the southern insurgency. The plan is a fast-track approach that would shorten the chain of command and allow for swift response to outbreaks of violence in the Deep South, the deputy prime minister said.

The post would be led by 10 people with experience in the region, including civilians, he said.

The new forward command would be its own entity and two other institutions  the regional office of the Thai militarys Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) and the Southern Border Provinces Administration Center (SBPAC)  would remain intact, according to the Bangkok Post.

The regional forward command would help the prime minister, who is the ex-officio director of ISCO, respond quickly to security concerns, the Post quoted Prawit as saying.

The SBPAC oversees development and civilian affairs involving some 1.7 million people in the Deep South.

Independence Day warning

Meanwhile in the Deep South, government officials have issued public warnings about possible attacks anticipated in the region on Wednesday, when nearby Malaysia will mark its Independence Day.

Aug. 31 also marks the regions celebration of Bersatu (The United Front for the Independence of Pattani), which recognizes insurgents who fought the Thai government in 1989.

Intelligence units told us they found insurgents trying to attack officials in Yala. During the Malaysia Independence Day in the past, insurgents carried out violent attacks in three provinces and four districts of Songkhla [province], police Maj. Gen. Songkiat Watakul, the commander of Yala provincial police, told BenarNews.

Malaysian prime minister coming to Thailand

Fridays round of peace talks is scheduled about a week before Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is scheduled to travel to Thailand.

Najib will visit Thailand on Sept. 8 and 9, when both nations are expected to approve memoranda of understanding including on dual citizenship, transnational crime, transportation, as well as building a fence along their common border.
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The air cargo markets deceleration this year had a greater impact on third-quarter cargo revenues at American Airlines than its primary rivals, Delta and United Airlines. But the best revenue quarter in company history and a $483 million profit painted a positive financial picture that could be replicated in the final quarter thanks to resilient []
Dr. Wendell Mayo, prize-winning author and Fulbright Scholar, has lived two lives, the first as a chemical engineer, the second as a writer and BGSU faculty member.

Mayo, a professor of English and creative writing, is the featured speaker for the Universitys Spotlight on the Arts event Sept. 1. His presentation, titled All My Lonely Ones: The Short Fiction of Wendell Mayo, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Thomas B. and Kathleen M. Donnell Theatre at The Wolfe Center for the Arts. The event is also part of the Creative Writing Programs fall reading series.

Mayo started as a chemical engineer at the behest of his father, a nuclear physicist. His mother continually encouraged him to dream big and use his imagination.

My mother, the whole time, encouraged anything that had to do with creativity in me. She would read all my writing, tell me, Dont listen to your father, someday youll be an artist. She thought Id be a painter, or a lawyer.

Mayo started writing seriously around 1982 while working for Standard Oil, now BP, in San Francisco. He enrolled in the Vermont College of Fine Arts Low-Residency Master of Fine Arts program, continuing to work for BP at the Lima, Ohio, refinery until he earned his M.F.A. in 1988. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in writing from Ohio University, took a job teaching at Indiana Purdue University, Fort Wayne, and then relocated to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He came to BGSU in 1996.

Though he wrote poetry throughout junior and senior high school, he now focuses solely on fiction.

Distances, the first story he had published in the Houston magazine Touchstone, ruminates on distance and alienation, things he felt living so far from home and siblings. The second story, Apple Orchard, published in Wind Magazine, was about the truth in the moment.

For me, it seemed like I understood life, or I understood how I make sense of my world, in terms of important moments instead of in a longer narrative arc. For me, short stories are about these important moments that have larger significance to them. So in that sense Im not a traditional novelist.

Though Mayo had published numerous stories before arriving at BGSU, it took me eight years to bring out my first book. He explained that a good chunk of his time is spent figuring out which short stories belong together in a collection.

His pains were well-rewarded: his story collection, Centaur of the North, garnered the Premio Aztlan Prize and The Cucumber King of Kedainiai won the 2012 Subito Press Award for Innovative Fiction. Mayo also received the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Creative Writing in 2000 and a 2001 Fulbright, which he used to travel to Lithuania for the second time after working as a teacher there in the early 1990s.

Mayo is constantly writing. Books are always in progress, he said.

He frequently presents at writing conferences, public libraries and the Toledo School for the Arts. He occasionally organizes workshops in the community or at BGSUs Winter Wheat Festival of Writing.

Joining Mayo to assist with some of the readings during the Spotlight on the Arts will be Jackie Cummins and F. Daniel Rzicznek. Cummins is a graduate of BGSUs M.F.A. program. Her fiction has been a finalist for the Sycamore Review Wabash Prize and published in Gingerbread House Literary Magazine. She also has a blog at headstrongmama.wordpress.com. Rzicznek is the author of two poetry collections and four chapbooks. Recent work has appeared or is forthcoming in Beloit Poetry Journal, Kenyon Review and The Adroit Journal. He teaches in BGSUs General Studies Writing program.

Spotlight on the Arts highlights the various units that comprise the University Arts at BGSU, including creative writing, art, theatre and film, dance and musical arts.

Guests with disabilities are requested to indicate if they need special services, assistance or appropriate modifications to fully participate in this event by contacting Disability Services at dss@bgsu.edu or 419-372-8495 prior to the event.
Von: MARC OLIVER RUHLE

A Friday evening in summer: Germany holds its breath, terror-alert in Munich: A pupil (18) kills nine people, then he shoots himself. For a few hours the rumor holds that there was an Islamist terrorist. Later, it turns out: It was the cruel act of a crazed gunman .

It was the massacre by a single perpetrator. Such cases are piling up lately ever more. What drives the perpetrators? Where does this hatred come from?

 BILD asked the Italian amok-researcher and media-activist Franco Berardi (66) for the causes of individual perpetrator massacre.

Berardi has done research for many years about the phenomena of mass murder and suicide  for his new book Heroes.

There are just a few researchers, who have studied such with the psyche of serial killers and morbid manifestos as Berardi. Without demonizing, much more to uncover what these mainly young men drives or misled.

Lesen Sie auch

The interview with Franco Berardi

BILD: What was your first thought when you heard about the news of a man who ran amok in Munich or before in Nice, in particular because you have been doing research on lone wolf killers?

Franco Berardi: I was horrified and filled with incredulity. I am a human being first, then a researcher. Lately, I have been feeling a sense of powerlessness and sadness. To Munich  suddenly Germany seems to have become the center of the aggressive madness. The event in Munich is a special read-out: The young man was a fan of mass murderers and it provides an indication that transform mass murders in a trend. In addition he cries 'Allahu akbar' [Arabic for God is the greatest, editor's note] But also: 'I am German'. We are experiencing this explosive depression as viral behavior.

Auch interessant

It must be one of the biggest issues of our decade, if a contemporary philosopher writes about mass killings and suicide murderers?

Berardi: I dont think that the suicidal wave is one of the biggest problems - it is the number one problem of our time. When I say suicidal wave, Im not only talking about the increasing number of young people who commit suicide in various ways. Im speakingmore broadly of the Zeitgeist that is pervading the contemporary world. Im speaking of habits that are polluting the earth. Im speaking of the financial dictatorship that plunders the resources of society and of the feeling of aggression that is spreading across nations. Suicidal sentiment pervades a large part of the new generation, because suicide is regarded as merely being the outcome of financial capitalism. Depression, anxiety and loneliness are the consequences of a culture based on competition and precarity. According to the World Health Organisation, the suicide rate has increased by 60 % in the past 40 years. Why? What has happened in the past 40 years? As far as I know, the past 40 years have been dominated by a neoliberal reshaping of social life and digital mutation.

Wave of suicides  the main problem of our age

Will there be more and more lone wolf killers like Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel in Nice or Omar Mateen who was responsible for the Orlando-massaker?

Berardi: I hope not. I strongly hope that tomorrow morning people will wake up in a different kind of mood and understand that compassion and friendship are better than aggression and violence.

Nevertheless, I know that depression is on the rise, the sense of failure is on the rise and unemployment and exploitation are on the rise. Therefore, I know that statistically speaking more people are poised to commit suicide, and a growing number of them will decide not to die alone, but to die as a hero. This kind of heroism attracts suicidal murderers. The young Palestinian who killed a 13-year old Jewish girl with a knife recently, and who was shot dead by a soldier later on, left a message before he committed the crime. Death is a right and I demand my right. Death is perceived as the only way out from the hell of misery and humiliation. Committing murder is a way to give suicide a heroic meaning.

Death is perceived as the only way out

Has our way of life (and our future) been put in the hands of random suicide bombers? And whatis the difference between amok and terrorism?

Berardi: No, I wouldnt say so. To begin with, our life and our future are put in the hands of financial automatism. Our future is in the hands of producers of weapons of mass destruction, the National Rifle Association and the military enterprise. The ruling class of the West is the worst danger to life and the wellbeing of hundreds of millions of workers and young people around the globe, and not some psychopathic killers. The probability of being killed by a lonely mad person is very low, and will remain very low. The security alert is a scam, statistically speaking. But its not about the statistical danger that terrorists bring to our lives. The problem lies in the frightening meaning those acts cause and the political devastation (fear, racism and fascism) they promote. Running amok is a psychopathological definition of a long repressed despair that results in an explosion. The person who is running amok may transfer his explosion in a mythological dimension of self-aggrandisement and imaginary heoricisation. He turns into a terrorist.

Franco Berardi is an Italian amok-expert, media-activist and philosopher

The problem is that these actions cause fear

Where is this hate coming from and where is it heading to? And obviously they hate themselves  but why?

Berardi: You are talking about two different things. The first one is why do they hate us so strongly? Obviously, this is a very complicated subject and I dont pretend to be exhaustive in a few sentences. Identitarian hate is a subject that demands in-depth analysis. Anyway, just to answer briefly, Ill remind you of these few points: Western prosperity is based on five centuries of exploitation on populations which were colonized by the European white minority. The misery of the Middle East is a consequence of colonial exploitation. Political unrest, which is destroying civil society in Iraq and Syria, is a consequence of Sykes and Picots irresponsible decision to divide the region of the former Ottoman Empire based on the interests of the West, thereby utterly disregarding religious and sectarian realities. The systematic exploitation of physical and human resources by colonialist countries is the single most relevant cause of the present chaos and suffering. We might say the same about the African condition: the legacy of slave trade cannot be forgotten or forgiven by African Americans, because there is the origin of their present misery as well as the origin of the Africans misery. I know that the majority of well-natured Europeans doesnt want to be reminded of past atrocities. I understand that. Unfortunately, the legacy of colonialism is returning. It is turning into a ghost that is haunting our present time little by little. If we want to understand why they hate us, however, we dont need to travel back into the distant past. Think of the images from Abu Ghraib prison in 2004. Remember those? Try to imagine what those images meant to a young Arab man who was a child back then. Millions of children from Cairo, Tunis, Paris Banlieux and the London suburbs saw these picutres of their eldest brothers being tortured and humiliated by blond American soldiers, males and females. I think that millions of children decided to revenge their brothers at that moment. Now, they are fulfilling their dreams: to kill as many white people as they can. Unfortunately, those white people are the children who were strolling along the promenade in Nice with their family on a Summer night. Your second question is why self-hatred is spreading so widely, why they hate themselves to a point of committing suicide? In my opinion self-loathing is a prevailing sentiment in contemporary humanity. People loathe themselves (not only in the Arab world), for they have been raised under cultural conditions based on competing values. They were taught that only winners are worthy of consideration. Yet, they arent winners. Most people arent winners. We are all losers, living in the age of competition and precariousness. Thats why self-loathing is spreading around. The majority of people deal with self-hatred in a peaceful manner, in the form of depression which they treat with psychopharmaca (its specifically on the rise in Germany - as far as I know). Others decide to face self-loathing in an explosive way.

Lesen Sie auch

Now they fulfill their dream, to kill as many white people as possible

Heroes - the title of your latest book reminds me of David Bowies top song with the same title. The chorus goes, We can beat them, for ever and ever, oh we can be heroes, just for one day. It evokes a powerful and optimistic image. Why then do you call murderers heroes?

Berardi: Well, I dont think that Bowies song has an optimistic undertone. To the contrary. The heroism that Bowie is talking about is permanent sadness. Andy Warhol said, 'Everybody in the future will be allowed to have fifteen minutes of celebrity in their life.' Heroism equals celebrity status. The portrayal of the attacker in the news is a consolation prize for a life lived with humiliation, anxiety and depression. The depressed macho wants to kill himself, but he wants be in the medias spotlight, and possibly rewarded by his community who worship Allah or some other god. Mass-murder is a path to this fake contemporary heroism.

The self-contempt is expanding everywhere

Shouldnt the book be called Soldiers? Because every single one of these young men is fighting his own war? And is it really a political fight?

Berardi: Yes, of course you may call them soldiers. Not only because they take part in some form of war. They are soldiers in the etymological sense. Soldatus is someone who wages war for a salary (Late Latin soldum means the salarium of the Roman soldier). Daesh pays their figthers a salary of 450 $. Those kids are unemployed, from Tunis to Saint Denis. They will never have a job. They will never earn a salary. So why not take up a job in the 'Army of Nothing'?

What role does the media play in portraying the attackers entire biography?

Berardi: Obviously, the media publicity is some sort of compensation, a paradoxical reward. But this is not the newpapers and journalists fault. Its part of the automatic game, the society of the spectacle. The spectacle comes in form of competition. So we are taking part in a game that we dont accept morally. We, in fact, resent it. But there is no way out. Present capitalism is based on a systemic trap made from financial automatisms. In Europe, we know that the financial system is destroying social life, is predating social work, and is pushing workers to despair. The European Union is based on this kind of trap. But we dont see a way out. The same happens in the mediasphere: Paradoxically, it fulfills the dream of a mass murderer when the focus shifts onto him. However, you cant escape the kind of power game played out between competing media. The all encompassing dimensions of the present are automation and terror. We have entered a chain of automation (cognitive automation, linguistic automation, and technological automation). We are unable to break the chain. And, terror awaits us, on the other side.

Lesen Sie auch

That puts the mass murderer at the center  it fulfills his dream

Omar Mateen (Orlando) and, evidently, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel (Nice) were sympathizing with ISIS. We are fighting against an ideology. How are we going to make it?

Berardi: Do you really think that we are fighting a war against an ideology? I dont think so. Once upon a time, ideology was to be taken seriously. The religious exploitation by jihadists has nothing to do with ideology. Yet, I believe that there is a strategy behind the propaganda. It is the strategy that Bin Laden outlined after September 11, 2001 - the creation of a caliphate that reaches from the Atlantic Ocean to China. When I heard bin Laden talk about his project fifteen years ago, I laughed, thinking he has gone mad. Fifteen years later, Im not laughing anymore. I see that his project is materializing. But the credit for realizing his dream goes mainly to George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, along with their strategy that played into the hands of the al- Qaida creator. Our task it not to fight an ideological battle, its about healing people who have been humiliated, accepting our responsibilites, paying the debt of colonialism, opening the doors to Europe for migrants and refugees who are fleeing from war and misery. Thats what it is about. It will be costly and dangerous. Yet, we must pay the price and run the risk. Europeans should have started the process of massive reception and integration for millions of migrants twenty years ago. Instead, what have we done? The cynical leading class of the EU has only enfored rejection, containment, repatriation, and in the best of cases, exploited migrant workers. This politics of the leading class has fostered racism and fear, and now the majority of the European population is ready to go to war against migrants. However, there is no end in site to migrant wave  it will fuel war and racism.

Lesen Sie auch

Hitler is spreading around the world

There is a rise of nationalism in Europe. Trump is stirring up Islamophobia. Is the wheel spinning fast and faster?

Berardi: Yes, its spinning fast. I look at things this way: When German workers were impoverished and humiliated as a result of the Versailles treaty in the 20s, Adolf Hitler addressed them. He said: Dont think of yourselves as workers, impoverished and humiliated. Think of yourselves as German heroes, as white Arian Ubermenschen. Now, you are social losers, but if you follow me, you will be warriors and winners. Trump is doing the same thing: Dont think that you are impoverished workers, you are white warriors, armed, strong, prepared to fight and win. Boris Johnson and Theresa May, who became Prime Minister, promised a big increase in UK military spending, are on the same page. That also applies to Marine Le Pen of France, Jaroslaw Kaczynski of Poland and Victor Orban of Hungary. White racism is celebrating a comeback, and so is national socialism. The only difference now is that Hitler is not alone anymore. His ideologies have expanded across the globe.

It seems that we are in some form of civil war. Does a strategy exist in your point of view? Or is there anyone who could lead us to peace again?

Berardi: I dont believe in a strong man who comes to the rescue. I believe in social organisations and I believe in culture, particularly, in the culture of internationalism. Some decades ago we, the international egalitarian faction and the libertarian communists, said: It has to be either socialism or barbarianism. The majority of the Western population chose barbarianism. The Western civilisation will not survive the global fragmentary civil war and the secular stagnation. You certainly read The Economist (July 2: Anarchy in the UK), saying that globalisation is broken. I think capitalism is broken, too. I think we should start thinking about the present collapse and its aftermath. The only way out of this is a new culture, a culture of egalitarianism and friendship. Reducing working hours, curbing competition, stopping the austeritarian madness imposed by the German government. Basic income for all European citizens and for millions of migrants too. Print money, give money to people. Quantitative easing for people, and cutting the hours we work each week to 30. This is the way out from a civil war that is caused by financial capitalism. But we, the Europeans, do not want to abandon our privileges and our faith in the god of growth economy who has failed us. We need a catastrophic breakdown. Then, well be obliged to understand. The catastrophic breakdown is here.

We should listen to Pope Francis

Your analysis sounds like a countdown to the Apocalypse. Are we heading toward a new kind of fascism? And what advise do you give a young generation in all the darkness?

Berardi: The word fascism, of course, is only partially explaining what is happening at the moment. We live in the age of digital technologies, not in the age of loudspeakers and black and white movies. Fascism plus Facebook is a strange animal whose outcome is unpredictable. Apocalypse is not a bad word: it does not only refer to chaos and pain. Apocalypse means revelation, it describes a possibility that we dont usually see. We have to rely on our general intellect, free from constraints in an economy that solely places value on profits. The apocalyptic truth is that we have to abandon the spirit of competition, of growth and of winning. Right now, the voice we should carefully listen to is that of Pope Francis; the man who came to Rome from the end of the world and who recites these words on a daily basis: compassion, solidarity and friendship.


For Immediate Release, August 30, 2016 Contact: Elise Bennett, (727) 755-6950; ebennett@biologicaldiversity.org Alligator Snapping Turtle One Step Closer to Endangered Species Protection Largest Freshwater Turtle in North America Threatened by

Ongoing Habitat Destruction Across Midwest, Southeast ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. The Center for Biological Diversity today reached a settlement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requiring the agency to determine by 2020 whether the alligator snapping turtle will receive protection under the Endangered Species Act. A prehistoric-looking freshwater turtle known for its spiked shell, large claws and strong, beaked jaws, the alligator snapper has declined up to 95 percent across its historic range. In response to a 2012 petition from the Center, the Fish and Wildlife Service determined last year that the alligator snapping turtle may warrant federal protection. Photo by Gary Tucker, USFWS. Photos are available for media use. Alligator snapping turtles are disappearing from many of the areas they historically lived, said Elise Bennett, a Center attorney whose work is dedicated to protecting rare reptiles and amphibians. The evidence is strong these freshwater giants need Endangered Species Act protection to survive. Habitat degradation and overharvest have caused significant population declines for the once-abundant turtle. Early in the 20th century alligator snapping turtles were plentiful in U.S. river systems draining into the Gulf of Mexico, from the waterways and lakes of the upper Midwest to the swamps and bayous of Florida, Louisiana and Texas. But recent population surveys show the turtles are now likely extirpated in Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee. A 2014 study revealed that the alligator snapping turtle is actually three different species and therefore even more critically endangered than previously thought. This settlement is a welcome first step, said Bennett. Now the Service needs to evaluate and act according to the best science we have, which shows that these three species deserve full Endangered Species Act protection. Under the terms of a 2011 agreement with the Service, the Center can choose 10 species per year for expedited decisions on whether they should receive Endangered Species Act protection. The other nine priority species for 2016, with years when decisions are due, include the monarch butterfly (2019), Virgin River spinedace (2021), California spotted owl (2019), Northern Rockies fisher (2017), foothill yellow-legged frog (2020), Canoe Creek pigtoe (2020), beaverpond marstonia (2017), cobblestone tiger beetle (2019) and Barrens topminnow (2017). Under the settlement 147 species have gained protection to date, and 35 species have been proposed for protection. See an interactive state-by-state map showing where you can find 52 reptile and amphibian species the Center is working to save; download a photo of the alligator snapping turtle for media use. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.


For Immediate Release, August 30, 2016 Contact: Mollie Matteson, (802) 318-1487, mmatteson@biologicaldiversity.org Cobblestone Tiger Beetle Closer to Endangered Species Act Protection in Northeast Once Widespread Riverside Beetle Survives on Only 9 or 10 Rivers RICHMOND, Vt. The Center for Biological Diversity reached an agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today requiring the agency to make a decision about protecting cobblestone tiger beetles under the Endangered Species Act by Sept. 30, 2019. The beetles have been wiped out from much of their range due to changes in riverside habitat caused by dams, channelization and urbanization. Theyre considered an indicator species of healthy riverside habitat. Photo by Giff Beaton. This photo is available for media use. The cobblestone tiger beetle is a tough little predator thats ecologically important and deserves Endangered Species Act protection, said Mollie Matteson, a senior scientist at the Center. Protecting this fascinating riparian beetle will also help protect the health of the streams and rivers where it lives, which is important for everyone. Once widespread across the eastern United States, the beetle now survives on only nine or 10 rivers. It is widely distributed from Alabama to Vermont, but highly localized, with most remaining populations being small and widely isolated, increasing the species risk of extinction. The beetle was first identified as being in need of federal protection in 1984. The Center petitioned for protection of the beetle in 2010. The Service determined in 2012 that the beetle may warrant protection, but has yet to make a required 12-month finding proposing or denying protection. The tiger beetle is very habitat specific, living only on river islands and shorelines in pebble and cobblestone habitat patches with sparse vegetation. It is threatened by dams, altered hydrologic regimes, gravel mining, all-terrain vehicles, invasive plants, water pollution and aerial insecticide spraying. Tiger beetles are so named because they are fast runners that chase down prey and capture them with their long mandibles, eating primarily ants and flies. Both adults and larvae are fierce predators. Active in summer, adults actively search for prey while larvae wait in shallow burrows for prey to pass during their two-year development period. The larvae plug their burrows in September and are dormant during the winter. The cobblestone tiger beetle is half an inch long, with a brown to olive-green, metallic-sheened shell with a scalloped white border. Currently known populations are found on the Winooski River in Vermont, Connecticut River in New Hampshire and Vermont, Sciota River in Ohio, Delaware River in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Whitewater River in Indiana and Coosa River in Alabama. Under the terms of a 2011 agreement with the Service, the Center can choose 10 species per year for expedited decisions on whether they should receive Endangered Species Act protection. The other nine priority species for 2016, with the years in which they will receive decisions, include the Northern Rockies fisher (2017), Barrens topminnow (2017), beaverpond marstonia (2017), Canoe Creek pigtoe (2020), monarch butterfly (2019), California spotted owl (2019), alligator snapping turtle (2020), foothill yellow-legged frog (2020) and Virgin River spinedace (2021). Under the settlement 147 species have gained protection to date, and 35 species have been proposed for protection. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.


For Immediate Release, August 30, 2016 Contact: Jenny Loda, (510) 844-7100 x336, jloda@biologicaldiversity.org Rare Frog in California, Oregon One Step Closer to Endangered Species Protection SAN FRANCISCO The Center for Biological Diversity today reached a settlement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that requires the agency to determine whether the foothill yellow-legged frog warrants protection as an endangered species by 2020. The frog has disappeared from more than half its former streams in California and Oregon and faces a host of threats, including impacts from dams and water diversions, logging, livestock grazing and invasive species. In response to a 2012 petition from the Center, the Fish and Wildlife Service determined last year that the foothill yellow-legged frog may warrant protection. Photo courtesy James Bettaso, USFWS. This photo is available for media use. Foothill yellow-legged frogs need habitat protections and recovery efforts under the Endangered Species Act to stem the risk of extinction, said Jenny Loda, a biologist and attorney with the Center whose work is dedicated to protecting rare amphibians and reptiles. Protecting these frogs will also benefit many of the rivers and streams in California and Oregon that we rely on for recreation, wilderness qualities, open space and drinking water. Foothill yellow-legged frogs are small (1.5 to 3 inches) with a distinctive lemon-yellow color under their legs. They inhabit low-elevation streams in Pacific Coast drainages, from the Willamette River basin in Oregon south to the San Gabriel River in Los Angeles County, Calif., as well as the lower western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains. They have disappeared from much of their historical range, especially in Southern California and Oregon. Other impacts to frogs include mining, marijuana cultivation, off-road vehicles, climate change, pollution and disease. Foothill yellow-legged frogs have declined severely in the southern Sierra Nevada, central California coast, Bay Area, south-central California coast and central Oregon. Each of these areas may contain distinct populations or subspecies of yellow-legged frogs. With nearly a third of the worlds amphibians in danger of extinction, we should be paying attention and taking action when one of our once-common native frogs is in rapid decline, said Loda. Under the terms of a 2011 agreement with the Service, the Center can choose 10 species per year for expedited decisions on whether they should receive Endangered Species Act protection. The other nine priority species for 2016, with the years in which they will receive a decision, include the Northern Rockies fisher (2017), beaverpond marstonia (2017), Barrens topminnow (2017), monarch butterfly (2019), California spotted owl (2019), cobblestone tiger beetle (2019), alligator snapping turtle (2020), Canoe Creek pigtoe (2020) and Virgin River spinedace (2021). Under the settlement 147 species have gained protection to date, and 35 species have been proposed for protection. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.


For Immediate Release, August 30, 2016 Contact: Noah Greenwald, (503) 484-7495, ngreenwald@biologicaldiversity.org Northern Rockies Fisher One Step Closer to Endangered Species Protection Trapping, Habitat Loss Continue to Threaten Rare Forest Carnivore VICTOR, Idaho The Center for Biological Diversity today reached a settlement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requiring the agency to determine whether the Northern Rockies fisher warrants protection under the Endangered Species Act by 2017. Although fishers once inhabited old-growth forests from northeastern Washington, Idaho, Montana and northwest Wyoming to north-central Utah, fishers were nearly extirpated in the 1920s and now only survive along the border of northern Idaho and Montana. Trapping and continued habitat degradation continues to threaten the remaining populations. Photo courtesy Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. This photo is available for media use. Northern Rockies fishers need protection under the Endangered Species Act to limit continued threats to their survival, including legal and incidental trapping, said Andrea Santarsiere, a staff attorney at the Center. We are hopeful that the Service will choose to protect the fisher to give the species a fighting chance at recovery. The Center petitioned for protection of the fisher in 2013, but the Service is now more than two years late in making a decision on the imperiled carnivores protection. In January of this year, the Service issued a positive 90-day finding on the petition, and is now conducting a review of the animals status to determine if federal protection is warranted. The new settlement ensures that the Service will continue its review and issue a final decision by Sept. 30, 2017. Fishers are cat-like, medium-sized members of the weasel family with slender, brown bodies and long, bushy tails. They are still legally trapped in Montana. In May 2016 the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission proposed a zero quota for next season, which would have effectively prohibited intentional fisher trapping in Montana. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks pushed back on the commissions proposal, however, and as a result fishers will continue to be threatened by legal trapping in Montana this year. Alongside habitat loss, trapping is one of the primary threats to Northern Rockies fishers, said Santarsiere. Given Montanas recent decision, its apparent that federal protection is the only way to curb this ongoing threat. Fishers are also severely threatened by incidental trapping in Idaho and Montana. As trapping for wolves, bobcats and other species has increased in Idaho and Montana, so have levels of incidental trapping of fishers. Reported nontarget catch of fishers by individual fur-takers in Idaho from the 2010-2011 season through the 2014-2015 season have totaled 159 fishers, 66 of which have been killed. It is unknown how many fishers are incidentally trapped and killed in Montana each year, because the state does not maintain records of nontarget catch. Under the terms of a 2011 agreement with the Service, the Center can choose 10 species per year for expedited decisions on whether they should receive Endangered Species Act protection. The other nine priority species for 2016, with the years in which they will receive decisions, include the monarch butterfly (2019), alligator snapping turtle (2020), California spotted owl (2019), foothill yellow-legged frog (2020), Canoe Creek pigtoe (2020), beaverpond marstonia (2017), cobblestone tiger beetle (2019), Barrens topminnow (2017) and Virgin River spinedace (2021). Under the settlement 147 species have gained protection to date, and 35 species have been proposed for protection. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.


For Immediate Release, August 30, 2016 Contact: Jaclyn Lopez, (727) 490-9190, jlopez@biologicaldiversity.org Three Southeastern Freshwater Species Move Toward

Endangered Species Act Protection in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee WASHINGTON The Center for Biological Diversity reached an agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today setting deadlines for the agency to decide whether to protect three imperiled southeastern freshwater species under the Endangered Species Act. The Center petitioned for protection for the Alabama mussel, Georgia snail and Tennessee fish in 2010, but the Service has yet to make decisions on their protection. Under todays agreement the Barrens topminnow from Tennessee and the beaverpond marstonia from Georgia will get protection decisions in 2017, and the Canoe Creek pigtoe, a freshwater mussel found near Birmingham, Ala., will get a decision by 2020. Canoe Creek pigtoe photo by Frank Chitwood, Coosa Riverkeeper. These small but important freshwater animals need the effective protection of the Endangered Species Act, or we could lose them forever, said Tierra Curry, a biologist at the Center. The Southeast is home to more kinds of freshwater animals than anywhere else in the world, but the region has already lost more than 50 of these species to extinction, so protecting these three irreplaceable species is urgent and important. The beaverpond marstonia is a tiny, tan freshwater snail known only from Cedar Creek, a tributary of the Flint River in Crisp County, Ga. Its shell has four whorls and is one-tenth of an inch tall. It was first discovered in 1977 and has not been detected in recent surveys, causing scientists to fear that it may be nearly extinct. It is threatened by pollution from cotton fields, groundwater withdrawal and urbanization. The Service must issue a decision on the aquatic snails protection by April 1, 2017. Barrens topminnow is a small freshwater fish found in only three locations on the Barrens Plateau of south-central Tennessee. Its range is just three counties  Cannon, Coffee and Warren  in the headwaters of the Duck and Elk rivers in the Tennessee River drainage and the Caney Fork River system in the Cumberland River drainage. It lives in clear, spring-fed streams with aquatic vegetation and declined from 14 known sites in the early 1980s to seven sites in the mid-1990s; it is currently known from only two to three viable populations. Reasons for the decline include water diversions and withdrawals for agriculture, drought, water pollution and predation by invasive mosquitofish. It is 4 inches long, flashily colored and swims near the surface of the water, where it preys on mosquito larvae and other insects. The Service must issue a decision on the fishs protection by Dec. 31, 2017. The Canoe Creek pigtoe, also known as the Canoe Creek clubshell, is a freshwater mussel that only lives in Big Canoe Creek, a tributary of the Coosa River, in northeast Alabama. It was first discovered in 2006. The mussel is threatened by erosion and water pollution from development, agriculture and natural-gas exploration, including fracking. The mussel is nearly 4 inches long, with a dark-yellow to brown shell and a salmon-orange, soft body. Juveniles have faint green stripes, and the inside of the shell is iridescent, mother-of-pearl white. Fewer than two dozen individuals have ever been seen. The Service must decide whether to protect the mussel by Sept. 30, 2020. Protecting these little animals we dont often think about, like fish and mussels and snails, will also help safeguard clean water that people need, said Curry. Freshwater species play a critical role in maintaining the health of streams and rivers. Freshwater mussels filter water constantly, which removes harmful pollutants and makes the water clearer. Small fish and mollusks play an important role in the food web because they are eaten by larger fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. The Southeast has an incredibly rich natural heritage, and we need to do everything we can to keep it intact for future generations, said Curry. Under the terms of a 2011 agreement with the Service, the Center can choose 10 species per year for expedited decisions on whether they should receive Endangered Species Act protection. The other seven priority species for 2016, with the years in which they will receive decisions, include the Northern Rockies fisher (2017), cobblestone tiger beetle (2019), monarch butterfly (2019), California spotted owl (2019), alligator snapping turtle (2020), foothill yellow-legged frog (2020) and Virgin River spinedace (2021). Under the settlement 147 species have gained protection to date, and 35 species have been proposed for protection. Photos are available for media use:

Barrens topminnow

Canoe Creek pigtoe

Beaverpond marstonia The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.


Media Advisory, August 30, 2016 Contacts: Amaroq Weiss, Center for Biological Diversity, (707) 779-9613, aweiss@biologicaldiversity.org

Brooks Fahy, Predator Defense, (541) 520-6003, brooks@predatordefense.org Wolf Supporters to Rally in Olympia to Protest Killing of Profanity Peak Pack OLYMPIA, Wash. Wildlife supporters, including several conservation groups, will rally Thursday at noon in Olympia to mourn the loss of Washingtons Profanity Peak pack and to call on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to stop killing the publics wolves on public lands to benefit the private ranching industry. The agency has already killed at least six of the packs 11 members and aims to eradicate the entire pack, including five 4-month-old pups. The wolves are being targeted for conflicts with livestock on federal public lands after a rancher moved his cattle into an area known to be a den and rendezvous site for the pack. What: Members of the public, including members of multiple conservation organizations representing thousands of Washington residents, will rally at Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife headquarters to mourn the loss of the Profanity Peak wolf family and to send a clear message that state residents want the agency to protect Washingtons endangered wolves, not kill them on public lands to benefit irresponsible ranchers. When: Noon to 2 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 1. Where: The sidewalk and parking lot in front of the main entrance to the headquarters building of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, at 1111 Washington Street, SE, Olympia, WA 98501. Visuals: Attendees will hoist posters and banners with messages in support of protecting wolves from irresponsible ranchers; images of killed wolves will be displayed on the ground. Speakers will include Amaroq Weiss, West Coast wolf organizer at the Center for Biological Diversity; Brooks Fahy, executive director for Predator Defense; Paul Ruprecht, staff attorney for Western Watersheds Project; and several citizen-activists. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. Predator Defense is a national nonprofit advocacy organization working to protect native predators and end America's war on wildlife. Our efforts take us into the field, onto America's public lands, to Congress, and into courtrooms. Northwest Animal Rights Network is a Pacific Northwest based animal rights organization which advocates for the rights inherent to all sentient beings to live a full life, to be free, and to not be used and exploited. The mission of Western Watersheds Project is to protect and restore western watersheds and wildlife through education, public policy initiatives and legal advocacy. WildLands Defense: Working to inspire and empower the preservation of wildlands and wildlife in the West.
Researchers at Houston Methodist have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) software that reliably interprets mammograms, assisting doctors with a quick and accurate prediction of breast cancer risk. According to a new study published in Cancer (early online Aug. 29), the computer software intuitively translates patient charts into diagnostic information at 30 times human speed and with 99 percent accuracy.

"This software intelligently reviews millions of records in a short amount of time, enabling us to determine breast cancer risk more efficiently using a patient's mammogram. This has the potential to decrease unnecessary biopsies," says Stephen T. Wong, Ph.D., P.E., chair of the Department of Systems Medicine and Bioengineering at Houston Methodist Research Institute.

The team led by Wong and Jenny C. Chang, M.D., director of the Houston Methodist Cancer Center used the AI software to evaluate mammograms and pathology reports of 500 breast cancer patients. The software scanned patient charts, collected diagnostic features and correlated mammogram findings with breast cancer subtype. Clinicians used results, like the expression of tumor proteins, to accurately predict each patient's probability of breast cancer diagnosis.

In the United States, 12.1 million mammograms are performed annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Fifty percent yield false positive results, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS), resulting in one in every two healthy women told they have cancer.

Currently, when mammograms fall into the suspicious category, a broad range of 3 to 95 percent cancer risk, patients are recommended for biopsies.

Over 1.6 million breast biopsies are performed annually nationwide, and about 20 percent are unnecessarily performed due to false-positive mammogram results of cancer free breasts, estimates the ACS.

The Houston Methodist team hopes this artificial intelligence software will help physicians better define the percent risk requiring a biopsy, equipping doctors with a tool to decrease unnecessary breast biopsies.

Manual review of 50 charts took two clinicians 50-70 hours. AI reviewed 500 charts in a few hours, saving over 500 physician hours.

"Accurate review of this many charts would be practically impossible without AI," says Wong.

Source: Houston Methodist
Mewing is a TikTok trend that has blown up in the last few months. It is claimed that it can help shape your jawline as well as cure other ailments by actively pressing your tongue to the roof
NAIROBI, Kenya - Japan will pour $30 billion (27 billion euros) in investment in Africa by 2018, including $10 billion in infrastructure development, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Saturday at a summit in Nairobi.

Image by 123RF

"When combined with the investment from the private sector I expect the total real amount to be $30 billion," Abe said at the opening of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD). "This is an investment that has faith in Africa's future," he said.

Abe will use the conference to meet dozens of leaders from across Africa, among them Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta and South Africa's Jacob Zuma.

It is the first time that the TICAD conference is being held in Africa, with all five previous events hosted in Japan. The goal of the conference is to boost trade and aid to Africa, as Japan hopes that quality will trump quantity in the battle for influence against cash-rich China.

While Tokyo already has a well-established presence in Africa, its financial importance to the continent has long since been eclipsed by regional rival China. The world's second-largest economy - a resource-hungry giant - recorded total trade with Africa of about $179 billion in 2015, dwarfing Japan's approximately $24 billion.

Source: AFP.
The U.S. Department of Agricultures Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to allow the import of fresh persimmon with calyxes, or bumps from the fruits flowers, from Japan into the United States.



The U.S. Department of Agricultures Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is proposing to allow the import of fresh persimmon with calyxes, or bumps from the fruits flowers, from Japan into the United States.

After completing a comprehensive pest risk analysis, APHIS said it has determined persimmon with calyxes produced in Japan can be safely imported into the United States under a so-called systems approach.

The systems approach would require a number of safeguards to reduce any risk of pest transfer to the United States. This process includes registration and monitoring of production places and packinghouses; pest control practices; fruit sampling; removal of damage, deformed or diseased fruit; traceability to the place of production; and port of entry inspection for quarantine pests by the Japanese national plant protection organization, APHIS said.

The agency also said these shipments will require a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that, persimmon with calyxes have been inspected and found to be free of quarantine pests and were produced in accordance with the proposed requirements.

APHIS will consider comments of its proposed rule by Oct. 31.

The agency has recently published similar proposed rulemakings for the import of fresh persimmons from New Zealand, raspberries from Morocco and lemons from Chile.
We are all familiar with the stereotype of the young entrepreneur: technology whizz kids with all the latest mobile devices and the ability to multitask as they type hundreds of words a minute. Sage's 'Walk With Me' report confirms that there is plenty of truth in this picture of how young people work and interact with technology.

The Walk With Me report examined the key characteristics, attitudes and behaviours of young entrepreneurs around the world.

Whats more, our research in Nigeria and 15 other countries shows that we are just at the beginning of a major shift in how businesses are run as the young entrepreneurs make their presence felt. Mobile technology has already made us all much more productive and helped companies of all sizes to reduce costs and become more efficient, but most young entrepreneurs see plenty of opportunities to do even much more with the tools and apps available at their disposal.

Some of the most interesting local findings on Nigerian young entrepreneurs include:

96% say that they still feel the same excitement about their business as they did when they first started it.

44% say they will start over five businesses in their lifetime.

42% say they would have still been able to run their business with the technology available 20 years ago.

38% say they socialise with their team once a month.

29% say that work comes before life.

16% say that they get out of bed in the morning because they want to make a difference in the world and do some social good.

Mobile devices are the platform of choice for todays entrepreneur and, as you might expect from a generation that has been mobile literate from an extremely young age, a large proportion place huge emphasis on technology and are keen to be at the forefront of new trends. Young Nigerians are mobile-first people, so thats no surprise at all.

Dion Chang, founder of Flux Trends has done a lot of work with organisations in South Africa that are looking to change the way they operate to better accommodate millennial entrepreneurs. The changes can seem daunting to big corporates, he says, because in many ways the new social values of this generation mean throwing out practices weve relied on for decades  a nine to five work day, and the traditional desk work space, for example.

Oiling the wheels of a smooth business

More than a third of young entrepreneurs (38% in Nigeria) say the technology they use is the most important element when it comes to the smooth running of their business; they couldnt prosper without it. 42% say they could probably not have run their business with the technology available 20 years ago. Thats an incredible stat: far from destroying jobs through automation, technology is inspiring young people to create businesses that could not have existed in the past.

When it comes to networking and new business, nearly 70% of Nigerian respondents say that they use technology rather than a face-to-face approach. Some 39% say that they depend on technology to succeed, while 44% say technology is invaluable in helping them market their business. These are numbers that would no doubt increase if we had to repeat this survey in five years time. Put simply, were seeing technology being woven into the very fabric of todays businesses.

Its also interesting to note how confident Nigerians are about their mastery of technology. About 80% of young entrepreneurs in Nigeria claim that despite technology constantly evolving, they do not worry about whether they will be able to keep up. Most Nigerians (80%) also say they do not worry about whether they will be able to afford the latest technology.

Will your desk be defunct?

Looking to the future, in the next 10 years, 33% of Nigerians surveyed believe that technology will make the concept of your desk defunct and that, in future, everyone will work remotely and flexibly, via a mobile device. Additionally, 45% agreed the workplace will have more virtual staff, working remotely and flexibly, while 23% said that they will save money on office space and overheads.

Its intriguing to hear how young entrepreneurs are already transforming their businesses with technology, and how they expect to see the landscape keep evolving in the years to come. What we hear very clearly from our research is that young entrepreneurs in Nigeria and the rest of the world greatly value flexibility and want to have freedom over when, where and how they work, as well as with who.

For them, technology is not only a means to boosting efficiency and productivity; it is also a way to achieve the flexibility and work-life balance that they value so much. The future is mobile

Entrepreneurs who understand the giving economy

Sages research showed that millennial entrepreneurs are far more focused on creating businesses that give back to local communities and the world. At the recent Sage Summit in Chicago, the largest event for Small and Medium Businesses in the world, Zooey Deschanel and Gwyneth Paltrow spoke about the Giving Economy and the idea that todays consumer want more than products that will better their lives  they want to support companies that are socially conscious.

For big, established companies, this is also an important insight into how they can inspire their employees as well as their customers by having a positive influence on the community they serve.
"There is absolutely no such thing as a perfect fit, but there is something called a right fit," said Andrea Kleinloog, co-founder of Anatomy Design , introducing her talk on 'Partnerships: Finding the perfect fit' at the Johannesburg version of Business of Design earlier this month.

Andrea Kleinloog

For Kleinloog, there are a number of reasons not to partner with someone.

Firstly, dont partner up with someone to solve your problems. So if you arent coping, thats not a reason to find a partner. Thats like finding someone to be exhausted with.

Then, something shes heard from every single intern theyve had over the last six years: Im a creative, this isnt really my thing. Getting someone to do the crappy part of your job while you do the fun part is not a partnership.

Another reason is for money. Dont make money a firm and fast reason for needing a partner... However, money is a proposition of value, so if the partnership opportunity comes about, you do have to have a very clear measure of value. You have to place a value on the business assets, on you, on your goodwill, all that jazz, and there needs to be an exchange of those values.

Another really bad reason is what some people will tell you are good reasons: Ive got some money and I want to invest it in a business any business.

I dont have any money but I have great connections. Thats a terrible idea! You might be very popular, but theres still not a real equitable value to that point.

Ive always loved decorating or decor and I want to invest in your interior design business. Just walk away.

This is a good one too: We are best friends. You need to have professional respect for each other and the business needs to come before your friendship, because if you cant make rational decisions, youre going to get into trouble.

Basically, you have to want the same thing, and you have to understand it.

Andrea Kleinloog and Megan Hesse, co-founders of Anatomy Design.

It is pretty much a marriage

Kleinloog and her business partner, Megan Hesse, were friendly, but not besties. Sometimes you need to go on a date, sometimes the two of you need to go for dinner and remember why you are doing this, she advised.

In this way, a business partnership is pretty much a marriage.

Your business partner is like your husband or wife, so you need to have a contract in place. From the start, there needs to be a clear understanding between the two of you so that if the poo hits the fan, you know whats going to happen.

Similarly to a prenup, you dont just get married to someone willy-nilly; you date, you think about it, you come to an agreement and then you both agree on what youre going to do and how youre going to be protected if you happen to get divorced.

You must share the same core values

In selecting a partner, this is a critical, key point between the two of you.

Work ethic: Because we both value what we do, we work extremely hard. Family: If dont agree on this, and you have a massive deadline, but you need to get home to your baby (for example), youre going to frustrate each other. Hours: Whatever the hours are, you need to be on the same page. In our case, Megan doesnt care if I come in at 10 or leave at two, as long as the work is done. Similarly, some days she doesnt come in and theres no questioning of where she is or where the commitment lies. Manners: Nobody shouts, except for me sometimes, she jokes. Theres no reason to raise your voice. There is always a calm, rational way to talk it through. Theres always a solution. Money: Every now and then disasters happen, and you can throw money at them, but if its a grudge, youre going to run into problems. The same applies in a marriage. If you and your husband dont have the same money ethic, youre going to argue about budgets, spending, why the water bill is so high... But if you have the same values, then the argument is simple: Ok, well, how do we fix it?, rather than trying to blame each other about where the problem happened. Spelling!



Some other learnings



Do it for the kids or employees  same same. In other words, dont fight in front of them. You need to respect each other.

Make sure your concubines (husbands/wives) are supportive, because youre taking on a second partner.

Understand the commitment youve made (to each other and to the rest of your team). People are everything. The people we work with are amazing. They understand the camaraderie that there is never a reason to point a finger at anybody else, because at the end of the day you had a role to do with it, and were all in this together.

Work together, but retain your independence. We handle the larger problems together, but individually we are independent designers. Megan doesnt rely on me for any part of her daily job and I dont rely on her for mine, however together we can produce amazing things.

Dont use your partner as a crutch. Your partner is a team member, not a crutch. We are all narcissistic. You will always think that you are the sickest with the flu, that you are more tired than anybody else, and the most stressed, and in a work environment, that you are definitely working harder than your partner, but its not the case.

Be honest, but always be kind. If you need to get something off your chest, be honest with each other. There is never a reason to snap or say mean things, and this comes back to respect.

Be grateful. Back to the narcissist point. Your partner is doing an equal amount of work, you just arent seeing it. Be grateful to each other for the role that each of you play. Megan is grateful to me because I am a massive nerd, and I am extremely grateful to Megan because she tells me straight: Youre having a really bad taste moment. Because I know its coming from a place of kindness; shes not intending it as a harmful comment, and that constructiveness is critical in a relationship.

Anatomy Design is opening its bespoke retail experience at Trumpet, 19 Keyes Avenue in Rosebank on 1 September, which also marks the opening of the precinct and Anatomy Designs inaugural First Thursday. Open to the public from 6:30pm.
Following 22 years of unprecedented alumni success in the advertising industry, the Red & Yellow School is bringing its popular three-year diploma in Graphic Design & Art Direction (GDAD) to Johannesburg in 2017.

Widely regarded, and with dozens of awards under their belts, Red & Yellow alumni - many of them giants in the industry - are living, breathing proof of its value. The GDAD diploma's key premise is that the marketing and creative industry needs practical problem-solvers who can conceptualise big ideas, and who have the skills to implement them. This diploma equips its students to be just that.

An Open Day is being held on Saturday, 10 September, from 10am to 1pm, for prospective students to come through and find out more about the GDAD diploma. The Red & Yellow School has opened its Johannesburg campus in one of the iconic buildings in the heart of the city centre, to capitalise on the current downtown revival and rejuvenation that is underway.

Carmen Schaefer, who oversees the GDAD programme at the Cape Town campus, highlights that the studio environment and lecturer review teaching methodology mimic what it's like to work in the industry. "All the skills taught ensure that our graduates will be able to offer a meaningful contribution from day one in the workplace: as they have done for the past 22 years."

And employers know this. It is just one of the many good reasons why it is a qualification that appeals to parents and their aspiring creative offspring.

Red & Yellow provides an exciting, stimulating learning environment with world-class resources for its students. The creative diploma is an internationally aligned and accredited qualification, taught by experienced lecturers who have many years of work experience in the industry.

Lyndi Lawson-Smith, JHB Campus Director of the Red & Yellow School, comments: "Students will not only learn the theory they need, but will develop a broad range of skills that will enable them to pursue any number of creative career opportunities."

She goes on to note that developing skills to ensure that you remain relevant in an ever-changing industry is critically important. "The conceptually driven nature of the programme ensures the longevity of the qualification and its relevance to employers - our diploma has stood the test of time and will continue to provide the industry with remarkable creative talent."

For students, this qualification offers a highly practical and industry relevant programme that's guaranteed to prepare them for the work world while developing their individual skills. Carmen suggests that "if you are someone who is creative, hard-working, but in the 'get-your-hands-dirty-in-paint', as opposed to the 'hours-spent-in-front-of-the-books' kind of a way, then this diploma is for you."

Completing the three-year GDAD diploma will undoubtedly open doors, whether through industry engagement, the breadth of skills learnt, the experience of being assessed and competing on an international stage, or through the internships you complete as part of the programme. Classes are kept small and students are assured of focused, personal attention and one-on-one interaction with each other and their lecturers - a key differentiator from a traditional and largely impersonal university environment.

Entrance requirements for the diploma are an NQF level 4 matric certificate with diploma admission, together with a strong application test and practical portfolio submission.

To get a more hands-on feel for the diploma, attend the Red & Yellow JHB School Open Day on 10 September. Visit www.redandyellow.co.za or email az.oc.wolleydnader@ofni for details.




There's just a week to go before eHealthALIVE2016 kicks off at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg between 6 and 7 September 2016. This landmark event will bring together key role players from ministries of health from across the SADC region, as well as South African provincial and national departments of health.

Never before has an eHealth event delivered as much public sector representation to explore and discuss the impact of eHealth on the lives of citizens, says chairperson at Acfee, Dr Sean Broomhead.

During the event, COO of the South African National Department of Health (SA NDoH), Dr Gail Andrews, will moderate the first plenary session roundtable on day one on the Building Blocks for a Successful National Health System. Shell be joined by a panel of local and international experts to discuss the critical elements necessary to strengthen health systems, and the role that information and ICT can play in driving health systems transformation.

In addition, chief director of Health Information, Research and M&E at the SA NDoH, Thulile Zondi, will host a roundtable of leaders from ministries of health from across the SADC region, who will share candid insights and lessons learned from the development and implementation of national eHealth strategies.

While director of health information aystems at the SA NDoH, Mbulelo Cabuko, will be joining the two-part Masterclass in Standards and Interoperability (IOP), in which a panel of experts from South Africa and global standards bodies will discuss how to use IOP concepts to improve the impact of your initiatives.

After lunch on day two there will be a Stakeholder Engagement Roundtable Q&A session, where senior eHealth decision makers will answer questions on the development of eHealth strategies and their implementation. Panellists will include government officials and other experts from South Africa, Ghana and Uganda.

Parallel workshops will also give attendees the opportunity to get closer to projects currently underway, taking a deep dive into topics such as MomConnect, Interoperability, big data analytics, IoT and cloud, measurement and accountability, and DHIS use-cases from three countries.

Hosted in partnership with Acfee, eHealthNews and MEval-SIFSA, and with many other additional sponsors including HISP, SAHIA, HealthEnabled and Mobenzi, eHealthALIVE2016 is the first of its kind conference dedicated to driving eHealth excellence in Southern Africa.

Visit the eHealthALIVE for a full speaker and programme line-up. There are only a few tickets left, so get yours now.
Jack 'Fire' is set to turn up the heat in South Africa, as Jack Daniel's releases its 'hottest' new member.

To make it, they stoke three-metre blazes, rake red-hot coals and char the barrels to perfection. Red-hot cinnamon liqueur is then added to Jack Daniels Old No. 7 to create Tennessee Fire, a classic spirit with a fiery finish.

Available from R269.95 at participating liquor stores nationwide. Prices may vary between stores.
AMEC (the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication) is hosting "Measurement Month" during September 2016.

This annual initiative, which sees many educational events across the globe, was launched by this highly respected international body to educate communication and public relations practitioners about the latest best-practices in measuring the effectiveness of their communication and reputational campaigns.

As the worlds largest professional body for communications research, media intelligence and insights, AMEC is the first point of call for communications and PR professionals to get expert knowledge and advice. As budgets are being cut across the world it is becoming crucial that communicators become more effective, particularly in measuring their campaigns.

Ornico, AMECs only full member in Africa, will host talks and case studies in South Africa and Nigeria, with further webinars for other African markets. This brand intelligence research company won Africas first two gold AMEC awards in 2016, winning the best global measurement of a non-profit campaign and of a single event.

Measurement Month is filled with many webinars, executive discussions, podcasts, workshops and much more, focusing on filling the gap between understanding the value of PR measurement and doing something about it.

After updating the original Barcelona Principles of measurement and evaluation in 2015, AMEC also launched a new interactive tool, the Integrated Evaluation Framework, at its annual summit held in June 2016. This new framework guides communicators through the process from aligning objectives to establishing a plan, setting targets and then measuring the outputs, outtakes, outcomes and impact of their work.

At each step of the process it provides additional information and suggests potential approaches and metrics that might be appropriate. It provides a consistent and credible approach that works for organisations of all sizes but which can be tailored to very specific user cases and objectives. Anyone can use it, it is free and non-proprietary, allowing any organisation, be it university, in-house department, PR agency, or measurement company to benefit from its approach.

This new framework shows how to operationalise the Barcelona Principles and demonstrates how to turn the principles into action, and to finally prove the value of communication efforts.

Communicators are encouraged to follow #AMECMM on Twitter and also Ornicos various social media platforms on Facebook, Youtube, LinkedIn and Twitter @ornicomedia during September which will give an African perspective but with global insights into public relations and reputation measurement. For more information visit http://amecorg.com/measurement-month-2016/ and http://www.ornico.co.za or email az.oc.puorgocinro@vsiocnarf.




Far too many PR people these days still believe that press releases are mainly what media relations are all about. They are wrong. Very wrong.

A press release has its place. At the back of the strategic queue. As a last resort. When there is really no other way.

My belief is that media relations is, as the name suggests, all about relationships. Its the same in any business. Being able to talk directly to a client is so much better than anything else. And being able to create a relationship with a customer is the ultimate goal. Because people do not like doing business with strangers. But, they love doing business with people they know.

In my journalism days, I didnt give much time or thought to those PR people who kept sending me press releases. I didnt know them. I didnt really have time to care about them. They were strangers. And like any human being, a distrusted stranger.

But, those who made the effort to meet with me and develop a mutually beneficial and professional relationship, were the PR people who got the most out of me for their clients.

When I was on the corporate side of things with BMW SA., I actually told my PR staff never ever to send out press releases. They did what I did and got to know the motoring and financial journalists. Got to know them well. And it paid huge dividends.

Yes, we did send stuff to them that could be construed as press releases, but the big difference being they were only sent to journalists who actually asked to be kept informed.

Of course, I commiserate with those PR people whose clients insist they put out press releases which usually have to mention the company product or service heaven knows how many times and which quote the client ad infinitum. Probably because he or she just loves the idea of maybe seeing their names in print.

When it comes down to brass tacks, there is a place for the press release. But, its not the magic elixir that it is plumped up to be. It is and always will be a media relations accessory and never ever the main vehicle.

When I do presentations to clients on the role of PR and particularly how to develop media relations, it is always such a pleasure to see light bulbs going on over heads that for so long were stuck in the sand.

It is not rocket science. In fact, it isnt any sort of science. It is just the profitable use of human nature.




At the SABC Commercial Enterprises' Women's Month event, held late last week, Ntombenhle Khathwane, owner and founder of Afrobotanics motivated the audience with her journey of perseverance to create a retail success story.

African hair has been a political topic for decades and African women have been told how they should look. I want to reverse the insecurities of African women and in the process create a community of strong women, who will not only contribute to South Africa but also to the continent.

The Afrobotanics comprises a range of hair and body products for African women that are free from chemicals, mineral oils, petroleum and paraffin. Her grandmother and the use of local products influenced the range and she has gone from selling 10 products a month to a listing in selected Game stores. She has recently received listings for 70 Clicks and 200 Pick n Pay stores nationally from October 2016.

Finding inspiration

Her story starts in Nelspruit, where she lived with her daughter and mother and worked for the government in the Department of Social Department in rural Mpumalanga. I worked for the government for eight years but I was not happy. I was tired of my work, but I needed the paycheck and everything that went with it.

It was while she was visiting her grandmother in Swaziland that she came upon the idea of beauty products for African women that are completely natural and made from local ingredients.

My grandmother asked me to help her get her hair ready for the next day when the priest would be visiting. I had never seen my mothers hair as she always wore it under the traditional doek. Her hair was long and soft. All my life I had struggled with my hair but by applying a mixture of aloe and mineral oils, my grandmothers hair was manageable.

I was inspired and started creating products - bottling African wisdom.

In 2010, she entered a competition, which she won and took her to the US for 10 days where she met some of the top women in cosmetics. I studied politics and philosophy. This taught me about the formation of cosmetics. I was so excited by this, and despite not being sure where it would go, I resigned from my job to pursue it full time.

Losing everything

Using her pension payout, she set off on her journey. However, her pension did not last long and before she knew it, she was stuck. My daughter was in high school but I could not pay school fees, the bank repossessed my car and eventually I lost my house. I had nothing left.

The school allowed her daughter to finish her matric and her mother and daughter moved in with her sister, while she moved to Johannesburg and could live with her boyfriend. I moved to the big city and brought with me the boxes and boxes of product that I had but could not distribute.

Reaching success

Finding a distribution path for her product was holding back her business, as the big retailers such as Dischem, Pick n Pay, Clicks, etc. were not interested. At that time African women were not interested in natural hair and beauty products. Therefore, she went online and started a website but she was only moving about 10 products a month on average. Not one to sit back, she did not stop looking for opportunities to get her product recognised. I never stopped calling on the big retailers. I would call them regularly.

Her big break started when she saw that Destiny magazine would be hosting a readers event in Nelspruit. I got my sister to take some product to the event and give it to the editors.

The move paid off when an article appeared in the publication not long afterwards on her product. Things started to happen. Suddenly I was moving 100 products a month and then Game, gave me a listing in some of its stores.

This both delighted and terrified her. I had secured a listing for three months but if my product did not move, then I would be delisted. Being delisted in retail really means the end of your business, as no retailer will touch you after that.

However, her products flew off the shelves immediately and she has been given listings in selected Pick n Pay and Clicks stores.

Lessons learnt

She says part of the reason for doing Afrobotanics was to be a role model for rural women in her province. When I worked with these women in government, they were all of the opinion that anyone who is successful is politically connected. I wanted to show them that this is not so and that it is possible to be successful by yourself.

Through Afrobotanics I am building a brand that has a different narrative that will contribute towards the next generation of women loving and accepting themselves for who they are.

She was also tired of being a consumer of products not made locally and by African women for African women.

My advice to anyone who is an entrepreneur or following their dream is that it is a long road but when you do something with intent or good intentions, then it will work. I wish I had taken on this journey years ago and quit my job earlier.

She says losing everything was a valuable lesson for her. Growth happens in discomfort. What I do gives me meaning in my life, meaning I did not have when I was working. Moreover, she still does not own a car and hopes to purchase a car this year.
NAIROBI: The UN on Sunday, 28 August, urged African nations to close a gender gap that is costing an estimated $95bn 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 $95bn each year in lost economic potential.

In 2014, the cost was higher, at $105bn, 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% of elected MPs are female.

Source: AFP
Student accommodation provider Respublica is set to launch a 2,200-bed housing development in a rejuvenated Hatfield Square in 2017.

This is the biggest one-phase student accommodation project in Africa, and is being developed in conjunction with Paragon Architects.

There is great demand for student accommodation in SA.

Recent research from Jones Lang Lasalle shows that the demand for new purpose-built student accommodation in sub-Saharan Africa is set to exceed 500,000 beds over the next five years.

Respublica, a 51% subsidiary of Redefine Properties, was founded in 2008 and operates 5,500 beds across six sites. It has three sites under development. Respublica's model involves developing student accommodation near universities. CEO Craig McMurray said he wanted to enable an array of students, many of whom had affordability constraints, to join in study communities near their institutions.

The suburb of Hatfield and the old square that was located there created an opportunity for Respublica. "The redevelopment of Hatfield Square is focused on meeting the needs of students, while providing a rejuvenated space for the public. It's with this in mind that we briefed Paragon Architects to design a safe, accessible environment where students can live, study and play," McMurray said.

"With accommodation for 2,200 students, Hatfield Square offers five accommodation formats to suit the needs and budget of every student. However, regardless of their individual space, every student will have access to all of Hatfield Square's premium facilities, which include a gym, recreation rooms, laundry facilities, computer and study rooms, swimming pool, and unlimited wifi broadband," he said.

Paragon director Anthony Orelowitz said the square had been a part of the lives of many Pretoria citizens and visitors for decades, but the property had "gone to seed".

"Hatfield Square offers a great opportunity for Respublica and Paragon," he said.

"This is the first student accommodation project we have worked on as an architecture firm, and we enjoyed creating a village type environment which includes public space and promotes the sense of a student community," Orelowitz said.

The redevelopment of the 11,740m Hatfield Square site will cover more than 90,000m of gross building area on completion of a second development phase.

Students will also have access to the variety of retail outlets in about 2,700m of sit-down and quick-service restaurants, fashion outlets, and technology stores on the square that have been chosen to ensure that students will not have to travel far to meet their basic needs.

In 2014, JSE-listed Redefine Properties acquired a 51% equity stake in Respublica Student Living (RSL), a joint venture with Respublica.

This transaction involved the transfer of Redefine's existing portfolio into RSL and the acquisition of a 51% shareholding thereof by Redefine. Respublica is, therefore, a subsidiary of Redefine.

Respublica's portfolio includes Saratoga Village and The Fields in Doornfontein, which provide accommodation for students at the University of Johannesburg, Central Johannesburg College, and the University of the Witwatersrand.

Source: Business Day
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Sheryl Underwood  Husband, Family & Net Worth She is known for her trademark smile which can be described as the brightest and broadest smile ever seen on planet earth. She is none other than Sheryl Underwood the comedian, actress, and TV host whose funny wits has left America in great awe. Although Sheryl has risen to become an important personality in the industry, ...

Team Mystic Pokemon Go: 7 Facts You Need To Know And Signs You Are One Team Mystic of the break out game Pokemon Go is a team that is full of sass and chivalry. With an enchanting monicker, Team Mystic stands out from the rest of its counterparts and deserves to take the crown as champion in the Pokemon gaming-verse. To be a member of this exceptional team of Pokemon battle ...

Exploring Guy Beahms Dr Disrespect Persona, Wife and Why He was Banned Permanently From Twitch Guy Beahm who is popularly known by his online alias  Dr DisRespect, is an award-winning Twitch.tv streamer. He has leveraged on the Twitch platform to become an internet personality that is quite widely known. His online success is just more proof that anyone who is good at what they do can attain celebrity status ...

Critical Facts About Lee Ann McAdoo  The Infowars Anchor Lee Ann Mcadoo is a conservative journalist and television host whose interests in conspiracies and astrology has established her as a famous American reporter. Often referred to as Wonder Woman, McAdoo is a reporter who works for InfoWars.com, a controversial right-wing website run by radio show host, Alex Jones. Who Is Lee Ann McAdoo? Lee Ann McAdoo was born on 7 ...

Millie Weaver  Age, Husband & Infowars Career Millie Weaver is an American model, journalist, political activist, and social commentator. The young and beautiful journalist rose to fame working as a reporter for a controversial right-wing website InfoWars.com. Also known as Millennial Millie, Weaver is a social media influencer with over 100,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel and over 35,000 followers on Twitter. Who Is Millie Weaver and What Is ...

Is Jessica Tarlov Married? What Are Her Height & Weight? Jessica Tarlov is an American political consultant, strategist, and analyst whose influential and regular TV presence has made a popular figure. A good example of beauty with brains, Tarlov has appeared on various TV networks, mostly the FOX News Network where she is known for her liberal views on political analysis and insights. She is also the senior director ...

Who Is Kelly Rebecca Nichols  Alex Jones Ex-Wife? Kelly Rebecca Nichols is the ex-wife of controversial American radio show host, Alex Jones. She got nationwide attention following her divorce and subsequent custody battle with her estranged husband. Nichols, who worked with PETAs public relations department, was herself no stranger to controversies as she was involved in several publicity stunts of the non-profit animal rights ...

Who Is Bree Morgan  Cole Sprouse Ex-Girlfriend And What Is She Up To Now? Although Bree Morgan became famous through the Instagram, she also sapped some dose of popularity from Disneys sweetheart, Cole Sprouse of the Sprouse brothers. She is not only an Instagram star but also a YouTube vlogger whose popularity has long exceeded the ordinary level. Bree is conspicuously prominent on the internet and has her digital savviness ...

Does Vanna White Have Husband or Children, What Is Her Net Worth / Salary? For over three decades, Vanna White has been a household name, famous as the co-host and letter turner of the iconic NBC game show Wheel of Fortune. The talented and beautiful television personality is also an actress with several TV series and films to her credit. Since making her Wheel of Fortune debut in 1982, she has become one ...

Liz Wheeler  Biography, Husband & Net Worth Liz Wheeler is the kind of girl who sets the room on fire whenever she comes around. In this situation, however, she sets our screens on fire each time she appears as the host of One America News Tipping Point. She is, therefore, a presenter, publisher, consultant and a member of the Board of Zoning ...

Betty White  Net Worth, Children & Husband The entertainment industry will remain indebted to personalities like Betty White who brought something extra to the table and kept the world entertained for donkey years. The comedienne, actress, and writer graced the big screens in the early 50s as a show host and has been a delight since then. She is the queen of ...

Is Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Dead or Alive, What Are His Net Worth & Education? Everyone will always remember Bill Nye as the Science Guy. Besides his TV show Bill Nye the Science Guy, he is well-known for his Netflix show Bill Nye Saves the World which started airing in 2017 as well as his appearances in many famous media projects as a science educator. The star studied mechanical engineering ...

Is Cesar Millan Dead, Who Is The Wife & What Is His Net Worth? Cesar Millan is the famous dog whisperer who often stirs up mixed emotions. The Mexican-American is precisely speaking, a dog behaviorist; he has been in the game for over 25 years. His Emmy-nominated television series, Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan further pushed his method and tactics into the limelight. The series was produced from 2004 ...

Is Thomas Sanders Gay and Does He Have A Boyfriend? By the time Vine was shut down in January 2017, Thomas Sanders was already popular within and beyond the internet community for his heavy involvements on the online video hosting platform. After the tragic shutdown of Vine impacted on the growing career of the multi-talented personality, he immediately switched over to YouTube where he continued to upload ...

Is Shepard Smith Gay, Who Is The Boyfriend & What Is His Net Worth? There are only a few media personalities who are as bold and confident as Shepard Smith. Apart from his impressive stint at Fox News Channel which includes but not limited to his classic news delivery, upfront stance on virtually every issue and much more; he loves his job as much as he loves his personality. Smith ...

Is Milo Yiannopoulos Gay? His Husband and Net Worth Milo Yiannopoulos is a popular writer, journalist, polemicist, public speaker, and political commentator who is also known as the founder of The Kernel, an online blog. He has been said to be among the list of 100 weird and influential people in the United Kingdom. He appeared on this list as a result of personal beliefs and ...

Does Ryan Seacrest Have A Wife Or Girlfriend, What Is His Net Worth? From radio to television, Ryan Seacrest is a household name and a force to be reckoned with in showbiz. The radio personality, television host, and producer is best recognized as the host of the popular TV talent search contest American Idol. Heres how the media personality who always knew what his lifes ambition was and diligently pursued ...

Is Anderson Cooper Gay, Who is The Boyfriend or Husband? For many, the thought of becoming a millionaire by writing and talking about other people appears unachievable but this is the reality of the prominent American journalist Anderson Cooper who gathered millions of dollars for conducting accurate political analysis and other vital reports on TV. He is the main anchor of the CNN news show Anderson ...

Is David Muir Gay or Does He Have A Wife, What Is His Salary? David Muir is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who works for the ABC broadcast-television network and anchors the ABC World News Tonight with David Muir program while also co-anchoring the magazine program 20/20. The Ithaca College graduate, whose show has become the most-watched newscast in America, has covered stories from all across America and the world; reporting ...

Joel Osteen  Divorce Rumors, Net Worth & Family Members Joel Osteen is an American Televangelist, Senior Pastor of Lakewood Church based in Houston, Texas, a husband and a father of two. He is an author of many books, seven of which are New York Times Best Sellers and his televised sermons capture more than 7 million viewers per week and 20 million every month ...

Who Is Todd Chrisley? What To Know About His Children, Gay Rumors & Net Worth Premiered on the USA network in 2014, Chrisley Knows Best is one of the most watched family reality TV shows in the U.S. The series which is currently in its sixth season is centered around U.S real estate mogul Todd Chrisley and his family. The show reveals Todd the patriarch of the Chrisley family as a strict dad who rules ...

Who Is Shannon Bream Of Fox News? Her Husband, Children & Net Worth Shannon Bream who hosts the iconic primetime program started her journalism career in the late 1990s debuting as the evening and late-night news reporter for the CBS affiliate, WBTV. The beauty from America currently works for the Fox News Channel and she is best known for anchoring the primetime program. She also hosts Americas News ...

Is Troye Sivan Gay, Who Is His Boyfriend and What Is His Net Worth? Troye Sivan is an Australian singer and songwriter best known for songs like Happy Little Pill, Youth, Heaven (with Betty Who) and The Boyfriend Tag (with Tyler Oakley) which have all garnered him different awards and ranked on the Billboard Charts. Sivan, who was born in South Africa but now resides in the United States, is ...

Did iDubbbz Have Cancer, Is He Gay and Who Is His Girlfriend Now? iDubbbz is one YouTuber who has made a career out of courting controversy. Renowned for his absurdist channels and comedy video series, the Los Angeles based personality is the owner of two channels, iDubbzTV, and iDubbzTV2, as well as the brains behind comedy video series such as Content Cop, Kickstarter Crap, Gaming News Crap, and ...

Inside Greg Gutfelds Love Story With Wife Elena Moussa and Why Fans Thought He Was Gay Greg Gutfeld is a seasoned American television producer whose career in the media industry has spanned over a decade. He is a man of many talents who makes extra income through comedy, journalism, and editorial works. Gutfeld regularly appears on Fox News Channel as a panellist and co-host of the political talk show The Five ...

Works That Made Bo Burnham A Household Name and How Much He Is Worth Now One of YouTubes first viral stars and the worlds most exciting young comedian, Bo Burnham, has always amazed critics and comedy aficionados alike. Often regarded as the Justin Bieber of comedy, thanks to his fresh looks, floppy blond hair and hoodies, he has a multi-faceted career bigger than many comedians twice his age. It wouldnt ...

Is Louie Anderson Gay And What Is His Net Worth? Louie Anderson has one of the most abstract faces in the industry and equally knows how to use it to his advantage. He is not only a stand-up comedian but also an actor and television host who is known for his distinctive comic wits. Some of his notable projects include Family Feud, where he was ...

Is Don Lemon of CNN Gay, Who is His Partner and What Is His Salary? Don Lemon has risen to become one of the most recognizable faces on CNN over the past few years. The fiery journalist, who anchors CNN Tonight with Don Lemon, is liked and somewhat disliked for his strong and candid opinions on a variety of matters that do not just include politics but also race, significantly, matters that ...

Is Rachel Maddow Gay, Who is the Wife and How Much Does She Earn in Salary? Rachel Maddow is an award-winning American journalist, political commentator, and television news anchor. She is best known for hosting the popular nightly TV show The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. Prior to this, she hosted a talk radio program on Air America Radio from 2005 to 2010. As of now, the TV sensation co-anchors MSNBCs ...

Demystifying Pokimane  Her Real Name, Ethnicity & Boyfriend Like most social media celebrities in this digital era, Pokimane Thicc is one of those stars who took advantage of the internet to make a name for herself. Given the unlimited potentials which the social media space offers, many people have been instantly propelled to fame just by posting creative online contents. Not only has ...

A Breakdown of Kris Jenners Net Worth, Sources Of Income and Relationships Over The Years Standing outside and looking in, Kris Jenner looks like the oil that greases the wheels of the entire Kardashian/Jenner machine. She has been dubbed a momager and rightfully so because she seems to have had a part to play in the trajectory of each and every one of her daughters individually and the Kardashian brand ...

Pursuits That Brought Liza Koshys Fame To its Zenith and Her Love Life Since David Dobrik Liza Koshy is an American actress who has leveraged YouTube as a platform to promote her comedy while also serving as a television host on occasions. She is talented and funny and has gathered a lot of fans from around the world. Koshy started on Vine in high school and was able to get millions of ...

Alex Aiono Biography  Inside The Life Of The American Singer Not everyone who started from the streets has attained the heights where Alex Aiono is currently. His story could be referred to as the perfect definition of rising from Grass to Grace. He came into the limelight after he started out as a YouTuber, singer, and producer. One fascinating thing about the young YouTuber is ...

Virginia Vallejo Biography And Her Love Story With Pablo Escobar Virginia Vallejo can be referred to as one of the oldest whistleblowers in history after her involvement with Pablo Escobar which made her famous. Over the years, many questions have been raised about her relationship with the drug lord and why she endangered her life to be with him despite his notorious acts. The death ...

Princess Love Bio  Ethnicity, Real Name & Parents For many people, Princess Love is simply Ray Js wife but there is so much more to this feisty lady than meets the eye. She is a star in her own right and has many feathers on her cap. Princess Love is a reality TV star, a model, video vixen, and fashion designer. She and her ...

Who is Papa Franku Also Known As Filthy Frank or Joji, Where is He Now? The social media as we all know today has given people the opportunity to be creative and innovative and at the same time, make something of themselves. YouTube is one of the known social platforms we have today that makes it possible for people to express their God-given talents and post videos they created to ...

Who Is Molly Qerim, How Did She Become a Famous Sports Anchor and Who Is Her Husband? Molly Qerim is an American sports anchor popularly known for moderating First Take, a highly rated sports talk show, on ESPN. Prior to joining ESPN, Qerim hosted Fantasy Live and NFL AM on NFL Network. It is quite obvious that the widely acclaimed television personality is in a class of her own when it comes ...

Safiya Nygaard  Height, Parents & Net Worth Safiya Nygaard is an American YouTuber, writer, content producer, and director who is popular for posting makeup, beauty and fashion videos on YouTube. Her videos regularly top at least one million views, thanks to her lively character as well as her willingness to experiment with outrageous outfits and different beauty products. Here are the things to ...

The Rigors of Sunlen Serfatys Career Journey Until CNN and Fun Facts About Her Personal Life CNN correspondent, Sunlen Serfaty is an Emmy Award-winning journalist known for covering a broad range of breaking news stories, national news, and Washington politics. She has been able to garner widespread recognition for herself which even goes beyond the sphere of her work. Her profile also increased with the extensive work she did in covering ...

Demystifying Jazz Jennings Real Name, Boyfriend & Family Of One The Youngest Transgenders Jazz Jennings is an unusual personality who became famous as a transgender activist and was recorded as the youngest documented public figure to be seen as transgender. She is also a YouTube personality and spokesmodel for brands, her fans, and other transgenders. She fought for acceptance in her high school with her super supportive family for over ...

Inside Fred Armisens Life  Ethnicity, Romantic Relationships and Gay Rumors Fred Armisen is an award-winning American comedian, he is also a writer, an actor as well as a musician. He was a cast member of the legendary comedy show, Saturday Night Live for 13 years and also one of the brains behind the successful satirical show Portlandia. Find out more about this incredibly talented guy ...

Ed and Lorraine Warren Biography: Cases, Kids, and Family Life Have you ever woken up with fear you could not explain, or felt a strange presence that made the hair at your nape rise or even experienced strange occurrences around you? Well, these were some of the promptings that made the well-known paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren delve into trying to explain the ideas ...

Truth About Tony Romos Wife, Kids and Life Since His NFL Retirement Tony Romo grew from the field as a quarterback to the screens as an American Football Analyst. He was a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the richest football league in the world (NFL) before retiring. As a junior, he was honored as an All-Ohio Conference Member, an Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and ...

Who is Brittany Venti, The Controversial Game Streamer and YouTuber? In recent times, many people live stream themselves playing video games. This has become a popular pastime on the internet and many highly skilled gamers have become internet celebrities through this means. However, some of them rather than becoming renowned for their gaming skills and great commentary, have become controversial and infamous. A good example ...

Rob Dyrdeks Family: His Kids And Relationship With Wife Bryiana Noelle Flores A multi-talented star and an elite pro skateboarder, Rob Dyrdeks success story began at a remarkably young age. Yet another proof that schooling doesnt always correlate with success, Rob has established himself not just as a phenomenal sportsman but also as a successful entrepreneur. Besides perfecting his skill as a natural talent on the board, ...

xChocobars  Biography and Everything You Should Know About Her Having distinguished herself and recorded massive successes in an industry notably dominated by men, it is very safe to say that Xchocobars deserves all the attention and cash she makes from her career. A household name on Twitch (a smart live streaming video platform), the online-gamer is popularly known for streaming classic games such as Stardew ...

Everything To Know About Mary Padian, Her Boyfriend and Net Worth Mary Padian is a famous American television reality personality best known for her involvements on the Reality show Storage Wars. She also has her own shop called Mary finds where she displays her antique collections. Since her childhood, Padian has been a creative learner. At the time, she used to create new items out of reusable ones and ...

Betsy Woodruffs Family Life: Is She Married or Related To Bob Woodruff? An old name in the world of journalism, Betsy Woodruff has warmed her way into the hearts of many with her impressive talents. Through hard work, Woodruff has carved a niche for herself in a very competitive field. Betsy has strong family and work values and is also an advocate for equal opportunities for everyone ...

Matpat (Matthew Patrick)  Wife, Height & Net Worth As far as internet business is concerned, Matpat remains one of the most dynamic and seasoned figures. He boasts a wealth of experience that has helped him in growing his business from one level of greatness to another. Like most successful people, MatPat started out small but today, he makes millions of dollars from his ...

Facts About Ricegum  His Girlfriend, Real Name & Net Worth Ricegum is an online gamer and YouTube sensation who ditched college; took advantage of the digital era, and made a name for himself on the internet. Though he began as a gaming YouTuber, Ricegum soon gained recognition as a controversial internet star following his many diss tracks. Here is everything you need to know about the youngster ...

Joy Taylor Once Married MLBs Richard Giannotti  Inside Look At Her Love Life and Family The erosion of the sexist idea that women have no business in sports broadcasting created a host of women celebrities who attained fame outside of modeling and acting. One of them, Joy Taylor, a radio personality and TV host for Fox Sports 1, has been in the industry since 2009, becoming one of the most ...

What To Know About Conan OBriens Wife, Kids & Family Today The name Conan OBrien is one that jumps right at you almost immediately you start talking about the most popular television hosts in the USA and this is no surprise because the man behind that name has risen to become one of the most admired men in the business. Known for hosting the late-night talk ...

David Letterman  Net Worth, Wife & Son In all of American, one man whose face has been seen frequently by late night TV talk show lovers is none but David Letterman. The comedian and TV show veteran has been hosting late night talk shows for more than three decades. His Late Night with David Letterman show began on February 1st, 1982 aired ...

Demystifying Sssniperwolfs Family Background And The Boyfriends Shes Had Since she launched her eponymously named channel in 2013, Sssniperwolf has been on the rise when it comes to video game influencers. She is one of the biggest names in the online gaming subgenre of YouTube videos. Real name Lia Shelesh, she started with Call of Duty: Black Ops II but has diversified with other ...

Lester Holt  Wife, Family & Net Worth Lester Holt is a multiple award-winning journalist, newscaster, reporter, and actor who has worked for notable media houses like WCBS TV, CBS, MSNBC and among others. His remarkable feat in journalism has endeared him to the hearts of many and earned him some awards and recognitions. Read on to get acquainted with his biography, ethnicity, ...

What Is Louis C.K. Doing Now, Where Are His Family And How Much Is His Net Worth? It is not easy to make it in comedy. It takes more than a funny bone and the ability to elicit a few giggles from a listening audience. For all the complexities that go into making a successful career in comedy, Louis C.K, the Washington D.C-born comedian, did it. For years, he was at the ...

The Progression of Hoda Kotbs Career, Her Ancestry and Family Life Hoda Kotb gained fame as a television host and news anchor for NBC. She anchors the shows signature show Today, and it has been an excellent vehicle for her skills in front of a camera. Kotb has won several awards, including Daytime Emmys and Peabody Awards. Simply put, she is one of the most successful ...

Jerry Seinfelds Family: All About The Amazing Comedians Wife and Kids Apparently one of the highly important entertainers in America, Jerry Seinfeld is a man of many talents. A very funny man, he is considered to be one of the most successful comedians in the USA who has been in the business as a professional rib-cracker for more than 40 years. As an actor, he has ...

The Rigors Of Sarah Silvermans Rise To Prominence And Rundown Of The Men She Has Dated A comedian, writer, and actress, Sarah Silvermans art and craft is as unique as you would ever find. Her poignant use of comedy to discuss social issues such as race, sexism, politics, and religion has gained her an impressive following. As unorthodox as her style is, so is her life experiences. She previously suffered from epiglottitis ...

Who Is Hannibal Buress, Does He Have A Wife or Girlfriend & Why Was He Arrested? Making people laugh when they are tense or not in the mood is a tough order and to ply the trade, it must indeed take some guts and expertise, this is what the humor maker, Hannibal Buress has been able to achieve and sustain after his inital teething process. The African-American is a screen writer, stand-up ...

The Success of John Mulaneys Career Efforts Since His Work On Saturday Night Live and Facts About His Wife John Mulaney had been working as a professional comedian for years before Saturday Night Live changed his status for life and like many who are now his fans, you probably did not know of him then. However, that changed when he joined the sketch comedy show in 2008. Since then, he has been one of ...

Jeff Dunham  Wife, Children and Net Worth Ventriloquism is a very subtle method of making an inanimate object (like a puppet, doll or dummy) appear to be saying words which are actually coming from the person (holding the inanimate object). In effect, the individual throws his/her voice to the puppet and can even appear to be having a conversation with it. Not ...

Ellen DeGeneres  Net Worth, Wife  Portia de Rossi & Parents Ellen DeGeneres is an American female standup comedian who has proven that whatever a man can do, a woman can also do. Since her journey as a standup comedian started in 1981, she has held swirl as one of the finest comedians America and the world at large has seen. She is often referred to ...

Revisiting Joan Rivers Death  The Daughter, Husband & Net Worth She Left Behind Joan Rivers was a renowned American comedian, TV host, writer, and actress. Her brand of comedy consisted of scathing one-liners and no individual or topic is spared. She hosted her own talk shows in the 80s and 90s and was a pioneer for women in stand up comedy. She was the first woman to host a late night ...

The Struggles of Margaret Chos Childhood, How It Influenced Her Career Growth and Love Life Margaret Cho is best described as a comic star who knows how to maneuver everything related to life into a rib-cracking joke. She is also known to criticize every social and political problem, especially those involving race and sexuality. Apart from her talents as a comic actress, she does amazingly well as a singer and ...

Where Is Eric Bolling Today? Who Is His Son & What Is His Net Worth? Eric Bolling who was once a notable figure on Fox News, is an American TV personality, an author, and versatile Journalist. As a political and financial analyst/commentator, he anchored discussions bothering on finance for Fox Business Channel. Here is everything there is to know about his career, family, and allegations that led to his exit ...

Who Is Chelsea Handler and Does She Have A Husband or Boyfriend? Chelsea Handler is one of Americas top female comedians. She is also an actress, writer, television host, producer, and activist. She is known to be very outspoken even with things that are very personal. In separate interviews with The New York Times, Handler revealed that she had an abortion twice when she was 16. She has authored five books ...

How Did Laura Lee Achieve Fame, How Much is She Worth and Who is Her Husband? Laura Lee is a popular American YouTuber, make-up artist and beauty blogger. From posting videos of her makeup routines on Instagram, Lee has transformed into a beauty influencer and a YouTube sensation. Today, her YouTube Channel has over 630 million views and 4.5 million subscribers. Asides having millions of followers across all social media platforms, ...

Madison Gesiotto Bio  Ethnicity, Parents & Measurements Madison Gesiotto is no ordinary woman; although she excelled in quite a number of pageants and competitions while she was in school, it is her views on politics and issues in America that has made her name known to most people. She possesses beauty and intelligence in a seemingly equal measure and has been able ...

Who Is Lil Tay? Parents, Brother, Sister, Age, Net Worth, Ethnicity Child stardom is nothing new in the entertainment world. With the advent of social media, we have seen more stars made from the internet than ever before, and Lil Tay is one of them. Her uploaded rap videos trademark is cursing, swearing, cash-throwing, and use of obscene languages. Her fame went wild after she dropped ...

What To Know About Tig Notaros Wife, Kids and Family Today Tig Notaro is an American stand-up comic star, writer, actress, and radio analyst. Since she started her career in 2001, she has become one of Americas best comedians, particularly when it comes to observational comedy. One prominent aspect of her routine involves her family, which includes a wife and two children. Interestingly, Tig Notaro is part ...

Who Is Chantel Jeffries? What To Know About Her Age, Ethnicity & Net Worth Chantel Jeffries is a lady of many talents. Beyond being celebrated as a DJ, she has fared well as a model, an actress, musician, and as an artist. She first rose to fame on Instagram where she has a large following. However, in recent times, she has hit the spotlight for her rumored relationships with some ...

Is Ellen DeGeneres Married, Who Is The Brother  Vance DeGeneres and Family Members? Ellen DeGeneres is one of a kind celebrity in todays world as she has used her wealth for the greater good for many people. She has served a host of famous awards shows like the Grammy, Primetime Emmy and Academy Awards. Moreso, she is probably one of the most decorated entertainment personalities around the world and ...

Carli Bybel Bio  Height, Boyfriend & Net Worth Video blogging is now on the rise and YouTube is the place where most of it happens. If you are a lady who cares about her looks or a guy who likes to help his woman out with her looks, then one person whose name rings a bell when it comes to giving beauty tips ...

Who Is Lexy Panterra? What To Know About Her Ethnicity, Boyfriend & Net Worth Lexy Panterra is one of the YouTube personalities whose breakout came through the Twerk dance videos she posted on her social media handles and YouTube which has so far generated over 13 million views for her. From there on, she created her LexTwerkOut workout program in 2014. She is sure very talented as she as moved ...

Who Is AnneMunition? What Is Her Ethnicity & Does She Have A Girlfriend or Boyfriend? AnneMunition is a professional gamer and content creator of American origin. She is one of the most sought-after streamers on Twitch  a popular online platform for watching and streaming videos, especially video games. AnneMunition has almost half a million followers on Twitch and her channel has accumulated at least 13 million views. Her favorite games ...

Norm MacDonald  Former Wife, Son & Net Worth Recently, 59-year-old former Saturday Night Live stand-up comic Norm MacDonald caused a not-so-funny stir when he expressed his personal opinion about the #MeToo movement speaking in defense of Louis CK and Roseanne Barr. Following the backlash of his actions, he is diligently doing damage control for his questionable opinion by posting a public apology on ...

Inside Iliza Shlesingers Life With Husband and How Much She is Worth Now Witty, spontaneous, and truly humorous, Iliza Shlesinger is an American comedian who is clearly proving that the stereotypical claim that women are not really funny is not only incredibly wrong but completely outrageous. Having been in the game for more than 10 years, Shlesinger has grown bigger with each step, stunning fans with her incredible ...

Who Is Nessa Diab? Details of her Parents, Ethnicity & Relationship With Colin Kaepernick Nessa Diab has gained more fame as the girlfriend of different footballers than in her career. She is currently with the popular National Football League (NFL) player, Colin Kaepernick, and has stood by his side during his most trying times. Also known for her mononym, Nessa, she recently engaged in a tweet battle with the ...

Samantha Bee  Inside the Life of Full Frontal Comedian and Presenter We have over the decades seen various brands of humor and personalities who have walked the ropes. One of the formidable forces in the world of comedy is no other than the iconic Samantha Bee of the Daily Show who now runs her own television show on TBS channel. She is a Canadian-American political commentator, ...

What Happened To Jessica Williamss Boyfriend And Which Are Her Best Works? Jessica Williams is a woman who has a lot of feathers in her cap  and keeps acquiring more. The former senior political correspondent of the comic Daily Show, who is also a comedian and actress whose recent movie appearance include starring as a playwright just recovering from a recent split with her boyfriend, Damon, and ...

Who is Nicole Byer? Here are 5 Facts You Need To Know About The Comedian Nicole Byer, an American comedian, actress, and writer, made a name for herself after she played supporting roles on MTVs prank show Ladylike and the reality show Girl Code. The latter was a series that featured comedians who analyzed in minute details, all the issues that young women deal with daily, from period to dating, to weird friendship dynamics and questions about sex. Currently, ...

A Closer Look At Bart Kwans Ethnicity, Height & Personal Life Bart Kwan is one of few Asians who is known for being successful in the comic industry at an international level. His fame broke out after the YouTube channel which he created with his close pal Joe Jo garnered up massive followings. The talented duo has been running the channel since 2007 and their success ...

Heres How VanossGaming Achieved Fame Online, His Worth and Other Facts About The Gamer For many years, the decision to drop out of college to pursue an online career was considered to be foolish and self-destructive by conventional wisdom. It was no different when Evan Fong, popularly known as VanossGaming, dropped out of college to pursue a YouTube career. However, that radical move paid off, and he stands shoulder to ...

Desi Perkins  Ethnicity, Net Worth & Husband YouTube is littered with videos of makeup tutorials by different people but if you are interested in learning how to do your makeup like a pro, there is just one person on that platform who you must follow. She is none other than Desi Perkins! She is a popular make-up artist, Instagram star, and vlogger. Desi, ...

The Phases of Casey Neistats Pursuits and His Love Story With Candice Pool YouTuber, vlogger, filmmaker, and creator extraordinaire; these are just a few hats that Casey Neistat wears and the story of how he got here is incredible. A native of Connecticut, Neistat started out by making refreshingly-authentic short films and videos that featured content that was based on everyday life and called attention to serious issues. He ...

Connor Franta  Inside The Life of American YouTuber YouTube has produced a lot of young celebrities in modern times and Connor Franta happens to be one of them. Apart from being a YouTuber, the young American is also an entrepreneur, entertainer, and writer. His journey to fame began almost a decade ago when he started a self-named YouTube channel where he uploads content ranging ...

Rhett and Link  Bio, Who are Their Wives, Net Worth and Family Facts Rhett and Link refer to an American comedy duo who are very popular on YouTube. They are known for their comic songs, viral commercials, skits and the daily show, Good Mythical Morning. Good Mythical Morning is the most watched daily show online, averaging 100 million views in a month. The show has featured guests such ...

A Walk Through The Maze of Ryan Higas Career Pursuits And Relationship With Arden Cho Ryan Higa is not only celebrated as a YouTube star, but he is also famed for appearing on television screens as an actor and comedian. Nigahiga, his Youtube channel, has gathered over 20 million subscribers and billions of views with his different comic acts, short films, and music videos uploads. With the rise in his career, ...

What to Know About The Shows That Made Craig Ferguson a Star and His Family Ties Rising to the top of your profession can sometimes be a hard and difficult process. It requires days and nights of working consistently hard to be better than what you were yesterday. It requires not giving up when all of your experiences seem to be pushing you to quit. It is because of these challenges ...

David Dobrik Married Liza Koshy for One Month  Inside His Family and Relationships David Dobrik is a YouTube sensation who has garnered fame not just for his vlogs but his love life too. Given his career as a YouTuber, his channel is one place where he shares his romantic escapades. With a cute boyish look like his, this Slovakian young man is definitely a good catch, and not ...

Merrell Twins Bio  Ethnicity, Parents & Boyfriend One of the beautiful things about modern life is social media. As rudimentary as it might seem, it could turn out to be the greatest thing that would be invented in the next 50 years because of its impact on human life. Very few tools have revolutionized human behavior and culture as much as social ...

Who Is Bunny Meyer, Is She Married & What Is Her Net Worth? Bunny Meyer is a YouTube celebrity who has amassed over 8.8 million subscribers with 1.5 million viewers on her channel. She is popularly known as Grav3yardgirl and is one of the highest-paid YouTubers in the world. She initially started out as a fashion designer and later chose the path of a YouTuber. Grav3yardgirl has used her knowledge on fashion, makeup, ...

Ninja  Inside The Life of The American YouTuber and Internet Personality Ninja is a talented video game player known for his mastery of Fortnite and other seemingly difficult games he plays with ease. The video gamer made a career out of what is ordinarily the hobby of many people and has since then amassed a huge online following. Find out about him here, including the controversies that ...

What Is Eva Gutowskis True Sexuality and How Did She Rise So Fast As an Influencer? Ever since Eva Gutowski joined YouTube in 2011, it has been an interesting journey for her, moving from one milestone to the other. Backed by an army of young women and teenage girl fans known as Evanators, she has risen to become one of the most-talked-about personalities in the digital stratosphere. She has also leveraged ...

Emma Chamberlain Biography  Age, Height & Net Worth Before now, people in the entertainment industry could only achieve popularity after many years of dedication and hard work but since social media came into the scene, massive success and overnight popularity became possible. That is the story of Emma Chamberlain who encountered fame as a fifteen-year-old. Emma is one of the many young people who became ...

Anna Akana  Ethnicity, Boyfriend & Net Worth There is a new crop of YouTubers known by their different contents with a very strong uniqueness that stands every one of them out, some upload video games, some fashion while some others have comedy video contents to showcase on their channels. Anna Akana has used her platform to showcase her comedy contents to the ...

Revealing Truths About Lilly Singhs Ethnic Background, Family and Her Relationship With Yousef Erakat Lilly Singh is an Indian-Canadian YouTube personality, actress, and comedian also known as Superwoman. She kicked off her YouTube career in 2010 with the launch of her channel IISuperwomanII and followed it up with a vlog channel in 2011. This paved the way for her fame and success which led to a world tour. The ...

Who Is Andrea Constand, Is She Married and What Is Her Connection With Bill Cosby? Many people got sexually molested but could not voice out due to the stigma victims suffer and what will become of them thereafter. Very few of the victims danm every consequence to seek justice and bring the perpetrator to the book, like Andrea Constand. She never got any media buzz, not until her friend cum molester; ...

Who Is Lazarbeam (Lannan Eacott)? Here Are Facts You Need To Know Lannan Eacott became a person of interest after his YouTube channel, LazarBeam pulled him to the limelight. Initially, he started with uploads of Madden Challenge videos before deciding to build his own channel in January 2015. Within the space of three years, his YouTube channel had gathered over 7 million loyal subscribers. Today, he has not ...

Puzzling Facts About Wengies YouTube Success and More About Her Fiance Among the many YouTubers who have succeeded in winning the hearts of millions of people is Wengie. She is a Chinese-Australian YouTube personality, vlogger, singer, and voice actress. Wengie is famous for a lot of things, from her simple life hacks, DIYs, craft ideas to fun experiments, tricks and pranks. Her content portfolio also includes hair tutorials, diet & fitness tips, lookbooks, ...

Is Jeffree Star A Billionaire and How Much Does He Make On YouTube? If looks can be deceptive then theres no other person who proves this maxim better than Jeffree Star. A quick look at Stars pictures would likely leave you wondering whether or not to tag him a male or female. But who says being controversial has to be a curse? For Star, his looks have caught ...

The Place of Rosanna Pansinos Career Hats In Her Rise To Fame and Facts About Her Personal Life There are a few phrases that could summarize Rosanna Pansinos rise to fame. None of them can do it better than the famous axiom, no knowledge is lost. Her popularity YouTube comes out of her foray into other professions, specifically acting. Although acting now occupies one of the major professional hats in Rosannas resume, it was ...

Muselk (Elliott Watkins) Biography  Age, Girlfriend and Net Worth The new and best in-thing in terms of career is video gaming and we have over time seen young men and women make massive income from an activity that was purportedly designed to serve as a hobby or a relaxation activity. One of such individuals is the Australian-born YouTube Celebrity and Twitch streamer, Muselk, whose ...

PopularMMOs Biography: 5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know We have over the years seen social media millionaires, especially on the YouTube social platform. These celebrities cum millionaires have made names for themselves after carving out niches on the internet, and a typical example of one of such exciting media personality on the YouTube is American Minecraft gamer and YouTube star, PopularMMOs whose channel ...

Jason Nash Once Married Marney Hochman  What To Know About His Ex-Wife and Kids The now-defunct video-sharing app Vine was the path that led Jason Nash to fame. With it, he built an audience of over two million followers, which he parlayed into a significant YouTube career. That move has seen him become one of the most popular personalities on the internet, with the cash income to go with ...

Where Does Dantdm Live? What Do We Know About His Net Worth, Wife and Brother? Most parents buy video games for their kids to occupy their time leisure, while other parents frown at their kids when they play video games. Despite the disparity, every parent would be proud of their child if he/she eventually turns a celebrity or millionaire through playing video games like Dantdm. Biography of Dantdm Dantdm was born Daniel ...

LaurDIY  Biography: 5 Facts You Need To Know About The YouTuber LaurDIY is the YouTube channel of Lauren Riihimaki which she created on December 1, 2011, when she was still a college undergrad with the sole aim of giving Do It Yourself (DIY) as well as practical fashion and beauty tips to her followers. She has used the channel to establish herself as a YouTube personality ...

Lachlan Ross Power  Bio And Family Life Of Australian The YouTube Star It is amazing the varied sources of income that the internet has made possible in this day and age. Internet fame can get its holder a whole lot of monetary and social benefits, but it must be noted that it does not come easy or cheap. For those who desire fame, content is the sacrifice ...

Alfie Deyes  Bio and Net Worth: Everything You Need To Know Alfie Deyes is one internet personality you definitely would like to know about. He boasts of over 10 million subscribers on three of his YouTube channels and has three bestseller books to his name. He is probably the most renowned young personality on YouTube today and his vlogging empire continues to grow by the day. ...

Colleen Ballingers Love Story With Husband Erik Stocklin and How Much She Is Worth Now Colleen Ballinger is an American comedian and YouTuber who is a very funny, adventurous, and highly talented woman. She is also an actress, singer, and writer. Collen is widely known for her work on YouTube where she posts content on her channel, Miranda Sings. The comedian has gained many subscribers over the years and has ...

Who Are The Dude Perfect Members and How Much Are They Worth? Entertainment in the 21st century can be digested in many forms and with platforms like YouTube, the creators and purveyors of entertainment have been democratized. Today, one of the most popular platforms to exhibit ones creative talents is YouTube, even though there are other platforms like Twitter, Facebook, who suffer in comparison to YouTube because ...

Who Is Rudy Mancuso, What Is His Earning Power and What Do We Know About His Girlfriend? Rudy Mancuso started his internet journey on Vine. He would later transition to YouTube where he solidified his place among the internets most beloved comedic creators. He is now regarded as one of the renowned internet personalities in the world, with a presence in mainstream TV and film projects like Comedy Centrals Drunk History and ...

Vsauce (Michael Stevens) Biography and Net Worth: All You Need To Know The advent of YouTube and the internet as a whole revolutionized how human beings consume information. With each passing year, the percentage of learning that is done in a traditional classroom decrease as a seismic shift to internet-based learning happens in our education industry. From open courses online to YouTube classes and videos, there are ...

How did Jake Paul Make His YouTube Big Break and Who is His Wife? One of the most interesting Social Media personalities of the 21st century is the young and popular Jake Paul whose elder brother is the famed Vine star, Logan Paul. Jake has utilized the power of the internet to bring himself to the limelight with a channel named JakePaulProductions that has amassed up to six billion ...

5 Facts You Need To Know About Reaction Time (Tal Fishman)  The American YouTuber Before 2015, the leading meaning of reaction time was the amount of time it takes to respond to a stimulus, until Tal Fishman started his channel, Reaction Time on YouTube and the dominant meaning changed. Today, a google search of Reaction Time would deliver Tal Fishmans videos and YouTube channel link with a few physics ...

Grace Helbig  Net Worth, Boyfriend and Family Life of The YouTuber Grace Helbig is an American internet personality, comedian, actress, and writer. She became popular due to her daily vlog series, DailyGrace, which ran on My Damn Channel from 2008 to 2013. Helbig is also popular for her own indie series on YouTube, ItsGrace, which she launched in 2014. Her vlogs which feature random stuff such as ...

Mark Wiens Bio  Ethnicity, Wife and Parents Food is a great way to connect with people. We all love to eat, if not for the pleasure of food, the satisfaction of quenching hunger, and the very process of providing and sharing that food is part of the strongest bonds that bind humanity together. Maybe it is our historical connection to food, where ...

Is Filthy Frank Dead, What Happened To Him and How Much Is He Worth? As George Kusunoki Miller, he was a nobody. However, as Filthy Frank, George was one of the most famous internet personalities on the planet. The Filthy Frank Show, a sketch series on his YouTube channel, TVFilthyFrank, was one of the platforms most influential creations. He is the reason a crazy dance song, Harlem Shake, made it ...

CaptainSparklez Bio  Net Worth, House and Cars of The Famous YouTuber Sometimes, what society wants from its citizens is quite different from what the citizens want for themselves. This is evident in the life and career of video blogger and American YouTube personality, Jordan Maron famous for his YouTube channel CaptainSparklez. He dropped out of school after discovering his talent in playing an online game called Minecraft. ...

Who is Simply Nailogical (Cristine Rotenberg)? Here are Facts You Must Know Canadian Youtube personality, Simply Nailogical (Cristine Rotenberg) originally started out polishing and designing nails even before it became a trendy culture in the social media. Simply Nailogica started out her showbiz career in her early days as a child actress, acting in commercials for game and toy companies. Aside from acting, she is blogger, vlogger, specializing ...

5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know About Huda Beauty In the world of entrepreneurship, it is interesting when an individual has a mentor who he/she looks up to, this yield more productivity on the part of the individual. The iconic and rich American beautician and makeup artist Huda Kattan nicknamed Heida is the founder of the Huda Beauty blog which is number one Instagram beauty blog ...

Is Dino MasterChef Gay? Details About His Ethnicity, Girlfriend, Where He Is Now Food, for the better part of the early years of human life, was nothing more than what we needed for survival. There was no artistry or curation to the method of cooking. The scarcity of food left no room for artistic expression until we figured out agriculture and we could make as much as we ...

Who Is Gabbie Hanna And How Did She Become Famous? As the world shifts to digital media and depends more and more on streaming services for its news and entertainment content, YouTubers have become one of the leading creators in the new media world. Their understanding of the online audience: how to create, maintain, and increase followers, are all handy skills that have primed them ...

Jacksepticeye  Height, Girlfriend & Net Worth Jacksepticeye is a YouTuber and actor who gained popularity with a series of gaming videos he uploads on his channel to the delight of millions of his subscribers. He is Known primarily for his comic video game series titled Lets Play and his vlogs. His channel was formerly ranked 46th in the list of most subscribed ...

Chris Heria Personal Details: About His Wife, Height & Ethnicity Background In this generation, keeping fit has become one of the major criteria for being hale and hearty. In fact, most occupations these days are majorly concerned with ones body mass, weight and looks. Unlike the past where most people have to register in a gym to keep fit, social media has made it quite easy ...

Everything You Need To Know About Game Grumps Gaming is becoming incredibly popular on YouTube these days with game vloggers make millions of dollars out of them yearly. One of the most popular up-coming gaming YouTube channels is Game Grumps. The Lets Play series was created in 2012 and celebrated its fifth anniversary on July 18th, 2017. In six years of its existence, the ...

Daithi De Nogla Biography, Girlfriend and Net Worth YouTube has created an avenue for many to make wealth and become famous from the comfort of their homes while having fun. Many have built a career out of the platform, uploading numerous videos that have earned them the admiration of viewers across the globe. For Daithi De Nogla, he is loved for his humorous commentary on ...

Does Phoebe Robinson Have A Boyfriend or Husband and What Do We Know About Her Family? Phoebe Robinson is a New York-based comedian, writer, and actress. She is best known as the co-creator and co-host of the WNYC Studios podcast 2 Dope Queens. Just like some other female comedians, she never had any original plans of becoming a stand-up comedian even though, according to her, she took a class on a whim at Carolines on Broadway. After ...

Who Are Lex and Alana from Listed Sisters? What Is Their Ethnicity & Is the Show Cancelled? America is a country built on diversity. Everywhere you look all over the country, a countless number of immigrants or children of immigrants have become an integral part of the fabric of the country. From entertainment to business, immigrants are creating a niche for themselves and climbing to the summit of their respective professions. One ...

Riveting Facts About Danielle Lombard And What She Is Best Known For The American entertainment industry is one that provides many avenues for aspiring hopefuls to express their talents and become famous. From films to television shows and game shows, there is no shortage of ways for men and women who desire fame to pursue and earn it in the United States of America. Another tested medium ...

Unearthing New Details About The YouTube Success And Personal Life of Alex Burriss of Wassabi Productions Wildly hilarious and truly audacious, Alex Wassabi is an American YouTuber who has become a very popular face on the video-sharing platform after having garnered millions of subscribers over the years by keeping people glued to his channel with his witty parody video releases. If you have always loved parody videos, there is every chance ...

Everything You Need To Know About H2O Delirious H2O Delirious whose full birth name is reported to be Jonathan Gormon Dennis has successfully kept himself mystified by hiding his face behind the masks leaving his loyal fans speculating who he really is for many years. The American YouTube star is easily identified by the Jason Mask Style with make-up which he wears on his ...

Who Is HolaSoyGerman and What Happened To Him? German Garmendia has certainly seen it all when it comes to internet success. His channels, HolaSoyGerman and JuegaGerman are in the top twenty most subscribed channel on YouTube. The Chilean YouTuber found a way to tap into one of the worlds greatest inventions and make a living from it. He has been able to build ...

Who Are Glenn Becks Family, What Is His Net Worth And What Happened To Him? The American political commentary space is filled with different personalities. A few of them, through their rhetoric, charisma, and resources have been able to build a large following of men and women who listen to them for insight and direction for various political and social issues in the United States. For Conservatives, the story is ...

Following Charissa Thompsons Rise Through The Ranks Of Sports Casting and All About Her Boyfriend Superstar TV host and sportscaster, Charissa Thompson, has been hailed as one of the highest-profile women journalists in America, and the reason is there for all to see. She has worked for popular establishments such as Versus, Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, GSN, and Big Ten Network. She currently hosts the popular pre-game show, Fox NFL Kickoff, ...

Is Chris Kattan Gay or Does He Have A Wife? What Is His Net Worth? Chris Kattan is a popular American comedian and actor. He has appeared in several comic movies and TV series such as The Middle, A Night at the Roxbury and Bunnicula. Kattan is, however, most popular for his six-year stint as a cast member of Saturday Night Live. During his time on the legendary show, he ...

Everything You Should Know About the Rise of Insta Star Claire Abbott and Why She Gave It All Up A lot of young Americans have shot into the limelight for uploading different kinds of videos on YouTube. Some of these young stars include Connor Franta, Desi Perkins, Emma Chamberlain, the Dolan Twins (Ethan and Grayson), and Claire Abbott. The latter became a social media celebrity for uploading sexy bikini pictures of herself on social media. Apart from ...

5 Facts You Need To Know About The YouTube Channel  h3h3Productions H3h3Productions is a YouTube channel that specializes on Comic responses or reactions of other contents or trendy stories. The celebrity couple that created the channel has over time racked up sizable views for their commentaries and contents. Even though they had their own fair share of copyright cases, thankfully they scored an unprecedented victory in all ...

Lilypichu Bio  Height, Brother and Love Story With Albert SleightlyMusical Chang Like most popular internet celebrities, Lilypichu is one of those Twitch streamers who spend their lives on camera. From daydreaming about the possibility of becoming a full-time professional streamer, she grew to live out her dreams on the popular live streaming platform where people play games, make crafts, and showcase their day-to-day activities. Given the rise of ...

KSI  What To Know About His Girlfriend, Brother  Deji Olatunji & Net Worth Assuredly, when Internet inventors Vint Cerf and Bob Khan created the technological masterpiece, they probably did not know how massive the creation will be harnessed by many for different purposes including as a platform for earning money through content creation. One of such person who smiles to the bank regularly today for spending time creating ...

The Interesting Progression and Highlights of Carrie Keagans Career as a Host and Actress Carrie Keagan has garnered huge fame through her various stints on television. She is not just your regular TV host but one with a difference. Keagan has hosted several high profile events and TV shows, including VH1s Big Morning Buzz Live and Fox News Channels Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld. However, not many know she ...

The Gist On Elise Jordans Marriages And Her Rise To Prominence Political commentaries tend to be boring when it is handled by someone who does not have a knack for it. However, when you see the likes of Elise Jordan run the same commentary, you will have a lot of reasons to look forward to watching her again as the journalist is well-versed in the field ...

What Is Timmy Thick Best Known For and How Successful Is The Star? Thanks to the internet, many people whose talents would have ordinarily gone unnoticed have become famous. A very good example of this modern-day internet celebrity is Timmy Thick, an American social media star. He became popular on Instagram due to his penchant for posting raunchy pictures of himself. He also often posted videos of himself ...

What Does Heather Storm Do For a Living and Who Is She Dating? Reality Television is a great way to make a name for oneself as well as amass a fortune. Heather Storm can attest to this as she is one of those who have made a name and earned a lot from reality TV. She made her name appearing on shows like Car Fanatics, Awesome Autos, and, ...

Matt Carriker Biography  Net Worth, Wife & Height Unlike your regular veterinary doctor next door, Matt Carriker chose to spice up his noble profession with the unusual. Though he is known to many as a medical practitioner, Carriker is better renowned as a YouTube star and an animal lover. Having recorded huge successes on his various YouTube channels, the vet doctors name and ...

Jillian Mele of Fox News Career Achievements, Husband & Measurements There are quite a good number of presenters on radio and television who listeners and viewers may never wish to miss any of their shows because of their sensational golden voice, beauty or the special way or artistry they anchor their shows. Jillian Mele is one of such. She has been at the top of ...

Who is Gillian Turner of Fox News? Her Fiance or Husband and Net Worth Gillian Turner is well-known as a news correspondent for Fox News Channel but before she became a TV personality, she built an intimidating resume working for different institutions, including the American government. She served in different capacities at the White House National Security Council during the administration of former US Presidents  George W. Bush and Barack Obama. ...

Gloria Govan Bio  Age, Ethnicity & Height Even as Gloria Govan is famous as an American actress, author, a TV host, and reality television star, shes more popular as the wife of the former NBA player, Matt Barnes. She became known after appearing on the Florida version of the reality television series, Basketball Wives and later, Basketball Wives: LA  after Matt was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Sadly, ...

Michael Fishmans Interesting Start as an Actor and Why He Divorced His Wife of Many Years When one door closes, another one opens. As silly as that axiom may seem, it is the story of the resurgence of Michael Fishman, who plays D.J Conner on the popular show, Roseanne. Having played the character for several years as a child actor into his teenage years; when the show originally ended, Michael did ...

Who Is October Gonzalez  Tony Gonzalezs Wife? All You Need To Know October Gonzalez is a popular American TV host and media personality. Additionally, she is also a model. Gonzalez has hosted several TV shows such as Beat Shazam, Entertainment Tonight, and Rachel Ray. She has also featured in several reality TV shows. Gonzalezs fame is not just due to her profession but also because of her ...

Who Is Tony Berlin  Harris Faulkners Husband: His Children and Family Facts Tony Berlin is a popular American media guru. He has variously worked as a reporter, anchor, and producer for some of the biggest TV networks in America. They include CNN, CBS, NBC, and ABC (where he hosted the popular Good Morning America). Berlin has now diversified into public relations and owns his own PR firm. ...

The Progression of Gianna Tobonis Journalism Career and Details About Her Marriage to Kyle Buckley Gianna Toboni may not be your ideal newscaster but her unusual reporting is what made her a household name. The American journalist is renowned for her hard-hitting and authentic reportage. A motivator and activist for total press freedom, Gianna loves to explore pervasive cultural issues. Not only does this unique and ambitious journalist call for all ...

Dog The Bounty Hunters Family Including Details of His Late Wife and Kids Popularly known as Dog, a name which he got from the television series, Dog The Bounty Hunter, Duane Chapman, an American bounty hunter, and one-time bail bondsman, went from being convicted for a felony to being a reality TV star. He was brought to the limelight following the capture of the convicted criminal, Andrew Luster in 2003 and this eventually made ...

Vicky Karayiannis, Chris Cornells Wifes Bio, Children and Family The world of showbiz is made up of different people who serve different roles, and function in a variety of capacities, and one of the most important people are those in the background. Publicists are undoubtedly one of these background people yet they are vital to the life and fame of most of our favorite ...

Joe Rogan Has A Step-Daughter and 2 Other Kids With Wife Jessica Ditzel  Meet His Family Joe Rogan is a popular American stand-up comedian and TV host. His journey to stardom began in the late 80s and has seen him host several shows, the most popular is the game show titled Fear Factor. The exciting show dares contestants to face some of their greatest fears and embark on challenging stunts. The ...

Josh Gates and Wife Hallie Gnatovich Have 2 Kids But Who Has the Higher Net Worth? Best known for his explorations and adventures, Josh Gates, is a television presenter with a voracious appetite for seeing the world and the beauties in it. Some of that beauty, however, is in his home, in the form of two children he shares with his wife, Hallie Gnatovich. Not excluded is their marriage which has lasted ...

Holly Sonders Wiki, Plastic Surgery & Why She Divorced Her Husband  Erik Kuselias After trying everything within her capacity to have a low key wedding, Holly Sonders was drawn to the public because of her husbands controversy at his workplace. Well, the two are rumored to be divorced but the article below will give more light on how true these rumors are. Meanwhile, Holly Sonders is yet to ...

Nadeska Alexis Bio  Age, Boyfriend & Net Worth Journalism is one diverse profession that allows the practitioners to choose their area of specialty, build a career on it by reporting the truth and facts which in the long run will distinguish them as deserving commendation and recognition among their peers. Some choose to specialize in political journalism, while to others it is sports ...

Media Platforms Charlamagne Tha God Has Explored and All The Controversies He Has Courted Charlamagne Tha God is an American on-air personality, radio presenter, and more recently, author. He is popularly known as a co-host on New York radios nationally syndicated show, The Breakfast Club, a program he has been hosting alongside DJ Envy and Angela Yee since 2010. However, his early years had no connection to his current career ...

A Look At Jimmy Fallons Net Worth and Family Including His Wife & Kids Sometimes, a childs passion for something is a pointer to what he/she would become in the future. As a child, Jimmy Fallon was literally obsessed with watching the late-night comedy program, Saturday Night Live (SNL). Then, his parents would tape the clean parts for him to watch and later, he and his sister would re-enact sketches from the ...

Kay Adams Biography  Does The Sportscaster Have A Husband or Boyfriend? When you hear the phrase sports enthusiast, women are hardly the first group that comes to mind. Well, thats changing pretty fast. Especially with the rise of female sports analysts and broadcasters like Kay Adams who is famed for knowing more about sports than most men do. And why not, shes paid handsomely for it ...

Ben Shapiros Family  Meet His Wife, Kids and Sister Who is Popular for the Wrong Reasons A multi-talented man, Ben Shapiro is a man of controversial nature, an attribute that has made him an unusual public figure. An intellectual whose career path was clearly defined even before he became a man, the Jewish conservative commentator has always had his way with words. He became popular by sharing his critical and often ...

QVC Shawn Killinger Bio  Husband, Net Worth & Facts To Know Shawn Killinger is a prominent TV personality who has worked her way to the top. Though not initially a journalist by training, she defied the odds and today has established herself as a household name, as well as, worked alongside some industry legends. More than just being a reporter, newscaster, and anchor, heres all you ...

Liv Lo  Dissecting the Ethnicity, Parents and Personal Life of Henry Goldings Wife While many are aware that Liv Lo is the better half to Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding, only a few understand why his beautiful wife appears increasingly endearing to fans. A former model turned TV personality, and fitness star, Liv has an impressive resume which when combined with that of her statuesque spouse is considered a perfect ...

Stpeach Age, Husband and Other Facts About The Twitch Streamer Lisa Vannatta, famously known by her online alias, STPeach is a Canadian video game streamer cum vlogger who has garnered fame through her appearances on different video-sharing/social networking platforms such as Youtube, Instagram, Twitch, Reddit, and Twitter. The beautiful lady got her career to a start in August 2015 when she joined the live streaming video platform, Twitch. She rose to ...

Insights into Seth Meyers Wife, Family and What His Net Worth Is Celebrities are mostly remembered and known for the work they do. For Seth Meyers, his career as a comedian, writer, actor, TV host, and producer is his biggest identifier. He was on Saturday Night Live SNL show as a head writer and cast member for more than ten years during which he built a reputation ...

Who Is Jessica Gadsden  Age, Net Worth & All About Charlamagne tha Gods Wife Jessica Gadsden is an American fitness coach as well as a personal trainer. She is better known as the spouse of popular American media personality, Charlamagne Tha God. Charlamange Tha God is a well-known TV and radio personality in the U.S. He has featured in several shows (both on the radio and TV) and is ...

Who Is Collins Tuohy  Michael Ohers sister ? Her Wedding, Husband & Net Worth Collins Tuohy is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, blogger, and social media personality. She is also better known as the adoptive sister of NFL player, Michael Oher, whose life story inspired the Hollywood blockbuster The Blind Side. The Blind Side tells the true life story of Oher who grew up in an impoverished background consisting of a ...

Eye-Popping Facts About The Personal Life And Career Success Of Sportscaster Heidi Watney Heidi Watney is a media personality who has created a niche for herself as a sportscaster. Starting out as a radio presenter, the brilliant young lady has gone on to work for several prominent sports networks, and currently, she is with the MLB. The sportscaster is also known to have been an avid sports lady right ...

Marty Lagina Bio  Siblings (Martina and Rick Lagina), Net Worth and Wife Marty Lagina is an American engineer and businessman who has risen to fame as a reality TV star. This is thanks to his involvement in the adventure TV series, The Curse of Oak Island. The Curse of Oak Island is a long-running TV series which airs on the history channel. The show aims to solve ...

Is Jordan Schlansky Just A Character or a Real Life Person and What Does He Do? The world of late-night television is an interesting one. Shows during that time are geared towards giving viewers comedic relief from a long day at work through interviews and comedy sketches. The often charismatic host of this show requires the balancing talent of a producer whose primary job is to deliver great episodes. It is ...

Heres How Wealthy Jimmy Kimmel Is From All The Phases of His Career, Marriages and Sons Health Jimmy Kimmel is a renowned late-night talk show host known for his charm, wit, and the A-list guests he features on his show. As the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! On ABC, Jimmy has been serving comedy to television viewers for years which played a pivotal role in launching him into mainstream fame and enabled ...

Natasha Bertrand Biography  Is She Married? Who Is the Husband & What Is Her Age? Natasha Bertrand is not just a young prominent journalist but a first-rate investigative reporter. With her natural beauty and smile, Natashas sharp, insightful political commentary also makes her a thorough reporter. Her sound political perspective and coverage in the country have made her a force to be reckoned with in the profession. Renowned for her ...

What Happened to Shane Kilcher? His Injury Update, Net Worth and More Shane Kilcher is well-known thanks to the Discovery Channel series Alaska: The Last Frontier. It is a show that documents the daily lives of the extended Kilcher family, people who live without plumbing or modern heating. The episodes follow their routines as they rely on hunting and farming for their nutritional needs as well as ...

Is Stephanie Gosk Gay or Lesbian, Who is the Wife or Partner  Jenna Wolfe? In August 2013, NBCs Today viewers were greeted with two shocking news. Today weekend anchor, Jenna Wolfe, announced that she was as a lesbian, introducing her partner as NBC News correspondent Stephanie Gosk, and said the two are expecting their first child. A long time has passed since then and certainly, a lot of things ...

Nikki Mudarris  Bio and Net Worth: 5 Interesting Facts You Need to Know Nikki Mudarris, also known as Miss Nikki Baby, is a reality television star, model and fashionista. Shes best known for VH1s reality TV series Love & Hip-Hop: Hollywood. Her entrepreneurial skills enable her to create and run a successful lingerie line Nude by Nikki. Not only that, but Nikki has also successfully run the Las ...

5 Interesting Things You Need To Know About Kelly Nash Ever heard of the lady who gained national prominence for taking a selfie with a dangerous ball just a few inches away from hitting her? Its no other person than Kelly Nash, an American sports broadcaster currently working as host of The Rundown show which airs on MLB Network every weekday at 2 pm ET. ...

Understanding The Height of Fame John Oliver Achieved With The Daily Show and How He Met His Wife Without knowledge of who he is and his exemplary career, John Oliver cuts an unassuming figure of a regular man but he is one of the most influential personalities in America, especially on television. Since he began his career in 1998, he has been a loud and unapologetic agent of change, using his wit and ...

Why Did Big Chief Leave Street Outlaws, Where Is He Now And Why Did He Divorce His Wife? Justin Shearer, otherwise known by his professional name Big Chief is a famous street racer and television personality. He is famously known for being one of the main characters on the racing reality television series, Street Outlaws. Justin, who had been a significant part of the show since its premiere in 2013, appeared in a ...

Who is Josina Anderson of ESPN? Her Husband and Family Facts There has been a gradual paradigm shift in the world of sports which has today produced the likes of Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, and other female athletes that are pulling great feats in different sporting fields. Their achievements have also been followed by the emergence of female sports journalists such as Jillian Mele, Eboni Williams, ...

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Untapped opportunity lies ahead for South African recruiters who are quick to recognise that reactive, conventional recruitment practice is a thing of the past.

As I write, we are rapidly moving into a dynamic new digital and networked environment. With the fundamental shift towards digital channels, both recruiters and work-seekers are now presented with opportunity and challenge, and if I were to predict and focus on the critical key performance areas of the future Recruiter of SA, I would outline them as follows:

Digital media

KPA: Social media savvy coupled with the ability not only to advertise and source talent via traditional job boards, but also to develop, manage and make use of social recruitment channels to attract and engage talent.

A recent case study within SA revealed that upon recruiting for a social media recruitment marketer, more than half of the recruitment applicants were equipped in sourcing and utilising professional, generic and industry-specific job boards.

While social media channels such as Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and Facebook havent yet been recognised in South Africa as business channels for job seekers, global insights confirm that they are starting to prove rich channels for engagement with top passive talent.

Universum confirms that there has been a larger shift towards a more social, networked approach to recruiting where (instead of large-scale, broad campaigns) daily engagement online through dozens of channels to key audiences rules.

With Statista confirming that Facebook has now surpassed 1.5 billion registered accounts and Instagram boasting 400 million monthly active accounts, this gives SA recruiters sight of an unexplored, potential passive candidate base that they can tap into, to effectively educate and engage.

Recruiters need to shift their focus towards using social media platforms as a business recruitment tool, ensuring that they are fully equipped to leverage off these progressive channels, thus putting themselves at the forefront in the race to secure class talent.

Employer branding and engagement

KPA: Drive top-of-mind awareness through employer branding initiatives and internal advocacy communication drives.

Our SA case study showed that to date, the role of your typical recruiter is to utilise job boards to post /publish adverts, headhunt and source talent. No attention is being given to using these channels to proactively and effectively convey information about the hiring company, its employees, why it is a good place at which to work or why exactly candidates should join them!

An uneducated, passive market will not win you the talent unless you are top-of-mind through making them aware, informed, interested, excited about what you have on offer. SA recruiters are still not proactively employing digital media to market, inspire and channel information on their companies or clients as a great place to work.

Whether it be via job boards or social media, companies can leverage off untapped opportunities by developing an ongoing recruitment marketing and employer branding strategy to proactively showcase their company.

Daily online engagement can certainly build your employer brand presence, but it is time-consuming and one needs to manage and be responsive to ongoing communications. While plenty of SA companies are still resistant to allowing employees to make use of social media, if managed correctly, employees can be your greatest advocates in assisting you to build brand awareness and reputation.

Recruiters need to start thinking like marketers, begin gathering insights and a clear understanding around the relevance of their employer brand. There are global best practice and plenty of case studies of companies that have done this successfully.

Marketing and creativity

KPA: Excellent written communications and copywriting abilities to compile extraordinary adverts and digital content, to address/engage various candidate markets.

With recruitment being merely one aspect on which today's hard-pressed HR practitioner focuses, it is evident from scanning the copy content on some of the SA job boards that little to no thought whatsoever is given to the manner in which adverts are created.

Recruiters that arent ready to leverage off social media channels need just to focus on ad content, associated value-adds and think like a marketer in order to stand out from the crowd. Visual creativity is often required to underpin a well-written digital advert, with Jobvites 2015 Recruiter Nation Survey confirming that 51% of respondents said they would be more attracted to a company with a job posting that incorporated visual elements. I stress, however, that these should seriously add something to the written message.

While there is still ongoing debate on whether employer branding should sit within Marketing or HR, it is still necessary for recruiters to partner with their marketing department in capitalizing on their creativity and marketing intelligence to jointly build and translate their employer branding initiatives into the market place.

A creative flair with good copywriting skills is becoming more and more necessary with the migration of talent towards digital media channels. To avoid the sea of sameness, your copy content and visuals need to be desirable enough to stand above your competitors' when seeking to promote your brand and attract top talent. Together with this, your ability to track, measure, and analyse all initiatives, report on social media spend and manage a monthly recruitment marketing budget to ensure maximum ROI, would be needed to confirm that you on the right track.

Salesmanship

KPA: Ability to champion, promote and present on new era recruitment trends with internal key stakeholders and decision-makers, ensuring that initiatives, performance and ROI are effectively reported.

Recruiters need to be strong sales people, especially when it comes to changing old school practice in favour of new trends such as social media recruitment, recruitment marketing and employer branding.

If your ExCo happens to be progressive and in-the-know, you as the recruiter stand a better chance of transforming your company to implementing globally accepted best recruitment practice that can set you ahead of your competition. Universums Employer Branding Now report confirms that while there is consensus on the definition of employer branding, executives are still trying to understand the significance of it.

This newly-crafted HR role will take time to emerge but fortunately there are a few insightful companies that are already upskilling their Talent Attraction Teams to leverage off these exciting tools.
An independent body will investigate claims of racism, the deployment of police and security forces at Pretoria High School for Girls.

The investigation should be concluded in 21 days and the department will take action following the recommendation of the investigation, the Gauteng Education Department said on Tuesday, 30 August 2016.

This comes after Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufis visit to the school on Monday to address the concerns that were raised by learners.

The MEC had a variety of meetings with the School Management Team (SMT), learners as well as the School Governing Body (SGB) and parents.

Some of the concerns raised by learners were that the use of African languages on the school premises was not permitted, yet the other learners were allowed to express themselves in Afrikaans.

Learners also raised concerns over not being allowed to wear hairstyles such as Afros. Furthermore, the learners feel that educators use abusive and demeaning language when they address them regarding their hairstyles.

Learners also experienced racial abuse and victimisation by both white educators and white learners, in particular the use of hurtful terms such as monkeys, kaffir and being told they belong at Mamelodi High and not at Pretoria Girls.

Management and senior officials in the school deal flippantly with or in ignore learners complaints about racial abuse and victimisation, the department said.

The harassment and victimisation is not only limited to the schoolgrounds, but at school excursions as well.

Reviewing Code of Conduct

In the meantime, the department said the Code of Conduct of the school must be reviewed and the clause dealing with hairstyles should be suspended.

The group that will review the Code of Conduct must include as wide a representation of the school community as is practicably possible. The emerging Code of Conduct must be workshopped with all stakeholders at the school, especially learners, the department said.

The provincial department will provide psychological and related social services to counsel the learners for the trauma they appeared to have suffered.

It must be stressed that none of the learners, who reported the prevalence of racial and emotional abuse at the school, will be intimidated. The SGB and the school management team must do their level best to directly address what appeared as a serious trust deficit between themselves and the learners, the department said.

Additionally, the Group of Eminent Persons in the Premiers Office, assisted by the Department of Basic Education Social Cohesion Branch, should assist in dealing with challenges related to social cohesion, race relations and diversity management.

This should include the conservative ethos and doctrinal make-up of the school in general.

Terms of reference submission date

The terms of reference for addressing challenges related to social cohesion, race relations and diversity management must be submitted to the MEC within 21 days.

Learners must submit their written submissions to the Office of the MEC not later than Friday, 2 September 2016. The MEC will further apply his mind on these submissions and where necessary, seek clarification and/or rebuttal from the SMT and/or the SGB of the school. This interaction must be completed with 21 days, the department said.

The matters that must be dealt with immediate effect, include the return of cell phones which were confiscated. This must be done within 24 hours.

The mocking of learners hairstyles must cease, pending the finalisation of the review and amendment of the Code of Conduct.

The mocking of African learners for usage of their mother tongue also needs to stop.

The learners unqualified right to quality basic education must be ensured at all times. Teaching and learning must occur in a conducive and safe environment. To that end lessons must continue uninterrupted, the department said.
Tourism Month in September 2016 will see the celebration of Universal Access, with Cape Town Tourism advocating for a 'Tourism for All' approach where everyone, regardless of their abilities, can enjoy the tourism industry in Cape Town. Additionally, inclusivity irrespective of financial capacity is encouraged to enable disadvantaged individuals to enjoy tourism attractions and experiences in their city.

HPBotha via pixabay

Universal Access in tourism speaks to ensuring the inclusion of people with a disability, the elderly, pregnant women, people with kids and carrying heavy loads, as well as people that have a short-term impairment due to sickness or accident.

In a drive to allow everyone the right to discover and enjoy the magic of Cape Town, access to all facilities are being addressed. UA is a way of thinking that eliminates barriers and makes things easier to use. It is a way of designing things that are accessible and user-friendly for human diversity, social inclusion, and equality. This includes the built environment, but also the way information is displayed and communicated, how products are designed and environments made usable. The inclusion of the above group of people is an exceptional business opportunity. It requires a change in the mindset of the approach to tourism and in how it is delivered. Accessible products and services improve the quality of the tourism offering and speak to both responsible and sustainable tourism.

It is important to look at each component and how this impacts on the individual/s travelling. Providing access at each component of the travel journey is key to ensuring access is embraced.

The standard tourism journey looks like this:

 Stimulation, planning and anticipation: staff should be well trained to address the various needs of all potential clients. Websites should be accessible and information made available in a variety of forms.

 Ease of booking: booking at a tourism venue or of a product and service should be easy to do, and booking services simple to use.

 Travelling to the destination: there needs to be not only transport to the destination but various options for transport including accessible transport.

 The destination experience: everything at a destination should be accessible including the rooms, the restaurants, all products and services, wine tasting rooms, boat trips, trails, nature hides, etc.

 Going home: getting home should be easy to do and should accommodate everyone.

 Recollection of the experience: this is where the product or service is evaluated and where a first-time tourist is converted into a loyal supporter and either promotes the tourism product or not.

It is of paramount importance that the tourism industry appreciates the components that contribute towards a positive experience. The principles of independence, equity, and dignity underpin this. These can be achieved through the support of a universal access expert and require a comprehensive understanding of universal design and destination management processes.

Information supplied by Amor Malan, Project Manager, African Centre for Universal Access

Enver Duminy, CEO, Cape Town Tourism: As a tourism destination we are challenging all of our partners and stakeholders to take consideration of how visitors and locals experience what we have to offer. It can only be of increased benefit if we make all of the sights, experiences, attractions and the city as a whole accessible to all.

sharonang via pixabay

Reaching the disadvantaged and disenfranchised

SANParks, Kirstenbosch, Iziko Museums and many others have open days that make these attractions more accessible with free or reduced entrance fees. Table Mountain Cableway allows for locals to travel for free on their birthday with a green, barcoded ID book. Schools are providing tours to school kids to venues across the city and many organisations are working with the previously disadvantaged to expose them to tourism enterprises. There are opportunities to volunteer within organisations such as these, too.

Besides these initiatives, its possible to explore the city for very little, options include hiking on the mountain or beaches, or the cost of a train or bus fare. Cape Towns picturesque parks and rivers offer a relaxing environment, central to becoming a tourist is to explore the places nearby.

Cape Town Tourism has committed to a three-year extended Accessible Cape Town campaign that promotes Universal Access as partners with City of Cape Towns Tourism Department.
The travel and tourism industry's impact on a country's economic and social development can be significant - it can open a country up for business, trade and capital investment, create jobs and entrepreneurship, and protect heritage and cultural values.

To fully understand its impact, however, governments, policy makers and businesses around the world require accurate and reliable data on the impact of the sector. Data is needed to help assess policies that govern future industry development and to provide knowledge to help guide successful and sustainable travel and tourism investment decisions.

The industry generated US$7.6 trillion (10% of global GDP) and 277 million jobs (1 in 11 jobs) for the global economy in 2014. Recent years have seen travel and tourism growing at a faster rate than both the wider economy and other significant sectors such as automotive, financial services and health care. Last year was no exception. International tourist arrivals also surged, reaching nearly 1.14 billion and visitor spending more than matched that growth. Visitors from emerging economies now represent a 46% share of these international arrivals (up from 38% in 2000), proving the growth and increased opportunities for travel from those in these new markets.

One such country to learn from is Seychelles. The direct contribution of travel and tourism to its GDP was 21.3% of total GDP in 2014 and its forecast to rise by 6.0% in 2015 and to rise by 4.9% pa, from 2015-2025 to 24.7% of total GDP in 2025. In 2014, travel and tourism directly supported 10,500 jobs (22.9% of total employment). This is expected to remain unchanged in 2015 and rise by 2.5% pa to 14,000 jobs (28.1% of total employment) in 2025.

This included employment by hotels, travel agents, airlines and other passenger transportation services (excluding commuter services). It also includes, for example, the activities of the restaurant and leisure industries directly supported by tourists. By 2025, travel and tourism will account for 14,000 jobs directly, an increase of 2.5% pa over the next ten years.

The masterplan

What has been largely responsible for such growth and enormous contribution to the countrys GDP? Seychelles relies on its local experts in drawing up a master plan. It doesnt solicit the support of a global agency, or foreign expertise to grow its tourism industry. Nigeria as a country can take learnings from Seychelles if it is to make any significant progress in turning the tourism and hospitality industry into a melting pot for the economy. The tourism industry remains the pillar of the Seychelles economy, which is why the government continues to consult to ensure the industry is consolidated for the long term. The countrys tourism strategic plan set out for the upcoming five years covers strategic areas pointing to policy formulation, product development, human resource development and risk management.

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has been assisting Nigeria in drafting a master plan for moving the countrys tourism forward. Worthy of mentioning is the fact that this master plan hasnt been able to contribute greatly to its growth. Experts have stated that some of the factors crippling the successful implementation of the plan may include: Nigerias difficult governance environment, local conditions were not taken into consideration and the political implication of that error crippled the project to a point where it could not take off since 2006. Sadly, the countrys tourism minister had gone back to the UNWTO to seek for help in making the unworkable plan work.

No doubt, the action plans suggested by the apex tourism agency are indeed virile to boost any countrys tourism industry. Some of the actions include: technical assistance, capacity building and the revision of the countrys Tourism Master Plan, organisation of international conferences in Nigeria and the certification of tourism courses, widening access to the e-library for Nigerian tourism officials and offering support for relevant tourism institutions and agencies in Nigeria; data collection for the elaboration of tourism statistics, rural tourism development, hotel classification and in designing programmes to create awareness for tourism.

A need for local experts

Whilst all these plans are plausible, there is a need to allow the local expertise to draft a master plan for promoting this sector with a view to turning it into a melting pot. Besides, these local experts understand the Nigerian environment better than any foreign agency. This is not to say that the intentions of the apex global agency is bad. Rather, this is a call for the inclusion of more local experts who also have international exposure.

Additionally, there is also need to collaborate with industry players within the sector. Such players will include hoteliers, travel consultants, hotel booking portals like Jumia Travel, channel managers and many more.

Data Source: World Travel & Tourism Council
Photo by @steviemannphotography /Native to South Africa, the Zulu tribe has many rituals that have been passed from generation to generation over time. Zulu dances are signs of happiness and they occur when any significant event takes place. #zulu #southafrica #southafrican #dancing #heritage #africa #african #phindagamereserve #south_best

A photo posted by South Africa (@south_best) on Aug 29, 2016 at 12:51am PDT
So you have your company's email, customer relationship management (CRM) system and firewall in the cloud already? In which case, is it so hard to believe that you can take your telephony system (also known as a private automatic branch exchange or PABX for short) to the cloud as well?

For many years, IT as a Service (ITaaS) has enabled enterprises of all sizes to leverage off of the specialist skills, software and equipment of service providers with voice being the prominent exception. Recently IT decision makers have been under increasing pressure to justify the monumental spend on telephony every couple of years when everything else is available at arms length, as a service, month-to-month. The traditional arguments of onsite reliability and buying an asset that can be sweat for years no longer hold water.

So what is the new school of thought? Why are organisations taking their telephony in the cloud as a service so seriously? Well, there are a number of unbeatable benefits:

Its about the money

Whether youre a small business required to commit thousands or a large enterprise looking to commit millions of rands to an onsite telephony system, youre tying up cash that could be put to better use. Due to the fast pace of technology, your onsite PABX will need to be maintained and upgraded every 6-12 months by staff and all the integration done on installation will need to be updated and maintained. All of this adds a significant operating cost to the initial once-off capital expense. Tin no longer has any value other than its weight as recyclable material.

The promise of cloud is zero capital expense with a fully inclusive and predicable operational expense.

Its about the flexibility

Does your telephony system need more functionality? In this instance, you can pay for more functionality. And, if you dont need all the bells and whistles as you thought you did, its not a problem as you can downgrade easily and pay less. Or perhaps youd like to try out a new reporting feature, without taking formal ownership? Then you have the flexibility to have it deployed in the cloud for free for a trial period.

Its about the scalability

Cloud serves and provides a huge benefit to the small business by providing enterprise-grade telephony features to the two or three extension business. At the same time, cloud serves the large corporate too by seamlessly scaling from one branch to many. Queue your calls in the cloud and deliver them anywhere where you have spare capacity. You can also spin up a new branch or business in days or close down or consolidate a non-performing business unit without worrying what you are going to do with the infrastructure spend onsite.

Its about reliability

Your service provider has a vested interest to ensure that their platform is robust and reliable, more so than youll find you have on your existing telephony system. An outage on a hosted platform affects all clients, not just a single site so your provider will ensure they watch it like a hawk! Providers hosting in reliable data hosting facilities (such as Teraco in South Africa) will guarantee power, security and ensure high capacity internet access via peering facilities such as NAP Africa.

The current fibre land grab in the South African telecommunications market has driven the price of fibre connectivity lower than ever before making carrier grade IP connectivity a reality for many organisations in all segments. Furthermore, with the uptake of software defined networking (SDN) and more specifically VeloCloud delivered software defined-WAN (SD-WAN) the ability to implement service provider independent connectivity, load balancing, and link redundancy has put the power in the enterprises hands.

Its about the commitment

Or lack thereof. An on-premise telephony solution is sticky. Moving to cloud gives you the freedom to walk away from a bad service provider and switch to something better. The ball is in the provider's court to provide a rock solid service, if they drop it, they lose you; its that simple.

Its about leverage

Moving to the cloud allows you to leverage off of the best hardware, software and people in the industry. It allows you to choose and ally yourself with the service provider that best matches your businesss technological needs. Its no longer a question of whether you should move your telephony to the cloud, but a question of how and when.

Today there are more cloud telephony options for organisations to choose from than ever before. The market is on fire! The secret to successfully migrate your telephony to the cloud is by pairing your company with the service provider that has the goldilocks mix of leading edge technology, industry expertise and rock solid support that you require.
The organisation, IDE Consulting Services, is an international brand that has recently entered Africa, with the purpose of generating business and investment in Africa through tabletop summits.

The organisation serves as a bridging platform to facilitate business in particular industries. In Africa, we do have the skills, materials and institutions available, but sourcing these required skills and organisations is the cause of many stumbling blocks.

IDE, through its annual summits, inserts itself into an industry, bringing with it quality suppliers with accredited skills and renowned materials. These summits are invitation only, and, through tabletop meetings as well as brainstormed networking opportunities, the summits serve as a business generator and boost in the industry.

Currently, IDE hosts summits throughout the world: in India, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

IDE is currently working to boost the following industries in South Africa: real estate, investment, health and renewable energy.

This November, IDE will be hosting the 16th Edition Design Mission Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa. Design Mission Africa is focussed specifically on establishing a smooth pathway for the stakeholders of the real estate and development industry, in both the private and public sector.

Throughout Africa, there are over 600 real estate projects at the summit. IDE bridges the gap between suppliers and buyers to solve trade challenges in order to meet project deadlines. With over 3,500 prescheduled face-to-face meetings, Design Mission Africa aims to provide a lucrative platform for investment, growth and an aid in the completion of these projects.

Collaboration is the key to success when dealing with projects in Africa, and IDE is providing the best platform for this growth in the tabletop event, Design Mission Africa.

Design Mission Africa is set to take place on 17 & 18 November 2016 at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa.

For more information on Design Mission Africa please click here.




#WomensMonth: Recognise the importance in reaching your goals

Jenny Glover, executive creative director at TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris has sat on the judging panel for some of the top award shows - Cannes Lions, One Show, Loeries and more.

She gives us her views on being a women in the advertising industry, how working flexible hours can be achieved and with great success, and her message for future generations. Briefly tell us about your role? Briefly tell us about your role?

Glover: Im an executive creative director at TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg. I run the creative department with my two partners. This includes everything from maintaining client relationships, reviewing and presenting work, mentoring talent and managing the many personalities within the agency. Im also Mom to Grace (4) and Ivy (2).

What is your core strategy? What is your core strategy?

Glover: Ive worked incredibly hard to make myself a valuable commodity, because, as harsh as it sounds; you have to be worth the number on your paycheck.

Ive also always understood that you need to really distinguish yourself if you want to rise in the industry. Whats more, you need to do it consistently.

What is your main business challenge? What is your main business challenge?

Glover: Reinventing and revolutionising the old agency model is an industry-wide challenge, but also an epic opportunity.

Most important attribute needed to do your job? Most important attribute needed to do your job?

Glover: Im going to say creative brains; that combination of creative talent and the smarts to know how to use it to solve a business problem.

What advice would you give to women pursuing a career in your field? What advice would you give to women pursuing a career in your field?

Glover: Pour all your efforts into developing your abilities and becoming the best you can possibly be at your job. Being good at what you do is your most powerful asset. Ultimately the cream always rises, so make darn sure youre the cream.

Never, ever bat your lashes to get what you want. This is a sure-fire way to lose the respect of clients and peers. Its also hugely damaging to the image of professional women in general. Your brain and talent are the best ways to sway a room or assert influence.

Work for the best people. I owe everything to the amazing people I have worked for, not the places I have worked at.

Is there a glass ceiling in your industry? Is there a glass ceiling in your industry?

Glover: Right now the convention is set to men only at the top, but I do believe that will change.

One major barrier that needs to be addressed is the industry approach to women with children. Having children is advertising leprosy. The fact is, valuable and talented women reach a certain age, they have children and then they disappear or move onto the freelance circuit. If we want to keep the best talent in our industry, we need to address this. The solution is simply a more flexible model. Good people will always be good and will always get the job done, regardless of the specific structure of their working hours. I still have the same ability as I did pre-children. I havent lost my talent, brain or ambition. I work faster, smarter and just as many hours.

The old male guard need to get their heads around this if they want access to this talent pool.

What is your message for Women's Month? What is your message for Women's Month?

Glover: Women need to recognise that their dreams and ambitions are as important as mens. This unspoken expectation that we must give these up to support our husbands in their careers or raise children is beyond arrogant and almost cruel. More than anything, I want to help redefine a new normal for women, most especially for my daughters.
Born in Tanzania, Valerie Amani is the founder/creative director of Kahvarah, a clothing brand that is passionate about responsible fashion and woman empowerment. She completed her Bachelor of Economics at Rhodes University, where she was one of the founding members of the East African Society and active in the Presidents award programme empowering the local youth.

She then studied her Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design at FEDISA (Cape Town) and acquired a Certificate in Luxury Brand Management (Domus Academy, Milan). She has worked with the Cape Town Carnival, and is a freelance stylist for the Woolworths visual Merchandising team.

1. What does the concept of time mean to you?

Amani: I regard time as a measure and a reminder. Because time is in a constant forward motion, it acts as a personal measure of whether I am moving forward in terms of personal growth or not. I believe that time should not be wasted and the more time you have to spend, the more you should be learning and exploring and expanding.

It also acts as a reminder that nothing will last forever. I cherish great moments and enjoy them as much as I can because time comes with change. It also reminds me that nothing lasts forever and bad day today does not mean a bad day for the rest of my life.

2. What is the greatest thing you have learnt from a younger or older generation than yourself?

Amani: My nieces have taught me to always be curious. While they were growing up they not only used to ask me a million questions, but could ask the same question a million times until they got an answer they were satisfied with. As as a teenager I found that to be incredibly annoying because I didn't understand why they wanted to know so much. Looking back I realize the importance of being curious, being alert and not only asking questions, but asking questions until you get a real answer.

3. Tell us about something in your expertise that took you years to learn.

Amani: As a fashion designer, I have to make patterns (the blueprint) before I create samples of my clothes. It used to take me forever to create the pattern and to figure out how a garment is constructed. Only after four years can I now not only create patterns faster, but can cut out fabric freehand without using a pattern at all.

4. Our TEDxCapeTownWomen theme this year is "Lixesha | It is time". what do you believe is the most pressing issue we as a community/city/country/world need to address at this moment in time?

Amani: Discrimination as a whole, whether it is based on gender, race, sexual orientation, social class or nationality, is one of the most pressing issues. We live in an extremely diverse world and the more time people spend fighting against each other the less we can develop our communities in a sustainable manner. Hate and discrimination is a sign of digression and promotes war, unequal distribution of wealth and a general disconnect in our world. The way we treat each other is also a reflection of the way we treat our world, exploiting it and harming it. As people of a community which is part of greater world, I believe it is time for everyone to take responsibility and actively aim to positively impact our earth along with understanding and positively impacting the people around us.

Website: www.kahvarah.com; Twitter: @kahvarah.

Watch Valerie's TEDxTableMountain talk:
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Earlier this month, we reported on work martyrs, defined as those employees who believe that skipping vacation shows their dedication to their job. These workers are worried that, by taking time off, they will be viewed as replaceable, and they feel guilty for taking time out. The research, by Project: Time Off, revealed that work martyrs are overwhelmingly Millennials (43%) compared to just 29% of all workers.

New research, this time from Virginia Tech, has found that even shutting off from work after normal working hours is hard for many, and is leading to emotional exhaustion and disrupting the work-family balance.

Even during the times when there are no actual emails to act upon, the mere norm of availability and the actual anticipation of work create a constant stressor that precludes an employee from work detachment, said William Becker, study co-author and associate professor of management at Virginia Tech. Such expectations  whether real or imagined  cause more problems, including burnout and work-life balance problems, than the actual time it takes to read and respond to after-hours emails.

In fact, the four-year research project found that it is those who are keenest on keeping their working and family lives separate who are most affected.

Perhaps, suggests a survey from CareerBuilder of more than 3,000 full-time workers across multiple industries, the 9-5 working day will soon be a thing of the past. Almost half (49%) said they check, or answer, emails after work and 45% complete work outside of normal working hours.

Interestingly, and in line with Project: Time Offs research findings, CareerBuilder found that younger workers were more likely to check their emails, or keep working, after business hours.

While smartphones and other technology allow us to remain connected to the office outside of normal business hours, it may not always be a good thing as workers are having trouble disconnecting from their jobs, said Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer for CareerBuilder. Not surprisingly, younger workers attached to their mobile devices are more likely to work and check emails past business hours, while older workers feel less pressure to check-in after they have put in a full day of work.
Burial of one of the victims in Beni Territory, North Kivu Province, DR Congo.



Beni Territory sits in the Democratic Republic of the Congos North Kivu Province, bordering Rwanda and Uganda. It is a vivid example of the phrase, Everybody wants a piece of Congo.

It is rich in oil, timber, gold, diamonds, wolfram, coltan and cassiterite. Now the people of Beni are being massacred for their land and its riches.

Boniface Musavuli, Congolese human rights defender and author of Congolese Genocides from Leopold II to Paul Kagame , said that the massacres in Beni Territory began in 2014. Estimates are that 60 people are killed every month. After the Aug. 13, 2016 massacres, the number of victims rose above 1,200.

There is little doubt that the massacres in Beni Territory are in fact occurring, because it is so rich in mineral resources essential to the manufacture of modern life in the industrialized nations. Musavuli said, however, that the aggression has been falsely attributed to Ugandan Islamist rebels. The truth is, he said, that the killers are Rwandans and Ugandans who want to eliminate indigenous Congolese people to claim their land and resources. " In reality, killers in Beni are individuals who are coming from Rwanda and neighboring Uganda. Their goal is to severely eliminate indigenous peoples in order to take ownership of their land rich in resources."

Longstanding U.S. allies and military partners Rwanda and Uganda have been accused of trying to annex portions of Congo across their borders, and some U.S. policymakers and pundits have advocated carving independent states out of eastern Congo, as South Sudan was carved out of Sudan, despite the war and human catastrophe that ensued after South Sudans independence. Advocates of partition have included Herman Cohen, a former U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Johnnie Carson, another former U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs, and John Prendergast, humanitarian militarist crusader and co-founder of the ENOUGH Project.

Beginning in 2014, Reuters and AP wires reported that the Allied Democratic Forces, a phantom Ugandan Islamist group associated with Al Qaeda, Al Shabab, Boko Haram and even the Taliban was responsible for the massacres in Beni, though many scoffed at the idea that this militia had suddenly reappeared after years of inactivity. Recent reports by UN investigators have proven the Islamist militia theory to be a fraud. Musavuli confirmed that and added that the Congolese government may have used the Islamist extremist explanation to appeal to Western sympathizers and hide the fact that its own military officers were complicit in attacks on the indigenous people of Beni Territory. " We always wonder why the Congolese government continues to attribute the killings in Beni to Islamist terrorism. Perhaps, for the government of Kinshasa, it is a way to attract the sympathy of Western countries which are facing the Islamist terrorism. But what is true is that several reports have claimed that the killings in Beni are the acts of individuals operating with the complicity of the authorities, including mainly military officers."

Many Congolese believe that the Congolese government of President Joseph Kabila is complicit in Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Uganda President Yoweri Musevenis attempts to annex portions of eastern Congo. They point to new massacres in Beni that occurred shortly after recent meetings between the three presidents.
Some KIO leaders have already left for Naypyidaw to attend the conference under the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC); an ethnic alliance that the Kachin armed group is a member of.

Lt-Col Naw Bu, KIO spokesperson, said two columns of Burma Armys Light Infantry Battalion 99 (LID-99) attacked KIA Battalion 9, under Brigade 4, in Hu Long Mountain just east of Na Hpai.

The Burma Army also reportedly launched offensives on Sunday on ceasefire group Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army  Norths (SSPP/SSA-N) Wan Hai headquarters, also located in northern Shan State.

Reporting by KNG

Translated by Thida Linn

Edited by BNI staff
Senior leaders of the UNFCs member groups attended the emergency meeting held on August 24 and 25, in Thailand, where they released a statement that they will join the 21st Century Panglong Conference, or commonly known, Union Peace Conference, which will begin on August 31.

We have decided to join the 21st Century Panglong Conference. Joining the conference is a sign of building understanding with the government. However, no decisions will be made at this upcoming conference, said Nai Hongsar, UNFCs vice-chairman.

UNFCs released statement (Burmese version).

UNFCs statement also states that at the emergency meeting, the members presented and discussed the results of its delegation meeting with governments negotiation team at National Reconciliation Peace Center (NRPC) on August 20. Its additional meeting with government negotiation team on August 21-22 involved exchanging views on the proposed political dialogue framework, as well as its meeting with Organizing Joint committee of 21st Century Panglong Conference.

Based on the discussions at the emergency meeting, the UNFC will join the Union Peace Conference with the objectives of joining the step-by-step political talks for the establishment of a federal democratic union, according to the statement.

UNFC is comprised ethnic armed groups that have not signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) with the government yet.

Although the UNFC has confirmed that it will attend the Union Peace Conference, some of its members, namely the Ta ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the Arakan Army (AA), which are still in armed conflict with the Burma army [Tatmadaw], are continuing discussions on whether to join the conference.

According to an interview with MNA on August 26, the three armed groups  TNLA, MNDDAA and AA  stated that they have not been invited by the government to the conference yet.

We had not heard that Nay Pyi Taw [government official] had already sent us the invitations. They [govt] have not contacted us. They have not contacted our group either. If they [AA] received the letter, they would inform me, but so far no contact and no invitation has been received, said Lieutenant Colonel Kyaw Han of Arakan Army.

Likewise, the TNLA hasnt received an invitation from the government yet, although it has been reported in newspapers that the government have sent the invitations.

We have not received the invitation letter yet. They [government] said they invited us through the NDAA. The media are also reporting that the invitation letter was already sent to us. But that is not true. We did not get the letter yet and the NDAA also has not contacted us about it yet. If they [govt] want to invite us, they can just invite us directly. It seems that they do not want to invite us, and that is why we are yet to receive any invitation. If we are allowed to attend the conference, we are ready to, said Brigadier General Tar Jode Jar, Vice-chair of TNLA.

Thus far, only 7 [armed groups] members of the UNFC will attend the Union Peace Conference and these armed groups are the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the New Mon State Party (NMSP), the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), the Karenni Progressive Party (KNPP), the Wa National Organization (WNO), the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), and the Arakan National Council (ANC).
Political issues must be solved with political methods, said the SNLD chairperson.

During the conference, the party will read a paper on federalism, Khun Htun Oo said.

Gen Say Htin and other SSPP/SSA members have already arrived in Naypyidaw for the peace conference.

As have members of the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army but the armed groups leader Lt-Gen Yawd Serk didn't join them.

The SSPP/SSA, which wasnt a signatory to the nationwide ceasefire agreement but signed a Union-level ceasefire in 2012, didnt attend the first Union Peace Conference held in January under the previous U Thein Sein administration.

On Sunday as its leaders prepared to leave for the conference, the Burma Army allegedly attacked their Wan Hai headquarters in northern Shan State.

Since inking a ceasefire the group has fought with the Burmy Army over three-hundred times, according to BNIs Myanmar Peace Monitor website, with heavy fighting taking place late last year and continuing into 2016.

Reporting by Sai Aung Saing for SHAN

Translated by Thida Linn

Edited by BNI staff
Attention:Driving Is Unsafe For Those With Implanted Device For Stabilizing Heartbeats Wellness oi-Staff

London, Aug 29 (IANS) Implanting a device commonly used to help treat irregular heartbeats may increase the risk of motor vehicle accidents, suggests a new research.

The risk of traffic accidents is increased by 50 per cent in patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) compared to age- and gender-matched controls, the study noted.

Abnormal heart rhythms (or arrhythmias) can cause your heart to beat too quickly, too slowly or in an irregular pattern and an ICD can give your heart electric pulses or shocks to get your heart rhythm back to normal, according to the British Heart Foundation.

"Driving after ICD implantation is an area of great debate and concern for both doctors and patients," said lead author Jenny Bjerre, physician at the Herlev and Gentofte University Hospital, at Copenhagen in 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," Bjerre noted.

The ICD, which looks similar to a pacemaker, is inserted just under the collar bone.

The device is widely used to prevent sudden cardiac death in patients with an increased risk of life-threatening arrhythmias and in patients who have survived a life-threatening arrhythmia, including cardiac arrest.

The number of ICD implantations has increased dramatically over the past decades.

The study was conducted at The Cardiovascular Research Centre at the 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 participants matched by age and gender. Participants were 63 years old on average.

During an average follow-up period of 2.5 years, 2.3 per cent of ICD patients were in contact with a hospital following a motor vehicle accident compared to only 1.7 per cent of the control population.

Over time, this translated into a 51 per cent increased risk of motor vehicle accidents in ICD patients compared to controls, the researchers said.

The findings were presented at the ESC (European Society of Cardiology) Congress 2016 in Rome, Italy.



Inputs from IANS
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By Nathaniel Cary, ncary@greenvillenews.com

Duke Energy has received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to operate its 868-megawatt Keowee-Toxaway Hydroelectric Project, including the Jocassee Pumped Storage Hydro Station, Keowee Hydro Station and lakes Jocassee and Keowee, for another 30 years.

The project provides added electricity during peak usage times for thousands of South Carolina residents while the lakes are a drinking water supply for Upstate residents and a recreation resource.

Under the new license, Duke will maintain a higher lake level in Lake Keowee during normal conditions beginning in December 2019. The lake will be maintained between 790 and 800 feet above sea level. Its prior license allowed it to dip to 775 feet under normal conditions. Lake levels at Jocassee will remain the same.

It's the first relicensing of the project after it was initially licensed in 1966 to operate for 50 years. Its license was set to expire in August. The new license takes effect on Sept. 1.

Duke Energy had reached an agreement in November 2014 with stakeholders in North and South Carolina to gain support for the relicensing as the company sought to extend the life of its hydroelectric project. The company spent nearly a decade working with government and community stakeholders as it sought its relicensing.

"The project provides clean, renewable hydroelectric power generation, supports regional public drinking water needs and provides high-quality recreational opportunities for the region," Steve Jester, Duke Energy's vice president of water strategy, hydro licensing and lake services, said in a statement. "This license ensures the availability of these resources for future generations."

The project begins with Lake Jocassee on the border of North and South Carolina. It flows into Lake Keowee then downstream to Lake Hartwell, which is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The Keowee-Toxaway project is made up of the Jocassee and Keowee reservoirs with two powerhouses. It runs along 25 river miles and encompasses approximately 480 miles of shoreline. In addition to its hydropower generation, it provides cooling water for Oconee Nuclear Station, which has the capacity to generate approximately 2,500 megawatts of energy.

"Receiving the license allows us to implement operational, environmental and recreational resource enhancements that will result in many benefits to the community and the environment for decades to come," Jester said.

Under the agreement, Duke will enhance recreation facilities at both lakes. Proposals in its recreation management plan include adding diver access, a new courtesy dock, a new boat and trailer parking area, access for non-motorized boating and bank fishing signs at Devils Fork State Park. Duke Energy will add about 25 acres to Double Springs Campground and build new restrooms and 12 new campsites, according to the FERC relicensing agreement.

At Keowee, Duke will build new parking areas at three recreation sites, build new trails, add bank fishing signs and add new campsites, fishing stations and 10 cabins at Mile Creek County Park. It will build a canoe/kayak launch, fishing pier, and portage at 15-Acre Lake, a project recreation site located at Keowee-Toxaway State Park.

Duke also will implement a Habitat Enhancement Program in the watershed and conserve approximately 2,900 acres of property adjoining the lakes to preserve and protect ecologically and culturally significant resources.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. U.S. President Barack Obama will have a bilateral meeting with Turkish President TayyipErdogan during the G20 summit in China next month and is likely to have at least an informal talk with Russia's Vladimir Putin, the White House said on August 29, Reuters reported.

Obama wants to talk with Erdogan about events in Turkey after July's attempted coup, the military campaign against Islamic State, and how to promote stability in Syria, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters.

The White House said it opposes Turkey's push into areas in northern Syria controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, an opposition group the Obama administration supports, as it stands to erode the united front against Islamic State. The Obama-Erdogan meeting is scheduled for Sunday.

It was not certain whether Obama would hold a formal meeting with the Russian president during the G20 summit of the world's biggest economies, which runs Sept 4-5. But the two leaders often speak on the margins of such summits, Rhodes said.

"We usually try to find an opportunity for the two leaders to try to spend some time together, usually to focus on Syria and Ukraine," Rhodes said. The United States is at odds with Russia over the eastern Ukraine conflict and Washington and Moscow have struggled to stop fighting in Syria's civil war.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a meeting between Putin and Obama has not yet been coordinated, Russian RIA news agency reported. "We are ready," RIA cited Peskov as saying. "But there is no final agreement yet."
YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. The US Department of State issued a new warning for its citizens who are now in Turkey or are going to visit there over the existing terrorist threat in that country, Hurriyet reported.

The State Departments announcement says the employees of the US Embassy in Ankara and the US Consulate in Istanbul can voluntarily leave the territory of Turkey from August 23 to September 23. During that period the American side will reimburse the travel costs of its employees.

The announcement says such decision is related to the terrorist threat to the US citizens in Turkey.

The US citizens were especially urged to avoid visiting Turkeys south-east.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Rumors are circulating about the alleged death of Uzbekistans President Islam Karimov.

The Fergana news agency reported Monday night, citing unidentified sources, that Karimov has died aged 79 on August 29 at 15:00-16:00.

Officials in Tashkent have denied the reports, claiming Karimov is in "serious but stable condition," according to the Interfax news agency.

TASS reported the Kremlin does not have any confirmations to the reports issued by a number of media on Monday night that President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan has allegedly died.

"We don't have any confirmations (to this information)," the Russian President's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told TASS when a reporter asked him if the Presidential Administration was verifying the media reports.



Karimov has been the President of Uzbekistan since 1991.


A file photo

BEIJING (PTI): China's 3rd-generation surface-to-air missile system is combat-ready as the PLA prepares for a major upgrade in the range of missiles to counter deployment of sophisticated US THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea which Beijing views as a major security threat.



The new surface-to-air missile system will boost the attack ability of the military, a Chinese air force official said.



The People's Liberation Army Air Force will use the home-developed, ground-based air defence and anti-missile system, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post quoted Air Force spokesman Shen Jinke as saying.



"The system can cover from short-to long range and strike low- to high altitude targets," Shen said.



"Air defence and anti-missile systems are critical parts of the air force's strategic capability," Shen said.



"The system consists of new missiles and launching systems. The air force is transforming from territorial air defence to being capable of both attack and defence," he said.



"We will fully upgrade our strategic early warning, air strike, anti-aircraft and anti-missile, information countermeasure, air landing, strategic aerial delivery and comprehensive support," he said.



His remarks follow China's repeated protests against South Korea's decision to deploy a US-developed anti-missile system, which Beijing says poses a serious threat to the nation's security.



South Korea says the shield is needed to protect against North Korea's provocative nuclear weapons programme.



The Chinese defence official said the American Terminal High Altitude Area Defence, (THAAD) anti-missile system missile battery has a radar detection range of 1,000-2,000 km and minimal firing range of 40 km.



Given the geographical environment on the Korean Peninsula, the US and ROK's claim that the deployment is to "deal with nuclear threat from DPRK" without "targeting any third country" is too lame and hypocritical, the Chinese Defence Ministry said elaborating on why China opposed to the deployment of the THAAD missile systems.



Earlier this month, Chinese aerospace officials said China's next-generation cruise missiles will be developed based on a modular design, allowing them to be tailor-made for specific combat situations with high level of artificial intelligence.


Brandeis University names two alumni to Board of Trustees

The Brandeis Board of Trustees has elected Georg B. Muzicant 02, IBS MA 03, and Mindy L. Schneider 75 to the universitys governing body. The two new trustees four-year terms on the board began on July 1.

Muzicant serves as chief executive officer of Colliers International, a global real estate brokerage based in Austria that his late grandfather founded in 1958.

Schneider is a former health care executive in New York City and has been active in Brandeis alumni affairs for decades.

Both Georg and Mindy bring a wealth of experience and dedication to Brandeis to the board, said Larry Kanarek 76, chair of the board. I am delighted that both of these distinguished members of our alumni community will continue their relationship with Brandeis in such a meaningful way.

Georg B. Muzicant 02

Muzicant, who lives in Vienna, received his bachelors degree summa cum laude in economics and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his masters in international economics and finance from the International Business School.

After graduating from Brandeis, Muzicant worked in New York for The Monitor Group, before moving to Davis Companies, the integrated real estate investment, development and management firm founded by Brandeis Trustee Jonathan Davis 75. He then returned to Austria as managing director of his familys real estate business. Muzicant has been a member of the IBS Board of Overseers since 2011, and became co-chair of the IBS Real Estate Council in 2015. He has generously supported the Alumni Annual Fund.

I am grateful to Brandeis for the global perspective and intellectual rigor I experienced as both an undergraduate and at IBS, Muzicant said. I welcome the opportunity to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees and ensure the institution continues to enable students to build their own broad world views.

Mindy L. Schneider 75

Schneider, who lives in New York City, received her bachelors from Brandeis and went on to earn her MPA in hospital administration from New York University in 1981. Her late father, Irving Schneider, served as a trustee for many years, and made the gift in 2003 that enabled the Heller School for Social Policy and Management to double its campus footprint.

Since 2004, Schneider has served as a member of the Brandeis Arts Council. She is also a member-at-large of the Brandeis Alumni Association. She established an endowed scholarship in 2014, and generously supports the Alumni Annual Fund.

My family has treasured Brandeis as an incredibly special place, where social sciences, the arts and humanities, and scientific research are all core to the universitys identity, Schneider said. I am enthusiastic about taking on another role in support of this community and Im proud to follow in my fathers footsteps as a member of the Board of Trustees.
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YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Chairman of the Armenian National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Artak Zakaryan held a meeting with Deputy Chairman of the lower house (Mazhilis) of Kazakhstan's Parliament Vladimir Bozhko in Astana.

Artak Zakaryan arrived in Astana to participate in Building a nuclear weapon-free world international conference on August 29-30, press service of the Armenian Parliament told Armenpress.

Welcoming the Armenian partner and expressing gratitude for participating in the conference, Vladimir Bozhko presented the newly elected lower houses (Mazhilis) structure, the main directions of the legislative activities, the priorities of the inter-parliamentary cooperation. Bozhko talked about the Armenian-Kazakh inter-state relations, and expressed hope that despite the difficulties caused by the world economic crisis the bilateral economic ties have a great potential to expand.

Artak Zakaryan expressed gratitude for the warm reception, presented the major priorities of Armenias foreign policy, the process of the political settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, stressed the importance of developing the parliamentary component of the Armenian-Kazakh relations, intensifying the ties between the parliamentary friendship groups of the two states and signing cooperation memorandum between the Committees on Foreign Affairs.

The sides also proposed to organize mutual visit of the parliamentary friendship groups between the two states.

Other Armenian and Kazakh officials also attended the meeting.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 30/08/2016 (2251 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon University Students Union has reversed its decision to revoke an anti-abortion groups club status, ending any further court action.

Students for Life is now recognized as an official student group for the 2016-17 school year.

Its kind of sad that it had to come to legal action, but Im happy that with the outcome, were about to be just like any other club on campus, and have those same rights that all the other clubs do, said SFL president Catherine Dubois. We have exciting new plans and we really want to be active and present on campus, and having club status allows us to do just that.

SFL filed a lawsuit against the student union earlier this month, alleging that BUSU revoked the clubs student group status in November 2015 and didnt advise the group until Jan. 22, when SFL was denied an application to set up an information table in the Knowles Douglas Student Union Centre on campus.

It was definitely frustrating because we had events planned that we werent able to do on campus. We werent able to book space, we didnt have the money to rent space on campus, so we were pretty limited on what we could do, Dubois said. I know for a couple members that graduated who wanted to be more involved, it was pretty disappointing.

Without club status, SFL could not book meeting rooms, unless it paid booking fees. It also couldnt take part in student club days, apply for club event reimbursement or receive free access to other BUSU services.

SFL appealed at a BUSU council meeting on Feb. 12, where the revocation was upheld.

On behalf of the club, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms filed an application in the Manitoba Court of Queens Bench, seeking a court order for BUSU to reinstate the club, on grounds of BUSUs own policies and bylaws in support of freedom of expression.

On Monday, the JCCF announced the matter had been settled.

All in all its been definitely a learning experience, with the court application and everything we went through  so Im just kind of excited going forward to know that were not going to have the same thing happen again this year, Dubois said.

JCCF president John Carpay was also pleased with the outcome.

Im very happy that its resolved and this particular club can continue to operate on campus, and express their opinions as they see fit, Carpay said. Im also saddened that it was necessary to file a court action. The student union should never have removed club status from this group in the first place, and the student union was quite clear that the only reason why they removed this clubs status was because the student union did not like, or did not agree with their opinions.

The group was told by BUSU that their message made some students feel uncomfortable and intimidated; the clubs beliefs did not align with the Canadian Federation of Students official pro-choice stance; and the club is redundant because issues of suicide and abortion are already addressed by the LGBTQ Collective and the Womens Collective on campus.

Posters distributed by SFL on campus in April 2014 compared a pro-choice statement from the Canadian Supreme Court in 1997 to historical statements not recognizing Jews, woman slaves and "Indians" as people.

A chalking event in October 2015 saw SFL members write statements "related to the issues of abortion, euthanasia, the right to life, and the legal status of persons on public sidewalks owned by the City of Brandon and adjacent to the Brandon University campus, according to the lawsuit.

The club faced the same issue in the 2012-13 school year, when BUSU denied SFL official status. The JCCF got involved at that time, and the decision was reversed under threat of court action.

Carpay is hopeful the issue wont come back again in another three years when BUSU has new representatives.

Hopefully free speech will continue to be respected, not just this school year but in all of the years to come, Carpay said. People need to realize that freedom of expression includes the right to say unpopular things and controversial things. And as long as youre expressing your ideas in a peaceful fashion, there shouldnt be limits to it.

BUSU president Nick Brown declined comment when contacted by The Brandon Sun.

 jaustin@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @jillianaustin
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This article was published 30/08/2016 (2251 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Brandon judge has made a significant ruling on privacy and the search of smartphones and other devices at the Canadian border.

In making his decision, Judge Donovan Dvorak said he had to strike a balance between the need for authorities to search while upholding the law and privacy.

This hearing raises a number of legal issues that, as a result of changes in technology and the way we use it, are to some degree unsettled in Canadian criminal law, Dvorak said in delivering his decision in Brandon provincial court on Monday.

Dvorak seems to have stepped into untrodden legal ground in Canada.

The case of a Quebec man who was charged under the Customs Act for refusing to give border officials his cellphone password while at the Halifax airport ended earlier this month with a guilty plea and a $500.

It was an unsatisfactory end to that case for those who sought clarity on when CBSA officers can search electronic devices.

In Brandon court on Monday, Dvorak ruled that photographic evidence found by CBSA officers may be presented at the trial of a man charged with possessing and importing child pornography.

But not before he applied privacy safeguards on border guards ability to examine smartphones, computers and other such devices.

The case is that of Brandon Tyler Vaillancourt, 22, a member of the Canadian military who is accused of having child porn images on his cellphone as he crossed the border back into Canada in May 2014.

The Crown maintains that the phone contained 169 images believed to be child porn. However, those accusations havent been proven in court and Vaillancourt is presumed innocent.

Rather, Dvoraks ruling was limited to a voir dire that began in January.

In outlining the facts and arguments from that hearing, Dvorak noted that Vaillancourt argued that any images found on his iPhone should be excluded from trial.

He argued that searches done by Canadian border guards violated his right to be protected from unreasonable search or seizure under Section 8 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Under Section 24 (2) of the charter, admitting evidence from such a search would bring the administration of justice into disrepute  it should therefore be tossed out, defence argued.

Dvorak described how Vaillancourt, at the time an infantryman stationed at Canadian Forces Base Shilo, had travelled alone to the United States.

On May 2, 2014, he was driving back into Canada through the Boissevain port of entry when a CBSA officer exercised discretion under the Customs Act and decided to search Vaillancourt and his vehicle.

During that search, an officer found Vaillancourts unlocked iPhone in the vehicles console.

The officer performed a cursory search  checking a running GPS app, text messages and photos to see if they backed up or refuted Vaillancourts account of where hed travelled.

Among the photos on the phone, the officer found an image of a girl, about eight years old, dressed in lingerie and lying in a way that showed her genital area.

Officers believed the image to be child porn, so the phone was taken to an examination room for a more thorough search and numerous other images believed to be child porn were found.

Vaillancourt was arrested and the RCMP called in to investigate.

Dvorak outlined Vaillancourts argument for why he believed the search of the phone by border officers was done without reasonable grounds or suspicion, and without lawful authority.

The accused, represented by Winnipeg lawyer Dan Manning, took the position that officers had no grounds to search the phone under Sections 98 and 99 of the Customs Act.

Crown attorney Deidre Badcock, on the other hand, argued that the officers had grounds because they believed Vaillancourt was hiding undeclared goods. The prosecution also argued that they had the authority to search under Section 99 as the phone was a good under that section.

Dvorak ruled that officers didnt have reasonable grounds for a search under Section 98, as they didnt have reason to suspect, prior to the search, that Vaillancourt had violated the Customs Act.

However, he ruled that officers did have a right to search the phone because it was a good under Section 99 of the act.

According to a transcript of a police interview of Vaillancourt shortly after his arrest, he had possessed and used the iPhone in Canada prior to his trip to the United States.

But Dvorak ruled that Section 99 allows officers to examine any good that may have been imported. It doesnt exclude goods already bought or used, so it applied to Vaillancourts phone.

The fact that private information is added to an electronic device does not change the fundamental character of it as a good, Dvorak said. It does, however, raise concerns as regards an individuals privacy rights.

Dvorak said that border officers testified to their belief that they could search any items, including electronics such as a smartphone, with no limits.

The judge disagreed. As the Supreme Court has already noted, devices such as computers and cellphones have immense storage capacities  they may contain intimate information on a persons interests, habits and identity.

That information may be stored in the device without the users knowledge, and may remain even after the user thinks it has been erased or destroyed.

Groundless and limitless searches of the most intimate and personal details of a persons life, simply because they chose to cross the border with a device that is considered an essential part of modern life, are not reasonable, Dvorak said.

In making his ruling, Dvorak referred to the 2014 Supreme Court decision in R. vs Fearon. That case allowed warrantless searches of cellphones by police upon arrest  with some conditions.

Dvorak applied those conditions to the Vaillancourt case and Canadian border officers.

He said the search of the device must be lawful, truly incidental to arrest and officers must have a reason based on a valid law enforcement purpose, the search must be tailored to the purpose of the investigation and detailed notes must be made on what is found and how the device was examined.

In the case of Vaillancourt, Dvorak ruled that the border officers had met each of those conditions.

There were valid law enforcement reasons  searching the GPS app, tests and photos for evidence of Vaillancourts travels was legitimate.

The more detailed search was the result of the officer finding the photo in question, and both searches were limited to the investigation and minimally intrusive, Dvorak said.

The search was reasonable, and the images will not be excluded.

Any photos found on the phone will therefore be admitted at trial. The case has been put to Sept. 12 to set a dates for the trials continuation.

 ihitchen@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @IanHitchen
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This article was published 30/08/2016 (2251 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With a goal of boosting tourism in rural, northern and indigenous communities, the Province of Manitoba announced an increase in funding grants.

Growth, Enterprise and Trade Minister Cliff Cullen made the announcement in Churchill on Monday morning.

The program is another component in the governments efforts to modernize rural and northern attractions so we can continue to attract more visitors and build Manitobas tourism economy, the Spruce Woods Progressive Conservative MLA said in a press release. Through the cost-shared grants of up to $25,000, we will support planning and development of tourism products and experiences designed to tell Manitobas unique local stories.

Cliff Cullen/Twitter Growth, Enterprise and Trade Minister Cliff Cullen used a trip to Churchill Monday to announce a more than 50 per cent increase in the provinces Tourism Development Fund.

The Tourism Development Fund will be increased by more than 50 per cent to $297,000 for 2016-17. According to the province, grants of up to $25,000 will be available to support tourism planning and project development by First Nation governments, community development organizations, rural and northern destination organizations, community events and festival groups and tourism groups.

Brandon Chamber of Commerce president Terry Burgess hopes to see some of those funds come to Westman.

Currently, theres lots of work being done with northern (Manitoba) and there seems to be a focus around Winnipeg, Burgess said. We want to encourage them through their programming to make sure that Brandon isnt left out.

Burgess would like to see more efforts to attract folks from North Dakota to come visit Westman, similar to the campaigns encouraging Manitobans to head south of the border.

I was pretty encouraged by the focus of the program, Burgess said. There seems to be a lot more focus on rural type activities, so hopefully that will benefit Westman as well.

Lois MacDonald, general manager of Brandon Riverbank Inc., said due to the timeline of the grant, and the requirements listed, Brandon Riverbank will not be applying. The grants are for new program development or initiatives for an existing centre.

We dont have anything that would be ready to go, because you also need to have proof of matching funds, MacDonald said.

The application deadline for the Tourism Development Fund is Sept. 30 at 5 p.m.

If somebody is already working on something then certainly this would be a great fit for them, MacDonald said. Hopefully they can maximize on the grant, and obviously we would be more than happy to promote that  the new product, or program or whatever it is once it comes to fruition. Thats always just a good thing when theres more things to do and experience here.

 jaustin@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @jillianaustin
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This article was published 27/08/2016 (2254 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Glenboro is getting an upgrade.

Bell and MTS announced plans to expand LTE to the area yesterday in Glenboro.

The plan, however, is contingent on Bells acquisition of MTS going through. That transaction, which was valued at approximately $3.9 billion, is expected to close later this year or early in 2017.

Mirko Bilbic, Bells chief corporate development officer, said the project is part of the $1 billion, five-year commitment the company made to expand broadband fibre and wireless communications in Manitoba following the close of the sale

Were pretty excited and we believe there is a lot of growth potential in Manitoba, Bilbic said. In our view, the state of the communication networks has lagged behind other provinces and certainly lagged compared to other networks that Bell operates.

Bell and MTS have made similar announcements in northern Manitoba and along Highway 75 in southern Manitoba.

Coverage in Glenboro is inconsistent at the moment, according to a company spokesman, with average speeds well below the potential peak of

21 megabytes per second. LTE peak download speed is 150 mbps.

Bilbic believes the expanded services is important for safety concerns on major routes while economic development should benefit as well.

This is the latest example of the benefits well deliver to Manitobans as part of the Bell MTS commitment to invest in the latest broadband networks and service innovations available, he said. With this expansion, Glenboro will be able to take full advantage of the most powerful mobile network in Canada.

All of the investment is private money.

Provided the sale of MTS goes through, the combined companys Manitoba operations will be known as Bell MTS. Winnipeg will become headquarters for Bells entire Western Canada team, which will grow to 6,900 people with the addition of MTSs 2,700 employees.

This much-needed infrastructure upgrade will benefit families, businesses and farmers, as well as the local school and hospital in the town of Glenboro and its surrounding area, said Patricia Solman with MTS. And importantly, it also fills existing coverage gaps on highways 2 and 5, enhancing connectivity and safety along these key transportation routes.

Spruce Woods MLA and Minister of Growth Enterprise and Trade Cliff Cullen said the Progressive Conservative government is committed to fostering an environment that attracts and expands business.

We are therefore pleased with Bell MTSs commitment to invest in enhanced communications services throughout rural and northern Manitoba, Cullen said.

 ctweed@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @CharlesTweed
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This article was published 30/08/2016 (2251 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Rain and hail over the weekend slowed harvest in some areas of Westman in what has been a productive season to date.

In the southwest region of Manitobas Crop Report, harvest of barley and oates is estimated at 50 per cent complete.

Barley producers reported good yields with grain quality impacted by fusarium head blight in some areas.

Submitted AJ Armstrong shows some of the hail that hit his family farm east of Boissevain.

The majority of the region received some rain with an average between five to 15 millimetres. However, the Killarney area reported up to 40 mm of rain Sunday evening.

Other areas, including east of Boissevain, got hail.

AJ Armstrong of Armstrong Seeds near Boissevain said the hail came late Sunday evening.

The ground was white with hail, said Armstrong, who estimates there will be some producers hit bad enough to put a claim into the Manitoba Agriculture Services Corporation.

Soybeans continue to fill, while corn and sunflowers continue to develop without many issues.

Some early canola is harvested in the very south near the United States border with average yields, while swathing has been challenged by disease.

Farm production adviser Amir Farooq, who works out of Manitoba Agricultures Hamiota office, said there has been little canola swathing in his area.

Farooq believes this week will be a big week to start on rapeseed.

This week everything will become clear with harvest, he said.

Submitted A photo of the front that rolled through Westman near Boissevain. Clouds brought rain and hail on Sunday evening.

Some spring wheat has been harvested with indications of average yields and quality. Some producers are reporting lower protein values.

I was in Rivers last week and the farmers were doing spring wheat and it was 60 to 70 bushels, Farooq said. It was good crop with good quality.

Pea harvest is nearly complete with some late disease forcing average to below average yields with some quality issues.

 ctweed@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @CharlesTweed
YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Aram Manukyan  one of the gunmen who ambushed a police precinct in Yerevan in July  successfully underwent surgery, Manukyans attorney Harutyun Baghdasaryan told ARMENPRESS.

Ive talked to the doctor, he said there are no complications. The bones of his leg are recovering normally. The bone surgery is already completed, soon the muscle stitching will be finished, he said.

The attorney assumes Manukyan will remain at Erebuni medical center for a few days prior to being transferred to the hospital of the correctional department.
Opinion

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This article was published 30/08/2016 (2251 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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, 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.

 Toronto Star
Opinion

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This article was published 30/08/2016 (2251 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I write in response to your Aug. 18, 2016, editorial, Lets Move Forward On Urban Reserve Process. I agree with you that, given current thinking, it is probable that urban reserves will come to Brandon and other cities. I do not agree that this is a good thing.

Because your editorial seems to imply that there must be some element of racism in any opposition to the idea, I feel the need to make it clear that mine is not a racist objection. As R. Sitter points out (Urban Reserve Not The Solution For Helping First Nations, letter to the editor, Aug. 23) there are many reasons to oppose urban reserves, casinos or urban reserve casinos that have nothing to do with racism.

My objection is also not in any way a slur on Sioux Valleys leadership. In fact, I have long admired the current chief of that community. Even as a young band constable, and then probation officer, it was clear that Vince Tacan was a leader.

I am also not being critical of the Sioux Valley councillors I dont know. I would be just as critical of the concept if it was proposed that Brandon City Council take public money and buy up and operate Brandons restaurants, hotels and other businesses. Again  no disrespect intended  but my guess is that if they took on such a task, Brandonites would soon be complaining of bad food, poor service, and enormous tax bills.

My objection is that urban reserves are based on a failed business model. Subsidizing elected officials and bureaucrats with tax dollars and then expecting them to successfully start and run businesses didnt work in the Soviet Union, and has not worked in any other place where it has been tried. China is now communist in name only, and its recent economic success is a testament to the power of individuals making their own business decisions.

Even in Cuba they are only waiting for the Castros to depart before they finally let their frustrated population start to make a living. In fact, I think that the last bastion of the completely state-run economy  apart from reserves, that is  is North Korea.

So, my objection is to the business model. It is the same model forced on reserves by the Indian Act, and it is one of the reasons why reserves generally are such a dismal failure. Urban reserves are just the latest addition to a separateness regime that keeps so many aboriginal people poor and dependent.

Welcoming more aboriginal people to Brandons business community, on the other hand, is an excellent idea. Brandon now has productive people of many nationalities and ethnic groups, including aboriginal. More are welcome. No special rules or tax exemptions are needed  just the determination to succeed.

Brian Giesbrecht

Nesbitt
YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Eurasian Economic Commissions Chairman of the Board Tigran Sargsyan had a meeting on August 29 with Ambassador of Mongolia to Russia H.E. Delgermaa Banzragch.

The EEC told ARMENPRESS the sides discussed trade-economic cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Union and Mongolia. Tigran Sargsyan expressed confidence EEU and Mongolia will develop cooperation even more after the MoU signing between the EEC and the government of Mongolia last year.

For example this isnt only the export of our Unions products from Mongolia, but also issues regarding formation of joint enterprises and investment projects. We do not limit the circle of issues which might interest our Mongolian partners.

In response to the Ambassadors remarks that the possibility of forming a free trade zone or joining the EEU is being considered in Mongolia, Tigran Sargsyan reflected on his experience. Three years ago, when I was leading the Armenian government, we also faced a choice  join the EEU or not. At that time we scrutinized everything, discussed the pros and cons. And our decision to join the EEU became very pragmatic, counting all economic parameters.

The Ambassador of Mongolia said the research group which was planned under the memorandum has been formed and began working, aiming at developing economic dialogue between EEU states and the Mongolian government.

She proposed to discuss the possibility of decreasing import custom tariffs of several Mongolian products, and apply the experience of creating a free trade zone between Vietnam and EEU.

In this regard Tigran Sargsyan said: Many countries request to sign free trade agreements. Because indeed they view the EEU as a huge market where they can sell their products. In this regard a question always emerges for us  if we maximally open our market, what gains our business. Our working group must find the mutual profit.
Update 3.30pm: Asked whether British Prime Minister Theresa May welcomed the ruling, a Downing Street spokesman said: "This is clearly an issue for the Irish Government, Apple and the European Commission."

Asked whether the British Government would like to see Apple relocate in the UK post-Brexit, the No 10 spokesman said: "The narrative from the Government has been well set out.

"Britain is open for business, we would welcome any company wishing to invest in Britain."

He stressed that all companies registered in the UK are expected to "pay the tax they owe".

Update 12.55pm: Ms Vestager has dismissed threatened court challenges from Apple and the Irish Government, saying she had a "very concrete case".

The tax rulings at the centre of the watchdog's inquiry date from 1991 and 2007.

And the probe revealed the extent of Apple's tax bills thanks to the movement of profits to subsidiaries in Ireland and a "head office" within Apple Sales International which was not based in any country, had no employees or premises and only had occasional board meetings.

There was "no factual or economic justification" for Ireland's tax deal with Apple, EU says https://t.co/qCTqDn6nBS pic.twitter.com/CGHobr7pJw  Bloomberg (@business) August 30, 2016

It found only a small percentage of Apple Sales International's profits were taxed in Ireland and the rest was not taxed anywhere.

The commissioner highlighted 2011, when Apple Sales International recorded profits of $22bn.

Under the tax arrangement it had in Ireland, only about 50m was considered taxable, leaving 15.95bn of profits untaxed, the inquiry found.

European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager outlines why Apple must repay 13 billion to Ireland https://t.co/lXRUZCdMsQ  Sky News (@SkyNews) August 30, 2016

That year, Apple Sales International paid less than 10m of corporate tax in Ireland - an effective tax rate of about 0.05% despite the headline rate being 12.5%.

The Commission said that, in subsequent years, Apple Sales International's recorded profits continued to increase but the profits considered taxable in Ireland under the terms of the tax ruling did not.

The arrangement was terminated last year when Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe changed their structures, the inquiry found.

"Apple's tax benefits in Ireland are illegal" & breach state aid rules - European Commission https://t.co/fIQSoNGmFD https://t.co/cbJi064gpL  BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) August 30, 2016

The companies hold the rights to use Apple's intellectual property to sell and manufacture its products outside North and South America and make yearly payments to Apple in the US for research and development.

The Commission found these expenses were deducted from the profits recorded by Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe in Ireland each year.

It also revealed that Apple set up its sales operations in Europe in such a way that customers were buying products from Apple Sales International in Ireland rather than from the shops that physically sold them. This way Apple recorded all sales and associated profits in Ireland.

Update 12.25pm: Sinn Fein's Finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty has called for a public inquiry to establish "who facilitated the States sweetheart deal with Apple".

He also said the governments decision to appeal this ruling should be put to a vote in the Dail and his party will be bringing forward a motion to oppose such an appeal.

Mr Doherty said: Todays ruling has shocked even those of us who have been watching this issue with a keen eye. Up to 13billion of tax has been lost as a result of a sweetheart deal with Apple. That is a massive amount of money and we must have a public inquiry to establish who facilitated this deal.

Given the State is chasing people who have not paid their water charges through the courts it is unimaginable that the government will appeal this ruling.

The government should accept the EU Commission ruling and impose the correct tax bill on Apple."

The Sinn Fein TD said any decision to appeal the ruling should be put to a Dail vote.

He said: The argument made by government for appealing the ruling is to protect Irelands reputation but unfortunately the damage has already been done and an appeal has the potential to further damage our international reputation."

Update 12pm The European Union's Representative in Ireland says the tax deal put other companies here at a serious disadvantage.

Barbara Nolan is head of the office: Well the Commission is saying that the special treatment that Apple got in Ireland allowed it to pay less tax than other companies.

This constitutes unfair competition, think of other companies struggling to stay afloat that did not get this special favourable treatment that Apple got.

Update 11.25am: Apple has accused the European Commission of threatening future investment and job creation on the continent and said it is confident of overturning an order to pay 13bn in back taxes to the Irish Government over a breach of state aid rules.

Apple has said this ruling is going to have a "profound and harmful" effects in European investment and job creation.

This is not good news for Ireland as Apple is about to create 1,000 jobs in Cork.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Michael Noonan said he profoundly disagreed with the verdict.

His office said the Ireland does not do "deals" with taxpayers: "Our tax system is founded on the strict application of the law ... without exception," Mr Noonan said.

The minister said he would seek Government support to challenge the commissioner's findings in the European courts.

"This is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system, to provide tax certainty to business, and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation," he said.

"It is important that we send a strong message that Ireland remains an attractive and stable location of choice for long-term substantive investment."

11.15am: Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager has said at a press conference that Apple was using a "so-called head office with no employees, no premises and no activity" to avoid paying tax on commercial activity taking place in Ireland.

In 2014 for evey 1m of profit Apple made, they paid 50 in tax.

Speaking today after the EU Commission decision, Chairman of the Revenue Commissioners said that Revenue has cooperated fully with the Commissions investigation.

We have provided all relevant information and explanations to the Commission. These demonstrate that Revenue collected the full amount of tax due from Apple in accordance with Irish tax law.

The issue of international tax planning, involving mismatches between different countries tax rules, is well known and is the subject of the OECD BEPS Project.

Update: 10.40am: Europe has accused Ireland of giving illegal tax benefits to Apple worth up to 13bn.

The European watchdog has said the tech giant - which denies any wrongdoing - breached EU state aid laws by channelling some of its profits through Ireland.

A three-year investigation by Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager found the arrangements dating back to the early 1990s were illegal under state aid rules.

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.

"Ireland did give favourable tax treatment to Apple."

The Revenue Commisioners have been told to recover the unpaid billions.

"Member states cannot give tax benefits to selected companies - this is illegal under EU state aid rules," the commissioner said.

"The Commission's investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years."

BREAKING: @EU_Commission has concluded that Ireland granted undue tax benefits of up to 13 billion to Apple. News conference due in 20 mins  Tony Connelly (@tconnellyRTE) August 30, 2016

EU regulators say that deal effectively left it with a corporate tax rate of less than 1%.

The firm and the Irish government both deny doing anything wrong.

Minister Noonan is to seek Government approval to appeal the ruling and Apple will also appeal the ruling.

In a statement released this morning the Irish Government have said they "disagree profoundly" with the Commission's analysis.

Earlier: Ireland will today be ordered to recoup billions of euro in tax arrears from Apple.

The European Commission is set to declare that Ireland allowed the firm to avoid corporate tax by agreeing a special tax deal.

The ruling due this morning has been three years in the making - and while it may be what Ireland expected, it is not what the government wanted.

Competition commissioner Margarethe Vestager will publish the findings of a long-running inquiry into Apples tax status in Ireland.

And the Commission will claim that the company reached a private deal with the Revenue Commissioners - in short, negotiating its corporate tax rate when other firms did not have the same luxury.

Both Ireland and Apple deny the claims and both have said they will appeal.

But in the meantime Ireland will be told to reassess Apples tax bill - which could see the technology giant hand over billions in taxes going back years.

That money will be kept to one side while the two parties appeal to the European courts.

Daniel Shaviero, Professor of Taxation at NYU outlines what the ruling may mean for our tax laws: Ireland does have a 12.5% tax rate in a sense what the European Comission would be saying if this continues to go through is you guys really have to charge 12.5% in other words, without having special deals.
Apple has been ordered to pay back 13bn over its tax deal with the Republic of Ireland.

We take a look at the tax arrangements that led to the EU Commission's ruling and which companies could be next in the firing line.

:: What sort of arrangement did Apple have with Irish authorities?

The EU Commission's investigation was launched in 2014 under the suspicion that Irish authorities were purposefully miscalculating and ultimately underestimating Apple's taxable profit on products like iPhone and iPads.

The multinational corporation is said to have secured a tax advantage not available to other companies, which ultimately amounted to state aid and breached EU antitrust law. The authorities in Ireland and Apple have repeatedly denied breaching these rules.

:: Why does the EU's ruling on Apple matter?

The sheer size of the case is drawing attention. In October, the EU Commission ordered Starbucks and Fiat to pay 20m to 30m for benefiting from so-called sweetheart tax deals in the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

That is small compared with the latest ruling, which is calling on Ireland to recoup 13bn in unpaid taxes from Apple.

The case has also irked the US Treasury, which earlier this month published a paper accusing EU authorities of unfairly targeting US companies in antitrust probes.

Lewis Crofts, global chief correspondent at antitrust trade publication Mlex, explained that the US is worried that Apple's cash won't make it back to the US. "They say 'it's our money, you have no right to take it'. That's the big fight."

:: Will Apple pay?

Apple is expected to appeal against the ruling in European General Courts and take it to the Court of Justice if the first appeal fails.

While the ruling would ultimately benefit Irish government coffers, Mr Crofts says Ireland will also appeal against the EU Commission's decision.

"The irony is that there will be domestic pressure to accept this money, but what Ireland knows is that, in this instance, the decision makes it much less attractive to invest in," Mr Crofts said.

:: Which companies will be targeted next?

A case this size is unlikely to come up again, but there are other US companies in the firing line.

EU authorities are currently investigating Amazon and McDonald's for similar tax deals it deems illegal. Those rulings could be doled out in the next six to 12 months.

But potentially any company that is deemed to have received a special deal from a European government could be end up targeted by antitrust watchdogs in the near future, Mr Crofts said.
A catalogue of failures contributed to the stillbirth of a baby girl at a hospital in the North, a landmark inquest has heard.

The Northern Health and Social Care Trust apologised for the death of baby Cara Rocks in June 2013, admitting a number of mistakes had been made.

Barrister David Dunlop told Belfast Coroner's Court: "It is likely if an elective or emergency c-section had taken place baby Cara would not have been stillborn."

The hearing, which is listed for five days, is the first ever stillbirth inquest in the North and follows a Court of Appeal ruling in November 2013.

Coroner Joe McCrisken said the region was "leading the way" in the examination of stillbirth causes.

Cara Rocks died at the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine, Co Derry on June 26 2013.

In a statement, a lawyer for the Northern Trust said it was "accepted" a number of errors had played a part in her death.

These included:

:: Wrongly categorising Michelle Rocks, who had a previous caesarean section, as "low risk".

:: Inadequate levels of counselling from a senior medic on the mode of delivery.

:: Administration of the hormone, Propess to induce labour without the risks being discussed with Mrs Rocks.

:: Incorrect recording of baby Cara's heart rate as suspicious, not pathological meaning critical, following induction.

:: Delays in the decision to proceed to an emergency c-section because of time spent trying to locate a foetal heart rate.

The Trust's lawyer added: "The Trust wishes to express an apology to Mr and Mrs Rocks for the unfortunate death of baby Cara.

"Obviously this is a tragedy for the family. It is not taken lightly and is recognised by all members of the Trust who were involved in this case."

In the witness box Michelle Rocks, 38, from Moneymore near Magherafelt in Derry, broke down as details of the delivery were read out.

She recalled repeatedly requesting a planned c-section over fears of complications and risks following bad experiences with her two sons.

She said: "Because I had an emergency section with Daniel and a normal birth with Tony which ended up in a vacuum delivery, I knew I couldn't deliver.

"I had gone through both so I knew what was best for me."

Mrs Rocks described feeling "very upset" and said she was "in tears" when she was informed her request for an elective c-section would not be facilitated and that she was "capable" of delivering naturally.

She added: "I thought that they had the right to refuse me.

"I thought the decision was made and that's that."

The court also heard how Mrs Rocks was sent home after presenting at the Causeway Hospital at 38 weeks' gestation with her baby in a transverse position.

She "begged" for a c-section but was turned down, it was claimed.

Following her daughter's death, Mrs Rocks said she was left feeling angry, anxious and distressed at the sight of other babies.

She also lost faith in the medical profession, the inquest heard.

"Our lives were turned upside down. I do not think that we will ever get over the loss," said Mrs Rocks.

"We were robbed of our daughter; our sons of their sister and parents of their granddaughter.

"We only wish that she had that chance to live."

It was later revealed that Mrs Rocks and her husband Barry have since had another daughter, Megan-Rose, who was delivered by a planned c-section 18 months ago.

Among the medics to give evidence was midwife of over 20 years Michaela Doherty who had cared for Mrs Rocks in the delivery suite.

She too broke down in tears recalling the tragedy and said despite difficulties in reading baby Cara's heart rate she did not believe it was not there.

Later, she told the court she had been informed that baby Cara's umbilical cord had been wrapped around her neck.

"I was told the chord was tightly round the neck three times," said Ms Doherty.

"It was common knowledge."

Another midwife Lisa Richmond claimed she was not aware of a situation where a woman's preference for an elective cesarean section had been refused.

Opening the case, the coroner cautioned that the five-day hearing was not a trial.

Mr McCrisken said: "This is not a trial and no one is on trial.

"This is a fact finding inquiry. I am not here to attribute any blame or responsibility."

The case continues.
Educate Together's first secondary school opened its doors to 45 First Year students on the campus of Nagle Community School, Mahon, which it is sharing on a temporary basis.

It is the first Educate Together school in the Munster area.
There's still time for students to find accommodation for the coming academic year.

That's the message from The Union of Students in Ireland, who is launching the 2016 Finance and Accommodation Guide today.
The Dubliner killed in a case of mistaken identity in Spain will be laid to rest today.

Trevor O'Neill from Drimnagh, Dublin was shot in Majorca while on holiday with his family a fortnight ago.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Germanys Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier strictly responded to Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusolgus announcement regarding German lawmakers visit to the Incirlik base.

Steinmeier announced if Turkey continues denying German lawmakers to visit the base, German troops stationed there with the goal of fighting IS will be withdrawn, according to Deutsche Welle.

Since the federal parliament affirms the issue of foreign military missions in Incirlik, then it is necessary for the lawmakers to be able to visit the mission, he said.

He denied Cavusoglus demand regarding Germany distancing itself from the Armenian genocide resolution.

I dont think this has anything to do with the mater and I have told this to my Turkish colleague, Steinmeier said.

Earlier Reuters reported Turkish permission for German lawmakers to visit the Incirlik air base will depend on the German government distancing itself from the Armenian Genocide resolution, Turkey's foreign minister said on Monday.

Turkey, angered by the resolution passed by the German parliament in June that recognized the 1915 Armenian Genocide, has denied German lawmakers access to the base near the Syrian frontier.

Six German surveillance jets and a refueling tanker are using it to support the U.S.-led coalition's strikes on Islamic State. Some German lawmakers have threatened to end the mission unless Ankara allows them to visit.

"It depends on the steps taken by Germany. If they take the necessary steps we will enable this visit," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a news conference in Ankara, when asked about allowing the German lawmakers access to the base.

"But unfortunately I have to say that those that mingle and manipulate our history in an unfair manner cannot be allowed on this visit," he said, in reference to the Armenian Genocide resolution.

Foreign ministry officials said "necessary steps" meant the German government distancing itself from the parliamentary resolution and making clear it did not support it.
Sinn Fein has said it is disappointed after a councillor and 17 activists quit the party.

The North Antrim members blamed the move on the treatment of former Assembly member Daithi McKay.

He resigned earlier this month over contacts with loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson during a Stormont committee probe into Nama's deal to sell off its Northern Ireland property portfolio.

A party statement said Mr McKay had acknowledged that his contact with Mr Bryson was inappropriate and wrong.

"Sinn Fein is disappointed at the decision of individuals in North Antrim to resign from the party following Daithi McKay's resignation as MLA."

The resignations were announced in the Ballymena Guardian.

The party added: "Sinn Fein's cuige uladh consulted with party activists in the North Antrim area and, following approval by the party's ard chomhairle, Philip McGuigan was co-opted as an MLA for the constituency.

"We are disappointed at the decision of the individuals to resign.

"Sinn Fein will continue to provide first-class representation for the people of North Antrim."

Mr McKay apologised and stepped down over his back channel contact with inquiry witness Mr Bryson.

He is a former Sinn Fein chairman of the Assembly's finance committee who oversaw an investigation into Northern Ireland's largest ever property deal during the last mandate.

He was in contact with Mr Bryson via Twitter before he gave explosive evidence to Stormont's finance committee about the efforts of Nama to dispose of its Northern Ireland portfolio to US investors.

Mr Bryson was preparing to name former Democratic Unionist leader Peter Robinson in connection with the case.

The then-first minister strongly denied seeking to benefit from the agreement involving US investors and Nama.
An investigation is underway following the outbreak of a fire at the Oberstown Children's Detention Campus in Dublin overnight.

The fire was extingushed by Dublin Fire Brigade.

The fire crews worked through the night to get the blaze under control.

It is reported that there has been significant damage to one of the resident units at the centre.

We have 6 units at a fire in #Oberstown, firefighters are presently on scene & dealing with the incident #Dublin pic.twitter.com/1OBao20hzz  Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) August 29, 2016

Six units of firefighters were dealing with the incident which occurred while a group of young residents climbed onto the roof of the building yesterday.

The Garda helicopter was dispatched after reports emerged that at least five, and as many as 10, residents of Oberstown Children Detention Campus in north Dublin gained access to the roof.

One member of staff was reportedly seriously injured when a resident broke down a door, hitting the staff member in the head.

Local senior gardai liaised with management at the centre regarding their response to the security breach, and the public order unit was on standby.

It happened as staff from Impact and Siptu were carrying out an eight-hour stoppage outside the main gates of the complex in a dispute over increasing assaults and poor safety measures.

Childrens Minister Katherine Zappone called on the unions to cancel the industrial action and use the mechanisms provided to address their concerns.

The fire in Oberstown has been extinguished and all our units have returned to station.  Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) August 30, 2016

It is not yet clear how the fire was started.

Additional reporting from the Irish Examiner.
Of all places we expected Ed Sheeran to pop up during his social media hiatus, playing at a wedding in Derry was not one of them.

But its definitely something that will cheer you up after the world woke up to the news of Gene Wilders death.
A French court has overturned a ban on burkinis issued in Cannes - the first in a series of bans on the swimwear this summer that set off a heated controversy at home and a wave of outrage abroad.

The court in Nice concluded that the Cannes decree violated basic freedoms and was illegal because there were no proven risks of disruption to public order, or reasons of hygiene or decency, for the ban in the famous Riviera resort.

The decision followed a ruling by a top French court regarding a similar ban in the Riviera town of Villeneuve-Loubet that set a legal precedent.

After the Council of State overturned that ban last week, human rights groups said they would challenge similar bans issued in 30 or so municipalities.

The bans grew increasingly controversial as images circulated online of some Muslim women being ordered to remove body-concealing garments on French Riviera beaches.

This woman was at a beach in France when the police came & forced her to remove her burkini.

No difference than ISIS pic.twitter.com/LuPHfbYSZd  Yasmine (@yasminebllt) August 24, 2016

Lawyers for a human rights group and a Muslim collective challenged the legality of the Villeneuve-Loubet ban at the top court, saying the orders infringed basic freedoms and that mayors had overstepped their powers by telling women what to wear on beaches.

Mayors had cited multiple reasons for the bans, including security after a string of Islamic extremist attacks, risk to public order, and France's strict rules on secularism in public life.

The Council of State ruled: "The emotion and concerns arising from the terrorist attacks, notably the one perpetrated in Nice on July 14, cannot suffice to justify in law the contested prohibition measure."

It ruled that the mayor of Villeneuve-Loubet overstepped his powers by enacting measures not justified by "proven risks of disruptions to public order nor, moreover, on reasons of hygiene or decency".

"The contested decree has thus brought a serious and manifestly illegal infringement on basic freedoms such as freedom to come and go, freedom of conscience and personal freedom," the ruling read.

Lawyer Patrice Spinosi, representing the Human Rights League, said women who had already received fines could appeal against them based on the decision.

He said the group planned to ask all French mayors who banned burkinis to withdraw their orders and, if they refused to do so, he would systematically take each case to court.

"It is a decision that is meant to set legal precedent," Mr Spinosi said.

Manuel Valls.

Many officials - including prime minister Manuel Valls - have argued that burkinis oppress women, but two ministers of Mr Valls's cabinet - education minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem and health minister Marisol Touraine - have said banning burkinis is not a good option.

Ms Vallaud-Belkacem, a feminist with North African roots, argued that while she does not like the burkini, banning the garment amounted to a politically driven act that encouraged racism.

The conservative mayor of Villeneuve-Loubet, Lionnel Luca, said that "far from calming, this decision can only heighten passions and tensions, with the risk of trouble we wanted to avoid".

Mr Luca denounced "rampant Islamisation" in the country and said: "They've gained a small additional step."

Earlier on Tuesday, the UN human rights office condemned local bans in France on burkini swimwear as "a grave and illegal breach of fundamental freedoms" and a "stupid reaction" to recent extremist attacks.

Rupert Colville, spokesman for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on local officials to immediately lift the bans, saying they do not increase security.

Mr Colville said the bans "fuel religious intolerance and the stigmatisation of Muslims", and "have only succeeded in increasing tensions".

He said people who wear burkinis or any other clothing "cannot be blamed for the violent or hostile reactions of others".
A police officer serving with the Met in London has been jailed for four years after having sex with a child rape victim he met online.

Pc James Evans, 26, who is attached to Ealing borough in west London, exchanged dozens of "sex talk" messages with the vulnerable 15-year-old schoolgirl on the Tinder dating app.

She performed a sex act on him in his car, while he was driving her home from a session with child mental health services.

Despite knowing she was under 16 and a rape victim, he later took her to his flat in Ruislip, west London, where they engaged in full intercourse.

He was sentenced to four years' imprisonment at Isleworth Crown Court today and will be on the Sex Offenders' Register for life.

Judge Robin Johnson said: "Before any sexual activity you knew she was a vulnerable young girl. Nevertheless, you allowed your own desire to overcome your better judgement.

"The reason why Parliament and the public take this kind of offending so seriously is because the harm caused in these cases is incalculable."

He added: "You were a serving police officer and knew you were dealing with a young vulnerable girl - because of her previous sexual assault she was receiving mental health treatment at the time.

"Her victim impact statement makes for sad reading, and I have no doubt this episode has caused her serious psychological harm."

Evans and the girl "matched" on Tinder in January 2016 and engaged in sexual activity on three occasions during the same month.

He claims he did not notice the warning symbol on her profile page stating that she was under the age of 18.

Their messages on the social media site became "more and more explicit" and sex acts were described, Douglas Adams, prosecuting, said.

The victim initially lied about her age, claiming she was 16, but told Evans she was only 15 and still at school before they had any sexual contact and even told him she was taking exams.

The abuse has had a "severe" effect on her and she has been taken to hospital a number of times since the incident after taking an overdose of sleeping pills.

In a statement read to the court, she said: "I now know he took full advantage of my vulnerabilities.

"I told James I had been sexually assaulted the previous August and now I know he should have acted differently as a police officer."

Her mother reported the relationship to police after reading her daughter's diary and finding photographs of Evans in his police uniform.

Evans, now of Pontypridd, Wales, pleaded guilty to six counts of sexual activity with a child.

He initially denied having any sexual contact with the girl but later made full admissions to the offences.

"I know it was stupid - I had sex with her, knowing she was 15," Evans said during police interview.
Deep-seated tensions in Canberra's jail are causing psychiatric experts to be undermined, marginalised and ignored, potentially compromising the treatment of suicidal inmates.

A confidential briefing, obtained by Fairfax Media, reveals that Alexander Maconochie Centre mental health services are being hindered by an internal struggle between the respective teams of ACT Health and ACT Corrective Services.

Tensions made it "impossible" for co-ordinated mental healthcare in the Alexander Maconochie Centre, a briefing warned. Credit:Rohan Thomson

Its most damning finding is that the tensions "currently make it impossible for there to be co-ordinated services for clients that see them benefiting from mental health service delivery".

The ACT government has now launched an independent audit, and Justice Minister Shane Rattenbury says significant steps have been taken to address the problems.
Claims made by 7-Eleven that its new wages compensation panel was processing claims faster than the former Fels Wages Fairness Panel that it controversially replaced in May have been discredited by lawyers as "laughable".



7-Eleven made the claims in a series of advertisements and in a press release on Tuesday in response to a Fairfax Media article that the Fair Work Ombudsman had launched fresh investigations into the scandal-ridden convenience store chain.



The wage fraud scandal, exposed a year ago, sparked a Senate inquiry and forced 7-Eleven to change its business model and set up a compensation scheme for workers, initially headed by Allan Fels before the company sacked him in May.



Professor Fels rejected claims that the new panel was faster. He said days before his sacking he provided Deloitte with a set of projections and graphs, which indicated that by the end of August 1000 claims would have been processed, estimated at $40 million. Professor Fels was sacked by 7-Eleven after refusing to agree to new conditions that the company wanted to introduce that he believed would make the wage panel "bogus".



"It isn't true to say there has been a speeding up of the processing," he said. 7-Eleven revealed last week that it had paid 680 workers a total of $26 million of which 422 were processed under Professor Fels. "How can that be faster," he said.



A spokesman for 7-Eleven said the internal panel in the past seven days had completed 30 additional claims.

He claimed the process was nearly twice as fast as the Fels panel, which processed 53 claims a month from the first day of its inception to its closure on May 11, compared to the company's process which processed 96 claims per month over the "three months" since.

Professor Fels said this calculation does not take into account that his panel took time to get the processes in place, but by the time he was sacked the momentum had built to be far greater than the current panel's.



Maurice Blackburn principal Giri Sivaraman, whose firm is representing 77 exploited workers pro bono, described the 7-Eleven advertisement and press release as "laughable".



"The simple fact is that not a single one of our clients' claims have been processed and paid since the Fels panel was dissolved. Not a single one," said Mr Sivaraman, who is heading up a team of lawyers who are helping victims of wage fraud lodge back-pay claims.



"It's like a slap in the face for them to see a press release and an ad in the newspaper that their claims are being processed more quickly now post Fels' panel," he said.



Mr Sivaraman said since Professor Fels was sacked in favour of an in-house model, the panel had lost 13 claims submitted by his clients. He said the new panel had asked clients to provide information that had already been submitted or were asked to resubmit information in a new format  months after the original back-pay claim had been lodged.



"I truly hope that they're not victimising our clients because they've got legal assistance and they've got lawyers who have stood up for them," Mr Sivaraman said.



He also rejected 7-Eleven's claim that the new process has been "designed to be as simple as possible for claimants".



"My message to 7-Eleven is to genuinely practise what you preach, because that hasn't happened," Mr Sivaraman said.



"Just putting out a press release saying you're doing something doesn't mean you're doing it, especially when it's completely contradicted by the experience of our clients".



A spokesman for 7-Eleven defended the company's statement saying it was focused on getting claims processed as soon as possible and was encouraged by its work so far.



Responding to Mr Sivaraman's comments, the 7-Eleven spokesman said: "We don't find anything funny about potential claimants being discouraged from coming forward and receiving their entitlements."



The spokesman said the company was using a new methodology that requires all claimants to "provide a certain level of information" in order for the secretariat to process claims in a fair and consistent manner.



"The secretariat has been in regular dialogue with Maurice Blackburn, as it is with all claimants, to collect outstanding information and progress claims as quickly as possible."



"Where a claimant has additional supporting information, including payslips, texts, journals etc., this information, whilst helpful but not essential, may be used by the secretariat as supporting documentation to help place an individual in a store during the hours claimed," the spokesman said.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Estonian lawmakers failed to elect country's president in the third balloting, Armenpress reports, citing Sputnik, the chair of Estonias electoral committee informed.

The Estonian parliament failed to elect the Baltic countrys president in the third balloting round after neither of the two candidates gained the needed votes, the chair of Estonias electoral committee Tuesday. The candidate had to earn at least two-thirds of the lawmakers votes to win the secret ballot in parliament, or at least 68 out of 101 votes, Meelis Eerik said.

During the vote, ruling coalition Reform Party and Social Democratic Party factions [Siim] Kallas obtained 42 votes. His rival Mailis Reps, put forward by the parliamentary faction of the opposition Centre Party, received 26 votes. Thirty ballots did not mark a single candidate," Eerik specified.

Estonias next head of state will now be chosen by the electoral body within one month of the deadlock, according to the Estonian National Election Committee. The electoral body comprises 101 lawmakers and 234 local government council representatives. The election committee set September 24 as the preliminary date of the planned electoral body meeting.




The critics of ICAC will argue that recommendations relating to five people including former Liberal MP Andrew Cornwell for giving misleading evidence are not related to substantive allegations of wrongdoing. Voters will surely respond that truthfulness would be preferable in all politicians.

The naysayers will argue that the recommendation that the Director of Public Prosecutions consider charging former minister Chris Hartcher with larceny involves just $4000 intended for the NSW party. But the inquiry exposed a web of deceit through a sham company called Eightbyfive, to further the interests of him, his mates and his right-wing faction.

Federally, the critics will argue that senior Liberal figure Arthur Sinodinos has been cleared. The ICAC report says "there is insufficient evidence to conclude" he was "knowingly involved" in state-federal donations funnelling when he was NSW finance committee chair. But while he will not face any censure over Operation Spicer, he gave evidence relating to Operation Credo, the report from which has been delayed for legal reasons.

Above all the critics will say the best the ICAC could manage was a series of findings of fact relating to intention to evade the electoral laws  and the offending MPs will not be punished further beyond potentially repaying funds. But the word "corruption" could not be used due to a High Court ruling. And 10 Coalition MPs quit Parliament following the revelations on donations breaches in any case. Only one, Mike Gallacher, remains. Should he be allowed to stay? Most would say not. At least Mr Baird has ruled out a return to cabinet for the former police minister.

Naming and shaming by the ICAC in some cases is enough to force legal reforms. Remember, too, that many critics of the ICAC have been campaigning for its hearings to be out of public sight.
1. Questions over Dastyari's Chinese donation

Sam Dastyari has positioned himself as a moral crusader, leading the Labor party's charge against the banks in the Senate. And he's been incredibly effective in that, so much so, that the opposition wants to hold a Royal Commission into the banking sector.

But a previously unnoticed declaration on his register of interests advising a Chinese-Australian business had paid his overspent taxpayer funded travel budget, has left him exposed to a brutal attack from his political opponents. [My report/Fairfax]

Labor frontbencher Sam Dastyari Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

It's one thing to ask China's wealthy to pay for your political operations, it's quite another to have the pay for your work as an Australian parliamentarian, said conservative Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi. [AAP] He has demanded Dastyari front the Senate and explain his actions as well as a Senate inquiry into the matter.
After 1400 submissions, scores of expert appearances and public hearings in Cairns, Emerald and Brisbane, Queensland's Parliamentary inquiry into abortion law reform has rejected a bill to decriminalise abortion across the state.

Cairns Independent MP Rob Pyne, who introduced the Women's Right to Choose bill in May, said the decision was politically motivated and that it was "disappointing that some of the politicians can't be a little more courageous in their approach to some reform."

A submission to Queensland's 2016 abortion law reform inquiry. Credit:Queensland Parliament

However, chairwoman and Labor MP Leanne Linard said careful consideration was given to the complex issues in regulating termination of pregnancy. "The committee was unable to support the Bill as it failed to address a number of important policy issues and to achieve a number of its own stated objectives," she said.

Far from being a fatal blow to the process to end antiquated laws that prevent women from seeking terminations to pregnancies, academics agreed, suggesting recommendations were made on constructive grounds and that the "door to reform is not closed".
Brisbane City Council will fail to meet all of its long-term financial sustainability targets for the foreseeable future, documents tabled at City Hall on Tuesday have revealed.

But the Quirk administration has insisted the council is on a sound financial footing based on more applicable benchmarks.

Opposition leader Peter Cumming . Credit:Glenn Hunt

The audited figures showed the council would miss two of three Queensland Audit Office benchmarks (asset sustainability ratio and net financial liabilities ratio) every year until 2025.

The operating surplus ratio, which had a target of between 0 and 10 per cent, was met in 2016, but would drop to below 0 per cent between 2017 and 2021.
When is a spit mask not a spit mask?

When Queensland Corrective Services is doing everything it can to distance itself from the use of the controversial restraints.

Vision emerged on Tuesday of a 17-year-old boy, Jarrod Clayton, being placed in restraints at Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre where officers handcuff him to a body belt and place a device over his head.

In Parliament on Tuesday morning Police Minister Bill Byrne described the restraint as a helmet used to protect the prisoners from hurting themselves.
The second of three men accused of stabbing a man to death in southern Queensland has faced court.

Trevor Spencer, 70, from Dubbo, briefly appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court charged with murder on Tuesday, a week after the alleged slaying of a 43 -year-old at Mundubbera, southwest of Bundaberg.

Trevor Spencer, 70, faced court charged with murder on Tuesday. Credit:Getty

Mark Stephen Crump, 35, was also extradited from NSW over the fatal stabbing and had his case mentioned in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday, while a 63 -year-old Rockhampton man charged over the death is due to face the Rockhampton Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

AAP
Police have arrested and released a man in relation to a sexual assault in broad daylight in North Fitzroy.

Investigators have been told a woman was sexually assaulted while jogging on Queens Parade about 1.30pm on August 17.

Police released this photo of the alleged perpetrator.

The 35-year-old Collingwood man handed himself in to police at 6.30pm this evening and was interviewed then released pending further inquiries. A police spokesman said the investigation was "ongoing."

The victim told police a man on a push bike blocked her path then chased her and sexually assaulted her.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan visited on August 30 the exhibition of his personal photographer Davit Hakobyan headlined Stories from the road. The exhibition opened on August 29 at the Painters Union of Armenia, Armenpress reports Presidents spokesperson Vladimir Hakobyan informed by a post in Twitter.

Around 40 photos are presented in the exhibition, showing the President, international famous figures and also ordinary people  both behind the scenes and in-action.

Davit Hakobyan is photographing since 2002. From 2007 he worked in ARMENPRESS news agency, and since 2010 he is the personal photographer of the President of Armenia and ss a member of PAN Photo team since the day it was founded.

Photo from Vladmimir Hakobyans Twitter page.
West Australian parents have lashed two of Perth's major hospitals after they sent home a seven-month-old boy who died just days later.

Princess Margaret Hospital and Midland Public Hospital both turned away Malakai Matui Paraone after his mother Nicole Thompson presented him at the two hospitals over consecutive nights with a temperature, joint pains, a rash and lack of movement on the right side of his body.

Both times hospital staff diagnosed her son with a pulled elbow and teething. Ms Thompson claimed Midland hospital staff even laughed at her when she asked if Malakai's symptoms could be connected.

It was only on his third visit to hospital, at PMH on Thursday, did staff realise Malakai was dying but it was too late. Hours later he was on life support and turning purple. By Friday he had died.
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It wont cost you a penne for his thoughts!

The heir of a pasta-making empire will discuss Brooklyns history as the nations noodle capital, at a free talk at the Brooklyn Central Library on Sept. 28. In his lecture The History of Pasta Making in Brooklyn, Leonard De Francisci will discuss how the boroughs Italian population and concentration of steel manufacturers made it the ideal location for a pasta boom, further boosted by the first World War.

There were a lot of Italian immigrants in Brooklyn at the time, and in World War One we cut off all trade with Europe  we could no longer trade with Europe, said De Francisci. All of a sudden all of these pasta companies popped up in the U.S. because we couldnt get pasta from Italy anymore.

But producing pasta by hand was a laborious process. So in 1914, De Franciscis great-grandfather patented a pasta-making machine, which increased the speed of production, cut the drying time from two days to a few hours, and made the dough safer.

Through the machine, pasta continuously flows and its more sanitary because you dont have to move it from one machine to another, said De Francisci. Its less waste too  we got the most out of the ingredients.

His ancestors company, now called Demaco (for De Francisci Machine Company), sold the machines to Brooklyn pasta companies, such as the Metropolitan Macaroni Manufacturing Company, which served the large Italian population in Williamsburg at the time.

During the Great Depression, said De Francisci, pasta became popular with non-Italians, in part because it was cheap to produce. The Brooklyn-based pasta companies  and the pasta machine-making companies  expanded, and macaroni became a feather in Kings Countys cap. The borough produced more pasta than any other region in the country, he said.

During his library talk, De Francisci will also discuss the end of Brooklyns dominance during the 1980s, as pasta companies folded or moved closer to the mills that produced the flour they required. Demaco left its Williamsburg location in 1998 in favor of Florida, where it currently operates.

The History of Pasta Making in Brooklyn at Brooklyn Central Library [10 Grand Army Plaza bet. Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway in Prospect Heights, (718) 2302100, www.bklyn libra ry.org ]. Sept. 28 at 7 pm. Free.
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Brooklyn celebrated falling to the Redcoats at two events marking the 240th anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn on Aug. 27.

First, reenactors exchanged musket and cannon fire in Green-Wood Cemetery, where British soldiers thoroughly routed Gen. George Washingtons troops and forced his retreat to Manhattan during the Revolutionary War on Aug. 27, 1776. And the not-so-live ammunition really made history come to life, one attendee said.

You can read about the history in a book, but when you see it and are living it, you have a better understanding of the history, said Donna Murray who took her 10-year-old son Adian to the celebration. My son absolutely loved it. He made us come back a day early from vacation for it.

The day began with a trolley tour of the graveyards Revolutionary War-related sites. Crowds enjoyed parades, battle re-enactments, meeting famous colonial Americans, and colonial-style grub at the graveyard, including Thomas Jeffersons recipe for vanilla ice cream whipped up by local food historian Sarah Lohman.

Further south, history buffs highlighted black soldiers contributions to the Revolutionary War at Denyse Wharf  the site where British and Hessian troops first landed in Brooklyn.

Reenactors dressed as mariners of Colonel Glovers Marble Headers taught visitors about the little-known-but-crucial all-black unit that helped Washington escape. Marble Headers laid down their lives nearly 100 years before emancipation to keep invaders busy while Washington fled  an act of selflessness that must never be forgotten, one reenactor said.

Its not in the average history text book, thats why we give up our time, our energy, and our money to tell our story, said Leon Vaughan of the historical group Sable Soldiers of the American Revolution.

The Waterfront Alliance and Councilman Vincent Gentile (DBay Ridge) sponsored the Narrows-adjacent party, and members of the Village Community Boat House gave free boat rides while marine educators discussed the areas nautical history.
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With these friends to call their own, theyll never be alone.

Michael Jackson fans gathered in Bedford-Stuyvesant on Saturday for filmmaker Spike Lees annual block party celebrating the King of Pops birthday. And as always, the event brought people from all moonwalks of life together the way Jacksons music did, attendees said.

It doesnt matter what your culture is, what your race is, economic status  Michael Jackson brings people together because of his music, said Kim Richberg, a Brooklyn native who now lives in Long Island. Thankfully Spike Lee recognizes that, he uses his memory to bring people together to have a good time.

Disc jockeys, rapper Fat Joe, and a young guitar prodigy played the hits for the crowd assembled at Do the Right Thing Way  the block of Stuyvesant Avenue between Lexington and Quincy streets where the titular Lee joint is set  and included impersonators, tourists from abroad, and many kids who are too young to remember when Jackson was actually alive, according to guests.

You see little kids dancing to Michael Jackson with some doing the moves  its an all around family event, said Bedford-Stuyvesant resident Nafisa Osman, who came with husband Marko Huehen and some friends in town from Germany.

Richberg said her own youngsters  a 13-year-old and 9-year old  love the Gloved Ones tunes, but she also brings them so they can experience a real Brooklyn block party, like the ones she grew up with.

This is what they used to do back in the day  there was always a block party in Brooklyn, she said. Its bigger than Michael.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Vice President of the National Assembly of Armenia Hermien Naghdalyan met with the Vice President of the Sejm of Poland Ryszard Terlecki on August 30 in the sidelines of the parliamentary meeting in Warsaw Solidarity and sovereignty, Armenpress was informed from the press service of the National Assembly of Armenia.

The interlocutors mutually highlighted the role of inter-parliamentary interactions as an important component of inter-state relations. Hermine Naghdalyan stated that Poland is a vital partner for Armenia in its relations with the EU. Being a EAEU member state, Armenia continues to consistently expand its partnership with the EU.

Attaching great importance to this format of European discussions, Naghdalyan hoped that it will serve to the goal of outlining ways to overcome current challenges facing Europe, such as use of double standards, injustice, migration, terrorism and so on.

Referring to one of Armenias top priority foreign issues, Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Hermine Naghdalyan drew the attention of her Polish counterpart on the military operations unleashed by Azerbaijan in early April that claimed numerous lives, including civilian casualties.

Under such conditions the realization of the right to self-determination of Nagorno Karabakh people cannot cause doubts, since the physical existence of the people is jeopardized, Hermine Naghdalyan stated, adding that though Armenia positively assesses the condemnation of the ceasefire regime violations by the international community, a general and unaddressed condemnation is not enough to restrain the side responsible for a large-scale armed confrontation.

Hermine Naghdalyan mentioned that Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) has been building its statehood for already 25 years, which many-fold surpasses Azerbaijan by all democratic criteria and today people of Artsakh have only one goal: to ensure its peaceful life and natural development in their motherland.

The Vice President of the Armenian parliament stated that Azerbaijani aspirations in relation to Artsakh bear an aggressive nature, which can be evidenced by Azerbaijans attempts to wreck and block any constructive and humanitarian proposal during the entire negotiation process.

At the end of the meeting Hermine Naghdalyan expressed gratitude to her Polish counterpart for the cordial reception and the meeting.

Parliamentarians from over 10 countries, including from Georgia, Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Belarus, Turkey, and Azerbaijan participate in the meeting that will continue on August 31.
latest news

October 3, 2022

Dee Gambit

Hundreds  if not thousands  of new and returning TV shows and movies are released every month  your options of what to watch are endless. Variety, they say is ...
Despite another kid going home on So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation, it is a bit of a celebration as the show celebrates its 250th episode. One of the special performances is with judge Maddie Ziegler and choreographer Travis Wall. In addition, each of the remaining five contestants perform pieces they choreographed themselves, which is interesting and fun.

So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation Predictions: Which Dancer Will Leave the Top 5? >>>

Kicking It Off with Emotion

To kick off the 250th episode, the All-Stars and contestants perform a group number choreographed by Nick Florez and RJ Durrell set to Bjorks I Miss You. Its a weird little number that seems to work in such a large group of dancers.

The first contestant up is Tate, with her new haircut. She and Kathryn perform a Stacey Tookey number set to Glen Hansards This Gift. As usual, its beautiful and full of emotion. Jason goes as far as saying he enjoyed watching two All-Stars up on stage, while Nigel says Tate has a gift that he hopes she will go far with.

Bringing the Crump

Kida, at the end of what he calls a stressful week, brings crump back to the stage with Fik-Shun. The pair perform an energetic piece from Phoenix and Pharside set to All the Way Up by Fat Joe and Remy Ma featuring French Montana and Infared.

I think he pulls it off pretty well. Jason really enjoyed it. However, Nigel feels that Kida could have made his movement bigger. While he feels Kida did a good job with the challenging routine, it felt tight and the style was left cold. Paula sort of agrees but says Kida pushed through and found his personality through the difficult number.

Tapping with a Legend

Emma and Gabby get to perform a routine from tap legend Savion Glover. Glover describes his style as musical and describes the routine as classy. And classy it is. The number, set to On the Sunny Side of the Street by Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie, really showcases their feet as the music, as Gabby explains. Emma shines and shows off how much shes grown since her audition. All of the judges agree that she sat in the groove and nailed the routine.

Another Compelling Performance

Fan and judge favorite J.T. slays another emotional routine with All-Star Robert. In another Stacey Tookey number, Robert and J.T. play a father and son in what J.T. calls a very technical piece set to Ill Keep You Safe by Sleeping At Last. Its filled with emotion, and all of the judges love it. Jason calls the performance compelling and is impressed with J.T.s marriage between maturity and innocence.

Combining African Dance and Hip-Hop

Tahani and Comfort tackle a Dave Scott number, which is described as tribal hip-hop. Its a fast-paced hip-hop routine with an African feel set to WTF (Where They From) by Missy Elliott featuring Pharrell Williams. The costumes and make-up are pretty impressive, as is the very high-energy routine. While I dont think its Tahanis best performance, its pretty decent because its a tough routine. Paula warns her to complete her large movements but loves the number. Nigel loves the routine too but says Tahani needs to make bigger movements.

So You Think You Can Dance Recap: Which Two Dancers are Eliminated? >>>

The Next Generation Takes Over

The second half of the show is handed over to the Next Generation. The kids are tasked with not only choreographing a routine with their All-Stars but also being in charge of music, costumes, make-up and concept.

First up is Tate. Her concept is called Unmasked and features her and Kathryn wearing masks throughout half of the routine with very drab costumes to represent insecure dancers. The routine, set to Footprints by Jeff Grace, is pretty decent with lots of detail. All of the judges, of course, love it, with Paula calling her a great choreographer in the making.

Kida is up next in what he calls the Manipulator. His concept is a robot, Fik-Shun, coming to life, and Kida has to teach him to loosen up. And in my opinion, this piece, set to I Can Make Ya by Fingazz, is much more impressive than Tates. It features lots of pop and locking and is fun and different. Again, the judges are impressed, and Nigel loves that Kida added humor to the routine, which he feels is important.

In a quick break for the kids, the All-Stars perform a Theresa Stone piece set to Feel Again by OneRepublic.

Cutie-pie J.T., of course, titles his routine The Friendship Dance with Robert. He brings Robert to tears as he explains that the routine is based on their friendship and how happy J.T. is to have Robert in his life. The number, set to Count on Me by Bruno Mars, is fun and cute, with plaid trousers to match. All of the judges love it, as Nigel explains that hes captivated by J.T.

And in another quick break, the rest of the All-Stars perform an Al Blackstone number set to The Way You Look Tonight by Maroon 5.

Tahani really works to take Comfort out of her comfort zone in the No Flex Zone routine she choreographs. The concept is based on Grease, with Comfort as the nerd and Tahani as the popular girl. The song, No Flex Zone by Rae Sremmurd is obviously fitting. Its a fun routine that allows Tahani to finally outshine Comfort. Paula is happy that Tahani rose to the challenge and is impressed with her determination.

Emma really redeems herself in her routines this time. Her choreography for her Here with You routine with Gaby is on point. In the routine, set to Pentatonixs version of Rather Be, Emma really nails the fun, upbeat number she choreographs. Its easy enough to keep up but still technically difficult. Maddie sees that Emma put a lot of effort into the routine and likes how the tap sounds are clear and perfect. Nigel thinks its brilliant.

Finally, Travis Wall performs with judge Maddie. The routine, set to Cage of Bones by Son Lux, is about the battle between light and dark. Its a very physical and angry piece but also very well done.

Elimination

In Nigels words of wisdom, he wants all the remaining contestants to know that it has been an incredible show, with not just the dancing but also the creativity in the choreographed routines. He wants whoever goes home to have the knowledge that they are absolutely sensational and will have a very bright future.

Going home is Tahani, leaving four remaining in the competition who will compete for the title.

Words of Wisdom

Nigel is spot-on each week with his words of wisdom. These kids will go so far in life if they keep up their drive and spirit in whatever they do, even if its not dance. Even though I originally thought Emma was going home, her routines the past two weeks have definitely been better. Tahanis were good too, so it is sad to see her go. I would have been curious to see what she brought to the table in the final performance show. She has definitely grown up from the little girl who threw up on Paula.

J.T. has to be my favorite. Despite being that annoying but cute kid in the beginning, he has grown so much over the course of the competition. Im completely amazed and in awe each week to find out what he and Robert will do. While I do enjoy Tates performances too, she brings the same thing to the table each week. But Kida is another one who has grown tremendously. I thought for sure he would have been out a long time ago, but he brings it each and every week and lets his personality shine through, which is huge. I think that in the end, it will come down to Tate and J.T. My vote is for J.T.

Play So You Think You Can Dance Fantasy TV! Pick Who You Think is Going Home Before 12pm PST the Day of the Results >>>

So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation airs Mondays at 8pm on FOX.

(Image courtesy of FOX)
Research News

UB celebrates inventors and entrepreneurs

By CORY NEALON

UB held its annual Inventors and Entrepreneurs Reception last Thursday, honoring faculty, students and business partners whose are pushing boundaries in medicine, electronics and other industries.

Award recipients included faculty members who have developed a new method to diagnose the autoimmune disorder Sjogrens syndrome, as well as researchers who have created new ways to protect buildings during earthquakes.

Of particular note, President Satish K. Tripathi presented the Technology Innovation Leadership award to Vice Provost Robert J. Genco. Genco, who has overseen the universitys technology transfer efforts as director of the UB Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach (STOR), is stepping down from that role to lead UBs new Center for Microbiome Research.

Dr. Gencos work in developing an exemplary technology transfer operation has had tremendous and lasting impact, Tripathi said. Much of the success were witnessing at the University at Buffalo and throughout the greater Buffalo Niagara region can be traced, in part, to programs that he has guided at UB to foster innovation and entrepreneurship.

Were fortunate to continue to benefit from his outstanding service as leader of UBs new Center for Microbiome Research, and I look forward to seeing him break even more new ground in this important new role, he said.

The event, held at the Saturn Club in Buffalo, also honored:

Researchers who have developed nine technologies licensed to companies. These discoveries include a nanoparticle that can be used to fight hemophilia and other ailments, and technology designed to help doctors assess and treat unruptured brain aneurysms.

Researchers named on six patents. These inventors include Julian L. Ambrus Jr., professor in the Department of Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, who developed the diagnosis for Sjogrens, as well as UB engineering researchers Michael Constantinou and Andrei Reinhorn, and industry partner Taylor Devices, who created the earthquake-protection system.

The Entrepreneurial Spirit award will be presented Glenna Bett and Randall Rasmusson. Both are faculty members who co-founded Cytocybernetics, a UB spinoff company that is creating biotechnology that aims to cut in half the time and money needed for preclinical trials of certain medications.

Three companies that graduated from the UB Technology Incubator. These include tech startup Cloud62, which was acquired in October by Illinois-based Huron Consulting Group but remains in Buffalo at the UB Gateway Building downtown.

Six companies that joined the UB Technology Incubator. The list includes Geocove, a Florida-based company founded by UB alumna Karyn Tareen that builds geographic information systems for government agencies and other groups.

A complete list of the companies, as well as new technologies, is available in the reception program.

The event was organized by STOR, which helps UB researchers commercialize their inventions. The office also runs the UB Technology Incubator; the UB Biosciences Incubator in the Clinical and Translational Research Center in downtown Buffalo; Directed Energy, a virtual clean energy incubator; tenX, a co-working space within the UB Technology Incubator; and the Western New York Incubator Network, which provides services to incubated companies across Western New York.

STOR also has partnered with the School of Management to run the universitys Entrepreneurship Lab program, a winter session class offered to students who want to turn their business ideas into reality.

Additional speakers at the reception included Provost Charles F. Zukoski; Venu Govindaraju, vice president for research and economic development; and Genco.
Campus News

Speakers series to feature Franco, Cleese, Holder and more

By CHRISTINE VIDAL

Award-winning actors James Franco and John Cleese, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. and astronauts Mark Kelly and Scott Kelly are among the speakers who will headline UBs 2016-17 Distinguished Speakers Series. The 30th annual series also will feature Randi Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media and former director of marketing at Facebook, and Roxane Gay, a best-selling author whose work has received international acclaim for its exploration of feminism and social criticism. From some of Hollywoods biggest stars to astronauts who have literally reached for the stars, UBs annual Distinguished Speaker Series is celebrating its milestone 30th season with another outstanding lineup, said President Satish K. Tripathi. We are excited to welcome this years lecturers  leading public figures at the vanguard of 21st century arts and culture, science, business and the justice system  to spark dialogue and lively discussion about key contemporary issues shaping our world. We look forward to bringing this discussion to our university and our community, and to continuing these valuable conversations throughout the academic year.

Mark Kelly Mark Kelly

Scott Kelly Scott Kelly

The series will kick off on Sept. 22 with twin brothers Mark Kelly, commander of two NASA shuttle missions, and Scott Kelly, the first U.S. astronaut to spend a year in space, who are the subjects of NASAs groundbreaking Twins Study, which monitored Scott from space and Mark on the ground as a control model to better understand how space affects the human body. Lecture sponsor is the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Randi Zuckerberg Randi Zuckerberg

Randi Zuckerberg will speak on Oct. 26. Founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media, a boutique marketing firm and production company, she created and ran the marketing program for Facebook from 2005-11, and is the author of Dot Complicated, a New York Times best-seller about her personal journey on the front lines of Facebook and her thoughts on how technology is changing our lives. The book inspired a weekly business radio show Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg on SiriusXM. A television host and producer, in 2011, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for her innovative blend of online/TV coverage of the U.S. elections. Her lecture is sponsored by the centers for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Executive Education.

John Cleese John Cleese

Actor John Cleese, whose work includes Monty Pythons Flying Circus, Fawlty Towers and the Oscar-nominated film A Fish Called Wanda, will speak on Dec. 9. An entertainer with a unique comedic style that has inspired countless writers and comedians, he is the author of the best-selling memoir So Anyway. and the founder of Video Arts, the worlds largest provider of business training programs with an international reputation as the premier source for business know-how. Cleese attributes his success at making hit training programs to his fascination with psychology and his love for teaching and making people laugh. His lecture is sponsored by the Center for the Arts.

Eric Holder Eric Holder

Eric H. Holder Jr., 82nd attorney general of the United States from 2009-15, will present UBs 41st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration keynote address on Feb. 16. An attorney who has served under presidents who include Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, he was the first African-American attorney general of the United States and the longest-serving attorney general in the nations history. In 2014, TIME magazine named Holder to its list of 100 Most Influential People, stating that he worked tirelessly to ensure equal justice. His lecture is sponsored by the Minority Faculty and Staff Association.

Roxane Gay Roxane Gay

Writer and cultural critic Roxane Gay, the Graduate Student Choice Speaker, will speak on April 5. Her collection of essays, Bad Feminist, a New York Times best-seller, is considered the quintessential exploration of modern feminism. Associate professor of English at Purdue University, she is a founding editor of PANK and non-fiction editor at The Rumpus, and her writing has appeared in publications that include The New York Times, McSweeneys and The Nation. She has two upcoming releases: Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body is a painstaking examination of body image, and Difficult Women is a collection of stories. Her lecture is sponsored by the Graduate Student Association.

James Franco James Franco
Campus News

UB Art Galleries debuts new video initiative

Rodney McMillan, "Untitled (the Great Society) I, 2006. Courtesy of the artist and Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects. McMillian recites former president Lyndon Johnson's 1964 commencement address at the University of Michigan in which he introduced his idea of the Great Society. McMillians work showcases how one should not interrogate history as fixed  many of the 50-year-old policies, actions and ideas of the Great Society speech remain overlooked.

UBNOW STAFF

McMillian plays the role of the politician, juxtaposing the past and present by investigating history and the performative aspects of politics. The artist found he agreed with many of Johnsons ideas, and the speech continues to resonate as much in the present day as it did in 1964. While originally performed in 2006, the artwork still feels timely a decade later, especially in light of the recent police shootings and the tumultuous election season.

In Untitled (the Great Society) I, McMillian recites the entire 1964 commencement speech at the University of Michigan in which former president Lyndon B. Johnson first introduced his idea of the Great Society. Johnsons main goal was to eliminate poverty and racial injustice through a series of domestic programs while focusing on improving Americas cities, landscape and educational system. The speech forecasted much of the Johnson administration, during which such programs as Medicaid, Medicare, Head Start and food stamps originated, as well as the signing of the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964.

An opening reception will be held from 5-8 p.m. in the gallery. The exhibition runs through Nov. 13.

The UB Art Galleries new Screen Projects initiative  a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week public art video program located on the second floor of the gallery in the Center for the Arts  debuts on Sept. 8 with Untitled (the Great Society) I by Los Angeles-based artist Rodney McMillian.

Lydia Okumura, "Different Dimensions of Reality II ." First realized as part of Jovem Arte Contemporanea (JAC) '72 at Museu de Arte Contemporanea de Campinas, Sao Paulo, 1972. Courtesy of the artist and Broadway 1602 Uptown & Harlem.

Lydia Okumura, "Different Dimensions of Reality II." First realized as part of Jovem Arte Contemporanea (JAC) '72 at Museu de Arte Contemporanea de Campinas, Sao Paulo, 1972. Courtesy of the artist and Broadway 1602 Uptown & Harlem.

Screen Projects: Rodney McMillian joins the previously announced Lydia Okumura: Situations, the first solo museum exhibition of the Brazilian-born artist, as exhibitions this fall in the UB Art Gallery in the Center for the Arts.

Also on view beginning Sept. 8 in the Second Floor Gallery in the CFA is With and Without the Other, an exhibition of collaborative artworks by a group of artists and art historians who are graduate students and alumni from the Academy of Arts & Design in Tsinghua University and the UB Department of Art.

The collaborations began last January in Beijing as part of an academic exchange program between Tsinghua University and the UB art department, and will be completed at UB this September. The resulting works, presented in a range of mediums, articulate the experience of working across the globe as creative thinkers who are, at the same time, collaborators, counterparts and enigmatic strangers. The collaborators seek to shift our perceptions and interactions with one another by overcoming misunderstandings and finding a common language.

With and Without the Other is on view through Oct. 8.

Opening receptions for With and Without the Other and Lydia Okumura: Situations, as well as for Screen Projects: Rodney McMillian, will be held from 5-8 p.m. Sept. 8 in the UB Art Gallery in the Center for the Arts.

The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 1-5 p.m. on Saturday.

Admission is free.

In addition to the With and Without the Other exhibition, the academic exchange program also features a symposium and lectures by two faculty members from the Chinese university.

Eric Feng Fan, assistant professor, will discuss Displacement of Art Works and Exhibitions from 10-10:30 a.m. Aug. 29; Ding Hong, associate professor, will speak on Traditional Chinese Figure Painting from 11:30 a.m. to noon on Aug. 31. Both lectures will take place in the art departments Lower Gallery, B45 Center for the Arts.

The With and Without Agreement Symposium will take place from 6-8 p.m. Sept. 1 in the Lower Gallery. Speakers include Ou Ning, a lecturer at Columbia University, who will discuss Bishan Commune as a Practical Utopia; Kristin Stapleton, associate professor in the UB Department of History and Asian Studies Program, who will speak on With and Without Acknowledgment: Influences on the Shape of Chinese Urbanization; and Shannon Bassett, assistant professor in the UB School of Architecture and Planning, who will talk about Back to the Countryside! Recovering Chinas Agricultural and Ecological Landscapes Countryside through Village Acupunctures.
The demerged undertaking, together with the existing EPC team of RIL, will create a focused EPC undertaking to cater to the needs of the group
Coal India is turning out to be a classic case of government milking its cash cow. Left with a few profitable public sector listed companies, government is taking away whatever it can from the biggest cash generating listed entity.
A former 40 year Atheist analyzes Atheism, without resorting to theism, deism, or fantasy.

***

If You Don't Value Truth, Then What DO You Value?

***

If we say that the sane can be coaxed and persuaded to rationality, and we say that rationality presupposes logic, then what can we say of those who actively reject logic?

***

Atheists have an obligation to give reasons in the form of logic and evidence for rejecting Theist theories.
Even as the salaries of media tycoon Kalanithi Maran and his wife in 2015-16 remained at the same level as in the previous year, the ex-gratia/ bonus component rose by over 21 per cent, pushing the total remuneration by around 17 per cent to almost Rs 71.47 crore each in 2015-16.

According to Sun TV's annual report, the company's founder and executive chairman Maran and his wife Kavery Kalanithi, who is an executive director in the company, earned salaries of Rs 13.14 crore each during the year 2015-16. While the salary level remained flat, ex-gratia/bonus rose to Rs 58.33 crore from Rs 48.13 crore for Maran and to Rs 58.32 crore from Rs 48.12 crore in Kavery's case.
The promoters of Mumbai-based property developer Phoenix Mills are looking to sell 50 per cent stake in two of the company's mixed use projects at Pune and Bengaluru, said a source in the know.
will focus on reducing the number of platforms used in manufacturing passenger vehicles and increase platform sharing to drive down costs. The company will look at ways to weed out inefficiencies among its component suppliers to drive down costs.
Antrix Corporation, the commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), has orders to launch 68 satellites - the largest so far - as global small satellite makers scramble to hurl them on Indias workhorse polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) rocket.
Senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday claimed that the Centre as well as the PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir, were responsible for the crisis in that state.

Scindia, while speaking during the meet the press programme organised by Indore Press Club, said, "I hold both, the Union Government as well as the PDP-BJP-led state government responsible for the crisis in Kashmir."

"Centre failed to take adequate and timely action. Only announcing package worth crores of rupees to won't win over people. Only genuine feelings will win people's hearts," he said.

Scindia further said, "It is surprising that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not make a statement on the Kashmir crisis in the Parliament, even as he talked over the issue for half an hour during a programme at tribal-dominated Alirajpur district in Madhya Pradesh."

Replying to a query on PM's Balochistan remarks, he said, "No doubt we need to raise the issue of injustice being meted out to people of Balochistan by Pakistan. But we must first extinguish the fire back home in Kashmir and win people's trust."

Terming the PDP-BJP government as a tie-up done for "selfish" reasons, the Congress leader said, "The basic principles of PDP and BJP are different. They have joined hands just for the sake of coming to power. During the ongoing crisis in Kashmir, we can clearly see that there is lack of coordination and talks between the two parties."

Raising question marks over Modi government's foreign policy, he said, "It seems that the government is unable to face Pakistan and China at diplomatic level. In addition, neighbouring countries like Nepal and Myanmar are drifting away from India.
Countering terrorism is an important objective shared by India and the United States, Defence Minister said here, while appreciating American support in India's efforts to eliminate extremism in its neighbourhood.

"We resolved to continue our cooperation on counter-terrorism. Our open and diverse societies are committed to peace. However, as the United States has shown, there can be no compromise when we are faced with terrorism," Parrikar said at a joint news conference with US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter yesterday.

"The forces that seek to undermine our progress and our ways of life require our comprehensive and robust response. We appreciate the support from United States in our efforts to eliminate terrorism in India's neighbourhood," Parrikar said.

"Secretary Carter and I agreed that countering terrorism is an important shared objective. The partnership between India and the United States is driven by our shared values and interests. This was underlined by the enthusiasm of the US Congress with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June this year," Parrikar said.

Responding to a question, Carter said that not only Indian civilians but its military also has been a victim of terrorism, in an apparent reference to the terrorist attack on Pathankot military base, carried out by Pakistani intruders.

"Terrorism is one of the many missions on which we cooperate...We oppose terrorism affecting anyone and us. That's certainly true with respect to terrorist acts perpetrated against the Indian people, and also I should mention the Indian military, which has happened as well. And this gives new scope for that, as well," Carter said.

According to a joint statement issued after the meeting between the two leaders, they agreed to facilitate greater and regular interactions to deepen mutual understanding between military services and promote practical cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as counter-terrorism, maritime security, special operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

"We and India share the principled view that in matters of freedom of the seas and freedom of the commons and freedom of navigation, as in so many other matters, States need to take a principled view where abiding by the rule of law and pursuing disputes peacefully is fundamental. We are able to operate together," Carter said.

During the meeting Carter and Parrikar praised the discussions at the inaugural Maritime Security Dialogue held in May.

They welcomed the conclusion of the bilateral 'White Shipping' technical arrangement for data sharing on commercial shipping traffic.

They also discussed cooperation on capabilities to augment India's capacity for maritime domain awareness (MDA).

Acknowledging India's positive contributions to regional security and stability, including in matters beyond the maritime space, Carter and Parrikar announced their agreement to take forward consultations in this area, including through the next Maritime Security Dialogue, which will be held later this year.

They noted recent high-level official exchanges, including the visit of General John Nicholson to New Delhi for consultations on Afghanistan, as well as by the secretary of the US Navy and the secretary of the US Air Force earlier this month, the joint statement said.
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India will a diamond project that global miner Rio Tinto is abandoning, or allocate it to a state firm, the mines secretary said on Tuesday, adding that the government would move fast to tap the resource.

The Bunder deposit, about 500 km (300 miles) southeast of New Delhi and discovered by Rio Tinto in 2004, is estimated to contain about 27.4 million carats of diamonds potentially worth billions of dollars.

But Rio Tinto said this month it would pull out of the project by the end of the year to conserve cash and cut costs. A spokesman for the company said it has spent around $90 million on Bunder over the past 14 years and that total investment planned had been $500 million.

In early August, the company reported a 47 percent slump in first-half profit to its weakest in 12 years and underlined the importance of cost-cutting.

Mines Secretary Balvinder Kumar told Reuters the withdrawal was a surprise as the company was close to getting a forest clearance for the mine from the environment ministry.

Rio Tinto's decision came at a time when the government was seeking the help of it and its rivals, such as Anglo American, to explore for diamonds and gold to make India a major mineral producer.

"It's a commercial decision taken by their headquarters in which we could have not done anything," said Kumar, who has been briefed by Rio Tinto India management on the exit.

"Bunder is one of the best deposits in India and we would like to make sure that it is tapped."

Kumar said he would talk to parties interested in Bunder when Rio Tinto formally hands the project back to the state government of Madhya Pradesh, where it is located.

Rio Tinto has said the company would work with the government on the future of Bunder and was "looking at options for a third-party investor to carry forward the development of the project".

Kumar, however, said as the Bunder deposit is located in a forested area important to tiger and other wildlife habitats, fresh environmental permissions maybe required for the next operator and that could be a challenge.
India has retained its position as the third largest investor in Britain, according to official UK government figures released on Tuesday.

The US remains the biggest source of inward investment, accounting for 570 projects, and China grabs the second spot with 156 projects, the UK's Department for International Trade data showed.

The latest investment figures come as a boost following the Brexit vote in June, as the country emerged as the most popular destination in the European Union for overseas firms.

The UK recorded a total of 2,213 inward investment projects, up 11 per cent on the previous year, with 116,000 jobs "created or safeguarded" by overseas investment last year.

"These impressive results show the UK continues to be the place to do business. We've broadened our reach with emerging markets across the world to cement our position as the number one destination in Europe for investment," said UK international trade secretary Liam Fox, who is in India this week to hold talks with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

"The UK-India partnership lies at the very heart of the strategic relationship between our two nations, a relationship that has never been more important than it is today," he said.

Britain cannot engage in formal trade talks with other nations while it remains a member of the EU but informal talks on the idea of future deals can be discussed.

Once Article 50 is invoked and the official process for Britain's exit from the economic bloc is set in motion, the UK is reportedly keen to strike pacts with emerging markets like India and China.

While in India, Fox also met major Indian firms in the information technology sector including HCL and Tech Mahindra.

"The UK is the investment destination of choice for Indian ICT companies,and the secretary of state [Fox] discussed future investment opportunities in the UK," his department said in a statement today.

This is the fourth visit by a British minister to India since Theresa May took over as the Prime Minister of the UK last month.

Earlier this month, UK secretary of state for business and energy Greg Clark and secretary of state for international development Priti Patel visited India.

Another Indian-origin minister Alok Sharma, who took charge as minister for Asia in the UK Foreign Office, was the first to make a tour of India last month.
After a decade of arguing over words, commas and full stops, India and the US have finally inked an agreement that will allow their militaries to replenish from each others logistic facilities, including bases.
A third pro-business group is throwing its support behind Canandaigua businessman Floyd Rayburn in the 54th Senate District race.

Unshackle Upstate, which consists of more than 80 business and trade organizations throughout the state, announced Tuesday that it has endorsed Rayburn in the Republican primary to succeed state Sen. Michael Nozzolio, who is retiring at the end of the year.

Greg Biryla, executive director of Unshackle Upstate, said the group supports Rayburn because they believe, as a state senator, he will focus on address high taxes and issues affecting small businesses.

"(Rayburn) is a proven job creator who will fight to improve New York's harsh business climate and boost upstate's sluggish economy," Biryla said. "We're proud to endorse Floyd Rayburn to represent the people of the 54th Senate District."

Rayburn said he's "proud" to have the organization's support.

"This group has grown quickly because they advocate for the same issues everyone I talk to is clamoring for: lower taxes, mandate relief, pension reform, lower state spending."

Unshackle Upstate is the latest business group to endorse Rayburn in the 54th District race.

Nearly two weeks ago, Associated Builders and Contractors and the National Federation of Independent Business backed Rayburn. The head of ABC's Empire State chapter is Brian Sampson, who previously served as Unshackle Upstate's executive director.

Earlier this month, Sampson said Rayburn understands the challenges faced by small business owners.

"He has put people to work. He's created jobs," Sampson said. "That's the type of mentality we need going into Albany."

The business support for Rayburn could provide a big boost to his candidacy in the final two weeks of the primary campaign.

Rayburn is locked in five-way race for the Republican nomination. The field includes Canandaigua Supervisor Pam Helming, the GOP-endorsed candidate in the race.

Former Assemblyman Sean Hanna, Lyons Supervisor Brian Manktelow and ex-Greece police officer Jon Ritter are also vying for the GOP nod.
The Union government on Monday defended, before the Delhi High Court, the Indian Penal Code provision that says sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife, who is not under 15 years of age, is not rape.

A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhigra Sehgal was told by the government, through an affidavit, that "exception 2 (to Section 375 IPC) deals exclusively with private affairs of husband-wife based on traditional social structure and hence can't be said to be unconstitutional and in violation of Articles 14 to 21 of the Constitution".

Section 375, which defines "rape" also contains the exception provision which states that the rape law would not apply to assault or sexual intercourse by a husband on his wife who is above 15 years.

The government admitted before the court that "although the age of consent is 18 years and child marriage is discouraged, marriage below the permissible age is avoidable but not void in law on account of social realities. It is submitted that the social, economic and educational development in the country is still uneven and child marriages are taking place."

The affidavit also stated that it has been "decided to retain the age of 15 years under exception 2 of section 375 Indian Penal Code so as to give protection to husband and wife against criminalising the sexual activity between them".

The affidavit of government also pointed out that legal prohibition on must also be accompanied by "changes in the attitude of the prosecutors, police officers and those in society generally".

The government's response came on a PIL filed by NGO RIT Foundation challenging Indian Penal Code's section 375, saying it does not consider sexual intercourse of a man with his wife as rape.

The plea has said that the law as it stands today amounts to a state-sanctioned license granted to the husband to violate the sexual autonomy of his lawfully wedded wife and is therefore, a violation of the Right to Privacy guaranteed to the wife under Article 21 of the Constitution.

"The exception to section 375 arbitrarily discriminates between women as it keeps the age of consent at 15 years for women who are in a wedlock whereas the same is 18 years in case of any other woman," it stated.
The Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday sought the response of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) on the status of implementation of the Polavaram project stop-work order issued earlier by the ministry.



The MoEF had issued the order to stop-work on the project in 2011, for failures in conducting public hearings in Chhattisgarh and Odisha, which was a condition precedent to obtaining an environmental clearance for the development. The environment ministry, though, had decided to keep the order in abeyance, the time-period of which expired in June this year.



The Bench, headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, has asked the advocate appearing on behalf of the MoEF on Tuesday to submit a status report on the project and provide the office memorandum for the stop-work order, by the next date of hearing on September 5. In the event of default, the NGT has directed the personal presence of the environment ministry official concerned on the date fixed.



Also Read: Polavaram Project Hangs Fire As Centre Frowns Over Execution
The Supreme Court on Monday asked the consortium of banks led by the SBI to respond to beleaguered liquor baron Vijay Mallya's plea seeking recall of the notice of contempt for allegedly not making full disclosure of all the assets owned by him and his family as directed by the top court earlier.

Giving 10 days time to the State Bank of India (SBI) to file its response, the bench of Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman gave Mallya a week's time to file his rejoinder as it directed the hearing of the matter on September 27.

Mallya's lawyer said the liquor baron has contended that the disclosure of the assets was for the settlement of outstanding dues with the banks, and since no settlement was taking place, he was not obliged to make disclosure and consequently there was no contempt.

Contesting the allegation that he had not made full disclosure of his assets, Mallya, now residing in London, said that the disclosures made by him about his assets and liabilities, submitted to the court in a sealed cover on March 31, were "accurate" and were meant for lending banks to have a "fair idea" for a meaningful settlement.

He has described the contempt proceedings as abuse of the process which were resorted to by the lending banks for oblique motives. Urging caution before the issuance of contempt notice, Mallya, in his application, said that contempt proceedings could not be resorted to for recovering outstanding dues.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the court that Mallya's plea for the recall of the order could not be entertained as he has failed to make a personal appearance before the court in pursuance to the contempt notice.

However, Justice Nariman asked him to respond to Mallya's application seeking the recall of the contempt notice so that the pleadings in the matter are completed and it is finally heard on any Tuesday.

The top court had on July 25 issued notice to Mallya on a plea by the consortium seeking contempt proceedings against him for not makings full disclosure of assets held by him, his wife and children both in India and abroad.

Addressing the court, Rohatgi read the Supreme Court rules which says that unless exempted, a person against whom contempt notice has been issued will have to be present in person to answer the court.

Telling the court that Mallya's plea for the recall of contempt notice could not be entertained, Rohatgi said that neither he has entered appearance nor he has moved an application for exemption from appearance.

"He is bound to appear today. If he's not appearing ... he can't be heard," he said.

Referring to the court's April 7 order, Rohatgi said that Mallya has not complied with the direction asking him to disclose all his assets, both moveable and immovable, including those held by his wife and children.

By the April 7 order, the court had also asked him to indicate the date when he could appear before it in person.

The court had asked Mallya to disclose all his assets  movable and immovable and tangible and intangible  and other shareholdings and beneficial interests in India and abroad by April 21.

Telling the court that Mallya has not made full disclosure, Attorney General said that he did not disclose about $40 million that he had got from British spirits maker Diageo as a part of severance package.

The consortium had moved the top court seeking the settlement of his outstanding dues amounting to more than Rs 9,000 crore.

The State Bank of Baroda, State Bank of Mysore, Axis Bank, Corporation Bank, Federal Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Jammu and Kashmir Bank, IDBI Bank, Punjab Bank, Punjab and Sind Bank, UCO Bank and United Bank of India are other members of the consortium.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed an appeal filed by Vikram Bakshi, an estranged partner of McDonald's India Pvt Ltd, against a Delhi High Court order allowing the US-based fast-food company to pursue arbitration.

The Delhi high court, on July 21, had held that the dispute between McDonald's and Bakshi needed to be resolved in the London Court of International Arbitration.

A Bench of judges J Chelameswar and A M Sapre, while rejecting the appeal, said it was upon the arbitrator to examine whether the claims of McDonald's were defensible or not.

The high court had set aside the decision of a single-judge bench of December 22, 2014, restraining arbitration proceedings between the two as ordered by the Company Law Board (CLB).

McDonald's had terminated the contract of its franchise for north India to Connaught Plaza Restaurants Private Limited, which was incorporated in line with the joint venture between Bakshi and the US-based fast food company.

Earlier, allowing the appeal of McDonald's by examining the issue, the division bench had said, "There is now a mandate to refer the parties to arbitration unless the court finds that prima facie no valid arbitration agreement exists. This is clearly not the case here."



It had said that in any eventuality, in the facts and circumstances of the case, the single judge could not have restrained the appellant from pursuing arbitration proceedings before the arbitral tribunal.

The high court had also said the finding of the single judge that the arbitration agreement in the case was incapable of performance or inoperative because of the pendency of the proceedings in the CLB, was clearly out of line.

It said while courts here have the power to injunct arbitration proceedings, they should use this power rarely.
Noting that India and the United States have taken steps to strengthen their cooperation in the area of counter-terrorism, External Affairs Minister on Tuesday said there is scope to do a lot more and this would be an important element of their deliberations.

Stating that both India and the US want to take their expanding defence cooperation to the next stage of co-production and co-development, Swaraj said, "For this, we need to define the benefits associated with India's designation as a 'Major Defence Partner' of the US during the Prime Minister's visit in June. This would spur defence industry collaboration between India and the US and help India play the desired role as a net provider of security in the region."

Delivering opening remarks at the Opening Plenary during the Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD), the External Affairs Minister said it is heartening to note that "we have been able to conclude a framework for the India-US Cyber Relationship - the first of its kind both for India and the US, with any other country".

Pointing out that both countries share the same democratic ethos of freedom, equality, pluralism and rule of law, she said, "India's enhanced global role is in our mutual interest. It is in this context, we look forward to continue working closely with the US to secure our membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)."

"In view of the rapidly evolving regional and global situation," said Swaraj, "we look forward to resuming the meeting of the Trilateral with Afghanistan; consultations on Africa and on multilateral issues within this year."

"Recently, we successfully launched the first UN Peacekeeping Course for African partners in New Delhi. This is an apt symbol of our partnership for peace, security and development in the wider world," she added.

Observing that there has been frequent political-level interaction throughout the year, Swaraj said, "Even as we speak, our Minister of Defence is on his second visit to the US in less than a year, making this year the second in a row that both Defence Ministers have exchanged visits in a calendar year. This is unprecedented."

"Similarly, the Economic and Financial Partnership Initiative at the level of Finance Ministers met earlier this year. Our Home Minister is planning to visit the US shortly for the Homeland Security Dialogue," she added.

Reiterating India's firm commitment for the implementation of the Paris Agreement, she said, "We are taking steps domestically to compress the timeline for our ratification of the Agreement. We hope that the next US Administration will continue to support the Paris Agreement with the same seriousness and purpose as you have done, and that the goal of mobilising $100 billion per year from developed countries, will be met with firm support from the US government."

"Our partnership in clean energy has received fresh impetus through launch of several initiatives that are aimed at facilitating clean energy investments from the US into India," she said, adding: "We need to significantly strengthen our collaboration in this area on a scale that will make it viable for us to make quantum transition to renewable energy away from fossil fuel, and achieve our ambitious climate goals."

The minister also urged the US to join the International Solar Alliance as an active member, which will be critical to its success.

Pressing the US for early implementation of the US Global Entry Programme for Indian nationals, Swaraj said, "The issue of totalisation and recent fee hike for H1B and L1 visa has affected our people-to-people exchanges, which is a vital source of strength for our relationship.

"I am sure these issues will be deliberated in depth in the commercial track of our discussion. But I would urge you to find a just and non-discriminatory solution to these issues."

Taking about "exciting" opportunities science and technology cooperation, she said, "Today, Indian and American scientists are engaged in jointly funded research, from atoms to space, combining India's talent with American infrastructure, and transforming lives of millions around the world. I am happy that both sides have decided to explore scaling up of funds for the bilateral Indo-US Science & Technology Forum (IUSSTF). We would request your support in early conclusion of Engineers and Scientists Exchange Programme (ESEP) Agreement."

The External Affairs Minister said India will take part in the Arctic Science Ministerial being hosted by the White House as well as in Our Ocean Conference to be hosted next month.

She stressed to develop cooperation in the area of traditional medicine.

She said trade and investment has continued to grow, and more opportunities are opening after the additional reforms that the Government of India took recently.

"As India unveils transformative economic programmes at home  be it Smart cities, Make in India, Digital India or renewable energy  the potential for doing business has never looked more appealing. We see the US as an indispensable partner in achieving these goals," said Swaraj.

"It is with that vision that I hope that you will treat the issue of India's membership of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum positively. This has as much strategic significance as it has commercial potential," she added.
Explaining United States' stand on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in India, US Secretary of State on Tuesday said the US strongly supports India's pitch for justice in the Mumbai and Pathankot terrorist attacks.

"We are standing fully behind India demanding that there be justice with respect to the Mumbai attacks. We have had conversations with all members of the region about efforts they need to take to control terrorism that comes out of their countries; and that is true with everybody, anywhere in the world," said Kerry.

He reiterated that there should be no differentiation between 'good' and 'bad' terrorist, a practice Pakistan has been often accused of by favouring terrorists affecting peace in Afghanistan and cracking down on terrorist challenging its own authority.

"In my opening comments, I made it very-very clear that the United States stands in strong partnership with India against all terrorism no matter where it comes from; no matter what forms it takes. And as I said, there is no good terrorist here and bad terrorist here. Terrorism is terrorism," said Kerry.

"So, I think it is crystal clear that the United State and India are of exactly the similar mind and with respect to the issue of terror and the need to not only prevent it but bring those to justice who perpetrate it," he said.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also agreed with Kerry's comments stating that the US Secretary shares the same view point on terrorism.

"As Kerry said he agreed on all four points that there should be no differentiation between good terrorists and bad terrorists, no government or country should be a haven to terrorism and there should be fast and strict measures against Mumbai and Pathankot terrorists and along with it he also agreed to support us at the UN committee that bans terrorists and terrorist organisations," said Swaraj.

She added that talks with Kerry give a very positive direction to the relationship.
The Centre on Tuesday increased the minimum wages and bonus for its employees to pacify trade unions that have called a nationwide strike on Friday.

The Minimum Wage Advisory Board on Tuesday announced a hike in the lowest wage for unskilled central government workers to Rs 350 a day from Rs 246. The increase will also be effective for central public sector undertakings.

The government has effected a 43 per cent increase in the minimum wage. This was a major demand of the trade unions, Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya (pictured) said.

Dattatreya has held meetings with trade unions over their charter of demands. The issues have been taken up by an inter-ministerial committee headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The bonus entitlements for 2014-15 and 2015-16 will be released on revised norms. This was pending for two years. After this, the bonus will be covered under the Seventh Pay Commission, Jaitley said.

The Payment of Bonus Act, 2015, doubled the statutory bonus paid to central government employees and made more workers eligible by raising the salary ceiling from Rs 10,000 a month to Rs 21,000. The Bill was to be effective from April 2015 but was made applicable from April 2014 on a personal intervention by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The likely financial implications of the higher bonus could be Rs 1,920 crore per annum.

On the opposition to the governments plans to merge associate banks of the State Bank of India with the parent, Jaitley said, The merger is not a subject for trade unions.



There will be no impact of the merger on the service conditions of any employee. If the government decides that we need strong banks, then unions will have to change their approach to the whole issue, Jaitley said.

The issue of providing social security benefits to the unorganised sector like anganwadi, mid-day meal and Asha volunteers will be examined by a committee that will submit its report at the earliest.

Jaitley said the registration of contract workers and their staffing agencies was mandatory and states would be advised to strictly implement it. Contractors would face appropriate action for any violation, he warned.

The Bharatiya Janata Partys trade union wing Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) said it would not participate in this weeks strike. The BMS is withdrawing from the strike as the government has taken progressive steps, said V Upadhya, general secretary of the BMS.

Left-leaning trade unions, however, said they would proceed with the strike. The announcement on daily wages merely maintains the status quo, said Tapan Sen of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions. No major demand has been accepted. There is no question of calling off the strike, he added. As many as 10 central trade unions had given the call for a one-day pan-India strike on September 2 to protest against the governments labour reforms.

LABOUR LOVE
A section of labour unions on Tuesday rejected a slew of sops proposed by the union government even before they were formally announced, and making the specter of a nationwide, multi-union strike a very real possibility.



The Centre was expected to announce pro-labour measures later Tuesday in order to pacify the trade unions ahead of the planned mega strike on Friday, September 2.


Deepak Parekh, chairman of Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), Indias largest mortgage lender, have drastically changed his view on the Narendra Modi government in the last one and a half years.
The eight-month ban on diesel vehicles (with engine capacity 2,000cc and above) in the National Capital Region (NCR) is estimated to have caused a revenue loss of Rs 4,000 crore to the automobile industry. The ban was lifted on August 12 by the Supreme Court.
Kofi Annan said it best: Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.

It is the Cayuga County Health Departments role to make sure that the community is aware of the programs and services we offer, what our mission is, where they can turn if they have questions and whom to contact if they have a problem.

Our education and outreach efforts involve a variety of different methods in order for us to reach as many people as possible. Whether we staff a table at a community event or health fair, write an article for a local newspaper, send press releases out to different media outlets (print, radio and TV) or make information available online, we are working hard to keep the community informed. I hope this article makes the community more aware of how to find our information online through our website and social media sites.

The department has a new and improved website, cayugacounty.us/health. We launched the new site to make information about programs and services more easily accessible. The website is updated on a regular basis and should serve as a great resource for the community. Anyone wanting more information about our programs and services can email us directly from our website, which makes us accessible to the community 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Once your email is received, you should receive a response within one to three business days.

The Cayuga County Health Department launched its Facebook page over five years ago in an effort to be able to communicate daily and quickly with the community. Since launching Facebook, we have seen more and more community members and organizations like our page. By liking our page, individuals are able to see our posts in their newsfeeds. We encourage individuals to share and comment on our posts. Utilizing this free social media resource has been beneficial in getting news out to residents.

Aside from our daily posts related to current health topics, the programs we offer, our clinic dates and times, or community events and trainings, we are able to quickly post information about a water emergency, weather-related events and other urgent news information.

Facebook paid advertising campaigns have become such a hit for us that weve been able to increase our presence and gain new likes. With the campaign, we were able to be selective in determining whom we wanted our target audience to be. Being able to select our target audience allows our messaging to be more direct, thoughtful and effective.

Having this free social media resource at our fingertips has been so helpful. Check out our Facebook page by searching Cayuga County Health Department; once you find us, be sure to like our page!

In addition to Facebook, we also have a YouTube channel, Cayuga County Health Department. This is another great opportunity to make our messages available to the community at any time. We are able to place television commercials and informational videos on our channel for free! Right now we have videos on: "How to Freeze and Can Your Summer Fruits and Vegetables," "How to Properly Remove a Tick" and "How to Catch a Bat Properly for Rabies Prevention," just to name a few. We also have television commercials on our Cancer Services Program and Creating Healthy Places to Live, Work & Play, and link you to other useful videos. You dont need to have a YouTube account in order to view our channel or our videos; just search Cayuga County Health Department and you will find us at youtube.com/cayugacountyhealth.

If finding us online or on social media sites is not for you, then just know that we are never more than a phone call away. Please feel free to call us at (315) 253-1560 and we will be happy to assist you.
Implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) will help reduce corruption in the country, Chairman of Vedanta Resources Anil Agarwal has said.

Agarwal, who was here to meet Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, said that " is the best thing in the world to happen here."



Stating that many countries across the globe have uniform tax structure now, he said this should also be implemented in India for better trade and commerce.

He said both the central and state governments will benefit from the .

"The days of different tax pattern is no more in existence in the world," Agarwal said.
Inauguration of the first phase of Saurashtra Narmada Avataran Irrigation Yojana (SAUNI) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Tuesday that is set to bring water from Narmada to the otherwise largely parched region of Saurashtra could very well boost the ruling party's prospects in next year's Gujarat assembly elections.
Steel Minister on Tuesday met ArcelorMittal Chairman Lakshmi Mittal and discussed the proposed Rs 6,700-crore joint venture with SAIL to set up an automotive steel plant in India.

Singh on Tuesday held consultations on the JV with top brass of the world's largest steel maker here today along with senior official from the Steel Ministry and SAIL Chairman P K Singh, ArcelorMittal said in a statement.

"ArcelorMittal welcomed Singh, SAIL Chairman and Steel Ministry's Joint Secretary Sunil Barthwal to its London offices for discussions regarding the proposed $1 billion automotive steel JV between ArcelorMittal and SAIL," it added.

ArcelorMittal Europe group CFO and CEO Aditya Mittal, Executive VP and Head of global automotive Brian Aranha  who is leading the JV discussions on behalf of ArcelorMittal  also attended the meeting, the firm said.

"The project's Joint Working Group, which was established following the signing of the MoU, has completed the major part of the project's Feasibility Report," the steelmaker said.

Earlier this month, the steel minister had told reporters that the much-awaited JV between the steel giant and Maharatna PSU will be operational by December.

ArcelorMittal and SAIL had inked a MoU in May last year to explore the possibility of setting up an automotive steel manufacturing facility under a JV arrangement in India.

The proposed JV will construct world-class facilities for manufacturing automotive steel that will offer technologically advanced steel products for India's rapidly growing automotive sector.

The hot rolled input products for the proposed facility would be supplied by SAIL's new hot strip mill in Rourkela, Odisha, thus making the entire value chain indigenous.

The Luxembourg-based company said India is forecast to become the world's third largest automobile manufacturing nation by 2026, with passenger vehicles likely to grow from around three million units today to over 7 million units in the next 10 years.

"In response to the growing level of automotive demand, and supported by the Indian government's 'Make In India' programme, which has been designed to transform India into a global manufacturing hub, automotive manufacturers have been establishing an increased presence in the country," it added.
With leading macroeconomic indicators painting a mixed picture, it's difficult to say with certainty whether headline gross domestic product (GDP) numbers, due to be released on Wednesday, will show a pick-up in growth in the first quarter of the current financial year.
Sending out a strong signal to Pakistan on terrorism emanating from its soil, US Secretary of State John Kerry lauded Indias efforts in Afghanistan and said a trilateral talk among India, the US, and Afghanistan would take place next month.
Kerala-based (CSB) is planning to raise money by way of preferential allotment of equity in favour of investors. They include Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance, Reliance Capital, ICICI Pru, HDFC Standard Life, Bennet Coleman & Co, Bharati Axa and Bajaj Alliance.

While the management of the Bank was not available for comment immediately, notice to the investors stated that the Bank is planning to issue and allot upto 1,32,03,856 equity shares for cash at a price to be determined by the Board with the price band of Rs 100 to Rs 120 per share, including premium. The total consideration would be around Rs 132 crore to Rs 158 crore.
At least 15 soldiers were killed in a clash between the army and Abu Sayyaf militants, authorities said on Tuesday.

The clash took place on Monday afternoon in Patikut in Sulu province when a military patrol was attacked by about 120 heavily armed militants, the chief of the Public Affairs Office of the Armed Forces, Edgard Arevalo, said.

He said the number of militants killed in the shooting was still unknown, reported EFE news.

Abu Sayyaf beheaded two Canadian hostages, John Ridsdel and Robert Hall, in April and June, respectively, after deadlines for ransom payment were not met.

The group is presently holding a Norwegian, a Japanese, nine Indonesians and five Malaysians.
Summer is over, and it is time to go back to school. That also means that after-school programs will be opening up in September. Several local organizations provide after school programming in Auburn. Programming offered by the Booker T. Washington Community Center and the Partnership for Results will begin on Sept. 19  three-hour programs, five days a week. After School Child Care at the YMCA will start on the first day of school.

The Booker T. Washington center offers programs at Casey Park Elementary School, Auburn Junior High School, Auburn High School and at the center at 23 Chapman Ave. Activities that are offered as part of these programs include homework help and project-based learning to help the children with their school work and to show them that learning can actually be fun. Other enrichment activities include field trips to an apple farm or to pick pumpkins, bowling, swimming and artistic activities offered through Auburn Public Theater and Perform 4 Purpose. Last year, after-school students at Auburn Junior High School and Auburn High School worked on robotics and participated in a competition with students from a number of other school districts. The Auburn Junior High School group won in its category. Students are provided with snacks at the beginning of the program and given dinner before they leave for home. Questions about these programs can be answered and applications can be obtained at the Booker T. Washington center or by calling (315) 253-3207.

The YMCA provides before- and after-school child care. In addition to its site on William Street, programming is also offered before school at Casey Park Elementary School, and before and after school at Herman, Owasco and Seward elementary schools in Auburn, as well as at a number of other county elementary schools. The Y provides trained staff who offer safe, affordable child care and structured activities. Scholarships are available to help offset the costs. The Y is located at 27 William St. and more information can be obtained by calling (315) 253-5304.

The Partnership for Results is offering after-school programs at Genesee, Herman and Seward elementary schools. Students at these schools will participate in project-based learning activities provided by teachers from the schools in which the programs are based. Students will also have opportunities for participate in other activities, including sports, arts and crafts, dance, computer activities and community service activities. There will be field trips and special events throughout the year. Students in these three programs will also be offered a snack and dinner as part of the program. For more information about the Partnership for Results programs, please call (315) 282-0005 ext. 10.

Frequently, students who participate in the after-school programs do not have the warm clothing that is needed for colder weather. Part of the purpose in after-school programming is to help keep children safe during the after-school hours. In an effort to make sure that as many children as possible are able to have the kind of clothing that they need to be able to keep warm during the winter months, the Partnership for Results and the Booker T. Washington center are asking for donations of gently used childrens winter coats/jackets, boots, mittens and scarves. Anyone who has clothing to donate for these children can drop it off at the center at 23 Chapman Ave. These donations will be given to children attending the various programs who do not have the warm winter gear that they need. All sizes that would fit elementary school children will be useful. For additional information about this, please call (315) 282-0005 ext. 10.
Prime Minister has requested the US to extradite the killers of her father and founder of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Hasina made the request to US Secretary of State John Kerry when he called on her at her office.

Hasina requested the US to extradite the killers of 'Bangabandhu' and most of his family members, who are living there.

In response to Hasina's request, Kerry said that the US was considering the request.

"I understand your sensitivity, the issue is under review," Kerry said on Monday.

Currently, the Bangladesh government is pursuing diplomatic and legal efforts to bring back six death-row fugitive killers of Bangabandhu, Dhaka Tribune reported.

On August 15, 1975, a group of junior army officers invaded the presidential residence with tanks and killed Mujib, his family and personal staff.Only his daughters Wajed and Sheikh Rehana, who were visiting West Germany, escaped.

At least one of Bangabandhu's fugitive killers, Rashed Chowdhury, is believed to be now living in the US.

Recently, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said that he has learnt that death-row convict Rashed's current location was in the US.

Law Minister Anisul Huq also confirmed that Rashed was now living in the US.

The main legal effort of extradition from the US is being carried out by reputed New York-based law firm Skadden for the past two years.
Brazil's suspended president proclaimed her innocence, branding her vice-president a "usurper" and warning senators that history would judge them harshly if they ousted a democratically elected leader on false charges.

Dilma Rousseff's much anticipated speech to the lawmakers who will decide this week whether to permanently remove her from office was characterized by the same defiance she has shown throughout an impeachment process that has divided Latin America's most populous nation.

"I know I will be judged, but my conscience is clear. I did not commit a crime," Rousseff told senators yesterday, who listened intently in contrast to the chamber's usual raucousness.

In the middle of her second term, the left-leaning leader has been accused of breaking fiscal rules to hide problems in the federal Budget. She has denied any wrongdoing, accusing her opponents of a "coup d'etat."

Rousseff reminded those in attendance that she was re-elected in 2014 by more than 54 million votes, asserting that at every moment since she has followed the constitution and sought to do what was best for the country.

Brazil's first female president is a former guerrilla fighter who was jailed and tortured during the country's dictatorship, and Rousseff drew a connection between her past and the situation today.

"I can't help but taste the bitterness of injustice," she said of the process that will decide not only her fate but the nation's political future.

During her 30-minite speech, Rousseff argued that in early 2015 opposition lawmakers began creating a climate of instability by refusing to negotiate and throwing what she called "fiscal bombs" in the face of declining revenues.

She said the impeachment process had exacerbated the recession in Latin America's largest economy, placing the blame on the opposition, which has argued that she has to be removed for the financial climate to improve.

Rousseff blasted interim President Michel Temer as a "usurper." Her vice-president turned arch-enemy, Temer took over when the Senate voted in May to impeach and suspend Rousseff for up to 180 days while a trial was prepared. He will serve out Rousseff's term if she is removed.

Referring to Temer, Rousseff said Brazilians would never have elected a man who named a Cabinet of all white men in a country that is more than 50 per cent non-white.

The Cabinet that Temer put in place in May has been roundly criticised for its lack of diversity, and three of his ministers were forced to step down within a month of taking office because of corruption allegations.
Canadian Prime Minister on Tuesday began his first official visit to China to improve economic ties and boost bilateral relations.

Trudeau, who will be in China from August 30 till September 6, will visit the cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong besides participating in the G20 summit next week at Hangzhou, EFE news reported.

The Prime Minister is accompanied by his wife Sophie Gregorie Trudeau and daughter Ella-Grace, along with his delegation that includes Foreign Minister Stephane Dion, Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland and Finance Minister Bill Morneau.

During his visit, Trudeau is expected to push trade ties with China and discuss a possible free trade agreement, as well as the eventual inclusion of Canada in the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

He is also likely to discuss the human rights situation in China and the difficulties faced by people who hold double-citizenship in the country.

Trudeau is also expected to meet Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, e-retail giant Alibaba's founder Jack Ma, and Hong Kong multimillionaire Li Ka-Shing, a shareholder in Canada-based Husky Energy, among .

His job, however, will not be easy as ties between the two countries have been strained since 2012, when the Canadian government, led by Stephen Harper, imposed measures to restrict acquisition of oil sand companies after China National OffShore Oil Corporation agreed to purchase Canada's Nexen.

Beijing, on its part, imposed strict restrictions on import of rapeseed oil from Canada, which it is expected to further strengthen in September.

Canada is also among the seven countries that came together to express concern over China's claims in the South China Sea, which further upset Beijing.

"Canada was among the first western power to establish diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1970 and I hope to start the process of rekindling bilateral ties," said Trudeau.

China is Canada's second largest trade partner after the US.
Global accountant has called on Britain's government not to clamp down on skilled migrants following Brexit, saying it could backfire on the .

Britain's vote in June on to leave the European Union (EU) means many banks and other financial firms will need advice from firms like on whether to relocate business to the continent.

David Sproul, UK's senior partner and chief executive, said Brexit also brings new challenges.

"The early economic indicators suggest the uncertainty created by the Brexit vote will lead to a slowdown in the second half of this year," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

A Deloitte survey of chief financial officers showed that restricting the inflow of skilled migrants to Britain could hurt the country's ability to attract investment.

Many of those who backed Brexit want migration curbed.

"The rights of EU migrants should be protected and any future migration policies should respond to our economic needs rather than be overly focused on total numbers. This is whilst recognising the need for politicians and business leaders to make the economic case for immigration more clearly," Sproul said.

Deloitte employs 16,006 people in Britain and Switzerland.

The company's UK arm, which includes its Swiss business, reported revenue in the financial year to May 2016 of 3.1 billion pounds ($4 billion), up 11.2% on the previous year and its fastest growth rate in a decade.

The average profit earned by each partner was 837,000 pounds, up from 822,000 pounds in the year before.

"We have had significant success in the audit market, with four wins in the FTSE 100, taking our market share to 23%," Sproul said.

Regulators have introduced rules to boost competition in the audit market but so far companies are mostly switching between Deloitte and the other "Big Four" auditors  KPMG, PwC and EY  which dominate the sector.
The European Union (EU) on Tuesday ordered to pay a record 13 billion euros in back taxes in Ireland, saying deals allowing the US tech giant to pay almost no tax were illegal.

In a ruling that is set to anger Washington, the European Commission said the world's most valuable company avoided tax bills on almost all its profits in the bloc under the arrangements with the Irish government.

Ireland has been seeking to attract US multinationals by offering extremely favourable tax conditions, known as sweetheart deals.

"The Commission's investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years," EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said.

"In fact, this selective treatment allowed to pay an effective corporate tax rate of 1% on its European profits in 2003 down to 0.005% in 2014," she said in a statement.

Ireland immediately said it would appeal against the decision and is also expected to challenge it.

"I disagree profoundly with the Commission's decision," Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan said in a statement.

"The decision leaves me with no choice but to seek cabinet approval to appeal the decision before the European Courts."



The tax repayment order, by far the largest in the EU's history, follows a three-year inquiry into whether Dublin's tax breaks for Silicon Valley titan Apple amount to illegal state aid.



Apple has had a base at the southern city of Cork since 1980 and employs 5,000 people in Ireland, through which it routes its sales, avoiding billions in corporation taxes.



Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook, in a Washington Post interview published August 13, said he hoped to "get a fair hearing" on the matter.

"If we don't, then we would obviously appeal it," he added.





ALSO READ: Apple says will appeal against EU tax decision

The US stepped up its fight last Wednesday against the commission's crackdown on tax avoidance by Apple and other multinational companies, accusing it of unilateralism and overstepping its mandate.





ALSO READ: EU to hand Apple hefty Irish tax bill: Sources

In a white paper, the US Treasury said the commission probe into alleged special tax treatment that certain EU countries gave Apple, Amazon, Starbucks and Fiat Chrysler "undermines the tax system."



The EU has made taxes a core issue since the LuxLeaks scandal in which it was revealed that European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's native Luxembourg gave huge tax breaks while he was Prime Minister.

In October Brussels ordered US coffee giant Starbucks and Italian automaker Fiat to each repay up to 30 million euros ($34 million) in back taxes to the Netherlands and Luxembourg respectively.

The US has acknowledged the problems around the issue of multinational firms obtaining state aid, in the form of secret and extremely lucrative tax breaks, from Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg for setting up business in those countries.

But it said those deals were made under treaties and accepted tax practices.
French President called on the World Bank to further bolster financial aid to the world's poorest countries and most vulnerable states, notably in the Sahel and the Middle East.

At a meeting with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim on Monday, Hollande hailed the institution's efforts in helping to handle the refugee crisis but asked it "to intensify efforts in fragile and vulnerable countries, particularly in the Sahel, so that development projects can be implemented quickly."

In this context, Hollande urged a quicker launch of a World Bank facility in the North Africa and Middle East region, to which France will provide $800 million in guarantees to help financing reconstruction and recovery, Xinhua news agency quoted his office as saying.

Hollande and Kim Yong, also expressed common commitment to encourage the use of renewable energy in Africa, a region severely hit by climate degradation.

In addition, they reiterated the need for world leaders to honour their pledge to offer $100 billion to the poorest states to help fight climate change.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has tweeted a video accusing his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton of "so many lies" about her use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state.

The minute-long video shows Clinton making various statements, all of which are rebutted by text below, even as an animated face of the Democratic nominee steadily keeps growing a longer nose.

"I did not email any classified material to anyone on my email. There is no classified material," Clinton is quoted as saying in the video.

"She did [and] there is," the text at the bottom of the video screen reads.

"I am confident that I never sent nor received any information that was classified," Clinton says, while the text notes: "she did."

"I had not sent classified material, nor received anything marked classified," she adds in a third segment, again appearing above the phrase "she did."

The minute-long video concludes with the FBI Director James Comey detailing how Clinton used her private email server while at the State Department.

"110 emails in 52 email chains have been determined by the owning agency to contain classified information. Seven email chains contain matters that were classified at the top secret special access program at the time they were sent and received," he says.

Later in the day, the Trump campaign released a new television ad entitled "Two Americas: Economy".

The ad, his campaign said, contrasts Clinton's "failed, more of the same economic policies" with Trump's "pro-growth" economic proposals.

This ad will run on broadcast and cable in Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida, New Hampshire, Iowa, Nevada, Virginia and Colorado.



"Trump's positive message of economic opportunity is working and we see the national and battleground state polls all moving in the right direction.

"With Hillary Clinton dodging the media and off the campaign trail almost entirely this week, continuing to take many communities' votes for granted, we see this as the right time to show voters the benefits of an American economy under the leadership of Mr Trump," said Jason Miller, Senior Communications Advisor of the Trump Campaign.

The Clinton Campaign dismissed the advertisements as divisive and misleading.

"Donald Trump's reckless approach to business has devastated working families and communities. He will do and say whatever is in his interest, even if it means swindling working families to make millions for himself," alleged Christina Reynolds, from the Hillary campaign.

"Hillary Clinton is the only candidate who will work to build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, and has a plan that would create jobs, grow incomes and help small business and the middle class. No misleading ad can change that fact," Reynolds said.

Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman Reince Priebus sent a letter to Donna Shalala, president of the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation, calling on the organisation to release all records of correspondence its officials had with the State Department during Hillary Clinton's tenure as Secretary of State.
When President travels to Asia next week, he will try to reassure leaders in the region that he still has the clout to deliver U.S. approval for the sweeping Trans-Pacific Partnership, even though the two candidates vying to succeed him and a congressional leader have said the 12-nation trade deal should not move forward.

The trade pact is the economic pillar of Obama's broader plan to shift US foreign policy toward Asia and counter the rising economic and military might of China.

"It would be a real setback for Obama's legacy and for the rebalance strategy if TPP were not to be ratified," said Matthew Goodman, a former Obama foreign policy adviser now at the CSIS think-tank in Washington.

Domestic politics have put the deal's future in doubt. US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Thursday the Senate would not vote on the pact this year, punting it to the next president, who will take office on Jan. 20.

Both Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton have said they oppose the TPP, citing past trade deals that have cost Americans jobs. As Obama's Secretary of State, Clinton backed the Pacific trade deal.

Obama has said the TPP will boost labor and environmental standards - fixing some of the problems seen in past trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement - and give both large and small US companies access to the world's fastest-growing markets.

The White House said failure to approve the TPP would hurt US interests in Asia, where some leaders made politically tough decisions to advance the deal.

"In this part of the world, which is the largest emerging market in the world, TPP is seen as a litmus test for US leadership," Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser, told reporters on Monday.

"We would be stepping back from that leadership role, we would be ceding the region to countries like China who do not set the same types of high standards for trade agreements were we to not follow through with TPP," Rhodes said.

Estimates of the potential economic impact of TPP vary, but most show little meaningful growth for the US . Estimates from the Peterson Institute, an economic think-tank in Washington, suggest that TPP would raise growth by 0.5 per cent after 15 years.

Even those estimates, which amount to a rounding error in US economic output, have been criticised as being too optimistic due to their treatment of so-called non-trade measures that are included in the analysis.

But White House spokesman Josh Earnest said polls shows most Americans support the deal, creating "a path for us to get this done" before January 20.

In an interview, Former US Trade Representative Susan Schwab described the odds of the TPP passing as slim, but not impossible.

"There's history of candidates criticising previous administrations' policies on trade and then having to figure out how to live with them in office, and they include presidents Obama and (former Democratic president Bill) Clinton," said Schwab, who served as trade representative under former Republican President George W Bush.

Obama arrives in China on Saturday where he will meet President Xi Jinping and attend the G20, and then travel to Laos for two additional regional summits, returning to Washington on Sept. 9.
White nationalist and former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke is urging voters in a robocall to vote for him for Senate and Donald Trump in the presidential election.

"Unless massive immigration is stopped now, we'll be outnumbered and out-voted in our own nation. It's happening," Duke said in the automated call, a recording of which was posted online by Buzzfeed yesterday.

"We're taxed to death. We're losing our jobs and business to unfair trade. We're losing our country," he added.

"It's time to stand up and vote for Donald Trump for president and vote for me, David Duke, for the US Senate."

The 66-year-old Duke, a former KKK imperial wizard repudiated as racist and anti-Semitic, confirmed to Buzzfeed that it was his voice on the call.

Trump, 70, was criticised by some, including members of rival Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, for not swiftly and forcefully denouncing Duke six months ago when Duke expressed support for the provocative billionaire's White House bid.

He later disavowed Duke, but not before the incident fueled an already controversial national debate about race.

Trump's campaign was quick to repudiate Duke's robocall.

"It's absolutely disturbing," Trump campaign spokeswoman Katrina Pierson told CNN.

Trump's team "has no knowledge of the campaign that David Duke is running, and we have disavowed David Duke and don't condone any of the activities that he's doing," she added.

Duke, running as a Republican to fill an empty Senate seat for Louisiana, has discomfited many Republicans by pushing racial overtones onto the political stage.

The so-called "alt-right" political movement has formed a substantial chunk of Trump's base of support. Clinton unveiled an attack ad last week seeking to paint Trump as the candidate for neo-Nazis, racists and white supremacists.

Duke has run unsuccessfully for multiple political positions including president, although he did serve in the Louisiana House from 1989 until 1992.

Yesterday, Clinton called Duke "despicable," telling supporters in Easthampton, New York that she "wanted to pull it out from under the rock so people could see it and understand that David Duke has endorsed Donald Trump.
At least one person was killed and several were injured on Tuesday when a powerful explosion rocked the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek.

The country's Emergency Response authorities said the blast occurred after a car reportedly rammed the gates of the compound, RT news reported.
They've been asking for it for weeks, and now they can get it.

Prison City Pub & Brewery in Auburn announced Tuesday the release date of its next batch of Mass Riot India pale ale: Sunday, Sept. 11.

Demand for the beer surged in early August, when Paste Magazine ranked it No. 1 in the publication's annual blind taste test of 247 American IPAs.

The beer, a 6.4 ABV New England-style IPA, was initially on tap at Prison City for about 10 days in early July before the Auburn brewpub ran out. Work began on the second batch almost immediately after Paste's article was published.

Marc Schulz, who co-owns the brewpub with his wife, Dawn, said hundreds of people have asked for the Mass Riot over the past month, and about 80 or 90 specifically traveled to Prison City for it.

With that demand in mind, Prison City announced a few rules for Mass Riot's release. Beginning that Sunday at noon, 120 Crowlers (32-ounce cans) will be available, with a limit of one per customer. The beer will also be on tap at the brewpub in 4-, 8- and 16-ounce servings.

Marc said he and Dawn agonized over how, specifically, they would release the coveted beer.

"We have no idea what to expect," he said. "We're simultaneously preparing for the best and the worst. There could be a line wrapped around the corner and we'll sell the 120 cans in a couple hours. But we're trying to be humble: Maybe we only sell 20."

Unlike most Prison City beers, which can be taken home in Crowlers, the Mass Riot will only be available on tap once its 120 Crowlers have been sold. Several of brewer Ben Maeso's other Prison City beers will be available the day of Mass Riot's release, both by the glass and in Crowlers.

Schulz said he expects a good 30 or 40 percent of the day's customers will grab their Crowler and walk out the door. The Sept. 11 release will sate that crowd, as will the beer's next batch in about two weeks  but after that, he said, the beer might become more sparse as Maeso returns to making other IPAs, like the Riot in Vermont.

"We can't afford to just become the Mass Riot brewery right now," Schulz said. "At the end of the day, we're a restaurant that also happens to brew beer."

Prison City will also "be digging into the cellar and pouring other exceptional beers" that day, it said on its Facebook page.

Thirsty Pug Craft Beer Market plans to do the same. Mike Sigona, owner of the Genesee Mall bottle shop, said he'll open that Sunday from about 1 to 5 p.m. (The shop is typically closed Sundays.)

"There's definitely a lot of hype for this beer to come out," he said of the Mass Riot. "It's going to be great for the beer community and great for Auburn."

Sigona said he'll have about four or five beers by Brooklyn-based Grimm Artisanal Ales on tap that afternoon. Three of Grimm's IPAs placed in the top 30 of Paste's rankings.

Even though fondness for that beer style will bring many a hophead to Auburn that Sunday afternoon, Sigona hopes they branch out, too.

"Hopefully they try (Maeso's) other stuff," he said. "It's nice to see a local guy get this kind of recognition."
Only the really wealthy know Goyard. Unlike Gucci or Louis Vuitton, the more than 200-year-old Parisian maker of luxury luggage and bags -with one of its 19th-century-style trunks going for euro 52,380 ($59,315) - maintains a studied silence. It doesn't advertise in glossy magazines, and is among the last of its kind not swallowed up by a larger peer. So far, that is. Kering Chief Executive Officer Francois-Henri Pinault wouldn't be averse to adding it to his company's stable of brands, a person familiar with the matter said. While neither Kering nor its larger rival LVMH Moet ...
A leading Australian daily said on Tuesday it will not be publishing more confidential data on the Indian Scorpene Class submarines after a court imposed a temporary ban on further publication of the documents.

The New South Wales Supreme Court issued the order on Monday and ordered 'The Australian'to remove documents from its website, from which the newspaper had already redacted security-sensitive material, and to give French defence firm DCNS all of the company material in its possession by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, according to media reports.

The court's order came following an affidavit filed by DCNS which sought a ban on the publication of the sensitive documents by 'The Australian'.

The court's order preventing the newspaper from using the leaked material expires at 5 p.m. on Thursday.

The case will again be listed for hearing on Thursday in the Supreme Court.

In its affidavit,DCNS said the disclosure of the material had caused a prejudice against it because its competitors now have access to some of the company's material, according to media reports.

The massive media coverage of the leak had jeopardised the company's image and reputation, the affidavit was quoted as saying.

"The sensitive and protected nature of the documents also covers the nature, structure and the mere existence of the documents themselves," it said.

A day after the court's ruling, The Australian's Associate Editor Cameron Stewart said, "there are very large documents but we are certainly not publishing more documents".

Asked if the paper intends to bring up any of the documents when the injunction ends, he told an Indian TV channel that, "No, we don't. I'm not involved in the court process. I can't comment very much and there are no plans to post any more items."

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 the French company, have been leaked.

The French public prosecutor has opened a preliminary investigation into the data leak, with DCNS filing a complaint of breach of trust.

(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.)
Sri Lankan police on Tuesday arrested a second suspect for allegedly hacking into the president's official website last week.

The arrest came hours after a 17-year-old school boy was taken into custody on Monday by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) over the alleged incident, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The 26-year-old man was arrested from Moratuwa, Colombo and has been taken in for questioning," police said.

Police on Monday said they were also on the look out for a Bangladeshi national for hacking into the president's official website.

President Maithripala Sirisena's website and a few other government websites were hacked for two consecutive days on August 25 and 26 by a group calling itself the "Sri Lankan Youth".

A message was posted in Sinhala on the website saying that the group was displeased and demanded postponing the ongoing GCE Advanced Level examinations.

"Take care of the security of Sri Lankan websites. Or else, we will have to face a cyber war. If you cannot control the situation hold a Presidential Election. Stop the Prime Minister's irresponsible work. Look more into the problems of the university students," the Colombo Page reported, quoting the message.

However, the website was restored later on Monday.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on all countries to work to bring the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) as soon as possible.

Open for signature in 1996, the legally binding is a multilateral treaty by which states agree to ban all nuclear explosions, for both civilian and military purposes, Xinhua news agency reported.

In a message to the Day against Nuclear Tests, Ban noted that since its adoption 20 years ago, the has yet to enter into force.

Ban said a prohibition on all nuclear testing will boost momentum for other disarmament measures and it will build confidence for other regional security measures, including a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction.

The UN General Assembly declared August 29 the Day against Nuclear Tests in 2009, calling for increasing awareness about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions and the need for their cessation as one of the means to achieve the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.
Myanmar's stateless Rohingya should be given the right to citizenship after generations living in the country, UN chief Ban Ki-Moon said on Tuesday.

Many from the million-strong Muslim minority are denied citizenship, voting and work rights and reviled as imposters in overwhelmingly Buddhist .

More than 120,000 have been displaced, many to squalid displacement camps in western Rakhine state, after fleeing violence stirred by Buddhist nationalists in 2012.

Thousands have fled to other Southeast Asian countries on rickety boats in search of better lives, only to drown or fall victim to human traffickers.

In June, the UN said the Rohingya suffered entrenched discrimination so deep it may amount to crimes against humanity.

"This is not just a question of the Rohingya community's right to self-identify," Ban told a press conference alongside Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

"People who have been living for generations in this country should enjoy the same legal status and citizenship as everyone else."

His comments come as Myanmar's new civilian government is seeking to tackle the seemingly intractable issue that has dogged Nobel laureate Suu Kyi for years.

Even the word Rohingya has become loaded  with Buddhist nationalists having staged protests across the country against using the term. They instead label the group "Bengalis" and cast them as illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh.

The veteran democracy activist has come under fire from rights groups for failing to address the plight of the Rohingya, as she seeks to avoid stoking further unrest over the sensitive issue.

Last week, the government announced it would set up an advisory panel chaired by former UN secretary general Kofi Annan to find "lasting solutions to the complex and delicate issues in the Rakhine State".

His appointment has triggered a backlash from nationalists, including the local Arakan National Party, who denounced what they saw as foreign meddling.

Ban said he would support his predecessor's work in Rakhine and work with Myanmar's central authorities to tackle the Rohingya issue.

"The situation is complex (in Rakhine) and the government has assured me of their commitment to address the roots of the problem," he said.

"All of Myanmar's people, of every ethnicity and background, should be able to live in equality and harmony side by side with their neighbours.
The Obama administration would reach its target of resettling 10,000 by October 1, National Security Adviser Susan Rice has said.

"On behalf of the President and his Administration, I extend the warmest of welcomes to each and every one of our Syrian arrivals, as well as the many other refugees resettled this year from all over the world," Rice said on Monday, CNN reported.

Rice acknowledged that there was much more work to be done in the region but called the move a "meaningful step that we hope to build upon."

"While refugee admissions are only a small part of our broader humanitarian efforts in Syria and the region, the President understood the important message this decision would send, not just to the Syrian people but to the broader community," Rice said.

The US ambassador to Jordan, Alice Wells, on Sunday described the resettlement numbers as "a floor, not a ceiling".

America had previously pledged to bring at least 10,000 individuals from the war-torn country during the current fiscal year, which ends next month.

David Miliband, president and CEO of the Rescue Committee, used similar language on Monday in welcoming the American milestone, adding that he hopes it is a prod to further action.

"IRC encourages the White House to consider this 10,000 milestone 'a floor and not a ceiling,'" he said. "The achievement of the 10,000 target proves what is possible, and there remains an urgent need to further strengthen US leadership in resettling refugee families, with appropriate vetting, fleeing violence and war."

He urged the Obama administration to up its acceptance rate to 1,40,000 refugees in 2017.

The influx of Syrian refugees, however, has been a major domestic political flashpoint over the past year. That could prove an obstacle to any significant increase in the program.

Critics of the resettlement effort, including Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, have long expressed concern about the potential for ISIS or other terrorist groups to exploit refugee flows to reach the West, CNN reported.

Wells maintained that America's absorption of Syrians did not come at the cost of the country's rigorous screening processes.

"The United States government is deeply committed to safeguarding the American public, just as we are committed to providing refuge to some of the world's most vulnerable people," Wells said, adding, "we do not believe these goals are mutually exclusive."
In view of rising production costs, companies such as Essar Steel, JSW Steel, Tata and the Authority of India are planing to increase prices by Rs 2,500 a tonne from September 1.
China on Tuesday condemned the car bombing near the Chinese Embassy in Kyrgyzstan that killed the suicide bomber and left three others injured.

Hua Chunying, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson, confirmed that Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek was attacked by a car bomb earlier today, causing injuries to three people of the embassy, reports the Xinhua.

Hua said that the Foreign Ministry has launched emergency procedures and China requires Kyrgyzstan to take immediate and necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese people and institutions.

She also urged the Kyrgyz side to investigate the bombing and bring the perpetrators to justice.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Deteriorating health facilities at hospitals in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh have been magnified by the death of a 12-year-old boy on his father's shoulder because he was denied timely access to medical facilities at different hospitals.

The incident took place on August 26 when Ansh, a resident of Kanpur's Fazalganj area, was admitted to a medical facility with high fever.

After being treated in private hospitals for two days, his father finally took him to the Hallet Hospital. Doctors at the hospital told the father to take Ansh to the children's ward, but by the time Ansh's father, Sunil, carried Ansh to the children's ward, the 12-year-old boy died.

"My son had high fever... He was studying in class sixth. He was very good at his studies. Doctors at the children's ward told me had I arrived 10 minutes before, my son would have been saved," the father said carrying his dead son on his shoulder.

"It is negligence on the part of the Hallet Hospital. They did not provide treatment to my son. They didn't even provide me a stretcher. I was running from here to there carrying my son on my shoulder," a teary Sunil said.

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The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Sri Lankan Police on Tuesday arrested the second suspect for the alleged hacking of President Maithripala Sirisena's official website last week.

The 27-year-old man from Moratuwa is the second suspect of the alleged cyber-attack, reports the Colombo Page.

On Monday, a 17-year old student from Kandy was arrested by the CID for hacking into the Sirisena's official website president.gov.lk.

He is accused of hacking the website on August 25 and August 30.

A message was posted on the website saying that the group was displeased with the government's decision to hold General Certificate of Education (GCE) examination in April since the Sinhala/Hindu New Year falls in between the exam dates.

They even asked the government to reconsider the decision.

The message read, "Take care of the security of Sri Lankan websites. Or else, we will have to face a cyber war. If you cannot control the situation hold a Presidential Election.

Stop the Prime Minister's irresponsible work. Look more into the problems of the university students.

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SKANEATELES FALLS  It's full STEAM ahead for the HABA Outlet Store in Skaneateles Falls and its fourth annual Fall Toy Fest.

That's because STEAM  an acronym that refers to a focus on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics in education  is the centerpiece of the event that will showcase new and discontinued items from Habermaass Inc., the Germany toy company that calls Skaneateles its home for North American distribution through HABA USA.

STEAM may be a buzzword of 21st century learning, said Andrea Elliott, who handles social media and customer service for HABA USA, but the nearly 80-year-old company's products have always fostered learning while playing.

"All of our stuff has always been STEAM, so we're playing it up now," she said, pointing out different toy stations in the 4407 Jordan Road, Skaneateles Falls, outlet store that allow children to wander around and play. "We're educational without trying. Kids are learning while they're playing."

And people might assume that STEAM must involve activities for older children, such as robotics, but Alison Barron, HABA USA's consumer sales and marketing manager, said the company offers learning opportunities to children of all ages.

"A 2 year old could start STEAM learning through games or through stacking blocks," she said, noting the toys build critical thinking and problem skills early. "That's engineering. That's them learning to balance blocks and rearranging them so they're not falling down. Even at an early age, 2 years old, they're learning their STEAM skills."

That type of educational playtime will be on display during the fall fest, slated to take place from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 at the outlet store. Along showing off new items and discounting the discontinued ones  the American company typically subtracts 200 items from its inventory and adds 200 items during a given year, Barron said  the fall fest offers demonstrations from vendors and activities from several presenters.

"We've grown over the years," Barron said, noting that the first fall fest celebrated the opening of the outlet store four years ago. "The first year we had a couple hundred people. ... Over the past couple of years, we've had over a thousand people here during our four-hour event."

A representative of the Binghamton University archaeology department will show off animal bones for the children, and a representative from the Museum of Science and Technology in Syracuse will offer a couple of science demonstrations.

The outlet store will hold giveaways throughout the event, along with a variety of hands-on activities with building kits, digging kits and detective kits.

Since HABA USA's products are specialty toys that are only available through the outlet store or at specialty stores, Barron said the store is a destination both during its regular business hours and for the fall fest.

People come from Syracuse, Ithaca, Rochester, Albany and even Canada to visit the store and attend the fall fest.

"A lot of them are specialty toys, so they're just not toys that you're going to find at your Walmarts and Kmarts and such," Barron said. "It's a place where you come once and you fall in love with so many cool things. We're constantly adding new items to the stores as well, so people come in to see what's new. Then, they start bringing their friends, and it becomes a regular spot."

She also said the products are quality toys built with German design and German engineering to both last longer and hold a child's interest longer.

"They're not things that are going to break the day after Christmas," she said. "They're always thinking of new toys that aren't going to mimic those plastic toys that you find at big-box stores. They want to make sure it's a toy that's going to last them several years."

Barron also called HABA USA's product "back-to-basics toys" that don't require batteries with the exception of a couple of items but do require a child's imagination with little instruction.

She noted the products range from wooden baby toys that Habermaass' original trademark to textile and soft goods and even plastic dolls and dollhouses. There is also a variety of outdoor toys and sand toys.

"It's fun to see all the new items that they've developed," Barron said. "They have in-house designers that are coming up with new ideas."

A booming area for HABA USA is Habermaass' line of strategy board games that can be geared toward toddlers and pre-teens and even appeal to adults. Though the American distributor may not every new product its parent company comes up with it, Barron said it does pick up all of the new games.

"We didn't know that HABA had such a great game following until recently," she said. "These have been extremely popular. We've decided to pick up every new game they've created because it's such a huge category for us."

As to what keeps such a big-name company in such a small-town atmosphere, Barron said it goes back to the tradition of Habermaass, which Eugen Habermaass founded in his German hometown of Bad Rodach, Bavaria and which employs 1,600 people in its factory there.

When Habermaass came to the United States looking for a production plant at the time, he had the opportunity to purchase Skaneateles Handicrafters in 1980 and turn it into what is now HABA USA.

"It's a small town," Barron said. "It's similar to Skaneateles. ... It just reminded him of home. Skaneateles is a very small town such as Bad Rodach."

She said it is a family company run by Klaus Habermaas, who is family man himself and whose children are now taking over the company themselves.

"It's so hard to believe that we're here in Skaneateles," Elliott said. "That's what we try to do with the fest, just get the name out. We have great toys out here right in your backyard."
The Delhi Police on Tuesday arrested eight people on suspicion of human trafficking.

The arrested include a couple---Saira Begum and Aafaq Hussain, who had an unchecked run as trafficking kingpins in Delhi's Garstin Bastion (GB) Road---and six of their aides.

They have been booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

It is reported that the couple ran a "syndicate" which is suspected to have trafficked more than 5,000 girls from Nepal and remote areas of West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka, Assam, Andhra and other states.

As reported, Saira has been arrested in seven cases since 1990 and Aafaq in three cases. In one case registered in 2001, Saira was convicted for seven years but returned to the trade soon after.

G.B Road in the capital alone attracts and harbours a majority of them due to the free run they are allowed to have here.

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A senior official has been killed for falling asleep during a meeting chaired by Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong-un along with a former minister, who was deemed as posing a threat to the leader.

According to South Korean media reports, senior official at the Education Ministry Ri Yong-jin was executed for falling asleep during a meeting chaired by Kim while former agriculture minister Hwang Min was killed for making policy proposals that were seen as a direct threat to Kim's leadership.

Both were executed by anti-aircraft gun at a military academy in Pyongyang earlier this month, reports the Guardian.

The purge of senior officials, who are deemed as a threat to Kim Jong-un's leadership continued to possibly generate fear among members of the elite after recent high-level defections.

However, nothing such has been reported by the state's official KCNA news agency.

The rumoured executions would, however, fit into a pattern of purges Kim has ordered against perceived enemies since he became the leader in late 2011 after the death of his father Kim Jong-il.

The most influential official to have been executed was Jang Song-thaek, Kim's uncle and second-in-command.

Jang, denounced as a "traitor for all ages", was killed in December 2013 after being found guilty of treason and other crimes against the North Korean state.

In April last year, Hyon Yong-chol, a former defence chief, was executed after falling asleep during a military rally attended by Kim.

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At least four Haqqani commanders were killed in an Afghan Air Force airstrike in Afghanistan's Paktia province.

The commanders were killed in Janikhail district of the province on Monday night, reports the Tolo News.

Governor's spokesman Naqib Attal said the commanders killed were identified as Abdul Wali, Kakai, Khaibar and Matiullah.

Meanwhile, the provincial council members have blasted government for not taking adequate security measures in retaking Janikhail district which fell to the Taliban late last week.

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Known for making headlines with her quirky style and super bold personality, Rakhi Sawant recently admitted she has gone through medical boob enhancement procedures and bluntly stated so whats' the "big deal" about it.

During an interview with the Mumbai Mirror, the 37-year-old actress said, "I have undergone plastic surgery. I got my breasts done. Big deal. If you start collecting the plastic that has gone into our Bollywood bodies, I can fill three trucks outside this very building. At least I'm honest enough to admit to it."

The 'Buddha Mar Gaya' actress recently came under spotlight due to the attire she wore to a pre-independence party.

The tiny dress had Prime Minister Narendra Modi's head-shots printed all over.

On the professional front, Rakhi will be next seen in Aziz Zee's directorial 'Ek Kahani Julie Ki'.

The movie is based on the high-profile Sheena Bora murder case and will have Rakhi play the role of Indrani Mukherjea, the key accused who was involved in the killing of her own daughter.

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First choice of Indian consumers for small home appliances INALSA aims to project Rs. 250 crore growth trajectory in the next four years on the back of product expansion and extension of sales network in the South and East zones.

The home appliances maker has forayed into the chimney segment in the country with an extensive portfolio of 25 models with a target to notch up Rs. 10 crore sales from the category in the current fiscal.

"We are eying at Rs. 250 crore expansion mainly through new product launches and increased presence on e-commerce platforms, which includes Amazon, Paytm, Shopclues amongst others in the next four years," said General Manager Modern Trade and Marketing, Pankaj Gupta in an interview with ANI.

"As of now, 28 percent of INALSA's revenue comes from food processor followed by juicer and mixer grinder with 12 percent, 10 percent from mixer, seven percent from ceiling fans and six percent from water heaters. To keep the momentum going, we are in line to introduce Personal Care, OTG (Oven Toaster and Griller) and Air fryers around Diwali this year to cater to the masses," added Pankaj.

A part of Spain-based Taurus group, INALSA also plans to extend its brand Mellerware in India.

"We expect Mellerware to contribute to at least 10 percent of our sales in the next three to four years as it is a value for money brand," he added.

As part of its strategy to become a Rs. 250 crore company, INALSA plans to increase its spending on branding and promotion with a higher impact and accessibility over the digital and social platforms.

"Earlier, we used to spend around 4 per cent of our sales but this year onwards, we are spending between 10 to 12 per cent and a major portion would be on digital platform to catch the younger audience," he added.

Founded in 1967, INALSA has always been the first choice of Indian customers. It has been amongst the fastest growing small appliance companies in India.

A subsidiary of Taurus Group, Spain, INALSA is a pioneer in food processors with leadership position in the category.

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Innovation Norway, DNV GL and the Norwegian Embassy organized a seminar in New Delhi recently to display Norwegian expertise within natural gas, and to address the challenges and opportunities in the evolving market in India.

The seminar provided unique opportunities to get the latest on industry developments, driving technologies, safety guidelines and operational issues.

"India wants to combine economic growth with low carbon emissions, and aims to deliver electricity 24X7 to all Indians. Norway aims to be your partner in achieving these goals", said Ms Hanne Meldgaard, Minister-Counsellor, Norwegian Embassy, expressing hope for an even stronger partnership on energy and maritime between India and Norway in the future.

Inland Waterways Authority of India, represented by Shrikant Mahiyaria, said "India is keen to promote LNG as bunker fuel for sustainable and efficient inland transportation. I am sure that the bilateral cooperation between Norway and India will grow in this sector".

The rapid economic growth in India is highly dependent on an increased supply of energy. Small-scale distribution of LNG will be used to fuel up smaller power plants, industry users and as fuel for ships. There is a positive environmental aspect of using LNG as an alternative to heavy fuel oil.

Globally there are now another 50 LNG vessels under construction, of which 20 are Norwegian owned. According to DNV GL there will be 1000 vessels operating on LNG within 2020. LNG propelled vessels can significantly contribute to reduced emissions, both for the Norwegian short sea fleets and for deep-sea transportation.

The Norwegian Government has also developed and implemented a specific Maritime Strategy during the last 7 years that focus on cleaner and greener shipping. By combining financial instruments like a NOX fund, reduction of port taxes and duties, implementing ship scrapping regimes for those ship-owners selecting to renew their old ships with LNG propelled ships, promoting development of small scale LNG distribution, etc. it is possible for governments to be a catalyst in facilitating a change to clean short sea shipping within a limited number of years.

Use of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is one of the solutions for a greener energy sector in India.

"LNG is a key feature of India's future plans for a sustainable energy sector. This cannot be complete without Norway, because of your experience", said Sunjay Sudhir, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

With two decades of experience, Norwegian companies develop and deliver products along the entire LNG value chain.

Norway has developed small-scale LNG infrastructure for more than 10 years and has today around 40 distributed LNG terminals along the coast and 50 LNG-propelled vessels in operation.

This makes Norway one of the pioneers in this business, and it has "propelled" the development of highly skilled Norwegian vendors and suppliers of equipment and services in this sector.

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New Delhi, Aug 30 (ANI): Bollywood starlet Deepika Padukone most recently added another feather to her cap when she grabbed the tenth spot on the Forbes' World's Richest Actresses list.

On one hand where actresses like Deepika and "Desi Girl" Priyanka Chopra are making Bollywood visible on the global map, looks like actress Sonakshi Sinha is warm and cosy in her own shell.

We caught up with Deepika's counterpart Sonakshi in the national capital and asked her whether she wants to achieve the same in her life what Deepika has.

Giving her honest reply, Sonakshi told ANI, "I am very content and very happy with the work I am doing and if someday I do grab a spot in Forbes' list as a result of work I am doing, then well and good but I feel there's a lot more to life at least for me.

"There is a lot more in life apart from money", added the 29-year-old actress.

Well, it seems Sonakshi Sinha is not as ambitious as the 'Piku' star.

Few weeks ago, even the begum of B-Town, Kareena Kapoor Khan had confessed it that she has no dreams to fly to Hollywood, after she was compared to Priyanka Chopra.

On the work front, Sonakshi Sinha is currently on a promotional spree of her new film 'Akira'.

The film will directed by AR Murugadoss, will see Sonakshi performing some amazing action stunts for the first time in her career.

'Akira' hits the theatres on September 2.

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Jailed Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader (MQM) Waseem Akhtar on Tuesday took oath as Karachi's mayor and Arshad Vohra as his deputy at Bagh-i-Quaid-i-Azam.

Akhtar is among four mayors and 200 chairmen of as many municipal bodies across Sindh who took oath of their offices today, reports the Dawn.

Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Commissioner Samiuddin Siddiqui administered oath to Akhtar and Vohra.

Akhtar reportedly opened his speech with a slogan of "Long live Muttahida, long live Bhutto and long live Imran Khan."

The MQM leader is said to be the first person in the country to have won the mayoral election from prison against his rival candidate pitted by a six-party alliance formed to contest against his party.

He has been in prison since July 19 after an Anti-Terrorism Court dismissed his pre-arrest interim application in a case for treatment of terrorists.

He will run the metropolis via "video link" from his prison cell.

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With Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to lead an all-party delegation to on September 4, the Congress Party on Tuesday said that it has yet not received invitation from the side of the government.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said that the Centre has yet not discussed the points to be raised in and without being aware of the agenda, the grand old party cannot decide that whether it will be a part of all the all-party delegation or not.

"We have not yet received any invitation. And my party will take a stand after analysing the governments agenda for . After knowing the purpose of the visit and that what are the points he is going to raise there in advance, if they give all the details then only my party will take a decision to accompany the government delegation. Without knowing anything how can I say that we are going to participate in the delegation," said Kharge.

An all-party delegation led by Rajnath Singh will visit Jammu and Kashmir on September 4 and is expected to interact with a cross section of people as part of efforts to bring peace in the Valley which has been witnessing unrest.

The Home Minister had reviewed the situation in the valley with top BJP and government functionaries on last week.

The Home Minister on Sunday had a hour-long meeting with BJP President Amit Shah, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and MoS for PMO Jitendra Singh and discussed with them the modalities of the all-party delegation.
At least one person is said to have been killed and three others injured in an explosion near the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek on Tuesday.

The car exploded near the embassy in Bishkek, killing its driver and wounding three people, the Health Ministry said, reports the Guardian.

The State National Safety Committee (GKNB) said it was investigating the blast but provided no other details.

Reports suggest that the car appeared to have rammed the embassy's gate before exploding.

The ambulance cars and law enforcement officers had already been sent to the scene.

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2016 AVN All-Girl Performer of the Year



Shyla Jennings was born in Germany but now calls Texas home. Since entering the industry in 2010, she has remained strictly a girl/girl and solo performer, and much of her best work has been shot by Girlfriends Films. Among the movies she has starred in are Net Skirts 4.0, Lesbian Seductions 33 and Lesbian House Hunters 3, all from Girlfriends.

She also graced the cover of Hustler Video's Barely Legal 102, and her scene in it with Tiffany Taylor was described by AVN's Max Schwartz as "nad-scorching." But it's not just adult critics who are enamored with Shylaher work resonates with fans, as well. In February 2011, her movie Poor Little Shyla (yet another Girlfriends production), was deemed the most successful video-on-demand release ever for HotMovies.com.

Shyla Jennings is represented by OC Modeling. Find more of her at:

www.shylajennings.com

twitter.com/missjenningsxxx

facebook.com/whoashyla


With the United States (U.S.) providing fresh evidences to buttress India's contention that Pakistan was involved in the Pathankot terror attack, Panthers Party (NPP) leader Harsh Dev Singh on Tuesday said exposing Pakistan's terrorists credentials at the international level is "very-very" important- "Pakistan is unrobbed out and out".

"Now that the U.S. has also give evidence in support of India's contention that Pakistan has been involved in the Pathankot terror attack, India must vociferously take up the issue not only with Pakistan, but with the United Nations as well,' Singh told ANI.

"Pakistan must be exposed at the international level that's very-very important and all these terrorist credentials of Pakistan should be brought before the international community. Pakistan is unrobbed out and out," he added.

Investigation Agency (NIA) sources on Monday said India would confront Pakistan regarding fresh evidences received from the United States (U.S.) in connection with the Pathankot terror attack case.

The agency is compiling a detailed report based on the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) request sent to the U.S. and information received from the U.S. in this connection three months back, which nails Pakistan for the attack, said sources.

The NIA will send a detailed report to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), following which India will once again send a report to Islamabad on fresh evidences on Pakistan's role in the attack.

India wants Pakistan to allow the Indian team to visit there to collect evidences in connection with the Pathankot attack. India had also made a formal request to the Pakistan Government after

In May, the investigation agency has sent its first formal request for a visit to Pakistan to carry forward its investigation into the terror case after Islamabad did not reply to the Letters Rogatory sent on the Pathankot airbase attack case.

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Launching a veiled attack at Pakistan for the present unrest in Jammu and Kashmir, Defence Minister has said that a "small percentage" of population is holding the "majority at ransom" in the Valley.

Addressing a joint news conference with US defence secretary Ashton Carter at the Pentagon, Parrikar alleged that "forces from across the border" are trying to spread violence in the Valley.

"As far as Kashmir is concerned, I think the government of India has been very proactive. A few small percentage is holding the majority to ransom," he said.

When asked about the current situation in Kashmir, he said curfew has already been lifted.

"Kashmir is actually having a government which is democratically elected and the Chief Minister belongs to the Valley," he said.

Speaking about the India-US relationship, the Defence Minister said that both the countries will resolve to continue their cooperation on counter terrorism.

"India and the US are fellow democracies. However the US has showed that there can be no compromise when we are faced with terrorism. The forces that seek to undermine our progress and our ways of life requires a comprehensive, robust response," he said.

"We appreciate the support from the US in our efforts to eliminate terrorism in India's neighbourhood. Secretary Carter and I agreed that countering terrorism is an important shared objective. The partnership between India and US is driven by our shared values," he added.

An all-party delegation, led by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, will visit Srinagar on September 4.

Expressing regret and remorse over the loss of lives in the Kashmir Valley, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had 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.

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.

Curfew was lifted from most parts of the Valley on Monday -- after 51 consecutive days of lockdown and subsequent clashes in the aftermath of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani's death on July 8.
The Baloch Republican Party (BRP) activists carried out a protest rally in Kolwa area of Awaran district against military operations and Chinese intervention in Balochistan.

The rally was carried out yesterday to protest the recent military operations in different parts of Balochistan including Dera Bugti and the intervention of China on Baloch soil.

The protestors raised slogans in support of top Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Brahumdagh Bugti besides chanting "down with Pakistan, long live Nawab Brahumdagh Bugti."

They also raised slogans against the Chinese intervention on Baloch soil through so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which the Baloch people see as a threat to their identity and existence.

A large number of activists, including women and children, participated in the rally and protested against China and Pakistan for looting Baloch resources and conducting military operations against the civil Baloch populace.

Earlier media reports have also highlighted the manner in which the CPEC project was being constructed against the will of the local population in Balochistan, leading to the heavy presence of Pakistani military and police apparatus in the area.

The Pakistani Army has also been alleged of forceful evacuation of people from their traditional homesteads and farmlands in several areas of Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan so as to make the land available for the CPEC.

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President Pranab Mukherjee yesterday received Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw and Daw Su Su Lwin at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. He also hosted a banquet in their honour.

Welcoming Kyaw, President Mukherjee thanked him for choosing India for the first bilateral overseas visit as the Head of State of Myanmar.

He said this is fitting, considering the bonds of friendship, culture, spirituality and history that unite India-Myanmar. He congratulated the Myanmar President on the historic victory of the League for Democracy in the general election held in November 2015 and expressed delight at the peaceful and orderly transfer of power.

The President said India shares a longstanding historical and cultural relationship with Myanmar which has been cemented by our shared struggle against colonialism.

"India has been consistently supportive of Myanmar's progress from military rule towards democracy in recent years guided by the wisdom of its civilian and military leaders and the political sagacity of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi who led the democratic forces. As a close friend and a country whose democratic institutions have matured over the years, India celebrates Myanmar's success and will continue to support Myanmar in strengthening democracy in their country. India is committed to assist in any way that India can in the development and initiatives for the progress of the people of Myanmar," said President Mukherjee.

Subsequently, in his banquet speech, President Mukherjee said as a friendly neighbour and development partner, India has always stood beside the people of Myanmar with support and assistance when it was required.

"'Putting the people first' is the guiding philosophy of India-Myanmar development cooperation partnership. Going forward, India looks forward to working with Government of Myanmar in areas that it has prioritised - such as infrastructure development, connectivity, capacity building, education, healthcare and the setting up of small development projects," he said.

The Indian President said India sees Myanmar as a key partner in its 'Neighbourhood First' and 'Act East' policy.

"As Government of India looks eastward to rejuvenate historical, cultural and commercial links between India and Southeast Asia, Myanmar is the first on our horizon. India attaches high value to Myanmar's contribution and further role in achieving our shared vision of stability, peace and progress in the region. Government of India welcomes the bold step taken by State Counsellor, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in initiating an inclusive process for peace through the 21st Century Panglong Conference. With regard to our common security concerns and our joint efforts in the area of border management, we have agreed to accord special attention to the economic progress of our border areas - that will transform them into zones of peace and prosperity. We would like to see Myanmar as India's gateway to ASEAN and India as Myanmar's bridge to South Asia," he said.

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Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Sudhindra Bhadoria on Tuesday dubbed Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's forthcoming 'mahayatra' in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh as 'cosmetic measures' which will not get the support of the people, particularly farmers.

Bhadoria told ANI that by doing road shows and by travelling by car to different places, will not get the confidence and the support of the people, particularly farmers.

"The reason being that, unless you work amongst them, which the Bahujan Samaj Party workers have been doing for long there is no chance getting confidence among the people. I think these kind cosmetic measures cannot bring support to a party. We are confident that people of Uttar Pradesh will stand by Behan Mayawati and BSP," he added.

According to reports, Gandhi will launch his mega roadshow in Uttar Pradesh on September 6, starting from Deoria in eastern UP and travelling 2,500km before culminating in Delhi.

The 'mahayatra' will touch 39 districts, 55 Lok Sabha constituencies and 233 assembly constituencies, a mega outreach to voters in the heartland, AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Monday.

The yatra has been billed as a major Congress outreach ahead of the 2017 elections in UP, and will run parallel to the twin yatras, which are led by state unit chief Raj Babbar and by chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit.

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According to a recent study Lucy, the most famous fossil of a human ancestor, probably died after falling from a tree.

Lucy, a 3.18-million-year-old specimen of Australopithecus afarensis or "southern ape of Afar", is among the oldest, most complete skeletons of any adult, erect-walking human ancestor.

Since her discovery in the Afar region of Ethiopia in 1974 by Arizona State University anthropologist Donald Johanson and graduate student Tom Gray, Lucy, a terrestrial biped has been at the center of a vigorous debate about whether this ancient species also spent time in the trees.

Lead author of the study, John Kappelman said, "It is ironic that the fossil at the center of a debate about the role of arborealism in human evolution likely died from injuries suffered from a fall out of a tree."

Kappelman first studied Lucy during her U.S. museum tour in 2008, when the fossil detoured to the High-Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography Facility (UTCT).

For 10 days, Kappelman and professor carefully scanned all of her 40-percent-complete skeleton to create a digital archive of more than 35,000 CT slices.

"Lucy is precious. There's only one Lucy, and you want to study her as much as possible," Ketcham said. "CT is nondestructive. So you can see what is inside, the internal details and arrangement of the internal bones," he said.

Studying Lucy and her scans, Kappelman noticed something unusual: The end of the right humerus was fractured in a manner not normally seen in fossils, preserving a series of sharp, clean breaks with tiny bone fragments and slivers still in place.

"This compressive fracture results when the hand hits the ground during a fall, impacting the elements of the shoulder against one another to create a unique signature on the humerus," said Kappelman, who consulted Dr. Stephen Pearce, an orthopedic surgeon at Austin Bone and Joint Clinic, using a modern human-scale, 3-D printed model of Lucy.

Pearce confirmed: The injury was consistent with a four-part proximal humerus fracture, caused by a fall from considerable height when the conscious victim stretched out an arm in an attempt to break the fall.

Kappelman observed similar but less severe fractures at the left shoulder and other compressive fractures throughout Lucy's skeleton including a pilon fracture of the right ankle, a fractured left knee and pelvis, and even more subtle evidence such as a fractured first rib, "a hallmark of severe trauma" all consistent with fractures caused by a fall.

Without any evidence of healing, Kappelman concluded the breaks occurred perimortem, or near the time of death.

The question remained: How could Lucy have achieved the height necessary to produce such a high velocity fall and forceful impact?

Kappelman argued that because of her small size, about 3 feet 6 inches and 60 pounds, Lucy probably foraged and sought nightly refuge in trees.

In comparing her with chimpanzees, Kappelman suggested Lucy probably fell from a height of more than 40 feet, hitting the ground at more than 35 miles per hour. Based on the pattern of breaks, Kappelman hypothesized that she landed feet-first before bracing herself with her arms when falling forward, and "death followed swiftly."

"When the extent of Lucy's multiple injuries first came into focus, her image popped into my mind's eye, and I felt a jump of empathy across time and space," Kappelman said. "Lucy was no longer simply a box of bones but in death became a real individual: a small, broken body lying helpless at the bottom of a tree."

Kappelman conjectured that because Lucy was both terrestrial and arboreal, features that permitted her to move efficiently on the ground may have compromised her ability to climb trees, predisposing her species to more frequent falls.

Using fracture patterns when present, future research may tell a more complete story of how ancient species lived and died.

In addition to the study, the Ethiopian National Museum provided access to a set of 3-D files of Lucy's shoulder and knee for the public to download and print so that they can evaluate the hypothesis for themselves.

"This is the first time 3-D files have been released for any Ethiopian fossil hominin, and the Ethiopian officials are to be commended," Kappelman said. "Lucy is leading the charge for the open sharing of digital data."

The study appears in Nature Journal.

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Soon as the news of American comic actor Gene Wilder's demise went viral, the social networking sites started flooding with condolences and remembrance notes for the 83-year-old comedy legend, who died due to complications from Alzheimer's on Monday.

Weilder's longtime collaborator-cum-friend Mel Brooks, in a tweet wrote, he was "blessed" to work with the acting doyen.

"Gene Wilder-One of the truly great talents of our time. He blessed every film we did with his magic & he blessed me with his friendship," he wrote.

Actor Eric McCormack called him a "genius" and wrote , "A genius I stole from constantly, and one I was humbled & thrilled to work with. RIP #GeneWilder."

Jim Carrey tweeted, "Gene Wilder was one of the funniest and sweetest energies ever to take a human form. If there's a heaven he has a Golden Ticket."

Debra Messing wrote, "A man who lit up the world with his joy and genius. I can't say what it meant to act with him and get to know his heart. RIP."

Roger Moore expressed condolence saying, "RIP Gene Wilder. Only happy memories of making Sunday Lovers together."

John Cena wrote, "RIP #GeneWilder absolute master. Brilliant in so many ways. His life's work is timeless and everlasting.'

Russell Crow, in a tweet said "I saw Blazing Saddles 7 times at the cinema with my school friends . George St. Cows outside. Gene Wilder you were a genius. Rest in Peace."

George Takei wrote, "He was always able to make us smile, and that is no small feat. Rest with the stars, Gene Wilder."

Kevin Smith said, "GENE WILDER, the face of childhood joy for many a generation, has passed. Farewell, sweet genius. Gilda awaits you."

Albert Brooks wrote, "R.I.P Gene Wilder. As funny as they come."

Billy Crystal rweeted, "Gene Wilder was a giant of comedy. His legacy of films is inspiring. A true genius.."

Orlando Jones said, "RIP Gene Wilder. You will be missed. Say hello to Gilda and Richard for us. #EverLastingGobstopper."

Albert Brooks wrote, "R.I.P Gene Wilder. As funny as they come."

Wilder was best known for his role as Willy Wonka in the 1971 big screen version of 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'.

He also played memorable roles in Mel Brooks' films 'The Producers', 'Blazing Saddles' and 'Young Frankenstein.'

The actor, who made his acting debut in 1960's, was twice nominated for Oscar for his role in 'The Producers'and for co-penning 'Young Frankenstein.'

Wilder also worked in television in 1962's 'The Sound of Hunting', 'The Interrogators', 'Windfall' and in the 1966 TV production of 'Death of a Salesman' with Lee J. Cobb.

In total he has worked in over 30 big screen and television productions.

According to a Variety report, describing his final moments, his nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman, in a statement gave fans the details of his demise and wrote: "He was eighty-three and passed holding our hands with the same tenderness and love he exhibited as long as I can remember. As our hands clutched and he performed one last breath the music speaker, which was set to random, began to blare out one of his favorites: Ella Fitzgerald. There is a picture of he and Ella meeting at a London Bistro some years ago that are among each or cherished possessions. She was singing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," as he was taken away.

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Singapore-based e-commerce company Shopmatic announced joining hands with leading e-commerce marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, Lazada to seamlessly enable Shopmatic merchants in Singapore to develop their own webstores for a global presence and sell their products or services on these marketplaces in a convenient, hassle-free manner.

The platform is focused on helping not only the small and medium businesses of the Asian countries to find their feet in the online world, but also give these firms global exposure.

"By tying up with these successful e-commerce powerhouses, we are enabling our user base in Singapore to leverage the penetration and popularity of these portals and gain instant access to millions of customers across the globe. Meanwhile, they will also continue enjoying the benefits of being enlisted on our platform that provides them with an entire ecosystem to grow their in the virtual world," said CEO Shopmatic, Anurag Avula.

Shopmatic has established partnerships with numerous international and local companies in order to make it easier for its users to sell online.

Recently, Shopmatic signed deals with global online payments giant PayPal to enable its merchants in expanding their sales across the globe.

On the logistics front, Shopmatic has made strategic partnerships with local and global logistics players like Delhivery and Aramex.

These tie-ups have been instrumental in helping individual entrepreneurs manage everything that is required to let their grow, including exposing them to international markets with the help of Shopmatic's global footprint.

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Just a month after the brutal gang-rape in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr District, a similar incident has come to the fore here wherein a teen was forced to undergo abortion by the culprit's family after being allegedly raped.

The incident took place five months ago when the victim was allegedly raped by a boy in Bhaipura village. As per the victim, the accused threatened her not to disclose the incident to anyone.

However, the victim was days after the incident admitted in a nursing home when her health deteriorated. It was then revealed that the victim was pregnant.

"I did not tell anyone out of fear. The mother of the rapist told me that she would pay me Rs. 1000 if I undergo abortion," the victim said.

Dharmendra Yadav, a police official, said the victim told them that she was raped by a person, who lives in her neighbourhood, five months ago.

"She had an abortion at the nursing home last night. We have the aborted foetus with us and have started the investigation," he said.

The police have registered a case in this regard and have also started searching for the accused. The cops have also arrested the nursing home officials for doing the abortion.

The state's health department has seized the nursing home.

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The United Kingdom's Secretary of State for International Trade, Liam Fox, is visiting New Delhi and Mumbai from 28 to 30 August. This is the Secretary of State's first visit to India in his current role. The visit aims to boost UK-India bilateral commercial ties and highlights the importance of India as a key strategic partner across trade, investment and defence.

In New Delhi, Dr. Fox met Indian Minister for Finance Mr Arun Jaitley and discussed furthering economic cooperation with India. He met Minister for Commerce Ms Nirmala Sitharaman. They spoke at length about forging deeper trade and investment arrangements between the two countries. Dr Fox announced his participation and the UK's commitment to the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) to be held on 7 November alongside the 'India-UK TECH Summit'.

Dr. Fox met the President of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Mr. Naushad Forbes and explored the potential to further improve UK-India relationships during JETCO and the 'India UK TECH Summit'. The UK is the country partner for the Summit in partnership with CII, as announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his highly successful visit to the UK last year.

The TECH Summit will demonstrate the depth of India-UK partnerships in business, innovation, research, education and entrepreneurship, with the biggest showcase of British expertise and commitment to strengthening relationships in every sphere. It will also host a major delegation from the UK, highlighting the UK's capabilities across important sectors like smart cities, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, agri-tech, education and skills.

While addressing a gathering of senior CII members Dr Fox said: "The UK-India partnership lies at the very heart of the strategic relationship between our two nations, a relationship that has never been more important than it is today."

"The India-UK Tech Summit in November will be a further celebration of this partnership, where sector experts ranging from smart cities, healthcare, agri-tech and others will come together to boost trade, R&D as well as academic ties between the UK and India."

CII President Mr Forbes said: "Technical capability is the source of prosperity for . The India-UK Tech Summit promises to be a platform which will unleash new possibilities and add new dimensions to our long relationship."

Chandrajit Banerjee, DG, CII added : "CII is happy to be a part of this important bilateral initiative which began with Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi's visit to the UK last year. I hope Indian industry will take maximum advantage of the presence of a large number of British companies in India on this occasion and go all out to forge new partnerships."

Dr. Fox also met major Indian companies in the Information Technology sector including HCL and Tech Mahindra. The UK is the investment destination of choice for Indian ICT companies, and the Secretary of State discussed future investment opportunities in the UK. He also met senior Indian leaders.

In Mumbai, he will meet with top Indian businessmen including Ajay Piramal, as well as Indian financial technology entrepreneurs. Dr Fox will give a speech about the UK's place in the global economy post EU Referendum to a large audience of Mumbai's business community among other key engagements in the financial capital.

This is the fourth visit by a British Minister to India since Theresa May took over as the Prime Minister of the country. Earlier this month British Secretary of State for Business and Energy Greg Clark and Secretary of State for International Development, Ms. Priti Patel visited India.

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India and the United States (U.S.) on Monday reaffirmed the "urgent necessity" for Pakistan to "dismantle safe havens for terrorists and criminal networks" including Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and D-Company.

Speaking at a joint press conference after the Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD), along with her U.S. counterpart John Kerry, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said, "Secretary Kerry and I also agreed on the need for Pakistan to do more to bring the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot terrorist attacks to justice quickly."

Divulging detail of their dialogue, Swaraj said, "Secretary Kerry and I discussed at length the issue of terrorism, which is the key challenge to the international community, and the foremost threat to international peace and security. I am happy to note that there was a 'meeting of minds' on this issue."

Stating that she briefed Secretary Kerry on the continuing problem of cross-border terrorism that India and the larger region faces from Pakistan, Swaraj said, "We both agreed that nations must not maintain double standards, such as the categorisation of good and bad terrorists, nor must they act as sanctuaries and safe havens for terrorist organisations."

"I thanked Secretary Kerry for the U.S. constant support for India's membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). This interaction has strengthened the US-India relationship, and I hope it contributes to the world at large," she added.

Earlier delivering opening remarks at the Opening Plenary during the Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD), Swaraj said there is scope to do a lot more and this would be an important element of their deliberations.

Swaraj said, "For this, we need to define the benefits associated with India's designation as a 'Major Defence Partner' of the U.S. during the Prime Minister's visit in June. This would spur defence industry collaboration between India and the U.S. and help India play the desired role as a net provider of security in the region."

The External Affairs Minister said it is heartening to note that "we have been able to conclude a framework for the India-U.S. Cyber Relationship - the first of its kind both for India and the US, with any other country".

Pointing out that both countries share the same democratic ethos of freedom, equality, pluralism and rule of law, she said, "India's enhanced global role is in our mutual interest. It is in this context, we look forward to continue working closely with the U.S. to secure our membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)."

"In view of the rapidly evolving regional and global situation," said Swaraj, "we look forward to resuming the meeting of the Trilateral with Afghanistan; consultations on Africa and on multilateral issues within this year.

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United States' Special Representative for Environment and Water Resources, Ambassador Jennifer Haverkamp, will undertake a three-day visit to New Delhi starting from today.

Ambassador Haverkamp will today participate in the U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue to advance continued and increased engagement on bilateral commitments within multilateral fora, including the Montreal Protocol and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

On Wednesday, Ambassador Haverkamp will join Special Envoy for Climate Change Dr. Jonathan Pershing to participate in the Indo-U.S. Joint Working Group on Combating Climate Change.

Later on, she will meet with her counterparts from the Government of India and the private sector to discuss progress in securing an ambitious hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) phase-down amendment to the Montreal Protocol and a Global Market Based Measure to address aircraft emissions through the ICAO this year.

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The White House has conveyed its displeasure to Pakistan ambassador to the U.S. Jalil Abbas Jilani for tweeting an image of him and his wife with the first lady Michelle Obama.

In a strongly-worded letter addressed to Jilani, the White House criticised his actions and accused the ambassador of breaching trust and being undiplomatic in his action, reports the News.

Jilani had in the last week of May this year tweeted the picture with the caption, "It was an absolute delight hosting FLOTUS at Pakistan House today."

Reports suggest that the tweet along with the picture dispensed the impression that he has close ties with America's first family.

Following his tweet, a section of the press also carried out analysis that Michelle Obama and Jilani discussed bilateral relations as well.

Disappointed by the tweet, the White House also reportedly reminded in the letter that the first lady's short stopover at Jilani's residence was personal and extracting any political gain out of that was unprofessional.

The first lady was invited to his residence, the Pakistan House, to participate in his son's graduation party.

His youngest son is said to have attended the same school as President Barack Obama's daughters.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry in Islamabad also took notice of the tweet followed by embarrassment forcing Jilani to remove the image from his twitter feed.

When asked to comment on the incident, Jilani reportedly termed it incorrect.

The relations between Islamabad and Washington have been in the soup for the past few months and this was quite visible after Obama administration declined to sell eight fighter jets to Pakistan on subsidy.

The US had also then carried out a unilateral drone strike killing Afghan Taliban leader Mulla Akhtar Mansour.

Though the two countries were hardly on favourable terms, the tweet portrayed as if the ambassador had saved the day.

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Rebel AAP leader and now Swaraj Abhiyan crusader Yogendra Yadav challenged Delhi Chief MInister Arvind Kejriwal on the issue of his government issuing 399 fresh liquor vend licenses, while claiming that only six had been issued.

In a letter to Kejriwal, Yadav said:

Dear Arvind: Your government has repeatedly claimed that AAP government has issued only 6 new licenses for liquor after coming to power. When Swaraj Abhiyan released different RTIs showing figures ranging from 58 to 217 new licenses, your Deputy CM claimed this was a lie. You might recall, Prashant ji and I are not given to lying. Since you have questioned us, I am constrained to respond with this challenge. I am releasing a list of 399 new licenses that AAP government has issued to liquor vends/stores and restaurants etc. It means that your government was working hard to issue almost one license every day! The list has names and addresses of license holders, with license number, based on information supplied by your own government to the Delhi assembly. I challenge you to prove that this figure of 399 is incorrect and that your Deputy CM was not misleading the people of Delhi. If you can, I offer to withdraw from public life. But if your government is lying ... well, in that case I leave it to your conscience!

At the very least could you offer an apology to the people of Delhi and please answer the following questions:

 Why is the government led by RTI activists concealing information from the public?

 Why did the government that came on promise of nashamukti increase the supply of liquor?

 Why did the government that promised swaraj not use existing rules for consulting local public before issuing a license?

 Why did AAP government not use even one crore of the 3589 crores earned from liquor for de-addiction?

You must be very busy. But I hope you would find time to get this list checked and respond to this challenge. If I do not hear from you for 72 hours (till mid-day of 2nd September), I would assume that your government accepts the veracity of this list released by us.

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Aditya Birla Nuvo rose 5.44% to Rs 1,370.40 at 14:00 IST on BSE after the company denied media reports suggesting that the company may exit low-margins businesses.

Meanwhile, the BSE Sensex was up 323.98 points, or 1.16%, to 28,226.64.

On BSE, so far 7.41 lakh shares were traded in the counter, compared with average daily volume of 86,470 shares in the past one quarter. The stock hit a high of Rs 1,387.90 and a low of Rs 1,305 so far during the day. The stock hit a record high of Rs 1,664 on 9 August 2016. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 685 on 29 February 2016. The stock had underperformed the market over the past 30 days till 29 August 2016, sliding 8.19% compared with 0.53% slide in the Sensex. The scrip had, however, underperformed the market in past one quarter, rising 23.98% as against Sensex's 4.63% rise.

The large-cap company has equity capital of Rs 130.22 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10.

Media reports suggested that Aditya Birla Nuvo is planning to sell its fertiliser business. The business is currently operated by Indo Gulf Fertilisers, a subsidiary of Aditya Birla Nuvo. Recently, the Aditya Birla Group announced the merger of Aditya Birla Nuvo with Grasim and subsequent demerger and listing of the financial services business through a composite scheme of arrangement.

On a consolidated basis, Aditya Birla Nuvo's net profit declined 56.79% to Rs 305.15 crore on 1.62% decline in net sales to Rs 3041.30 crore in Q1 June 2016 over Q1 June 2015.

Aditya Birla Nuvo is a business conglomerate. It commands leadership position across its financial services, telecom, linen and manufacturing businesses.

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Minimum Wages to be Rs.350/- Per Day for Unskilled Non-Agricultural Workers for 'C' Category Areas

Shri Arun Jaitely, the Union Finance Minister, the Union Minister of State(IC) for Labour and Employment Shri Bandaru Dattatreya and Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy & Mines had a joint Press conference here today on charter of demands of the Central Trade Unions.

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment (I/C) has held meetings with Central Trade Union leaders wherein detailed discussions were held in regard to their charter of demands. Thereafter, the issues were discussed by the Inter- Ministerial Committee headed by the Finance Minister. The following decisions have been taken by the Government:

1. The Bonus Amendment Act will be implemented strictly. The Central Government will pay Bonus for the years 2014-15 and 2015-16 based on revised norms. A government notification in this regard is being issued immediately.

2. The Central Government will take necessary steps to resolve the cases pending in High Courts/Supreme Court with regard to payment of Bonus.

3. It has been decided that, based on the deliberations in the meeting of the Minimum Wage Advisory Board under the Chairmanship of Minister for State for Labour and Employment (I/C) for revising the basic minimum wages for central sphere, the Government has decided to fix the minimum wages at Rs.350/- per day for unskilled non-agricultural workers for 'C' category areas keeping in view the modalities of fixing minimum wages.

4. The registration of the contract workers and their staffing agencies is mandatory as per law and states will be advised to strictly implement the same. Erring contractors will face appropriate action for any violation in this regard.

5. The issue of giving social security benefit to the unorganised sector (eg., Anganwadi, Mid-day meal, Asha volunteers etc.) will be examined by a committee which will give its report at the earliest.

6. Advisories will be issued to all the States Governments to ensure that registration of Trade Unions takes place within 45 days.

7. The Central government has reiterated its commitment towards tripartite consultation process.

8. Sector specific meetings will be held to resolve issues relating to respective industries.

Later interacting with media Shri Bandaru Dattatreya appealed to Trade Unions to reconsider their call for strike, in national interest.

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With effect from 01 September 2016

Bal Pharma announced that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on 29 August 2016, has appointed Akash Mathur as the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, with effect from 01 September 2016.

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Minister launched 3 new products developed by C-DOT on its Foundation Day

Minister of Communications Shri Manoj Sinha has urged C-DOT to find new invention, new research and new technology and to give World Class products for achieving Prime Minister's vision of Transforming India through Digital Revolution. Delivering the key-note address here at the C-DOT Foundation Day, Shri Sinha said, there is need for innovation as India cannot afford to emulate the Developed Economies due to limited resources. He said, if India will lag in catching up with emerging technologies in the coming 15 to 20 years, the very existence of the country will be at stake. He exhorted the officials and other stakeholders to Walk the Talk and underlined that it is our bounden duty to digitally empower the huge chunk of population particularly in rural areas who are still deprived of IT revolution. He added that Digital divide should end as fast as possible.

Shri Sinha congratulated C-DOT for GPON technology and expressed the hope that by March, 2017, one lakh Gram Panchayats (GPs) will be connected through Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) to set up a network infrastructure to serve the rural masses. He said, all are working with zeal to achieve the target of connecting 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats with Broadband Network within stipulated timeframe, which is the vision of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Shri Sinha praised C-DOT for launching 18 products and 56 technology transfers, which he said should be taken to Century and also lauded the role of C-DOT for its stellar role in providing security solutions including cyber related.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary, Telecom Shri J.S.Deepak said as India is on the verge of Data Revolution, the future of C-DOT is very bright as it is involved in making multi-terabit router, providing smart city solutions and security solutions to the Defence and Civil sectors. He urged C-DOT to partner with PSUs and dream big to make India truly a Digital India.

The Minister also launched three new Products developed by C-DOT on the occasion- WDM PON (WDAN) and Samvad App.

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No one was shot during a fight first reported as a home invasion in the Doney Park area Monday night.

According to the Coconino County Sheriff's Office, the local 911 dispatch center received multiple 911 calls regarding a truck that had crashed off Slayton Ranch Road, as well as a home invasion and assault reported a few minutes later at a nearby residence at approximately 9:30 p.m. Monday.

"The call originally came into the Sheriff's (Office) as two separate 911 calls that appear related," according to a Sheriff's Office press release.

Sheriff's officials have not yet determined the cause of the crash. What they do know is at least one individual involved was then accused of entering the nearby home of an acquaintance.

"From initial investigation, it appears the act was not random and that the assailants and victims know each other," said Sheriff's Office spokesperson Erika Wiltenmuth.

She confirmed that at least one shot was fired during the fight in the residence.

"We don't, at this time, have the information about who fired the shot," Wiltenmuth said. "That's still being sorted out."

No gunshot wounds were reported.

She said at least two people were involved in the altercation, though Sheriff's officials are still investigating where additional suspects may have been involved in the altercation or crash.

"Detectives are currently working to determine all of the involved parties and interview them," Wiltenmuth said. "The event is still under investigation."

They are not currently conducting any type of manhunt in the area and the Sheriff's Office has not connected any other home invasions in the Doney Park area to the Monday night altercation and crash.

One person was transported to Flagstaff Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries sustained during the altercation inside the residence. That person was treated and released.

An Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter responded to the scene to search for possible suspects during the initial investigation overnight. Investigators do not believe there are any suspects at large who would pose a danger to the public.

"We don't want to create any undue fear," Wiltenmuth said. "That's the information that we want to get out, that this was not a random act, not a random home invasion."

The crash and altercation are both under investigation. So far, no criminal charges have been filed.

"We do not have reason to believe there is an ongoing threat to residents in the area," the press release said. "But as always citizens are asked to be aware of their surroundings and report anything suspicious."
The Government of India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has decided to issue 5th Tranche of Sovereign Gold Bonds. Applications for the bonds will be accepted from September 01, 2016 to September 09, 2016. The Bonds will be issued on September 23, 2016. The Bonds will be sold through banks, Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL), designated post offices and recognised stock exchanges viz., National Stock Exchange of India Limited and Bombay Stock Exchange.

It may be recalled that the Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley had announced in his Budget Speech while presenting the Union Budget 2015-16 in Parliament about developing a financial asset, Sovereign Gold Bond, as an alternative to purchasing the metal gold.

Accordingly, four tranches of issuances have been undertaken during 2015-16 and 2016-17 (so far). The features of the Sovereign Gold Bond are given below: Sl. No. Item Details1 Product name

Sovereign Gold Bond 2016-17 - Series II

2 Issuance

To be issued by Reserve Bank India on behalf of the Government of India.

3 Eligibility

The Bonds will be restricted for sale to resident Indian entities including individuals, HUFs, Trusts, Universities and Charitable Institutions.

4 Denomination

The Bonds will be denominated in multiples of gram(s) of gold with a basic unit of 1 gram.

5 Tenor

The tenor of the Bond will be for a period of 8 years with exit option from 5th year to be exercised on the interest payment dates.

6 Minimum size

Minimum permissible investment will be 1 gram of gold.

7 Maximum limit

The maximum amount subscribed by an entity will not be more than 500 grams per person per fiscal year (April-March). A self-declaration to this effect will be obtained.

8 Joint holder

In case of joint holding, the investment limit of 500 grams will be applied to the first applicant only.

9 Issue price

Price of Bond will be fixed in Indian Rupees on the basis of simple average of closing price of gold of 999 purity published by the India Bullion and Jewellers Association Limited for the week (Monday to Friday) preceding the subscription period.

10 Payment option

Payment for the Bonds will be through cash payment (upto a maximum of Rs. 20,000) or demand draft or cheque or electronic banking.

11 Issuance form

Government of India Stock under GS Act, 2006.

The investors will be issued a Holding Certificate. The Bonds are eligible for conversion into demat form.

12 Redemption price

The redemption price will be in Indian Rupees based on previous week's (Monday-Friday) simple average of closing price of gold of 999 purity published by IBJA.

13 Sales channel

Bonds will be sold through banks, Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL), designated post offices (as may be notified) and recognised stock exchanges viz., National Stock Exchange of India Limited and Bombay Stock Exchange, either directly or through agents.

14 Interest rate

The investors will be compensated at a fixed rate of 2.75 per cent per annum payable semi-annually on the initial value of investment.

15 Collateral

Bonds can be used as collateral for loans. The loan-to-value (LTV) ratio is to be set equal to ordinary gold loan mandated by the Reserve Bank from time to time.

16 KYC Documentation

Know-your-customer (KYC) norms will be the same as that for purchase of physical gold. KYC documents such as Voter ID, Aadhaar card/PAN or TAN /Passport will be required.

17 Tax treatment

The interest on Gold Bonds shall be taxable as per the provision of Income Tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961). The capital gains tax arising on redemption of SGB to an individual has been exempted. The indexation benefits will be provided to long term capital gains arising to any person on transfer of bond

18 Tradability

Bonds will be tradable on stock exchanges/NDS-OM from a date to be notified by the RBI within 15 days of the issue date i.e. September 23, 2016.

19 SLR eligibility

The Bonds will be eligible for Statutory Liquidity Ratio purposes.

20 Commission

Commission for distribution of the bond shall be paid at the rate of 1% of the total subscription received by the receiving offices and receiving offices shall share at least 50% of the commission so received with the agents or sub agents for the business procured through them.

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Ministry of Urban Development and Nehru Yuvak Kendra sign MoU

Ministry of Urban Development will soon launch an 'Asli Tarakki (Real development)' campaign in the six cities of the National Capital Region with 450 select youth with communication skills and leadership qualities as lead motivators to promote awareness about the need for sanitation. The Ministry today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Nehru Yuvak Kendra in the presence of Minister of Urban Development Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu and Minister of State for Urban Development Shri Rao Inderjit Singh. The MoU was signed by Shri Praveen Prakash, Joint Secretary on behalf of the Ministry and Major General Dilawar Singh, Director General of Nehru Yuvak Kendra. Shri Rajiv Gupta, Secretary (Youth Affairs) was also present on the occasion.

As per the MoU, NYK will deploy 50 enthusiastic, experienced in public speaking, motivated and educated youth for 52 days each of the five municipal areas of Delhi (NDMC, NMCD, SMCD, EMCD and Delhi Cantonment), Faridabad, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and Noida for a mass awareness movement for successful implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission. The youth will be selected during a two day orientation workshop and will be given further training to undertake awareness and motivational campaigns through elocution, cultural performances, nukkad nataks etc.

The 450 youth will be engaged to spread the message of 'Asli Tarakki' suggesting that having and using toilet to be a major priority, encouraging citizens to give feedback on different components of 'Swachh Survekshan-2017' launched earlier this month, encourage people to take Swachh Bharat Pledge for a clean India and to inform targeted beneficiaries about the government support for building individual, community and public toilets.

Four chariots will be deployed in each of the nine municipal areas with banners and posters on sanitation , public address system for addressing people on key issues with facilities for showing audio-visual films and for distribution of IEC material. The select youth would also use social media extensively.

Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu lauded the pilot youth engagement and asked the officials and NYK to ensure its success so that the same could be replicated in other parts.

The Ministry would enable a dedicated page on Swachh Bharat Urban portal for weekly uploading of activities and furnishing information on number of citizens reached out, activities etc.

Under the Rs.4.70 cr pilot youth engagement, a total of 23,400 man days would be spent promoting Swachh Bharat Mission objectives in urban areas.

This youth engagement will be launched after completion of preparatory work like organizing workshop, selection of youth, fabrication of chariots etc.

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The Union Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Ananth Kumar has appealed to the industry leaders, State Governments, other departments and civil society in pooling efforts to make available medicines at affordable prices to the common man. Speaking at a function in New Delhi on the occasion of NPPA Foundation Day today, he said that in the last two and a half years, almost 900 formulations have been brought under the price control, providing a saving of about 5000 crores to the consumers. He said that National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has already come out with ceiling price of 368 new drugs within 6 months of the issue of New National List of Essential Medicines-2015.

The Minister launched a mobile App. developed by NPPA which shows the MRP fixed by NPPA for various scheduled drugs on real time basis. Sh. Ananth Kumar said that application will be called Pharma Sahi Daam. He also unveiled the logo of NPPA which will be displayed on packing of all scheduled medicines. The Minister said that amendments will be made soon to empower NPPA in gathering data and taking appropriate decisions for the drugs included in the NLEM but market data is not available. Sh.

Ananth Kumar said that he is pursuing the case for making an independent Ministry for Pharmaceuticals so that all decisions regarding the industry could be taken under a single roof.

The Minister advocated a '3A' approach to achieve health security for every citizen of India. He stressed that Universal Healthcare can be achieved only by ensuring the Availability, Affordability and Accessibility (3A) of medicines to the common man. Shri Ananth Kumar highlighted the need of transparent and efficient discovery of drug prices and regulation of the pharma sector.

Sh. Ananth Kumar said that the pharmaceutical industry has risen to almost US$37 billion and Indian medicines are being exported to over 200 countries. Pharmaceutical is a sunrise industry and the Government is keen to provide support to it through various means like pharmaceutical parks, medical devices parks, pharmaceutical clusters and promotion of innovation through Atal Innovation Scheme.

Under the dynamic leadership of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Minister said that two pronged strategy is being adopted to provide cheap medicines to the common man- one is through regulating the prices by NPPA and another is opening of PM Jan Aushadhi Stores. He said that within one year, 3000 PM Jan Aushadhi Stores will be opened in the country covering all districts and tehsils. Sh. Ananth Kumar said that most of the medicines in Jan Aushadhi Stores cost 30 to 40 per cent as compared to the market cost and no medicine in Jan Aushadhi Store is more than 50 per cent of the market cost.

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Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) software that reliably interprets mammograms, assisting doctors with a quick and accurate prediction of breast cancer risk and thereby helping them do away with unnecessary breast biopsies.

The computer software intuitively translates patient charts into diagnostic information at 30 times human speed and with 99 per cent accuracy, the researchers reported in a paper published online in the journal Cancer.

"This software intelligently reviews millions of records in a short amount of time, enabling us to determine breast cancer risk more efficiently using a patient's mammogram," said one of the researchers Stephen Wong from Houston Methodist Research Institute in the US.

"This has the potential to decrease unnecessary biopsies," Wong noted.

The team used the AI software to evaluate mammograms and pathology reports of 500 breast cancer patients.

The software scanned patient charts, collected diagnostic features and correlated mammogram findings with breast cancer subtype.

Clinicians used results, like the expression of tumour proteins, to accurately predict each patient's probability of breast cancer diagnosis.

Manual review of 50 charts took two clinicians 50-70 hours. AI reviewed 500 charts in a few hours, saving over 500 physician hours.

Currently, when mammograms fall into the suspicious category, a broad range of three to 95 per cent cancer risk, patients are recommended for biopsies.

Over 1.6 million breast biopsies are performed annually in the US, and about 20 per cent are unnecessarily performed due to false-positive mammogram results of cancer free breasts, estimates the American Cancer Society.

The team hopes this artificial intelligence software will help physicians better define the per cent risk requiring a biopsy, equipping doctors with a tool to decrease unnecessary breast biopsies.

--IANS

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The members of the all-party delegation during their two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, beginning September 4, will be free to meet any leader or individual or groups "including separatists", the government said on Tuesday.

A formal decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting on Tuesday in the Union Home Ministry wherein Home Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the preparedness for all-party delegation visit and he was briefed by senior officials including from security agencies on various pros and cons of such meetings.

An all-party delegation comprising leaders from Congress, Communist Party of India-Marxist, Janata Dal-United, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party is likely to make a two-day tour to Jammu and including the violence-hit valley region during which they will interact with a cross-section of people and attempt to herald an era of peace in the militancy-hit state.

The delegation would be led by Rajnath Singh.

Official sources, however, said during the visit, Rajnath Singh's meetings will be "restricted" and he is likely to interact with only those who are keen to discuss and help resolve all issues within the framework of the Constitution.

A decision has been taken also to brief Members of Parliament, who will be visiting the trouble-torn state.

"The members of all- party delegation to Jammu and Kashmir, which is likely to include senior leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad (Congress), Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) and Sharad Yadav (JD-U) will be given a presentation on September 3 about the related pros and cons of the tour," a source said.

Rajnath Singh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.N. Ananth Kumar and Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh are also expected at the presentation.

The visit of the all-party delegation to the valley is aimed at holding meetings with local leaders aiming to stop the unrest that was sparked off in Jammu and following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani on July 8.

According to sources, among others Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav and BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra are also likely to be part of the delegation.

--IANS

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US tech giant Apple has reportedly sent out invites to select media to cover the launch of the much-awaited iPhone 7 here on September 7.

According to Forbes, the mega event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium will unveil the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus smartphones, along with the next-generation Apple Watch.

People can pre-order the luxury smartphone from September 9 while sales may begin from September 16, the report added.

The new iPhone 7 may have a dual rear camera, a pressure-sensitive home button, Bluetooth-supported headphones, dual speakers at the bottom and Type-C interface (remember LeEco?), signalling the end of the 3.5 mm headphone jack in the iPhone family.

Apple may also be planning to remove the physical Touch ID button below the screen and directly integrate with it the biometric functionality.

Users will then need to press on the designated Touch ID area and will feel a slight vibration when the feature is activated.

In keeping with the global trend, iPhone sales have registered a drop in India as well.

According to global market research firm Strategy Analytics, Apple shipped 800,000 smartphones to India in the second quarter this year -- down from 1.2 million units in the same quarter last year.

Apple also reported a 15 per cent drop in iPhone sales globally, from 47.5 million units to 40.4 million in its recent second quarter results.

Samsung's second-quarter smartphone shipments were estimated at about 72 million units worldwide -- almost double Apple's figure. And experts believe the just-launched Galaxy Note 7 will take a further bite out of Apple's sales.

--IANS

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Concerned over the defunct status of the Cyber Appellate Tribunal, which has been headless since July 2011, Independent Rajya Sabha lawmaker Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday urged the central government to appoint a chairperson to the judicial authority on priority.

"Given the government's efforts under the Digital India Initiative and your recent statement that the number of internet users will cross 500 million by 2016, the need for a competent and functional judicial body to address grievances and violations under the IT Act is of great importance," said Chandrasekhar in a letter to Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

The tribunal's top post has been vacant since July 1, 2011 after the term of the previous chairman Justice Rajesh Tandon ended on June 30, as the new appointment could not materialise for various reasons.

"The rights' of citizens to avail judicial remedies on privacy and data security under the IT Act 2000 remains undermined in the absence of the tribunal, where 68 appeals were pending before the tribunal," reiterated the Bengaluru-based industrialist turned politician.

"The increased use of IT by the government will predictably lead to more disputes. Providing services and benefits to citizens under Aadhaar and Jan Dhan Yojana may create disputes between citizens and intermediaries," he added.

In response to a writ petition on the issue, the IT department assured the Karnataka High Court in September 2013 that the chairperson would be appointed within six months.

--IANS

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The Supreme Court of Bangladesh on Tuesday upheld the death penalty for condemned war criminal Mir Quasem Ali.

A five-member Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha gave the verdict rejecting Quasem's appeal to review his death penalty, reported the Dhaka Tribune.

On November 2, 2014, International Crimes Tribunal-2 awarded capital punishment to then 63-year-old Jamaat leader over criminal charges committed by him during the 1971 Liberation War, reported the Daily Star.

The Appellate Division upheld the verdict on March 8.

On June 19, Quasem submitted his petition seeking a review of death penalty.

The Al-Badr militia commander of 1971 can now seek President's mercy by repenting for his crimes, reported bdnews24.com.

Quasem's family has branded the judgement a "judicial killing".

A key player behind the formation of notorious al-Badr force in Chittagong during the Liberation War, Quasem had set up makeshift torture camps at different places. He was known as "Bangali Khan" for his atrocities.

--IANS

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Chikungunya and dengue are on the rise in Delhi because BJP-ruled municipal bodies have failed to provide fogging and sanitation services, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Tuesday.

"It is MCDs' (municipal corporations) job to carry out cleaning and fogging, which they are not doing at all," Jain told the media.

Instead of doing their work and preventing mosquitoes from breeding, the "BJP-ruled MCDs" only "indulge in politics", the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said.

"The people of Delhi should start questioning the MCDs for not doing their job."

He said hospitals run by the Delhi government were fully prepared to tackle the mosquito menace that causes chikungunya and dengue.

"We have 10,000 beds and the number of fever clinics has been increased from 55 last year to 355. People should not fear. The Delhi government is ready to tackle the menace," Jain said.

People should take precaution to avoid the disease and prevent the breeding of mosquitoes in their premises, Jain said.

The three municipal corporations in Delhi have so far reported 432 cases of chikungunya. Doctors say the real number of cases is much more.

While the AAP controls the Delhi government, the Bharatiya Janata Party is in control of all the three municipal corporations in Delhi.

--IANS

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In a novel reach-out endeavour of the government, the Central Reserve Police Force has been roped in to extend benefits of skill development programmes to the people staying in violence-hit areas of the country.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard was signed here on Tuesday between the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the CRPF -- who are often deployed in the country's violence-hit areas to restore law and order.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who was present on the occasion, said the Central Reserve Police Force has its presence even in the remotest areas of the country and it can play a pivotal role in extending the benefits of skill development schemes like Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna to the tribals of Maoist-affected areas, where few trainers dare to venture due to security reasons.

"The CRPF can also play a crucial role for skill training of Jammu and Kashmir youth and even in the disturbed areas of North-Eastern region of the country," Singh said.

The Minister said that the MoU will also help the retired CRPF personnel, widows of martyrs, disabled personnel, unemployed CRPF wards and family members of CRPF personnel by providing them welfare and gainful employment.

They would be trained in apparel making, automobile, beauty and wellness, food processing, IT, etc in various CRPF group centres/establishments across the country, officials said.

"The force would also extend the requisite security and support to skill development trainers who would be visiting the hitherto inaccessible interior areas in remote villages to impart the skills to the tribal population," the official said.

--IANS

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The City of Flagstaff and Northern Arizona University have come to a decision on who will be the new Assistant Director for Off Campus Life and Community Liaison Programs.

After an extensive nationwide search and interview process, Karissa Morgan was named Neighborhood Liaison in a press release Monday. She will begin her role on October 3, 2016.

She will be working directly with Flagstaff residents, students and neighborhood associations to help foster relationships in the community. This collaboration between NAU and the City is jointly funded by each and Morgan will report directly to the NAU Dean of Students and the City Managers Office.

"I look forward to working towards a community where all feel welcomed, valued, and we can all have pride in calling Flagstaff our home, Morgan said.
The Delhi government on Tuesday fixed a ceiling of Rs 600 as cost for chikungunya serology test at all private hospitals and laboratories.

"We were receiving complaints that private hospitals and laboratories were charging very high for chikungunya tests. Now we have fixed the cap at Rs 600 for chikungunya serology test," Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain told reporters.

Action will be taken against the private hospitals/nursing homes or laboratories charging more than the fixed price, he said.

Chikungunya cases have risen to 432 and dengue cases to 487 cases with two deaths until August 27, according to the three municipal corporations.

An inquiry by IANS, however, shows that seven big hospitals of Delhi have reported more than 1,000 chikungunya cases.

--IANS

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Government is trying to improve air connectivity among northeastern states and between northeast India and adjacent countries, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said here on Tuesday.

"Central government is trying to improve the air connectivity between the eight northeastern states. Air connectivity between northeast India and the adjoining countries is also vital," Sinha told reporters.

He said: "Efforts are on to start air connectivity between the northeastern states and the neighbouring countries. If there is air connectivity between northeast India and Bangkok, Dhaka and Yangon, one need not take the longer route through Kolkata. This would also boost trade and economy."

Currently, Guwahati and Imphal are the only two cities with international airports in northeast India.

After holding a long meeting with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and Transport Minister Manik Dey, the union minister said that the Civil Aviation Ministry has undertaken a Rs 400 crore project to upgrade Agartala airport to international standards by providing world-class facilities.

"The works for upgrading Agartala airport (Singarbil Airport) would start soon. The issue of renaming the airport has been discussed with the Chief Minister," he added.

The junior Civil Aviation minister said the central government expects some private airlines to soon introduce more flights in the northeast and operate international flights from there.

"To improve regional air connectivity at fair price, MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) would be signed with the governments of the northeastern states," he added.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) had earlier approved a Rs 438 crore project to upgrade Agartala airport to international standards by providing top-class facilities.

"The Civil Aviation Ministry has undertaken an ambitious project to operationalise 50 currently unused airports across the country, including the northeastern region," the minister said, adding that the government is keen to offer fair prices in air travel in the country.

Tripura Transport Minister Manik Dey later said that flights between (Bangladesh capital) Dhaka - as well as important Bangladesh cities like Chittagong and Sylhet - and Agartala could be operated to boost trade and tourism besides people to people connect.

He said upgradation of Agartala airport is very vital as Tripura capital city is the second largest city in northeast India in terms of population and air traffic after Guwahati.

Dey said that Agartala airport handled 816,303 passengers in 2013 and the number rose to 905,014 in 2015.

The state government also urged the union minister to take steps to increase the number of flights from Agartala to Kolkata, Delhi and Guwahati keeping in mind the poor road condition of the national highways in the mountainous region.

Dey said the state government had already provided 72 acres of land to AAI for construction of the new terminal building, runway and other necessary infrastructure in Agartala airport.

The Tripura Minister said the state government has relocated 157 families to acquire 72 acres of land.

The Tripura government has long been demanding operation of flights between northeastern states and adjoining Bangladesh to boost trade, tourism and people-to-people contacts.

--IANS

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Strategic experts on Tuesday welcomed the India-US military logistics agreement, saying it has been "long delayed".

However, former Defence Minister A K Antony, who had earlier said the agreement will end "independence of India's foreign policy and strategic autonomy", on Tuesday refused to comment on the deal inked on Monday in Washington.

When contacted by IANS, Antony said: "I will not comment unless I read the agreement."

India and the US inked the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in Washington on Monday.

The major concern expressed by different sections is that India, which had chosen to remain non-aligned post-independence and through the Cold War period, must not enter the NATO block by supporting US troops.

Experts have now dispelled the apprehension that the LEMOA will make India a part of the US bloc.

Strategic expert and Director of Society for Policy Studies C Uday Bhaskar termed the agreement as a delayed, but welcome move.

"Basically it is about a protocol that allows both sides to exchange logistic supplies. The classic example is if, say, an Indian naval ship is in Southeast Asia and needs fuel at short notice, and a US tanker is in the near vicinity  the latter can provide the fuel to the Indian vessel," Bhaskar told IANS.

"It is a bit like an ATM card for basic supplies. Something that covers the bandwidth of logistic supplies, like water, fuel, food, etc. If needed, it will facilitate access to repair facilities as well. For example, if a military aircraft or ship is outside the radius of Indian maintenance facilities, and requires some urgent repair and if the other side has the capacity, it can be provided. The quid pro is if the US requires such assistance, India will provide the same," Bhaskar said.

"However, since they (US) are a larger military power, India will stand to benefit and LEMOA enhances India's operational reach and sustainability," he added.

Bhaskar also clarified that this does not mean India is a part of the US military bloc.

"But this does not imply we become a US military ally. We are not obliged to provide support to any and every US military operation in the region. Every LEMOA arrangement has to be negotiated in advance," he said.

"It will be more useful in case of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. It does make you a partner in terms of providing public good, whether it is anti piracy or tsunami relief."

Member of Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA)'s Defence Economics and Industry Centre, Laxman Behera, called it a "step forward" in consolidating the India-US strategic partnership.

"This is one step further in consolidating India-US partnership in defence. It was long overdue, and will provide a framework for logistics support," Behera told IANS.

Behera said it will benefit the Navy the most, as ships can use logistics support and pay later. This also assumes significance as Indian Naval ships are expanding their reach and travelling across the world, visiting different countries.

"Our ships sailing across the world can take advantage of US bases. We will have to pay for the service, but the payment will be made later," said Behera.

The expert, however, added that the more important part of the agreement was its "political symbolism", rather than the financial aspects.
The Pakistan Met Department has issued an alert on the chances of riverine flooding as India is likely to release rainwater upstream from its rivers after September 1.

"Currently, all water reservoirs in India have reached the maximum conservation level and it is expected that the showers that are expected on Wednesday and Thursday would prompt India to release extra water in the rivers, which would likely generate riverine flood in Pakistan," PMD Director-General Ghulam Rasul told the Express News.

He added that though India, before releasing water, issues alerts to Pakistan, to be on the safe side it is the responsibility of the Pakistan Meteorological Department to inform the authorities ahead of time.

"The PMD issues alerts as a precautionary measure. However, it does not mean that things would happen as predicted," he said.

"However, till date all rivers are flowing normally, and at a few places there are low-level floods. The situation is fully under control and there are no threats of riverine floods till now," he said.

"This year Pakistan has experienced only urban flooding so far - not riverine flooding till date," he said.

Pakistan and India share major rivers including Indus, Jhelum, Chenab and Sutlej.

According to the National Disaster Management Authority, monsoon rains have claimed 138 lives across Pakistan this year. Of them, 52 were children, 63 men and 23 were women.

The highest number of deaths was reported from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa where 52 people were killed followed by Fata with 27 deaths.

--IANS

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Former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, who is serving a jail term here, was on Tuesday admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after he complained of breathing problems.

According to hospital sources, he has been kept in the pulmonary medicine department under the observation of Randeep Guleria, who is also the head of the department.

On Saturday, Chautala was admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital after he had complained of uneasiness.

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court here on January 22, 2013 had sentenced Chautala, his son Ajay, and eight others to 10 years in jail after finding them guilty of illegally recruiting 3,206 junior basic trained teachers in 2000.

The high court had upheld the punishment given by the trial court, while the Supreme Court on August 3 dismissed the plea of Chautala and his son Ajay, upholding their conviction and sentencing in the scam.

Chautala belongs to Indian Lok Dal (INLD) and served as Haryana's chief minister more than once.
French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday said negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), between the European Union and the United States cannot yield an agreement by the end of this year.

"The discussions on TAFTA (Transatlantic Free Trade Area) for some, TTIP for others, cannot result in an agreement by the end of the year and France cannot approve it," Hollande told diplomats.

The EU and US began work on the TTIP in 2013, a proposed free trade deal, aiming to create the world's largest free trade area and promoting multilateral growth.

Matthias Fekl, the French Minister for Foreign Trade, tweeted that his government demanded negotiations on the TTIP should cease.

"There is no more political support in France for these negotiations and France calls for an end to these negotiations," Fekl also told RMC radio.

"The Americans give nothing, or just crumbs. We need a clear and definitive stop to these negotiations to start again on good bases," he added.

France has been sceptical about TTIP and has threatened to block the deal, arguing the US has offered little in return for concessions made by Europe. All 28 EU member states and the European parliament will have to ratify TTIP before it comes into force.

Sigmar Gabriel, Germany's centre-left Economy Minister, has said that the negotiations have failed "as we Europeans do not want to subject ourselves to American demands".

However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said last month that the proposed US-EU deal was "absolutely in Europe's interest".

The TTIP negotiations were planned to be finalised by January 2017 but were bogged down over the terms of the agreement, rising opposition to the deal in France and Germany and more recently Britain's shock vote to leave the EU.

According to the European Commission, the TTIP would boost the EU's economy by 120 billion euros, the US economy by 90 billion euros and the rest of the world by 100 billion euros.

Spokesman for the US Trade Representative, Michael Froman, said talks had not stalled. He told Germany's Der Spiegel: "Negotiations are in fact making steady progress."

--IANS

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India has formally become a military ally of the US after signing a Logistics Agreement that will allow American armed forces to access and use Indian military bases, the CPI-M said on Tuesday.

"By signing such an agreement, India has acquired the formal status of a

military ally of the US," the Communist Party of India-Marxist said in a statement.

"Under this agreement, the US air force and navy can use Indian naval and air bases for logistics support, refuelling and services on a regular basis.

"The US armed forces can utilise Indian military bases while conducting military operations in third countries," it said.

The Logistics Support Agreement was signed by the US and India on Monday.

The agreement, termed the Logistic Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), was signed in Washington during the visit of Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar.

"The (Narendra) Modi government has compromised on Indian sovereignty and surrendered its strategic autonomy by signing such an agreement with the most powerful imperialist country in the world," the CPI-M said.

"All patriotic Indians will reject such a subordinate role to US

imperialism," it added.

--IANS

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India and the US signed an agreement on sharing military logistics, in a major step forward in closer bilateral defence cooperation, though both sides clarified it will not involve setting up of military bases.

The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) agreement was inked in Washington, by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar during his ongoing three-day visit to the US, and his US counterpart, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter.

The agreement, viewed as part of the Obama administration's Pivot to Asia strategy, was criticised by a leading Chinese state-run daily, which warned that New Delhi may irritate Beijing if it "joins the US alliance system".

"If India hastily joins the US alliance system, it may irritate China, Pakistan or even Russia," the Global Times said in an editorial.

"It may not make India feel safer, but will bring strategic troubles to itself and make itself a centre of geopolitical rivalries in Asia," it added.

Concerns over the agreement have been voiced by political parties in India who say it will lead to the country being seen as a military ally of the US. However, some experts have welcomed the 'long delayed' agreement that has been in discussions since 2004.

While the Left parties criticised the move, saying it makes India formally an ally of the US, the Congress appeared more cautious with former Defence Minister A.K. Antony saying he would not comment before reading the agreement.

The LEMOA was "in principal" agreed on during Carter's visit to India in April.

A joint statement issued after the meeting of Parrikar and Carter said the LEMOA will facilitate additional opportunities for practical engagement and exchange.

Carter in his remarks, drew a comparison between the US' pivot to Asia and India's Act East Policy. "The United States is reaching west in President Obama's rebalance, India is reaching east in Prime Minister Modi's Act East policy, which will extend India's reach further into the broader Indo-Asia-Pacific region," he said.

Carter said the agreement will be a "very substantial enabler" for the two countries to work together.

Parrikar also clarified that the agreement will not involve in setting up bases.

"It does not have anything to do with setting up bases. It is for logistics support to each other ... Like supply of fuel, supply of any other things that are required for joint operations, humanitarian assistance and many other," he said.

The Indian Defence Ministry also took to Twitter to dispel fears regarding the agreement.

"LEMOA is a facilitating agreement that establishes terms, conditions, procedures for reciprocal provision of logistic support, supplies, service. Reciprocal logistic support would be used exclusively in port visits, joint exercises, joint training, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief," Defence Ministry tweeted from its official account.

It added that LEMOA does not create any obligations on either party to carry out any joint activity, does not provide for the establishment of any bases or basing arrangements, and significantly enhances operational capacity of our armed forces, including in response to humanitarian crises or disaster relief.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist said the agreement has given India the "formal status of a military ally of the US".

Congress, which had appeared to be putting off the agreement while in power, and vocally opposed it when India and US announced their 'in principle' agreement in April, made no response till Tuesday evening.

Contacted by IANS, former Defence Minister Antony said: "I will not comment unless I read the agreement."

Antony in April said the agreement will mark the end of India's "independence of India's foreign policy and strategic autonomy".

Some strategic experts dispelled the fear that the agreement will make India a US ally.

"This does not imply we become a US military ally. We are not obliged to provide support to any and every US military operation in the region," said strategic expert and Director of Society for Policy Studies C. Uday Bhaskar.

The US had first proposed an India specific logistics support agreement (LSA) in 2004 at the sixth meeting of the India-US Defence Policy Group.

It is a version of the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), which the US has with several NATO nations, something that has raised concerns.

India has in the past provided logistic support to the US. During the 1990-91 Gulf War, the Chandra Shekhar government provided overflight rights to US planes, and even permitted refuelling, but revoked it after protests.

During the 2004 Tsunami, US support came handy with India lacking the capability to provide assistance to the affected areas. Experts say the agreement will aid such humanitarian assistance in future.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
More than one out of three Indians -- 36 per cent -- share personal data or sensitive information using public Wi-Fi while travelling which can lead to data stealing, a study by Intel Security revealed on Tuesday.

The 'Digital Detox: Unplugging on Vacation' study was conducted across 14 countries (including India) with 14,000 people to understand consumer behaviour when travelling.

With 36 per cent, India leads the pack when it comes to sharing information online.

"Through this survey, we wanted to raise awareness about the need to adopt safe digital habits and share security measures to prevent personal information from being compromised while travelling," said Venkat Krishnapur, Head, Operations, Intel Security's India Development Centre, in a statement.

Nearly 37 per cent of Indians could not last a day on vacation without checking social media. This was second only to Japan (45 per cent) when compared globally.

Majority of Indians (54 per cent) were not willing to leave their smartphone at home while on vacation.

"Travelers can be targets for cybercriminals who count on human and device vulnerabilities to provide them with a point of access to consumers' data and devices. They can gain access to sensitive information via unsecured smartphones, laptops and even wearables, while also collecting data from social channels," the findings showed.

Connecting to unprotected Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices can expose personal information to a cybercriminal. One should be especially careful when exchanging payment information.

"With this in mind, make sure to update your Bluetooth and Wi-Fi history by removing previously 'remembered' wireless networks, like 'cafewifi,'" the study noted.

Whether it's your location or selfie, criminals are more able to monitor your whereabouts via social activity and take advantage of you when you have the weakest protection.

The pervasive use of technology in our day-to-day lives and popularity of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) ties our personal and work lives more closely than ever before -- especially on vacation.

"This can puts travellers at risk as they share their personal/confidential information online," the study noted.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Indonesian government has stepped up alertness on the possible spread of Zika virus into the country as the number of infection cases steeply rose in the neighbouring Singapore.

Indonesia Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi made the statement on Monday after the Singapore's Ministry of Health confirmed 41 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus infection in the city state, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We strengthen alertness. It must be prevented," Marsudi said at the State Palace.

The Foreign Ministry has set up coordination with the Health Ministry and Indonesian embassy in Singapore over the preparedness to face the threat, Marsudi added.

"We want prevention on the spread of the viruses and comprehensive information about the new cases," she noted.

The Singapore's ministry of health has confirmed that at least 34 persons out of the 41 cases have fully recovered while the other seven, who were still symptomatic and potentially infectious, were recovering at the Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore.

A total of 58 countries have reported cases of locally transmitted Zika virus infection.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A proposal to the Legislature to set tougher standards before neighbors can require a supermajority vote on rezonings has split the Flagstaff City Council.

As proposed by the city of Sedona to the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, if the change had been in place earlier this year, it would have affected the petition brought by neighbors of the Hub in requiring a supermajority vote.

The council could muster only four votes, not six, in favor of the rezoning and it was defeated. The Hub subsequently returned without a rezoning request and was approved by staff, then upheld on appeal by a 3-2 vote by the Board of Adjustments.

Mayor Jerry Nabours is the citys voting representative at the League of Arizona Cities, but the Council is required to vote on which resolutions Nabours should support..

The city of Sedona proposed changing how many property owners surrounding a proposed rezoning would be required to protest the change and trigger a supermajority of councilmembers to approve it.

Stephanie Smith, the assistant to the city manager, said the proposed change would require objections by 20 percent of adjacent property owners within 150 feet of the proposed change to trigger the supermajority requirement. The existing language allows for the requirement to be triggered by just 20 percent of one side of the property requesting the change.

Smith said the intention of the resolution was to clarify the language of the statute and to align the guidelines with the requirements in counties.

Nabours, who said he was on the subcommittee that worked to craft the resolution, said it is not clear in state statute how the requirement is intended to be met.

However, Councilwoman Coral Evans said she worried the change would diminish the rights of neighbors to protest a zoning change by requiring a greater number of owners to protest before the supermajority is triggered.

Evans cited three examples in Flagstaff of a protest triggering a supermajority of councilmembers approval, and she said that if the proposed change would have affected those actions, she would not support the resolution.

According to an email from City Attorney Sterling Solomon, sent after the Councils vote, the proposed change would not have affected the proceedings of the protest of the apartment complex The Standard, but would have affected the supermajority requirement for The Hub, which was triggered by an owner who owned 20 percent of one side of the property. The third example did not end up requesting a zoning change.

Nabours and councilmembers Jeff Oravits, Scott Overton and Karla Brewster voted to have Nabours support the resolution. Councilmembers Evans and Eva Putzova and Vice Mayor Celia Barotz voted against supporting the resolution.

Oravits said that despite supporting the resolution, he would like for the Council to keep a close eye on what happens to the resolution before the full League and in the state Legislature.
Leading doctors here on Tuesday underlined the role of fetal medicine in ensuring that the health of the unborn baby was not compromised.

The doctors were discussing the need for early detection of abnormalities in foetuses at a function to mark 10 years of the 'Fetal Medicine' unit at the Indraprashta Apollo Hospital here.

The parents whose babies' lives were once saved through timely interventions and addressing the abnormality also were present at the function.

Dr Anita Kaul, Senior Consultant in Fetal Medicine at Indraprashta Apollo Hospital, stressed the need for widespread use of fetal medicine, and said: "There are chances that of all pregnancies at least 2-3 per cent will develop some complications in the foetus... what better if we can diagnose the issue in-utero."

The Fetal Medicine centre at Apollo started in 2006 and, according to Kaul, is the only one in entire north India -- the other being in Chennai.

"Scientific advances in the last 20 years have raised the hope that many pregnancy complications are potentially detectable from as early as the 12th week of gestation. Fetal evaluation can give patient-specific risk for a wide spectrum of pregnancy complications, including intellectual disability in foetus, preterm delivery, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, fetal growth restriction," Kaul said.

Kaul said the use of ultrasound is the most common way of detecting complications other than using a fetoscope, a tube like device, same as the one used in endoscopy.

She told media persons that the complications in the foetus start developing in the early period of the pregnancy and said: "Fetal medicine has 95 per cent survival rate and good long term impacts ... if it can be addressed in first three months than why wait till eight months or till the birth of the baby."

She also said that if certain complications are addressed within first three months of pregnancy than one can reduce chances of intellectual disability by 92 per cent.

Dr Prathap C. Reddy, Founder Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, said: "Today, fetal therapy is recognised as one of the most promising fields for expert care for both mother and unborn baby, and prenatal surgery is becoming an option for a growing number of babies with birth defects. We aim to create awareness around timely check-up and scan to ensure the baby's health is not compromised."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a clear message to senior lawyers that they could not take liberty with the court by making a last minute request for pass-over or adjournment of a matter listed for hearing, a Supreme Court bench on Tuesday withdrew from hearing the matters after in four of the first five matters, junior lawyers sought a pass-over.

Apparently piqued over junior lawyers seeking pass-over as senior counsel were not there, the bench of Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar and Justice Arun Mishra rose saying that they would come back if lawyers representing both the sides - petitioner and respondent - in any of the first four matters were present in the court to argue their case.

It was about 15 minutes after they had withdrawn that a lawyer who was to appear in two of the first four cases arrived and the court master was asked to request the judges to return. The lawyer apologised to the bench for being late and causing inconvenience to the judges.

In a spirit of getting on with the work of the day, the bench chose not to say anything more on the issue.

The judges, on a number of occasions in the past, deprecated the practice of lawyers seeking adjournment at the last moment when the matter is called for hearing.

Even on Tuesday in another matter involving a civic body of Delhi and a discom, when an advocate sought an adjournment on the plea that the Additional Solicitor General - a government law officer - was not available and wanted accommodation beyond a particular day, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, who was one of the judges on the bench presided over by Justice Anil R.Dave, told him that they were "under no compulsion to adjourn the matter. Don't take us for granted that we will adjourn" the matter.

Senior counsel Ajit Kumar Sinha, who was present in the court when Justice Khehar and Justice Mishra decided to rise, said that in his long stint in the top court, he had tried to recall a similar thing happening in the past but couldn't.

However, a lawyer sitting with him recalled that about two weeks back, another bench in court no 5 rose for the day after in all the 20 matters that were called either lawyers sought pass-over or adjournment.

The judges waited in their chamber for nearly an hour for the lawyers and when there was no sign of them, announced that they were rising for the day.

Another young lawyer, who said that he was present in the court room when judges decides rise for the day, said that judges were unhappy that in all 20 matters, the junior lawyers either sought pass-over or adjournments.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 40-year-old man was arrested from north west Delhi after he allegedly raped a 10-year-old girl, police said on Tuesday.

The accused has been identified as Nanak, a resident of Bharat Nagar in north west Delhi, police said.

"The accused was arrested after we received a complaint from the parents of the girl last (Monday) night," a senior police officer told IANS.

"In their complaint, the parents alleged that the girl was repeatedly raped by the accused for the last three to four months," he added.

The family of the girl resides in the rented flat of the accused.

"The girl first narrated her ordeal to her mother some ten days back and then on Janmashtami when I asked her about it she told me about the incident," the girl's father told IANS.

The father further alleged that his daughter was raped by the accused whenever she arrived early from her school.

A case was registered against the accused under section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code and POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, police said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of derailing the government's development work.

Sisodia reacted after Lt Governor Najeeb Jung suddenly transferred Delhi's Health Secretary Tarun Seem and Public Work Department (PWD) Secretary Sarvagya Srivastava on Tuesday.

The transferred officials were involved in increasing the 'Mohalla Clinics' across the city as well as boosting the number of classrooms in government schools.

Sisodia said: "Modi is derailing Delhi government's development work in the health and education sector by transferring Delhi government's health and PWD secretaries through LG."

Sisodia said in future Modi should be held responsible for any delay in the working of the clinics and schools.

He termed the move "a conspiracy to derail" the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) good work.

He said: "I came to know, from reliable sources, that Modi, himself called up the LG and asked him to make the transfers."

Sisodia said that as Tarun Seem had a medical background and Sarvagya Srivastava was an engineer so they were performing well in their respective departments.

In fact after rumours had surfaced about possible transfers Sisodia claimed he had personally requested the LG to retain them.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Upset after two key bureaucrats in Delhi were transferred, Chief Minister on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "hell bent" on "destroying" the capital through the Lt Governor.

Kejriwal reacted after Lt Governor Najeeb Jung suddenly transferred Delhi's Health Secretary Tarun Sen and PWD Secretary Sarvagya Srivastava on Tuesday.

The transferred officials were looking after the work of building Mohalla Clinics across the city as well as the job of building classrooms in government schools.

"Today, several officers transferred by LG directly. Files not even shown to CM or any minister. Is this Modi model of democracy?" Kejriwal tweeted.

"Modiji is hell bent on destroying Delhi through LG," he added.

He added that Jung had rejected Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's multiple requests not to transfer these officials till March 31.

Health and PWD Minister Satyendra Jain told the media separately: "LG is hell bent on stopping every work of the Delhi government. We had requested him not to transfer the two secretaries till March 31 as they were involved in developing Mohalla Clinics and classrooms in schools."

"They were doing good work but to no avail," Jain told the media here.
More male babies were victims of foeticide than female in 2014, the latest year for which data is available, according to national crime data, indicating the extent of under-reporting.

As many as 53 male foeticides were reported in 2014, compared to 50 cases of female foeticides, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data. The sex of four foetuses was not known.

Since a law criminalising sex selection came into force 20 years ago in 1996, 350 people have been convicted, which is nearly 18 every year, according to a Lok Sabha reply on August 5, 2016.

That this is a vast underestimate is obvious from India's declining child sex ratio (the number of females to 1,000 males under six years of age), which fell from 945 in 1991 to 918 in 2011.

"Of the 12 million girls born in India, one million do not see their first birthday," said Kamini Lalu, an Additional Sessions Judge in an order in 2014, quoted in the Business Standard. "As a result of this human trafficking has become common in various states of India where teenage girls are being sold for cheap money by poor families, being treated as sex objects with more than half of such cases going unreported."

As many as 238 foetuses and new-borns were abandoned in south Delhi alone, between 1996 and 2012; of these, 115 were males, 110 were females, and sex of 13 foetuses could not be ascertained, according to an All India Institute of Medical Science study, the Indian Express reported on August 17, 2016.

Males were predominant, but on closer examination, "females out-numbered males" among the foetuses five months (20 weeks) of gestational age, C. Behera, one of the co-authors of the report, said. "Owing to the societal bias in favour of a male, this could mean that selective female foeticide happened during this period. In India, medical abortion is allowed only up to 20 weeks of gestational age and criminal abortions and selective female foeticide subsequent to antenatal sex determination are more likely before 20 weeks of pregnancy," Behera said.

Madhya Pradesh reported the most (15) female foeticide cases in 2014, followed by Rajasthan (11), Punjab (7), Uttar Pradesh (4) and Haryana (4), according to an August 5, 2016 reply to the Lok Sabha. Provisional data for 2015 reported 52 female foeticides, with Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra reporting more than other states, 12 each.

As many as 2,296 cases have been filed across India for illegal sex-determination tests as of March 2016, the government told parliament.

Of the 107 foeticides -- NCRB does not provide data on male or female foeticides by state -- reported across India in 2015, Madhya Pradesh reported the most (30), followed by Rajasthan (24), Uttar Pradesh (11), Punjab (10) and Maharashtra (7).

NCRB started collecting data for female foeticide only from 2014, the government told parliament.

Sex selection cases are filed under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994.

Rajasthan leads, with 626 on-going court/police cases for sex determination, followed by Maharashtra (554), Punjab (192), Haryana (165) and Uttar Pradesh (139).

These five states account for 73 per cent of all reported sex-determination tests nationwide, an obvious under-estimate, as we said, given the number of foeticides reported by independent studies.

In all, 350 convictions were made and 100 medical registrations were cancelled nation-wide over two decades.

Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar are the worst states to be a woman, IndiaSpend reported in July, 2016. Women in these states are most likely to be aborted as children, have the lowest literacy rates, marry earliest, die most frequently while pregnant, bear the most children, have the most crimes committed against them and are least likely to be employed.

The sex ratio at birth in India was 908 for 2010-12, which improved to 909 during 2011-13. Among India's 21 larger states, Haryana is the worst, with 864 females per 1,000 males (2011-13), according to data provided by the ministry of health and family welfare (MOHFW) to parliament on April 29, 2016.

Punjab (867), Uttar Pradesh (878), Delhi (887), Rajasthan (893) and Maharashtra (902) are other worst-performing states. Chhattisgarh has India's most favourable sex ratio at birth, with 970 females per 1,000 males, followed by Kerala (966) and Karnataka (958), among the larger states.

Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and Haryana have had the worst decline in the past 30 years in child sex ratio, according to the MOHFW annual report 2015-16.

India's sex ratio is 943 per 1,000 males, as per Census 2011. Haryana is the worst performing among 28 states, with 879 females per 1,000 males, followed by Jammu and Kashmir (889), Sikkim (890), Punjab (895), and Uttar Pradesh (898).

The overall Indian sex ratio should be at least 950 women to 1,000 men (nature produces more males than females, as boys are more vulnerable to infant diseases than girls.

Haryana has 17 districts classified as gender-critical, one of which Rohtak -- with 867 females for every 1,000 males -- gave India its first Olympic medal at the just-concluded Rio Games in wrestler Sakshi Malik.

(30.08.2016 - In arrangement with IndiaSpend.org, a data-driven, non-profit, public interest journalism platform, with whom Chaitanya Mallapur is an analyst. The views expressed are those of IndiaSpend. Feedback at respond@indiaspend.org)

--IANS/IndiaSpend

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
About 35 million women and 10 million men in north India were married as children, an analysis of the 2011 census data by NGO Child Rights and You (CRY) revealed.

There should be stricter implementation of laws and greater community involvement to address the problem of child marriage, said CRY on Tuesday.

According to CRY's analysis, women are three times more likely to be married off before the legal marriageable age.

Topping the list is Rajasthan where 30 per cent of the currently married persons entered wedlock as children. The percentage of women married as children is 43 per cent in the state, while for men it is 16 per cent.

The legal marriageable age in India is 18 years for women and 21 years for men.

Rajasthan is followed by Madhya Pradesh where 26 per cent of all married people became husbands or wives below the legal age. Uttar Pradesh and Haryana at 21 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively, take the third and fourth spot.

The figures emerging out of the northern states are higher than the national average of 19 per cent.

"Child marriage is practised under the garb of tradition, culture and protection. There are several health risks attached to this practice. Child marriage results in early pregnancy, which often leads to high maternal and infant deaths," Soha Moitra, Regional Director of CRY, said.

"While the government should ensure stricter implementation of the law, including strengthening registration of births and marriages and prosecution of offenders, it is crucial to influence the behaviour of the communities for a lasting change," Moitra said.

She said sensitising families, engaging with communities and local authorities can bring about a positive change.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least one person was killed and three others were injured on Tuesday when a powerful explosion rocked the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek.

According to Xinhua news agency, a car rammed onto the gates of the embassy which caused the explosion.

The identities and nationalities of the injured were yet to be ascertained.

The driver of the vehicle reportedly died in the blast, RT news reported.

Kyrgyz security officials quoted by the local AKIpress news agency described the blast as a terrorist attack.

The news agency also quoted the chief of security at the Chinese embassy as saying that no staff were injured, the BBC reported.

Social media footage showed smoke billowing above the building.

--IANS

ksk

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday said the Narendra Modi government should adopt a consistent approach on Jammu and and take follow-up action after the proposed visit of all-party delegation to the border state.

The Hyderabad MP said now that peace is returning to Kashmir, the central government should not give up the efforts to find a solution so that the cycle of violence does not return to the valley.

An all-party delegation led by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to visit on Sep 4.

Owaisi said he was yet to receive an invitation but came to know about the delegation's visit through media.

"If the delegation goes, it will give a message to people of Jammu and that an attempt is being made for restoring peace and normalcy and for continuing the dialogue," he said.

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president, who was part of a similar all-party delegation which visited Kashmir in 2010 in the aftermath of violence in the valley, said his good wishes will be with the delegation. "I only hope that normalcy is restored and there is no more loss of life," he said.

The MP, however, said the present government should take follow-up action after the visit of all-party delegation visit. He recalled that in 2010 the then UPA government did not take any follow-up action and put the report of the all-party delegation in cold storage.

Owaisi said the government should examine the proposals and the three-pronged strategy mooted Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

He believes the state and the central government have greater responsibility to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

Owaisi alleged that Pakistan was fishing in troubled waters and this has been always been its approach. "We should not allow such a situation. Enemies will definitely take advantage of this," he said.

The MP said governance, political process and a constant eye on the ground situation can help in preventing recurrence of violence.

On pellet guns, he said a situation should be avoided where pellet guns or guns have to be used. He said nobody can deny the fact that the use of pellet guns made 200 people blind.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Around a dozen protesters gathered outside the venue of an international conference on nuclear power in this capital city on Tuesday, denouncing the development of atomic power in the Philippines.

The conference on the prospects of nuclear power in the Asia Pacific region hosted by the Philippines Department of Energy (DOE) brought together representatives from 18 countries who are members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to discuss the issues and challenges of nuclear power, reports Efe news .

The Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) organised the protest where the group members held up red placards that read "No To Nukes" and seven white umbrellas which together spelt out "No to another Fukushima" and "No to nukes".

They also shouted slogans warning of the dangers of nuclear power and the threat of meltdowns, like the one at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan.

The protest was motivated by fears that the government is using the conference to revive the dormant Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, about 100 km west of Manila, which was built during the time of late Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos but has never launched.

The conference will run until Thursday.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
There are still several open seats on two school governing boards. Coconino County Superintendent of Schools Risha VanderWay is looking for applicants to be appointed to the Maine Consolidated School District Governing Board and the Northeast Arizona Technological Institute of Vocational Education Governing Board.

Beginning January 2017, two seats will be vacant on the MCSD board and one Tuba City Unified School District seat will be vacant on the NATIVE board.

Applicants must be registered to vote in Arizona and reside in the school district for at least a year prior to their appointment. Applicants or their spouses can't be an employee of the district.

The 2-year term will end Dec. 31, 2018. Applications can be found at http://bit.ly/azdsboard and must be submitted by the 5 p.m. deadline on Sept. 28. They can be submitted by email (kgraves@coconino.az.gov), fax (928-526-1469) or mailed/dropped off to Coconino County School Superintendent, 2384 N. Steves Blvd., Flagstaff, AZ 86004.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought the Maharashtra government's response to a plea challenging the constitutional validity of certain provisions of a new law regulating dance bars in the state.

Issuing a notice to the Maharashtra government, the bench of Justice Dipak Misra and Justice C. Nagappan rejected the state government's plea that the petitioner, Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association (IHRA), be asked to approach the Bombay High Court instead of directly knocking at the doors of the top court.

The petitioner IHRA has challenged the validity of some of the provisions of Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotel, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (Working therein) Act, 2016 and the Rules.

While giving the Maharashtra government eight weeks time to respond to the petition by the IHRA, the court sought its response in two weeks on the plea for interim relief on the rule prohibiting liquor in the dance area and mandating the installation of CCTV cameras at the place of dance.

Directing the hearing on two issues on September 21, the bench noted that both were contrary to its 2014 judgment by which it had permitted the installation of CCTV cameras at the entrance only.

Appearing for the petitioner IHRA, senior counsel Jayant Bhushan told the court that the definition of "obscene dance" is so vague that it was capable of being misused.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
French company DCNS has obtained a court order restricting 'The Australian' from further publishing leaked documents on India's Scorpene submarine project.

A report in The Australian said orders handed by the New South Wales Supreme Court prevented the newspaper from using or disclosing the content of any of the documents.

The orders also requires The Australian to remove the leaked documents from its website.

The restriction expires at 5 p.m. on Thursday. However, it has also asked the newspaper to handover to DCNS all of the company material in its possession.

The journalist who broke the story, Cameron Stewart, had told IANS on Friday that the newspaper did not intend to publish any more of the documents at that time.

In a series of tweets later he claimed the documents contained information on weapon systems as well, and said it would be published on Monday.

The newspaper however did not upload any more leaked documents.

An affidavit filed by DCNS says the disclosure of the material has caused a prejudice to the shipbuilder because its competitors now have access to some of the company's material.

"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," said an affidavit by DCNS' lawyer Justine Munsie.

The massive media coverage of the leak had jeopardised the company's international image and reputation, the affidavit said.

"The sensitive and protected nature of the documents also covers the nature, structure and the mere existence of the documents themselves," it said.

DCNS, which is at the centre of a global submarine data leak scandal, wanted to prevent The Australian from releasing any more confidential data contained in the leaked 22,400 secret documents because it may cause harm to its customer -- the Indian Navy.

In response to an email from IANS on Monday, DCNS' Media Relations head Emmanuel Gaudez said: "To be precise, DCNS is instructing a demand to The Australian in order to remove from its website the documents which it has published online and prevent the publishing of other documents."

The Australian has redacted the most sensitive details from the documents before their publication.

The Indian Navy has maintained the leaked data will not compromise the boat's stealth capabilities, and 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

ao/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
French company DCNS has obtained a Australian court order restricting newspaper 'The Australian' from further publishing leaked documents on India's Scorpene submarine project, and hand over all company material.

A report in The Australian said orders handed by the New South Wales Supreme Court prevented the newspaper from using or disclosing the content of any of the documents, and also requires it to remove the leaked documents from its website.

The restriction expires at 5 p.m. on Thursday.

However, the court has also asked the newspaper to hand over, to DCNS, all of the company material in its possession.

Cameon Stewart, the journalist who broke the story, in response to an email from IANS on Tuesday, said the newspaper will hand over the documents that are on The Australian's website.

"We will hand over those few documents which we have a placed on the web in redacted form," Stewart told IANS.

Asked what will be the newspaper's line of action once the temporary order ends on Thursday evening, he said: "I can't answer this until after the court proceedings."

Stewart had told IANS on Friday that the newspaper did not intend to publish any more of the documents at that time.

In a series of tweets later he claimed the documents contained information on weapon systems as well, and said it would be published on Monday.

The newspaper has not uploaded any fresh leaked documents since Thursday, though in a report on Sunday, it had said the leaked documents include details of the capabilities of the SM.39 anti-ship missile expected to be used on the Indian submarines.

An affidavit filed by DCNS says the disclosure of the material has caused a prejudice to the shipbuilder because its competitors now have access to some of the company's material.

"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," said an affidavit by DCNS' lawyer Justine Munsie.

The massive media coverage of the leak had jeopardised the company's international image and reputation, the affidavit said.

"The sensitive and protected nature of the documents also covers the nature, structure and the mere existence of the documents themselves," it said.

DCNS, which is at the centre of a global submarine data leak scandal, wanted to prevent The Australian from releasing any more confidential data contained in the leaked 22,400 secret documents because it may cause harm to its customer -- the Indian Navy.

In response to an email from IANS on Monday, DCNS' Media Relations head Emmanuel Gaudez said: "To be precise, DCNS is instructing a demand to The Australian in order to remove from its website the documents which it has published online and prevent the publishing of other documents."

The Australian has redacted the most sensitive details from the documents before their publication.

The Indian Navy has maintained the leaked data will not compromise the boat's stealth capabilities, and an officer told IANS that, if needed, India is capable of making suitable changes in the submarines keeping in mind the "worst-case scenario".

Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on Monday had said the Indian Navy is taking it "very seriously" and that "mitigation measures" will be taken based on the report of a probe panel.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Seven people, including a couple, were arrested in Delhi for allegedly running a human trafficking racket for commercial sexual exploitation, police said on Tuesday.

Saira Begum, 45, and her husband Afaq Hussain, 50, were arrested along with Ramesh Pandey and Vasudev Pandey -- both residents of Nepal, Shamshad, Pooja and Mumtaj on August 25.

Sarfaraz, one of the main accused and muscle man, is still absconding.

Police said a case was initially registered on August 19 under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and investigations launched to nab the accused.

Police said the couple ran a sex racket for the past almost 17 years and their syndicate was suspected to have trafficked more than 5,000 girls from Nepal and remote areas of West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka, Assam and Andhra Pradesh, among other states.

Begum and Hussain, who were earlier arrested by the Crime Branch in 2013, used to reside at another place but were controlling the organised racket with the help of different paid managers, nayikas (mistress) and traffickers.

"All these nayikas helped the couple in running the management of brothel. Hussain paid them 15 per cent of the earnings for their role," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Ravindra Yadav said.

Investigators said the couple had purchased the brothel premises at G.B. Road in central Delhi in 2003 but later transferred the ownership to some of their associates to avoid legal action.

"In this manner, the couple had planned to continue their illegal activities unabated without the fear of being nabbed and amassed disproportionate wealth to the tune of crores of rupees from this illegal trade," the officer said.

The officer said that four luxury cars and Rs 9 lakh in cash were recovered from the possession of the accused. "They also own several flats and houses in Delhi and Bengaluru."

"The accused control and carry forward the illegal business of human trafficking and prostitution, and have been receiving earnings from the business of commercial sexual exploitation since 1999," the officer said.

Police said Saira Begum, who hails from Hyderabad, came to Delhi with her first husband Talaf Hussain after the death of her parents and started working as a sex worker in G.B. Road area when she failed to get a job for over a month.

She gradually started a racket of commercial sexual exploitation at brothel No.58 at G.B. Road where she was a sex worker. It was the same brothel where Saira Begum came in contact with Hussain, who hails from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh.

Police said Hussain was attracted by Begum's huge earnings from her prostitution racket and he offered to marry her. They married in 1999. After that, they started assisting each other in carrying out illegal activities of immoral trafficking with the help of various associates.

--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.)
India and the US on Tuesday began the economy leg of their Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, with Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asking America Inc to join the country's 'Make in India' initiative.

Sitharaman first met with co-chair and her US counterpart Penny Pritzker, following which they presided over the India-US CEO Forum, that has Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry and Honeywell Chairman Dave Cote as the co-hosts.

The Forum discusses opportunities for increasing bilateral trade and investment, in which the CEOs will communicate their joint recommendations to the US and Indian governments.

"The elevated Strategic and Commercial Dialogue provides a platform for taking on trade and commerce to the next level between our two countries," Sitharaman said.

Both sides will work together for creating a platform for promoting culture of innovation, she added.

"We must make it easier for Indian and American companies to buy from each other, to invest in each other, and to create with each other. Now is the time to address the impediments to growth faced by our businesses and economies," Pritzker said.

The larger, 2nd India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue is being led by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry to review the progress on decisions taken last time and identify new areas of cooperation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama had decided in 2015 to elevate the then India-US engagement into a Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, reflecting the significance of the trade and economic ties between the two sides.

This is the first time the Strategic and Commercial Dialogue is being held in India.

During her trip, Pritzker will also meet with Indian entrepreneurs and participate in an event celebrating US-India cooperation on travel and tourism. In June 2016, Obama and Modi announced that the two countries will be Travel and Tourism Partner Countries in 2017.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A suicide bomber rammed his car into the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek on Tuesday, injuring five persons.

According to Xinhua news agency, the unidentified assailant rammed a Mitsubishi car onto the gates of the embassy which caused the explosion, killing himself and injuring two security guards and three local people working there.

A Kyrgyz senior security officer told Xinhua news agency that it was a suicide car bombing attack.

Kyrgyz security officials quoted by the local AKI press news agency described the blast as a terrorist attack.

China's foreign ministry condemned the incident as an "extreme and violent attack" and urged Kyrgyz authorities to conduct a thorough investigation, the BBC reported.

Social media footage showed smoke billowing above the building.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Turkey has been accused of "expanding its occupation" inside war-torn Syria after dozens of civilians were killed in its recent push to oust the Islamic State, media reported on Tuesday.

Rebels backed by Turkey have driven US-allied Kurdish forces from a number of towns and villages in northern Syria with Ankara looking to push the militants east of the Euphrates River in an operation which has so far claimed at least 35 civilian lives.

The Kurdish Democratic Union Party has condemned what it said was international silence regarding "Turkish occupation" of Syria, the Daily Mail reported.

Turkey's involvement in the Syrian civil war last week was aimed at helping the Syrian rebels drive the IS out of the border town of Jarablus.

On Tuesday, the US Pentagon described clashes between Turkish and Kurdish forces in Syria as "unacceptable" and called on all sides to "stand down".

"We are closely monitoring reports of clashes south of Jarabulus -- where IS is no longer located -- between the Turkish armed forces, some opposition groups, and units that are affiliated with the SDF (Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces)," he said.

"We want to make clear that we find these clashes unacceptable and they are a source of deep concern."

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 to "uproot" the Syrian Kurdish group, calling it a terrorist organisation.

Turkey is part of the US-led coalition fighting the IS, but the air strikes that began on Saturday marked the first time it has targeted Kurdish-led forces in Syria.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Around 33 lakh employees of the central government had a reason to cheer on Tuesday with the government announcing their annual bonus that has been pending for two years.

"The bonus entitlement for 2014-15 and 2015-16 will be released on the revised norms for central government employees. This was pending for two years. After this, the bonus will be covered under the 7th Pay Commission," Finance Minister told reporters here.

The Bonus Amendment Act will be implemented strictly, Jaitley said at the press conference on charter of demands of Central Trade Unions.

The conference was also attended by Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and Power Minister Piyush Goyal.

As a measure to dissuade trade unions from going on strike on September 2, the government has also decided to raise the daily minimum wage for unskilled non-agricultural workers for 'C' category areas to Rs 350 from the earlier Rs 112.

Further, Jaitley said the government will write to all states regarding compliance of contract workers law.

The registration of the contract workers and their staffing agencies is mandatory according to law and states will be advised to strictly implement the same.

The issue of giving social security benefit to the unorganised sector (e.g., Anganwadi, Mid-day meal, Asha, Volunteers etc.) will be examined by a committee which will give its report at the earliest, Jaitley said.

Advisories will be issued to all the state governments to ensure that registration of trade unions takes place within 45 days.

"We have had meeting with trade unions individually and collectively. We have had discussions with trade unions. We have had meeting with all trade unions," Jaitley told reporters.

Jaitley also allayed fears of the public sector bank employees who are opposing the merger of State Bank of India with associate banks, saying that the merger will not affect the service conditions of bank workers.

A spokesperson for the BJP-affliated trade union Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) told IANS that they have called off the September 2 strike as the government has conceded a number of their demands in the charter.

BMS, in a statement separately, also directed all its affiliate unions, members and well wishers not to participate in any strike on September 2.

"BMS strongly feels that the outcome of the talks was the most fruitful and great achievement for Indian workers in the recent past. The BMS expresses its sincere thanks to the Government of India for taking right decisions," the trade union said.

Tuesday's announcements by the government were the outcome of an emergency meeting here on Monday, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to decide on the demands of the trade unions to pre-empt the September 2 strike.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Tuesday temporarily closed six offices in five US states after receiving anonymous threats.

According to the US TV network CNN, the anonymous messages received by the department late Monday were about the safety of USDA personnel and facilities, Xinhua news agency reported.

The affected offices are in Fort Collins, Colorado; Hamden, Connecticut; Beltsville, Maryland; Raleigh, North Carolina; Kearneysville, West Virginia and Leetown, West Virginia.

Details of the messages were not available at the moment and White House Spokesman Josh Earnest said on Tuesday the department was working closely with the Department of Homeland Security "to ensure the safety of their offices and the personnel that work there."

"When it comes to the safety and security and US personnel, military or civilian, we take that quite seriously," said Earnest here during the daily briefing.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has requested the US to extradite the killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Hasina raised the request during an hour-long meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry, who was on day's visit to Dhaka on Monday, reported the Daily Star.

In response to Hasina's request, Kerry commented that the US was considering the request.

Kerry said, "I understand your sensitivity, the issue is under review."

Currently, the Bangladesh government is pursuing diplomatic and legal efforts to bring back six death-row fugitive killers of the founding leader of Bangladesh.

At least one of Bangabandhu's fugitive killers, Rashed Chowdhury, was believed to be now living in the US, said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal.

Law Minister Anisul Huq also confirmed that Rashed was now living in the US.

A reputed New York-based law firm -- Skadden -- for the past two years has been making efforts to extradite the killers, reported the Dhaka Tribune.

Kerry, who was on a nine-hour visit to Bangldesh on Monday, first paid his respects to Mujibur Rahman at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhaka.

Before leaving for India on Monday evning, he discussed security issues and extended strong support in combating terrorism and violent extremism with Hasina and Foreign Minister A.H. Mahmood Ali.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On Saturday, Sept. 10, the celebration for the Arizona Trail Association will be held in Buffalo Park from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. This event is sponsored in part by the Arizona Lottery and will appeal to anyone interested in the great outdoors.

If you're looking for a hike, one will start from the Buffalo Park parking lot at 9 a.m. This 3-mile trek will cover the Arizona Trail south across the Matt Kelly Bridge onto McMillan Mesa and continue on through the proposed Greater Buffalo Park addition. Our friend Steve Hirst will lead.

We'll finish our hike a little after 10 a.m. in time to attend the Dale Shewalter ceremony that will be held near his plaque located on the Arizona Trail. This will be a brief, but very heartfelt reflection to honor the memory of Dale, who is regarded as the founding father of the over 800-mile Arizona's National Scenic Trail.

Afterward, there'll be lots of time to investigate the many outdoor information booths located near the Buffalo Park Ramada, listen to some great music and eat a variety of excellent food. You can also engage in edifying conversations with folks who have recently hiked, biked or ridden a horse the entire length of the Arizona Trail.

My friend Anne McGuffey is one such through-hiker who'll be there to answer questions. Anne, a Flagstaff-based, mostly solo backpacker, completed her Arizona Trail hike in 75 days. She started from the Mexican border on March 24th of this year and finished in Utah on June 22nd.

Between those two dates Anne experienced some challenging hiking periods that were mingled with a like number of routine interludes. None of the many diverse sections of the Arizona Trail, however, can be considered a walk in Disneyland. Chance encounters with wonderful people helped lighten the tone while solitary stretches allowed the opportunity to reflect on more personal themes.

And then there were comical occasions like that tumble backwards because of an imbalance in the weight distribution of a full backpack. I'm sure Anne was subject to more than a few visual "floaters" while regaining an upright position. And the sunset search for a suitable campsite wasn't very laughable, but indeed memorable. Or that wonderful moment of realization the only water source within miles was teeming with dead bees.

We can chuckle in hindsight, but I'll wager those events weren't very funny while they were happening!

The Arizona Trail Association will also co-sponsor the adventure discussion, "The Grand Canyon End to End by writer Kevin Fedarko at Cline Library on the NAU campus. The date is Friday, September 9, starting at 6 p.m. and features the story of three friends and their shared Grand Canyon experience.

On Sunday evening, September 11, the film, "Almost Sunrise" will be shown at the Orpheum Theater at 6 p.m. This is the inspiring story of two Iraq War veterans and their extraordinary 2,700-mile journey through the United States in search of personal peace.

For more complete information about the Arizona Trail Association September celebration in Buffalo Park look to the Arizona Trail Association website.
The Indian government has been "pro-active" in resolving the situation in the valley and the violence is "coming from across the border", Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said at a joint press conference with US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter.

"Government of India has been very pro active... It is more of violence that comes from across the border," Parrikar said on Monday in response to a question on the situation in .

"Curfew is already lifted. An all-party team is also going. is having a government that is democratically elected and Chief Minister (Mehbooba Mufti) belongs to the valley. You must have seen her press conference (where she said) that small percentage is holding the majority at ransom," Parrikar said.

His comments come as a separatist shutdown continued in Kashmir on Tuesday despite relaxation of curfew in the Valley.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will reach Srinagar on September 4 heading an all-party delegation which will hold meetings with local leaders with an aim to bring a halt to the unrest in the Valley.

Separatists have extended their protest shutdown call up to September 1 asking people not to resume normal activities.

Despite lifting of curfew, major markets remained closed on Tuesday and there was no public transport plying on roads in Srinagar and elsewhere in the Valley.

For the last 53 days, all educational institutions have also remained closed.

So far, 71 people, including 68 civilians and three policemen, have been killed and over 11,000 injured in the unrest that sparked off on July 9.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Despite knowing that e-mails and Facebook messages from unknown senders can contain dangerous links, most people click on them anyway mainly due to their inability to contain their curiosity, says a study.

The researchers found that up to 56 per cent of e-mail recipients and around 40 per cent of Facebook users clicked on a link from an unknown sender although they knew of the risks of their computer becoming infected with a virus.

For the experiment, Zinaida Benenson from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) in Germany and her team sent around 1,700 students e-mails or Facebook messages under a false name.

They adapted the fake messages to the target groups by signing them with one of the ten most common names for the target group's generation.

The text claimed that the link in the message was to a page with images of a party the previous weekend.

If the recipient clicked on the link they were directed to a page with the message 'access denied'.

This enabled the researchers to register the click rates.

They then sent a questionnaire to all of the participants which first asked them to rate their own awareness of security before explaining the experiment and asking them about the reasons they did or did not click on the link.

The researchers found that 56 per cent of the e-mail recipients and 38 per cent of the Facebook message recipients in the study clicked on the links.

"The overall results surprised us as 78 per cent of participants stated in the questionnaire that they were aware of the risks of unknown links," Benenson said.

When asked why they clicked on the link, the large majority of participants said that it was due to curiosity about the content of the photos or the identity of the sender.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan needs to establish its credentials as a responsible nuclear state before seeking membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), a Pakistani daily said on Tuesday.

Pakistan has launched a fresh drive to gather support for its efforts to join the 48-nation NSG with a request to the White House this week to support its bid.

"The fresh move by the Pakistani authorities gives an insight into the seemingly wrong set of priorities," the Daily Times said in an editorial.

"Against the backdrop of a struggling economy, declining foreign export and with a large population living below the poverty line, Pakistan's bid to join the elite group of the NSG lacks prudence.

"In retrospect, these efforts would be viewed as a policy aberration rather than a move with any lasting impact.

"These are the things that suit a nation that has made remarkable progress in other fields of life, and its social indicators present positive signs about living conditions of common citizens," the Times said.

The daily demanded to know why Pakistan was competing with India in its quest to join the NSG when so many other key areas need its immediate attention. "On the surface, Pakistan's rationale looks flawed.

"At a time when the social sector is in utter distress, the rate of unemployment is high and corruption is rampant, how can the government convince 48 countries about its credentials as a responsible state?

"Pakistan needs to give preference to improving the living standards of people instead of pursuing the membership of the NSG with an aim to undermine India, which has also applied to join the group with the backing of the US," it added.

The Times said the presence of banned outfits like the Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Jaish-e-Mohammad in Pakistan and accusation of transfer of nuclear technology to North Korea make Pakistan's stance weak about its capability to become a part of the NSG.

"The US views India favourably, both as a counterweight to the rise of China as well as because of India's huge emerging economy as a vast consumer market with untold business opportunities in addition to being a huge buyer of weapons," the editorial said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
During proceedings in the Supreme Court recently, Parsvnath and Unitech expressed their inability to refund home buyers for not handing over possession of flats. While the apex court has asked Unitech to deposit the principal money that buyers had paid, in the case of Parsvnath, the court is examining the case for the next course of action.Legal experts say if the developers continue to express inability to pay, buyers should file a petition in the SC and request it to initiate proceedings under Article 142 of the Constitution. The apex court has special powers and it can initiate similar proceedings that it did in the case of Sahara, says Hitesh Jain, senior partner, ALMT Legal Partners.Under Article 142, the Supreme Court has the authority to issue any order for doing complete justice. Lawyers feel this will also set a precedence and discourage developers from taking buyers for a ride. This will not only help buyers get back their money, there will also be proper investigation that will bring out whether the losses are for real or the builder had siphoned off the money, says Abhishek Khare, founder and managing partner, Khare Legal Chambers.

ALSO READ: Register the property as soon as you book



Lawyer Ashwarya Sinha, who represented buyers in the Unitech case, explains that if a developer does not follow court orders, there could be contempt of court proceedings initiated against the developer. For example, if Unitech is unable to pay by the deadline, the court can also pass a decree to recover the money. In this case, the assets of the developer will be sold to realise the funds, says senior SC lawyer Jayant Bhushan, who also represented buyers in the Unitech case.



While the buyers will receive relief from the apex court, Khare says the affected parties can also initiate criminal cases simultaneously against the builder. But, these take a long time as such cases have to be initiated in lower courts and the builder is bound to take it to the next level.
Amidst his ongoing tussle with the AAP government, Lieutenant Governor on Tuesday met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed with him various issues concerning Delhi.

Sources said Jung briefed the Home Minister on various administrative issues relating to the Delhi government.

The meeting came on a day when Jung set up a three-member panel to examine around 400 files containing "infirmities and irregularities" in taking decisions by the Kejriwal government.

The panel has been tasked to look into "omissions and commissions" in the decision-making process and also to fix responsibility of individuals, including civil and criminal liability, if any.
The government has not forwarded any formal proposal to the Congress to advance the winter session of Parliament to facilitate the passage of the goods and services tax (GST) Bill, the party said.



They are sounding out political parties but there has been no formal proposal as yet, Congress Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma told Business Standard.



The Congress leaders remark comes amid reports that the government plans to advance the winter session, which usually begins by the third week of November, by a fortnight to facilitate the passage of supporting legislation to the .



Also Read: Chambers To Seek Clarity On GST Provisions


Former union minister and Nationalist Congress Party president on Tuesday strongly criticised the recent arrests by state Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Muslim youths from the Marathwada region and other parts of Maharashtra for their alleged links with ISIS terming it random and arbitrary. He announced that he will discuss the issue with the secular and like minded parties and later take it up with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop such arrests and also evolve a comprehensive strategy to handle ISIS activities.
With curfew lifted from all but two police station areas of Kashmir, BSF troops deployed to quell street protests were today withdrawn suddenly and replaced by the CRPF, barely a week after deployment, apparently following demands by the political parties and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

The border guarding force was deployed in the restive Valley after a gap of 12 years.

As a fall out of the decision, four companies of CRPF, which were deployed for route sanitisation exercise for Prime Minister and other SPG protectees in Delhi, have been withdrawn. The task will now be undertaken by the BSF, which is mandated for guarding Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh borders.

A total of 25 fresh companies of CRPF are now being sent to the Valley for replacing the BSF.

So far, 18 companies (around 1,800 personnel) of CRPF have reached the Valley out of which eight have been sent to north Kashmir. One company, which was on static duty at the state secretariat, has been replaced by ITBP.

The sources said several political parties had demanded withdrawal of the BSF from the Valley during their talks with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh recently. It is understood that Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had also sought its withdrawal during her meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The BSF, which was taken off counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir in 2004, was deployed in the Valley last week after a gap of 12 years.

BSF personnel were deployed in the commercial hub of Lal Chowk in the city and adjoining areas for law and order duties.

This was for the first time since 2004 that BSF was called for active duties in the city. The force, which conducted anti-militancy operations in Kashmir for nearly 13 years from 1991, was replaced in the city by the Central Reserve Police Force in 2004.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gautam Adani-led Adani Enterprises is expecting to commission the first phase of its solar power equipment facility being set up in Gujarat by year-end, a senior company official said.

"The first phase of the project in which we are manufacturing solar modules and solar photo-voltaic cells is expected to get commissioned by the end of 2016," the company's Chief Executive, Solar Manufacturing, Samir Vora told reporters here today.

In the first phase, the company, which has set up a special purpose vehicle (SPV) Mundra Solar PV for the project, is setting up 1,200 MW of manufacturing capacity and will invest Rs 2,000 crore.

"Our plan is to set up the country's largest vertically integrated manufacturing facility to support solar power ecosystem of India and create an end-to-end solar power play from manufacturing to generation," he said.

In the second phase, Vora said, the company will not only enhance the capacity to 2,000 MW but also manufacture other components like silicon wafers, PV back sheets among others.

The second phase of the project is likely to go operational in the second quarter (April-June) of 2017.

"This facility will vertically integrate all aspects of solar panel production on site, including polysilicon refining, ingots, wafers, cells, PV back sheets and panels production, with a broader ecosystem involving extended supply chain for raw materials and consumables," he said.

Vora further said over a period, the company may also consider exporting the products to markets like the USA and Europe.

"There is a good demand for these products in the domestic as well as international markets. Once we have sufficient capacities, we will consider exporting them to markets like the USA and Europe," he added.

At present, the company has a constructed solar power generation capacity of 648 MW in Tamil Nadu and plans to increase it to 10000 MW by 2022.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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West Bengal Congress president Adhir Chowdhury today asked Union Health Minister J P Nadda to visit the state government-run hospitals and witness their "sorry state of affairs", following the death of two persons in the Murshidabad hospital fire incident.

"I have written to Union Health Minister J P Naddaji and have requested him that he should come and visit the state-run hospitals, to witness the sorry state of affairs. I have requested him to come and examine its pitiable conditions because patients of these hospitals are Indian citizens too," Chowdhury told PTI.

"The people of the country should know how the state-run hospitals are functioning without any basic amenities and safety measures," Chowdhury said.

Two persons died and seven others were injured in a stampede after a fire on August 27. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has ordered a CID inquiry into the incident.

Hinting at a conspiracy in the Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital fire incident, Banerjee has alleged it was "planned" to kill innocent people.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Centre will soon begin a national survey to find the extent and pattern of substance use, seeking to formulate a holistic policy to tackle the menace of drug addiction in the country.

Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment and National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC) under the AIIMS today signed a Memorandum of Understanding in this regard.

The last such national survey was carried out in 2001, officials said, adding, the new survey would be conducted over a period of two years.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot at the ministry's office in Shastri Bhawan here.

AIIMS representatives at the event said, while the 2001 survey was just a pan-India survey, this exercise would also produce data for individual states and union territories as well.

"Our ministry is the the nodal ministry for drug demand reduction. At present, we do not have any definitive or estimated figure as to what is the number of people in the country who have resorted to drug use. And, therefore, a national survey was a requirement.

"And, once it is over, the data produced by it would help us formulate polices for de-addiction and rehabilitation across the country. The survey would be conducted over a representative population of over 6 lakh, comprising samples from all states and UTs," Gehlot told reporters.

NDDTC Chief Dr Sudhir K Khandelwal said, survey would also include tobacco and alcohol users.

"In the last survey, only adult males were surveyed. This time we are including females in adults category as well as children. Besides, there is a provision for special population like prisoners, transgenders, homosexuals," Khandelwal told PTI.

Two methodological approaches are to be used in the exercise, christened 'National Survey to Find the Extent and Pattern of Substance Use' -- the household or door-to-door survey which will comprise 6 lakh eligible persons, and respondent-driven sampling (RDS) during which 60,000 drug-dependent individuals would be interviewed, the ministry said.

"We are surveying for users of alcohol, tobacco, opiates and clubbed drugs like methamphetamine and LSD, among other substance users. The door-to-door technique of sampling would be used in case of alcohol and tobacco users while RDS would be used in case of opium and cannabis users, among others," the NDDTC Chief said.

Dr S K Acharya, Dean (Research), All India Institute of Medical Sciences said, the roadmap for the survey has been set and through this exercise we would not only be able to get a representative picture of drug addiction in the country, but also identify "hot spots", or places where substance use is quite high.

"This would also help the government to allocate fund with a proper scope of its rehabilitation plan," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A man claiming to be descendant of Afghan ruler Ahmad Shah Durrani, better known as Ahmad Shah Abdali, has filed a petition inthe Lahore High Court against the Punjab government for cancelling lease of 182 acres of land given to his family by British rulers near Barki.

Petitioner Shahpur Durrani said that after the creation of Pakistan the federal government honoured the lease of the land and decided not to disturb it.

"However, the Punjab government has recently occupied 182-acre land near Barki (near Lahore) to construct an IT university and cancelled the lease," he said.

Durrani said the British rulers had given the land to his ancestors as a reward of their services for the Muslims.

He asked the court to set aside the act of the government and restore the land lease to his family.

Abdali (1722-1772), whose real name was Ahmad Shah Durrani, was the founder of the Durrani Empire and is regarded as the founder of the modern state of Afghanistan.

He was chosen as the king of Afghanistan in 1747 and within a few years extended his control from Khorasan in the west to Kashmir and north India in the east.

Durrani's famous victory over the Marathas at the battle of Panipat in 1761 influenced the history of the subcontinent, in particular, the British policymaking in the region.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Italy today held a poignantly symbolic funeral for victims of last week's earthquake amid the ruins of Amatrice, the small town that bore the brunt of the disaster.

President Sergio Mattarella, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and a senior representative of Pope Francis were among hundreds of mourners at the service on the edge of the hilltop beauty spot where 231 of the quake's 292 confirmed fatalities occurred.

The coffins of nearly 40 of them were laid out for a service held just yards from piles of collapsed masonry, a hastily-constructed temporary structure allowing the solemn funeral mass to proceed under cover from the rain.

The venue was a last-minute decision after grieving locals reacted with fury to a proposal for the funeral to be held in an aircraft hangar in the main town in the district, Rieti, some 64 kilometres away.

The drizzle provided a reminder of how soon summer will turn to chilly autumn in this remote, mountainous area of central Italy, making life even more uncomfortable for hundreds of homeless residents facing an indefinite stay in tented villages erected to house them.

Also presented in Amatrice were Rome mayor Virginia Raggi, paying her respects to the more than 80 residents of the capital who died, and Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos.

At least 11 Romanian nationals died in the quake, most of them in Amatrice.

Most of those who died had already been buried in private family seminars or after a first state funeral in Ascoli Piceno on Saturday.

The bishop of Rieti, Domenico Pompili, presided over today's ceremony, urging the leaders present not to allow reconstruction to get bogged down in "political quarrels."

"If we abandon these villages, we will kill them for a second time," the bishop said.

With the public acts of mourning completed, the focus will now shift to helping survivors deal with the aftermath of the disaster and answering numerous questions about why it had such a deadly impact.

For the Civil Protection agency, the top priority is providing adequate shelter for some 2,900 people who are without permanent accommodation barely two months from the onset of what is often a severe winter.

The issue of where local children will be educated is also pressing with the autumn term due to start by the middle of September at the latest.
Hours after he declared a "war on drought", Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today said he was the "happiest" man as the skies opened up in the parched Rayalaseema districts of the state, giving fresh hope of saving the standing crop.

"My resolve has become fruitful. It rained in Kurnool, Anantapuramu and Kadapa districts though there is little rain in Chittoor. Today, I am the happiest man," Chandrababu told a press conference here as he explained various "drought mitigation" measures the government has put in place.

Predominantly, groundnut crop in 15 lakh acres in Anantapuramu district, 4.5 lakh in Kurnool and two lakh in Chittoor faced the threat of drying up because rains played truant since July 23.

"I am creating a model. It is a new experiment altogether. Traditional approach is no longer relevant," the Chief Minister observed, adding rain guns and sprinkler systems were being used in a big way to wet the crops and prevent them from withering.

He said 6777 rains guns and 6434 sprinklers have been deployed in Anantapuramu district, while in Kurnool the numbers are 2285 rain guns and 2686 sprinklers. 3915 rain guns and 3855 sprinklers in Chittoor and 356 each in Kadapa districts.

"Our aim is to save every acre of the crop and we are confident that we will succeed at least 90 per cent.

Thankfully, rain has helped since last night and we will complete wetting of 1.25 lakh acre using rain guns and sprinklers by tomorrow evening," Chandrababu added.

The AP government was getting more number of rain guns from Maharashtra to tackle the situation.

"This is the first time in history that we have undertaken such a massive drought mitigation exercise.

Hitherto, farmers never had hope in such situations and that resulted in suicides.

"Now, there is new confidence among farmers. This is a revolutionary change," Chandrababu remarked.

Replying to a question, the Chief Minister said they were sending reports to the Centre on the prevailing situation, particularly in Rayalaseema region.

"Why can't the Centre join with me in this (drought mitigation) exercise? Why can't the bankers and insurance companies too join? They can share the expenses with the state government," the Chief Minister said.

As this was a new experiment being carried out by the state government, engineering, polytechnic and ITI students were being involved to help the farmers.

Voluntary groups were also being formed in each village while ministers have been deployed in each Assembly constituency to oversee the operations.

As many as 21 IAS and 80 state civil service officers have also been put on duty in the affected districts, the Chief Minister added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The European Union today ordered Apple to pay a record 13 billion euros in back taxes in Ireland, saying deals allowing the US tech giant to pay almost no tax were illegal.

In the latest in a series of rulings that has angered Washington, Brussels said the world's most valuable company avoided tax bills on virtually all its profits in the bloc under its arrangements with Dublin.

Apple and the Irish government immediately said they would appeal against the European Commission ruling, while the US Treasury said it could undermine its economic partnership with the EU.

Ireland has been seeking to attract multinationals by offering extremely favourable tax conditions, known as sweetheart deals, but EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Apple's broke EU laws on state aid.

"This decision sends a clear message. Member states cannot give unfair tax benefits to selected companies, no matter if European or foreign, large or small," Vestager said.

"This is not a penalty, this is unpaid taxes to be paid," Vestager added.

The tax repayment order -- by far the largest in EU history -- follows a three-year inquiry into whether Dublin's tax breaks for Silicon Valley titan Apple were against the law.

Apple has had a base at the southern city of Cork since 1980 and employs 5,000 people in Ireland, through which it routes its international sales, avoiding billions in corporation taxes.

But Vestager -- who has launched a series of cases against US firms -- said that Apple's "so-called head office in Ireland only existed on paper. It had no employees, no premises and no real activities."



Apple as a result paid an effective corporate tax rate of 0.005 per cent on its European profits in 2014 -- equivalent to 50 euros for every million, Vestager added.

Tensions have been growing between Washington and Brussels over a series of anti-trust investigations targeting companies such as Apple, Amazon, Starbucks and Fiat Chrysler.

Apple said "we will appeal and we are confident the decision will be overturned."



"It will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe," the company added.

Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan said the decision "leaves me with no choice but to seek cabinet approval to appeal the decision before the European Courts".

The Apple tax bill dwarfs the previous EU record for a state aid, the 1.3 billion euros received by the Nurburgring race track from German authorities.

The US stepped up its rhetoric ahead of the decision, accusing the European Commission of unilateralism and overstepping its mandate.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The European Union today ordered Apple to pay a record 13 billion euros in back taxes in Ireland, saying deals allowing the US tech giant to pay almost no tax were illegal.

In a ruling that is set to anger Washington, the European Commission said the world's most valuable company avoided tax bills on almost all its profits in the bloc under the arrangements with the Irish government.

Ireland has been seeking to attract US multinationals by offering extremely favourable tax conditions, known as sweetheart deals.

"The Commission's investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years," EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said.

"In fact, this selective treatment allowed Apple to pay an effective corporate tax rate of one per cent on its European profits in 2003 down to 0.005 per cent in 2014," she said in a statement.

Ireland immediately said it would appeal against the decision and Apple is also expected to challenge it.

"I disagree profoundly with the Commission's decision," Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan said in a statement. "The decision leaves me with no choice but to seek cabinet approval to appeal the decision before the European Courts."



The tax repayment order, by far the largest in the EU's history, follows a three-year inquiry into whether Dublin's tax breaks for Silicon Valley titan Apple amount to illegal state aid.

Apple has had a base at the southern city of Cork since 1980 and employs 5,000 people in Ireland, through which it routes its international sales, avoiding billions in corporation taxes.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, in a Washington Post interview published August 13, said he hoped to "get a fair hearing" on the matter.

"If we don't, then we would obviously appeal it," he added.

The US stepped up its fight last Wednesday against the commission's crackdown on tax avoidance by Apple and other multinational companies, accusing it of unilateralism and overstepping its mandate.

In a white paper, the US Treasury said the commission probe into alleged special tax treatment that certain EU countries gave Apple, Amazon, Starbucks and Fiat Chrysler "undermines the international tax system."



The EU has made taxes a core issue since the LuxLeaks scandal in which it was revealed that European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's native Luxembourg gave companies huge tax breaks while he was prime minister.

In October Brussels ordered US coffee giant Starbucks and Italian automaker Fiat to each repay up to 30 million euros (USD 34 million) in back taxes to the Netherlands and Luxembourg respectively.

The US has acknowledged the problems around the issue of multinational firms obtaining state aid, in the form of secret and extremely lucrative tax breaks, from Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg for setting up business in those countries.

But it said those deals were made under international treaties and accepted tax practices.

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Ten months after the death of an Indian-origin man, Australian police have arrested his wife and her paramour for allegedly poisoning her husband with cyanide.

Sam Abrahamdied of cyanide poisoning at his Epping home in October last year. His death came just three months after he was attacked in what police allege was an attempted murder.

After several months of sophisticated covert investigations, detectives havearrested his wife Sofia Sam and her lover alleging poison plot, The Herald Sun reported.

All the three hailed from Kerala.

The police have charged Arun Kamalasanan, 34, of Port Melbourne, with attempted murder and a separate charge of murder while 32-year-old Sofia Sam has been charged with murder.

In a hearing recently, Melbourne Magistrates' Court heard thatpolice had intercepted phone calls throughout their covert probe and had about three months of phonerecordings to transcribe.

In July last year,Abraham was also attacked and stabbed by a balaclava-clad man who had been hiding in the foot-well of his car at Lalor train station.

Cable ties, material scraps and handcuffs were found in his car. Abraham hadreceived injuries to the neck, temple and cheek.

Police alleged Kamalasanan was the man in the balaclava.

The magistrate granted investigators extra time to transcribe phone conversations and prepare evidence.

The pair were remanded to reappear for a committal mention on February 13 next year.

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Automobile industry turnover is poised to grow over four times to Rs 20 lakh crore in 10 years and has the potential to occupy the top slot globally, Union Minister said on Tuesday.

Urging automakers to "not to compromise with quality", he said innovation and technological upgradation can boost exports.

"Automobile industry, which is of Rs 4.5 lakh crore at present, we will take it to Rs 20 lakh crore in 10 years. It has the potential to become number one in the world," Road Transport and Highways Minister said while addressing the annual meet of Automobile Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) here.

He said the industry registered a growth of eight per cent and accounted for exports to the tune of Rs 70,000 crore.

Urging automakers to go for research and innovation and not to compromise on quality, the minister said, "It is the government's endeavour to frame such economic policies, which boost employment potential. To enhance employment potential we will have to increase exports. Innovation and research is key to it."

He said unfortunately, the number of patents registered by India are very low as compared to the US and China which shows "industry's motivation is less towards research and innovation. Made in India and Make in India is the priority of our government. I will request you to give attention to quality... If not, we will miss out on opportunities."

To boost automobile exports, he said, the government has initiated a number of steps, including providing facilities to ports for exports besides promoting waterways.

"Our priority is to boost exports. Change your mindset. Western countries pay much attention to quality. We should improve our research and quality," he said.

The minister said 1,58,000 vehicles were exported from Mumbai Port Trust last year and this year it will be two lakh cars.

"... Each port we are providing facilities. We are promoting waterways. We have started transporting cars from Varanasi to Haldi through waterway and this could result in car costs coming down by Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 in Assam and West Bengal," he said.

He said the government was harnessing its 7,500 km of seafront and 20,000 km of waterways that will reduce transportation cost drastically.

The minister said he was aware of the problems of automakers and once GST was cleared in the next session of Parliament, taxation problems will be solved while promoting waterways will reduce their logistics costs.
Bangladeshi media tycoon and fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali could be executed soon after the Supreme Court today upheld his death sentence for committing war crimes during the country's 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan.

The five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, the first Hindu to occupy the post in the Muslim- majority country, pronounced a single-word judgement in the packed court room.

"Rejected," said Sinha on the appeal of 64-year-old Ali, the infamous pro-Pakistan Al-Badr milita's third most important figure after Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami and Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid.

Both Nizami and Mujahid have already been executed for 1971 war crimes.

Ali is considered as the key-financier of Jamaat, which was opposed to Bangladesh's 1971 independence from Pakistan.

In his brief comments after the verdict, attorney general Mahbubey Alam said that Ali could now seek presidential clemency as his last resort to save himself from the gallows.

"He now could be (sent) to (the) gallows anytime if he does not seek clemency or his mercy petition is rejected," Alam told reporters.

Ali's lawyers were not available for comments.

The apex court's decision paves the way for Ali's execution unless he seeks presidential pardon.

Ali had filed the review petition after the apex court published its full verdict and the Crimes Tribunal issued the death warrant against him on June 6.

Ali, who owns several business houses and media outlets including a now suspended TV channel, is a central executive council member of Jamaat-e-Islami.

He pumped billions into the Jamaat since the mid-1980s to put it on a firm financial footing in .

He was convicted of running Al Badr's torture cell 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.

Prosecution lawyers had earlier said Ali had exhausted all efforts to influence his trial on charges of committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 war.

They claimed Ali made a $25 million deal with US lobby firm Cassidy and Associates for engaging with the governments of the US and to protect "his interest".

During the appeal hearing against his death sentence the state-side submitted to the court a receipt issued by the US lobby firm for what it said "professional service".

The evidence suggested that in March, 2014, another deal worth of $50,000 was struck with the same lobby firm on Ali's behalf for "condemning" the actions of the Crimes Tribunal- .

Three top Jamaat leaders and one BNP stalwart have been so far hanged since the war crimes trial process began six years ago while two died in prison of old age.
Electric scooters and segways have been banned from Beijing's roads, the official media reported.

The Beijing traffic management bureau said those breaking the rule will be fined 10 yuan (USD 1.5) and given a verbal warning not to use their vehicle on public roads again, state-run China Radio International (CRI) reported.

It is not clear whether they are banned from the main roads or the bicycle lanes which are used by the electric scooters which are major hit with thousands of Chinese small businesses like food delivery and courier services.

Millions of online shopping goods are delivered by two and three wheeler electric scooters.

Users are told not to use them on the same roads as it was



Illegal and dangerous, the CRI report said.

Last week, the traffic authority in Shanghai launched a campaign to get electric scooters off the city's roads.

According to Shanghai police, sub-standard scooters and segways are dangerous to other traffic, especially at night, as they do not have lights, and cannot brake easily when traveling at a high speed.

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With six more deaths reported in Bihar today, the flood toll in the state this monsoon rose to 165, while four perished in lightning strike in Assam.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh braces up to tackle post-flood water-borne diseases as the Ganga waters recede.

In Bihar, Bhojpur district witnessed six more flood- related deaths. In the swollen Ganga in the state, waters have started receding, but 37.53 lakh people in 12 districts are still affected by the floods.

The receding trend was witnessed at Gandhi Ghat and Digha Ghat, thus reducing the threat of flood waters entering into Patna town. The river continues to flow above the danger mark at seven places in four districts.

As many as 644 relief camps are being run in the flood- hit areas in which 3.92 lakh people have taken shelter. A total of 185 camps are being operated for cattle while the number of animal deaths has reached to 59 in the floods.

The assessment of crop damage is also being made.

Meanwhile, light to moderate rainfall occurred at a few places in north-central and north-eastern parts but weather remained mainly dry in southeast parts of the state.

Rains lashed the national capital for the second consecutive day resulting in water-logging and slow vehicular movement.

The Safdarjung observatory received 21 mm rainfall, while the reading at Palam observatory was 16.2 mm. The relative humidity levels oscillated between 97 and 69 per cent.

In northeastern state of Assam, four fishermen were killed and three others critically injured in lightning strike in Morigaon district.

In Uttar Pradesh, where a total of 8.7 lakh people in 987 villages in Varanasi, Allahabad, Ghazipur and Ballia, are affected due to flood, the state government has alerted health department to be ready for post-flood water-borne diseases.

According to Central Water Commission, water in Ganga is receding everywhere in the state but the river is still flowing above danger mark in Ballia, while Sharda is above red mark at Palliakalan (Kheri).

The state witnessed light to moderate rain at isolated places over East and few places over West UP.

In West Bengal while almost all parts of the state remained dry, southern Kolkata received heavy showers, recording 78.6 mm rainfall at Alipore Met station in 24 hours since yesterday morning.

Moderate to heavy rains occurred in parts of Rajasthan where Jalore recorded maximum of 11 cm precipitation followed by Bhadra in Hanumangarh where 7 cm rainfall was recorded till this morning since yesterday.

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A British backpacker hailed as a hero after being stabbed in an attack at an Australian hostel in which a fellow Briton was killed has died of his injuries, police said today.

Tom Jackson, 30, sustained critical head injuries in the attack in a rural town in the north of Queensland state last Tuesday. A Frenchman has been in custody since the attack and is expected to be charged with a second count of murder.

Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, died from multiple stab wounds while a 46-year-old Australian man suffered non-life threatening wounds.

"Police can confirm 30-year-old British man Thomas Jackson, critically injured in an alleged knife attack at Home Hill on August 23, has today passed away in the Townsville Hospital," the authorities said in a statement.

"Detectives will upgrade a charge of attempted murder against a 29-year-old man at his next appearance in Townsville Magistrates Court on October 28."



Frenchman Smail Ayad has been charged with the murder of Ayliffe-Chung and is also facing one count of attempted murder regarding the Australian man.

Jackson was hailed as a hero by police, who said his actions to help Ayliffe-Chung were "completely selfless".

His father, Les Jackson, flew from Britain to be at his son's hospital bedside and said Sunday he was "immensely proud" of Tom.

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.

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A capsized Bangladeshi trawler was found with seven bodies inside it from the core area of Sudarbans today.

The trawler 'FB Noor Alam' had perhaps drifted into Indian waters and capsized during a heavy storm on August 8, West Bengal United Fishermen Association chief Jaikrishna Haldar said.

Bangladesh is being informed about the finding of the trawler, Sundarban Development Minister Manuturam Pakhira said.

While returning to the shore of South 24 Parganas district today, Indian fishermen found the tip of a capsized trawler at Chhaimari in the core area of Sundarbans, Haldar said.

Without realising that the trawler was from Bangladesh, the fishermen tied it to their own trawler 'FB Jai Tara' and pulled it to Brajaballabhpur 'chara' under Patharpratima police station.

It was then found out that the capsized trawler was from Bangladesh.

The seven bodies were discovered when water was being drained out from the trawler, he said.

However, the water could not be fully drained as tide was high and it is apprehended that more bodies could be there inside.

Haldar said the police have been informed about the Bangladeshi trawler and the bodies.

Several fishermen died while a large number of fishermen were rescued by the Coast Guard following the storm of August 8.

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The twin issues of a dam proposed by Kerala across Siruvani river and getting Cauvery water from Karnataka today found its echo in the Tamil Nadu Assembly today with DMK staging a walkout after demanding an all party panel and a House resolution over it as ruling AIADMK targeted the main Opposition party for "politicising" the issue.

After Question Hour, leader of the Opposition M K Stalin demanded suspension of business to deliberate on the Cauvery issue in the wake of state-wide protests by farmers over it.

Referring to Kerala's efforts to build a dam across the Siruvani River, he demanded an Assembly resolution. He also wanted setting up of a panel comprising all party MPs and MLAs to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press the Centre on river water issues.

Congress Legislature Party leader K R Ramasamy also wanted an all-party delegation to press the Centre on the issues.

Public Works Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami reeled out statistics to show that Karnataka had not supplied adequate water to Tamil Nadu till this month starting June.

Detailing the government's efforts to get Cauvery water from Karnataka, he said Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had written to both Karnataka and the Centre and later directed filing an interlocutory petition in the Supreme Court.

He said the State's plea would come up for hearing in the Apex Court on September 2 and asserted Jayalalithaa was taking swift steps on the issue.

He cited data from the 1970's and said water was not released from Mettur dam at the appointed annual date during several years for the Samba crop even during the DMK regime.

Blaming DMK for "wanton politicisation," of the issue, he also pointed out inadequate precipitation for not being able to open up Mettur dam for Samba crop.

On Kerala's efforts to build a dam across Siruvani, he said it was covered under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, as it was a sub-tributary of Cauvery, though it originated and joined River Bhavani within Kerala.

Slamming DMK over the issue, he said a tripartite meeting on May 10, 1969 had decided that Kerala would utilise 2.5 TMC feet of water in the Bhavani Basin.

The meeting was attended by the then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, the then Kerala Chief Minister and Union Minister for Power and Irrigation.

He said such utilisation was intended to irrigate Attappady valley lands after construction of Siruvani dam.Its "impact" was being felt now on the issue, he said.

Palaniswami said the Chief Minister had written to Prime



Minister Modi against Kerala's efforts in 2012 over the issue. Tamil Nadu had written 13 letters to Kerala between 2012 and 2014 on it's bid to build a dam at Attappady.

Also, seven letters were sent to the Water resources Ministry.

The Water Resources Ministry had apprised Tamil Nadu through a letter on September 19, 2013 that concurrence of basin States and nod of Cauvery River Water Tribunal should be received. It also said Kerala had so far not responded.

Without replying to Tamil Nadu, Kerala had however unilaterally approached the Expert Appraisal Committee under the Ministry of Environment and Forests seeking terms of reference for holding environment assessment study for Attappady valley (dam) project, he said.

In its meeting on March 28 and 29 the panel said Kerala's proposal would be considered only after Tamil Nadu gave its opinion. After that, Kerala wrote to the state on May 10 this year.

However, the letter did not have all parameters on technological feasibility. Even as aspects like technological, administrative and legal steps were being contemplated by Tamil Nadu, Kerala again went to the Central panel.

Assailing the panel, he said that in such sensitive river water disputes, the Central committee unilaterally taking up Kerala's plea for consideration in its meeting on August 11 and 12 and taking a decision over it was a "very wrong precedent".

On August 27, Jayalalithaa sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's urgent intervention to withdraw the central committee's recommendation for environmental impact assessment study, he said.

"Chief Minister Jayalalithaa is taking all necessary steps to protect the interests of farmers depending on Siruvani river water," he said.

Stalin said his party was staging a walkout as the PWD Minister did not respond to his plea.
A head constable of Chandigarh Police was today arrested by the CBI in an alleged bribery case, agency spokesperson said here today.

He was arrested for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 from the complainant for not taking action in a complaint involving monetary dispute.

"A case was registered on August 29 under section 7 of PC Act, 1988 against Head Constable, Burail Police Post, Sector 45, Chandigarh. The complainant had alleged that the accused was demanding bribe of Rs 10,000 for not taking action against him in a complaint related to money dispute," CBI spokesperson said.

The agency laid a trap and caught the head constable red handed. The role of another official is being looked into during investigation, the official said.

"Searches were conducted at the residential premises of the accused which led to recovery of cash and documents relating to property. 18 bottles of liquor were also found in the residence of the accused and the matter was referred to the local police for appropriate action," the spokesperson added.

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China today strongly condemned the suicide car bomb attack at its embassy in Kyrgyzstan, the first of its kind on a Chinese diplomatic mission, as an extreme and violent act.

The attack has sent shock waves here as Beijing probed the involvement of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), an al-Qaeda affiliated separatist outfit, blamed for a number of violent attacks in the restive Xinjiang, home of Uyghur Muslims.

A van driven by a suicide bomber exploded after ramming through a gate at the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan wounding three people and killing the suicide bomber.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed shock over the attack and condemned it as an extreme and violent act.

"This morning Chinese embassy was attacked by carbomb causing minor injuries to three embassy staff. We are deeply shocked by this and strongly condemn this extreme and violent act," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Hua Chunying told a media briefing here.

The foreign ministry has activated emergency response mechanism and asked the Kyrgyzstan government to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel and "get to the bottom of this incident and bring those involved to justice", Hua said.

Asked whether it was a terrorist attack, she said no organisation has claimed responsibility for this and asked the Kyrgyz government to share the information with China in a timely fashion.

To another query whether China sounded a security alert for its diplomatic missions abroad, she said, "Wevalue the safety of the diplomatic missions overseas and we will take all necessary measures to ensure their safety."



Many members of ETIM, who are drawn from Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang bordering Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Afghanistan have joined the Islamic State (IS) to fight in Syria.

China apprehends that many of them may return to carry out attacks in Xinjiang and other parts of China.

While China blamed it for terror attacks, the ETIM, a shadowy organisation has never claimed responsibility of the attacks.

In bid to curtail infiltration, China recently formed Quadrilateral Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism involving Afghanistan-China-Pakistan-Tajikistan Armed Forces to step up security along the borders.

It is not clear why China omittedKyrgyzstan from the border security mechanism.

Besides this the China-Pakistan border police also launched border patrols along the PoK-Xinjiang borders.

China has close security cooperation with Kyrgyzstan which is a member of the Beijing led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Besides China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan are its members.

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A clash today erupted during a meeting of AAP volunteers at the residence of the party's zonal in charge Gurinder Singh Bajwa after he accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of selling tickets for the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections here.

According to a senior AAP official, Bajwa condemned Kejriwal for removing Sucha Singh Chottepur as the party's Punjab Convenor.

The situation took an ugly turn when Bajwa accused Kejriwal of selling tickets for the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections.

He especially referred to three seats Amritsar South, Ajnala and Attari.

Volunteers led by circle incharge Anil Mahajan stood up from their chairs and strongly objected to Bajwa speaking against Kejriwal and restrained him from using "foul" language.

They also critised Bajwa for "creating indiscipline" in the party.

Many volunteers supported Bajwa and engaged in a scuffle with the people led by Mahajan.

In the melee, the volunteers also threw chairs at each other, resulting in bruises to some. Mahajan too received minor injuries on his face when his spectacles broke during the scuffle.

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Continuing its tirade against AAP government over the liquor policy, Swaraj Abhiyan today challenged Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to come clean on issuing 399 liquor licences in the national capital.

"Why is the AAP government led by RTI activists concealing information from the public? What is the reason for increasing supply of liquor by a party that came to power on the promise of 'nashamukti' (de-addiction)?," Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav asked.

Yadav, who was expelled from AAP, also offered to withdraw from public life if his claim of the Delhi government issuing 399 liquor licences was found to be untrue.

"Your government has repeatedly claimed that AAP has issued only six new licences for liquor after coming to power. When Swaraj Abhiyan released different RTIs showing figures ranging from 58 to 217 new licences, your Deputy CM (Manish Sisodia) claimed it was a lie. You might recall, Prashant (Bhushan) ji and I are not given to lying," he said in his letter to the Delhi Chief Minister.

"I challenge you to prove that this figure of 399 is incorrect and that your Deputy CM was not misleading the people of Delhi. If you can, I offer to withdraw from public life," he said.

In the Delhi Assembly last week, Sisodia had indirectly hit out at Yadav and Prashant Bhushan-led Swaraj Abhiyan, which has attacked the AAP government's liquor policy in its first major intervention in the Delhi politics.

Sisodia had claimed that only six retail vends have come up in the city and the number of other licenced establishments serving alcohol has actually gone down since AAP assumed office.

"Since you have questioned us, I am constrained to respond with this challenge. I am releasing a list of 399 new licences that the AAP government has issued to liquor vends/stores, restaurants etc. It means that your government was working hard to issue almost one licence every day!" Yadav claimed.

The Swaraj Abhiyan leader, in his letter, has also provided the list of names and addresses of the licence holders along with the licence number, based on information supplied by the Delhi government.

Yadav also demanded to know why the AAP government not even spent Rs 1 crore of the Rs 3,589 crores earned from liquor for de-addiction.

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Concerned over slow spending, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today asked officers of his ministry to ensure utilisation of 50 per cent of over Rs 75,000 crore budget by next-month end.

Singh reviewed the expenditure made by the Ministry of Home Affairs in this financial year. The Home Ministry has utilised about 30 per cent of the budget during first five month (April to August, 2016), out of total budget of Rs 75,355.48 crores for 2016-17, a statement issued by the Ministry said.

"The Union Home Minister has asked the officers to ensure that the budget utilisation increases to 50 per cent by the end of September, 2016," it said.

The majority of the Home Ministry budget has been earmarked for paramilitary forces like CRPF and BSF, responsible for internal security and border guarding duties.

Presenting the general budget in Parliament, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had in February announced an outlay of Rs 77,383.12 crore to the Home Ministry for 2016-17. Of these, a total of Rs 50,176.45 crore was allocated to seven paramilitary forces.

Among these forces, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), deployed for internal security, action against Maoists and operations against militants, was given the highest at Rs 16,228.18 crore.

Border security Force, which guards Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangladesh borders, was allocated Rs 14,652.90 crore while Central Industrial Security Force, responsible for security of country's airports, nuclear installation, key government buildings and private entities like Infosys, was given Rs 6,067.13 crore.

Indo-Tibetan Border Police, tasked with protecting the Sino-Indian border, got an outlay of Rs 4,231.04 crore and Assam Rifles, deployed in Indo-Myanmar border and dealing with insurgents in the Northeast, was allocated Rs 4,363.88 crore.

Sashastra Seema Bal, which guards the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan border, was given Rs 3,854.67 crore while National Security guards, the anti-terror commando force, had got an allocation of Rs 688.47 crore.

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Badaliyya is a movement based on the concept of BADAL (an Arabic word for "Substitution" or "Ransom". The inspiration comes from the "understanding" that interreligious relation, is primarily a movement of LOVE - a PASSIONATE LOVE that moves one to offer his/her life that others may have life and life to the full. It is a movement of self-expenditure... The model is Jesus Christ in the cross who paid the price by being a RANSOM for us! Bapa Eliseo "Jun" Mercado, OMI
The Congress today said it would move court seeking investigation by CBI or a retired judge into the fire and subsequent stampede at Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital that left two persons dead.

The party said it does not have faith in the state CID.

"We will move the Calcutta High Court this week seeking CBI investigation or a judicial probe by a retired judge into the fire and stampede," West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Adhir Chowdhury told PTI over phone from Baharampore.

Raising question over the neutrality of state CID, which is investigating the incident, Chowdhury said he wanted an independent agency to probe the fire and subsequent stampede at the state-run hospital that claimed two lives and left seven injured on Saturday last.

"When the Chief Minister herself is claiming sabotage even before conclusion of the probe, there should be an investigation by an independent agency instead of the CID, which takes orders from Mamata Banerjee," he alleged.

Alleging that the CID has arrested Congress worker Amal Gupta on false charges in a bid to prove Banerjee's sabotage claim, Chowdhury said "they have arrested the man who rescued so many persons at the hospital during the incident."



Gupta was arrested yesterday by the CID. Later, he was admitted to hospital after he complained of uneasiness.

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The death toll from a possible outbreak of Congo fever in Pakistan's Karachi city has risen to six after an Afghan national died of the virus, triggering panic among residents ahead of the Eid festival next month.

Salamuddin Amir Muhammad, who had come to the port city from Kabul for treatment, died of Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), commonly known as the Congo fever, on Sunday.

The CCHF is a tick-borne viral disease carried by several domestic and wild animals.

Muhammad's nephew, Naseem Ahmed, confirmed his uncle used to slaughter cattles himself for household consumption.

Four deaths have been reported in the city since July 30 due to the disease. On August 19, a cattle trader who had come to Karachi to sell animals for sacrifice during the Eid-ul Azha festival in September died of the fever.

Around 100 animals have also died mysteriously at the makeshift livestock market spread over 900 acres in Karachi.

Traders at the market say unless health authorities take immediate steps to fumigate the area more trouble is expected.

Recent rains have worsened the situation and people are scared to come to the market, trader Saleem Malik said.

Another trader said there's no electricity at the market for the past three days.

Aamir Raees, Director at the national research centre for agriculture in Islamabad, told PTI nine deaths have occurred at two Quetta hospitals in Balochistan from the Congo virus this year.

Dr Mukhtar of Multan's Fatima Jinnah hospital said mortality rate from the virus neared 40 per cent this season.

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Pitching for a dialogue with separatists to end the ongoing unrest in Kashmir, Opposition Congress today said it had asked both the central and the state governments to identify the relevant non-mainstream parties and stakeholders in the Valley for the talks.

"We have said both inside the House (Parliament) and in all-party meeting, which was presided over by Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and which we attended as an Opposition, that he should hold an all-party meeting," Congress general secretary and Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters here.

"We had also said that the process of dialogue should be initiated as soon as possible if they want the things to improve on ground. And for that it is important we do not confine our dialogue only to mainstream political parties," he said.

Azad said the government must identify important and relevant non-mainstream parties in Kashmir to have a dialogue with them to improve the situation in the Valley.

"It is the non-mainstream political parties, not only in our state but across the country, they do not have normally any representatives in the assemblies and Parliament. So we need to talk besides mainstream political parties, (to) other non-mainstream political parties and all other stakeholders," Azad said.

The Congress leader also said that the role of Pakistan in Kashmir had always been negative.

"It is not the first time that the role of Pakistan has been negative. It is right since the Partition of India, it started from October 1947 even when I was not born and there has always been a role of Pakistan and that role has been negative," he said.

"I would like to say that whatever was done in the Parliament and whatever is being done after the session, these were only all the recommendations of the Opposition," Azad said.

He said that from discussions in the Parliament to an all-party meeting, everything was made possible by the initiatives of the Opposition.

"An all-party delegation visiting Kashmir, this was also accepted on the demand made by the opposition, all of us, in the Rajya Sabha. So far whatever has happened in the Parliament and outside the Parliament seems to be all demands made by the Opposition. I do not see a single initiative which is taken by the government," Azad said.

He said the situation would have improved in Kashmir much before had the Centre accepted the Opposition's demand to start some dialogue process.

"This happened around July 9 and on July 18, I sought a



discussion in the Rajya Sabha and chairman was kind enough to allow the full day discussion and it was at that point of time, I along with all opposition leaders, requested the government that some dialogue process should start and Prime Minister should chair an all-party meeting and all-party delegation should go to Kashmir," Azad said.

"Had the government of India acceded to our request on July 18, things would have improved much earlier. May be the curfew which has been lifted after 51 or 52 days, in that case the curfew would have been lifted on 15th or 16th day after the entire episode took place," he said.

The government of the day did not rise to the occasion, it did not wake up, he alleged.

Meanwhile, Azad said a permanent solution to the issue within the framework of the Constitution should be found by holding a dialogue.

"I understand that this time the government, all political parties and the people and political parties of Kashmir whether mainstream or non-mainstream or other stakeholders, should hold a dialogue and find a permanent solution to it under the ambit of Indian Constitution," he said.

Azad said the BJP could find a better solution to the issue as the entire opposition, including his party, would support the government in such an endeavour.

"I think the BJP can find a much better solution because during the time of (former PMs) Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, whenever we gave a proposal to find out a solution, we faced the maximum opposition from the BJP.

"They would tell us that we wanted to appease the minorities and the Kashmiris and they would level political allegations against us. Now, they are in power at the centre as well as in the state and they should find a solution and Congress and the opposition will always be with them in finding a solution," he said.
Tamil Nadu unit of CPI(M)today urged the state government to take concrete steps to find a solution to the problems faced by the state in getting its due share of Cauvery water from Karnataka.

The Karnataka government has made its stand clear on the Cauvery issue after convening an all party meeting and hence the Tamil Nadu government should follow suit and exert pressure on the Centre to direct Karnataka to release the water as per the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal verdict, CPI(M)'s Tamil Nadu Secretary, G Ramakrishnan told reporters here.

"There is no point in writing continuously to Prime Minister or the Centre, but to take concrete steps to get the water released, by exerting pressure," he added.

To a query on the four-party Peoples Welfare Front, formed during the last assembly elections, Ramakrishnan said the front will continue, as it was the only force which can fight both AIADMK and DMK.

On scrapping direct election of Mayors in the state, he said, the Tamil Nadu government should withdraw the rule and revert to the old practice as otherwise it would lead to horsetrading and corruption.

Ramakrishnan, who was here to attend the Nilgiris District committee meeting, also appealed to the public to support the nationwide strike called by major trade unions, on September 2, against the economic policies of the NDA government.

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A special court today granted regular bail to Director General, Corporate Affairs, B K Bansal, whose wife and daughter committed suicide following a CBI raid on their house last month, in a graft case.

Special CBI Judge Gurdeep Singh granted bail to the accused on a personal bond of Rs one lakh and a surety of the like amount.

Bansal, who was arrested on July 16, was earlier granted interim bail by the court after the death of the two. He surrendered on August 22, following which he was sent to judicial custody till September 2.

While seeking bail, Bansal's counsel had said the accused had cooperated during the interim bail period and no purpose would be served by keeping him in custody.

Countering CBI's contention, the counsel had submitted that while on interim bail, Bansal never tried to influence the probe or any witness.

He had also said that all evidences have been recovered from his place and investigation was almost complete in the case, which was mostly based on "documentary evidences".

The plea for regular bail was filed on the ground that he was already on interim bail since July 20 and, during this period, his conduct has not been questionable.

The CBI had, however, opposed the bail plea, saying that if he was granted the relief, the "high-ranking official" could hamper probe.

It had told the court that there were "serious apprehensions" that the bureaucrat may influence witnesses as he was "very influential".

The court had granted him relief after his wife Satyabala (58) and daughter Neha (28) allegedly hung themselves from ceiling fans in separate rooms at their residence in Nilkanth Apartments in East Delhi's Madhu Vihar on July 19.

Earlier, Bansal had alleged before the court that CBI had compelled his wife and daughter to take the extreme step.

Bansal, an additional secretary-rank officer in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, was arrested on July 16 for allegedly accepting bribe from a prominent pharmaceutical company.

His wife and daughter had left separate notes, saying the CBI raid had caused "great humiliation" and they did not want to live after that. They, however, held nobody responsible for their death.

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The mainstay force for anti-Naxal operations in the country--CRPF--will provide security cover to trainers of the Skill India Mission when they travel to interior areas to meet locals as part of an MoU signed today between the paramilitary force and Skill Development Ministry.

The force also committed that the spouses and eligible children of CRPF personnel, widows of martyrs and those disabled in action will be enrolled for training under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PMKVY) and these men and women will be trained in apparel making, food processing, Information Technology and other related streams.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the two sides in the presence of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union, Skill Development Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Central Reserve Police Force DG K Durga Prasad here.

"The force would also extend the requisite security and support to skill development trainers who would be visiting the hitherto inaccessible interior areas in remote villages to impart the skills to the tribal population. By joining hands with the Ministry of Skill Development, the CRPF will not only help the Prime Minister realize his cherished dream, but it would also succeed in building bridges with the otherwise alienated population and earning their trust and loyalty," the CRPF said in a statement.

The about 3-lakh personnel strong force is deployed across the country, including in far-flung and remote areas, and is the lead security agency for anti-Maoist operations and a variety of internal security duty tasks.

"With our presence across the length and breadth of the country, even in the remotest areas, we can play a pivotal role in extending the benefits of Skill development schemes proposed under PMKVY to not just the tribals of Maoist affected areas but even to the youth of North East and Jammu and Kashmir," it said.

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The Delhi government today withdrew the suspension order of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar following the Lt Governor's approval, saying that the CM does'nt have the power to suspend an IAS officer.

Kumar had been arrested by CBI on July 4 this year in an alleged corruption case and subsequently the Home Ministry had issued a deemed suspension order as he was in police custody for more than 48 hours. However, Kejriwal had issued another order to suspend his Principal Secretary on July 6.

"Kumar was placed under deemed suspension with effect from July 4 by Ministry of Home Affairs being the competent authority in terms of Sub-Rules (2) & (3) of Rule 3 of the All India Services (Disciplinary) & Appeal) Rules, 1969 vide order No. 14033/06/2016 UTS -I dated July 6.

"Accordingly, the order number 397 dated July 6 issued in this regard by the Services Department (of the Delhi government) is hereby withdrawn... This issue with the approval of the Lt Governor in Delhi," the Services Department said in its order.

After the Chief Minister had issued suspension order of Kumar, the MHA had said that there was no enabling provision under the Service Law Jurisprudence for existence of two suspension orders for one and the same cause of action.

"The existence of two suspension orders is likely to be used by the delinquent officer to his advantage in any litigation or proceedings that might ensue.

"Therefore, the Delhi government has been advised to withdraw the suspension order issued by the Chief Minister in respect of Rajender Kumar," the official had in July said adding, "The MHA suspension order would continue.

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Thousands of farmers in Cauvery delta districts in Tamil Nadu picketed road and rail traffic at various places, demanding that Karnataka release water from its dams for long-term samba paddy crop.

The farmers, owing allegiance to various associations and backed by political parties, including DMK and Congress, staged demonstrations at various places in the districts, including Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Pudukottai, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore and Tiruchirappalli.

Police said the protesters were detained and were likely to be let off later in the day.

The farmers' stir comes days after Tamil Nadu government moved the Supreme Court, seeking realese of 50 tmc ft of water fromKarnataka to meet its irrigation demands after it expressed its inability to release water as per the Cauvery water dispute tribunal's final award, citing low storage in its dams.

A delegation of farmers from Tamil Nadu had last week met Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, seeking release of water, but the latter told them it was not possible due to failure of monsoon in his state and poor storage levels in dams across the river Cauvery.

Delta farmers are facing a bleak scenario in view of non release of water from Mettur dam, which is usually done in June every year, due to poor storage.

Congress and DMK party workers also participated in the picketing programmes at various districts.

A report from Namakkal, a major trucking hub in the country, said lorry operators kept off the roads expressing solidarity with the farmers.

In Coimbatore district some 20,000 lorries remained off the roads, the local Lorry Owners Association said.

In Chennai, a large number of farmers and workers of Opposition parties staged a protest at Egmore Railway station.

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Union Minister Anant Geete today said the auto industry has the government's backing on the issue of high-capacity diesel cars, but cautioned it against taking "panga" (messing) with courts that had banned such vehicles.

The remarks followed the comments made by SIAM President Vinod Dasari, who said the industry lost Rs 4,000 crore in eight months following the ban in Delhi-NCR, which was lifted by the Supreme Court earlier this month.

"Vinod Dasari... Expressed unhappiness at the position adopted by the court on pollution. I would like to tell Vinod Dasari, don't take panga with courts. There is no need for you to take this panga," Geete said while addressing a conference here.

Speaking at the 58th annual session of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA) earlier today, Dasari had said it was "improper information" to the courts coupled with media hype that led to the ban on the diesel vehicles.

"Led by media hype, provided with improper information, the courts decided to ban those vehicles which actually meet the standards set by the government. It is for the first time that when you meet the law, you actually get penalised. The auto industry has lost Rs 4,000 crore in the last eight months," Dasari said.

He is of the view that everyone wants to regulate the auto industry without looking at the real cause of pollution.

Dasari, who is also MD of Ashok Leyland, added: "I feel everyone wants to regulate the auto industry. Let's take the Delhi example. Every winter when there is fog, there is a lot of media hype, lots of NGOs get involved. They blame one industry that everyone wants to blame -- auto industry."



The minister, however, sought to calm the nerves of auto manufacturers, saying the government is with them.

"Perhaps for the first time..., four ministries including the department of heavy industry, road transport, forests and environment and petroleum & natural gas, had come together and were discussing the issue of pollution with the court in one voice," Geete, who holds the portfolio of heavy industries, added.

The Supreme Court has now allowed registration of diesel vehicles of 2,000 cc and above with 1 per cent environment cess. But Dasari doubts if the move will help in curbing the pollution level in the capital.

"After all of this, what happened there is environmental cess of 1 per cent for vehicles that are larger than 2,000 cc. Please tell me, people who buy such vehicles, are they going to stop buying these due to this 1 per cent cess. Is that going to have an impact on Delhi pollution?" Dasari asked.

He regretted that the industry is being singled out whenever there is congestion, pollution or an accident.

Dasari went further, saying less than 20 per cent pollution comes from the auto industry. He added that the industry has several times asked the government to ban old vehicles if it wants to reduce pollution.

"Ban vehicles that cause pollution," Dasari said.

(REOPENS DEL 19)



Dasari put up a strong defence of the auto sector that provides 30 million jobs and accounts for 50 per cent of manufacturing GDP.

According to him, the need of the hour for the auto industry is to work on rebuilding its image.

"I see it as a challenge, this is where auto and component industries will have to work together to rebuild our image to provide right kind of feedback," he said.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic overcame an arm injury scare and long-time rival Rafael Nadal shone in 33-degree heat as the US Open showcased its $650 million upgrade on Monday.

World number one Djokovic, also the 2011 winner in New York and chasing his third major of the year, defeated Jerzy Janowicz of Poland 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.

Nadal, the 2010 and 2013 champion and seeded to face Djokovic in the semi-finals, eased to a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win over Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan.

In the women's event, second seeded Angelique Kerber, the Australian Open champion, needed just 33 minutes to progress but Roland Garros winner Garbine Muguruza required three sets and a visit from the doctor before she survived.

Djokovic had admitted that he was "not 100 percent" after suffering a wrist injury on the eve of the Olympics where he was a first-round loser.

But it was the upper right arm that bothered the Serb on Monday night as he played his first Grand Slam match since his shock third round exit at Wimbledon.

The 29-year-old needed treatment after just five games of the first set but eventually pulled through against Janowicz who had played just two matches all year due to a knee injury.

"It was hard to follow Phil Collins," joked Djokovic in reference to the lengthy opening ceremony which featured the veteran English rocker under the new $150 million roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

On his arm injury, Djokovic added: "It's never easy to play at this level throughout the year. There are periods where you aren't 100 percent."



Djokovic next faces Jiri Vesely, the Czech who knocked him out of Monte Carlo this year.

Nadal's reward for a fifth win in five meetings with Istomin is a match-up with Italian veteran Andreas Seppi.

A wrist injury forced the Spaniard into an early retirement at the French Open and sidelined him from Wimbledon before a gold medal run in the doubles at the Olympics helped ease his misery.

"The most important thing is that I am here in New York. Injuries are part of the career. I had a hard time this year," said the fourth seed.

Canadian fifth seed Milos Raonic, the runner-up to Andy Murray at Wimbledon, overcame German dangerman Dustin Brown 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.

Kerber needed just over 30 minutes to get her pursuit of



a first US Open title off to a winning start.

The German was leading Polona Hercog 6-0, 1-0 when the Slovenian called it quits having won just nine points.

Kerber, a semi-finalist in 2011, next faces Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia.

Muguruza carved out a gritty 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 win over Belgian qualifier Elise Mertens, ranked at 137.

But the French Open champion needed courtside treatment from a doctor after dropping the first set.

- Doctor's orders -



===================



The consultation certainly worked as she reeled off the next seven games to lay the foundation for her win.

Muguruza plays Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia for a place in the last 32.

French 13th seed Richard Gasquet, a semi-finalist three years ago, was the day's biggest casualty.

He went down to 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 to British world number 84 Kyle Edmund.

Also exiting was Olympic champion Monica Puig with the Puerto Rican losing 6-4, 6-2 to China's Zheng Saisai.

Kayla Day, just 16 and ranked at a lowly 374 in the world, was 6-2, 4-2 up on Madison Brengle when her fellow American quit with an injury.

Day next faces American eighth seed Madison Keys who beat compatriot Alison Riske 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 in a tie which ended at 1.48am, the latest finish to a women's match in tournament history.

Croatian seventh seed Marin Cilic, the 2014 champion and winner in Cincinnati last week, eased past Brazil's Rogerio Dutra Silva 6-4, 7-5, 6-1.

Flamboyant French 10th seed Gael Monfils took his summer hardcourt record to 15-2 with a 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 win over Gilles Muller of Luxemburg.

Monfils almost suffered a freak accident when a giant courtside clock fell towards him as he collided with the back wall, chasing down a Muller shot.

The Flushing Meadows complex has been radically and expensively remodelled for this year.

However, the old Grandstand court, due to be demolished after the tournament, was pressed into action after the new Court 10 was deemed unplayable.
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India's largest realty firm DLF today said it has shortlisted few potential investors to sell promoters' stake in rental arm and expects the proposed deal, estimated at Rs 12,000 crore, to be signed by early October.

Last October, DLF had announced that its promoters would sell 40 per cent stake in DLF Cyber City Developers (DCCDL). They would be reinvesting a significant part of the amount realised from this deal into DLF Ltd.

"We received multiple bids from sovereign funds and global private equity firms. We have shortlisted few," DLF Senior Executive Director (Finance) Saurabh Chawla told analysts in a conference call.

He said the investors are doing due diligence process, which is expected to get completed next month.

"Post which, we will get binding agreements from them in form of shareholder agreement or share purchase agreement," Chawla said, adding the company would then negotiate with the investors.

"By the end of September or early October, we should be able to guide the market about the culmination of this transaction," Chawla said.

Earlier, sources had said Blackstone, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority are among shortlisted investors.

DLF's CFO Ashok Tyagi said the company is incurring about Rs 250 crore a month on interest cost and the same is expected to come down significantly after this deal.

"The conclusion of the transaction will be an important step to create two 'pure plays' - a DevCo (development) business with a nominal net debt, 100 per cent owned by DLF and an independent RentCo (rental) business in which DLF shall have a 60 per cent stake," it said in an analyst presentation.

All bidders are aligned to create a platform in partnership on a long-term basis to own and develop commercial assets and acquire assets inorganically in the marketplace, DLF said.

DCCDL has about 25-26 million sq ft of leased commercial space with an annual rental income of about Rs 2,250 crore. It also has 20 million sq ft of future development potential.

Yesterday, DLF reported over twofold jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 261.42 crore for the quarter ended June 30, from Rs 125.87 crore in the year-ago period.

Income from operations fell 22 per cent to Rs 1,867.46 crore during the first quarter of the current fiscal, from Rs 2,388.72 crore in the year-ago period.

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A presumed US drone strike in southern Yemen killed an Al-Qaeda suspect and wounded two more today, a security official said.

The strike hit a vehicle carrying the three jihadists in the eastern suburbs of Ataq, the capital of Shabwa province, the source said.

The United States has carried out numerous drone strikes against Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives in Yemen.

American officials said this month that the US military had killed three AQAP fighters in a strike, also in Shabwa.

On Wednesday, drone strikes killed seven Al-Qaeda suspects in south and east Yemen.

AQAP and the Islamic State group have exploited a power vacuum created by the conflict between the government and Iran-backed rebels to expand their presence in the Arabian Peninsula country.

The US has vowed to continue its campaign against AQAP, which it considers to be the Al-Qaeda network's deadliest franchise.

A Saudi-led Arab military coalition that backs the Yemeni government has also turned its sights on AQAP, targeting it with air strikes.

The coalition is supporting pro-government forces which launched an offensive this year to retake several towns from AQAP.

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Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly Rameshwar Dudi today demanded a CBI enquiry in the recent deaths of cows in Hingaunia Gaushala.

"The deaths of cows in the Gaushala are an example of how the government is functioning," Dudi told reporters here, adding that they also want a debate on the issue in the upcoming assembly session.

"BJP only does politics in the name of cows but in reality, it has nothing to do with cows. More than 27,000 cows have died in the last two and a half year in the Hingaunia Gaushala and the Opposition will strongly raise this issue in the assembly," he said.

Dudi also demanded resignation of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje over the issue.

The Leader of Opposition said the Chief Minister must clarify her position on Jaipur Development Authority's move to seal the gates of Rajmahal Palace, a property owned by erstwhile Royal family of Jaipur.

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Turkish authorities arrested an editor from the leading Hurriyet daily today, continuing a sweep of the media triggered by last month's failed coup, the newspaper said.

Dincer Gokce, editor of the paper's English-language website, was among nine current and former journalists arrested in Istanbul, Ankara and Kocaeli province, Hurriyet said on its website.

Former writers for the Bugun, Radikal and Yeni Safak dailies and the defunct former opposition paper Zaman linked to the preacher accused of launching the coup were also arrested, according to NTV broadcaster.

Istanbul's prosecutor's office issued warrants for a total of 35 people over their suspected links to the renegade army units that tried to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 15, Hurriyet said.

Eighteen of the suspects had already left the country and eight others were still being sought, NTV said.

The government has accused US-based Turkish Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen of masterminding the putsch, a claim he vehemently denies.

Ankara has embarked on a purge of tens of thousands within the police, judiciary, education, business and the media to rid the country of what Erdogan calls the "virus" of Gulen's influence.

The journalists arrested today were accused of pro-Gulen propaganda, Hurriyet said.

Several other journalists are already in custody awaiting trial, including veteran journalist and writer Nazli Ilicak.

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Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) India on Tuesday brought the Jeep brand in the country with the launch of two SUV models - Wrangler and Grand Cherokee.

While the Wrangler is priced at Rs 71.59 lakh, the Grand Cherokee, which will be available in three variants, will be priced in between Rs 93.64 lakhs and Rs 1.12 crore (ex-showroom price, Delhi).

The Italian carmaker also announced its plans to start local production at Ranjangoan plant in Pune from the second quarter of next year.

Grand Cherokee comes in three variants - The Grand Cherokee SRT (Rs 1.12 crore), the three litre diesel powered Summit (Rs 1.03 crore) and the 3-litre, 8-speed diesel version Limited at Rs 93.64 lakh.

The India launch marks the 75 years of the iconic Jeep from Chrysler, which incidentally is also the inventor of the SUVs in the world, FCA India president and MD Kevin Flynn said.

The company will open 10 dealerships under the Jeep Destination Store brand in nine cities by the end of this calendar year.

The first outlet is live in Ahmedabad from today while New Delhi and Chennai will come in line next month.

The Mumbai outlet will open in October, along with a second outlet in New Delhi, both before Diwali, followed by Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Kochi and Bengaluru, Flynn said.

On the two SUVs, the company will offer two-years of unlimited mileage warranty apart from a host of other services under the 'Jeep Assist' that offers a 24/7 helpline and roadside assistance programme for 24 months, a business class air ticket or a hotel stay in case of accidents and breakdowns.

"Come the second quarter of 2017, we will have these iconic models, which are imported as of now as completely built units, being manufactured at our Ranjangoan plant, which has around 2 lakh capacity, most of which is being used by now," Flynn told PTI.



He also said the company will add another premium Jeep SUV next year when local production starts.

"The Jeep, which has close to seven decades of history here, pioneered the SUV segment and the concept of off-roading in the world," Flynn said.

"Now, we are providing our Indian customers with access to what Jeep has to offer by launching the Jeep Wrangler, the most capable production 4x4 vehicle in the world and the luxurious Jeep Grand Cherokee, the most awarded SUV of all time," he said.

According to Prince Abhimanyu Singh Alsisar of the Jodhpur royal family, The Jeep came to the country soon after the World War II, when the American army shipped a lot of them from Burma to India.

Alsisar is an avid fan of the brand and possesses six vintage Jeeps.

"We have already invested $ 280 million in Ranjangaon to mobilise our localisation strategy. We are on track with our plans to manufacture and roll out an all-new, premium Jeep SUV from our plant in 2017," Flynn said.

The Jeep's global vehicle line-up consists of Cherokee, Compass, Grand Cherokee, Patriot, Renegade, Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited.

Chrysler Automobiles designs, engineers, manufactures, distributes and sells vehicles under the Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Fiat Professional, Jeep, Lancia, Ram, SRT brands as well as luxury cars under the Maserati brand.

FCA also operates in the components sector through MagnetiMarelli and Teksid, and in the production systems sector through Comau. Its after-sales services and products come under the Mopar label across 40 countries and has commercial relationships with customers in around 150 markets.
The cyber cell of city police has arrested five persons for alleged cheating at an examination conducted by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission.

The city police commissioner Amitesh Kumar said the matter came to light with the complaint of resident medical officer Dr Vikas Rathod of the Government Medical College.

Dr Rathod said that a clerk, Madan Bamnath, had borrowed his laptop on August 26 for his daughter's school project.

When Bamnath returned it two days later, Dr Rathod found photos of question papers and answers on the laptop. Suspecting misuse of the laptop, Rathod approached the police.

Police subsequently arrested Bamnath, his brother-in-law Sandip Dhansigh Gholwal (20) and Lakhan Devichand Dedval (20).

Probe revealed that these three had supplied answers of an MPSC question paper to Vitthal Dhansingh Gholwal (23) when the latter appeared for examination for tax assistant at Wardha centre.

Vitthal allegedly sent them a photograph of the question paper (from the exam centre) through his cell phone, and the trio, with the help of one Arun Jonwal, dictated him answers.

Vitthal used a bluetooth speaker to listen to the answers.

Police arrested all five and a case has been registered at the Begumpura police station here. Inspector Shaikh Salim is conducting further investigation.

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Four girl students of Delhi University's Daulat Ram College were injured when a part of the ceiling of a classroom collapsed and fell on them prompting the police to register a case of negligence against the college governing body.

Agitated students staged a protest demanding better infrastructure and accountability from the college administration prompting the authorities to suspend the classes for the day.

At around 11.45 AM when classes were on, a part of the ceiling of classroom number 105 at DRC fell. Four students were injured and were given medical attention.

Confirming the incident, Savita Roy, principal said, "Yes a part of the roof broke and injured four students. Unfortunately the college infrastructure is in bad shape and there are more rooms which are in similar state."



"The students were rushed to nearby hospital and are absolutely fine now," she added.

In July and earlier this month, students and teachers protested against the college administrating demanding improvement of the infrastructure.

"The classrooms of the college are in a dilapidated condition. After the incident today, classes were called off and there was a protest by the students. Earlier also, students had protested against the college authorities for poor infrastructure but to no avail," a student alleged.

According to police officials, a case under sections 336, 337IPC has been lodged at the Maurice Nagar police station against the college governing body and further investigation is underway.

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Fox Channel says Andrea Tantaros is not a "victim" but "an opportunist" in its response to the sexual-harassment lawsuit filed last week by the former Fox host.

In that response, filed yesterday in New York, the network is calling for arbitration which it says is in accordance with her employment agreement.

The network notes that she is already a party to pending arbitration after having been suspended by Fox, which has accused her of breaching her employment agreement by writing a book without prior authorisation by the network.

Fox claims it learned of Tantaros' book, "Tied Up in Knots ... How Getting What We Wanted Made Women Miserable" in March, a few weeks before it was published.

"This Court should compel Tantaros to proceed in the arbitration proceeding that is already underway," Fox News contends.

Tantaros last week sued the network, its ousted chairman and other top executives, claiming they retaliated after she detailed unwanted sexual advances made by her onetime boss, Roger Ailes.

Tantaros, who described Fox in her lawsuit as a "sex-fueled, Playboy Mansion-like cult," said after she complained last spring about Ailes, one of his top deputies, William Shine, warned her that Ailes was a "very powerful man" and that she "needed to let this one go."



Shine was promoted to co-president of Fox News after Ailes resigned last month amid sexual harassment complaints by another former anchor, Gretchen Carlson, who claimed in a lawsuit of her own that she was fired for refusing his sexual advances. He has denied those accusations.

Commenting on Fox's filing, Tantaros' lawyer, Judd Burstein, said, "Fox's right to arbitrate is a legal issue on which I am confident Ms. Tantaros will prevail." He added, "If Mr Shine and his minions are innocent, why do they want this dispute to be resolved in the shadows (with arbitration)?"



Tantaros, a former panelist on "The Five" who was moved to co-host the lesser-viewed "Outnumbered," was then pulled off the air a few weeks ago. She claimed that Fox executives used the dispute about her book to try to silence her.

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French President Francois Hollande today criticised Turkey's "contradictory" military intervention in Syria and warned Russia not to become a "protagonist" in the war, a day after a US official warned that clashes between Turkish troops and Kurdish forces would detract from the fight against the Islamic State group.

The mounting criticism comes as a spokesman for the Kurdish-led forces in Syria said IS militants carried out a two-pronged attack on villages south and west of the former militant stronghold of Manbij, taking advantage of clashes between his forces and Turkey-backed Syrian rebels.

The Kurdish-led forces seized Manbij from IS earlier this month after a 10-week campaign.

Turkish troops entered Syria last week and together with allied Syrian rebels have pushed to clear both IS militants and Kurdish-led forces from the border area around the Syrian town of Jarablus.

Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish forces an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, a domestic group it deems a terrorist organisation.

In a speech Tuesday, Hollande said "multiple, contradictory interventions carry the risk of a general inflammation" of the fighting that has devastated the country.

He said he could understand Turkey's concern about protecting its borders and fighting the Islamic State group, but criticized Ankara's actions against Kurdish rebels allied with the US-led coalition who are fighting the extremists. France is part of that coalition.

Shervan Darwish, a spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, part of the US-backed Kurdish-led Syria Democratic Forces, said the militants used at least three car bombs in Tuesday's attacks.

The SDF, aided by airstrikes from the US-led coalition, repelled the attack initially but Darwish said clashes continued today. In a statement on Twitter, IS said they seized two villages in the area.

"The Turkish occupation of parts of Syria hampers the war against terrorism and by targeting us (the Turkey-backed forces) gave Daesh the space to reorganize its ranks and attack us," Darwish told The Associated Press, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.

Turkish troops and the Syrian rebels they are backing are "aiming for our troops, not Daesh," Darwish added.

Turkey's president vowed to press ahead with the military operation until IS and Kurdish Syrian fighters no longer pose a security threat to Ankara.

In comments published today in the pro-government newspaper, Daily Sabah, Turkey's presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin called on the US to "revise their policy of supporting (the Kurdish-led force) at all costs.

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France's 38-year-old Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron stepped down today, fuelling speculation that he will vie to become the country's youngest ever president in next year's elections.

A thorn in the side of President Francois Hollande's Socialist government, the reform-minded minister handed in his resignation after sailing down the Seine River for the meeting at the Elysee Palace with his one-time champion.

The president's office released a statement saying Macron had resigned and that Finance Minister Michel Sapin would take over the economy portfolio.

The former investment banker and self-made millionaire quit "to dedicate himself entirely to his political movement", the presidency said, referring to "En Marche" (On the Move), which he founded in April.

Macron would be a fresh face in a presidential field that includes former president Nicolas Sarkozy, 61, and 71-year-old ex-prime minister Alain Juppe -- both right-wing candidates.

Marine Le Pen, 48, of the far-right anti-immigration National Front, is standing for a second time in elections set for April 23 and May 7, 2017.

Macron's departure is a blow to Hollande, whose approval ratings are the lowest of any post-war French president. He has pledged not to seek re-election if he fails to rein in stubbornly high unemployment, which is hovering at around 10 percent.

Hollande, who has already alienated the left flank of the Socialist Party through economic and labour reforms, faces further isolation with the loss of the star of his government's centrist side.

Macron's thinly veiled presidential ambitions heap pressure on his former patron, who has said he will not decide on a re-election bid until the end of the year.

Macron launched "En Marche" (On the Move) in April saying he wanted to promote "new ideas ... Neither of the right nor the left".

In a speech last month he left little doubt as to his intentions, pledging to lead the movement "to 2017 and to victory".

Macron, like most French politicians a graduate of the prestigious Ecole Nationale d'Administration, indirectly criticised Hollande by describing France as "a country worn down by broken promises".

The remark drew a reprimand from the president, who threatened to sack Macron unless he respected the "solidarity" of the Socialist government he joined in 2014.

A maverick in politics as well as in his private life, Macron is married to a divorcee with three children who is some 20 years his senior.

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The Goa government today signed a memorandum of understanding with Google India to promote digital literacy and drive the digital transformation in the state.

Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and Vice President, Google South East Asia and India Rajan Anandan signed the MoU here.

"As a first step, the Goa government will launch internet safety education for students in association with Google India," Parsekar said. It will be a part of curriculum for classes 9th to 12th in the government schools.

"Google has created a curriculum in consultation with experts. Google India has initiated teacher trainings and it will soon expand to cover 460 schools, teaching over 80,000 students how to stay safe online," Parsekar said.

The scope of this tie-up with Google will be expanded to launch a digital literacy drive for women and introduce programmes to help the small and medium businesses and a mobile app development skilling programme for start-ups, he said.

"This step will be a turning point in the field of information technology in Goa. It's important that students understand how to use the internet responsibly and stay safe online," he said.

Anandan said Google was committed to invest in India's digital transformation.

A senior government official told reporters later that the MoU also envisages collaboration with Google to make all the government sites mobile-friendly and introduce programmes to help the small and medium businesses stay safe online.

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Tyre maker Goodyear India today reported a standalone net profit of Rs 41.28 crore for the quarter ended June 30, 2016.

The company had posted a net profit of Rs 37.07 crore for the April-June quarter a year ago, Goodyear India informed BSE.

The company's net sales during the period was at Rs 450.54 crore, up from Rs 461.94 crore in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.

According to the company, the results are not comparable as it has changed its accounting year from January-December to April-March.

Shares of the company today settled at Rs 555.75 on BSE, up 1.66 per cent from previous close.

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Seeking to dissuade labour unions from a nationwide strike on September 2, the government today announced 42 per cent minimum wage hike and a two-year bonus, but the trade bodies rejected these measures as "completely inadequate" and stuck to their call.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who heads an informal group of ministers constituted to address labour issues, said the minimum wages for unskilled non-agricultural workers will be hiked to Rs 350 per day from the current Rs 246.

Also, the government employees will be paid a wage bonus as per revised norms, for 2014-15 and 2015-16, a move that will entail a payout of Rs 1,920 crore.

Other 'labour-friendly' moves included amendment in the Payment of Bonus Act and government support the cause of unions in high courts and the Supreme Court.

The government also said that it will issue advisories to states for ensuring completion of trade union registration within 45 days.

The trade unions, who are demanding minimum monthly wage of Rs 18,000 per month or Rs 692 a day and base pension of Rs 3,000 a month, were not impressed by the government's move and said they would go ahead with the day-long general strike on Friday.

The strike call is being supported by almost all major labour unions except RSS-affiliated BMS, and may impact banking and insurance services, power supplies and coal mining.

"The government's minimum wage announcement is completely inadequate. The strike stands and we demand they should enact a law to fix minimum (universal) wage," All India Trade Union Congress General Secretary Gurudas Dasgupta said.

"Finance Minister's statement clearly shows that the government has not considered any of the demands in our 12- point charter. The unions have no other alternative but to fight for their rights," Indian National Trade Union Congress Vice-President Ashok Singh said.

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Laws in other countries will be studied before taking a final call on stringent punishment, including imprisonment, for celebrities endorsing misleading advertisements and those involved in adulteration, a group of ministers decided today.

A new draft law, which prescribes a jail term of up to 5 years and a fine of Rs 50 lakh for celebrities endorsing misleading advertisements, was taken up the group headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The Centre in last August had introduced the Consumer Protection Bill 2015, in Lok Sabha to repeal the 30-year-old Consumer Protection Act. A Parliamentary Standing Committee had also submitted its recommendations in April.

After studying the panel's report, the Consumer Affairs Ministry accepted some key recommendations such as provisions for fixing liability on celebrities and stringent punishment for adulteration, among others.

"We had a lengthy discussion. Today, it (draft bill) was not finalised. We decided to study the laws of other countries for celebrities endorsing misleading ads and those involved in adulteration. We will study and keep that information in the next meeting," Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan told reporters after the GoM meeting.

The bill, incorporating key changes suggested by the panel, will definitely be placed before Parliament in the coming Winter Session, he added.

"The next Parliament session will be in November. There is still a lot of time to finalise the draft law," he noted.

Besides Paswan, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Minister of State for Food C L Chaudhary were present in the informal GoM meeting.

According to sources, the ministry has proposed stringent provisions to tackle the issue of misleading advertisements as well as to fix liability on endorsers/celebrities.

"For the first time offence, a fine of Rs 10 lakh and imprisonment of up to two years. For second and subsequent offenses, a fine of Rs 50 lakh and imprisonment of five years has been proposed for celebrities and brand ambassadors," a source said.

In order to check the menace of adulteration, the ministry has proposed 'penal offense' and imprisonment at par with celebrities for violation. It has also proposed a provision for suspension and cancellation of licence.

The ministry has also accepted the panel's recommendation to include 'deficiency in services' in product liability.

On panel's suggestion, it has agreed to provide an enabling provision for rule making to regulate e-commerce and direct selling.

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Inviting foreign investment, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said new legislations such as GST along with structural reforms in the last two years will boost growth and the overall development of the country.

In his meeting with the members of the visiting US CEOs Forum, Jaitley said the trade between the two nations will get a boost due to business-to-business, business-to-government and government-to-government interaction.

The Finance Minister said foreign investment is important for India in order to have larger investment in infrastructure sector.

Jaitley further said the government "will now focus on increasing the banks' ability to support growth".

He said enabling Constitution Amendment Bill relating to Goods and Service Tax (GST) has been recently approved unanimously by both the Houses of Parliament.

Besides it, the Bankruptcy Code has also been approved.

All these legislations along with different structural reforms made by the government in the last two years "will help in boosting the growth and the overall development of the country," he added.

The members of the US CEOs Forum included Jim Taiclet, Chairman, President and CEO, American Tower Corporation (ATC), Douglas L Peterson, Chief Executive Officer and President of S&P Global Inc. (formerly McGraw Hill Financial, Inc), Paul E. Jacobs, Executive Chairman and Chairman, Qualcomm Incorporated, and Eric Alexander, Head of Business, Uber APAC.

Mukesh Aghi, President, USIBC and \Nivedita Mehra, Country Director - India-USIBC, Sanjay Bhatnagar, President and CEO, Water Health International, Dinesh Paliwal, Chairman, President and CEO, Harman International, Amit Agarwal, Vice President and Country Head, Amazon India, are among other members of the Forum.

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The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to pay a compensation of Rs 11.5 lakh to a Keralite for illegal detention for 230 days in a false narcotic case filed against him by a sub-inspector of police in 2007.

Allowing a petition by the victim M Anumohan, Justice K K Sasindran yesterday held that the state government was vicariously responsible for the act of the SI and directed it to pay compensation at the rate of Rs 5,000 per day of illegal detention.

The compensation should be paid with nine per cent interest from April 21, 2010 when the petition was filed, the judge said, noting that it should be paid in eight weeks.

S Rajamaikam of Narcotic Intelligence Bureau-CID was SI incharge of Tuticorin and during a vehicle check had intercepted the car in which Anumohan was travelling.

Though the petitioner had not committed any wrong, the SI filed a case as he did not pay Rs two lakh demanded by him. He was booked on the charge of possessing 24 kg of ganja and arrested.

The judge noted that had the case not been transferred to the Crime-Branch CID at the intervention of the court, the police officer would have ensured the conviction of the petitioner.

He had registered the case knowing well that the petitioner was innocent, the judge said, holding that the government was vicariously responsible for the act of the SI.

It was found only in January 2008 that the petitioner was innocent following which the action against him was dropped and criminal proceedings were initiated against the SI.

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International hospitality major InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is set to launch its first hotel under Holiday Inn brand in Kolkata before Diwali.

The mid-market luxury hotel will be operated by IHG that has joined hands with the city-based real estate developer Jain Group.

The 'Holiday Inn Kolkata Airport' is located close to City Centre II in New Town.

"It is positioned very close to the city airport and is expected to attract travellers in business and leisure segment. We are hopeful to attract tourists in the festive season this year," said Rishi Jain, Executive Director, Jain Group.

It is the first hotel from airport while entering New Town, he said.

IHG has also tied-up with the Jain Group for two more hotels at Durgapur and Siliguri.

"Work is going on in our other two projects. Those projects will be of mixed development and hotels will be smaller (80-100 rooms) compared to our Calcutta property," Jain said.

Jain group has invested close to Rs 160 crore in developing the property which will offer facilities of all day dining, speciality restaurant, bar, swimming pool, gymnasium, spa and 8,000 square feet of banqueting space.

Both IHG and Jain group stayed buoyant, though the number of rooms is expected to double by 2017 end in five star category alone.

"IHG has a strong sales and marketing initiatives utilising both technology as well as people to people contact. With the hotel's location advantage and marketing initiatives, we are optimistic that there will not be any issues with occupancy," said Kenneth Scott, General Manager, Holiday Inn Kolkata Airport.

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IIT Kanpur has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tel Aviv University's Blavatnik Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center to facilitate academic research and exchange of students and faculty.

The MoU between IIT Kanpur and Israel's Tel Aviv University was signed for a period of 5 years, a release said today.

"The agreement will be helpful for IIT Kanpur in the field of cyber security," the release said quoting Professor Sumit Ganguly, Head of Computer Science and Engineering Department.

"The initiative will be helpful in bilateral coordination of teachers and students from both the institutes," he added.

As part of the exchange programme, students, research scholars and faculty from one institute will be invited to the other as visitors through which both will get the opportunity to understand cyber security's various aspects in each country.

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NCP president Sharad Pawar today accused the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of "terrorising" youths of the minority community by "illegally detaining" them on mere suspicion of being associated to banned Muslim outfits.

"A 28-member delegation representing various Muslim organisations met me recently and complained that the ATS is terrorising Muslim youths in the name of ISIS and other banned organisations. This delegation strongly condemned ISIS and said the youths of their community would never support their activities," Pawar told reporters here.

The Rajya Sabha MP claimed that there have been several instances, especially in Marathwada, where youths have been picked up by the investigation agency on grounds of suspicion and were detained illegally.

"According to the law, an arrested person has to be presented before a magistrate within 24 hours. But there have been cases where even after 120 hours the detained persons are kept in some isolated location and not let out. The government needs to take serious cognisance of this," the former Maharashtra chief minister said.

If youth are arrested, they should be immediately presented before a magistrate, there should be an immediate chargesheet and they should be tried in a fast track court, he said.

"A criminal has no caste or creed. A particular community should not be labelled (as criminal)," he said.

Commenting upon the government's proposed internal security law, Pawar said these (the BJP) are the same people who took a moral high ground against the Emergency imposed in 1975 by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

"The government has changed and so the system of making law, it seems. The thumb rule has been that the CM and his Council of Ministers decide to make a particular law and ask his Secretary to frame it. Here it is reverse," he said, referring to Additional Chief Secretary (Home) K P Bakshi's contention that the proposed law had been made at the secretarial level and there were no discussions at the ministerial level.

"This is a new Emergency-like situation the government wants to impose on the people. The time is not far when the government will have to bear what we bore in 1977 post-Emergency," Pawar said.

The Maratha strongman also announced that NCP MP Tariq Anwar will represent the party in the all-party delegation that is set to visit Jammu and Kashmir to resolve the impasse in the Valley.

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Tobacco Institute of India (TII), has asked the government to include the tobacco farmers and industry stakeholders in the official Indian delegation for WHO FCTC Conference of Parties, to enable them to represent their side.

TII, which represents leading cigarette manufacturers such as ITC, Godfrey Philips and VST, accounts for more than 98 per cent of the country's domestic sales of duty paid cigarettes in India.

The WHO FCTC Conference of Parties (COP 7) Meeting is being hosted by India in Noida between 7 to 12 November, 2016.

"It is our ardent appeal that the Government of India as the host country should uphold the high democratic principles of the Indian Constitution and facilitate the participation of tobacco farmers and other industry stakeholders in the proceedings of the FCTC," TII Director Syed Mahmood Ahmad said in a statement.

The industry along with various tobacco farmer's lobby is opposing the larger pictorial warnings covering 85 per cent of the packaging space, which has come into force from April this year.

"We are concerned that at the behest of vested interests of NGOs and anti-tobacco activists in India through their relentless and biased campaign are influencing government's tobacco control policy and promoting extreme regulations that are already hurting tobacco farmers and the legal industry in the country and causing widespread growth of illegal trade in cigarettes," he added.

The Conference of Parties is organised under the aegis of FCTC which is a framework convention under the World Health Organization.

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Praising India's naval and maritime policy, a top Singaporean diplomat today said India will continue to play a positive role in maintaining peace and order in the world's oceans, including the disputed South China Sea.

"India is a rising power. And in time, India will achieve a status of great power," said Singapore Ambassador at Large, Tommy Koh, who co-chaired the 9th India-Singapore Strategic Dialogue held between August 29-30 here.

"We have looked at something new (during the dialogue)," he said, referring to the Indian maritime policy and its implication to Singapore and to member countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

India's naval power will grow and demonstrate its strength, he said, adding that it is natural that in this progression, India's horizon expands from focusing exclusively on Indian Ocean to now focusing on the larger Asia Pacific.

"Singapore welcomes this enlargement of India's horizon," said Koh, at the dialogue's follow on seminar "India: A bright spark in a gloomy world economy?".

"We are sure that India has played, continue to play and will play a positive role in maintaining peace and order in the world's oceans - not just Indian Ocean, the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean," he said.

"There were opportunities for India to advance its naval capability to help the ASEAN countries enhance their capacity, it can help in training, and it can help Asean countries in maintaining the rule of law and peace and order in the world's oceans," he added.

Koh said the dialogue also took note of India's historic links with Myanmar and Iran.

India and Singapore, as strategic partners, can work together in looking for investment and partnership opportunities in Myanmar and Iran, he added.

"Singapore's call for India to build infrastructure and create the jobs do reforms in education governance and ease of doing business as well as improve exports," chairman of the Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co Ltd who attended the event said.

"A lot is being done but it is a complex issue in manufacturing," said Godrej.

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A former Indian-origin soldier-turned-politician in the UK has returned his Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in protest against what he feels is the misuse of the honour system by former prime minister David Cameron.

Major (Retd) Narindar Saroop, who was born in India and went on to serve in the British Indian Army before moving to the UK, was awarded the CBE in 1982 by Queen Elizabeth II on the recommendation of then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

The 87-year-old has the distinction of being the very first South Asian origin Conservative party candidate to contest a general election back in 1979.

However, the Tory party member and former London councillor now feels Cameron had shown "demeaning contempt" for the honours system by recommending less deserving people as part of his so-called resignation list, when he left Downing Street following Britain's vote in favour of Brexit on June 23.

"Cameron's list, in my view, included a lot of people who were undeserving of what they were given. Prime Ministers like Harold Wilson and James Callaghan gave honours to their advisers, but many were very hard-working individuals. But in Cameron's list, some of the names were only there a couple of years," Saroop told the 'Evening Standard' newspaper today.

He had written to the UK's honours department at St James's Palace in London to explain his decision earlier this month.

He described the move as a "futile cavalry charge" but said he felt he had to "make a point".

"There is little wrong with our honours system. It is the demeaningcontempt for it as practised by [Tony] Blair and Cameron which has led to such disenchantment about an otherwise honourable institution," he wrote in his letter.

"Mr Cameron, often with some pride, indicated that he was the heir to Blair. This is now fully vindicated by his recent 'Dishonour List', which runs close, possibly even overtaking, the lists of Lloyd George and of Harold Wilson's Lavender List," he added.

Saroop, who took senior roles at various multinationals and served as an adviser to charities such as Oxfam and Cancer Relief Macmillan Fund, said "it's obviously a wrench to return my CBE. I was extremely proud to be awarded it".

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New Zealand born author Witi Ihimaera feels the real role of a writer is to become the conscience of the nation and that Indian writers have set a "fantastic example" by using literature to address issues concerning the mankind.

"To me, the most important role of a writer is to be the conscience of the nation and I am really moved that your writers are doing that. They are writing about climate change like Amitav Ghosh.

Ihimaera recently purchased a copy of Ghosh's latest book on climate change, "The Great Derangement."



"They are going into non-fiction and becoming leaders; articulating concerns on behalf of the Indian people. They are taking up the original role of the writer which is to stand beside the government and become their conscience. Arundhati Roy is another such writer," he says.

Ihimaera became the first Maori writer to be published with his debut book "Tangi" that came out in 1973 and has since then penned 14 novels and 7 collections of short stories including "Yellow Brick Road", "Pounamu" and "The Whale Rider" which was also adapted into a film of the same name.

According to the 72-year-old writer who has also worked as a diplomat at the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs, literature must not be used only to draw attention towards issues of environmental collapse but also other concerns like gender discrimination, immigration etc."



While Indian writers have already began the drill here, he says he is attempting to do the same in New Zealand.

"I am modelling my own attempt to become the conscience of my nation on the fantastic example of Indian writers. The conscience must not only be in terms of environmental collapse but also in terms of the relationship between men and women, immigration issues and other global issues.

"Your writers have always had a history of doing that, in not just non-fiction but also in what they say in their speeches. I am attempting to do that in New Zealand," he says.

Among his efforts in this context is a new cookbook that he is curating with New Zealand based chef Robert Oliver. The book will advocate not just a healthy lifestyle but also draw attention to the burning issue of climate change.

"Climate change because people living in New Zealand have always thought of the Pacific as a food basket and so if we do not watch out we won't have a source to eat from.

"To cook and eat healthy because otherwise we will be at risk of heart diseases and these are two things that continue to contribute to the death rate of the maoris in the region," he says.

Both his novels and short stories pre-dominantly revolve



around the Maori culture, people and situations, often shedding light on the problems within contemporary Maori society.

"Because I am a maori, I do not write about anybody else. All my works are about maori people and maori situations, both historically and contemporary. I feel it is my responsibility to tell the story of Maoris to not just New Zealand but also to the rest of the world," he says.

But becoming a writer, and that too the first of one's clan comes with a conspicuous struggle and Ihimaera too faced a backlash not just from the colonial authorities in New Zealand but also from members of his own community.

When his book 'The Whale Rider' was being adapted into a film, many of his Maori friends warned him against depicting a powerful female character - one who is a Captain, who efficiently uses weapons and is at par with men.

"When you are articulating your culture to a different one, there are things that the old culture does not want to be told. But, I went ahead and filmed all of it because if we stay with the status quo then nothing changes and I do not believe any culture is static," he says.

From the Europeans, the initial resistance came because he was not writing "the sort of story that they wanted."



Ihimaera, who was on his first visit to India also participated at the recently concluded Mountain Echoes Literary festival in Bhutan where he visited the Royal Thimphu College and interacted with the young students there.

"I feel it is very important to transfer some of the knowledge that I have about the world to the younger generation because they all need to have the capability to grow up as leaders.

"They all need to grow up understanding how to negotiate problems and be in a position to save the planet because they might have to."



He also deliberated on topics of 'identity issues' and the 'art of good writing' at the three-day festival.
Actor Irrfan Khan is likely to be part of the sequel to 2007 hit "Life In A Metro".

Anurag Basu directed "Life in a Metro," narrated the story of nine people living in Mumbai and dealt with issues like extra-marital affairs, love, heart breaks and modern-day struggles in an urban life. The musical drama set in Mumbai got good response from the audience.

"We are still working on the script. The sequel will have a completely different story. We are not carrying forward the story of the couples. There will be four love stories set in Mumbai. It's too early for us to reveal details about it," sources said.

The film had an ensemble cast of Dharmendra, Nafisa Ali, Shilpa Shetty, Shiney Ahuja, Kay Kay Menon, Kangana Ranaut, Sharman Joshi, Konkona Sen Sharma and Irrfan Khan.

"The sequel will also have an ensemble cast. We are in talks with actors but no one is locked yet. From the first part we are in talks with Irrfan. There is a verbal commitment from him," sources said.

The film had soulful music which was composed by Pritam and it had memorable songs like "Alvida", "Baatein Kuch Ankahein Si", "In Dino", "O Meri Jaan".

"Pritam will do the music for the sequel," the source added.

The sequel will go on floors in December but the makers are yet to finalise a release date.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Israel's military overnight destroyed the home of a Palestinian accused of involvement in a shooting attack in the occupied West Bank that led to the death of a rabbi, it said today.

The army said it used explosives to destroy the home of Mohammed Abed Almajid Mohammed El-Amaira, 38, in Dura, southwest of the West Bank city of Hebron.

Amaira, a member of the Palestinian Authority security services, was arrested several weeks ago, accused of having helped plan and carry out the attack on July 1, when gunmen opened fire on a car near Hebron.

The car crashed, killing rabbi Michael Mark, who led a religious school in the Israeli settlement of Otniel, and injuring two family members, according to the army.

Amaira is accused of having been the driver in the attack.

Another Palestinian accused over the attack, Mohamed Fakih, 29, was killed during a raid in July that saw Israeli forces fire anti-tank missiles at a house in the West Bank village of Surif.

Israel regularly destroys the homes of Palestinians accused of attacks as part of efforts to deter future violence.

Palestinians and human rights activists say the policy amounts to collective punishment, forcing families to suffer for the acts of others.

Also overnight, the body of Thaer Abu Ghazaleh, a 19-year-old Palestinian shot dead after three passers-by were stabbed and lightly wounded in Tel Aviv last October, was finally returned to his relatives for burial.

Israel authorities have often withheld the bodies of Palestinians killed while carrying out attacks, in a policy which has divided Israeli officials.

A wave of violence since October has killed 222 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP tally.

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Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning for the launch of a record 68 satellites in one mission by early next year.

"There are many launches. There is one particular launch we are planning about 68 satellites, that's also there, that is yet to be finalised," Antrix CMD Rakesh Sasibhushan told reporters here in response to a question on the line up.

Antrix is the commercial arm of .

According to officials, if everything goes well, the launch may take place in another six to seven months and "the satellites will be nano in nature from foreign countries."

Setting a record in its space programme, in Junehad successfully launched 20 satellites, including its earth observation Cartosat-2 series, in a single mission on board ISRO's workhorse PSLV-C34 from the spaceport in Sriharkota, Andhra Pradesh.

The space agency had earlier sent 10 satellites into orbit in a single mission in 2008.

On concerns by certain sections in the US about launches as it is being subsidised by the government, Rakesh said "our competitiveness will give answer for this."

"All launches are subsidised, it is not that we are subsidising or somebody else is subsidising. These government subsidies in the form of R&D investment comes in all launch programmes, now some private industries have come up who have started questioning, let them question," he said.

"We have our own programme, we are competing with the world, we will try to be more competitive and probably that will provide the answer," he added.

Rakesh said small satellites are going to become a large market and it can be exploited by Indian Industry.

"ISRO can play a technology providers role there. We would like to get this across to as many industries as possible to see that tomorrow the country is benefited by this.
Ahead of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's visit to Rome this week, Italian Consul General in Kolkata Damiano Francovigh today called on her at the state secretariat 'Nabanna'.

Banerjee will travel to Rome on September 2 to attend the canonisation ceremony of Mother Teresa where the late nun will be declared a saint on September 4.

After her meeting with the Italian diplomat, the chief minister said the state government had invited Italian companies to participate in the forthcoming Bengal Global Business Summit.

"Since there are a large number of companies in Italy, that country's participation in the summit here early next year would be very important," Banerjee said.

Francovigh described his meeting with Banerjee as a "courtesy call".

"Since the chief minister will be leaving for Italy shortly, we discussed that issue mainly," he said.

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Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) has expressed serious concern over the airspace violation by Pakistan in R S Pura sector yesterday.

Strongly condemning Pakistan for violation of Indian Air Space, JKPCC spokesperson has termed it a serious matter and asked the Central government to take strong notice of Islamabad's activities.

The spokesman said this kind of "illegal and mischievous" provocations against India "on all fronts" caused serious concern.
Waseem Akhtar, a jailed leader of Mutthaida-e-Qaumi Movement in Pakistan, today took oath as Karachi's mayor after the Sindh High Court allowed him to attend the ceremony.

The oath-taking ceremony which was attended by foreign diplomats, businessmen and political leaders was delayed for nearly two-and-half-hours as Sindh High Court heard and dismissed at least two petitions challenging the right of Akhtar to take oath as Mayor of Pakistan's biggest city and financial hub.

Akhtar, 60, was brought from the Central jail in heavy security and took oath along with his running mate Arshad Vohra who took oath as deputy mayor.

Karachi has not had a mayor since 2010 when Mustafa Kamal completed his five-year term.

Before the oath-taking ceremony, Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaaf's Faisal Wada submitted a petition in the SHC requesting the court to stop the oath-taking ceremony but the petition was dismissed after the court said that no charges have been proven against Akhtar as yet.

Akhtar is facing several charges and serving judicial custody in connection with the violence on May 12, 2007 which is also known as 'Black Saturday' riots. A series of violent clashes took place on May 12, 2007 between rival political activists in Karachi with the MQM members who were opposing the arrival of suspended Chief Justice Ifthkar Ahmed Chaudhary at the Karachi airport while other parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party and Awami National Party (ANP), supported the Chaudhary's arrival.

Gunfights and clashes erupted across the provincial capital in which nearly 50 people were killed and scores wounded and millions of property, petrol pumps, shops and vehicles destroyed in arson and vandalism.

Akhtar made it clear after taking oath that he wanted to serve Karachi and Pakistan and was mayor of Karachi not the MQM.

Raising slogans of "Jeeya Bhutto", "Jiya Mutthaida", and "Jiya Imran Khan", Akhtar said he wanted to take along all opposition parties and work with them to improve the conditions in cosmopolitan city of Karachi.

"I am confident that I will get justice from the courts soon and I will be meeting you and the business community to improve conditions in Karachi,"he said addressing the foreign diplomats attending the ceremony.

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Amid spiralling cases of dengue and chikungunya in the national capital, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain today lashed out at the BJP-ruled municipal corporations, alleging they were "doing nothing" either for combating vector-borne diseases or for cleaning up the city.

"MCD has become the den of BJP people who do nothing when it comes to sanitation or controlling vector-borne diseases in the city," Jain alleged, adding, "people of Delhi should dump them for their inaction".

Chikungunya cases in Delhi have shot up to 432, a massive rise in the figure released by civic authorities, who had reported just 20 cases till last week.

According to a municipal report released yesterday, 432 cases of chikungunya have been diagnosed in the national capital till August 27. Safdarjung Hospital had reported nearly 250 cases till August 29.

Meanwhile, 487 cases of dengue have so far been reported in the national capital this season, with 368 of them being recorded in August.

The outbreak situation has often triggered a war of words between the AAP government and the BJP-ruled civic bodies.

"People should call on helplines of the MCD and tell them about the bad sanitation conditions in their areas. The corporations have turned the city into a garbage dump," he said.

"It is MCD's job to carry out cleaning and fogging, and taking preventive measures, which they are not doing at all," Jain told reporters.

Instead of doing their work and check mosquito breeding, the "BJP-ruled corporations" only "indulge in politics", the AAP leader alleged.

He said hospitals run by the Delhi government were fully prepared to tackle the menace of chikungunya and dengue.

"We have 10,000 beds and the number of fever clinics has been increased from 55 last year to 355. People should not panic," he said.

North Delhi Mayor Sanjeev Nayyar, however, denied the charge and said, North Delhi Municipal Corporation has been taking preventing measures to combat the outbreak of vector-borne diseases.

"We have distributed about 1.5 lakh special nets to people, besides carrying out anti-larval exercises. Fogging cannot be done right now, as there are some WHO norms which restrict it," he said.

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Actress Jennifer Garner was spotted crying during her recent meet with estranged husband Ben Affleck.

The 44-year-old "Miracles from Heaven" star was pictured looking sad and keeping her head down while the actor talked to her in their car, reported Ace-Showbiz.

In a sleeveless white top paired with jeans and black shades while carrying a bible, Garner looked sad as she stood next to Affleck, who donned a grey T-shirt, jeans and a Red Sox cap.

Garner and Affleck announced their split last year after ten years of marriage, but none of them has filed for divorce. The two are still on friendly terms and frequently spend time together with their three kids.

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The Jain Group of Institutions (JGI) will invest around Rs 1,500 crore in the next couple of years to start three universities, two overseas and one in Jharkhand.

"We will be investing Rs 300 to 500 crore to set up a university, which will be the first private university in the mineral-rich Kolhan region of the state of Jharkhand in a years time," JGI's founder and chairman Chenraj Roychand said in Jamshedpur on Tuesday.

A decision in this regard was taken after meeting with the Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das at Ranchi on Monday, he said.

Roychand said three acres of land had been identified for the purpose.

Besides, the group was also investing Rs 500 crore each in Africa and Australia for similar purpose, he said elaborating that one university will be opened in Rawanda and another in Melbourne.
The Jain Group of Institutions (JGI) will invest around Rs 1,500 crore in the next couple of years to start three universities, two overseas and one in Jharkhand.

"We will be investing Rs 300 to 500 crore to set up a university, which will be the first private university in the mineral-rich Kolhan region of the state of Jharkhand in a years time," JGI's Founder Chairman Chenraj Roychand said here today.

A decision in this regard was taken after meeting with the Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das at Ranchi yesterday, he said.

Roychand said three acres of land had been identified for the purpose.

Besides, the group was also investing Rs 500 crore each in Africa and Australia for similar purpose, he said elaborating that one university will be opened in Rawanda and another in Melbourne.

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In a shocking incident, a 20-year old engineering student was allegedly beaten to death in her classroom in a private college near here today by her senior for spurning his love.

The incident comes two months after a similar brutal killing of woman techie Swathi in a railway station in Chennai for rejecting love of a man.

K Sonali, doing BE Civil Engineering, was attacked by P Udayakumar on her head with a log of wood in broad daylight even as some of her classmates present there looked in shock, police said.

She bled profusely and was rushed to a private hospital in Madurai, about 140 km from here, where she succumbed without responding to treatment, police said.

The assailant was one year senior to the victim in the college. A native of Paramakudi in Ramanathapuram District, had dropped out of the institution last year.

Udayakumar met the victim at the college canteen today. As she did not talk anything with him, he was infuriated. He followed her, went to her classroom and hit her with a wooden log, police said.

He was arrested soon after the incident and a case of murder slapped against him.

The college management has declared holiday for three days from today.

Swathi, employed with an IT firm, was hacked to death allegedly by a man in the Nungambakkam railway station in Chennai on July 24 in full public view in the morning. After a man-hunt, police arrested Ramkumar on the charge of killing her.

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Veteran actor Kamal Haasan, who was recently chosen for the coveted French honour Chevalier award, has responded warmly to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's letter of appreciation.

"Thank you very much for your kind words on my Chevalier award. Some one remarked how nice of another state's head to lavish you with praise. I interjected he is not another state's CM. He is my state's CM. Ask any film going Malayalee which state I belong to," he said in a message to Vijayan.

Vijayan had congratulated the four-time National film award winner for being chosen for the French honour. 61-year Kamal Haasan is the second Tamil star after Sivaji Ganesan to be nominated for the honour. Haasan, who had debuted in the Malayalam film industry as a child artist in 'Kannum Karalum' in 1962, has essayed roles in various films including 'Satyavan Savithri', 'Kanyakumari', 'Madanolsavam' and 'Yaetta'.

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Joining peers such as Xiaomi, Vivo and Gionee, Chinese handset maker LeEco will assemble its smartphones in India, investing Rs 50 crore in the facility.

Set up in partnership with Compal Electronics, the facility in Greater Noida will have an initial capacity of 60,000 units a month. This will be ramped up to 2,00,000 by the end of December.

"We have partnered with Compal for the facility and will start with the assembly of Le2. We will invest Rs 35 crore to start with and have earmarked another Rs 12-15 crore for the ramp-up," LeEco COO Smart Electronics Business Atul Jain told PTI.

He added that the facility, spread over 2,00,000 sq ft, will provide jobs to nearly 200 people.

"India will be a global export hub... We are already there in China, Hong Kong and will soon start selling in Russia, Indonesia and the US," he said.

Le2, which was launched two months ago, has already sold 2,00,000 units in India.

"The facility will provide us about 6-8 per cent cost benefit," he said, adding that LeEco has a similar partnership with Compal for its facility in China.

India attracted investment from 37 mobile manufacturing companies in the last one year that have generated 40,000 direct jobs and 1.25 lakh indirect employment. These include the likes of Xiaomi, Vivo, Gionee, Karbonn, Lava, Micromax, Intex, Jivi, iTel, and MTech.

"Handset manufacturing in India rose 185 per cent in value terms in 2015-16 to Rs 54,000 crore and is expected to touch Rs 94,000 crore this fiscal," IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

Also, according to estimates, FDI in electronic manufacturing has touched an all-time high of Rs 1.23 lakh crore in 2016.

LeEco launched its handsets in India in January this year and televisions a few weeks ago. The company has already sold one million units of smartphones in India.

"The partnership with Compal is non-exclusive and both partners can work with other players," he said.

India is one of the largest markets globally for smartphones. According to research firm IDC, smartphone market in India saw a 17.1 per cent sequential rise in shipments to 27.5 million units in April-June, with Chinese vendors like Lenovo, Xioami and Vivo driving the growth.

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Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik may soon be booked under the stringent anti-terror law with a legal opinion is said to have suggested action against him and his NGO, Islamic Research Foundation (IRF).

Sources said the Home Ministry had sought a legal opinion on the possible action to be taken against Naik for his controversial activities, including allegedly delivering hate speech.

The legal opinion is understood to have conveyed to the Home Ministry that Naik's statements in different forums allegedly promoted enmity and hatred between religious groups and inspired and incited terrorists.

A case of should be registered against Naik under anti-terror laws for allegedly delivering hate speech on different occasions, sources said quoting the legal opinion.

The legal opinion suggested that there is a "conscious intention" on Naik's part towards spreading enmity among religious groups.

Apart from Naik, cases should be registered against his NGO IRF, which is allegedly funded radical activities, the legal advice said to have suggested.

Naik has come under the scanner of the security agencies after Bangladeshi newspaper 'Daily Star' had reported that one of the attackers of the July 1 terror strike in Dhaka, Rohan Imtiaz, ran a propaganda on Facebook last year quoting Naik.

Naik, in his lecture aired on Peace TV, an international Islamic channel, had reportedly "urged all Muslims to be terrorists".

Naik, a popular but controversial Islamic orator and founder of Mumbai-based Islamic Research Foundation, is banned in the UK and Canada for his hate speech aimed against other religions. He is among 16 banned Islamic scholars in Malaysia.

He is hugely popular in Bangladesh through his Peace TV, although his preachings often demean other religions and even other Muslim sects.

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Domestic airlines will no longer need prior government approval for entering into international code share pacts with foreign carriers, with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) relaxing the requirements in this regard.

However, the local carriers will have to intimate the Civil Aviation Ministry as well as the 30 days before starting code share flights.

Code sharing allows an airline to book its passengers on its partner carriers and provide seamless transport to destinations where it has no presence.

Coming out with a fresh set of guidelines, the watchdog said code share arrangement with an overseas carrier should be within the ambit of the bilateral Air Service Agreement (ASA) with the country concerned.

Indian carriers are free to enter domestic code share agreements with foreign carriers for any point in India if available under the respective ASA.

The said code share agreements will be disallowed if these are in violation of the ASAs.

The latest guidelines pertain to grant of permission to Indian air transport undertakings for operation of scheduled international air transport services.

In line with the government relaxing the 5/20 norm for international operations by domestic carriers, the has made necessary changes in the guidelines.

Under the new civil aviation policy, airlines that deploy 20 aircraft or 20 per cent of its total capacity for domestic operations will be allowed to fly overseas.

Earlier, only those carriers with five years of operational experience and a minimum 20 planes were permitted to operate on foreign routes.

According to the DGCA, any Indian airline will be eligible to apply for international services provided it has a valid air operator's certificate for scheduled air transport services.

Another condition is the entity should have deployed 20 aircraft or 20 per cent of total capacity (in terms of average number of seats on all departures put together), whichever is higher, for domestic operations.

In this regard, the published schedule of airlines will be the basis for monitoring, assuming that one aircraft will have six departures a day.
The Lokayukta today ordered an inquiry against Maharashtra minister Ravindra Waikar in connection with the alleged illegal construction at a state-run gym in Aarey Colony in suburban Goregaon, senior Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam said here.

Nirupam had filed a complaint with the Lokayukta against Waikar on June 27 alleging that the latter had usurped a government land in Aarey Colony here and made illegal construction in a state-run gymnasium.

"After I filed a complaint against Waikar, Minister of State for Housing, the Lokayukta concluded that he had turned down all pleas to demolish illegal construction. (Retired judge) M L Tahiliani will now conduct an inquiry into the misdeeds of the minister," he told reporters here today.

"The inquiry will focus on why the minister failed to order demolition of the illegal structure, despite his knowledge about it," the city Congress chief added.

In his complaint, Nirupam had demanded action against the minister for "misusing" his office and for "exerting" his influence as a Minister in "usurping the land".

Nirupam, a former MP, said he has also demanded action against certain officers of the Housing department for their "connivance" in the "land grabbing".

Despite repeated attempts, Waikar remained unavailable for comment.

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Home grown auto major Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) will continue selling XUV500 and Scorpio with 1.99 litre engine in Delhi NCR till the dust settles after the Supreme Court order lifting the ban on 2,000 cc and above standard utility vehicles (SUVs) earlier this month.

Hit by the Supreme Court ban in December, the Mumbai-based automaker had launched a 1.99 litre version of its mHawk engine series earlier this year.

The apex court however lifted the ban earlier this month, though with one per cent environment cess.

"For the time being we are continuing with 1.99 litre engine for two reasons. First there is no compromise that the customer has for the 1.99 litre engine therefore there is no reason for us to change to 2.2 litre engine," Executive Director Pawan Goenka told reporters in New Delhi.

"Second, we don't know what the final judgement would be. Right now it is an interim judgement. So we don't want to go back to 2.2 litre and then when some judgement comes again move to 1.99 litre engine," he said.

He was talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of 56th Annual Session of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association.

If need be, the company could move to 2.2 litre engine overnight, Goenka said.

On whether the one per cent environment cess imposed on SUVs by the Supreme Court will have any impact, Goenka said: "This is one subject where the industry is fully aligned. Industry is unanimous that there is no justification to single out diesel for pollution problem in Delhi."

"By imposing any kind of cess you are in a sense saying that even if you are meeting the regulations you still need to pay a penalty," he added.

One per cent cess is not going to make any difference either way as it will not deter the customers from buying a vehicle nor it will help take on pollution in a big way, he said.

"This is a sort of interim decision the apex court has taken and industry has agreed because it is better have one per cent cess than not to be able to sell products. So we had no option but to accept this suggestion and move on with it," Goenka said.

When asked if the company would like this cess to be abolished going ahead, Goenka said, "Off course yes."

is also looking to reworking strategies for its two- wheeler business as it has not been able to achieve desired success in the vertical so far.

"Two-wheeler has not given us what we expected it to deliver but we are still working on it. We have not given up on two-wheeler segment by any stretch of imagination. The strategy with what we started has not delivered. We are working on a new strategy," Goenka said.
The proposed meeting between the chief ministers of Odisha and Chhattishgarh to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute ran into uncertainty with the Odisha government today saying it had not received the requisite information in full from its neighbouring state.

"Chhattisgarh has provided some information on Arpa-Bhainsajor projects but some information has not been given to us. ..They had sought some information from us and the Odisha government has provided them with it," Odisha's Water Resources secretary P K Jena said.

Odisha's Engineer-n-Chief will write a letter to his Chhattishgarh counterpart asking them to provide detailed information, he said.

The Odisha government had earlier made it clear that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had no problems in meeting his Chhatishgarh counterpart Raman Singh if the neighbouring state provided detailed information as sought by the state.

Both the states are at loggerheads over the right on Mahanadi water. The Odisha government had been alleging that Chhattishgarh constructed certain barrages on the upstream of Mahanadi without consulting it.

Chhattishgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, however, claimed that they developed the projects within the provisions of the laws.

As the dispute continued, Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti recently proposed to organise a meeting between the two chief ministers to resolve the issue. Bharti had said the meeting could be held on any date between September 10 to September 20.

A joint meeting of the two states was held at the office of the Union Water Resources department on July 29 which was attended by the chief secretaries of both the states.

The Union minister had also proposed another meeting between the two chief ministers.

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Hinting at a conspiracy in the Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital fire which claimed two lives, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today alleged it was a "planned incident" to kill innocent people.

"It was a planned incident to kill innocent people. Today I have received the preliminary report of CID. I am against destructive politics. I am against politics being pursued over bodies," Banerjee said while addressing a program here.

"We should stay away from such politics," she said.

Two persons died and seven others were injured in a stampede after the fire on Saturday. Banerjee had ordered a CID inquiry into the incident.

She had yesterday said people should stay away from petty politics and should refrain from doing politics over dead bodies.

"There are certain people who are like vultures. They wait for people to die and as soon as that happens they reach there and start doing politics over dead bodies," she had said.

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Police have arrested a man in Haryana in connection with the murder of two sadhus in a village here in 2013, officials said today.

Ajay, the main accused in the murder case who had been absconding since 2013, was arrested yesterday by Haryana Police in the state, SHO of Bhopa police station, Yogesh Kumar said.

Mahants Yogiraj and Yoganand were murdered at an ashram in Malpura village on October 13, 2013.

The accused would be brought here soon, the SHO said.

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A terminally ill man with weeks to live has fulfilled a dying wish by marrying his girlfriend.

The Daily Journal reports Chris Ford and Nicole Wismer had planned to marry in October but moved up the ceremony to Sunday after doctors told Chris he might not make it that long.

Ford was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth and throat about a year ago, not long after the couple's son was born. The Philadelphia native moved to his mother's home in La Vergne, Tennessee, while undergoing cancer treatment.

The community came together to donate a venue and other services for the celebration. Despite his weakened condition, Ford was able to dance down the aisle with his new bride after the ceremony was complete.

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Outlawed militant outfit Manipur Naga People's Front (MNPF) has claimed the responsibility for the bomb attack at Naga People's Front (NPF) MLA Samuel Risom's residence located at Dewlahland, Imphal West District, on August27, a press released issued by MNPF today said.

Justifying the attack, MNPF alleged that Naga People's Front, a Nagaland based political party, took the help of militant outfit NSCN(IM) in winning the last Assembly elections by threatening the voters and killing and harassing the Naga people of Manipur, the release said.

The release also clarified the bomb attack was not meant to harm anybody, but a warning to NPF.

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Two medicos, who had flung a dog off a building here in June and filmed it too, shall pay Rs two lakh each as compensation to the Animal Welfare Board of India, Vice Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University Dr S Geethalakshmi today said.

The video of the dog being thrown from the terrace of the building went viral, triggering an outrage among activists following which police filed a case and arrested them.

Medicos Gautam Sudarshan and Ashish Paul were later granted bail by the Sriperumbudur Judicial Magistrate court.

The rescuers of the dog moved the Madras High Court seeking compensation for the animal besides medical care and punishment of the medicos.

As per the orders of the High Court, the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University constituted a four-member team, comprising Dr S V Senthilnathan, Dean of Students, Dr Parameswari, Controller of Examination, G Kannabiran, Law Officer and the Registrar to go into the matter.

The team has decided to impose Rs two lakh each on the medicos to be paid to AWBI as compensation, Geethalakshmi told reporters here.

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Mexico's president has dismissed the chief of the federal police force, less than two weeks after the country's human rights commission released a scathing report alleging federal police executed at least 22 suspected drug cartel members during a raid on a ranch.

Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said President Enrique Pena Nieto yesterday decided to remove Enrique Galindo to allow for a transparent investigation.

"In light of the recent events and on instructions of the president, Police Commissioner Enrique Galindo has been removed from his position," Osorio Chong said.

"That is with the objective of facilitating that the corresponding authorities carry out an agile and transparent investigation in full view of citizens."



Earlier this month, Mexico's National Human Rights Commission announced that its investigation had found that at least 22 people were killed without justification by police during the operation at a ranch in the western state of Michoacan on May 22, 2015.

The report alleged police planted guns on some suspects and moved some bodies to bolster the official report that all the deaths occurred during a gunbattle. In all, 42 civilians and one federal police officer were killed.

Galindo and National Security Commissioner Renato Sales had said they accepted the commission's recommendations, but denied that police executed anyone. They said the federal officers used necessary force against a heavily armed band of criminals.

The federal police have also been criticized for a June clash in the southern state of Oaxaca in which officers opened fire on protesting teachers and their allies in the town of Nochtixtlan. Eight civilians died, seven of them from gunshot wounds. Authorities said the police were fired on first, though others dispute that.

Osorio Chong said Galindo would be replaced by Manelich Castilla Craviotto, who had been in charge of the federal police's gendarmes force.

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A GRP constable was caught on camera dragging a minor, suspected to be a pickpocket, by a towel tied around his neck at Gwalior railway station, prompting authorities to take the cop off field duty and launch a probe.

The incident occurred at platform number 1 on August 27 and a purported video of the act has gone viral after which Government Railway Police (GRP) took head-constable Hari Narayan Singh (50) off field duty.

A passenger had lodged a complaint with the GRP that his pocket was picked. Singh suspected that the boy was the culprit and caught hold of him.

In the video, Singh is purportedly seen dragging through the minor through the platform who appears to have fallen unconscious.

The head-constable was 'line-attached' (taken off the the field duty) to Bhopal yesterday, Bhopal division superintendent railway police (SRP) Awadesh Goswami said.

"My deputy is investigating the incident," Goswami said without divulging more details.

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Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today took strong objection to remarks made by Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and other leaders, accusing them of deliberately trying to "polarise" society ahead of elections.

He also urged them to desist from doing so as it sends out a "wrong" message to the world that was not in the interest of the nation.

The Union Information and Broadcasting and Urban Development Minister also said that by raking up "illegal" detention issues, the leaders were trying to "demoralise" the security forces and "obstruct" their work.

"Elections are nearing, that is why Ayodhya is remembered. What happened then, what was the need to repeat it. In polls, issues to be raked up are development and corruption. Make governance and misgovernance as poll issues as well as what you said and what you did.

"To hide their failures, Samajwadi Party is indulging in this kind of political polarisation while pointing fingers at others. You are trying to polarise society, please don't do so," he said.

Naidu said, "If a particular community or religion is being done injustice with and to say there is discrimination, giving this message is wrong. Please don't do this in nation's interest. This discrimination is not in nation's interest."



Attacking those raking up illegal detentions, the Minister said by doing so they are undermining the role of security agencies and demoralising them.

If someone is harassed than one has the right to inquire, he said.

"The agencies are working for the country's security and you are harming them and trying to obstruct their work by questioning them. They will be demoralised. You are doing injustice," Naidu said.

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At a special meeting on Monday, the Beatrice Public Schools Board of Education voted 5-0 to place an item on the Nov. 8 ballot that will ask voters to fund a $35 million elementary facility where all district preschoolers through fifth graders would attend.

Board member Andy Maschmann was absent.

Board members said that, since the same measure was voted down by nearly 60 percent of voters in September of last year, theyve done a better job of talking to and listening to elementary school staff and district community members about questions and concerns by way of periodic school and community meetings.

While a 20-year repayment period was previously discussed, Lisa Pieper, president of the board, said the group is looking now at repayment periods of 27 to 30 years.

"We found that if we issued the bonds differently, we could get rid of some of that accrued interest," BPS Superintendent Pat Nauroth added after the meeting.

The ballot item will not include the repayment schedule.

The project, in terms of public funding and approval, is referred to as a bond issue. BPS taxpayers would pay for the project through bond payments.

The estimated tax levy (property tax) for the project is estimated between 16 and 18 cents, depending on the repayment schedule.

A package with a 30-year repayment timeline has an estimated tax levy of 16.26 cents. That means that owners of a property in the district valued at $100,000 would have to pay $162.60 annually toward the project for the next 30 years, if the levy stays at the same rate.

The estimated tax levees for bonds paid out in 27, 28 and 29 years are 17.30 cents, 16.92 cents, and 16.55 cents, respectively.

The new school would be built on north of the high school, which is owned by the district and leased to farmers. Included in the $34.88 million figure is demolition costs to each school.

Talk of a consolidated school stemmed five years ago in discussion by groups comprised of community members with a goal of helping the district plan its five-year strategic goal.

Doing nothing is not an option has been said again and again by BPS board members and administers through the past year when discussing how to deal with the buildings structural issues.

A survey filled out by 92 people at a July 6 community meeting showed support for a new elementary facility. In addition to the consolidated facility, four other alternatives were presented to the group, each estimated to cost $17 million to $33 million. The alternatives would also require approval and funding from voters and taxpayers in the district.

All of the proposals reach another priority goal of the school board: move preschoolers from their classrooms currently dispersed between three sites to under one roof.

The Beatrice school board discussed the elementary facility issue at length for a final time at its monthly Committee of the Whole meeting Thursday night before the Sept. 1 deadline to decide on whether to put a proposal on the November 8 ballot.

The Monday meeting was short. Three members of the public spoke and one board member added comments before the vote.

One parent called the idea of so many students in one building a "logistics nightmare" and said he preferred the district strategically aim its resources at higher level students in order to better prepare them for the future.

Past board member Steve Winter asked, "Is it ever going to be the right time?" and said now is as good a time as any.

"Everybody needs to take part in this battle and pick up their own share of the price ticket, but I know it's a tough situation," Winter said.

Another member of the public expressed affection for neighborhood schools and said that children moving into an entirely new school would lose their feeling of belonging.
President Pranab Mukherjee has said Myanmar comes first on India's horizon when it comes to its 'Neighbourhood First' and 'Act East' policy even as he said the two neighbours are committed to according special attention to the economic progress of the border areas.

He made these remarks while hosting a banquet for visiting Myanmarese President U Htin Kyaw and his wife at Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday.

Mukherjee said his country would like to see Myanmar as "India's gateway to ASEAN and India as Myanmar's bridge to South Asia".

The President thanked the Myanmarese leader for choosing India for his first bilateral overseas visit as the Head of State of Myanmar.

He said this step was fitting, considering the bonds of friendship, culture, spirituality and history that unite India-Myanmar as he congratulated his counterpart on the historic victory of the National League for Democracy in the general election held in November last year.

"India sees Myanmar as a key partner in its 'Neighbourhood First' and 'Act East' policy. As the government of India looks eastward to rejuvenate historical, cultural and commercial links between India and Southeast Asia, Myanmar is the first on our horizon.

"India attaches high value to Myanmar's contribution and further role in achieving our shared vision of stability, peace and progress in the region," he said.

Mukherjee said India welcomes the bold step taken by State Counsellor, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in initiating an inclusive process for peace through the 21st Century Panglong Conference.

"With regard to our common security concerns and our joint efforts in the area of border management, we have agreed to accord special attention to the economic progress of our border areas, that will transform them into zones of peace and prosperity," he said.

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Health Minister J P Nadda today asked members of Red Cross to actively participate in the social and economic programmes of the government, including its deworming initiative and 'Mission Indradhanush' which is a special drive to vaccinate children.

Observing that the prime objective of Red Cross is to bridge the gap between the government's schemes and the community, he also stressed on the need to enhance the quality of first aid training for strengthening service delivery.

"I exhort volunteers of Red Cross and St John and junior and youth Red Cross members of all the states specially Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to actively participate in this mission (Indradhanush) and contribute to making a 'Swasth Bharat'," Nadda said.

He was speaking after presiding over the business session of the annual general meeting of the Indian Red Cross Society and St John Ambulance (India).

Mission Indradhanush, depicting seven colours of the rainbow, provides vaccination for seven preventable diseases namely--diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and Hepatitis B. Four new vaccinations have been added to the immunisation programme.

Noting that 2.70 crore children are born every year and 90 lakh are not immunised, Nadda said one cannot talk about a healthy India without addressing this issue. He said his ministry has been able to provide total immunisation to 54 lakh children and 55 lakh mothers.

"We increased our immunisation capacity by 5-7 per cent. This year, we are going to increase our capacity by reaching 65 lakh children," he said.

Nadda said the India Red Cross can play a very important role in the deworming initiative of the government that aims to protect more than 24 crore children between the ages of 1-19 years from intestinal worms.

He claimed by giving children one tablet a year, in 2015, around 8 crore children were administered deworming tablets while in 2016, 21 crore chidren were administered the tablets due to which dropout from schools were reduced. Next year, the target is to administer it to 40 crore children, he said.

Earlier, while presiding over the ceremonial session of the AGM, President Pranab Mukherjee complimented the Red Cross for its "invaluable" work during disasters and in crisis management, especially in times of "man-made disasters".

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NIA today did not question Naeem Geelani, son of hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, in connection with a probe into certain bank accounts in Kashmir allegedly used to fund the unrest in the Valley as the officers had left for Delhi.

In response to the notice served by National Investigation Agency (NIA) to Naeem Geelani yesterday, he, along with his legal advisor, attended the office of the investigating agency at Shivpora, a spokesman of the Hurriyat said.

"However, the people (officers) concerned had already left for Delhi," he said.

The spokesman said the office incharge called the authorities on phone to convey to them that Geelani's son had gone to the agency's office.

NIA is investigating some bank accounts in Kashmir to track the money allegedly used to fund the ongoing unrest in the Valley.

The Kashmir Valley has been gripped by unrest following the July 8 killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter in south Kashmir's Anantnag district.

The violence has left 68 people, including two policemen, dead and several thousand injured.

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Naga militants snatched away two AK 47 rifles and two INSAS rifles with loaded magazines from an escort party of Manipur Rifles when its personnel went into a hotel for a meal in Tamenglong district, police said today.

The incident took place yesterday evening at Sibilong village on NH 37 in Manipur's Tamenglong District, the police said.

Armed Naga militants overpowered the Manipur Rifles personnel inside the hotel and snatched away their arms and ammunition at gunpoint after taking them to a nearby jungle.

The Manipur Rifles personnel were escorting Food Corporation of India trucks loaded with food items, the police said.

Following this, Rifles reinforcements were rushed on the spot to nab the militants. Search operations were launched but none was so far apprehended.

Meanwhile, security measures have been beefed up along Imphal-Jiribam NH 37 in view of the proposed visit of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju tomorrow at Nungkao village in Manipur's Tamenglong district to attend a programme on freedom fighter Rani Gaidinliu, police added.

(REOPENS CES11)



Banned militant outfit NSCN-K has meanwhile claimed responsibility for the snatching of arms and ammunition from the Manipur Rifles yesterday.

A statement by the outfit, which abrogated the ceasefire agreement with the government, said the arms were snatched by its Elite Strike unit and the arms, including four assault rifles with ammunition were looted by them.
Disillusioned with the Maoist ideology, two Naxals -- a reward-carrying senior cadre who was involved in a major attack on policemen in 2007, and a minor girl -- surrendered today in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district.

The rebels, one of them a 'commander'-rank cadre, turned themselves in before Bijapur Superintendent of Police at the district headquarters, around 600 km from here, Mohit Garg, Additional Superintendent of Police, told PTI.

Sukhram Gota (24) was a hardcore rebel and active as militia 'platoon commander' of Edapalli national park area unit of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), he said.

Gota was allegedly involved in several deadly Maoist -related incidents, including the attack on Ranibodli police outpost in Bijapur in 2007 in which 55 policemen were killed, Garg said, adding that he was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head.

The other Naxal -- a 17-year-old girl -- worked as a member of Chetna Natya Manch, cultural wing of the Maoists, in Gangaloor area of the district, he added.

In their statement, the duo expressed disillusionment with the "hollow" ideology of the violent movement led by CPI (Maoist).

Moreover, they were impressed with provisions of the government's surrenderand rehabilitation policy for Naxals which led them to join the mainstream, the ASP said.

The surrendered rebels will be rehabilitated as per the state government's policy, the police officer added.

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Nearly 11,000 people are still missing from the 1990s Balkan wars, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Tuesday, expressing concern over the slow pace of establishing their fates.

During the conflicts that accompanied the collapse of the former Yugoslavia, almost 35,000 people went missing, including 22,000 from Bosnia. The fates of about 70 percent of them have been established.

"However, more than 20 years after the wars, the families of some 10,700 missing people are still burdened with uncertainty about what happened to their loved ones," the ICRC said in a statement.

Marking the International Day of the Disappeared, ICRC President Peter Maurer urged authorities worldwide to "generate political will necessary to provide answers" to such families.

"Steps must be taken to prevent disappearances, and to collect all the information available when people do disappear, because, at some point, this information might help bring answers," Maurer said.

It is estimated that at least 130,000 people were killed in the region's 1990s conflicts. Most of them -- some 100,000 -- died in Bosnia's 1992-1995 war.

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A special court today sentenced a Nepali youth to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs one lakh for possessing over a kg of charas.

Special Judge Krishan Kumar also ordered Naresh Bahadur, a resident of Anchal tehsil, to undergo an additional two years of imprisonment if he failed to pay the fine.

Bahadur was nabbed on February 8 last year by a police team from Balh Mandi police station while they were patrolling at night.

Bahadur tried to escape the spot seeing the police, but he was arrested by the police and one kg and 600 grams of charas was seized from him.

A case was registered under section 20 of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act against the accused and a chargesheet was filed against him.

The court observed that since the quantity of contraband was of commercial quantity so the convicthas to be dealt strictly.

As per the order of court the convict was today transferred toCentral Jail Nahan from Sub Jail Mandi where he was earlier lodged.

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The new Jaguar F-Pace launched by Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) last year has set a record as the fastest selling car in the company's history.

As many as 30,000 models of the luxury car maker's first-ever sport utility vehicle (SUV) have been sold globally since the model hit the roads in mid-April.

According to latest online data analysed by 'The Daily Telegraph', 1.6 million people have searched Jaguar's website for the F-Pace, and 370,000 have taken the time to specify exactly how they would configure the car down to the last detail.

"The response to F-Pace around the world has been sensational. Demand for the car in the UK has exceeded our most optimistic assumptions," said Jeremy Hicks, JLR UK managing director.

The company said about 90 per cent of the new model's buyers are new to JLR, attracting more buyers in the age range of 40 and 50.

The figures will bring cheer as the company was keen to reduce its reliance on sales of Land Rover and bring Jaguar up to speed with its sister brand.

JLR sold 521,500 cars last year - but only 94,500 of these were Jaguars.

Next year it may be able to bring this contrast down.

The F-Pace is built at the company's Solihull factory in the West Midlands region of England, where it may add an additional line to meet the rising global demand.

Earlier this year, JLRhad unveiled plans to invest in the region of 3.75 billion pounds during the 2016-17 fiscal to support "continued, sustainable, profitable" growth in the future.

This will include the expansion of global production capacity, new technologies and new vehicles, such as theJaguarF-Paceand the RangeRoverEvoque Convertible.

The company was bought over by from Ford back in 2008 and has seen a massiveturnaroundin its fortunes over the past few years.
BJP today accused Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of indulging in "flood tourism" while the condition in relief camps, housing lakhs of affected people, remained unsatisfactory.

"Nitish Kumar is indulging in flood tourism. Despite his visits, the condition of relief camps remained unsatisfactory," senior Bihar BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters.

He was replying to a question that Kumar has accused union ministers of indulging in flood tourism in Bihar without doing anything so that the state could get adequate assistance from the Centre.

Modi, who has been visiting flood affected areas, said when Kumar likened the flood situation with the devastation caused by 2008 flood in Kosi region, why not Special District Magistrates have been appointed like that time.

The ministers in-charge of districts are in Patna and not in the areas allotted to them, he alleged.

Reassuring the Centre's help to flood victims in the state, Modi, who is state party parliamentary board chief, said there is no shortage of funds given to the state.

"As per the 14th Finance Commission recommendations, Rs 2,000 crore has been earmarked for Bihar to deal with the disaster," he said.

The state government should first prepare and send its report to the Centre which would send team of experts to assess the extent of damage due to floods, he added.

"Instead of focusing on improving amenities in relief camps, Kumar is trying to deflect attention of people by raking up the issue of Farakka dam which, he is saying is the cause of flood in Bihar every year," Modi said.

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With Delhi witnessing a sudden spurt in and cases, Union Minister on Tuesday asked people not to panic and asserted that his Ministry was working in close coordination with the Delhi government and various agencies to tackle the outbreak.

Observing that the focus should be on "symptomatic" treatment and prevention, Nadda said that municipal bodies have been directed to ensure that there is no stagnation of water and cleanliness is maintained.

He said that all the central government hospitals were fully equipped to deal with the situation.

"For and Chikungunya, we had started our preparations from January itself this year. We had issued advisories from time to time. We have been keeping a close watch in terms of availability of kits, training of staff, bed strength. We are working with Delhi government and various agencies in close coordination.

"I would request everybody not to panic. We have to ensure symptomatic treatment. We should lay stress on prevention. I have directed the municipal bodies to maintain cleanliness and at the same time ensure that there is no stagnation of water. If we can do this, we can reduce the number of patients suffering from both these diseases. All our hospitals are fully equipped," Nadda said.

cases in Delhi have shot up to 423, a massive rise in the figure released by civic authorities, who had reported just 20 cases till last week.

According to a municipal report released yesterday, 423 cases had been diagnosed in the national capital till August 27. Safdarjung Hospital had reported nearly 250 cases till August 29.

Meanwhile, 487 cases of have so far been reported in the national capital this season, with 368 of them being recorded in August.

311 cases of the vector-borne disease were reported till August 20, while 176 cases came to light in last week alone, marking a rise of nearly 57 per cent.

An 18-year-old boy died yesterday of Dengue at Apollo Hospital in south Delhi, taking to five the number of fatalities due to the vector-borne disease.

The Centre had recently asked South Delhi Municipal Corporation to compile a report of Dengue and cases while asking the state governments to include modality of treatment for the diseases in its awareness campaigns.
Removing legal hurdles in the way of running of electric rickshaws as last mile connectivity, the Transport Ministry has exempted such vehicles from requiring permits for plying on roads.

Obtaining permits for operating in states were proving to be the biggest obstacle for e-carts and e-rickshaws, a senior Road Transport and Highways Ministry official said, adding that they can now operate pan-India, hassle free.

However, the state governments may impose restrictions under appropriate traffic laws on plying of these vehicles in specific areas or specific routes.

"The Central government hereby orders that the provisions of sub section I of section 66 of the said Act (Motor Vehicles Act, 1988) shall not apply to any transport vehicle of the category e-cart and e-rickshaw...For the purpose of carriage of goods and passengers with their personal luggage," according to a notification issued today.

This sub section requires that "no owner of a motor vehicle shall use or permit the use of the vehicle as a transport vehicle in any public place whether or not such vehicle is actually carrying any passenger or goods save in accordance with the conditions of a permit granted or countersigned by a Regional or State Transport Authority."



The Ministry has already set guidelines for e-rickshaws and allowed them to operate under the Act.

However, many states were not following the guidelines earlier but with the notification, e-rickshaws can ply freely now, the official said.

The government has already issued guidelines for e-rickshaws, including speed limit, carrying capacity and body specifications.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways earlier had notified rules under the Act to bring e-rickshaws and e-carts within the legal framework, ensuring tests for approval of prototype for safety standards before registration of the vehicles.

As per the notification, e-rickshaws have been allowed to carry four passengers and 40 kg luggage while e-carts would transport goods up to 310 kg.

The rules define e-rickshaw as a special purpose battery operated vehicle 'having three wheels and intended to provide last mile connectivity for transport of passengers for hire or reward'.

These vehicles are constructed to carry not more than four passengers, excluding the driver and the net power of its motor is not more than 2000 Watts and the maximum speed of the vehicle is not more than 25 kilometres per hour.

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Director Vikram Bhatt feels Bollywood filmmakers would benefit more if they focus on making original content rather than copying Hollywood movies.

The filmmaker admitted he failed with his 2014 directorial outing "Creature" because he tried imitating the stuff made in the West and hence, believes if an Indian director goes on aping a Hollywood horror film it will only result into a movie with sub-standard quality.

"Our horror films have always been the romanticizing of horror. We always had love stories, emotions, music. Whether it is 'Mahal', 'Kohra', 'Bees Saal Baad'...That is the culture of our films. 'Raaz' belongs to the culture of Indian horror films. If we are to make 'Conjuring', then people say, 'Oh this is Conjuring'," he said.

"Anybody who tries to ape Hollywood now is going to become a lesser cousin of Hollywood. I've learnt that lesson myself in a film called 'Creature'," Vikram told reporters at a promotional event for "Raaz Reboot" last evening.

The director is geared up for the release of Emraan Hashmi-starrer "Raaz Reboot", which is the fourth film in the horror film franchise "Raaz".

Vikram said Hindi film industry doesn't have the right budget to compete with horror films made in the west.

"When they are making films, which have hot aliens in it, we cannot compare. We don't have the budgets. When you become a poor cousin of 'Conjuring', they (audience) have 'Conjuring' to watch. Why will they watch your films?"



Horror genre has largely remained untapped in Hindi cinema and fans have often complained of its "amateurish" depiction of on screen by the filmmakers here.

Vikram, however, is certain he wouldn't change his way of making such movies to please audience.

"We have to stick to the art form that we are. We are the romanticizing art form. If the 'Conjuring' audience doesn't want to see it, then too bad. But we are not going to change for it," he said.

Also starring Gaurav Arora and Kriti Kharbanda, "Raaz Reboot" is set to release on September 16 in a box-office clash with megastar Amitabh Bachchan-led thriller "Pink".

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Refuting allegations that he had befooled Muslims on the issue of quota, the Uttar Pradesh Parliamentary Affairs Minister on Tuesday said that the Samajwadi Party never promised 18 per cent reservation to them.

"Samajwadi Party never promised 18 per cent reservation to Muslims in its 2012 assembly poll manifesto...Reservation can be given only after amending the Constitution and unless that is carried out, not even 0.8 per cent reservation can be given to the minorities," Khan said in the state Assembly.

He was replying to Leader of Opposition Gaya Charan Dinkar's charges while speaking on admissibility of his adjournment notice on law and order situation.

Saying that Muslims today were more aware and cannot be befooled on such sensitive and emotive issues, Khan said they have become tech-savvy and can also know about the Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) views on the minority community.

"Mayawati created number of districts...Constructed scores of parks and memorials and not one was named after a Muslim, he said, adding, "She herself was not aware of which religion she belongs to."

"Everyone knows how BSP ruled the state three times with the Bharatiya Janata Party, and Mayawati even going to campaign for Narendra Modi in Gujarat," Khan said and recalled that the BSP founder during a Kanpur rally had suggested setting up toilets at the disputed place in Ayodhya to resolve the longstanding dispute.
Looking unperturbed over the Hyderabad court's order seeking fresh investigation into the cash-for-vote case, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today said there was nothing new in it.

"What's new? Nothing. My lawyer will look into it," Chandrababu said here this evening when asked about the court's order.

He did not comment further as he left for Anantapuramu district.

The special court for Anti-Corruption Bureau cases in Hyderabad yesterday ordered a fresh investigation into the over a year old cash-for-vote case in response to a petition filed by YSR Congress MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy.

The case had created enough political shocks for the Telugu Desam Party in Telangana last year with Naidu accusing the TRS Government of illegally tapping phones.

In May 2015, nominated MLA in Telangana Assembly Elvis Stephenson lodged a complaint alleging that he was offered Rs 5 crore by TDP MLA Revanth Reddy to vote for TDP nominee in the election to the Telangana Legislative Council on June 1.

On May 31, ACB arrested Revanth Reddy, Bishop Sebastian Harry and Rudra Udaya Simha when they were allegedly handing over an advance sum of Rs 50 lakh to Stephenson.

A charge-sheet filed by the ACB on July 28 last year mentioned TDP chief Naidu's name, but not as an accused.

An audio tape of Naidu's purported conversation with Stephenson over phone on May 30, a day before the ACB arrested Revanth, found its way to the media. Ramakrishna Reddy has submitted to the court a forensic lab report "confirming" that the voice in the tape was that of Chandrababu Naidu.

The court has sought investigation report by September 29.

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A notification for setting up a three-member Waqf Tribunal would be issued as soon as the name of its third member is finalised, AAP government told Delhi High Court today.

The government informed a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal that names of two members of the Tribunal have already been finalised and the process of nominating the third member was going on.

It said that Mukesh Kumar, an officer of the Delhi Higher Judicial Services, and Rajeev Shukla, dditional District Magistrate in Delhi government, have been nominated as members of the Tribunal.

"For nomination of third member of the Waqf Tribunal, a person having knowledge of Muslim law and jurisprudence, the file has been submitted to government for seeking approval..," it said.

"The notification of constitution of three member Waqf Tribunal shall be issued by the revenue department, Government of NCT of Delhi, soon after the finalisation of third member as stated above without any further delay," the AAP government said in its short affidavit filed in the court.

The court is hearing a petition seeking direction to Delhi government to set up the Tribunal and frame the rules in this regard so as to make the new Waqf Act 1995 operational.

The court had earlier sought Delhi government's response on a plea filed by advocate Shahid Ali which has also sought a direction to enforce eviction orders regarding 990 Waqf properties in the national capital. The orders passed have been awaiting enforcement for several years.

Ali had claimed in his plea that he has written a number of times to Chief Minister and petitioned him for establishing the Tribunal, but no action has so far been taken.

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US President Barack Obama will embark on his last Asia trip later this week which would focus on key issues of climate change, global economy and those concerning Asia Pacific region, a top offiical has said.

Obama will leave for a week-long trip to Asia - his 10th to the Asia Pacific region - that would take him to China and Laos. He would be the first US president to visit Laos.

In China, Obama would be attending the G-20 Summit, scheduled for September 4, which among others would be attended by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Obama and Modi are likely to meet on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit, but no announcement has been made yet. Obama would meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on September 3.

"We'll be reviewing all of the issues that have been front and centre in the US-China relationship for the last seven and a half years.

"On the positive side, we'll be able to review the progress we've made on the global economy, on climate change, our shared efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons through the Iran deal, our shared concern about the situation on the Korean Peninsula," said Ben Rhodes, the Deputy National Security Advisor.

They would also be addressing differences, in the area of cyber, some of the economic practices, tensions around maritime issues in the South China Sea and, differences on human rights as well.

"But, again, I think this is going to be the last occasion of this sort for the President to spend several hours with his Chinese counterpart and to review the state of US- China relations and to try to see where we can make progress, and working together on areas of common interest or bridging some of the differences that have been characteristic of the relationship," he said.

After attending the G-20 Summit, Obama will fly to Laos, where he will attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summit and will have bilateral meetings with the Laos leadership.

In a speech in Laos, Obama is expected to review his Asia policy over the course of the last seven years.

"He will talk about how far we've come in shaping an architecture in the Asia Pacific for the US to lead and to be at the table in forums like ASEAN and the East Asia Summit.

"He will speak to the fact that we've significantly upgraded our commercial and economic diplomacy in the region, our security presence in the partnerships that we're building, both with allies but also with emerging partners on issues like maritime security and disaster response," Rhodes said.

The US President will also make a strong pitch for TPP



and why it is essential to American economic and security interests for Congress to move forward with approval of TPP.

Senior presidential advisor Brian Deese said US has now developed quite a significant record of working collaboratively with the Chinese on climate change.

"The Paris agreement to formally enter into force, 55 countries representing 55 per cent of global emissions must formally join. Together, the US and China represent just under 40 per cent of global emissions. So the act of our two countries joining, as and when that happens, will help move us closer to that goal," he said.

The Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics Wally Adeyemo Obama's final G-20 Summit will provide an opportunity for leaders to continue addressing how to boost global growth while they also ensure that the benefits of globalisation, digitisation, integration are shared more broadly.

"On this year's agenda will be important issues such as reducing global excess capacity of steel, advancing the WTO Environmental Goods Agreement that eliminates trade barriers for a variety of green products, better preparing the international financial institutions to address the challenges associated with the global migration crisis, and advancing our shared climate and development agenda," he said.

This year's G20 Leader's Summit will provide a chance to affirm the G20's commitments to upholding high standards, protecting workers, ensuring a level playing field, and expanding opportunity, Adeyemo said.

"In addition to the summit, top of mind for many of the countries sitting there will be TPP, which we see as essential to both our economic opportunity in our country but also to our national security priorities.

A number of G20 countries are members of TPP and this will provide the President an opportunity to see them and to discuss how we advance that shared agenda of creating a rules-based order in the Asia Pacific that provides real opportunities to level the playing field for our workers and our firms. We look forward to a successful summit," he said.
for the recently concluded 'National Workshop on Road safety'. This first-of-its-kind event was hosted by the State Government in coordination with the World Bank and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (Government of India) on August 19th and 20th in the city. The two-day workshop which was inaugurated by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu witnessed eminent speakers from across the world speaking on road safety related issues. Shri Nitin Gadkari, Hon'ble Union Minister, Road Transport & Highways, Shipping; Shri Sanjay Mitra, Secretary, Road Transport & Highways, GoI; Shri Sidda Raghava Rao, Minister - Road Transport, AP and Shri Younis Khan, Minister Road Transport Rajasthan & Chairman - Group of Ministers working on Road Safety Program also attended the event. The team from World Bank and the representatives of US, Australia and New Zealand Police were also present at the workshop.

Speaking on the partnership, Ravi Teja, Business Head - South, Ola said, "As India's leading mobility platform, we have always attached great importance to road safety, through regular training for our driver partners and on-ground initiatives aimed at creating public awareness. During the event, Hon'ble Union Minister, Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Shri Nitin Gadkari announced that his ministry would be setting up driving training centres across India.

Ola will extend full support to the government in every aspect of this skill development program." He further added, "We are honoured to be working with the Govt. Of Andhra Pradesh and be a part of this progressive initiative that addresses road safety at a national level. As part of our MoU with state Govt., we will continue to support the government in such initiatives while strengthening the existing transportation system in the state.

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A total of 34,651 rape cases have been reported across the country in 2015 with Madhya Pradesh and Delhi topping the infamous list of states and union territories (UTs), respectively.

Among these, in 33,098 cases the offenders were known to the victims, according to the Crime Records Bureau data released on Tuiesday.

The rape victims were among the age group of below six years to over 60 years.

Madhya Pradesh has reported 4,391 rape cases, a highest among the states. Whereas, the capital has reported 2,199 such cases  highest among the UTs.

Nearly 3.27 lakh cases of crimes against women were reported across the country. Of these over 1.3 lakh were sexual offences  1.2 lakh in states and 9,445 in union territories. The sexual offences cases included rape, attempt to commit rape, assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty and insult to modesty of women.

Among the rape cases, Maharashtra reported 4,144 such incidents. A total of 3,644 and 3,025 rapes were reported in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, the data said.

As many as 2,251 rape cases were reported in Odisha, 1,733 in Assam, 1,560 in Chhattisgarh, 1,256 in Kerala, 1,129 in West Bengal, 1,070 in Haryana and 1,041 in Bihar, it said.

Among the UTs, 72 rape cases were reported in Chandigarh, 36 in Andaman and Nicobar Island, eight in Dadar and Nagar Haveli, five in Daman and Diu and three in Puducherry. No such crime was reported in Lakshawdeep.

Of the total sexual offences against women, Maharashtra reported a highest of 16,989 cases, 12,887 in Madhya Pradesh and 11,343 in Uttar Pradesh. As many as 9,359 such offences were reported in Odisha, 8,873 in Rajasthan, 8,274 in West Bengal, 8,049 in Andhra Pradesh and 6,044 in Telangana. Chhattisgarh reported 3,500 such cases, 1,743 in Gujarat, 1,738 in Bihar and 270 in Goa.

Among the north eastern states, Assam reported a highest of 6,636 sexual offences against women, followed by 609 in Tripura, 231 such cases in Meghalaya, 186 in Arunachal Pradesh, 141 in Mizoram, 133 in Manipur, 53 in Nagaland and 29 in Sikkim.

Punjab has reported 2,164 cases, 1,633 in Tamil Nadu, 737 in Himachal Pradesh and 623 in Uttarakhand.

Among the UTs, Delhi has reported 9,104 sexual offences against women, followed by 164 in Chandigarh, 98 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 47 in Puducherry, 13 in Dadar and Nagar Haveli, 12 in Daman and Diu and seven in Lakshawdeep, the data said.

In the category of states that reported criminal cases against women, a total of 35,527 were in Uttar Pradesh, 33,218 in West Bengal, 31,126 in Maharashtra, 28,165 in Rajasthan, 24,135 in Madhya Pradesh, 23,258 in Assam and 15,931 in Andhra Pradesh, it said.

Among the UTs, a total of 17,845 cases of crime against women were registered. Of these, 17,104 were in Delhi alone, 463 in Chandigarh, 136 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 80 in Puducherry, 28 in Daman and Diu, 25 in Dadar and Nagar Haveli, and nine in Lakshawdeep.

A total of 3,37,922 cases of crime against women were reported in 2014.
Trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been badly hit due to the closure of Chaman border point in the restive Balochistan province for the past 13 days after a group of Afghans held anti-Pakistan protests.

Dar Khan Achakzai, former chairman of the Chaman Chamber of Commerce, said the daily transit of 500 to 600 vehicles carrying perishable goods have been put on hold.

"A lot of cottage industry goods from Gujranwala and Wazirabad in Punjab and other items go daily to Afghanistan," he said.

"The closure of the border gate has badly affected business between the two countries," Achakzai said.

The border trade point was shut by Pakistani authorities after some Afghan nationals burnt the Pakistani flag and pelted stones at security personnel from across the border to express their anger over protest rallies held in Balochistan's tribal areas against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his supportive words to Balochs in his Independence Day address.

A security source said Southern Commander, Brigadier Arshad, has visited Chaman and four flag meetings have been held between the border forces of the two countries.

"The Afghan authorities have conceded that some anti-Pakistan elements had instigated the trouble at the border gate 13 days back and they were being rounded up. There is hope the gate will be reopened in two or three days time," the source said.

Achakzai said up to 10,000 skilled workers, labourers and traders cross over to Afghanistan for trade and work.

"They go early morning work there and return by sunset. Similarly 4,000 to 5,000 Afghans also cross into Pakistan on daily basis for trade and work," he said.

Achakzai said Pakistan's exports to Afghanistan has already dropped by 30 per cent from 300 crore rupees to 180 crore rupees in the past over an year.

They are only two transit routes between the two countries - the Chaman border and Torkham border - and both mostly "remain busy with business," he said.

Another businessman from Quetta said Pakistani traders have suffered the most since they invested heavily in the perishable industry in Afghanistan.

"Pakistani traders provide the investment for growth of fruits and vegetables in Afghanistan which are then imported into Pakistan and sold in the market or exported abroad," he said.

Pakistan had closed the Torkham border crossing in the north-west in June after deadly clashes with Afghan forces. It was later reopened after talks between high officials of the two countries.
Pakistan has sent a formal reference to the British government against self-exiled Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain for inciting violence in Karachi last week, interior ministry said today.

An official of the interior ministry said the reference was sent by the ministry.

The official said that the detailed reference includes evidences that Hussain had given hate speeches against Pakistan and some media houses and incited his party workers to resort to violence and anarchy.

He said Hussain had as such violated Pakistani laws as well as British and international laws.

The ministry in the reference wants the British government to take action against those who are inciting people to violence in Karachi and creating a law and order situation, he said.

The reference pertains to the speech made by Hussain at a hunger strike camp set up outside the Karachi Press Club on August 22 where he made anti-Pakistan comments and urged workers to go to some media offices and teach them a lesson.

His remarks led to violence and one person was killed and several others injured in the Saddar area where offices of a large media house is located.

DG Rangers Maj Gen Bilal Akbar claimed that MQM unit and sector workers were involved in attack on media house.

The attack was facilitated by MQM Labour Division, he said, adding that it was a pre-planned act.

Since the incident, the paramilitary rangers and police have launched a crackdown on the MQM and razed dozens of its sector and unit offices and sealed hundreds more including the MQM headquarters 90 near Aisha Manzil.

Senior MQM leaders have distanced themselves from Hussain's remarks and the central leadership which ran party affairs from London where the MQM chief is in self exile since 1993.

The MQM emerged as a largely ethnic party in the 1980s. It has political dominance in the southern Sindh province's urban areas - notably in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Sukkur where a large number of urdu-speaking people reside.

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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."
Pakistan today strongly condemned the suicide car bomb attack at the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan as a "cowardly terrorist" attack.

Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement that "Pakistan condemns in strongest terms, the cowardly terrorist attack."



"We stand in solidarity with People's Republic of China at this difficult time...We express our solidarity with (them)," it said.

It also expressed sympathies for the Kyrgyz republic whose nationals were injured in the brutal terrorist attack.

At least three people were today injured after a van driven by a suicide bomber exploded after ramming through a gate at the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan - the first-of-its- kind attack on a Chinese diplomatic mission.

China's foreign ministry has condemned the attack as an "extreme and violent act" but refused to classify it as terrorism.

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Members of Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) were today detained after they raised slogans during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally here, besides rounding up of around 25 activists of the outfit by the police ahead of the programme from nearby areas.

When the Prime Minister was addressing the rally after inaggurating the SAUNI irrigation project, around three youth associated with the Patel outfit shouted slogans "Jay Sardar, Jay Patidar".

They were detained and whisked away by the police from the venue where the Prime Minister addressed a big gathering.

"We have detained three people from the venue. They were trying to raise slogans," Jamangar district SP Pradeep Sejul said.

Modi, however, continued with his speech despite the slogan shouting.

Ahead of the inauguration of SAUNI project, more than 25 PAAS members were detained from different parts of Rajkot and Jamnagar districts earlier to prevent any trouble at the event.

Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PPAS), which has been spearheading a stir for over an year demanding OBC quota for Patel community, said in a statement that it has been successful in its mission of raising their voice in front of the Prime Minister.

"The first slogan was shouted by Milan Patel and then others followed," it said.

The PAAS members as well as local conveners were detained by Paddhari and Gandhigram police of Rajkot while several others were detained by Dhrol taluka police of Jamnagar district.

"We detained at least five PAAS members this morning as they were heading towards Sanosara to stage demonstrations. We also learnt that some others have been detained by officials from other police stations of Rajkot and Jamangar this morning," said Sub Inspector of Paddhari police station of Rajkot.

Yesterday, PAAS had threatened that it would stage a protest against Modi during his visit to the state if the members were not granted permission to hand over a memorandum of their demands to the PM at the venue.

According to PAAS spokesperson Brijesh Patel, all the key PAAS conveners have been detained by police ahead of the event.

"Those who have been detained include Rajkot district convener Dilip Savaliya, Rajkot city convener Hemang Patel, co-convener of Morbi Manoj Kalariya and several others. We condemn such police action against us," he said, adding that other members would try to stage protests in absence of their senior fellows.

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BJP on Tuesday questioned the long absence of election strategist Prashant Kishor, who was assigned by the Bihar government to prepare the state's vision document, and sought his removal from the post of CM's advisor on policy and programme implementation.

BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters that Kishor has left the work of preparing 'Bihar @ 2025 vision document' for which the Bihar government paid Rs 9.31 crore to his 'Citizen Alliance Pvt Ltd'.

He said Kishor has been devoting time on drawing election strategy for Congress in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

"After getting Rs 9.31 crore for preparing vision document for the state, Kishor neither prepared the document nor discharged his duty as CM's advisor," Modi said while questioning his continuance in the post of advisor.

"Kishor should resign from the post of CM's advisor or the CM should dismiss him from the key job," Modi said, adding Chief Minister Nitish Kumar should tell the people as what suggestions he had given for the development of the state in past eight months.

Kishor, who is also the member of Bihar Vikas Mission in the capacity of CM's advisor, had not attended the meeting of the mission on May 31.

He has been to Bihar barely once or twice after being appointed as CM's advisor in January this year.

Kishor had planned the election strategy for Nitish Kumar in Bihar Assembly elections of 2015. The Nitish Kumar government appointed him as CM's advisor and gave him the job of preparing vision document for Bihar's long term development.

Kishor, who had hit the limelight by planning election strategy for Narendra Modi in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, has been engaged by Congress for the coming elections in UP and Punjab next year.

Had the state got the vision document prepared, it would have become quite easier for the government to prepare the 15 years of vision document as mandated by NITI Aayog, Modi said.

Apart from preparing the 15 year vision document, NITI Aayog has asked state governments to also prepare seven years 'strategic plan' and three years of 'action plan', he added.
A priest was today arrested for allegedly desecrating a holy book of Sikhs in Badesh Kalan village here.

Jasvir Singh, serving as 'granthi' at a gurudwara in Manala village, was arrested and police recovered the holy book, eight pages of which were found torn, they said.

During interrogation, he told police that he committed the offence as he wanted to appoint his son as 'granthi' of a gurudwara in Badesh Kalan.

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Many Bollywood films might have run into trouble with the censors lately, but producer Mukesh Bhatt is elated that his upcoming movie "Raaz Reboot" has been spared by the board with no cuts.

The film, starring Emraan Hashmi in the lead role, is the fourth film in the horror film franchise "Raaz".

Mukesh says the film has been given an 'A' (adult) certificate, which it deserves.

"The good is that the film has been censored and passed with an A certificate obviously, without any cuts.

"The intent of the filmmaker was not to titillate you. It is a film made with a very good intent. That was communicated to each and every member (of the board)," Bhatt told reporters here, last evening.

The fourth instalment of "Raaz" has been helmed by Vikram Bhatt who previously directed "Raaz 3D" and the first part, starring Bipasha Basu, in 2002.

Mukesh says he was surprised when one of the female members of the censor board praised the movie despite it being an adult film.

"I was very happy to hear the comment of one of the lady members who said, 'You all made a beautiful film.' That made my day. Coming from a lady, for an adult film, these kind of words really touched my heart."



While Vikram is also happy with CBFC's decision, he revealed often it is the distributor's demand to get an 'A' certificate for the movies.

"Once a distributor told me, 'Don't go for U/A because people will think if it is U/A then there will be nothing in the film. Even if there is nothing, just take an 'A'," the "Love Games" helmer said.

Also starring Gaurav Arora and South star Kriti Kharbanda, "Raaz Reboot" is set to release on September 16.

Censor board has faced a lot of controversy in the recent past for suggesting arbitrary cuts to movies.

Films like "Udta Punjab", "Aligarh", "Jai Gangaajal", "Angry Indian Godesses" have had a run in with the board and its chief Pahlaj Nihalani.

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The Reserve Bank has allowed foreign investors to invest up to 30 per cent in Birla group Ultra Tech Cement.

"Foreign institutional investors (FIIs)/registered foreign portfolios investors (RFPIs) can now invest up to 30 per cent of the paid-up capital of Ultra Tech Cement under the portfolio investment scheme (PIS)," RBI said in a release.

The company passed resolutions at its board of directors level and a special resolution by the shareholders, agreeing to raising the limit for purchase of its equity shares by FIIs/RFPIs.

As per information available on BSE, foreign portfolio investors held 19.64 per cent in the company as on June 2016.

FIIs, NRIs and PIOs (persons of Indian origin) can invest in primary and secondary capital markets in India through PIS.

RBI monitors the ceilings on FII/NRI/PIO investments in Indian companies on a daily basis and has fixed the cut-off points two percentage points lower than the actual ceiling.

Ultra Tech Cement share closed 2.67 per cent higher at Rs 3,888.65 on BSE.

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Reserve Bank has processed requests of applicants who had applied to operate as a Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU).

"The applications received from banks and non-banks for authorisation to operate as a BBPOU have been processed," RBI said in a release.

Decisions on approval or grant of extension of time till December 31, 2016, for achievement of networth or return of the application, as applicable, have been communicated to these entities, RBI said.

The non-bank entities whose applications were returned for want of one year domain experience at the time of applying, can seek extension of time up to December 31, 2016 for meeting the eligibility criteria given that they had commenced billing business at the time of making application.

Entities undertaking the business of billing under the current scope of Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) would be required to become an agent of an authorised BBPOUs, RBI said.

"Those entities that fail to comply with the above requirements will become liable for action under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007."



RBI said, after operationalisation of BBPS and based on the experience gained, it will review the need for fresh applications for authorisation to operate as a BBPOU.

It will also consider expanding the scope of domain experience for eligibility purposes and type of bill payments covered.

BBPS will function as a tiered structure for operating the bill payment system in the country with a single brand image providing convenience of "anytime anywhere" bill payment to customers.

It will consist of - Bharat Bill Payment Central Unit (BBPCU) which will be the single authorised entity operating the BBPS and BBPOUs which will be the authorised operational units, working in adherence to the standards set by the BBPCU.

Bill payment is a major component of the retail payment transactions. According to an RBI estimate, over 30,800 million bills amounting to Rs 6.22 lakh crore are generated each year in the top 20 cities in the country.

A bulk of payments are through cash or cheque, however, as per RBI the existing system despite being safe and robust do not fully address the needs of consumers to pay variety of bills including utility bills, school/university fee, municipal taxes, due to lack of interoperability in bill payment processes and also lack of access to various modes of electronic payments by a vast majority of customers.

"There is, therefore, a need for an integrated bill payment system in the country that offers interoperable and accessible bill payment services to customers through a network of agents," RBI had said in 2014.

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De novo (afresh) hearing of a case already decided by a larger bench of the Supreme Court would amount to an intra-court appeal which is "permissible" neither under the Constitution nor any existing law, a two-judge bench has ruled.

A seemingly peculiar situation has emerged by virtue of a clarificatory order passed by a division bench of Justices J Chelameswar and A M Sapre in a case related to the Vyapam scam.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice J S Khehar had sought a clarification as to whether it can hear the entire matter afresh or confine itself to the quantum of sentence to be awarded to 634 medical students who were found guilty of having adopted unfair means while taking the entrance test conducted by Vyavsaik Pariksha Mandal (Vyapam).

"We completely fail to understand the reference made to Article 145(5) of the Constitution in the Order dated July 28, 2016.

"We are of the opinion that neither the Constitution of India nor any other law of this country provides an intra-court appeal insofar as the Supreme Court is concerned. A re-hearing of the entire matter as apparently suggested to the larger Bench, in our opinion, would amount to an intra-court appeal," the two-judge bench clarified.

Seeking clarification, the three judge bench had earlier said, "We are of the view that the instant issue can be resolved by referring the matter back to the bench for a clarification of the order dated May 12, 2016, whether the reference required re-hearing of the entire matter, and if not, the limited issue referred for consideration."



The two judge bench had found 634 medical students guilty of adopting unfair means in their entrance tests but had differed on quantum of sentence, leading the matter to be referred to a larger bench by Chief Justice T S Thakur.

Responding to the order of the three judge bench which also comprises Justices Kurian Joseph and Arun Mishra, the two-judge bench said, "If the larger Bench of this court wishes to create such an intra-court appeal, we obviously are powerless to stop it. We can only record our understanding of the law on the question...".

The two-judge bench had on August 24 reserved its order in view of clarification sought by the larger bench.

Earlier, Justice Chelameswar, who headed the two-judge bench had on May 12 wanted the students to serve as doctors for five years in the army before being granted licence to practise as doctors, Justice Sapre had ordered them to take the entrance test afresh.

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A South African school was ordered today to suspend allegedly racist hairstyle regulations after black pupils said they had been called monkeys by teachers for wearing banned 'afros'.

Local education authorities in Gauteng province gave Pretoria High School for Girls 21 days to re-assess its rules after protests by students triggered a public dispute over alleged racism.

The prestigious school in the capital Pretoria was historically attended by whites only but admitted black children following the end of apartheid in 1994.

Some pupils said they were forced to chemically straighten their hair and not wear afro hairstyles that were deemed untidy.

After visiting the school on Monday for talks with senior staff and students, provincial education minister Panyaza Lesufi said a probe into the allegations would be launched.

"Learners feel that they are not allowed to wear Black hairstyles, such as Afro. Specifically, the school policy limits the length of the hairstyle," the ministry said in a statement.

"Some educators tell them they look like monkeys, or have nests on their heads."



Over the weekend, defiant black students with afro hairstyles and braids held a protest at the school against the long-standing regulations.

Politicians quickly weighed in, with the two largest opposition parties criticising the prestigious school.

The ministry statement said "the code of conduct... Must be reviewed and the clause dealing with hairstyles should be suspended in the meantime."



It also accused the school of a heavy-handed response for calling in police and armed security guards to deal with protests.

Other allegations raised by students during Monday's talks included that they were banned from speaking ethnic languages on school premises and suffered discrimination from white teachers and pupils.

South Africa is still grappling with racial issues 22 years after the end of white-minority rule, with bitter race rows erupting regularly in politics and on social media.

Student activism played a central role in the fight against apartheid, with the massacre of pupils by white police officers in 1976 seen as a key date in the country's tumultuous history.

The students had gathered in Soweto township to demonstrate against an order that all schools could only teach in the Afrikaans language used by whites.

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Sanjhouli in Bihar's Rohtas district, which hit headlines in July after a woman there mortgaged her 'magalsutra' to fetch money for construction of a toilet at home, today became the first Open Defecation-Free (ODF) block in the state under Swachh Bharat Mission.

"The community of the block declared their ODF status today (30 August 2016) in a function. This is the first ODF block of Bihar under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin)," a statement from UNICEF which provided technical support said here.

The mortgage incident had taken place at Barahkhanna village in the block following which a district wide campaign, 'Mission Pratistha', was launched to make Rohtas ODF in a time bound manner, under the leadership of District Magistrate Animesh Parasher.

State Rural Development Department is implementing the mission in Bihar, the statement said.

In the first phase, Sanjhouli was taken as a pilot to understand the community process by involving all the stakeholders at all levels.

The action plan for making Sanjhouli ODF was prepared just after the completion of training on Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), supported by UNICEF, on July 6.

The highlight of the action plan was the deputation of one District Officer as a nodal person to support the community motivators during the community facilitation process, the UNICEF statement said.

In only 55 days, all the 6 gram panchayats of the block become ODF and almost 6,000 families constructed toilet in their houses.

UNICEF has provided technical support during the conceptualisation to the actual implementation and finally making the block ODF in terms of capacity building, process formulation, communication materials and monitoring of the activity.

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The Supreme Court today dismissed a plea of Ashiq Hussain Faktoo, Kashmiri separatist leader and a former member of terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, seeking a review of its verdict awarding life imprisonment to him for killing human rights activist H N Wanchoo.

Faktoo, who is in jail since 1993, is the husband of Asiya Andrabi, also a separatist leader and chairperson of Islamist organisation Dukhtaran-e-Millat.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi, which treated the writ petition of Faktoo as a review plea, said the "comprehension" of the accused that the earlier judgement was "erroneous" would not enable the court to "reopen" the entire case.

The bench, also comprising Justices P C Pant and A M Khanwilkar, said the open court hearing of the review petitions is available as a matter of right "only in death sentence cases".

"The present writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution of India by no stretch of reasoning would fit into any of the permissible categories of post conviction exercises permissible in law as laid down by this court.

"The doctrine of ex debito justitiae (as of right) being circumscribed by the judgment of this court in Rupa Ashok Hurra ...It is for the petitioner to exhaust the said remedy, if is he so inclined and so advised. Merely because in the comprehension of the writ petitioner the judgment of this court is erroneous would not enable the court to reopen the issue in departure to the established and settled norms and parameters of the extent of permissible exercise of jurisdiction as well as the procedural law governing such exercise.

"We, therefore, hold that the present writ petition is not maintainable and is accordingly dismissed subject to the observations as above," the bench said.

Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani, appearing for Faktoo, had assailed 2003 ruling of the apex court, convicting the separatist leader, on the ground that his confession recorded under the TADA was not admissible as evidence on grounds including that it had not been corroborated.

In its verdict the court referred to a Constitution Bench



judgment in the Rupa Ashok Hurra case in which the legal doctrine of 'ex debito justitiae' had been dealt with.

It said that if a judgement is such that it has the effect of "eroding the public confidence in the justice delivery system", the apex court can revisit the entire case to set the things right.

"We are of the view that on the strength of the Constitution Bench judgment in Rupa Ashok Hurra case the present writ petition would not be maintainable. It would also not be maintainable as a review petition inasmuch as review petition filed by the writ petitioner has been dismissed by this court on 2nd September, 2003.

"Open court hearing of review petitions in terms of the judgment of this court in Mohd. Arif alias Ashfaq (supra) is available as of right only in death sentence cases," it said.

"...The doctrine of ex debito justitiae would prevail over procedural law but would be applicable only in a situation where the order of this court had been passed without notice or where the order has the effect of eroding the public confidence in the justice delivery system," it said.
India and the US today discussed terrorism emanating from Pakistan and other issues of strategic importance as well as of commercial interest with New Delhi asserting that there was a "scope to do a lot more" in the area of counter-terrorism.

During the 2nd Indo-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD), co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman along with US Secretary of State John Kerry and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker here, the two sides also discussed ways to enhance cooperation in key areas of energy and trade and business.

The co-chairs were accompanied by high-level inter-agency delegations.

In her initial remarks, Swaraj stressed on the need to enhance cooperation in counter-terrorism, saying "there is a scope to do a lot more."



Apart from bilateral issues, substantive discussions were held on important regional and global developments including the security situation.

She also stressed on the need to take care of "aspirations and interests" of companies while enhancing bilateral commercial ties.

On his part, Kerry noted that the two countries have deepened their cooperation in defence, energy and cyber security.

The US was looking forward to finalise a cyber framework that will help the two countries protect from new global cyber threats, he said.

He further said the US would want its civil nuclear cooperation with India to take shape in setting up of reactors that deliver reliable electricity to Indian households.

On the commercial front, ease of doing business and visa regimes were among other aspects of trade ties taken up.

The two-way trade between the countries stood at about USD 109 billion last year.

Swaraj said in view of the rapidly evolving regional and



global situation, India looks forward to resuming the meeting of the Trilateral with Afghanistan; consultations on Africa and on multilateral issues within this year.

Asserting that India's enhanced global role was in mutual interest, she said, "It is in this context, we look forward to continue working closely with the US to secure our membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group and permanent membership of the UN Security Council."



She also pitched for expansion of defence cooperation to the next stage of co-production and co-development.

"For this, we need to define the benefits associated with India's designation as a 'Major Defence Partner' of the US during Prime Minister's visit in June. This would spur defence industry collaboration between India and the US and help India play the desired role as a net provider of security in the region," Swaraj added.

She also said the two sides have been able to conclude a Framework for the India-US Cyber Relationship, the first of its kind both for India and the US, with any other country.

She also pitched for a "just and non-discriminatory solution" to the issue of totalisation and recent fee hike for H1B and L1 visa that has "affected our people-to-people exchanges, which was a vital source of strength for our relationship".

Asserting that India attaches high importance to the Dialogue, Swaraj said it develops greater synergy and coherence in the engagements across the spectrum.

Reiterating India's commitment for implementation of the Paris Agreement, she said the government was taking steps domestically to compress the timeline for our ratification of the Agreement.

"We hope that the next US Administration will continue to support the Paris Agreement with the same seriousness and purpose as you have done, and that the goal of mobilising USD 100 billion per year from developed countries, will be met with firm support from the US government," she said.

Swaraj also talked about the need to step up collaboration in the area of clean energy that will make it viable for us to make quantum transition to renewable energy away from fossil fuel, and achieve our ambitious climate goals.

(Reopens DEL 31)



Swaraj said India and the US have decided to explore



scaling up of funds for the bilateral Indo-US Science & Technology Forum (IUSSTF) and in this regard US support in early conclusion of Engineers and Scientists Exchange Programme (ESEP) Agreement was desired.

Observing that science and technology cooperation has created exciting opportunities, she said the Joint Commission Meeting next month will allow the ministers of India and the US to discuss them in more detail.

India will take part in the Arctic Science Ministerial being hosted by the White House as well as in Our Ocean Conference that was being hosted next month, she added.

"I would also urge the United States to join the International Solar Alliance as an active member, which will be critical to its success," Swaraj said.

She also said India would like to develop cooperation in the area of traditional medicine.

Underlining that more opportunities were opening after the additional reforms undertaken by the government recently, Swaraj said, "As India unveils transformative economic programmes at home -- be it Smart cities, Make in India, Digital India or renewable energy -- the potential for doing business has never looked more appealing. We see the US as an indispensable partner in achieving these goals."



She also pitched for a strategic direction and enhanced oversight on the economic and commercial engagement to make sure aspirations and interests of our businesses get high- level attention; to guarantee that our commercial relations do not remain transactional and to foster better appreciation for the strategic priorities of our economic policies.

"It is with that vision that I hope that you will treat the issue of India's membership of the APEC Forum positively. This has as much strategic significance as it has commercial potential," Swaraj said.
Marking its journey of 50 years in India, the postal department today released a special cover for a global charity which has conducted five million eye surgeries to cure blindness and restore eyesight in the country over this period.

Sightsavers is a UK-based international charity which fights avoidable blindness and promotes equal opportunities for visually-impaired people.

The special cover was released at the Golden Jubilee Function of the NGO held at the India International Centre here.

"It was only because of its advocacy that India became first ever country to have the National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB)," Secretary of Ministry of Tribal Affairs Shyam S Agarwal said.

"The organisation, among other places is present in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Odisha, part of Jharkhand which are largely tribal areas.

"Tribes in India are centred in two parts, one north-east and the other central. Central (India) constitutes about 60 to 70 per cent of the tribal population. The works of Sightsaver has benefited the tribal section of the society most," he said.

On behalf of Jual Oram, the Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, who could not attend the function, Agarwal said the ministry of tribal affairs promotes alliance with NGOs for the benefits of the tribals.

Started by John Wilson, it came to India in 1966. The organisation is present in several states serving around 100 districts in the country. It has conducted five million surgeries to cure blindness in the country, according to Sightsavers.

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Head of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham Sri Sri Swami on Tuesday was admitted to a private hospital here after he complained of breathing problem.

His condition is stated to be stable now.

The seer has been camping in Vijayawada for the past few days overseeing the 'Chaturmasya Deeksha', a four month religious ritual.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu spoke to the Peetham people over phone and enquired about the seer's health.

He directed the Krishna district Collector to ensure better medicare to the veteran seer.
Stopping exercise for just 10 days can lead to significant decrease in blood flow to several regions of the brain, including the hippocampus which plays an important role in learning and memory, a new study has found.

The study led by researchers at University of Maryland School of Public Health in the US examined cerebral blood flow in healthy, physically fit older adults (ages 50-80 years) before and after a 10-day period during which they stopped all exercise.

Using Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)brain imaging techniques, they found a significant decrease in blood flow to several brain regions, including the hippocampus, after they stopped their exercise routines.

"We know that the hippocampus plays an important role in learning and memory and is one of the first brain regions to shrink in people with Alzheimer's disease," said Dr J Carson Smith, lead author of the study.

"In rodents, the hippocampus responds to exercise training by increasing the growth of new blood vessels and new neurons, and in older people, exercise can help protect the hippocampus from shrinking," said Smith.

"So, it is significant that people who stopped exercising for only 10 days showed a decrease in brain blood flow in brain regions that are important for maintaining brain health," said Smith.

The participants were all "master athletes," defined as people between the ages of 50 and 80 (average age was 61) who had at least 15 years history of participating in endurance exercise and had recently competed in an endurance event.

Their exercise regimens must have entailed at least four hours of high intensity endurance training each week.

On average, they were running 59 kilometres each week. This group had a maximal oxygen uptake (V02 max) above 90 per cent for their age.

This measure of the maximal rate of oxygen consumption of an individual reflects their aerobic physical fitness.

Smith and colleagues measured the velocity of blood flow in brain with an MRI scan while they were still following their regular training routine (at peak fitness) and again after 10 days of no exercise.

They found that resting cerebral blood flow significantly decreased in eight brain regions, including the the left and right hippocampus and several regions known to be part of the brain's "default mode network" - a neural network known to deteriorate quickly with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

"We know that if you are less physically active, you are more likely to have cognitive problems and dementia as you age," said Smith.

"However, we did not find any evidence that cognitive abilities worsened after stopping exercising for just 10 days.

"But the take home message is simple - if you do stop exercising for 10 days, just as you will quickly lose your cardiovascular fitness, you will also experience a decrease in blood brain flow," he said.

The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Ageing Neuroscience.

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Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today hit back at Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on the issue of its funding, saying his allegations were "baseless" and it was open to a probe.

"We (AAP) urge Prime Minister (Narendra Modi), Home Minister (Rajnath Singh) and Sukhbir Singh Badal (who also holds portfolio of state's home affairs) to get the issue of funding to AAP probed by any agency," Punjab's AAP political affairs in-charge Sanjay Singh said here.

"If anything is found against AAP on the funding issue, action must be taken against us, but if nothing is found then Sukhbir should resign," he said, adding, "He appears to be more as a comedy minister then a home minister. He gives baseless statements," Sanjay said.

Sukhbir had recently requested Rajnath 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.

The deputy chief minister, in a letter to Singh, had 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".

"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," Sukhbir had claimed.

Rejecting his claims, Sanjay said AAP is a secular party and "respects all religions".

Launching a frontal attack on Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, he said the latter was "forcing" youths to consume drugs.

"Majithia should be in jail," he demanded.

Sanjay exuded confidence that AAP will win over 100 assembly seats in Punjab out of the total 117.

He rejected claims that "division" is taking place in AAP in Punjab, saying "party is united".

Sanjay said the party had decided not to make any comment on AAP's former Punjab convenor Sucha Singh Chhotepur till the two-member probe panel submit its report on allegations of bribe against the party leader.

On Punjab government's decision to distribute utensils to the poor, AAP's Punjab MP Bhagwant Mann said how come Akali Dal has now realised to do so.

"They (Akali Dal) are talking about distributing utensils, but what about providing food to the poor," he said.

The number of people below poverty line during the Akali regime has increased, he claimed.

"AAP government would restore the old pension scheme for



state government employees," Kejriwal said.

Pointing out that during an interview Amarinder had said he lost 2007 and 2012 Assembly elections as he had not made false promises to people, the AAP leader asked, "Is this the reason why you are making so many promises which you can't fulfill."



Claiming that Navjot Singh Sidhu is the "undeclared chief ministerial candidate" of Congress, Kejriwal said, "Sidhu had refused to join AAP when we denied him the Deputy Chief Minister's post. It is a fact that he had decided to support Congress after he was promised CM's post."



Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi was "annoyed" with Amarinder and would "dump" him after using him for campaigning, Kejriwal claimed.

The AAP national convener also questioned Amarinder for his decision to compete polls against him.

Kejriwal said, "Why he is so keen to contest against me and not against Badals or Majithia. I am not selling drugs, it is Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia who was involved in drug racket.

"We are fighting against the Badal family and Majithia because defeating them is more important so AAP has fielded strong candidates against Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Singh Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia," he said.

Kejriwal alleged that Amarinder used his influence with Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi to save Majithia from CBI in 2013 when he was about to get arrested in a drug case.

"I will advise Amarinder Singh to be loyal to people of Punjab rather than his nephew Bikram Majithia," he said.

Replying to a question, Kejriwal said AAP will give the Chief Minister's to a person who will wake up at 5 in the morning and work till 10 in the night and will be available to public all the time.

"Amarinder Singh didn't meet anybody after 6 PM," the AAP convener said.
BJP MP Subramanian Swamy has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in naming Madurai airport after Tamil freedom fighter Muthuramalinga Thevar.

In a letter to the prime minister, he said it has been a long-standing demand of the people of Tamil Nadu to rename the airport and honour Thevar.

The Rajya Sabha MP said he had requested the Vajpayee government as well as the previous UPA regime to name the airport after the freedom fighter and that both the governments had accepted his proposal.

But, he said, renaming of the airport was not possible as concurrence of the state government was not received.

"Now, I urge you to have your office review the record and direct the renaming of the Madurai Airport as Muthuramalingam Thevar International Airport," Swamy said in his letter.

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is lining up new offerings across segments and is looking at phasing out legacy products as well as some suppliers as it aims to be amongst the country's top three passenger vehicle makers in three years.

The auto major is also working on a study, to phase out some of its models both in the passenger vehicle and commercial vehicle (CV) verticals.

"What we are going to do in the future requires a different approach from what we had in the past. If you see today's product portfolio there is lot of different platforms each car sits on individual platform, this is not a good starting point to create economy of scale in a highly competitive environment," Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Guenter Butschek told reporters in New Delhi.

Therefore, the theme is the company needs to do more on the basis of less, he added.

"I need to focus on less platforms and leverage these platforms with more in order to spread my wings in many segments as possible and at the same time creating a higher degree of leverage and commonality and economies of scale," Butschek said.

When asked if the company would look at phasing out some of its models which are not selling well, he added, "A study has been initiated on review of phasing out of some models ...Holistic view of Tata Motor's state... We are also preparing same kind of review for the CV side for the very simple reason that I want get my agenda right."

On future strategy for the passenger vehicle vertical, he said that the company is going to initiate a plan which is going to be very focused.

While accepting the fact that the company currently is not on the preferred list of customers, he reiterated it is in a transformational phase and has set a target of being amongst the top three Indian passenger vehicle makers by the end of the financial year 2018-19.

He added that the company would launch new products like Kite 5, Hexa and compact SUV Nexon which will get it entry into the fastest growing segment.

When asked by when the company could make a turnaround in passenger vehicle segment, Butschek said, "It will take us a while."

He said the company is also working to make itself better internally too.

"I do belong to school of thought where instead of cleaning doorstep of others I will actually sweep the floor in the front of my own house," Butschek said.

Admitting legacy issues, he said the company is focusing on improving supply chain in in both passenger vehicle and commercial vehicle verticals.

"The biggest challenge is to change supplier base for legacy products...Some of the suppliers will be phased out with the products and probably won't show up in the new supplier base," he said.

He added that the company is going to have significantly less suppliers in the future. The Mumbai-based firm currently has around 1,300 tier one suppliers.

On export markets, he said the company has potential to do well in South America, North Africa, Middle East.
A teacher was today killed inside a government school by some assailants who fired a volley of bullets at him in Meham of Rohtak district, police said.

The incident occurred after the school hours when the children had left, they said.

Some assailants barged in the school and targeted the teacher, said to be in his 40s, who was sitting with some other teachers and preparing to leave the premises, they said.

While the teacher was rushed to hospital in Rohtak where he succumbed, a woman teacher was also injured in the incident and was hospitalised, police said.

Police suspect some old enmity behind the incident.

A case has been registered and further investigations are on.

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The Madras High Court today reserved its order on a petition filed by the mother of Ramkumar, prime accused in the murder of a woman IT employee, seeking a CBI probe in the case.

Alleging tainted investigation by the police into the June 24 murder at a railway station here, petitioner Pushpam had moved the court seeking transfer of the probe to CBI.

The counsel for Pushpam alleged that the police had foisted a false case and were trying to shield someone involved in the murder.

The counsel for government, however, denied the allegations and said the police had based their case on the basis of a detailed and thorough investigation.

The police were ready to submit all material before the court and leave the decision to it, the counsel said.

After hearing both the sides, Justice P N Prakash reserved his order without mentioning any date.

Swathi was murdered on a platform of Nungambakkam suburban railway stationonJune 24. Ramkumar was arrested from his residence in Meenakshipuram in Tirunelveli district onJuly 1 on the charge of murdering her.

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The Telangana Legislature on Tuesday unanimously ratified the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Constitutional Amendment Bill, becoming 12th state to have approved the legislation that will pave the way for roll-out of a single and unified tax system in the country.

Both Houses of the Legislature met for a special one-day session to approve the Constitution (122nd Amendment) (Goods and Services Tax) Bill, passed by the Parliament earlier this month.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, also known as KCR, introduced the resolution seeking the ratification in the Assembly while Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari moved it in the Council.

"I sincerely thank all the members for unanimously passing the resolution to ratify the Amendment Bill," KCR said after the ratification.

He said Telangana Finance Minister Etela Rajendar had conveyed the state government's feelings about the Bill in the meetings convened by the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Earlier before moving the resolution, KCR said the Bill may help Telangana as the empowers states to levy service tax which is currently under the purview of Centre.

According to him, Telangana would largely benefit after the implementation of GST as significant share of its income comes from service sector.

"According to the provisions of the GST Bill, the Centre would fill the gap in revenue, if any, for five years. So there should not be any apprehensions of state losing revenues," the CM said.

Congress member Chinna Reddy said it was the United Progressive Alliance that introduced the in the Parliament and cautioned government on burdening people with tax.

GST aims to do away with multiple-tax regime on goods and services and bring them under one rate. It will alter the present system of production-based taxation to a consumption-based one. The government has set a deadline of April, 2017 for its roll-out.

While manufactured consumer goods will become cheaper as the incidence of excise duty and value added tax will come down from 25-26 per cent at present, the cost of services would by and large, go up from the present 15 per cent levy.

The Constitution Amendment Bill passed by the Parliament needs to be ratified by more than half of the total states before it could be sent for Presidential assent. So far, 12 states have ratified the Bill.
A day after suggesting that people should be allowed to eat meat of bulls and bullocks as a source of protein, union minister Ramdas Athawale today opposed a complete ban on beef saying farmers will suffer.

The Social Justice Minister said it will be economically difficult for farmers to keep cows and bulls which are of no use.

However, he said the cow is an auspicious animal and there could be a temporary ban during auspicious days.

"Cow is auspicious for Hindus and we should respect that...But other animals like bulls and even cows also which are not giving milk, are usually sold by farmers.

"So if there is a complete ban on beef, then farmers cannot sell and it will be economically difficult for them to keep these animals. Therefore, we oppose that," Athawale said here on the sidelines of an event.

He added that there can be a temporary ban for few days as per specific religions.

"We totally oppose complete ban on beef. But, there could be ban for 2-4 days during the auspicious days of some specific religions to take care of their emotions," he added.

Athawale's remarks came in the wake of Delhi BJP MP Udit Raj's comment that Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt went on to win nine Olympic golds despite being born in poverty after his trainer advised him to eat beef twice a day.

Athawale had opposed the Maharashtra government's decision to ban beef last year.

His remarks hold significance as last month self-appointed cow vigilantes had assaulted Dalits who make a living out of skinning dead cows.

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A car driven by a suicide bomber exploded after ramming through a gate at the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan today, wounding three people, authorities said.

"As a result of the explosion, only the suicide bomber terrorist died. Security guards were injured," Kyrgyzstan's Deputy Prime Minister Jenish Razakov told journalists.

Razakov said the three wounded were all Kyrgyz employees of the Chinese embassy and that they had been taken to hospital. Local medics said their injuries were not serious.

Bishkek police sources told AFP that a Mitsubishi Delica car smashed through a gate at the embassy before blowing up in the centre of the compound close to the ambassador's residence.

Another source from the security service of the ex-Soviet Central Asian nation -- which borders China -- said an "explosive device" had been placed inside the vehicle.

Local residents told AFP that the blast had blown in their windows and caused their houses to shake.

Employees from the Chinese and nearby American embassy on the edge of the city were evacuated, the Kyrgyz emergency service said.

Impoverished majority Muslim Kyrgyzstan has a history of political instability and battling Islamist extremism.

The economically troubled ally of Russia has seen two governments overthrown and ethnic violence claim hundreds of lives since it gained independence in 1991.

The authorities regularly announce that they have foiled attacks planned by the Islamic State group in the country.

Security forces last year said they had engaged in several deadly shootouts with suspected "terrorists" in Bishkek.

Officials say that some 500 Kyrgyz are thought to have joined the ranks of Islamic State fighting in Syria and Iraq.

Chinese officials in the country have previously been targeted, with one shot dead in 2000 in an attack blamed on radicals from China's Uighur minority.

Kyrgyzstan and the other ex-Soviet Central Asian nations have come under fire for using a purported terror threat to silence criticism of their secular regimes.

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Three youths who were at the Gateway of India for a weekend meet have alleged that they were harassed and misbehaved with by a police patrolling team, prompting authorities to order a probe.

The incident took place at around 4.00 AM on Sunday when the three youth met at the Gateway of India in South Mumbai on a weekend to 'catch up'.

The youths in their complaint lodged yesterday alleged that while they were chatting, a patrolling van approached them and an altercation broke out between them.

"A probe has been a ordered into the allegation made by the youths that policemen misbehaved them and used some 'objectionable' words while they were sitting near Gateway of India," a senior police official said today.

The officer said during the preliminary enquiry, the cops in question have denied the charge.

"Still this whole incident is being inquired by senior officers," he said, adding the three youths will also be called for enquiry either today or tomorrow.

A video of the incident was recorded and uploaded by the complainants on Facebook.

"One of the cops approached and asked us to leave (the place) in a very rude manner. When we asked that there should be a logical reason and that why should we leave. Then he said, it is an order, you are not allowed to stand here, so just leave," the youths claimed.

"While returning to the car, I said that it's a sad thing in the country that one cannot stand near his car. Then the policeman came up to me, abused me and said if you don't like the country go and live in Pakistan," alleged one of the youth.

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Two more Bangladeshi workers in Singapore were today jailed for raising funds to carry out terror attacks in their home country and plotting to overthrow the government there to set up an Islamic State caliphate.

Zzaman Daulat, 34, and Mamum Leakot Ali, 30, were arrested along with four other radicalised Bangladeshi nationals under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in April for planning to topple their government back home.

Zzaman and Mamun were jailed for two years and two and a half years, respectively, after admitting terrorist financing charges in a district court.

The duo had previously denied the charges brought against them under the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act but pleaded guilty today.

Zzaman, a construction worker who earned between SGD 1,300 and SGD 1,500 a month, provided SGD 200 to Rahman Mizanur - the ringleader of the group - to facilitate a terror attack in Bangladesh, the prosecutors said.

In July, Rahman and three others - Miah Rubel, Md Jabath Kysar Haje Norul Islam Sowdagar and Sohel Hawlader Ismail Hawlader - were sentenced to between 24 months and 60 months in jail for financing terrorism.

They had pleaded guilty to one or two counts each of providing or collecting hundreds of dollars to fund terror attacks in Bangladesh.

It was the first time anyone had been convicted under the Act.

Two more Bangladeshi men who were detained for the same plot had not been charged, according to a report by the Channel Asia.

The eight were detained in April in the first ISA detentions involving a terror cell of foreign workers.

Earlier, reports said the group was focusing on returning to Bangladesh to topple their government through violent means, set up an Islamic State there, and bring it under the self-declared caliphate of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Late last year, a closed religious study group of 27 radicalised Bangladeshi workers who had a significant amount of extremist material in their possession were arrested under the ISA, and deported, according to official announcement then.

The group's deportations were made public in January.

Muslim-majority Bangladesh has seen a spate of brutal attacks on secular bloggers and religious minorities recently, with gunmen killing 20 hostages -- mainly foreigners -- at an upmarket restaurant in the capital Dhaka last month. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State group.

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Bilateral relationship between the UK and India has the potential to become a stronger partnership, particularly in trade and investment, UK's Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox said here today.

"A more open economy means a greater two-way flow of investment, both fuelling an increased capacity in the industrial base and opening the way to greater export potential.

"Do you think that the UK would be one of the top three car exporters in Europe without Indian investment?..Of course not," Fox said while addressing a gathering of business leaders.

The great joy about an open trading relationship is as it can be genuinely win-win, he added.

"It's fundamental that we do all we can to strengthen these ties and create a future built on increased trading and economic prosperity for all our citizens," he added.

He said both India and UK are embarking on exciting journeys, as the UK is forging a new path outside the EU and India's pro-business government is starting to herald a new economic dawn.

In his keynote address to Mumbai's business community at the Piramal Tower, Fox underscored the UK's place in the global economy post EU referendum and assured the country's support to Indian businesses.

Fox met with influential Indian business leaders, including Kotak Bank Vice-Chairman Uday Kotak and Piramal Group Chairman Ajay Piramal, to emphasise that the UK is open for business and will continue to thrive on the world stage.

During his visit to Mumbai, the Secretary of State also attended the soft launch of the India-UK TECH Summit Fintech Hackathon at the Barclays Rise accelerator.

The UK is the country partner for the TECH Summit, which will showcase British expertise in innovation, technology and skills.

This is the fourth visit by a British minister to India since Theresa May took over as Prime Minister. Earlier this month, British Secretary of State for Business and Energy Greg Clark and Secretary of State for International Development Priti Patel visited India.

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Uttar Pradesh and Delhi governments are yet to submit proposals for construction of houses for urban poor under Modi government's flagship programme 'Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban)' which was lauched in June last year.

According to sources, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) Minister M Venkaiah Naidu will soon invite Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to discuss the problems being faced by the state government in sending the project proposals.

A decision regarding this was taken after it was brought to the notice of the Minister that despite several letters, Uttar Pradesh government has not sent any proposals for approval under the scheme while 21 other states have done so.

Naidu was reviewing the progress of housing mission in urban areas with senior officials of the HUPA Ministry.

During the meet, Naidu was informed that Delhi government was also yet to submit any housing proposals under PMAY (Urban), the source said, adding that the Minister has directed to talk to the officials and resolve the issues if any.

Naidu also urged the officials to adopt technology like geo-tagging for monitoring progress of construction of houses for urban poor.

Besides, Naidu also directed the officials to regularly follow up with states and UTs for expediting approvals for affordable housing projects, the source said.

Since the launch of PMAY (Urban) in June last year, the Ministry has approved financing for construction of about 9 lakh houses with central assistance of Rs 13,153 crore.

Performance of HUDCO, Hindustan Prefab Ltd (HFL), Building Materials Promotion Technology Council (BMPTC), and Central Government Employees Welfare Housing Organisation (CGEWHO) were also reviewed.

Naidu also directed HFL, BMPTC and CGEWHO to explore new avenues by partnering with states, the source said.

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Uttar Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (UPSCPCR) has ordered a probe into the Kanpur incident where a man alleged that his 12-year-old son died due to negligence of the doctors at JSVM Medical College.

"We have issued a notice to the district magistrate, who had submitted his reply that a two-member committee has been constituted to probe into the incident," Chairperson, UPSCPCR, Juhie Singh told PTI.

She said the commission has asked the district magistrate to get the matter probed and submit his report within a week.

"We have asked that in case if he was not authorised to take action, then he should identify people who committed laxity and send his report," Singh said.

She said, "In that case, we will recommend it further and get it done at the government level."



Sunil Kumar had on August 28 brought his son Anshu, who was suffering from fever, to the emergency ward of Hallet hospital of JSVM Medical College in Kanpur and alleged that doctors asked him to go from one department to another which he did while carrying his son on his shoulders and in the process his son died, a charge which the hospital authorities have refuted.

JVSM Medical College Principal Navneet Kumar said the child was already brought dead to the hospital and an inquiry has been ordered into the matter.

A committee led by three doctors has been asked to submit a report on the matter within three days, Kumar said.

Kanpur District Magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma has also ordered an inquiry into the matter and has formed a two-member committee, comprising Additional City Magistrate and Additional Chief Medical Officer.

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The US Air Force is optimistic about the future of co-developing and co-producing defence systems with India, US Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James has said after her trip to the country.

"We are excited about our part of the Defence Technology Trade Initiative (DTTI). Between discussion in working groups and the growing presence of US defence industry in India, we are optimistic about the future of co-developing and co-producing defence systems," James said in a statement yesterday.

During her three-day stay in New Delhi, James met with top defence personnel including Secretary of Department of Defence Production, Ashok Kumar Gupta, Indian Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha and Indian Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa.

"My discussions with Secretary Gupta and Air Chief Marshal Raha were incredibly helpful advancing our relationship. The Indian and US Air Forces have a history of cooperation corner-stoned by the interoperability between our C-130J and C-17 fleets. We look forward to continuing dialogue as India modernises its fighter fleet," she added.

Air Force cooperation was greatly enhanced with the IAF's participation in the Red Flag exercise in Alaska early this year and the Indian-hosted COPE India will provide another opportunity in the next year or so, she said.

James also met with members of the American Chamber of Commerce in India and attended a lunch hosted by US Ambassador to India Richard Verma with leaders vital to US-India relations.

She was accompanied by Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for Affairs Heidi Grant. The US Embassy's Naval Attache, Capt Jason Gilbert, also attended the meetings.
News Release:

Contact: Jim Kouri

Jim Kouri copmagazine@aol.com

Hillary Clinton displayed certain characteristics as First Lady that one law enforcement officer labelled a "Jekyll and Hyde" personality that often frightened the White House staff. During interviews, a former Secret Service officer has claimed on news shows and in newspaper stories in the midst of the 2016 election cycle for President of the United States that her behavior fit the profile of a psychopath as described by the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Division.According to former Secret Service Agent Gary Byrne's book , Crisis of Character: A White House Secret Service Officer Discloses His Firsthand Experience with Hillary, Bill, and How They Operate, Mrs. Clinton displayed behavior that some believe mirrors the behavior of psychopaths as described by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in their behavioral analysis profiles.Psychopathy is a personality disorder manifested in people who use a mixture of charm, manipulation, intimidation, and occasionally violence to control others in order to satisfy their own selfish needs. Although the concept of psychopathy has been known for centuries, the FBI leads the world in the research effort to develop a series of assessment tools, to evaluate the personality traits and behaviors attributable to psychopaths.Interpersonal traits include glibness, superficial charm, a grandiose sense of self-worth, pathological lying, and the manipulation of others. The affective traits include a lack of remorse and/or guilt, shallow affect, a lack of empathy, and failure to accept responsibility. The lifestyle behaviors include stimulation-seeking behavior, impulsivity, irresponsibility, parasitic orientation, and a lack of realistic goals.Research has demonstrated that in those criminals who are psychopathic, scores vary, ranging from a high degree of psychopathy to some measure of psychopathy. However, not all violent offenders are psychopaths and not all psychopaths are violent offenders.If violent offenders are psychopathic, they are able to assault, rape, and murder without concern for legal, moral, or social consequences. This allows them to do what they want, whenever they want. Ironically, these same traits exist in men and women who are drawn to high-profile and powerful positions in society including political officeholders. Is it any wonder that a sitting President of the United States or the governor of a state - namely Bill Clinton - would be involved in risky sexual behavior, sex crimes or even an alleged rape?The relationship between psychopathy and serial killers is particularly interesting. All psychopaths do not become serial murderers. Rather, serial murderers may possess some or many of the traits consistent with psychopathy. Psychopaths who commit serial murder do not value human life and are extremely callous in their interactions with their victims. This is particularly evident in sexually motivated serial killers who repeatedly target, stalk, assault, and kill without a sense of remorse. However, psychopathy alone does not explain the motivations of a serial killer.What doesn't go unnoticed is the fact that some of the character traits exhibited by serial killers or other criminals (rapists, spousal-abusers, con artists) may be observed in many within the political arena. While not exhibiting physical violence, many political leaders display varying degrees of anger, feigned outrage and other behaviors. They also lack what most consider a "shame" mechanism. Quite simply, most serial killers and many professional politicians must mimic what they believe, are appropriate responses to situations they face such as sadness, empathy, sympathy, and other human responses to outside stimuli. Understanding psychopathy becomes particularly critical to law enforcement during a serial murder investigation and upon the arrest of a psychopathic serial killer. The crime scene behavior of psychopaths is likely to be distinct from other offenders. This distinct behavior can assist law enforcement in linking serial cases.Psychopaths are not sensitive to altruistic interview themes, such as sympathy for their victims or remorse/guilt over their crimes. They do possess certain personality traits that can be exploited, particularly their inherent narcissism, selfishness, and vanity. Specific themes in past successful interviews of psychopathic serial killers focused on praising their intelligence, cleverness, and skill in evading capture.Experts recognize that more research is needed concerning the links between serial murder and psychopathy, in order to understand the frequency and degree of psychopathy among serial murderers. This may assist law enforcement in understanding and identifying serial murderers. Over the past twenty years, law enforcement and experts from a number of varying disciplines have attempted to identify specific motivations for serial murderers and to apply those motivations to different typologies developed for classifying serial murderers. These range from simple, definitive models to complex, multiple-category typologies that are laden with inclusion requirements. Most typologies are too cumbersome to be utilized by law enforcement during an active serial murder investigation, and they may not be helpful in identifying an offender.As most homicides are committed by someone known to the victim, police focus on the relationships closest to the victim. This is a successful strategy for most murder investigations. The majority of serial murderers, however, are not acquainted with or involved in a consensual relationship with their victims.For the most part, serial murder involves strangers with no visible relationship between the offender and the victim . This distinguishes a serial murder investigation as a more nebulous undertaking than that of other crimes. Since the investigations generally lack an obvious connection between the offender and the victim, investigators instead attempt to discern the motivations behind the murders, as a way to narrow their investigative focus.Serial murder crime scenes can have bizarre features that may cloud the identification of a motive. The behavior of a serial murderer at crime scenes may evolve throughout the series of crimes and manifest different interactions between an offender and a victim. It is also extremely difficult to identify a single motivation when there is more than one offender involved in the series.Identifying a homicide series is easier in rapidly-developing, high profile cases involving low risk victims. These cases are reported to law enforcement upon discovery of the crimes and draw immediate media attention.In contrast, identifying a series involving high risk victims in multiple jurisdictions is much more difficult. This is primarily due to the high risk lifestyle and transitory nature of the victims. Additionally, the lack of communication between law enforcement agencies and differing records management systems impede the linkage of cases to a common offender.While many political leaders will deny the assessment regarding their similarities with serial killers and other career criminals, it is part of a psychopathic profile that may be used in assessing the behaviors of many officials and lawmakers at all levels of government.
The US is "closely" monitoring the situation in Pakistan's Karachi city where security forces have arrested several Muttahida Qaumi Movement workers after violent protests, a senior American official said today.

"We are monitoring these events closely and continue to support Pakistan's efforts to maintain law and order in Karachi," a State Department spokesman told PTI.

"The US is also committed to defending freedom of speech, rule of law and due process, freedom of expression, and judicial independence," the official said when asked about the crackdown on MQM - Karachi's single largest party.

The spokesperson, however, said that in exercising freedom of expression "everyone" must uphold the rule of law.

The spokesperson was critical of Pak government's decision to ban the media from covering MQM chief Altaf Hussain who is self-exiled in London.

"The US is committed to defending media freedom. We believe that threats to the independence of the media are unbecoming of any country that counts itself among the world's democracies," the spokesman said.

"Access to free and unfettered press is a pillar of the democratic system and a value shared by all democracies. We have no further comment at this time," the official said.

In a statement here, MQM alleged it has been subjected to an intense military-led crackdown for the past six days.

"MQM leaders have been abducted and hundreds of MQM offices have been illegally sealed and several hundred demolished, no legal justification was provided for this insane act, but to merely take revenge against Altaf Hussain,.

"He has been denied his universal right to express himself for over one year, his followers have been denied their fundamental right to associate themselves with any political party of their own choice... These rights are not only guaranteed universally but the constitution of Pakistan affords the same protection, which are being ignored, violated and denied," the pasty said.

A largely ethnic party since the 1980s, MQM has political dominance in Pakistan's southern Sindh province - notably in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Sukkur where a large number of urdu-speaking people reside.

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The top commander of US forces in the Middle East sharply criticised today for recent high-speed maneuvers by Iranian patrol boats in the Persian Gulf that in one case prompted a US Navy ship to fire warning shots.

Gen Joseph Votel, commander of US Central Command, told reporters at the Pentagon that these episodes involving the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps naval forces are worrying because they risk triggering a dangerous escalation.

"What we see with the Iranians is not particularly responsible," Votel said. "It is provocative, in some cases; it's unsafe. And it can lead to situations where we may not be able to de-escalate in a time before something happens."

The US maintains a near-continuous naval presence in the Gulf and thus has frequent, mostly benign, encounters with Iranian vessels.

Last Wednesday, the USS Squall, a coastal patrol ship, fired three warning shots on an Iranian boat that was approaching, head-on, another coastal patrol ship the USS Tempest.

US officials said the Iranian boat came within 200 yards of the Tempest and ignored several bridge-to-bridge radio calls and warning flares.

It was one of three encounters that US ships had with Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps boats in the Gulf that day.

One day earlier, four Iranian boats had approached the USS Nitze, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, at high speed in the Strait of Hormuz. The boats veered off after the Nitze fired flares.

Votel praised the US sailors' handling of the incidents. He said the problem seems to lie not with the regular Iranian navy but with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps naval forces, which have been accused by the US numerous times of provocative behavior in the Gulf.

"So this is, in my view, not about the Iranian people," Votel said. "It's about the Iranian regime and their desire to continue to do these types of things that stoke instability or attempt to stoke instability in the region.
on Tuesday rejected as "baseless" the reports that US has reprimanded its ambassador in Washington after he tweeted an image of him and his wife with the first lady Michelle Obama.

In a statement, the Foreign Office said the media reports published regarding a letter of displeasure from the White House to Pakistan's ambassador to the US Jalil Abbas Jilani was "completely incorrect and baseless".

"No such letter from the White House has been received either in our Mission in Washington or this Ministry. It is nothing but a figment of the Reporter's own imagination," it said.

It further said it was "unethical" on the part of the reporter, based in Washington, to have filed a "baseless story without verifying its authenticity."

In a report, Pakistani daily 'The News International' claimed that in a strongly-worded letter addressed to the ambassador, the White House criticised the actions of Pakistan's top diplomat.

Quoting sources, the paper said the official letter "showed displeasure" and accused the ambassador of breaching trust and being undiplomatic in his action.

It said the letter was sent in connection with a picture tweeted by the ambassador in May.

The tweeted image showed Ambassador Jilani and his wife with the first lady, Michelle. "It was an absolute delight hosting FLOTUS at House today," Jilani had said in his tweet.

The tweet along with the picture dispensed the impression that Ambassador Jilani has close ties with America's first family, it said.

A section of the press also carried out analysis that Michelle and Ambassador Jilani discussed bilateral relations.

The paper said the White House appeared disappointed by the impression that was forged and reminded in the letter that the first lady's short stopover at the ambassador's residence was personal and extracting any political gain out of that was unprofessional.

Michelle was invited to the ambassador's residence  otherwise known as the House  to participate in his son's graduation party.

Ambassador Jilani's youngest son attended the same school as President Obama's daughters Malia and Sasha.

The envoy had removed the image from his twitter feed a few hours after tweeting it.

The paper also reported that when asked to comment on the incident, the ambassador in his one-liner reply termed it as "incorrect".

The Pak-US ties strained after Congressional restriction on financing of F-16 fighter jet's sale from Foreign Military Financing programme, due to which Pakistan could not buy the jets.

The relationship further suffered when the US carried out a drone strike in Balochistan, killing the Taliban chief, which was termed by Pakistani leadership a violation of the country's sovereignty.
Uttarakhand's Governor KK Paul has returned a file related to the appointment of Lokayukta to the state government here and asked it to start the process again by following appropriate rules and regulations.

The Office of the Governor, after examining the file, returned it to the state government on August 26, said an official.

The state government had last month sent the names finalised by the selection committee and the search committee to the governor.

The task of the search and the selection committee was to suggest names of suitable candidates for the post of Lokayukta and its members.

In 2011, the Lokayukta Bill, introduced by the then Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri government, was passed in the state assembly and then it was given the nod of President Pranab Mukherjee. However in 2012, the Vjay Bahuguna-led congress government scrapped it stating flaws in some of the provisions of the Bill and had introduced a new Lokayukta law.

The post of the Lokayukta has been lying vacant for months even after the new law.

The BJP however, in a memorandum to the governor, had questioned the selection procedure and had accused that a member in the search committee was allegedly involved in PF scam in Ghaziabad.

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Ex-Soviet nation Uzbekistan has plunged into unchartered territory after strongman leader Islam Karimov, who has dominated the country for over 25 years, was rushed into intensive care after a brain haemorrhage.

While conflicting rumours of Karimov's condition buzz through the Central Asian nation, one thing is sure -- the strategic country is facing a moment of uncertainty unparallelled in its post-Soviet history.

"The developments are unprecedented," Steve Swerdlow, Central Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch, told AFP.

"The entire state has been Islam Karimov, Islam Karimov has been the state for over quarter of a century ruling with an iron fist."



Former Soviet apparatchik Karimov, 78, whose brutal crackdown on dissent has been widely criticised by rights groups, has been at the helm of the strategic country bordering Afghanistan from since before it gained independence from Moscow in 1991.

His younger daughter Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva announced on social media yesterday that he was in a "stable" condition in hospital after suffering a cerebral haemorrhage over the weekend.

Since then the authorities in the tightly-controlled state have released no further official statement on his health.

While there has been no confirmation of Karimov's latest condition and he could in theory stage a recovery, the gravity of his illness has left many in the country now facing up to the prospect of life without the only ruler they have ever known.

Despite being dogged by persistent health rumours, Karimov lacks a clear successor after being re-elected to a fifth term in 2015 with more than 90 per cent of the vote. The country has never held an election judged free and fair by international monitors.

"There are two questions now: First, is there a plan for succession we don't know about? Second, even if there is, will the principals stick to it?" Radnitz said.

In theory the head of the senate should step in if Karimov dies or is incapable of ruling, but analysts dismissed him as a water-carrier.

Instead those tipped to take over more long term in the case of Karimov's long illness or death include Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Azimov, Kamoliddin Rabbimov, an independent Uzbek political analyst based in France, said.

"I think in the corridors of power they have already started fighting," Rabbimov said, while predicting the elite will be keen to ensure the transition is "more or less stable."



Critics accuse Karimov of ruthlessly eviscerating all opposition in the cotton-rich country -- most prominently with the alleged massacre of hundreds of protesters in the city of Andijan in 2005.

But the veteran operator has managed to play Russia, the West and China off against each other to keep his regime from total isolation.

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Around 3,000 delegates from India and abroad will attend the international conference on energy sector from October 6 to 10 here.

The SWITCH Conference will be jointly organised by the Union Power Ministry and the Gujarat government to improve cooperation in energy sector.

The Federation of Gujarat Industries (FGI) is the implementing agency for the conference.

FGI President Amit Patel told PTI today that as many as 24 countries have already confirmed their participation for the conference, which will be held during October 6-10.

"Power Ministers from various countries will also be participating in the conference," he added.

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Vedanta group today said it is optimistic about getting bauxite supply for its refinery plant at Lanjigarh from Odisha by end of this fiscal, as it also announced investing Rs 100 crore on a medical college hospital in backward Kalahandi district in the state.

This was announced by Anil Agarwal, Chairman of Vedanta Resources, the London-headquartered mining and metals conglomerate, after meeting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

"We have been assured by the chief minister to get bauxite through the state run Odisha Mining Corporation by March next," Agarwal told reporters.

Agarwal said though he had invested Rs 50,000 crore in the state since more than one decade, the success was yet to come. "However, I hope more excitement in future as Odisha is the land of potential," he said.

Asked how he was optimistic about getting raw material support from the state as similar assurance was also given in the past without effect, Agarwal said: "I have been given good assurance this time."



The chief Minister himself told his officials at the meeting that as Vedanta has made huge investment, it is our responsibility to support him," he said.

Vedanta group, which has established a refinery project at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district and a smelter plant and a power plant at Jharsuguda, has been starving for raw material even as its refinery plant is located amidst heaps of bauxite.

Agarwal also expressed his company's interest to expand Aluminium Park project in Jharsuguda. He said local entrepreneurs will get all support in the proposed Park.

On main problem of his company in Odisha, Agarwal said, "It is bauxite, bauxite and bauxite." The company has invested Rs 50,000 crore of FDI in Odisha, but its refinery and smelter plants are running with only 40 per cent capacity, he said adding though the capacity of refinery is now 2 MTPA, it could BE 6 MTPA in future with availability of bauxite.

Agarwal said he loved Kalahandi and therefore agreed to invest Rs 100 crore for setting up a medical college hospital there as soon as the state government puts forth a proposal in this regard.

"It may require 18 months for completion of the medical college hospital project," he said adding that the state government will run the medical college and hospital.

Earlier this month, Odisha's Steel and Mines Minister Prafulla Kumar Mallick had said the state government has decided to provide raw material linkage to Vedanta's alumina refinery project at Lanjigarh from the Kodingamali bauxite mines in Koraput district.

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VHP today lauded Jain saint Tarun Sagar's speech in Haryana Assembly stressing on significance of dharma in socio-politics and condemned those insulting him saying free speech does not give the right to hurt "our traditions, socio-religious sentiments and symbols".

"I also appeal all in Bharat and abroad not to ridicule/ insult any saint or/and anything that has been a revered part of our socio-religious psyche for ages. Freedom of Speech is not the right to hurt our socio-religious sentiments and symbols.

"VHP strongly condemns frivolous and insulting remarks by Vishal Dadlani and the likes. It has become a fancy fashion to ridicule, humiliate and insult all that is a part of a socio-religious psyche and then term it 'art', 'Freedom of Speech' etc. It is deplorable and we condemn all such efforts to demean and degrade our socio-religious symbols of faith," VHP International Working President Pravin Togadia said.

He said Jain saint Tarun Sagar, who has shared dais and guided all greatly, gave a "great speech" in Haryana Assembly stressing on significance of Dharma in socio-political aspects and appealed to all not to insult saints in the name of freedom of speech.

"We appeal all not to insult Sants and all that is an integral part of socio-religious psyche for ages. Free speech not right to hurt our traditions," he also said.

Praising the Jain saint for his speech as a "great guidance to the nation and to politicians", Togadia said it is a commendable step by the Haryana Assembly to invite him.

"Munishri Maharaj has stressed on the significance of dharma over Politics in socio-political aspects and all should keep that in mind. Munishri Maharajji's pearls of wisdom are important and a guiding path to all. All Jain Sants have been a guiding source for VHP and we respect them all," he said.

Music composer Vishal Dadlani was booked by Haryana police for allegedly hurting religious sentiments with his sarcastic tweet on Jain monk Tarun Sagar.

Ambala Cantt police registered a case against Dadlani and one Tahseen Poonawala, a Congress activist who also tweeted on the Jain monk, even as Jain community members staged a protest outside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence in the national capital, demanding the composer's immediate arrest.

The case against Dadlani and Poonawala in Ambala was registered under relevant sections including 153A (promoting enmity between classes), 295A (maliciously insulting the religion or religious beliefs of any class) and 509 of the IPC (uttering any word or making any gesture to insult the modesty of a woman etc), police said.

The Haryana government had invited the Jain monk, who appeared in nude, to deliver a lecture 'Kadve Vachan' in the Assembly on Friday.

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Vigilance sleuths today arrested a revenue employee on graft charge from Buxar, when he was accepting a bribe of Rs 9000 from the complainant.

A Vigilance Investigation Bureau caught one Chandrabhushan Praveen, a revenue employee with Kadsar panchayat of Nawanagar circle of Buxar district, red handed while accepting the bribe for favouring the complainant in preparing a report, a Vigilance department release said.

One Rajesh Kumar Singh, a resident of Mohanpur village under Karakat police station of Rohtas district, had lodged a complaint with the Vigilance department that the revenue employee Chandrabhushan Praveen was demanding a bribe of Rs 10,000 from him for preparing a report to help him.

The allegations were found to be correct during the verification carried out by the Bureau during which the accused Chandrabhushan accepted Rs 1,000 as advance.

A flying squad team was constituted under Deputy Superintendent of Police Maharaj Kanishk Kumar who raided and caught Chandrabhushan Praveen, a revenue employee, red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 9,000 from Nawanagar circle office area of Buxar district.

The accused would be produced before a Special Vigilance Court (I) at Patna after interrogation, the release said.

Altogether 77 persons have been arrested in 70 trap cases laid by the Bureau so far in 2016.

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Maintaining that Karnataka was not in a position to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said his government will explain the ground realities to the Supreme Court, which has been approached by the neighbouring state over the issue.

"They (Tamil Nadu) have petitioned the Supreme Court. We will make Supreme Court aware about the ground realities in Karnataka," Siddaramaiah told reporters.

He said, "Tamil Nadu is asking for 50 tm-ft that was to supposed be released in a normal year. Do we have a normal year?" and added that the water level in the KRS Dam here was 93 feet instead of the 124 feet it was supposed to be in rainy season.

"A total of 50 tmc-ft water is therefrom four reservoirs (in the Cauvery river basin) area whichwas supposed to be 114 tmc ft.

"It is not that we dont want to release water, but wedon't have water. We don't have water for our crops; we want40 tmc ft water for drinking. Where do we have water to release?"Siddaramaiah said.

The Supreme Court on September 2 will hear Tamil Nadu government's plea seeking release of 50 TMC of water from Karnataka to meet its irrigation demands in the backdrop of the Cauvery water row.

A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur had last week posted the matter to September 2 after Tamil Nadu government mentioned it and sought an urgent hearing.

In the petition, Tamil Nadu has charged Karnataka with diverting water meant for farmers during distress years for undeclared projects, in violation of the final orders of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in 2007, apportioning the inter-state river water among the riparian states.

Karnataka had on August 27 made it clear that it wasnot possible for it to spare Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu given the "severe distress" it was facing with an all-party meeting deciding thatthe same stand should be placed before the Supreme Court.

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Carolina Connector rail project also would displace N.C. based truck drivers

History

The Carolina Connector, a $272 million Edgecombe County transit hub for CSX railroad, would receive taxpayer subsidies from the state of North Carolina of at least $700,000 for each of the 149 jobs the rail project is projected to create - for jobs that are expected to pay an average of $64,000 per year.That's one of several anomalies associated with the CSX project, which was announced July 19 by Gov. Pat McCrory and a host of other state leaders at North Carolina Wesleyan College, roughly one-quarter mile from the project. The Carolina Connector initially was slated for a location in Johnston County near Selma, but significant opposition from local landowners left state officials scrambling to find a new site.A $4.3 million subsidy from JDIG, the state's Job Development and Investment Grant incentives program, was added on July 19, the date the Rocky Mount location was unveiled. It was not part of the $100 million subsidy that CSX requested in 2014 when it approached the state about the project. (A story in the News & Observer of Raleigh said CSX would get $22.1 million in additional subsidies.)CSX facilities similar to the Carolina Connector recently built in Chambersburg, Pa., and North Baltimore, Ohio, were completed without major taxpayer assistance from their states, company officials have confirmed to Carolina Journal. The company consistently has maintained that the Carolina Connector would not be viable without $100 million or more in subsidies from N.C. state government.Even though job projections produced by CSX say "over time" the transit hub would create 1,500 jobs statewide, the project also could eliminate a significant number of jobs from truck drivers who would be displaced by shifting cargo to rail. This conversion woulda CSX statement said. Some if not many of those trips would involve North Carolina-based truck drivers who would lose those routes. Neither CSX, the N.C. Department of Transportation, nor consultants hired by NCDOT developed estimates of job losses in the trucking industry.The project's success depends on delivering cargo slower and cheaper than is accomplished by using only trucks.according to a study prepared for NCDOT.CSX will spend at least $150 million on the project, which will encompass approximately 500 acres east of and adjacent to the existing CSX tracks that run parallel to Highway 301 near the N.C. Wesleyan campus in Rocky Mount. CSX says construction will begin in 2018, with operations beginning in 2020.The primary purpose of the project is to have shipping containers spend more time on rail cars and less time on trucks.stated a press release from McCrory.CSX says the benefits to the Rocky Mount area and the state of North Carolina will be substantial. The projectEven so, the project involves significant taxpayer spending to benefit a company that operates in a competitive marketplace and is attempting to maximize profits. CSX competes with Norfolk Southern railway and trucking companies for cargo shipments. In 2015, CSX had net earnings of $2 billion from $11.8 billion in revenue.CSX quietly approached NCDOT's Rail Division in 2014 with a plan to build the rail hub on approximately 500 acres outside Selma, contingent on getting a taxpayer subsidy of at least $100 million. CSX presented the Rail Division with a study touting the benefits the project would bring to the state. Before moving forward with the project, the Rail Division commissioned its own study, "Project Scorpion: Evaluation of a Proposed Intermodal Terminal," prepared by WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff, an international engineering services firm with an office in Raleigh.A draft study was completed in October 2015, and a revised report was completed in January 2016. NCDOT had kept the potential project quiet because there were no media reports until Jan. 16, when McCrory announced that CSX planned to build a major shipping hub in Johnston County and that it would likely receive $100 million in state funding through the state's Strategic Transportation Investments law that helps fund new infrastructure. The project had the support of the Johnston County Commission.Immediately after McCrory's announcement, news reports revealed that CSX had not notified many of the affected landowners and some said they would refuse to sell their land to CSX. CSX said it was prepared to use its power of eminent domain that allows it to take land from property owners, with compensation set by the courts.On Jan. 26, McCrory reversed his position, saying the Selma planCSX continued to pursue the project and said it would consider other locations in North Carolina and other states. An alternative site near the Johnston County town of Four Oaks was pushed by Four Oaks Mayor Linwood Parker. That site also met significant local opposition.Opponents told CJ that when they contacted the governor's office to express their objections, they were told that the Department of Commerce was handling the project. Even so, NCDOT gave initial authorization to the subsidy in April, nearly three months after McCrory announced it.After the Selma project fell apart, Norris Tolson, head of the Carolinas Gateway Partnership, decided to look for a site in his region. His organization, based in Rocky Mount, is lead economic development agency for Nash and Edgecombe Counties. Tolson was a former state secretary of the departments of Commerce, Transportation, and Revenue. He was also a state legislator and head of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.When Tolson found a site near N.C. Wesleyan, he cleared the idea with the college president.he told the Rocky Mount Telegram in July. The newspaper reported that once Tolson's organization acquired the necessary options, he approached CSX and made his sales pitch. Tolson told CJ those options soon will be transferred to CSX.The existing CSX rail lines and future hub are located approximately 1,500 feet from the main entrance to the N.C. Wesleyan campus on U.S. 301. Attending the announcement to show their support for the project were Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper, former Republican Lt. Gov. Jim Gardner and former Democratic Gov. Mike Easley, all Nash County natives. Former Democratic Gov. Jim Hunt of nearby Wilson also was there.
To tackle the menace of stray cattle, the government has decided to establish around 40 'gau abhayaranyas' (cow sanctuaries) in the state in a phase-wise manner.

Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister O P Dhankar on Tuesday told the state Assembly the state has a livestock population of 89.98 lakh, of which 18.08 lakh are cattle, according to 2012 census.

He said around 1.17 lakh out of these - 85,000 are in rural areas and 32,000 are in urban areas - are stray cattle and for accommodating them 40 gau-abhayaranyas would be required.

Replying to a calling Attention Notice of MLA Hari Chand Midha and 15 other legislators, he said facilities for drinking water, sheds, boundary wall, veterinary hospital, store for fodder, office, accommodation for attendants, tube wells, power backup are proposed to be created at the gau-abhayaranyas.

"To tackle the problem of stray cattle, the government has decided to establish gau-abhayaranyas at various places in the state. These gau-abhayaranyas are to be established over an area of about 50 to 100 acres of land," he said.

In order to accomplish this objective, the government has started identifying and earmarking land pools, Dhankar said.

The cost of civil works, machinery and equipment for one 'abhyarana' will be Rs 4.30 crore, he further said.

These Gau-Abhayaranyas shall be operated by District Cattle Welfare Society headed by the Deputy Commissioner concerned and the Society would have two Committees- Governing Committee and Executive Committee.

"Due to economic reasons, farmers leave their animals when they become unproductive because of which the number of stray animals increases. These stray animals in rural areas cause damage to the crops and in urban areas cause accidents and problems for road traffic," he said.

Giving the details of the gaushalas in the state, Dhankar said has a network of 408 Gaushalas housing 3,06,490 animals. Of these 392 are registered and 16 are unregistered. There are 3,04,833 animals in registered Gaushalas and 1,657 in unregistered ones.

They are being managed by various societies or trusts, which are registered with the Registrar, Firms and Societies, Haryana, under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, he said.

"The state government does not have any administrative control over these Gaushalas except Kamdhenu Nandi Gurugram Gaushala, Karterpuri (Gurugram), which is being managed by Municipal Corporation, Gurugram and Gauraksha Sadan, Mawai and Nandi Gaushala, Uncha Gaon which are being managed by Municipal Corporation, Faridabad," he told the Assembly.

The Gau Seva Aayog has been reconstituted by Haryana Government for the preservation and welfare of cows in the State, he said in his reply.

To provide adequate financial aid to Gaushalas, a grant-in-aid of Rs 9.20 crores for the year 2015-16 and Rs 20 crores for the year 2016-17 has been provided by the Government to Gau Seva Aayog in the budget.
Corporation on Tuesday said its Executive Director and CEO Rajendra Kumar Arora has resigned from the company.

"Rajendra Kumar Arora has resigned as an Executive Director and CEO of the company with effect from the close of business on August 30, 2016," Corporation said in a BSE filing.

The company did not disclose the reason behind the resignation.

In April, Corporation's Group CEO - Cluster Bhaskar Das had quit following his transfer to another Essel Group entity.

Zee Media Corporation is one of the largest networks in the country with 10 channels in six different languages, Mumbai edition of DNA newspaper and digital properties like zeenews.Com and dnaindia.Com.
By Greg Roumeliotis

(Reuters) - Mondelez International Inc, the maker of Oreo cookies and Cadbury chocolates, said it was no longer pursuing the acquisition of Hershey Co, two months after the U.S. chocolate company turned down its $23 billion cash-and-stock bid.

The abandoned deal, which would have created the world's largest confectioner, underscores the grip that the charitable trust, set up by the company's founder Milton Hershey over a century ago to fund and run a school for underprivileged children, has on the maker of Hershey's Kisses and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Hershey rejected a $107 per share acquisition offer from Mondelez at the end of June. An unrelated row between the trust and the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office ensued over the trust's governance, which resulted in a reform agreement being announced at the end of July.

The agreement calls for the trust's board to be expanded from 10 members to 13, and for five members to resign in order for 10-year terms to be enforced. One trustee resigned last month, leaving a total of nine openings.

Mondelez's Chief Executive Officer Irene Rosenfeld approached Hershey Chief Executive John Bilbrey again last week, and indicated that Mondelez would be willing to offer up to $115 per share for Hershey, according to a source familiar with the discussions who asked not to be identified because they were confidential.

Hershey responded that the trust would not be able to consider an offer until it is reconstituted next year, the source said. Even then, Hershey would not be willing to enter into deal negotiations for an offer of less than $125 per share, the source added.

Hershey did not respond to a request for comment. Its shares fell 11.4 percent in after hours trading in New York on Monday to $99.00.

"Following additional discussions, and taking into account recent shareholder developments at Hershey, we determined that there is no actionable path forward toward an agreement," Rosenfeld said in a statement.

The Hershey trust holds 81 percent of the company's voting stock, and so a sale is not possible without its approval. About two-thirds of its $12 billion in assets are in Hershey stock.

Mondelez's offer was half in cash and half in stock, sources have said. That means new board members of the trust, which must approve any sale of Hershey, could use such a transaction to substantially reduce its exposure in Hershey by partially cashing out on its stake.

"While we are disappointed in this outcome, we remain disciplined in our approach to creating value, including through acquisitions," Rosenfeld said on Monday.

(Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York; Additional reporting by Gayathree Ganesan and Sruthi Shankar in Bengaluru; Editing by Kirti Pandey and Tom Brown)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sikkim on Tuesday ratified the Constitution Amendment Bill on Goods and Services Tax (GST), becoming the 12th state to have passed the landmark tax reform.

Eleven states - Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Nagaland, have already ratified the Bill.

In a special sitting of the Sikkim Assembly, the resolution on ratification of the was moved by R B Subba, state Minister for Law, Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs and passed by the House.

Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling thanked the Speaker and all the members of the Sikkim Assembly for conducting the special session and for passing the resolution.

The session concluded with a vote of thanks by the Assembly Speaker K N Rai.

The Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2014 on GST was passed by Parliament recently and it needs to be ratified by at least 15 state legislatures before the President can notify the GST Council which will decide the new tax rate and other issues.

The government has set April 1, 2017 as target for rolling out GST, considered as the biggest tax reform.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday said the State Finance Ministers' met to avoid confusion about the rates at which indirect taxes would be levied and discussed the accountability of the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN).

Stating that this was the first meeting of Empowered Committee after the passage of Bill, Sisodia said all the Finance ministers are now concerned about the and company, which will streamline the tax system of the nation.

"Until now, every state used to run their company on their own terms and run them accordingly. But from now onwards there will be one company that will overview the taxes, especially the GST, in the entire country," Sisodia said.

"Everybody was concerned about the rates and the sharing of different states, its accountability and deliverables. All these things should be clear. There should be no confusion in future about what will do and not and what will be its accountability.

Sisodia further said there was also a discussion on the financial model of GST.

"Everybody agreed that both the Centre and states should also contribute," he said, adding everybody was of the opinion that the states should be charged at the same rate at which the loans would be taken from banks.

The GST Constitutional Amendment Bill was passed by Parliament earlier this month and so far ten states - Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Nagaland and Gujarat - have ratified the Bill. A constitutional amendment requires ratification by at least 50 per cent of the states.

The Constitutional Amendment Bill did not have the GST rate and the GST Council, which will have representation from both the Centre and states, will now work out a rate.

The subsequent legislations Central GST (CGST) and Integrated GST (IGST) - would mention the GST rate.
joined the growing list of states that backed the GST Bill on Tuesday with the state legislative assembly and the legislative council unanimously ratifying the one hundred and twenty second Constitutional Amendment Bill that was passed by both the Houses of Parliament .



" has become the 10th state to endorse the GST Bill," said Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao while expressing his happiness over the unanimous backing by the members of all political parties to the resolution moved by him.



Making his introductory comments after tabling the bill in the assembly, Rao said that the one-nation-one-tax-system was an important part of the country's ongoing economic reforms. He said every state, including Telangana, had asked for adequate safeguards to protect their respective tax revenues in the short and medium period while the new tax regime would benefit every one in the long run.



Under the GST the states would get 50% of the service tax revenue and this would give a big boost to as the state has registered a 35% growth in service tax revenues in the recent past, Rao said.



In the meeting of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers held on July 26, the Telangana government informed that it would incur a revenue loss of Rs 700 crore per annum, which it gets on sale of paddy and other food products to the Civil Supplies Corporation, Rs 500 crore per annum on sale of tobacco products and a loss of Rs 2,157 core on account of the abolition of Central Sales Tax (CST) following the GST implementation. The state had sought a mandatory provision for compensation of revenue loss on these and other fronts for a period of not less than 10 years.



On August 11 Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley wrote a letter to Telangana chief minister requesting the latter to ensure the ratification of the bill by the state legislature. In his letter, Arun Jaitley informed that the target date for introduction of GST was set as April 1, 2017.



Telangana government has been supporting the Centre's move on the GST Bill from the beginning.



As per the provisions of Article 368 (2) of the Constitution, this Bill was required to be ratified by the legislatures of one half of the states. Sibling Andhra Pradesh state too is holding a special session of its legislative assembly on September 8 to ratify the bill.
WhatsApp's recent decision to share user data with parent company Facebook on Tuesday reached the doorsteps of Delhi High Court, which sought the government's response on the modification of the new privacy policy.

A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra issued notice to the Centre on a plea by two users of the most popular instant messaging service, alleging that WhatsApp, Facebook Inc and Facebook India Online Pvt Ltd's new private policy "compromises the rights of its users".

Taking note of the concern by petitioners Karmanya Singh Sareen and Shreya Sethi, the high court wished to examine the issue and asked the concerned authorities to file their reply by September 14.

"The privacy policy is in stark contrast to the Privacy Policy existing from July 7, 2012. In its first revised modification on August 25, 2016, Respondents (WhatsApp, Facebook Inc. And Facebook India Online Pvt Ltd) have introduced this policy which severely compromises the rights of its users and makes the privacy rights of users completely vulnerable," the plea alleged.

The new policy, which is likely to come into force from September 25, has sought to change the "most valuable, basic and essential feature" of WhatsApp, which commenced operations in 2010, by "unilaterally threatening to take away the protection to privacy of details and data of its users and sharing the same with Facebook and all its group companies including for the purpose of commercial advertising and marketing."



Senior advocates Sandeep Sethi and Pratibha M Singh, appearing for the petitioners, submitted before the court that it is a "very serious breach of policy".

"The manner in which so-called consent is sought to be taken is highly deceptive in as much as almost the entire community of users of in India are not equipped to even read, much less comprehend, the consequences of the terms and conditions on the basis whereupon, is pretending to obtain consent of the users," the plea filed by advocate Tanoodbhav Singhdev said.
Election season may not be the best time to go looking for sober reflection or respectful dialogue. For example, consider what happened recently when professors at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill got wind of a new project on campus, created and funded by state legislators, to provide technical assistance on environmental matters.The North Carolina Policy Collaboratory will receive $1 million in initial funding plus another $3.5 million in state appropriations if UNC-Chapel Hill raises matching funds from other sources. Its stated purpose is to study theof natural resources management andAs soon as they heard about the project, some professors were skeptical. Once they heard the rumor that Dr. Jeff Warren, currently a science advisor for N.C. Senate leader Phil Berger, might be in the running for a job with the project, the professors' skepticism turned into active opposition. They encouraged media outlets to run stories about Warren, whose political background and policy views they find objectionable. In response to Berger's complaint that the existing faculty was wildly imbalanced in favor of liberal Democrats, a UNC-CH neurologist even wrote an op-ed for the Raleigh and Charlotte newspapers arguing, in part, that the imbalance reflected anon the part of conservatives and Republicans. Other professors argued that Berger's imbalance claim was fictitious.I'm not going to argue in favor of the N.C. Policy Collaboratory itself, because I don't know enough about its origins. But the Left's response to it illustrates precisely the nature and significance of the diversity problem that Sen. Berger described.It's not just him, by the way. Many commentators across the political spectrum have discussed the fact - and it is a well-established fact - that the faculties of UNC-Chapel Hill and most other universities are far more liberal and Democratic than the general population is. In fact, university professors are far more liberal and Democratic than are other voters with similar educational backgrounds.In the 2012 election, for example, North Carolinians opted for Mitt Romney over Barack Obama by two percentage points. You may find it surprising that there wasn't a large difference between voters with college degrees (50 percent Obama, 49 percent Romney) and those without college degrees (52 percent Romney, 47 percent Obama). More to the point, voters with graduate degrees - 15 percent of the state's electorate - went 51 percent for Obama and 48 percent for Romney. Again, nothing to write home about.Although the direct evidence for how the faculty voted isn't as readily available - that's not a category tested in exit polls - other surveys and voter-registration data suggest that professors have voted overwhelmingly for Obama and other Democrats. Credible estimates range from 5-to-1 to 9-to-1. Professors are also far more likely to identify as "left" or "liberal" than they were a generation ago.It varies quite a bit by discipline , however. Sociology, anthropology, ethnic studies, and English departments tend to be the most leftist. Disparities are smaller in the hard sciences, engineering, medicine, and economics. The greatest political diversity is usually found in business administration, finance, accounting, and nursing.Although anecdotal evidence suggests some of the imbalance may reflect explicit or (more likely) implicit bias in hiring and promotion, I think it is mostly due to self-selection . Intellectually inclined young people have choices. Generally speaking, those with liberal leanings find academia more attractive as a career than do those with conservative leanings, who are more likely to pursue graduate degrees so they can become doctors, attorneys, engineers, or managers in the private sector.Lack of intellectual diversity on campus is a real problem, whatever its cause. Among students, the biggest losers are liberal students, who despite the best efforts of well-meaning liberal professors are simply less likely to have their preconceived notions challenged - which is an indispensable element of a real education.But it's hard to have a serious talk about this during election season. It'll have to wait.John Locke Foundation chairman John Hood is the author of Catalyst: Jim Martin and the Rise of North Carolina Republicans
Mondelez International Inc, the maker of Oreo cookies and Cadbury chocolates, said it was no longer pursuing the acquisition of Hershey Co, two months after the US chocolate company turned down its $23 billion cash-and-stock bid.

The abandoned deal, which would have created the world's largest confectioner, underscores the grip that a charitable trust has on the maker of Hershey's Kisses and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. The trust which controls Hershey was set up by the company's founder over a century ago to fund and run a school for underprivileged children.

Hershey rejected a $107 per share acquisition offer from Mondelez at the end of June. An unrelated row between the trust and the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office ensued over the trust's governance, which resulted in a reform agreement being announced at the end of July.

The agreement calls for the trust's board to be expanded from 10 members to 13, and for five members to resign in order for 10-year terms to be enforced. One trustee resigned last month, leaving a total of nine openings.

Mondelez's Chief Executive Officer Irene Rosenfeld approached Hershey Chief Executive John Bilbrey again last week, and indicated that Mondelez would be willing to offer up to $115 per share for Hershey, according to a source familiar with the discussions who asked not to be identified because they were confidential.

Hershey responded that the trust would not be able to consider an offer until it is reconstituted next year, the source said. Even then, Hershey would not be willing to enter into deal negotiations for an offer of less than $125 per share, the source added.

Hershey did not respond to a request for comment. Its shares fell 11.4 percent in after hours trading in New York on Monday to $99.00.

"Following additional discussions, and taking into account recent shareholder developments at Hershey, we determined that there is no actionable path forward toward an agreement," Rosenfeld said in a statement.

The Hershey trust holds 81 percent of the company's voting stock, and so a sale is not possible without its approval. About two-thirds of its $12 billion in assets are in Hershey stock.

Mondelez's offer was half in cash and half in stock, sources have said. This means new board members of the trust, which must approve any sale of Hershey, could use such a transaction to substantially reduce its exposure in Hershey by partially cashing out on its stake.

"While we are disappointed in this outcome, we remain disciplined in our approach to creating value, including through acquisitions," Rosenfeld said on Monday.



ATTORNEY GENERAL UP FOR ELECTION

Even if the trust does decide to explore a sale of Hershey, it can still be overruled. In 2002, the trust put Hershey up for sale, citing a need to diversify its holdings.

At the last minute, it pulled the plug on a sale to chewing gum maker Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co for $12.5 billion, after the attorney general's office successfully petitioned a court to block the offer amid local community protests.

Pennsylvania's attorney general Kathleen Kane stepped down earlier this month after she was convicted of leaking secret criminal files to discredit a political adversary, and then lying about it. She was succeeded by her deputy Bruce Castor, and the post is up for election in November.

Pennsylvania state senator John Rafferty, the Republican candidate for attorney general, has said he does not think diversification for a charitable trust is always necessary, and has expressed "serious reservations" about a potential sale to Mondelez.

Democrat candidate Josh Shapiro has said he will "vigorously protect Hershey's continued success in Pennsylvania" and protect it from "multi-national corporations and Wall Street investors willing to destroy Pennsylvania jobs for their own profit."

Hershey's growth has slowed in the last two years as competitors such as Mars Inc expand their offerings, and premium players such as Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Spruengli AG entered the US market.

Mondelez, which has more of a global footprint than Hershey, is the second-largest confectionary company in the world, while Hershey ranks number five.

Their merger would put them in the top place at 18 percent of the market, according to market research firm Euromonitor International Ltd. The combined company would leapfrog Mars, which has 13.3 percent of the global market.

Last year, William Ackman revealed his activist hedge fund Pershing Square had built a stake worth about $5.5 billion in Mondelez, in what was seen as an attempt to push the company to boost earnings or sell itself.

Ackman had joined fellow activist Nelson Peltz as an investor in Mondelez. In a letter to his investors earlier this month, Ackman wrote that Mondelez shares are currently undervalued, and that the issuance of Mondelez stock to fund the acquisition of Hershey would likely be costly for Mondelez shareholders.
In A new revelation in the Vijay Mallya case, the consortium of banks led by State Bank of India told the Supreme Court on Monday that the liquor baron had not fully disclosed his assets, including $40 million he received in February from a British firm, in his reply in March. Appearing for the banks, attorney general Mukul Rohatgi said that a lot of other information had also been concealed, including a cash transaction to the tune of Rs 2,500 crore, which amounted to contempt of court.

The court directed the banks, which have initiated loan recovery proceedings against Mallya, to respond to his plea seeking the recall of the notice of contempt for allegedly not making full disclosure of all the assets owned by him and his family as directed by the top court earlier. A Bench of Justices Kurien Joseph and Rohinton F Nariman gave the banks ten days to file their response and posted the matter for hearing on September 27.

Arguing for Mallya, advocate Mahesh Agarwal said that the liquor baron has contended that the disclosure of the assets was for settlement of outstanding dues with the banks and since no settlement is taking place, he is not obliged to make any disclosure. Consequently, there is no case of contempt of court, Agarwal further argued.

Rohatgi contended that Mallya's plea cannot be entertained as he has neither appeared before the court in pursuance to the contempt notice nor is willing to disclose his assets. "As per the Supreme Court rules, Mallya has to appear before the court after a notice has been served upon him in a contempt petition," Rohatgi said.

On July 25, the apex court had issued a notice to Mallya on a plea of the consortium of banks, which alleged that he had not disclosed his full assets.

The apex court, after noting the submissions by the attorney general, had issued notice to Mallya and asked him to respond. On July 14, Rohatgi claimed that Mallya had provided wrong details of his assets in a sealed cover to the apex court.
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker began two days of talks on Tuesday with the Indian government to boost business ties, and to encourage dialogue with Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir.

Kerry arrived in New Delhi on Monday night for the annual US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue after a one-day stop in Bangladesh where he discussed increased militant attacks.

The situation in Indian-ruled Kashmir and concerns over Afghanistan will be raised in talks on Tuesday with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, and on Wednesday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a senior US official said.

Kashmir is at the centre of a decades-old rivalry between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, which also rules its northern part, and backed an insurgency in the late 1980s and 1990s that Indian security forces largely crushed.

Dozens of people have been killed in violent protests in Kashmir since July 8, when security forces killed a field commander of Pakistan-based Islamist militant group who enjoyed widespread support in the Muslim-majority region.

Modi has said India would not bow to terrorism and accused neighbour and arch-rival Pakistan of glorifying it in his annual Independence Day speech on Aug. 15, in which he also raised the rhetorical stakes by highlighting concerns about human rights in restive regions of Pakistan.

New Delhi has rejected Pakistan's invitation to hold talks on the future of Jammu and Kashmir, India's northernmost state, saying it is an integral part of the nation. It also says any talks should address cross-border terrorism in Indian-ruled Kashmir - something Pakistan denies any role in.

A senior State Department official said Kerry will encourage dialogue between Pakistan and India during the discussions.

"We have a long-standing policy of encouraging and advocating for great dialogue between the two countries on addressing areas of difference, and that continues to be our position," a senior State Department official said.

"But we have also underscored that combating terrorism is a high priority for the United States in its bilateral relations with all of the countries in the region," the official added.

The situation in Afghanistan will also be discussed, the official said, amid closer ties between India and Afghanistan, which is likely to aggravate fears in Pakistan of being wedged between two hostile neighbours.

India has provided a little over $2 billion in economic assistance to Afghanistan in the last 15 years and said recently it will deliver more arms to Afghanistan.
News LATEST Policy John Kerry's India visit: Six things to know Feedback

John Kerry's India visit: Six things to know

US Secretary of State, John Kerry, who landed in New Delhi on Monday evening is here to participate in the 2nd Indo-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue. Here are a few things you should know about Kerry's India visit.

US Secretary of State John Kerry
Now that the US Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's speech at Jackson Hole is done and dusted with, focus shifts to US August job data, which will strengthen or weaken the case for another rate hike as early as in September. Back home, Reserve Bank of India tabled its Annual Report 2015-16, which is the last one supervised by outgoing RBI governor Raghuram Rajan.

Below is the wrap-up of all this and more that is shaping the trade today:

Focus shifts to US August job data: Investors now await US employment data later this week, which is likely to reinforce Fed official's recent hawkish messages. The employment report is expected to show an increase of 180,000 jobs in August, according to the median estimate of 89 economists polled by Reuters, below the better-than-expected 255,000 additions in July and 292,000 gains in June. Yuan bears pop up heads: As the US Federal Reserve signalled an increasing possibility of another rate hike as early as in September, Chinese currency yuan is seeing declines. A Bloomberg report said derivative markets are pointing to renewed bets on yuan depreciation. However, PBOC is expected to intervene to stabilise the currency ahead of the International Monetary Fund's decision on yuan's entry into the Special Drawing Rights on October 1. Japanese data beat forecasts: A raft of Japanese data, from unemployment to retail sales, mostly beat analysts' forecasts but did nothing to change expectations the Bank of Japan would eventually have to ease further. Japanese retail sales fell 0.2 per cent in July from a year earlier, while jobless rate hit a two-decade low, and household spending fell 0.5 per cent, less than expected. Oil market rebalancing could take until end 2017: Volatility in oil prices is here to stay, believe oil-company executives who gathered in Norway for a conference. The huge global oil oversupply that has weighed on prices for the past two years may not clear until the second half of 2017, they said. RBI's annual report: Inflation projections are still at the upper limit of Reserve Bank's target and the policy rate can be cut only if inflation eases, outgoing Governor Raghuram Rajan said in the foreword to RBI Annual Report 2015-16. Retail inflation shot up to nearly 2-year high of 6.07 per cent, while the one based on wholesale prices soared to a 23-month high of 3.55 per cent in July. Global markets gain: Asian markets excluding Japan bounced on Tuesday as investors continued to count on more policy stimulus elsewhere in the world. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.5 per cent, while China's Shanghai Composite index was trading with positive bias. Japan's Nikkei dipped 0.1 per cent. Overnight, Wall Street snapped three-day long losing streak with S&P 500 closing just 0.45 per cent below its record high set earlier this month, while Dow Jones industrial average rose 107.59 points, or 0.58 per cent, to 18,502.99.



ALSO READ: Warren Buffett's six favourite business books you must read
Jeep, the 75-year-old iconic brand, was launched by its parent Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) as direct imports for Indian customers, at the starting price of Rs 71.59 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) to tap the surging SUV market in India.

Launching the all-diesel vehicles in Jodhpur today, Kevin Flynn - President and Managing Director, FCA India said, "Jeep pioneered the SUV segment globally and the concept of off-roading across the continents. Now we are providing our Indian customers with access to what Jeep has to offer by launching the Jeep Wrangler, the most capable production 4x4 vehicle in the world and the luxurious Jeep Grand Cherokee, the most awarded SUV of all time."

He also announced a locally made five-seater SUV to be launched in the next few months, which is expected to be price competitive and will compete with the likes of Honda CR-V or Mahindra XUV500. "We will add another vehicle to this line-up, an all-new, premium Jeep SUV, when local production starts at the Ranjangaon manufacturing facility, near Pune, next year," said Flynn.

FCA, the seventh-largest automaker in the world, will also retail three variants of the Jeep Grand Cherokee to be sold from Rs 93.64 to Rs 1.12 crore, all ex-showroom Delhi. All these vehicles will be sold through 10 Jeep distribution outlets called Jeep Destination Stores, in nine Indian cities by the end of this year. The first Jeep Destination Store will come up in Ahmedabad in Gujarat followed by New Delhi. Subsequent stores will be operational at Mumbai, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi. These are designed to be premium and have high level of engagement with walk-in customers, prospects and visitors.

The company has invested $280 million in its Ranjangaon facility to mobilise the localisation strategy, which involves the plans to manufacture and roll out an all-new, premium Jeep SUV. "We are aiming for early 2017. This will set a strong foundation for all the aspects that will further strengthen our future in India," said Flynn.

Jeep will offer a two-year, unlimited mileage manufacturer's warranty as standard on all its models. The warranty will have international coverage and will be transferrable to the second owner, too.

The company will add petrol variants in the next few months and will be offering co-branded Jeep merchandise across it outlets.








After a long wait, Apple has finally started sending media invites for its September 7 event, where the Cupertino giant is expected to unveil the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, along with the Apple Watch 2.

The invite states "See you on the 7th. Please join us for an invitation-only event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on Wednesday, September 7, at 10:00 a.m." According to India time, the event will begin at 10:30 PM on September 7.

ALSO READ: Airtel cuts 4G price by up to 80% to check Reliance Jio effect

Rumours and leaks have been doing the rounds suggesting the new iPhones will look very similar to the existing iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. However, it is suggested that the antenna lines at the back will be moved to the top and the bottom. Also, the home button will undergo a change and might have Force Touch Technology, which is similar to the trackpad on the new MacBooks. The headphone jack will go out and will be replaced with the lightning connector for audio output. The display size will continue to be 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch, but can have higher resolution. Both the iPhones are likely to run on Apple's A10 chipset with 2 GB RAM on the iPhone 7 and 3 GB on the iPhone 7 Plus.

ALSO READ: BSNL launches unlimited 3G for Rs 1,099, cuts rate by 50%

In the imaging department, optical image stabilisation can be added to the iPhone 7 camera and the iPhone 7 Plus can have a dual-camera setup at the back. Both the iPhones will run on the iOS 10, which was announced at WWDC in June this year.
A lending facility initiative rolled out earlier this year by 16 Credit Unions throughout the country has proved so successful amongst its target audience that it is set to be expanded over the coming months.

The Facebook fast-track loan option was rolled out earlier this year by 16 Credit Unions, backed by the Credit Union group, The Solutions Centre, and has proved very popular amongst Irelands would-be borrowers in their 20s & 30s.

Partnering with social media and digital marketing experts, the Solution Centre created a series of click through Facebook loan ads that were directed at young adults. These ads were supported with a 30sec qualifying assessment and a prompt call back and approval process.

As a result of the pilot that was run earlier this year and delivered very strong results, there are now 16 Credit Unions rolling out this service [including St Anthonys & Claddagh, Dundrum, Tullamore, Naas, Tipperary] with many more of the 38 Solutions Centre participants, who serve over 800,000 Credit Union members, expected to do so over the coming months.

For some of the early adopter Credit Unions this approach, which the Solution Centre calls the Digital Branch, now represents over 10% of the total new lending issued. The aim over the next 24 months is to grow that to 20%.

Kevin Johnson of The Solutions Centre says, "We are confident that the members that Credit Unions that sign up to this initiative will benefit greatly. While 60% of the population are members of a Credit Union, many dont work in close proximity to their local branch and as a result may struggle to find the time to meet Credit Union staff members to discuss a personal loan."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Bank of Ireland yesterday launched its 2016 FeelFree student reward programme with Snapchat Superstar, James Kavanagh and model, Thalia Heffernan.

FeelFree offers students who sign up for a new 3rd Level Account up to 100 worth of rewards just for using account throughout the year. The diverse set of rewards includes cinema tickets, pizza vouchers; surf lessons and of course, gorge beauty treatments.

The Bank has also announced today that it is the first Irish Bank to join the hugely popular social media platform, Snapchat. Over the coming weeks student ambassadors and influencers will share hacks and top tips to make student lives easier and help them save money for summer adventures with new college friends.

Bank of Ireland will also be distributing exclusive BOI PowerBanks on campus to those who sign up for a new account making sure freshers dont run out of power when taking that all-important Snapchat or finishing that mid-term essay thats been hanging over them for weeks.

As a part of the campaign, Snapchat Superstar, James Kavanagh will be on hand in University of Limerick and Trinity College Dublin during the week.

Head of Youth Banking at Bank of Ireland, Laura Lynch said, "As Irelands leading Bank for students we are delighted to announce the return of FeelFree. We want to give back to students throughout the year by rewarding them for being loyal with a huge choice of rewards through the year, with things they have told us that they want, that are fun and relevant and will make their lives easier."

She added, "Bank of Ireland understands how daunting it can be moving to a new place and being away from friends and family for the first time. FeelFree rewards give you an excuse to ask that girl or guy from Medieval History on a date or share a pizza with your new roommate, all on us!"

Source: www.businessworld.ie
One of Vietnams first luxury resorts, the Nam Hai in Danang will become a Four Seasons in December.

The new ownership group which is Singapores HPL and Dubais ASB Development has elected to retain the global brand for the property.

On offer at the Nam Hai are 40 resort villas which have undergone a renovation and 60 private residences.

Management of the property has been tasked to GHM but the change in ownership with HPL as a wider partner in many Four Seasons hotels and resorts has clearly spurred the change.
Interactive Theatre Carolina will lead a workshop that will invoke thought and conversation about our personal identities and how they intersect. You will be participating and sharing in reflective conversation regarding the diversity of experiences and perspectives.

Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so called 'trigger warnings,' we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual 'safe spaces' where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own.

It took less than a week into the 2016-2017 academic year for several outrageous stories to surface on college campuses.At the University of Texas at Austin, thousands of students protested the state's new campus carry law by wielding sex toys in a campaign called "Cocks Not Glocks." The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee told students that using the term "political correctness" is a microaggression. And in North Carolina, Appalachian State University prominently placed a bulletin board on campus denouncing white, male, able-bodied "privilege" in its student body.While those cases may have overwhelmed some new students, for many others such extremism on campus had already been normalized. That's because each year, incoming freshmen are inundated with similar politicization and rhetoric during new student orientations and welcome week celebrations. Examples from some of North Carolina's public universities help to illustrate the depth of the problem.At UNC-Asheville, students are required to attend a session titled "Multicultural Awareness with Multicultural Student Programs." Students then take a 10-minute "comfort break," presumably a necessity after the mental anguish incurred in the session.At UNC-Chapel Hill students participate in a session entitled "Exploring Our Stories." The session description explains that:UNC-Wilmington students are required to attend sex-segregated "campus safety" sessions. Women are given tips on how to deal with unwanted attention and information on women-only "rape aggression defense courses." Men are told Both men and women are given the definition of stalking, but only women are given information on how to deal with personal stalkers.During orientation, first-year students are even encouraged to seek self-segregated living arrangements on campus. At UNC-Chapel Hill, Living Learning residence halls are designated for students who want to be surrounded by like-minded individuals. These halls include "Pride Place," which is restricted to LGBTQ students and their allies, and "Unitas," a house that(Similar living arrangements at other universities have sparked controversy. The University of Connecticut was accused of racial discrimination after announcing that a new "ScHOLA2RS" residence community would provide living space only for students who identify as African-American males.)Students' assimilation into campus culture-and campus politics-described above doesn't end with orientation. It continues during the week before classes start, commonly referred to as Week of Welcome. This week is intended to help students acclimate to their new living arrangements and provide an introduction to campus life, but it's often used to inculcate a social justice worldview.North Carolina State University's "Wolf Pack Welcome Week" features signature events such as Respect the Pack . At this event, students make a vow to dedicate themselves to increasing "diversity" and "inclusion" on campus. In a video from the event, students explain that theyby correcting microaggressions, promoting cultural competency, respecting others' gender identity, and not "appropriating" others' cultures.During this year's event, NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson told students,Unfortunately, at some universities promoting such "safe and welcoming" environments and "progressive" thinking seems to be second only to coddling students academically.East Carolina University (ECU) recently introduced a new "adulting" program designed to teach freshmen how to cope with the difficulty of college. And ECU is not alone; nine other UNC system schools require new students to take "freshman foundations" courses. These courses are designed to help students cultivate better learning habits, develop personal career goals, navigate the university, and examine social issues.At Elizabeth City State University, for example, students are required to take a year-long course titled "Freshman Seminar" that teaches "time management skills, test-taking strategies, academic rules and regulations, and a variety of other skills...to enhance the transition from high school to college."Similar programs are required at North Carolina Central University, Fayetteville State University, North Carolina A&T, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Pembroke, UNC-Wilmington, Western Carolina University, and Winston-Salem State University. And this is not an isolated trend; the National Resource Center for First Year Experiences and Students in Transition estimates that 61.7 percent of four-year institutions provide such first-year seminars.Most universities across the country only require these courses for students deemed underprepared or at risk of failure. But many North Carolina universities require all students to take them. As a result, universities are forcing students to pay for classes that they may not need and frustrating those who would otherwise excel in a more demanding academic environment.Besides, the "soft skills" that these orientation courses are supposed to impart should come from general education curricula, not fluff classes that promise an easy "A." If universities took more seriously their duty to craft structured and rigorous general education programs, there would be no need for these additional freshman-specific courses. And if they raised their academic standards and refused to admit underprepared students, the problems that the courses are intended to address would go away altogether.While cases involving indoctrination and academic handholding-already front and center in the new year-are cause for concern, some universities have taken the high road, and should be emulated. The University of Chicago, for instance, recently welcomed students to campus with a letter reaffirming its support for a free and open marketplace of ideas. The letter read:Kudos to the University of Chicago. Too many universities are subtly and not-so-subtly teaching students to view the world through a narrow ideological lens. Meanwhile, they are pampering students academically, thereby instilling a weak work ethic in a millennial generation that desperately needs just the opposite.Students would be better served by a freshman experience that focuses more on communicating respect for free speech, intellectual diversity, and academic rigor than on encouraging social justice zealotry, or work habits that lead to feelings of entitlement.
Citizens Against Physical and Sexual Abuse, more commonly known as CAPSA, started fundraising for a Therapy and Childrens Center addition two years ago and now, according to Development Director James Boyd, that has become possible.

CAPSA was recently awarded with a $100,000 gift from longtime-supporter Gail Bird Weinshenker.

Boyd says Weinshenker is a retired nurse who is married to Ned Weinshenker and is now a member of CAPSAs board of directors. Boyd says with this gift CAPSA has raised just over $200,000 to help meet the demand.

This therapy and childrens center addition will provide four therapy offices above a childrens center, Boyd explains. Our childrens center will really be used for daycare for when clients in our shelter need to go look for jobs or housing.

Or, if the clients come in to meet with a therapist or a case worker they can have their children in the daycare system. We also do children groups so this will give us an opportunity to have a larger space to do childrens groups as we partner with the adult groups that we do.

Boyd says the childrens center will be named in honor of Mary Palley who served on CAPSAs Board of Trustees for over 25 years until her death in March.

Utah is above the national average in domestic violence and sexual violence and in Cache Valley there is a great need for FREE specialized therapy for men, women and children who are dealing with the trauma associated with abuse, stated Jill Anderson, Executive Director of CAPSA in a press release. Even with the growth of our therapy program, there is demand for additional therapists. However, we are currently out of office space, so the building of a Therapy and Childrens Center addition will allow CAPSA to add the needed therapists.

Boyd says CAPSA still needs to raise $50,000-$100,000 over the next few months to add a new roof and siding to the existing building.
Press Release:

Contact: Jesse Hunt

Jesse Hunt jhunt@burrforsenate.com

Raleigh, NC This week was full of highlights for the Burr campaign with the announcement of a leadership team and the release of the campaign's first general election TV ad. This stands in contrast with how Deborah Ross spent her week dodging questions about her radical career with the ACLU and struggling to answer questions about whether she thinks Hillary Clinton is trustworthy Monday saw the campaign unveil its "Women United for Burr" leadership team with Brooke Burr, Senator Burr's wife, serving as the team's honorary chair. The team is made up of many successful business leaders, grassroots activists, and Republican leaders who are serving as critical members of the Burr team in the local community.Susan was born and raised in Boston, MA. She graduated with a degree in Marketing Management from Bentley College. Before stepping down in 2013 to work full time as a volunteer on her husband's campaign for U.S. Senate, Susan had a successful career in real estate where she was on the leadership team at Allen Tate Realtors and managed two offices. Susan serves on the board of two organizations, NC Heroes Fund and Industry for the Blind. Susan was recently recognized for her community volunteer work, especially with the military with a Top Woman award in the Charlotte region. Susan continues to travel the state as a volunteer spokesperson, visiting and supporting the military, veterans and their families. Susan is married to U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, and has two children.Sarah is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of True Justice International, an international anti-trafficking organization. Mrs. Tellis is a graduate of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston with a degree in Occupational Therapy. She has been actively involved in national and international medical missions for the past fifteen years and has been a strong voice in educating the public both in North Carolina and around the world about the dangers of human trafficking and its impact on women, children and families. She has recently been appointed to the NC Human Trafficking Commission by Governor McCrory. Mrs. Tellis has also served as Vice President of the Eastern Pregnancy Information Center's Board of Directors and resides in New Bern, NC with her husband Dr. Angelo Tellis and their three children....The campaign announced the release of its newest TV ad, "Kirby," on Tuesday, the same day it was set to go on air. The ad, featuring African-American pastor Kirby Jones, is part of the campaign's $5.1 million initial ad buy announced back in June. A few highlights from the release of the ad are below:Exclusive Look At The Burr Campaign's New TV AdNew Burr Campaign Ad Touts Work On Subsidies For Low-Income Child CareBurr's First Ad Focuses On Education In North CarolinaLater in the week, Sarah Tellis, a New Bern resident and "Women United for Burr" leadership member, wrote a Medium post that detailed why she was supporting Senator Burr and touted some of his legislative achievements that have helped countless North Carolinians.In politics, it is important to separate fact from fiction, action from rhetoric and promises from actual results. Women here in North Carolina have a powerful voice in deciding the direction of our country and it is important to know which candidate will actually stand up for us in the U.S. Senate. The choice could not be clearer: Richard Bur has spent his entire career breaking down barriers that impede a woman's pursuit of their professional and personal life goals. One of those barriers is pay equity and Senator Burr joined Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) in her efforts to ensure equal pay for equal work by co-sponsoring Ayotte's Gender Advancement or Pay (GAP) Act. Many women are the primary financial earners for their families and Senator Burr recognizes how important it is for all women to be paid what they're deserved.
Contributed photos Christina Trevino (left) and David Davila

SHARE David Davila Christina Trevino

By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times

One of the witnesses who helped police find a 13-year-old boy's accused killers sold the murder weapon to one of the suspects, according to an arrest affidavit.

Haas Middle School student Alex Torres was fatally shot Jan. 13, 2015, while answering the door of his grandparents' apartment in the 2200 block of Treyway Lane. Detectives continued working the case but struggled to find suspects or a motive until two statements gathered Thursday and Friday.

A witness told police in a videotaped statement Thursday that David Davila, 27, and his girlfriend Christina Trevino, 24, were responsible for the boy's killing. The witness said Davila sought revenge on his ex-girlfriend for being reported to Child Protective Services, but went to the wrong apartment. Davila's ex-girlfriend lived next door, the affidavit states.

The couple were interviewed by CPS investigators earlier that day, according to the affidavit.

The witness said Trevino drove Davila to the apartment complex that night in a green 2003 Ford Explorer. Detectives confirmed that Trevino owned a green 2003 Ford Explorer from August 2014 until March 2015, when the car was registered to a new name. On the night of the shooting, witnesses told police they saw a man enter a dark-colored Ford Explorer with a female driver after they heard shots.

Another witness told police Friday that he sold the gun to the couple on the afternoon of the murder. That witness said Davila told him he needed to use the gun to "threaten" his ex-girlfriend, who shares a child with him, the affidavit states.

The witness told police Davila returned the weapon to him after the shooting and said "that all the doors looked alike" and he shot "whoever answered the door."

Davila and Trevino were both arrested Friday evening in the 3400 block of Bluebonnet Drive and were arrested on suspicion of murder. Their bail is each set at $500,000. As of Monday, both remained in Nueces County Jail, according to jail officials.

Davila previously served a 7-year prison sentence for an aggravated robbery charge, according to court records. Texas Department of Corrections records show he was released from prison in 2014.

The couple will appear in the 148th District Court Tuesday afternoon.

Twitter: @Caller_Fares
Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Heriberto Saenz with defense lawyer Milan Marinkovich (left) in 347th District Court Judge Missy Medary's court on Wednesday, July 27, 2016.

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By Krista M. Torralva of the Caller-Times

Lawyers are on pace to retry a man in November whose murder conviction was overturned this year.

Prosecutor Mike McCaig and defense lawyer, Milan Marinkovich, reported to 347th District Judge Missy Medary on Monday. They will continue discussing what evidence will be shared in the 2009 shooting case against Heriberto Saenz, 25. His trial is slated for Nov. 14.

Saenz was convicted of murder in 2010 in the death of Clarryssa Silguero during a drive-by shooting Sept. 30, 2009. He was sentenced to 70 years for the killing and 20 years for aggravated assault for injuries to others.

Earlier this year, the state's highest criminal appeals court overturned Saenz's convictions. The Court of Criminal Appeals decided Saenz's trial attorney failed to challenge evidence used to identify Saenz as the shooter, according to the 25-page decision.

Saenz has maintained his innocence.

Silguero was standing outside with a group in the 1100 block of Sabinas Street when, witnesses said, shots were fired from a red Ford F-150 pickup. Corpus Christi police have said the shooting was gang related.

Trial will be in 347th District Judge Missy Medary's court. Medary was not the original trial judge.

Twitter: @CallerKMT
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/CORPUS CHRISTI POLICE DEPARTMENT An arrest has been issued for Willie Church, who is suspected of robbing a bank on Aug. 25.

SHARE Contributed photo Police said a man with blue pants and a white and pink shirt robbed a bank in the 4100 block of Baldwin Boulevard on Aug 25. They obtained an arrest warrant for Willie Church, who is suspected in the robbery.

By Staff Reports of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Special to the Caller-Times

Corpus Christi police are asking for the public's help to find a man suspected in a bank robbery.

A Crime Stoppers tip helped police identify 20-year-old Willie Church, who is accused of robbing the Kleberg Bank on Baldwin Boulevard on Aug. 25.

An arrest warrant was issued for Church. He is described as 6 feet fall, 150 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. His last known address was the 2800 block of Tarlton Street, according to a police news release.

Bank employees told officers a man walked into the bank dressed in scrubs wearing a wig and holding a red purse. He passed a note to the teller demanding cash and fled into a nearby neighborhood. Images of the suspect from surveillance footage were released to the public.

Anyone who knows how to locate Church can call Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS or go online to www.888TIPS.com. Informatkion provided to Crime Stoppers which results in an arrest may earn the caller a cash reward.
Contributed photo These two men are suspected of stealing several boxes of bacon and some cash from a restaurant on Agnes Street. Detectives are asking anyone with information on the incident to call, 361-886-2840.

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By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times

Police are looking for two men who brought home the bacon.

Between Aug. 22-23, the men broke into a restaurant in the 4200 block of Agnes Street. They took cash and several large boxes of bacon before fleeing the scene.

Police believe the suspects, who were caught on surveillance cameras, broke into the business by cutting a lock.

Detectives are asking anyone with information on the incident to call, 361-886-2840. People also can leave tips through Crime Stoppers by calling 888-TIPS or visiting www.888TIPS.com.

Twitter: @Caller_Fares
Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Tony Pantoja, a vector control officer, identifies and counts female mosquitoes collected at one of several collection sites across the city on Tuesday, March 26, 2016.

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By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times

A third mosquito has tested positive for West Nile virus in the 1200 block of Main Drive, according to Corpus Christi Animal Control and Vector Services.

The mosquito was caught in a trap from that block that was submitted Aug. 23, according to a news release.

The Vector Control department will respond by using aerial spray within a half-mile of where the mosquitoes were found beginning Monday night and ending Wednesday night.

Previous tests conducted in the area in August also turned up two mosquitoes with the virus.

Vector services personnel will survey the neighborhoods to find and get rid of standing water, a prime breeding ground for mosquito larvae.

Residents living in the area are encouraged to wear long-sleeve shirts and pants and to check their property for standing water.

Residents who find standing water or high grass can call 361-826-2489 to file a report.

Twitter: @Caller_Fares
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Officials for the Port of Corpus Christi and the city of Laredo sign a memorandum that seeks to generate new business by promoting trade between the two entities. From left, John LaRue, the port's executive director; Charles Zahn, port authority chairman; Pete Saenz, mayor of Laredo; U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo; Jesus Olivares, Laredo City Manager.

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By Chris Ramirez of the Caller-Times

The Port of Corpus Christi and the city of Laredo are now working closer together in international trade.

The two entities on Tuesday signed a historic memorandum of understanding aimed at generating new business by promoting the trade routes between Laredo and the port.

John P. LaRue, the port's executive director, and Charles Zahn, its commission chairman, were among port officials who went to the border community to sign the document during a city council meeting.

An alliance between the two, experts say, has become more important as the volume of trade with Mexico grows. Laredo has four international bridges, and the port anticipates heavier volumes of goods to sail through its waters in the wake of the Panama Canal's recent expansion.

Texas' export shipments of merchandise in 2015 totaled $251.1 billion, according to the International Trade Commission. Mexico was by far its largest customer.

Texas posted merchandise exports of $94.5 billion to Mexico in 2015, which more than tripled the exports sent to second-place Canada at $25.4 billion.

Conversely, Laredo's World Trade Bridge, which connects the city with Tamaulipas, Mexico, accounts for more than a third of the state's northbound border-crossing traffic into the United States, with nearly 1.5 million truck crossings each year.

"Laredo and the Port of Corpus Christi have enjoyed a bond of collaboration over the years that has strengthened as the flow of commerce grows," Zahn said. "This natural alliance between a seaport and an inland port offers a solid foundation for regional development."

Also in attendance were U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo; Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz; Laredo City Manager Jesus Olivares and State Rep. Richard Pena Raymond.

Twitter: @Caller_ChrisRam

Mou Col-pocc 2016 by callertimes on Scribd
Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times File Frank Hernandez Jr., a Korean War Veteran, visits the Nueces County Veterans Services booth on Friday during the 2011 Coastal Bend Veterans Summit at Del Mar College.

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By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times

The Nueces County Veterans Services Office will begin closing Wednesday afternoons from noon until 5 p.m. for administrative days starting this week, according to a news release.

The office, located at 602 North Staples St., will remain open until noon on Wednesdays, and veterans will still be seen by appointment only Wednesday afternoons, according to the release. Appointments for Wednesday afternoons must be made at least one day in advance.

Veterans seeking assistance on Wednesday afternoons can visit the Texas Veterans Commission on 5283 Old Brownsville Road or Disabled American Veterans at 4646 Corona Drive.

Twitter: @Caller_Fares
When is hurricane season? Here's what you need to know in South Texas
MATT WOOLBRIGHT/CALLER-TIMES U.S. Senator Ted Cruz visits Naval Air Station Corpus Christi on Thursday.

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Seeing Sen. Ted Cruz pay attention to this part of the state last week was gratifying. For a senator who until lately appeared too preoccupied with running for president to tend to Texas, Cruz showed an intuitive understanding of what the Corpus Christi area needs most from him.

Cruz toured Naval Air Station Corpus Christi and spent some time with its top officials. The tour offered the kinds of photo opportunities any image-conscious senator would want to result from a visit here. But there appears to have been plenty of substance to go along with the style.

Also, Cruz's timing couldn't have been more interesting and fortuitous. Two days earlier, the City Council voted 5-4 to delete $14 million in infrastructure for 16 square miles it annexed two years ago with an eye toward protecting the Navy base's interests. The vote last week was seen as a prelude to de-annexation  by neglect if not by a vote.

One of the council's main reasons for the annexation was to seize some authority to regulate or stop a wind farm project. Whether saturating South Texas with wind turbines imperils Navy flight training is an unresolved issue. The wind industry says it shouldn't be a concern, the Navy says it's not so sure, and a Navy study that may settle the question is pending. But it's a big enough concern for the Navy to study and for Navy brass to worry. And when the next round of base closures starts, the last thing Corpus Christi needs is for Navy brass to go into the closure talks feeling iffy about NAS Corpus Christi's long-term viability.

Recently Cruz wrote a federal rule requiring a review of the potential impact of wind projects on neighboring military installations. It was a brilliant policy move for Cruz because he gets to be pro-military while also annoying the pro-wind-energy Obama administration. Also, for a senator reputedly indifferent to local matters, he sure seems more interested in Corpus Christi's long-term future than five members of its council. The Navy base's value to the local economy is estimated at $5.3 billion. Not only is the $14 million savings on the infrastructure project paltry in comparison, but the city will have to make that investment anyway eventually because the annexed land is where the city's growth is headed.

Councilman Chad Magill, in particular, was so fixated on saving the $14 million that he considered it an ironclad justification for voting when he had abstained from the annexation vote in 2014 to avoid a conflict of interest. We fail to see why this savings makes Magill's employer's relationship with the wind farm developer cease to matter now.

But, hey, we were talking about Cruz's newly discovered willingness to help our area. The senator also took time during his visit to discuss other matters of local interest over lunch with Mayor Nelda Martinez, including the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. Deepening the channel to 52 feet has been a goal since the end of the 20th century. Perhaps the senator can help U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, who has been in office longer than Cruz, make some headway on the ship channel project.

The military, ship channel and other transportation projects discussed with Cruz are where he can use his position to make a difference. Let's hope he does.
Associated Press photo Spectators wave as the disabled Carnival Splendor cruise ship approaches the dock in San Diego on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010.

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The cruise ship industry had a $1.3 billion economic impact on Galveston and Houston  mainly Galveston  in 2014, according to the Houston Chronicle. A year later, the number of passengers departing Galveston, 834,000, represented a 30 percent increase, according to the Chronicle. Corpus Christi needs in on a deal like that. And state Rep. Todd Hunter has done what he can to stack the deck in his city's favor.

Last week a committee of state senators and representatives met here to consider what it would take to bring the cruise industry to South Texas. The committee exists because Hunter, its co-chair, wrote the legislation to establish it.

The committee is supposed to look into luring cruise ships to a port between Calhoun and Cameron counties. The possible sites besides Corpus Christi are Port Aransas, Brownsville/South Padre Island, Point Comfort and Port Lavaca. To have established the zone as somewhere between the Texas State Aquarium and Whataburger Field would have been too obvious of Hunter.

He can make it easy but he can't do it alone. Hunter let it be known ahead of the hearing that a healthy turnout would make an impression on the committee. The result was a crowd too big for the meeting room at the Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz International Center  a good venue for the topic of discussion because its cozy view of the ship channel makes the rustiest of industrial ships look pretty. The list of speakers who talked up the merits of using the Corpus Christi area as a home base was overwhelming. It included area mayors and other elected officials, economic development and chamber of commerce officials, and higher education officials. Nobody, it appeared, wanted to be left out.

The speakers had their marketing down. Their consensus was that the area is ready for the cruise industry now  before the replacement for Harbor Bridge is built. The new bridge will be an asset and no doubt will be on cruise ship passengers' bucket list of things to do and see. But in the meantime the old bridge won't be an impediment if the ships dock nearby at Ingleside, the committee was told. Corpus Christi can supply the workforce and can attract passengers, the committee also was told.

Let's see the teamwork continue for the sake of the community. The pursuit of the cruise industry would be an excellent project for members of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce to pursue together in their new, merged identity as the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce. The quest also could be an active-learning project for business, marketing and public affairs majors.

The committee's Senate chair, Sen. Lois W. Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, predicted that South Texas will have a cruise ship terminal within five years  around the time the new bridge will be finished. Let's hold her to it  and do what can be done to speed up her schedule and to make sure that by South Texas she means somewhere between the Texas State Aquarium and Whataburger Field.
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Louise M. Wasson

United chamber

This country will never be united if we keep separating into different groups. So glad the chambers of commerce united. We all  black,white, Hispanic, Asian, etc.  live in this city and county so there should not be a division in groups. That is what is wrong with this election and country. What has happened to working together for common good? What happened to we are all in this for good of the country? I grew up as Navy youngster, went to 11 different schools before graduating, and lived on the East and West coasts and, now, Texas. All had their pluses and minuses, but we were all in the same boat. Yes there are still problems but groups that divide because of color, gender, religion, educational status, do just that  divide. Like I first stated, the chamber being one body is a good thing.
| BY Ricki Green |

Globally renowned brand specialist and creative powerhouse, Simon Hong has been appointed executive creative director of prominent brand and design agency, Hulsbosch.

Together with Hans Hulsbosch, Hong will manage Hulsboschs creative development and direction with a mandate that includes full oversight of all aspects of client work and leading creative services for the agency.

Says Jaid Hulsbosch, director, Hulsbosch: Simon is a talented, high-calibre brand expert with an unwavering commitment and passion for excellence. He will shape and drive our work ensuring it performs and ultimately contributes to the success of our clients.

A widely recognised practitioner, Hong has over 20 years experience working across various disciplines and moves on from his latest role as global principal at Wolff Olins.

On assignment in Seoul as executive creative director at Cheil Worldwide, Hong was overseeing experiential marketing for global tech company Samsung. Prior to Cheil, he was based in Sydney where he was a founder and creative director for the brand consultancy Re within the M&C Saatchi network.

Hong is a specialist in translating brand to multi-dimensional, participatory and sensory experiences. He is well known for developing holistic brand programs and their manifestation to communication, environmental, social, digital, experiential and retail platforms.

Says Hong: Over the years I have witnessed the great work of Hulsbosch. They are Australias most influential branding consultancy and it contributes significantly to the local language of brand.

Im excited to lead an impressive creative team. Together, we will pursue innovative and game-changing branding solutions for clients to achieve cut-through and commercial success.

Hong is a sought-after speaker at leading industry conferences and events presenting at AGIdeas International Design Week and Spikes Asia. His work has been recognised with multiple awards from AWARD, RedDot, AGDA and D&AD.
| BY Ricki Green |

Saatchi & Saatchi has announced a change in leadership in its New York office, with Aussie expat CEO Brent Smart, a former CEO at Colenso BBDO Auckland and CCO Jay Benjamin, a former co-ECD at Leo Burnett Sydney, leaving the agency effective September 1st.

Says Smart: Jay and I started this journey of reinventing Saatchi New York together as partners, and weve decided to finish as partners, as we both leave the agency to pursue other opportunities. For me personally, after five years with the agency its time for a change, and the time is right to do that now with the right succession in place, which is something weve been talking about for a while.

Says Benjamin (above right with Smart): Im incredibly proud of the team at Saatchi & Saatchi New York, and especially of being named Creativitys Comeback Agency of the Year. Its been a true labor of love and an honor to work with such an amazing roster of brands. Im very excited for whats next for myself and for the agency. The view was pretty good too.

Andrea Diquez, current president of the New York office will assume the role of CEO, effective immediately, while continuing in her leadership role on P&G.

Javier Campopiano, previously CCO of Latin America for Saatchi & Saatchi, will partner with her as the new CCO in New York as of September 1st.

Diquez was named president in late 2015, charged with day-to-day agency operations and client relations, along with running the global Olay account for Procter & Gamble. Diquez began her career at Saatchi & Saatchi New York in 1995 and has held a variety of regional and global roles, including leading some of the agencys most famous work on Tide. She was named CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Mexico in 2011 and returned to New York in August 2013 to run the Olay business as EVP Global Director.

Campopiano has 20 years of global industry experience and was most recently CCO at FCB NY prior to re-joining Saatchi in 2014. A globally recognized talent, Campopiano has been awarded over 30 Cannes Lions throughout the course of his career including an Outdoor Grand Prix.

Says Robert Senior, CEO Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi: We greatly appreciate the vision and passion that Brent and Jay have brought to the agency during their time here and we thank them for their contribution. Were looking forward to the next chapter of Saatchi NY under Andrea and Javiers leadership as we continue to focus on the success of our clients.

Prior to joining Saatchi & Saatchi NYC in 2011, Smart spent seven years with BBDO. He ran Colenso BBDO in New Zealand, one of the networks most creative agencies, then transferred to the States to head up BBDOs west coast operations as managing director of BBDO San Francisco. Across both agencies he led a body of award winning work that won over 20 Cannes Lions and 40 Effies. Smart, together with ECD Nick Worthington, was the driving force behindColenso BBDOs success at that time, including winning CampaignBriefs NZ Agency of the Year title in 2008.

New York-born, Benjamin got his first break with then partner Andy DiLallo, at Bozell New York under David Nobay, who then brought the pair to Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney in 2003. DiLallo is now CCO at M&C Saatchi, Sydney and Nobay is creative chairman of Marcel Australia.
| BY Lynchy |

Saatchi & Saatchi has announced a change in leadership in its New York office, with Aussie expat CEO Brent Smart, a former CEO at Colenso BBDO Auckland and CCO Jay Benjamin, a former co-ECD at Leo Burnett Sydney, leaving the agency effective September 1st.

Smart said, Jay and I started this journey of reinventing Saatchi New York together as partners, and weve decided to finish as partners, as we both leave the agency to pursue other opportunities. For me personally, after five years with the agency its time for a change, and the time is right to do that now with the right succession in place, which is something weve been talking about for a while.

Benjamin (above right with Smart) said, Im incredibly proud of the team at Saatchi & Saatchi New York, and especially of being named Creativitys Comeback Agency of the Year. Its been a true labor of love and an honor to work with such an amazing roster of brands. Im very excited for whats next for myself and for the agency. The view was pretty good too.

Andrea Diquez, current president of the New York office will assume the role of CEO, effective immediately, while continuing in her leadership role on P&G.

Javier Campopiano, previously CCO of Latin America for Saatchi & Saatchi, will partner with her as the new CCO in New York as of September 1st.

Diquez was named president in late 2015, charged with day-to-day agency operations and client relations, along with running the global Olay account for Procter & Gamble. Diquez began her career at Saatchi & Saatchi New York in 1995 and has held a variety of regional and global roles, including leading some of the agencys most famous work on Tide. She was named CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Mexico in 2011 and returned to New York in August 2013 to run the Olay business as EVP Global Director.

Campopiano has 20 years of global industry experience and was most recently CCO at FCB NY prior to re-joining Saatchi in 2014. A globally recognized talent, Campopiano has been awarded over 30 Cannes Lions throughout the course of his career including an Outdoor Grand Prix.
Tuesday, August 30, 2016 at 1:29AM

For Surface Pro 3 users experiencing battery issues, Microsoft has issued a fix for those tablets that dont seem to hold a full charge. Some owners of this model particular have been complaining that their machines couldnt hold charge for more than an hour. Microsoft was able to determine that the issue with some units is theyve been failing to correctly measure the full battery capacity of the tablet, which is preventing them from receiving a full charge. Microsoft likens the issue to a broken fuel gauge in a car: If the fuel gauge isnt working right, the car would also not be able to fill the tankeven though the tank is fine.

Microsoft claims the batteries inside the units should be fine and should work properly after you install the update. But the changes might happen over a few charge and discharge cycles. Of course, with an older unit like the Surface Pro 3, the capacity of its battery might be less than the original at this point. But it should still be better than an hours use. For those who already replaced their battery thinking that was the issue. Microsoft is looking into the issue and trying to identify those who actually have a faulty battery or those who just ran the batterys unit down. They intend to reach out to those affected by the bug and paid for a replacement within 30 days.

Source: The Verge
"This competition [Australasian Brazilian Samba Queen Competition] was very authentic in the way that you actually have to dance to live drums so Kirstie had to get out there and freestyle what she was doing to the drums to win," she said.
"We hope that by bringing the Great Barrier Reef to Canberra, politicians will be able to see first-hand what is at risk from their unwavering support for the coal mining industry," Mr Casule said.
Scientists from the ANU and University of Canberra are among the group who point out over the past five years, only 450 horses have been removed annually from the national park. They say aerial culling is not part of the management plan, but is the most humane and effective method.
After more than 40 years working in medicine, including the last 34 in Billings as a naturopathic physician in what she describes as "my passion," Dr. Margaret Beeson has been recognized nationally as one of the best in her field.

Earlier this summer, the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians  a professional society with 1,500 members nationwide and affiliates in 43 states  named her its 2016 Physician of the Year.

"It was a surprise for me because naturopathic physicians are some of the most phenomenal people I have met," Beeson said. "Having them choose me was very humbling."

Beeson has owned and operated Yellowstone Naturopathic Clinic, at 720 N. 30th St., since 1992. The clinic provides health and wellness services through about two dozen staff members, including seven other associate naturopathic physicians and a handful of resident physicians through its residency program.

Naturopathic medicine, also called naturopathy, is a health care approach that focuses on prevention and self-healing through natural therapies that use both traditional and modern scientific methods and research.

Beeson said she views the relationship with patients there as similar to that of an old school family physician, spending time to get to know the whole patient and learning about their lives in order find out how to best help them.

"It's medicine," she said. "People think about it as something that's sort of fringe, but it's really not. I started in conventional medicine."

In the early 1970s at the age of 23 she joined the U.S. Navy to train as a physician assistant, operating out of San Diego and into northern California.

As Beeson worked with more and more patients and learned more about health care, she began to look for other ways to help them.

"I started feeling as though I had limitations with my tools in being able to help people, especially in regards to people with chronic illness," she said.

That led her to begin working toward a medical degree with a focus on holistic healing, and she entered a nursing and pre-med program in the San Francisco area. A few years later, she learned about naturopathic medicine and was sold.

"It was, 'Oh my goddness, this is everything I've been looking for,' " Beeson said.

In 1985, she'd finished up her pre-med and enrolled at Bastyr University in Seattle, where she earned her doctorate in naturopathic medicine.

A few years after finishing, she landed in Billings and opened her business, which quickly took off and has expanded from just her to where it is today.

She said the focus there is on educating patients so they can make the best decisions for themselves while providing them with a number of options. That might include recommending that they seek services through conventional medicine, such as one of Billings' two hospitals.

"It's not about taking a vitamin or an herb, it's about understanding the cause of an illness," Beeson said. "Part of it for the patients, I'll encourage them if they need a procedure or medicine that we can't provide. It's about the best options. They really want to know that we support them and trust that I'm going to give the right recommendation."

The AANP process for naming its physician of the year starts with nominations from its 1,500 members, which are then reviewed by its board of directors.

In choosing the recipients, they consider leadership that boosts or contributes to the profession and development of fellow physicians; ethical standards and how well they model the Oath of Naturopathic Medicine; and individual achievement in the field, such as patient care, teaching, record of service over the years or unique accomplishments.

"Dr. Beeson embodies exceptional values that we believe should be continuously recognized in this unique field," said Ryan Cliche, AANP executive director, in a news release. "Shes valued for her strong leadership, hands-on approach, and authenticity  which without much effort, has propelled her into the role of a great mentor and teacher.

That role of mentor and teacher is something Beeson makes particular note of, as her clinic runs two different residency slots, one for general naturopathic medicine and another for oncology/general in collaboration with St. Vincent Healthcare's Frontier Cancer Center.

That program has seen 21 resident physicians come through it since 2005 and sends them on rotations at other health care facilities in the area, including Billings Clinic, St. Vincent and RiverStone Health.

"They're integrated in the community and it allows health care practitioners to have a closer connection with naturopathic medicine," Beeson said. "It's a big commitment."

Yellowstone Naturopathic Clinic also operates two nonprofits. The Naturopathic Education and Research Consortium helps to fund residencies and support clinically based research, while the Paul Gardner Veterans Pain Relief Foundation works with local military veterans to address chronic pain while getting them off of pain medications.
Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing.

You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Yellowstone County now have a fifth club in McKinley Elementary.

Officials cut the ribbon in front of the school, which includes dedicated space for the Club after the remodel.

Members of the Billings City Council, Billings Public Schools Board of Trustees, Boys and Girls Clubs board and the local business community attended the ceremony.

Kristina Jones, regional vice president for Boys and Girls Clubs of America, said that the most successful clubs operate with the help of the community.

"The opening of this site helps us serve just a few more of those kids and makes a difference in their lives," she said.

The McKinley club is the fifth Billings location for the organization. Brian Dennis, President of Boys and Girls Clubs of Yellowstone County, said that the organization aims to serve about 900 kids citywide.

Partnership with the school district was crucial in getting this club online, Dennis said. It makes the transition from school to the club little more than a walk down the hall.

Billings Public Schools Superintendent Terry Bouck was on hand for the ribbon cutting.

"It's not just borrowing the facility," he said. "We actually designed parts of the building (for the club)."

The Boys and Girls Clubs will use part of the school, like the cafeteria and gym, and Dennis said that they've set up some space at the front desk. But the club also has a dedicated room on the lower level of the school.

Nick Enslow, director of downtown and south Billings area clubs, said that the room at McKinley is set up for sound and video recording, with equipment and editing software for the kids.

About 50 students have signed up at the new club, he said, and he said he hopes it will serve more than 100.

Dennis said that they will also have STEM activities and adult mentors for the kids.

The McKinley-area students were a priority to the Boys and Girls Clubs in part because of some demographic figures, according to a news release. Of the students in the downtown and North Park areas, 13 percent are considered homeless, 17 percent have an incarcerated parent and 70 percent receive free or reduced-price lunches.

Moving into the schools has been a trend for the organization, Dennis said. The Boys and Girls Clubs are in the final stages of moving the Bench Clubhouse in the Heights over to the new Medicine Crow Middle School.

Like McKinley, that building was also designed to include space for the Boys and Girls Clubs, Dennis said. When that happens, four of the five clubs in Billings will be based in schools.

The kids in the program joined the ceremony, and Mayor Tom Hanel spoke to them during his remarks.

"I'm very happy for you," he said. "I wish you the best, and have fun in your new club."

Then it was off to cake and ice cream to celebrate.
The University of Delhi has released the 8th cut-off list which is the last and final cut-off list for admissions into Delhi University's undergraduate courses.

The admissions process under the 8th cut-off list be conducted till August 30, 2016.

The 7th cut-off was released on August 24, 2016. Despite the low cut-offs and the lengthy cut-off lists, not many students have taken admissions into the vacant seats of the Delhi University for the academic session 2016.

Earlier, the university had decided to release only 5 cut-off lists for admissions into this year academic session. Due to many vacant seats in most the popular colleges, the admission authorities decided to bring in more cut-off lists with an aim to fill up the vacant seats.

According to reports, seats under general category have been filled for the 2016 academic session. Seats under the reserved category quota and others are still vacant.

In comparison to the fourth cut-off list, the cut-off marks declined in the range of 0.25 to 5.0 percentage points in the final list with admission opportunities in BSc (Hons) Maths existing for general students at Ramjas, Hansraj, Hindu and Kirorimal colleges in the cut-off range 94.5-96 per cent.

Also, the students who have already registered will have to re-apply for the vacant seats, following which a merit list will be released by the college.

The 8th cut-off list for various subjects at different colleges affiliated to the Delhi University.

Subject College Name Cut-off percentage BA Hons (English) Daulat Ram College 92% Kalindi College 86% BA (Hons) Political Science Shivaji College 87% Dyal Singh College and others

86% BA (Hons) History IP College and others

88.50% B.Com (Hons) Kalindi College 92.75% Daulat Ram College 95%

For more details log on to Delhi University's official website.
The Union Public Service Commission has released the e-admit cards for National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination (II), 2016. The e-admit cards are available for download on the official website of UPSC until September 18, 2016.

According to another release on the commission's website, the NDA and NA Examination (II) 2016 will be held on September 18, 2016 in 41 centres across the country.

Note: Candidates who have been exempted from taking the main examination or those who have been rejected have been sent e-mails provided by the candidates along with the reasons for rejection.

Also candidates who are not able to download the e-admit card on the official website can contact the commission for further notification.

The admit cards are mandatory document to be carried to the examination hall on the day of examination, failure of which the candidate will not be allowed to take up the examination.

The admit card will contain information like Name, Roll Number,Registration ID and Name & Year of the Examination in all the correspondence with UPSC.

Candidates who do not have clear photographs on the e-admit card will have to bring a photo identity proof viz. Adhar Card, Driving Licence, Passport, Voter I Card etc. and two passport size photographs one for each session for appearing in the examination with an undertaking.

Candidates should also note that there will be negative marking for wrong answers given by the candidate for objective type questions.

How to download e-admit cards?
New Delhi, August 29, 2016: Vedanta Foundation and Vedanta Limited, a globally diversified natural resources company, in collaboration with the Directorate of Education, Government of Goa, has launched a pilot project to promote digital education in schools across the state. The Honourable Chief Minister of Goa, Shri. Laxmikant Parsekar, who also holds the portfolio of Education Minister, launched 'The Smart Class and Science Lab' project.

"The launch of this smart class and science lab project in schools is an additional initiative to support the cause of education. Vedanta has already funded Goa's mining department in the Goa Engineering College and also runs two Industrial Training Institutes. Both these institutions are running very well. The choice of the government schools for introducing digital education was to help the less privileged students get oriented with education, in a smart and technology friendly way," said Chief Minister of Goa, Shri. Laxmikant Parsekar.

He further requested Vedanta to extend the initiative to 77 high schools in the state as well.

"At Vedanta, we believe that harnessing the full power of leveraging technology and innovation in school education is our endeavor towards investing in India's future leaders. I am grateful for the Honorable Chief Minister of Goa, Sri Laxmikant Parsekar for recognizing our efforts and commitment towards transforming and empowering the students of our host communities in Goa. I am confident that the Smart Class and Science Lab Project which is a pilot project will also have the opportunity of being adopted by other states as well," said Mr. Anil Agarwal, Chairman, Vedanta.

Vedanta Limited has a strong-rooted culture of innovation across its operations globally. The company launched Eureka in May 2016 to create an online platform to nurture and incubate in-house innovation that has the potential to maximize Vedanta's value chain, optimize costs or simply improve employee engagement.

It is a part of Vedanta's innovation and technology drive for which a first tranche of INR 200 crore has been infused. Mr. Agarwal believes that in a milieu where technology and innovation are transforming businesses across the world, the natural resources sector too must keep up the pace to maintain relevance.

About the Smart Class project:

The Smart Class project will be implemented in 13 schools, one in each taluka in Goa. Under the project, Vedanta will enable innovative learning through K-Yan, a portable device which converts any wall into an interactive teaching surface. This allows students to experience interactive multimedia content, virtual experiments, curriculum-based educational videos, and also facilitates training for teachers.

About the Science Lab project:

A second project, Science Laboratories, will be implemented across 30 schools located in Goa's mining belt. The Science Lab incorporates a package of 55 different science interactive working models mapped to the state educational curriculum, providing a forum for children to pursue their natural curiosity and inventiveness. Further, this technology simplifies the learning process by providing vital hands-on experiences to students

A demo of the smart class and its benefits was made to the gathering by 'K-Yan' representative, Mr. Gaurav Jagarwal. Also present on the dais were Virendra Kumar, Education Secretary (IAS), Mr. Gajanan Bhat, Director, Education, Mr. Nagaraj Honnekeri, Director, SCERT, Mr. Anil Pawar, State Project Director, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, Mr. Taher Vohra, Project Head, Vedanta Foundation and Ms. Leena Verenkar, Head - Corporate Affairs and CSR - Sesa Goa Iron Ore.

Vedanta endeavors to promote digital education and literacy through innovative measures and the company will continue to invest in the education sector as part of their Community Development initiatives.

About Vedanta Limited (Formerly Sesa Sterlite Limited.)

Vedanta Limited is a diversified natural resources company, whose business primarily involves producing oil and gas, zinc - lead - silver, copper, iron ore, aluminium and commercial power. The company has a presence across India, South Africa, Namibia, Australia, Ireland and Liberia.

Vedanta Limited is the Indian subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Plc, a London-listed company. Governance and Sustainable Development are at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety and environment and on enhancing the lives of local communities. The company is conferred with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) 'Sustainable Plus Platinum label', ranking among the top 10 most sustainable companies in India. To access the Vedanta Sustainable Development Report 2016, please visit: http://sd.vedantaresources.com/SustainableDevelopment2015-16/

For more information please log on to www.vedantalimited.com

About Vedanta Foundation

Vedanta Foundation is a Public Charitable Trust registered under the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950 which was setup in the year 1992, as an extension to the company's efforts for focused sustainable development of the underprivileged population of the country.

Education, Child Care, Employment, Women Empowerment prioritize the Foundation's social development initiatives among others. Vedanta Foundation has woven its social programs to support the achievement of India's Millennium Development Goal.
Business owners and managers along a stretch of Montana Avenue jokingly call it the Montana Avenue Speedway, and they sometimes peer out their windows with alarm as their customers play a real-life version of the video game "Frogger" trying to cross three lanes of traffic without a signal.

Customer and employee safety is nothing to joke about, of course, and business owners and managers met with city leaders and state transportation officials two weeks ago to brainstorm ways to slow down traffic and boost pedestrians sense of safety along the state-owned route between about North 25th Street and about North 18th Street. That's a 25-mph stretch unimpeded with traffic signals where speeds can easily double the posted maximum.

The traffic is going far faster than is safe for a pedestrian-heavy area, said Jennifer Mercer, executive director of the Billings Depot, 2310 Montana Ave. Pedestrians using well-marked crosswalks cross our street at their own peril, and something needs to change soon before someone is killed.

Roy Peterson, Montana Department of Transportations traffic and safety engineer, said a traffic study will be conducted along the corridor as soon as this fall, with ideas for what can be done to make Montana Avenue safer for all users developed as soon as spring 2017.

There are tools in our toolbox, including rapid-flashing beacons placed across the entire width of the street to alert all three lanes of traffic that there are pedestrians in a crosswalk, Peterson said.

With a staff of four engineers, state transportation officials sometimes must turn to consultants to perform such studies, and that will probably be the case for Montana Avenue, Peterson said.

The best thing for us to do is gather the data, get the facts, and then strike a balance between automobiles and pedestrians and make it safe for all modes of transportation, Peterson said. Billings is not unique. They want to make their downtown more business friendly, and how you do that is not by focusing on one mode of getting places, but to consider all the modes of travel, automobiles included."

Often a pedestrian can convince a lane or two of traffic to stop, said Montana Avenue-area business leaders including Mercer; Randy Hafer, president and co-owner of High Plains Architects; and Matt Pipinich, co-owner of MoAv Coffee House. But when the third lane of traffic doesnt stop, the pedestrian must improvise.

Weve seen a tremendous growth along Montana Avenue in the last 20 years, and a lot of it is pedestrian traffic as the street has seen its share of additional food and beverage establishments set up shop with established entities, including the citys engineering office, Hafer said. Its not just lunch time. Its all hours of the day and evening. In theory the pedestrian has the right of way, and you might get one or two lanes to stop, but will the guy in the next lane stop?

Seated around a table in Pipinichs coffee shop at the corner of Montana Avenue and North 25th Street, the three said Friday theyve been impressed with MDTs willingness to seek solutions to whats been, as Hafer said, a problem thats been out of hand forever.

We used to have (loft) tenants who would turn their chairs toward the window to watch the steady stream of near-misses, Hafer said.

Hafer said he appreciated Peterson's turn of phrase during their meeting two weeks ago: Theres a national movement afoot, Peterson told the group, to turn mean streets into Main Streets.

Pedestrian traffic, Pipinich said, is vital to almost every business here.

"So is obeying the speed limit, he said.

When you see a pedestrian, its easier to brake at 25 rather than 45, he said.

A study to calm traffic along Montana Avenue was conducted about a dozen years ago, Hafer noted. It received Billings City Council and MDT approval, but no funding. I think what happened was we didnt have a champion, he said. If anything, it has gotten worse.

Until the consultant or MDT can study the corridor, expect to see episodes of stepped-up speed enforcement, Police Chief Rich St. John said.

This is the first time Ive heard a concerted complaint along Montana Avenue, St. John said. We will be sending some officers there to take enforcement action, but we have only two officers working (strictly on traffic enforcement). I often liken it to whack-a-mole, where officers work one neighborhood only to have to leave to take care of another problem area, but its just a matter of being able to put some resources there.
Thomas Craig Pfeifle of Rapid City, the 19-year-old son of two state judges, died Monday of injuries received in a mountain-climbing accident in Montana earlier this month.

Pfeifle  the son of S.D. Seventh Circuit Court judges Craig Pfeifle and Jane Wipf Pfeifle of Rapid City  died at a Seattle hospital on Monday morning, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Pfeifle had been taken there after an Aug. 8 accident in which he had fallen 20 to 30 feet while climbing Granite Peak, Montana's highest point, according to Park County authorities.

Pfeifle was rescued by helicopter and flown to the Billings Clinic, where he was treated for a head injury. He was then transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where a hospital spokeswoman described his condition Aug. 9 as critical.

Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Gregg told the Journal that Pfeifle died at the hospital Monday morning.

According to a press release from the Park County Sheriff's Office, Pfeifle fell near the summit of the 12,808-foot mountain while climbing with at least four others.

The King County Medical Examiner said in a phone interview that Pfeifle's official cause of death had not yet been determined, but that more information may be forthcoming.
A problem with the windshield wipers on the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain has prompted General Motors to issue a recall for an estimated 367,808 vehicles in the United States.



According to the recall notice, the issue stems from the ball joints in the windshield wiper module, which could rust and wear, potentially rendering the wipers inoperative. And if the wipers dont work, the driver could have trouble seeing in the rain, increasing the risk of a crash.

GM is still working on exactly how its going to fix the problem, but wed imagine it would involve replacing the wiper motors on the affected vehicles with units that are better sealed against the elements. Once the remedy is identified, owners can expect to hear from the manufacturer to arrange service at their local dealership.

The Equinox and Traverse are among GMs most compact crossovers  the smallest in the GMC range and slotting into the Chevy in between the smaller Trax and the larger Traverse. The Equinox was first introduced in 2004 and replaced in 2009 when GMC got its own boxier version as well. Both models underwent minor refreshes for the 2016 model year.

The Pontiac Torrent was essentially a rebadged version of the first-generation Equinox, but disappeared when GM shut down the entire Pontiac brand in its bankruptcy restructuring at the end of 2009. That was the same year that GM took full control of the Canadian Automotive Manufacturing Incorporated (CAMI) plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, where these crossovers are built  like so many SUVs before them. Three years later Suzuki withdrew from the US market altogether.

PHOTOS
Floyd Mayweather has already ordered one and now we have some additional information about Ken Okuyamas Kode57 supercar, including what powers it.



Not long after the Japanese designer confirmed that hell be working on a new car project every year, weve learned that the Kode57 is based around the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano and uses the 599s screaming 6.0-liter V12 engine.

In a standard 599, that engine punches out an impressive 612 hp but engineers at Ken Okuyama Cars have managed to increase that figure to 702 hp. Whats more, the Kode57 is thought to weigh just 3,200 pounds (1,451 kg), meaning it is over 300 kg lighter than the 599 and should be capable of Ferrari F12 levels of performance.

Helping to achieve the cars scarce overall weight is the extensive use of carbon fiber and aluminum throughout its construction. The lack of normal doors, a big windscreen and a roof also help.

Only five examples of the Kode57 are destined to be built, each priced at a cool $2.5 million.

PHOTO GALLERY

Video
The Smart community is a rather numerous one and enthusiasts like to get together every once in a while and talk about their passion.



Organized since 2001, Smart Times took to the streets of Hamburg, Germany, this year, where 1,635 units of the Roadster, Coupe, and Cabriolet were cheered by locals over the weekend, during the parade, setting a new attendance record that shattered the previous one, when 1,457 vehicles gathered in Cascais, Portugal, in 2014.

From the mass-produced Smart cars to limited edition models and even one-offs, such as the Popemobile and an off-roader with a massive ground clearance and chunky tires, the vehicles on the site demonstrated the numerous possibilities when it comes to individualizing the cars.

The 3,167 participants, who came from around the world, got the chance to chat to designers, tuners and experts about their vehicles, took part in excursions, listened to various live music acts, and were joined on the stage by German beach volleyball duo Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst in a golden Smart ForTwo Cabrio.

Next year, the Smart worldwide fan community will be heading to Spain, in the city of Salou, for another weekend of celebrations sprinkled with various live events.

PHOTO GALLERY
Ottawa 92 Winner: Two Sisters

Essay by Kelly Gallagher

Caroline Leafs powerful and significant direct animation, Two Sisters (1991), is a momentous celebration of the work of womens hands.

The animation itself tells the story of two sisters, Marie and Viola, who live in solitude on an island, caring for each other while closed off to the outside world. A stranger comes to visit one day, completely disrupting their isolation and daily rhythms, throwing them into panic.

The animation process involved Leaf directly etching into 70mm film emulsion to create the illustrated images. There is a violence to carvingto cutting into something and pushing it aside. And in the case of film emulsion, this violence of carving is what eventually lets light shine through (literally, when film is projected). Both Leafs animation process and the animated story of Marie and Viola deeply investigate the power of womens hands in conveying experience, experiencing life itself, and the role of strength in letting the light in and through.

Almost every shot of the entire film includes a detailed look at characters hands. From the opening shot of the strangers hands and fingers swimming through the blue waters and reaching and extending out towards us, to the final scene of Marie grasping the keys to the house while Violas hands rapidly type away, hands are continually at the visual fore, front and center within the frame. From the opening scene of the stranger, we cut to Maries hands lovingly brushing Violas hair, and later pouring coffee. We see Violas hands fiercely typing away and are made aware that she is a writer. Marie and Violas hands often consume the entirety of the frame, and every single joint and small finger gesture is magnified for us.

Just as we see Viola, the writer, leaving her mark through typing, we too see Leafs marks made for us on screen. The film is creating a space for us to reflect on the woman artists labor behind the book (and film). Leafs hands etching away at the film emulsion allows us to see Violas typing, punching her own marks and inscriptions into paper. The harnessed and fierce power of womens hands and collaboration allows womens mark-making and experience-sharing to regenerate and thrive. Both Leaf and Violas hands communicate with each other, violently, lovingly, carefully. Meanwhile Maries hands convey the invisible and domestic reproductive labor of women as she cares for Viola, cooks, cleans, and keeps the house in order.

The power of womens hands as a true force is exemplified through the harsh sounds of Violas typewriter, accompanying her etched and magnified gestural fingers and knuckles typing away so fiercely as if almost to break the vessel through which she communicates to the outside world. Viola types away violently and seemingly into a catharsisthe repetitive movements of her fingers, sharing experience with others.

It is impossible not to contemplate on the repetitive (and sometimes cathartic) movement of the process of animation itself, sculpted out for us by Leaf, moving us forward in time, frame by frame. Because the 70mm film was re-photographed, we are not rushed through the animation at 24 illustrations per second, but rather given the space to swim in the light, which took Caroline Leaf a year and a half to design for us.

At the climactic moment when the stranger reaches the house of Viola and Marie, he enters an unlocked door throwing the sisters into a fit of panic. We learn that Marie is especially upset since she has kept Viola in isolation from the outside world because of Violas facial disfigurement and fear of how the world would react.

The stranger states he simply wants to meet Viola, as she is the author behind his favorite books. Viola reveals herself and her face to him before turning away and covering her face with her hands in shame. The strangers hand reaches out to Viola. His left hand moves Violas own hands away from her face, allowing her face to come into the light and be seen. His right hand intimately embraces Violas face, as he is in awe that he has the privilege of looking upon his most beloved author.

The importance of the hand as a site of power continues to be emphasized further through these electrically charged moments of embrace. Later on, Violas hand holds Maries face while Maries hands then grasp Violas as she kisses them. The hand not only leaves its mark of experience (Violas typing), but also experiences life itselftactilely, tangibly, touching, feeling, learning, and connecting with others.

The stranger invites Viola to step outside into the light. For what must be the first time in a long time, Viola steps outside and is subsumed by the bright glowing warm light of the sun. The film emulsion, etched aside, inviting and letting through the warm light of the projector. Viola signs her admirers copy of her book: To the stranger who sees me in sunlight. It is the carved away film emulsion on the celluloid that allows the audience to see Viola as well. Light itself makes the process of direct animation possible and allows us into the lives of these sisters.

Viola makes her way back inside and the sisters are back as they were at the start of the film, yet something within them both has shifted and transformed. Viola is typing away ferociously and Marie sits in her rocking chair, holding on tight to her house key. Fingers grasping and embracing the key illustrate for us the direct correlation between the two. Womens hands in (and behind) Caroline Leafs Two Sisters are the key to sharing ones experience, leaving ones mark, tangibly experiencing life, and connecting to others.
Demolition is underway on Lawrence Avenue to make way for Castanets new home in downtown Kelowna.

There are currently two buildings on 451-455 Lawrence Ave.  a home constructed in 1915 and a commercial addition built in 1951.

These buildings will be torn down and a new two-storey brick building will be erected in its place.

Construction crews will spend the next two days working on breaking down the wall that sits next to the Blue Gator. It will be a tedious endeavour according to those on site.

It is possible a portion of the building will be torn down by Friday.

Then Worman Homes will begin construction on the new Castanet Studios, which will occupy much of the two storey building, and two additional retail spaces will open out to the parking lot at the corner of Lawrence Avenue and Ellis Street. A third-storey penthouse is also included in the design, although it would be set back so as not to be be seen from street level. A rooftop patio is also part of the design.

You can watch the progress of the building by checking out our Cam page and clicking on Castanet Rising.
A 27-year-old man who was fatally injured last week while working on the Dakota Access Pipeline project in western North Dakota was from Grand Rapids, Minn.

Rowe Funeral Home in Grand Rapids posted the death notice for Nicholas Jay Janesich late Monday. Funeral arrangements are pending, funeral home director Dave Huso said.

A GoFundMe page set up at www.gofundme.com/nickjay to help his parents pay for medical and funeral expenses had already raised more than $2,700 by late Monday afternoon.

Janesich was working for Chippewa Falls, Wis.-based Indianhead Pipeline Services LLC as a subcontractor on the 1,172-mile Dakota Access Pipeline being installed from the Bakken oilfields to Patoka, Ill.

A foreman found Janesich slumped over in a tractor cab with serious head trauma at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday near Tioga, North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Brian Kalk said.

The foreman and another employee took Janesich to the Tioga hospital. He was later airlifted to a Minot hospital, where he died Saturday.

Indianhead president Jim Rooney said Monday the companys investigation is ongoing.

Our sympathies are with the family. Its a difficult time for them, he said.

Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, which is developing the $3.8 billion pipeline, notified the PSC about the injured worker Friday as required under its siting permit, Kalk said.

Janesich had been working alone as he prepared the ground over the pipeline for grass seeding, Kalk said, calling it a terrible accident.

Eric Brooks, director of the Bismarck area office of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said an OSHA team was on site Monday investigating the cause of the injury.

Whenever you have incidents like this, especially when its unattended, that seems to be the hardest thing to figure out, he said.

The GoFundMe page said Janesichs job had him operating a tractor on a daily basis, and that the extent of his injuries caused him to slip into a coma.

Work had resumed at the site Monday, but the immediate area around the injury site was fenced off to preserve the scene, Kalk said.

The site is about 200 hundred miles northwest of where hundreds of people are protesting the Dakota Access Pipelines proposed crossing of the Missouri River near Cannon Ball, just north of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.
Photo: Thinkstock.com

A new movie series has begun filming in the South Okanagan this week.

Hallmarks Autumn in the Vineyard, an original movie series, started filming in Oliver on Sunday, adding to two films in the works in Vernon.

Production on Autumn in the Vineyard started in Vancouver on Aug. 14 and was set to continue in an Oliver vineyard on Sunday. Filming is scheduled to continue until Sept. 3.

The series will be airing on Saturday nights in October, premiering on Oct. 15, at 9 p.m. on the Hallmark Channel in the U.S.

The cast includes Rachael Leigh Cook from Robot Chicken and Perception, who also spent time in B.C. during the summer working on Hallmark's Summer Love movie series.

After just finishing filming Hallmarks Summer Love movie series in mid-July in B.C., Rachael Leigh Cook (Robot Chicken, Perception) is back to B.C. to star in Autumn in the Vineyard.

The story is based on the 2013 book of the same name written by Marina Adair.

Autumn in the Vineyard follows Frankie Baudouin, an aspiring winemaker who wants to turn her ranch into an award-winning winery.

Nate DeLuca has the same plans. The two have to put their differences and distrust aside in order to make their dreams come true, and somewhere along the way they begin to fall in love.

The Okanagan is often compared to Californias Napa Valley where the story is set," Okanagan film commissioner Jon Summerland said in a release. "Once again, our beautiful Okanagan locations are bringing more and more productions to the region.

In an interview, Summerland added that the film is expected to bring $100,000-125,000 per day to the area.

"They'll leave that money in the economy which is great for British Columbia," he said.

He noted that the addition of the film to the Okanagan's resume could add to a snowballing of a burgeoning film industry in the region.

"There's going to be at least three, four producers here. Each one of them in the next movie will be working on four different movies," he said. "It will help sell the region in the future  the more eyes on us the better it will be in the future for future films."

For more information on the Okanagan Film Commission and all of the current productions visit the Okanagan Boundary Similkameen Film Commission's website.
Photo: RCMP - Flickr/RCMP

A crime spree took a young man from Kelowna to West Kelowna to a jail cell.

Kelowna RCMP say a youth remains in police custody and is facing several potential charges after an overnight crime spree.

On Aug. 28 at 9:55 p.m., the Kelowna RCMP received a report of a vehicle stolen from the 300 block of Clarissa Road.

A short time later, an RCMP officer on patrol in downtown Kelowna spotted the stolen black Mercedes S430 travelling along Bernard Avenue, said Const. Jesse ODonaghey.

The officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop with the stolen vehicle, which failed to stop for police before colliding with a parked vehicle on Lawrence Avenue.

ODonaghey said officers arrived and arrested two women at the crash scene while police set up an area of containment and conducted a search, with the assistance of a police dog, for a male suspect who had fled the scene on foot.

Shortly after midnight, RCMP responded to a report of an interrupted residential break and enter to a home in the 700 block of Elliott Avenue.

ODonaghey said police have determined that the homeowner successfully apprehended two individuals involved. The third suspect managed to flee from the area in the owner's Dodge pickup truck, after allegedly stealing the owners wallet, cellphone and keys.

The ongoing RCMP investigation identified a suspect and revealed that both alleged crimes were, in fact, related, said ODonaghey.

With the assistance of a cellphone tracking app, investigators tracked down the stolen Dodge pickup truck and the theft suspect in the area of Creekview Crescent in West Kelowna.

The suspect remains in police custody at this time and faces potential charges, including theft, theft of auto, break and enter, possession of stolen property, flight from police and breach of probation.

Kelowna RCMP and West Kelowna RCMP worked together to arrest their suspect, a 17-year-old West Kelowna youth, without further incident, added ODonaghey.

The youth suspect was found still in possession of the property allegedly stolen during the break and enter on Elliott Avenue.

Anyone with any additional information is asked to contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300.

Remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, leaving a tip online at www.crimestoppers.net or by texting your tip to CRIMES (274637) ktown.
Photo: hikingswbc.com Little White

A helicopter had to be called in Monday to rescue an injured ATVer from the McCulloch Lake area.

The apparent crash happened early Monday afternoon. The quad driver has since been airlifted from the area near Little White by BC Ambulance Service, said Kelowna Fire Department platoon Capt. Steve Wallick.

"We responded with our ATV and several members in case we needed to move the patient," he said.

Wallick said he's unsure of the person's condition.
Photo: Contributed

As students and parents get ready for another school year, a local organization is making returning to the classroom easier on everyone.

The 13th annual Back-to-School Bash sponsored by Victory Life Fellowship once again put a smile on everyones face.

More than 750 people attended the event at the Parkinson Recreation Centre where 619 backpacks and hundreds of articles of clothing were handed out to help families.

Children were also treated to free haircuts and hotdogs.

Pastor Diana Tripke says the event, held on Saturday, Aug. 27, was free to attend and everything given out was also free.

Hundreds of families were helped with their back-to-school budgets, Tripke said. Thank you to all the churches, businesses and individuals that gave of their valuable time and resources to contribute to this years event.

More than 100 volunteers helped to put on the event.

The church will hold another free community event on Christmas Day at the rec centre.
Photo: Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner

British Columbia's police complaint commissioner says 2015-16 was the busiest year ever for the body that provides impartial civilian oversight of complaints by the public involving municipal police.

The organization's annual report shows 1,230 files were opened over the year, just slightly ahead of the 1,210 files started in 2012-13.

Only 50 files eventually resulted in disciplinary measures, ranging from reprimands to suspensions

Commissioner Stan Lowe says in the report that the increase is mainly due to a jump in the number of so-called monitor files, often high-profile cases that can involve reportable injuries but where a decision hasn't been made on a formal investigation.

It says between April 1, 2015, and March 31, 2016, the commissioner concluded investigations on 777 allegations.

The commissioner says more than half the allegations were unsubstantiated, seven per cent were substantiated, 17 per cent were informally resolved, and the remaining cases were either discontinued or the allegations withdrawn.

Lowe highlighted the cases that were informally resolved in the report, which saw agreements approved involving 130 misconduct allegations, up from 75 last year.

"Our goal is to lead the country in the alternative dispute resolution of police complaints," Lowe writes in the report, adding that his office would like to see changes to the Police Act to ensure the alternative method of resolving disputes is at least attempted for appropriate allegations.

Forty-three per cent of all complaints the commissioner received involved registered complaints concerning a police officer's conduct or actions, but the annual report shows the number did not climb compared to last year and was lower than in 2012-13.

The organization also expanded its jurisdiction, effective Aug. 1, to include complaints made against special municipal constables, such as municipal jail guards and reserve constables.

The commissioner does not have jurisdiction over complaints made against RCMP officers, which are handled by a separate organization.
Photo: Vancouver Police

A high-risk sex offender living in Vancouver has been specifically banned from Kamloops.

The Vancouver Police Department said it believes that "compelling circumstances exist" to warn people about Michael Wayne Carpenter, 45.

Carpenter is serving a 10-year supervision order after he was convicted of three counts each of sexual assault with a weapon, forcible confinement, and uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm.

Carpenter has multiple sexual assault convictions, many of those included attacks on hotel employees, police said in a statement.

"Carpenter poses a risk of significant harm to the safety of vulnerable female children, youth and adults and will be residing at a correctional halfway house in the City of Vancouver."

He is described as white, 5-foot-9, 180 pounds, with brown short hair and blue eyes.

His conditions include no drugs or alcohol, no access to the Internet, not to be in the precence of females under 18 years old and staying away from Kamloops.

Anyone seeing him breach conditions is urged to call 911.
Photo: Penticton SAR

It's busy times for Penticton Search and Rescue teams.

In the last nine days, PENSAR has received six call outs from the provincial Emergency Co-ordination Centre, including a variety of calls from police and emergency health services.

Three of those calls involved the use of PENSARs HETS air evacuation team to respond to medical emergencies involving people injured using ATVs or hikers in the region where the medical situation required quick action by first responders.

Getting injured parties to a higher level of care as quickly as possible while minimizing further injury is a priority and one of the advantages of using an air evacuation or HETS platform," public affairs officer and SAR manager Randy Brown said in a news release.

"Where it may take ground teams longer to get to a subject, if the medical situation or the terrain dictates that a HETS strategy would be safer we integrate both options with air operations and then add ground teams as support or back up .

HETS is an important tool for SAR and Brown adds

PENSARs HETS team usually sees action about six to 10 times a year, however this year our team has been tasked over 12 times for 2016 and we still have four more months to go," Brown said, noting the importance of HETS.

"The HETS platform is used by select SAR Teams throughout the province and is a valuable option for first responder agencies in the Province of British Columbia."

Brown added that the HETS team isn't the only aspect of PENSAR that has been working hard of late.

PENSARs task load this year is running higher than normal with 38 task requests to date and it looks like a trend to repeat last year's total of 55 plus task events," Brown said.

"Historically, PENSAR used to see 30 to 35 events a year but that trend has been increasing with the amount of outdoor activity increasing in the region.
Photo: KGH

Kelowna's aging population is putting a strain on health care that will become critical if the status quo remains.

That was one of the main takeaways from a discussion on health care inside council chambers Monday afternoon.

The presentation by Interior Health CEO Chris Mazurkewich and board chair Erwin Malzar, was part of the city's Imagine Kelowna speaker series.

"Basically, four per cent of the population requires about 41 per cent of the services IH provides," said Mazurkewich.

"That is the frail. Typically frail elderly, but not exclusively. The reason that is important is when you look at the demographics and the implications behind that."

These include the frail at home, frail in care and end of life.

The figures are for the entire Interior Health region. However, the Central Okanagan does have one of oldest populations in the country.

"The plus-75 age group is 10 per cent roughly in the Central Okanagan according to our figures. In 2040, our projections are 14 per cent.

"If we keep that group at four per cent, the absolute number grows significantly."

With the economic outlook not rosy over the next 15 years, Mazurkewich added economic pressures on the health care system from a taxpayer perspective will be enormous.

The current $2-billion budget for Interior Health now is expected to nearly triple by 2040.

"Those two things will continue to put immense pressure on health care, unless we change," said Mazurkewich.

"Which is what we are trying to do by moving into primary care and more services in the community, and less in our facilities."

Mazurkewich said Kelowna's approach of building more bike paths is a great way to encourage a healthier lifestyle, thus reducing the strain on the health care system.

Looking forward, he talked about advancements in technology, which will allow for virtual physician visits as opposed to in-person visits.

"I am thinking in 2040, that is going to happen. There are certain things you have to be there in person for, but most of the physician visits I've been involved with, you don't have to be there in person," he said.

"We have more physicians per capita than we have ever had, but we still have a shortage. How do we change that?"

Mazurkewich also talked about advancements in technology which will allow an iPad to take an X-ray.

"Think of your Fitbit, your phone and all the things it does today. Imagine what it will do in the future."

He also spoke of the ethical shift in medicine.

We are getting better at extending life, he said. We are not necessarily getting better at quality of life.

Mazurkewich also believes Interior Health needs to borrow initiatives used in other countries to alter the field here. He said countries like Sweden and Denmark have made advancements in the way patients are seen and those could be implemented here.
Photo: Contributed

It won't be business as usual for a long-established Kelowna nursery and landscaping company.

Neway Landscape and Irrigation Ltd. has been in business since 2003, leasing property at 3740 Casorso Road. However, for several years, it has been a non-conforming farm use.

The property in question is on ALR lands.

The company and its agents came to council Monday seeking approval to continue operating as usual while it slowly moved to make the operation fully conform.

The timeline was 2018.

"I've been in the nursery business for 20 years and I'd like to continue," the owner told council.

"My future, my staff's future could be at stake. I'm trying to see if we could get some support."

Council said no, partly because it is within the Benvoulin corridor, an area council says is full of non-conforming uses, and one which it has asked staff to clean up.

"Really, what we see before us today is an outcome of the direction we gave to staff," said Coun. Luke Stack in leading the charge against the application.

"I think Neway Landscaping is a good company, and I wish them every success in their landscaping construction and irrigation business, but I can't believe that is the right application to be used on this fine farmland."

Stack said the business is primarily a construction business, and should be operating from an industrial site.

"Today, I think, provides council with an opportunity to send a strong, united, firm but fair message, that we can't allow our quality farmland to be slowly converted to commercial, non-farm uses.

"The application on the table before us is for non-farm use. That's what we are being asked, not to help make this a better farm."

While most did struggle with the decision, they agreed not to recommend the application.

"This is a difficult one, and usually, I try to find any way possible to let farming opportunities to remain," said Coun. Charlie Hodge.

"But about 40 per cent of this property is set towards landscaping and irrigation, which isn't allowed. As much as I appreciate there has been a lot of communication with staff, I have to support Coun. Stack on the motion. I think for the sake of farmland, we have to take a stance to protect it."

Mayor Colin Basran commended the owner of the company and understood it was an emotional issue, but stated council has to do what's right for the agricultural community.

"I recognize you are trying to take some measures to bring it up to compliance by planting more nursery stock and make it more of a farm venture," said Basran.

"But this to me is clearly what we are trying to stop in our community."

The mayor urged the owner to continue to work with the city in hopes of eventually being able to bring the property into compliance.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Scientists have found evidence to support what many dog owners have long believed: man's best friend really does understand some of what we're saying.

Researchers in Hungary scanned the brains of dogs as they were listening to their trainer speaking to determine which parts of the brain they were using.

They found that dogs processed words with the left hemisphere, while intonation was processed with the right hemisphere  just like humans.

What's more, the dogs only registered that they were being praised if the words and intonation were positive; meaningless words spoken in an encouraging voice, or meaningful words in a neutral tone, didn't have the same effect.

"Dog brains care about both what we say and how we say it," said lead researcher Attila Andics, a neuroscientist at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest. "Praise can work as a reward only if both word meaning and intonation match."

Andics said the findings suggest that the mental ability to process language evolved earlier than previously believed and that what sets humans apart from other species is the invention of words.

"The neural capacities to process words that were thought by many to be uniquely human are actually shared with other species," he said. "This suggests that the big change that made humans able to start using words was not a big change in neural capacity."

While other species probably also have the mental ability to understand language like dogs do, their lack of interest in human speech makes it difficult to test, said Andics.

Dogs, on the other hand, have socialized with humans for thousands of years, meaning they are more attentive to what people say to them and how.

The study was published in the journal Science.

Andics also noted that all of the dogs were awake, unrestrained and happy during the tests. "They participated voluntarily," he said.
Forged prescriptions were submitted at four pharmacies from Friday to Sunday, according to the Bismarck Police Department.

Sgt. Mark Buschena said he believes the same unknown woman is responsible for all the incidents.

The pharmacies reported to police Monday that a woman came in with prescriptions for amoxicillin, an antibiotic, promethazine with codeine, a pain reliever, and cold medicine.

Mark Hary, executive director of the North Dakota Board of Pharmacy, said one of the pharmacies noticed a forged prescription and reached out to the board. The board notified the doctor and other pharmacies in the area, which led to the discovery of the other forged prescriptions.

Hardy said these types of incidents are "not uncommon."

The woman was able to fill scripts at three of the pharmacies, according to Buschena. The fourth told her they would need to check first and she left.

Officers are reviewing video footage to identify the woman. Anyone with information should contact the Bismarck Police Department at 701-223-1212 or 701-224-8477 to report anonymously.
Photo: The Weather Channel

The Central Pacific Hurricane Center on Monday issued a hurricane watch for the Big Island of Hawaii, saying Hurricane Madeline could pass "dangerously close."

The storm should be near or over the Big Island by Wednesday, said forecaster Derek Wroe.

At 12 a.m. Tuesday, the centre said the storm had strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 130 mph.

The Center's advisory on Madeline predicted it will pass "dangerously close" to the Big Island Wednesday and Wednesday night. But it added that some weakening is forecast through late Wednesday.

Residents could experience hurricane force winds, heavy rain and high surf, the Center said.

Madeline was 515 miles east of Hilo late Monday night and moving west-northwest at 9 mph.

Hawaii County, which covers the Big Island, urged residents to restock their emergency kits with a flashlight, fresh batteries, cash and first aid supplies.

The county recommended that residents create evacuation plans and secure outdoor furniture.
Photo: Twitter

Construction crews worked through the night to build a tent complex to host an Italian state funeral Tuesday in quake-devastated Amatrice after outraged residents rejected the government's plan to hold the service in a distant airport hangar.

The evening Mass for 37 of the 292 people killed is the second state funeral for victims of the Aug. 24 temblor that flattened three towns in central Italy. The first, held Saturday, honoured victims from the Le Marche region. Tuesday's funeral is for the victims of neighbouring Lazio, which includes hard-hit Amatrice.

The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town centre on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff.

Initially, authorities planned to hold the funeral in the provincial capital of Rieti, 65 kilometres away, citing safety and organizational concerns. The quake area has seen more than 2,500 aftershocks and faces logistical problems in bringing relatives and government officials into a town with only one serviceable access road.

But grieving residents rebelled at plans to let them watch it on TV or be bussed to Rieti. Sensing a public relations disaster, Premier Matteo Renzi reversed course late Monday and announced the funeral would be held in Amatrice.

Early Tuesday, bulldozers and steamrollers prepared the grounds for the service while a huge, open-sided tented roof was erected to shelter the altar and seating area.

So far, 231 quake victims have been found in Amatrice and 11 more in nearby Accumoli. The bodies of as many as 10 people, including Amatrice's baker, are believed still buried in the rubble. Fifty people were killed in Le Marche.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Justin Trudeau delivered a message to powerful business leaders in Beijing on Tuesday, shortly after his plane touched down: China needs a little more Canada.

The prime minister tried to sell China on the idea that strengthening its connection to Canada would ease international concerns about the stunning rise of the economic superpower.

Trudeau made the pitch during the first event of his week-long visit to China, where he aims to improve Canada's gloomy growth prospects by deepening business ties with the rapidly growing Asian country.

"Around the world there is anxiety around trade, there is anxiety around China," Trudeau told a question-and-answer session at the China Entrepreneur Club.

He said Canada is in a "position to help China position itself in a very positive way on the world stage."

Trudeau argued it's because Canada is more open to trade than many countries right now and because of its "deep friendship" with China that goes back generations.

Canada, Trudeau added, can help China when it comes to governance and rule-of-law issues as well as global fears about the "tremendous appetite" of Chinese entrepreneurs and companies as they seek out foreign investments and partnerships.

"This isn't always well received by populations and governments around the world," he said.

"China should be  and is  confident and successful enough to know that it should be able to ask for advice and take suggestions about how to be better for its citizens, better to build a greater future."

He only mentioned human rights once during an event that lasted longer than an hour.

Since last year's election win, Trudeau's Liberal government has taken a somewhat cautious approach to China amid public concerns in Canada over the country's human-rights record. But this trip could move things forward.

The event was moderated by Jack Ma, founder of the Alibaba e-commerce giant.

In his closing remarks, Ma predicted the Canadian-Chinese bond would grow stronger.

"We should be open to the world and open to the future," Ma said.

Later Tuesday, Trudeau was expected to continue pursuing what he described as a "renewed relationship" at a dinner hosted by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
Photo: YLW

Kelowna International Airport has won a favourable ruling from the Agricultural Land Commission.

The commission has approved an application by the airport to have four properties south, and southeast of the current airport excluded from the Agricultural Land Reserve.

The lands will be used for aeronautical-related, airside development.

Airport manager Sam Samaddar said the exclusion of these 22 hectares will prove vital to future airside development and expansion at YLW, securing long-term sustainability of operations.

This decision was exceptionally important, said Samaddar.

As were unable to move the airport, we need to ensure that we have the available land to support the growth of YLW for future generations.

Approval is subject to several conditions, including YLW's completion of the mitigation measures and agricultural enhancement strategies as outlined in the Agricultural Impact Assessment, submitted as part of the proposal.
Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer

Penticton RCMP Supt. Kevin Hewco has announced his retirement.

Hewco said Tuesday his last day will be Sept. 19, after 30 years of service to the RCMP.

A process is now underway to find a replacement.

For now Staff-Sgt. Kirsten Marshall will be the acting officer in charge.

Hewco said he is planning to move back to Vancouver Island where he expects to work part-time or volunteer.
Photo: Dustin Godfrey

Revitalization of the 100-block of Main Street is set to begin early next week.

Downtown Penticton Association executive director Lynn Allin said crews will be setting up and fencing off the block "fast and furious" early Tuesday morning.

"Basically, 7 a.m., the fencing will be up, and Grizzly will be removing the sidewalks," she said. "They're going to go really quickly."

She said signage will be going up in the coming days to indicate other spaces to park, as the spaces outside of city hall, the courts and other businesses along that block will be out of service.

"There's additional parking behind city hall that people can use if they're going into city hall," she said.

"The parking along Backstreet is open, which is close, and the 200 block has parking for people who need to get to city hall or down to our DPA companies down on Main."

She said there is no replacement for the parking along that block, but that the DPA wanted to ensure people knew where other parking was located near the area.

She said the DPA is also ensuring access to the various businesses and institutions along the block.

"There will be a crosswalk over the 100 block street," she said.

"So if you park behind city hall, you can still get across the street to get your kids to daycare or do some shopping in the shops there, and of course, get to the courthouse."

Construction is expected to take from next Tuesday through until early December.

"It's a little longer block than 200, so there's a lot of work to be done underground," she said.
If you feel you often hold your tongue to not offend others, you're with a majority of Canadians.

Seven-in-10 Canadians say they self-censor to avoid offending others and they are reportedly fed up with it.

According to a Angus Reid Institute public opinion poll, the majority of Canadians say political correctness has gone too far.

The notion of political correctness has ignited controversy across the land. And although the movement arises from the laudable desire to sweep away the debris of racism and sexism and hatred, it replaces old prejudice with new ones. It declares certain topics off-limits, certain expressions off-limits, said George H.W. Bush in 1991.

Now, 25 years later, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is back at the helm of the latest anti-PC movement, and many agree with him.

The Angus Reid poll found that while Canadians are sympathetic to the value of following certain PC values, with most saying there are certain things you just shouldnt say in unfamiliar company, respondents were also wary of the movement encroaching on their freedom of expression.

According to the poll, four-in-five (78 per cent) say that there are certain things you just shouldnt express in front of people you dont know. The same number (80 per cent) also say it seems like you cant say anything without offending someone these days.

About two-in-three Canadians (67 per cent) say too many people are easily offended over the language of others, including 71 per cent of men and 62 per cent of women.

The poll also found that men and women are both as likely to self-censor, and when they do, nine-in-10 (87 per cent) say theyre being polite, rather than trying to avoid judgment.

Notably, Canadians in the age range 18 to 34, so-called Millennials, often thought to be the most sensitive to concerns over language, were actually the most likely to say people are too easily offended, while older Canadians were more sympathetic to language sensitivities.

The above results were tabulated by the Angus Reid Institute that conducted an online survey on Aug. 17, 2016, among a representative randomized sample of 1,510 Canadian adults.

For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

For more details and to read the full findings click here.
Photo: Getty Images

Stray pit bulls are getting a new leash on life in Saskatchewan as Montreal moves to join other cities that have banned the breed.

So far five pit bulls have been brought to the prairie province through a partnership between Saskatchewan-based Prairie Sky Dog Rescue and a Montreal rescue group.

City council in the Quebec city is expected to pass a bylaw later this month that will ban pit bulls and similar breeds by the end of the year, although families which currently have pit bulls will be exempt.

The move comes after a string of attacks that included the death of Christiane Vadnais, 55, who was killed in her own backyard.

Currently, Regina doesn't have any breed-specific laws and the city's animal control policy instead focuses on a dog owner's ability to control his or her pets.

Bill Thorn of the Regina Humane Society says banning a specific breed doesn't make any sense.

There's really been no documented or proven instances of it where it's had the desired effect," he says, adding the best way to keep people, and their pets, safe is through education.

Meanwhile, the Prairie Sky group has been using an online network of volunteers to help get dogs to Saskatchewan.

Pit-bull advocates maintain there is nothing inherently risky in the breed and the dogs only become dangerous when they are mistreated or taught to be violent by irresponsible owners.

However, there is a ban on the breed in places such as Ontario, Winnipeg and Moosomin, Sask.
Photo: CTV

The Canadian Armed Forces says it is making progress in the fight against sexual misconduct in the ranks, but much more work needs to be done.

In an update Tuesday, the military said it completed 51 investigations into inappropriate sexual behavior between April and July.

As a result, 30 people had received "career-impacting" punishments ranging from fines to outright dismissal from the forces. Three more were referred to civilian authorities while the perpetrators in four cases could not be identified.

Ten cases were considered unfounded.

Defence chief Gen. Jonathan Vance, who has made the elimination of sexual misconduct a priority, described the results as a "good start." He said military personnel "have heard my orders, they understand them, and they are implementing them."

But Vance acknowledged much work remains to be done after the report showed there were 97 other cases of inappropriate and harmful sexual behaviour still under investigation in the same period. He warned military personnel about being "overly optimistic" about the results, and said there are "no quick fixes" to the problem.

Military commanders asked retired Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps to lead an independent investigation into the issue in April 2014 after l'Actualite and Maclean's magazines reported a large number of military sexual assaults were being ignored or played down.

Deschamps's explosive report, released in April 2015, described an "underlying sexual culture" in the military that was hostile to women and left victims of sexual assault and harassment to fend for themselves.

In response, military leaders promised to take immediate action to root out unacceptable behaviour.
Photo: CTV

Residents of a Kelowna neighbourhood are on alert after a familys cat was found shot in the leg.

CTV Vancouver reports that Paul Cleve, an emergency room doctor, noticed something wrong with his family's cat Jason.

The cat was reportedly acting strange and hiding in the basement of their home on Maple Street near downtown Kelowna.

When Cleve went downstairs to check on the cat, he noticed it was dragging a hind leg.

A visit to the vet revealed Jason was suffering from what appeared to be bullet fragments in the cat's body.

The family called the RCMP and Mounties confirmed they are investigating, but its unclear where or why the cat was shot.

Cleve said Jason is currently on the mend thanks to a pricey surgery.

 with files from CTV Vancouver
Ted Dintersmith has spent his whole life as a venture capitalist, backing top entrepreneurs. He now spends his time advocating for education reform and, this week, will make stops across North Dakota showing a film he produced to encourage schools to become more innovative and better prepare students for college and careers.

On Tuesday, Dintersmith visited Legacy High School in Bismarck to host a discussion with Bismarck teachers about what's being done in schools here and to promote innovative education ideas, such as creativity and critical thinking, in the classrooms.

Dintersmith's film "Most Likely to Succeed" was shown Monday at the North Dakota Heritage Center, which was hosted by the Greater North Dakota Chamber of Commerce, North Dakota United and the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. The film follows students at an experimental school in San Diego.

The rate of innovation is creating an urgency to reform the education system, Dintersmith told teachers, administrators and organization leaders at Legacy today.

In a book Dintersmith co-authored, which is a spin on the film, he talks about the biggest categories of jobs in the country today.

"All those jobs will be gone in 10 years," Dintersmith said.

More tech jobs will replace those jobs, and students need better training for those careers, and the education system needs to be improved, he said.

Dintersmith has traveled the country visiting innovative schools. His expectations were disproved, as he had thought the most innovative states would be Massachusetts, New York and California. The more innovative states were ones he hadn't thought of, including North Dakota.

You guys are doing amazing things," Dintersmith said. Almost in no other state in the country could you imagine something where the co-sponsors are the (Greater North Dakota) Chamber of Commerce and the teachers union.

Tana Sukauskas attended Tuesday's discussion with Dintersmith to talk about a program called Advancement Via Individual Determination. At Bismarck High School, Sukauskas teaches two sections of AVID classes, which are offered in grades 6-12 in Bismarck schools. The classes allows students to work with universities, bring college students in, host guest speakers from the community once a month and require them to complete community service hours.

AVID is a good way to break the mold of traditional teaching, Sukauskas said.

Several teachers spoke about the benefits of career and tech education, as well as the importance of arts education in public schools to spur creativity.

We want to give these kids career experience in the classroom," said Kim Hertz, who teaches the culinary arts program at Legacy.

Hertz spoke about a time when her cooking classroom was a mess, and she felt bad or like a failure when administrators came around to do a routine visit.

But theres good stuff happening," she said.

Arts are an important part of the conversation, too, said Rebecca Engelman, an arts in education director at the North Dakota Council on the Arts. Too often, arts are being underutilized in schools, she said.

The Council on the Arts has numerous grants available for teachers to promote more art in their classrooms, including a $600 teacher incentive grant for teachers who want to integrate art into their curriculum.

Ben Johnson, assistant superintendent for secondary schools in Bismarck, said more innovation needs to happen in not just one school or community, but in all. Schools across the state should share their ideas and be more open.

My hope is that it becomes systemic," Johnson said.

Beth Larson-Steckler, a program administrator for the Department of Public Instruction, said the department wants more schools to share what they're doing and connect with other schools in North Dakota.

We really want to say we know that theres wonderful things taking place, and we want to highlight that and show that and have people reach out, she said. And from that, grow.

DPI also will identify barriers schools face to being innovative, which will coincide with Dintersmith's statewide tour.
Photo: Getty Images

A French court has overturned a ban on burkinis issued in Cannes  the first in a series of local bans on the Muslim full-body swimwear this summer that set off a heated controversy at home and a wave of outrage abroad.

The court in Nice concluded that the Cannes decree violates basic freedoms and is illegal because there were no proven risks of disruption to public order, or reasons of hygiene or decency for the ban in the famous Riviera city resort, according to a copy of the judgment obtained Tuesday by the Associated Press.

The decision followed a ruling by a French top court regarding a similar ban in the nearby town of Villeneuve-Loubet that set a legal precedent.

After the Council of State overturned that ban last week, human rights groups said they will challenge similar bans issued in 30 or so municipalities. More rulings are expected in the next few days as local courts are hearing other contested town decrees.

The last Nice ruling is a largely symbolic victory for the two human rights groups that introduced the challenge, since the Cannes ban, issued late last month, was expected to end on Wednesday night anyway. But it sends a signal to several mayors who have said they won't revoke their bans even after the top court's legal precedent.

Meanwhile, the national debate on the place of Islam in the strictly secular country continued. Prime Minister Manual Valls, who supported the bans, made a new reference to the burkini controversy with a comment on Marianne, an allegorical figure of the French Republic.

Valls said during a socialist meeting in southern France Thursday night that "Marianne, the symbol of the Republic, is bare breast because she's feeding the people, she doesn't wear a veil because she's free."

The comment immediately triggered countless reactions on social networks. Mathilde Larrere, a historian specialized in the French Revolution, derided Valls in a series of tweets that have since gone viral, telling him: "Marianne is bare breast because it's an allegory, moron!"

The expert wrote that Marianne has nothing to do with being a symbol of women or feminism, but instead "her bare breast is modeled on allegories from the Antiquity, notably the allegory of liberty." She noticed that the figure of Marianne was chosen to embody the French republic at a time when women were reduced to the status of minors and barred from voting.

Larrere also argued that Marianne is not always represented with a bare breast, but she's always shown with her head covered, often with a Phrygian cap, an ironic allusion to Valls saying Marianne doesn't wear a veil.

Marianne holds a place of honour in French town halls and official buildings. Her profile appears on official government documents, on stamps and on coins.
If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,...
Congenital Zika virus infection is characterized by microcephaly and other abnormalities of the brain and eye; orthopedic lesions have also been documented. While the full clinical spectrum of the syndrome is not yet known, the neurologic damage and corresponding radiologic brain imaging have been well described. Other congenital infections can cause hearing loss, which is diagnosed at birth or during later follow-up; however, few data exist regarding hearing loss associated with confirmed congenital Zika virus infection.

Congenital infection with Zika virus causes microcephaly and other brain abnormalities (1). Hearing loss associated with other congenital viral infections is well described; however, little is known about hearing loss in infants with congenital Zika virus infection. A retrospective assessment of a series of 70 infants aged 010 months with microcephaly and laboratory evidence of Zika virus infection was conducted by the Hospital Agamenon Magalhaes in Brazil and partners. The infants were enrolled during November 2015May 2016 and had screening and diagnostic hearing tests. Five (7%) infants had sensorineural hearing loss, all of whom had severe microcephaly; however, one child was tested after receiving treatment with an ototoxic antibiotic. If this child is excluded, the prevalence of sensorineural hearing loss was 5.8% (four of 69), which is similar to that seen in association with other congenital viral infections. Additional information is needed to understand the prevalence and spectrum of hearing loss in children with congenital Zika virus infection; all infants born to women with evidence of Zika virus infection during pregnancy should have their hearing tested, including infants who appear normal at birth.

The most well-described feature of congenital Zika syndrome is microcephaly (2,3). Clinical aspects appear to be predominantly neurologic, with neuroimaging showing calcifications between cortical and subcortical zones, cortical development errors, and pachygyria/agyria (24). In addition to the neurologic manifestations, ophthalmic (5) and orthopedic (1) lesions have been described as a component of the syndrome. A single study in Brazil investigated auditory function among 23 neonates with microcephaly and presumed congenital Zika virus infection, using otoacoustic emissions testing without a confirmatory examination, and found 9% with auditory deficits (4). In all of the studies described, Zika virus infection was a diagnosis of exclusion because, at the time, specific testing for Zika virus was not readily available. Hearing loss is a well established feature of other congenital infections, including cytomegalovirus (CMV), rubella, toxoplasmosis, herpes simplex, and syphilis. In these syndromes, the hearing loss is sensorineural, usually bilateral, and severe or profound; it is often undetectable at birth, and sometimes it is progressive or fluctuating (6,7).

During November 2015May 2016, as part of the protocol for evaluation of children who were born with microcephaly during the Zika virus disease epidemic, 150 children were referred to Hospital Agamenon Magalhaes, a reference center for diagnosis of hearing loss and hearing rehabilitation in Pernambuco, Brazil; the 23 children previously evaluated in Pernambuco (4) were not part of this cohort. This report is a retrospective analysis of hearing assessments in 70 infants aged 010 months with microcephaly and laboratory evidence of Zika virus infection evaluated during that time. Zika virusassociated microcephaly was defined as head circumference 32 cm for term newborns (gestational age at birth 37 weeks to 41 weeks and 6 days), or at least two standard deviations below the mean for gestational age and sex using the Fenton curve for preterm newborns (8), with the characteristic radiologic findings from cranial computerized tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, and laboratory confirmation of Zika virus by a positive Zika virus-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) performed on cerebrospinal fluid (9).* Other infectious causes of congenital sensorineural hearing loss, including CMV, toxoplasmosis, herpes simplex, and syphilis, were excluded by serologic testing of infants and their mothers. Information was collected concerning the presence and timing of rash during pregnancy and on maternal or perinatal risk factors for congenital hearing loss, such as alcohol consumption, familial hearing loss, ototoxic drug exposure, birth trauma, and postnatal infections. The degree of microcephaly was evaluated, with severe microcephaly defined as head circumference at birth of at least three standard deviations below the mean for gestational age and sex.

Auditory evaluation was carried out by screening and diagnostic tests as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (10). The screening test consisted of measurement of the short latency auditory brainstem response (ABR) to click stimuli, and was considered to be normal when wave V (the fifth and most prominent and consistent wave) was identified in two consecutive averaged waveforms at 35 decibels normal hearing level (dB nHL). If the first screening test was not normal, it was repeated approximately 1 month later. If the second test also indicated hearing loss, a diagnostic confirmatory frequency-specific ABR was conducted, in which the stimuli were tone bursts at frequencies of 500 and 2,000 Hz. The diagnosis of hearing loss was confirmed if hearing thresholds exceeded 25 dB nHL. No behavioral auditory testing was performed. Conductive hearing loss was not considered to be related to Zika virus infection because the hearing impairment caused by congenital viral infections is sensorineural. All children considered normal on hearing evaluation will be regularly assessed for evidence of late-onset hearing impairment. Associations between sensorineural hearing loss and presence of maternal rash during pregnancy, timing of maternal rash during pregnancy, and severe microcephaly were analyzed using contingency tables and tested using Fishers exact test, with statistical significance defined as p<0.05. Although all investigations were carried out as part of routine clinical care, and human subjects review was not required, the protocol was submitted for ethical review and approved by Hospital Agamenon Magalhaes.

The mean age at the first auditory testing was 114  59.1 days (range = 16315 days, median = 97 days). Among all 70 infants, 16 (22.8%) failed the first screening test in at least one ear; among these, eight failed the repeat test and were evaluated by frequency-specific ABR. The diagnosis of hearing impairment was confirmed by ABR in seven (10%) children, including two with conductive hearing loss and five with sensorineural hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss was bilateral in three children and unilateral in two. One child with bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss had been treated for sepsis with intravenous amikacin, an antibiotic with known ototoxicity, before the first test. A second child with bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss had a twin brother with normal head circumference and cerebrospinal fluid negative for Zika-specific IgM. A third infant with sensorineural hearing loss had moderate impairment on the left and profound impairment on the right. One of the two infants with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss had mild impairment, and the other had profound impairment.

Information on presence of rash during pregnancy was obtained from 63 mothers, 54 (86%) of whom reported a rash during pregnancy (Table). Among these 54 mothers, 41 (76%) experienced the rash during the first trimester. The mothers of four infants with confirmed sensorineural hearing loss, including the one infant treated with amikacin, reported having had a rash during the first 3 months of pregnancy; the mother of the fifth infant with confirmed sensorineural hearing loss reported having had a rash in the fourth month of pregnancy. Timing of maternal rash during pregnancy did not differ between infants with and without sensorineural hearing loss (p = 0.64). Information needed to determine the degree of microcephaly was available for 65 (93%) infants, among whom 44 (68%) had severe microcephaly; all five children with sensorineural hearing loss were in this group; however, no significant association was detected between the presence of sensorineural hearing loss and severe microcephaly (p = 0.55).
Terry McAuliffe is a Hillary Clinton pal. He fronted $1.3 million for her house in Chappaqua, N.Y. We should all have such friends. Thanks to the Republicans who shut down the government in 2013, McAuliffe is now the governor of Virginia, a swing state, and thus in a position to help Clinton get another house  on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Any governor has political strings to pull, but Gov. McAuliffe is going beyond sharing voter information, get-out-the-vote operations and other traditional political tools. He's creating new voters by unilaterally restoring voting rights to 206,000 convicted felons. McAuliffe is focused on this: In 2012, Barack Obama's margin of victory in Virginia was 3.88 percent, which represented 149,298 votes.

Now, it may or may not be a good idea to deny felons permanently the right to vote, serve on juries, hold public office or serve as notary publics. I'm personally open to the idea of restoring rights to ex-felons. But the law in the state of Virginia is very clear. The elected representatives have declined to change it, though some 69 resolutions to that effect have been offered since the 1980s, one as recently as this year. None passed the General Assembly.

Gov. McAuliffe could have used all of the legitimate powers of his office along with his persuasive ability, such as it is, to urge the legislature to pass a bill he could sign. Instead, with the stroke of a pen, he announced that he was granting clemency to a whole class of people.

We're focused, during this campaign, on the ethical sewer that is the Democratic nominee, but it's worth recalling that President Obama paved this road. He may not have been for sale in the Clinton style, but he has done something perhaps more sinister in the long run: He has demonstrated that a president can flout the law and pay no price. Remember the moral of Watergate  the system worked? Well, it didn't work in Obama's case. Though ultimately thwarted by the Supreme Court in some cases, he attempted unilaterally to alter immigration law, environmental law, civil rights law and much more, especially his own health law. For the most part, he was successful.

The Washington Post's reporting notes that McAuliffe's action was popular, with 61 percent of respondents expressing support. What difference does this make to the law? If we're going to have government by plebiscite, let's repeal the Constitution and do everything by SurveyMonkey.

The Virginia Supreme Court issued a rebuke to McAuliffe that should have settled the matter. It didn't, which we'll get to. But here's a taste of the reproof the court offered:

Scores of restoration orders have been issued for more than a century to specific felons who requested that their civil rights be restored. Never before, however, have any of the prior 71 Virginia Governors issued a sua sponte clemency order of any kind, whether to restore civil rights or grant a pardon, to an entire class of unnamed felons without regard for the nature of the crimes or any other individual circumstances relevant to the request. What is more, we are aware of no point in the history of the Commonwealth that any Governor has even asserted the power to issue such an order.

Virginia's former governor Tim Kaine, now a vice presidential candidate, was asked to do what McAuliffe has done, but he decided that a blanket order restoring the voting rights of everyone would be a rewrite of the law rather than a contemplated use of the executive clemency powers. Citing his obligations under the Virginia Constitution, he declined.

All prior governors, the court noted, had exercised their power to grant reprieves, pardons, commutations and rights restorations, on a case-by-case basis. This was consistent with the cautious approach to any expansions of executive power the court enforces, and faithful to the belief that the concerns motivating the original framers in 1776 still survive in Virginia.

The court ordered state officials to remove from the voting rolls the felons McAuliffe had restored and to keep careful records.

Pretty definitive, right? Except Gov. McAuliffe is defying the court. On Aug. 22, he announced that 13,000 felons had been added back. So: Between July 22, when the court ruling was announced, and Aug. 22, did McAuliffe personally evaluate 13,000 cases? No. He doesn't even claim that. The only change from his previous executive order was the addition of a letter to each ex-offender, and McAuliffe has declared his intention to do the same for the rest.

It may not make any difference to the 2016 election (which is not looking close), but it does undermine the rule of law in a flagrant and disgraceful way.
Indonesian cement exports expected to grow 50%

ICR Newsroom By 30 August 2016

Indonesia's cement and clinker exports are forecast to reach 1.5Mt in 2016, a 50 per cent increase when compared with the export volume of the previous year.

In the seven months to July, exports had already noted a 63 per cent YoY increase. Indonesia exported 833,000t of cement and clinker in January-July, according to the Indonesia Cement Association (ASI). Around 509,000t of this was clinker while the remainder consisted of bulk cement.

The news is particularly welcome for the country's cement producers who have seen oversupply in the domestic market steadily rise. Six new cement plants were commissioned in the country this year alone, adding some 14Mta of production capacity with national cement capacity now reaching 92Mta. However, the domestic cement market is expected to require no more than 65Mt this year, leaving an oversupply of 27Mt. ASI Chairman, Widodo Santoso, supports the country's cement producers' request to the government to issue a moratorium on new permits for the construction of new cement works. The moratorium would require to be in place until at least 2019 as existing producers fear further falls in profit due to structural oversupply and expect to have difficulty in paying off loans from banks that were obtained to build the cement plants.

The glut is exacerbated by tough export competition in the region. Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, South Korea and China are all plagued by oversupply issues and are aiming to increase their export volumes.

Published under
Schade Lagertechnik secures order in Uzbekistan

30 August 2016

Kyzulkumzement in Uzbekistan awarded Schade, part of the Aumund Group, the contract to supply two bridge-type reclaimers and a stacker to its plant.

The two reclaimers, each with a capacity of 1000tph and a rail span of 30m and the 1200tph stacker will be delivered in the autumn of 2017 so that the plant can be commissioned in early 2018. The project is being realised with the aid of World Bank financing.

The order, which is realised with finance from the World Bank, is part of the modernisation and improvement of cement plants that was called for two years ago by the Uzbek construction materials collective, Uzstroymateriali. This investment programme comprises nine projects for modernisation and reconstruction of plant at three of the largest cement works in the country, Kyzylkumzement in Nawoi, Akhangaranzement, and Bekabadzement in the Tashkent region. The investment volume at Kyzylkumzement alone is in the order of US$40m. Currently there are six cement plants in Uzbekistan with a total installed capacity of around 8Mta.

Published under
Amnesty International USA called on state and local authorities today to remove a roadblock 25 miles north of the protest encampment  but North Dakota Highway Patrol maintains the barricade on Highway 1806 is necessary.

A delegation of human rights observers was at the scene last week and say authorities should remove the roadblock that diverts reservation-bound traffic to a detour route to the west.

Lt. Tom Iverson, spokesperson for the highway patrol, said no timeframe has been set for removing the roadblock.

"There is a reduce speed zone through that area, but, when there are impromptu marches on the roadway, it is not within our best interest to allow travel south through that location. That could have potentially devastating consequences that nobody would want," Iverson said.

The group asks Gov. Jack Dalrymple, the Morton County Sheriffs Department and the North Dakota Highway Patrol to meet with the protesters and community leaders and reminds them of their duty to facilitate peaceful protest.

The U.S. government is obligated under international law to respect, protect and fulfill the human rights of indigenous people, including the rights to freedom of expression and assembly. It is the legitimate right of people to peacefully express their opinion, the letter signed by Amnesty International spokeswoman Margaret Huang says.

Huang says the roadblock was initiated for safety and security, but its continued use hinders access to the protest sites and encampment near Cannon Ball. She says other means, including no parking signs and reduced speed limit warnings would address safety.

Jeff Zent, spokesman for Gov. Jack Dalrymple, supported the State Highway Patrol's actions.

The protests area will remain roadblocked for the protection of motorists and pedestrians in the area until law enforcement feels there is no longer a safety risk from impromptu gatherings at the highway, according to Zent.

Amnesty International will continue to closely monitor the situation and may return, according to Huang.

Standing Rock and dozens of other Native American tribes are gathered to protest the Missouri River pipeline crossing site, while waiting for federal court action on Standing Rocks request for an injunction while it waits to hear if the court will require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a more detailed environmental survey of the crossing and include provisions under the National Historic Preservation Act.

The highway was barricaded Aug. 19 after 28 people were arrested and pipeline construction was halted.

-- Bismarck Tribune reporter Caroline Grueskin contributed to this report.
[]:2016 20160830 20:38:55 

Stock code: 200053 Abbreviation: Chiwan Base B Serial number: 2016-103







SHENZHEN CHIWAN PETROLEUM SUPPLY BASE CO., LTD.



THE ABSTRACT OF INTERIM REPORT FOR YEAR 2016



I. Important Notice



1. This abstract of interim report is extracted from the full text of interim report for year 2016 which is

published on www.cninfo.com.cn or website of Shenzhen Stock Exchange designated by CSRC

simultaneously. Investors shall read the full text carefully for the details.



2. Company Profile



Share Abbreviation



Chiwan Base B



Share Code



200053



Stock Exchange



Shenzhen Stock Exchange



Contact Person



Board Secretary



Securities Representative



Name



Yu Zhongxia (on behalf )



Li Zizheng



Telephone



0755-26694211



0755-26694211



Fax



0755-26694227



0755-26694227



Email



sa@chiwanbase.com



sa@chiwanbase.com







II. Major Financial Data and Change of Shareholders



1. Major Financial Data



Retroactive Adjustment



 Yes  No



Unit: RMB







Reporting period (Jan to

June, 2016)



Last Period (Jan to June,

2015)



Change (%)



Operating Revenue



331,048,288.65



307,119,072.68



7.79%



Net Profit Attributed to

Shareholders of Listed Company



20,104,453.49



42,629,933.48



-52.84%



Net Profit Net of Non-recurring

Gain and Loss Attributed to Listed

Company



19,162,343.58



39,523,619.59



-51.52%



Net Cash Flows from Operating

Activities



151,110,099.80



123,934,017.49



21.93%



Basic Earnings per Share

(RMB/Share)



0.09



0.18



-50.00%



Diluted Earnings per Share

(RMB/Share)



N/A



N/A



N/A



Weighted Return on Equity%



1.14%



2.49%



-1.35 points







June 30, 2016



December 31, 2015



Change (%)



Total Assets



6,422,091,617.87



5,643,956,639.17



13.79%









Owners Equity Attributed to

Shareholders of Listed Company



1,774,640,491.45



1,754,085,176.85



1.17%







2. Particulars about Top Ten Common Shareholders



Unit: Share



Total common shareholders in reporting

period



6,971



Particulars about Top Ten Common Shareholders



Name



Nature



Ratio%



Total shares

held



Non-tradable

shares



Impawned or Frozen

Shares



Status



Shares



CHINA NANSHAN DEVELOPMENT

(GROUP) INCORPORATION



Domestic

Legal Person



51.79%



119,420,000



119,420,000



-



0



China Logistics Holding (12) PTE.LTD.



Foreign Legal

Person



19.90%



45,890,000



0



-



unknown



CHINA MECHANTS SECURITIES

(HONGKONG) LTD



State-owned

Legal Person



1.61%



3,717,134



0



-



unknown



CREDIT SUISSE (HONG KONG)

LIMITED



Foreign Legal

Person



1.15%



2,653,799



0



-



unknown



GUOTAI JUNAN

SECURITIES(HONGKONG) LIMITED



Foreign Legal

Person



0.93%



2,133,542



0



-



unknown



GREENWOODS CHINA ALPHA

MASTER FUND



Foreign Legal

Person



0.43%



984,693



0



-



unknown



LI WEI



Domestic

Natural Person



0.28%



636,000



0



-



unknown



SHA SHU LI



Domestic

Natural Person



0.21%



480,611



0



-



unknown



YU LING FENG



Foreign

Natural Person



0.20%



458,083



0



-



unknown



PAN BO



Domestic

Natural Person



0.18%



420,300



0



-



unknown



Explanation for the Affiliated Relations or United Action

of the Top Ten Shareholders



Among the top ten shareholders, the domestic legal entity shareholder,

China Nanshan Development (Group) Incorporation has no affiliated

relations with other shareholders and does not fall into the scope of

united action person stipulated by Regulation of Information

Disclosure of the Change of Shareholding of listed company. It is

unknown that whether other tradable-share shareholders fall into the

scope of united action person.



Remarks on Shareholders Involved in Securities Margin

Trading



N/A







3. Particulars about Top Ten Preferred Shareholders



 Applicable  Inapplicable



4. Changes of Controlling Shareholder or Actual Controller



Changes of Controlling Shareholder in the Reporting Period



 Applicable  Inapplicable







Changes of Actual Controller in the Reporting Period



 Applicable  Inapplicable



III. Business Discussion and Analysis



In reporting period, the Company achieved operating revenue of RMB 330 million, increased by 7.79% and net





profit of RMB 20.10 million, decreased by 52.84% compared with the same period over last year respectively.



(1)Decrease of investment income is caused by decline of profit from associated CSE and investment income

from entrusted financing, which is mainly due to the decrease of available financing funds along with the increase

of project construction payment.



(2) Developing costs for newly projects increased by increase of newly built and in construction logistics parks.



(3) Financial expense increased sharply by rising interest expense for average balance of liabilities.



1. Changes of Major Financial Data



Unit: RMB







Reporting period

(Jan to June, 2016)



Last Period (Jan to

June, 2015)



Percentage

Change (%)



Notes



Operating Revenue



331,048,288.65



307,119,072.68



7.79%







Operating Cost



143,269,502.63



140,446,455.32



2.01%







Selling Expenses



917,022.63



267,618.01



242.66%



Mainly resulted from

increasing agent fee for

newly operated logistics

parks



Administrative Expenses



55,345,349.17



42,341,999.23



30.71%



Resulted from rising

labor costs and

amortization of

depreciation



Financial Expenses



86,362,478.62



78,223,257.17



10.41%







Income Taxes Expenses



12,085,315.99



13,532,146.18



-10.69%







Net Cash Flows from

Operating Activities



151,110,099.80



123,934,017.49



21.93%







Net Cash Flows from

Investing Activities



-541,664,948.09



-164,588,975.62







Mainly due to increasing

cash outflow brought by

developing newly

projects



Net Cash Flows from

Financing Activities



717,032,189.77



35,713,148.41



1,907.75%



Mainly resulted from

receipt of internal equity

investment and loans

from China Nanshan

Development (Group)

Incorporation



Net Increase in Cash and

Cash Equivalents



326,477,341.48



-4,907,450.47















No major changes on profit composition or profit resources occurred in reporting period



No future development or planning extended to reporting period that published in disclosure documents as

prospectus, private placing memorandum and recapitalize statement.



2. Main Business Composition





Unit: RMB







Operating

Revenue



Operating Cost



Gross Profit

Rate (%)



Change of

Operating

Revenue over

the Same

Period of Last

Year%



Change of

Operating Cost

over the Same

Period of Last

Year%



Change of

Gross Profit

Rate over the

Same Period of

Last Year%



By Industries



Warehouse and



272,125,816.56



101,419,318.86



62.73%



10.02%



6.83%



1.11%









Storage



Loading and

Unloading

Services



15,980,239.56



17,277,315.12



-8.12%



-15.43%



9.21%



-24.40%



Harbor

Management



6,713,077.34



2,844,590.28



57.63%



8.61%



-59.22%



70.48%



Office Leasing

&other



36,174,864.71



21,728,278.37



39.94%



4.34%



-4.34%



5.45%



By Regions



South China



105,948,471.71



61,648,343.20



41.81%



-3.49%



-14.16%



7.23%



East China



122,406,525.60



38,074,257.89



68.90%



3.30%



6.94%



-1.06%



North China



42,380,843.48



13,356,234.64



68.49%



2.44%



-4.88%



2.43%



Southwest

China



44,997,418.34



22,970,443.81



48.95%



20.17%



21.01%



-0.35%



Central China



15,260,739.04



7,220,223.09



52.69%











-







3. Business Performance and Analysis of Main Subsidiaries and Associated Companies





3.1 Offshore Oil Logistics Business



In reporting period, international oil companies adjusted their exploration plan under the circumstance of the

continued downturn of oil price, which caused demand shrink for offshore oil logistics business. Meanwhile, since

CNOOC Huizhou Base put into operation, its subsidiaries moved from Chiwan Base to Huizhou Base, which

formed serious challenges for the Company. In reporting period, offshore oil logistics business achieved operating

revenue of RMB 68.84 million, decreasing by 12.89% and net profit of RMB 13.00 million, increasing by 17.38%

compared with the same period over last year respectively.



3.2 Blogis Business



In reporting period, Blogis Holding achieved operating revenue of RMB 254.04 million, increased by 15.73% and

net profit of RMB 48.11 million, increased by 10.67% compared with the same period over last year respectively.



Blogis companies have operated in good condition generally.



The storage price of operating Blogis companies has kept a slightly growth. To improve customers stickiness and

loyalty, Blogis has taken measures such as promoting establishment of standard operating system, strengthening

core customers management, optimizing the quality and efficiency of service, which would make fine preparation

for expanding extended business.



With operation of Nanjing Baowan and Wuhan Baowan, those newly operated logistics parks made significant

contribution to the Company in the first half year.



Blogis Development for the First Half of 2016



In reporting period, the Company has successfully signed transfer contracts of state owned lands for Jiaxing,

Shaoxing, Xitong, etc, covering land area of 1,430 Mu. And Yuyao, Wuhan Qingshan and Chongqing Luohuang

projects have signed investment agreements with local governments covering land area of 1,173 Mu.



3.3 Associated Companies









Shenzhen Chiwan Sembawang Engineering Co., Ltd (CSE): The Company holds 32% equity of CSE. CSE has

contributed an investment income of RMB 10.93 million to the Company, decreased by 62% compared with the

same period of last year.



Shenzhen Chiwan Offshore Petroleum Equipment Repair & Manufacture Co., Ltd. (CPEC): The Company holds

20% equity of CPEC. The investment income from CPEC has declined to RMB -1.17 million in reporting period.





China Development Finance Company Limited: The Company holds 20% equity. It contributed investment

income of RMB4.00 million to the Company and an increase of 43% compared with same period of last year.



4. Project in Construction Progress





Tianjin Bingang Baowan: The project plans to construct two warehouses and is expected to be finished in the first

half of 2017.



Wuxi Baowan: The construction of five warehouses and one multiple-used building has completed in March,

2016.



Zhenjiang Baowan: The construction of main body of nine warehouses and one multiple-used building has

completed.



Jiaxing Baowan: The construction of two warehouses and one multiple-used building is expected to complete at

the beginning of 2017.



Qingdao Jiaozhou Baowan: The construction of eight warehouses and one multiple-used building is expected to

complete in the first half year of 2017.



Chengdu Oil and Gas Base: The construction of one workshop and storage yard is expected to complete at the end

of 2016.



IV. Related Issues about Financial Report



1. Changes in Accounting Policy, Accounting Estimation and Way of Accounting in Comparison with the

Latest Annual Report



Inapplicable



2. Retrospective Restatement Necessary for Correction of Significant Accounting Errors during the

Reporting Period



Inapplicable



3. Changes in Range of the Consolidated Statements in Comparison with the Financial Report of the

Previous Year



Newly-obtained Beijing Jinmu Caoye Co., Ltd. has been brought into the consolidated statements in reporting

period.



4. Notes of the Board of Directions and Supervisory Committee on the Unqualified Auditors Report Issued

by the CPAs in Reporting Period



Inapplicable















Board of Directors



Shenzhen Chiwan Petroleum Supply Base Co., Ltd.



August 31, 2016









 Stock code: 200053 Abbreviation: Chiwan Base B Serial number: 2016-103SHENZHEN CHIWAN PETROLEUM SUPPLY BASE CO., LTD.THE ABSTRACT OF INTERIM REPORT FOR YEAR 2016I. Important Notice1. This abstract of interim report is extracted from the full text of interim report for year 2016 which ispublished on www.cninfo.com.cn or website of Shenzhen Stock Exchange designated by CSRCsimultaneously. Investors shall read the full text carefully for the details.2. Company ProfileShare AbbreviationChiwan Base BShare Code200053Stock ExchangeShenzhen Stock ExchangeContact PersonBoard SecretarySecurities RepresentativeNameYu Zhongxia (on behalf )Li ZizhengTelephone0755-266942110755-26694211Fax0755-266942270755-26694227Emailsa@chiwanbase.comsa@chiwanbase.comII. Major Financial Data and Change of Shareholders1. Major Financial DataRetroactive Adjustment Yes  NoUnit: RMBReporting period (Jan toJune, 2016)Last Period (Jan to June,2015)Change (%)Operating Revenue331,048,288.65307,119,072.687.79%Net Profit Attributed toShareholders of Listed Company20,104,453.4942,629,933.48-52.84%Net Profit Net of Non-recurringGain and Loss Attributed to ListedCompany19,162,343.5839,523,619.59-51.52%Net Cash Flows from OperatingActivities151,110,099.80123,934,017.4921.93%Basic Earnings per Share(RMB/Share)0.090.18-50.00%Diluted Earnings per Share(RMB/Share)N/AN/AN/AWeighted Return on Equity%1.14%2.49%-1.35 pointsJune 30, 2016December 31, 2015Change (%)Total Assets6,422,091,617.875,643,956,639.1713.79%Owners Equity Attributed toShareholders of Listed Company1,774,640,491.451,754,085,176.851.17%2. Particulars about Top Ten Common ShareholdersUnit: ShareTotal common shareholders in reportingperiod6,971Particulars about Top Ten Common ShareholdersNameNatureRatio%Total sharesheldNon-tradablesharesImpawned or FrozenSharesStatusSharesCHINA NANSHAN DEVELOPMENT(GROUP) INCORPORATIONDomesticLegal Person51.79%119,420,000119,420,000China Logistics Holding (12) PTE.LTD.Foreign LegalPerson19.90%45,890,000unknownCHINA MECHANTS SECURITIES(HONGKONG) LTDState-ownedLegal Person1.61%3,717,134unknownCREDIT SUISSE (HONG KONG)LIMITEDForeign LegalPerson1.15%2,653,799unknownGUOTAI JUNANSECURITIES(HONGKONG) LIMITEDForeign LegalPerson0.93%2,133,542unknownGREENWOODS CHINA ALPHAMASTER FUNDForeign LegalPerson0.43%984,693unknownLI WEIDomesticNatural Person0.28%636,000unknownSHA SHU LIDomesticNatural Person0.21%480,611unknownYU LING FENGForeignNatural Person0.20%458,083unknownPAN BODomesticNatural Person0.18%420,300unknownExplanation for the Affiliated Relations or United Actionof the Top Ten ShareholdersAmong the top ten shareholders, the domestic legal entity shareholder,China Nanshan Development (Group) Incorporation has no affiliatedrelations with other shareholders and does not fall into the scope ofunited action person stipulated by Regulation of InformationDisclosure of the Change of Shareholding of listed company. It isunknown that whether other tradable-share shareholders fall into thescope of united action person.Remarks on Shareholders Involved in Securities MarginTradingN/A3. Particulars about Top Ten Preferred Shareholders Applicable  Inapplicable4. Changes of Controlling Shareholder or Actual ControllerChanges of Controlling Shareholder in the Reporting Period Applicable  InapplicableChanges of Actual Controller in the Reporting Period Applicable  InapplicableIII. Business Discussion and AnalysisIn reporting period, the Company achieved operating revenue of RMB 330 million, increased by 7.79% and netprofit of RMB 20.10 million, decreased by 52.84% compared with the same period over last year respectively.(1)Decrease of investment income is caused by decline of profit from associated CSE and investment incomefrom entrusted financing, which is mainly due to the decrease of available financing funds along with the increaseof project construction payment.(2) Developing costs for newly projects increased by increase of newly built and in construction logistics parks.(3) Financial expense increased sharply by rising interest expense for average balance of liabilities.1. Changes of Major Financial DataUnit: RMBReporting period(Jan to June, 2016)Last Period (Jan toJune, 2015)PercentageChange (%)NotesOperating Revenue331,048,288.65307,119,072.687.79%Operating Cost143,269,502.63140,446,455.322.01%Selling Expenses917,022.63267,618.01242.66%Mainly resulted fromincreasing agent fee fornewly operated logisticsparksAdministrative Expenses55,345,349.1742,341,999.2330.71%Resulted from risinglabor costs andamortization ofdepreciationFinancial Expenses86,362,478.6278,223,257.1710.41%Income Taxes Expenses12,085,315.9913,532,146.18-10.69%Net Cash Flows fromOperating Activities151,110,099.80123,934,017.4921.93%Net Cash Flows fromInvesting Activities-541,664,948.09-164,588,975.62Mainly due to increasingcash outflow brought bydeveloping newlyprojectsNet Cash Flows fromFinancing Activities717,032,189.7735,713,148.411,907.75%Mainly resulted fromreceipt of internal equityinvestment and loansfrom China NanshanDevelopment (Group)IncorporationNet Increase in Cash andCash Equivalents326,477,341.48-4,907,450.47No major changes on profit composition or profit resources occurred in reporting periodNo future development or planning extended to reporting period that published in disclosure documents asprospectus, private placing memorandum and recapitalize statement.2. Main Business CompositionUnit: RMBOperatingRevenueOperating CostGross ProfitRate (%)Change ofOperatingRevenue overthe SamePeriod of LastYear%Change ofOperating Costover the SamePeriod of LastYear%Change ofGross ProfitRate over theSame Period ofLast Year%By IndustriesWarehouse and272,125,816.56101,419,318.8662.73%10.02%6.83%1.11%StorageLoading andUnloadingServices15,980,239.5617,277,315.12-8.12%-15.43%9.21%-24.40%HarborManagement6,713,077.342,844,590.2857.63%8.61%-59.22%70.48%Office Leasing&other36,174,864.7121,728,278.3739.94%4.34%-4.34%5.45%By RegionsSouth China105,948,471.7161,648,343.2041.81%-3.49%-14.16%7.23%East China122,406,525.6038,074,257.8968.90%3.30%6.94%-1.06%North China42,380,843.4813,356,234.6468.49%2.44%-4.88%2.43%SouthwestChina44,997,418.3422,970,443.8148.95%20.17%21.01%-0.35%Central China15,260,739.047,220,223.0952.69%3. Business Performance and Analysis of Main Subsidiaries and Associated Companies3.1 Offshore Oil Logistics BusinessIn reporting period, international oil companies adjusted their exploration plan under the circumstance of thecontinued downturn of oil price, which caused demand shrink for offshore oil logistics business. Meanwhile, sinceCNOOC Huizhou Base put into operation, its subsidiaries moved from Chiwan Base to Huizhou Base, whichformed serious challenges for the Company. In reporting period, offshore oil logistics business achieved operatingrevenue of RMB 68.84 million, decreasing by 12.89% and net profit of RMB 13.00 million, increasing by 17.38%compared with the same period over last year respectively.3.2 Blogis BusinessIn reporting period, Blogis Holding achieved operating revenue of RMB 254.04 million, increased by 15.73% andnet profit of RMB 48.11 million, increased by 10.67% compared with the same period over last year respectively.Blogis companies have operated in good condition generally.The storage price of operating Blogis companies has kept a slightly growth. To improve customers stickiness andloyalty, Blogis has taken measures such as promoting establishment of standard operating system, strengtheningcore customers management, optimizing the quality and efficiency of service, which would make fine preparationfor expanding extended business.With operation of Nanjing Baowan and Wuhan Baowan, those newly operated logistics parks made significantcontribution to the Company in the first half year.Blogis Development for the First Half of 2016In reporting period, the Company has successfully signed transfer contracts of state owned lands for Jiaxing,Shaoxing, Xitong, etc, covering land area of 1,430 Mu. And Yuyao, Wuhan Qingshan and Chongqing Luohuangprojects have signed investment agreements with local governments covering land area of 1,173 Mu.3.3 Associated CompaniesShenzhen Chiwan Sembawang Engineering Co., Ltd (CSE): The Company holds 32% equity of CSE. CSE hascontributed an investment income of RMB 10.93 million to the Company, decreased by 62% compared with thesame period of last year.Shenzhen Chiwan Offshore Petroleum Equipment Repair & Manufacture Co., Ltd. (CPEC): The Company holds20% equity of CPEC. The investment income from CPEC has declined to RMB -1.17 million in reporting period.China Development Finance Company Limited: The Company holds 20% equity. It contributed investmentincome of RMB4.00 million to the Company and an increase of 43% compared with same period of last year.4. Project in Construction ProgressTianjin Bingang Baowan: The project plans to construct two warehouses and is expected to be finished in the firsthalf of 2017.Wuxi Baowan: The construction of five warehouses and one multiple-used building has completed in March,2016.Zhenjiang Baowan: The construction of main body of nine warehouses and one multiple-used building hascompleted.Jiaxing Baowan: The construction of two warehouses and one multiple-used building is expected to complete atthe beginning of 2017.Qingdao Jiaozhou Baowan: The construction of eight warehouses and one multiple-used building is expected tocomplete in the first half year of 2017.Chengdu Oil and Gas Base: The construction of one workshop and storage yard is expected to complete at the endof 2016.IV. Related Issues about Financial Report1. Changes in Accounting Policy, Accounting Estimation and Way of Accounting in Comparison with theLatest Annual ReportInapplicable2. Retrospective Restatement Necessary for Correction of Significant Accounting Errors during theReporting PeriodInapplicable3. Changes in Range of the Consolidated Statements in Comparison with the Financial Report of thePrevious YearNewly-obtained Beijing Jinmu Caoye Co., Ltd. has been brought into the consolidated statements in reportingperiod.4. Notes of the Board of Directions and Supervisory Committee on the Unqualified Auditors Report Issuedby the CPAs in Reporting PeriodInapplicableBoard of DirectorsShenzhen Chiwan Petroleum Supply Base Co., Ltd.August 31, 2016


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Minsk, Belarus

Minsk, the capital of Belarus, is a city that has something for everyone. If you're looking for a little history, Minsk has plenty of it, with churches and monuments dating back to the 12th century. If you're looking for a lively nightlife, Minsk has that, too, with plenty of bars, clubs, and restaurants. And if you're looking for a little nature, Minsk has parks and gardens to enjoy. Here are just a few of the places you can visit in Minsk: The Holy Spirit Cathedral, one of the oldest churches in Minsk, is a must-visit for history buffs. The National Library of Belarus is a huge library with more than 18 million items in its collection. The Opera and Ballet Theatre is a beautiful building that hosts performances of both opera and ballet. The Victory Park is a large park with a war memorial, a children's playground, and a lake. And for a little bit of nature in the heart of the city, the Botanical Garden is a great place to relax and take a break from the hustle and bustle of Minsk.

Minsk Luxury Hotels

Jaipur, India

Jaipur is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. It is the capital of the state of Rajasthan and is known for its palaces, forts and temples. Some of the places to visit in Jaipur include the Amber Fort, the City Palace, the Jantar Mantar Observatory and the Hawa Mahal. Jaipur is also a great place to shop for traditional Indian handicrafts.

Jaipur Luxury Hotels

Chicago, IL, United States

Chicago is a city full of culture and history. There are plenty of places to visit, such as the Willis Tower, Buckingham Fountain, and the Lincoln Park Zoo. Chicago is also home to many restaurants and bars, so there is something for everyone.

Chicago Luxury Hotels

Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland is a beautiful city located on the north island of New Zealand. There are many places to visit in Auckland, including the Sky Tower, the Auckland War Memorial Museum, and the Auckland Domain. The beaches in Auckland are also worth visiting, especially Karekare and Piha. Auckland is a great place to visit, and I highly recommend it!.

Auckland Luxury Hotels

Auckland Luxury Villas

Amsterdam, Netherlands

If you're looking for a city that's got it all, Amsterdam should be your go-to destination. From the city's lively and vibrant nightlife to its charming and quiet neighborhoods, Amsterdam has something for everyone. Be sure to check out the Anne Frank Huis, the Rijksmuseum, and the Van Gogh Museum, as these are some of the most popular attractions in the city. And if you're looking for a little bit of nature, be sure to take a walk or bike ride through Amsterdam's many parks.

Amsterdam Luxury Hotels

Berlin, Germany

There are so many great places to visit in Berlin that it can be hard to know where to start. From the iconic Brandenburg Gate to the fascinating Reichstag Building, there's something for everyone in this vibrant city. If you're looking for a bit of history, make sure to check out the Berlin Wall Memorial or the DDR Museum. And for those looking for a bit more fun, there's always the Alexanderplatz Christmas Market or the Zoologischer Garten. No matter what your interests, Berlin is a city you won't want to miss.

Berlin Luxury Hotels

Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok is a city of contrasts with its gleaming temples and skyscrapers, chaotic markets and tranquil canals. While it's a popular tourist destination, Bangkok is a city that can be enjoyed by visitors of all ages. Some of the top places to visit in Bangkok include the Grand Palace, Wat Arun, the floating markets and the Chatuchak Weekend Market.

Bangkok Luxury Hotels

Bangkok Luxury Resorts

Bangkok Luxury Villas

Bruges, Belgium

Bruges is a city in Belgium that is worth visiting. It is full of medieval charm and there are a lot of things to see and do. Some of the places to visit include the Markt, the Belfry, and the Begijnhof.

Bruges Luxury Hotels

Brussels, Belgium

Brussels is a city in Belgium that is best known for its chocolate, waffles, and beer. But there is much more to see and do in Brussels than just indulge in the local cuisine. There are a number of interesting historical landmarks to visit, such as the Grand Place and the Atomium, as well as a variety of parks and gardens. And, of course, Brussels is also a great city to explore on foot.

Brussels Luxury Hotels

Budapest, Hungary

Budapest, Hungary's capital, is a city of thermal baths and medival, baroque and art nouveau architecture. Crowded with tourists, the city is bisected by the Danube River into the hilly Buda and the more developed and flat Pest. Among the main places of interest are the neo-Gothic Parliament, the Chain Bridge linking Buda and Pest, the Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion on the Buda bank, and the State Opera House and Heroes' Square on the Pest side.

Budapest Luxury Hotels

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Home to some of the best beaches in Mexico, Playa del Carmen is a favorite tourist destination for visitors from all over the world. With its lively nightlife, gorgeous coastline and ample shopping opportunities, there's something for everyone in this tropical paradise. Don't miss the opportunity to visit some of the area's most popular attractions, such as the ancient Mayan ruins of Tulum and Coba, or the eco-friendly Turtle Beach. With its friendly people, delicious food and stunning scenery, Playa del Carmen is a place you'll never want to leave.

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Denver, CO, United States

Denver is a great city for visitors. There are so many places to see and things to do. Some of the top places to visit include the 16th Street Mall, the Denver Botanic Gardens, the Denver Art Museum, and the Colorado State Capitol. There are also plenty of great restaurants and shops to explore. Denver is definitely a city worth visiting!.

Denver Luxury Hotels

Dublin, Ireland

Dublin is a city located in Ireland. It's a city full of culture, with plenty of places to visit. Some popular tourist spots are the Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College, and the Dublin Castle. There are also plenty of pubs and restaurants to discover.

Dublin Luxury Hotels

Dusseldorf, Germany

Dusseldorf, Germany is a city with many different places to visit. The city has a mix of old and new buildings, and a variety of activities to do. The best places to visit in Dusseldorf are the Konigsallee, the Rhine Tower, and the Oktoberfest. The Konigsallee is an open-air shopping mall that has many high-end stores. The Rhine Tower is the tallest building in the city and offers great views of Dusseldorf. The Oktoberfest is a week-long festival that celebrates German culture and food.

Dusseldorf Luxury Hotels

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Edinburgh, Scotland is a beautiful city to visit. The architecture is very old and unique, and there are plenty of historical places to visit, like Edinburgh Castle. There are also plenty of parks and gardens, and lots of shops and restaurants.

Edinburgh Luxury Hotels

Rome, Italy

Rome is a city rich in history and filled with beautiful places to visit. Make sure to stop by the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Pantheon. Also be sure to visit St. Peters Basilica and the Sistine Chapel while in Rome. If youre looking for a little more nature in your trip, head to the Villa Borghese gardens or the Janiculum Hill for some wonderful views of the city. And of course, no trip to Rome is complete without a gelato!.

Rome Luxury Hotels

Rome Luxury Villas

New York, NY, United States

There are many amazing places to visit in New York State. Some of my favorites are the Niagara Falls, the Adirondack Mountains, and the Finger Lakes. If you're looking for a city break, New York City is definitely worth a visit. There's endless things to see and do, from touring the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island to visiting world-famous museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History. No matter what your interests are, you'll be able to find something to enjoy in New York State.

New York Luxury Hotels

New York Luxury Villas

London, United Kingdom

London is a city rich in history and full of amazing places to visit. Some of my favorite places are Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and the Tower of London. There is so much to see and do in London, you could spend weeks here and never run out of things to do. If you're looking for a city full of culture and history, London is the place for you.

London Luxury Hotels

London Luxury Cottages

Madrid, Spain

Madrid is one of the most beautiful and culturally rich cities in the world. From the Royal Palace to the Prado Museum, theres plenty to see and do in Madrid. If youre looking for a little bit of nature, Madrid has plenty of parks, like the Buen Retiro Park, to relax in. And dont forget to try some of the delicious tapas and wine while youre in town.

Madrid Luxury Hotels

Memphis, TN, United States

The birthplace of rock 'n' roll, Memphis is a city rich in history and culture. From Graceland to Beale Street, there are plenty of places to visit in Memphis. Be sure to check out Sun Studio, where rock 'n' roll was born, and the National Civil Rights Museum, which tells the story of the African-American civil rights movement. Memphis is also home to some amazing food, so be sure to try some of the city's famous barbecue and soul food.

Memphis Luxury Hotels

Miami Beach, FL, United States

There is much to explore in Miami Beach, from the famous Art Deco district to the vast beaches and crystal-clear waters. Outdoor enthusiasts will love the opportunities for fishing, kayaking, and paddleboarding, while history buffs can explore the ancient burial mounds at Miami Beach. Shoppers and foodies will find plenty to keep them busy, with vibrant neighborhoods like Lincoln Road and Ocean Drive offering unique boutiques and award-winning restaurants. And of course, no trip to Miami Beach is complete without a visit to world-famous South Beach.

Miami Beach Luxury Hotels

Miami Beach Luxury Resorts

New Orleans, LA, United States

You can't visit New Orleans without trying some of the local food. Beignets, Po' Boys, and gumbo are just a few of the must-try dishes. While you're in town, be sure to check out the French Quarter, Jackson Square, and St. Louis Cathedral. If you're looking for some nightlife, Bourbon Street is the place to be. And, of course, no trip to New Orleans is complete without a visit to Mardi Gras!.

New Orleans Luxury Hotels

Milan, Italy

Milan is a city located in the Lombardy region of Italy. It is a popular tourist destination because of its historical and artistic heritage. Some of the places you should visit while in Milan are the Duomo, La Scala, and Castello Sforzesco.

Milan Luxury Hotels

Naples, Italy

Naples is one of the most beautiful and historic cities in Italy. There are countless places to visit, such as the Royal Palace, the Museum of San Martino, and the Church of Gesu Nuovo. Naples is also home to excellent shopping and dining options. Be sure to enjoy a cup of coffee at one of the city's many cafes and take a stroll through the picturesque streets.

Naples Luxury Hotels

Paris, France

Paris is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. It's home to iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum, as well as a thriving nightlife and restaurant scene. If you're looking to explore all that Paris has to offer, here are some of the top places to visit: The Eiffel Tower: This iconic landmark is a must-see in Paris. Climb to the top for stunning views of the city, or take a ride on the elevator to the bottom for a closer look at the structure. The Louvre Museum: This world-famous museum is home to some of the most famous works of art in the world, including the Mona Lisa. The Notre Dame Cathedral: This beautiful cathedral is one of the most famous landmarks in Paris. Make sure to climb to the top for some amazing views of the city. The Champs-Elysees: This famous avenue is a popular destination for shopping and dining. Be sure to wander down the street and take in all the sights and sounds. The Arc de Triomphe: This towering arch is another iconic landmark in Paris. Climb to the top for some amazing views of the city.

Paris Luxury Hotels

Paris Luxury Villas

Prague, Czech Republic

Prague is a city rich in history and culture. There are plenty of places to visit, including the Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, and the Old Town Square. There are also plenty of restaurants and bars to enjoy, and the nightlife is vibrant. Prague is a truly unique city and a must-visit for anyone traveling to the Czech Republic.

Prague Luxury Hotels

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Located on the easternmost tip of the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana is known for its beautiful beaches and turquoise waters. This paradise is a favorite destination for travelers looking for a Caribbean getaway. Punta Cana is home to a wide variety of resorts and activities, from enjoying the sand and surf to golfing, spas, and shopping. Nature lovers can also explore the areas jungles, caves, and waterfalls.

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Punta Cana Luxury Resorts

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Marbella, Spain

If you're looking for an idyllic and luxurious Spanish escape, look no further than Marbella. Located on the country's Costa del Sol, Marbella is home to stunning beaches, top-notch resorts, world-class golfing, and much more. A visit to Marbella is the perfect way to experience all that Spain has to offer.

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Marbella Luxury Villas

Marrakesh, Morocco

Marrakesh is a city in Morocco that is full of culture and history. There are several places to visit in Marrakesh, including the Palace of the Bahia, the Ben Youssef Madrasa, and the Saadian Tombs. The souks (markets) are also a must-see, where you can find everything from souvenirs to spices to traditional clothing. Be sure to enjoy a meal in one of the many restaurants or cafes in Marrakesh; the food is delicious and the atmosphere is always lively. Marrakesh is a wonderful city to explore and definitely worth a visit!.

Marrakesh Luxury Hotels

San Francisco, CA, United States

San Francisco is a popular tourist destination, and for good reason. There are plenty of things to see and do in this vibrant city. Here are some of the top places to visit: 1. Fisherman's Wharf: This neighborhood is home to a variety of shops and restaurants, as well as a popular pier where you can enjoy views of the bay. 2. The Golden Gate Bridge: This iconic bridge is a must-see for any visitor to San Francisco. 3. Alcatraz Island: This former federal prison is now a popular tourist attraction. It's a must-see for fans of history and crime dramas. 4. Chinatown: This colorful neighborhood is home to some of the best food in San Francisco. Be sure to check out the Dragon Gate entrance. 5. The Mission District: This trendy neighborhood is home to hip restaurants, bars, and art galleries.

San Francisco Luxury Hotels

Moscow, Russia

Moscow, Russia is a beautiful city with plenty of places to visit. Some of the most popular tourist attractions are the Kremlin, Red Square, and Saint Basil's Cathedral. Other great places to see include the Bolshoi Theatre, Gorky Park, and the Tretyakov Gallery. There are also many churches and other historical buildings to explore. Moscow is a lively city with a lot of culture and nightlife. There is something for everyone to enjoy in Moscow.

Moscow Luxury Hotels

Venice, Italy

Venice is one of the most beautiful places on earth. The city is built on a lagoon in northeast Italy and is known for its canals and gondolas. There are many places to visit in Venice, including the Grand Canal, St. Marks Square, and the Rialto Bridge. Venice is also home to many museums, including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

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Vienna, Austria

Vienna, Austria is a city with a long and rich history. There are many places to visit in Vienna, including the Hofburg Palace, the Ringstrasse, and St. Stephen's Cathedral. Vienna is also home to some of the world's best shopping, including the Karntner Strasse and the Graben. Finally, no visit to Vienna is complete without experiencing the city's world-famous nightlife.

Vienna Luxury Hotels

Zurich, Switzerland

Zurich is a marvelous city located in the heart of Switzerland. It is a city that has something to offer for everyone. From amazing restaurants and beautiful architecture to exciting nightlife and gorgeous parks, Zurich has something for everyone. Some of the most popular places to visit in Zurich include the Bahnhofstrasse, which is the city's most famous shopping street, the Lindenhof, which is a beautiful park with amazing views of the city, and Grossmunster, which is a stunning Romanesque church. Zurich is also home to some of the best museums in the world, including the famed Museum of Art and the Swiss National Museum. With its mix of old-world charm and modern amenities, Zurich is a city that is definitely worth exploring.

Zurich Luxury Hotels

Acapulco, Mexico

If you're looking for a Mexican vacation spot with plenty of history and culture to explore, Acapulco is a great option. From the archeological wonders of the ancient city to the stunning coastal views, there's something for everyone in Acapulco. Plus, with its temperate climate, it's a great escape from colder winter weather.

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Acapulco Luxury Resorts

Acapulco Luxury Villas

Nashville, TN, United States

One of the United States' most interesting places to visit is Nashville, Tennessee. There's plenty to see and do there, from the Grand Ole Opry to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Music is a big part of the city's history and culture, so be sure to catch a show while you're in town. Other popular attractions include the Ryman Auditorium, the Parthenon, and the Jack Daniel's Distillery. Nashville is also a great place to eat, with a wide variety of restaurants serving up everything from barbecue to Mexican food. So if you're looking for an exciting and diverse city to visit, be sure to add Nashville to your list.

Nashville Luxury Hotels

Nashville Luxury Villas

Atlanta, GA, United States

What's not to love about Atlanta? From the iconic Georgia Aquarium to the World of Coke, from the Fox Theatre to Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta offers a wealth of destinations for tourists. Sports fans will want to check out the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and history buffs will enjoy the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum. Braves fans can take a tour of SunTrust Park, and shoppers will enjoy the many boutiques and malls in the city. There's also a great restaurant scene in Atlanta, and music lovers will want to check out the many venues offering live music. Whether you're looking for a fun family vacation spot or a place to explore on your own, Atlanta is a great choice!.

Atlanta Luxury Hotels

Miami, FL, United States

The Magic City is a top tourist destination for a reasonthere are endless things to do in Miami! From exploring the trendy neighborhoods and dazzling beaches to soaking up the Latin culture and nightlife, Miami is jam-packed with amazing places to visit. Here are a few of our favorites: 1. Wynwood Walls: This outdoor art exhibit is a must-see for any art lover. The colorful murals are awe-inspiring and definitely Instagram-worthy. 2. Vizcaya Museum and Gardens: This estate is dripping with luxury and opulence, from the grandiose architecture to the expansive gardens. It's the perfect place for a day of relaxation. 3. South Beach: This world-famous beach is a must-visit for any sun-seeker. The crystal-clear water and soft sand make for the perfect day-long beach getaway. 4. Little Havana: Experience Cuban culture at its best in Little Havana. From delicious food to lively music and dance, there's something for everyone in this vibrant district. 5. Art Deco District: This district is home to Miami's most iconic architecture. Take a stroll down the charming streets and admire the colorful buildings that make Miami so unique.

Miami Luxury Hotels

Miami Luxury Villas

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo is a must-see destination in Japan. There are endless places to explore in this city - temples, shrines, gardens, and more. The Shinjuku district is a great place to start, with its neon-lit streets and myriad shops and restaurants. For a taste of traditional Japan, visit the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa or the Imperial Palace. Nature lovers will enjoy the Hamarikyu Gardens or the Hama-rikyu Teien Garden. And for a unique experience, take a trip to Mount Fuji.

Tokyo Luxury Hotels

Tokyo Luxury Villas

Buenos Aires, Argentina

There are plenty of places to visit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Some popular tourist destinations include the obelisk, the Casa Rosada, and the Puerto Madero district. Every barrio (neighborhood) has its own unique culture and flavor. San Telmo, La Boca, and Palermo are some of the most popular barrios. There are also many parks and plazas, such as Plaza de Mayo and Plaza de la Republica, that are worth checking out.

Buenos Aires Luxury Hotels

Hamburg, Germany

One of the most popular tourist destinations in Germany is Hamburg. From the lively and colorful harbor district to the grandiose City Hall, there is plenty to see and do in Hamburg. Some of the other popular places to visit include the Reeperbahn district with its pubs and nightlife, the Planten un Blomen botanical gardens, and the architecturally stunning Rathausmarkt square.

Hamburg Luxury Hotels

Lisbon, Portugal

The capital of Portugal, Lisbon is a city of fascinating contrasts. From its coastal location, visitors can enjoy stunning ocean views, while its hilly, narrow streets are home to a maze of charming traditional homes and lively nightlife. A city of 7 hills, Lisbon is a bustling metropolis with something for everyone. Here are some of the top places to visit: The Belem Tower, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of Lisbons most iconic landmarks. This 16th-century fortress and lighthouse is a must-see for visitors. The Alfama district, with its winding streets and tile-roofed homes, is the oldest district in Lisbon. This is the perfect place to get lost and explore the citys history. The Lisbon Zoo is a great place to enjoy a day out with the family, with over 2,000 animals from around the world. The Christ the King statue, located atop a hill in the suburb of Almada, offers impressive views of Lisbon and the river Tagus. The Lisbon Oceanarium, located in the Parque das Nacoes district, is home to more than 12,000 marine creatures and is one of the largest aquariums in Europe.

Lisbon Luxury Hotels

Lisbon Luxury Villas

Malaga, Spain

Malaga is an attractive seaside city in southern Spain with a long history. There are many places to visit in Malaga, including the Gibralfaro Castle, the Alcazaba fortress, and the Malaga Cathedral. Malaga is also home to a variety of museums, including the Picasso Museum. The city is well known for its beaches, and there are many delightful places to relax and enjoy the sun and the sea.

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Munich, Germany

When planning a vacation to Munich, Germany, be sure to include these top places to visit: The Marienplatz is a must-see square in the city center, featuring a beautiful Glockenspiel show and the Old and New Town Halls. The Englisher Garten, Europes largest city park, is a great place for a relaxing stroll or a picnic. OlympiaPark is home to the famous 1972 Olympic Stadium as well as a huge amusement park. The Frauenkirche is a stunning church in the old town with a Glockenspiel of its own. Beer lovers will want to visit the Hofbrauhaus, the worlds most famous beer hall. For a bit of history and culture, check out the LudwigMaximilians-University and the Deutsches Museum. There is so much to see and do in Munich  these are just a few highlights!.

Munich Luxury Hotels

Granada, Spain

Granada is a city in southern Spain that is known for its Moorish architecture and history. The city is home to the Alhambra, a palace and fortress that was constructed in the late 1300s. Visitors can also enjoy the citys many churches, including the Cathedral of Granada. Granada is also a convenient base for exploring the other cities and towns in Andalusia.

Granada Luxury Hotels

Bucharest, Romania

Bucharest is a city full of history and culture. There are many places to visit, such as the Palace of Parliament, which is the world's largest civilian building. Other places to visit include the old city center, which is full of charming streets and buildings, and the Botanical Garden, which is the largest botanical garden in Romania.

Bucharest Luxury Hotels

Bologna, Italy

Bologna, Italy is a beautiful city with plenty of places to visit. Some popular tourist destinations include the Piazza Maggiore, the Tower of Asinelli, and the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca. There are also plenty of museums and churches to explore, and the city is full of charming restaurants and cafes. Bologna is an excellent destination for a vacation, and there is something for everyone to enjoy in this amazing city.

Bologna Luxury Hotels

Porto, Portugal

Porto is a port city in Portugal that is well known for its wine. It's also a city with a long and rich history. There are many places to visit in Porto, including the old city center, the Dom Luis I Bridge, and the Clerigos Tower. Porto is also home to the famous Port wine caves, which are a must-visit for wine lovers.

Porto Luxury Hotels

Cologne, Germany

Cologne, located on the Rhine River in western Germany, is a city well worth visiting. The city has a long and rich history, dating back to the time of the Roman Empire. Some of the city's most popular tourist attractions include the Cologne Cathedral, Hohenzollern Bridge, and the RheinEnergieStadion. Additionally, Cologne is home to a wide variety of museums, shops, and restaurants. In fact, the city has been ranked as one of the best places to live in Germany. So, if you're looking for a great European city to visit, be sure to add Cologne to your list.

Cologne Luxury Hotels

Istanbul, Turkey

If you're looking for an exotic and affordable vacation destination, look no further than Istanbul, Turkey. Filled with historical places to visit and bargains to be found, Istanbul offers something for everyone. Be sure to visit the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, and the Blue Mosque while you're there. Don't forget to bargain for the best prices when shopping in the bazaars, and enjoy some delicious Turkish cuisine while you're at it. Istanbul is sure to leave you with a lasting impression.

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Istanbul Luxury Villas

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Dubai is a fascinating and exotic city that offers visitors a mix of traditional Middle Eastern culture and modern, cosmopolitan life. There are plenty of places to visit in Dubai, from the towering skyscrapers of Downtown Dubai to the luxury shopping malls and luxurious hotels of the Palm Jumeirah. Don't miss a chance to experience an Arabian night out on an epic dhow cruise, or take a trip out into the Arabian Desert to see the stunning sand dunes.

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Dubai Luxury Resorts

Dubai Luxury Villas

Antwerp, Belgium

Antwerp is a city located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital of the province of Antwerp and has a population of over half a million people. Antwerp is a popular tourist destination due to its many historical buildings, museums, and art galleries. Some of the most popular places to visit in Antwerp are the Cathedral of Our Lady, the City Hall, the Rubenshuis, and the Antwerp Zoo.

Antwerp Luxury Hotels

Lyon, France

Lyon is a beautiful city in the south of France that is full of culture and places to visit. Some of the most popular places to visit in Lyon are the Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourviere, the Place Bellecour, and the Vieux Lyon. The Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourviere is a beautiful cathedral that is a must-see when visiting Lyon. The Place Bellecour is a large square in the heart of Lyon that is full of restaurants and cafes. The Vieux Lyon is a district in Lyon that is full of old buildings and is a great place to wander around and take in the sights.

Lyon Luxury Hotels

Athens, Greece

If you find yourself in Athens, there are definitely some spots you won't want to miss. The Acropolis, Parthenon, and Olympic Stadium are all essential stops, but there are plenty of others, too. If you're looking for a bit of history, the National Archaeological Museum is a must-see, while nature lovers will enjoy a visit to the botanical gardens. If you're looking to relax, take a walk along the beach in Glyfada or head to the Plaka district for a charming and picturesque setting. No matter what you're interested in, Athens has something for you.

Athens Luxury Hotels

Athens Luxury Villas

Helsinki, Finland

While in Helsinki, make sure to visit these popular tourist destinations: The Senate Square and Lutheran Cathedral The Sibelius Monument Ateneum Art Museum Market Square Helsinki Zoo.

Helsinki Luxury Hotels

Vilnius, Lithuania

The capital of Lithuania, Vilnius, is a picturesque city with a rich history. The old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is full of charming churches, narrow streets, and pretty squares. There are also lots of museums and other places of interest to visit, including the Hill of Crosses, Gediminas Tower, and the Presidential Palace. Vilnius is a great city to explore on foot, and there are plenty of cafes, restaurants, and bars to enjoy in the evening.

Vilnius Luxury Hotels

Reykjavik, Iceland

A city of remote beauty, Reykjavik is teeming with interesting places to visit. One of the worlds most northern capitals, Reykjavik offers stunning landscapes and a wealth of cultural experiences. From the iconic Hallgrimskirkja church to the popular Golden Circle tour, theres plenty to see and do in Reykjavik. Be sure to check out the citys lively nightlife scene, too  you wont be disappointed!.

Reykjavik Luxury Hotels

Glasgow, United Kingdom

Some of the most popular places to visit in Glasgow include the Gallery of Modern Art, the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, the Riverside Museum, and the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre. There are also many wonderful parks and gardens to explore, including the Botanic Gardens and Glasgow Green. For those interested in history and architecture, there are many fascinating old buildings to see, such as the Glasgow Cathedral and the University of Glasgow. And for those looking for a lively nightlife, Glasgow has no shortage of pubs, clubs, and restaurants.

Glasgow Luxury Hotels

Los Angeles, CA, United States

As the birthplace of Hollywood and home to some of the world's most recognisable landmarks, there's no shortage of places to visit in Los Angeles. Start by exploring the city's iconic neighbourhoods like Beverly Hills and Hollywood, then venture out to attractions like the Griffith Observatory, Venice Beach and Disneyland. And don't forget to savour the city's world-famous cultural scene, with its abundance of museums, theatres and restaurants.

Los Angeles Luxury Hotels

Los Angeles Luxury Villas

San Diego, CA, United States

San Diego is a city located in California and is a major tourist destination. One of the main reasons people visit the city is for its many beaches. Coronado Beach, Mission Beach, and Pacific Beach are some of the most popular and are all within close proximity to the city center. Other attractions in San Diego include the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld San Diego, and the USS Midway Museum. Restaurants, bars, and shopping can be found throughout the city, and world-renowned museums, like the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, are also located in San Diego.

San Diego Luxury Hotels

San Diego Luxury Resorts

San Diego Luxury Villas

Washington, DC, United States

Washington, D.C. is a city full of history and places to visit. Some popular places to visit are the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, and the Smithsonian. D.C. is also home to a number of monuments and memorials, like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Korean War Veterans Memorial. There are also a number of museums in D.C., like the American History Museum and the National Air and Space Museum.

Washington Luxury Hotels

Cancun, Mexico

Cancun is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Mexico. Aside from its beautiful beaches, there are plenty of places to visit and things to do in Cancun. Some of the most popular attractions include the ancient ruins of Chichen Itza, the eco-park Xcaret, and the nightclubs and bars in the resort district.

Cancun Luxury Hotels

Cancun Luxury Resorts

Cancun Luxury Villas

Virginia Beach, VA, United States

Virginia Beach is one of the top tourist destinations on the East Coast. From the Virginia Beach Boardwalk to the miles of sandy beaches, there's something for everyone to enjoy. There are also plenty of restaurants, shops, and other attractions to keep visitors busy. Some of the most popular places to visit in Virginia Beach include: The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center : This aquarium is home to more than 20,000 animals, including sharks, dolphins, and rays. : This aquarium is home to more than 20,000 animals, including sharks, dolphins, and rays. The Virginia Beach Boardwalk: This 3.5-mile boardwalk is one of the most popular attractions in Virginia Beach. It features a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and amusements. This 3.5-mile boardwalk is one of the most popular attractions in Virginia Beach. It features a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and amusements. First Landing State Park: This park offers miles of hiking and biking trails, as well as a beachfront area for swimming and sunbathing. This park offers miles of hiking and biking trails, as well as a beachfront area for swimming and sunbathing. Cape Henry Lighthouse: This lighthouse is one of the oldest in the country and offers stunning views of the Chesapeake Bay. There are plenty of other things to do in Virginia Beach, including dolphin and whale watching tours, kayaking, and golfing. Whether you're looking for a fun family vacation or a romantic getaway, Virginia Beach is sure to please.

Virginia Beach Luxury Hotels

Virginia Beach Luxury Resorts

Beijing, China

If you're looking for an amazing cultural experience, be sure to add Beijing, China to your travel bucket list! With beautiful temples, charming hutongs (traditional alleyways), and a lively food scene, there's something for everyone in this bustling city. Plus, Beijing is home to some of the most iconic attractions in China, like the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City. So if you're looking for an unforgettable East Asian adventure, be sure to add Beijing to your list!.

Beijing Luxury Hotels

Seoul, South Korea

Seoul is a metropolitan city that is home to over 10 million people. It is a city full of culture, history, and a vibrant nightlife. There are plenty of places to visit in Seoul, including the Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace, and N Seoul Tower. The Jeongdongne district is a must-see for anyone interested in art and culture, and the Itaewon district is a great place to go for a night on the town.

Seoul Luxury Hotels

South Lake Tahoe, CA, United States

Known for its dramatic lake and mountain scenery, South Lake Tahoe offers visitors plenty of places to visit and things to do. Some of the most popular attractions include floating down the river on a tube, hiking the trails in the summer and skiing or snowboarding the slopes in the winter. The city also has a variety of restaurants and nightlife options, as well as casinos for those looking to try their luck.

South Lake Tahoe Luxury Hotels

South Lake Tahoe Luxury Resorts

Daytona Beach, FL, United States

Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. It is approximately 40 miles northeast of Orlando, and 85 miles southeast of Jacksonville. The city is known as "The World's Most Famous Beach." Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Fun Coast region of Florida. The Daytona Beach area is a popular tourist destination. It is well known for its beaches, sports events, and motorsports. Daytona Beach was the birthplace of NASCAR and home to its first track, Daytona International Speedway. Dayton Beach also features a large number of tourist-oriented businesses, such as motels, restaurants, and bars.

Daytona Beach Luxury Hotels

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The coastline of Rio de Janeiro is breathtaking, and the views from Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf Mountain are unforgettable. Rio's world-famous beaches are the perfect place to relax and enjoy the sun and the surf. The city's rich culture and history can be experienced in its many museums and in the lively nightlife. Rio is also a great place to shop for souvenirs.

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Rio de Janeiro Luxury Villas

Jaco, Costa Rica

Jaco is a town on the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. It's about an hour drive from San Jose and is a popular spot for surfers, sunbathers, and tourists. There are a number of beaches in the area, as well as restaurants, bars, and hotels. If you're looking for a place to relax and enjoy the Costa Rican sun and beaches, Jaco is a great option.

Jaco Luxury Hotels

Oslo, Norway

Oslo, Norway is a city with plenty of places to visit. You can find the peace and tranquility of nature parks and green spaces, experience the city's vibrant nightlife, or take in the historical and cultural sights. Here are a few of the top places to visit in Oslo: The Royal Palace: Oslo's Royal Palace is the official residence of Norway's king and queen. The palace is open to the public year-round, and offers a glimpse into the lives of the royal family. Oslo's Royal Palace is the official residence of Norway's king and queen. The palace is open to the public year-round, and offers a glimpse into the lives of the royal family. Vigeland Park: Considered one of Oslo's most popular tourist destinations, Vigeland Park is home to over 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. The park is a great place to spend a sunny day outdoors. Considered one of Oslo's most popular tourist destinations, Vigeland Park is home to over 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. The park is a great place to spend a sunny day outdoors. The Maritime Museum: This museum is home to a variety of exhibits on Norway's maritime history. Visitors can explore everything from Viking ships to modern submarines. This museum is home to a variety of exhibits on Norway's maritime history. Visitors can explore everything from Viking ships to modern submarines. The National Gallery: The National Gallery is Norway's largest art museum, and home to a vast collection of paintings and sculptures from the country's most famous artists. The National Gallery is Norway's largest art museum, and home to a vast collection of paintings and sculptures from the country's most famous artists. Aker Brygge: Aker Brygge is a popular waterfront district in Oslo, home to a variety of bars, restaurants, and shops. The area is a great place to people watch and enjoy the view of the Oslo Fjord.

Oslo Luxury Hotels

Lima, Peru

If you're looking for a city that's bursting with culture and flavor, Lima, Peru is the place for you! This vibrant destination is home to some of the most amazing places to visit in all of South America. From ancient ruins to lush rainforests, there's something for everyone in Lima. Here are just a few of the must-see attractions in this amazing city: The Larco Museum is one of Lima's top tourist destinations. This incredible museum is home to one of the largest collections of pre-Columbian art in the world. The Historic Center of Lima is a must-see for any history lover. This vibrant area is home to some of the oldest architecture in Lima, including the iconic San Francisco Monastery. If you're looking for a little bit of jungle in the city, head to the Parque de la Reserva. This lush park is home to beautiful gardens, a zoo, and even a butterfly farm! No trip to Lima would be complete without a visit to Machu Picchu. This ancient Inca citadel is one of the most iconic sites in all of South America.

Lima Luxury Hotels

Ankara, Turkey

Ankara is the cultural and political center of Turkey. The city is home to many museums, including the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, and is a popular destination for tourists. The Citadel, the Ataturk Mausoleum, and the War of Independence Museum are all popular tourist destinations in Ankara. The city is also home to a vibrant nightlife and is a popular destination for students.

Ankara Luxury Hotels

Birmingham, United Kingdom

There are plenty of great places to visit in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Some of the most popular places to go include the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, and the Black Country Living Museum. These places are all great for tourists, as they offer a variety of attractions, including beautiful gardens, interesting art, and a recreation of an old-fashioned town. Additionally, there are plenty of other great places to visit in Birmingham, such as the Jewellery Quarter and the German Christmas Market.

Birmingham Luxury Hotels

York, United Kingdom

With a rich history that spans back over 1,000 years, York is a must-visit destination in the United Kingdom. Explore the city's medieval architecture and narrow cobblestone streets, or enjoy a leisurely walk along the River Ouse. Visitors can also enjoy a variety of cultural experiences, such as the York Minster cathedral, the Jorvik Viking Centre, and the National Railway Museum. There are also plenty of shops and restaurants to enjoy in York.

York Luxury Hotels

Inverness, United Kingdom

Inverness, Scotland is a must-see destination on any traveler's list. Filled with rolling green hills, historical sites, and plenty of outdoor activities, there's something for everyone in this charming town. Start by exploring the city center, which is home to a variety of shops and restaurants. Make sure to check out the Inverness Castle, which offers commanding views of the area, and the Inverness Cathedral, a beautiful example of medieval architecture. Outside of the city center, there are plenty of other attractions to explore. The Loch Ness Monster is said to make its home in the loch here, and visitors can take boat tours to hunt for the mythical creature. If you're looking for a more active adventure, take a hike in the hills or go fishing on the loch. No matter what you choose to do, Inverness is a beautiful and welcoming town that is sure to charm you.

Inverness Luxury Hotels

Marseille, France

The Vieux Port (Old Harbor) is the oldest port in France. It is a beautiful place to visit with its sailboats, restaurants, and cafes. The Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica is also worth a visit. It offers stunning views of the city. If you're looking for a more lively atmosphere, head to the La Canebiere. It's a wide avenue with plenty of shops and restaurants.

Marseille Luxury Hotels

Marseille Luxury Villas

Honolulu, HI, United States

Honolulu is a city located on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, United States. It is the most populous city in the state of Hawaii and the county seat of the City and County of Honolulu. Honolulu is the cultural, commercial, and financial center of Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is one of the most famous beaches in the world and is located in Honolulu. Other places to visit in Honolulu include Diamond Head, the USS Arizona Memorial, and Hanauma Bay.

Honolulu Luxury Hotels

Honolulu Luxury Resorts

Honolulu Luxury Villas

Bar Harbor, ME, United States

Famous for lobster and stunning ocean views, Bar Harbor is a popular destination in Maine. There are plenty of things to do in the town and its surroundings, including hiking, biking, whale watching, and exploring Acadia National Park.

Bar Harbor Luxury Hotels

Colorado Springs, CO, United States

There are many places to visit in Colorado Springs. Garden of the Gods is a popular park with beautiful rock formations. Pike's Peak is a 14,115 foot mountain that offers great views and outdoor activities. The Broadmoor is a world-renowned resort with lovely gardens and a championship golf course. Royal Gorge Bridge is the world's highest suspension bridge and a popular tourist spot.

Colorado Springs Luxury Hotels

Fort Myers Beach, FL, United States

Just an hours drive from the Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach is a popular tourist spot, especially in the winter when the snowbirds migrate down. The seven-mile-long beach is known for its white sand and clear water and is a popular spot for swimming, sunbathing, fishing, and kayaking. There are also a number of restaurants and bars in the area, as well as a few stores.

Fort Myers Beach Luxury Hotels

Biloxi, MS, United States

There are plenty of places to explore in Biloxi, Mississippi  from the citys iconic Beaches to the picturesque Bay Saint Louis. Venture into the citys downtown area to check out the many shops and restaurants, or take a walk along the shoreline. No matter what you choose to do, youre sure to have a great time in Biloxi.

Biloxi Luxury Hotels

Palermo, Italy

If you're looking for a city with a rich and diverse history, Palermo is the place for you. This coastal city in Italy is teeming with medieval architecture, churches, and cathedrals. Be sure to check out the Teatro Massimo, the largest opera house in Europe, and the Palazzo dei Normanni, the seat of the Sicilian government. Don't miss out on the city's vibrant nightlife and vast array of restaurants that serve up some of the best food in the country.

Palermo Luxury Hotels

Palermo Luxury Villas

Manila, Philippines

The capital of the Philippines, Manila is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant culture. There are plenty of places to visit in Manila, including the walled city of Intramuros, the Rizal Park, and the Manila Bay. The city is also home to a large number of churches, including the Manila Cathedral and the San Agustin Church. Manila is a great city to explore on foot, and there are plenty of restaurants and shops to enjoy.

Manila Luxury Hotels

Zermatt, Switzerland

Zermatt is an alpine village in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It is famous for its ski resort, mountaineering and hiking trails. The views of the Matterhorn from Zermatt are iconic. The village is car-free, making it a cyclists' and pedestrians' paradise. There are many places to visit in Zermatt, including the village's beautiful churches, impressive museums, and great restaurants.

Zermatt Luxury Hotels

Basel, Switzerland

Basel is a city located in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine. Basel has a population of about 176,000 and is the third most populous city in Switzerland. Basel has many interesting places to visit, including the Basel Munster, the Basel Rathaus (town hall), the Basel Zoo, and the Munsterhof, the old town square. Basel also has a number of art museums, including the Kunstmuseum Basel, the Fondation Beyeler, and the Schaulager. Basel is a great city to visit, and I highly recommend it!.

Basel Luxury Hotels

Copenhagen, Denmark

There are a number of places to visit in Copenhagen, Denmark. Some of the most popular tourist destinations include Tivoli Gardens, Nyhavn, and the Rosenborg Castle Gardens. Tivoli Gardens is a beautiful amusement park that has something for everyone. It is perfect for a day of fun with family or friends. Nyhavn is a charming canal district that is popular for its brightly colored houses and lively atmosphere. Visitors can enjoy a relaxing cruise down the canal or take a seat in one of the many cafes and restaurants. The Rosenborg Castle Gardens are home to a majestic castle as well as beautifully landscaped gardens. There is plenty to see and do in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Copenhagen Luxury Hotels

Steamboat Springs, CO, United States

Steamboat Springs is located in northwestern Colorado. The town is named for the steamboats that traveled up the Yampa River in the 1800s. Today, the town is a popular tourist destination, known for its skiing, snowboarding, hiking, and rafting.

Steamboat Springs Luxury Hotels

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates and is home to many tourist attractions. Some popular places to visit in Abu Dhabi include the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Ferrari World Theme Park, and the Yas Island Waterpark. There are also a number of museums and shopping malls in Abu Dhabi, making it a great destination for those looking for a mix of culture and leisure.

Abu Dhabi Luxury Hotels

Abu Dhabi Luxury Resorts

Abu Dhabi Luxury Villas

Bogota, Colombia

There's a lot to see and do in Bogota. Some of the top places to visit include the historical La Candelaria district, the cobblestone streets of Plaza de Bolivar, the Monserrate mountain, the Bogota Botanical Garden, and the Gold Museum. La Candelaria is home to many brightly-colored colonial buildings, churches, and plazas. Plaza de Bolivar is the center of Bogota and is surrounded by important landmarks like the Presidential Palace and the National Capitol. The Monserrate mountain is a popular tourist destination due to its stunning views of Bogota. The Bogota Botanical Garden is the largest in Colombia and features a wide variety of plants and trees. The Gold Museum is home to the largest collection of Pre-Columbian gold artifacts in the world.

Bogota Luxury Hotels

Cebu, Philippines

Due to its location and its rich history, there are plenty of places to visit in Cebu. Some of the most popular tourist destinations include the Cebu Taoist Temple, the Fort San Pedro, the Yap-San Diego Ancestral House, and the Magellan's Cross.

Cebu Luxury Hotels

Cebu Luxury Resorts

Lagos, Portugal

Lagos is a small town in Portugal with a population of around 22,000. It's located in the Algarve region and is a popular tourist destination. Some of the places to visit in Lagos are the beaches, the old town, and the Marina. The beaches are beautiful and there are a lot of them to choose from. The old town is a maze of narrow streets and alleyways with lots of shops and restaurants. The Marina is a great place to walk around and watch the boats.

Lagos Luxury Hotels

Medellin, Colombia

Some places to visit in Medellin, Colombia are: the Botanical Garden, the Ethnographic Museum, the Jardin Botanico, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Park of Lights, and the San Pedro Claver Church.

Medellin Luxury Hotels

Genoa, Italy

While there are many places to visit in Genoa, one of the must-sees is the city's cathedral. Dedicated to San Lorenzo, the church features an intricate Gothic facade and a Renaissance interior. If you're looking for a place to take in some stunning views, head to the Genoa Aquarium, which is located on the promenade stretching along the city's harbor.

Genoa Luxury Hotels

Hoi An, Vietnam

Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Vietnam. Its a bridge town thats best explored on foot. The narrow streets are a mix of Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese architecture. There are tailors, artisans, and lantern shops galore. The food is also some of the best in Vietnam. Be sure to try the local specialties, like Cao Lau and White Rose dumplings.

Hoi An Luxury Hotels

Hoi An Luxury Resorts

Baku, Azerbaijan

Baku, Azerbaijan is a city with a lot of culture and history. There are a lot of places to visit, like the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and the Maiden Tower. There are also a lot of great restaurants, like the Flame Club, which has a great atmosphere and delicious food.

Baku Luxury Hotels

San Luis Obispo, CA, United States

San Luis Obispo is a city located in the central coast of California. It's known for its natural beauty, relaxed vibe, and abundance of things to do. Some of the top places to visit in San Luis Obispo include the Madonna Inn, Hearst Castle, and the Paso Robles wine country. The city is also home to a variety of beaches, parks, and other attractions. In addition, San Luis Obispo is a great place to live, with plenty of restaurants, shops, and other amenities.

San Luis Obispo Luxury Hotels

Colombo, Sri Lanka

Colombo is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. The city is located on the west coast of the island and is the administrative, commercial, and industrial center of Sri Lanka. Colombo is also the center of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, with numerous Buddhist temples. There are a number of places to visit in Colombo, including the Galle Face Green, the Dutch fort, the Pettah Bazaar, and the Sri Lankan National Museum.

Colombo Luxury Hotels

Yogyakarta, Indonesia

The city of Yogyakarta in Indonesia is home to some of the most stunning temples and historical landmarks in the country. The city is also a great place to enjoy traditional Javanese culture and cuisine. Some of the must-see places in Yogyakarta include the Borobudur Temple, the Prambanan Temple, and the Sultan's Palace.

Yogyakarta Luxury Hotels

Cefalu, Italy

Looking for a beautiful and historic place to visit in Italy? Look no further than Cefalu. This town is teeming with history and stunning architecture, and its location on the coast makes it the perfect place to relax and take in the stunning scenery. Don't miss the Duomo di Cefalu, a 12th century Norman church that is definitely worth a visit, or the Palazzo dei Normanni, a former royal palace.

Cefalu Luxury Hotels

San Jose, CA, United States

San Jose, California, is home to a variety of tourist destinations. Some popular places to visit include the Winchester Mystery House, the Tech Museum of Innovation, and the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. There are also a number of lovely parks, such as Kelley Park and Plaza de Cesar Chavez, that are well worth a visit. San Jose is also home to a number of great restaurants, so be sure to check out the local cuisine. Whatever your interests, San Jose has something to offer visitors.

San Jose Luxury Hotels

Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong is one of the most popular destinations for tourists in China. There are many places to visit in Hong Kong, including the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Victoria Peak, and the Temple Street Night Market. Hong Kong is also a great place to shop, with many high-end malls and markets.

Hong Kong Luxury Hotels

Hong Kong Luxury Resorts

Orlando, FL, United States

Orlando is a city in the central region of Florida, in the United States. The city is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the metropolitan area also known as Greater Orlando. Orlando is well known for its theme parks, including Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, and SeaWorld Orlando. Other tourist destinations in Orlando include the Holy Land Experience, the Orlando Science Center, and the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art. Orlando is also home to the University of Central Florida, one of the largest universities in the United States.

Orlando Luxury Hotels

Orlando Luxury Resorts

Orlando Luxury Villas

Philadelphia, PA, United States

If youre looking for a place thats rich in history and culture, Philadelphia is the place for you. The city is home to numerous iconic landmarks, including the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Theres also a great variety of museums and other attractions to explore, such as the Philadelphia Zoo and the Please Touch Museum. And, of course, Philly is the birthplace of Americas favorite sandwich, the cheesesteak. So why not visit Americas most historic city and see for yourself what all the fuss is about?.

Philadelphia Luxury Hotels

Nice, France

France is known for its many beautiful places to visit, and Nice is no exception. With its stunning coastline and mild climate, Nice is a popular tourist destination. Some of the most popular places to visit in Nice include the Promenade des Anglais, the Castle Hill, and the Old Town. There is also a wide variety of shops and restaurants to enjoy in Nice. If you're looking for a beautiful and relaxing place to visit in France, Nice is definitely worth considering.

Nice Luxury Hotels

Nice Luxury Villas

Singapore, Singapore

Singapore is a popular tourist destination, brimming with cultural and natural attractions. From award-winning restaurants to serene gardens and pristine beaches, there is much to explore in this diverse city-state. Here are some of the top places to visit in Singapore: 1. Marina Bay: This iconic waterfront district is home to stunning architecture, world-class landmarks, and a vibrant nightlife. 2. Gardens by the Bay: These stunning gardens feature a mix of plants from around the world, as well as towering sculptures and a biodome. 3. Chinatown: This lively district is home to traditional Chinese shops and restaurants, as well as vibrant street markets. 4. Little India: This neighborhood is known for its vibrant culture and colorful temples. 5. Sentosa Island: This resort island is home to sandy beaches, lush rainforests, and a variety of entertainment options.

Singapore Luxury Hotels

Singapore Luxury Resorts

Nottingham, United Kingdom

Nottingham is a city in the East Midlands of England. It is one of the United Kingdom's major cities, with a population of over 321,000. The city is home to two universities, Queen's Medical Centre, and seven football grounds. Nottingham is known for its lace-making and bicycle manufacturing. The city has a rich history, dating back to the Bronze Age. There are plenty of places to visit in Nottingham, including the Nottingham Castle, the Sherwood Forest, and the National Ice Centre. The city also has a lively nightlife, with a variety of pubs and bars.

Nottingham Luxury Hotels

Cannes, France

Cannes is a city located in the south of France. Some of the places to visit in Cannes are the Palais des Festivals et des Congres, the Boulevard de la Croisette, and Le Suquet.

Cannes Luxury Hotels

Cannes Luxury Villas

Park City, UT, United States

Park City, Utah, offers visitors a wealth of places to visit and things to do. Main Street, with its charming shops and restaurants, is a must-see. The Park City Museum tells the town's fascinating history, and the Park City Utah Temple is a beautiful sight. For outdoor enthusiasts, there's plenty of skiing and snowboarding in the winter and hiking and mountain biking in the summer. And don't forget to visit the Olympic Park, where the 2002 Winter Olympics were held.

Park City Luxury Hotels

Park City Luxury Resorts

Port Angeles, WA, United States

If you're looking for a quaint, small town to visit in the US, Port Angeles is worth a stop. Located in the state of Washington, it's right on the Pacific coast with stunning views of the Olympic Mountains. There's plenty of things to do in the area, from hiking and fishing to whale watching and enjoying the local restaurants and breweries.

Port Angeles Luxury Hotels

Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States

If you're looking for a fun-filled Florida getaway, look no further than Fort Lauderdale! With its miles of pristine beaches, world-famous shopping and vibrant nightlife, there's something for everyone in this seaside city. Here are some of the top places to visit in Fort Lauderdale:  Las Olas Boulevard: This popular shopping and dining district is home to some of Fort Lauderdale's most upscale boutiques and restaurants.  The Beach: With its wide, sandy beaches and crystal-clear waters, Fort Lauderdale's beach is a major draw for visitors.  The Everglades: Just a short drive from Fort Lauderdale, the Everglades are home to an abundance of wildlife, including alligators, bald eagles and manatees.  The Broward Center for the Performing Arts: This world-class performing arts center is home to a variety of theater, dance and music performances. So what are you waiting for? Book your trip to Fort Lauderdale today!.

Fort Lauderdale Luxury Hotels

Fort Lauderdale Luxury Resorts

Myrtle Beach, SC, United States

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is a popular tourist destination. There are plenty of places to visit in the area, including amusement parks, beaches, and golf courses. Myrtle Beach also has a lively nightlife, with plenty of bars and restaurants.

Myrtle Beach Luxury Hotels

Myrtle Beach Luxury Resorts

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg is one of the most visited places in Austria. It is a city rich in history and culture. There are many places to visit, such as the Hohensalzburg Fortress, the Mirabell Palace, and the Salzburg Cathedral. There are also many hiking trails and parks to enjoy.

Salzburg Luxury Hotels

Pattaya, Thailand

Pattaya is an amazing city with plenty of places to visit and things to do. One of the most popular tourist destinations in Thailand, Pattaya offers something for everyone. There are lovely beaches, interesting temples, great shopping, and exciting nightlife. With its moderate climate and affordable prices, it's no wonder Pattaya is a favorite destination for tourists from all over the world.

Pattaya Luxury Hotels

Pattaya Luxury Resorts

Pattaya Luxury Villas

Dallas, TX, United States

Dallas is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the ninth most populous city in the United States and the third most populous city in the state of Texas. Dallas is also the main city of the fourth most populous metropolitan area in the United States. The city's prominence arose from its historical importance as a center for the oil and cotton industries, and its position as a major transportation hub for the South. Dallas is home to the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League and the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. The city's economy is primarily based on banking, commerce, telecommunications, technology, energy, healthcare and medical research, and transportation. The city is home to the world's largest airline hub and the third largest cargo airport in the United States.

Dallas Luxury Hotels

Kolkata, India

Kolkata, also known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. The city is located on the east bank of the Hooghly River. It is the second most populous city in India, after Mumbai, and the third most populous metropolitan area in India, after Mumbai and Delhi. The city is notable for its colonial architecture, art and culture, and for its overwhelming poverty. Kolkata is home to the Indian Museum, the Calcutta Stock Exchange, the National Library of India, and the Indian Statistical Institute.

Kolkata Luxury Hotels

San Antonio, TX, United States

San Antonio is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Texas. There are plenty of places to visit in this city, from the well-known River Walk to the exquisite Spanish missions. If you're looking for a fun place to spend the day, you can't go wrong with San Antonio.

San Antonio Luxury Hotels

Seattle, WA, United States

There are many wonderful places to visit in Seattle, Washington. Some of the most popular attractions include Pike Place Market, the Seattle Space Needle, and the Museum of Pop Culture. There are also many parks and gardens, such as Volunteer Park and Seattle Chinese Garden, as well as plenty of restaurants and shops. Located on the other side of the world, Western Australia is a great place to visit for those looking for something different. Some of the most popular attractions include Rottnest Island, the Margaret River region, and Monkey Mia. There are also plenty of beautiful parks and gardens, such as Kings Park and Botanic Garden, as well as restaurants and shops.

Seattle Luxury Hotels

Liverpool, United Kingdom

Liverpool is a city located in North West England and is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom. The city is known for its football teams Liverpool and Everton, The Beatles, and its maritime history. Liverpool is a popular tourist destination and is home to various tourist attractions including Mersey Ferry, Liverpool Cathedral, and Albert Dock.

Liverpool Luxury Hotels

Malmo, Sweden

Malmo is Sweden's third largest city with a population of over 310,000. It is located in the province of Scania on the country's southern tip. Malmo is a vibrant city with a strong arts and cultural scene. There are plenty of places to visit in Malmo, including the Malmo Castle, the Botanical Gardens, and the Turning Torso skyscraper. Malmo is also home to a large shopping district and a lively nightlife.

Malmo Luxury Hotels

Gothenburg, Sweden

Goteborg, Sweden's second largest city, is a major port on the country's west coast. It's a popular tourist destination, known for its lively nightlife, beautiful architecture and delicious seafood. Some of the city's highlights include the Liseberg amusement park, the Botanical Garden, and the charming old town district. Goteborg is also home to a large number of museums, including the Volvo Museum, the Maritime Museum and the Universeum science center.

Gothenburg Luxury Hotels

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Ljubljana is the capital city of Slovenia and is a city full of culture and history. There are many places to visit in Ljubljana, such as the castle, the old town, and the cathedral. The city is also home to many museums, art galleries, and parks. Ljubljana is a great city to explore on foot, and there are many restaurants and cafes to enjoy.

Ljubljana Luxury Hotels

Sydney, NSW, Australia

Australia is a vast country with plenty of stunning places to visit, but Sydney is undoubtedly one of the most popular tourist destinations on the continent. From the iconic Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge to the beautiful beaches and lush national parks, there's something for everyone in this lively city. There's also a thriving food and nightlife scene, so you'll never run out of things to do in Sydney.

Sydney Luxury Hotels

Sydney Luxury Villas

Melbourne, VIC, Australia

There's a lot to love about Melbourne  its lively arts and culture scene, its parks and gardens, its diverse range of restaurants and cafes, and its stunning architecture. Here are some of the best places to visit in Melbourne: - Federation Square: This iconic square is a great place to people-watch and take in the city's impressive architecture. It's also home to a number of museums and galleries, including the Australian Centre for the Moving Image and the National Gallery of Victoria. - Queen Victoria Market: This vibrant market is a must-visit for foodies and shoppers alike. It's the largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere, and offers a vast array of fresh produce, meat, seafood, and souvenirs. - Melbourne Cricket Ground: If you're a sports fan, be sure to check out the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which is the largest cricket stadium in the world. It's also home to the Australian Football League, and has hosted a number of major sporting events, including the Commonwealth Games and the Rugby Union World Cup. - Royal Botanic Gardens: These beautiful gardens are a great place to relax and take in some of Melbourne's natural beauty. They're home to a number of different gardens, including the Australian Garden, the Sculpture Garden, and the Japanese Garden.

Melbourne Luxury Hotels

Melbourne Luxury Villas

Vancouver, BC, Canada

The top places to visit in Vancouver are Stanley Park, Granville Island, Gastown, and Chinatown. These are all must-see attractions that offer an array of activities, scenery, and history. Stanley Park is a world-famous urban park that features greenery, beaches, gardens, and a stunning view of the North Shore Mountains. Granville Island is a vibrant neighbourhood with unique shops, restaurants, and art galleries. Gastown is the city's oldest neighbourhood and is home to charming cobblestone streets and funky boutiques. Chinatown is one of the largest and most vibrant Chinatowns in North America and offers delicious food, interesting history, and vibrant culture.

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Toronto, ON, Canada

From the CN Tower and Hockey Hall of Fame to the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Distillery District, there are plenty of amazing places to visit in Toronto, Canada. With something for everyone, Toronto is a great city to explore. So what are you waiting for? Start planning your trip today!.

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Montreal, QC, Canada

Montreal is a vibrant city with something for everyone. There are plenty of places to visit, including the Notre Dame Basilica, the Olympic Stadium, and Mount Royal. The city is also home to a lively arts and culture scene, with theatres, art galleries, and music venues. Montreal is a great place to visit year-round, with festivals and events happening throughout the year.

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Seville, Spain

Seville is one of the most visited places in Spain for a plethora of reasons: its stunning architecture, tapas bars, flamenco and great weather. The Giralda Tower is a must-see when in Seville as is the Plaza de Espana. Andalusian culture is heavily present in the city and is best experienced by wandering the narrow streets and alleyways, popping into a lively tapas bar for a drink and some snacks or enjoying a flamenco show.

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Ocean City, MD, United States

Ocean City is a seaside resort town in Worcester County, Maryland, on the Atlantic coast. It is well known for its long promenade, its fishing, and its crab cuisine. There are plenty of places to visit in Ocean City, including the boardwalk, amusement rides, shopping, and restaurants. You can also visit the Assateague Island National Seashore, which is home to wild horses, or head to the nearby town of Berlin for more shopping and dining options.

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Cambridge, MA, United States

If you're looking for a quintessential New England town to visit, Cambridge, Massachusetts is the place for you. With its elaborate architecture and Colonial history, Cambridge is a lively town with plenty of things to see and do - perfect for a weekend getaway. Some of the places you won't want to miss include the Harvard University campus, the charming and lively shops and restaurants in Harvard Square, and the leafy paths of the Cambridge Common.

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Laguna Beach, CA, United States

Laguna Beach, California is a place known for its stunningly beautiful coastline, excellent restaurants, and art galleries. But there's more to Laguna Beach than meets the eye. Here are some of the best places to visit in Laguna Beach: Crystal Cove State Park: This state park is known for its coves, tidepools, and bluffs. It's a great place to go hiking, swimming, and snorkeling. Heisler Park: This park is a great place for a walk or a picnic. It's also home to some of the best views of the Pacific Coast. Downtown Laguna Beach: This charming downtown area is home to art galleries, boutique shops, and excellent restaurants. Aliso Beach: This beach is known for its excellent surfing and swimming conditions. It's also a great place to take a walk or enjoy a picnic.

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Hot Springs, AR, United States

In downtown Hot Springs, Arkansas, you'll find historic buildings, antique shops, and art galleries. For nature lovers, there are also plenty of places to visit, including the Garland County Arboretum, Ouachita National Forest, and Hot Springs National Park. Spa enthusiasts can enjoy a relaxing day in one of the area's hot springs. And no trip to Hot Springs is complete without a visit to the world-famous Bathhouse Row.

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Sedona, AZ, United States

There are many places to visit in Sedona, Arizona. Among the most popular are the Chapel of the Holy Cross, Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock, and Boynton Canyon. The town's unique red-rock formations and ancient ruins offer plenty of photo opportunities. Visitors can also enjoy hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Sedona is a great place to relax and take in the natural beauty of the Southwest.

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Boulder, CO, United States

Boulder, Colorado is a breathtaking city nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The city is home to stunning views, ample outdoor recreation, and a lively arts scene. Outdoor enthusiasts will love exploring the city's many trails, parks, and open spaces. History buffs will enjoy checking out the city's museums and historic sites. Culture seekers will appreciate the city's many theaters, art galleries, and restaurants. No matter what your interests, you'll find something to love in Boulder.

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Key West, FL, United States

Key West is a small island off the coast of Florida that is filled with history, charm, and fun places to visit. Its lush tropical setting and the laid-back vibe of the island make it a popular destination for those looking for a relaxing getaway. There are plenty of places to explore in Key West, from the charming historic district to the crystal-clear waters of the Florida Keys. Here are some of the top places to visit in Key West: -The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum: This iconic museum is dedicated to the life and work of Nobel Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway, who lived in Key West for over 20 years. -Duval Street: This lively street is the heart of Key West's nightlife and is home to many bars and restaurants. -The Southernmost Point: This landmark is located at the end of Duval Street and is the southernmost point in the continental United States. -The Key West Lighthouse: This picturesque lighthouse is a popular spot for tourists and offers stunning views of the island. -The African American Heritage House: This museum is dedicated to the history and culture of African Americans in Key West. -The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory: This attraction is home to over 2,000 butterflies and a variety of other tropical plants and animals.

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Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden is a city with many places to visit. One place is the Vasa Museum, which is home to a ship that sunk in 1628 and was raised from the ocean floor 333 years later. The ship is preserved and on display in the museum. Another place to visit is the Royal Palace, the official residence of the Swedish monarch. The palace is open for tours, and visitors can see the royal apartments, the throne room, and the Hall of State.

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Destin, FL, United States

Looking for a place to visit in Florida? Look no further than Destin! This city is home to beautiful beaches, wonderful restaurants, and plenty of places to shop. No matter what you're looking for, you can find it in Destin. Be sure to check out the Destin Harbor and the fishing pier for amazing views and plenty of things to do. If you're looking for a place to relax, head to the beach and enjoy the sun and sand. There's something for everyone in Destin, so be sure to visit this amazing city!.

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Ashland, OR, United States

There are many places to visit in Ashland, Oregon. Some of the most popular places are the Shakespeare Festival, Lithia Park, and Mt. Ashland. The Shakespeare Festival is a great place to see some of the best plays in the world. Lithia Park is a beautiful park with a river running through it. Mt. Ashland is a great place to go skiing in the winter.

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Seaside, OR, United States

One of the most beautiful places on the Oregon Coast is Seaside. With its wide, sandy beach and majestic promenade, Seaside is a popular tourist destination. There are plenty of places to eat and shop, and the Seaside Aquarium is a must-see. Visitors can also enjoy fishing, whale watching, or just taking a leisurely stroll along the beach.

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Newport, RI, United States

Newport is a picturesque town located in southern Rhode Island that is home to some of the most visited tourist destinations in the United States. The city is known for its miles of beaches and historic mansions that line the coast. Some popular places to visit in Newport include the Cliff Walk, the Breakers Mansion, the Museum of Yachting, and the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

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Siena, Italy

Siena, Italy is a popular tourist destination, thanks to its well-preserved medieval city center. The city is famous for its art, food, and wine. Siena is located in the heart of Tuscany, making it the perfect base for exploring this beautiful region of Italy. Don't miss the Duomo (cathedral), the Piazza del Campo, and the Torre del Mangia.

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Reno, NV, United States

Home to the University of Nevada, Reno and a wide variety of cultural and natural attractions, Reno is a great place to visit. Some of the top places to see in Reno include the Nevada Museum of Art, the Fleischmann Planetarium and Science Center, and the Reno Events Center. Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy hiking and skiing at Lake Tahoe and biking and kayaking on the Truckee River. In addition, Reno is home to a diverse array of restaurants and nightlife venues.

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Atlantic City, NJ, United States

Atlantic City is a popular East Coast tourist destination, known for its boardwalks, beaches and casinos. There are plenty of places to visit in Atlantic City, from the Boardwalk Hall and the Absecon Lighthouse to the Atlantic City Aquarium and Lucy the Elephant. For a more thrilling experience, head to one of the city's casinos, where you can try your hand at blackjack, slots, roulette and more. Atlantic City also offers a wide variety of restaurants, from seafood spots to pizza places, so you're sure to find something to your taste. And if you're looking for some nightlife action, the city has you covered there too. Atlantic City is definitely a place worth visiting!.

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Lake George, NY, United States

Looking for a place to visit in upstate New York? Look no further than the stunning Lake George. This picturesque locale is located in the heart of the Adirondacks and is known for its pristine beauty and terrific recreational opportunities. Visitors can enjoy hiking, biking, boating, fishing, and skiing, among other activities. Don't miss the chance to take in the spectacular views from the summit of Prospect Mountain or from the water's edge.

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Buffalo, NY, United States

If you're looking for a city that has it all, Buffalo is the place to be. From its vibrant downtown district to its abundance of parks and nature preserves, there's something for everyone in Buffalo. Here are some of the top places to visit in Buffalo: 1. The Buffalo Zoo - One of the top zoos in the country, the Buffalo Zoo is a must-visit for animal lovers of all ages. 2. The Albright-Knox Art Gallery - Buffalo's answer to the Louvre, the Albright-Knox is home to some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures. 3. The Buffalo-Niagara Heritage Village - This living history museum offers a glimpse into what life was like in Buffalo in the 1800s. 4. The Buffalo River - Take a walk or bike ride along the Buffalo River, one of the city's most picturesque areas. 5. Delaware Park - This large park is home to a variety of attractions, including a zoo, a golf course, and a nature preserve.

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Rochester, MN, United States

Rochester, Minnesota is a city with plenty of places to visit. There's the Mayo Clinic, the Apache Mall, and several other shopping areas, as well as a variety of restaurants. There are also a few parks and golf courses. For those who love the outdoors, Rochester is also close to several state parks and the Mississippi River.

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Duluth, MN, United States

If you're looking for an amazing place to visit, Duluth, Minnesota should definitely be at the top of your list. This city is home to some of the most beautiful scenery in the United States, and there are plenty of things to do here that will keep you entertained for days on end. Some of the most popular places to visit in Duluth include the Aerial Lift Bridge, the Glensheen Mansion, and Chester Creek Park. Additionally, there are a number of excellent restaurants and shopping areas in the city, so be sure to explore everything that Duluth has to offer.

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Maputo, Mozambique

Maputo is the capital of Mozambique and a city full of culture and history. There are many places to visit in Maputo, such as the Jose Eduardo dos Santos Museum, the Maputo Cathedral, and the Rua da Independencia. Maputo is also home to the Maputo Bay, which offers beautiful beaches and great seafood.

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Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona, located on the northeast coast of Spain, is a renowned tourist destination and one of the most popular cities in the world. There are plenty of places to visit in Barcelona, such as the Gothic Quarter, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Parc Guell, La Sagrada Familia, and more. The city is also home to a lively nightlife and some of the best restaurants in the country.

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Split, Croatia

Split is a city on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. It is the second-largest city in Croatia and the largest city in Dalmatia. It has a population of over 200,000 inhabitants. The metropolitan area, which includes the City of Split and the surrounding towns, has a population of over 330,000. Split is a popular tourist destination and is the home of the Diocletian's Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other popular tourist destinations include the Riva, the Peristyle, the Cathedral of Saint Domnius, and Sustipan.

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Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik is a city on the Adriatic Sea in Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, a seaport and the administrative center of Dubrovnik-Neretva County. Dubrovnik is nicknamed "The Pearl of the Adriatic".

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Byron Bay, NSW, Australia

Byron Bay is a magical place. It's no wonder that it's one of the most popular destinations in Australia. The town is set in a beautiful location, surrounded by rolling green hills and the bright blue ocean. There's plenty to do in Byron Bay, whether you're looking for a relaxing beach holiday or an adventure-filled trip. Some of the top places to visit in Byron Bay include the iconic lighthouse, the stunning beaches, and the lush rainforest. There's also a great nightlife and plenty of restaurants and cafes to enjoy. If you're looking for an amazing Australian getaway, be sure to add Byron Bay to your list!.

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Wellington, New Zealand

If you're looking for a little slice of heaven on earth, look no further than Wellington, New Zealand. With its gorgeous landscape and plethora of activities, there's something for everyone here. Whether you're a nature lover or a city slicker, Wellington has something special to offer. Top Wellington attractions include the Zealandia eco-sanctuary, the cable car up to the Botanic Gardens, and the sprawling Te Papa museum. For those who love getting out into the great outdoors, there are plenty of hiking and biking trails, as well as lovely seaside towns and villages to explore. And of course, no trip to Wellington would be complete without trying some of the delicious local cuisine  be sure to sample a traditional Maori hangi feast! So what are you waiting for? Book your flight to Wellington today and start planning your perfect holiday!.

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Saint Louis, MO, United States

If you're looking for a fun place to visit with a rich history and plenty of things to see and do, look no further than Saint Louis, Missouri. This vibrant city is home to a variety of interesting attractions, including the Gateway Arch, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. There's also no shortage of restaurants and shopping options in Saint Louis. So, whether you're looking for a place to explore new cultures and cuisines or you're just looking for a place to have some fun, Saint Louis is a great option.

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Bloomington, IN, United States

The city of Bloomington, Indiana is home to a variety of attractions and places to visit. The Indiana University campus is a popular destination, as is the city's historic downtown district. Monroe County Courthouse
North Dakota Highway Patrol troopers working near the Dakota Access Pipeline protests are not wearing name tags, due to concerns about officers being threatened online.

"Early on when the protests were starting, there were numerous incidents of social media posts identifying officers by their name and posting of specific threats towards those officers on social media," Lt. Tom Iverson said.

Iverson said officers also were advised to monitor their social media accounts to make sure they were not providing identifying information for "someone that would want to do harm to you or your family."

Troopers were notified by email on Aug. 13 and the change took place the following Monday, he said.

They are still wearing badges with their numbers, which would allow anyone to report an officer who acted badly.

Iverson said the threatening posts were found through simple keyword searches on social media sites, such as Facebook. He would not share the posts with the Tribune, citing an ongoing criminal investigation.

"It makes no difference what they take off; they're still here," said Frank White Bull, a tribal councilman on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.

-- Bismarck Tribune reporter Lauren Donovan contributed to this article.
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OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- This week, Jay Twilbeck became the first of what is expected to be multiple challengers to Connie Moran for the Ocean Springs mayor's seat in the 2017 municipal elections.

Twilbeck, a teacher at Magnolia Park Elementary, announced his candidacy on his personal Facebook page and also launched a Jay Twilbeck for Mayor of Ocean Springs page.

"I've been thinking about it for quite a while now," Twilbeck told The Mississippi Press Monday night. "I actually thought about entering the last election."

Interestingly, Twilbeck's bid for the mayor's post wasn't prompted by the recent formation of a group pushing to change the Ocean Springs' form of government from the current mayor-alderman form to a city manager style. He says he is prepared to serve either way.

"Absolutely," he said when asked if he would give up his teaching position to serve as a full-time mayor. "In it's present form, it needs somebody who is there every day, all the time, handling the business of the city."

He says his desire to run stems from a willingness to listen and a sense of civic duty.

"This city is too important to me to sit back," he said. "I also don't understand why people are ever running unopposed? It seems every time there's an election, we keep sending the same people back. To me, it's almost disrespectful to the office to have someone running unopposed."

Given that statement, it comes as no surprise that Twilbeck favors term limits "for any office, at any level."

Twilbeck, 44, is a native of Ocean Springs and graduated from Ocean Springs High School in 1990. He earned a bachelor's degree in Music Education from Southeast Louisiana University and a Master's in Education from Northwestern State (La.) University.

He began his career as the band director at Vancleave High School and remained there for eight years before a desire to work with younger children led him to his current post at Magnolia Park.

Twilbeck and his wife, Katrina -- a guidance counselor at Vancleave Lower Elementary -- are the parents of two children, one at Ocean Springs Upper Elementary and another at Ocean Springs Middle School.

He says his party affiliation, if any, is "yet to be decided," but his first order of business is to listen to the people -- both while campaigning and if elected.

"That should be the primary function of any mayor -- to listen to the people," Twilbeck said. "We've had that, at times. I want to be clear that this isn't about running against someone. It's simply a belief that I can do the job."

He said right now his focus is simply on getting the word out that he is running and he has had nothing but positive reaction thus far.

"Nobody has said `Jay, you're out of your mind,'" Twilbeck said with a laugh. "Look, the people may say they aren't interested in Jay Twilbeck as mayor. If so, that's OK. But I do think there are a lot of people who are interested in the idea of change."

Candidates have until May 3, 2017, to file for the municipal elections. Moran has not formally announced her re-election bid, but has indicated on several occasions she intends to seek a fourth term.
PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- A confrontation between police and a suspect came to an end Monday afternoon in Pascagoula after the suspect allegedly stole a vehicle from Mobile and attempted to get away driving through Pascagoula.

According to police, the suspect crashed a gold Lexus into another vehicle after attempting to elude police.

The Mississippi Press reached out to Pascagoula police officials, but our phone calls were not returned. WLOX's story can be read here.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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ST. MARTIN, Mississippi -- Walmart will hire 95 employees for its new Neighborhood Market in the St. Martin and has set up a hiring center on Washington Avenue just north of where the new store is under construction.

According to a release from the company, the Neighborhood Market -- a scaled-down version of the Walmart SuperCenter -- is due to open this fall. Applications will be accepted Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the hiring center at 6819 Washington Ave.

Most of those hired will begin work in September to help prepare for the store's grand opening, the company said. Both full-time and part-time positions are being offered. The 95 employees hired will join 24,435 employees already working for Walmart in Mississippi.

"Our team of associates will support each other, and the hope is that we become a small community that works together to happily serve the larger St. Martin community," said store manager Angillette Williams.

The company says it promoted over 4,000 Mississippi employees to jobs with higher pay and more responsibility, with another 2,000 converted from part-time to full-time.

In addition, Walmart is offering a job to any eligible U.S. veteran who has been honorably discharged from active duty since Memorial Day 2013. Since then, the company says more than 12,000 veterans nationwide have been hired by Walmart. More information on the company's Veterans Welcome Home Commitment can be found online.
Even if Anthony had a year to analyze and dissect each piece...(he couldn't tell if it would)... stand the harsh light of public exposure.

WUWT insider Willis Eschenbach tells you all you need to know about Anthony Watts and his blog, WattsUpWithThat (WUWT). As part of his scathing commentary , Wondering Willis accuses Anthony Watts of being clueless about the blog articles he posts. To paraphrase: Click here to read more.
The Tennessee State Museum will hold an Artifact Discovery Day for the public to bring in personally-owned artifacts to be identified by experts on Saturday, September 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will take place near the Visitors Desk on Level D of the museum.



The activity is being jointly sponsored by the Tennessee Division of Archaeology, whose archaeologists will conduct the sessions, and the State Museum. The artifacts will include Native American artifacts, both prehistoric and historic pieces, and fossils. Archaeologists will identify, but not appraise, the objects.



There is no charge for the identification. The event is being held in conjunction with September being named Tennessee Archaeology Awareness Month.

The Tennessee State Museum is located in Nashville at Fifth Avenue and Deaderick Streets.

For more information visit www.tnmuseum.org


A shape-memory Eiffel tower was 3-D printed using projection microstereolithography. It is shown recovering from being bent, after toughening on a heated Singapore dollar coin.

Engineers from MIT and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) are using light to print three-dimensional structures that "remember" their original shapes. Even after being stretched, twisted, and bent at extreme angles, the structures -- from small coils and multimaterial flowers, to an inch-tall replica of the Eiffel tower -- sprang back to their original forms within seconds of being heated to a certain temperature "sweet spot."

For some structures, the researchers were able to print micron-scale features as small as the diameter of a human hair -- dimensions that are at least one-tenth as big as what others have been able to achieve with printable shape-memory materials.

Nicholas X. Fang, associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, says shape-memory polymers that can predictably morph in response to temperature can be useful for a number of applications, from soft actuators that turn solar panels toward the sun, to tiny drug capsules that open upon early signs of infection.

"We ultimately want to use body temperature as a trigger," Fang says. "If we can design these polymers properly, we may be able to form a drug delivery device that will only release medicine at the sign of a fever."

Fang's coauthors include former MIT-SUTD research fellow Qi "Kevin" Ge, now an assistant professor at SUTD; former MIT research associate Howon Lee, now an assistant professor at Rutgers University; and others from SUTD and Georgia Institute of Technology.

Ge says the process of 3-D printing shape-memory materials can also be thought of as 4-D printing, as the structures are designed to change over the fourth dimension -- time.

"Our method not only enables 4-D printing at the micron-scale, but also suggests recipes to print shape-memory polymers that can be stretched 10 times larger than those printed by commercial 3-D printers," Ge says. "This will advance 4-D printing into a wide variety of practical applications, including biomedical devices, deployable aerospace structures, and shape-changing photovoltaic solar cells."

Need for speed

Fang and others have been exploring the use of soft, active materials as reliable, pliable tools. These new and emerging materials, which include shape-memory polymers, can stretch and deform dramatically in response to environmental stimuli such as heat, light, and electricity -- properties that researchers have been investigating for use in biomedical devices, soft robotics, wearable sensors, and artificial muscles.

Shape-memory polymers are particularly intriguing: These materials can switch between two states -- a harder, low-temperature, amorphous state, and a soft, high-temperature, rubbery state. The bent and stretched shapes can be "frozen" at room temperature, and when heated the materials will "remember" and snap back to their original sturdy form.

To fabricate shape-memory structures, some researchers have looked to 3-D printing, as the technology allows them to custom-design structures with relatively fine detail. However, using conventional 3-D printers, researchers have only been able to design structures with details no smaller than a few millimeters. Fang says this size restriction also limits how fast the material can recover its original shape.

"The reality is that, if you're able to make it to much smaller dimensions, these materials can actually respond very quickly, within seconds," Fang says. "For example, a flower can release pollen in milliseconds. It can only do that because its actuation mechanisms are at the micron scale."

Printing with light

To print shape-memory structures with even finer details, Fang and his colleagues used a 3-D printing process they have pioneered, called microstereolithography, in which they use light from a projector to print patterns on successive layers of resin.

The researchers first create a model of a structure using computer-aided design (CAD) software, then divide the model into hundreds of slices, each of which they send through the projector as a bitmap -- an image file format that represents each layer as an arrangement of very fine pixels. The projector then shines light in the pattern of the bitmap, onto a liquid resin, or polymer solution, etching the pattern into the resin, which then solidifies.

"We're printing with light, layer by layer," Fang says. "It's almost like how dentists form replicas of teeth and fill cavities, except that we're doing it with high-resolution lenses that come from the semiconductor industry, which give us intricate parts, with dimensions comparable to the diameter of a human hair."

The researchers then looked through the scientific literature to identify an ideal mix of polymers to create a shape-memory material on which to print their light patterns. They picked two polymers, one composed of long-chain polymers, or spaghetti-like strands, and the other resembling more of a stiff scaffold. When mixed together and cured, the material can be stretched and twisted dramatically without breaking.

What's more, the material can bounce back to its original printed form, within a specific temperature range -- in this case, between 40 and 180 degrees Celsius (104 to 356 degrees Fahrenheit).

The team printed a variety of structures, including coils, flowers, and the miniature Eiffel tower, whose full-size counterpart is known for its intricate steel and beam patterns. Fang found that the structures could be stretched to three times their original length without breaking. When they were exposed to heat within the range of 40 C to 180 C, they snapped back to their original shapes within seconds.

"Because we're using our own printers that offer much smaller pixel size, we're seeing much faster response, on the order of seconds," Fang says. "If we can push to even smaller dimensions, we may also be able to push their response time, to milliseconds."

Soft grip

To demonstrate a simple application for the shape-memory structures, Fang and his colleagues printed a small, rubbery, claw-like gripper. They attached a thin handle to the base of the gripper, then stretched the gripper's claws open. When they cranked the temperature of the surrounding air to at least 40 C, the gripper closed around whatever the engineers placed beneath it.

"The grippers are a nice example of how manipulation can be done with soft materials," Fang says. "We showed that it is possible to pick up a small bolt, and also even fish eggs and soft tofu. That type of soft grip is probably very unique and beneficial."

Going forward, he hopes to find combinations of polymers to make shape-memory materials that react to slightly lower temperatures, approaching the range of human body temperatures, to design soft, active, controllable drug delivery capsules. He says the material may also be printed as soft, responsive hinges to help solar panels track the sun.

"Very often, excessive heat will build up on the back side of the solar cell, so you could use [shape-memory materials] as an actuation mechanism to tune the inclination angle of the solar cell," Fang says. "So we think there will probably be more applications that we can demonstrate."
Rival high-frequency trading firms are in talks to jointly build a Chicago-to-Japan communications link that would accelerate trading across the Pacific Ocean, according to people familiar with the discussions.

The project, dubbed "Go West," would install a line of microwave towers from the Chicago area to the West Coast, possibly ending near Seattle, and then connect to an undersea cable that stretches to Asia, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks, which started months ago, are confidential. The cast of companies involved in the talks has included Citadel, Virtu Financial and Jump Trading, though the final roster isn't set and the talks aren't final, the people said. Those three firms declined to comment.

Joining forces to construct a network may signal a truce in the arms race big traders have waged for years to shave milliseconds off trading times. Possibly six to 10 separate microwave networks that support speed trading are operating between Chicago and data centers in New Jersey where U.S. stock trading takes place, according to an estimate from Greg Laughlin, a Yale University astronomy professor who has studied the topic. By teaming up, traders could cut their infrastructure costs, pitting their trading strategies against each other instead of just competing on speed.

"A consortium makes a lot of sense because you distribute the risk and you distribute the benefits and you also are able to kind of keep the status quo from being completely disrupted," Laughlin said in a phone interview. "High-frequency trading strategies are very, very, delicate and difficult to come up with and temperamental and they don't last."

"Go West" might also be an early move in a broader attempt to reduce costs, according to a person aware of the talks. In recent years, exchanges have boosted how much they charge traders to access their markets and receive vital data feeds on prices. Automated trading firms might next step up efforts to whittle down those expenses and look for even broader support from brokers, the person said.

While fiber-optic networks used to be the main way big electronic trading firms shot their orders across continents, microwaves have helped them do business even faster. Fiber can convey information at roughly two-thirds the speed of light, microwave networks operate at about 99 percent of the universe's ultimate speed limit. Over the more-than-1,700 miles between Chicago and Seattle, what takes roughly 14 milliseconds with fiber takes only about 9.5 milliseconds with microwaves, assuming it's a straight line.

Many automated trading firms engage in arbitrage, or betting that gaps in the prices of two similar things will disappear. Such opportunities exist between the U.S. and Japan. For instance, futures contracts on Japan's Nikkei 225 stock index trade on both Chicago-based CME Group's exchange and Tokyo-based Japan Exchange Group's market.

The use of microwaves in trading has been controversial. South Korea's exchange is trying to eliminate the practice in that nation. In England, some residents of the tiny village of Richborough have raised obstacles to traders wanting to build radio masts as tall as the Eiffel Tower to create the fastest communication link between London and Frankfurt.
New York  Every few months, a pilot somewhere in the world is stopped before a jet takes off because of suspicion of drunkenness. It makes headlines and gives nervous travelers another reason to avoid flying.

Despite their notoriety, such cases are extremely rare.

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Each day, there are 90,000 flights around the world, carrying more than 8 million people. And the overwhelming majority of pilots in those cockpits are sober.

Pilots take being fit to fly seriously and act accordingly, says former US Airways pilot John M. Cox, now CEO of the consulting firm Safety Operating Systems. "Pilots know they are one of the most carefully monitored professions and therefore, are very conservative."

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There are occasional lapses. The latest incident occurred Saturday morning when two United Airlines pilots were pulled from their flight  and arrested  as they prepared to fly 141 passengers from Scotland to the United States.

But don't think this will end the pilots' careers.

United has removed both men from flying duties  for now.

Many pilots caught drinking on the job have later returned to the skies.

The United pilots, Paul Brady Grebenc, 35, and Carlos Roberto Licona, 45, were released on bail Monday. Grebenc, from Columbus, Miss., and Licona, from Humble, Texas, made no plea and are free until a later court hearing.

The Federal Aviation Administration has a process that allows recovering alcoholics back in the cockpit if they pass a medical evaluation and stay clean during monitoring for the next five years. Since the union-backed program started in the 1970s, about 5,300 pilots  more than 100 a year  have gone through rehab and regained their licenses, according to a program official.

"Pilots aren't any different than other people in the respect of having occasions they probably regret," says airline analyst Robert Mann.

U.S. rules prohibit pilots from flying if they have a blood-alcohol content of .04 percent or higher. (The United Kingdom has a stricter limit of .02 percent.) By comparison, the legal threshold to drive a car in the U.S. is twice that level at 0.08 percent.

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Pilots must also wait several hours after having a drink to fly. The FAA has a saying for this: "Eight hours from bottle to throttle."

Last year, random alcohol tests were given to 12,480 U.S. pilots. Only 10 failed.

Pilots in the U.S. and most of Europe are only tested randomly or if there is a suspicion that they are drunk. There are also random drug tests.

But in India, all pilots and flight attendants are tested before departing. That's every single one on every outbound flight. With that stricter policy, 43 pilots tested positive for alcohol before flights last year, according to India's civil-aviation agency. India has about one-tenth the number of annual flights as the United States.

Fliers might take solace in knowing that the danger from drunk drivers is much greater. Each year, about 10,000 people are killed on American highways because of drunk drivers  almost a third of all driving fatalities  according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

But there is a mental disconnect between statistics when it comes to flying. There's something unsettling to many fliers about being buckled into a metal tube, racing through the air near the speed of sound without being able to see who is at the controls.

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"If you are in a taxi and you think your driver is drunk, you ask them to pull over and get out," says John DiScala, who runs the travel advice site JohnnyJet.com . "You can't ask a pilot to pull over."

Since the 1970s, airline pilots have had a confidential program in which they can be treated for alcohol abuse and return to the cockpit. Those in the program, called the Human Intervention Motivation Study, must be evaluated by an FAA-certified doctor. The pilot is interviewed monthly by a flight manager and a committee of other pilots. Because of the risk of relapse, monitoring usually continues for several years after a pilot returns to flying.

Paul Hayes, director of air safety for aviation consultancy firm Ascend, says that it is extremely rare that alcohol is a factor in an accident.

But there have been a handful of crashes tied to drinking.

In 1977, the American pilot of a Japan Air Lines DC-8 cargo jet was drunk when he crashed the plane during takeoff from Anchorage. All five people onboard  all crew  died.

In September 2008, an Aeroflot flight within Russia crashed on its landing approach, killing 88 people. One of the factors, according to investigators, was that the pilot became disoriented as a result of his drunkenness.

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Back in the U.S., there are a handful of cases where pilots were caught actually flying passengers drunk.

A JetBlue Airways pilot was charged with flying two flights between New York and Orlando in 2015 while under the influence. An Alaska Airlines pilot was charged with being drunk on two 2014 flights between Oregon and California.

The most famous case though might be a 1990 Northwest Airlines flight from Fargo, N.D., to Minneapolis.

The three pilots had been out at a bar the prior night. One had more than 15 rum and colas while the other two shared at least six pitchers of beer. Their flight left at 6:30 a.m. but two of them had been out at the bar until 10:30 p.m., the other staying until 11:30 p.m.

The plane landed safely; the pilots ultimately ended up in prison.

Associated Press
Lice Knowing You Offers Free Head Checks Sept. 1-9

Portland, Ore., Aug. 29, 2016 -- There's one more thing to be concerned about as your kids head back to school: its peak season for head lice. And according to a new research study published by the Journal of Medical Entomology, 98 percent of head lice now carry gene mutations that make them resistant to common treatments.

The study shows that the so-called Super Lice have been discovered in all 48 states including Oregon and Washington, and these Super Lice have built up a resistance to the chemicals.

It's hard to imagine, but every year more than 12 million children in the U.S. are affected with head lice. "Fact of the matter is," Gordon says, "lice are one of the most common childhood rites of passage, and highly contagious. If the problem is addressed, it can be passed around again and again, for weeks, if not months."

So, how do you get rid of lice?

According to lice removal expert, Nancy Gordon, CEO of Lice Knowing You, the premier head lice removal and treatment company in the Northwest, "It just takes simple combing with an old fashioned lice comb." Gordon says that lice aren't as bad as everyone thinks, but some parents may not agree after their child comes home scratching their head infested with head lice.

Gordon explains: "These are just bugs you can see, very much like the bugs you can't see when you have the flu or a cold. And the only way to eliminate these bugs is with a good, old fashioned lice comb - and to make sure that every last bug is gone." She also says that lice don't move from head to head, but hop and don't fly. It is spread mostly from head-to-head contact. Another interesting fact about lice is that they like clean hair, meaning no hair gel or spray.

The professional staff at Lice Knowing You is ready to tackle any head, and wants to help the public avoid reaching that point. The company is offering free head checks Sept. 1-9 by appointment only. To make an appointment please see the information below.

The motto at Lice Knowing You is "Once a week, sneak a peek." She suggests that parents run a lice comb through their child's wet hair. After a thorough combing, rub the comb off on a paper towel to see if any bugs show up."

The company's goal is to help families eliminate head lice in a safe and effective manner, and return their lives back to normal as quickly as possible. Gordon takes pride in helping people understand that while there are no shortcuts to removing lice, there is also no reason for it to carry a stigma.

Lice knowing You staff teach both schools and parent what to look for, how to perform lice checks and offer recommendations on safe lice treatments. "These presentations are a great tool to open the channels of communication regarding a lice infestation and the stigma attached to this all too common ailment, "Gordon says.

And what do lice and nits look like? Gordon says that the most important thing to know when checking for head lice is that nits are brown and gray, not white. A nit is only laid on one side of the hair shaft and it is shaped like a tear drop. This is the only clear way to distinguish nits from other things stuck to the hair shaft.

Four tips to help parents eradicate head lice:

1. Use effective lice combs and magnifying glasses.

2. When looking for lice, dampen hair with a detangler

3. Keep your child out of school, school activities and play dates until the problem is eradicated.

4. Tell your circle of friends that your child has head lice so they can check their children.

About Lice Knowing You

Lice Knowing You is a professional one stop shop dedicated to getting families with lice nit free in one treatment. In addition, it also offers a full line of all natural, pesticide free lice detection removal and prevention products. Lice Knowing You takes pride in providing lice treatment that is non-toxic, natural and organic. Products can be purchased at New Season's Markets and online.

To make an appointment for a lice check or treatment, please call 503-239-LICE (5423) or 503-574-ITCH (4824). For more information about Lice Knowing You, Inc., visit www.liceknowingyou.com. In addition to Oregon, Lice Knowing You treatment clinics are also located in Washington in Seattle, Mercer Island, Federal Way and Mill Creek.

###
U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, right, listens to Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Yang, during a conversation about US-China economic relations at the Palmer House Hilton, Wednesday Dec. 17. (Abel Uribe, Chicago Tribune)

U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker served up a friendly warning to China late Wednesday, on the eve of bilateral trade talks in Chicago, saying international companies are increasingly cautious about doing business with China.

"Friends and partners do not always agree but they do speak candidly to one another," she said at a forum hosted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. "Concerns over issues like sanctity of contracts, transparency, rule of law, intellectual property protection and other issues are beginning to take their toll."

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"Foreign companies need to know they are on equal footing with domestic companies if governments hope to attract their capital," she said during an exchange of ideas that included her trade counterpart, Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang.

Among the concerns of U.S. businesses are China's anti-monopoly investigations of foreign firms, said council president Ivo Daalder, panel moderator.

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Wang said the vast majority of such probes have been into local firms, and that China is committed to furthering cross-border investment and commerce.

"China has not slowed the pace of reform and opening up, and the investment environment is not tightened," he said.

The exchange came on the second day of the 25th annual U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade session, which will conclude late Thursday after a full day of trade talks.

Earlier in the day, Chicago and Chinese investment promotion officials discussed working together on an accelerator program that would help small and mid-size enterprises enter each other's markets. Further details on the project were not available late Wednesday.

A friendly atmosphere prevailed at a welcome lunch for visiting Chinese trade representatives, municipal officials and business leaders, and their Chicago hosts, led by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Chinese officials displayed an appetite for Chicago products when the vice mayor of a city with ties to Chicago said he would welcome Garrett Popcorn to China.

Noting Chicago offers culture, education and architecture, Chengdu Vice Mayor Fu Yonglin said the Chinese visitors are interested in the city's foods as well.

"We're enjoying Garrett's popcorn, a brand most popular in Chicago and made of non-GMO corn produced by local farmers," he said. "It's said that Garrett's popcorn may come to China next year, and you are welcome."

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Garrett Popcorn Shops already has entered other Asian markets. Its CEO, Lance Chody, said in an email late Wednesday, "It's great to hear there is so much enthusiasm from our fans in China as we continue to explore our options for expansion."

Chengdu is one of the eight Chinese cities that signed economic partnership agreements with Chicago a year ago.

Wang, speaking through an interpreter at the luncheon, said, "My message to those eight cities is that with the help of Chicago's wind, cross the Pacific and bring business cooperation to new highs."

In a warm and humorous speech, he had high praise for the city, saying, "Chicago has become a favorite destination for Chinese investors." He cited Wanda Group's plan to invest $900 million in a high-rise residential and hotel tower, to be designed by renowned architect Jeanne Gang, as well as Lenovo's agreement to purchase Motorola Mobility earlier this year.

Emanuel encouraged delegation members to become regular visitors to the city, which he likes to refer to as "the most American of American cities." He also credited former Mayor Richard Daley, who was in attendance, for laying the groundwork for cooperation with China.

kbergen@tribpub.com

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Twitter @kathy_bergen
The following items were taken from the official reports and press releases of the Winnetka and Northfield police departments. An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt.

Winnetka

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Theft

Two teenagers, 14 and 15, from Chicago, were charged with theft in the 100 block of Green Bay Road on August 22. They were both petitioned to juvenile court.

An unsecured Giant Revel bicycle was taken from a driveway in the 1000 block of Spruce Street, according to an Aug. 23 report. The bicycle was later recovered in the area.

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Criminal Damage

The Pine Street bridge in the 600 block of Green Bay Trail was sprayed with purple spray paint, according to an Aug. 23 report. Public works was notified for removal, and repair costs were $375.

Someone entered an unsecured vehicle in the 900 block of Cherry Street and damaged the front driver's side seat, according to an Aug. 23 report. The amount of loss is $70.

Northfield

Hit and Run

Constandinos M. Paziouros, 34, of the 900 block of Kenilworth Avenue in Palatine, was charged on Aug. 28 with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and leaving the scene of a property damage accident after he allegedly struck another vehicle near the intersection of Waukegan Road and Willow Road, and then allegedly fled the area. He was pulled over by Northbrook police a short time later and arrested.

Fraud

A resident of the 300 block of Regent Wood Road on August 22 reported that someone had tried to open several accounts in her name. There is no loss at this time.

Theft of service

A business in the 1800 block of Willow Road reported on Aug. 26 that a customer paid for a $178.49 tire replacement job with a bad check. The case has been turned over to investigators.

Theft

A resident of the 2300 block of Clover Lane on Aug. 26 reported that their 2014 silver Range Rover had been stolen from their driveway. The amount of loss is more than $90,000.

Brian Cox is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Rapper Taylor Bennett promotes an end to violence and raps for sophomores at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School on Sept. 10. 2014. (Chuck Berman / Chicago Tribune)

Rapper Taylor Bennett is facing a court supervision violation after testing positive last month for marijuana, court records show.

Bennett, 20, was placed under court supervision until April 2018 after he was charged with beating a man at a South Loop party in 2014. As part of his sentence, he is required to complete community service and submit to random drug testing. If he fully complies with the terms of his sentence, the charge could be dismissed and would not be part of his record.

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Bennett tested positive for THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, on July 6 and July 13, court records show.

Bennett appeared briefly in court Tuesday and was given a February court date, his attorney said.

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Bennett's father Ken, who recently left his position as a deputy chief of staff for Mayor Rahm Emanuel for a senior adviser role at Choose Chicago, and his mother Lisa were in court Tuesday. His brother Chance the Rapper did not attend.

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Bennett, who grew up on the South Side and lives in the South Loop, declined to comment to the Tribune.

He is scheduled to appear at rapper Common's Aahh Fest in Union Park Sept. 24 for a community showcase. He released his album "Broad Shoulders" in December.

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Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
Gene Wilder listens as he is introduced to receive the Governor's Awards for Excellence in Culture and Tourism at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, Conn., in 2008. (Jessica Hill / AP)

News of actor Gene Wilder's death spread quickly through Hollywood, with stars taking to Twitter to pay their respects to the comedy legend.

Wilder was best know for his role as Willy Wonka in the 1971 big screen version of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." He always had memorable roles in a number of Mel Brooks films, including "The Producers," "Blazing Saddles," and "Young Frankenstein."

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According to his nephew, Jordan Walker-Pearlman, Wilder died from complications from Alzheimers Disease at his home in Stamford, Conn. He was 83 years old. Walker-Pearlman described his final moments:

"He was eighty-three and passed holding our hands with the same tenderness and love he exhibited as long as I can remember. As our hands clutched and he performed one last breath the music speaker, which was set to random, began to blare out one of his favorites: Ella Fitzgerald. There is a picture of he and Ella meeting at a London Bistro some years ago that are among each or cherished possessions. She was singing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," as he was taken away."

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Read some of the touching tributes to actor below.

Longtime collaborator Mel Brooks said he was "blessed" to work with Wilder.

Gene Wilder-One of the truly great talents of our time. He blessed every film we did with his magic & he blessed me with his friendship.  Mel Brooks (@MelBrooks) August 29, 2016

Wilder also played Will Truman's boss on "Will & Grace." Actor Eric McCormack called him a "genius."

A genius I stole from constantly, and one I was humbled & thrilled to work with. RIP #GeneWilder pic.twitter.com/hCFyET1jji  Eric McCormack (@EricMcCormack) August 29, 2016

Fellow comedians praised Wilder's talent as well.

MORE ON GENE WILDER:

Actor Gene Wilder, star of 'Willy Wonka,' dies at 83

'Condescending Wonka' meme a hilarious part of Gene Wilder's legacy







Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
It's hard to name a living playwright who is more influential  yet more routinely ignored by major theaters  than Maria Irene Fornes. The 86-year-old Cuban-born avatar of the avant-garde has been silenced by Alzheimer's for many years, but the body of work she created  brimming with feminist insight, sly wit and language that manages to be muscular and elliptical simultaneously  has left her fingerprints on writers as diverse as Caryl Churchill and Nilo Cruz.

Halcyon Theatre's current production of "Fefu and Her Friends" offers theatergoers a chance to introduce  or reacquaint  themselves with one of the more popular titles in Fornes' canon. In director Tony Adams' hyperintimate staging, the audience is broken into groups of four during part of the first act and led around to small "rooms" outside the main playing area to witness tete-a-tetes among a group of women. These sidebar conversations, if you will, expand upon (and sometimes confound) what we've seen of these women in the opening scene, where they've gathered in Fefu's drawing room.

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Fefu (Eleanor Katz) is the hoydenish hostess, with a revolver on the sideboard that instantly recalls Henrik Ibsen's "Hedda Gabler." In fact, she enjoys taking shots at her unseen husband, Phil, as he works outside. (Her friends try to reassure themselves that she's just shooting blanks.) Her first line  "My husband married me to have a constant reminder of how loathsome women are"  lets us know that feel-good feminist empowerment isn't on the menu at Fefu's house.

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The articulate but vulnerable and confused women Fefu has gathered in her New England home, circa 1935, also recall "The Group," Mary McCarthy's classic novel about a, well, group of 1930s Vassar grads struggling to find their place in the world. But where McCarthy's voice is one of clinical detachment, Fornes offers a mosaic of verbal snapshots running the gamut from private hallucinations to actual "performances" in the second act, as the women rehearse a presentation for a charity that turns into a high-spirited water fight.

This is tricky stuff, to be sure, and not all of the ensemble seemed completely at ease with the language and shifts in tone on opening night. But over the two acts and two hours of the play, we see facets of all of these women, suggesting the toll that uniting their public selves and their interior shadows has taken on them.

Nowhere is this clearer than with Julia (Mary Ann de la Cruz), who has been using a wheelchair since witnessing a deer being shot. She herself wasn't hit by the bullet but it left some sort of scar  real or imagined  on her brain that impedes her mobility. (Speaking of  audience members with mobility issues may find the ambulatory small scenes difficult to negotiate in the space.) There is a sort of implied telepathy between Julia and Fefu that adds darker hues to the conviviality the women show when they're all together. In one of the small-room scenes, de la Cruz's Julia delivers a bravura monologue showing just how fragile her hold on reality is  a counterpoint to Fefu's forced bonhomie.

It's not always an easy play to unpack  but that doesn't mean it isn't accessible. Some of the best moments come in offhand moments and mundane exchanges that shine with everyday honesty.

On a staircase outside the main theater, Christina (Sarah Rachel Schol) breaks away from fanciful explorations of the phrase "swept off their feet" and abruptly tells Cindy (Ashley Agbay) that Fefu scares her. "I don't know if she's careful with life," she ventures.

Finding that balance between a careful and carefree life is just one of the underlying motifs in this play. Adams' staging itself doesn't always strike a balance. The second act, where the women gather again after their private conversations, feels a bit saggy. But Fornes' gift for shattering our expectations about both conventional drama and the trajectory of women's relationships leaves some beguiling shards embedded in the brain after the final curtain.

Kerry Reid is a freelance critic.

ctc-arts@chicagotribune.com

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"Fefu and Her Friends" - 3 stars

When: Through Oct. 8

Where: Halcyon Theatre, Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, 3253 W. Wilson Ave.

Running time: 2 hours

Tickets: $20 advance (some tickets available at no cost through "Radical Hospitality" program), 773-413-0454 or halcyontheatre.org

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'Fefu and Her Friends' casting, season changes at Halycon

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Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
For the 10th annual Red Sky Night, a record-breaking crowd of nearly 300 came together Aug. 26 to support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at the Columbia Yacht Club. Each summer, the sailing community hosts a series of fundraisers to support blood cancer research, with this event serving as a kickoff for the Greater Illinois Chapter's Leukemia Cup Regatta that was held the following day.

During the evening, guests enjoyed panoramic views of Chicago's skyline from two decks aboard the permanently docked ship, the Abegweit, as well as a lavish buffet, silent and live auctions and dancing to the North Coast Orchestra. "The party is fun but informative too. You get to meet the survivors and doctors, and you see where your donations are going. It's 100 percent clarity," said Nick Philp, yacht club manager.

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Travis Wilhite became involved with the event after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2004. He said, "I started raising money because my diagnosis is treatable but not curable, so it's just a matter of time before it comes back. My wife and I are both sailors, so we decided to participate in this event and the Leukemia Cup. The society prides itself on the fact that 85 percent of money raised goes to the mission."

"It's sad to say, but everyone knows somebody affected by a blood cancer," said Tracy Howard, chair of the Leukemia Cup Regatta's organizing committee. "The kind of drugs that LLS is funding research for also helps with breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and a myriad of other kinds of diseases."

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 23 Linda Piepho, from left, Eric Fabian, Candace McGarry and Jon Jones. (Kristan Lieb / Chicago Tribune)

Before a short program, emcee Peg Peterson conducted a live auction that offered an in-home wine dinner prepared by sommelier Philp and chef de cuisine Alberto Garcia (sold twice at $3,750) and a British Virgin Islands cruise that sold for $6,000. A Fund-the-Fight paddle raise brought in over $20,000.

The highlight of the evening was an inspiring speech by Lisa Goldsher, a 29-year-old survivor of Hodgkin's lymphoma nodular sclerosis, and the 2016 Leukemia Cup Regatta Honored Hero.

Goldsher was diagnosed in 2010 and celebrated her five-year remission anniversary on the day of the event. Fighting back tears, she said: "I was the most scared I've ever been in my life. I felt guilty that this was happening to me and didn't want my family to feel the fear I felt. I felt God was punishing me and that I'd made mistakes in my life and deserved this. ... There's no doubt in my mind that my diagnosis was both the worst and best day of my life for what it's given me, she said. "Every day seems easy after those dark moments. I tell myself that my life is not hard  quit complaining. Be humble and grateful every moment to have your health. It's everything."

Red Sky Night, one of four fundraising events in the Leukemia Cup Regatta Summer of Fund series, raised over $67,000 to support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in the fight against blood cancers.

Freelance writer Candace Jordan is involved with many local organizations, including some whose events she covers.

More coverage

Find more photos and events at www.chicagotribune.com/candidcandace. Visit Candid Candace's website at www.candidcandace.com, or follow her on Twitter @CandidCandace.

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A review of Medicare claims showed that U.S. physicians are woefully underprescribing Suboxone, the only therapy Medicare covers to treat opioid addiction. (Hero Images)

Doctors aren't using one of the most effective weapons at their disposal in battling addiction to prescription painkillers  the anti-addiction drug Suboxone, a new study finds.

A review of Medicare claims showed that U.S. physicians are woefully underprescribing Suboxone. The drug is the only therapy Medicare covers to treat opioid addiction.

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"For every 40 family practice physicians who prescribed an opioid painkiller, only one prescribed Suboxone," said lead author Dr. Anna Lembke. She's chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.

"There's lots and lots of prescribing opioids for pain, but very little prescribing of this specific drug to treat opioid addiction," she added.

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Medicare patients have one of the fastest growing and highest rates of opioid abuse in the United States. More than six out of every 1,000 Medicare patients have been diagnosed with an opioid addiction. Hospitalizations due to overuse have been increasing by 10 percent a year, the researchers noted. However, Medicare doesn't cover methadone, the longest-standing treatment for opioid addiction, Lembke said.

Instead, Medicare covers Suboxone, a pill that combines two addiction-fighting drugs: buprenorphine (Buprenex, Bunavail) and naloxone (Evzio).

Buprenorphine is a weak opioid that has effects similar to oxycodone (OxyContin) or acetaminophen/oxycodone (Percocet). But the effects level off at moderate doses. This reduces the risk of misuse and addiction, according to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The other component is naloxone. Naloxone blunts the effects of opioids and can reverse an opioid overdose, SAMHSA explains.

Naloxone is prescribed on its own as a lifesaving measure for people who have overdosed on opioids. A study released online in June in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that prescribing naloxone to chronic pain patients who take painkillers can reduce overdose emergencies.

For the new study, Lembke and her colleagues examined 2013 Medicare Part D claims data to see whether doctors were making effective use of Suboxone.

The investigators found almost 7,000 prescribers who had filed 486,000 claims for Suboxone. The prescriptions were written for about 81,000 patients.

Those prescribers represented less than 2 percent of the 382,000 prescribers who had filed more than 56.5 million claims for prescription painkillers, the researchers found.

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Specialists in addiction medicine handed out the most prescriptions for Suboxone, nearly 99 claims per prescriber in 2013, the study revealed.

On the other hand, pain management physicians rarely prescribed Suboxone, even though they are the most prolific at prescribing opioid painkillers. They handed out fewer than five Suboxone prescriptions per doctor in 2013, the findings showed.

Family doctors also failed to use Suboxone, averaging about seven prescriptions per physician, the study said. Yet, family doctors averaged 161 painkiller prescriptions per physician.

Doctors may be reluctant to prescribe Suboxone because they know little about its use, Lembke suggested.

"Doctors receive very little education in medical school and residency on the treatment of addiction disorders, and understandably doctors don't like to implement treatments that they don't know how to use," she said.

In addition, addiction continues to be seen more as a moral failing than an illness, and doctors may not be comfortable treating a confessed addict, Lembke said.

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"They're very, very worried any opioid they prescribe is going to be misused in some way, and this population is more likely to misuse it," she said.

Dr. Harshal Kirane pointed out that doctors might not even know that their patient is an addict. He is the director of addiction services at Staten Island University Hospital in New York.

Kirane said only about one in every three drug addicts in the United States has been diagnosed with addiction and is receiving treatment.

Further, federal regulations governing Suboxone use make things even tougher for doctors, Kirane noted. Physicians must receive special training and receive certification from SAMHSA before they can prescribe Suboxone, he explained. Doctors are then allowed to only treat 30 patients with the drug during their first year. After that, doctors must file an additional request that will allow them to treat up to 275 patients, Kirane added.

"If you have a DEA (U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration) license and a medical license, you can prescribe as much oxycodone as you choose," he said. "To prescribe Suboxone, there are restrictions in place that require some time and monetary investment on the part of the physician to be certified."

Finally, Lembke said, although this isn't the case for Medicare, most insurance companies don't willingly cover Suboxone.

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"I can tell you I have to fight with insurance companies often to have them approve a Suboxone prescription. But if I wrote a Vicodin prescription, it could be filled within the hour at the local pharmacy," she said.

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The Trans Pacific Partnership is a train wreck. It is also known as Nafta on steroids. Nafta was a bad deal for the USA. It allowed large companies like GM and GE to move thousands of jobs to Mexico. The only thing we received from it is richer politicians. Senator Ron Wyden is for TPP. I ask all Oregonians to vote him out of office for this stance. Vote Mark Callahan US Senate he is against TPP and agenda 21 (open borders). http://callahanfororegon.com/
Get your feet wet during the grape stomp at the Fall Harvest and Art Festival in Galena, Ill. (Galena Cellars Vineyard & Winery)

Here are some of the more interesting events, deals, websites and other travel tidbits that have come across our desk recently:

You're welcome to get your feet wet during the grape stomp at the annual Fall Harvest and Art Festival at Galena Cellars Vineyard & Winery. The Sept. 24 event in Galena, Ill., will include wine tastings and vineyard tours, food, live music, horse-drawn wagon rides and more. www.galenacellars.com

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The last in a series of Indianapolis Public Art Bicycle Tours will be held Sept. 17. The Mile Square Art Tour begins and ends at Sun King Brewing Co. and visits artwork around the statehouse, including murals, sculpture and electronic art. Bring your own bike or rent one. Advance registration is a must via the website. http://tinyurl.com/oeuf2lv

Cedar Creek Settlement in historic Cedarburg, Wis., will be hosting the annual Wine & Harvest Festival on Sept. 17-18. New this year is an arts and crafts bazaar. As in past years, there will be wine from Cedar Creek Winery, live music, a Packers Legends tent featuring former members of the Green Bay Packers, lots of food and more. 866-626-7005, www.cedarcreeksettlement.com

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Visitors to a trio of state parks in southern Ohio can stay overnight in the Great Ohio Lodges. The lodges are in Hueston Woods in College Corner, Shawnee in West Portsmouth and Burr Oak in Glouster. All lodges have special offers that you can find at http://tinyurl.com/zwehguk.

Sept. 24 is National Public Lands Day, so admission to National Park Service sites will be free. http://tinyurl.com/go82aan

Sept. 15-17 is the Kenosha Festival of Cartooning in Wisconsin. Nationally and internationally known cartoonists display their work, meet their fans and conduct workshops. The festival has been an annual event, but after this year will be on hiatus until 2019, so now's the time to go. www.kenoshacartoonfest.com. Also on Sept. 17 in Kenosha is Streetcar Day, which offers the chance to ride old streetcars and tour the "streetcar barn" (Joseph McCarthy Transit Center). www.kenoshastreetcarsociety.org

The Show Me State wants to show you its roster of fall festivals in Missouri at http://tinyurl.com/zp7eco7.

A Civil War Living History Weekend will be held Sept. 17-18 in Sidney, Ohio. There will be Union and Confederate encampments, and three major battles are planned  one at night  along with impromptu skirmishes. Educational presentations and a concert by the 73rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regimental Band are also on the docket. 937-498-1653, www.sidneycivilwar.org

Road Scholar has specials on many of its tours, ranging from free air deals to waived single supplements. See them at http://tinyurl.com/h2kpbu2.

More than 100 types of domestic and imported beers will be available for tasting Sept. 17 at Brew Ha Ha on the riverfront in Davenport, Iowa. The festivities include food and live music. Tickets may be purchased online. http://tinyurl.com/hhs58lb

CruiseCritic.com has advice on the five best fall cruise destinations at http://tinyurl.com/ztsv2gf.

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Deals and websites listed here have been checked for availability as of press time. Listings are not endorsements.

Send tips to ChicagoTribTravel@gmail.com.

Phil Marty is a freelancer.

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A draft rendering of the Lucas Museum on McCormick Place's Lakeside Center site near Chicago's lakefront. (Lucas Museum of Narrative Art)

What exactly is going to be in the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art?

It's a question that never quite got answered in Chicago, where arguments about the museum's merits tended to focus on a controversial proposed lakefront location and an architectural design that divided opinion.

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But now that billionaire "Star Wars" creator George Lucas and his wife, Ariel Investments President Mellody Hobson, have taken their plans back to San Francisco, their team appears to have learned a lesson from their doomed approach in Chicago.

"It was a little cart-before-the-horse," the museum's founding president, Don Bacigalupi, told the San Francisco Chronicle in an article published Tuesday  an acknowledgment that Lucas was slow to reveal the contents of his collection to the public, leading many to believe the project was simply a "Star Wars Museum."

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In an attempt to rectify that and sell San Francisco voters on Lucas' new plan to locate the museum on an island in San Francisco Bay, the Chronicle's art critic, Charles Desmarais, was granted access to part of the collection. It's a scoop Chicago journalists had fruitlessly pursued for more than a year.

While Desmarais believes Lucas' photography collection "needs work," he noted a vast collection of film memorabilia from films including "The Wizard of Oz," "Casablanca," "The Ten Commandments" and "Star Wars."

Though movies would be shown at the museum, the films themselves would not be part of the collection, wrote Desmarais, who was more interested in children's book illustrations from the first edition of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and artworks by Beatrix Potter and "Babar" creator Jean de Brunhoff.

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Lucas' collection of 147 Norman Rockwell works "continues to grow" and includes "Saying Grace," purchased anonymously for a record $46 million by Lucas at auction in 2013, he added.

Hobson, a collector of works by contemporary African-American artists, has broadened the perspective of the collection, which recently added prints by Kara Walker and a Keith Haring painting.

Mad magazine covers and comic book art are also included, as are the alternative comics master Robert Crumb's original drawings for his complete comic book telling of the Book of Genesis.

"This time, it's about the art," Desmarais wrote, voicing approval for the plan and adding, "I came away believing that no other city in the United States would be a better setting, intellectually and artistically, for the Lucas Museum."

Bacigalupi, who appears to have been have caught off guard by Lucas's decision to abandon Chicago  he closed on a $2.7 million Lincoln Park mansion on June 30, six days after the decision was announced, and is now selling the home  did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

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Police officers emerge from the Robert Taylor Homes on Aug. 16, 1991, with weapons they confiscated while they searched for a sniper who shot and wounded a CHA officer. (Mario Petitti / Chicago Tribune)

The dead multiply in Chicago, the fruit of the gang wars ripening in August.

With at least 78 killed so far, August is the deadliest month in nearly 20 years, according to a Tribune analysis. It's all but certain that the city's homicide total will push beyond the 491 dead of last year.

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And people in those Chicago neighborhoods that have become killing fields look with dread toward the Labor Day weekend. So do City Hall and the police.

Twenty-five years ago, August 1991 was also an exceptionally bloody month in Chicago, with 122 homicides, the most in the city's modern history, according to police figures.

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Mayor Richard M. Daley was in panic because he knew it would get worse. And it did. In 1992, the city hit 943 homicides, after 928 the year before.

So this deadly August 2016, like the August of 1991, may be a harbinger of more carnage to come.

"The mayor's hair was on fire back then," retired Chicago police Detective Ted O'Connor told me the other day. "He was worried about the city reaching 1,000 murders. That headline would have bounced all over the world."

O'Connor, a detective for 30 years who also worked with federal agencies, was assigned to write a white paper analyzing the murders for the mayor.

"One of my bosses said, 'Why does the mayor want it on white paper?'" O'Connor recalled with the dry sarcasm of the real police. "So we charted the murders.

"Daley thought the people in the city had gone mad. He did not know it was the gangs. The Black Gangster Disciples, the Vice Lords, it was all over drugs then.

"And he was thrilled," O'Connor said. "He was waving it at press conferences, at press conferences you probably attended. The analysis showed that some neighborhoods had the same crime rate they'd had in the 1950s, Sauganash, Edgebrook, Mount Greenwood, so Daley could say crime wasn't all over the city."

As a political man, Daley was happy to have real data to calm nervous white neighborhoods. He'd been the law and order candidate, offering stability to business leaders.

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But parts of the black South and West sides were a different story.

"The shooter was typically a male black between the ages of 17 and 23," O'Connor said. "And the victim was typically a male black between the ages of 17 and 23. So what's changed since the '90s? Not much, the same social pathology, and the police are expected to clean it up."

Some call it "gun violence," a definition greatly appreciated by Democratic politicians like those at City Hall. They can point to guns and take that voter anger over homicide numbers and channel it into a safe space.

But there are plenty of guns in the suburbs, and suburbanites aren't slaughtering each other.

It's the gang wars.

Politicians know that the gangs are reason for the deaths. Calling it "gun violence" is much safer, especially in wards where gangs often provide political muscle.

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"Have you ever heard a Chicago alderman call out a street gang by name?" O'Connor asked. "No? Me neither."

The "real police" are cops who make arrests and don't live out their careers as house cats. And those I interviewed for this column see stark differences between this August and the one of 1991.

Now, the police force is smaller in real terms, meaning the number of officers available to patrol. One North Side district had only three cars working during a shift the other day, police sources said.

Manpower shortages combined with too much overtime lead to exhaustion. And loss of morale from the mayor's botched handling of the Laquan McDonald fiasco have wreaked havoc with command, with street stops down markedly. Yet taxpayers don't have a true picture of how thin that thin blue line has become.

All these problems have deep roots. Daley was at war with his Police Department and demanded a thorough house cleaning. There was a purge of district commanders and other leaders under former police Superintendent Jody Weis, and that created havoc throughout the command structure.

Earlier, the large gang crimes units  south, west and north  which provided valuable human intelligence and interaction with the gangs, were disbanded and remade.

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A common theme recently is that people in the most violent neighborhoods don't cooperate with police, but the fact is they won't talk to cops they don't know. And they won't talk with others listening.

The gang members, and their families, knew officers in the old gang crimes units.

"They'd catch a two-time loser with a gun, put the cuffs on, and he'd know what to do," said Bob Angone, who spent 30 years as a street cop, as a tactical lieutenant and commander of the hostage barricade team.

"That loser will say, I know who shot victim so-and-so. They'll give you information, but they'll only tell the police they trust, the specialists, because they know they'll get their break in court, that the specialists would keep your word. That's how it's done. And the city lost a lot when we lost the gang crimes units."

There is another thing to consider about the differences between August 1991 and now. It isn't quantifiable; it won't fit on a mayoral white paper, there are no numbers to it.

But it was reported, with a video, by Tribune journalists Megan Crepeau and Erin Hooley a few days ago under the headline: "Heckling and gunfire as police investigate shooting: 'We're just playing.'"

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Police were investigating reports of a shooting in bloody Englewood when about 10 young men confronted them, harassed them, mocked them on the street, hurling epithets, angry, defiant.

A group of young men approach police officers investigating a shooting in the 7100 block of South Paulina Street early on Aug. 26, 2016. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune) (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

"Every cop saw that video," O'Connor said. "One big difference is that now, on the street, there is no fear. Even in the '90s, with all the killing, the gangs feared the police. When we'd show up, they'd run. But now? Now they don't run. Now, there is no fear."

Listen to "The Chicago Way" podcast with John Kass and Jeff Carlin, joined by Tribune Editorial Board member Kristen McQueary and former Illinois GOP Chair Pat Brady, at www.chicagotribune.com/kasspodcast.

jskass@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @John_Kass
Right, Ald. Lamont Brown, walks out of the City of Harvey, City Council Meeting, during the mayor's report, at Harvey City Hall on Monday, Feb. 8, 2016. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune) (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune)

A Harvey alderman has been charged with battery and disorderly conduct in an incident fueling even more controversy in an already caustic political environment in the long-troubled south suburb.

Ald. Lamont Brown  considered a swing vote in Harvey's divided City Council  is facing a legal challenge that he be removed from office for having two felony convictions from the 1990s. Now he faces misdemeanor charges stemming from an altercation Thursday with a city employee at a Harvey gas station.

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The administration of Mayor Eric Kellogg  a political opponent of Brown's  asked Cook County sheriff's deputies to handle the allegation. According to the sheriff's office, its investigators spoke with the city employee, reviewed surveillance video and "found that Ald. Lamont Brown approached and followed the victim inside the store, and used his hands and fingers to grab the victim's arm." The office said it charged Brown with the misdemeanors Sunday.

City spokesman Sean Howard issued a press release Monday saying Brown was caught "aggressively following and cornering" a city employee "throughout the store and making physical contact" with the city employee.

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Brown, in a YouTube response, said he did nothing wrong and merely had a "passionate" conversation with the city employee over the issues facing the suburb.

The incident adds one more to a long list of controversies in a suburb that Tribune investigations found has suffered from high crime, subpar policing and insider deals that have drained the town of millions under Kellogg's tenure. One deal in particular has led to a lingering federal corruption investigation.

Brown was elected last year and joined a bloc that made the highly unusual decision to stop the town from collecting an annual property tax levy, arguing Kellogg couldn't be trusted with the money. Kellogg has responded that the move threatens massive layoffs and cutbacks, leading city employees to protest outside Brown's home. Kellogg also has tried to reassure employees and residents that he'd figure out a way to keep collecting property taxes  something county officials have said will be difficult to do now.

At the same time, Kellogg and his allies have ramped up pressure to have Brown thrown off the council  a move that could provide Kellogg more political leverage. Illinois law forbids a felon from serving on a town council, but nobody checked his record before elections. Once a felon is elected, someone has to sue to remove that official, which happened in Brown's case, and it can still be a lengthy court battle to force removal. That lawsuit remains pending.

Along the way, Brown has acknowledged secretly recording his colleagues with his smartphone, a move that drew a chorus of complaints from Kellogg and others. Recording people without their permission can be a crime in Illinois, although no charges have been filed. One alderman sued Brown in federal court, but the case was thrown out.

The recordings came to light after another incident in which a Kellogg supporter, David Muhammad, allegedly assaulted Brown and broke Brown's smartphone  prompting authorities to charge Muhammad with battery and criminal damage to property.

The latest controversy prompted Kellogg to repeat demands that the state's attorney's office join the civil lawsuit to kick Brown off the council.

"This blatant act of aggressiveness  is totally unacceptable," Kellogg said in a statement.

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Brown countered in his online video that the incident was one more attempt by the mayor and his allies to shift the focus from the "real issues" facing Harvey, which he summed up in four words: "Where is the money?"

Brown, who posted $150 bail after the charges, is scheduled to appear in the Markham courthouse March 14.

mwalberg@tribpub.com

jmahr@tribpub.com
The jury box in courtroom 500 in the Cook County Criminal Courts Building in Chicago. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans, who has come under criticism for his handling of allegations that one of his law clerks put on a robe and heard cases, has fired the clerk, his office announced Tuesday.

In a terse, three-paragraph statement, Evans' office said that Rhonda Crawford "is no longer employed as a law clerk/staff attorney" assigned to the south suburban Markham courthouse. The statement said that judicial rules prevented Evans from commenting further on the matter.

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Crawford has worked for Evans' office since 2011 and made about $57,000 a year.

Evans dismissed the clerk Friday, the same day the Tribune reported that the Cook County state's attorney's office had begun a criminal investigation into allegations that Judge Valarie Turner allowed Crawford to put on a robe and hear at least two traffic cases this month in the Markham courthouse.

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Sally Daly, a spokeswoman for the state's attorney's office, said in an email to the Tribune on Friday: "Investigation is ongoing. We won't speculate on possible charges." Daly declined to answer further questions about whether Turner or Crawford was the target of the investigation.

Neither Turner nor Crawford have responded to requests for comment.

In March, Crawford defeated two opponents in the Democratic primary for the 1st Judicial Subcircuit, which includes parts of the South Side and some of the south suburbs. She is running unopposed in November's general election.

Jim Tenuto, assistant executive director for the Illinois Board of Elections, said she could remain on the ballot while an investigation proceeds.

"At this point, even if there is a criminal investigation and even if there were charges, there would have to be a felony conviction to disqualify someone," Tenuto said. "That's likely not going to happen before the Nov. 8 election."

Jacob Kaplan, executive director of the Cook County Democratic Party, said there was little the party could do in this situation.

"Just because she's fired doesn't mean she's off the ballot," Kaplan said. "It's her prerogative if she wants to stay on the ballot or resign. I have heard nothing."

The courtroom incident occurred Aug. 11, when officials say Crawford put on a robe and, with Turner standing nearby, presided over at least two traffic cases. Both involved South Side residents driving in Dolton; one was ticketed for driving with no proof of insurance, the other for driving on the median.

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Documents show that one case was continued, while the other was dismissed when the officer failed to appear in court. Both cases will be reheard by a real judge.

Evans suspended Crawford without pay on Aug. 17.

Turner, a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and a former federal prosecutor, was first elected to the bench in 2002. She makes about $190,000 a year.

Evans temporarily removed Turner from the bench and assigned her to handle administrative tasks such as conducting weddings and reviewing requests for fee waivers in civil cases.

The incident comes at a sensitive time for Evans, who has been chief judge for 15 years. He faces challenges from two judges seeking to oust him in internal court elections Sept. 15.

Thomas Allen, a former Chicago alderman, and Sandra Ramos, a former state prosecutor, are running against Evans to lead one of the largest court systems in the nation, with more than 400 judges.

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Allen, in a letter to fellow judges, called on Evans to explain the incident in greater detail, saying it represents one more example of Evans' failure as the leader of the county's courts. He also demanded that Evans say whether he has referred the incident to the state's legal disciplinary agencies or to law enforcement.

"We cannot allow the largest unified court system in the country and the judges and lawyers who serve in it to become a laughingstock," Allen wrote. "We cannot afford to have a pall over the ethics or integrity of our judges and our court system in Cook County after the scandals we faced in the past. It's up to the Chief Judge to step up and fix this mess now."

Evans' spokesman would not say directly that Evans had referred the matter to disciplinary officials. But in written answers to questions from the Tribune, the spokesman previously has said that the chief judge had carried out all of his responsibilities in accordance with Illinois Supreme Court rules, which require a judge to "take or initiate appropriate disciplinary measures."

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The Judicial Inquiry Board, which oversees judges in the state, and the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, which licenses and disciplines lawyers, said court rules bar them from commenting on whether they are investigating.

To be qualified to be a judge in Illinois, a person must be a licensed lawyer.

James Grogan, the attorney commission's chief counsel, said, "Nothing has changed regarding Ms. Crawford's status as a lawyer."

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Zahra Saylawlal, left, works with the South Asian American Policy and Research Institute and is helping register Iffat Ansari to vote at a Food and Fun Fair at the Muslim Education Center on Aug. 21, 2016, in Morton Grove. (Rob Hart / Chicago Tribune)

When Imam Nazim Mangera arrived at Chicago's Muslim Community Center in December, he immediately encountered a feeling of deja vu.

In his last months as leader of a Vancouver mosque, Mangera had helped mobilize Canadian Muslims to cast their vote in a heated race for prime minister  a contest between a liberal candidate who went out of his way to show respect for Muslims' religious rights and a conservative incumbent who had pushed to ban from Canadian citizenship ceremonies the face veil worn by some Muslim women.

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Mangera arrived on Chicago's Northwest Side shortly after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump proposed that the government bar some foreign Muslims from entering the country, monitor mosques and kill the loved ones of radical Islamic terrorists.

In the U.S. on a visa from Canada and unable to vote, Mangera has done the only thing he can do to make sure Muslim voices are heard: preach.

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"Every vote counts," said Mangera, who occasionally incorporates "get out the vote" messages into his Friday sermons. "When we take part in the political process, politicians, even if they don't benefit us, at least at a minimum, won't harm us."

For decades, Muslim leaders have urged the faithful to go to the polls on Election Day to perform their American civic duty. But a surge of anti-Islam rhetoric in this year's election cycle has fueled additional efforts by area mosques to boost voter turnout. In addition to community leaders setting up voter registration tables in lobbies and booking buses to take people to the polls, imams in their weekly sermons are urging congregants to cast their ballots. Though they don't tell the faithful how to vote, many say the choice is clear.

"They see the danger is in front of their own houses," Mangera said. "It's unfortunate that we have these negative aspects in life to encourage people (to vote)."

According to the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, a think tank that focuses on the American Muslim community, the number of Muslims registered to vote lags behind other faith traditions as well as the general population. Only 60 percent of American Muslims are registered to vote, compared with at least 86 percent of Jews, 95 percent of Catholics and 94 percent of Protestants, a recent study showed. And 14 percent of Muslims who are eligible to vote for the next president say they won't  the largest of any faith group.

Getting Muslims to the polls historically has been a challenge, said Dr. Zaher Sahloul, a longtime Muslim leader who came to Chicago from Syria nearly 30 years ago. While mosques generally try to be engaged in the community, he said, convincing immigrants or first-generation Americans that their votes matter in a national election can take time.

"You overcome it by understanding what it means to be American and by understanding the Constitution and understanding how democracy works," Sahloul said. "Don't forget many Muslim immigrants come from countries that have dictatorships  whether Pakistan, Egypt or Syria  and in these countries participating in civic life is not something everyone does."

Islamic scholars in non-Western countries also have been known to discourage voting as "haram," or forbidden, Sahloul said, which is wrong.

"If you are a good Muslim, you should participate in civic life," he said. "It's haram if you don't vote."

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Mangera said Islamic scripture encourages civic responsibility such as voting and seeking elected office. During a recent sermon, he shared a story from the Quran about how the Prophet Joseph sought a position safeguarding the nation's treasury to protect it from abuse.

"I don't know any scholar in any major Western country that discourages voting," Mangera said. Scholars in non-Western countries may "say positive things about the dictator or king because if they push for democracy in those countries they might be harmed in one way or another."

Akhter Sadiq, 65, of Morton Grove, coordinator of interfaith outreach at the Muslim Community Center, said he's pleased that imams are embracing the voting initiative. So far, mosque volunteers have registered nearly 100 members to vote in the fall election at tables set up after Friday prayers and during family festivals.

"The mosque is the center for just about anything," said Sadiq, who oversaw a registration booth during a food and fun fair at the Muslim Education Center in Morton Grove on Sunday. "You talk about your daily lives. You talk about morality. You talk about praying to God. You pray about how to be a good neighbor, how to be a good spouse, how to be a good kid and everything else, including the politics."

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In Canada, Mangera said the clergy's involvement paid off. According to the group Canadian Muslim Vote, nearly 79 percent of the eligible Muslim population voted in the 2015 prime minister race, up from less than 45 percent in previous federal elections. Canadian voters unseated incumbent Stephen Harper and elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Liberal Party candidates most Muslims supported.

Imams point out that encouraging Muslims to vote doesn't necessarily mean they will vote against Trump. At the Islamic Foundation of Villa Park, Sheikh Hisham Al Qaisi said some members have said they welcome Trump's straight talk and his plan to ferret out unfit members of their community.

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Mangera has found that many members of his mosque support the social views of the Republican Party and, in the past, have voted accordingly. Regardless, Islam teaches everyone to vote with the same general values.

"There's always encouragement in Islam to promote righteousness, goodness and fairness and justice in the countries in which we live," Mangera said.

"Being apathetic and not taking part won't resolve any issues that come up in the future," he added. "Not voting is a type of vote."

mbrachear@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @TribSeeker
President Barack Obama cut short the sentences of 111 federal inmates, including 8 from Illinois, in another round of commutations for those convicted of nonviolent drug offenses. (Jacquelyn Martin / AP)

WASHINGTON  Twenty-four years ago, Chicago's Rudy Martinez told a judge he turned to drug dealing after seeing how hard his mother worked in a laundry for $45 a week.

Martinez, who was a 26-year-old North Side gang leader when he was handed a life term in 1992, will be free at year's end thanks to a commutation from President Barack Obama.

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The 50-year-old inmate of Pekin Federal Correctional Institution will be released Dec. 28, the White House said. He was sentenced for running a multimillion-dollar cocaine ring that ran from Miami to Chicago to St. Paul, Minn.

Martinez was one of 111 federal prisoners  eight of them from Illinois whose sentences were commuted by Obama on Tuesday.

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Obama has granted 673 commutations, more than one-third to inmates serving life. The commutations are more than those from the 10 previous presidents combined. They have been granted to people given "unduly harsh sentences under outdated laws for committing largely nonviolent drug crimes," said Neil Eggleston, White House counsel.

Another Illinois felon given life had his term commuted to 30 years. Chicagoan Larry Martin, 57, was sentenced in a drug conspiracy case in 1993.

The others:

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Tyrie Bell, 42, of Sauk Village, who was sentenced in 2000 to 30 years for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. He was to be released in 2025 but will be out Dec. 28.

Merlin Coleman, 45, of Chicago, who was sentenced in 2004 to 20 years in prison. He was to be out in 2019 but will be freed Dec. 28.

Ricardo Gallardo, 37, of Rockford, who was sentenced in 2005 to 30 years in prison in a cocaine, heroin and money-laundering case. His term, shortened in 2014, was commuted to 20 years.

Antonio Jevon Gayden, 35, of Chicago, who was sentenced in 2009 to 20 years in prison in a cocaine case. His term was cut to 10 years. He was to have been held until 2026.

Obama also granted commutations to Theodore Johnson, 51, of Rock Island, and Daxtrell D. Robinson, 37, of Champaign, both convicted of cocaine offenses. Johnson was given 30 years and was to be released in 2025; he'll be out Dec. 28. Robinson was given 20 years and was to be held until 2022; he'll leave in two years if he completes drug treatment.

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Re-enactor Daniel Vogt of Sheridan, Ill., prepares a deer hide Saturday during the ninth annual Aukiki River Festival, held along the Kankakee River outside of Kouts. (Amy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

The Hanselman family has a tradition now in its fifth year.

The Wheatfield clan goes to Kouts Pork Fest, and then heads to the Aukiki River Festival before going home.

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They followed that tradition Saturday, wandering around the river festival, along the bank of the Kankakee River, with their three kids, ages 7, 4 and 7 months, in tow.

"It's more educational toward the kids. It shows them how it used to be," Troy Hanselman said of the event, which features re-enactors covering a span of hundreds of years.

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"And they like the demonstrations that they do," Michelle Hanselman said. "It's very family-friendly."

This was the ninth year for the festival, which continued Sunday and for the first time included the re-enactment of the capture of a Civil War spy.

In addition to offering an educational opportunity for its visitors, the festival also provides exposure for the Kankakee Valley Historical Society and the work it's doing, said John Hodson, the society's president and founder.

That work includes rebuilding the Linden Cabin, which formerly was in what's now the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and dates back to the 1860s, and restoring Collier Lodge, an old hunting inn from the late 1800s and early 1900s that drew a wide array of dignitaries and politicians during its heyday.

A teacher from Ivy Tech recently learned about the Linden Cabin and wants to take a look and possibly get a class involved to do some of the work, Hodson said, adding the festival potentially could draw other volunteers.

"That's what I'm always hoping for," he said. "You keep plugging away to get your name out there."

Daniel Vogt, of Sheridan, Ill., demonstrated a technique called brain tanning, which uses the brain of a deer mixed with water to tan the animal's hide.

The process also requires rubbing the skin as it dries to bring up the nap of the hide and smoking it to preserve it and bring out a rich, brown color.

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Vogt, who said his time period was the late 1700s, described the labor-intensive process and said he's been a re-enactor since 1998, although this was his first time at the river festival.

"Two hundred years ago, they kept the skin, and the meat went to waste," he said, adding the tanned hide would have been used for clothing, worn by Native Americans before their contact with Europeans, and by Europeans who did not have enough money to buy cloth.

Also at the festival for the first time was Lori Falk of Hobart, who said she likes historical re-enactments but has only been to a few of them.

"I'm enjoying listening to people talk about the history. I think it's kind of cool," she said.

Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
There's a belief that most teens are introduced to drugs at large, risque parties, but that's just not true, Porter County Sheriff David Reynolds said.

"Do you know how people get introduced to drugs?" Reynolds asked members of the Governor's Task Force on Drug Enforcement, Treatment and Prevention at their meeting Monday at Indiana University Northwest in Gary. "Their parents."

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Reynolds and other leaders from Lake and Porter counties urged the task force to consider how big of a role family dynamics play in the heroin problem in Northwest Indiana and the opioid epidemic across the state. While treatment is vital to combating this problem, the leaders said, it cannot be completely effective without prevention and education that addresses what led to the addiction.

"You cannot just treat the user, but you must treat the family as well," said Jena Bellezza, vice president of community outreach at the Indiana Parenting Institute.

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The institute works to educate parents on how to create healthy, strong relationships with their children by addressing substance abuse and how it affects each member of the family. Children witness how parents choose drugs to cope with problems, and they'll carry that with them, she said.

When Bellezza's life started to unravel while she was living in Indianapolis, as she was about to lose her job, car and home, she was running out of options, she said.

"I just did not know what to do," Bellezza said. "I just knew that after I tried everything I knew to do ... I had one left, and I tried it. It was drinking."

Bellezza's mother intervened, showing Bellezza that there was another path, she said. But children don't always have that person who will step in, Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter said.

Carter said he believes that the way to stop the cycle of multiple generations caught in the criminal justice system is to provide education and outreach to create healthier, more stable family relationships. This isn't always addressed, he said, because politicians don't want to offend people by stepping into families' personal lives. But there's a need for what the Indiana Parenting Institute aims to accomplish, he said.

People in urban or lower-income neighborhoods aren't the only ones affected, said Wayne Isailovich, director of Addiction and Behavioral Counseling Services in Merrillville. It affects everyone from all socioeconomic backgrounds, he said.

Treatment shouldn't be ignored, he said, and Indiana needs an overhaul to improve its inpatient treatment services to get people the long-term treatment they need, he said, especially when a person doesn't have health insurance or the means to pay for treatment.

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As Reynolds puts it, "jails are like litmus tests for your county," and the Porter County jail reflects the heroin epidemic in its area. Ninety-five percent of the male inmate population of the jail is in there because of substance abuse, mainly heroin, Reynolds said.

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Reynolds said he doesn't want inmates just sitting around, watching TV, wasting time, he said. He wants them to get the help they need to become an asset to the community, which is why he's started substance abuse programs in his jail. But it's important to educate people before they end up in the criminal justice system, he said.

Last summer, Reynolds had a 12-minute film created, in which inmates explain how they started using drugs. The majority of the inmates in the film said they started in their teenage years, he said.

That's why Reynolds shows the film in classrooms around the county, even to students as young as fifth grade, to instill in students from an early age the dangers of heroin, he said.

"We have to put more time and effort into educating the young adults in our state," Reynolds said. "If we don't, we're going to have these task forces every year. ... You have to have a direction, and it has to be toward the kids."

rejacobs@post-trib.com

Twitter @ruthyjacobs
The TransPacific Partnership (TPP) will not be good for jobs in Oregon.

Referring to a report from the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), John Kleiboeker, of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers said,

"This report shows how damaging the TPP would be for Oregonians' jobs and wages, including in the machinery and equipment sectors. Given the ITC has historically overestimated the benefits and downplayed the costs of trade agreements, the fact that they're saying so many Oregon industries are at risk under the TPP is a real cause for concern."

The report also says that Oregon's top agricultural export, wheat, is expected to suffer decreased exports under the TPP, as is the forest products sector.

Oregon's small organic farmers will suffer, as reported by the Organic Consumers Association:

"The United States is highly reliant on industrial agriculture, which means those 12 countries going into the [TPP] agreement will be pitting their small-scale farmers against our large-scale farming practices. This will force small-scale farmers out of business and off their lands strengthening the industrial agricultural machine....we cannot break our reliance on industrial food without first breaking our reliance on unjust free trade agreements. So it is not the organic, regenerative, biodiverse farmer who provides your Community Supported Agriculture...who will benefit."

We must face that fact that that the TPP will not be good for Oregon or the USA. Our Congresspersons need to question the President's support for this bad trade deal.

Jeff Stookey

Northeast Portland
Environmental Protection Agency officials said Tuesday the agency will be able to clean contaminated soil from the easternmost part of the former U.S.S. Lead site without relocating East Chicago residents.

Doug Ballotti, acting director of the superfund division of the EPA, said the remediation plans for zone 3 of the site, which runs from East Huish Drive to Parrish Avenue, are now being finalized, and the EPA can likely start doing the work in late September or early October.

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Once the EPA completes the design for the project, Ballotti said the agency will hold a public meeting to tell people what will happen in zone 3. He said priority will be given to homes with the highest lead levels.

"We think we can probably address 20 or so homes this construction season," Ballotti said.

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Representatives from the EPA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development held a forum Tuesday to answer questions about the relocation process for residents and the ongoing cleanup at the former U.S.S. Lead site in East Chicago.

"I think people probably are frustrated," Ballotti said.

Debra Williams, an East Chicago resident, said the situation at the West Calumet Housing Complex is tough for the families who live there.

"They're devastated," Williams said.

The EPA should have done more at the site, Williams said, and people have known the complex was built on the former lead factory for a long time.

"This could have been worked out a long time ago," she said.

Williams said she's concerned for the residents who have to relocate. She said there aren't a lot of housing opportunities, and some people will have to relocate despite having their families here and relationships in the community.

"We just hope that it all works out, especially for the families," Williams said.

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The city first learned of the extent of the lead contamination at the site in May, according to a timeline of events provided by East Chicago officials, and decided in June to relocate residents of the West Calumet Housing Complex.

Given the levels of contamination at the site, the city and East Chicago Housing Authority decided to demolish the complex once the residents are relocated.

HUD began releasing relocation vouchers in August, and residents can start using them Sept. 1.

James Cunningham, deputy regional administrator for HUD, said the federal agency is working closely with the local housing authority to provide funding and technical assistance for the relocation.

The tenants who have to relocate won't have to pay for most of the moving costs, Cunningham said, and things like security deposits, application fees and packing materials will be covered by HUD.

Cunningham said HUD aims to have residents relocated by Dec. 1.

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"I'm ready to go," said Devon Warren, a resident of the West Calumet complex.

Warren said she received her relocation voucher and that housing authority staff has been available to work with residents.

When the news came out about the lead, Warren said that made her more eager to leave the complex.

"It's dangerous," she said.

In July, EPA teams started taking samples from inside residences to evaluate lead levels inside the homes, mulched exposed soil and advised residents to not play in the dirt at the complex.

EPA teams at the West Calumet Housing Complex are now in the process of cleaning individual residential units. The teams are washing walls, floors, furniture and some of the residents' belongings, according to the EPA, and cleaning ventilation and air conditioning systems.

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Ballotti said each home takes two to three days to clean, and teams are completing 14 to 20 residences each week.

The EPA first began working at the site in 2008 and had it added to the superfund National Priorities List in 2009, Ballotti said. Since that point, he said, the agency completed some remediation work and cleaned up hot spots around the complex.

The current cleanup plan is based on a 2014 consent decree, approved by the U.S. District Court for Northern Indiana, between the EPA, Department of Justice, state of Indiana, the Atlantic Richfield Co. and E.I. du Pont De Nemours regarding the cleanup of the U.S. Smelter and Lead Refinery site. The agreement covered only zones 1 and 3 of the site.

Zone 1, which includes the West Calumet Housing Complex and Carrie Gosch Elementary, runs from McCook Avenue to the Indiana Harbor Canal, with 151st Street on the south and 148th Street on the north. Zone 3 includes the land between East Huish Drive and Parrish Avenue, with Chicago Avenue on the north and 149th Place to the south.

Based on the agreement, the two companies would cover roughly $26 million in cleanup costs, according to the EPA.

clyons@post-trib.com

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@craigalyons
The Chicago Police Board will decide whether to fire Officer Jason Van Dyke, shown at an Aug. 4 court hearing, along with three other officers and a sergeant for allegedly lying about the 2014 shooting of Laquan McDonald. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)

Seeking the first official discipline in the 22 months since a Chicago police officer shot Laquan McDonald 16 times on video, police Superintendent Eddie Johnson on Tuesday moved to fire four patrol officers and a sergeant he accused of lying about the shooting.

Though the October 2014 shooting led to aftershocks that have shaken the Police Department from top to bottom, the city's first move for formal discipline focuses largely on street officers.

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The charges Johnson filed with the Chicago Police Board seek the dismissal of Officer Jason Van Dyke, who shot McDonald and is also charged criminally with first-degree murder, as well as four others who gave or approved accounts that were contradicted by footage of the shooting, suggesting an attempted cover-up.

Along with Van Dyke, the department is seeking to fire officers Janet Mondragon, Daphne Sebastian and Ricardo Viramontes. Sgt. Stephen Franko is the only officer with a rank above police officer to face potential firing.

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It remains unclear whether any higher-ranking current or former police could face formal consequences or criticism from the city's disciplinary investigation. Several top officers involved in the aftermath of the shooting resigned or retired during the city's halting, contradictory response to McDonald's death.

The officers charged administratively face an initial hearing at the police board Sept. 19. None of them could be reached for comment.

The move to fire the officers follows a report from Chicago Inspector General Joseph Ferguson, who had recommended firing 10 officers in all. Of those 10, three have retired in the last two weeks, according to department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, who said he could not give the ranks or names of the officers who have left the department.

A fourth resigned Tuesday, and a source identified that officer as Van Dyke's partner, Joseph Walsh.

As to another officer  Dora Fontaine  Johnson disagreed with the recommendation to fire her, as he felt the evidence was insufficient, according to a statement from the department. It was unclear Tuesday how any potential disciplinary case against her might proceed, but police board members sometimes rule on disputes between city agencies over officer punishment.

This excerpt from video released to the public shows the most complete version of the shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. It is edited for length by the Chicago Tribune. Warning: This video contains graphic images. (Chicago Tribune)

A spokeswoman for Ferguson declined to comment on whether his office is investigating other officers or might call for more discipline.

The move to fire the officers doesn't promise a quick end to the scandal stemming from the department's response to McDonald's shooting. Cases can remain before the police board for months, and its rulings are not always the final word, as officers commonly challenge the board's firings in court.

The proposed discipline represents the latest consequence of a shooting that has driven political upheaval and changes to policing in the city.

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Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration worked for months to avoid releasing the video of McDonald's shooting, but a judge forced its release last November. The footage of the white Van Dyke shooting the African-American teenager repeatedly as he lay motionless on the pavement sparked heated protests fueled by long-held grievances with the police among many black Chicagoans.

Emanuel forced out Superintendent Garry McCarthy shortly after the video's release, and as the scandal deepened, the U.S. Justice Department announced an investigation into whether Chicago police have systematically violated citizens' rights. Later, Emanuel announced changes designed to get in front of reforms federal authorities could seek.

The widely distrusted city agency that usually investigates police shootings  the Independent Police Review Authority  referred the inquiry to Ferguson's office.

The conduct of the officers who face potential firing is also under scrutiny from a special Cook County prosecutor appointed to determine whether their actions warrant further criminal charges. The U.S. attorney's office in Chicago had also been investigating the shooting.

Beyond the moves to fire officers, several high-ranking officers who were involved in the McDonald case have retired recently. David McNaughton, the deputy chief who ruled Van Dyke's shooting complied with department policy, retired in recent weeks. Also, Lt. Anthony Wojcik, who was involved in the department's investigation into the shooting, retired in May. The lead investigator, David March, has also retired, sources said.

No official or records have publicly linked those officers to the investigation into the McDonald case.

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The charges filed Tuesday focused largely on alleged dishonesty but varied on specifics among the officers. All are alleged, though, to have violated Rule 14, which bars the making of false reports.

Van Dyke stated in reports that he fired his weapon in fear for his life when McDonald advanced on him with a knife. On the video, however, Van Dyke can be seen jumping from his car and opening fire within seconds as McDonald appears to walk away from him.

Sebastian and Mondragon reported that Van Dyke and Walsh repeatedly ordered McDonald to drop the knife. The teen ignored them as he waved a blade while approaching the two officers, according to their reports.

Viramontes stated that McDonald turned toward Van Dyke and Walsh after Van Dyke told the teen to drop the knife. After Van Dyke shot McDonald, the teen fell to the street but continued to move, trying to get back up with the knife, according to Viramontes' account in the reports.

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The department charged Franko with, among other things, signing off on Van Dyke's allegedly false reports on the incident.

Hours after the shooting, McNaughton, the incident commander that night, made a preliminary determination that the shooting complied with Police Department policy, records show. In December 2014, the department officially recorded the shooting as a justifiable homicide.

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The footage released late last year came mostly without audio, and several of the officers are accused of failing to properly use their in-car video and audio systems.

Dean Angelo Sr., president of Chicago's Fraternal Order of Police, said Tuesday he had not seen the charges, but he maintained that the video of McDonald's shooting should have been publicly withheld until the investigations into the shooting were completed.

"You've got a whole population out there coast to coast, ... people have seen a two-dimensional silent movie of this incident, and they've all got an opinion," he said.

jgorner@chicagotribune.com

dhinkel@chicagotribune.com
Authorities are hoping someone will recognize a sketch of young woman whose skeletal remains were discovered 11 years ago on the Far South Side after she was strangled.

On April 28, 2005, the remains of a white female between the ages of 13 and 18 were found near the Metra tracks at 13060 S. Indiana Ave. in the Eden Green neighborhood, according to a community alert issued by Area South detectives.

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The cause of her death was strangulation, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office, which ruled her death a homicide.

Police released a photo of the woman based on a facial reconstruction done by the FBI. It is posted on the Cook County medical examiner's website, the alert said.

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Anyone with information can contact detectives at 312-747-8271.
A woman who pleaded guilty last month to cruelty charges in the stabbing death of her daughter's cat can't withdraw her plea, a DuPage County judge ruled Tuesday.

Kelly Palermo had entered a guilty plea on July 26, on the same day she was scheduled to stand trial on aggravated animal cruelty charges. However, earlier this month she filed to withdraw her plea, saying her court-appointed attorney "forced" her to plead guilty.

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But Judge Robert Miller, after hearing some testimony Tuesday morning, said Palermo had not presented a valid reason for withdrawing her plea, and he denied her motion.

"The defendant has to clear a high hurdle, rather than simply saying she changed her mind," Miller said.

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In her motion, Palermo, who is out on bond, said her attorney told her she would lose at trial, get the maximum sentence of three years in prison, and would go to jail immediately if she did not plead guilty.

But the judge said that based on testimony, Palermo's attorney, Assistant Public Defender Michael Mara, had offered Palermo competent, professional advice.

Palermo, 51, of Chicago, allegedly held the cat down while her daughter, Samantha Palermo, 22, stabbed the animal to death on June 20, 2015, at the daughter's residence in Elmhurst.

According to police, Kelly Palermo's 14-year-old son was able to wrest the cat away, but the mother regained control of the animal and her daughter stabbed it again.

Police said that Kelly Palermo had become angry with the cat, which was named Zeppelin

Miller set Sept. 12 for Kelly Palermo's sentencing, and she could face up to three years in prison. Her daughter is awaiting trial.
A man who pleaded guilty to drug possession received a lecture on the deadly consequences of heroin from a Cook County judge at his sentencing.

"You may be dead soon," Associate Judge Jeffrey Warnick told the defendant. "I've seen it happen before too many times. You're going to end up dead."

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The case involved a Des Plaines man who was arrested in October after he was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge for an undisclosed medical issue and hospital staff reporting finding syringes sticking out of his pockets and 11 small bags of heroin in his possession, prosecutors said.

The defendant, Hassan M. Awwad, 32, pleaded guilty at the Skokie courthouse on Thursday to possession of a controlled substance. Warnick sentenced Awwad to 30 months of felony probation and ordered him to enter a drug treatment program, undergo random drug testing and to pay fines and fees of more than $1,300.

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Warnick told Awwad that if he violated the terms of his probation, he would likely end up in jail.

"There's no sentence I can give you (that) you haven't already given yourself," Warnick told the defendant. "You're a heroin addict."

The judge expressed skepticism that Awwad would fulfill his court mandates.

"I bet you're not going to work that out," said Warnick. "I hope I'm wrong."

Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter.
Authorities charged a man in the fatal shooting of a 35-year-old woman early Monday morning in the Roseland neighborhood on the South Side.

Terrance Meredith, 43, was charged with a felony count of first-degree murder, according to a news release from the Chicago Police Department.

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The shooting happened around 12:25 a.m. in the 100 block of West 112th Place and is domestic related, according to police.

Meredith is accused of shooting the woman, identified as Otha M. Mooney, in the head, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner's office. Mooney, of the same block on 112th Place, was pronounced dead at 12:55 a.m.

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A weapon was recovered and Meredith was taken into custody shortly after the shooting, police said.

Meredith, also of the 100 block of West 112th Place, is scheduled to be in Cook County bond court Tuesday.
Troy LaRaviere speaks out during a press conference at Wishbone in Chicago, Thursday, May 12, 2016. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

The controversial former principal of a Lakeview school has announced his resignation, months after winning election to lead an administrators' organization.

Troy LaRaviere acknowledged he had to leave his post at Blaine Elementary after accepting the presidency of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association in May.

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In April, Chicago Public Schools prompted a social media uproar and condemnation from then-Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders when it ousted LaRaviere from his post as Blaine's principal amid allegations of "dereliction of duty, ethics violations of state and CPS policy, and insubordination."

LaRaviere was still working through an administrative process to contest his removal from Blaine when he was elected to lead the administrators group in May.

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"When CPS officials removed me as the principal at Blaine, I was already planning to relinquish my post to assume the office of president of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association," LaRaviere wrote on his website. "However, after being chosen by my colleagues to serve as CPAA president I decided to fight the removal on principle, and to use the administrative hearing process to demonstrate the charges against me are baseless."

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Now LaRaviere said he ended a hearing process he described as a "kangaroo court"  partly because Blaine could not hire a permanent replacement until his case was resolved.

CPS spokeswoman Emily Bittner said a three day-hearing before the Illinois State Board of Education over LaRaviere's dismissal was set to begin next month. By resigning, LaRaviere "abandoned the process afforded to him under school code to have his day in court," Bittner said.

LaRaviere has cultivated a following  and more than a few critics  with his outspoken blog and regular public appearances as a voice of dissent in the district.

His political involvement included a role with Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia's failed challenge to Mayor Rahm Emanuel in the 2015 election.

At times, LaRaviere has sounded like a potential candidate for public office. His role in a campaign ad for Sanders was being investigated by the CPS inspector general as a possible violation of the district's policies on political activity.

LaRaviere said CPS' efforts to terminate his employment were politically motivated because he sought to lead the principals group.

jjperez@chicagotribune.com
Authorities charged a man after another man was shot to death in the Prairie District neighborhood on the Near South Side Sunday morning.

Robert Burgess, 56, was charged with a felony count of first-degree murder, according to a news release from the Chicago Police Department.

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Burgess is accused of shooting and killed a 45-year-old man about 10 a.m. in the 1800 block of South Michigan Avenue.

Police said witnesses heard an argument before gunfire, and police found the man in an alley with a gunshot wound to his head.

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The shooting took place in an alley between two low-rise apartment buildings on 18th Street, between Michigan and Indiana avenues.

Burgess, of the 6200 block of South Kimbark Avenue, was arrested after he was identified as the person who fire shots. He was taken into custody around 10:20 p.m. Sunday in the 5100 block of South Wentworth Avenue, according to the release.

Burgess is scheduled to appear in Cook County bond court Tuesday.
Gov. Bruce Rauner and first lady Diana Rauner visit the Mary Crane Center-Molade/Austin Center on July 21, 2016, before the governor signed an early education bill. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)

Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield.

Topspin

Who says chivalry is dead? Mayor Rahm Emanuel stepped in front of a speeding question aimed at Illinois first lady Diana Rauner.

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The scene unfolded as both attended an announcement about early childhood education at a Northwest Side preschool. The two greeted each other warmly and shared a couple of laughs.

That prompted WLS-AM 890 reporter Bill Cameron to ask Diana Rauner if she has any advice for her husband, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, about how he could better get along with Emanuel after the two onetime vacation buddies spent the past couple of years publicly sparring about everything from school funding to labor reform.

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Before Diana Rauner could answer, Emanuel  who has a well-known record for declaring political spouses, including his wife, Amy Rule, off-limits to media prying  stepped in to parry the question.

"Look, Diana's here, obviously, the first lady, but more importantly her leadership of (early-childhood learning organization) Ounce of Prevention," Emanuel said. "And she has been a great partner to the city on our early childhood. I would no more let you do that to Amy than I'll let you do that to Diana."

Emanuel wasn't above a little politicking to go with his chivalry, turning to Rauner and telling her to keep in mind he bailed her out.

"Don't forget that, though," he said as Rauner broke out laughing. (John Byrne)

What's on tap

*Mayor Emanuel will talk about the upcoming opening of a new CTA transit center at Union Station.

*Gov. Bruce Rauner has no public events.

*Former Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, who's been much more publicly visible in recent months, will hold a news conference to offer an idea on how to take the politics out of redistricting following the latest failed effort.

What we're writing

*John Bills, central figure in City Hall red light camera bribery scandal, gets 10 years.

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*Aldermen to Emanuel: Not so fast on police reform vote (includes more details on the proposal).

*Emanuel: Trump interested in elections games, not Chicago crime.

*State Board of Elections says hack could have yielded personal information of 200,000 who registered online.

*August most violent month in Chicago in 20 years.

What we're reading

*Once an al-Qaida recruiter, now a voice against jihad.

*Human ancestor Lucy may have died in fall from tree.

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*What is your favorite Gene Wilder movie? We're gonna go with "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein" (tie).

From the notebook

*Duckworth looks Downstate with new TV ad: Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tammy Duckworth is out with a new ad that looks to be a way for her to gain more name recognition Downstate.

The 30-second spot features steelworkers laid off from Granite City Steel, a Metro East company that began shedding more than 2,000 workers just days after Christmas last year.

In the ad, Duckworth says her opponent, Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, "describes himself as an ardent free-trader, and that is a fundamental difference between us. I am a fair-trader."

That's followed by a laid-off steelworker named Anthony, who says, "He's not supposed to work for China, he's supposed to fight for our jobs." (Rick Pearson)

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*Rauner super PAC calls map ruling "affront to democracy": The Turnaround Illinois political action committee, a super PAC created in part by Gov. Rauner, sent an email to supporters Monday blasting the state Supreme Court ruling last week striking from the ballot a new redistricting method.

"In an affront to democracy, the state's highest court ruled that a voter referendum for independent maps was unconstitutional," the email says. "This means the people of Illinois lose to the political machine once again."

The super PAC has been using the theme of "Fix Illinois" in ads featuring Rauner that call on voters to sign a petition to push a proposed state constitutional amendment on term limits through the General Assembly.

The petition's purpose is political, not practical. The courts previously have ruled on a Rauner-backed petition drive that the constitution can't be changed by citizen initiative to impose term limits on lawmakers. Instead, it's a way to generate a political support base helpful to Republicans in the fall election.

"When the General Assembly reconvenes this fall, they should put political reform  including independent maps and term limits  at the top of the legislative agenda," Rauner's super PAC says. "Let's hold the machine accountable. Let's make them vote on the political reforms that the people demand." (Rick Pearson)

*Will Bills talk?: One of the questions throughout the City Hall red-light camera bribery saga was whether John Bills, a former top city transportation official under Mayor Richard M. Daley and part of House Speaker Michael Madigan's patronage army, would help the feds in their investigation.

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At his sentencing hearing Monday, Bills denied being a "power broker or mastermind."



"I was a midlevel manager who was directed by my superiors and given a responsibility that I obviously wasn't prepared for," he said.



Now Bills is facing a 10-year prison sentence, though there wasn't much during the hearing or afterward to indicate he's going to start talking now.



U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon told Judge Virginia Kendall that she should consider Bills' duplicity in trying to blame the scheme on others while at the same time refusing to name them.



"If the defendant had information about higher-ups, he could have put up or shut up," Fardon said. "He did neither."



But Nishay Sanan, Bills' attorney, said it would be wrong to punish his client for refusing to talk.



Afterward, Fardon declined to say whether he believes other city officials were involved in the massive scheme and have gone unpunished, as Bills' lawyer has long maintained. Fardon would not discuss whether the government had sought Bills' cooperation  Bills' lawyer has said it repeatedly did so  or whether that offer still stood.

Sanan has said Bills has remained steadfast in his refusal to turn government informant in spite of Sanan's contention at trial that well-connected lobbyists and Bills' elected bosses were the true beneficiaries of the scheme.

Follow the money

*House Republican Leader Jim Durkin collected $53,900 (the max) from a D.C.-based plumbers/pipefitters political fund.

*Our Twitter feed of Illinois campaign contributions is down for maintenance. In the meantime, you can track campaign contributions in real time here.

Beyond Chicago

*Trump's new aim: poison a Clinton presidency.

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*Trump plans major ad buy after weeks of being outspent.

*McCain in fight for political life in Age of Trump.

*Clinton aide finally dumps creepy husband.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday began pushing his plan to overhaul civilian oversight of the beleaguered Chicago Police Department, a proposal that ensures the mayor's office will retain a significant measure of control in how cops are investigated and disciplined.

The long-in-the-works blueprint calls for disbanding the much-maligned and often-distrusted Independent Police Review Authority and replacing it with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. Unlike its predecessor, the new agency would have more power to probe alleged police misconduct, ranging from officer-involved shootings to domestic incidents involving cops.

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In addition, Emanuel wants to beef up scrutiny of the Police Department with a new deputy inspector general for public safety, a watchdog who would audit the new police accountability system and identify patterns and practices that violate constitutional rights.

"The end goal is to have an independent entity that has oversight to make sure that there's integrity in the work that police are doing. There's another set of eyes there," Emanuel said during a Tuesday night appearance on WTTW's "Chicago Tonight." The objective, the mayor said, is to rebuild Chicagoans' trust in the Police Department, which he labeled "an essential foundational piece to public safety."

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Emanuel wants the City Council to pass the proposal within a month, a move that would allow the city to appear proactive even as the U.S. Justice Department continues its civil rights investigation into the Police Department following the emergence of the Laquan McDonald police shooting controversy in November.

While the mayor's changes take away some authority from the Police Department's internal affairs division and create some stronger safeguards for oversight, influence from the mayor's office remains in at least four ways.

Emanuel's plan ensures that his pick to clean up the soon-to-be vanquished IPRA, former federal prosecutor Sharon Fairley, will become the first head of COPA. And the ordinance doesn't spell out how future agency directors will be chosen. Emanuel aides have indicated that job will be left to a civilian oversight board, but the mayor has yet to spell out who will pick the members, leaving the possibility that he will control most of its appointments.

The new police watchdog would be selected by the city's inspector general  who is appointed by the mayor.

Thirdly, Emanuel's plan does not include a guaranteed level of funding for the new civilian agency as many police accountability advocates have called for, opening the possibility that the mayor or aldermen could weaken the office's power through budget cuts down the road.

Also not included in Emanuel's plan: a provision to allow COPA to hire its own attorneys separate from the Emanuel-controlled city Law Department. Last week, Fairley recommended the new agency have the autonomy to hire its own lawyers, noting the Law Department also defends the mayor's administration and cops who are sued for misconduct.

Ald. Leslie Hairston, 5th, who has drafted her own ordinance for revamping the city's police accountability system, criticized Emanuel on two points: not including the citizen oversight board as part of the package and not guaranteeing a minimum level of funding for the new agency.

"Why do a half-baked job with no funding? That is hollow," Hairston said. "If you're going to change the relationship between the city  the police  and the citizens, you've got to come correct. You can't do this piecemeal."

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Other aldermen were reluctant to comment before they had read the fine print. The Emanuel administration waited until shortly before 5:30 p.m. to unveil the ordinance, ensuring less time for initial public scrutiny. And in a flood-the-zone approach, the mayor's office released the plan just hours after police Superintendent Eddie Johnson formally filed the paperwork to fire five officers involved in the Laquan McDonald police shooting case.

It is the McDonald case that has forced Emanuel to address the long-festering issue of excessive force and misconduct by Chicago's cops.

The city's ineffective police accountability system came under a harsh national spotlight late last year after a Cook County judge ordered Emanuel to release a police video that showed the fatal shooting of McDonald as he walked away from officers while holding a knife. Officer Jason Van Dyke wasn't charged with murder for shooting the teenager 16 times until hours before Emanuel released the video, leading to widespread accusations of a City Hall coverup, weeks of street protests and calls for the mayor's resignation.

As detailed in a recent Tribune investigation, IPRA has conducted slow, superficial investigations and almost always cleared police, even when physical evidence indicated misconduct. In the tiny fraction of allegations the agency has upheld, it frequently has recommended light punishment.

Emanuel's plan aims to address that in part by giving the agency more investigative authority, including broader subpoena power.

Under the mayor's plan, the agency's authority to probe misconduct also would be expanded to include alleged Fourth Amendment violations, such as illegal searches and seizures, and alleged psychological coercion and intimidation of witnesses and suspects  all of which now fall under the purview of the Police Department's bureau of internal affairs and not the civilian-run agency.

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A City Council committee hearing on the plan is scheduled for Sept. 13, but Emanuel has backed off his initial proposal for a final vote the following day in the face of aldermanic pushback. Instead, that's scheduled for Sept. 29.

Leading the council push are Ald. Ariel Reboyras, 30th, chair the public safety committee, and Ald. Carrie Austin, 34th, chair of the budget committee. Both led community hearings on police oversight in recent weeks.

But illustrative of the City Council leadership's lack of independence from the mayor's office, it was the Emanuel administration that issued a joint statement from Reboyras and Austin on the new ordinance. The two aldermen said they were "pleased to have been part of the process all along to implement real, concrete changes," according to the mayor's office.

The mayor's Police Accountability Task Force, appointed in the wake of the McDonald video release, recommended the new police oversight agency have a guaranteed budget to make it more independent. That's not in Emanuel's plan, however.

Ald. Scott Waguespack, a frequent Emanuel critic, called the mayor's ordinance "pretty decent" but suggested the city should fund the new agency "and don't play games with the budget."

The 32nd Ward alderman also said the new agency should be allowed to hire outside attorneys because the Law Department could be defending civil lawsuits involving the same cops who are being investigated by COPA.

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Asked about that issue, Emanuel said he was "not going to litigate every little point here and negotiate publicly because I don't think that's true to the spirit of the way we worked."

Left out of the ordinance is the politically challenging task of who serves on the citizen board that would select the future head of the police oversight agency. The panel is vital to establishing more trust between cops and residents, say Hairston and police accountability advocates who have pushed for far more public input on the creation of that board.

Emanuel would not answer specific questions Tuesday afternoon about the proposed community police oversight board  including whether the mayor's office would get to appoint a majority of the members  except to say work will continue.

"You're way ahead," Emanuel said. "A lot of people thought that was too big of an issue and wanted to have hearings later. So we decided as it relates to the inspector general and the independent civilian body as it relates to investigations, should move forward. And that doesn't mean we don't continue to work on the other issue."

As for COPA, Emanuel and aldermen have conveyed a sense of urgency in setting up the new agency, given that some of IPRA's staff has been departing in the uncertain environment.

Fairley has acknowledged the agency's deficiencies and enacted reforms aimed at strengthening investigations and stiffening disciplinary recommendations. In the past three months, IPRA has ruled more police shootings unjustified than it had in the prior nine years.

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In a departure from past practice, the agency has extensively shared video and documents related to its investigations, recently posting video of a fatal police shooting within a few days.

But in a report this month, the agency said it struggled to close cases at the pace set in the past, in part because of staff members leaving after Emanuel announced IPRA's demise.

The agency has 70 employees  well short of the 97 for which it has funding. It has 52 investigators; full capacity would be 79, spokeswoman Mia Sissac said.

In pushing for approval of his plan next month, Emanuel said he is trying to balance the concerns of the community and aldermen about ample time for review against the eroding staffing situation at IPRA.

"I want to be conscious of that equity against the equity that both the community, the public as a whole, and the police officers and the staff over at the accountability offices have certainty about their future, because they are losing staff who are not sure about that future," Emanuel said. "And those are the people you're going to rely on to do the investigations."

Chicago Tribune's John Byrne contributed.

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The Islamic State group's spokesman and chief strategist, who laid out the blueprint for the extremist group's attacks against the West, has been killed while overseeing operations in northern Syria, the group announced Tuesday.



The IS-run Aamaq news agency said Abu Muhammed al-Adnani was "martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns in Aleppo," and vowed to avenge his death. It did not provide any further details on when or how he died.



If confirmed, it would be a major blow to the extremist group, which has been on the retreat in Syria and Iraq, where the borders of its self-declared Islamic caliphate have been steadily eroded in recent months.



Al-Adnani, whose real name is Taha Sobhi Falaha, persistently called for attacks against the West, which paid off in bloody notoriety with the Nov. 13 coordinated attacks in Paris that hit a concert hall, a stadium and restaurants and bars, leaving 130 people dead and hundreds wounded.



Al-Adnani is a Syrian who was born in the northern province of Idlib and is believed to be in his late 30s. He crossed the border and joined al-Qaida in Iraq, a precursor to IS, after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.



In late June 2014, he formally declared the establishment of a caliphate, or Islamic state, stretching across parts of Syria and Iraq, under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and demanded allegiance from Muslims worldwide.



A powerful orator, he went on to become the voice of IS. He released numerous, lengthy audio files online in which he delivered fiery sermons urging followers to kill civilians in nations that supported the U.S.-led coalition against the group.



"If you can kill a disbelieving American or European  especially the spiteful and filthy French  or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the disbelievers waging war, including the citizens of the countries that joined a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah, and kill him in any manner or way however it may be," al-Adnani said in 2014.



In other speeches he referred to U.S. President Barack Obama as "an idiot" and Secretary of State John Kerry as an "uncircumcised old geezer."



Earlier this year, he called for massive attacks during Ramadan  a call that translated into the bloodiest Muslim holy month in recent memory. Followers of IS carried out attacks on several continents, including the Orlando shooting, the Nice truck attack in France and a massive suicide bombing in downtown Baghdad.



Al-Adnani also disparaged Saudi Arabia and its influential clerics for failing to rally behind the rebels that the monarchy supports in Syria like they did decades ago in Afghanistan.



In Washington, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook confirmed that a U.S. airstrike on Tuesday targeted al-Adnani in the Syrian city of al-Bab, which is northeast of Aleppo.



"We are still assessing the results of the strike, but Al-Adnani's removal from the battlefield would mark another significant blow to ISIL," Cook said.



Aleppo is a current focal point of the civil war in Syria, where IS, Syrian Kurdish forces, Turkey-backed rebels and President Bashar Assad's forces are vying for control. The province is frequently struck by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes as well as Russian air raids.



Aamaq vowed revenge against the "filthy cowards in the sect of disbelief." It said a generation raised in IS-held territory would avenge al-Adnani's death.



The Islamic State group has suffered a string of defeats in recent weeks, including in Aleppo province, where Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels drove IS out of the border town of Jarablus last week.



In Iraq, the group has lost its strongholds in Fallujah and Ramadi, in the western Anbar province. It still controls Mosul, but Iraqi forces are gearing up for a long-awaited operation to retake the country's second largest city.



It has also lost some of its most senior commanders and founding members over the past year, including its "minister of war" Omar al-Shishani, feared Iraqi militant Shaker Wuhayeb, also known as Abu Wahib, as well as a top finance official known by several names, including Abu Ali Al-Anbari.

Associated Press
MADISON, Wis.  Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson will be making his first campaign stop in Wisconsin this week.



Johnson is slated to hold a campaign rally Thursday night in Milwaukee.



Third party candidates are getting more attention this cycle as Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton both struggle with low favorability numbers both in Wisconsin and nationally.



The latest Marquette University Law School poll released earlier this month showed Johnson with 10 percent support among registered voters and 9 percent among likely voters. Clinton led among registered voters with 42 percent, followed by Trump at 33 percent. And among likely voters Clinton got 47 percent compared with 34 percent for Trump.

Associated Press
Drudgery. Outside of the window is life: Cumulus clouds look like cotton balls stuck to a robin's-egg sky with drops of glue. It's fall, the perfect time of year, with a lit sky and a breeze blowing the curtain tails. Out there, a 7-year-old has room to grow.

Inside, a child who may have put in a 10-hour day, getting on a school bus as early as 6 a.m. and getting off at 5 p.m., sits down to a packet. It's time to re-do everything the student did all day.

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Does that sound productive? What if we up the ante?

Maybe the child came home to a tired grandmother doing the best she can to help, or a dark apartment because no one paid the electric bill. Some children come home to loving parents who desire to help, but can't speak the language of the homework instructions. Even educated but increasingly busy parents strain to help their kids with homework.

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Perhaps the child struggles to read all day and, after putting in his or her best effort to the point of exhaustion, must complete more. Or the opposite, a child who excels and has proved mastery of a particular skill many times still must complete more.

Nearly everything about the way we teach children has evolved over the past few decades, from phonics to rigorous math standards to children's literature to classroom furniture. The academic vocabulary has changed and students aren't being taught in the ways of the past.

Yet, homework has remained traditional.

Traditions can be great, but it's always good to periodically step back and ask "Why are we doing this?" If there is no benefit, then someone has to say the emperor isn't wearing clothes.

That's what I did last week when I sent home the note to parents of my second-grade class that unexpectedly went viral on social media:

"After much research this summer, I am trying something new. Homework will only consist of work that your student did not finish during the school day. There will be no formally assigned homework this year.

"Research has been unable to prove that homework improves student performance. Rather, I ask that you spend your evenings doing things that are proven to correlate with student success. Eat dinner as a family, read together, play outside and get your child to bed early."

The way I see it, homework is nothing more than a stapled packet of more.

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If more isn't accomplished, that child will answer to a frustrated teacher who is caught up in a high-stakes game of standardized testing. More scores, a moving target. Funny thing about this game, the kids aren't standard, their families aren't standard and we as teachers can't be standard anymore. The standard homework packet must also be tossed. It's time for a fresh start. Let's redefine more.

It's time for non-traditional homework.

In his book "The Battle over Homework," Harris Cooper noted that homework should have different purposes at different grade levels. For students in the earliest grades, it should foster positive attitudes, habits and character traits, reinforce learning of simple skills introduced in class and permit appropriate parent involvement.

I'm focusing on that last reason for homework, and I'm giving the kids a break. Parents, the homework is for you now. Praise your children for a hard day's work when they get off the bus today. Let's trust our teachers and allow our kids the freedom to love school and the chance to "sharpen the saw," as Steven Covey said in "The 7 Habits of Happy Kids."

I got into teaching because I love kids. Every child is unique and poses unique challenges. My job as a teacher is to spend my day meeting those challenges with a smile on my face. Because I truly love kids, I give every effort to monitor the mastery of the standards I am teaching. I know what my students can do, and I am able to use that data to effectively engage them in relevant learning.

As a teacher, I ask that administrators loosen the reins and trust their staff, the way the administrators at Godley Independent School District have trusted me. To reluctant parents, I ask that you partner with me. Let's discuss your child's needs; you most likely know them better than I do.

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The reaction to my short homework note has been astounding because the concept is so simple. A child who feels safe at home will feel safe to take educational risks at school. Children need a foundation. They need to sit at the dinner table and debrief with their support team. Eating together isn't only about nutrition; it's also about nourishing the child psychologically. Ronald Reagan offered this in his farewell speech, "All great change in America begins at the dinner table. So, tomorrow night in the kitchen I hope the talking begins."

Because of a little note, we're talking. Let's keep the momentum.

Do what's best for kids.

Tribune Content Agency

Brandy Young is a second-grade teacher in the Godley Independent School District in Texas.
Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans did the right thing  arguably the only responsible thing  by firing law clerk Rhonda Crawford last Friday. The rest of us learned about that Tuesday.

You remember Crawford. She was accused of slipping on a judge's robe in August and ruling in two traffic cases from the bench in Markham.

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But Crawford wasn't a judge. She was allegedly "job shadowing" Cook County Circuit Judge Valarie Turner, who allowed the pretend judge to preside.

Turner has been reassigned to administrative duties like presiding at weddings and reviewing requests for fee waivers in civil cases. Having displayed awesomely bad judgment, Turner probably shouldn't again find herself on the banging side of a gavel for a good long time, if ever.

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And Crawford? Oh, not to worry about her. She's out of this $57,000-a-year job. But she's still a Democratic candidate on the Nov. 8 ballot, running unopposed in the 1st Judicial Subcircuit race. So the freshly fired Crawford can look forward to a major new job and salary bump to $188,000. Which, we imagine, will be ample enough so that Crawford will be able to buy her own robe.

Absurd? Outrageous? Only in famously dysfunctional Cook County?

All of the above.

And barring some unforeseen circumstance, there doesn't look to be much anyone can do about it.

Once elected, Crawford will join hundreds of other judges in Cook County who are all but impossible to unseat. Judges stand for retention every six years. It's been 26 years since a sitting judge fell short of the 60 percent "yes" vote required to stay on the bench. Even the most outlandish behavior gets a pass from voters, who often don't know much about the judges.

Voters who wisely pay attention to Tribune judicial endorsements do know the good judges from the dunces. But less informed voters take their cue from Democratic palm cards and mailers that instruct them to vote for candidates who, like Crawford, may have been rejected as not qualified by local bar associations.

The Cook County state's attorney's office has begun a criminal investigation into the Markham fiasco. We imagine the Judicial Inquiry Board, which oversees judges in Illinois, and the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, which licenses and disciplines lawyers, may also have something to say about this. Stay tuned for something  eventually.

Evans, though, may face more immediate fallout. He has been chief judge for 15 years. He is elected by his judicial peers. Two of them are seeking to oust him from that perch via internal court elections Sept. 15.

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One of those challengers, Thomas Allen, a former Chicago alderman, has called on Evans to explain the Crawford/Turner incident in more detail. We'd sure like to hear that. We'd also like to hear from Crawford or Turner on the question everyone has: What were they thinking?

"We cannot allow the largest unified court system in the country and the judges and lawyers who serve in it to become a laughingstock," Allen wrote. "We cannot afford to have a pall over the ethics or integrity of our judges and our court system in Cook County after the scandals we faced in the past. It's up to the Chief Judge to step up and fix this mess now."

Firing Crawford was a start. But some of what's wrong with the system  including how difficult it is for voters to fire judges for egregious behavior  is outside Evans' jurisdiction.

This is the way Cook County's judicial system works. It's a job-protection program for sitting judges.

It's the system that will in all probability welcome Judge Rhonda Crawford to the bench after the November election.

But don't worry. She's all warmed up and ready to go.

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Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
Democrats spent eight years watching in dismay as President George W. Bush expanded the limits of presidential power, claiming his right to do so in time of war. "The biggest problems we're facing right now have to do with George Bush trying to bring more and more power into the executive branch, and not go through Congress at all," Barack Obama said in 2008. "That's what I intend to reverse when I'm president of the United States of America."

But wholesome intentions, sincere or not, are no guarantee of performance. As it happens, Obama has been different from Bush. While Bush asserted broad authority in the realm of war and national security, Obama has also done it in domestic affairs. What he has not done is look for ways to curtail the options available to him or his successors.

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He intervened in Libya without asking Congress for permission and insisted the War Powers Resolution didn't apply to the U.S. bombing campaign. He effectively granted permission for children of foreigners who live in the U.S. illegally, and parents of American citizens who live in the U.S. illegally, to stay in this country. He issued executive orders requiring federal contractors to pay a higher minimum wage and accept various workplace requirements. He did all these things despite persuasive arguments that he was overstepping his bounds.

Even Obama himself once took that more limiting view  notably in 2010, as he was being criticized by Hispanic groups for not acting to protect immigrants who are in the U.S. without legal permission. "The main thing we have to do to stop deportations is to change the laws," he told Univision. "I'm president, I'm not king."

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Yet he wound up behaving as if he had a scepter and throne. A federal appeals court ruled against him on his immigration measures, and the Supreme Court left that ruling in place.

Those workplace regulations? In his first term, his own lawyers said they were beyond his authority. In his second term, his lawyers found a way.

Obama's appetite for control is typical of recent presidents. In 2001, Elena Kagan, now on the Supreme Court, noted that Ronald Reagan started something when he claimed and exercised new powers over federal regulatory agencies. "By the close of (Bill) Clinton's presidency, a fundamental  and, I suspect, lasting  transformation had occurred in the institutional relationship between the administrative agencies and the Executive Office of the President," Kagan wrote.

What Democrats of the Clinton era realized is what Republicans would realize under Bush: When you're out of power, you want a weak presidency, and when you're in power, you want a strong one.

Obama and his recent predecessors deserve only part of the blame. The rest lies with Congress, which has the means to curb an overambitious president any time it wants but which has generally been content to impersonate a wax dummy.

When Congress shirks responsibility, or when it resists any cooperation with the White House on matters of great importance  immigration being a prime example  it practically dares the president to act unilaterally. Doing their jobs should not be optional for elected lawmakers.

But regardless of where the fault lies, in the long run, the steady accumulation of power in the Oval Office undermines the design of the Constitution, which relies on checks and balances to restrain government action. It also assures that if an especially dangerous person wins the presidency  say, Donald Trump  he will have an array of weapons at hand to make his malignant vision a reality.

Thanks to Obama, Cato Institute analyst Gene Healy says, "the most powerful office in the world is even more powerful now." In the next four years, whatever the outcome of the election, that trend is sure to continue. And Republicans and Democrats  not to mention the American people  will sooner or later come to regret it.

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Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
The first time prospective students visit the University of Chicago, many of them realize that this school is where they belong. They wander around campus with their parents, making their way to as many tours, panels and refreshment tables as they can before the day is over. They see themselves in current students and see future friends in fellow "prospies." Most of all, however, they fall in love with the promise of intellectual growth that the school offers and with the "free exchange of ideas" that Dean of Students John "Jay" Ellison recently wrote about in his controversial letter to incoming first years.

What some of those prospective students will learn once they become first years at U. of C., however, is that the "exchange of ideas" Ellison promises isn't experienced equally.

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Female students may learn that their ability to exchange ideas is contingent on whether some of their male peers think they are "acting like a lady." Students of color may learn that their ability to exchange ideas is contingent on being mocked by some of their white peers who denigrate their culture or dismiss their racial identity. Non-American students may learn that their ability to exchange ideas is contingent on having some of their American peers mock their accent or question their grammar.

It is this side of the "free speech" that Ellison references that silences many students who are just as eager, but not as welcome, to "exchange ideas" as their privileged peers. It is this side of "free speech" that Ellison does not acknowledge when he condemns safe spaces, trigger warnings and the ability of students to influence people who are invited to speak on their campus.

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Of course, students do and should have the right to express racist, sexist and otherwise prejudiced opinions. However, to deny the targets of those opinions spaces where they are free to discuss their own ideas without the silencing threat of being dehumanized for their race, gender identity, sexuality, religion or nationality is to deny them the very academic freedom and intellectual curiosity that Ellison and like-minded individuals claim to support.

The University of Chicago's motto is "Let knowledge grow from more and more and so be human life enriched." If Ellison and his supporters will expand their knowledge of what students who belong to historically marginalized groups often experience on campus, they will come to understand the importance the practices they seek to eliminate and be more able than ever to enrich the experience of the very students their perspective takes for granted.

 Alisa Robinson, Oak Park, graduate of University of Chicago, class of 2010
A group of young men approach police officers investigating a shooting in the 7100 block of South Paulina Street early on Aug. 26, 2016. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune) (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

"Black lives matter," one of young men said. "You a b----."

 A heckler quoted in a Tribune news feature about a group of African-Americans who gathered to taunt the police officers investigating a shooting early Friday in the 7100 block of South Paulina Street.

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If black lives didn't matter, the cops wouldn't have been out there, hanging the sad bunting of crime scene tape in the West Englewood neighborhood, trying against considerable odds to solve another no-doubt senseless shooting.

If black lives didn't matter, the men and women in blue would've just rolled slowly past the crime scene, shrugged at the persistence of violence in our most ravaged communities and driven off.

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If black lives didn't matter, the officers wouldn't have spent at least an hour in the middle of the night gathering evidence and attempting to interview witnesses while enduring verbal abuse.

Black lives do matter.

The movement that has arisen to raise alarms about police violence against African-American suspects has raised important points about interactive and disciplinary procedures in law enforcement. It's advocating for supervision, conduct codes and accountability that will, ideally, improve police relations with the community in a way that will make the streets safer for black (and white, for that matter) people of all ages.

Until and after that hoped-for day, however, it's the police who remain the No. 1 guardians of black lives. It's the police, like them or not, who are the main bulwark against mayhem and lawlessness.

Not to say that they are above reproach or shouldn't be routinely second-guessed. Scrutiny comes with the gun and the badge. But to say that they deserve, at least, basic respect in situations such as the one they found themselves in early Friday.

Tribune reporter Megan Crepeau's published account from the scene was as infuriating as it was depressing.

Here are some of the quotes she gathered:

"You a traitor! You a traitor! You bogus as hell!" directed at a black officer.

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"Tase me! I'll embarrass your a--!" Tase me! I'll sue your a--!"

"Get the f--- off my block!"

"F--- the police."

"Put y'all little-a-- guns back in the holster."

"I'm gonna slap the glasses off your a--."

"I'll assault a P.O. F--- a P.O."

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Three gunshots rang out nearby, evidently fired into the air as a diversion. As the officers hustled toward the sounds of trouble  as they do  one of the detractors shouted, "Run, b----, run!"

Then there was this passage:

"One young man dropped a pink cupcake across the police tape. 'Eat it,' he dared the officers. He got on the ground, reached across the tape and picked it back up. He stood up and dropped it across the tape again. 'Eat it,' he demanded."

Chicagotribune.com video taken at the scene by the Tribune's Erin Hooley shows the police stoically absorbing more verbal abuse but doesn't show something else Crepeau reported, which was that some of the officers taunted their detractors in return, telling them to get jobs and identifying individuals in the crowd as police informants.

The temptation to say or do worse must have been strong. And while the report and the video offered windows into the disrespect that we expect officers to endure with equanimity, they also showed the sorry state of police-community relations that contributes to the peril of black lives in some neighborhoods.

Right around the same time over the weekend that I read Crepeau's story, I watched rapper Che "Rhymefest" Smith's smartphone video of the indifference and hostility with which he was greeted at a South Side police station Saturday morning when he attempted to report having been robbed at gunpoint.

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CPD to Rhymefest: Were sorry for how you were treated. Aug. 28, 2016. (CBS Chicago)

Department officials quickly apologized to Smith, an activist who once ran for alderman, after he posted the video to Twitter. And Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel told reporters Monday that Smith "deserve(d) a different type of treatment," and he offered his "guarantee that they won't treat another resident like this (and) that other officers will look at this and say, 'That shouldn't happen.'"

The officers who responded to a shooting in the 7100 block of South Paulina Street also deserved a different type of treatment. And though "that shouldn't happen," either, as we wrap up Chicago's most violent August in two decades, no one seems to be in a position to guarantee that it won't happen again and again.

Twitter @EricZorn

Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
By Andrew Ujifusa. This story orginally appeared on the Politics K-12 blog.

Republican nominee Donald Trumps presidential campaign has tapped Rob Goad, who has worked for Indiana GOP Rep. Luke Messer in Congress, to work on school choice issues in the real estate executives bid for the White House.

Goad is on leave from Messers office and for the past two weeks has been in New York City working for the Trump campaign as a policy adviser, according to sources. Hes the first adviser for Trump to focus specifically on education issues. The campaigns aim is to have Goad flesh out Trumps previously stated support for school choice, specifically choice programs that have been successful in states, and possibly work on other K-12 education issues as well.

Goad may also work on higher education policy for Trump, whose campaign approached Goad about joining the campaign team.

Goad is a senior policy adviser for Messer who has handled both school choice issues specifically and K-12 policy in general in Messers office and has worked there for five years. Messer himself is a member of the House education committee. Messer has criticized some of Trumps more controversial statements on issues not related to education, but has also indicated his support for Trump . Messer previously backed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush , also a big fan of school choice, for the GOP presidential nomination.

Trump has largely neglected K-12 during his quest for the White House , aside from brief statements supporting school choice, attacks on the Common Core State Standards, and a pledge to end gun-free school zones. But Goads shift to the Trump election team coincides with a new emphasis on K-12 choice in particular for the Republican presidential nominee.

Recently on the campaign trail, Trump has been speaking more frequently about his support for school choice as part of a recent attempt to win African-American votes by decrying the state of education in inner cities.

And earlier this month, his campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, said that there would be an upcoming education week for Trumps campaign . In fact, one interpretation of her remarks would be that education week is supposed to be this week. But that plan isnt set in stone. Remember that back in April, the Trump campaign signaled that he would be giving a policy speech on education as part of a series of such remarkshe has yet to deliver such a speech.

A Track Record on Choice

Picking a staffer from Messers office, in particular, to work on K-12 choice policies seems like a logical move by the campaign.

Last month at an event in Cleveland during the Republican National Convention, Messer spoke about the challenge of increasing school choice without creating a federal Department of School Choice.

And during the push to reauthorize federal education law last year, Messer backed a plan to allow Title I funds earmarked for students from low-income backgrounds to be used for private schools. (In Washington shorthand, this proposal has been dubbed Title I portability. )

But the idea didnt get traction and wasnt included in what became the Every Student Succeeds Act.

In March, the Republican Policy Committee, for which Goad is listed as a staffer, held a briefing called School Choice: Fact vs. Fiction & Recent Developments. The briefing featured Messer, as well as prominent school choice supporters like Gerard Robinson, the former Florida education commissioner now at the American Enterprise Institute, and Adam Peshek, the director of education choice at the Foundation for Excellence in Education, which was founded by Jeb Bush.



Last year, Messer and his fellow Hoosier on the House education committee, GOP Rep. Todd Rokita, also questioned the distribution of federal money for charter schools in Indiana under state Superintendent Glenda Ritz.

Related stories:

Photo: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally earlier this month in Des Moines, Iowa (AP Photo/Evan Vucci).
After analyzing dozens of K-12 math textbooks and determining that most of the major publishers were selling subpar common-core productsthe curriculum review group EdReports.org has now moved on to English/language arts materials.

The first round of ELA ratings, released today, were generally more positive than the math ratings have beenhowever, they were mixed overall. Of the seven instructional series analyzed, three completely met the benchmarks for being considered aligned to the Common Core State Standards for reading and three partially met them. Just one textbook seriesPearsons Reading Street Common Core for grades 3-6was deemed fully unaligned.

EdReports.org representatives said the initial sample size was too small to allow for drawing conclusions about the ELA materials market in general. But they also noted that the common-core reading standards may be easier to meet than their math counterparts.

The standards in math and the standards in ELA are pretty different in their specificity around sequence and structure, said Eric Hirsch, the executive director of EdReports.org, a nonprofit formed two years ago as a tool to help K-12 educators determine whether curricular materials met the Common Core State Standards. In ELA, theres a little more flexibility within them.

While the math reviews focused mainly on textbooks that had a large portion of the market share, the first round of ELA reviews targeted a smaller but more diverse group of materials. That included texts by major publishers such as Amplify and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, as well as emerging products, such as a free open education resource called Bookworms, which was created by two university professors.

Bianca Olson, a senior vice president for corporate affairs at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, whose materials for grades 6-8 only partially met expectations, refuted the review, saying in an email that the EdReports.org methodology continues to show weakness and inaccuracy in its understanding of standards and instructional methodologies.

Other publishers were more laudatory of the reviews.

Sharon Walpole, an education professor at the University of Delaware and the co-author of Bookworms, which also partially met for alignment but received a higher raw score than others that partially met, was overall pleased with the EdReports.org review of her independently published 3rd through 5th grade digital curriculum. To me, its a very positive and comprehensive review of our work, she said. If you look at the actual report, theres only two weaknesses [in our curriculum]one we agree with and one we disagree with. Partially [meets for alignment] seems a little harsh maybe, but I think they used their procedure fairly.

Walpole and her co-author were also glad to be included in the review alongside the major publishers. I think its pretty amazing that in our offices we could come up on our own with something that competes with them, she said.

Zachary Goldberg, a spokesman for the College Board, which publishes SpringBoard, said the company was pleased that EdReports.org recognized the quality and complexity of SpringBoard texts, and also commended the curriculums strong writing, research, and grammar components. Pearson, which had one curriculum that met expectations and one that failed altogether, did not return requests for comment by deadline.



Initial Math Reviews

EdReports.org launched nearly two years ago and put out its first reviews in March 2015. The nonprofit was conceived at the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands and spearheaded by Maria M. Klawe, the president of Harvey Mudd College. It is funded by grantors including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundationalso a major financial backer of the development of the common coreBroadcom Corporation, the Helmsley Charitable Trust, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. (The Gates foundation also supports some coverage of the assessment and implementation of college- and career-ready standards in Education Week and edweek.org.)

In the first round of reviews, which focused on K-8 math products, just one curriculumEureka Math, published by Great Minds, a small Washington-based nonprofit organizationwas found to be aligned to the common core for all grades.

The other ratings were mostly skewering, with 17 of the 20 math series failing to meet criteria for alignment. Researchers pointed out that the results mirrored those of two previous common-core curriculum studies , which found publishers claims of alignment were mostly unfounded.

But the EdReports.org math reviews were also met with substantial backlash. Publishers and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics said the reviews were incomplete , tainted by shoddy methodology, and ultimately misleading.

I think they ended up with a lot of false negatives, Diane J. Briars, then-president of NCTM, said at the time.

EdReports.org heard that feedback, and in October 2015 it tweaked its review process, including by gathering more evidence and putting more information on the website . Several publishers saw improvements in their ratings.

However, that hasnt completely quelled the pushback. Since then, the popular K-6 math curriculum Everyday Math , which was developed at the University of Chicago and is used in about 200,000 classrooms, received a poor rating. The publisher, McGraw Hill Education, responded that the results conflict with those of other review panels and academic research, which have shown extensive and undeniable evidence of the strengths and successes of Everyday Mathematics.



How the Process Works

For both the math and reading reviews, teams of four peoplemany of whom are current or former practicing teachersanalyzed each textbook series. They met over several months to score the materials using rubrics that EdReports.org devised in consultation with educators and other experts.

The rubrics looked at whether the curricula passed through three gateways, or thresholds for performance.

The first gateway for the ELA materials looked at the quality and complexity of the texts students were asked to read. Were the texts both rigorous and engaging? Were they appropriate for the grade level?

That was always an interesting part of our discussions, talking about the tasks students were doing with the texts, said Steven Helton, the former director of elementary education with Rutherford County Schools, N.C., and a lead reviewer for EdReports.org. "[We looked to] ensure the students were meaningfully engaged in discussion and not just answering basic questions.

The second gateway looked at whether the tasks helped students build knowledge and vocabulary. A curriculum needed to meet expectations for both gateway 1 and gateway 2 to be considered aligned. The third gateway rated materials on whether they were user-friendly and provided instructional supports for all kinds of learners.

We typically didnt have very much trouble arriving at a consensus, said Helton.



Are the Reviews Having an Impact?

Theres no precise way to determine how much of an impact EdReports.org is having on local curriculum decisions. But the website, which is free for all users, is approaching 1 million page views, according to Hirsch. And about 150 districts have reached out to the group for help using the reviews.

Jody Guarino, the mathematics coordinator for the Orange County education department in California, and an EdReports.org reviewer for the math materials, said shes seen districts in her state use the reviews in several ways.

In its most recent adoption process, California approved more than 30 common-core math curricula . Districts have used EdReports data ... to say lets narrow to these five, she said. Its almost like a winnowing screener-tool to decrease the list.

Theyre also using the reports to find and fill gaps in the curricula theyre already using, and to determine how to support teachers using particular textbooks.

Walpole of Bookworms said while she doesnt agree with every part of the rubric, the reviews provide enough detail to be really helpful at the local level. If people read the report, theyd have a very good idea about what our curriculum is and could make a good decision about whether its appropriate for them or not, she said.

EdReports.org is planning to release additional reviews of ELA materials, including some K-2 curricula, this fall.

Related:


Kaplan Test Prep has announced a new, free online preparation course for the PSAT, adding another such service to an expanding field of test-prep offerings aimed at lower-income students.

Officials of the test-prep service announced Tuesday that from Oct. 1 through Oct. 17, students will have access to a series of eight livestreamed, interactive lessons online . Half of the one-hour sessions, which will be taught by Kaplan teachers, will focus on math, and the other half will focus on reading, writing, and language. Each lesson will be live online twice, and students who miss them can use recorded versions online later.

Kaplan already has a line of test-prep products for the PSAT, including a $299 self-paced online course, a $499 in-person classroom course, and a 1-to-1 tutoring program, at home or online, for $2,399. The newest offering will add a free service to that line of paid prep services.

The company includes online teaching in its line of paid SAT-prep products , as well. It doesnt offer a free, multi-session SAT prep course, but it periodically offers free stand-alone sessions, such as a live 12-hour prep-a-thon last winter on tackling the newly redesigned SAT, said Lee Weiss, Kaplan Test Preps vice president of college admissions programs.

Kaplan spokesman Russell Schaffer declined to say how the free PSAT-prep program is being financed, saying only that it is our investment in [students] success.

Weiss cast it as a way to help students nab the attention of colleges who are looking for early ways to identify promising students, and to help students compete for National Merit scholarships, which are based on PSAT scores. He said that reaching low-income students is one of the aims of the new program, although students of all socioeconomic backgrounds could find it useful.

Earlier this year, Kaplan Test Prep partnered with ACT Inc., to add a live-teaching element to ACTs own online prep course for the ACT college-admissions exam. That service was a collaboration between ACT Inc. and Kaplan Test Prep. The free PSAT-prep course announced Tuesday is a Kaplan-only affair, not endorsed by the College Board.

The College Board has its own line of free PSAT practice products . Students can download a sample test on paper, or practice with questions online. It also offers free SAT and PSAT prep as part of a partnership with Khan Academy. College Board spokesman Zach Goldberg said that the company will offer free, live instruction for the PSAT on Facebook Live during this school year, too.

The two testing rivals have long jockeyed for dominance in college-admission testing, and that competition has spilled into the test-prep space as well. When ACT announced the addition of live-teaching to its prep course through Kaplan in April, the College Board issued an unusually combative response, accusing the ACT of trying to replace classroom teachers with long-distance instruction.
A Virginia school district on Monday formally filed an appeal asking the U.S. Supreme Court to clarify whether schools must allow transgender students to use the restrooms corresponding to their gender identity.

This case provides an excellent vehicle for determining whether the [U.S.] Department [of Education]'s understanding of Title IX reflected in [recent interpretation] letters must be given effectthereby resolving once and for all the current nationwide controversy generated by these directives, the Gloucester County district says in its appeal.

The district filed its appeal just weeks after it won a stay from the justices of a lower-court injunction that would have allowed a 17-year-old transgender student, Gavin Grimm, to use the boys restroom at his high school beginning in September.

The district also met its Aug. 29 target date for filing the appeal after asking Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. for an extra monthand getting a swift rejection from Roberts.

On the merits of the high-profile case, the school district said a federal appeals court had erred by giving deference to a U.S. Department of Education interpretation last year of its own regulations under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. That statute bars sex discrimination in federally funded schools, and the department issued a regulation in 1975 that made clear that schools could maintain separate restrooms and locker rooms for boys and girls.

The departments more recent interpretation of that rule is that schools must allow transgender students to use the restrooms and locker rooms corresponding to their gender identity. The interpretation was provided to the Gloucester County school system in the Grimm case by what the district calls a relatively low-level official"James Ferg-Cadima, who was the acting deputy assistant secretary for policy in the Education Departments office for civil rights.

The letter was never subjected to notice and comment under the Administrative Procedure Act, the district notes. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, in Richmond, Va., held this past April that the letter merited deference under a 1997 Supreme Court decision, Auer v. Robbins , which says that a federal agencys interpretation of its own ambiguous regulation should be given controlling weight unless the interpretation is plainly erroneous or inconsistent with the regulation or statute at issue. (I explored this issue more closely here .)

In May, the federal Departments of Education and Justice issued a Dear Colleague letter that clarified, in somewhat broader terms, the federal interpretation that transgender students should be allowed to use restrooms corresponding to their gender identity. That guidance was temporarily blocked this month by a federal judge ruling in a challenge brought by Texas and 10 other states.

In its appeal in Gloucester County School Board v. G.G. , the school district acknowledges the significance of the debate over transgender rights, but seeks to appeal to the interest expressed by some justices in reconsidering certain principles of administrative law, particularly the Auer decision.

Some regard transgender restroom access as one of the great civil-rights issues of our time, the appeal says. But that makes it all the more important to insist that federal officials follow the procedures for lawmaking prescribed in the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act.

At bottom, then, this case is not really about whether [Grimm] should be allowed to access the boys restrooms, nor even primarily about whether Title IX can be interpreted to require recipients to allow transgender students into the restrooms and locker rooms that accord with their gender identity, the appeal continues. Fundamentally, this case is about whether an agency employee can impose that policy in a piece of private correspondence. If the court looks the other way, then the agency officials in this caseand in a host of others to comewill have become a law unto themselves.

Lawyers for Grimm will have 30 days to respond to the appeal, and the justices will decide sometime this fall whether to take up the case in the term that begins Oct. 3.
With policymakers across the country increasingly worried about teacher shortages, one after another, state licensing authorities have been loosening certification rules.

In Utah, prospective teachers now only need a bachelors degree and a passing score on a content-area test to attain a license. Previously, these candidates were required to have years of practice teaching and some college-level education classes under their belt before being granted a license.

Wisconsin state superintendent Tony Evers recently announced a slew of changes to his states teacher licensing procedures to make it easier for retired and prospective teachers to get certified. Teachers with emergency one-year licenses will be allowed to renew their credentials even if they havent passed required tests yet. Retired teachers or those planning to retire will be given five-year licensure extensions without having to go through the additional training typically required.

In July, New York cleared the pathway for more out-of-state educators to get licensed to teach in the Empire State, dropping the requirement that teachers who are certified in other states take New Yorks own certification exams.

And back in May, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin signed a bill that creates a new pathway for teaching candidates who have a bachelors degree in and work experience related to a subject area. The bill leaves the details of how much and what type of work experience will be required to the states licensing board.

In all four cases, lawmakers cited concerns about teacher shortages.

The educator workforce shortage is one of the most critical public policy issues facing our state, Wisconsin superintendent Evers said in a statement . We must look for long- and short term solutions, identify what is driving shortages in Wisconsin and nationally, and search for actionable steps that can bring our schools and educators relief. Well-trained educational staff are critical partners in our work to prepare our kids for college and career.

While theres scarce evidence of a teacher-shortage crisis on the national level, research does support the idea that some states are experiencing serious shortages on account of high turnover rates and supply deficits. State teacher-licensure procedures, meanwhile, often make it cumbersome for out-of-state teachers to transfer their credentials to a new state.

According to federal data, Wisconsin and Oklahoma are experiencing widespread shortages across several content areas , while Utahs shortages are largely confined to STEM and special educationspecializations that most states struggle to find enough teachers to meet demand.

Even so, critics have questioned the impulse to loosen certification requirements, saying it could reduce teacher quality and diminish teachers professional status even further.

Utahs new rules have received the most scorn. Utah Education Association president Heidi Matthews has urged the board to rehash the new rules, saying they will only exacerbate inequalities, as rich districts will be able to hire more mentor teachers to get all the new inexperienced teachers up to speed.

Its a human-rights issue, she argued.
MNPs Sub-headquarter Implementing Committee also selected the partys township-level executive committee members on August 28.

We opened a branch office in Rangoon because there are many Mon people in Rangoon. This move is intended to gather them. We opened this office with the purpose of involving Rangoons Mon people in politics, too. We welcome every Mon person in Rangoon. We would like them to cooperate with us as members, said Nai Ngwe Thein, the partys chairman.

Nai Ngwe Thein delivering a speech at MNPs Tamwe Township office opening (Photo: MNA)

The Tamwe Township-level executive committee is comprised of 15 members, including Nai Mya Maung as chairman, Nai Tin Htay as vice-chairman and Min Pay Than as secretary.

Mon people in Rangoon have been afraid of involving themselves in politics in the past, especially those working as government staff and businesspersons. However, now the situation has changed. The population of Mon people in Rangoon is quite big. Therefore, we opened this first branch in this township as we want to gather all Mon people in the city, said Min Banyar San, secretary of MNPs sub-headquarter committee.

The MNP plans to continue to open more branch offices in other townships across Rangoon, also known as the Yangon Region.

I am Mon but speak very little Mon language. However, I would like to work for the Mon people and that is why I am now working at MNP, said Mi Nwe Nwe Linn, member of MNPs central executive committee.

50 MNP candidates competed in the 2015 elections for their respective constituencies in Mon State, Karen State and Tenasserim Division. However, of the 50 candidates, only 3 won seats; one for Amyotha Hluttaw and 2 for Mon State Hluttaw.

MNP was initially founded as the Mon National Democratic Front (MNDF) in 1988, and competed in the 1990 elections. However, it was dissolved by the then military government in 1992, while the partys senior leaders were put in prison by the military. After the quasi-democratic government took office, the MNP then registered as Mon Democracy Party in 2012, and then changed the name MNP in 2014.
See sample pages from this book at Wink.

An Unreliable History of Tattoos

by Paul Thomas

Nobrow Press

2016, 96 pages, 7.9 x 10.6 x 0.7 inches (hardcover)

$3 Buy a copy on Amazon

A minor celebrity/reality star, whose name I can't remember, said in a recent interview that she thinks of people without tattoos as being "unicorns" because they are so rare. It's true that today tattoos are much more popular than when I was a kid. In my day, only sailors or criminals had dye permanently etched into their bodies, but according to the graphic novel, An Unreliable History of Tattoos, inking people has been around since Day 1 (think Adam and Eve).

In his first book, award-winning British political cartoonist Paul Thomas loosely traces the origins of body art. There's definitely a focus on European (and specifically British) history in this book, but Thomas also pokes fun at a few famous Americans. Mixing fiction with facts, (honestly sometimes it's hard to tell what's real and what's made up) this book is interesting, humorous, and very unusual!

I don't know if the Upper Paleolithic man really punctured his skin with blunt twigs, nor do I know if King Harold II had his wife Edith's name tattooed on his chest way back in 1066. Should I believe Anne Boleyn's daughter, Princess Elizabeth, had her knuckles tattooed? Was Kings Charles II's chest covered in permanent ink with names of all his many bedroom conquests? According to this parody, Queen Victoria, Sir Winston Churchill, and even President Obama love body art too. An Unreliable History of Tattoos also touches on Japanese, Greek, Roman and Viking ink. If any, or all, or some of the fun facts in An Unreliable History of Tattoos are true, the thorny roses, tribal arm sleeves, and Mickey Mouse heads that show up on today's bodies are nothing compared to what came before them.

 Carole Rosner
An unprotected Kingo Solar database with the personal data and photos for thousands of off-the-grid electricity customers was accessible for months, reports Zack Whittaker at ZDnet. "Thousands of remote villagers in Guatemala and South Africa are living off the grid, but their personal information isn't," he writes.

The data insecurity issue in this story isn't theoretical, it's real and immediateand that's something Western product designers don't always consider, when dealing with at-risk users in developing nations where human rights are routinely violated, with impunity.

"Having the exact coordinates of homes and pictures of people living in the area that is something really powerful and dangerous, which can be easily abused," human rights attorney Renata Avila told Whitaker. "There have been numerous documented cases in recent years where human rights violations, like murders and private surveillance, have been linked to business interests in the region.

"In a country with thousands of murders per year, data theft and data leaks are very low priority," Avila says.

Snip from the ZDnet report:

Chris Vickery, lead security researcher of the MacKeeper security research team, discovered an unprotected database with no password over two months ago. Anyone who knew the database was there could access more than 40 gigabytes of customer data. (..) The database, run by Guatemala-based energy startup Kingo, has exposed the personal information of more than 18,800 customers, both in its home country and in South Africa. Since 2013, Kingo has supplied thousands of prepaid solar power systems to low-income and poverty stricken areas where traditional electricity supplies can't reach. The company provides, owns, and maintains the solar power technology used in each home, and customers top-up the device with prepaid codes, which are bought from authorized distributors  often local members of the community  and are punched into the device by the homeowner to run lightbulbs and charge cell phones for extended periods of time. But to get that far, customers must sign up by providing their state identification  usually a national ID card or a passport, and sign contracts which govern the terms of service, such as maintenance and malfunctions. Once a homeowner is registered, any data associated with that homeowner is stored and logged into the company platform, known as Ant, a cloud service which stores all information associated with a customer's details, contracts, energy usage, and support requests, and any other relevant data. It's believed that the company's Ant web database was left open for months on end.

Kingo says it has "taken immediate actions in order to secure the data," but the damage is done, and the users whose data was exposed effectively have no recourse. Way to go, Kingo.
BYD hybrid SUV Tang is seen during the 2015 Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao International Auto Show in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, June 6, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

BYD Co Ltd, a major Chinese new energy vehicle manufacturer, posted a first-half profit increase of 384 percent to 2.26 billion yuan (US$342 million) compared to the same period last year, mainly due to the increase in its new energy vehicle business.

Boosted by the rocketing profit, its Hong Kong shares on Monday rose by 3.9 percent at one point to HK$53 (US$6.8), and closed at HK$52.25.

Its revenue also grew by 43.74 percent year-on-year to 43.75 billion yuan in the first six months of 2016, 35 percent of which was from its new energy automobile business, according to its interim results published on Sunday.

The sales income of its new energy vehicle business developed rapidly by about 1.61 times year-on-year to 15.31 billion yuan.

The sales volume of its new energy automobiles surged by about 130 percent to approximately 49,000 units during the first six month, while its target for annual sales in 2016 is 120,000 units, Wang Chuanfu, chairman of BYD, said at a briefing on Monday.

He said the next half year is usually its busy season and he is confident that the company will accomplish the target, especially after the launch of more new vehicle models.

According to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, BYD's share of the new energy automobile market was approximately 27 percent in the first half of 2016 and the company has dominated the plug-in hybrid vehicle market with a 65 percent share.

New energy automobiles have become the highlight of China's automobile market. In the first half of 2016, its total sales surged 126.9 percent year-on-year to 170,000 units, according to CAAM statistics.
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The decline in China's national rail freight volume slowed in the first seven months.

Rail freight volume in the first seven months dropped 7.3 percent year on year, down from 7.5 percent for the first half and 7.7 percent for the first five months, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said Monday.

Railways carried 263 million tonnes of cargo in July, down 5.8 percent from a year ago, said the NDRC.
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Top Chinese legislator Zhang Dejiang said on Monday that China is willing to enhance solar and wind energy cooperation with Namibia.

"China will work with Namibia to turn their traditional friendship and political mutual trust into more productive cooperation in solar and wind energy, seawater desalination and ocean economy, agriculture, husbandry and fishery," Zhang said during talks with Namibian National Assembly speaker Peter Katjavivi.

The chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee said exchanges between legislative bodies are an important component of bilateral relations, calling on the NPC and the Namibian National Assembly to strengthen friendly ties and cooperation.

Katjavivi thanked China for its long-term support of and assistance to Namibia and expressed willingness to advance bilateral practical cooperation.

The Namibian National Assembly wants to enhance cooperation and exchanges with the NPC and learn from China's experiences in state governance, Katjavivi said.
President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for solid efforts to press ahead with the country's planned reforms in accordance with established timetable and roadmap.

The country should focus more on economic system reforms and improve fundamental mechanisms that support these overhauls, according to a statement released after a meeting of the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform, chaired by Xi.

The meeting passed a string of policies concerning green finance, intellectual property rights, resource allocation and poverty relief, among others.

Policymakers promised to "significantly reduce" the government's role in the direct allocation of resources and, instead, rely more on the power of the market, and improve intellectual property rights protection.

More will be done to encourage private investors to explore opportunities in environmentally friendly sectors, according to the statement.

Local authorities at all levels were ordered to fulfill their poverty relief responsibilities and improve land reforms for rural areas.

As part of efforts to improve the environment, a pilot environment damage compensation system will be rolled out across the regions of Jilin, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hunan, Chongqing, Guizhou and Yunnan.

While acknowledging the progress already made in major fields, the statement said that inspections were needed to review the implementation and results of the reforms.

Over the course of the 27 meetings convened by the leading group since December 2013, hundreds of measures have been designed and released to address various issues, including urbanization, poverty alleviation, innovation and the market's role in resource allocation.

The latest emphasis on reform came nearly three years after the key Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 2013, which featured a comprehensive reform package that covered 15 areas and 60 tasks.

China vowed that it would achieve "decisive results" in major reform areas by 2020.
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Three executives of a leading Tibetan medicine manufacturing company have been put under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline, according to the discipline inspection watchdog of Tibet Autonomous Region.

Kunga Norbu, chairman of Tibet Ganlu Tibetan Medicine Co., and the company's deputy general managers Purbu Zhoima and Wangdu, are under investigation, said the Tibet Discipline Inspection Commission of the Communist Party of China.

The commission announced its investigation into Purbu Zhoima on Monday. The other two were investigated last week.

Tibet Ganlu Tibetan Medicine Co., based in Lhasa, the regional capital,is a leading manufacturer of traditional Tibetan medicine, according to the company's website.
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China's top legislature has started its bimonthly session, with lawmakers discussing revisions to the draft laws on national defense transportation and film, among others.

The session will run until Saturday.

The draft legislation on national defense transport is being deliberated for the second time.

It covers the use of railways, waterways and air routes for defense purposes.

Also under discussion is a draft law which will require those in the film industry to maintain professional ethics.

This follows a series of scandals involving young actors and directors being busted for drug use the past few years, on top of film distributors and theatres fudging movie sales figures.

The new draft also streamlines requirements for government approvals for film shoots.

The National People's Congress is also mulling the concept of plea bargains in criminal cases, as well as amendments to the Marine Environmental Protection laws, which will hit polluters with stronger penalties.

Lawmakers are also going over the Paris Climate Change agreement for potential ratification ahead of next week's G20 Summit.
There is a Chinese proverb that says family issues are not for the public. But the recent legal enforcement of the rights of people suffering domestic violence in the country tells a different story.

The enactment of anti-domestic violence law in China last year has been considered one of the country's biggest steps to empowering victims seeking legal protection, said Julie Broussard, the UN Women Country Programme Manager in Beijing.

"Violence against women is not a private issue," Broussard said in her opening remarks at the Consultation Meeting on Implementation of Domestic Violence Law with Meaningful Engagement of Women Groups and Civil Society Organizations (COS) on Monday in Beijing. She called for victims inflicted by domestic violence to break their silence and learn about their legal rights.

The two-and-half day symposium, which opened on Aug. 28, focused on gender equality and anti-domestic violence measures in hopes of helping local women groups and social organizations provide their services in a more professional, comprehensive and effective way.

The anti-domestic violence law should never be singled out as an isolated legal system; on the contrary it involves a number of departments and sectors and interrelates with a comprehensive set of laws and regulations, said Qi Jianjian, Associate Professor of Law Institute at the China Academy of Social Sciences.

"We can collect big data from anti-domestic violence cases with the participation of numerous departments, institutions and social organizations in order to extend our influence by reflecting the tendencies and development of anti-domestic violence issues," Qi said.

Gender equality is considered an important issue for women when combating a patriarchal society, said Li Hongtao, a professor at China Women's University.

"We women still adopt our fathers' surnames, have men as the heads of the household and suffer humiliation when going through divorced," said Li. "The anti-domestic violence law is a critical attack against the old culture."

However, Li continued, the conciliation of family issues is a complicated task that cannot be fully effective when social workers only take action on a superficial level.

According to the professor, sometimes extreme domestic violence cases should not be mediated, because it may bring more danger to victims, while on other occasions, social workers are dissuaded to ask the victims to divorce when they don't have a full picture of the victims' families.

Experts believe that the implementation of anti-domestic violence law requires multilateral coordination involving government agencies responsible for civil affairs, social organizations and public security.

The police should intervene in domestic violence cases by issuing a warning to the perpetrators and monitoring their ensuing behaviors. The law issued in 2015 also covers marginalized groups of people, such as those living in cohabitation or fostered out of wedlock.

The symposium also gave floor to foreign experts who presented their countries' efforts in eliminating domestic violence.

Rosa Logar, the executive of the Vienna Intervention Center on Violence in the Family, said that a survey conducted in 2014 across 27 countries in the European Union showed that 62 million women  or one third of women in those countries  experienced physical or sexual abuse after the age of 15.

In August, 2014, the Istanbul Convention initiated by the European Council for the "Policy, Prevention, Provision, Protection and Prosecution" against domestic violence took effect. The signatories of the convention, including, Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France and the Netherlands, have expanded to more than 20 countries.

Logar said that anti-domestic violence initiatives in Austria started as early as 1978 in a population of more than 8 million people.

Kerstin Schinnerl, an expert from the Vienna Intervention Center on Violence in the Family highlighted the importance of education, saying, "Victims are empowered after being educated about their rights."
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The number of Chinese tourists traveling to France and Turkey has reportedly seen a marked decline following a series of terrorist attacks in the countries.

The number of foreign tourists heading to Paris has decreased by 15 percent while Turkey lost over 40 percent of tourists in 2016 compared to before the attacks, according to reports by oushinet.com. The figures are supported by interviews carried with major Chinese travel agencies by reporters from thepaper.cn.

Other European countries like Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Greece appear to have benefited from the trend.

These countries, which are perceived as being safer, are becoming popular destinations for wealthy Chinese tourists who see Europe as a shopping paradise.

The Italian city of Venice has reportedly been urged by UNESCO to come up with counter measures to tackle the rising tourist numbers.

It's also reported that some frightened Chinese tourists have opted to go to the U.S. and Australia because of the increasing number of terrorist attacks in Europe.
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Top U.S. diplomat John Kerry, who on Monday arrived in Dhaka for a visit, has stressed the urgency of closer cooperation with Bangladesh to better combat militancy and terrorism.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, Aug. 29, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Speaking at a program after meeting Prime Minister Sheikh, Kerry called for stepping up cooperation between the United States and Bangladesh.

"We're working with partners to make Bangladesh resilient against all odds," Kerry said.

Muslim-majority Bangladesh faces a growing threat of militant violence with a string of incidents this year including the killing of several liberal activists and attacks on minority Shi'ite Muslims, Christian priest, Hindu temples, bloggers and free-thinkers.

Before the wounds of the July 1 deadly terror attack at a Spanish restaurant in Dhaka, that left 22 people, including 18 foreigners and two police officers dead, had even begun to heal, Bangladesh suffered a fresh blow on July 7 when terrorists attacked Muslims' Eid prayers.

At least four people were killed, including two police officers and one of the attackers, after several explosions and gunfire took place at the entrance of the country's largest Sholakia Eid prayer venue in Kishoreganj district, some 117 km northeast of Dhaka, on the morning of July 7.

Against this backdrop, Dhaka has taken unprecedented security measures to further tighten its security protocols.

During the meeting with Hasina, Kerry expressed his government's keenness to support Bangladesh in fighting terrorism and militancy, said PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim .

Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali received Kerry shortly after an aircraft carrying him from Geneva touched down Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at about 10:10 a.m. local time.

During his nine-hour stay in Dhaka before leaving for New Delhi at about 7:00 p.m. (local time) on Monday to join 'US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, which is to be held on Aug. 30 , Kerry also met Bangladeshi civil society representatives and journalists.
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected on Monday the statements of German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel that the negotiations between the European Union (EU) and the United States over a free trade deal had de facto failed.

"The negotiations are still not over," said German government spokesman Steffen Seibert in Berlin on Merkel's behalf.

It was right to continue negotiating, said Merkel's spokesman, adding that although the EU and U.S. positions are partly different, decisive compromises were often only achieved in the last round of talks.

"The negotiations with the U.S. 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 on Weekend.

He has noted that the two sides could not agree on a single chapter of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) being discussed.

TTIP comprises of three main blocks, market access for EU and U.S. companies, cooperation on regulatory issues and global rules of trade such as sustainable development or competition policy.

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.
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The United States on Monday called on parties in Yemen to bring a halt to the fighting as soon as possible and finalize an agreement through the UN-facilitated process.

In a statement issued by the White House, Ned Price, spokesperson for the National Security Council, strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the army recruitment center in Aden, Yemen.

The suicide bombing that targeted an army recruiting compound in Aden on Monday morning has left at least 65 people killed and 55 injured. The Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

"The restoration of stability in Yemen is vital to prevent groups like al-Qaida and ISIL (IS), which has claimed responsibility for the attack, from taking further steps to exploit the political and security vacuum in the country," Price said.

Yemen, an impoverished Arab country, has been gripped by one of the most active insurgencies in the Middle East.

Militant extremists took advantage of the current security vacuum and the ongoing civil war to expand its influence and seize more territories in southern Yemen.

Security in Yemen has deteriorated since March 2015, when war broke out between the Shiite Houthi group, supported by former President Ali Abdullash Saleh, and the government backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition.

More than 6,400 people have been killed in ground battles and airstrikes since then, half of them civilians.
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Over two months following the Brexit vote, a clear plan for Britain's departure from the European Union (EU) is still nowhere in sight as feuding British politicians are at odds over the EU single market access.

British cabinet ministers are splitting over whether Britain should remain in the single market of the EU, London's major trading partner, at the price of an open border for EU workers.

Hardline Brexiteers prefer a complete exit from the internal market but those who advocate a slower and softer exit want to stay in the 28-member market to cushion the blow for the world's leading financial center.

British Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond is reportedly demanding his country retain access to the EU single market after the exit.

But Eurosceptic ministers such as Brexit Secretary David Davis and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox are calling for an entire departure from the bloc.

Leaders of the EU member states have earlier warned the UK that there will be no "cherry picking" in the Brexit negotiations.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has ruled out any possibility for Britain to secure access to the EU's internal market while limit freedom of movement at the same time in her tough response to the union's first exit since its foundation nearly six decades ago.

Uncertainty also remains regarding whether a UK parliamentary vote should be held on Brexit before opening negotiations to formally trigger Britain's withdrawal from the EU.

Opponents of Brexit insist that the EU referendum result, which is advisory in nature, should be approved by a vote in the Commons before the formal mechanism to leave the EU is triggered.

Remain-supporting politicians including Labour leadership candidate Owen Smith has suggested that parliamentary vote could be used to stop Brexit.

The former UK shadow work and pensions secretary has added another twist to the already complex issue by vowing to block formal negotiations with EU leaders until the British government offers a second EU referendum or calls a general election to approve its final Brexit deal.

Amid pressure to end the government split, Prime Minister Theresa May called an extraordinary cabinet meeting on Wednesday, when ministers are expected to spell out what Brexit means for the single market and hammer out a clear exit plan.

May has pledged to "make a success" of Brexit but ruled out a swift trigger of the formal exit mechanism earlier than the end of this year.
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U.S. President Barack Obama will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in China, the White House said Monday.

Obama will discuss with the Turkish leader the circumstances in the country since the attempted coup, the campaign against the Islamic State group, Syria, and the refugee crisis, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters.

It will be the first meeting between Obama and Erdogan since the failed attempted coup in Turkish last month.

The meeting will come at a time when the failed coup attempt in Turkey has left relations between Washington and Ankara in a state of uncertainty.

Erdogan blamed the followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric living in exile in Pennsylvania, the United States, for the coup attempt and demanded his extradition.

The United States has insisted that the cleric would only be extradited as a result of a legal process according to the relevant laws and treaties.

The 11th G20 summit is to be held on Sept. 4-5 in China' s eastern city of Hangzhou. Following the summit, Obama will travel to Laos, the first ever U.S. presidential visit to the Southeast Asia country, according to Rhodes.
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Suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff attends a Senate impeachment trial in Brasilia, Brazil, Aug. 29, 2016. Brazilian leader Dilma Rousseff, twice elected president as the candidate of a left-leaning alliance led by the Workers' Party (PT), will undergo one of the most critical moments of her political career. (Xinhua/Li Ming)

Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff on Monday fielded questions from senators in day four of her impeachment trial.

After a 45-minute address in her own defense, Senators began to cross-examine Rousseff on charges her government lied about the size of the fiscal deficit to ensure her re-election to a second term.

"I did not lie in the electoral process," Rousseff responded to a question from Senator Magno Malta, according to the Agencia Brasil news agency.

"Nobody knew that we would have a more than 40-dollar drop" in the price of a barrel of oil, she said, in explaining discrepancies in the fiscal accounts.

After taking questions from 19 senators, Ricardo Lewandowski, the president of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), predicted that the cross-examination could last until 11 p.m. local time. There are 81 senators in total and each can take five minutes to pose questions.

Starting Tuesday, the senators will vote on whether or not to impeach Rousseff.

The former presidential candidate of the conservative Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB), Aecio Neves, who lost to Rousseff in 2014 presidential elections, described her testimony as "evasive".

Neves, now a PSDB senator, told reporters during the first break in questioning that Rousseff's testimony would not sway lawmakers convinced of her guilt.

"A political speech, evasive and inconsistent in terms of responding to the crimes she is charged with. My assessment is that none of this will change the outcome, but we are going to properly comply with all of the rituals outlined by the Federal Supreme Court, calmly and responsibly," said Neves.

Not all the Senators were hostile to Rousseff, Agencia Brasil reported.

Instead of using her allotted time to question Rousseff, Senator Katia Abreu listed the president's accomplishments, especially in agriculture.

Abreu also noted the impeachment process was launched by former Lower House Speaker Eduardo Cunha, a political ally-turned-adversary of Rousseff and her left-leaning Worker's Party (PT).

The "trial was born of the nasty revenge of Eduardo Cunha and of the greed for power," said Abreu. Cunha reportedly turned on the PT after the party decided not to protect him from being investigated for corruption by the congressional ethics committee.
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Clashes and protests broke out at several places in restive India-controlled Kashmir Monday after authorities relaxed curfew in majority of the areas, officials said.

The curfew was relaxed after a period of 51 days in most of the parts except southern town of Pulwama and two areas in Srinagar city Maharaj Gunj and Nowhatta.

However, reports pouring in from most of the places said anti-India protests broke out with angry youth taking to streets chanting slogans "Go India Go Back" and "We want - Freedom". The protesters clashing with police and paramilitary personnel by throwing brickbats and stones on them, who responded by firing tear gas shells.

A police spokesman said curfew was lifted following improvement in situation. However, it said some people in their effort to disturb the situation pelted stones on police deployments.

"Minor incidents of stone pelting were reported from Srinagar, Anantnag, Kulgam, Sopore, Kupwara and Bandipora," the spokesman said. "Except for these incidents, overall situation remained peaceful and under control."

Locals in Srinagar said restrictions were imposed in several areas of Srinagar immediately after the clashes.

Large-scale protests against New Delhi's rule are going on in the Muslim majority areas of the restive region since July 8, following the killing of a top militant commander.

So far 68 civilians and two Indian policemen were killed, and thousands of others including government forces personnel were injured in the ongoing unrest. Despite prolonged curfew and restrictions to clampdown on protesters, there seems to be no end to the cycle of clashes and protests.

Reports said an all party delegation from New Delhi headed by Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh would visit Kashmir this weekend to reach out to Kashmiris. Singh last week told media in Srinagar city that Indian government would soon come up with an alternative to pellet guns, which are currently used to control street protests.

Indian-controlled Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday called on Indian Prime Minster in New Delhi over the Kashmir situation. Mufti strongly defends the government forces and claims only five per cent people in restive region were resorting to agitation and remaining 95 per cent people want to resolve the Kashmir issue through peaceful means.

A separatist movement and guerrilla war challenging New Delhi's rule is going on in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their Independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.

The weeks of turbulence in Indian-controlled Kashmir has added a new confrontation in the already strained relations between the two countries.
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The Institute of Forensic and Criminology (NICC) of Belgium, based in Brussels, was hit by an arson early Monday morning, with no casualties reported.

The fire severely damaged the laboratories in the NICC, where important information concerning several ongoing investigations and legal cases were stored and analyzed.

"We are clearly talking about a criminal act," said Brussels prosecutor's office spokeswoman Ine van wymersch. "This location was not chosen randomly."

Van wymersch said it is without doubt that several people would benefit if elements from their legal cases were destroyed.

Several perpetrators forced their way into the NICC premises at around 2:00 a.m. local time with a car to reach the building wing where the laboratories were situated.

Five people were arrested for questioning, but were all released later on.

As for the explosion heard by several people nearby, Van wymersch said its cause remain unknown.
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The Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that struck an army recruiting center in Yemen's southern port city of Aden on Monday, which killed at least 65 and injured more than 80 others.

Yemenis inspect the site of a suicide car bombing claimed by the Islamic State group on August 29, 2016 at an army recruitment centre in the southern Yemeni city of Aden. [Photo/Xinhua]

The claim came in a short statement posted on Twitter by the group's semi-official Amaq news agency.

The agency, affiliated with the IS, claimed that the attack conducted by a jihadist fighter killed about 60 new recruits.

Medical sources in Aden told Xinhua the death toll has risen to about 65 and that more than 80 others were injured in the attack.

Earlier in the day, the medical charity Medicins Sans Frontieres said on Twitter that its hospital in Aden received 45 dead and at least 60 wounded from suicide blast.

Aden-based security sources said that a suicide bomber slammed his explosives-laden car into a gathering of army recruits near a school in Aden's Mansourah neighborhood.

The source said that the explosion took place at the school's courtyard where hundreds of army recruits gathered.

The targeted army recruits joining a pro-government force that will be moved toward the Saudi border, the source said on condition of anonymity.

On Sunday, high-ranking pro-government officials confirmed to Xinhua that they are planning to recruit and train more than 5,000 young fighters from the government-controlled southern provinces to join the fighting with the Saudi Border Guard Forces against Houthi rebels.

Yemen, an impoverished Arab country, has been gripped by one of the most active insurgencies in the Middle East.

Militant extremists took advantage of the current security vacuum and the ongoing civil war to expand its influence and seize more territories in southern Yemen.

Security in Yemen has deteriorated since March 2015, when war broke out between the Shiite Houthi group, supported by former President Ali Abdullash Saleh, and the government backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition.

More than 6,400 people have been killed in ground battles and airstrikes since then, half of them civilians.
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At the upcoming summit between U.S. President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, the two sides are to build on the progress made on bilateral cooperation and address their differences, the White House said Monday.

On the eve of the G20 summit to be held next week in China, Obama and Xi will hold an "extensive bilateral meeting" on Saturday, Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, told a White House news briefing.

Obama is also expected to attend a small dinner hosted by President Xi, Rhodes said.

"And this will build on the work that we've done in our previous travel to Beijing, which included the historic breakthrough announcement on cooperation on climate change and also the engagements we've had here in Washington and Sunnylands with President Xi Jinping," Rhodes said.

He was referring to the previous engagements between the two presidents, including their first informal summit held at the Sunnylands estate in California in 2013 and Xi's first state visit to Washington last September.

At the upcoming summit, the two leaders will review all of the issues that have been front and center in the U.S.-China relationship for the last seven and a half years, Rhodes noted.

On the positive side, they will review the progress that has been made on the global economy, climate change, the shared efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons through the Iran deal, and the shared concerns about the situation on the Korean Peninsula, he said.

At the same time, the two leaders will also address differences, such as cyber issues, economic practices, maritime issues, and human rights, Rhodes said.

They will try to see where the two sides can make progress on working together on areas of common interest or bridging some of the differences that have been characteristic of the relationship, he added.

The 11th G20 summit is to be held on Sept. 4-5 in China's eastern city of Hangzhou under the theme of "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy."

It is expected to make an action plan on implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and to focus more on development issues with an aim to inject new impetus into the world economy and promote global consensus on development.
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Marking the International Day against Nuclear Tests, senior United Nations officials Monday called for the entry into force of a multilateral treaty that bans all nuclear explosions, for both civilian and military purposes, in all environments.

"Today marks a quarter of a century since the closure of the Semipalatinsk test site in Kazakhstan, ground zero for more than 450 nuclear tests," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message for the Day. "The victims there are joined by others scattered across Central Asia, North Africa, North America and the South Pacific."

"A prohibition on all nuclear testing will end this poisonous legacy," Mr. Ban added, noting that it will boost momentum for other disarmament measures by showing that multilateral cooperation is possible, and it will build confidence for other regional security measures, including a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction.

In 2009, the UN General Assembly declared 29 August the International Day against Nuclear Tests through the unanimous adoption of a resolution to that effect. It also called for increasing awareness and education "about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions and the need for their cessation as one of the means of achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world." The resolutions adoption also commemorated the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakhstan in 1991.

In his message, Mr. Ban also noted that this year marked the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) by the Assembly.

"Given the catastrophic risks posed by nuclear weapons to our collective human and environmental security  even our very existence  we must reject this stalemate," said the UN chief.

To date, 183 countries have signed the treaty and 164 have ratified CTBT. For the treaty to enter into force, ratification is required from the so-called Annex 2 States. Of these, China, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the United States, have yet to ratify it.

"Those States whose ratification is required to bring the treaty into force should not wait for others. Even one ratification can act as a circuit breaker," Mr. Ban said in his message, calling on all countries and peoples to work for CTBTs prompt entry into force on the path towards a nuclear-weapon-free world.

He also stressed the power of political will that can break longstanding deadlocks, as demonstrated in the adoption of ambitious new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft, in his message for the Day, said that CTBT must also be seen as "an important tool in our endeavour to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons," adding his voice to the call on those States which have not yet done so to sign and ratify CTBT to enable its entry into force.

Mr. Lykketoft also noted that moratoriums on nuclear testing have had a positive impact on the international security environment, and he recalled the need for continued systematic and sustained efforts to reduce nuclear weapons globally and fulfil the ultimate objective of general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.

Mr. Lykketoft noted that to enhance awareness and education about the effects of nuclear test explosions and the need for their cessation, he will convene an informal General Assembly plenary meeting on Wednesday at the UN Headquarters.
China Aid

Reported in Chinese by Qiao Nong. Edited in English by Ava Collins.

(Guiyang, GuizhouAug. 12, 2016) According to his lawyers, Yang Hua, a house church pastor charged with divulging state secrets, could stand trial as soon as this month. Yang has been detained in Chinas Guizhou Province for more than eight months.

Yang Hua preaching in an undated

picture. (Photo: China Aid)

Yang Hua, the commonly used pseudonym of Li Guozhi, served as a pastor for the frequently persecuted Huoshi Church until he was detained by authorities on Dec. 9, 2015. What was originally slated as two consecutive five-day detentions was extended on Dec. 20, when he was accused of illegally possessing state secrets. The charge was intensified to divulging state secrets on Jan. 22, when Yang was formally arrested.

One of Yangs attorneys, Zhao Yonglin, was allowed to meet with him on Aug. 5 and discovered that the Nanming District Procuratorate had submitted a videotape to the court as evidence in the case.

Attorney Zhao visited Yang Hua yesterday, Wang Hongwu, Yangs wife, told the reporter. He said he had reviewed all of the case files and the case is likely to be tried in August. He said that Yang Hua was doing well and told us not to worry about him. [Yang] is concerned that we get too worried about his wellbeing. He would feel more at peace if were not too worried for him.

Though no official date for the trial has been announced, Yangs lawyers believe it will be soon.

Throughout his detention, authorities have refused to let Yang see his family or legal representation and have reportedly used threats and various methods of torture in attempts to extract a confession from him.

China Aid supports cases similar to Yang Huas through the legal defense fund and provides aid for the families of prisoners. Those wishing to get involved with the Free Yang Hua campaign can sign a petition for his release, make a donation, or spread awareness on social media with the hashtag #FreeYangHua.

China Aid Media Team

Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985

Email: [email protected]

For more information, click here
By Anurag Kotoky, Kyunghee Park, Bloomberg News | Aug. 30, 2016

China Southern Airlines Co., Asia's largest carrier by passengers, kicked off the country's airline earnings by saying its profits were dented by currency losses while low-fare carrier Spring Airlines Co. reported a 19 percent jump.

Net income at China Southern fell 10 percent in the six months to June to 3.12 billion yuan (US$467 million) from 3.48 billion yuan a year earlier, the airline said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange late Monday. The foreign-exchange loss of 1.5 billion yuan in the period, a 10-fold surge, compares with the 5.95 billion yuan reported for all of 2015.

China Southern also said it will consider hedging jet fuel, breaking from a past strategy that has provided a cushion against a surprise yuan devaluation in August 2015. Chinese carriers are projected to double their fleet in the next 20 years as the region transforms into the world's biggest aviation market. China Southern expects the industry to maintain a passenger volume growth of as much as 10 percent.

"We actively responded to drastic fluctuations of exchange rate, optimized the currency structure of liability, and through advanced repayment of U.S. dollar liabilities and swap of U.S. dollar obligations under finances leases, the proportion of U.S. dollar liabilities was reduced," China Southern said in the statement.

Ideal Level

Sales at China Southern increased 1.4 percent to 54.1 billion yuan. Separately, Hainan Airlines Co., the country's fourth-largest carrier, reported a 4.4 percent gain in first-half profit to 1.67 billion yuan, while Spring, the nation's biggest budget carrier, said net income climbed to 740 million yuan.

Chinese carriers, which usually don't hedge jet fuel prices, are among the handful of airlines around the world to benefit the most from a slump in fuel prices. Fuel costs fell 23 percent to 10.3 billion yuan during the first six month, China Southern said. While prices aren't expected to rise "dramatically," the company will closely monitor the market and "will carry out hedging operations when fuel prices reach the ideal level," it said.

Air China Ltd., China Eastern Airlines Corp. and China Southern -- the nation's top three carriers -- are expanding their international flights to offer more direct routes to the U.S., Australia and Europe to better compete with rivals such as Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. and the Middle Eastern airlines.

Dollar Debt

The airlines sold a combined 106.3 billion yuan of bonds in the first seven months of this year, a fivefold increase from a year ago, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The yuan's devaluation last year led to an 18-fold surge in foreign-exchange losses to about US$2.4 billion for the top three operators in 2015, as dollar debt accounted for as much as 80 percent of their total, the data show.

China Southern increased its debt exposure in the local currency to 50.8 percent of total at the end of the first half, from 31.7 percent at the end of December, after the airline pared its U.S. dollar debt, the company said. Every 1 percent fluctuation in the yuan against the greenback could impact its profit by 309 million yuan, it said.

The airline carried 2.2 percent more passengers in the first half as more people traveled overseas. Traffic on international flights jumped 30 percent, while demand on domestic services grew 1 percent, the company said.

Related News:

China's Three Biggest Airlines Face US$1.3 Billion Currency Losses
BUENOS AIRES - Argentinian Foreign Affairs Minister Susana Malcorra on Monday praised China's development policy as "consistent and coherent in the long term."

Speaking at a seminar held at the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange on China's role in Latin American industry, Malcorra said the Asian giant has made notable progress in the last three decades in keeping with its own farsighted development programs.

"While in the 1980s, Latin America's GDP (gross domestic product) surpassed China's by 150 percent, in 2013 it represented 60 percent of China's GDP," said Malcorra, who will travel to China on Wednesday, accompanying President Mauricio Macri to attend Group of 20 (G20) Summit.

The 11th G20 summit is to be held on Sept 4-5 in China's eastern city of Hangzhou under the theme of "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy."

The minister called for greater efforts to understand and learn "what it means to have ties with China, a country that plans for the long term."

"China is consistent and coherent in the long term. Food security is one of the major issues that concerns many regions of the world, including China, and that is an opportunity for the region," said Malcorra.

"If we begin to understand its long-term outlook, perhaps we can forge a position for the region that will facilitate the relationship," she said.

China is Argentina's second largest trade partner, after Brazil, and main export destination for agrifoods, and the two countries have elevated ties to the level of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

At the same event, Lucio Castro, secretary of productive transformation at the Ministry of Production, also underscored bilateral ties with the Asian country, saying "China is an important, essential partner of Argentina's."

"As President Mauricio Macri has noted, we are going through a new stage, marked by more balanced trade," said Castro.

"The relationship with China is important, because the national productive plan aims for an intelligent insertion into the world, taking care of employment, and because the focus of the plan is to try to break with a growth scheme based on crises, currency exchange adjustments and collapsed wages instead of competitivity," said Castro.

"China presents a challenge and an opportunity for Argentina, due to its structural change from an export-driven economy to a consumer-driven one," Castro said.
BEIJING - Chinese legislators began their first reading of draft amendments to four laws regulating foreign and Taiwanese investment Monday.

During its bimonthly session, the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee will consider provisions that may allow foreign and Taiwanese investors to start businesses across China as easily as in the four free trade zones (FTZ).

The four laws include the Law on Foreign-Capital Enterprises, the Law on Chinese-Foreign Equity Joint Ventures, the Law on Chinese-Foreign Contractual Joint Ventures, and the Law on the Protection of Investment of Taiwan Compatriots.

In two temporary resolutions in 2013 and 2014, the NPC Standing Committee authorized the State Council to bypass these laws and allow foreign and Taiwanese investors to establish firms in Shanghai, Guangdong, Tianjin and Fujian FTZs without government approval. Such investors are only required to report business plans to local regulators as long as their business is not on a "negative list."

The first temporary adjustment will expire on September 30 and the government now needs a new, long-term legal basis, proven to be "effective".

"The trials in the four FTZs had notable effects in the last two years," China's Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng told the lawmakers Monday.

The time required to set up a business in the FTZs was reduced to less than three days from more than 20 days.

In the first half of 2016, a total of 4,923 foreign-funded firms were established in the four FTZs, investing 359 billion yuan (about $54 billion).

According to a poll conducted by the Development Research Center of the State Council, 90.9 percent of firms surveyed said the new mechanisms encouraged foreign companies to "increase" or "substantially increase" investment in China. All respondents believed it is now "easier" or "much easier" to start a business.

Now it is time to expand the trials, Gao told the NPC session.

The proposed expansion comes at a time when the total world foreign investment this year will likely drop by 10 percent to 15 percent, according to a report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. In the first half of 2016, foreign investment in China grew 5.1 percent, slowing from 6.4 percent for the whole of 2015.

"The expansion of the negative list mechanism will increase China's attractiveness for foreign investment," said Xing Houyuan, a researcher with the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOC).

The MOC said it will work on a nationwide negative list for foreign investment, if the top legislature passes the bill.

The broader cancellation of government approvals will be a test for China's capability to regulate foreign-funded business and ward off risks, according to Ye.
P. Sommerfeld, a US captain, discusses the flight path with a co-pilot in the cockpit of a China Eastern Airlines plane in Shanghai. YIN LIQIN/FOR CHINA DAILY

Chinese airlines' demand for captains is mind-boggling: 100 pilots a week for the next 20 years

Chinese airlines need to hire almost 100 pilots a week for the next 20 years to meet skyrocketing travel demand. Facing a shortage of candidates at home, carriers are dangling lucrative pay packages at foreigners with cockpit experience.

Giacomo Palombo, a former United Airlines pilot, said he's being bombarded every week with offers to fly Airbus A320s in China. Regional carrier Qingdao Airlines promises as much as $318,000 a year. Sichuan Airlines, which flies to Canada and Australia, is pitching $302,000. Both airlines said they'll also cover his income tax bill in China.

"When the time to go back to flying comes, I'll definitely have the Chinese airlines on my radar," said Palombo, 32, now an Atlanta-based consultant for McKinsey & Co who said he was speaking in his personal capacity and not his employer's. "The financials are attractive."

Air traffic over China is set to almost quadruple in the next two decades, making the country the world's busiest market, according to Airbus Group SE.

Startup carriers barely known abroad are paying about 50 percent more than what some senior captains earn at Delta Air Lines Inc, and they're giving recruiters from the United States to New Zealand free rein to fill their captains' chairs.

With some offers reaching $26,000 a month in net pay, pilots from emerging markets including Brazil and Russia can quadruple their salaries in China, said Dave Ross, Las Vegas-based president of Wasinc International Ltd. Wasinc is recruiting for more than a dozen mainland carriers, including Chengdu Airlines, Qingdao Airlines and Ruili Airlines.

"When we ask an airline, 'How many pilots do you need?' they said, 'Oh, we can take as many as you bring," Ross said. "It's almost unlimited."

Recruits preferring to live outside China earn a bit less but are offered free flights home to visit family members. Also on the negotiating table: signing bonuses, overtime pay and contract-completion payouts. Earlier this year, Ross saw the monthly paycheck of a pilot he placed at Beijing Capital Airlines: $80,000.

"I looked at that and thought, 'Man, I'm in the wrong line of business', Ross said from Vienna, where he was interviewing candidates for Chengdu Airlines. "They can live like a king."

By comparison, the average annual salary for senior pilots at major US airlines such as Delta is $209,000, according to KitDarby.com Aviation Consulting. Some US regional airlines pay $25,000 or less, according to the Airline Pilots Association.

Aviation is booming in China, where the number of airlines has increased 28 percent to 55 in the past five years. The fleet has more than tripled in a decade to 2,650, according to the Civil Aviation Industry Statistics Report.

The growing ranks of low-cost airlines favor single-aisle jets such as the A320, which can seat about 180 people. With passenger numbers in China increasing 11 percent last year, carriers are scheduling more flights to handle demand. And that requires more captains.

Offering a fat paycheck is the only option for the newest carriers because they have minimal brand recognition and a limited performance record, said Liz Loveridge, who's responsible for China recruitment at Rishworth Aviation in Auckland. Chinese airlines are paying as much as five times more than some Asian rivals for new hires, she said.

"They can't attract people through any other means," Loveridge said. "They think money's the only answer."

A French stewardess serves passengers on a plane of China Eastern Airlines. Yin Liqin / FOR CHINA DAILY

The lucrative packages go some way toward compensating recruits for relatively long waits that precede their deployment in operations. It might take two years for a pilot to start work in China after applying for a job.

"It's the documentation, the work permits, the immigration, the medicals," she said. "They say they want pilots, but there aren't the resources."

About 30,000 pilots fly for Air China, China Eastern Airlines and dozens of competitors, while about 2,200 foreign pilots have transport licenses, according to the government's Annual Report of Chinese Pilot Development. South Korea, the US and Mexico contribute the most expatriates, and there's also a lone Zimbabwean aviator.

Foreigners willing to captain a Boeing 737 for Urumqi Airlines can earn $21,333 a month, according to recruiter VOR Holdings. They would be based in Urumqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

VOR also advertises similar roles at Xiamen Airlines, with annual pay potentially topping $332,000.

"There aren't a lot of expat pilots who really want to go to China," said Richard Laig, Manila-based partner for the Asia-Pacific region at consultancy Mango Aviation Partners Ltd. "There are places that are more comfortable."

The imported aviators may do more than just chip away at a pilot shortagethey can bring decades of experience to the flight deck. The Asia-Pacific region's accident ratenot just crashes but incidents such as landing gear malfunctionshas increased since 2011, according to the International Air Transport Association.

That safety record also is worse than the global one. In Asia Pacific, there were 3.2 accidents per million flights last year, compared with a worldwide rate of 1.8 per million. The Bloomberg Asia Pacific Airlines Index has declined about 10 percent this year.

"Some of the airlines see some value in having a Western accent in the cockpit," Loveridge said. "They've got experience."

Bloomberg
After two aborted test flights in as many days following a faulty air-conditioning system, Japan's first locally built passenger jet was back for checks and fixes amid delays to a program aimed at challenging the dominance of Brazil's Embraer SA and Canada's Bombardier Inc.

Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp, the builder of the Mitsubishi Regional Jet, will make a decision on resuming its test flight to the United States after the problem has been fixed, Spokesman Kenichi Takemori said from Nagoya on Monday. The company has delayed delivery of the aircraft at least four times. ANA Holdings Inc is scheduled to receive the first MRJ in the middle of 2018.

Mitsubishi Aircraft, a unit of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd, is trying to break the regional-jet duopoly of Embraer and Bombardier. Mitsubishi's MRJ, which can seat as many as 92 people, is getting a boost as Bombardier focuses on building CSeries jets that will be able to carry as many as 160 passengers, rather than renewing its lineup of planes with fewer than 100 seats.

The air-conditioner issue isn't likely to cause another postponement, said Kenjin Hotta, an analyst at Macquarie Capital Securities (Japan) Ltd. "It sounds like the planes will be on their way sooner or later," he said. "I am not terribly concerned."

The plane is the first of four that the firm plans to fly to the US for testing as the company works toward getting certification in the world's largest economy. It returned to Nagoya after aborting the trip mid-flight as it headed to the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.

The consecutive disrupted journeys underscore the challenges in building and testing new passenger aircraft, which can bedevil even long-established planemakers such as Boeing Co and Airbus Group SE.

Bloomberg
BEIJING - Top Chinese legislator Zhang Dejiang said on Monday that China is willing to enhance solar and wind energy cooperation with Namibia.

"China will work with Namibia to turn their traditional friendship and political mutual trust into more productive cooperation in solar and wind energy, seawater desalination and ocean economy, agriculture, husbandry and fishery," Zhang said during talks with Namibian National Assembly speaker Peter Katjavivi.

The chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee said exchanges between legislative bodies are an important component of bilateral relations, calling on the NPC and the Namibian National Assembly to strengthen friendly ties and cooperation.

Katjavivi thanked China for its long-term support of and assistance to Namibia and expressed willingness to advance bilateral practical cooperation.

The Namibian National Assembly wants to enhance cooperation and exchanges with the NPC and learn from China's experiences in state governance, Katjavivi said.
Zhongan Online P&C Insurance Co, with more than 400 million customers, is targeting an initial public offering in the next 12 to 18 months with a preference to list in Hong Kong.

The company would consider a pre-IPO private funding round to attract global investors and provide strategic value to its insurance business, Chief Financial Officer John Bi said.

The company hasn't ruled out the United States as a listing venue, and is currently studying both markets, he added.

Backed by giants Ant Financial and Tencent Holdings Ltd, Zhongan works with internet companies to provide policies for China's younger users in the automotive, health care and online shopping sectors.

The company operates in an online insurance market that is expected to reach 2 trillion yuan ($300 billion) by 2025, a 10-fold increase from last year, according to Shanghai-based consultant IResearch.

Hong Kong's listing "momentum is good," Bi said on Monday. "For our next round of private fundraising, we are looking to attract influential global insurance or technology shareholders to endorse our development."

Zhongan focuses on users who are used to simple procedures when shopping online and have no patience to fill in traditional insurance application forms, Bi said.

He declined to say how much the company would seek to raise or the potential valuation except to compare Zhongan to global technology giants.

"We think of our peers as disruptive technology companies including Google, Amazon and Apple" instead of traditional insurance companies.

Google owner Alphabet Inc has a price to earnings ratio of about 30, while Amazon trades at 191 times profit. China's Ping An Insurance (Group) Co has a PE ratio of 10.

Zhongan completed an A series funding round in May last year to raise about $1 billion at a valuation of about $8 billion, Bi said.

The company expects policy revenue to rise as much as 150 percent this year from the 2.28 billion yuan it booked in 2015, he said, declining to disclose more financial details.

Ant Financial, formally known as Zhejiang Ant Small & Micro Financial Services Group, is Zhongan's largest shareholder with a 16 percent stake.

Tencent and Ping An each hold 12 percent stakes. It also counts Morgan Stanley, China International Capital Corp and CDH Investments as investors, according to Bi.

Zhongan's flagship product is one that allow merchants who sell on Alibaba Group Holding Ltd cover shipping losses when customers return goods, ranging anywhere from 10 to 100 yuan, depending on the performance history of the seller.

It also provides insurance to customers of Xiaomi Corp to protect the screens of new smartphones and is creating a service to lower premiums to drivers with good records.

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BERLIN - The G20 has become a representative, equitable and effective mechanism for global governance. Holding the presidency this year, China would like to strengthen cooperation with Germany, the host next year, and make joint efforts to revive the world economy, said Chinese Ambassador to Germany Shi Mingde on Monday.

"Good cooperation between China and Germany under the G20 framework is important for the success of the mechanism," Shi said in an interview with Xinhua ahead of the G20 summit in China's eastern city of Hangzhou.

"On the issue of global economic and financial governance, China and Germany have lots of common grounds," he said, citing both countries' preference for real economy, and support for structural reforms.

"Both sides believe that sustainable recovery of the world economy could not depend solely on fiscal stimulation and easy monetary policies," Shi added.

China chose "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy" as the theme for this year's G20 summit, and set innovation, structural reforms, trade and investment, and sustainable development as the main topics.

"The Hangzhou summit is likely to achieve nearly 30 major results, which will make it the most fruitful one compared with previous summits," said Shi.

According to the ambassador, China and Germany have been communicating with each other intensively in preparation for the Hangzhou summit. Such coordination will continue with an aim to ensure successful G20 meetings in both this year and next.

"As the first international economic governance mechanism participated equitably by developed countries and developing countries, G20 offers a good dialogue platform for major economies," Shi said, "It enhances the coordination of its member states and improves the unification and sustainability of their policies."

He added that by hosting the G20 summit this year, China gets an opportunity to participate in global economic governance in a broader scale and higher level, and to make better contribution to the stability and development of the world economy.

"On both China and the whole world, the G20 summit this year will have very huge and deep influence," the ambassador said.

He noted that via structural reforms, China has shifted its economic driving force and improved the quality of its growth.

The Chinese economy grew at an average annual level of 7.3 percent from 2011 to 2015, compared to the world average of 2.4 percent.

"Despite the existence of some downward pressure, the Chinese economy retains potential for medium-high speed growth," Shi said, "At the moment when global recovery remains subdued, China helps support the stability of world economy."

Citing the Belt and Road initiative, BRICS Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the ambassador said China is contributing its wisdom and solutions to global economic governance.

"In the future, China's role as an engine of global economic growth will be more enhanced," he said.
Chinese e-commerce companies are expressing concerns about a perceived trend toward anti-globalization ahead of this year's G20 Summit in Hangzhou.

Alibaba founder Jack Ma is among those publically concerned about the trend e-commerce firms say they've been seeing in recent months.

"People don't like globalization, not because globalization is bad. If globalization can really benefit everybody, enable every individual, enable small business, and that would be a great stuff. So we've given our proposal."

Hangzhou-based Alibaba is among those who have been pushing for an electronic World Trade Platform, or e-WTP.

The idea would be to let small businesses to trade globally through e-commerce.

The concept itself has been compared to an online version of the World Trade Organization, as it would share similar goals of promoting global trade and fighting protectionism.

However, Jack Ma says there would be differences between an e- World Trade Platform and the WTO.

"Organization is like a treaty or an agreement agreed by the government, so rules and laws. For platform, we should set up another very feasible way for small business to do it."

At the same time, other leading Chinese business figures are also calling on G20 leaders for policy changes to address global trade.

Ning Gaoning is the Sinochem Group, a Chinese energy and chemicals conglomerate.

"We need to reduce all these protectionism measures, rolling back the old ones, and reducing all these kinds of small, regional trading agreement, which turn out to be complicated."

Ning Gaoning says corporate leaders are hoping to see the G20 focus on eliminating protectionist measures during next week's sessions.
video video video

China's new contribution in helping improve global sustainable infrastructure, green financing and international development during its G20 presidency are impressive and should be followed by Germany when it takes the reins next year, according to a prominent German think-tank expert.

While the leaders are busy preparing to the 11th gathering in Hangzhou, provincial capital of Zhejiang on 4-5 September, German Development Institute Director Dirk Messner said China has brought new dimensions to the G20 Leaders Summit platform which has "traditionally" focused on global growth and economic governance reform since the first meeting was held in Washington at the height of the financial crisis in late 2008.

German Development Institute Director Dirk Messner

"Looking at China's presidency agenda, there are several things which are very important from Germany's perspectives and we think-tanks could work as bridges to connect," Messner, who started to advise the Chinese government about ten years ago on sustainable development, said during an interview in his office in Bonn recently.

Highly praising on China's leadership in the current G20 presidency, he believes that China and Germany could use the 2016-17 presidency to help speed up the changes needed to restructure global economy towards a more sustainable dimension.

For Messner, the first thing sustainable infrastructure. He says global economy is still in trouble and to improve the growth, nearly all the countries are still focusing on infrastructure investment, which is crucial.

He said in the next twenty years, there will be the biggest infrastructural investments ever for the world and most of them are in urban areas.

"Putting the investment trends into the context of climate agreement and the 2030 global sustainability development goals of the United Nations, to achieve green and sustainable infrastructure is very important, which would bring about a great part of dynamics of global economy," said Messner.

In this area, Messner said China is leading the way because it will be investing a lot at home and along points in the Belt and Road initiative routes while European countries and the US are renewing their urban and energy infrastructures.

He said pushing the infrastructure projects into new, sustainability and carbon-free development is very important and China has already done a lot in the recent years.

In this regard, Messner, an expert on the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) said the council has prepared a policy report to central government last November to prepare China's G20 presidency.

Messner said green financing should also top the G20 summit agenda. He said China interestingly ties green dimensions with financial market reform which is about reducing speculation, improving transparency and stabilizing the market.

Messner said in 2015, the United Nations achieved two important agreements, namely the Paris climate change deal and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), amid tremendous new challenges.

"We have achieved the two agreements and the question is that how we transmit their implications to the future," he said. "This would be historic."

Messner said China is the first presidency of G20 since the Paris climate summit and the UN's 2030 agenda was approved in New York last year.

"My understanding is that China is currently linking the traditional agenda of G20 of financial market and growth into Paris and 2030 agenda," he said. "This is the third thing which I think could be very important at the upcoming G20 summit and Germany could follow up."

In terms of transforming development patterns, Messner said China is at a crossroads. Many new sustainable models, such as de-carbonization and energy efficiency, as well as inclusion, have occurred, and he says there is huge shift of thinking in China, especially in recent years.

He recalled that the task-force of CCICED proposed the concept of "low-carbon economy" to the China's leadership before the Copenhagen climate change summit, but the top leaders responded that such pattern was more important for Europeans, because China's development was based on an energy system heavily depending on burning coal.

"This was what happened only eight years ago but now China has become the world's biggest low carbon investor. That is huge of shift of thinking," he said. "Because, for China's leadership, they believe if they don't link growth and sustainability, that would be disaster nationally with cost officially and economically," he said.

Messner addd "There is a shift. This is serious."

But on the other hand, the zero-emission and low-carbon development is new for everyone and the world is looking at the solutions. "So China and Germany should be the two pioneering countries to push such an agenda at G20 summits," he said.

China has global proposals in the pipeline, adding that the Belt and Road initiative should be the model of new type of global cooperation linking growth and sustainability.

In Europe, the European Union has offered a 315-billion-euro investment scheme, which has also focused on infrastructure. "Both projects are not visible at the G20 platforms and when China and Germany hold presidency, we can argue that we have sustainable growth tools in the pipeline to achieve sustainable growth," he said.

"China and Germany and Europe could drive the discussion. There is a lot of work to communicate together to make these two visible."

In fact, China and European Union have entered into initial agreement to forge synergy of these two investment packages but so far there has not been much progress.

In terms of Sino-EU relations, Messner said the European Union has been riven by internal problems, which has consuming a lot of political resources.

"This is European problem, correctly. Europe should be a strong international actor. Europe has a lot of problems, ranging from Greece to Brexit, and so international power is weak," he said.

Messner said both China and EU have great potential in infrastructural cooperation but they haven't yet made global case for it.

"So the G20 presidencies of China and Germany are a very good opportunity to make it," he said.

He said currently, Europe has a lot of debate on declining social inclusion and the 2030 agenda of United Nations is about green, social and inclusive development, so to construct a social-inclusive market economy should be high on G20 agenda as well when Germany takes reins."

Messner is also concerned about global governance and global leadership. Citing Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the Munich Security Conference since 2008, who said the world might be in an era of erosion of global governance system, he said it is part of a strong message.

"The G20 is important actor in organizing global governance. So the Hangzhou and next Hamburg summit should make the global players renew their commitment in cooperation, and build up global governance and global leadership," said Messner."So the presidency should look at the consensus which is both important and possible."

Messner said his institute aims to work as the bridge of the two summits of this year and next.

In recent years, think-tanks, as well as businesses and womens' groups, have become closely involved in the G20 process and they formed a group called T20 to formulate suggestions and reports for the governments and presidency countries.

Being a globally influential think tank, Messner's institute and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy have been jointly entrusted with the support of Germany's G20 presidency next year. The two institutes are tasked with chairing and organizing the so-called T20 process.

He said Germany is preparing the priorities for the coming presidency and once this is developed, his institute will submit policy suggestions.

"And of course, we will go beyond national interest and focus on global economy and keep on the continuation of China's presidency," said Messner.

The author is deputy chief of China Daily European Bureau.

fujing@chinadaily.com.cn
About 5.6 million yuan (850,000 US dollars) was distributed on Saturday to 80 households who took part in a tree planting scheme in a village in Lintao county, Northwest China's Gansu province. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

Zhang Xinhai, getting as much as 100,000 yuan this time, is planning to plant more trees in the scheme.

He finds this way of making money easier than others, as "there is no cost and I don't have to worry about where to sell them," he said.

In 2013, a local company supplied 400,000 plants, free, to each participating household.

Three years later the farmers had to return the trees to the company, in return for a dividend. Taking the survival rate of the trees into account, each household was expected to return at least 380,000 trees.

The company will sell these trees to northern Chinese regions such as Inner Mongolia and Shanxi for greening.
A worker from the Handan Branch of Agricultural Bank of China tells new students how to distinguish telecom fraud at Hebei University of Engineering on their first day at the school.[Hao Qunying/for China Daily]

Universities are taking various measures to warn new entrants about telecom fraud following a recent tragedy in which a college-bound student died after being cheated out of tuition fees which her family had spent months raising.

Xu Yuyu from Linyi, Shandong province, died after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest on Aug 21, 10 days before she was due to begin university life at Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications. The 18-year-old was swindled out of nearly 10,000 yuan ($1,500).

In the wake of the tragedy, many universities have moved to educate new students about telecom fraud.

All entrants to universities and colleges in Jiangsu province will have to pass a computer-based examination, with 60 percent of the content related to telecom fraud. Students who score less than 80 on the test will have to be reexamined, according to Yangzi Evening News.

University students are frequently targeted by fraudsters, with 80 percent of cases in universities involving telecom fraud, Ren Zuping, director of Southeast University's security department, was quoted as saying.

In a handbook for new entrants, the university has included special sections promoting anti-fraud measures and giving information on peer-to-peer lending, Ren said.

In Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, universities have also taken measures to educate against fraud, the Guangzhou-based Xinxi Times reported.

Guangdong University of Foreign Studies has erected anti-fraud banners near campus entrances and put up posters near canteens and dorms.

Guangdong Medical University will invite officers from the local public security bureau to give safety lectures this year. "We want to teach students some anti-fraud skills, especially those related to telecom fraud, and improve students' anti-fraud awareness," Ru Zheng, head of the university's security department, was quoted as saying.

The university will set up a special column to promote anti-fraud awareness via instant messaging platform WeChat.

In addition to anti-fraud education, the city's Jinan University will send messages to students detailing the latest fraud cases.
Education commission overhauls the way performance is evaluated

Shanghai is overhauling how primary schools measure student performance after a pilot program showed the move could encourage a greater interest in education.

From this academic year, starting Sept 1, the written midterm and final exams that Chinese schools have relied on for decades will be scrapped, and instead parents will receive report cards on which their child is graded in each subject from A to D.

The grade will reflect not only students' performance on regular tests, but also their interest in a subject, their general behaviorsuch as the attention they pay to study and assignmentshow tidy they keep their textbooks and how many books they read in their spare time, according to the city's education commission.

The changes came after a three-year pilot involving first-and second-graders, which the authorities said resulted in students becoming proactive in their studies.

"Chinese students are used to taking written tests in which the highest mark is 100. But such a method has its limitations, as it only shows the result, not the process," said Zhu Lei of the commission's primary education department. "Sometimes, students are discouraged when they fail to get full marks because they lose just one or two points.

"With the new system, students who don't do well in a quiz can still get an A if they prove that they have understood a subject and show a good attitude toward learning."

There is no set number of how many students can get an A grade. "The whole class can get As if all the students achieve the curriculum standard," Zhu said.

However, some teachers argue that the new system may not clearly demonstrate to a child or their parents how well they are performing academically.

"Marks are more straight-forward than grades. A student getting 50 points and another getting 10 points could both get a D, so parents may not get a clear picture of how much the child could improve," said Cao Lin, a Chinese-language teacher at Tairi School in Fengxian district. She said the new system will reduce the pressure placed on students, but it is unlikely to stop parents from signing their children up for supplementary lessons.

"At the end of the day, students face fierce competition to secure spots in elite high schools and universities," Cao said. "Parents won't want to see their child lag behind, even when they are just starting elementary school."
China's top legislature read a draft law on Traditional Chinese Medicine on Monday, calling for stronger management of the industry.

The draft, now in its second reading, was submitted to the bimonthly session of the National People's Congress Standing Committee.

Under the revised draft, pharmaceutical companies and TCM dealers must keep records of their purchases.

It also stresses stricter management of farms used for herb cultivation, better environmental protection for herb-growing regions, enhanced safety during processing and improved research on theories and techniques.

The draft also contains a general principle stipulating that China supports TCM studies, encourages innovation and promotes the application of such skills.

The revisions specify items to enhance TCM studies, including official encouragement of studies by research and medical institutions, universities and pharmaceutical enterprises.

Meanwhile, China should establish and improve systems of appraisal, management and innovation of techniques based on the characteristics of TCM, it said.

Research on projects crucial to TCM's development, such as prevention and treatment of major diseases, should be strengthened, according to the draft.

It also urges the country to better protect TCM through databases and catalogs.

The initial draft was first read in a bimonthly session in December 2015.

Physicians prescribe Traditional Chinese Medicine in a hospital in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, on Thursday. Mu Yu / Xinhua

(China Daily 08/30/2016 page5)
BEIJING - Beijing police have apprehended six members of a gang of phone thieves.

Police became aware of three people stealing phones in the outskirts of Beijing in early August. The group specifically targeted women who were travelling alone.

Ten days later, police detained six people for stealing and selling cell phones. More than 500 phones and 200 travel cards were seized.

The police are returning the stolen phones to their rightful owners.
The newly-appointed top official of Tibet has won applause for saying people's livelihoods have been his top priority during his entire political life in the autonomous region.

Named Party chief of the Tibet autonomous region by the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Sunday, Wu Yingjie, 59, is the first person to hold the position after spending his whole political career in the region.

Since 1974, Wu, who was born in Shandong province, has worked on livestock farms, at power plants, in education and for the government and Party Committee in Tibet.

"Since I was young, I have lived, worked and grown up in Tibet. I was brought up by the Party, the people, the Tibetan Plateau and all the ethnic groups of Tibet," he was quoted as saying by Tibet Daily.

"Tibet is my second home. I think of myself as a local Tibetan," he said. "I deeply love the land and the hardworking people here."

The 59-year-old Wu said he has experienced hardships and enjoyed the happiness of success with the people of Tibet.

"In my new position, I will continue to serve the more than 3 million people of Tibet. I know it is a glorious mission, but I do not think it will be easy," he said.

Huang Keqing, the supervisory board chairman of Tibet's State-owned Assets Management Company, said she was pleased with Wu's promotion.

"He knows Tibet well," she said. "I constantly see him on TV making trips to remote places, and I think he is especially concerned about the residents in remote areas and vulnerable groups."

She described him as being "approachable".

After Wu began working on Tibet's Regional Education Committee in 1983, he spent almost two decades in the education sector.

Dorjee Dradul, an editor and translator at the region's teaching materials compilation center, said Wu made great contributions to Tibet's educational development.

"He has a heart for Tibet. He has done much for the compulsory education system and for illiterate young adults."

He was instrumental, Dorjee Dradul said, in implementing tuition-free schools, with paid living costs and allowances.

Contact the writers at palden_nyima@chinadaily.com.cn
China's image is steadily improving on the international stage, with the nation ranking second among all countries in terms of influence in world affairs, according to a survey.

On a 10-point scale, the average rating for China's national image last year was 6.2, up from the previous year's 5.9.

The United States had the most influence on global affairs, the survey found.

"It is encouraging to know that China's national image has improved, despite recent international incidents," said Zhou Qing'an, assistant dean of Tsinghua University's School of Journalism and Communication.

"This means China's political and diplomatic image is strong enough to withstand difficulties."

Results of the 2015 China National Image Global Survey were released in Beijing on Monday. About 9,500 people from 19 G20 member countries took part in the survey.

It was conducted by the Center for International Communication Studies at the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, British multinational market research company Millward Brown and Lightspeed GMI, a company with offices throughout the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific that provides data to help clients make business decisions.

The survey found 43 percent of overseas respondents considered China to be a large eastern country full of charm and with a rich history. Fifty-four percent of the respondents in developing countries agreed with this perception.

Yu Yunquan, deputy director of the Center for International Communication Studies, said, "The world has great interest and demand for Chinese cultural goods, among which cuisine, martial arts and Traditional Chinese Medicine best represent Chinese culture."

The survey found that people also have a more positive impression of Chinese as a whole, especially in developing countries, with most viewing them as hardworking, hospitable and diligent.

"As Chinese travelers become better educated, they are more aware of how they should behave overseas," Yu said. "When some behave poorly, the media reports on them, which has encouraged others to behave even better."

The survey found that overseas respondents were positive about China's future development, with nearly half believing its global influence will continue to grow, especially in economics.

Wang Wen, acting director of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, said, "With more than 120 million Chinese visiting other countries last year and with trillions of dollars worth of assets overseas, China is standing firm on the world stage both culturally and financially."

The increasing number of foreigners planning to visit China is a sign of the country's growing influence, the survey found.
BEIJING -- Over 90,000 students from rural and poor areas have been admitted in China's colleges this year, an increase of 20 percent from last year, the Ministry of Education said Monday.

To recruit more students from rural and poor areas, universities have expanded enrollment, and introduced some preferential policies. Some universities simplified enrollment procedures, and give economic support to students from families with difficulties.

The Ministry has disqualifying all students who make false statements in their records and suggests universities recheck students' qualifications after they enter college.
Move to raise standards of key products to international levels by 2020 as consumers become increasingly demanding in choice they make

China aims to improve the standards and quality of consumer goods by 2020 to raise living standards and prop up domestic consumption as part of the supply-side reform.

An executive meeting of the State Council presided over by Premier Li Keqiang on Aug 24 approved a new guideline on improving consumer goods standards and quality for the coming five years. The move was initiated by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

Consumption contributed 73.4 percent to GDP growth in the first half of this year, according to figures by the National Bureau of Statistics. In the next four years, the authorities will promote updating present standards and improving the quality of consumer goods, building globally-reputed brands and optimizing the market environment, according to a statement released after the meeting.

The meeting also decided to establish a negative list for the production, and businesses related to, consumer goods, lift restrictions on market access, as well as promote information-sharing of quality supervision.

To achieve the goals, the government will grant more financial and regulatory support for developing the sector.

Internationally advanced standards will boost the quality of consumer goods and stimulate upgrading of equipment manufacturing, which are key to the strategy of "Made in China 2025", said the statement. It also said that these measures are expected to expand effective demand and raise people's living standards based on the huge domestic market.

The criteria for consumer goods still lag behind the growing demand of domestic consumers. Chinese brands still have a long way to go to when building up their international competitiveness.

By 2020, standards of consumer goods are expected to reach, or approximate, international standards in key areas, Tian Shihong, president of the Standardization Administration, said over the weekend.

The value of well-known Chinese brands will be significantly enhanced, he added.

"After 30 years of reform and opening-up focusing on economic development, people no longer just want food and accommodation but thirst for goods that can make their lives easier, more comfortable and inspiring," said Xia Xueluan, a professor of sociology at Peking University.

"As the number of middle-class families increases, the high-end market is expanding fast, which drives the government to focus on basic demands and high-end ones too," said Feng Liguo, a researcher at the China Enterprise Confederation.

Meanwhile, much of domestic consumption was attracted to overseas markets in developed economies where standards and quality of goods can out-do those sold at home.

Chinese tourists spent 1.5 trillion yuan ($226 billion) while traveling in other countries last year, half of the expenditure went to shopping, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Chinese consumers now desire higher-quality goods than before and domestic manufacturers should understand the changing demand as well as perfect current technologies and pursue new ones to make better products, said Huang Qunhui, director of the Institute of Industrial Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

In addition, Chinese investors and buyers were estimated to purchase over-seas real-estate properties with $150 billion last year, said Wang Jianlin, chairman of Wanda Group, a Dalian-based developer.

All together, Chinese buyers spent more than 2.5 trillion yuan overseas last year and this spending should be drawn back only with higher-quality products, Wang said.

"We must be sober about this phenomenon, that it's impossible to restrict or stop Chinese spending overseas. But we can find ways to win their purchasing power back," Wang said.

huyongqi@chinadaily.com.cn
People wait in queue for registration at a hospital. [File photo/sohu.com]

China's second child policy, announced this year, has led to a baby boom with the capital Beijing expecting another 300,000 new-born babies by the end of 2016.

A direct consequence of the policy is a sharp increase in pregnant mothers queuing up at hospitals, which is causing hospitals to run short of 'record slots'.

In China, 'setting record' is the main procedure for admitting pregnant women, which is a method obstetrics departments use to evaluate their medical resources in order to decide how many pregnant women they can admit. 'Setting record' is thus a guarantee of available beds for prenatal examination and delivery.

The Beijing Times reports that multiple Beijing hospitals have announced their 'record slots' have already been filled up to April 2017.

The situation at other hospitals is also not encouraging, and some people who have already set their records are also finding it difficult to register.

A local woman with the surname Wei arrived at a hospital with her husband at midnight and did not receive treatment until the next day.

"They (hospital) release only one number every day and there is no chance to get registered," said a man at the head of the queue, hearing Wei complain.

However, the journalist saw this man, who latter got his turn, handing his number and a social security card to a pregnant woman, who was accompanied by a woman wearing a cap.

The journalist learnt that most people waiting knew the man was a scalper but did not dare stop him.

The man said he scalped as a part-time job in Beijing and was hired by the woman in the cap.

The woman in the cap, told the journalist her service was very cheap and she could help 'set a record' by pulling some strings at the hospital, for 10,000 yuan ($1497.4 dollar) in return.

The journalist later discovered some people went to hospitals in Yanjiao in east Beijing for their delivery care. One of them with the surname Duan said she turned to Yanjiao after giving up on downtown hospitals and she surprisingly set her record in Yanjiao without too much of a wait.

Faced with such issues, the Beijing branch of the China's Health and Family Planning Commission plans to report the number of available beds at hospitals weekly so that people can learn where to set their records at community health service centers.

In addition, the local government may also buy private obstetrics services to alleviate the shortage of medical resources.

Hospital management expert Zuo Lian said the scalping cannot be easily eradicated as the hospitals have no authority for law enforcement. Zuo added that promoting the transparency of the record-setting system is perhaps the best way to fight scalping.


The State Council addressed a number of recent concerns raised by the media and the public.

On Aug 24, the Ministry of Education commented on a case in Linyi, Shandong province, in which a would-be college student received a call from fraudsters who claimed to be issuing a State subsidy to her. Earlier, the local education bureau said she could apply for the subsidy so when she received the call she implicitly trusted the callers and transmitted 9,900 yuan ($1,484) to them.

The ministry reminds all college students, especially newly-enrolled, that the State will issue subsidies via official channels, and any telephone call requiring people to transmit money should be reported.

The National Development and Reform Commission responded to recent media concern over a recent guide document co-issued by three other ministries, which improve the current system of adjusting social welfare according to commodity price rises.

The official in charge of commodity prices at the NDRC said that they improved the system by raising subsidy standards according to the change in food prices instead of grain prices, because the former are more directly related to living costs.

Previously they would not adjust the subsidy unless the consumer price index (CPI) rose by 3 to 4 percent and grain prices rose by 10 percent; now they raise the subsidy when the CPI rises by 3.8 percent or higher, and food prices rise by 6 percent.

More importantly, the new system requires local governments to prearrange financial budgets, to ensure the subsidy rise can be realized should prices rise. And the new guiding document clearly requires local governments to issue temporary subsidies for price hikes within 20 working days, which further helps less well-off residents.

Zhang Yong, vice-director of the NDRC, also responded to media inquiries about a recent plan setting up an ecological experiment zone, listing Fujian as the first such zone. Zhang said that the plan is an implementation of the broader strategy of the protection and construction of ecological areas, which encourages local governments to try their own mode. He hopes Fujian will set a good example for more regions to follow.

The Ministry of Finance responded to media concerns about the recent regulation that divides power and responsibility between the central and local governments. Its spokesperson said that the previous mixed system caused confusion because the central and local finance departments had too many shared responsibilities.

The new regulation coming into effect will clearly define areas of responsibility.

zhangzhouxiang@chinadaily.com.cn
President Xi Jinping called on Tuesday for solid efforts to press ahead with the country's planned reforms in accordance with the established timetable and road map.

The country should focus more on economic system reforms and improve fundamental mechanisms that support these overhauls, according to a statement released after a meeting of the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform that was presided over by Xi.

During the meeting, policies were passed concerning such issues as green finance, intellectual property rights, resource allocation and poverty relief.

Policymakers promised to "significantly reduce" the government's role in the direct allocation of resources and to rely instead on the power of the market, and also to improve protection of intellectual property rights.

More will be done to encourage private investors to explore opportunities in environmentally friendly sectors, according to the statement.

Authorities at all levels were ordered to fulfill their poverty relief responsibilities and to improve land reforms for rural areas.

As part of efforts to improve the environment, a pilot environmental damage compensation system will be rolled out in Jilin, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces and in Chongqing municipality.

According to the statement, science and technology institutes should adopt a salary system and pay raise process that reflects the value of such work and provides motivation for scientists.

The income distribution policy should take into consideration the differences between natural and social sciences as well as differences between jobs in basic research, technological development and commercial application of technology, the statement said.

Regarding health reform, medical institutes were urged to learn from successful models while exploring reform measures that would suit their own situations.

The statement called on the health industry to improve the operation of State-run hospitals, medical insurance management, medicine supply and supervision and to develop effective personnel management and salary systems.

While acknowledging the progress already made in major fields, it said that inspections were needed to review the implementation and results of the reforms.

Over the course of the 27 meetings convened by the leading group since December 2013, hundreds of measures have been designed and released to address various issues, including urbanization, poverty alleviation, innovation and the market's role in resource allocation.

The latest emphasis on reform comes nearly three years after the key Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 2013, which featured a comprehensive reform package.

China vowed that it would achieve "decisive results" in major reform areas by 2020.








Bahrain in SAR charm offensive Updated: 2016-08-30 09:18 By Lin Wenjie in Hong Kong(HK Edition)

Traders work at the Bahrain Stock Exchange in Manama. The kingdom's prime assets are believed to be its strategic geographical location in the Middle East region, low labor costs, diversified industries and an open economy that offer a favorable business environment for Chinese companies. Phil Weymouth / Bloomberg

Oil-rich Middle East kingdom launches office in HK to win investors in Belt and Road drive

Oil-rich kingdom Bahrain - one of the Middle East countries along the China-led Belt and Road Initiative - has launched its economic development office in Hong Kong as part of efforts to lure SAR and Chinese mainland investors seeking access to the fast growing $1.6-trillion Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) market.

The SAR office aims to facilitate bilateral links between Hong Kong and Bahrain and seek cooperation opportunities in key industries like tourism and leisure, financial services, information communications and technology and manufacturing.

It will help investors explore opportunities and guide them through the process of establishing companies in Bahrain.

The value of trade between Hong Kong and Bahrain surged 22.8 percent to $139.43 million in 2015, according to government data.

The tiny island nation, located on the western shores of the Persian Gulf and is heavily reliant on oil exports and tourism, is recognized as one of the world's freest economies. It has been stepping up a campaign for foreign trade and investment, stressing its role as the gateway for Chinese mainland investors in the six-nation GCC of which Bahrain is a member.

According to Bahrain's economic development agency, the country's prime assets are its strategic geographical location in the Middle East region, low labor costs, diversified industries and an open economy that offer a favorable business environment for Chinese companies.

"Bahrain is connected to Saudi Arabia by a 25-kilometer causeway, which only needs 30 minutes' drive, so many companies use Bahrain as a gateway for access to Saudi Arabia and the GCC countries," said Simon Galpin, managing director of the Bahrain Economic Development Board (BEDB).

"In addition, Bahrain has a favorable business environment. Labor and energy costs are 40 percent lower than in Dubai. We offer a unified jurisdiction with a tried and tested legal and regulatory environment, and foreigners can set up wholly-owned companies there, without having to look for a local partner. There's also no income tax, no corporate tax, no capital gains tax in Bahrain," he said.

Shenzhen-based telecommunications giant Huawei has spearheaded the Chinese mainland's business presence in Bahrain, having set up its Middle East headquarters in the kingdom 10 years ago. The group opened its first Middle East IT Competence Center in the country in 2013.

Galpin said tourism is the most important industry for the start of business links with Hong Kong and mainland hotel operators, while the financial services sector fits well for Chinese companies, especially those engaged in the digital payment business.

"Tourism is our key focus. We are keen to invite hotel operators to set up and expand their hotel operations in Bahrain," said Galpin. "Lots of visitors from Saudi Arabia drive to Bahrain for weekends and holidays, but the tourism industry only accounted for 2 percent of Bahrain's real gross domestic product in 2014. So, I believe there's huge potential."

According to the BEDB, Bahrain hosted more than 10 million visitors in 2014 - up 11.1 percent over 2013 - with about 6.6 million of them from the GCC, especially Saudi Arabia.

As a nation involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, Bahrain is seeking deeper business cooperation with mainland companies.

"Bahrain is very keen to develop economic relationships with the mainland. We have many government-funded infrastructure projects that could present opportunities for mainland engineering companies, such as upgrading oil and gas companies, expanding our airport by 40 percent and a new light-rail system. We're now actively looking for partners," said Galpin.

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China in 2013, is a trade and infrastructure network that includes the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The network connects Asia, Europe and Africa and passes through more than 60 countries and regions with a population of about 4.4 billion.

cherrylin@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 08/30/2016 page9)
A Chinese mobile phone user uses the taxi-hailing and car-service app Didi Chuxing on his Apple iPhone smartphone in Jinan city, east China's Shandong province, Feb 22, 2015. [Photo/IC]

About one month after the central government legalized ride-hailing services, one province after another has issued detailed regulations on them. Beijing News comments:

When people need a taxi service, why do an increasing number choose to use a ride-hailing app, instead of waiting for a taxi by the roadside? The reason is simple: the app-called cabs are cheaper and more convenient.

The popularity of the ride-hailing apps is a good example of the flourishing internet-based economy. However, by breaking the monopoly of the taxi companies, they challenge the interests of local bureaucrats. That's why many local governments have sought to ban them.

That attitude should have perished with the central government's new regulation legalizing the services. But the new regulation has left too many spaces for local governments to still control, even curb, app-called cabs.

For example in Lanzhou, capital of Northwestern China's Gansu province, the local government has limited the total number of app-called cabs to about 3,000, while there were about 10,000 such cars operating in the city.

Besides, with 10,000 cars competing with each other for 3,000 government-issued licenses, there is space for corruption as the officials deciding which car get a license might be offered bribes.

Such a situation is highly possible as two local traffic management officials have already been found guilty of accepting bribes in the process of issuing taxi licenses.

It is time for local governments to adopt some new thinking.

More importantly, the central government must apply ample pressure so that they do not defend the interests of their supported monopolies.
Students taking part in a moot court in Nanyang, Henan province. [Photo/hncourt.gov.cn]

Juvenile delinquency has been on the rise in recent years. For instance, last month, a 13-year-old boy in Cenxi, Southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, reportedly killed three boys younger than him in his village. But he escaped criminal punishment because he was below 14 years, the minimum age for criminal prosecution in China. And in June, a 13-year-old boy set his 24 year-old teacher, surnamed Yang, on fire in Jinchuan county of Southwest China's Sichuan province just to rob her of her iPhone. He, too, was released despite Yang suffering severe burns.

Thanks to social progress and the advancement of the internet, many children below 14 years of age are emotionally and intellectually mature and therefore should be held responsible for their actions. This is partly corroborated by the latest Draft of General Principles of Civil Law, which proposes to reduce the age for civil responsibility from the age of 10 to 6.

The minimum age for criminal responsibility in different countries ranges from 6 to 18 years, which means there is room for reducing the age for criminal responsibility in China.

However, some scholars disagree. First, there are no systematic statistics or studies on the crimes or violent actions committed by children below 14. So we cannot conclude that more and more adolescents are committing serious crimes.

Second, many empirical studies overseas show that reducing the age for criminal responsibility creates new problems, such as cross contamination and "labeling".

Third, reducing the age of criminal responsibility would be against the conservative principle of criminal law, which says penal punishment should not be resorted to if alternative measures are available.
Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff (C) is pictured between Ricardo Lewandowski (L), president of Brazil's Supreme Court, and the Senate President Renan Calheiros during the final session of debate and voting on Rousseff's impeachment trial in Brasilia, Brazil, August 29, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

BRASILIA - Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff on Monday spoke in her own defense at her impeachment trial, denouncing the process as an attempted "coup d'etat".

In a 45-minute address to senators who will decide her fate starting Tuesday, Rousseff denied the charges of being "criminally responsible" for alleged fiscal wrongdoing by her administration, and called the accusations "unfair and arbitrary".

At times "overcome with emotion", according to the Agencia Brasil news agency, Rousseff said "never would I violate what I believe, or commit any acts against the interests of those who elected me."

Brazil's first woman president was re-elected to a second term in 2014 by more than 54 million votes, but struggled practically from the day she took office again with an aggressive and empowered conservative opposition that lost by a small margin, a sputtering economy and general discontent with a corrupt governing class.

Rousseff in effect said the trial was in retaliation for her government's efforts to clean up corruption.

"I ensured the independence of the Public Prosecution Service and did not tolerate any political interference with the (investigative) activities of Federal Police. I have opposed interests and now I have paid, and am still paying, a high personal price for the stand I have taken," she said.

Many political observers have noted that Rousseff has never been accused of corruption, unlike numerous lawmakers with the power to vote whether to impeach her or not.

"I am not fighting for my term, for vanity or attachment to power ... I am fighting for democracy, for truth, justice and the people of my country," said Rousseff.

Impeachment requires a two-thirds vote, or 54 of the 81 senators.

Should she be impeached and her ruling Workers' Party ousted, which most observers say is likely, interim President Michel Temer of the conservative PMDB party will see her term through 2018.
File photo of Ban Ki-moon. [Photo/Agencies]

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon commended China for leading the G20 toward an action agenda that supports development and climate change.

"For the first time in the history of G20, Chinese leadership is aligning the action agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals and the climate change agreement in their agenda of the G20," Ban said on Aug 26 at the United Nations headquarters in New York in an interview with several Chinese media outlets.

"This is the first time that G20 leaders are gathering to discuss on both SDGs and climate change, how we can implement this in parallel," he said.

The 11th G20 summit will be held in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province from Sept 4 to 5, with the theme"Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy".

Ban, who will attend the G20 for the last time as secretary-general, said the theme reflects the spirit of the 2030 Development Agenda, which was approved by world leaders last September. His second five-year term will conclude at year's end.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said that the G20 summit will prioritize development.

"We will push to adopt an action plan for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and coordinate collective actions with country actions," Lu said.

He said the G20 summit will issue a strong signal on development, which will help implement the international consensus and inject a new impetus to world economic growth.

Chinese leaders steered the debate to shift G20 from short-term crisis management to long-term perspective, according to the secretary-general.

Ban said the G20 leaders need to address how to manage current global economic difficulties, adding that China has been leading by example.

China is promoting priority areas and guiding principles for structural reform of G20 members, which is vital to achieving the goal of raising the G20's GDP by at least 2 percent by 2018, said Finance Minister Lou Jiwei.

The minister said on Aug 26 in Beijing that G20 financial ministers and central bank governors have reached a consensus on global cooperation.

This summit also represents an excellent opportunity for G20 leaders and others to advance the ratification process of the Paris Agreement on climate change, Ban said.

So far, 22 countries have ratified the agreement. But for it to come into force, it needs 55 countries with 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions to ratify.

President Xi Jinping has declared China's commitment to ratify the Paris Agreement on the occasion of G20.

"This is very encouraging news. I hope many countries, particularly G20 countries, will follow the suit of Chinese leadership," Ban said.
File photo of the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan. [Photo/Sputnik]

BISHKEK - A lone assailant was killed and five others were wounded in a powerful explosion when the unidentified assailant drove an explosive-laden car and tried to crash it into the the Chinese embassy here in the Kyrgyz capital city on Tuesday morning.

The attack took place at around 10:00 am local time on Tuesday (0400GMT). The unidentified assailant drove a Mitsubishi car and rammed the gate of the Chinese embassy compound in Bishkek, causing a big explosion, killing himself and wounding two security guards and three local people working at the embassy.

The explosion also caused damage to the embassy door and wall, as well as buildings next to the Chinese embassy.

The embassy compound and the area in the vicinity are currently under police blockade due to security concerns, with bomb disposal experts working on the scene.

A senior Kyrgyz security officer told Xinhua that according to preliminary information, it was quite likely that the explosives planted inside the car caused the explosion, and Kyrgyz police are now investigating the identity of the assailant.
WELLINGTON - The New Zealand government announced an extension of Asian language programs in schools on Tuesday to help meet the growing demand.

Education Minister Hekia Parata said the government would fund new or expanded Asian language programs at 63 schools across the country.

Overall, 203 schools across New Zealand were receiving support for Mandarin, Japanese or Korean language programs.

"The benefits that students get from these programs will help them thrive in a global economy," Parata said in a statement.

Schools were working together to share resources and teaching skills, and many were establishing links with language and cultural organizations helping them to get the most out of the program.

"We also know that primary and secondary schools are working together to offer students the opportunity to learn languages earlier, and continue their learning right through to end of secondary school," she said.

A survey by the Asia New Zealand Foundation in March showed New Zealanders were feeling more connected to and positive about Asia despite rising concerns over the effect of Asian investment on areas such as house prices.

However, 63 percent of people said they knew little or nothing about Asia, and 82 percent felt it was important for New Zealand to develop economic and cultural ties with the region.

It also found 51 percent of people reported having at least a fair amount to do with Asian peoples and cultures - up from 30 percent in 1998.
Chinese investment in commercial real estate in the Bay Area remains robust despite an economic slowdown at home. Industry leaders, excited about two big-ticket acquisitions by Chinese investors, are optimistic that they're a sign of more to come.

In August, Greenland USA, a leading developer with parent company Greenland Group headquartered in China, announced that they had acquired South San Francisco's 42-acre Oyster Point property for $171 million and plan to pump another $1 billion into developing it.

The waterfront property will be built into a large-scale complex combining office and research and development centers for the life sciences industry. To be completed in phases, construction on the first 500,000-square-foot section will begin once needed infrastructure improvements are made by the city, including streets, utilities and grading.

Greenland's third strategic acquisition in the US, Oyster Point is expected to transform the cityscape of South San Francisco and bolster the local economy of one of the world's best-known biotech innovation hubs.

Over the years, Greenland USA has invested more than $1 billion in Los Angeles' Metropolis and $6 billion in New York's Pacific Park Brooklyn. Both projects focus on developing properties in gateway cities that transform surrounding communities.

In an earlier interview, Greenland Group chairman Zhang Yuliang said the San Francisco Bay Area was known globally for its leadership in innovation and "we're proud to bring Greenland's expertise and vision for transformative properties to the area. The US continues to play a critical role in our overseas expansion and we look forward to what will be a landmark property."

Mark Addiego, mayor of South San Francisco, applauded the deal. "The development of Oyster Point presents tremendous opportunities for the South San Francisco community and Greenland USA has approached it with the vision, expertise and energy needed to bring it to fruition," he said, adding that by investing in Oyster Point, "we will further cement our position as the world's leading center for innovation in biotechnology."

In a concurrent deal, an investment subsidiary of China-based Fortune 500-ranked Hainan Airlines Group (HNA) purchased a 29-story office tower at 123 Mission Street in downtown San Francisco for $255 million from Hong Kong-based Great Eagle Holdings.

The Class A 346,000-sq-ft office building went up in 1986 and is currently 95 percent occupied with 14 tenants. It will be HNA's first West Coast office property in San Francisco's financial district.

Earlier this year, HNA made headlines when it paid $6 billion for Ingram Micro, a US tech company that distributes Apple and Microsoft products.

"As the prices of office buildings in San Francisco have appreciated rapidly over the past year, especially in downtown San Francisco where the building is located, the general partner and asset manager believes that it is appropriate to dispose of the property," said Great Eagle Holdings in their filing.

Representing Greenland for the Oyster Point transaction, the San Francisco office of Kidder Mathews walked its Chinese client through the negotiations and deal-signing.

Skip Whitney, executive vice-president at Kidder Mathews, created the firm's China services desk several years ago to address the unique China-focused issues his clients face buying and managing business properties in America. The group offers services to Chinese companies searching for investment opportunities in the US and vice versa.

In what Whitney called the "super-heated market of commercial property" in San Francisco, "I'm confident that Chinese investors are going to be buying more business properties from the US," he said.
BEIJING - China is shocked and strongly condemns a car bombing near the Chinese Embassy in Kyrgyzstan, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

The Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek was attacked by a car bomb Tuesday morning, causing injuries to three people of the embassy, spokesperson Hua Chunying told a press conference.

The Foreign Ministry has launched emergency procedures, and China requires Kyrgyzstan to take immediate and necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese people and institutions, Hua said.

She also urged the Kyrgyz side to investigate the bombing and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Outgoing French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron attends a news conference after his resignation, at Bercy Finance Ministry in Paris, France, August 30, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

PARIS -- French outgoing Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that he would make proposals to "transform" France after announcing resignation from the government.

"I'm determined to do everything so our values, ideas and actions can transform France from the next year", Macron said in a speech to ministry staff.

He said the he had resigned to "start a new stage" of his political fight and draw up a "diagnosis" of the country's problems.

The 38-year-old former banker handed his resignation to President Francois Hollande "to devote himself to political movement," the presidency office announced on Tuesday.

In a communique, the Elysee added Finance Minister Michel Sapin, a close ally of Hollande, will handle the economic portfolio, which means that the government will maintain the same non-business policy to meet pledges of robust economy and cut jobless.

Macron's resignation is widely seen as the first step for the former investment banker to pave the way for a closer launch of the presidential election bid.

He disclosed his political ambition after creating his own political movement "En Marche" (On the Move) in April, vowing to lead the movement "to 2017 and to victory".

He joined the Socialist cabinet in August 2014 to replace ousted Arnaud Montebourg.

Macron, former Hollande's economic advisor, was one of main figures that forged the "Law on Growth and Activity" and "responsibility pact", flagship pieces of the government's roadmap to revive sluggish growth and lower unemployment in one of Europe's main powerhouses.
Police officers gather near the Chinese embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, after a car bomb attack on Tuesday. [Photo/Xinhua]

China said it strongly condemns the "severe terrorist attack" on its embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, which injured three people and killed the attacker, and it reiterated its determination to crack down on terrorism.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the remarks on Tuesday after confirming that the embassy was hit by a car bomb on Tuesday morning, slightly injuring three embassy staff members.

Calling terrorism "the common enemy to the international community and the most severe threat that countries of this region face", Hua said China will strengthen counterterrorism cooperation with countries in the region including Kyrgyzstan, both on the bilateral level and within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Through such cooperation, China will firmly crack down on all forms of terrorism, protect Chinese in other countries and maintain regional security and stability, Hua said.

"China has asked Kyrgyzstan to adopt whatever measures are necessary to ensure the safety of China's organizations and Chinese people in Kyrgyzstan, have a rapid and thorough investigation of the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice," the spokeswoman told a daily news conference.

The attacker was killed by the explosion, which caused damage to the embassy door, and local police were trying to identify the assailant using DNA, Xinhua reported.

Li Wei, an anti-terrorism expert at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said the attack will encourage China and Kyrgyzstan to strengthen counterterrorism cooperation, as well as lead Kyrgyzstan to strengthen efforts to maintain its security.

International cooperation is "one of the most effective ways to crack down on and contain terrorism", he said.

"The international community should join efforts to fight terrorism, no matter where it takes place or whom it targets," Li said.
China's first nongovernmental search-and-rescue team, the RAMNION, arrived at Italy's quake-hit region, Amatrice, on August 26, 2016. The death toll in the 6.0-magnitude earthquake that hit central Italy on August 24 has risen to 291, said the Civil Protection agency on August 27. [Photo/SIPA]
Dont be a sucker. Translating your contract for China will not work.

Every few months someone writes one of my law firms China lawyers, asking them to translate an already-written contract for China. We always refuse, not just because we are lawyers, not translators, but because doing so would be a complete waste of time; contracts that work for the United States, Europe, Australia, Canada, etc., do not work for China, and putting those contracts into Chinese wont change that. Indeed, it is ridiculous to think that an American business owner could draft a contract in English that would work for China.

The other day, though, someone who wrote me asking to have one of our China attorneys translate an NNN Agreement into Chinese pushed back when I said my law firm has a longstanding policy never to translate contracts (or anything else, for that matter). After a couple more emails in which I adamantly refused to have my firm do the work, he asked me if I would just tell him how we arrive at our liquidated damages amount and refer him to a really good English-Chinese translator.

My response to that was as follows:

You can translate your NNN perfectly (and good luck with that) but there is still a 99.99% chance it will be completely ineffective. I say this because I have never seen an NNN that works, which has not been written by a very experienced China lawyer. I suggest you read our two most recent posts on our blog, as those deal with how IP squirts out unless your NNN or other agreement includes provisions preventing them from leaking to third parties. This is only one of many ways the NNN you want translated pretty much has to be ineffective. As for liquidated damages [more properly called contract damages], that is an art, not a science and  get this  you have to write this in a specific way because if it is deemed to be a penalty and not a valid and reasonable effort at quantifying damages, no Chinese court will enforce it. In the end the right amount should be based on, among other things, the courts predilection in the Chinese city in which the disputes will be resolved (as Chinas courts are all over the map on this  and you had better choose the right court for your disputes or your contract will be unenforceable), the value of the product at issue, the value of the IP at issue, the size of the companies involved, and the type of IP at issue. And the most important thing is that the amount must be low enough that the other side will sign it and the court will enforce it. Oh, and one more thing: you need to write this so you are not limited to just this amount, but remain free to pursue additional damages. The point of the contract damages provision is not to get the penalty; it is to prevent the other side from leaking out your IP. The force of this provision is that it allows you to go to a Chinese court (but only if written a certain way) and freeze the assets of the Chinese company. This is the key to getting the Chinese company to stop abusing your IP. This provision must be written so the Chinese company believes it is better off not stealing your IP than incurring the wrath of that provision if it does. For more, read this. I have never seen anyone other than an experienced China lawyer get this right and countless times I have seen it done completely wrongly. If, despite the above, you want to spend money on translating, I dont think it matters who you use and you do not need someone who knows legal terminology because you probably have not used the right legal terminology in the English language version of your NNN agreement in the first place. There are plenty of Chinese translators on UpWork but I cannot recommend anyone because we do not use translators; we use our own Chinese lawyers to draft agreements.

Bottom Line: Translating your contract into Chinese does not make it a valid or enforceable China contract. It just doesnt.
News / National

by Agencies

Malawi leader Peter Mutharika has said the culture of hatred resulted in him being hunted like a criminal at the time he was campaigning for the presidency.Mutharika said it was only by the grace of God that he managed to survive five assassination plots in the run up to Malawi's national elections in 2014."When I was campaigning to lead this country, I was hunted like a criminal. I survived five assassination attempts. I am happy that most of you gave me refuge, solace and courage. You have been the fortitude of the persecuted as Christ wishes," he said during the consecration of a bishop at the weekend.Mutharika said one of the challenges facing Malawi was the culture of hate and envy that derailed people from fighting poverty."There is a war of good and evil in the country. Every time people fight for the good, evil fights them and every time people fight to take others to light, darkness and its forces interfere," he said.Mutharika has over the past two years been complaining about the persecution he suffered when his predecessor Joyce Banda was in power.Among others, Mutharika regularly cites his arrest over allegations of plotting a coup d'etat when he was in opposition as an example of persecution.During the Banda regime, Mutharika faced treason charges for allegedly trying to prevent Banda from ascending into power.Many analysts have said authorities in Malawi use treason charges to silence those in opposition or government critics.One prominent Malawian lawyer recently observed that it was time Malawians demanded answers as to why a lot of resources were spent on sedition and treason offences without any appreciable progress being registered.The lawyer Khumbo Soko said cases of treason pointed to an unprincipled use of law enforcement powers by the state."The history of prosecution of treason offences in this country, especially since 1994, is rather troubling," he said.Cases of politicians and army officers in Malawi who are arrested over treason cases end up being dropped or in acquittals.
News / National

by Thobekile Zhou

Starving Binga villagers are reportedly competing for wild fruits known as African Ebony fruit or Nchenje in Tonga for survival.The fruit is said to be in abundance during the dry season and has become the only food source, reports say.Nchenje fruit, which is green, grape-sized and becomes yellow as it ripens, comes from a large tree with a very dark bark and buttressed stem and found on river banks and around pans.It ripens in the dry season as opposed to other fruits that are available during the wet season."The Nchenje fruits is extraordinarily plenty this year and has become our source of food," said Maria Mudenda who sells at Manjolo Business Centre.She said the process of gathering the fruits involves waking up early in the morning to pick it as villagers often find themselves competing for it with wild animals such as baboons,monkeys, jackals and civet as well as fruit-eating birds."I wake up as early as 4am with my children to go and gather the fruits in the bush. In the morning, we take turns to come to the market while others continue looking for the fruits in the bush," said Mudenda.A 5 litre container filled with nchenje costs a mere $1.Chief Sikalenga implored government to increase grain distribution in the area."The drought situation is critical such that people now live on fruits which they also sell to travellers to raise money."The few fortunate ones who are closer to water sources have vegetables and tomatoes to sell but the majority rely solely on wild fruits. Food for work grain comes occasionally and it's not really helping the situation," Chief Sikalenga is quoted saying.Government initiated a food relief programme for vulnerable groups as well as a feeding scheme for pupils in schools but these have not been effective in Binga as grain fails to reach villages owing to the poor state of roads.
News / National

by Thobekile Zhou

President Robert Mugabe has been pictured wrapped in Swaziland traditional attire chatting with King Mswati III of Swaziland.He is currently in Swaziland attending the 36th Sadc Heads of State and Government Summit which opens at Lozitha Royal Palace today.However, last year in October, Mugabe 'refused" to wear India's traditional gear.As part of the pomp and circumstance at the India-Africa Forum Summit in Delhi, African leaders were invited to kit out in colorful traditional Indian attire for a group photo.All the visiting African leaders complied, except one Mugabe who wore his light blue western suit.
(Photo : Getty images) China is taking strategic steps to curb its reliance on foreign firms for aircraft engines.

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China launched a multi-billion jet engine firm in Beijing on Sunday in a bid to enhance its domestic aviation industry.



The firm, which has an operating capital of 50 billion yuan ($7.5 billion), has been named the Aero-Engine Corp. China (AECC).The firm will be situated in Beijing, China.



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Key investors in the firm are China's cabinet, Beijing Municipal government, the Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC), and the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China.



Over the years, the Chinese government has pushed to perfect its goods and services paying great attention to aircraft engines, high-speed rail, and nuclear power.



According to Premier Li Keqiang, engineers at the company should learn from other nations and focus on key technologies for aircraft engines.



President Xi Jinping urged the firm to accelerate independent research, development and manufacturing of aircraft engines, and gas turbines that would help China achieve its goal of becoming an aviation power house.



In his remarks, Xi encouraged indigenous innovation to ensure that the AECC would be a world leader in the aviation sector.



China, the second-largest economy in the world, does not manufacture airline engines. According to Xinhua, the best aircraft in China's army uses an engine manufactured in Russia.



Executives involved in the project, however, say it could take years to be able to develop an engine that can power big commercial jets.



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TagsAECC, Li Keqiang, President Xi Jinping, Beijing
(Photo : Getty images) Illustration of one of Jack-the Ripper's victim in London.

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Police in Baiyin, China, have arrested an alleged serial killer known as 'Jack-The-Ripper' for the murder of 11 victims after nearly three decades of investigations.



According to the police, the suspect, identified as Gao Chengyong, 52, was caught after decades of being sought. He was apprehended at his grocery store in Baiyin, in the northwest province of Gansu.



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The murders that Gao is accused of committing happened between 1988-2002. The first victim, who was 23 years old, was killed at her home at Baiyin on May 26, 1988. His youngest victim was eight years old.



According to the reports, Gao followed a pattern when hunting his victim. He usually targeted young women who lived by themselves, stalking them to their homes. He often raped them before taking their lives.



Most of his victims wore red and he usually scouted them at daytime. Some victims had their reproductive organs removed.



In 2004, a cash reward of 200,000 yuan ($30,000) was offered for any information about 'Jack-the-Ripper' after investigators uncovered a link between the murders.



"The suspect has a sexual perversion and hates women," police said. "He's reclusive and unsociable, but patient."



Gao had been able to escape police custody because he had spent the 28 years in Baiyin but registered his hometown in Lanzhou, about 70km from Baiyin.



The residents in Lanzhou did not give their fingerprints when registering. This made it easy for Gao to reside in Baiyin and escape police custody.



Police investigating the case collected fingerprints, semen, and DNA samples.



Gao was later identified after one of his relatives was put under house arrest for a minor crime. His DNA was collected and tested.



His DNA matched that of 'Jack-the-Ripper'. Police suspected that he was a relative of the suspect. Further investigation brought the authorities to Gao, whose DNA turned out to be a perfect match with the samples collected from the crime scene.



Gao was nicknamed 'Jack-the-Ripper' after a similar serial killer in London. They both used similar techniques, but in London 'Jack-the-Ripper' was never caught.



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TagsJack the Ripper, Baiyin, Lanzhou
Opinion / Columnist

Society is usually ignorant when committing sin, sin that bring heinous and disastrous situations, when not averted in time. Zimbabwe like all other countries has created its own sins that resulted in the calamitous climate change effects which we face today. On top of high rate of epidemics, incessant economic troubles, Zimbabwe is deep in the challenges and effects of climate change. The most major impacts posed by these effects in Zimbabwe are mostly El Nino induced that include heatwaves, floods and erratic rainfalls. Floods has destroyed all the hope in the remaining rural and urban infrastructure and to a larger extent led to massive loss of lives and left many homeless with nobody to fend for or to look after. These ElNino imposed floods have also destroyed crops as well as livestock leading to poor crop yield and lessened our national herd all leading to widespread rural mass hunger and untold poverty. Such also led to young people failing to complete their education since most of their fees are drawn from subsistence farming surplus.The floods has led to displacements of families since most people has lost their homes. In Masvingo Province in Mwenezi district a lot of families who lived near Tokwe Mukosi have been displaced due to heavy floods and they stayed in wretched, environmentally unfriendly camps for almost three years due to lack of preparedness by the Zimbabwean government which widely suffering from acute economic challenges due to the fall of industry and other unwinding national challenges. According to the survey made by Red cross and Redcrescnt Zimbabwe, more than 160 homes were destroyed in 2015 around the country, at least more than 200 lives have been lost in Zimbabwe due floods in 2016 and more than 3000 families were displaced in Mwenezi district Masvingo province in 2014, most of these families lived and farmed around Tokwe Mukosi dam which got heavily flooded a lot of people died of waterborne and other related diseases that included Cholera, typhoid, dysentery and STIs, almost more than 200 lives was lost at Chingwizi camp were people were camped awaiting for relocation to decent homes. Facilities were bad and the conditions that included hunger, poor sanitation as well as poor accommodation increased the threat of diseases and moral decadence promoting random, uncontrolled and unsafe sex that perpetuated the spreading of STIs and HIV/AIDS. Though NGOS that included Care International, Red Cross Society and UNICEF provided amenities and food many dwellers at the camp died of hunger and famine related challenges since there was rampant corruption practices and food was also distributed according to which political party somebody belonged and supported, it had become partisan or by means of sexual favors and to a larger extent these food hand outs were sold to beneficiaries by authorities instead of freed distribution. The mentioned organizations spent at $3 million dollars in serving Chingwizi flood victims but the money and resources would be then be diverted for personal and hidden agenda by authorities designated to distribute those donations. According to the Herald newspaper of February 2015 and a provincial health survey at least in mid 2015 over 200 cases of STIs were reported at Chingwizi flood dwellers camp and it was reported that young girls will exchange sex for a $1 for survival. These arrangements were done by most at risk communities that include food distributors, health care givers, security personnel, vendors and other dwellers at the Flood camp. The situation of flood victims also disturbed the school going children who missed school due to deplorable and life threatening conditions and have led to limitations in the future of the affected children and their communities.On top of the impact of floods. Zimbabwean communities mostly those in Southern districts and some in the northern districts lost crop yields due to erratic rainfall patterns as a result of a huge hunger challenge and a heatwaves that brought diseases and scarcity of water leading to serious and severe drought challenges. Many people died of hunger in Masvingo, Gwanda and Binga. In 2015/16 agricultural season Matebele land North province of Zimbabwe which covers areas like Binga, Jambezi, Mbembezi and Dete require food, reports indicate that 28,5 % of these rural communities require food schemes for them to reach next farming season. The Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee indicate that most provinces in Zimbabwe require food interventions through both government and NGOS like FAO, UNICEF, REDCROSS. The committee indicated that Masvingo require 131 000 tones of maize, Manicaland 96000 tonnes,Matebeland South 61000 tones and Matebele land North 46tonnes respectively to avert starvation. The lagging behind economy of the country has been hard hit since most of the national budget has been used to import maize and cereals to proffer national food security. The health sector and other important sectors has been neglected while government took charge in importing food from other countries. In 2016 alone the Zimbabwe government has acquired 615 000 tones of Maize from Zambia and Ukraine. Sometime in February the Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe who also chairs the cabinet committee on Food and Agriculture Hon Emmerson Munangagwa noted that Zimbabwe has received some funds for food security from EXIM bank China and also acquired 500 000 tones of maize from Ukraine. This clearly relate to us how the effects of climate have impacted on both the economic, food and social security of the Zimbabwe populace and that effects of climate are the greatest enemy of the Zimbabwean social and political economy and has and contributing negatively to the growth of the national economy while threatening the security of the country.Sometime, late 2015 Zimbabwe was also hit by heatwaves which also are harmful to the lives of the people. The Meteorological services department{MSD}in Zimbabwe warned of heatwaves from September 2015 to February 2016 and the temperatures were soaring high in those months ranging from 33 to 47 degrees Celsius in most of those drought stricken areas of Matebeland, Masvingo, Midlands and Manicalind. The heatwaves are said to be linked with hot and dry winds blowing from dry regions near the equator. The Minister of health Cde David Parirenyatwa advised people to speak more about these heatwaves and their dangers while the city health departments advised citizens to drink lots of liquids mostly water but the other serious challenge was and is in most high density suburbs like Mbare, Highfields, Glenview, Budiriro and Mabvuku water is rationed and in some parts of these locations taps are dry people depend on shallow wells and thus water is scarce.In November 2015 a 50 seater Air Zimbabwe plane failed to land in Kariba due to soaring temperatures and the major supplier of hydroelectric power, Kariba dam reduced its generation capacity from 750 megawatts to 435 megawatts that led to a lot shed loading impacting production on the few remaining industries across the country further crippling the economy of the nation and stifling progress in the lives of the general populace. Heat waves have also impacted the reduction of other water sources that provide water for domestic, farming and industrial communities leading to spread of diseases, lack of water for irrigation farmers further crippling our food security. Further reports indicates that 700 death cases have been reported across the country due to the heatwave that affected almost every part of the country. The above challenges and impacts indicate that Zimbabwe require to foster adaptation methods, develop policy mechanisms and preparedness to these challenges, impacts imposed by the effects of climate change. Most of these impacts bring food insecurity, destroy the already falling apart economy, the social and moral fabric of the nation is greatly if not heavily affected. Zimbabwe need to start working on issues of adaptation through water harvesting methods, infrastructure development using durable material, decent housing for the citizens that can resist the threats of violent weather/climate patterns that are experienced in the country right now, improvised methods of irrigation schemes, reforestation and afforestation policy. Zimbabwean government, climate organizations and energy projects need to contribute to the advocacy and financing of anti- fossil and dirty energy campaigns that have become a global program to save its people from hunger, floods, diseases, heatwaves, water scarcity and the crippling of the economy. We need a better if not a best story out Zimbabwe towards the averting of ElNino induced challenges.Feedback to girlchildcreativity@gmail.com
(Photo : Getty Images) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Vietnam ahead of the G20 Summit in China.

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Vietnam on September 3. The Indian PM's visit, which comes just days before the G20 Summit in China, is seen as a strong signal to Beijing that India intends to strengthen its presence in Southeast Asia.



Times of India reported that during the visit, the Indian PM would sign a contract to supply four patrol boats to Vietnam under a $100 million line of credit approved by India in 2014. Additionally, New Delhi may offer more financial support to the Vietnamese military and undertake other commitments like increasing the quota for the training of Vietnam's armed forces and maintenance of military hardware.



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In return, India may reportedly acquire stakes in supplementary hydrocarbon blocks in the disputed South China Sea. In the past, Vietnam had offered Indian oil companies stakes in its hydrogen reserves in exchange for the military and financial assistance.



New Delhi and Hanoi have formed a tight bond over the years amid China's growing assertiveness in the contested South China Sea. Hanoi considers India's military assistance critical to counter China's growing aggression in the disputed maritime territory.



Hanoi's pursuit to counter China's influence in the disputed waters also got a huge boost in June after US President Obama revoked Washington's 41-year-old arms embargo on Vietnam.



India has stated it supports a resolution of the South China Sea dispute according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, as against the unilateral judgment delivered by the Arbitration Court in Hague on July 12 that dismissed China's historical claim over the region.



Experts say India will seek to avoid any military and direct intervention in the South China Sea dispute as it does not want to irk China.



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TagsIndia, china, India and China, Vietnam, India and Vietnam, South China Sea Dispute
(Photo : Getty Images) Pakistans Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor would benefit the entire South Asia.

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Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Monday that the much talked about China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would prove to be a game-changer not only for Pakistan's economy but the entire South Asia.



Sharif was talking at the inaugural session of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Summit (CPEC Summit) at the Pak-China Friendship Centre in Islamabad. The two-day summit will look into all the controversies plaguing the $40 billion dollar project and investment avenues available to both countries from the project.



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"The project would be a 'game-changer' for Pakistan and for the entire region of South Asia," Sharif said at the summit. "$46 billion is the economic value but the overall contribution and impact of CPEC would be much deeper and far-reaching."



"[The CPEC will] not only create a strong overland link between Pakistan and China but also give us the opportunity to strengthen Pakistan's own inland transportation and logistics infrastructure," he said.



Last week, an influential Chinese think tank expressed fear that Pakistan's hostile neighbor India may try to sabotage the project, adding that China would have to intervene if India tries to create hurdles in the CPEC project.



The warning by the Chinese think tank comes a week after Indian Prime Minister Modi took a swipe at Pakistan's troubled region of Balochistan province during his independence speech. The CPEC project connects the Chinese province Xinjiang to the city of Gwadar, which is located in Pakistan's troubled region of Balochistan.



Islamabad has often accused India of stroking insurgency in the Balochistan region, but so far has failed to provide any credible evidence to support its claim.



In the past, New Delhi has expressed security concern over the CPEC project, as the corridor passes through Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK).



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Tagschina, China and Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
(Photo : Getty Images) Chinese companies are expected to continue to show interest in Brazil's economy.

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China has been on the forefront of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in Brazil this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The data shows that Chinese companies have so far spent $4 billion to acquire new companies in Brazil, crossing the highest investment made in 2010.



China Daily reported that over the years Brazil has become a lucrative market for Chinese companies, who have been on an acquisition drive. A significant devaluation of Brazil's currency Real has helped in the propelling interest of Chinese companies.



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"Brazil has been welcoming towards Chinese investment given the economic challenges the country is facing," said Joseph Gallagher, head of mergers and acquisitions at Credit Suisse Group AG. "Chinese appetite for Brazilian assets will continue to be high."



Experts claim that Brazilian companies are facing immense pressure to cut their huge debts, pushing them to sell some of their lucrative assets to Chinese companies at a good valuation. For instance, Camargo Correa SA, a debt-ridden Sao Paulo-based builder, agreed to sell its entire 24 percent stake in CPFL Energia SA to State Grid Corp of China in June this year.



For Chinese companies, who have unable to buy high-valuation companies back home, Brazilian firms are a good bargain. Presently, nearly 11 percent of the 473 publicly listed companies in Brazil are trading at less than half of their book value, according to Bloomberg.



Chinese firms may have many more M&A opportunities in the coming months with several European and North American firms considering making from Brazilian companies, said Zilong Wang, head of M&A at China International Capital Corp.



Analysts also feel that recovery and stability in commodity prices may propel Chinese companies to buy metals and mining assets in Brazil.



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TagsChinese companies, Brazil and China, Brazil, Chinese Companies in Brazil
(Photo : Getty Images) A high-speed ICE train of German state rail carrier Deutsche Bahn travels on the newly-completed stretch between Erfurt and Leipzig near Erfurt, Germany.

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China has unveiled plan to launch the first driverless subway line, the Yanfang line, in southwest Beijing by the end of 2017, authorities revealed on Monday.



According to FirstPost, the new railway, which will utilize domestic technology, would be fully automated including train departures, door functions, and cleaning.



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China has already mastered the core technologies of fully automated subway systems since the country started developing them in 2010, Global Times reported.



So far, Beijing subway lines 3, 12, 17, and 19, as well as, the new airport line are set to be made automated, driverless subway lines.



The People's Daily reported that the total length of Beijing's fully automated subway lines is anticipated to span as much as 300 kilometers by 2020.



The initiative to use local technology is part of the country's "Made in China 2025" plan that targets to upgrade China's industry, strengthen its presence in the global rail transport sector, and ensure the security of China's infrastructures.



Meanwhile, China's very first permanent subway train started its operation in Central China's Hunan province, China Daily reported. The line aims to save up to 30 percent energy compared with the conventional lines.



The railway, which was jointly developed by Changsha Metro Group, CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co Ltd., and Zhuzhou CRRC Times Electric Co Ltd., features a permanent magnet tractor system that has higher power density and is more power efficient.



If such a system is used in all of the subways in Changsha, it could up to 5.5 million yuan ($830,000) of power cost annually.



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Tagssubway line, driverless train, train, railway network, automated train
(Photo : Getty Images) People walk past the Microsoft stand at the 2016 CeBIT digital technology trade fair on the fair's opening day in Hanover, Germany.

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China is inviting foreign technology firms to join a key government committee to take part in deliberations on the country's latest cybersecurity bill, the Wall Street Journal reported.



Select foreign companies including Microsoft Corp., Intel Corp., Cisco Systems Inc., and International Business Machines Corp. have reportedly been invited to actively participate in drafting the rules instead of merely being observers, sources familiar with the matter said.



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The move comes as China has faced criticism from international firms, who have expressed worry that the country's laws that prevent cyber espionage might shut them out of the Chinese market, The Hill reported.



Authorities are hoping that the committee would enhance China's international standing as a technology hub, the Business Insider reported. The agency, dubbed as the Technical Committee 260 (TC260), aims to define what "secure and controllable" technologies are. The committee would also decide if China should adopt standards that challenge international norms.



"We should energetically participate in the development of international rules and standards for the Internet space, to strengthen our power of discourse and our influence," the Cyberspace Administration of China, the internet regulator that TC260 reports to, said.



Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported that the administration's latest cyber-directives issued on Monday showed a change in tone. Although the new guideline encouraged stringent cybersecurity control, it also emphasized the need to set common standards among China's national and local governments.



On the other hand, Bruce McConnell, vice president of the EastWest Institute, said: "It's still early days, but there are encouraging signs that China is recognizing the international nature of the tech supply chain and working more broadly to align its strategy with the market realities."



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Tagscybersecurity, cybersecurity law, china, Microsoft Corp., Intel, Cisco, International Business Machines
(Photo : Getty Images) A file photo featuring Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC) displays at the Shanghai International Automobile Exhibition in Shanghai, China.

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Chinese carmaker Shanghai Auto Industry Corporation (SAIC) posted positive net profit sales of more than six percent at 15.06 billion yuan ($2.25 billion) in the first half of the year, the company said in a statement to the Shanghai stock exchange last week.



The Shanghai-based company's recent figure was 6.31 percent higher than the 14.17 billion yuan ($2.1 billion) it earned during the same period in 2015, Yahoo! News reported. Furthermore, SAIC sold a total of three million cars in the first six months of 2016 that ended in June 30, up by 4.9 percent year-on-year, maintaining its place as the biggest car maker by sales in China.



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According to the Global Times, SAIC, which produces cars with Volkswagen AG and General Motors Co., said that a "stable growth trend" in China's local market supported its earnings. The Wall Street Journal also noted that the company's sales growth was boosted by a tax break that encourages small car purchases.



In October last year, China implemented a five percent tax break, reducing the purchase tax on small car units with engines of 1.6 liters and below. The tax cut saw a desirable outcome in the first seven months of the year, with auto makers selling up to 12.65 million units, up by 11 percent from a year earlier.



However, with the tax break about to expire at the end of this year, industry experts are questioning if the rebound would continue. Jochem Heizmann, Volkswagen's China President, has been quoted saying that he was "more unsure as to what will happen next year."



Meanwhile, SAIC said its sales lagged behind the industry following a sharp decline in the demand for minibuses. Although the company refused to tackle market competition in its earnings reports, its foreign partners have also voiced concerns about the outlook in the country, the Wall Street Journal reported.



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Tagssaic, volkswagen, General Motors, car sales, china
(Photo : Photo by Dondi Tawatao/Getty Images) Anti-China protestors mount a protest rally against China's territorial claims in the Spratlys group of islands in the South China Sea in front of the Chinese Consulate in Makati, Philippines.

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday appealed to the Chinese ambassador to Manila to let Filipino fishermen fish in the resource-rich South China Sea and treat them as brothers and not enemies.



Highlighting his Chinese roots, President Duterte told Ambassador Zhao Jianhua that he hopes Beijing would treat Filipinos as their brothers and understand their predicament.



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"I hope the Chinese may find a place in their hearts for the Filipinos. After all... I have Chinese blood and I hope you treat us as your brothers and not enemies and take note of our situation," Duterte said in a speech at a ceremony to commemorate National Heroes' Day. China's ambassador Zhao and other foreign dignitaries were present at the ceremony.



Bilateral talks



President Duterte reiterated Manila's stance that it would push for bilateral talks with China on the South China Sea dispute and set aside the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA).



The Hague-based arbitration court rejected China's "historic claims" to more than 90 percent of the disputed waters of the South China Sea under its nine-dash line.



The ruling, favoring the Philippines, said China had violated the Manila's right to explore its resources within its exclusive economic zone according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).



Formal talks



"I will never bring the matter [the arbitration court ruling] because it might lead only to the suspension of the talks in China and that is not good, Mr. Ambassador. So I propose that we just have a soft landing everywhere," he said.



Although Duterte vowed not to bring up the arbitration court ruling, for now. He said that eventually, he would have to discuss it with China at some point during the formal talks.



"I will not use the judgment arbitral now but I would, one day, sit in front of your representative or you and then I will lay bare my position. And I would say that I cannot get out of the four corners of this document," he said.



Duterte earlier said he expects formal talks with China to begin "within the year."



War



Although the Filipino President had said that war with China was not an option to resolve the South China Sea row, he, however, emphasized that the Philippine military is ready to defend the country in case of a Chinese invasion.



"I don't go to war. If I am not ready for war, then peace is the only way to go," he said.



Beijing suffered a major setback in its massive territorial claims in the South China Sea after an arbitration court ruled that its claims had no legal basis in international law.



China has dismissed the ruling as "illegal" and a "waste of piece of paper." President Xi Jinping said China would not accept any actions or propositions based on the ruling.



The international community has called on China to abide by the verdict of the international arbitration court. But Beijing continues to be defiant in its position.



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TagsSouth China Sea, President Rodrigo Duterte, President Xi Jinping, bilateral talks, Sino-Philippines formal talks, china
(Photo : Getty images) China claims Japan's PM Shinzo Abe went off topic by discussing Asian issues and other matters affecting the globe at a recent meeting with African leaders.

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China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chungying has criticized Japan's wrong intentions at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) held over the weekend in Nairobi Kenya.



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During a news briefing, Hua argued that rather than creating a sense of superiority, China seeks to create a universal platform for trade and development with the interest of Africa at heart.



According to Hua, Japan went off topic when it decided to discuss the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reform and security issues at the recent conference.



"TICAD was neither a platform to discuss Asian problems nor a conference aimed at imposing Japan's personal intentions on Africa," she said



Hua pointed out that the conference was aimed at capitalizing on the growing tension in the East and South China Sea.



This was not only disrespectful to the African community but also a lack of proper understanding of what the conference was organized for, according to Hua.



The meeting was set to meant Japan's variety of future investment and partnership. However, Hua said Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe lost focus when he decided to politicize the conference.



Abe discussed Japan's maritime issues during the conference. He also focused more on worldwide issues and conflicts, a move which was not well received by African leaders present at the conference.



Experts say African leaders at the meeting were far from interested in Abe's talk. This, they argue, is paying interest to the wrong matters. African countries are seeking to improve economic standards.



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TagsJapan, china, Africa, TICAD, Shinzo Abe, Kenya
(Photo : Getty images) Mosquito control inspector uses a Golden Eagle blower to spray pesticide to kill mosquitoes.

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Travel notices have been issued to citizens of Australia, Taiwan, and South Korea to cancel any plans of going to Singapore. This move comes after the Zika virus was confirmed to have infected its 56th victim in the city-state.



The notices were mostly directed at women, particularly expectant mothers.



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The Zika virus was first reported in Singapore over the weekend. By the end of the weekend, the number of infected people had risen to 56.



Of the 56 victims confirmed, only one is a woman.



The notices, however, stressed on expectant women because of the effects the virus can have on the unborn child.



The virus has been linked to a rare birth defect known as microcephaly which causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads and brains. So far, 1,800 cases have been confirmed in Brazil.



The mosquito-borne virus was first detected in Brazil last year. It has since spread across America.



Pregnant women and those planning to get pregnant have been advised to reschedule any plans of traveling to Singapore. Women returning to their country have also been advised to avoid getting pregnant for at least two months.



Singapore's closest neighbors - Malaysia and Indonesia - have enhanced health standards to help prevent and detect the virus. Thermal scanners at airports and border checkpoints.



Most of the victims of the Zika virus in Singapore are said to be foreign workers. But their nationalities have been withheld.



The outbreak has affected the Singapore's tourism sector.



The tourism board of Singapore, however, said that the city-state is still a "safe travel destination." Authorities added that they were monitoring the situation.



Out of the 56 infected people in Singapore, at least 30 had made a full recovery by Monday.



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TagsZika, Singapore, Australia, Taiwan, South Korea, Brazil
(Photo : Getty Images.) A suicide bomb attack on the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan has left three people dead and several injured.

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A suicide bomber rammed his car into the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan's capital city Bishkek on Tuesday, leaving at least three people dead and several injured.



The suicide bomber died on the spot. The other three casualties were all embassy employees and Kyrgyz nationals, Kyrgyzstan Deputy PM Zhenish Razakov said.



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The suicide bomber's vehicle rammed through the gates and exploded in the center of the compound, close to the ambassador's residence, BBC reported. Images showing smoke blowing above the Chinese embassy building are making rounds on social media.



China has condemned Tuesday's bombing as an "extreme and violent attack."



"China is appalled and strongly condemns the violent act." Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said. "China demanded that Kyrgyz authorities take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel in Kyrgyzstan, launch a thorough investigation to find out the truth of the incident and harshly punish the perpetrators."



No terrorist organization has so far taken the responsibility for the attack, while the Kyrgyzstan police are still silent about the alleged perpetrators. However, the blame for Tuesday's bombing is most likely going to fall on Uighur Muslim ethnic community, who are currently engaged in a low-intensity insurgency against China in Xinjiang region.



In the past, Chinese officials have been targeted by Uighur terrorist in Kyrgyzstan, including in 2000 when a Chinese official was shot dead allegedly by a Uighur terrorist.



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Tagschina, Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan, China and Kyrgyzstan, uighur ethnic minority
(Photo : Getty Images.) India is seeking to improve its ties with Myanmar.

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To consolidate its strategic ties with Myanmar, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that New Delhi unilaterally supports Myanmar on all the critical issues, adding that India would stand by Myanmar "every step of the way" as a partner.



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Modi's made the remark at a joint press conference with Myanmar President U. Htin Kyaw, who is currently on an official visit to India. This is first high-level contact between the two countries since Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) assumed power last year.



"We recognized that our security interests are closely aligned. And, we agreed on the need to remain sensitive to each other's strategic interests and concerns," Modi said at a joint press conference. "To this end, the President and I agreed to work together for the safety and security of our people. And, actively cooperate to tackle the common challenges of terrorism and insurgent activity in our region."



India and Myanmar signed several agreements in various areas including connectivity, medicine, and renewable energy. The two countries signed an agreement for construction of 69 bridges, which includes a road in the Tamu-Kyigone-Kalewa section of the Trilateral Highway.



India's overtures to Myanmar come just weeks after Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi's historic visit to China. India and China are currently engaged in a sort of cold war to consolidate their influence in each other's region, with China trying to strengthen its base in Indian Ocean region and India looking to consolidate its position in Southeast Asia.



China promised to build two hospitals and a bridge at the China-Myanmar border during Suu Kyi's visit. Myanmar is also dependent on China to keep a tab on some of its ethnic rebel groups. Beijing's support is immensely crucial to bringing the rebel groups to the negotiation table.



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Tagschina, Myanmar, China and Myanmar, President U. Htin Kyaw
(Photo : Getty images) Mrs. Gillis' lawyers believe that she would face trial in two months.

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The husband of an alleged American spy has requested for assistance from President Barack Obama as he prepares to meet with President Xi Jinping over the weekend at the Group of 20 Summit.



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The alleged American spy, Mrs. Phan Gillis, better known as Sandy, is set to face trial for spying with evidence dating to 20 years. Some of the charges against her include trying to recruit Chinese nationals in the U.S to spy against their homeland.



"The time is really critical for Sandy with the imminent meeting between President Obama and President Xi," said her husband, Mr. Gillis.



Mr. Gillis insists that his wife is innocent and that Chinese officials need to do better research on the matter.



"Sandy is completely innocent," he said. "Chinese officials did not even check whether their own internal database to see if Sandy was in the country then. She wasn't even in China."



"The State Department has aggressively tried to talk to the Chinese about releasing Sandy including at very high levels. State Department officials have told 'all levels of the Chinese government' that Mrs. Gillis was not a spy," he added.



Mr. Gillis has requested that President Obama raises the case with President Jinping while at the Group of 20 Summit in Eastern China



Cases like those of Mrs. Gillis have been a great hindrance for proper ties between Washington and Beijing.



According to one of Mrs. Gillis's lawyers, her initial statement, which agreed with the charges against her, was made after she was put under pressure from investigators.



"She told me that she confessed only under compulsion," he said. A date for her trial is yet to be set. Her lawyers, however, believe that it will be heard within the next two months.



The former trusted business consultant is currently being held at a detention center in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi.



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(Photo : Getty Images.) Balochistan leaders on Monday organized a street protest outside Chinese embassy in London against the China-Pakistan Economic corridor (CPEC).

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Balochistan rebel leaders on Monday held a protest outside the Chinese embassy in London against ongoing work on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in the troubled Balochistan region.



"We want to tell Pakistan and China that they can do nothing in Balochistan without the consent of the Baloch people," Baloch leader Noordin Mengal said, according to Indian news agency ANI. His remark was made against the ambitious CPEC project, which Pakistan claims will be a "game-changer" for the entire South Asia.



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Tuesday's protest comes after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concerns over Pakistan's alleged atrocities in Balochistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) during his independence day speech on August 15.



Supporting Modi's stance on Balochistan, protesters in London raised slogans like "PM Modi for Balochistan" and "Kadam badhao Modiji, hum tumhare saath hain (Move forward Modiji, we are with you), ANI reported.



However, Modi's critical remark on Balochistan drew strong response from an influential Chinese think tank. The think tank warned India that any effort to sabotage the CPEC project would force China to intervene in the matter.



The CPEC, which would connect China's Xinjiang province to the city of Gwadar city in Balochistan province, has been facing hurdles since construction work began in 2002. Balochistan's rebel groups allege that Gwadar Port is aimed at stealing Balochistan's natural resources, and the people of the province are against it.



The Gwadar Port is the crux of the $46 billion dollar CPEC project and has been partially operational since 2007. In May, a Chinese engineer was injured in a roadside blast in Karachi. A little-known separatist group, who claimed responsibility for the incident, vowed to derail the ambitious project.



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TagsChina-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Balochistan, Chinese Embassy in London, china, China and India
Flood victim predicted he 'would go to hell' before turning to Christ 30 August, 2016 by Jane Rodgers , |

LAFAYETTE, La. (TEXAN)  "I would go to hell," a man replied honestly when Wayne Barber asked him where he thought he would be if he died.

But the man, who was helping his sister with her flooded Louisiana home, changed his demeanor as Barber, a chaplain with Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Disaster Relief (SBTC DR), explained the gospel to him. At the end of their conversation, the man prayed to receive Christ.

"You could just see the Holy Spirit working," fellow chaplain Laquita Hunter said. "The man became cooperative."

He spoke of his intentions to tell his wife, a Christian, what had happened to him, noting, "She is probably not going to believe it at first!"

This man represents one of around 40 professions of faith SBTC chaplain teams have recorded as of Aug. 28 during their relief efforts in a 50-by-50-square mile section of Louisiana, stretching from Crowley east to Beaux Bridge and from Opelousas south to New Iberia, according to SBTC DR white hat Mike Jansen of Linden, Texas.

Housed at The Bayou Church in Lafayette, SBTC teams have prepared as many as 9,700 meals per day, which are then delivered by the Red Cross to families and individuals in need. Additionally, mud-out and clean-out operations have started and chaplains are offering the hope of salvation to all who will hear.

SBTC DR deployed rapidly after Louisiana DR requested assistance. Jansen arrived on August 18 to take over white hat duties from Marvin Leleux of Louisiana DR. Wally Leyerle of First Baptist The Colony assumed white hat duties from Jansen on August 22.

Some 30-40 SBTC volunteers are working daily alongside teams from Louisiana, Jansen confirmed, adding that the number of actual volunteers varies daily as individuals rotate in and out.

Cleanup efforts have included assisting at least two churches, the Lafayette Korean Church and First Baptist Church Broussard, so those congregations could hold Sunday services. DR teams also focused on affected pastors' homes to free preachers to minister to their congregations.

"We are doing mud-outs and clean-outs, a little bit of tarping of roofs," Leyerle said. "We are sending out our chaplains with assessors, and they are telling people about the love of Christ.... The Lord seems to be directing our people right where they need to go."

Barber and his wife, Ann, along with Hunter have experienced divine guidance as they drove through affected neighborhoods.

"God turned us around," Wayne Barber said, explaining a day he sensed the Lord telling him to "go back" and stop at a home they had passed.

As they pulled into the driveway, a man in his 30s strode out to meet them.

"I saw y'all drive by, and I saw y'all turn around," the man said. "I knew you were coming back to talk to me!"

Wayne Barber did talk to the man, and the man prayed to receive Christ. The man's mother, a Christian who had long prayed for her son to come to faith, walked over from next door.

"Every day before we go out, we pray for divine appointments," Barber said.

On another occasion, a woman in her 30s claimed that a negative experience with a pastor's wife as a youth "turned her away from the church."

"She thought Christians were hypocritical," Hunter said.

Hunter presented the gospel to the woman, urging her to forgiveness. "We talked and she cried, then she accepted Christ."

Like so many flood victims, the woman had lost her home and possessions, but she found hope in the Lord. "We could tell, when we left, that her life had changed and was going to be different," Hunter said.

Names and contact information about all who pray to receive Christ are recorded and given to area churches for follow up, Barber said.

Jansen described the work of SBTC feeding teams as exhausting, stretching from 3:00 a.m. till the evening to prepare lunches and dinners for pickup and delivery by the Red Cross to shelters and the community. "You know, it's just an awesome thing to see the volunteers giving all of their time and energy to produce the food to see that the people of Louisiana have a hot meal."

Even the simple presence of helpers in the midst of disaster's aftermath brings encouragement.

"Every time I go out in public and people see me wearing the SBTC DR shirt, I am constantly being told thank you for being here," Leyerle said. "We are able to minister to people just by being here."

DR teams from Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas Baptist Men are working in other designated sections of the state.

"It appears we will be there some time." SBTC DR director Scottie Stice said, urging all available SBTC DR volunteers to consider deploying.

To learn more about how to sponsor a church or pastor's home affected by floods in Louisiana, donate to SBTC DR work in Louisiana, or volunteer, visit bit.ly/LAfloods.
Muslim cleric, like Louis Farrakhan, says Messiah returning on a machine 'like a spaceship' 30 August, 2016 by Gregory Tomlin , |

TEHRAN (Christian Examiner)  Shiite Muslims awaiting the return of the Mahdi  a messianic figure  can expect to see him return in a "spaceship" of sorts, Iran's Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi said in a recent interview about the apocalyptic figure.

According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Shirazi said the figure's arrival will not be like in the olden days of Islam "with a sword." It will instead be "high-tech, as befits the modern age."

In Shiite Islam, the Mahdi  also called "the hidden imam" because they believe he was born but disappeared  will return to cleanse the world of all evil in preparation for the final Day of Judgment. Shiites believe the Mahdi will be assisted in battling against a false messiah by Jesus.

When it moves, it slashes the heart of the sky with extraordinary force, and in this way it can advance to any point in the firmament. Therefore, this is a super-modern vessel, and there is none like it today. It is like a spaceship and like other swift and amazing space vessels that are found [only] in stories today, but nobody knows how close [these vessels] come to truth and reality.

Though there is no description of any such figure in the Quran, several other Muslim writings (hadiths) contain information about the leader they believe will come. Sunnis also believe in a Mahdi who is to come.

Shirazi said one ancient source from the eighth century A.D. claimed the world would no longer need sunlight when the Mahdi comes because the land will be illuminated by "divine light."

"The interpretation of this saying is that the issue of light and energy is expressed in that both in daytime and nighttime powerful lights can replace sunlight," he said. In other words, the lights of the ship will provide light for humanity.

"Another hadith states: With regards to [the Mahdi], God elevates low places and lowers high places, so that the entire world is visible to him like the palm of his hand," he said.

"Today we use satellites [and by means of them] cover extensive areas, so that anyone with a receiver can use them .... In the time of the Mahdi's arrival, there will be a powerful apparatus that may be difficult for us to imagine today, for transmitting images so that the entire world is visible like the palm of a hand. Without worldwide control by an intelligence [apparatus], there can be no unified global regime [as foretold that there will be when the Mahdi arrives], and no peace, security, and decency... Therefore, God grants him this tool... Once again I stress that this is a routine matter, and that it is inconceivable that it will come about based on a miracle; rather [it will come about] by means of ordinary tools that are based on scientific and industrial advances."

Shirazi then discusses a "bestial vessel" which is reserved for the Mahdi.

"Bestial" means "like an animal," but it also means "savage" or "punishing." It isn't clear which Shirazi meant at the time, but he described the teaching of a particular hadith in detail. He said the vessel is as "loud as thunder and fast as lightning."

The Mahdi, he said, rides on it.

"Be aware that soon he will [appear] riding on clouds, and ascending to seven heavens and seven lands. This does not refer to an ordinary cloud, as clouds are not vessels that can be sailed upon in outer space. [Clouds] travel near the atmosphere that is close to the earth, and they cannot attain great altitudes. Therefore, the meaning here is an extraordinary and very swift vessel that looks like a dense cloud in the sky; its sound is that of thunder and its power and speed is that of lightning. When it moves, it slashes the heart of the sky with extraordinary force, and in this way it can advance to any point in the firmament. Therefore, this is a super-modern vessel, and there is none like it today. It is like a spaceship and like other swift and amazing space vessels that are found [only] in stories today, but nobody knows how close [these vessels] come to truth and reality."

Shirazi said the craft, however, may not actually be a spaceship.

When the Mahdi arrives, according to the cleric, he will restore peace and criminals will be monitored using advanced technologies that listen into people's homes, so it "will be possible to understand what they [criminals, infidels] say at home."

While such discussions may seem foreign to westerners and Christians, other voices have said similar things, including Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam.

In August 2015, Farrakhan said  as he has many times before  that "wheels" in the sky (such as in Ezekiel 1). He said the wheels, or UFOs, are instruments of divine judgment on white America.

"All of the governments are releasing their files on UFOs. America's holding back, [but] other nations are informing their people of the reality of what is above their heads," Farrakhan said.

"Who do you think then that you're dealing with, if you're the best in the world but you're thousands of years behind the technology on those wheels? I'm here to tell you, you are dealing with God. You have no weapon that can handle what is already prepared to take you out," Farrakhan said.

However, in Farrakhan's version of the tale of the Muslim messiah, it will not be an unknown or hidden figure. It will be Elijah Muhammad, whom he regards as the messiah.
VidAngel fights Hollywood bullies by adding Supreme Court attorney to 'legal dream team' Guest Reviewer | 30 August, 2016 by Michael Foust

LOS ANGELES (Christian Examiner)  VidAngel continued Monday adding to what it is calling its "legal dream team," bringing on board two more attorneys, including one who has argued six cases before the United States Supreme Court.

The addition of attorneys Peter K. Stris and Max Blecher means that VidAngel  which is being sued by Disney and three other Hollywood studios  now has four of the country's top legal minds heading into a critical Oct. 24 preliminary injunction hearing in federal court.

VidAngel offers a streaming service that allows families to watch movies free of profanity, nudity, violence and other content. The studios are trying to shut it down, arguing it is operating illegally without the proper license. VidAngel's attorneys say the company is protected by a 2005 federal law better known as the Family Movie Act.

Stris has argued six cases in front of the U.S. Supreme Court and already is scheduled to argue a seventh case during the upcoming term. In 2014, Reuters called him one of the 66 top attorneys who argue cases before the court.

"Like many disruptively innovative companies, VidAngel has become a target, and our firm has now been engaged because VidAngel is planning for a long fight against the studios' high-priced legal talent," said Stris, co-founder of Stris & Maher. "We look forward to being a part of an unprecedented team of attorneys who have banded together because we believe in the rights of families to watch what they want in their own homes."

The other new member of the team is Max Blecher, who is an authority on antitrust lawsuits. He is founder of Blecher Collins & Pepperman.

"The studios' repeated attempts to foreclose any means for VidAngel to offer its filtering service to families exposes the studios to significant liability," Blecher said.

Blecher will lead VidAngel's antitrust counterclaims against the studios. That counterclaim was filed after the four studios filed their initial suit this summer. The other three studios are Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Brothers and Lucasfilm.

VidAngel already had two leading legal advocates on its side:

David W. Quinto, a veteran intellectual property attorney who in the past represented the Academy Awards and the Producers Guild of America, and who was an annual attendee at the Oscars.

Baker Marquart, a law firm that won a copyright ruling for FilmOn, an Internet-based company.

VidAngel CEO Neal Harmon said his company has "been approached by leading legal minds" from across the country who "understand that the Family Movie Act absolutely makes a service like ours lawful."

Under the VidAngel model, a user buys a digital streaming movie for $20, and then sells it back, making the final price either $1 (SD) or $2 (HD) if it is kept for less than 24 hours. The company's slogan: "Watch movies however the bleep you want."

Although customers may not realize it, each movie they purchase has a corresponding physical DVD in the VidAngel library, which is critical to the company's legal argument.

"The Family Movie Act provides that if a homeowner buys a lawful copy of content  a DVD disk  that homeowner by law has a right to ask a third party  here, VidAngel  to filter content that that family finds objectionable," Quinton previously told the Christian Examiner. "And that the third party, here VidAngel, has the right to stream that content, filtered as requested and specified by the family to the family  provided that the third party never makes a permanent copy of the filtered content. That's what the law says. There is no requirement in there that the third party purchase any license. In fact, that would be a form of double charge."
Five members of an Iranian house church are missing after government agents arrested them on Friday (Aug. 26) without a warrant and took them to an undisclosed location, according to a leading advocacy group.



No information is available on the whereabouts of Ramiel Bet Tamraz, Amin Nader Afshar, Hadi Askary, Mohamad Dehnay and Amir Sina Dashti. Iranian Christians are fearful that the arresting officials have attempted to force confessions out of them to use as evidence against a central figure in the house-church movement, according to Middle East Concern (MEC).



The five men and their wives on Friday (Aug. 26) went on a fishing trip and picnic to Firuzkuh, 93 miles (150 kilometers) east of Tehran. At about 1:30 p.m. security officials from the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) raided the picnic.



When Afshar asked to see the arrest warrant, which the officials did not produce, he was beaten, according to MEC.



Rob Duncan, MECs regional manager for Iran, said the arrest was absolutely illegal and alarming because it took place at a picnic and not a religious meeting.



The fact of the matter is they were going on a fishing trip, he said. There wasnt even any intention of having a prayer meeting or anything like that. There was nothing.



MOIS officials separated the men from the women and took the five men away. Family members have been unable to obtain information about their whereabouts.



One of the detained Christians, Tamraz, is the son of Assyrian pastor Victor Bet Tamraz, who was arrested along with other Christians at his home on Dec. 26, 2014 at a Christmas celebration. The elder Tamraz was informally charged with conducting evangelism, conducting illegal house-church activities and printing and distributing Bibles. He was released on bail on March 1, 2015 without ever being formally charged in court.



Afshar, arrested in 2014 along with the elder Tamraz, had been released on bail a month earlier. The two are expected to be summoned to court to face charges related to the 2014 arrests, and MEC representatives believe the government has subjected the five detained Christians to severe interrogation to force evidence out of them.



The five men join a group of 37 other Christians detained this month in a series of arrests across Iran of Christians involved in the countrys burgeoning house-church movement, according to human rights and religious freedom advocacy groups.



The first raid this month happened on Aug. 12 in Isfahan, 279 miles (449 kilometers) south of Tehran, when armed plain-clothes agents broke up a worship service taking place secretly in a home. The agents arrested 11 people at the house and then rummaged through the building, seizing Christian books, pamphlets and satellite television reception equipment, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).



Ten of the 11 detained Christians have been identified by MEC as Amin Ahanin, Mohammad Alyasi, Fatemeh Amini, Edmund Khachaturian, Mohammad Malek Khatai, Mohsen Khoobyari, Arash Qodsi, Hamed Sepidkar, Samaneh Shahbazi-Far and Maryam Zonubi. Human rights groups have not been able to obtain the identity of the 11th person arrested at the gathering.



As with the five arrested on Friday, the 11 are being held incommunicado at an undisclosed location, and their status is unknown. They were last seen being driven away in vans from the scene of the arrests, according to the HRANA.



On Aug. 17 in western Iran, another house church was raided, and nine people were arrested. MEC confirmed that several house churches in northern Iran were also raided within the week, and 17 people are thought to have been taken into state custody. For security reasons MEC was unable to release any other information about the Aug. 17 arrests, other than to report that they appeared to be connected in some way.



They [Iranian officials] have gathered information that has linked people to different house churches and then swooped on all the house churches the same day to avoid a warning being passed on, Duncan said.



He added that since June, the number of arrests of house-church members has increased significantly.



We can only guess the motivation behind the raids on house churches, but it is relentless, he said.



According to the U.S. State Departments 2015 International Religious Freedom Report, released Aug. 10, Christians, particularly evangelicals and converts, continued to experience disproportionate levels of arrests and high levels of harassment and surveillance, according to reports from exiled Christians. Many arrests reportedly took place during police raids on religious gatherings, during which the authorities also confiscated religious property.



After last months beating of Christian convert Ebrahim Firoozi by prison guards, his elderly mother implored authorities to release her son. Firoozis mother, who is almost blind, told Iranian authorities that she has no one to assist her through her disability. She also said that because she is almost blind, she is unable to visit her son in prison or go to his hearings.



Prison guards on July 13 beat Firoozi and forcibly took him to a court hearing. A prisoner in Gohardasht Prison in Iran, Firoozi, was summoned to the appeal hearing but refused to go because he thought his lawyer was to allowed to attend in his absence. When Firoozi was brought to court, one of the judges in the case was absent, and the appeal hearing was postponed.



A welder from Robat Karim, 25 kilometers (16 miles) southwest of Tehran, Firoozi has been under the scrutiny of the Iranian security apparatus since January 2010, when he was arrested for leaving Islam and hosting religious meetings. A Revolutionary Court convicted him of creating propaganda against the state and sentenced him to 10 months in prison, of which five were suspended.



He was released on June 8, 2011 but then arrested again on March 8, 2012. Charged with creating propaganda against the state for allegedly trying to create a website about Christianity, he was sentenced to one year in prison and two years in exile.



On Sept. 16, 2013, Firoozi was arrested a third time, and in April 2015, a judge in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court sentenced him to five years in prison for creating a group with the intention of disturbing national security for his role in organizing Christian meetings and conducting evangelical work.



Firoozi appealed but waited a year for Julys hearing. During that time, he has been denied access to religious books, even though the books he requested were published with the permission of the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry, according to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. His next hearing is set to convene in November.



The whereabouts of three Christians from Azerbaijan arrested in Iran still remain unknown. According to MEC, Eldar Gurbanov, 48, Yusif Farhadov, 51, and Bahram Nasibov, 37, from Word of Life Church in Baku all went missing on June 24 after security agents raided an engagement party in Tehran and arrested about 10 people. Most of those arrested were released, but the three along with an Iranian Christian who was with them were detained. Their location is still unknown, but they were able to contact their families once or twice, despite being confined in solitary holding cells.



If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.



If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at http://morningstarnews.org/donate/?
Speakers at the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) 3-day conference, sponsored by the Southern Baptist Convention, discussed issues ranging from the role of church in political discourse, American culture and racism to religious freedom.

The conference was held between August 25 and 27 in Nashville, Tennessee.

About 1,000 pastors and cultural leaders attended the event which focused on gospel and how it can be applied to public life.

Starting off the first day with the topic of racism, opening speaker Bryan Loritts said that downplaying the existence of different ethnicities in church is to overlook the theology of imago dei, which says that people are "fearfully and wonderfully made," including every aspect of them.

"Oh dear friend, let's go to war with evangelical passivity," Loritts continued. "Let's have Paul's redemptive impatience" by becoming "all things to all people (1 Corinthians 9)," he said.

Worship and arts pastor Mike Cosper drew attention to music, art and film in influencing the culture.

"They're telling stories that are telling about the good life and power, money, sex," Cosper said.

He added that the church has "an enormous opportunity... to tell the world that there is more to life than money, power, and sex. That message has always been at the heart of the church's message and witness."

Pastor-storyteller Steven Bush exhorted pastors to encourage artists in their congregations to use their talents for the cause of God.

He said that artists in the church need to create art not only "for the church" but "from the church."

He asked the churches to remember that "our identity is not in the art we create but in King Jesus who gives us the ability to create that art."

On the second day of the conference, ERLC president Russell Moore said that Christians must not be anguished by changes in American culture, because what is happening could be a part of God's plan to rescue.

"The shaking of American culture is no sign that God has given up on his church," he said. "The shaking of American culture could very well be a sign that God is rescuing his church from a captivity that we didn't even know we were in."

Speaking about the darkness in culture, Moore said, "If what we are conserving is not defined by the gospel, defined by a righteousness found in the lived life and the shed blood of the resurrected Jesus Christ ... than we have nothing worth conserving at all."

David French, National Review staff writer, started the third session by commenting on national politics.

"If this election isn't humble pie for conservatives, I don't know what is humble pie," French said. "We substituted a set of policies for just a dude, the dude, who he alone can change your life. How? No idea. No clue."

He attributed the current political climate to lethargy on the part of society. French said that conservative leaders much teach people to stand up for their beliefs.

"We need energy instead of lethargy," he added.

Kelvin Cochran, fire chief and former fire administrator, was fired from the department over his book which mentioned biblical marriage and sexuality. He testified during the conference that "there are worldly consequences for standing for biblical truth," but he said, "Kingdom consequences are always greater than the worldly consequences."

Moore said that it was important to educate people on religious freedom and its biblical foundation, and how it differs from control.

"Not everything that offends me is a violation of my religious freedom," he said. "I don't have a right not to be ridiculed on TV. I don't have any right to say that everyone has to agree with what I'm saying about the Bible. But there is a very genuine threat and we see all around us and heard some of that today ... people whose very freedom to live out their faith is being restricted."

Christianity Today executive editor Andy Crouch cautioned Christians to not be "on a quest for control" of the culture.

"You know someone is addicted to control; when their control begins to slip, they become violent," Crouch said. "What our culture has perceived of us Christians, is they see us losing control of culture and they see the rage with which we react to that loss of control."

He said that the tendency to control is what reveals the true motivations.
The paradoxical pairing of nostalgia and forgetfulness are everywhere in todays American culture: Trump supporters who want to make America great again, one shocking @realDonaldTrump tweet at a time; hipsters who want grandpas vintage manliness without his Eisenhower-era values; movie fans who love period films but cant remember the best-picture winner from last year.

Then theres this particularly widespread memory lapse: We say we want a good society with morally upright citizens, but we forget the significant role Christians play, and have played for millennia, in the worlds flourishing. Its something Christians themselves are forgetting. Many are increasingly embarrassed, self-loathing, and viciously infighting. At times, theyre more vocal on blogs and Twitter about the alleged good-for-nothing horribleness of Christians than the most ardent atheist.

Todays religious freedom debates exemplify this amnesia about Christianitys contributions to the common good. In the balancing act between LGBT protections and free exercise protections for religious businesses and institutions, federal and state governments seem poised to dispense with the latter for the sake of the former. This summer California debated a controversial proposed law (SB 1146) that threatened to drastically narrow religious protections for the states Christian colleges and universities, subjecting religious schools to lawsuits and loss of state financial aid for their students if they continued enforcing admissions, housing, hiring, and other policies based on their traditional beliefs about sexuality and gender. Due to an unprecedented public outcry, including from African ...

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I had the privilege or reading a pre-release version of "God Shines Forth: How the Nature of God Shapes and Drives the Mission of the Church." Here are 20 quotes from the book, which you should pick up.
Dr. Gregory Jantz Authors Five New Books Contact: Adam Taff, The Center - A Place of HOPE, 913-484-1140



EDMONDS, Wash., Aug. 30, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Dr. Gregory Jantz, founder of The Center - A Place of HOPE in Edmonds, Washington, announced the release of his five latest books.



Dr. Jantz is a best-selling author of 35 books and a leading voice in mental health advocacy and treatment. He penned his latest "mini-books" in response to the need for easy-to-read, on the go books to support mental and emotional health. "We have seen a trend from readers that they are seeking shorter books they can read in one afternoon, or on a plane trip. These books provide an opportunity to learn about practical ways to identify symptoms and discover tools and techniques to overcome challenges in daily life," Dr. Jantz said.



From dealing with depression, anxiety, and stress, to raising children in the smartphone generation and how to specifically raise young boys in the current failure-to-launch environment, Dr. Jantz connects with the reader in his traditional entertaining and comfortable style.



"Understanding why we get depressed, or experience anxiety and stress, is empowering, and providing the tools one needs to lessen the effect or even overcome their challenges can help return the reader to a life of balance and happiness. But the topics do not need to be moribund or dry. I try to provide real-life examples to help us understand these important topics," Dr. Jantz continued.



The Five New Books: Five Keys to Dealing With Depression. Loss of interest. Drastic changes in appetite. Deep sadness. Feeling constantly tired. Thoughts of death or suicide. The symptoms and signs of depression vary over a wide range and affect every part of our lives, so why shouldn't our treatment be just as complete? Five Keys to Depression focuses on the whole-person for whole healing with practical tips, valuable biblical insight, and shame-free help.

Seven Answers For Anxiety. Unlike popular methods which tell you to just "manage" or medicate your anxiety Dr. Jantz's Seven Answers for Anxiety helps you identify the root cause of anxietyso you can overcome and break free from the nagging and anxious thoughts that leave you exhausted. He explains seven trusted and practical steps that can be used by anyone and everyone to be free from anxiety or panic attacks.

Six Steps To Reducing Stress. "75 percent of Americans report experiencing at least one symptom of stress in the past month" in the United States, according to the American Psychological Association. Whether the cause of stress is money, work, the economy, family, or personal health, Dr. Jantz provides simple and effective tips to reduce stress that will improve lives of people everywhere!

Ten Tips For Parenting the Smartphone Generation. Children spend an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes a day on digital media, plugged in and glued to screens, according to recent studies. That's 5.5 hours over the recommended limit, often leading to poor school performance, behavioral problems, neck pain, and much more. With Dr. Gregory Jantz's Ten Tips For Parenting The Smartphone Generation, learn to avoid the negative consequences and enjoy watching your child gain the most out of technology.



From practical tips on setting good examples for your child, to ways of wisely monitoring what they see and do with technology, Dr. Gregory Jantz packs Bible-based ideas and solid research in a 112-page guide to help you protect your children as they learn to interact with media and technology.

Five Keys to Raising Boys. "Boys will be boys..." From how they learn and talk to how they interact with others, it's no secret that boys are wired very differently than girls. This empowering book is a roadmap that will give readers the strength and confidence to raise an extraordinary son using practical advice and tools.



Today, boys and young men face unique challenges and pressures that can be troubling to parents. Enjoy having practical tools, biblical advice, and decades of time-tested research and experience on raising your son from at your fingertips! Dr. Jantz is a licensed mental health counselor with a doctorate in counseling psychology and a world-recognized expert and innovator in the treatment of behavioral disorders and addictions. Dr. Jantz's treatment facility The Center  A Place of HOPE is recognized as a top ten facility in the U.S. for the treatment of depression. In addition to being a best-selling author of 35 books, he is a go-to media source expert for a range of behavioral-based afflictions, as well as drug and alcohol addictions. Dr. Jantz has appeared on CNN, FOX, ABC, CBS, and interviewed for the New York Post, Associated Press, Family Circle, and Women's Day. He is also a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and Psychology Today blogs.



A Place Of Hope Book Store:

www.aplaceofhope.com/store

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Reach Beyond Team Tackles Mountainous Terrain to Rebuild Quake-Damaged Nepal Radio Station Crews Laboring to Restore Area as Part of 'Hope for Harmi' Project



Contact: Darin Campbell, 512-785-8350



COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Aug. 30, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Despite border delays and monsoon-drenched roads, Reach Beyond workers are succeeding in their efforts to rebuild a Christian radio station in the isolated Nepal village of Harmi, allowing thousands to hear both the good news of Jesus Christ and vital community information each day.



Photo: Reach Beyond team members work to finish demolishing the heavily damaged radio station as part of Harmi rebuilding effort in Nepal.



A nine-member team visited the remote community of Harmi for a week in late June to help the rebuilding effort, more than a year after a pair of powerful earthquakes devastated the Himalayan nation in 2015.



In remote areas, the gospel is spread by radio, along with other announcements vital to the region, including information after Nepal's devastating earthquakes last April and May. Reach Beyond's long-term recovery "Hope for Harmi" project is an attempt to restore a community where it has a long-established partner radio station and other ministries, including a small hydroelectric plant and a birthing center.



Reach Beyond engineer John Brewer said the team's first challenge was making the seven-hour bus trip from Kathmandu to Harmi on a winding mountain road with many blind corners.



"Closer to the village we came to a mud road that was so rutted and slippery that our vehicle could go no further," he said. "A tractor with a big trailer came and carried our luggage/equipment and most of us the final stretch. A few of us decided to walk the remaining 40-plus minutes."



"We set up our tents (our home for a week) and slept until the wee hours when the rain came and flooded half of the tents," Brewer related. "The second day we set up differently, digging trenches and putting tarps below and above the tents. After that we weathered the rain just fine."



The team worked alongside local laborers to tear down the 18-inch thick mud-and-stone walls of the old radio station, reclaiming the rocks that were used in the base of the new building. The work was physically demandingcarrying rocks and sandbags, mixing cement and carrying bricks -- for the new station, expected to be completed by the end of the year.



Despite the obstacles, the group completed its goals of demolishing the local partner's quake-damaged community radio station (established with Reach Beyond's help in 2010) and completing the floor/foundation of the new building.



"We joined in starting a bucket brigade, moving concrete to lay the base upon which the walls of the new station will be laid," added Martin Harrison of Reach Beyond-UK. "It was incredibly hot and humid work under the monsoon sun. But the concrete floor, mixed and poured by hand, was completeda good result for the team."



Broadcasts, offering helpful information and gospel messages, continue from temporary studios, reaching an estimated 30,000 potential listeners.



Reach Beyond (www.reachbeyond.org) of Colorado Springs, Colo., uses media and medical technology to minister in difficult-to-reach places and with people groups around the world.



To schedule an interview with key leaders, contact Darin Campbell @ (512) 785-8350 or dcampbell@inchristcommunications.com.

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Baptist Minister Explores Faith and the 2016 Campaign



JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Aug. 30, 2016 /



"Many Christians are struggling in this campaign," Kaylor says. "Can Christians vote for Donald Trump? Or Hillary Clinton? Are there ways to remain faithful to Kingdom principles in the middle of a nasty partisan campaign?"



"We need a different path, a different kind of politics," Kaylor adds. "We must be politically engaged, but we must do so without ignoring our consciences and throwing away our principles. Thus, the book is really less about Trump or Clinton and more about our calling as Christians."



In 'Vote Your Conscience,' Kaylor outlines moral problems with both candidates, looks at the role religion has played in this campaign and considers how faith and partisanship entangled in modern politics. He also includes practical steps to help Christians offer much-needed prophetic politics during this and future campaigns. Kaylor particularly urges pastors not to endorse a candidate, especially as this election features the two least popular nominees in polling history.



A frequent commentator on religion and politics for newspapers and media programs, Kaylor is the author of three earlier books on religion and politics: 'Sacramental Politics: Religious Worship as Political Action,' 'Presidential Campaign Rhetoric in an Age of Confessional Politics' and 'For God's Sake, Shut Up!' Kaylor serves as the Generational Engagement Team Leader for Churchnet (a Baptist network in Missouri) and Contributing Editor for Ethics Daily. Learn more at

Share Tweet Contact: Brian Kaylor, 417-593-6030, BrianTKaylor@gmail.com JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Aug. 30, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- The latest book from award-winning author Brian Kaylor, a Baptist minister with a Ph.D. in political communication, explores issues of religion and politics in the 2016 presidential campaign. In 'Vote Your Conscience: Party Must Not Trump Principles,' Kaylor proposes Christians focus on the inherent politics of the Kingdom over partisan political agendas. Find the book here "Many Christians are struggling in this campaign," Kaylor says. "Can Christians vote for Donald Trump? Or Hillary Clinton? Are there ways to remain faithful to Kingdom principles in the middle of a nasty partisan campaign?""We need a different path, a different kind of politics," Kaylor adds. "We must be politically engaged, but we must do so without ignoring our consciences and throwing away our principles. Thus, the book is really less about Trump or Clinton and more about our calling as Christians."In 'Vote Your Conscience,' Kaylor outlines moral problems with both candidates, looks at the role religion has played in this campaign and considers how faith and partisanship entangled in modern politics. He also includes practical steps to help Christians offer much-needed prophetic politics during this and future campaigns. Kaylor particularly urges pastors not to endorse a candidate, especially as this election features the two least popular nominees in polling history.A frequent commentator on religion and politics for newspapers and media programs, Kaylor is the author of three earlier books on religion and politics: 'Sacramental Politics: Religious Worship as Political Action,' 'Presidential Campaign Rhetoric in an Age of Confessional Politics' and 'For God's Sake, Shut Up!' Kaylor serves as the Generational Engagement Team Leader for Churchnet (a Baptist network in Missouri) and Contributing Editor for Ethics Daily. Learn more at www.BrianKaylor.com
home Entertainment 'Passion of the Christ' movie sequel, 'The Resurrection', could be Mel Gibson's next project

Mel Gibson made a surprise appearance at the SoCal Harvest on Sunday and discussed the possibility of a sequel to "The Passion of Christ" with pastor Greg Laurie. Gibson stated that he and screenwriter Randall Wallace were in talks regarding a film called "The Resurrection."

Last June, Wallace told The Hollywood Reporter (THR) that he was writing a script about Christ's resurrection. "I always wanted to tell this story," he said. "The Passion is the beginning and there's a lot more story to tell," he added. Wallace revealed that he specialized in the resurrection while studying religion in Duke University.

Gibson expressed his admiration for Wallace's writing talent and affirmed that he is well-suited for the job. "He is also, as well as a brilliant writer, he is a great director. He directed 'We Were Soldiers' and 'Heaven is for Real' and stuff. So, he is a good writer and director," Gibson Laurie during the Christian festival.

At the event, Gibson also talked about his new film "Hacksaw Ridge," the true-to-life story of Desmond Doss, an army medic who saved the lives of his fellow soldiers in the Battle of Okinawa. The film, coming out in November, stars Andrew Garfield as Doss and Vince Vaughn as Sergeant Howell.

Gibson expressed his interest in making "The Resurrection" during a screening of "Hacksaw Ridge" at Liberty University in Virginia last month.

Wallace told THR in June that the script for "The Resurrection" is still in the early stage. He said there is still no financial backing for the project but alluded that there are interested investors.

"The evangelical community considers The Passion the biggest movie ever out of Hollywood, and they kept telling us that they think a sequel will be even bigger," he remarked.

"The Passion of Christ," produced with a $30 million budget, earned $612 million worldwide when it was released in 2004. It is reportedly hailed as the most successful independent film of all time.
home World American preacher arrested for violating Russia's 'anti-evangelism law'

Baptist preacher Donald Ossewaarde has been tried and convicted of conducting a religious service in his home in Oryol, southwest of Moscow. Police arrested him for conducting alleged illegal activities such as singing, praying and reading the Bible with a prayer group.

During the initial hearing, the court did not wait for Ossewaarde's lawyers to arrive from Moscow. Instead, he was provided with a lawyer. He was indicted for putting up flyers inviting the public to contact him for Bible study sessions. The court said he did not submit documents to authorities pertaining to these religious meetings for which he was fined 40,000 rubles.

After the initial hearing, Ossewaarde said that his court-appointed lawyer counseled him to pay the fine and not ask for an appeal. The lawyer also warned him and his family that they were not safe there and it was best to leave the city.

Although his family went back to the U.S., the preacher decided to appeal his case.

The anti-sharing beliefs amendment was presented in early 2016 and was signed by Vladimir Putin on July 6 despite global criticism. Ossewaarde is among the first five victims of the newly established anti-evangelism law. Protesters against the legislation said it was not a government campaign against terrorism but rather a "draconian attempt" to repress religious freedom.

According to Russia's Religion Law, evangelism within one's residence is not permitted, except in cases covered by Article 16, Part 2. This particular provision states that "worship services, other religious rites and ceremonies" may be conducted without hindrance in residential premises (as well as in religious buildings and in premises owned or rented by religious organizations.)"

According to the Christian organization Forum 18, Ossewaarde did not post public flyers about holding religious services in his home but merely put them in mailboxes.

Forum 18 also said, "When the anti-sharing beliefs amendment was first introduced in 2016, it was unclear what this part of it would mean in practice. However, Ossewaarde's conviction for holding a service in his own home suggests that almost any religious activity in private as well as public space may be given a 'missionary' slant and little protection may be afforded by the Article 16 provision."
home Entertainment Duggar family news: Anna Duggar still has high hopes for her marriage to Josh

Anna Duggar is full of hope for her marriage with ex-reality TV star Josh Duggar and said she is happy that her husband has started to make the right choices.

According to reports, Anna remains positive despite the sex scandals Josh was embroiled in. "Personally, I have a lot of hope for our marriage, and so as I see Josh taking steps to do what's right, it brings a lot of joy and helps heal the pain that we walked through," she said.

She added that they are rebuilding their relationship together alongside their children, and are taking each day as it comes.

Last May, the couple sought the services of a professional marriage and family counselor at the end of Josh's rehab program. This is part of the steps they are taking to heal their relationship.

Anna remained a loyal ally to her husband and a devoted Christian wife despite being encouraged by people to seek a divorce.

On the Duggar family website, the couple wrote about the professional help they were receiving and openly admitted the difficulty involved in the process. They also said that they had a long way to go in rebuilding their marriage.

Josh's first scandal came out in May 2015. Police documents reported that Josh molested his younger sisters years ago when he was around 14 years old. The whole Duggar family defended him, including Jill Dillard and Jessa Seewald, whom he allegedly molested.

The second scandal came later that summer when Ashley Madison, a website that encourages and looks to facilitate infidelity, was hacked and accounts of its members were publicly exposed. It was revealed that one of the accounts was owned by Josh.

Josh admitted that he cheated on his wife and that he was addicted to porn. The news shook the couple's marriage and shocked the entire family. He consequently checked himself into a faith-based rehab facility called Reformers Unanimous. He left early this year after spending six months in the rehabilitation center.

Anna shared their marriage updates when she appeared in the "Counting On" season 2 premiere on TLC last Tuesday. During the premiere, Jessa's pregnancy and Jinger's engagement to Jeremy Vuolo were also announced.
home World Archbishop of Canterbury 'consumed with horror' at the way the Church treats gay people

The spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, Archbishop Justin Welby, has admitted that he is "constantly consumed with horror" at how the Church has treated the gay community.

Welby was interviewed by Rev. Kate Bottley, television personality and more popularly known as the "vicar of Gogglebox." The emotional Q and A was conducted live before hundreds of attendees of the Greenbelt Christian Festival in Northamptonshire.

The archbishop said, "We have to find a way to love and embrace everyone who loves Jesus Christ."

He believed this included people from societies who feel strongly about same-sex relationships. He shared that he sometimes has been kept awake at night thinking about issues like the discrimination experienced by the gay community and their protection against abuse.

Welby was also asked when the Church would start blessing civil partnerships. He admitted that he did not know and did not have an acceptable answer. He added, "If we were the only Church here and [there were] no other Churches, and if division didn't matter it would be much easier to answer."

In a moment of candid honesty, Welby said that he "can't see the road ahead" for the Church in terms of civil partnership for same-sex couples. He added that the Church came from a traditional point of view and had varying opinions regarding the issue.

Bottley also asked him about his biggest frustration to which Welby replied with himself, saying that he became most upset with his own failures.

The archbishop also shared that he no longer checked his Twitter because "if [what people write about me] is nice you get a bit up yourself, and if it's nasty you get cross, and either way you have to repent."

In one of the highlights of the interview, the archbishop told the audience that the future of the Church was in the resurrection.

"The future of the Church in this land is amazing because God is God a he's not going to turn away. He will make sure that the name of Jesus is proclaimed in this land come what may," he said.
home US Bible remains highly regarded by American teens, Barna poll finds

The research commissioned by the American Bible Society showed that 86 percent of American teens regarded the Bible as a sacred text. The poll conducted by Barna Research found out that around seven out of 10 teens had their own copy of the Bible and most of them read it regularly.

The 2016 Teen State of the Bible research was conducted to find out about the Bible reading habits of American teens and learn about how they viewed the book. Another goal of the study was to determine their beliefs about the Bible's role in society.

The findings revealed that teens were encouraged upon seeing others read the Bible in public. 36 percent were grateful to see that the sacred book was still important to others. 10 percent think that people reading it were old-fashioned.

With regards to their reading habits, 44 percent reported that they read the sacred book at least three to four times a year. 25 percent said they read the Bible at least once a week while 11 percent read it several times a week.

Some teens reported that they struggled to read the Bible because they lacked time. 14 percent said that their reading decreased in the last year. 41 percent of those who reported a decline in their reading habits stated that they were too busy.

When asked about their beliefs regarding the Bible, 47 percent of teens agreed that the Bible was a source of hope. 35 percent believed it contained everything a person needed to know to live a meaningful life. 11 percent said that the Bible, the Quran and the Book of Mormon were different expressions of the same truths.

Arthur Satterwhite, senior manager of National Movements Mobilization at American Bible Society, was encouraged by the findings. "American teens sometimes get a bad rap as being uninterested or even anti-faith," said Satterwhite in a statement. "But today's Teen State of the Bible report shows that a majority of America's teens have respect for and interest in the Bible," he continued.

"Many teens are recognizing that the Bible speaks to the complete human experience a the struggles and trials and triumphs of life," said Satterwhite. "American Bible Society will continue to develop tools and resources to help teens dive into God's Word and experience its life-changing message," he added.
home World Christians hope and pray for the acquittal of Asia Bibi in Pakistan

Asia Bibi's appeal is set to be heard in the Supreme Court this October and Catholic church officials are hopeful that she will be acquitted. Bibi, a Christian accused of blasphemy, was sentenced to death in 2010 but her execution was postponed by Pakistan's top court.

Bibi, a mother of five, was charged with blasphemy by her co-workers in 2009 when she allegedly drank water meant only for Muslims. Saif-ul-Malook, a Muslim, took over as her attorney when her former lawyer, a Christian, lost the case in the High Court. Her new lawyer is optimistic about the case even though he already received threats.

"I have high hopes that she will be released. I have been threatened as well but I knew what I was jumping into," he told UCA News.

Last April, the Islamist group Pakistan Sunni Tehreek demanded the execution of Bibi. Father Joseph Louis, former executive secretary of Caritas Pakistan, said the outcome of the case is difficult to predict because the authorities are afraid of the extremists.

"The rulers are afraid of fanatics and only want to escape any blame. They don't care for the innocent. We can only pray and ask for the Holy Spirit to convinces the judges," Louis told UCA News.

Tahir Chaudhry, president of Pakistan Minority Alliance, also cited the radicalists' pressure on the judiciary but he is still hoping that Bibi will be acquitted.

Last week, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) urged Christians to sign a petition to save Bibi from execution. The petition has already gathered 427,835 as of August 29.

According to ACLJ, Bibi's case would be the first legal execution in Pakistan over blasphemy if the court pushes through with her death sentence. The organization noted that hundreds have been killed in extrajudicial killings by violent mobs even when the accused have been acquitted by the courts.
home US Conservatives' failure and support for Donald Trump 'one of the saddest things,' David French says

Writer David French blasted the American conservatives for their apparent failure and support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as "one of the saddest things" he's ever witnessed in life.

The New York Times best-selling author of "Rise of ISIS: A Threat We Can't Ignore" was one of the keynote speakers last Saturday for Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission's three-day 2016 National Conference "Onward: Engaging the Culture Without Losing the Gospel"

held at Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tennessee.

French, 47, disapproved of the Christian conservative bloc's support for Trump just because the billionaire businessman promised to appoint conservative Supreme Court justices in return.

"It was one of the saddest things I have ever seen in my entire life," said French, according to The Christian Post.

"That's what happens when you hitch your wagon completely to one side. Whatever scraps they will give you will be better than the nothingness that you get from the other side," he added.

The lawyer and major in the United States Army Reserve, who once considered running against Trump in this fall's presidential race, explained that Americans supporting the billionaire businessman are the ones who feel marginalized.

He warned fellow conservatives of turning themselves into "cheap date" and stressed that one doesn't need to be tied to just one political party.

The editors of The Christian Post also uncharacteristically spoke out in the light of this current presidential campaign and shared almost the same sentiments as French.

"If you don't want politicians who woo you before the election only to ignore you after the election, you must signal your willingness to walk away," wrote the CP editors earlier this month.

They also pointed out that only Trump offered the most tempting offer among the candidates.

"Vote for me," the editors interpreted Trump as saying, "and I will give you Supreme Court picks and abolish the Johnson Amendment."

French blamed Fox News for gaining an upper hand over the Christian conservatives. He also blamed the American electorate for being politically ignorant and lazy. He invoked them to empower themselves and produce more grassroots activists.
home US Immigration Reform news 2016: Donald Trump vows to expel all overstaying immigrants

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump vowed Saturday to expel all overstaying immigrants from the U.S. after coming under fire for softening his stance on the immigration policy.

Trump spoke at Des Moines, Iowa during Republican Sen. Joni Ernst's charity event for military veterans, "Joni Ernst's Roast and Ride," where he tried to bounce back from his vacillating immigration stance.

The 70-year-old real estate mogul said he'd employ a tracking system and an e-verify system to screen out overstaying illegal immigrants.

"If we don't enforce visa expiration dates, then we have an open border a it's as simple as that," Trump said, according to Reuters.

If elected as the next American president, Trump said he'd prioritize the deportation of the 11 million illegal immigrants as well as make international gangs and cartels become "a thing of the past."

He also linked the issue of illegal immigration to unemployment.

"Every time an African-American citizen, or any citizen, loses their job to an illegal immigrant, the rights of that American citizen have been violated," said Trump. "Equal protection under the law must include the consistent application of our immigration laws."

Trump's signature hardline approach on the issue of immigration, which capitalized on deportation and his plan to build up a wall between the borders of U.S. and Mexico, took a vacillating turn after meeting with Hispanic leaders Aug. 20. Trump reportedly impressed upon them his willingness to soften up on his stance after which his third and newly-designated campaign manager Kellyanne Conway confirmed that Trump's re-considering his position.

This drew the ire of conservatives who expected Trump to be more decisive on his central rallying issue.

"It's just puzzling," the Associated Press quoted Lanhee Chen, a former policy adviser to several Republican presidential candidates, as saying. "This is the issue on which he rose to prominence in the primary and the issue on which he continues to stake much of his campaign."

Trump's delineated seven policy proposals stand in contrast to Clinton's 65 policy proposals on their respective campaign websites.
home World ISIS attacker stabs priest after failing to detonate bomb at church in Indonesia

A suspected Islamic State suicide bomber resorted to stabbing an Indonesian Catholic priest after his botched attempt to bomb the church.

According to the Associated Press (AP), an 18-year-old attacker targeted St. Yoseph Church in Medan, North Sumatra during Sunday's mass service.

The unidentified teenage suspect took out his knife and ran towards 60-year-old Rev. Albert Pandiangan at the altar and caused a slightly injured on the priest's hand after realizing that the explosives in his backpack failed to detonate.

"He was fidgety the whole time. He also could not follow our ritual," a church member named Vero told The Jakarta Post.

The church member added that she saw the suspect take out some cables and connected them to what she suspected as a detonator and caused a small flare-up as the priest started his sermon.

"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," she said.

The weak blast managed to create panic as most of the churchgoers immediately scurried out. A churchgoer named Randa said that not everyone dashed outside as some stayed behind to catch the attacker, who already slashed the priest's left arm. She added that two other people escaped after the people caught the suspect.

"Police are interrogating the perpetrator... and will search his house for any bomb-making materials," said Medan police spokeswoman Rina Sari Ginting in a statement that described the incident as a terrorist attack.

Local chief detective Nur Fallah likened the attacker's explosives to firecrackers while authorities reported that the suspect carried a piece of paper with a hand-drawn Islamic State symbol.

National police spokesman Maj Gen Boy Rafli Amar also said that the apprehended attacker told the police during interrogations that he didn't carry out the church attack on his own.

"Considering his young age, there has to be someone else who supports him. We are currently digging to seek his identity," The Guardian quoted National Counter-terrorism Agency Chief Suhardi Alius as saying.
home US Leaked document reveals billionaire's plan to give $1.5 million to Planned Parenthood to defend against fetal body parts scandal

A recently leaked document revealed that a foundation founded by billionaire George Soros requested $1.5 million to fund Planned Parenthood after a huge scandal involving the sale of fetal body parts. The funds were supposed to be used for its Fight Back Campaign to counter attempts to defund the facility.

REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

The document reportedly revealed that the Open Society Policy Center (OSPC) called for the cash infusion to defend Planned Parenthood's reputation and credibility. The fund will also be used to cope with the potential loss of federal funding.

The leaked document also referred to the undercover videos that showed Planned Parenthood officials negotiating the sales of fetal body parts. Lawmakers used the videos to justify defunding the abortion facility which received over $500 million yearly from the government.

The OSPC estimated that the campaign to defend the abortion facility may cost up to $8 million. This should cover security, communications, organizing supporters and congressional support, and legal fees.

It is not clear whether the money was released but part of the document read: "This emergency funding enabled PPAF to implement its multi-pronged Fight Back Campaign to mobilize grassroots and grasstops supporters and lobby Congress to counter attempts to defund Planned Parenthood at the federal and state levels, and to continue providing critical reproductive health care services across the country."

The file was released by DC Leaks along with other documents from organizations linked to Soros.

Both houses of Congress passed legislation to defund Planned Parenthood but President Obama vetoed the bill. The attempt by the House to override the veto in February was unsuccessful.

Life Site reported that there are other leaked documents that show Soros funding other pro-abortion campaigns in other parts of the world. Soros gives $4.2 million to Ireland every year to persuade the country to legalize abortion. Other campaigns involve condom distribution in Kenya and criticizing Human Life International in Asia.
home Faith Greg Laurie: 'People send themselves to Hell, not God'

Pastor Greg Laurie dispelled a widely shared belief when he said that it's not God but the people who send themselves to the fires of Hell.

The evangelical leader talked about the fires of Hell and made this revelation Saturday night to a crowd of 37,000 who attended the 27th annual SoCal Harvest at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Thousands also watched the event's webcast.

The 63-year-old senior pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California assured Christians that they will go to Heaven after their life on Earth. However, a different fate awaits those who refused to recognize Jesus Christ in their lives despite God's mercy.

The pastor clarified that even God with all His mercy and love for His people doesn't want this to happen.

"Listen to this," Pastor Laurie told the attendees. "Jesus Christ spoke more about Hell than all the other preachers of the Bible put together. He knows of its reality. Know this: the last thing God wants is for anyone to go to Hell."

Yet despite God's warnings and Jesus' offer of salvation, Pastor Laurie explained that many people refused to listen.

"Newsflash!" said the pastor. "God doesn't send people to Hell. You send yourself there. Hell is not made for people. Hell, according to Jesus, was made for the Devil and his angels. Listen, friend, if you end up in Hell one day, you will have to practically climb over Jesus to get there."

The author of more than 70 books continued his warnings about Hell even before he embarked on the three-night worship event that began Friday night.

Pastor Laurie told his social media followers through a Facebook video message on Aug. 17 that God would ultimately judge people based on what they know. This means He's not necessarily going to reject people just because they've never read or heard of the Gospel.

He continued to warn Christians and non-believers Friday night that one sin is already enough to keep one out of Heaven.

The event that aimed to reunite Christians to Jesus Christ saw 3,319 people surrendering their lives to Christ and say the Sinner's Prayer on the first night followed by more than 3,960 on the second night.
home Faith Signs of End Times could be terrorism and false teachings, says Greg Laurie

Pastor Greg Laurie said terrorist attacks and false teachings of the Church could be signs that pertain to the world's "last days." Laurie had been speaking to his congregation about this topic over the past few months, warning Christians that they could face tougher times.

During his visit to Pompeii in June, the pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship Church suggested that Americans could suffer the same fate as the ancient civilizations if they do not change their ways. He said the country's best days may still be ahead but warned that the nation could face judgement if it continued to ignore God.

In an interview with the Christian Post, Laurie mentioned some of the Biblical prophecies that Christians should pay attention to. "One of them of course is the scattering and regathering of the nation of Israel, which we all know happened in 1948 when Israel was declared a nation," he said. He also pointed out that the Bible contained predictions about global instability and violence in the last days.

He also mentioned the emergence of terrorist groups like the Islamic State and asserted that these acts of violence committed by terrorists were unheard of 25 years ago.

He took notice of false teachers who deny that the Bible is God's word and warned that they are a part of the apostasy that is prophesied in the Bible. "And, it also says that in the End Times ... there would be an apostasy," Laurie said to the Christian Post.

"When someone says the Bible is not the Word of God and that we can make things up as we go, pick and choose what parts of the Bible we want to believe, that to me is apostasy," Laurie added.

Laurie then clarified that he ultimately did not know when the end will come. He said the book of Revelations foretold what to expect when the last days arrive. Laurie warned that it will get worse before it gets better but added "I have read the last page of the Bible and I know for sure that we win in the end."
home World Wife of murdered Indian pastor vows to continue ministry

The wife of slain pastor Yohan Maraiah has relocated but she is determined to continue her husband's ministry. Maraiah, a pastor from the east Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh, was found dead near his home last July.

Maraiah's wife requested for Bibles for her church and asked people to pray for her family and the ministry. Voice of the Martyrs promised to provide her church with Bibles in their language.

Two dozen or more armed men abducted Maraiah from his home on the evening of July 29. The pastor was reportedly beaten, stabbed and shot. Maraiah was found dead with his hands tied behind his back. A note was left near his body.

The note threatened Maraiah's older brother and accused him of being friendly with police authorities. Maraiah's brother, also a pastor, was accused of "cheating people with his tricky talks and words [that] changes their heart and mind and converts them." Both brothers were accused of deceiving the people and enriching themselves through "criminal activities."

Maraiah's family denied the claim that the brothers were involved in crime. They said the brothers had been ministering to the poor and living a simple life in the area for over 15 years.

Sajan George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians, condemned the murders and told Asia News that this was not the first time Maraiah was attacked.

"He suffered several attacks and had his church torched more than once. However, he remained strong in his unswerving faith in Jesus Christ," George said. "He did not engage in any illegal activity. The poor and marginalized came to his church to receive peace, comfort and dignity that only Jesus can give," George added.

Maoist rebels are heavily against the conversion of the animist tribes in parts of India. The rebels, known as Naxalites, reportedly attacked and expelled Christians and Hindus from their villages.

Christians have also been killed by the police because of mistaken identity. Last July, five Pentecostal Christians were mistaken for Maoist rebels and killed by the police in Kandhamal district.
Argentina: Mother Teresa nuns beaten and robbed

Nuns belonging to the Missionary Sisters of Charity order founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta have been attacked and beaten in their home in Mar del Plata, Argentina.

The attack also saw the criminals desecrate the tabernacle of the nuns' chapel and steal a small amount of money, according to the Fides news agency.

The order has worked in Mar del Plata for 20 years. It is active in helping terminally ill AIDS patients and in other humanitarian work in the area.

Mar del Plata is a major fishing port and seaside resort in the southeast part of Buenos Aires Province, the seventh largest city in Argentina.

Mother Teresa founded her Missionaries of Charity in 1950. It now comprises more than 4,500 religious sisters who take vows not only of poverty, chastity and obedience but promise to give "wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor".

The order has 19 homes in Calcutta but works throughout the world providing AIDS care, refugee support, homes for people with leprosy, and support for alcoholic and homeless people.

Mother Teresa herself, orginally from Albania, died in 1997. A controversial figure during her lifetime, she is to be formally declared a saint by Pope Francis on September 4.
Atheist legal challenge could devastate National Baptist Convention gathering

The largest African-American denomination in the US is facing a funding crisis on the eve of its annual gathering next week because of a lawsuit filed by an atheist group.

The National Baptist Convention is due to meet in Kansas City from September 5-9 and was relying on a $65,000 grant from the city's tourism budget to transport attenders from their hotels to the conference hall.

However, late last month American Atheists Inc filed a lawsuit in a federal court alleging that this funding would violate Missouri's constitution, which prohibits using public funds for religious purposes.

The money was due to go to Modest Miles Ministries, which was to organise the shuttle. Its founder Rev John Modest Miles, a Kansas City Baptist minister, told the Kansas City News and Observer: "All of us are in tears. I'm up at night praying. That's all I know to do."

The gathering is expected to make a lot of money for the city, drawing around 20,000 delegates and family members who will take up 8,200 hotel rooms. The econonomic impact on the has been estimated at around $7.9 million by VisitKC, the city's convention and tourism agency.

Jerry Young, president of the National Baptist Convention USA, said in a telephone interview with the Kansas City Star: "When you spend money to bring 20,000 people to your city, you're not spending that money to promote the cause. You're spending that money because it just makes sense," he said.

He said it was a business meeting of the denomination and that some portions of the convention are open to the public.

"Once you decide that you can't do this because this is a religious group you have just decided you're going to discriminate against religion and all the religious people in Kansas City who pay taxes," he said. "How asinine is that?"

The Black Health Care Coalition has launched a GoFundMe effort to help raise the $65,000 shortfall. Its president Melissa Robinson said in a statement: "The convention has a social justice and social service agenda that we cannot ignore. They are working on a criminal justice agenda, disaster relief, housing and health. We feel compelled to support these efforts."
Australia: Six pastors and a nun 'arrested' after protest over Nauru detention centre

Six pastors and a nun taking part in a protest at the Australian Prime Minister's office against the off-shore detention centre on the Pacific island of Nauru have said they were arrested after refusing to leave.

The peaceful protest at Malcolm Turnbull's Sydney electorate office was organised by the Christian group Love Makes a Way.

Police denied that arrests were made, but over the past two years around 300 people have been arrested at events organised by Love Makes a Way, which was founded in 2014 with a sit-in protest at the office of the then-immigration minister, Scott Morrison.

In the latest incident, police were called by officials and the group was asked to leave about five hours later.

A Catholic nun, Sister Susan Connelly, from Saint Mary MacKillop's Josephite order, said: "A number of policemen came in and asked us to leave, and we refused to leave. They told us four or five times to go and when we said we wouldn't  they very respectfully, I must say, our police are lovely  they escorted each of us outside, and said that we would be hearing from them. We weren't actually charged but they took all our identification and so they know who we are and said they'd be in touch."

Sister Connelly added that she was prepared to go to prison because she would refuse to pay a fine if given one. "I can tell you now I will not be paying a fine, I will go to court and am prepared to go to jail," she said.

Reverend Michael Palmer, an Anglican rector from St Michael's at Vaucluse in the Prime Minister's electorate, said: "We were told that if we didn't leave, we'd be under arrest. We didn't leave and so we were then escorted out of the building. We left the building peacefully, there was no scuffle. I assumed because we didn't leave, it was an arrest, and the officer said there would be an ongoing investigation."

Police said the members of the group were not arrested but simply "moved on", with no charges made.

A post on the Love Makes a Way Facebook page said: "We aren't sure why the police are now claiming not to have arrested them, despite making it clear at the time, and when they "released" them. Perhaps it points to the pressure the PM feels from having pastors and nuns arrested in his office."

Rev Palmer said the group read from the Scriptures, shared Communion, prayed, sang Amazing Grace and read out incident reports from the Nauru files, which are leaked documents from inside the immigration detention system.

"It's pretty harrowing stuff really," he said. "What we want to see happen is that those detention centres close and refugees brought to Australia. That's all we want and if there wasn't going to be some assurance of that happening, which obviously there wasn't, then we were prepared to be arrested for that."

Totalling more than 8,000 pages, the leaked documents were published by the Guardian earlier this month and highlight personal accounts of sexual abuse, torture and humiliation inflicted on children.
Pakistani Christian girl abducted, forced to convert to Islam and marry faces death threats

A Pakistani Christian woman who is deaf and dumb and was abducted and forced to convert and marry a Muslim is facing death threats after she managed to escape and return to her family.

According to CLAAS, a charity that supports persecuted Christians in Pakistan, Asima Masih was abducted and forced to convert.

Her name was changed to Aysha. She was then married forcibly to her abductor, an influential neighbour of her parents who live in Sialkot, in the north-east of the Punjab province in Pakistan.

She is now back with her parents but according to CLAAS is being threatened if she does not return to her abductor.

Muslim clerics have issued a decree stating that Asima cannot live with her Christian family because she is no longer Christian, CLAAS said.

Asima's lawyer, Hafiz Ateeq ur Rehman, said he has petitioned for justice and an officer has been appointed to invetigate the case.

Her father Gulzar Masih is not wealthy and cannot afford to take on her abductor in court. He has himself come under pressure to return her to her abductor. His own son-in-law was even detained by the police but later released.

Christian Today reported earlier this month that Asima had been told by Islamic clerics that she could not return to her Christian parents because she had converted to Islam and married a Muslim.
Christian groups help thousands of girls serving as Hindu temple prostitutes in India and Nepal

This form of female slavery has been around since ancient times, and yet not that many people are apparently aware of its existence outside its country of origin.

This is the Hindu religious practice of appointing "devadasi," meaning "servants of god," in a kind of religious or ritual servitude that some sources say has been practiced for more than 5,000 years now in India.

India's government outlawed the practice in 1988, yet poor parents in southern India, and Nepal as well, continue to give away their daughters as young as five years old in "marriage" ceremonies to Hindu gods or temples, according to Women Without Borders, an international advocacy and research organisation for women.

Hindu parents believe they achieve two purposes by following the tradition: They rid themselves of unwanted female children while at the same time making an offering to their gods, which they hope will appease their deity and bring them good luck.

In reality, this Hindu practice ensnares young girls into a life of sexual exploitation.

In the local language, they have a saying about a devadasi: "Servant of god, but wife of the whole town," according to the Christian church-planting organisation Mission India.

These temple slaves are exploited until the Hindu priests get tired of them. They are then sold to the highest bidder as child concubines. Eventually the girls, including the children they give birth to, are pushed to the streets to survive any way they can, mostly by begging.

Still "married to the gods," they are not allowed to marry anyone else. Most are forced to endure the remainder of their lives as prostitutes in brothels, with their distinctive bangles and pendant necklaces identifying them as former temple prostitutes.

Christian organisations like Mission India and IMB Missions have been reaching out to these poor women by offering them alternative lifestyles. These women number about 70,000 in the state of Karnataka alone and 250,000 in all of India.

Church planters from Mission India hold group meetings with devadasis, raising their awareness about HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, and telling them about their rights and benefits as citizens.

The church planters also share their personal testimonies, distribute Christian reading materials, and pray for devadasis who are sick.

These church planters personally visit devadasis in their homes, sharing the Gospel and praying with them.

One of the devadasis that Mission India helped is Samita. After a church planter told her about Jesus Christ, Samita readily and tearfully declared, "I am ready to leave my goddess, who has made me a prostitute."

Samita eventually received Jesus as her personal Savior and abandoned her devadasi life.

Now she works for daily wages in the village fields, sharing with others in the community about the Good News of Jesus and His goodness towards her.
Christianity at risk of dying out in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, Orthodox Church leader warns

Christianity is in danger of disappearing across entire countries in the Middle East, the land of its birth, according to a senior Orthodox Church leader.

There have been repeated warnings about the decline of Christianity in Iraq under the Islamic State onslaught. Eight in ten Christians have left Iraq since 2003.

But the Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church, Ignatius Aphrem II, has now warned that Christianity is also at risk of disappearing in Syria and Lebanon.

The massive decline of the Christian population in Turkey from 3.5m to 150,000 in the last 100 years alone could be repeated in Syria and Lebanon, he warned.

"I am worried that Christianity is on the way out both in Syria and Iraq as well as in Lebanon," he told John Pontifex of Aid to the Church in Need, a Catholic charity which provides emergency help and spiritual support for Christians worldwide.

Already, in Syria, half of the Christians are either displaced or have fled abroad. Many are also fleeing Lebanon where there is terrible poverty.

The Patriarch, whose church numbers five million worldwide, also called on Europe's leaders to be more active in stopping radicalised Muslims entering their countries, warning against those who reject Western values and want Sharia law widely implemented.

"There should be a way of screening those who come to Europe so that they do not embrace extremist ideology. I do not know how this should happen but it is necessary and should be done without infringing the rights of those who are peace-loving and law-abiding," he said.

"Then there are those from Europe who go to Syria and elsewhere to wage jihad and who then come back from their countries. Europe has to be prepared for that."

Patriarch Aphrem will be the guest-of-honour at the UK launch of the charity's Religious Freedom in the World report in London in November.
Churches must take measures against possible terror attacks, warns security expert

Thousands of churches throughout the country are being urged to take security measures against the possibility of a terror attack or other anti-Christian hate crime.

New guidelines warn of growing evidence of hate crimes against Christians and say clergy and church staff must take steps to protect themselves and their congregations against terrorists armed with guns or knives.

The guidelines warn of an "escalating problem" in the wake of July's attack on the Catholic church in SaintEtienne-du-Rouvray near Rouen in France and the murder of its priest Father Jacques Hamel.

Although there is no evidence that a terror attack on a church is imminent, the guidelines note that attacks in churches during services are, in fact, surprisingly common. There have been cases of congregation members attacked with axes and even firearms.

The guidelines have been produced by Nick Tolson, a leading expert in church security and director of National Churchwatch.

Tolson, who is the Christian representative on a Home Office counter-extremism panel for places of worship, told Christian Today: "There is definitely a rise in the risk to churches. The murder of Father Jacques Hamel was the first time a church has been directly targeted by terrorists in northern Europe. We know that when there has been one attack, there are copycat attacks. So the risk has risen. We just need to talk about it and get people thinking about it."

He has posted the new guidelines on the National Churchwatch Facebook page.

There are two sets. One is how to deal with anti-Christian hate crime and the other suggests counter-terrorism measures that churches can take.

In the last 10 years in the UK, eight members of the clergy have been murdered, all with knives. In 2009 a man brandishing a firearm on the steps of Guildford Cathedral before an Advent carol service was shot and killed by police.

The guidelines state that every church should have CCTV

They should have just one entrance in use at a time, and one that can be slammed shut securely and quickly.

People working on the premises, especially when alone, should carry attack alarms.

Many incidents that occur are committed not by terrorists but by people who are mentally unwell. All incidents should be recorded and there must be a plan in place with individuals assigned for roles should there be an attack.

The guidelines say: "If someone produces a weapon during a service (and this will usually be a knife or blunt instrument) then you will need to get people out of the church.

"Do not let them just sit there and watch what is going on. They are at risk, it only takes seconds for someone to stab a large number of people as we have seen in various attacks around the country.

"Think about how you would get the congregation out.

"This is especially important in larger churches where the children may be separated from their parents in a Sunday School. It is normal for parents to rush and get their children to safety. How you evacuate is related to your fire evacuation plans. The same process would happen if there was a fire in the church."

Tolson said: "It is about visible things, such as having a person on the door. It is about giving people some idea of what to do if the worst happens. The advice has changed considerably. It used to be hide indoors, but now it is run, and keep running."

One of the problems is that when there is an incident, people have a tendency to stay and watch. "A person with a machine gun can kill hundreds," said Tolson.
Fears of trafficking as police reveal 9000 child refugees are missing in Germany alone

The number of missing child refugees in Germany has doubled since the start of the year with almost 9,000 believed to have disappeared.

Germany's federal police confirmed on Monday that 8,991 unaccompanied refugee children had been reported missing as of July 1, already higher than the whole of last year. Most of those who have disappeared are teenagers but 867 are under 13 years old.

The German police unit Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) insisted the increase could be down to young people registering in more than one authority. A spokesman said it was hard to keep a record as many arrived with no identification and spelt their names in different ways.

"In many cases, it's not like the children left without a plan," he added. "They wanted to visit their parents, relatives or friends in other German cities or even other European countries."

But charities expressed concern the children could be forced into crime or trafficked into forced labour or prostitution.

A spokesman for Save the Children said the charity was "extremely worried" by the figures.

"Unaccompanied children are fleeing conflict and making treacherous journeys to reach safety in Europe, only to fall through the cracks in the European system," a spokesman for the charity said.

"There are a lot of different reasons why refugee children in Europe are failing to be accounted for. Many have not been properly identified and registered, many abscond from the facility centres they are placed in, choosing instead to make the journey on their own. These children are at high risk of becoming victims of exploitation, trafficking and other forms of abuse."

The figures are likely to increase pressure on the UK to allow more unaccompanied children in Europe to enter the UK.

Tim Farron, Liberal Democrat leader and evangelical Christian, has campaigned alongside Save the Children for Britain to take its "fair share" of child refugees.

"I've been to the camps, I've seen families absolutely devastated, people who've fled war and persecution, the threat of death for them and their children and they took an enormously risky decision to cross the water to come to Europe. Why? Because what they left behind was riskier still," he told the BBC.

The figures in the German newspaper Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung came as about 6,500 migrants were rescued in one day off the Libyan coast. The Italian coastguard described Monday's mission as one of its biggest operations to date. A further 1,100 were rescued in the same area on Sunday.
Iraq: Displaced children taken from camps to fight ISIS

Child refugees are being recruited from camps in Iraq to fight ISIS, according to Human Right Watch (HRW).

Government backed tribal militias have taken children from at least one displaced persons camp in the Kurdistan region of Iraq to fight the jihadist group near Mosul, witnesses told the charity. The youngsters were taken from the Debaga camp on August 14 and are feared to be playing a part in the upcoming offensive against the ISIS-held town.

Residents of the camp told HRW that at least two militia groups fighting against ISIS are made up entirely of refugees and have been recruiting from the camp for months. The witnesses said that on August 14 two large vans arrived and took away 250 new fighters, at least seven of whom were under 18.

The refugees were taken to join Hashad al-Asha'ri, a local Sunni militia group which is expected to play a key part in the battle for Mosul as the government may order Shia militias to stay away for fear of sectarian infighting.

One aid worker working in the area said removing people from the camp to the frontline was part of the militia's strategy to fight ISIS.

"The recruitment of children as fighters for the Mosul operation should be a warning sign for the Iraqi government," said Bill Van Esveld, senior children's rights researcher at HRW. "The government and its foreign allies need to take action now, or children are going to be fighting on both sides in Mosul."

He added the US should urge the Iraqi government to ensure troops supporting them don't have under 18s in their ranks.

"The battle for Mosul should not be fought with children on the front lines," he said.
Is this Jesus' toughest call? 10 Bible verses on selflessness

"We will never know the joy of self-sacrifice until we surrender in every detail of our lives," writes Oswald Chambers in his devotional classic My Utmost for His Highest.

But he continues: "Yet self-surrender is the most difficult thing for us to do."

The toughest call Jesus places on his disciples is to deny themselves and sacrifice their own pleasures on behalf of others.

Here are 10 Bible verses to remind you of that call:

John 15:12-14

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command."

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

"Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful. It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

Mark 12:31

"The second most important command is this: Love your neighbour the same as you love yourself. These two commands are the most important."

Leviticus 19:18

"Forget about the wrong things people do to you. Don't try to get even. Love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord."

Luke 22:42

"Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Yet not my will but yours be done."

Matthew 25:40

"The king will answer them, 'I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you did for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did for me.'"

John 3:30

"He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less."

Galatians 2:20

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Galatians 5:16-17

'So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will never fulfill the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh wants is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit wants is opposed to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, and so you do not do what you want to do."

Psalm 119:36

"Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain."
Donald Trump donated $100,000 to help Louisiana flood victims, according to pastor

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins announced on Friday that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump made a $100,000 donation for flood relief efforts in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The donation was reportedly received by Greenwell Springs Baptist Church, which is serving as a hub for distributing supplies and hot meals for victims of the floods. "I also want to let you know that as a result of his visit to our church and seeing the work that we are doing to help the community, Donald Trump is sending a financial contribution to the church to aid our efforts," the church posted on its Facebook page.

Perkins said the funds will be used to purchase relief-related supplies, material and services. The funds will not be used for normal church expenses, and they will not give it as cash grants to individuals as well. "Any funds not used in this initial relief phase will be used for subsequent efforts to support and/or directly restore and rebuild homes and church facilities impacted by the flood," he said.

Perkins is extremely grateful for Trump's concern and donation. "I'm grateful Donald Trump visited Louisiana. He helped turn the attention of the nation to a devastated region that faces a very long road to recovery," he told The Christian Post.

Trump earlier visited the devastated Bayou State together with his vice president, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. The state was submerged in massive flooding due to continuous rainfall a week and a half ago.

Perkins, who is a pastor of Greenwell Springs Baptist Church, helped Trump assess the level of damage in the area.

The pastor and his family are actually victims of the flood as well since they were forced to evacuate their home back on Aug. 13 using a canoe. Around 80 percent of Louisiana homeowners have been affected by the flood.
Pray for believers from one of the world's most secret religions

Born into a religion you cannot convert to or from, Farah* met Jesus when searching for answers. Now others in her close-knit Druze community are getting to know him too.

"When I came home to tell my community about Christ it took me 10 years of persecution. Of everything you can think of," Farah says. "The way they treated us for expressing our faith  the community I grew up with in war time in Lebanon  was very hard.

"Now 30 people, all Druze background believers, meet for church in our home."

People like Farah, who have converted from this small and secretive religion, need our prayers. But first we need to understand where they are coming from.

What is Druze?

A relatively unknown religion in the UK, it's estimated that over one million people worldwide are Druze, the majority of whom live in Lebanon and Syria. The religion originates from Shia Islam, and started in Egypt in 1019.

The Druze faith incorporates elements of Islam, Judaism and Christianity, as well as other beliefs. The teachings of philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle and Socrates also feed into the religion, which was founded by Hamza ibn-'Ali ibn-Ahmad.

Druze believe in one God, who is a mind, not a person. This God created the whole world, but will not interfere with his creation until the end of time. Druze cannot have a relationship with their God, but they can meet with him through high-level meditation. They also believe in Jesus; that he was a prophet who taught us to be good humans. Moses' father-in-law, Jethro of Midian, is their chief prophet and revered as the spiritual founder of Druze.

Reincarnation is a strong element of the Druze faith, which is why people cannot convert to the religion. It is believed that every one of us had the opportunity to do so in a former life. Proselytism and conversion officially ended in 1043, just 24 years after the religion began.

As a minority religion in every country where they live, Druze have frequently suffered persecution. They live in very closed communities and much of what they believe and do is hidden from the outside world.

Farah's story

Having fled war in Lebanon, Farah was living in Eastern Europe with her husband and two daughters when she began searching for meaning  and God.

"It was not an easy life... There was always war and we had to flee," she says. "About 15 years ago I began an internal search asking: 'Who is God? What does he want us to do? Where is God?' I had so many questions that the God I believed in couldn't answer. So I went to the books, but I couldn't find the answers that I wanted  and I saw that I was not permitted to ask the questions to God."

In her search for answers, Farah turned to Islam but found no solace. Her husband, meanwhile, had begun to read the Bible. Farah began to read it too, and prayed to Jesus.

"When I called God to look over me, Jesus came to me. That's how I got the conviction that Jesus is God. I made a very deep cry for God to look down on us, and Jesus came. From there I started believing," she says.

"A very clear voice said that we had come home to be witnesses to Jesus in our community, to my family in Lebanon. In the beginning, they did not know what 'follower of Christ' meant. They didn't understand that I was following another God, they understood that I was leaving them to belong to another community. So I said, 'no, I am Druze, I am going to stay here.'"

Converting to Christianity is considered a betrayal by Farah's family and community, and so they identify themselves as 'Druze believing in Christ'.

"We stayed, we did not run," she says. "It took 10 years of persecution. Some people just stopped talking to us. We showed them love. We showed them what Jesus had done in our lives. Sometimes without talking, just the way we acted with them. They saw we were something different.

"It was not easy at the beginning  they had so many ideas of who we were. But we kept on in our community and we were very close to people whenever they needed us. We lived Christ, and after 13 years they came to accept us."

Now, people from the community come to Farah and her husband's house, often asking for prayer. "Even though they're still Druze, they believe in Christ in their own way," she says.

"Today, my husband and I pastor a church in our community that includes over 30 Lebanese and Syrian Druze who are living out the biblical teachings and are witnessing Christ. They gave their lives to Christ and were baptised. That's a major step in our community  letting everyone know that you follow Jesus.

"I have been rewarded so plentifully from God."

What can we pray for?

Pray for Farah and her heart for Druze believers to meet Jesus, in her community and beyond. Pray that her story would encourage other believers struggling to share Christ in the midst of persecution.

Pray for Druze followers of Christ living in Lebanon and Syria, that they would be encouraged, strengthened and guided by the Holy Spirit.

Pray for peace in Syria. Pray that the Muslim, Druze and Christian communities that have so suffered in the country over the past five years would be able to thrive there once more.

Pray for Christian converts across the Middle East and North Africa. Pray that God would protect them, strengthen them, use them, and lead them to others with whom they can share fellowship.

Pray for more understanding of the Druze community. Pray that there would be an increased openness amongst the Druze to the person of Jesus as more than a prophet, and pray for people willing to share the gospel amongst this small, often persecuted, group.

*Name has been changed to protect identity
Russell Moore warns politics has become a religion for evangelicals

Politics has become a religion and a source of identity to evangelicals, Russell Moore lamented over the weekend, as he warned that the witness of evangelicalism was at risk.

Moore said that evangelicals become more caught up in over-promising at each election cycle than the rest of American culture. Speaking at the Southern Baptist Church's ethics and religious liberty commission's national conference, he said evangelicals' obsession with politics had led to Christians becoming either disillusioned or cynical.

"There are no final victories or final defeats" in election cycles, Moore told the conference on Saturday. He said he had heard people say "this is the most important election we have faced in my lifetime," during every election cycle, and been told the election will either win or lose the country completely.

"We have a responsibility not only to speak truthfully. But we have a responsibility to contextualise not only to the present culture but to the future," he said. "We have to speak in words that we can live with for future generations of evangelical Christians and our neighbours. And as we're doing that, ensuring the fact that the gospel is clear."

He added he was concerned about "what happens to the witness of evangelicalism in the middle of the moment like this".

Moore warned that politics had become a form of religion with people finding their primary source of identity in who is with them or opposed to them politically.

When that happens it is easy for the gospel "to be a tool to accommodate whatever political agenda is useful at the moment," Moore added.

"Part of what we have to do is to dethrone politics as a religion and as a source of identity while at the same time remaining engaged in our responsibilities as citizens, in communities and neighbours, which includes the political process."

Moore, who has been an out-spoken critic of Trump and his supporters, also said some evangelical leaders risked damaging the gospel's witness in years to come.

"Evangelicals, who have previously said character matters, who this year are saying character doesn't matter that much, are never going to be able to address the issue of character again. Never," he said.

"For me the primary issue is not who's up and who's down in the horse race in 2016. It's what is the gospel witness of the evangelical church going to be in 2017 and 2018 and 2028 when you have this variety of problems."

He went on: "What do we do to rebuild after this debacle? Long term though, it could be that this nightmare of an election season is pressing some issues to the forefront and exposing some very real differences in terms of Christian witness and otherwise in this country that can productively lead us toward the future."
UK and France pledge to 'step up' cooperation over Calais refugee crisis

The UK and France have pledged to "step up" cooperation to improve the situation in Calais where some 7,000 refugees and migrants have congregated at the Channel tunnel port.

A joint statement by the home secretary Amber Rudd and her French counterpart Bernard Cazaneuve said they will work together to strengthen security around the "shared border" in Calais and "strongly diminish" the migratory pressures in Calais.

The statement affirms that the two countries will resolve the situation through "close cooperation" but makes no reference to calls from some French politicians for an asylum "hotspot" processing centre to be set up in Calais to consider claims for asylum in the UK  a move described as "a complete non-starter" by a Home Office source.

The two countries pledged to continue to tackle the organised crime gangs exploiting the vulnerable, address the humanitarian concerns at Calais which includes some 5,000 migrants left without housing, and further secure the port.

Rudd and Cazeneuve said: "The two countries recognise the humanitarian situation in Calais that affects both countries and the need to step up joint efforts to improve the situation in Calais."

The joint statement went on: "In the face of the challenges posed by ongoing migratory flows in Europe, and taking into account the migratory pressure in the Calais region and the particularly difficult humanitarian situation, we are committed to working together to strengthen the security of our shared border, to strongly diminish the migratory pressure in Calais and preserve the vital economic link supported by the juxtaposed controls in Calais."

The countries reaffirmed their commitment to the 2003 Le Touquet deal between France and the UK, under which Britain can carry out checks in Calais on people heading for the UK, while French officials do so in Dover.

On Monday the president of the Calais region, Xavier Bertrand, called for the Le Touquet agreement to be scrapped. "It's not possible to keep people here without a new agreement between the two governments," he said.

During the referendum campaign both David Cameron and Francois Hollande suggested that the agreement could be threatened by a Brexit vote.

The former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who is standing again to be president, has called for a processing centre in England to deal with asylum requests from those in Calais, but a Downing Street spokesman played down the speculation.
UN slams France's burkini ban in damning intervention

The United Nations human rights office has urged France to repeal its "stupid" ban on burkinis, saying it did not improve security and only fuelled religious intolerance.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein called the ban "highly discriminatory" and welcomed the decision by France's highest court to suspend it in one Riviera town. As many as 30 other towns have imposed a similar ban which must be lifted "immediately", said his spokesman Robert Colville.

"We call on the authorities in all the other French seaside towns and resorts that have adopted similar bans to take note of the Conseil d'Etat's ruling that the ban constitutes a grave and illegal breach of fundamental freedoms," he told a briefing.

"We urge all remaining local authorities which have adopted similar bans to repeal them immediately."

The restrictions on the full-body swimsuit that leaves the face, hands and feet exposed has been defended by the French Prime Minister and local mayors on the basis of secularism.

The deputy Mayor of Nice, Rudy Salles, told BBC Radio 4: "If you want to go to the beach in a burkini it's forbidden because it is a provocation. Religion and the state are completely separated. Religion is the affair of each one but each one at home, each one at church, not each one in the street."

But Colville said the ban in response to recent terror attacks in France was "frankly a stupid reaction".

He said: "It does nothing to increase security, it does nothing to improve public order."

In a damning critique he added the decrees "fuel religious intolerance and the stigmatization of Muslims in France, especially women" and "may actually undermine the effort to fight and prevent violent extremism, which depends on cooperation and mutual respect between communities".

He concluded: "And it's a complete contradiction to think we liberate people from clothing impositions by making other clothing impositions. So the idea that by banning this form of clothing you are somehow advancing women's freedom is complete nonsense."

Additional reporting by Reuters.
Why Indian nationalists object to Mother Teresa being made a saint

Mother Teresa of Calcutta is to be formally declared a saint by Pope Francis in a ceremony at the Vatican on Sunday, an event keenly anticipated by millions of Catholics around the world.

However, in India, where she ministered for most of her life and founded the Missionaries of Charity order to take forward her work, her beatification is not universally welcomed. Right-wing Hindu nationalists object to the honouring of a Christian whose work highlighted the desperate poverty of parts of their country and the failure of the government and civil society to deal with it, and fear a new surge of interest in Catholicism because of it.

According to the international joint general secretary of one such organisation, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not be sending a delegation to the Vatican for the occasion.

Reported by The Indian Express, Surendra Jain said: "The canonisation of Mother Teresa is an alarm bell that now there would be more conversions in India and more funds [for conversions] would be routed to India."

Jain cast doubt on the miracles associated with Mother Teresa, asking: "Do you expect miracles to happen in this age?"

He said: "The issue of Mother Teresa's services vis-a-vis religious conversions is not new. We have been raising it for years. I think the Prime Minister should have thought over it before he decided to send an official delegation to the Vatican."

Modi paid tribute to Mother Teresa in his radio address on Sunday, saying Indians should be proud she is being declared a saint.

It is not the first time the Church has been accused of using Mother Teresa as a pretext for proselytism. In June, Gorakhpur Yogi Adityanath, a member of India's parliament, accused her of "a conspiracy to Christianize India", a charge rebutted by Catholic Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil.

According to Crux, Menamparampil said that although Mother Teresa's work "had an eloquence of its own and projected the image of an ideal Christian in the noblest possible way," he "strongly disagrees" with the suggestion that she engaged in proselytism.
Chinese authorities have accused a 56-year-old Houston businesswoman of going to a city in southern China two decades ago to conduct an espionage mission, recruiting Chinese citizens to spy for foreign agencies and spying on the communist nation herself, her husband said Monday.

The revelations, which he said comes from her indictment last month and conversations with her legal team, provide the first insight into why China has detained Sandy Phan-Gillis, who was arrested in March 2015 as she passed through an immigration control post connecting mainland China with Macau. Phan-Gillis was in China on a trade delegation that included Houston City Councilman Ed Gonzalez.
The Westin at The Woodlands

The Westin at The Woodlands

The Westin at The Woodlands

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Liz Schwarze has been appointed as general manager of exploration for Chevron Africa and Latin America based in Houston.

Chris Steele has joined Chevron Africa and Latin America in Houston as general manager of strategy, planning and commercial.

Jaime Ledford has been promoted to senior vice president at Amegy Bank. In her role as manager of Amegy's Officer Development Program, Ledford oversees the training and development of the bank's credit analysts.

Paige Dunlap has joined Fidelity National Title as vice president of escrow, commercial division.

Trish Millard has joined Fidelity National Title as vice president of business development, commercial division.

Great American Title Co. announced the addition of Michael Board to the commercial sales team in its Houston division.

Robert Garcia has joined Transwestern's healthcare advisory services team as vice president. Garcia will provide investment services to institutional and private real estate investors.

Megan Bickel has joined the relationship management team at Citi Commercial Bank as senior vice president. Bickel will develop the middle market commercial banking portfolio across the Gulf Coast market to include southeast Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi.

Phil Parsons has joined NAI Partners as vice president of property management in the commercial real estate firm's new property services division.

William R. "Bill" Cornelius has joined Crutchfield Capital Corp., a middle-market investment banking firm, as director.

Danny Zambrano has been promoted to assurance partner at BDO USA. He advises clients on audits, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures and initial public offerings.

Betty Harbourt has been appointed senior vice president of marketing at Sudhoff Cos., a provider of consulting, marketing and sales services to builders and developers.

Cherie Jacob has been named director of catering and conference services for The Westin at The Woodlands.

Paul Gomez has been named business travel sales manager for The Westin at The Woodlands.

Gloria Smith has been named senior sales manager for The Westin at The Woodlands.

University of St. Thomas has named Paul Paese, dean, School of Education and Human Services.

Alert Logic, a provider of security-as-a-service solutions for the cloud, has hired John Karnes as chief financial officer, John Carse as vice president of security operations and Bob Layton as vice president of global channels.

Philamena Baird has been named chairman of the board of directors of Houston Arts Alliance. Other board officers are Leigh Smith as vice chair; Suresh Raghavan as treasurer; and Michael Cordua as secretary. Marc Melcher serves as immediate past chair.
Texas Monthly wants to take some shots at Houston. Whiskey shots, that is. Very fine whiskey.

The first Texas Monthly Whiskey Affair, a grand tasting offering more than 30 brown spirits, seminars and interactive experiences, will be held on Oct. 12 at Silver Street Studios, 2000 Edwards. Tickets -- $85 for general admission; $125 for VIP admission including a gift bag -- are now on sale.
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For one month, a North Carolina blogger has been thoroughly roasting a specific kind of mansion that appears all over the nation. However, what may appear as a jab at mass-produced suburban homes is actually a well-documented 30-year-old trend.

The blogger, who goes by "Kate" and wishes to keep her full name anonymous, calls them "McMansions," but they go by many names. Critics call them starter castles, hummer houses and garage mahals.

READ MORE: Playboy Mansion changes hands to billionaire buyer Daren Metropoulos

"Basically, a McMansion is a poorly-designed, cheaply built, over-sized house," Kate said in an email. "While there are key architectural traits that make it easy to spot a McMansion (such as the 2 story arched entryway and a massive, complex roof) that's the overall, simple way to describe one."

Recently, Kate tore into Houston homes for their excessive size and state-patriotism. "These houses definitely qualify as littering so technically I'm not messing with Texas," wrote Kate. But these large cheaply-made homes aren't a Texas-only phenomenon.

Salon culture columnist Thomas Frank explains that the rise of the McMansion may date back to Reagan-era tax cut changes in the eighties.

"Where corporate earnings had previously been spent on skyscrapers and company planes, it now poured into the personal bank accounts of executives," writes Frank. "Tax policy then steered those executives' spending toward residential real estate."

For this reason, Kate uses a smiling picture of former President Ronald Reagan superimposed over a McMansion as the symbol of her blog.

READ MORE: The American McMansion is dying for good

One thing is certain, Kate has no shortage of homes to choose from. The average American household size increased 56 percent between 1973 and 2013, according to a CNN Money study. There was destined to be some suburban starter castles among them.

"I want people to know that I'm not standing on any sort of ivory tower regarding architectural good taste," Kate said. "My goal is to educate people about architecture through humor."

Check out what Kate has to say above about the ugliest mansions in the nation.
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George H.W. Bush, a former World War II Navy pilot, never saw such a sea of angry faces as he did that night at Houston's Memorial High School.

It was April 17, 1968 - two weeks after the assassination of Martin Luther King. It also had been only a week since the future president, then Houston's first Republican congressman, had voted for the Fair Housing Act, Lyndon Johnson's landmark bill barring racial discrimination in housing.

There were death threats. Nobody recognized this former Harris County GOP chairman, once a Barry Goldwater Republican who had pledged to vote against the 1964 Civil Rights Act in the name of states' rights.

It was a vow that still weighed on Bush's heart. Earlier that year, he had seen African-American troops in Vietnam. He had heard the calls of the civil rights leaders who marched in Selma, Ala., and Washington.

More Information The public service of GeorgeH.W. Bush 1942-44 Navy pilot, shot down and rescuedin the Pacific. 1963 Elected Harris County GOP chairman 1967-71 First Republican congressman from Houston since Reconstruction. 1971-73 U.S. ambassador to the United Nations 1973-74 Chairman of Republican National Committee 1974-75 U.S. envoy to China 1976-77 CIA director 1981-89 Vice president under Ronald Reagan 1989-1993 President of the United States See More Collapse

It was a milestone for Bush and the city of Houston, his adopted home after striking it rich in the West Texas oil fields. It had all been such a stark detour from his genteel upbringing in the upper crust of New England society.

Peter Roussel, his longtime press aide, still remembers the booing and hissing in the Houston school auditorium. "I'm not sure he expected it to be as hostile as it was," he said.

Bush, a Yale graduate and son of moderate Connecticut U.S. Sen. Prescott Bush, quoted the 18th century philosopher Edmund Burke. "I voted from conviction," he said, "not out of intimidation or fear, but because of a feeling deep in my heart that this was the right thing for me to do."

By the end of the night, Roussel recalled, Bush had won over the crowd. "It was one of the finest moments of his entire career."

It also was a moment that grounded his legacy in Houston, a city at the vortex of Bush's rise in politics during an era of transformation. Waves of conservative Southerners disenchanted with Johnson's pro-integration politics were flocking to the GOP fold.

Republicans were not plentiful in Texas in the early 1960s when Bush took over as chairman of the Harris County Republican Party. Building the party sometimes meant accommodating hard-right John Birch Society members whose beliefs didn't necessarily align with the Bush family's old-line Republican thinking. Bush's 1966 election to Congress from Houston helped show the way.

The strain of those divisions would continue to provide the backdrop for Bush's subsequent successes and failures in national politics, a career that helped shape the growth of Houston as a global business powerhouse.

Former Bush White House aide Chase Untermeyer said there never was much doubt that Bush was a creature of the establishment, representing the party's traditional, pro-business core in the face of ideological extremes. "They've taken on different names," said Untermeyer, who was named ambassador to Qatar under Bush's son, President George W. Bush. "Maybe it was the John Birch Society then, or the tea party in our time. And then there were just basic conservatives, and in that category was George H.W. Bush. He never ran from that."

As vice president and president, the elder Bush stayed tethered to Houston, even when the connection was as thin a reed as his official residence in the Houstonian Hotel.

Pundits at the time said he never would return to Houston or build a house on a narrow parcel he had bought in the Post Oak neighborhood after his loss to Ronald Reagan in 1980. He did both.

"I don't think there was any thought otherwise, because the Bushes were so rooted in the community," Untermeyer said. "He always had that plot of land and it happened to be exactly where they built the house they're living in now."

Bush's 1992 defeat to Bill Clinton ended his presidency after one term. By then, the arc of his career was well known: wildcatter; congressman; twice a failed Senate candidate; United Nations ambassador; Watergate-era chairman of the Republican National Committee; envoy to China; CIA director; Reagan's vice president.

From Connecticut to Texas to Washington, Bush's was a resume of reinvention.

"His is a uniquely American story," said former U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, until recently the dean of the George Bush School of Government & Public Policy at Texas A&M University. "Born and bred in New England for generations, yet a completely transplanted Texan."

Bush's return to Houston launched a new and less well-known phase of civic engagement and philanthropy. A tally kept by the Bush Library counts 550 charities and nonprofits in which Bush and his wife Barbara have been involved since his presidency, including the volunteer organization Points of Light. More than 100 of them have been in Houston, from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to the Urban League.

One of Bush's most significant acts of Bayou City boosterism may have come as president in 1990, when he steered the Group of Seven summit of industrialized nations to his hometown. That was followed two years later by the 1992 Republican National Convention.

The G7, in particular, showed off the city to the world and is credited with helping usher in a revival of civic pride and success not seen since the oil boom years of the 1970s, when Houston was known as the capital of the Sun Belt.

"We were just coming out of a recession at that point, after the oil bust of the mid-1980s, and that gave Houston a nice shot in the arm," said George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation CEO David Jones, a longtime family friend who did advance work and fundraising for both events. "It really gave Houston a lift at the right time."

After that, the Bushes dove into the civic life of Houston, where they often are seen at major cultural, sporting and political events. "They're not recluses," Untermeyer said. "They go to Astros, Rockets and Texans games. They go to plays at the Alley Theatre. They go to restaurants. They are very much seen in the community, which you'd think 90-year-olds wouldn't do, or not do so often."

At 92, Bush has been slowed by a form of Parkinson's disease, forcing him to use a wheelchair. That did not keep the Bushes away from the GOP presidential debate at the University of Houston on Feb. 25, shortly after Donald Trump had knocked their son, Jeb, out of the race.

"You'd think out of general principle they'd not have felt any need to go," Untermeyer said. "But they went. I think that's because they're devoted to Houston."

Friends and associates say Bush retains his enthusiasm for the city's future, including the planned Houston-Dallas bullet train. Recently at the family's summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine, Bush told his top aide, Jean Becker, that he wants to be on the first train.

According to Jones, she reminded him that the line is not scheduled to start operating until 2021. "And his response was, 'What's your point?' "
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Katy has become a significant force in Houston's healthcare industry because of its fast growth and favorable economy, which for years has attracted hospital establishments to the area.

And while that healthcare presence is still expanding, some hospital leaders in Katy have acknowledged that their businesses have not been invulnerable to the region's oil downturn these past two years.

That industry outlook seems to be supported by a recent business report from the Institute for Supply Management Houston branch, which combines data such as hiring figures and sales into a number that rates whether an industry is growing or shrinking.

The current figure shows a sign of slowdown in Houston's healthcare sector, as a recent Chronicle article pointed out.

That hasn't gone unnoticed in Katy.

"While healthcare is driven by patients, healthcare is not immune to economic swings," said Matthew Schaefer, vice president at Texas Children's Hospital West Campus in Katy. "So, with Houston having ties to the oil business, it certainly brings to it people that have less coverage or no coverage."

When Texas Children's west campus opened five years ago, it began growing by 30 to 40 percent more patients each year, Schaefer said. Now, that growth has slowed down to about 15 percent growth in patients per year.

But like other hospitals in the area, Texas Children's has still undergone recent expansions. It added 18 beds to its acute care unit and added rooms to its preoperative, postoperative and operative units, and it has also built out shelf space on its fourth floor to expand its intensive care unit.

Similarly, Memorial Hermann Katy at the interchange of Interstate 10 and Texas 99 added dozens of beds to its hospital as it opened a new, six-story patient tower in January, according to Jim Parisi, CEO of the hospital.

The recent expansions also includes improvements to the hospital's surgical suites, labor and delivery department, diagnostic imaging areas, intensive and intermediate care units and women's services, along with other departments.

In the past three years, the hospital has invested more than $120 million into expansions.

West Houston Methodist Hospital, also in Katy, is spending $570 million to add six new floors and expand its capacity in emergency, surgical and diagnostic care. A second parking garage will also be built by 2017.

The developments mirror the population growth Katy is promised to keep encountering. By 2020, the area's population is expected to expand by roughly 47,000 people to 356,422, according to the Katy Area Economic Development Council.

Still, the area's healthcare scene isn't exactly what it used to be.

The problems in the nearby Energy Corridor have caused a dent in an otherwise strong industry, said Gregory Chronowski, associate professor of radiation oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center's Katy branch.

"Katy is so oil dependent  lots of folks have lost their job," Chronowski said. "A pace like Methodist that's really concerned with baby deliveries, or a general hospital  those places are going to see a downturn to some degree when people lose jobs or get relocated."

Chronowski said his building on Kingsland Boulevard isn't as affected as other healthcare facilities because most of the patients there are over the age of 55, which he says are not as impacted by job cuts and lost healthcare coverage.

Chronowski is involved with the cancer center's next west Houston venture: a 175,000-square-foot facility that is projected to open in the Energy Corridor in 2019. The MD Anderson center in Katy occupies 20,000 square feet.

Unlike the oil industry, healthcare doesn't need a quick turnaround during a soft spot, according to Schaefer. Since more people will continue to arrive, hospitals have to continue thinking long term, he added.

Schaefer's staff of more than 1,000, including about 100 medical personnel, is still growing, even if it's at a slower rate, he said. And more patients continue to arrive, even if that pace is slower, too.

The hospital experienced 300,000 to 400,000 patient encounters last year. Schaefer said he's paying close attention to the energy industry, which isn't projected to rebound anytime soon. But he also said he's not worried about the future of healthcare in Houston.

Neither does Parisi seem to be, saying Memorial Hermann will continue investing into its Katy branch.

"As a natural ripple effect of the oil & gas downturn, I think all industries have been impacted in some way," Parisi said in an emailed statement. However, "at Memorial Hermann (Katy), we continue to grow," he added. "There are approximately more than 6 million people in the Greater Houston region and our responsibility to the community is to continue to meet their healthcare needs."
When Greg Poole was arrested and put in jail this past weekend, he said he was acting as a father and not as superintendent of the Barbers Hill Independent School District in Chambers County.

"It's hard to raise kids," said Poole, in explaining why he was photographed, fingerprinted and locked in a jail cell for two hours on Saturday.

"But as a father I was willing to put my son's safety and well-being above my own career or anything else  that's something my son will never forget."

A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper has charged the Chambers County school superintendent with obstructing the investigation of an accident involving Poole's 16-year-old son.

The teen flipped his father's pickup and knocked over a utility pole about 3 a.m. Saturday on FM 565 near Cove, about 30 minutes east of Houston, authorities said.

Released on a $2,000 personal recognizance bond, the 39-year-old superintendent was back at his desk Thursday where he has overseen the 4,000-student district for two years. He is waiting for a trial date to be set on the Class B misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.

No disrespect

The trooper arrested Poole for refusing to make his son available for questioning about the accident, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.

"Trooper Dunn asked him twice to produce his son, and he would not," said Stephanie Davis, Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman in Beaumont. "He never informed the trooper where he could find his son."

While having respect for the trooper, Poole disagreed that he was being a hindrance: "I was worried about the safety and health of my son. I had given him my driver's license and phone numbers."

But Tela Mange, Texas Department of Public Safety's spokeswoman in Austin, said the trooper needed to talk directly to the driver, who had left the scene. The trooper, she said, never knew where to find the teen.

"And the father never mentioned concern for his son's health," said Mange.

After the teen telephoned Poole about the accident, Poole rushed to the scene, where he found his son with a "bloody face."

The superintendent said he alerted law enforcement about the one-vehicle crash and damage to the pole. Then he drove his son to their home near Cotton Lake and let the teen's mother take him to be checked at a hospital.

"He just looks like he lost a fistfight, but wasn't seriously hurt," said Poole.

Nobody was at the accident scene when the trooper first arrived, authorities said.

When Poole returned to the scene, he told the trooper that the truck was his and he would take responsibility for what happened.

"My son was getting treatment. He was all shook up," said Poole.

Authorities say they have not talked to the teen yet.

DPS patrol cars are equipped with video cameras, but investigators are not sure if the incident was taped.

Because the teen was never produced, investigators were unable to determine if alcohol was involved.

Poole, however, said he saw no sign his son, an honor student, had been drinking.

"There was heavy rain. He lost control," said Poole. The teen had been spending the night with a friend and was returning from a late-night trip to a gas station where he bought $10 of gas, the superintendent said.

Both sides agreed that neither side spoke with disrespect.

Poole said he never tried to use his position to gain special favor, noting the officer had no idea who Poole was until filling out the paperwork.

Board monitoring

The school board has since met and discussed the arrest. Trustees issued a statement afterward that wished the 16-year-old a "speedy recovery." Based on the information received so far, the trustees stated they do not feel it necessary to take any action.

"This appears to be a private matter between the Poole family and the authorities. However, we will continue to monitor the situation."

Poole, who has three children ranging from a child born three months ago to two teenagers, hopes he can soon put this incident behind him.

He said he is pained that such a private family matter, which many parents have faced, had to become so public.

"But we are lucky to have our son alive," he wrote on the 4A district's Web site, "and everything else pales in comparison to the joy we have that God spared his life."

cindy.horswell@chron.com
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Dozens of Texas universities made it onto the Princeton Review's 2017 "Best 381 Colleges" list. And while some might be delighted to make an appearance, like Rice University who was ranked number one for happiest students, others, like University of Dallas, received less flattering accolades.

This year, the Princeton Review asked 143,000 students from universities all over the nation to rate their schools. Universities were ranked by features like best professors, best financial aid and even schools with the most "reefer madness."

READ MORE: University of Wisconsin-Madison is top party school in US

To the Princeton Review, each list and category is essential to help students find their desired university.

"Since 1992 when we created this guide to the colleges we believe are the nation's best, academically, our purpose has been twofold," said Robert Franek, Princeton Review's Senior VP-Publisher, in a news release. "One: we want to shine light on these exceptional institutions which represent only 15 percent of the nation's four-year colleges. Two: we work to give applicants considering them an incomparable amount of campus feedback to decide which college may be best for them."

Among other things, Princeton Review also ranked student's political views. Four Texas colleges made it on list for "Most Conservative Students." Angelo State University (16), Baylor University (2), Texas A&M University (14) and University of Dallas (4).

Baylor University and University of Dallas were respectively seven and 12 on the list for LGBTQ-unfriendliness.

READ MORE: Texas college students rally against gun law with sex toys

On average, 375 students per campus were surveyed and each asked 84 questions about their school. These questions eventually made it into 62 different category lists.

Some of the most interesting categories ranked schools for how sober the student body was, who had the best campus food and which school partied the hardest.

"We base our 62 ranking lists entirely on what the colleges' customers, their enrolled students, report to us on our surveys," said Franek. "As such, they provide unique insights into the campus cultures, aid offerings, services, and student body communities at these schools. In the end, it's all about the fit."

See what Texas universities made the list above.
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The case against a fugitive who apparently hid out in Mexico for 20 years will come down to the opinions of blood experts, his lawyer said Tuesday.

Alfredo Rameriz-Rosas, appeared in court on a charge of capital murder, accused in the brutal 1993 death of retired schoolteacher Mildred Stallones, 82, who was strangled, beaten and sexually assaulted in her Tomball home.

Rameriz-Rosas, who was brought back to Houston last week, made his first appearance before state District Judge Maria Jackson on Tuesday where prosecutors detailed the blood found on clothes in his room when they investigated the slaying 23 years ago..

READ MORE: Suspect in 1993 murder of Tomball-area teacher extradited

He lived near the victim and left behind clothing with blood spatter stains that matched patterns left at the crime scene, prosecutor Kelli Johnson said.

Investigators have said he also made incriminating remarks to a roommate.

The 48-year-old, who was not seen in Houston after the death, was arrested three years ago in Mexico. Negotiations to extradite him included a promise that Harris County not seek death in the capital case.

READ MORE: Suspect in 1993 death of retired Tomball teacher captured in Mexico

On Tuesday, his attorney said there was little evidence against Rameriz-Rosas and the trial would likely come down to a battle of experts.

"The DNA is going to help him a whole lot or hurt him a whole lot," said James Stafford. "Blood can be left at a scene in numerous ways. It's probably going to end up as a trial of expert: blood spatter experts and DNA experts."

A swab of Rameriz-Rosas' DNA was taken Tuesday before the court hearing.

Rameriz-Rosas appeared in court in leg irons and an orange jail uniform. He did not speak during the arraignment. He remains in the Harris County Jail without bail.Stallones was a popular schoolteacher who lived in Tomball for more than 60 years. Her son, Leighton Stallones, told the Chronicle recently that she liked to help others, particularly special needs children.

brian.rogers@chron.com

twitter.com/brianjrogers
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The armored car guard gunned down this week as he transferred cash at a Houston-area ATM is the third deadly shooting of money-truck crewman in the last 18 months and the fifth ambush this year, federal officials said.

All five cases - and another case from last year - remain unsolved, according to Houston FBI Special Agent Shauna Dunlap.
Carolyn Kaster/STF

WASHINGTON President Barack Obama commuted the prison sentences Tuesday of 13 Texans, four of them from Houston, all of them serving federal time for a variety of drug offenses.

Altogether, Obama granted commutations to 111 prisoners, bringing to 325 the number of early releases the president has granted in August. The White House said that is more than any other president has granted in an entire year for nearly a century.
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Thirteen inmates from Texas had their sentences shortened Tuesday by President Barack Obama as part of 111 commutations handed down by the president.

All of the cases involved in the commutations involve people convicted of dealing drugs. Four of the 13 are from Houston, with the rest from places scattered around the state.

Eleven of the cases involve a person convicted of dealing cocaine or crack cocaine. The odd cases in the bunch involve one person dealing in methamphetamine and a person convicted of dealing in an unspecified controlled substance.

READ MORE: Obama issues 12 Christmastime pardons to Texans

Inmates from Houston receiving commutations are:

- Corey Lyndell Blount, whose life sentence was cut to 30 years in prison. He was convicted of dealing in crack cocaine in the western district of Louisiana in 1999.

- Ronald Lee Blount, whose life sentence is now set to expire on Dec. 28. He was convicted of dealing in crack cocaine in the western district of Louisiana in 1999. Blount is currently being held at the federal prison in Beaumont.

- Warren Dean Cornett, whose life sentence is now set to expire Dec. 28. Cornett was convicted of dealing in cocaine and crack cocaine in the southern district of Texas in 1998. He is currently in the federal prison in Beaumont.

READ MORE: Obama shortens terms for 214 inmates, 67 had life sentences

- David Gonzalez, whose 20 year prison sentence was cut to end in March. Gonzalez was convicted of conspiracy to deal in crack cocaine in the southern district of Texas in 2004. He is currently in the federal prison in Beaumont.

Obama issued commutations for 214 federal inmates earlier this month. The newest batch brings the total to 325 commutations issued in August. That's a total the White House describes as the most ever by a president in a single month.

During his eight years in office, Obama has issued commutations to 673 inmates.

READ MORE: Bush pardons 16 minor criminals

White House counsel Neil Eggleston said in a written statement that the commutations are part of an effort to correct flaws in outdated laws.

"They are individuals who received unduly harsh sentences under outdated laws for committing largely nonviolent drug crimes, for example, the 35 individuals whose life sentences were commuted today," Eggleston said.

"We must remember that these are individuals  sons, daughters, parents, and in many cases, grandparents  who have taken steps toward rehabilitation and who have earned their second chance," Eggleston said.

Reporter Kevin Diaz contributed to this report.
A Houston woman allegedly reported her child missing after abandoning her at a Houston Fire Department station.

According to KTRK, Cleo Mobbs, 29, reported her 4-month-old daughter missing around 1 a.m. Saturday, telling police that two men took the child from her home in the 1200 block of Cullen.

The news station says that around the same time, police were called to the HFD station on Telephone for a welfare call for an abandoned baby. A blonde woman was seen leaving a child outside the station.

Police said the woman was Mobbs and that she lied about her child being kidnapped, according to KTRK. She was charged with abandoning a child.

The Houston Police Department did not respond to calls requesting comment Monday evening.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said Tuesday the $1.1 billion Zika virus funding bill, bogged down this summer in partisan politics in Washington, would be passed soon to help pay for ongoing prevention efforts in high-risk areas such as Houston.

"We're going to get some additional funding here by the end of September," Cornyn said during a press conference in Houston. "I promise."
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The family of a Brookshire man who says he developed life-threatening infections after two years in the Waller County Jail has filed a complaint with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.

Quincy Davis, 39, lost the ability to walk and became incontinent while stuck in the jail more than 800 days awaiting trial, his family said.

His mother, Clara Davis, filed the complaint and family members are considering filing a federal civil rights lawsuit over treatment in the Waller County Jail, which drew national scrutiny after Sandra Bland died there in July 2015.

Quincy Davis, who has a long criminal history dating back to 1994, was awaiting trial on charges of drug possession and assaulting police officers. He was unable to post the $150,000 bail.

He said he had to drag himself across his cell's rough concrete floor to reach water or the toilet, leading to open wounds on his legs that opened the way for a staph infection and endocarditis, an infection of the heart's lining.

He was eventually taken by ambulance to a hospital after being found unresponsive in his cell in July.

Brian Cantrell, the Waller County sheriffs chief deputy who oversees the 110-bed jail, defended the medical care provided to inmates, saying a nurse is on site most days and a doctor is on call.

We do our best to care for the inmates the best we can, Cantrell said. Thats our top priority.

Legal experts said Davis constitutional rights against cruel and unusual punishment may have been violated if he was denied medical attention.

Davis lawsuit would be the second federal suit in as many years involving medical care at the Waller County Jail, where Sandra Bland died in 2015 after being arrested during a traffic stop. Blands death has been ruled a suicide but her family has accused jail officials of failing to give her proper care.

andrew.kragie@chron.com

Update: Davis' sister said he was sent home from the rehabilitation Aug. 30 or the next day.
Two women and two men are in custody after they broke into a cellular phone store and then led police on a brief chase early Tuesday morning in north Houston.

The incident began around 4 a.m. in the 100 block of East Crosstimbers, HPD Lt. Larry Crowson said.
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Authorities are searching for a man who robbed a store in Montgomery County.

The robbery happened about 11 p.m. Monday at a Cash Store in the 23600 block of of Kelly Joe Smith Road in Porter, Texas, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.

The robber walked into the store, threatened two employees and demanded money. After receiving an undisclosed amount of cash, the man left and sped away from the store in a 2006 to 2013 black Chevrolet Impala with chrome rims. The car also had two white racing stripes down the middle of it.

The robber is described as a black man in is late 20s or early 30s. He was about 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighed about 175 pounds. He wore a white shirt, navy-blue cargo pants and black boots. He had white shirt draped over his head.

Anyone with information about the case or the robber's identity is urged to contact the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office at 936- 760-5876 or Montgomery County Crime Stoppers at 800-392-STOP.

Crime Stoppers will pay up t $5,000 for information that leads to the arrest of the suspect or charges being filed against him.

All tipsters remain anonymous.
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A Houston police officer is accused of threatening to carry out a mass shooting last week at his wife's workplace.

Pedro Gonzalez, 45, told his wife he was going to "kill her and shoot up the whole building" when he confronted her on Aug. 25 in the office parking lot along the 11200 block of the Katy Freeway, according to Harris County court records.

Gonzalez, a 15-year Houston police veteran, said he would "turn the place into a 'meat market,'" the criminal complaint against him stated.

His wife told HPD investigators Gonzalez pulled up his shirt to show her he was wearing a police tactical vest with several pistol magazines attached to it. Gonzalez had two black semi-automatic pistols on his hip, police said.

"When the (Gonzalez) displayed the weapons to her and threatened to kill her and her co-workers, she felt like she was in imminent danger and was in fear for her life," the criminal complaint stated.

He was arrested at his apartment and charged with deadly conduct for making the threat.

Gonzalez also is facing a felony charge for an earlier family violence case. Houston police said he threatened and assaulted his wife on March 7, during an argument in their apartment. She told them Gonzalez was drunk and would not let her leave.

"The complainant stated that when she tried to leave, the defendant grabbed her and threw her up against a desk which caused injury to her back," the complaint stated.

She told HPD officers Gonzalez shoved a pistol in her mouth and told her he was going to kill her. He also threatened to kill her family if she left him, police said in their report.

On Monday, he was being held without bail in the Harris County Jail for aggravated assault-family violence.

Gonzalez is assigned to HPD's vehicular crimes unit and has been relieved of duty with pay pending the outcome of the case.
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Members Only, a barbershop in Dallas' Bishop Arts neighborhood, is getting some extra attention this week after installing a mural on the side of the shop depicting alleged John F. Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.

As most people know, the city of Dallas is still a bit leery about JFK assassination imagery, especially the kind that showcases the alleged killer of the president and a Dallas police officer. Nearly 53 years later some wounds are still raw.

RELATED: JFK motorcade members: What happened after the assassination?

According to WFAA-TV the mural went up last last week and it depicts Oswald, who lived in the Oak Cliff area, in his DPD mugshot.

The quote "forgive your enemies but never forget their names," which is sometimes attributed to the slain president, is due to be added to the mural.

The owner of the shop at West 7th Street and North Madison Avenue in Dallas is Christian Avanti. He says that the mural wasn't meant to anger locals. After all, Oswald is a part of the area's history.

"Oswald is part of Oak Cliff history. That is the only reason we did it. We didn't do it to offend anyone or anything like that," Avanti told the city's NBC affiliate.

There is a long-running bar in Dallas' Cedars neighborhood called Lee Harvey's that doesn't seem to bother anyone. Some in the area have embraced its history with all its flaws.

The artist, Theo Ponchaveli, also did a few other pieces around the city in 2013 to honor the 50th anniversary of the assassination.

RELATED: Remembering the JFK assassination

"The artist had already done a large JFK mural on the Southside on Lamar, so we didn't want to repeat that," Avanti told the outlet. "We're not trying to take sides and the mural isn't done yet."

Meanwhile, a JFK historian told the outlet that the thought of Oswald's face being used in this way is morbid.

"Why would someone think that is hip and cool," Rookstool asked. "It also seems like a poor rendering, a bit cartoon like. For someone to paint in large format someone who killed the president, injured the governor and killed a police officer comes off as twisted and macabre."
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An African-American supporter of Donald Trump tweeted a cartoon on Monday of Hillary Clinton in blackface, seemingly mocking her outreach to black voters.

"Black Americans, THANK YOU FOR YOUR VOTES and letting me use you again .. See you again in 4 years," Pastor Mark Burns tweeted Monday. The tweet was later deleted.

The photo attached has Clinton, with her face painted black, standing in front of a podium holding a sign reading, "#@!* the police" and "I ain't no ways tired of pandering to African-Americans."

RELATED: County GOP chairman in Texas calls Trump a 'child rapist'

Later Monday afternoon, Burns, who supports Trump's recent outreach to minority voters, defended the tweet during an interview with MSNBC.

Twitter screenshot

"I am standing behind that picture," Burns said. "We as African-Americans, we need to make Democrats fight for our vote. We need to make them fight for us. We need to make them do what they say they are gonna do, because we are just as valuable as every race in the great state of the United States of America and we're not treated that way."

However, Burns issued an apology on Periscope later Monday.

"I just want to say to the people that was offended - obviously many people were offended by my tweet," Burns said. "It was not my intention to offend anyone."

READ MORE: In Austin, Trump doubles down on border wall

"The tweet was not designed to anger or stir up the pot like it did. It was designed - I feel - to bring a very real reality to why the Democratic Party and how I view it and have interpreted have been pandering and using black people just for their votes."
-- Its official: After hours of speculation last night, ABC announced this morning that Rick Perry will be joining Dancing with the Stars this season. See Perrys tweet confirming the news

-- Some other Perry news this morning  He seemingly walked back his earlier statements about Trumps border wall. Heres what he told Fox and Friends this morning, per Politicos Nick Gass:

Donald Trump's not softening his position on immigration. I think there's a lot of talking heads around here that try to get  you know, oh, grab a word here or there. Donald Trump is going to secure that border and all in the different ways you have to do that," Perry said. "Part of that is a wall. Part of it is electronics, part of its boots on the ground, aviation assets."

-- State financial ratings for schools not always a guarantee of their fiscal healthy, per Quorum Reports Kimberly Reeves. ($) Texas had the lowest number of school districts ever in financial peril this year, according to the states financial rating system, but thats hardly a sign of fiscal health, said one of the top officials with the school business officers association.

The Texas Education Agency has released ratings under some variation of the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas  or FIRST  since 2003. Those standards were tightened up, and strengthened, after Dallas ISDs unexpected $52 million payroll deficit in 2008. The goal was to provide earlier indicators of financial instability, before the necessity of layoffs.

This year the number of school districts rated substandard is four: New Summerfield, Ector County, Beaumont and Manor. And Beaumont, currently under a board of managers for financial mismanagement, was on the list two years prior to that.

>> Patrick: Hidden tax on Texas college tuition must end, The Dallas Morning News

-- Core of Texas highway sign ban tossed by appeals court, reports the Chronicles Dug Begley. Opponents of billboards and other signs along Texas roadways reacted on Monday with dismay to an appeals court decision striking down significant portions of the Texas Highway Beautification Act, saying the ruling could lead to a litany of signs along federally funded highways. The Third District Court of Appeals in Austin issued the decision on the state law - cheered as the linchpin of Texas' scenic roadway efforts - because the 42-year-old act restricts free speech.

-- How a mayors campaign to keep a Jesus sign brought discord to a God-fearing East Texas town, by The Texas Observers Patrick Michels. If it hadnt been for Will Rogers, the East Texas town of Hawkins might still be best known for its annual Good Ol Days Celebration or the 1995 legislative proclamation that named it the Pancake Capital of Texas. (Lillian Richard, who spent decades portraying Aunt Jemima in Quaker Oats ads, was born here in 1891). Those and other modest distinctions are listed in the towns promotional brochures that promise 'Tranquility In East Texas.' But in the past few years, since Rogers arrived, tranquility isnt what has put Hawkins on the map.

>> George H.W. Bush: A new family dynasty founded in Houston, Chronicle

-- How often do Texas police shoot at people? No one knows. Find The Texas Tribunes new project, Unholstered, here.

CAPITOL DAYBOOK

HOUSE

9 a.m.  Transportation (E2.012)

1 p.m.  Transportation Planning, Select (E2.012)

SPEED READ

Tomlinson: Offshore drillers must step up on safety now, Houston Chronicle

Iran release jailed Texas graduate student, AP

China accuses Houston businesswoman of espionage, Houston Chronicle

Feds reviewing use of private immigration facilities, AP

Justice Dept. focuses on police treatment of mentally ill, AP

Decommissioned USS Independence to be towed to Texas, AP

George Soros quiet overhaul of the U.S. justice system, Politico

RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE

-- HILLARY DEBATE PREP  Hillary Clinton s advisers are talking to Donald J. Trumps ghostwriter of The Art of the Deal, seeking insights about Mr. Trumps deepest insecurities as they devise strategies to needle and undermine him in four weeks at the first presidential debate, the most anticipated in a generation. Her team is also getting advice from psychology experts to help create a personality profile of Mr. Trump to gauge how he may respond to attacks and deal with a woman as his sole adversary on the debate stage, per NYTs Patrick Healy and Matt Flegenheimer.

-- State voting systems under digital assault, by Politicos Cory Bennett and Eric Geller. The FBIs decision to issue a nationwide alert about the possible hacking of state election offices after breaches in Illinois and Arizona is raising concerns that a nationwide attack could be afoot, with the potential for creating havoc on Election Day.

>> Reid asks FBI to investigate Russian election tampering, Politico

>> Ahead of Florida primary, Rubio offers Trump tepid embrace, CNN

-- Trump woos women and minorities by pitting one group against another, by WashPosts Jose DelReal. Immigrants and refugees are taking jobs from black workers. Undocumented criminals prey on American women. Muslims pose a threat to gay men and lesbians. For Donald Trump, appealing to minority groups and women often amounts to an us vs. them proposition  warning one group that it is being threatened or victimized by another, using exaggerated contrasts and a very broad brush.
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.
Canadas new Guidelines on Study Permit Applications Raise Questions for Students and Other Stakeholders CIC News Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

Sans Font Size A

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New procedures affect students entering Canada to pursue pathway programs

On July 13, 2016, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC, formerly CIC) changed its processing guidelines for certain study permit applications involving conditional admissions through what are known as pathway programs. Under the new procedure, visa officers are instructed to issue a Canadian study permit only for the period of the students prerequisite studies, which may be a language course. If and when the student successfully completes these studies, he or she then must apply for a further study permit to cover the period of his or her planned post-secondary academic or technical program. These guidelines are a departure from the previous practice, which saw visa officers issue a single study permit for the entire duration of both programs.

A typical pathway program route would involve students from abroad enrolling in a language course in Canada for a period under one year. This prerequisite course may be designed to help students reach the English or French language requirements of the main Designated Learning Institution (DLI), which may be a university or college.

Take, for example, an international student who wishes to do a post-secondary degree in Canada. After some research, she identifies the course she wishes to enroll in, but, in order to gain admission, she needs to prove her linguistic competence, usually through a test like IELTS or CAEL. Often, a language course is required in order to attain the target level. So the student identifies a language school in Canada that can help her achieve her academic goals. Previously for such a scenario, a single study permit was issued for both the language school portion and the subsequent degree portion of the students time spent studying in Canada. With the change, however, only a single permit will be issued for the prerequisite course.

Why the change?

According to the IRCC update, a concern that has been raised by visa officers is that a student may not successfully complete his or her prerequisite program, but will continue to hold a valid study permit allowing him or her to work. The issuance of a long-term study permit for two separate programs has also had an impact on compliance reporting (the process by which IRCC obtains information on international students who are actively pursuing their studies).

Consequences

I think they [IRCC] have misunderstood the situation and the impact that it could have . . . There are so many questions that arise from this new directive that its clear that the system doesnt work, says Gonzalo Peralta, Executive Director of Languages Canada, an organization whose member institutions receive around 130,000 international language students per year.

Theyre saying theyre not changing the regulation, theyre just applying an interpretation based on their internal observations on how some of the visa officers are processing, and they have concerns. They have concerns about program integrity and making sure that students are actually here to study. We fully understand that, but from where we sit it really does need some consultation because it has a direct impact on thousands of students.

The application of the IRCC policies varies from market to market. The visa officers have 100% discretion on what they do, they are the sole deciders. Its very difficult for a student from China, for example, to get a visa to come to one of our private sector members [schools/institutions]. Its easier for them to get visas to come to one of our public sector members and study language as part of a pathway program, adds Peralta. Now students have to renew their study permit more often, and they have to do so after you finish a certain portion of the pathway program, so even our public sector members will be penalized.

Another example could be an international student who wishes to pursue a bachelor degree in Canada. He or she is not fluent in English, but finishes a prerequisite course and successfully passes an IELTS test because he or she has conditional admission to the degree program. With the new policy, there is an extra step: the student must apply for a new study permit, a process that takes around five weeks.

Our issue is that how can I [the student] move into my Engineering program if I have to wait five weeks to receive my study permit and the university where Im going to study is not allowed to let me into the Engineering program for liability issues, says Peralta.

Because the procedural changes were introduced abruptly and without wider stakeholder consultation, some questions remain unanswered, or only partly answered, at this time. For example, holders of a Canadian study permit may be accompanied in Canada by their spouse or common-law partner, who may apply for an open work permit for the duration of the students study permit.

For pathway program students, if the first study permit is shorter than it would have otherwise been under the old policy, one would assume that the spouse or partners open work permit would be similarly shorter, and that a second application for another work permit would be required if and when the student applies for his or her second study permit, says Attorney David Cohen.

Other questions surround whether this change affects students who are moving from a prerequisite course to a study program within the same institution, say, at the University of Toronto. Would a second permit need to be procured? The problem here is that at this time it appears that stakeholders have to adopt a wait and see position, while continuing to push for more answers to these important issues.

Navigating the new procedures

Essentially what is happening is students, agents, and institutions are paying for all the issues that are happening with the system. If youre an international student and you dont know some aspect of Canadian immigration law, well good luck to you. Its your responsibility. And by the way, if anything goes wrong youre out of the country. So theres an essential fundamental problem here which is really structural, says Peralta.

Ultimately, tens of thousands of individuals may be affected by this change. Languages Canada estimates that out of the approximately 130,000 language students its member institutions welcomed this year, 20,000 of them are already enrolled in their language course as part of a pathway program. In addition, around another 25,000 have already stated their intention of pursuing further post-secondary studies in Canada. Of the remainder, it is often the case that language students enter Canada without the intention of entering further studies, but they change their mind once they arrive and begin to fully appreciate the advantages that living and studying in Canada can offer.

CICNews.com will provide further updates on this issue and all study-related news when changes occur.

In the meantime, for more news relating to studying in Canada, please visit Canada Study News and subscribe to the Canada Study Newsletter today.

CICNews.com would like to place on the record its thanks to Gonzalo Peralta and Languages Canada for their contributions to this article.

 2016 CICnews All Rights Reserved
Achizitie de Servicii Tehnice de creare a plantatiilor forestiere de protectie din cadrul primariei Andrusul de Jos si a primariei Vadul lui Isac, r. Cahul
FLINT, MICHIGANBy the time Jan Worth-Nelson was in her early 30s, shed left journalism behind. It was her major at Kent State University, and she interned at a daily paper in Iowa, but she soon turned to other adventures that took her as far away as the South Pacific. When she decided to study for a graduate degree in social work in 1981, she landed in an apartment on Avon Street in Flint, Michigan, just east of downtown.

At her doorstep, a little black and white thing was delivered twice a month. I didnt know what the hell it was, she says. And no wonder: East Village Magazine is an uncommon source of community newsnot an alt-weekly, not a tabloid, not a metro-region luxury magazine, not a neighborhood newsletter, but a beautifully printed publication that is part newsmagazine, part literary journal. Its like a local version of The Sun, right down to its striking black-and-white cover photos, unmarred by cover lines. Perhaps most uncommon of all: The magazine didnt take its name from the neighborhood; rather, the neighborhood took its name from the magazine.

The engine behind it, Worth-Nelson soon learned, was the strange, long-bearded man who walked up and down Avon Street in the middle of the night.

That was Gary Custer. He founded the nonprofit magazine in 1976 and delivered it door-to-door, free to residents, whether they requested it or not. Custer carried the magazine (both literally and figuratively) for nearly four decadesediting, writing, soliciting ads, training writers, choosing photographs, laying it out, launching the websiteuntil his death in January 2015, about a month after he accepted the magazines second-ever grant: $79,000 over three years from the C.S. Mott Foundation. The previous grant had also been from Mott: $4,000 in seed money, 39 years earlier.

Gary Custer, the eccentric founder of East Village Magazine (Jan Worth-Nelson)

As East Village Magazine celebrates its 40th anniversary, it appears to be one of the oldest community media outlets in the country. When I ask the editors how its been able to stay in print, they credit sheer will. And that, Im learning, is an especially abundant resource in Flint.

Worth-Nelson is now editor, with a staff of about 16 peoplesix reporters and two poets are on the mastheadas well as nearly 50 distributors and six board members. Everyone volunteers, with only Worth-Nelson and Managing Editor Nic Custer (Garys nephew) receiving $500 monthly stipends.

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Together, they have the formidable task of pivoting the 12-page magazine, now a monthly, into a new erareshaping its identity beyond the influential founder, and doing so at a time when an unfathomable water crisis brings new urgency to the role of journalism in Flint.

Im not a disinterested party. I met Worth-Nelson while reporting about Flint, first in articles about the water crisis, and then for a book Im working on. She offers hospitality to myself and other writers in the beautiful wood-paneled house on leafy Maxine Street that she shares with her husband Ted (the magazines eminence grise, according to the masthead), asking only that I keep the bird feeders full when shes out of town.

Her delight in sharing her homeand her cityillustrates the joyful generosity Im finding again and again in Flint. I might be here to quote-unquote work, but, from kayaking the river to quiet afternoons in the library to cheering on Claressa Shields as she defends her Olympic gold in the gym where she learned to box, I like Flint. Even though, like almost everyone else, Im using bottled water to brush my teeth and make my coffee.

After decades of declining Custers recruitment efforts (I guess I thought I had bigger fish to fry, or something), Worth-Nelson began writing the magazines backpage Village Life column in the early 2000s, where she tells reflective first-person stories about her backyard birds and the bracing curatives of art, her wonder at whether water can be made holy again, and her unease about being in California last winter as the water crisis came to a head back home. Like any good local writing, the whole world is in the details.

And that holds true for the quiet glory of giving ones time and talent to community journalism as well. Worth-Nelson used to go to the cluttered Second Street office on Sunday afternoons to proof her column. While Custer could be critical and crotchety, he also kept Bushmills whiskey on hand because he knew she liked it. Hed pour her some in a chipped mughe didnt drink it himselfand sometimes hed set a rose in a vase on her table, too. On warm days, hed open the door that looked out toward the bright old city and smoke his pipe as they talked. I felt like I was part of Flint and Flint was part of me, she says.

Much of what the magazine covers is classic community journalism: neighbors telling neighbors about whats happening in their city. The unusually eventful past year has been translated into a how-to for residents to determine if a lead service line carries water into their homes, news briefs on free lead-testing for dogs, and reporting about the aftermath of the Democratic debate in Flintas well as a federal lawsuit against the city and state, and criminal charges against public officials. There are also articles about the history of the black church in the city, major renovations at the Flint Institute of Arts, the effort to turn a former auto factory into a makerspace, and a fantastical tree house built in a local nature preserve. Its even gotten its share of local scoops.

They find you and tell you what they think of your story, if they liked it or hated it, as opposed to being at in a bigger place where you might have anonymity regardless.

It is nearly one year since the Flint water crisis took a major turn, when lead tests conducted by a band of outsiders proved the water flowing from much of the citys pipes and service lines was toxic. But the crisis continues to this day, given the challenges in replacing miles of corroded infrastructure and the incurable consequences of lead poisoning. Every reporter who has attempted to cover the water story has learned that its abnormally tricky territory. (I will, ahem, raise my own hand here.) The investigative journalist at the ACLU of Michigan credited with breaking the story open is no exception. Neither are local reporters.

At a time when there was so much mystery locally about the water, the East Village crew did its best to report the facts, says Nic Custer. But, he adds, I realize how some of the stuff I put down, that was given to me by people at the city or state level, were just plain lies. It just wasnt reality. In that sense I have a little bit of regret that (as a volunteer) I dont have a position like the ACLU journalist to do days, weeks, months on this stuff.

East Villages readership is partly defined by its localized distributionvolunteers who deliver copies door-to-door take each issue down as many streets and to as many community spaces as they like; beyond East Village, it hits downtown and some of Carriage Town as well, though altogether, this is a relatively small portion of the city. The magazines website helps expand its reach somewhat; it gets about 200 to 500 hits a day. And the community has donated and advertised enough for the magazine to survive 40 years, even as Flints population simultaneously dropped by 50 percent.

In the 18 months after Gary Custer died, East Village received $9,000 from 65 donors, and $20,000 in ad revenue. The largest donation was $500; most range between $25 and $100. One man gives $5 every month. The co-owner of the Temple Dining Room, one of the longest-running advertisers, donated a custard pie for one of the teams batching sessions, where the magazine prepped for distribution, because, Worth-Nelson says, he knows its my favorite.

Community journalism, though, is a really active process, Nic Custer says, and he gets plenty of informal feedback from readers. People do come up to you, they recognize your name, your face he says. They find you and tell you what they think of your story, if they liked it or hated it, as opposed to being at in a bigger place where you might have anonymity regardless.

Connor Coyne, a Flint native who has done some writing for the magazine, says East Villages role in the community has changed as the Flint Journal, a publication of the Advance-owned MLive, has suffered cutbacks over at least the past seven years. Even if the philosophy of East Village has remained fairly constant over its 40 years of its history, Coyne says, its profile has been elevated by circumstances. He adds that it holds an interesting niche in a city with a long history of advocacy media, the most famous of which is Michael Moores Flint Voice (1977-1986), an alternative newspaper published once or twice a month, as it described itself. East Village has stood out, he says, not only for its longevity, but for its commitment to what other, flashier publications might consider mere arid news. 

A view of Gary Custers work environment. (Jan Worth-Nelson)

From what Nic Custer can tell, the magazines readership is a lot more diverse than I thought, he says, with folks who live far from East Village or who seemingly are just passing through Flint finding their way to the magazine. Going by the people who approach him, online and in-person, Its not just the older, white, middle-class folks in Jans neighborhood, and not just the landlords that dominate mine. Its kind of a wide audience, he adds. The audience includes people from big organizations who come and correct small, minute technical details on a story about water, for example. Ive never even heard of this water engineer, and hell come to me and say this is really (how this works) in this piece or this piece.

The magazines core team is intergenerational and diverse in background. Theres a former priest who spent decades working on the San Francisco cable cars; a Slavist from California who studied Polish literature and became a history professor; a 91-year-old who used to be an arts reviewer for the Flint Journal; a Vietnam veteran who became a ceramacist, painter, and the photographer who shot nearly every single East Village cover image.

The staff is also largely white, even though the city is 56 percent African American. This has been one of the criticisms of East Village Magazine through the years, and its legitimate, Worth-Nelson says. The newsrooms makeup is partly explained by the demographics of East Village, which is much more integrated than it once was but still carries the legacy of segregation. Its also, she adds, partly the consequence of who has time available to not only write for freeretirees, college students trying to get a toehold in mediabut also to attend meetings and events the magazine wants to cover.

But Worth-Nelson also wonders if the magazine comes across as too insular to welcome diverse writers. Is there something were communicating that were not understanding? She hopes to change the culture of the magazine in part by expanding the scope of coverageincluding the water crisis, which is something everyones concerned about, regardless of what they look like, as well as a year-long series of talks about systemic racism in Flint hosted by the public library.

On September 24, the magazine will host a 40th anniversary party at the Flint Farmers Market. The location choice was purposeful, part of Worth-Nelsons effort to reach a greater swath of the community. Rather than host it in East Village or at her own house, the farmers market is a gathering place that brings many different kinds of people together. The event also stands out as East Villages first-ever fundraiser and first-ever effort to sell merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, tote bags, coasters, magnets, and flasks.

Volunteers find their way to the magazine in different ways. Some are readers inspired to contribute; some are recruited; still others are discovered when someone from the magazine makes a pitch to writing classes at UM-Flint. As is the nature of volunteer efforts, many contributors dont stick aroundbut there are enough to keep the magazine going. New volunteers go through a training day at the Maxine Street houseits a new approach, as Custer used to train newbies one-on-one, using his battered old journalism textbooks from his University of Missouri classes. We see part of our role as direct education in basic writing and basic community journalism, Worth-Nelson says.

As far as direct education goes, count me as a student. Its a daunting task to write a book about Flint, not least with the water crisis still playing out in real time. East Village Magazine has a lot to teach me about how to approach this storyits grounding in community; its spirit of service; its attention to both the political and the personal; its capacity for self-reflection; and, most importantly, its commitment to the beauty, power, and worth of everyday life in the City of Flint.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Anna Clark is a journalist in Detroit. Her writing has appeared in ELLE Magazine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Next City, and other publications. Anna edited A Detroit Anthology, a Michigan Notable Book, and she was a 2017 Knight-Wallace journalism fellow at the University of Michigan. She is the author of The Poisoned City: Flints Water and the American Urban Tragedy, published by Metropolitan Books, an imprint of Henry Holt. She is online at www.annaclark.net and on Twitter @annaleighclark.
Bulldozers with huge claws pulled down dangerously overhanging ledges Sunday in Italys quake-devastated town of Amatrice as investigators worked to figure out if negligence or fraud in building codes had added to the quakes high death toll.

The quake that struck before dawn Wednesday killed 290 people and injured hundreds as it flattened three medieval towns in central Italy. Giuseppe Saieva, the prosecutor in the regional capital of Rieti, said the high human death toll cannot only be considered the work of fate.

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). No one was in the school at the time, but many were shocked that it did not withstand the 6.2 magnitude quake.

After an entire first grade class and teacher were killed a 2002 quake in San Giuliano di Puglia, Italian officials had vowed to ensure the safety of schools, hospitals and other critical institutions.

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.

Italys national anti-terrorism prosecutor, Franco Roberti, also vowed to work to prevent the mafia from infiltrating in public works projects to rebuild the earthquake zone.

This risk of infiltration is always high, he said in comments Sunday in the La Repubblica newspaper. Post-earthquake reconstruction is historically a tempting morsel for criminal groups and colluding business interests.

Roberti said, although he does not wish to prejudge the outcome of the investigation into the areas damaged buildings, the high number of public buildings to collapse in the quake raises suspicions.

He said if buildings are well-constructed according to regulations for earthquake zones, parts of buildings can be damaged and cracked but they dont pulverize and implode.

Italys state museums, meanwhile, embarked on a fundraising campaign, donating their proceeds Sunday to relief and reconstruction efforts in the earthquake zone.

Wednesdays quake destroyed not only private homes but also churches and other centuries-old cultural treasures. The idea is to use art for art  harnessing the nations rich artistic heritage to help recover and restore other objects of beauty in the hard-hit towns.

Its one of several efforts that have sprung up to help the towns rebuild: restaurants in Italy and elsewhere are also serving up pasta allAmatriciana, the regions most famous dish, in another fundraising effort.

Also Sunday, Pope Francis vowed in his weekly address from a window over St. Peters Square to visit people of the earthquake region soon and bring them the comfort of faith.

Amatrice bore the brunt of earthquakes destruction, with 229 fatalities and a town turned into rubble and dust. Eleven others died in nearby Accumoli and 50 more in Arquata del Tronto, 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Amatrice.

Overnight was relatively calm, the first since the quake struck without strong aftershocks. In all, the region has seen 1,820 aftershocks, according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.

On Saturday, a state funeral took place for 35 of the victims in the town of Ascoli Piceno, where mourners prayed, hugged, wept and even applauded as coffins carrying earthquake victims passed by ahead of being buried.

It is a great tragedy. There are no words to describe it, said Gina Razzetti, a resident at the funeral.

Saturdays funeral involved most of the dead from Arquata del Tronto. Many of the dead from Amatrice, however, are still awaiting identification in a refrigerated morgue 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.

Nobody has been found alive in the ruins since Wednesday and hopes have vanished of finding any more survivors. The number still missing is uncertain, due to the many visitors seeking a last taste of summer in the Apennine mountains.

Hundreds of people have also been left homeless by the quake, with many spending their nights in tent cities and a gym in Amatrice. Longer-term housing needs for earthquake survivors will be another key challenge for Italian authorities.

(Gera reported from Rome. Frances DEmilio in Rome contributed.)

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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 cars temperature can rise 20 degrees, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Even if its 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 its 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 Acadias 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 isnt 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:

Evenflos 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 seats chest clip to the cars data port, so the car will emit a chime if it turns off and the chest clip hasnt 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 Internationals web site.

The iRemind Car Seat Alarm uses a sensor pad placed on the childs car seat. Caregivers install a smartphone app that alerts them if they move 15 feet from the car and the sensor still feels the childs weight. The sensor costs $100 on Amazon.com.

There are caveats. NHTSA warns that anything added to a car seat after its purchased could compromise safety. And smartphone-based systems may not work if the caregiver doesnt 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 childs 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 theyre parked and keep keys out of reach. If a child goes missing, a car is one of the first places you should look.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The U.S. is seeking to forcibly limit how fast trucks, buses and other large vehicles can travel on the nations highways.

A new proposal Friday would impose a nationwide limit by electronically capping speeds with a device on newly made U.S. vehicles that weigh more than 26,000 pounds. Regulators are considering a cap of 60, 65 or 68 mph, though that could change. Whatever the speed limit, drivers would be physically prevented from exceeding it. The proposal, which comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, does not force older heavy vehicles to add the speed-limiting technology, but the regulators are still considering it.

The government said capping speeds for new large vehicles will reduce the 1,115 fatal crashes involving heavy trucks that occur each year and save $1 billion in fuel costs.

While the news is being welcomed by some safety advocates and non-professional drivers, many truckers said that such changes could lead to dangerous scenarios where they are traveling at much lower speeds than everyone else.

The rule has been ensnared in a regulatory maze in the decade since the nonprofit group Roadsafe America issued its first petition in 2006. The group was founded by Atlanta financial adviser Steve Owings and his wife Susan, whose son Cullum was killed by a speeding tractor-trailer during a trip back to school in Virginia after Thanksgiving in 2002. The nonprofit was later joined by the American Trucking Associations, the nations largest trucking industry group.

Owings said he will continue to push NHTSA to force older heavy vehicles to limit their speeds.

We are dismayed and outraged to learn the proposed rule will be for newly manufactured trucks and will not apply to the millions of trucks with which we continue to share the roads today, he said.

NHTSA said retrofitting vehicles made after 1990 with the speed-limiting technology could be too costly, and it is still seeking comments and additional information. NHTSA said it could cost anywhere from $100 to $2,000 per vehicle, depending on when the vehicle was made. Changes to some engines could also be required, increasing the costs, NHTSA said. Heavy vehicles made before 1990 dont have the capacity to add the technology.

The government agencies involved will take public comment for 60 days, then determine the final limit and decide if the regulation should be put in place.

To James Chapman, a big rig driver from Spartanburg, South Carolina, 68 mph would be the best option and hed accept 65. But 60 would be too big of a difference from cars that go 75 or more.

To me it would be a safety hazard unless it slowed everybody else down, he said while refueling his truck Friday along interstate 75 near Findlay, Ohio.

The agencies said that limiting the speed of heavy vehicles to 60 mph could save as many as 498 lives annually. Limiting it to 65 mph could save as many as 214 lives, and limiting it to 68 mph could save as many as 96 lives. There are 3.6 million big rigs on U.S. roads.

The agencies said the proposal is based on available safety data and the additional benefit of better fuel economy.

But Norita Taylor, spokeswoman for the 157,000-member Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association, said her group has opposed the speed limiters because they create dangerous interactions between vehicles as faster cars slow down for trucks. Differentials in speed increase interactions between vehicles, which increases the likelihood of crashes, Taylor said.

Yet there is another compelling reason to limit truck speeds. An investigation last year by The Associated Press found that 14 states have speed limits for big trucks that are equal to or higher than their tires were designed to handle. Most truck tires arent designed to go faster than 75 mph, and tire manufacturers say traveling faster than that can cause tires to fail and blow out, creating safety issues.

Most of the states with the higher speed limits are west of the Mississippi River. Of the 14, five have speed limits of 80 mph or more and allow trucks to exceed the capability of their tires. NHTSA has said the speed limiters should take care of the discrepancy between state speed limits and truck tire capabilities.

Most of the states with speed limits of 80 or above either didnt know about the truck tire speed ratings or didnt consider them. States set their own speed limits, having been given sole authority to do so by Congress in the mid-1990s.

(AP Business Writer Joseph Pisani contributed to this story from New York.)

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Insurance payments and traditional federal aid programs wont be enough to respond to the catastrophic flooding that ravaged tens of thousands of homes across south Louisiana, wrecking entire subdivisions and devastating entire cities.

Louisiana, once again, will be asking Congress to lend a hand to an ailing state.

But the state delegation lacks some of the seniority it once had, and stalemates in Congress have made it difficult to even get funding for a Zika virus response to final passage, raising worries that flood disaster aid may be hard to get.

Plus, several of Louisianas congressional members voted against a Superstorm Sandy relief package only a few years ago, which could make it an uncomfortable ask of colleagues to help their state now.

The full scope of the floods destruction is only starting to become clear as people rip out the insides of homes and deposit moldy carpets, soaked drywall, water-damaged furniture and heaps of personal belongings onto their front lawns.

Gov. John Bel Edwards estimates well over 100,000 homes took damage from the floodwaters. That doesnt count ruined businesses, fire stations, schools and other public buildings.

State officials first will need a better tally of the devastation to make a case for congressional assistance. As a preliminary request, Edwards asked President Barack Obama during his Tuesday visit to push Congress for federal block grant aid.

This was a one in a thousand year flood event, and most of the affected homeowners did not, nor were required to, have flood insurance, the governor wrote in a follow-up letter handed to the President. The (FEMA) individual assistance funds that will be available, while critical, will simply not be sufficient to allow our citizens to rebuild their homes.

Obama said hell support the recovery effort, both through his oversight of existing federal aid programs and in urging further action from Congress.

The whole country is going to continue to support you and help you until we get folks back in their homes and lives are rebuilt, the President told Louisiana residents.

In trying to negotiate a relief package, Louisiana should be helped by the clout of U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Metairie, the third-ranking GOP member of the House. In a statement, Scalise called making sure that assistance is available to flood victims his top priority.

Congress isnt currently in session, but members of the Louisiana delegation say theyve started laying the groundwork for aid requests.

Were going to need some supplemental help, said U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany, R-Lafayette, whose district had widespread damage. I just dont see any way out of it, when you have communities where 90 percent of homes were flooded.

Beyond block grant money, Boustany expects the agriculture industry will need specific aid. Hes also looking at possible tax relief Congress could offer storm victims, like easing penalties for tapping into certain retirement accounts if people need the money to repair and rebuild.

Boustany, running for a Senate seat against U.S. Rep. John Fleming and 22 other opponents, said hes concerned a vote that Fleming, Scalise and U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy took against Sandy relief in 2013 may make it tougher for Louisiana to win support for flood aid.

I warned members of our delegation and others who have experienced disaster that if you oppose Sandy relief youre going to come across as being hypocritical and the next time we need help, we may not have it, Boustany said.

Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, said he voted for Sandy aid and has a track record of supporting disaster relief for states, but couldnt support legislation bulked up with pure pork which was unrelated to Sandy. He said if his colleagues vote against our folks because of his Sandy vote, they are deliberately misunderstanding his position.

Fleming, R-Minden, offered a similar defense, saying he didnt support final passage of some Sandy aid because a long list of spending unrelated to direct storm response was added.

I support the appropriate use of federal funds to help when disaster strikes, Fleming said in a statement.

Thousands of Louisiana residents will be waiting to see Congress reaction.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
None of the hundreds of stolen hives have been recovered, law enforcement agencies said.

Southwest Florida bee farmers are having a difficult summer because thieves have been stealing their hives, lots of them, to the tune of $150,000 or more.

More than 500 hives have been taken from large corporate-type bee farms to small, mom-and-pop operations since June in Lee and Charlotte counties.

Statewide, around 1,200 hives have been taken this year.

The thefts have prompted the formation of a multi-state task force and have hurt some smaller bee operations enough that some are considering quitting what had once been been viable honey and pollination operations. Worker bees pollinate plants when they go from flower to flower.

Wonderful Bees, with operations in Lee and Charlotte counties, is one of the larger bee providers in the United States. The company has reported nearly 400 hives stolen in two locations in Lee County and another with a similar number of hives in Charlotte County since the end of June.

Gene McAvoy, agricultural agent for Hendry County and a regional vegetable agent with the University of Florida, said Wonderful Bees has had 732 hives stolen in recent weeks. With hives worth roughly $215 to $250 each that would make the companys losses more than $150,000 since June.

The number of hives and their value were not included in the Charlotte County report but the charge for anyone arrested in this case was listed as felony grand theft, which is based on the theft of items totaling from $20,000 to under $100,000.

Mark T. Carmel, spokesman for Wonderful Bees, said he couldnt comment due to the police investigation. The company is offering $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction of those responsible.

We take any theft of our property very seriously and are working closely with local law enforcement, he said.

None of the hundreds of hives stolen have been recovered, local law enforcement officials said, and the only evidence at the theft sites were tire tracks.

Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers recently released an alert about the thefts and offered $1,000 for information leading to an arrest. Those with information can call 800-780-8477.

McAvoy said Hendry County has experienced its share of bee thefts over the years but not the scope of Wonderful Bees recent losses.

Theres a lot of thefts in agriculture in Hendry County, McAvoy said. He said the bees are an attractive target because they are a critical component in farming with the insects responsible for pollinating crops such as citrus, cucumbers and watermelons.

A lot of people dont realize there are about 2 million bees moved around this country, McAvoy said.

There are many reasons for the hive thefts, such as wanting to resell them, wanting to build an operation for pollinating almond growing operations in California, or local pollination or honey production, said Melissa Councell. She operates Councell Farms Professional Bee Removal in Cape Coral with her husband Keith.

She said an established hive can be worth up to $300.

Cape Coral beekeeper Thomas Morgan has lost a number of hives to thieves this summer and, earlier in 2016, a smaller beekeeper in Lehigh Acres had 12 hives taken.

Morgan, a beekeeper and honey producer for 37 years, might close his nearly thousand-hive Southwest Florida operation by December because of the thefts.

Thieves took most of the honey and a few of the hives from 200 of his boxes. A fence protecting the hive area had been cut.

I dont do this just for me, the Cape Coral beekeeper said. Ive supported a family, two families actually. Its like someone taking the crabs out of a crab pot. Its affecting my livelihood.

The crime is not just local. According to a report aired on NPR, California reported 1,734 hives stolen during peak almond pollination season in 2016. In one area, Butte County, the number of stolen hives jumped from 200 in 2015 to 400 this year.

These are real professional thieves, Morgan said. They arent beekeepers. You have a new breed of thieves here, they are pushy and ruthless.

He said it is not difficult for thieves to take hives because the boxes are usually placed in cow pastures or fields and can be hidden by trees and brush. All it takes is a front-end loader and a flatbed truck to load the hives.

He has taken to placing hives behind locked gates, but even that hasnt helped. What am I supposed to do, he said. It hurts. It hurts a lot and puts a lot of pressure on me.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Joan of Arc, Tim Kinsella's Esoteric Indie Enterprise, Unveils Brief Fall U.S. Tour

Artist Tim Kinsella's longstanding Joan of Arc outfit are embarking on a short U.S. tour this fall. As reported by BrooklynVegan, the brief jaunt stays mostly within the region of Kinsella and company's Midwestern base of Chicago before ending up at New York City's Knitting Factory in October. See the list of show dates below.

Joan of Arc's most recent recorded work, Testimonium Songs, was released in 2013. Since then, Kinsella has been keeping busy with other projects like his recently-reactivated Owls quartet and experimental one-off recordings such as Tim Kinsella Sings the Songs of Marvin Tate featuring former Wilco sideman Leroy Bach and up-and-coming indie songstress Angel Olsen.

As we previously reported, Joan of Arc's linchpin 2000 album, The Gap, remains the band's high point of abstruse jazz-rock and acousmatic experimentation. Never one to rest on his laurels, Kinsella told The A.V. Club that he now hardly identifies with such distant works like The Gap or his early material as Cap'n Jazz:

"I'll meet people who have responded deeply to something I've done eight or 12 years ago that's totally foreign to me now. I don't know if they want me to high-five them or if they want me to grab them by their ears and sing Cap'n Jazz lyrics."

Regardless, Kinsella has endured as a prolific recording and touring artist for over 20 years. In an interview with The Quietus, Tim told the publication of he and his band members' commitment to the arts despite the seeming disadvantage of performing with budget-minded musical equipment:

"[M]ost of us have lifestyles that aren't very common to people of our ages. Like, we all kinda live on a lot less money. Nobody would ever confuse any of us for middle class, y'know? Like sometimes I just look at the equipment that other bands have and I just think, where do you possibly get the money for that equipment?"

Joan of Arc tour dates:

09/24: Champaign, Illinois @ Pygmalion Festival

09/25: Cincinnati, Ohio @ Midpoint Music Festival

10/01: Chicago, Illinois @ Chicago Cultural Association

10/07: Brookyln, New York @ Knitting Factory

 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

TagsJoan of Arc, Tim Kinsella, The Gap
crime tape

A 24-year-old Euclid woman is accused of cutting another woman with a knife several times during an argument in Akron.

(File photo)

Akron, Ohio -- A 24-year-old Euclid woman is accused of cutting another woman with a knife several times during an argument.

Passion U. Upshaw, of Euclid Avenue is charged with felonious assault with a weapon, Akron Municipal Court records show. She remains in the Summit County Jail on a $100,000 bond.

The victim did not require medical attention, according to police.

The two women got into an argument about 5 a.m. Saturday on Bachtel Avenue in Akron.

If you wish to discuss or comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section.

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AKRON, Ohio -- The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company received the 2016 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award Aug. 26 at a ceremony held at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

The Freedom Award is the nation's highest honor given to employers for exceptional support of Guard and Reserve employees. The award was bestowed to 15 companies out of 2,400 nominations. Goodyear is the first tire and rubber manufacturer to receive the award.

"These 15 awardees are helping to make the Department of Defense and our country stronger," Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said at the ceremony. "Today, more than ever, the commitment they've shown to our country, and to those who serve our country, is indispensable."

Goodyear's military support has included hiring 1,000 Guard, Reserve and veteran employees from 2011-14, and renewing that commitment in 2015; supporting members of the U.S. armed forces through its annual Support Our Troops campaign, which has generated more than $1 million over the past six years; and by forming a culture of support for those who have served by offering employee benefits, resource groups and company policies designed to aid aid those who serve the country while working at Goodyear.

Goodyear was nominated for the award by Chris Wozniak, engineering manager at Goodyear Innovation Center Manufacturing, and a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

"I nominated Goodyear for the Freedom Award because I've experienced firsthand the heartwarming and outstanding support they're willing to give veterans, guardsmen and reservists," Wozniak said.

Carter presented the Freedom Award to Steve McClellan, president of Goodyear Americas.

"To be chosen as one of 15 recipients out of more than 2,400 organizations that were nominated is a great honor," McClellan said. "Although Goodyear is being recognized for our efforts as a company to support our troops and honor veterans, we believe that what we receive back from our veteran associates is truly invaluable.

"The dedication, work ethic, perspective and ingenuity that they bring to our offices, plants and retail stores every day is the real award for Goodyear."
AKRON, Ohio -- Three local municipal court judges have entered into a partnership with the PAWSibilites Humane Society of Greater Akron in an effort to reduce incidents of animal cruelty.

Beginning in September, Akron Municipal Court Judge Katarina Cook, Stow Municipal Court Judge Lisa Coates and Barberton Municipal Court Judge Jill Flagg Lanzinger will have available as a sentencing option an animal cruelty prevention class.

Each of the courts has experienced an increase in the number of animal neglect and abuse cases. It has come to the judges' attention that many of these cases involve defendants raised in families where there is a cycle of animal mistreatment.

The class, to be called Care of Animals and Abuse Prevention, will be offered in two parts on a monthly basis. Part one will cover applicable laws as they relate to animal cruelty and the responsibilities of owners to their pets.

The second part deals with topics such as basic pet care, how to make your home and yard safe for animals, and disease prevention.

The 90-minute classes will costs defendants $40 each. Upon completion, defendants will receive a certificate. Defendants will have 60 days to complete the class and present their certificates to the court in order to fulfill their sentence.

"I noticed a high rate of repeat offenders and came to the realization that animal crimes are often the product of learned behavior, and that these people are only doing what they have been taught is acceptable," Cook stated in a release. "For example, if you grow up in a household where your dog is allowed to roam the streets, you are more likely to let your dog run unleashed as well, which then poses a danger that the dog might get hit by a car, or the dog becomes a danger to others.

"In fact, allowing a dog to run unleashed is a control-of-dog violation in the city of Akron, a minor misdemeanor for the first offense."

Cook initiated the program by contacting Diane Johnson, president and CEO of PAWSibilities Humane Society of Greater Akron. Johnson reported that a 2011 study found a connection between a child witnessing animal abuse and subsequently engaging in animal abuse and bullying behavior.

It is also believed, Johnson noted, that there is a possible correlation between children who reside in homes where they witness incidents of domestic violence, and incidents of animal abuse.

Cook learned that the Humane Society offers classes to both youths and adults designed to promote kindness and appropriate treatment of animals, with the goal of encouraging respect and compassion for animals.

The judge made the class offering a countywide program to make it easier for Johnson to implement.

"I wanted to make it uniform -- one name, one program, the same fees and forms -- to service three courts," Cook said. "It's a shared services concept."

When approached about the idea, Judges Flagg-Lanzinger and Coates were enthusiastic.

"It's important we teach our community the legal and loving way to treat animals," Flagg-Lanzinger stated in a release. "This is an important step in combating violence and neglect toward animals."

The program will initially focus on companion animals, but is expected to eventually include education geared toward farm animals.

"In the Stow Municipal Court, both judges have recently dealt with cases of neglect and cruelty to farm animals," Coates said in a release. "I have had a difficult time finding an educational program to address these issues."

The program will also include local veterinarians, who will visit the animals at the defendants' homes to check on their condition.

Cook said she hopes the program will start a conversation that will lead to needed reforms in handling animal mistreatment cases.

"We are confident that our program will greatly benefit our efforts to end animal cruelty in our community," said PAWSibilities' Johnson.
Beachwood city hall.JPG

Beachwood City Council will hear legislation soon that would have the city seek bids to build a new fire station.

(Jeff Piorkowski/special to cleveland.com)

The latest rendering of the proposed new Beachwood fire station. This is a view of the front of the building.

BEACHWOOD, Ohio -- It appears as if the city will have a new fire station in its future.

City Council met in committee Monday for two hours, getting an update on the fire station proposal from Beachwood Fire Department Chief Patrick Kearns and representatives of the firm Lemay, Erickson, Willcox Architects.

The end result of the meeting is that council, at one of its next two meetings, will have before it legislation allowing the city to seek bids for the fire station, which would be built on city-owned land on the corner of Richmond Road and Park East Drive.

Plans showed that a new 25,615-square-foot station, which would replace the current station number two on Chagrin Boulevard, could be built for $6.9 million, plus $1.4 million in land development costs, for a total of $8.3 million.

The cost, Kearns explained, was actually $1.5 million more, but he whittled away portions from the original plan, such as gates around the proposed building and epoxy flooring, to reduce the cost. Without the eliminations, the cost was just over $10 million, which Kearns called a "ridiculous" price.

The chief also told of a plan for a smaller building, at 21,812 square feet, that would actually cost a bit more to build than its larger counterpart because architects would charge an additional $400,000 to redesign its previous larger model.

At the meeting, some council members told Kearns that his expertise should be a determining factor in what is included in the new building which, if approved, would likely see a construction start date of next spring.

"It's a beautiful, contemporary building," said Councilman Melvin Jacobs. "The health and safety of our residents should be our number one priority. Sixty-percent of our community is elderly.

"We're fortunate we have the money to do this kind of project without having to go out for a bond levy."

The city bought the property in 1999 for $1.25 million from the Cemetery Association. Mayor Merle Gorden told council Monday that it was bought for the purpose of constructing some type of safety center for a growing city.

Gorden spoke of how the city, specifically its southern portion, has in the last 17 years come to include Ahuja Medical Center, new hotels, offices and other healthcare facilities.

"The directive we got from council," he said, "was to build a fire station that meets today's needs and future needs. We always looked at Beachwood as safety first.

"My recommendation, as safety director, is to go with the first concept (larger station design) and add back some of the value engineered items taken out."

Kearns said he intends, as Gorden said, to seek bids for the $6.9 million version of the building then, when bids are made, ask for prices on some of the $1.5 million in items he took out.

Two eliminated items that will surely return to the design are radiant floor heating (at $22,000), which will allow fire trucks to dry after a run and prevent their undersides from rusting, and epoxy flooring, which prevents oil from trucks from seeping into the floor and allows for surer footing.

Kearns has stated for 10 years a need to replace station number two, which he has said is too small and not properly located to respond quickly to needs on the growing southern portion of the city. That building, 24619 Chagrin Blvd., was constructed as a garage for $98,000 in 1973.

Fire station number one, located on Richmond Road, across from city hall, was constructed in 2001 for just under $5 million. It measures 24,000 square feet.

Council agreed to hire an architectural firm about three years and has discussed the matter since.

Jacobs said that, had council acted sooner, the city could have paid less for a new building. Kearns said prices for new fire stations have gone up about 5 percent per year.

"When (the city) first started considering a fire station, " Kearns said, "I was told to give you the station that you need, and to prepare for regionalization so that when regionalization begins, we'll (beachwood) be in the driver's seat."

The city has received permits from the Army Corps of Engineers and Ohio EPA to build on the 5.25-acre wetlands site. Clearing of the land must be completed no later than March 31, 2017.

The property, like much of the southern portion of Beachwood, is protected as a home to the endangered Indiana bat.

Trees must be cleared between Sept. 30 and March 31, a time period during which the bats would not make trees at the proposed construction site their home.
Broadview Heights Terra Group 2.JPG

The Terra Group wants to build this office-restaurant, along with a freestanding bank, at Ohio 82 and Interstate 77 in Broadview Heights. This rendering was provided by OHM Advisors, a Columbus architectural firm.

(Bob Sandrick, special to cleveland.com)

BROADVIEW HEIGHT, Ohio - City Council expressed tentative support Monday for a two-story office-restaurant building, and a separate freestanding bank, proposed for the southwest corner of Ohio 82 and Interstate 77.

However, one Broadview Heights resident told council he's worried that the new businesses will worsen traffic at the interchange, where new buildings continue to pop up and ongoing roadwork is creating bottlenecks.

William Tarter said southbound drivers wanting to turn westbound onto 82 have been backed up onto 77. That's at least partly because construction crews are re-configuring exit and entrance ramps, and widening and lengthening turning lanes at the interchange, to make merging onto and from the freeway safer.

In a separate project, workers will widen 82 from three to five lanes between 77 and Broadview Road, but that project isn't scheduled to start until 2019.

Tarter says he realizes that once the road projects are completed, traffic will lighten up. Still, MetroHealth System's Brecksville Health & Surgery Center, which includes an emergency room, along with Bob Evans and Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants, recently opened on the south side of 82 at 77, and a McDonald's is under construction there. Also, a Giant Eagle and GetGo gas station are across the street.

"That's a lot of traffic," Tarter said.

Council President Robert Boldt told cleveland.com after Monday's meeting that the city will require a traffic study for the office-restaurant-bank project. Council referred the office-restaurant-bank plan to the city's Planning Commission.

Traffic confusion

Police Chief Michael Vizer said he's confident the 82-77 interchange reconfiguration was designed ultimately to make traffic flow as smoothly as possible. However, he said traffic was a mess there Monday, with just one westbound lane open on 82. He said rear-end collisions have occurred due to driver confusion over ever-changing traffic patterns.

VIzer said he would meet with his lieutenants Tuesday morning and determine if police should manually control traffic lights at 82 and 77.

"(The road project) is nowhere near the finished product but we are addressing things as we go along," Vizer said.

Councilman Glenn Goodwin said another problem is that eastbound 82 traffic, when reaching the new southbound exit ramp, doesn't stop at the red light until they are blocking cars coming off the freeway. He said the city should paint a white stop bar in the road to show eastbound drivers where they must stop.

Boldt said that drivers exiting 77 southbound and turning east onto 82 were confused over a new traffic light installed at the bottom of the ramp. He said drivers hesitated at the light, which led to traffic backups on the ramp and 77. Boldt predicted that situation will resolve itself once drivers become accustomed to the new red light.

Tarter believes traffic tie-ups might continue even after road construction is complete. He asked if the city has considered how traffic generated from the newly proposed office-restaurant-bank would match traffic to and from existing businesses. For example, if the new restaurants are breakfast-oriented and compete with Bob Evans, morning traffic could be heavy.

Loretta DiChiro, partner with The Terra Group, the Brecksville real estate firm that has proposed the office-restaurant building and bank, said Terra has tenants lined up but can't reveal their identities yet.

"I don't see that much of an influx of traffic from this one development," Goodwin said. "But in the aggregate, we will have to look at the traffic flow in this area to see if we can do something better."

Glass & brick

The 33,600-square-foot office-restaurant building would stand parallel to 77, just northeast of the newly opened MetroHealth center. The bank, at 3,500 square feet, would stand closer to 82, just west of an existing BP gas station.

The city's Building Official Michael Skvasik said the plan meets the city's office-laboratory zoning. Terra would need one zoning variance because part of the bank would stand within 100 feet of 82.

Gary Sebach, director of architectural design with OHM Advisors, a Columbus architectural firm working on the project, said the proposed building, made of brick and glass, is a blend of classic and contemporary designs.

The wide-open interior would provide maximum flexibility for offices, Sebach said. The building would house two restaurants - one on both ends - and the plan is to have a cafe and traditional eatery.
Pat-McDonald-Jane-Platten.JPG

Pat McDonald, left, supervises early voting at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections with then-Director Jane Platten in this file photo. McDonald, who became interim director last month when Platten left for a new job, is a candidate to keep the position.

(Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- With four months until he relinquishes the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's office to Michael O'Malley, Timothy McGinty is starting to bid farewell to top staff.

Chief of Staff Jane Platten, formerly a county board of elections director, left McGinty's office Aug. 19 to take a job as assistant to the CEO for special projects with MetroHealth System.

Platten served as McGinty's top aide since he won election to the office in 2012 and played a role in his reelection campaign. In an email to staff, McGinty called Platten "one of the ablest and best administrators in the state."

"Under her leadership, this office has become more effective at identifying career criminals, fighting violent crime and working with other agencies than ever before," McGinty wrote. "She has helped us operate more like a business and less like a bureaucracy."

McGinty lost the prosecutor's seat by a 10 percent margin in March's primary election as he struggled to overcome backlash over his recommendation not to indict two Cleveland police officers involved in the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice.

In her new role, Platten will oversee programs that administer medical care to inmates the Cuyahoga County Jail and juvenile justice center.

"I see my position at MetroHealth as continuing that mission driven work that I started at the board of elections," Platten said. "Dr. (Akram) Boutros' leadership is about dynamic and positive change and that's a very dynamic opportunity for me."

After a controversial roll out of electronic voting machines in May 2006, then Board of Election Director Michael Vu was forced out of his job in February, 2007. Platten was named interim director Weeks later.

She was given the job permanently later that year after voting machines performed well in primary elections, and oversaw successful high-profile elections in 2008 and 2012 before resigning to join McGinty's office.

This story has been updated to incorporate an interview with Platten.
20 Akron, Summit County restaurants with most health violations

(Associated press file)

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AKRON, Ohio - Here are the restaurants in Akron and throughout Summit County with the most food-inspection violations during the inspection year of March 2015 to February 2016, according to state records.

The inspections listed in the following slides were conducted by the Summit County Public Health Department



Each restaurant in Ohio is inspected at least twice a year. Other places handling food to a lesser extent may be inspected once. Repeat visits often are made by inspectors after initial problems are found.



Violations are not unusual. Some violations are minor. Some can be disturbing. Many problems are fixed at the time of the inspection. Though health inspectors cannot impose fines, health departments are able to threaten to suspend or revoke licenses for businesses to operate.



The list shows the name of the business, based on records from the Ohio Department of Health. Some businesses operate under variations of those names.

20 Akron, Summit County restaurants with most health violations

By Rich Exner, Aug. 29, 2016

Scroll through this slideshow to find the Akron restaurants and others throughout Summit County with the most food inspection violations during the inspection year of March 2015 to February 2016, according to state records.

Common violations range from food not being kept at the right temperature to cooks not properly cleaning their hands and utensils. In some cases, physical repairs may show up more than once if it took time to make the corrections.

The restaurants are listed in ascending order, with the the restaurant with the most violations listed last.

(File photo by Associated Press)

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46 - Belgrade Gardens South, Green

Belgrade Gardens South at 3476 Massillon Road in Green was named in 46 food inspection violations during the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016, state records show.

March 12, 2015 - 3

Sept. 3, 2015 - 7

Sept. 16, 2015 - 8

Oct. 1, 2015 - 7

Oct. 15, 2015 - 4

Nov. 16, 2015 - 1

Feb. 24, 2016 - 16

(Photo by Rich Exner, cleveland.com)

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48 - Gasoline Alley, Bath Township

Gasoline Alley, 870 Cleveland-Massillon Road North in Bath Township, was named in 49 food inspection violations during the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016, state records show.

July 15, 2015 - 18

July 20, 2015 - 12

Aug. 14, 2015 - 8

Jan. 27, 2016 - 10

(Photo by Rich Exner, cleveland.com)

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48 - On Tap, Stow

On Tap, 4396 Kent Road in Stow, was named in 48 food inspection violations during the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016, state records show.

May 15, 2015 - 7

May 29, 2015 - 2

Oct. 22, 2015 - 12

Nov. 23, 2015 - 15

Feb. 1, 2016 - 11

Feb. 9, 2016 - 1

(Photo by Rich Exner, cleveland.com)

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49 - Johnny J's Pub, Coventry Township

Johnny J's Pub at 333 Manchester Road in Coventry Township was named in 49 food inspection violations during the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016, state records show.

July 17, 2015 - 9

Dec. 18, 2015 - 18

Dec. 21, 2015 - 19

Jan. 26, 2016 - 1

Feb. 23, 2016 - 2

(Photo by Rich Exner, cleveland.com)

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49 - Main Street Saloon, Akron

Main Street Saloon at 1481 S. Main St. in Akron was named in 49 food inspection violations during the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016, state records show.

May 29, 2015 - 3

Oct. 19, 2015 - 6

Nov. 2, 2015 - 6

Nov. 16, 2015 - 3

Nov. 23, 2015 - 2

Nov. 30, 2015 - 23

Dec. 3, 2015 - 1

Dec. 17, 2015 - 2

Jan. 13, 2016 - 1

Jan. 27, 2016 - 1

Feb. 22, 2016 - 1

(Photo by Rich Exner, cleveland.com)

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55 - Pub Bricco, Akron

Pub Bricco at 1841 Merriman Raod in Akron was named in 55 food inspection violations during the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016, state records show.

Aug. 12, 2015 - 12

Aug. 18, 2015 - 7

Aug. 24, 2015 - 3

Aug. 26, 2015 - 3

Feb. 2, 2016 - 19

Feb. 23, 2016 - 11

(Photo by Rich Exner, cleveland.com)

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56 - Saffron Patch in the Valley, Akron

Saffron Patch in the Valley at 1238 Weathervane Lane in Akron, was named in 56 food inspection violations during the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016, state records show.

July 1, 2015 - 14

July 10, 2015 - 15

July 16, 2015 - 4

July 23, 2015 - 3

Dec. 10, 2015 - 18

Dec. 16, 2015 - 2

(Photo by Rich Exner, cleveland.com)

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60 - Mr. Zub's Deli at the Matinee Bar, Akron

Mr. Zub's Deli at the Matinee Bar at 812 W. Market St. in Akron was named in 60 food inspection violations during the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016, state records show.

Aug. 17, 2015 - 14

Aug. 19, 2015 - 13

Aug. 26, 2015 - 12

Sept. 2, 2015 - 4

Oct. 8, 2015 - 14

Oct. 15, 2015 - 3

(Photo by Rich Exner, cleveland.com)

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61 - D'Angelo's Italian Place, Coventry Township

D'Angelo's Italian Place at 3288 Main St. in Coventry Township was named in 61 food inspection violations during the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016, state records show.

Aug. 17, 2015 - 15

Sept. 14, 2015 - 18

Sept. 23, 2015 - 20

Feb. 1, 2016 - 7

Feb. 8, 2016 - 1

(Photo by Rich Exner, cleveland.com)

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61 - Sassy's Bar & Grille, Twinsburg

Sassy's Bar & Grille at 10755 Ravenna Road in Twinsburg was named in 61 food inspection violations during the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016, state records show.

Sept. 25, 2015 - 19

Oct. 9, 2015 - 5

Oct. 22, 2015 - 1

Feb. 10, 2016 - 20

Feb. 17, 2016 - 12

Feb. 24, 2016 - 4

(Photo by Rich Exner, cleveland.com)

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62 - A Wok, Bath Township

A Wok at 3871 Medina Road in Bath Township was named in 62 food inspection violations during the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016, state records show.

April 13, 2015 - 6

April 15, 2015 - 1

June 9, 2015 - 4

July 9, 2015 - 4

July 13, 2015 - 5

Aug. 14, 2015 - 5

Oct. 19, 2015 - 5

Nov. 10, 2015 - 13

Dec. 17, 2015 - 7

Feb. 4, 2016 -12

(Photo by Rich Exner, cleveland.com)

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68 - Nick's Pizza, Barberton

Nick's Pizza at 1163 W. Wooster Road in Barberton was named in 68 food inspection violations during the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016, state records show.

May 5, 2015 - 18

May 22, 2015 - 9

Aug. 25, 2015 - 34

Sept. 29, 2015 - 7

(Photo by Rich Exner, cleveland.com)

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70 - Georgio's Oven Fresh PIzza, Akron

Georgio's Oven Fresh Pizza at 835 W. Market St. in Akron was named in 70 food inspection violations during the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016, state records show.

May 4, 2015 - 16

May 13, 2015 - 6

Dec. 7, 2015 - 14

Dec. 21, 2015 - 13

Jan. 7, 2016 - 14

Jan. 21, 2016 - 7

(Photo by Rich Exner, cleveland.com)

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78 - Magics Mart & Drive Thru, Barberton

Magics Mart & Drive Thru at 618 West Wooster Road in Barberton was named in 78 food inspection violations during the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016, state records show.

June 17, 2015 - 9

June 24, 2015 - 4

Nov. 16, 2015 - 22

Nov. 19, 2015 - 17

Dec. 8, 2015 - 20

Dec. 17, 2015 - 6

(Photo by Rich Exner, cleveland.com)

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82 - Georgie's Pub, Akron

Georgie's Pub at 1312 Brittain Road in Akron was named in 82 food inspection violations during the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016, state records show.

April 1, 2015 - 5

April 23, 2015 - 6

May 7, 2015 - 4

May 26, 2015 - 4

June 30, 2015 - 7

July 10, 2015 - 6

Aug. 7, 2015 - 4

Aug. 28, 2015 - 3

Oct. 6, 2015 - 6

Nov. t5, 2015 - 9

Dec. 1, 2015 - 13

Dec. 8, 2015 - 9

Jan. 8, 2016 -6

(Photo by Rich Exner, cleveland.com)

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94 - Fiesta Pizza & Chicken, Akron

The former Fiesta Pizza & Chicken at 1458 North Portage Path in Akron was named in 94 food inspection violations during the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016, state records show.

March 20, 2015 - 16

April 3, 2015 - 15

April 16, 2015 - 22

April 23, 2015 - 21

May 14, 2015 - 20

(Photo by Rich Exner, cleveland.com)

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115 - Marcelita's Restaurant, Twinsburg Township

The former Marcelita's Restaurant at 7774 Darrow Road in Twingsburg Township was named in 115 food inspection violations during the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016, state records show.

Sept. 1, 2015 - 53

Sept. 15, 2015 - 31

Oct. 9, 2015 - 31

(Photo by Rich Exner, cleveland.com)

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123 - Liberty Food Center, Akron

Liberty Food Center at 10 East Cuyahoga Falls Ave. in Akron was named in 123 food inspection violations during the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016, state records show.

May 5, 2015 - 12

May 26, 2015 - 12

June 22, 2015 - 19

July 9, 2015 - 30

July 24, 2015 - 13

Aug. 17, 2015 - 10

Sept. 29, 2015 - 8

Feb. 22, 2016 - 19

(Photo by Rich Exner, cleveland.com)

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137 - Georgio's, Norton

Georigio's at 3200 Greenwich Road in Norton was named in 137 food inspection violations during the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016, state records show.

June 10, 2015 - 18

June 25, 2015 - 19

July 7, 2015 - 23

Aug. 4, 2015 - 16

Dec. 22, 2015 - 23

Jan. 27, 2016 - 14

Feb. 10, 2016 - 10

Feb. 24, 2016 - 14

(Photo by Rich Exner, cleveland.com)

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166 - El Campesino Twinsburg

El Campesnio at 10735 Ravenna Road in Twinsburg was named in 166 food inspection violations during the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016, state records show.

Aug. 25, 2015 - 44

Sept. 8, 2015 - 19

Sept. 9, 2015 - 22

Sept. 10, 2015 - 18

Sept. 11, 2015 - 14

Sept. 24, 2015 - 9

Oct. 8, 2015 - 7

Nov. 13, 2015 - 9

Nov. 24, 2015 - 7

Dec. 8, 2015 - 3

Feb. 8, 2016 - 14

(Photo by Rich Exner, cleveland.com)

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Database with inspection details for Summit and statewide

Find details about each violation cited in Summit County, as well as violations cited by health departments across Ohio with our Ohio food inspection violation database.

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Earlier: 20 Cleveland restaurants with the most health violations

See the 20 restaurants in Cleveland with the most food inspection violations in the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016.

(Associated Press file photo)

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Earlier: 20 suburban Cleveland restaurants with most health violations

See the 20 restaurants in Cuyahoga County suburbs with the most food inspection violations in the inspection year from March 2015 through February 2016.

(Associated Press file photo)

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Percy Wells homicide Cleveland

Percy Wells, 16, was shot to death on East 104th Street.

(Adam Ferrise, cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- At least a dozen shots were fired Sunday at a home where a 16-year-old boy was killed.

No arrests have been made in the slaying of Percy Wells at his home in the 4100 block of East 104th Street, off Miles Avenue.

Residents who called 911 said two men argued about 10 p.m. in front of the home.

Callers said gunfire erupted, and that it sounded like someone was shooting from an automatic gun. One said they heard about 12 gunshots and another said they heard 20 or more, police reports say.

One resident told dispatchers that the house where the shooting happened was a "big drug house," according to police reports.

Police records show no calls to the home since the beginning of the year, but court records show people who once lived at the home had previously been convicted of drug dealing.

Investigators said the incident began shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday, when two men stole a man's SUV after he went into the Fresh Deli at the intersection of Miles Avenue and East 93rd Street.

The man told police that he came out of the store and saw the men pulling out of the parking lot and driving east in his 2007 Lincoln MKX. The man chased the SUV several blocks, before borrowing someone's cellphone to report the theft.

Several minutes later, police say the SUV thieves drove about a half-mile down the road and fired several shots at the East 104th Street home.

Wells was shot in the chest and lower back. A 35-year-old Akron man with a long criminal history that includes several drug trafficking convictions, including with people who at one point lived in the home where the boy was killed, was shot in the right thigh.

Someone drove both to Marymount Hospital. The boy died there and the 35-year-old man was flown to MetroHealth Medical Center. Police reports say the man was expected to be treated and released from the hospital.

Police followed the stolen SUV from the scene of the shooting. The driver crashed at East 100th Street and Gaylord Avenue and the men inside ran off. They have not been arrested, police said.

A man at Wells' home Monday who identified himself as Wells' uncle said his nephew was a good kid but declined to speak further.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit our crime and courts comments section.
Cleveland Teachers Union strike Tshirt.JPG

The Cleveland Teachers Union had threatened to strike on Friday, but reached a deal with the district early this morning.

(Patrick O'Donnell, The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland Teachers Union and school district reached a tentative contract agreement at 5 a.m. today after a 21-hour bargaining session, the sides announced minutes ago.

The agreement avoids a planned strike by teachers that would have started on Friday.

Both the school board and union memberships must approve the contract before it can become official. The two sides have not yet announced a schedule for those votes.

No terms of the deal have been announced.

"We worked hard to avoid any disruption to our students' education," CTU President David Quolke said in a written statement shared by both sides. "We were able to bring back a contract that is good for kids and fair for educators - that our members will be proud to ratify"

He added: "We listened to the concerns of our members and Cleveland parents through conversations and surveys and made sure those issues were at the forefront of our talks."

The district said it wanted to make sure "the two sides could reach agreement without eroding reforms vital to continuing the progress seen under The Cleveland Plan."

That's the district's improvement plan passed by the state legislature four years ago.

"We are pleased to take a contract to the board that both sides sees as fair," said district CEO Eric Gordon. "And now, we must work beyond the bargaining table to breathe life into a contract that has, at its heart, what's best for kids."

Gordon also announced the deal in a recorded call to parents just before 8 a.m.

Click here to hear his message.
Cleveland Teachers Union strike Tshirt.JPG

The Cleveland Teachers Union is threatening to go on strike Friday.

(Patrick O'Donnell, The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland school district and Cleveland Teachers Union are negotiating into the evening to try reach a deal on a new contract and avoid a strike.

District CEO and Eric Gordon and CTU President David Quolke were each at negotiations well after 6 p.m. to continue talks that started earlier in the day.

They also skipped a meeting of the Cleveland Transformation Alliance, Mayor Frank Jackson's school quality panel, to keep working, according to Monyka Price, Jackson's education advisor.

When Price shared that with the panel, it drew an exclamation from Terry Butler, the head of the campaign to renew a key tax for the schools.

"Praise the Lord," Butler said.

Union and district officials did not respond to requests for updates of the negotiations.

If the district and union does not reach a deal, the strike will officially start Thursday evening, but it would first affect students and families on Friday. About 3,500 teachers, nurses, aides, psychologists, librarians and social workers would be on the picket lines and not in classrooms that day, the last school day before the long Labor Day holiday weekend.

The district is not saying if schools will remain open or not if there is a strike. Gordon chose not to propose any strike response plans to the school board last week in the hope of reaching a deal instead.

Teachers in Cleveland were paid $69,133 on average for the 2014-15 school year, according to the Ohio Department of Education. The median teacher pay was $76,652.

But negotiations on this contract are more complicated that in most districts, thanks to the Cleveland Plan for Transforming Schools, the district's improvement plan that the state legislature passed in 2012.

That Plan called for a teacher pay plan "based on performance," instead of the traditional teacher salary schedule other districts use. That made Cleveland the only district in Ohio that no longer gives raises for years of experience and degrees that teachers earn.

But the district and union have failed for four years to create the full pay plan called for in law and in the last teacher contract, reached in 2013.

A fact-finder reviewed proposals from each side this spring, in hopes of reaching a compromise but her report was voted down by both the union and district. She found the two sides differing on dozens of issues.

Among them:

Whether to have a one-year or three-year contract.

How much more all teachers should be paid.

How to handle raises individual teachers can earn under a unique pay plan that only Cleveland uses.

How many art, music and gym classes the district should be required to provide to students.

Whether the district should have to teach kids about "technology.''

Exactly how to handle annual evaluations of teacher performance, which ramped up dramatically in both the district and state over the last few years.

The two sides also had differences over how to pay classroom aides, how much to pay nurses to work at after-school and weekend events, and implementing a new payroll system.
Food and Drug Administration

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants to ban the use of electrical devices to modify behavior, agreeing with critics who say they are dangerous and have overtones of torture. Some psychologists, including two from Ohio universities, are pushing back.

(Andrew Harnik, Associated Press)

WASHINGTON D.C. -- The Food and Drug Administration wants to ban electrical shock therapy, an old-fashioned behavior modification procedure described variously as dangerous, torture and a risk to public heath. Electrical jolts are applied to the skin of a deeply troubled patient and, with the shock, the patient's outbursts stop.

It sounds horrific -- medieval, even. And that's the consensus of critics who use words like "Dark Ages," "inhumane" and "Hitler" when drawing comparisons to the use of electrical shock today. The U.S. Justice Department's Office of Civil Rights supports banning the practice, and the United Nations has expressed concern about it, too. Media accounts of a Massachusetts center that uses shock therapy have used headlines including "The School of Shock," "31 shocks later" and "The shocking truth."

Yet amid the extensive controversy stand two Ohio psychologists -- one an emeritus professor at Ohio State University, the other at Youngstown State University -- urging the FDA to beg off.

They and a small group of others say that a minority of patients with autism, intellectual disabilities or other conditions "exhibit self-injurious, aggressive, and other behaviors" that can result in permanent injuries, disfigurement or death.

These are not merely disruptive patients, says these proponents. These are patients who, according to the Massachusetts center fighting the FDA, have attempted "auto-castration, blinding oneself, biting off a piece of one's tongue, chewing a hole through one's cheek, head banging to the point of stroke, swallowing razor blades and other dangerous items, breaking one's own bones, biting off the nose of another, and more."

Research has shown, these proponents say, that in some cases, "contingent skin shock delivered from Electrical Stimulation Devices (ESDs) can be effective in reducing destructive behaviors and enhancing quality of life."

Few others from Ohio have waded into the shock-treatment controversy. But the debate has been heated in Massachusetts, home to the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center, the only remaining institution in the country still using electrical shock devices. Forty-five to 50 patients at the center, a day and residential school for special-needs students, still get shock treatments there, the FDA says.

Why would two Ohio psychologists wade into this debate? We'll explain.

What is this therapy?

Electrical shock therapy is a form of so-called aversion conditioning. A shock is applied when a mental-health patient does something the mental-health professional wants stopped -- something abusive or self-injurious.

That results in the patient associating the harmful or negative behavior with a painful shock. So the patient stops doing whatever it was that led to the shock.

The shock has "aversive consequences," psychologists say.

Does it hurt?

Yes. That's the point.

Proponents of electrical shock therapy, however, say it merely causes vibrations and pain similar to that of a bee sting. They downplay reported burns and permanent damage.

There have been reports of misapplication, however, that resemble tales of a torture chamber. As masslive.com reported in July, "Reports have ranged from students being shocked 10 times in a row due to an equipment malfunction to 31 times in a seven-hour period for breaking JRC [Judge Rotenberg Center] rules. In 2008, JRC told Boston Magazine students were typically shocked just once a week. Then in 2010, Linda Doherty told ABC News her son was shocked 40 times one week and 18 times the next week."

The Judge Rotenberg Educational Center, in Canton, near Boston, did not return a call seeking comment.

Why on earth are we even having this conversation?

Endless debate, testimony, media coverage and commentary make that the most common question. That, and: Why are we still shocking patients in the 21st century?

The FDA asks the question, too. In April, it announced that it wants to ban electrical stimulation devices. The FDA said it rarely bans a device, and only does so when there is a public health risk.

What's the risk from electrical shock devices?

The FDA says risks include "depression, anxiety, worsening of self-injury behaviors and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, pain, burns, tissue damage and errant shocks from a device malfunction.

"In addition, many people who are exposed to these devices have intellectual or developmental disabilities that make it difficult to communicate their pain or consent. As these risks cannot be eliminated through new or updated labeling, banning the product is necessary to protect public health," the FDA said.

OK, so case closed -- right?

Wrong. The Judge Rotenberg Center and a small group of psychologists say shock therapy is only applied after the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court approves it as part of a patient's treatment plan.

And they say the critics, many of them from the mental health treatment community, don't grasp a central point: The critics say electrical shock doesn't work as a cure or treatment -- but people who are trying to harm themselves or others cannot be treated until the symptomatic behavior is halted.

What the center in Massachusetts has been doing, said a letter from parents who support the treatment, "has been to use these devices for students for whose medical treatment providers have concluded all else has failed."

Electrical shock devices "are effective in producing dramatic levels of response reduction in behavior that can be life-threatening and horrifyingly disfiguring so that clinicians and caregivers can implement other behavioral and environmental interventions to make such response elimination more permanent," James A. Mulick, a psychologist and emeritus professor at OSU, told the FDA last month.

Who's the other Ohioan?

His name is Stephen Ray Flora, and he's a psychologist and professor at Youngstown State.

In a letter to the FDA posted Aug. 17, Flora joined Mulick and 20 other mental health experts urging the FDA to slow down and give the question more study, particularly as it relates to destructive behaviors. Six of the signers were on staff or affiliated with the Judge Rotenberg Center.

"Given the devastating nature of destructive behaviors and the lack of effective alternatives, we recommend against a ban on ESDs," the letter said. "For some individuals and their families, ESDs as part of a comprehensive treatment program, represent the best available treatment option for their individual circumstance."

Do patients and families agree?

Some do. At an FDA public hearing in 2014, five former patients or their families spoke in favor of electrical shock, and four spoke against it.

A former patient named Aracelis Sanchez testified that she was in a state hospital, was rejected by 35 other programs, was on various psychiatric medications and had been "a walking zombie."

Had it not been for the treatment, she said, she would "either be dead or in jail for the rest of my life."

"You don't see cuts, bruises, nothing. Right? All right," Sanchez told the FDA.

Louisa Goldberg told the FDA panel that her son Andrew was treated effectively and, unlike at another schools, no longer needed to be restrained or drugged -- and was no longer dangerously aggressive.

What about the critics?

There are many of them, and they include psychiatrists, the ACLU, the Association for Autistic Community and several groups advocating for the rights of people with disabilities.

Then there are former patients and their parents.

"My son is a former student of Judge Rotenberg Center," Cheryl McCollins, a mother, testified to the FDA in 2014. "He was tortured on Oct. 25th of 2002. As a result, he suffered from burns, fear, pain, catatonia, PTSD, and DVT. Deep vein thrombosis in his left leg was caused by the catatonia. The catatonia was caused by the shock. And I have medical evidence to prove it.

"His torture all began because he refused to take off his coat. So you see, ladies and gentlemen, this is not about therapy. This is about control, abuse, and torture."

According to CBS News, which obtained this video (warning: it is disturbing), the Judge Rotenberg Center claims it no longer uses restraint boards and shocks together. Shocks are applied through backpacks and fanny-packs that certain students must wear, with staff controlling them through remote control.

What's next?

Although the FDA made its recommendation in April, it has studied the issue for more than two years and people have debated it much longer.

The FDA closed public comments on July 25 and now is deciding how to proceed. A lot of people in the mental health community are waiting.
rtaelevator.jpg

The elevator to access RTA's temporary westbound platform at Tower City has been out of service since Aug. 23. (Photo: Ginger Christ, The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Traveling through Tower City has been a little more complicated in the past month as the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority repairs its westbound track.

During construction, travelers heading west out of Tower City have had to use a separate entrance to get on the train, while the westbound track is being fixed. But, since RTA opened the temporary platform July 31, the only elevator serving the area has been riddled with problems.

The temporary platform only can be reached from an entrance on the Public Square level of Tower City between Darrio Fashion Group and Victoria's Secret, and is accessible only by elevator or stairs.

We apologize for this very short notice and we regret to inform you, but the elevator at Tower City Track 7 is back down.  Greater Cleveland RTA (@GCRTA) August 11, 2016

The elevator was out of service shortly after the new platform opened and continues to have problems. Most recently, the elevator went down Aug. 23 and hasn't been back in service since, while RTA waits for a part to repair it.

"This is ridiculous. It's stupid. Who's in charge?" said Donavin Kent of Avon, who took the train downtown Monday with his wife, Nancy Kent, to see the renovated Public Square.

Kent, who is retired, has trouble walking long distances and struggled on the stairs that led down to the temporary platform.

"The steps are so steep," he said. "I wonder how many people have lost their balance."

Without a working elevator, passengers who can climb steps are forced to carry their luggage and even bikes up and down the stairs to the platform.

RTA took over temporary maintenance and operation of the Tower City elevator soon after it began using the alternate entrance for westbound trains.

"We did experience some immediate problems with the elevator that is owned by Tower City. The elevator was not robust enough to handle the increased usage," said Joe Calabrese, RTA CEO, during an Aug. 16 board meeting.

RTA installed a new air conditioning unit, a cooling unit and tore down a wall to add more ventilation to try to keep the elevator from overheating.

"It just wasn't built for the capacity that we're driving through there right now," Calabrese said.

RTA plans to maintain the elevator until its construction on the westbound track is finished, which is scheduled to be completed by Thanksgiving.

While the elevator is out of service, RTA suggests the following options for passengers who can't use the stairs:

Westbound rail riders coming from the east can exit before they get to Tower City at the East 55th Station and take a special shuttle bus to Tower City.

Westbound Red Line rail riders coming from the east can stay on the train through Tower City and exit at the West 25th Station and take an eastbound train back to Tower City. Those eastbound trains are using the regular track exit at the Tower City Rotunda, which is served by both elevators and escalators.

Blue and Green Line riders coming from the east can stay on the train to the Waterfront Line's South Harbor Station and return on an eastbound train back to the Tower City Rotunda. Once inside the rotunda, elevators and escalators take customers up to street level.

Westbound Red Line riders can head east to East 34 St. Station from the regular platform area in the Rotunda, take the return train west and stay on the train through Tower City to west side destinations.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cleveland felon with 15 years worth of criminal convictions is accused of shooting a 29-year-old man who died eight days later.

Donell McCalpine, 34, is charged with murder, felonious assault and being a repeat violent offender. His arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday.

McCalpine is accused of shooting Eric Carmicle Jr. on Aug. 13. Carmicle died at MetroHealth on Aug. 21.

The shooting happened about 2:30 a.m. in the driveway of a home in the 10200 block of Way Avenue, between East 100th and East 104th streets.

Carmicle's 24-year-old cousin called him after she got into an argument with another woman, police reports say.

Carmicle drove to his cousin's house with McCalpine. A witness told police the McCalpine appeared "very intoxicated," according to police reports.

McCalpine got out of the car with a black handgun. He pointed his gun at several cars driving by the house and at Carmicle.

Carmicle didn't think McCalpine was being serious, police reports say. He laughed at him and told him to put his gun away. McCalpine's tone changed.

He told Carmicle "I know you made that call on E.D.," police reports say. The report does not explain what the shooter might have meant by that statement.

McCalpine shot Carmicle once in the left cheek at point-blank range, court records say. Carmicle fell backwards onto the driveway pavement. McCalpine then shot him again while he was on the ground, police reports say.

A witness told police it seemed if the two knew each other and that they appeared comfortable together.

Cleveland police found Carmicle face up in a pool of blood. He was breathing but unconscious, police reports say. An ambulance took him to the hospital.

McCalpine's first felony conviction happened in 2001, when he was caught driving a stolen car and selling fake drugs.

He had two drug convictions in 2012, and led police on a car chase in a stolen 1995 Buick in 2007. The incident resulted in an 18-month prison sentence.

He was convicted of attempted burglary in 2010 and robbery and possessing a gun as a weapon in 2011.

Last year, he was arrested at Cleveland Clinic hospital after police found a small amount of crack cocaine in his pocket, which violated the terms of his probation in the robbery case.

As part of his sentence, he was supposed to be housed at the Nancy McDonnell Community Based Correctional Facility in Cleveland while he underwent a drug abuse program. He was given a day pass to leave the facility on March 3 but didn't return. He was arrested April 13.

On June 29, he pleaded guilty to escape and was sentenced to one year on probation.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit our crime and courts comments section.
prenticecafe.jpg

Students wait for food to be prepared at Prentice Cafe, a gluten-free dining hall.

(Kent State University)

KENT, Ohio - Kent State University has opened an entirely gluten-free dining hall, which it says is the first in the country.

The university restructured Prentice Cafe in Prentice Hall after administrators noticed a rising number of students with gluten intolerance.

An estimated 3 million Americans suffer from Celiac Disease, a genetic autoimmune disorder that affects the digestive process, the university said.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. It is essential for those with Celiac Disease and sensitivity to gluten to avoid products containing these ingredients. Some individuals also choose to restrict their gluten intake as a personal preference.

Although many campuses offer gluten-free products and some offer gluten-free stations in their dining halls, Kent State said it is the first campus to offer an entire dining hall that is certified gluten-free.

The cafe earned certification from the Gluten-Free Food Services Certification Program, a food safety program offered through the Gluten Intolerance Group.

Anyone is welcome to dine at Prentice Cafe, which is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Fridays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. In addition to every item being gluten-free, the menu also features a variety of vegan and vegetarian dishes. The cafe accepts meal plans, cash and credit cards.

"Students' needs have always been our top priority," Rich Roldan, director of university dining services, said in a statement. "Students have enough to worry about - they should not have to worry about their food being safe to eat. It is important they can eat in a safe environment."
StokesCoverX.jpg

'The Gentleman from Ohio' book cover

(Special to cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - In the year before he died, Louis Stokes worked tirelessly to finish a project he had put off for years:



A book that would tell the story of his long and remarkable life.



"This was his lifelong dream," recalled he youngest daughter, Lori. "My father had wanted to do this for decades, but waited because he didn't want other members of Congress to think he considered himself a big deal. Finally, he just dug in and was committed wholeheartedly to telling his story."



Last August, Stokes and his noted collaborator, David Chanoff, finished their work.

A few days later, on Aug. 18, Stokes died of complications from cancer. He was 90-years-old.

On Sept. 20, Ohio State University Press will publish "The Gentleman from Ohio," Stokes' life story told in his own words.



As I wrote in his obituary last Aug. 19, it is the story of a man whose "iconic career in public life assures him a place as one of the most revered, respected and powerful figures in Cleveland history."



The book traces Stokes' life from the projects in Cleveland's Central neighborhood to the halls of Congress. He writes poignantly of his love for his mother, Louise, and history-making brother, Carl. He writes of the leading role he played in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court Case of Terry v Ohio, of a career in Congress that made him one of the body's most respected and powerful members, and of the battles he waged on behalf of his city and country's most disadvantaged citizens.



In the parts of two chapters that follow, Stokes writes of his relationships with his mother and brother, his decision to retire from congress, and of his colleagues in Cleveland's black political establishment.



"The Gentleman from Ohio" has been shipped to local book stores. It can also be ordered through on-line retailers.

Carl Stokes, right, and Louis Stokes in 1988.

In 1994 President Clinton appointed my brother Carl ambassador to the Seychelles, a beautiful archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean, a thousand miles east of Africa.



Serving the country as an ambassador was in some ways a fitting cap to Carl's career, a boy from the streets, the projects, who had shown the way for black Americans to turn the struggle for civil rights into a full-blown participation in the world of mainstream political power.



Carl is, still today, known as the first black mayor of a major American city. That isn't simply a label. It signifies a historic change in the country's political life. There was talk in 1967 of Carl being a viable vice presidential candidate. That was the first time, with Carl's election, that people began thinking seriously that one day there could be a qualified, capable, black candidate for president.



Carl carved out a path that has been followed by black political figures ever since, people who have been elected as mayors, representatives, senators, and of course President Barack Obama. Carl showed how black politicians could successfully reach out to white voters and demonstrate their qualifications, not on the basis of race, but on the basis of talent and vision. He was, in that sense, the pivotal African American political figure.



Carl was Cleveland's mayor for two terms. He decided not to run for a third, though. His second term had been marked by conflict, with the city council especially, but also with the newspapers and with the Democratic establishment, angered over the way he and I had taken the Twenty-First District Caucus out of the party. He was criticized every day by the Plain Dealer and the Cleveland Press, harshly and mostly unfairly.

His family suffered from that and from the other pressures he was subjected to, and, as he said, "they didn't run for mayor, I did." When it was clear he was not going to have the money or the political support to bring about the changes he thought essential, Carl decided there was no point to running again.

"I choose not to compromise with those who want to keep the system running as it is," he said.

So he made his announcement and signed off.



Carl's next stop was New York City, where he became an anchorman for NBC News and won an Emmy for broadcast journalism. In 1980 he was offered a position as general counsel for the United Auto Workers Union of Ohio, with their 500,000 members. He was the first black general counsel for a major union. He did that for several years, then he ran for municipal court judge. I helped him with his campaign, which he won. He was on the bench for eleven years.



This was the municipal court, the lower court, which dealt with small crimes and misdemeanors, the court where both of us had gotten our start as lawyers, hustling cases. Carl became the administrative judge there, but he always took his turn presiding at hearings and trials. On the municipal court bench he dealt with prostitutes, hustlers, habitual drunks, criminally negligent landlords, husbands and wives whose disputes had gotten out of hand.

Carl B. Stokes, left, his son Cordell, his wife [Shirley], and his brother Congressman Louis Stokes, who presented the former mayor with judicial robe and gavel in 1983.

His abilities, of course, were such that he could easily have presided over Ohio's Supreme Court, or something higher than that. But it was fitting that he spent those years dealing with the people we had grown up among, the ordinary, common people with their hard lives and their hard problems, trying to resolve the challenges they faced in their lives.



During Carl's eight years in New York our closeness wasn't what it had been. But when he returned to Cleveland we talked almost every day and had dinner together as often as we could. We talked about family and friends, but mostly our talk was political. Carl was still consumed by politics. He was a brilliant politician. He grasped the nuances of power and the essence of power. Back in the day he didn't have much respect for me as a politician, which was not incorrect.

I didn't pretend to be a politician. I wasn't one myself and I didn't have much concern for politicians in general. But as my career in Congress progressed he began to respect my political abilities. Given his earlier disdain, that was a great satisfaction. It meant a lot to me.

Earlier in my career people would often refer to me as "Carl Stokes's brother." Then, after I had been in Congress for a time, someone said to Carl, "Say, aren't you Lou Stokes's brother?" We laughed about that. "I guess that means you've arrived," Carl said.



In April 1995 Carl was back in Cleveland on leave from his ambassadorship. The Twenty-First (now Eleventh) District Caucus was having its annual boat ride on Lake Erie. Carl had promised he would come down and go with us; people loved having the chance to spend time with him. But as the departure time drew near he hadn't shown up. I was looking for him and finally saw him arrive.



"Lou," he said, "something's bothering my throat. I need to go to the hospital and have it checked out."



When we got back from the cruise later that evening I called his home, but he wasn't there. When I called the Cleveland Clinic to check, they said he was in the emergency room, so I went down there to see him. They had examined him, he said; they were running some tests.



The next day we went back. The tests revealed esophageal cancer. A few days later we traveled together to New York to get a second opinion. Doctors there confirmed the diagnosis. The tumor, they said, was inoperable.



We planned a trip to Florida; a friend had offered him his home down there so that he and I could have some quiet time together. He told me that people were still after him for advice and consultation. "But all I want to do," he told them, "is sit around a pool and read and spend some time with my brother."



We never did get to do that. He became very ill a week before we were to leave and went into the hospital. He died there on April 3, 1996.



We held Carl's funeral at the Cleveland Music Hall. Very few churches in town could have accommodated the several thousand mourners who wanted to see Carl off. Bill Clay and his wife Carol came; Maxine Waters; Don Payne, who was then chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus; Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala was there representing President Clinton. Arnold Pinkney spoke. Jesse Jackson gave a moving eulogy.

Bishop Pilla, left, sits next to the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Otis Moss Jr. at a funeral service in 1996 for former Cleveland Mayor Carl Stokes. At far right is Mayor Michael R. White.

When it was my turn I talked about how Carl had epitomized the classic American Horatio Alger story, but with a twist, not from rags to riches but from poverty to power. I could easily have said "rags" instead of "poverty." I had a photo in my house of Caldwell Gaffney and me when we were working our paper routes as kids. I was twelve, and Caldwell must have been fourteen. In this picture we were standing there with our heavy bags full of newspapers. Neither of us looked good. What we looked was poor. Our clothes were ragged.



My shirt had a hole in it. One day at my house Carl was looking at that photo. He stared at it a while, then told Jay, "You see those clothes Lou's wearing. After he wore them I had to wear them."



I told the crowd at the Music Hall that Carl had always been a leader. I had seen that from the time we were young. He never understood the concept of big brother/little brother. As long as he was able he wanted to be the leader, the big brother. I didn't mind that in him. I was never jealous of him; it made me proud that he was my brother. At the end of my talk I said, "Good night, little brother."

I know he would have taken that in the spirit I meant it.



Nine-year-old Carl B. Stokes and Louis Stokes, 11, in a family photo For story on Carl Stokes. these are Plain Dealer file photos. Photo by Photo taken

I retired from Congress in 1999. Carl had said on many occasions when we talked that you've really got to love politics. You've got to have fun at it, because you're certainly not going to make any money at it. I never did have the love for it he had; I was never consumed by it. But I did have fun at it, partly because he and I could talk about things. We talked about political people, what they did right and what they did wrong. We talked about strategy and tactics. I could get his opinion about things. Carl's passing left a void in my life. There was nobody else I could talk to like that. So now that was gone.



I had thought even earlier about leaving, but Carl had said, "Lou, you can't go yet. You've got other things you've got to do." So I stayed. But then Gingrich came in and I saw how mean-spirited Congress had become. Over the years I had learned to enjoy being a U.S. congressman. I went to work early every morning and worked long, hard days. Seven days a week, ten, twelve, fourteen hours a day. That was how I had done it. But I didn't feel any longer that I wanted to come to work, in a place where ill will and anger were the order of the day, where bellicosity pervaded the atmosphere.



I felt my age then--when Carl passed I was 71; when I finally retired I was 74. But I knew that if I left I could go back and resume my career as a lawyer, to do something that would give me contentment and enjoyment. I discussed it with Jay and my family. They all understood and concurred that if that was how I felt, this would be the right time to leave. So that's what I did.



On the last bill I ever worked on, just before I retired, a vote was about to be taken on the floor. Jerry Lewis, still the Republican chairman of my Appropriations subcommittee, asked the House to join him in a tribute to me and my service. It started with that. Three hours later there were still members standing in line waiting to speak.



Finally the Speaker said, "Listen, we've gone on three hours with this. We've got business to accomplish here." But after what had just happened I felt I needed to say something to my colleagues. Jerry yielded the floor to me.

This was, I told them, "the greatest day I have ever experienced in the House of Representatives. . . . I have been touched and moved in a way I will never forget." I couldn't help reciting then something about my life, which had never destined me to this place. "I have oftentimes," I told them, "sitting on the floor or standing in this well, pinched myself and asked if I was really here."

I told them about my mother scrubbing floors and about Carl achieving the place he had achieved, both of us coming out of the projects and the streets. "I can only say to all of you," I told them, "that I am proud that I am an American. No matter what gripes we have, this is the greatest country in the world. The story I have recited to you today of the Stokes brothers could only happen in America. Only in America, Mr. Chairman. Only in America."



We voted. Then I left. As I walked out the door for the last time I thought, what a true honor this has been.
LCCCcampus5

Lorain County Community College was one of seven community colleges included in the study on the impact of higher education in Northeast Ohio. credit Lorain County Community College.

(Lorain County Community College)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Northeast Ohio's public, private and for-profit colleges cost less and enroll more minorities and adults than their counterparts across the state, according to a new report.

The Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education, a nonprofit business and higher education collaborative, on Tuesday released what it called the "first-ever study of the region's higher education institutions" in the 23-county region.

Researchers compared 62 institutions in the study area to 168 institutions in Ohio from 2010 to 2014.

Here are the highlghts:

* Though the region serves about one-third of the state's higher education students, its proportion of minority students and older students is significantly greater. Northeast Ohio colleges and universities serve 42 percent of the state's African-American students, 37 percent of the state's Hispanic students, and 42 percent of students age 40 and older.

* Though enrollment has declined in the region, improved retention and graduation has led the rate of growth in degree production to quadruple.

* The region has 45 percent of the high school students who take college courses, about 10,500 students each fall.

* Colleges in the region award nearly 43,150 certificates, associate, bachelor or graduate degrees each year.

* Workers with an associate degree earn, on average, $25.04 per hour. Hourly wages increase to $30.87 for those with a bachelor's degree, and $32.01 for those with a master's. Workers with a doctorate/professional degree earn, on average, $58.71 per hour.

* Northeast Ohio college students paid $2,300 less on average than college students statewide.

* There are 38,000 people employed at Northeast Ohio colleges and universities, collectively earning $1.8 billion in salaries and wages, and paying $136 million in state and local taxes.

See the full report below or click here on a mobile device.

The organization compiled the report at the request of its board of directors, which includes business leaders, and presidents of the 13 public, private and for-profit colleges that pay dues and are members.

"This analysis allows us to see what we are doing right, better understand strategies that are working, and identify the collective impact of strategies going forward," said Holly Harris Bane, the organization's president.

Harris Bane, former associate vice president for strategic initiatives and partnerships at the University of Akron, was appointed president in August. She replaces Robert Briggs, who was appointed president two years ago and given the goal of improving academic success of students from preschool through college.

Priorities have shifted to degree attainment and how the institutions can collectively work together, Harris Bane said.

The data for the study was gathered by Public Insight Corp. and analyzed by experts at the member colleges and the Lorain County Community Public Services Institute, which produced the report. The total cost was $45,000, which was paid by grant funds, Harris Bane said.

The study showed the economic impact of the institutions and how well they are getting students to enroll, stay and graduate, she said.

Data was not separated for two-year, public, private and for-profit colleges.

The decision to include for-profit colleges was not made lightly, she said. The University of Phoenix is a member of the organization. Harris Bane said for-profit schools contribute to educational attainment and include 3.3 percent of total enrollment.

Harris Bane said the board and members will examine the data and determine future collective efforts to improve results.
Cleveland City Hall in Cleveland

Should the city of Cleveland overlook East Cleveland's now-rescinded list of wild conditions and enter into talks for a merger.

(Plain Dealer file photo)

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio - East Cleveland City Council on Monday night hit the reset button on their so-far botched attempt at initiating a merger with big sister city Cleveland.

During an emergency council meeting, members voted to adopt new legislation appointing three representatives to a commission empaneled to negotiate the annexation. The ordinance replaces one passed earlier this summer, which was tied to a list of conditions for the merger that even East Cleveland Mayor Gary Norton called "unrealistic, impractical and illegal, in some cases."

Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley rejected East Cleveland's initial proposal out of hand, arguing that the laundry list of demands -- some of which seemed designed to preserve the power of East Cleveland's current elected officials - was "a non-starter."

Most controversially, East Cleveland City Council members wanted to continue receiving their salaries as members of an "advisory council" with control over a community development corporation and all of the publicly owned land in the new ward.

And East Cleveland wanted to continue operating its own municipal court and maintain its red-light camera program - despite the fact that voters banned the cameras in Cleveland in 2014.

Kelley said last week that he was still open to the possibility of annexing Cleveland's impoverished East Side neighbor, but that the list of conditions was not a starting point.

Norton said in an email Monday night that he hopes City Council's latest attempt wipes the slate clean of last week's embarrassment and demonstrates that East Cleveland is entering into the process in good faith.

"This type of action is not an easy thing for a city council," Norton wrote in his email. "It is my hope that the merger discussions will move forward with a renewed spirit of cooperation between the two cities."

Cleveland now has 30 days to decide if it will make appointments to the commission. After that, the panel would have 120 days to hammer out the terms for annexation. If East Cleveland voters approve the proposal, Cleveland City Council members would either vote to adopt it or send the issue to the ballot.

Cleveland.com wants to know what you think about the possibility of merging the two cities. Take our poll below.
BOSTON, Massachusetts -- A man with a stockpile of weapons and explosive material was plotting to blow up a police station, burn down a mosque, and also wanted to kill President Obama, reports say.

Joseph Garguilo, 40, was arrested Saturday by the FBI at his home in Holliston, Mass., according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The release says FBI investigators were told in July that Garguilo had the parts to build an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, and that he was stockpiling tasers, mace guns, hunting knives and the incendiary thermite.

They learned that Garguilo was talking about planting a bomb at a police station and hoped to "kill as many homeland security officers as he can before they kill him."

Garguilo also wanted to chain the door of a mosque and then burn it down and wanted to attack President Obama, the news release says. He did not specify a mosque for attack.

People who knew Garguilo told FBI agents he was stockpiling food and water and that they believed he was "about to snap."

Garguilo has been charged with one count of being a prohibited person in possession of ammunition. He is being held without bail.

Mark Meehan, Garguilo's lawyer, tells the Boston Globe that Garguilo denies making any threats and that his client is "very distressed" over the charges. He also denied that Garguilo holds extreme views.

"There's a broad range of views out there," Meehan tells the Globe. "His would not be considered mainstream, but they are certainly not exceptionally radical."

If you wish to discuss or comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section.
Cuyahoga County opens its new Administrative Headquarters

Cuyahoga County Deputy Inspector General Andrea Nelson Moore, who was put on unpaid leave Friday for ethics violations, is crying foul. She says she is a target. But she has only herself to blame. (Thomas Ondrey/The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Andrea Nelson Moore still doesn't get it.

Moore is Cuyahoga County's deputy inspector general and her boss placed her on unpaid leave Friday following an investigation into complaints that she campaigned for county judge on taxpayers' dime.

Moore acknowledged to me in an email Saturday that she "made an error," but she described it as a minor infraction and equivalent to the "social norms."

How clueless can she be? Does she not remember that corruption was the past norm in our county government? And that corruption led voters to approve a new charter government with an inspector general's office. Her job is to guard against officials returning to the norm in which elected officials and county workers engaged in politicking on the clock as if it were part of their job descriptions.

Moore, a Democrat, is also crying foul, arguing that she is a target.

"It is apparent the political machine is at work," she said Saturday.

I'll give you a moment to laugh.

Moore has the full backing of the only political machine in town - the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party. Democrats control most countywide elected offices, including 28 of the 34 seats on the Court of Common Pleas. Cuyahoga County is home to more Democratic voters than any other county in Ohio.

While I'm at it, I should point out that Moore's boss, County Inspector General Mark Griffin, is a Democrat who has worked in the past on numerous political campaigns and, in 2010, ran for Cuyahoga County Democratic Party chairman. The party ultimately backed attorney Stuart Garson.

Moore was hired by and promoted to deputy by the county's first Inspector General Nailah Byrd, a Democrat who was brought in by then-County Executive Ed FitzGerald, another Democrat. Moore remained deputy inspector under Griffin.

Moore, who shows off dozens of endorsements from Democratic officials on her website, is trying to unseat incumbent Republican Joan Synenberg, who has a mixed record on the ballot but has earned good ratings as a judge. Synenberg lost her judge's seat to Democrat Cassandra Collier-Williams in 2012 but was appointed in 2013 by Gov. John Kasich to fill the unexpired six-year term of Eileen T. Gallagher. Gallagher won election to a seat on the 8th District Court of Appeals 2012.

A private investigator, Tom Pavlish, triggered the county's inquiry into Moore.

Pavlish, who has worked for defense attorneys, including Synenberg's husband, examined Moore's Facebook posts, county time sheets and other public records and concluded that she campaigned on county time. Pavlish also pointed out that when Moore took personal time off to attend political events, she failed to document what she was up to as her boss directed her to do in a memorandum last year. Pavlish sent his findings to County Executive Armond Budish - yes, another Democrat - on June 17. Pavlish sent a second report to Budish on July 20.

Budish hired a law firm by the end of June, after receiving the first complaint, to investigate, according to a county spokeswoman. The law firm's investigation concluded that Moore violated rules by distributing campaign literature in employee mailboxes at the Common Pleas Court and by accepting and promoting the endorsements of several members of County Council, which Moore is supposed to monitor for ethics violations.

The law firm's report doesn't address the private investigators' charge that Moore ignored her boss' directive, which instructed Moore to "accurately and carefully document the use of the lunch hour, personal leave, compensatory time, or vacation leave when used for any permissible election-related activities."

Pavlish showed several examples in which Moore took personal time to campaign during the work hours, including her attendance at a luncheon in Cleveland sponsored by the Ohio Democratic Party featuring U.S. Senator Cory Booker.

In a phone interview Monday, Moore read a statement to me charging that the "entire investigation is politically motivated and a deliberate attempt to tarnish my record, reputation and character."

I tried to ask Moore about the claim - and about her failure to document her time off as her boss directed.

Moore refused to answer.

"I have retained legal counsel and we are considering legal action, therefore I will limit my discussions," she said.

I asked what that means. Is she suing her boss? Is she suing her opponent?

"I've retained legal counsel," she said.

I asked her why she is upset by the scrutiny. Did she expected her opponent to step aside and not a pay attention to her?

"I've retained legal counsel," she said.

I asked what political machine is after her.

"I've retained legal counsel," she said.

Moore certainly is entitled to legal counsel.

But if Moore truly envisions becoming a judge, she will need to think more clearly and speak for herself because she alone is responsible for her troubles.

The article was updated to clarify that Andrea Nelson Moore was hired and promoted to deputy inspector general by the county's first Inspector General Nailah Byrd. Moore remained deputy under Inspector General Mark Griffin.
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio--For years, the forest-covered hills of Southeast Ohio have been Ted Strickland territory. But in this year's U.S. Senate race, Republican incumbent Rob Portman is trying to horn in on Strickland's turf.

Strickland, a Democrat and native of rural Scioto County who now lives in Columbus, has made his Appalachian Ohio roots a big part of his personal and political identity. And for years, Southeast Ohio has supported him, electing him to six terms in Congress and backing him during his two runs for governor of Ohio.

But a number of Republicans, Democrats, and political analysts alike agree that the U.S. Senate race will likely be close this year in Southeast Ohio, with Strickland at risk of losing some areas that until now have been a redoubt of support for him.

Portman's campaign and outside groups backing him have spent millions on ads claiming Strickland has "sold out" his native region on key issues such as coal and gun control. Strickland, meanwhile, is counting on voters in the area to remember him and his political accomplishments.

'Defining' Strickland

Southeast Ohio, a sparsely populated, economically stagnant area of Appalachian foothills stretching roughly from Portsmouth to Youngstown, is not likely to decide the election unless it's really close.

But Portman's campaign sees an opportunity to win votes in a historically Democratic area that is already gradually shifting toward the Republicans. Strickland's campaign, meanwhile, hopes to secure enough support there that it gives him some leeway in other parts of the state.

In Steubenville, a city of about 18,000 along the Ohio River, active Democrats are solidly behind Strickland, said Frankie DiCarlantonio, who runs the headquarters of the Jefferson County Democrats.

But, DiCarlantonio said, a wave of anti-Strickland attack ads are eating into his support among young voters and independent voters who don't know much about his work as a congressman and governor.

"Hillary is doing better than I see Ted doing at the moment around here," he said.

And even many Democrats in Steubenville have soured on Strickland, said Thomas Wilson, an attorney and associate professor of business at Franciscan University in Steubenville. That's because of local controversies involving the state while Strickland was governor, including an attempt by the state to turn Jefferson Lake State Park into a wildlife area and the expansion of the local community college to serve neighboring counties.

"There were a lot of people who looked at him as someone who didn't really care about us," Wilson said.

Wilson predicted a close race between Strickland and Portman in Steubenville and the rest of Jefferson County. But even if Strickland wins, he said, it won't be by the margin Democrats can usually count on to help push their statewide candidates over the top.

Chris Gagin, who chairs the Belmont County Republican Party, agreed that Strickland has been hurt by the early and constant wave of attack ads from Portman's camp.

"Portman is doing to Strickland what [John] Kasich did to him in 2010," said Gagin, referring to the Republican who was elected governor, denying Strickland a second term. "Portman's been able to define Strickland quite a bit."

Portman, of course, represents all of Ohio -- including the southeastern part -- in the U.S. Senate. The Cincinnati-area Republican also represented parts of Southern Ohio while serving in the U.S. House between 1993 and 2005.

But Portman, like in the rest of the state, isn't particularly well-known in Southeast Ohio. If Portman scores victories in the southeast part of the state, it will be because of discontent with Strickland, said Tom Sutton, who chairs the political science department at Baldwin Wallace University.

Sutton predicted "very close returns" in Southeast Ohio on Election Day, adding that several counties "are probably going to tip slightly toward Portman."

Portman campaign spokeswoman Michawn Rich voiced even greater confidence about her candidate's chances.

"Rob is going to win Southeast Ohio," Rich said in a statement. "By November 8th, when the people of Southeast Ohio learn that the Ted Strickland of 2016 isn't the Ted Strickland of 1996, we'd be shocked if anyone in Appalachia supports him other than his relatives and campaign staff."

Don't count Strickland out

But there are still question marks, Gagin said - particularly whether the thousands of Belmont County voters who cast presidential primary ballots for Republican Donald Trump this spring - including a sizable group of Democrats -- will turn out this fall and vote for Portman and other down-ballot Republicans.

"The great mystery is those Trump voters," Gagin said.

And there are still a lot of Strickland voters to be found in Southeast Ohio.

Doug Davis, the mayor of the village of Trimble in Athens County, said he's talked to many residents who have seen the anti-Strickland ads on TV. Davis said Strickland might suffer from Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's comment that clean energy policies will "put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business," and he noted that the United Mine Workers have endorsed Portman.

But, Davis said, most of the people in his area are behind Strickland, because they've seen how he has consistently sought to help them while other statewide politicians often ignore their area.

"He was really visible to us. He was transparent -- you could get ahold of him," Davis said, specifically recalling Strickland's work to keep a nearby coal mine open after it flooded. "We know first-hand that he was down there when we needed him."

Strickland has campaigned in Southeast Ohio "dozens and dozens of times," and has a "deep cultural connection to this part of the state," said campaign spokesman David Bergstein.

"Ted's connection to the people of Southeast Ohio allows us to out-perform virtually every other Democrat here," Bergstein said in a statement. "He can win counties in Southeast Ohio that no other Democrat would be able to and the area is an important element of our statewide winning coalition."
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Will the 2016 Cleveland Browns go down as the worst team in franchise history?

Certainly there are several other teams that would be in the running since the franchise was reborn in 1999.

But some fans have emailed with that statement in recent days, especially following Friday's embarrassing preseason loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the subsequent release of veteran linebacker Paul Kruger and the trade of punter Andy Lee.

Remember the Browns were 3-13 last season. It was awful a year ago. It's been awful for a long time.

How bad will be it this year? We'll talk about it. Watch the video.
ROCKY RIVER, Ohio -- A Cleveland Heights police officer who threatened to shoot himself inside his Rocky River home was sentenced to one year probation and ordered to stay out of the city of Rocky River.

Lt. Sean Corrigan pleaded no contest to a charge of disorderly conduct persisting, a fourth-degree misdemeanor, Tuesday morning in Rocky River Municipal Court.

Judge Brian Hagan ordered Corrigan to take part in a diversion program that includes undisclosed treatment. Corrigan also was ordered to pay fines and court costs totaling about $425, and to not consume any drugs or alcohol. The charges will be dropped and court records sealed if Corrigan completes the program.

Cleveland Heights police Chief Annette Mecklenburg said the department is conducting an internal investigation and declined to answer questions about the Aug. 5 incident.

Corrigan has been on paid administrative leave since the incident.

Corrigan is a son of the late Cuyahoga County Probate Judge John Corrigan and brother of Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Peter Corrigan.

Rocky River police responded at 8:45 p.m. Aug. 5 to a report of a man with a gun threatening to kill himself in the 200 block of Elmwood Road, court records show. Police closed off streets.

Corrigan walked out of the home at 9:35 p.m. He was taken to University Hospitals for evaluation.

Police took an unloaded black Sig Suaer 239 .40-caliber pistol and a magazine loaded with seven rounds from inside the home. A bullet was lying next to the gun and magazine, police reports show.

The judge granted Corrigan's wife's request to lift a no-contact order so the couple can discuss their children, counseling, and the sale of the family's home, lawyers said. Corrigan's wife, an attorney, called police to report the Aug. 5 incident.

Sean Corrigan only spoke to answer the judge's questions during Tuesday's hearing. He attempted to hide from media cameras behind his attorney.

Judge Peter Corrigan pleaded no contest to a charge of operating a vehicle under the influence in the same court in 2013. He was found guilty and sentenced to three days in jail, fined $500 and his driver's license was suspended for a year.

If you wish to discuss or comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section.

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NORTH RIDGEVILLE, Ohio -- Friends believe a North Ridgeville man's post-traumatic stress disorder played a role in a fatal shooting left that a woman dead Saturday in Solon.

Matthew R. Desha, 29, is charged with murder in the death of Deborah Pearl. The shooting happened moments after Desha's Jeep crashed into the 53-year-old woman's car at an intersection. Desha emerged from the Jeep with a rifle and shot Pearl several times, police said.

The U.S. Marine Corps veteran -- who was twice deployed to Iraq -- has struggled with PTSD since being discharged in June 2008, according to friends, neighbors and documents from previous encounters with law enforcement.

"If you've never had PTSD, you can't know what it's like," said Commander Jim Hordinski of VFW Post 9871 in North Ridgeville. "It's like you're right back in the war."

Desha used to receive treatment for PTSD at the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center in Cleveland, but it's unclear when and why he stopped seeking treatment, Hordinski said.

"There were times when he was depressed," Hordinski said. "He was up and down."

The North Ridgeville Police Department has noted in reports compiled over the past eight years that Desha suffered from PTSD. Desha also told Boardman Township officers who arrested him earlier this year that he took medication for anxiety and that he was once addicted to heroin.

Desha's neighbors at the Pine Ridge Mobile Home Park described him as a kind man who has at times dealt with mental-health issues.

"He was a sweet guy who kept to himself," neighbor Kathleen Salvatore said. "This breaks my heart, for him and for that woman."

Desha has struggled with depression since he moved into the mobile home park five years ago. He recently stopped taking his medication after becoming concerned about its ingredients, she said.

Salvatore also believes the crash triggered memories of Iraq.

"There's no doubt in my mind that when that car flipped, he was in war mode," she said.

Desha's family did not speak to reporters following his Monday court appearance and could not be reached for comment later in the day.

He is being held on $1 million bond and is scheduled to appear Wednesday in Bedford Municipal Court.

Law enforcement reports from the past eight years suggest Desha has struggled with mental-health issues since his discharge from the Marine Corps.

North Ridgeville officers investigating a noise complaint at Desha's home on May 5, 2011 were warned that he suffered from PTSD and slept with a loaded gun under his pillow, according to a police report.

Desha also faces a carrying concealed weapons charge stemming from a May 30 traffic stop in Boardman Township. He told a Boardman Township officer that he was taking medication for anxiety issues and that he was previously addicted to heroin, according to a police report from the incident.

Desha appeared Aug. 9 in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court and was released after posting 10 percent of a $2,000 bond. His next court date had not been scheduled.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit our crime and courts comments section.
Apple and other multinational companies can expect to start paying a lot more taxes in the coming years, University of Southern California law professor Edward Kleinbard said Monday.

The only question is how much of that tax revenue the United States will get and how much Europe will get, he told CNBC.

"The easy days of single-digit tax rates are going to be over," Kleinbard said in an interview with CNBC's "Closing Bell."

Apple and other multinational firms have been accused of dodging U.S. corporate taxes by going abroad. Apple has relocated much of its earnings to Ireland, allowing the company to pay a much lower corporate tax rate in some years  as low as 2 percent, compared to 35 percent in the U.S.
Thousands of displaced Syrians, Iraqis and Afghan's wait in squalid conditions to enter at a reception center on the island of Lesbos

The 10,000th Syrian refugee will arrive in the United States on Monday  meeting a humanitarian goal the Obama administration set last year.

"On behalf of the President and his Administration, I extend the warmest of welcomes to each and every one of our Syrian arrivals, as well as the many other refugees resettled this year from all over the world," Susan Rice, President Barack Obama's national security adviser, said in a statement.

Rice did not announce the name of the refugee or where that person will be resettled. But she said the feds reached Obama's goal to admit 10,000 Syrians this fiscal year  a month ahead of deadline.



More from NBC News:

Top destinations for Syrian refugees: Michigan and California

Ghouta attack: Dad recalls Sarin strike that killed 34 relatives

Ahmad al-Abboud, Syrian refugee in Kansas City, adjusts to America



"The President understood the important message this decision would send, not just to the Syrian people but to the broader international community," Rice said. "Millions have been displaced by the violence in the region, but this decision still represented a six-fold increase from the prior year, and was a meaningful step that we hope to build upon."

Over at the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest said that the 10,000 figure was a compromise goal and that the president would like to increase that number by "a few thousand more" next year.

"The president would like to see a ramping-up of these efforts, but he's realistic," said Earnest.

In the coming weeks, Earnest said, Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to make the administration's pitch to boost the number of Syrian refugees allowed into the country to a skeptical Congress, where some members of the Republican majority are opposed to any increase.

More than 4.8 million Syrians have fled since a civil war began tearing their homeland apart  but just one-fifth of 1 percent of them have landed in the United States, according to the State Department.

Almost half of the new Americans are 14 and under, and 62 percent are under age 20, the feds said. Their top two destinations are Michigan, which has long been a destination for Syrian immigrants, and California.

"Thousands of families from Syria have found safety on our shores, and that is a wonderful thing," said Tarah Demant, senior director of the Identity and Discrimination Unit for Amnesty International USA. "But so many are still trapped in horrific conditions in refugee camps or war zones. The U.S. must do more to uphold its responsibility to do all it can to protect those fleeing human rights abuses."

Lina Sergie Attar of the Karam Foundation, a Chicago-based Syrian support organization, agreed.

"I hope that the United States will continue to welcome thousands more Syrian families who are fleeing the brutal war and are determined to rebuild their futures," she said. "Unfortunately, I'm not optimistic about the current political climate."

Obama's decision to admit any Syrian refugees has been opposed by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and many Republican lawmakers, who have stoked fears that terrorists might be in their midst.

Alice Wells, the U.S. ambassador to Jordan, told The Associated Press on Sunday that "the immediate goal of resettling 10,000 Syrian refugees did not come at the cost of our comprehensive, robust security measures."

Back in April, it didn't appear that the United States would reach it's goal of resettling 10,000 refugees. At that point, just 1,285 new refugees had made it here, according to data released by the State Department.

And that was after Kerry pledged that the Obama administration would step up its commitment to protect families fleeing from Syria's six-year civil war. The brutal conflict has killed hundreds of thousands of people.
Today is Berkshire Hathaway chairman and CEO Warren Buffett's birthday. He is 87, but the best birthday present he ever received came long ago, before he made his first penny  before he was even born. It didn't come wrapped; it doesn't even take a physical form. It's called luck.

Warren Buffett Lacy O Toole | CNBC

Of course Buffett's made a lot of money  for those who like playing around with numbers, like Buffett does, his fortune works out to millions of dollars per each day of his life. But even with Berkshire Hathaway shares up about 20 percent in the past year  easily outpacing the S&P 500 and sitting near an annual high  and Bank of America , one of his shrewd post-crisis financial investments, reaching a $12 billion paper profit, some recent headlines suggest that his luck may be running out: Sempra Energy outbid master dealmaker Buffett's $9 billion offer for energy company Oncor. But luck, or winning the "ovarian lottery," as Buffett called it, has been as instrumental as any factor in building his billionaire fortune. Luck doesn't get the recognition it deserves as a success factor. Analysis of the traits of billionaires and the effort to uncover their secret to success tend to go granular: Do they awake at 4 a.m.? Do they write handwritten notes from their CEO desk to everyone, even the little people? Or does success tend to circle around some new (and not necessarily improved) versions of habits already covered by the likes of Stephen Covey? Some American billionaires and captains of industry attempt to encapsulate business brilliance in methodical form and with their own pen, such as Koch Industries' Charles Koch, who shared his market-based management approach in his book "The Science of Success." But luck matters. "Having the good luck to win the 'ovarian lottery' is a major determinant in success in life in general  and in business in particular," Professor David Kass told CNBC. The clinical professor of finance for the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland was the first to publish Buffett's "ovarian lottery" comments, based on notes he took at a 2013 graduate student event where Buffett spoke.

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Luck may seem like the least tangible, least controllable success factor. After all, what can one do about luck? But there's a perfect example from Buffett's business history that Kass shared with CNBC, showing how those who believe in luck are also on the lookout for luck when it delivers an opportunity into their lap: When Buffett was a 20-year-old MBA student at Columbia University, he learned that his hero, Professor Benjamin Graham, was the Chairman of the Board of GEICO. Since Buffett was interested in anything that Graham was interested in, he took a train to Washington from New York (1950), arriving on a Saturday morning. Without calling or writing ahead of time, Buffett was very lucky that one employee was there, Lorimar Davidson, who spent four hours explaining both insurance and GEICO to Buffett. Buffett immediately grasped that GEICO would have an enduring competitive advantage. (Davidson subsequently became CEO of GEICO.) Insurance later became the primary business and building block of Berkshire Hathaway. "Warren Buffett has stressed the importance of luck in his life, focusing not only on where he was born but also when. His primary skill of allocation of capital has worked well for him in the United States and in his lifetime," Kass said. Michael Mauboussin, a managing director and head of global financial strategies at Credit Suisse and author of "The Success Equation," which looks at the role of skill and luck, said Buffett's example reveals something fundamental about business greatness: Positive outliers, including Buffett, "are the product of lots of skill and lots of luck ... in business dealings."

You set the rules
Starting a business isn't easy. Only half of all new companies survive past the five-year mark, according to the Small Business Administration. But business owners would face better odds if they were able to step back from the day-to-day operations, according to Bonin Bough, host of CNBC's "Cleveland Hustles" andformer chief media and e-commerce officer at Mondelez International. "Most small-business owners are really focused on getting maybe to the next week, maybe to the next month, so they really tend to be heads down, which they should be because they need to be operators," Bough says. "But, at the same time, what I want [from] them is to not forget that there is a bigger opportunity."

Bonin Bough Christopher Polk | NBC

Being able to focus on larger opportunities beyond those that exist in the present can help drive businesses to new heights, Bough says, even if they aren't fully prepared. For example, some entrepreneurs avoid pursuing bigger accounts because the company might not have full production or distribution yet. But securing an out-of-reach client can act as a catalyst "to make sure that you get that as fast as possible" rather than slowly figuring it out over time.

Of course, the "figuring it out" part is easier said than done. By emulating similar companies' successes, entrepreneurs can significantly lessen their workloads, Bough says.

B. Bonin Bough, Former Chief Media & eCommerce Officer at Mondelez International Mike Pont | Getty images
Both Apple and Ireland have said they will contest the ruling.

On Tuesday, the executive arm of the European Union ordered the Irish government to recoup up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in back taxes from Apple, plus interest. It concluded the country granted the tech giant undue tax benefits by allowing Apple to pay an effective corporate tax rate of 1 percent on its European profits in 2003 down to 0.005 percent in 2014.

"The big problem here is not what it's going to do to Apple . Apple is going to survive this. It's what it does to the investment climate in the EU at a time when they desperately need investment," he said in an interview with CNBC's " Power Lunch ."

The European Commission's ruling that Apple must pay back taxes to Ireland is going to scare investors away from the European Union, former U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez told CNBC on Tuesday.

Carlos Gutierrez, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and former chairman of Kellogg Co.

Meanwhile, Apple isn't the only U.S. company that may have to pay back taxes. The European Commission is also investigating Amazon and McDonald's European tax affairs.

"We're sending a message to any taxpayer in Europe: This is a wonderful place to do business and invest, but you have to play by the rules," EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager told CNBC.

However, Gutierrez said the decision on Apple was a "claw back" on an agreement that a sovereign nation made with a company.

"This is amazing coming off Brexit, where you have countries who feel like they're getting suffocated by all these regulations coming out of Brussels," he said.

"This is the kind of thing that creates the trend of more Brexits  an overreach by Brussels," he said.

CNBC contributor Larry Kudlow called the ruling a tax grab by the European Union, and accused the EU of waging war against companies.

"This is a war on business. This is a war on money. This is a war on profits and all they want to do is collect more money to spend more money and forget about the individual sovereignty of these nations," he told "Power Lunch."

"The whole damn continent is going down. It's going down because of its own policies developed by this crazy European Union idea which we never should have had in the first place," he said.

CNBC's Catherine Boyle contributed to this story.
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Apple is in line for a fine of at least a billion euros ($1.1 billion) following a long-awaited ruling later Tuesday from the European Commission over its tax bill in Ireland. CNBC breaks down what you need to know about this crucial case.

What is Apple supposed to have done?

Following two tax rulings from Irish officials, one in 1991 and one in 2007, Apple, which employs around 5,500 people in Ireland in its European headquarters, gained an extremely low tax rate on its European earnings. The European Commission believes that this so-called "sweetheart" deal gave Apple an unfair advantage compared to other companies, and constitutes a breach of state aid rules. In recent years, Apple has paid a tax rate of less than 1 percent on some of its European sales, via a complicated tax structure whereby its intellectual property is held in Irish subsidiaries, which are not resident anywhere under the U.S. definition of the term. This compares to the more usual 12.5 percent corporation tax rate in Ireland, or 35 percent in the U.S.



What does the US government think?

A customer uses cash to pay for Apple iPads at the Apple store on 5th Avenue in New York. Scott Eells | Bloomberg | Getty Images

As one of the world's most recognized companies, and the U.S. company which holds most cash overseas, Apple has become a touchstone for U.S. concerns about this issue. The iPhone maker holds $187 billion outside the U.S., as of its 2015 accounts. That's close to one sixth of the cash all the U.S. global companies have kept offshore as part of a standoff with U.S. tax authorities over what is seen as a punitive 35 percent tax rate. The EU investigation came about following a 2013 U.S. Senate hearing. "The US is committed to tax fairness and we want to insure that the kinds of agreements you reach with other countries are not manipulated to allow certain companies to shirk their responsibilities," Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said Monday night.



Why now?

Ireland's low-tax status has come under the microscope internationally following its 2010 bailout by the European Union, with other European countries like France and Germany concerned that it kept its low corporation tax despite financial aid from the European Union. And the practice of holding profits off-shore by U.S. companies has also come in for criticism.



What next?
Every American has the God-given right to lose money in the financial markets, and one of the fastest ways to do it is trading futures contracts. Whether it's oil, Treasury bonds, foreign currencies or stock indexes, if you're speculating on asset price movements with futures contracts, you can lose a lot of money very quickly. "Don't come into the market slinging futures contracts," said Anthony Crudele, head of online future trader community Beacon Trader. "It's just not smart. "People have to educate themselves before they start using them," he added.

Lucidio Studio Inc | Getty Images

Crudele is an unabashed fan of futures contracts as a means of hedging existing risks and speculating on future price movements of a wide range of assets. While futures markets are and always will be dominated by large banks, corporations and institutions  most of them looking to hedge risk exposures in the most liquid markets in the world  interest in futures among the retail investor community is also growing. "The professionals will always trade in these markets, but I see a resurgence of interest among small retail investors, as well," Crudele said. The two most popular markets for small investors are the S&P 500 E-mini contract, based on the S&P 500 Index, and the crude oil contract, both of which are hosted by the CME Group, the largest derivatives and futures exchange in the world. "We've seen tremendous growth in our equity index and energy products during the past few years," said Mark Omens, executive director and head of retail sales at the CME Group. "It's been driven by ongoing volatility in crude oil markets, as well broader economic and geopolitical uncertainty.

Futures are probably better for more sophisticated investors. We get calls all the time from people with open positions asking for information they should have known before taking the position. Kevin Fischer options trader with Interactive Brokers

"More and more individual investors are turning to futures to help manage that uncertainty and volatility," he added.

The growing demand from retail investors is, in part, being spurred by the increasingly sophisticated educational and trading resources now available to them. The big online brokerages, such as Schwab, TD Ameritrade and E*Trade, have all invested in derivatives platforms that include futures trading, and new firms like Quantcha and Quantopian are enabling small investors to write their own trading algorithms. "There's been an explosion in the number of advanced automated trading tools available to retail investors," said Will Acworth, senior vice president of data and research at the Futures Industry Association. That doesn't mean that you should use them and dive into the futures markets. Futures contracts are highly leveraged and typically require a margin of between 5 percent and 10 percent up front to open a position. The market is settled on a daily basis, meaning if the market moves against an investor, they will have to top up their margins to maintain the position. The losses can accumulate quickly. "Futures are probably better for more sophisticated investors," said Kevin Fischer, an options trader with Interactive Brokers, one of the largest derivatives brokerages in the country. "We get calls all the time from people with open positions asking for information they should have known before taking the position."

The key difference between options and futures contracts is that the first grants the buyer the right to buy or sell an asset for a specified period of time, while the second creates an obligation to buy or sell the asset at a future date. With options, buyers' downside risk is limited to the premium paid for the option. If the market moves against them, they can either sell their option in the market for a loss or ultimately let it expire without exercising it.

With futures, however, the potential downside risk is much greater. If an investor agrees to buy oil for delivery in three months at a price of $50, they could lose the entire value of the contract in the unlikely event of oil becoming worthless. If that investor put up a 10 percent margin on the contract, he or she would have to increase the margin amount on a daily basis when the market moves against them while they receive credit to their account when the market moves in their favor. For investors looking to actively trade in asset markets on a 24-hour basis, futures markets offer the most liquid and diverse platform for doing so. "The futures market is the easiest place to come, open an account and trade your ideas on a global basis," said Crudele of Beacon Trader. If an investor's objective is simply to hedge a portfolio of stocks, however, options may be the simpler and better solution. For one thing, you can trade them through your regular securities account, as opposed to finding a futures commission merchant (FCM) to handle any trading in futures contracts.
Shares of Canadian company Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers , the world's largest industrial auctioneer, rose more than 20 percent Tuesday in New York trade after two big announcements.

In addition to buying private e-commerce site IronPlanet for approximately $758.5 million, the company also announced a strategic alliance agreement with Caterpillar , under which Ritchie Bros. will become Caterpillar's preferred global partner for live onsite and online auctions.

At $4.78 billion market capitalization, Ritchie Bros Auctioneers is a leader in selling a broad range of used and unused equipment for construction, transportation, agriculture, mining, and other industries.
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Global oil markets could see an increased risk of another major jolt if prices continue to remain at current levels, Tom Albanese, the chief executive of Vedanta Resources told CNBC Tuesday.

Recent reports show that discoveries of new oil reserves have dropped to their lowest level for more than 60 years. The chief of one of the world's largest diversified natural resources companies implied that this could potentially cause supply shortages.

"People are saying there's no such thing as $100 oil coming again but the longer the prices stay low for this period of time you could see increased risk of a price shock coming in the future," Albanese said.



'Cusp of a pricing environment'

A floor hand helps line up a pipe while drilling for oil in the Bakken shale formation near Watford City, North Dakota. Getty Images

However, he added that with Brent crude edging back over $50 a barrel then producers will start coming back online and adding to global supply. "We're all suffering these lower oil prices. But certainly it's a better price environment than we were facing six months ago," he said.

"We are at the cusp of a pricing environment that we can just about begin investing again. So I think that our situation is probably not that atypical, that at somewhere between $45 and $50 a barrel you may start seeing people coming back in spending a little more capital."

Oil prices are up around 23 percent year-to-date after a dramatic plunge since the middle of 2014. OPEC's reluctance to cut output has been seen as a key reason behind the fall, as well as weak global demand, a strong dollar and booming U.S. oil production.

Record low since 1952
WHEN: Today, Tuesday, August 30th

WHERE: CNBC's "Squawk on the Street"

Following is the unofficial transcript of a CNBC interview with Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" (M-F, 9AM-11AM ET) today, Tuesday, August 30th.

All references must be sourced to CNBC.

DAVID FABER: BACK TO THAT BIG NEWS ON APPLE THIS MORNING, JOINING US FROM DUBLIN IS IRELAND'S FINANCE MINISTER, MICHAEL NOONAN. MINISTER NOONAN NICE TO HAVE YOU WITH US ON CNBC THIS MORNING.

MICHAEL NOONAN: THANK YOU VERY MUCH INDEED.

FABER: YOU'RE WELCOME. BY REFERENCING A REPORT OUT IN MAY OF 2013 FROM OUR U.S. SENATES PERMANENT SUBCOMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATIONS, THIS WAS IN THE NEWS AT THE TIME, THEY WERE LOOKING AT APPLE SPECIFICALLY AMONGST A NUMBER OF OTHER COMPANIES IN TERMS OF THE TAXES PAID AND THEY SAID AT THE TIME, THAT APPLE -- AND I'M QUOTING HERE, HAS QUIETLY NEGOTIATED WITH THE IRISH GOVERNMENT AN INCOME TAX RATE OF LESS THAN 2% WELL UNDER THE IRISH STATUTORY RATE OF 12%, AS WELL AS THE TAX RATES OF OTHER COUNTRIES AND THE UNITED STATES. THAT APPEARS TO BE WHERE THE EU IS FOCUSED IN TERMS OF THIS 14.5 BILLION. WAS THAT ASSERTION CORRECT AND WHY ARE YOU DISPUTING THE EU'S DESIRE TO GET THAT MONEY BACK?

NOONAN: WELL, WE ALWAYS CHALLENGED THAT PARTICULAR INCERTION. APPLE PAID ALL THE TAX THAT WAS DUE FOR THEIR ACTIVITIES IN IRELAND. THE OECD WHO HAVE BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF REFORMING CORPORATION TAX SAY THE TAX SHOULD APPLY WHERE THE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY OCCURS, WHICH GENERATES THE PROFIT. NOW, ON MY -- THE BACK OF MY APPLE iPHONE, IT SAYS, DESIGNED IN CALIFORNIA, MANUFACTURED IN CHINA. SO I CAN SEE HOW THE IRISH AUTHORITIES WOULD HAVE A TAX LIABILITY FOR ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, THAT TAKES PLACE IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS.

FABER: AND THIS IDEA THAT WAS FIRST INTRODUCED IN MAY OF 2013 BY OUR OWN SENATE IN THE U.S. THAT APPLE QUIETLY NEGOTIATED A SPECIAL DEAL WITH THE IRISH GOVERNMENT, THAT IS NOT TRUE?

NOONAN: THE IRISH REVENUE DON'T DO DEALS. THEY ISSUE OPINIONS TO CLARIFY, A TAX SITUATION FOR INDIVIDUAL COMPANIES. BUT WE NEVER DO DEALS. THEY HAVE TO APPLY THE TAX LAW, WHICH IS PASSED BY PARLIAMENT, AND THEY HAVE TO DO SO WITHOUT FEAR OR FAVOR ACROSS ALL COMPANIES. SO I KNOW THERE'S GENERAL TENDENCY TO THINK THAT APPLE ISN'T PAYING ENOUGH TAX, BUT OUR POINT IS, THAT IF THEY OWE TAX, THEY DO NOT OWE IT TO THE IRISH AUTHORITIES. THEY MAY OWE IT ELSEWHERE, BUT NOT TO THE IRISH AUTHORITIES.

FABER: THE EU'S ASSERTION IS THEY OWE, 14.5 BILLION DOLLARS TO IRELAND. YOU DON'T SEEM TO WANT TO, WHY NOT?

NOONAN: WELL, FIRST OF ALL, WE STAND BY THE LEGITIMACY OF WHAT WAS DONE IN THE PAST. NOBODY DID A DEAL WITH APPLE AND WE STAND OVER THAT. SECONDLY, WE THINK THE COMMISSION IS GETTING INVOLVED IN WHAT IS THE COMPETENCE OF SOVEREIGN GOVERNMENTS IN EUROPE. THE EUROPE TREATIES SAY THAT INDIVIDUAL COUNTRIES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR TAXATION POLICY. AND THIS IS AN APPROACH THROUGH THE BACK DOOR, TO TRY AND INFLUENCE TAX POLICY, THROUGH COMPETITION LAW, AND WE DON'T AGREE WITH THAT, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE THINK THEY'RE IN BREACH OF INTERNATIONAL TAX PRACTICE, WHERE TAX LIABILITY FOLLOWS ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, AND THE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY ON WHICH THEY'RE RAISING THE TAX ASSESSMENT IN IRELAND, DID NOT OCCUR IN IRELAND.

SARA EISEN: SO DO YOU SEE THIS MINISTER AS A POWER PLAY BY BRUSSELS?

NOONAN: NO I THINK BRUSSELS HAS CHANGED ITS POSITION IN RECENT YEARS AND IT HAS PURSUED A NUMBER OF COUNTRIES IN THE SMALLER COUNTRIES A NUMBER OF COMPANIES IN THE SMALLER COUNTRIES LIKE STARBUCKS AND FIAT AND SO ON, IN LUXEMBURG, BELGIUM AND HOLLAND AND THEY ARE PURSUING OTHERS, I THINK THEY'VE OVERREACHING ON THEIR COMPETENCE AND EVEN IN THE COMMISSIONER'S STATEMENT TODAY, SHE SAID THAT IF OTHER COUNTRIES FEEL THEY'RE ENTITLED TO SOME OF THIS TAX, THEY SHOULD LINEUP AND GO AFTER IT. AND THAT IS -- SOUNDS TO ME LIKE SOMEBODY IS NOT SURE THAT THE LIABILITIES IS IRELAND'S LIABILITY.

EISEN: I JUST WONDER WITH THIS OVERREACH, IF YOU'RE WORRIED OR YOU EXPECT THIS TO FUEL ANTI-EU AND ANTI-EURO SENTIMENT? A LITTLE OVER TWO MONTHS AGO, BRITAIN VOTED TO LEAVE THE EU AND PART OF THE ARGUMENT WAS THAT THEY DIDN'T WANT TO BE BOSSED AROUND BY UNELECTED BUREAUCRATS IN BRUSSELS. AND I WONDER IF YOU ARE EXPECTING THAT TO RESONATE WITH THE PEOPLE OF IRELAND AFTER THIS DECISION?

NOONAN: NOW, THERE'S LEGAL PROCESS IN PLACE. NOW THAT THE COMMISSION HAS REACHED A FINDING, WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO APPEAL IT AND WE HAVE A MEETING OF OUR GOVERNMENT TOMORROW, AND I WILL ADVISE THE GOVERNMENT TO APPEAL THIS DECISION. AND I EXPECT THE GOVERNMENT TO DECIDE TO APPEAL IT. AND THEN IT GOES TO ADJUDICATION OF THE EUROPEAN COURTS AND THE EUROPEAN COURTS WILL DO A FULL ASSESSMENT OF WHAT THE COMPETITION COMMISSION HAS DECIDED, AND WHAT THE REASONS ARE BEHIND IT. AND OF COURSE, WHEN THAT REACHES A CONCLUSION, WE'LL ABIDE BY THE DECISION. BUT WE BELIEVE AT PRESENT THAT THEIR COMPETITION COMMISSION IS AN ERROR AND WE ARE GOING TO CHALLENGE THAT BY WAY OF APPEAL TO THE EUROPEAN COURTS.

FABER: MINISTER NOONAN, THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT IRELAND HAS COME UNDER FOCUS FOR ITS TAX PRACTICES. APPLE ACTUALLY HAS QUITE A FEW EMPLOYEES IN THE COUNTRY, BUT WE'VE BEEN FOCUSED IN THIS COUNTRY ON COMPANIES THAT INVERT, THEY MOVE THEIR TAX STATUS, THEIR JURISDICTION, TO ANOTHER COUNTRY WHERE THEY HAVE LITTLE MORE THAN A STOREFRONT, AND OFTENTIMES THAT DOES END UP BEING IRELAND, WHICH HAS AN EXTRAORDINARILY LOW OVERALL CORPORATE TAX RATE. IS THAT FAIR?

NOONAN: WELL, APPLE EMPLOYS ABOUT 6,000 PEOPLE IN IRELAND, AND THEY ARE HEADING TOWARDS 6,000, SO THEY HAVE A VERY STRONG ECONOMIC PRESENCE IN THE COUNTRY. ON THE QUESTION OF INVERSION, THAT'S A MATTER FOR U.S. TAX LAW. WE DON'T INVITE U.S. COMPANIES TO COME TO IRELAND ON THE BASIS OF INVERSION, AND WE DON'T WELCOME THEM WHEN THEY COME. BUT UNDER AN INTERNATIONAL LAW, WE'RE NOT IN THE POSITION TO PREVENT THEM. BUT IF THE U.S. AUTHORITIES WISH TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT INVERSION, WELL, THEN IT'S A MATTER FOR THE U.S. AUTHORITIES TO CHANGE THE LAW.

EISEN: AND JUST AS A MATTER OF WHERE THIS MONEY WOULD GO IF THE EU DOES GET ITS WAY, WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE RULES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION IS IT WOULD HAVE TO GO DOWN TO PAY YOUR DEBT. AND IRELAND CURRENTLY HAS A DEBT THAT IS NEARLY 100% OF ITS ECONOMY, AFTER THE BANK BAILOUTS, THE NATIONAL DEBT IS $200 BILLION. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO EXPLAIN TO THE IRISH TAXPAYERS AND YOUR OPPOSITION THAT YOU CAN'T TAKE THAT MONEY TO PAY DOWN THE DEBT?

NOONAN: WELL FIRST OF ALL, THE IRISH DEBT AT THE END OF THIS YEAR WILL BE UNDER 80% OF GDP. SECONDLY, THE EUROPEAN AUTHORITIES WEARING A DIFFERENT HAT WILL REGARD THIS AS A WINDFALL AMOUNT OF MONEY AND THEY WOULD REQUIRE US IN THE FIRST INSTANCE TO REDUCE THE DEBT. BUT THEY ALSO, AS LONG AS IT'S NOT USED FOR ONGOING EXPENDITURE, THERE MIGHT BE SOME SCOPE TO USE IT EVENTUALLY FOR CAPITAL INVESTMENT. BUT THAT WOULD BE AFTER THE APPEAL PROCESS HAS GONE THROUGH, AND THAT IS A NUMBER OF YEARS DOWN THE LINE.

FABER: MINISTER NOONAN, WE APPRECIATE YOU JOINING US. THANK YOU.

NOONAN: THANK YOU VERY MUCH INDEED.

FABER: MICHAEL NOONAN IS THE IRISH FINANCE MINISTER.

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In a prior life, Joe DeLoss worked as a banking analyst, but today, his day job couldn't be more different. DeLoss owns the wildly popular Hot Chicken Takeover in Columbus, Ohio, serving up Nashville Hot Chicken, a spicy style of fried chicken. But it's not the leap from banking to fast food that makes his story so interesting. It's the fact that his two-year-old restaurant is staffed by a nearly 50-person workforce that has largely experienced incarceration. Some employees have criminal arrest records, while others have served time for everything from misdemeanors to felonies. DeLoss admits they might be overlooked by other employers, but he's a firm believer in second chances. Make no mistake, though; it's no charity.

"We created Hot Chicken Takeover to be a fair chance employer. A large part of our workforce has been affected by incarceration in the past, but it's not what defines our future. We have a team that works harder, is more productive and more motivated than most people in our industry," DeLoss said. In a way, Hot Chicken Takeover is symbolic of the city it calls home. A supportive and determined yet humble place, with a group of leaders willing and eager to lift one another up for the greater good.



In Columbus, entrepreneur Joe DeLoss (R) is employing those formerly incarcerated, like Kevin Snow, at his business Hot Chicken Takeover. Source: Jason Perkins

That message is resonating, helping to bring talent and jobs to the city. The Columbus metro area ranked in the top 15 nationally for start-up activity on the Kauffman Foundation's 2015 and 2016 start-up indexes, with nearly 72 start-ups for every 1,000 businesses in the area. Local resources are helping fuel small business growth in a wide range of industries  from retail to food and beverage and technology. Two years ago, the city created the nation's first Small Business Concierge, a one-stop-shop and point of contact for all entrepreneurs, meant to assist them with everything, from finances to actually opening up shop. It's also free, an important benefit for cash-strapped start-ups. "The small business owners and innovators of Columbus are driving change because of a culture of open-mindedness and an indelible collaborative spirit to work together to push this city forward," said Ryan Schick, Small Business Concierge for the City of Columbus. "There is a spirit among business owners and city government that what is best for all, is best for my endeavor."



The city has a robust loan program as well, in partnership with nonprofit lending organizations including the Economic Community Development Institute and Finance Fund, according to Schick. It's provided more than $1 million in loans leveraging more than $7.7 million in total funding to 26 businesses in 2016. The city also funded 25 grants in 2015 for revitalization totaling more than $235,000. Being located in the Midwest hasn't handicapped start-ups' ability to raise capital within the state. Total venture capital investments in Ohio start-ups hit $373 million in 2015, up 16 percent from the year prior, according to a report from VentureOhio, an organization focused on catalyzing growth in the state's entrepreneurial ecosystem. Areas that are thriving include cybersecurity and health-care IT. "We have laid the foundation for success that will allow Ohio to continue to build great companies to the region for years to come," according to Falon Donahue, CEO of VentureOhio.



Part of what helps Columbus thrive is a solid foundation of larger companies headquartered in the city, including retailers L Brands , Express and DSW . Tanisha Robinson is building on that legacy with her start-up, Print Syndicate. The army veteran and serial entrepreneur caters to what used to be considered "counterculture tribes"  i.e. cat ladies, video gamers and knitting enthusiasts  with a line of quirky T-shirts, posters and home goods featuring offbeat memes and quotes. In 2012 she launched the company, and realized her intended audience was quickly becoming mainstream when she sold $4 million in product her first year. By the end of 2016, Robinson expects that sales will hit $14 million, thanks in part to a smash hit T-shirt featuring Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg looking like rapper Notorious B.I.G., crown and all, with the words "Notorious R.B.G." printed below. Over the years she has built a following by using social media campaigns and influencers to tout her products. "There's a cohort of people striving to build great businesses here in Columbus, and we all want each other to be successful; there's a consensus that we need a lot of big wins to drive this city forward," Robinson said. "And I get to work with a group of people that believe self expression matters, and that is really, really fun."

Tanisha Robinson's startup Print Syndicate sells quirky t-shirts, posters and home decor. They are on track to hit $40 million in sales since 2012. Kate Rogers | CNBC
Apple isn't the only American company facing the prospect of paying a big bill for back taxes in Europe.

That's the message EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager sent Tuesday when she announced the results of an investigation that claims the U.S. tech giant owes Irish authorities some $14.5 billion bill in back taxes.

"We're sending a message to any taxpayer in Europe: This is a wonderful place to do business and invest, but you have to play by the rules," she told CNBC.

But those rules are at the heart of a simmering dispute that has erupted into a multibillion-dollar legal battle between European authorities and the U.S. Treasury, with dozens of multinational U.S. companies caught in the crossfire.

Here's what's at stake:

So the ruling shows that Apple hasn't been paying its fair share of taxes, right?

That's what the European agency behind the investigation has concluded. As evidence, they point to a 2014 tax bill that amounted to 0.005 percent of Apple's profits. That works out to about $50 in taxes for every $1 million in profits.

That's much less than Ireland's standard corporate tax rate of 12.5 percent, or about $125,000 per million.

Wow. Ireland must be thrilled to be collecting all that money.

Not exactly. The Irish government has said it will appeal the EU ruling, saying the bureaucrats in Brussels have no business telling Dublin how much they should tax companies.

Tax rates are set by individual EU members, not by the European Commission. So Ireland is essentially telling the EU to mind its own business.

That's why, for Ireland, overturning the ruling "is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system; to provide tax certainty to business; and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation," Ireland's Minister of Finance Michael Noonan said in a statement.

Some Irish officials see the ruling as another example of Brussels' overreach, not unlike the kind of interference that prompted British voters to choose to leave the EU.

So why is the EU sticking its nose into Ireland's tax policy?



The investigation is one of several dozen actions against U.S. companies based on a novel legal approach that defines tax breaks as "state aid." The idea is that EU member states aren't allowed to subsidize companies within their borders, because that could give them an unfair advantage against companies in countries that don't offer subsidies.

The EC ruling, in effect, said that by letting Apple pay less than the 12.5 percent other companies have to pay, Ireland is giving Apple "state aid."

Why is the EC picking on Apple?

As the third largest American company (by revenues), the tech giant is an easy target. The company took in more than $53 billion in profits in the latest fiscal year  on revenues of more than $230 billion. (That's roughly last year's gross domestic product for Oregon.)

The company is also sitting on an enormous pile of cash and other assets, valued at more than $230 billion, which it has stashed in Ireland and other countries overseas to avoid paying U.S. taxes. Many large U.S. multinational companies do the same thing, arguing that U.S. corporate tax rates are too high.

And the EC has other U.S. companies in its sights. Last fall, it said Starbucks and Fiat each owed between $23 and $34 million in back taxes. It also has tax investigations pending against Amazon, McDonald's and a number of other undisclosed U.S. companies.
"These opportunistic oil and gas producers seem to have discovered the secret formula for generating much higher stock prices in this environment," the " Mad Money " host said.

Exploration and production companies made the prudent decision to control their own destinies, and have made acquisitions to buy high-quality acreage at low prices.

The energy sector has now become the best performing group in the , which is astounding considering that the price of crude has stalled in the mid-$40s and natural gas remains stuck below $3 per million British thermal units.

Oil and gas stocks have made a strong resurgence this year, but it was the savvy moves of the exploration and production companies that are the true shining stars for Jim Cramer.

These companies have practically written the playbook for what every other exploration and production firm should be doing in this environment.

In particular, Cramer examined the moves of PDC Energy , SM Energy and Pioneer Natural Resources , which have all taken advantage of the energy volatility to scoop up profitable acreage.

"These companies have practically written the playbook for what every other exploration and production firm should be doing in this environment," Cramer said.

PDC Energy is a $3.2 billion company that until recently was solely focused on the Wattenberg gas field in Colorado. It made a big pivot when it acquired two businesses owned by Kimmeridge Energy Management for $1.5 billion in cash and stock.

In March, PDC made the strategic decision to issue a large secondary offering, selling nearly 6 million shares at $51 per share, and raised $300 million. The original purpose of the secondary was to pay down debt that was coming due, but it also allowed PDC to have the flexibility to make growth-boosting acquisitions.

PDC closed at $69 on Tuesday, a 37 percent gain for those who participated in the company's secondary offering.

SM Energy is a $3.3 billion company that purchased nearly 25,000 acres in the Midland Basin in Texas on Aug. 8 for $980 million from Rock Oil Holdings. The move nearly doubled the company's presence in the Midland Basin.

SM Energy also announced both a secondary offering and an offering of convertible notes. The secondary sold 18.4 million shares at $30 a share, netting $531 million and the convertible debt brought in another $150 million.

Additionally, SM sold non-core assets in New Mexico, North Dakota and Montana, which allowed it to raise an additional $172.5 million. Since purchasing the Rock Oil assets, SM Energy has been upgraded several times and closed at $38 on Tuesday.

"What makes this story all the more impressive is that at the beginning of the year, SM had basically been left for dead  Since then, the stock has quintupled as investors realized this company has a bright future, as opposed to no future," Cramer said.

Pioneer Resources is the larger $30 billion company that simultaneously announced it would buy 28,000 acres in the midland basin from Devon Energy for $435 million, and also did a secondary offering of 5.25 million shares. The move allowed the company to have additional acreage in a profitable region that it already had a lot of business.

Cramer has liked the energy companies doing smart secondary offerings for a long time, but what made Pioneer, SM Energy and PDC Energy unique is that they issued the secondaries to pay for smart acquisitions.

"I like them here, but longer-term, keep an eye out for the next exploration and production firm to do the same savvy deal making, because that is where the upside is," Cramer said.
The only way to stop drug companies  such as Mylan in the case of the EpiPen  from jacking up the costs of live-saving treatments is through price controls, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel told CNBC on Tuesday.

"If we had a market that would be great. I think prices would come down," said Emanuel, one of the architects of Obamacare.

"But let's face it," he continued, "in the drug business there's a monopoly granted by the government ... through patents, through FDA marketing exclusivity and FDA regulation, which takes a long time to approve a line to produce drugs."

Emanuel told "Squawk Box" it's no surprise that big pharmaceuticals "exploit the monopolies to raise prices." He added: "The only way in a monopoly situation to keep the prices reasonable is government regulation, unfortunately."

The latest outcry over drug prices surrounds Mylan's decision to hike the cost of EpiPens about 400 percent in recent years.

"There was no improvements over the last six [or] seven years and prices have gone up 400 percent," Emanuel said. "There's no justification."

Mylan CEO Heather Bresch argued in a CNBC interview last week the problem of drug prices isn't with Mylan or even the pharmaceutical industry, but instead with a health-care system that often requires consumers to pay insurance premiums and out-of-pocket for prescription medications, sometimes at full retail.



Mylan has taken steps in recent days to offset the cost to consumers through a savings card that will cover up to about half of the EpiPen 2-Pak price tag of $600 for eligible purchasers. The drugmaker also said it would launch a generic version in the coming weeks at $300 per 2-Pak.

"Mylan EpiPens won't be the last case. You would have thought they would had learned after Turing," said Emanuel, referring to Turing Pharmaceuticals and the decision of its onetime CEO Martin Shkreli to raise the price of Daraprim, an antiparastic used by HIV patients, by more than 5,000 percent.

"But they don't seem to learn because the profit it too tempting," said Emanuel, chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania.

Emanuel, who's no stranger to politics and public policy as the brother of former White House chief of staff and now Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, said the Food and Drug Administration needs an overhaul.



"We do need to get the FDA working faster to approve ... generic drugs. But we also need regulation because there's going to be period of time, even if the FDA is working well, where companies will have a monopoly," he said.



Mylan did have one EpiPen competitor, Sanofi's Auvi-Q, but it exited the market last year due to a recall. Teva 's generic version of the EpiPen failed to receive regulatory approval.
European stock indexes closed higher on Tuesday, with the exception of the U.K.'s benchmark FTSE 100 , which was knocked by the weak performance of mining stocks.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index closed 0.5 percent higher, with most sectors in positive territory.

The notable underperforming sector was basic resources, which ended down 2.9 percent. Miners were the worst performing stocks in the basic resources index, with Antofagasta , Randgold Resources , Glencore , Rio Tinto , Fresnillo and BHP Billiton all ending more than 3 percent lower.

As a result, the FTSE 100, which is heavily weighted towards basic resource companies, ended provisionally down 0.2 percent underperforming its continental peers.

The French CAC ended up unofficially 0.9 percent and the German DAX was 1.1 percent higher.
During his time as the head of the European Commission, Barroso was heavily involved in the bailout of the Greek economy, the reform of European institutions through the Treaty of Lisbon and formulating an EU climate change package. Before he joined the commission, he also served as Portugal's Prime Minister from 2002-2004.

More than 77,000 people have signed the petition on the Change.org website calling for "strong exemplary measures" to be taken against Jose Manuel Barroso, the former president of the European Union's executive arm from 2004 to 2014, whose appointment to the investment bank was announced in early July.

Tens of thousands of people have put their names to a petition protesting against the appointment of a former European Union leader to the investment bank Goldman Sachs, calling the move "irresponsible" and "morally reprehensible."

Barroso's appointment as non-executive chairman and general adviser to Goldman Sachs International, which is based in London, is widely seen as an attempt to limit the negative effects of the U.K.'s decision in late June to leave the EU on the bank.

But the organizers of the petition, who call themselves a "group of employees of the European Institutions," said that by taking up banking role, Barroso was guilty of "irresponsible revolving-door practices" of former EU officials joining the private sector.

The group claimed the EU's reputation would suffer further at a time when public opinion towards the body was already low.

"(We) have come together because we are more and more concerned by the European project's deteriorating image among our families, friends and neighbours as well as the many citizens we encounter all over Europe," the petition's creators said.

"This decision to go and work for one of the banks most implicated in the subprime crisis that led to the financial crisis of 2007-2008 as well as one of the banks most involved in the Greek debt crisisis a further example of the irresponsible revolving-door practices, which are highly damaging to the EU institutions and, even if not illegal, morally reprehensible."

The petition argued that Barroso's appointment was "irresponsible" because it "feeds into a political context which is not only euroskeptic but now even openly europhobic" and that "It is morally reprehensible, in that it runs counter to the honour and probity of a European civil service supposed to defend the general European interest."

The petition called for the suspension of Barroso's pension allowance from the Commission "for the period of his employment at Goldman Sachs and beyond" and "the suspension of all possible honorary titles linked to the European Institutions."

It also called for more rules to "fight such revolving-door practices that apply to former Members of the Commission, in proportion to the damage that their future behaviour can bring to the European civil service and the European Union."

The European Commission would not comment on the appointment but Goldman Sachs said Barroso had complied with an 18-month working restriction period after leaving his EU role in 2014, the Financial Times reported.

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On paper, at least, Elizabeth Greenwood died while visiting the Philippines in 2013. Multiple witnesses reported seeing her rental car collide at high speed with another vehicle. Both drivers were seriously injured; doctors at a local hospital pronounced Greenwood dead on arrival. The documents have all the right official seals, watermarks and signatures, but they're fake. There was no accident. Obtaining her own death certificate was the culmination of years of research for Greenwood, who  in addition to being alive and well  is the author of the new book "Playing Dead: A Journey Though the World of Death Fraud." She doesn't recommend you try faking your own death. Greenwood got her falsifying documents for free in the course of researching and writing her book. She says the mechanics of faking your own death range from just a few hundred dollars for a faux death certificate all the way up to $30,000 to hire a professional fixer to help erase your physical and digital trails. (That's in addition to the cash you'd need to launch your new life.) CNBC talked to Greenwood about why money is a big motivation for faking your own death, as well as why it often trips up would-be fakers.



CNBC: I understand your interest in this all started because of your own financial situation. Elizabeth Greenwood: I really got to think about faking your death as a concept when I went back to graduate school in 2010. I was having dinner with a friend and bemoaning my plight because I already had [$60,000 of] student loan debt I had accumulated as an undergraduate. I said, "What am I going to do? How am I ever going to pay back this money? I think I need to find a country with a rickety government and no extradition policy, and just kind of slip through the cracks." And my friend very candidly said, "Or you could fake your own death." I wasn't ever doing a Google search for "fake your own death" to really do it. I was more interested in the question of, could you fake your own death in the 21st century, and if you were going to try, how would you do it? Just kind of poking around that, even superficially, opened up this very dynamic and robust culture of fake death, from consultants who help people to do it, to people who have done it themselves, to conspiracy theorists. I got totally sucked in.



A lot of the examples you write about are people who have worked in the financial industry. There are so many great examples of white-collar criminals who fake their own deaths. There's a great case of Marcus Schrenker, who was a money manager in Indianapolis. He had bilked investors out of millions of dollars, and he was under investigation when he staged a plane crash in 2009. The jig was up a mere two days later because he'd emailed a friend detailing this plan. With some of the higher profile cases where there was a bit more money at stake, I think one of my favorites was Sam Israel III, who was a hedge fund manager of Bayou Hedge Fund Group. In 2008, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for running what was until that point was one of the largest Ponzi schemes on record. Bernie Madoff's crimes came to light a few months later. At that point, Sam had lost nearly half a billion dollars of investor money. He decided to fake his death [by purportedly jumping off the Bear Mountain Bridge in New York, leaving the message "suicide is painless" on his vehicle]. He surrendered less than a month later.



Elizabeth Greenwood, the author of Playing Dead" Source: Cathryne Czubek

Why is death fraud so attractive to people on Wall Street? I think the egotism that drives a lot of Wall Street guys to do the high-risk, high-reward sort of investing and to really gamble is the same high self-esteem, shall we say, that propels someone to think you can really get away with faking your death and avoiding consequences and outsmarting law enforcement. It really does require a really strong sense of your own capability, to think you can fake your death and get away with it. These guys usually think they're the smartest guys in the room and that's why they can do it. Unfortunately for them, they usually get caught pretty soon.



What other money motivations might prompt people to fake their death? "I'm worth more dead than alive." That's a line I heard several times. One reason people fake their death is because they owe a lot of money. Some people see faking their death as an industrious way to profit through life insurance. Again, not advisable. The reason a lot of people get caught committing life insurance fraud is that they take out policies that far exceed their net worth. For example, if you're a schoolteacher and you have a life insurance policy that's in the millions and millions, that's very suspicious  especially if you've increased your coverage in the last two years. That will get investigated immediately.



Other than law enforcement and life insurers, who would have money motivation to come looking for you? Of course, the people to whom you owe money are going to be looking for you. If it's a case where you have defrauded investors, they are going to be angry. A lot of the people I interviewed who faked their death owed some kind of debt to various banks in terms of loans and mortgages. Depending on that dollar threshold, the banks will be looking for you. If you have a lot of outstanding debt, people will be giving chase.



These guys usually think they're the smartest guys in the room and that's why they can do it. Unfortunately for them, they usually get caught pretty soon. Elizabeth Greenwood Author, "Playing Dead"

You write about the importance of planning your exit. Why is that crucial? One of the reasons we do see the kind of Wall Street, white-collar criminal who gets caught very quickly, is because they really haven't planned their exit. They're very much in a fight-or-flight response, and they're just really trying to get out of Dodge. The planning period is usually very brief. So they make a lot of mistakes.



We should probably talk about how this isn't legal. There's no law on the books called "faking your death." It's all the attendant, ancillary crimes that you'll probably need to commit to pull it off that will get you in trouble. Sam Israel, he got two years tacked on to his prison sentence for obstruction of justice. When you assume another identity, that's identity fraud. If you are trying to collect on a life insurance policy when you fake your death, that is fraud, too. There's this very narrow band you could occupy where you don't take out a second identity or commit any kind of tax fraud. It's very, very difficult.





It sounds like having a lot of cash on hand would be important. You'd need cash stockpiled, and to not spend it. One of the pieces of advice I got that was really interesting to me is that, the fewer assets and less money you have, the easier it is to disappear and stay gone. There's less of a trail to follow and [authorities] are less suspicious. If you're dissolving your portfolio and selling off properties all within a very narrow window of time and then all of a sudden you went swimming and never came back, well, that looks very suspicious. Operating on cash, prepaid credit cards, these sorts of things are advisable.



What other considerations would someone need to gauge to see if they could pull this off? The big one is having a very coherent and believable identity already constructed. You need to start creating that decades in advance in terms of opening credit card accounts, and having a credit history that would span the life of a normal person. It takes a tremendous amount of planning. You have to think about what you're going to do for money in your next life. If you're a licensed professional, you can never be that again, really. How are you going to make money, and how are you going to do it off the books in a way that you can sustain yourself? The biggest stumbling block for people is, are you able to cut all ties to your old life? Never see your kids again; never call you mother on her birthday? Because if someone is looking for you, they're going to be watching your mother on her birthday to see if you're calling her. That's where most people get caught up. It's not a 21st century problem, it's not a technology problem  it's a human nature problem.


Agrium shares ended the day up 7 percent, while shares of Potash climbed more than 10 percent on the day. Both stocks traded in positive territory for the year.

The stocks briefly reopened before trade was temporarily halted again. Trade resumed after official confirmation from the two firms.

Shares of the Canadian fertilizer firms initially jumped 12 percent before trade was briefly halted, after Bloomberg reported that both companies were in talks about a merger. Options were active on rumors of the discussions.

Both Agrium and Potash confirmed late Tuesday morning they are in discussions for a merger of equals.

Source: FactSet

A deal could be announced as early as next week, Bloomberg said, citing sources familiar with the matter. No final decisions have been made and the companies could decide against a deal, the report had said.



The companies did not immediately respond to requests from CNBC for comment.

A merger of Potash and Agrium would combine the world's biggest crop nutrient company by capacity and North America's largest farm retailer, Reuters said.



"It does feel like a very likely deal. It doesn't seem like a pie in the sky," said Jonas Oxgaard, senior analyst of U.S. chemicals at Sanford C. Bernstein, which is "overweight" Potash. He said both firms are Canadian and their merger shouldn't face resistance from the Canadian government.



Last fall, Potash withdrew its $8.9 billion offer to buy German rival K+S.



Mohsin Bashir, portfolio manager at Stone Asset Management, which owns Agrium shares, told Reuters a deal between the two Canadian companies would "make them a better force to compete on a global scale" but added that regulator approval may be difficult to gain.



Potash is the third-biggest seller of the potash fertilizer, but owns the most capacity, some of which is idle due to industry struggles, Reuters said. Profits of fertilizer companies have suffered as prices of potash and other crop nutrients have fallen to multi-year lows due to oversupply and weak demand.

"Consolidation is typically what you see when margins are weak," Oxgaard said, noting mergers and acquisitions among major agricultural firms but not fertilizer companies.

Merging with Agrium would give Potash a direct channel to U.S. farmers through Agrium's retail stores, which as of May accounted for 17 percent of the U.S. market, Reuters said.



The merger speculation lifted other stocks in the industry. Shares of fertilizer company Mosaic ended the day nearly 9 percent higher.



Shares of chemicals producer Huntsman briefly rose more than 2.5 percent in mid-morning trade before ending the day about 1.4 percent higher. CF Industries traded about 5 percent higher in late-morning trade, but ended the day up about 4.76 percent higher.
On June 2, 2010, Hillary Clinton's calendar as secretary of state shows that she held a half-hour meeting with billionaire investor George Soros and officials from his Open Society Institute, which makes grants to various causes around the world. (The group is now known as the Open Society Foundations.)



In the room for the meeting was Obama White House special assistant Michael McFaul, who would go on to become the U.S. ambassador to Russia. Also included, according to the calendar entry, were two officials from the Open Society Institute: Michael Hall, who is now the group's regional director for the Caucasus and Central Asia, and Jeff Goldstein, who is now the group's senior policy advisor for Eurasia, according to the organization's website.



Here's the calendar listing for the meeting:
Last month in the week before the Republican National Convention, for example, I represented the Trump campaign in Cleveland during GOP Committee Week when delegates gathered from around the country to hammer out the 2016 official party platform. I saw plenty of familiar faces  social conservatives from longstanding evangelical organizations, former foreign policy officials from the Bush administration, and donors who finance their churn of white papers.



Clinton might call it "conservatism as we have known it."



Since leaving the campaign, I've been spending most of my time analyzing political prediction markets like Betfair and PredictIt. So my interest in the alt-Right isn't particularly ideological. As a forecaster, I'm more concerned with whether the alt-Right will shape political outcomes in a meaningful way.



Clinton described the alt-Right as a "loose but organized movement." Loose sounds about right, but organized? To research the alt-Right, I started with a Reddit directory of self-described alt-Right sources. From there, it took me all weekend to dig through hundreds of links  many broken, outdated, or otherwise indecipherable  before I could identify the alt-Right's more coherent thinkers.



There is no alt-Right manifesto as far as I can tell, but three main ideas seem to unite the movement:



(1) Exasperation with Establishment Conservatism. The alt-right calls them the "respectable right" These are the gatekeepers at National Review and Fox News who marginalize the alt-Right and their intellectual progenitors for the sake of mainstream respectability. They are, in the alt-Right narrative  the "crony" web of institutions, pundits, and politicians which share the blame for America's decline.



(2) Opposition to Political Correctness: The alt-Right sees political correctness as a scourge that must be defeated at all costs. While mainstream conservatives accommodate political correctness  criticizing its excesses, but dutifully self-censoring on delicate issues  the alt-Right takes a different approach. The alt-Right not only defends free speech in the abstract, it pushes the boundaries with every conceivable offense it can muster. If the mainstream considers certain ideas to be off-limits, the alt-right treats them as invitations to provoke.



(3) Fear about the Direction of Western Civilization: The alt-Right's edgy commentary on race and gender is more than an attack on political correctness. It stems from a worldview that sees Western Civilization as fragile and besieged. According to the alt-Right, the erosion of traditional values could spell the end of a heritage worth preserving. What unites the laundry list of the alt-Right's enemies  illegal immigrants, feminists, multinational corporations etc.  is a commitment to liberal, globalist ideologies that the alt-Right regards as more than naive and distasteful. In the alt-right view, they pose an existential threat.



For these reasons, the alt-Right considers Donald Trump to be a fellow-traveler and an imperfect messenger for its ideas.



Meanwhile Hillary Clinton, as a former Goldwater girl, reformed feminist, and globe-trotting diplomat who barely fended off a populist insurrection in her own party, is uniquely situated to answer the alt-Right. Can America retain its national identity in a multicultural society? Can the country reap the rewards of globalization without fanning a dangerous backlash from those left behind? How would Clinton, as the first female president, address the crisis of family breakdown that has only worsened since she published "It Takes a Village" 30 years ago.



Clinton instead chose to smear the alt-Right with the same tropes that it once wielded against today's conservative establishment. Perhaps once a passing fad, Clinton may have turned the alt-Right into a genuine force.



Commentary by Pratik Chougule, the former policy coordinator to the presidential campaigns of Gov. Mike Huckabee and Donald Trump. He is also a former State Department political appointee in the George W. Bush administration.



For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.


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How did Apple wind up paying such a low tax rate in Ireland for so long? The answer is a tax structure that the world's most valuable company made with the country on the edge of Europe. Apple created two subsidiary entities in Ireland  Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe  that effectively own most of the company's intellectual property. Those companies license that IP to other global Apple subsidiaries, and earn income from those licensing arrangements.

So when an Apple iPhone is sold in China, for example, Apple's Chinese subsidiary must pay the Irish company to reflect the use of the Irish companies' intellectual property. Only Apple knows what percentage of that iPhone sale is subject to those intellectual property licensing fees, said Robert Willens, a tax consultant and Columbia Business School professor of taxation.

But the result is that profit earned on the sale in China is shifted to the Irish subsidiary, said Willens. This is when Apple's agreement with the Irish government  which the European Commission is taking issue with  kicks in.





Ordinarily, those profits would be taxed in Ireland at the relatively low rate of 12.5 percent but  thanks to an agreement between Apple and Ireland  the vast majority of profits in Ireland were attributed to a "head office" not located in any country and therefore not subject to taxes in Ireland or anywhere. "Apple and Ireland will say that the head office legitimately earned these profits  it's not just an accounting maneuver  that the head office is really doing things that justify attributing most of the profits to it," said Willens. The European Commission takes a different view, arguing that the head office exists only on paper and was created for the sole purpose of allowing Apple to pay very low taxes in Ireland in exchange for Apple's agreement to invest in the country and to employ a certain number of people there. The EC argues that the the tax arrangement did not reflect "economic reality."

"This "head office" was not based in any country and did not have any employees or own premises. Its activities consisted solely of occasional board meetings," the European Commission said in a press release on Tuesday. The Commission wants Apple to pay 13 billion for the "undue tax benefits" the Irish government afforded the company.

The European Commission used this example  based on figures from U.S. Senate public hearings  to illustrate how this worked in practice: In 2011, Apple Sales International recorded profits of 16 billion, but under the terms of the tax ruling only around 50 million were considered taxable in Ireland, leaving 15.95 billion of profits untaxed. Apple Sales International paid less than 10 million of corporate tax in Ireland in 2011  an effective tax rate of about 0.05% on its overall annual profits. In subsequent years, Apple Sales International's profits continued to climb but, under the agreement, its taxable profits in Ireland did not  the effective tax rate decreased to 0.005% in 2014. Only the Irish branch of Apple Sales International had the capacity to generate income from Apple products, so sales profits of the subsidiary should have been recorded in Ireland, not the home office, the Commission argues.

Apple makes an assumption, for accounting purposes, that it will repatriate all the taxes recorded in Ireland to the U.S. The company reports a very high tax rate of around 26 percent, but in reality pays around just 2 or 3 percent. This is something the company says it is required to do according to the accounting laws, and has been doing for years. "They have one of the largest gaps  if not the largest gap  of any company between what they record and what they actually pay," said Willens. "That's something they have been criticized for  recording high taxes they have no intention actually paying."
While Cook said Apple is committed to investing in Ireland, he noted in a letter that "the most profound and harmful effect of this ruling will be on investment and job creation in Europe."

The European Union's legislative arm, the European Commission, ruled that Ireland must recover up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion)  plus a hefty amount of interest  in "illegal tax benefits" from the Apple, a move that Ireland said it would appeal .

Still, it could be a while, if ever, for local tech workers to be affected by Tuesday's ruling, experts said.

CEO Tim Cook has credited Apple 's business as part of the employment revitalization in Cork, Ireland  but now, the business responsible for 6,000 jobs across Ireland is under pressure.

For now, the sentiment in Cork is very positive, said John Dennehy, CEO of IT recruitment firm and software company Zartis, which has offices in the southern Ireland city of 120,000 residents.



"Things, when they go to appeal  they tend to move very slowly," Dennehy said. "It's going to be five or six years before the dust settles. In terms of the timeline, it's not an immediate thing."

Local business advocacy group Ibec said the ruling has no short-term fiscal or budgetary implications, as the appeal process will stretch over years. Indeed, for now, Apple appears to be hiring in Ireland, with Cork job postings from supply and demand analysts to customer support. It's a popular employer in Ireland, with four stars on review board Glassdoor.

"Apple has some of the better jobs in the cities where they were located," said John Challenger, chief executive officer of by global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas. He said if they were worried, Apple's Ireland employees might look outside the traditional technology sector "at the top companies and hope to find companies that offer similar kinds of pay rates and opportunities."



There are many large multinationals driving employment in Ireland that workers could look toward.



The technology sector in Ireland directly employs over 105,000 people, with 75 percent employed in multinational companies, according to ICT Ireland, which represents the foreign-direct-investment technology companies in Ireland.



While it's uncertain  perhaps even unlikely  that workers in Ireland will pay any price for the tax ruling, Apple does have other options in the long run, Challenger said.



"There are always government entities that are happy to trade lower taxes for jobs," Challenger said. "No question  longer term, these companies can move all around the world to where there are governments that will want their businesses located there, that will offer them better deals. In a global, flat world, in a virtual world, where so many jobs can be done virtually by people, often companies and people are willing to move to where [they are offered] the best deals."

If Apple did scale back in Ireland, that could have an impact. As Dennehy puts it, "everyone in Cork knows someone at Apple."

Cook wasn't shy in emphasizing its importance to Cork's economy, in a public letter to the Apple Community in Europe:

".... [I]n October 1980, Apple opened a factory in Cork, Ireland with 60 employees. At the time, Cork was suffering from high unemployment and extremely low economic investment. But Apple's leaders saw a community rich with talent ... [and] today the local economy is stronger than ever.

The success which has propelled Apple's growth in Cork comes from innovative products that delight our customers. It has helped create and sustain more than 1.5 million jobs across Europe  jobs at Apple, jobs for hundreds of thousands of creative app developers who thrive on the App Store, and jobs with manufacturers and other suppliers. Countless small and medium-size companies depend on Apple, and we are proud to support them."

While Ireland is one of Apple's oldest international strongholds, it has since expanded its operations across the world to areas that are well-known for low-cost labor. Meanwhile, other countries have made inroads in becoming more business-friendly.



"I think ... why Ireland is pushing so hard to keep this together is that at the end of the day is that talent," Gene Munster, senior internet analyst at Piper Jaffray, told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" on Tuesday. "I'm sure they're very talented in Ireland, but I think that these big companies can find talent anywhere in the world. It's important for Ireland to keep this together for local employment."



Australia, for instance, has considered plans to bring the corporate tax rate down. And Singapore, the World Banks Groups' top "Ease of doing business" country in 2016, has been a topic of discussion on social media site Reddit in Ireland.

But Dennehy said that since Ireland is the only primarily English-speaking country with plans to stay in the European Union, he's seen more interest from American companies than ever. The American Chamber of Commerce Ireland said it believes that no other company with Irish operations is under review by the European Commission for "state aid" purposes.

"We're seeing a significant increase in U.S. tech companies hiring in the past two years," Dennehy said. "In Ireland you can get a work permit at a cost of 1,000 euros, and process takes about six weeks. There's a more open society and we trade internationally. We recognize the need for skilled migrants to come to the country. And I think they're welcomed."
Following are excerpts from a CNBC interview on Squawk on the Street with Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan.

David Faber: Back to that big news on apple this morning, joining us from Dublin is Ireland's finance minister, Michael Noonan. Minister Noonan nice to have you with us on CNBC this morning.



Michael Noonan: Thank you very much indeed.

Faber: You're welcome. by referencing a report out in May of 2013 from our US senates permanent subcommittee on investigations, this was in the news at the time, they were looking at apple specifically amongst a number of other companies in terms of the taxes paid and they said at the time, that apple -- and I'm quoting here, has quietly negotiated with the Irish government an income tax rate of less than 2% well under the Irish statutory rate of 12%, as well as the tax rates of other countries and the united states. that appears to be where the EU is focused in terms of this 14.5 billion. was that assertion correct and why are you disputing the EU's desire to get that money back?

Noonan: well, we always challenged that particular incertion. apple paid all the tax that was due for their activities in Ireland. the OECD who have been at the forefront of reforming corporation tax say the tax should apply where the economic activity occurs, which generates the profit. now, on my -- the back of my apple iPhone, it says, designed in California, manufactured in china. so I can see how the Irish authorities would have a tax liability for economic activity that takes place in other jurisdictions.

Faber: and this idea that was first introduced in May of 2013 by our own senate in the U.S that apple quietly negotiated a special deal with the Irish government that is not true?

Noonan: the Irish revenue doesn't do deals. they issue opinions to clarify, a tax situation for individual companies. but we never do deals. they have to apply the tax law, which is passed by parliament, and they have to do so without fear or favor across all companies. so I know there's general tendency to think that apple isn't paying enough tax, but our point is that if they owe tax, they do not owe it to the Irish authorities. they may owe it elsewhere, but not to the Irish authorities.

Faber: the EU's assertion is they owe 14.5 billion dollars to Ireland. you don't seem to want to, why not?

Noonan: well, first of all, we stand by the legitimacy of what was done in the past. nobody did a deal with apple and we stand over that. secondly, we think the commission is getting involved in what is the competence of sovereign governments in Europe. the Europe treaties say that individual countries are responsible for taxation policy. and this is an approach through the back door, to try and influence tax policy, through competition law, and we don't agree with that, but more importantly, we think they're in breach of international tax practice, where tax liability follows economic activity, and the economic activity on which they're raising the tax assessment in Ireland, did not occur in Ireland.

Sara Eisen: so do you see this minister as a power play by Brussels?

Noonan: no I think Brussels has changed its position in recent years and it has pursued a number of countries in the smaller countries a number of companies in the smaller countries like Starbucks and fiat and so on, in Luxemburg, Belgium and Holland and they are pursuing others, I think they've overreaching on their competence and even in the commissioner's statement today, she said that if other countries feel they're entitled to some of this tax, they should lineup and go after it. and that is -- sounds to me like somebody is not sure that the liabilities is Ireland's liability.

risen: I just wonder with this overreach, if you're worried or you expect this to fuel anti-EU and anti-euro sentiment? a little over two months ago, Britain voted to leave the EU and part of the argument was that they didn't want to be bossed around by unelected bureaucrats in Brussels. and I wonder if you are expecting that to resonate with the people of Ireland after this decision?

Noonan: now, there's legal process in place. now that the commission has reached a finding, we have the right to appeal it and we have a meeting of our government tomorrow, and I will advise the government to appeal this decision. and I expect the government to decide to appeal it. and then it goes to adjudication of the European courts and the European courts will do a full assessment of what the competition commission has decided, and what the reasons are behind it. and of course, when that reaches a conclusion, we'll abide by the decision. but we believe at present that their competition commission is an error and we are going to challenge that by way of appeal to the European courts.

Faber: minister Noonan, this is not the first time that Ireland has come under focus for its tax practices. apple actually has quite a few employees in the country, but we've been focused in this country on companies that invert, they move their tax status, their jurisdiction, to another country where they have little more than a storefront, and oftentimes that does end up being Ireland, which has an extraordinarily low overall corporate tax rate. is that fair?

Noonan: well, apple employs about 6,000 people in Ireland, and they are heading towards 6,000, so they have a very strong economic presence in the country. on the question of inversion, that's a matter for U.S tax law. we don't invite U.S companies to come to Ireland on the basis of inversion, and we don't welcome them when they come. but under an international law, we're not in the position to prevent them. but if the U.S authorities wish to do something about inversion, well, then it's a matter for the U.S authorities to change the law.

risen: and just as a matter of where this money would go if the EU does get its way, we understand that the rules in the European union is it would have to go down to pay your debt. and Ireland currently has a debt that is nearly 100% of its economy, after the bank bailouts, the national debt is $200 billion. how are you going to explain to the Irish taxpayers and your opposition that you can't take that money to pay down the debt?

Noonan: well first of all, the Irish debt at the end of this year will be under 80% of GDP. secondly, the European authorities wearing a different hat will regard this as a windfall amount of money and they would require us in the first instance to reduce the debt. but they also, as long as it's not used for ongoing expenditure, there might be some scope to use it eventually for capital investment. but that would be after the appeal process has gone through, and that is a number of years down the line.

Faber: minister Noonan, we appreciate you joining us. thank you.

Noonan: thank you very much indeed.

Faber: Michael Noonan is the Irish finance minister.




Climate change could dramatically impact the quality, price and production of coffee, according to a new report.



Extreme weather events and rising temperatures could slash areas where coffee can be grown by as much as 50 percent by 2050, according to Sydney, Australia-based The Climate Institute.

"Over 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed around the world every day, with nearly half of Australians drinking coffee regularly," John Connor, CEO of The Climate Institute, said in a statement.

"Yet coffee is just one of a multitude of things increasingly subject to negative climate impacts, and its negative flow-on effects," Connor added.

The paper, A Brewing Storm: The climate change risks to coffee report, was commissioned by Fairtrade Australia & New Zealand and released on Monday.

The Climate Institute said in a news release that 80 to 90 percent of the 25 million coffee farmers worldwide were "smallholders who are among those most exposed to climate change." The report said that if no "strong" climate action was taken, coffee producing areas could halve in decades, with wild coffee facing potential extinction by 2080.

"Companies such as Starbucks and Lavazza, as well as the International Coffee Organisation, have already publicly acknowledged the severity of climate risks," Connor said. "Consumers are likely to face supply shortages, impacts on flavor and aromas, and rising prices."

Connor went on to say that steps could be taken to mitigate the impact. These included consumers purchasing brands that are carbon- or climate-neutral, and demanding action from coffee companies and governments to ensure that "all products, business models and economies are carbon or climate neutral."

Earlier this year Andrea Illy, chairman of global coffee business illy, told CNBC at Davos that climate change was a threat to coffee production in the medium and long term.

"Coffee is one of the crops which is severely affected by climate change, which is a threat both in terms of too high temperature in some regions when it is produced, (and) a threat in terms of water security  either droughts or excessive rains  in certain other regions," Illy said.

Illy went on to explain that while climate change looks set to impact production, consumption was still growing.

"We predict that we will need twice as much as coffee at least  more probably three times as much  by the end of the century, with less than 50 percent of the land available. I think we have a problem we need to fix."
"Our investigation confirmed that the fuel economy on eight models ... were as much as 8.8 percent and on average 4.2 percent lower than advertised," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said its investigation found the fuel economy on models including the Pajero, Outlander and RVR SUV models were lower than stated in marketing catalogues. The finding adds to four minivehicle models whose mileages were found to be falsified earlier this year.

Japan's transport ministry on Tuesday ordered Mitsubishi Motors to stop domestic sales of eight vehicle models after an investigation found the automaker overstated their fuel economy, the second such order in a matter of months.

It ordered the automaker to stop selling those eight models while it submits correct readings, a process the ministry expected would take a few weeks.

The announcement could prompt another fall in the automaker's domestic sales after it stopped selling the four affected minivehicle models in April-June. Possible compensation costs linked to the latest affected models may also hurt Mitsubishi's bottom line.

Japan's sixth-largest automaker has been struggling to recover from the mileage scandal which began in April, and whose initial findings included two minivehicle models produced for Nissan Motor.

An internal investigation by the automaker uncovered poor communication, slack governance and pressure on resource-starved engineers at the root of the automaker's problems.

Mitsubishi's market value has tumbled since the scandal broke. The ordeal prompted the company to seek financial assistance from Nissan, which agreed to buy a controlling one-third stake for $2.2 billion.

Mitsubishi has admitted to using unapproved methods to calculate mileage for 25 years, while it also used estimates, rather than data from actual tests, to calculate the fuel economy for its minivehicles.

The company has said the scandal will likely push it into the red for the first time in eight years due lost sales, compensation costs to customers and payments to Nissan, along with dealers and suppliers.

The automaker expects to post a net loss of $1.4 billion this year, and book an extraordinary loss of 150 billion yen ($1.47 billion). Domestic sales are seen tumbling by nearly half in the financial year through March, which will result in a 55 billion yen hit to full-year operating income.

On Tuesday, the firm said that it would post an additional extraordinary loss of 7 bln yen in current fiscal year due to costs involved with the additional eight models.

Japan is Mitsubishi's fifth-largest market, following markets including Asia ex-Japan, Europe and other regions. Its home country comprised roughly 10 percent of its vehicle sales during 2015/16.
Iowa just approved steep rate increases for the insurers operating in the state, including a 42.6 percent hike for Wellmark.

"We have to look at the ACA in its entirety. The risk mitigation tools  really didn't work very well, to be honest, and the carriers just really need more predictability in their pricing," he said in an interview with CNBC's " Closing Bell ."

The Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, needs a lot of work, Iowa insurance commissioner Nick Gerhart told CNBC Tuesday.

A heckler holds a sign taunting Senate candidate Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, about the Affordable Care Act at the 2014 Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, August 7, 2014.

Gerhart called it a tough decision.

"It really is a math problem. The carriers have had sustainable and large losses," he said. "We have to look at the rates for adequacy for the carrier and affordability for the consumer as well."

"It really had to happen for our market to be sustainable," he added.

Earlier this month, Aetna announced it was going to pull out from 11 of the 15 states where it sells Obamacare, citing financial losses from its individual plans. It will still sell plans in Iowa after increasing rates by 22.58 percent.

UnitedHealth and Humana have also said they will sharply reduce the number of areas in the country where they sell the plans.

Insurers and other observers have said that the risk pool so far is not what they had hoped for, or priced their plans for.

"You need a bigger risk pool," Gerhart said.

 CNBC's Dan Mangan and Linda Sittenfeld contributed to this report.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton presents a letter of congratulations and signed photo to Chief Culinary Specialist Oscar Flores during his retirement ceremony aboard the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island on April 1, 2011.

On Friday April 1, 2011, Hillary Clinton's daily calendar as secretary of state shows that she, Bill and Chelsea Clinton and close aides Doug Band and Huma Abedin boarded a private G-V aircraft at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for a six-hour flight to San Diego.

Also on board were Bill Clinton aide Justin Cooper and Hillary Clinton's mother, Dorothy Rodham. They were headed to an unusual event: the U.S. Navy retirement ceremony for their chef, chief culinary specialist Oscar Flores of the U.S. Navy Reserve, who was ending 22 years in the Navy. Flores was also employed as the director of operations at the Clintons' home in Chappaqua, New York, at the time. The event took place aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island.

According to a U.S. Navy press release, both Clintons had developed a personal bond with Flores over the years  with Bill Clinton joking that the family dog liked Flores better. According to the press release, Bill Clinton said Flores became like a member of the family through his "devotion and steadfast service," including duties ranging from decorating the Christmas tree, preserving family heirlooms during a flood and taking care of the former president during his quadruple bypass surgery.
CNBC's Jim Cramer said Tuesday that the European Union was retroactive when it ordered Ireland to recoup millions in taxes from Apple .

The European Commission on Tuesday told the Irish government to retrieve about 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in taxes from Apple, after regulators said Ireland granted Apple undue tax benefits.

"A deal's a deal," Cramer said on "Squawk on the Street. "The Irish wanted to give it away. They took it."

Cramer was critical saying the EU shouldn't expect Ireland, as a sovereign state, to "check-in" on its deal.

"If I were the EU, I would say, 'Listen, from now on, every single deal has to be run through us,'" Cramer said."... But to do retroactive is a little difficult. We've often criticized our government when they do something retroactive."

Additionally, Cramer said companies with deals similar to Apple's could be worried. The ruling also may impact Ireland's ability to attract other investments from global companies. The EU will continue to investigate Amazon and McDonald's European tax affairs, according to EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.

Apple's stock was trading slightly lower at $106.20 Tuesday afternoon.
Terry Bollea, aka Hulk Hogan, testifies in court during his trial against Gawker Media at the Pinellas County Courthouse on March 8, 2016 in St Petersburg, Florida.

In the wake of Gawker.com's downfall, a host of start-ups are rushing to bring litigation finance to Main Street with a business model that could have far-reaching ramifications for both investors and the legal system.

Until the news broke that tech billionaire Peter Thiel was funding former pro wrestler Hulk Hogan's suit against (now-defunct) gossip blog Gawker for outing him as gay nearly a decade ago, most people were unaware that third parties  traditionally, hedge funds  could bankroll a lawsuit against a person or business

As a result, start-ups in the field of litigation-finance investment have gained prominence, with a simple pitch to investors: Put up as little as $5,000 to fund lawsuits, and make money.

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An industry is born

Founders of these sites say their business model benefits investors because investing in lawsuits is decoupled from the broader market, meaning that economic downturns wouldn't hurt their returns, and they argue that the field is still open enough for them to be very selective in the cases they take on.

"Historically, this would have been a nonstarter," said Stephen Gillers, a professor at New York University School of Law. "There never would've been such a thing as litigation funding because the courts took the view and lawmakers took the view that the courts exist for the purpose solely for enabling people whose rights have been violated to get relief of some kind," he said.

Over the past 15 or 20 years, though, hedge funds and venture capitalists have woken up to the idea that lawsuits can be lucrative, and have poured money into the cases themselves as well as a push for legitimizing their involvement.

It's a position that makes strange bedfellows, pitting hedge funds and consumer advocates against groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which strongly objects to the practice.

"Plaintiffs who are in great need are often forced to settle for substantially less than their case is worth because they can't hold out  and defendants know they can't hold out," Gillers said, so they'll often use whatever legal delaying tactics they can to drag a case out.

"If the defendant knows a funder has put millions or hundreds of thousands of dollars in the case... and that an investment company, a savvy investor, has decided that the case has merit, that may lead to quicker settlement," he said.

Picking targets

Most litigation-funding investment sites focus on either commercial suits  breach of contract and the like  or personal suits like civil-rights violation and injury cases. They engage in various ways of vetting the most likely prospects out of the hundreds of applicants that contact them.

"Our team's been investing in legal claims since the late 90s, we have a tried and true underwriting process to vet these claims," said Jay Greenberg, CEO and co-founder of LexShares.com, a litigation finance company for commercial cases.

There are three main criteria Greenberg said his company weighs when determining whether or not to fund a case. "The first thing we're looking at is through the legal merits of the case. We're also looking at the plaintiff's counsel's track record," he said. The final aspect is the defendant's creditworthiness, since winning a case against an insolvent defendant wouldn't really be a victory in the sense that investors wouldn't be able to get a return on their investment.

Some litigation-funding startups are betting that big data will help them find the cases most likely to be decided in their favor. Legalist, a Y Combinator startup, plans to lean on 15 million data points and algorithms to ferret out the cases with the best profit potential.

"All the people involved and the events in the case, all the motions that are filed can be tracked," said Eva Shang, who was an incoming senior at Harvard University before dropping out to pursue Legalist. "What we're trying to do is automate the process," she said. Shang said Legalist also uses data like who the judge is and how many cases they have on their plate at the time.

"We've met with hundreds of personal injury and mass tort attorneys to survey the field for underwriting. We built financial models around it," said Anoush Hakimi, CEO of TrialFunder.com, which focuses on civil rights, labor, injury and other personal cases. "For each specific type of case, we have various algorithms and formulas," he said.

"For funders to be profitable, they need to do a good job of vetting," said University of Iowa College of Law professor Maya Steinitz. This imperative that becomes even more important when funders are soliciting investments from other institutions and individuals to back the cases they choose.

"I think it may be possible to do some data crunching that would have some validity but I think the question of whether a lawsuit is likely to prevail really depends on the subject matter of the case," she said. "Usually, lawsuits are a very unpredictable matter The human factor is so great."
The head of tech giant Apple has hit back at the European Commission's ruling about its tax operations in Ireland saying that it has "serious, wide-reaching implications."



Responding to the Commission's decision that Ireland should recover 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in back taxes from Apple, Tim Cook said that "in Ireland and in every country where we operate, follows the law and we pay all the taxes we owe."



Here is Tim Cook's letter in full:

A Message to the Apple Community in Europe

Thirty-six years ago, long before introducing iPhone, iPod or even the Mac, Steve Jobs established Apple's first operations in Europe. At the time, the company knew that in order to serve customers in Europe, it would need a base there. So, in October 1980, Apple opened a factory in Cork, Ireland with 60 employees.

At the time, Cork was suffering from high unemployment and extremely low economic investment. But Apple's leaders saw a community rich with talent, and one they believed could accommodate growth if the company was fortunate enough to succeed.

We have operated continuously in Cork ever since, even through periods of uncertainty about our own business, and today we employ nearly 6,000 people across Ireland. The vast majority are still in Cork  including some of the very first employees  now performing a wide variety of functions as part of Apple's global footprint. Countless multinational companies followed Apple by investing in Cork, and today the local economy is stronger than ever.

The success which has propelled Apple's growth in Cork comes from innovative products that delight our customers. It has helped create and sustain more than 1.5 million jobs across Europe  jobs at Apple, jobs for hundreds of thousands of creative app developers who thrive on the App Store, and jobs with manufacturers and other suppliers. Countless small and medium-size companies depend on Apple, and we are proud to support them.



As responsible corporate citizens, we are also proud of our contributions to local economies across Europe, and to communities everywhere. As our business has grown over the years, we have become the largest taxpayer in Ireland, the largest taxpayer in the United States, and the largest taxpayer in the world.

Over the years, we received guidance from Irish tax authorities on how to comply correctly with Irish tax law  the same kind of guidance available to any company doing business there. In Ireland and in every country where we operate, Apple follows the law and we pay all the taxes we owe.

The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process. The opinion issued on August 30th alleges that Ireland gave Apple a special deal on our taxes. This claim has no basis in fact or in law. We never asked for, nor did we receive, any special deals. We now find ourselves in the unusual position of being ordered to retroactively pay additional taxes to a government that says we don't owe them any more than we've already paid.

The Commission's move is unprecedented and it has serious, wide-reaching implications. It is effectively proposing to replace Irish tax laws with a view of what the Commission thinks the law should have been. This would strike a devastating blow to the sovereignty of EU member states over their own tax matters, and to the principle of certainty of law in Europe. Ireland has said they plan to appeal the Commission's ruling and Apple will do the same. We are confident that the Commission's order will be reversed.

At its root, the Commission's case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes. It is about which government collects the money.

Taxes for multinational companies are complex, yet a fundamental principle is recognized around the world: A company's profits should be taxed in the country where the value is created. Apple, Ireland and the United States all agree on this principle.

In Apple's case, nearly all of our research and development takes place in California, so the vast majority of our profits are taxed in the United States. European companies doing business in the U.S. are taxed according to the same principle. But the Commission is now calling to retroactively change those rules.

Beyond the obvious targeting of Apple, the most profound and harmful effect of this ruling will be on investment and job creation in Europe. Using the Commission's theory, every company in Ireland and across Europe is suddenly at risk of being subjected to taxes under laws that never existed.

Apple has long supported international tax reform with the objectives of simplicity and clarity. We believe these changes should come about through the proper legislative process, in which proposals are discussed among the leaders and citizens of the affected countries. And as with any new laws, they should be applied going forward  not retroactively.

We are committed to Ireland and we plan to continue investing there, growing and serving our customers with the same level of passion and commitment. We firmly believe that the facts and the established legal principles upon which the EU was founded will ultimately prevail.

Tim Cook
watch now

Hillary Clinton's life is exhausting. Even reading Clinton's schedule is exhausting. I know, because I did it  I read every page of Clinton's State Department schedule from early 2009 through the middle of 2011 when she was secretary. That's right, 3,721 pages of Clinton's daily routine, which, taken together, reveal a surprisingly intimate portrait of the life of the Democratic nominee for president. The schedules were released by the State Department as a result of FOIA requests and subsequent litigation by conservative group Citizens United, and obtained by CNBC. The pages are often redacted by State Department officials, who have removed details on certain meetings, events and phone calls citing personal privacy, national security or other exemptions to disclosure.

Still, the documents reveal the moments that made Clinton's life in Washington in those years  her daily commute to work (a zippy 10 minutes from her northwest Washington home) and her Friday evening slogs on the US Airways shuttle to LaGuardia Airport to get to the home she and Bill Clinton maintain in Chappaqua, New York. The faces she saw every day, especially the ones who are so familiar they are simply referenced by first name: Huma (Abedin), Lona (Valmoro), Cheryl (Mills), Maggie (Williams), and Jake (Sullivan). The principals, Hillary and Bill Clinton, are simply referred to by their initials: HRC and WJC.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives at the morning session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 COP15 in Copenhagen on December 18, 2009. Soren Bidstrup | AFP | Getty Images

Each detail was recorded by staff  including where Hillary and Bill Clinton slept (sometimes together at their homes in Chappaqua and Washington, but quite often a continent or more apart.)

It's a constant stream of meetings, briefings, conference calls with foreign ministers, sessions in the White House situation room, meticulously scheduled but officially informal "pull-aside" meetings with prime ministers, foreign ministers and senators. All of it choreographed minute-by-minute: At the memorial event, adjust the wreath, take two steps back, observe a moment of silence. HRC and Huma ride together in the limo, Cheryl rides in staff car #1. In Manhattan, it is a 15 minute walk from the stage where Dutch Princess Maxima will make her remarks at the Helmsley Hotel to the UN's North Lawn building on 47th Street, where Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon will make his remarks.

The diplomatic dance of determining who gets access and who does not: Billionaire George Soros gets a half-hour meeting in the secretary's office. The CEO of Boeing gets a drop by in the outer office. Ben Affleck gets a sit-down.

Here's what I learned.

Billionaires dropped by a lot

Particularly billionaire Mort Zuckerman, who owns the New York Daily News and shows up in Clinton's calendar several times, including the 35 minutes he spent with Clinton in her office on Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010. On Monday, Oct. 26, 2009, Bill and Melinda Gates came by for a 50-minute session. Billionaire and former Citigroup chairman Sanford Weill got a half hour appointment on June 2, 2010, along with his chief of staff, Mike Conway. Warren and Susie Buffett dropped by on Tuesday Oct. 5, 2010, for lunch in the secretary's outer office for an hour beginning at 12:55 p.m. Unlike many of Clinton's other meetings, this one includes a listing for the topic of conversation: "Buffett Foundation."



Celebrities came by, too

But not all that many, actually: On Thursday, March 19, 2009, Clinton's calendar shows a "Private meeting w/ Ben Affleck," for a half hour in the secretary's office. No topic is listed for the conversation. Later that year, on Nov. 5, Clinton's schedule shows a five minute "Photo Op w/ Jessica Alba." Before the Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010, gala Clinton Foundation VIP reception, Clinton had a 15-minute informal "pull aside" meeting with legendary guitar player Eric Clapton, who was scheduled to perform at the event that evening at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York. For some reason, Clinton did not schedule a pull aside with Jon Bon Jovi, who was also set to perform at the event.



Clinton often left the State Department for unexplained appointments

Clinton's schedule was redacted before it was handed over to Citizens United, and not all of her events have been released. Some meetings and phone calls are redacted from view, with the State Department's notation explaining why each one has been withheld. But from the timeline it seems clear that Clinton left the State Department fairly regularly and went to somewhere that was a five or 10 minute drive away from Foggy Bottom, returning in about an hour or more. For example, Clinton departed the State Department at 4:40 p.m. on Jan. 7, 2010, and it appears she traveled somewhere five minutes away, where she remained from 4:45 until 5:20 p.m. At 5:25, she left that location and arrived back at the State Department at 5:30. Clinton campaign officials did not respond to a request for comment about these off-campus excursions or other details of Clinton's day-to-day schedule. The State Department said it was withholding the information about the Jan. 7 meeting under a category that includes "inter-agency or intra-agency communications forming part of the deliberative process, attorney client privilege, or attorney work product." So it probably wasn't a dentist's appointment.



Behind the scenes at the NYSE

The schedule gives a detailed account of Clinton's visit to the New York Stock Exchange on Sept. 21, 2009  a time when Wall Street was still reeling from the 2008 financial crisis. Clinton's turn ringing the opening bell that day was visible to the media and the world, but her other meetings were not. The calendar shows Clinton met at 8:20 a.m. with Jeffrey Eubank, the NYSE's senior vice president of global affairs and government relations, a former Bush administration official whose Wall Street job included managing relationships with governments and heads of state around the world. Clinton also met with then-NYSE CEO Duncan Niederauer in his office for a five minute "courtesy call" and held an off-the-record breakfast discussion with CEOs including Stephen Schwarzman of the Blackstone Group , James Tisch of Loews Corp. , Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo and Howard Schultz of Starbucks .





Hillary Clinton went to a wedding the weekend Osama bin Laden was killed

President Barack Obama gave the final go-ahead order for the mission that killed Osama bin Laden on Friday, April 29, 2011. That day, schedules show Clinton went to the White House for a half-hour meeting whose details have been redacted by the State Department and an hour and 25 minute meeting in the situation room with high level officials. On Friday evening, she had a private dinner with then-congresswoman Jane Harman and State Department official Ellen Tauscher. The next day, Saturday, Washington officials who were in the know about the upcoming bin Laden raid were keen to keep up their normal activities, so as not to give any hint that something unusual was happening. The schedule shows Clinton left her home in Georgetown and went to The Hand Chapel, on the campus of George Washington University. There she attended the wedding of a friend of Chelsea Clinton's, Jacqueline Newmyer, who married Joseph Deal IV. Clinton was back home by 5:40 p.m. The next day, Clinton left her home at 12:30 p.m. and went to the White House, where later that afternoon a staff photographer would take the famous picture of Clinton in the situation room with Obama and other officials as they monitored the raid. She stayed at the White House until after Obama addressed the nation about bin Laden's death, and returned to her home after midnight.

Private jets  but mostly the US Air shuttle

Mostly, Clinton flew commercial or on Air Force planes while secretary of state. Typically, she flew from Washington to her home in Chappaqua on Friday evenings, spent the weekend in New York, and then returned to her home in northwest Washington on Sunday nights. Those flights, the State Department said, were paid for by Clinton personally. On official trips, Clinton often flew on Air Force aircraft, including a C-32, which is the military version of the Boeing 757. But on several occasions, Clinton flew on private jets, including a private G-5 jet on the weekend of April 1, 2011, when she, Bill and Chelsea Clinton attended a Clinton Global Initiative event in San Diego.



Hillary Clinton and the CIA

She was in relatively frequent contact with the CIA while at State. Clinton began many days with a review of the presidential daily briefing, the same document Obama reviewed in the Oval Office each morning. Typically, she spent about five minutes reviewing the document, but it is possible some of the briefings were given in person by the CIA. The daily briefing is considered the most exclusive products of the U.S. intelligence community. While they are famously read by the commander-in-chief, it is less well known that copies are often distributed to top White House staffers, the vice president, the secretaries of state and defense among others authorized to review the material. Clinton's schedule also includes visits back and forth with officials from the intelligence agency. For example, on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010, Clinton's entourage drove the 20 minutes to CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, for a two-hour private meeting, arriving back at the State Department at 12:55 p.m. And on April 6, 2010, the CIA came to her: The calendar lists a 45-minute "Briefing with CIA Director Leon Panetta" in the secretary's office with CIA briefer Harry Wetherbee and then-chief of staff Jeremy Bash.





Hillary Clinton does not take snow days

Over the weekend of the 2010 "Snowmageddon" storm on the East Coast, Clinton hunkered down at her home in New York, making phone calls. On Saturday, she called diplomat Strobe Talbot at 8 a.m., the president of Honduras at 9:15, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at 9:30, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit at 10:06. But on Sunday, all shuttles to D.C. were canceled due to the snowstorm, which was on its way to inundating the state of Maryland with a peak of more than 38 inches of snow. So at 9 a.m. on Monday, Clinton set out by car to Washington, arriving at her D.C. home a grueling 6 hours later. On the way, her schedule shows, she worked the phones, calling State Department officials throughout the road trip. On Tuesday and Wednesday, she stayed at home in Georgetown, again working the phones.





Bill and Hillary Clinton were often away from each other

The globe-trotting secretary of state and globe-trotting former president each kept up frantic travel schedules, which meant they were often not in the same place at the same time  or even on the same continent. The calendars indicate where Hillary and Bill each spent the night: "RON," in Washington parlance, the acronym for "remain overnight." On weekdays, the Clintons typically spent the evenings in their separate homes  Hillary in northwest Washington near her office at the State Department, and Bill in Chappaqua near his office in New York. But the Clintons spent a lot of time traveling the world. On March 17, 2010, the entry read: HRC RON En route Moscow/ WJC RON White Oak, FL. Other exotic RONs: HRC RON London, England/WJC RON Stockholm Sweden. HRC RON Abu Dhabi, UAE/WJC RON London, England. HRC RON Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi, WJC RON Chappaqua, NY.



Reporters got off-the-record access to Clinton

In August 2010, Clinton hosted a two-hour off-the-record lunch in her outer office with national reporters and columnists who cover foreign policy. Among those listed were Christiane Amanpour, then of ABC News, Thomas Friedman of The New York Times, David Ignatius of The Washington Post, and Fareed Zakaria of Newsweek. On Monday, Sept. 20, 2010, Clinton went to The New York Times offices in Manhattan for an off-the-record "Coffee w/ NY Times Publishers and Editorial Staff" with about 20 people. When she arrived at the newspaper office at 10 a.m., the schedule shows her greeter was New York Times Chairman Arthur Sulzberger.



She once conducted a ribbon cutting in the shower
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.  Watkins Glen International is hosting an IndyCar race this Labor Day weekend as a fill-in for Boston. But it wont be just a one-time event since IndyCar officials and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the IndyCar series will also come back in 2017 and 2018.

The races mark IndyCars return to the famed Finger Lakes road course for the first time since 2010.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the announcement Thursday morning at the New York State Fairgrounds in Geddes.

Michael Printup, president of Watkins Glen International; Jay Frye, president of IndyCar; and IndyCar driver Will Power joined Cuomo for the announcement.

This upcoming weekends Grand Prix at the Glen replaced the planned Grand Prix of Boston, which IndyCar announced in May was canceled.

The Grand Prix at the Glen race was originally a one-year deal that would fill the open date on the schedule.

The race is set for Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

In the end, this was the goal of both Watkins Glen International and IndyCar  to announce a multi-year agreement. We are very much looking forward to [the] Grand Prix at the Glen, and cant wait to get started with our efforts to grow this event moving into the 2017 season, Printup said in the Watkins Glen news release. Of course, this would not be possible without the outstanding support that we receive from New York State and Governor Cuomo.

Through the I Love New York campaign, the state will commit $100,000 per year to support Watkins Glens promotion of the IndyCar Grand Prix

We will participate in the advertising with Watkins Glen in this IndyCar series and we think it is going to do great things for the track, and again, for the entire region, Cuomo said in remarks that his office provided in a Thursday email.

The state anticipates the IndyCar series will attract tens of thousands of race fans from across New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Canada, to upstate New York, Cuomos office said.

Watkins Glen completed a track-repaving project before the 2016 season started, representing the first time the track had been repaved since 1998, according to a news release on the tracks website.

It was a $10 million effort to repave the track and the early reports are the repaving has been fantastic, Cuomo said in remarks in the Thursday email.

Watkins Glen International has hosted nine past IndyCar races, from 1979-81 and again from 2005-10.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
SALINA, N.Y.  An affiliate of a Miami, Floridabased investment firm has acquired a majority interest in CXtec and sister company TERACAI Corp.

William Pomeroy, CXtec founder and CEO, has retired and Peter Belyea, who has been serving both companies as president, assumes the CEO role, effective immediately, the company said in a news release issued Monday.

CXtec is the is the d/b/a name of CABLExpress Corp., according to the firms news release.

The Florida firm, H.I.G. Capital, is a private equity and alternative-asset investment firm, has more than $20 billion of equity capital under management.

H.I.G.s acquisition provides an opportunity for growth and expansion, according to the release.

H.I.G. sees [CXtec and TERACAI] as a tremendous platform for both organic and inorganic growth We look forward to supporting the existing leadership team in its efforts to continue to grow the franchise, Ricky Stokes, managing director at H.I.G. Capital, said. No financial terms of the acquisition were disclosed.

CXtec and TERACAI will remain in Central New York, having secured a long-term lease for their Salina headquarters. Theyll also maintain their distribution facilities at 621 East Brighton Ave. in Syracuse and sales office in Rochester, the firm said.

The now-retired Pomeroy, who founded CXtec in 1978, will continue to serve on the board of directors and retain a minority ownership interest in both companies.

After extensive discussions and review with my advisors over many months, I am confident that this direction will provide the greatest opportunity to take CXtec [and] TERACAI to the next level and facilitate their long-term growth in the [Central New York] community, said Pomeroy.

Belyea has worked for the companies for more than 26 years in various leadership capacities.

CXtec, which operates at 5404 South Bay Road in Salina, buys and sells used networking hardware, phones, and cabling.

TERACAI, which spun off from CXtec in 2009, says it provides businesses with core-networking infrastructures, which enable virtualization, unified communications, and cloud applications. It operates at 217 Lawrence Road East in the town of Salina.

Founded in 1993, H.I.G. has invested in and managed more than 200 companies worldwide, according to the release.

The firms current portfolio includes more than 100 companies with combined sales topping $30 billion.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
Deanna Wasman, who recently won a Presidential Award of Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, views learning as a team effort. "It's not me against you. It's us against the curriculum," Wasman says. "Let's tackle it together."
Types of obituaries

The Missourian publishes two types of obituaries  family obituaries and life stories.

A family obituary is the version submitted by a funeral home or family. Please see the submission form for details on cost and deadlines. Family obituaries

A life story is a closer look at a person's life and involves a reporter contacting family and friends. Life stories are based on newsworthiness and consent of the family. Life stories.
The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form
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.
Last week I shared the first post of my recent trip to Switzerland with Geneva Tourism, and today Im sharing the second half of my trip. I have had so much fun going through all of these photos  Switzerland is so easy to photograph because every corner is beautiful!

On my third day in Geneva, I woke up early (only three hours of sleep, but it was totally worth it!) to catch the sunrise over Lake Geneva. Every summer, Geneva offers free concerts that begin at dawn, and you can sip coffee and listen to the live music while the sun comes out. It was so gorgeous and spiritual  an amazing experience (and worth getting up early for!).

After that we crossed the lake to turn on the Jet deau  the water jet on the lake that is a landmark of Geneva! If you follow along on Instagram, I shared a photo of it here. It literally reaches 460 feet! Once it had been turned on, a rainbow appeared.

Then we explored Genevas Old Town which was absolutely gorgeous. The architecture of Switzerland is just breathtaking  I could look at the beautiful buildings, shutters and flower boxes all day! We climbed a spiral staircase to the top of a church in Old Town that had the most incredible view of Geneva, including the water jet! After that, we had a picnic in the park that was so delicious and relaxing. Before we knew it, everyone was lying down in the grass, soaking up the sun.

We moved on to a watchmaking class at Bucherer (photo below). Geneva is actually considered the birthplace of of high-end watchmaking. It was so detailed and meticulous  now I think I appreciate well made watches so much more.

We ended the day with dinner at Hotel Richemonds Le Jardin  so delicious  I could have stayed at this hotel for a week. No time was long enough!

dress | dress | sunglasses

Thanks so much for reading! I loved taking you on a little tour of Switzerland. It was such a magical trip and experience, and I hope that the next time I visit Europe, Christian will be in tow.

If youve visited Switzerland and had any favorite spots that I missed (like the alps  gorgeousness!), Id love to hear! XO 
City Brewing says Blues City Brewery in Memphis has capacity to brew more than 60 million cases a year.

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By Wayne Risher of The Commercial Appeal

Craft Brew Alliance will pull production from the old Schlitz, Stroh's and Coors brewery in Memphis as part of a new arrangement with beer giant Anheuser-Busch InBev.

It's unclear what the loss of a 100,000-barrel-a-year contract means for Blues City Brewery, which has struggled to meet job commitments over the past five years.

CBA said last week it had extended a distribution agreement with A-B InBev, maker of Budweiser and other beers, and that it would move production of 300,000 barrels a year, including the Memphis volume, to A-B InBev facilities. CBA officials said contract production in Memphis, announced in early 2014, would be phased out by late 2017.

Officials with La Crosse, Wisconsin-based City Brewing, which brews beers for other companies, did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the CBA announcement or the pace of job creation in Memphis.

A-B InBev owns nearly a one-third stake in CBA, which produces craft beer brands Kona, Widmer, Redhook and Omission.

A compliance report filed by City Brewing in January said Blues City Brewery exceeded capital investment commitments but stood at 277 jobs of a 500-job commitment as of Dec. 31. The 2015 total was up from 243 jobs two years earlier.

The jobs were supposed to be created or retained in a five-year ramp-up period ending last May 5.

City Brewing in March 2011 won a tax freeze, known as a payment in lieu of taxes or PILOT, with an estimated property tax savings of $6 million over 15 years.

The mammoth brewery at 5151 East Raines in Hickory Hill was underutilized and producing nonalcoholic drinks such as tea and energy drinks when City Brewing struck the deal.

In 2012, after reports of layoffs surfaced, officials said the ramp-up wasn't going as quickly as expected because of economic conditions and facility issues.

Annual reports on capital investment and jobs are required by the Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) of Memphis and Shelby County, the agency that approves industrial and commercial PILOTs.

The most recent report said City Brewing invested $10 million in real property, equaling its commitment, and $31,153,542 in personal property, exceeding a $31 million commitment.

EDGE spokeswoman Nora Boone said once a company completes the ramp-up period, the agency has Memphis Consulting Group to review results and determine if the company has made a best-faith effort to meet the commitments.

The consultant presents findings to an EDGE committee, which makes a recommendation on possible next steps to the full board, which could include revoking PILOT benefits. The next review committee meeting is scheduled in late October or early November, Boone said.

Boone said EDGE can shorten the term of a PILOT based on results, but typically does not make companies pay back savings from previous years.
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By Wayne Risher of The Commercial Appeal

A temporary staffing agency has agreed to pay $435,000 to settle a discrimination lawsuit alleging it favored Hispanic workers over African-Americans at a FedEx SmartPost facility in Southaven.

Orlando-based Resource Employment Solutions LLC denied allegations of wrongdoing made in a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2014.

A consent decree outlining the settlement was entered in U.S. District Court in Northern Mississippi last week. It called for compensation for a woman who raised the bias issue and other black workers who were affected.

EEOC alleged the temporary agency hired Hispanic workers first, even if black workers signed in earlier, and gave Hispanic workers more hours at the SmartPost facility at 4325 Executive Drive. The lawsuit alleged the temporary agency retaliated against the woman after she complained.

The four-year consent decree also prohibits further discrimination and requires anti-discrimination training, reporting and postings.
August 29, 2016 - Roberto Beltran with Green Scape measures for landscaping in front of a new LA Fitness on Ridgeway, which would be the third LA Fitness in the Memphis Area. The Irvine, CA based company is also seeking permits to add clubs in Cordova and Bartlett. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

SHARE The building housing Antique Gallery in Bartlett would be razed if LA Fitness carries through with its plans to build there. (By Thomas Bailey/The Commercial Appeal)

By Thomas Bailey Jr. of The Commercial Appeal

LA Fitness has been preparing to place three more of its large fitness centers in the Memphis-area market: In Bartlett and East Memphis as well as the Cordova site for which it pulled a building permit last week.

Construction workers are already converting the former 24 Hour Fitness Center building at 1285 Ridgeway in East Memphis into a LA Fitness. That 26-year-old building is 44,815 square feet on 3.9 acres, according to the Shelby County Assessor's Office.

In Bartlett, the privately held, California-based company got approval in March from the Planning Commission for a site plan. That plan entails demolishing the existing, 51,535-square-foot building that houses Antique Gallery at 6050 Stage Road and replacing it with a 63,435 square foot building.

LA Fitness would fill 34,000 square feet and lease the rest to another business, Bartlett city planner Sam Harris said Monday.

Last week, LA Fitness applied for a permit to construct a center at 7890 Fischer Steel in Cordova. The company valued the construction at $4.5 million.

If all the plans are realized, LA Fitness will have five centers in Memphis. The two existing sites are at 6730 Polo Grounds near Southwind at Bill Morris Parkway and Winchester, and at 9020 U.S. 64 in Lakeland.

"Yes, they are working on several new ones including the one on Ridgeway that's about to open,'' commercial real estate broker Danny Buring said Monday. He and Robert Sloan, both of The Shopping Center Group, represent LA Fitness in Memphis.

The Commercial Appeal had asked LA Fitness for information about its plans in Cordova and Bartlett. On Friday, spokeswoman Andrea Ojeda responded by email: "... We dont comment on any location until we are about to start construction and pre sales.''

The company has not responded to a subsequent request for information about its Ridgeway location.

In Bartlett, LA Fitness still must receive approval from the Design Review Commission for the exterior materials of the proposed building, exterior lighting, signs and landscaping plans, city planner Sam Harris said.

The front of the new building would be in the same place as the existing building that houses Antique Gallery, which is fronted by a large parking lot and is set behind a McDonald's restaurant.

LA Fitness representatives had told Bartlett officials they saw Bartlett "as a great community to be a part of and wanted to have a site to fit into the neighborhood and to serve the community,'' Harris said.

Antique Gallery has been at the address for a quarter century. Its lease expires in April, manager Carman Bell said. The building once housed a Kroger grocery and Walgreens.

If the LA Fitness deal is completed and the building sells, Antique Gallery will move to another site, he said. "We would prefer to stay in Bartlett, but the size space we need is not available in Bartlett,'' he said.

The business houses antique dealers and consignment sales.

LA Fitness, founded in 1984, operates about 640 fitness centers across the U.S.
Rodrigo Valenzuela, "Sense of Place No. 3," 2016. Toner, acrylic, chalk on canvas. 53 by 70 in. Collection of Zach Huntting. From "Frontiers" at the Fogelman Galleries.



SHARE Ruben Garnica, "Mitote I," 2016. PVC, LED lights, and speakers. 90 by 36 in. Courtesy of the artist. From "Infoxication" at the Fogelman Galleries.

By Fredric Koeppel, Special to The Commercial Appeal

The Martha and Robert Fogelman Galleries of Contemporary Art launch the new exhibition season with a pair of shows that approach two contemporary issues. The first, from Chilean-born, Houston-based artist Rodrigo Valenzuela, is "Frontiers," and the concerns are borders and fences, alien landscapes, exile and the hunger for work and prosperity. The second, "Infoxication," deals with notions of information overload and the pervasive nature of audio and visual technology and social media in contemporary culture. The artist is Ruben Garnica, a recent bachelor of fine arts graduate from the University of Memphis who was awarded this solo exhibition by vote of the art department faculty.

With the ascendency of Donald Trump to the position of Republican nominee for president, the idea of some kind of impermeable fence along the border between the United States and Mexico and the demonization of Mexican immigrants have gained avid currency. What is forgotten in these controversies is that the undocumented people who cross the border are human beings, not anonymous or inherently dangerous foreigners, who more often than not are fleeing poverty or violence propelled by corruption and drug wars.

Valenzuela addresses these issues in a spare and deeply moving exhibition that consists of two videos and four two-dimensional pieces on canvas or, in one instance, on drywall. The latter works  toner, acrylic and chalk in shades of gray  chart desolate, desert-like landscapes in which those who journey across them would be lost and hopeless. The barren nature of the geography, bisected by chalk lines with the rigidity of a map, seems to mirror the struggle for opportunity and the emptiness of possibility. The largest of these works, at 8-by-12 feet, was a collaboration between the artist and 100 U of M students over a three-day workshop; Valenzuela donated it to the gallery.

The most affecting of the videos is the black-and-white "Diamond Box," slightly longer than four minutes. Valenzuela interviewed workers waiting to pick up odd jobs in a Home Depot parking lot and asked them  paying them an hourly rate  to talk about their experiences crossing the border and with the border patrol. (The artist himself was an undocumented worker in the United States.) The camera focuses on the sad and weary faces of the men as their words scroll across the bottom of the screen.

Across the corridor  the Fogelman Galleries are divided into two large spaces  Garnica's "Infoxication" presents an entirely different aura than the stark display in "Frontiers." The term is a synonym for "information overload" but means not merely an inundation of data but the inability to make rational decisions because of the pervasive debilitating abundance. In the darkened gallery, the two "Mitote" pieces stand out in a glowing, pulsing pastel radiance, coral-like sea creatures. Composed of PVC, LED lights and concealed speakers, the various tubes issue constant murmurs that overlay one another, as if the viewer were at a party ("mitote " means noise, party or gossip) and subject to a relentless, confusing hubbub. The effect is much stronger at this almost subliminal level than if the speakers were blasting out barrages of decibels.

"Infoxication," a form of intoxication, I suppose, includes several other pieces and a striking video projected through bulbous glass towers that create shadows and reflections on the wall. Altogether, this exhibition and Valenzuela's "Frontiers," each existing at the boundaries of their concerns, create their own kind of brilliance and hypnotic beauty.
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By Ryan Poe of The Commercial Appeal

A man died in the hospital Monday after being shot at a convenience store in the Raleigh area, police said.

Officers were flagged down by a passerby at 8:53 a.m. about a shooting at 3906 Hawkins Mill Road near Spring Hill Elementary School. They found the victim, who was transported in critical condition to the Regional Medical Center and later pronounced dead.

The suspect reportedly knew the victim and fled the scene in a gray SUV, according to police. No one was in custody by late Monday.

Police did not release the name or age of the victim Monday.
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By Ryan Poe of The Commercial Appeal

A Memphis City Council ordinance to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana received a boost this week as both the Tennessee legislature's black caucus and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen endorsed the controversial proposal.

Meanwhile, Gov. Bill Haslam says he's "not a fan" of the decriminalization efforts in Memphis and Nashville, the state's two largest cities.

Both cities are considering similar ordinances giving police officers the option of issuing a $50 civil fine for possession of a half-ounce or less of marijuana. Possession of that amount is currently a misdemeanor under state law and could result in up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.

The Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators said in a statement this week the ordinances could be good for the cities and the communities.

"Statistics have shown that the impact of these low level drug offenses hits harder on poor and minority communities, saddling many with crippling criminal records and lessening their chances of employment, housing and other areas of life," stated the caucus, which is made up entirely of Democrats. "Costs to locals, states and municipalities are burdensome, law enforcement has less time to focus on more serious offenses, and courts are bogged down with the handling of minor infractions."

Cohen, a Memphis Democrat, said he backs the Memphis ordinance because it makes financial sense, but also because of the negative effect on the community.

"Most importantly, it would keep young people in this city, disproportionately African-Americans, from being subject to convictions that can affect their future or current employment and create a barrier to scholarship and housing opportunities," Cohen wrote in a letter to John Marek, head of the local chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).

"I hope you will pass this ordinance and put Memphis among the jurisdictions leading the way on criminal justice reform," he added.

NORML, the local chapter of the NAACP and criminal justice reform group Just City also recently announced their support of the Memphis ordinance.

But among the members of the opposition are the heads of the Memphis and Nashville police departments. In Memphis, Director Michael Rallings expressed concerns that the ordinance would create a loophole for drug dealers to exploit, and softening punishments for pot possession could spur use and exacerbate joblessness among the city's youth.

The Memphis council's Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee on Aug. 23 voted 5-2 to recommend the ordinance for final. The ordinance needs the support of seven of the council's 13 members to win approval.

Both ordinances are scheduled for preliminary votes Sept. 6, but the Memphis ordinance  proposed by council member Berlin Boyd  isn't scheduled for a final vote until Oct. 4.

In recent years, the Republican-led Tennessee legislature has intervened to overturn multiple policy decisions in Nashville, leading some to speculate that similar state action could be taken next year if Nashville or Memphis ultimately votes to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana.

Reporter Joey Garrison of The Tennessean contributed to this report.
June 29, 2016 - Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell attends a budget committee meeting and a special called meeting of the full commission to finalize and approve a county budget before the fiscal year ends on June. 30., in the commission chambers at the Vasco A. Smith Jr. Administration Building. (Mark Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

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By Linda A. Moore of The Commercial Appeal

Shelby County voters may get to decide on Nov. 8 if the County Commission should share in the responsibility of firing the county attorney.

On Monday, the commission passed on third and final reading a charter amendment making a commission vote necessary before the county attorney is dismissed.

However, county Mayor Mark Luttrell said he's not sure if he'll sign the legislation.

"I do think that there needs to be latitude on the part of the chief executive when it comes to replacing key staff," Luttrell said.

Under the current rules, the mayor appoints the county attorney and the commission approves the appointment, but dismissal lies solely with the mayor.

Some commissioners believe the dynamic presents an imbalance favoring the administration.

The county attorney serves the entire county in the same way the U.S. attorney general serves the nation, Luttrell said. He wanted the amendment to fail in commission but will consider letting the voters make the final decision.

The authors of the county charter envisioned a cooperative relationship between the legislative and executive branches of government but did not provide a cure when that doesn't occur, said Commissioner Heidi Shafer.

The problem was evident in the commission's inability to hire its own lawyer, Shafer said

"If we had our own staff this wouldn't need to be implemented," she said. "But because we don't have staff upon whom, in my experience, I've been able to get reliable answers that are not tailored in a way that's first shaped by the administration, then I'm not able to do my due diligence."

Luttrell denied his administration is involved in commission business.

"I have taken particular pains during my tenure as county mayor to not in any way influence the county attorney's office on the advice and counsel they give the County Commission," Luttrell said. "To indicate otherwise is somewhat out of line."

Luttrell could veto the ordinance, which would then require an override vote before the referendum is added to the Nov. 8 ballot.

The measure passed 9-3 with commissioners Steve Basar, George Chism and David Reaves voting no. Commissioner Mark Billingsley abstained.

The commission also approved, 13-0, a conditional-use permit allowing Standard Construction to expand its gravel-mining operation in North Shelby County.

The permit was opposed by some area residents who believed there was enough mining in the area. But commissioners noted Standard has been a good neighbor in that area and at another Standard site in Collierville.

An amendment to the resolution from Commissioner Reginald Milton requires Standard to provide the commission an update in two years.
SHARE A portrait of Frederick Douglass as it appears in the National Park Service collection. An expert there believes a copy of this portrait was given to Fisk University.

By Adam Tamburin, USA TODAY NETWORK  Tennessee

NASHVILLE  The towering portrait of noted abolitionist Frederick Douglass arrived at Fisk University to great fanfare.

A gift from W.E.B. Du Bois, one of the university's most famous graduates, the near life-size painting was cause for unfettered celebration when he made the donation in 1959. In a letter to Du Bois, then-President Stephen J. Wright was effusive in his thanks.

"It is certainly a magnificent portrait and I feel that we must unveil it with some kind of appropriate ceremony," Wright wrote in a Dec. 28, 1959, letter. "We are very grateful to you for this priceless gift."

But now, more than 50 years later, the prized portrait is gone.

Fisk's newest leaders say they are not sure what became of the decades-old gift. After an inquiry by The Tennessean newspaper, along with historic documents tracing the painting's journey from Du Bois' home in Brooklyn to Nashville, officials at Fisk said they are mounting an intense investigation to find the portrait.

"We welcome any information regarding this portrait as we continue our research that could be helpful in identifying the whereabouts of the Frederick Douglass painting," interim President Frank Sims said in a statement. "The university continues to work closely with our legal counsel to resolve this important matter."

Fisk's sudden push to pinpoint the whereabouts of the once-treasured painting came as welcome news to Lisa Struckmeyer, a historian who has been searching fruitlessly for answers for three years. Her quest began in 2013 while working as a seasonal ranger and tour guide at the Frederick Douglass home, a National Historic Site in Washington, D.C., run by the National Park Service.

She was hypnotized by a portrait  five feet tall, dated 1883  that hung over Douglass' desk in his library. In the painting, a gray-haired Douglass stood, eyes glowing, holding a baton.

"The painting is quite stunning," Struckmeyer said. "I always felt very privileged to be standing in front of it."

Overcome with curiosity, she set about studying the artist, Sarah James Eddy, and how the portrait came to be. Struckmeyer soon discovered that seemingly simple question was complicated by shadows of history.

Among her findings were two photographs that appeared to show the same painting in different conditions, and in different parts of the nation, but at roughly the same time.

One, taken in May 1960 by Fisk, showed university leaders standing by the newly unveiled and restored painting in Du Bois Hall. The other, taken in June 1964, according to records from the National Park Service, showed a strikingly similar painting with a discolored streak down the middle. That painting leaned against a wall in Frederick Douglass' house.

But there is no paper trail suggesting that the Fisk portrait was ever sent to Douglass' home, according to the National Park Service. And Fisk said there is no record that its painting was ever sold or sent to another institution.

Struckmeyer and the museum curator at the Frederick Douglass historic site determined the paintings could be distinct copies.

Historic accounts show Eddy made multiple copies of one of her other high-profile pieces: a well-known portrait of women's suffrage pioneer Susan B. Anthony. And when Struckmeyer conducted a video interview with U.S. Rep. John Lewis, the famed Fisk alum and civil rights leader recalled seeing the Douglass portrait in Du Bois Hall, which was a dormitory at the time, as late as 1963.

Struckmeyer undertook a dogged, yearslong search for the Douglass portrait given to Fisk, which she thought of as the missing partner of the painting she had admired in person.

Answers came quickly  at first.

Working alongside researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where a collection of Du Bois' letters are archived, Struckmeyer reviewed a trove of documents related to the painting.

There was a letter from Du Bois to Eddy in 1914 in which he asked for the painting, calling it "a most excellent and interesting work." He promised to rearrange furniture and hang it in a prominent spot "so that the world could have the advantage of it."

A photograph from around 1946 showed Du Bois at home standing in front of the portrait. In the photo, Du Bois, co-founder of the NAACP and a lifelong activist, matches Douglass' steady expression.

And in 1959, when Du Bois was 91, he made arrangements to donate the portrait to Fisk, his alma mater. An expert on Du Bois described the gift as a profound gesture to the institution where he first developed a racial identity, one that would shape the rest of his life and American history.

"Frederick Douglass is a symbol of not just freedom but the ability through speech and through oration to tell the story of African Americans" in a style Du Bois sought to emulate, said Whitney Battle-Baptiste, director of W.E.B. Du Bois Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. For Du Bois, "sending (the painting) back to Fisk University is important because Frederick Douglass in many ways embodies the ideas of freedom" that Du Bois cultivated there.

Du Bois had the portrait shipped to Fisk in December 1959, and asked the university to include an inscription noting that it was a gift from him and his daughter, also a Fisk graduate.

Fisk received the portrait and sent Du Bois a news release that university officials had written to trumpet the painting's arrival. The release, from May 1960, included the photograph of the top university leaders of the day beaming alongside the portrait in Du Bois Hall. A brief story ran in The Tennessean confirming the painting's placement and significance.

That is where the paper trail ends.

When Struckmeyer reached out to several leaders at Fisk, some of whom have since left the university, she said she was met with a mixture of surprise and silence. But no answers.

In a letter dated Feb. 14, 2014, which Struckmeyer shared with The Tennessean, former Fisk curator Victor D. Simmons thanked Struckmeyer for bringing the portrait "to our attention," indicating he was not aware of its existence before she reached out.

"As you know, Dr. Du Bois ... is our most celebrated graduate and his gift of the portrait (of) Douglass, the former slave and esteemed civil rights advocate, would represent an important cornerstone in our fine art collection," he wrote. "Be assured that we are working diligently to solve this mystery as we are determined to find out what became of the painting. We hope to have something of substance to report on the matter in the coming weeks."

Struckmeyer said she never heard back from Simmons.

Frustrated by unanswered emails and looming questions, Struckmeyer with some trepidation reached out to The Tennessean this year.

"I didn't want to bring bad press on Fisk at all," Struckmeyer said, a sentiment she echoed several times across multiple interviews.

She shared details of her search for the portrait and her communication with the university in hopes that the added publicity might help unravel the mystery. Her hope, she said, is that the painting is recovered and a new generation of Fisk students might come to appreciate a painting that had such an effect on her.

The potential of a long-lost Douglass portrait comes at an awkward time for Fisk, as leaders there are trying to ensure alumni and community members that they are good stewards of the university's sprawling and storied art collection.

Controversy rippled at Fisk earlier this summer when news broke that leaders there had subtly sold two valuable pieces of donated art in 2010. Critics blasted the move, saying that Fisk was wrong to cash in on donated artwork that was intended to be displayed on campus.

It's a criticism Fisk has weathered before.

Also in 2010, Fisk was enmeshed in an extensive legal battle to sell off its prized Alfred Stieglitz Collection, which was donated to the university by Georgia O'Keeffe in 1949. The university eventually agreed to a multimillion-dollar deal to share the collection with a museum in Arkansas.

The new revelation that another piece of donated art has disappeared without documentation will surely lead to another wave of bad press.

But an expert on university museums said problems like this are not unique to Fisk. Universities often find holes in their art collections, sometimes many years after the work went missing.

"It's not an anomaly," said Suzanne Hale, collections manager for the art museum at Colorado State University. "If I were coming in as a new collections manager I would be surprised if 100 percent of the collection was completely located, found and logged."

Hale said that universities often face an uphill battle because, in the past, the task of managing art collections often fell to people with other duties or with no training in museum work. The arrival of trained curators  and sophisticated management software  on campus is a relatively new national trend.

And when artwork is displayed outside of a museum, as the Douglass portrait was, it can easily be moved without anyone noticing. But Hale added that when pieces of art go missing, it is rarely due to malfeasance, but rather "lack of thought and lack of attention."

In a column published in The Tennessean this month, Sims, Fisk's interim president, said the university has taken steps in recent years to strengthen the oversight it brings to its art collections. He said a new curator, Jamaal Sheets, and a robust support team, coupled with a multimillion-dollar renovation of a campus gallery, showed Fisk's continued dedication to works of art.

Struckmeyer was quick to praise the work Fisk has done in recent years, and to stress that the lost painting isn't necessarily a reflection on Sims and the current leadership team. She figures the painting was lost long before today's top administrators arrived on campus.

"This happened, I'm guessing, so long ago that it shouldn't really reflect on the stories going on right now," she said. "I don't blame anyone today."

Her goal, she said, is not to rail against Fisk administrators, but to see Du Bois' wishes for the painting honored.

"I want it to find its way back to Fisk. I want it to hang in Du Bois Hall where he wanted it to be," she said. "I just want it found and brought back to life there."
Family members of Sister Paula Merrill hug each other during the memorial Mass for Merrill and Sister Margaret Held, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson, Miss. The two nuns were killed Thursday in their Durant, home. Hundreds of people filled the cathedral in Jackson on Monday to remember the two nuns who spent decades helping the needy. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

SHARE Rodney Earl Sanders of Kosciusko, Miss., leaves the Durant (Miss.) Municipal Building after an initial appearance in court Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. Sanders was charged with two counts of capital murder in the slayings of Sisters Margaret Held and Paula Merrill, both 68. The nuns, who were nurse practitioners, were found stabbed to death last week in their home. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

By Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss.  Hundreds of people filled a cathedral in Mississippi's capital city on Monday to remember two nuns who spent decades helping the needy and were found stabbed to death last week in their home in one of the poorest counties of the state.

Bail was denied during the initial court appearance for the man charged with two counts of capital murder in the slayings of Sisters Margaret Held and Paula Merrill, both 68. Rodney Earl Sanders, 46, of Kosciusko, Mississippi, was also charged with one count of burglary and one count of grand larceny. He was not represented by an attorney during his appearance Monday afternoon in Durant City Court. City Court Judge Jim Arnold said the state will appoint an attorney for Sanders.

Capital murder is punishable by execution or life in prison; the sisters' religious orders have issued a joint statement against the death penalty.

"We are going to consider the heinous nature of the crime and their wishes," District Attorney Akillie Malone-Oliver said Monday, referring to the families of the sisters and their religious orders.

Sanders confessed to the killings but gave no reason, said Holmes County Sheriff Willie March, who was briefed by Durant police and Mississippi Bureau of Investigation officials who took part in Sanders' interrogation. Sanders had been living about 15 miles east of the sisters' Durant home. He has been held at an undisclosed jail since his arrest late Friday.

Sander's wife attended the hearing and broke down afterward when addressing the family and friends of the nuns.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what to say to y'all. I'm so sorry ... I'm so sorry. I can't take this. Oh my God," Marie Sanders said.

Merrill and Held worked as nurse practitioners at Lexington Medical Clinic, about 10 miles west of Durant, where they often treated poor and uninsured patients with diabetes and other chronic conditions. Their bodies were found in their home after they failed to show up at work Thursday.

The clinic in Lexington 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 killings shocked people in the small communities where the women committed their lives to helping the poor.

Bishop Joseph Kopacz and more than 20 priests from the Diocese of Jackson celebrated a memorial Mass on Monday at the small but ornate Cathedral of St. Peter in downtown Jackson, about an hour's drive south of Durant. The front pews were filled by family members and sisters from Held's and Merrill's religious orders, the Kentucky-based Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and the School Sisters of St. Francis of Milwaukee.

The Rev. Greg Plata, who ministers at the church in Lexington, Mississippi, where Held and Merrill led Bible study, praised them for their lives of service. Plata also noted the joint statement against the death penalty released Sunday by the sisters' orders.

"Justice for a heinous crime demands punishment, but it does not demand revenge," Plata said.

On Sunday, more than 300 people attended a service at the church in Lexington.

Records from the Iowa Department of Corrections show Sanders was in prison from June 2004 to February 2011 on a conviction of second-degree robbery. Records show he also was in prison in Iowa from August 1999 to August 2002 on a conviction of theft, and from April to October 1996 for two counts of third-offense drunken driving.

Sanders was on probation after a prison term for a felony drunken-driving conviction in Mississippi last year, said Grace Simmons Fisher, a spokeswoman for the Mississippi Department of Corrections. He was also convicted of armed robbery in Holmes County, sentenced in 1986 and served six years.
June 2, 2014 - Local residents including Carol Smith (far left) and her granddaughter Megan Ammons, 9, walk past shops and restaurants along Collierville's town square. The square was recently named one of the country's best "Main Streets" by Parade Magazine. (Brandon Dill/Special to The Commercial Appeal)

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By Clay Bailey of The Commercial Appeal

Colliervilles Town Square provides a reminder of the areas character before suburban growth transformed it from a country town to a municipality of new businesses, chain restaurants and subdivisions.

That growth in the county's southeastern corner means new residents unaware of the squares background or, perhaps in a few cases, that the quaint business district even exists.

But what if more activities around the square stretched a little later into the night? What if there was a reason for customers to go to dinner then hang around for a post-meal drink or coffee? Perhaps a few more retailers catering to customers a little later. A push for nightlife on the square.

Well take a look at that possibility in Outside the Loop today.

Meanwhile, Krispy Kreme opens in Bartlett next month with one of those events where customers camp out in hopes of winning doughnuts for a year. (Sorry, 15 hours waiting for that return doesnt seem like a good investment of time to me).

Finally, Lakeland Middle Preparatory School got a bit of a traffic benefit this week with a land donation to create a turn lane on Canada Road.

COLLIERVILLE

A DIFFERENT SQUARE: The recent updates on possible restaurants and pubs moving onto the Collierville Town Square hopefully provides a look into the districts future.

The vision of enough such establishments ringing the old park and gazebo extending the hours of activity actually is a pretty nice thought, isnt it?

Recently, my wife and I had a Saturday night dinner just off the square. As dusk crept in, there wasnt much in the way of post-meal activities. Perhaps a walk around the square could have helped remove some of those calories. Or maybe a seat near the old depot on a warm night to just wait for the next freight train to rumble by accompanied by the flashing red lights and bells clanging at the crossings.

Collierville residents have long considered the square the towns iconic centerpiece and for good reason. Other suburbs have pined to have such a historic business district with the character of the square.

But as other cities have realized, such atmosphere cant just be created. Whether it is the design of the area or the Norfolk Southern Railway sliding along the southern edge of park-like setting, Collierville has a headstart on other suburbs considering such a look.

Old Germantown has some of its historic characteristics stretching from the railroad crossing and Germantown Road. Arlington has worked on its depot area and nearby properties around S.Y. Wilson and Co.

But Collierville benefits from the age of the area, the types of businesses, even the old gas station on the east side where the late Herman Wright Cox, the towns longtime mayor, conducted more business than at Town Hall.

On that recent Saturday night, a couple of boys sat on a swing at the station enjoying a summer evening.

The smattering of activity that night may have presented a bit of a glimpse into the future. A few new establishments drawing clientele after sundown could contribute to other businesses besides City Hall Cheesecake on one side of the square and Dixie Pickers and Dyers on the other, remaining open.

I dont want to act like this whole enhanced nightlife thing is my idea. Town leaders have considered the direction as part of its downtown plan. Watty Brooks Hall, owner of the Squares Brooks Collection gift store and a member of the Historic District Commission, promoted the idea 10 months ago in a story written by Collierville freelancer John Stamm.

Put some things here for nighttime activity and people will come, Hall said at the time. Its going to be a happening place.

Since those statements last October, new businesses have continued to evolve, including construction underway in a spot or two.

No one should envision something akin to Overton Square. The bulk of the clientele in the far east side isnt exactly prone to hanging out past midnight.

But some extra eateries and/or pubs might encourage other businesses on the square to stretch their closing time a little later making the Collierville Town Square even more of a nightlife destination.

BARTLETT

CAMPOUT; SUGAR HIGH: The long-discussed Krispy Kreme location on Stage Road in Bartlett has a scheduled grand opening Sept. 13. The doughnut shop is moving onto the old Pizza Hut location east of Bartlett Boulevard.

And as part of the celebration, the company is having one of those campout parties to draw attention to its new store. That includes a deal where the first 100 people to register, starting the previous afternoon, and hang around until the 6 a.m. opening get a punch card good for a dozen glaze doughnuts each month for a year.

Heck, if you are the very first person in line, you get a dozen doughnuts a week for a year.

There are some criteria those wanting the doughnuts must follow, such as staying in line and remaining on the store parking lot from the time they register until the store opens. In fact, there are a whole list of rules, AND a Release and Waiver form.

There are some other deals for those who stay, but Ill let you seek those out if you actually are interested in spending the night on a Bartlett parking lot for a dozen doughnuts.

LAKELAND

TURN LANE FOR LAKELAND PREP: The County Commission during its meeting Monday adopted a resolution accepting a donation from Rudolph Jones of 10-feet of shoulder along Canada Road to widen the road enough for a turn lane into the Lakeland School Systems new campus.

The wider road is necessary to accommodate the increased traffic on the current 40-foot wide road, which runs on the west side of the campus site.

The school, serving grades 5-8, is scheduled to open for the 2017-18 school year.
February 28, 2016 - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

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After the second Tuesday in November, "Repeal Obamacare!" will lose its utility as a battle cry in the political wars, and Republicans and Democrats will have an opportunity to perfect the Affordable Care Act.

It has become abundantly clear that the ACA has not reached its potential.

People who need private health insurance plans but don't qualify for ACA tax credits are getting hit with enormous premium increases. In Tennessee, the Department of Commerce and Insurance has approved average rate hikes for individual health insurance plans of 62 percent for BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, 46.3 percent for Cigna and 44.3 percent for Humana policies.

Tennessee is not alone in granting huge increases to keep state exchanges from collapsing as insurers threaten to bolt or, in fact, pull up stakes and leave some counties around the country without coverage.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has offered reforms that include the introduction of a private option among the plans offered through state exchanges.

Liberal commentators such as former Labor Secretary Robert Reich say a single-payer system financed by taxpayers is inevitable.

Sen. Lamar Alexander says to continue electing Republicans to Congress so they can "(give) states more flexibility to give individuals and their families options to purchase lower-cost private health insurance plans outside of Obamacare."

But Congress should not abandon the most important goal of President Obama's signature legislative achievement: making health insurance accessible to everyone, including those with pre-existing conditions.

Enrollment in Obamacare insurance exchanges has fallen far short of the initial forecast. Several major insurance companies have suffered financial losses that have prompted them to bail out of some of their markets. Unexpectedly high premiums and deductibles have driven some potential clients to pay the penalty for not enrolling rather than pick a policy and move on.

Price hikes have been particularly onerous for the 15 percent of Obamacare enrollees who do not qualify for the tax credit that makes health insurance possible for the other 85 percent.

But the ACA has brought 20 million Americans into the health insurance fold, reducing the number of uninsured Americans to 9.1 percent.

Which means that universal coverage is within reach.

Instead of repeating the repeal mantra, the leadership in Congress should address the root causes of the ACA's problems.

It must find ways to expand the risk pool, spreading the costs among a larger number of enrollees. For the ACA to be effective and fair, stronger incentives must be in place for participation by healthy individuals as well as those with chronic illnesses.

The unlimited freedom ACA gave pharmaceutical companies to charge whatever they please for prescriptions must be reversed.

The Nov. 8 election presents an opportunity for statesmanship over slogans, practical solutions over partisanship.

Congress and the new president must seize the chance to make America a healthier nation.
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By Francis Wilkinson

You can argue about when the contemporary era of white male reaction in U.S. politics began. But surely March 8, 1970, four days after National Guardsmen opened fire on students at Kent State University, deserves a hearing.

That day, a student protest in Manhattan against the shootings in Ohio was met by a counteroffensive  the "Hard Hat Riot." Dozens of construction workers organized, marched and clobbered the protesters, kicking them and beating them with hard hats in what the New York Times described as a "wild noontime melee."

The construction workers were sick of hippies, sick of leftists, sick of privileged college kids complaining about the war and the draft and the country. Some rioters branched off to Pace University, near City Hall, where they beat up more kids after having been pelted with objects hurled from the school's roof. Less than three weeks later, President Richard Nixon welcomed a delegation of hard hats to the White House.

The riot was extreme. But the combustible mix of resentments and prerogatives that it channeled has resurfaced time and again for a half-century. In the spring of 1995, months after a midterm election in which "angry white males" were credited with powering Republicans to a historic victory in Congress, President Bill Clinton said that it was a psychologically difficult moment "for a lot of white males  the so-called angry white male."

The angry white males who vexed Clinton in the 1990s were muted during the presidency of George W. Bush. But for some, the psychological adjustment to empowered women and a more diverse citizenry never did arrive. Under Bush's Democratic successor, the angry white guys promptly reappeared, recast as the tea party, to wage a culture war under the guise of a tax protest.

The flowering of Donald Trump's campaign this summer arguably represents the political peak of the angry white male. In Trump, the aggravated and aggrieved have a presidential candidate who speaks their language and openly validates their resentments. They also have a candidate at risk of a decisive defeat  one with the potential to dislodge the angry white male from the center of American politics.

Change is coming. A study by the union-backed Economic Policy Institute predicts that the American working class will be majority nonwhite by 2032  a decade earlier than the population as a whole. But with a disastrous, divisive showing in November, Trump could begin to usher the angry white male off center stage.

Democracy Corps, a project of Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg and consultant James Carville, both of whom are longtime students of white working-class voters, released a memo this week that is remarkably incautious about the 2016 election, stating that "America is about to experience a once-in-a-lifetime earthquake of an election."

Hillary Clinton is beginning to emerge with the kind of lead you would expect in a country where over 60 percent of the electorate will be racial minorities, single women, millennials and seculars, and where the positive sentiment about the Democratic Party is 9 points higher than for the Republicans.

If Greenberg and Carville prove to be correct, perhaps those white male voters can continue to dominate a few more midterm elections, when the electorate is older and whiter than during presidential years.

But in the event of a Trump fiasco in November, Republicans will be looking for answers to a demographic problem for which none of the answers is "white male." Even if the party freezes in place, incapable of making necessary changes, or fractures altogether, the result will be a diminished GOP, not a restoration of white male power.

And if the party finally begins diversifying its coalition, white males will have to learn to share the big tent. Trump's racially polarizing campaign, and celebration of crude machismo, will make that more difficult.

But no matter the course Republican politics takes, it's hard to see how angry white males can remain the party's abiding focus. Growing constituencies will need care and feeding. The half-century masculine scream that began with a hard-hat riot may finally begin to fade under the administration of the first woman president.

Francis Wilkinson is a columnist for Bloomberg View.
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By Noah Feldman

Wall Street Journal reporter Maria Abi-Habib made waves in journalistic circles last month after she posted on Facebook that Department of Homeland Security officials tried to seize her phones as she entered the U.S. at Los Angeles International Airport.

What was striking about her post was that Homeland Security's demand (which it eventually gave up) was probably lawful and certainly constitutional. Under established U.S. Supreme Court precedent, there is an exception to the Fourth Amendment privacy right when you are at the border entering or leaving the country.

Last week, a federal appeals court restated the near-absolute nature of that constitutional exception in the case of a teenager who got lost near the Canadian border on his way to summer camp and was directed by Homeland Security officials to enter a line of cars returning from Canada, even though he hadn't crossed the border. A dog sniffed marijuana in a backpack in the kid's trunk, and he was arrested. The court held that the search was permissible under the border exception  even though the dopey teen never actually left the country.

The broad border-exception doctrine is outdated  and either Congress or the Supreme Court should dial it back with respect to electronic devices. There is indeed a long-standing tradition that the government can search you and your belongings at the border to look for contraband. But in an era when electronic files cross borders constantly and instantaneously, it makes no sense to allow the government to search phones or computers at the border. The threat isn't only to journalists trying to protect sources. It's for anyone who cares about privacy of any kind.

According to the Supreme Court, the exception for border searches goes back all the way to the first Congress  the same one that approved the Bill of Rights that James Madison drafted. The court's reasoning was introduced in 1886, in a case called Boyd v. U.S. The court pointed out that Congress in July 1789, before it passed the Bill of Rights, it enacted a statute that allowed customs officers to search "any ship or vessel, in which they shall have reason to suspect any goods, wares or merchandise subject to duty shall be concealed."

The 1886 court concluded that "as this act was passed by the same Congress which proposed for adoption the original amendments to the Constitution, it is clear that the members of that body did not regard searches and seizures of this kind as 'unreasonable,' and they are not embraced within the prohibition of the (Fourth) Amendment."

Right away you can see that there's a flaw in using that logic to create an absolute exception to the Fourth Amendment in the contemporary electronic world. The original customs statute applied to something a customs officer has a good reason to search, namely goods on which duties are owed. It did not contemplate a blanket exemption for all searches. What's more, given that the law was passed before Madison pressed the Bill of Rights on Congress, it's doubtful whether it provides real evidence of what Congress thought about a warrant requirement it hadn't yet adopted.

Yet the Supreme Court has treated the constitutional exception as absolute. As recently as 1977, it said that such searches "are reasonable simply by virtue of the fact that they occur at the border." Of course, Homeland Security must have separate statutory authority to make the search. But so far no court has held that the department lacks the legal authority to search laptops or phones at the border.

The unlucky teenager case shows how far this exception now goes. Two judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit held that it didn't even matter that the kid hadn't left the country because "routine searches of vehicles at the border do not require a warrant or any level of suspicion regardless of whether the motorist intends to cross the border or has arrived at the border area inadvertently." The judges also pointed out that the government can search you when you're leaving the country, so it made no sense to limit the search to people who had actually left.

A third judge thought the exception should be interpreted more narrowly so as to exclude someone who never intended to leave the country and in fact did not. But even that judge admitted that this wasn't clearly established law.

The lesson from all this isn't just that you approach a border at your own risk. It's that major exceptions to our basic liberties should be interpreted narrowly, not broadly. Searching a reporter's phone or anyone's data isn't within the government's plausible set of purposes.

There are two ways to fix the problem. One is for Congress to pass a law that prohibits such border searches, as was proposed unsuccessfully in 2008 and 2009.

If Congress won't act, though, it's up to the Supreme Court to repair the damage it did in 1886 and 1977. It doesn't need to overturn its precedent, just narrow it to cover the circumstances that Congress actually had in mind in 1789, namely border searches for goods being shipped illegally or without duty. That doesn't include data. It would be a big improvement in constitutional doctrine  and civil liberties.

Noah Feldman, a Bloomberg View columnist, is a professor of constitutional and international law at Harvard.
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People living in Silicon Valley, including San Francisco and Oakland, have contributed some $31.2 million to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Donald Trump, in contrast, is getting pocket change.

Trump has raised just over $3 million from all of California, according to campaign finance data analyzed by the Center for Responsive Politics. The totals are based on contributions of more than $200 from individuals.

Trump's lag in California is striking in comparison to the 2012 presidential contest. Then the Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, raised $41.3 million overall in California, versus President Barack Obama's $62.8 million. Clinton has raised $76.4 million so far in California.

It is not surprising that Trump is doing poorly in Silicon Valley. In July, 150 Silicon Valley notables, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Vint Cerf, vice president and chief Internet evangelist at Google, called Trump a "disaster for innovation."

Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman, who backed Romney in 2012, now backs Clinton. She accused Trump of exploiting "xenophobia and racial division."

Trump's stances on immigration and trade have alienated him from many in tech, although there have been some exceptions. Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal, spoke at the recent Republican national convention, and is backing Trump. "It's time to end the era of stupid wars and rebuild our country," he said..

Clinton has pitched a $275 billion infrastructure spending plan to upgrade roads, rails, airports -- U.S. infrastructure generally. Trump says his infrastructure spending plan will reach about $500 billion.

Regardless of who wins the presidential race, if Congress approves an infrastructure spending plan of any significant amount, that may send a lot of money to Silicon Valley.

Infrastructure today now involves networking, sensor deployment, data analysis and analytics to monitor, predict and schedule. It would be a massive Internet of Things deployment.

Shawn McCarthy, an analyst at IDC, said generally -- not specific to any candidate -- that a boost in national infrastructure spending would have a "significant" impact from an IoT perspective.

"These sensors can measure things like traffic flow, temperature, vibration, movement of bridge parts and more. This collected information can be very valuable to government," said McCarthy.

"Not every piece of new infrastructure will be built with sensors and IoT in mind," said McCarthy. "But it's more likely that IoT will be part of the planning with new construction. Thus it's very likely that infrastructure spending will have an impact on government technology spending," he said.
New chips can be a reason to upgrade PCs. But does Intel's latest 7th Generation Core chip, code-named Kaby Lake, have enough bite to trigger replacements of old PCs?

Intel hopes so. The company is framing Kaby Lake PCs as go-to devices for productivity, virtual reality, and 4K gaming and video.

So far, Kaby Lake is off to a good start. About 100 laptops, 2-in-1s, and tablets with Kaby Lake installed will be available from PC makers by the end of this year.

On paper, Kaby Lake's launch comes at an inopportune time. PC shipments are slumping, the replacement cycle has slowed to six years, and consumers are instead using smartphones and phablets for computing. Many older PCs are powerful enough to run Windows 10.

Intel can't escape the overall decline in PC shipments, so it is focusing on the growing segments of 2-in-1s, gaming PCs, and virtual reality. It's also betting that Kaby Lake will aid in the revival of the PC, with the sudden emergence of VR.

Kaby Lake is faster and more power-efficient than its predecessor, called Skylake. It is also the first Intel PC chip with native 4K graphics support, and that feature is especially important to the company's fast-emerging virtual reality and mixed reality plans.

Intel may also have some surprises up its sleeve with Kaby Lake. There's a good chance that the Core processors make their way into an odd VR headset or two that need 4K graphics.

For potential buyers, it may be worth upgrading to a sleek hybrid laptop-tablet PC with Kaby Lake if your current laptop feels slow. The Kaby Lake CPUs are 12 to 19 percent faster than Skylake. Applications will run better, and battery life of laptops will improve.

Kaby Lake's graphics features stand out, with laptops able to play 4K video without the need for a discrete graphics card. Laptops will run continuously for 9.25 hours when running 4K video, said Chris Walker, vice president of Intel's Client Computing Group and general manager of Mobility Client Platforms.

You'll be able to stream 4K video from the internet, and casual 4K games will run smoothly. The 4K support will be included on chips from the lowest-powered 2-in-1 Core chips drawing 4.5 watts to the 15-watt chips for mainstream PCs.

The first batch of Kaby Lake chips will be targeted at Windows 10 PCs. There will be no Windows 7 PCs with Kaby Lake, Walker said.

For Windows 10 laptops, Intel is hyping the "Windows Hello" features, in which biometric authentication techniques can be used to log into PCs.

In January, Intel will release a new batch of heavy-hitting Kaby Lake PC chips that will service VR headsets like Oculus Rift, which are attached to high-end PCs. Those chips will also be targeted at gaming PCs.

Around that time, gamers should be able to get their hands on super-fast Intel SSDs called Optane, based on a groundbreaking 3D Xpoint technology.

Over time, Kaby Lake will be installed in Intel's thumb-sized Compute Sticks and mini-desktops called NUCs. The chip will support Chrome OS, Walker said, meaning Kaby Lake will also be available for Chromebooks.

Intel's PC future also includes VR and augmented reality headsets, though details on the chip strategy for those devices are grainy. The company doesn't make chips specifically for headsets, but some use PC-based, low-power Atom and Core chips.

At the recent Intel Developer Forum, Intel stunned the audience with its Project Alloy mixed reality headset. It included a Core chip code-named Skylake, and the device gave a subtle hint on the direction of Intel's PC chips.

To be certain, the Project Alloy headset was a prototype, and its specifications aren't finalized. But it raises a question: Will VR and AR headsets have Kaby Lake chips someday? Intel made no promises, but it's a possibility.

"Many of the power-performance attributes that 7th Generation [chips] have could be used in the future," Walker said.

Specifications for Alloy will be released later. Alloy will use Windows Holographic, and possibly other platforms, to run AR applications.

Intel's low-end Core Y processors, which consume 4.5 watts of power, could be used in headsets. They can handle 4K graphics, critical for VR headsets. The headsets won't match the experience of an Oculus Rift, but the performance should be good enough to stream movies from the internet.

Beyond content consumption, Kaby Lake PCs could be powerful content creation tools for VR and AR by using hardware-based 4K graphics encoding and decoding.

Kaby Lake is the third Intel PC chip made using the 14-nanometer process after Broadwell and Skylake. It broke the tradition of Intel making two PC chips per manufacturing process. Manufacturing problems forced Intel to add Kaby Lake to 14-nm and slow down its advance to the next-generation 10-nm manufacturing process.

Manufacturing issues or not, Intel plans to deliver a new PC chip each year. The successor to Kaby Lake will be the 10-nm chip code-named Cannonlake, slated for release in 2017.
Privacy groups in the U.S. have complained to the Federal Trade Commission that changes last week in WhatsApps terms and privacy policy break its previous promise that user data collected would not be used or disclosed for marketing purposes.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center and the Center for Digital Democracy have described the move as an unfair and deceptive trade practice, subject to an investigation and injunction by the FTC, in their complaint Monday.

WhatsApp said last week it will be sharing some account information of users with Facebook and its companies, including the mobile phone numbers they verified when they registered with WhatsApp. The sharing of information will enable users to see better friend suggestions and more relevant ads on Facebook, it added.

Messages, photos, and account information shared on the messaging app would not be shared on Facebook or any of the Facebook family of apps for others to see, WhatsApp said.

For Facebook, which paid US$22 billion for WhatsApp, the changes are an attempt by the social networking company to earn revenue from the platform.

The U.K. Information Commissioners Office on Friday also quoted the new commissioner Elizabeth Denham as saying that the changes WhatsApp and Facebook are making will affect a lot of people, and our role is to pull back the curtain on things like this, ensuring that companies are being transparent with the public about how their personal data is being shared, and protecting consumers by making sure the law is being followed.

Article 29 Working Party, a European Union body that represents 28 national data protection authorities, told the Wall Street Journal Monday that it was looking into the policy changes by WhatsApp with great vigilance.

WhatsApp complies with applicable laws. As always, we consider our obligations when designing updates like this, a WhatsApp spokesman said in an emailed statement.

The company that Facebook acquired some two years ago is likely to claim that it is not in violation of any promise made previously as it is giving users the choice to opt out of the new program.

Users are being prompted to tap to Agree to the updated terms of service and privacy policies. They can also opt out within 30 days on the account settings by unchecking the relevant box or toggling the control regarding sharing of account information.

If users opt out, the Facebook family of companies will still receive and use this information for other purposes such as improving infrastructure and delivery systems, understanding how our services or theirs are used, securing systems, and fighting spam, abuse, or infringement activities.

The privacy groups cite a promise by WhatsApp founder Jan Koum in a blog post in which he said that users of the messenger app could still count on absolutely no ads interrupting their communications after the Facebook acquisition. The complaint also cites a remark in 2014 by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a news report, in which he stated that we are absolutely not going to change plans around WhatsApp and the way it uses user data. WhatsApp is going to operate completely autonomously.

The groups have also pointed out that following a complaint in March 2014 on the consumer privacy implications of Facebooks acquisition of WhatsApp, the FTC sent a letter in this regard to both companies that WhatsApps privacy policy clearly states, among other things, that users information will not be used for advertising purposes or sold to a third party for commercial or marketing use without the users consent.

The letter further stated that Facebook has recently promised consumers that it would not change the way WhatsApp uses customer information.

FTC press releases and blog posts also require that WhatsApp and Facebook must obtain an opt-in consent from users prior to the proposed data transfer, according to the complaint. It states that a FTC release about the agreement had stated that the companies would have to obtain affirmative consent from consumers before making changes to how they use the data they have already collected.
The race by companies to develop autonomous cars is making rivals out of old friends as is evident from the exit of Alphabets senior executive David Drummond from the board of Uber Technologies.

Alphabet is an investor in Uber through its venture capital arm GV, and from all appearances will continue to stay so. But it had become increasingly evident that the ride-hailing companys efforts to build self-driving cars would put it in conflict with the aims of the Google Self-Driving Car Project, which has been one of the pioneers in the development of these autonomous vehicles.

On Monday, Alphabet said Drummond, its senior vice president for corporate development, had recently quit the board of Uber. GV will continue to be an investor in the ride-hailing company.

"I recently stepped down from Uber's board given the overlap between the two companies, Drummond said in a statement issued on Monday. GV remains an enthusiastic investor and Google will continue to partner with Uber, Drummond added. He wished Uber CEO Travis Kalanick all the best for the future.

The development comes ahead of tests of self-driving cars carrying ride-hailing passengers, planned by Uber later this month on the streets of Pittsburgh in the U.S. A number of car and component makers are developing technology for self-driving cars that they are targeting at ride-hailing companies, and there have been rumors that Google may also target this market.

Ford said this month that it intends to have a high-volume, fully autonomous vehicle in commercial operation in a ride hailing or sharing service by 2021. General Motors has also invested US$500 million in ride-hailing company Lyft in a deal that could see them jointly developing a network of on-demand autonomous cars. Earlier on Monday, The Information reported that Uber had shut out Drummond from attending board meetings, quoting three people briefed about the arrangement.

Google cars have self-driven over 1.5 million miles and are out on the streets of cities like Mountain View, California and Austin, Texas.
The White House today said it was worried that American taxpayers would pay for the European Union's decision to force Apple to pay more than $14 billion in back taxes.

"It's also possible that the kinds of payments that are contemplated by the EU decision today, at the end of the day, are merely a transfer of revenue from U.S. taxpayers to the EU," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest in a Tuesday press briefing. "That's the crux of our concerns about this [unilateral] approach."

If Apple was required to pay billions in back taxes to Ireland, it could then deduct those payments from what it owes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), either retroactively or in future returns. Those deductions, in turn, would reduce Apple's tax bill to the U.S. government, lowering the amount collected by the IRS.

Theoretically, that would mean U.S. taxpayers would have to make up the difference, or the government would simply have to go without those monies.

"The consequences for that transfer [are] that it could be treated in the U.S. tax system as a current tax payment that would allow, essentially, Apple to deduct that EU tax payment from their U.S. taxes," Earnest added as he answered a reporter's question. "That wouldn't be fair to U.S. taxpayers."

According to European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, Ireland -- an EU member -- must recover $14.5 billion (13 billion) in back taxes for the years 2003 to 2014. Ireland, however, has indicated it will appeal the ruling.

Apple has also said it plans to appeal. In the meantime, however, it will almost certainly be required to place a large amount -- Ireland was told by the EU to determine that amount -- in an escrow account.

Although Apple CEO Tim Cook didn't voice the same concerns as did the White House, he came close. "At its root, the Commission's case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes," Cook wrote in an open letter published on the firm's website. "It is about which government collects the money."
For what its worth, I share Nick Timothys deep concerns about involving the Chinese state in the construction of national infrastructure like Hinkley Point. Even if we were to forget that China is a dictatorship  and we ought not to  there are obvious risks to national security.

As Timothy pointed out last year, one of the state companies involved in the proposals, the Chinese National Nuclear Corporation, is a self-declared part of the Chinese security apparatus, which is obviously somewhat worrying. Those concerns have been intensified by the news that a senior employee of the Chinese General Nuclear Corporation (CGNC), the body which would own a stake in Hinkley Point, stands accused of nuclear espionage in the United States.

The risks therefore range from the possibility of opening our key national infrastructure up to spying right through to the risk that the Chinese government might be able to disrupt our power supply if it so wished  a fear raised by Malcolm Rifkind, who is not ordinarily given to conspiracy theories.

Taking such concerns seriously is simply a question of good sense on the part of the Government. China might never wish to harm us even if Hinkley gave it a route to do so  but that hardly seems like a risk worth taking. Really it would be bizarre if China did not take the opportunity to embed some spooks and some software loopholes into our energy grid if we offered them the chance. Even free and democratic allies still spy on one another; can we really say that we are entirely confident that a tyrannical power can be trusted with the keys to the nations switchbox?

Now that the Government has indeed placed Hinkley on hold, though, the question comes: what now?

Britain still needs new generating capacity in order to keep the lights on. While some argue that new nuclear is not required, the consensus in government still seems to be that it ought to be part of the mix  particularly given its benefits in terms of energy security and lack of carbon emissions.

If we dont take Chinese money to fund the extremely expensive process of constructing it, though, where is the cash going to come from? Might some sovereign wealth fund or other be tempted to invest, or could the money be raised on the open market? Any new investor would presumably have to accept a return lower than that EDF and the Chinese had planned for, if reports of Downing Streets misgivings about the cost of the contract are correct, which would make them hard to find.

Todays Daily Mail reports that a middle way is being explored in Whitehall by which EDF would still build Hinkley with Chinese money, but the CGNC would not then get the go-ahead to directly construct a new reactor in Essex. Apparently the hope is that this way we would still gain new nuclear capacity while minimising the security risks.

There is of course another option, lobbied for in some Conservative circles though distinctly at odds with recent Tory policy. What is the new Governments attitude to using taxpayers money (or, even more controversially, borrowing) to fund infrastructure projects, in the context of the as-yet unexplained industrial strategy?
Yes, a French Government could doubtless tear up the Le Touquet agreement, thereby effectively seeking to transfer our border from Calais to Dover  even though such a move would be in breach of the Dublin Regulation, which requires migrants usually to claim asylum in the first country they enter. But would it really do so?

After all, as Peter Ricketts, our former Ambassador to Paris, points out, allowing migrants seeking asylum in the UK to begin the process in France would invite the law of unintended consequences. Even more would be likely go to Calais to seek entry to Britain  which would only worsen the problems for the towns citizens that such a scheme would aim to solve. And many of those migrants refused permission to claim in Britain would, most likely, settle semi-permanently in the Jungle camp, thus deepening and widening local difficulties even further. In any event, the idea is surely a fantasy: the Government would not allow British border officials to participate in such a plan  which, by the way, has echoes of Donald Trumps fabled Mexican wall. Just as he wants America to build one and Mexico to pay for it, so the British taxpayer is presumably intended to fork out for this scheme.

None the less, it at least has the merit, from the point of view of local French politicians, of proposing that Something Be Done (even if that something is actually no more helpful to France than to Britain). This is presumably why Xavier Bertrand, the president of the Calais region, has championed it. It isnt clear whether Nicholas Sarkozy, who now says he also wants to end the agreement, supports the plan. But domestic politics is evidently the driver for him, too. Like Britain, France is failing to control immigration. Unlike Britain, however, it has suffered a series of recent bloody terrorist assaults, and is casting around for cure-alls, of which the risible burkini ban was one and the itch to end the agreement is another. Todays papers are hyping a meeting tomorrow between Amber Rudd and Bernard Cazeneuve, Frances interior Minister, but there is no suggestion that the French Government is seeking to resile from Le Touqet.

Britain and France are often cast as antagonists, but in at least one sense they are close partners. Security co-operation between the two countries, the possessors of the only significant armed forces in western Europe, is close and France wants it to be closer still. That matters in any discussions on border control, and will also matter after Article 50 is moved.

Which helps to make an important point: Brexit may not make any discussions on Le Touquet any easier, but France would still face the problem of the Jungle, a failure of integration even more stark than our own, and the threat of Islamist terror  plus the manoeuvering of its politicians in response to all three  even if the British people had voted Remain on June 23rd.
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Anti-union firestorm

As another firefighting season approaches, Victorian country firefighting services are deeply divided to the point of incidents of harassment of paid (career) firefighters in the street. Families are also feeling the impact of tensions that have been deliberately fostered by the Liberal Party and corporate media. The immediate targets of the attack are state and federal Labor and the militant United Firefighters Union (UFU) and its secretary Peter Marshall.

Hundreds of career firefighters marched on the steps of Victorian Parliament earlier this year.

The vehicle for the attack is the proposed enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) between the UFU and the Victorian Country Fire Authority (CFA) in Victoria.

The relationship between many volunteers and paid firefighters has been poisoned, creating a dangerous situation in a service which depends on trust and team work.

They have created unnecessary anxiety and stress for a political purpose, Marshall said of the federal government.

The tensions and divisions have created the climate for support amongst volunteer firefighters and rural communities for a completely unjustified federal intervention in a state EBA. This is in the form of the so-called Fair Work Amendment (Respect for Emergency Services Volunteers) Bill 2016 *.

Around 60,000 of the CFAs staff are volunteer firefighters and 1,200 paid or what are referred to as career firefighters. The CFA covers part of the metropolitan Melbourne and the rest of Victoria. The UFU has two enterprise agreements, one with its members in metropolitan Melbourne who are employed by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade and the other with the CFA.

Lies and more lies

The negotiations themselves were torrid enough with the CFA board and responsible Minister being replaced. The Liberal Party went to great lengths to vilify the UFU and the Andrews Labor government, spitting out lie after lie about the contents of the EBA.

Dummy websites were created, data was collected and funds were secretly directed to Liberal Party coffers under the guise of saving the CFA, said Peter Marshall referring to some of the dirty tricks.

Victorias fire services are not a political plaything. Victorians rightly expect career and volunteer firefighters to get back to work protecting them with the onset of another fire season, Marshall said in a press release.

Marshall said that the Victorian Fire Brigade Volunteers (VFBV) continues trying to divide career and volunteer firefighters and undermine morale by spreading misinformation and launching politically motivated legal action.

The VFBV represents volunteer firefighters and its leadership has played a critical role backing the Liberals in fostering deep and tense divisions amongst its members. Its leadership are conservatives and its vision is based on strong voluntarism.

Its little wonder that many volunteer Brigades have publicly stated that the VFBV does not speak for them. They just want to get on with the job of fighting fires and protecting their communities, Marshall noted.

A vote by operational firefighters on the proposed EBA is on hold until the outcome of a challenge to the EBA in the Supreme Court hearing is known. The case was initiated by volunteers and is set down for September 22.

Anti-union bill

Last week Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Employment Minister Michaelia Cash released the text of legislation to restrict the rights of the UFU and other unions with coverage in emergency services.

In a joint statement Cash and Turnbull said, The Victorian government is seeking to hand control of the CFAs volunteers to the United Firefighters Union (UFU) through a new enterprise agreement under the Fair Work Act.

The proposed CFA agreement includes a number of clauses that are clearly discriminatory against volunteers and provide the UFU with an unreasonable, unwarranted degree of control over volunteer operations, including a veto power over management decisions.

We will not stand by and let the discriminatory and offensive terms of this agreement undermine the effective use of the CFAs volunteer firefighters, Turnbull and Cash went on in their discriminatory and offensive vein.

The bill gives volunteers a voice by providing volunteer organisations the right to make submissions in Fair Work Commission agreement approval proceedings.

In other words, volunteer organisations such as the VFBV will have the power to intervene in hearings over the content of a unions EBA when they have no interest in the outcome. The VFBV boasts on its website that it was involved in the drawing up of the legislation.

Federal intervention

The VFBV claims that if the proposed UFU agreement was adopted under current Commonwealth industrial law, it would effectively allow industrial interference into the organisation, operation and support of CFA volunteers, and CFA decision-making affecting volunteers.

This is not true.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has stood firmly behind the UFU in its battle against the Coalition government and corporate media who continue to peddle lies and slander.

Consultation not a right

The aim, according to the federal government is to nullify enterprise agreements that watered down the capacity of state emergency service organisations to manage their volunteers and ensure emergency services volunteers are protected from union influence.

It does this by specifying provisions that would not be permitted in an EBA  what it calls objectionable emergency management terms.

These are provisions that have, or are likely to have, the effect of limiting an emergency services ability to:

engage or deploy its volunteers

provide support or equipment to those volunteers

manage its operations in relation to those volunteers.

The bill prohibits provisions requiring a state or territory emergency service to consult or reach agreement with a trade union or any other person or body before doing any of the above.

In other words it rules out a requirement for management to consult with the union when making what might be critical decisions such as the ratio of professional/career firefighters to volunteers, how volunteers are integrated, and so on.

As volunteers use the same vehicles and equipment as career firefighters, the legislation effectively rules out the right to consultation for career firefighters, as the outcomes of those negotiations impact on volunteers! Firefighters who use equipment, drive vehicles, undergo the latest training are in the best position to know what is required. Not management.

It is imperative to consult on certain operational matters such as on the big mistakes that were made during the Black Saturday fires in 2009 when 172 people lost their lives.

Or in the case of Fiskville CFA training centre which was contaminated by toxic carcinogens such as arsenic, lead, bacteria Pseudomonas Auruginosa and banned fire-fighting foams PFOS/PFOA. Generations of firefighters were poisoned, resulting in deaths, illness and deformities in their children.

Where is the concern for these firefighters and their families or the call for protection? The centre was only closed following the election of the Labor Andrews government despite the Liberal Party knowing of the dangers for decades.

Contrary to government and media claims, consultation does not equate to control or having power over decision-making. Any sensible management would want to consult!

Despite media and Liberal Party claims to the contrary, the clause that ensures that seven firefighters are dispatched to every fire does not mean volunteers cant fight fires until seven union members arrive. It means that anyone in a dangerous situation knows that qualified backup is on the way.

The bill constitutes a direct attack on emergency service workers in Victoria, who for years have been under siege by Coalition governments. It is important that the Andrews government is supporting the union.

It also sets a precedent in removing important provisions from EBAs, harking back to the days of the Howard governments allowable matters. If the government succeeds in passing the bill, then there will be no stopping the assault on unions.

Like unions in the construction industry, UFU members have been systematically and consistently vilified in the media.

The bill covers all emergency services where there is union representation and there are employees covered by the Fair Work Act, not just in Victoria. It excludes non-statutory organisations such as Life Saving Australia, St John Ambulance and the Australian Red Cross which have both volunteers and paid employees.

This week a volunteer and a professional firefighter have joined UFU secretary Marshall on a two-day mission to Canberra to lobby Senate crossbenchers ahead of the legislation being introduced to parliament.

It remains to be seen whether the EBA will be upheld or defeated by government legislation, the Supreme Court and a Constitutional challenge. The bill has to pass both Houses. The position of some Senators is undeclared, making it vital that the cross-benchers are lobbied hard and the pressure kept on Labor to oppose it.

Volunteer Andrew Tonkin, from the Geelong City Fire Brigade said he had come to Canberra to show unity with the professional firefighters.

We just want to get on with protecting the community, Tonkin said.

* The bill can be found on the Department of Employment website: https://docs.employment.gov.au/documents/fair-work-amendment-respect-emergency-services-volunteers-bill-2016
She Crab Soup photo by Charles Siskin Prawn Risotto photo by Charles Siskin Thai inspired Ocean's Five photo by Charles Siskin Previous Next

When it comes to dining would I compare Savannah to its cousin, Charleston, just up the road? No, because they each have their own personality just like my cousins who we dined with at an excellent restaurant, Chives, not far from our hotel. I had requested that we eat where the locals eat and while this restaurant is downtown it is not as well known as venerable and well established eateries such as the Olde Pink House and Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House.

However there was much to rave about at Chives including the waiter, who was totally attentive to our needs, and the food that more than met our expectations. Our young waiter would inquire after each course was consumed were we pleased? and we were. My favorite of the meal, and that was hard to decide, was the She Crab Soup which Ive always considered a Charleston tradition. The presentation nestled in the center of a clever soup dish (see picture) added a bit of drama to the presentation The soup itself while quite rich was as delicate as it was sublime. Because of its richness my wife and I shared to dish.



Also in the same family was the seafood stew billed on the menu as Oceans Five. I selected it as my entree. The dish reminded me somewhat of Cioppino, Californias answer to the well known French bouillabaisse. However the menu described it as Gang(misspelled should have been Gaeng) Phet Talay which is a Thai dish that boast a spicy curry broth. It sported glass noodles somewhere towards the bottom of the bowl that was thick with shell fish including clams which I never see on menus in my area along the Gulf Coast. My only complaint, the need for another plate or bowl for the clams and mussel shells and the shrimp tails.



My wife selected the Prawns with Risotto. Being gluten free is always an issue when ordering but in this case there were many menu options which made it fun and not so challenging. Here again there was some cross over in the presentation because the risotto was studded with edamames and shiitake mushrooms. Sort of like East meets Whole Foods.



My stew was not very spicy but did give off enough heat for me. There was much to brag about at Chives including the entrance of two extravagantly costumed young people who might have just stepped off the stage of some Victorian play. They slipped in quietly and sat at the bar reminding me that SCAD, Savannah School of the Arts, was close by as well.



Had we more time I would have enjoyed dining at Alligator Soul if for no other reason that I am intrigued by the name. I should note here that Alligator Soul also features gluten free/vegan food. If you do go the OYSTERS A LA SOUL are a must.



Again time was not on our side but next time well schedule an extra day so we can drive out to Tybee Island and dine at the Tybee Island Fish Camp. Set in an intimate 1950s cottage, this upscale Tybee Island haunt offers up inventive seafood preparations highlighting regional flavors and local ingredients.



The Fish Camp is the brain child of Tybee Island Social Club owners Kurtis Schumm and Sarah Lanier Schumm. The Fish Camp brings a more sophisticated presentation of local seafood than one might expect by the name, but least I remind our readers, we have Stinkys Fish Camp here in Santa Rosa Beach where locals and visitors alike are willing to wait hours for a table.



Keep in mind though if you make the drive out to the Island the restaurant does take reservations because they only have six tables inside but you can dine at the bar or outside on the patio. Heres a factoid about the owner/chef, Kurtis. He is from Crossville, Tn., and Meridith, who I bonded with via the phone, is from Sparta, Tn. We are totally six degrees of separation.



One more note, Food and Wine recently named Savannahs The Grey one of the countrys best new restaurants. The magazine also calls Savannahs restaurant scene a Southern Renaissance and a culinary destination. Move over Charleston your little cousin is all grown up.



IF YOU GO



Chive 4 W. Broughton Street 912-233-1748



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Editorial

The struggle for a better world

We make our own systems. People made capitalism and people can also replace it. We have all the resources and the skills to provide all the needs of the more than six billion inhabitants of this planet. We must take the next steps and construct our economic and social system so that the great wealth created benefits all.

For this purpose we must have a comprehensive economic, political and social program. The Communist Party has such a program which is relevant to the present period of history. Recognising that change is always with us, our program is also open to change to take into account developments in social and economic conditions.

A main element of Marxist theory is class struggle. In our society, at the present stage of history, this mainly involves the contest between those who are the principal owners of property and the means of production and, on the other hand, the working people.

Of course there are many other aspects and elements in the struggle for a better world. Religious organisations and orders also play a part. The Prophet Muhammad, for instance, was ordered to lead a movement grounded in ideological struggle against the social, political, and economic structure of the society he lived in.

The CPA states its views on the question of rights very clearly. We recognise that there are and will be many believers holding to different religions. We respect those who hold religious beliefs and accept their right to hold them.

We support the UN Declaration of Human Rights which says: Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change their religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest their religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. And again: All human beings are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

In pursuit of these principles we are strongly opposed to any discrimination or war that uses as its justification the superiority of one religion over another or the superior rights of those who practice one religion that presents itself as good against another which is branded as evil.

Good and evil is not to be found as between one religion and another or even between believers and non-believers. It is to be seen more starkly in the division between those who make themselves obscenely rich by exploiting the labour of others and those who demand a fair distribution of the wealth created.

The good and evil divide is also between countries striving for their independence and those who would subject them to colonialism. The new form of colonialism is called globalisation. We call it corporate globalisation or imperialism because an attempt is being made to fashion the whole world to the same pattern as that of corporate USA, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Australia and Japan. The leaders of the US call it The New World Order.

Both religious orders and communists have always stood for a better life, for the poor and the sick and the homeless. Perhaps our solutions are different  communists giving emphasis to the here and now which many religious people also do, while religions also hold out the hereafter.

A better life means such simple things as jobs, housing, access to medical services, education, and a stable society without wars. It means the tolerance and richness of a multicultural, multilingual society with diverse religious and other beliefs. It means a welcome mat for refugees rather than their incarceration in far-away concentration camps or on a prison island.

But we cannot change things substantially unless there is a new direction in politics, in economic and in power structures. Private enterprise has had hundreds of years to put things right. Capitalist representatives hold the power, have accumulated the wealth in their hands, have the technology, universities, think tanks  they even had the confidence and the trust of most of the people. Communist-led states and Muslim-led states also have this responsibility and each will be judged by its achievements.

We communists present both a political, economic and social program which offers a socialist way forward.

We are entitled to ask of any and every set of ideas  do they work, do they serve humanity?
Time to close abusive detention regime

More than 2,000 leaked incident reports from Australias detention centre regime for asylum seekers on the Pacific island of Nauru have revealed the extent of harm suffered by men, women and, overwhelmingly, children.

The reports compiled by staff working in the detention centres are horrific accounts of assaults, sexual assaults and self-harm that are commonplace in the detention centres run and financed by Australia. Reports include people ingesting chemicals, swallowing rocks, and one even describes a man trying to eat a sandwich full of screws.

Often the abuse is at the hands of Australian and Nauruan workers within the centre with young women being the target of unwanted sexual attention and violence.

More than half of the reports involve children, even though children made up only about 18 percent of those in detention on Nauru during the time covered by the reports, May 2013 to October 2015.

The Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection has stated that the reports are evidence of a robust reporting system, but to anyone who has worked in Nauru, like me, it is known that little will be done to assist these people or to follow up these claims.

Complaints go up the chain of the command until they reach Australias department of immigration where they are rarely resolved to the advantage of the asylum seeker. There is no independent authority in Nauru to take matters further.

People wanting to denounce practices in the centre have been threatened into silence. The Australian Border Force Act, which took effect on July 1, 2015, makes it a crime punishable by two years imprisonment for people working in the centres to discuss operational matters publicly. This includes social workers, guards, health professionals, educators; anyone contracted by the Australian government to perform services on behalf of the Department. I worked in Nauru from September 2012 to June 2013.

In that time, I documented the wilful abuse of people detained in the camps in my book, The Undesirables: Inside Nauru. The purpose of these camps is to treat people so awfully they will not come to Australia to seek protection and in order to do this you must destroy their dream of reaching freedom and safety.

I witnessed the destructive physical and mental conditions of detention, the demise of the human spirit, the intentional crushing of hope.

In the last few years, there have been countless official reports that have exposed abuses and recommended the closure of centres on Nauru and Manus Island. In November 2014, the Australian Human Rights Commissions National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention uncovered numerous reported incidents of assaults, sexual assaults and self-harm involving children; March 2015, an independent review by Philip Moss uncovered allegations of sexual abuse by staff in the detention centre in Nauru; August 2015, the Senate Select Committees final report into conditions at Nauru recommended the immediate release into the Australian community of all children and their families detained in Nauru and in onshore detention facilities; June 2016, an independent report titled Protection Denied, Abuse Condoned: Women at Risk on Nauru reported that women were being routinely abused, raped and doomed to spend the rest of their lives on a tiny island nation, often alongside the perpetrators; July 2016, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch researchers found that the Australian government has designed a system of deliberate abuse, in Nauru to deter people seeking safety who arrive by boat.

All of these reports were ignored by our politicians with the arrogance of historys most callous rulers.

The Nauru files have been no different. When faced with the overwhelming evidence of systemic abuse, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull shifted responsibility to the Nauruan government and police force; Immigration Minister Peter Dutton called it hype, accusing the victims (including a man who died after setting fire to himself) of falsifying claims in order to get to Australia; and former Immigration Minister Scott Morrison referred to them as allegations rather than facts and talked of invented complaints.

This is an all too familiar approach of shifting responsibility, doubting claims, and blaming victims. Yet these desperate people have no other way of being heard and the number of reports is almost certainly an under-estimate of the number of real cases, because many victims will be too young or too scared to complain.

In contrast, when faced with graphic videos of abuse of Indigenous children in Northern Territory detention centres weeks earlier, Turnbull immediately called for a Royal Commission. Refugee and asylum seeker children must sit too low on Turnbulls political vote pyramid to be cared about. Even lower than the all too frequently ignored plight of Indigenous children. For those imprisoned on the island of Nauru, having committed only the crime of asking our country for protection, there is no reprieve from the abuse.

The offshore detention regime is part of a deterrence policy which the Australian government calls a humanitarian attempt to save lives at sea. Since 2000, there have been 1,976 recorded deaths of people trying to come to Australia by boat from Indonesia (or less commonly from Sri Lanka).

However, at the same time as championing a humanitarian policy, Australian politicians have demonised asylum seekers, labelling them as queue-jumpers, illegals and criminals. Many see this bipolar public attitude towards people seeking asylum as a way of establishing the necessary cruelty of deterrence.

Despite the threat of offshore detention, boats have continued to arrive in Australian territorial waters. One of the recent boat arrivals, this time from Sri Lanka, made it to the nearby Cocos (Keeling) Islands in May this year.

Indeed, the only effective way to stop boats arriving in Australian waters has been to physically stop them and return them to their point of disembarkation, when it is safe to do so. A refusal policy rather than a deterrence policy. However, this policy has also been criticised for breaking a number of international laws. Detention as a deterrence has failed and yet the Australian government has persisted with the camps in Nauru and Manus Island.

As of June 30, 2016, 442 men, women and children are detained in the rudimentary detention camp where they are forced to live in tents. Since 2012, the Nauruan government established a refugee processing system and began to assess refugee protection claims; however, refugees are limited to settlement places in Nauru or Cambodia. The concept of being given protection in either of these countries would be laughable if it wasnt so frightening.

Many Australians have been left wondering what can be done to effect change. The United Nations special rapporteur on torture was scorned by former PM Tony Abbott when he raised concerns that Australias detention system was breaching the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

Abbott stated that Australians are, sick of being lectured to by the United Nations, showing a complete disregard for international law and expectations. When the President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Gillian Triggs, released her National Inquiry into Children in Detention, Abbott called the report a political stitch-up, accused Triggs of partisanship and actively sought her resignation.

Australias two-party system offers little in the way of hope. Offshore detention and deterrence is a bipartisan approach. Neither party offers asylum seekers or Australian voters an alternative to abuse. Both have been guilty of running the Nauru detention centre, both have been guilty of using demonising and misleading language to justify their actions and drum up suspicion towards undocumented arrivals.

Considering this toxic environment, is it any surprise that the 2016 Australian election saw the sorry resurgence of Pauline Hanson and the One Nation party to the Senate based on a racist campaign against Muslims?

Right-wing groups in Europe and America are beginning to see Australia as a shining example of how to cope with growing numbers of refugees. Xenophobia, isolationism, extreme nationalism, the closing of hearts and borders, are threats to the universal rights and freedoms established by the international community just over 60 years ago.

They are threats that we all must counter.

With that in mind, I call upon our allies, our friends across the globe, our regional neighbours; I call upon President Obama, Prime Minister Trudeau, Chancellor Merkel, Prime Minister Key and the New Zealand parliament, whoever it takes: tell our politicians to stop. Force them to stop.

When South Africa persisted through apartheid the world imposed economic sanctions upon them. Should we not be subjected to the same international restrictions? We are in the midst of a human rights tragedy but our politicians can only see the suffering of children through the prism of border protection and election cycles.

No other country in the world mandates the closed and indefinite detention of children seeking asylum, let alone condones their sexual assault.

I cannot imagine many people in the world can read the Nauru Files and its reports of sexual assaults on children and turn the blame back onto the victims, yet this happened in Australia.

It is time the international community demanded an end to the systemic abuse of children, championed and encouraged by our politicians.

New Internationalist
Colombia

We have peace

Ivan Marquez, head of the negotiating team of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-Peoples Army (FARC-EP) tweeted from Havana late on August 24: White smoke leaves from the conclave in Havana; Habemus Pacem (We have peace). He and his counterpart Humberto de la Calle, the lead negotiator for the Colombian government, had just signed a peace agreement ending 50 years of armed conflict.

Colombians celebrate peace agreement.

The accord, described by labour leader and political prisoner Hubert Ballesteros as the most important achievement on the American continent in years, capped four years of negotiations in the Cuban capital. The signing ceremony and the release of Joint Communique # 93, which summarised the final, comprehensive, and definitive agreement, took place in the presence of Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and representatives of the guarantor countries, Cuba and Norway.

Shortly thereafter Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced that a national plebiscite for endorsing the agreement, approved by Colombias Constitutional Court on July 15, will take place October 2. (The FARC-EP had previously called for a constituent assembly to do the endorsing.)

The agreement signed on August 24 represents final approval of preliminary agreements reached on six specific points of an agenda established before the formal talks began. They were:

Comprehensive rural reform, Political participation, An end to shooting and hostilities; giving up arms, Solution to the problem of illegal drugs, Victims, and, lastly, Mechanisms of implementation and verification. The third of these also provides the guerrillas with guarantees against paramilitary assaults.

The Joint Communique claimed implementation of the accords would help alleviate adverse effects of the war and, in line with FARC-EP expectations, address the historic causes of the conflict.

The document praised citizen participation as crucial to reaching the agreements that, together, led to the final accord. They dealt with womens rights, vulnerable social groups, small farmers, displaced persons, and LGBTI people.

Negotiators had spent 18 difficult months before being able on December 15, 2015 to celebrate their agreement on the victims issue. That they had successfully dealt with reparations, amnesty and punishment of combatants accused of crimes made it clear that a final agreement would eventually materialise.

There was fanfare also on June 23 when the negotiators announced agreement on their last agenda covering a ceasefire, giving up arms, and mechanisms for verification. On August 5 the two parties released protocols governing the process of disarming and verification, and also protecting civilians and monitoring personnel in the 23 zones where the former guerrillas would give up arms. Guidelines were issued covering the role of United Nations monitoring officials.

Controversy lingered over methods for choosing judges for the Special Peace Tribunal that, established under the agreement on Victims, would determine the fate of combatants accused of crimes. Then on August 12 negotiators announced plans for a high-level international committee to select them.

Observers unite in saying that the work of bringing peace to Colombia has barely begun. The campaign for a Yes vote in the plebiscite is gathering stream as the FARC-EP and supporters take their pedagogy for peace campaign to the Colombian people.

In his remarks August 24, Ivan Marquez indicated, We may be able to proclaim that war with arms is ending and debate over ideas is beginning ... The peace agreement is no point of arrival but is a point of departure so that a multi-ethnic and multicultural people, united under the flag of inclusion, may be the smithy and sculptor of the change and social transformation that most people are crying out for. He envisions the agreement as leading to a constituent assembly.

Theres major unfinished business. The other insurgency, the National Liberation Army (ELN), smaller than the FARC-EP, is still at war with the state. Simon Trinidad, FARC-EP leader and member of the insurgencys negotiating team, is still lodged in a super-max US federal prison, despite calls for his release. Some 9,500 political prisoners  opposition activists and prisoners of war  still languish in Colombian prisons. Paramilitary death squads still roam the country and nearly 250 municipalities ... are at risk of violence or fraud affecting the referendum on the peace agreement.

Nevertheless, an end to war is a monumental advance, especially in view of its toll on human survival and wellbeing. A congratulatory salute to the peace negotiators from the Colombia Solidarity Network summarises: 1,906 villages destroyed by massacres; 7 million displaced peasants; 280,000 civilians killed by all the armed actors together; the political genocide against the Union Patriotica Party formed by the FARC after a previous peace agreement; the suffering of the kidnapped victims; the false disappeared  civilians killed purposely by the Colombian Army in order to increase their body count; the more than 45,000 disappeared due to the conflict; the thousands of women raped and humiliated.

Peoples World
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You know, just in case.

Now think about what this is like for a 13-year-old, when you're already sure that everything you're doing is wrong and that everything is your fault. Sam became terrified that she would get prosecuted for lying to Polanksi (at the photo shoot, he creepily asked her if she'd had sex before, and she told him she'd done it twice, when in reality she'd only done it once with her boyfriend).

" was one of the worst, scariest things that I ever went through. My mom, my sister, my boyfriend, everyone got to go in ... to sit in front of 26 adults, and have to answer all those questions, and I worried that if they found out that I lied, then it's over for me ... it was a giant weight for me at that age."

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It would be one thing if it was all a matter of a stressful afternoon ... but the process took weeks. Weeks of stress, anticipation, and waking up every day to see the media trashing you and your family. Weeks of having to talk to countless middle-aged men in the police and legal system about sex and the panties she had been wearing. It wouldn't take much of that bullshit before you'd want to move on with your life.

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"They're sneaking me in and out of the court . It's an all-day thing, just sitting and waiting and waiting. From the minute the cops came, me from my mom, they wouldn't let her into the emergency room, they wouldn't let her into the grand jury room. Like, from the beginning, they thought she was telling me to lie. You're 13, you go in there all by yourself. It feels like you're under a spotlight. The chairs in the grand jury room, it's like . They keep talking about your panties, about where he touched you. It was worse than what happened, having to describe every minute detail to a roomful of strangers."
Community leaders interested in getting a firsthand perspective on health care from the physicians perspective are invited to apply for the 2016 Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society Mini-Internship Program. This years program will be Nov. 1-3.

Now in its second decade, the Mini-Internship Program is designed to expand perspectives on important health care issues for participating physicians and community representatives.

Participants will have the opportunity to observe a day in the life of a physician, including operations, emergencies and the relationship between physicians and their patients during office visits.

By inviting community leaders to observe patient care from the physicians perspective, we will emphasize the personal, patient-oriented side of medicine, said Glenn Newman, MD, President of the Medical Society. Participants will learn more about health care from the physicians vantage point, thereby gaining a broader understanding of the issues faced in national healthcare debates.

As an intern, participants will spend time with physicians from various specialties, accompanying them through office rounds and possibly surgery. The one-on-one format is designed to open the lines of communication and expand perspectives on important health care issues for participating physicians and community representatives alike.

The program begins with a short orientation and HIPAA privacy briefing at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 1, followed by four half-day observation sessions with different physicians on Nov. 2 and 3.

To apply for this program, contact Kevin Lusk at the Medical Society at 423 622-2872 or Kevin@chattmd.org.
Channel programs News

Dell Gets China Approval For EMC Acquisition, Sets Date To Close Deal

Matt Brown

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Dell has received anti-trust approval from Chinese government authorities and plans to close its landmark acquisition of data storage giant EMC Sept. 7, the company said.



The company said Tuesday that it would begin its life as Dell Technologies as soon as the transaction closes. Dell's holding company, Denali Holding, officially changed its name to Dell Technologies last week.



Mark McKeever, partner at Tempe, Ariz.-based solution provider and Dell Premier partner MicroAge, said solution providers have waited long enough for the $65 billion deal to reach its conclusion.



Related: Dell Unveils New Converged Infrastructure, Integrates VMware VSAN



"Let's get on with business," McKeever said. "It's something that a lot of the community is looking forward to, and we're ready to get on with it." McKeever said the question now is whether Dell can transition smoothly to life as a more than $70 billion global IT conglomerate.



"We expect material change in the Dell enterprise program, and in the EMC enterprise program, but I will take it on faith that they'll do a good job with it," McKeever said. "Dell has done an excellent job with everything they've done in the channel. They'll have to reconcile the cultures. They'll have a lot of EMC leadership in there, and if it goes well at the top, it should flow through and it should go well. We're rolling up our sleeves and pressing the flesh with EMC people. We're working those relationships."



The acquisition was unveiled last October with a target to close within a year. The deal gained anti-trust approval from U.S. and European regulators in short order, but China's Ministry of Commerce took its approval process almost to its last possible day.



August marks six months since Dell first applied for anti-trust approval from China's Ministry of Commerce. That process must be completed within a maximum of 180 days, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and only rarely takes that long. Most applications are approved within 30 days, and the vast majority are approved within 120 days, according to international law firm DLA Piper's "Practical Guide to Merger Control in China."



"Finally," said Michael Tanenhaus, CEO of Mavenspire, an Annapolis, Md.-based solution provider that works with Dell. "I'm still looking forward to the cross-sell opportunities, and looking forward to hearing the vision. The bottom line is that this has been a done deal for a while, and they've been waiting for it to actually be done. I've been waiting too, and it's good to have it done."



"Our business has seen multiple years of high double- and triple-digit growth on Dell enterprise products," Tanenhaus said. "That is a hugely accelerating marketplace. Having more tech to sell and integrate, and everyone really being focused on delivering cloud-like experiences, those things are done with stacks of hardware and software. I would assume growth."
Cloud News

Google Deepens Enterprise-Focused Alliance With Okta, One Of Its Preferred Technology Partners

Joseph Tsidulko

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Google has in the past abstained from recognizing its cloud technology partners with any preferential designations, but Tuesday, Okta, an identity management vendor, secured an endorsement directly from the Internet giant's cloud chief.

Diane Greene, the former VMware CEO who took the helm of Google's cloud business about nine months ago, delivered a keynote revealing an "expanded alliance" with Okta, one of Google's preferred partners for identity and access management, at Oktane 16, the company's user conference in Las Vegas.

The tighter collaboration, along with Greene's appearance at the event, signals a recognition that the shift from on-premise infrastructure to the cloud increasingly hinges on effective identity management controls, Frederic Kerrest, COO and a co-founder of Okta, told CRN.

[Related: Google Cloud Chief Diane Greene: 'We're Dead Serious About This Business']

That "preferred" designation came with a list released last November of Eight "Google For Work Recommended Cloud Apps." Okta won't be the last ISV on that list to have its status elevated, according to the Mountain View, Calif.-based Internet giant.

The shift to a more prescriptive relationship with partners is illustrative of Google expanding its cloud business, under Greene's stewardship, to enterprise customers that demand end-to-end solutions with best-of-breed ISVs, Kerrest told CRN.

"They traditionally have been all about providing a neutral ecosystem," he said. "That's one of the big changes over the nine months under Greene's leadership. To be more aggressive in the enterprise, you need to take a strong stance on the reference architecture you recommend, the solutions you suggest."

After eight years in business, Okta is a leading vendor of cloud-based identity management software to enterprises looking to implement tighter controls on how their networks are accessed by employees and external customers, partners and vendors. The San Francisco-based company was one of only three vendors (with Microsoft and Centrify being the others) in the Leaders category of Gartner's Identity and Access Management-as-a-Service Magic Quadrant for 2016.

Okta has launched a new product each year it's been in business, and now offers a range of solutions through the Okta Cloud Platform, from single sign-on to adaptive multifactor authentication, to SMS controls and software tokens for mobile devices, mobility management, provisioning and de-provisioning.

The company also has close relationships with Google's cloud rivalsOkta is a Microsoft Office 365 Gold Partner, and works closely with Amazon Web Services as well, which actually hosts its service.

But Google is the up-and-comer in the industry, Kerrest said.

Since Greene took charge of that business, "we've really seen an acceleration of their push into the enterprise," Kerrest told CRN. "Not only Apps [Software-as-a-Service], but across the Google Cloud Platform."

While most of the hundreds of Google-Okta joint customers primarily use Apps, Okta is seeing a pickup in business verifying users for Google Compute Engine and App Engine, he said.

The expanded alliance spans both tech integration, with joint development efforts and reference architectures, and the business relationship between the companies. The integration efforts will continue evolving, Kerrest said, with Okta adding functionality as GCP rolls out more advanced platforms in the future.

Through the partnership, Okta will be able to provide enterprises with a more flexible multicloud architecture, he told CRN.

Glenn Weinstein, chief information officer at Appirio, a Google Cloud Platform partner based in San Francisco, told CRN he believes Okta has emerged as the best of the new breed of cloud-based identity and access management solutions.

Appirio recommends Okta to its customers, and also uses the solution internally to protect its own systems, Weinstein told CRN via email.

"As a Google Premier Partner, Appirio stands behind the combination of Google for Work and Okta as the most secure and powerful approach for delivering cloud-based IT to employees and customers," he said.

Okta has always worked particularly well with Google from a technical standpoint, Weinstein told CRN, but the expanded partnership "is great news for our joint customers."
Internet of things News

Connected Conservation: Dimension Data Teams Up With Cisco On IoT Project To Protect Endangered Species

Lindsey O'Donnell

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Dimension Data, in collaboration with Cisco Systems, is doubling down on the Internet of Things by using sensor, networks and data analytics tools to protect endangered rhinoceroses in South Africa.

For solution providers, focusing on the "how" is critical to designing and implementing Internet of Things applications in these vertical markets, Grant Sainsbury, senior vice president of strategic services at Dimension Data Americas, told CRN.

"I see the Internet of Things as a significant driver for our business as we look for those applications for our clients," said Sainsbury. "As we come to the world of IoT, in this case it's not so much the why' but more the how' here, and what are we trying to do? It's the imagination around how to solve the problem."

[Related: IoT Checklist: 5 First Steps For Solution Providers Breaking Into The Internet of Things]

Dimension Data worked with Cisco to design and deploy the Connected Conservation project, which is aimed at protecting rhinoceroses in an unnamed private game reserve. The problem that such reserves face, said Sainsbury, is that many rhinoceroses are in danger of being poached for their horns. As part of the solution, Dimension Data decided to deploy IoT technology in the reserve, allowing officials to track and monitor individuals who enter and exit the reserve gates -- including potential poachers.

"Looking at what's different here, it's the creativity and the thinking you bring to the problem," he said. "We know it's the animals we want to protect, the inclination is the focus on the animal  but the switch in what we did was to focus on the people trying to get to the animal, and that gives us the time we need to react and make a difference to the outcome."

As part of the Internet of Things solution, Dimension Data first worked with Cisco to gather information from game rangers, security personnel and control center teams  and then create a secure Reserve Area Network and install Wi-Fi hotspots around key points in the reserve. The two companies also worked to incorporate drones with infrared cameras, thermal imaging, vehicle tracking sensors and seismic sensors on the network.

While Cisco created the plan to build an IT infrastructure, Dimension Data brought its range of remote networking monitoring capabilities, as well as managed services, to the table.

One challenge that Dimension Data faced while implementing this solution, an issue that many solution providers deal with, is working in a completely new environment to deploy technology.

"The challenge, which is what you find in many IoT environments, becomes the environment," said Sainsbury. "Where you see IoT being applied are generally places where IT is not well-suited for."

"We think about IoT being applied in manufacturing spaces and industries like that, here we're dealing with the African bush  which with heat, lightning and moisture is not great places for technology and connectivity," he said.

In the future, Dimension Data said its connected conservation technology can be replicated in other reserves in Africa to protect not only rhinoceroses, but other endangered species such as elephants and lions.

Dimension Data has been focusing heavily on the Internet of Things over the past few years.

"I see three components at the heart of an IoT solution  the presence of sensors being used, some kind of connectivity and data management," Sainsbury said.

In 2015, the company scored a contract with ASO, the owner of the Tour de France, to utilize Internet of Things technology to transform customer engagement experiences for the famous bike race. By placing tracking devices on bikes, the systems integrator could collect real-time data about each rider's position and speed, and deliver that data to fans on an application.

The channel has a significant opportunity in the Internet of Things space, said Sainsbury, because many channel companies like Dimension Data are client-oriented and industry-aware players.

"I think the IoT potential is unlimited," said Sainsbury. "Our clients are now getting insights to data they didn't know they could get access to."
Security News

CRN Exclusive: Trace3 Hires SIGMAnet Vet For Newly-Created VP Role As It Doubles Down on Security

Michael Novinson

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Trace3 landed a longtime SIGMAnet executive for its newly created role of vice president of security as the company targets cloud security, behavioral analytics and threat prevention.

The Irvine, Calif.-based company -- No. 54 on the CRN Solution Provider 500 -- brought in Tony Olzak, SIGMAnet's vice president of advanced technology solutions, to create the security operations center of the future by leveraging cognitive computing and machine learning to identify dangerous network patterns and respond to them in real time.

"We believe security could be the future of the company," Olzak told CRN. "It could become one of the core things we're known for."

[RELATED: CRN Exclusive: Trace3 Says It Tripled Profits By Embracing Big Data, IoT]

Trace3 will put more muscle behind its growing security practice with waves of new hires, Olzak said. Eight people will be hired as part of the first wave, Olzak said, including director-level positions in the security analytics and identity and access management (IAM) spaces as well as specialized delivery personnel focused on emerging areas.

"We have a ton of open headcount right now, and we're going to be aggressive in bringing on top-end talent to [build] out all of these different areas," Olzak said.

Trace3 today has more than 20 different engineers and 100 architects with experience crafting and selling security solutions, Olzak said. Trace3 plans to launch a security landing page on its website in roughly a month, he said.

Olzak spent nine years at Ontario, Calif.-based SIGMAnet, No. 115 on the CRN SP 500, rising to the rank of vice president of advanced technology solutions. Under Olzak, SIGMAnet's security practice was validated by Cisco naming the company as its security partner of the year two years in a row, he said.

Trace3's burgeoning security practice is looking to go far beyond selling a bunch of firewalls and has little interest in investing in legacy people, systems or ways of thinking, Olzak said. Instead, Olzak said Trace3 is seeking to craft an entire security strategy that pushes to where companies will be in five years around analytics, machine learning automated workloads and adaptive response.

"This is really Trace3 going all in," Olzak said. "It's really like swinging for the fences, or trying to punch a little higher."

Trace3's security behavioral analytics practice will be centered around identity and access management, Olzak said, while the company's comprehensive threat prevention will focus on proactive threat hunting through machine learning and cognitive computing. The overall strategic roadmap calls for integrating components, leveraging automation and making organizations better in a measurable way, he said.

The threat prevention platform will initially be built for larger customers, Olzak said, and then brought to smaller and mid-sized customers using a managed services model. Everything from new mobile devices and IoT sensors to big data feeds and layers of cloud software automation have increased the digital security risks for end users.

"The digital transformation has created a whole new set of challenges we haven't dealt with before," Olzak said.
Secure In The Knowledge

Accenture has been in the security business for about 15 years, selling IT protection solutions to clients alongside its other products and services. However, two months ago, the Dublin, Ireland-based channel giant took all of its security knowhow and brought it together, creating a new security business unit headed by former Deloitte executive and security expert, Kelly Bissell.

Recently, Accenture Security made its first acquisition in the Asia-Pacific region, buying Australia-based solution provider Redcore Inc. in order to boost its capabilities [for] securing Internet of Things technology and expand its business with the Australian federal government.

Following the acquisition, CRN sat down with Bissell to discuss how Accenture Security will use this latest acquisition to redefine how the market looks at IoT, how Bissell plans to make Accenture the best security solution provider in the world, and what effect he thinks the recent Shadow Brokers [hacking] incident will have on the market.
Two Chattanooga restaurants closed over the weekend.

They include the Fox and Hound near Hamilton Place Mall.

Another casualty was the World of Beer, which was near Chili's in the 400 block of Market Street downtown.

Both dining establishments had signs on their doors announcing that they were no longer in business.


R11 Travel is responsible for all Royal Caribbean brands cruise sales in Brazil as of this month. The company is owned and led by Ricardo Amaral, who served as regional vice president for Latin America and Brazil for Royal Caribbean since 2009.

With no ship deployed in South America for local passenger sourcing this coming season (the Celebrity Infinity will only call once in Rio during Carnival on her cruises between Valparaiso and Buenos Aires), Royal Caribbean changed its market strategy, Amaral explained, and is closing its Brazil office, while maintaining services for cruises sold before August 1.

With the Brazilian market shrinking from more than 900,000 passengers on local sailings a few years ago to an estimated 300,000 this coming season, Royal Caribbean has also been shifting its focus to more outbound passengers, according to Amaral.

He said that last year, 60 percent of the passengers on Royal Caribbean ships were outbound and 40 percent were on so-called cabotage cruises. Now, since we have no cabotage ship for the upcoming season, having its own office here and a fixed cost structure did not make sense for Royal Caribbean, he said. The exclusive distribution agreement with R11 Travel is a much more viable option for Royal and for me.

Citing political and economic turmoil, taxes and lack of infrastructure, Amaral said that for a global company like Royal Caribbean it makes more sense to invest in other growing markets instead. Royal Caribbean is not limited to use South America for its winter deployment.

He believes there is a huge outbound cruise potential considering all the Brazilians who have taken short cruises out of Brazil over the past few years.

R11 has already launched a new booking engine that Amaral said will allow for dynamic packaging and include air since all the sales our all outbound.

During the first two weeks of August, he said R11 had 50 percent more phone calls than forecasted, with 9,000 calls, and that bookings were up 35 percent in the first week and 27 percent the second week over last year.

Amaral said he thinks his outbound sales should reach 100,000 passengers a year and that the Royal Caribbean brands already dominate the outbound market with more than a 50 percent share and at very good per diems.

For the consumer there is no change; there has been a smooth and seamless transition. Consumers probably do not even know that there has been a distribution change; they keep buying cruises from travel agents or directly from our website.

Amaral is also in charge of the Latin American markets management, supporting Royal Caribbeans sales representatives in the other markets (outside of Brazil) with another company that he also owns, Aqua Travel and Tourism.

Amaral explained the name, R11 Travel: R is the only letter that is in all the names of the Royal Caribbean brands that we sell: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity, Azamara and Pullmantur. 11 is the area code for Sao Paulo where our first office is located.

Amaral has worked for Royal Caribbean for more than 17 years, starting out as an international sales representative in Brazil. He has also served as chairman of Abremar, the Brazilian cruise industry trade association.
DERBY - One of the Valleys most heavily traveled bridge will be closed for an entire weekend next month.

Motorists in Derby have a good idea which bridge it will be.

Yes, its the Route 34 bridge, formally known as the James Atwater Bridge, that has been under construction for more than a two and a half years.

The bridge was closed for a weekend back in April.

Now, the new closing will be from 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9 to 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 12.

But, there is some good news; theres light at the end of the tunnel.

The closure is necessary to facilitate the placement of concrete for final portions of the new bridge deck associated with the rehabilitation and widening of the bridge, carrying Route 34 (Main Street) over the Naugatuck River, DOT says.

DETOUR / LANE CLOSURE INFO

A detour will be in place utilizing Route 115 (Derby Avenue), Division Street in Ansonia to cross the Naugatuck River, Pershing Drive and Route 8. Detour signs will be posted and Derby and Ansonia Police will assist with traffic control. One lane will be provided for emergency vehicles and pedestrians only during the closures.

DOT Project No. 0036-0182 was awarded to Baier Construction Co. of Bloomfield, Connecticut at a cost of $8,865,000.50 on March 14, 2014, and is scheduled to be completed in November 2016.
An upcoming exhibition in the Museum Gallery of University Archives and Special Collections explores the creativity and workmanship of artists working in Mexico beginning in 800 B.C.E. and concluding in the 1990s.



Communal Spirit: 3,000 Years of Mexican Artistry incorporates diverse Pre-Columbian artifacts from both western and eastern Mexico, representing eight different indigenous civilizations. The 20th-century folk art presented features many of the same regions, inspiration, and creative techniques. Highlights include a Huastec female ball player ca. 100 B.C.E., a Veracruz flute from 600 A.D, celebrations of the Day of the Dead, and a marketplace scene with more than 100 clay figures, fruits, vegetables, and animals.



The exhibition, held at The University of the South, Sewanee, will open Sept. 6 and will continue through Dec. 16. Gallery hours are 1-5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.



Events planned include an opening talk and reception at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 26, with James Doyle, assistant curator, Art of the Ancient Americas at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

The talk will describe the role of artists in ancient Mexico from the earliest known societies to the sumptuous courtly arts of thriving city-states, such as those of the Maya and the Aztec. Mr. Doyle oversees the Metropolitan's collections from Mesoamerica and Central America. His specialty is the ancient Maya.



A curators talk with Stephen Vollmer will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6. Mr. Vollmer is the cultural advisor and archivist who participated in the creation of this folk art collection. He received undergraduate and graduate degrees in art history from La Universidad de las Americas, Mexico City and Puebla. Mr. Vollmer has held positions at the Tucson Museum of Art; El Consejo Cultural de La Universidad de las Americas, Puebla, Mexico; the El Paso Museum of Art; the Dallas Museum of Art; and the Witte Museum of the San Antonio Museum Association.



A Day of the Dead celebration will be held Nov. 1. More details about that event will be given closer to the date of event.
We have a difficult choice to make in November and much is at stake. Both candidates are less than perfect, but relationships matter and tell us much about them.

Ed Mezvinsky was a member of the House of Representatives from 1973 to 1977. He sat on the Judiciary Committee that decided the fate of Richard Nixon. He and the Clintons were friends and very politically intertwined for years.

He had an affair with NBC News reporter Marjorie Margolies and later married her after his wife divorced him.

In 1993, Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, then a freshman Democrat in Congress, cast the deciding vote that got President Bill Clintons controversial tax package through the House of Representatives. In March 2001, Mezvinsky was indicted and later pled guilty to 31 of 69 counts of bank, mail, and wire fraud.

Ed Mezvinsky embezzled over $10 million dollars from people via a Ponzi scheme and Nigerian e-mail scam. He was found guilty and was sentenced to 80 months in dederal prison, serving less than 5 years. To this day, he still owes $9.4 million dollars in restitution to his victims.

So what? Their son, Marc Mezvinsky, is married to Chelsea Clinton. Thats right - Ed Mezvinsky is Chelsea Clintons father-in-law.

Now Marc and Chelsea are in their early 30s and purchased a $10.5 million dollar NYC apartment. They were married in George Soros mansion. Chelsea Clinton earned $600,000 a year when working for NBC and now works for the Clinton Foundation and sits on many boards.

Is there a double standard in political reporting?

Steve Rowe

Stratford
Not too many people can say they spent their summer engaged with NASA, but Jared Compton of Pikeville did just that. As a student in the Global Scholars Honors Program at Chattanooga State Community College, Jared s interest was piqued when he received an email from GSP director Amanda Bennett about an opportunity for interested students. This opportunity called for community college students interested in exploring a STEM career at NASA to apply to become a NASA Community College Aerospace Scholar, shares Jared.



Jared actually had no idea what to expect but says he came away with so much knowledge from this opportunity. Seeking out information like what was presented in the course is something I do in my spare time, chuckles Jared, so to be put into a course where this information was structured and taught was captivating.



On schedule to earn his Associate of Applied Science degree in general engineering, with a concentration in electrical engineering in 2017, Jared freely admits that what he learned through NASA was mind-boggling. Jared discovered how NASA uses a myriad of spacecraft to study the Earth, listened to pastand present plans and efforts to send humans to Mars, and was in awe to learn that much of NASA research has been so integrated into the world around us that you would be hard-pressed to go a day without using it in some form. Throughout the 5-week session, Jared connected with others who have similar interests and many professionals.



Jared provided an outstanding academic transcript, essay, and letter of recommendation. The online session ended August 3, and Jared has just been notified that he was selected as one of the top students who will take part in an exciting four-day onsite workshop at one of 10 space centers around the U.S. His workshop will be held at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Al., near the end of October.



He will work on a team project directed by NASA engineers; attend briefings by NASA engineers and scientists, tour NASA facilities, and explore career possibilities at NASA.



I am so grateful to have had this opportunity though the Global Scholars program, says Jared.



For more information about Global Scholars, contact Amanda Bennett at 423-697- 2577 or email

Amanda.bennett@chattanoogastate.edu.
These real PA creatures could become cryptids if we don't save them
Hamilton County Government will host the Inaugural Ceremony of Hamilton County Officials on Thursday, 9 a.m., in the Chattanooga Convention Center's Ballroom E.



Elected officials to be sworn in at the ceremony are Criminal Court Division II Judge Tom Greenholtz, Assessor of Property Marty Haynes, and School Board Members Rhonda Thurman, Kathy Lennon, Tiffanie Robinson, and Joe Wingate.
Check it out: Fun things to do this weekend in Lake County

entertainment
At least 20 full-time University of Memphis employees have applied to carry concealed guns on campus, according to U of M campus police services.

The 17 main campus employees and three from the Lambuth campus, in Jackson, Tennessee, are taking advantage of a state law, which passed in April and went into effect in July. The law allows full-time employees of public universities to carry a concealed gun, provided they have a Tennessee gun carry permit.

The law has received criticism from both students and faculty.

Susan ODonovan, associate professor of history and former Marine with expert badges in both pistols and rifles, said it takes a long time and lots of training to become proficient in firearms and is unhappy with what she described as lax requirements asked of the U of M employees.

I am horrified by this new law, she said. I am not comfortable knowing that any one of my fellow employees might be carrying a concealed weapon. The odds are very good that the person who brings a gun onto campus has no clue how to handle it or use it safely. That makes me very uneasy. I do not relish standing in line at Starbucks or running errands to the library wondering if I am about to become the next victim of ignorance or arrogance.

ODonovan said Marines must complete rigorous training before they can carry a gun and are often retested.

Guns are not toys, she said. They are not to be taken lightly. They can do an astonishing amount of damage in the blink of an eye. I know how hard and for how long a person has to train to obtain proficiency with firearms.

U of M senior Charles Uffelman, 22, thinks rigorous courses should be required.

Im not necessarily against teachers having guns on campus, the political science major said. But there should be extensive training, and I dont think it should be optional. It should last several weeks, possibly months.

Uffelman said he isnt against gun ownership. Raised on a farm in middle Tennessee, he grew up shooting guns and hunting. When he lived in a house near campus, he kept a pistol under his bed.

But he also understands the importance of firearm safety. He doesnt think campus employees should have guns unless they are experienced,well-trained and proven to be effective in action.

Some students are in favor of the new law. Kayla Sentell, 18, is beginning her college career at the U of M studying health and human performance.

I suppose I feel more safe knowing that if the situation presented itself that action needed to be taken; we could feel protected by our teachers, Sentell said.

In May, U of M president M. David Rudd sent an email after the law was passed by Tennessee legislature saying he did not think more weapons on campus would necessarily make the U of M safer. He also said the University of Memphis is one of the safest campuses in the nation, and this new law will jeopardize the high standards the U of M is seeking for students.

University of Memphis has laid out some regulations outside of the state law. Full-time employees enrolled in a class will not be able to carry weapons, and those with permission to carry on campus will be required to keep their handguns with them at all times.

Guns will not be allowed in stadiums, gymnasiums, offices of medical or mental health services, K-12 school buildings or childcare centers.

Weapons will continue to be banned from school-sponsored events, meetings regarding disciplinary matters and meetings regarding tenure.

Any employees hoping to carry concealed weapons must first meet with police services, where they will fill out a form.
The Erlanger schedule for September 4-10 includes family planning classes, weight management information, and diabetes education.



Erlanger offers online childbirth education class. The online class is an easy-to-understand interactive program that includes more than 70 videos, animated illustrations, downloadable PDF files, review quizzes and information specific to Erlanger East and Erlanger Baroness birthing services. By choosing the online childbirth program, participants will have access to all the information for six months. The cost for the courses is $25. Visit www.erlanger.org/classes to register for the online course.



For more information on the online childbirth program and other classes and events mentioned below, call Erlangers HealthLink at 423-778-LINK (5465), seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to midnight. HealthLink Plus is a free membership program open to adults 18 and older.





Monday, Sept. 5:



Bariatric Support Group



5:30-6:30 p.m.



Erlanger East (Gunbarrel Road)



Bariatric Support Group meetings are for individuals scheduled to have Bariatric surgery or who have already had weight loss surgery. Call Erlangers HealthLink at 423-778-2906 for more information.





Tuesday, Sept. 6:



Monogrammed Maternity



10 a.m.

11:30 a.m.

4 p.m.

5:30 p.m.



Erlanger East (Gunbarrel Road)



Monogrammed Maternity at Erlanger East Hospital provides a personalized approach to childbirth education and is tailored to each couples' unique needs. Registration is recommended around 36-weeks gestation; and is for patient's delivering at Erlanger East. This one-on-one session with our Prenatal Educator provides couples with the opportunity to privately discuss their personalized birth plan, begin the admission process for delivery, visit with a lactation consultant if needed for breastfeeding preparation, ask questions, and receive assistance in making those all important decisions that help make the birth experience less stressful and uniquely their own. A tour of Labor and Delivery is included. The session is available every Tuesday and Thursday. Space is limited. Registration is required. Registration fee is $40. Call Erlangers HealthLink at 423-778-LINK (5465) to register.



Breastfeeding



6:30-9 p.m.



Erlanger East Womens Services, Classroom A



This class is designed to help participants make an informed choice about breastfeeding. Learn breastfeeding basics, what to expect the first few weeks and special tips for success. Concerns about returning to work/school will also be discussed. This course is coordinated by a board-certified lactation consultant. Registration fee is $30. Call Erlangers HealthLink at 423-778-LINK (5465) to register.





Wednesday, Sept. 7:



Bariatric Surgery Seminar



6-8 p.m.



Erlanger East (Gunbarrel Road)



Area residents who are overweight and /or with health problems related to obesity are invited to learn more about the Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Center at Erlanger. It is a free seminar and registration is required. Call Erlangers HealthLink at 423-778-2906 to register. Visit Erlangers You Tube Channel at www.youtube.com/erlangerhealth and click The Weight Loss Program under Playlist to watch first-hand accounts from those who have gone through the program.



Living Well with Matter of Balance



10 a.m.-noon



Erlanger North



Matter of Balance is a free 8-week, evidenced-based program geared towards individuals 60 years of age or older. During the 8-weeks, individuals will work on increasing their activity level, flexibility, balance, and strength without the fear of falling. Anyone who is concerned about falls, has sustained a fall in the past, currently restricts activity because they fear falling should attend. The program will include group discussions, exercise training, videos, and more.





Thursday, Sept. 8:



Diabetes Education Class



1:30-4:30 p.m.



Erlanger Chattanooga Lifestyle Center



This class will explore ways to manage diabetes. Call 778-9400 for more information on physician referral and insurance reimbursement.



Monogrammed Maternity



10 a.m.

11:30 a.m.

4 p.m.



Erlanger East (Gunbarrel Road)



Monogrammed Maternity at Erlanger East Hospital provides a personalized approach to childbirth education and is tailored to each couples' unique needs. Registration is recommended around 36-weeks gestation; and is for patient's delivering at Erlanger East. This one-on-one session with our Prenatal Educator provides couples with the opportunity to privately discuss their personalized birth plan, begin the admission process for delivery, visit with a lactation consultant if needed for breastfeeding preparation, ask questions, and receive assistance in making those all important decisions that help make the birth experience less stressful and uniquely their own. A tour of Labor and Delivery is included. The session is available every Tuesday and Thursday. Space is limited. Registration is required. Registration fee is $40. Call Erlangers HealthLink at 423-778-LINK (5465) to register.





Friday, Sept. 9:

Cancer Support Group



10-11:30 a.m.



Ronald McDonald House



Have you or someone you know been touched by cancer? Erlanger Cancer Center and Pastoral Care services offers a cancer support group open to patients, family members and friends and offers education through self-care topics and support with discussions and fellowship. A cancer navigator and pastoral care representative will guide attendees through topics that include navigating through a cancer diagnosis, management of cancer treatment, emotional support and much more. For more information on the support group, call 423-778-5030.
Andy Haldane, the Bank of England's chief economist, said he doesn't feel wealthy - despite earning 182,000 a year

Some rich people bend over backwards to pretend that they are not well-off. Over the weekend, Andy Haldane, the Bank of England's chief economist, bared his soul in a newspaper interview.

Mr Haldane says he doesn't feel wealthy, despite earning a basic salary of 182,000 a year and having a prospective annual pension of 84,000. He has a house in Surrey, which cost 600,000 in 2002 and may now be worth twice as much, plus a holiday cottage in Kent.

I'd say Mr Haldane was very comfortably off  certainly in the top 1 per cent of the population  and would do well to accept that he is. Almost no one, though, would suggest he doesn't deserve his rewards. He is a senior employee of a very important institution.

Moreover, although many observers believe Mr Haldane's political sympathies lie on the Left, it can't be said he is one of those affluent socialists who goes around saying the rich should be taxed more. That is a speciality of prosperous politicians on the Left-wing of the Labour Party.

A few days ago, Jeremy Corbyn insisted he does not feel 'wealthy'. And yet the Labour leader has a salary of 137,000 a year, which is slightly more than five times the annual average wage of 26,500. He can also look forward to a gold-plated pension of almost 50,000 a year.

Mr Corbyn owns a house in Islington, North London, worth around 600,000. It may appear a relatively modest abode  many of us will have seen TV footage of a not infrequently grumpy Jeremy getting on his bike outside his home  but few people in this country are fortunate enough to own a property of this value.

The truth is that, by any yardstick, Mr Corbyn is well-off. He is almost in the top 1 per cent of the working population which earns more than 150,000 a year. Most people cannot even dream of an annual salary of 137,000, or a house worth 600,000.

A few days ago, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (pictured) insisted he does not feel 'wealthy' - despite earning a salary of 137,000

I don't begrudge him his wealth. As leader of Her Majesty's Opposition, at any rate for the time being, he surely deserves a decent whack. He has worked hard, and done well. Why shouldn't he enjoy the fruits of his success?

No, my complaint is only that he will not acknowledge what the rest of us can see  that he is, indeed, wealthy. There is, in fact, a huge gulf between Jeremy Corbyn and the vast majority of voters. He can't, or won't, accept this, because to do so would make a nonsense of much of what he has said throughout his political career as a leading light of the Hard Left.

Mr Corbyn has spent a lifetime attacking the wealthy, demanding that they should pay more tax, and whipping up envy and resentment against them. In Left-wing demonology, the rich are the enemy. Jeremy therefore cannot afford to admit he is one of them.

He is not necessarily the worst offender. For there are people on the Hard Left baying for the blood of the privileged who are even wealthier than Mr Corbyn, and relish the many benefits the capitalist system has to offer.

One such example is Seumas Milne, a Guardian journalist accused by his critics of harbouring Stalinist sympathies, who is the Labour leader's director of strategy and communications. This product of Winchester College (one of the grandest public schools) lives in a 2 million house in Richmond, South West London, which was bought without a mortgage.

Milne and his wife managed to avoid sending their two children to the local comprehensive, despatching them instead to high-performing grammar schools in defiance of the Left's antipathy towards all selective education.

In a way, Milne is small fry. A more authentic grade-A hypocrite was the Left-wing Labour MP Michael Meacher, who died last October after 45 years in the Commons. The probate office has just revealed that he left a fortune of 5.2 million, which was whittled down to 4.2 million once debts were settled.

Meacher once wrote in a book called Socialism With A Human Face that 'too many people have second homes or too-large homes for their needs'. And yet, with breath-taking inconsistency, he built up a large property portfolio which was the foundation of his wealth, including a house in the Cotswolds complete with a swimming pool.

He may well have been a nice man, and I certainly do not wish to speak ill of the recently dead. But there was a huge contradiction between his assaults on wealth accumulation, notably in the form of property, and the way he lived his life.

That he wished to deceive voters can scarcely be doubted. In 1990, he unsuccessfully sued the journalist Alan Watkins, who had described him as middle-class in an article for the Observer newspaper. Like Jeremy Corbyn (who grew up in a manor house and went to a private prep school), Meacher could not bear to be thought privileged or wealthy. But he most certainly was.

These Left-wing politicians I have mentioned are guilty of a pretty disgraceful deception. They tell people who have much less than they do themselves that wealth and possessions are inherently wrong, and attempt to stir up jealousy and ill-feeling.

An even more egregious case than Michael Meacher's was that of Mr Corbyn's hero, Tony Benn. (Meacher also worshipped Benn, and was described as his 'vicar on earth'.)

As it happens, I used rather to admire Benn myself, believing him to be a man of principle, though I didn't like most of his ideas. I knew that he had inherited a fortune, but thought he lived frugally, and got as close as is possible in this life to practising what he preached.

And yet, when he died, leaving an estate of some 5 million to his children, including his second son, the Labour MP Hilary Benn, it emerged that he had undertaken sophisticated tax planning so as to minimise his liability for death duties. What he did was perfectly legal. Most rich people doubtless do similar things before they die. The point is that Benn's actions were utterly at variance with his stated beliefs.

When Tony Benn died (pictured in the portrait) he left an estate of some 5 million to his children, including his second son, the Labour MP Hilary Benn (pictured)

Ed and David Miliband also participated in a completely legal piece of tax planning after their father, Ralph, a convinced Marxist, died in 1994. The two of them signed a 'deed of variation' with their mother, which gave them each a 20 per cent stake in the family house she continued to occupy, reducing the inheritance tax eventually payable on the estate.

One way and another, Ed Miliband  who, when fighting the last election, proudly announced he was 'bringing back socialism'  has been very astute with his property purchases, and now occupies a house in North London whose estimated value is 2.5 million, which places him in a tiny, highly privileged minority.

I'm pleased for him that he should live in such a house. I only wish he hadn't appeared to regard wealth accumulation with such disfavour, or shown himself such an inveterate critic of other people's legal tax avoidance.

Give me a socialist who lives as he urges others to live, and I will at least respect him. I'm sure there are exceptions, but the general pattern is that, once they get their hands on money, they set about stuffing their own pockets and working the system for all it's worth.
In 2003, the then French interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy hailed the Le Touquet treaty as a major step towards solving the migration crisis.

It saw the dismantling of the Sangatte camp outside Calais  to which thousands of migrants had gravitated in the hope of crossing into Britain  and allowed British officials to carry out border checks in France, turning back anyone without a legitimate right to enter the UK.

But while the treaty may have reduced legal immigration into Britain, an even greater flood of migrants  almost 10,000 at the last count  massed in the squalid Calais shanty town known as the Jungle.

Having failed to get into Britain legally, they try on a daily basis to slip across the Channel on ferries, trains or in the backs of lorries  often successfully.

In 2013, Nicolas Sarkozy (pictured) hailed the Le Touquet treaty as a major step towards solving the migration crisis

Alarmed by the growth of the Jungle, Mr Sarkozy and his colleagues in the Right-wing Republican party now want the Le Touquet agreement revoked.

In its place Xavier Bertrand, Republican president of the Pas de Calais region, proposes a 'hotspot' within France, where asylum claimants would make their applications to British officials.

If successful, they could travel straight to the UK. If not they would (in theory) be returned to their country of origin.

It is, of course, a ludicrous proposal. Such a hotspot would inevitably become a powerful magnet drawing yet more asylum seekers into France to try their luck at entering Britain.

And those who failed would surely end up living in a new generation of makeshift camps before joining the ranks of those trying to cross the Channel.

It would also be a bonanza for human rights lawyers, who would quickly bring the system grinding to a halt by launching endless appeals. And who would pay to house and feed the thousands of migrants while the asylum process dragged its way through the courts?

It's no coincidence that Mr Sarkozy  who would ultimately like to see the Jungle shifted to Kent  is attempting a political comeback.

But this transparent bid to blame Britain for France's lamentable failure to tackle its own migration problems is utterly irresponsible.

After recent Islamist terror atrocities, French politicians may want to appear robust on immigration but shouldn't they be trying to strengthen border controls rather than weakening them?

It's no coincidence that Mr Sarkozy  who would ultimately like to see the Jungle (pictured) shifted to Kent  is attempting a political comeback

Under the Dublin Convention  to which both Britain and France are signatories  refugees must claim asylum in the EU country where they first arrive. For France to ignore its obligations and simply try to pass the buck endangers the whole system.

For new Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who meets French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve today, this is an early test of her mettle. The signs from Whitehall are that she's ready for a fight.

The ending of the Le Touquet agreement would be a disaster for both Britain and France and bring chaos to the border between the two countries. That cannot be allowed to happen.

Bank chief's rebuke

Lord King's withering criticisms of the Remain campaign's scaremongering before the EU referendum represent an extraordinary attack on the integrity of former Chancellor George Osborne.

The former Bank of England governor said apocalyptic forecasts by Treasury officials  such as the prediction that Brexit would leave every UK household 4,300 a year worse off  were 'an insult to the intelligence', adding that Britain's prospects may be better outside the EU.

So where does this leave the reputation of Mark Carney  Lord King's successor as governor  a prominent cheerleader for Remain who enthusiastically endorsed Mr Osborne's doom-laden predictions?
A woman who suffers from prominent vitiligo has proudly posed naked for a photoshoot, in a celebration of her body.

Kannagi Shanbag, 26, from Auckland, New Zealand, developed the skin condition, which is characterised by patches of the skin losing its pigment, at the age of 16 and has lived with it for her adult life.

Ms Shanbag, who grew up in India before spending time in London and then settling in New Zealand, told Daily Mail Australia that developing vitiligo had changed her 'completely'.

Scroll down for video

A celebration: Kannagi Shanbag has proudly posed naked with her white patches on display to celebrate her body

Embracing her body: The 26-year-old said her vitiligo started with a small patch on her leg and face before spreading

'It first started as a small patch on my leg and on my face, on the right side of my chin,' she said. 'I went to a bunch of doctors and tried a bunch of different medical things, laser treatment, UV light, homeopathy, steroids, creams, some random home made things but it just kept spreading.'

By the time Ms Shanbag was in the 12th grade at school, her patches had drastically increased.

'It did affect me,' she said, revealing she had therapy at one point 'just so I could figure out stuff for myself'.

No fear: Canadian fashion model, Winnie Harlow, also has a prominent form of vitiligo and celebrates it

Real inspiration: Like Winnie, Ms Shanbag is now confident in herself

Ms Shanbag said she went from being part of a 'popular' group, to suddenly having her confidence knocked.

'Vitiligo has changed me completely,' she said. 'I have learnt be kind and humble towards people.'

At one point Ms Shanbag said she felt like she couldn't be who she was around people - especially boys.

Role model: Ms Shanbag has posed for her partner Parth, a photographer

Journey to acceptance: Ms Shanbag said she used to wear make-up to cover her patches

'I used to wear make-up to cover up the patches but once it grew there was no hiding all of it. I didn't wear skirts for a long long time because I thought people would judge,' she said, revealing that after the age of 18 the patches began spreading more rapidly.

Ms Shanbag said moving from India to the UK for a period of time helped her become more confident.

'People didn't stare as much as they do in India, also people in India can be kind of abrasive when they ask questions about my vitiligo. So I think London made a huge difference,' she said. 'I learnt when I was in London, that if I'm OK about who I am then people generally tend to be chilled as well.'

True confidence: Ms Shanbag said that spending time in the UK helped her to become more confident

Love your skin: Ms Shanbag's hands and feet are white, as is 40 per cent of her torso

Ms Shanbag met her partner Parth Mehta - a photographer who lived in the US - when he was visiting family in India. Now the couple has settled in New Zealand.

He loves my spots, he hates it when I wear make-up

'I met my partner in Bombay at a bar but we were friends for about six months and then I suppose things just grew,' Ms Shanbag said. 'He loves my spots, he hates it when I wear make up; "you don't need all that you are so beautiful", is what he says.'

Mr Mehta, who is two years Ms Shanbag's junior, has given her a diamond 'promise' ring to show his love. When he wanted to do some photographs to promote body confidence, Ms Shanbag, whose hands and feet are almost completely white, as is 40 per cent of her torso, offered to pose for a picture that 'shows it all'.

Big support: Ms Shanbag said her partner Parth, pictured, 'loves' her spots

Being brave: In spite of her confidence, Ms Shanbag admits she is always a 'bit' conscious of her skin

WHAT IS VITILIGO? Vitiligo is a disorder in which white patches of skin appear on parts of the body. It happens because the cells that make pigment in the skin are destroyed. The cause is not known, but it may run in families. For support, visit vitiligo.org.au Advertisement

She said the resulting photograph was a celebration of her body, but added; 'I'm always a bit conscious about my skin regardless of how brave I am. I still have that one per cent in me or a voice that says "why did I have to get the spots". But it was something I had been wanting to do so I could feel no restraint in terms of my inhibitions.'

Someone Ms Shanbag can relate to is Canadian fashion model Winnie Harlow - who also celebrates the white patches of her skin that are caused by vitiligo.

'A lot of women on Instagram credit her for their confidence,' Ms Shanbag said. 'I think she's amazing for making people aware about it... but for me, I started feeling that confidence a long time ago. I'm super proud of who am I am.'

Be proud: Ms Shanbag said she is 'super proud of how I am'

Ms Shanbag has the following advice for those who are less confident about the skin they are in.

'Go talk to someone that's objective, not your mum or sister because they will always love you but gain that from someone that doesn't know you and won't judge.
must be insecure about their own body

She also said the

The model said that it was a '

Simone Holtznagel has slammed 'the prude' who complained about her lingerie advertisement in a rant.

Bras N Things were forced to remove a 'vulgar' advertisement from a shop front at Westfield Doncaster, in Melbourne's east after a shopper complained it looked like an amateur porn film.

The 22-year-old hit back against the decision on Instagram, saying that the advertisement was not offensive at all.

'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!' she wrote.

'[It's a] tasteful, beautiful advertisement': Simone Holtznagel has hit back at the 'prudes' who complained about her Bras N Things ad

Online rant: The model suggested the complainant should watch some 'real porn' to be less uptight

She also implied that the complainant was just insecure about their own body and jealous of hers, suggesting they get some relief.

'Do not impress your insecurities on me, whether physical or sexual,' Holtznagel wrote. 'By saying my body, just comfortably being my body, is somehow "wrong" or "dirty" you are insulting and potentially damaging any woman who may identify with me.

'Keep your neuroses off my body and go watch some REAL porn, you might be less uptight.'

'I shall continue on in being fearlessly me': In her Instagram rant, the 22-year-old said that she was comfortable with her body and the ad

The 22-year-old uploaded the banned advertisement to her Instagram along with her rant.

'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

'Like a very amateur porn movie': The complaint objected to the models 'moving suggestively, gyrating'

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 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.
Viewers tuned in to Australia's Cheapest Weddings on Monday night to watch three couples share their how they created their dream weddings on a tight budget.

Of them, were Shaun and Desrae, from Barraba, New South Wales, who were planning their $6,000 wedding after 11 years together.

Their wedding day was dramatic, with the fireworks display setting off a large grass fire near the reception, the minister dropping the wedding rings and a large blackout occurring halfway through the reception.

But despite the obstacles, Shaun and Desrae wouldn't have had it any other way.

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Happy couple: Viewers tuned in to Australia's Cheapest Weddings on Monday night to watch Desrae and Shaun share their how they created their dream wedding on a tight budget

Not all smooth: Their wedding day was dramatic, with the fireworks display setting off a large grass fire near the reception (pictured) and a large blackout halfway through the reception

Happy: But despite the obstacles, Shaun and Desrae wouldn't have had it any other way

Earlier in the episode, viewers watched as the adoring couple turned their dreams into reality - budget cuts and all.

They visited the landfill for decorations, Shaun made rustic seats and furniture to cut costs and the pair got creative with all kinds of styling to keep it 'country chic' with minimal spending.

Desrae encountered her first issue when she received her wedding dress from China, after waiting for it for three months.

Not what she expected: Desrae encountered her first issue when she received her wedding dress from China, after waiting for it for three months

Easy fix: 'It was hideous, it was horrible,' Desrae said of the $200 dress - the bride choosing to splurge on a gown from town instead

'It was hideous, it was horrible,' Desrae said of the $200 dress - the bride choosing to splurge on a gown from town instead.

What wasn't mentioned was that Desrae then chose to donate the original dress to Angel Gowns Australia - a company that makes burial gowns for babies who die prematurely.

The couple also turned to family and friends to assist them as the church they had chosen to marry in had no electricity, no running water and no toilets.

Creative: They visited the landfill for decorations and Shaun made rustic seats and furniture to cut costs

Getting to work: The pair got creative with all kinds of styling to keep it 'country chic' with minimal spending

Out of town: The couple also turned to family and friends to assist them as the church they had chosen to marry in had no electricity, no running water and no toilets

To transform the venue, the local butcher helped them with mobile cooling, they were given mobile generators and they hired a Porta-loo for the day.

The pair also had to find a way to have their day photographed as this was hugely important to them.

As a wedding gift, their close friend and photographer, James Day, agreed to reduce his fee from $6,000 to $4,500 (75 per cent of the budget) so they could have their day captured in the most beautiful way possible.

Helping hand: To transform the venue, the local butcher helped them with mobile cooling, they were given mobile generators and they hired a Porta-loo for the day

Kind: As a wedding gift, their close friend and photographer, James Day, agreed to reduce his fee from $6,000 to $4,500 (75 per cent of the budget) so they could have their day captured in the most beautiful way possible

And it was - the wedding photos capturing the rustic decor and true joy of the smitten couple as they enjoyed their special day.

On the wedding night, the majority of the evening went well and while the generator ran out of fuel, a guest was able to use petrol from a nearby car to get it started again.

The fireworks display did set off a grass fire that began to spread very quickly, and while issues occurred with the water tank at first, fast-thinking guests were able to put the fire out relatively quickly.

The couple also announced their pregnancy to friends and family - a fitting conclusion to their dramatic, yet dream day.

Elaborate: The couple chose to have a fireworks display at the reception

Whoops! The fireworks display set off a grass fire that began to spread very quickly

Shaun and Desrae were thrilled with their wedding and were thrilled with how it all turned out - obstacles and all.

Prior to the show, James Day, from James Day Photography, was nervous about the wedding being shown as many things didn't go to plan.

'The day had plenty of drama... from the fireworks setting off a grass fire that took hold very quickly, to the minister dropping the rings... to the original wedding dress not fitting.. and even announcing a pregnancy at the end of the night! The cameramen from channel 7 were absolutely loving it!' He wrote on Facebook.

'Anyhow, I want to share with you all how I saw the wedding day. It was amazingly perfect in all ways in my eyes, as well as Desrae & Shaun's.

Minor issue: While issues occurred with the water tank at first, fast-thinking guests were able to put the fire out relatively quickly

No trouble: On the wedding night, the majority of the evening went well and while the generator ran out of fuel, a guest was able to use petrol from a nearby car to get it started again

'Dear channel 7, please be kind. My friends Desrae & Shaun are the kindest people I know.'

After viewing it, the photographer was happy with how the wedding came across, even though small elements were missing.

'I was a bit worried that the wedding would be not as elegant or polished as many others that I have captured. I should not have been concerned though, as this was one of the loveliest and most heartfelt weddings that I have ever attended,' he wrote on his blog.

Filled with joy: The couple also announced their pregnancy to their friends and family - a fitting conclusion to their dramatic, yet dream day

'It was amazingly perfect in all ways in my eyes': Prior to the show, James Day, from James Day Photography , was nervous about the wedding being shown as many things didn't go to plan

Touching: 'I should not have been concerned though, as this was one of the loveliest and most heartfelt weddings that I have ever attended,' he said

'In fact when the wedding ceremony ended, I was so overcome with emotion that I couldnt help but be the first person to give them a huge congratulatory hug!'

He also said that the dropping of the rings and the bushfire only 'added to the excitement and authenticity of the day.'

'Desrae and Shaun are an inspirational couple who focused on what was most important to them on their wedding day. They did not use their wedding day to show off to the world how successful they are, but instead kept true to their own values and the love that they have for each other,' he said.

'On their day, they chose to focus on the people that they loved and each other. Their frugal approach to their wedding day now allows them to focus on building their future and marriage with a bit more money in the bank.

True love: 'They didn't use their wedding day to show off to the world how successful they are, but instead kept true to their own values and the love that they have for each other,' he said

'Channel 7 may have featured them in a television show unfortunately titled 'Australias Cheapest Weddings' but the wedding and their marriage is anything but-it was authentic and real and focused on what was most important to the couple-their love for each other.'

The couple also hope to inspire people to marry on a budget and focus on the things that are important - in their case, the guests and photography.
When is fall color at its peak? It's the most often-asked question from people planning an autumn trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. With its wide range of elevations, the Smokies typically delivers one of the longest leaf seasons in the country. Fall colors appear first at the highest elevations in late September and work their way down over a five-week season.

Not only do the Smoky Mountains explode with beautiful color in the fall, the small town of Bryson City itself puts on a festive fall show, too!

Colorful fall flowers and scarecrows decorate the streets mixing with the beautiful fall foliage changes.

There are hayrides, a pumpkin patch and a corn maze, ghost stories and legends, harvest festivals, live music, and scenic roads and train rides to view the leaves.

25 Great Fall Events & Activities

Visit GreatSmokies.com/Fall-Smokies for a list of all events and festivals in the Bryson City area. Here are just a few:

 Leaf-looker trains & Peanuts Pumpkin Patch rides on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad

 2nd Annual Smoky Mountain Fly Fishing Festival

 Bryson City's 26th Annual Chili Cook Off & Fall Festival

 NOCtoberFest Great Pumpkin Pursuit on the Nantahala River

 Daily Ranger-led programs in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

 Corn maze, hayrides and pumpkin patch at Darnell Farms

Bryson City is one hour west of Asheville, two hours from Chattanooga, Knoxville and Greenville/Spartanburg, and three hours from Atlanta and Charlotte. To learn more visit:GreatSmokies.com.
She said Zara told her lawyer that they rejected her claims of copyright

Another big fashion giant has been accused of copying an indie designer, this time when it comes to lingerie.

Melbourne brand Hopeless Lingerie tweeted a picture on Tuesday of one of their designs side by side with an ASOS design.

The two lingerie sets are almost identical, featuring a triangle bralette and cut out briefs.

'Spot the difference @asos vs @hopelesslingerie. Shame on you @asos once again ripping off independent designers,' the indie company tweeted.

Copycats: Indie lingerie company has claimed that ASOS (left) has copied one of their original designs (right)

Public shaming: The Melbourne brand tweeted ASOS about the similarities saying they were 'ripping off' designers

'Here at ASOS HQ we take design infringements super seriously - we've passed this over to our legal team,' the ASOS Here To Help Twitter account responded.

However Hopeless Lingerie said that ASOS has infringed their copyright before and they got no resolution.

Despite the designs looking very similar, there are big differences in the price of the underwear.

Hopeless Lingerie sells their Darla knickers for AUD$95 and their Rosemary bralette for AUD$79. ASOS' Cally set, including the briefs and bralette, is costs AUD$57.

'ASOS take all design infringements very seriously, and as mentioned on social media this matter has been passed on to our legal team for review,' the company told Daily Mail in a statement.

Price difference: Hopeless Lingerie's styles cost significantly more than ASOS's

'It's pretty heartbreaking': The small company expressed thier frustrations on Instagram (above)

It's not the first time an indie designer has claimed a fast fashion chain has ripped them off.

Last month LA-based Tuesday Bassen claimed that worldwide chain Zara copied some of her designs without credit or compensation.

Ms Bassen , who has worked with brands like Urban Outfitters, Adidas, Nike and Hello Holiday, made the accusations via Twitter.

She also claimed that Zara told her they rejected her claims of copyright because she was an indie designer and that they were a large company with a large number of visitors a month to their websites.

Copy cats: Designer Tuesday Bassen (above) has accused chain store Zara of copying a number of her designs

Acussation: Ms Bassen posted a photo to Twitter showing pictures of her designs compared to ones made by Zara

The 27-year-old posted a photo showing a number of her designs next to Zara designs that she said came out after hers to show the similarities.

The artist's designs were for pins and iron on patches, with Zara's similar products all iron on patches.

Ms Bassen also posted a screenshot on Twitter of what she said was an email response from Zara to her lawyer, which said that they don't accept that she has a claim against them.

Established: Ms Bassen has previously worked with brands like Urban Outfitters, Nike and Adidas

'We reject your claims': The designer also posted a screenshot of what she claimed was Zara's response to her lawyer's email regarding the designs (above)

'We reject your claims here for reasons similar to those stated above: the lack of distinctiveness of your client's purported designs makes it very hard to see how a significant part of the population anywhere in the world would associate the signs with Tuesday Bassen,' the email read.

The email also acknowledged that there had been a number of complaints from people other than Ms Bassen, but that the number of complaints was small compared to the store's overall amount of customers and following.

'Please note that such [third party] notifications amount to a handful of complaints only...millions of users worldwide visit the respective websites monthly (Zara: 98,000.000 average monthly visits last year..)' it said.

Assessing options: Ms Bessen told Daily Mail she was 'disheartened' by Zara's response and was deciding what to do next

Ms Bassen told Daily Mail she became aware of the Zara designs over the course of 2016, when a number of her social media followers messaged her.

She said that she was disappointed with the response and weighing up her next move.

'I'm disheartened that they essentially replied with "it doesn't matter, because we're gigantic and you're little, so next to no one knows we even copied this"' Ms Bassen said.

It's not the first time Zara has been accused of copying other designers, from knocking off couture runway styles to allegedly plagarising smaller artists on Etsy.
The Princess also visited the Nuuk shelter, and spoke to residents there

While there, she met with adorable children dressed in national costume

On her first day, the Tasmanian-born Royal visited a children's centre

The focus of the conference in Greenalnd this year is on violence

Princess Mary is on a three-day trip to Greenland with the Mary Foundation

Between attending lectures by Professor Stephen Hawking in Copenhagen and appearing at festivals, art exhibitions and events in recent days, there isn't such a thing as a break for a hands-on princess like Crown Princess Mary.

And the 44-year-old Tasmanian-born Royal was straight back to business, after she touched down in Greenland on Monday for a busy three-day trip with the Mary Foundation.

The Princess's first port of call was a children's day care centre in Sikkersoq, where she met up with three local children - Malik, 4, Parnuuna, 4, and Tea, 2.

The adorable children greeted the Crown Princess in beautiful national costumes alongside the Mayor, Assi Chemnitz, and the head of the institution, Karoline Egede.

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Busy trip: Crown Princess Mary is in Greenland for a three-day trip with the Mary Foundation - the focus of the conference this year is violence

For the important occasion, the stylish Royal opted for a polo neck short-sleeved top, a checked A-line skirt, a cream statement necklace and her trademark stilettos.

Princess Mary wore her hair loose and flowing, before greeting more children and seeing how the pre-school works with the Mary Foundation Greenland's No Bullying Programme.

She later attended a meeting on gender equality, social affairs and justice, and also visited the Nuuk shelter where she spoke to residents and employees.

The focus of the conference this year is violence, and the aim is to strengthen the co-operation of different cultures.

According to the Mary Foundation, 62 per cent of adult women in Greenland have at some point been exposed to violence, which is why the Danish Royal's visit is so important.

On Tuesday, Princess Mary met with the minister of family, gender equality, social affairs and justice, Marta Lund Olsen, in a meeting with 200 professionals from Greenland on domestic violence.

Stylish turn: The Princess's first port of call was to a children's day care centre in Sikkersoq, where she met many children and greeted them personally - she later went to a shelter

The Mary Foundation has been a cause close to Princess Mary's heart since she first established it in September 2007.

Since she founded the project, which aims to improve lives compromised by environment, heredity, illness of other circumstances which can isolate or exclude people socially, the charitable Royal has received countless awards and plaudits for her extensive work.

Princess Mary has a jam-packed schedule for the remainder of her trip to Greenland, but a smile has stayed firmly on her face so far throughout.
Politicians have never looked so good, according to legions of Victoria viewers who've taken to Twitter to express their admiration for British actor Rufus Sewell.

With his brooding good looks and statesmen-like air, the 48-year-old star has been steaming up the glasses of the nation with his latest role as Lord Melbourne in ITV period drama Victoria.

Within minutes of the latest episode of the big-budget adaptation - about the famously fiery monarch's early life - airing, Sewell's fanbase quickly swelled.

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Westminster is looking pretty! Rufus Sewell has attracted plenty of admiration for his role as Lord Melbourne - mainly for his brooding good looks

100 per cent crushing: Viewers of the period drama were quick to show their appreciation of the twice-married British star on Twitter

As Sewell's Lord Melbourne helped Queen Victoria, played by Jenna Coleman, prepare for her coronation, attention on Twitter largely turned to the twice-married star's handsome looks.

@Parveen_Comms swooned: 'Rufus Sewell was born to play Lord Melbourne - he's perfect for the role. No wonder Victoria (and me) are falling in love with him.'

@greg_jenner added: 'Watching #Victoria. Rufus Sewell is the best-looking 58-year-old Prime Minister I've ever seen.'

@David_Oakes commented on the ratings...and then the potential crush, saying: 'A 30% share of last night's TV-viewing audience watched @ITVVictoria - FACT. And 100% of them are now crushing of Rufus Sewell - FACT.'

@ramsgatonian kept it simple: '#RufusSewell dead gorgeous' while @Minxy_Lydia penned: 'And like the rest of Twitter I think Rufus Sewell is terribly dashing #Victoria'

Chemistry: Sewell's Melbourne is supposed to be guiding Victoria towards her Coronation...but the young Queen can't help falling for Sewell's PM

'He's the best looking 58-year-old Prime Minister I've ever seen,' said one lovestruck fan

Watch out Poldark: With plenty of episodes left and the BBC's new serving of Poldark arriving next week, Sunday nights are looking pretty good

The third episode of the period drama, which first aired on ITV on Sunday evening, promises the arrival of Victoria's betrothed Albert, something which viewers enjoying the chemistry between Sewell and Coleman aren't too keen on.

@FrankieTansley1 wrote: 'Does anyone else not want Albert to come into the picture in #Victoria? I want gorgeous Rufus Sewell to win her heart!'

Television and Radio presenter Zoe Ball, clearly hooked on the show wrote: 'Ooooh the chemistry between Jenna Coleman & Rufus Sewell too too good @ITVVictoria top telly.'

Sheila Beard added: 'Rufus Sewell stole the show as Lord M, shame she fell for Albert.' and Morgan Jeffrey said: 'If anything, Rufus Sewell is a bit TOO good in Victoria. Don't want Albert to swoop in and ruin things. Damn your effortless charm Sewell.'

Much has been made of the fact that actress Jenna Coleman, 30, may just be too pretty to be taken seriously in the role of the famously dowdy-looking Queen Victoria - and it seems Sewell might well be a little more pleasing on the eye than former PM Lord Melbourne.

But this is telly! One viewer points out that Lord Melbourne wasn't quite as easy on the eye as Rufus Sewell's interpretation

Both actors in the lead roles have caused a stir over whether they're too good looking to play the historical characters

Jenna Coleman, 30, takes on the lead role in the 10-part drama...and is proving a hit with viewers so far

No wonder Victoria (and me) is falling in love with him, penned one fan of the show

@Calonyncuro2016 was among those pointing out that Mr Sewell's good looks may not be entirely accurate for the character of Melboure. She wrote: 'Sadly for the real #Victoria Lord Melbourne looked like this and not like Rufus Sewell.'

Historians disagree on how physically attractive the young queen was, but early photographs of her show her to have the typical Hanoverian features of large eyes and a weak chin, as well as a very severe centre-parted hairline.

Some early portraits around the time of her marriage show her as a pretty young woman but by the time of her death in 1901, she was notoriously overweight and wore 50-inch bloomers.

With Victoria currently smitten by Lord Melbourne, many fans are wishing Albert - her eventual husband - away

Romance rumours have already begun to swirl around Miss Coleman and her handsome co-star Tom Hughes, who plays the dashing Prince Albert but did not appear in Sunday's episode.

In a bid to get a head start in the ratings battle Victoria started ahead of Turner's return to the BBC as Ross Poldark next Sunday.

Victoria drew an average of 5.4million viewers during the hour and half episode, beating the BBC remake of Are You Being Served which attracted five million.
Queen Rania of Jordan has yet again proved why she's hailed as a style icon on the international stage in an elegant new portrait released to mark her 46th birthday - exclusively shared with Mail Online.

The royal, who is married to King Abdullah bin al-Hussein celebrates her birthday tomorrow and, as is customary, has released a photo diary from events during the past year.

The latest image shows the Queen looking relaxed but chic in a pink pussy bow blouse and black pencil skirt.

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Exclusive: Queen Rania of Jordan has released a new official portrait to mark her 46th birthday, showing her in an elegant ensemble of a pink pussy bow blouse and black pencil skirt

Queen Rania pictured on a visit to the National Committee for Human Resources Development and Jordan Volunteers last week

She allowed her hair to tumble over one shoulder in loose waves and stuck to her signature makeup look with nude lips and brown smokey eye makeup.

No doubt the Queen will take some time out of her busy schedule to celebrate with her family after a busy year which saw her take on more than 160 local engagements and field visits.

Last week she visited the National Committee for Human Resources Development and Jordan Volunteers, and she's made campaigning for education reform one of her top priorities in 2016 through her Queen Rania Teacher Academy.

The devoted mother-of-four also ensures that she makes plenty of time for family.

Queen Rania of Jordan with (left to right) Prince Hashem, 11, Princess Iman, 19, King Adbullah, Princess Salma, 15, and Prince Hussein, 21

Queen Rania with her Belgian counterpart Queen Mathilde during an official visit to the European country in May 2016

Her eldest son Prince Hussein, 21, graduated from Georgetown University in May and their daughter Iman, 19, also attends the same school.

Princess Salma, 15, and her brother Prince Hashem, 11, remain at home with their parents and the Queen has spoken in the past about how difficult it is when her children are away at school, and her excitement about having them home for breaks.

Speaking about Prince Hussein, she told People magazine last year: 'When he's home from college, there's just a whole different energy in the house.'

In May Queen Rania celebrated her country's 70th year of independence at Amman's Raghadan Palace, alongside her husband, Prince Hussein (left), Prince Hashem (second left) and Princess Salma (right)

Queen Rania meets Syrian refugees at the Kara Tepe camp in Lesbos in April 2016

However, her royal duties are certainly more than enough to keep the Queen occupied.

In May, she and the King visited Belgium where they were guests of Queen Mathilde and King Philippe.

Later that month, she celebrated her country's 70th year of independence at Amman's Raghadan Palace, alongside her husband, two sons and Princess Salma.

Queen Rania stunned in a white asymmetric skirt and feathered black top while attending the Women In The World Summit in London in October 2015

In April she paid a visit to the Greek island of Lesbos to highlight the plight of refugees.

The Middle Eastern royal is said to have asked to visit Kara Tepe, a model camp where hundreds of refugees have been given support.
She touched down in Indonesia just hours ago, but Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wasted no time in making herself at home with a quick change of outfit on Tuesday afternoon.

The Dutch royal, 45, is visiting the Southeast Asian country this week as part of her role as the UN secretary-general's special advocate for inclusive finance for development.

Quick change! Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wears a paisley jumpsuit as she attends a conference in Jakarta, Indonesia

All smiles! The Dutch royal is visiting the Southeast Asian country this week as part of her role as the UN secretary-general's special advocate for inclusive finance for development

Today she spoke at the FinTech Festival and Conference in the Indonesian capital, where she discussed the country's economic development.

Arriving at her first public engagement of the trip, she wore an eye-catching silk jumpsuit in a red and white paisley design.

Her silhouette was cinched in at the waist with an oversized belt, with the Queen adding a chic suede clutch which matched her suede heels.

Maxima wore her signature blonde locks loose and brushed into a side parting, adding a touch of glamour with a pair of red dangling earrings.

Maxima was speaking at the FinTech Festival and Conference in the Indonesian capital, where she discussed the country's economic development

The royal greets locals as she arrives at the conference. Maxima wore her signature blonde locks loose with a side-parting, adding a pair of red dangly earrings

Earlier in the day, the mother-of-three arrived at Jakarta Airport sporting a decidedly more pared-back look, in a long cardigan, blue slacks and ballet pumps.

On arriving at the FinTech conference, she was greeted by Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

The Queen was seen beaming as she greeted locals, before taking to the stage to give a talk. She also signed the guestbook as day one of her two-day trip drew to a close.

Nice to meet you: On arriving at the FinTech conference, she was greeted by Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (pictured)

The Queen was seen beaming as she greeted locals, before taking to the stage to give a talk (pictured)

Maxima married into the Dutch royal family in 2002, after meeting Prince Willem-Alexander - now King of the Netherlands - during the Seville Spring Fair three years earlier.

The couple are parents to Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane.

The Dutch Queen was first handed her role of Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance in 2009 by Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon

Maxima, pictured alongside Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, signs the guest book

Maxima, who is also the Honorary Patron of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion, has been tasked with raising awareness of the benefits of financial systems that also help the poor.

In practice, this means improving access to savings, insurance and credit - all of which are particularly important in countries where famine and rising food prices can hit the poorest hard and, in the worst cases, lead to starvation and malnutrition.
Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden have thanked attendees of their youngest's christening by sending out adorable greetings cards.

Each of the thank you cards features two photos of young Prince Oscar who was born in March this year.

On the face of the card Oscar can be seen smiling up at his older sister Princess Estelle who looks in on her brother in a bassinet.

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Crown Princess Victoria and husband Prince Daniel have sent out thank you cards to attendees of Prince Oscar's christening featuring a photo of the prince and his sister Estelle

In the inset of the card there is a second image of the five-month-old in his christening gown staring at the camera.

The photos are accompanied by a message from Victoria and Daniel followed by their signatures.

Written in Swedish the message roughly translates to: 'Many thanks for all the good wishes and lovely gifts we have received in connection with Prince Oscar's baptism.'

Written in Swedish the message inside roughly translates to: 'Many thanks for all the good wishes and lovely gifts we have received in connection with Prince Oscar's baptism'

On the inset of the card there is another photograph of the Prince wearing his christening gown and looking into the camera

The prince - whose full name is Oscar Carl Olaf - was christened in May this year, two and a half months after his birth.

He wore a traditional christening gown as he was christened in the Royal Chapel in Stockholm.

Guests who attended and can expect a thank you card included Estelle and Oscar's aunt and uncle Princess Madeleine and her husband Christopher O'Neill. The children's grandparents, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, were also present.

Prince Oscar was christened in May this year at the Royal Chapel in Stockholm. Pictured: Victoria with her youngest at the christening

Prince Carl Phillip of Sweden was accompanied by his wife Princess Sofia for the ceremony. However, absent from the proceedings was their newborn son Prince Alexander who was born just a month earlier.

The service was conducted by archbishop Antje Jackelen, and assisted by bishop Johan Dalman and chaplain Michael Bjerkhagen.

He is third in line to the throne after his mother and 4-year-old sister, Princess Estelle.

Prince Oscar is Victoria and Daniel's second child and he is third in line to the throne. Pictured: The proud parents with Oscar's grandparents King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia

In 1980, Sweden changed its constitution to allow the eldest heir to inherit the throne, regardless of gender. Before that, female heirs were excluded.

Victoria's father, Carl XVI Gustaf, has been king since 1973. The Swedish royal family's duties are ceremonial.

Oscar was born on March 2 weighing just over 8lbs at the Karolinska University Hospital in the Swedish capital of Stockholm.

His proud father Prince Daniel was seen crying tears of joy as he announced his son's birth to the press, adding that they had kept the sex of their new arrival a surprise until he was born.

Everyone is obviously very happy,' Prince Daniel said, according to Expressen. I havent had time to feel yet how it feels to be a father of two, but it obviously feels good.
Worker lifted lid on tricks of the trade, revealing the chicken 'stinks'

Anonymous UK shift manager told Reddit users to 'ask me anything'

Subway has gained legions of fans for its affordable submarine sandwiches and huge range of fillings.

But now an anonymous employee is claiming to reveal the tricks of the fast food empire's trade - and it will make you look at the chain's chicken sandwiches in a whole new light.

From how to order a 14-inch sub, to the chicken which 'stinks when it comes out the bag', the alleged shift manager at a UK franchise store took to Reddit to expose the the store's 'dirty little secrets'.

An anonymous employee has revealed the tricks of the fast food empire's trade, from how to order a 14-inch sub, to the chicken which 'stinks when it comes out the bag'

The anonymous UK manager instructed users to 'ask me anything Subway related'

Kicking off proceedings, the 'manager' instructed users to 'ask me anything Subway related', making clear that they were not speaking on behalf of his employer.

Mistakescostextra then asked: 'Which items would you recommend one avoid and which would you say are highest quality/safest/best prepared?'

Using the name SubwayworkerUK, the anonymous worker told them to avoid chipotle chicken and teriyaki chicken, and said steak is often the freshest filling.

He wrote: 'Avoid: Chipotle Chicken and Teriyaki Chicken.

'Why? Chicken is given a two-day shelf life, once in the counter. However, these two [sandwiches] bypass this and get four days, and can get a little stinky.

'I'd recommend anything else, Subway (at least my Subway) is very strict on quality control and dates. Steak is probably the freshest, and safest.'

The Subway employee says that a steak sandwich is probably the freshest, and safest, sub to order

Avoid ordering a chipotle chicken and teriyaki chicken sandwich, says the anonymous UK Subway worker. He explained that although chicken has a two-day shelf life, these two sandwich fillings are given an extended shelf life of four days 'and can get a little stinky'

The employee confirmed their dislike of Subway's chicken when LovelyStrife asked: 'What is one thing in your shop that you wouldn't eat, and why?'

The shift manager replied: 'Chicken. It stinks when it comes out the bag.'

Sirmegalorddrawesome questioned this answer, and asked: 'But isn't that just the bag/preservative air added to it? You get the same in Tesco Value cooked chicken.

'Leave it outside the bag for a minute or two and they lose that smell.'

But the employee stuck to their guns. 'The air out the bag is the smelliest. However, I still think after sitting in a Cambro [tray] for a day, it still stinks,' they told the Reddit thread.

The employee doesn't rate Subway's chicken, saying it 'stinks' if it has been sitting in the store for a day

The best value subs are Meatball Marinara, Chipotle Chicken, Tikka Chicken, Spicy Italian, and BMT sandwiches, according to the employee

G-o-dude then asked: 'What's the best bang for the buck sub?'

The shift manager replied: 'Meatball Marinara, Chipotle Chicken, Tikka Chicken, Spicy Italian, and BMT.'

As he explained, these sandwiches are all 3 or 5 for a footlong with a drink.

But he also gave a little-known tip, reminding Subway fans that sandwiches are 20 per cent off between 7pm and 9pm.

The employee also revealed that footlong sandwiches actually measure a little over a foot in length at 12.1 inches long on average - and revealed a clever hack if you want more food for your money.

In response to a user who incorrectly asked why a footlong sandwich doesn't measure 12 inches, the anonymous manager wrote: ''Subway Footlong' is a trademark of Subway, and is just the name of the submarine sandwich size.

The employee also revealed that footlong sandwiches actually measure a little over a foot in length at 12.1 inches long on average - and revealed a clever hack if you want more sub for your money

The employee even advised people how they might be able to recreate that distinctive Subway taste at home

'However due to a lawsuit, Subway have decided to ensure each footlong is exactly 12 inches.

'In regards to shrinkage, minor shrinkage occurs when the bread is baked. We have a measuring ruler built into the counter (normally only used for kids packs, 4-inch sandwiches), and our bread seems to always be around 12.1 inches.

'Here's a little tip - if you want a footlong, try flatbread. The way flatbread is made and prepared we give you 14 inches.'

The shift manager advises against ordering chicken from Subway, as the worker says it 'stinks'

The employee even advised people how they might be able to recreate that distinctive Subway taste at home.

One user asked: 'Why the **** do none of my homemade sandwiches taste like Subways?'

Fellow Redditors AnotherDrZoidberg guessed: 'Because you use different meat and bread.'

But the loyal employee replied: 'Subway just has that unique subway taste and smell.

'Why don't you go into Subway and buy just a stick of bread, try making your sandwich with that!'

In response to a now-deleted question, the employee also revealed that UK stores actually sell more salad bowls than sandwiches.

The employee's favourite sub is a 6-inch hearty Italian, meatball sauce, cheese, toasted. With a ton of salad and southwest sauce. The worker gives another top tip: order frozen cookie dough, and revealed that the chain sells more salad bowls than sandwiches in the UK

Another Subway hack offered by the anonymous worker was a secret menu option of 'frozen cookie dough.'

Mrnoor asked: ' Can you say how to make the honey mustard and sweet onion sauces at home? Also, what's the secret to making them cookies so doughie [sic]!?'

The worker revealed: 'I'm sure you can find some replica recipes online. We don't make the sauces in store.

'Our cookies are frozen, and we have to cook them at 160 degrees for 11 minutes.

'I take my cookies out 2 minutes early because I like them gooey. If you go into a Subway, try asking for frozen cookie dough!'

The employee also revealed what they order when they grab a Subway for lunch.

Indiaxxo asked: 'Which is your favourite or most ordered sub?'

SubwayworkerUK replied: '6-inch hearty Italian, meatball sauce, cheese, toasted. With a ton of salad and southwest sauce.'

A Subway spokesman said: 'All Subway stores are independently owned and operated by franchisees.
Using electronic cigarettes could be as bad for the heart as smoking tobacco, research suggests.

Scientists found inhaling nicotine vapour damages key blood vessels, raising the risk of heart disease.

The team monitored participants hearts while smoking a conventional cigarette for five minutes and using an e-cigarette for half an hour, which they said was the most accurate comparison of typical use.

A trial of healthy men and women, with an average age of 30, found e-cigarettes are far more dangerous than people realise

They found the two activities led to similar levels of stiffness in the aorta, the main artery, which is a major cause of heart problems. Both also raised blood pressure.

The Greek scientists stressed this only revealed short-term damage, and more research is needed into long-term effects.

But they said their trial of 24 healthy men and women, with an average age of 30, shows e-cigarettes are far more dangerous than people realise.

Their concerns were echoed last night by the British Heart Foundation, which said the devices could not be assumed to be risk-free. The charity called for more research into the safety of long-term use.

The results, presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Rome, will fuel the fierce debate about e-cigarettes.

Most experts agree they are less harmful than smoking tobacco but some are concerned they are still a risk to health.

The World Health Organisation warns they may also be toxic to bystanders.

Scientists found inhaling nicotine vapour damages key blood vessels, raising the risk of heart disease

But Public Health England last year encouraged smokers to switch to e-cigarettes, saying they were 95 per cent safe.

The claim was widely criticised when it emerged it came from scientists funded by the e-cigarette industry.

Study leader Professor Charalambos Vlachopoulos, of the University of Athens Medical School, said the UK had rushed into its promotion of e-cigarettes, adding: E-cigarettes are less harmful but they are not harmless. I wouldnt recommend them now as a method to give up smoking.

The devices, which contain liquid nicotine that is heated into a vapour and inhaled, avoid the harm caused by tobacco smoke.

But Professor Vlachopoulos said nicotine is the most likely cause of damage to arteries. He is planning another trial using e-cigarettes without nicotine.

Public Health England last night continued to back the devices. A spokesman said: Vaping carries a fraction of the risk of smoking yet many smokers are still not aware.

Deborah Arnott, of campaign group Action on Smoking and Health, said the study showed if vaping was limited to five minutes too it caused much less damage than tobacco. T

he e-cigarette industrys trade body also played down the research, claiming aortic stiffness is transitory and a very poor measure of long-term risk.




Men are more likely to develop cancer then women, according to the latest figures.

Each year 179,000 men receive a cancer diagnosis, compared with 173,00 women, says Cancer Research UK.

Yet the fact remains that if a woman found a lump she would most likely seek urgent medical advice, while if the same happens to a man, all too often he will ignore it.

Men dont seem to like going to the doctor  even when it comes to something as potentially serious as cancer.

A study of over 2,300 people with 15 different cancers found that men were most likely to delay going to the doctor.

If a woman found a lump she would most likely seek urgent medical advice, while if the same happens to a man, all too often he will ignore it

According to the results, published in the British Journal of Cancer, 44 per cent of men with prostate cancer delayed visiting their GP about their symptoms for three months or more, while only 8 per cent of women with breast cancer symptoms put off getting help.

But some men are paying for delaying that visit with their lives. Men are 15 per cent more likely to develop cancer but are 36 per cent more likely to die from it than women, according to figures from Cancer Research UK.

Malignant melanoma is a type of cancer that is more common in women than men but still more men die of it even though more women have it, says Dr John Chisholm, a former GP and chair of the Mens Health Forum.

There are various reasons for this  men are not as aware of the symptoms of cancer as women  such as swelling, unexplained weight loss or bleeding.

Men also tend to delay going to get their symptoms checked out  they are perhaps more worried about the diagnosis then women and are less familiar with the healthcare system.

When I was a GP, men tended to apologise for coming  they would often say they had been pushed into attending by their wife or partner.

And when men are diagnosed it hits them harder. Figures from Macmillan cancer care show that 50 per cent of newly diagnosed cancer patients have levels of anxiety or depression that adversely affect their quality of life.

When men are diagnosed it hits them harder. Figures from Macmillan cancer care show that 50 per cent of newly diagnosed cancer patients have levels of anxiety or depression

Yet men suffer higher levels of depression, anxiety and feelings of hopelessness than women, according to cancer charity Tenovus.

However, there is little support on hand. A study in the British Journal of Cancer in 2013, involving 1,000 men across Europe and the UK who had been treated for prostate cancer, concluded that eight in ten were not getting the care they need to prevent psychological or sexual problems.

Dr Frances Goodhart, a consultant clinical psychologist in independent practice in London and author of The Cancer Survivors Companion says the support services that are in place are not aimed at men: They are aimed towards discussion about hair loss, fertility post treatment  it all very much focuses on women, she says.

Furthermore, she says, there may be stereotypical attitudes about mens emotional needs during treatment.

There is clear evidence that women find it easier to express their needs and talk about their concerns and to accept help, she says.

Yet men are different and people need to give them permission to talk about their feelings so they feel they can say: Im feeling down, vulnerable etc.'

There is clear evidence that women find it easier to express their needs and talk about their concerns and to accept help, says Dr Frances Goodhart

The benefits of emotional support during cancer treatment should not be underestimated.

Initial results from an ongoing study published in the journal of Clinical Oncology in 2013 found that married people tend to live longer than single people after cancer diagnosis  partly due to the emotional support a partner brings.

Peter Jackson, 55, the former player and manager for teams such as Lincoln City and Bradford City, is a prime example.

Not only did he delay going to the doctor for months before he was diagnosed with cancer of the throat in 2008 at the age of 46, but he also became hugely dependent on his wife Alison, who is now 58.

I had never seen him look the way he did in the hospital when he had just been told about the cancer, says Alison.

Former football player and manager Peter Jackson, 55, was diagnosed with cancer in the throat in 2008

He was usually full of confidence  he was used to being adored by fans and as a manager he liked swaggering up and down the sidelines in his Hugo Boss suit.

Yet he was sitting there in a white theatre gown and looked suddenly so vulnerable and he started to cry in front of me for the first time in almost 30 years of marriage.

As he went through radiotherapy in March 2007 at times Peters frustration at the situation became so bad that he refused medical help  as some men do.

I used to think does he think its a sign of weakness to have painkillers? says Alison.

Once we were on a break in Scarborough and he developed a fever and I said Im calling an ambulance and he said no, dont but I just ignored him.

Happily he is now cancer free but whether he would have made it through without the emotional support and perseverance of his wife pushing him on to persist with his treatment is open to question.

Dr Goodhart says the situation for men is improving with resources such as the distress thermometer, a question and answer scale to allow people to mark their feelings on a scale from one to ten.

Its a way of opening up a conversation for either sex  but men especially may benefit, she says.

Dr Chisholm believes men could also benefit from being taught at school about how to access healthcare so that it is less daunting to them as adults.
But women only using products at home also had 14% function decline

Scrubbing the kitchen or bathroom clean is not most people's idea of fun.

But aside from being an unwelcome chore, it could also be wreaking havoc with your health, a study has found.

Chemicals used in sprays and detergents which get our worktops and basins shining have also been linked to lung damage.

A Norwegian study found people who use household products are at greater risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - which includes the conditions chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

Chemicals found in household cleaning products are damaging lung function by 14 per cent more than average over 20 years, a Norwegian study has found

The study looked at 5,000 women over a 20 year period, using data from The European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS).

It found those who clean for a living had a 17 per cent greater decline in lung function compared to the average person.

But even those who simply scrub surfaces at home are were found to suffer from a 14 per cent greater loss of lung function.

This is thought to be because cleaning can expose people to chemical agents like ammonia, which irritate the airways, and other substances that can cause allergic airway disease.

Oistein Svanes, lead author from the University of Bergen, said people need to be more aware of exactly what they are spraying.

WHICH CHEMICALS CAN BE HARMFUL? Many ingredients can cause asthma if they're being used in the home though not all asthmatics will be affected. Some of the more common are: Benzalkonium chloride (quaternary ammonium compound)  typically used as a disinfectant in household cleaners for floors and hard services

Chlorine-based agents (sodium hypochlorite)  used as the active ingredient in bleach

Some scents within cleaning agents e.g. limonene , which gives some products their citrus smell

Isothiazolinones  used in some washing up liquids and laundry washing liquids Source: Healthy Lungs for Life Advertisement

'We need to start being much more aware of the chemicals we're releasing into the air we breathe when we use things like cleaning spray.'

COPD kills 25,000 people in the UK annually, either from damage to the walls of tiny air sacs in the lungs (emphysema) or from inflamed and thickened airways plugged with thick mucus (chronic bronchitis).

The findings form part of the Healthy Lungs for Life campaign - by the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the European Lung Foundation - seeking to reduce the number of people suffering from lung conditions.

Professor Jrgen Vestbo, President of ERS and Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Manchester, said there were things people could do to help.

'Cleaning products can put people's health at risk so people should be aware of the risks and take steps to mitigate against them,' he said.

Using cleaning products over a prolonged period were at greater risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease which includes the conditions chronic bronchitis and emphysema

'If people have genuine concerns they should ensure that they discuss any symptoms and the possible link with their workplace with their doctor'.

The Healthy Lungs for Life campaign says people should check the ingredients and avoid products that could put people at risk and carefully follow instructions on the label.

It also says wipes, rather than sprays, have less airborne particles to breathe and suggests opening doors and windows during and after cleaning to ensure good ventilation.
Fairyland Elementary School on Lookout Mountain, Ga. is officially kicking off a Capital Campaign Project to raise money for a new state-of-the-art STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) Aquaponics floating greenhouse and aquaponics center on their school pond. The school is going to uniquely raise money using the website Crowdrise.com for a more global reach."This one-of-a-kind structure will be built to provide students with a facility to innovate and learn about self-sustaining ecosystems.Students will develop the skills necessary to grow, harvest, and sell completely organic fruits, vegetables, and fish and work to give back to its community though the profits raised. Students will also learn to develop a business plan to not only sell their produce and fish but also market and brand them with the assistance from our art teacher," officials said.Fairyland School is looking for businesses and donors to partner with the school to raise $150,000. Different giving levels with incentives are available for each donor with the intention of breaking ground in March of 2017.You may contact the principal, Mr. Jeremy Roerdink, for more information on this project at 706-820-1171, or visit https://www.crowdrise.com/fairylandschoolsaquaponicslab for more information and to donate today.
Adult female mosquitoes can pass the Zika virus along to their offspring, new research reveals.

Experts warn this means the virus will be much harder to control than previously thought.

The finding makes clear the need for pesticide programs that kill both adult mosquitoes and their eggs.

Current methods are not adequate, warns study co-author Dr Robert Tesh of the University of Texas.

Adult female mosquitoes can pass the Zika virus along to their offspring, new research reveals

HOW DO MOSQUITOES LAY THEIR EGG? Aedes aegypti, the mosquitoes that carry Zika, lay eggs in small containers of water. Homeowners have been advised to dump out containers of water on their properties. When the water is dumped, the eggs cling in a ring around the water line. There they remain dormant until the next rain, when they can hatch. Advertisement

'Spraying affects adults, but it does not usually kill the immature forms - the eggs and larvae,' he said.

'Spraying will reduce transmission, but it may not eliminate the virus.'

The findings were published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene on Monday.

Scientists were comforted by the similarities they found between Zika and well-understood viruses like dengue and yellow fever.

Like Zika, those two infections can be transmitted from female mosquitoes to their offspring.

But more extreme measures will have to be taken to tackle Zika since it is new to the US and very few - if anyone - have build up resistance to the virus.

Although Zika generally causes mild disease in adults, it is a major threat to pregnant women because it has been shown to cause the severe birth defect known as microcephaly and other brain abnormalities.

The ongoing Zika outbreak was first detected last year in Brazil, where it has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly, and has since spread rapidly through the Americas.

Aedes aegypti, the mosquitoes that carry Zika, lay eggs in small containers of water.

Homeowners have been advised to dump out containers of water on their properties.

When the water is dumped, the eggs cling in a ring around the water line, where they remain dormant until the next rain, when they can hatch.

Scientists studying Zika wanted to find out whether some of the offspring from these tropical mosquitoes might carry the virus, helping to perpetuate an outbreak during dry seasons.

To find out, researchers injected female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes raised in a laboratory with Zika.

Current spraying methods are not adequate, warns Dr Robert Tesh of the University of Texas

They were then fed, and within a week, they laid eggs.

The team collected and cared for the eggs until they hatched into adult mosquitoes, and counted the ones that carried the Zika virus.

They found the virus present in one out of every 290 mosquitoes tested.

'The ratio may sound low,' Tesh said, 'but when you consider the number of Aedes aegypti in a tropical urban community, it is likely high enough to allow some virus to persist, even when infected adult mosquitoes are killed.'

Tesh said the next step is to show that mosquitoes are actually passing Zika to their offspring in the wild.

Experts fighting Zika in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami have announced aerial spraying campaigns using pesticides that kill both adult mosquitoes and mosquito larvae.

For homeowners in affected areas, Tesh advised people to dump standing water from containers on their property and scrub them thoroughly to remove eggs and larvae. They should also remove any objects from their yards that could collect water.
Children as young as three are showing signs of being unhappy with their body image, according to a survey of childcare professionals.

Almost a third of nursery and school staff said they had heard a child label themselves fat while 10 per cent said they had heard a child say they felt ugly.

Nearly a quarter said they had 'seen signs' children aged between three and five were 'unhappy with their appearance or bodies'.

This figure nearly doubled to almost half of six-to-10-year-olds.

The survey by the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years found a third of pre-school and nursery staff had heard a child call themselves ugly (file image)

About one in five children has been seen to reject food because 'it will make them fat', according to the study.

The research was conducted by the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (Pacey) this summer.

Dr Jacqueline Harding, an adviser to the group, said 'contributing factors' were likely to include television and images in story books and animations.

'We know for sure that early experiences matter the most and we need to be very careful about how (even inadvertently) we signal to children that they should think negatively about their bodies and how they look,' she said.

'There is also research evidence to suggest that some four-year-olds are aware of strategies as to how to lose weight.'

It follows an investigation last year where researchers tracked 6,000 children from their primary years to the age of 14 in the largest UK study of juvenile eating disorders.

Children as young as eight were found to be dissatisfied with their bodies - with the most unhappy facing a higher risk of teenage eating disorders.

Relatively small increases in self-esteem at that age reduced the risk of later eating disorders, they found.

The charity suggested parents could help with body confidence issues by encouraging children to focus on who they are as a person rather than what they look like

In the latest study, experts admitted the sample size of 361 meant more research was needed in this age group.

But Dr Harding said there were simple tips parents could follow including talking about their own bodies in a positive way.

She also suggests building their self-confidence and self-image by focusing on who they are as a person  rather than what they look like.

For example, praising them for acts of kindness towards others and not for looking pretty or handsome.

Pacey is the early years partner for Be Real, a movement campaigning to change body image attitudes aiming to put health above appearance in young people.

Denise Hatton, chief executive of YMCA England which is also part of the campaign, said the survey was the latest in a growing body of evidence highlighting the worrying trend.

'Body confidence issues are prevalent among young people today and the survey results add to the array of evidence that suggests intervention at a young age is necessary,' she said.
Three sexually-transmitted infections will soon be resistant to antibiotics, the World Health Organization warns.

Updating its guidelines on Tuesday, the WHO urged a new approach to treating chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis for the first time since 2003.

Together, the diseases infect 200 million people every year.

They are normally treated with a short and simple dose of antibiotics.

But at the rate the diseases are developing, it could be just a matter of years before this method becomes ineffective.

Crucially, the health officials warn, doctors must stop over-prescribing antibiotics, and patients must be vigilant about taking the correct doses.

Gonorrhea (pictured), chlamydia and syphilis are normally treated with a short dose of antibiotics. But at this rate, it could be just years before this method becomes ineffective

'Resistance of these STIs to the effect of antibiotics has increased rapidly in recent years and has reduced treatment options,' the UN agency said.

Strains of multidrug resistant gonorrhoea that do not respond to any available antibiotics have already been detected.

Antibiotic resistance also exists in chlamydia and syphilis, though it is less common.

There are only two antibiotics remaining that can treat gonorrhea: azithromycin and ceftriaxone.

The infection has already become immune to penicillin, tetracycline and fluoroquinolones.

Increasingly, gonorrhea is building up a resistance to the individual drugs.

And in some cases, even a combination of the two is proving futile.

When left undiagnosed and untreated, the three diseases can have serious consequences, causing pelvic infamatory disease and ectopic pregnancy in women, and increasing the chances of miscarriage, stillbirth and newborn death.

Medical officer Teodora Wi, who was involved in WHO's update, called gonorrhea a 'very smart bug' that repeatedly adapts to new antibiotics.

It can infect the genitals, rectum, and throat.

Chlamydia can cause ailments like burning sensations while urinating.

Crucially, the health officials warn, doctors must stop over-prescribing antibiotics, and patients must be vigilant about taking the correct doses

WHO says mother-to-child transmission of syphilis resulted in over 200,000 early fetal deaths, stillbirths or neo-natal deaths in 2012.

They can also greatly increase the risk of being infected with HIV, and untreated gonorrhoea and chlamydia can leave both men and women infertile.

To rein in resistance, WHO on Tuesday presented new guidelines aimed at ensuring that doctors prescribe the best antibiotics, and the right doses, for treating each specific disease.

To reduce the spread of the diseases, national health services will need to "monitor the patterns of antibiotic resistance in these infections within their countries," Askew said.

For gonorrhoea for instance, WHO recommends that health authorities study local resistance patterns and advise doctors to prescribe the most effective antibiotic with the least resistance.

For syphilis, meanwhile, WHO recommended a specific antibiotic -- benzathine penicillin -- that is injected into the buttock or thigh muscle.
Gene Wilder died this week at the age of 83 after a three-year battle with Alzheimer's.

The revered actor, who immortalized Willy Wonka and Dr Frankenstein, passed away due to complications with the disease.

It is a devastatingly common illness, and the sixth highest cause of death in the United States.

However, many people do not know how it leads to an early death.

Google searches for 'what are complications of alzheimers' rocketed up 3,950 per cent after Gene Wilder's son announced the actor's death on Monday.

Google searches for 'what are complications of alzheimers' rocketed up 3,950 per cent (pictured) after Gene Wilder's son announced the actor's death on Monday

Searches for 'how do people die of alzheimers' went up 650 per cent.

Alzheimer's sufferers typically die from complications related to the disease.

The disease itself is an incurable degenerative condition, which kills cells in the brain.

It can last for 15 to 20 years, but the most advanced stages usually last around two years.

Over time, patients lose their natural reflexes that keep us alive, such as swallowing, coughing, and breathing.

They also lose their appetite, their speech, and their ability to move independently.

The most common cause of death is aspiration pneumonia, which can lead to a seizure or a stroke.

This can be caused by a patient forgetting to chew or losing the ability to swallow, inhaling food instead.

Gene Wilder, the revered actor who immortalized Willy Wonka and Frankenstein's creator, died this week after a three-year battle with Alzheimer's

The food or liquid then deposits itself in the lungs, which should normally only contain oxygen.

A healthy body could shift the food with a strong cough.

However, Alzheimer's patients may have a decreased level of consciousness alerting them to do this.

Another common cause of death is heart attack.

As Alzheimer's patients lose their ability to move freely, they often become bedbound.

This can lead to blood clots and poor heart health, which drives up the risk of a coronary arrest.

The third most common cause of death is from a common infection.

Alzheimer's patients become more and more susceptible to infections as they lose weight due to loss of appetite and lose strength due to loss of movement.
One in three people would be trusting enough to transfer cash to an unknown account if they were called by someone posing as their bank or building society, shock research shows.

A growing scam involves criminals telling their victims that their account has been compromised and asking them to transfer their money into a 'safe' account. Victims then unwittingly transfer their money into the fraudster's account and often never see it again.

Banks and building societies say that they will never ask their customers to transfer their money into a so-called 'safe' account. Furthermore, many will refuse to reimburse victims who fall for this scam because they claim the victim has been negligent.

Fraud threat: Despite a bank never asking for customers to transfer money to a 'safe' account, one in three would - and potentially lose thousands of pounds

It has left some victims tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket.

The poll of 2,000 people by Nationwide Building Society asked: 'If you receive a call from an organisation you trust (I.e. police/bank/building society) saying your current account has been hacked and that you need to transfer your money to a new safe account, what would you do?'

The results found 24 per cent would call them back straight away and when they confirm who they are, transfer the money. However, in many cases, fraudsters remain on the line, so even when the victim has hung up and dialled a new number they could still be speaking to the fraudster.

Three per cent would take the details of the new account and transfer the money when the call ended and another three per cent would transfer it straight away.

The results show the knowledge gap around fraud and how criminals operate on the telephone to target unwitting victims.

Last year, reports of phone banking fraud was up 92 per cent on the year before according to figures from Financial Fraud UK.

Banks will often refund money if you are a victim of fraud - however, because they would never ask for customers to transfer cash into a 'safe' account, they can cite 'gross neglience' in these cases.

This means victims have to go to the Financial Ombudsman to argue their case - and that is no guarantee of getting the money back either.

The survey by Britain's biggest mutual also shows that despite many being willing to transfer money to an unknown account, 67 per cent have serious concerns about becoming a victim.

The results also suggest younger people are twice as likely to be caught out in a telephone scam.

More than half of those aged 18 to 24 would transfer their money to another account if they were convinced that either the police, their bank or their building society was asking them to do so, compared to one in five aged 55 and over.

By comparison, just six per cent of those aged 55 and over would be willing to share the same information.

Nationwide says that despite criminals employing increasingly more sophisticated techniques to dupe victims, there are a number of simple precautions people can take to not fall for the common scams  and not moving your money via a phone call is number one.

Meanwhile despite terms and conditions of current accounts telling people not to share their PIN with anyone, half have disclosed their PIN to their partner, the survey found.

Around one in 15 would share their PIN with their bank or building society or the police.

While no legitimate bank or building society employee or police officer would ask for this information, fraudsters often pretend to be from these organisations as a way of coercing the information out of their victims.

Stuart Skinner, head of fraud at Nationwide, said: 'It is a sad fact that a fraudster needs to only strike it lucky once. If you're not careful, you could lose your life savings within a matter of minutes.

'No financial services provider would ever ask customers to transfer money to another account and would never ask for a customer's PIN.

'Nationwide, like all banks and building societies, uses a wide range of measures to keep its customers' money safe, but knowing how to protect yourself is by far the most effective way to avoid becoming another statistic'.
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Iran is shoring up the Syrian regime from a secret headquarters in Damascus codenamed 'The Glasshouse where it commands a huge covert army in support of Assad, according to leaked intelligence obtained by MailOnline.

The dossier reveals that the theocratic state's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has spent billions in hardware for its ally Bashar al-Assad in the last five years, and runs operations on the ground from the five-floor monolith near Damascus airport.

The Iranian headquarters, used to direct support for Assad's regime alongside Russia, contains intelligence and counterintelligence operations and has vaults packed with millions of dollars in cash flown in from Tehran.

The allegations are contained in a classified file leaked by senior sources inside Irans Revolutionary Guards and collated by a group of dissident activists called the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

The NCRI is the exiled Iranian opposition movement committed to the overthrow of the theocratic regime in Tehran. Its critics accuse it of being unreliable, 'cult-like' and of having links to terrorism, but it has exposed some accurate intelligence in the past, including the 2002 revelation of Iran's nuclear programme.

The Glasshouse dossier was described as 'credible' by Western intelligence experts. It makes the bold claims that Iran controls the biggest fighting force in Syria, has military bases throughout the splintered state and has amassed a war-chest far greater than feared in support of the Syrian president.

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Opposition activists have claimed that Iran is waging a secret war in Syria from a giant HQ nicknamed 'the Glasshouse'

Support: Syrian president Bashar al Assad is being supported by the Iranian regime of Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader, who has invested heavily to shore up the splintering state

REVEALED: HOW 'THE GLASSHOUSE' WORKS The third and fourth floors are apparently occupied by the Revolutionary Guards intelligence unit, which is in overall command of the HQ. These areas are off-limits to even the most senior army officers. On the ground floor there is reportedly a cafe and a 20-bed private clinic for wounded senior military personnel, while the first floor houses the Revolutionary Guards propaganda department, rest area and prayer rooms, the leaked intelligence says. The basement contains the counterintelligence and logistics departments and is said to hold millions of dollars in cash. When Revolutionary Guard soldiers arrive in Syria, the HQ apparently issues them a white card containing a special code, which is handed back when they leave. Advertisement

The revelations mean that the fundamentalist Tehran regime and its Shia proxies are far more powerful than has been estimated. Western analysts have so far placed the total Iranian-led Shia force at just 16,000.

The dissidents make the claim that Iran now commands about 60,000 Shia troops in Syria  15,000 more men than Britain took into the 2003 Iraq war  while Assad's army has been reduced to just 50,000 soldiers.

In addition, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has an independent command structure but operates in close coordination with Iran, has about 10,000 troops in the country, they say.

The suggestion that Iran has so many soldiers on the battlefield  16,000 Iranian troops commanding 45,000 Shia mercenaries from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon as well as Palestinians and Baluchis, a minority group from Afghanistan will cause anxiety in the region and in the West, which is lifting sanctions on the regime after signing a controversial nuclear deal.

Kamal Alam, a research analyst at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said that the leaked intelligence was 'entirely plausible'.

'I go quite regularly to Syria and visit the battlefields, and I've seen how the Iranians try to keep their operations as secret as possible,' he said.

'Their troops tend to speak Arabic rather than Farsi in public, and generally don't wear Iranian uniforms. This makes it very hard for observers to know how many are in the country.'

Analysts have been forced to use conservative estimates of troop numbers, Alam said, because Tehran, which is wary of causing alarm both at home and abroad, does not release reliable figures.

In addition, Syria's President Assad, who leads a secular administration, downplays Iran's support to avoid the impression that he is a puppet of the Islamist regime, he said.

The key claim by the activists is that Iran operates a major headquarters close to Damascus airport which is nicknamed The Glasshouse (Maqar-e Shishe'i in Farsi).

Activists have claimed that Iran now leads 10,000 more troops in Syria than Assad himself. If true, that would mean that it is at least 15,000 higher than the force Britain led into the 2003 Iraq war

The 180-room building is said to be positioned very close to an airstrip codenamed Muhammad Ali, making it easy for Iranian military chiefs to receive deliveries of troops, cash and equipment  and to escape should Damascus fall.

Anti-blast walls form a square around the perimeter, which is guarded by heavily armed troops. Up to 1,000 personnel work at the secret base, and all must undergo an intensive security screening.

A number of departments are based inside, including counterintelligence, logistics, propaganda and foreign mercenary command (see box). The feared Iranian intelligence services, who are in charge of the base, are said to occupy the top two floors.

The building is also said to contain prayer rooms, a 20-bed private clinic for wounded senior officers, and facilities for holding millions of dollars in cash, which are reportedly kept in the basement.

Iranian Revolutionary Guards at the funeral of General Mohammad Ali Allahdadi, a commander killed in southern Syria

Activists claim Tehran has divided Syria into five 'fronts' with bases in 18 locations from the north to the south - but this information could not be verified

Hezbollah fighters in Qalamoun, western Syria. Iranian opposition activists say they now have about 10,000 troops in the country

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad visits Syrian army soldiers fighting in eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria, in June 2016

Survivors are pulled from a raging fire after Assad's aircraft bomb the Ansari neighborhood of Aleppo in July

The intelligence passed to MailOnline claims that Tehran has spent a staggering $100billion on the conflict since 2011, including hardware and support for Assad's regime. The figure has surprised Western analysts, who have so far estimated that Iran has spent just $15billion on the war in Syria.

Millions of dollars in cash is regularly delivered at the Iranian airstrip before being transferred to The Glasshouse. There it is allegedly stored in the basement under the auspices of head of logistics, Brigadier General Seyyed Razi Mousavi, formerly commander of the elite Quds Force in Syria, and is principally used to pay fighters salaries.

The revelations come after Tehran took the extraordinary step of allowing Russia to use its airbases to launch attacks in Syria, demonstrating its expanding role.

It also follows reports that Iran has deployed a Russian-made S-300 surface-to-air missile defence system at its uranium enrichment facility at Fordow, northwestern Iran.

An Iran specialist said: 'It is very difficult to know about numbers because Iran is so secretive. It's something we struggled with throughout our research.

Its no secret that Iran has a heavy presence on the ground that is not based exclusively on advisers and consultants. This data reinforces our assumptions and suspicions about Iranian involvement in Syria, but takes it much further in terms of numbers.

It amplifies our view that because of the heavy political, financial and military investment in Syria, Iran is unlikely to withdraw its presence on the ground without a major shift in the power balance.'

Streets are reduced to rubble by Russian planes in Idlib, Syria, in July. Iranian forces are supported by Russian airpower

A Foreign Office spokeswoman told MailOnline: 'Irans role in fostering instability in the Middle East, including ongoing support for proxy groups and the Assad regime, and the activities of the Quds force, remains a source of serious concern.'

The activists also claim Tehran is putting down military roots in 18 locations from northern to southern Syria (see map of the intelligence claims above), showing how it intends to control large swathes of the country even if Assad is defeated.

Iranian military planners  acting under Brigadier General Mohammad Jafaar Assadi, the recently appointed supreme commander of Iranian forces in Syria  are said to have divided Syria into five fronts, comprising the Northern Front, Eastern Front, Southern Front, Central Command Front and Coastal Front.

Revolutionary Guard bases have been established in each of the sectors, which can accommodate up to 6,000 troops, as well as heavy weapons, air power and anti-aircraft missiles.

Experts say Tehran is determined to protect and defend its supply lines to its ally Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, and expand outwards from this core territory.

The civil defence inspects damage at a site hit by airstrikes in the rebel-held Douma neighbourhood of Damascus in July

A wounded boy lies in an ambulance after Assad's forces attacked the Ansari neighborhood of Aleppo in July

One security source told MailOnline: Iran is getting itself into a position where whether Assad stands or falls, Tehran is in the best position to dominate whatever comes next.

Such is the scale of Tehran's involvement in Syria that the war has been taking its toll domestically, the dossier claims. Last year, just 5,000 Iranians were in action in the country; today, this number stands at 16,000.

Security sources have reported growing levels of public unease in Iran at the level of casualties sustained. In response, Tehran has presented the conflict as the front line in a war against terrorism, which if not confronted abroad, would threaten Iran at home.

Victorious Syrian army soldiers in trucks shout slogans in support of Assad as they enter a village north of Damascus, Syria

Civilians walk past damages at a site hit by airstrikes in the rebel-held Douma neighbourhood of Damascus in July

A page of the leaked dossier claiming to reveal the secret command structure Iranian-controlled forces in Syria

COMMENT: MICHAEL BURLEIGH, HISTORIAN The new intelligence on Irans military presence in Syria contains important revelations confirming the general picture experts are familiar with. Most significant is the scale of Iranian-backed forces, some 60,000 men. The majority are Shia irregulars, mainly from Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Afghans are refugees who have been offered accelerated naturalisation for fighting in Syria. The Pakistanis are all also Shia. Together these forces provide what remains of President Assads highly mechanised army with light infantry capabilities essential to intense urban warfare against predominantly Sunni jihadist rebels. The dossier also provides important insights into the command structures the Iranian Revolutionary Guards have in place, notably at the 'Glasshouse' headquarters near Damascus airport. It also adds to what is known about operations commanded by Major General Qasem Soleimani, the elusive face of wider Iranian subversion in the regional struggle for dominance with Sunni Saudi Arabia and some of its smaller Gulf allies. He has recently vowed that once the Revolutionary Guards have finished off ISIS in Iraq and Syria, it will help liberate the Shia majority of Bahrain from its Sunni monarchical oppressors. Both Iran and Syria have good reasons to keep this deep presence secret. Irans clerical regime does not want to advertise its involvement on this scale because the Iranian public has had a bellyful of costly wars, with hundreds of thousands of dead from the 1980-88 war against Iraq. Moreover, most Iranians expect a dividend from the P5+1 nuclear deal with the West, China and Russia, with maybe $100billion in bank assets abroad being unfrozen. If this dossier is right in claiming that the war has cost Iran $100 billion since 2011, then there wont be much of a dividend at all, though of all the information contained in the leaked intelligence, the congruence of the two numbers raises its own suspicions. A death toll of around 1,500 men in Syria is also causing problems for Hezbollah in its southern Lebanese heartlands. The predominantly Alawite Assad regime in Syria (the Alawites, often seen as a Shia sect, comprise a minority of Syrians) is fighting to reassert its control over the entire country, with its far larger numbers of Sunnis. Assad cannot afford to be viewed as a puppet of Tehran, which would only exacerbate the sectarian nature of the conflict. That is why posters of Russian rather than Iranian commanders figure in Damascus, for the Russians bring no sectarian baggage to the conflict along with their air power. Strangely enough, this is also why one of the main jihadist groups, Jabhat al-Nusra, has recently cut ties with Al Qaeda, so as to present itself as being exclusively Syrian. Advertisement

According to Rusi's Iran specialist Dr Tabrizi, the massive Iranian presence raises the danger of regional escalation.

'The Gulf countries are already scared about Iranian power projection in the region. This may hasten [the Gulf states'] support for rebel groups, or even lead them to think about the deployment of ground troops to Syria,' Dr Tabrizi said.

Yet the role of Iran goes even further, according to activists, who also claim that the state stepped in to encourage Russia to commit significant resources to bolster Assad in 2015.

Tehran is said to have acted in August that year, when after huge losses in Aleppo, Idlib and Deraa, it seemed likely that Assad would fall.

During a secret meeting with Moscow in July last year, Major General Qasem Soleimani apparently requested greater Russian air support and a huge shipment of weapons, including MiG, Sukhoi and Antonov aircraft, Kamov and Mil helicopters, and T90 tanks.

Dissidents citing Revolutionary Guards sources claim that a deal was done on condition that Iran paid $3billion towards the $10billion cost.

'You're talking about a very orchestrated, emboldened and well-planned Iranian presence,' one security source told MailOnline. 'They are thinking very clearly and wisely, and are putting down deep roots, creating pockets of power in places with strategic importance.

'The Iranians are masters in meddling in different political functions abroad. It is exactly what many in the region are afraid of. It's their biggest nightmare.'

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: 'The Iranian government has said that it wants to see a peaceful solution to the Syrian conflict. But as thing stand, Iran is a long way from playing a constructive role.

'Iran continues to send fighters, including the Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, to Syria, subsidises the Assad regime and is actively supporting the Assad regime's suppression of innocent people.'
He died in 2010 aged 34 years old after struggling with addiction for years

An electrician who became addicted to painkillers after suffering life-threatening injuries in a car accident died of an overdose after a 15-year struggle 'took his soul'.

Simon Millington, of Nhill in country Victoria, was finishing off his apprenticeship when he had a serious single-car accident in 1994 when he was 18-years-old.

He developed an addiction to opiates and eventually died of an accidental overdose to painkillers when he was 34-years-old, leaving behind his seven-year-old daughter.

Simon Millington, of Nhill in country Victoria, is pictured one year before he had a car accident that would begin his addiction to painkillers (pictured in 1993 with his car 'The Beast')

Mr Millington (right) is pictured with his seven-year-old daughter Maddie (left). He died of an accidental overdose to painkillers when he was 34-years-old

Years after his death, Simon's mother Margaret Millington is calling for a national prescription medication monitoring system to help stop addicts from 'doctor shopping' for International Overdose Awareness Day on Wednesday.

'Everyone is powerless under addiction,' Mrs Millington told Daily Mail Australia.

Simon had been in and out of hospital in the years after his accident, and would 'leave with a bag-full of addictive medications that he'd just abuse', Mrs Millington told Daily Mail Australia.

And when he ran out, Simon would 'doctor shop' GPs and chemist more than a one-hour drive from his home - even crossing the NSW and South Australian borders to score.

Mrs Millington said she understood he was in a lot of pain and the surgeries would reignite his 'cravings' for painkillers.

'But we were naive then about what was happening in his life  that he was becoming addicted and could become addicted to these legal drugs.'

Mrs Millington said the family became aware the painkillers were a problem when Simon was first discharged from hospital because he 'changed'.

'He was just a changed person when he was using heavy doses of drugs,' she said.

'You start to present in a manner that is certainly not how you would normally present.'

Mr Millington (centre) with his father, John (left), and mother, Margaret Millington (right). His mother has called for a national prescription medication monitoring system to help addicts stop 'doctor shopping'

Mrs Millington said the family became aware the painkillers were a problem when Simon was first discharged from hospital because he 'changed'.

'He was just a changed person when he was using heavy doses of drugs,' she said.

'You start to present in a manner that is certainly not how you would normally present.'

He had gone to rehab at least five times over the 15-year-struggle, Simon's father John Millington told Daily Mail Australia.

Mrs Millington (left) with a young Simon (right) has said that Simon took a variety of drugs, 'whatever he could get in the end'. She described people with addictions as 'powerless'

'When he came out of rehab one time, he said: "Addiction takes away your soul. You're no longer the person you were".'

Despite his accidental overdose in 2010, Mrs Millington said she believed his detoxes and stints in rehab were successful.

'But unless you maintain that - once you've got addiction, once you become an addict, you're always an addict,' she said.

'There were times when you thought he was right but he would slip back in his own ways again.'

Mr Millington is pictured with his daughter Maddie. He suffered a double fractured pelvis, closed head injuries, and a severely damaged ankle in the 1994 car accident and was in hospital for six to nine months

Mrs Millington said Simon took a variety of drugs, 'whatever he could get in the end'.

'But he always used painkillers. When he couldn't get them, he'd say he was depressed or sad and get benzophenone or valium. It was opiates that caused him the most trouble though,' Mrs Millington said.

Common opiate painkillers include codeine, oxycotton, methadone and morphine.

Simon had suffered a double fractured pelvis, closed head injuries, and a severely damaged ankle in the 1994 car accident.

He had been in intensive care with life-threatening injuries for eight days and remained in hospital for six to nine months.

Mr Millington (right) pictured with his daughter Maddie, was 'lucid or semi conscience' most of the time he was in hospital while taking 'copious amounts' of opiates. His addiction developed in the years afterwards

Because of the severity of his injuries, he was 'lucid or semi conscience' most of the time while taking 'copious amounts' of opiates.

Simon had completed his apprenticeship after the crash, but his injuries made it 'tricky for him to continue'.

'He had several operations after that, for several years after that' Mrs Millington told Daily Mail Australia. 'It was too painful to be on his legs all day.'

Simon instead moved into road construction, but eventually couldn't keep a job and would 'run out of money for no reason', Mrs Millington said.

In 2008 Mr Millington discovered he had a young daughter, who was five-years-old at the time, and attempted to make a recovery, but passed away at his home in 2010

In 2008 he discovered he had a young daughter, who was five-years-old at the time, and attempted to make a recovery, but passed away at his home when he was 34 years old.

Mrs Millington is hoping to have a national prescription medication monitoring system so doctors know if a patient has been recently given a drug script elsewhere.

'We saw that as the solution to his recovery,' Mrs Millington said. 'His life wouldn't have spiralled out of control and he may still be alive today.'

Because, she said: 'Once patients start doctor shopping, the doctors just really don't know what's going on.'

Mr Millington's mother said if there had been monitoring of the prescription drugs given to Simon his life wouldn't have spiralled out of control and he may still be alive today

Tasmania and Victoria are the only states to have committed to the system so far.

But many believe the 'fragmented state-by-state approach is doomed to fail those in need who will continue to slip through the cracks', ScriptWise said in a statement on Wednesday.

'Prescription medication misuse is reaching epidemic proportions in Australia. We need to act now,' said Ms Bee Ismail, CEO, ScriptWise. 'Without a unified response to this growing issue, vulnerable Australians will continue to fall through the cracks of a system that just isn't good enough.'

Alarmingly, deaths as a result of overdose (including prescription drug and illicit drug overdose) now out-number road fatalities, Scriptwise said.

Both Margaret and John will be in Sydney, on 31 August 2016, to attend the ScriptWise IOAD event.
A former Chicago transportation official was sentenced to ten years in prison for taking bribes to steer $100 million in red-light camera contracts to a company in Phoenix.

US District Judge Virginia Kendall sentenced John Bills, 55, in Chicago on Monday moments after he apologized for his actions.

Federal prosecutors had asked the judge for at least a ten-year prison sentence.

Former Chicago transportation official John Bills leaves the federal building in Chicago

Bills was convicted of taking bills - lots of them - in exchange for handing out contracts to install red lights in Chicago

The former second-in-command at Chicago's Department of Transportation was convicted in January of bribery, conspiracy and extortion.

Bills was accused of accepting envelopes stuffed with cash, along with gifts - including condos in two states and a Mercedes - to help Redflex Traffic Systems obtain contracts in a decade-long scheme. Prosecutors said the cash and gifts were worth a total of up to $2 million.

Bills' attorney, Nishay Sanan, had asked for a more lenient sentence of three to four years in prison.

Prosecutors said that cash and gifts given to Bills amounted to $2million over ten years

'Mr. Bills is not ex-Governor Blagojevich,' Sanan told the judge, referring to former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who is serving a 14-year prison term. 'He's not selling Senate seats.'

During the trial, a Redflex consultant, who pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme, testified that he passed envelopes stuffed with thousands of dollars in cash at a time to Bills at a restaurant.

'This was a decade-long scheme to lie, cheat and steal at the expense of taxpayers,' said US Attorney Zachary Fardon, who represented the government at the hearing.

Redflex Traffic Systems was also part of the bribery scheme, which was uncovered by the Chicago Tribune

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel canceled Redflex's contract in 2013 following the Chicago Tribune's reports about the bribery scheme.
Firefighter Michael Allen Johnson had not slept for more than 28 hours when he crashed his truck and killed two of his colleagues, prosecutors said

A firefighter had not slept for more than 28 hours when he crashed his truck and killed two of his colleagues, prosecutors said.

Michael Allen Johnson, 28, told investigators he had not slept for more than 45 minutes in more than a day leading up to the crash north of Minneapolis, according to court documents.

The fire truck he was driving veered off the Interstate 35W near Blaine shortly after 3pm on Saturday.

Firefighters James Shelifoe, 23, and Alan Swartz, 25, both of Baraga, Michigan, were both killed in the crash.

Seven other members of the fire crew were injured in the horror smash.

Johnson was still inside the cab when rescue workers arrived at the scene and was showing 'signs of impairment and combative behavior', according to a criminal complaint.

He is said to have told investigators that he believed he had fallen asleep at the wheel.

According to the arrest report, Johnson said he had been awake since 11am on Friday apart from a 45-minute nap on Saturday morning.

He is also said to have admitted to smoking marijuana early on Saturday and using cocaine two days earlier. A sample of his blood has been sent for analysis.

Horrific: The fire truck he was driving in veered off the Interstate 35W near Blaine shortly after 3pm on Saturday

Johnson was still inside the cab when rescue workers arrived at the scene and was showing 'signs of impairment and combative behavior', according to a criminal complaint

Johnson has been charged with two felony counts of criminal vehicular homicide.

The crew was from the Beartown Firefighters, which is based in Baraga on Michigan's Upper Peninsula and is managed by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Johnson was driving the third of three vehicles in a convoy headed for Utah to fight a wildfire east of Park City.

He told investigators he woke up to a passenger yelling. He veered off the right side of the road, overcorrected to the left, and struck the cable barrier between the southbound and northbound lanes of the freeway, the complaint said.

The vehicle rolled over and the cab separated from the box of the truck.

One witness told investigators the convoy drove past him at about 80 to 90mph in a 70mph zone, the complaint said.

The witness reported then seeing the third vehicle swerve into the right lane about three times, then swerve again across the lane onto the right side of the road before the crash.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has come under fire from conservationists for reeling in a shark during a fishing trip off Long Island.

The Democrat tweeted a picture of the 154.5lb thresher shark Sunday.

Cuomo's office notes he was legally permitted to keep the shark, despite it being listed as 'vulnerable'. But several social media users still criticized the decision.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has come under fire from conservationists for reeling in a shark during a fishing trip off Long Island

The Democrat tweeted a picture of the 154.5lb thresher shark on Sunday

The Blue Planet Society tweeted: 'Lost for words. Governor of New York State Andrew Cuomo kills a threatened thresher shark for fun.'

Cuomo's brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, is also pictured in the photo.

The UN's patron of the oceans, Lewis Pugh, told The Guardian: 'Apex predators such as sharks are crucial for the ocean ecosystems.

'For a public figure to kill such an animal and then boast about it on social media is dangerously irresponsible. This shows a clear lack of judgment.'

Shark Research Institute director Marie Levine said sport fishing is not a leading shark killer but releasing the fish would have been preferable.

New York under Cuomo has taken strides to conserve sharks.

In July, the governor signed a bill that will require all participants in shark fishing tournaments to use hooks meant to be less harmful to the fish that they catch.

Cuomo (second from right) was with his TV presenter brother Chris and other friends

Cuomo's office notes he was legally permitted to keep the shark. But several social media users still criticized the decision

Earlier this month, Cuomo posted an Instagram photo of a 9ft hammerhead the brothers caught and released.

Hunters have regularly come under attack for posting photos of their prey on social media.

Walter Palmer, from Minneapolis, was excoriated last year after posing with the dead body of Cecil the Lion, one of Zimbabwe's most famous animals.

The dentist had previously posed with another of his lion kills, apparently taken by the same method as Cecil, who was killed by bow and arrow.
One Cry!, a free nationwide prayer event for women with Nancy DeMoss Wogelmuth, will be hosted via simulcast by Grace Baptist Church, 7815 Shallowford Road in Chattanooga, on Sept. 23 from 7-9 p.m. in the main auditorium, accessible on Jenkins Road side.

For further information, contact Kamilla Boerma at 423-892-4869.
Dubai's ruler has ordered a shake-up of the city state's management, including the retirement of nine senior officials, a day after he conducted a surprise spot check of government offices at 7.30am and found a significant number of employees absent.

On Sunday, his government posted a video on Instagram of him making an unannounced visit to the Land Department and Department of Economic Development office and finding it empty, an exercise which a Dubai media official said was intended to 'send a message'.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum casually wandered around the deserted office with empty seats, picking up an employee's book and flicking through it.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum visited a government office on Sunday morning

He walked past a framed portrait of himself on the wall but couldn't find anyone to actually talk to.

The visit should not have caught so many people out as Sheikh Mohammed is known for his early-morning inspections 'to ensure government services are up to Dubai's globally admired standards'.

In Dubai, public sector workers usually work from 7.30am to 2.30pm, while in the private sector usual business hours are from 8am to 1pm, resuming after the temperatures have begun to cool from 4pm.

The plush offices at the Land Department and Department of Economic Development office appeared empty

The Dubai ruler picked up an employee's book as he wandered around the empty office

The camera man deliberately filmed the empty seat inside the office in Dubai

In the video posted online the leader then goes on to inspect Dubai's airport - thankfully finding immigration officers were in place.

Governments around the Gulf are trying to make their bureaucracies more efficient as low oil prices pressure state finances, and the move by Sheikh Mohammed is one of the most dramatic efforts in that direction so far.

He ordered the retirement on Monday of nine members of Dubai Municipality's executive management, including directors and assistant director-generals in departments such as legal affairs and planning, the United Arab Emirates' state news agency WAM reported.

After his surprise visit Sheikh Mohammed ordered nine workers to be sacked

He casually strolled into the office at 7.30am on Sunday morning in Dubai

Some of those sacked include Abdul Qader Al Jasmi, director of legal affairs, deputy director general Eisa Al Maidoor and assistant Director General for corporate support Mohammad Abdul Karim Julfar.

On Monday, Sheikh Mohammed thanked the nine retired officials for their service but said he wanted to allow a new generation of young leaders to take control and provide top-quality services to the public, WAM reported.

Mona Al Marri, director general of the Dubai Media Office told The National newspaper: 'Timeliness starts at the top, and we won't go after the employees when their bosses aren't there.'

Sheikh Mohammed said waved hello to locals after he embarked on his tour of the government building

The government building where Sheikh Mohammed made his surprise visit is pictured
Prison officers have been captured on film putting a spit mask on a 17-year-old boy in a Queensland prison.

Brisbane Correctional Centre inmate Jarrod Clayton was confronted by seven prison officers in his cell who put him in handcuffs linked to a body belt - designed to limit manoeuvrability - and covered his head with the mask.

Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath has said masks of this kind were not used in youth detention centres in the state, after graphic footage emerged of teenagers being abused inside a Northern Territory correctional facility.

Prison officers have been captured on film putting a spit mask on a 17-year-old boy (pictured) in a Queensland prison

Clayton, who was not under the influence of drugs at the time, was then left for an hour by himself, The Courier Mail reported.

The restraining of the teenager happened after he had used the emergency intercom without a valid reason after he had been he had been informed not to do the day before, according to prison documents.

Previously Clayton had used expletives while speaking to officers and kicked the door to his cell.

The 17-year-old had been taken into custody over alleged break and enters, armed robbery and car thefts while under the influence of the drug 'ice'.

In Queensland, inmates who are aged 17 and over are considered to be adults.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Department of Police and Corrective Services for comment on the matter.

Brisbane Correctional Centre inmate Jarrod Clayton was confronted by prison officers who put him in handcuffs and covered his head with the mask. Pictured is the centre

The video formed part of investigation done by the Prisoners' Legal Service in 2013, with its director Peter Lyons labelling the methods used by the officers as 'extreme and degrading'.

This comes after the Federal Government ordered an inquiry into the treatment of inmate inside Northern Territory's Don Dale Centre following a Four Corners report showing graphic images of prison guards assaulting teenage boys.

One was shown hooded and shackled in scenes likened to Guantanamo Bay.

Footage aired on the ABC program in July showed footage of offenders, many indigenous, being stripped naked, tear-gassed and held in solitary confinement for weeks at a youth detention centre in the Northern Territory in 2014 and 2015.

This comes after a Four Corners report showing graphic images of prison guards assaulting teenage boys at the Northern Territory's Don Dale Centre. Pictured is one of the abused boys

The footage shocked not only the nation but Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he was 'shocked and appalled' at the images.

'Like all Australians, I've been deeply shocked... and appalled by the images of mistreatment of children at the Don Dale Centre,' he said at the time.

Mr Turnbull said a royal commission would be established along with the Northern Territory government to investigate the centre.
An NYPD officer punched, choked and insulted a man who was having an asthma attack while another cop watched, a lawsuit alleges.

James Rolkiewicz, of Staten Island, filed a suit against the officers and the city Monday, asking for $6 million.

He was walking in the West Village in September last year when his asthma attack began, court papers state.

Rolkiewicz sat on the steps of the Greenwich House Music arts school, looking for his inhaler, when an NYPD patrol car stopped nearby, the New York Daily News reported.

James Rolkiewicz (pictured), of Staten Island, filed a suit against the officers and the city of New York Monday, asking for $6 million

The two officers walked towards Rolkiewicz and one of them called him a f*****g f****t several times while asking for his id, the filing states.

That officer then grabbed Rolkiewicz and 'repeatedly smashed his face and head into the hood of the NYPD patrol car' according to the court papers.

Meanwhile the other cop stood by doing nothing, the suit says.

Rolkiewicz was 'brutally handled, punched, kicked, abusively treated, placed in a chokehold, handcuffed and choked until he lost consciousness,' according to the filing.

The two officers didn't tell Rolkiewicz why he was arrested and omitted to read him his rights, the suit states.

Rolkiewicz stayed in custody for about two days. It is unclear what charges were brought against him.

An NYPD officer punched, choked and insulted Rolkiewicz (pictuyred) while he was having an asthma attack in the West Village, the lawsuit alleges
An angry truck driver has launched a terrifying verbal attack on a cyclist who accused him of driving too close.

The bike rider, who asked not to be identified, captured the man's tirade on camera in Footscray, in Melbourne's west on Saturday morning.

Footage published by Fairfax shows the driver threatening the cyclist, screaming: 'I'll f***ing smash you, you f***ing c***'.

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A truck driver has been caught on camera threatening to 'smash' a cyclist

The cyclist, 43, said the altercation began when the driver swerved towards him, narrowly missing his bike by about 30 centimetres.

Stopping at the next set of lights, the 43-year-old told the truck driver he 'nearly killed' him, before sticking his middle finger up at the man.

The truckie reacted badly, jumping from the vehicle and charging towards the bike rider, who at this point admitted 'I feared for my safety'.

The cyclist then asked the driver why he was so upset, before the man responded: 'I'll f***ing smash you, you f***ing c***'.

A number of cyclists has stopped at the lights by this point, with others jumping in to try and diffuse the situation.

'Calm down mate', one said.

The truckie reacted badly, jumping from the vehicle and charging towards the bike rider

The fight took place on Footscray Road in Melbourne's west on Saturday morning

'You don't want to go to court', another added.

The cyclist told The Age he had reported the incident to officers at Footscray station, however a spokesman for Victoria Police said they had no received a formal complaint.

'Police are aware of a verbal altercation between a truck driver and a cyclist on Footscray Road in west Melbourne on Saturday,' the spokesman told Daily Mail Australia.
But he was medicated and ultimately declared stable and of no harm

Files say couldn't feel love and had become paranoid and aggressive

In November 2011 he told VA docs he had PTSD from watching gory videos

He served in Iraq for seven months but didn't see combat

Gavin Long, the ex-Marine who shot dead three cops in Baton Rouge last month, never saw combat in Iraq but still told doctors he had post-traumatic stress disorder because he was made to watch gory videos by his friend, it has emerged.

Newly released medical records from the Veterans Health Administration say that Long was diagnosed with 'adjustment disorder with depressed mood' in November 2011, but not PTSD.

However, Long - who had been become paranoid and aggressive before the 2011 visit - told doctors his army buddy had triggered PTSD by showing him videos of maimed and decapitated bodies.

Troubled: Gavin Long served as a Marine from 2005-2010, including seven months in Iraq, but didn't see combat. In July he killed three Baton Rouge cops and injured three more

Long, of Kansas City, Missouri, served as a data network specialist in the Marines from 2005-2010, including seven months in Iraq. He told doctors he had witnessed casualties, but did not fight in combat.

He went to the VA in 2011 saying he had trouble falling and staying asleep, documents say.

And family members also said he had become more aggressive and angered easily, something his ex-wife also complained about.

'He feels sad but claims he does not know what he feels sad about,' his medical file said.

'PTSD': Long told VA docs in 2011 that he had PTSD from watching gory videos, and was sad, paranoid and aggressive. He was told he didn't have PTSD, and was ultimately declared stable

During his PTSD evaluation, the VA noted Long avoided movies about the war and was 'unable to experience tenderness, loving feelings.'

It also had a cryptic notation about some 'sense of foreshortened future.'

Although he 'did not meet the criteria for PTSD,' Long was prescribed the antidepressant citalopram and told about the VA's mental health clinic and local 24-hour services.

Ultimately, however, he was found to be stable, with no evidence of imminent harm to himself or others, and no mental health condition requiring further intervention.

More than a year later, Long denied during a December 2012 visit to a VA hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, that he had any mental health symptoms or readjustment issues and assured his doctors at the time that no follow up was needed.

His last VA medical visit was in August 2013, related to asthma and injury to his shoulder and arm, the documents show.

Three years later, on July 17, 2016, he shot and killed three law enforcement officers and wounded three others outside a Baton Rouge convenience store.

His mother, Corine Woodley, told PBS talk show host Tavis Smiley in July that her son would 'pretty much lose it' and become furious every time he heard about a black man being shot by police in what he considered an unlawful manner.

Angry: His mom said Long would 'lose it' and become angry every time he heard about a black man being shot by police. She also claims the VA admitted he had PTSD in 2013

She said her son received a letter from the Department of Veteran Affairs denying his request for treatment of PTSD in 2013 on grounds that the disorder wasn't related to his medical service.

The medical records the VA provided AP did not contain such a letter.

Prior to the shooting, Long had posted rambling internet videos calling for violence in response to police treatment of African-Americans, which he said constituted 'oppression.'

The attack claimed the lives of two Baton Rouge police officers - 32-year-old Montrell Jackson and 41-year-old Matthew Gerald - and 45-year-old East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office deputy Brad Garafola.

Baton Rouge was the second mass shooting of law enforcement officers last month, and drew attention to the treatment of veterans on return from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Micah Johnson, an Army reservist who served in Afghanistan in 2014, killed five Dallas police officers at the end of a peaceful march on July 7 in downtown Dallas.

The demonstrators were protesting fatal police shootings in Minnesota and Louisiana. Johnson had sought treatment from the VA for PTSD symptoms.

Long killed the three Louisiana officers ten days later.

Murdered: Officers Matthew Gerald (left) and Montrell Jackson (right) were ambushed and shot by Long outside a Baton Rouge convenience store on July 17
Capitalising on a feature Instagram doesn't have is earning a savvy young entrepreneur almost $3 million per year in revenue.

Melbourne man Hugh Stephens started Schedugram in late 2013 and uses up to 90 smart phones displayed on a wall to post scheduled updates to the popular photo sharing social media platform Instagram.

The 26-year-old - who quit a medicine degree to begin a social and digital media consulting company before Schedugram - has got 'thousands' of customers from around the world who pay for his business, with monthly fees starting at $20 for a single account.

It targets people like celebrities or companies who are trying to keep followers interested with regular - but often time consuming - posting.

Schedugram's 'wall of phones' which it uses to post scheduled updates to social media platform Instagram for a fee

Schedugram's creator, 26-year-old Melbourne man Hugh Stephens

Instagram doesn't have a post scheduling function, so Mr Stephens provides it for individuals and businesses who are trying to keep followers interested

Customers include small business owners, advertising agencies and fashion labels.

Fees increase based on the number of followers an account has.

Posts peak at 3am, Australia time - during the day in the US - and spike on weekends and during holidays.

Using a 'wall of phones' might seem low-tech in a high-tech world, but Mr Stephens said it was an easy way to monitor them, rather than using a 'virtual' system.

Schedugram uses up to 90 smart phones to post updates to Instagram on a daily basis

If Instagram introduced a scheduling function, it would effectively end the need for Schedugram

He told Daily Mail Australia he was surprised the business had even lasted six months.

Instagram could update the app to include a scheduling feature - which Mr Stephens expected - but it hasn't, yet.

It has made working with the uncertainty challenging, but the business has still grown.

He said starting Schedugram as Instagram began to grow had helped.

While he knows Instagram could easily introduce scheduling and remove Schedugram's whole purpose, his company has been looking at back-up plans such as offering similar services for Pinterest.

Instagram hasn't allowed scheduling in a bid to restrict spam accounts, and Mr Stephens told The Herald Sun posts from Schedugram were approved and capped at four per hour in a bid to do the same.

Facebook-owned Instagram has 500 million users, 300 million of whom use it daily.
A man who allegedly chopped off his wife's two little fingers and two toes with a machete in a brutal roadside attack has sobbed in court.

Atinae Afamiliona, 49, appeared via video link at Campbelltown Local Court after he was charged with attempted murder and wounding with intent to murder.

He did not apply for bail and he was remanded to appear at court again on October 26.

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Atinae Afamiliona is accused of chopped off wife Tiperia's two little fingers and two toes with a machete in a brutal roadside attack

Blood appears on a car seized by police in their investigation at Alfamiliona's home

Family and friends turned out to support Afamiliona who wept at court on Tuesday

Police allege he and his 45-year-old wife, Tiperia Afamiliona, had an argument on Monday night as he was driving at Raby, in Sydney's south-west.

He stopped the car and the argument continued.

Afamiliona pulled a machete from under the driver's seat and launched his attack, police say.

His wife's left hand was left skinned, with the little fingers on both hands severed.

Two toes on her left foot were also severed, and she sustained a large laceration to her right calf and ankle.

Tearful family and friends turned out to support Afamiliona who wept at court on Tuesday, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

As they left court, one supporter was asked for a comment.

Police allege he and Ms Afamiliona (pictured) had an argument on Monday night as he was driving at Raby, in Sydney's south-west

Afamiliona, 49, appeared via video link at Campbelltown Local Court after he was charged with attempted murder

His wife, Tiperia Afamiliona, had both little fingers and two toes chopped off with a machete by her husband who also peeled the skin completely off her left hand. Pictured is the scene

The brutal roadside attack happened in Sydney's south-west, on Monday after an argument between the 45-year-old woman and her 49-year-old partner as they were driving

Police arrested the man at his home in Campbelltown and charged him with attempted murder and wounding with intent to murder. Above are police at the home

'I don't know what's happening,' the relative responded.

Following the attack, Afamiliona drove to Campbelltown Hospital to to drop his wife off at the emergency room before he then drove home.

She was later transferred to Liverpool Hospital in a serious but stable condition.

Police arrested Afamiliona at his home in Campbelltown and charged him with attempted murder and wounding with intent to murder.

His vehicle, which had blood splattered on the paint work, was seized for further analysis and a crime scene was established at the home.

A neighbour who only gave his name as Robert said they rarely spoke to the Afamilionas.

But on one occasion Robert and his wife were forced to speak to Afamiliona after he was burning what looked like toxic material.

A neighbour who only gave his name as Robert (right with his wife) said they rarely spoke to the Afamilionas

Family and friends turned out to support Afamiliona who wept at court on Tuesday

As they left court, one supporter was asked for a comment but said they did not know what was happening

'After this we came to an arrangement, he keeps away from me I keep away from him,' Robert told Daily Mail Australia

Robert's wife said she also had a run in with Ms Afamiliona.

'As far as I know the wife is very decent,' she said.

'The reason I stay away... the little girl was once talking to me, she was small at that time, and then I saw the mother take her away and told her not to talk to us so I said to my husband they're probably very private people.'

Robert said the only time their neighbours caused them any trouble was when Afamiliona drank.

'The only time we have a problem with them is when he drinks, then we have a problem with them,' Robert told Daily Mail Australia.

'Being an ex-drunk I know what it's like to be an idiot.
Footage has emerged of Pauline Hanson's mother Norah making racist comments in the late 1990s.

Norah Seccombe was gathered with some of her seven children for tea in Queensland when she made the comments about immigration, which were revealed in a clip on 60 Minutes on Sunday.

'I was always taught, the yellow race will rule the world,' Norah Hanson said.

'And if we don't do something now... I'm afraid, yes, the yellow race will rule the world.'

Mrs Seccombe, whose maiden name was Hannorah Webster, reportedly was 'old-fashioned' in her thinking and instilled discipline into the large family.

She and her husband Jack Seccombe would work 100 hour weeks in their milk bar in Brisbane where Pauline and her brothers and sisters would also work.

'Her grit, determination, honesty and compassion is in all of us,' Hanson said at her mother's funeral in January 1997. 'Now she is gone. I will miss her love and advice I sought so often.'

Norah Seccombe was filmed expressing some very forthright views on race relations

During an emotional interview with 60 Minutes, Hanson discussed her return to politics, and whether she was in fact a xenophobe.

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'.

'I have read sections of the Koran, yes,' Hanson told 60 Minutes.

The clip was shown in a 60 Minutes program about her daughter Pauline Hanson who attended an Ecumenical Service at St Andrews Church in Canberra, on Tuesday

One Nation leader Hanson speaks with Minister for Immigration Peter Dutton in the Senate marking the start of the 45th Parliament on Tuesday

Hanson said that her mother had instilled 'grit, determination, honesty and compassion' in all her family

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.

This after after the MP for the Queensland electorate of Oxley said in her maiden speech to Parliament in 1996: 'I do not want Australia to be Asianised. I believe we are in danger of being swamped by Asians.They have their own culture and religion, form ghettos and do not assimilate.'

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.
As they happily show off their uniforms before their first day at school, it is hard to believe identical twins Rosie and Ruby were once given almost no chance of survival.

Before the girls were born, their parents Angela and Daniel Formosa were told they were joined at the abdomen.

There was a high risk that they would not survive the pregnancy, and if they did then they might not survive the birth or the subsequent surgery to separate them. I didnt prepare to bring them home, said Mrs Formosa, of Bexleyheath, South-East London.

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Thriving: Rosie, left, and Ruby are now four years old and can't wait to join their big sister Lily in going to scjool

Thanks to the skills of a team of doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital, however, the girls were successfully separated when they were only a few hours old.

They have thrived ever since and now, aged four, they are very excited about starting school  a milestone which seemed impossible back in 2012.

Mrs Formosa, 35, said: When I was pregnant I didnt think Id ever see their first day at school so it is really amazing and all thanks to Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Conjoined twins occur every 200,000 births, however, as few as five per cent of those births actually survive being born.

The parents were warned the girls had a very low chance of survival when doctors made the discovery when Mrs Formosa was 16 weeks pregnant.

I was really, really, really scared and really upset because at that point I was told that there was a high possibility that the girls wouldnt survive the pregnancy.

And if they did survive the pregnancy they might not survive the birth, then they might not survive surgery.

Fight for life: Rosie, left, and Ruby at birth when they were born joined at the abdomen

Toddlers: Fortunately the girls survived the surgery despite the doctors saying there was a chance they may not survive

They couldnt tell what was connecting them. I didnt prepare to bring them home.

It wasnt until they were in hospital and theyd had their operation that my husband started painting the bedroom and getting everything ready for them, the mother said.

The girls, who shared part of the intestine, were born at University College Hospital in London by caesarean section when Mrs Formosa was 34 weeks pregnant.

Within a couple of hours of being born, they were taken to world-renowned Gosh for emergency surgery which lasted five hours and involved 15 doctors because of a life-threatening intestinal blockage.

Family: The twins proudly show off their new school uniforms with their sister Lily

The girls, who were born weighing 5lb 3oz each, amazed doctors by doing so well that they were healthy enough to go home at just three weeks old.

Taxi-driver Mr Formosa, 40, said he had feared the girls would not make it with such slim odds against them.

It was very difficult when we first found out, it was touch and go so at that stage every day was a battle.

We did not ever think we would come this far, but they are amazing and this is another milestone they have achieved, he added.

Mrs Formosa said it feels like a million years ago since she was waiting for the girls to come out of their surgery.

The time has just flown by, I cant believe how fast it has gone. They are very excited (about starting school); their big sister is in school so they cant wait.

Theyve met their teacher a few times and they love their teacher. Theyre looking forward to painting, anything messy, they love reading.

They are very similar, they are very bubbly little girls, they are very headstrong and very determined, which I knew they were from when they were in my belly because of the way they kept growing and surviving.

I knew they were going to be determined and they are. They rule the roost.

Praising the staff at the world-renowned childrens hospital, the mother added: They had a look and did scans and all sorts of tests and it wasnt until they got into surgery that they saw what was going on.

It was on-the-spot decisions as to what was to be done.

Great Ormond Street Hospital is the leading centre in Europe for the care of conjoined twins, performing the first successful separation surgery on conjoined twins in 1985. It has since cared for 27 sets of conjoined twins.

New beginning: The twins' mother Angela says they girls love reading and like taking part in anything messy such as painting

The Formosa family are supporting the hospitals charity through its Back To School Campaign - which celebrates children who are able to go to school thanks to Gsoh as well as raising funds.

The campaign encourages people to share their childrens back-to-school moments on their social media pages to help raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital Childrens Charity.

Tim Johnson, chief executive of Great Ormond Street Hospital Childrens Charity, said: Thanks to the world-class care given to seriously ill children from across the UK at Gosh, more children will go back to school or enjoy their first day at school.
The young boy who wore a West Coast Eagles jumper with white powder on his nose was told Ben Cousins ate too many donuts and was actually dressed up as a Goosebumps character, his parents have claimed.

But the mother of the Perth boy has claimed her young son did not attend book week as the troubled former AFL star, and was completely oblivious to the reference to drugs.

She also claimed he in fact went to the book week costume competition dressed as Goosebumps character Living Dummy.

The '10 second joke' was referencing a similar snap of a child dressed as Eagles player Nic Naitanui which made headlines just days earlier because the boy's mum used blackface to create a likeness to the Fijian-born star for book week.

'Please advise, this was a joke,' the mother wrote on a Daily Mail Australia Facebook post.

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A photo of a young boy dressed up as troubled former AFL star Ben Cousins for 'book week' has gone viral. The youngster (pictured) was dressed in a West Coast Eagles jumper, had white powder on his nose to represent cocaine and had his eyes rolled back in his head

'He didn't know the meaning behind this. He was told Ben ate too many donuts,' the boy's mother has said

The mother claimed the Perth boy in face went to book week dressed as Goosebumps character Living Dummy and was just referencing last week's blackface saga for a '10 second joke'

'He didn't know the meaning behind this. He was told Ben ate too many donuts.'

The mother said the boy had 'no inkling as to what it actually all meant' and was 'completely oblivious'.

She also claimed the boy did not go to school in the jersey or with the white powder on his nose.

'He went to school dressed as a character from "Goosebumps", this was a 10 second joke.'

The father also took to Facebook to say the boy 'had no idea why he had flour on his nose'.

'I told him to act silly and got the pic. It's a p***take because of the Nic Nat issue  lighten up.'

Both parents declined to provide comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.

A photo of the boy went viral on Monday after it was shared online by his father and reposted to a Ben Cousins Facebook fan page.

Cousins (pictured) has had a well publicised struggle with drug abuse. The former West Coast captain and veteran of 270 AFL games attended rehabilitation clinics

The father (pictured left) of the young boy took to Facebook to defend his decision to mimick drug use on his young son, saying people needed to 'lighten up'

'Check out this little tacker dressing up as the champion AFL legend Ben Cousins for #BookWeek,' the fan page wrote alongside the post.

'Powdered nose the works, future All Australian right here.'

The photo shows the 'young Ben Cousins' with his eyes rolled back in his head, seemingly showcasing the affects of drug use.

Many of the thousands of comments on the photo attacked the boy's parents for portraying a child abusing illicit substances.

Cousins' history of drug use and trips to rehabilitation facilities in both Australia and the United States is well documented.

Late last week a photo of a young boy dressed up as Eagles star Nic Naitanui went viral when his mother was accused of being racist for using blackface

Naitanui (pictured) said he didn't believe the mother intended to cause harm but that it was important to understand the consequences of using blackface

The 270-game AFL has garnered somewhat of a cult following on social media since his retirement in 2010, thanks largely to his 'Such Is Life' documentary which detailed his drug addiction and partying antics.

Cousins mentioned on numerous occasions during the documentary and in his biography that cocaine was his drug of choice.

Earlier this year the 2006 premiership player was hospitalised after police found him incoherent and trying to direct traffic on a Perth highway.

Children across the country last week celebrated 'book week', however one child's wish to dress up as his 'hero' Nic Naitanui made headlines for using racist blackface.

The mother of the nine-year-old boy posted a photo of her son dressed as the AFL star to the Facebook page of popular mummy-blogger Constance Hall late last week.

Naitanui responded, and said he didn't believe the mother intended to cause harm but said she did not understand the 'painful historical significance' of blackface.
Entertainer Randall Franks was among the recent honorees at the 42nd annual Atlanta Society of Entertainers Awards receiving the Bluegrass Band of the Year Award with his Georgia Mafia Bluegrass Band.

Mr. Franks, who is best known as Officer Randy Goode from the TV series In the Heat of the Night, starred in three TV series and 15 films. Musically, he is recognized as an International Bluegrass Music Museum Legend and Independent Country Music Hall of Fame inductee.

Performing among some of the best performers in our state in many genres is a great honor, Mr. Franks said. It is such a blessing to do it with a talented group of performers in their own right. I know each of us are thankful for the recognition that what we do is touching others.

Appearing as part of the Georgia Mafia Bluegrass Band were Pete Hatfield and Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame members  Jerry and Helen Burke, Rick Smith, Dean Marsh and J. Max McKee.

Organized for a special PBS TV appearance in 2009, the band still receives requests for appearances, Mr. Franks said.

The group, which is made up of members of several other acts, will be included on Mr. Franks' upcoming "30 Years on Radio and TV Volume II" CD from the Share America Foundation, Inc. expected out in November. The CD will raise funds for the Pearl and Floyd Franks Scholarship encouraging youth in Appalachian music.

Mr. Franks became a country music personality as a youth beginning appearances at major country, folk, bluegrass and gospel events such as Country Music Association Fan Fair, National Folk Festival, National Quartet Convention, National Black Arts Festival and for the Grand Ole Opry. With 24 career albums in four genres, his latest is "Keep 'Em Smilin'" He has performed to over 145 million fans around the world. He is a syndicated newspaper columnist featured across the Southern and Midwestern U.S. and an author with eight books including his Encouragers III: A Guiding Hand releasing this week.

Some among the genres and entertainers performing and receiving honors at the event were Jazz  Joey Stuckey; Western Swing  The Junction Band; Blues  The Danny Miller Band and The Mike Watson Band; Classic Country  Highridge; Comedy Bluegrass  The McKee Family Band; Traditional Country  Donna Robinson and Friends with special guest Katie Deal; Bluegrass Gospel  Hickory Wind Bluegrass; Contemporary Country  David Gardner; and Southern Rock  Southern Breeze ATL.

Country musician Jerry Braswell, who performed with numerous stars from Porter Wagoner to Ernest Tubb, received the Lifetime Achievement Award and Horizon Award winner was banjo stylist Landon Fitzpatrick.

Some other performers included Lorraine Guth Parker, Danny Gardner; Mitzie Gardner; Greta Hopkins; and Megan Burke.

Find out more about Mr. Franks at http://randallfranks.com/ or visit him on Facebook, Twitter or RandallFranks TV on YouTube.
Anthony Weiner's former sexting partner Sydney Leathers has called the disgraced ex-congressman an 'egomaniac' who sends the raunchy snaps to fish for compliments.

The former law firm assistant, who turned to porn after her correspondences with Weiner emerged in 2013, also said the snap with his child up next to him is 'bizarre'.

Earlier this month, she claimed the shamed politician had more sexting partners - and Monday's report in the New York Post seems to suggest she was right.

Just hours after his wife Huma Abedin announced she was leaving Weiner, Leathers told Inside Edition she wasn't surprised he was embroiled in a third sexting scandal in five years.

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Anthony Weiner's former sexting partner Sydney Leathers has called the disgraced ex-congressman an 'egomaniac' who sends the raunchy snaps to fish for compliments

Earlier this month, she claimed the shamed politician had more sexting partners - and Monday's report in the New York Post seems to suggest she was righ

'He's quite the egomaniac. I feel like he sends the photos 'cause he wants compliments.'

Leather also said that the pictures published in the tabloid were very similar to the ones she was sent.

She began sharing messages and explicit photos with Weiner in April 2013.

After she images emerged, and she was identified as the temptress, she gave numerous interviews to multiple news outlets.

She even showed up at an event he hosted after losing in the mayoral primary that September, footage of which ended up in the recent documentary about his mayoral race.

Just hours after his wife Huma Abedin announced she was leaving Weiner, Leathers told Inside Edition she wasn't surprised he was embroiled in a third sexting scandal in five years

In an interview with DailyMail.com at the beginning of August, Leathers slammed claims he was thinking about another shot as New York's Mayor.

She said: 'I think Weiner's downfall is his delusional narcissism.

'Even though he knew he was running for office, he thought he could get away with what he was doing. But when voters discovered he was once again engaging in what they considered to be questionable behavior, his mayoral bid was over.'

'Now he thinks that because he stayed in the background for a few years, he can jump back into the political arena and run for mayor of NYC all over again, and all will be forgiven.

'But when a person isn't repentant and doesn't take responsibility for his actions, people don't trust him and the only job he's really qualified for these days is a NYC dog catcher.'

Leathers wrote Weiner in 2012, shortly after it was discovered he lied about his 2011 sexting affair, telling him she'd always admired him but was disappointed he hadn't told the truth about the situation. A few months later she was surprised to get a response, and even more surprised when they began their own sexting relationship.

In an interview with DailyMail.com at the beginning of August, Leathers slammed claims he was thinking about another shot as New York's Mayor. She said: 'I think Weiner's downfall is his delusional narcissism. She is seen in 2014 promoting her porn film

'I was in awe of Anthony and it was exciting when he contacted me,' Leathers revealed to Daily Mail Online. 'For the first three months we talked, wrote each other sexy messages and exchanged naked photos almost every day,' she said.

'He liked when I'd send him nude photos of me in sexy heels and whenever we had phone sex the first thing he would ask is what shoes I was wearing.

'After three months, we both became busy and we cut back on our correspondence, speaking just a few times a week. But he was always very affectionate and even talked about setting me up in a condo in nearby Chicago.'
Melbourne mother Karen Ristevski (pictured) has been missing since June 29

Missing mother Karen Ristevski had a slice in a $360,000 share of an inheritance from her father in the months leading up to her mysterious disappearance.

The inheritance was split between the 47-year-old woman and her brother after their father Joseph Williams died at the age of 78 in December 2014, The Australian reported.

The pair were the only beneficiaries of their father's will after he passed away with an estate of $368,492. His assets were equally distributed to his two children after his funeral and legal expenses were paid for.

It's not clear when the Melbourne siblings received their money from the inheritance but lawyer George James Bouhalis, who acts for the family, said the pair secured their share in the estate at the end of 2015.

The 47-year-old woman had a slice in a $360,000 share of an inheritance from her father

Mr Ristevski (right) with his daughter Sarah leave a press conference after pleading for information last month following the mother's disappearance

Mrs Ristevski was last seen leaving her Avondale Heights property in Melbourne's north-west on the morning of June 29 after having an argument with her husband Borce over finances.

And more than two months on, details have emerged Mrs Ristevski's phone had 'pinged' near Gisborne on the day she went missing.

Her phone was tracked on the Calder Highway, about 20 kilometres from her phone, while her husband's phone was reported switched off for two hours that day.

When Mr Ristevski was questioned by detectives about his whereabouts, he reportedly failed to mention taking her car for a drive down the 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.

Mr Ristevski initially claimed she walked away from their home 'to clear her head' after they had a bitter dispute about money.

There is no suggestion Mr Ristevski was involved in his wife's disappearance.

Details emerged Mrs Ristevski's phone 'pinged' near Gisborne on the day she went missing

The Melbourne property where Mrs Ristevski was said to have left before she disappeared

A missing poster of the mother spotted on a pole just across her Avondale Heights home

It has also been reported that her husband made an admission to family members that he believed his wife may have been abducted.

Her brother-in-law Vasko Ristevski claimed he believed the mother had secretly fled to China or the US with a fake passport in an effort to hide from her family.

However, Mrs Ristevski's aunt Patricia Gray has slammed claims, saying she believed her niece may have been murdered and 'discarded like a piece of rubbish'.
The Czech hiker who heard her partner take his last breath after he fell down a cliff and survived alone for a month in a remote hut is heading home from New Zealand.

New Zealand's Czech consul Vladka Kennett said Pavlina Pizova, 33, had been staying with her in Glenorchy but was leaving 'very soon' for the Czech Republic.

'She's doing well. She's trying to get through these few days before she goes home,' Ms Kennett told Daily Mail Australia.

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New Zealand's Czech consul Vladka Kennett said Pavlina Pizova (centre), 33, had been staying with her in Glenorchy but was leaving 'very soon' for the Czech Republic

Ms Pizova and her 27-year-old partner, Ondrej Petr, set out on the Routeburn Track in New Zealand's snow-clad Southern Alps, about 60 kilometres of Queenstown, on July 24

The Czech consul would not give the exact date her house guest would be leaving.

She is expected to leave New Zealand on Tuesday, according Czech news website Blesk.

Ms Pizova and her 27-year-old partner, Ondrej Petr, set out on the Routeburn Track in New Zealand's snow-clad Southern Alps, about 60 kilometres north-west of Queenstown, on July 24.

Two days into the journey, he slipped, fell down a cliff and died.

Mr Petr's death is being treated as not suspicious and a report is now being prepared for the coroner.

Ms Pizova spent two days hiking through extreme snow conditions before she made it to a Lake Mackenzie track warden's hut.

She stayed at the hut for about four weeks before she was rescued by New Zealand search crews.

Since then, Ms Pizova has donated a 'four-figure' sum to police, Land Search and Rescue, and the Department of Conservation.

Pictured is inside the hut Ms Pizova was stranded in for about four months

Ms Pizova spent two days hiking through extreme snow conditions before she made it to a Lake Mackenzie track warden's hut (pictured)

The 33-year-old has also written to her 'heroes' thanking them for their help during her ordeal.

'I'd like to give a little as big thank you for the enormous effort to bring me back to safety and Ondrej back to his family,' Ms Pizova wrote.

'Nothing can express how grateful I am that our tragedy happened just in this area with your expertise.

'I'm overwhelmed by your empathy and gentle support.'

Ms Pizova also thanked the Department of Conservation, saying 'your well-maintained infrastructure literally saved my life'.

'Please accept this little donation as a compensation for the damages and possible expenses I've caused in gaining access to your facilities during my uneasy ordeal,' she said.

The 33-year-old has also written to her 'heroes' thanking them for their help during her ordeal

She has also donated a 'four-figure' to her rescuers - the police, Department of Conservation, and Land Search and Rescue

The 33-year-old has also written to her 'heroes' thanking them for their help during her ordeal and helping return Mr Petr's (pictured) body to his family

The Czech consul said Ms Pizova has been in contact with her family by email and telephone.

Ms Kennett said her family were glad to hear the 33-year-old was safe.

'They were relieved as you can imagine,' the Czech consul told Daily Mail Australia.

Following her rescue, Ms Pizova spoke out about her 'harrowing ordeal', which saw her stranded in hut stocked with food, firewood and coffee. It also had a fireplace and stove.

Ms Pizova said she had attempted to escape the hut by fashioning snow boots out of plastic baskets.

'As you can imagine the last month was very harrowing for me, and my and my partner's families,' she said on Friday.

'There is not enough space and it is not appropriate at this time to go into details but I would like to take this opportunity to just briefly explain our actions.

Rescuers trying to retrieve Mr Petr's body from the walking track. Adverse weather conditions hampered their efforts

A group of rescuers on the track where Mr Petr slipped and fell to his death

Ms Pizova and Mr Petr's trek was marred by dangerous snow conditions. Pictured is Routeburn track

'The conditions were extreme, we encountered heavy snow fall and low cloud which contributed to our enforced overnighting in the open which affected our plans to reach Lake Mackenzie hut.

'In our attempt to reach the hut the tragic accident happened when my partner fell and died.

'After his death it took me another two nights out in the open before I reached the safety of the hut.

'The recent heavy snows meant I was walking through waist-deep snow and because all track markers were covered, I had to find my own way.
Government officials have drawn up plans to dramatically scale back the extent of nuclear cooperation with the Chinese government, it emerged last night.

One proposal would see the Hinkley Point nuclear plant in Somerset given the go-ahead but reconsider a linked project which would see China build a separate nuclear reactor in Bradwell, Essex.

However, yesterday it was reported Beijing is resisting attempts to unpick the multi-billion pound deal. The issue could overshadow Theresa May's visit to China next week for the G20 summit of major powers.

Mrs May will travel to Hangzhou for the meeting on September 4 and 5 which will be hosted by the Chinese President Xi Jinping.

One proposal would see the Hinkley Point nuclear plant in Somerset (pictured) given the go-ahead

Last month the Prime Minister 'called in' the Hinkley Point deal amid concerns about both cost and security because of the prominent role of the Chinese State.

The initial agreement, which was drawn up by George Osborne last September would see China General Nuclear Corporation (CGNC) taking a one third stake in Hinkley C, and part-fund another plant at Sizewell in Suffolk. Both projects would be led by French energy giant EDF.

In theory, however, the third project in Bradwell would be built by the Chinese firm, giving it a crucial foothold in Europe.

At the weekend, the chief executive of EDF, Vincent de Rivaz, dismissed security concerns about Hinkley, saying he knows and trusts his 'Chinese partners'.

He also argued the staff on the project would be 'rigorously vetted' and the UK' s nuclear regulator wouldn't have approved the project unless it was 'satisfied' security has been 'properly addressed'.

But some Tory MPs have warned Britain should 'sup with a long spoon' with China because of its history of cyber-attacks on the UK.

Concerns about China escalated earlier this month when it emerged CGNC is accused of planning to steal details of US nuclear technology developments. A senior member of staff, Allen Ho, 66, is alleged to have tapped up US experts to pass nuclear technology information to China.

Ho faces trial in Georgia on charges of helping a foreign power produce nuclear material, and could receive a lengthy prison sentence if found guilty.

Theresa May will travel to Hangzhou for the meeting on September 4 and 5 which will be hosted by the Chinese President Xi Jinping (pictured)

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph ,Mr de Rivaz said: '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.

'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.'
Two huge hurricanes are heading straight for Hawaii, with weather forecasters predicting unprecedented winds and rain for the Big Island.

Hurricane Madeline, which could slam into the Big Island some time tomorrow, the first time the island has been hit by a hurricane. A second storm, Hurricane Lester, is following in its path.

The US National Weather Service said Madeline, a Category 3 hurricane, was expected to pass 'dangerously close' to Big Island, carrying heavy rain and strong winds.

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Hurricane Madeline (left) is hurtling towards Hawaii's Big Island (far left) and is followed by Hurricane Lester (right)

The hurricane, which has sustained winds of 125mph, was 575 miles east of Hilo at 3am GMT today.

It is expected to dump up to 15 inches of rain on Hawaii.

'This rainfall may lead to dangerous flash floods and mudslides,' said an NWS Central Pacific Hurricane Center spokesman.

The Big Island, officially known as Hawaii, is home to only 185,000 people, compared to Oahu - which includes the capital Honolulu - which has almost a million people.

Hurricane Madeline is due to brush past Hawaii's Big Island on Wednesday and Thursday, dumping large amounts of rain

Hawaii County, which covers the Big Island, urged residents to stock up with food, water, flashlights, batteries and first aid supplies.

The county recommended residents make evacuation plans and move outdoor furniture inside.

Hurricane Lester, a Category 4 storm with winds of 130mph, is currently 1,000 miles east of Madeline, also heading for Hawaii but it is expected to lose strength before it reaches landfall.

The president is due to arrive on Thursday to give a keynote speech at the opening of the World Conservation Congress, a major meeting of thousands of delegates, including heads of state, scientists and policy makers.

A woman walks in a lagoon near Hilo on Hawaii's Big Island. Hurricane Madeline is currently around 500 miles east of Hilo but is bearing down on the island

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature stages the congress every four years at a different location around the globe.

Obama, who was born and grew up in Hawaii, is also expected to travel to Midway Atoll - scene of a famous Second World War battle - where he established the world's largest marine reserve last week, home to thousands of rare sea creatures.
Britain's big four supermarkets are removing microbeads from all their own-label products amid growing controversy over the damage they cause to the environment.

Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda and Morrisons are all taking action  with Tesco committed to removing all plastic microbeads from its ranges by 2017.

At the same time, Boots, Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, Next, Aldi, Superdrug and Asos are also seeking to banish the toxic beads from their products. Others, such as the Co-op, Lush and Neals Yard say they have never used the tiny plastic beads in their scrubs, gels and toothpaste.

Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda and Morrisons are all taking action  with Tesco committed to removing all plastic microbeads from its ranges by 2017 (file photo)

The moves make clear it is possible for the cosmetics industry to remove the plastic poison beads.

It will also put pressure on Theresa May to act. Government officials are understood to be in talks with academics and green organisations to decide how to implement a legal ban.

Details of the move by high street giants come from the industry trade body, the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

Major high street retailers are working to remove microbeads from own-brand products, with many having achieved this target already, it said. While there may still be products on the shelf and in use by consumers, the number of such units will be diminishing.

Big brand cosmetics manufacturers have offered to voluntarily remove the beads from some rinse off scrubs and face washes by 2020.

The BRC says that, while the stores can decide the ingredients in their own personal care products, they cannot impose restrictions on other brands they sell.

Despite this, Waitrose has announced that from the end of this week it will not stock any branded products that use the beads. The move by the retailer could well provide a template for other chains.

The Daily Mail launched its Ban the Beads campaign amid mounting evidence of the harm caused by microbeads to, sea life and the environment, as well as, potentially, human health.

POP STAR PRAISE FOR MAIL IN CRUSADE ON PLASTIC MENACE Campaigner: Dougie Poynter with former girlfriend Ellie Goulding A pop star has mounted a personal crusade against microbeads, bringing the issue to the attention of his 1.28million young followers on Twitter. Dougie Poynter, bass player with pop group McFly, thanked the Daily Mail for launching a campaign against the menace. He tweeted a link to a Daily Mail front page with the headline Ban the Toxic Beads Now saying: So awesome to see this! Thanks! The 28-year-old has had a fascination with the natural world and conservation since he was a child. Earlier this year he wrote an open letter appealing to people to wake up to the threat from microbeads. He was inspired by a meeting with Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen, the founders of the US-based charity 5 Gyres, which focuses on the dangers of plastic pollution. He wrote: Microbeads are the tiny plastic balls used mainly in personal care products including toothpastes that are marketed as helping to clean you. After using these products the tiny beads are rinsed down the drain and end up in our waterways and oceans affecting fish and other animals. Small fish eat these beads thinking they are food. Big fish eat the little fish. We eat the big fish.... This is a massive global issue affecting all of us as humans. This made me realise that Ive been using all kinds of products from toothpastes to face scrub for years completely unaware that I am washing and cleaning myself with millions of pieces of plastic. Here in the UK the government has been talking about a ban for a few years but they are still produced. Every day tens of millions of beads are entering our oceans because the beads are too small for the filters in the water treatment plants to catch them. Through plastic pollution, climate change and over-fishing we are impacting the balance of nature and in turn shooting ourselves in the foot as a species. If we can be the generation that stops polluting our oceans, the planet will have time to recover. Advertisement

Academics, MPs from all parties and green campaigners say only a full legal ban can ensure these microplastics, which are flushed down plug holes in their trillions, can deal with the threat.

The beads escape the water filtration systems in sewage plants and end up in rivers and seas where they are eaten by marine life.

They are mistaken for food and can lodge in the animals gut, making it difficult for them to digest food.

The tiny pellets, which are effectively magnets for toxins, can then find their way on to dinner plates. A major study revealed that particles are found in a third of fish caught off Britain.

Tesco said it is committed to removing all plastic microbeads from its own-brand product range by 2017. It launched an audit of all the products it sells containing microbeads earlier this year after it was criticised for selling a bubble bath promoting Disneys Finding Nemo that contained microplastics.

The company, which has enormous financial muscle, said it is encouraging manufacturers to remove them.

Sainsburys said it stopped making personal care products containing microplastics in 2013. Both Asda and Morrisons said none of the own-label products currently on the shelves should contain the beads. Superdrug said it will complete efforts to remove the beads from its own-brand exfoliators by the end of this year.

DAILY MAIL COMMENT The Mail applauds the major supermarkets for pledging to remove from their shelves own label products containing toxic microbeads. We sincerely hope they will all now emulate Waitrose and go one step further by ceasing to stock ANY brand using the beads. As we have highlighted, these plastic particles cause untold damage to sea life, the environment and, potentially, human health. Advertisement

The Wilko chain does not use the beads in its own products and the company has also pledged to ensure none of the brands it sells contains the beads by the end of 2017. Boots stopped putting microplastics in its own-label products in December.

A single shower can result in 100,000 plastic particles entering the sewage system. Experts have estimated that around 680 tons of plastic microbeads are used in the UK every year.

The voluntary measures by retailers and manufacturers will go only part of the way in eradicating the problem and academics continue to call for a full ban on their use.

Oceanographer Dr Erik van Sebille, of Imperial College, London, said: A microbead ban is about taking action to tackle ocean plastic pollution at source and, in our view, this is the right way to address the problem.

Banning plastics for this use will also demonstrate that the Government and other stakeholders in the UK are willing to use policy levers to tackle pollution at source.

Mary Creagh, the Labour chairman of the all-party Environmental Audit Committee, said: Voluntary action alone will not be adequate to tackle the challenges of microbeads, and we believe that a legislative ban would be beneficial in bringing greater consistency in the industry.

'It would also send a message that Government was serious about addressing the wider issue of microplastic pollution.

UK policy on microbeads is the responsibility of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, headed by Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom.

Work will soon begin with manufacturers on how a UK ban could be brought in.

But no decisions have been taken, and it would take officials some time to consider the details.

It had been claimed that the European Commission could attempt to thwart any prohibition by claiming it flouted EU single market rules.
Archers favourite Helen Titchener will stand trial for the attempted murder of her husband Rob in the latest installment of a saga that has kept listeners on the edge of their seats

On Sunday, Archers favourite Helen Titchener will stand trial for the attempted murder of her husband Rob in the latest installment of a saga that has kept listeners on the edge of their seats.

But last night, there was yet another twist in the tale  when her defence lawyer was revealed as the first ever lesbian character in the soap.

Millions of fans have been gripped since Helen - played by actress Louiza Patikas - stabbed her abusive husband four months ago.

And now, in a first for the long-running Radio 4 drama, the criminal advocate, who specialises in domestic abuse, was unveiled last night as a lesbian.

It turns out her former partner Max is a woman not a man.

Anna went to visit her former partner, whose full name - Maxine- was revealed for the first time last night.

Hoping for a reconciliation, Anna pleaded with Maxine to get back together. But the lawyer was spurned by her ex-wife.

Anna, who is played by actress Isobel Middleton, is not the first gay character in the everyday story of country folk, which debuted on Radio 4 on January 1, 1951.

There have been several male gay characters including Helens cousin Adam Macy, a farmer, who is married to Ian Craig, who is a chef at the fictional Grey Gables Hotel.

But Anna - who is the daughter of Carol and John Tregorran and goddaughter of Jill Archer - has a key role in the current storyline. She has been visiting Helen in prison in order to prepare her defence.

Last night Miss Middleton, who provided the voices for Sybill Trelawney, the Fat Lady, a Female Howler and the Comedic Female Gargoyle in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, refused to comment on the plot.

But in an earlier statement about her character, on the Archers website, she said: I believe her to be tenacious, smart, loyal and determined, with an affinity for the underdog.

If shes anything like her mother then shell have a wry outlook and an independent streak, which refuses to bow to convention. I hope she is like her mother!

It is not known how the storyline between Anna and her ex-partner Max, who has not yet appeared on the show, will develop or why the Archers former editor Sean O Connor, who devised the plotline, decided to make her a lesbian.

Millions of fans have been gripped since Helen - played by actress Louiza Patikas - stabbed her abusive husband four months ago

Miss Middleton, 58, lives in Bristol with her wife Jane Hazlegrove, 48, who is a vocal lesbian and gay campaigner and was listed at number 65 on the 2012 World Pride Power List of the 100 most influential LGBT people of the year.

Jane is also an actress  she played lesbian paramedic Kathleen Dixie Dixon in the BBC1 drama Casualty for ten years until she left in January.

The couple married a year ago and posted a picture on social media.

The Archers website states: Isobel joined The Archers as a lifelong fan, having listened on her grannys knee from an early age.
After considerable thought, I have decided that the honours system in Britain is not a good thing.

I realise I can be accused of hypocrisy in this because I accepted an honour a few years ago. But then I have always made it my practice to put vanity before principle.

My award was an honorary OBE, which, because it is honorary and not really real, is not awarded by the Queen, but by a minister of her government.

After considerable thought, I have decided that the honours system in Britain is not a good thing, writes BILL BRYSON

Mine was given to me in a brief ceremony in her office by Tessa Jowell, who was then Culture Secretary, and jolly nice she was, too.

According to the citation, the award was for services to literature, which is very kind and generous, but what it really meant was that it was for services to myself, because I didn't do anything that I wasn't going to do anyway.

That's the problem with honours, you see. On the whole, people are rewarded just for being themselves, which, in a lot of cases, frankly is quite enough already.

America has only two ways to receive formal adulation. Either you single-handedly take out a German machine-gun nest while carrying a wounded buddy on your back at a place called Porkchop Hill or Cemetery Ridge, in which case you get the Congressional Medal of Honor, or you buy society's admiration by paying for a hospital wing, university building or something like that.

You don't add something to your name, as in Britain, but rather add your name to something. The warm glow of unwarranted prestige is just the same in both cases. The difference is that in America the system produces a hospital wing; in Britain, you just get a knobhead in ermine.

I bring this up because I was on my way to see one of the supreme seats of privilege, Blenheim Palace, home of the Dukes of Marlborough, whose achievements over the last 11 generations could be inscribed with a Sharpie pen on the side of a peanut.

Someone had very kindly bought me, as a present, afternoon tea and a tour of the palace, and the voucher was about to expire, so I had hastily made a booking as I was going to be in the neighbourhood.

I had a reservation for a champagne tea in something called the Indian Room. It was very nice, but what I mostly enjoyed about it was that I wasn't paying the 35 that it cost.

Afterwards, I strolled around the grounds, which are splendid, and then into the stately village of Woodstock, just outside the palace grounds.

When I came to Woodstock for Notes From A Small Island, it had a full range of shops, including a glover's, gentlemen's hair stylist, family butcher's, second-hand bookshop and lots of antiques shops.

Many of those have gone, alas, though there is still a good bookshop and a popular delicatessen that didn't use to be there. But the overwhelming theme to Woodstock now is cars.

As Woodstock has only 1,300 homes now, that didn't seem to me an unreasonable position, particularly as the designated land is part of Oxford's green belt. The land is owned by Blenheim Palace, which said it needed to sell it to fund 40 million of palace repairs

They were parked everywhere, jemmied into every possible cranny and so thick on the High Street  a road that doesn't actually go anywhere, but ends at the palace gates  that it was hard to cross on foot.

Many of the houses had signs in their windows expressing alarm at proposals to build 1,500 homes on the edge of the village.

As Woodstock has only 1,300 homes now, that didn't seem to me an unreasonable position, particularly as the designated land is part of Oxford's green belt. The land is owned by Blenheim Palace, which said it needed to sell it to fund 40 million of palace repairs.

The problem with building big estates in places like this isn't just the loss of land, but that the new places overwhelm what exists already. Woodstock won't continue to be Woodstock if you put a new town with a shiny supermarket and business park on its outskirts.

I've no doubt that there is a powerful case for more housing for Oxford, but surely there are more sensitive and intelligent solutions than just bunging down 1,500 new houses in one giant field and hoping the roads and doctors' surgeries and middle schools and everything else can handle an instant doubling of local burdens.

Perhaps it would be an idea to require developers to live on their own estates for five years as a demonstration of their superb liveability. It's just a thought.

I spent the night in Woodstock and in the morning rode a smart and stylish bus to Oxford. The bus was very blue inside and out, and very clean, too. The seats were exceedingly comfy, in a deep blue leatherette finish. I sat upstairs and enjoyed the views.

The bus was popular, though not nearly as popular as the private car. All roads into Oxford were clogged with traffic  backed up at round-abouts, queuing at petrol stations, creeping into town in barely moving lines. I don't mean to bang on, but am I the only one to wonder if the best solution to Oxford's problems is to make it more suburban?

It is a victim of its own attractive-ness. More people want to live there than it can comfortably accommodate, and you can't blame them.

It is a victim of its own attractive-ness. More people want to live there than it can comfortably accommodate, and you can't blame them

Traffic aside, I am prepared to nominate Oxford as the most improved city in Britain. In Notes From A Small Island, I was hard on the dear old place, not because it was especially bad, but because it wasn't good enough.

My feeling is that certain places that are beautiful and historic  Oxford, Cambridge, Bath, Edinburgh, to name four  have a particular duty to remain so, and for quite a long time Oxford didn't seem to understand that.

Well, how that has changed. New buildings have been going up all over, some of them very striking.

The High Street has been closed to through traffic, so is much more agreeable to stroll along, and it has smart shops and restaurants and a stylish hotel. Millions have been lavished on improving the university's peerless stock of museums, particularly the Ashmolean.

The Ashmolean dates from 1683 and is the oldest public museum in Europe. It is named for Elias Ashmole even though most of the original collection was assembled by the Tradescant family.

Ashmole merely inherited it, but he had the good sense to pass it on to Oxford with some stipulations about its upkeep and so it is his name on the building.

The natural history collections were hived off in the 19th century  that's the stuff I was looking at across town the day before  and the Ashmolean focused thereafter on art and archaeology. It is just about the most beguiling museum there is.

I spent almost an hour in a gallery of classical statuary comprising the Arundel collection. I have no special interest in statues, but the story of the assembling and near loss of the collection, told in a series of panels, is so absorbing I found myself reading each and then studying the statues in between. And the next thing I knew an hour had gone.

The person most closely associated with the Ashmolean in modern times is Sir Arthur Evans, who was appointed keeper in 1884 and rejuvenated the place after years of neglect.

Evans ran the museum for 24 years, though sometimes from afar. In 1900, he made a prolonged trip to Crete, where he discovered the Palace of Knossos and the ancient Minoan civilisation that went with it.

At Knossos, Evans found hundreds of clay tablets that bore two different types of mysterious inscription which he dubbed Linear A and Linear B. No one could decipher either script, and many tried.

In 1932, Evans met a schoolboy named Michael Ventris and showed him some of the tablets. Ventris became fixated with this undeciphered script and spent all his spare time, first as a student and then as a young architect, trying to crack the texts.

In 1952, 20 years after he first saw the texts, he announced he had deciphered Linear B.

It was an astonishing achievement, particularly bearing in mind he had no training in cryptology or ancient languages and had a full-time job elsewhere.

The High Street has been closed to through traffic, so is much more agreeable to stroll along, and it has smart shops and restaurants and a stylish hotel

Very shortly afterwards he got into his car late one night in London and drove at high speed into the back of a parked lorry on the Barnet bypass. He was 34 years old and had no known reason to kill himself. Linear A has still never been deciphered.

A selection of tablets with Linear B script are displayed at the Ashmolean, along with an excellent account of how they were deciphered, plus a great deal more from Knossos.

I lost nearly another hour at a single display case in the Minoan section and realised I was not going to live long enough at this rate to reach the top floor, so I picked up my pace. But it still took another three hours to see the museum even briskly. It is just the most wonderful place.

Afterwards, I had an urge for fresh air and decided to stroll out to a place called Wytham Woods, on a hilly site a little beyond the western edges of the city.

Wytham Woods is almost certainly now the most studied woodland in the world. It was donated to the university in 1942 and has been used for botanical, environmental and zoological studies of every possible type.

Its study of bird populations, begun in 1947, is the longest running biological survey anywhere on Earth. Other parts of the woods have been used for the study of bats, deer, insects, trees, mosses, rodents and almost everything else that lives and breeds in a temperate climate.

Wytham (it's pronounced wite-hum, by the way) Woods is just three or four miles from central Oxford, but it takes a little getting to on foot because you have to cross the Thames and get past the very busy A34 western bypass, neither of which is exactly replete with crossing places.

I emerged to find myself in Wolvercote, considerably adrift of where I hoped to be, and followed the road towards the village of Wytham, at the base of Wytham Woods. It was an agreeable walk that took me past the Trout Inn, which appeared in about a thousand Morse episodes, and the remains of Godstow Abbey.

My Ordnance Survey map showed the woods as being laced with tracks, but there was no indication of how to get to them. I couldn't find a single footpath sign anywhere, nor anyone to ask.

A sign on a side lane pointed to a field station, which sounded promising, and I walked a half-mile down the lane, but found neither station nor footpaths, and the woods, visible on the neighbouring hillside, were growing more distant rather than less.

The Road To Little Dribbling: More Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson

I had already walked quite a way and still had to get back to Oxford, so the idea of walking another mile or two up a big hill into woods was less enthralling than it had been two or three hours before.

Later I learned from an acquaintance who lives in Oxford that Wytham Woods isn't really open to the public. They may not Taser you, as they might in California, but they don't exactly welcome you with open arms on to the land.

Then it occurred to me that if they are doing careful studies up there, if they have nesting boxes and traps and the like scattered about, they can't really have people with their dogs and mountain bikes disturbing things, so I forgave them in the name of science.

Besides, it was half-past five, nearly cocktail hour, so I strolled back to Wolvercote and had a drink at the Trout, where Inspector Morse and his trusty sidekick Lewis often went for alcoholic refreshment and inspiration while solving one of Oxford's many murders.

I once met Colin Dexter, the donnish creator of the Morse series, and asked him how many murders he was personally responsible for. 'Sixty-eight!' he answered proudly. He also told me that the number of murders that he had contrived for a dozen mystery novels was several times greater than the number of actual murders in Oxford in the same period.

The pleasant fact is that the British are not much good at violent crime except in fiction, which is, of course, as it should be.

I looked into this once and found that statistically a Briton is more likely to die by almost any other means  including accidentally walking into a wall  than to be murdered. And if that's not a happy thought, I don't know what is.

The Road To Little Dribbling: More Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson (Black Swan, 8.99). To order a copy for 6.74 (25 per cent discount), visit mailbookshop.co.uk or tel: 0844 571 0640. P&P free on orders over 15. Offer valid until September 7.
Tuna lovers have been warned of sharp price rises following a surge in demand and new controls on fishing.

The fall in the value of the pound following the Brexit vote is also pushing up import costs.

The price of skipjack, the variety commonly sold in cans, surged by more than a third earlier this year.

Tuna lovers have been warned of sharp price rises following a surge in demand (file photo)

Yellowfin, which is sometimes used as a substitute, leapt by 71 per cent at one point according to industry analysts Mintec.

Fishing authorities around the world have been placing controls on tuna fishing to preserve supplies.

The size of catches has also been hit by controls put on industrial tuna fishing methods, which cause enormous damage to a wide range of sea life.

Next year harvest control measures adopted by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission will begin.

The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission will meet in October to decide on conservation measures for bigeye and yellowfin tuna in the Eastern Pacific.

The size of catches has also been hit by controls put on industrial tuna fishing methods (pictured), which cause enormous damage to a wide range of sea life

Mintec analyst Emma-Jayne Smith told The Grocer: The new control measures will further limit the current low catches, helping wild tuna stocks recover.

'This is likely to drive prices higher over the next six months.
A council will appeal an environment court decision which forced a man who blocked his neighbours' million-dollar waterfront views to tear down a huge fence.

The legal battle in New Zealand's North Island revealed David Walmsley's fence had slashed $900,000 value from Peter and Sylvia Aitchison's Wellington property, and in January he was ordered to tear down the 20-metre long, four-metre high fence.

He was also told to pay costs of $72,500 to his neighbours.

Now, the Wellington City Council, which agrees the structure was unacceptable, has appealed the decision because 'it had city-wide implications', according to a report in the NZ Herald.

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Peter Aitchison shows off 'waterfront views' of Wellington Harbour that were blocked by a towering fence his neighbour built in April last year - he won the battle with the neighbour to have it torn down but now the local council is appealing the decision

A New Zealand court ordered that the neighbour, David Walmlsley, tear down the fence and pay the Aitchison's $72,500 for costs (stock image of uninterrupted harbour views)

A judge previously called his decision to build the fence 'highly offensive and objectionable.'

In April 2015, Judge and Environmental Commissioner Ian Buchanan dismissed claims by Mr Walmsley that he was entitled to do what he wanted with his own land.

'There was a deliberate refusal to consider any remedy of the effects. He said in so many words, that he was not obliged to have regard and did not do so,' Judge Buchanan said.

He also said the construction was effectively a way of creating privacy without breaking regulations regarding fence-building.

'The current structure is just a means to the same end,' he said.

The dispute began last year when Mr Walmsley erected the wooden fence as part of a playground, with the fence designed with the intent of creating 'privacy'.

When the Aitchinsons complained to the council for giving the all clear for the building plans, they were told its 'hands were tied'.

The matter was then taken to the Environment Court, which ruled the council had made an error in assessing the initial design proposals.

The council reportedly agreed with the finding and ordered Mr Walmsley to take down the fence.

Mr Walmsley was ordered to tear the 20-metre long, four-metre high fence down to allow Mr Aitchison see the spectacular view of the Wellington Harbour

In April 2015, Judge and Environmental Commissioner Ian Buchanan dismissed claims by Mr Walmsley that he was entitled to do what he wanted with his own land

When asked if it was simply a case of 'bad luck' for the Aitchisons in court, Mr Walmsley agreed, saying it was 'to be expected.'

'I think, yeah, pretty much, if it blocked their view,' he said, according to Stuff NZ.

'It's not necessarily too bad, and it's something to be expected.'

His lawyer, Tom Bennion, previously told the court that there were still significant water views from the Aitchisons' top-floor and eastern end of their terrace.

The latest drama is the most recent chapter in a bitter feud dating back 20 years, according to Mr Aitchison.

Last year, he told the NZ Herald Mr Walmsley had repeatedly tried to build fences on his property because he was angry with developers behind Mr Aitchison's home.

The newspaper also reported two previous fences have been taken down, including 'Fence 1.0' at 'the turn of the century', and a third in March 2011.
In response to an ever-changing world and the volatile events of the last several months, choirs and communities around the country are leading an initiative to use singing as a medium for talking about, thinking about, and for the purpose of promoting peace across the planet. The Chattanooga Boys Choir is hosting an open community sing on Tuesday, Sept. 6, for the purpose of joining together interested persons who would like to come together for this common goal.

The choir will rehearse the piece Ukuthula  a South African freedom song about peace and strength in the face of adversity  with anyone who would like to arrive at 6 p.m. at Second Presbyterian Church on Pine Street. There is no cost to participate.

Following 30-40 minutes of rehearsal of the piece with members of the choir, everyone present will make a video recording of the piece. The recording will be a reminder of the communitys efforts and will also be joined with others throughout the country participating in the AVoice4Peace initiative.

More information about the event, including recordings and sheet music of Ukuthula, can be found at www.chattanoogaboyschoir.org.

Chattanooga Boys Choir Artistic Director Vincent Oakes said, I hope that such an effort will show how we have more in common  the love of making music and being in community  than there is different about us. Singing has provided the soundtrack to the history of struggle and the attainment of rights throughout the world for centuries, from spirituals to civil rights songs to songs of Apartheid. We hope to add to this in a substantive way through our songs.
Liam Fox, the new International Trade Secretary, said 2,213 investment projects by foreign companies were secured in 2015/16 which had led to 116,000 jobs being created

Britain enjoyed record inward investment last year  despite claims that Brexit uncertainty would cast a pall on the economy.

Across the country, 2,213 investment projects by foreign companies were secured in 2015/16  an 11 per cent increase on the previous year.

Liam Fox, the new International Trade Secretary, said this had led to around 116,000 jobs being created or safeguarded  the second-highest number on record.

Eurosceptics will seize on the figures as evidence that if UK retained the confidence of international firms in the run-up to the referendum, it can do so in the aftermath.

But Remain supporters claimed yesterday that Britain can only thrive if it remains part of the single market. Anna Soubry, the former business minister, said she was worried about the future of the City of London and the UK's car industry if we are kept out.

However, figures from the Department for International Trade show that the UK is now the top European destination for investment from emerging markets.

Almost 1,600 new jobs a week were created by foreign direct investment in 2015/16. Since 2010, nearly 390,000 new jobs have been created through foreign direct investment in the UK.

Dr Fox said: 'These impressive results show the UK continues to be the place to do business.

'We've broadened our reach with emerging markets across the world to cement our position as the number one destination in Europe for investment. This continued vote of confidence in the UK will help attract foreign investment to create jobs, security and opportunities for people across the UK.'

WE ARE ALL BETTER OFF THAN LAST YEAR Every region of the country is more prosperous than it was a year ago. Economic output, earnings and spending are up across the board  with growth rates in some areas even challenging London. A 'prosperity map' put together by Barclays examined the nation's finances in the 12 months to April this year, in the run-up to June's vote to leave the European Union. Factors such as economic output, business sales, earnings, charitable giving and house prices were taken into account. While London still ranks as the UK's most prosperous city, the bank said other areas are 'emerging as hotspots'. Scotland saw the biggest increase in household wealth at 13 per cent, compared with London's 12 per cent. As a result, it is the seventh most prosperous region. The top three are London, the South East and East England. The North East is least prosperous, but saw a 6 per cent rise in earnings, while in London they fell 1 per cent. Akshaya Bhargava, from Barclays, said: 'It is encouraging to see the UK's upward trajectory continuing despite global volatility.' Advertisement

Dr Adam Marshall, acting director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: 'Keeping the UK attractive to overseas investors is important for our future success.

'Last year's up-tick in foreign direct investment is a welcome boost to business, and a good indicator of underlying confidence in the UK economy. As Britain approaches a time of economic change, we must continue to welcome investors that are willing to make a sustained, long-term commitment all across the country.'

The US remained the UK's largest source of inward investment, providing 570 projects. This was followed by China including Hong Kong with 156 and India with 140.

Demonstrating the UK's attractiveness to an ever-widening pool of global investors, investments originated from a record 79 countries and the UK became the top European destination for projects from emerging markets.

Projects from Latin America rose by 240 per cent and those from Central and Eastern Europe surged by 131 per cent.

Areas outside London played a key role in the UK's success, with the Northern Powerhouse seeing a boost to foreign direct investment projects by 24 per cent in 2015/16.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour, however, Ms Soubry said access to the single market was vital to safeguard the financial sector and the car industry.

'We want very much to make sure that we are holding Brexit to account,' she said. 'It's not all about immigration.

'For me access to the single market is absolutely critical especially for financial services. And I have very big concerns about some of our big manufacturing sector, for example automotive, where it is critical where we make sure we begin to make real progress so that our brilliant car manufacturers can absolutely continue to sell into Europe free of tariff.'
Fortifying food with folic acid cuts the number of babies born with heart defects, research shows.

The analysis of data in Canada found that the introduction of mandatory fortification of flour led to an 11 per cent cut in the number of congenital heart problems.

Holes in heart dropped by 15 per cent and defect fell by 27 per cent.

The analysis of data in Canada found that the introduction of mandatory fortification of flour led to an 11 per cent cut in the number of congenital heart problems in babies (file picture)

The Canadian government funded research comes as just weeks after the Department of Health decided not to implement a similar scheme here.

Women are already advised to take supplements of folic acid, a form of vitamin B, to protect their unborn child from brain and spine defects such as spina bifida.

But the latest study suggests the nutrient also fights heart defects, which are a much bigger problem.

Around one in every 100 babies in Britain is born with a hole in the heart, a dangerously narrow heart valve or other defect.

Treatment has improved but one in five will die before adulthood and those that do survive may need treatment throughout their live.

The researchers, from the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver analysed data on almost 6million births that took place across the country between 1990 and 2011.

The number of babies with heart defects fell after fortification started in the US and Canada in 1998, the American Heart Association's journal Circulation reports.

Women are already advised to take supplements of folic acid, a form of vitamin B, to protect their unborn child from brain and spine defects such as spina bifida (file picture)

In Britain, women who want to have a family are advised to take a 400 microgram supplement of folic acid a day from when they stop using contraception to 12 weeks into pregnancy.

However, a lot of young women are low in the nutrient to begin with and with many pregnancies unplanned, not all mothers-to-be reach the optimum levels.

British scientists have repeatedly advised the Government on the benefits of fortifying food but ministers have been loath to implement the measure.

Critics claim that mass-medication would strip consumers of choice. There are also fears that boosting folic acid would mask other health problems in the elderly.
In a worrying demonstration that is sure to frighten frequent Wi-Fi users, former infamous hacker Kevin Mitnick shows how easy it is to steal your details in a public area.

Kevin Mitnick was arrested in the US in 1995 for hacking into 40 major companies, including IBM, Nokia and Motorola, but is now working as a leading security consultant for some of the largest companies in the world.

In an ABC Four Corners report on Monday, Mr Mitnick walked through the steps to how a hacker would obtain your details in public.

Cyber criminals will set up a fake Wi-Fi network, the example he used is a common one, 'Telstra Air'.

Three steps outlining how hackers access your personal information Hackers set up a fake Wi-Fi network in a public space Once you are using a fake access point all your keystrokes are recorded, which can reveal your personal information if you have used any log-in details Hackers will steal your passwords and send you fake updates for the user to install. If installed, the hacker will have complete access to your system without you knowing Advertisement

Once logged on the hacker can record all your keystrokes, which will identify your usernames and passwords if you access any personal information.

This allows the hacker to send you fake updates, and once installed, 'We gain full control of his computer system and he will never know the better,' he said.

Mr Mitnick said the tools on the internet are so accessible that school students can download hacking systems.

'Fast forward to today, and you have tonnes of tools that a high school, a junior school [student] can download and exploit systems,' he said.

Kevin Mitnick was arrested in the US in 1995 for hacking into 40 major companies, but is now a leading cyber security consultant around the globe.

If you connect to a fake access point cyber criminals can start recording your keystrokes

In the same Four Corners report, Jetstar and Suzuki were named among a suspected group of companies to have suffered a cyber attack with their computer system log-in details up for sale on the dark web.

Computer details from a government research network, a national sporting body, a school and a local council were also revealed to be hacked.

Security firm Kaspersky released a list in June this year, revealing 70,000 computers that had their usernames and passwords hacked and put up for sale on the dark web.

Only five days later, another list was revealed by the firm containing 170,000 computers that were suspected of being breached and both Jetstar and Suzuki were among the systems listed, however both companies have denied any breach.

Both Jetstar and Suzuki appeared on a list of companies suspected to have been hacked

Jetstar denied they had been hacked with no evidence that its system had been compromised

A statement from Jetstar said it had detected no evidence that its system had been compromised, while Suzuki said it was aware of the database and had taken security measures to ensure the safety of its system.

Hackers that obtain details and access computer systems can use them to launch Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, very similar to the attack that stunted the Australian Bureau of Statistics Census form earlier this month.

There was also cyber attacks on government and corporate computer networks with 'highly confidential' plans for a privately funded satellite.

The damage to the Australian satellite company, Newsat, was so crippling former CFO Michael Hewins told Four Corners it was the worst they had ever seen.

'Our network was, as far as they could see, the most corrupted they'd seen. Period,' he said.

Newsat Ltd was so thoroughly breached in a cyber attack that it had to rebuild its whole network (stock image)

Newsat could have had advanced hackers in its system for nearly two years (Stock Image)

Newsat was the nation's largest satellite company and had planned on launching two satellites and kickstart the Australian satellite industry, but a year ago liquidators were called in and assets sold off.

Former Newsat IT manager Daryl Peter revealed the hackers could have been watching them for nearly two years.

'Newsat had been hacked and not just by teenagers in the basement or anything like that. Whoever was hacking us was very well-funded, very professional, very serious hackers,' he said.

Suzuki said it was aware of the database and had taken security measures to ensure the safety of its system.

Hackers sit on information that has been retrieved and wait to release it on sold computers (Stock Image)

Former manager at the Australian Cyber Security Centre Tim Wellsmore said some of these crippling attacks are ticking time bombs with many system details already hacked and just waiting to be dispersed.

'There is a lot of computers for sale on the dark web that have actually been hacked and compromised and are sitting there waiting to be used for attacks, that marketplace exists,' he told Four Corners.

Furthermore, Chinese hackers are likely to be behind the 'daily' government cyber attacks, the Prime Minister's cyber security adviser said.

The hackers have targeted government departments such as the Bureau of Meteorology, the Australian Trade and Investment Commission [Austrade], the Defence Department's Defence Science Technology Group and satellite company Newsat Ltd over the past five years.

Malcolm Turnbull's cyber security adviser said the government was attacked 'on a daily basis' (stock image)

Malcolm Turnbull's cyber security adviser, Alastair MacGibbon

The report said intelligence sources believed the attacks from China had been backed by the country's government.

Malcolm Turnbull's cyber security adviser, Alastair MacGibbon, said attacks occurred daily and many were never discussed.

But a Chinese Embassy spokesman refuted the claims, saying they had no basis.

Austrade has been the repeated target of attacks, including three major cases of infiltration in 2011, 2013 and 2014, the ABC reported.

A Chinese Embassy spokesman has denied the country backs cyber attacks upon Australia

A source from the intelligence community said Austrade was 'inherently vulnerable' because it operated internationally but relied on local staff.

Earlier in 2016, the Bureau of Meteorology [BoM] was breached in a large scale attack, but the real objective may have been defence resources involved with the Bureau's abilities to collect information.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed the attack on the Bureau of Meteorology

They included the Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation and the Jindalee Operational Radar Network.

However, the attack was confined to the BoM, but also blamed on China.

In 2011 the Defence Science Technology Organisation was successfully attacked by hackers backed by China, The ABC reported.

A spokesman for the organisation said it was policy 'to not on matters of national security'.

Former head at the United States' Central Intelligence Agency and of the National Security Agency said Australia had to 'harden up' its defence against hacking.

'What my dad told me when I came home beat up from a fight once when I was about 10 years old: 'Quit crying, act like a man and defend yourself'.'

Jindalee Operational Radar Network, which could have been a target of the attack which hit the Bureau of Meteorology
Home cooks, get ready to pick a side. Theres a battle brewing in the kitchen. Mary Berry, the queen of The Great British Bake Off, has declared war on deep-fat fryers.

As the new series of the BBC show gets into its stride, the 81-year-old tells Good Housekeeping magazine: We need to teach parents about the right foods to give children. I dont think any household should have a deep-fat fryer.

But Gregg Wallace, of MasterChef, angrily sprang to the fryers defence, accusing Mrs Berry of an attack on our British way of life, and reminding us that modern Britain was built on chips and spam fritters.

Greg Wallace, left, has defended deep fat fryers after Mary Berry said no household should own one

Unabashed, Mrs Berry retorted on yesterdays Radio 4 Today programme: Nowadays everyone eats in the kitchen. I know we do, and I certainly dont want the smell of frying while Im eating.

Wallace was born in Londons Elephant and Castle, and started his career selling vegetables on a market stall.

Mrs Berry comes from a rather different background. Her father was the mayor of Bath and helped to establish the university there, and she studied cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu school in France.

But does the great frying debate simply divide along class lines? Or is there rather more to it than that?

From how unhealthy it really is to whether theres anything you can do about that smell, heres everything you need to know about deep-fat frying . . .

WHO INVENTED THE FRYER?

Any snootiness towards deep-fat frying is a recent development. The method  submerging food in very hot oil to cook it rapidly  is thousands of years old.

There are references to this method of frying in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, and scholars have even identified a possible mention in the Bible, which refers to cooking in oil.

Although deep-fat frying was de rigueur in middle-class households from the Fifties to the Seventies, they became more controversial as the Eighties wore on

But the domestic deep-fat fryer that Wallace and Berry are so concerned with is said to have been invented in 1949 by Stanley Budland and Robert Dusek, who patented an electric model. Before then, deep-fat frying was more likely to have been done in a pan or pot.

As the electric fryer gained popularity around the world, it became a normal feature of countless households, with the smell of old chip fat still remembered by many children of the Seventies as being comforting and ubiquitous.

. . . AND WHO BOUGHT THEM FIRST?

Although deep-fat frying was de rigueur in middle-class households from the Fifties to the Seventies, they became more controversial as the Eighties wore on.

THESE GREASY GUTBUSTERS ARE FOR TRENDY CHEFS ONLY By Lindsay Nicholson This weekend, I was lucky enough to eat at the Michelin-starred restaurant where my daughter works as a chef. One of the canapes was a tiny curried ball of vegetable mash that she had deep-fried. And my goodness, it was wonderful  rich, piping hot and perfect. Theres no doubt that deep-fat fryers, unhealthy as they are, produce some of the most delicious morsels you could ever hope to eat. But while I love these treats, Id never own a deep-fat fryer, and I believe they have no place in a normal family kitchen. And this has nothing to do with snobbery. I know the deep-fat fryer has, for some years, been used as a social barometer  with many seeing it as something only acceptable in the kitchens of the working classes, creating a lingering fug of stinky chip fat and throwing up images of spam fritters and chicken Kievs. My aversion to them is not a class issue at all  its just that I believe the food you eat at home is supposed to be different from restaurant food, and for very good reasons. The deep-fried canape I ate this weekend was just one tiny part of a seven-course gourmet meal that also featured salmon poached in olive oil; skinned, stuffed cherry tomatoes; and perfect pink macaroons that were no bigger than your thumbnail. Every single morsel was utterly delicious, but would I eat this at home at the end of a working day? Of course I wouldnt. Quite apart from the health aspects  I cant even begin to think of the calories we put away that lunchtime  I believe that home-cooked food should be comfortable and nourishing. Restaurant food is a treat because its complex, fiddly to make and has more fat and salt than anyone without a defibrillator on standby would ever dare to add at home. Chefs work incredibly hard, and they need a full battery of machinery, including deep-fat fryers, to produce their works of gastronomic art. And that is what sets a restaurant apart from your average family kitchen. Think about it: if you consume so much deep-fried food that you need a fancy piece of electrical equipment to keep making it, then maybe you need to make some serious lifestyle decisions. Also, theres the temptation factor: if the machine is sitting there, surely you are going to use it, whatever your social status, background or upbringing? I will continue to enjoy the artistry of professional chefs, such as my daughter, whenever my waistline or my wallet can afford it. But, in the meantime, I dont want a gadget sitting on my kitchen counter tempting me with deep-fried food. Advertisement

We started to become health-conscious and the science of food was better known, says etiquette expert Jean Broke-Smith, who for 30 years was principal of top finishing school the Lucie Clayton School of Grooming and Modelling.

It was also around that time there was negative press about the kitchen fires that had been caused by burning fat.

The smell of old chip fat began to signify class  you could walk into a flat blindfolded and know at once the background of the inhabitants.

Nowadays, not only is the smell of chip fat completely unacceptable, but I know many very wealthy women with vast houses who buy food ready-prepared so that their guests dont have to be offended by the slightest smell of cooking.

DID THEY OUST THE CHIP SHOPS?

As more of the middle classes abandoned their deep-fat fryers  and became wary of fried food in general  the nations chip shops suffered a slump. In 1921, it was a weekly treat available on almost every corner, with 25,000 fish and chips shops across Britain. Now there are just 10,500.

Of course, the traditional chip shop has also come under pressure from the influx of other varieties of fast food in the past few decades. Kentucky Fried Chicken opened its first store in 1965, while McDonalds arrived here in 1974, offering skinny American-style fries.

However, its far from the end of the chippy. We still eat 400 million portions of fish and chips every year  or six servings for every one of us. A fifth of us buy them every week.

HOW DO THESE GADGETS WORK?

Deep-fat fryers are straight- forward pieces of kit, says Dean Carr, who is the chef and owner of the award-winning Bath Arms in Crockerton, Wiltshire.

They basically consist of an oil tank, a metal basket and a heat source. The heat source warms the oil to the requisite temperature, which is between 160c and 190c.

The ideal temperature for chips is around 180-190c, while more delicate items, such as doughnuts, Scotch eggs and chicken Kiev, fare better at lower temperatures.

Most home fryers can take up to 1.5kg of food, requiring up to three litres of oil. The food is placed into the metal basket, which is lowered into the hot oil.

The intense heat means that the foods surface rapidly dehydrates. Then, through a series of chemical processes called the Maillard reaction, the sugars and proteins it contains break down to create flavour and that golden colour.

A shell is created around the outside so that the inside remains juicy, says Dean.

Suitable frying oils are those with a higher boiling point, such as vegetable, sunflower, sesame, groundnut, corn, soy, hazelnut and rapeseed. Olive oil, butter and margarine may bubble over and smoke and so should not be used.

You can deep-fry pretty much anything  from vegetables to meat and fish, puddings, doughnuts (which Mary Berry singled out for particular condemnation), ice-cream, pizza and milkshakes. One inventive cook from Texas even created deep-fried Coca-Cola  which is really a Coke-flavoured batter that is frozen, then deep-fried.

HOW UNHEALTHY ARE THEY?

No one would assume that deep-fried ice cream was a health food, but just how bad is it?

No nutritionist would ever recommend using a deep-fat fryer on a regular basis, says leading nutritionist Rob Hobson. Firstly, the calorific value of food may be tripled. The more porous the food, the more oil is absorbed.

Even a plain chicken breast chucked into boiling fat will increase in calories by more than 60 per cent. Should you batter it, the calories more than double, at 128 per cent of the original.

There are around 93 calories and no fat in 100g of jacket potato, compared with 319 calories and 17g of fat in 100g of deep-fried chips. But the jacket potato may take an hour to cook in the oven, while chips fry in around ten minutes.

Most home fryers can take up to 1.5kg of food, requiring up to three litres of oil. The food is placed into the metal basket, which is lowered into the hot oil

Another problem is that re-using oil means that it can break down and become rancid, creating compounds which encourage inflammation in the body.

Over a long period of time, this may contribute to health concerns such as heart problems, points out Mr Hobson.

Manufacturers tend to suggest reusing cooking oil only between five and 25 times, depending on what youre cooking.

In recent years, the industry has realised that we want the luxury of deep-fried food without the fat.

The clever solution to this problem is the air fryer, which works by circulating very hot air  at temperatures of up to 200c  around the food to create a crispy outer layer. Only a tablespoon of oil or fat is used, meaning fewer calories. Chips made this way are similar in nutritional value to the oven-baked version.

ARE FRYERS NOW BACK IN VOGUE?

Over the past few years there has undeniably been something of a fryer renaissance.

New technology has made frying at home safer, and a new generation of chefs have placed their own stamp on time-honoured classics  making the fryer respectable again.

Nothing illustrates this better than the new Smart Fryer from the Heston Blumenthal Sage range (129.95, sage appliances.co.uk). Heston himself is famous for his triple-cooked chips and his soft-centred Scotch egg  both made in a deep-fat fryer.

Domestic Goddess Nigella Lawson proudly produced her own recipe for a deep-fried Bounty chocolate bar, and even Jamie Oliver, who famously campaigns for healthy food, especially for schoolchildren, has his own recipe for deep-fried courgette flowers.

Weighing in at 1,200 calories each once fried, a chilled chocolate bar is dipped in the same batter used to coat fish, and then plunged into very hot fat to seal it quickly, before the chocolate can melt

There are certainly those who remain sceptical  Mary Berry chief among them. And the new brigade of clean eating cooks, such as Ella Woodward or the Hemsley sisters, Jasmine and Melissa, wouldnt put their fat-free feasts anywhere near a fryer.

Still, they are undeniably versatile  and popular. For creating such in-demand dishes as mini spring rolls, Thai fish cakes and tempura prawns at parties and weddings, the deep-fat fryer is always incredibly useful, says Annie Des Forges, gourmet chef and owner of The Table Catering Events.

This sort of food is hugely in fashion at the moment.

CAN I REALLY DEEP-FRY A MARS BAR?

Yes, you can, if you really want to.

The deep-fried Mars Bar is said to have been created in 1995 in the Haven Chip Bar (now the Carron) in Stonehaven, near Aberdeen, on Scotlands north-east coast.

Weighing in at 1,200 calories each once fried, a chilled chocolate bar is dipped in the same batter used to coat fish, and then plunged into very hot fat to seal it quickly, before the chocolate can melt. Because very hot fat is needed, the dish is rarely successful if cooked at home.

And if you STILL want one, the hottest models for all budgets

Lakeland 1.5 litre deep-fat chip fryer, 34.99, lakeland.co.uk

This square, compact fryer has a suprisingly large capacity  enough chips for the whole family. Easy to use, and has a secure lid with a viewing window in the top so you can see your food cook.

Delonghi F28313 deep fryer, 79, amazon.co.uk

A round, black fryer with a double odour filter  handy if you dont want the house to smell of cooking fat. Its got a 1kg capacity and a rotating basket, which DeLonghi claims means that it uses 50 per cent less oil.

Sage The Smart Fryer by Heston Blumenthal, 129.99, ao.com

top of the range offering which has a four-litre capacity and a basket thats big enough for a chicken.

Everything except the heating element is dishwasher safe, and it has seven preset functions. Shuts firmly, to keep cooking smells to a minimum.

Argos Simple Value deep-fat fryer, 12.99, argos.co.uk

This one really is as basic as it sounds, but its a total bargain. A white exterior, removable lid an easy-to-clean filter. However, the lid is designed to be left open throughout cooking, so theres nothing to seal off the smell.

Magimix Pro500 deep-fat fryer, 119.95, johnlewis.com

Heats up to four litres of oil in six minutes, enabling you to deep-fry 1.5kg of food. All parts, excluding the control panel, are dishwasher safe. This is a handsome machine that will look good in your kitchen.

Russell Hobbs digital deep fryer, 49.99, ao.com

Chip-shop quality chips, with the 1.2kg capacity providing plenty of room for a big basket. Easy-to-use dial with four temperature settings, plus an electronic display that will help you easily keep track of the remaining cooking time.

And the healthy alternatives

Tefal Actifry 2-in-1 fryer, 197.59, argos.co.uk

The most expensive offering by far, but you can cook the whole meal at once because of a rotating top plate. Requires only 1 tbsp of oil to make 1.5kg of chips, as well as a selection of fried fish, meat or even desserts.

Breville VDF105 Halo+ health fryer, 79.99, currys.co.uk
Ms Kadadi said she feared for her life during the attack

He attacked his girlfriend at the time Richelle Kadadi in November 2015

Former AFL star Albert Proud has been sentenced to five and a half years

Former AFL player Albert Proud's ex-girlfriend feared he was going to kill her as he launched a vicious attack in a drunken rage.

Richelle Kadadi, a 33-year-old mother of one, has described the attack for the first time since Proud was sentenced on Monday to five and a half years.

Speaking on the Project on Monday, she said she was terrified that the person she 'loved and trusted' was going to kill her.

Scroll down for video

Richelle Kadadi (pictured) the ex-girlfriend of former AFL player Albert Proud said she feared for her life the night he attacked her

Ms Kadadi suffered a massive brain hemorrhage and fell into a coma, she also lost a quarter of the blood in her body

'I was petrified, absolutely petrified "I remember thinking, he's going to kill me," Ms Kadadi said.

She described how Proud, 27, snapped after the couple, who had been together for about two-and-a-half months, attended a wedding and then a party on November 8, 2015.

Proud had been affectionate earlier in the evening but his mood shifted after Ms Kadadi handed him his wet clothes as they left the party, where he'd been pushed into a pool.

'I had seen him act oddly before when he drank; we'd already talked about it. But I could normally calm him down,' she said.

Former Brisbane Lions player Albert Proud was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail on Monday for assaulting ex-partner Richelle Kadadi (right)

The bruising from the horrific beating that Ms Kadadi suffered

Ms Kadadi was visited in hospital by her son

Proud punched Ms Kadadi so hard in the chest she thought she was having a heart attack because of the 'excruciating pain'.

Ms Kadadi was then strangled and suffered at least two blows to her head.

'I started begging him, I thought 'act weak' and I started begging him, saying 'please, please, my son, my son', trying to get some rationality into his brain.' she said.

'I'm someone that you love what are you doing?'

Ms Kadadi is pictured here outside court on Monday

Ms Kadadi was left bruised and battered after being admitted to hospital following the incident on November 8, 2015

Ms Kadadi said she managed to escape the attack and ran out into the street, where the bride and groom from the wedding spotted her as they drove past and rushed her to hospital.

Ms Kadadi detailed the horrific injuries she suffered from the attack.

'There were people in there [the hospital] that had brain injuries by getting hit by cars, and I was put in the same place by a man's bare fist,' she said.

Ms Kadadi suffered a massive brain hemorrhage and fell into a coma, she also lost a quarter of the blood in her body.

She recalled being punched her so hard in the chest she thought she was having a heart attack because of the 'excruciating pain'

Proud, 27, (left) appeared in the Brisbane District Court on Monday

Proud punched Ms Kadadi so hard in the chest she 'thought she was having a heart attack'

She spent 33 days in hospital recovering from the brutal attack.

Proud was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail on Monday but will be eligible for parole in October 2017.

National domestic violence helpline: 1800 737 732 or 1800RESPECT. In an emergency call triple-zero.

Proud played 29 games for the Lions before being sacked in 2011 following a litany of alcohol-fuelled incidents
Butchers and grocers are demanding the right to dust off their old weighing scales and sell produce in pounds and ounces again following the Brexit vote.

The British Weights and Measures Association said more and more traders wanted the return of imperial measures, which were axed in 2000 to comply with EU regulations.

Retailers are allowed to display imperial units when selling produce, but this can only be as a 'supplementary indication' because EU law only permits the sale of goods in kilograms and grams.

Demand: Greengrocers are calling for the right to use imperial measurements to be restored following the vote for Brexit

The imperial measurements cannot be displayed larger than metric ones and are not allowed to be part of the transaction.

The scrapping of traditional pounds and ounces caused huge protests, with some traders  known as the 'Metric Martyrs'  defying the threat of prosecution to continue trading in imperial measures. Now the Government is coming under increasing pressure to allow shops and market stalls to sell meat, fruit and vegetables using traditional measures.

Warwick Cairns, from the British Weights and Measures Association, told the Daily Telegraph: 'In 2000, to comply with European legislation, the Government made it a criminal act for a greengrocer to sell a pound of bananas.

'We thought this was outrageous then, we think it outrageous now. And with our exit from the EU, the legal basis of compulsory metrication will be repealed. It's now time to restore freedom of choice.'

First-class idea: Peter Bone said the demand was one of the parts of Brexit that can be implemented now and aid the process

Peter Bone, a Eurosceptic Tory MP, said the Government should allow shops and customers to buy and sell in imperial measurements well ahead of a possible Brexit in 2017.

He added: 'Given that our biggest trading partner by a mile  the United States  is still on imperial measurements, it has always been silly that we have had to just do it in metric.

'It makes sense and is one of the advantages of coming out of the EU.

'That is one of those things that can be implemented now so that when we actually pull out it is a smooth process.

'It is a first-class idea and I hope the Government embraces it.'

Mr Bone is urging International Trade Secretary Liam Fox to back the proposal.

Sir Bill Cash, another Eurosceptic Tory, claimed retailers should be able to sell produce in both metric and imperial. He said: 'Any idea of prosecuting somebody in those circumstances would be insane.'
An illegal website that features thousands of sexually explicit images of Australian school girls has re-emerged online just over a week after it was shut down.

The Australian based platform was set up in December 2015 and encourages men to share or trade raunchy photos obtained with or without permission of students as young as 14-years-old from high schools and universities across the country.

The malicious website - which shares personal details of users 'target's' including their name, school, address, school and phone number - popped back up online on Monday after it was taken down in August for featuring a picture of an underage girl.

Tiahna Prosser, an 18-year-old model and bodybuilder from Brisbane, had her images posted on the site without her knowledge - one of which was taken when she was only 15-years-old.

Queensland model Tiahna Prosser, 18, (pictured) has fallen victim to a malicious pornography sharing forum after her photographs emerged on the vile website

The Australian based platform was set up in 2015 and encourages men to share or trade raunchy photos they obtained with or without permission of students as young as 14-years-old

The bodybuilder said she was outraged when she discovered 'bonus points' were being offered to anyone who could track down nude pictures of her and share it to the website.

Police earlier said both the website's registrar and database holders are based outside of Australia, with suspicions they could be located in the United States.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) said websites that are hosted overseas 'create jurisdictional difficulties', even if the users and women featured are from Australia.

'Investigations of this nature are complex,' the AFP said in a joint statement with seven state and territory police departments on Monday.

'Australian law enforcement agencies are committed to following all avenues of enquiry and should offences within Australia be identified, action will be taken.'

The Australian Federal Police said websites that are hosted overseas 'create jurisdictional difficulties', even if the users and women featured (pictured) are from Australia

The Office of the Childrens eSafety Commissioner said they were in contact with 'a number of those involved in the complex supply chain' of the website after an image of an underage girl was reported.

The offending image has been removed from the site but a spokesperson for the Office said it still 'expects further modifications'.

'The sites administrator has been made aware that content on the site breaches its own terms of use,' a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

The website functions by encouraging men and boys to 'hunt down' and share sexually explicit photographs of young girls to the site without their consent.

Some users nominated high schools or specific regions where they were looking for graphic photos, along with the full name of the girl they were 'hunting'.

The website functions by encouraging men and boys to 'hunt down' and share sexually explicit photographs of young girls to the site without their consent

Users would refer to naked images as 'wins', with the explicit photographs then uploaded or offered in exchange for a trade. Some targets were so sought after that 'bounties' were offered for any user who can post a 'win'

Images have been filtered into demeaning categories such as 'Campbelltown Sl*ts' or 'Canberra Chicks'.

Once the girl's name had appeared on a list, other users of the site could post personal information about the intended victims. The website's members could then post comments to each other like 'Go get her boys'.

Users would refer to naked images as 'wins', with the explicit photographs then uploaded or offered in exchange for a trade. Some targets were so sought after that 'bounties' were offered for any user who can post a 'win'.

South Australian Jenni Russell's image was uploaded to the internet group with the caption: 'She's from Adelaide, any wins?'

South Australian Jenni Russell's image was uploaded to the internet group with the caption: 'She's from Adelaide, any wins?'

Ms Russell (pictured), 21, saifd she was horrified when she discovered there was a thread dedicated to finding nude pictures of her

Ms Russell, 21, told 7News she was horrified when she discovered there was a thread dedicated to finding nude pictures of her.

'It's horrible, absolutely horrible and these girls don't even know about it,' she said.

'I'm lucky this girl messaged me and told me about it.'

The AFP have warned parents, caregivers and teachers to discuss the importance of 'respectful relationships, both on and offline' after images sent consensually appeared on the site.

'Many children and young people are unaware of the legal and ethical consequences of sexting.'

The Australian Federal Police, state police and the Office of the Childrens eSafety Commissioner are investigating the website

'Under Commonwealth law, an image of someone under the age of 18 in which they are naked, in a sexualised pose, or engaged in a sexual act may constitute child pornography.'

A spokesperson said creating, accessing or distributing child pornography is a serious offence that can attract a 15 year prison sentence, even if you are a child yourself.
Wearing a bulletproof vest and draped in shackles, the man accused of murdering two nuns makes his way out of court after his first appearance in front of a judge.

Career criminal Rodney Earl Saunders, 46, was held without bond following an emotional hearing at the Durant Municipal Building in Mississippi.

His wife, Marie Saunders, broke down in tears after she apologized to the relatives of Sisters Margaret Held and Paula Merrill - who were found brutally slayed on Thursday.

'I'm sorry. I don't know what to say to y'all. I'm so sorry ... I'm so sorry. I can't take this. Oh my God,' Saunders told the victims' supporters in the courtroom.

Earlier on Monday it was revealed that Sanders has spent ten of the last 16 years behind bars.

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Wearing shackles and a bulletproof vest, Rodney Earl Saunders is walked out of court surrounded by police. He is accused of murdering nuns Sister Margaret Held and Paula Merrill

Sanders of Kosciusko, Mississippi, faces two counts of capital murder and one count of burglary grand larceny. He stayed silent as he addressed reporters while leaving court

Records from the Iowa Department of Corrections show he was in prison from June 2004 to February 2011 on a conviction of second-degree robbery.

He also was in custody in Iowa from August 1999 to August 2002 on a conviction of theft, and from April to October 1996 for two counts of third-offense drunken driving.

Sanders was arrested late Friday and charged with two counts of capital murder in the slayings. He is said to have confessed to the killings - but would not tell police why he did it.

Mississippi Department of Corrections records show Sanders was on probation after a prison term for a felony drunken-driving conviction last year.

He also served six years in prison in Mississippi after a 1986 armed-robbery conviction.

The convicted felon who killed two nuns in Mississippi has confessed to killing the women but refuses to tell police why.

The women's bodies were discovered on Thursday after they failed to show up for work at a clinic in Lexington, Mississippi.

Saunder's wife wife watched as he was ordered to be held without bond. She broke down in tears when she addressed the victims' friends and family

Saunders looks down as he is walked from the courtroom surrounded by police. He is said to have confessed to the slayings - but won't give police a motive

Sisters Paula Merrill (left) and Margaret Held (right) were found dead inside their Mississippi home on Thursday by authorities

It emerged over the weekend that Sanders, who admitted to killing them in interrogation, had a criminal record and was on probation.

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.'

Marie Saunders (left), the suspect's wife, broke down in tears after she apologized to the relatives of Sisters Margaret Held and Paula Merrill in the courtroom

Sanders (above) was charged in the deaths of Sister Held and Sister Merrill on Friday

Bishop Joseph Kopacz of the Jackson, Mississippi Catholic Diocese, center, presides at a vigil. The two nuns, from different orders, were found murdered in the house they rented

Pictures of Sisters Margaret Held, left, and Paula Merrill, right, sit atop their caskets

Sister Rosemary Rombalski, director of Life and Ministry with the School Sisters of St. Francis, consoles a relative of Sister Margaret Held, prior to the vigil

Friends and colleagues who knew the two nuns gathered Sunday to remember them

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.

Relatives of Sister Margaret Held, pray before her casket

'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

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.
Apple has already threatened to cut jobs in Europe after Brussels ordered it to repay 11billion ($14.5billion) - the biggest tax bill ever imposed outside the US.

The European Commission's three-year investigation into Apple's sweetheart deal with Ireland has found it amounted to illegal state aid.

Its damning report published today says the tech giant paid as little as 0.005 per cent tax by funnelling its non-US profits through its Irish headquarters with no staff or premises then on to its $178billion (120bn) offshore fund.

The giant tax bill, which could reach 16billion ($21 billion) because of interest, will not be difficult for the company to pay because it made $53.4billion (35billion) last year - the biggest profit in corporate history.

But Apple will appeal saying the Commission's figures are 'completely made-up' and its CEO Tim Cook, who previously called the probe 'political c**p', is threatening EU job losses if they don't back down.

The US Treasury has also warned Brussels not to pursue American companies over tax avoidance - but McDonald's, Google and Amazon could be next.

Ireland has said it doesn't want Apples money even though it is equivalent to 2,400 for each of its 4.5million residents and would cover the costs of its national health service for a year.

Big bill: Apple, which has a base in Cork, pictured, must repay 11billion ($14.5bn) in unpaid tax because the EU says its sweetheart tax deal with Ireland amounted to state aid

In the firing line: Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive, pictured with Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta last week, has previously called the investigation 'political c**p' and has said his company will appeal against the ruling

Irish question: Apple ploughs all its non-US sales through Ireland, where the EU says it has been paying hyper-low tax rates. The majority of profits are then sent offshore where no tax is paid, with some going to America for research and development

The Commission's landmark report says that between 2003 and 2014 Apple paid a rock bottom Irish tax rate on most of its profits outside the US before sending it to a tax haven where it paid no tax at all. It has more than 120billion stashed in offshore accounts.

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said: 'Member states cannot give tax benefits to selected companies-this is illegal under EU state aid rules.'

The EU intervention is going to cause a huge row between Brussels and Washington over tax powers.

The EC says Apple's Irish arrangements allowed them to pay just 500 euros in tax on every one million euros they made.

In 2011 Apple's profits outside America were $22billion but Ireland agreed that only 50 million euros ($55million) was considered taxable.

HOW APPLE'S $14BN TAX BILL WILL BARELY MAKE A DENT Annual revenue: $650bn (428.5bn) Annual profits: $53.4bn (35bn) - around $1600 profit every second Offshore cash fund: $53.4bn (35bn) Sales: 90m iPhones (34,000 every hour), 40m iPads, 16m MACs and 5m iWatches Employees: 304,000 current U.S. jobs  70,000 employees around the world including 22,000 in Europe. It also has 257,000 jobs at 'other companies' that support its products. Advertisement

But Apple executives have now accused the Commission of doing the sums wrong in calculating the jaw-dropping 11billion ($14.5m) bill for unpaid tax.

It said in a statement: 'Apple follows the law and pays all of the taxes we owe wherever we operate. We will appeal and we are confident the decision will be overturned.

'Apple warned of the ramifications for future investment in Europe, where it employs 22,000 people.

'The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and up-end the international tax system in the process.

'It will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe'

The company's chief financial officer, Luca Maestri, claimed the tech giant paid 400 million US dollars in tax in 2014 in Ireland.

He claimed Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager's assessment that Apple paid just 50 euro in tax for every one million euro it made that year was nonsense.

He said: 'It is a completely made-up number. We really believe that the impact of this decision will be devastating for the European economy.'

It is a completely made-up number. We really believe that the impact of this decision will be devastating for the European economy Apple's chief financial officer Luca Maestri on the European Commission's key tax calculations

CEO Tim Cook posted a lengthy message on apple.com, warning about devastating ramifications for the sovereignty of European countries in light of the competition chief's hard line.

He said: In Ireland and in every country where we operate, Apple follows the law and we pay all the taxes we owe.'

Mr Cook accused Brussels of taking unprecedented action, with serious and wide-reaching complications.

He said: 'Beyond the obvious targeting of Apple, the most profound and harmful effect of this ruling will be on investment and job creation in Europe'.

'Using the Commission's theory, every company in Ireland and across Europe is suddenly at risk of being subjected to taxes under laws that never existed.'

Context: Sales from iPads in a year could pay the 10-year tax bill demanded by the EU - but Apple is appealing today's ruling saying it does not dodge tax

Peter Vale, a Dublin-based corporate tax expert for accountancy firm Grant Thornton, calculates that Tuesday's judgment if upheld on appeal will cost Apple 19 billion euros ($21 billion) because the order includes interest for unpaid tax going back more than a decade.

APPLE CUTS IN EUROPE COULD BE DEVASTATING More than 22,000 people in Europe are employed directly by Apple and around 1.4million more rely on them for money, the tech giant claims. Parts for its phones, tablets, computers and watches are put together with the help of 4,700 suppliers based in 23 countries. More than 6,500 people in Britain are employed directly by Apple - the highest number in the EU - followed by 5,500 each in Germany and Ireland. In Europe there are more than 100 official Apple stores employing an average of 100 people each and there are 600 smaller Apple Premium Resellers across Europe that offer the complete range of Apple products. Away from direct sales Apple also has more than one million registered app developers making money through the App Store. Advertisement

Vale says the EU order will require the Irish tax collection agency to issue a demand soon for payment, and any money handed over by Apple would be placed in a hands-off escrow account pending years of litigation before the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

Vale says: 'While the tax to be collected is hugely significant, this is unlikely to be made available for public expenditure purposes pending the appeal result.'

Apple insists it is committed to Ireland, where employee numbers have grown from 60 in October 1980 and through the lean years of the early 1990s to almost 6,000 now.

Apple also dismissed the prospect of a six billion euro interest bill being piled on top of the unpaid tax.

The company went further in its defence, accusing the Commissioner of misunderstanding its corporate structure, describing the entire operation at its original home of Cupertino, California as its crown jewels and head office.

Brian Sewell, Apple's general counsel, slammed Commissioner Vestager's ruling on the 1991 tax advice as 'astounding, stunning and very troubling'.

Today's huge penalty, imposed after a three-year investigation into the firm's tax affairs, is 40 times bigger than any tax demand issued by the European Commission.

Ireland will today be ordered to claw back billions in backdated tax - but extraordinarily the government will appeal the decision and reject the money.

The Commission's investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years.

Ireland's Finance Minister Michael Noonan said he profoundly disagreed with the verdict and denied doing 'deals' with taxpayers.

'Our tax system is founded on the strict application of the law ... without exception,' he said.

He added that it was necessary to fight the verdict in the courts 'to defend the integrity of our tax system, to provide tax certainty to business, and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation'.

'It is important that we send a strong message that Ireland remains an attractive and stable location of choice for long-term substantive investment,' he said.

Damning: Competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager unveiled a 130-page report into Apple's Irish tax affairs today and said it allowed Apple to pay as little as 0.005% tax

The case is one of the most high-profile in the fight to redraw boundaries on aggressive tax avoidance, an issue which has put the EU at odds with the US government.

Ms Vestager found two tax rulings issued by Ireland to Apple which she said substantially and artificially lowered the tax paid by the multinational.

She said the arrangements to establish the taxable profits for two Irish incorporated companies of the Apple group - Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe - did not reflect economic reality.

APPLE'S ROCK BOTTOM TAX BILL: HOW DOES IT DO IT? Apple's tax bill is so low thanks to the movement of profits to subsidiaries in Ireland and a 'head office' within Apple Sales International which was not based in any country, had no employees or premises and only had occasional board meetings. The European Commission probe revealed only a small percentage of Apple Sales International's profits were taxed in Ireland and the rest was not taxed anywhere. The commissioner highlighted 2011, when Apple Sales International recorded profits of 22 billion US dollars. Under the tax arrangement it had in Ireland, only about 50 million euro was considered taxable, leaving 15.95 billion euro of profits untaxed, the inquiry found. That year, Apple Sales International paid less than 10 million euro of corporate tax in Ireland - an effective tax rate of about 0.05% despite the headline rate being 12.5%. The Commission said that, in subsequent years, Apple Sales International's recorded profits continued to increase but the profits considered taxable in Ireland under the terms of the tax ruling did not. The arrangement was terminated last year when Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe changed their structures, the inquiry found. The companies hold the rights to use Apple's intellectual property to sell and manufacture its products outside North and South America and make yearly payments to Apple in the US for research and development. The Commission found these expenses were deducted from the profits recorded by Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe in Ireland each year. It also revealed that Apple set up its sales operations in Europe in such a way that customers were buying products from Apple Sales International in Ireland rather than from the shops that physically sold them. This way Apple recorded all sales and associated profits in Ireland. Advertisement

The commissioner said almost all sales profits recorded by the two companies were internally attributed to a 'head office' which only existed on paper and could not have generated such profits. Her inquiry found the profits were not subject to tax anywhere.

Ms Vestager's ruling also comes just a week before Apple's biggest product launch of the year, with the iPhone 7 and a new version of the Apple Watch to be unveiled in San Francisco.

Her office's investigations have also targeted aggressive tax planning by Starbucks and Fiat, both of which are appealing against rulings ordering them to pay back taxes to the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Ms Vestager dismissed threatened court challenges from Apple and the Irish Government, saying she had a 'very concrete case'.

The Commission said in a statement: 'Ireland must now recover the unpaid taxes in Ireland from Apple for the years 2003 to 2014 of up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion), plus interest.'

The EC said the tax bill could be reduced if other countries also pursued more tax from Apple themselves.

Apple has been probed for the way it channels profits made across Europe through a subsidiary company in Ireland. It is claimed the firm was able to pay 1 per cent tax on its European sales for two years, instead of the 12.5 per cent rate on profits that is typically used in Ireland.

The lower tax bills came following two tax assessments by authorities in Ireland.

This, the Commission has asserted, effectively allowed Apple to receive state aid because it was benefiting from a financial advantage other firms were not able to receive.

Fianna Fail finance spokesman Michael McGrath said yesterday that his party would read the ruling before making a decision but he added that Apple will soon employ close to 6,000 people in Cork so the company was not 'a brass-plate operation where monies are coming into Ireland through some intricate funding system'.

He said: 'This is a real operation, but the question is have they been treated fairly and consistently with other companies in relation to Ireland's corporation tax. We have been reassured so far that they have, so that remains our position and we will read the report very carefully and the Government response.' But Sinn Fein said an appeal would be 'farcical'.

Low bill: In 2011 Apple's international profits generated by iPhones, iPads and Macs was 22 billion US dollars, but under the tax arrangement it had in Ireland, only about 50 million euros was considered taxable

MEP Matt Carthy said: 'The majority of Irish citizens are looking on with disgust as Fine Gael and Fianna Fail go to such great lengths to facilitate a multinational corporation to avoid paying its fair share of tax.

IRELAND WOULD GET BACK IN BLACK IF GOVERNMENT ACCEPTED APPLE'S MONEY The record tax bill given to Apple is so huge that it would put Ireland back in the black for the first time in a decade, it was revealed today. Should Apple eventually pay the Irish the 11billion bill ordered by European chiefs, it would represent about 2,400 per man, woman and child there. Ireland, which is among the least populous nations in the EU with a population of 4.6million, would also easily see its 2016 deficit wiped out with the money. Apple has had a base in Ireland since 1980, long before it became the global brand it is today thanks to its iPhones, iPads and App Store. It employs around 5,500 people in the country, with its biggest operations in Cork. Advertisement

'Government and Fianna Fail representatives have lined up in recent days to assure Apple and other multinationals that they will immediately challenge any ruling against the Appletax deal in the European Court of Justice.

'They refuse to even wait to read the content of the ruling before announcing such assurances.' In a similar ruling against the Netherlands, the commission previously required the coffee chain Starbucks to pay up to 30million in back taxes.

Eoghan Murphy, junior finance minister in Ireland, said: 'We don't believe we gave any state aid to Apple. It's in the national interest that we defend our international reputation in this regard.'

Investment bank JP Morgan has previously estimated the total cost for Apple could be as much as 15billion.

Barrister Jolyon Maugham QC of Devereux Chambers said: 'This decision jeopardises Ireland's business model as a country that attracts businesses to be based there on a basis of lower tax. This is an example of political activism by the commissioner. The commissioner is trying to make sure the single market function is maintained and member states do not win business at the cost of others' tax base.

'There is a technical point where tax incentives stop and state aid begins.'

Apple employs about 5,500 people in Ireland, and has argued that its tax bill reflects its operations of procurement, distribution and sales.

Ireland and Apple can now appeal these tax bills. Both have denied any wrongdoing.

The commission investigation relates to two rulings given to Apple in 1991 and 2007.

Who's next in the firing line? Google, Amazon and Starbucks are among the firms facing more scrutiny after the multi-billion pound Apple tax ruling

Apple is the latest major multinational to find itself in the cross-hairs of the EU commission.

And the massive 11billion tax bill levied on the tech giant could set the scene for a titanic battle.

The Commission's three-year investigation into Apple's sweetheart deal with Ireland found it amounted to illegal state aid.

Amazon is among the companies whose tax deals are being examined closely by the EU

A damning report revealed the firm paid as little as 0.005 per cent tax by funnelling its non-US profits through a 'so-called headquarters' in Ireland with no staff or premises.

The EU's giant tax bill will not be difficult for the company to pay because it has amassed a huge $178 billion (120bn) offshore cash fund and last year made $53.4billion (35billion) - the biggest profit in corporate history.

But Apple will appeal and the tech giant's CEO Tim Cook, who previously called the probe 'political c**p', is threatening EU job losses if they don't back down. The Irish government has also attacked the ruling as 'bizarre'.

The US Treasury has warned the EU not to pursue American companies over tax avoidance saying there is a 'disturbing' pattern of singling out US companies.

Google, Amazon, Facebook, Yahoo, Microsoft, Twitter and eBay also have corporate facilities in Ireland - where attractions include minimal regulation and low corporate tax rates - which could come under renewed scrutiny.

The EU commission has already ruled that a tax deal for Starbucks in the Netherlands was unlawful. The company has been fined around 30million euros, although again it is appealing.

Meanwhile, competition regulators are probing deals awarded by Luxembourg to both McDonalds and Amazon.

German economy minister Sigmar Gabriel was today said to have suggested Google's tax structures should also be examined closely.

The EU commision is examining a tax deal granted to McDonald's by Luxembourg

Brexit Britain could become home to giant global firms which fear huge EU tax demands after Apple ruling

New deal? Experts believe that a Britain free from Brussels could be able to attract companies such as Apple, run by Tim Cook, pictured, with its own tax deals

Post-Brexit Britain could benefit from a landmark EU ruling that has seen Apple slapped with a 11billion tax bill.

Experts believe that a British economy free from Brussels could be able to attract companies such as Apple with its own tax deals.

Today Apple has already threatened to cut EU jobs and investment after they were told their sweetheart deal with Ireland amounted to illegal state aid.

Theresa May's official spokesman has already said that the UK's 'Corporation Tax is one of the lowest in the world'.

Neil Wilson, markets analyst at ETX Capital, said: 'The European Commission seems to be treading very close to interfering with the tax rules of member states, effectively telling Ireland how much tax it ought to levy. It's also increasingly becoming a supra-national tax judge.

'Britain could benefit. If Ireland cannot offer sweetheart deals within the EU, the City of London can perhaps offer something more appealing outside the bloc.'

Asked whether the Prime Minister believed the Commission decision amounted to good news for the UK post-Brexit, as it would make EU states less able to use competitive tax policies to attract inward investment, a Downing Street spokesman said: 'In terms of offering a low-tax environment, the UK already does that.

'Our Corporation Tax is one of the lowest in the world. We are committed to making the trading condition for companies in Britain as positive for them as it can be as long as it's positive for the country as a whole.'

Appeal: Apple, which has its Irish headquarters in Cork, pictured, has denied that any illegal deal was made with Ireland over tax

Asked whether the Government would like to see Apple relocate in the UK post-Brexit, a No 10 spokesman added: 'The narrative from the Government has been well set out. Britain is open for business, we would welcome any company wishing to invest in Britain.'

He stressed that all companies registered in the UK are expected to 'pay the tax they owe'.

Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the maker of iPads and iPhones paid just 1% tax on its European profits in 2003 and 0.005% in 2014. The Brussels watchdog found the arrangements dating back to the early 1990s were illegal under state aid rules and gave Apple favourable treatment over other businesses.

However, Apple boss Tim Cook said the Commission's decision would 'strike a devastating blow to the sovereignty of EU member states over their own tax matters'.

The company's chief financial officer, Luca Maestri, said the decision would be 'devastating' for the European economy.

The tax affairs of a string of other firms, including Amazon, Google and McDonald's, are also set to come under the EU microscope in the coming months.

Lewis Crofts, global chief correspondent at antitrust trade publication Mlex, added: 'A post-Brexit Britain could be able to attract companies such as Apple with tax deals like the Irish one, and the European Commission would have no say.

'But only in a 'hard-Brexit' scenario. A half-way solution - similar to Norway's or Switzerland's - could see the UK subject to Brussels oversight without being at the table when the rules or decision are agreed.'

Mr Cook said that Apple is 'committed to Ireland and we plan to continue investing there'.
A heartbroken mother has written an open letter to a woman who 'shamed' her for taking her autistic 10-year-old son with her into the bathroom at a gym pool.

Jodie Carter, a single mother from Bathurst in rural NSW, brought her son Lukas into the woman's bathroom with her to change him before his swimming lesson.

But as she went to the toilet herself, with Lukas waiting patiently outside her cubicle with his younger sister, a woman rushed to the office to make a formal complaint.

Ms Carter was then confronted by a staff member who told her that the woman had felt 'threatened' when Lukas had innocently smiled at her in the bathroom.

The complex has an official rule stating that boys over the age of six years are not allowed to enter the women's bathroom.

Jodie Carter (centre), a single mother from Bathurst in rural NSW, has written an open letter to a woman who shamed her for taking her autistic son (right), 10, into the bathroom at a gym pool. The complex has a rule that boys over the age of six cannot use the women's toilets

Her son Lukas, 10, has autism and battles with hypermobile joints, a sensory processing disorder and incontinence. Ms Carter said it was hard to believe how the woman felt 'threatened' when he had innocently smiled at her as she was fully clothed

'I hardly think my sweet boy who may be 10 but acts much younger is any more threatening than any other 10 year old,' Ms Jodie wrote online.

'In fact if you like to talk about buses he would love to explain to you all his favourite routes in Sydney.'

He cried that night ... he just said to me: "What is autism mum? What did I do wrong?"

She went on to explain that the woman had no idea of the struggles she faced raising a disabled child, who also battled with hypermobile joints, a sensory processing disorder and incontinence.

That night softly-spoken Lukas teared up and asked his mother what autism was.

'He cried that night ... He just said to me: "What is autism mum?",' Ms Carter told Daily Mail Australia.

'He doesnt really understand what autism is, I just say "its because youre extra special." He just said: "What did I do wrong?"'

But Ms Carter says she doesn't want Lukas to think he did something wrong.

'He didnt do anything wrong, all he did was smile at the lady. I don't want him to think he did anything wrong,' she said.

'Hes quite an anxious child, he didnt speak until he was almost five and his social skills are lacking ... as a child with autism for him to smile at someone is a big thing.'

The night after the incident Lukas cried at home and asked his mum what he had done wrong and what autism was

Since posting the open letter in a mother's group on Facebook, Ms Carter has received support from other women sharing similar experiences at the same gym.

But Ms Carter said the 'sinking feeling' still remained every time she went to the gym.

'Every time I go to the gym Ive just got this sinking feeling that someone's going to say something,' she said, fighting back emotion.

'I dont know why Ive got to explain myself all the time.'

'I just wish that woman had thought to herself, "Is there something I can do to help her instead of jumping down her throat (and) going and reporting her?"'

With no disabled toilets or change rooms on site, the centre have since allowed Ms Carter to change Lukas in the women's bathroom - but told her she is not allowed to 'linger.'
Lee students and faculty on a sailboat cruise of Boston Harbor . From left, Brett Buckner, Jeremy Newton, Sarah Minucci, Dr. Laura Singletary, Billy Singletary, Dr. Debra Mimbs and Kaitlyn Burk. Lee University PIC Math presentation group at the SIAM Conference in Boston. From left, Sarah Minucci, Kaitlyn Burk, Brett Buckner, Jeremy Newton and Dr. Debra Mimbs. Participants in Research in Industrial and Applied Mathematics course, back row, from left, Philip Winn, Brett Buckner, William Cole, Jeremy Newton and Dr. Shane Griffith; front row, from left, Dr. Debra Mimbs, Kaitlyn Burk, Sarah Minucci and Mesa Williams. Previous Next

Lee University students Brett Buckner, Kaitlyn Burk, Sarah Minucci and Jeremy Newton returned from presenting at the national Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics meeting in Boston.

SIAM is an international society that fosters the development of applied mathematics and includes over 14,000 individuals. SIAMs goal is to further the application of mathematics and science to real-world areas such as engineering, industry, science, and society.

The students worked on a real-world math problem in a Preparations for Careers in Mathematics course taught by Lee faculty Dr. Shane Griffith, associate professor of business administration, and Dr. Debra Mimbs, associate professor of mathematics. The students also collaborated with Dr. Marylesa Howard from National Securities Technologies to improve the methods used in The Broadband Laser Ranging diagnostic, a process used by NST.

The student team submitted the video presentation, Calibrating a Broadband Laser Ranging Diagnostic, and papers in order to be chosen to present at SIAMs meeting. The group from Lee was one of only eight groups selected to present. At the conference, the students shared about the tests and data used to reach the mathematical accomplishments they achieved in the PIC Math course.

Our students have seen a plethora of interesting mathematics throughout their time at Lee, said Dr. Mimbs. This class gave them the opportunity to use that mathematics and their creativity in a novel manner. They worked hard, were frustrated often, laughed and learned, and the result was some really great mathematics that got to influence the way NSTec will work on this project in the future.

PIC Maths mission is to prepare mathematical science students for careers in real-world industrial workplaces. The program aims to improve students abilities in problem solving, critical thinking, independent thinking, and communicating. PIC Math aspires to offer experiences and teaching methods to students that will best prepare them for the demands of non-academic jobs.

The PIC Math program both challenged and encouraged me to further study mathematics, said Ms. Burk. The best part was gaining experience working in a realm of industrial mathematics which was something I had not yet explored. Presenting at the SIAM conference was the experience of a lifetime."

The research conducted was funded by the National Science Foundation grant DMS-1345499, Lee University, and National Security Technologies.

For more information about PIC Math, visit http://www.maa.org/pic-math. For more information about SIAM, visit http://www.siam.org/.
Parents were eager to make an offer but say FBI negotiators didn't act on it

Said Kayla would be released if they received a $5 million payment

ISIS sent her parents emails during her captivity, former FBI worker says

ISIS captors sent emails pledging to release their hostage Kayla Mueller against a $5 million ransom, a former FBI negotiation has said.

The 26-year-old aid worker died in February last year after a year and a half in captivity. She was kidnapped by ISIS along with her boyfriend in August 2013 near Aleppo, in Syria.

Her parents Carl and Marsha desperately wanted to bring her back and negotiated with ISIS via email, ABC News reported.

They were eager to make an offer pay the ransom demanded by ISIS, but the FBI negotiators who were helping them made no such move, the Muellers told the network.

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Kayla Mueller (pictured in a proof-of-life video) died in February last year after a year and a half in captivity. She was kidnapped near Aleppo in Syria in August 2014

Her parents Carl and Marsha (pictured) negotiated with ISIS in the following months and received emails from Kayla's captors saying she could be released against a ransom

Retired FBI negotiator Chris Voss (pictured), who reviewed 27 emails exchanged between Kayla's parents and ISIS, say they show a missed opportunity to obtain her release

Carl and Marsha, like other hostages' families, didn't try to pay the ransom themselves for fear of being charged with material support to terrorism, according to ABC News.

While their daughter was in captivity, Carl and Marsha communicated with ISIS with the help of a team of FBI negotiators.

Most of the emails they sent were written by the FBI employees, ABC News reported.

'I think they put a lot of faith in the United States government helping them, and there were some people from the government that tried very hard to help them and did their absolute best,' retired FBI negotiator Chris Voss told the network.

'And there were some that just didn't know any better, didn't know what they were doing, and so instead of moving the ball forward, they threatened them.'

Kayla's parents (pictured in a video appeal to ISIS) wanted to make an offer to Kayla's captors to pay the ransom but say the FBI negotiators who were helping them didn't act on it

Voss reviewed 27 emails exchanged between the Muellers and ISIS for ABC News' 20/20.

Out of these 27 emails, 18 were sent from the Muellers and were actually written by FBI negotiators, according to the network.

One email sent by ISIS in September 2014 reads: 'Kayla's safe release Is [sic] still a possibility considering our demands are met!

'These demands are very straight forward and could have easily been achievable a long time ago had it not been for the stubbornness of your government!'

ISIS demanded a 5 million ransom ($5.5 million) or the release of convicted terrorist operative Aafia Siddiqui, an MIT-educated Pakistani neuroscientist and mother of three currently serving an 86-year prison sentence for the attempted murder of two US soldiers.

Carl and Marsha wanted to make an offer to pay the ransom but the FBI negotiators never included the offer in the emails they wrote on behalf of the family, the Muellers told ABC News.

'Carl would say we need to make an offer, and then the [FBI-authored] email would not have anything about an offer in it,' Marsha said.

'We were like sheep. We were following what the government told us to do. We had no idea,' Carl told the network.

Offering to pay the ransom to ISIS would have been legally possible due to an exception in the law, according to Voss.

He now believes that not making the offer was a major missed opportunity to get ISIS to release Kayla, who was beaten, physically tortured, verbally abused and raped almost daily during her captivity.

Kayla (pictured with her boyfriend, who was kidnapped with her) was reported dead in February 2015. ISIS stopped replying to her parents' email ahead of that time

The Muellers (pictured in a family photo with Kayla when she was a child) have received more emails from ISIS than any other known hostage family

FBI officials contacted by ABC News declined to comment citing privacy and classification concerns.

But retired Army Colonel Mark Mitchell told the network that it was not possible to make a case for sending the ransom as payments could not be traced easily in Syria.

ISIS first reached out to the Muellers in May 2014, saying in an email: 'This message is to inform you that we have the American citizen, Kayla Jean Mueller PRISONER.

'We don't want to harm her. She's like a guest with us at the moment.'

The Muellers, who have received more emails from ISIS than any known hostage family, negotiated with ISIS during four months.

The FBI wrote emails asking for more time to collect the amount of the ransom.

One email composed by the FBI on behalf of Carl mentioned his retirement and explained he had 'limited resources'.

But the captors did not care.

'From this point on you will only speak about the objectives, SO NO MORE SENTIMENTAL SOB STORIES!' they responded.

ISIS eventually asked for the 'immediate halt of ALL military activities' by the US government in exchange for Kayla's release.

The captors stopped replying to the Muellers' email before Kayla was reported dead in February 2015.

Carl and Marsha (pictured at a memorial for their daughter), like other hostages' families, feared prosecution if they tried to pay the ransom themselves, ABC News said
A Catholic school has caused controversy after one of its priests reportedly gave out a newsletter to parents suggesting children who are conceived through IVF were born 'out of sin'.

The remarks were made by a priest at a children's school in Murrumbidgee in the Riverina region of south western NSW, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Education Minister Adrian Piccoli, who spoke at a Budget Estimates hearing in Parliament on Monday, said the comment came to light after a family at his children's school turned to IVF following difficulties to conceive naturally.

However, the Catholic Diocese of Wagga Wagga told Daily Mail Australia the school was not responsible for the newsletter telling families that children conceived through IVF was a sin.

A Catholic school has caused controversy after a newsletter was reportedly handed out to parents suggesting children who are conceived through IVF were born out of sin (stock image)

Education Minister Adrian Piccoli (pictured) said the comment came to light after a family at his children's school turned to IVF following difficulties to conceive naturally

'The incident referred to involves a priest's message to adults about to undertake the sacrament of reconciliation (confession) for the first time,' the Catholic Diocese of Wagga Wagga said in a statement to Daily Mail Australia.

'The message uses the Ten Commandments as a basis to examine one's conscience. At one point, the reader is asked:

"Have I engaged, in any way, in sins against human life such as artificial insemination or in vitro fertilisation? Have I participated in or approved of euthanasia?"

'At no time does the priest make derogatory statements about children conceived through IVF.

'The Bishop of Wagga Wagga, Gerard Hanna, has apologised to any students and families who have been offended or made to feel unwelcome as a result of the media coverage this story has received.'

Christian Democrats leader Reverend Fred Nile (pictured) weighed in on his concerns about schools encouraging boys to dress up as girls

Mr Piccoli's revelation comes after Christian Democrats leader Reverend Fred Nile said girls who didn't dress up for a gay rights event were being bullied - but the incident would have been avoided at a Catholic school.

However, Mr Piccoli used the IVF comment as an example to highlight 'inadequacies' existed everywhere.

Speaking at the hearing, Reverend Nile also weighed in on his concerns over the Safe Schools program encouraging boys to dress up as girls.

He presented Mr Piccoli a copy of the poster, showing a boy wearing a school dress with the captions: 'everyone should be able to wear the uniform that makes them feel comfortable'.

'The main issue isn't about education but with the safe schools program it's like a pressure system forcing kids to learn about issues of sexuality well before they're ready to do so,' Reverend Nile said, according to Ten News.
Do you know more? Contact Freya.Noble@mailonline.com

People smashed windows and jumped on police cars at a West Australian courthouse after a protest over the death of a local teenager turned violent.

A 55-year-old man, who cannot be named, was due to appear at a court in Kalgoorlie, east of Perth, charged with the manslaughter of a 14-year-old Aboriginal boy, Elijah Doughty.

The boy's body was found in nearby bushland on Monday morning.

But violent scenes erupted outside the courthouse with around 200 people smashing building windows with rocks and bottles.

During the violent clash 12 police officers were injured with one needing medical attention, police say.

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The body of Elijah Doughty, 14, was found in the bush beside a stolen motorbike on Monday

Glass windows at the front of the courthouse were smashed by angry protesters

Two young boys stand on top of a police car holding an Aboriginal flag outside the court

Angry protesters gathered on the main street of Kalgoorlie following Elijah's death

Elijah Doughty was reportedly the grandson of a local Indigenous elder (not pictured)

Young people watched the angry protest near the courthouse

Young people were caught on camera throwing what looked to be rocks and other items at the windows of Kalgoorlie court

Riot police moved in on protesters outside the Kalgoorlie Courthouse

Police handcuff a protester outside the courthouse at Hannan St, Kalgoorlie

Footage of the riots show people smashing windows and jumping on police cars

Five cars were smashed when the protest turned violent - but streets have returned to normal after police reinforcements turned up.

'Several people have been taken into custody in relation to assault police and disorderly offences,' police said.

It is not yet known if any of the protesters have been charged yet.

According to The West Australian, family and friends of the teenager broke through the gates to the court before throwing rocks through windows.

Others threw bottles at the building and the ABC reported a police officer had been injured during the clash.

A number of people were pictured standing on top of police cars, two of whom were clutching an Aboriginal flag after the boy's death sparked tensions between local police and the Indigenous community.

Footage from the scene shows dozens of people marching through the streets outside the building, chanting and holding signs.

Demonstrators were seen carrying Aboriginal flags, as well as banners that read: 'We Want Justice' and 'All Lives Matter, Save Our Kids'.

The crowd could be heard chanting: 'We want justice' and 'When do we want it? Now!'.

Doughty's aunt said the teenager was the third person in the family to die in recent weeks, and described her nephew as 'a bit of a prankster'.

'He was a very happy-go-lucky kid; he was never a bad kid,' the woman told the Kalgoorlie Miner.

Daniel Forrest, Tiarra Ashwin and Christina Te Puke hold a newspaper with Doughty's photo on the front of it

Dozens of protesters marched through the streets carrying signs which read 'We Want Justice' and 'All Lives Matter'

A woman is seen here standing on top of a police car at the protests on Tuesday

Doughty's death sparked tensions between the Aboriginal community and police in Kalgoorlie

People tried to breach the entrance of the court during protests

This young woman was caught on video during the riot standing on top of a police wagon

'He was not a straight-A student but his circumstances were hard, he struggled at school but he had other issues to prioritise.'

Since the public backlash, West Australian police has issued a statement urging the community to stay safe in the wake of the riots.

'We understand there is significant community concern over events in the Goldfields during the past 24 hours.

'Members of the public have a right to protest, however, we encourage them to do so peacefully, or they may be arrested.

'WA Police has a responsibility to ensure the safety of the entire community and will actively police the current situation in Kalgoorlie,' the statement read.

A man smashed in the driver's side front window of the police car as he runs past the vehicle

Photos from the scene shows dozens of people marching through the streets outside the building

The crowd could be heard chanting: 'We want justice' and 'When do we want it? Now!'

A rioter on the ground during the incident which saw windows smashed

Police said they were working closely with Aboriginal Leaders in order to help the community.

The courthouse also confirmed that the riots had caused disruption on the main road in the town, Hannan Street, and there would be 'a full inquiry' into the disturbance.

The man charged with manslaughter, 55, was remanded in custody and will appear at the Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court in Perth via videolink on Wednesday.

Doughty's death sparked racial tensions between the Aboriginal community and police in Kalgoorlie.

On Monday morning police responded to reports of a crash in bushland off Clancy Street in Boulder on Monday morning, and discovered the dead boy.

Flowers have been left at the scene where the boy's body was found

Police said they received a report of a dead body in bushland near the corner of Clancy Street and Ivanhoe Street (pictured) about 9am on Monday

A 55-year-old man has been charged with manslaughter and was set to appear at Kalgoorlie Magistrates Court (pictured) on Tuesday morning

The motorcycle has been confirmed as being subject to a stolen vehicle report, which was reported to WA Police on Sunday 28 August.

The second vehicle involved in the incident, a Nissan Navara utility, is linked to the owner of the stolen motorcycle.

A 55-year-old man was charged with manslaughter, and was refused bail to appear in the Kalgoorlie Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning.

Kalgoorlie detectives are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the death.
The late Sydney restaurateur Jackie Milijash was found dead at her Avalon home at the weekend

Iconic Sydney restaurateur Jackie Milijash suffered from chronic back and nerve pain and was on strong painkillers prior to her shock death, a source close to the family said.

Tributes have poured in for Ms Milijash, 52, who was found dead by her mother at her Avalon home on Sydney's northern beaches.

She was known for the celebrity hotspot Jackie's Cafe in Paddington - a favourite of the likes of Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts and Megan Gale.

Investigators are working to determine the cause of Ms Milijash's death. Police said it was not believed to be suspicious.

Family are awaiting results of the postmortem. Friends said they did not believe she took her own life.

A close friend said the socialite suffered from a back problem and nerve pain, was often ill and was in St Vincent's Hospital earlier this year.

' She would probably have put a lot of stress on her body to get her new place up and running,' the friend said.

Ms Milijash's venues have attracted high profile Sydney identities for decades, including Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts

Investigators are working to determine the cause of Ms Milijash's death. Friends did not believe it was suicide

The friend attributed her nerve pain to her days spent working as a waitress.

Ms Milijash has been credited for pioneering cafe culture in Sydney in the late 1980s.

She started her business in 1989 with the original Jackie's Cafe on the corner of Liverpool and Kent Streets in the centre of the CBD.

She ran Jackie's Restaurant and Bar in Bondi before setting up her famous Paddington cafe.

Most recently, she had thrown herself into her work opening a new restaurant on the Northern Beaches.

' She would probably have put a lot of stress on her body to get her new place up and running,' the friend said.

She was due to turn 53 next month and many people close to her remember her for her 'party girl phase'.

Ms Milijash once stole the microphone from Elton John at her friend James Packer's wedding to Jodhi Meares.

She was kicked out of the wedding and admitted to the Sunday Telegraph she may 'never live down the incident'.

But that didn't stop her from firing off a cheeky fax message to Packer.

'Jac we miss you already RIP X' PR mogul Roxy Jacenko posted to Instagram on Monday

She is known for the celebrity hotspot Jackie's Cafe in Paddington

THE CHEEKY FAX JACKIE MILIJASH SENT JAMES PACKER AFTER BEING KICKED OUT OF HER WEDDING Dear James, How dare you throw me out when I was just getting warmed up and having so much fun. Elton John's management thought I had so much potential, unfortunately I've had to decline their offer. My sincerest apologies if it caused any embarrassment, by no means was it intentional. I wish you both a bright and healthy future together. Lots of love, Your over zealous stage dancer Jackie Milijash Advertisement

It said: 'Dear James, how dare you throw me out when I was just getting warmed up and having so much fun.

'Elton John's management thought I had so much potential, unfortunately I've had to decline their offer.'

One friend told Daily Mail Australia: 'She was one of the most loved and eccentric personalities Sydney has known.'

'She was vibrant. I mean yeah everyone's feeling a great sense of loss...

'She made everyone feel important and she found something interesting in everyone. '

She was the type of person to speak her mind, with the friend recalling: 'If she saw (James Packer) doing the Bondi to Bronte she'd say 'you're looking a bit fat, you've got to move a lot faster.'

Close mates and former staff mourned the death of the iconic Sydney restaurateur on social media and signed a condolence book at her Paddington restaurant.

Beau Ryan and wife Kara are both pictured at Jackies Cafe in Paddington (left, right)

Natalie Bassingthwaite, another customer of the celebrity hotspot

It is a favourite of the likes of Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman and Naomi Watts

She is remembered for her kind and loving nature, her love of animals, her exacting standards in the workplace and forthright personality.

'Heartbreaking loss of a beautiful woman and icon, Jackie Milijash, who touched so many with her energy, passion, humour and warmth,' her friend Roni Faktor wrote.

'Though many knew her through her successful Jackie's Cafes and Raw Bar, it was Jackie's personality and kindness that made her so legendary.'

Celebrity hairstylist Joh Bailey wrote: 'Jackie darling! We shared a flat in Edgecliff in the late 80's... Wild Wild times . Heart of gold. R.I.P x.'

Jackie Milijash was billionaire James Packer's first girlfriend

Publicity queen Roxy Jacenko left a bouquet of flowers and a signed note from her family at the front of the cafe.

Friend and columnist Ros Reines said she was 'the kindest, most loyal and beautiful friend anyone could ask for'.

Journalist Melissa Hoyer said: 'What a shocking loss...

'She was a passionate, seriously hard-working treasure and will be missed by many people'.
The mother of a disabled student is suing the NSW Department of Education after her six-year-old daughter was allegedly locked in a school toilet and sexually abused by four older students during recess.

The mentally and physically disabled kindergartner was allegedly lured to the toilets of an Illawarra school by four boys who asked if she would 'play a game' before they stuffed toilet paper in her mouth to muffle her screams and sexually assaulted her.

The girl's mother has claimed her daughter was particularly vulnerable given her disability and has slammed the school, in Sydney's south, for not giving appropriate supervision at the time of the 2013 assault, the Illawarra Mercury reported.

A disabled six-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted in a school toilet after four boys asked her to 'play a game' (stock image)

'The [girl's] injury arose out of a risk of harm, namely that her pre-morbid vulnerabilities  without close supervision  exposed her to engagement with other students who may take advantage of her and the fact she was unable to protect herself from bullying and/or predatory behaviour,' a statement of claim lodged in the NSW Supreme Court and obtained by the Illawarra Mercury read.

The girl's mother said she had directed staff to keep her daughter in the special needs play ground during breaks and was shocked to discover she had been in the mainstream play area when she was targeted.

Her lawyer said this highlighted that the school had failed fulfil its duty of care to the young girl.

'This happened because of the school's failure to not only properly supervise students in their care, but also respond appropriately when reports of assaults were made,' Shine Lawyers abuse law partner Lisa Flynn told the Daily Telegraph.

A group of four boys, allegedly aged between five - 11, were said to be involved in the incident (stock image)

According to reports, two of the boys involved stood guard at the toilet door while the assault took place.

Teachers only became aware of the incident once the young victim returned to class after the break with her uniform inside out.

According to police, two of the boys were aged five and nine, while the girl's mother said her daughter had identified four boys aged nine to 11.

The incident - which took place in November 2013 - was only made public after he mother launched legal against the Department of Education.

She said it had devastated her daughter and family, leaving the girl 'suffering from nightmares and flashbacks all the time.'

'The stress is insurmountable,' she told the Daily Telegraph.

The girl was supposed to be in a special needs playground but was in a mainstream playground when she was targeted (stock image)

The identity of the victim, alleged attackers and school involved have been withheld for legal reasons.

The Department of Education said the incident had been referred to the Department of Family and Community Services and police.

But according to police, action was not taken due to the young age of the boys involved.

A spokesperson for the Department told Daily Mail Australia the alleged assault was investigated and 'appropriate action was taken'.
Police investigating the murder of Karina Vetrano are looking to interview a man who used to jog the same route as her but hasn't been seen since her death.

Father Philip Vetrano, a retired firefighter who found Karina's body after she failed to return from a run, said he used to see the other runner 'four or five times a week' before his daughter's death, but has not seen him since.

Vetrano told the 'The Drive at Five' with Curtis Sliwa: 'This is a very important lead. I would see him almost every day and now hes dropped off the face of the earth.

Philip Vetrano, 60 (left), has said police are looking to speak with a male jogger who used to run the same route as his murdered daughter but has not been seen since her death

Karina Vetrano (left and right) was possibly sexually assaulted before being strangled to death while out jogging in Queens, New York

'Its very important that we speak to him, because he might have seen something.'

Vetrano recalled how the man, whose name he does not know, ran wearing very long running shorts and long socks which came almost up to his knees.

He described the man as being between 30 and 35 years old, 5-foot-9, and 150 pounds with black hair parted to the side.

He added: 'He has a really strange stride. In the wintertime, he would wear black gloves and a black cap. In the summer, he might run shirtless.

'He is very, very fit. Not a weightlifter, but extremely fit. Somebody must know who this is.'

Police would not confirm whether they are indeed searching for the man, as Vetrano insists.

Vetrano said he typically saw the man jogging through Spring Creek marshland (pictured) between four and five times a week, but he has since vanished

He described the man as 5ft 9ins tall, weighing 150lbs, between 30 and 35 years old with a distinctive gait along with long running shorts and socks up to his knees

Vetrano spoke out weeks after he recalled having a bad feeling about his daughter jogging through Spring Creek marshlands, in Queens, New York, where she was found dead.

He recalled warning her about running through the area, to which she replied: 'It's OK daddy, I'll be all right.'

Later that day Vetrano found his daughter's body dumped off the running path in that very area.

Forensic tests show she had been strangled to death, while her disordered clothes raise the prospect she was also sexually assaulted.

DNA was also found on the body, though it did not match to anyone in police records, leaving investigators scrabbling for more clues.

Vetrano previously hinted that he knows who the suspected killer is, urging one of their relatives to call police.

Vetrano is offering reward money raised online, now in excess of $260,000, for information leading to the killer

He told the New York Post: 'We know there is a family member of the killer that we need for them to come forward, to finalize this very quickly.

'She is in great distress. We know she wants to make that call. Make that call.

'The [reward] money is there. I guarantee the money. If she waits any longer, someone else is going to claim that fund.

'The time is now to make that call and get that money. '

The family are offering more than $260,000 in reward money for information leading to the killer after raising it via a GoFundMe page.
Dramatic dashcam footage shows the moment strangers pulled a woman from a burning car after a horrific 10-car pile-up.

The video begins with a truck slamming through traffic on Route 17 in Binghamton, New York, last Thursday.

One of the vehicles is seen resting against the central divide, engulfed in flames.

Drivers are then seen running towards the burning car, reaching into the window and dragging the woman to safety.

The video begins with a truck slamming through traffic in Binghamton, New York

Bystanders then put out the remainder of the blaze with fire extinguishers.

The Mayor of Binghamton, David Rich, shared the incredible clip on Facebook.

He praised those who helped as 'brave individuals', and thanked them on behalf of the community.

Mayor Rich wrote about the video: 'It captures the chilling first moments of the crash and the actions of bystanders who pulled a woman from a burning vehicle.

One of the vehicles is seen resting against the central divide, engulfed in flames

Drivers are then seen running towards the burning car and reaching into the window

'In a time of crisis, these brave individuals navigated through flames and broken glass to save a stranger's life.

'The woman suffered only minor cuts and bruises. Miraculously, the crash resulted in no fatalities.

'We're still attempting to identify those seen on video so they can be recognized for their efforts.

'On behalf of our entire community, I commend these unsung heroes as well as our local police, fire and EMS first responders. Binghamton is safer because of you. '

A tractor trailer involved in the wreck had faulty brakes, according to reports.

They then carry her to safety while other motorists but out the flames with fire extinguishers

The driver, Allen R. Kirkpatrick, 74, of Wyalusing, Pennsylvania, was cited for operating an out of service vehicle.

Officials said the cause of the crash remained under investigation.
Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom will be allowed to livestream his legal bid to halt his extradition to the United States, a New Zealand judge ruled on Tuesday.

Dotcom and three of his colleagues are appealing a December lower-court decision allowing them to be extradited to the US to face conspiracy, racketeering and money-laundering charges.

If found guilty, they could face decades in jail.

Dotcom's lawyer Ira Rothken said he was pleased with the decision to allow his trial to be livestreamed.

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Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom (pictured) has won a battle to have his legal battle against the United States livestreamed on YouTube. Dotcom's lawyers have asked if they can film his extradition appeal, which began on Monday at New Zealand's High Court in Auckland

'It provides everybody in the world with a seat in the gallery of the New Zealand courtroom. It's democracy at its finest.'

Rothken said the livestreaming would begin Wednesday on YouTube.

He said there would be a 20-minute delay to prevent any evidence that was protected by the court from becoming public. The appeal is expected to last six weeks.

Justice Murray Gilbert, the New Zealand judge hearing the appeal, had asked other media about Dotcom's request and didn't receive any objections.

Rothken said the US had opposed the plan on the basis it could taint a potential jury pool and could cede court control over evidence.

December's lower-court ruling came nearly four years after the US shut down Dotcom's file-sharing site Megaupload, which prosecutors say was widely used by people to illegally download songs, television shows and movies.

Megaupload was once one of the internet's most popular sites. Prosecutors say it raked in at least $175 million and cost copyright holders more than $500 million.

But Dotcom and colleagues Mathias Ortmann, Bram van der Kolk and Finn Batato argue they can't be held responsible for people who chose to use the site for illegal purposes.

Rothken said the lower-court judge made an error of law in his ruling, and that broad safe-harbor provisions protect internet service providers from the types of charges his clients face.

Lawyers acting for the US in New Zealand have declined to comment on the case while it's being litigated.

Born in Germany as Kim Schmitz, Dotcom has long enjoyed a flamboyant lifestyle.

He was arrested in New Zealand in 2012 after a dramatic police raid on his mansion.

After he was released on bail, he released a music album, started another Internet file-sharing company called Mega, and launched a political party which unsuccessfully contested the nation's 2014 election.
A journalist 'forgot' she was reporting on a murder trial when she published a news article that resulted in a jury being discharged, a court has heard.

Krystal Johnson of Yahoo 7 in Sydney said she had by-passed sub-editors because they were 'busy' when she published an article based on information she found online.

Ms Johnson apologised to the Victorian Supreme Court on Tuesday for the 'human error' after Justice Lex Lasry aborted a murder trial last week because of the report.

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Journalist Krystal Johnson 'forgot' she was reporting on a murder trial when she published a news article that resulted in the jury in the case being discharged (Ms Johnson pictured at Supreme Court of Victoria on Tuesday)

The Yahoo 7 reporter from Sydney said she had by-passed sub-editors because they were 'busy' when she published an article based on information she found online

Lawyer Justin Quill, for Ms Johnson, told the court his client 'forgot' she was writing about a murder trial when she published material that had not been presented to the jury.

She had been compiling a story when she was 'called away' because of breaking news.

'She forgot the first part of the report that this was a trial,' Mr Quill said.

'There was a time gap between preparing that part.'

Justice Lasry said Ms Johnson's explanation for how she came to publish the prejudicial material 'strains credibility'.

He referred the reporter's 'very serious breach' to the Director of Public Prosecutions, which can decide whether contempt of court charges can be laid.

Mr Quill offered an unreserved apology on behalf of Ms Johnson, telling the court she had been vilified online and punished enough.

It was 'human error', he said.

Ms Johnson apologised to the Victorian Supreme Court on Tuesday for the 'human error' after her report forced Justice Lex Lasry to abort a murder trial last week

Justice Lasry at the Victorian Supreme Court (stock image) referred Ms Johnson to the Department of Public Prosecutions where she could be pursued for contempt of court charges

Ms Johnson published the story online without referring it to sub-editors because she saw they were busy.

Mr Quill said rather than being 'lazy' Ms Johnson was being 'overzealous' by trying to include as much information in her story as possible.

Crown Prosecutor Andrew Tinney said the publication of the story was a failure of management.

The delay in the trial had caused anguish to the victim's family and traumatised the accused and his family, he said.

'The concern is not just for this trial, but the integrity of future trials.'
An Anglican priest has confronted Opposition Leader Bill Shorten over comments he made where he referred to opponents of same-sex marriage as having bigoted views and suffering from homophobia.

Mr Shorten had just attended the traditional church service to mark the opening of Parliament on Tuesday when he was approached and challenged by Canberra priest Ian Powell, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Rector Powell had a problem with Mr Shorten's comments during the election campaign, when he linked a fatal shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, with the gay marriage plebiscite campaign.

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Anglican priest Ian Powell confronted Bill Shorten over his gay marriage comments after the traditional church service to mark the opening of Parliament on Tuesday in Canberra

At the time Mr Shorten said the plebiscite could 'give haters the chance to come out from under the rock'.

'You described people who weren't in favour of changing the definition of marriage as 'haters who come out from under rocks'. Can I ask you not to speak like that? Because I know lots of people like that,' Rector Powell said to Mr Shorten.

'Please don't speak like that about other Australians, so we can have a civil and tolerant discussion rather than the hate that's been coming.'

Labor is expected to announce its opposition to the government's gay marriage plebiscite. The Greens and Nick Xenophon's party have already confirmed they plan to block the legislation.

The Labor leader responded that the Canberra priest should quote him accurately

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten attend the Last Post at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra

Mr Shorten chairs a meeting of his shadow ministry at Parliament House in Canberra

Despite the shock encounter Mr Shorten stood and spoke to Rector Powell briefly. The Labor leader responded that the Canberra priest should quote him accurately to start with.

'Please don't hector me. Give me the chance to speak,' Mr Shorten said.

'First of all, people of faith can be opposed to marriage equality.

'People of faith can be opposed to marriage equality but some people who object to marriage equality do have homophobic attitudes.'
Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen begins a new set of school visits Tuesday, focusing this school year on students perspectives and experiences, especially in the middle and high school grades. This revamped version of her Classroom Chronicles tour builds on the success of the first round of visits in 2015-16, when she met with more than 10,000 teachers and toured 121 schools in 82 districts across Tennessee.

Every decision we make is centered on what is best for students," said Commissioner McQueen. "It only makes sense that we include and elevate their voices into the conversations we are having as a state. Students have a range of experiences and opportunities throughout the course of their K-12 experience, and I want to ensure that all students receive an education that meets their unique needs and prepares them to be successful for life after high school.

Tuesdays visit to Arlington High School and Wednesday's trips to Johnson County High School in Mountain City and Science Hill High School in Johnson City will be the first stops on the Classroom Chronicles tour this year. Commissioner McQueen will continue to meet with educators at each school, but throughout the tour, she will host roundtables with students from a variety of backgrounds to hear about their experiences and ideas. The conversations will cover a number of topics, from opportunities to prepare for college and career, to school cultures and discipline, to the goals that students are setting and the supports they need to reach them.

In addition to building on the first leg of the Classroom Chronicles tour, the focus on student conversations will continue other initiatives the department has engaged in the last few months. During the spring, every member of the departments senior leadership team shadowed a student for a day to get a sense for the range of experiences high school students have across the state and the different opportunities that are available in different schools. Additionally, department officials began convening informal student advisory councils across the state to learn more about the challenges facing all types of students as they chart their paths through high school and beyond. Those conversations will also continue this fall and complement the Classroom Chronicles tour. A report will be available later this year documenting the key themes and outcomes from the student advisory council meetings.

Additional trips are still being scheduled. Recaps of each Classroom Chronicles school visitoften written by studentswill be posted on the departments blog.
lost his own battle with cancer

Daniel Andrews said the alleged comments in 2014 about MP Donna Bauer

A visibly emotional Daniel Andrews has defended himself against claims he said a bowel cancer-suffering former MP would be 's****ing in a bag'.

The Victorian premier's voice was emotion and his eyes filled as he called the accusations a 'wicked, shameful lie' on Tuesday.

His voice went soft and trembled as he spoke of his father, who recently died after a battle with cancer, The Age reported.

He said the accustaion was 'one that I have denied on the record because it did not occur'.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews with Deputy Premier James Merlino (left) speak to media in February (stock image)

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews (pictured) has denied saying that ex-Liberal MP Donna Bauer would not be a threat during election as she would be 's***ing in a bag' (stock image)

He had allegedly made an offensive comment as an explanation for why ex-Liberal MP Donna Bauer would not be a threat during the election.

Mr Andrews issued a statement denying that he made the alleged remarks, which occurred in 2014 during the last term of Parliament.

But two Labor MP's have told the Herald Sun that they heard the comment being made and that it sounded like sounded like a 'well-rehearsed joke'.

In statement Mr Andrews calls the claims by an unnamed source: 'defamatory, disgusting and wrong.'

'After losing my father recently to a long and heartbreaking battle with cancer, it's disgraceful that people would sink this low.

'These lies have also brought unnecessary distress to others.'

Donna Bauer said the alleged comment left her devastated. 'The insensitivity and cruelty of the comment took my breath away'

Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan echoed the statement, calling the claims against Mr Andrews a 'pretty pathetic attempt at a political hit'.

'They are just claims, they are claims that are disgusting, they are claims that are vile and they are claims that have no basis in fact,' the ABC quoted her as saying.

She asked why the MP's who claimed to hear the comments made in 2014 , had not said anything at the time.

It's believed over the weekend that Mr Andrews called Ms Bauer, an ambassador for Bowel Cancer Australia, personally to deny the alleged remarks, which left her feeling distressed after the reports emerged.

'I was devastated when I learnt the comment was about me and said at a time when I was fighting for my life and not sure I would survive,' Ms Bauer told the Herald Sun.

'This is a time when I had major surgery, six months of intensive chemotherapy and had a big chunk of my bowel removed. The insensitivity and cruelty of the comment took my breath away.'
Report published Sunday sheds light on how the couple set up Peters

They were found guilty of framing Peters after campaign of harassment

Parents Kent and Jill Easter were given jail sentences in 2013 and 2014

Police found drugs in her car - later found to have been planted there

She was volunteering at her daughter's school in Irvine, California

Kelli Peters, then 49, was the subject of a phone call to police in 2011

A PTA president who was framed for drugs possession by a couple of fellow parents at her daughter's school has revealed the panicked thoughts that went through her head when police came for her.

Kelli Peters, then 49, was the subject of an anonymous phone call to authorities in February 2011.

A man said one of the volunteers at the school in Irvine, California was driving 'very erratically' and seemed to be under the influence of drugs.

Police came and, in front of other parents and children at the school - searched Kelli's car, where they found a bag of marijuana, a ceramic pot pipe and pills.

Kelli insisted the drugs weren't hers. And indeed, two other parents, then-married couple Kent and Jill Easter, were later found to have planted them inside her car - the apex of a yearlong campaign of retaliation against Kelli.

When the police asked Kelli how the drugs could have gotten in the car, she said: 'I have an enemy.'

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Kelli Peters (pictured) was the subject of an anonymous phone call to authorities in 2011. A male caller said the PTA president at an Irvine, California school seemed to have taken drugs

Kent Easter (left) and his wife Jill (right) were later convicted of planting the drugs in Kelli's car - the culmination of a yearlong campaign against her

Kelli spoke to the Los Angeles Times for a six-part investigation, the first chapter of which was published on Sunday.

She and her husband Bill moved to Irvine after she got pregnant with their first child and became concerned with safety.

The city, which has been ranked the safest in America for 11 consecutive years, won her over with its low crime rate.

It was a city were everything, down to the layout of the parks, had been designed to prevent those who inhabited it from breaking the law.

Police came and, in front of other parents and children at the school - searched Kelli's car, where they found a bag of marijuana, a ceramic pot pipe and pills (pictured)

Kelli (pictured) moved to Irvine with her husband Bill after she got pregnant with their first child and became concerned with safety

Kelli, who had previously worked in the mortgage industry, often wore flip-flops and a peace sign necklace while volunteering at Plaza Vista Elementary School.

There was a Jimi Hendrix poster in the apartment she and her husband rented. Kelli had even run a tie-dye business called Only 4 The Groovy, according to the LA Times.

But despite that air of 1960s nostalgia, Kelli hadn't placed the drugs in her car.

Officer Charles Shaver, who came to the school after responding to the anonymous call, saw right away that something didn't seem right.

A male caller had reached the police station around 1:15 pm, saying his daughter went to Plaza Vista Elementary School and that one of the parent volunteers seemed 'under the influence'.

Shaver, then 40, was a former Marine. He found the drugs protruding out of the driver's seat pocket.

Police made Kelli (pictured) take a sobriety test, which she passed. Officer Charles Shaver didn't arrest her on the day of the phone call and sensed something was amiss

Jill (pictured) spent about 60 days behind bars and her ex husband served 87 days. Jill and Kent, both former lawyers, were ordered to pay $5.7 million in damages to Kelli in January

That was his first clue that something was amiss. Shaver knew, the LA Times wrote, that drug users typically stashed their substance of choice under the car seat or in the glove box - not partially tossed into a seat pocket.

His second clue was the ceramic pot pipe, kept in the bag with the drugs. Marijuana users, according to Shaver, typically store their pipe outside of the bag.

Shaver interrogated Kelli but didn't arrest her that day. He made her take a sobriety test and she passed.

When Shaver asked Kelli who could want to harm her, she said: 'Jill Easter.'

Shaver returned later on to take swabs from Kelli and her daughter and test whether their DNA could be found on the drugs.

Police didn't find any evidence incriminating them. Instead, they traced the case back to the Easters.

The couple's conflict with Kelli appears to have begun in February 2010, when Jill came to pick up her son from school and found that he wasn't waiting for her.

Kelli told her the boy had been 'a little slow' - meaning he hadn't joined the lineup at the same time as the other students.

But Jill took it as a derogatory comment regarding her son's intelligence. Jill and her then-husband Kent tried to get Kelly fired - an attempt that culminated with planting drugs in her car.

'She just went after me full force,' Kelli said in a Dr Phil interview in May. 'The lies started there. She just started saying anything that she could  that I hurt her son, that I dragged him out back, that I bloodied his knuckles, that I punished him, that I called him names, berated him, just went on and on.'

Jill was sentenced to 120 days in prison in October 2013 and Kent was handed a 180-day sentence in September 2014, as shown in an ABC News timeline.

She spent about 60 days behind bars and he served 87 days. Jill and Kent, both former lawyers, were ordered to pay $5.7 million in damages to Kelli in January.
An Alaska Airlines plane traveling from New York to Seattle was forced to divert after a male passenger tried to open a door mid-flight.

The man, who has not been identified, 'freaked out and wanted off the plane' after taking off from JFK Airport at 7.15am, Shoshana Godwin told Kiro7.

Godwin, who was sat next to the man on the flight, said he had been acting erratically even before takeoff, checking his bag over and over before taking a pill.

A man seen acting erratically and popping pills before boarding an Alaskan Airlines flight from New York to Seattle had to be escorted off the plane after trying to open a door in the air

Once on the plane Godwin said the man, who appeared to be in his 20s, was quiet and seemed to be falling asleep until he was offered a drink.

Godwin added: 'He said he need to cancel his flight and get off the plane and just was kind of speaking a little gibberish.'

Witnesses said after the man was offered a drink he started talking about canceling the flight and tried to get out of the door

At that point he got out of his seat and made his way to the back of Flight 7, where he attempted to open the rear door.

Godwin said the flight crew marshaled him away from the door, praising their efforts to keep him calm.

The plane was forced to divert to Minnesota, with recordings of pilots messaging the control tower showing they stayed remarkably calm during the incident.

One of the pilots can be heard radioing to say they will be 'dropping off one of our passengers early'.

Another then chimes in: 'Can we have someone greet this customer? He's having a difficult time working and playing well with others.'

Police were waiting at the terminal and boarded the plane before escorting the passenger into the airport.

Passenger Shoshana Godwin, who was sat next to the man, praised flight crew for keeping him calm until the flight had landed

The plane (pictured) was forced to divert to Minneapolis so police could escort the man to safety. He was taken to hospital after being deemed to be a danger to himself

Airport spokesmen say the man was questioned and deemed to be a danger to himself, and so was taken to hospital. It is unclear if he will face charges.

The plane eventually arrived in Seattle around three hours late.
Donald Trump's newly appointed campaign chief executive Stephen Bannon has come under fire again, this time for his comments about women.

During a 2011 radio interview, Bannon said that the left hate conservative women like Ann Coulter, Michele Bachmann, and Sarah Palin because they aren't 'a bunch of dykes that came from the Seven Sisters schools'.

Bannon, known for his brash tone as the head of Breitbart News, was also embroiled in a 1990s court case in which a coworker accused him of sexual harassment, Buzzfeed reported.

Trump (right) may have recently overhauled his campaign staff, but newly appointed chief executive Stephen Bannon (left) has already come under fire for his comments about women

While he was promoting his documentary about Sarah Palin titled The Undefeated, he appeared on Political Vindication Radio in 2011.

He defended Ann Coulter, Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin, and said they were attacked for posing an 'existential threat to the progressive narrative'.

'That's why there are some unintended consequences of the women's liberation movement,' he said.

'That, in fact, the women that would lead this country would be pro-family, they would have husbands, they would love their children.

'They wouldn't be a bunch of dykes that came from the Seven Sisters schools up in New England. That drives the left insane and that's why they hate these women,' he said.

The Seven Sisters schools consist of the women's liberal arts colleges Wellesley, Mount Holyoke, Vassar, Smith, Radcliffe, Bryn Mawr and Barnard.

Following reports that Bannon was allegedly abusive to his ex-wife Mary Louise Piccard, it has been revealed he was also accused of sexual harassment by a former coworker.

Bannon (left) defended Sarah Palin and Ann Coulter in 2011, saying they posed an 'existential threat to the progressive narrative' because they were not 'a bunch of dykes'. He was also accused of sexual harrassment in a lawsuit filed by a coworker in the 1990s

Bannon once worked as a consultant at Biosphere 2, a research facility in Arizona which built closed ecological systems to explore the possibility of supporting life in space.

Former director Margaret Augustine filed a lawsuit naming Edward Bass, Biosphere's investor, as the principal defendant after she was removed from the company.

She accused Bannon of sexual harassment and sparked a counter-suit that alleged Augstine stole from the company. Both lawsuits were eventually settled.

In court papers cited by Buzzfeed, Augustine said Bannon grabbed her wrist at a company party and told her 'once I'd done it with him Id never want to do it with anyone else'.

He also allegedly commented on the size of women's breasts and said a female coworker 'was a woman in a mans job'.

In a separate lawsuit, Bannon was also sued by a former employee suffering from Multiple Sclerosis who was fired while she was on maternity leave.

Bannon 'physically and verbally abused his wife,' according to divorce papers filed by ex-wife Mary Louise Piccard (pictured)

Julia Panely-Pacetti accused Bannon in a 2005 lawsuit of violating Family and Medical Leave Act protections and claimed she was fired 'because of her sex and her disability,' the suit stated.

The suit was settled the following year, and a spokesperson for Bannon said Panely- Pacetti was 'not fired but laid off with all the personnel in her entire division during a corporate restructuring....'

The campaign boss was also branded an anti-Semite by his ex-wife, who said the Bannon did not want his daughters to enroll at the Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles because of 'the number of Jews that attend', the New York Daily News reported.

According to divorce papers filed in the mid-1990s, Bannon verbally and physically abused wife before scaring her out of town to stop her testifying in court.
A passage from the Koran will be read out at the funeral of murdered British backpacker Mia Ayliffe-Chung.

The 21-year-old died after being stabbed to death during a frenzied knife attack at a north Queensland hostel last week that also left fellow Brit Tom Jackson dead, after a week spent in hospital in critical condition.

It's alleged the man charged over the murder, French national Smail Ayad shouted out 'Allahu Akbar' as he attacked Mia but police have said they had found no evidence the crime was terror related.

The funeral is expected to take place in Ms Aycliffe's hometown of Wirksworth in Derbyshire with close friends and family.

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The funeral of murdered British backpacker Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, will include a passage from the Koran, while incorporating elements of Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity

Conservative politicians have seized on the incident to call for a ban on Muslim immigration but Mia's mother has appealed for people not to misrepresent her daughter's death.

It's alleged the man charged over the murder, French national Smail Ayad shouted out 'Allahu Akbar' as he attacked Mia (pictured)

In a blog-post on the UK news website The independent, Rosie Ayliffe says she is planning to include a reading from the Koran in a multi-faith funeral for her daughter in response to media attention given to Ayad's religion.

'After talking about the misrepresentation of Mia's death in the media as an act of terrorism on the part of an Islamic fundamentalist, the minister delivering the service suggested we include a Koranic reading, and he will find something suitable with a friend who is an Islamic scholar,' she wrote.

Ms Ayliffe said her daughter was 'essentially a buddhist' in terms of her outlook on life, while most of her family were Christian.

The service will incorporate elements from both religions as well as a Jewish text or song and a a reading from Mia's grandmother's religion, Swaminarayan Hinduism.

One of Mia's friends will also sing a song he learned with Mia, though Ms Ayliffe admitted to some hesitation's about the content of the song, which is about obsessive love.

On Monday, Ms Ayliffe said that her daughter's ashes will travel the world so she can 'visit places' she now isn't able to.

'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 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. People are making huge journeys to mourn her,' her mother wrote.

Mr Ayad allegedly went on a stabbing rampage at a north Queensland hostel last week. He has been charged with Ms Ayliffe-Chung's murder and fellow Brit Tom Jackson's attempted murder. Mr Jackson died in hospital on Tuesday after a week in critical condition

Police are investigating the possibility Smail may have become obsessed with Mia, a possibility backed by John Norris, the owner of Shelley's Backpackers in home Hill, where Mia was killed.

'The song which immediately sprang to his mind is both about obsessive love, which is a little jarring given the circumstances of her death,' Ms Ayliffe wrote.

'But Elliot learnt the song with Mia at his side and it has strong connotations of her to him. What to do? The decision was made as Nan Ruby loved the song, so it's in, with Elliot's careful amendments to avoid negative connotations.'

Ms Ayliffe, who is planning to travel to Australia soon, admitted to feeling apprehensive about the media attention surrounding her daughter's death here.
Seven Indonesian students have been hospitalised after they were rescued from 'freak' surf while swimming between the flags at Sydney's most iconic beach.

The group were on a school excursion to Bondi Beach on Tuesday when two of the boys, both 16, disappeared under the water for a 'period of time' at 12.30pm.

Their classmates rushed into the water to try and save the pair but were also dragged out by the 'freak' surf.

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Seven foreign students have been rescued after becoming trapped in a rip at Bondi Beach

The two 16-year-old boys were swimming at the northern end of the iconic Sydney beach on Tuesday at 12.30pm when they disappeared under the water

Two of the students are in a serious condition after being resuscitated on the beach by paramedics and lifeguards

Lifeguards paddled out and dragged the two boys who had been 'submerged for a period of time' to shore.

They performed CPR while concerned beach-goers watched on as and paramedics and local Ambulance Community Responders rushed to the scene.

One boy was transported to St Vincent's Hospital in a condition, while the other was taken to Westmead Children's Hospital in a serious but stable condition.

Paramedics also took five other students to Prince of Wales Childrens Hospital as a precaution.

A spokesperson from the Children's Hospital was unable to give an update on the condition of the students for privacy reasons.

The two Indonesian students were rushed to hospital in a serious condition

Lifeguards performed CPR while concerned beach-goers watched on as and paramedics and local Ambulance Community Responders rushed to the scene

A spokesperson from the Children's Hospital was unable to give an update on the condition of the students for privacy reasons

Lifeguards quickly paddled out and dragged the two boys who had been 'submerged for a period of time' to shore as their friends got in trouble also trying to save them

Onlookers watched on in distress as paramedics and lifesavers performed CPR on the boys

Police spoke to witnesses at the scene after the students were taken to hospital to be monitored

All of the Indonesian students were on a school excursion to Bondi Beach on Tuesday

After the two boys found themselves in trouble, their schoolmates rushed into the water to help

According to Nine News, the group were visiting Bondi as a part of a two-week school excursion and were struck by a freak wave while swimming between the flags.

Their group leader told the students to wade in the shallow water and to avoid swimming out deeper.

The group were swimming at the northern end of the beach between the flags.

Surf Life Saving Australia has rated North Bondi Beach a five out of ten for general hazard safety and says it is 'moderately hazardous'.

Bondi Beach is patrolled by lifeguards all year round.

The lifesavers helped paramedics move the boys from the sand to a waiting ambulance

Their group leader told the students to wade in the shallow water and to avoid swimming out deeper

One boy was transported to St Vincent's Hospital in a condition, while the other was taken to Westmead Children's Hospital in a serious but stable condition

Lifeguards paddled out and dragged the two boys who had been 'submerged for a period of time' to shore

The two 16-year-old boys were swimming at the northern end of the iconic Sydney beach on Tuesday at 12.30pm when they disappeared under the water

Lifeguards paddled out and dragged the two boys who had been 'submerged for a period of time'

The group were visiting Bondi as a part of a two-week school excursion and were struck by a freak wave while swimming between the flags

Two teenage boys who got caught in a rip at Bondi Beach have been rushed to hospital in a serious condition after lifeguards pulled them from the surf
The Perth father who dressed his son as Ben Cousins - complete with white flour on his nose - has claimed he did it to show support for the family slammed for the 'blackface' Nic Naitanui controversy.

Daniel Johnstone said that he dressed his son up as controversial star former AFL star Cousins, who is renowned for his off-field drug-fuelled misadventures, to show the 'double-standard in society with political correctness', he told Radio 6PR.

'It was just shared internally amongst our own friends at the start and then I saw on a Ben Cousins parody page [on Facebook] people getting up in arms about the Nic Nat thing and I thought to myself 'this poor kid is dressed up like his hero and vilified for it, I'll give you something to whinge about',' Mr Johnstone explained.

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Daniel Johnstone (left), the father of the young boy dressed as Ben Cousins (right), said he did it did it to show support for the family in the 'blackface' Nic Naitanui storm

'I think it's quite damning to Australians that 20,000 people thought it [the Cousins photo] was funny and everyone was jumping on the Nic Nat kid. I think there is a bit of a double-standard in society with political correctness.

'Anything to do with drug use is hilarious but everyone is quick to jump on a kid painting himself black, which was quite innocent.'

Mr Johnstone told Radio 6PR that his son's Cousins impersonation was done at home and he didn't attend school dressed like that and instead went as a Goosebumps character Living Dummy to his school book week.

'He had his guernsey on [at home], we're mad Eagles supporters, my wife's doing a bit of cooking, talking about the whole Nic Nat thing, I'm known for having quite a warped and dark sense of humour and it just popped into my head out of nowhere and that's where it came from,' Mr Johnstone said.

The photo of a young boy dressed up as troubled former AFL star Ben Cousins for 'book week' has gone viral. The youngster (pictured) was dressed in a West Coast Eagles jumper, had white powder on his nose to represent cocaine and had his eyes rolled back in his head

'He didn't know the meaning behind this. He was told Ben ate too many donuts,' the boy's mother said in a Facebook post

The mother claimed the Perth boy in face went to book week dressed as Goosebumps character Living Dummy and was just referencing last week's blackface saga for a '10 second joke'

'Being a West Coast supporter and we've had our hard times with certain things and I thought I'd take the general 'P155' out of everyone.'

The parents also claimed they told their son he had white powder on his nose for the picture as Cousins ate too many donuts.

The mother of the Perth boy said her young son did not attend book week as the troubled former AFL star, and was completely oblivious to the reference to drugs.

The '10 second joke' was referencing a similar snap of a child dressed as Eagles player Nic Naitanui which made headlines just days earlier because the boy's mum used blackface to create a likeness to the Fijian-born star for book week.

Late last week a photo of a young boy dressed up as Eagles star Nic Naitanui went viral when his mother was accused of being racist for using blackface

'Please advise, this was a joke,' the mother wrote on a Daily Mail Australia Facebook post. 'He didn't know the meaning behind this. He was told Ben ate too many donuts.'

The mother said the boy had 'no inkling as to what it actually all meant' and was 'completely oblivious'.

The photo of the boy went viral on Monday after it was shared online by his father and reposted to a Ben Cousins Facebook fan page.

'Check out this little tacker dressing up as the champion AFL legend Ben Cousins for #BookWeek,' the fan page wrote alongside the post.

'Powdered nose the works, future All Australian right here.'

The photo shows the 'young Ben Cousins' with his eyes rolled back in his head, seemingly showcasing the affects of drug use.

Naitanui (pictured) said he didn't believe the mother intended to cause harm but that it was important to understand the consequences of using blackface

Cousins (pictured) has had a well publicised struggle with drug abuse, and has attended rehabilitation clinics

Many of the thousands of comments on the photo attacked the boy's parents for portraying a child abusing illicit substances.

Cousins' history of drug use and trips to rehabilitation facilities in both Australia and the United States is well documented.

Children across the country last week celebrated 'book week', but one child's wish to dress up as his 'hero' Nic Naitanui made headlines for using racist blackface.

The mother of the nine-year-old boy posted a photo of her son dressed as the AFL star to the Facebook page of popular mummy-blogger Constance Hall late last week.

Naitanui responded, and said he didn't believe the mother intended to cause harm but said she did not understand the 'painful historical significance' of blackface.
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The once-prized mansion known as Morella on Sydney's prestigious north shore which has been home to squatters and graffiti vandals for 15 years is being sold for $8million.

Set within the exclusive suburb of Mosman, the heritage listed property has been abandoned for more than a decade with graffiti covered walls, smashed windows, scattered debris and a crumbling interior.

The derelict estate, which is used as a 'hangout' zone for teenagers and squatters, has fallen into disrepair since its last known resident, Antony Parer, moved out in 2001.

Mr Parer, who had moved to the state's north, died last year and his mother Helena, who is the listed home-owner, passed away in 1989.

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The heritage listed property called Morella in the exclusive suburb of Mosman on Sydney's north shore has been abandoned for 15 years and now features graffiti covered walls, smashed windows, scattered debris and a crumbling interior

 Slide me  The derelict estate, which is used as a 'hangout' zone for teenagers and squatters, was once the home of Leonardo Parer and his wife Helena brought up their three children - Antony, Marianna and Sarita

The heritage listed property - called 'Morella' - now lies abandoned with graffiti covered walls, smashed windows, scattered debris and a crumbling interior. It has been listed for sale, according to realestate.com.au

The former prized home, which now features graffiti and crumbling interiors, was built in 1939

Morella has had a troubled recent past with police called to the property on a regular basis at night by neighbours because of vandals, according to realestate.com.au.

The sale of the former prized home will be handled by LJ Hooker Lower North Shore agents.

It was built in 1939 by wealthy Sydney couple Leonardo and Helena Parer who lived there with their three children - Antony, Marianna and Sarita.

The Parer family were known for their renowned surname with an impressive family tree. Leo's father and entrepreneur Michael, who migrated from Spain to Australia where he married Maria Carolin, started the Parer Empire in Melbourne. Within 40 years, he had invested in 30 hotels and restaurants.

Leo's brother Ray Parer, who was an aviator Lieutenant in Papua New Guinea, joined the Australian Flying Corps in World War I while his cousin Damien Parer was a world famous wartime photographer and cinematographer.

Leo, who was born in Melbourne and was the eldest of nine children, was a director and engineer of Stanford X-ray Company, which was established by his cousin Stan Parer.

The family's grand home graced the pages of the April 1943 issue of Australian Home Beautiful magazine in a six page spread.

The home has fallen into disrepair since its last known resident, Anthony Parer, left in 2001. Mr Parer died last year and his mother Helena, who is the listed home-owner, passed away in 1989

'There are so many interesting things to talk about in Leo Parer's house that it is rather difficult to know where to begin,' the article reads.

'An immense circular loggia is built out from the central hall facing the water. Its short Corinthian pillars support an equally huge open sun deck reached from the bedroom above.'

Leo passed away in 1968, his wife Helena tragically died in 1989 and Sarita in 1979.

The home has been abandoned for 15 years and is now a popular meeting place for teenagers and squatters

The family's once grand home once graced the pages of the April 1943 issue of Australian Home Beautiful magazine

The kitchen has been completely trashed over the past decade with a badly rusted, missing floorboards and no cupboards

The only comparable feature between the lavish mansion it once was and the dump it has turned into is the property size

The stunning view is one of few things that have not changed since the grand home's appeared in a magazine in 1949

A 1943 article described the beautiful finishes and furniture which graced the four bedroom and two bathroom home

The last family member to have lived inside the property was their son - Antony Parer, who moved out of the home in 2001 to live in northern NSW, during which the estate was left abandoned. Antony died in 2015 but his sister Marianna is still alive and is said to be living in Canada.

Property records list his mother Helena Monica Parer as the owner of the home.

One of the few comparable features between the lavish mansion featured in the magazine and the dump it has turned into is the size of the property.

Most of the windows are smashed, the skirting boards have lifted away from the floors and political messages coat the walls

The 1943 article described the beautiful finishes and furniture that graced the rooms of the four bedroom and two bathroom home. The only fixture that suggests such opulence is a smashed grand piano standing among hanging ceiling beams, broken glass and debris.

The exterior of the home has been overshadowed by overgrown shrubs and creepers climbing high to the roof.

Residents have raised concerns with authorities for more than a decade after the abandoned home gradually fell into disrepair over the past 15 years.

Disturbed neighbours have heard teenagers spraying graffiti and smashing up glass bottles and windows late at night, with some claiming they've also seen squatters inside the property.

The exterior of the home has been overshadowed by overgrown shrubs and creepers climbing high to the roof

Empty spray cans litter the floor of the once grand property, which has now become a playground for teenagers

The derelict Mosman property has been listed for sale between $7.3 million and $8 million

Most of the blinds have been ripped down and windows smashed by vandals leaving it wide-open

The breathtaking view across Chowder Bay is one reason Morella is expected to be popular among buyers

The former prized home was built in 1939 by wealthy Sydney couple Leonardo and Helena Parer and their three children

A Mosman Council spokeswoman said they have repeatedly taken action over the years to have the home secured and the property maintained but the fencing is continually damaged by trespassers

Residents have raised concerns with authorities for more than a decade after the abandoned home fell into disrepair

The exterior of the home has been overshadowed by overgrown shrubs and creepers climbing high to the roof

However, a Mosman Council spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia the council had issued orders to estate representatives following resident complaints.

'[That includes] repairing perimeter fencing, boarding up the house to prevent further access and an assessment of the property,' the spokeswoman said.

The sprawling four bedroom, two bedroom mansion was named 'Morella' after the street it was built on in Mosman

Neighbours have reported hearing teenagers spraying graffiti and smashing up glass bottles and windows late at night

The once prized mansion looks messy and rundown when viewed from the manicured lawns of neighbouring properties
A passenger travelling from Vietnam has been arrested

The drug was discovered in packets of a

A passenger travelling from Vietnam to Sydney has been found with 3kg worth of pseudoephedrine hidden in their luggage.

Vietnamese breakfast drink sachets were used to conceal the drug.

The haul was discovered on Tuesday morning at Sydney Airport by the Australian Border Force.

3kg worth of Pseudoephedrine has been discovered in a passengers luggage by the Australian Border Force on Tuesday

Pseudoephedrine a substance used to make meth, was discovered in Macfito sachets - a Vietnamese Nutritional Cereal that claims to provide energy.

The Australian Border Force seemed unimpressed with making the discovery tweeting the image and saying ' Not the way to start the day'.

Just one person has been arrested over the bust.

Three kilograms of pseudoephedrine is worth $300,000 and could make 3kg worth of meth, according to the Illicit Drug Data report

Meth sells wholesale for $100,000 a kilo, according to the latest drug statistics.

The bust comes just one day after a raid on a cruise ship in Sydney Harbour discovered 95kgs worth of cocaine resulting in the arrests of three Canadian nationals.

Macfito sachets - a Vietnamese Nutritional Cereal that claims to provide energy was used to conceal the drug

Pseudoephedrine is a substance used in the production of meth (stock image of meth)

Meth sells wholesale for $100,000 a kilo (a stock image of an ice pipe)
Female tourists should not wear skirts or walk alone at night 'for their own safety' in India's small towns and cities, the country's tourism minister said.

Mahesh Sharma was discussing tourist security in the north Indian city of Agra, site of the Taj Mahal.

He said foreign arrivals to India were issued a welcome kit that included safety advice for women.

He said: 'In that kit they are given dos and don'ts.

'These are very small things like, they should not venture out alone at night in small places, or wear skirts, and they should click the photo of the vehicle number plate whenever they travel and send it to friends.'

Tourism minister Mahesh Sharma said female foreign tourists in India should avoid wearing skirts for their own safety

He added: 'For their own safety, women foreign tourists should not wear short dresses and skirts... Indian culture is different from the western.'

The welcome kit is among a number of measures introduced to address declining rates of female tourism in India after the high-profile gang-rape and murder of a Delhi medical student in 2012, and a number of subsequent attacks on female tourists.

Foreign Office advice to women travelling in India suggests they 'respect local dress codes and customs and avoid isolated areas, including beaches, when alone at any time of day'.

Sharma was discussing tourist security in the north Indian city of Agra, site of the Taj Mahal (pictured)

On Monday, Mail Today spoke to a few foreign nationals who are visiting Delhi, discussing the Union minister's 'no skirts' diktat which he gave during a press conference in Agra on Sunday.

'I don't like to wear short dresses when travelling in India. People look at us differently if we wear short clothes. It is really very disturbing,' said Eleonora, an Italian national who works as a freelance food writer.

She said that short dresses attract unnecessary attention in India.

'And it does not feel safe either,' Eleonora added.

'I feel what one wears is a very personal choice. I am very comfortable in short attires. But when in India, I cannot wear them comfortably, especially when I travel alone. But yes, when I travel in a group and if my friends are around, I certainly can. Because then I know I am safe,' said Jean, a tourist from Malaysia.

Sharma clarified his stand on Monday morning, saying that he was referring only to religious places and that he spoke out of 'concern'.
St. Timothys Episcopal Church on Signal Mountain will host Fran McKendree in a concert on Saturday, Sept. 10, at 6 p.m. While the concert is free and open to the public, a free-will offering will be collected. Weather permitting, the audience is invited to bring a picnic and gather on the Commons lawn after 5 p.m. The concert will be on the lawn unless rain forces it indoors.

This will be Mr. McKendrees sixth concert at St. Timothys. In 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2013, he entertained enthusiastic and intergenerational audiences. His concerts are very participatory with the audience encouraged to sing many styles of songs with him.

Mr. McKendrees career began as he played guitar and sang with the folk band McKendree Spring. In the 1970s, he toured with musicians like Elton John, Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac, James Taylor, and Ike and Tina Turner. His guitar now rests in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Mr. McKendrees musical and spiritual life took a turn when he discerned a call to work within the Episcopal Church by revitalizing worship through music. He sees this work as a chance to challenge people with music. Spirituality in music is really deep in the Episcopal Church.
A computer glitch caused international outrage as Microsoft Bing's translation service changed the Arabic word 'Daesh' into Saudi Arabia.

Daesh is a highly insulting name in Arabic for the so-called ISIS caliphate.

Mischievous users of the service used the crowd sourcing 'suggest a better translation' application to fool the computer into accepting the change.

Social media users expressed outrage over the translation mix-up on Microsoft Bing

Some users called on Saudi Arabian computer users to boycott Microsoft products after their online translation service mistook the Arabic for Daesh as the official name for the kingdom

Microsoft apologised immediately to Saudi Arabia after learning about the mistake and changed the computer programme to remove the insulting translation

Dozens of users in Saudi Arabia expressed outrage when they typed in 'Daesh' and saw the official name of their country appear in the second box.

As soon as Microsoft officials were alerted to the problem they changed the translation.

A Microsoft spokesman told The Register: 'Our product team fixed the error in the automated translation within hours of learning about it.'

Dr Mamdouh Najjar, Microsoft's national technology officer in Saudi Arabia claimed that if more than 1,000 people suggested a translation, it would be listed as a possible answer.
Does any girlfriend want to see their partner up on stage getting a lap dance?

Certainly not this one, and when her boyfriend could not resist the urge she did what she had to do - by jumping onto the stage and dragging him away.

The tense video footage has gone viral online, after the fuming woman shoved the stripper over before she could get into her routine, believed to be at a club in the Philippines.

Raunchy routine: Viral video shows a man getting a lap dance on stage at a nightclub

Fuming girlfriend: The man's girlfriend storms on stage and pushes the dancer to the floor

At the beginning of the clip the girlfriend is nowhere in sight, and a young man is seen up on stage sitting down.

A lap dancer in high heels and red underwear approaches and begins to lift up her top.

As she starts to straddle the man, his girlfriend storms the stage and pushes the her over.

Dragged away: The woman pulls her boyfriend off the nightclub stage in fury

Since the footage was posted to Facebook by user Berthold Winkler from Ghana, it has gone viral with over two million views and 25,000 shares.
Full of bravado, these photos of grinning prisoners apparently taken illegally inside their cells have been posted on Twitter by an individual who suggests the British justice system is 'having a laugh'.

The HMP Facebook Twitter feed was set up by an anonymous citizen who says they wanted 'to show people how many prisoners access social media from within prison' and 'show how prisons are failing the victims of crime by allowing this'.

From a group of friends smiling and jumping as they point at the camera to another who decorated his 'cell-fie' with a laughing emoticon, the pictures demonstrate that - despite it being an offence for prisoners to possess a camera or mobile phone - many are seemingly blase.

A few of this 13-strong crew of inmates - apparently pictured in a communal area in prison - are even jumping for joy with little obvious concern over getting caught

According to the person who posted the picture, one of the men posing is Carl Mensah, convicted of armed robberies. A man of that name, from Thornton Heath, was jailed for 20 years in 2013 after being found guilty of conspiracy to commit robbery at Inner London Crown Court

This group of lags look pleased as punch to be posing for a picture next to the bunks in a prison cell

According to the Twitter feed, one of them is Connor Groake. A man of that name was jailed for eight years and nine months in 2013 for driving the getaway vehicle during an armed robbery at Selfridges department store in London

The creator of the feed - who wishes to remain anonymous, but is neither a prisoner nor a prison officer - told MailOnline: 'I decided to set up a Twitter dedicated to showing prisoners using social media from prison because whilst browsing Facebook and Instagram myself, I've been quite shocked at the amount of accounts I've come across of prisoners so brazenly bragging about their stay at Her Majesty's pleasure.

'I saw an article recently where NOMS (the National Offender Management Service) said the expense to fit mobile interceptors/jammers is far too disproportionate so I thought if I made an account showing just how many prisoners are on social media, it might give them an incentive to maybe start fitting interceptors/jammers into our prisons.'

Reminiscent of the Rodin sculpture The Thinker, this man with his chin in his hand appears to be philosophical about being behind bars

He's Dwight Callender, according to the HMP Facebook feed - jailed last December for the murder of 17-year-old Johnson Ndjoli, who was crushed by a van, shot and stabbed in New Cross, London

According to the creator of the HMP Facebook site, some of the lags pictured are serving time for violent offences including murder, armed robbery and wounding.

They explained: 'Another reason I started up the page was because I came across accounts of four convicted murderers, sent the links of these accounts to the Ministry of Justice who swiftly removed the pages, but failed to provide any deterrent or punishment for these convicts as two of the four murderers set up new accounts within 48 hours of their old ones being removed.

'I thought maybe if the press/public picked up on just how many active accounts there are, the MOJ would be pressured into actually providing deterrents/punishments.

'I just want to show people how prisons are failing the victims of crime by allowing this and pressure the MOJ into doing something about it.'

This cell is equipped with plenty of electrical equipment including a gaming console, music system with large speakers, a TV and a fan.

The smiling man posing in front of his electronic goods, according to HMP Facebook, is Joe Tomlinson. A man of that name was jailed for nine years last April for conspiracy to rob a HSBC bank branch in Baker Street, London

Tomlinson and his friend look happy to have cooked up a treat in some kettles - posing for a picture here before tucking in

Some of the pictures posted on social media even seem to be taken in communal areas of prisons rather than in cells - where the risk of being seen by officers would be higher.

In one, an inmate makes the finger-sign for 'perfect' as he sits on a dining table, feet up on the seats.

Life is good for this young man pulling the 'perfect' sign with his fingers as he poses on a table

The man on the table is identified as Oliver Darcy - a man jailed for six years in 2014 for a string of burglaries across Hertfordshire

If caught with a mobile phone, prisoners are supposed to face punishment, which could even include extra time behind bars.

They are also banned from accessing social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter while they're in custody  but that hasn't stopped those featured from updating their sites with their 'cell-fies'.

The person behind the Twitter feed suggested the British justice system is a laughing stock - and this 'cell-fie' has even been adorned with a 'crying with laughter' emoticon. According to the Twitter feed he's Corrie Maroney, jailed for 10 years last February for robbery and assault. Maroney was one of a gang of robbers who targeted celebrities and millionaire homeowners in Hampstead, North London. He got an extra year in jail for an assault

Last week, MailOnline reported how two men who killed a Birmingham teenager are being investigated by the Prison Service after allegedly posing for menacing phone photos in their jail cells.

Three months ago, another social media site  HMP TV  was exposed. On this feed, set up by prisoners, shocking videos were posted showing prisoners brawling behind bars.

The shameful clips  also recorded on mobile phones - demonstrate the lawlessness in prisons as prisoners reduce fellow lags to tears by humiliating them, rap and even enjoy a 'dance-off'.

Asked for comment on the HMP Facebook feed, a Ministry of Justice spokesman said: 'This behaviour is completely unacceptable and these Facebook accounts have been removed.

'Any offender found to have a mobile phone in prison can face tough punishment, including a police investigation, which could result in extra time behind bars.
More than 27,000 suspected illegal immigrants have been arrested by police over the last three years.

The scale of the arrests has triggered warnings that the state of the UK's borders was 'even worse' than previously thought.

The figures emerged as Home Secretary Amber Rudd dismissed threats from the French to ditch UK border checks at Calais.

Police have arrested more than 27,000 suspected illegal immigrants over the past three years

In her first real test since being promoted to the key job by Theresa May last month, Mrs Rudd has arrived in Paris for talks with counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve that are expected to touch on the issue.

The figures on arrests, obtained by the BBC from police forces using freedom of information laws, lay bare the impact of the growing European refugee crisis, with numbers rising from 7,700 in 2013 to 9,600 last year.

The total of 27,800 suspected illegal immigrants detained in England, Wales and Northern Ireland does not include those discovered at ports or airports, or people whose visas had expired.

Many of the individuals arrested were picked up at places such as truck stops and motorway service stations after entering the UK hidden in lorries.

Separate figures yesterday also revealed that UK Border Force guards operating in Europe have caught 145,000 migrants trying to slip into Britain. They were caught at juxtaposed controls  effectively Britains border on foreign soil.

The scale of the arrests triggered warnings that the UKs border security was even worse than previously thought. A former UK Border Agency head has claimed as many as one million foreigners may be living unlawfully in the UK. Meanwhile MPs and border chiefs warn that the arrest figures only scratch the surface.

Chris Hobbs, a former Scotland Yard border control officer, said: Obviously these people are still getting through. And these are the ones that are being detected. What about the ones who are getting through undetected, who simply disappear?

And Tory MP Charlie Elphicke, who represents Dover, added: There must be concerns that this is just the tip of the iceberg. These shocking figures underline the need to take urgent action to make our borders secure.

Home Affairs Select Committee chairman Keith Vaz said the figures undermined the Government's claim that it had 'water-tight security at our borders'.

'If 27,000 people have been arrested for entering the country illegally by our police forces, then it shows that this problem is even worse than we had anticipated and we expect urgent action to be taken,' the Labour MP told the BBC.

A Downing Street spokesman said: I think the arrangements we have in place are proving to be effective, but we are not complacent about border security or border control.

The Home Office said it would take action to remove someone who is found to have no right to remain in the UK.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd has arrive in Paris for talks with counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve

The discussions are due to focus on security, but the Calais deal is also expected to come up

A spokesman said: 'As part of the ongoing action we are taking to secure our borders, we have invested tens of millions of pounds to bolster security at ports in northern France.

'We are also committed to finding long-term solutions to the problem of illegal migration, which is why we created the Organised Immigration Crime Taskforce last year to work with law enforcement and international partners to target the organised crime gangs behind people smuggling.'

Xavier Bertrand, who is chief of the Calais region, called for 'hotspot' application centres to be set up in the port city. Migrants hoping to cross the Channel illegally would instead be able to make a British asylum claim while still on French soil.

But British politicians said the idea would make the chaotic situation in Calais even worse. Amber Rudd slapped the proposal down, with sources close to the Home Secretary saying it was a 'complete non-starter'.

A senior Whitehall insider even suggested the UK could threaten to withdraw security co-operation if France tore up existing border arrangements at Calais.

The hotspot plan would also contravene EU rules that state refugees should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach.

Mr Bertrand said those whose claims were rejected by the UK would be deported directly to their home countries.

Xavier Bertrand wants a new deal in which migrants hoping to claim asylum in the UK would be able to do so at a 'hotspot' in France

He also suggested that unless Britain accepted the hotspot scheme the Le Touquet agreement should be ripped up.

Signed in 2003, this allows UK officials to carry out passport checks on French soil  dramatically cutting illegal immigration.

'I want a new treatment of asylum claims for migrants who want to claim asylum in England,' said Mr Bertrand.

'It is not possible to keep the border here without a new agreement between the French and British governments.

'If the British government don't want to open this discussion, we will tell you the Touquet agreement is over.'

Migrants walk at a site dubbed the 'The Jungle' where thousands of people set up camp in 2015

A Home Office source said last night that Miss Rudd was 'crystal clear that people in need of protection should seek asylum in the first safe country they enter'. The source added: 'That's the long-held, international norm, and we're going to stick to it'.

Another senior Whitehall source warned that the French should not tear up the Le Touquet treaty.

'It would be unwise because they depend on us for a lot of co-operation and training on security issues,' the source said. 'The reality is they rely on us more than we rely on them on these issues.'

Britain and France have a close security relationship, including intelligence-sharing, which is of particular importance across the Channel in the wake of the Paris and Nice terrorist attacks.

Officially, Miss Rudd is set to discuss security in Paris today with her French counterpart, interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, in her first official overseas engagement as Home Secretary.
Arek Jozwik, above, died after he was attacked by a gang of as many as 20 boys and girls in Harlow, Essex, on Saturday night

A murder inquiry has been launched after a Polish man died following a suspected hate crime beating.

The victim was today named by his brother as Arkadiusz Jozwik, 40, known fondly as Arek.

Arek, who moved to the UK in 2012, was allegedly targeted alongside his friend, who is also Polish, by a gang of up to 20 teenage thugs outside a takeaway in Harlow, Essex.

The gang, made up of boys and girls, are understood to have hurled abuse at the two men before launching the 'brutal attack, leaving them unconscious.

Police reportedly told Mr Jozwik's family that he had been attacked 'for speaking the Polish language'.

Essex Police confirmed the 40-year-old man from Harlow who suffered serious head injuries in the incident has died at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge.

His friend, identified only as a 43-year-old man from Harlow, was taken to hospital with fractures to his hands and bruising to his stomach. He has since been discharged.

Detectives believe the murder could have been a hate crime. Five 15-year-old boys and one 16-year-old boy have been arrested in connection with the incident.

They were all released on bail by Wednesday, pending further enquiries, to return on October 7.

A 48-hour dispersal order was imposed on the Stow from Tuesday night at 7pm, giving police power to fine anyone who refuses to leave once asked. Patrols have also been stepped up.

Mr Jozwik's brother Radek, 34, said Arek had no children of his own but was a family man.

He had worked at a meat production plant alongside their mother, who is said to be 'really struggling' after her son's death.

A murder inquiry is under way after a man died when he suffered serious head injuries in an attack outside a pizza takeaway restaurant on Saturday night. Above, two bunches of flowers have been left on a bench near to where the attack happened

Radek said: 'He really was a family person who spent a lot of time with my kids, he didn't have any kids but had been close with my kids.

'My kids have been with me in the hospital, crying all the time.'

Speaking at the spot where Arek was attacked, Radek said there had been a surge in hatred towards Eastern European following Britain's vote to leave the European Union.

Standing with wife Sylwi, 34, he said: 'The police have told us he was attacked because they heard him and his friends speaking the Polish language.

'He was standing eating pizza and they picked on him because of that. He does not speak much English. The young teenagers are so aggressive.

'Parents need to speak with their children - they are out of control. One of the teenagers started and then seconds later there are 10 or 12 people attacking him.

Another man, thought to be a friend of the victim, is in hospital with a bruised stomach and fractured hands. Five teens were arrested and four have since been bailed

'After the Brexit vote it has got worse - I have seen people change - it is hard at the moment.'

Mr Jozwik, a factory worker, said his mother was struggling to cope with the death of her son.

He added: 'My mum came back from holiday and did not know what had happened.

'We had to meet her at Stansted Airport and tell her and then take her straight to the hospital. She is really struggling.

'Arek came down to get a pizza - it was the first time he came down to get one.

'Normally he would get it delivered but for whatever reason he came to buy one and that's when all the trouble started.'

Radek Jozwik, the victim's brother, above, paid an emotional tribute to him at the scene where he was attacked and said he believes he was attacked because he was heard speaking Polish

The gang attacked Mr Jozwick and his friend outside a parade of shops in The Stow area of the town at 11.35pm on Saturday.

The friends were left near a branch of TGF Pizza, and a team of forensic officers sealed off the shops as they carried out investigations in a bid to find vital clues.

Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Al Pitcher, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: 'This is now a murder investigation and our enquiries have quickly led to the arrest of five teenage boys.

'Following this vicious attack, a man has sadly lost his life and I urge anyone with information to contact us as soon as possible.'

The victim worked at a meat production plant in Harlow, Essex, along with his mother after moving here in 2012

Detectives are now studying CCTV and hope more witnesses from within the 20-strong gang will come forward.

Speaking when the attack was still being treated as assault DI Pitcher described it as a 'potential hate crime'.

'The motive remains unclear and we are continuing to keep an open mind.

'From our initial inquiries, we understand the victims were chatting and eating together when they were approached by a group of teenage boys.

'They were verbally abused before being assaulted and knocked unconscious.

'It is not yet clear how many attackers there were, but the suspects were part of a group of about 15 to 20 youths, both girls and boys.

'We understand not all these people were involved and we believe there will be witnesses who were deeply shocked by what took place.

'We know they may find it hard to come forward, but we would encourage them to discuss it with their parents and to contact police.

'They can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously if they are afraid to give their name or speak directly with us.'

In a Facebook post the Polish Embassy said ambassador Arkady Rzegocki would be visiting the murder scene .

A statement read: 'We have been shocked by the murder of a Polish national in Harlow. Yesterday Polish consul conferred with Essex Police. One of the lines of investigation is that of hate crime. We call on all witnesses to report to the police.

'Ambassador Arkady Rzegocki is visiting the site today [Wednesday] to pay his respects.'

Shop owners close to the murder scene revealed gangs of up to 50 teenagers regularly hang around the precinct, often openly smoking cannabis.

POLISH COMMUNITY IS 'LIVING IN FEAR' SAYS ESSEX MP Robert Halfon, MP for Harlow, said the Polish community is living in fear after this latest attack. Mr Halfon said the community is 'incredibly scared and upset' and that almost everyone in the town would have been horrified by the attack. He said: 'We have a wonderful Polish community in Harlow, they work incredibly hard, they have a wonderful Polish school that I've been to twice. 'All of us, I know because I have been contacted by some Polish members, are incredibly scared and upset at what has happened. 'But we must do more than be horrified. We must actively stand up against racism of any kind. We must welcome Polish and other communities just as we would welcome our best friends and we must all work together to ensure that Harlow remains a kind, decent and tolerant place to live.' Mr Halfon's own Jewish grandfather was forced to leave Libya in the 1960s due to racial persecution. Advertisement

One man, who runs an off-licence, said: 'There have been attacks in the past.

'There is a gang of the teens that hang around - they are taking drugs and they pick on anyone.

'It's made the area a no-go zone at night for locals as they are fearful of what will happen if they go out just to get a pint of milk.

'I have seen as many as 50 teens hanging round outside the shops.'

The man, who did not want to be named, said the group had been responsible for a string of attacks in the past year.

'This was the third attack that I know of. They have attacked Polish people before, but English people too.

'I don't think the CCTV is working - they don't seem to care what they do and who sees it.'

A cafe worker added: 'The teens sit outside here smoking weed and they don't seem to care.

'They kick footballs at our window during the day and get abusive when we tell them off.

'The police don't have any presence here - they will put officers here now that there has been a murder but they will be gone again in a week's time.

'It used to be really dangerous in this area in the past and I fear that it's heading that way again.'

Poignantly, two bunches of flowers have been left lying against a bench close to where the men were attacked, but no note has been left with them.

Shopkeepers said the area, pictured above, is a no-go area for locals, who fear what could happen if they pop out for a pint of milk

Labour councillor Waida Forman has condemned the attack and begged witnesses to come forward.

She said: 'Targeting foreigners for indiscriminate violent assault has no place in a civilised society.

'We believe we all have more in common than that which divides us.

'If we treat others how we would like to be treated ourselves, we would find everyone benefits from a peaceful society.

'We urge any witnesses to this appalling incident to contact Essex Police to ensure that justice prevails.

'Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families and friends.'

Harlow residents spoke of their shock after hearing about Mr Jozwik's death.

Esther Patterson, 69, of Harlow, Essex, said: 'I'm shocked, I did not realise he had died now.

'I was really shocked to hear the news but it would not put me off coming down here.'

Eddie Burchmore, 73, said: 'It's most unusual, it's a quiet area. There was some trouble a while back involving a woman. I was surprised to hear about this.'

Douglas Williams, 88, from Harlow, Essex, added: 'I know there was a murder in Harlow but I did not know it was here. I am surprised.

'We have not had anything like that for a long time.'

Marcus Hendricks, 82, said: 'There was a lots of police and a big tent up.. People are saying that there had been a stabbing.

'I was a newsagent at The Stow for years and I don't see this problem getting any better.'

Brian Hazeltine, 73, from Harlow, Essex, said: 'We could not get in at the weekend, it was all cordoned off.

'The newspaper seller was trading out from the back. I'm not sure if there is a gang culture in Harlow but there is a culture of teenagers, there is nothing for them to do.'

Councillor Jon Clempner, leader of Harlow Council, said: 'I am saddened and shocked by this brutal attack in our community.

'My heartfelt thoughts and sympathies go out to the families and friends affected by this meaningless attack.

'I know Harlow and its communities will support each other through this and that all our communities will stand together.

'We don't know the full circumstances of what motivated this attack but whatever the motives were they will never ever have a place in Harlow.'

He added the authority was working with police to supporting the community and extra patrols were in place to provide reassurance.

An Essex Police spokeswoman confirmed: 'A murder investigation has been launched following the death of a man who was assaulted in Harlow.
A prestigious private girls' school has banned a popular smart phone app over fears of pornographic content and cyber security.

Cyber security experts have warned that Musical.ly - which allows users to film themselves lip-synching to chart music - could be used to track their locations.

Sydney's Wenona's junior school contacted parents this week to warn girls as young as nine were using the app to imitate 'highly sexualised dance moves' performed by celebrities such as Ariana Grande, reports Sydney Morning Herald.

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Sydney's Wenona's junior school has banned a popular smart phone app over fears of cyber security

Roslyn Mahony, the head of Wenona, and Beth Oakley, Dean of Students, warned girls in year 4, 5 and 6 were imitating the raunchy routines in pop music videos.

'When the celebrities whose music they enjoy present their songs with highly sexualised dance moves, these performance styles are then imitated as girls create their own music videos through the app,' the letter reads.

'A number of girls have been singing and dancing and uploading performances in school uniform, which introduces numerous other potential risks.'

Students have been asked to remove the app from their phone if they do not meet the age requirement of being 13 years old.

Musical.ly allows users to film themselves imitating 'highly sexualised dance moves' performed by celebrities such as Ariana Grande

Cyber security experts have warned the app could be used to track young users locations

Concerns have been raised young girls are using Musical.ly to imitate the raunchy routines in pop music videos

Cyber expert Leonie Smith says the app is being hi-jacked with pornographic content, while some users are not aware they are sharing their locations.

'They don't know for instance that kids can post these videos publicly so anyone who has the app can see it, and potentially their location... People are hijacking some of the hashtags with pornography, which is what happens with Instagram.'
This is the incredible moment an unflappable pilot lands his bush plane like a helicopter in the strongest of headwinds.

Footage of the landing, thought to be in northern America, shows the aircraft coming down at more of a vertical, rather than a horizontal, angle.

The skillful pilot is somehow able to get his aircraft to make the landing on a narrow dirt runway patch.

Dramatic landing: Strong winds batter away at the bush plane coming into land in North America

Gusty winds can be heard battering the plane throughout the clip.

At a slow speed he makes his way down to the ground.

The arrival is opposed to the usual 160mph landing speed of a standard passenger plane such as a Boeing 747.

In fact the wind appears so strong the lightweight aircraft looks as though it could be blown backwards.

At a ridiculously slow speed the pilot manages to land the plane on a dirt track

The plane lands in more of a vertical, rather than a horizontal, direction

'It just ain't natural': The uploader of the video posted their amazement over the landing

Landing down with the faintest of touches the bush plane will have to be quickly tied down or stored away in a hanger.

The uploader of the video wrote: 'Though we've ridden in more than a few bush planes, we've never seen anything the likes of what this pilot did.
Kim Jong-un ordered the execution of two high-ranking officials by anti-aircraft gun over fears that the dictator is preparing another purge against his people.

Ri Yong Jin, a senior official at the education ministry, was sentenced to death after he fell asleep in a meeting being addressed by Kim.

After accidentally dozing off, Ri was taken into custody and interrogated where security agents found evidence of his disloyalty and disrespect towards Kim.

Kim Jong-un, pictured yesterday recieving applause, ordered the execution of two of his officials who showed him disrespect according to reports in South Korean newspapers

Education official Ri Yong Jin was doomed after he fell asleep in a meeting addressed by Kim

Hwang Min, former agriculture minister, was executed for working on a new policy to improve production which disagreed with the field guidance offered by the dear leader's son

According to South Korean newspaper Joongang Ilbo, Hwang Min, a former agriculture minister was also sentenced to death.

Hwang's crime, according to the South Korean media, was to have developed a number of ideas to improve agricultural production.

These ideas were seen by the regime as an attempt to undermine Kim.

Both men were executed by an anti-aircraft gun at a military academy in Pyongyang.

The North Korean regime is especially paranoid in recent weeks after a senior offiicial at the London embassy defected to South Korea along with his wife and children.

North Korea rarely announces purges or executions, although state media confirmed execution of Kim's uncle and the man widely considered the second most powerful man in the country, Jang Song Thaek, in 2012 for factionalism and crimes damaging to the economy.

A former defence minister, Hyun Yong Chol, is also believed to have been executed last year for treason, according to the South's spy agency.
Simple wooden huts will be built to house the 2,500 survivors left homeless when a devastating earthquake struck central Italy on Wednesday.

The chalets will be similar to the ones used when 65,000 people were displaced in the deadly Onna earthquake in 2009 and will replace the blue tents survivors are currently camping out in as winter weather draws closer.

Local paper Corrier della Sera reports the 1,400 (1,200) wooden structures, featuring a kitchen, bathroom and one or two bedrooms, will be set up close to people's flattened homes. Many survivors want to remain near to the remnants of their former properties after it emerged looters had begun stealing possessions from the rubble.

The wooden huts will be similar to the ones (pictured) which were built after the 2009 earthquake in Onna which killed 300 people

The news comes as tourists have reportedly begun flocking to the small towns of Amatrice, Arquata del Tronto, Pescara del Tronto and Accumoli to take pictures of the devastation.

A police officer reportedly told The Sun: 'They take pictures of themselves standing in front of a wrecked house smiling and then put them on Facebook. Its distasteful.'

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi promised on Monday to present a national plan to make Italy safer against earthquakes as rescuers continued to search for bodies after last week's 6.3-magnitude quake that killed at least 292 people.

Renzi said Italy needed a 'change of mentality' and he would present a project dubbed 'Italy's House' in the coming days and seek the involvement of politicians, trade unions, technical experts and building companies.

A man stands in front of his collapsed house as he waits to take his personal belongings, in Villa San Lorenzo, near Amatrice

Earthquake survivors are currently living in tents or in their cars in towns such as Arquata del Tronto (pictured)

He said the country would spend as much as required for the envisaged plan, which will include making structures earthquake-proof, energy efficiency measures and land reclamation, though without specifying an amount.

'To Europe, we say that we will spend whatever it takes,' said Renzi, speaking in an interview to national broadcaster Rai later in the day.

He stressed that in the reconstruction effort 'timings (will) have to be clear and the supervision on how money is spent must be efficient' and said his government would appoint a special commissioner by the end of the week.

'What has often been lacking in the past is the construction of a plan for the whole country based on prevention,' Renzi wrote in a newsletter to his supporters earlier in the day.

Members of the emergency services check buildings destroyed by last Wednesday's earthquake in San Lorenzo a Flaviano, Italy

Entire villages were flattened by the 6.2-magnitude quake that rocked central Italy

He said he had already discussed the new plan with Italian architect Renzo Piano who told him it may take two generations - or around 50 years - to bring Italy up to the best international safety standards.

'But the fact that it's a long-term project isn't a good reason not to start immediately,' Renzi said.

Italy has suffered 36 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5 and above since 1900, almost every one bringing death, destruction and recriminations about why successive governments have not done more to defend Italians' lives and heritage.

Prosecutors are investigating why supposedly quake-proofed buildings collapsed in the August 24 tremors in one of the world's most seismically active countries.

It remains to be seen whether Renzi's plans will have more success than in the past. Italy has one of the world's largest public debts and with a virtually stagnant economy it will struggle to find the funds for costly civil defence programmes.

Left to right: Senate Speaker Pietro Grasso, Lower House Speaker Laura Boldrini, Italian Premier Matteo Renzi and Matteo Renzi's wife, Agnese, attend the mass funeral in Ascoli Piceno on Saturday

People attend a mass funeral service for victims of the earthquake, at a gymnasium arranged in a chapel of rest in Ascoli Piceno on Saturday

Firefighters recover a crucifix from a damaged church in thevillage of Rio, some 10 kms from the central Italian village of Amatrice

Renzi's own future is also in doubt. He faces a referendum in the autumn on a strongly contested plan for constitutional reform, and has said he will step down if he loses.

He promised to rebuild Amatrice and the other mountain communities in central Italy shattered in the latest quake, saying his government would 'ensure that these places with such a precious past will also have a future.'

Reconstruction efforts following a 2009 quake which killed more than 300 people in the nearby city of L'Aquila have been hampered by red-tape and corruption, and only a tiny part of the town centre has been rebuilt.

Aftershocks continued on Monday, five days after the first quake. Geologists say there have been more than 2,000 since the original magnitude 6.2 earthquake.

'Here the ground doesn't stop shaking, I don't know, I have the impression a huge rift will open and we will all fall in it,' said Roberto De Cesaris, a resident in Amatrice.
Beast of Ossett which has been sighted in Yorkshire

up on his friend in eagerness to film animal

Could this be the most recent sighting of the mysterious Beast of Ossett?

A dad has captured footage of what he claims is a 'jet black' big cat skulking through a field in the British countryside.

Postal worker Phil Chapman, 38, was looking out his York motel room window while on the phone to a friend when a panther-like beast emerged from the bushes around 8pm on 24 August.

Postal worker Phil Chapman, 38, was looking out his York motel room window while on the phone to a friend when a 'panther-like' animal emerged from the bushes

The stunned dad-of-two quickly hung up the phone to get video of the creature pacing through the field before disappearing back into the bushes.

The shadowy figure - which Phil insists was way too big to be a pet cat or dog can be - seen walking through the field in a feline-like manner.

Phil said: 'I was in a room at the front of the motel on the first floor talking to my friend on the phone.

'There is a field opposite with lots of rabbits so I was watching them bobbing about while chatting and the next minute this thing came out of the hedgerow.

'I spent a split second thinking 'Is that what I think it is?' but that's all it took for me to know it was a big black cat.

'I quickly told my friend I had to go and hung up the phone so I could film it as it slowly walked across the field - it looked very relaxed.

'It was way too big to be a domestic cat and I wondered for a bit if someone was walking a really big dog but there was nobody around and its movements were so cat-like.

'I've got friends with dogs, one with a black Labrador, and I've been out of walks with them and seen how they move. This was nothing like that.

The shadowy figure - which Phil insists was way too big to be a pet cat or dog - is seen walking through the field in a feline-like manner

'It methodically placed one foot in front of another and its body language was completely different to a dog's. It had its head down and a long tail swaying behind it - it is definitely feline.

'After pacing around it did a gentle jog back into the bushes and I called my friend straight back to say 'You'll never guess what I've just seen'.'

Phil, who has two kids Chloe, 17, and Dylan, 12, is staying at the Redbeck Motel in Wakefield, Yorkshire, as he is in the process of moving homes.

There have been several sightings of the 'Beast of Ossett' over the years with video footage of the supposed nocturnal feline that prowls through Yorkshire woodlands dating back as far as 1999.

Since filming this most recent sighting of the 'big cat', Phil has done some research into the legends surrounding the beast and hopes he has found 'another piece of the puzzle'.

Phil said: 'I wouldn't normally share something like this because I don't like being the centre of attention but it is just so fascinating.

Phil, who has two kids Chloe, 17, and Dylan, 12, is staying at the Redbeck Motel in Wakefield, Yorkshire, as he is in the process of moving homes

'I want people to see it because I wonder if someone who knows more about cats might be able to analyse its movements or work out what type of cat it is.

'If you have a piece of the jigsaw puzzle and you hold onto it then you'll never see the big picture.

'I looked into it and there have been so many reports and sightings over such a long time. It is so interesting.

'I know the camera is a bit shaky. I wasn't scared because I was far enough away but I was just so shocked - and it's exciting. I never thought I'd see anything like it.

'To the naked eye it was so clear. It really stood out against the light field with its jet black fur. It was so dark, it was almost like a silhouette.

'It was dusk so I couldn't make out the finer details but there is no other way to describe it as it looked just like a big cat - and it didn't look like anything else.'

The unusual sighting has been followed by a similar encounter at the other end of the country.

Steve Swatton, 60, was with his friend's son, Brad Bugdale when they came across what they claimed was a panther.

The pair were walking through a field in Plymouth and were left shocked when they saw a 'huge black' cat staring back at them.

Steve said 'something black' and the 'size of an Alsatian' caught his attention on Saturday afternoon, at about 4.30pm near Sparkwell Village.

But Steve doesn't own a phone and couldn't capture the beast - so he's drawn it instead.

Steve Swatton, 60, was with his friend's son, Brad Bugdale when they came across what they claimed was a panther - which he has now drawn as he doesn't own a phone to take a photo

The gym owner said: 'I memorised what it looked like and as soon as I got home I started drawing it.

'I used to be quite good at sketching and I just kept changing the drawing until I got it right.

It was very sleek and about the size of an Alsatian. It was like looking at a shadow as it was jet black, as black as you can get.

'It was very powerful looking and its tail was very long too.

'What struck me about its tail was where it hung down its hindquarters it was very long and the same thickness all the way down.

'It was a perfect bow shape - if you put a piece of string across it, it would look like a strung bow.'

He added: 'It was watching us and I think we spotted each other at the same time as we were about 50 - 60 yards away.

'Then all of a sudden it disappeared and hopped over a hedge into the scrub land which leads into the forest.

'I ran up there as I thought there might be a chance of seeing it, but it was gone.

'It was probably more scared of us than us of it. I wasn't that scared at the time but thinking about it now if I had been cornered it could have got a bit nasty, as it probably weighs about 60/70lbs - heavy enough to bring a deer down.'

In July keen golfer Hermann Welch claimed he nearly mowed down a wild panther in 2004 after a pack of pumas were released from Dartmoor Zoo.
UChicago Hasn't 'Banned' Trigger Warnings Or Safe Spaces

By Mae Rice in News on Aug 30, 2016 2:00PM



University of Chicago / Facebook

Last week, the University of Chicago sent a mass letter to incoming freshman that made bold, vague claims heard round the Internet. Sent from the desk of Dean of Students John Jay Ellison, the letter told incoming frosh that the university does not "support" trigger warnings or "condone... intellectual 'safe spaces.'"

Outcry followed immediately. Alumni began sharing critiques of the letter on social media; Chicagoist published one such critique. Basically every publication, including the New York Times, covered the letter. Some outlets also escalated the message of the letter in their coverage; New York Magazine's The Cut said, in its headline, that UChicago had "banned" trigger warnings and safe spaces.

That's not true, though. We dug into what the language of the letter actually means, and here's what we've found so far. Spoiler alert: Nothing is banned.

Really? Trigger warnings aren't banned?

No. When it comes to trigger warnings, each professor decides whether or not to use them. As the University put it in a statement issued last week:

Academic freedom is a fundamental value at the University of Chicago. Among other things it means that faculty members have broad freedom in how they accommodate concerns that students may express, including advising students about difficult material. The University does not mandate a specific approach to these issues.

What about safe spaces?

Not banned either. In the same statement, the University notes that:

Separately from the intellectual values expressed in the letter, the University encourages students to make use of the many support resources that exist on campus. The University provides numerous resources for students well being, including private counseling and other forms of support. There are also many campus groups that offer mutual support for students and other members of our community.

In fact, there are a lot of safe spaces on campus. In spite of the stance expressed in the recent letter, University of Chicago has very similar resources to the ones Northwestern University's presidents cites in a 2015 op-ed in favor of safe spaces. University of Chicago has an Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA); an office of LGBTQ student affairs with a program called, literally, Safe Space; a Hillel house and a Chabad house; and a Catholic house, Calvert House.

There are also plenty of registered student organizations (RSOs) where, despite the University's disdain for safe spaces, "individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own."

Wait... how can that be?

The University seems to only be against "intellectual 'safe spaces'" in a classroom setting. There are a variety of policies RSOs have to comply with, but they're not required to welcome every perspective. They just can't screen members based on protected statuses: race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, nationality or ethnicity, etc.

Does the letter as a whole mean the University is changing its policies in some way?

No. "To be clear, the letter does not signal any change in policies," a spokesperson for the University told Chicagoist. "[I]ts a cover letter for a book that the College sent to students."
Malachi Love-Robinson, 19, the Florida teen who pretended to be a doctor, was arrested for a third time on Monday for two new charges of grand theft and fraud

The Florida teenager accused of pretending to be a doctor and stealing money from an 86-year-old patient is facing new charges of grand theft and fraud.

Malachi Love-Robinson, 19, who had been out on bond, was back in the Palm Beach County Jail on Monday.

Love-Robinson, who had been free on $18,000 bail, was released after another $8,000 in bail was posted.

Court records show Love-Robinson is now also accused of writing a bad check for $1,500 as a down payment for a car at West Palm Nissan in May 2015.

Details on the new grand theft charge weren't available.

Previously, Grieco Mazda in Delray Beach filed a lawsuit seeking roughly $7,200 in damages and interest claiming that he wrote them a bad check for a new car.

A lawsuit claims that in June 2015, Love-Robinson gave a salesman a Wells Fargo check for $1,800 as a down payment for a 2016 red Mazda 6 costing more than $27,000, the Palm Beach Post reported.

The bank refused to cash the check, saying the account was closed.

Robinson-love is accused of posing as a doctor at a Florida hospital before opening his own 'practice'

The collective charges brought against Love-Robinson could land him in jail for a total of 90 years

Records show Love-Robinson responded to the suit in writing in August. He claimed the bad check was a mistake, and that the dealership didn't give him enough time to fix it.

The Sun Sentinel reported Love-Robinson lost that case in April 2016.

Love-Robinson was arrested in February after deputies say he was practicing medicine without a license and stole more than $35,000 from a patient.

Love-Robinson's attorney, Leonard Feuer, has also recused himself from the case citing an ethical dilemma but did not say what that ethical dilemma was. Love-Robinson will now be represented by a public defender

He was then arrested again in March and charges with two counts of practicing medicine without a license, two counts of practice of naturopathy without a license, three counts of forgery, two counts of grand theft from a person 65 or older, and three counts of fraudulent use of personal identification information.

The additional charges brought against him are grand theft over $20,000, and obtaining property in return for a worthless check, draft or debit card.

Combined Love-Robinson could be sentenced to as many as 90 years in prison.

Love-Robinson suffered another blow to his case after his attorney, Leonard Feuer, request to recuse himself from the case, citing an ethical dilemma.

That ethical dilemma was not made public.

Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Krista Marx allowed Feuer to be removed from the case and a public defender was appointed.

The teen was first arrested February 16 when an undercover police officer went to his office, The New Birth New Life Medical Center and complained of lethargy, sneezing and a sore throat.

He took the undercover officer's temperature and also used a stethoscope to check her heart and lungs.

The teen was first arrested February 16 when an undercover police officer went to his office and Love-Robinson examined her

He was then arrested in March for using a check belonging to an 86-year-old woman to make a down payment on a car

He then told her she was suffering from allergies and recommended she take an over-the-counter medication, police say.

The police report said that Love-Robinson told the officer he was a doctor of homeopathic medicine and said he had a medical doctor on staff to prescribe antibiotics.

Love-Robinson has defended his actions in several interviews and claims that he never told anyone he was a medical doctor.

However, he has claimed to have a PHD, but has never shown documentation or said what field it is in.

'There are many types of degrees out there that hold the title of doctor - whether they are physicists or engineers. Just because someone has the title of doctor in front of their name does not necessarily imply "MD",' he told ABC.

Love-Robinson was first detained at age 17 when he was found wandering around St. Mary's Medical Center wearing a doctor's coat and speaking with patients.
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This aerial picture shows how the sprawling Calais Jungle is now big enough to house 10,000 refugees.

Images show how the site features a container camp provided by the French government to accommodate 1,500 migrants while it also includes mosques, a shopping area and restaurants.

It comes as traders in Calais today threatened to block all roads around the French port town until the growing 'Jungle' refugee camp is completely torn down.

'Operation Snail' will take place on Monday, with lorries, farm vehicles and cars being used to blockade the A16 motorway, and interconnecting roads.

Frederic Van Gansbeke, President of the Calais Association of Corporations and Businesses, said his own Socialist government was being 'too soft' and that tougher action was needed to force change.

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An aerial picture shows how the sprawling 'Jungle' camp in Calais, northern France, is now big enough to house 10,000 refugees

Traders in Calais today threatened to block all roads around the French port town until the growing 'Jungle' refugee camp (pictured right) is completely torn down

'We will not move until the state gives us the dates of the dismantlement of the total north zone of the Jungle,' said Mr Van Gansbeke.

The latest twist in the migration crisis came as British Home Secretary Amber Rudd prepared to arrive in Paris for security talks related to border controls.

Ms Rudd will respond to French calls to get rid of the camp, and to force the thousands of would-be asylum seekers massing around Calais to go straight to the UK.

The south side was razed earlier this year, but numbers have since increased, as approaching 10,000 people cram into what is left of the still sprawling shantytown.

Most play a nightly game of cat-and-mouse with the police as they try to get aboard lorries and trains heading for the UK.

Former president Nicolas Sarkozy, who wants to stand for re-election next year, is '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 'Operation Snail' will take place on Monday, with lorries, farm vehicles and cars being used to blockade the A16 motorway, and interconnecting roads

Migrants queue to receive their daily food distribution in a makeshift camp in Calais, northern France last week

This would lead to the French simply sending the thousands arriving from war-torn countries such as Afghanistan, Eritrea and Syria straight to the south coast of England, so effectively transferring the Jungle to England.

Mr Van Gansbeke's campaign, which is backed by numerous trade groups, shows the strength of feeling among ordinary French workers.

Xavier Foissey, who represents agricultural workers in the area, said: 'We haven't slept for six months because of migrants who cross our land.'

All have argued that the economy in northern France is falling apart, and that there are growing security problems.

Rival gangs of migrants regularly get involved in murderous fights as they argue over routes into Britain, while riot police deal with incidents around the Jungle constantly.

There are also fears that terrorists could be staying in the Jungle before heading for Britain.

On Monday, Xavier Bertrand, the president of the Calais region and a member of Mr Sarkozy's Republican Party, said Calais migrants should be allowed to lodge UK asylum claims in France.

A source in Ms Rudd's department has in turn dismissed the idea as a 'complete non starter'.

Under the 2003 Le Touquet deal between France and the UK, Britain can carry out checks in Calais to stop migrants trying to get to Britain, while French counterparts can do the equivalent in Dover.
A Bangladeshi Islamic leader faces execution within days after he lost his final appeal against a death sentence over 40-year-old war crimes allegations.

Mir Quasem Ali, who was the chief financier for Bangladesh's largest Islamist party, was found guilty of a number of murders which took place during the nation's independence conflict in 1971.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said: 'Now he has a chance to seek presidential clemency. Or else the verdict could be executed anytime whenever the state wants.'

Bangladeshi Jamaat-e-Islami party leader, Mir Quasem Ali faces execution within days after he lost a Supreme Court appeal over his November 2014 conviction for historic war crimes

Ali was convicted of 14 war crimes committed during Bangladesh's 1971 independence conflict with Pakistan. Already five opposition leaders from the historic conflict have been executed

Bangladeshi protesters who fought in the 1971 independence conflict celebrated the supreme court's decision to reject Ali's appeal against his death sentence which could happen in days

Five opposition leaders including four leading Islamists have already been executed for war crimes since 2013. They were all hanged just days after their appeals were rejected by the Supreme Court.

Their families said they had refused to seek a presidential pardon as they did not want to legitimise the whole trials process.

Ali, who became a shipping and real estate tycoon, was convicted in November 2014 of a series of crimes during Bangladesh's war of separation from Pakistan, including the abduction and murder of a young independence fighter.

Tuesday's decision is considered a major blow for the Jamaat-e-Islami party, which the 63-year-old Ali had helped revive by setting up charities, businesses and trusts linked to it after it was allowed to operate in the late 1970s.

The United Nations has urged Bangladeshi to annul the death sentence and retry Ali in a court which adheres to international standards for justice rather than a tribunal

His son Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem, who was part of his legal defence team, was allegedly abducted by security forces earlier in August, which critics say was an attempt to sow fear and prevent protests against the imminent execution.

Security was tight in Dhaka on Tuesday, even though the party has in recent months eschewed violent protests in reaction to war crimes verdicts and there was no immediate sign of unrest.

The war crimes tribunal set up by the government has divided the country, with supporters of Jamaat and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) branding them a sham aimed at eliminating their leaders.

The executions and convictions of Jamaat officials plunged Bangladesh into one of its worst crises in 2013 when tens of thousands of Islamist activists clashed with police in protests that left some 500 people dead.

The Islamist party, which is banned from contesting elections, called a nationwide strike for Wednesday, calling the charges against Ali 'false' and 'baseless' and accusing the government of exacting 'political vengeance'.

Before he was arrested in 2012 on 14 war crimes charges, Ali headed the Diganta Media Corporation, which owns a pro-Jamaat daily and a television station that was shut down in 2013 for stoking religious tensions.

Defence lawyers have said the charges against him were baseless.

His lawyer Khandker Mahbub Hossain said: 'Mir Quashem Ali wasn't directly involved in war crimes. False witnesses were provided to frame charges against him. The future generation and law experts will scrutinise the verdict whether it was justified.'

The court ruling comes a day after a visit to Dhaka by US Secretary of State John Kerry who said the best way to combat extremism was 'to live up to the core values of democracy'.

Bangladesh has been hit by a series of deadly assaults by Islamist extremists in recent months, including an horrific attack on a Dhaka cafe in July in which 22 people, mostly foreigners, were killed.

Rights groups have criticised the war crimes trials, saying they fall short of international standards and lack any foreign oversight.

Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina defended the sentence claiming Ali's execution will help 'heal the wounds' of the conflict which has seen more than three million people killed

Ali's party opposed the Bangladeshi independence movement and sided with the Pakistani military regime in Islamabad leaving it in conflict with the new regime for the past 45 years

A group of United Nations human rights experts last week urged Bangladesh to annul Ali's death sentence and to retry him in compliance with international standards.

'International law, accepted as binding by Bangladesh, provides that capital punishment may only be imposed following trials that comply with the most stringent requirements of fair trial and due process, or could otherwise be considered an arbitrary execution,' they cautioned.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government has defended the trials, saying they are needed to heal the wounds of the conflict, which it says left three million people dead.

Bangladesh's independence war broke out, with Jamaat opposing the struggle and siding with the military regime in Islamabad.
A student fed up with the homophobic rants of a university preacher comparing being gay to bestiality took a stand by drowning the man's words out with a bagpipe.

Brice Ehmig confronted the preacher who was wearing a 'Jesus saves from hell' T-shirt on the campus at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers.

Despite the preacher's best efforts to have his voice heard, the fourth year student follows him around continuing to play the loud Scottish music.

Despite the preacher's best efforts to have his voice heard, fourth year student Brice Ehmig follows him around continuing to play the loud Scottish music as he rants

Brice said: 'I have seen too much tragedy in the LGBTQ community to let a man in cargo pants tell me I am the embodiment of sin. I am a gay bagpiper and I'm proud.'

As the video filmed on Friday August 19 ends, applause and cheering can be heard from out of shot as Brice calls her girlfriend over for a kiss.

Brice, originally from Dunedin, Florida, said: 'I have seen too much tragedy in the LGBTQ community to let a man in cargo pants tell me I am the embodiment of sin.

'I am a gay bagpiper and I'm proud.

'I decided since this is my last year at university that I should do things that make me feel brave.

'After years of dealing with the homophobic comments aimed at me by the preacher, I felt I needed to stand up against these false prophets spewing bigotry.

'I have fought hard for my rights.'

As Brice approaches the 'preacher' he can be heard asking over the sound of the bagpipes: 'Why are you doing this - do you not like the message?'

While the man attempts to walk away so his voice can be heard, another man - wearing a 'Porn leads to hell' shirt - hands her a leaflet.

Brice said: 'I began to play him a classic tune of spiritual rejuvenation and wholesome melancholy in Amazing Grace.

'I could see in his eyes and the tense veins in his face and neck that he was enraged by my presence.

'So after four minutes I did give him some space for a little bit.

'Then he started going on more about homosexuality, and earned my relentless playing even more so.

Brice - who has been playing the bagpipes for 10 years - claims that the 'preacher' was condemning homosexuality by comparing it to bestiality

'I then called over my girlfriend and gave her a big kiss right in front of the ''preacher'' and a group of people watching.'

Brice - who has been playing the bagpipes for 10 years - claims that the 'preacher' was condemning homosexuality by comparing it to bestiality.

Brice said: 'He was targeting me in particular due to our prior interactions in which he would yell at me as I held hands with my girlfriend.

'Very few subjects are safe from his preaching.

'In the past I have heard him say "if you wear shorts like that you are asking to be raped", "porn leads to hell", and "If you study the sciences you are going against God".

'These preachers have been on campus every year that I have been here at the University and they have all been part of the same group.

'They post videos on YouTube, which primarily record hostile situations, law enforcement interactions and close calls with angered citizens.

'If their intent was to educate the public with the peace and love of real religion, they would not need to record and post mostly the bad interactions they had.
Manfred von Richthofen (pictured) met English pilot Lionel Morris and Welsh Tom Rees on the battlefield in September 1916

Three families are to meet in London for the first time since their ancestors met in the air 100 years ago - when the infamous Red Baron took his first victims.

Manfred von Richthofen met English pilot Lionel Morris and Welsh Tom Rees on the battlefield in September 1916 when the German saw their British plane twisting and turning to try and escape his deadly sights.

But the British airmen, in their inferior F.E.2 plane had their engine shot to pieces by the Richthofen, who went on to claim 80 lives and become the most celebrated pilot in the German air force.

Rees, 21, was killed in the dogfight and Morris, 19, though mortally wounded, managed to land the plane - but Richthofen landed alongside him and later wrote that he 'honoured the fallen enemy by placing a stone on his beautiful grave'.

It was then that the pilot, who later became known as the Red Baron because of his aristocratic heritage and skill in the air, started commissioning a silver cup to be made for every one of his fallen enemies.

He stopped making them after 60 and today, few remain. But Whitgift School in Croydon - where Morris was once a pupil - has commissioned a replica of the first cup, dedicated to one of his first victims.

It is part of an exhibition looking at the war from the perspectives of each of the sides involved, displaying hundreds of private collectors' pieces that have never been brought together before.

The exhibition will also bring together the families of Rees and Morris, and Donat von Richthofen, a descendant of the Red Baron, who will travel to London for a dinner on September 17.

The three families will drink schnapps from the replica silver goblet, a toast to reconciliation between the two sides. Christopher Barnett, headmaster of the school, said they also hope to find out more from the meeting.

Dr Barnett said: 'It took a bit of detective work, the although the Richthofen family was easier to trace because of their aristocratic heritage.

Rees (left), 21, was killed in the dogfight and Morris (right), 19, though mortally wounded, managed to land the plane - but Richthofen landed alongside him and killed him

The Red Baron was famous for flying a red Fokker (pictured) that terrorised the skies during the First World War

Richthofen later became one of the most infamous pilots of the First World War, with 80 kills in the all-red Fokker DR.I (pictured) he was famous for, as well as other fighter planes

'Although the three families last met on the battlefield, they were actually all very keen to get involved in celebrating a time that was unique and significant in aviation history.

'That is the exciting thing about looking at it 100 years later, the politics, the anger is completely gone, it's all about the emotions and the healing side of it as well.

'And actually, even then, the mutual respect between the pilots from both sides was enormous. If one shot another one down, where possible, they would often even land next to the plane to see if they could render assistance.

'There are photos of them drinking and smoking together, because the planes were so fragile and risks so huge that they were much more aware of their common humanity.'

The exhibition includes 600 artifacts, including giving personal testimony of those on both sides of war and uncover a fresh perspective on the battles of Verdun, Jutland and the Somme.

Rees and Morris were flying in the inferior FE2 (pictured) when the bullets ripped through their engine, forcing them to land

After Rees and Morris were killed, he began commissioning a silver cup to be made for every one of his fallen enemies. Whitgift School in Croydon has now produced a replica (right)

Highlights include two extremely rare first issues of the British trench newspaper, original British, French and German uniforms and equipment, and a Womens Royal Air Force uniform.

Also on show is a train station sign from the French city of Verdun, site of one of the most horrific battles of the war, and fabric from the famous red triplane flown by the Red Baron.

Richthofen was so successful that the German military tried to ground him for fear of the propaganda disaster that his death could be - but he refused.

He was eventually killed in 1918 while pursuing a Canadian plane at low altitude, and another which dived steeply and fired upon him was initially credited with his death.

However, another former Whitgift pupil, George Walter Barber of the Australian Medical Corps, performed the third autopsy that changed people's perceptions of how the Red Baron was killed.

The Red Baron, famous for his red Fokker (pictured at an airshow) was later killed in 1918. It was first thought that he was killed in a dogfight but a post-mortem from another Whitgift pupil changed that view, as he would not been able to land his plane as he did

He concluded that he was shot by a bullet from the ground, and it has since been concluded that he could never have landed his plane had he sustained the bullet through the heart so high in the air.

When the three families dine together, they will do so inside the exhibition, alongside a specially commissioned painting of Morris and Rees the moment before they were shot down.

So far, 16,000 people have already visited the school to see the exhibition, which is so popular that the school now has a rating on TripAdvisor and the display has been extended until April 2017.

Dr Barnett added: 'We are very excited at being able to present such a comprehensive collection of original items, which will help to bring people closer to how three countries experienced and endured the war.

'We are also very confident that the Exhibition will increase our understanding of the War and its effect across three countries.'
It is not just the Spanish mainland where bull fighting is prevalent  and equally dangerous.

This August the end of the running of the bulls in Peru led to several severe gorings.

At a religious festival in the Ayacucho province in the south-central Andes, nine people were wounded on Sunday during the region's traditional annual festival.

At a religious festival in Peru a bull tosses a man painfully into the air with its horns

Every year the Ayacucho province honour their patron Saint Ana in a traditional festival

The event, which honours patron Saint Ana, turned into a horror show as a bull rampaged around the street striking revellers with its horns.

Shocking footage shows scenes of chaos as daredevils try their luck against the wild beast.

Many are caught out and forced to take punishing blows from the fearsome animal.

The ferocious bull takes to the streets in a shocking video depicting scenes of chaos

Fortunately for this man the bull stops short of ducking down to gore him during its rampage

Brave or foolish? One runner sits on the floor bracing himself as a bull charges towards him

In the ring the beast lowers its horns and rams into the defenceless man

A man in a white shirt is launched into the air in the ring, and then later on the street another runner narrowly survives a savaging on the ground.

No deaths were reported, and the festival continued after the bull run with the faithful carrying Catholic imagery down the streets.
A GP left with post-traumatic stress disorder after a sexist campaign of bullying and harassment has won a 750,000 payout.

In one outburst at the Athena practice in Hackney, east London, Dr Agnes Olayemi was told by Dr Affia Okoreaffia that he wanted to eat her - especially her ears - as he 'liked cartilage'.

He called the University College Hospital graduate a 'danger to patients' in front of staff, described her as 'that mad woman' and even said she was 'just' an employee 'like a typist'.

In one outburst at the Athena practice in Hackney, London, (pictured) Dr Agnes Olayemi was told by Dr Affia Okoreaffia that he wanted to eat her - especially her ears - as he 'liked cartilage'

Dr Okoreaffia, 59, also opened Dr Olayemi's mail, told her there were people who would 'beat her up', that by the time he was finished with her she would need a psychiatrist and that she would leave with her 'tail between her legs'.

And when Dr Olayemi, 55, asked him for some personal belongings she had left at his flat, he relayed a message via another member of staff that he had lots of women's knickers at his flat and he didn't know which pair were hers.

He also laughed as he had her untaxed and uninsured car removed from the practice car park and dumped on the street, leaving her open to prosecution.

She started as a locum and he promised to make her a partner and paid her accordingly.

But he never actually registered her as such, leaving her believing she was in fact a partner.

As their relationship deteriorated he deducted wages, transferred 624 of her patients to himself and downgraded her status on the IT system from that of a partner to a locum.

This meant that she no longer had access to her history, no record of what she had been doing professionally and no audit trail.

She thereafter refused to use the system and if she needed to log on to see a patient, would tell them that there was a problem with the system and send them back for someone else to see.

Dr Okoreaffia then told staff not to book her any more patients, after he claimed there had been complaints and on one occasion arranged lunch to be brought in for everyone except Dr Olayemi.

He also tried to exclude her from signing Christmas presents and cards to staff, something that the pair had previously done.

Dr Olayemi then posted 500 notes over the next seven months, replacing them as they were removed by other staff, in which she told patients that due to a dispute between herself and Dr Okoreaffia he had told staff not arrange any patient appointments for her.

Eventually he told her she was suspended and changed the locks but she still showed up for work.

One of the reasons for her suspension was that she had played a tape recording of a doctors meeting over the tannoy.

The panel found that she had done this, but that it was unintelligible to anyone other than the doctors who were in the meeting.

She told the East London tribunal that In a series of outbursts Dr Okoreaffia said to her: 'You want to be a partner in this practice. Do you want to be Mrs Okoreaffia as well?

'I will destroy you. By the time I finish with you you will need a psychiatrist. You will leave here with your tail between your legs.

'The gloves are off. I want you out of my practice. I will not beat you up but there are people who will.'

She also noted: 'Reference made to eating people and eating flesh and eating me and the part of me that he wanted to eat most being my ears because he likes cartilage.'

She reported him to police and the tribunal panel concluded: 'We find on the balance of probabilities that he did make these comments.'

In their judgement, the panel said: 'Overall, we have to say Dr Okoreaffia's frequent inability to answer a straight question and his attitude toward the claimant, which appeared to be dismissive and arrogant, troubled us greatly.'

They added that although on the face of it the reason for her suspension and dismissal seemed reasonable, it had only come about because of the sexism inflicted on her.

They said: 'She dug her heels in, stood up to Dr Okoreaffia and fought back, sometimes inappropriately.

'The reasons given by Dr Okoreaffia for dismising Dr Olayemi, whilst on the face of it look plausible, look unconvincing when one looks at the catalogue of events, which appear to be designed to marginalise her or drive her out.

'Had Dr Olayemi been a male doctor, Dr Okoreaffia would not have treated him in the same way.

'He would not have sought to belittle and humiliate a male doctor as he did Dr Olayemi. He would not have treated a male doctor with the same contempt and disdain.

'The conduct to which the claimant was subjected was unwanted conduct related to her sex which had the purpose (and had the effect) of creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading and humiliating environment for her; it was designed to drive her out.

'There is no question of hypersensitivity on the part of Dr Olayemi.'

She worked at the surgery from 2001 to her dismissal in 2008 but has not worked since due to post traumatic stress and depression.

In 2014 she was awarded 752,333 by the tribunal for sex discrimination, unfair dismissal and breach of contract.

This included 30,000 for injury to feelings and aggravated damages and 21,875 for personal injury due to her psychiatric conditions.

However she appealed the fact that her award was reduced by 12.5 per cent due to a previous episode of PTSD in the late 1990s.
The same model aircraft crashed in October 2015 in southeast France, while another F/A 18 crashed in 2013

Swiss Air Force commander said he was deeply shocked by the incident

The Swiss military has launched a search for a pilot and his plane after a fighter aircraft belonging to the country's air force went missing during a training exercise on Monday.

The plane, a one-seater F/A-18C, disappeared near Susten in central Switzerland on Monday afternoon, the Swiss defence ministry said.

The suspected accident site in the mountainous Alpine region was difficult to access, with bad weather and darkness hampering the search efforts, it added.

Swiss Air Force commander Aldo Schellenberg told a media conference he was deeply shocked by the incident.

Aldo C. Schellenberg, Commander of the Swiss Air Force, said a F/A-18- warplane of the Swiss military had gone missing during a training exercise

When asked about the survival chances of the pilot, he said: 'We hope and pray,' Swiss news agency SDA reported.

The incident began when the aircraft took off from the air base at Meiringen at 1401 GMT as the second plane in a training exercise.

Radio contact with the base was lost at around 1405 GMT, and the plane was logged as missing.

A search mission was launched with helicopters, but was later abandoned due to bad weather. Two ground-based search teams have also begun looking for the pilot and the aircraft, while an investigation into the suspected crash is now underway.

The incident is the third time the Swiss Air Force has lost one of its F/A 18 jets (file photo) in the last three years

Foggy weather on the Susten pass near Innerkirchen, Switzerland, is hampering the search effort for the military pilot and plane

Family members of the pilot, who has not been named, have been informed and were being cared for by the military.

The incident is the third time the Swiss Air Force has lost one of its F/A 18 jets in the last three years. A pilot was injured when an aircraft crashed in October 2015 in southeast France, while another F/A 18 crashed in 2013.
Three Pokemon-hunting siblings made a very unwelcome catch, as they stumbled upon a couple appearing to have sex in a field.

Lauren Dua, 24, took her brother Lewis Overell, 20, and 14-year-old sister, Libby Munday, to play the smash-hit app on Blackheath Common, south-east London, when they were met with the x-rated surprise.

The trio were stunned when they discovered a man dressed in just a silver shirt and blue Y-fronts lying on top of a woman who appeared to be completely naked.

The saucy pair were not put off by a gathering crowd at the spot, which is a Pokemon Go spawning nest, and carried on with their daring deeds regardless

Lewis Overell and Lauren Dua (pictured above) and Libby Munday (middle in right-hand picture) were the trio of siblings who made the nasty discovery

And Lauren insists the pair were not put off by a gathering crowd at the spot, which is a popular Pokestop, and carried on with their daring deeds regardless.

The oldest sibling said: 'We were just walking across Blackheath Common when my brother said 'Is that women naked over there?'

'I thought he was joking but then my sister said the same thing.

'So I went over to have a look and could not believe that they were right and by that point a few people had gathered around still playing Pokemon and they were putting on quite a show.

'The couple really did not seem to be bothered at all that everyone was stood around watching them.'

Lauren claims that the clash resulted in the semi-clothed man, who was in his mid-40s, being assaulted and police were called to break up the scene

But after the brazen scene carried on for a short while, an onlooker allegedly took offence at the display, which resulted in a scuffle.

Lauren claims that the clash resulted in the semi-clothed man, who was in his mid-40s, being assaulted and police were called to break up the scene.

The beauty therapist insists the night was one of the 'weirdest ever' and posted her shocking snaps online where they were shared more than 2,500 times before being deleted for being too raunchy.

Lauren said: 'I couldn't believe it was real life - I only went out to catch a Charmander - so it was a pretty weird night in the end.

'They could have found a bush or something to cover up because it is a built-up area and there were plenty of people about.

'My sister said it was the funniest thing ever but I could not believe that it was happening.

'We often go out at that time around there for a Pokemon hunt but I've never seen anything like that before.'

The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that they are investigating the incident.

A force spokesman said: 'Police were called out at 12.11am on August 21 to reports of an assault on Blackheath Common.

'A man in his mid-40s suffered facial injuries at the scene that are not believed to be life-changing or life-threatening.
Amazon is experimenting with a 30-hour week for some employees, who will keep the benefits of full-time workers. Pictured is CEO Jeff Bezos

Amazon is experimenting with a 30-hour week for some employees, who will keep the benefits of full-time staff.

The pilot program will include 'a few dozen' people working in the technical department.

The announcement follows intense criticism of the retail giant's working culture in a 2015 New York Times investigation.

Amazon already employs part-time staff, but the scheme will break new ground by involving whole teams, including managers, working a reduced schedule.

These employees will receive 75 per cent of a 40-hour workers' pay, the Washington Post - which is owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos - reported.

The company explained the move in a post on Eventbrite.com: 'We want to create a work environment that is tailored to a reduced schedule and still fosters success and career growth.

'This initiative was created with Amazon's diverse workforce in mind and the realization that the traditional full-time schedule may not be a "one size fits all" model.'

The new working week for the program will be Monday to Thursday from 10am to 2pm, with the remaining hours selected by individual staff.

The announcement of the pilot program follows intense criticism of retail giant's working culture in a 2015 New York Times investigation

Working fewer hours is meant to increase productivity, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Amazon told the Post it does not currently have plans to change the working week across the company as a whole.

The company is currently experimenting with drones, which it hopes will be able to deliver small packages weighing up to 5lbs.

Robots operating in its warehouses also reduce the need for human labor.

The New York Times investigation into Amazon's working culture cited interviews with more than 100 current and former employees who described sleepless nights and a culture of little praise.

The article depicted the company as having a bruising corporate culture that edged out workers who had been evaluated harshly by their peers and managers.

It claimed workers put in at least 80 hours a week and are sent emails long past midnight, and were frequently reduced to tears.

Amazon already employs part-time staff, but the scheme will break new ground by involving whole teams, including managers, working a reduced schedule

'You walk out of a conference room and you'll see a grown man covering his face,' former marketing executive Bo Olson told the newspaper.

'Nearly every person I worked with I saw cry at their desk.'

The online retailer forcefully rebutted the paper's report after it was published last year.

The company's top spokesman, Jay Carney, took the unprecedented step of writing a public letter to defend Amazon.
More than 300 people were arrested at the Notting Hill Carnival celebrated here over the bank holiday weekend and five people were stabbed, London Metropolitan Police announced Monday.

Thousands of revelers turned out for the second and final day of the annual street party in west London Monday, which marks the grand finale of the event's 50th anniversary celebration with 60 bands and 38 sound systems.

As of 7 p.m. local time (1800 GMT) on Monday, Scotland Yard said they had arrested 160 people during the second day of the event. It came after 156 arrests made on Sunday.

The majority of the arrests were made for possession of drugs or weapons. Some individuals have been arrested for more than one offense. In addition, 26 knives were seized by police.

On Sunday a 15-year-old boy was stabbed in Wornington Road and a 14-year-old was arrested for GBH. The teenager's injuries are non-life threatening.

Three other males, aged 15 to 20, were also wounded in knife attacks at the opening day of the two-day festival.

The police said they have seized over 150 canisters of nitrous oxide rom Wormington Road, Kensington and Chelsea.

They also seized over 500 cans of lager from a man engaged in illegal street trading in Westbourne Park Road. The man was selling the drinks out of a wheelie bin.

The Notting Hill Carnival is the largest street festival in Europe and originated in 1964 as a way for Afro-Caribbean communities to celebrate their own cultures and traditions.

Taking place every August Bank Holiday weekend in London, the Notting Hill Carnival is an amazing array of sounds, colourful sights and social solidarity.

At the roots of the Notting Hill Carnival are the Caribbean carnivals of the early 19th century -- a particularly strong tradition in Trinidad -- which were all about celebrating the abolition of slavery and the slave trade.
A mother-of-two was left with horrendous burns when a rope wrapped around her neck and nearly slit her throat on a 50mph zipwire at the Eden Project.

Claire Hatch, 37, had taken her family to the Cornwall attraction to celebrate the 13th birthday of daughter Madi and took her son on the Gravity Swing, which sends thrill-seekers plunging from a height of 65ft.

But a rope she claims was not attached properly became wrapped around her neck as she rode the zipwire, then leaving her suspended in the air.

Mother-of-two Claire Hatch suffered horrendous burns when her throat was nearly slit as a rope on a zipwire at the Eden Project in Cornwall became wrapped around her neck

Miss Hatch says a rope was not attached properly by a member of staff and it caught her around the neck, leaving her hanging in the air and left her with a long burn mark

Miss Hatch, 37, had taken her family to the Cornwall attraction to celebrate the 13th birthday of daughter Madi when the frightening accident happened

She then had to wait 45 minutes for an on-site paramedic - and then as long again for an ambulance - before being freed from the ride and going to hospital for treatment.

Miss Hatch, an admin worker from Southampton, posted shocking pictures of her injuries online and now plans to contact a solicitor about the incident.

She wants to highlight inadequate safety on the ride and claims she was not even offered a refund after the accident, which forced them to end their holiday early.

Writing on Facebook, she said: 'The one girl on her own supervising the swing, whose job it was to make sure everything was safe, forgot to tie back one of the ropes.

'So as we swung back down for the second time the rope caught around my neck. It was only me being yanked backwards that saved me from being very seriously hurt, or worse.'

She added: 'I was told by a member of staff that a paramedic was on site and would be there very quickly. Forty five minutes later a man wearing a uniform in a paramedic car arrived.

Miss Hatch was stuck hanging in the air for 45 minutes on the zipwire until a member of staff arrived to try and get her down. She later posted pictures online

She claims that staff at the Eden Project (pictured) do not have adequate training and that the attraction needs to improve its safety standards

'After he began examining me without putting gloves on first, then putting the wipes with blood on into the staff room bin, it was questioned if he was actually medically trained.

'He rudely told us that he was a retired paramedic and that everyone calls him a paramedic because that's how they've always known him and that's what it says on his car.

'Over an hour and a half after I was taken off of the swing, an ambulance was called and I was taken straight to hospital.

Miss Hatch's partner Richard Dawkins, 47, a warehouse manager, said: 'It was horrible. We had to wait 45 minutes for a paramedic when we were told he was on site.

The giant swing (pictured) is operated by Hangloose Adventures, a company which provides adventure activities to leisure attractions, was closed for the rest of the day

'He didn't wear gloves and the stuff in his bag was out of date. They refused to phone an ambulance - I guess because they can keep it quiet if they don't phone an ambulance. It's absolutely disgraceful.

'I went with her in the car to the hospital and the paramedic said 'why didn't they phone an ambulance?' There was one six minutes away.

'The company that runs the swing only contacted her after she shared the post on their website.'

The accident happened on August 19 as Miss Hatch was on holiday in Cornwall with Mr Dawkins, daughter Madi and son Sammy, nine.

Miss Hatch posted this message on Facebook along with the shocking pictures of her injury

The giant swing is operated by Hangloose Adventures, a company which provides adventure activities to leisure attractions around the country.

They said in a statement: 'We apologise for the distress caused to Claire Hatch as a result of the regrettable recent accident on gravity the giant swing were she received a rope burn to her neck.

'As a result of the incident, we have reviewed the design of the swing's release mechanism, our standard operating procedures and our staff training.

'As acknowledged by Ms Hatch in the comments thread of her Facebook post, we have been in direct contact with her since the incident.'

The company that runs the zipwire says it is now reviewing the design of the swing's release mechanism after hearing of the injury

The Eden Project said: 'We were upset to learn about the accident and we wish Claire Hatch a full and speedy recovery.

'The gravity swing is operated by Hangloose, a separate company to the Eden Project, on the Eden site, but we have asked to be kept informed about their investigation into the accident.

'The Eden Project employs registered paramedics and first responders to deal with any medical incidents that happen on our site.

'In this instance, a first responder attended and provided first aid.
Manuel Valls, the French Prime Minister, has described garments such as the burkini as representing the enslavement of women

They have been the subject of verbal warnings by police, abuse from onlookers and sparked an international debate. But after the ban on 'burkinis' was overturned, women wearing Islamic-looking clothing sunbathed happily on the beach on the French Riviera.

As these pictures show, women including mothers played happily with their children by the seas edge yesterday evening, while teenagers and other young adults were able to lie in the sun.

Many were seen at Nice, the Riviera city that has now finally agreed to abide by the law, so ending its humiliating and degrading persecution of women in any clothing that might be considered overtly religious.

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Relaxing: Women sunbathed on the beach at Nice after a court overturned the burkini ban imposed by the local mayor

No dress code: Women were left alone to enjoy the evening sunlight in Nice following the overturning of the burkini ban

Families: The Promenade des Anglais in Nice was full of evening bathers, some of whom were wearing what appeared to be Islamic dress following the overturning of the burkini ban

Male police carrying guns and pepper spray cannisters had been among those inspecting suspects over their clothing choices.

They had joined officers in patrol boats fining women they disapproved of, before expelling them from the pebbles.

But on Friday the Council of State  Frances highest appeal court  indicated that such scenes were deplorable, and quashed the ban.

Three senior judges ruled that it was a serious and clearly illegal violation of fundamental freedoms.

At first, right-wing councils such as the one in Nice continued with the ban, saying it was in response to recent terrorist attacks by Islamic State.

Although 30 Muslims were among 86 people killed by an Isis-linked lorry driver in Nice on July 14th, they argued that the burkini might provoke people.

Left alone: The women seen on the beach at Nice last night were clearly covering up but were not asked to change

Historic: Women gathered on the beach at Nice after the burkini ban was overturned and were not asked to change

But organisations such as the United Nations and Amnesty International said that such logic was ridiculous, and indeed played into the hands of extremists.

UN spokesman Rupert Colville said: These decrees dont improve the security situation but rather fuel religious intolerance and the stigmatisation of Muslims in France, especially women.

Dress codes such as the anti-burkini decrees disproportionately affect women and girls, undermining their autonomy by denying them the ability to make independent decisions about how to dress, and clearly discriminate against them.

Mr Colville also attacked the manner in which the anti-burkini decrees have been implemented, saying it was humiliating and degrading.

It was the Nice Administrative Council who finally lifted the ban, so abiding with the law laid down by the judiciary.

It reads that mayor cannot without exceeding police powers, enact measures that prohibit access to the beach and swimming, as they are not based on proven risks of disturbances to public order, nor reasons of hygiene or decency.

Welcoming the lifting of the ban, a spokesman for Frances Human Rights League, said: Its a symbolic victory.

Four French police officers close in on the woman, who appears to be sleeping, on the Promenade des Anglais beach in Nice, southern France

The woman, who was wearing a traditional headscarf and matching top, was spoken to by the officers, who have been tasked with implementing the ban

'She was alone without a thing under the burning sun. The trap worked. There is manipulation,' said Olivier Siou, political editor of TV station France 2.

Manuel Valls, the French Prime Minister, has described garments such as the burkini as representing the enslavement of women.

But today he was called a sexist moron after saying that bare breasts were a glorious representation of his troubled country.

In a clumsy speech about national identity, Manuel Valls contrasted those who show off an ample naked bosom with Muslims who wear headscarves.

Manuel Valls has sparked anger for arguing that naked breasts on a symbol of the French republic was justification for the burkini beach ban

Mathilde Larrere, an expert on the French Revolution, said the renowned painting by Eugene Delacroix - which includes a depiction of Marianne (pictured) - represented Liberty rather than the republic

He claimed that Marianne  the mythical Goddess of Liberty who represents the French Republic  was someone who had the right idea.

Marianne has a naked breast because she is feeding the people! said Mr Valls.

She is not veiled, because she is free! That is the Republic! he said at a packed government rally.

But highly respected historian Mathilde Larrere tweeted: Marianne has a naked breast because shes an allegory, you moron!

An allegory is a literary or rhetorical device used to convey hidden meanings behind complicated subjects.
Carlos Roberto Licona and Brady Grebenc leave Paisley Sheriff Court on police bail on Monday, August 29.

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.

Licona was awarded in 2013 by the FFA for 'setting a positive example' to other pilots. Both are reservists in the Air Force.

The men were held at Goven police station and appeared at Paisley Sheriff Court on Monday morning.

They were released on police bail later the same day.

According to his LinkedIn page, Licona has spent the last 28 years working in Military Intelligence, working for the United States Air National Guard.

Carlos Licona, 45, gets into a taxi after he is bailed from Paisley Sheriff Court. The pilot is said to have tried to fly a plane while over the legal alcohol limit

Brady Grebenc, 35, covers his face as he leaves court in Paisley, where he was bailed on Monday morning. He is also charged with attempting to fly a plane while over the limit

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 went ahead with a different crew on board

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 sgt.

In 2013, Licona was awarded with inclusion on the FAA Airmen Certification Database, according to Aviation Business Gazette.

The award recognizes 'certified pilots who have met or exceeded the high educational, licensing and medical standards established by the FAA,' the site said.

Grebenc, left, and Licona, right, were arrested before their 9am flight from Glasgow airport on Saturday morning

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 Grebenc's Facebook page. The 22d squadron has been involved in the War on Terror

'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.'
American businesswoman Sandy Phan-Gillis, 56, has been charged with spying in China

An American businesswoman who has been held prisoner in China for 18 months has been charged with spying.

Sandy Phan-Gillis, 56, was detained in March last year while she was in China on a business trip and has been held without charge until now.

Mrs Phan-Gillis, from Houston, is accused of being a spy for a foreign government between 1996 and 1998, charges her husband has insisted are 'absolutely false'.

Spying convictions in China carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Nanning Intermediate People's Court in southern China accepted the case against her on July 11, but a date for a court hearing has not been set.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said the American citizen was suspected of espionage, without providing any other details.

The business consultant was part of a trade delegation sent to China to promote business in Houston when she was arrested last March.

Mrs Phan-Gillis, who was born in Vietnam to Chinese parents before moving to the US, spent six months under effective house arrest before she was transferred to a prison.

Mrs Phan-Gillis (pictured with her husband and son), from Houston, is accused of being a spy for a foreign government between 1996 and 1998

Despite not being charged, her husband, Jeff Gillis, says she has been interrogated every day and tortured behind bars, where her requests for a lawyer have apparently been ignored.

'Sandy is not a spy or a thief. She is a hard working businesswoman who spends huge amounts of time on non-profit activities that benefit Houston-China relations,' Mr Gillis said.

Mrs Phan-Gillis could face life in prison if she is found guilty

'Sandy has been a good friend to China for decades,' he added.

A UN panel ruled in June that China was arbitrarily detaining Mrs Phan-Gillis in violation of international human rights laws because she hadn't been brought before judicial authorities or given access to a lawyer.

The US State Department has urged China to resolve the case 'expeditiously'.

The charge comes amid heightened tension in US-China relations, dogged by issues from differences over territorial disputes in the South China Sea to the sentencing in the US of a Chinese man for conspiracy to hack sensitive military information.

Su Bin, 51, was jailed for 46 months in July after pleading guilty to conspiring to hack into the computer networks of major US defence contractors.

President Barack Obama will arrive in China on Saturday for a G20 summit in the city of Hangzhou.

China's state secret law is extremely broad, encompassing everything from industrial data to top leaders' birthdays. Information can also be declared a state secret retroactively.
A 12-year-old girl who sparked outrage with gruesome pictures of her standing triumphantly over a giraffe she shot dead in Africa has been invited to hunt lions next.

Aryanna Gourdin, from Utah, has vowed to 'never stop hunting' despite a torrent of abuse after she gloated of her kills on safari on Facebook.

The men behind Aryanna's hunts, which have seen her kill a bear, a wildebeest and a zebra, have asked her to return to Africa to shoot lions next year.

Also invited on the sickening hunt are Josh and Sarah Bowmar, who filmed themselves stabbing a bear with a 7ft spear and leaving it to bleed to death.

Aryanna Gourdin, 12, sparked outrage with pictures of her standing over the body of a giraffe she shot dead in Africa. Now she has been invited back to hunt lions

Aryanna Gourdin, from Utah, has vowed to 'never stop hunting' despite a torrent of abuse after she gloated of her kills on safari on Facebook

The men behind Aryanna's hunts, which have seen her kill a bear, a wildebeest and a zebra, have asked her to return to Africa to shoot lions next year

Also invited on the sickening hunt are Josh Bowmar and his wife Sarah. Mr Bowmar filmed himself stabbing a bear with a 7ft spear and leaving it to bleed to death.

Mark Martineau and Jason Hansen, who run hunting expeditions and organised Aryanna and her father's trip to Africa, want the 12-year-old to add lions to her long kill list.

In a message on their Rack Em Up hunting Twitter account, the pair invited Mrs Bowmar to join them.

'Sarah, if you'd like to join us next year in Africa it's on me. I'm putting Aryanna Gourdin on a lion next year.'

The Bowmars have turned down the offer, but Aryanna has not - and she has previously insisted that she will never stop hunting.

Aryanna received death threats after posting grotesque images of her standing next to her trophy kills during the hunt in South Africa this summer.

One particularly gruesome picture showed her smiling as she clasps the heart of a giraffe. Another shows her proudly holding her rifle aloft as she stands on the corpse of the slain animal.

But she told Good Morning America that the hundreds of messages she had received imploring her to stop killing animals did not bother her.

'It's something I cherish and enjoy and I want other people to see what I experienced,' she said.

Aryanna received death threats after posting grotesque images of her standing next to her trophy kills during the hunt in South Africa this summer

One particularly gruesome picture showed her smiling as she clasps the heart of a giraffe. Another shows her proudly holding her rifle aloft as she stands on the corpse of the animal

Both Aryanna and her father, Eli, have insisted the killings aid conservation efforts and say the majestic animals carcasses go towards feeding African villagers

'I would never back down from hunting. I am a hunter and no matter what people say to me, I'm never going to stop,' she added.

Both Aryanna and her father, Eli, have insisted the killings aid conservation efforts and say the majestic animals carcasses go towards feeding African villagers.

But hunting critics say these are just excuses hunters use to justify their 'senseless' passion.

Masha Kalinina, from Human Society International, told the Daily Mirror: 'When we allow children to participate in trophy hunting, instead of teaching them to respect creatures, we are teaching them that its OK to kill for kicks and that animals are worth more dead than alive.

'Trophy hunting is cruel and does nothing to support conservation in Africa. Trophy hunting is short-term financial gain for long-term loss, not just for the animal kingdom but also because killing off charismatic species deprives local economies of ecotourism opportunities.'

She added that just 0.02 per cent of South Africa's GDP was generated by trophy hunting - and that whether any of that ended up paying for conservation was 'unclear'.

Animal lovers have also slammed the hunters, with one person writing on Aryanna's Facebook page: 'Thanks for reminding me that stupid people still exist. Please consider using that thing in your head next time, that what we call A BRAIN.

Another wrote: 'Another piece of s***. Everybody make her famous.'

Mr Bowmar filmed himself stabbing a bear with a 7ft spear and then leaving it to bleed out

After a huge social media backlash to the killing, his wife, Sarah, was dropped by her sponsor Under Armour

The Bowmars (pictured), from Ohio, have turned down the offer to hunt lions with Aryanna

The Bowmars, who have turned down the invite to hunt lions, also invoked fury after Mr Bowmar filmed himself stabbing a bear with a 7ft spear and then leaving it to bleed out.

Mr Bowmar, from Ohio, killed the 392lb bear in Alberta, Canada in June, leading the province to ban spear hunting.

After a huge social media backlash to the killing, his wife was dropped by her sponsor Under Armour, for whom she had been a brand ambassador during their first 'women's hunting campaign'.

She turned down Martineau and Hansen's invite after she was dropped by Under Armour.

Martineau defended hunting and the expeditions he organises, claiming they have helped the animal population grow.
Jan Sochalski, a nurse for 40 years in New Jersey, has been arrested

Authorities say a retired Florida nurse suffocated her husband in his hospital bed as he was recovering from elective back surgery.

Daytona Beach Police chief Mike Chitwood tells news outlets that 61-year-old Jan Sochalski of Palm Coast was arrested Monday and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the May 19 death of 64-year-old Henry Sochalski.

An arrest report states Jan Sochalski had been complaining about the care her husband was receiving after he went into respiratory and cardiac arrest April 9 following elective back surgery at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center in Daytona Beach.

Henry Sochalski - a retired Trenton, New Jersey, policeman - was unresponsive and had been placed in a unit called 'comfort care', or palliative care at the hospital, the arrest report states.

Henry 'Butch' Sochalski Jr., 64, died after having surgery in April. He leaves behind his wife and two daughters, pictured either side. Staff at the hospital where he died suspect foul play

In Henry's brief obituary, it was noted that when he died he was 'surrounded by his loving family at Florida Memorial Hospital', however an arrest report states only his wife was present

Investigators said Jan Sochalski was so frustrated about her husband's treatment at the hospital that, on April 28, she threatened to go home, retrieve her husband's firearm and 'shoot the people on the seventh floor'.

Police were called to the hospital, but a nurse calmed Sochalski and she was not arrested.

Another nurse told Daytona Beach investigators that on one occasion, Sochalksi had asked for medication that would 'decrease his her husband's respiratory status'.

An arrest report says a nurse found the suspect on top of her husband in his bed moments before his death at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center in Daytona Beach.

Henry Butch Sochalski with his wife Jan Sochalski (left) and daughter Nicole Sochalski Lombardi (right). Investigators say Jan Sochalski denies killing her husband

Jan Sochalski complained about the care her husband received after he went into cardiac arrest following back surgery at Florida Hospital Memorial in Daytona Beach, pictured

Henry had spent 25 years as a cop on the streets of Trenton before his 2003 retirement

The nurse said Sochalski had one hand around Henry Sochalski's chest and the other hand around his mouth and nose.

When the nurse returned to the room a few minutes later, she saw that Henry Sochalski's tracheotomy collar was off and that his nose was red.

A second nurse who was in the room told investigators that it appeared that Sochalski was 'pinching the victim's nose'.

Henry Sochalski died about 30 minutes later.

Suspecting foul play, nurses called Daytona Beach Police.

A motorcycle enthusiast, Henry was an executive officer of the Blue Knights International Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club

A Volusia County medical examiner ruled earlier this month that Henry Sochalski's death was a homicide caused by suffocation.

His nose was purple and there were signs of bleeding inside his upper lip.

Investigators say Jan Sochalski denies killing her husband.
Germany's European Commissioner said on Tuesday that Turkey would probably not join the European Union while Tayyip Erdogan was president.

Turkey began talks about joining the European Union in 2005 but has made little progress. The prospect of the mainly Muslim country becoming an EU member worries many countries and relations have become more strained since a failed coup in July.

'It will probably be an issue for the period after Erdogan,' Guenther Oettinger said in an interview with the Bild newspaper.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he is prepared to bring back the death penalty to Turkey after a failed coup in July

'Given the current conditions, accession is not realistic until well into the next decade,' he said.

On Sunday German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday he did not see Turkey joining the EU during his own political career, noting that the bloc would not be in a position to accept Turkey even if Ankara met all the entry requirements tomorrow.

In June, German lawmakers voted to label the 1915 mass killings of Armenians an act of genocide, infuriating Turkey, which rejects that view of the killings of Christian Armenians by Ottoman forces during World War One amounted to genocide.

Germany's European Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said Turkey is unlikely to join the EU under Erdogan's control
Mr Whalan has raised $89, which he plans to donate to charity

Has been overwhelmed with support since launching the campaign

He launched an online campaign to replace the

A man who had his prized pair of thongs stolen while he was fishing has launched an online crowdfunding page to replace them.

Clancy Whalan was fishing with mates in Darwin's Buffalo Creek earlier this month when 'Some bugger nicked me pluggers.'

Mr Whalan has been overwhelmed with support since launching the campaign, with donators extending their sympathies about his crushing loss.

Clancy Whalan was fishing with mates in Darwin earlier this month when his prized pair of thongs were stolen

'Went fishing and left me new wheels at the boat ramp cos its no luck taking them on the boat and some knucklehead has come along and nicked them! (sic)' Mr Whalan wrote on the page.

He told NTNews the pair of Reef thongs had sentimental value  as well as doubling up as bottle openers.

'They're sentimental  they went everywhere with me,' he said.

His housemates told the publication he was left 'shattered and upset' after the loss.

He has been overwhelmed with support since launching an online crowdfunding page to replace them

Mr Whalan has raised an impressive $89, which he plans to donate to charity

Donators have extended their sympathies about his crushing loss

However there appears to have been a light at the end of the tunnel  the outpouring of sympathy he received online.

'Sorry for your loss mate. They are in a better place,' wrote one donator.

'Wishing you and your new thongs all the best in what I hope is a long and lovely union' wrote another.
Westpac has revealed plans to introduce a hijab as part of staff's corporate uniform to make Muslim employees and customers feel more comfortable.

The hijab for the uniform will be designed by Carla Zampatti and feature the bank's colours and logos.

Westpac's Director of Diversity, Ainslie van Onselen said the move will make people feel comfortable at work.

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The Westpac bank are unrolling corporate hijabs for their female Muslim staff

Manija Akbari, pictured, is a Muslim woman who says the company's move makes her feel valued at work

'This is one way we can show that we accept and recognise people of all cultures,' Ms Onselen said.

Manija Akbari, a Muslim woman who works with the bank, said introducing the hijab as part of the corporate uniform made her feel like 'part of the team'.

'I feel so valued,' she said.

Ms Onselen said the feedback from the move has been positive so far.

Westpac joins Optus and the Commonwealth Bank as other major Australian companies that have included the hijab as part of staff uniforms.

The hijab is expected to be available from April.
France's burkini ban has been mocked by social media users around the world pondering what local officials would do if Chinese beachgoers turned up for a dip on the Riviera in facekinis.

The 'facekini' face mask for swimming first made headlines in 2012 after it became available to the Chinese mass market in 2006. It covers almost every inch of the face leaving only holes of eyes, nose and mouth - making it much more of a disguise than a burkini.

Despite looking, at times, terrifying, they have been incredibly popular in China and in particular, in the city of Qingdao where it was created. The design has been credited for being better than factor 50 for sun protection and also prevents the wearer from being stung by jellyfish.

On Chinese social media the Weibo account of People's Daily, the official Communist Party newspaper, mocked the French ban while taking a swipe at Western governments that criticise China.

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The 'facekini' face mask is worn in China to protect women from getting a sun tan while swimming

A woman wearing a 'facekini' mask on a beach in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China (left) compared to a burkini which preserves modesty of dress (right)

'Armed police in France forced a Muslim woman to take off her conservative swimsuit. Where are their human rights?,' a People's Daily employee wrote, The New York Times reports.

On Twitter, one user wrote: 'The #burkini no while the Chinese #facekini yes?'

Another asked what the French police would say to Chinese tourists in their bid not to tan.

Ray Kwong shared an image of a burkini and a facekini, writing: 'The difference between the cool beaches in France and any beach in China.'

Twitter user Ray Kwong posted posted a photo of a burkini and a facekini, saying 'the diffrence between the cool beaches in France and any beach in China'

Another Twitter user said she hopes they never ban the facekini in France

In China the facekini is worn to keep the sun of women's skin so they don't tan

One social media asked why a facekini was OK but a burkini wasn't

And a woman said: 'Let's hope they never come to ban the facekini *sigh*.'

The reactions come as the U.N. human rights office says local bans in France on burkini swimwear amount to 'a grave and illegal breach of fundamental freedoms' and a 'stupid reaction' to recent extremist attacks.

OHCHR spokesman Rupert Colville says the rights agency wants local officials to 'immediately' lift the bans, saying they don't increase security.

A French high court has struck down on French town's ban on the burkini, effectively invalidating such bans in about 30 towns, though many remain.

Colville says such bans 'fuel religious intolerance and the stigmatisation of Muslims,' and 'have only succeeded in increasing tensions.'

He said people who wear burkinis  body-covering beachwear worn by some Muslim women  or any other clothing 'cannot be blamed for the violent or hostile reactions of others.'

A woman wearing a burkini walks in the water on a beach in Marseille, France, the day after the country's highest administrative court suspended a ban on full-body burkini swimsuits
A Chinese talk show host has accused the Canadian Tourism Commission of attempting to censor his show.

Gao Xiaosong

Gao Xiaosong said on his Weibo account that the release of an episode of his show on iQIYI, an online video platform, had been "delayed indefinitely" because of "strong obstructions" from the CTC.

The episode was supposed to be available on Friday. After a preview, which included content about aboriginal people in Canada, the CTC had objected to its release, Gao told his nearly 40 million followers.

He posted pictures, including e-mails in Chinese, from people who appeared to be CTC staff.

"We have always emphasized not to mention the aboriginal peoples because it's a very sensitive subject, and the preview includes history that is not to be proud of," said one e-mail.

According to Gao, another e-mail from CTC staff stated: "No matter from the history or human rights aspect, we have in the meeting again emphasized to avoid the aboriginal peoples ... This is really serious. If not worked out properly, it could be upgraded to political levels and cause very serious consequences."

Gao questioned the CTC's standing regarding the show's content, saying he did not sign any contract with the CTC and that the organization was not a sponsor.

The first episode of the four-part series has already been aired. It "achieved great results and strengthened our confidence," the CTC said in a Weibo post yesterday.

"As a promotion agency for a tourism destination, we hope the show focuses on promoting the destination," the CTC said. "We have only provided opinions on amending the priorities of the episode.

"A Chinese tourism company recommended the show to CTC and signed cooperation papers with us," it said. It did not name the company or give details of the contract.

Derek Galpin, CTC China's managing director, said he had nothing to add to the official statement.

In response, Gao wrote: "The changes and omissions CTC demanded account for up to 20 minutes. Even if we had a contract, which we don't, the harm to the episode would be unacceptable."
The prisons radio station is censoring 'violent' lyrics in songs - including Queen's classic Bohemian Rhapsody.

Inmates have accused National Prison Radio of treating them like 'fluffy munchkins' after it emerged the hit had been edited.

The line considered to controversial for broadcast in jails is said to have been: 'Mama, just killed a man, put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he's dead.'

Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen is among the songs said to have been censored by National Prison Radio

NPR describes itself as 'the worlds first national radio station for prisoners'.

As well as playing songs, it offers poetry readings and other programmes to engage Britain's 85,000 offenders 'in education, debate and community'.

But in a letter to prisoners' magazine Inside Time, HMP Chelmsford inmate Craig Bird reportedly wrote: 'National Prison Radio chop out swear words and violent lyrics from the songs we hear - what is the point of that?

'We are grown adults, not fluffy little munchkins that have to be protected by the prison nanny.

'For God's sake, National Prison Radio even cut a line from Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody "Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger now he's dead". Why? We all know the lyrics anyway - it had been played millions of times by the BBC.'

Bosses at National Prison Radio are apparently arguing that their audience is 'unique' as it included many people who had 'committed very serious crimes'.

Andrew Wilkie, director of radio and operations, reportedly said: 'All broadcasters will routinely play 'radio edits' of tracks which are suitable for their particular audience.

'When selecting and producing content, members of the NPR team ask themselves "what would a victim of crime feel if they heard that particular piece of content was played on NPR?".'
A woman was left shocked after she opened her mother's mortuary bag to take a final photograph only to find her body had been mislabelled.

In April, the woman visited Sydney's Royal North Shore hospital and found another person's identification tags had been placed on her mother's body.

On Tuesday, embattled NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner faced a string of questions about a number of 'mix ups' in the NSW health system.

A woman was left shocked after she opened her mother's mortuary bag to take a final photograph only to find her body had been mislabelled (stock image)

She told the committee she hadn't heard of any bungles involving dead patients this year, despite visiting the hospital about a month ago.

'I'm devastated for them and I'm really sorry that such an incident occurred,' she said.

The hospital sent a letter to the patient's daughter in August to acknowledge their mistake, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

'The incident was brought to the attention of nursing staff and the incorrect tags were immediately removed and replaced with correct identification tags,' chief executive of operations Dr Andrew Montague wrote.

In April, the woman visited Sydney's Royal North Shore hospital (pictured) and found another person's identification tags had been placed on her mother's body

Ms Skinner said she was 'extremely sorry' and was glad staff were able to find the correct identification tags

'On behalf of the North Shore Ryde Health Service, I apologise for this error and for any additional distress you experienced as a result of this incident at what would have been an already difficult time.'

Ms Skinner said she was 'extremely sorry' and was glad staff were able to find the correct identification tags.

She also told the committee she has refused to meet with a patient affected by a chemotherapy under-dosing scandal at St Vincent's Hospital, despite their request.

'I don't have a hard and fast set protocol, but it would be my inclination to wait until the investigation had been completed (to meet with affected patients),' the minister said.

She told the committee she regretted saying St Vincent's Hospital 'lied' about the scandal, conceding it was too harsh and she should have instead said they 'misled' the public through the media.
Nepal has imposed a 10-year mountaineering ban on an Indian couple who faked photographs purporting to show them at the top of Mount Everest, an official said on Tuesday.

Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod, both police constables in Maharashtra, India, said they reached the top of the world's highest mountain on May 23. But fellow climbers cast doubt on their claim, saying their photos at the summit were doctored.

Nepal's tourism department initially certified their claim but later conducted an investigation.

'Our investigation shows that the couple faked their summit. We have imposed a 10-year ban against them from climbing any mountain in Nepal,' tourism department chief Sudarshan Prasad Dhakal told AFP of the decision made on Monday.

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Real: Climber Satyarup Siddhanta had a picture of him on the summit of Everest 'stolen'

Fake: The two pictures are identical in almost every way. The main differences are the gender of the climber, the appearance of a flag and a change in the colour of the gloves

Dhakal said an analysis of the photos submitted by the couple showed they had superimposed themselves and their banners on photos taken by another Indian climber of his Everest summit.

'Despite several attempts to get clarifications from them, they did not cooperate with us during the investigation. The two Sherpas that assisted them are also absconding,' Dhakal said.

'The ban should serve as a warning for mountaineers to follow ethics,' he said.

Mr Siddhanta originally posted a message on his Facebook page alleging that pictures of him at the summit of Everest had been 'stolen' and subsequently altered by the Rathods.

He wrote: 'This is so so so amazing!!!!!!!! They took my pics and Photoshopped their image of summit... And got certificates too... Where is mountaineering going????? Shame on you officers from Pune!'

Indian climber, Satyarup Siddhanta, holds on his right hand a photograph that shows him on Mount Everest, along with what he says is an altered version of the same used by the Indian couple to make it appear they were on the summit

Two photographs appeared underneath his claim. One of a climber in a yellow jacket giving the thumbs up at what appears to be the Everest summit, another showing a group of climbers huddled together on the ground. Oxygen masks are being worn in both pictures.

The group shot appears on the Makalu Adventure website in a story with the headline 'Indian couple conquers Mount Everest, sets record' and the caption 'Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod at Summit of Mt Everest'.

The picture of the man giving the thumbs up has also been posted by Makalu Adventure under the same headline and with the same caption, but it has a few differences.

The person in the photograph is now holding an Indian flag, has a woman's face and is wearing different-coloured leggings.

The rest of the picture is almost identical.

Many of those who reach the top of the 8,848 metre (29,029 feet) mountain have gone on to make money or forge careers as motivational speakers and authors.

A total of 456 people, including more than 250 foreigners, summited Everest during the recently-ended spring season, after two consecutive years of deadly disasters that led to almost all attempts being abandoned.

Mountaineering is a major revenue-earner for the impoverished Himalayan nation. This year's string of successful summits is expected to boost the industry, which was left reeling after an earthquake last year killed almost 9,000 people nationwide.

Hundreds fled Everest last year after an earthquake-triggered avalanche at base camp killed 18 people.

Only one climber reached the top in 2014 after an avalanche killed 16 Nepali guides that year.

Siddhanta uploaded this picture to his Facebook page. It shows him at the summit of Everest

The same picture appears on the website of Makalu Adventure with the caption 'Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod at Summit of Mt Everest'

A picture of the Rathods on Everest emerged that showed them wearing completely different outfits to those on the summit

Mr Rathod posted this image of him at basecamp on Facebook. It has since been taken down, though there are no claims that this image has been doctored

Software consultant Satyarup Siddhanta, 33, from Bangalore, who summited Everest on May 21 this year, told MailOnline: 'I don't know whether the family summited or not.

'I was not there to see that. All I want is those pictures of mine should not be misused. Those pictures mean a lot to me. Fortunately I have our summit video, or else someone could have pointed the finger at me.

'Makalu Adventure put a watermark on the morphed picture. What a shame.

'People who have closely followed our climb for the past two years know what went behind the climb.
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More than 6,500 migrants were rescued from the Mediterranean in the last 24 hours while 460 arrived on the Greek Islands on the same day - despite an EU deal with Turkey to close off that route.

Greek authorities say the number of new arrivals through the Aegean islands of Lesbos and Kos had gone up from 129 the previous day.

The numbers are small compared to those trying to reach Italy from Africa - some 6,500 migrants were saved off the Libyan coast on Monday and more rescues have been made today.

But they indicate a steady inflow of people, five months after the deal with Ankara was agreed. Under the accord, those who cross to Greece without documents from March 20 will be sent back to Turkey unless they apply for asylum and their claim is accepted.

More than 6,500 migrants were rescued from the Mediterranean in the last 24 hours while 460 arrived on the Greek Islands on the same day - despite an EU deal with Turkey to close off that route. Rescuers are pictured lifting a young child to safety

Greek authorities say the number of new arrivals through the Aegean islands of Lesbos and Kos were up from 129 the previous day. The Irish vessel James Joyce is pictured coming to the rescue of a migrant boat off the coast of Libya

Rescuers are pictured lifting a child to safety from a packed migrant boat floating in the Mediterranean

Hundreds more refugees have been rescued from the sea about 40 miles off the coast of Tripoli, Libya

A group of migrants wave as they try to get the attention of rescuers off the coast of Libya this morning

Thousands of migrants have been rescued trying to make the dangerous crossing to Italy in packed boats

So far under the deal, just 482 people have been deported to Turkey but none had applied for asylum, Greece says. No rejected asylum seekers have been sent back.

That has pushed the number of migrants and refugees currently on Greece's islands to 12,120 from 5,538 in March. Most are Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis, and they live in overcrowded camps.

According to the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, 100 people arrived on Greek islands from Turkey a day in August, up from 60 in July. It said 2,307 people arrived through August 23, compared to 1,920 for the entire month of July.

Rescuers were again called into action this morning - a day after more than 6,000 refugees had to be brought to safety

Many of the boats used by the migrants are simple and made of wood while many of them capsize having been overloaded

Children look out over the side of the ship moments after they were lifted to safety from migrant boats in the Mediterranean

The total number of arrivals in Italy this year now stands at 112,500, according to the UN's refugee agency and the coastguard, slightly below the 116,000 recorded by the same point in 2015

The vessels are often flimsy and overcrowded while some of the migrants set off in such poor health that even if the crossing is calm they cannot survive a day at sea

There are around a dozen vessels run by humanitarian groups that patrol the waters off the Libyan coast, but tensions in the zone have flared recently as rival factions battle to control migrant trafficking

Yesterday, harrowing images emerged of a five-day-old baby wrapped in rags being carried to safety in his exhausted father's arms after being rescued from an overcrowded migrant boat in the Mediterranean.

The newborn and his twin brother were among dozens of infants saved from the wooden vessel yesterday morning, just 13 miles from the Libyan coast.

Around 700 people, mostly Eritreans, were crammed above and below deck as the boat began its perilous voyage to Europe.

Among those rescued off the coast of Libya on Monday was a father cradling his five-day-old son (pictured)

Thousands of migrants including a new-born baby have been rescued from the Mediterranean in a matter of hours yesterday

Refugees, most of them from Eritrea, were seen jumping into the water from crowded wooden boats just 13 miles off the coast of Sabratha in war-torn Libya. Pictured right, a single father and his infant daughter were rescued

These women and children were pulled on to a rescue vessel before being transferred to the Italian coastguard

Rescue workers threw life vests to those on board before helping them to ten inflatable lifeboats. The twins and their mother were airlifted to Italy for medical treatment.

The wooden boats deck was filled with people as aid workers from the charities Proactiva Open Arms and Medecins Sans Frontieres started the rescue operation.

A young boy could be seen clinging to his fathers hand as they waited to be brought to safety. Some of the men jumped in the water to swim to the safety of the lifeboats. On the rescue dinghies, children and babies were clutched tightly by their parents as they waited to be transferred to larger vessels and taken to Italy.

The early-morning rescue came hours after 1,100 migrants were rescued from boats in the Strait of Sicily on Sunday.

Italys coastguard said the migrants were plucked from eight rubber dinghies, one large boat and two punts in 11 rescue operations in the Mediterranean.

Dramatic pictures from yesterday's rescue show men and women diving into the water as emergency vessels arrive on the scene

Yesterday's operation comes less than 24 hours after 721 refugees were plucked from the water in the same spot

Some can be seen desperately clinging onto the sides of their boats while others tread water waiting to be lifted to safety

About 70,000 migrants crossed the Mediterranean into Italy from January to June this year, similar to the same period last year

The International Organization for Migration says that 105,342 migrants have reached Italy by boat this year, many of them setting sail from Libya.

An estimated 2,726 men, women and children have died over the same period trying to make the journey, often packed dangerously into small vessels that are completely unsuitable for the voyage.

Italy has been the front-line of Europes migrant crisis for three years, and more than 400,000 have successfully made the voyage to Italy from North Africa since the beginning of 2014, fleeing violence and poverty.

There are concerns about the countrys ability to cope after restrictions on its northern borders with Austria and Switzerland left thousands of migrants stranded in camps there. Officials at the Federal Criminal Office in Germany said yesterday that almost 9,000 unaccompanied children have gone missing in the country since the beginning of the year.

A Libyan coast guard stands on a wooden boat used by more than seven hundred migrants trying to flee Libya for Italy

Pictures from inside one of the wooden migrant vessels show some of thebelongings left behind by migrants

Migrants from Eritrea hold their children after been rescued from a crowded wooden boat as they were fleeing Libya

Migrants cram into boats that are often far too small and unsafe for the 190-mile perilous journey from Libya's shores

A rescue boat of the Spanish NGO Proactiva approaches an overcrowded wooden vessel with migrants from Eritrea, off the Libyan coast

More than 2,000 migrants were rescued in a matter of hours with 700 refugees packed on to just one wooden boat

Rescue bid: Italian officers lift a woman from a crowded wooden boat carrying more than seven hundred migrants

Most of the 8,991 youngsters were aged between 14 and 17  but 867 were under 13.

Many were reported missing from refugee centres, but police said the children often left in search of friends or relatives in other German cities or different European countries.

In February, Europol  the EUs law enforcement agency  estimated that at least 10,000 unaccompanied refugee children had gone missing after arriving in Europe. Now it says the number is considerably higher.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe warned that unaccompanied minors from conflict zones were by far the most vulnerable group among the refugees, and they could be targeted by criminal gangs or become victims of sexual exploitation.

On Sunday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was accused by her deputy of underestimating the strain on society of integrating more than a million asylum seekers over the past year.

Sigmar Gabriel said that rather than claiming, We can do this, Mrs Merkel should be setting the right conditions so we can actually manage this.

Among the hundreds of migrants was a young boy. Rescuers counted as many as 20 boats setting sail for Europe

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

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
Madeleine McCann's parents have axed a senior member of their team, with funding for finding their daughter quickly drying up.

With the future of the search, which has lasted almost a decade and cost 12million, in doubt Kate and Gerry have reportedly relieved media guru Clarence Mitchell of his duties via email.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed last week that there is still outstanding work to be done in the hunt for Madeleine, but the Home Office is only able to provide five more weeks of guaranteed funding.

Kate and Gerry have reportedly relieved media guru Clarence Mitchell (right) of his duties via email.

At present, Scotland Yard only has one lead it believes is strong enough to follow up, as the family faces the investigation being wrapped up on October 5, according to The Mirror.

Madeleine McCann has been missing since she vanished during a family holiday to Pria de Luz in Portugal in 2007

Mr Mitchell had been working with the McCanns full-time after initially serving as an adviser to them while working at the Foreign Office.

He told The Mirror: 'It makes perfect sense for Kate and Gerry to keep careful consideration over all their costs.

'I will continue to help them as circumstances require.'

The former BBC journalist previously covered Princess Diana's death as a royal correspondent and stood as the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Brighton.

He set up his own communications consultancy last year.

Forensic investigations into the disappearance were concluded earlier this month after the final scientific tests carried out three months ago 'didn't take the police forward'.

Met Police commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe announced in May that the investigation would come to an end after one last line of inquiry was looked into

The probe into the missing youngster, who vanished during a family holiday to Pria de Luz in Portugal in 2007, is expected to be wound down by Scotland Yard.

Met Police commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe announced in May that the investigation would come to an end after one last line of inquiry was looked into.

At the time, then-Home Secretary Theresa May granted the team 95,000 to keep the investigation going.

Forensic investigations were concluded earlier this month after the final scientific tests carried out three months ago 'didn't take the police forward'

Madeleine vanished at the age of three while on holiday with her parents in Portugal in 2007 and, despite a high-profile international hunt, no trace has ever been found.

Hopes were high when the UK investigation into her disappearance was launched in 2011, with Scotland Yard detectives later highlighting a sex offender who had targeted British families with young children staying in villas in the same area where Madeleine was last seen.

However, all routes of investigation have proved fruitless.
A huge crop circle in the shape of a swastika has been spotted in the Wiltshire countryside.

The symbol, which has been cut into a huge field in Beckhampton, near Avery, Wiltshire, is roughly 150 to 180 ft wide.

The formation is so big it can be seen from the nearby road and has been cut into a farmer's field of crops without him giving permission.

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A huge crop circle in the shape of a swastika has been spotted in the Wiltshire countryside

After first being shocked by the finding, the farmer was instead told how the cutting is actually a Hindu symbol of positivity, and the ancient 'Swastika' was used long before the Nazis adapted it as their infamous logo.

Ancient mysteries author Hugh Newman, who captured the footage via drone of the huge formation, spotted a Facebook post not long after the crop circle was cut.

The 43-year-old who lives in Wiltshire said: 'I rushed there to check it out and I met the farmer there and he was keen for me to not go into the field.

The symbol, which has been cut into a huge field in Beckhampton, near Avery, Wiltshire, is roughly 150 to 180 ft wide

'I flew my drone over it and got some good shots.

'The big trouble of the years is who cuts these crop circles because sometimes people don't have a clue how they ended up there, and the farmer didn't know.

'He didn't say much to me but he was a bit concerned by the symbol and he saw the negative connotation of it when he realised what it looked like.'

The formation is so big it can be seen from the nearby road and has been cut into a farmer's field of crops without him giving permission

Hugh said the ancient symbol is actually positive and can often be seen on Buddha statues going back thousands of years as well as on temples and houses.

The swastika has an extensive history and was used at least 5,000 years before Adolf Hitler adopted it for use as a Nazi symbol.

The difference can be seen between them as the ancient symbol has dots in the gaps between the lines and has round edges compared to the blunt edges used in the Nazi flag.

Ancient mysteries author Hugh Newman captured the footage via drone of the huge formation

Hugh added: 'You get teams of hoaxers going around and doing crop circles without anyone's permission and if they get caught they can be prosecuted for it.

'But some of the circles they cut are so advanced and difficult to do that it is actually land art.'

A crop circle or crop formation is a pattern created by flattening a crop by using string and wooden planks which people stand on to break and bend the crops.
Comes days after Salvation Army warned of fivefold slavery increase

39-year-old man has been arrested on

A 39-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of modern day slavery after eight men, a woman and a baby were found living in a warehouse.

Police and firefighters forced their way into the site after receiving reports of suspicious behaviour in Tile Hill, Coventry, West Midlands, on Sunday night.

The discovery comes days after the Salvation Army said it has seen a nearly fivefold increase in the number of slavery victims it has helped in England and Wales since 2012.

A 39-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of modern day slavery after eight men, a woman and a baby were found living in a warehouse in Coventry

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: 'Police visited a warehouse where eight men and a woman and baby were found to be living.

'Seven men and the woman and baby have been safeguarded and a 39-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of modern day slavery.

'Inquiries into the matter continue by detectives from Force CID.'

Last month Prime Minister Theresa May describe modern day slavery as a 'barbaric evil'.

She also announced the establishment of a UK cabinet task force to tackle modern slavery with 33million from the aid budget to fund initiatives overseas in nations from where people are trafficked.

A Home Office report estimated that in 2013 there were between 10,000 and 13,000 potential victims.

Police and firefighters forced their way into the site after receiving reports of suspicious behaviour in Tile Hill, Coventry, West Midlands, on Sunday night

And the Salvation Army said it had had 1,805 referrals concerning slavery from April 2015 to March this year.

This has increased massively from 378 referrals between July 2011 and June 2012.

The charity revealed that 44 per cent of the victims they had helped had been subjected to sexual exploitation, while 42 per cent had been victims of labour exploitation - working in industries such as construction or agriculture.

The 39-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of modern day slavery is originally from Sri Lanka but has an address in Northampton.

Three of the adults who were rescued are Sri Lankan, while another three are Romanian and one is from Bulgaria.
The photograph is as heartbreaking as it is unfathomable - a toddler left immobilized in a cast and unable to walk after he survived an attempt on his life by his father.

A Colorado man who said he could not handle the responsibility of fatherhood is facing attempted murder charges on Tuesday after admitting to investigators that he staged a car crash in order to intentionally kill his two-and-a-half year old son.

According to KHOU, Nathan Weitzel, 29, told law enforcement officials in Arapahoe County that he drove into several cars at a speed of 75 miles per hour while his son was sitting in the car with him and left unbuckled.

The boy, Isaiah, survived the crash, though half of his body was left in a cast and his ability to move has been severely hampered.

Isaiah, seen here at a Colorado hospital after the August 21 crash, was in and out of consciousness when he was found by witnesses

Isaiah (far right), his father, Nathan Weitzel (center), and his mother, Nancy Lopez. Since the parents are separated, Lopez cares for Isaiah during the week and his father watches him on weekends

Weitzel crashed his car into the front yard of a home in a residential area in Arapahoe County, Colorado. One witness said he continued hitting his son after the crash

Weitzel was legally required to secure his son in a child seat, but failed to do so. Here witnesses look at the crash site in a residential neighborhood

Weitzel, for his part, acknowledged that on the day of the crash, he had used cocaine.

He faces a litany of criminal charges, including attempted first-degree murder, child abuse, assault, criminal mischief, possession of a controlled substance and vehicular assault.

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'The reason he wanted to kill Isaiah was because being a father was a big responsibility and he did not think he was man enough to raise a child,' an investigator said.

The crash occurred just before noon on August 21.

According to court records, Weitzel entered the car with his son and fastened his own safety belt, though he neglected to do the same for Isaiah so as to increase the likelihood that he would die.

Weitzel admitted to investigators that he used cocaine on the morning of the crash

'I was trying to kill my son,' Weitzel told police.

He drove with his son to a nearby park.

'While he was at the park letting Isaiah play he sat in the park and thought of a way to kill his son,' according to court records. 'Nathan said he left the park [and] he drove around looking for a good place to crash the car and kill his son.'

Witnesses at the scene of the crash rushed to attend to the injured boy.

'I pulled the window off, and I pulled the door open, my neighbor got him out of the car and put him on the ground,' said Sam Schulte.

The crash is reported to have happened in the front yard of a local resident. When the resident's next door neighbor dialed 911, she saw Weitzel 'hitting the child ... it looked like an elbow. It was horrifying.'

A sheriff who arrived shortly afterward held Isaiah's head to make sure his neck was still.

The sheriff then noticed that the boy was crying and 'appeared to be fading in and out of consciousness.'

A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to help Lopez pay for the medical treatments her son will need in order to recover from the accident

Isaiah's parents are apparently separated. His mother, Nancy Lopez, cares for him on weekdays, and on weekends he is under the guardianship of his father.

'He's in the place that he should be,' Lopez said of her former spouse. 'He needs to be in jail for a long time.'

Lopez said that it will take two months for Isaiah, who spent days in Children's Hospital Colorado, to regain his ability to walk.

'He's a really caring boy,' Lopez told Denver TV station 9NEWS, 'He's really compassionate with other kids.'

'I don't understand why or how he could do something like this, but I'm hoping Isaiah recovers soon people pray for us and for my son to get better,' Lopez said.
A senior clergyman has been suspended after being arrested on suspicion of voyeurism - but his wife is refusing to turn her back on him.

The Very Rev Martin Thrower, 55, was quizzed by police earlier this month and released on police bail but has been unable to return to his duties at the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.

His arrest followed an alleged 'incident' at Ipswich's Buttermarket shopping centre.

His wife, Pauline Thrower, has issued a statement saying that her family was supporting him with 'unconditional love' following his arrest.

The Very Rev Martin Thrower, 55, was quizzed by police earlier this month and released on police bail

His wife, Pauline Thrower (right), has issued a statement saying that her family was supporting him with 'unconditional love' following his arrest

It said: 'It is with great sadness that we find ourselves in the situation we are now in.

'Whilst this has come as a shock to us as a family we are all supporting Martin with unconditional love at this difficult time.'

Rev Thrower has been rector of Hadleigh with Layham and Shelley, Suffolk, since 2009 and has since become Dean of Bocking and Rural Dean of Hadleigh, Suffolk.

John Howard, spokesman for the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, said: 'I can confirm that The Very Rev Martin Thrower, Rector of Hadleigh, Layham and Shelley, and also rural dean of Hadleigh, has been arrested by Suffolk Constabulary for voyeurism.

'He has been suspended from all offices within the diocese until further notice. We have made arrangements to look after his church duties and to offer support to his parishes at this difficult time.

'We will make no further comment while the police investigation is ongoing.

'Our thoughts and prayers are very much with everyone affected by this situation.'

Rev Thrower attracted some controversy three years ago when he announced plans to remove many of the pews at St Mary's Church, Hadleigh, Suffolk, to create a more flexible space.

The Victorian Society objected to the plans, but after getting permission from the church authorities this work was carried out - leading to the church being used much more by a wider variety of groups.

Rev Thrower has been rector of Hadleigh with Layham and Shelley since 2009 and has since become Dean of Bocking and Rural Dean of Hadleigh

One of these is the Porch Project, for youngsters from 11 to 20 who meet there twice a week for leisure activities.

Although it is backed by St Mary's and meets there, it is a separate organisation and supports 300 youngsters in a town where there have been criticisms in the past of a lack of activities for young people.

At the time of the controversy over the pews Mr Thrower said: 'Churches weren't built with pews in - they were built to be the community space, to have the market in and host big meetings and we have an aspiration to return the building to being the true parish church.'
to see the people representing them'

'This is about public being

Senator Derryn Hinch has been pictured 'resting his eyes' during the welcoming address to the 45th Parliament.

In Canberra on Tuesday, the media personality and new senator slumped in his chair and closed his eyes as Governor-General Peter Cosgrove gave his 40-minute address on the senators' responsibilities to their electorates.

Mr Hinch later described the snooze as a 'baptism of fire' and blamed it on a late night on television and missing his afternoon nap, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

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Newly-elected senator Derryn Hinch has been caught napping during his first day in parliament as Governor-General Peter Cosgrove gave his 40-minute address

The newly-elected senator then tweeted about the gaffe on Tuesday

'I tried to get a half-hour kip this afternoon . . . and the bloody bell started ringing at four minutes to five,' he said.

The newly-elected senator then tweeted about the gaffe saying he had been sprung taking a nap.

'Gotcha! Told a pic circulating of Hinch with eyes closed during GG speech. Still want rule change. Let still photogs do their job,' he wrote on Tuesday.

On Friday, Senator Hinch revealed he would campaign for press gallery photographers to be allowed to take photos of senators in Parliament.

Hinch is pictured here alongside Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (left) and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten (second from right)

Currently, photographers can only be taken of senators who is speaking. In the House of Representatives photographers can photograph Members at any time.

'People have the right to see exactly what is happening on both sides of Parliament,' he said in a press release.

'The media - and thus the public - should be able to see us in action, or photograph our inaction.

'If you get caught nibbling your ear wax, or counting your money or dozing: Tough.

'We are here to represent the public and we are paid a lot of money to do it.

On Friday, Senator Hinch revealed he would campaign for press gallery photographers to be allowed to take photos of senators in Parliament

'It is absurd that the media can't effectively show the public exactly what we are up to'.

Senator Hinch will lodge a Notice of Motion seeking to end the 'media blackout' this week.

The opening of the 45th Parliament had an Aboriginal welcoming ceremony and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called for a new era of political cooperation.
The European Commission is making steady progress in the ongoing Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations and "the ball is rolling" on it, a spokesman of the European Union's (EU) executive body said on Monday.

"Although trade talks take time, the ball is rolling right now and the Commission is making steady progress in the ongoing TTIP negotiations," chief spokesperson of the Commission Margaritis Schinas told a news conference.

"Talks are now indeed entering crucial stage as we have proposals for almost all chapters on the table and a good sense of the outline of the future agreement," he added.

Schinas said Brussels was still negotiating on behalf of all 28 members of the EU, including Britain after it voted to leave the bloc.

He also stressed that the Commission was still hoped to conclude the deal by the end of the year but not at the expense of "Europe's safety, health, social and data protection standards, or our cultural diversity".

Sigmar Gabriel, Germany'economy minister, said on Sunday in an interview with German ZDF television that negotiations over TTIP had "de facto failed" because "Europeans, of course, should not subject ourselves to American demands".

He has noted that the two sides could not agree on a single chapter of the deal being discussed.

TTIP comprises of three main blocks, market access for EU and U.S. companies, cooperation on regulatory issues and global rules of trade such as sustainable development or competition policy.

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.
'Chinese people were always used as a cash cow by politicians,' he claims

Australia's Chinese community will demand a more active role in the countries public affairs after being labelled as 'cash cows', according to a major political donator.

Property tycoon Huang Xiangmom, who has donated more than $1 million to both federal parties since 2012, said Chinese donors must be more vocal after being ignored in the past.

In a column for a state-run Chinese newspaper, the chairman of property developer Yuhu Group complains that political donations in Australia dont get results, reports AFR.

Property tycoon Huang Xiangmom (pictured with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop) has donated more than $1 million to both federal parties since 2012

'Even though Chinese people were one of the earliest builders of Australia we have stayed away from local politics and for a long time we were willing to have no voice,' Mr Xiangmom wrote in the column for Global Times.

'Chinese people were always used as a cash cow by politicians, but then they did not worry about helping the Chinese community,'

He said the Chinese-Australian community was under represented and called for a more effective method of political donations.

'We need to learn  how to have a more efficient combination between political requests and political donations.'

Huang Xiangmo (pictured playing mahjong with NSW Premier Mike Baird) said Chinese donors must be more vocal after being ignored in the past

In addition to his political donations, Mr Huang donated $1.8 million to establish the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney and another $1 million to the Children's Medical Research Institute at Westmead.

He pledged a further $3.5 million for an Australia-China Institute for Arts and Culture at Western Sydney University in December.

Mr Huang's Yuhu Group is involved in a federal government endorsed $2 billion Australian agriculture investment deal.
Germany's top Eurocrat has been branded 'breathtakingly arrogant' after saying Brexit may never happen.

EU commissioner Gunther Oettinger said he believed the impact on the economy could still force the public to think again.

The intervention comes despite fresh signs that the dire warnings about the consequences of the historic vote on June 23 were overblown.

EU commissioner Gunther Oettinger said he would not bet on Brexit happening

A CBI survey has suggested that the crucial services sector grew strongly over the past three months, while research by Lloyds found consumer confidence at its highest for five years.

Retail sales were up 1.4 per cent in the month after the referendum, despite gloomy predictions the rise could be as low as 0.1 per cent. And the unemployment benefit claimant count also recorded a surprise fall in July.

Mr Oettinger, the digital economy commissioner, told German newspaper Bild that he assumed the Brexit vote was 'binding'.

But he added: 'It is possible that public opinion will tip if the economic situation in the wake of the Brexit vote worsens.

'In any case, I wouldn't place any major bets on Brexit.'

Mr Oettinger warned that the longer the British government waited to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty - the legal mechanism for leaving the EU - 'the more insecure the situation will become - economically and politically'.

Prime Minister Theresa May has insisted the article - which starts a two-year formal negotiation process - will not be activated this year.

Ukip MP Douglas Carswell told MailOnline: 'I think this arrogant outburst shows quite how out of touch the gilded elite of Brussels really are.

Ukip MP Douglas Carswell said the comments by Mr Oettinger showed the 'breathtaking arrogance' at the heart of Brussels.

'First of all they try to intimidate us into voting the right way, and now they are trying to make out that we are somehow resiling from a false course.

'The sooner we are shot of these people and governing outselves the better.'

Mr Carswell said EU states should look to their own economic problems rather than advising the UK.

'The breathtaking arrogance of the Eurocrats, whose own eurozone is facing dire problems, to suggest we are going to see the error of our ways....
Hillary Clinton's campaign is enlisting the help of 'psychology experts' in order to aid her presidential debate prep, the New York Times is reporting.

Team Clinton wants to find out what will push Republican rival Donald Trump's buttons as they prepare for the most anticipated set of presidential debates in decades, which kick off on Sept. 26 at Long Island's Hofstra University.

The plan is to get Trump to lash out and look not-so-presidential  like he did several times during the Republican primary debates  and the belief is that he's most insecure about his intelligence, his wealth and his brand as a successful businessman.

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Donald Trump (left) and Hillary Clinton (right) will face off on the debate stage in under a month and the two candidates are prepping in very different ways

The Times' reporting shows the stark differences between Clinton's and Trump's debate prep.

She's studying up, not just on policy, but on Trump himself, as her team is conducting 'a forensic-style analysis' of his previous debate performances.

Beyond the psychology experts, Clinton's team has also tapped Tony Schwartz, Trump's ghostwriter for his best-selling tome 'The Art of the Deal,' because the author has watched the businessman up close.

Schwartz wouldn't talk to the Times about his conversations with the Clinton campaign, but said he believed the Democratic nominee could be successful in her efforts against the Republican if she remained 'calm, deliberate and relentless' in attacking Trump's 'character, volatility and readiness to be commander in chief,' the Times wrote.

'Trump has severe attention problems and simply cannot take in complex information  he will be unable to practice for these debates,' Schwartz said.

Hillary Clinton's campaign has enlisted 'psychology experts' to help her figure out what makes Donald Trump tick - and what will unsettle him on the debate stage

'Trump will bring nothing but his bluster to the debates. He'll use sixth-grade language, he will repeat himself many times, he won't complete sentences, and he won't say anything of substance,' the ghostwriter continued.

He warned, though, that Clinton shouldn't get too complacent.

'Even so,' Schwartz told the newspaper. 'Clinton has to be careful  she could get everything right and still potentially lose the debates if she comes off as too condescending, too much of a know-it-all.'

As for Trump's preparations, Schwartz's assessment seems to be correct.

The Donald has admitted that he doesn't want to spend too much time practicing for the debates, explaining that he feared too much preparation might make him look inauthentic.

'I know who I am, and it got me here,' he said. 'I don't want to present a false front. I mean, it's possible we'll do a mock debate, but I don't see a real need.'

Donald Trump says he's not interested in mock debates, which is typically how candidates prepare, and instead believes he can rout Clinton simply by being himself

'I know how to handle Hillary,' he added.

Trump's line of thinking is that he can command strength and boldness from the debate stage  showing Americans he really is a political outsider  while making Clinton look like a typical politician.

He also might bring up some of the seedier portions of Clinton's past, including her husband's infidelity, giving his trademark spiel: 'If she hits me, though  you have to see what happens,' Trump said.

One of the toughest parts of debate prep has been trying to find a suitable stand-in for Trump, with names like Rep. Joe Crowley, a New York Democrat, James Carville, Bill Clinton's sharp-tongued political operative and billionaire Mark Cuban all being mentioned.

None would be nervous about throwing the Clintons' years of dirt back at the former secretary of state's face, the Times pointed out.

Others have suggested bringing in entertainers like the liberal Alec Baldwin or the ex-'Daily Show' host Jon Stewart to help out.

Trump, who the Times reported recently met with Laura Ingraham and then later Ingraham and former Fox News head Roger Ailes, who's in the midst of a sexual harassment lawsuit, hasn't expressed much interest in role play.

Ingraham said she'd stand in for Clinton, but Trump swatted away the idea.

Trump also hinted that his stand-in for Clinton is already part of his campaign's inner-circle, name-dropping daughter Ivanka Trump.
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A French Game of Thrones fan has bred Chinese Water Dragons, although these cute lizards are unable to fly and cannot breathe fire.

Jordan Cadiot took photographs of the new arrivals clambering over their mother and father at his home in Heric, about ten miles north of Nantes.

Fortunately for the 20-year-old student, these dragons do not require any special skills such as those possessed by Daenerys Targaryen in the hit HBO show.

Jordan Cadiot was able to breed the Chinese Water Dragons at his home in Heric, near Nantes

The Chinese Water Dragons can grow to up to three foot long for males and two foot long for females

Experts say they can live in captivity for between ten to 15 years depending on how well they are cared for

Chinese Water Dragons, pictured, can make incredibly placid pets if they are trained from a young age in how to act

Chinese Water Dragons need to be kept in a very humid environment with ready access to water and an area to climb

Some Chinese Water Dragons are still imported from South East Asia but t is better to buy one bred in capacity

Caring for a Chinese Water Dragon requires lots of space as their vivarium needs to be at least six-foot wide and five-foot long
Sara Connor and her British boyfriend David Taylor are taking part in a re-enactment of what happened the night a policeman was killed on Kuta Beach in Bali.

Ms Connor, from Byron Bay, and David Taylor, 34, were arrested on August 19 over the death of officer Wayan Sudarsa, whose bloodied body was found on Kuta Beach.

The pair haven't communicated or seen each other for the past 12 days, reported the Herald Sun.

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Sara Connor (left) and her British boyfriend David Taylor (right) are taking part in a re-enactment of what happened the night a policeman was killed on Kuta Beach in Bali

Police officer Wayan Sudarsa (pictured) was found dead on Kuta Beach in Bali with 42 wounds to his body

Ms Connor and Mr Taylor (pictured) have been taken back to the crime scene separately since their arrest 10 days ago however, this week's re-enactment will be the first time they return together

Ms Connor and Mr Taylor have been taken back to the crime scene separately since their arrest 10 days ago however, this week's re-enactment will be the first time they return together.

It will also be a more thorough procedure with a representative from the prosecutors office required to attend.

Denpasar police chief, Hadi Purnomo, said on Tuesday he was optimistic that everything about the alleged crime would be revealed when the couple did the reenactment.

Sara Connor has had an emotional reunion with her ex-husband on Sunday after he was allowed a 15 minute private visit to Denpasar Police Station (pictured)

Sara Connor had an emotional reunion with her ex-husband on Sunday after he was allowed a 15 minute private visit for the first time since she was arrested over the death of a Bali police officer.

On Sunday, the father of their two sons, Anthony 'Twig' Connor, briefly saw the 45-year-old at at Denpasar Police Station and the pair hugged, cried and spoke about their children.

Mr Connor is expected to visit his ex-wife again on Tuesday.

Ms Connor's ex-husband Anthony 'Twig' Connor (left) has become the third visitor the 45-year-old from Byron Bay (right) has had since she was thrown in jail over a week ago

On Sunday, the father of their two sons, Anthony 'Twig' Connor, briefly saw the 45-year-old at at Denpasar Police Station (pictured) and the pair hugged, cried and spoke about their children

Ms Connor's lawyer Robert Khuana watched her meeting with her ex-husband from outside the room.

'They hugged. (They were) crying together, both of them,' Mr Khuana said.

'(They were) sad because they never thought this thing would happened.

'Especially now, they're thinking about their children.'

Mr Khuana said the subsequent media attention has taken a toll on them and their two children.

'Anthony said earlier that because of this incident, his children are having difficulties going to school because every day the media are crowding the house's front yard.'

Mr Connor didn't say anything to waiting media when arriving nor leaving the station in Bali.

Anthony 'Twig' Connor (pictured), who is a bartender in Byron Bay and the father of the divorced couple's two sons, arrived in Bali on Sunday night

The ex-husband (centre) of murder suspect Sara Connor (right) is expected to remain in Bali for the rest of the week

The private visit with Ms Connor only lasted around 15 to 20 minutes but he is expected to remain in Bali for the rest of the week.

Ms Connor last saw her former husband when she was detained on August 19.

'We're still looking for the right moment. We hope that after the re-enactment, all will be clear,' Denpasar District Police Detective Chief Reinhard Habonaran Nainggolan told reporters earlier on Monday.

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

Mr Sudarsa's bloodied body was found on Kuta Beach in the early hours of August 17.

Police say he suffered 42 wounds to the body.

Mr Taylor's lawyers say their client has told police that he and Ms Connor, 45, were under the influence of alcohol when they went down to the beach on the night of August 16 and became embroiled in a fight with Mr Sudarsa - believing he knew something about the purse the mother of two had lost.

Ms Connor allegedly intervened in a bid to separate the two, sparking Mr Sudarsa to bite her.
to release Chessy's name, after her family filed a lawsuit for failing to protect her

A teen who was sexually assaulted during a game of sexual conquest at a prestigious New Hampshire prep school said Tuesday in her first public television interview that she is no longer ashamed or afraid and she hopes to be a voice for others.

Chessy Prout spoke in an interview on NBC's Today show about what happened to her at St. Paul's School in 2014 when she was a 15-year-old freshman.

'It's been two years now since the whole ordeal, and I feel ready to stand up and own what happened to me and make sure other people, other girls and boys, don't need to be ashamed, either,' said Chessy, now 17 and about to start her senior year at a different school.

She added: 'I want everyone to know that I am not afraid or ashamed anymore, and I never should have been.'

Daily Mail Online does not normally identify the victims of sexual assault, but Chessy has now spoken publicly about the case.

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Chessy Prout has identified herself as the St Paul's School student who was sexually assaulted by Owen Labrie in 2014

Chessy (second left) appeared on the Today show with her parents and older sister Lucy (left). Chessy's father Alex (right) and her sister are alumni of St Paul's

Former St. Paul's student Owen Labrie, of Tunbridge, Vermont, was arrested in 2014, days after graduating from the Concord school.

Prosecutors alleged he assaulted the girl as part of a competition known as the Senior Salute in which some seniors sought to have sex with underclassman.

Labrie was convicted last year of misdemeanor sex assault charges and a felony charge of using a computer to lure the student. He was acquitted on three counts of felony sexual assault. Labrie was sentenced to a year in jail, but he remains free pending appeal. Following the case, his admission and full-ride scholarship to Harvard was revoked.

Chessy says she was disappointed in the jury's decision to acquit Labrie on the felony sexual assault counts.

Labrie was found guilty of sexual assault and sentenced to one year in prison and five years probation on October 29, 2015 (pictured center, during his sentencing)

'They said that they didn't believe that he did it knowingly and that frustrated me a lot because he definitely did do it knowingly,' she said.

'The fact that he was still able to pull the wool over a group of people's eyes bothered me a lot and just disgusted me in some way,' she added.

I hope he learns, I hope he gets help, and that's all I can ever hope for in a process like this. Because if he doesn't learn, he will do it to another young woman. Chessy Prout on her attacker Owen Labrie

However, she says that disappointment shouldn't dissuade other sexual assault victims from going to the police and bringing their attacker to justice in court.

'Although it was scary and although it was pretty difficult, I wouldn't be where I am today without having been able to speak up for myself during that time,' she said.

When asked if she thinks about what will become of Labrie after his prison sentence, Chessy says she tries not to think about him at all.

'I hope he learns, I hope he gets help, and that's all I can ever hope for in a process like this because if he doesn't learn he will do it to another young woman,' she said.

In the interview, Chessy broke down in tears as she described how the attack has now left her with anxiety that sometimes causes her to have panic attacks.

She says she hides in her closet during these attacks and that her little sister tries to calm her down.

'She comes into my room sometimes and she'll come into my closet when I'm rocking on the floor and punching my legs, trying to get myself to calm down and she'll try to give me the biggest hug and she'll say, 'Chessy you're OK, Chessy you're ok'" the teen said.

After the incident, Chessy says she tried to return to the school, but was met with coldness from her fellow students.

St Paul's is an elite school which counts Secretary of State John Kerry among its powerful alumni

Chessy says she now wants to help other sexual assault victims recover from their trauma

'None of my old friends that were boys would talk to me. They didn't even look me in the eyes. I guess they were uncomfortable,' he said. 'And nobody was talking about the issue itself, they weren't trying to prevent it from happening to anyone else.'

So Chessy's parents pulled her out of the school and filed a lawsuit, alleging that administrators had failed 'to meet its most basic obligations to protect the children entrusted to its care'.

None of my old friends that were boys would talk to me. They didn't even look me in the eyes. I guess they were uncomfortable. Chessy Prout on returning to St Paul's after the assault

Her parents, Alex and Susan Prout, joined her on the Today show for the interview. They said they didn't want to go after the school, but felt they had to when they saw that nothing was being changed.

'You think the campus would say "Uh oh, we need to talk about what's happened". But we didn't see that happening,' Susan Prout said.

'If ever there was a family to work with, it would have been our family. We loved the school. My husband had a wonderful experience there, we thought our first daughter had a good experience there and unfortunately it seems like the school's reputation became more important rather than supporting our daughter.'

Both Chessy's father and older sister Lucy, now a junior at Georgetown, graduated from St Pauls. According to Bloomberg, Alex Prout is the president and CEO of Invesco Asset Management Limited, Japan, one of the largest independent global investment managers. He previously worked as a director at Merrill Lynch.

Chessy's sister Lucy (left) and father Alex (right) both attended St Paul's School. Lucy is a junior at Georgetown and is the president and CEO of Invesco Asset Management Limited, Japan

The school has denied it could have prevented the assault, but they said in a statement that they have since taken steps to 'prevent and reduce risky adolescent behavior.'

The timing of Chessy's television debut also appears to be tied to the lawsuit, since the school has threatened in recent weeks to release her name as part of the ongoing litigation.

Chessy is now working to help others with the after effects of sexual assault. During her interview, she announced that she is starting a hashtag called #IHaveTheRight. She hopes others will use the hashtag on Twitter to start a discussion about women's rights.
Firefighters spent four hours fighting a massive blaze that broke out on Monday night inside a Gap distribution warehouse in upstate New York.

Flames towered above the building in Fishkill around 10.30pm and the blaze was brought under control around 3am.

The warehouse is Gap's regional distribution center, shipping to Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy stores in the northeast.

At a press conference on Tuesday morning, fire and state police officials reported that the blaze remains under a joint investigation, ABC 7 reported.

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Firefighters from three counties battle a large fire that ravaged the Gap Distribution Center in Fishkill

Employees watch from the parking lot as firefighters battle the blaze. One hundred workers were evacuated

Teams of firefighters initially attacked the fire from inside the facility but were forced to retreat due to the conditions

No injuries were reported, however more than 100 employees were evacuated.

Firefighter from three counties battled the flames. One firefighter is said to have suffered a laceration to the leg.

Teams initially attacked the fire from inside the facility but were forced to retreat due to the conditions.

Flames towered above the building in Fishkill around 10.30pm and the blaze was brought under control around 3am

Major blaze: The large blaze began started on the second floor of the 990,000 square foot building

Inferno: Firefighters initially entered the building to attack the flames but had to retreat

Gap said it will not be able to fully assess the damage until after the investigation is completed, because they are not allowed to enter the center before then.

The building, which measures at 990,000 square feet, is believed to be destroyed.

At a press conference early Tuesday , fire and state police officials reported that the blaze remains under a joint investigation, the Poughkeepsie Journal reported.

It took crews over four hours to bring the blaze under control and there were still firefighters at the scene on Tuesday morning

The investigation is being conducted by state police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control, and the Dutchess County Fire Investigation Division.

Gap announced plans in 2014 to add 1,200 jobs over a five-year span, and invest $96 million into the Fishkill facility.

At the time of the announcement, the facility had more than 425 employees.

Gap's regional distribution center: The facility is located alongside Interstate 84, where it intersects with Route 9
Pastor Mark Burns, who advises Donald Trump and acts as a campaign surrogate, on Tuesday apologized in his 'sincere heart of hearts' for tweeting a 'divisive' cartoon image of Hillary Clinton in blackface.

The tweet, which Burns posted Monday, depicts Clinton with her face shaded wearing a T-shirt that says 'NO HOT SAUCE NO PEACE.' She is holding a sign that says #@!* THE POLICE.'

The text of the tweet reads: 'I aint no ways tired of pandering to African Americans,' with additional text mockingly meant to be from Clinton saying, 'Black Americans, THANK YOU FOR YOUR VOTES and letting me use you again ... See you again in 4 years.'

Pastor Mark Burns has apologized for sending out a tweet that showed Hillary Clinton in blackface

Burns posted the tweet, which he initially defended Monday, in advance of Donald Trump's planned speech to before a black congregation on Saturday, to be broadcast on the Impact Network.

'It was in hindsight a horrible image to use. For me the blackface wasnt the focal point of the picture,' Burns told CNN Tuesday morning.

'Obviously it was never my intent to  you know, this campaign needs to be moreso about the policies of the candidates, and Im supporting those policies,' Burns continued.

'The last thing I want to do was to draw attention away from Mr. Trumps policy and our historic upcoming event Saturday at the Impact Netowrk in Detoit,' he said.

Pastor Mark Burns sent out a tweet of the cartoon on Monday. He initially defended the post, but told CNN on Tuesday it was in hindsight a 'horrible image'

Burns also apologized for retweeting 'incorrect information'  a photo purporting to show Hillary Clinton in blackface that has been debunked

South Carolina pastor Mark Burns is an advisor to Donald Trump

Burns spoke at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on the day Trump was formally nominated

Burns also apologized for retweeting a doctored photo purporting to show Hillary Clinton in blackface while standing with a young Bill Clinton at a Halloween party, after being told by a CNN host that the image has been debunked as false.

'In retrospect that particular post  of course I didnt have the correct information knowing that it wasnt bill Clinton and I apologize for that as well, for posting incorrect information,' Burns said.

Then he reflected: 'Thats what the true message of grace is, once you discover new information, you are quickly to change your opinion and get back on the right path.'

'And thats what Im doing right now to the whole world is to say In my sincere heart of hearts my job as a pastor is to draw people together not push them away and one I began to discover how it was pulling people apart it is completely contrary to the message of unity that Ive been declaring around the world speaking at mr Trumps rallies around this country.'

On Monday, Burns initially defended the Tweet amid criticism he cast as part of a 'P.C. environment.'

'The tweet is a frustration that I have as a black man here in America and how I see African-Americans in many cases  not every case but in many cases  are suffering throughout this country and to see how en masse we have been voting for the Democratic Party en masse and yet we have very little to show for it,' he told MSNBC's Kristin Welker,' the Charlotte Observer reported.

'Its a vexation to me to see how the Democratic Party, and especially Hillary Clinton, what I call tap dance for the black vote, get it and then disappear for four more years,' he said.

Burns is a pastor at the Harvest Praise & Worship Center in Easely, S.C.

He said that 'In hindsight  if I could do it all over again, there are so many different creative ways of getting my message out there to the public, say, Hey African Americans, we need to make the Democratic Party work for our vote. We dont need to just vote for them en masse."'

Burns said he hadn't spoken to Trump about the matter.

'This is not the campaign talking. This is not somebody yelling in my ear saying you need to take that down. This is Mark Burns all by himself, who truly loves people and I love this country,' he said.
Mass murderer Julian Knight has has been ordered to stop tying-up Victoria's courts

Mass murderer Julian Knight has been ordered to stop tying-up Victoria's courts and sapping judicial resources with 'hopeless' legal claims that are doomed to fail.

The Hoddle Street massacre gunman was first declared a vexatious litigant in 2004, and has since had 30 applications for leave to commence proceedings refused.

Of six that were granted, he has had mixed success, with his matters failing as often as they succeed.

Mr Knight, now 48, is serving a life sentence after he pleaded guilty to seven counts of murder and 46 counts of attempted murder in 1988.

Over the years he has launched a volley of legal applications that have been deemed vexatious - meaning they are an abuse of power, were commenced to harass, annoy, or cause delay, or had no reasonable grounds of success.

Mr Knight has had 30 applications for leave to commence proceedings refused since 2004

Julian Knight was convicted of the murder of seven people in the 1987 massacre, where another 19 people were injured

Today, Victorian Supreme Court Justice Jack Forrest ruled Mr Knight should be subject to an indefinite general litigation restraint order, meaning he can never again launch legal proceedings without court permission.

'Mr Knight's applications, frequently baseless, take up scarce judicial resources and mean that other non-vexatious litigants are delayed in accessing justice,' Justice Forrest said.

Two exemptions were allowed for matters currently before the court.

Professor Paul Mullen had told the court Mr Knight has a 'rigid obsessional personality' and will continue to complain about the conditions of his incarceration whether justified or not for as long as he is in prison.

'His obsessional traits and obsessiveness tend to lose a sense of proportion when pursuing a particular goal,' Prof Mullen told the court.

He said Mr Knight had told him he gets satisfaction from the trouble his legal claims cause.

Mass murderer Julian Knight (pictured) is reportedly launching a high court bid to overturn legislation that will keep him in jail despite being eligible for parole
Campus authorities at Virginia Tech and four other universities are investigating threatening emails sent to dozens of individuals affiliated with the schools, investigators said on Tuesday.

The emails, which were sent with four separate Google Mail accounts by individuals using aliases, prompted some professors to cancel afternoon classes, according to the Collegiate Times.

Others have locked their classroom doors during instruction. Overall, however, the university remains open and classes are in session.

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The campus of Virginia Tech, a university with a student body numbering over 30,000 enrolled undergraduates and graduates, is seen in Blacksburg, Virginia

'I am here to inform that in the next couple of days I will break into the campus and will kill as many people as I can untill the police arrives (sic),' the one-sentence email reads.

The head of the Virginia Tech Police Department, Kevin Foust, confirmed to the Collegiate Times that an investigation was ongoing.

'At this time, Virginia Tech Police can confirm that an email was sent to dozens of email addresses within our campus community that included a threat to campus safety,' campus police said in a statement. 'Virginia Tech Police take all such incidents seriously and are actively investigating.'

While Foust declined to name any of the other schools that also reported receiving threatening emails, the Associated Press reported that officials at the College of William and Mary were also investigating similar messages sent to their community.

The threatening email sent by an anonymous user of Google Mail was received by dozens of people affiliated with the universities

The college is located in Williamsburg, Virginia, a four-hour drive from the Blacksburg campus of Virginia Tech.

Last year, a Virginia Tech student was arrested and charged with harassment after making anonymous threats on the social media app Yik Yak.

'Another 4.16 moment is going to happen tomorrow. Just a warning (sic),' the student, Kiung Moon, posted.

'4.16' is a reference to April 16, 2007, the day on which a Virginia Tech student, Seung-Hui Cho, massacred 32 people and wounded 17 others in a shooting rampage on the school's campus.

The Virginia Tech community is no stranger to tragedy. In April 2007, a senior enrolled at the school embarked on a gun-shooting rampage, killing 32 people and wounding 17 others

Cho eventually turned the gun on himself and committed suicide.

Last month, two former Virginia Tech students were indicted in the slaying of a seventh-grade girl who was found dead last January, days after authorities said she sneaked out of her window to rendezvous with the older teens, a county prosecutor said.

David Eisenhauer, 19, was indicted by a grand jury on charges of first-degree murder, abduction and hiding the body of 13-year-old Nicole Lovell, Montgomery County Commonwealth's Attorney Mary Pettit said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Natalie Keepers, also 19, was charged with being an accessory to kidnapping and murder and with helping hide the body, the attorney said.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) marked its 89th anniversary Monday, Army Day, with a call to action: A strong China needs a strong armed forces.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinping has said a strong armed forces can only be achieved through military reform.

Xi, who is also chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), called the reform drive "a comprehensive and revolutionary change," and said obstacles and policy issues that may hold back reform measures must be addressed to build a strong armed forces commensurate with China's international status.

The latest reform drive marks a historic shift in the organization and structure of the PLA. It is expected that the PLA's command system and structure will be more efficient, powers and responsibilities will be better managed, and its troops better arranged.

The fundamental criterion should be the test of war, especially modern combat. The military's role is to protect the country and it should be capable of winning battles, should the situation arise.

China has been pushing to reform various fields and its measures in the military have been some of the most successful.

After the third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in2013, the CMC drafted a reform plan, and subsequently the general command of the PLA Army, the PLA Rocket Force, and the PLA Strategic Support Force were established. The previous seven military area commands were regrouped into five theater commands, and the four military departments -- staff, politics, logistics and armaments -- were reorganized into 15 agencies.

With these measures, the PLA has established a system whereby the CMC manages the overall administration of the armed forces, while theater commands focus on combat preparedness, and the various armed services pursue development.

The PLA is committed to being "a peacemaker," adhering to peaceful development, contributing to world peace and protecting international order, State Councilor and Defense Minister Chang Wanquan said Sunday.

China will pursue a defensive defense policy, safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and protect territorial integrity and maritime interests, he said.

China is "confident" and "capable of" dealing with various security threats and provocative acts, Chang noted.

A strong China needs a strong military to uphold peaceful development. While anticipating peace, China will not accept any infringements on its sovereignty, security and interests.

The latest military reform drive is another Long March for the PLA. Today, this same spirit will drive forward this next stage of military development.
The grand estate of murdered gangland lawyer, Joseph 'Pino' Acquaro will be split between his three estranged sons and his nieces and nephews while his lover of 20 years will receive nothing.

The lawyer, 55, wrote the will in August 2015 after he found out his life was in danger.

Police have since learned a contract was taken out on the lawyer's life a year before he was killed, the Herald Sun reports.

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Murdered gangland lawyer Joseph Acquaro (pictured) left the majority of his estate to his three estranged sons after reorganising his will when he was told there was a price on his head

Marisa Di Lisio (pictured) was Acquaro's partner for 20 years - there have been reports of a strained relationship between the two in his final months - she was left out of the will

The gangland lawyer had ties with mafia boss Frank Madafferi - but the pair are said to have fallen out over business dealing.

Mr Acquaro was worth just short of an estimated $3.7 million dollars when he died - his life insurance policy was worth over $700,000.

The lawyer had just over $2 million in debt. The remaining fortune was split into equal portions, his sons will each get two portions while his nieces and nephews will get a portion each.

Mr Acquaro's will also spoke of a caveatable interest in his partner of 20 years, Marisa Di Lisio's home.

The couple had a strained relationship during his final months.

Acquaro, 55, was shot dead as he walked towards his car after closing his Gelobar cafe at Brunswick East in the early hours March 15.

This bounty had reportedly increased to half-a-million dollars in the months before he was gunned down.

The gangland lawyer was shot five times - court documents show there was a $200,000 contract for his death

Mr Acquaro's will also spoke of a caveatable interest in Ms Di Lisio's home in his will

The execution-style hit on Mr Acquaro is being investigated by Victoria Police's gangland squad, the Purana Taskforce, which was set up in 2003 in response to the city's underworld war.

Mr Acquaro was a criminal lawyer who had represented a raft of prominent gangland figures in Victoria.

Court documents show there was a $200,000 contract on his head, and he had been warned by police his life was in danger.

Mr Acquaro had spoken of his 'power struggle' with pizza chain owner Tony Madafferi months before he was gunned down, it has emerged.

Tony Madafferi is the brother of mafia king-pink Frank Madaffri.

Underworld figures have claimed that Mr Acquaro, 55, was shot up to five times outside his gelato parlour in Melbourne early on Tuesday because he 'knew too much' about the mafia.

Mr Acquaro had a career representing prominent Calabrian Australians, some of whom had mafia links.

MR Acquaro represented crime boss Frank Madafferi when he was accused of helping others import 1.2 million Ecstasy tablets from Italy

He represented Frank Madafferi and former mafia crime boss Pasquale Barbaro when both men were accused over their part in a 2007 importation of 1.2 million Ecstasy tablets from Italy.

More than 30 men were convicted and jailed over the plot to smuggle the drugs in tomato tins to Australia.

Frank Madafferi received a 10-year sentence. Pasquale Barbaro is serving life.

Mr Acquaro reportedly felt isolated after a falling out with the Madafferi brothers with whom he had been lifelong friends.

They are believed to have fallen out over business dealings and the fact that Mr Acquaro's sons were becoming close to the Madafferi brothers, which their father did not want.

The lawyer was gunned down in front of a gelato bar in Melbourne - he was shot five times

The Herald Sun has revealed that Mr Acquaro's office was ransacked and his Mercedes Benz smashed by young crime figures shortly before his death.

He also caught an ex-employee and others searching for files.

Mr Acquaro's body was found on a footpath in East Brunswick by a rubbish-truck driver about 2.30am.

His partner of 20 years, Marisa Di Lisio, spoke about the moment she found out that Mr Acquaro had been killed after seeing news reports about a shooting early on Tuesday.

Ms Di Lisio, 51, who runs Melbourne cafe Bella Cosi, said she had known Mr Acquaro since she was 16 and revealed that they started their relationship 20 years ago.

She described the lawyer as a 'loving' family man who adored his children, as well as her three sons.

But Ms Di Lisio revealed that they would argue about the fact that he 'couldn't say no'.
Amber Rudd and her French counterpart have stressed the importance of UK border controls in Calais after holding talks.

The Home Secretary and Bernard Cazeneuve reiterated their commitment to the 'juxtaposed' controls following a meeting in Paris.

The discussions came after a French plan to let migrants lodge UK asylum claims in Calais sparked a major borders row.

Asked about presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy's call for a processing centre in England to deal with asylum requests from those in Calais, the No 10 spokesman declined to speculate on the position of a possible future French administration.

He pointed out that it was Mr Sarkozy, in a previous stint as interior minister, who first struck the Le Touquet deal with the UK.

But Home Secretary Amber Rudd (pictured meeting counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve in Paris today) slapped the proposal down, with sources saying it was a 'complete non-starter'

Xavier Bertrand, who is chief of the Calais region, called for 'hotspot' application centres to be set up in the port city. Migrants hoping to cross the Channel illegally would instead be able to make a British asylum claim while still on French soil.

But British politicians said the idea would make the chaotic situation in Calais even worse. Amber Rudd slapped the proposal down, with sources close to the Home Secretary saying it was a 'complete non-starter'.

A senior Whitehall insider even suggested the UK could threaten to withdraw security co-operation if France tore up existing border arrangements at Calais.

The hotspot plan would also contravene EU rules that state refugees should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach.

Mr Bertrand said those whose claims were rejected by the UK would be deported directly to their home countries.

He also suggested that unless Britain accepted the hotspot scheme the Le Touquet agreement should be ripped up.

Signed in 2003, this allows UK officials to carry out passport checks on French soil  dramatically cutting illegal immigration.

'I want a new treatment of asylum claims for migrants who want to claim asylum in England,' said Mr Bertrand.

The Jungle camp has swelled since its formation and is expected to get significantly bigger

The Calais 'Jungle' migrant camp, which has become a hotspot in the migration debate

'It is not possible to keep the border here without a new agreement between the French and British governments.

'If the British government don't want to open this discussion, we will tell you the Touquet agreement is over.'

A Home Office source said last night that Miss Rudd was 'crystal clear that people in need of protection should seek asylum in the first safe country they enter'. The source added: 'That's the long-held, international norm, and we're going to stick to it'.

Mrs Rudd's talks in Paris focused on security, but the Calais deal also came up

Xavier Bertrand wants a new deal in which migrants hoping to claim asylum in the UK would be able to do so at a 'hotspot' in France

Another senior Whitehall source warned that the French should not tear up the Le Touquet treaty.

'It would be unwise because they depend on us for a lot of co-operation and training on security issues,' the source said. 'The reality is they rely on us more than we rely on them on these issues.'

Britain and France have a close security relationship, including intelligence-sharing, which is of particular importance across the Channel in the wake of the Paris and Nice terrorist attacks.

Officially, Miss Rudd was in Paris to discuss security with interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve. It was her first official overseas engagement as Home Secretary.

Migrants on the roof of a lorry in Calais. The area has become a trouble spot for dealing with the flow of migrants from continental Europe

Migrants walk at a site dubbed the 'The Jungle' where thousands of people set up camp in 2015

But the crisis over border controls was also raised.

In a joint statement, the ministers said: 'In the face of the challenges posed by ongoing migratory flows in Europe, and taking into account the migratory pressure in the Calais region and the particularly difficult humanitarian situation, we are committed to working together to strengthen the security of our shared border, to strongly diminish the migratory pressure in Calais and preserve the vital economic link supported by the juxtaposed controls in Calais.'

The two nations committed to bolstering security at the Calais ports and tunnel, as well as addressing 'humanitarian challenges' at the Jungle camp.

A Downing Street spokesman said local politicians in France occasionally called for changes to the Le Touquet arrangements, but that the Paris government's continued support for the agreement was clearly restated last month in talks between Prime Minister Theresa May and French president Francois Hollande.

The number of migrants living in the Jungle camp near Calais is expected to reach 10,000 within a month, a French police union boss said yesterday. Jean-Claude Delage said it was turning into a 'disaster zone' because of escalating violence and chronic overcrowding.

Sir Peter Ricketts, the former British ambassador to France, said last night that asylum hotspots could make Calais even more of a target for refugees trying to reach Britain.

He said: 'As soon as you suggested that, there would be a huge magnet pulling thousands and thousands more migrants into Calais to chance their arm, make an asylum claim, hope that they might get to the UK and good luck. So it wouldn't help the French deal with the problem of thousands of people in Calais  I think it would make it worse, almost certainly.'

John Vine, the former immigration watchdog, said: 'If this arrangement were to end, one of the biggest impacts on us would be potentially a rise in the number of people coming to Britain to claim asylum.

'The danger of changing the arrangement for them [France] is that it will encourage, potentially, more people to travel through France if they feel it is easier to get to Britain.'

Mr Bertrand does not have the power to change the Le Touquet treaty, but two candidates from his Republican party in next year's presidential race  Nicolas Sarkozy (pictured) and Alain Juppe  have called for reform of the agreement

Charlie Elphicke, Conservative MP for Dover, added: 'It would be a big mistake to enable people to apply for UK asylum from France. It would just make Calais a bigger magnet for migrants.'

Keith Vaz, Labour chairman of the Commons home affairs select committee, said Mr Bertrand's proposals were unworkable and undermined the basis of EU asylum law. He added: 'The processing of asylum claims for Britain on French soil would double the size of the Jungle in Calais and delight the criminal gangs that operate in France and facilitate illegal migration.'

James Berry, a Tory MP on the home affairs committee, said of asylum hotspots: 'This would be ridiculous and entirely counter-productive because it would attract large numbers of asylum seekers to Calais with a view of getting into the UK.'

The Home Office said it 'remained committed to working together to protect our shared border in Calais and to maintain the juxtaposed controls. The French government have repeatedly made it clear that removing the juxtaposed controls would not be in the interests of France.'

Last year UK Border Force guards operating on French soil caught 84,088 migrants trying to sneak into Britain  a rate of one every six minutes.

But the number of illegal immigrants caught coming into Britain hidden in trucks, cars and trains has almost trebled in a year  with 6,429 found by the police or immigration officials between April and September 2015.

WHY THIS LATEST FRENCH 'SOLUTION' IS DOOMED TO FAIL 1. Centres would become magnet for migrants Allowing migrants to claim asylum in Britain without crossing the Channel would entice thousands more to Calais. At present, many arriving in Europe are discouraged from trying to reach Britain because they know they cannot register claims without sneaking into England on lorries or trains. Instead, they head for the EU's no-borders Schengen zone. Asylum 'hotspots' in France would attract many who would otherwise have gone to countries such as Germany or Sweden. 2. Failed applicants would head to Jungle Asylum seekers turned down by British officials at the hotspots on French soil are likely to try to sneak across on ferries or through the Eurotunnel from the Jungle camp. The EU has a bad record for sending back those found not to be genuine refugees. In June, leaders were presented with figures that showed as few as 6 per cent of those told to go home to Africa last year actually left. More than 55,000 migrants from the top ten nationalities of arrivals to Italy were told to leave, but only 10,440 were returned, data from the EU's official statistics agency Eurostat shows. 3. Claims rise would be bureaucratic burden British officials would be deluged with thousands more asylum claims, creating a bureaucratic nightmare that could require hundreds of Home Office officials to go to France. Many migrants destroy their papers to make it more difficult to judge their claims, so staff would face the difficult task of establishing whether applications were truthful. Of those asylum seekers declined, many would appeal, raising the prospect of makeshift courts having to be set up in the hotspots for judges to rule on the cases. 4. Britain could face a huge bill for camps Building the centres could prove to be costly, especially if they attract huge numbers of migrants wanting to get to Britain. Applications can take months to process, meaning accommodation would be needed for long periods for asylum seekers awaiting a decision. France would likely seek to pass off part of the cost to the British government. Britain has already contributed millions of pounds towards improving security around the ferry port in Calais and Eurotunnel entrance at Coquelles, but handing over cash to make it easier for people to claim asylum in Britain would leave a bitter taste. 5. Hotspots could breed violence THE EU has already built hotspots to process asylum claims on the Greek islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Leros and Kos, but they have created problems from the start. Riot police had to be deployed on Kos in February as angry residents tried to stop construction there. Since March, many of the sites have been turned into detention centres to stop people leaving, but this has led to outbreaks of violence. There have been repeated riots on Lesbos as people take out their frustration at being held and react angrily to being told they face deportation. Tents and blankets were set alight during one such incident in May as a brawl was sparked by a disagreement over the charging of a mobile phone. 6. Risk to rules that allow UK to deport Under EU rules, migrants are required to apply for asylum in the first EU country they enter. Allowing those already in France to register claims with British officials would suggest this system could be scrapped. Britain has so far managed to stop attempts to revise the so-called Dublin Regulation, but such asylum hotspots on French soil could lead to fresh moves to rewrite the rules. Under the current system, the UK is allowed to return migrants to their first point of entry in the continent. More than 12,000 people have been removed from Britain to other European countries under the rules since 2003. The Home Office has previously boasted that this figure is 'many more than we have received in return' from other nations. Advertisement

Earlier this month a former head of the UK Border Agency claimed that up to one million illegal immigrants may be living in Britain. Rob Whiteman said many of those who slipped into the country under the radar will never be deported. The Home Office does not know how many migrants are working illegally in the UK. MigrationWatch has suggested that it was more than 1.1million.

Mr Bertrand does not have the power to change the Le Touquet treaty, but two candidates from his Republican party in next year's presidential race  Nicolas Sarkozy and Alain Juppe  have called for reform of the agreement.

The current French government is not proposing to scrap the treaty, which was endorsed again by President Francois Hollande only last month, following talks with Theresa May.

However, opposition politicians and candidates have raised the prospect of scrapping the deal as they jostle for position ahead of next year's presidential election.
Turkey has started striking back against ISIS in Syria after troops launched an assault on jihadis close to the border.

Turkish military tanks and armoured vehicles have been spotted near the border in Gaziantep - 40 miles from Syria.

They were deployed during 'Operation Euphrates Shield', which is an anti-Daesh exercise aimed at clearing terrorist groups from the Turkish border region.

The operation is led by the Turkish Army and backed by Syrian National Coalition, including Free Syrian.

Meanwhile, smoke was seen rising as Daesh's handmade bombs were detonated in Jarabulus, Syria - just 500 metres from the border with Turkey.

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This photograph, taken from Turkey's Gaziantep province, shows smoke rising as Daesh's hand made bombs are being detonated in Jarabulus, Syria

It comes after Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan started moving heavy armour to the Syrian border as part of his push to prevent Kurdish fighters establishing a stronghold in the region.

Turkish-backed troops have seized Jarablus from ISIS and are now moving into areas controlled by US-backed Kurdish rebels.

French President Francois Hollande has warned Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin against escalating the conflict in Syria.

Video footage posted online this morning showed a convoy of armoured personnel carriers on low-loaders being transported south towards the Syrian border.

A Turkish military tank was spotted near the Syrian border in Gaziantep during Operation Euphrates Shield

Turkish military tanks and armored vehicles were seen near the Turkish-Syrian border today

Turkey strikes back against ISIS in Syria as troops begin assault on jihadis in border region

Turkey has warned the Kurdish rebels that it will attack them unless they withdraw from the area.

The US-backed YPG Kurdish rebels have been among the most effective at removing ISIS from the region, although Turkey treats them as terrorist threat.

Turkish troops are currently shelling ISIS and Kurdish targets in northern Syria.

Ankara has said it killed 25 Kurdish 'terrorists' in strikes on YPG positions on Sunday - meaning the two US-backed partner forces are now fighting each other.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the clashes were 'unacceptable and a source of deep concern'.

Turkey has moved armoured personnel carriers down to their southern border with Syria as part of their operation against ISIS and Kurdish rebels around the town of Jarablus

The convoy showed the heavy military vehicles being transported on the back of low loaders towards the conflict zone possibly showing Turkey intends increasing its offensive in Syria

French president Francois Hollande, pictured today, warned Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan against escalating the Syrian conflict by attacking US-backed Kurdish rebels

Turkish soldiers carried a huge national flag on Victory Day in Ankara, Turkey on Tuesday

He called for steps to de-escalate the situation and said Washington had once again told the YPG to retreat east of the Euphrates. This has 'largely occurred,' he added.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 40 civilians were killed in Turkish shelling and air strikes on pro-Kurdish positions in northern Syria on Sunday.

Ankara strongly denies killing any civilians.

The army said 10 more villages had 'been cleared of terrorist elements Monday by Turkish-backed anti-regime Syrian fighters.

A 400-square-kilometre (154-square-mile) area has been cleared since the operation began on August 24, it added.

Two US A-10 Warthogs destroyed two ISIS targets in Jarablus, having taken off from Incirlik Airbase in southern Turkey.

Turkish troops supported the Free Syrian Army who retook Jarablus, northern Syria from ISIS

Turkish armour has been massing along its southern border while artillery and aircraft have been attacking both ISIS and Kurdish units in northern Syria, angering US officials

French President Francois Hollande told a gathering of French ambassadors that almost a year after Russia intervened behind the regime of Bashar al-Assad, 'today it is Turkey that has made the choice to deploy its army on Syrian territory to defend against Daesh (ISIS)'.

Hollande added: 'Those multiple, contradictory interventions carry risks of a general flare-up.'

He said that was understandable after attacks the country has suffered, but that Turkey was also taking aim at Kurdish forces who are fighting ISIS with the support of the anti-Assad coalition of which France forms a part.
The dramatic incident took place at Heraklion airport in Crete, Greece

A Thomas Cook plane with 180 passengers on board had to be evacuated after yellow smoke began pouring from its side as it prepared to take off.

Firefighters and paramedics were called to Heraklion airport on the Greek island of Crete after the incident on a flight to Brussels yesterday.

The aircraft was forced to abandon the take off and there was panic on board when the pilot cut the lighting and ventilation.

The plane was flying from Heraklion (pictured), the main town on the holiday island of Crete

Florence Brassart, from Lasne, Belgium said: 'When the pilot pushed the engine for take off the yellowish smoke came out of the right side of the reactor before catching fire.

'It suddenly slowed and we were all thrown forward.'

She said: 'There were many children on the plane. You can imagine the panic and stress for children.'

Ms Brassart said after the evacuation one crew member told her: 'Be happy to be alive.'

Another passenger, Fabien Herpers, said the heat on board became 'unbearable' during the incident but cabin crew needed to keep the doors closed to stop the smoke getting inside.

The pilot has just had time to stop the plane. A few metres later and he would have been impossible to go backwards Fabien Herpers

Writing on Facebook, he said: 'Just after the thrust of the engine, a yellowish smoke came out.

'The pilot has just had time to stop the plane. A few metres later and he would have been impossible to go backwards.'

He said firefighters extinguished the fire as the passengers escaped.

Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium insisted there was no fire onboard the plane.

A Thomas Cook plane takes off from Manchester airport STOCK IMAGE

A spokesperson said: 'Flight HQ1513 from Heraklion to Brussels returned to the gate after an oil leak required its takeoff to be aborted.

'This is a standard procedure, with all customers and crew disembarking the aircraft in the usual fashion before being transferred and accommodated in local hotels for the night.

'We are very sorry for their inconvenience.'

They said there was 'no increased risk' to passengers and crew during the incident.
A Minnesota elementary school teacher and his husband who were both being investigated in a criminal case have been found dead in an apparent murder-suicide on an island in Washington state.

Aric Babbitt, 40, and Matthew Deyo, 36, of South St Paul, were found dead of gunshot wounds on a Lopez island beach Thursday, according to San Juan County Sheriff Ron Krebs.

Babbitt, who taught at Lincoln Elementary School in South St Paul, was under an investigation along with his spouse for allegations that authorities declined to specify, citing an active investigation.

Mystery deaths: Minnesota teacher Aric Babbitt, 40 (pictured), and his husband, Matthew Deyo, 36, were found dead in a murder-suicide in Washington state Thursday

A kayaker came upon the body of one of the spouses on a Lopez Island beach (pictured)

The South St Paul School District placed Babbitt on administrative leave two weeks ago after learning of the allegations against him and launched its own probe.

South St Paul Police chief Bill Messerich revealed that detectives have executed a search warrant at the home of Babbitt and Deyo, and called the case involving the couple 'a tough one'.

In hot water: Babbitt, pictured here with his niece, was under a criminal investigation along with his spouse

The Daily Mail on Tuesday reached out to the South St Paul Police Department for comment about the case and is awaiting a response.

Babbitt's sister, Sara Babbitt, revealed in a text message sent to a friend, and later forwarded to the TwinCities Pioneer Press, that her brother and his husband 'felt like they didnt have an out and ending their lives was the best for them'.

Ms Babbitt also said that on Thursday, the day the couple were found dead in Washington state, she received a letter in the mail from Babbitt.

Sheriff Krebs said in a statement that a kayaker came upon the body of one of the spouses on a Lopez Island beach Thursday.

Police officers who were called to the scene later discovered a second body.

Both died of gunshot wounds, and the incident was ultimately ruled a murder-suicide.

Witnesses on the island reported hearing the sounds of gunshots at around 8.30pm Wednesday.

Veteran educator: Babbitt had taught at Lincoln Elementary School (pictured) in South St Paul, Minnesota, for 14 years

No way out: Babbitt's sister revealed in a text message to a friend that her brother and his husband 'felt like they didnt have an out and ending their lives was the best for them'

Police have executed a search warrant at the couple's home in South St Paul (pictured)

A suicide note was found at the scene of the crime, which stated that the couple had visited Lopez Island years ago with their dog and loved it.

Babbitt had worked at Lincoln Elementary School for 14 years, teaching first, second, fifth and sixth grades. He was set to teach fourth grade beginning next month.

The 40-year-old teacher had no history of disciplinary actions at his workplace, according to the school district.
An Arizona teenager who wore a Black Lives Matter t-shirt for her high school's picture day says she was told she couldn't wear the garment.

Buckeye Union High School student Mariah Havard, 15, wrote on Facebook that on August 23, she was instructed by a security guard to follow him and sit in front of the principal's office.

The principal came up to Havard and told her to meet with the vice principal, according to her account.

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Buckeye Union High School student Mariah Havard, pictured, wore this Black Lives Matter shirt to school on August 23

Mariah's mother Roxane Havard met with school administrators on August 25. Pictured is Buckeye Union High School

Courtesy ABC 15/ KNXV

Mariah wrote: 'I walk into her office and I sit and listen on how she tells me that my shirt is creating a disruption in the learning of education, she then tells me that I am not allowed to wear the shirt that means a great deal to me and my African American friends.

'She then walks out of the office and hands me a white shirt that's meaningless and non political and has nothing to do for what I'm standing for.'

Mariah continued: 'I heard her loud and clear but I do plan to continue wearing my shirt.

'The reason why I apparently can't wear this shirt is because on Friday , August 19th I got into a argument with a young caucasian boy who said "black lives don't matter" and "that shirt is meaningless" #blacklivesmatter.'

Mariah's mother Roxane Havard told 12 News: 'She was asked to change and she didn't question them - she was being respectful.

'She went in the bathroom and was thinking about why she had to change.'

The teenager wrote on Facebook: 'while wearing the shirt I have been verbally attacked MANY times, I never meant to imply because black lives matter others don't!

On Monday morning, ten students, including Mariah and Genesis, walked out of classes and protested

Student Genesis Santoyo (pictured) told 12 News that she was asked to change after she wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt on August 24

'On top of that while attending buckeye i've seen a young lady who wore a confederate flag shirt that clearly supports racism.'

Student Genesis Santoyo told 12 News that she was asked to change after she wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt on August 24.

Genesis claimed to the TV station: 'I've seen gay pride shirts, I've seen confederate flags. I've actually seen a white power shirt once.'

Roxane Havard met with school administrators on August 25, the TV station reported.

A male administrator asked Mariah to take off her sweatshirt August 26 in order to see if she had the Black Lives Matter shirt on, according to the Arizona Republic.

On Monday morning, ten students, including Mariah and Genesis, walked out of classes and protested, the newspaper said.

Roxane Havard was quoted by the Republic as saying at Monday's protest: 'When they wear their shirts that say Black Lives Matter, they're just telling you that their lives matter, too.

The mother alleged: 'They have made death threats to the students here on Snapchat, Facebook, social media.

'The students that have made these threats have not had any consequences.'

The students went back to classes a little after 12pm that day, it was reported.

Buckeye Union High School student Mariah Havard is pictured at the Monday protest

The students went back to classes a little after 12pm that day

The school said: 'The district is working with staff, local leaders, and black lives matters representatives to develop a plan to turn the incident involving the black lives matter T-shirt from a negative situation into a positive learning experience'

Buckeye police have not found specific or credible threats, authorities told ABC15.

The school said in a statement posted on Facebook: 'The district is working with staff, local leaders, and black lives matters representatives to develop a plan to turn the incident involving the black lives matter T-shirt from a negative situation into a positive learning experience.

'This is an excellent opportunity to teach tolerance, understanding, and acceptance for the diverse learners that make up BUHSD. This will be a process and not happen overnight.

'It will take the support of all involved and from the communities we serve. BUHSD is committed to the success of all students.'

A statement on the school website, ABC15 reported, said in part: 'In regards to the specific situation, the district strives to remain politically neutral while still allowing student expression.

'However, when these expressions interfere with the learning process and become a potential danger to students, they have to be addressed.
An assistant principal who sent 'sexual' messages to a nine-year-old girl on Facebook and arranged to meet with her at a swimming pool has been jailed for eight months.

Alex Gollan, 32, was a teacher at Homebush Public School in Sydney's west when he was charged with grooming and possessing child abuse material in May 2015.

He spoke with the girl, who was his former student, over a period of three months calling her 'beautiful' and commenting on her 'cuter bum,' the court heard, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Former Sydney assistant principal Alex Gollan who sent 'sexual' messages to a nine-year-old girl on Facebook and arranged to meet with her at a swimming pool has been jailed for eight months

In September 2015, the young girl's mother contacted police after she saw the messages.

Following his arrest, Gollan told officers the comments were meant to be 'funny'.

Police searched the online blogger's electronic devices at his Condell Park home and found child pornography on his laptop.

Alex Gollan, 32, was a teacher at Homebush Public School in Sydney's west when he was charged with grooming and possessing child abuse material in May 2015

Magistrate Alexander Mijovich said Gollan's conduct was an 'abuse of trust' and in no way humorous.

'Suggestions of meetings ... were not funny or appropriate in any sense of the word,' he said.

Gollan was sentenced to eight months, but his legal team immediately launched an appeal and the former teacher was released on bail.
The brother of JonBenet Ramsey has publicly discussed his younger sister's murder for the first time, in an interview that will be broadcast on Dr. Phil next week.

Burke Ramsey was nine when his six-year-old sister was found dead in the basement of the family's Boulder, Colorado, home on December 26, 1996.

Public suspicion immediately focused on the girl's parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, and Burke, however the family have long maintained their innocence.

But in the new interview, Dr Phil says to the now-29-year-old Burke: 'Has it ever occurred to you that your parents actually thought you did this and didn't ask you because they didn't want to know?'

Burke, who appears relaxed in the interview, replies: 'I know people think I did it; that my parents did it. I know that we were suspects.'

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'I want to honor her memory by doing this interview': Burke Ramsey has given his first interview since the murder of his sister JonBenet in 1996. He was nine-years-old and asleep in the family's home in Boulder, Colorado, when she went missing

Burke Ramsey was nine when his six-year-old sister was found dead in the basement of the family's Boulder, Colorado, home on December 26, 1996

Dr Phil questions Burke on whether his parents may have suspected him as a murderer but never asked him because he was a child

In 2008, Burke and his parents were officially cleared by prosecutors in the case, who said that DNA found on the girl's underwear didn't match anyone in the family.

Two years earlier, Patsy Ramsey had died of ovarian cancer.

JonBenet was found bludgeoned and strangled on December 26, 1996, hours after she was reported missing and a ransom note was found.

She had been covered by a white blanket with a nylon cord around her neck, her wrists bound above her head and her mouth covered by duct tape. Her skull was also cracked.

Burke Ramsey is now speaking about the murder for the first, in a three-part interview with Dr. Phil, starting September 12.

He says that, despite being a child, he remembers his mother coming into his room the night that JonBenet disappeared, searching for her daughter.

'I remember my mom searching my room that night saying, 'Where's my baby? Where's my baby?' Burke said.

Shocking details about one of America's most talked about cold cases will be revealed when Burke Ramsey, the brother of JonBenet Ramsey speaks to Dr Phil publicly about his sister's murder for the first time

The body of JonBenet (above in 1996), a child beauty queen, was found bludgeoned and strangled in her basement on December 26, 1996, when she was just six-years-old

John and Patsy Ramsey with JonBenet and Burke pose for a family Christmas picture

Burke says in the interview that he is trying to mark the anniversary of JonBenet's death by speaking out.

'I want to honor her memory by doing this interview. I don't want anyone to forget,' he said.

Burke Ramsey is now 29 years old. He was nine when his sister was murdered

John Ramsey also appears in the three-part special, but vows that it will be his final interview about the death of his daughter.

'This is my final interview. I have no reason for speaking to the media again,' he says.

John and Patsy had called police to report her kidnapping and said they found a note demanding a ransom of $118,000 - and ordering them to not contact authorities - if they wanted their daughter returned safely.

Despite the ransom note, police arrived to their home shortly after in clearly-marked vehicles.

Hours after police searched the home, John Ramsey found JonBenet's body in a little-used utility room in the home's basement.

John and Patsy would remain the primary suspects in their daughter's death for more than a decade, and it was not until 2008 that police finally cleared them of any wrongdoing.

At that time, Patsy had been dead for two years after a lengthy battle with ovarian cancer.

Parents John and Patsy were the primary suspects in the case for over a decade, but were finally cleared in 2008, two years after Patsy died of ovarian cancer

She was initially suspected by many of being the murderer after reports emerged that handwriting on the ransom note was similar to her own, but after she willingly provided a sample to police it was determined she did not write the note.

Many also suspected the killer was someone in the family as they claimed there were no footprints in the snow around the house and the ransom amount was the exact amount that John had just received in his annual bonus.

No one in the family was ever charged in the death, but for years tabloids and members of the public believed one or more were the culprits.

Most of these stories focused on parents John and Patsy, but some went so far as to claim that JonBenet's brother Burke had been responsible for his sister's death - despite the fact that he was only nine-years-old at the time.

John says that after his daughter's death, he and Patsy did everything they could to clear son Burke from the allegations he killed his sister (John above in 2006 with his father at his mother's funeral)

Stories pointed to the fact that Burke was in the house when JonBenet was reported missing, but his parents always stood firm on the fact that he was sleeping the entire time and did not wake up until after they called police.

He was exonerated by DNA evidence in May of 1999, a little over two years after the murder.

Burke has kept a low profile for the past decade.

Private investigator Ollie Gray, who continued to investigate the murder case even after he stopped working for the Ramseys, claimed earlier this year that the child's killer was a local 26-year-old whose family owned a junkyard on the outskirts of the city - Michael Helgoth.

On February 13, 1997, Alex Hunter, who was the district attorney at the time of the murder, held a press conference where he spoke to JonBenet's unknown killer, saying: 'The list of suspect narrows. Soon there will be no one on the list but you.'

Helgoth died of an apparent suicide two days later at his home.

A few years after his death, however, Helgoth was cleared when it was revealed that none of his DNA was found under JonBenet's fingernails or in her underwear.

The Boulder, Colordado home where the family lived at the time of JonBenet's murder, which was sold for $650,000 in 1998

In 2006 - 10 years after JonBenet's death - a 41-year-old schoolteacher named John Mark Karr confessed to killing the little beauty.

He was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, but he was never charged with the murder because his DNA did not match that found on the girl's body.

In 2008, new DNA tests convinced the district attorney that no member of the Ramsey family should remain under suspicion, though in 2010, police sought to re-interview Burke as they continued to investigate JonBenet's death.

The Interview will air on September 12, 13 and 14. It will premier on the 15th season of Dr. Phil's daytime talk show
New deal? Experts believe that a Britain free from Brussels could be able to attract companies such as Apple, run by Tim Cook, pictured, with its own tax deals

Post-Brexit Britain could benefit from a landmark EU ruling that has seen Apple slapped with a 11billion tax bill.

Experts believe that a British economy free from Brussels could be able to attract companies such as Apple with its own tax deals.

Today Apple has already threatened to cut EU jobs and investment after they were told their sweetheart deal with Ireland amounted to illegal state aid.

Theresa May's official spokesman has already said that the UK's 'Corporation Tax is one of the lowest in the world'.

Neil Wilson, markets analyst at ETX Capital, said: 'The European Commission seems to be treading very close to interfering with the tax rules of member states, effectively telling Ireland how much tax it ought to levy. It's also increasingly becoming a supra-national tax judge.

'Britain could benefit. If Ireland cannot offer sweetheart deals within the EU, the City of London can perhaps offer something more appealing outside the bloc.'

Asked whether the Prime Minister believed the Commission decision amounted to good news for the UK post-Brexit, as it would make EU states less able to use competitive tax policies to attract inward investment, a Downing Street spokesman said: 'In terms of offering a low-tax environment, the UK already does that.

'Our Corporation Tax is one of the lowest in the world. We are committed to making the trading condition for companies in Britain as positive for them as it can be as long as it's positive for the country as a whole.'

Appeal: Apple, which has its Irish headquarters in Cork, pictured, has denied that any illegal deal was made with Ireland over tax

Asked whether the Government would like to see Apple relocate in the UK post-Brexit, a No 10 spokesman added: 'The narrative from the Government has been well set out. Britain is open for business, we would welcome any company wishing to invest in Britain.'

He stressed that all companies registered in the UK are expected to 'pay the tax they owe'.

Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the maker of iPads and iPhones paid just 1% tax on its European profits in 2003 and 0.005% in 2014. The Brussels watchdog found the arrangements dating back to the early 1990s were illegal under state aid rules and gave Apple favourable treatment over other businesses.

However, Apple boss Tim Cook said the Commission's decision would 'strike a devastating blow to the sovereignty of EU member states over their own tax matters'.

The company's chief financial officer, Luca Maestri, said the decision would be 'devastating' for the European economy.

The tax affairs of a string of other firms, including Amazon, Google and McDonald's, are also set to come under the EU microscope in the coming months.

Lewis Crofts, global chief correspondent at antitrust trade publication Mlex, added: 'A post-Brexit Britain could be able to attract companies such as Apple with tax deals like the Irish one, and the European Commission would have no say.

'But only in a 'hard-Brexit' scenario. A half-way solution - similar to Norway's or Switzerland's - could see the UK subject to Brussels oversight without being at the table when the rules or decision are agreed.'
they are finally able to set the dog free

After digging through the

This is the wonderful moment a terrified Alsatian is finally set free after being stuck in a sewer for four days.

Rescuers helped the dog out after it had managed to survive with its head and paws sticking out by the road.

The rescue occurred in the city of Bahia Blanca, in the eastern Argentine province of Buenos Aires.

Poor pooch: An Alsatian stands with its head trapped under the concrete by the roadside

A short film shows a police officer crouching over a small drain hole trying to keep the dog calm.

A worker widens the hole with a hammer before officers are able to push the mutt's head out from where it was wedged.

Finally they free the exhausted dog and pull it up onto the pavement.

Local authorities were called out after residents spotted the pooch and raised the alarm.

They had kept it in good health by providing it with food and water while it was trapped.

Dramatic rescue: Local authorities saved the dog after drilling into the sewer

The dog is finally set free after surviving for four days in the sewer under the concrete

Officers of the Civil Defence Force carried out the rescue mission with the aid of construction workers, who had to dig up the pavement and concrete over the sewer.

Photographs show how badly the canine was stuck, with a construction worker forced to work in a deep hole that needed to be dug.
Police in Gansu province have captured a suspected serial killer accused of the rape and murder of 11 victims, one of them an 8-year-old girl, in northern China.

Police detain Gao Chengyong, a suspected serial killer, in Baiyin, Gansu province, on Friday. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Gao Chengyong, 52, was detained on Friday in a grocery store in Baiyin, in which nine of the killings occurred.

According to the Ministry of Public Security, the suspect has confessed to 11 murders in Gansu and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region between 1988 and 2002.

Police allege that Gao targeted young women dressed in red and would follow them home, where he would rape and kill them, often by cutting their throat.

The killer also mutilated the victims' bodies, which resulted in the Chinese media dubbing him China's "Jack the Ripper."

Reports of the attacks caused such panic that many women in Baiyin would not walk alone in the streets without being accompanied by male friends or relatives.

In December 2004, Baiyin police posted a reward of 200,000 yuan ($30,000) for information leading to an arrest. It was the first time police had linked the crimes.

Detectives concluded that, based on DNA evidence, fingerprints and footprints, they were looking for a man aged 33 to 40.

"The suspect has a sexual perversion and hates women," the police said at the time. "He's reclusive and unsociable, but patient."

In March this year, the ministry's Criminal Investigation Bureau launched a new investigation using the latest technologies to re-examine DNA and biological evidence.

Police eventually linked Gao with the murders and managed to collect his DNA, which was a match for the killer, a source close to the investigation told Beijing News.

Yin Guoxing, a DNA expert, said Gao's detention came after his uncle was put under house arrest in Baiyin over allegations of a minor crime. His DNA was collected and tested, and led police to conclude the killer they had been seeking for 28 years was a relation.

Detectives screened his male relatives and identified Gao, a villager from Lanzhou, the provincial capital, as the prime suspect.

Cui Xiangping, whose sister Cui Jinping was one of the killer's victims, told Beijing News that he had started to believe that the case would never be solved.

His sister was stabbed 22 times before her throat was cut in her home at about 11 am on Nov 30, 1998. Her hands and other parts of her body were never found. She was eventually discovered by her mother.

Cui Xiangping said his mother could not stop crying after hearing the news of Gao's detention. Although 18 years have past, the family has never stopped thinking about his sister, he added.
A mother has been charged after her toddler overdosed on a stash of the drug ice, also known as meth, that she allegedly left in his room while he slept.

The 27-year-old woman from Koonawarra, south of Wollongong, will appear in Port Kembla Local Court on Wednesday with a child abuse offence and six drug possession charges.

The 21-month-old was found suffering serious seizures on January 25 and was rushed to Wollongong Hospital, where he tested positive to having consumed methylamphetamine or 'ice'.

A 27-year-old woman has been charged after her toddler overdosed on a stash of the drug ice that she allegedly left in his room while he slept

Police said the boy had slept alone in his mother's room the previous evening, where it was possible he had access to the drugs.

The State Crime Commands Child Abuse Squad later searched the boy's home.

Officers seized methylamphetamine, cannabis, cathinone, buprenorphine and drug paraphernalia.

She has been charged with abandoning a child under seven and exposing them to harm, causing danger of death and six counts of possessing a prohibited drug.

The toddler is now being cared for by the NSW Department of Family and Community Services.
Kevin Ewing has now been declared brain dead after shooting himself in the head before his arrest earlier Tuesday morning

The crazed husband of a woman who was kidnapped twice before finally being murdered has ultimately paid with his own life, after shooting himself in the head.

Kevin Ewing, 47, shot himself with a handgun as police were closing in around him.

Although he survived the shooting, the Pennsylvania medical examiner says Erwing is now brain dead from the self-inflicted gunshot wound.

His wife, Tierne, lay next to him at a barn in rural Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, her family have spoken of their disgust that Kevin was allowed to freely roam the streets while out on bond.

Kevin Ewing (left), 47, was arrested on Tuesday, however he has now been declared brain dead. He had murdered his wife, Tierne (right), who was found dead in a barn in rural Pennsylvania

Tierne's family said that in kidnapping his wife for a second time in as many months, he was 'fulfilling a promise' that she had long predicted would come true.

'He did what he said he would do and what she said he would do. She died. Wishing for vengeance is too tempting and feels rotten,' her cousin Anastasia Higginbotham wrote on Facebook.

Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania medical examiner says Kevin is now brain dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

It would have been the second time Kevin would be charged with kidnapping in just two months.

Kevin led police on a chase that lasted nearly 24 hours before he and the body of his wife were discovered in West Finley, near the West Virginia border.

He was out on bond after being charged with kidnapping, beating and torturing his wife over a period of two weeks between June 26 and July 8.

He was charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault, carrying a gun without a license, terroristic threats, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment and reckless endangerment, but was allowed out after posting a $100,000 bond on July 11 and was freed on the condition he wore an ankle tag, but not one with GPS tracking.

Washington County District Attorney Eugene Vittone said his office had asked a judge to keep Kevin in jail. Prosecutors were concerned because of the seriousness of the charges, Vittone said, but he was still freed.

While he held Tierne, 48, hostage, Kevin beat and pistol-whipped her, spat on her, kept her hands tied with wire and branded her legs with a piece of hot metal, police said.

Ewing led police on a chase that lasted nearly 24 hours before he and the body of his wife were discovered in West Finley, near the West Virginia border. Ewing is pictured outside a preliminary court hearing in July

Tierne told officers she had been locked in a cupboard and only escaped when she was sent into a credit union to withdraw money and told tellers she feared that her husband would kill her.

'This isn't the first time that anything like this had happened. He had beaten her at least two times before,' Tierne's nephew, MacKenzi Kopko, toldInside Edition.

'About 12 years ago was the first time, she was at an Exxon gas station and he had shown up, broke out the driver's side window and pulled her out by her hair and beat her in the parking lot. And not one person attempted to stop it.'

'He always told her  and she would always tell us when anything happened  that, "The only way you're leaving Tierne, is if you're leaving this house in a pine box, that's the only way,"' Kopko said.

'She was scared that no matter what, that even if she did get away, he would find her,' he said.

Records show that Kevin was found guilty of simple assault and recklessly endangering another person in April 2001 and of terroristic threats in November of that year.

Cousin Anastasia says she believed that Tierne lived a depressed life. 'By definition, as a woman with an abusive partner, she did not have any real choices,' she said to Inside Edition.

District Judge Jay Weller in Canonsburg (above) oversaw Ewing's preliminary hearing in July

'Under those circumstances, death, torment and terror are infused into every minute of every day. Like all women who are killed by their spouses, she wanted to live and deserved to live.'



Police officers surrounded a barn near where the missing couple's car was found yesterday before raiding it and discovering Tierne's body, thePittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

Police launched a search for the couple early on Tuesday morning after Kevin abducted his wife at gunpoint.

Bank officials called police, who are said to have found Kevin in the parking lot with a rifle, handgun and a knife.
France's prime minister has been accused of being a sexist 'cretin' after saying that bare breasts were a glorious representation of his troubled country.

In a clumsy speech about national identity, Manuel Valls contrasted those who show off an ample naked bosom with Muslims who wear headscarves.

He claimed that Marianne  the mythical Goddess of Liberty who represents the French Republic  was someone who had the right idea.

Mr Valls said: 'Marianne has a naked breast because she is feeding the people!

Manuel Valls has sparked anger for arguing that naked breasts on a symbol of the French republic was justification for the burkini beach ban

The French Prime Minister invoked the symbol Marianne as he defended the country's identity and insisted 'she isn't wearing a veil because she's free'

'She is not veiled, because she is free! That is the Republic!' he said at a packed government rally in Colomiers, near Toulouse.

Mr Valls is a fierce opponent of women who cover up in overtly Islamic clothing, such as the controversial burkini swimsuit.

He said he would much rather see Frenchwomen, and visitors to the country including holidaymakers who enjoy the country's beaches, showing off their breasts than hiding them away.

But critics said his attempts to portray Marianne, a fictional character whose image is displayed in bronzes and paintings in town halls and law courts across the land, were both ridiculous and sexist.

Mathilde Larrere, an expert on the French Revolution, said the renowned painting by Eugene Delacroix - which includes a depiction of Marianne (pictured) - represented Liberty rather than the republic

Highly respected historian Mathilde Larrere tweeted: 'Marianne has a naked breast because she's an allegory, you cretin!'

An allegory is a literary or rhetorical device used to convey hidden meanings behind complicated subjects.

There were also claims Mr Valls was confusing Marianne with an 1830 painting of a Liberty Leading the People by Eugene Delacroix.

It depicts a woman displaying her breasts, but she is not necessarily Marianne, who often appears with her breasts covered.

Marianne also chooses to cover her head with a Phrygian cap  the kind which meant be considered comparable to the headwear Muslim women choose to use.

Female politicians, including former minister Cecile Duflot, meanwhile said Mr Valls's confused claims were typical of the sexist ignorance of men like him.

Senior French ministers including President Francois Hollande have a notorious reputation for humiliating women, including their lovers.

The UN human rights office has condemned local bans in France on burkini swimwear as 'a grave and illegal breach of fundamental freedoms' and a 'stupid reaction' to recent extremist attacks

It came as the burkini ban  a measure that Mr Valls partially supported  was finally lifted in towns and cities including Nice.

The garments appeared on the beach in the Riviera city after its council agreed to abide by the law, so ending its 'humiliating and degrading' persecution of women in any clothing that might be considered 'overtly religious'.

Male police carrying guns and pepper spray cannisters had been among those inspecting suspects over their clothing choices.

They had joined officers in patrol boats fining women they disapproved of, before expelling them from the pebbles.

But on Friday the Council of State  France's highest appeal court  indicated that such scenes were deplorable, and quashed the ban.

Three senior judges ruled that it was a 'serious and clearly illegal violation of fundamental freedoms'.

At first, right-wing councils such as the one in Nice continued with the ban, saying it was in response to recent terrorist attacks by Islamic State.

Although 30 Muslims were among 86 people killed by an Isis-linked lorry driver in Nice on July 14, they argued that the burkini might 'provoke' people.

But organisations such as the United Nations and Amnesty International said that such logic was ridiculous, and indeed played into the hands of extremists.

UN spokesman Rupert Colville said: 'These decrees don't improve the security situation but rather fuel religious intolerance and the stigmatisation of Muslims in France, especially women.'

'Mr Colville also attacked 'the manner in which the anti-burkini decrees have been implemented', saying it was 'humiliating and degrading.'

It was the Nice Administrative Council who finally lifted the ban, so abiding with the law laid down by more senior members of the judiciary.

It reads that mayor cannot 'without exceeding police powers, enact measures that prohibit access to the beach and swimming, as they are not based on proven risks of disturbances to public order, nor reasons of hygiene or decency.'
Cruz and Velazco are awaiting trial for murder and may face the death penalty

It was only when Alexandra died that her uncle called authorities

Now it has emerged that DCS and courts failed to fully investigate

They said she was in Mexico when she was at their home all along

Dept of Child Safety had been trying to take her into custody for 11 months

Cops say she was malnourished and hit so badly her skull was exposed

Tragic: Alexandra Velazco Tercerro (left) was 3 when she died weighing just 16lb. She had been locked in a room with her brother, six, who said he'd seen her eating cockroaches

An abused three-year-old girl died eating cockroaches on the floor of her parents' Arizona home because local authorities didn't properly investigate her case, it has been alleged.

Alexandra Velazco Tercerro died on May 23, 2015, weighing just 16lbs. Her brother, aged six, later said that he had seen her eating cockroaches off the floor of the room they were locked in in Suprise, Arizona.

Her death came a year after she and her brother were supposed to be taken into care - and as the result of a catastrophic oversight by local authorities, azcentral said Tuesday.

The little girl's body was found just a week before her fourth birthday by police at her parents' home in Surprise, Arizona.

They arrived after her uncle - who was 'babysitting' the children at their parents' home - called emergency services, saying Alexandra was unconscious.

As well as being malnourished, she had been beaten and her body showed signs of sexual abuse, azcentral reported at the time.

Parents: Carlos Cruz (left) and Rosemary Velazco (right) have been charged with murder and may face the death penalty. They said their kids were in Mexico when they were at home

She had injuries all over 'in various stages of healing,' cops said, including a gash on her forehead that exposed her skull and what appeared to be a broken knee.

The girl was being kept in a room that was padlocked from the outside. It also contained a dog collar and a paint tin - the latter used as a toilet for the children, police said.

Her parents, Carlos Tercerro Cruz and Rosemary Velazco - then 28 and 36, respectively - were arrested on first-degree murder and felony child abuse charges.

And all of this horror could have been stopped a year before, had the authorities just looked in the parents' home.

Alexandra was born on May 31, 2011, and found to have methamphetamine in her system, according to a 'Fatality Summary Report' by the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS).

She and her brother were taken away from the home until their parents completed a meth treatment program in 2012, the report says.

But the treatment didn't stick: when Alexandra's sister was born in June 2014 she was also found to have meth in her system.

Meth: This is believed to be Alexandra's sister, who was born with traces of meth in 2014. She was put in state care, but her parents hid the other kids until May 2015, when Alexandra died

The DCS took the newborn into custody using a dependency request - and said they wanted Alexandra and her brother too.

But Cruz, then 27, and Velazco, then 35, lied that their kids were staying with a relative in Mexico - and wouldn't say where.

According to the Fatality Summary Report, the Attorney General's Office said Alexandra and her brother couldn't be included on the dependency request due to jurisdiction issues with Mexico - so the DCS had to rely on a soon-to-expire temporary custody notice.

'Mothers other two children are in Mexico right now with their (redacted) but will return soon,' a caseworker wrote in a June 27, 2014 DCS report read by azcentral.

On July 1 and 11 that year Alexandra and her brother were discussed again, but no action was taken - it was noted that the temporary custody notice had expired without the DCS being able to 'assess their safety.'

A note was made on June 11 to call the Mexican consulate to help track the kids, but it's not known whether that call was made.

Failed: Authorities wanted to take Alexandra (pictured as a baby) and her brother in for 11 months, but failed to properly investigate the false claims that they were in Mexico

And even if it was, Alexandra and her brother were actually still at their parents' home in Surprise, being hidden whenever authorities called.

According to the Fatality Summary Report, relatives who were called in to babysit - some of whom said they were too 'scared' to break orders and tell police - were told to hide the kids and not answer the door.

Velazco later told police she would also take the children to other people's houses when she knew DCS were coming, and that the children had never been to Mexico.

Cruz and Velazco also deliberately refused to enroll their children in school or take them for medical treatment, to avoid detection.

On July 14, 2014 a Juvenile Court judge ordered Cruz and Velazco to give up the kids' location, but they still refused.

Despite that, the court did nothing to punish them or force an answer, azcentral says - even though it could have saved the little girl's life.

Truth: The courts are also accused of failing to force Alexandra's parents to tell the truth - or even give an 'address' for the Mexico location where the kids were supposedly staying

In August the DCS made another note to call the consulate to see if the kids were safe, but it wasn't until December that any contact was recorded - and no information was given on what was said.

There were no unannounced visits to the parents' home, police were not contacted by the DCS, and it would appear the Juvenile Court was unable or unwilling to force her parents to explain where in Mexico their children were supposed to be.

According to a summary of the case written for the DCS by a psychologist, 'There was no additional follow-up with regard to Alexandra and (her brother) nor was contact made with the Mexican Consulate to locate the children.'

From January to May, the DCS reports just have a cut-and-pasted note saying that the parents are maintaining Alexandra and her brother are in Mexico.

And then, on May 23, Alexandra - a little girl who never knew kindness - died.

According to the Fatality Summary Report, Alexandra's brother was placed into foster care.

Velazco was pregnant, and still using meth, when she was arrested. Her fourth child was taken into care on a dependency notice on October 16, 2015.

Cruz and Velazco are both in jail awaiting trial for murder. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
A low budget 3D version of Matt Damon's film, Jason Bourne, put out only in China has got cinema audiences there throwing up in the aisles.

Instead of making two versions of the film - one in 2D and one in 3D - using a dual lens camera the movie, the fifth in the Bourne series, has been produced with a conventional camera and then the 3D effect has been simulated in post production using computers.

While 3D is rapidly going out of fashion in Europe and the US, the format remains popular among Chinese cinemagoers.

The majority of cinemas in China wanted to show it in 3D, with only eight out of 149 in Beijing showing the 2D version, partly because they could charge almost twice the price.

Matt Damon stars in the fifth outing of the Jason Bourne series but Chinese audiences have been reaching for the sickbag because of the locally-produced 3D effects

But when the 3D effect is added to director Paul Greengrass' trademark shaky hand-held camera shooting style it leads to a distinctly queasy experience.

Chinese social media networks have been full of negative reviews, heavily influenced by the feelings of seasickness triggered in the audiences.

One Weibo user said: 'There were a line of people throwing up in the restroom of the cinema I went to yesterdayI'm not exaggerating.'

In the film the CIA's new director Robert Dewey has a sinister scheme for Bourne and deploys his prize asset, a crack assassin very nicely played by Vincent Cassel (pictured)

A small protest took place outside one Beijing cinema recently, with people holding up signs saying 'Refund our tickets'.

'The 3D version is a rip-off. It's been happening many times in China and must be stopped,' Zhou Yuchen, who led the protest, told Global Times.

The plot, according to the Daily Mail's reviewer, is just one long, frantic chase, enlivened by Greengrass's trademark jerky camerawork and punctuated by occasional nods to the need for an actual plot.

There are references to the whistleblower Edward Snowden, and to government-sponsored data hacking, enabled by a billionaire social media tycoon (Riz Ahmed) who may or may not be inspired by Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg.
Law enforcement officials in Alabama have apprehended a 29-year-old woman who is accused of stabbing her mother to death in a Walmart parking lot over the weekend.

Ashia Christine Huddleston was captured Monday morning by the US Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Task Force and Bessemer Police, said Sgt. Cortice Miles of Bessemer Police.

Huddleston, who also goes by the last name 'Fletcher', had eluded authorities for nearly two days after fleeing the scene of the stabbing Saturday.

Matricide: Ashia Christine Huddleston, 29 (left), has been charged with murder in the stabbing death of her mother, Tammy Huddleston, 49 (pictured right), in Alabama

Deadly dispute: Ashia Huddleston is accused of plunging a knife into her mother's abdomen several times in the parking lot of this Bessemer, Alabama, Walmart

Huddleston is suspected of stabbing her mother, 49-year-old Tammy Lynn Huddleston, several times in the abdomen during an argument that broke out between the two women outside a Walmart in Bessemer Saturday evening.

Witnesses told police they saw the two women fighting before the younger Huddleston plunged a knife into her mother's side and fled in a blue Nissan Versa with her boyfriend.

Tammy Lynn Huddleston, of Concordia, died Sunday morning at UAB Hospital from her wounds.

The violent slaying stunned her friends, who remembered the victim as a caring mother and grandmother.

'She was a great mother that went far and beyond to help her kids,' friend Kimberly Clayton told Al.com.

'She not only raised her daughter and her son, but she was raising her daughter's two daughters. She ate, slept and lived for those grandkids.'

Ashia Huddleston was taken into custody in Adger at 11am Monday and booked into jail on a murder charge, with her bond set at $250,000.

A friend of the victim's said Tammy Huddleston was raising Ashia's two daughters (pictured)

'Accident': Ashia Huddleston told a friend the stabbing was 'an accident' while she was on the run from police. Her mother (right) died from her wounds Sunday

Miles said the suspect's boyfriend had been cooperating with police.

Clayton said after the stabbing she messaged Ashia Huddleston and pleaded with her to turn herself in to police.

She said the young woman blocked her phone number after replying: 'It was an accident.'

'I hate that her daughter did this,' Clayton said. 'I hope they lock her up for a long time. You don't murder the lady that brought you into this world and always had your back no matter what.'

The younger Ms Huddleston has a criminal record that includes recent convictions for drug possession and theft.
Chinese rescue workers have been filmed using ropes and a pulley to save a 450lb water buffalo that was stuck five feet down a well.

With no room to move the poor beast was completely trapped.

But authorities in Xiaogan, Hubei Province, had just the trick to set it free.

With no room to move a poor buffalo is completely trapped in a well in China

Luckily the authorities are on hand and have just the trick to save the buffalo from its troubles

Footage of the rescue operation shows the team constructing a tripod above the pit.

The camera pans to show the buffalo slumped in a heap in misery.

A man then jumps down to wrap a rope around its stomach.

Slowly but surely, the rescuers are able to winch the heavy buffalo up to safety.

Officials in Xiaogan, in the Hubei Province, China, construct a tripod to save the beast

A man jumps down to rap rope around the bovine's belly in preparation for it to be lifted

Despite a few wobbles the structure stands firm and the rescuers are able to raise it out

The buffalo is set free to roam the fields after the successful mission on the 23 August

In a couple of breathless moments it looks like the whole contraption is about to snap under the pressure.

But the structure stands firm and at last the mammal is set free to roam the fields.
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As thousands of former BHS employees desperately search for new employment, their ex-boss Sir Philip Green continues to lap up the sun on his extended luxury holiday.

Sir Philip and his friends appeared to be without a care in the world as they whizzed around the waters near Positano, Italy, on a speedboat while gleefully posing for pictures together.

It is a stark contrast from the situation of his former workers, many of whom face huge uncertainly over whether they will receive their pensions because of a 571million deficit in the company's accounts.

Sir Philip Green and his friends appeared to be without a care in the world as they cruised whizzed around the water near Positano, Italy, on a speedboat while gleefully posing for pictures together

As thousands of BHS' former employees desperately search for ways of making ends meet, their ex-boss (pictured left) continues to lap up the sun on his extended luxury holiday

The doomed department store closed its final stores on Sunday after years of struggle, ending 88 years of one of Britain's best known names.

Meanwhile, Sir Philip has been enjoying a five-week extravaganza around southern Europe on his 100million superyacht, Lionheart.

He started out in the Greek islands, visiting Corfu, Skopelos, Skiathos, Mykonos, Poros and Hydra.

He has now moving onto Italy, and was last snapped on the Capri island before his latest sighting on the country's mainland.

Around 11,000 people have lost their jobs because of the BHS collapse and as many as 22,000 pensions could be affected, with Sir Philip being attributed with much of the blame in a critical report published by MPs last month.

Sir Philip, pictured left on his speedboat and right with his pals, has been enjoying a five-week extravaganza around southern Europe on his 100million superyacht, Lionheart

Last-gasp shoppers gathered up the remaining bargains at stores across the country this weekend, before some who got there too late were pictured peering in, apparently still finding it hard to believe the retailer was gone.

Defiant staff in Swansea used their final shifts to mock Sir Philip by wearing home-made signs saying: No more Green.

Others wore signs which said Next job chauffeur  a dig at Dominic Chappell, who worked as a driver before he bought BHS for 1 from Sir Philip.

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.

Protesters gathered outside BHS in Harrow to demonstrate against Sir Philip and his handling of the firm

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

One female shop assistant, who has worked for the company for 16 years, said she was furious that Sir Philip  dubbed Sir Shifty  was taking a holiday while BHS closed.

She said: I hope he falls off the side of that yacht into the sea. There are so many people who have lost their jobs and pensions, and he is on holiday.

Sir Philip's Arcadia group owns other high street clothes outlets including Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Burtons, Evans, Wallis, Outfit and Miss Selfridge.

Empty: The shelves were bare in BHS's Harrow store which is closing its doors for the final time this afternoon

His daughter, Chloe, was also spotted lapping up a summer holiday of her own as she was pictured off the coast of St Tropez with a mystery man yesterday.

Sir Philips reputation has been trashed in recent months and he has faced calls from MPs to be stripped of his knighthood.

An offer short of 300million would only match what the Pension Protection Fund  a safety net for failed companies  would give former staff if Sir Philip had put no money on the table.

A HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT STORE BRITAIN FELL OUT OF LOVE WITH Service: Shoppers at the BHS store in Oxford Street, London - which has already closed today History: The British Home Stores shop in Castle Street, Bristol, pictured in January 1940 The first BHS store opened in Oxford Street in 1928 when a group of American entrepreneurs founded the company. The stores were modeled on budget firm Woolworths which itself went out of business in 2009. BHS bosses focused on value for money and quality after the Second World War. And by the end of the 1960s, more than 12,000 employees worked in 94 stores in the country. Tradition: A British Home Stores pictured in 1968 when the firm employed more than 12,000 people Gifts and presents: Shoppers at a branch of the British Home Stores (BHS) department store chain on the ground floor of the former Derry & Toms building in Kensington High Street In 1977 the chain worked with Sainsbury's to form a group of SavaCentre hypermarkets. But the supermarket giant later took control of the SavaCentres in 1989. BHS had merged with Terence Conran's Habitat to create Storehouse plc three years previously. In 2000, Sir Philip Green bought BHS for 200 million and turned it into a private company. It was then brought together with his Arcadia group firms such as Topshop Dorothy Perkins. But it it didn't stop Sir Philip selling BHS for a 1 to Dominic Chappell and Retail Acquisitions in 2015 and the later collapse of the retailer this year. Advertisement

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
Apple is the latest major multinational to find itself in the cross-hairs of the EU commission.

And the massive 11billion tax bill levied on the tech giant could set the scene for a titanic battle.

The Commission's three-year investigation into Apple's sweetheart deal with Ireland found it amounted to illegal state aid.

Amazon is among the companies whose tax deals are being examined closely by the EU

A damning report revealed the firm paid as little as 0.005 per cent tax by funnelling its non-US profits through a 'so-called headquarters' in Ireland with no staff or premises.

The EU's giant tax bill will not be difficult for the company to pay because it has amassed a huge $178 billion (120bn) offshore cash fund and last year made $53.4billion (35billion) - the biggest profit in corporate history.

But Apple will appeal and the tech giant's CEO Tim Cook, who previously called the probe 'political c**p', is threatening EU job losses if they don't back down. The Irish government has also attacked the ruling as 'bizarre'.

The US Treasury has warned the EU not to pursue American companies over tax avoidance saying there is a 'disturbing' pattern of singling out US companies.

Google, Amazon, Facebook, Yahoo, Microsoft, Twitter and eBay also have corporate facilities in Ireland - where attractions include minimal regulation and low corporate tax rates - which could come under renewed scrutiny.

The EU commission has already ruled that a tax deal for Starbucks in the Netherlands was unlawful. The company has been fined around 30million euros, although again it is appealing.

Meanwhile, competition regulators are probing deals awarded by Luxembourg to both McDonald's and Amazon.

German economy minister Sigmar Gabriel was today said to have suggested Google's tax structures should also be examined closely.
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A state funeral for dozens of victims of the Italian earthquake is taking place this afternoon amidst the ruins of the town worst hit in the disaster.

Grieving family members gathered under a hastily constructed tent in the central Italian town of Amatrice ahead of a service just yards away from collapsed buildings.

The ceremony was moved to the devastated community amid outrage over plans to hold it in an air hangar in the town of Rieti where the bodies had been stored. Construction crews worked through the night to build a tent complex.

Heartbreaking: Grieving family members gathered under a hastily constructed tent in the central Italian town of Amatrice ahead of a service just yards away from collapsed buildings following the earthquake in Italy

A state funeral for dozens of victims of the Italian earthquake is taking place this afternoon amidst the ruins of the town worst hit in the disaster. Civil Protection operators carry a casket ahead of the service

The ceremony was moved to the devastated community amid outrage over plans to hold it in an air hangar in the town of Rieti where the bodies had been stored. Construction crews worked through the night to build a tent complex

Of the 292 confirmed dead, 231 were found in Amatrice, which was left in ruins after last week's 6.2-magnitude quake

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi shook hands with firefighters at a state funeral for earthquake victims in Amatrice, Italy today

Of the 292 confirmed dead, 231 were found in Amatrice, which was left in ruins after last week's 6.2-magnitude quake.

A number of foreigners were among the dead, including 11 Romanians and three Britons.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, President Sergio Mattarella and Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos were scheduled to attend the funeral at 6pm local time, the Civil Protection Agency said.

Tuesday's funeral is for some three dozen of the victims. Many of those who died in Amatrice on August 24 were not residents and their funerals are being held in their hometowns.

A state funeral for dozens of victims of the Italian earthquake took place this afternoon amidst the ruins of the town worst hit

Tuesday's funeral is for some three dozen of the victims. Many of those who died in Amatrice on August 24 were not residents and their funerals are being held in their hometowns

Mourners attend a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy

The ceremony was moved to the devastated community amid outrage over plans to hold it in an air hangar in the town of Rieti where the bodies had been stored

Grieving family members gathered under a hastily constructed tent in the central Italian town of Amatrice ahead of a service just yards away from collapsed buildings

Of the 292 confirmed dead, 231 were found in Amatrice, which was left in ruins after last week's 6.2-magnitude quake

Workers used heavy machinery to gravel over an area on Amatrice's outskirts where the ceremony will take place within sight of shattered buildings.

Marquees were still being erected for the funeral ceremony as the first caskets arrived. A hearse and a van carrying at least four coffins had to be turned away until the work could be completed.

In the centre of town emergency workers used mechanical diggers and bulldozers to search for bodies, an unknown number of which may still be trapped beneath dust and debris.

Grieving family members gathered under a hastily constructed tent in the central Italian town of Amatrice ahead of a service

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, President Sergio Mattarella and Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos were scheduled to attend the funeral at 6pm local time, the Civil Protection Agency said

Marquees were still being erected for the funeral ceremony as the first caskets arrived

It is the second state-sponsored funeral in three days. On Saturday rites were held for victims of the quake from the adjoining Marche region. Amatrice is in the region of Lazio

Tuesday's funeral is for some three dozen of the victims. Many of those who died in Amatrice on August 24 were not residents and their funerals are being held in their hometowns

Motorcyclists gather at the coffin of a friend as the caskets are placed in a tent complex where the funeral of the victims of the earthquake in the Lazio region will be held later the same day, in Amatrice, central Italy

It is the second state-sponsored funeral in three days. On Saturday rites were held for victims of the quake from the adjoining Marche region. Amatrice is in the region of Lazio.

Controversy has grown over poor construction techniques, which may have been responsible for many deaths.

Investigators are looking into work done on the bell tower in Accumoli, which was recently restored but collapsed during the quake onto the home of a family of four, killing them all.

Italy sits on two seismic faultlines. Many of its buildings are hundreds of years old and susceptible to earthquake damage.
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Over 90,000 students from rural and poor areas have been admitted in China's colleges this year, an increase of 20 percent from last year, the Ministry of Education said Monday.

To recruit more students from rural and poor areas, universities have expanded enrollment, and introduced some preferential policies. Some universities simplified enrollment procedures, and give economic support to students from families with difficulties.

The Ministry has disqualifying all students who make false statements in their records and suggests universities recheck students' qualifications after they enter college.
France's outspoken economy minister has quit - amid speculation he is considering taking on Sarkozy in next year's presidential race.

Former banker Emmanuel Macron quit the socialist government on Tuesday to work on proposals 'to transform France'.

However, the 38-year-old stopped short of explicitly saying he was planning on running for president in 2017.

France's Economy Minister Emmanuel Macro quit the socialist government on Tuesday

There is speculation that Macron, centre, wants to launch a bid to become president

Macron, who this year started a political movement called 'En Marche!' (In Motion), told a news conference: 'I am determined to do everything so our values, ideas and actions can transform France starting next year.'

He said he was stepping down because he 'needed to be free' to work on a plan to transform the country.

A source in Macron's inner circle said the rapidly evolving political situation, in which former president Nicolas Sarkozy and two former Socialist ministers had declared their intention to run for president, had forced the hand of the minister, who the source said had initially planned to resign mid-September.

If confirmed, a Macron bid for the presidency would further harm President Francois Hollande's chances of re-election, with polls already suggesting he would be very unlikely to even make it into the run-off round.

While polls show he enjoys wide popularity, it's unclear whether he could translate that into votes.

If confirmed, a Macron bid for the presidency would further harm President Francois Hollande's (shaking Marcon's hand) chances of re-election, with polls already suggesting he would be very unlikely to even make it into the run-off round

However, critics in Hollande's Socialist Party say Macron has betrayed left wing ideals by pushing France toward an American-style business model with laws loosening labor rules.
A 22-year-old mother-of-two and her 17-year-old boyfriend were arrested on Sunday, after they were caught fooling around naked in a vacant home.

A Great Falls, Montana real estate agent brought his kids along with him to set up the home for an open house on Sunday.

While looking through the home, the agent's elementary school age kids found the naked couple in a room and went to fetch their father.

Briana Noel Moore, 22, faces charges of felony burglary and misdemeanor criminal mischief after she and a 17-year-old man were caught naked in a vacant home on Sunday

The couple fled the home but were soon caught by police.

Briana Noel Moore, 22, faces charges of felony burglary and misdemeanor criminal mischief for breaking into the home with her younger boyfriend.

Because her male partner is a minor, his name is not being released.

According to Facebook, Moore appears to be the mother of two young kids. It's unclear if the man she is pictured with in the photo with her kids on the right is the teen she was caught with on Sunday

According to the police report, the young man kicked in a back door of the home to gain entry, hitting it so hard that it split down the middle. The realtor's lockbox and a window screen were also damaged, causing less than $1,500 in damage.

And that's not to-mention the psychological damage to the children.

Police report that the children were 'very disturbed' by what they saw.
'The victim never saw it coming,' Philadelphia detective says

Out of nowhere, one of the men punches Jochola in the face, sending him to the ground

Jochola and three other men were filmed as they met in a parking lot

Philadelphia police are trying to determine whether the so-called 'knockout game' led to the death of an unsuspecting landscape worker who was sucker punched seemingly for no reason.

Mardoquo Sincal Jochola, who immigrated to the United States from Guatemala with his brother eight years ago, died of blunt force trauma to the head sustained as a result of a punch thrown by an unidentified man, according to Philadelphia medical examiners.

The incident, which was captured on film, is being investigated, according to the local CBS affiliate CBS 3.

In the video, three men are seen standing near Jochola in what appears to be a parking lot on the 700 block of Adams Avenue in the Lawncrest section of northeast Philadelphia.

An unidentified man (third from the left, wearing a white shirt) throws a punch that connects with the face of Mardoquo Sincal Jochola

Jochola is then seen stumbling a few feet to his right before eventually collapsing to the ground. The suspect and two others then flee the scene

The incident took place in a parking lot on the 700 block of Adams Avenue in the Lawncrest section of northeast Philadelphia

As the men appear to be talking, one of them wearing a white T-shirt is seen throwing a punch which connects.

Jochola then walks a few feet to his right before stumbling to the ground. The three men fled the scene.

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Philadelphia's local CBS station reported that police suspect Jochola was the victim of the 'knockout game'  a disturbing practice in which thrill-seekers and would-be assailants ambush unsuspecting passersby with sucker punches with the goal of 'knocking them out.'

Some of these assaults, which were posted on social media, have resulted in deaths.

Lt. Phillip Riehl of the Philadelphia Police (left) is urging anyone with information about the identity of the suspects to come forward. Jochola's (right) brother says he wants to return to Guatemala

US authorities saw an alarming spike in these kinds of random assaults in late 2013.

'It's clear the victim never saw it coming,' Lt. Phillip Riehl of the Philadelphia Police said.

When asked if this was a case involving the 'knockout game,' the lieutenant said: 'It certainly is a possibility, but regardless of what the motivation is, it's still a pretty scary crime that some person could be walking down the street and be punched for no reason and killed.'

Jochola's brother refused to show his face on camera, fearing he could be targeted by those seen in the film.

He said that his brother would work landscaping jobs.
This is the shocking moment a police officer threw a teenager to the ground after she had earlier filmed him performing a traffic stop.

Nicole Braham, 19, was slammed to the ground by officer Steve Dyke in Chico, California, on Saturday night after he pulled over the teenager and her friends.

Braham, who had been drinking but was not driving the car, resisted arrest before she was shoved to the ground and detained, police said.

Footage of the incident filmed by a friend on her cell phone, shows Braham struggling to free herself from Dyke but does not show why he pulled her over in the first place.

This is the shocking moment a police officer threw a teenager to the ground after she had earlier filmed him performing a traffic stop

Nicole Braham (left), 19, was slammed to the ground by officer Steve Dyke in Chico, California, on Saturday night after he pulled over the teenager and her friends. Maddie Hemphill (right), 21, was also arrested

Genna Little, who filmed her friend's arrest, wrote on Facebook: 'My friend was a victim of police brutality last night in Chico, CA. She was sober and outside her home.

'The officer abused her, both verbally and physically, and then sent her to jail for a "broken tail light" that wasn't broken at all. This officer MUST have his badge removed at all costs.'

Miss Little later edited her post to to remove the reference to police brutality, instead calling Dyke 'overzealous'.

The video shows officer Dyke holding Braham's arm behind her back as she questions why she was arrested.

The teenager tries to wrestle free from the officer, so he throws her to the ground and pins her down just as other police arrive.

While he sits on the young woman's back, he orders another officer to arrest Braham's friend, 21-year-old Maddie Hemphill.

After the video was viewed tens of thousands of times, Chico Police Department put out a statement explaining Dyke's version of events.

Dyke said he saw Hemphill and Braham filming him earlier that night as he pulled over a motorist suspected of driving under the influence.

The video shows officer Steve Dyke holding Nicole Braham's arm behind her back as she questions why she was arrested

The teenager tries to wrestle free from the officer, so he throws her to the ground and pins her down just as other police arrive

The police officer said he ordered Hemphill out of the road as she was putting herself in danger by filming her, before noticing a car with a broken taillight stop next to her.

Later that evening, Dyke said he pulled over a car with a broken taillight, only to then realize that Hemphill and Braham were inside.

Three young women got out of the car and two - Hemphill and Braham - refused to get back in, police said.

Dyke claimed Braham pushed by her so he decided to detain her.

Moments later, police claim, the video shot by Miss Little begins, showing the police officer throwing the teenager to the ground.

'While Braham was pulling away, Officer Dyke made the decision to allow her own momentum to carry her to the ground,' according to a statement from Chico Police.

Hemphill and Braham were both arrested for allegedly resisting arrest. They both received minor injuries to their knees during their arrests.

Hemphill later submitted to a blood alcohol level test which found she was nearly twice over the legal driving limit, however she is not believed to have been at the wheel of the car.
The State Department says about 30 emails that may be related to the 2012 attack on U.S. compounds in Benghazi, Libya, are among the thousands of Hillary Clinton emails recovered during the FBI's recently closed investigation into her use of a private server.

Government lawyers told U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta Tuesday that an undetermined number of the emails among the 30 were not included in the 55,000 pages previously provided by Clinton.

The State Department's lawyer said it would need until the end of September to review the emails and redact potentially classified information before they are released.

Donald Trump's campaign lashed out, asking what else might be lurking among the emails Clinton ordered deleted.

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WEAKER? The State Department says about 30 emails that may be related to the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya are among the thousands of Hillary Clinton emails recovered during the FBI's recently closed investigation into her use of a private server

AFTERMATH: The inside of the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, after a deadly 2012 terror attack killed four Americans and gutted the facility while Hillary Clinton was secretary of state

'Today's disclosure that 30 additional emails about Benghazi were discovered on Hillary Clinton's private server raises additional questions about the more than 30,000 emails she deleted,' Trump campaign Senior Communications Advisor Jason Miller said in a statement.

'Hillary Clinton swore before a federal court and told the American people she handed over all of her work-related emails. If Clinton did not consider emails about something as important as Benghazi to be work-related, one has to wonder what is contained in the other emails she attempted to wipe from her server.'

The news about the new email discovery was first reported by The Washington Examiner.

During a March 2015 press conference at the United Nations after the existence of her homebrew, private email server was first made public, Clinton insisted that while she had ordered the deletion of more than 33,000 emails, all of them were personal in nature.

'We went through a thorough process to identify all of my work-related emails and deliver them to the State Department,' she told reporters.

'At the end, I chose not to keep my private personal emails  emails about planning Chelsea's wedding or my mother's funeral arrangements, condolence notes to friends as well as yoga routines, family vacations, the other things you typically find in inboxes.'

DID SHE LIE? Clinton said in a March 10, 2015 press conference that she decided to delete only personal emails  not work-related ones

Judge Mehta questioned why it would take so long to release so few documents, and urged that the process be sped up.

He ordered the department to report to him in a week with more details about why the review process would take a full month.

The hearing was held in one of several lawsuits filed by the conservative legal group Judicial Watch, which has sued over access to government records involving the Democratic presidential nominee.

The State Department has said the FBI provided it with about 14,900 emails purported not to have been among those previously released.

Clinton previously had said she withheld and deleted only personal emails not related to her duties as secretary of state.

With the November election little more than two months away, Republicans are pressing for the release of as many documents related to Clinton as possible.

In a separate development Tuesday, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press that the FBI is expected to release documents soon related to its investigation, which focused on whether Clinton and her aides mishandled government secrets.

The official, who wasn't authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke on condition of anonymity, said documents in the case would be made public as the FBI responds to Freedom of Information Act requests.

It wasn't immediately clear when the documents would be released or exactly what they would include.

Though he described Clinton's actions as 'extremely careless,' FBI Director James Comey said his agents found no evidence that anyone intended to break the law and said 'no reasonable prosecutor' would have brought a criminal case.

The FBI this month provided Congress portions of its file from the agency's yearlong investigation.

The FBI interviewed Clinton for several hours at FBI headquarters in Washington just days before announcing its decision to close the investigation. The Justice Department accepted the FBI's recommendation.

Since the conclusion of the investigation the emails have continued to be a political problem for Clinton, as the exchanges have shown a cozy relationship between her State Department and the Clinton Foundation, which Trump has characterized as 'pay-for-play' in the past week.

While there has been no evidence suggesting that Clinton Foundation donors successfully pushed policy changes while Clinton served as President Obama's secretary of state, emails that the conservative watchdog Citizens United released this week show one of Clinton's top aides, Huma Abedin, alerting the foundation's people that Clinton would be off the grid during a trip to Russia.

'This is an email about their State Department travel on an official trip to Russia that Abedin is sending to the foundation, to they understand they would be off the grid,' Citizens United's David Bossie said. '"If you need anything call us." This is just part and parcel of what was going on.'

Bossie noted that the same set of emails also indicates that Clinton's aides were aware that her private email address was insecure, as Abedin said she wouldn't be using that address while traveling to Russia for fear of hacks.
A top European Parliament politician has said Brussels must talk to Turkish president Recep Erdogan about stemming the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean.

Elmar Block, who is chair of the parliament's foreign affairs committee, warned relations with Turkey have become strained in the aftermath of a coup to depose Edogan in July.

At the time of the coup, EU Leaders and the United States condemned the rebel army officers, however, Erdogan is critical of the level of support he has received since the attempted coup.

European leaders have been warned they need to talk to Turkish President Recep Erdogan, pictured today in Ankara, if they want to be able to stem the Mediterranean migrant crisis

European politicians were taken on a tour of the bombed-out Turkish parliament building which was attacked in the abortive military coup in July which has prompted a massive purge

Erdogan, pictured here visiting victims of an ISIS terrorist attack in southern Turkey has criticised the EU's response to the failed coup and threatened to renege on a migrant deal

EU leaders have criticised Erdogan's clampdown on opposition elements within Turkish society, including purges within the military, civil service, judiciary, education and media.

Block, who is a member of German chancellor Angela Merkel's political party went to Turkey as part of an EU fact finding mission.

Tens of thousands have been arrested or sacked in Turkey for their alleged support for Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who the Turkish government accuses of masterminding the coup.

Turkey has threatened to abandon an agreement it signed with the EU before the coup.

They have also launched formal extradition proceedings in the United States seeking the return of controversial cleric Fethulla Gulen, who once was a trusted mentor to Erdogan.

In addition, Ankara has repaired its relationship with Russia, complicating its relations with Washington and the EU . In one sign of the growing tension, Turkish troops have fired on U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria .

Turkey has been warned its attempt to join the EU may be delayed indefinitely while Erdogan, pictured here today commemorating Victory Day over Greece, remains president

Yet EU politicians have been told to consider the impact of the attempted coup in Turkey and the fact bombing missions were launched against the national parliament in Ankara

Brok pointed out that during the failed coup, 'rockets have actually hit the (Turkish) parliament ... you have to think of how you'd feel in that situation in the European Parliament. Imagine that the French National Assembly or that Westminster were hit by their own army'.

He continued: 'After my visit, I take a different view on some of the Gulen-related issues.

'The movement has infiltrated the state, they have acted as a 'brotherhood'. There has been a misappraisal of the Gulen movement on our side.'

Brok said the EU must keep the migration deal with Turkey on track after Ankara threatened to walk away from it should the bloc fail to ease travel rules for Turks in October.

'I certainly did not get the impression that the Turks were trying to blackmail Europe ... My impression was that Turkey intends to stand by the refugee agreement,' Brok said. 'I think we should step back in rhetoric.

'However much Turkey merits our criticisms ... from our geo-strategic point of view, it's more important for Turkey to be on our side than in some else's camp.'

Brok's comments come amid a string of senior EU visits to Turkey as Brussels, back from summer holidays, gears up for more negotiations. The European Commission, the EU executive, will also report in September on the implementation of the migration deal.

Agreed in March, the deal has helped cut a mass influx of migrants and refugees to Europe. In exchange for preventing them from setting sail for Europe, Ankara won promises of 6 billion in EU money for Syrian refugees living in Turkey, revival of Turkey's EU membership talks and speedy visa liberalisation.

But visa talks stalled before the summer break as Turkey refused to reform its anti-terror laws, which the EU says are applied too broadly to stifle dissent. Ankara says they are key to fighting ISIS and Kurdish militants.

'We have to negotiate ... to adopt a constructive approach in the negotiations,' Brok said. He stressed, however, that Turkey must meet all 72 technical requirements to win more relaxed travel rules with the EU.

While all members of the committee seemed to agree that Turkey is nowhere near joining the EU, some lawmakers disagreed with Brok's pragmatism.

Some stressed that Erdogan's rapprochement with Russia's Vladimir Putin proved Ankara was not attached to European values.

'We are against the coup, but we are also against the counter-coup, with what it implies for the abandonment of the rule of law,' said Ana Gomes, a leftist lawmaker from Portugal.

'We cannot just sit by, close our eyes to the fact that there is a power grab by President Erdogan ... We can't just sell off our soul.'

However, Germany's EU Commissioner Guenther Oettinger has told Bild newspaper that Turkey will probably not join the European Union while Erdogan was president.

Turkey began talks about joining the European Union in 2005 but has made little progress.

The prospect of the mainly Muslim country becoming an EU member worries many countries and relations have become more strained since a failed coup in July.

Guenther Oettinger told the newspaper: 'It will probably be an issue for the period after Erdogan. Given the current conditions, accession is not realistic until well into the next decade.'
NSW Premier Mike Baird has ruled out Mike Gallacher returning to cabinet after he was caught up in the donations scandal in front of ICAC recently.

Mr Baird said the former police minister would not be returning to cabinet under his leadership the ABC has reported.

According to ICAC reports Mr Gallacher was not always 'a truthful witness and places no reliance on his evidence, unless it is corroborated by other reliable evidence.'

NSW Premier Mike Baird has ruled out Mike Gallacher returning to cabinet after he was caught up in the donations scandal in front of ICAC

Mr Gallacher was not always 'a truthful witness and places no reliance on his evidence, unless it is corroborated by other reliable evidence' according to the ICAC report

While Baird has ruled out Gallacher being part of the Liberal team he has not demanded he resign from parliament altogether and said he would leave that up to the politician.



Meanwhile NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley has called on the Liberal Party to release details of payments from banned donors, following a damning ICAC report that found eight of its members acted to evade electoral funding laws in the 2011 election.

Mr Foley said the state's corruption watchdog had uncovered an orchestrated scam from the Liberals, and it was astonishing that Premier Mike Baird was still withholding details of political donations funnelled through the Free Enterprise Foundation.

'The challenge for him is to come clean on those donations from prohibited donors made in 2011,' Mr Foley told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday.

Labor MP Jodi McKay, who lost her 2011 election campaign after refusing to accept money from a banned donor, said she felt vindicated by the ICAC report but added it was 'a travesty' that no one will face prosecution for breaching electoral funding laws.

'That was a manipulated election,' she told reporters.

'It was an election that was stolen from me, and I only have to read the report and see what ICAC has found...to understand the amount of money that went into that campaign and the fact that I stood no chance against that.'

Labor MP Jodi McKay, pictured, who lost her 2011 election campaign after refusing to accept money from a banned donor, said she felt vindicated by the ICAC report

While Baird has ruled out Gallacher, pictured, being part of the Liberal team he has not demanded he resign from parliament altogether

The NSW corruption watchdog found more than a dozen former Liberal members and prominent businessmen, including current MP Mike Gallacher, acted with the intention of evading political donation laws.

ICAC recommended criminal charges be brought against former Liberal energy minister Chris Hartcher for larceny, while former Charlestown MP Andrew Cornwell and his wife Samantha Brookes have been referred for possible charge for giving false or misleading evidence.

ICAC no longer has the power to make corrupt conduct findings on the alleged breach of election-funding laws after the Baird government changed its legislation after the High Court's ruling on top silk Margaret Cunneen's case.

Former Labor minister Joe Tripodi should also be referred for consideration of prosecution for misconduct in public office

Former Labor minister Joe Tripodi should also be referred for consideration of prosecution for misconduct in public office, the ICAC's long-awaited report on Operation Spicer report said.

Mr Foley said the book should be thrown at Mr Tripodi, whom he'd tried to expel from the Labor Party 24 years ago.

'Today he's exposed as somebody who's not only corrupt but a Labor rat,' Mr Foley said.

Greens MP Jamie Parker called for an urgent review of the laws against electoral corruption, and also the establishment of a Federal ICAC and uniform donation laws.

'Only in NSW can you receive a bag full of cash from a property developer in the back of a Bentley, and not be named as 'corrupt',' he said in a statement.
Vladimir Putin (pictured), 48, was arrested for trespassing at a Florida supermarket

Vladimir Putin has been arrested at a supermarket in Florida.

But the Russian president hasn't been getting unruly in the Sunshine State.

Instead a man who shares his name with the Russian president was taken into custody for trespassing at a Publix supermarket.

A store manager called police to a West Palm Beach Publix after Vladimir Putin, 48, allegedly started screaming at employees.

When police arrived they told Putin to leave but he refused.

He claimed he had missed his ride and wouldn't leave the store.

Police arrested him and charged him with trespassing and resisting/obstructing officer without violence.

He was held on a $1,000 bond.

Video courtesy of CBS 12
Maine's Republican Gov. Paul LePage hinted that he might step down  and then suggested that he wouldn't  after leaving a profanity-laced voicemail for a Democratic lawmaker, who he also challenged to a duel.

Talking on the radio this morning to WVOM, LePage said he was exploring his 'options,' noting that 'it's really one thing to have one party behind you. It's another thing not to have any party behind you,' as both Democrats and Republicans tsk-tsked LePage for his incendiary remarks.

However, by the end of lunch, LePage was changing his tune.

'Regarding rumors of resignation, to paraphrase Mark Twain: "The reports of my political demise are greatly exaggerated,"' the governor tweeted.

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The embattled Maine Gov. Paul LePage hinted that he was considering stepping down, but then tweeted that reports of his political demise were 'greatly exaggerated'

After telling a radio host this morning that resigning was on the table, Maine's Gov. Paul LePage changed his tune in this tweet

The episode began Wednesday when LePage said that he kept a three-ring binder of pictures of arrested drug dealers in the state and 90 percent of them were black or Hispanic.

Maine, like other parts of New England, is in the midst of a heroin epidemic.

Maine state Rep. Drew Gattine, a Democrat, characterized the comments as racially-charged, according to the New York Times, but insists that he didn't call the governor a racist.

But that didn't stop the Republican from leaving Gattine a profanity-laced voicemail, in which he challenged the Democrat to 'prove that I'm a racist.'

'I've spent my life helping black people,' LePage said in the message. 'I'm after you,' he threatened. 'Thank you.'

LePage also told reporters that he wished to duel with Gattine and press a gun between the Democrat's eyes, a comment he later said was metaphorical and that he 'meant no physical harm.'

Since the spat started last Wednesday, Gov. Paul LePage has repeated his initials claims that black and Hispanic Americans are responsible for Maine's heroin epidemic

On Friday, a defiant LePage wouldn't apologize directly to Gattine, though apologized to the state for his foul words.

'I'm enormously angry,' the Republican governor said at a news conference.

He hinted that he would step down, but only if Gattine did as well.

'I'm not shying away from what I called him,' the governor added.

On Monday, in another act of defiance, he again linked blacks and Hispanics to his state's drug problem.

Today, though, the tide seemed to be shifting as the governor acknowledged that his party was beginning to bulk and suggest he step down.
An Oregon high school girl is already making unforgettable memories ahead of the school year even starting.

Jillian Henry, 17, had a photo shoot for senior portraits near Mount Pisgah on Saturday in the serene Willamette River.

The rising senior, who was dressed in a black dress, is pictured in the photos almost knee deep in the water.

One image shows her turning around looking at the naked man with a slight expression of shock, while posing with her hands on her hip.

Unforgettable: Jillian Henry, 17, had her photo shoot near Mount Pisgah on Saturday in the serene Willamette River. She was surprisingly photobombed by a naked man and his dog (above)

The teen, who was dressed in a black dress, is pictured in the photos almost knee deep in the water as the unknown man and his dog are standing near the far bank of the river behind her (above)

Another snap shows her smiling, as the unknown man and his dog are standing near the far bank of the river behind her.

Henry, who attends South Euegene High School, shared the surprising snaps taken by her friend Elena Nesbit, on Twitter.

'I love my senior pics,' she wrote in the tweet alongside the photos that's been liked over 74,000 times since Sunday.

Jillian Henry, 17, said she loves her pictures and never expected it to go viral

'I posted it and was super excited when it got to just a few hundred favorites, and then I went swimming and was out of cell service for a couple hours and when I got back into service it was at a few thousand and just kept getting more and more,' she told The Oregonian on Monday.

'I never expected it to get that big.

'It's kinda crazy when you think about how many people have seen that picture of you and that's it's a topic of conversation across the country.'

She added that the replies she's received so far about the photos have been 'pretty positive.'
Zhang Xinhai, getting as much as 100,000 yuan this time, is planning to plant more trees in the scheme.

About 5.6 million yuan (850,000 US dollars) was distributed on Saturday to 80 households who took part in a tree planting scheme in a village in Lintao county, Northwest China's Gansu province. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

He finds this way of making money easier than others, as "there is no cost and I don't have to worry about where to sell them," he said.

In 2013, a local company supplied 400,000 plants, free, to each participating household.

Three years later the farmers had to return the trees to the company, in return for a dividend. Taking the survival rate of the trees into account, each household was expected to return at least 380,000 trees.

The company will sell these trees to northern Chinese regions such as Inner Mongolia and Shanxi for greening.

Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation.
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Crying on makeshift beds, these children escaped the terror of Boko Haram only to find themselves facing starvation in refugee camps.

The youngsters, some of them only infants, are being treated in a feeding centre run by Doctors Without Borders in Maiduguri, north-east Nigeria.

Up to one in four of the youngsters in the 110-bed centre are dying, Doctors Without Borders spokeswoman Shaista Aziz said. Most of them have come from refugee camps, she added.

A woman feeds a young girl in a crowded room at a Doctors Without Borders centre in Maiduguri, north east Nigeria

A woman cradles a malnourished child to her chest as they are treated by a worker at the feeding centre in Maiduguri

Starving children receive healthcare at a feeding centre run by Doctors Without Borders in Maiduguri, Nigeria

Parents living in the refugee camps complain that there is not enough food, and when it does arrive, it is insubstantial.

Dr Natalie Roberts, deputy emergency desk manager for the medical aid group, said the feeding programme in Maiduguri 'has quadrupled in size in the last weeks, but each time it expands it becomes rapidly full'.

In one local camp, Muna Garage, 20 children under the age of five died in a single week.

At Farm Centre Camp, on Maiduguri's outskirts, residents said they had received no food in more than one month.

They and refugees at other camps said that when they do get meals, it consists only of rice and beans. They get one shovelful a day - literally delivered from a shovel - whether a household has six people or 12, they said.

Maiduguri is estimated to host 1.2 million to 2 million refugees but only a fraction stay in the camps because, as The Daily Trust newspaper reported Tuesday: 'Most of the camps have become centers of hunger, malnutrition and communicable diseases.'

A young child has a fluid poured into a tube at the feeding centre, where desperate refugees go in search of food

Refugees complain that their children wait for food in soaring temperatures. Pictured, a child at the feeding centre

One emaciated boy has his temperature taken at the centre, where up to one in four of the children are dying

Nigeria's Senate last week announced it was launching an investigation into allegations that food aid is being diverted, and the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission weeks ago said it was doing the same.

The crisis in Maiduguri, where markets are filled with fresh vegetables and fruit, is in addition to what the U.N has called a 'catastrophic humanitarian crisis' in northeastern areas of Nigeria recently liberated from Boko Haram, where 2.5 million malnourished people have no access to food and drinking water.

Those areas are still dangerous to reach.

A tiny starving child is placed in a harness as he is weighed at a clinic run by Doctors Without Borders in northern Nigeria
An Oklahoma mom-of-two was arrested on Monday morning after shooting a man whom her teenage daughter claimed was her boyfriend.

Valerie Fowler, 34, was charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon.

The mother went beserk after finding the 31-year-old man in her 16-year-old daughter's bedroom.

Police arrested 34-year-old Valerie Fowler for assault and battery with a deadly weapon

Police are not saying if the mom knew the man she shot and said they are investigating their exact relationship, but it's believed to have been her teenage daughter's 31-year-old boyfriend

'We can say that there was a 16-year-old girl that witnessed the shooting a well as a young child,' said Michael Lewis, Paoli police chief.

'We arrived at one location, where we found a 31-year-old male who had been shot. He was on the porch of a residence' said Larry Rhodes, Garvin County sheriff.

The so-called 'boyfriend' has not been identified at this time.

The man was treated at the scene and then airlifted to Oklahoma City Hospital.

A 31-year-old male had been shot and was found on the porch of the home

Paoli Police are leading the investigation and said they are working to determine what led up to the shooting

His injuries were non life threatening, but it appeared to the police chief that he suffered a gunshot wound to an extremity.

Paoli Police are leading the investigation and said they are working to determine what led up to the shooting.
Feeling a little horse? Travis Michael Wagner, 21, is alleged to have entered a Pennsylvania barn and had sexual relations with a miniature horse at least three times

Pennsylvania cops got the shock of their lives Tuesday when they investigated a burglary only to discover the alleged miscreant had molested a miniature horse.

Cops were contacted by a Lancaster County farm owner, who gave them the license plate number of a Dodge Dakota pickup he'd seen parked outside his gates several times.

That truck was tracked down to Travis Michael Wagner, 21, who admitted to at least three illicit encounters with the tiny animal, according to a complaint obtained by The Smoking Gun.

Wagner, who lives around six miles from the farm, told police he had entered the barn, which 'houses cattle and a miniature horse,' several times, the police complaint said.

According to the report, he then recounted a graphic description of a ten-minute sexual act with the horse.

He is then said to have admitted to performing 'the same sexual act, with the same horse, inside the barn at 580 Indianatown Rd... at least two previous times.'

Wagner has been charged with felony burglary and misdemeanor sexual intercourse with an animal, and is set for a preliminary hearing at Magisterial District Court on September 2. He has been released on $5,000 bail.

A Google Maps image of the farm, taken in 2011, appears to show a miniature horse in the field outside. It's not known if this is the horse in question.
A neighbor of Florida's Pulse gay club told a 911 dispatcher that panicked patrons were banging on his door for shelter and hiding behind his car during the June 12 massacre that saw 49 people murdered and 53 wounded.

The horrifying details emerged in transcripts and recordings of 911 calls made at the time, which were released by Orange County Sheriff's Office Tuesday.

The calls, which were mostly made by friends and relatives of those trapped with shooter Omar Mateen, show the fear and confusion that swirled that night - and the strength of the operators who kept callers calm and talking.

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Terror: Orange County Sheriff's Office released 911 calls that reveal the terror in Orlando on June 12, when Omar Mateen killed 49 and injured 53 after shooting up gay club Pulse

Fleeing: The caller at 4:20 speaks through an interpreter about victims from Pulse who are fleeing the shooting, trying to enter his building and hiding behind his car

Shooter: As Mateen (pictured) killed innocents in Pulse gay club, their family and friends tried desperately to get help from emergency services

Speaking through an interpreter, the Spanish-speaking caller, who lives near Pulse, says that people are banging on his door, and gunshots are being fired.

The man - who, according to the translator refers to Pulse as a 'piece of crap disco' - says that his door is locked, and that he believes people are also hiding behind his car.

The operator advises him to stay inside with his door locked.

In another call, a man - who is driving to Orlando from out of town - can be heard weeping as he says his son has been shot and is bleeding out in the club.

'He got shot in one of the bathrooms,' he says, audibly emotional, 'and nobody's going in for him.'

The operator tries to reassure him that the SWAT team are about to go in, and tells him to ask his son to do whatever the police tell them to do.

'Anybody dead yet?' he asks. 'I don't know, sir,' she replies. 'Okay, okay, all right, thank you,' he says, voice flat with dread.

'I can't do nothing': This caller, who left Pulse before the shooting, panics over not being able to do anything about his friend, who has been shot three times

WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE In this recording a caller swears repeatedly, as he is scared that his girlfriend will die, and police still have not entered the building

Another recording is of a man whose girlfriend is texting him from the club's bathroom.

'There's like 18 people, two are dead, they're in the bathroom,' he says. 'They're all scared to death, they all think they're gonna die.'

He tells the operator that the girlfriend is texting him because she's scared the shooter - not yet identified as Mateen - will hear.

The man also says his girlfriend told him the shooters were 'there' - 'So I don't know if they're in the bathroom with her now or just in the club,' he frets.

Later, he says, the texts have stopped coming.

'It's OK, she might be with the deputies or she might be just trying not to let the light come out,' the dispatcher replies. 'I'm gonna stay on the phone with you.'

Trapped: Many calls concerned the bathrooms, where people were trapped by Mateen. One is from a man whose girlfriend is texting him from the bathroom - but suddenly stops

Hiding: This operator asks for a description of the shooter but the caller says her brother's phone is 'going on and off' because he keeps hiding the phone

Survivors who hid in a bathroom later recalled Mateen opening fire on people in the stall next to them, killing everyone. It's not clear if the man's girlfriend survived.

Another caller told an operator that his friend had also been shot in a bathroom, but was still alive and hiding.

'We called him because he posted on Facebook that he had got shot, so we said, "Is everything OK?"

'He said, "Got shot three times." We said, "Where are you?" And the response was "In bathroom, tell them to check the bathroom."'

Dead people: In this call, a man's ex-girlfriend is hiding in the club, surrounded by bodies; the operator assures him police are on the scene

Brother: This woman's brother was hidden in the bathroom, texting her with updates so she could inform authorities

Desperate: Operators tried to reassure callers that police were dealing with the situation - but as the situation wore on, hour by hour, the messages became more and more desperate

And one call came through from a man who narrowly escaped death.

'I just got home from the Pulse club,' he told the 911 operator. 'My friends texted me (to) tell me there is a shooting going (on). A lot of my friends got shot.'

She advised him not to call or text his friends.

'A friend told me he got shot three times,' he added, his voice beginning to crack. 'He's in the bathroom, pleading "Help, help" - I'm not there, I can't do nothing!'

The Orlando Police Department, meanwhile, has yet to release its 911 calls, and the city is in a court dispute with two dozen news media companies over their release.

Silent: This woman said her brother was hiding and couldn't talk, in case he attracted the shooter

Assistance: In this call, EOD - Explosive Ordinance Disposal - units are offered up from Seminole County

Mateen, 29 opened fire at the gay club in what is the worst mass-shooting in recent US history. He was killed after a standoff with police that lasted more than the hours.

He claimed to have dedicated his murders to ISIS, but is believed to have worked alone, without orders from abroad.

In addition to the 49 fatalities, the shooting left 53 patrons hospitalized.
Chipotle is denying the allegations and intends to fight the lawsuit

Workers say they are forced to stay on the job well after punching out

Chipotle, the popular Mexican fast food conglomerate, is being sued by current and former employees who say that they were forced to work even after they had clocked out and were not appropriately compensated.

According to CNNMoney, the class action lawsuit filed by almost 10,000 current and former workers alleges that the company engaged in what is known as 'wage theft.'

'Chipotle routinely requires hourly-paid restaurant employees to punch out, and then continue working until they are given permission to leave,' the lawsuit, which is known as Turner v. Chipotle, alleges.

The suit is named after Leah Turner, a former manager of a Chipotle branch in Colorado.

The lawsuit against Chipotle is significant since the number of people suing represents a fifth of the company's entire workforce

Turner says that she was forced to work without pay  and that she was instructed by her superiors to make her subordinates do the same.

The company, for its part, is denying the allegations.

What makes this lawsuit all the more significant is the sheer number of plaintiffs  9,961 current and former workers. The number represents almost 20 percent of the company's entire work force.

'Chipotle has argued this is a few rogue managers who aren't following policy,' said Kent Williams, an attorney who is representing the plaintiffs. 'Our view, especially given the number of people opting in, is that it's a systematic problem at Chipotle.'

Williams says that those who are participating in the lawsuit come from virtually every state in which Chipotle operates a branch.

One of the plaintiffs, Briana Alexander, told CNNMoney that she was made to continue working well after she was officially off the clock at a Miami branch.

'Behind the scenes, [Chipotle] is not always what it seems,' Alexander told CNNMoney. 'I can say I have worked off the clock.'

The chain is struggling to cope with a spate of bad publicity in recent months generated by lawsuits filed by employees alleging discrimination

She claims that her bosses made her and her colleagues stay until well past midnight even though she had already punched the clock.

Alexander also claims that she was made to work overtime on busy days even though she wasn't paid for the work she did beyond her normally allotted shift.

A former Chipotle employee who did not join the lawsuit says that he was regularly made to work extra without pay.

'I only worked nights because I have a full-time job during the day,' Felipe Ricardo, who was employed at the Danbury, Connecticut, branch, said.

CHIPOTLE BY THE NUMBERS Founded by Steve Ells in July 1993

As of 2015, it had 2,010 branches operating in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and France

In 2015, it generated $4.5billion in revenue

It is estimated to be worth at least $12billion Advertisement

'Normally the schedule says you end at 11:30pm, but it's almost impossible to get out at 11:30pm.'

According to CNNMoney, Chipotle branches automatically clock workers out by 12:30 a.m. in most places, but workers are alleging that they are often made to stay longer and prepare the restaurant for the next day.

While it is the responsibility of managers to make sure the hours are adjusted, employees say that doesn't always happen.

Chipotle has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in recent months.

A few weeks ago, a former employee was awarded $550,000 in compensation after claiming she was fired from her job because she was pregnant.

Doris Garcia Hernandez had worked as a food prep worker at the M Street store in Washington, DC, between 2011 and 2012, when she discovered she was expecting a baby.

However, she claims that as soon as she told her supervisor, named David, he said he would have to approve her bathroom breaks and announce them to every employee in the store.

According to the New York Post, Hernandez also alleged that she would be harassed in front of her colleagues if she took too long and that the supervisor also told her she wasn't allowed to drink water.

She says she was finally fired in front of all of her colleagues when she left her shift early to attend a doctor's appointment, which prompted Hernandez to file the pregnancy discrimination suit.

A US District Court in Washington heard the case and awarded her the compensation and punitive damages.

In July 2013, Lauren Lindo, who worked at one of their restaurants in Culver City, California, won $109,580 claiming wrongful termination based on her sex and pregnancy.

And a jury in Cincinnati has also awarded $600,000 in damages to three former female Chipotle employees for wrongful termination based on their gender.

Chipotle has refused to comment on the cases.

The chain is in the middle of a campaign to woo back customers after several scandals including one that saw two E.coli outbreaks linked to company.

More than 50 people in 14 states fell ill due to the outbreaks, according the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It saw the restaurant chain grapple to overcome a series of food-borne illnesses it has been linked to since October that have driven away diners, hammered its high-flying stock and spawned both a federal criminal probe and a shareholder lawsuit.
A senior ISIS figure who was once earmarked as the terror group's next leader has been killed in Syria, it has been reported.

Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, one of ISIS' longest-serving officials, was said to have died 'while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo'.

It is understood he was killed in a US drone strike.

Second-in-command: Senior ISIS figure Abu Muhammad al-Adnani (pictured), who was once earmarked as the terror group's next leader, has been killed in Syria, it has been reported

Al-Adani, pictured, was responsible for devising the 'lone wolf' strategy which urged Muslims in the West to use any weapons they can gather to target high profile gatherings or events

ISIS confirmed al-Adnani's death claiming he had responsibility for directing terror outrages overseas such as the November attacks in Paris.

In recent months, he had also been involved in tactical decisions in defending ISIS territory in Iraq and Syria.

In a statement, ISIS claimed: 'Today, they rejoice for the killing ... and then they will cry much when Allah will overpower them, with His permission, with affliction of the worst torment by the soldiers of Abu Muhammad and his brothers.

THE ISIS JOSEPH GOEBBELS Adnani was a Syrian from Binish in Idlib, southwest of Aleppo, who pledged allegiance to Islamic State's predecessor, al Qaeda, more than a decade ago and was once imprisoned by U.S. forces in Iraq, according to the Brookings Institution. He was from a well-to-do background but left Syria to travel to Iraq to fight U.S. forces there after its 2003 invasion, and only returned to his homeland after the start of its own civil war in 2011, a person who knew his family said. He once taught theology and law in jihadi training camps, according to Brookings. A biography posted on militant websites says he grew up with a 'love of mosques' and was a prolific reader. He had been the chief propagandist for the ultra-hardline jihadist group since he declared in a June 2014 statement that it was establishing a modern-day caliphate spanning swaths of territory it had seized in Iraq and neighbouring Syria. Adnani had often been the face of the Sunni militant group, such as when he issued a message in May urging attacks on the United States and Europe during the holy month of Ramadan, and as in Sept. 2014 when he called on supporters to kill Westerners throughout the world. Recent advances by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, and by Syrian rebels backed by Turkey, have made inroads into ISIS territory in Aleppo province, cutting them off from the Turkish border and supply lines along it. Iraqi army advances against the jihadist group meant Baghdad was on track to retake Mosul by the end of this year, the head of the U.S. military's Central Command General Joseph Votel said on Tuesday. Advertisement

Among senior ISIS officials killed in air strikes this year are Abu Ali al-Anbari, Baghdadi's formal deputy, and the group's 'minister of war', Abu Omar al-Shishani. Adnani had joined the group under its founder Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

There were conflicting reports earlier on Tuesday as to where and how Adnani died.

A senior Syrian rebel official said Adnani was most probably killed in the ISIS-held city of al-Bab in an air strike. Citing unconfirmed reports, he said Adnani was in the Aleppo region to raise morale in the face of mounting pressure.

The ISIS territory around Aleppo is of particular significance to the group because it is also the location of Dabiq, where an Islamic prophecy holds the last battle between Muslims and infidels will rage, heralding the end of time.

Iraq said in January that Adnani had been wounded in an air strike in the western province of Anbar and then moved to the northern city of Mosul, Islamic State's capital in Iraq.

The United States designated him a 'global terrorist' this year and said he was one of the first foreign fighters to oppose U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq since 2003 before becoming spokesman of the militant group.

There was a $5 million reward on his head under the U.S. 'Rewards for Justice' programme.

Al-Adnani's death comes eight months after he was severely injured in an airstrike while acting as ISIS' chief spokesman in Iraq.

ISIS-affiliated media reported the news of his death in a statement distributed by the group's supporters.

Quoting a 'military source', Amaq News Agency said: 'Sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, the spokesman of the Islamic State, was martyred while surveying operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo.'

Adnani had been considered the terror network's most prominent public figure in Iraq, having made several audio recordings which have been posted online.

He was held in the same bracket of notoriety as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the caliph of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, and has been suggested as the jihadists' next leader should Baghdadi lose his position.

Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, one of ISIS' longest-serving officials, was said to have died 'while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo' (file photo)

Adnani was held in custody - believed to have been at the American detention facility, Camp Bucca - after being captured by US troops in 2005, remaining a prisoner until 2010.

A 2.5million bounty was issued in May 2014 for information leading to the Syrian born extremist, referring to his 'repeated calls for attacks against Westerns'.
The American Civil Liberties Union is suing county officials in Alabama who told a Christian woman to remove her headscarf for her driver's license photo.

Yvonne Allen of Tuskeegee says the clerk insisted that only Muslim women are allowed to cover their hair, while she stated that she wears a headscarf because she believes her Christian faith requires it.

The ACLU's suit filed Tuesday in Montgomery federal court says Lee County Clerk Becky Frayer and her supervisor, Probate Judge Bill English, are violating her religious freedom rights under the U.S. and state constitutions by refusing her repeated requests to take a new picture with her hair covered.

Yvonne Allen of Tuskeegee wished to keep her head covered for her driving licence photo, however officials at Lee County in Alabama told her she would have to remove it

Lee County officials told Allen there are religious exemptions for head coverings but claimed it only applied to Muslims, the lawsuit states.

She was also 'ridiculed' by the probate staff for her belief, the lawsuit claims.

'I was devastated when they forced me to remove my headscarf to take my driver license photo,' Allen stated in an ACLU press statement.

'Revealing my hair to others is disobedient to God. I should have the same right as people of other faiths to be accommodated for my religious beliefs.'

Alabama Law Enforcement Agency rules allow for a headscarf to be worn for religious reasons, as long as it does not cover the face.

The lawsuit states that the refusal to grant Allen a religious accommodation is in violation of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Alabama Religious Freedom Amendment to the state constitution, according to the lawsuit.

Allen's lawsuit also asks a judge to order petition Lee County officials to allow her to retake her driving license photo with her headscarf as well as awarding damages and attorneys' fees.
The shame and humiliation of poverty was too much to take for a wise-beyond-his-years 13-year-old boy from Rochester, New York.

Zaire Downs was not willing to sit idly by and watch as his classmates walked into school with decaying shoes.

Instead, he launched a neighborhood drive this past Saturday that yielded 100 pairs of assorted kids-sized sneakers.

The shoe drive to benefit his needy friends was just the latest gesture of public activism by Downs.

Zaire Downs first wanted to undertake public activism when he got together with a Rochester city councilman and organized a youth march in support of the Black Lives Matter movement

In June, he and a city councilman in Rochester organized a youth march in support of the Black Lives Matter social justice movement.

The demonstration turned out to be such a success that it inspired him to undertake the shoe drive, his mother, Tamara Leigh told Inside Edition.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

'He felt like it was really important for kids to always walk in the first day [of school] with a fresh pair of sneakers. It gives them confidence and makes them feel good about themselves,' Leigh said.

Downs has even started a GoFundMe campaign to help raise cash to buy sneakers.

Downs was motivated to launch the shoe drive because he had seen how kids in school were teased and bullied if they were wearing subpar sneaker brands

Downs (right) is seen here giving the donated shoes to needy locals. Though he dreams of one day playing in the NBA, neighbors have urged him to enter politics

So far, the campaign has raised over $2,000.

Downs says that giving students respectable sneakers to wear is important given that kids in school are often teased and bullied if they are seen wearing brands that are considered subpar.

It is impossible not to be impressed by the wisdom exhibited by such a young fellow.

'My son has always been amazing and empathetic and picked up on things other people his age might miss,' his mother said.

'I've always taught him he can do absolutely anything he puts his mind to.'

Downs has done media interviews on television in the local Rochester area, spreading a message of giving and tolerance

'I've always taught him he can do absolutely anything he puts his mind to,' Downs' (left) mother, Tamara Leigh (right), says of her son. Here they are seen during a radio appearance
Barack Obama has commuted the jail sentences of another 111 inmates, more than a third of whom were serving life tariffs.

The new commutations brings his total to 325 in August alone, the most in a single month by any President in history.

Over eight years, Obama has shortened sentences for 673 inmates jailed for largely nonviolent drug offenses, more than the last ten Presidents combined.

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President Barack Obama has now cut the sentences of 325 inmates in the month of August alone, with more than a third of those serving life tariffs

White House Counsel Neil Eggleston said the commutations underscored the president's commitment to using his clemency authority to give deserving individuals a second chance.

He said: 'We must remember that these are individuals  sons, daughters, parents, and in many cases, grandparents  who have taken steps toward rehabilitation and who have earned their second chance.

'They are individuals who received unduly harsh sentences under outdated laws for committing largely nonviolent drug crimes.'

Eggleston noted that Obama also granted commutation to 214 federal inmates earlier in the month.

With Tuesday's additions, Obama has granted the greatest number of commutations for a single month of any president.

Eggleston says he expects Obama to continue using his clemency authority through the end of his administration.

White House Counsel Neil Eggleston said Obama will use his power of commutation throughout the rest of his term in office to draw attention to harsh sentencing laws

He said the relief points to the need for Congress to take up criminal justice reform.

Such legislation has stalled, undercut by a rash of summer shootings involving police and the pressure of election-year politics.

Two goals of the legislation are to reduce overcrowding in the nation's prisons and save taxpayer dollars.

In 1980, the federal prison population was less than 25,000. Today, it is more than 200,000.

But the legislation's supporters have encountered opposition from some Republicans who argue that changes could lead to an increase in crime and pose a greater danger to law enforcement.

Eggleston said Obama considered the individual merits of each application to determine that an applicant is ready to make use of their second chance.

One of those granted relief was Tim Tyler, who at 25 was sentenced to life in federal prison for selling LSD while traveling the country following the Grateful Dead.

The sentence now will expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

Families Against Mandatory Minimums, an advocacy group, said it had been working on the Tyler family's behalf.

'Mandatory sentences, and especially mandatory life sentences for nonviolent offenses, should be abandoned once and for all,' said president Julie Stewart.

'We applaud the president for using the clemency power to free people who fully expected to die in prison and for shining a light on the excesses of federal drug sentencing.'
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton's running mate, said today he was 'amazed' that Donald Trump would make the Democratic nominee's health a campaign issue.

Suggesting that there's nothing to the 'conspiracy theories' from the 'fringes of the internet' that Trump and his surrogates have been peddling of late, Kaine asked his Erie, Pennsylvania, crowd if he could give them the 'up close and personal on this.'

'I have been on the trail with Hillary Clinton for five weeks and I can barely keep up with her,' Kaine said. 'I have been on the ticket for five weeks, she has been running on full speed for 17 months  I can tell you that Hillary Clinton is one tough, and one healthy, person.'

At today's swing state rally  which was being held as Clinton continued raising money in the tony Hamptons section of Long Island  Kaine briefly played defense on his running mate's health, but spent the majority of his speech offensively attacking Trump for not releasing his tax returns.

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Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine spoke today in Erie, Pennsylvania, telling supporters that Hillary Clinton's healthy as they come - and taking on Donald Trump over his tax returns

'What is he trying to hide?' Kaine asked the crowd, speaking at the Bayfront Convention Center with Lake Erie at his back.

Kaine tried to play up the uniqueness of Trump's situation, explaining that typically political candidates are used to disclosing their financials because it's part of the job.

However with Trump, the real estate mogul and former reality television star has no previous political record to go off of.

'We've never had a candidate quite like Donald Trump,' Kaine said. 'He has no comparable public record and so we know less about him than we know about other candidates in modern history.'

'And that makes these questions: about his finances, about his taxes, about his foreign connections, about his health  even more urgent than usual,' Kaine pointed out.

Meanwhile, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton (right), spotted with her husband former President Bill Clinton, has been fundraising in the Hamptons this week

Kaine ticked off a laundry list of warning signs about Trump's financials, including bankruptcies, fraud allegations  such as the ongoing Trump University litigation  and suggested the billionaire could even be inflating his own net worth.

'Donald Trump, thus far, has utterly failed to answer basic questions that American voters have the right to know,' Kaine said.

Pointing out that Clinton has released 39 years of tax returns and Kaine has made public a decade, the Virginia governor-turned-senator recalled how Trump had encouraged other candidates to release their tax returns, but done a 180 when applying the rule to himself.

'So you see what a promise is worth?' Kaine quipped.

'Because now he's claiming that he's under audit and that prevents him from revealing the information,' the senator continued. 'Richard Nixon released his tax returns when he was under audit.'

'It's hard to get, kind of, not get over a low hurdle of the Nixon standard for ethic, but Donald Trump can't even get over the Nixon standard,' Kaine said, slightly fumbling the speech's best line.

At that point Kaine noted that Trump must be hiding people: 'We know what's going on folks, we're not gullible people.'

Kaine suggested a number of scenarios. Perhaps Trump wasn't paying any federal income taxes.

'Maybe he's trying to hide that he's not as charitable as he claims,' Kaine suggested.

Or the 'king of debt,' Kaine said, referencing Trump's nickname for himself, is trying to hide how much money he owes and to whom he owes it.

'When you're running for president American voters have the right to know who might have you on the hook,' Kaine proclaimed.

Kaine fingered two American adversaries that Trump might potentially be indebted to: China and Russia.

'As long as he keeps hiding his tax returns, we have no idea how he stands to profit from Russia or what they might be holding over him,' Kaine argued.

Kaine rehashed a recent New York Times piece that reported that Trump was in debt to the Bank of China and repeated Trump's claim that he would hold China's feet to the fire.

'How can he do that when his accounts to China are in the red?' Kaine said.

Kaine called Trump 'a unique threat to American democracy.'

Though he gave him an out.
Local rule on the humane slaughter of chickens took effect in east China's Shandong Province on Monday, the first for poultry in China.

Under Shandong's standard for slaughter of chickens, stress relief measures should be taken in the processes of seizing, transporting, loading and unloading.

Workers need to use special tools to seize chickens or both hands to grasp both wings instead of a single wing. Pulling and dragging chickens are banned. Stunning methods, such as the use of gas, should be adopted before slaughter.

Shandong is the country's leading chicken producer and exporter. Drafting of the standard was led by Qingdao Agricultural University and several food producers, including Nine-Alliance Group, a chicken raising and processing company.

"We began to study the requirements of animal welfare abroad in 2003. As our clients from the European Union value animal welfare a lot, we adopted humane handling of chickens very early," said Yang Shengren, a quality supervisor with the company. The company exports 25 percent to the European Union, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the Middle East.

Measures taken include comfortable temperatures in summer and winter, avoiding harming birds when hanging them and using electric stunning before slaughter, he said. Humane breeding and slaughter have increased the company's costs by about 2 million yuan (US$300,000) per year.

"But it makes our products better and more acceptable to the foreigners and our goods can be exported to more countries," said Yang.

Shandong's rule is not the first in the country in terms of livestock. In February 2009, pig slaughter criteria were introduced and most cities have adopted the standard.

The Chinese Veterinary Medical Association began to draft welfare criteria in November covering pigs, chickens, sheep and cattle.

Humane breeding and slaughter will make products more competitive internationally.
Christopher Ashton, 42, was part of an elite group of euro dealers who called themselves the Cartel, according to the Federal Reserve

A former Barclays trader is being fined 920,000 by US authorities over his part in a massive currency exchange rigging scandal.

Christopher Ashton, 42, was part of an elite group of euro dealers who called themselves the Cartel, according to the Federal Reserve.

They used internet chatrooms to fix currency prices and share confidential information, communicating in code and replacing letters with numbers to avoid detection.

The aim was to artificially push currency prices up or down, earning extra cash at the expense of the clients in whose money they dealt.

Ashton was desperate to join the group after previously setting up his own online networks such as the Essex Express, which focused on the Japanese yen, and Sterling Lads, for the pound.

He fell short of his annual target in 2010, taking home a bonus of 380,000.

The banker then became Barclays main euro trader in 2011 and sought membership of the Cartel as he searched for an edge.

Its members agreed to offer Ashton a one-month trial but existing participant Rohan Ramchandani, a banker at Citi, warned him: Mess this up and sleep with one eye open at night.

Ashton managed to impress his peers and was given full-time membership of the group until it was disbanded at some point in 2012.

Members swapped advice such as if you aint cheating, you aint trying as they discussed ways to fix rates.

In 2011, Ashton hit his target and nearly doubled his bonus to 725,000.

Ashton was eventually promoted to become global head of Barclays FX spot business but was suspended and later fired after the scandal broke. File image

He was eventually promoted to become global head of Barclays FX spot business but was suspended and later fired after the scandal broke.

The banker has since sued Barclays, claiming he blew the whistle on chatroom discussions.

He complained that his sacking was unfair, only to be told by chief operating officer Justin Bull that life isnt fair.

HSBC BANKER PLEADS NOT GUILTY A top HSBC banker seized by federal agents at a New York airport has pleaded not guilty to fraud. Mark Johnson, 50, headed the banks global foreign exchange team at the time of his arrest last month. It is claimed he and colleague Stuart Scott, 43, were involved in a 2.7bn currency scam in which they made a 6m profit by rigging the market. Johnson is said to have hailed the deal with the words: Ohhh f****** Christmas. The two are alleged to have engaged in front running  buying sterling ahead of a large transaction, knowing the trade would cause the price of the pound to increase. Johnson denies doing anything wrong. Scott has been charged in absentia and is in the UK. He denies the allegations. Advertisement

Ashtons lawyers have claimed that investigators misunderstood innocent cockney rhyming slang in chat logs for a secret code.

The trader lived in the affluent town of Billericay, Essex, in an exclusive gated mews with his 42-year-old wife Kelly-Jane.

Their six-bedroom home has five bathrooms, a study, games room, walk-in wardrobe and dressing room as well as a double garage.

The couple, who have been married for 16 years, bought the detached three-storey property in the summer of 2013 for 1.3m.

They put it on the market last month and it has since been sold  subject to contract  for almost 1.6m. Designer handbags and shoes which appear to be worth thousands of pounds can be seen displayed in the master bedrooms dressing room in an online sales brochure which shows the inside of the property.

In addition to the Feds fine, which he has the right to formally challenge, Ashton has also been permanently banned from US banking.

A British criminal investigation into the scandal has been shelved due to lack of evidence but work by the US Department of Justice is continuing.

The currency fixing scandal has cost Barclays 1.8bn in criminal and civil fines.

Senior HSBC banker Mark Johnson has pleaded not guilty to charges of fraud in America.
Apple would be 'welcome' in Britain after a landmark EU ruling ordered it to pay back 11billion in tax to Ireland following it's 'sweetheart deal', Downing Street said today.

Number 10 said 'Britain is open for business' and Theresa May's official spokesman described the UK's Corporation Tax as 'one of the lowest in the world' as it suggested the tech giant could move its European headquarters to London.

Experts believe that a post-Brexit Britain - with an economy free from Brussels - could be able to attract companies such as Apple with its own tax deals.

Apple has already threatened to cut EU jobs and investment after it was told its sweetheart deal with Ireland amounted to illegal state aid.

It was ordered to pay back 11billion in a landmark ruling today - the biggest tax bill ever imposed outside the US.

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Big bill: Apple, which has a base in Cork, pictured, must repay 11billion ($14.5bn) in unpaid tax because the EU says its sweetheart tax deal with Ireland amounted to state aid

The European Commission's three-year investigation into Apple's sweetheart deal with Ireland concluded today with a damning report which said the tech giant paid as little as 0.005 per cent tax by funnelling its non-US profits through its Irish headquarters - which has no staff or premises - then on to its $178billion (120bn) offshore fund.

Following the ruling, experts said the iPhone giant could move to Britain.

Neil Wilson, markets analyst at ETX Capital, said: 'The European Commission seems to be treading very close to interfering with the tax rules of member states, effectively telling Ireland how much tax it ought to levy. It's also increasingly becoming a supra-national tax judge.

'Britain could benefit. If Ireland cannot offer sweetheart deals within the EU, the City of London can perhaps offer something more appealing outside the bloc.'

Asked whether the Prime Minister believed the Commission decision amounted to good news for the UK post-Brexit, as it would make EU states less able to use competitive tax policies to attract inward investment, a Downing Street spokesman said: 'In terms of offering a low-tax environment, the UK already does that.

'Our Corporation Tax is one of the lowest in the world. We are committed to making the trading condition for companies in Britain as positive for them as it can be as long as it's positive for the country as a whole.'

Asked whether the Government would like to see Apple relocate in the UK post-Brexit, a No 10 spokesman added: 'The narrative from the Government has been well set out. Britain is open for business, we would welcome any company wishing to invest in Britain.'

He stressed that all companies registered in the UK are expected to 'pay the tax they owe'.

In the firing line: Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive, pictured with Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta last week, has previously called the investigation 'political c**p' and has said his company will appeal against the ruling

Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the maker of iPads and iPhones paid just one per cent tax on its European profits in 2003 and 0.005 per cent in 2014. The Brussels watchdog found the arrangements dating back to the early 1990s were illegal under state aid rules and gave Apple favourable treatment over other businesses.

However, Apple boss Tim Cook said the Commission's decision would 'strike a devastating blow to the sovereignty of EU member states over their own tax matters'.

The company's chief financial officer, Luca Maestri, said the decision would be 'devastating' for the European economy.

HOW APPLE'S $14BN TAX BILL WILL BARELY MAKE A DENT Annual revenue: $650bn (428.5bn) Annual profits: $53.4bn (35bn) - around $1600 profit every second Offshore cash fund: $53.4bn (35bn) Sales: 90m iPhones (34,000 every hour), 40m iPads, 16m MACs and 5m iWatches Employees: 304,000 current U.S. jobs  70,000 employees around the world including 22,000 in Europe. It also has 257,000 jobs at 'other companies' that support its products. Advertisement

The tax affairs of a string of other firms, including Amazon, Google and McDonald's, are also set to come under the EU microscope in the coming months.

Lewis Crofts, global chief correspondent at antitrust trade publication Mlex, added: 'A post-Brexit Britain could be able to attract companies such as Apple with tax deals like the Irish one, and the European Commission would have no say.

'But only in a 'hard-Brexit' scenario. A half-way solution - similar to Norway's or Switzerland's - could see the UK subject to Brussels oversight without being at the table when the rules or decision are agreed.'

Mr Cook said that Apple is 'committed to Ireland and we plan to continue investing there'.

The giant tax bill, which could reach 16billion ($21 billion) because of interest, will not be difficult for the company to pay because it made $53.4billion (35billion) last year - the biggest profit in corporate history.

But Apple will appeal saying the Commission's figures are 'completely made-up' and its CEO Tim Cook, who previously called the probe 'political c**p', is threatening EU job losses if they don't back down.

Ireland has said it doesn't want Apple's money even though it is equivalent to 2,400 for each of its 4.5million residents and would cover the costs of its national health service for a year.

Irish question: Apple ploughs all its non-US sales through Ireland, where the EU says it has been paying hyper-low tax rates. The majority of profits are then sent offshore where no tax is paid, with some going to America for research and development

The Commission's landmark report says that between 2003 and 2014 Apple paid a rock bottom Irish tax rate on most of its profits outside the US before sending it to a tax haven where it paid no tax at all. It has more than 120billion stashed in offshore accounts.

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said: 'Member states cannot give tax benefits to selected companies-this is illegal under EU state aid rules.'

The EU intervention is going to cause a huge row between Brussels and Washington over tax powers.

The EC says Apple's Irish arrangements allowed them to pay just 500 euros in tax on every one million euros they made.

In 2011 Apple's profits outside America were $22billion but Ireland agreed that only 50 million euros ($55million) was considered taxable.

But Apple executives have now accused the Commission of doing the sums wrong in calculating the jaw-dropping 11billion ($14.5m) bill for unpaid tax.

It said in a statement: 'Apple follows the law and pays all of the taxes we owe wherever we operate. We will appeal and we are confident the decision will be overturned.

It is a completely made-up number. We really believe that the impact of this decision will be devastating for the European economy Apple's chief financial officer Luca Maestri on the European Commission's key tax calculations

'Apple warned of the ramifications for future investment in Europe, where it employs 22,000 people.

'The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and up-end the international tax system in the process.

'It will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe'

The company's chief financial officer, Luca Maestri, claimed the tech giant paid 400 million US dollars in tax in 2014 in Ireland.

He claimed Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager's assessment that Apple paid just 50 euro in tax for every one million euro it made that year was nonsense.

He said: 'It is a completely made-up number. We really believe that the impact of this decision will be devastating for the European economy.'

CEO Tim Cook posted a lengthy message on apple.com, warning about devastating ramifications for the sovereignty of European countries in light of the competition chief's hard line.

He said: In Ireland and in every country where we operate, Apple follows the law and we pay all the taxes we owe.'

Context: Sales from iPads in a year could pay the 10-year tax bill demanded by the EU - but Apple is appealing today's ruling saying it does not dodge tax

Mr Cook accused Brussels of taking unprecedented action, with serious and wide-reaching complications.

He said: 'Beyond the obvious targeting of Apple, the most profound and harmful effect of this ruling will be on investment and job creation in Europe'.

'Using the Commission's theory, every company in Ireland and across Europe is suddenly at risk of being subjected to taxes under laws that never existed.'

Peter Vale, a Dublin-based corporate tax expert for accountancy firm Grant Thornton, calculates that Tuesday's judgment if upheld on appeal will cost Apple 19 billion euros ($21 billion) because the order includes interest for unpaid tax going back more than a decade.

APPLE CUTS IN EUROPE COULD BE DEVASTATING More than 22,000 people in Europe are employed directly by Apple and around 1.4million more rely on them for money, the tech giant claims. Parts for its phones, tablets, computers and watches are put together with the help of 4,700 suppliers based in 23 countries. More than 6,500 people in Britain are employed directly by Apple - the highest number in the EU - followed by 5,500 each in Germany and Ireland. In Europe there are more than 100 official Apple stores employing an average of 100 people each and there are 600 smaller Apple Premium Resellers across Europe that offer the complete range of Apple products. Away from direct sales Apple also has more than one million registered app developers making money through the App Store. Advertisement

Vale says the EU order will require the Irish tax collection agency to issue a demand soon for payment, and any money handed over by Apple would be placed in a hands-off escrow account pending years of litigation before the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

Vale says: 'While the tax to be collected is hugely significant, this is unlikely to be made available for public expenditure purposes pending the appeal result.'

Apple insists it is committed to Ireland, where employee numbers have grown from 60 in October 1980 and through the lean years of the early 1990s to almost 6,000 now.

Apple also dismissed the prospect of a six billion euro interest bill being piled on top of the unpaid tax.

The company went further in its defence, accusing the Commissioner of misunderstanding its corporate structure, describing the entire operation at its original home of Cupertino, California as its crown jewels and head office.

Brian Sewell, Apple's general counsel, slammed Commissioner Vestager's ruling on the 1991 tax advice as 'astounding, stunning and very troubling'.

Today's huge penalty, imposed after a three-year investigation into the firm's tax affairs, is 40 times bigger than any tax demand issued by the European Commission.

Ireland will today be ordered to claw back billions in backdated tax - but extraordinarily the government will appeal the decision and reject the money.

The Commission's investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years.

Ireland's Finance Minister Michael Noonan said he profoundly disagreed with the verdict and denied doing 'deals' with taxpayers.

'Our tax system is founded on the strict application of the law ... without exception,' he said.

He added that it was necessary to fight the verdict in the courts 'to defend the integrity of our tax system, to provide tax certainty to business, and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation'.

'It is important that we send a strong message that Ireland remains an attractive and stable location of choice for long-term substantive investment,' he said.

Damning: Competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager unveiled a 130-page report into Apple's Irish tax affairs today and said it allowed Apple to pay as little as 0.005% tax

The case is one of the most high-profile in the fight to redraw boundaries on aggressive tax avoidance, an issue which has put the EU at odds with the US government.

Ms Vestager found two tax rulings issued by Ireland to Apple which she said substantially and artificially lowered the tax paid by the multinational.

She said the arrangements to establish the taxable profits for two Irish incorporated companies of the Apple group - Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe - did not reflect economic reality.

APPLE'S ROCK BOTTOM TAX BILL: HOW DOES IT DO IT? Apple's tax bill is so low thanks to the movement of profits to subsidiaries in Ireland and a 'head office' within Apple Sales International which was not based in any country, had no employees or premises and only had occasional board meetings. The European Commission probe revealed only a small percentage of Apple Sales International's profits were taxed in Ireland and the rest was not taxed anywhere. The commissioner highlighted 2011, when Apple Sales International recorded profits of 22 billion US dollars. Under the tax arrangement it had in Ireland, only about 50 million euro was considered taxable, leaving 15.95 billion euro of profits untaxed, the inquiry found. That year, Apple Sales International paid less than 10 million euro of corporate tax in Ireland - an effective tax rate of about 0.05% despite the headline rate being 12.5%. The Commission said that, in subsequent years, Apple Sales International's recorded profits continued to increase but the profits considered taxable in Ireland under the terms of the tax ruling did not. The arrangement was terminated last year when Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe changed their structures, the inquiry found. The companies hold the rights to use Apple's intellectual property to sell and manufacture its products outside North and South America and make yearly payments to Apple in the US for research and development. The Commission found these expenses were deducted from the profits recorded by Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe in Ireland each year. It also revealed that Apple set up its sales operations in Europe in such a way that customers were buying products from Apple Sales International in Ireland rather than from the shops that physically sold them. This way Apple recorded all sales and associated profits in Ireland. Advertisement

The commissioner said almost all sales profits recorded by the two companies were internally attributed to a 'head office' which only existed on paper and could not have generated such profits. Her inquiry found the profits were not subject to tax anywhere.

Ms Vestager's ruling also comes just a week before Apple's biggest product launch of the year, with the iPhone 7 and a new version of the Apple Watch to be unveiled in San Francisco.

Her office's investigations have also targeted aggressive tax planning by Starbucks and Fiat, both of which are appealing against rulings ordering them to pay back taxes to the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Ms Vestager dismissed threatened court challenges from Apple and the Irish Government, saying she had a 'very concrete case'.

The Commission said in a statement: 'Ireland must now recover the unpaid taxes in Ireland from Apple for the years 2003 to 2014 of up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion), plus interest.'

The EC said the tax bill could be reduced if other countries also pursued more tax from Apple themselves.

Apple has been probed for the way it channels profits made across Europe through a subsidiary company in Ireland. It is claimed the firm was able to pay 1 per cent tax on its European sales for two years, instead of the 12.5 per cent rate on profits that is typically used in Ireland.

The lower tax bills came following two tax assessments by authorities in Ireland.

This, the Commission has asserted, effectively allowed Apple to receive state aid because it was benefiting from a financial advantage other firms were not able to receive.

Fianna Fail finance spokesman Michael McGrath said yesterday that his party would read the ruling before making a decision but he added that Apple will soon employ close to 6,000 people in Cork so the company was not 'a brass-plate operation where monies are coming into Ireland through some intricate funding system'.

He said: 'This is a real operation, but the question is have they been treated fairly and consistently with other companies in relation to Ireland's corporation tax. We have been reassured so far that they have, so that remains our position and we will read the report very carefully and the Government response.' But Sinn Fein said an appeal would be 'farcical'.

Low bill: In 2011 Apple's international profits generated by iPhones, iPads and Macs was 22 billion US dollars, but under the tax arrangement it had in Ireland, only about 50 million euros was considered taxable

MEP Matt Carthy said: 'The majority of Irish citizens are looking on with disgust as Fine Gael and Fianna Fail go to such great lengths to facilitate a multinational corporation to avoid paying its fair share of tax.

IRELAND WOULD GET BACK IN BLACK IF GOVERNMENT ACCEPTED APPLE'S MONEY The record tax bill given to Apple is so huge that it would put Ireland back in the black for the first time in a decade, it was revealed today. Should Apple eventually pay the Irish the 11billion bill ordered by European chiefs, it would represent about 2,400 per man, woman and child there. Ireland, which is among the least populous nations in the EU with a population of 4.6million, would also easily see its 2016 deficit wiped out with the money. Apple has had a base in Ireland since 1980, long before it became the global brand it is today thanks to its iPhones, iPads and App Store. It employs around 5,500 people in the country, with its biggest operations in Cork. Advertisement

'Government and Fianna Fail representatives have lined up in recent days to assure Apple and other multinationals that they will immediately challenge any ruling against the Appletax deal in the European Court of Justice.

'They refuse to even wait to read the content of the ruling before announcing such assurances.' In a similar ruling against the Netherlands, the commission previously required the coffee chain Starbucks to pay up to 30million in back taxes.

Eoghan Murphy, junior finance minister in Ireland, said: 'We don't believe we gave any state aid to Apple. It's in the national interest that we defend our international reputation in this regard.'

Investment bank JP Morgan has previously estimated the total cost for Apple could be as much as 15billion.

Barrister Jolyon Maugham QC of Devereux Chambers said: 'This decision jeopardises Ireland's business model as a country that attracts businesses to be based there on a basis of lower tax. This is an example of political activism by the commissioner. The commissioner is trying to make sure the single market function is maintained and member states do not win business at the cost of others' tax base.

'There is a technical point where tax incentives stop and state aid begins.'

Apple employs about 5,500 people in Ireland, and has argued that its tax bill reflects its operations of procurement, distribution and sales.

Ireland and Apple can now appeal these tax bills. Both have denied any wrongdoing.

The commission investigation relates to two rulings given to Apple in 1991 and 2007.

Who's next in the firing line? Google, Amazon and Starbucks are among the firms facing more scrutiny after the multi-billion pound Apple tax ruling

Apple is the latest major multinational to find itself in the cross-hairs of the EU commission.

And the massive 11billion tax bill levied on the tech giant could set the scene for a titanic battle.

The Commission's three-year investigation into Apple's sweetheart deal with Ireland found it amounted to illegal state aid.

Amazon is among the companies whose tax deals are being examined closely by the EU

A damning report revealed the firm paid as little as 0.005 per cent tax by funnelling its non-US profits through a 'so-called headquarters' in Ireland with no staff or premises.

The EU's giant tax bill will not be difficult for the company to pay because it has amassed a huge $178 billion (120bn) offshore cash fund and last year made $53.4billion (35billion) - the biggest profit in corporate history.

But Apple will appeal and the tech giant's CEO Tim Cook, who previously called the probe 'political c**p', is threatening EU job losses if they don't back down. The Irish government has also attacked the ruling as 'bizarre'.

The US Treasury has warned the EU not to pursue American companies over tax avoidance saying there is a 'disturbing' pattern of singling out US companies.

Google, Amazon, Facebook, Yahoo, Microsoft, Twitter and eBay also have corporate facilities in Ireland - where attractions include minimal regulation and low corporate tax rates - which could come under renewed scrutiny.

The EU commission has already ruled that a tax deal for Starbucks in the Netherlands was unlawful. The company has been fined around 30million euros, although again it is appealing.

Meanwhile, competition regulators are probing deals awarded by Luxembourg to both McDonald's and Amazon.

German economy minister Sigmar Gabriel was today said to have suggested Google's tax structures should also be examined closely.

The EU commision is examining a tax deal granted to McDonald's by Luxembourg

Brexit Britain could become home to giant global firms which fear huge EU tax demands after Apple ruling

New deal? Experts believe that a Britain free from Brussels could be able to attract companies such as Apple, run by Tim Cook, pictured, with its own tax deals

Post-Brexit Britain could benefit from a landmark EU ruling that has seen Apple slapped with a 11billion tax bill.

Experts believe that a British economy free from Brussels could be able to attract companies such as Apple with its own tax deals.

Today Apple has already threatened to cut EU jobs and investment after they were told their sweetheart deal with Ireland amounted to illegal state aid.

Theresa May's official spokesman has already said that the UK's 'Corporation Tax is one of the lowest in the world'.

Neil Wilson, markets analyst at ETX Capital, said: 'The European Commission seems to be treading very close to interfering with the tax rules of member states, effectively telling Ireland how much tax it ought to levy. It's also increasingly becoming a supra-national tax judge.

'Britain could benefit. If Ireland cannot offer sweetheart deals within the EU, the City of London can perhaps offer something more appealing outside the bloc.'

Asked whether the Prime Minister believed the Commission decision amounted to good news for the UK post-Brexit, as it would make EU states less able to use competitive tax policies to attract inward investment, a Downing Street spokesman said: 'In terms of offering a low-tax environment, the UK already does that.

'Our Corporation Tax is one of the lowest in the world. We are committed to making the trading condition for companies in Britain as positive for them as it can be as long as it's positive for the country as a whole.'

Appeal: Apple, which has its Irish headquarters in Cork, pictured, has denied that any illegal deal was made with Ireland over tax

Asked whether the Government would like to see Apple relocate in the UK post-Brexit, a No 10 spokesman added: 'The narrative from the Government has been well set out. Britain is open for business, we would welcome any company wishing to invest in Britain.'

He stressed that all companies registered in the UK are expected to 'pay the tax they owe'.

Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the maker of iPads and iPhones paid just 1% tax on its European profits in 2003 and 0.005% in 2014. The Brussels watchdog found the arrangements dating back to the early 1990s were illegal under state aid rules and gave Apple favourable treatment over other businesses.

However, Apple boss Tim Cook said the Commission's decision would 'strike a devastating blow to the sovereignty of EU member states over their own tax matters'.

The company's chief financial officer, Luca Maestri, said the decision would be 'devastating' for the European economy.

The tax affairs of a string of other firms, including Amazon, Google and McDonald's, are also set to come under the EU microscope in the coming months.

Lewis Crofts, global chief correspondent at antitrust trade publication Mlex, added: 'A post-Brexit Britain could be able to attract companies such as Apple with tax deals like the Irish one, and the European Commission would have no say.

'But only in a 'hard-Brexit' scenario. A half-way solution - similar to Norway's or Switzerland's - could see the UK subject to Brussels oversight without being at the table when the rules or decision are agreed.'

Mr Cook said that Apple is 'committed to Ireland and we plan to continue investing there'.
Local experts said they think in the future bigger alligators will be caught

It took them two hours to bring it in and said were unsure would be success

Wienke and her crew spent 20 hours hunting before came across gator

alligator is nearly 14 feet long and just under 700 pounds

A Mississippi woman reeled in the catch of a lifetime after hunting down the largest alligator ever caught in the state.

Tiffany Wienke, of Vicksburg, Mississippi, said she spent 20 hours at Bayou Pierre hunting for gator before she pulled in the nearly 14-foot behemoth.

Wienke said she fought with the gator for two hours in order to reel it in and said she wasn't even sure the catch would be successful.

Tiffany Wienke (pictured), of Vicksburg, Mississippi, has caught the largest alligator ever reeled in in the state of Mississippi

Wienke, her husband, and four friends said they spent 20 hours hunting before coming across the monster gator

'He ran us - literally crashed us - into some trees and bank-to-bank.

'He was pulling this boat full of people like it was nothing,' Wienke told WLBT.

Wienke said at the end of the day she would've been happy with the 'thrill of controlled chaos' but said she was overjoyed with the record-breaking catch.

WHAT IS ALLIGATOR HUNTING? Alligator hunting is done in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Texas as a way to keep gator populations under control. A license is required in order to legally hunt gator and at least four methods of hunting are used: Hook and line, bow and arrow, gig and snare. and firearm. The most common method of alligator hunting is done with a hook and line. Advertisement

'We're completely content with the fact that this will probably be the biggest alligator we'll ever catch.

'It's not gonna keep us from going back. But we're completely happy with this,' she said.

Wienke's husband along with four other friends helped her catch the gator.

She said she caught the animal on a 20-foot boat and its head curled up at one end while its tail rested on another deck.

The mammoth creature is only one eighth of an inch bigger than the previous record, but that margin is still enough to earn it the title of biggest alligator in the state.

Experts at the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks say they think the animal will eventually be dwarfed by other gators.

'There's definitely other alligators out there that can exceed this.

Experts at the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks say they think the animal will eventually be dwarfed by other gators

'It won't surprise me to see an alligator in the 14 to 15 foot range at some point,' said Mississippi's Alligator Program Coordinator Ricky Flynt.

Wienke's competitiors have to hope they have the same beginners luck she did.

She said that this was only her third time ever gator hunting.

Wienke sold the alligator will be processed for its meat and skin.
The molted skin of a massive anaconda was found along a river bank in Maine, leaving police puzzled as to how it got there.

DNA testing revealed the snakeskin, which was found at the Presumpscot River in Westbrook on August 20, belonged to an anaconda estimated to be eight or nine feet long, police said.

While sightings of a large, 10-foot snake were reported earlier this summer, Westbrook police are unsure whether the snakeskin was planted as a hoax.

The molted skin of a massive anaconda was found along a river bank in Maine, leaving police puzzled as to how it got there (pictured, the skin being measured)

The skin was discovered in Riverbank Park and John S Placyk, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Tyler, confirmed it belonged to an anaconda in a press release on Tuesday.

While the police said experts estimated the animal to measure about eight or nine feet long, Placyk told the Bangor Daily News: 'If it's a green anaconda, youve got a snake that could potentially get to 20 feet long.'

Anacondas, which are not native to Maine and illegal to own in the state, are not venemous.

While police said the anaconda was a 'juvenile snake' unlikely to pose a threat to humans, small pets are at risk of being squeezed to death before being swallowed whole.

While police said the anaconda was a 'juvenile snake' unlikely to pose a threat to humans, small pets are at risk of being squeezed to death before being swallowed whole

On June 29, two police officers spotted a 10-foot snake swim across the Presumpscot River before it disappeared.

But it remains unclear whether the skin came from the same snake, which was dubbed Wessie and the Presumpscot Python.

'Were as surprised as anybody but again we dont know if that was planted there or if theres actually a snake,' Westbrook police Captain Sean Lally told Bangor Daily News.

But police aren't taking any chances, advising residents to stay vigilant as they continue to work with specialists to try to capture the snake.

Witnesses should keep their distance and call 911.
The FBI on Friday arrested a Massachusetts native alleged to have expressed a desire to assassinate President Barack Obama, bomb police stations, and attack a mosque.

According to The Boston Globe, Joseph Gargiulo, a 48-year-old resident of Holliston, just outside of Boston, kept assault rifle parts, ammunition, and threatening notes in his home.

The incriminating evidence was discovered by federal agents during a search of the real estate appraisers home.

Gargiulo appeared in court on Monday. Authorities summoned him over the ammunitions possession charge, which is a violation of a previous restraining order that had been obtained against him by his ex-wife this past June.

Real estate appraiser Joseph Gargiulo (right) is alleged to have expressed regret at not assassinating US President Barack Obama (left) during the latter's vacation in Martha's Vineyard

The Globe is reporting that Gargiulos former spouse, Kara Florian, contacted the FBI in late July.

She communicated her concerns over her ex-husbands behavior, saying that he was stockpiling food and weapons in his home.

According to an affidavit, Florian told federal agents that she was worried Gargiulo would plant bombs in police stationsand kill as many homeland security officers as he can before they kill him.

She said that their two children saw him gather Tasers, Mace guns, food, and water in anticipation of a collapse of Americas structures and that martial law would ensue.

The FBI also interviewed a longtime friend of Gargiulo who said that the suspect told him he wished he had killed Obama when the president was vacationing in nearby Marthas Vineyard recently.

Gargiulo's friend said that he had wanted to burn down a mosque and 'burn every [expletive deleted] down in there' (file photo of Islamic Society of Boston)

The friend also said that Gargiulo threatened to chain a mosque closed and burn it down and burn every [expletive deleted] down in there, according to the affidavit.

He told federal investigators that he was concerned for Gargiulos mental health, which he feared had gone downhill.

Gargiulos lawyer, Mark Meehan, says there is no merit to the charges.

He blamed Gargiulos ex-wife for a long history of false allegations and he denied that there were any indications of a deteriorating emotional state or extreme political viewpoints.

Theres a broad range of views out there, Meehan said. His would not be considered mainstream, but they are certainly not exceptionally radical.

Gargiulo, who his ex-wife said had expressed hatred of gays, minorities, and police, was ordered held without bail by a US Magistrate.

The ex-wife, Florian, had obtained restraining orders against Gargiulo after he had allegedly threatened to kill her.

Florian told Massachusetts legal officials that her ex-husband abused alcohol and drugs.

In one incident, Gargiulo pulled a knife in a threatening manner with anger on our son while screaming give me back my [expletive] knife, she alleged.

A neighbor of Gargiulos said that he would fire BB gun rounds whenever his children came to visit him.

Last month, he threw bottle rockets into the street, the neighbour said. Hes a bad dude. You can tell the guys off.
Dozens of naked animal rights activists covered themselves in fake blood and staged a 'die in' in protest over animal skin clothing.

Supporters of animal rights group AnimaNaturalis gathered following reports that US scientists had detected real dog and cat fur in coats allegedly made from synthetic materials.

Some 30 activists took part in the protest in the centre of Madrid on Tuesday. The city is one of the biggest markets for fur coats in Spain, the group said.

Dozens of activists took part in a 'die in' in protest over the use of animal skin in clothing

The women stripped down to their underwear and covered themselves in fake blood, pictured

Photographs show the female participants stripping down to their underwear, lying on top of each other in a heap in the middle of the pavement.

Fellow activists then poured a blood-like substance over their bodies, creating the impression that they had been butchered.

One woman held up a sign reading: 'cuantas vidas para un abrigo' or 'how many lives for a coat'.

Others stood around the edge of the installation with graphic posters.

One woman held up a sign reading: 'how many lives for a coat' during the protest in Madrid

The animal rights group is concerned about the use of real animal fur in 'synthetic' clothing

According to information on the Animanaturalis website, the group is urging the Spanish government to demand more control over the origin of skins and labeling.

It points to the fact that the majority of the global fur trade is exported from China, where there are very lax regulations.
The number of EU migrants in Britain may have been undercounted by 800,000, figures suggested last night.

There were 2.5million Europeans who had a tax record but only 1.7million accounted for in official statistics, according to fresh analysis.

The number of incomers apparently missing is more than the entire population of Tyneside.

There were 2.5million Europeans who had a tax record but only 1.7million accounted for in official statistics, according to fresh analysis. File image

It may indicate migration figures compiled by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have been undercounted for years.

HM Revenue & Customs finally revealed in a freedom of information answer that 2.54million EU-born citizens had been in employment in Britain in 201314  the last year figures are available.

But in the same year, the number of EU-born workers in the UK was just 1.75million, according to the ONSs Labour Force Survey. It meant there was a huge discrepancy of 790,000.

Failure to control the countrys porous borders  in large part due to the controversial requirement to let in EU citizens  was the spur for millions of people to vote for Brexit.

Critics say soaring immigration has driven down wages in some low-skilled industries, such as agriculture and food processing, and kept British people out of jobs.

It also heaped pressure on public services, including schools and healthcare. The ONS said some of the gap was accounted for by the fact many of those with tax records  which meant HMRC had been notified they had been in work  were using them for less than 12 months before going home, so need not be counted.

Official figures showed there were 1,000,400 long-term migrants moving to the UK from the EU between 2011 and 2015, which means they stayed for more than a year. File image

But Jonathan Portes, the ex-Government adviser who fought a long battle for the release of the HMRC figures, said short-term migration only numbered about 250,000.

Mr Portes, research fellow at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, said he believed the ONS was still undercounting.

He said: We are talking about a very large discrepancy. It seems implausible that the Labour Force Survey statistics are correct.

I think there clearly are more recent EU migrants present and active in the UK labour market than suggested by the official statistics.

The number of migrants born elsewhere in the EU resident in the UK may be significantly higher than we think. The ONS, and the Government as a whole, need to look into this as a matter of urgency.

Mr Portes said the gap could be because the ONS was less likely to count migrants in shared houses or that migrants were reluctant to take part in the survey.

All the migrants with tax records are legally in the UK.

Earlier this year, the ONS had to attempt to explain away a gap of 1.2million migrants in the workforce.

Official figures showed there were 1,000,400 long-term migrants moving to the UK from the EU between 2011 and 2015, which means they stayed for more than a year.

But other figures for the same period show 2,234,000 National Insurance numbers were allocated to EU nationals  a gap of 1.2million. An ONS spokesman said: HMRC figures look at the total number of people who have paid tax over a whole year. Many of these people may only have worked for a short period of time.

The LFS estimates the number of non-UK citizens working in the UK at a point in time. You would not expect the total number paying tax to equal the number in employment at any given point.

Last week figures showed that net migration for EU citizens was estimated at 180,000 in the year to March  down on 184,000 the previous year.
Air Commodore Jonathan Ager, pictured with Prince Charles, was an assistant chief of staff at Air Command and is now a programme director for an arms manufacturer

Dozens of Whitehall officials and military top brass are walking into lucrative private sector jobs in areas they have worked on  without any independent vetting.

In a further example of the revolving door scandal, it has emerged that only the most senior mandarins have to submit job offers for approval by a Westminster watchdog.

There is no requirement to do this for those below the level of permanent secretaries and their deputies. These civil servants and military figures simply have to get their jobs signed off by their own departmental boss, Private Eye revealed.

In one case, a top Brigadier in charge of defence logistics was given the go-ahead to move straight into a job as an arms lobbyist.

The disclosure will spark calls for further reform of the Whitehall appointments system, which allows former ministers and civil servants to take well-paid jobs in exactly the same policy area in which they worked in government.

Critics say the system encourages conflicts of interests  and that the watchdog, the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acba), is effectively toothless.

Earlier this year the Daily Mail revealed that since 2008, two thirds of jobs applied for by top ministers and mandarins were in sectors they were responsible for in office.

Now it has emerged that in dozens of cases, Acba does not even consider the job offers. Between May and December 2015, around half of the 50 top Whitehall staff went to work in business areas related to their former job or for consultancies that serve them, analysis by Private Eye found.

The officials had worked across 16 government departments, but the worst culprit was the Ministry of Defence, where six of the 12 staff went straight into the arms trade.

Brigadier Jon Brittain was head of defence logistics and the Joint Forces Command, which brings together air, sea and land forces, until February 2016. But in December 2015, before he had officially left, he got the go-ahead to become partner in Terrington Management, an arms industry lobbyist.

Brigadier Nicholas Davies, whose role within the MoD was redacted from government records, and he has run business strategy for Raytheon, a hi-tech arms firm

Air Commodore Jonathan Ager was an assistant chief of staff at Air Command until late 2015. He is now a programme director for Lockheed, an arms manufacturer.

Until January last year, Air Vice-Marshal Peter Ewen was director of air support at the RAF, responsible for the procurement, in-service support and airworthiness of the Royal Air Forces fleets of large aircraft. Eight months later he became head of air for Airbus Defence, the main supplier of large aircraft to the RAF.

Private Eye also uncovered the example of Brigadier Nicholas Davies, whose role within the MoD was redacted from government records  which the magazine says means he was commander of the Joint Forces Intelligence Group.

Lucy Robinson, deputy director of the HS2 growth and regeneration team at the Department for Transport, is now director for government policy and funding at London and Continental Railways

Since January he run business strategy for Raytheon, a hi-tech arms firm which last year announced a 70million geospatial intelligence deal for the UK Joint Forces Intelligence Group.

Finally, during 2015 Paul Blakiston moved from being director of value for money benchmarking at the MoD to strategic development officer for Babcock Marine  one of the Navys biggest contractors, with multibillion-pound contracts for nuclear submarines. Officials at the Ministry of Justice have also made good use of the so-called revolving door, the magazine revealed. Craig Watkins, MoJ director of finance and planning, became business development leader at Ernst & Young, the London-based professional services company. EY was paid by the MoJ to develop its recent privatisation of probation.

At the Department for Work and Pensions, Michael Hewson was account director for the Health Services Directorate leading the team responsible for the policy on the Personal Independence Payment assessment. He is now an executive at Atos, the private firm that runs PIP assessments.
Last Monday she changed her story to say she had been trying to

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An Australian woman and her British DJ boyfriend have been forced to re-enact the night they allegedly murdered a police officer on a beach in Bali.

Sara Connor, a mother-of-two from Byron Bay, and Brit David James Taylor who is believed to have been living in Australia, were escorted in orange jumpsuits back to Bali's Kuta Beach just after 4am on Wednesday, two weeks since the bloodied body of police officer Wayan Sudarsa was found covered in sand on August 17.

The pair have been named as murder suspects but under Indonesian law have not been formally charged. Police have 120 days to build their case and the purpose of the re-enactment was to determine which of the tourists is 'telling the truth and who is not'.

Ms Connor, 45, and Mr Taylor, 34, have told police different versions of events about what happened on the night Mr Sudarsa was killed and their stories keep changing.

Police say the couple admitted to clashing with victim, with Mr Taylor saying he hit the officer over the head with a beer bottle. The altercation allegedly broke out after Mr Taylor confronted Mr Sudarsa over his girlfriend's missing handbag.

Ms Connor originally said the officer was a 'bad cop' and had used his body weight to hold her down in the sand. But last Monday she changed her story to say she had been trying to separate Mr Sudarsa and Mr Taylor who were fighting.

During the re-enactment, Ms Connor took off the sarong covering her face so Mr Taylor could kiss her on the top of the head upon seeing each other for the first time since their arrest on August 19. She then lay her head on his shoulder and the pair linked arms.

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Sara Connor took off the sarong covering her face so David Taylor could kiss her on the top of the head upon seeing each other for the first time since their arrest in Bali on August 19

Mr Taylor, 34, pretended to hit the 'victim' with a broken bottle as he re-enacted the alleged death of officer Wayan Sudarsa

The couple embraced at Kuta Beach on Wednesday morning as police tried to determine who is telling the truth about what happened on the night of a police officer's death

The British DJ, who had been living in Byron Bay, and Ms Connor appeared emotional as the hugged in handcuffs

A man lays on the sand at Bali's Kuta Beach, pretending to be Wayan Sudarsa - whose bloodied body was found on August 17

The pair went 'scene by scene' through the alleged events which came across like a play, scripted under the direction of officers yelling through a microphone.

They moved to the water's edge to re-enact their kiss in front of police and media.

Police officer Wayan Sudarsa (pictured) was found dead on Kuta Beach in Bali with 42 wounds to his body

'Act seven: David and Sara return from the water edge, find the bag and the bottle missing,' a police officer said at the scene, The Age reported.

The pair went through their alleged actions and Mr Taylor acted out frisking Mr Sudarsa for Ms Connor's lost purse.

'Act 13, the victim pushed David,' a police officer said.

The pair later fell onto the sand, and Mr Taylor kneeled over the top of Mr Sudarsa.

As if she was standing in the wings of a play, Ms Connor was then brought into the 'scene', to re-enact how she allegedly tried to separate the pair.

Ms Connor straddled the officer at one point and appeared to pretend to strike him with it, however she has rejected this police allegation according to one of her lawyers.

The cop playing the officer mimed biting her on the thigh as she knelt next to him. A bite mark was found on her leg after she was arrested.

As the sun rose, the confrontation between the pair escalated in eerie step-by-step silence.

'David fell and became involved in a fight with the victim,' a police officer directed as Mr Taylor lay quietly on his back.

'Victim and David hitting each other and struggling.

'David smashed the bottle to the back of victim's head until it shattered.'

Mr Taylor and a man acting as police officer Sudarsa recreate the events that allegedly led to the officer's death

'David smashed the bottle to the back of victim's head until it shattered,' a policeman directed as Mr Taylor and a police officer pretending to be Mr Sudarsa lay on the sand

An officer lays like a starfish on the sand at Kuta Beach as police and Ms Connor and Mr Taylor re-enacting the events of the night Mr Sudarsa was killed

As if she was standing in the wings of a play, Ms Connor was then brought into the 'scene', to re-enact how she allegedly tried to separate the pair

Mr Taylor and Ms Connor have both been named suspects in the premeditated murder and assault in company of Mr Sudarsa

Ketut Arsini, the policeman's wife came to the scene but did not say anything and left quickly (pictured: the accused re-enacting the scenes)

Ms Connor lays over 'the officer's body' as the pair are pictured re-enacting the alleged beating death of a Bali police officer at Kuta Beach

As Mr Taylor mimed hitting Mr Sudarsa in the back of his head with a broken beer bottle, Ms Connor sat crouched in the sand nearby.

The man playing Mr Sudarsa lay like a starfish in the sand, face down.

Ms Connor and Mr Taylor, who had been dating for just a few months before going on holiday to Bali together, wore orange overalls with the words 'prisoner of Denpasar police' on their backs and had name placards hanging around their necks.

Ketut Arsini, the policeman's wife came to the scene but did not say anything and left quickly.

Several discrepancies remain in the version of events given by the Byron Bay mother and Mr Taylor about what happened the night Wayan Sudarsa was allegedly murdered almost two weeks ago, Denpasar District Police Chief Hadi Purnomo said on Tuesday.

'In the re-enactment, we will match it (the two versions),' he told reporters.

Following the re-enactment, Ms Connor and Mr Taylor will have what police refer to as a 'confrontation'.

Police allege Mr Taylor became embroiled in a fight with Mr Sudarsa and accused him of knowing something about Ms Connor's lost purse.

He is alleged to have beat him with a beer bottle, binoculars and a mobile phone. A staggering 42 wounds were found on Mr Sudarsa's body.

Ms Connor says Mr Sudarsa bit her on the thigh and hand when she tried to separate the pair.

Ms Connor and Mr Taylor will also be taken back to the hotel where they stayed on the night of the alleged murder - Kubu Kauh Beach Inn.

Ms Connor is pictured on the book of a scooter as she re-enacts a scene in the busy tourist district near Kuta Beach on Wednesday morning

Officers and media watch on as Byron Bay mother Ms Connor and her British boyfriend Mr Taylor went through the events of the night a Bali policeman was killed two weeks ago. Mr Connor holds a bottle of Indonesian Bintang beer

Ms Connor, 45, and Mr Taylor, 34, wore orange overalls with the words 'prisoner of Denpasar police' on their backs and had name placards hanging around their necks

'Act 13, the victim pushed David,' a police officer said on Wednesday morning

Mr Taylor is pictured laying on top of a police officer who is acting as Wayan Sudarsa who was found dead at Kuta Beach the morning of August 17

Mr Taylor, 34, is pictured re-enacting a scene with his knees around the head of a police officer

Media and officers watch on as Mr Taylor plays out the events that led to the death of an Indonesian police officer

Police allege blood 'identical' to that found at the crime scene was discovered here - a claim the pair's legal teams say is yet to be verified.

At Uluwatu, the pair will face questioning regarding their alleged burning and destruction of evidence.

Here, police say, Ms Connor and Mr Taylor dumped a number of Mr Sudarsa's personal items, including his mobile phone case, wallet and police ID card.

The housing estate in Jimbaran where they are accused of burning the clothes they wore on the night of Mr Sudarsa's death will also be an important location for the re-enactment.

Ms Connor is pictured holding a walkie talkie while she straddled the police officer

Ms Connor and Mr Taylor are pictured linking arms in the early hours of Wednesday morning

Ms Connor and Mr Taylor are pictured wearing orange jumpsuits and white name placards around their necks

According to Mr Taylor and Ms Connor's lawyers, the pair are blaming the other for instigating the destruction of evidence.

It comes after Ms Connor wept when she saw her ex-husband Anthony 'Twig' Connor for the first time on Monday since her arrest made headlines in Indonesia and Australia.

'They hugged. (They were) crying together, both of them,' her lawyer Robert Khuana told reporters after their brief, private meeting on Monday.

'(They were) sad because they never thought this thing would happen.

'Especially now, they're thinking about their children.'

Mr Purnomo said police were still awaiting the results of blood tests and psychiatric assessments of the pair.

Mr Taylor is pictured at Kuta Beach in Bali after arriving about 4am to re-enact beating a police officer

Ms Connor is pictured acting out a scene at Kuta Beach on Wednesday morning, two weeks to the day since a policeman was found dead at the beach covered in sand

Ms Connor appears solemn at Kuta Beach as she and Mr Taylor re-enact the events that led to the death of Mr Sudarsa

Ms Connor and Mr Taylor embrace as a police officer holds up their name tags as they continue the recreation of 'scenes'

Ms Connor appears expressionless as she acts out a scene at Kuta Beach under the direction of police officers

Ms Connor is surrounded by officers at Kuta Beach on Wednesday morning

Several discrepancies remain in the version of events given by the Byron Bay mother and David Taylor about what happened the night Wayan Sudarsa was allegedly murdered almost two weeks ago, Denpasar District Police Chief Hadi Purnomo said on Tuesday

Ms Connor says Mr Sudarsa bit her on the thigh and hand when she tried to separate the pair

Byron Bay mother Sara Connor and her British boyfriend David Taylor re-enacted the events that led to the death of a policeman at Bali's Kuta Beach (pictured on Wednesday morning)

The purpose of the re-enactment was to determine which of the tourists has been 'telling the truth and who is not'

'In the re-enactment, we will match it (the two versions),' Denpasar District Police Chief Hadi Purnomo told reporters

Ms Connor is escorted back to the cells at Denpasar Police Station after re-enacting scenes

Mr Taylor is escorted back to cells at Denpasar Police Station on Wednesday

Sara Connor (left) and her British boyfriend David Taylor (right) are taking part in a re-enactment of what happened the night a policeman was killed on Kuta Beach in Bali

Sara Connor has had an emotional reunion with her ex-husband on Sunday after he was allowed a 15 minute private visit to Denpasar Police Station (pictured)

The ex-husband (centre) of murder suspect Sara Connor (right) is expected to remain in Bali for the rest of the week
Junior doctors are plotting week-long strikes every month for the rest of the year.

They would walk out from 8am to 5pm for five straight days, according to leaked papers.

The first strike could start on September 12  causing unprecedented havoc and the loss of thousands of scheduled operations.

Since January junior doctors have been locked in a bitter row with ministers over a new contract that will see them paid less for weekend work.

Junior doctors in Britain are plotting week-long strikes every month for the rest of the year and plan to walk out from 8am to 5pm for five straight days, according to leaked papers

The five strikes they have staged so far were limited to 24 or 48 hours and week-long walkouts would be much more disruptive. Hospitals will be overstretched in the run-up to winter and the strikers might forfeit any remaining public sympathy.

Drawn up by the British Medical Associations committee of junior doctors, the plan will be put to a vote of senior officials today.

The leaked papers reveal the committee wants a rolling programme of escalated action this autumn. Junior doctors would probably abandon A&E, intensive care and maternity units. Tens of thousands of routine operations and appointments would need to be cancelled.

The document says the committee accepts there would be a regrettable impact on patient care. But it adds that this is the whole purpose of the action  to create pressure and disruption for the NHS  to ensure junior doctors get an acceptable deal.

The BMAs Council, which consists of around 30 of its most senior members, will vote on whether to press ahead with the action at the meeting later today.

The 13-page document  marked confidential  states that the Government intends to impose the new contract on junior doctors from October. It says: The JDCs executive teams view is that any industrial action should therefore take place as soon as possible.

Junior doctors have been locked in a bitter row with ministers over new contracts and pay

The document adds: The proposal for Councils consideration and vote is for a rolling programme of escalated industrial action beginning with five consecutive weekdays in September (8am-5pm, full withdrawal of labour) followed by further five-day walkouts in each month to the end of the year.

Later, in a section headed patient harm, it acknowledges that the risk of such an incident increases considerably with four full weeks of full withdrawal  one each month from September to December. The level of cancellation of procedures and patient disruption would increase dramatically, it adds.

Joyce Robins, of the campaign group Patient Concern, said: What they are proposing puts peoples lives in danger and you dont expect that behaviour from doctors. People will die and people will suffer, and for what?

The public has been misled over this, it has been made to sound as though junior doctors are living in penury and being denied their rights, but actually they have already got most of what they asked for. Its really very upsetting.

A Department of Health spokesman said: As doctors representatives, the BMA should be putting patients first not playing politics in a way that will be immensely damaging for vulnerable patients.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt (pictured) decided to impose the new contracts

Whats more, the BMA must be the first union in history to call for strike action against a deal they themselves negotiated and said was a good one. Co-operation not confrontation is the way forward to make sure patients get the best treatment.

A senior Tory source described the proposals as wholly irresponsible and said they would undermine any public support.

Ministers had hoped to have finally settled the dispute in May when they agreed a provisional new contract with senior BMA officials. But this was later rejected by the 50,000 junior doctors who are members of the union in a vote in July.

To their dismay, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt decided to impose the contract regardless and it is due to take effect in October.

Earlier this month one of the BMA committees most militant members, Yannis Gourtsoyannis, urged his fellow medics to dust off their picket armbands.

A BMA spokesman said: Junior doctors have been clear in their rejection of Jeremy Hunts imposed contract. It should come as no surprise that BMA Council are discussing the issue of further industrial action. But at this stage, no decisions have been made.

The document says a ballot on industrial action last November is still legally valid and there is no need for a new vote.
Police said a serial killer has confessed to having raped and killed 11 women and girls between 1988 and 2002 in Baiyin, Gansu Province. The confession shocked his family and neighbors.

Gao Chengyong.

Gao Chengyong, dubbed "China's Jack the Ripper," committed his crimes at victims' homes in Baiyin and Baotou decades ago. He often mutilated his victims, cutting off their breasts, ears, vagina and hands. The youngest victim was only 8 years old when she was killed.

But Gao, now 52, managed to evade justice until Aug. 26, when he was arrested at a retail store at a local school in Baiyin.

The Beijing News reported the key to the arrest was finger prints. Baiyin police had collected all the finger prints of male residents in the city; however, they hadn't recorded those in rural areas, including Gao's hometown. Gao, at that time, avoided submitting his finger prints.

The case made slow and stalled progress over the decades, but when the leadership of the provincial public security department shifted last year, top offcials demanded the cracking of the case. Authorities re-opened the investigation and found the DNA tests led to the Gao family in Chenghe Village. They got the family's finger prints and DNA information, including Gao's, which eventually made him the primary suspect.

Sources said Gao was in a panic when he gave his finger prints and DNA information. People close to the investigation revealed on Sunday that Gao said he had murdered the first victim because he'd been caught by her during a theft attempt.

The 23 year-old victim in the first case was cut in the throat, stabbed 26 times in her upper body and was nearly nude when she was killed on May 26, 1988.

According to his neighbors, Gao was an introverted, honest and silent man. "He never revealed what he really meant when he talked. But I never knew he hid so much," said one villager familiar with Gao.

In other neighbors' recollections, Gao once had aviation dreams and applied for aviation college but failed. He also loved gambling, dogs and dancing.

Gao Junwei, a neighbor, remembered that Gao once told him the urban legend of the Baiyin murderer in details, but he never thought the man who told him stories was the real life criminal.

After Gao's last murder in 2002, he went out to work as a migrant worker in many places across China. In recent years, he had worked with his wife in a school as a small shop owner.

His two sons were enrolled in key univeristies in China. The elder son now is working in a science and research institute.

"I'm shocked, but I didn't really knew him," Gao's elder son said. "We didn't talk too much. And I just can't understand why he did those things."

During the 28 years of the pending case, victims' families and policemen had never really stepped out of the shadow.

In 2011, there was an open letter posted online allegedly from a policeman who was involved in investigating the case. One sentence from it reads, "I was not able to get you in the end. I feel that I will be a guilty man for the rest of my life."

"I thought the case couldn't be solved," Cui Xiangping, brother of victim Cui Jinping, said.

In 1998, Cui Jinping became Gao's sixth victim. She was cut in the throat at home and stabbed 22 times in the torso. The murderer also took away her breasts, hands and ears.

Her brother added, "After getting the news of the arrest last night, my mother is unstable and has been crying. At first I couldn't believe it, but now I know the wait is over. I only hope the police can reveal more details about the case soon."
A gruesome image of a beheaded body was sent to MPs over recent days, said former Labour minister Chris Bryant (pictured)

Police are investigating grisly death threats sent to at least 24 MPs, it was revealed last night.

A gruesome image of a beheaded body was sent to MPs of different political parties over recent days, said former Labour minister Chris Bryant. With it was a message warning that they and their families would be killed.

Police have emailed MPs and their staff to warn them they may receive similar messages and urging them to remain vigilant. The investigation is being managed by the Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism command, SO15.

Officers said all the recipients of the email have names beginning with A, B or C  suggesting the message was being sent generically and was not directed towards individual MPs. The email contained the message: Warning I am going to kill you and all of your family.

Mr Bryant, the former deputy leader of the House of Commons, said the frequency of such threats had increased in recent months and the problem was at its worst in his 15 years in Parliament.

A new unit has been set up by the House of Commons authorities to co-ordinate with police over threats to MPs, he said.

In the last year there has been a slew of these, said Mr Bryant. Ive received five or six so far this year.

It is difficult to know how seriously to take them, but when they mention your family, you have to take them seriously.

He said concern had increased after the death of Labour MP Jo Cox.

The truth is that this is a regular part of what were dealing with at the moment, he told LBC radio station. I dont want police to waste time, I dont want politicians to be treated differently but the truth of the matter is we are in the public eye.

Mr Bryant, the former deputy leader of the House of Commons, said concern had increased after the death of Labour MP Jo Cox (pictured)

Somehow or other this world of the internet has fostered an anger and a bitterness.

He said Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had been very, very slow to deal with online abuse of MPs, but did not draw a direct link to the death threats.

I think Jeremys been very, very slow to deal with that and you need a stronger leader if youre going to tackle that, he said.

Chief Superintendent Craig Naylor, of Police Scotland, said: I can confirm that a number of threats were sent to several politicians on Friday evening, and which have been reported by them or their staff.

Police are following a positive line of inquiry. Appropriate advice has been given concerning personal safety and security for the politician, their families, staff and premises.

Somehow or other this world of the internet has fostered an anger and a bitterness Former Labour minister Chris Bryant

A Scotland Yard spokesman said it was investigating a series of threatening emails received by several MPs since last Friday.

All of these emails have been received via MPs parliamentary email accounts. No arrests have been made and inquiries are ongoing. This is not being treated as a terrorist incident, the spokesman said.

Miss Cox, 41, the MP for Batley and Spen, was killed a week before the EU referendum.

She was shot and stabbed multiple times following a constituency meeting in Birstall, West Yorkshire, on June 16. A 52-year-old man has been charged with murder.

The killing prompted a major rethink of MP security. Most politicians hold open surgeries in their constituencies without any security.

The parliamentary expenses watchdog now offers MPs additional funds to pay for increased security measures in their homes and constituency offices including CCTV, alarm systems and shutters.
Tattoo artist said she was moved and respected the father's selfless love

He didn't want his child to feel ashamed of the mark left by heart surgery

He might not be talkative. He seldom boasts. But he is willing to go to great lengths to show his care towards his children. And that's a father's love.

A man from China has melted the hearts of thousands after he had a tattoo identical to his son's surgical scar done on his chest so that he could comfort his child.

The father, who lives in the city of Chengdu, said his two-year-old boy had undergone heart surgery and he did not want him to feel ashamed of the scar, reported the People's Daily Online.

Silent love: A Chinese father has had a scar tattooed on his chest to help comfort his young son

No need to feel ashamed: His two-year-old child had undergone a heart surgery (left) and the man now has an identical artistic scar (right)

The loving man declined to reveal his identity to the media, but his incredible story has become a trending topic in the country after his tattoo parlour posted the pictures of his body art on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent to Twitter.

The original post has been shared more than 33,000 times and internet users are calling the father's artistic scar 'the most beautiful tattoo'.

Guo Sicen is the owner of CCM Tattoo Space in Chengdu, which completed the tattoo for the man.

Guo told MailOnline the man contacted her on August 12, explaining his intention of getting a tattoo that shaped like his son's scar from a heart operation.

She said: 'At first I was confused. A scar is ugly. Who would want a scar on their body for fun? In addition, getting a tattoo on the chest hurts.'

The 21-year-old university student, who runs the tattoo parlour in her spare time, said after the man revealed the story to her, she was 'very moved' and she respected the father's selfless love.

She explained: 'He said his son is two years old. He had undergone heart surgery and was left with a scar. He did not want him to feel ashamed of it in the future.

'I have read similar stories happening in other countries, but I have never thought I would come across such a client in my own parlour.'

The man had the tattoo done on August 24 at Guo's studio.

The father has declined all interviews with media, saying he would like to maintain a 'low-profile' life, according to Guo.

Heart-warming: The tattoo artist was moved after the man approached her for the body art

Speaking of the man, Guo described him as 'quiet' and 'down to earth'.

She said: 'It took around 20 minutes. We charged him 500 Yuan (57).'

Having run a tattoo business for more than a year, this was the first time Guo had clients who demanded for a scar pattern.

She noted: 'Getting a tattoo might be one of the many small things he had done for his son.

'These small things are signs of affections to ensure his son could grow up in a loving environment.'

Although tattoos are becoming more popular among younger generations in China, the body art - viewed as a sign of rebellion - is still frowned upon by the mainstream.

Guo said she also hoped the story could change some Chinese people's bias against the art form.

The symbol of love: The man has been highly praised on social media as people bill his artistic scar 'the most beautiful tattoo'

Since CCM Tattoo Space shared pictures of the father's tattoo, thousands of social media users have left their comments, praising the man's selfless love.

A Weibo user, named 'RecklessLee', said: 'So touching! Love from a father is also great.'

'LiamXD' wrote on Weibo: 'I'm moved. This is love without saying a word.'

Another user, named 'A Qie Er, Yin Ji' commented: 'He's a great father. His child will have a very happy life.'

The post has 34,183 shares, 6,465 comments and 17,641 likes on Weibo as of writing.
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Most of us like a meal with a sweeping view, but when your dining table is set up on a transparent footpath attached to a cliff, that might be a different story.

A Chinese scenic spot has just opened a new restaurant on a vertigo-defying see-through walkway, reported the People's Daily Online.

Wine, dessert and afternoon tea are served on the terrifying platform suspended at nearly 1,000 feet high in the Shiniuzhai National Park of Yueyang city.

Sweeping views: A Chinese scenic spot has opened a restaurant with a view on a cliff-side glass-bottomed walkway

Reaching new culinary heights: The new business, located in the Shiniuzhai National Park, is about 1,000 feet high

High-rolling life: Wine, dessert and afternoon tea are served to brave customers on the terrifying platform attached to a cliff

A number of diners were invited to eat at the extraordinary dining space on its first day of business yesterday.

Latest images show the customers, donning glittering cocktail dresses, eating dessert and wine with a side of panoramic views over lush forest and mountain ranges.

They appeared to have no fear of the dizzying heights, enjoying the natural surroundings as much as their food.

It seems the scenic spot is yet to reveal the full menu of the cliff restaurant on its website.

Cheers to the view: Diners were invited to eat at the extraordinary dining space on its first day of business yesterday

After meal stroll: The customers appeared to have no fear of the dizzying heights, enjoying the views as much as their food

Make a wish: A female diner took a moment to herself before beginning her memorable meal on the vertigo-defying structure

The scariest restaurant ever? All customers who were invited to eat at the dining space donned fancy evening gowns

The glass-bottomed walkway is built along the edge of a cliff at about 300 metres (984 feet) above the ground.

The structure, which measures 180 metres (590 feet) long, opened to the public in May, 2015.

Besides the restaurant, another part of the walkway doubles up as a giant keyboard.

The walkway consists of two layers of 12mm (0.5 inches) thick glass glued together and electronic components can respond to footsteps with 70 different notes.

The dining hall is staged on one of the two glass-bottom structures in Shiniuzhai National Park.

Last September, the scenic spot unveiled a 300-foot-long (984 metres) glass-bottomed bridge, the first of its kind in the world.

Suspended at 180 metres (590 feet) high, the bridge had previously been a wooden overpass that linked two peaks of Stone Buddha Mountain in Shiniuzhai. Engineers later replaced the wooden planks with panes of glass.

Spectacular: Last September, Shiniuzhai unveiled a 300-foot-long (984 metres) glass-bottomed bridge over a valley

Terrified: Images emerged of people screaming and holding on to the side of Zhangjiajie see-through bridge last September

Engineers have promised safety. The glass panes forming the footpath are said to be 25 times stronger than window glass

Many people's faces were gripped by fear as they tried not to look down to the drop below with only each other for comfort

When the Shiniuzhai glass-bottomed bridge first opened, images emerged of people screaming and holding on to the side of the structure as they were allowed to experience the attraction for the first time.

The bridge is said to wobble slightly when people walk across it, adding to the fear-factor of the frightening ordeal.

However, as part of the scenic site, it also offered incredible views over the geopark and the landscape below.

The construction has already been dubbed 'hero bridge' because of the amount of courage required to cross it.

Those worried about the safety of the bridge can rest easy.

Shiniuzhai National Park claimed the glass panes forming the footpath are said to be 25 times stronger than regular window glass, according to a release on its website.

Apparently, they're also created to stay in shape and withstand impact although special footwear has been issued to visitors.
Chinese workers have stunned the world again with their eye-opening efficiency.

A 500-metre-long (1,640 feet) overpass in the centre of a city has been demolished in just a few hours thanks to the teamwork of 68 diggers.

An amazing video has been circulating online showing the incredible moment the group of machines striking the huge concrete structure in unison.

Incredible speed: A 1,640-foot-long concrete overpass was demolished overnight in China

Eye-opening efficiency: 68 diggers were sent to the side to knock down the structure in unison

Join forces for demolition: An amazing video shows the moment the machines drilling the structure at the same time

The Yonghemen overpass was located in Nanchang, southern China's Jiangxi Province.

It was built 24 years ago and was destroyed last week in order to make way for the city's second metro line.

As many as 68 diggers were called to the site at around 10pm on August 26 as the demolition began, reported the People's Daily Online.

The whole process took just a few hours as the diggers lined up side by side and knocked down the bridge at the same time.

Apparently the overpass disappeared so quickly even the local residents were shocked.

Gone in a few hours: The bridge was pulled down overnight stunning residents of Nanchang

Unity is strength: The diggers lined up side by side and demolished the bridge overnight

Selfie with the bridge: Two residents took a picture on the bridge before demolition began

Traffic control: Police authority cleared traffic in the area before demolition began

One local, known as 'Lan Tian Yun Cai', has been quoted by Chinese media expressing his total astonishment at the workers' efficiency.

The man reportedly posted on social media: 'I live nearby and pass here several times a day.

'I admire the government's efficiency in carrying out the demolition.

'They had quietly prepared for the project for several days. Last night, these diggers appeared all of sudden.'

'Lan Tian Yun Cai' said he had been playing basket under the bridge three hours before the demolition and 'did not see any signs' of a demolition.

The web user was awed that the structure was levelled overnight.

It's not just the efficiency of China's demolition work that impresses the world.
Red fire ant

'The Sting of the Wild' was conjured up after Schmidt and his zoologists wife, Debbie Schmidt, returned home from a trip around the country that they had collected a bunch of insects. Pictured is the red fire ant that was only give a 1 for pain, as it is just 'mildly alarming'

Scientific name: Solenopsis invicta

Native home: South America

Schmidt's description of the pain: 'Sharp, sudden, mildly alarming. Like walking across a shag carpet and reaching for the light switch.'

Pain level: 1

Description: The red fire ant's venom plays an important role in a colony, as it is used to capture prey or for defense.

Approximately 95% of the venom components are water-insoluble piperidine alkaloids, and it is found to be potent with sensitive humans.

A sting from this insect will result in small, itchy lumps that will last about 30 minutes to an hour, which will eventually turn into small filled blisters.

Western cicada killer

They wanted to determine how different their sting and venom were and knew they would have to use their own bodies in this study. Pictured is a western cicada killer, but although the name sounds frightening it was only ranked as 1.5 in pain

Scientific name: Sphecius grandis

Native home: North America

Schmidt's description of the pain: 'Pain at first sight. Like poison oak, the more your rub, the worse it gets.'

Pain level: 1.5

Description: Western cicada killers use their venom to mainly paralyze cicadas, which are a favorite treat for their young.

Females can capture about four or more for provisioning, place them in brood cells and lay eggs inside of the cells.

Despite their large size, as they are deemed the largest wasps in California, their sting has been reported as being between merely numbing and sharp to moderate.

Western honey bee

The book includes the 'Schmidt Sting Pain Index', which presents 83 different species of stinging insects and comments about his own personal experience with each one. For example the western honey bee's (pictured) sting was 'Burning, corrosive, but you can handle it. A flaming match head lands on your arm and is quenched first with lye and then sulfuric acid'

Scientific name: Apis mellifera

Native home: Africa and Europe

Schmidt's description of the pain: 'Burning, corrosive, but you can handle it. A flaming match head lands on your arm and is quenched first with lye and then sulfuric acid.'

Pain level: 2

Description: There is a misconception that Western honey bees die once they use their only attack method, but their stingers are designed to simply pull free from the body when it becomes lodged.

It has a stinger and a venom sac that allows it to deliver venom even after the stinger is detached.

These stings can be quite painful and for some who are allergic, they are life threatening.

The initial pain eventually subside, but only after a period of swelling and itching.

Some people may experience visible signs, including redness of the skin around the sting.

Western yellowjacket

'For the stinging insect, how not to be eaten assumes crucial importance, and herein lies the value of the sting,' Schmidt writes in ' The Sting of the Wild '. 'The stinging inset is focuses on not ending up in the stomach of the visitor at the entrance to the nest.' Pictured is a western yellowjacket and its sting feels 'hot and smoky', according to Schmidt

Scientific name: Vespula pensylvanica

Native home: North America

Schmidt's description of the pain: 'Hot and smoky, almost irreverent. Imagine W.C. Fields extinguishing a cigar on your tongue.'

Pain level: 2

Description: Western yellowjackets usually do not use their stinger unless a violent struggle occurs or they feel their nest is being threatened.

Since this species live in colonies and it is an increased threat to humans, Western yellowjackets are controlled during outbreaks.

The recommended treatment of stings is antihistamine ointments and tablets to reduce reactions.

Fierce black polybia wasp

To go up or down an entire point, the bite had to be 'discernible more or less painful. And half points are used for those that fell somewhere between the levels, like the ranking for the sting of the fierce black polybia wasp (pictured) that was given 2.5 for pain level

Scientific name: Polybia simillima

Native home: Central America

Schmidt's description of the pain: 'A ritual gone wrong, satanic. The gas lamp in the old church explodes in your face when you light it.'

Pain level: 2.5

Description: The fierce black polybia wasp builds multi-tiered nests, and colony size can vary greatly between a few workers to a few thousand.

Caterpillars are the most common prey for these creatures, which the worker hunts and bites them in the back of the head.

The wasps then drag the body to a different location to keep other insects from stealing their prey.

Once the insect is in a safe location, the wasp will malaxate the prey, or soften it by mixing it with a thinner substance, presumably saliva.

Velvet ant

Although velvet ants are not aggressive, they pack a painful punch. This species belongs to a family with a number of wasp species and is also called the 'cow killer ant'. Schmidt describes the sting as 'explosive and long lasting' and gave it a 3

Scientific name: Dasymutilla klugii

Native home: North America

Schmidt's description of the pain: 'Explosive and long lasting, you sound insane as you scream. Hot oil from the deep frying spilling over your entire hand.'

Pain level: 3

Description: Although velvet ants are not aggressive, they pack a painful punch.

This species belongs to a family with a number of wasp species and is also called the 'cow killer ant'.

Their sting results in an intense pain that can last up to 30 minutes, but the venom injected into the victim is not toxic or lethal to humans or other animals.

Florida Harvester ant

Debbie Schmidt, Justin's wife, describes being stung by the harvester ant (pictured) for the first time and states it felt like a 'deep ripping and tearing pain, as 'deep ripping and tearing pain, as if someone were reaching below the skin and ripping muscles and tendons; except the ripping continue with each crescendo of pain'

Scientific name: Pogonomyrmex badius

Native home: North America

Schmidt's description of the pain: 'Bold and unrelenting. Somebody is using a power drill to excavate your ingrown toenail.'

Pain level: 3

Description: The Florida harvester ant is not aggressive and almost has to be forced to sting someone.

However, the sting is among the more painful from ants and the pain lasts longer than usual for ant stings due to the poison injected.

Some swelling may occur as the reaction to their stings, which can spread along the lymph channels.

There is one harvester ant, known as the Maricopa harvester ant, which is found in Arizona and is said to be the most toxic insect venom in the world.

Tarantual hawk

Tarantual hawks (pictured) have an excruciating sting, but it only last s for about three minutes. Victims have described the pain as being electrocuted that leads to a few minutes of hell. Schmidt says it was 'blinding, fierce, shockingly electric' pain

Scientific name: Pepsis spp.

Native home: North America, Central America, and South America

Schmidt's description of the pain: 'Blinding, fierce, shockingly electric. A running hair dryer has just been dropped into your bubble bath.'

Pain level: 4

Description: Tarantual hawks have an excruciating sting, but it only lasts for about three minutes.

Victims have described the pain as being electrocuted that leads to a few minutes of hell.

Females attack tarantulas and is actually usually leaves humans alone.

This creatures paralyzes the deadly spider, with a single sting, and drags it into its lair.

There, it lays an egg that hatches into a larva and eats up the paralyzed, still alive spider over the course of several weeks.

Bullet ant

The sting from the bullet ant is said to create a burning and throbbing pain that lasts for up to 24 hours  some victims have said the pain is equal to being shot. It was give a 4 for the level of pain and said it feels 'Like walking over a flaming charcoal with a 3-inch nail embedded in your heel'

Scientific name: Paraponera clavata

Native home: Central American and South America

Schmidt's description of the pain: 'Pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like walking over a flaming charcoal with a 3-inch nail embedded in your heel.'

Pain level: 4

Description: The sting from the bullet ant is said to create a burning and throbbing pain that lasts for up to 24 hours  some victims have said the pain is equal to being shot.

Its venom contains poneratoxin, which affects voltage-dependent sodium ion channels and blocks the synaptic transmission in the central nervous system.

Warrior wasp

While Schmidt found the red fire ant ranks on level 1 in terms of pain level, the warrior wasp (pictured) was given a four and said it feels like 'you are chained in the flow of an active volcano' and is the highest ranking in terms of pain in his index

Scientific name: Synoeca septentrionalis

Native home: Central America and South America

Schmidt's description of the pain: 'Torture. You are chained in the flow of an active volcano. Why did I start this list?'

Pain level: 4

Description: The Warrior wasp is known for its aggressive behavior and extremely painful sting that can last up to two hours
Its one of the most historic cities in the United States, but every year, Boston is faced with a problem that threatens to leave it a step behind the competition  when winter comes, the city plummets into darkness just after 4 p.m.

Now, it appears Massachusetts is looking to get more sunlight out of the day.

Governor Charles Baker has signed a bill enlisting a task force to study the possible effects of a switch to Atlantic Standard Time, which would provide an extra hour of sunlight between November and March.

When winter comes, Boston plummets into darkness just after 4 p.m. Now, it appears Massachusetts is looking to get more sunlight out of the day. Fenway Park in Boston is pictured above

ATLANTIC STANDARD TIME Atlantic Standard Time is four hours behind Universal time. It is observed in some parts of North and South America, though sometimes under a different name, and the Caribbean. While switching time zones may sound extreme, some argue that the changes would be minor. As it is, were actually only on Eastern Standard Time for about four months per year, from early November until early March,' Emswiler explained. 'In the spring, summer, and early fall were on Eastern Daylight Time, which is the same as AST. Advertisement

The idea was proposed in 2014 by healthcare administrator Tom Emswiler, Bloomberg reports, who argues that college graduates may be flocking out of Boston to areas with longer days.

In Boston, the earliest sunset of the year has been known to occur nearly half-an-hour before other cities on the East Coast.

Last year, the city experienced a sunset as early as 4:11 p.m. on Dec. 9  but a switch from Eastern Time to AST would push this back to 5:11, giving the city a potential competitive edge over other regions.

Were in competition for talent with places like New York and California, Emswiler said on Bloomberg Radios Baystate Business Hour.

And if we can make the sun set not at 4 p.m. when its dark and cold and no fun outside, thatll make it a little more palatable.

Emswiler argued the case for a switch to AST in a 2014 op-ed for The Boston Globe, but others have pushed for a later sunset and a split from twice-yearly daylight savings changes to clocks across the country.

In recent years, medical researchers have tied daylight savings to a spike in heart attacks and workplace injuries when the clocks spring forward.

And, the idea of a time-zone change may now be gaining traction, with a recent Massachusetts bill dedicating a section to the issue.

There shall be a special commission to conduct a comprehensive study relative to the practical, economic, fiscal and health related impacts of the commonwealth remaining on eastern daylight time, 4 hours behind coordinated universal time, also known as Atlantic Standard Time, throughout the calendar year, the bill states.

Last year, Boston experienced a sunset as early as 4:11 p.m. on Dec. 9  but a switch from Eastern Time to AST would push this back to 5:11, giving the city a potential competitive edge over other regions

The commission shall focus on the impact to local and regional economies, education, public health, transportation, energy consumption, commerce and trade if the time zone is altered.

The task force will convene its first meeting this fall, and must report its findings by next July.

And, while the idea may sound complicated, Emswiler says the switch wouldnt disrupt life as we know it.

Switching to Atlantic Standard Time  essentially, keeping the clock an hour forward all year  wouldnt be nearly as radical a change as it sounds, Emswiler explained in the op-ed.
The Earth protects itself from solar storms using an invisible shield known as the 'magnetosphere'.

But because Earth's magnetic poles are continually moving, the magnetosphere is weakening.

This means our planet is increasingly vulnerable to the potentially devastating effects of solar flares.

Now, Joseph Pelton, former dean of the International Space University, in Illkirch-Graffenstaden in France, has called for scientists to take action by creating a massive magnetic shield to protect Earth.

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Solar storms are eruptions of magnetic energy from the solar surface. When this magnetic energy is suddenly released, this accelerates the hot gases near the surface, which can travel quickly towards the Earth

IMPACT OF SOLAR STORMS If Earth's magnetic field was hit by charged particles from a solar storm the effects could include: - Electric grid disruption - Radar interference - Solar cell damage - Telecommunication cable disruption - Pipeline corrosion - Loss of synchronisation of global internet - Airline passenger radiation Advertisement

Solar storms are eruptions of magnetic energy from the sun's surface.

When this magnetic energy is suddenly released, this accelerates the hot gases near the surface, which can travel quickly towards the Earth.

A solar flare's 'killer electrons' can travel at up to several million miles per hour towards Earth.

Experts are now warning that humanity is not prepared to tackle a calamitous solar storm, and that the effects could be dire.

If this material collides with the Earth's magnetic field, it can affect many technologies, including satellites orbiting the planet, and radars.

In a new paper published in ROOM, Dr Joseph Pelton, said: 'Over the course of the last half century, the world has finally begun to learn that a massive asteroid or comet strike could create havoc and ruin, on perhaps a planetary scale.

The Met Office now provides forecasts for space weather to help the public and industry prepare for solar storms that may pose a risk to infrastructure, as outlined in the graphic shown above

'But what we don't have is a global understanding that there is a much more likely danger that is increasing over time and is a very real cosmic danger that could knock out our electric power grids, kill key satellite systems for communications and navigation and defence.'

Dr Pelton also warned that a solar storm could knock out the time synchronisation of the global Internet.

This synchronisation is essential for the internet to continue to function as it does.

He added: 'A massive coronal mass ejection that brings millions of tons of ions travelling perhaps at two million kilometres an hour, could leave the world's economic systems and global infrastructure in shambles.'

A magnetic map of Earth shows that the magnetic field is only strengthening is small areas (shown in red), and the field is weakening in most areas (shown in blue)

However, Dr Pelton says that if scientists could create a mega-structure, with an huge electro-magnetic shield, it could protect the Earth from a massive solar storm.

The structure could also have other purposes, such as incorporating solar power satellites which could beam clean energy back to Earth.

Dr Pelton added: 'It is time for those leading our space agencies to consider what technologies they might conceive and implement to save Earth and the human race.
Launching satellites could be get a whole lot easier and cheaper if one Californian firm gets its way.

Rather than using a traditional rocket to take payloads into space, Mountain View-based firm CubeCab wants to fire microsatellites into orbit from to high altitude fighter jets.

By packing tiny CubeSats into a rocket-like canister and launching them at more than 100,000 feet, the space firm claims it will slash the costs of sending lightweight space tech into low Earth orbit.

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A US space firm is planning to slash the cost of sending micro-satellites into space by packing them into a rocket-like canister and launching them from F-104 fighter jets at more than 100,000 feet. Pictured is one of the jets, which were first used by the military in the 1950s

SLASHING THE COST OF SATELLITE LAUNCHES Firms and research institutions looking to get satellites into orbit need to hitch a ride on a rocket. But space and weight are extremely limited and lead times can be years. Private space firms are looking to use fighter jets to deliver small payloads into space at a fraction of the cost. The concept would see tiny CubeSats packed inside a small, lightweight 3D printed rocket which would be attached to an F-104 fighter jet. After take-off, the jets would reach altitudes of more than 100,000 feet before the rocket is launched. Californian firm CubeCab claims the approach would slash the cost to $250,000 (190,000) and would be able to launch satellites within a month of receiving an order. Advertisement

The use of CubeSats has exploded in recent years, with researchers and technology firms expanding the areas in which they can be used, in everything from atmospheric research to communications.

But in order to get into orbit, firms and research institutions need to hitch a ride on a rocket  with space and weight extremely limited.

CubeCab plans to shake things up by attaching its satellite payload to a fleet of ageing fighter jets, which first saw military service in the 1950s.

The F-104 jets are operated by Starfighters Aerospace, which launches its fleet from Cape Canaveral in Florida, the home of Nasas space missions.

Starfighters fleet is made up of retired F-104 jets from the Italian Air Force, which were taken out of service in 2004.

In order to launch micro satellites, a small rocket containing them is attached to the pylons under the wings  which would have been used to attach bombs mission during military runs.

Once launched from Cape Canaveral, the jets will reach altitudes of more than 100,000 feet, before the rocket launches and the canister of microsatellites is released into orbit.

According to CubeCab, it will be able to launch microsatellites weighing no more than 5 kg (11 lbs) into low Earth orbit for $250,000 (190,000), opening up commercial satellite delivery to more research institutions and businesses.

Small rockets are inefficient, making it difficult to make a profit, the firm explains on its website.

A number of CubeSats have been released from the International Space Station (pictured centre), hitching a ride on resupply missions to the ISS

We have a suite of technologies to optimise small launches so we can do it profitably.

'There are other rockets under development, mainly for 20-500 kilogram payloads, which is still too large for the popular CubeSat standard which we address.

At just 5 kg, ours is the smallest rocket, as measured by payload to LEO, under serious commercial development that we are aware of to date.

CubeSat use has exploded in recent years, with researchers and tech firms expanding the areas in which they can be used

While the small rockets may still be in the development stage, CubeCab is confident that the service will be available by 2018 and will focus exclusively on 3U CubeSats  which are three of the 10 x 10 x 10 cm units stacked together, resembling a box kite.

Speaking to BBC Future, chief operating officer, Dustin Still said the firm is aiming for fast delivery times of around a month, vastly reducing the timescale of current launches, which can have lead times of years.

Mr Still said: A typical mission might be getting an order from a college to launch a cubesat into a specific orbit.

'Within a few days later we should get the cubesat and load it into a rocket we have set aside for launch in Florida for regular equatorial orbits, or another facility or almost any location for a polar orbit launch.

But CubeCab and Starfighters are not the only ones looking at the approach.

The US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) is also working on the approach to launch low-orbit satellites using fighter jets

Last year the US military said it would cut the cost of satellite launches to less than $1,000,000 (760,000) by using fighter jets to launch them into orbit.

After take-off, F-15 jets would ascend near vertically until they reach high altitude. A rocket would then launch to deliver the payload into low earth orbit.
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It is the longest glacier in the Eastern Alps, weaving through the scoured valley beneath Austria's highest mountain.

But the Pasterze glacier, near Heiligenblut at the Grossglockner in Austria's High Tauern mountain range, is a shadow of its former self, having diminished by half in the past 150 years.

The retreat of this once mighty glacier is being repeated across Europe where the vast majority have lost approximately two thirds of their volume since 1850.

 Slide me  In the 1920s, Austria's largest glacier, Pasterze, was an impressive tongue of ice that extended to the south east (pictured left), but by 2012 it had retreated dramatically up the valley, leaving bear rock and scree in its wake

Scientists blame rising temperatures due to global warming for the increased melting of these rivers of frozen water that have helped to grind out the Alps' dramatic landscape since the last ice age.

In Austria glaciers retreated an average of 72 feet in 2015  more than twice the rate of the previous year  with 96 per cent of the country's 92 major glaciers receding.

The Austrian Alpine Association's annual glacier survey showed that three of the country's glaciers retreated by more than 320 feet.

Warm summer temperatures have been compounded by poor winter snowfall in recent years.

According to the survey the Pasterz retreated by 177 feet in 2015 while the Hornkees in the Zillertal Alps retreated by 446 feet last year.

The Pasterze glacier near Heiligenblut at the Grossglockner in Austria has retreated by 177 feet in 2015, according to figures released by the Austrian Alpine Association. Wooden signs how much the glacier has retreated in recent years (pictured)

The Rhone glacier near Gletsch in Switzerland (pictured) has retreated 4,600 feet further up the mountain side from its position in 1856. The mountain is peppered with small lakes formed by melting ice

The melting has forced tourist chiefs to lay fleece blankets over the ice of the Rhone glacier to prevent a 328 feet long tunnel hewn into ice as a tourist attraction (pictured) from melting

Vegetation grows in the rocky basin exposed by the receding Hornkees glacier near Ginzling Austria. It once filled the basin with ice at least 100 feet (30m) deep. Last year it receded more than any other glacier in Austria

The Mittlerer Guslarferner in the Otztal Alps of Austria has shown a particularly rapid disintegration into four parts since 2003.

Dr Andrea Fischer, a glaciologist and head of the Aplenverein-Glacier Monitoring Service, said: 'Summer 2015 was warmer by more than 2C above the long term average.

'Long lasting anticyclones and the lack of summer snowfall, these are the ingredients for a much too warm measuring year and therefore reason for the current glaciers declines.'

The Waxeggkees glacier near Ginzling, Austria, filled the basin of the valley beside the Berliner Huette but has since retreated back up the mountain side. The scars left by the ice can still be seen where the vegetation line runs down the valley (pictured)

The Rhone glacier (pictured) once extended down from its current position into the valley below up to the village of Gletsch, but it has shrunk dramatically in the past 120 years

The vast Hornkees glacier in the Zillertal Alps, Austria, once extended far down the valley as shown in the image from 1953 on the left, but in 2015 it retreated by 446 feet, taking it further up the mountain (pictured right)

THE WORLD'S FASTEST MOVING GLACIER JUST LOST A MASSIVE CHUNK OF ICE Satellite images show that the fastest moving glacier in the world shed a chunk of ice measuring around 4.8 square miles last year  one of the most significant calving events on record. Radar images from the European Space Agency's Sentinel-1A captured the Jakobshavn glacier in western Greenland before and after the event, which took place between 14 and 16 August 2015. Comparing images taken on 27 July, and 13 and 19 August, the new face of the glacier has been pushed inland by several kilometres to what appears to be its furthest easterly location since monitoring began in the mid-1880s. The image time series suggests that between 27 July and 13 August, the glacier advanced westward before the calving caused rapid retreat of the ice front to its position on 19 August. Jakobshavn glacier drains 6.5% of the Greenland ice sheet, producing around 10% its icebergs. This amounts to some 35 billion tonnes of ice that calve off every year. Icebergs are often so large that they cannot float away easily. They remain, sometimes for years, stuck on the bottom in shallower areas of the fjord until they finally melt enough to disperse, break into pieces or are pushed out by icebergs coming up from behind. Advertisement

The Aletsche glacier in Bettemeralp, Switzerland, (pictured) is the country's largest glacier but has been shrinking rapidly. It is currently 14 miles long (23km) long and up to 2,952 feet deep

Switzerland's largest glacier, the Aletsch, still makes for an impressive sight when viewed from the air (pictured)

Popular ski-resorts have also suffered as the glaciers have retreated. The tongue of the Gepatschferner in the Oetztal Alps, once a popular ski destination, lost 399 feet last year.

The Taschachferner Pitztal lost 331 feet over the past year.

However, while many glaciers in the Swiss, French and Austrian Alps have retreated, countries like Norway have seen some of their glaciers increase in mass.

Wooden signs along a hiking trail show the locations where the edge of the mighty Pasterze glacier had once stood (pictured). The image above shows its location in 1995 and where it now sits in the distance

This print from 1885 shows what the Pasterze glacier in Austria once looked like. The valley was once covered in thick ice that ground its way down the valley

Scientists say the melting of Europe's glaciers (Rhone glacier pictured) has accelerated dramatically since the early 1980s

In some areas, such as the Rhone glacier near Gletsch, Switzerland, white fleece blankets have been laid out over the ice in an attempt to halt the melting there.

Tourism chiefs have been attempting to halt the melting of an intricate ice grotto that burrows through glacier.

David Volken, a glaciologist working with the Swiss environment ministry, said the blankets can reduce ice melt by as much as 70 per cent.

Almost all of Europe's glaciers have been receding in the past century as a culmination of rising summer temperatures and mild winters have led to the ice to melt (pictured)

Vegetation is now spreading up the valley beneath the Waxeggkees glacier, which once was filled with ice. The bowl shaped basin left by the retreating ice can be clearly seen in the picture above

'For the past eight years, they have had to cover the ice cave with these blankets to reduce the ice melt,' he said.

A wooden post 4,600 feet further down the mountain side marks where the glacier once extended to in 1856.

Since then it grown 1,148 feet thinner as it volume of ice pushing down on the rock below has decreased.

Scientists blame global warming for the retreat of Europe's glaciers (Rhone glacier pictured). They say their melting could have long term impacts on the supply of fresh water down stream of the mountains

It would have once been impossible to walk up the rocky basin beneath the Pasterze glacier in Austria (pictured) without picking your way through the ice and with specialist glacier walking equipment as it was buried under ice 200 feet thick

Tha Aletsche glacier snakes though the mountains near Bettmeralp in Switzerland (pictured) but rising summer temperatures is causing it to rapidly shrink

A wooden post was once buried in the ice of the Aletsche glacier but it now stands exposed as the glacier shrinks at a rate of between 33-43 feet per year (pictured)

The Hornkees (left) and Waxeggekees glaciers (right) both ended just above the Berliner Huette, but they have lost considerable amounts of ice due to global warming. The Hornkees retreated more than any other glacier in Austria last year

This postcard of the Berliner hutte (pictured) from 1901 shows the former extent of the Waxeggkees glacier and illustrates just how much it has retreated in recent years

Climate studies predict that by the end of the century just 1.2 square miles of this once enormous glacier will remain.

Indeed, climate scientists predict the volume of European glaciers will decline by between 22 per cent and 84 per cent by 2100.

This, they warn, will impact the supply of fresh water down stream of the glaciers along with impacting power generation and irrigation.

 Slide me  The Brandner Glacier in Austria has lost a considerable amount of ice since 2003, disintegrating into fragments of ice by 2015 (pictured right)

Melt water often drips down through cracks and crevasses in the glacier (Aletsch glacier pictured) to the valley floor where it can increase the movement of the ice over the rock below

Huge chunks of ice regularly break off glaciers (Pasterze glacier pictured) but the process is thought to have increased in recent years

The Pasterze glacier (pictured) has receded in length by at least 1.9 miles (3km) since the 19th century

A recent report by the European Environment Agency said: 'The vast majority of glaciers in the European glacial regions are in retreat.

'Glaciers in the European Alps have lost approximately two thirds of their volume since 1850, with clear acceleration since the 1980s.'
Will be used to launch SES-10 communications

Elon Musk's SpaceX is preparing to reuse one of the rockets it launched and landed safely this year by sending it back into space.

SES and SpaceX have revealed the historic plan to launch an satellite SES-10 on a flight-proven Falcon 9 orbital rocket booster.

It will be the first-ever satellite to launch on a SpaceX flight-proven rocket booster.

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The fourth Falcon 9 launched the Thaicom 8 communications satellite in May this year and landed safely, marking the company's fourth successfully landing. Now the first stage of testing on this rocket was shown in a video the company posted on YouTube (screenshot pictured)

THE FIRST RELAUNCH SpaceX has managed to land six rockets from space back on Earth, two on land and four on sea, with the latest successful sea landing on 28 May. The Falcon 9 rocket carried the Thaicom 8 communications satellite into orbit before landing safely, marking the company's fourth successfully landing. Now it will launch the SES-10, which will be in a geostationary orbit and expand SES's capabilities across Latin America, is scheduled for launch in Q4 2016. Advertisement

The satellite, which will be in a geostationary orbit and expand SES's capabilities across Latin America, is scheduled for launch in Q4 2016.

'Having been the first commercial satellite operator to launch with SpaceX back in 2013, we are excited to once again be the first customer to launch on SpaceX's first ever mission using a flight-proven rocket,' said said Martin Halliwell, Chief Technology Officer at SES.

'We believe reusable rockets will open up a new era of spaceflight, and make access to space more efficient in terms of cost and manifest management,'

'Re-launching a rocket that has already delivered spacecraft to orbit is an important milestone on the path to complete and rapid reusability,' said Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer of SpaceX.

'SES has been a strong supporter of SpaceX's approach to reusability over the years and we're delighted that the first launch of a flight-proven rocket will carry SES-10.'

The Falcon 9 rocket carried the Thaicom 8 communications satellite into orbit in May this year before landing safely, marking the company's fourth successfully landing.

Now the company has begun testing this rocket as it prepares to meet its goal of relaunching a 'reusable' rocket by October.

SpaceX posted a video on YouTube showing the rocket undergoing the first stages of testing.

'Falcon 9 first stage from May JCSAT mission was test fired, full duration, at our Texas rocket development facility today,' the video description says.

SpaceX chose not to use the first rocket it ever relanded, which was a solid ground landing, because Elon Musk thinks it should be kept as a 'museum piece'.

The recovered first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is transported to the SpaceX hangar at launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The video shows the rocket burning for 2 minutes and 30 seconds at SpaceX's McGregor test centre in Texas.

Although this stage is not expected to fly again, it is involved in critical ground testing, which will pave the way for the first relaunch of a Falcon 9 booster.

In June this year Elon Musk announced the same Falcon 9 rocket, which launched the Thaicom 8 communications satellite, was back in the hangar with the three other first stages that had also made it safely back on the ground.

The video shows the rocket burning for 2 minutes and 30 seconds at SpaceX's McGregor test centre in Texas. Although this stage isn't expected to fly again, it is involved in critical ground testing, which will pave the way for the first relaunch of a Falcon 9 booster

Mr Musk plans to relaunch the second rocket it successfully landed within the next few months.

If it goes ahead, this would make it the first relaunch of the private space company's rockets.

This move would take the firm, and the aerospace industry as a whole, another step closer towards reusable rockets becoming commonplace.

This could make deep space travel cheaper, helping pave the way for a viable manned mission to Mars.

The company plans to start offering a service to send payloads to Mars as early as 2018, with prices starting at 42 ($62) million for the Falcon 9 rocket.

In June this year Elon Musk announced the same Falcon 9 rocket, which launched the Thaicom 8 communications satellite, was back in the hangar with the three other first stages that had also made it safely back on the ground. All four pictured in the hangar

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX (pictured) is planning to relaunch the second rocket it successfully landed, in the next few months. If it goes ahead, this would make it the first relaunch of the private space company's rockets

Rival company, Jeff Bezo's Blue Origin, successfully completed a third launch and vertical landing of its flagship rocket New Shepard in April this year.

Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com and owner of The Washington Post newspaper, said last month Blue Origin expects to begin crewed test flights of the New Shepard next year and begin flying paying passengers as early as 2018.

Russia, Japan and the European Space Agency are also developing similar technology and are in testing stages.

The Indian space agency also hopes to develop its own frugal shuttle, as it seeks to cash in on a huge and lucrative demand from other countries to send up their satellites, after a successful test launch last month.
It could soon be a common sight swinging through the trees of forest, coming to the aid of hikers and deliver spare parts to remote areas.

Called Roko, it looks and acts like a real chimpanzee, swinging from branch to branch using extendable arms with hook-grip hands.

The bizarre concept is designed to reach places normal drones or even humans would struggle to reach.

The bizarre concept is designed to reach places normal drones or even humans would struggle to get to. Roko swings from branch to branch using extendable arms with hook-grip hands.

'Roko is a biomimetic robot inspired by monkeys thats meant to transport small packages like first aid kits in remote, densely forested areas,' it's creater Charles Bombardier said.

'Recently I met with Canadian photographer/filmmaker Gregory Colbert at the World Summit on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in New York,' he explained.

'A short clip of Colbert interacting with a chimpanzee in the Rainforest gave me the idea of creating a biomimetic robot resembling a chimpanzee capable of delivering small packages, like spare parts, instruments, or first aid kits.'

Bombardier says it could be a hit in remote locations.

'Some areas of the world, like dense tropical rainforests, are hard to access, even with motorcycles or flying drones.

'Bringing supplies to camps can be tricky and costly, especially if you plan on using a helicopter or a drone and operator.

HOW ROKO WORKS Roko uses sensors like sonar to detect its environment and has extendable arms with hook-grip hands to swing from branch to branch. It is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and servomotors move its limbs. An internal microprocessor and sensors would allow for real-time calculations of the robots movements and position. Roko uses sensors like sonar to detect its environment and has extendable arms with hook-grip hands to swing from branch to branch. The Roko would also be able to seeit would have night vision and infrared cameras, so it would be able to detect animals or humans and follow them if necessary. The Roko would have small compartments to carry packages on its back or hold them in its hooked feet. Advertisement

'The Roko (or a variation of it) could be an ideal choice because it is small in size and its biomimetic appearance makes it stealthy, and it wont disturb wildlife as much as a helicopters or drones.

'It could also help hikers in need who cant be reached easily by rescuers.'

The Roko would be an autonomous robotic chimpanzee programmed to reach coordinates by moving through trees and branches.

It would have two navigation systems: one for long-distance navigation to its target and one for short-distance navigation through the forest.

Long-distance navigation could be achieved using a GPS system.

The user would program coordinates for the destination and the drone would follow the shortest and safest route possible, Bombardier says.

The Roko would be an autonomous robotic chimpanzee programmed to reach coordinates by moving through trees and branches.

Short-distance navigation could be achieved with sonar to detect potential grip points for its hook hands.

An internal microprocessor and sensors would allow for real-time calculations of the robots movements and position.

The Roko would also be able to seeit would have night vision and infrared cameras, so it would be able to detect animals or humans and follow them if necessary.

The Roko would have small compartments to carry packages on its back or hold them in its hooked feet.

You would be able to give it voice commands, and scientists or explorers could also use the Roko to look out for predators at night or monitor wildlife.
It has shown signs of being both extremely young and extremely old, leaving astronomers baffled over the true nature of a distant celestial body since it was first detected nearly two decades ago.

Now, new research led by Nasa suggests the mysterious object buried deep in the Milky Way may still be in the embryonic stage of its existence.

The oxygen-rich star, known as IRAS 19312+1950, is roughly 10 times the size of the sun and could still be in the process of forming, creating a collapsing cloud around it as the star pulls in material.

Its shown signs of being both extremely young and extremely old, leaving astronomers baffled over the true nature of a distant celestial body since it was first detected nearly two decades ago. The oxygen-rich star, pictured, is known as IRAS 19312+1950

THE CASE FOR A PROTOSTAR While it was previously thought that the object was an older star, new research suggests it could be a protostar - a young star still in the process of forming. The analysis found numerous characteristics of a young star, including the smorgasbord of chemicals in a large material cloud surrounding it. It is now much brighter than it first appeared, and gives off roughly 20,000 times the energy of the sun. The astronomers also observed a dense, collapsing cloud surrounding the star, which happens when a growing star pulls in material. Along with these findings, the team also detected fast wind speeds in two jets of gas spewing from opposite poles of the star. The researchers measured speeds at least 200,000 miles per hour, which is typically seen in a protostar. Advertisement

The age-defying star is located more than 12,000 light-years from Earth, and early cues after its detection around 2000 first suggested it was very old.

These signals came in the form of intense radio sources called masers, which occur when the molecules of some gasses are revved up, and emit a lot of radiation over a limited range of frequencies, according to Nasa.

Astronomers recognized this object as noteworthy around the year 2000 and have been trying ever since to decide how far along its development is, said Martin Cordiner, an astrochemist working at Nasas Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and lead author of the paper.

One of the masers associated with IRAS 19312+1950  the silicon oxide maser  is found almost exclusively with late-stage stars.

Thousands of these beacons have been detected, but astronomers have only found a few exceptions associated with young stars.

The astronomers also found a hydroxyl maser, one which is especially strong at a frequency of 1612 megahertz when associated with an elderly star.

And, thats what they found with IRAS 19312+1950.

Despite these clues, the object also showed characteristics of a young star, including the smorgasbord of chemicals in a large material cloud surrounding it.

These areas are typically associated with the birth of new stars.

Using the ESAs Herschel Space Observatory along with data from Nasas Spitzer Space Telescope, researchers reconsidered the age of the mysterious star.

These telescopes provided new insight on the gases, dust, and ices in the cloud around the star, leading the researchers to determine that it may actually be in the very early stage of its formation.

The star is located more than 12,000 light-years from Earth, and early cues after its detection in 2000 suggested it was very old. But using the ESAs Herschel Space Observatory and data from Nasas Spitzer Space Telescope, researchers reconsidered the age of the mysterious star

WHAT THE PREVIOUS THEORIES SUGGESTED Early cues after its initial detection suggest the star was very old. These signals came in the form of intense radio sources called masers, which occur when the molecules of some gasses are revved up, and emit a lot of radiation over a limited range of frequencies, according to Nasa. Scientists suggested that the object was an evolved star, past the peak of its life now in a decline. It was thought that this was an old star surrounded by an unusual cloud: one that is typically seen around young stars. Others suggested the observations may be showing two objects, an old star and a nearby embryonic cloud of star-making material. Advertisement

It is now much brighter than it first appeared, and gives off roughly 20,000 times the energy of the sun.

And, there are large quantities of water and carbon dioxide based ices on the dust grains close to the star, which dim the starlight.

The astronomers also observed a dense, collapsing cloud surrounding the star.

This happens when a growing star pulls in material, while an evolved star instead creates an expanding cloud.

Researchers say the cloud has an estimated mass of 500 to 700 suns, far greater than that which would be created by an old or dying star.

Now, new research led by Nasa suggests the mysterious object buried deep in the Milky Way may still be in the embryonic stage of its existence. The Milky Way is illustrated above

We think the star is probably in an embryonic stage, getting near the end of its accretion stage  the period when it pulls in new material to fuel its growth, said Cordiner.

Along with these findings, the team also detected fast wind speeds in two jets of gas spewing from opposite poles of the star.

While these can be found with young and old stars, its rare to see such narrowly focused jets in evolved stars.

The researchers measured speeds at least 200,000 miles per hour, which is typically seen in a protostar  a star thats still in the process of forming.

But, they say this is no normal protostar, as it still has many unexplained characteristics of an old star.
A mysterious spike in radio signals coming from the direction of a sun-like star, HD 164595, has excited astronomers over the past few days.

Some voiced the possibility that it could be an advanced alien society contacting Earth from 95 light years.

But follow-up observations using some of the best alien-hunting telescopes on Earth have so far been unable to replicate the spike.

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A spike in radio signals coming from the direction of a sun-like star, HD 164595, is being followed up by alien-hunting telescopes. SETI is using the Allen Telescope Array (pictured) in northern California and the Boquete Optical SETI Observatory in Panama to confirm the data

WHAT ELSE COULD IT BE? A star or planet can act as a cosmic lens to magnify and brighten a more distant star or signal lined up behind it. That's because the gravitational field of the foreground star bends and focuses light, like a glass lens bending and focusing starlight in a telescope. Scientists believe the latest signals could be the result of this microlensing effect in which the star's gravity strengthens and focus signals from farther away. Dr Andrew Siemion, director of the Berkeley SETI Research Center told MailOnline, it could also be a satellite signal, a passing plane, lightning or even a solar flare. Advertisement

The 76 million ($100 million) Breakthrough Listen project is using the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia to hunt down the signals.

SETI is also using the Allen Telescope Array in northern California and the Boquete Optical SETI Observatory in Panama to confirm the data.

But so far, observations have come up empty.

'Like most other astronomers, we found out about that signal on Friday afternoon and we were taken aback. It was certainly a surprise,' Dr Andrew Siemion, director of the Berkeley SETI Research Center told MailOnline.

'It was the first that we heard that there were ongoing observations with the telescope whatsoever.'

Scientists suggest the spike (pictured) may be the result of a natural phenomenon, such as 'microlensing', in which the star's gravity strengthens and focus signals from farther away

According to a report by Paul Gilster at Centauri Dreams, the signal was first detected on May 15 last year by the RATAN-600 radio telescope in Zelenchukskaya, Russia.

But it was kept quiet until Friday.

The first that Dr Siemion had heard about it, was from a power point presentation that was circulated last week.

The signals immediately captured the imagination of the scientific community and the public.

WHAT IS THE BREAKTHROUGH LISTEN PROJECT? Breakthrough Listen is a search for intelligent life using two of the world's most powerful telescopes. It was launched in January with the aim of scouring one million of the closest stars to Earth for faint signals thrown out into space by intelligent life beyond our own world. Scientists taking part in the 76 million ($100 million) project are also scanning the very heart of our galaxy along with 100 of the closest galaxies for low power radio transmissions. Breakthrough Listen will collect data over a 10-year period. Search capacity will be 50 times more sensitive, cover 10 times more of the sky, five times more of the radio spectrum, and at speeds 100 times faster. The Breakthrough Listen project has being using the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia to hunt down latest the signals first observed in Russia. Advertisement

HD 164595 is interesting because it is similar to our own sun and has at least one 'warm Neptune' planet in orbit.

Its average temperature is 12 Kelvin hotter and it is around 100 million years younger than our star.

Scientists say there may still be other planets undetected around HD 164595.

'No one is claiming that this is the work of an extraterrestrial civilisation, but it is certainly worth further study,' Gilster wrote.

'Working out the strength of the signal, the researchers say that if it came from an isotropic beacon, it would be of a power possible only for a Kardashev Type II civilisation.'

The signals seem to be coming from a sun-like star known as HD 164595 in the constellation Hercules, around 95 light years away. Pictured is an artist's impression of an alien star system

IS IT A GOOD IDEA TO GET IN CONTACT WITH ALIENS? If there are any intelligent alien life forms out there, Stephen Hawking thinks we're playing a dangerous game by trying to contact them. The physicist believes if aliens discovered Earth, they are likely to want to conquer and colonise our planet. 'If aliens visit us, the outcome could be much like when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans,' he said in an interview. But co-founder and former director of the Seti Institute, Jill Tarter, doesn't think this will be the case. She argues any aliens who have managed to travel across the universe will be sophisticated enough to be friendly and peaceful. 'The idea of a civilisation which has managed to survive far longer than we have...and the fact that that technology remains an aggressive one, to me, doesn't make sense,' she said. Advertisement

'If it were a narrow beam signal focused on our solar system, it would be of a power available to a Kardashev Type I civilisation.'

The Kardashev scale is a way of measuring an alien society's technological advancement based upon how much energy it has at its disposal.

A Type I civilisation is given to species who have been able to harness all the energy that is available from a nearby star, gathering and storing it to meet its population's demands.

A Type II civilisation is much more advanced and can harness the power of their entire star.

Type III is a species that has been able to master energy in all its forms. Earth doesn't feature on the scale.

Astronomers, however, were immediately skeptical of the observation.

'Its quite incredible that we have such extensive access to such technologies such as the Green Bank telescope,' said Dr Siemion.

'That allows us to get on to the source very quickly and to confirm it.

'We selected the receiver that was the best match to the part of the radio spectrum that was observed.

'We couldn't replicate the signal.'

What could have caused the spike observed by the Russian Academy of Sciences' Special Astrophysical Observatory?

'The short answer is we have no way of knowing,' said Dr Siemion.

The 76 million ($100 million) Breakthrough Listen project has being using the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia to hunt down the signals. Results have so far come up empty

'There are three possibilities. The first is that it is a natural astrophysical phenomenon - a variable radio source of some kind.

'Another possibility is that it is some kind of terrestrial interference  someone with a Citizens Band radio nearby

'Or could be an instrumental artifact, like a problem with the data reduction.

'The third possibility is that it is a bonafide signal from an advanced technology from a distant star

'Our best guess is that it is the second possibility'

Dr Siemion said it could be a satellite signal, a passing plane, lightning or even a solar flare.

'[Alien signals] would be an incredible discovery in the history of humanity,' he added.

'But as it stands now we only know of one example of life anywhere in the universe, and as scientists we have to be skeptical and rule out every other possibility.'

The researchers who discovered the signals at the Russian Academy of Sciences' Special Astrophysical Observatory say 'permanent monitoring' of HD 164595 is needed.

SETI plans to do this, and will release it results in the coming weeks.
Securing funds for an entrepreneurial venture can be a difficult process, and for women, the constraints are far more severe.

But, when personal wealth suddenly increases, single women are more likely to start a new business than their male counterparts, according to a new study.

The number of self-employed women in the UK has spiked over the last few years, and researchers found that adding just about $1100 in the bank will increase the probability that a woman will start a new business.

The number of self-employed women in the UK has spiked over the last few years, and researchers found that adding just about $1100 in the bank will increase the probability that a woman will start a new business

WHAT THEY FOUND According to the study, single women are faced with more restrictions to incoming and outgoing money than men. But with a sudden increase in wealth, they are more likely to start a business. The researchers found that an increase of 1,000, our roughly $1100, will increase the probability that a woman will start a business by 8.5 percent. Between 2009 and 2014, they say there has been a 22 percent increase in the number of self-employed women in the UK. Advertisement

In a new paper, published to European Economic Review, researchers from the University of Stirling and Royal Holloway, University of London examined previously unexplored data from the Wealth and Assets Survey.

This revealed major differences in cash flow problems between men and women in the UK.

The team found that single women are faced with more restrictions to incoming and outgoing money than men.

But if their earnings suddenly increase  for instance, in the case of an inheritance  they are more likely than men to start a new business.

According to Labour Force Surveys, the researchers say the proportion of self-employed men between 2009 and 2014 has increased by just 6 percent, compared with the 22 percent increase seen in women.

But despite this growth, the researchers say women are still faced with more obstacles.

There are several possible explanations as to why liquidity constraints are most severe for single women, says Tanya Wilson, Early Career Fellow in the Division of Economics at the University of Stirling.

It could be that single women have less collateral necessary for securing a loan. There may be gender discrimination in the granting of credit.

Despite the growth in the number of self-employed women, the researchers say women are still faced with more obstacles. These findings may help to shed light on the obstacles that female entrepreneurs face, and how to overcome them

'It is also possible that single women are more risk averse than others and choose not to borrow money even when borrowed funds would be forthcoming.

A glass ceiling may emerge even in self-employment when women suffer relatively more from liquidity constraints than their male counterparts.

The researchers found that an increase of 1,000, our roughly $1100, will increase the probability that a woman will start a business by 8.5 percent.

These findings may help to shed light on the obstacles that female entrepreneurs face, and how to overcome them.

If lack of collateral is the main obstacle preventing a single woman from starting a new business, or expanding an existing one, then a new private initiative or public policy that helps channel sufficient collateral to liquidity-constrained single women would be of great economic and social value, Wilson says.
It is already changing the face of warface, with AI adversaries and electronic spies taking centre stage.

However, America has fallen catastrophically behind in the hi-tech battlefield, a new report has claimed.

The Defense Science Board's report into autonomy concluded 'there are both substantial operational benefits and potential perils associated with its use,' and called for immediate action.

Click here for the full report

The Defense Science Board's report into autonomy concluded the DoD must accelerate its exploitation of autonomy to remain ahead of enemies.

'This study concluded that DoD must accelerate its exploitation of autonomyboth to realize the potential military value and to remain ahead of adversaries who also will exploit its operational benefits.'

It says the problem had been seen decades ago - but nothing has been done.

'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,' the study's authors wrote.

'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.'

The study advises intelligence agencies should 'raise the priority of collection and analysis of foreign autonomous systems.'

It also called for a series of 'cyberwar games' to see potential problems and try to fight off AI systems.

It called for the Pentagon's office of acquisition technology and logistics to gather together a community of researchers to run tests and scenarios to discover 'counter-autonomy technologies, surrogates, and solutions'  in other words, practice fighting enemy AI systems.

This community should have wide discretion in conducting research into commercial drones, software, and machine learning.

'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,' the report says.

The study advises intelligence agencies should 'raise the priority of collection and analysis of foreign autonomous systems.'

'Such a program could also create options for insertion into current capabilities that might initially be too risky or too disruptive.

'Some of the best sources for participation in this effort are the government laboratories, and independent, not-for-profit laboratories, including the FFRDCs and UARCs, because of both the technical proficiencies of their workforces and their working knowledge of national security missions.

'Some of these individuals and organizations may have bridges to the commercial and academic sectors that can aid government programs.'

This would also help systems learn to cope on their own.

'Autonomous systems may have periods of time with limited or no communication capability; during those periods the system must reliably behave in known ways to the full range of stimuli that the system is designed for.'

The CSBA report says America is falling behind in the development of critical electromagnetic weapons some say could wipe out 90 percent of its population. Pictured is Boeing's Champ, or Counter-electronics High-powered microwave Advanced Missile Project, one of the EMP weapons that is under construction

'Operators will have to change their mindset from expecting weapon systems that 'just work' out of the box to systems that require their time and effort into shaping their ever evolving instantiation, but will ultimately be better customized to their mission, style, and behaviors,' the report says.

Previous reports have warned America is falling behind in the development of critical electromagnetic weapons some say could wipe out 90 percent of its population, a new report has claimed.

The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments says the technology is 'one of the most critical operational domains in modern warfare.'

However, it concludes 'unfortunately, 'failed to keep pace' is an appropriate description of the Department of Defense's (DoD) investments in EMS warfare capabilities over the last generation.'

HOW DOES EMP WORK? EMP, or electromagnetic pulse weapons use missiles equipped with an electromagnetic pulse cannon. This uses a super-powerful microwave oven to generate a concentrated beam of energy. The energy causes voltage surges in electronic equipment, rendering them useless before surge protectors have the chance to react. The aim is to destroy an enemy's command, control, communication and computing, surveillance and intelligence capabilities without hurting people or infrastructure. Advertisement

The report, 'Winning the Airwaves: Regaining America's Dominance in the Electromagnetic Spectrum', added the technology will become as revolutionary as smartphones.

'In the same way that smartphones and the Internet are redefining how the world shares, shops, learns, and works, the development and fielding of advanced sensors and networking technologies will enable militaries to gain significant new advantages over competitors that fail to keep pace,' it says.

It comes after controversial tech boss and presidential candidate John McAfee recently warned a 'doomsday' electronic weapon could wipe out 90 per cent of Americans and urged politicians to is the number one threat facing the country.

McAfee, who recently announced he is running in 2016, wrote in a blog for International Business Times: 'Experts agree that an all out cyber attack, beginning with an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack on our electronic infrastructure, would wipe out 90% of the human population of this country within two years of the attack.

'That means the death of 270 million people within 24 months after the attack.'

The CSBA report says the Us has now lost its lead in the area.

'In the absence of a peer rival following the end of the Cold War, DoD failed to pursue a new generation of capabilities that are needed to maintain its EMS operational superiority.

The missile is equipped with an electromagnetic pulse cannon. This uses a super-powerful microwave oven to generate a concentrated beam of energy. The energy causes voltage surges in electronic equipment, rendering them useless before surge protectors have the chance to react

'This pause provided China, Russia, and other rivals with an opportunity to field systems that target vulnerabilities in sensor and communication networks the U.S. military has come to depend on.

'As a result, America's once significant military advantage in the EMS domain is eroding, and may in fact no longer exist.'

However, the report says the Us does have a chance to get back in front.

'This does not have to remain the case.

'DoD now has the opportunity to develop new operational concepts and technologies that will allow it to 'leap ahead' of its competitors and create enduring advantages in EMS warfare.

It lays out several scenarios to develop drones and other devices to help combat EMS weapons.

'The U.S. military could shift toward using unmanned vehicles or expendable payloads that emit low-power jamming noise in the radio frequency spectrum  or dazzling electro-optical / infrared sensors or narrowly focused radar beams to establish accurate targeting information for attacks,' the authors write.

They also say decoys could provoke the enemy to activate his fire-control radar and thereby reveal its position.

'In conclusion, the U.S. military gained significant advantages over its enemies in two previous shifts in the EMS competition: with radar and active countermeasures during World War II and with stealth technologies in the final years of the Cold War,' the report says.

'Our Nation's warfighters have another such opportunity today.

'By adopting a new approach to EMS warfare and developing low-to-no power operational concepts and capabilities, the U.S. military could once again gain a significant edge over its future opponents.

The researchers said hi-tech drones could be developed to mitigate the threat of EMS weapons

'A failure to do so, however, could put America at risk of losing the battle for the airwaves.'

From Ocean's Eleven to Star Trek, weapons that wipe out enemy electronics are a staple of science fiction films.

For years, scientists have been attempting to create such a weapon as part of Champ, or the Counter-electronics High-powered microwave Advanced Missile Project.

Now, the US Air Force claims it has advanced the technology, and says it can deploy it using the stealthy Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM).

There are fears a well targeted attack could knock out multiple power stations.

'This technology marks a new era in modern-day warfare,' said Keith Coleman, CHAMP program manager for Boeing Phantom Works.

'In the near future, this technology may be used to render an enemy's electronic and data systems useless even before the first troops or aircraft arrive.'

According to Foxtrot Alpha, the weapons are almost ready for use.

Once integrated into JASSM, Champ will be a 'first day of war' standoff weapon it claims.

The report outlines how EMS weapons could be used in the battlefield, using decoys to confuse enemy weapons

Because it can be launched by both bombers and fighters, Lockheed's Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, or JASSM, is an ideal platform for Champ.

'The capability is real  and the technology can be available today,' said Major General Thomas Masiello, the Air Force Research Laboratory.

'That's an operational system already in our tactical air force'

In 2012, aircraft manufacturer Boeing successfully tested the weapon on a one-hour flight during which it knocked out the computers of an entire military compound.

During Boeing's experiment, the missile flew low over the Utah Test and Training Range, discharging electromagnetic pulses on to seven targets, permanently shutting down their electronics.

Boeing said that the test was so successful even the camera recording it was disabled.

Although the project is shrouded in secrecy, experts believe the missile is equipped with an electromagnetic pulse cannon.
It is a glimpse of the future of farming - and without a farmer in sight.

The first autonomous tractor has been revealed at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, and it can do everything from planting and spraying to harvesting.

It would allow farmers to simply pre-programme the vehicle, then remotely monitor it.

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The first autonomous tractor has been revealed at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, and it can do everything from planting and spraying to harvesting - without a farmer in sight.

Case IH unveiled an autonomous concept vehicle today at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa.

The concept vehicle is a Case IH row crop tractor that can operate autonomously, and the firm behind it says it could help farmers who currently struggle to find staff.

'In many parts of the world, finding skilled labor during peak use seasons is a constant challenge for our customers,' said Case IH Brand President Andreas Klauser.

'While we offer auto-steering and telematics on our equipment today for remote management of farm machinery and employees, this autonomous tractor concept demonstrates how our customers and their employees could remotely monitor and control machines directly.

'This technology will offer our customers greater operational efficiencies for tasks such as tillage, planting, spraying and harvesting.'

THE ROBOTRACTOR: HOW IT WORKS The remote operator can supervise and adjust pathways via a desktop computer or portable tablet interface. The vehicle was built for a fully interactive interface to allow for remote monitoring of pre-programmed operations. The concept vehicle is a Case IH row crop tractor that can operate autonomously, and the firm behind it says it could help farmers who currently struggle to find staff. Through the use of radar, lidar (light imaging, detection, and ranging) and onboard video cameras, the vehicle can sense stationary or moving obstacles in its path and will stop on its own until the operator, notified by audio and visual alerts, assigns a new path. The vehicle will also stop immediately if GPS signal or position data is lost, or if the manual stop button is pushed. Machine tasks can also be modified in real time with via remote interface or automatic weather warnings. The onboard system automatically accounts for implement widths and plots the most efficient paths depending on the terrain, obstructions and other machines in use in the same field. Advertisement

AFS Global Product Marketing Manager, Rob Zemenchik explained that autonomous tractor operation brings together the latest in guidance, telemetry, data sharing, and agronomic management to offer farm managers more control, monitoring capabilities and cost savings.

Multiple autonomous tractors can work as one fleet or simultaneously in multiple sub-fleets

'A farm manager can supervise the activities of multiple machines via a mobile tablet interface while he tends to other tasks or even operates another vehicle,' said Zemenchik.

'Multiple autonomous tractors can work as one fleet or simultaneously in multiple sub-fleets assigned to separate fields, each assigned with preprogrammed maps and prescriptions.

'So you could have one tractor pulling a chisel plow followed closely by another one operating a planter.

'The opportunities for efficiency are substantial.'

Through the use of radar, lidar (light imaging, detection, and ranging) and onboard video cameras, the vehicle can sense stationary or moving obstacles in its path and will stop on its own until the operator, notified by audio and visual alerts, assigns a new path.

Although the autonomous vehicle is presently considered only as a concept tractor, Zemenchik said the technology could function just as well in a standard cabbed tractor where it could use real-time weather and satellite data to optimally apply crop inputs such as nitrogen, herbicides, or fungicides.

'These enhancements really become interesting for our customers when weather comes into play,' said Zemenchik.
A Boeing 787 was forced to make an emergency landing on a Japanese island at the weekend after a pilot noticed the windscreen had cracked.

The All Nippon Airways (ANA) aircraft had to divert to Naha airport on Okinawa during a flight from Tokyo to Singapore.

The packed plane landed safely but passengers were stranded for several hours on the island until a replacement jet arrived.

An All Nippon Airways Boeing 787-800 was forced to make an emergency landing on a Japanese island at the weekend after a pilot noticed the windscreen had cracked (stock image)

The plane's 214 passengers were forced to wait for 14.5 hours for replacement transport in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to the Aviation Herald.

The incident happened during the same month that the airline was forced to cancel or delay several flights because of engine issues with several of their Boeing 787 planes.

All Nippon Airways released a statement revealing that they were conducting inspection and maintenance work on the engines of a limited number of their Boeing 787 aircraft, which would affect some of their domestic flights.

Work was being done to resolve a possible issue with a component in the Rolls-Royce engines on the planes.

The issue was determined to be fatigue cracks in the blades of the engines intermediate pressure turbine - the result of sulfidation corrosion caused by chemical components in the atmosphere.

The All Nippon Airways passenger plane made the unscheduled stop on Okinawa island (pictured) during a flight from Tokyo to Singapore

As a result, the company is now replacing the engines on aircraft used for domestic operations earlier than designated by Rolls-Royce, leading to a temporary reduction in available aircraft.

A statement from the company released yesterday, read: 'The safety of our passengers is our highest priority.

'We will continue to give top priority to safe flight operations, thoroughly implement recurrence prevention measures, and make every possible effort to ensure safety.'

All Nippon Airlines has suffered a series of setbacks in recent months - two weeks ago, a plane engine burst into flames as it taxied down the runway at Tokyo Airport.

A large bang was heard coming from the plane, followed by a fire in the engine.
If you're a night owl and you love the cold then a job in Finland, might be the perfect position for you.

The Arctic Snow Hotel in Rovaniemi is looking for a seasonal staff member to monitor Northern Lights in the region.

No experience is required but the would-be applicant needs to stay up all night to alert the hotel guests when the weather phenomenon appears.

The Arctic Snow Hotel in Rovaniemi is looking for a seasonal staff member to monitor Northern Lights in the region

The hotel posted the advert for the vacancy on its Facebook page on August 17.

According to the job description, the Aurora Borealis monitor would be expected to work between the hours of 11pm and 6.30am.

The prospective applicant must be able to stay awake for the whole night to raise the 'Northern Lights alarm'.

They don't need any experience but have to know what Northern Lights are and need to be able to speak English.

A staff member at the hotel told MailOnline Travel that there is no accommodation offered and the salary depends on the applicant's experience.

However, there may be some additional perks, which would need to be negotiated once the job is offered.

The Arctic Snow Hotel (pictured) is carved from ice each year and up to 70 guests are able to sleep in the rooms where temperatures are a chilly zero to five degrees Celsius

The hotel is based in Rovaniemi (pictured). The Northern Lights alarm is offered as part of the service

The deadline for the application is September 11 but the lucky chosen candidate won't need to travel to Finland until December.

They will then stay in the region for anywhere between three and six months.

For interested applicants, there is a chance to take on other tasks such as being a guide or cooking.

The Arctic Snow Hotel is carved from ice each year and up to 70 guests are able to sleep in the rooms where temperatures are a chilly zero to five degrees Celsius.

Guests sleep in extreme-weather sleeping bags and are wrapped up in reindeer furs to keep out the chill.

The Northern Lights Alarm is included as part of the hotel package.
Zabina Mirza decided to cancel her holiday to Florida after discovering her pregnancy

A woman has been refused a refund after deciding to cancel her holiday to Zika-affected Florida when she discovered she was pregnant.

Zabina Mirza is due to travel with Thomson Airways to Orlando and had paid 1051.24 for the trip.

But after deciding that the destination was no longer safe given her condition, she discovered that her options were limited when it came to cancellations.

Ms Mirza told MailOnline Travel that Thomson offered to rebook her flights for a later date.

However, she says, since 'the Zika virus appears to be expanding its web further - this did not appear viable to me.'

The only alternative was a voucher, which must be used within 18 months and only applies to Thomson destinations.

This, the 44-year-old says, was also unsuitable since 'a voucher tries to either give interest free credit to the airline or it traps a person to use it within 18 months.'

Ms Mirza, who works as a contractor in London, says that she would rather have a refund as the money could be used for the baby.

The first time mother is left questioning why Thomson is refusing to offer refunds even though airlines such as Virgin have agreed to do so.

Now she is struggling to decide whether or not to cancel the break.

A statement issued on Thomson's website explained that the company's policy on Zika-affected destinations is to offer alternative holidays without an amendment fee.

However, customers must 'have a doctors note in line with the advice issued by NaTHNaC'.

The expectant mother was due to travel to Orlando, Florida, with Thomson Airways (file photo)

A spokesperson for Thomson told MailOnline Travel: 'Were sorry to hear Ms Mirza is unhappy with the alternative holiday arrangements offered.

'As soon as we learned of her situation, we offered an amendment to any available Thomson and First Choice holiday.

'The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises that people who are pregnant, or planning to be, refer to the advice of the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC).

'We recommend that customers who wish to cancel their holiday approach their insurance company.

'We handle all cases like this on an individual basis and would encourage Ms Mirza to contact our Customer Services team at her earliest convenience to discuss her specific circumstances.'
A new study has revealed that Taiwan is the best country in the world for expats, while Kuwait is the worst.

The results come from a report by the online expat community InterNations, which looks at everything from quality of life and personal finance, to job satisfaction and ease of settling indices.

Taiwan was ranked number one out of 67 countries on the list, with Malta scored second place and Ecuador came in third, followed by Mexico and New Zealand.

Taiwan is the best country in the world for expats, according to a report by the online expat community InterNations Pictured: Taipei in Taiwan

Malta, was rated number two on the list and performed best in the Ease Of Settling section of the survey

According to InterNations, Taiwan holds first place in the Quality of Life and Personal Finance Indices, with the country performing particularly well with the quality and affordability of its healthcare and the financial situation of expats.

It also came second place in the Working Abroad section, with more than a third of expats completely satisfied with their jobs, compared to the global average of 16 per cent.

Foreigners living in Taiwan were also overwhelmingly positive about the friendliness of local people, with nine out of ten people surveyed saying they received a positive reaction.

Meanwhile, Malta, which was rated number two on the list, performed best in the Ease Of Settling section of the survey, with more than 40 per cent of those questioned saying that they found it very easy to settle into the local culture.

At the other end of the spectrum, Kuwait fared worst in the survey Pictured: Kuwait City

Greece came second from the bottom in the list of 67 countries. Pictured: Athens in Greece

The country also fared particularly well in the Personal Finance index.

Some 25 per cent of those questioned saying they were completely satisfied financially, compared to a global average of 15 per cent.

At the other end of the spectrum, Kuwait was rated worst in the survey, followed by Greece and Nigeria.

TOP TEN COUNTRIES 1. Taiwan 2. Malta 3. Ecuador 4. Mexico 5. New Zealand 6. Costa Rica 7. Australia 8. Austria 9. Luxembourg 10. Czech Republic Advertisement

BOTTOM TEN COUNTRIES 67. Kuwait 66. Greece 65. Nigeria 64. Brazil 63. Saudi Arabia 62. Egypt 61. Mozambique 60. Qatar 59. Italy 58. Tanzania Advertisement

Kuwait came third from the bottom and Nigeria came last in the Quality of Life section, which looks at things like leisure options, travel and transport and health and well-bring.

Kuwait also came last in the Easy Of Settling In section, which examines welcome expats feel, the friendliness of locals and how easy it is to find friends
He's making the tricky transition from pop star to actor.

But, according to Hollywood star Cillian Murphy, teen sensation Harry Styles is destined for an equally-successful career as a screen star.

Speaking to the Radio Times, the 40 year-old revealed that his Dunkirk co-star is 'terrific' in the new production, which will prove his ability.

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More success: Dunkirk star Cillian Murphy says teen sensation Harry Styles is destined for an equally-successful career as a screen actor

'Harry Styles is great,' he enthuses of the One Direction frontman who makes his break for boyband freedom with his first real acting gig.

'I had very few scenes with Harry but we got to hang out and Ive got to say hes a great, great kid, and really, really funny.

'Above all, Chris Nolan [the director] knows talent and would have cast Harry for a reason.

Inside scoop: 'I had very few scenes with Harry but we got to hang out and Ive got to say hes a great, great kid, and really, really funny,' Cillian told the Radio Times

In action: Harry pictured in character on the set of Christopher Nolan's new production

'Theres a long history of musicians moving over into acting and I come from that world myself, so Im sure hell be terrific in the role. I trust Chris implicitly in that.'

He's also revealed that the project's production values will make it the perfect choice for Harry's debut.

'With the way Chris is shooting, all on IMAX 65mm cameras and in the real locations, it should be pretty powerful.'

Knows what he's talking about! Cilllian is one of Ireland's most successful and respected stars

He's with the band! Harry alongside 1D co-stars Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne

Dunkirk tells the story of one of the most successful rescue missions in British history. Code-named Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of soldiers from Dunkirk beach took place between 26 May and 4 June 1940 under the supervision and mastermind of Vice-Admiral Bertram.

Out now: Read the full interview in the new edition of the BBC's Radio Times

Last month, 1,500 extras were gathered on Dunkirk beach to recreate the battle scenes, which also perfectly mirrored the ones described in Winston Churchill's landmark speech delivered the House of Commons of the Parliament on 4 June 1940, after the Allied troops were evacuated from the beaches of northern France.

In the same spot, 76 years ago, 338,000 British, French and Belgian troops were evacuated in Operation Dynamo.
He's won numerous awards over his decades-long screen career.

But it appears James Nesbitt still worries about what the critics think of him.

The veteran actor, 51, is gearing up for the highly-anticipated return of comedy-drama Cold Feet, last aired 13 years ago.

Carefree: James Nesbitt took on the role of Adam Williams, who was a womaniser, but eventually settled down with Rachel and had a son called Matthew

Stepping back into their roles! Cold Feet's cast (L-R) Robert, Fay, John, Hermione and James have reunited for the first time back in January, earlier this year

In an interview with the RadioTimes, he revealed: 'I do care what the critics say because Cold Feet means a lot to me.'

'Were all very hopeful that people are kind and will enjoy and embrace it. There will be critics out there who cannot wait to hammer it,' he added.

Read the full interview in the RadioTimes

James added that the cast of Cold Feet - John Thomson, Fay Ripley, Hermione Norris, Robert Bathurstare and himself - are delighted to be back together.

'This is the happiest Cold Feet has ever been  although to be fair there are two series I cant remember', he said with a smile.

He recalled how proud he was to play a Northern Irish character in a role that was not connected to the Troubles.

He also said that his only regret about Cold Feet was that being in it meant he never got to be moved by watching it as millions of its fans did in the early noughties.

Meanwhile, Hermione Norris revealed she was persuaded to return by creator Mike Bullen who convinced her that his characters should be given a voice in a different stage of life.

Fay Ripley joked about how Cold Feet was such a big break for her: 'Before Cold Feet I was playing whores and mistresses,' she said. 'My CV is littered with whores!'

And John Thomson recalled the time he was sitting next to Richard Attenborough when Cold Feet won a BAFTA in 2002 and the ceremony organizers showed a clip of him naked with only a box of cornflakes covering his man parts.

They're back! Cold Feet is set to return in the autumn and a new image of the cast has been released, featuring (L-R)  John Thomson, James Nesbitt, Fay Ripley, Hermione Norris and Robert Bathurst

Blast from the past: The characters were a hit with fans during the show's run between 1998 and 2003. Helen Baxendale (middle right) won't be returning for the reboot as her character Rachel Bradley was killed in a car crash in the final episode

She's international: Fay Ripley's character Jenny Gifford ended the fifth series by moving to New York after the breakdown of her marriage to Pete Gifford

Cold Feet is set to return in the autumn. Creator Mike Bullen said: 'This feels like the right time to revisit these characters, as they tip-toe through the minefield of middle age.'

The only person missing from the line-up is Helen Baxendale, whose character Rachel Bradley was killed in a car crash in the last series.

It was rumoured that the Friends actress would return for flashback scenes - but Ripley insisted this wasn't the case.

As they were: Highly regarded as one of the best British comedy drama series, the show pulled in an average of eight millions viewers and won over 20 major awards including the BAFTA for Best Drama Series

Unlucky in love: John Thomson portrayed Pete Gifford who cheated on his wife Jenny with a co-worker which ultimately led to their divorce. He then married Jo Ellison in series four but they were separated by the final

She told Loose Women at the end of last year: 'The only thing I do know is that Helen isn't going to be doing it and that's actually going to be the hardest thing because we are all probably going to slot back into the on set roles that we had, but Helen won't be there.

'So it'll be slightly odd, and she is such a lovely girl and friend of mine.'

The iconic series - written by Mike Bullen - is gearing up to be one of television's biggest comebacks.

Career driven: Hermione Norris played publishing editor Karen Marsden who battled alcoholism and was married to David Marsden before their divorce in the last series

Highly regarded as one of the best British comedy drama series, the show pulled in an average of eight millions viewers and won over 20 major awards including the BAFTA for Best Drama Series.

Starring James Nesbitt, Helen Baxendale, Robert Bathurst, Hermione Norris, John Thomson and Fay Ripley, the show was based on the highs and lows of the relationships of three couples in their Thirties.

Nesbitt and Baxendale played played Adam Williams and Rachel Bradley, a married couple who shared a son before Rachel's tragic death.

Tragic: Helen Baxendale played the role of advertising executive Rachel Bradley in the soap and married Adam Williams, but sadly died in car crash in the final episode. She won't return for the reboot

Thomson and Ripley portrayed Pete and Jenny Gifford, who eventually divorced due to infidelity as did Bathurst and Norris' characters David and Karen Marsden.

Made up of five series and 32 episodes, Cold Feet aired on November 15, 1998 and its final episode went out on March 16, 2003.
She's the ultimate spokesmodel for her own swimwear designs.

And sun-kissed beauty Noni Janur took to Instagram on Monday to showcase a tiny bikini from her collection.

Flaunting her shapely derriere in a blue G-string bikini, the 25-year-old posed with her back to the camera as she looked out over the ocean.

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Cheeky: The Bachelor's Noni Janur showed off her ample curves in a tiny string bikini as she soaked up the sun on Monday

'Monday's don't suck, it's your job (sic),' the Gold Coast designer captioned the photo.

Letting her balayage blonde locks cascade past her shoulders, the bronzed beauty showed off her enviable curves in a blue bandeau bikini top that matched her bottoms.

Noni was sent home by Bachelor Richie Strahan last Wednesday.

Beach babe: The 25-year-old is the ideal spokesperson for her own swimwear label, which she often shows off on social media

Unlucky in love: The Queensland beauty was sent home last Wednesday night during the rose ceremony

Richie could be heard telling her during their farewell: 'You're incredible. I just know you're going to find the right guy to make you incredibly happy.'

She tearfully responded: 'You are going to be a very, very happy man because of those ladies up there.'

But despite her emotional exit, Noni admitted after the show that she didn't feel a connection with the 31-year-old hunk.

Emotional exit: Noni's elimination was met with tears by the other contestants, who have formed strong bonds during the series

Speaking on The Project on Thursday night, the Bali-based beauty revealed she was more sad to leave the other contestants than Richie.

'I was really sad to leave the girls, to be honest... I did form very strong bonds with them,' she told co-host Waleed Aly.

The affable star, who never received a single date during the series, also joked that Richie 'didn't put out' so she resorted to forming friendships with the other girls instead.
Former Bachelor Sam Wood and his fiance Snezana Markoski moved into their stylish Melbourne home two months ago.

And on Monday, The Block's first lesbian couple, Sasha Wright-Neville, 42, and Julia Treuel, 31, revealed the reality couple purchased the home off them in November for $1.4million.

While appearing on KIIS FM's Hughesy & Kate, the pair said they renovated their former family home before selling it to the engaged couple.

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Connection: The Block's lesbian couple, Sasha Wright-Neville and Julia Treuel have revealed ex-Bachelor Sam Wood and Snezana Markoski purchased their Melbourne home

Sasha explained they didn't know it was Sam and Snezana who had purchased their home until the final moments of the auction.

'We had absolutely no idea until they turned up to put a bid in,' she said.

Julie added: 'This was last year in November. Someone came and bid on their behalf but we knew it was them later.'

Home sweet home: The reality TV couple bought the property off The Block couple in November for $1.4million

Left in the dark: Sasha (L) explained they didn't know it was Sam and Snezana who had purchased their home until the final moments of the auction

Despite purchasing the home in November last year, Sam announced the couple's purchase two months later - January 2016.

The moved into the three-bedroom home six months later along with Snezana's 11-year-old daughter, Eve.

During an interview with news.com.au in February, the couple said they hadn't set a date for the move as it was dependent on Eve's schooling.

Shocked: Julie (L) added: 'This was last year in November. Someone came and bid on their behalf but we knew it was them later'

Fresh: The couple explained they renovated the property before putting it to auction last year

On the move: Despite purchasing the home in November last year, Sam announced the couple's purchase two months later - January 2016 - and moved in six months later

'All that depends on Eve...We want to make it as easy on her as possible,' Snezana told the publication.

Sam and Snezana's love nest comprises of three bedroom, boasts stylish decor throughout and homes an open-floor plan.

Following the sale of the property, Sam took to Instagram to gush over his the purchase, telling fans: 'So...the most incredible woman I've ever met and I just bought this beautiful little house.'
She recently revealed to 60 Minutes that she regards her two young children as her 'best friends'.

And so it's no wonder PR maven Roxy Jacenko, 36, was happy to shell out on a celebrity hairstylist to trim her five-year-old daughter Pixie Curtis' hair this week.

Taking to Pixie's Instagram account on Tuesday, Roxy shared a photo of her flame-haired daughter receiving a snip from hairstylist Keiran Street in Roxy's living room, while Roxy's youngest child Hunter, two, watched on in the background.

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'When the master swings by': Roxy Jacenko, 36, shared a photo on her daughter's Instagram showing the five-year-old girl receiving haircut from celebrity hairstylist Keiren Street on Tuesday, while her son Hunter sat in the background

'When the master swings by @keirenstreethair @huntercurtis14 doubles as security', wrote Roxy in the caption.

Hairstylist Keiran has tended to the locks of some of Australia's biggest celebrities, including Jennifer Hawkins, Asher Keddie, Jessica Mauboy, Elizabeth Debicki and Jodi Anasta.

Roxy is known to dress her children in staggeringly expensive designer clothing, having shared a photo of Pixie clad in an outfit by Gucci on Monday night before a family dinner.

Designer wardrobe: Roxy is known to dress her children in staggeringly expensive designer clothing, having shared a photo of Pixie clad in an outfit by Gucci on Monday night before a family dinner

Roxy swathed herself in big-name brands as well, making sure to share a photo to her Instagram account of her Ralph Lauren top, Balmain jacket and Louboutin heels.

Family time has become clearly important for the Sweaty Betty founder, whose husband Oliver Curtis was recently incarcerated for insider trading.

She recently admitted to 60 Minutes that her two children were her best friends, and that she often spoke to them about what was going on in her life.

Struggles: Family time has become clearly important for the Sweaty Betty founder, whose husband Oliver Curtis was recently incarcerated for insider trading

In June, Roxy's husband Oliver Curtis was sentenced to two years jail in NSW Supreme Court, following his insider trading conviction

In June, Roxy's husband Oliver Curtis was sentenced to two years jail in NSW Supreme Court, following his insider trading conviction.

One month later, the mother-of-two revealed that she had found a lump on her left breast and she recently underwent breast cancer surgery.

Roxy had surgery to remove the 10mm tumour in her chest earlier this month, allowing 60 Minutes to film the procedure and air the scene in their recent tell-all interview.

Cancer struggles: One month later, the mother-of-two revealed that she had found a lump on her left breast and she recently underwent breast cancer surgery
Michael Jackson would have been 58-years-old today.

But his spirit is being kept alive and well by his famous friends, family and children.

Several took to social media on Monday to honor the fallen King Of Pop on his birthday including his son Prince.

Beautfiul: Prince Jackson wrote a touching tribute poem to his father Michael Jackson on what would have been his 58th birthday which he posted on Instagram on Monday

Dynamic duo: The 19-year-old - pictured left in LA back in May - shared the poem on social media as his younger sister Paris - pictured in March - reposted it

The 19-year-old may gave posted the most touching tribute of all as he shared a poem he had written about his father titled The Myth, The Legend, The Man.

He penned it under his legal name - Michael Jackson Jr. - as he said many touching things including: 'The many know the Legend and the Myth, A lucky few know the man as he is But not as the Jackson family fifth.'

Prince goes on to say that a lucky few knew him as a son, brother and father.

The Myth, The Legend, The Man by Michael Jackson Jr. To many he is king, to me, a man All he inspires, to lead a noble cause. Everyone is family, not a fan Even while receiving thunderous applause. The many know the Legend and the Myth, A lucky few know the Man as he is But not as the Jackson family fifth. 'Son, Brother, Father,' these few know him as. He is the Myth, the Legend the Man. He cares for his mother and his children, The world and everyone, he is a lamb. He is pure, tested, yet has forgiven. He is the archangel known as Michael He is with us and our tears we must stifle. Advertisement

Family fun: Michael Jackson with Mohamed Hadid and their children back in November 2008

He continues: 'He is the Myth, the Legend and the Man.

'He cares for his mother and his children, The world and everyone, he is a lamb. he is pure, tested, yet has forgiven.'

Prince posted it with the caption: 'Happy birthday to the Man who was more than a legend. I love you.'

Longtime friendship: Madonna was one of the many A-listers who paid tribute as she posted this collage

'Miss & love you lots': Paris Hilton also posted about the King Of Pop

His younger sister Paris definitely loved the heartfelt note as she reposted it.

Along with an image of the poem, the 18-year-old wrote: 'love this.. proud of you big brother. and happy birthday to the man that means more to us than anything and anyone ever could.'

The Jackson children were not the only one that paid tribute to Michael as Madonna, Paris Hilton, Rob Thomas, Wyclef Jean, Reverend Al Sharpton and La Toya Jackson also took to social media.

No sibling rivalry: La Toya Jackson shared her thought about her younger brother

'I will never forget you or let you be forgotten': Reverend Al Sharpton had strong words

'Michael Jackson was my music god': Wyclef Jean was inspired by the legendary artist

Madonna, 58, took posted a collage of the two of them throrugh their careers with a caption: Happy Birthday to this wonderful and glorious creature!! The King [crown emoji]! Gone too soon! [several heart emojis].'

Paris Hilton, 35, wrote: 'Happy Birthday #MichaelJackson! Knew you since I was born & you were amazing light in my life. Miss & love you lots.'

Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest back in June 2009. He was 50 at the time.

Dynamic duo: Songwriter Jimmy Jam posted a photo of he and Michael together as they had previously worked together
She's the up-and-coming model who has been linked romantically with Kourtney Kardashian's baby daddy, Scott Disick.

But on Monday, Megan Blake Irwin showed why she's the next big thing as she strolled around Sydney looking flawless without a smidgen of makeup.

The 22-year-old showed off her even skin-tone and blemish-free complexion as she strolled around the trendy suburb of Double Bay following a facial treatment at celebrity haunt, Melanie Grant Skin Health Clinic.

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Geek chic! Megan Blake Irwin showed off her natural beauty as she strolled around Sydney makeup-free and sporting round tortoiseshell glasses on Monday

The Adelaide-born beauty sported chic round tortoise shell glass, channeling her geek chic look to perfection.

Megan's blonde tresses fell naturally in a slight wave, cascading down her shoulders in a centre part as she made her way down the street.

Dressed down for the beauty appointment, the now New York-based beauty donned simple black tights with an oversize khaki jumper with a white diamond emblazoned across the centre.

Double take: The model sported one ring on each hand - with a large jewelled ring on the middle finger of her left hand sparkling enough for passers by to do a double take

Model stroll: Megan's blonde tresses fell naturally in a slight wave, cascading down her shoulders in a centre part as she made her way down the street in beige-coloured suede flats

Casual cool: Dressed down for her beauty appointment in trendy Double Bay, the now New York-based beauty donned simple black tights with an over-side khaki jumper

The leggy lady added beige-coloured suede lace up flats to round out the outfit.

Adding a touch of glamour for the outing, Megan carried a black leather long chain Gucci handbag flung on one shoulder.

The model also sported one ring on each hand - with a large jewelled ring on the middle finger of her left hand sparkling enough for passers by to do a double take.

The model flew in from the US on Monday morning and is back in Australia as part of her Vogue Ambassador duties, ahead of Vogue's Fashion Night Out on Thursday.

Designer bag: Adding a touch of glamour for the outing, Megan carried a black leather long chain Gucci handbag flung on one shoulder

Fresh-faced: Megan happily posed for the cameras, blowing kisses to in front of a Chanel wall-hanging as she showed off her glowing skin after her visit to celebrity favourite Melanie Grant Skin Health

Celebrity fan: Sports Illustrated model Robyn Lawley also visited the clinic while in town recently

Inside the clinic, Megan happily posed for the cameras, blowing kisses to in front of a Chanel wall-hanging.

Showing of her glowing skin in the shot, the model beamed as she posed with her long locks tied back off her face, wearing a white crop T-shirt.

The skin care clinic boasts a number of celebrity clientelle, including Nicole Trunfio, Robyn Lawley, Montana Cox and Delta Goodrem.
His character Lord Melbourne helped Queen Victoria prepare for her coronation.

Now Rupert Sewell is ready to assume the crown of Sunday night heartthrob currently taken by Poldark's Aidan Turner.

The actor, who plays the Queen's first Prime Minister in ITV's new period drama Victoria, set pulses racing during the debut episode on Sunday night.

Rupert Sewell is ready to assume the crown of Sunday night heartthrob currently taken by Poldark's Aidan Turner. He set pulses racing during the debut episode of new drama Victoria

Viewers were quick to bemoan Prince Albert after noting the chemistry between brooding Sewell, 48, and Jenna Coleman, 30, who plays the young Victoria.

Among the viewers sharing their views on social media, Sheila Beard said: 'Rufus Sewell stole the show as Lord M, shame she fell for Albert.'

And Morgan Jeffrey said: 'If anything, Rufus Sewell is a bit TOO good in Victoria. Don't want Albert to swoop in and ruin things. Damn your effortless charm Sewell.'

While viewers were smitten with the smouldering Lord Melbourne some said that Miss Coleman was too pretty to play Queen Victoria.

Victoria has been described as a 'short, vulgar-looking child' who had bulging eyes and already a tendency to be overweight.

But Miss Coleman looked stunning in elaborate gowns as she played the young Alexandrina Victoria struggling to cope with the demands of ascending the throne.

Viewers were quick to bemoan Prince Albert after noting the chemistry between brooding Sewell, 48, and Jenna Coleman, 30 (above)

June Bernicoff tweeted: 'Surely Jenna Louise Coleman is too pretty to be Victoria, she wasn't exactly a looker, was she?'

Di Tekki said: 'Even real young Victoria is not as pretty as Jenna. Petite, yes, but not this beautiful', while RoyalHistoryGeeks posted: 'Jenna Coleman is of course, far too pretty to play Victoria - but this is TV so we'll make allowances.'

Historians disagree on how physically attractive the young queen was, but early photographs of her show her to have the typical Hanoverian features of large eyes and a weak chin, as well as a very severe centre-parted hairline.

Some early portraits around the time of her marriage show her as a pretty young woman but by the time of her death in 1901, she was notoriously overweight and wore 50-inch bloomers.

Romance rumours have already begun to swirl around Miss Coleman and her handsome co-star Tom Hughes, who plays the dashing Prince Albert but did not appear in Sunday's episode.

In a bid to get a head start in the ratings battle Victoria started ahead of Turner's return to the BBC as Ross Poldark next Sunday.

Victoria drew an average of 5.4million viewers during the hour and half episode, beating the BBC remake of Are You Being Served which attracted five million.
Olivia Culpo looked every inch the fashionista as she left the Channel Seven studios in Sydney on Monday.

The former Miss USA 2012 showed off her svelte figure in a floral embellished Self-Portrait dress and a black coat.

Just two days earlier, the 24-year-old was a surprising guest at the wedding of former Auburn deputy mayor Salim Mahajer's sister Kat's wedding.

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Glowing! Olivia Culpo showed off her svelte figure in a floral mini-dress as she exited the Channel Seven studios on Monday

Olivia, who made an appearance on The Morning Show on Monday, looked radiant as she made her way out of the studio, holding a coffee in one hand.

The former beauty queen looked flawless with a touch of shimmery eyeshadow and rosy blush highlighting her cheeks.

Her shoulder-length locks were styled in very loose waves to frame her face.

Flawless: The former Miss USA 2012 was preened to perfection after her appearance on The Morning Show

Details: The style expert shared another view of her outfit on Instagram later in the day

The stunner completed her look with a pair of black ankle boots that showed off her toned pins.

On Saturday, the ex-girlfriend of Nick Jonas was one of hundreds of guests who attended Kat Mehajer and IT engineer Ibrahim Sakalaki's lavish nuptials at the Longuevue Mansion in Kenthurst.

Olivia wore a stunning floor-length gown by Lorena Sarbu and showed off her ensemble on Instagram.

Fancy seeing you here! Olivia was a surprising guest at Salim Mahajer's sister Kat's wedding to IT engineer Ibrahim Sakalaki at the weekend

Stunning: The 24-year-old looked gorgeous in a plunging blush-toned gown by Lorena Sarbu

The blush-toned frock featured a plunging neckline and floral embellishments attached to sheer fabric.

'Good morning from #Australia (sic),' she captioned a photo of her flawless makeup from the back seat of a car.

She later appeared in a photo alongside the bride and groom, shared by Salim himself on Instagram.
He appeared to be having a blast at the MTV VMAs in New York City on Sunday evening with his best friend Kim Kardashian as well as her husband Kanye West.

And now DailyMail.com has learned why the 42-year-old Keeping Up With The Kardashians star looked so happy.

According to a source, he has already moved on from 27-year-old Anat Popovsky - who he split from last week after a three year relationship, his rep confirmed to DailyMail.com - and has moved into the arms of a hot blonde model.

It's over: Jonathan Cheban and Anat Popovsky have split up after dating for three years, his rep confirmed to DailyMail.com; here they are seen in February

On Saturday evening the former pr guru was seen with a young blonde in a Blondie shirt and short cut-off Daisy Duke style shorts as he headed out in NYC.

It is believed that she is the TV star's new love interest. The stunner had her hand on Jonathan's shoulder as the two were followed by friends.

The Spin Crowd star looked to be in fine spirits as he wore all black and several diamond necklaces as well as ripped jeans and a colorful jacket tied around his waist.

A new lady? Cheban has been seen with several pretty models all summer, which may be one reason the E! reality standout and Anat went their separate ways. On Saturday evening the former pr guru was seen with a young blonde

On Sunday evening he was solo as he joined Kim and Kanye at the MTV VMAs held at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan.

The Big Brother star had on a Gucci jacket and leather slacks with high top shoes and a turquoise shirt.

He was seen laughing with West like he didn't have a care in the world. He also looked to be in a good mood as he posed on the white carpet and did not mention his split. There was no sign of the new blonde, however.

His pals: On Sunday evening he was solo as he joined Kim Kardashian and Kanye West at the MTV VMAs held at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan

No tears on this guy: Cheban wore a Gucci jacket as he hung out with bestie Kim

No Anat, no problem! He also looked to be in a good mood as he posed on the white carpet and did not mention his split

After the show: The Big Brother vet partied with Kim, Kanye, Puffy, Cassie, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Swizz Beats in Little Italy after the VMAs

Jonathan and Anat first started dating in 2013 but then split in early 2015.

By November they were back together, seen holding hands as they left the Sugar Factory in New York City. They later were spotted sharing ice cream in Miami.

A source told DailyMail at the time that they felt the relationship had not run its course.

She will be missed: Anat appeared several times on KUWTK, often joining Kim as she stopped by Dr Ourian's Epione Center in Beverly Hills. She was also with Cheban when he visited Europe; here they are seen in Las Vegas in February

'He missed her and wanted to give the relationship another try,' said the pal. 'They have so much in common and an undeniable chemistry that it was inevitable.'

And bestie Kim gave her seal of approval. 'Kim has always liked Anat, so that's easy. The whole Kardashian family likes her. They are looking forward to hanging out with her more.'

Anat appeared several times on KUWTK, often joining Kim as she stopped by Dr Ourian's Epione Center in Beverly Hills. She was also with Cheban when he visited Europe in February and May.

Cheban has been appearing on the twelfth season on Keeping Up WIth The Kardashians and he has been working on his Foodgod posts.
Vanessa Hudgens continued to work off her 'pooch' at a SoulCycle spin class in West Hollywood on Sunday.

The 27-year-old actress - who relies on stylist Natalie Saidi - dressed her 5ft1in figure for action in raspberry leggings, b&w-patterned hoodie, white trainers, and a silver bag.

'I think the stomach region for all girls is something we all struggle with. The pooch! I think we all know what that pooch is,' the Grease: Live starlet revealed to PeopleStyle earlier this month.

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'We work so hard to make [the pooch] go away!' Vanessa Hudgens continued to work off her 'pooch' at a SoulCycle spin class in West Hollywood on Sunday

'We all struggle with the stomach region': The 27-year-old actress - who relies on stylist Natalie Saidi - dressed her 5ft1in figure for action in raspberry leggings and a b&w-patterned hoodie

'We work so hard to make [the pooch] go away.'

On Monday, Vanessa - who boasts 42.5M followers - mourned the death of Gene Wilder by tweeting one of his quotes: 'Time is a precious thing. Never waste it.'

The half-Filipina beauty later shared a cheery retro snap of a Hawaiian hula dancer captioned: 'Wanting to ring in #Monday like this babe.'

On Monday, the Grease: Live starlet - who boasts 42.5M followers - mourned the death of Gene Wilder by tweeting one of his quotes: 'Time is a precious thing. Never waste it'

The half-Filipina beauty later shared a cheery retro snap of a Hawaiian hula dancer captioned: 'Wanting to ring in #Monday like this babe'

'Gave her a little Sunkissed #HoneyBronze and a little extra texture': Last Thursday, Vanessa got highlights in her extension-free bob courtesy of Nine Zero One salon's Riawna Capri

Last Thursday, the Freaks of Nature actress got highlights in her extension-free bob courtesy of celebrity hairstylist Riawna Capri.

'Just in time for the end of summer... Gave this Queen of Beauty a little Sunkissed #HoneyBronze and a little extra texture,' the Nine Zero One salon co-owner shared on Monday.

Curiously, Hudgens hasn't been photographed with her live-in boyfriend of five years, Austin Butler, since August 1.

The love of her life: Curiously, Hudgens hasn't been photographed with her live-in boyfriend of five years, Austin Butler, since August 1

'U make life better!' But the High School Musical alum made sure to wish Shannara Chronicles heartthrob a happy 25th birthday in an August 17 tweet

Hitting US theaters Friday! Perhaps Vanessa will join Austin at the premiere of Kevin Smith's comedy Yoga Hosers, in which he plays popular high school senior Hunter Calloway

But the High School Musical alum made sure to wish Shannara Chronicles heartthrob a happy 25th birthday in an August 17 tweet.

Perhaps Vanessa will join Austin at the premiere of Kevin Smith's comedy Yoga Hosers - hitting US theaters Friday - in which he plays popular high school senior Hunter Calloway.

Meanwhile, the brunette millennial will next rough it on the September 12 episode of NBC's Running Wild with Bear Grylls.

That face! Meanwhile, Hudgens will next rough it on the September 12 episode of NBC's Running Wild with Bear Grylls

Hudgens will also play insurance claims adjuster Emily Locke in the DC Comics superhero sitcom Powerless, which premieres January 2 on NBC.

'I feel like a lot of the superhero shows are always about the superheroes, but what about the other people who are trying to live their lives while these superheroes are having these epic battles?' she told EW at San Diego Comic-Con.

'You don't necessarily need superpowers to be a powerful person, so she's stumbling her way through that all.'

Retcon gang: The brunette millennial will also play insurance claims adjuster Emily Locke in the DC Comics superhero sitcom Powerless, which premieres January 2 on NBC
A thing for bling: Sean Kingston is accused of paying for $300K of jewellery with bad cheques in a new lawsuit

He has been accused in the past of failing to pay for his taste in ostentatious jewellery.

And Sean Kingston's love of bling has landed him in hot water again after it emerged he is being sued for allegedly paying for $300,000 worth of items with bad cheques.

New York company Aqua Master is claiming he obtained nine pieces, promising his business manager would wire over the cash due.

But according to TMZ, in their suit the company says they instead got two cheques, which bounced when they attempted to cash them.

Sean, who last had a hit in 2009 with Fire Burning, is said to obtained two diamond necklaces,two watches, a ring, bracelet and some gold chains.

Last year a court ordered him to pay a different New York jeweller over an unpaid bill, while he was also sued by a Florida outlet in March.

The Jamaican rapper spoke out earlier this month about his issues with jewellers, blaming them for overzealous pursuit of his funds, and insisting he still has an overabundance of money despite appearances to the contrary.

The Beautiful Girls star told TMZ: 'If I'm late on one payment it's not I'm late in the payment because I don't have the money to pay you.

'I'm late on the payment because my mum handles my businesses.

Still performing: The Jamaican rapper was one of the attractions at a pool party at the Tropicana in Las Vegas back in May

'She's all over the place doing a million things at once because I don't have a business manager.

'So when I'm late on that payment it's not that I can't pay for it. No, the money is there,' he said.

Sean also claimed the fact he rents a lavish mansion proves he has plenty of cash to splash around.

He said: 'I live in a house I pay $30,000 a month, that's over $300,000 a year.

'I have an elevator in my crib, so how is Sean Kingston broke? I have four properties I own... I have money coming in,' the 26-year-old said.

He added: 'These people are, and no disrespect, very money hungry and they only look at their clients as a dollar sign.'
He has just welcomed a baby boy with Game Of Thrones star Carice van Houten.

But Guy Pearce, 48, appeared to be not quite so keen on the idea of parenthood during his 18-year marriage to Kate Mestitz.

A look back at several of Guy's interviews over the past few years show the actor declaring he has 'no need' for a child.

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New arrival: Guy Pearce (pictured) has just welcomed a baby boy with Game Of Thrones star Carice van Houten

Back in 2007 he told The Guardian: 'There are enough babies in the world. Besides, I don't think I would be good for babies. I'd be on and off.

'I think they need more consistent affection than I would be able to give.'

His comments are particularly surprising as Guy, who split from his wife Kate last October, has just announced the arrival of his first child with his new partner.

Guy and Carice made their relationship official in 2015 and they confirmed that the actress was pregnant with their first child shortly after in March 2016.

Changing views: The Australian actor was not quite so keen on the idea of parenthood during his 18-year marriage to Kate Mestitz (pictured together)

Breaking the news of their baby joy on Monday, the Iron Man actor revealed the couple had called the newborn Monte.

He tweeted: 'A cute little package arrived and told us his names Monte Pearce. We think were gonna keep him. Placenta smoothie anyone?'

Guy, who split from his childhood sweetheart last October, has previously appeared less than impressed with the prospect of raising a child.

In 2011, he told The Independent he did not have the emotional stability to look after a baby.

Cute couple: Guy and Carice (left) made their relationship official in 2015

Congratulations! Carice van Houten, who plays the Red Woman in the hit TV series, has given birth to a baby boy

Baby joy: Breaking the news of their baby joy on Monday, the Iron Man actor revealed the couple had called the newborn Monte

'I believe you need to have a level of emotional consistency when you raise a child and I don't know that I have that.

He added: 'It would be unfair to inflict that on a child.'

He reiterated his feelings during an interview with the Daily Telegraph in 2012 where he said he was too 'hot and cold'.

'I'm not consistent enough to be a parent - I blow too hot and cold,' Guy said.

Expecting: The couple confirmed that the actress was pregnant with their first child in March 2016

Proud parents: The Game of Thrones star (pictured in character), who plays the Red Woman in the hit-series, and her partner have been vocal on social media throughout the pregnancy

'I completely acknowledge that having kids has got to be one of the most incredible things in the world, but it's also really hard work.'

Ahead of the arrival of his first baby, the Australian actor has also posted a series of amusing tweets about fatherhood.

In July, he shared a tweet about how he would hold his baby, joking that his baby would be as cute as a number of animals.

Alongside a collection of images showing him holding puppy and a tiger cub amongst other animal, the actor wrote: 'The baby will be like one of these right?'

Dad jokes: In July the Aussie star shared a funny tweet about how he would hold his baby, joking that his baby would be as cute as a number of animals

A daunting prospect: Paying homage to his partner's dramatic role on the HBO show, he joked: 'Nothing like the prospect of a shadowbaby to change your mind about becoming a Father !!'

And paying homage to his partner's role at the Red Woman, Melisandre, on Game of Thrones, he joked: 'Nothing like the prospect of a shadowbaby to change your mind about becoming a Father!!'

The Dutch actress has also been keen to keep her followers in the loop, and has posted many a tongue-in-cheek comment, picture or tweet about her pregnancy.

She posted a mirror selfie, in which she showed off her baby bump, alongside the caption: 'Almost don't fit in the mirror anymore @TheGuyPearce...'

Pregnancy issues? Another Tweet saw her joking about a gift from her mother. Pulling an unimpressed face, the Repo Men star can be seen holding a grabber
Jennifer Garner was set to take the dance floor by storm on Monday.

The 44-year-old couldn't have looked happier as she made her way to a dance class in Brentwood with a gal pal by her side.

Fresh faced and clad in practically all black, the actress' leggings showed off her gym-honed legs as she strode ahead in teal trainers.

Shaking things up! Jennifer Garner couldn't have looked happier as she headed to a dance class with a gal pal in Brentwood on Monday

The actress - who appeared to be emotional and teary during a tense reunion with Ben Affleck in Montana on Sunday - looked upbeat and happy.

Her hair was slicked back into a ponytail, while her eyes were protected behind a pair of trendy sunglasses.

She also had a bronze water bottle and a blue tie dye sweater in her hand.

Walking side by side, the ladies were nearly identical when it came to their wardrobe, with Jennifer's friend also sporting an all-black outfit paired with vibrant trainers.

Jennifer's easy-going day continued when she was also spotted out at the Brentwood Country Market for a solo shopping trip.

Just the girls! The star was joined by a gal pal for the occasion

Ready to get her kicks in! The 13 Going On 30 star hit her stride in a pair of vibrant trainers

The actress kept it casual in blue jeans, a white top, black sweater, and comfy sandals.

With a bag slung across her body, the mother-of-three flashed a smile, seeming to be in good spirits.

She had a book, her phone, and her car keys in hand.

Jean-ius look! Garner was also spotted in Brentwood in blue jeans, a white top, and a black sweater

Sensible and comfortable: The star made do with a pair of comfy black sandals

Although Jennifer filed for divorce from estranged husband Ben Affleck in June 2015, the star still keeps the family close by going on vacations together.

The Batman v Superman actor and his family celebrated his 44th birthday in Montana, where the couple own a condominium.

And she was seen wiping her face and appearing to cry while out with Ben on Sunday.

Earlier this summer, Ben and Jennifer took their three children, Violet, 10, Seraphina, seven, and Samuel, four, to London for a month where the Massachusetts native filmed Justice League.

Someone's happy! The star flashed a small smile as she headed out of the store
She is the Australian runway regular whose racy antics and unusual aesthetic has cemented her as one of the world's edgiest models.

And Catherine McNeil, 27, put on a typically outlandish display when she shared a video of herself giving her girlfriend Kye Howell's a nipple cripple during a rowdy night out on Tuesday.

In the short clip, which was uploaded to Catherine's Instagram account, a braless Kye is seen giggling while Catherine delivers the annoying nipple cripple.

Risque: Catherine McNeil, 27, put on a typically outlandish display when she shared a video of herself giving her girlfriend Kye Howell's a nipple cripple during a rowdy night out on Tuesday

Catherine tagged Kye and a fellow model Issa Lish in the video.

In a subsequent Instagram post, Catherine can be seen posing in just a black bra and a bondage-inspired leather harness.

Oh dear! In the short clip, which was uploaded to Catherine's Instagram account, a braless Kye is seen giggling while Catherine delivers the annoying nipple cripple

Racy lady! In a subsequent Instagram post, Catherine can be seen posing in just a black bra and a bondage-inspired leather harness

The David Jones model is seen lying on her back with her head cropped out of the image, while one hand is seen resting on the metal belt buckle of her trousers.

Also on display was the sprawling collection of tattoos apparent on Catherine's torso and arms.

It's the latest in a slew of racy Instagram snaps shared by the former flame of DJ Ruby Rose.

Earlier this week, she shared a photo of herself posing in barely there black lingerie for a bathroom selfie with Kye and a friend Jordan Hemmingway.

Controversial beauty: It's the latest in a slew of racy Instagram snaps shared by the former flame of DJ Ruby Rose

Daring to bare! Earlier this week, she shared a photo of herself posing in barely there black lingerie for a bathroom selfie with Kye and a friend Jordan Hemmingway

Kye was also scantily clad in pale silk negligee as she posed while pulling a sultry expression.

Two weeks ago, Catherine once again shocked fans by posing completely topless to celebrate Kye's birthday.

Catherine, who was reportedly engaged to Australian actress and DJ Ruby Rose in 2010, began her modelling career when she won the Girlfriend Model Search competition at just 14 years old.
He's the newsreader who has been on Australian screens for 25 years.

But now, Channel Seven's Mark Ferguson is moving on to Hollywood after landing a surprise role in the film War Dogs alongside Jonah Hill.

The 51-year-old spoke to Nova FM's Fitzy & Wippa on Tuesday morning about his appearance in the movie, admitting: 'I hope this is the start of something big'.

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'I hope this is the start of something big': Channel Seven's Mark Ferguson (centre) spoke to Nova FM's Fitzy (L) and Wippa (R) about his appearance in the Hollywood film War Dogs

The affable host was of course being tongue in cheek across the whole chat, as he spoke of his fleeting appearance on a TV in the background of a scene showing actor Jonah Hill in an Albanian hotel room.

'Obviously the TV news has been kind to me over the years, I've enjoyed it while it's lasted but maybe it's time to step up,' Mark said added, when Wippa suggested he get himself a Hollywood agent.

And as Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli described his outfit as 'a bit country' Mark hit back, telling the radio host: 'It's what we wear in Hollywood, I've explained that to you already.

'You regional blokes in the back blocks of Sydney wouldn't understand but that'

'It's what we're wearing in Beverly Hills these days': The affable host joked about moving to Hollywood off the back of his fleeting cameo in the background of the blockbuster (Pictured with wife Jane in November 2007)

Cameo: The newsreader is seen on a TV in the background of a scene showing actor Jonah Hill in an Albanian hotel room

The movie centres on Jonah's character Efraim Diveroli and David Packouz played by Miles Teller and is based on true events.

The pair are American military contractor with the job of smuggling arms and ammunition through war zones in the Middle East.

Speaking of his cameo in the movie, Mark revealed: 'I'm both excited and upset about this.'

'I'm very excited that after all this time, I've finally made it to Hollywood...A little upset that my people didn't inform me that I'd made it to Hollywood but your people called me to say Fergo, you're in the movie. That's where I heard it first, Fitzy & Wippa.'

War Dogs! The movie centres on Jonah's character Efraim Diveroli (right) and David Packouz played by Miles Teller (left) and is based on true events

He revealed his second eldest son went and saw the movie after he had talked up his appearance and returned home 'very unimpressed' given his blink-and-you-miss-it involvement.

'I had talked it up a little bit too much,' Mark conceded to the radio duo.

Before heading off, the newsreader showed off his comedic-side, when handing the boys passes to see the movie.

'Brangelina told me that's the thing you do when you go in - try to plug the film, try to give away a few tickets,' he said, leaving both Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald and Wippa in hysterics.
Heather Dubrow and Kelly Dodd squared off on Monday's episode of The Real Housewives Of Orange County after a nasty falling out.

Tamra Judge expressed concern about Kelly's drinking and foul-mouthed temper but managed to stir the gossip pot by telling Heather that Kelly had mimicked her posh voice.

'Me and my big mouth,' winced Tamra, 48, as the feathers began to fly when the three of them met up.

Face to face: Heather Dubrow confronted Kelly Dodd about her vulgar behavior on Monday's episode of The Real Housewives Of Orange County

The gym buff was concerned that Kelly might have further profane meltdowns at future RHOC parties.

'She freaks out and gets drunk and makes a fool of herself,' she frowned.

Feeling guilty, Tamra organised a dinner so Heather and Kelly could settle their differences.

Heather, 47, denounced Kelly's 'screaming and vulgarity'  namely when she called Shannon Beador a 'c***' during a sushi dinner.

Took offense: Kelly insisted that she was a good mother and would never behave inappropriately around children

Gossip girl: Tamra Judge stirred the pot by sharing gossip with Heather and Tamra

'It was a nightmare and I'm really ashamed with myself,' admitted Kelly.

Heather was also annoyed about Kelly's comedic impressions of her voice.

'Why would you do that?' asked the attractive brunette.

Group meeting: Heather and Kelly were brought together by Tamra to discuss their falling out

Tamra earlier also told Kelly that Heather was worried that she would speak vulgarities in front of her children.

'I know that I have a problem with my anger but I'm a mom and I'm a damn good mom and I've never been inappropriate around children, ever,' retorted Kelly, who has had admitted consuming a few too many drinks on occasion.

'It was probably the alcohol and I felt like I was being attacked,' she sobbed.

Getting emotional: Kelly cried as she defended her behavior to Heather

'My integrity was being attacked,' she bawled.

The women decided to brush the problems aside for the time being and try to 'just have fun' at the next soiree.

The show opened with Shannon, who was glowing after the surprise birthday party and wedding vows renewal ceremony organised by her husband.

Second honeymoon: Shannon Beador meanwhile was enjoying her second honeymoon with husband David

Good times: David went skinny dipping while enjoying guacamole and salsa in Mexico

On the beach: Shannon pulled down her blouse as her husband shot video

Their second honeymoon in Mexico went swimmingly with skinny dips and beach frolicking.

'After 16 years I feel like a newlywed, who else can say that? Shannon Beador can,' boasted the 52-year-old.

Meanwhile Meghan King Edmonds and Vicki Gunvalson buried the hatchet over poolside drinks to celebrate Vicki's birthday.

Making up: Meghan King Edmonds made the short trek to celebrate Vicki Gunvalson's birthday poolside

Birthday venue: Vicki celebrated her birthday at the Merv Griffin Estate in La Quinta

'Drunk Vicki is definitely an easier person to pretend that I'm friends with than sober Vicki,' announced the former model, 31, who had just undergone IVF.

Vicki rented out the vast Merv Griffin Estate in La Quinta for her birthday celebrations.

The 54-year-old said she was 'playing the field' after her explosive separation from cancer faking Brooks Ayers.

Pretend friend: The former model quipped that it was easier to be a pretend friend to drunk Vicki than her sober version

Playing the field: Vicki said she was playing the field after splitting with Brooks Ayers

'My mom has never been singleshe's having her slutty years, good for her. I just don't want to hear about it,' cringed her daughter Brianna.

Vicki, 54, also arranged for Brianna's absent husband Ryan to visit as a surprise.

Brianna sobbed with happiness to see him.

Sweet surprise: Brianna was surprised by her mother who arranged for her husband Ryan to visit

Too much: Tamra looked on as a shocked Brianna buried her head in her hands

Total surprise: Brianna was surprised to see her husband after moving to California without him

'My mom might be a huge pain but my mom made this happen and I'm just over the moon,' she gushed.

Kelly and Vicki were bonding while Shannon alienated Vicki.

'Shannon is throwing away our friendship,' griped Vicki, who was hurt about being excluded from Shannon's birthday party and wedding vow renewal ceremony.

Getting along: Vicki and Kelly continued to get along despite rocky relations with the some of the other ladies

In a reoccurring plot Heather chastised celebrity doctor husband Terry for not spending enough time with his children.

Terry swore he'd change, again.

'I've heard the words before, I want to see action,' scowled Heather.

RHOC continues next Monday on Bravo.

Recurring theme: Heather and husband Terry talked about him missing their children growing up
He has a Willy Wonka portrait tattooed on his lower arm.

And on Tuesday, dessert king, Adriano Zumbo, paid tribute to the late, Gene Wilder after he died aged 83.

The celebrity chef took to social media to share a flashback image of the iconic character while writing: 'RIP Gene Wilder. You created what Dreams are made of'.

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In honour: Dessert king, Adriano Zumbo, paid tribute to the late, Gene Wilder on Tuesday after he died aged 83

'PURE IMAGINATION #willywonka #pureimagination #dreams #dreambig #sweets #chocolate #idol #legend (sic),' his post continued.

Adriano also took to his professional Instagram page to pay his respects, posting: 'There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination'.

'RIP #GeneWilder, a huge inspiration to myself and many others .'

Fan boying: The TV chef also recently revealed his arm tattoo of the Willy Wonka character

Remembering: The celebrity chef took to social media to share a flashback image of the iconic character while writing: 'RIP Gene Wilder. You created what Dreams are made of'

Adriano will also honour Gene during Tuesday night's episode of Zumbo's Desserts as the contestants will attempt to create a floating cake which resembles Willy Wonka's hat.

Earlier in the month, the celebrity chef revealed he's obsession with the Willy Wonka character prompt him to go under the needle and get a tattoo.

'Hes been a big inspiration from a young age,' he told 2DAY FM radio hosts Sam Frost and Rove McManus.

Memories: Adriano also took to his professional Instagram page to pay his respects, posting: 'There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination'

Inspiration: He will also honour Gene during Tuesday night's episode of Zumbo's Desserts as the contestants will attempt to create a floating cake which resembles Willy Wonka's hat

Gene died late Sunday in Stamford, Connecticut from complications due to Alzheimer's disease.

In a statement released by the actor's nephew, Jordan Walker-Pearlman, the family said Gene was diagnosed with the disease three years ago, but kept the condition private so as not to disappoint fans.

'He simply couldn't bear the idea of one less smile in the world,' Jordan said.

The candy man: Gene died late Sunday in Stamford, Connecticut from complications due to Alzheimer's disease (pictured playing Willy Wonka in June 1971)

Tough: He was diagnosed with the disease three years ago but kept the condition private
It's the ultimate test of human endurance designed to push contestants to their limits.

And Australian Survivor has already proved too extreme for one islander who has quit the show after just a few episodes.

Peter Fiegehen explained his decision to leave the rugged South Pacific island of Samoa, claiming he'd gone without food for 12 days.

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Tough decisions: Peter Fiegehen quit Australian Survivor after claiming he hadn't eaten for days and says he feared he would die on the island

The 52-year old admitted that while he is struggling with regrets since quitting the challenge of a lifetime, he feared he wouldn't make it out alive.

'I dont see how I could have gone in another direction,' Peter told News.com.au.

'All the people I spoke to, including on my tribe of Saanapu, said if they were me they would have done the same thing.'

Just days before filming started, Peter contracted a gastro virus after eating chicken at a Samoa hotel.

It meant he wasn't feeling his best when he arrived on set and things quickly deteriorated.

'When I got back I found after 14 days of not eating you could have a heart attack, and after 40 days you could be dead,' he added.

Bad start: Peter had suffered from a gastro virus before starting the show, meaning he wasn't feeling strong when the competition got going

'Survivor is 55 days, thats going out in a box in a big way.'

Peter's exit threw that night's tribal council into chaos after team Aganoa has already plotted to send their team member Kat home.

She was given a last-minute reprieve after it was revealed Peter from team Saanapu had quit.

Regrets: The 52-year-old says he's struggled to come to terms with quitting the reality series

Host Jonathan LaPaglia asked team Aganoa's El how this would impact the tribe and she replied: 'Oh, might be a bit awkward now.
They've enjoyed a whirlwind romance and now, the hot new couple have enjoyed a whirlwind trip around the world.

Former Australian Olympic swimmer Michael Klim went to Rio during the Olympic Games with his girlfriend of two months, Desiree Deravi, in tow.

And following their time there, the couple travelled across to Europe and even India, sharing numerous photos with fans on social media along the way.

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'Still unforgettable!' Michael Klim's girlfriend Desiree Deravi shared a flashback photo to Instagram on Monday, showing the couple in Rio earlier in the month during the Olympic Games

However, it seems the beginning of the trip has still been the most memorable part with Desiree reminiscing in a post to Instagram on Monday.

The fashion designer shared a selfie with Michael to her Instagram account, captioning the shot about their adventures.

'Seems like so much has happened since but Rio, still unforgettable!' the brunette beauty noted.

The photo shows the loved-up pair standing in front of the Arcosdalapa in Brazil with the bronzed beauty's sun-kissed skin front and centre of the photo, thanks to her strapless top.

While Michael is seen standing closely behind her in a white T-shirt and grinning broadly.

Romance in the fast lane: While in Rio the gold medalist posed with his new girlfriend under the iconic Olympic rings

The 38-year-old gold medallist previously shared a shot of the couple posing together underneath the iconic Olympic rings in Rio de Janeiro.

Throwing one arm around his girl's shoulders the couple put on a cute display as they posed beneath the multicoloured rings.

'Hello from #riodejaneiro #olympics2016 #brazil #greenandgold,' the fashion designer captioned the shot when posted on her page.

Flaunting her trim pins in a pair of dark denim jeans, Desiree cut a chic figure in a white long-sleeved smock shirt, ankle boots and stylish dark sunglasses.

All-white: An earlier snap shared to the social media site saw Desiree take to a wooden swing for a rather candid snap in the Omega House

Allowing her signature brunette tresses to fall effortlessly around her shoulders in loose waves, the svelte beauty was also seen flashing the peace sign.

Meanwhile, former sportsman Michael cut a casual figure in dark jeans, white trainers, a form-fitting round-neck T-shirt and light denim button-up shirt left open.

Earlier, his model girlfriend took to her Instagram posing on a swing in the Omega House lounge, a brand the Olympian is an ambassador for.

While holding onto the swing's white ropes, she tilted her head to the right, allowing the camera to capture her stunning side profile.

'My love': The former sportsman confirmed his relationship with the stunning fashion designer back in June

Speculation surrounding the couple began in March, when the two were spotted getting cosy during a holiday in Bali, just a month after announcing his split from wife of nine years, Lindy Klim.

Two months later Michael confirmed his relationship with Desiree on social media.

Taking to Instagram at the time to gush about his new flame, the six-time Olympic champion reminisced over the time spent with the tanned beauty in an idyllic location.

'Take me back please,' he captioned the throwback snap, which showed only half of his face submerged from the surf.

Holding on tight: The fashionista led Michael out into the crystal clear waters

A bikini-clad Desiree could just be seen in the background standing on a board and holding up a paddle in one hand.

Michael made sure to add the hash-tag 'my love' and tagged her in the post.

A smitten Desiree also shared her own photo from the envy-inducing vacation with the father-of-three.

Holding tightly onto Michael's hand, the fashionista appeared to lead the buff star out into the crystal clear water.

'More, more, more,' she wrote alongside the picture.

First seen together: The pair were first spotted enjoying a casual lunch with friends in Bali back in March

The pair were first spotted enjoying a casual lunch with friends in Bali back in March.

The two appeared to be relaxed and at ease as they cuddled up for a group shot.

Michael's estranged wife Lindy Klim has also moved on with Englishman Adam Ellis.

The pair were pictured attending a number of shows at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia back in May.

Speaking with Daily Mail Australia, the mother-of-three said she didn't predict falling back in love so soon after her split from Michael.

'[It's] completely not what I expected, to fall back into another relationship, but he's so lovely,' she said cheerfully. 'It's about time I got on with my life.'

Moving forward: Michael's estranged wife Lindy Klim (L) has also moved on with Englishman Adam Ellis (R)

Michael and Lindy, who tied the knot in 2006, announced their separation in a joint statement after months of speculation in February.

The pair's management told News.com.au: 'It is with much respect for each other that Michael and Lindy Klim have agreed to formally separate, believing that this decision is best for their family.'

'Michael and Lindy's children will always remain their highest priority, and their happiness will be Michael and Lindy's primary focus. We ask that you respect their privacy at this time.'

The pair have three children together - two daughters, Stella and Frankie and son, Rocco.
Renee Zellweger had the kind of career most could only dream of when she walked away from Hollywood six years ago.

But as it turns out, the 47-year-old's creative drive could not be extinguished, prompting her to eventually return to the big screen in 2015.

In September's edition of American Way for American Airlines, the 47-year-old talks about how missing the 'creative process' eventually propelled her to return to the big screen, as she graces the magazine's cover in an effortlessly chic, textured mini dress.

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'I started to miss it and I felt ready': In September's edition of American Way for American Airlines, Renee Zellweger talks about how missing the 'creative process' eventually propelled her to return to the big screen

Renee explained that she took some time away from the film industry in 2010 because she felt making films had become 'more depleting than rewarding'.

However, the desire to create struck Renee once again.

Of her return, she said: 'I craved the creative process again. When I stopped making films, it was because it became more depleting than rewarding. It was because of the way I was living my life, and I don't think you can be good in a creative medium if you aren't grateful for the opportunity to participate.

'I started to miss it and I felt ready.'

Cover girl: Zellweger graces the magazine's September edition cover in an effortlessly chic, textured mini dress

During her time off, Renee, who also revealed she is taking a college course, went travelling and says it helped her 'understand' herself.

She added: 'I planned to take some time off after Chicago, but there kept being once-in-a-lifetime experiences in front of me that I didn't want to miss out on.

'Then I learned you can't keep doing that forever, so I chose to see what would happen if I did let that once-in-lifetime experience that was ahead of me go and just be still and see what I could build. I think traveling off the beaten path is a good idea for anybody because it's essential for understanding not just the rest of the world, but yourself.'

Aside from journeying to Thailand and Cambodia during her time off, she also traveled with The Great Initiative, a gender-equality charity which was created by her friend, to Liberia.

Hello petal! The Jerry Maguire actress showed off her long legs in the super chic mini

And the blonde beauty is now reprising her role as the infamous Bridget Jones in Bridget Jones' Baby and was glad she found an 'excellent excuse' to go back.

She told the magazine: 'There's this great reunion waiting in London with this character I love and all my friends who I've adored for years. It was an excellent excuse to go back.'

Renee will star opposite returning co-star Colin Firth and newcomer to the series, Patrick Dempsey.

Time out: Aside from travelling to Thailand and Cambodia during her time off, she also journeyed to Liberia for The Great Initiative, a gender-equality charity which was created by her friend

Her character is faced with the dilemma of not knowing which one of the men is the father of her unborn child.

The identity of the father has been cloaked in secrecy.

She told the Sunday Express: 'It's kind of brilliant. None of the cast knows who fathered Bridget's baby or who she'll choose as her beau. The plan is to keep us all in the dark, right up to the premiere.'

Bridget Jones's Baby will hit screens on September 16.
He is known for his generous nature.

And Osher Gunsberg showed just how big his heart is when he delivered much-needed school supplies including binders, pens, notebooks and journals to 1,1000 Willmot Public School students, in the Sydney suburb of Mt Druitt, on Tuesday.

The Bachelor host said it was a 'real highlight' to be able deliver essential learning materials to children from a classroom in need.

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Showing his generous side: Osher Gunsberg put a smile on children's faces when he delievered much-needed school supplies to Willmot Public School students on Tuesday

'This is only one school, but there are many schools like it in Australia,' the 42-year-old ambassador of Yoobi said in a statement.

'Being able to come here and be a part of providing much needed school supplies for these children, is key to what Yoobi does and I am so passionate about being involved.

'Not only was it fantastic to meet some of the kids, but meeting the incredible teachers who are the heroes of their daily education was just as rewarding.'

'This is only one school': Osher said it was a 'real highlight' to be able deliver essential learning materials to children from a classroom in need

'I am so passionate about being involved': The 42-year-old said it was a real privilege to meet students and teachers at the school

Osher even took to his Instagram to reflect on his time at the school.

In one post, the former Australian idol co-host uploaded a picture of himself attempting to colour-in alongside school kids

He wrote alongside the picture: 'My colouring skills not as sharp as they used to be! Lucky the kids at Willmot PS were there to show me how it is done... @yoobiaustralia.'

Helping out: The former Australian idol co-host uploaded a picture of himself attempting to colour-in alongside school kids

Lending a hand: The Bachelor host showed off his colouring-in skills

Supplies: The children received binders, pens, notebooks, journals and much more

In another snap, uploaded to the photo sharing site, is seen reading to the pupils.

'Cracking morning with@yoobiaustralia hanging with the wonderful kids at Willmot Public School,' he simply captioned the photo.

Meanwhile, Yoobi's co-founder Lance Kalish said a lack of school supplies could affect a child's ability to learn, as well as place a financial burden on teachers.

'Studies have shown that Australian teachers spend up to $2,000 per year out of their own pockets on supplies for their classrooms,' Mr Kalish said.

Closing the gap: Yoobi's co-founder Lance Kalish said a lack of school supplies could affect a child's ability to learn, as well as place a financial burden on teachers

'Having the appropriate materials for learning places every student in a position to achieve the best possible outcomes': Willmot Public School Acting Principal Carley-Sarah Bugeja said

Thanks: Willmot Public School Acting Principal, Carley-Sarah Bugeja said she and the school students were grateful for their new school equipment

Willmot Public School Acting Principal Carley-Sarah Bugeja said she and the school students were grateful for their new equipment.

'Having the appropriate materials for learning places every student in a position to achieve the best possible outcomes,' she said.

'Our students were thrilled to receive their stationery packs from Osher and can't wait to put them to use.'

Yoobi's helps to provide school supplies to one in 10 Aussie kids who grow up in financially disadvantaged families and may lack access to the required stationery items to get them through the school year.
Monday's Made In Chelsea: South Of France saw Alex Mytton tell his best bro Jamie Laing that Jamies girlfriend Frankie had drunkenly declared she liked Alex more than Jamie.

Awkward... Frankie then denied it. Well she would do. Yes, it was in the script...

What had really happened, we would never know. It was her word against his  and that wooden lummox Matts, whoever he is.

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Monday's Made In Chelsea: South Of France saw Alex Mytton tell his best bro Jamie Laing that Jamies girlfriend Frankie had drunkenly declared she liked Alex more than Jamie

Awkward... Frankie then denied it to Jamie. Well she would do. Yes, it was in the script...

If only there was a way of settling it, you thought. If only it had been on film because a camera crew was following their every move and we could see the juicy bits of their day-to-day lives.

Obviously that would be ridiculous. If MiC: SOF did that, wed have no room for all the brainless banality we are treated to on a weekly basis.

In episode five, for example, Toff the tiny toff came back for more pop at Francis for declining to take her one a second date - the heartless swine!

If only it had been on film because a camera crew was following their every move and we could see the juicy bits of their day-to-day lives

Toff the tiny toff came back for more pop at Francis for declining to take her one a second date - the heartless swine!

Louise bravely recovered from her traumatic split with Alik Doofus, virtually giving the impression she had forgotten about him altogether - simply because Ryan liked her.

Sam Farage Thompson and Lucy Watsons sister continued to dither over which of them should dump the other first.

And Ollie had a pardy and made jokes about his sausage'. Laugh? Carry On Chelsea couldnt have been funnier.

Louise bravely recovered from her traumatic split with Alik Doofus, virtually giving the impression she had forgotten about him altogether - simply because Ryan liked her

Here are the 15 highlights of this weeks episode:

1. What happened with you and Alik?

I cried. It broke my heart.

- Louise tells Olivia how she suffered when she dumped him and she is already with someone else

Sam Farage Thompson and Lucy Watsons sister continued to dither over which of them should dump the other first

2. Do you think if you werent with Ryan, youd be with Alik?

OK yah maybe

- Theres a word for gals like this. No not prostitute  Louise

3. Its just bitchy schoolgirl stuff, which Im just not part of

- Olivia, seemingly unaware that this is a pre-requisite on Made In Chelsea

Its just bitchy schoolgirl stuff, which Im just not part of - Olivia, seemingly unaware that this is a pre-requisite on Made In Chelsea

4. Ive met a boy. Hes French. Hes very French

- Jess as if Maxcense had a beret and a string of onions round his neck rather than looking like a Germanic Justin Bieber

5. Theres a triangle of love

- Sam on the Francis/Toff/Olivia situation, bizarrely refusing to call it a love triangle like the rest of us

6. I get the impression theyre fooling one another. But who am I to sit in judgement?

- Louise on Jamie and Frankie, although its never stopped her before

Ive met a boy. Hes French. Hes very French - Jess as if Maxcense had a beret and a string of onions round his neck rather than looking like a Germanic Justin Bieber

7. I feel bad for saying it but maybe she likes the attention of other guys

- Louise on Frankie. Altogether now: pot/kettle?

8. Have you guys kissed yet? Ill prove that we have

- Jamie demonstrates to Francis and Olivia how to behave like a sex pest

9. Have you had an adult sleep-over yet?

- A member of MICs cast adds to the list of words like hooked-up and forked rather than just say Sex

When me and Jamie have sex its more like friends. Its funny. Were laughing - Frankie says the words no man wants to hear. Even worse than, Youre so sweet

10. When me and Jamie have sex its more like friends. Its funny. Were laughing

- Frankie says the words no man wants to hear. Even worse than, Youre so sweet

11. I think that I muddled my words up and I got a little bit suffocated by myself. In my head

- Sam clarifies his position to Lucy Watsons sister, Adage

12. What about me? I want to squirt Louise!

- Matt at the pool party. Thats all Im saying

Saturday everywhere else is really quite common. Monaco is great. This is one place where the weekend is not a cliche - Mark-Francis, who has clearly never been to Croydon. Very clearly

13. I dont want you to look stupid

- Alex to Jamie, although frankly its about seven series too late for that

14. Saturday everywhere else is really quite common. Monaco is great. This is one place where the weekend is not a cliche

- Mark-Francis, who has clearly never been to Croydon. Very clearly

15. Are they being touch-air feel-air?

- Louise, trying to be as posh as the other gals, enquiries after her brother Sam and his girlfriend, Lucy Watsons sister
She's no doubt one of the most beautiful women in the world.

And on Tuesday, Pia Miller revealed why she is often hailed for her naturally good looks as she shared what could be one of her most stunning selfies yet, in between shooting Home And Away scenes in Summer Bay, on Palm Beach.

Polished to perfection with professionally applied highlighter and impeccable contouring to highlight her symmetrical facial features, the 32-year-old soap star managed to take a perfect selfie while kicking back on set of the long-running series.

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Showing off her good looks: Pia Miller shared a smouldering behind-the-scenes selfie during Home And Away takes on Tuesday

Her luscious brunette locks were worn loosely and neatly framed her face as she gazed directly into the camera lens.

Fans instantly began praising the flawless image on Instagram, in the comments section.

'You're perfect!' one user concluded.

Starring role: The mother-of-two plays sultry police woman Katrina Chapman on the long-running Aussie drama

'You are seriously flawless, oh my gosh!' another wrote.

One fan was so blown away by Pia's beauty that he refused to accept that the image was real.

'Seriously what kind of digitally altered sorcery is this?!?! That's like unreasonably attractive,' he wrote.

Love: Pia is currently dating film producer Tyson Mullane

The mother-of-two gave a shout out to the shows make-up artist, Cameron Smith, in the post, writing: Face by @camaprune.

Pias selfie comes just days after the actress, who plays Summer Bay police officer Katarina Chapman in the popular TV series, returned home to her native Australia after spending time away in Bali with her boyfriend Tyson Mullane.

During their idyllic trip, the bubbly actress made sure to post a series of envy inducing pictures of herself flaunting her toned figure in an array of bikinis.

'Sexiness comes from feeling good': The 32-year-old revealed that feeling sexy has nothing to do with clothes and that she often feels her best in jeans and a T-shirt

But is isnt itt-bitty swimwear the sunkissed star feels sexy in.

Pia revealed that feeling sexy has nothing to do with clothes and that she often feels her best in jeans and a T-shirt.

'It is not about what you look like and it is not about what you are wearing,' she told the Daily Telegraph.

Flashback: The bubbly actress made sure to post a series of envy inducing pictures of herself flaunting her toned figure in an array of bikinis

'Sexiness comes from feeling good within yourself and feeling comfortable and confident (whether) that means you are in a pair of denim shorts or white ripped jeans or in an awesome frock.'

She added that she loves getting dressed up when the occasion calls for something glamorous, and that it can make her feel 'powerful'.

However, she said she is at her most comfortable and feels her best when wearing something slightly more casual.

Meanwhile, the sun-kissed beauty was claimed to have diva like tendencies on the set of the Aussie drama.

Woman's Day magazine quoted several unidentified sources who claimed Pia wasn't liked on set.

'People don't like Pia,' a source told the publication.

Sunbathing time: Pia showed off her trim and tone body in a white bathing suite while soaking up the sun and the water

They then added the Channel Seven star has a tendency to indulge in her own stunning model looks and 'throws it in their faces any chance she gets'.

The insider claimed: 'She has one of the smallest acting portfolios on the show, but carries on like she's a five-time Oscar winner.'

According to the report, Chilean-born Pia also flaunts paparazzi photographs of herself in bikinis to the show cast and crew members, brandishing them on her mobile phone.
She's been jetting between Los Angels and London for work.

And Rebel Wilson appears to be enjoying some downtime after wrapping up the Broadway show Guys and Dolls, as stepped out for some retail therapy in West Hollywood on Monday.

The 36-year-old actress looked happy and relaxed as she strolled down a quiet street with a shopping bag in hand, sporting a casual T-shirt that featured a quirky sunglasses print.

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Downtime: Rebel Wilson is enjoying a break after wrapping up the Broadway show Guys and Dolls and stepped out for some retail therapy in West Hollywood on Monday

The Pitch Perfect star showed off her feminine curves and added to her look with a pair of black jeans with zipper detailing through the pockets.

Adding a pop of colour the Australian actress wore bright pink flats with a pointed toe and a bright yellow panel across the toe.

She shielded her eyes behind a pair of oversized cat-eye style sunglasses and slung an orange handbag across her shoulder.

Casual cool: The 36-year-old looked content as she strolled down a quiet street with a shopping bag in hand dressed in T-shirt with a quirky sunglasses print

Stylish: The Pitch Perfect star showed off her feminine curves and added to her look with a pair of black jeans with zipper detailing through the pockets

Rebel sported a makeup free complexion for the outing and pulled her blonde locks up into a messy ponytail.

She beamed as she made her way down the street after hitting the shops at Melrose Place.

The Bridesmaids actress made her way to her car and enjoyed a quick chat with the parking attendant before taking off.

Happy: She was all smiles as she made her way back to her car after hitting the shops at Melrose Place

Friendly: The Bridesmaids actress enjoyed a quick chat with the parking attendant before jumping in her car

Rebel recently returned to the U.S after she finished her last performance in the London Broadway show 'Guys And Dolls.'

Earlier this month, it was reported Rebel would be appearing in the remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

Rebel will play one of two scam artists - one classy, the other just your average middling gal - who trip over themselves to see who can swindle 'a naive tech prodigy' first in order to get to his money.

Well deserved rest: Rebel recently returned to the U.S after she finished her last performance in the London Broadway show 'Guys And Dolls'

The 1988 film starred Steve Martin and Michael as the con men bent on swindling a rich woman out of her inheritance.

That film was a remake of an earlier 1964 version entitled Bedtime Story starring Marlon Brando and David Niven.

The current remake under development at MGM will update the story to present day with a female-driven approach, something that isn't entirely new in Hollywood.

Rebel is also attached to star in a remake of Private Benjamin, originally played by Goldie Hawn.
She welcomed her first child a mere three weeks ago.

But Bar Refaeli showed she'd had no problem retaining her model figure as she headed out for a swim on Monday.

Clad in a skimpy black two piece, the 31-year-old Israeli presenter looked tanned and toned as she got some exercise, flaunting her stunningly small waist.

Bottoms up! She welcomed her first daughter a mere three weeks ago. But Bar Refaeli showed she'd had no problem retaining her model figure as she headed out for a swim on Monday

With her peachy posterior bursting through the water, Bar seemed to be powering through, keeping her head down as her long blonde locks trailed behind her.

Making no reference to how she managed to snap back into shape so quickly, she merely captioned the image: 'Crystal clear'.

It came as no surprise to see the star was back in her bikini, having snapped several shots in her two-piece whilst pregnant in a bid to combat the Israeli sun.

Yummy mummy: It came as no surprise to see the 31-year-old was back in her bikini, having snapped several shots in her two-piece whilst pregnant in a bid to combat the Israeli sun

Beach babe: The starlet is used to wearing her bikini through her work as a model and through living in such a balmy climate

Bumping along: The star retained a small bump throughout her pregnancy and appears to have had no trouble snapping back into shape after the birth

One snap that garnered particular attention was taken when she was five-months pregnant, laying on her side in a striped bikini as she explained her little girl needed some 'vitamin D'.

With Bar showing a small baby bump, fans immediately took to social media to comment on her pregnancy curves.

'I have a similar belly but ... I am not pregnant. Is it normal?' one fan asked, whilst another chipped in: 'at 5 months preggo looks like me after devouring a personal pizza. congrats on the girl! [sic]'

One confused fan also wrote: '....this pic's just ruined my day....and I thought I was thin!!'

Pregnancy curves: One snap that garnered particular attention was taken when she was five-months pregnant, laying on her side in a striped bikini whilst sunbathing

Seeking advice: With Bar showing a small baby bump, fans immediately took to social media to comment on her pregnancy curves

Pizza fan: One fan joked they looked that way when bloated

Slender: One fan joked that seeing the snap had put them in a bad mood

Bar and her husband Adi Ezra reportedly welcomed a daughter together on August 11 at Tel Aviv's Ichilov hospital.

The little girl was said to weigh seven pounds even and have been named Liv, Israel's Chanel Two reported.

Whilst Bar confirmed she had welcomed a daughter on social media, she has kept tight lipped about the details.
Hes undoubtedly the most controversial winner of Celebrity Big Brother to date.

And Stephen Bear certainly lived up to his reputation when he made a raucous appearance on Fridays instalment of Loose Women, sending the panellists into fits of giggles with his flirty behaviour and cheeky comments.

The star was given a telling off by Sherrie Hewson, 65, who took it upon herself to teach the reality star bad boy a lesson, joking, I would have put you over my lap and spanked you, you were so naughty!

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Cheeky: Stephen Bear certainly lived up to his reputation when he made a raucous appearance on Fridays instalment of Loose Women

Im into that! Kinky, Bear replied, taking her up on the offer and proffering his backside, which Sherrie excitedly slapped.

As the other panellists  Kaye Adams, Martine McCutcheon and Katie Price teased him about enjoying it a little too much, the serial flirt exclaimed, She is gorgeous!, before telling Sherrie, Its cos you fancy me!

Wild antics aside, Bear made a few candid confessions in between playing up for the cameras.

In a rare vulnerable moment, he admitted it was deeply upsetting and hurtful to be so misunderstood, saying, I hate it, I am upset that Im misunderstood. I was compared to cancer. My granddad and grandma died of that.

Spanked: The star was given a telling off by Sherrie Hewson, 65, who took it upon herself to teach the reality star bad boy a lesson

Naughty Teddy: Im into that! Kinky, Bear replied, taking her up on the offer and proffering his backside, which Sherrie excitedly slapped

The serial flirt exclaimed: She is gorgeous!, before telling Sherrie, Its cos you fancy me!

Down-to-earth chap: Wild antics aside, Bear made a few candid confessions in between playing up for the cameras

Holding court: Kaye Adams, Katie Price, Sherrie and Martine McCutcheon (from left to right) gave Bear a good grilling

Bear spoke frankly about his savvy business plan to maximise his 250,000 prize money, as well as his 15 minutes of fame.

Explaining that he was driven by the cash, he said: I love winning, and I thought f I win it, Id have enough money to sort my family out. The night before I couldn't sleep, thinking, What am I going to buy my mum?

In them 15 minutes you make as much money with possible and then sink it into property . Ive got the best business plan in the world. My brother is a multimillionaire, hes looking out for me.

'He doesn't give me a penny though! He sold his bakery business to Tescos. Weve had a chat and Im going to invest my money in lots of property.

Loving the limelight: Bear spoke frankly about his savvy business plan to maximise his 250,000 prize money, as well as his 15 minutes of fame

Business savvy: Bear said, In them 15 minutes you make as much money with possible and then sink it into property'

Mummy's boy: The reality star revealed his dream woman would be just like his mum, cooing, 'I love her, shes gorgeous isnt she?

I go on shows, I want the most air time, who knows what its going to lead to. I got paid 12k to go in there and now Ive got a quarter of a million.

However, he wasn't so impressed with some of his materialistic housemates, who he claimed are obsessed with being rich.

All I wanted to do in [the CBB house] was have fun and Ive got people telling me how much money they have and how much they want to go home. I even made breakfast for everyone most days, they threw it in the bin!, he raged.

Despite calling himself single, Bear revealed he was still in contact with buxom beauty Chloe Khan and would be interested in pursuing her out of the house.

Love story: Despite calling himself single, Bear revealed he was still in contact with buxom beauty Chloe Khan and would be interested in pursuing her out of the house

'Lets take it nice and slow: Bear wants to keep things going with Chloe, with whom he put on an X-rated display in the house

Having a cracking time: Bear and Katie took part in a challenge which involved cracking raw eggs over their heads

Shes nicest girl Ive ever met in my whole life, I dont want anyone else for now. Lets take it nice and slow, he said.

Bear was villainised for cheating on girlfriend Lillie Lexie Gregg with Chloe inside the house, but he is adamant hes no Lothario.

The Ex On The Beach star said: The past two girls Ive been with have cheated on me. The next girlfriend I have, hopefully it works out and we get married.

Pointing to his forearm tattoo, mummys boy Bear added: This tattoo means someone whos got my back through everything. For sure [I want someone like my mum]. My family are really close. I love her, shes gorgeous isnt she?

Summing up what he learnt during his CBB stint, Bear declared: Regrets, Ive had a few but I did it my way.

Broken hearted: The Ex On The Beach star said, The past two girls Ive been with have cheated on me. The next girlfriend I have, hopefully it works out and we get married'

Wild as ever: The star didn't hold back during the challenge, putting on an egg-cellently animated performance
He currently hosts The Bachelor and the Bachelorette, in addition to his own podcast and his gig on Hit105 Brisbane.

And according to The Daily Telegraph, Osher Gunsberg has landed a new radio show, centred entirely on love.

The publication reports Osher will host Osher's Love Line, which will be similar to Richard Mercer's iconic Love Songs and Dedications.

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New gig? The Bachelor's Osher Gunsberg has reportedly landed a new radio radio show focused on love

The show will reportedly air on Southern Cross Austereo's Hit Network and he'll be taking on the role next week for a weekly Sunday broadcast.

He'll also be on air for at least two hours, to chat about love and relationships.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Osher's management for comment.

Radio regular: He currently the host of The Bachelor and the Bachelorette, with his own podcast and a regular on Hit105 Brisbane

Throughout his media career, Osher has hosted shows including Australian Idol from 2003-2008, with James Mathison.

He is currently hosting the latest series of The Bachelor starring leading man Richie Strahan.

One of the latest episodes showed Richie bathing in a bathtub full of 300 litres of chocolate with blonde beauty Alex Nation.

Familiar face: Throughout his media career, Osher has hosted shows including Australian Idol from 2003-2008, with James Mathison (seen in 2014)

Steamy! One of the latest episodes showed Richie bathing in a bathtub full of 300 litres of chocolate with blonde beauty Alex Nation

Osher recently told News.com.au that no food standards were breached, with some people labeling the date 'one of the most unhygienic dates in history.'

'As far as I know, no breaches of food standards were made when immersing Richie and Alex into 300 litres of liquid chocolate,' he said.

'Im not sure what we did with it after they were done, but Im nearly 100 per cent sure it was not eaten by anyone,' he added.
She won Miss Universe in 2004, so it's fair to presume that Australian model Jennifer Hawkins wouldn't get star struck too often.

But this week, the blonde beauty filmed with iconic Australian cinematographer Russell Boyd for water brand Mount Franklin, for which she is an ambassador.

The 32-year-old shared a shot of herself on set, captioning part of the Instagram post: 'Today was pretty incredible,' before saying she was 'fangirling' over him.

Fan girl moment: On Tuesday, Jennifer Hawkins gushed about filming with iconic Australian cinematographer Russell Boyd for water brand Mount Franklin, for which she is an ambassador

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'Worked w (sic) Academy Award winning cinematographer Russel Boyd for @mountfranklin ! One word, LEGEND! #fangirling,' Jennifer wrote.

In the shot, she stuns as she sit in a luxury vintage car as Russell chats to her.

She has her glossy locks worn loosely and flowing over her shoulders and shows off a golden tan.

Good gig: Jennifer meanwhile has been an ambassador for Mount Franklin since 2012

The personality wears a plain white shirt and sits next to luggage that is loaded in the car.

Russell, 72, is best known for films including 1975's Picnic at Hanging Rock and 2003's Master and Commander, The Far Side Of The World.

Jennifer meanwhile has been an ambassador for Mount Franklin since 2012.

She's been busy of late, with the Myer ambassador strutting her stuff down the store's catwalk last week.

Wearing a variety of looks, she also showcased her flawless figure in a striped bikini.

She recently signed with Myer for another two years.

Hot to trot: She's been busy of late, with the Myer ambassador strutting her stuff down the store's catwalk last week

Her re-signing with Myer comes after a successful nine years with the brand, following her initial signing in 2007.

Since then, the former Miss Universe has developed a popular swimwear line for the brand, Cozi by Jennifer Hawkins.

She has also put her name to other products, designing a shoe range for Siren, using prints from Cozi to cover Mount Franklin bottles and developing a range of self tanning products.

Still going: She just singed with Myer for another two years




Her performance as Queen Victoria was seen by millions of viewers on ITV on Sunday.

And it seems Jenna Coleman was just as enamored with her royal character.

In a new interview for the October issue of Glamour magazine, the star reveals she found the famous royal 'fascinating.'

So glam: Jenna posed in a black blazer and red cravat in the

She told the magazine: 'Shes this young, vibrant girl whos full of exuberance and energy and doesnt really hide it. I find her fascinating.

'You couldnt tame her. Shes passionate and temperamental. She was a revelation to me.'

The 30-year-old actress shows off her glamorous side in an accompanying shoot for the magazine, posing in a black blazer and red cravat in one picture, shot by famed photographer David Bailey.

And the cover shot over sees her sporting a pretty white button up off-the-shoulder shirt with subtle make-up.

Cover girl: Jenna's career is going from strength to strength

Jenna's appearance in Victoria comes several months after the actress was last seen as The Doctor's companion Clara Oswald on Doctor Who after three years in the role.

'When my episode began, Karen (Gillan) was still there, and while I was there Matt (Smith) left and Peter (Capaldi) started,' she recalled. 'You know its yours for a little moment in time and then it moves on without you, so I was prepared for that.

'You do get really attached though, because of the friendships you make.'

My royal role: Jenna with co-star Rufus Sewell in ITV series Victoria

She added: 'Ive got a WhatsApp group with my friends and we do, "What are you doing right now?" messages during the day.

'Ones a teacher, ones a broker and one works in TV documentaries. It was quite funny, as to that question, Id just send them an alien.'

The role of the Doctor's companion has been taken by Pearl Mackie who will play Bill in the forthcoming series.

Read the full interview with Jenna Coleman in the October 2016 issue of Glamour magazine, available from Thursday 8 September
Pete Wicks has bid farewell to his pet dog and 'best friend' Ernest.

The Only Way is Essex hunk has been left heartbroken after his French Bulldog passed away suddenly this week.

Megan McKenna's boyfriend, 27, paid tribute on his Instagram page on Tuesday, posting a picture of himself with the young canine.

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Emotional farewell: Pete Wicks has bid farewell to his pet pooch Ernest, who passed away some time this week

He wrote: 'Words can't describe how heartbroken I am to have suddenly lost one of the best things that has ever come into my life.

'My boy Ernest wasn't just a dog to me, he was my best friend. Things will never be the same again.

'I'm thankful to him for teaching me things about myself and everything about unconditional love. He will always be in my heart. RIP Ernest #Wolfpack (sic).'

Farewell: The heartbroken TOWIE star posted a long tribute to his young pet on Instagram, accompanied by a picture of the pair

So sad: Megan McKenna's boyfriend said that the dog was the best thing that ever happened to him

It's not yet known how or when Ernest tragically lost his life but Pete - who also has another French Bulldog called Eric - isn't the only one from the cast to lose a close pet this year.

His TOWIE co-star Bobby Norris was left distraught last month when his beloved dog Beau was brutally murdered by another canine during his daily walk in Essex.

Bobby said at the time: 'I had a panic attack so I'm kind of doubled up and I can't breathe and by the time I've come up from the ground and I'm looking at Beau on the floor, I'm in the field on my own. [The other dog's owner had quickly left].

Also suffering a loss: Pete's co-star Bobby Norris lost his own dog, Beau, just last month

'Beau's my baby so in my head, I had to get him to a vet immediately.

'I got him to a vet and it wasn't looking good but unfortunately the extent of the damage and we had to make the decision and the kindest thing for beau was to put him to sleep.'

Following the tragic passing, Bobby had a permanent tribute etched on his skin at the wrist with the letter 'B' and some pay prints.
Tom Holland really is your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

The 20-year-old actor, in full Spider-Man costume, flashed a peace sign toward photographers as he filmed Spider-Man: Homecoming on Monday in Atlanta.

The London native was snapped in costume as both the famed web-slinger and his alter ego Peter Parker on the Southern set of the highly-anticipated film from Marvel and Columbia. For the latter persona, he was snapped in a long-sleeved blue pullover shirt with a plaid shirt underneath, and grey pants and sneakers.

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Make webs, not war: Tom Holland, 20, gave photographers in Atlanta on Monday a peace sign as he filmed Spider-Man: Homecoming

Man on the move: The actor, who also plays Spidey alter ego Peter Parker, looked to be in mid-air as cameras rolled on the anticipated mega-hit

Strongman: The actor lifts a barbell-type device while perched on a catwalk-like structure during filming

He figures to be one of the most physically-gifted performers to don the blue and red suit, and isn't bashful about showing it, as he recently one-upped fellow silver screen superhero Chris Hemsworth. About a month ago, the 33-year-old Australian actor showed off his skills on Instagram in a clip that featured him propelling off a trampoline during training with stunt expert Bobby Holland Hanton.

Holland posted on Sunday a clip of his stunt training, as he launched into mid-air and controlled his body with amazing agility, landing on his feet.

'Hows that, Hemsworth?' Holland said at the end of the clip to his co-star in last year's In the Heart of the Sea; for good measure, he captioned the brag-worthy clip: '@chrishemsworth and @bobbydazzler84 beat that!'

Future star: Holland, seen here at Comic-Con in July, looks to have a bright career on tap with his role in the upcoming superhero film

Ready to go: Holland made his Marvel universe debut in this year's Captain America: Civil War

Holland last year beat out a field of 1,500 actors for the coveted role, including up-and-coming stars such as Asa Butterfield, Judah Lewis, Matthew Lintz, Charlie Plummer and Charlie Rowe, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Holland told the AP that he made sure to showcase his nimbleness in an audition tape he made in which he was limited to identifying himself and his characteristics, and acting out two of the film's scenes.

The actor said he wanted to add something extra to let producers know he could do everything the role requires, short of shooting webs from his wrist.

Big shoes to fill: Past actors cast into the iconic superhero role include Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield

'I basically did like a somersault into frame and then a somersault out of frame because I basically - I was like, they may never see this, but if they do I need them to know that Ive got some gymnastics abilities and stuff,' he said. 'Every tape I sent in I always did a little acrobatic demo to try and convince them to give me the role.'

And clearly it worked: Holland joined the ranks of past Spider-Man stars Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Nicholas Hammond in this spring's Captain America: Civil War and will look to further expand on his legacy as he shoots Spider-Man: Homecoming.
She's a known pro on how to work the red carpet with her stylish looks.

And Zoe Saldana once again wowed the fashion police as she stepped out in a chic black sun-dress in Mexico City for the Star Trek Beyond photocall on Tuesday.

Joined by her co-star Simon Pegg, the American beauty flaunted her svelte figure in the curve-hugging number that stylishly flared out to her calves.

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Chic: Zoe Saldana once again wowed the fashion police as she stepped out in a chic black sun-dress in Mexico City for the Strek Trek Beyond photocall on Tuesday

Wearing the demure dress to the exclusive event, the 38-year-old star's look worked a drop waist, which clung to her toned torso.

With a sweetheart neckline, Zoe's chic number featured thin spaghetti straps and a long ribbon tied into a loose bow that cascaded down the middle of her bust to her tiny waist.

Injecting some height into her petite frame, the mum-of-two donned a pair of quirky black heels that wrapped around her slender ankles as she posed for pictures.

Styling her glossy raven locks loose, Zoe tamed her tresses into a chic wave as she worked a vibrant red lip before adding drama to her make-up look with a retro inspired feline flick.

Stylish: Wearing the demure dress to the exclusive event, the 38-year-old star's look worked a drop waist which clung to her toned torso

Beam them up Scotty! Joined by her co-star British actor Simon Pegg, the American beauty flaunted her svelte figure in the curve-hugging number that stylishly flared out to her calves

Accessorising her sophisticated look, Zoe - who is married to Marco Perego - wore a number of delicate rings including her wedding ring on her perfectly manicured nails.

The couple have been married since 2013 and raise twin one-year-old boys, Cy Aridio and Bowie Ezio.

The yummy mummy recently told People Magazine how difficult it was to return to work after the birth of her twins in November of 2014.

She said: 'The first week back at work, I think I cried every day in my trailer.'

Toned: Baring sweet detailing, Zoe's chic number featured thin spaghetti straps and a long ribbon tied into a loose bow that cascaded down the middle of her bust to her tiny waist

However, the star insisted motherhood didn't get in her way of her enthusiasm for acting.

She told the publication: 'But I remember as soon as they would tell me, "Were ready for you on set," I would still skip to set. I love what I do. You do need to rest, you do need to have a moment to yourself, but right now this is my life as I know it.'

Meanwhile, British actor Simon Pegg cut a dapper figure beside the Hollywood stunner in a crisp short-sleeved shirt.

Hinting at his quirky tattoos, the 46-year-old teamed his simple shirt with ankle grazing black suit pants as he kept it casual cool in white trainers.

Sharp: British actor Simon Pegg cut a dapper figure beside the Hollywood stunner in a crisp short-sleeved shirt alongside Zoe

Tatt's nice: The 46-year-old hinted at his quirky tattoo in his sharp shirt

Slicking his strawberry locks off his face, the writer worked a slight stubble across his jawline.

The next installment of the famed sci-fi franchise will see Zoe Saldana and Simon Pegg reprise their roles alongside Chris Pine as Captain Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock.

Star Trek Beyond previously debut at the Comic-Con convention in San Diego on July 20 - before it opened in theaters on July 22, a few weeks before the Star Trek franchise celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Next frontier: The next instalment of the famed sci-fi franchise will see Zoe Saldana and Simon Pegg reprise their roles alongside Chris Pine as Captain Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock

Chatting away: The pair were asked to speak on the film, later that evening
It must be nice to get anything you want with a simple social media post.

And Kim Kardashian's self-congratulatory pout as she posted an Instagram photo from inside her lavish $100K per month apartment, courtesy of Airbnb, was certainly more than enough to send her millions of fans reeling with envy.

Of course with an estimated personal worth of $150 million, not including her husband's wealth (he's worth $145M), the reality star certainly could have afforded the New York loft.

Baller: Kim Kardashian's self satisfied pout as she posted an Instagram photo from inside her lavish $100K per month apartment, courtesy of Airbnb , was certainly more than enough to send her millions of fans reeling with envy

The total value of her stay at the penthouse could reach upwards of $300,000 as the rental service claims Kim and her family are posting up in NYC for the next few months

The total value of her stay at the penthouse could reach upwards of $300,000 as the rental service claims Kim and her family are posting up in NYC for the next few months.

While Kanye owns an apartment in New York it is believed that the home is too small for his growing family, which now includes two children.

Kim and nine month old Saint and three-year-old North will be staying in the free penthouse while Kanye travels across North America for his Saint Pablo Tour.

Does it really need to be free? Of course with an estimated personal worth of $150 million, not including her husband's wealth (he's worth $145M), the reality star certainly could have afforded the New York loft

Growing family: While Kanye owns an apartment in New York it is believed that the home is too small for his growing family, which now includes two children

Home away from home: Kim and nine month old Saint and three-year-old North will be staying in the free penthouse while Kanye travels across North America for his Saint Pablo Tour

Kim did not try to veil the true intentions of her social media post as she made it clear she was simply doing some advertising for Airbnb as a form of payment.

The 35-year-old wrote: 'Just checked into our NYC penthouse. Thanks @airbnb for the gift of our home away from home.'

In the snap she can be seen reclining on a large balcony on an outdoor couch as the night skyline of New York can be seen in the background.

Transparent: Kim did not try to veil the true intentions of her social media post as she made it clear she was simply doing some advertising for Airbnb as a form of payment

The 35-year-old wrote: 'Just checked into our NYC penthouse. Thanks @airbnb for the gift of our home away from home.'

It is ideal for a family with a state of the art kitchen and a separate play area for children

Gorgeous: The luxury home boasts five bedrooms, six bathrooms, with floor to ceiling windows

The penthouse, courtesy of Airbnb, is estimated to be worth $30 million.

The luxury home boasts five bedrooms, six bathrooms, with floor to ceiling windows.

It is ideal for a family with a state of the art kitchen and a separate outdoor play area for children.

Working it out: Kim will also be able to keep up with her fitness regime as the home boasts a private gym

Lift jaw off the floor, please: The penthouse, courtesy of Airbnb, is estimated to be worth $30 million

True marble: The kitchen boasts a counter top perfect for family breakfast and lunch

So much light! The large windows are certainly one of the penthouse's selling points

Match us! They were looking for an Airbnb property in the $30million range, comparable to the $20million home they share in Hidden Hills, California

The home also features multiple outdoor terraces, al fresco dining, and a rooftop pool

The home also features multiple outdoor terraces, al fresco dining, and a rooftop pool.

Earlier this summer it was claimed Kim and Kanye had been negotiating with the business that helps people rent out their properties since Kim's sisters Kylie and Kendal Jenner got a free villa rental in Turks and Caicos earlier this summer, according toPage Six.

They were looking for an Airbnb property in the $30million range, comparable to the $20million home they share in Hidden Hills, California.
The former child actor who played Charlie Buckett alongside Gene Wilder in Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory has mourned the star.

'He was a gentle man, but he was also a gentleman: he treated people with respect and dignity,' Peter Ostrum, 58, told Variety on Tuesday, two days after the 83-year-old star died at his Stamford, Connecticut home after a three-year battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Ostrum, who had not crossed paths with Wilder after shooting of the film wrapped up, compared Wilder's death to 'losing a parent.'

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Beloved: Former child star Peter Ostrum (with Gene Wilder in 1971 on the set of Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory) shared fond memories of the famed funnyman Tuesday, saying that the actor's death hit him like the death of a parent

Front row seat: Ostrum admired Wilder's knack for improvisation on the set of the 1971 movie; here the star is seen in 2003

Lucky break: Ostrum played Charlie, one of five kids who got to tour the fabled candy factory

'You know its going to happen, but its still a shock,' said Ostrum, a veterinarian whose only foray into acting was his role in the storied 1971 motion picture. He continued, 'He was not in good health at the end and it was not unexpected by any means, but when it happens, it hits you like, "Gene is gone and there will never be anyone like him again."'

Ostrum praised the Oscar-nominated actor for the frenetic energy he lent to his role, as 'you never knew what to expect from Gene.' He added the star could brilliantly ad-lib with the delivery of his lines or contort his face just right to match the tone of the work.

'He was so quirky,' Ostrum said. 'He never let on how he was going to read a line or convey an expression. Thats why the film works, because he made Wonka so unpredictable.'

Memorable moments: Ostrum said he and Wilder often split chocolate bars during filming in Munich

One-and-done: In spite of the iconic role he landed, Ostrum did not pursue a career in show business, as he became a veterinarian instead

Wilder's acting in two scenes, in particular, stood out to Ostrum: the fervent way he read his lines when he led the boat ride through a chocolate river; and his grand entrance of a limp-into-a-somersault.

Wilder told 92Y, a New York-based Jewish community center, in a 2013 interview that he decided upon the caper as he thought 'something was missing' from the script.

'I wanted to come out with a cane, come down slowly, have it stick into one of the bricks, get up, fall over, roll around, and they all laugh and applaud,' he said. 'The director asked, "What do you want to do that for?" I said, "From that time on, no one will know if Im lying or telling the truth."'

Ostrum told the publication that Wilder was accessible on the set, and had warmed up to him as shooting went on.

'They would break for lunch and Gene and I would always buy a chocolate bar and share it on the way back to the set,' he said.

While Wilder appeared in other famed films including The Producers, Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles, much of the attention in the wake of his passing has been focused toward his portrayal as the reclusive candy-maker.

'Quirky': Cast members never knew what to expect in a scene with Wilder, who could come out of nowhere with over-the-top facial expressions and voices

Gone, but not forgotten: Jack Albertson, who died 35 years ago, was also a positive presence to the child star during filming, Ostrum said

Ostrum said his 'gut feeling' was that playing Willy Wonka wasn't the actor's 'favorite role' he had in his career, but thats the role now that people across the generations remember him for.

Ostrum also praised the late Jack Albertson - the Academy Award-winning actor who died in 1981, 10 years after he played Grandpa Joe in the movie - for helping him find his way in the film.
They welcomed their second daughter in March without much fanfare.

And having settled into parenthood with two under three, Jamie Dornan and wife Amelia Warner made their first public appearance together since they had their newborn nearly six months ago on Tuesday.

Walking the red carpet together at the premiere of his new flick Anthropoid, the two cut stylish figures as they complimented each other in their fashionable looks as they arrived at the BFI Southbank Cinema on the South Bank in London.

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Date night: Jamie Dornan and wife Amelia Warner made their first public appearance together since they had their newborn nearly six months ago on Tuesday

Going casual-cool for the exclusive screening, The Fall actor worked a grey blazer layered over simple white tee as he stood beside his long-term love - who he married in 2013.

Highlighting his towering frame, Jamie donned a pair of charcoal grey chinos as he walked down the carpet in a pair of white Adidas Stan Smith trainers.

Looking radiant, Jamie's other half Amelia oozed style in a multi-coloured dot long sleeved dress that hit the top of her calves - hinting at her toned pins.

Letting her vibrant dress do the talking, the actress injected height into her petite frame with a chic pair of patient platform leather sandals that hugged her slender ankles.

Good-looking duo: The two cut stylish figures as they complimented each other in their fashionable looks as they arrived at the BFI Southbank Cinema on the South Bank in London

Casual cool: The Fall actor worked a grey blazer layered over simple white tee as he stood beside his long-term love - who he married in 2013

Amelia continued her boho inspired ensemble by styling her chin length brunette tresses into a relaxed wave as she posed alongside her Hollywood actor hubby.

The British beauty let her flawless complexion shine as she opted for a natural make-up look with a swipe of coral lipstick to lift her golden glow.

Celebrating their third wedding anniversary in April, it was previously revealed that she was expecting their second child in October 2015.

However, it wasn't until March 2016 that pictures of the brunette walking with a pushchair in Notting Hill, London, revealed the baby's arrival.

Dapper: Highlighting his towering frame, Jamie donned a pair of charcoal grey chinos as he walked down the carpet in a pair of white Adidas Stan Smith trainers

New flick: Joining Jamie on the red carpet of the new flick was his co-star Cillian Murphy

The couple, who have been living in Vancouver during filming of the next instalment of Fifty Shades, were joined by their two young children during their stay in Canada, and made the most of their time there, enjoying regular dinner dates.

Also joining Jamie on the red carpet of the new flick was his co-star Cillian Murphy.

The Peaky Blinder's star cut a dapper figure in a relaxed ensemble in a navy jersey blazer, black chinos and crisp white tee.

The Cork native plays Josef Gabcik alongside Jamie's conflicted assassin Jan Kubis in the World War II epic.

Handsome: The Peaky Blinder's star cut a dapper figure in a relaxed ensemble in a navy jersey blazer, black chinos and crisp white tee

Epic: The Cork native plays Josef Gabcik alongside Jamie's conflicted assassin Jan Kubis in the World War II epic

Three musketeers: Jamie posed with Cillian and the film's director Sean Ellis at the London premiere

Based on the true story of Operation Anthropoid, the film centres around their mission to assassinate SS General Reinhard Heydrich, third in command after Hitler and Himmler.

Directed by Sean Ellis, the historical drama is set to hit UK theatres this week.

Meanwhile, Czech supermodel Eva Herzigova also attended the premiere of the historically based World War II film.

Wowing on the red carpet, the 43-year-old actress stunned in a fashion forward navy suit which flaunted her svelte frame as she posed for pictures.

Chic: Czech supermodel Eva Herzigova also attended the premiere of the historically based World War II film

Fashion forward: The beauty donned a blazer with red trim and large eye-catching buttons which hinted at her slender wrists as she held a matching polka dot clutch

The beauty donned a blazer with red trim and large eye-catching buttons which hinted at her slender wrists as she held a matching polka dot clutch.

Working a pair of ankle-grazing pants, Eva teamed her look with a metallic gold sandal that boasted a low-heel.

Completing her look, the fashionista swept her golden locks into a stylish ponytail which highlighted her facial features to perfection.

Supporting her pal Jamie on the red carpet, Texas frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri flexed her fashion muscle in an all-black ensemble which complimented her short raven locks.

Supportive: Texas frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri flexed her fashion muscle in an all-black ensemble which complimented her short raven locks

Eye-catching: Swedish actress Noomi Rapace made quite the stir at the event as she draped an eye-catching mixed fur coat over her shoulders with vibrant yellow accents

Working a relaxed collarless shirt, the music star decided to stylishly rolled up her sleeves to display her statement silver watch as she injected height into her look with a pair of white flatform trainers.

The 48-year-old Scottish star went fresh-faced to the event - opting to highlighted her youthful complexion.

Swedish actress Noomi Rapace made quite the stir at the event as she draped an eye-catching mixed fur coat over her shoulders with vibrant yellow accents.

Opting to wear a pair of giant visor inspired glasses, the Child 44 star teetered up the carpet in a pair of yellow sky-high stilettos which offset her capri leather pants.

Coy: Jamie Dornan has kept schtum on whether his character Christian Grey will go full frontal in the latest instalment of the film franchise

Earlier in the week, Jamie made quite the stir when he kept schtum on whether his character Christian Grey will go full frontal in the latest installment of the film franchise.

Speaking to ET, the 34-year-old actor was asked whether film goers will get to see 'more' of him in Fifty Shades Darker.

He said: 'I hear ya! The truth is that I dont know the answer to that. Youll have to wait and see.

Although being the apple in many a womans eye as the lead in the risque film, the Northern Irish hunk admitted he hasnt come to terms with sex symbol status.

Shirtless: The 34-year-old actor went topless for Fifty Shades of Grey

Lips are sealed: The Fall actor was asked whether film goers will get to see 'more' of him in Fifty Shades Darker

He conceded: 'You know, thats all frivolous and fun and I dont pay a huge amount of attention to it.

'You certainly cant be annoyed with that sort of status. It goes with the territory a little bit. But I guess my thing is not to pay a great deal of heed to it.'

Despite taking his popularity with a grain of salt, the handsome star admitted he felt more 'comfortable the second time around' tackling the intense character.

The Hollywood star added that he felt free of the 'pressure' he came under after taking the notorious role six weeks before production - insisting it was 'a better experience' filming the franchise this time around.

Laughing it off: Despite taking his popularity with a grain of salt, the handsome star admitted he felt more 'comfortable the second time around' tackling the intense character

Time for the fans: Jamie was more than happy to pose with his vying admirers at the event
Katharine McPhee doesn't believe in do-overs.

The 32-year-old actress, whose affair with Smash director Michael Morris led to the end of her six-year marriage to manager Nick Cokas - vowed that she would not do a single thing differently.

'I don't have any regrets,' the Scorpion stunner, 32, told Ocean Drive magazine Monday. 'All of the choices I made I learned from in a really deep way.'

Cover girl: Katharine McPhee tells Ocean Drive magazine that she doesn't regret any of her past actions, about three years after her fling with married director Michael Morris caused her six-year marriage to crumble

Leading lady: The TV actress, in the interview, admits she's not good at handling the single life, as she prefers to be in a relationship, providing the chemistry is there

McPhee, who gained fame as a contestant on American Idol's fifth season in 2006, was involved in a Hollywood controversy in the fall of 2013 when her secret romance with the 58-year-old director made news after pictures of the two kissing leaked publicly.

Morris and the mother of his three daughters, Mary McCormack - the 47-year-old veteran actress who's been seen on The West Wing, In Plain Sight and House of Lies - were briefly estranged, but rallied back and have kept their marriage intact since the shake-up.

But McPhee's marriage to Cokas could not be saved in the wake of the humiliating scandal, and the two split in 2014, with their divorce finally having been finalized this past February.

Kiss of death?: This October 2013 shot of McPhee and her ex-Smash director Michael Morris led to news of their affair leaking, which ultimately resulted in her split with Coker

Damaging dalliance: The tryst ended McPhee's marriage to Coker (left); but Morris and McCormack (right), who have three girls, were able to keep things together

The brown-haired beauty said people, in general, 'are all on that journey to have more awareness about who we are as a person and to grow and learn.

'I have always been fortunate to have strong influences in my life who have forced me to look at my own choices and my own failures.'

Moving forward, the Los Angeles native - who was also romantically involved with Scorpion co-star Elyes Gabel, 33, prior to their split this summer - admitted she struggles with not being in a relationship, at times.

'I have not been single for very much of my life,' she said. 'I dont really understand how to date or how to be single.'

Stunning: McPhee looks amazing in a number of shots in the new Ocean Drive magazine - particularly in this detailed Roberto Cavalli dress

Looking for love: McPhee, who recently broke up with Elyes Gabel, said she prefers being in committed, monogamous relationships as opposed to serial dating

She said she can be very absolute in her approach to picking out partners if the chemistry isn't there: 'As soon as I know that I dont really want to be in a relationship with somebody, I dont really care to keep it going.'

McPhee, who's also been seen in The House Bunny and Shark Night 3D, said she's hoping to take her love life in a direction with less strings attached.

'Im trying to date in a way that doesnt lock me down,' McPhee said. 'There is still a certain level of attachment with the prior relationship that I was in, so emotionally to be suddenly dating other people is not as easy.'

On the way up: McPhee has climbed the stairway of show biz from her American Idol roots, cementing herself as the show's most successful alumna, joining an exclusive list that inlcudes Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson

The actress said she brushes off advice from those who advise her to jump back into the dating pool full bore, stressing she's more about quality than quantity.

'People say, 'You just need to hook up with a bunch of people,' but I am more of an in-love kind of person,' she told the magazine. 'I want to be in love with one person.

'Im a one-man kind of gal, and a kind of true romantic at heart.'
She found her unique style by working with the biggest names in fashion.

And supermodel Eva Herzigova put on a stylish display in an Eighties inspired co-ords as she attended the London premiere of Anthropoid in London on Tuesday.

Displaying her incredible figure, the 43-year-old flaunted her never ending pins in a pair of ankle-grazing navy suit pants as she arrived at BFI Southbank Cinema.

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Chic: Eva Herzigova put on a stylish display in an eighties inspired coords as she attend the London premiere of Anthropoid in London on Tuesday

The Czech beauty teamed her fashion forward pants with a red trimmed blazer that boasted large eye-catching buttons and teased her slender wrists with a short sleeve.

Sauntering down the red carpet, the actress teamed her look with an eye-catching metallic gold sandal that boasted a low-heel to offset her already statuesque frame.

Accessorising her retro inspired pant suit, the blonde bombshell carried a matching red and black polka dot clutch as she complimented her ensemble with a chic drop pearl earring.

Flaunt it: The 43-year-old flaunted her never ending pins in a pair of ankle-grazing navy suit pants as she arrived at BFI Southbank Cinema

Golden gal: Sauntering down the red carpet, Eva teamed her look with an eye-catching metallic gold sandal that boasted a low-heel to her already statuesque frame

Finishing touches: The blonde bombshell carried a matching red and black polka dot clutch as she complimented her ensemble with a chic drop pearl earring

Opting for minimal fuss, the fashionista swept her golden locks into a stylish ponytail which highlighted her facial features to perfection.

Working a bronze smokey eye, Eva applied lashings of mascara to widen her blue peepers and offset her golden glow.

The catwalk icon let her flawless complexion shine as she swiped a clear gloss over her naturally full pout.

Enjoying herself at the film premiere, Eva took a number of selfies with the excited crowd before she joined Anna Geislerova, who plays Lenka Fafkova in the flick, for a picture.

Selfie time! Enjoying herself at the film premiere, Eva took a number of selfies with the excited crowd

Picture perfect: Eva posed with Anna Geislerova - who plays Lenka Fafkova in the flick

However, Eva wasn't alone at the World War II epic as she attended the event with her partner Gregorio Marsiaj.

Enjoying a date night with her beau, the beauty has three sons, Edward, 3; George, nine; and Philipe, five, with Gregorio.

Speaking to the Evening Standard in 2013, she said: 'Being a mother is a hard job, but it's the best in the world. Every day is something new and great.'

The star has also confessed that she relied on some extra help when it came to balancing her professional and personal live.

Date night! Eva wasn't alone at the World War II epic as she attended the event with her partner Gregorio Marsiaj

'I didn't want to have a nanny at first,' she told Elle magazine after the birth of her eldest son.

'I wanted to do everything on my own. But the best advice I can give is to have some sort of help.'

'I believe that I bring positivity into the relationship by having a career. Working gives me personal satisfaction, and it's enriching for my son.'
He and Georgia May Foote confirmed their separation after a year-long romance just days ago.

And dancer Giovanni Pernice was putting on a brave face as he attended the Strictly Come Dancing launch in London on Tuesday night.

Dressed in a glittery navy blue shirt and trousers, the 25-year-old Italian smiled and posed on the red carpet of the show at Elstree studios.

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Brace face: Giovanni Pernice stepped out solo at the Strictly Come Dancing launch, days after splitting with girlfriend Georgia May Foote

Giovanni, who met Georgia when they were paired up on last year's show, was enthusiastic about the launch, despite the possibility of it bringing back some painful memories.

'And here I am !! The best place in the world,' he wrote on Twitter next to a snapshot of himself at the studios. 'Can't wait to start a new journey!!'

George confirmed the split via her Twitter account last Saturday, with the duo insisting that there is no third party involved in their separation.

Back in business: Giovanni tweeted a snapshot showing him at the Strictly studios looking forward to the new season on Tuesday

Georgia wrote: 'It is with great sadness we have decided to split up. There is nobody else involved.

'Although it was not an easy decision to make, sometimes you realise that it is better to be friends and this is one of those times.

'We both have very busy work schedules for the rest of the year so we are both going to focus on our upcoming work projects and we wish each other well for the future.'

Giovanni retweeted the message on his own account.

Split: Georgia May Foote has ended her relationship with boyfriend and ex-Strictly dance partner Giovanni Pernice

In a second post, she wrote: 'Nothing i ever said about my feelings to gio were fake before people start. I still love him very very much. But things change.

'Please be respectful to me at this time by not saying awful things. This is a hard time for me.'

Georgia was originally dating her Corrie co-star Sean Ward, who plays villain Callum Logan, until December 2015.

The couple had been together for around five months when they were forced to laugh off claims that her relationship with dance professional Giovanni was growing stronger, especially when they shared a kiss on one live show.

Announcement: Georgia made the announcement on her Twitter page using a notepad feature

Support: It was accompanied by a tweet that thanked her fans for their support

A lot of love: Georgia reminded fans that her love for Giovanni was genuine

Georgia and Giovanni finished as runners-up on the dance competition, losing out to The Wanted's Jay McGuinness.

Theirs became just one the show's now famous partner romances, and her relationship with Sean falling foul of 'the Strictly curse' as it fell apart shortly after the final.

Hinting that she was concerned about Giovanni getting close to another woman on the dance floor, Georgia revealed earlier this month that she was likely to get jealous when he was teamed-up with a new dance partner in 2016.

Love at first sight: Georgia and Giovanni met whilst filming Strictly Come Dancing in late 2015 (here on tour in January)

Speaking to OK!, she said: 'Of course I'll get jealous. Whoever Giovanni gets is a very lucky girl. He's a great teacher.

'[But]I'm excited for whoever he gets and, yeah, he's a great teacher, so I'm happy for him. I think it's fine.'

'But at the same time, I don't envy them. It's such hard work.'
He's been spotted at the gym more or less every day since his split - and very public subsequent spat - with Taylor Swift.

So kudos to Calvin Harris for using the most unlikely of opportunities to post a shirtless picture on Tuesday night.

When This Is What You Came For hitmaker Calvin took to Instagram to wish his manager a Happy Birthday, he captured a moment where he stood by Mark Gillespie's side in nothing but his pants.

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Gratuitous? Calvin Harris showed off his impeccable physique as he posted a Happy Birthday message to his manager on Tuesday night

Needing no explanation for the random picture, he wrote: 'Happy birthday to my manager @gillespiemark I love u'

The Emporio Armani underwear model has obviously been working hard to hone a break-up body and certainly showed Taylor what she's missing.

It also hasn't escaped the eyes of many female admirers, like The Saturdays star Mollie King who confessed her love for the hunk this month.

Gym fanatic: Calvin is regularly seen hitting the gym in California

Trying to forget about it: Calvin has been trying to bounce back from a very public split from Taylor Swift (pictured here with him at the Billboard Music Awards last May)

Catching her eye: Mollie King, a British musician, certainly seems to have been attracted to Calvin

Speaking to MailOnline, the British musician said it's not even all about his looks: 'Body aside, he's definitely got the banter.

'I have seen some of his Snapchats, and he's got a good dry sense of humour like myself.'

Mollie's exes already include David Gandy, who became the face of Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue dressed in a very tiny pair of white Speedo trunks.

Taylor who? Calvin snubs his ex as he wins Best Male Video at MTV VMAs for This Is What You Came For... the song Taylor Swift co-wrote

Meanwhile, Calvin has been doing his level best to forget his most recent ex, even leaving her out of his acceptance speech at the MTV VMAs this weekend, when the track he was accepting for, had been written by Taylor.

Calvin snubbed his ex-girlfriend as he accepted the Best Male Video award for This Is What You Came For at the MTV VMAs on Sunday night.

Swift co-wrote the track under a pen name during her 15-month relationship with Harris.

However the Scottish DJ made no mention of her in his effusive thank you speech.

Accepting the trophy via a pre-recorded video from Britain - where he was performing - Harris instead thanked Rihanna, who performed on the track.

'I had a show tonight in the UK, or else I would definitely be there,' he said.

'Thanks, Rihanna, from the bottom of my heart. Youre a superstar.'

The award was the first of the night for Harris, whose track is also up for best collaboration.

Video speech: Calvin accepted the trophy via a pre-recorded video from Britain - where he was performing
E! News anchor Maria Menounos revealed on Tuesday her mother Litsa is suffering from a brain tumor.

The 38-year-old shared an image of her mother and father, Constantinos, boarding a small private plane.

She captioned the image with the heartbreaking news, announcing to fans the very private struggle her family is going through.

E! News anchor Maria Menounos revealed on Tuesday her mother Litsa is suffering from a brain tumor (pictured here with Constantinos)

'And so our journey begins,' she wrote. 'Mom is battling a brain tumor.

'She's a champion. Please pray for her full recovery. Just landed safe and sound in la for treatments.'

She then went on to voice gratitude, writing: 'Thank you to everyone sending love and support at this time.'

Maria's family live in Boston and the television host resides with them part of the year along with her partner Keven Undergaro

However, she also had some other news to share, adding: 'Oh did I mention it's her birthday week?:) #itsallaboutlitsa #standup2cancer #choosehappiness #wewillfight'.

Maria's family live in Boston and the television host resides with them part of the year along with her partner Keven Undergaro.
She's the Victoria's Secret model with a killer body.

And Kelly Gale has flaunted her flawless physique on Instagram once again as she soaks up the sun during her Croatian getaway.

Showing off her sculpted legs and ample assets in an orange bandeau bikini, the 21-year-old wrote on Tuesday: 'Boats, sunshine and underboob.'

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Flawless: Kelly Gale showed off her ample assets and sun-kissed skin as she enjoyed a break in Croatia

The Swedish-Australian stunner added a smiley face, bikini and Croatian flag Emojis.

Kelly, who is known for her dedication to health and fitness, showed off her taut abs and toned arms in the skimpy swimwear.

The New York-based beauty's luscious raven locks were worn loose and swept to the side for the candid snap.

Natural beauty: The 21-year-old has been taking full advantage of the European summer

Loved-up: The Swedish-Australian stunner shared her getaway with Sweden-based beau Johannes Jarl

Her sun-kissed skin was accentuated by the crisp blue sea and sky behind her.

The busty model has been taking full advantage of the European summer this past week along with her Sweden-based beau Johannes Jarl.

Kelly shared a snap of the couple sporting helmets as they embark on a quad bike ride.

Stunning: Kelly is of Indian and Swedish descent and her father hailed from Victoria, Australia

Catwalk queen: The raven-haired lingerie model has walked for Victoria's Secret

'Wanna hold on to the last day of vaca as tight as I hold on to @johannesjarl while he's racing the quad (sic),' the lingerie model captioned the photo.

Kelly is the September cover girl for Playboy, showing off her killer curves in her shoot for the lads' mag.

Although the publication has banned full-frontal nudity, the brunette stunner still managed to flash plenty of skin in the 14-page editorial and centrefold.
He has caused huge stirs in reality TV circles for the past month - seen on screens in Celebrity Big Brother and Ex On The Beach concurrently.

And CBB winner Stephen Bear looked as though he was dwelling on his various actions as he enjoyed a solo jaunt to his local park on Tuesday - stealing a moment to himself to pen a note.

The 26-year-old could have been reaching out to his former girlfriend Lillie Lexie Gregg following his claims that she cheated on him prior to his in-house dalliances with co-star Chloe Khan - although Lillie blasted claims in a recent Instagram post.

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Pen to paper... CBB winner Stephen Bear looked as though he was dwelling on his various actions as he enjoyed a solo jaunt to his local park on Tuesday - stealing a moment to himself to pen a note

Bear, who soared to fame on Ex On The Beach last year before returning for this season, caused controversy on the show due to his hyperactive and pesky antics, leading to shock among housemates and viewers when he reigned victorious.

Having blazed the promotional trail since his departure from the Channel 5 show on Friday, it seems the Essex-born troublemaker needed some downtime, leading to his jaunt to the park.

Sporting his typically garish garb, the former carpenter wore tiny tropical print shorts paired with a white T-shirt and a plush Louis Vuitton rucksack from which he pulled his notebook and bottle of water ready for his writing session.

His hair remained in the style he sheared in the house - comprising of slashed sides, slits styled in his eyebrows and a dramatically bleached body to the crop, although the colour began to wear out of his locks.

Mulling it over: The 26-year-old could have been reaching out to his former girlfriend Lillie Lexie Gregg following his claims that she cheated on him prior to his in-house dalliances with co-star Chloe Khan - although Lillie blasted claims in a recent Instagram post

Penning it in: Bear, who soared to fame on Ex On The Beach last year before returning for this season, caused controversy on the show due to his hyperactive and pesky antics, leading to shock among housemates and viewers when he reigned victorious

Mulling things over: Lillie looked in a similar contemplative state as she grabbed a coffee in her native Birmingham last week

Me time: Having blazed the promotional trail since his departure from the Channel 5 show on Friday it seems the Essex-born troublemaker needed some downtime, leading to his jaunt to the park

These are my thoughts... Bear's musings would no doubt make for a very interesting read

Loosening up: Bear's al fresco outing comes shortly after he appeared on Loose Women, where he threw out a shocking statement suggesting he had been the victim of cheating as well as the perpetrator

Don't forgive and don't forget: Far from remaining silent on the issue, the stunning blonde took to Instagram to reveal she was living it up with the girls while wearing a pointed T-shirt reading 'No boyfriend, no problems'

'No boyfriend, no problem': .' Her clothing line will undoubtedly be inspired by her recent woes, as the top is from her self-designed range Lillie Beau London

During his winning stint in the Big Brother house, Bear struck up a racy romance with stunning model and X Factor reject Chloe however he failed to reveal he was in a relationship with Lillie in the outside world.

In upsetting scenes, the Birmingham-born fashion designer entered the house to confront her former partner who she has not spoken to since.

Bear's al fresco outing comes shortly after he appeared on Loose Women, where he threw out a shocking statement suggesting he had been the victim of cheating as well as the perpetrator.

He told the famed panel: 'The last two girls I have been with cheated on me. Its bang out of order. So I thought you know what, the next girl I am with I will treat them as well as I did them and hopefully it will work out.'

Saucy! During his winning stint in the Big Brother house, Bear struck up a racy romance with stunning model and X Factor reject Chloe however he failed to reveal he was in a relationship with Lillie in the outside world

Having a laugh: He told the famed panel: 'The last two girls I have been with cheated on me. Its bang out of order. So I thought you know what, the next girl I am with I will treat them as well as I did them and hopefully it will work out'

Cigarette time: Bear needed a moment to puff away on a cigarette

Strutting his stuff: Despite looking downcast Bear's clothes screamed fun with their funky print

Thinking thing over: It seems the handsome star had a lot to dwell on

Cheater? Bear, who previously dated Vicky Pattison, did not specify the romantic partner although he entered the house last month in a relationship with Lillie, leading to the implication she was one of the women

Bear, who previously dated Vicky Pattison, did not specify the romantic partner although he entered the house last month in a relationship with Lillie, leading to the implication she was one of the women.

Far from remaining silent on the issue, the stunning blonde took to Instagram to reveal she was living it up with the girls while wearing a pointed T-shirt reading 'No boyfriend, no problems.'

Her clothing line will undoubtedly be inspired by her recent woes, as the top is from her self-designed range Lillie Beau London.

What's that! Although it's unclear what Bear was writing, it was potentially a note to his former girlfriend

Phone home? Stealing a moment on his mobile, Bear continued to look sullen

Enjoying the sun: Even the glorious weather could not help the winner crack a smile
With her leather trousers, eclectic jacket with yellow feathered shoulders and bright canary heels, there was no mistaking Noomi Rapace at the premiere of Anthropoid on Tuesday.

The Swedish actress looked edgy in the ensemble which she teamed with a Moschino T-shirt and dark square-framed sunglasses.

Her brown hair was teased into its usual style with floppy fringe, while a large rectangular clutch bag completed the look.

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Going for bold: Noomi Rapace looked striking in leather trousers, bright yellow platform heels and an eclectic jacket as she arrived at the Anthropoid premiere in London on Tuesday

The clinging, slightly cropped leather trousers showed off the 36-year-old star's slim figure to the maximum while the yellow feathers on the striking jacket perfectly matched Noomi's heels.

The actress was joined at the BFI Southbank by Jamie Dornan and Cillian Murphy who star in the film as two agents from the Czechoslovak government-in-exile.

They are then faced with the challenge to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich (Detlef Bothe), the main architect of the Final Solution, and the head of Nazi forces in Germanoccupied Czechoslovakia.

Making an entrance: The actress looked catwalk ready for her premiere appearance

Going wild: The star's appearance impressed fans and photographers alike

Hell for leather: The clinging trousers showed off the 36-year-old's slim figure to the maximum

Noomi was taking a break from her busy acting career - she was recently confirmed as part of the cast of Alien Covenant - the sequel to Ridley Scott film Prometheus.

The film forms part of a trilogy of films which are set about 30 years before Scott's famous movie Alien.

Me and my lady: Jamie Dornan and wife Amelia Warner arrived at the premiere, in their first public appearance since the birth of their second child

Noomi recently discussed playing strong heroines on the big screen and going against the grain of the typical Hollywood starlet.

She told TheLocal.se: 'I've been so lucky with the roles Ive been offered. 'Theyre all really cool characters. Theyre never been the girlfriend or the sweet girl.

'I do think the film industry is changing when it comes to gender bias and gender norms, but Im also very much my own engine.'

New movie: Dornan plays agents from the Czechoslovak government-in-exile in the historical thriller Anthropoid




Sofia Vergara just returned from a loved-up time in London with her husband of nearly a year, Joe Manganiello.

The 44-year-old Modern Family star appeared to be walking on air still as she ran some errands in Beverly Hills, California on Tuesday.

Sofia emerged from the post office wearing a bright and happy smile to go with her casual, comfortable ensemble.

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Post-holiday happiness: Sofia Vergara flashed a radiant smile during an errand run in Beverly Hills, CA on Tuesday following a romantic time in London with husband Joe Manganiello

She was clad in faded light denim jeans and a navy blue blouse along with dark blue high-top trainers with Velcro straps.

The actress ran her fingers through her long, silky brown tresses while clutching a paper bag of purchases.

Low-key though her outfit was, Sofia added long dangling earrings, chic tinted shades and a swipe of red lipstick to add some extra glamour.

Isn't she lovely: The 44-year-old actress beamed a big smile while leaving the post office

She was born with it: Sofia ran her fingers through her luxuriant mane of long golden brown hair while clutching her post office purchase

If Sofia was looking glowingly radiant, that might have something to do with the blissful break she enjoyed in London with the Magic Mike star, 39.

The Brazilian beauty shared a few photos on her Instagram page that showed them hugging in a wooded parkland and posing cheek-to-cheek during an 'afternoon tea.'

Other snaps featured Sofia staring with obvious marvel in her eyes at a delectable teatime treat, and displaying a sweet sample of peach sorbet.

Chemistry: Newlyweds Sofia and Joe hugged for a couple's selfie in the sun-drenched forest

Teatime: Sofia and Joe enjoyed tea during their stay in London - and each other from the looks of this photo posted by the Magic Mike star

That looks, um, yum: The Modern Family star had a look of marvel as she contemplated a teatime treat

Sofia, meanwhile, has been keeping busy this summer filming season eight of Modern Family, which will premiere on September 21.

The gregarious brunette, who has played the role of Gloria Delgado-Pritchett since 2009, co-stars with Ed O'Neill, Julie Bowen, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ty Burrell, Eric Stonestreet, Sarah Hyland, Ariel Winter, Nolan Gould and Rico Rodriguez.

Sofia is also looking forward to celebrating her first wedding anniversary with Joe in about two months - the two exchanged vows in a swanky Palm Beach, Florida wedding on November 21.
Dotcom wins right to live-stream appeal against US extradition

Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom was on Tuesday granted his wish to live-stream his bid to avoid extradition to the United States where he is wanted on online piracy charges.

Attempts by the United States to block the live-streaming request were rejected by Judge Murray Gilbert in the Auckland High Court.

Lawyers for the US argued live-streaming could pollute a potential jury pool if the founder of the Megaupload file-sharing service ended up on trial in the United States.

Internet mogul Kim Dotcom, seen with his girlfriend Elizabeth Donelly on August 29, 2016, says he has won his battle for his case to be live-streamed to ensure a fair hearing Kate Dwek (AFP)

But, Gilbert ruled it could go ahead under strict conditions. The live-stream must be delayed by 20 minutes, to allow the court time to prevent any restricted material from being published, and all footage must be removed from the Internet as soon as the hearing is over.

"This is breaking new ground. New Zealand at the forefront of transparent Justice! Leadership!" Dotcom tweeted.

"Live stream will start tomorrow (Wednesday). The cameraman needs to set this up professionally and implement the Judges live streaming rules."

The German national, who has permanent residency in New Zealand, faces up to 20 years in jail if convicted in the United States of piracy, which US authorities say cost copyright owners hundreds of millions of dollars.

His lawyer Ron Mansfield had argued when the case opened in the Auckland High Court on Monday that it raised "unprecedented issues of public and international interest" and it would not be a fair hearing without live-streaming.

"This is a case of the internet age," Mansfield said.

It is nearly five years since Dotcom, a self-described "Internet freedom fighter", was arrested in a dramatic police raid on his mansion near Auckland after the FBI shut down Megaupload's servers.

In December last year, after a nine-week hearing, a New Zealand court ruled there was "overwhelming" evidence to support extradition of the 41-year-old and three other Megaupload founders.

The prosecution has argued that Megaupload wilfully breached copyright by hosting illegally created movie, music and software files.

Dotcom claimed Megaupload was a genuine file-sharing site that did its best to police copyright infringement but had 50 million daily users and could not control every aspect of their activity.

Denying any wrongdoing, Dotcom has accused US authorities of pursuing a vendetta against him on behalf of politically influential Hollywood studios.

The FBI alleges Megaupload netted more than US$175 million in criminal proceeds and cost copyright owners more than US$500 million by offering pirated content.

Dotcom has vowed that if he loses this appeal, which is expected to last six-eight weeks, he will take further legal steps to avoid standing trial in the United States.
Where next for S. Sudan and rebel chief Machar?

War-torn South Sudan's slide into chaos resumed last month with fresh fighting in the capital Juba that forced rebel leader turned vice president and peace deal signatory Riek Machar to flee.

With the spike in clashes came a surge of abuse of civilians by armed men including rape, murder and looting. A year-old peace deal was only partly implemented and, as July's battles showed, was insufficient to stop the war -- yet regional and foreign powers cling to it as the country's only hope.

So where next for hopes of peace in South Sudan and for rebel leader Machar?

South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar left the country following violent clashes last month and is now in a "safe" country in the region, his aides say Zacharias Abubeker (AFP/File)

Is there still a peace agreement in South Sudan?

The deal, signed in August last year by rebel leader Machar and President Salva Kiir, hangs in the balance. Machar has fled the country and been replaced as vice president by Taban Deng Gai, who leads a Juba-based faction of the opposition SPLM/A-IO.

Deng's appointment has yet to be fully accepted by either Machar loyalists or the international community that forced through the peace deal. During a visit to Kenya this month, US Secretary of State John Kerry hinted at US acceptance of the new reality when he described Machar's ouster as a "replacement of personnel" that was legal under the agreement.

Where is rebel leader Riek Machar?

Machar fled Juba on foot after fighting in the city ended on July 11. He resurfaced in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo on August 18 and then flew to the Sudanese capital Khartoum for unspecified medical treatment. Aides say Machar is eager to reassert himself politically as soon as he is fit and well by visiting regional countries that are members of the IGAD bloc (Intergovernmental Authority on Development), which has led successive rounds of peace talks.

Who backs Machar and who is against him?

Machar left a sharply divided (and, in Juba, militarily defeated) former rebel movement in his wake when he fled. Deng enjoys the backing of Kiir but field commanders, armed forces and SPLM/A-IO leaders outside Juba continue to back Machar -- for now.

"Machar is still an influential leader as long as he is alive," said James Okuk, a political scientist at Juba University.

Regional bloc IGAD has said that Deng should step aside when Machar returns, but the longer Machar is absent the stronger Deng's claim becomes and he may yet consolidate his position among the former rebels too.

One way to achieve this, analysts say, would be for Deng and Kiir to move ahead with integrating rebel forces into the national army, effectively disarming Machar while implementing a key provision of the peace accords.

Can Machar stage a comeback?

Machar loyalists are being rooted out of South Sudan's parliament and cabinet and being replaced with Deng's allies, weakening Machar's influence. Five out of 10 SPLM-IO ministers have been replaced along with 25 out of 50 MPs. Meanwhile Deng has quickly taken up the functions of the vice presidency, undertaking official visits to both Kenya and Sudan in recent weeks.

Machar's future appears to rest in foreign hands and is largely dependent on whether the international community is willing to move ahead on a peace agreement without him.

Will the promised UN 'protection force' be deployed?

On August 12 the UN Security Council approved the deployment of a so-called "protection force" in South Sudan to bolster the much-criticised peacekeeping operation there and enable the implementation of the peace agreement.

Machar has said he will not return to Juba until a "neutral force" is in place and his safety guaranteed, but Kiir's government has resisted the UN plan, insisting it is a challenge to South Sudan's sovereignty and that further negotiations over the force's mandate are needed.

While South Sudan has stopped short of refusing to accept more peacekeepers, the government has yet to accept them either, and it is impossible to imagine UN soldiers being deployed against the will of the government.

South Sudan conflict AFP (AFP)

A South Sudan peace deal signed last August hangs in the balance after fresh fighting broke out in the capital Juba last month Peter Martell (AFP/File)
Strong typhoon Lionrock slams into Japan's northeast

A strong typhoon slammed into northeastern Japan on Tuesday, dumping heavy rain and generating high waves that caused flooding along the Pacific coast.

Typhoon Lionrock made landfall near the city of Ofunato shortly before 6 pm (0900 GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency said, after moving up Japan's Pacific Ocean coastline.

Packing wind gusts up to 162 kilometres (100 miles) per hour, the storm was moving northwest at 50 kilometres per hour, it said.

Waves beat against the seashore in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture, on August 30, 2016 as Typhoon Lionrock makes its course towards northeastern Japan. Jiji Press (Jiji Press/AFP)

It is the first typhoon to directly land in the region from the Pacific Ocean since the country's present weather observation system was introduced in 1951, the agency said.

Typhoons usually approach Japan from the south and southwest before moving northward across the archipelago.

While there were no official reports of casualties, local media reported some minor injuries, such as a fall by a 40-year-old woman in strong winds.

Authorities warned of landslides and high water due to expected heavy rain of up to eight centimetres per hour. Landfall, which came at high tide, brought flooding along the coast.

Television footage showed local residents struggling to walk amid water above their knees in the city of Miyako, where some cars were half-submerged and some 600 people were advised to evacuate.

Miyako was one of the northeastern coastline cities hit in March 2011 by a deadly tsunami generated by a massive magnitude 9.0 offshore earthquake, which also triggered meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Local authorities were using heavy machinery to pile huge sandbags along the coast in a bid to hold back raging waves, as they opened up some public buildings for use as shelters.

Schools were closed across the affected area, broadcasters reported.

At the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, efforts were made to secure construction cranes and equipment from violent winds, operator Tokyo Electric Power Co said. Some sensitive decommissioning work was suspended, they added.

The typhoon was affecting manufacturing and travel, with Toyota suspending production at two of its plants in the region, the company said, though added they were expected to restart on Wednesday.

Some 120 domestic flights have also been cancelled, public broadcaster NHK said.

In the northern part of the country, some Shinkansen super fast bullet trains were suspended.

Lionrock comes on the heels of two others that hit Japan in the past nine days, resulting in two deaths, the cancellation of hundreds of domestic flights and disruptions to train services.

Formed more than 10 days ago, it has become the longest-lasting typhoon of those that have developed north of the 30th parallel north, breaking a 46-year-old record, according to the private Weathernews agency.

The previous record-holding typhoon in that category was in 1970, which survived for nine days and six hours, Weathernews said on its website.

Lionrock was expected to cut across Japan's main island of Honshu and head out to sea towards Russia and China, according to the weather agency.

Japan typhoon Laurence CHU (AFP)
Anti-whalers enlist fast ship to fight off Japanese

Marine conservationists announced Tuesday they will for the first time be able to outrun the Japanese whaling fleet in the upcoming annual battle to protect the giant mammals in the icy Southern Ocean.

Sea Shepherd Global is adding a fast new vessel to its whale defence campaign in Antarctic waters starting this December.

"Disappointed by the lack of action from the international community, Sea Shepherd Global is preparing to return to the Southern Ocean to protect the whales with a new patrol vessel, the Ocean Warrior," it said in a statement.

In this year's hunt the whaling fleet returned to Japan in March having killed more than 300 whales

Built with financial support from the Dutch, British and Swedish lotteries, Ocean Warrior could make a real difference, Sea Shepherd said.

"For the first time we will have the speed to catch and outrun the Japanese harpoon ships, knowing speed can be the deciding factor when saving the lives of whales," said the group's chief executive Captain Alex Cornelissen.

Japan claims to conduct vital scientific research using a loophole in an international whaling ban, but makes no secret that the mammals end up on dinner plates.

Tokyo was forced to call off the 2014-15 hunt after the International Court of Justice ruled its annual Antarctic foray was commercial, masquerading as science.

But the hunt resumed in late 2015, with the fleet returning to Japan in March this year after having killed more than 300 whales.

Sea Shepherd vowed to throw everything at the Japanese in a bid to stop the slaughter.

"If we cannot stop whaling in an established whale sanctuary, in breach of both Australian federal and international laws, then what hope do we have for the protection of the world's oceans?" said Sea Shepherd Australia's managing director Jeff Hansen.

"We must make a stand and defend whales with everything we've got."

The upcoming disruption campaign has been named Operation Nemesis after the Greek goddess of inescapable justice, Sea Shepherd Australia's chairman Peter Hammarstedt added.

Japan has sought to close down the anti-whaling campaigns in court saying the activists ram their ships, snare propellers with ropes and harass crew with paint and stink bombs.
Evergreen Venus scrambles into second round

Venus Williams battled into the second round of the US Open on Tuesday, grabbing a slice of Grand Slam history along the way with her 72nd main draw appearance in a major.

On the same day that younger sister Serena was due to launch her bid for a record seventh US Open title -- and a record-setting 23rd Grand Slam crown -- the elder Williams broke the Open Era mark she had shared with Amy Frazier for most Grand Slams contested.

The 36-year-old Venus, enjoying something of a resurgence in a 2016 season that includes a WTA title in Taiwan, survived 63 unforced errors in a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 victory over 22-year-old Ukrainian Kateryna Kozlova, who has risen more than 80 spots in the world rankings since February to her current number 93.

Venus Williams of the US celebrates defeating Kateryna Kozlova of Ukraine in their 2016 US Open Womens Singles match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York on August 30, 2016 Jewel Samad (AFP)

"The errors told the story today," said Williams, whose aggressive game also produced 46 winners. "I'm going to try to change that for the second round."

The match closed out the afternoon action on the Arthur Ashe stadium court, setting the stage for a blockbuster night that included Serena's first-round clash with Russian veteran Ekaterina Makarova and second-seeded Andy Murray taking on Czech Lukas Rosol.

Serena's Wimbledon triumph in July saw her equal Steffi Graf's Open Era record of 22 major titles.

She has won four of five encounters with Makarova, including two US Open matches against the Russian left-hander.

Murray is bidding to become the fourth man in the Open Era to reach all four major finals in a calendar year.

Since capturing his second Wimbledon title Murray has gone on to defend his Olympic gold in Rio.

Murray has downplayed any grudge match aspect to his clash with Rosol, who provoked an angry outburst from the Briton when they met in the quarter-finals at Munich last year.

In other early matches, third-seeded Swiss Stan Wawrinka, a two-time semi-finalist, reached the second round with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 6-4 win over Spain's Fernando Verdasco.

"I'm really happy," Wawrinka said after evening his career record against Verdasco at three wins apiece.

"Fernando is a tough player to play. He can be really aggressive. He doesn't give you so much rhythm, so it's not easy."

Kei Nishikori, who became Asia's first men's Grand Slam finalist in New York in 2014, when he fell to Marin Cilic in the final, also advanced, downing German Benjamin Becker 6-1, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

"It was a great feeling of course," said Nishikori, whose breakthrough run in 2014 was followed by an abrupt first-round exit last year.

"I have great memories here and I always love coming back to New York."

- Halep advances -

Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion, advanced with a 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) victory over fellow Argentine Diego Schwartzman.

The 27-year-old del Potro, almost pushed into retirement by three wrist surgeries, is back at Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2013, earning a wild card invitation with a stirring run to an Olympic silver medal.

Women's fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, trying to make it to the quarter-finals in New York for the first time, takes on American qualifier Jessica Pegula.

Fifth-seeded Romanian Simona Halep survived late jitters to make it safely into the second round with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Belgian Kirsten Flipkens.

Halep needed less than an hour, but admitted she was "too nervous to finish the match" after failing to take advantage of her first chance to close it out when leading 6-0, 5-0.

The late wobble, in front of a crowd that included compatriot Nadia Comeneci -- the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10 -- had Halep rating her own performance "less than nine".

Kateryna Kozlova of Ukraine hits a return against Venus Williams of the US during their 2016 US Open Womens Singles match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York on August 30, 2016 Jewel Samad (AFP)

Kei Nishikori of Japan hits a return to Benjamin Becker of Germany during their 2016 US Open Men's Singles match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York on August 30, 2016 Kena Betancur (AFP)
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (R, Front) meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (C, front) and South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (L, Front) in Tokyo, Japan, Aug 24, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

A trilateral meeting of North East Asian foreign ministers - China's Wang Yi, the Republic of Korea's Yun Byung-se and Japan's Fumio Kishida - on Aug. 24 demonstrated a new concern that, at least temporarily, overcomes differences between them.

China's relations with Japan have long been uneasy, as a result of Japanese atrocities before and during the Second World War, and China's view that Japan's official response to these historical injuries remains inadequate. Following that, the dispute over the Diaoyu Islands, adds new fuel to the old tensions.

As for the ROK, it was only in 1992 that China finally established diplomatic ties, and while both political and economic relations have blossomed since then, there have always been difficulties related to the longstanding ROK-US alliance.

However, immediately prior to the trilateral meeting, a Democratic People's Republic of Korea submarine fired a ballistic missile that was seen as a direct threat to Japan. This was part of a series of missile launches this year, mostly land-based in defiance of UN prohibition.

The DPRK's missile test certainly brought about a meeting of minds between the three most significant powers in North East Asia. China did not object to the Japanese Foreign Minister's description of the DPRK action as a "provocation that simply cannot be tolerated."

Mr Kishida went on to say he hoped the three countries could "coordinate closelyto lead the efforts of the international community" [in dealing with Pyongyang]. China has not, as some Western commentators have suggested, been encouraging the DPRK in that country's nuclear designs; indeed, China's hopes throughout have been for a peaceful and denuclearised Korean peninsula, and her attendance at the trilateral meeting demonstrates its concerns.

The DPRK has alliances with no-one, and is under no-one's control. Now, the recent demonstrations of nuclear capability shows a real potential for destabilisation on the Korean peninsula - something which China, Japan and the ROK have an overwhelming common interest in averting.

Disregarding politics for a moment, any explosion on the peninsula could cause immense problems for China in the shape of refugees, even if the results were no worse,.

That the Chinese are getting fed up with the DPRK's irresponsible and provocative behaviour was well illustrated by Foreign Minister Wang Yi's statement that, "China opposes the DPRK's nuclear and missile process, actions that cause tension on the Korean Peninsula," made at the post-meeting news conference.

More importantly, though, the meeting focused on regional threats like those caused by the DPRK's ambitions, tensions between Tokyo and Beijing over the dispute over East China Sea islands and undersea gas development were also addressed. The rapprochement between the two countries over the DPRK may well help reduce confrontation over the disputed islands.

The tripartite meeting was a very positive example of how countries with deep-seated disputes can find common ground in face of a commonly perceived danger. Despite the fact that both Japan and the ROK are allies of the US, thus possibly arousing Chinese suspicions, the three countries can obviously still come together to discuss common interests in dealing with a rogue element in regional affairs. Their joint request to the DPRK was to refrain from provocation and follow UN Security Council resolutions, which is hardly an unreasonable demand.

The problem of the unsettled Korean Peninsula is a very entrenched one, and cannot be resolved except by collective action by the countries in the region. The pacification and denuclearisation of the peninsula, as demanded by China, is a vital necessity for global peace, not to mention the economic development of the region.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spoke of a trilateral agreement to focus on "building up political trust, carrying out pragmatic cooperation, expanding people-to-people exchanges and pushing ahead with sustainable development", thus emphasising the genuine common causes threatened by unnecessary military provocations. The DPRK, by behaving in this disruptive manner, is out of step with the real wishes of the region's people.

This trilateral meeting shows there is hope for a genuine and long-term relaxation of tensions in the North Pacific region, which can only be of benefit to the world as a whole.

Tim Collard is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/timcollard.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
Truck with Takata airbag parts explodes, kills US woman

A woman has been killed after a truck carrying airbag parts made by Japan's troubled Takata exploded in a massive fireball on a US highway, the firm confirmed Tuesday.

Four others were injured when the vehicle, which was on its way to a company factory, erupted "like a big bomb", local police said.

The damage was so extensive that the dead woman had to be identified through dental records, they said.

Japanese firm Takata has been hammered by a defect in its airbag inflators linked to at least 15 deaths and scores of injuries globally Toru Yamanaka (AFP/File)

"It created a big crater," said Tom Schmerber, the sheriff of Maverick County, Texas, where the August 22 accident occurred.

"It burned and killed a woman in a house 30 feet (nine metres) away. Her body was completely disintegrated, but they did manage to find two teeth so they could identify her."

However, Tokyo-based Takata -- hammered by a defect in its airbag inflators linked to at least 15 deaths and scores of injuries globally -- denied the accident was related to the problem part.

"We don't think the accident has anything to do with the defect," a company spokeswoman said, adding that it appeared the supply truck was in a road accident that caused a fire and then the deadly explosion.

In a statement, the company said: "Takata has strict safety procedures relating to the transportation of its products that meet or exceed all regulatory requirements.

"Our thoughts are with the family of the woman who died as a result of this accident."

Some 100 million Takata airbags have been recalled and the firm is facing lawsuits, investigations and huge compensation costs over the problem, which can send metal and plastic shrapnel from the inflator canister hurtling toward drivers and passengers when an airbag is deployed.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has said the risk was greatest in hot and humid regions of the US, such as Florida, Texas and the Gulf Coast.
Vietnam says all will lose in any South China Sea war

Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang warned on Tuesday there would be no winners in any armed conflict sparked by territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Quang, who is on a state visit to Singapore, told a forum that recent developments there were threatening regional security.

The Vietnamese leader did not mention any country but there is growing unease over China's actions.

Vietnamese President, Tran Dai Quang delivers a speech at the 38th Singapore Lecture, organised by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), on August 30, 2016 Roslan Rahman (AFP)

China claims most of the South China Sea. It has reclaimed reefs and built airstrips capable of hosting military equipment, sparking anger from competing claimants led by Vietnam and the Philippines.

"The South China Sea, located at the heart of Southeast Asia, not only brings about many important benefits to nations in the region but it is also a vital route to maritime and air transport of the world," Quang said.

But "recent worrying developments" there "have had a negative impact on the security environment of the region, especially maritime security and safety, freedom of navigation and overflight".

"And should we allow instability to take place, especially in the case of armed conflicts, there will be neither winners or losers but rather all will lose," he warned.

Tran was speaking to diplomats, academics and students at a forum organised by the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute.

Four Southeast Asian states -- Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam -- as well as Taiwan have competing claims in the sea.

Vietnam has been among the most vocal critics of China's blanket territorial claims. In 2014 China moved a controversial oil rig into contested territory, prompting riots in Vietnam.

China's activities in the sea have also drawn criticism from the United States, which says it seeks to ensure freedom of navigation in the waterway through which $5 trillion in annual global trade passes.

The sea row has also driven a wedge between members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which has failed to forge a unified front against Beijing's actions.

Last month the Philippines won a case against China at a UN-backed tribunal in the Hague which rejected Beiijing's claims to most of the sea.

China boycotted the hearing and has refused to recognise the ruling.
France rules out imminent EU-US trade deal, wants talks halted

France said Tuesday it wanted to halt thorny EU-US trade talks as President Francois Hollande underlined there would be no deal until after President Barack Obama leaves office in January.

But the White House said it still hoped to wrap up negotiations by the year's end to create the world's largest free trade area.

"Our position on this has not changed," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. "We are continuing to work toward a goal of completing those negotiations before the end of the year."

French President Francois Hollande addresses French ambassadors on August 30, 2016 in Paris Francois Mori (Pool/AFP)

The EU commissioner in charge of the negotiations said talks have not broken down and the aim is still a deal by the time Obama leaves office.

But French junior trade minister Matthias Fekl said there was "no more political support in France" for the talks because US negotiators were offering "nothing or just crumbs".

"France calls for an end to these negotiations," Fekl told RMC radio.

Hollande, in a speech to France's diplomatic corps, chose his words more carefully saying it would be an "illusion" to say a deal was close.

"The current discussions on the treaty between Europe and the United States will not lead to an agreement by the end of the year," he said.

"France would rather see things as they are and not harbour the illusion that an agreement will be struck before the end of the US president's term in office."

EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem however said that she did not agree that the negotiations had failed.

"They have been difficult, of course, we knew from the beginning, but they have not failed," she said.

Germany's vice chancellor and economy minister Sigmar Gabriel had said Sunday the negotiations were effectively dead.

"The talks with the US have de facto failed because we Europeans of course must not succumb to American demands... nothing is moving forward", Gabriel said.

The EU Commission and US negotiators began work on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) in 2013.

But the talks have become bogged down amid widespread suspicion in the 28-nation EU that a deal would undercut the bloc's standards in key areas such as health and welfare.

Malmstroem admitted there would be no deal by the end of this year as originally envisaged when the talks started.

"I don't want to analyse the mind and the intentions of President Hollande. And it is clear that for the moment we do not have enough -- we can't conclude before the end of the year," the Swede said.

She said the aim was still to conclude a deal under the Obama presidency, adding: "And if that is not possible it makes sense to make as much progress as possible."

However Fekl said Paris sees an imbalance in the negotiations in favour of the US side.

"The Americans give nothing or just crumbs... that is not how negotiations are done between allies," he said.

- 'Clear and definitive halt' -

"We need a clear and definitive halt to these negotiations in order to restart on a good foundation."

France will make its case for the talks to be halted at a meeting of foreign trade ministers in Bratislava in September, Fekl added.

He did not say when or under what conditions the talks could restart.

Germany's Gabriel on Tuesday said that "given the current state of the talks, no agreement is possible".

"We'll see if the US position changes after the presidential election. If there is no change, there will be no TTIP," he said.

Activists who have opposed TTIP since negotiations began say the deal would only benefit multinationals and harm consumers.

Behind the scenes, top diplomats have told AFP talks may be suspended until after the US presidential election in November and could even be put on hold until after elections in France and Germany next year.

The White House spokesman meanwhile said Obama will send his top trade official to Europe in the coming weeks for further discussions.

"There are significant aspects of the deal that need to be negotiated, but that's precisely why the president is sending his trade ambassador, Mike Froman, to travel to Europe in a couple of weeks to go continue those negotiations," he said.

All EU member states and the European parliament must ratify any TTIP deal before it can take effect.

The EU and US began work on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) in 2013, aiming to create the world's largest free-trade area Jean-Sebastien Evrard (AFP/File)

US President Barack Obama will leave office in January 2017 after completing his second term Zach Gibson (AFP/File)
US, India bolster ties, warn Pakistan over extremists

The United States and India urged Pakistan Tuesday to do more to counter extremist groups operating from its soil as the world's two largest democracies announced measures to strengthen security and energy ties.

Speaking on a visit to New Delhi, US Secretary of State John Kerry declared that ties once clouded by suspicion had progressed "amazingly" in the last two years and echoed President Barack Obama's description of their relationship as "the defining partnership of the 21st century".

India and the United States have a common goal in creating a counterbalance to the rise of China and hold regular top-level dialogue in Delhi and Washington under a formal strategic partnership.

Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry speak prior to a meeting in New Delhi on August 30, 2016 Prakash Singh (AFP)

But a flare-up in violence in Kashmir meant that India's arch-rival Pakistan featured prominently in talks between Kerry and his counterpart, Sushma Swaraj.

After Foreign Minister Swaraj reiterated long-running accusations that Pakistan was "providing safe havens to terror groups," Kerry also urged Islamabad to do more to combat extremists operating from its territory.

He said it was vital Islamabad moved to "deprive any group of sanctuary", highlighting the threat posed by Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based Kashmiri separatist group behind a string of anti-Indian attacks.

"We will not and we cannot make distinctions between good and bad terrorists... Terrorism is terrorism," Kerry said at a press conference alongside Swaraj.

Kerry said the US government had "had conversations with all members of the region frankly about efforts they need to take against terrorism which comes out of their country", adding that he had personally raised the issue with Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

India has accused Pakistan of stoking a new bout of unrest in Kashmir, the troubled Himalayan region which has been divided between the two countries since independence in 1947 and is claimed in full by both.

Around 70 civilians have been killed since the beginning of last month in the aftermath of the Indian army's killing of a charismatic young separatist leader and a curfew remains in place in many parts of Kashmir.

Swaraj said there was "a meeting of minds" during her talks with Kerry on tackling the threats posed by extremists as she reiterated long-standing accusations that Pakistan was sponsoring "cross-border terrorism".

"We repeated our stand that Pakistan should stop providing safe havens to terror groups... We also agreed that countries must not categorise terrorists as good or bad," said the Indian foreign minister.

Both sides said that there had been an agreement to step up cooperation on intelligence.

"We agree on additional measures to strengthen our counterterrorism," said Swaraj. "We will intensify intelligence sharing."

- Nuclear progress -

In an illustration of the burgeoning cooperation, Kerry announced plans to revive trilateral talks between India, Afghanistan and the United States.

He also said there had been an agreement "to move forward" on long-standing plans for six nuclear reactors which he said would provide electricity to tens of millions of people, without giving more details.

The deal involving US giant Westinghouse has been held up in the past by concerns over an Indian law that would make US companies liable for accidents at plants they helped build.

The start of Kerry's two-day visit came only hours after the two sides signed an agreement in Washington that allows access to each other's military bases for repairs and resupplies.

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar sealed the pact in efforts to strengthen defence ties to counter concerns over China's growing military assertiveness.

Carter said the agreement would make joint operations between their militaries logistically easier and more efficient.

Washington has increasingly turned its focus to Asia as it tries to counter China's growing clout in the South China Sea, and is eager for India to play a greater role in a network of defence alliances.

The two sides are also keen to expand business ties, with the US targeting an increase in two-way trade from $100 billion to $500 billion.

US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, who is accompanying Kerry, praised recent reforms by the Indian government which has moved to ease caps on foreign direct investment in a range of business sectors.

"As a result of the reforms, the US and India trade more with each other, invest more in each other, and do more business together than ever before," she said.
Nepal bans Indian police couple for faking Everest climb

Nepal has imposed a 10-year mountaineering ban on an Indian couple who faked photographs purporting to show them at the top of Mount Everest, an official said Tuesday.

Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod, both police constables, said they reached the top of the world's highest mountain on May 23. But fellow climbers cast doubt on their claim, saying their photos at the summit were doctored.

Nepal's tourism department initially certified their claim but later conducted an investigation.

Mount Everest (C-top) towera over the Nupse-Lohtse massif (foreground), as seen from the village of Tembuche in the Khumbu region of north-eastern Nepal Roberto Schmidt (AFP/File)

"Our investigation shows that the couple faked their summit. We have imposed a 10-year ban against them from climbing any mountain in Nepal," tourism department chief Sudarshan Prasad Dhakal told AFP of the decision made on Monday.

Dhakal said an analysis of the photos submitted by the couple showed they had superimposed themselves and their banners onto photos taken by another Indian climber of his Everest summit.

"Despite several attempts to get clarifications from them, they did not cooperate with us during the investigation. The two Sherpas that assisted them are also absconding," Dhakal said.

"The ban should serve as a warning for mountaineers to follow ethics," he said.

Tourism ministry spokesman Ghanshyam Upadhyaya said the government is considering revising the procedure for certifying claims of an ascent.

The current system demands photos, reports from team leaders and government liaison officers stationed at the base camp -- but has been open to attempts at fakery.

"We will consult experts to see what technologies or processes we can use and make every party more responsible to prevent such false claims in the future," Upadhayaya said.

Many of those who reach the top of the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) mountain have gone on to make money or forge careers as motivational speakers and authors.

A total of 456 people, including more than 250 foreigners, summited Everest during the recently ended spring season, after two consecutive years of deadly disasters that led to almost all attempts being abandoned.

Mountaineering is a major revenue-earner for the impoverished Himalayan nation. This year's string of successful summits is expected to boost the industry, which was left reeling after an earthquake last year killed almost 9,000 people nationwide.

Hundreds fled Everest last year after an earthquake-triggered avalanche at base camp killed 18 people.
World Vision urges Israel to try 'Hamas aid' case in public

World Vision's global president has questioned Israeli accusations that the NGO's Gaza head diverted millions of dollars in aid to Hamas and said his trial should be open to the public.

A pre-trial hearing for World Vision's Mohammed al-Halabi was held in secret Tuesday morning in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba.

"A trial is legitimate if it is transparent," World Vision International's president Kevin Jenkins told AFP in one of his first interviews since Halabi was charged on August 4.

Palestinian children hold posters of Mohammed al-Halabi (L), the Gaza director of aid organisation World Vision, during a rally to support him in Rafah on August 29, 2016 Said Khatib (AFP)

"Obviously with such serious allegations against a staff member, we are calling for him to have a fair hearing."

He said the allegations against Halabi were so serious that the NGO was hoping for an open trial to learn as many lessons as possible if they were proved correct.

"As much as our donors want the truth to come out, we want the truth to come out," he said. "Our whole reputation is based on integrity."

All media and even World Vision staff were prevented from attending Tuesday's hearing, Halabi's lawyer said.

The accusations against him were read out while Halabi, wearing a brown prisoner's uniform, stood motionless, lawyer Lea Tsemel said.

Halabi has not yet spoken in the court but intends to plead not guilty, she said.

The case will reconvene in early October.

Israel foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said such closed doors trials were "standard practice" due to the sensitive nature of the information presented.

It is "standard practice in terrorism cases all over the Western world," he told AFP.

On August 4, Israel alleged that Halabi had diverted more than $7.2 million each year since 2010 to Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip.

This allegedly equated to 60 percent of the NGO's budget for Gaza, with much of the money being syphoned off to Hamas's military wing to fight Israel, according to the charges.

Halabi initially confessed, Israel said, but Amnesty International said there were allegations he had been mistreated in custody and "may have been forced into 'confessing' under duress."

Amnesty also called for the trial to be opened to the media.

- 'Difficult to reconcile' -

Halabi's arrest was followed by similar allegations against a Save the Children employee and the arrest of a United Nations worker for allegedly funnelling rubble to Hamas to build a military jetty.

The UN has disputed the allegations.

Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008 and Hamas is labelled a terrorist organisation by the United States and the European Union.

Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said the allegations showed a "troubling trend of the systematic exploitation (of aid) by Hamas terrorists."

But Jenkins called the scale of the allegations against Halabi "very difficult to reconcile" with reality.

The NGO has said its Gaza budget for the past 10 years was only $22.5 million, making the numbers alleged all but impossible.

Charities working in Gaza have some of the tightest controls on funds in the world, partly due to tough counter-terrorism legislation.

The impoverished Palestinian enclave has one of the world's highest unemployment rates and the UN says that more than two-thirds of the population rely on some form of foreign aid.

"We are not a naive organisation. We have world-class systems to prevent the sort of things that are being alleged here," Jenkins said.

"They are not foolproof, (but) they would generally have all sorts of red lights going off if anything close to what is being alleged should happen.

"It is very difficult to reconcile those numbers against the controls we have in place."

Jenkins defended World Vision's work in Gaza over the years, saying it had performed "with integrity" and last year provided support for more than 40,000 children.

The NGO has currently suspended its projects in the Palestinian territories pending an internal review, but Jenkins said there was a "strong desire to return to Gaza".

"We can only work in places where we can perform our work with integrity. We feel like we have done that in the past. I feel like we will be able to do it going forward."

The office of the US-based Christian NGO, World Vision, in Gaza City Mohammed Abed (AFP/File)
Apple to fight record EU tax bill

Silicon Valley tech titan Apple will fight an EU demand for a record 13 billion euros in back taxes in Ireland, a move Washington warned could damage transatlantic economic ties.

Brussels said Apple, the world's most valuable company, avoided virtually all tax on its business in the bloc by illegal arrangements with Dublin which gave the company an unfair advantage over competitors.

Apple and the Irish government immediately said they would appeal against the European Commission ruling, with the iPhone maker warning it could cost European jobs.

The European Union has ordered Apple to pay a record 13 billion euros in back taxes in Ireland Philippe Huguen (AFP/File)

The White House meanwhile cautioned against "unilateral" measures by the EU.

The company's shares lost some of their shine after the ruling, down 0.77 percent to $106 at the close of official trading on the Nasdaq, making for a more than 3 percent loss over the past two weeks ahead of the highly anticipated ruling.

"This decision sends a clear message. Member states cannot give unfair tax benefits to selected companies, no matter if European or foreign, large or small," EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said.

"The Commission's investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years," she added.

Ireland has attracted multinationals over many years by offering extremely favourable sweetheart tax deals to generate much-needed jobs and investment.

But after a three-year investigation Brussels said the arrangement with Apple broke EU laws on state aid.

The findings come amid growing tensions between Washington and Brussels over a series of EU anti-trust investigations targeting other giant US companies such as Google, Amazon, McDonald's, Starbucks and Fiat Chrysler.

- 'Devastating blow' -

Apple has had a base in the southern city of Cork since 1980 and employs nearly 6,000 people in Ireland, through which it routes its international sales totalling billions.

Apple chief Tim Cook said he was "confident" the EU ruling would be overturned, adding that the Silicon Valley giant was the biggest taxpayer in Ireland, the United States and the world.

"The most profound and harmful effect of this ruling will be on investment and job creation in Europe," he said.

Cook also warned that the ruling was a "devastating blow to the sovereignty of EU member states over their own tax matters", echoing the concerns of Dublin over the decision.

Ireland's Finance Minister Michael Noonan described the ruling as "bizarre" and "an exercise in politics by the Competition Commission".

Dublin, which suffered from harsh austerity measures after it was bailed out during the eurozone debt crisis, has vigorously defended its low tax rates as a way of boosting the economy.

"If you look at the small print on an Apple iPhone, it says designed in California and manufactured in China and that means any profits that accrued didn't accrue in Ireland and so I can't see why the tax liability is in Ireland," he said.

But Vestager said Apple's Irish operation was a sham -- Apple's "so-called head office in Ireland only existed on paper. It had no employees, no premises and no real activities."

Apple paid an effective corporate tax rate of just 0.005 per cent on its European profits in 2014 -- equivalent to just 50 euros for every million, Vestager said.

The Apple tax bill dwarfs the previous EU record for a state aid case -- 1.3 billion euros for the Nurburgring race track in Germany.

While the 13-billion-euro ($14.5-billion) sum itself is unlikely to trouble Apple with its massive $600 billion of market capitalisation and $234 billion in revenue last year, the political ramifications are huge.

- US anger -

Washington has made increasingly angry comments over the case in recent weeks, and on Tuesday it echoed Apple's warnings that the tax bill could hurt the European economy.

"We are concerned about a unilateral approach," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest, adding that the move "threatens to undermine progress that we have made collaboratively with the Europeans to make the international taxation system fair."

The US Treasury said the ruling "could threaten to undermine foreign investment, the business climate in Europe, and the important spirit of economic partnership between the US and the EU."

The Apple decision may also complicate struggling EU-US talks on what would be the world's biggest free trade deal, meant to be completed before US President Barack Obama steps down in January.

French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday said he doubted agreement could be reached by then.

Tax avoidance has moved sharply up the political agenda since EU governments adopted tough austerity policies to balance the public finances, driving public resentment that the rich paid relatively little tax.

The issue was highlighted close to home by the LuxLeaks scandal which revealed that European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's native Luxembourg gave companies huge tax breaks while he was prime minister.

In October Brussels ordered US coffee giant Starbucks and Italian automaker Fiat to each repay up to 30 million euros ($34 million) in back taxes to the Netherlands and Luxembourg respectively.

The European Commission launched an inquiry three years ago into tax breaks that Ireland offered iPhone-maker Apple Siska Gremmelprez (BELGA/AFP/File)

EU orders Apple to pay 13m in back taxes Jonathan Storey (AFP)
Libya says last chemical weapons stocks shipped out

Libya has shipped the last of its chemical weapons stocks out of the country, officials said Tuesday, under a UN-backed plan to ensure the arsenal could not fall into the wrong hands.

The move will ease fears that extremists like the Islamic State group could gain access to the weapons in Libya, which has been wracked by chaos since the 2011 overthrow of Moamer Kadhafi.

A senior security official told AFP the stocks, including 23 tanks of chemicals, were shipped out on a Danish vessel on Saturday from the port of Misrata, under the supervision of the United Nations, and were destined for Germany.

Libya had asked the UN-backed Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to draw up a plan for the destruction of toxic agents in its arsenal Philippe Desmazes (AFP/File)

The stocks had been stored in the central Jafa area, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) south of Sirte where Libyan pro-government forces are battling IS jihadists, he said.

"We as Libyans did not want these weapons, especially during the current security situation and with the presence of IS in the region," the security official said.

The deputy prime minister of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA), Mussa el-Koni, confirmed the operation.

"All of Libya's chemical arsenal has been shipped out of the country," he told AFP. "This is good news for Libya, and for the peace of Libya, and we thank all the countries that participated and the UN."

The Danish government had earlier this month offered to send a container vessel, support ship and 200 staff to handle the operation, coordinated by the UN-backed Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

- 500 tonnes of toxic chemicals -

In an emailed statement to AFP, the OPCW said: "We are not in a position to disclose operational details of an ongoing effort."

It specified however that the stocks in question "are industrial chemicals in wide use as well as precursor chemicals that are several stages away from being actual chemical weapons."

A German defence ministry spokesman said the shipment would arrive in Germany "in the coming weeks" and contained "about 500 tonnes of toxic chemical products" that would be destroyed by GEKA, Germany's state-owned company for disposing of chemical weapons.

"These chemical products can be used to produce toxic gases or warfare agents, but are not toxic gases or warfare agents," the spokesman said.

A Danish foreign ministry spokesman said the government "can neither confirm nor deny" reports of its involvement.

The UN Security Council on July 22 endorsed plans to remove Libya's remaining chemical weapons from the country and prevent them from falling into the hands of extremists like IS.

Libya joined the UN convention on eliminating chemical weapons in 2004 as part of Kadhafi's ultimately abortive efforts to shake off the country's pariah status and mend relations with the West.

The convention uses a broad definition of "chemical weapons" to include not only those already prepared for delivery but also toxic chemicals intended for use in weapons and the precursors used to create them.

- Battle for Sirte -

At the time Libya joined the convention, it declared 24.7 tonnes of sulphur mustard, 1,390 tonnes of precursor chemicals and more than 3,500 aerial bombs containing chemical weapons.

It had eliminated all the aerial bombs, 51 percent of the sulphur mustard and 40 percent of the precursor chemicals by 2011, when operations to destroy the arsenal were interrupted by the uprising against Kadhafi, according to the OPCW.

Of three chemical weapons production facilities also declared in 2004, two were destroyed and one converted for civilian use, it said.

Fears over the remaining stockpiles grew with the rise of the Libyan branch of IS, which took advantage of the country's turmoil last year to seize control of the coastal city of Sirte.

Forces loyal to the internationally backed GNA, a unity government that was declared earlier this year but has struggled to assert its authority, have made significant gains against IS in Sirte.

After capturing most of the city including IS's central headquarters earlier this month, loyalist forces have cornered the jihadists in one last district.

"Preparations to liberate the entire city are ongoing today and we expect the situation to be resolved in a very short time," Reda Issa, a spokesman for the loyalist forces, told AFP on Tuesday.

Members of forces loyal to Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord fire at enemy positions on August 28, 2016 in the coastal city of Sirte Mahmud Turkia (AFP)
Gabon on edge as it waits for election results

Security forces deployed on the deserted streets of Libreville Tuesday as Gabon awaited official results of the weekend presidential election that both the incumbent Ali Bongo and his main rival already claim to have won.

The interior minister said he would announce official results after the Cenap election commission meets at around 7:00 pm (1800 GMT), reiterating that it is illegal to release results before then.

Presidential challenger Jean Ping, a 73-year-old career diplomat, was said by his team to have a 60,000-vote lead over Bongo which could only be overturned with "massive fraud".

Residents queue at a bakery in the centre of Gabon's capital Libreville on August 30, 2016 as they rush to stock up on bread fearing unrest ahead the official presidential election results Marco Longari (AFP)

Bongo's camp said the president -- who came to power in a 2009 election held after the death of his father Omar Bongo, who had ruled the oil-rich central African country for 41 years -- was guaranteed victory.

Many in Gabon fear a repeat of the violence that followed the 2009 election.

On Tuesday afternoon anti-riot police began to take up positions around Libreville and later established checkpoints in various parts of the capital, blocking access to the presidential palace. Light armoured vehicles also began to patrol along the Atlantic coast.

The embassy of France, the former colonial power, told French nationals not to move around the city.

- 'Scared' locals stock food -

In the late morning, residents poured into supermarkets and bakeries to stock up with food.

"We are being careful, we don't know what is going to happen," said a bakery customer who gave his name only as Raymond.

Bakery worker Dieudonne spoke of "hundreds" of baguettes flying off the shelves.

"(People) are scared, they don't know what's going to happen but they have good reason to worry," he said.

EU observers said the vote in the oil-rich Central African country was "managed in a way that lacked transparency".

Observers identified issues including voter lists not being posted outside polling stations, poor control of indelible ink applied to voters' fingers to prevent them casting multiple ballots and ballot box seals that did not have serial numbers.

- 'Heated' discussions -

Sources close to Cenap said that they expected the Ping and Bongo camps to be part of "heated" discussions when the commission meets later Tuesday to discuss the result, warning that talks could go on "for hours."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon phoned both candidates to express concern about the premature results they had released and urged them to ask their supporters to show restraint.

On Monday Ping accused the commission of tampering with the outcome of the poll and said the Gabonese people "want me to run the country and will never accept having the victory, their victory, stolen from them".

He said they would "defend by all means" his victory, raising the spectre of a repeat of 2009, when several people were killed in clashes, buildings were looted and the French consulate in the economic capital Port Gentil was torched.

- Bitter accusations -

Campaigning in this election was marked by months of bitter exchanges, including accusations -- and strenuous denials -- that Bongo was born in Nigeria and therefore ineligible to run.

While victory for the opposition would end nearly 50 years of one-family rule in Gabon, it would not be a total break with the Bongo era -- Ping worked for many years in the administration of Omar Bongo.

He later went on to serve as head of the African Union Commission and president of the UN General Assembly.

Gabon has seen growing popular unrest in recent months, with numerous public sector strikes and thousands of layoffs in the oil sector.

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.

The collapse in the price of oil has hit the Gabonese economy hard, and Ping has described Bongo's attempts to diversify away from petroleum as window dressing.

France is also keeping a close eye on the election in Gabon.

On Sunday, Ping said he was invited to the French embassy in Libreville.

"The Bongo family has been ruling Gabon for more than half a century. A change would be a sign of good democratic health, and it would set an example," France's governing Socialist Party said in a statement.

Bongo's spokesman hit back, branding the statement "interventionist and neo-colonial".

Pro-opposition media meanwhile began to celebrate.

"The French Socialist Party recognises Ping's victory," read the front page headline of opposition daily La Loupe.

The two main candidates in Gabon's presidential election Philippe Mouche, Vincent Lefai (AFP)

Gabon opposition candidate Jean Ping has accused the Cenap electoral commission of tampering with the outcome of the poll Marco Longari (AFP/File)

Gabonese President Ali Bongo casts his vote at a polling station in Libreville during the presidential election on August 27, 2016 Marco Longari (AFP)

A supporter of Gabon's opposition leader Jean Ping sings the national anthem outside the party headquarters in the capital Libreville on August 28, 2016 Marco Longari (AFP/File)
Israel calls UN criticism of settlement building 'absurd'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Tuesday called criticism of Israeli settlement building "absurd" after a UN envoy strongly hit out at his government over the issue.

"The claim that it is illegal for Jews to build in Jerusalem is as absurd as saying Americans can't build in Washington or the French can't build in Paris," Netanyahu spokesman David Keyes said in a statement.

Nickolay Mladenov, the UN coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told the Security Council on Monday that Israeli settlement expansion has surged in the two months since a key report called for a halt.

Since July 1, Israeli has advanced plans for more than 1,000 housing units in annexed east Jerusalem and 735 units in the occupied West Bank, UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov said Ahmad Gharabli (AFP/File)

The report by the diplomatic Quartet -- the European Union, Russia, the UN and the United States -- said construction of settlements on land earmarked to be part of a future Palestinian state is killing off prospects for a peace deal based on a two-state solution.

Since July 1, Israeli has advanced plans for more than 1,000 housing units in annexed east Jerusalem and 735 units in the occupied West Bank, Mladenov said.

He also said Israel has undertaken a land survey on the outskirts of Bethlehem for the establishment of a new settlement in a move that would contribute to the "dismemberment of the southern West Bank."

The Security Council declared Israeli settlements in occupied territory to be illegal in a resolution adopted in 1979.

Mladenov said that determination was "equally true and even more urgent a concern today."

Keyes said the UN envoy's comments "made peace harder to achieve by distorting history and international law".

"It is not the presence of Jews, who have lived in the West Bank and Jerusalem for thousands of years, that is a barrier to peace," he said.

"Rather, it is the unceasing efforts to deny that historical connection..."

Israel occupied the West Bank in the Six-Day War of 1967 in a move never recognised by the international community.
 Flash

The Sudanese government called on South Sudan on Monday to expedite its pledges to expel armed groups hostile to Khartoum, official Sudanese media center (SMC) reported.

Sudan awaits the fulfillment of South Sudan's promise by South Sudan Vice President Taban Deng to eject the armed movements from Juba within 24 days, said Ahmed Bilal Osman, the Sudanese minister of information and spokesperson for the government, reported SMC.

Osman hoped that this promise would be implemented on set date by South Sudan government.

He hailed ties between the two countries, saying "we are working for the unity of South Sudan and supporting the UN steps for stability in the new state."

Taban Deng affirmed that his country would not be a "base" for any armed groups against Sudan during his visit to Khartoum on Aug. 22.

The two countries agreed to settle all outstanding security issues and implement them within 21 days, Deng said at a press conference after meeting with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
Israel destroys home of Palestinian accused after deadly attack

Israel's military overnight destroyed the home of a Palestinian accused of involvement in a shooting attack in the occupied West Bank that led to the death of a rabbi, it said Tuesday.

The army said it used explosives to destroy the home of Mohammed Abed Almajid Mohammed El-Amaira, 38, in Dura, southwest of the West Bank city of Hebron.

Amaira, a member of the Palestinian Authority security services, was arrested several weeks ago, accused of having helped plan and carry out the attack on July 1, when gunmen opened fire on a car near Hebron.

Israel routinely demolishes homes of Palestinian assailants in what it says is a means to deter further attacks Jaafar Ashtiyeh (AFP/File)

The car crashed, killing rabbi Michael Mark, who led a religious school in the Israeli settlement of Otniel, and injuring two family members, according to the army.

Amaira is accused of having been the driver in the attack.

Another Palestinian accused over the attack, Mohamed Fakih, 29, was killed during a raid in July that saw Israeli forces fire anti-tank missiles at a house in the West Bank village of Surif.

Israel regularly destroys the homes of Palestinians accused of attacks as part of efforts to deter future violence.

Palestinians and human rights activists say the policy amounts to collective punishment, forcing families to suffer for the acts of others.

Also overnight, the body of Thaer Abu Ghazaleh, a 19-year-old Palestinian shot dead after three passers-by were stabbed and lightly wounded in Tel Aviv last October, was finally returned to his relatives for burial.

Israel authorities have often withheld the bodies of Palestinians killed while carrying out attacks, in a policy which has divided Israeli officials.
Venezuela to expel Al Jazeera journalists

Venezuela on Tuesday was set to expel a crew of Al Jazeera journalists who were intending to cover an opposition march against President Nicolas Maduro, the country's union of journalists said.

With Venezuela in the throes of severe economic and political crises, the opposition has called for a march on Caracas on Thursday to press its constitutionally sanctioned demand for a referendum to remove Maduro.

The authorities detained three employees of the Qatar-based channel when they arrived Monday at Maiquetia international airport outside Caracas, the National Union of Press Workers (SNTP) said on Twitter.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro delivers a speech during in Caracas on July 28, 2016 Federico Parra (AFP/File)

"Teresa Bo, correspondent, Lagmi Chavez, producer, and a cameraman (from) @AlJazeera were detained in Maiquetia," the SNTP tweeted, saying their equipment was confiscated.

The cameraman was named in local media reports as Mariano Rosendi.

The journalists travelled from Argentina but are to be deported to Colombia, the SNTP added.

Media rights groups frequently criticize Venezuela for violating the freedom of the press. One local group, Espacio Publico, registered 286 incidents last year, mainly in the form of intimidation and harassment.
Philippine military ramps up Abu Sayyaf offensive

The Philippine military deployed thousands of extra troops on Tuesday to destroy an Islamic extremist group notorious for kidnapping foreigners, after 15 soldiers were killed, authorities said.

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered his security forces to wipe out the Abu Sayyaf, which has declared allegiance to the Islamic State group and recently beheaded two Canadian hostages.

But an assault that began last week on the heavily forested island of Jolo, one of the Abu Sayyaf's strongholds about 900 kilometres (550 miles) south of Manila, has met fierce resistance.

Philippine soldiers carry caskets containing bodies of colleagues killed in an encounter with Islamic extremist Abu Sayyaf group at Jolo airport on the island of Mindanao, on August 30, 2016

Fifteen troops were killed and another 10 were injured in a single encounter with the Abu Sayyaf on Monday, regional military spokesman Major Filemon Tan said.

An additional 2,500 troops were on Tuesday deployed to Jolo and nearby islands, according to presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella.

"The president is focused on making sure that the threat from the Abu Sayyaf group should be terminated as soon as possible," Abella told reporters in Manila.

Tan said the extra troops would join two brigades already involved in the fighting. He declined to give specific numbers, but there are at least 1,000 soldiers in a brigade.

Tan said the military would be able to achieve the goal set by Duterte, but conceded the rough terrain and possible assistance from local Muslim residents were working to the Abu Sayyaf's advantage.

Duterte, who has been in office for two months, initially called on the Abu Sayyaf to lay down their arms but quickly adopted a tougher stance when his overtures were rejected.

"Go out and destroy them. Kill whoever they are," Duterte said last week, in reference to the Abu Sayyaf.

The Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of a militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network.

It is based in remote Muslim populated southern islands of the mainly Catholic Philippines, and has earned millions of dollars from kidnappings-for-ransom.

While its leaders have in recent years pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, analysts say the group is mainly focused on a lucrative kidnapping business rather than religious ideology.

This year the militants beheaded two Canadians after their demands for millions of dollars in ransoms were rejected. The group is currently believed to be holding a Norwegian, a Dutchman and five Indonesian sailors, according to the military.

Tan said the military estimated it was fighting about 480 militants, but there could be more. He said the army had killed 30 militants, although this was impossible to verify.
Turkey's Syria operation could spark escalation, warns France

French President Francois Hollande warned Tuesday that "contradictory interventions" by Turkish and Russian forces in Syria could spark an escalation of the conflict.

"These multiple, contradictory interventions carry the risk of a wider conflagration," Hollande told a meeting with the diplomatic corps in France, calling for an "absolutely urgent" halt to fighting after Turkey attacked a US-backed Kurdish militia in Syria.

"Syria has been living a terrible tragedy for the past five years," Hollande said.

Turkish army tanks drive to the Syria-Turkey border town of Jarabulus on August 25, 2016 as they launch an offensive on IS jihadists Bulent Kilic (AFP/File)

He said the country's shattered second city Aleppo had endured a "large-scale humanitarian catastrophe".

Calling for an "immediate" ceasefire, he added: "For nearly a year, Russia has been supporting the regime of Bashar al-Assad, who is using this support to bomb rebels as well as civilian populations, which plays into the hands of extremists of all kinds."

He said it was "perfectly understandable" for Turkey to seek to defend itself against the Islamic State group "after the attacks that this country suffered, and to control its border" with Syria.

However, Hollande said Turkey was now also carrying out "actions against Kurds who are themselves fighting IS with the support of the (US-led) coalition."

Turkish forces last week launched a two-pronged operation against IS and Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) inside Syria.

The military action began after 54 people were killed in a weekend suicide attack in the city of Gaziantep near the Syrian border that was blamed on IS.

The YPG is the main component of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which have been fighting IS in northern Syria.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 40 civilians were killed on Sunday in Turkish shelling and airstrikes, claims that were strongly rejected by Ankara.
S. African school told to halt 'racist' hair policy

A South African school was ordered Tuesday to suspend allegedly racist hairstyle regulations after black pupils said they had been called monkeys by teachers for wearing banned 'afros'.

Local education authorities in Gauteng province gave Pretoria High School for Girls 21 days to re-assess its rules after protests by students triggered a public dispute over alleged racism.

The prestigious school in the capital Pretoria was historically attended by whites only but it admitted black children following the end of apartheid in 1994.

Some pupils at Pretoria High School for Girls have said they were forced to chemically straighten their hair and not have afros that were deemed untidy Sia Kambou (AFP/File)

Some pupils said they were forced to chemically straighten their hair and not wear afro hairstyles that were deemed untidy.

After visiting the school on Monday for talks with senior staff and students, provincial education minister Panyaza Lesufi said a probe into the allegations would be launched.

"Learners feel that they are not allowed to wear Black hairstyles, such as Afro. Specifically, the school policy limits the length of the hairstyle," the ministry said in a statement.

"Some educators tell them they look like monkeys, or have nests on their heads."

At the weekend, defiant black students with afro hairstyles and braids held a protest at the school against the long-standing regulations.

Politicians quickly weighed in, with the two largest opposition parties criticising the government-run school.

The ministry statement said "the code of conduct... must be reviewed and the clause dealing with hairstyles should be suspended in the meantime."

It also accused the school of a heavy-handed response for calling in police and armed security guards to deal with protests.

- Growing backlash -

Other allegations raised by students during Monday's talks included being banned from speaking ethnic languages on school premises and suffered discrimination from white teachers and pupils.

A white student allegedly told a black student that she did not need a pencil as her finger was black enough, and white students allegedly complained about taught "kaffir" music, using an insulting term for a black African.

Former pupil Mishka Wazar, 19, told AFP that controversies over racism at the school had been brewing for years.

"During my time there were problems around similar issues, but no one ever took it to the level these girls have done," said Wazar, who is now at university.

"We would write letters and our complaints were largely ignored."

Wazar, who left the school last year, said the rules must be adjusted to fit changing demographics.

She said she had witnessed black girls being pulled aside from school assembly and criticised for their hair.

"The teacher would usually tell them to fix their hair... make it smooth," she said.

"Most of these rules are really hard to adhere to if your hair is not of a certain texture."

Other alumni have also rallied behind the students, with one group writing to a university online newspaper to express their anger over "racism, bullying and patently race-based shaming of black women's bodies by staff."

"We pledge our support to the crop of young women leaders who have brought national attention to issues we are sorely aware are rampant not only at Pretoria High School for Girls," the letter said.

South Africa is still grappling with racial issues 22 years after the end of white-minority rule, with bitter race rows erupting regularly in politics and on social media.

Student activism played a central role in the fight against apartheid, with the massacre of pupils by white police officers in 1976 seen as a key date in the country's tumultuous history.
UN aid contracts 'going to Assad-linked companies'

United Nations aid contracts worth tens of millions of dollars have gone to people closely associated with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad despite US and EU sanctions, the Guardian reported on Tuesday.

The newspaper's analysis of hundreds of UN contracts granted since the Syrian conflict began in 2011 showed many awarded to companies run by or linked to key regime players who are under EU and US sanctions.

But the United Nations defended its actions, saying they were taken "in accordance with the core humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence."

A UN aid convoy delivers food, health and emergency items to the rebel-held town of Douma, east of the Syrian capital Damascus Abd Doumany (AFP/File)

The Guardian found that two UN agencies had partnered up with the Syria Trust charity, an organisation started and chaired by Assad's wife Asma, spending a total of $8.5 million (7.6 million euros).

It also said the UN had given money to the state-owned fuel supplier, which is under EU sanctions, and to Syria's national blood bank, which is controlled by Assad's defence ministry.

Money also went to the Al-Bustan Association, owned and run by Assad's billionaire cousin Rami Makhlouf, who is Syria's most notorious and powerful tycoon.

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation had given $13.3 million to the Syrian agriculture ministry, which is on the EU sanctions list, the Guardian said.

"These contracts show how the UN operation has quietly secured deals with individuals and companies that have been designated off-limits by Europe and the US," the Guardian said.

Reinoud Leenders, an expert in war studies at King's College London, wrote in the Guardian that the "UN's alleged pragmatism has long given way to troubling proximity to the regime".

But a UN spokesman defended the contracts.

"It is correct that in Syria, the government determines the non-governmental organisations that the UN agencies in Syria are permitted to work with," explained Jens Laerke, from UN humanitarian agency OCHA.

"If agencies in Syria did not accept this, than they would not be able to save so many lives.
Qaeda-linked group claims deadly Tunisia ambush: SITE

An Al-Qaeda-linked group Tuesday claimed responsibility for a blast that killed three Tunisian soldiers near Mount Sammama, a hideout for jihadists at war with authorities, SITE Intelligence Group said.

The Obka Ibn Nafaa Battalion, which has claimed a string of previous attacks, said on its Twitter account that it ambushed two military vehicles on Monday in Tunisia's western region, hitting one with an improvised explosive device, according to SITE.

The defence ministry blamed the attack, which came on the same day a new unity government took office, on "terrorists", adding that two militants were believed to have been killed by army fire and their bodies removed.

Tunisian forces have been tracking jihadists mainly in the mountainous regions of Chaambi and Sammama Fathi Nasri (AFP/File)

Jihadist attacks in Tunisia have cost dozens of lives among security forces as well as civilians, and 59 foreign tourists were also killed in 2015.
Turkey's operation in Syria fraught with risk: analysts

Turkey's week-old cross-border operation in Syria could become a drawn-out affair that stokes tensions with Washington if Ankara continues to take the fight to US-backed Kurdish fighters, analysts say.

Turkey says its unprecedented offensive aims to rid the border of both the Islamic State group and the anti-IS Kurdish YPG militia, which Ankara also considers a terrorist group.

But since sending in tanks to help Syrian Arab rebels rout IS from the border town of Jarabulus last week, Turkeys fight has been mainly with forces affiliated to the YPG.

Turkey says its unprecedented operation aims to rid its Syria border of both the Islamic State group and the anti-IS Kurdish YPG militia Bulent Kilic (AFP/File)

On Tuesday, the US said it had brokered a "loose agreement" between the two sides to suspend hostilities "for at least the next couple of days".

Turkey neither confirmed nor denied the claim, saying only it awaited the fulfillment of a Kurdish promise to the US to retreat east of the Euphrates river "as soon as possible."

Deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus confirmed Monday the army aimed to prevent the creation of a Kurdish-controlled corridor running nearly the entire length of the border, which would bolster Kurdish PKK rebels in southeast Turkey.

But defending a buffer zone between Kurdish-controlled areas on either side of the Euphrates could suck Turkey deeper into the five-year conflict, said Aykan Erdemir, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

"Ultimately, Syria could yet turn into a territorial extension of the protracted fighting between Turkey and the PKK going on since 1984," he warned.

- 'Museum tanks' -

By Monday, Turkish forces and their rebel allies had advanced to within around 15 kilometres of Manbij, a city west of the Euphrates taken by the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) from IS earlier this month.

Turkey has demanded that pro- Kurdish forces leave the mainly Arab town.

Aaron Stein of the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Centre for the Middle East said any further advances would leave the Turks exposed.

On Saturday, Turkey lost a soldier whose tank was hit by a missile -- its first casualty in the operation.

The army said it had killed 25 "terrorists" -- claims disputed by a monitoring group which said Turkish strikes had killed dozens of mostly civilians.

"Everything they've done so far has been easy and they've already taken a loss," Stein said, referring to Turkey.

"If they want to fight through (to Manbij) theyll take more casualties," he said calling the M60 tanks deployed by Turkey "museum pieces" that are vulnerable to roadside bombs.

- Border beachhead -

So far Turkey has kept the operation relatively small, deploying only a few dozen tanks and a few hundred troops alongside a larger force of Syrian rebels.

But as it gains ground it could be forced to step up its presence, to help the rebels hold their ground.

"What Turkey does not want is for that territory to fall back into the hands of the Islamic State or the Syrian Kurds," Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat who chairs the EDAM think tank in Istanbul, said.

Ulgen said he expected the Turkish army to set up a beachhead around Jarabulus, advancing and retreating from there for surgical strikes.

Further clashes with the YPG would add to tensions with NATO ally Washington, which loudly protested the weekend clashes, calling on both sides to focus their fire on Islamic State.

"It is hard to see how this does not get messy," the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) wrote in a paper.

"For the Kurds the entire conflict has been about establishing a quasi-state of their own within Syria; for Turkey it is now about preventing such an outcome."

Turkey's foray has also raised questions about its stance in Syria's core conflict, between Russian-backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime and the various rebel factions trying to oust him.

Turkey has been a fierce opponent of Assad but recently appeared to soften its stance.

Both Russia and Damascus issued only muted protests when Turkish tanks rumbled into Syria, flanked by anti-Assad rebels.

That could change if the offensive spurs on rebels the Syrian regime in the battered city of Aleppo and other flashpoints.

"In the end, it is hard to imagine that the different actors can simultaneously remain in alignment on the Kurdish question while maintaining a brutal fight elsewhere," the ECFR said.

Back at home, the operation could also lead to an escalation in the fighting between the Turkish military and the PKK.

The PKK have killed hundreds of Turkish security force members since a truce fell apart last year while a PKK offshoot has claimed three suicide bombings in Istanbul and Ankara.

"If there is a more sustained confrontation with the YPG that will certainly have a negative impact... in relation to the ongoing struggle against the PKK," Ulgen said.

Kurds at the heart of the Syrian conflict Thomas SAINT-CRICQ, Jean Michel CORNU (AFP/File)

US Secretary of State Joe Biden made a visit to Turkey last week Kayhan Ozer (TURKEY'S PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE/AFP/File)
Palestinian security forces arresting, abusing critics: HRW

Palestinian security forces have been arresting and abusing journalists and activists critical of their leaders, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday in a report weeks before local elections.

The US-based group said abuses had occurred in both the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority is in power, and the Gaza Strip, run by Islamist movement Hamas.

"Both Palestinian governments, operating independently, have apparently arrived at similar methods of harassment, intimidation and physical abuse of anyone who dares criticise them," Sari Bashi, the organisation's Israel and Palestine director, said in a statement.

Palestinian Hamas policmen march with their police dogs along a street in Gaza City on April 24, 2013 Mohammed Abed (AFP/File)

"The Palestinian people fought hard to gain the protections that accompany membership in the international community, and their leaders should take their treaty obligations seriously."

A spokesman for Palestinian Authority security forces in the West Bank, Adnan al-Damiri, said: "We are committed to the international treaties that we signed and respect for human rights."

He said officers were trained to avoid rights abuses.

In Gaza, interior ministry spokesman Iyad al-Bozum denied torture or political arrests. He said the Human Rights Watch report "includes many fallacies."

Human Rights Watch highlighted five cases in its report, including two in the West Bank and three in Gaza.

It said security forces arrested or questioned journalists, a political activist and two rap musicians due to "peaceful criticism of the authorities."

According to the group, two of those arrested in Gaza and two in the West Bank said they were "physically abused or tortured".

"In the abuse cases, activists and journalists said that security officers beat or kicked them, deprived them of sleep and proper food, hosed them with cold and then hot water, and made them maintain uncomfortable positions for long hours," it said.

"In Gaza, two detainees said security officials made them sign commitments not to criticise the authorities without proper evidence. In the West Bank, both men arrested faced criminal charges, including defamation and insulting a public official."

The rights group warned that "at a time when many Palestinians are critical of their leaders, the crackdowns have a chilling effect on public debate in the traditional news media, and on social media."

Palestinian municipal elections are to be held on October 8. Hamas boycotted the last Palestinian municipal elections in 2012, but is due to participate this year.

There have been no Palestinian parliamentary elections since 2006, when Hamas won by a landslide.

In one of its examples, the Human Rights Watch report quoted a 21-year-old student in the West Bank who was a member of a rap group and who was arrested three times in 2014 and 2015.

It said the student, Mutaz Abu Lihi, was beaten and left with broken teeth at one point, while he was also harassed and pressured to work as an informant.
Putin to visit Japan in December

President Vladimir Putin will visit Japan in December as Moscow and Tokyo strive to ease old tensions over four disputed islands, the Kremlin said Tuesday.

Tokyo-Moscow relations are hamstrung by a row dating back to the end of World War II when Soviet troops seized the southernmost islands in the Pacific Kuril chain, known as the Northern Territories in Japan.

"Vladimir Putin's long-delayed visit to Japan will take place in December," Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told reporters.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin plans to visit Japan in December Ivan Sekretarev (Pool/AFP/File)

"The time and date have already been agreed to, but we will announce them with the approval of the Japanese side."

The tensions have prevented the countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending wartime hostilities, hindering trade and investment ties.

Putin -- who last visited Japan in 2005 -- is set to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday on the sidelines of an economic forum in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok.

Senior Russian officials, including foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, energy minister Alexander Novak and Igor Sechin, the head of oil giant Rosneft -- are also set to take part in talks with the Japanese delegation, Ushakov said.

Abe visited Russia in May and the Kremlin then raised the possibility of a return visit by Putin before the end of the year as both sides look to rekindle talks aimed at resolving the territorial dispute.

The Kremlin at the time dismissed hopes of any major breakthrough but played up Abe's visit as a symbol of warming ties despite Western attempts to isolate Putin.

Tokyo is closely allied with Washington and has slapped sanctions on Moscow over its annexation of Crimea and the unrest in Ukraine.

Over the years, leaders from the two nations have tried to make headway on resolving the row but a solution has proved elusive and still looks some way off.

Foreign minister Lavrov said earlier this year that Russia wants to "move forward" its ties with Japan but is not prepared to budge on the "result of World War II".

Russia has angered Japan recently by building new modern compounds for its troops stationed on two of the disputed islands.
 Flash

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will visit Laos and attend the 11th East Asia Summit in Vientiane next week at the invitation of his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

Hua Chunying said Li will also attend the 19th China-ASEAN (10+1) leaders' meeting, a summit marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue relations between China and ASEAN, and the 19th ASEAN-China, Japan and Republic of Korea (10+3) leaders' meeting from Sept. 6 to 9.

She said at a daily news briefing that Li's attendance at the East Asian leaders' meetings will promote China-ASEAN ties and enhance regional cooperation.

The Chinese side stands ready to work with ASEAN to hold a successful summit and take the 25th anniversary of dialogue relations as an opportunity to build a closer China-ASEAN community of common destiny, Hua said.

"We expect the East Asian cooperation meetings to focus on development, and push forward cooperation in such areas as finance, capacity, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, free trade area construction, and non-traditional security," the spokesperson said.

As China's good neighbor and an important member and the rotating chair of ASEAN, China attaches great importance to the development of the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation, she said.

This year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of China-Laos diplomatic ties, Hua said, noting that both sides have maintained frequent high-level exchanges, cemented political mutual trust and achieved fruitful results in economic and trade cooperation.

She said it will be the first visit made by Premier Li to Laos, and he will hold talks with Thongloun and exchange views on bilateral ties and issues of common concern.

Li's visit will bring the China-Laos comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation to a new high and bring more benefits to both peoples, Hua added.
Arsenal seal move for Spanish striker Perez

Arsenal have completed a deal to sign Spanish striker Lucas Perez from Deportivo La Coruna, the Premier League club announced on Tuesday.

Arsenal did not disclose either the length of Perez's contract or the transfer fee, but British media reports said the 27-year-old had cost around 17 million pounds ($22.3 million, 20 million euros).

Arsenal are also believed to be close to signing Germany defender Shkodran Mustafi from Valencia for around 35 million pounds.

Deportivo La Coruna's midfielder Lucas Perez controls the ball during a Spanish league match against Sevilla at the Municipal de Riazor stadium in La Coruna on December 5, 2015 Miguel Riopa (AFP/File)

Discussing Perez, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told the club website: "He's not only a goalscorer, he's a guy who combines well with partners, who can give a final ball and makes good runs.

"He's got a good eye for goal and had an outstanding season last year."

Arsenal are reported to have seen off competition from Premier League rivals Everton to secure Perez's signature.

Perez, who is uncapped, scored 19 goals for Deportivo last season, including 17 in La Liga.

He also scored the winning goal in their 2-1 win over Eibar on the opening day of this season.

He began his career with Atletico Madrid's C team and has also played for Rayo Vallecano, Ukrainian side Karpaty Lviv and Greek club PAOK.

Perez follows Swiss international midfielder Granit Xhaka, Japanese forward Takuma Asano and young English centre-back Rob Holding in arriving at Arsenal during the mid-year transfer window.
Kerry warns Pakistan over 'sanctuary' for extremists

US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Pakistan Tuesday to do more to stop extremist groups operating out of its territory, saying on a visit to India there could be no distinction between "good and bad terrorists".

Kerry said it was vital that Islamabad moved to "deprive any group of sanctuary", highlighting the threat posed by Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based Kashmiri separatist group behind a string of anti-Indian attacks.

"We will not and we cannot make distinctions between good and bad terrorists... Terrorism is terrorism," Kerry said at a press conference alongside India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj.

US Secretary of State, John Kerry attends a joint press interaction with Indian Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj after a meeting in New Delhi on August 30, 2016 Prakash Singh (AFP)

Kerry said the US government had "had conversations with all members of the region frankly about efforts they need to take against terrorism which comes out of their country", adding that he had personally raised the issue with Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

India has accused Pakistan of stoking a new bout of unrest in Kashmir, the troubled Himalayan region which has been divided between the two countries since independence in 1947 and is claimed in full by both.

Around 70 civilians have been killed since the beginning of last month in the aftermath of the Indian army's killing of a charismatic young separatist leader and a curfew remains in place in many parts of Kashmir.

Swaraj said there was "a meeting of minds" during her talks with Kerry on tackling the threats posed by extremists as she reiterated long-standing accusations that Pakistan was sponsoring "cross-border terrorism".

"I briefed Secretary Kerry about the continuing problem of cross-border terrorism that India and the larger region faces from Pakistan," she said.

"We repeated our stand that Pakistan should stop providing safe havens to terror groups... We also agreed that countries must not categorise terrorists as good or bad."

Both sides said that there had been an agreement to step up cooperation on intelligence.
Kurdish-backed fighters in Syria agree Turkey truce

Kurdish-backed militias in Syria agreed Tuesday to a US initiative to stop fighting Turkish forces whose week-old incursion in the country has stoked tensions between Washington and Ankara.

The truce was announced separately by a senior US defence official in Washington and the Kurdish-backed Syrian fighters, but Turkey neither confirmed nor denied it had agreed to hold fire.

Turkey launched an unprecedented cross-border offensive into Syria last Wednesday, saying it was aimed at ridding the frontier of both Islamic State group jihadists and a Kurdish militia.

Turkish soldiers drive a tank towards Syria from the Turkish border city of Karkamis in the Gaziantep region on August 27, 2016 Bulent Kilic (AFP/File)

IS said Tuesday its spokesman Abu Mohamed al-Adnani was killed in the Syrian province of Aleppo, as the US confirmed a "senior leader" from the group was targeted in the same area.

Kurds have carved out a semi-autonomous region in Syria's north and northeast, with their People's Protection Units (YPG) becoming a key partner of the US-led coalition fighting IS.

The YPG is also a key component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which groups diverse factions battling the jihadists.

Ankara fears the emergence of an autonomous Kurdish region in Syria would bolster the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) across the border in southeastern Turkey.

At the weekend Turkish forces killed several Kurdish fighters while its tanks rolled across the border to help Syrian Arab rebels rout IS from the frontier district of Jarabulus.

The military operation triggered alarm bells in Washington, which is trying to contain the violence between its Turkish and Kurdish allies.

"In the last several hours, we have received assurance that all parties involved are going to stop shooting at each other and focus on the ISIL threat," US Central Command spokesman, Colonel John Thomas, said using an acronym for IS.

"It's a loose agreement for at least the next couple of days and we are hoping that will solidify" Thomas said.

He said the Turkish and SDF had opened communications with the United States and between each other "with the goal of limiting hostilities".

The Kurdish-backed Jarablus Military Council supported by the SFD confirmed a truce had been reached.

"We agreed on a ceasefire with the Turkish state via the United States and the international coalition" that is fighting IS, said council spokesman Ali Hajo.

- Turkey seeks US guarantees -

Speaking to AFP by telephone, Hajo said the truce took effect at midnight (2100 GMT Monday) and was expected to last "for an unspecified period of time".

"We are continuing to negotiate (with the Turkish forces) through the Americans," he said without elaborating.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor reported calm Tuesday on the southern front of Jarablus, which Turkish forces captured from IS jihadists last week on the first day of their incursion.

But Turkey neither confirmed nor denied the claim, saying only it awaited the fulfullment of a Kurdish promise to the United States to retreat east of the Euphrates river "as soon as possible".

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus confirmed Monday the army aimed to prevent the creation of a Kurdish-controlled corridor running nearly the entire length of the border.

Ankara sees the YPG as a "terrorist" offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party and fears an autonomous Kurdish region in Syria would bolster the PKK in southeast Turkey.

Also on Monday, Turkey warned it would carry out more strikes on the US-backed YPG in Syria if it fails to retreat from the border area.

But analysts said further Turkish involvement in Syria's five-year war and clashes with the YPG were fraught with risks and could stoke tensions with NATO ally Washington.

Defending a buffer zone between Kurdish-controlled areas on either side of the Euphrates could suck Turkey deeper into the conflict, said Aykan Erdemir, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

"Ultimately, Syria could yet turn into a territorial extension of the protracted fighting between Turkey and the PKK going on since 1984," he said.

The PKK has waged a deadly insurgency on Turkish territory for more than three decades.

"It is hard to see how this does not get messy," the European Council on Foreign Relations wrote in a paper, referring to the situation in northern Syria.

Kurds at the heart of the Syrian conflict Jean Michel Cornu, Thomas Saint-Cricq (AFP)
Darwinian hope for Tasmania's tumour-ravaged devils: study

Their numbers decimated by a vicious facial cancer, Tasmanian devils seem to be pulling back from the brink of extinction through lightning-fast genetic evolution, astonished scientists said on Tuesday.

A detailed comparison of the genomes of 294 devils, before and after the cancer emerged 20 years ago, revealed species-wide adaptations in seven genes over just four to six devil generations.

Five of the genes are associated with immunity and cancer resistance in mammals.

A study of the genomes of 294 Tasmanian devils, before and after their cancer emerged 20 years ago, revealed species-wide adaptations in seven genes Greg Wood (AFP/File)

"The devils are evolving," study co-author Andrew Storfer of Washington State University told AFP. "Remarkably, this evolution was quite rapid."

Evolution within a species through the acquisition of lasting and beneficial genetic traits in response to factors such as environment or disease, is generally thought to be a long, slow process.

Thus the team were "pleasantly surprised" to observe potential species-saving changes happening essentially before their eyes.

Fellow study author Hamish McCallum of Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, is one of several experts to have predicted the devils would be extinct by now.

"I am very glad I was wrong," he said in a statement on Tuesday. "It appears the devils are saving themselves through evolution."

Tasmanian devils are small dog-sized nocturnal marsupials indigenous to the Australian island state of Tasmania.

An endangered species, the animals are carnivores and aggressive towards one another.

In 1996, scientists first noticed strange tumours growing on the creatures' faces.

- A devil of a disease -

Soon it became apparent that, unlike most cancers, the tumours were infectious and spread by devils biting one another.

Those infected with Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) often die of starvation as the disfiguring growths prevent them eating.

"The disease is nearly 100 percent fatal. It's moved 95 percent of the way across Tasmania, infecting almost all known populations, it's caused roughly an 80 percent overall decline in numbers of Tasmanian devils," Storfer said in a phone briefing.

Once in excess of 250,000 individuals, only a few thousand are believed to be left in the wild.

Given the extinction predictions, Storfer and colleagues set out to understand why there were still devils around.

They analysed genetic data from thousands of tissue samples collected over more than two decades.

The data showed the devils were "evolving especially fast," said Paul Hohenlohe of the University of Tasmania, another author of the study published in Nature Communications.

"The disease first appeared in 1996, so just over the course of 20 years is extremely rapid especially for a mammal."

Scientists have yet to confirm that the observed gene changes do actually boost disease resistance in the devils.

The information may then be used by captive devil breeders to produce animals carrying the protective genetic variants.

"Overall, the evolutionary response of Tasmanian devils observed here suggests hope for the continued survival of this species," the study authors concluded.

Conservationists are keen to spare the Tasmanian devil the fate of the thylacine or Tasmanian wolf -- the previous largest marsupial predator, which died out in the 1930s.
Iraq's Mosul can be retaken from IS this year: US general

Coalition-backed Iraqi forces can retake the key northern city of Mosul from the Islamic State group by the end of the year, the commander of US forces in the Middle East said Tuesday.

"It's the prime minister's objective to have that done by the end of the year," General Joe Votel, head of the US military's Central Command, told reporters in a video call.

"My assessment is that we can meet the prime minister's objective, if that is what he chooses to do."

After retaking Fallujah in June, Iraqi security forces are focused on Mosul, the Islamic State group's de facto capital in the country Sabah Arar (AFP/File)

The US-led coalition fighting IS in Iraq and Syria for the past two years has for months framed the upcoming battle for Mosul as the defining fight against the jihadists in Iraq.

Mosul is the country's second-largest city and is IS's center of operations in Iraq.

Iraqi security forces, with coalition support, have already started "shaping operations" around Mosul, including the capture of surrounding villages and facilities.

Votel said the fight for Mosul would be "hard and difficult" and that IS would leave countless bombs in the city while also hiding behind civilians.

Similarly, in Syria, coalition-backed local forces are beginning to hone in on Raqa, the self-proclaimed capital of IS's so-called "caliphate."
UN chief calls on Myanmar to make Rohingya citizens

Myanmar's stateless Rohingya should be given the right to citizenship after generations living in the country, UN chief Ban Ki-Moon said on Tuesday.

Many from the million-strong Muslim minority are denied citizenship, voting and work rights and reviled as imposters in overwhelmingly Buddhist Myanmar.

More than 120,000 have been displaced, many to squalid displacement camps in western Rakhine state, after fleeing violence stirred by Buddhist nationalists in 2012.

A Myanmar ethnic Rohingya Muslim living in Malaysia displays a placard during a protest against the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, outside the Myanmar embassy in Kuala Lumpur on July 15, 2016 Mohd Rasfan (AFP/File)

Thousands have fled to other Southeast Asian countries on rickety boats in search of better lives, only to drown or fall victim to human traffickers.

In June, the UN said the Rohingya suffered entrenched discrimination so deep it may amount to crimes against humanity.

"This is not just a question of the Rohingya community's right to self-identify," Ban told a press conference alongside Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

"People who have been living for generations in this country should enjoy the same legal status and citizenship as everyone else."

His comments come as Myanmar's new civilian government is seeking to tackle the seemingly intractable issue that has dogged Nobel laureate Suu Kyi for years.

Even the word Rohingya has become loaded -- with Buddhist nationalists having staged protests across the country against using the term. They instead label the group "Bengalis" and cast them as illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh.

The veteran democracy activist has come under fire from international rights groups for failing to address the plight of the Rohingya, as she seeks to avoid stoking further unrest over the sensitive issue.

Last week, the government announced it would set up an advisory panel chaired by former UN secretary general Kofi Annan to find "lasting solutions to the complex and delicate issues in the Rakhine State".

His appointment has triggered a backlash from nationalists, including the local Arakan National Party, who denounced what they saw as foreign meddling.

Ban said he would support his predecessor's work in Rakhine and work with Myanmar's central authorities to tackle the Rohingya issue.

"The situation is complex (in Rakhine) and the government has assured me of their commitment to address the roots of the problem," he said.

"All of Myanmar's people, of every ethnicity and background, should be able to live in equality and harmony side by side with their neighbours."

Ban's speech comes on the eve of the opening of the new government's flagship peace conference to broker a deal with the country's warring ethnic minorities.

The five-day gathering is Suu Kyi's first big drive to end multiple insurgencies that have raged in Myanmar's borderlands since independence in 1948.
UN reports on Western Sahara ceasefire violations

A confidential UN document accuses Morocco and the Polisario Front of ceasefire violations in Western Sahara after they sent security forces and fighters into a buffer zone.

The document sent to the Security Council this week states that Morocco carried out an operation between August 16 and 25 in which armed security personnel were deployed beyond the berm delimiting the buffer zone in the southern Guerguerat region.

On Sunday, the UN mission known as MINURSO said it had spotted in the buffer zone about 32 fighters from the Polisario Front, which is campaigning for the independence of Western Sahara.

A Sahrawi refugee stands on a rug at the Sahrawi refugee camp of Dakhla, 170 kms to the southeast of the Algerian city of Tindouf, in the disputed territory of Western Sahara, on July 8, 2016 Farouk Batiche (AFP/File)

MINURSO also said about 10 Moroccan gendarmes were in the area and both sides were notified that the incursions were in violation of the ceasefire, according to the document seen by AFP on Tuesday.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday urged Morocco and the Polisario to withdraw soldiers and fighters from the buffer strip and to "suspend any action that alters that status quo."

MINURSO has set up a patrol near the tense area to monitor the situation.

MINURSO was established in 1991 after a ceasefire ended a war that broke out when Morocco sent troops to the former Spanish territory in 1975 and fought Sahrawi rebels of the Polisario Front.

The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, declared by the Polisario in 1976, is a full member of the African Union.

Morocco maintains that Western Sahara is an integral part of the kingdom despite UN resolutions that task MINURSO with organizing 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.
Zimbabwe dehorns rhinos to curb poaching

Wildlife authorities in Zimbabwe have begun dehorning the countrys 700 adult rhinos to curb rampant poaching, a conservation group said Tuesday.

"Our target is to dehorn every single adult rhino and to ear-notch the young ones for record-keeping," Lisa Marabini, director for the Aware Trust Zimbabwe (ATZ) conservation group, told AFP.

"Poaching is a very serious problem in this country. This (dehorning) will act as a dissuasive measure and reduce the potential reward for poachers."

Workers from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) go through a process of de-horning a rhino on October 8, 2010 in Chipinge National Park situated at 360km west of Harare Desmond Kwande (AFP/File)

ATZ, which includes veterinarians and conservationists, is working with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority on the dehorning project.

The authority was not immediately available to comment.

ATZ declined to give exact numbers of how many rhinos had been dehorned for security reasons.

Rhinos are among the most poached animals in Zimbabwe and their population has been dwindling over years due to illegal hunting, prompting authorities to keep them in protected areas.

But Marabini said at least 50 rhinos were killed by poachers in Zimbabwe's game reserves last year.

Rhino horns are worth thousands of dollars due to demand in East Asia for their supposed medicinal qualities, fuelling a boom in poaching and trafficking in Zimbabwe and neighbouring South Africa.

The animals are targeted by armed gangs due to the belief in Vietnam and China that ground-up horn cures diseases, including cancer.
Sudan says 816 African migrants arrested in 2 months

Some 800 African migrants and a group of smugglers were arrested near Sudan's border with Libya while trying to reach Europe between June and August, security officers told reporters Tuesday.

Between June 27 and August 16, security forces arrested 816 African migrants attempting to enter Libya, senior army and police officers said.

They included 347 Eritreans, 130 Ethiopians and 90 Sudanese.

African migrants are gathered in a large tent following a press conference during which Sudanese security forces presented them to journalists at the defence ministry in the capital Khartoum on August 30, 2016 Ashraf Shazly (AFP)

Ten smugglers were also arrested on August 16 after clashing with security forces near the border.

"An officer and two soldiers were killed in the firefight," army General Aseer Hussein Bashir told a press conference at the defence ministry in Khartoum.

"These people will face legal charges, after which they will be deported," police General Awad Dahia said of the migrants who were detained.

Thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa try to reach Libya daily, from where they embark en masse for Europe on flimsy and overcrowded boats.

Sudan is a key transit route for these migrants, especially those arriving from Eritrea.

On Tuesday, security forces allowed dozens of migrants who had been arrested to talk to journalists.

Eritrean Cassinet Abrehelli told AFP he had arrived in Khartoum five months ago.

"A month ago, I left Khartoum in a small truck. My plan was to travel to Libya and then to Europe," he said.

"I travelled for seven days in the desert before we were arrested by the Sudanese army on August 16."

Behind him dozens of migrants sat in a tent put up in the defence ministry complex.

"I entered this business just three months ago," said Jumaa Fdi Mohammed from Chad, one of the 10 suspected smugglers arrested by the security forces.

"We work with a guy who tells us to pick up these people and smuggle them into Libya... we don't know what happens to them in Libya," he said.

He said that after every trip he was paid about 1,500 Libyan dinars ($1,100, 986 euros).

- 'Smugglers have huge funds' -

Sudanese officers said the human traffickers were cash-rich and well-equipped.

"They have huge funds and modern communication equipment," said General Azeri Kamal of Sudan's powerful National Intelligence and Security Service.

"This makes it easy for them to travel through areas that are not monitored by security forces."

Sudan earlier this year deported hundreds of Eritreans to their own country after they were arrested while trying to enter Libya.

The UN refugee agency has criticised Sudan, with which the European Union is trying to work to manage the flow of migrants, for deporting the Eritreans.

Rights groups said the deported Eritreans were likely to face abuse from a repressive government in their country.

Refugees from the repressive Red Sea state have in recent years made up one of the largest contingents of people risking the dangerous journey to a new life in Europe.

On Monday, the Italian coastguard rescued about 6,500 migrants off Libya a day after more than 1,100 were rescued in the same area of the Mediterranean.

The total number of arrivals in Italy this year now stands at 112,500, according to the UN's refugee agency and the coastguard, slightly below the 116,000 recorded by the same point in 2015.

Almost all of those migrants originate from West Africa and the Horn of Africa.

More than 3,000 migrants have died at sea trying to reach either Greece or Italy this year, an increase of some 50 percent on the same period in 2015.

Some 204,000 crossed the Mediterranean to Europe in the first six months of 2016, the UN refugee agency said, as the continent battles its worst migration crisis since World War II.
UN chief urges restraint in calls to Gabon candidates

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday spoke by phone with Gabon's presidential candidates and urged them to ask their supporters to show restraint while waiting for the election results.

Ban spoke to incumbent Ali Bongo and challenger Jean Ping, both of whom have already claimed victory and accused each other of cheating following the vote on Saturday.

The UN chief "expressed concern about the issuance of premature declarations on the outcome of the election ahead of the official announcement of the results" later on Tuesday, said Ban's spokesman in a statement.

A supporter stands on a roof as he holds the Gabonese national flag in the headquarter of the opposition leader Jean Ping in Libreville on August 30, 2016 Marco Longari (AFP)

Ban called on Bongo and Ping "to impress upon their supporters the need to show restraint while waiting for the announcement," he added.

There are fears that the tensions may erupt into a repeat of the violence seen after the disputed 2009 election.

Bongo has ruled Gabon since 2009, following in the footsteps of his late father Omar Bongo who held power for 41 years.

Ban urged Bongo and Ping to resolve any elections dispute through legal means.
Three hurt in suicide blast at China's Kyrgyzstan embassy

A van driven by a suicide bomber exploded after ramming through a gate at the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday, injuring three people, authorities said.

"As a result of the explosion, only the suicide bomber terrorist died. Security guards were injured," Kyrgyzstan's deputy prime minister Jenish Razakov told journalists at the scene.

Razakov said the three wounded were all Kyrgyz employees of the embassy and that they have been hospitalised. Local medics said their injuries were not serious.

Kyrgyz police officers gather outside the Chinese embassy in Bishkek on August 30, 2016 following a suicide bombing Vyacheslav Oseledko (AFP)

Impoverished majority-Muslim Kyrgyzstan -- which borders western China -- has a history of political instability and battling Islamist extremism.

Authorities say the country faces the threat of attacks from Islamic State group jihadists after some 500 Kyrgyz left to fight for the group in Iraq and Syria.

Chinese officials have previously been targeted in attacks linked to radicals from China's mainly Muslim Uighur minority, which lives just across the border in the restive western Xinjiang province.

Law enforcement sources told AFP that a Mitsubishi Delica van smashed through a gate at the embassy on Tuesday morning before exploding in the centre of the compound close to the ambassador's residence.

A police source confirmed to AFP that the vehicle was driven by a suicide bomber and described the incident as a "terrorist attack".

China's foreign ministry condemned the attack as an "extreme and violent act" but refused to classify it as terrorism.

"We asked the Kyrgyz side to get to the bottom of this incident and hold whoever is behind this accountable," spokeswoman Hua Chunying told journalists.

- Houses shook -

Kyrgyz officials have not yet pointed the finger of blame at any specific group, and President Almazbek Atambayev ordered a "thorough investigation".

The country's national security committee said that a criminal case for "terrorism" had been launched in response to the incident.

Kyrgyz police sources put the strength of the blast at an equivalent of up to 10 kilos (22 pounds) of TNT, and one said body parts thought to be those of the attacker were found several hundred metres (yards) from the blast site.

Local residents told AFP that the blast had blown in their windows and caused their houses to shake.

An AFP journalist close to the scene said that damage could be seen on the embassy buildings and that police had cordoned off the area as emergency services worked.

Employees from the Chinese and nearby American embassy on the edge of the city were evacuated, the Kyrgyz emergency service said.

Kyrgyz foreign minister Erlan Abdyldaev told Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in a phone call that authorities would take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese diplomats, Kyrgyzstan's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The American embassy warned US citizens in Kyrgyzstan to "shelter in place" until more information emerged.

An economically troubled ally of Russia, Kyrgyzstan has seen two governments overthrown and ethnic violence claim hundreds of lives since it gained independence in 1991.

The authorities regularly announce that they have foiled attacks planned by IS in the country.

Security forces last year said they had engaged in several fatal shootouts with suspected "terrorists" in the capital Bishkek.

One of the three suicide bombers who carried out a deadly attack blamed on IS at the international airport in the Turkish city Istanbul in June was reported to be from Kyrgyzstan.

- Violence across the border -

Chinese officials in Kyrgyzstan have previously been targeted, with one shot dead in 2000 in an attack blamed on radicals from the Uighur minority.

In 2014 Kyrgyz authorities said they killed 11 people, including Uighur rebels, trying to cross into the country.

Violence has plagued China's northwestern region of Xinjiang, in recent years, sometimes spreading beyond it.

Beijing blames the violence on separatist Islamist terrorists with overseas connections while rights groups point to what they say is discrimination against the Uighurs' culture and religion.

Kyrgyzstan and the other ex-Soviet Central Asian nations have come under fire for using a purported terror threat as a pretext to silence criticism of their secular regimes.

Kyrgyzstan is gearing up to mark 25 years since independence from the Soviet Union with celebrations in Bishkek on Wednesday.

Kyrgyzstan AFP (AFP)

Kyrgyz police cordoned off the area outside the Chinese embassy in Bishkek on August 30, 2016 after a suicide bomber smashed through the gates in a van and detonated a device Vyacheslav Oseldko (AFP)
Egypt court to review protest ban in October

Egypt's constitutional court is to start reviewing on October 1 a controversial law that bans unauthorised protests, officials said on Tuesday.

The law was imposed in November 2013, a few months after the military-led ouster of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Since then the security forces have arrested hundreds of supporters of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement, as well as secular pro-democracy activists.

The anti-protest law sparked an outcry among activists when issued, but it was welcomed by many other Egyptians who had become exhausted from near-constant street activism since a January 2011 uprising toppled former leader Hosni Mubarak Justin Tallis (AFP/File)

Morsi was removed by his then-defence minister and army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on July 3, 2013 amid mass protests demanding his resignation. Sisi became president a year later.

The law sparked an outcry among activists when issued, but it was welcomed by many other Egyptians who had become exhausted from near-constant street activism since a January 2011 uprising toppled former leader Hosni Mubarak.

The law requires protest organisers to inform authorities three days before it takes hold, and gives the interior ministry the right to cancel it if the demonstration is seen as a security risk.

But after the current constitution was ratified in 2014, rights lawyers requested the judiciary to review the constitutionality of the law given that the constitution guarantees the right to protest.

The constitutional court will listen to the lawyers' presentations on October 1, Tarek al-Awady, one of the human rights lawyers behind the appeal, told AFP.

"It (the court) will be able to issue its ruling the same day, or announce a date for its ruling," said Awady.

This law "places restrictions against the right to protest and gives the interior ministry the right to cancel any protest," he said.

"It is a law that effectively bans protesting instead of organise it," said the lawyer.
Yemen reconstruction seen at $15 bn: minister

Reconstruction of war-torn Yemen could cost $15 billion, a cabinet minister said on Tuesday, citing a multilateral institution.

"The World Bank estimates... $15 billion," Abdulraqeb Saif Fateh, Yemen's minister of local administration, told AFP on the sidelines of a workshop on Yemen's post-war recovery.

He gave no details of what exactly the figure would cover but the war has left Yemenis suffering from shortages of food, water, sanitation and healthcare.

A Yemeni man in military fatigue puts out a flame in a building in Yemen's Huthi rebel-held capital Sanaa on August 29, 2016, after it was reportedly hit by a Saudi-led coalition air strike Mohammed Huwais (AFP/File)

Fateh, who is also chairman of Yemen's High Relief Committee, spoke near the close of a two-day workshop on "post-conflict recovery and reconstruction" in Yemen.

The workshop was attended by international donors and organised by Yemen's government and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The six-member GCC in December pledged a global conference on the reconstruction of Yemen after a political solution to the war is reached.

Yemen was already the Arab world's poorest country before March last year when a Saudi-led Arab coalition began air raids and later sent in ground forces to support its internationally recognised government

The coalition intervened after Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies overran much of the country.

Saudi Arabia says the rebels have received weapons from its regional rival Iran, a charge Tehran denies.

More than half of the 6,600 people killed in Yemen since March last year have been civilians, the UN says.

Last week the UN rights office warned that about 7.6 million people in Yemen were suffering from malnutrition, while at least three million had fled their homes.

Violence has intensified since United Nations-brokered peace talks in Kuwait were suspended in early August.

Analysts expect no quick end to the war, despite the announcement last week by US Secretary of State John Kerry of a new peace initiative.

Fateh told reporters that it is "not easy to regain the trust" of donors after what has happened but the government pledges transparent and accountable programmes.

"The donors are ready but they are requesting a safe environment and that's their right," he said, adding that local partners and agencies are ready to do their part.

In May the UN's special envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, called for "an economic rescue authority" to save the Yemeni economy from further deterioration.

He said the consultative body would comprise experts proposed by Yemen's warring parties.

It would be backed by the UN, World Bank and others.

In comparison with the $15 billion figure cited by Fateh, World Bank assessments of damage to six war-damaged Syrian cities ranged up to $4.5 billion at the end of 2014.
Corruption 'epidemic' in Tunisia: anti-graft chief

Graft in Tunisia has reached "epidemic" proportions, the head of the national anti-graft body INLC said on Tuesday, and urged the new government to eradicate the "barons of corruption".

The unity government that took office in the North African nation on Monday has made the fight against corruption a priority.

Prime Minister Youssef Chahed has also announced the abolition of a ministry previously dedicated to battling corruption to concentrate state resources on the INLC.

INLC head Chawki Tabib, pictured on December 4, 2013, took advantage of the presentation of a report at a news conference to urge firm action against corruption Fethi Belaid (AFP/File)

Chawki Tabib, who was appointed to head the INLC at the beginning of the year, took advantage of the presentation of a report at a news conference on Tuesday to urge firm action.

"We conclude that it has reached the epidemic stage, but an epidemic we can still tackle if all efforts are devoted to fight corruption" and if the premier follows through with his pledge, Tabib said.

"The barons of corruption who have infiltrated the state apparatus, the media and the ruling parties must be eradicated," he added.

And without naming names, he said the scourge also affects the judiciary.

Tabib told AFP that experts had assessed the annual cost of corruption and poor governance in public contracts at "two billion dinars" (around 800 million euros).

"It is too much for our economy," he said.

Tabib called for strengthening the law, especially when it came to assets and conflicts of interest.

According to a recent study by the NGO Transparency International, more than two thirds of Tunisians believe that corruption has increased in their country in the past year.
Japan wants fresh UN sanctions against North Korea

Japan pushed the UN Security Council on Tuesday to consider fresh sanctions against North Korea for test-firing a series of ballistic missiles that it said were a threat to the region and the entire world.

The council strongly condemned the series of launches on Friday and agreed in a unanimous statement backed by China to take "further significant measures."

"The number of provocative actions taken by North Korea has been phenomenal," said Japanese Ambassador Kero Bessho following a closed-door meeting of the council.

This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on August 25, 2016 shows a test-fire of strategic submarine-launched ballistic missile being launched at an undisclosed location KNS (KCNA/AFP/File)

Bessho stressed that the high number of launches had led to "quite noteworthy" advances in North Korea's nuclear and missile technology programs.

"This presents a serious threat to the region and the world as a whole," he told reporters.

North Korea has been hit by five sets of UN sanctions since it first tested a nuclear device in 2006.

The council in March adopted the toughest sanctions resolution to date targeting North Korea's trade in minerals and tightening banking restrictions, after Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test.

Bessho noted that 52 countries had so far presented reports detailing how they are enforcing the new raft of sanctions under resolution 2270, but added that more sanctions were necessary.

"For Japan, we feel that sanctions are necessary," he said.

"We need to implement 2270 rigorously and we feel that we can do more in terms of sanctions in order to show to the DPRK that they just cannot keep on going in this way."

North Korea is barred under UN resolutions from any use of ballistic missile technology, but Pyongyang has carried out several launches following its fourth nuclear test in January.

The council statement was adopted after several rounds of negotiations with China, Pyongyang's ally, which has insisted over recent weeks on the need to avoid an escalation of tension on the Korean peninsula.

The Japanese ambassador said many council members supported the idea of further measures, but suggested that this fell short of a consensus.

"The council should be united in taking action," said Bessho.

A previous bid by the council to condemn North Korea for firing a ballistic missile directly into Japanese-controlled waters on August 2 ran aground after China sought changes to the text.
'Urgent' Saudi talks after cyber attacks: media

Saudi cyber experts held urgent talks on Tuesday after government facilities were hacked, official media reported.

The cyber attacks "in recent weeks targeted government institutions and vital installations in the kingdom," the Saudi Press Agency reported, without identifying the targeted agencies.

It said the kingdom's Cybersecurity Centre "held an urgent workshop with a number of parties" to discuss the results of its investigations.

In June a major Saudi newspaper said hackers briefly seized control of its website to publish false information Thomas Samson (AFP/File)

The attacks originated abroad and subjected users' accounts to viruses which spy on information, it said.

Experts outlined how the attacks occurred and presented "necessary procedures to fix and to protect those sites", Saudi Press Agency said.

It gave no indication as to the source of the hacking.

In June a major Saudi newspaper said hackers briefly seized control of its website to publish false information.
Egypt parliament adopts disputed law on churches

The Egyptian parliament on Tuesday adopted a law on regulating the construction of churches, despite opposition by some members of the Christian community which complains of discrimination.

Egypt's Copts, the Middle East's largest Christian minority, have long struggled to obtain official permission to build places of worship.

They find it especially difficult to erect churches south of Cairo, where even the rumour of Christians building one can spark mob violence.

Egypt's Copts, the Middle East's largest Christian minority, have long struggled to obtain official permission to build places of worship Virginie Nguyen Hoang (AFP/File)

"The parliament adopted the bill presented by the government for the construction and restoration of churches by a two-thirds majority," the parliament's website reported.

The new law stipulates that provincial governors will be authorised to issue permits to build churches and that they must respond within four months to each application, lawmakers told AFP.

In the case of refusal, the community may appeal the decision to the administrative court.

The construction of churches in Egypt is still governed by a ministerial decree dating back to 1934.

Ishak Ibrahim, a researcher at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, criticised the lack of transparency in the debates that preceded the adoption of the new law.

"The law was decided by the authorities and a limited number of clergy. Of course they do not represent all Christians," said Ibrahim.

"Members of parliament were not given a chance to propose amendments for some items, with their requests being ignored with the excuse that it is to reach consensus."

He also noted the absence of a unified places of worship law that would govern both the construction of churches and mosques, noting that legislation concerning the mosques is more lenient.

Copts, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population of 90 million, have faced persecution and discrimination that spiked during the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak, who was toppled by a popular uprising in 2011.

Dozens have been killed in recent years in sectarian attacks and clashes throughout Egypt.

There are about 2,869 churches in Egypt.

In rural and poor areas, the faithful who are deprived of churches are often forced to pray in their homes and are sometimes attacked by Muslim neighbours.
The Latest: Police look at bus owners in deadly wreck

NEW ORLEANS (AP)  The Latest on a bus-firetruck wreck in Louisiana that left two dead (all times local):

___

6 p.m.

Louisiana State Police say they're looking into the owners of a bus that hit a firetruck, other vehicles and three firefighters on an elevated stretch of Interstate 10, killing two people and injuring dozens.

Trooper Melissa Matey says questions include whether the bus was in good repair and why it went out of control Sunday night.

She says it's owned by a company with two names: AM Party Bus and Kristina's Transportation LLC.

Messages left by The Associated Press with the party bus reservations agent were not returned.

The number given by directory assistance for Kristina's Transportation is that of Ahmad Salem (SAY-lem). He says he sold the company in January.

Matey says the firetruck was blocking traffic from the scene of an earlier crash.

___

5:45 p.m.

Louisiana State Police say a bus driver accused of killing two people in a five-vehicle wreck on Sunday had been ticketed Aug. 5 for driving without a license.

Trooper Melissa Matey says 37-year-old Denis Yasmir Amaya Rodriguez of Honduras was driving a smaller vehicle when he was cited earlier this month.

On Sunday, he was driving the bus that hit a firetruck and other vehicles Sunday, killing two and injuring 36.

The firetruck was blocking traffic while police investigated an earlier crash on I-10 near LaPlace, about 30 miles west of New Orleans.
Panel tells embattled Nebraska senator to resign by Friday

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)  A Nebraska lawmaker who had cybersex on a state laptop has until Friday to resign or face consequences such as expulsion or impeachment, a legislative panel said Monday.

The Legislature's Executive Board voted 9-0 to send state Sen. Bill Kintner a letter calling for him to step down. If he does not, committee members said they would meet again on Sept. 8 to decide what action to recommend to the full Legislature.

Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha, the Executive Board's chairman, said he would support convening a special meeting of lawmakers, known as a legislative council, to decide how to proceed if Kintner doesn't resign. In addition, Krist said state officials are already taking steps to monitor Kintner's computer usage.

Frank Daley, executive director of the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission, center with back to camera, testifies Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, in Lincoln, Neb., before a legislative committee that is considering disciplinary action against state Sen. Bill Kintner of Papillion, for having cybersex on a state laptop. The Legislature's Executive Board voted 9-0 Monday to send a letter to Kintner calling on him step down. Sen. Kintner declined an invitation to speak before the legislative committee. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

Kintner did not appear at Monday's public hearing, and said in a statement he wouldn't comment until he had received the committee's letter. His attorney, J.L. Spray, said in a letter to the committee that he advised his client not to attend because it's unclear what authority the group has to discipline Kintner.

Some senators said they doubt Kintner will leave office voluntarily. The blunt-spoken, conservative lawmaker has rejected previous requests from Gov. Pete Ricketts, Speaker of the Legislature Galen Hadley and other fellow Republicans.

"He's going to tell us to pound sand," said Sen. Colby Coash of Lincoln.

Kintner was fined $1,000 by a state accountability board after admitting to the online sexual encounter with a woman he met on Facebook. The woman, who is believed to have ties to an Ivory Coast crime syndicate, later threatened to expose the encounter unless Kintner paid her $4,500.

Monday's Executive Board vote came after a hearing in which some conservative groups urged lawmakers not to convene a special session to decide Kintner's fate. Many of the groups consider Kintner an ally because he works to block legislation they oppose.

Doug Kagan, president of Nebraska Taxpayers for Freedom, said lawmakers should wait until the next regular session in January and pass an ethics code that applies to all senators. Nebraska has no such policies in place, leaving some to argue that it's not clear whether expulsion or impeachment is appropriate in Kintner's case.

Sen. Dave Bloomfield of Hoskins, a conservative Republican, said he doesn't condone Kintner's behavior but believes lawmakers are singling him out for punishment.

"Since cybersex was the issue and Bill Kintner was the senator, it appears the rush is on," Bloomfield said.

Kintner has developed a reputation for making inflammatory comments, including times when he compared fellow senators to monkeys, likened lobbyists and politicians to prostitutes, and used the term "wetback" during a debate on an immigration-related bill.

Krist disputed criticism that lawmakers are targeting Kintner.

"This says something about our integrity, about our (Legislature). This is not a witch hunt," he said.
UN document says Morocco violated Western Sahara cease-fire

UNITED NATIONS (AP)  A confidential U.N. document says Morocco violated a 1991 cease-fire agreement with the Polisario Front independence movement by sending armed security personnel and equipment into the contested Western Sahara region without prior notice to U.N. peacekeepers.

The note to the U.N. Security Council from the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, obtained Monday by The Associated Press, said the Polisario Front deployed 32 armed military personnel in response, also in violation of the cease-fire.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed deep concern Sunday at "the tense situation that has developed in the narrow buffer strip in southwestern Western Sahara between the Moroccan berm and the Mauritanian border," his spokesman said.

The U.N. chief said this was the result of "the introduction of armed units from Morocco and the Polisario in close proximity to each other" and urged both sides to respect "the letter and the spirit of the cease-fire agreement," the spokesman said.

Morocco annexed Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, in 1975 and fought the Polisario Front. The U.N. brokered a cease-fire in 1991 and established a peace-keeping force known by the acronym MINURSO to monitor it and help prepare a referendum on the territory's future, which has never taken place.

Morocco considers Western Sahara its "southern provinces" and has proposed wide-ranging autonomy, but the Polisario Front insists on self-determination through a referendum.

Morocco expelled more than 70 U.N. civilian staffers with MINURSO in March to protest the secretary-general's perceived gaffe in using the word "occupation" to describe Morocco's annexation of Western Sahara. Twenty-five staffers returned last month but MINURSO is still not fully operational.

The confidential note said MINURSO confirmed through multiple ground and air patrols over the Aug. 16-25 period that Morocco "was conducting what it maintained to be clearance of damaged vehicles in order to reduce the capacity of smugglers to operate, along with road laying activities" in the southern part of Western Sahara.

"This was initiated without prior notice to MINURSO, contrary to requirements specified in Military Agreement No. 1" of the cease-fire, the note said, "and with the support of armed security personnel from the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie."

It said Morocco confirmed these activities on Aug. 18, and in response MINURSO significantly reinforced its monitoring activities in the area and is carrying out extensive consultations with both sides to de-escalate the situation and avert a resumption of hostilities.

The Polisario Front sent a letter to the U.N. secretary-general on Aug. 15 urging him to end Morocco's violation of the cease-fire agreement.

Polisario Minister of Defense Abdallahi Lehbib Belal said in a letter to MINURSO's chief of staff on Sunday that he deployed military forces to the area on Sunday morning "to prevent further Moroccan activities beyond the berm, including the asphalted road it has started to build."

The Polisario Front has said that if the road is built Morocco would have to maintain it, which would give its military a permanent presence in the restricted area.

A Moroccan Foreign Ministry official told The Associated Press on Monday that "it is the Polisario that has been engaging in provocation"  not Morocco.

"We launched our anti-smuggling campaign in cooperation with Mauritania, then the Polisario began sending in troops this past Friday night/Saturday morning near the border," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

The U.N. peacekeeping department said in the confidential note that Morocco informed MINURSO on Sunday that it observed 20 Polisario Front "elements" in the buffer strip. It said the Polisario Front told MINURSO later Sunday it was establishing a checkpoint "to stop the Moroccan construction works"  but not civilian traffic.

The Polisario Front was informed by MINURSO that the deployment of its forces in the buffer strip was a violation of the cease-fire agreement, the note said.
Appreciation: In Gene Wilder's madcap roles, a magical mania

NEW YORK (AP)  Gene Wilder was terrific when he was calm and collected. But when he lost it, he was transcendent.

Often playing opposite enormous, big performers like Zero Mostel and Richard Pryor, Wilder was a straight man who often wound up in a straight jacket. His enormous range was everything in between: from a quiet sweetness to a madcap lunacy.

Wilder died Sunday in Stamford, Connecticut, from complications of Alzheimer's disease at age 83.

FILE - In a Dec. 27, 1977 file photo, actor Gene Wilder looks thoughtful during an interview in New York. Wilders nephew said Monday, Aug. 29,, 2016, that the actor and writer died late Sunday at his home in Stamford, Connecticut, from complications from Alzheimers disease. He was 83. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

With wild, Harpo-like hair, a melancholy face and a mad glint in his eye, Wilder was an earthquake of neuroses that tremored with blinks and sweat before cracking and quivering in hysteria.

"I can't stop! I'm hysterical!" he screamed as Leo Bloom in "The Producers" when the well-planned flop refused to flop. His partner (Mostel) tries to calm him by throwing a glass of water in his face. A beat. "I'm wet! I'm wet! I'm hysterical and I'm wet!"

Born Jerome Silberman in Milwaukee, Wilder first began performing for his mother, who was badly marred by a heart attack when Wilder was six, as a way to entertain and cheer her up. He would later be schooled by Lee Strasberg at the Actor's Studio, but that early aura  of laughter with darkness around never left Wilder.

"Come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination," he sang in "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory." His Wonka was at once iconic and impossible to pin down. His combination of charm and whimsy, darkness and strangeness breathed life into Roald Dahl's tale. His Wonka was too much for initial audiences (the film was a box-office disappointment) but grew to be adored for its off-kilter complexity.

"I'm an actor not a clown," Wilder was fond of saying.

His early big-screen roles were feats of lunacy: the kidnapped undertaker of "Bonnie and Clyde," the doctor who falls for a sheep named Daisy in Woody Allen's "Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex."

"My quiet exterior used to be a mask for hysteria," he told Time magazine in 1970. "After seven years of analysis, it just became a habit."

Wilder's bug-eyed knack for neurotic extremes, though, was only so winning because of his underlying tenderness. Fully embodying his characters, Wilder was utterly unpredictable, moment to moment.

In Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein," in which he plays Dr. Frankenstein, might be his greatest performance: a mad scientist with his own demons and an acute sensitivity to the pronunciation of "Frankenstein." He and the monster, in tuxes, singing and dancing to "Putting on the Ritz" might sum up Wilder, in all his bizarre glory, more than any other scene.

He could be sentimental, too. The title of his 2005 memoir, "Kiss Me Like a Stranger," came from his then-late third wife, Gilda Radner, whom he met while filming 1982's "Hanky Panky." It was a phrase Radner would say to him, its meaning mysterious to Wilder. He acted rarely after her death in 1989.

Wilder was much more than a comic actor, too. He was a screenwriter (he co-wrote "Young Frankenstein" with Mel Brooks), a director of four films, a novelist and a stage actor. He met Brooks through Anne Bancroft, with whom he starred in the Brecht play "Mother Courage."

Their collaboration together  "Blazing Saddles," ''Young Frankenstein," ''The Producer"  constitutes one of the great pairings in comedy. Wilder and Pryor, too, were an exceptional duo, albeit with more mixed results: "Stir Crazy" and "Silver Streak" as well as the lesser "See No Evil, Hear No Evil" and "Another You."

Wilder, who shied away from interviews, remained delightfully enigmatic through his many decades in show business. We knew his characters better than him.

"Time is a precious thing. Never waste it," he told Veruca Salt in "Wonka," before tossing a clock into bubbling tub.

___
Court dismisses data speed reduction suit against AT&T

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  A federal appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit by federal officials that claimed AT&T misled millions of smartphone customers with unlimited data plans who had their Internet speeds cut.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Monday that AT&T was exempt from the prohibition against unfair and deceptive practices that the Federal Trade Commission cited in its 2014 lawsuit.

AT&T said it informed all unlimited data-plan customers about the practice well before it was implemented.

The FTC did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

The FTC said AT&T failed to adequately disclose that it would reduce customers' data speeds if they used more than a certain amount of data in a billing period.
Ex-Boeing manager gets over 3 years in prison for child porn

LOS ANGELES (AP)  A former Boeing manager has been sentenced in Los Angeles to more than three years in prison for possessing child pornography discovered during an unrelated espionage investigation.

Judge Christina Snyder sentenced Keith Gartenlaub on Monday to 41 months in federal prison.

A prosecutor sought a seven year sentence and the defense asked that he serve no time behind bars.

Defense lawyer Mark Werksman previously argued to dismiss the whole case against Gartenlaub because the porn was discovered through a warrant obtained through the nation's secretive intelligence court and based on spying allegations he was never charged with.

Snyder rejected that argument, but she tossed out a conviction on a charge of receiving child pornography because it was duplicative.
Family of Marine who died at Wisconsin VA center files suit

MADISON, Wis. (AP)  The family of a Marine veteran who died from a toxic mix of more than a dozen drugs at a U.S. Veterans Affairs facility in Tomah, Wisconsin, filed a wrongful death and medical malpractice lawsuit against the U.S. government Monday.

The federal lawsuit filed in Madison, Wisconsin, alleges VA caregivers improperly prescribed and administered drugs to Jason Simcakoski, who was 35 when he died in 2014. It also alleges the VA failed to provide adequate emergency care for Simcakoski when he was found unresponsive and did not properly diagnose his mental health and substance abuse problems.

Last year, the VA's inspector general ruled that deficiencies in care led to Simcakoski's death. One physician who attended to him was fired.

The lawsuit filed Monday by Simcakoski's wife seeks unspecified compensation. It lists the couple's daughter as a plaintiff.

Neither a Justice Department attorney listed in court documents nor a VA representative could be immediately reached by The Associated Press for comment.

According to the lawsuit, a doctor prescribed Simcakoski Suboxone  a drug often used to treat addicts of heroin and other opiates  to alleviate chronic pain and potentially decrease anxiety. The lawsuit alleges Simcakoski was not warned that was an off-label use of the drug or that Suboxone would interact with other medicines he was already taking. It also alleges he was given too high a dosage.

The lawsuit says Simcakoski's family visited him at the Tomah facility hours before his death on August 30, 2014, and his father was concerned because he was "so sedated he could barely speak."

A nursing staff member found him unresponsive at 2:45 p.m., but CPR was not started until 10 minutes later and emergency responders didn't arrive for 20 minutes, according to the lawsuit.

The Tomah facility was dubbed "Candy Land" by some veterans for its prescribing practices. A 2015 VA report concluded that patients at there were more likely than patients at other VA hospitals to receive high doses of pain killers.
Bangladesh court upholds death sentence in war-crimes case

NEW DELHI (AP)  Bangladesh's Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a final appeal by a top Islamist party leader convicted of war crimes in the country's independence war against Pakistan, confirming a death sentence handed down earlier by a special tribunal.

Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha turned down the appeal by Mir Quashem Ali of the Jamaat-e-Islami party in the nation's capital, Dhaka.

The decision means there is now no legal bar to executing Ali. A special tribunal dealing with war crimes sentenced Ali to death in November 2014 for abduction, torture and murder.

Defense lawyers said Tuesday that Ali and his family would decide whether to seek clemency from the president.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said they were happy with the verdict. At least five people have been executed since the 2010 when the special tribunal was set up to deal with war crimes.

Ali is a member of Jamaat-e-Islami's highest policy-making body and considered to be one of the party's top financiers. He was found guilty on eight charges, two of which carried a death sentence, including the abduction and murder of a young man in a torture cell. Ali was also sentenced to 72 years in prison on the other charges.

Jamaat-e-Islami, which had openly campaigned against independence, has denied committing atrocities.

In a statement, the party rejected Tuesday's verdict and called for a daylong general strike across the country Wednesday.

Bangladesh's prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, has called the trials a long overdue effort to obtain justice for war crimes, four decades after Bangladesh split from Pakistan.
Australian Parliament sits for first time since election

CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Australia's Parliament met Tuesday for the first time since the conservative government narrowly won an election almost two months ago and as an opinion poll showed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's popularity falling.

Lawmakers were sworn in after the election on July 2 left Turnbull's coalition with 76 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives.

A Newspoll published in The Australian newspaper on Tuesday showed that Turnbull's popularity had sunk to its lowest point since he ousted the polarizing Tony Abbott as prime minister a year ago in a ballot of lawmakers in the ruling Liberal Party.

Although more respondents prefer Turnbull as prime minister than they would opposition leader Bill Shorten, Turnbull's lead  43 percent to 32 percent  is the narrowest since he took the top job.

The government remained neck and neck with the center-left Labor Party with 50 percent support for each. The government won a second three-year term with 50.4 percent of the vote.

The poll was a national weekend survey of 1,696 voters. It had a 2.4 percentage point margin of error.

The government has said that its priority would be to reign in the national deficit, but that task has been made difficult by its reduced majority in the House of Representatives and the fact it has only a minority in the Senate.

At an Aboriginal welcoming ceremony at Parliament House early Tuesday, Turnbull called for a new era of political cooperation.
Pennsylvania's convicted ex-top prosecutor swiftly replaced

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Pennsylvania lawmakers made a hasty return to the state Capitol from their summer recess on Tuesday as they rushed through a replacement for the state's convicted ex-attorney general.

The unanimous confirmation vote on Bruce Beemer comes less than two weeks after Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf nominated him to head an office racked by infighting and scandal under Kathleen Kane.

Wolf and lawmakers said they hoped Beemer, in what is expected to be a five-month stint, can fix an office buffeted by Kane's clashes with top aides, including Beemer, and accusations that she fired employees in retaliation.

Bruce Beemer speaks at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to consider his nomination by Gov. Tom Wolf for Pennsylvania attorney general at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Wolf nominated Beemer to head the office racked by infighting and scandal under Kathleen Kane who was convicted of leaking secret grand jury information to smear a rival and lying under oath to cover it up. She resigned Aug. 17 and faces prison time. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Senators reconvened and voted with little fanfare in an effort to close an ugly chapter for the state's top law enforcement office. The vote was held almost as soon as Senate rules allowed. Within minutes, the state's chief justice swore in Beemer privately in Wolf's offices, with Wolf in attendance.

Beemer told senators in a brief confirmation hearing that he hopes to restore a sense of honor and integrity to the office. Work must be done to restore the office's credibility with the public and other law enforcement agencies, as well as improving internal morale, Beemer said.

"It's going to be a challenge, but I look forward to do doing that each and every day," Beemer told reporters. "It's going to be sort of like putting building blocks one on top of each other. Every day we're going to try to make things a little bit better."

Beemer said it had been difficult for a lot of employees there, including him, to stomach a drumbeat of negative TV or newspaper stories about Kane or internal personnel issues.

In a statement, Wolf said Beemer has the experience and skillset to begin healing the attorney general's office, and he is trusted by its rank-and-file employees and understands "better than anyone what must be fixed to restore the public trust."

One hot-button issue awaiting Beemer is a report commissioned by Kane on a trove of pornographic or offensive emails culled from the agency's servers.

It is perhaps the final act in a scandal that has roiled Pennsylvania's law enforcement and legal communities for two years and felled several top state officials, including two state Supreme Court justices. Kane had released some hundreds of emails her office discovered, but apparently not all.

Beemer would not say whether he would release the report publicly, saying he had not seen it and that people named in it must be afforded due process.

But state Sen. Judy Schwank, D-Berks, took to the Senate floor to urge Beemer to deal directly with the "misogynistic, homophobic, bigoted and pornographic emails" and ensure that such a culture cannot exist again in the office.

"This issue is a festering wound that must be cleaned before our justice system can heal," Schwank said.

Asked about her comments, Beemer said he would try to address any remaining issues, but he had not seen a recent systemic issue and that there had been a lot of changes.

Kane was convicted of abusing the powers of the state's top law enforcement office by leaking secret grand jury information to smear a rival and lying under oath to cover it up. She resigned Aug. 17, two days after her conviction, and faces prison time.

Beemer, the former top deputy to Kane, was promoted into the post by Kane, but he later clashed publicly with her and provided testimony that helped prosecutors to convict her.

Beemer left his post as Kane's top deputy last month to become Wolf's inspector general, an office that investigates complaints about fraud, waste and misconduct in state agencies.

He is expected to fill the remaining five months of Kane's term until one of the candidates running to succeed Kane is picked by voters in the November election is sworn in Jan. 17. Beemer plans to return to the post of inspector general.

Beemer, 47, took on some of the office's major legal decisions and openly confronted Kane over the agency's operations after the state Supreme Court suspended her law license last fall.

He also gave unflattering testimony about Kane at her trial earlier this month, including the contention that Kane told him it was "no big deal" when he told her a 2014 article in the Philadelphia Daily News contained information he deemed to be protected by investigation secrecy laws.

The information in the article was leaked by Kane, prosecutors said.

Bruce Beemer walks through the Pennsylvania Capitol after a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to consider his nomination by Gov. Tom Wolf for Pennsylvania attorney general in Harrisburg, Pa., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Wolf nominated Beemer to head the office racked by infighting and scandal under Kathleen Kane who was convicted of leaking secret grand jury information to smear a rival and lying under oath to cover it up. She resigned Aug. 17 and faces prison time. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Bruce Beemer arrives for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to consider his nomination by Gov. Tom Wolf for Pennsylvania attorney general at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Wolf nominated Beemer to head the office racked by infighting and scandal under Kathleen Kane who was convicted of leaking secret grand jury information to smear a rival and lying under oath to cover it up. She resigned Aug. 17 and faces prison time. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Bruce Beemer speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to consider his nomination by Gov. Tom Wolf for Pennsylvania attorney general at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Wolf nominated Beemer to head the office racked by infighting and scandal under Kathleen Kane who was convicted of leaking secret grand jury information to smear a rival and lying under oath to cover it up. She resigned Aug. 17 and faces prison time. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Bruce Beemer speaks with members of the media after a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to consider his nomination by Gov. Tom Wolf for Pennsylvania attorney general at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Wolf nominated Beemer to head the office racked by infighting and scandal under Kathleen Kane who was convicted of leaking secret grand jury information to smear a rival and lying under oath to cover it up. She resigned Aug. 17 and faces prison time. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

FILE - In this Dec. 7, 2015 file photo first Deputy Attorney General Bruce Beemer walks from a contempt hearing for Patrick Reese, a top aide to Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane, at the Montgomery County courthouse in Norristown, Pa. Pennsylvania lawmakers are poised to replace the states convicted ex-attorney general, Kane, with her former top deputy. The scheduled confirmation vote on Beemer on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, comes nearly two weeks after Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf nominated him to head an office racked by infighting and scandal under Kane. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Bruce Beemer walks into the office of Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, in Harrisburg, Pa., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Pennsylvania lawmakers are poised to replace the state's convicted ex-attorney general, Kathleen Kane, with her former top deputy, Beemer. Tuesday's scheduled confirmation vote on Beemer comes nearly two weeks after Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf nominated him to head an office racked by infighting and scandal under Kane. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Bruce Beemer, left, walks to Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson office, past Sen. John Wozniak D-Cambria, right, in Harrisburg, Pa., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Pennsylvania lawmakers are poised to replace the state's convicted ex-attorney general, Kathleen Kane, with her former top deputy, Beemer. Tuesday's scheduled confirmation vote on Beemer comes nearly two weeks after Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf nominated him to head an office racked by infighting and scandal under Kane. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Pennsylvania Attorney General Bruce Beemer speaks with members of the media after taking the oath of office in a closed door ceremony at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Gov. Tom Wolf nominated Beemer to head the office racked by infighting and scandal under Kathleen Kane who was convicted of leaking secret grand jury information to smear a rival and lying under oath to cover it up. She resigned Aug. 17 and faces prison time. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
British man dies after stabbing attack at Australian hostel

SYDNEY (AP)  A British man who police say was seriously wounded when he tried to save a British woman being stabbed to death at an Australian hostel died of his injuries on Tuesday, authorities said.

Thomas Jackson, 30, died in a hospital in the northeast Australian city of Townsville, Queensland state police said.

Jackson was wounded last week when he tried to stop an attack at a hostel in the town of Home Hill, south of Townsville. Police have accused 29-year-old Smail Ayad, of France, of stabbing 21-year-old Mia Ayliffe-Chung to death in front of dozens of backpackers.

Police said that Ayad shouted "Allahu akbar"  the Arabic phrase meaning "God is great"  during the attack, but that there is no indication the assault was motivated by extremism. They are investigating whether Ayad may have had an obsession with Ayliffe-Chung.

Jackson received serious injuries to his head when he intervened during the attack in a bid to save Ayliffe-Chung. Another man was also wounded, and a dog was killed.

Ayad was charged last week with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, one count of serious animal cruelty and 12 counts of serious assault.

Police said they would be upgrading one of the attempted murder charges against Ayad as a result of Jackson's death. He has not yet entered a plea and is next scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 28.

Jackson's father flew to Australia last week to be by his son's side. On Sunday, he released a statement praising his son's actions.

"There are many and varied reasons why we are, and always will be, immensely proud of Tom," Les Jackson said in a statement. "His actions in response to this horrific attack only add to that sense of pride."

Witnesses told police Ayad had been acting out of character in the hours leading up to the attack. Police believe he had taken cannabis during the evening, but there was no evidence he had been drinking or using harder drugs.
500 cows rustled from New Zealand farm in unusual case

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  How do you steal 500 cows?

Probably not all at once. That's according to New Zealand police, who said Tuesday that they were investigating reports of the unlikely crime at a South Island farm.

Locals said they'd never before heard of cattle rustling on such a massive scale. And that's in a nation that's home to some 10 million cows, more than double the number of people.

FILE - In this Aug. 28, 2015, file photo, cows stand in a pen before they are milked on a dairy farm near Carterton, New Zealand. New Zealand police said Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, that they were investigating reports of the unlikely crime at a South Island farm. Locals said 500 milking cows could have been taken from the herd of 1,300 anytime between early July, when they were last counted, and late August. The stolen cows are worth about 750,000 New Zealand dollars ($543,000). (AP Photo/Nick Perry, File)

The farmer involved is feeling too sheepish to talk about what happened, according to friend Willy Leferink.

"He's absolutely gobsmacked, and deeply embarrassed," Leferink said. "If you had three-quarters of a million dollars go missing, you wouldn't want to talk about it either."

Leferink said each milking cow was worth about 1,500 New Zealand dollars ($1,090) and weighed more than half a ton. He said the cows could have been taken from the herd of 1,300 near the town of Ashburton anytime between early July, when they were last counted, and late August.

He said the cows weren't being milked because it was winter, but the farmer did notice they weren't chewing through as much feed as normal.

Police said the incident came as a reminder to farmers that they should be checking their fences and counting their stock regularly.

"It's unlikely the theft of hundreds of animals could be completed at once, and is more likely that multiple thefts could be carried out over a period of time," Senior Sgt. Scott Banfield said in a statement.

Leferink said a trailer-truck would need to be loaded 13 times over to move all the cattle.

"There have to be a number of people involved," Leferink said. "That's the biggest chance we have, of somebody cracking at some stage."

He said the thieves would face a tough time trying to fence the cows, because each one comes with an electronic identification tag in its ear. He said the tags could be removed, but that an honest dealer wouldn't buy a cow without a tag.

Leferink said farmers can sometimes be relaxed about security.
India's angry Dalits rise against age-old caste prejudices

NEW DELHI (AP)  The video footage posted on social media by India's self-proclaimed cow saviors was brutal. It showed four bare-chested men tied with ropes to a car, flinching as an angry group of men took turns beating them with wooden sticks, belts and iron rods. Their crime: skinning a dead cow.

The savage beating of the men  all "Dalits" from the lowest rung of India's caste hierarchy  in the small town of Una in the western state of Gujarat last month stirred outrage across the country. The men were beaten by a group of upper-caste men, highlighting how the rigid social hierarchy persists more than 65 years after India instituted laws banning caste discrimination.

Every day, newspapers are awash with stories of injustices against Dalits and their oppression by upper-caste Hindus. Among the attacks on Dalits in the past month: a 13-year-old girl who was beaten up for drinking from a temple water pump; a Dalit team in the traditional Indian sport of kabaddi attacked by a rival upper-caste squad for winning a match; an impoverished Dalit couple hacked to death following a disagreement with an upper-caste shopkeeper over a debt of 15 rupees (22 cents).

FILE- In this Aug. 15, 2016 file photo, hundreds of members of India's low-caste Dalit community gather for a rally in Una, Gujarat state, India as they protest after four men belonging to the Dalit community were beaten while trying to skin a dead cow in western India. The brutal beating of four men from the lowest rung of India's caste hierarchy, attacked for skinning a dead cow, has highlighted the persisting power of caste, 65 years after caste prejudice was banned in India. Dalits _ as "untouchables" are now called _ are increasingly signaling that they will no longer tolerate such bigotry, with an emerging class of educated and empowered young Dalits refusing to be cowed by the centuries-old discrimination, triggering deadly violence. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki, File)

But while Dalits  formerly known as "untouchables"  are still victims of thousands of attacks each year despite laws put in place soon after India's independence, there has been a slow change in the way they react to the atrocities, say social scientists and Dalit activists.

The outrage and protests that spread across India following the incident in Una are viewed as signs that the Dalit community will no longer tolerate the injustices they face, said Beena Pallickal of the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights.

"Una was a turning point in our fight," she said recently in her office in New Delhi. "The Dalit community will no longer stay silent. We will rise in protest against all forms of prejudice."

The 2011 census counted about 204 million Dalits in this country of more than 1.2 billion  a population the size of Brazil, the world's fifth most populous nation.

Dalits are finding the rigid caste divisions slowly being eroded due to fundamental changes in Indian society, at least in the urban centers.

As India's booming economy fuels urbanization, people from different regions and all walks of life are being packed into the cities' crowded apartments and slums. Living in such close quarters, they are becoming less concerned with centuries-old caste divisions and traditional prejudices, analysts say.

For some Dalits, though, the change isn't happening fast enough. An emerging class of educated Dalits has begun demanding an end to caste bigotry and discrimination  demands that sometimes touch off deadly clashes between communities. India's National Crime Records Bureau reports that more than 700 Dalits were killed in attacks in 2014, the last year for which data is available.

Chandra Bhan Prasad, a Dalit writer, says there is a conflict between the past and the future that younger Dalits envision for themselves.

"This new generation of Dalits cannot tolerate humiliation. Nor will they accept it," said Prasad, who has written and lectured widely on Dalit rights. "They may have done so before, because they saw no way out of their subjugation at the hands of upper-caste Hindus, but not anymore."

For centuries, Dalits, as the lowest caste in the occupational hierarchy, have been assigned the most demeaning jobs, such as skinning dead animals or cleaning public toilets and sewers. But now they have other options to earn a living.

"The business explosion in India after the economic reforms of 1991 has thrown up many alternative avenues for Dalits to earn a livelihood," Prasad said. "They are no longer beholden to their upper-caste landlords for their daily bread."

After the horrific beating of the men for skinning the dead cow in Gujarat, Dalits in the state refused to remove dead cows in protest, further provoking upper-caste Hindus by telling them to handle the task themselves. Hindus consider cows to be sacred and revere them, but expect Dalits to deal with skinning and disposing of any that have died.

But even though the reaction to the incident highlighted changes in how the Dalits view their standing in society, Pallickal said there is still an unwillingness among politicians to enforce the laws.

Knowing the pernicious nature of India's caste prejudices, early leaders who framed India's constitution soon after independence from the British in 1947 put in place exceptionally clear and laudable laws that ban all forms of discrimination against caste, Pallickal said.

Still, according to the crime records bureau, more than 47,000 crimes of discrimination against Dalits were registered in police stations across the country in 2014.

Udit Raj, a member of Parliament from New Delhi and a strong voice for Dalit rights within India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, said the conviction rate for crimes against Dalits is 2 to 8 percent.

"In the more than six decades since India's independence, political parties have not found the will to enforce these laws," Pallickal said. "There is a complete lack of political will to implement the laws, which is why such outrages continue."

Politicians across the political spectrum say it's not just implementation of laws, but the lack of a change in people's mindsets that leads upper-caste Indians to shun Dalits.

"Even if Dalits are empowered economically, it is not necessary that they will be accepted socially," said Raj, who has fought for Dalit rights for the past four decades.

He pointed to injustices that continue to haunt the lower castes and the all-pervasive presence of caste divides. In many cities, Dalits are not allowed to own apartments in upper-caste neighborhoods. Although inter-caste marriages are on the rise, all Indian newspapers still carry advertisements seeking brides and grooms stating their caste and the castes they will marry into.

"Dalits are not accepted socially. Period," Raj said.

Access to education and the clout wielded by their vote in local and national elections have empowered Dalits to dream of a better future. But the aspirations of the Dalits are often resented by upper-caste Hindus.

If their economic progress is modest and their ambitions go as far as obtaining lowly government jobs or small businesses, there is no problem, said Prasad, the Dalit writer.

"The attitude of the upper caste when they see a Dalit succeeding in life goes like this: A Dalit driving a cheap car can be endured, but a Dalit driving a BMW  that is a problem," he said.

FILE- In this July 31, 2016 file photo, members of India's low-caste Dalit community hold a banner with a photograph showing four men belonging to their community who were beaten while trying to skin a dead cow as they gather for a rally in Ahmadabad, India. The banner in Gujarati reads "shame shame, Give justice to Una victims, immediately arrest rest accused". The brutal beating of four men from the lowest rung of India's caste hierarchy, attacked for skinning a dead cow, has highlighted the persisting power of caste, 65 years after caste prejudice was banned in India. Dalits _ as "untouchables" are now called _ are increasingly signaling that they will no longer tolerate such bigotry, with an emerging class of educated and empowered young Dalits refusing to be cowed by the centuries-old discrimination, triggering deadly violence. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki, File)

FILE- In this July 31, 2016 file photo, a member of India's low-caste Dalit community shouts slogans at a rally to protest against the attack on their community members in Ahmadabad, India. The writing in Gujarati on his face hails Dalit leader Bhim Rao Ambedkar. The brutal beating of four men from the lowest rung of India's caste hierarchy, attacked for skinning a dead cow, has highlighted the persisting power of caste, 65 years after caste prejudice was banned in India. Dalits _ as "untouchables" are now called _ are increasingly signaling that they will no longer tolerate such bigotry, with an emerging class of educated and empowered young Dalits refusing to be cowed by the centuries-old discrimination, triggering deadly violence. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki, File)

FILE- In this July 20, 2016 file photo, members of India's low-caste Dalit community block traffic and shout slogans in Ahmadabad, India as they protest after four men belonging to the Dalit community were beaten while trying to skin a dead cow in western India. The brutal beating of four men from the lowest rung of India's caste hierarchy, attacked for skinning a dead cow, has highlighted the persisting power of caste, 65 years after caste prejudice was banned in India. Dalits _ as "untouchables" are now called _ are increasingly signaling that they will no longer tolerate such bigotry, with an emerging class of educated and empowered young Dalits refusing to be cowed by the centuries-old discrimination, triggering deadly violence. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki, File)

FILE- In this July 31, 2016 file photo, hundreds of members of India's low-caste Dalit community gather for a rally in Ahmadabad, India, as they protest after four men belonging to the Dalit community were beaten while trying to skin a dead cow in western India. The brutal beating of four men from the lowest rung of India's caste hierarchy, attacked for skinning a dead cow, has highlighted the persisting power of caste, 65 years after caste prejudice was banned in India. Dalits _ as "untouchables" are now called _ are increasingly signaling that they will no longer tolerate such bigotry, with an emerging class of educated and empowered young Dalits refusing to be cowed by the centuries-old discrimination, triggering deadly violence. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki, File)
German EU commissioner 'wouldn't bet big money on Brexit'

BERLIN (AP)  Germany's European Union commissioner says public opinion in Britain could shift against leaving the bloc if the economy worsens as a result of the country's decision to exit.

Britain voted in a June 23 referendum to leave the 28-nation EU. New Prime Minister Theresa May hasn't formally triggered the start of withdrawal negotiations but is convening her Cabinet to discuss the potential first steps Wednesday.

Guenther Oettinger, Germany's representative on the EU's executive Commission, told Tuesday's edition of the Bild daily that EU leaders consider the referendum result "politically binding" for the British government.

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)
Kasich back in New Hampshire with nostalgia, eye on future

CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  Ohio Gov. John Kasich is campaigning again in New Hampshire.

The former presidential candidate and chief Donald Trump critic is the first of 2016's failed GOP hopefuls to return to the state since the February primary.

Kasich is in New Hampshire this time on behalf of Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Sununu. But on a two-day trip through the state, he also is unabashedly visiting for himself.

Former Republican presidential candidate Ohio Gov. John Kasich, left, endorses Chris Sununu, right, for New Hampshire's governor during a news conference Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

"I intend to keep speaking, and you all in New Hampshire gave me the chance to do it," Kasich declared to supporters at a Sunday gathering laced with nostalgia that at times felt like a campaign stump. "I don't want to blow it."

Kasich credits New Hampshire, home of the first primary, with keeping his presidential hopes alive after he took second in February's contest. His trip, which ended Monday, marked his first return since.

Kasich is ribbing reporters for speculating about a 2020 candidacy  but he's hinting at interest.

"You know anything's possible," he told The Associated Press on Sunday. "But if I said too much my wife not might let me move back in when I get home from New Hampshire."

Since exiting the race in May, Kasich has refused to back Trump, saying the Republican nominee is too divisive. But he's on a cross-country tour campaigning with down-ballot Republicans. He's stumped with Sens. Mark Kirk of Illinois, Rob Portman of Ohio and one-time primary rival Rand Paul of Kentucky. His calendar includes events in Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Florida and Massachusetts.

These trips offer Kasich an opportunity to stay visible on a national scale even as he effectively sits out the presidential election. Kasich said the Republican party is stuck in the 1980s and needs a "whole new agenda"  one that he'd like a hand in building. He envisions a party focused more on treating drug addiction and mental illness, student debt and the high costs of prescription drugs, ideas that sound more out of a Hillary Clinton speech than one from Trump.

"If you're singing a song that was written 30 years ago, unless you're Frank Sinatra, people lose interest," Kasich said of the party's agenda.

But Kasich's visit to New Hampshire notably packs more weight than his other campaign stops. Sununu is the only non-incumbent whom Kasich is endorsing in a contested primary, and though Sununu is part of a well-known New Hampshire political family, he does not have a lock on winning the Sept. 13 primary  a four-way contest. Sununu's brother, former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu, was one of Kasich's strongest backers in the primary. The two-day stop didn't include events with Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who is choreographing a difficult dance around Trump in her highly competitive re-election bid.

The list of attendees at Kasich's Sunday gathering, billed as a thank you to his supporters, included long-time backers and a who's who of New Hampshire Republicans. He's not hiding his joy at being back in front of a state that has treated him well before, and may again.

"Do you understand how much I love you all?" he asked. "I don't think you understand this."

Jim Merrill, a Republican operative who ran Mitt Romney's New Hampshire campaigns, said Kasich's return is outside the norm. Past White House hopefuls have returned to New Hampshire during the general election before, but typically to campaign with the winning nominee.

"It's certainly uncommon for a candidate who ran during this cycle to come back to New Hampshire to rally his former supporters rather than come up and support the ticket," Merrill said.

Still, Kasich and other Republicans must navigate the waters of 2016 before 2020 is in play.

Although he made himself one of Trump's most high-profile critics, Kasich becomes visibly annoyed when asked to comment on several of the businessman's recent remarks, including his shifting stance on immigration. Kasich was one of the GOP candidates to embrace a path to legalization for people living in the country illegally. It's a position that hurt him in the primary but might have helped him appeal to more moderate general election voters.

Trump now finds himself wrestling with the same issue, and gave a series of mixed signals last week on whether he still supports using a deportation force to remove people who are in the United States illegally. He is set to deliver a speech on Wednesday clarifying his stance.

"Everything that I mean to say, I've said with my actions louder than my words," Kasich said. "I really don't have anything more to add about Donald Trump."

Kasich declares he will not vote for Clinton either. But he's offering no clarity for voters who face the same dilemma. Asked if he'd definitely vote for a candidate for president in November, Kasich simply said: "We'll see."

Former Republican presidential candidate Ohio Gov.John Kasich, left, endorses Chris Sununu, right, for New Hampshire's governor during a news conference Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
Trump's deportation waffle highlights campaign weaknesses

SEATTLE (AP)  Donald Trump and his aides used to say that voters didn't care about the nitty-gritty of policy details. But now those details are tripping up his campaign.

For more than a week now, as he's tried to shine the spotlight on his rival, Trump has appeared to wrestle with one of his signature proposals: A pledge to expel everyone living in the U.S. illegally with the help of a "deportation force."

At a Fox News town hall taping last week, in the face of pressing questions, the GOP nominee proceeded to poll the audience at length on the fate of an estimated 11 million people. It was a stunning display of indecision from a candidate who has asked voters to put enormous faith in his gut instincts.

FILE - In this Aug. 27, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks in Des Moines, Iowa. Trump promises on Twitter that he'll make a major speech on illegal immigration on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, carrying his self-declared "immigration week" into a second. Trump appears unable to make a decision on what his policy on his signature issue ought to be, an odd place for a candidate 10 weeks before Election Day and a dark harbinger of indecision for a potential president. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

Trump is now planning a major speech Wednesday, during which he's expected to finally clarify his stance. Supporters are hoping for a strong, decisive showing. But the episode underscores how little time his campaign has invested in outlining how he would accomplish his goals as president, especially when compared with the detailed plans of his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. And for critics, many already disposed to vote against him, his wavering on what has been his signature issue seems like a warning that he's unable to handle a central element of any president's job  making decisions.

"It's just puzzling," said Lanhee Chen, who has served as a policy adviser to several Republican presidential candidates. "This is the issue on which he rose to prominence in the primary and the issue on which he continues to stake much of his campaign."

From the start, Trump has never been the kind of candidate to pore over thick policy books.

Indeed, he has mocked Clinton on the subject.

"She's got people that sit in cubicles writing policy all day. Nothing's ever going to happen. It's just a waste of paper," he told Time Magazine in June. "My voters don't care and the public doesn't care. They know you're going to do a good job once you're there."

To date, Trump's campaign has posted just seven policy proposals on his website, totaling just over 9,000 words. There are 38 on Clinton's "issues" page, ranging from efforts to cure Alzheimer's disease to Wall Street and criminal justice reform, and her campaign boasts that it has now released 65 policy fact sheets, totaling 112,735 words.

"I've laid out the best I could, the specific plans and ideas that I want to pursue as your president because I have this old-fashioned idea," Clinton said during a recent speech in Colorado. "When you run for president, you ought to tell people what you want to do as their president."

Trump's new campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, has said she's pushing her boss to get more specific. Yet his positions on a host of issues remain vague at best.

For example, while Trump has slammed the Common Core education standards and touts the benefits of local control of education, he has no formal, detailed plans for improving public schools. He talks about student loan debt and the increasing costs of higher education, but has yet to propose solutions. He has teased plans to make childcare more affordable, but has missed his own deadline for unveiling them.

Trump's supporters say questions about his recent waffling on the deportation question are overblown. His running mate, Mike Pence, describes him as "a CEO at work" as he consults with various stakeholders.

"You see someone who is engaging the American people, listening to the American people," Pence told CNN on Sunday. "He is hearing from all sides."

But Chen, the Republican policy adviser, said a President Trump arriving at the White House without detailed plans could be limited in how much he might achieve, since a new president's power is at its apex early on.

"If you're not able to hit the ground running, chances are you're going to run into serious resistance if you sit there studying something for the first 100 days," he said.

___

Follow Jill Colvin on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/colvinj
Las Vegas, Asian investors bet on Sin City's Chinese tourism

LAS VEGAS (AP)  Sin City and Asian investors are going all in on Chinese tourism as some of Las Vegas' latest developments on and off the Strip target Chinese nationals and Chinese-Americans.

The Chinese have been regulars along the resort corridor for decades. Now, officials and developers intent on capitalizing on burgeoning Chinese wealth and Asian-American population growth are courting them in a major way.

Nonstop flights from mainland China are planned for the first time, and two Asian-themed casinos will be among the first post-recession additions to Sin City's glittering skyline.

In this Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, photo, a wall with symbols of China partially blocks the view of the Resorts World property in Las Vegas. The Asian-themed casino property is projected to open in 2019. (AP Photo/John Locher)

The new hotel-casinos boast of plans for what some other resorts such as the MGM Grand, Wynn and Venetian have quietly offered for years. Guests will be treated to familiar foods, Chinese-speaking service employees and the table game of choice, baccarat.

"The Chinese do quite enjoy a very Chinese experience. They do gravitate toward Asian amenities. At Wynn Macau, it's mostly Chinese restaurants and menus in Chinese," said Alex Bumazhny, gambling analyst with Fitch Ratings.

The Lucky Dragon Hotel and Casino is expected to open this fall, and Resorts World Las Vegas is set to begin construction in earnest by year's end.

By Las Vegas' standards, Lucky Dragon is a modestly sized property set on 3 acres just off the Strip. It will have 200 hotel rooms and a casino floor spanning 27,000 square feet.

Lucky Dragon executives said the new casino will focus on domestic Chinese gamblers, calling them an underserved niche market made up of Chinese people who live in America's ethnic enclaves, including local Las Vegans, the reliable weekend hordes from California, and tourists from the Pacific Northwest and East Coast.

The mega resorts catering to Chinese gamblers target "ultra-high-end players," while the more casual Chinese bettors are left with more generic amenities designed for "American white people," said Dave Jacoby, Lucky Dragon's chief operating officer.

"We're playing on the existing market that isn't served well," Jacoby said.

The developer is a privately held entity known as the Las Vegas Economic Impact Regional Center. The casino is financed with money from Chinese investors through the EB-5 visa program, which grants green cards to foreigners in return for investments of at least $500,000 on job-creating projects. Lucky Dragon was an easy sell given Las Vegas' appeal in China, Jacoby said.

For the years-delayed Resorts World on the Strip's northern end, the blossoming Chinese tourism business will be a bonus by the time it opens, now projected for March 2019.

The $4 billion casino resort property has been in the works since 2013, with an original opening date of 2016. It is planned to have 3,100 rooms and 100,000 square feet of gambling space, along with restaurants and shops spread across its 88-acre site. Plans for a convention center, panda habitat and 4,000-seat theater are on hold for the initial construction phase.

Resorts World marks the latest entry into the U.S. market for the Malaysia-based Genting Group, which owns resort and casino properties around the world.

Gerald Gardner, the casino's general counsel and senior vice president of government affairs, said Resorts World expects to build its Las Vegas business through its existing branding among Chinese already familiar with its Asian properties. In Sin City, the primary target will be domestic visitors because no other Asian-themed properties exist on the Strip. On the radar, though, is a plan to capture Chinese tourists as they begin to visit in greater numbers.

"The real spikes in Las Vegas revenue occur when several things happen in a short period of time," Gardner said.

China's Hainan Airlines announced Aug. 4 that it was seeking final U.S. approval to start nonstop flights between Las Vegas and Beijing. The service is expected to begin in December with flights three days a week at McCarran International Airport. The only other direct flights to or from Asia are offered on a Korean Air route out of Seoul.

Just 16 percent of Las Vegas' record 42 million tourists in 2015 came from other countries, according to the city's tourism board. The most recent figures from 2014 also show that while the Chinese account for a large share, travelers from Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom make up the bulk of international visitors.

Officials said Chinese tourists largely have been undercounted because of the lack of nonstop flight service. Those travelers come to Las Vegas after entering the U.S. through other hubs, such as Los Angeles, Seattle or Chicago, according to Joel Chusid, Hainan Airlines' executive director in the U.S.

"The market is there," Chusid said. "It just hasn't fully been touched."

Tourism officials and experts said that although Macau's casino empire remains a competitor for Las Vegas' gambling revenue, the new nonstop flight will be a catalyst for the Chinese to see  and spend their money on  other parts of the state and region, such as the Grand Canyon, Lake Tahoe and Death Valley.

"The growth opportunity is just so huge," said Bethany Drysdale, spokeswoman for the state tourism board, which has deployed marketing efforts in China for more than a decade. "It's huge for Las Vegas, and since Las Vegas is a gateway to the rest of the state, it's huge for Nevada."

___

Follow Sally Ho at twitter.com/_sallyho. Her work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/journalist/sally-ho

In this Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, photo, construction continues on what will be the casino area at the Lucky Dragon Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Lucky Dragon executives said the new casino, projected to open in fall 2016, will focus on domestic Chinese gamblers. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Italy honors quake victims as bishop warns of reconstruction

AMATRICE, Italy (AP)  An Italian bishop issued a veiled critique of the suspected shoddy construction behind the high death toll of Italy's earthquake and warned during a state funeral Tuesday that the rebuilding effort must not become a "looting" of state coffers.

"Earthquakes don't kill. What kills the most is the work of man," Rieti Bishop Domenico Pompili told the weeping crowds gathered in the shadow of Amatrice's ruins for the funeral for some of the 292 victims.

Wails echoed under the roof of the open-sided tent as Pompili read aloud the names of the 242 people killed in the towns of Amatrice and Accumoli at the start of the service. And the crowd erupted in applause  a common gesture at Italian funerals  when dozens of white balloons were released at the end of the service.

A woman cries ahead of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

On hand to concelebrate the Mass was Monsignor Konrad Krajewski, the pope's chief almsgiver who frequently stands in for him when he wants to show his personal closeness to people in need. Francis has promised to visit the quake zone soon.

Civil protection officials said only 37 caskets were on hand since many families opted for private funerals elsewhere. Another 50 people were killed in neighboring Le Marche region where a state funeral was held over the weekend.

The 37 caskets faced the altar in rows, two little white caskets sandwiched between larger ones  evidence of the many children enjoying the final days of summer children who were killed. Relatives placed bouquets on the caskets and sat next to them quietly as rain fell outside.

In his homily, Pompili insisted that there was no choice but to rebuild Amatrice and Accumoli since abandoning the towns would "kill them a second time." But he warned that the reconstruction effort must not become "a political fight or a sort of looting of various forms."

Italy has a long history of organized crime and corrupt builders infiltrating public works contracts, especially those earmarked for reconstruction after natural disasters. Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the Aug. 24 quake since many buildings crumbled despite having been renovated with public funds for anti-seismic improvements.

The ANSA news agency said Rieti chief prosecutor Giuseppe Saieva ordered Amatrice's collapsed elementary school to be sequestered on Tuesday and entrusted Italy's financial police with investigating how public funds destined for anti-seismic renovations across the region were used.

The school collapsed during the quake despite being renovated in 2012 using earthquake funds. In addition, the church tower in nearby Accumoli collapsed on a home, killing a family of four, despite also having been recently renovated with earthquake funds.

Italian news reports, meanwhile, have said that many other buildings in the area were flagged as being at high seismic risk, and yet nothing was done to them despite having funds made available.

Saieva is investigating what was stipulated in the contracts to restore the buildings and what exactly was done.

Amatrice Mayor Sergio Pirozzi, who was the first to give state radio the alarm minutes after the 3:36 a.m. quake that "the town isn't here anymore," wept as he recalled those who died.

"When I heard the names of the victims (at the start of Mass), it was the butcher, the baker, the beekeeper, the girl who went to school with my children," he said to applause at the end of the service. "You can imagine the pain."

Echoing the bishop, he insisted that Amatrice must be rebuilt where it is, and not allow a "new town" to be rebuilt nearby.

"These people died because they loved this land and we want to stay," he said.

Initially, authorities planned to hold the funeral in an airport hangar in the provincial capital of Rieti, 65 kilometers (40 miles) away, citing safety and organizational concerns. The quake area has seen more than 2,500 aftershocks and faced logistical problems in bringing relatives and officials into a town with only one serviceable access road.

But grieving residents rebelled at plans to let them watch it on TV or be bussed to Rieti, where many bodies were being housed in a makeshift morgue at the airport. Premier Matteo Renzi reversed course late Monday, and on Tuesday was in the crowd at the funeral, along with President Sergio Mattarella, consoling survivors and thanking rescue crews.

Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos also was to attend since 11 of the dead were Romanians. Some 8,000 to 10,000 Romanians live in the quake zone, many working in agriculture or as caregivers. Pompili noted their presence and he also greeted the area's Orthodox bishop and the local imam, both of whom attended the funeral.

For those who survived, Tuesday's funeral was only one step in tackling a long-term trauma.

"They're living through a blackout," said Letizia Bellabarba, a social worker who is tending to survivors. "I mean, in 20 seconds  that's how long the earthquake lasted  in 20 seconds their life changed. So they are disoriented, because they feel they were left without a future."

___

Nicole Winfield reported from Rome.

___

A previous version of this story removed an erroneous reference to a magnitude of 4.2.

A balloon shaped like a heart and reading in Italian "Goodbye Anna" floats over caskets prior to a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Mourners attend a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The evening Mass for 37 of the 292 people killed is the second state funeral for victims of the Aug. 24 temblor that flattened three towns in central Italy. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Mourners hug each other during a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The evening Mass for 37 of the 292 people killed is the second state funeral for victims of the Aug. 24 temblor that flattened three towns in central Italy. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Italian President Sergio Mattarella attends a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The evening Mass for 37 of the 292 people killed is the second state funeral for victims of the Aug. 24 temblor that flattened three towns in central Italy. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

A woman attends a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Italian Army personnel carry a casket ahead of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

People attend a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service takes place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Civil Protection operators carry a casket ahead of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Father Savino D'Amelio, parish of the church of St. Augustine in Amatrice, central Italy, is accompanied by firefighters after retrieving objects from the church, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Construction crews worked through the night to build a tent complex to host an Italian state funeral Tuesday in quake-devastated Amatrice after outraged residents rejected the government's plan to hold the service in a distant airport hangar. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Father Savino D'Amelio, parish of the church of St. Augustine in Amatrice, central Italy, is accompanied by firefighters after retrieving objects from the church, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Construction crews worked through the night to build a tent complex to host an Italian state funeral Tuesday in quake-devastated Amatrice after outraged residents rejected the government's plan to hold the service in a distant airport hangar. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Father Savino D'Amelio, parish of the church of St. Augustine in Amatrice, central Italy, holds an icon of the Virgin Mary after retrieving it from the church, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Construction crews worked through the night to build a tent complex to host an Italian state funeral Tuesday in quake-devastated Amatrice after outraged residents rejected the government's plan to hold the service in a distant airport hangar. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Rescue teams continue their operations as a standing medieval bell tower is seen in the background, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Construction crews worked through the night to build a tent complex to host an Italian state funeral Tuesday in quake-devastated Amatrice after outraged residents rejected the government's plan to hold the service in a distant airport hangar. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Italian Army personnel position a casket of a child ahead of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Caskets of some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake are positioned ahead of a state funeral, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pallbearers carry a casket of a child ahead of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Civil Protection operators carry a casket ahead of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Civil Protection operators carry a casket ahead of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

A firefighter helps lift a crucifix prior to a funeral service for victims of the earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Construction crews worked through the night to build a tent complex to host an Italian state funeral Tuesday in quake-devastated Amatrice after outraged residents rejected the government's plan to hold the service in a distant airport hangar. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

A firefighter helps lift a crucifix prior to a funeral service for victims of the earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Construction crews worked through the night to build a tent complex to host an Italian state funeral Tuesday in quake-devastated Amatrice after outraged residents rejected the government's plan to hold the service in a distant airport hangar. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

A man watches a photo as he waits for the start of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Two women sit by a casket ahead of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Mourners cry as they hug each other ahead of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (Massimo Percossi/ANSA via AP)

A woman mourns next to a line of caskets, ahead of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (Massimo Percossi/ANSA via AP)

A mourner sits next to a casket ahead of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

A mourner sits by a casket ahead of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Mourners sits by caskets ahead of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Seattle weighs new rules for businesses with hourly workers

SEATTLE (AP)  Seattle leaders have proposed new rules for retail and food-service businesses with hourly employees, including requiring them to schedule shifts two weeks in advance and compensate workers for some last-minute changes.

It's the latest push by a city that has led the nation in mandating worker benefits.

Seattle was among the first to phase in a $15 hourly minimum wage, mandate sick leave for many companies and offer paid parental leave for city workers.

Now, the mayor, city officials and labor-backed groups are targeting erratic schedules and fluctuating hours they say make it difficult for people to juggle child care, school or other jobs, to count on stable income or to plan for the future.

Seattle's "secure scheduling" proposal also would require retail and fast-food companies with 500 employees globally to compensate workers with "predictability pay" when they're scheduled but don't get called into work or are sent home early; provide a minimum 10 hours rest between open and closing shifts; and offer hours to existing employees before hiring new staff.

"Creating equity in Seattle means providing workers with access to a reliable schedule that meets their life and financial needs, while balancing the daily realities facing large employers," Mayor Ed Murray said earlier this month.

In 2014, San Francisco became the first major U.S. city to pass similar legislation. A District of Columbia bill requiring 14-day scheduling notice advanced out of a council committee in June but has yet to be taken up by the full council. A November ballot measure before San Jose, California, voters would require businesses to offer additional hours to existing part-time employees before hiring new staff.

The Washington Retail Association and other businesses have criticized the Seattle proposal, saying many employers already provide advance scheduling notice. They say the measure is too restrictive and will create more problems for workers.

"It will wipe out the scheduling flexibility that benefits both employees and employers," said Jan Teague, association president. If store managers can't add to labor costs to cover the predictability pay, they'll operate with fewer employees or fewer hours when someone can't make it into work, she said.

Others say they want to see changes to some provisions, such as ensuring employers aren't penalized for offering shifts directly to workers who want them.

Across the country, companies have faced increasing pressure to make schedules more predictable. Last month, Wal-Mart launched a new scheduling system to give thousands of hourly employees more certainty about their hours.

The sponsors of Seattle's ordinance say it's as much about closing the city's income gap as giving entry-level workers, many of whom are women and minorities, more control over schedules. Median household income, housing prices and rents have soared in booming Seattle as the city has grown to about 687,000 and added about 50,000 tech and other jobs in five years.

"We want this to be a city where our workforce, the people who are keeping this place running, can afford to live here," said Councilwoman Lisa Herbold, a bill sponsor. "When people have more secure hours, they can do things that make the city more affordable, such as holding down a second job or going to school so they can get a better job."

Crystal Thompson, who works at Domino's Pizza, often scrambles to find child care when she gets her schedule one day before the work week begins. The short notice makes it difficult to plan her life.

"This will be good for a lot of people," she said.

Oliver Savage, 22, a Starbucks barista, said he has asked to work 30 hours but currently gets 20. For a period this summer, a previous store manager scheduled him for only eight hours, reducing his one source of income. He said the store hired a new barista during that time, so he supports the provision requiring current workers be offered hours before additional staff is hired.

Jennifer England, who owns a Subway franchise, said she works with her three employees to accommodate their scheduling needs. She said she won't be able to pay extra for last-minute shift changes if a worker wants time off or calls in sick.

"They're making it harder for us to schedule and if anything comes up, we're going to be penalized and we can't afford that," England said.
Iran releases jailed Texas graduate student

TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iranian authorities have released a man jailed while home from his graduate studies in Texas after nearly five years, state media reported Tuesday.

The report by the government-owned IRAN daily quoted Saeed Khalili, the lawyer for Omid Kokabee, as saying the country's judiciary will allow Kokabee to enjoy "conditional freedom" for the rest of his 10-year sentence.

Khalili said Kokabee was released from jail in April to undergo medical treatment on his kidneys and "will not return to prison, anymore."

Kokabee, an Iranian citizen, had been studying optics in the physics department at the University of Texas. He was arrested in February 2011 and convicted of having "relations with a hostile country" and receiving "illegitimate funds."
Hundreds arrested during London's Notting Hill Carnival

LONDON (AP)  London police arrested 454 people during the two-day Notting Hill Carnival as stabbings and drug offenses marred the Caribbean-inspired street party.

The Metropolitan Police reported Tuesday that the arrests were the highest number in more than a decade and attributed the increase to tighter laws on psychoactive drugs, including nitrous oxide.

Authorities said there were 15 violent injuries involving a knife or a blade.

A reveler takes part in the Monday parade, during the second and final day of the Notting Hill Carnival, in London, Monday Aug. 29, 2016. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)

A 14-year-old boy was among those facing charges for a string of knife attacks starting Sunday. Among the wounded were three teenage boys and a 20-year-old man.

Commander Dave Musker, who was in charge of the policing operation, said that the policing ensured that the celebration was not "spoilt by a small minority" who wanted to use the distraction of the carnival to commit crimes.

Police also highlighted the creation of "an anti-social behavior dispersal zone" and issued 47 people with notices to leave the area and not return for a set period of time.

The annual west London celebration of reggae music, steel drums and dancers evokes the neighborhood's West Indies heritage.

A reveler takes part in the Monday parade, during the second and final day of the Notting Hill Carnival, in London, Monday Aug. 29, 2016. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)

Dancers from the ELIMU float parade down Chepstow Road, during the second and final day of the Notting Hill Carnival, in London, Monday Aug. 29, 2016. (Jonathan Brady/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)

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)
Good boy! Dogs know what you're saying, study suggests

BERLIN (AP)  Scientists have found evidence to support what many dog owners have long believed: Man's best friend really does understand some of what we're saying.

Researchers in Hungary scanned the brains of dogs as they were listening to their trainer speaking to determine which parts of the brain they were using.

They found that dogs processed words with the left hemisphere and used the right hemisphere to process pitch  just like people.

This undated photo made available by Eniko Kubinyi of Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016 shows trained dogs, involved in a study to investigate how dogs process speech, posed around a scanner in Budapest, Hungary. A study published in the journal Science showed that their brains process words with the left hemisphere and use the right hemisphere to process intonation  just like humans. (Eniko Kubinyi/Eotvos Lorand University via AP)

What's more, the dogs only registered that they were being praised if the words and pitch were positive. Meaningless words spoken in an encouraging voice, or meaningful words in a neutral tone, didn't have the same effect.

"Dog brains care about both what we say and how we say it," said lead researcher Attila Andics, a neuroscientist at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, said in an email. "Praise can work as a reward only if both word meaning and intonation match."

Andics said the findings suggest that the mental ability to process language evolved earlier than previously believed and that what sets humans apart from other species is the invention of words.

While other species probably also have the mental ability to understand language like dogs do, their lack of interest in human speech makes it difficult to test, said Andics.

Dogs, on the other hand, have socialized with humans for thousands of years, meaning they are more attentive to what people say to them and how.

Researchers imaged the brains of 13 dogs using a technique called functional MRI, or fMRI, which records brain activity.

The dogs six border collies, five golden retrievers, a German shepherd and a Chinese crested  were trained to lie motionless in the scanner for seven minutes during the tests. The dogs were awake and unrestrained as they listened to their trainer's voice through headphones.

"The most difficult aspect of this training is for dogs to understand that being motionless means really motionless," said Andics, who published the findings in the journal Science.

While dog owners may find the results unsurprising, from a scientific perspective, it's a "shocker" that word meaning seems to be processed in the left hemisphere of the brain, said Brian Hare, associate professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University, who had no role in the research.

Emory University neuroscientist Gregory Berns cautioned that the study involved a small number of dogs. Before concluding it's a smoking gun for word processing, "they should have looked for other evidence in the brain," he said in an email.

___

Chang reported from Los Angeles.

This undated photo made available by Eniko Kubinyi of Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016 shows a demonstration of how dogs, listening to their owner's voice on headphones, were scanned to determine that their brains processed words with the left hemisphere, while intonation was processed with the right hemisphere  just like humans. (Eniko Kubinyi/Eotvos Lorand University via AP)
Australian opposition to push for gay marriage law reform

CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Australia's opposition said Tuesday that it would test Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's weakened grip on power following last month's general election by proposing its own legislation to legalize gay marriage.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten used the first meeting of Parliament since the election to announce that he would propose the bill on Wednesday.

The bill underscores a stark policy difference between the conservative government and the opposition center-left Labor Party on gay marriage.

While Labor wants Parliament to decide the divisive issue quickly, the government wants to first hold a popular vote on whether the public thinks Parliament should create marriage equality.

Dismayed gay rights advocates warn that a stalemate over how to proceed could mean there is no vote on gay marriage before the next election is due in 2019.

Turnbull's authority was undermined by the election, which cost his government 14 seats and left it with a single-seat majority in the House of Representatives.

Government lawmakers are also divided on whether gays should be allowed to marry and the wisdom of holding a 160 million Australian dollar ($120 million) opinion poll known as a plebiscite.

Labor will need the support of 76 of the 150 lawmakers in the lower chamber on Wednesday for debate on its gay marriage bill to start. Labor has only 69 seats, so it will rely on government lawmakers to break ranks from the ruling coalition, as well as the backing of up to five independent lawmakers.

Labor gained the power to veto the plebiscite after two balance-of-power minor parties said they would not support enabling legislation in the Senate, where the government holds a minority of seats.

All three parties are in favor of gay marriage, but argue that the plebiscite is a waste of money, and that government-funded advertising of arguments for and against same-sex marriage could give legitimacy to homophobic views.

Turnbull agreed to hold the plebiscite in a deal with gay marriage opponents within his party. In return, those opponents backed Turnbull in an internal leadership ballot that toppled Prime Minister Tony Abbott a year ago.

Turnbull, a gay marriage advocate, had previously spoken out against such a public vote that could create painful divisions in Australian society.

Gay marriage lobbyists are generally opposed to the plebiscite, which they argue was initiated by lawmakers who hope it fails.

Opinion polls show that most Australians support same-sex marriage.

But plebiscites and referendums  which are legally binding popular votes  rarely manage to change the status quo in Australia.
Israel razes home of Palestinian involved in deadly shooting

JERUSALEM (AP)  Israel's military says its forces demolished the home of a Palestinian involved in the ambush of a family car in the West Bank that killed an Israeli and wounded his wife and two of their children.

It said the residence in Dura near the West Bank city of Hebron Bank was razed Tuesday. It said the man "assisted in the planning and execution" of the July 1 attack that killed Miki Mark, a 48-year-old father of 10 children.

The shooting was one of a wave of attacks since September 2015. Palestinians have killed 34 Israelis and two visiting Americans. Some 208 Palestinians died in that time, most identified as attackers by Israel.
Myanmar to hold historic peace talks with ethnic armies

Peace talks aimed at ending more than half a century of conflict between Myanmar's army and an array of armed ethnic rebel groups are due to start in the capital, Naypyitaw, on Wednesday.

The talks are the first formal peace negotiations since Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party swept elections last November and took office in April, vowing that national unity would be its top priority.

Suu Kyi is expected to address the five-day conference, along with the powerful head of the nation's military, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and representatives of at least 17 of the 20 main armed groups. Hundreds of delegates are expected to attend.

FILE - In this Friday, July 29, 2016, file photo, Myanmar's Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, center, sits with members of the United Wa State Army (UWSA) as they pose for photographs following a meeting of armed ethnic groups in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. Peace talks aimed at ending more than half a century of conflict between Myanmars army and an array of armed ethnic rebel groups are due to start in the capital, Naypyitaw, on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo, File)

The rebel armies control a patchwork of remote territories rich in jade and timber that are located mostly in the north and east along the borders with China and Thailand. They represent various ethnic groups that for decades have been fighting for autonomy while resisting "Burmanization," a push by the Burman ethnic majority to propagate its language, religion and culture in ethnic minority regions.

A look at why this week's meeting is significant:

___

WHAT'S AT STAKE

Armed ethnic conflict has plagued Myanmar for decades. The first uprising  launched by ethnic Karen insurgents  began shortly after the country gained independence from Britain in 1948.

Restoring stability nationwide is crucial to Myanmar's long-term political and economic health. Ethnic minorities make up about 40 percent of the population, and stability can't be achieved without their support.

Fighting is not only bad for business, it's a threat to the fragile democratic reform process that began in earnest when the military ceded some of its formal power to a nominally civilian government in 2011.

Skirmishes, particularly in northern zones where Kachin insurgents are fighting the army, have displaced more than 100,000 civilians since 2011 alone. At least 100,000 more have sought refuge in squalid camps in neighboring Thailand, and are unlikely to return home until true peace takes hold.

___

WHY NOW

Suu Kyi promised that bringing peace would be her top priority when her government assumed power.

The previous military-backed government brokered individual truces with various insurgent groups and oversaw a cease-fire covering eight minor insurgencies last year that fell short of a nationwide deal.

Suu Kyi's administration is hoping to build on those gains, but there are still skirmishes between the army and rebels, particularly in Kachin and Shan states.

___

WHO IS TAKING PART, AND WHO ISN'T

Suu Kyi said all ethnic armed groups would be invited to the talks, and most of the main rebel movements are taking part, including the Karen, Kachin, Shan and Wa ethnic groups.

At least three smaller groups are not: the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, and the Arakan Army. The MNDAA, made up of ethnic Chinese Kokangs, waged fierce battles with the army in 2015 that displaced tens of thousands of people.

___

THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

This week's talks are called the "21st Century Panglong Conference," a reference to the Panglong Agreement brokered in 1947 by Suu Kyi's late father, independence hero Gen. Aung San.

The deal granted ethnic minorities autonomy and the right to secede if they worked with the federal government to break away from Britain together.

Aung San was assassinated the following year and the deal fell apart. Since then, ethnic groups have accused successive, mostly military governments of failing to honor the 1947 pact.

___

PROSPECTS FOR PEACE IN THE NEAR TERM

The short answer: slim.

Although the formal start of negotiations is a positive step, this week's meeting is likely to be largely ceremonial, with discussions of contentious issues delayed until later rounds.

That has happened plenty of times before  including in January, when Suu Kyi met leaders of the ethnic groups a few months before taking office. An official representing a coalition of rebel groups, the United Nationalities Federal Council, called those talks "a meeting that led to constructive intentions for the future meeting."

Some ethnic rebel groups have said they are not fully prepared for talks yet, and complained the government set the date without consulting them. It's also not clear whether the handful of rebel groups not attending will join later; the ethnic minorities believe that only a comprehensive agreement including all can succeed.
The Latest: Romania to hold day of mourning for quake dead

AMATRICE, Italy (AP)  The Latest on Italy's devastating Aug. 24 earthquake (all times local):

10:40 p.m.

Romania's prime minister has proposed that the country holds a day of mourning for the 11 Romanians who died in the earthquake in Italy as he visited the area to comfort the families of the victims.

A woman cries ahead of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Premier Dacian Ciolos toured the quake-devastated area on Tuesday and later attended a state funeral for dozens of victims of the Aug. 24 temblor.

Ciolos said he will formally propose at a Cabinet meeting that Romania holds a day of mourning on Thursday.

He visited four Romanian women who are hospitalized with injuries they suffered in last week's quake. He said that all Romanians have now been accounted for.

Some 8,000 to 10,000 Romanians live in the area where the quake struck. Last year, some 1.3 million Romanians were living in Italy.

___

6:40 p.m.

An Italian bishop has issued a sharp critique of the suspected shoddy construction behind the high death toll in central Italy's earthquake and warns that the rebuilding effort must not become a "form of looting" of state coffers.

During a state funeral Tuesday for the victims of the hard-hit towns of Amatrice and Accumoli, Rieti Bishop Domenico Pompili said "earthquakes don't kill. What kills the most is the work of man."

Pompilli read aloud the names of all 242 people killed in the two towns at the start of the service, which was held near Amatrice's ruined buildings. The names ignited wails of grief from the victims' families.

This was the second state funeral for victims of Italy's Aug. 24 earthquake. Another 50 people were killed in the neighboring Le Marche region, which had a state funeral Saturday.

___

6:15 p.m.

Wails of grief are erupting from families as the funeral for dozens of victims of Italy's earthquake gets under way in the shadow of the quake-destroyed buildings in Amatrice.

The names of the victims were read out Tuesday at the start of the Italian state funeral in the town hardest hit by the earthquake. Premier Matteo Renzi and President Sergio Mattarella were on hand for the Mass being celebrated by local bishops.

Facing the altar, relatives sat with the flower-draped coffins of their loved ones. Some of the tiny white ones were decorated with white balloons  evidence of the many children who died in the Aug. 24 temblor that killed 292 people in central Italy.

___

12:15 p.m.

Thirty-seven caskets will be on hand for the state funeral being celebrated in quake-struck Amatrice.

Officials from Italy's civil protection agency asked relatives of the 242 victims from Amatrice and nearby Accumoli if they wanted to participate in Tuesday's state funeral.

Many of the victims were tourists visiting the medieval hilltop town. They and others have been claimed by relatives and buried elsewhere or are awaiting private funeral services.

The evening service will be held on the edge of Amatrice in a covered area constructed overnight after residents balked at having the funeral in an airport hangar in Rieti, 65 kilometers (40 miles) away.

A total of 231 people died in Amatrice, 11 in nearby Accumoli in the Aug. 24 quake. Fifty others died in the neighboring Le Marche region.

___

11:40 a.m.

Romania's prime minister is traveling to Italy for the state funeral for victims of the quake and to comfort the families of 11 Romanians who died in it.

Premier Dacian Ciolos's office said he and Labor Minister Dragos Pislaru would visit the quake-devastated area Tuesday where some 8,000 to 10,000 Romanians live.

Italy is holding a state funeral late Tuesday for more than 200 of the 292 victims on the grounds of a Catholic retreat at the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval center.

Last year, an estimated 1.3 million Romanians were living in Italy. Many work in agriculture or as domestic helpers and caretakers for the elderly.

___

9 a.m.

Construction crews worked through the night to build a tent complex to host an Italian state funeral Tuesday in quake-devastated Amatrice after outraged residents rejected the government's plan to hold the service in a distant airport hangar.

The evening Mass for more than 200 of the 292 people killed in the Aug. 24 earthquake is the second state funeral for victims of the temblor that flattened three towns in central Italy. The first, held Saturday, honored victims from the Le Marche region. Tuesday's funeral is for the victims of neighboring Lazio, including hard-hit Amatrice.

The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat for the elderly. It comes as Italy is observing a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff.

Mourners wait for the start of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Mourners wait for the start of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Mourners wait for the start of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Mourners wait for the start of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Mourners wait for the start of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Mourners wait for the start of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

A man watches a photo as he waits for the start of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Two women sit by a casket ahead of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

A mourner sits by a casket ahead of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Mourners cry as they hug each other ahead of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (Massimo Percossi/ANSA via AP)

A woman mourns next to a line of caskets, ahead of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (Massimo Percossi/ANSA via AP)

A mourner sits next to a casket ahead of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Mourners sits by caskets ahead of a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town center on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Clashes subside in Syria between Turkish, Kurdish forces

BEIRUT (AP)  Clashes between Turkey's military and Kurdish-backed Syrian forces subsided Tuesday evening after days of fighting between the two had frustrated efforts by a U.S.-led coalition to drive the Islamic State group from northern Syria.

Western officials had expressed alarm that the fighting between the two sides, both backed by the U.S. in Syria's 5-year-old civil war, has diverted their attention from the fight against the extremist group.

In a speech Tuesday, French President Francois Hollande criticized Turkey for targeting Kurdish and Kurdish-backed fighters in Syria, while a top U.S. general ordered the sides to stop fighting one another and focus instead on the Islamic State.

French President Francois Hollande gestures as he addresses French ambassadors, Tuesday Aug. 30, 2016 in Paris. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, Pool)

Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of the U.S. Central Command, told Pentagon reporters that the U.S. was striving to separate the parties.

The Kurdish-backed Jarablus Military Council said in a statement it had agreed to a cease-fire with the Turkish military in a disputed area in north central Syria after lengthy consultations with the coalition.

The Pentagon denied reports it was monitoring a cease-fire but said Turkish forces had moved to the west, while Kurdish forces had moved east of the Euphrates River, per the insistence of Turkish and U.S. authorities.

"We welcome the calm between the Turkish military and other counter-ISIL forces in Syria," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said. "We encourage these moves as a way to prevent further hostilities and loss of life between all counter-ISIL forces operating in the area."

Cook said the coalition is establishing communication channels "for de-conflicting operations and maneuvers in this crowded battlespace."

The Britain-based Syrian Observer for Human Rights monitoring group, which relies on contacts inside Syria, said a tense calm had prevailed in the area Tuesday evening.

Turkey's military said three of its soldiers were wounded in northern Syria when their tank was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. A statement said "terrorists" fired the rocket west of Jarablus, where Turkish troops have been fighting Kurdish-led forces after Turkey's Aug. 24 incursion into Syria.

One Turkish soldier was killed and three were wounded in fighting Saturday.

The tough talk from Washington and Paris came as a spokesman for the Kurdish-led forces in Syria said IS militants carried out a two-pronged attack on villages south and west of the former militant stronghold of Manbij, taking advantage of the clashes between his forces and Turkey-backed Syrian rebels.

In Paris, Hollande said "multiple, contradictory interventions carry the risk of a general inflammation" of the fighting that has devastated Syria.

He said he could understand Turkey's concern about protecting its borders and fighting the Islamic State group, but he criticized Ankara's actions against Kurdish rebels allied with the coalition fighting the extremists. France is part of the coalition.

Hollande also urged Russia to cooperate with the coalition and said he would invite President Vladimir Putin to France in October, noting Moscow should be "a player in negotiations, not a protagonist in the action."

He said Syrian President Bashar Assad's government uses Russian military support to carry out bombings of civilians, which "plays into the hands of extremists".

"The absolute urgency is a halt to fighting and a return to negotiations," Hollande said. He also called for an "immediate truce" in Aleppo, a main battlefield of the war.

The Kurdish-led forces seized Manbij from IS earlier this month after a 10-week campaign.

Last week, Turkey sent its troops and warplanes to back Syrian rebels in their advance on Jarablus, a town near the Turkish border and the next IS-stronghold after Manbij. That prompted clashes between the two U.S.-allies  Syrian rebels and Kurdish fighters. Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish forces an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, a domestic group it deems a terrorist organization.

Shervan Darwish, a spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, part of the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syria Democratic Forces, said the militants used at least three car bombs Tuesday. The SDF, aided by coalition airstrikes, repelled the attack initially, but Darwish said clashes continued. In a statement on Twitter, IS said it had seized two villages.

"The Turkish occupation of parts of Syria hampers the war against terrorism, and by targeting us (the Turkey-backed forces) gave Daesh the space to reorganize its ranks and attack us," Darwish told The Associated Press, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.

Turkish troops and the rebels they are backing are "aiming for our troops, not Daesh," he added.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said U.S. criticism of the scope and aims of its offensive in northern Syria is "unacceptable" and that it has summoned the U.S. ambassador over the issue.

Bilgic demanded that Washington live up to its assurances that the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or PYD, withdraw to the east of the Euphrates "as soon as possible."

Turkey's president has vowed to press ahead with the military operation until IS and Kurdish Syrian fighters no longer threaten his country. In comments published Tuesday in the pro-government Daily Sabah newspaper, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin urged U.S. officials to "revise their policy of supporting (the Kurdish-led force) at all costs."

The Kurdish-led forces "are shamelessly using the war in Syria to create a de facto terrorist state in Syria," the spokesman wrote. "Turkey will not allow that."

In recent months, the U.S.-led allied Kurdish forces gained control of most of the territory along the Turkey-Syria border, reinforcing the ethnic group's aspirations for a contiguous autonomous region there.

Turkey appears determined to create a "safe zone" free of IS and the Kurds near its border. The Turkish military said Turkey-backed Syrian rebels  a mix of Islamist rebel factions  have cleared several villages of "terrorist entities" and now control an area of about 400 square kilometers (150 square miles) south and west of Jarablus.

Turkish-backed rebels posted video of their troops praying and walking in captured villages north of Manbij, across the Sajour River, a tributary of the Euphrates.

Darwish said SDF forces have pulled back to south of the Sajour and into the Manbij area, a move unlikely to be accepted by Turkey, which wants them to withdraw completely east of the Euphrates.

He accused Turkey of targeting civilians and said Turkey-backed rebels shelled a village south of Jarablus, killing at least five. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said five people were killed by shelling in the village of al-Dandanieh, in rural Manbij. The Observatory said it was not clear who was behind the shelling.

___

Stojanovic contributed to this report from Istanbul. Associated Press writers Philip Issa in Beirut, Sylvie Corbet in Paris, and Wendy Benjaminson in Washington contributed to this report.

French President Francois Hollande gestures as he addresses French ambassadors, Tuesday Aug. 30, 2016 in Paris. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, Pool)

French President Francois Hollande gestures as he addresses French ambassadors, Tuesday Aug. 30, 2016 in Paris. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, Pool)

French President Francois Hollande gestures as he addresses French ambassadors, Tuesday Aug. 30, 2016 in Paris. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, Pool)

FILE - In this Nov. 15, 2015 file photo, President Barack Obama shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Antalya, Turkey. President Barack Obama will meet with the president of Turkey next week when he travels to Asia for meetings with world leaders. The White House says Obama and Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet on the sidelines of a major economic summit. The two will discuss Turkey's recent assault against the Islamic State group in Syria and rising tensions with Kurds in the region. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, File)

A Turkish tank stationed near the Syrian border, in Karkamis, Turkey, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. Turkey's state-run news agency says three rockets fired from Syria have hit Turkish border town of Kilis, injuring five children, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey will press ahead with its military operations in Syria until the Islamic State group and Kurdish militants no longer pose a security threat. Erdogan said Turkey was determined to take all steps necessary both inside Turkey and abroad to protect Turkish citizens.(Ismail Coskun/IHA via AP)
Kosovo police detain 6 people over attack on parliament

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP)  Kosovo police said Tuesday they have detained six opposition supporters on suspicion of involvement in a rocket-propelled grenade attack on parliament.

Police and prosecutors said in a joint statement that the five men and one woman have been accused of planning and committing the Aug. 4 attack that damaged the building's exterior but caused no casualties. Those detained are members or supporters of the opposition Self-Determination movement.

The statement said police seized several firearms and ammunition during Tuesday's detention operation, and all six people will remain in custody pending a judge's decision this week on whether to charge them.

This Aug. 30, 2016, photo provided by Kosovo Police shows police officers seizing fire arms and bullets during a raid were Kosovo police have detained six people over their involvement with an attack with an explosive device at the parliament building earlier this month. The Aug. 4 attack damaged the buildings exterior but no one was injured. The local media have identified the suspects as members or supporters of the VETEVENDOSJE opposition party that is opposed to planed border demarcation deal with Montenegro. ( Kosovo Police via AP)

The Aug. 4 blast was one of many that have rocked the fledgling nation amid tensions over the government's August 2015 agreement with neighboring Montenegro determining their common border. Opposition parties and even some members of the governing coalition are vehemently against the deal, arguing it cedes territory to Montenegro, but the government rejects this.

Self-Determination movement leader Visar Ymeri said the arrests represented "a classic act of persecution of political opponents."

The party has called for street protests Sept. 1, the day when lawmakers plan to vote on whether to ratify the border deal. Ymeri said the activists' detention represented a government effort to undermine the protest plans.

___

An earlier version of this story was corrected to reflect that the attack involved a rocket-propelled grenade, not hand grenades; prosecutors did not say that the six detained people had admitted involvement in the attack; and the attack did not occur during a public protest.

This Aug. 30, 2016, photo provided by Kosovo Police shows police officers seizing fire arms and bullets during a raid were Kosovo police have detained six people over their involvement with an attack with an explosive device at the parliament building earlier this month. The Aug. 4 attack damaged the buildings exterior but no one was injured. The local media have identified the suspects as members or supporters of the VETEVENDOSJE opposition party that is opposed to planed border demarcation deal with Montenegro. ( Kosovo Police via AP)
Coroner: Man involved in shootout with police shot himself

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP)  Officials say a man who was involved in a shootout with police officers in South Carolina shot himself to death.

Charleston County Coroner Rae Wooten tells news outlets in a statement that 29-year-old Christian Olivencia died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after exchanging fire with North Charleston police Friday night.

Officers responding to a call about a man shooting a gun at an apartment building say the man left in a car, eluded an attempt at a traffic stop and drove back to the complex.

Police said the man then led officers on a foot chase before he stopped, firing at gun at them. The officers fired back.

Olivencia was pronounced dead at the scene.
Spain's acting premier launches new bid to take office

MADRID (AP)  Spain's acting prime minister opened a two-day parliamentary debate Tuesday in hopes of getting enough support to form a new government and ending an eight-month impasse, but expectations of a breakthrough are low.

Mariano Rajoy, 61, told fellow parliamentarians that Spain needed a government, not a third election, following two inconclusive elections since December.

"Spain needs a government urgently," he said, noting that most voters had chosen his conservative Popular Party in the December and June elections and that there was no alternative government on the horizon.

A police officer stands guard in front of the Spanish Parliament in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Spain's acting Premier Mariano Rajoy is to start a two-day parliamentary debate later Tuesday ahead of a vote on his bid to form a minority government and end an eight-month political impasse, but the signs are he won't be successful. If he fails, he has another chance Friday when he only needs more votes in favor than against, but nothing indicates he can win that either. (AP Photo/Paul White)

He also warned that further delays could bring asunder the economic progress the country has made since emerging from recession in 2013.

Opposition party leaders will have their say Wednesday prior to the investiture vote, when Rajoy needs an absolute majority of support from lawmakers in the 350-seat chamber. He is currently six votes short, having secured the backing of just 170 deputies, including his own party's 137 lawmakers.

Should he fail to garner a majority, Rajoy could still prevail in a second vote Friday when he only needs more votes in favor than against. That could happen if the opposition Socialists abstain from the vote rather than reject him outright as they and other parties have pledged to do.

The Socialists, with 85 seats, say they will not support a party they blame for Spain's 20-percent unemployment rate, political corruption and recent severe cuts in national health care and public education.

If no government is in place within two months after Wednesday's vote, Spain will have to hold a new election on Christmas Day, Dec. 25 - an unwelcome prospect among Spaniards.

Rajoy has been in office since 2011 and has been running a caretaker government since the December election.

The elections saw the rise of two new groups  the far-left Unidos Podemos alliance, which ended third, and the fourth-place business friendly Ciudadanos party  that effectively ended Spain's traditional two-party political system of the Popular Party and the Socialists.
Suicide bomber hits Somalia presidential compound, 12 dead

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP)  A suicide bomber has detonated an explosives-laden truck near the gate of Somalia's presidential palace in the capital on Tuesday, killing at least 12 people, police say.

The bomb exploded during a morning traffic jam, said Capt. Mohamed Hussein, a senior police officer.

Some Cabinet ministers at the SYL hotel were among the 31 injured, said Hussein. The blast damaged nearby hotels often frequented by government officials and business executives, he said.

Somali soldiers help a man, center, who was wounded by a blast near the presidential palace in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. A suicide bomber has detonated an explosives-laden truck near the gate of Somalia's presidential palace in the capital on Tuesday, killing at least five people, police say. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

The explosion was heard across Mogadishu, and smoke was seen billowing over the area of the presidential compound.

Somalia's Islamic extremist group al-Shabab has claimed the responsibility for the blast, according to the rebels' Andalus radio station.

The injured were taken to Mogadishu's Madina Hospital, said Dr. Mohamed Yusuf, the hospital's director.

The massive blast left a trail of destruction across the hilltop presidential complex and to nearby hotels. The bombing tore into blast walls protecting hotels and blew off the roofs of nearby houses.

"Security forces tried to stop the bomber who used back roads before he sped through checkpoints near the presidential palace and detonated the bomb," said Col. Ali Nur, a police officer. "He reached near the gate of the state house with flat tires."

While al-Shabab has been ousted from most of Somalia's cities, it continues to carry out bombings and suicide attacks, notably in the capital.

In late July, two al-Shabab suicide bombers detonated explosives-laden cars outside the office of the U.N.'s mine-clearing agency and an army checkpoint near the African Union's main base in Mogadishu, killing 13.

Other attacks have targeted hotels. In June, extremist gunmen stormed the Nasa-Hablod hotel, killing at least 14. Two weeks before that, extremist gunmen killed 15, including two members of parliament, at the Ambassador hotel.

Somali men carry away the body of a woman who was killed by a blast near the presidential palace in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. A suicide bomber has detonated an explosives-laden truck near the gate of Somalia's presidential palace in the capital on Tuesday, killing at least five people, police say. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

A soldier helps Somali lawmaker Abdalla Bos Ahmed, center, after he was injured by a blast near the presidential palace in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. A suicide bomber has detonated an explosives-laden truck near the gate of Somalia's presidential palace in the capital on Tuesday, killing at least five people, police say. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

Somali soldiers gather following a blast near the presidential palace in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. A suicide bomber has detonated an explosives-laden truck near the gate of Somalia's presidential palace in the capital on Tuesday, killing at least five people, police say. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

A man who was wounded by a blast near the presidential palace is helped into a vehicle in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. A suicide bomber has detonated an explosives-laden truck near the gate of Somalia's presidential palace in the capital on Tuesday, killing at least five people, police say. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

Somali soldiers stand near to a building destroyed by a blast near the presidential palace in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. A suicide bomber has detonated an explosives-laden truck near the gate of Somalia's presidential palace in the capital on Tuesday, killing at least five people, police say. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
High-rise tower being built in Abu Dhabi catches fire

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  A high-rise building under construction in Abu Dhabi caught fire on Tuesday, forcing the evacuation of the structure and a nearby luxury hotel, the latest in a series of tower blazes to hit the United Arab Emirates.

The fire began late in the morning at the more than 20-story building, which appeared to be nearing completion on the Emirati capital's skyscraper-studded main island. Thick black smoke could be seen billowing from the blue-colored tower for miles.

Government-owned daily The National reported that hundreds of laborers were evacuated from the building as authorities sealed off the surrounding area.

In this photo provided by Hasan Qureshi, smoke rises from a blaze that broke out in a high-rise building under construction in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Aug 30, 2016. Cities in the fast-developing Emirates have been hit by a spate of fires in recent years, including one in a residential tower in Dubai last month and another at a luxury hotel next to the city's biggest shopping mall on New Year's Eve. (Hasan Qureshi via AP)

The adjacent Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi hotel was forced to evacuate because of the fire, and was putting guests up overnight at its other properties in the city.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.
68 protesters appear in Zimbabwe court over police clashes

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP)  A Zimbabwean court is hearing the bail applications for 68 protesters charged with public violence following last week's clashes with police.

Police used tear gas, water cannons and violence to crush Friday's protest organized by a united front of the country's previously fragmented opposition. The police action came despite a court order allowing the protest to proceed.

A journalist, a pregnant woman and three juveniles are among those charged over the protests in the capital, Harare.

Some of the suspected demonstrators make a court appearance in Harare, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. 67 suspected demonstrators made a court appearance following their arrests on Friday during protests called by opposition political parties who were advocating for reforms in the Southern African nation. The protests were the first time that the fractured opposition has joined hands in a single unified action to confront President Robert Mugabe's government since 2007. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

This southern African country is on the edge as frustrations over a rapidly deteriorating economy have resulted in near-daily protests in the capital and other major cities.

A youth group #Tajamuka has called for a "national shutdown" on Wednesday.

The government has accused the United States and other Western countries of backing the protests.

Armed Zimbabwean Prison guards patrol outside the courts in Harare, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. 67 suspected demonstrators made a court appearance following their arrests on Friday during protests called by opposition political parties who were advocating for reforms in the Southern African nation. The protests were the first time that the fractured opposition has joined hands in a single unified action to confront President Robert Mugabe's government since 2007. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
Emailed threats received at Virginia Tech, William & Mary

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP)  Campus police at the College of William & Mary say someone on the campus received a threatening email that's similar to threats emailed to people at Virginia Tech.

Dozens of people at Virginia Tech got the threatening email Monday. Police said the message "included a threat to campus safety" but they did not elaborate. Classes continued as scheduled on Monday.

An alert from the head of the emergency management team at William & Mary says a similar email was sent to someone at William & Mary who has an affiliation with Virginia Tech. The threat was sent to that person's Virginia Tech email address.

The source of the emails is under investigation.
130 still missing in Cameroon after crackdown, says Amnesty

DAKAR, Senegal (AP)  One hundred thirty men and boys remain missing in Cameroon nearly two years after a government crackdown on suspected members of the Nigeria-based Boko Haram extremists, Amnesty International said Tuesday, calling on the government to provide answers.

Authorities on Dec. 27, 2014 arrested more than 200 people in Magdeme and Double villages in Cameroon's Far North region, Amnesty said. The arrests were part of a push by the government to combat Boko Haram. They came within days of Cameroon's first airstrikes against the Islamic extremists to dislodge about 1,000 fighters who had seized a military base and attacked several villages along the border with Nigeria, according to reports at the time.

More than 25 of the arrested men died in custody and 45 were transferred to a prison the next day, with three more dying due to dire conditions, Amnesty said. Nine civilians were killed, and 70 homes destroyed in the operations in the two villages by the military, it said.

"The country must stop using its fight against Boko Haram to justify its blatant violations of human rights,"said Alioune Tine, Amnesty's regional director for West and Central Africa.

The rights organization said it considers the 130 people victims of enforced disappearance, a crime under international law. The group called on Cameroon's government to reveal the locations of those arrested, launch an independent investigation into the disappearances and hold fair trials for those who may be responsible.

The rights group said it has noted 17 other cases of suspected enforced disappearance in Cameroon between June 2014 and June 2016.
Ex-school bus driver faces capital murder in woman's death

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP)  A former school bus driver from Alabama is awaiting extradition from Tennessee on capital murder and other charges in the shooting death of a 72-year-old woman whose car police say he stole.

Huntsville police say 27-year-old Warren Hardy kidnapped his ex-girlfriend's daughter and stepfather Friday, forcing them to drive to a home to try to find her.

Officers believe Hardy forced his ex-girlfriend into the car, but her family drove away before he could get back in the car.

Police say Hardy spotted Kathleen Lundy coming out of her house, demanded her keys and shot her to death before driving away in her car.

He was arrested in Marion County, Tennessee.
The Latest: Turkey slams US criticism of Syria action

ISTANBUL (AP)  The Latest on developments in the Syrian conflict, following Ankara's incursion into the war-torn state last week (all times local):

10 p.m.

Turkey says U.S. criticism of the scope and aims of its offensive in northern Syria is "unacceptable" and that it has summoned the U.S. ambassador over the issue.

A Turkish tank stationed near the Syrian border, in Karkamis, Turkey, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. Turkey's state-run news agency says three rockets fired from Syria have hit Turkish border town of Kilis, injuring five children, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey will press ahead with its military operations in Syria until the Islamic State group and Kurdish militants no longer pose a security threat. Erdogan said Turkey was determined to take all steps necessary both inside Turkey and abroad to protect Turkish citizens.(Ismail Coskun/IHA via AP)

Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic on Tuesday demanded that Washington live up to its assurances that the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or PYD, withdraw to the east of the Euphrates River, and that the pullout take place "as soon as possible."

Turkey's ground incursion into Syria, named "Euphrates Shield," helped Syrian rebels take the border town of Jarablus from the Islamic State group last week, but clashes have since broken out between Turkish and Kurdish forces in the area.

Turkey is a NATO ally, and the U.S.-backed Kurdish forces have proven to be the most effective ground troops fighting IS in Syria. U.S. officials have called on both sides to stop fighting each other and focus on defeating the extremist group.

Bilgic says U.S. Ambassador John Bass was summoned to the ministry over the matter, without specifying when the summons took place.

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9:30 p.m.

The Islamic State group says its spokesman has been "martyred" in northern Syria.

The IS-run Aamaq news agency said Tuesday that Abu Muhammed al-Adnani was "martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo," without providing further details.

IS has released several audio files online in which Adnani, a senior leader in the group, delivers fiery sermons urging followers to carry out attacks.

The extremist group has suffered a string of defeats in recent weeks, including in Syria's northern Aleppo province, where Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels drove IS out of the border town of Jarablus last week.

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9 p.m.

Turkey's military says three of its soldiers were wounded in northern Syria when their tank was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.

A statement said "terrorists" fired the rocket on Tuesday west of the border town of Jarablus.

Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels have been fighting Kurdish-led forces following an Aug. 24 Turkish incursion into Syria. On Saturday, a Turkish soldier was killed and three were wounded during the fighting.

The Turkish military pushed Islamic State militants out of Jarablus last week and is now fighting to contain U.S.-backed Kurdish forces, which Ankara views as a threat.

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7:55 p.m.

A senior U.S. military commander says the United States has made it clear to all of its partners fighting the Islamic State  including Turkey and the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters  that they must keep their focus on IS and stop fighting each other.

Gen. Joseph Votel, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters at the Pentagon on Tuesday that he is working to prevent such clashes.

In recent days, Turkish forces have attacked Syrian Kurds aligned with the U.S., saying they had failed to move east of the Euphrates Rivers. Votel said the Kurds have now lived up to their commitment to move east, suggesting the threat perceived by the Turks has been alleviated.

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7:10 p.m.

Kurdish officials are saying that Syrian Kurdish fighters and the Turkish military have agreed on a temporary cease-fire in the volatile northern Syrian region, near the town of Jarablus.

Shervan Darwish, a spokesman for a branch of the predominantly-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces in northern Syria, says the Jarablus branch of the SDF agreed to the cease-fire with the Turkish military on Tuesday.

There was no immediate confirmation from Turkey.

Polat Can, a Kurdish representative to the international coalition fighting the Islamic State group, said on Twitter that the U.S.-led coalition would oversee the cease-fire with the Jarablus Military Council.

He described the agreement as "provisional."

The U.S. is backing both Kurdish fighters and Turkey in the multilayered Syrian war, even as the two sides have exchanged fire inside northern Syria over the past three days.

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6:10 p.m.

Pressure is building for the United Nations to condemn Syria over the use of chemical weapons in the country's civil war, now in its sixth year.

The Security Council is set to discuss on Tuesday a report by weapons inspectors that found the Syrian government deployed chemical weapons on at least two occasions and is suspected of deploying them in at least three other instances.

Human Rights Watch, in a statement, called on the Security Council to impose sanctions on the Syrian government over the chemical weapons' use and to refer the case to the International Criminal Court.

The report also found that the Islamic State group, which is already under U.N. sanctions, was behind at least one chemical attack.

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3:05 p.m.

A spokesman for Kurdish-led forces in Syria is reporting clashes between the fighters and Islamic State militants near the northern town of Manbij, which was until recently held by the extremist group.

Shervan Darwish, a spokesman for the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syria Democratic Forces, says the militants carried out a two-pronged attack on villages south and west of Manbij, using at least three car bombs.

Darwish says the militants took advantage of clashes between Kurdish-led forces and Turkey-backed Syrian rebels advancing from north of Manbij. The Kurdish-led forces, aided by airstrikes from the U.S-led coalition, repelled the attack initially but Darwish says clashes continued on Tuesday.

The Kurdish-led forces seized Manbij from IS earlier this month after a 10-week campaign.

Turkey then sent its troops, aiding Syrian rebels to move in on the next IS-held town, across it borders, prompting clashes between the two U.S.-allies and raising concerns they would distract from the fight against IS.

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2:20 p.m.

Turkey's presidential spokesman has called on the U.S. to "revise" its policy of supporting Kurdish forces battling Turkish troops in Syria after Ankara's incursion last week into the war-torn state.

The comments by Ibrahim Kalin published on Tuesday by the pro-government Daily Sabah came a day after the U.S. urged Turkish troops and Kurdish forces in northern Syria to halt their fighting, saying it hinders efforts to defeat the Islamic State group.

Kalin says that the "Americans should revise their policy of supporting (the Kurdish-led force) at all costs."

The battle in northern Syria now pits U.S. ally Turkey against the Kurdish-led force  a U.S.-backed proxy that is the most effective ground force battling IS militants in Syria's 5-year-old civil war.

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11:30 a.m.

French President Francois Hollande has criticized Turkey's "contradictory" military intervention in Syria and warned Russia not to become a "protagonist" in the war.

Hollande, in a diplomatic speech Tuesday, said "multiple, contradictory interventions carry the risk of a general inflammation" of the fighting that has devastated the country.

He said he could understand Turkey's concern about protecting its borders and fighting the Islamic State group, but criticized actions against Kurdish rebels allied with the U.S.-led coalition against the extremists. France is part of that coalition.

Hollande called for cooperation with Russia and said he would invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to France in October, saying Russia should be "a player in negotiations, not a protagonist in the action."

Hollande said "the absolute urgency is a halt to fighting and a return to negotiations."

Turkish tanks and artillery are stationed near the Syrian border, in Karkamis, Turkey, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. Turkey's state-run news agency says three rockets fired from Syria have hit Turkish border town of Kilis, injuring five children, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey will press ahead with its military operations in Syria until the Islamic State group and Kurdish militants no longer pose a security threat. Erdogan said Turkey was determined to take all steps necessary both inside Turkey and abroad to protect Turkish citizens.(Ismail Coskun/IHA via AP)
The Latest: UK, France plan to increase security in Calais

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP)  The Latest on Europe's migration crisis (all times local):

5:20 p.m.

France and Britain are looking to further increase security in Calais to try to keep migrants from illegally crossing into the U.K.

FILE - This Aug. 24, 2016 file photo shows an aerial view of the migrant camp in Calais, northern France. Tempers are rising among migrants squeezed in record numbers into a shrinking slum camp in France's port city of Calais, where hours-long waiting lines for food and showers and the tightening grip of security forces are leaving emotions raw. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler, File)

More than 1,000 French police officers already patrol highways and Eurotunnel and port entrances, all enclosed in high barbed-wire fences.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and British counterpart Amber Rudd met in Paris and said in a joint statement that both countries plan to further secure the port and tunnels in coming months.

The statement says that the goal is to "diminish the migratory pressure" in Calais and preserve the "vital economic link." The migrant population in the makeshift Calais camp there soared to record numbers this month  more than 9,000 according to aid groups, nearly 7,000 according to French authorities.

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4:50 p.m.

Greece has seen a sudden spike in refugees and other migrants landing on its eastern islands over the past 24 hours, when almost as many people arrived as during the previous week.

Government figures showed that 462 people reached the islands of Lesbos, Chios, Kos and Rhodes in smugglers' boats between Monday and Tuesday morning. Total arrivals for the previous week were 499.

The influx of migrants from Turkey hit a record of 857,000 last year.

But a European Union deal with Turkey to stem the flow came into effect in March, and since then monthly arrivals in Greece have been in the low thousands. The monthly incoming refugee figure for August is the highest in four months, however.

About 59,000 people are trapped in Greece following the border closures of nations further north.

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1:25 p.m.

A leading French humanitarian organization says the number of minors alone in a makeshift camp in Calais has increased by 151 percent to 861  with the youngest 10 years old.

France Terre d'Asile says it spent three days last week counting kids alone in the camp in northern France and the figure had soared since a May count of 343.

It concurred with other aid groups which put the overall camp population at a record of around 9,000.

The Calais region prefecture says that since March, 55 children have been able to join families in Britain  the dream of most Calais migrants.

The figures were released as British Home Secretary Amber Rudd visits her French counterpart, with Calais likely on the agenda.

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1:15 p.m.

Serbia's defense ministry says three people have been detained for attempting to smuggle 64 migrants from Afghanistan, including a pregnant woman and a baby.

The ministry said Tuesday that a joint police and army patrol near the border with Bulgaria caught the smugglers late Monday as they were transferring the migrants.

It says a group of 34 migrants were packed in a van, while another 30 migrants were about to board two cars. They included mostly men, four women, children and a baby.

Many refugees and migrants fleeing war and poverty have been turning to people smugglers to guide them through the Balkans and on toward the European Union after countries closed their borders in March.

More than 1 million migrants entered Europe in 2015.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, left, welcomes Britain's Home Secretary Tuesday Aug. 30, 2016 in Paris. Tempers are rising among migrants squeezed in record numbers into a shrinking slum camp in France's port city of Calais, where hours-long waiting lines for food and showers and the tightening grip of security forces are leaving emotions raw. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
Man accused of raping woman hours after shooting 2 men

EDGEWOOD, Md. (AP)  Authorities in Maryland say a man raped a woman behind a school hours after he is accused of shooting two people in Edgewood.

Citing police charging documents, The Baltimore Sun (http://bsun.md/2bOEzzu ) reports that 38-year-old Oneil D. Chambers is accused of sexually assaulting the woman on a trail early Aug. 13, about six hours after the shooting that injured two men.

A woman told police Chambers displayed a handgun, threatened to kill her and forced her to have sex with him behind Deerfield Elementary School in Edgewood.

Chambers was arrested in connection with the shooting Aug. 13 and charged with sexual assault Aug. 24.

Chambers also has been accused of robbing a man at gunpoint on Aug. 6. He is being held without bail in that armed robbery case.

It was not immediately clear whether he has an attorney.

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FBI: Man threatened to kill President Obama, attack a mosque

BOSTON (AP)  Federal authorities have arrested a Massachusetts man who they say threatened to assassinate President Barack Obama, bomb several police stations and attack a mosque.

Forty-year-old Joseph Garguilo appeared in Boston federal court on Monday to face a single charge of possessing ammunition, which violated the terms of a recent restraining order filed by his ex-wife.

The FBI arrested Garguilo on Friday after a raid of his Holliston home allegedly turned up assault rifle parts, incendiary materials, ammunition and handwritten notes threatening violence against Muslims.

Believing he was "about to snap," Department of Justice officials say a friend reported Garguilo's behavior. A neighbor told The Boston Globe that Garguilo's a "bad dude."
Cambodia nabs 64 from China, Taiwan in alleged internet scam

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP)  Cambodian police arrested 64 people from mainland China and Taiwan on Tuesday, accusing them of taking part in an internet scam, officials said.

Initial information shows that at least 12 of the suspects are from Taiwan, while the rest are mainland Chinese, said Gen. Ouk Haiseila, chief of the Cambodian Interior Ministry's Immigration Investigation Bureau.

The general said the suspects were arrested in a rented house in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital. They are accused of defrauding victims in China using phone calls made over the internet, he said.

"These suspects are now detained by immigration police for questioning and then we will deport them back to China," Gen. Ouk Haiseila said.

In June, Taiwan protested after Cambodia deported 25 Taiwanese internet scam suspects to rival China in the latest snub of the self-ruled island. Cambodia regards Taiwan to be part of China.

Although Taiwan's constitution formally decrees that it and the mainland are part of a single Chinese nation, Taiwan functions like an independent country and does not acknowledge Beijing's claim of authority over it.

Rights activists and Taiwanese authorities say such deportations reflect the great influence China exercises over Cambodia through aid and investment.

China is a key ally and economic partner of impoverished Cambodia. It has provided millions of dollars in aid and investment over the past decade, agreed to write off debts and granted it tariff-free status for hundreds of items.
Student, 15, killed in Georgia school bus crash; others hurt

VALDOSTA, Ga. (AP)  A student has died after a crash involving a school bus and a semitrailer that also injured more than a dozen students on a south Georgia interstate, authorities said.

Rebecca Hall, 15, of Valdosta died after the crash Monday afternoon in the southbound lanes of Interstate 75 in Valdosta, Georgia State Patrol Cpl. Chris Kelch said in a statement Tuesday.

The semitrailer was carrying a large load of metal beams when the trailer and the beams collided with the rear driver's side of the school bus, which had about 30 students on board, Kelch said.

More than a dozen of the students were taken in ambulances to South Georgia Medical Center, the State Patrol said. Another six students were taken to the hospital in private vehicles, authorities said. The children's conditions were not immediately known.

The semi driver, Michael Scarpaci, 58, of Lockport, Illinois, was not hurt, Kelch said.

The bus driver, Aline Thomas of Valdosta, 62, sustained a leg injury and was taken to the hospital.

The cause of the collision remained under investigation Tuesday, the State Patrol said.

The bus was taking students from Lowndes High School to Lowndes Middle School when the wreck happened, Lowndes County Schools said in a statement.

"We are asking our community for prayers and support for everyone involved in the accident," Lowndes County Schools Superintendent Wes Taylor said in the statement.
UN says 10,000 civilians killed, wounded in Yemen conflict

SANAA, Yemen (AP)  The U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator says a "minimum" of 10,000 people have been killed and wounded in Yemen's conflict.

Jamie McGoldrick provided the updated toll to reporters in the capital, Sanaa, on Tuesday. When asked by The Associated Press if he was referring to civilians, he said, "I never address combatants."

Yemen's conflict pits an internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led coalition against Shiite Houthi rebels and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was forced from power in 2012 following an Arab Spring uprising. Local affiliates of al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have exploited the chaos to expand their reach.

Fighters loyal to the government gather at the site of a suicide car bombing in Yemens southern city of Aden, Yemen, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. The bombing claimed by the Islamic State group in Aden has killed over 50 pro-government troops who had been preparing to travel to Saudi Arabia to fight Houthi rebels in Yemens north. Yemen is embroiled in a civil war pitting the internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led coalition against the Shiite Houthi rebels, who are allied with army units loyal to a former president. The fighting has allowed al-Qaida and an IS affiliate to expand their reach, particularly in the south. (AP Photo/Wael Qubady)

A day earlier, McGoldrick called for the reopening of the airport and the resumption of commercial flights into Sanaa, which fell to the Houthis in September 2014.

Fighters loyal to the government gather at the site of a suicide car bombing in Yemens southern city of Aden, Yemen, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. The bombing claimed by the Islamic State group in Aden has killed over 50 pro-government troops who had been preparing to travel to Saudi Arabia to fight Houthi rebels in Yemens north. Yemen is embroiled in a civil war pitting the internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led coalition against the Shiite Houthi rebels, who are allied with army units loyal to a former president. The fighting has allowed al-Qaida and an IS affiliate to expand their reach, particularly in the south. (AP Photo/Wael Qubady)

People gather at the site of a suicide car bombing in Yemens southern city of Aden, Yemen, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. The bombing claimed by the Islamic State group in Aden has killed over 50 pro-government troops who had been preparing to travel to Saudi Arabia to fight Houthi rebels in Yemens north. Yemen is embroiled in a civil war pitting the internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led coalition against the Shiite Houthi rebels, who are allied with army units loyal to a former president. The fighting has allowed al-Qaida and an IS affiliate to expand their reach, particularly in the south. (AP Photo/Wael Qubady)
Uganda grants 8 oil production licenses to Total, Tullow

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP)  Uganda's government on Tuesday issued eight oil production licenses to two foreign companies, moving the East African country closer to becoming a producer of crude.

Five of the licenses were granted to Britain's Tullow Oil while France's Total was given three, after years of regulatory delays and tax disputes.

Representatives of the oil companies and Uganda's government signed agreements in the capital, Kampala.

Each license is good for 25 years and can be renewed for an additional five years.

The China National Offshore Oil Corporation, or CNOOC, previously had been granted a license to operate in Uganda, which in 2006 discovered commercially viable deposits of crude in the Albertine region bordering Congo.

Uganda hopes to become a crude producer in 2020.

"The granting of these production licenses today is a critical milestone for both Uganda and the three companies currently licensed to undertake petroleum exploration, development and production in the country," Uganda's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development said in a statement.

Total and Tullow Oil are expected to make a final investment decision within 18 months. They are expected to spend over $8 billion on production infrastructure, including drilling about 500 wells and constructing holding facilities.

Between 200,000 and 230,000 barrels of crude will be produced daily by the three oil companies, with up to 60,000 barrels of that oil refined within the country, according to figures from Uganda's government. The rest will be exported through a pipeline leading to the Tanzanian port city of Tanga.
Fall Preview: Warren Beatty's Hughes film finally takes off

NEW YORK (AP)  Warren Beatty is standing outside an early screening of his new film, "Rules Don't Apply"  definitely NOT a Howard Hughes biopic, he wants to make clear  discussing his connection to the famously reclusive industrialist and movie mogul.

"I never met him," he says, grinning. "And I met everybody."

At 79 and 15 years since his last film, the man affectionately known as "The Pro" is back. Beatty, whose exploits on and off the screen made him an unqualified Hollywood legend, has finally made the Howard Hughes film he's contemplated on and off for 40 years.

This image released by Twentieth Century Fox shows Warren Beatty as Howard Hughes in the film Rules Dont Apply, which 20th Century Fox will release Nov. 23, 2016. (Francois Duhamel/20th Century Fox via AP)

The focus of the film  written, directed, produced and starring Beatty  has shifted with time. Its central characters are a Southern Baptist actress (Lily Collins), one of two dozen Hughes has put up in bungalows for either starlet or romantic consideration, and her young Methodist driver (Alden Ehrenreich). They're both ambitious but innocent new arrivals to Los Angeles hoping to catch a break with their unseen benefactor.

Not coincidentally, the year is 1958, the same year Beatty  a Virginia Southern Baptist, himself  came to Hollywood, following his sister, Shirley MacLaine. "I got kind of lucky kind of fast when I came out here," says Beatty, who was taken under the wing of Elia Kazan and cast in 1961's star-making "Splendor in the Grass."

Many doubted whether Beatty, a notorious fiddler and perfectionist known for bouts of indecision, would ever make his Hughes film. He first obtained the rights in the mid '70s. But the happy surprise of "Rules Don't Apply," which 20th Century Fox will release Nov. 23 , is not only that Beatty has at last completed it, but that he's made a snappy, vibrant film, carried by its young stars and memorable for its portrait of Hollywood power players and their pawns. Sex plays a significant role.

"I felt it was time to make another movie and time to make a movie about a big subject  what I would call the comical and sometimes sad consequences of American sexual puritanism," Beatty told The Associated Press in one of his first interviews in years. "That attitude, I don't think it's expired. We have to admit it's made us the laughing stock of France, for instance, where the chief of state gets into some mischief and his numbers go up. Here the opposite is true."

There's something fitting about one of Hollywood's most renowned playboys making a movie about sexual repression. Before marrying Annette Bening, Beatty was linked to everyone from Diane Keaton to Madonna. Peter Biskind's 2010 biography, "Star," tried to estimate the women he's slept with, coming up with 12,775  a figure Beatty disputes.

He and Bening (who has a smart part in the film) have four nearly grown children. Of his 180-degree turn from bachelor to family man Beatty says, "The idea of divorce appalled me and still does." Family has been his primary interest in the years since his last film, the 2001 disappointment "Town & Country." ''They're more interesting than any movie," he says.

The title "Rules Don't Apply" is also well suited to Beatty, who reigned over 1970s Hollywood and later with distinctly unconventional films like the era-defining "Bonnie and Clyde" and the communist epic "Reds." ''Bonnie and Clyde" he made happen at a time when it was seen as arrogant for, as he puts it, "a pretty boy in the movies" to produce a film. Beatty was also unusually outspoken politically, and used his celebrity for political influence.

"I grew up in a circumstance where there were societal rules, there were rules laid down by custom or religion," says Beatty. "I don't know that I'm such a courageous rule-breaker but I do like it when you say it. I've been very lucky. The words that might sum it up are: The access that early fame and fortune can bring one if they are alert. Rules will be changed. Rules will be broken."

Beatty, 15 times an Academy Award nominee and an Irving G. Thalberg Award recipient in 2000, hasn't directed since 1998's political satire "Bulworth." He remains gentlemanly and deliberate with his words. Asked about his views on Donald Trump, he suggests anyone reading this article would already know his opinion. "I hope you'll put in parentheses, 'He said laughingly,'" he adds.

"Rules Don't Apply" will premiere as the opening film of the AFI Fest in November. Beatty now finds himself wading back into a somewhat foreign movie business. "The public seems to want to know what it's going to get before they leave the house," he says. "I think that sort of applies to fast food also."

But another trend is more heartening to him: "I would say that the biggest change the world is going through ... is the liberation of the female," says Beatty.

He's been attending screenings of "Rules Don't Apply" partly to get a better feel for today's movie distribution. Looking over at a small theater before the movie starts, he sardonically observes: "You're all on your iPhones."

Asked how it feels for him to finally be releasing his Hughes film, Beatty smiles. "Old," he says.

Yet Beatty has already navigated a series of eras in Hollywood. What's one more?

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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

This image released by Twentieth Century Fox shows Warren Beatty as Howard Hughes in a scene from, "Rules Don't Apply," in theaters on Nov. 23. (Francois Duhamel/Twentieth Century Fox via AP)

This image released by Twentieth Century Fox shows Lily Collins, left, and Alden Ehrenreich in a scene from "Rules Don't Apply," in theaters on November 23. (Francois Duhamel/Twentieth Century Fox via AP)

This image released by Twentieth Century Fox shows Lily Collins in a scene from "Rules Don't Apply," in theaters on November 23. (Francois Duhamel/Twentieth Century Fox via AP)
3 men in line for Brazilian presidency accused of corruption

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP)  Impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff have put a spotlight on corruption in the ranks of Brazil's lawmakers. Watchdog groups say about 60 percent of the 594 legislators in both chambers of Congress are being investigated for wrongdoing or are facing corruption charges, including the three men in line to replace Rousseff if she is removed from office.

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FIRST IN LINE: Vice President Michel Temer.

Demonstrators protest holding a banner that reads in Portuguese "Temer out the people decide" during a protest against acting Brazil's President Michel Temer in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff mounts a forceful defense at her impeachment trial, blasting her critics ahead of a Senate vote that could come Tuesday on whether to remove her from office permanently. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

In a plea bargain, a former senator who had been a director of state-run oil company Transpetro made a direct link between Temer and the massive corruption probe centered on the main government oil company, Petrobras.

Sergio Machado said that Temer asked him to channel $400,000 in Petrobras kickbacks to 2012 Sao Paulo mayoral candidate, Gabriel Chalita, a member of Temer's party. Machado said the payments were made in the form of campaign donations by the construction firm Queiroz Galvao. Temer denies wrongdoing and has not been charged.

Another former senator turned state's witness recently accused Temer of appointing a lobbyist to distribute bribes from 1997 to 2001 in ethanol deals involving Petrobras. He denies wrongdoing.

Temer is banned from running for office the next eight years because Sao Paulo's electoral court found him guilty of violating campaign spending laws in 2014.

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SECOND IN LINE: Speaker of the lower house of Congress, Rodrigo Maia

A key aide to a governor convicted of taking part in a corruption scheme involving overpriced contracts to many companies said Maia received illegal campaign donations.

The probe goes to back 2010. Maia denies wrongdoing and has not been charged.

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THIRD IN LINE: Senate President Renan Calheiros.

Calheiros would be acting president if Temer and Maia travel outside Brazil. The country's Supreme Federal Tribunal currently has several open investigations against Calheiros in the Petrobras probe. He denies wrongdoing.

Former senator and Transpetro boss Sergio Machado said Calheiros received almost $10 million in bribes over 10 years.

A former Petrobras director accuses Calheiros of threatening to withhold support unless he was paid off. The same ex-director says Calheiros was paid $1.7 million through a Petrobras lobbyist in a case related to drill ship contracts.

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OUSTED: Former Chamber of Deputies Speaker Eduardo Cunha.

Cunha, who spearheaded the impeachment measures against Rousseff, would have been second in line but was removed as speaker by Brazil's highest court while he is investigated in several cases. He could still be stripped of his seat by his colleagues.

Prosecutors have accused Cunha of corruption and money laundering for his role in negotiating contracts for drill ships, and say he received an illegal payment of $5 million.
Defendant wore girlfriend's ashes to fatal crash sentencing

MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP)  A western Michigan man wore a vial containing his girlfriend's ashes when he was sentenced to jail in a crash that killed her and her unborn child.

Donovan Wilson was driving with Nikki Bart on Dec. 30, 2015, when he ran a stop sign and struck another vehicle. Bart, 21, died in the accident. She was in her third trimester.

Wilson pleaded no contest in June to operating under the influence of a controlled substance and marijuana possession.

On Monday, Wilson was sentenced to six months in jail and three years' probation. His driver's license also was stripped away. The court suspended four months of his jail sentence.

"This is a horribly sad situation," defense attorney Jeffrey West said during sentencing at Muskegon County Circuit Court. "It was an unfamiliar road, and they were returning from shopping for their child."

West said the vial hanging around Wilson's neck contained Bart's ashes, The Muskegon Chronicle reported (http://bit.ly/2bWTqs7 ).

"His grief is great," West said.

The families of Bart and Wilson sat on adjacent benches in the courtroom during his sentencing. Bart's mother asked Judge Timothy Hicks not to send Wilson to prison.

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Lawyer: Don't punish client for buying car from drug dealer

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP)  A lawyer for a Massachusetts man found with 95 packets of heroin in his car says his client shouldn't be punished for unknowingly buying a vehicle from a drug dealer.

The Republican newspaper (http://bit.ly/2bOT6gd) reports that a lawyer for Sean Deglis said in court Monday that his client had no idea heroin was stashed in a hidden compartment of the car he bought over the weekend.

Attorney Tony LaCasse says it was unfair to expect Deglis to "hire a drug-sniffing dog to inspect a car before purchasing it."

Prosecutors say narcotics detectives, acting on a tip from a confidential informant, arrested the 29-year-old Southwick man Saturday night.

Deglis pleaded not guilty and was held on $10,000 bail.

Prosecutors say Deglis has a long criminal record, including drug possession convictions.

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Pakistani man to be expelled from Romania over terrorism

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP)  A court has ruled that a Pakistani citizen should be expelled from Romania on charges of promoting "extremist Islamism" online, causing a threat to national security.

The Court of Appeal ruled Tuesday that the man, identified only by his initials S.A., should be expelled for 10 years.

Romania's main domestic intelligence agency said in a statement Tuesday that the man entered Romania illegally in 2015 and then married a Romanian woman. It said he sought to obtain a residency permit based on his marriage.

The agency said it kept him under surveillance and found he was engaged in spreading propaganda online for Pakistani "terrorists."
Tensions mount as record numbers crowd French migrant camp

CALAIS, France (AP)  Tempers are flaring among migrants squeezed in record numbers into a shrinking slum camp in France's port city of Calais, where they spend hours in line waiting for food and showers.

For the increasingly desperate and weary travelers in the camp known as "the jungle," the path to Britain  where most hope to go  appears blocked.

Two migrants have died in fights within a month, and the future of the sprawling makeshift camp looks increasingly precarious. It was drastically downsized in March, when authorities razed its large southern sector of more than 1,000 shelters and shops, displacing at least 1,000 migrants. This summer, they began closing dozens of camp shops and restaurants, the only available amenities.

FILE - In this Aug. 23, 2016 file photo, migrants queue to receive their daily food distribution in a makeshift camp in Calais, northern France. Tempers are rising among migrants squeezed in record numbers into a shrinking slum camp in France's port city of Calais, where hours-long waiting lines for food and showers and the tightening grip of security forces are leaving emotions raw. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler, File)

Despite that, the camp's population has soared to its highest-ever level since taking root on the edge of Calais in April 2015. The prefecture, or state authority for the region, said after a one-day count this month that it found 6,901 people living in the camp. Aid group Auberge des Migrants reached its own figure after four days of recent counting: 9,106 people, compared to 7,000 in early July.

The rising numbers reflect the durability of the global migrant crisis, as the flow into Europe continues despite efforts to contain it.

Britain and France agreed Tuesday at a meeting of the countries' interior ministers in Paris to further increase security at the Eurotunnel and port. More than 1,000 French police already patrol the high barbed-wire fences lining the facilities and highways.

The squalid camp built within the sand dunes of northern France draws migrants from Afghanistan, Sudan, Eritrea, Syria and elsewhere, most driven by dreams of life in Britain, where some have family or friends. After often harrowing treks via Libya to Italy or overland through eastern Europe, paying smugglers along the way, most reach a dead end in Calais, unable to find a way across the English Channel.

More than 300 have accepted money for a voluntary departure since the start of the year, the prefecture says, but most remain stuck in limbo. More than 2,000 migrants have applied for asylum in France since 2015 and more than 2,700 have been "removed" from France, the ministers' statement said. But most migrants don't consider applying for asylum an option because they don't want to stay in France.

"They are broken inside because they were here with lots of hopes ... and in the jungle they're not seeing their bright future here," said Tariq Shinnari, a 26-year-old former civil servant from Afghanistan here since March.

He has given up his dream of going to Britain and is applying for asylum in France. With that new goal, and his work as a volunteer for the British aid organization Care4Calais, he avoids the desperation of other migrants in the camp, though the situation is not lost on him.

"They are saying we don't have war here, but we are like in a kind of prison."

With security forces closing in, migrants increasingly resort to dangerous tactics to jump onto trucks heading across the English Channel, throwing branches and other objects onto the roadway to stop traffic. Of the 11 migrants who have died in Calais this year, seven were hit by a car or truck, according to the prefecture.

In the camp, supplies are growing scarce, according to two aid organizations, and migrants say they can spend up to three hours in line to get a shower of six minutes. They spend hours more in lines for food.

The Kitchen in Calais, one of several volunteer dispensaries, served 800 dinners a day in April and is now dishing up 1,500 meals. It is seeking permission to expand to serve 2,000 meals daily, said Jamal Ismail, a Briton who runs it.

In the camp, a sense of despair lingers in the dusty alleys. Now, authorities are trying to demolish the 72 restaurants and shops that migrants say make it livable, with places to socialize, charge cellphones and, in some cases, sleep.

"Nobody is functioning at full blast," said Maya Konforti of the Auberge des Migrants.

Police guarding the camp refuse to allow building materials inside, so instead of plywood shelters, tents are going up in every available space. Up to 2,500 people now live in tents, according to Konforti.

With resources lacking, mounting tensions have created new dangers. On Aug. 23, a Sudanese man in his 30s was killed in a fight with Afghans.

New arrival Marhawi Tesfay, a 17-year-old Eritrean, said he was afraid.

"I think there's not safety 100 percent," he said.

Tesfay is among a record number of children alone in the camp. Aid organization France Terre d'Asile said Tuesday the number of children under 18 on their own there has reached a record of 861  well more than twice the 343 counted in May. The youngest is a 10-year-old Afghan.

Calais became a magnet for migrants in the late 1990s, when refugees from the war in Kosovo flocked to northern France. Afghans fleeing war followed. Migrant numbers spiked when a Red Cross shelter in nearby Sangatte took in 68,000 refugees over three years.

The Sangatte center was closed in 2002, and France and Britain drew up an accord that puts British police, customs agents, sniffer dogs and high fences in Calais.

After it became a flashpoint in Europe's migrant crisis last year, authorities made new efforts to deter or resettle migrants.

In January, the French installed containers in the camp to house 1,500 people, and provided 400 places for women and children. They set up a bus service to take migrants to 148 centers around France, to reconsider their futures.

What remains of the "jungle" will eventually be demolished. Prefect Fabienne Buccio says no more than 2,000 migrants can remain in Calais  the number the official dwellings can hold.

"We can't do (anything). We are refugees. It's their country," said Abdul Wali, who is among community leaders for the camp's large Afghan population. "Right now everybody hates us."

FILE - In this Aug. 23 2016 file photo, volunteers from the Refugee Community "Kitchen in Calais" prepare food at a makeshift camp in Calais, northern France. Tempers are rising among migrants squeezed in record numbers into a shrinking slum camp in France's port city of Calais, where hours-long waiting lines for food and showers and the tightening grip of security forces are leaving emotions raw. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler, File)

FILE - This Aug. 24, 2016 file photo shows an aerial view of the migrant camp in Calais, northern France. Tempers are rising among migrants squeezed in record numbers into a shrinking slum camp in France's port city of Calais, where hours-long waiting lines for food and showers and the tightening grip of security forces are leaving emotions raw. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler, File)

FILE - In this Aug. 24, 2016 file photo, an Afghan migrant walks with food at the migrant camp in Calais, northern France. Tempers are rising among migrants squeezed in record numbers into a shrinking slum camp in France's port city of Calais, where hours-long waiting lines for food and showers and the tightening grip of security forces are leaving emotions raw. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler, File)

Sudanese migrants relax in the migrant camp in Calais, northern France, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. There are more than 6,000 migrants fleeing conflict zones or poverty, according to local officials, at the rapidly growing new camp outside Calais, hoping to make it across the English Channel to Britain. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)
LePage: Reports of my political demise 'greatly exaggerated'

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)  Outspoken Republican Gov. Paul LePage, amid political pressure and calls for his resignation, on Tuesday suggested he might be considering stepping aside but hours later seemed to reject the idea, tweeting, "The reports of my political demise are greatly exaggerated."

Meanwhile, House Republicans gathered in Augusta to figure out potential punishments for LePage over his latest crisis, involving his racially charged comments about drug dealers, while about 1,000 people rallied near the Blaine House to call for him to quit.

"Governor, please get some help," said the longtime head of the Maine NAACP, Rachel Talbot Ross.

People clap during speeches at a rally to protest recent remarks by Maine Gov. Paul LePage in Capital Park in Augusta, Maine, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Amid political pressure and calls for his resignation, Republican Gov. Paul LePage on Tuesday suggested that he might be considering stepping aside but seemed to reject the idea entirely hours later in a tweet, saying, "The reports of my political demise are greatly exaggerated." (Joe Phelan/The Kennebec Journal via AP)

LePage, who already had a tempestuous relationship with lawmakers, has been criticized in recent days for an obscene voicemail he left for a Democratic legislator and for blaming minorities for the state's heroin crisis. Democratic lawmakers have warned that LePage was coming unhinged and called for a political intervention.

The Republican leader of the state House, Ken Fredette, said his caucus is against LePage's conduct but doesn't support holding a $43,000-a-day special session to consider censuring or impeaching him.

LePage, speaking Tuesday on WVOM-FM radio, apologized for his tirade last week against Rep. Drew Gattine and said it was "unacceptable." He said he intends to make amends, and he's scheduled to meet with Gattine on Wednesday. But he told WSCH6-TV he thinks Gattine owes him "a little bit of an apology."

He seemed to toy with the idea of stepping down as governor, saying if he has lost his ability to convince Maine residents he's the right person for the job then "maybe it is the time to move on." When asked by WGME-TV hours later about whether he was considering resigning, he said, "I am looking at every option available to my family."

But a tweet later in the day seemed to rule out resignation: "Regarding rumors of resignation, to paraphrase Mark Twain: 'The reports of my political demise are greatly exaggerated,'" LePage wrote.

Senate Democratic Leader Justin Alfond called the tweet backpedaling and an example of LePage's "erratic" and "troubling" behavior.

On Aug. 25, LePage left a foul-mouthed voicemail message for Gattine that said in part, "I am after you," and then he told reporters he wished he could challenge Gattine to a duel and point a gun "right between his eyes."

LePage said at the time his reaction was warranted because he heard Gattine had called him a racist, something Gattine has denied.

Previously, the governor complained about out-of-state drug dealers named "D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty" impregnating young white girls and blamed a rise in infectious diseases on immigrants without providing data.

LePage has blamed liberals for inserting race into his comments and distorting his meaning.

At a town hall in North Berwick on Aug. 24, he said he keeps photos of drug dealers arrested in the state in a binder and said it shows 90 percent of them "are black and Hispanic people from Waterbury, Connecticut; the Bronx; and Brooklyn."

LePage said his repeated mentioning of the race of drug traffickers is relevant because when you go to war "you shoot at the enemy."

"And the enemy right now, the overwhelming majority of people coming in are people of color or people of Hispanic origin," LePage said.

He said heroin traffickers are mostly minorities while whites are largely responsible for methamphetamine crimes.

In 2014, according to the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Service, 1,211 people were arrested for selling or making drugs in Maine and 170 were black.

There are signs of exasperation with LePage's conduct among Republicans and Democrats alike. But any possible ramifications for LePage, who has repeatedly avoided punishment and retained his base of political support, are unclear.

Fredette and Republican Senate President Mike Thibodeau met with LePage on Monday. Leaders had earlier called for "corrective action" on LePage's part but didn't elaborate on what that might be.

Fredette said LePage is addressing his behavior and lawmakers must discuss more pressing issues ahead of the November legislative election. He said LePage must sincerely apologize to Gattine.

Democratic House Majority Leader Jeff McCabe said LePage has crossed a line but he and other lawmakers may reconsider their calls for resignation if the governor agrees to seek professional help for his behavior and outlines a treatment plan.

Rally organizer Betsy Sweet stands on a picnic table giving a speech at the start of a rally to protest recent remarks by Maine Gov. Paul LePage in Capital Park in Augusta, Maine, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Amid political pressure and calls for his resignation, Republican Gov. Paul LePage on Tuesday suggested that he might be considering stepping aside but seemed to reject the idea entirely hours later in a tweet, saying, "The reports of my political demise are greatly exaggerated." (Joe Phelan/The Kennebec Journal via AP)

Maine Gov. Paul LePage speaks during a conference of New England's governors and eastern Canada's premiers to discuss closer regional collaboration, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, in Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Retired nurse accused of killing ailing husband in hospital

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP)  A retired nurse is facing a second-degree murder charge after authorities in Florida say she suffocated her husband in his hospital bed when he suffered life-threatening complications and became unresponsive following surgery.

Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood told news outlets that Jan Sochalski, 61, of Palm Coast was arrested Monday following the May 19 death of Henry Sochalski, 64.

According to an arrest report, Jan Sochalski had been complaining about her husband's care after he went into respiratory and cardiac arrest April 9 after elective back surgery at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center in Daytona Beach.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal (http://bit.ly/2bG1Wth ) reports the retired Trenton, New Jersey, policeman, was unresponsive and placed in a unit that provides specialized medical care for people with serious illness.

Investigators noted in an arrest report that Jan Sochalski was so upset about her husband's treatment that on April 28, she threatened to go home and get his firearm and "shoot the people on the seventh floor" of the hospital. Police were called to the hospital that day, but a nurse calmed the woman down and she wasn't arrested.

A nurse told investigators that on one occasion, she had asked for medication to "decrease his respiratory status."

On May 19, a nurse told investigators she walked into the man's room and found his wife lying across his chest. According to the police report, the nurse said the woman had one hand around her husband's chest and the other across his mouth and nose. A second nurse in the room said it appeared she was "pinching the victim's nose."

He died about 30 minutes later.

Nurses called police, and an investigation began.

An initial autopsy was done May 20, but results weren't returned until Aug. 17.

Detective Dave Dinardi said Sochalski died of asphyxia of the mouth, nose and trachea.

On Monday, Jan Sochalski denied killing her husband, Dinardi said. She was arrested and is being held without bail at the Volusia County Jail. Jail records don't list an attorney for her.

___
Feds get more time to respond to church shooting lawsuits

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP)  A judge has granted the federal government more time to respond to wrongful death lawsuits in the South Carolina church shootings that claimed the lives of nine black parishioners.

Fifteen lawsuits have been filed, alleging that the FBI negligently conducted a background check on 22-year-old Dylann Roof, which enabled him to buy the gun used in the June 2015 shootings at Charleston's Emanuel AME Church.

Justice Department attorneys asked on Monday that a Sept. 6 deadline be extended until Oct. 14. U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel granted the request on Tuesday.
Danish lawmakers say Nauru refused visit to refugee camp

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  Three Danish lawmakers say Nauru has blocked them from taking part in a visit to a detention center where Australia sends asylum-seekers.

Johanne Schmidt-Nielsen, Jacob Mark and Naser Khader were scheduled to go on a two-day visit to the Pacific island nation of Nauru with other members of the Danish Parliament's Immigration Committee.

Schmidt-Nielsen suggested Tuesday on Facebook that she and Mark were blocked because they are left-wing lawmakers who have criticized Australia's offshore asylum detention policy. She said it's anyone's guess why Khader, "without having criticized Nauru or Australia," was also excluded.
The Latest: GOP leader: Media coverage punishing LePage

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)  The Latest on fallout from GOP Gov. Paul LePage's obscenity-laced tirade against a Democratic legislator (all times local):

9:01 p.m.

The Republican leader of the Maine House says national media coverage of Gov. Paul LePage's controversial remarks is a "punishment in and of itself."

Maine Gov. Paul LePage speaks during a conference of New England's governors and eastern Canada's premiers to discuss closer regional collaboration, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, in Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

About 55 House Republicans gathered Tuesday night in August to figure out potential punishments for the GOP governor over his latest crisis, involving his racially charged comments about drug dealers.

The lawmakers met while approximately 1,000 people rallied nearby calling for LePage's resignation.

Rep. Ken Fredette says no one agrees with the governor's behavior, but Republicans don't support holding a $43,000-a-day special session to censure him.

Fredette says LePage is addressing his behavior himself, and that lawmakers must discuss more pressing issues ahead of the November election.

___

5:45 p.m.

The Democratic leader in the Maine House is reaching out to mayors of two Massachusetts cities to disavow comments Maine's governor made linking the communities to drug crimes.

Rep. Jeff McCabe, a Democrat, says in a letter to the mayors of Lowell and Lawrence that Gov. Paul LePage "failed" by making the comments.

LePage, a Republican, said blacks and Hispanics from places like Lowell and Lawrence account for the majority of heroin trafficking arrests in Maine. LePage also mentioned Waterbury, Connecticut, and the New York city boroughs of the Bronx and Brooklyn.

LePage made similar comments at a town hall meeting last week and has drawn widespread criticism since.

McCabe is a Skowhegan resident and the Maine House's majority leader.

___

3:45 p.m.

Democrats and critics of Republican Gov. Paul LePage will hold a rally outside the Maine statehouse to call for his resignation.

The rally is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Capitol Park in Augusta. Democrats are hoping the rally also brings together residents who are frustrated with the brash governor.

The Democrats say attendees will cross the street after the rally and form a circle around the governor's residence. They then plan to join hands and call for LePage to resign.

LePage has been criticized in recent days for leaving an obscene voicemail on the cellphone of a Democratic legislator and for blaming minorities for the state's heroin crisis. He has said he was upset because he believed the legislator had called him a racist. The legislator denies it.

___

1:05 p.m.

Maine Gov. Paul LePage has tweeted that reports of his "political demise are greatly exaggerated."

The Republican governor made the comment Tuesday, hours after he said on a radio show that he was going to meet with family and close advisers to decide his next steps amid calls for his resignation following an obscene voicemail message he left for a Democratic lawmaker.

LePage declined to say on the show whether he intended to serve out the reminder of his term.

He said: "I'm not going to say I'm not going to finish it. I'm not saying I am going to finish it."

LePage has recently come under fire for saying blacks and Hispanics are largely responsible for Maine's heroin trade and then for leaving a voicemail that said, "I am after you."

___

10:30 a.m.

Maine Gov. Paul LePage says he will not hold a public a town hall meeting as planned in the hometown of a Democratic legislator he targeted with an obscene voicemail rant.

The Republican governor planned to hold the event in Westbrook on Wednesday evening, but the event has been canceled. The board of the teen center where LePage wanted to hold the event voted to cancel it, citing space concerns.

Westbrook is the home of Drew Gattine (gah-TEEN'). LePage left a profane voicemail on Gattine's cellphone last week because he thought Gattine had called him a racist, which Gattine denies.

The governor has been under fire for comments he made that appeared to link the state's drug crisis to minorities.

___

9:50 a.m.

Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage says he plans to meet with a Democratic lawmaker to make amends for leaving an obscene rant on his voicemail that said, "I am after you."

Speaking on WVOM-FM radio, LePage said Tuesday that his tirade was "unacceptable and totally my fault."

He says he's going to meet with family and close advisers to decide what to do next. He says he hopes Maine residents will forgive him and say, "You clean up your act and let's move forward.'"

LePage had been angry with Democratic Rep. Drew Gattine (gah-TEEN') because he thought Gattine called him a racist. Gattine denies it.

Democratic lawmakers last week warned that LePage was coming unhinged and called for a political intervention with LePage. Some also asked for him to resign.
US bank earnings in Q2 climbed 1.4 percent to $43.6B

WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. banks' earnings in the April-June period rose 1.4 percent from a year earlier as growth in lending fueled interest income.

The data issued Tuesday by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. showed continued strength in the banking industry eight years after the financial crisis struck. However, the impact of low oil prices on energy companies led banks to continue to post bigger losses on commercial and industrial loans.

The FDIC reported that U.S. banks earned $43.6 billion in the second quarter, up from $43 billion a year earlier. It marks a record profit for the industry.

This Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016, photo, shows a Chase Bank branch in North Miami Beach, Fla. On Tuesday, Aug. 30, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. releases U.S. bank industry earnings for the second quarter. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Around 60 percent of banks reported an increase in profit from a year earlier. Only 4.5 percent of banks were unprofitable, down sharply from 5.8 percent in the second quarter of 2015.

Still, banks are still operating in a "challenging environment," FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg said. Profits from interest on loans and return on assets remained low by historic standards in the second quarter, while losses on loans continued to increase.

Low interest rates have been crimping banks' profit margins on loans. Falling oil prices have hurt oil and gas producers, and made it harder for them to repay their loans.

Higher interest rates could be on the horizon. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said last week that the case for the Fed raising interest rates has been bolstered by a solid job market and an improved outlook for the U.S. economy and inflation. But she stopped short of offering any timetable. The central bank's policymakers are scheduled to meet next on Sept. 20-21.

If rates increase, "that will be a double-edged sword for the industry," Gruenberg noted at a news conference. Banks could earn more interest on loans. At the same time, it could increase the cost for banks to borrow to fund the loans they make.

As a sign of a healthy banking industry, lending overall in the second quarter grew by 2 percent to $181.9 billion, with the largest increases coming in home mortgages, other real estate loans and credit cards.

The volume of commercial and industrial loans that are 90 days or more past due continued to increase, but at a slower rate than in the first quarter  which saw the biggest quarterly increase since the first quarter of 1987.

The amount of loans overall that were written off in the second quarter rose $1.2 billion, or 13.1 percent, from the same period last year. Most of the increase occurred in commercial and industrial loans.

The number of banks on the FDIC's confidential "problem list" fell to 147 from 165 in the first quarter. The 147 banks requiring special monitoring by the agency's examiners is the smallest number in eight years.

The number of bank failures continues to slow. So far this year, four banks have failed. Six had been shuttered by this time last year. Failures declined from 24 in 2013 to 18 in 2014 and only eight last year. They are down sharply from 157 in 2010  the most in one year since the height of the savings and loan crisis in 1992. Normally in a strong economy, an average of four or five banks closes annually.

The decline in bank failures has allowed the deposit insurance fund to strengthen. The fund, which turned from deficit to positive in the second quarter of 2011, had a $77.9 billion balance at the end of June, according to the FDIC. That was up from $75.1 billion at the end of the first quarter.
The Latest: Ouster vote for Brazil leader set for Wednesday

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP)  The Latest on Senate proceedings in the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff (all times local):

5:55 p.m.

Brazil's Senate is putting off its vote on whether to permanently remove suspended President Dilma Rousseff from office until Wednesday.

Sen. Aecio Neves, of the Social Democracy Party, speaks during the impeachment trial of Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff in Senate chambers, in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The Senate in Brazil began hearing prosecution and defense arguments on Tuesday morning, a day after Rousseff made her case to senators. They're expected to vote this week whether to permanently remove her from office. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Instead, nearly all of the 81 senators have signed up to give short addresses on their views of the case against Rousseff in her impeachment trial.

Supreme Court Chief-Justice Ricardo Lewandowski, who is presiding, says that after all are heard he will restart the session Wednesday morning to begin the final vote.

For Rousseff to be removed, at least 54 of the 81 senators must vote in favor. Local media report at least 52 senators have said they will vote for her ouster, while roughly 18 are opposed and 11 have not said. In May, the same body voted 55-22 to impeach and suspend her.

___

11:25 a.m.

The Senate in Brazil is resuming proceedings in the impeachment trial of President Dilma Rousseff.

The body began hearing prosecution arguments on Tuesday morning, a day after Rousseff made her case to senators. They're expected to vote this week whether to permanently remove her from office.

Rousseff is accused of breaking fiscal laws in her management of the federal budget. Brazil's first female president denies wrongdoing.

The suspended president answered questions from senators for about 14 hours after a 30-minute speech on Monday.

Both the prosecution and defense will now make final arguments in a process that will likely take all day. The Senate will then move to the final phase of the vote.

Rousseff will be removed from office if 54 of the body's 81 senators vote in favor. The same body voted 55-22 in May to impeach and suspend her ahead of a trial.

Demonstrators hold a banner that reads in Portuguese; "Temer out, the people decide" during a protest against Brazil's acting President Michel Temer, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The lead prosecutor in the trial to oust Brazil's first female president said Tuesday that Rousseff had committed "fraud" in her accounting practices, then came to tears saying she hopes the leader forgives her for causing her to suffer. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff speaks at her own impeachment trial, in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. Fighting to save her job, Rousseff told senators on Monday that the allegations against her have no merit. "I know I will be judged, but my conscience is clear. I did not commit a crime," she told senators. Rousseff's address comes on the fourth day of the trial. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Israeli ex-spy chief says Palestinian state crucial to peace

JERUSALEM (AP)  The former head of Israel's Mossad spy agency on Tuesday said the establishment of an independent Palestinian state is crucial to region-wide peace in the Middle East, joining the ranks of retired security men to urge the government to seek a two-state solution.

The comments by Tamir Pardo were his first foray into political issues since stepping down as Mossad chief early this year.

With peace efforts with the Palestinians stalled for more than two years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instead sought to cultivate alliances across the Arab world. In addition to the decades-old peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, Netanyahu frequently boasts of what he calls strong behind-the-scenes contacts with moderate Sunni countries, presumably Saudi Arabia and smaller Gulf states.

File - In this Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015 file photo, Director of Israel's Mossad spy agency at the time Tamir Pardo arrives to attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. Former Mossad chief Pardo said Tuesday that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state is crucial to region-wide peace in the Middle East, joining the ranks of retired security men to urge the government to seek a two-state solution. (AP Photo/Ronen Zvulun, Pool, File)

But Pardo said these ties cannot develop further without progress with the Palestinians.

"In my opinion, we won't be able to reach any agreement with any country beyond what we have now if we don't solve the Palestinian issue," he said.

He noted that Netanyahu has endorsed the idea of establishing an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. "I think he is right and I think he needs to follow that path," Pardo said.

Although Netanyahu says he supports a two-state solution, he has given few details on where the Palestinian state would be formed. The Palestinians accuse Israel of sabotaging peace hopes by expanding settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem  captured territories where they hope to establish their state. Netanyahu has demanded the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

Dozens of former Israeli commanders have urged Netanyahu to push harder to resolve the Palestinian issue, saying the continued occupation of millions of Palestinians endangers the country's democracy.

Many have accused him of mishandling the matter, though Pardo's vague comments stopped short of doing so.

In other remarks, Pardo warned of growing polarization in Israeli society, saying such divisions could lead to "civil war." However, he did not assign blame to any single leader or political party, or elaborate on the type of divisions he was referring to.

Netanyahu's office declined comment.
Ban Ki-moon tells Myanmar world concerned about Rohingya

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP)  U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told Myanmar on Tuesday that the world is very concerned about the tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees who have been living for more than four years in camps in northern Rakhine state after fleeing violence from the Buddhist majority.

"They deserve hope," Ban said at a joint news conference with Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi. "All of Myanmar's people, of every ethnicity and background, should be able to live in equality and harmony, side by side with their neighbors."

Ban is in Myanmar to attend peace talks aimed at ending half a century of conflict between the government and the country's many armed ethnic minority groups. The talks begin Wednesday in Naypyitaw, the capital. About 2,000 delegates and guests are expected to attend the opening ceremony.

Myanmar Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, right, shakes hands with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, left, after their press conference at the Foreign Ministry office August, 30,2016, in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

Suu Kyi, who leads Myanmar with the title of state counselor and is also foreign minister, said, "We are doing what we can to make sure that all groups can attend, but to attend or not is up to them."

Ban also said there is a "heightened expectation" of faster progress under Suu Kyi's leadership on issues facing the country, and that the international community and Myanmar's government should work together to overcome them.

He spoke of the country's remarkable journey from military dictatorship toward democracy, but warned too of the many challenges Myanmar faces, including the plight of the Rohingya Muslims.

More than 100,000 Rohingya have been living in unsanitary camps since fleeing their homes in Rakhine state starting in 2012, following deadly violence driven largely by Buddhist mobs. Many Buddhists view Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, even though many have been living in Myanmar for generations.

Even the word "Rohingya" is extremely controversial in Myanmar, though Ban used it without hesitation during the brief news conference. Suu Kyi's government has said it would rather that the term "Muslims in Rakhine" be used.

While saying he understood the need for patience in tackling the problem, Ban reiterated that the international community is concerned about the Rohingya's situation. He commended the government for setting up a special advisory commission on the situation in Rakhine state that will be chaired by Ban's predecessor, Kofi Annan. It is to convene for the first time next week in Yangon.

This is Ban's fifth visit to Myanmar.

Myanmar's Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, right, talks with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during their meeting at Foreign Ministry office Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

Myanmar's Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, right, talks with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during their meeting at Foreign Ministry office Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

Myanmar Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, left, and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, right, arrive for their press conference at the Foreign Ministry office on Aug. 30, 2016, in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)
Defense asks for venue change in ex-preacher's murder trial

DANVILLE, Ky. (AP)  Attorneys for a former Kentucky preacher accused of killing three people are seeking a change of venue for their client's trial.

News outlets report that during a Monday hearing on a request to move the trial, attorneys for 51-year-old Kenneth Allen Keith cited a telephone survey as evidence that Keith can't receive a fair trial in Boyle County.

Of the 401 surveyed by a Louisville polling firm, 65 percent said they thought Keith was guilty of the crimes.

Prosecutors said the survey also showed that 74 percent of respondents said they think Keith can receive a fair trial.

Keith has pleaded not guilty to burglary, robbery and murder in the 2013 shooting deaths of Michael Hockensmith, Angela Hockensmith and Daniel Smith at a Danville pawn shop.
Ask Brianna: Should I ask for more money at my first job?

"Ask Brianna" is a Q&A column from NerdWallet for 20-somethings or anyone else starting out. I'm here to help you manage your money, find a job and pay off student loans  all the real-world stuff no one taught us how to do in college. Send your questions about postgrad life to askbrianna@nerdwallet.com.

Q: I got an offer for my first full-time job, and the salary is lower than I expected. Should I ask for more money?

A: I didn't negotiate salary at my first two jobs after college. The first was a government position with a set salary limit. When I got the offer for my second job, at a nonprofit, I'd been out of work for months and was desperate to move out of my parents' house. I took the first offer the organization gave me, which came out to about $25,000 a year after taxes  not much to live on in New York City.

FILE - This June 24, 2016, file photo, provided by NerdWallet shows Brianna McGurran, a columnist for personal finance website NerdWallet.com. "Ask Brianna" is a Q&A column for 20-somethings, or anyone else starting out. (Jazeena Baeza/NerdWallet via AP, File)

My hasty acceptance became more of a problem the longer I worked there. My raises were based on the original salary I hadn't negotiated. Eventually I was earning less than my peers at the nonprofit, many of whom had negotiated for higher starting salaries and gotten raises on top of those. I got a conciliatory "salary bump," but I didn't feel much better. I was embarrassed that I hadn't spoken up for myself, and I could barely save a dollar after paying for rent, food and student loan bills.

Let my experience be a lesson to you: Whether you're a man or a woman, a new grad or a career changer, you should negotiate when your employer offers you less money than you know you should be paid.

So why is it so hard to ask for more money? Maybe you're worried, like I was, that it will make you seem greedy and ungrateful, or that the company will withdraw its offer. Maybe you have no idea how to start the conversation.

Nearly 60 percent of all workers surveyed by the career website Glassdoor in May 2016 took the first salary offer they received at their current or most recent job. Women were even less likely to negotiate than men: 68 percent of women didn't negotiate, compared with 52 percent of men.

"The particular challenge is that we're not necessarily taught how to do this," says Lisa Ernst, executive director of Savvy Ladies, a New York nonprofit that offers financial education for women. It can be especially hard for women to negotiate, she says, because "they don't want to be seen as aggressive and unlikeable."

Some employers, like my first, have salary bands they can't or won't budge on. But in most cases, hiring managers expect you to negotiate. I negotiated salary at my third job, and I survived  and got more money.

Only 6 percent of employers said they were never willing to negotiate with entry-level employees, according to a survey conducted last year by my company, NerdWallet, and the recruiting platform LookSharp. Three out of four employers said they were not only willing to negotiate, but had room to increase their initial salary offers by 5 percent to 10 percent.

To figure out how much you're worth, look up the average starting salary in your role where you live. Ask the career services director at your school, alumni in your field and connections you've met at industry conferences what the going rate is for recent graduates in the job you've applied for. Check online resources like PayScale . Come up with a baseline number and decide you'll negotiate if you're offered less.

Then practice what you'll say if the offer is less than what you want  do it with a friend, a pet or while looking in the mirror. Your script should include gratitude, excitement at the job opportunity and a specific counteroffer. Most importantly, say why you deserve more and focus on the value you'd bring to the company.

For example, your response could follow this model: "Thank you for the offer, and I couldn't be more excited to join this company and to contribute to the team. Taking into account the market rate for this area, I believe that (insert amount) is more in line with my skills and experience."

Done respectfully and with research to back it up, negotiating will make you look good. A full 76 percent of employers told NerdWallet and LookSharp that new grads who negotiated seemed confident, while only about 25 percent said they seemed entitled. Besides, if your potential company rescinds its offer over a request for an extra $5,000 a year, maybe it wouldn't be all that delightful to work for anyway.

_____

This column was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet.

Email NerdWallet staff writer Brianna McGurran: bmcgurran@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @briannamcscribe.

RELATED LINKS:

NerdWallet: Recent Graduates Are Not Negotiating Salary  Losing Out on Crucial Income: https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/loans/student-loans/negotiating-salary-study?trk=nw-synd_442_0_0
The German pilot who deliberately flew his airliner into a mountainside last year had struggled with learning to fly and had failed a key test of his skills during training in the U.S., according FBI interviews with his flight instructors.

Andreas Lubitz was promoted anyway. But his training difficulties were one more 'red flag' that should have caused Lufthansa and the airline's Arizona flight school to take a closer look and discover his history of depression, asserted attorneys representing families of crash victims.

Lubitz was a co-pilot for Germanwings, a regional airline owned by Lufthansa, when he locked Flight 9524's captain out of the cockpit and set the plane on a collision course with a mountain in the French Alps last year. All 144 passengers and six crew members, including Lubitz, were killed.

Fatal crash: Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz in San Francisco. Lubitz deliberately flew his airliner into a French mountainside last year

Completed: Lubitz struggled at the Airline Training Center Arizona and failed multiple tests

One instructor, Juergen Theerkorn, described Lubitz as 'not an ace pilot,' and said he failed one flight test because of a 'situational awareness issue.' In aviation, loss of situational awareness usually means a pilot becomes absorbed in something and loses track of what else is happening with the plane.

Another instructor, Scott Nickell, told the FBI that Lubitz lacked 'procedural knowledge' and had trouble with splitting his attention between instruments inside the plane and watching what was happening outside. But while Lubitz struggled with training, he would achieve passing scores enabling him to continue the program, Nickell said.

Lubitz failed one of five check rides, which are important tests of a pilot's flying skills, and one of 67 training flights, Matthias Kippenberg, president and CEO of the Airline Training Center Arizona, told the FBI. However, Kippenberg dismissed the failures as unremarkable, saying students are given the opportunity to retake the tests. Only 1 or 2 percent of students fail to be promoted, he said.

Concerns: Some medical experts felt 27-year-old German co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, who feared he was losing his eyesight, was psychologically unstable and a number thought he was unfit to fly

The FBI conducted the interviews a week after the March 24, 2015, crash. Summaries were only recently released by prosecutors in Germany, according to attorneys with Kriendler & Kriendler in New York, who are representing the families in a lawsuit against the flight school. The lawyers provided copies to The Associated Press.

Officials for Lufthansa and the flight school didn't immediately reply to requests for comment.

An investigation has revealed that Lubitz was being treated for a relapse of severe depression and suicidal tendencies but had hid the information from Germanwings.

Germany's strict patient privacy laws didn't allow doctors to share medical information with an employer without the patient's permission.

Recovery: Lubitz, then 27, slammed the A320 jet into the French Alps on March 24, killing all 149 passengers and crew on board

Lubitz was a co-pilot for Germanwings, a regional airline owned by Lufthansa, when he locked Flight 9524's captain out of the cockpit and set the plane on a collision course with a mountain in the French Alps last year

An investigation has revealed that Lubitz was being treated for a relapse of severe depression and suicidal tendencies but had hid the information from Germanwings

Lubitz had had a previous bout of depression in 2008 and had informed Lufthansa, taking a leave of absence two months after starting ground school training in Germany. He was allowed to resume training ten months later after providing a statement from his doctor that he had recovered.

Lubitz was originally scheduled to begin his training at the flight school in Arizona in September 2009, but was rescheduled for September 2010. He didn't actually start until November. Lufthansa told the school in an email that the delay was due to 'a long illness,' Sherri Harwood, the school's administrative services manager, told the FBI.

The FBI summaries don't contain a copy of that email, so it's not known whether Lufthansa told the school the nature of Lubitz's illness, said Brian Alexander, one of the attorneys representing the families.

The FBI interviews show that flight school officials 'acknowledge knowing (Lubitz) struggled in training, had a long illness and was delayed for over a year,' Alexander said. 'They also admit he failed a check ride due to a loss of situational awareness, which may very well have been caused by the very same anxiety and severe depression which were symptoms of his mental health disorder.'

'Here rests in God': Andreas Lubitz was buried in a secret ceremony. The only name on his grave is 'Andy' in the hope it will protect the site from vandalism

Flowers are left in front of a monument to Germanwings crash victims in Le Vernet, southeastern France

It remains unclear what specific information the school had about Lubitz' medical condition. But If the school had checked, Alexander said, it might have learned that German authorities had twice turned down applications from Lubitz for a pilot medical certificate because of his history of depression before issuing him a certificate in July 2009. That certificate stated it would become invalid if he had a relapse.

In the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration also initially declined to grant Lubitz a student pilot medical certificate because he said on his application that he hadn't been treated for any mental disorders, and he failed to list doctors who had treated him as required. After a medical examiner working for the FAA in Germany caught the discrepancy, Lubitz refiled a corrected application.

The FAA could have refused to issue the certificate because Lubitz lied on the application, but he was allowed to provide a statement from his doctor that he was fit to fly and that medications for depression had been discontinued.

John Goglia, an aviation safety expert and former National Transportation Safety Board member, agreed with attorneys that Lubitz's struggles were a warning that should have caused the school to look closer, although 'not a bright red one.' It's not unusual for students to fail a single check ride, he said.
USDA to reopen offices closed after email threats

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Agriculture Department will reopen some offices Wednesday that were closed after an unspecified email threat.

USDA spokesman Matthew Herrick said offices in Colorado, Maryland, North Carolina and Kearneysville, West Virginia, will open Wednesday with additional security enhancements. USDA offices in Hamden, Connecticut, and Leetown, West Virginia, will remain closed while waiting for security improvements or notifications to union officials.

Herrick said earlier Tuesday that the department had received "several anonymous messages" late Monday that raised concerns about the safety of USDA personnel and facilities. Offices in six locations in five states were closed Tuesday morning "until further notice."

The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, the Agriculture Department's agricultural research center and library in seen from a locked gate after employees were informed of a threat in the morning and sent home, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Beltsville, Md. The Agriculture Department closed offices in five states after receiving anonymous threats. USDA spokesman Matthew Herrick said the department had received "several anonymous messages" that raised concerns about the safety of USDA personnel and facilities. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Herrick said the threat was one email message sent to multiple employees at all the locations.

"Without getting into detail of the email message, USDA continues to work closely with federal and local law enforcement, including the FBI, to determine whether the threat is credible," Herrick said.

Herrick said USDA is continuing to work with law enforcement but officials determined the offices could be re-opened with additional security.

The closed facilities include offices for eight USDA agencies, including the Forest Service and the Food Safety and Inspection Service. Among the sites affected was USDA's sprawling agricultural research center and library in Beltsville, Maryland, where employees were informed of the threat Tuesday morning and sent home. In Fort Collins, Colorado, four buildings at the Natural Resources Research Center  a campus where over 1,000 people work  were closed.

In an email to employees, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said USDA is closing the offices "due to the serious nature of these threats." He did not characterize the threats, but asked employees to be aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity. He said employees could telework or take authorized leave.

White House Spokesman Josh Earnest said the Department of Homeland Security is working with USDA "to ensure the safety of their offices and the personnel that work there."

The temporary closures may have affected some tourists. In Colorado, the Forest Service's Canyon Lakes Ranger District tweeted that its information center was closed.

___

Associated Press writers Ben Nuckols and Darlene Superville in Washington and Colleen Slevin in Denver contributed to this report.

The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, the Agriculture Department's research center and library is seen after employees were informed of a threat in the morning and sent home, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The Agriculture Department closed offices in five states after receiving anonymous threats. USDA spokesman Matthew Herrick said the department had received "several anonymous messages" that raised concerns about the safety of USDA personnel and facilities. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Latest: Trump says immigrants taking minorities' jobs

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Latest on the U.S. presidential race (all times EDT):

11:25 p.m.

A day before his highly-awaited speech on immigration, Donald Trump is accusing people in the country illegally of taking minority workers' jobs.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump shakes hands as he arrives to a campaign rally at Xfinity Arena of Everett, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Everett, Wash. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump tells a rally crowd in Washington state that refugees and people living in the U.S. illegally "take jobs from hardworking African-Americans and Hispanic citizens."

The GOP nominee also says he's going to stop the flow of drugs across the southern border. He says he'll address the issue in Wednesday's speech.

Trump said on Twitter earlier Tuesday that he would meet with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Wednesday.

___

11:10 p.m.

Donald Trump is railing against the Democratic Party, calling it the party of slavery and Jim Crow.

The GOP presidential nominee says his party is the party of freedom, equality and opportunity.

Trump is continuing his efforts to appeal to minority voters at a Tuesday night rally in Everett, Washington, just north of Seattle, where he has drawn a largely white crowd.

He claims that Democrats have "used" minority voters for "decades and decades" and will continue to use them.

He says he "will fight for you like no one ever has before."

__

9:50 p.m.

Donald Trump will make a surprise trip to Mexico on Wednesday to meet with the country's president hours before delivering a highly-anticipated speech on immigration.

Trump says on Twitter that he looks "very much forward" to meeting with President Enrique Pena Nieto. The Mexican leader had invited both Trump and Hillary Clinton to visit Mexico.

Pena Nieto's office says in its own tweet that the two men will meet in private Wednesday.

Trump has made illegal immigration and his call for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border a centerpiece of his presidential campaign. Pena Nieto has been sharply critical of Trump's insistence that Mexico would pay for a border wall.

___

8:25 p.m.

Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence is back in North Carolina, attacking Democrat Hillary Clinton in a battleground state.

The Indiana governor lashed out at Clinton at a campaign rally in Winston-Salem Tuesday over her email controversies, the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi and her dealings with donors to the Clinton Foundation, all while she was secretary of state.

Pence also criticized President Barack Obama, saying the country's influence in the world has weakened under his and Clinton's leadership. Pence also reminded supporters that the composition of the Supreme Court could hinge on the election's outcome.

Pence was in Charlotte last week as both parties are heavily contesting a state that Obama won in 2008 and lost four years later.

___

7:25 p.m.

Hillary Clinton is wrapping up a three-day fundraising blitz in the Hamptons.

The Democratic presidential nominee hopped from mansion to mansion in the tony New York oceanfront destination, appearing at lunches and dinners where the contributions ranged from $1,000 to $100,000 for guests and hosts. The top-dollar tour was set to conclude Tuesday night with an event in Sag Harbor complete with performances from Jimmy Buffett and Jon Bon Jovi.

The events all raised money for the Hillary Victory Fund, a joint fund supporting her campaign, the Democratic National Committee and state party organizations.

___

4:55 p.m.

The union that represents stage actors and stage managers has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.

The National Council of Actors Equity Association said in a news release Tuesday that this was the first time in the union's 103-year history that it has backed a political candidate. The union voted to endorse the Democratic candidate at a meeting in August, choosing Clinton over Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Equity President Kate Shindle said in a statement that the union typically remains nonpartisan, but "at such a critical time in our country's history, this union does not have that luxury if we hope to protect our members. We have to fight with everything we have for our survival."

The Actors Equity Association represents more than 50,000 professional actors and stage managers.

___

4:30 p.m.

Hillary Clinton is wrapping up a three-day fundraising blitz in the Hamptons.

The Democratic presidential nominee hopped from mansion to mansion in the tony New York oceanfront destination, appearing at lunches and dinners where the contributions ranged from $1,000 to $100,000 for guests and hosts. The top-dollar tour was set to conclude Tuesday night with an event in North Haven complete with performances from Jimmy Buffett and Jon Bon Jovi.

The events all raised money for the Hillary Victory Fund, a joint fund supporting her campaign, the Democratic National Committee and state party organizations.

___

4:05 p.m.

Four leading House Democrats want the FBI to investigate whether Donald Trump's presidential campaign was involved in the recent hack of Democratic Party computers.

The lawmakers wrote Tuesday to FBI Director James Comey that his agency should examine whether the Republican candidate's campaign and Russia conducted cyber attacks "to interfere with the U.S. presidential election."

The letter notes connections between Russia and Trump aides including former campaign manager Paul Manafort. He resigned following revelations of past work for a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine. Some experts believe Russia was behind the hack of the Democratic National Committee that led tothe release of thousands of Democratic documents.

Writing Comey were Democratic Reps. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, John Conyers Jr. of Michigan, Elliot Engel of New York and Bennie Thompson of Mississippi.

___

3:15 p.m.

A conservative legal group has submitted 25 written questions to Hillary Clinton about her use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state.

Judicial Watch submitted the questions to the Democratic presidential nominee on Tuesday following an order issued this month by U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan.

Judicial Watch has filed several lawsuits seeking government records related to Clinton. Sullivan's order was only a partial victory for the group, which had sought to depose Clinton in person.

It was not immediately clear from the wording of Sullivan's order whether Clinton must answer the questions under oath before or after the November election. Judicial Watch contends the deadline is Sept. 29. Clinton lawyer David Kendall did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

___

2:35 p.m.

The White House says President Barack Obama's national security advisers are discussing whether to designate state election systems as "critical infrastructure."

Spokesman Josh Earnest says such a designation would make federal resources available to help states secure those systems.

He offered no timetable on when a decision would be made.

The FBI has warned state officials to boost election security in light of evidence that hackers had targeted related data systems in two states the agency has not identified.

Federal officials are concerned that hackers, particularly those working for Russia or another country, could breach U.S. elections systems and wreak havoc on the November elections.

Earnest says the decentralized nature of the U.S. election system makes it harder to manipulate the outcome.

___

2:10 p.m.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine is describing Donald Trump's campaign as a con job, saying the Republican nominee has "utterly failed" to answer basic questions about his finances and background.

Speaking in Erie, Pennsylvania, Kaine ticked through a list of areas in which he says Trump is being too secretive. Those areas include his finances, foreign ties, taxes and even his health.

Kaine questioned his business ties to Russia, suggesting Trump would not prevent Russia from invading American allies. Trump has been critical of the NATO alliance.

And Kaine is pushing back against Trump's allegations that Hillary Clinton is in poor health. He told the crowd he can barely keep up with the Democratic nominee on the campaign trail, adding "Hillary Clinton is one tough and one healthy person."

___

12:35 p.m.

The State Department says about 30 emails involving the 2012 attack on U.S. compounds in Benghazi, Libya, are among the thousands of Hillary Clinton emails recovered during the FBI's recently closed investigation into the former secretary's use of a private server.

Government lawyers told U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta Tuesday that an undetermined number of the emails among the 30 were not included in the 55,000 pages previously provided by Clinton to State. The agency said it would need until the end of September to review the emails and redact potentially classified information before they are released.

The hearing was held in one of several lawsuits filed by the conservative legal group Judicial Watch, which is seeking government records involving the Democratic presidential nominee.

___

11:50 a.m.

A trio of House Democrats is calling on congressional Republicans to denounce what they called "hateful rhetoric" by Donald Trump.

Pointing to the role that strong language can play in politics, U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn said Tuesday during a press call organized by the Hillary Clinton campaign that House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell should "stand up and disavow the kind of hateful rhetoric that we're hearing from Donald Trump, the Republican nominee."

Clyburn also said a tweet by a black Trump supporter showing Clinton in black face "went beyond the pale."

Clyburn was referencing Pastor Mark Burns' posting earlier this week implying Clinton is pandering to black voters. The South Carolina pastor has since apologized for the tweet and said he should have used "better judgment."

If Trump is serious about courting black voters, Clyburn said, he shouldn't turn down invitations to speak to groups like the NAACP.

"You don't go to a 99 percent white audience and talk about us and call that an invitation to us," the South Carolina Democrat said.

___

11:45 a.m.

The FBI is expected to release documents soon related to its investigation into Hillary Clinton and her use of a private email server.

A law enforcement official said Tuesday that documents in the case would be made public as the FBI responds to Freedom of Information Act requests.

It wasn't immediately clear when the documents would be released or exactly what they would include. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The FBI this month provided Congress portions of its file from the agency's yearlong investigation into whether then-Secretary of State Clinton and her top aides mishandled classified information that flowed through a private email server.

CNN reported that the records could be made public as early as Wednesday.

By Eric Tucker in Washington

___

3:15 a.m.

Donald Trump and his aides used to say that voters didn't care about the nitty-gritty of policy details. But now those details are tripping up his campaign.

Trump has appeared to wrestle with his controversial pledge to expel everyone living in the U.S. illegally with the help of a "deportation force."

The GOP nominee polled an audience last week on the fate of an estimated 11 million people. It was a stunning display of indecision from a candidate who has asked voters to put enormous faith in his gut instincts.

Trump is now planning a major speech on immigration Wednesday. Supporters are hoping for a strong, decisive showing. But the episode underscores how little time his campaign has invested in outlining how he would accomplish his goals as president.

___

This story has been corrected to show Clinton's Tuesday night fundraising event is in Sag Harbor, instead of North Haven.

Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump cheer during a campaign rally at Xfinity Arena of Everett, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Everett, Wash. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Marcyann Ritchie, of Snhomish, Wash., holds her homemade sign supporting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as she waits in line Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, for a Trump rally in Everett, Wash. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, right, accompanied by Democratic Party activist Jay Snyder, left, leaves after a fundraiser at his home in East Hampton, N.Y., Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Man with weeks to live fulfills wish by marrying girlfriend

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  A terminally ill man with weeks to live has fulfilled a dying wish by marrying his girlfriend.

The Daily News Journal reports (http://on.dnj.com/2bXAdqr ) Chris Ford and Nicole Wismer had planned to marry in October but moved up the ceremony to Sunday after doctors told Chris he might not make it that long.

Ford was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth and throat about a year ago, not long after the couple's son was born. The Philadelphia native moved to his mother's home in La Vergne, Tennessee, while undergoing cancer treatment.

The community came together to donate a venue and other services for the celebration.

Despite his weakened condition, Ford was able to dance down the aisle with his new bride after the ceremony was complete.

___
Appeals court refuses to halt trial in USS Cole attack

WASHINGTON (AP)  A federal appeals court on Tuesday refused to halt the military commission trial of a Saudi national charged with orchestrating the 2000 attack on the USS Cole that killed 17 U.S. sailors.

The 2-1 ruling said that Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri can't challenge the commission's authority to hear his case until after the proceeding has run its course.

Al-Nashiri argued that military commissions only have authority over offenses that take place during an armed conflict. He said his actions were not war crimes because the U.S. was not officially at war with al-Qaida at the time of the attack.

But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the military court was capable of deciding whether al-Nashiri's conduct occurred "outside the context of hostilities."

Writing for the majority, Judge Thomas Griffith rejected arguments that the appeals court should consider the challenge now because al-Nashiri was subject to torture while in U.S. custody. Al-Nashiri was held for several years in secret CIA prisons after his capture in 2002.

Authorities have disclosed that he was subjected to a mock execution and waterboarding. Al-Nashiri says he was also hung by his hands, deprived of sleep and regularly beaten. He was transferred to the prison at Guantanamo Bay in September 2006.

"Al-Nashiri's allegations regarding his treatment during detention, while deeply troubling, do not provide any reason to fear that he will not be given a fair hearing in the military commission," Griffith said.

In dissent, Judge David Tatel said evidence that al-Nashiri was tortured while in U.S. custody warrants considering his claims now. If allegations about his treatment have merit, "the alleged burdens he faces are not only unusual, but extraordinary," Tatel said.

Al-Nashiri argued that he was subject to years of brutal interrogation tactics by the same executive branch that now seeks to try him. He said he suffers from psychological disorders that will be aggravated by trial before a military commission.
Uzbek concert cancelled amid president health doubt

MOSCOW (AP)  News agencies report a concert marking Uzbekistan's 25th anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union has been cancelled amid uncertainty about the health of the country's hospitalized president.

The Uzbek government on Sunday announced that Islam Karimov, the 78-year-old hardliner who has ruled since independence, had been hospitalized, but gave no further details. His daughter later said on social media that he had suffered a brain hemorrhage.

No government statements on his health were issued Tuesday, a day after unconfirmed reports of his death circulated.
North Carolina beaches thin out ahead of tropical weather

RODANTHE, N.C. (AP)  Crowds thinned Tuesday on the beaches of North Carolina's Outer Banks ahead of a tropical weather system that threatened to bring strong winds and heavy rains that could flood low-lying areas.

Elsewhere, a powerful hurricane threatened to pass "dangerously close" to Hawaii, and a hurricane watch was issued for parts of Florida's Gulf Coast because of a tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico.

On North Carolina's Hatteras Island, a slow stream of dozens of cars from places including Maryland, New York and Ohio headed north toward a bridge to the mainland  but other vacationers stayed and some surfers dove in for taller waves. Several Outer Banks businesses reported cancellations and slower foot traffic.

A surfer gets some air off the crest of a wave near the Surf City Pier in Surf City, N.C., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, as incoming tide and light offshore winds create good surfing. Crowds thinned Tuesday on the beaches of North Carolina's Outer Banks ahead of a tropical weather system that threatened to bring strong winds and heavy rains that could flood low-lying areas. (John Althosue/The Daily News via AP)

Some beaches were all but empty. Near Rodanthe, a couple and their 11-year-old son had the shore to themselves for a morning stroll. Joe and Kelley Walker of Markham, Virginia, said their family plans to wait out the rain with movies or card games.

"We're not worried about the storm so much unless they say there's something to worry about," Joe Walker said.

In nearby Frisco, whipped-up waves attracted out-of-town surfers. A break in the rain before more showers were expected also brought families out at midday.

Steven Kavika, a 58-year-old surf instructor, said he relished the opportunity.

"I saw it coming in last week and kind of made a prediction of what day would be best to come down," said Kavika, who drove down with a friend from Virginia Beach, Virginia.

The weather system was expected to pass near the Outer Banks by late Tuesday before eventually curving out to sea, likely reaching tropical storm status overnight with sustained winds of 45 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Heavy rains of up to 5 inches were expected in some areas.

With the storm centered about 70 miles (115 kilometers) south of Cape Hatteras on Tuesday night, a tropical storm warning was in effect for much of the Outer Banks. Forecasters have said it's not expected to surpass tropical-storm strength.

Coastal Carteret County emergency officials issued an advisory on Tuesday saying that wind problems were likely to be "mostly minor," but advised residents in case trees topple or lightweight objects are blown around.

At the same time, a tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico prompted the National Hurricane Center to issue a hurricane watch for areas of Florida's Gulf coast stretching from the Anclote River northwest of Tampa to Indian Pass on the Panhandle. An area west of Indian Pass was under a tropical storm watch.

Forecasters say they expect that system to turn to the northeast toward Florida and become a tropical storm by sometime Wednesday. That depression was about 415 miles (670 kilometers) southwest of Tampa, Florida.

National Weather Service meteorologist Tom Lonka said the center of the storm approaching North Carolina should stay offshore, but the Outer Banks will be lashed with rain and wind through Wednesday.

"There'll be rain showers coming on shore, rain bands and gusty winds," he said by phone Tuesday.

Lonka also said the storm in the Gulf was forecast to move across northern Florida later this week toward the Atlantic, but likely to stay south of North Carolina. Still, he cautioned its path was difficult to predict days in advance.

At Ride The Wind Surf Shop on Ocracoke Island, owner Bob Chestnut said he canceled all of his kayak tours and other rentals for Tuesday because he was concerned about the wind. Foot traffic was sparse.

"The amount of day-trippers has been pretty minimal because I think people were worried they'd get down here and not be able to get back," he said by phone, referring to people who take a ferry to the island on the southern stretch of the Outer Banks.

Byron Miller, manager of The Ocracoke Harbor Inn, said one person cancelled because of the forecast, and business is a little slower than usual.

Thousands of miles away, residents of Hawaii's Big Island are bracing for what could be the first Pacific hurricane to make landfall in that state in decades.

Meteorologist Chevy Chevalier said Tuesday that Pacific hurricane Madeline, now a major Category 3 storm, is expected to weaken but likely will remain a hurricane as it passes Hawaii. The forecaster said any shift in the storm's forecast track could mean it would hit land.

Chevalier says the last hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii was Hurricane Iniki in 1992, which hit Kauai Island.

A second Pacific hurricane called Lester is still far from Hawaii.

___

Drew reported from Durham, North Carolina.

Surfers vie for a spot on a wave near the Surf City Pier, Surf City, N.C., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, as incoming tide and light offshore winds create good surfing. Crowds thinned Tuesday on the beaches of North Carolina's Outer Banks ahead of a tropical weather system that threatened to bring strong winds and heavy rains that could flood low-lying areas. (John Althosue/The Daily News via AP)

Zachary Zepeda, 36, of Richlands, N.C., waxes his board before heading into the surf in Surf City, N.C., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Crowds thinned Tuesday on the beaches of North Carolina's Outer Banks ahead of a tropical weather system that threatened to bring strong winds and heavy rains that could flood low-lying areas. (John Althosue/The Daily News via AP)

A lone car waits to be loaded on a ferry to Ocracoke Island in Hatteras, N.C., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. A tropical weather system off the coast of North Carolina's Outer Banks is expected to strengthen in the next day, bringing winds up to 45 mph and heavy rains that could flood low-lying areas. (AP Photo/Ben Finley)

Drivers make their way in the rain along Interstate 95, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Miami. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami say a tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico could hit northern Florida as a tropical storm later in the week and possibly head toward the Atlantic coast. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Steve Pearson, of Clearwater, is pummeled by a squall of rain during a walk on the Dunedin Causeway as thunderstorms moved through Pinellas County bringing wind and heavy rain, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, in Dunedin, Fla. Authorities at some locations in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area of Florida are hauling out sandbags to offer residents amid predictions of heavy rains from a storm system heading to the southeast Gulf of Mexico. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Deputies fatally shoot man who charged them with chain saw

GRAHAM, Wash. (AP)  Officers in Washington state shot and killed a man they say charged at them with a running chain saw.

A woman called 911 Tuesday morning to report that her 36-year-old son was armed with a chain saw at their home. Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Gary Sanders says the son previously assaulted the woman and her husband.

Sanders says that when deputies arrived, they confronted the man, but he refused to put down the tool. They used a stun gun on him and he fell to the ground, but he got back up and charged at the deputies with the running chain saw.
AP documents 72 mass graves left by IS militants

HARDAN, Iraq (AP)  Peering through binoculars, the young man watched as Islamic State extremists gunned down the handcuffed men and then buried them with a waiting bulldozer. For six days he watched as IS filled one grave after another with his friends and neighbors.

The five graves arranged at the foot of Sinjar mountain hold the bodies of dozens of minority Yazidis killed in the Islamic State group's bloody onslaught in August 2014. They are a fraction of the mass graves Islamic State extremists have scattered across Iraq and Syria.

In exclusive interviews, photos and research, The Associated Press has documented and mapped 72 of the mass graves, the most comprehensive survey so far, with many more expected to be uncovered as the Islamic State group's territory shrinks.

This photo released by the the Mass Graves Directorate of the Kurdish Regional Government shows a skeleton exhumed from a mass grave containing Yazidis killed by Islamic State militants in the Sinjar region of northern Iraq. An analysis by The Associated Press has found 72 mass graves left behind by Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria, and many more are expected to be discovered as the group loses territory. (Kurdish Mass Graves Directorate via AP)

In Syria, AP has obtained locations for 17 mass graves, including one with the bodies of hundreds of members of a single tribe all but exterminated when IS extremists took over their region.

For at least 16 of the Iraqi graves, most in territory too dangerous to excavate, officials do not even guess the number of dead. In others, the estimates are based on memories of traumatized survivors, Islamic State propaganda and what can be gleaned from a cursory look at the earth.

Still, even the known numbers of victims buried are staggering  from 5,200 to more than 15,000.

Satellites offer the clearest look at massacres such as the one at Badoush Prison in June 2014 that left 600 inmates dead. A patch of scraped earth shows the likely site, according to exclusive photos obtained by the imagery intelligence firm AllSource Analysis and shared with AP.

On Sinjar Mountain, Rasho Qassim drives daily past the mass grave in Hardan that holds the bodies of his two sons.

The sites are roped off and awaiting the money and the political will for excavation. The evidence they contain is scoured by wind and baked by sun.

"We want to take them out of here. There are only bones left. But they said 'No, they have to stay there, a committee will come and exhume them later,'" said Qassim, standing at the flimsy protective fence.

IS made no attempt to hide its atrocities. But proving what United Nations officials and others have described as an ongoing genocide will be complicated as the graves deteriorate. The Islamic State group targeted the Yazidis for slaughter because it considers them infidels. The Yazidi faith has elements of Christianity and Islam but is distinct.

"There's been virtually no effort to systematically document the crimes perpetrated, to preserve the evidence," said Naomi Kikoler, who recently visited for the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. The graves are largely documented by the aid group Yazda.

Following the release of the AP research, the State Department noted that it is providing assistance to Iraqi authorities for the investigation of mass graves.

"Sadly, we anticipate that additional mass graves will be discovered as additional lands are liberated from Da'esh," State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.

Through binoculars, Arkan Qassem watched it all. His village, Gurmiz, overlooks Hardan and the plain below. When the jihadis swept through, everyone in Gurmiz fled up the mountaintop. Then Arkan and nine other men returned with light weapons, hoping to defend their homes.

The first night, a bulldozer's headlights illuminated the killing of a group of handcuffed men. Then the machine plowed over their bodies.

Over six days, the fighters killed three more groups  several dozen each, usually with hands bound. Once, the extremists lit a bonfire, but Arkan couldn't make out its purpose.

Two years later, the 32-year-old has since returned home, living in an area dotted with mass graves.

"I have lots of people I know there. Mostly friends and neighbors," he said. "It's very difficult to look at them every day."

Nearly every area freed from IS control has unmasked new mass graves, like one found near a stadium in Ramadi. The graves are easy enough to find, most covered with just a thin coating of earth.

"They are beheading them, shooting them, running them over in cars, all kinds of killing techniques, and they don't even try to hide it," said Sirwan Jalal, the director of Iraqi Kurdistan's agency in charge of mass graves.

No one outside IS has seen the Iraqi ravine where hundreds of prison inmates were killed. Satellite images of scraped dirt along the river point to its location, according to Steve Wood of AllSource. His analysts triangulated survivors' accounts and began to systematically search the desert according to their descriptions of that day, June 10, 2014.

The inmates were separated by religion, and Shiites had to count off, according to accounts by 15 survivors gathered by Human Rights Watch.

"I was number 43. I heard them say '615,' and then one ISIS guy said, 'We're going to eat well tonight.' A man behind us asked, 'Are you ready?' Another person answered 'Yes,' and began shooting at us with a machine-gun," according to the Human Rights Watch account of a survivor identified only as A.S. The 15 men survived by playing dead.

Justice has been done in at least one IS mass killing  that of about 1,700 Iraqi soldiers who were machine-gunned at Camp Speicher. On Aug. 21, 36 IS militants were hanged for those deaths.

But justice is likely to elude areas still under IS control, even when the extremists film the atrocities themselves. That's the case for a natural sinkhole outside Mosul that is now a pit of corpses. And in Syria's Raqqa province, where thousands of bodies are believed to have been thrown into the al-Houta crevasse.

Hundreds of mass graves are believed to be in areas that can only be explored when fighting stops. So far, at least 17 are known, in the list put together from AP interviews with activists, fighters and residents in former IS strongholds.

Some of the worst are in Deir el-Zour province. There, 400 members of the Shueitat tribe were found in one grave, just some of the up to 1,000 tribesmen believed to have been massacred by IS, said Ziad Awad, the editor of the local publication, The Eye of the City, who is documenting the graves.

"This is a drop in an ocean of mass graves expected to be discovered in the future in Syria," said Awad.

___

Butler reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Balint Szlanko and Salar Salim in Irbil, Iraq; Sinan Salaheddin in Baghdad; Zeina Karam and Philip Issa in Beirut, and Maya Alleruzzo in Cairo contributed to this report.

___

Read previous stories in AP's occasional series "Islamic State: A Savage Legacy" at www.ap.org/explore/a-savage-legacy/

This image released by the the Mass Graves Directorate of the Kurdish Regional Government shows a human skull in a mass grave containing Yazidis killed by Islamic State militants in the Sinjar region of northern Iraq in May, 2015. An analysis by The Associated Press has found 72 mass graves left behind by Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria, and many more are expected to be discovered as the group loses territory. (Kurdish Mass Graves Directorate via AP)

In this May 19, 2016 photo, the site where dozens of Yazidi men were killed in August 2014 is fenced off in Hardan, northern Iraq. An analysis by The Associated Press has found 72 mass graves left behind by Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria, and many more are expected to be discovered as the group loses territory. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

This combination of two satellite images provided by AllSource Analysis shows a suspected mass grave site with tire tracks leading to a ravine, top left, and evidence of digging along the ravine at Badoush Prison in Mosul, Iraq, on July 17, 2014, left, and the site on Nov. 15, 2013, right. An analysis by The Associated Press has found 72 mass graves left behind by Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria, and many more are expected to be discovered as the group loses territory. (AllSource Analysis via AP)

In this Wednesday, May 18, 2016 photo, a relative shows a phone picture of Murat Mahmoud during an interview with the Associated Press at Kankhe Camp for the internally displaced in Dahuk, northern Iraq. Murat was killed on Aug. 3, 2014 by Islamic State militants in a massacre of Yazidis and his body is among 40 believed in a mass grave at a farm on Sinjar Mountain. His daughter is still held by the militants. An analysis by The AP has found 72 mass graves left behind by Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria, and many more are expected to be discovered as the group loses territory. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

In this May 18, 2016 photo, Nouri, right, and her son speak to the Associated Press at Kankhe Camp for the internally displaced in Dahuk, northern Iraq. Her husband, Murat Mahmoud, was killed on Aug. 3, 2014, by Islamic State militants in a massacre of Yazidis. Their bodies are buried in a mass grave at the farm where they died, the family said. An analysis by The AP has found 72 mass graves left behind by Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria, and many more are expected to be discovered as the group loses territory. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

FILE - In this June 8, 2016 file photo, Sgt. Ahmed Abdelaziz of Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces shows an Islamic State video of his brother's death at the hands of the IS at a battle position on the southern edge of Fallujah, Iraq. Saad Abdelaziz was killed in June 2014 at Camp Speicher when the militants overran his base. More than 1,000 of Saad's comrades killed in the massacre ended up in a mass grave nearby. An analysis by The Associated Press has found 72 mass graves left behind by Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria, and many more are expected to be discovered as the group loses territory. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File)

FILE - In this April 3, 2015, file photo, an Iraqi man prays for his slain relative at the site of a mass grave believed to contain the bodies of Iraqi soldiers killed by Islamic State group militants when they overran Camp Speicher military base in Tikrit, Iraq, in June 2014. An analysis by The Associated Press has found 72 mass graves left behind by Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria, and many more are expected to be discovered as the group loses territory. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed, File)

In this May 17, 2016 photo, Sirwan Jalal, Director of Mass Graves for the Kurdish Regional Government, points to an image of the site of a mass grave during an interview with the Associated Press in Irbil, northern Iraq. An analysis by The AP has found 72 mass graves left behind by Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria, and many more are expected to be discovered as the group loses territory. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

In this May 19, 2016 photo, Arkan Qassim, center, looks at the site where he witnessed the killing dozens of Yazidi men in August 2014 in Hardan, northern Iraq. Rasho Qassim, right, lost two sons in the massacre. Both survivors say they simply want the graves exhumed. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

FILE - In this April 19, 2016 file photo, an Iraqi security forces forensic team works at the site of a mass grave believed to contain the bodies of Iraqi civilians, security forces and members of their families, including women and children, killed by Islamic State group militants at the stadium area in Ramadi, Iraq. An analysis by The Associated Press has found 72 mass graves left behind by Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria, and many more are expected to be discovered as the group loses territory. Only a handful have been exhumed. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 22, 2014, file photo, Kurdish Peshmerga forces inspect a site marked in Kurdish with a sign reading, "Kurdish mass grave, in Hardan village in northern Iraq. A handful of Yazidis who fled this tiny northern Iraqi hamlet when Islamic State militants overran it in August 2014 have returned after Kurdish fighters drove out the extremists. (AP Photo/Dalton Bennett, File)

This image posted online by Islamic State militants on June 14, 2014 shows Iraqi cadets captured by IS moments before they were killed in Tikrit, Iraq. Their bodies are believed to be in one of the many mass graves left behind by Islamic State extremists. An analysis by The Associated Press has found 72 such graves in Iraq and Syria, and many more are expected to be discovered as the group loses territory. (Militant photo via AP)

In this May 19, 2016 photo, Arkan Qassim, center, stands at the site where he witnessed the killing dozens of Yazidi men including two sons of Rasho Qassim, right, in August 2014 in Hardan, northern Iraq. Both survivors say they simply want the graves exhumed. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
UN: Violations of Israel-Lebanon cease-fire could spark war

UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The U.N. Security Council warned Tuesday that violations of the cessation of hostilities agreement between Lebanon and Israel could lead to a new conflict "that none of the parties or the region can afford."

The council's warning came in a resolution adopted unanimously Tuesday extending the mandate of the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon that monitors the cessation of hostilities until Aug. 31, 2017. It maintained the mission's ceiling at 15,000 troops, supported by international and local civilian staff.

The council expressed concern "at the limited progress made towards the establishment of a permanent cease-fire."

It urged all parties "to make every effort to ensure that the cessation of hostilities is sustained, exercise maximum calm and restraint and refrain from any action or rhetoric that could jeopardize the cessation of hostilities or destabilize the region."

A Security Council resolution ordering a cessation of hostilities ended the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon in the summer of 2006. The fighting left some 1,200 Lebanese and 160 Israelis dead, and ended in a stalemate.

The U.N. force, which has been in southern Lebanon since 1978, was expanded after the 2006 war so peacekeepers could deploy along the border with Israel to help Lebanese troops extend their authority into the south for the first time in decades.

Tensions in Lebanon have been growing over the politicians' failure to agree on a new president and an ineffectual government and parliament that barely meets. The country has so far survived the chaos of more than five years of conflict in neighboring Syria, but there are mounting concerns of a major security breach or renewed conflict with Israel as the regional conflict worsens.

The resolution adopted Tuesday condemned "in the strongest terms all attempts to threaten the security and stability of Lebanon." It underlined "the risk that violations of the cessation of hostilities could lead to a new conflict that none of the parties or the region can afford."

The Security Council commended the positive role of the U.N. peacekeeping force, known by the acronym UNIFIL, for helping to establish "a new strategic environment in southern Lebanon" along with the Lebanese Armed Forces.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that during the past 10 years UNIFIL's area of operation in southern Lebanon and along the U.N.-drawn "Blue Line" demarcating the border with Israel "have witnessed the longest period of relative calm in decades," his spokesman said.

But while praising the efforts of Lebanon and Israel, the U.N. chief underscored "that calm should not be mistaken for progress" on implementing the 2006 resolution and others, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The 2006 resolution, among other things, call for all militias, including Hezbollah, to be disarmed  a demand that has been ignored for 10 years.

"The violent and unstable regional context emphasizes the importance of tangible progress by the parties toward a permanent ceasefire, as envisaged in the resolution," as well as ensuring that the cessation of hostilities is sustained, Dujarric said.

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Cops: Man killed neighbor after she put kids on school bus

HOLLAND, Ohio (AP)  Authorities in Ohio say a man shot and killed one of his neighbors and injured another just after they put their children on a school bus. They say he then set fire to their home and shot himself.

The suspect's girlfriend told media outlets in Toledo that she saw him shoot the couple Tuesday before he shot himself in the head.

A coroner says a woman was pronounced dead a few hours later. The shooter's condition wasn't clear.

Authorities say there had been an ongoing dispute for several months between several neighbors on the street.

The Lucas County sheriff's office says the couple was found shot near the bus stop in the village of Holland.
Colorado city sends snowplows to clean up heaps of hail

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP)  A strong summer storm that walloped Colorado Springs forced authorities to rescue people from their stranded cars and move heaps of hail with snowplows.

More rain is possible Tuesday after the deluge Monday flooded roadways and left hail piled up on sidewalks. Eight people were rescued from their cars after they got stuck in the deep water, and hail swamped a basement apartment.

National Weather Service meteorologist Eric Peterson tells The Gazette of Colorado Springs (http://bit.ly/2bT0WmL ) that 2 to 3 inches of rain fell on some parts of the already soggy city. Most areas got between 1 and 2 inches Sunday, leaving the ground saturated before the latest storm hit.

A refrigerator floats on top of hail in a flooded basement apartment in Colorado Springs, Colo., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Mondays hail storm dropped up to 3 inches of moisture on parts of Colorado Springs, Colo. (Christian Murdock /The Gazette via AP)

An area near Peterson Air Force Base got just over 4 inches of rain between Sunday and Monday evening.

___

Information from: The Gazette, http://www.gazette.com

Christopher Quintana helps remove hail and water from a flooded basement apartment in Colorado Springs, Colo., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Mondays hail storm dropped up to 3 inches of moisture on parts of Colorado Springs, Colo. (Christian Murdock /The Gazette via AP)

Colorado Springs police officers Eric Reed, left, and E. Ohle and Colorado Springs community service officer Matthew Barnett (obscured) carry a motorist from his car after he became stranded in a flooded intersection in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. (Mark Reis/The Gazette via AP)

Hail as deep as two feet lies in the front yards of home along Logan Avenue between Platte Avenue and Bijou Street after a storm hit Colorado Springs, Colo., Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. Colorado Springs has dispatched snow plows to clean up after a powerful storm dumped heavy hail across the city. City spokeswoman Kim Melchor tells The Gazette she does not know how many plows were sent out, but crews are "pretty busy" after Monday afternoon's storm. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP)

Crews clean up the hail at the corner of Logan Avenue and Bijou Street after a storm hit Colorado Springs, Colo., Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. Colorado Springs has dispatched snow plows to clean up after a powerful storm dumped heavy hail across the city. City spokeswoman Kim Melchor tells The Gazette she does not know how many plows were sent out, but crews are "pretty busy" after Monday afternoon's storm. (Christain Murdock/The Gazette via AP)

Much of eastbound Platte Ave. between Union Blvd. and Circle Dr. was shut down because of flooding and heavy hail after a storm Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, in Colorado Springs, Colo. Colorado Springs city worker Corey Rivera reaches into frigid water to find where a drain was plugged on E. Platte Ave. after the storm. Colorado Springs has dispatched snow plows to clean up after a powerful storm dumped heavy hail across the city. (Jerilee Bennett/The Gazette via AP)

A half submerged abandoned car sits in a combination of hail and water on Tia Juana Street just north of Platte Avenue during a heavy thunderstorm Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, in Colorado Springs, Colo. The driver escaped without injury. (Mark Reis/The Gazette via AP)
20 Democratic senators blast steep price hike for EpiPens

WASHINGTON (AP)  In a sign of growing concern in Congress, 20 Democratic senators are demanding answers about steep price hikes for the life-saving EpiPen injector device.

The senators said in a letter Tuesday that price hikes of more than 500 percent have jeopardized access to emergency allergy shots for many Americans. The letter was addressed to Heather Bresch, CEO of the pharmaceutical company that makes the devices, Mylan N.V.

Bresch is the daughter of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. Manchin did not sign the letter.

FILE - In this July 8, 2016, file photo, a pharmacist holds a package of EpiPens epinephrine auto-injector, a Mylan product, in Sacramento, Calif. Mylan said it will make available a generic version of its EpiPen, as criticism mounts over the price of its injectable medicine. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

Mylan has responded to the public outcry over the price hikes by expanding programs to make EpiPens more affordable and promising a cheaper, generic version. But Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other senators said the generic device still costs $300, three times more than the branded EpiPen did in 2007.

"Some Americans who are unable to afford this cost increase have resorted to carrying expired EpiPens  or carry no EpiPens at all," Warren and other senators said in an eight-page letter. The lawmakers asked Mylan to answer detailed questions by Sept. 12.

The senators said Mylan's near monopoly on the epinephrine auto-injector market has allowed it to increase prices well beyond increases in manufacturing costs.

Mylan has not reduced the $608 list price for a pair of EpiPen auto injectors or explained why it boosted prices by 500 percent since 2007.

EpiPens are used in emergencies to stop potentially fatal allergic reactions to insect bites and stings, and foods like nuts and eggs. People usually keep multiple EpiPens handy at home, school or work, but the syringes, prefilled with the hormone epinephrine, expire after a year.

The price hike, which hit just as parents and students were preparing for a new school year, has led to an election-year uproar amid widespread concerns about high drug prices. A chorus of politicians, consumer groups and parents has been calling for hearings and investigations of EpiPen pricing, along with action by the Food and Drug Administration to speed approvals of rival products.

There's currently little competition for EpiPen. Rival Adrenaclick carries a list price of $461, and there's a generic version, but doctors typically prescribe EpiPen, originally launched in 1987, because it's so well-known.

Last week, Mylan offered more financial aid to patients getting EpiPens, including coupon cards covering up to $300 off patient copayments, triple the $100 discounts previously offered. Coupon cards are a standard pharmaceutical industry strategy, one that leaves employers and taxpayers still footing at least two-thirds of a big bill  and everyone facing eventual higher insurance premiums.

A generic competitor was expected in 2015 but has been delayed.

On Monday, leaders of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee wrote to Bresch, requesting information about Mylan's revenues from EpiPens since 2007, manufacturing costs and how much Mylan receives from federal health care programs.

Leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf about the lack of competition for auto-injection devices.

"EpiPens are a critical and often only option for saving kids from the brink of death during severe allergic reactions. And the soaring costs that patients are now facing for Epi-Pen Auto-Injectors is cause for alarm," said Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., the panel's chairman.

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UK police arrest 6 teens suspected of murdering Pole

LONDON (AP)  British police have arrested six teenagers suspected of murdering a Polish man in a possible hate crime, according to police and local media.

Essex police said in a statement Tuesday that four 15-year-old boys and one 16-year-old boy from the town of Harlow, 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of London, were arrested Monday on suspicion of murder. They were later released on bail pending further inquiries until Oct. 7.

Another 15-year-old was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of murder and is awaiting questioning.

Britain's Press Association said the victim was Polish and police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.
US commander slams Iran for provocative moves in Gulf

WASHINGTON (AP)  The top commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East sharply criticized Iran on Tuesday for recent high-speed maneuvers by Iranian patrol boats in the Persian Gulf that in one case prompted a U.S. Navy ship to fire warning shots.

Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters at the Pentagon that these episodes involving the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps naval forces are worrying because they risk triggering a dangerous escalation.

"What we see with the Iranians is not particularly responsible," Votel said. "It is provocative, in some cases; it's unsafe. And it can lead to situations where we may not be able to de-escalate in a time before something happens."

U.S. Central Command Command Commander, U.S. Army Gen. Joseph Votel, speaks to reporters at the Pentagon, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, during a briefing to provide update on USCENTCOM operations. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

The U.S. maintains a near-continuous naval presence in the Gulf and thus has frequent, mostly benign, encounters with Iranian vessels.

Last Wednesday, the USS Squall, a coastal patrol ship, fired three warning shots on an Iranian boat that was approaching, head-on, another coastal patrol ship  the USS Tempest. U.S. officials said the Iranian boat came within 200 yards of the Tempest and ignored several bridge-to-bridge radio calls and warning flares.

It was one of three encounters that U.S. ships had with Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps boats in the Gulf that day. One day earlier, four Iranian boats had approached the USS Nitze, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, at high speed in the Strait of Hormuz. The boats veered off after the Nitze fired flares.

Votel praised the U.S. sailors' handling of the incidents. He said the problem seems to lie not with the regular Iranian navy but with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps naval forces, which have been accused by the U.S. numerous times of provocative behavior in the Gulf.

"So this is, in my view, not about the Iranian people," Votel said. "It's about the Iranian regime and their desire to continue to do these types of things that stoke instability or attempt to stoke instability in the region."

U.S. Central Command Command Commander, U.S. Army Gen. Joseph Votel, speaks to reporters at the Pentagon, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, during a briefing to provide update on USCENTCOM operations. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Politics, shootings undercut criminal justice overhaul

WASHINGTON (AP)  Hopes for overhauling the nation's criminal justice system have faded in Congress this year, undercut by a rash of summer shootings involving police and the pressure of election-year politics.

Republicans, including Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas and Utah Sen. Mike Lee, had joined forces with Democrats in hopes of revising the 1980s and '90s-era federal "tough on crime" laws by reducing some mandatory sentences for low-level drug offenders and giving judges greater discretion in sentencing. The goal is to reduce overcrowding in the nation's prisons and save taxpayer dollars.

In 1980, the federal prison population was less than 25,000. Today, it is more than 200,000.

FILE - In this March 16, 2016 file photo, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, left, confers with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. on Capitol Hill in Washington. Hopes for overhauling the nations criminal justice system have faded in Congress this year, undercut by a rash of summer shootings involving police and the pressure of election-year politics. Republicans, including Cornyn and Lee, had joined forces with Democrats in hopes of revising the 1980s and 90s-era federal tough on crime laws by reducing some mandatory sentences for low-level drug offenders and giving judges greater discretion in sentencing. The goal is to reduce overcrowding in the nations prisons and save taxpayer dollars. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

The bipartisan group encountered fierce opposition from some Republicans who argue reform could increase crime and pose a greater danger to law enforcement. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump hasn't commented on the pending legislation but has dubbed himself the "law-and-order candidate" for what he calls a country in crisis, with terrorism in cities and attacks on police.

With Republicans deeply divided, one man could break the legislative deadlock: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who has not indicated whether he supports the effort. If inaction is telling, McConnell so far has declined to put the legislation to vote, suggesting he doesn't want a messy intraparty fight before the November election.

Unlike McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., strongly supports an overhaul and may bring up a series of bipartisan House bills in September to reduce mandatory sentences and boost rehabilitation programs.

An unusual coalition  President Barack Obama, the American Civil Liberties Union and the conservative Koch Industries  says the system is broken and supports changes. Obama has made it a priority in his last year.

But Ryan and Obama have a tough job in winning over McConnell, who must deal with opponents such as Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and a handful of other Senate Republicans.

Supporters are also battling the calendar; Congress is only in session a few weeks before Obama leaves office. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton supports the effort, but if she wins it's unclear whether there would be momentum for the overhaul in her busy first year in office.

Cotton calls the Senate bill "a dangerous experiment in criminal leniency" that would let violent criminals out of prison.

Supporters say the legislation would do the opposite, making communities safer by focusing on rehabilitation and preserving police resources. Mark Holden of Koch Industries, which has backed the Senate and House bills, points to states that have successfully put similar reforms in place.

Proponents argue that there's no direct connection between the overhaul and this summer's shootings of black men in Minneapolis and Baton Rouge  or the shooting of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge  since the measures would primarily deal with incarceration of low-level drug offenders and rehabilitation programs. Opponents counter that reducing mandatory minimum sentences could further endanger law enforcement.

"If you talk to actual officers on the street, almost all of them will tell you their job has gotten more dangerous," said the Hudson Institute's John Walters, who was drug czar under President George W. Bush. "The current debate about this isn't going to give them a voice."

The House Judiciary Committee is looking at separate action on policing and has created a bipartisan working group on police accountability and aggression toward law enforcement. After meetings in Detroit on Tuesday, Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., predicted criminal justice reform will eventually pass.

On policing, Goodlatte said mistrust between law enforcement and the communities will not be solved overnight. "However, this should not deter us from devoting urgent attention to this matter of national importance," he said.

Republicans who back criminal justice overhaul point to the support of several law enforcement groups and say they are working the party's grassroots, bringing the message that changes could save billions of federal dollars and help criminals from returning to prison.

"There's no question that it's very hard to draw the lines on the conservative movement and where people are on this," says Republican Ken Cuccinelli, the former Virginia attorney general who is working with a group called Right on Crime.

At the heart of the Republican debate on the issue is a philosophical difference between advocates who say rehabilitation and shorter sentences could lower recidivism and opponents who say it will let criminals out and not do enough to stem crime. Advocates point to a dip in overall crime in the U.S., while opponents point to rising crime in some major cities.

The Senate bill was introduced last October, and Cornyn and other supporters revised it this spring to try and win over reluctant GOP colleagues. But Cornyn acknowledged in July that the House would have to move first on its legislation, which is similar but not identical to the Senate bill.

Some advocates are hoping the legislation could be passed as part of the typical last-minute horse trading in the "lame duck" session in between the election and the end of the year.

To get momentum, "we need a House vote in September, and we need a big House vote in September," says Holly Harris of the Justice Action Network.

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Australian man with British title to stay jailed in Vegas

LAS VEGAS (AP)  An Australian man who identifies himself as the 13th Duke of Manchester will remain jailed in Las Vegas at least until next month, pending possible resolution of felony false police report and burglary charges.

Alexander Montagu-Manchester, 53, said nothing as he stood shackled in court.

But during a rambling jailhouse interview a few hours later, he said he'd suffered a brain injury when he was "run over" by a vehicle June 8 in what he characterized as an intentional attack.

This undated photo provided by the Clark County Detention Center shows Alexander Montagu-Manchester. Police say he identifies himself as British royalty, with the title of the 13th Duke of Manchester. He's jailed in Las Vegas ahead of court hearings Tuesday, Aug. 29, and Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2016, on separate felony burglary and false police report charges that could put him in prison for up to 14 years. He also faces a driving under the influence of drugs charge from 2015. (Clark County Detention Center via AP)

Police Officer Laura Meltzer, a department spokeswoman, confirmed that Montagu-Manchester reported the incident, and that it was being investigated. No arrest has been made.

In jail, Montagu-Manchester told The Associated Press he didn't commit any crimes. "I didn't break into someone's house," he said about the burglary charge.

About the false report allegation, he said he thinks police took his comment that his wife "might have" been attacked him to mean that he blamed her for a deep gash on his thumb that he received while moving into a new apartment several days earlier.

His wife, Laura Montagu, told AP in a separate interview Tuesday that he cut himself with a box-cutter Aug. 1. "With his brain injury, he's been saying a lot of things," she said. "He needs help. Something's going on, and people can see it."

Montagu-Manchester said he has Australian and British citizenship, and he has lived in the United States as a permanent resident since the mid-1960s. The title of Duke of Manchester dates back 950 years.

He said he usually goes by the name Alex Montagu, although court documents use the hyphenated last name.

His court-appointed lawyer, Justin Glasgow, said Tuesday that he hadn't asked his client about his lineage.

The Australian consulate in Los Angeles said in a statement that officials haven't been asked to provide assistance to him.

A British consular official declined to give information about Montagu-Manchester without his authorization.

Montagu-Manchester wasn't asked in court to enter a plea to the burglary charge, which arises from a woman's report that she woke about 2:30 a.m. July 6 to find a shirtless and shoeless man trying to enter her bedroom.

The woman told police the man dropped a box and ran when he saw her talking on the telephone to police dispatchers. Police said Montagu-Manchester was arrested at another house.

Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Eric Goodman set a Sept. 26 hearing to give prosecutors and defense attorneys time to negotiate possible plea agreements involving three criminal cases now pending against Montagu-Manchester. He could face up to 14 years in Nevada state prison if convicted of the two felony charges.

The judge said the defendant won't be released from jail because his Aug. 12 arrest on a felony false police report charge violated terms of his previous release on the burglary charge.

Montagu-Manchester is due to appear in court Wednesday with a different defense attorney before a different judge in the false report case.

He is accused of concocted a story that Laura Montagu attacked him Aug. 1 and cut his left thumb with a knife while he was moving into a new apartment. His left thumb was bandaged during his Tuesday court appearance.

Laura Montagu denies injuring Montagu-Manchester or ever visiting the new apartment. She noted that a moving company employee and hospital medical personnel told police that Montagu-Manchester told them he cut himself.

Montagu-Manchester faces another court appearance Thursday on a misdemeanor driving under the influence of drugs charge alleging he had high levels of the prescription muscle-relaxant benzodiazepine in his system when he was stopped last Dec. 30 while driving a 2008 Lincoln Navigator SUV in Las Vegas. The drug is commonly marketed as Valium or Xanax.

Genealogy records say Alexander Charles David Drogo Montagu was born in Australia to the late Angus Charles Drogo Montagu, the 12th Duke of Manchester, and Mary Eveleen McClure. Alexander Montagu succeeded to the title of 13th Duke of Manchester in July 2002.

He denies he was ever married in Australia before moving in 1965 to the U.S. He said he has been married twice since.

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Albania passes a judicial reform law, key to EU efforts

TIRANA, Albania (AP)  Albania's parliament has approved a law to check the personal and professional backgrounds of judges and prosecutors in a move to convince the European Union to launch membership negotiations.

An extraordinary session of the 140-seat parliament passed the law, part of the country's judicial reform efforts, with 88 votes in favor and one abstention on Tuesday. The opposition boycotted the vote.

The law, prepared with help from EU and U.S. experts and reviewed by the Council of Europe's Venice Commission, allows authorities to check the incomes and property holdings of judges and prosecutors and their professional backgrounds.

The justice system will be restructured to ensure that judges and prosecutors are independent from politics, and to root out bribery.
Film director killed in Mexico City robbery

MEXICO CITY (AP)  Officials in Mexico City say that a film director has been stabbed to death in an apparent robbery attempt.

The city prosecutor's office says the director and his son were attacked by two men, who demanded they hand over their valuables. The director was apparently killed when he resisted the attackers.

The office did not identify the 54-year-old victim by name, but local news media identify him as Leon Serment.

Serment is credited as director of the 2010 film "Tequila Effect," a thriller about the 1994 peso crisis.
The Latest: Car of man accused of kidnapping wife found

PITTSBURGH (AP)  The Latest on a police search for a Pennsylvania man accused of kidnapping his wife at gunpoint (all times local):

2:10 p.m.

Pennsylvania State Police say they have found a car used by a man wanted for kidnapping his wife but have yet to locate the couple.

Trooper Stefani Lucas says the car was found in a wooded area Tuesday morning in West Finley Township. Police have searched it, but she's not saying what they found.

Troopers are looking for 47-year-old Kevin Ewing and his wife, 48-year-old Tierne (TEER'-nee) Ewing. They say Kevin Ewing kidnapped her at gunpoint in West Finley just after midnight Tuesday.

Kevin Ewing was out on bond on charges he kidnapped, beat and held his wife captive for nearly two weeks earlier this summer. He was wearing an electronic ankle bracelet, but the device wasn't programmed to provide GPS information.

___

10:15 a.m.

Police say a Pennsylvania man free on bond while awaiting charges that he beat his wife and held her captive for nearly two weeks this summer has now kidnapped her, and both are missing.

Forty-seven-year-old Kevin Ewing is accused of kidnapping his wife, Tierne (TEER'-nee), early Tuesday from a residence in West Finley Township, southwest of Pittsburgh and not far from the West Virginia border.

Police say he was wearing an electronic ankle bracelet, and a condition of his bond was that he stay at home. Authorities say his bracelet wasn't programmed with GPS.

Police say the woman had a protection-from-abuse order. Kevin Ewing's attorney says he's praying "for everyone's safe return."

The couple is believed to be traveling in a gray 2016 Hyundai Veloster with Pennsylvania license plate KCS2340.

___

8:30 a.m.

State police are searching for a man charged with kidnapping his wife at gunpoint and threatening to harm her.

Troopers from the Washington, Pennsylvania barracks say 47-year-old Kevin Ewing kidnapped his wife from a residence in West Finley Township about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday. Police have revealed few details about why that occurred, but online court records show they have an arrest warrant for Ewing on kidnapping, terroristic threats, weapons charges and other crimes.

Police say Ewing's 48-year-old wife, Tierne (TEER'-nee), has a protection-from-abuse order against him and he should be considered armed and dangerous. Police say the couple is traveling in a gray 2016 Hyundai Veloster with Pennsylvania license plate KCS2340.
Diplomats disagree over Syria chemical sanctions

UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The U.N. Security Council failed to agree Tuesday on whether Syria merited sanctions over the use of chemical weapons, with Russia questioning the evidence from an independent commission that found government forces were behind at least two such attacks.

Council members met to discuss the findings of an international team of inspectors that determined that both the Syrian government and Islamic State militants were responsible for chemical attacks carried out in 2014 and 2015.

But Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, whose country is a close ally of the Syrian government, said it was too early to consider implementing a September 2013 council resolution authorizing sanctions that can be militarily enforced for any use of chemical weapons in Syria.

"Clearly there is a smoking gun. We know that chlorine most likely has been used  that was already the finding of the fact finding mission before  but there are no fingerprints on the gun," Churkin said following the closed-door session.

"There is nobody to sanction in the report which has been issued," he said. "It contains no names, it contains no specifics. ... If we are to be professional we need to question all the conclusions."

Churkin said, however, that he was pleased the report had confirmed the use of chemical weapons by the Islamic State group.

Heading into the meeting, U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power called the report "a landmark" and said she expected a Security Council resolution "soon."

"It is the first official independent confirmation of what many of us ... have presented substantial evidence of for a long time, and that is a pattern of chemical weapons use by the Syrian regime," Power said. "It is incumbent on the council to act swiftly to show ... we were serious about there being meaningful accountability."

In September 2013, Syria accepted a Russian proposal to relinquish its chemical weapons stockpile and join the Chemical Weapons Convention. That averted a U.S. military strike in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack that killed hundreds in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta.

Russia has blocked sanctions and other council action against President Bashar Assad's government  but Moscow did support the establishment of the Joint Investigative Mechanism, charged with determining who was responsible for the attacks and paving the way for possible punishment.

The inspectors investigated nine cases in seven towns and determined the Syrian government was responsible for two attacks involving chlorine gas and the Islamic State group  which is already under U.N. sanctions  for one attack involving mustard gas.

They said three more attacks pointed toward government involvement but weren't conclusive, and described three others as inconclusive.

Virginia Gamba, who headed the inspection team, defended their methodology but conceded that it was difficult to prove the use of chlorine, which is commercially available and evaporates quickly.

Because of her team's narrow mandate, she said inspectors only scratched the surface of chemical weapons use in Syria, adding that they were "acutely aware of the ongoing use of chemicals as weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic."

Inspectors said that between December 2015 and August 2016 they received more than 130 new allegations from U.N. member states of the use of chemical weapons or toxic chemicals as weapons in Syria. They said the attacks involved sarin, mustard gas, VX nerve gas, chlorine, and 61 other toxic chemicals.

Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari dismissed the report's findings as biased.

"The conclusions contained in the report were totally based on statements made by witnesses presented by the terrorist armed groups," he said. "Therefore, these conclusions lack any physical evidence."

Ahead of the meeting, Human Rights Watch called on the Security Council to urgently impose sanctions on the Syrian government and to refer the case to the International Criminal Court, but acknowledged that might be difficult in the Security Council where Russia holds a veto.
McCain defeats Republican challengers to win Arizona primary

PHOENIX (AP)  Sen. John McCain beat back a primary challenge Tuesday from a Republican tea party activist to win the right to seek a sixth term in November in a race that has been inundated with questions about GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The 2008 GOP presidential nominee easily defeated former state Sen. Kelli Ward and two other Republicans.

He faces a tough Democratic challenge in the November general election from U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick. She advanced Tuesday after facing only a write-in opponent in the primary.

U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks to supporters after being declared the winner in the Arizona Republican primary Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Phoenix. The 80-year-old McCain defeated former state Sen. Kelli Ward and two other Republicans on the ballot. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

McCain vowed to not take the primary for granted, and he campaigned hard until the end. But the contest between Ward and McCain was often overshadowed by Trump and his outspoken comments.

Trump had attacked many issues dear to the Arizona senator, including the family of a fallen soldier, NATO and even McCain's own military service and time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

Yet McCain stuck by his support for Trump, at times seemingly through gritted teeth. He repeatedly avoided calling Trump by name, instead saying he'll support his party's nominee.

Trump is set to roll out his plan to handle immigration in Phoenix on Wednesday, with Republican Gov. Doug Ducey making his first appearance with the GOP nominee. Ducey, like McCain, has said he supports his party's nominee but avoided Trump in his previous four campaign stops in Arizona.

There's no word if McCain will appear at the event.

McCain made no mention of Trump or his many divisive comments in his victory speech Tuesday night, but he sought to strike an inclusive tone as he praised his Latino, Asian-American and Middle Eastern supporters.

"There is a lot at stake in this election, no matter who wins the presidency," McCain said. "Most of all, it's important that Republicans can fight for the resources our military needs."

Ward had been mainly ignored by McCain, but she got national attention by saying in recent interviews that the 80-year-old senator would be unable to complete another six-year term because of his age. Ward also cast the race as a David and Goliath battle, but could not overcome his huge spending advantage and name recognition.

"I thought we ran an amazing race like had never been seen against an entrenched career politician," Ward told The Associated Press after the results were announced.

McCain is one of two longtime politicians in their 80s who easily won primaries Tuesday in Arizona.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio won the Republican primary despite a cloud of legal troubles hanging over him. He trounced his three opponents after raising $11.3 million  a staggering sum for a sheriff's race. He will face retired Phoenix police Officer Paul Penzone, the same opponent who took on Arpaio in 2012.

Arpaio also plans to appear with Trump Wednesday, as he has throughout the billionaire businessman's campaign.

Ryan Lukens, a deliveryman, stopped by a central Phoenix polling site after work. The Republican cast a vote against Arpaio, citing his litany of legal problems. But he said McCain continues to have his support.

"He has the influence that is needed to keep Arizona great," he said.

All nine U.S. House seats were also on the primary ballot, though just a few are tight races.

A heavily GOP district in the eastern Phoenix suburbs, for instance, featured a four-way race among Republicans who want to replace retiring Rep. Matt Salmon. Senate President Andy Biggs and former dot-com executive Christine Jones led the field and gave an upbeat speech to supporters, but the race remained too close to call late Tuesday.

"Enough of these same old career politicians in Washington," Jones said to cheers from the crowd as results were being tallied.

And in a sweeping district that includes much of eastern Arizona outside the Tucson and Phoenix metro areas, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu defeated four other Republicans vying for the chance to advance to November. He'll face the Democrat seeking Kirkpatrick's seat, Tom O'Halleran.

Babeu was attacked by one of his opponent for the "baggage" he would hand to a Democratic opponent in the general election. He was forced to publicly acknowledge his homosexuality and drop a congressional bid in 2012 after a story published that featured pictures of him in his underwear that he had posted on a dating website and allegations that he threatened a former lover.

Babeu called his victory "historic" and said it showed that while Republicans are often portrayed as intolerant they were willing to look past his sexual orientation.

"I want to be judged on my merit, on my performance and my contributions to my community and my nation," he said.

And Rep. Paul Gosar won his primary in a heavily Republican district that stretches from Phoenix suburbs to the California border.

Two Democrats battled for the right to take on first-term GOP Rep. Martha McSally in the district once held by Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot in the head in 2011 and resigned a year later.

Tucson physician and former state lawmaker Matt Heinz bested former state Rep. Victoria Steele.

The other statewide contest featured a five-way race among Republicans seeking three seats on the state's utility regulation panel, the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Incumbents Andy Tobin, Bob Burns and retired Superior Court Judge Boyd Dunn won the Republican nominations and will face Democrats Bill Mundell and Tom Chabin in the Nov. 8 general election. Mundell and Chabin automatically advanced to the general election.

___

Associated Press writers Astrid Galvan, Jacques Billeaud and Terry Tang contributed to this story.

U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and his wife, Cindy McCain, leave a polling station after voting, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Phoenix. McCain is seeking the Republican nomination in Arizona's primary election. (AP Photo/Matt York)

U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks outside a polling station after voting, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Phoenix. McCain is seeking the Republican nomination in Arizona's primary election. (AP Photo/Matt York)

U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and his wife, Cindy McCain, arrive to vote at a polling station, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Phoenix. McCain is seeking the republican nomination in Arizona's primary election. (AP Photo/Matt York)

In this Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016 photo, former Arizona Republican state Sen. Kelli Ward, left, who is running against Sen. John McCain in the Arizona Republican primary, talks to a supporter of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign rally, in Phoenix. The Arizona primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

In this Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016 photo, former Republican state Sen. Kelli Ward, right, who is running against current incumbent Arizona Sen. John McCain in the Arizona Republican primary, talks to voters at a campaign rally for Mike Pence, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, in Phoenix. Ward, who lags in the polls, has mounted an aggressive primary challenge to McCain, who turned 80 on Monday, Aug. 29. Arizona's primary election is on Tuesday, Aug. 30. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

U.S. Sen. John McCain supporters stand outside a polling station, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Phoenix. McCain is seeking the republican nomination in Arizona's primary election. (AP Photo/Matt York)

FILE - In this Dec. 18, 2013, file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio speaks at a news conference at the Sheriff's headquarters in Phoenix, Ariz. Embattled Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is seeking a seventh term and faces former Buckeye Police Chief Dan Saban and two other challengers. The election comes less than two weeks after a federal judge recommended criminal contempt-of-court charges against the 84-year-old lawman of metropolitan Phoenix for ignoring an order to halt his signature anti-immigration patrols. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

Former state Sen. Kelli Ward concedes to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., during her primary election night party at the Scottsdale DoubleTree Resort Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016 in Scottsdale, Ariz. The 80-year-old McCain who was the Republican party's 2008 presidential nominee easily defeated Ward and two other Republicans on the ballot. (David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic via AP)

Kelli Ward with her husband Mike at her side concedes to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. in the race for the Republican nomination to U.S. Senate, at her primary night party at a hotel in Scottsdale, Ariz., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. McCain easily defeated former state Sen. Ward and two other Republicans. (David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic via AP)

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, greets supporters after being declared the winner in the Arizona Republican primary Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Phoenix. The 80-year-old McCain defeated former state Sen. Kelli Ward and two other Republicans on the ballot. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Bodies of 2 firefighters returning to Michigan

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  The bodies of two firefighters killed in a crash on a Minnesota interstate are being returned to their home state of Michigan.

A procession of vehicles left a south Minneapolis funeral home early Tuesday. Firefighters from Minnesota's Fire Service Foundation were escorting the bodies of James Shelifoe Jr. and Alan Swartz back to the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, where they served as Beartown firefighters based in Baraga on Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Seven other firefighters were hurt when their truck crashed Saturday on Interstate 35W in the Minneapolis suburb of Blaine. They include Michael Johnson, the firefighter behind the wheel of the truck. Johnson has been charged with two felony counts of criminal vehicular homicide. Unconditional bail was set at $250,000, and his request for a public defender was denied Tuesday.
Alaska agency turns to crowdfunding for park project

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  With Alaska's fiscal crisis drying up funding for a number of state projects, officials hope a crowdfunding campaign will raise $50,000 toward shoring up a crumbling riverbank creeping toward century-old buildings at a state park.

Alaska is among a growing list of governments and civic organizations across the country going that route as traditional revenue sources shrink.

The riverbank project marks the state's debut in the increasingly popular practice of financing ventures through small payouts from large numbers of people.

In this May, 2016, photo, provided by Alaska State Parks, shows an old cabin at Big Delta State Historical Park 90 miles southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska, that was recently moved back 50 feet because of an eroding riverbank. The Alaska State Parks agency is turning to crowdfunding to raise money for erosion protection at the park. (Brooks Ludwig/Alaska State Parks via AP)

In recent years, funding sites such as Citizinvestor and Spacehive have provided cash-generating platforms for those public entities, tweaking the formula of private pioneers such as Kickstarter and GoFundMe.

"On our (state) website, we have a place where you can donate, but it's the first time we've actually gone to crowdfunding," Alaska's northern area park superintendent Brooks Ludwig said. "This is new territory for us."

Alaskans blame the shortage of capital improvement funds on oil prices that plunged two years ago and have stayed low ever since.

But some projects can't wait for the industry to rebound. About 250 feet of the Tanana River needs to be stabilized at Big Delta State Historical Park, where the problem is threatening a roadhouse and an old telegraph station once used as part of a military communications system built in the early 1900s.

The park, 90 miles southeast of Fairbanks, is located near a historic stopping point for travelers, traders and the military. The gem of Alaska's pioneer past remains a draw for tourists.

The improvement plan for Big Delta is relying on the "Fund Your Park" site run by the National Recreation and Park Association for its members, including Alaska.

"This is just another fundraising tool," said Michele White, who manages the "Fund Your Park" site. Since it was launched nearly two years ago, the service has been used for 50 projects across the country. Eleven of those projects  including the Alaska park  launched 30-day campaigns last week.

Some campaigns have fared far better than others.

Among the most successful involved the Texas city of Grand Prairie near Dallas. The goal was to raise $25,000 for all-inclusive swings that can accommodate disabled people at a park currently under development. The city ended up raising nearly $33,000 through the park crowdfunding site  a total that project manager Steve Plumer credited to a massive marketing campaign.

"It was awesome," he said of the experience. "I think it's a great opportunity."

Users of the funding site are encouraged to keep their goals realistic.

To that end, Ludwig said, Alaska parks officials decided to seek just a fraction of the money needed for the riverbank work expected to cost $319,000. Along with the $50,000 sought through crowdfunding, park officials have $100,000 in hand and want to raise the remaining $169,000 by soliciting donations from businesses, foundations and other government agencies.

The Fairbanks-based Helen E. Snedden Foundation is contributing $15,000 through the crowdfunding campaign.

Erosion of the river's banks has long been a concern, but this summer the bank has been gobbled up at a faster pace, prompting volunteers in July to move artifacts from the old cabin built in 1907 that was originally used as a telegraph office, according to Maureen Gardner, a longtime parks manager who recently retired.

"The water was getting so close," she said. "The bank was taken away so quickly. "

The cabin has since been moved about 50 more feet back from the river with the hope of returning it to the original site after the bank is stabilized, Ludwig said.

"Just for history's sake," he said.

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Online: https://is.gd/zFGJbk

___

Follow Rachel D'Oro at https://twitter.com/rdoro
The new downtown: Lower Manhattan reborn 15 years after 9/11

NEW YORK (AP)  Fifteen years after the Sept. 11th attacks, Lower Manhattan has been reborn.

The revitalization of the city's downtown, powered by $30 billion in government and private investment, includes not just the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site, but also two new malls filled with upscale retailers, thousands of new hotel rooms and dozens of eateries ranging from a new Eataly to a French food hall, Le District.

The statistics alone are stunning. There are 29 hotels in the neighborhood, compared to six before 9/11. More than 60,000 people live downtown, nearly triple the number in 2000. And last year, the area hosted a record 14 million visitors, according to the Alliance for Downtown New York.

In this Aug. 19, 2016 photo, the lower Manhattan skyline, including One World Trade Center and the Brooklyn Bridge, are shown in New York. Construction cranes continue working on top of 3 World Trade Center. Fifteen years after the Sept. 11th attacks, downtown New York has been reborn, not just with the construction of One World Trade, but with a host of attractions both somber and vibrant, including the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, two retail malls, new hotels and restaurants. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

And while there's plenty to do downtown for free, including seeing the 9/11 memorial park, visitors have also shown a willingness to pay relatively steep prices for certain attractions. The 9/11 museum, which charges $24, has drawn 6.67 million visitors since its May 2014 opening. The observatory atop One World Trade Center, which charges $34, has drawn 3 million people in the 15 months since it opened. In comparison, the Statue of Liberty gets about 4 million visitors a year.

"I don't think anyone would have expected that we would have rebounded so robustly, so quickly," said Jessica Lappin, president of the Alliance for Downtown New York. "There's the physical transformation at the site itself, but there's also the neighborhood. There's an energy here. People could have given up after 9/11 and nobody would have blamed them. Instead there has been a tenacity, a dedication that is inspiring."

The Alliance for Downtown New York was founded before 9/11, in 1995, when the "neighborhood was on its heels," Lappin recalled. "The vacancy rate was going through the roof." At the time, downtown was a strictly 9-to-5 area, keyed to the workday rhythms of Wall Street and City Hall, deserted at night and on weekends. Revitalization efforts were just getting underway "when 9/11 hit and changed everything."

But as government funding for disaster recovery began to pour in, private investment followed, spurring a massive rebuilding that continues to this day. For blocks surrounding One World Trade, half-built towers and cranes still clutter the sky, barricades and scaffolding line the streets, and the whine and clatter of jackhammers fill the air. Construction workers in hardhats are as ubiquitous as tourists. The recession hampered efforts to bring businesses back, but Lappin says private sector employment  266,000 workers  is finally nearing pre-9/11 numbers. Conde Nast and Time Inc. have relocated downtown. Group M, one of the world's biggest advertising firms, will move into Three World Trade Center when it's complete.

So far, three towers have been built with plans for more.

The neighborhood is also becoming a shopping destination. Brookfield Place opened last year with luxury retailers like Gucci and Diane von Furstenberg. It also houses Le District, a French food hall with a creperie, cafe, bar and more, as well as Hudson Eats, with outposts of popular local eateries like Mighty Quinn's BBQ and Num Pang's Cambodian sandwiches.

A second shopping center, Westfield, opened in August inside the Oculus, a striking white structure designed by famed architect Santiago Calatrava. The curves of the Oculus' two ribbed wings are silhouetted by One World Trade rising behind it. Inside the Oculus, retailers range from Apple to Kate Spade to The Art of Shaving. The complex connects to Four World Trade, where the new Eataly NYC Downtown offers a bounty of bread, cheese, coffee, produce, pasta and more. Below ground a massive transit center houses subways and a New Jersey PATH train station.

Elsewhere in Lower Manhattan, a Tom Colicchio restaurant is planned for the just-opened Beekman Hotel; the soon-to-open Four Seasons hotel will host a Wolfgang Puck restaurant, and the storied Nobu restaurant will move downtown from Tribeca. Other downtown attractions include Alexander Hamilton's tomb in the graveyard of Trinity Church, the National Museum of the American Indian and the SeaGlass Carousel, which opened last year near where boats leave for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

But near the top of many visitors' New York itineraries these days is a pilgrimage to the place where planes turned the twin towers into smoking piles of twisted steel and rubble. The tranquil park formally known as the National September 11 Memorial features tree-lined walkways and reflecting pools in the footprints of the twin towers. Bronze parapets around the pools bear the names of the nearly 3,000 dead.

On Monday, park visitors included three siblings from Barcelona, Arantxa, Meus and Pau Saloni, on their first trip to New York. "It's really sad to see all the names, but it's nice to remember them," said Meus.

Also visiting Monday were Su-Ting Fu and his family, in town from suburban Westchester. "We lived in New York City when 9/11 happened," he said. "But we hadn't come to see this until today. It's nice to see everything they've done to memorialize it, but I also love the greenery, and how it feels very much like a living type of memorial."

Lappin said the neighborhood's rebirth is a fitting tribute to the 9/11 tragedy. "We honor those who were lost, but we also celebrate life and move forward."

FILE - In this Aug. 15, 2016 file photo, freshly baked breads are displayed at the entrance to Eataly in New York. Fifteen years after the Sept. 11th attacks, downtown New York has been reborn, not just with the construction of One World Trade, but with a host of attractions both somber and vibrant, including the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, two retail malls, new hotels and restaurants. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

FILE - In this Aug. 16, 2016 file photo, the Westfield World Trade Center mall opens in the oculus of the transportation hub in New York. Fifteen years after the Sept. 11th attacks, downtown New York has been reborn, not just with the construction of One World Trade, but with a host of attractions both somber and vibrant, including the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, two retail malls, new hotels and restaurants. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

In this Aug. 16, 2016 photo, visitors take in the sights at the World Trade Center in New York. Behind them is the newly opened transportation hub. Fifteen years after the Sept. 11th attacks, downtown New York has been reborn, not just with the construction of One World Trade, but with a host of attractions both somber and vibrant, including the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, two retail malls, new hotels and restaurants. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

FILE - In this May 24, 2016, file photo, a man takes in a view of the Statue of Liberty from One World Observatory in New York. The observatory is on the 100th, 101st and 102nd floors. It provides panoramic views of New York City and the surrounding area. Fifteen years after the Sept. 11th attacks, downtown New York has been reborn, not just with the construction of One World Trade, but with a host of attractions both somber and vibrant, including the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, two retail malls, new hotels and restaurants. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 11, 2015, file photo, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, pauses at Spencer Finch's "Trying To Remember the Color of the Sky on That September Morning" during a visit to The National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York. Fifteen years after the Sept. 11th attacks, downtown New York has been reborn, not just with the construction of One World Trade, but with a host of attractions both somber and vibrant, including the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, two retail malls, new hotels and restaurants. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

FILE - In this May 15, 2014, file photo, patrons visit the pools at The 9/11 Memorial near the World Trade Center in New York. Fifteen years after the Sept. 11th attacks, downtown New York has been reborn, not just with the construction of One World Trade, but with a host of attractions both somber and vibrant, including the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, two retail malls, new hotels and restaurants. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

In this Aug. 16, 2016 photo, The Beekman, center, is being renovated into a luxury hotel in New York. Fifteen years after the Sept. 11th attacks, downtown New York has been reborn, not just with the construction of One World Trade, but with a host of attractions both somber and vibrant, including the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, two retail malls, new hotels and restaurants. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

In this Aug. 16, 2016 photo, shoppers walk on two levels of the newly opened Westfield World Trade Center mall in New York. Fifteen years after the Sept. 11th attacks, downtown New York has been reborn, not just with the construction of One World Trade, but with a host of attractions both somber and vibrant, including the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, two retail malls, new hotels and restaurants. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

FILE - In this Sept. 8, 2013, file photo, Charlotte Newman, 8, visits the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York. Fifteen years after the Sept. 11th attacks, downtown New York has been reborn, not just with the construction of One World Trade, but with a host of attractions both somber and vibrant, including the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, two retail malls, new hotels and restaurants. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

FILE - In this Aug. 15, 2016 file photo, Window seating in Eataly offers a view of One World Trade Center, right, in New York. Fifteen years after the Sept. 11th attacks, downtown New York has been reborn, not just with the construction of One World Trade, but with a host of attractions both somber and vibrant, including the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, two retail malls, new hotels and restaurants. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
5 Central American migrants killed in Mexico van crash

MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexican immigration authorities say that five migrants believed to be from Central America were killed when the van they were travelling in flipped over in northern Mexico.

A total of 26 migrants from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala were in the van when it flipped over in the northern border state of Nuevo Leon.

The National Immigration Institute said Tuesday that the other 21 migrants were injured. The dead included four men and one woman.

Identifying them was made difficult by the fact that the dead apparently had no travel or ID documents.
Settlement forces US to decide whether 9 species endangered

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP)  The U.S. government agreed Tuesday to decide over the next several years if federal protections are needed to help a small, fanged predator of the Northern Rockies, massive alligator snapping turtles in the South and seven other troubled species that in some cases have awaited action for years.

Deadlines for the decisions were detailed in a legal settlement filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

The Center for Biological Diversity had sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in March, alleging agency officials repeatedly missed previous deadlines despite determining protections may be warranted.

FILE - In this Oct. 12, 2006, file photo, an alligator snapping turtle is shown in Peoria, Ill. The U.S. government will decide over the next several years if federal protections are needed for the alligator snapping turtle, Northern Rockies fisher and seven other species. (Jeff Lampe/Peoria Journal Star via AP)

The settlement must be approved by Judge Emmet G. Sullivan before it goes into effect.

One of the first species to be decided on, by October 2017, is the Northern Rockies fisher. The cat-sized predator once ranged across at least five states. It's now limited to a much smaller area straddling the Montana-Idaho border.

Montana allows the trapping of seven fishers annually  activity banned elsewhere in the West.

"Alongside habitat loss, trapping is one of the primary threats to Northern Rockies fishers," said Andrea Santarsiere, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. She said federal protections "are the only way to curb this ongoing threat."

The Fish and Wildlife Service rejected protections for fishers in 2011, concluding that trapping by humans did not appear to be harming the overall population, though their precise numbers are unknown. But the agency agreed to take another look earlier this year after wildlife advocates provided details on fishers killed by trappers seeking other species.

That change followed a study that found the animals "are more vulnerable for survival than previously thought, and may still be impacted by trapping," Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Serena Baker said Tuesday. She said the species will be included in its upcoming endangered species list national workplan for a decision in fiscal year 2017.

Fishers remain relatively abundant in parts of the Midwest and New England.

A decision on the alligator snapping turtle is due in 2020. The hard-biting, spike-studded a turtle can grow to more than 2 feet long and top 200 pounds, making it North America's largest freshwater turtle.

Other species included in the settlement were the California spotted owl, an Alabama mussel called the Canoe Creek pigtoe and the Beaverpond marstonia, a tiny freshwater snail that advocates say is found only in one Georgia creek.

Two fish were included  the Virgin River spinedace, a desert minnow once common in the Virgin River basin in northwestern Arizona, southeastern Nevada and southwestern Utah, and the Barrens topminnow in Tennessee's Barrens Plateau.

There was one amphibian, the foothill yellow-legged frog, once found from Oregon to possibly as far south as Baja California, Mexico, and an insect, the cobblestone tiger beetle, which survives only in handful of rivers from New England to Alabama.

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Follow Matthew Brown on Twitter at https://twitter.com/matthewbrownap

FILE - In this Oct. 12, 2006 file photo, an alligator snapping turtle is shown in Peoria, Ill. The U.S. government will decide over the next several years if federal protections are needed for the alligator snapping turtle, Northern Rockies fisher and seven other species. (Jeff Lampe/Peoria Journal Star via AP)
Mexican priest to stand trial in 1990s sex abuse

MEXICO CITY (AP)  Prosecutors in Mexico City say a judge has ordered a priest to stand trial on charges he sexually abused a boy in the 1990s.

Carlos Lopez Valdez allegedly abused the boy between 1994 and 1998, although the criminal complaint against him wasn't filed until 2007.

Lopez Valdez was stripped of priestly duties by the Roman Catholic Church in 2010.
Reports say suspect in fatal shooting was veteran with PTSD

CLEVELAND (AP)  A man charged with murder for fatally shooting a woman after a traffic accident near Cleveland served two tours in Iraq with the U.S. Marine Corps and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, records show.

Matthew Desha, 29, of North Ridgeville, is being held on a $1 million bond in Solon, where the slaying occurred. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday in Bedford Municipal Court.

Solon police said Desha ran a red light at an intersection on Saturday morning and struck a car driven by 53-year-old Deborah Pearl, of Twinsburg, who was headed to work. The impact caused Desha's sport utility vehicle to roll over several times. Police said Desha fired multiple rounds at Pearl with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.

A witness who saw the crash said Pearl's arms were raised when she was shot. A Solon police lieutenant said there are no indications that Pearl and Desha knew each other.

Desha's court-appointed attorney didn't return telephone messages on Tuesday.

A minister from Pearl's church attended Desha's initial court appearance on Monday and spoke for her family.

"We're baffled that something as basic as a car crash could turn into a homicide," Pastor Mel Kendall McCray told Cleveland.com after the hearing. "It's just beyond our comprehension."

The commander of a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in North Ridgeville speculated on Tuesday that Desha might have had a flashback from his combat experience in Iraq. Military records show that Desha served four years in the Marines from 2004 to 2008.

Commander Jim Hordinski called Desha a "good man" who had "stopped working" on his treatment for PTSD.

"It's a terrible situation," Hordinski said.

A North Ridgeville police report from 2011 said Desha told officers responding to a noise complaint that he had PTSD and slept with a handgun under his pillow. Two years later, a PTSD counselor at a Department of Veterans Affairs clinic asked police to check on Desha after he missed group therapy sessions. Desha told officers at the time that he'd stopped attending the sessions because he was sick, a police report said.
Charges filed to fire 5 officers in Chicago police shooting

CHICAGO (AP)  Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson has filed formal administrative charges to fire the officer who fatally shot black teenager Laquan McDonald in 2014.

Johnson filed charges Tuesday to fire Officer Jason Van Dyke along with four other officers who were at the scene of the shooting.

The filing was expected after Johnson announced two weeks ago that seven officers involved in the shooting should be fired. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said one of those officers resigned the day Johnson made his announcement and another quit Tuesday.

FILE - In this Oct. 20, 2014 frame from dash-cam video provided by the Chicago Police Department, Laquan McDonald, right, walks down the street moments before being fatally shot by CPD officer Jason Van Dyke sixteen times in Chicago. Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson filed charges Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, to fire Van Dyke along with four other CPD officers who were at the scene of the shooting. (Chicago Police Department via AP File)

Johnson has said he wants the officers fired for making false reports.
Iowa fugitive who fled to Cuba gets 12 years in prison

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  An Iowa man who tried to escape prosecution on federal firearms charges by fleeing to Cuba has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Court records say Shawn Michael Wegmann was sentenced Monday.

He'd pleaded guilty to possession of firearms by a convicted felon, possession of stolen firearms and to a charge of failure to appear in court.

The 38-year-old Wegmann admits he helped others steal 38 guns during burglaries in Iowa and Illinois last year. He was charged and released in July 2015, promising to appear in court.

In October he fled to Florida, stole a boat and motored to Cuba but authorities there promptly arrested him.
The Latest: Lawyer calls student visa scam charges 'bogus'

NEWARK, N.J. (AP)  The Latest on a New York City woman accused of participating in a student visa scam at a fake university federal authorities set up in New Jersey (all times local):

5:45 p.m.

A lawyer for a New York City woman indicted in a student visa scam involving a fake university set up in New Jersey is calling the charges "bogus."

Ting Xue faces one count of conspiracy and seven counts of visa fraud in an indictment released Tuesday. The Queens resident is accused of recruiting foreign nationals to enroll so they could fraudulently obtain or keep student or work visas.

Federal authorities set up the University of Northern New Jersey in Cranford. It had no instructors, classes or degree programs.

Defense attorney Chunyu Jean Wang says the charges will be "adamantly fought."

Wang also criticizes the government's tactics and says undercover agents made the university "so real that these consultants really believed it was a real school."

Wang also calls for the government to account for the money it took from the students and consultants.

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1:30 p.m.

A New York City woman has been indicted for her alleged role in a student visa scam uncovered after federal authorities set up a fake university.

Ting Xue faces one count of conspiracy and seven counts of visa fraud.

The 28-year-old Queens resident allegedly recruited foreign nationals to enroll so they could fraudulently obtain or keep student or work visas.

Federal authorities set up the University of Northern New Jersey in 2014 in Cranford. It had no instructors, classes or degree programs, but advertised itself as a destination for foreign students.

The U.S. attorney's office says Xue and 20 others charged in April knew the university was bogus but didn't know it was a sting operation.
Mexico issues transit visas to surge of African migrants

MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexican immigration authorities say 424 migrants from African countries arrived at the southern state of Chiapas over two days last week.

The National Immigration Institute said Tuesday that it has issued them 20-day transit visas that will allow the migrants to reach the U.S.-Mexico border, where they plan to request asylum.

Officials call it an unusual surge and say most of the migrants first went to Brazil or Ecuador to start their journey through Latin America.

Most of the Africans presented themselves voluntarily to immigration officials in the Chiapas town of Tapachula. They did not specify their nationalities.
The Latest: Senators want info. about driver in US illegally

NEW ORLEANS (AP)  The Latest on fatal bus crash in Louisiana (all times local):

5:30 p.m.

Louisiana's U.S. senators and the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman are asking the Department of Homeland Security for information about the man identified as the driver of a bus that hit a firetruck and other vehicles in Louisiana, killing two people and injuring dozens.

The letter to Secretary Jeh Johnson asks for a wide variety of information, including how and when 37-year-old Denis Yasmir Amaya Rodriguez entered the United States, and every date on which a law enforcement agency encountered him. It also asks whether he ever applied for immigration benefits, and whether he was associated with any criminal gang, and for his "complete alien file."

Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Louisiana Senators David Vitter and Bill Cassidy say they want the information by Sept. 12.

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5:30 p.m.

Louisiana State Police say the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is taking the lead in investigating the owners of a bus that hit a firetruck and other vehicles, killing two people and injuring 36.

Police have identified the company as AM Party Bus and Kristina's Transportation LLC.

A state police news release Tuesday says Louisiana State Police will continue to lead the investigation of the crash itself.

State police have said that the bus driver is a Honduran man who came to the U.S. illegally and does not have a driver's license.

An attorney for a company that provides disaster-recovery crews says the 24 passengers on the bus were heading to Baton Rouge to be screened for flood recovery work. Jesse Wimberly of Mandeville says that the bus driver apparently was hired by the company that owned the bus.

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5:30 p.m.

Funeral arrangements have been announced for the fire chief killed when a bus hit a firetruck that was blocking traffic from a previous crash, knocking him and two other firefighters from an elevated highway.

Spencer Chauvin (SHOH-vanh) and a Mississippi man were killed and 36 people injured in the crash Sunday near LaPlace, about 30 miles west of New Orleans.

According to Rose Lynn Funeral Services in Lutcher, visitation will be from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at the St. John Civic Center in LaPlace. It says a fireman's memorial procession will go from the civic center to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edgard, where a funeral Mass will begin at 2:30 p.m.

He's to be buried in the church cemetery.

The funeral home obituary says Chauvin's father and grandfather were volunteer firefighters, and he began working with a fire department in St. John the Baptist Parish as a teenager.

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3 p.m.

An attorney for a company partly owned by an Arkansas legislator says a bus involved in a fatal crash in Louisiana was carrying workers who planned to apply for flood-remediation jobs in Baton Rouge.

Jesse Wimberly of Mandeville represents Wallace, Rush, Schmidt Inc., which provides crews for such work. Its three owners include Arkansas state Rep. David Wallace. Wimberly says the construction workers were going to apply for work with the company.

State police have identified the driver as 37-year-old Denis Yasmir Amaya Rodriguez. They say he doesn't have a driver's license and is in the U.S. illegally.

Wimberly says the bus involved in Sunday's crash was hired by an independent headhunter, and "it appears the bus company hired the driver."
City, county leaders hold special meeting after girl's death

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  The killings of two young Albuquerque girls spurred lawmakers, law enforcement and local officials on Tuesday to hold a special meeting in hopes of finding ways to prevent domestic abuse and violence in a state that has long ranked as one of the nation's worst for child well-being.

The death last week of Victoria Martens, whose remains police say were found in her mother's apartment, was followed on Sunday by the Albuquerque shooting deaths of Cam To and her 11-year-old daughter Nhi Nguyen. The two were gunned down by the mother's husband before he turned the gun on himself, police said.

"The right response today is to have an action in place that creates the kind of environment where all of our children are safe," said U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat whose New Mexico district includes Albuquerque. "If this is not the right call to action, then, my god, nothing is."

A picture of Victoria Martens, a 10-year-old Albuquerque girl brutally murdered last week, is placed in a memorial outside her former Albuquerque apartment on Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. Stricken with grief, the grandparents and other family members of Martens, who was brutally slain last week, clutched one another and wept Monday as they made their first public comments and thanked the community for its outpouring of love and support. (AP Photo/Russell Contreras)

Officials with the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department and the local public school district indicated at the meeting that drug abuse and poverty are at the root of much of the violence that children in New Mexico's largest city may face at home.

Law enforcement and others told a panel of city councilors and county commissioners that their departments have expanded prevention programs in recent years to investigate reports of child abuse, and boosted partnerships with public schools and the Children, Youth and Families Department. But limited budgets at every level of government in the state can make it challenging for agencies to prevent cases from falling through the cracks, they said.

Both Victoria's and Nhi's cases are the latest in a string of child slayings in New Mexico in recent years that include the 2013 kicking death of 9-year-old Omaree Varela. His case prompted an overhaul of the state agency that investigates child abuse. His mother was sentenced in May to 40 years in prison in the case.

City and county officials said they planned to seek funding for more social workers, and explore solutions for drug treatment, mental health services and child abuse prevention.

The meeting comes after a week of vigils across the state held for Victoria Martens, including a gathering that organizers deemed a birthday event held in her memory on Sunday.

Friends and relatives had planned to celebrate Victoria's 10th birthday with her the day police found her body, her godmother Laura Bobbs said.

Officers responding to a pre-dawn disturbance that day said in court documents that they found the girl's dismembered body in the bathtub of an Albuquerque apartment that she shared with her mother. In a criminal complaint, police said Michelle Martens told investigators that Fabian Gonzales, a man she met online, and his cousin Jessica Kelley drugged Victoria before the mother's boyfriend raped her as she watched.

Victoria was strangled and stabbed, police said. The results of an autopsy report are pending.

Authorities said Gonzales was convicted of child endangerment last year after his arrest for beating a woman while she was driving a car with a child inside it. He was supposed to be monitored by a probation officer and given drug tests but wasn't because corrections officials say they didn't receive a judge's order mandating the supervised probation.

The girl's mother has no online record of an arrest in New Mexico, and state records showed no prior violent or sexual abuse cases involving Victoria, officials said.

Her mother told police Kelley had been released from jail just days before Victoria's death and was staying at her apartment.

Relatives of Victoria Martens and her godmother Laura Bobbs, second from right, embrace at a children's park in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, following a news conference Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, to thank the community following the Albuquerque girl's horrific killing last week. Police found Victoria's battered and dismembered body inside the apartment she shared with her mother after responding Aug. 24, 2016, to a pre-dawn disturbance. (AP Photo/Mary Hudetz).

In a Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016 photo, Stephanie Duneman and her daughter Isabella Duneman, 9, tie up balloons they brought to celebrate the birthday of Victoria Martens in Mariposa Basin Park, in Albuquerque. Ten-year-old Victoria Martens was brutally slain last Wednesday. (Greg Sorber/Albuquerque Journal via AP)

In a Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016 photo, prayers are said for the family of 10-year-old Victoria Martens in the picnic shelter of Mariposa Basin during a birthday party for Martens, who was brutally slain last Wednesday, in Albuquerque. The girls mother, Michelle Martens, was arrested and ordered held on $1 million bond. She, her boyfriend and the boyfriends cousin all face charges of child abuse resulting in death, kidnapping and tampering with evidence. (Greg Sorber/Albuquerque Journal via AP)
Lawyer investigating lead at Indiana housing complex

EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (AP)  An attorney for families in an Indiana public housing complex slated to be demolished because of lead contamination says he's investigating whether public officials knew about the problem and allowed children to be "poisoned."

Officials in East Chicago notified some 1,000 residents about the soil contamination this summer.

The complex is on the former site of a plant that melted lead and copper. It was added to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency list of priority cleanup sites in 2009.

Shantel Allen, right, a resident of the West Calumet Housing Complex, speaks during a news conference with her husband, Charles, on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Munster, Ind. The Environmental Protection Agency has detected high levels of lead in samples of dust and dirt tracked inside homes where soil is tainted with industrial contaminants. The contamination has resulted in the city calling for the demolition of the low-income complex and relocating its 1,000 residents. (AP Photo/Tae-Gyun Kim)

City attorney Carla Morgan says East Chicago officials learned the extent of the problem at specific addresses in the complex in May.

Attorney Barry Rooth says blood tests have shown some of the 85 children he represents have unsafe lead levels. State officials previously said preliminary blood tests indicated 29 people with high lead levels.

Shantel Allen, right, a resident of the West Calumet Housing Complex reacts with her husband, Charles during a news conference Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016 in Munster, Ind. The Environmental Protection Agency has detected high levels of lead in samples of dust and dirt tracked inside homes where soil is tainted with industrial contaminants. The contamination has resulted in the city calling for the demolition of the low-income complex and relocating its 1,000 residents. (AP Photo/Tae-Gyun Kim)
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:

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 that 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.
California farmworkers on edge over historic overtime bill

MENDOTA, Calif. (AP)  Many California farmworkers who make up the backbone of the nation's No. 1 agricultural state on Tuesday were praising historic legislation that brings them closer to receiving the same overtime pay as the rest of the state's workers who are paid by the hour.

If signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown, a new overtime bill would put California at the forefront nationally of farm labor pay and mark a victory in the fight to improve farmworkers rights in the decades old movement launched by Cesar Chavez, the legendary co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association who fought for higher farm worker pay.

Brown, a Democrat, has not said whether he will sign the law that would be the first of its kind for the United States.

Farmworker Florentino Reyes picks tomatoes Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, at a field near Mendota, Calif. Farmworkers such as Florentino would be eligible for overtime pay after working eight hours a day or 40 hours a week under a bill headed to the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown. If it becomes law, it would put California at the forefront nationally of farm labor pay and mark a victory in the fight to improve farmworkers' rights in a decade's old movement launched by Cesar Chavez. (AP Photo/Scott Smith)

Florentino Reyes, 48, has been picking tomatoes and working a wide variety of crops in California's fertile Central Valley for more than two decades and says he could make another $60 weekly. That would give him more purchasing power to buy better food and clothes for his wife and three children and ease his stress over paying down bills.

"For me, it's discrimination," said Reyes, finishing up a day harvesting green tomatoes near the town of Mendota.

But other farmworkers are nervous about California farmers' claims that the higher overtime pay could hurt them economically and outprice California products from the marketplace in favor of crops grown in other states and countries.

Gonzalo Najera, who drives a tractor on Salinas Valley's lettuce, carrots and broccoli fields, said some farmers are saying the extra overtime payments could drive them out of the state, but he doesn't buy the argument.

"The growers can't leave," Najera said. "They can't take their dirt with them."

The 35-year-old father of four also has parents back in Mexico, who rely on money he regularly sends. He earns about $33,000 a year and said he has worked seven days a week since March this year. The added overtime pay he expects to receive will correct a longstanding injustice so farm workers are no longer treated as second class California employees, Najera said.

Under the current law, California employers must pay time-and-a-half to farmworkers after 10 hours a day or 60 hours a week. Lawmakers in Sacramento on Monday sent the legislation to Brown that would give them overtime after eight hours in a day or 40 hours a week. It is backed by the United Farm Workers, which Chavez helped found in 1962, more than three decades before his death.

Farmers vehemently oppose it, and third-generation almond and olive farmer Pat Ricchiuti said approval by Brown could prompt him to cut his workers' take-home pay by as much as 33 percent. The Fresno Country farmer says he and others he know would respond by limiting crews to eight hours by finding other workers and increasing their use of farm machinery.

"It is really, really sad," he said. "The only people getting hurt in this are the workers."

Ricchuiti argued that farming shouldn't be compared to other industries, because it is seasonal, susceptible to unpredictable weather and the availability of water, a scarce resource in drought-stricken California, he said. Each of these limit when he needs workers to certain times of the year, he said.

Farm worker Juan Valencia, 39, who raises calves on a Fresno County dairy, said he often works more than 60 hours weekly and gets overtime but fears his boss might cut him to 40 hours  making it hard for him to support his wife and two young children.

"They make it sound pretty. It's not going to be pretty at all," said Valencia, who earns about $32,000 a year. "I'm going to have to look for another job."

Reyes, the tomato picker, said the farmers' claims are political heat aimed at trying to prevent Brown from giving him the same pay protections that the rest of California's hourly workers have.

"We've been waiting for this change," he said.

Maria Ceja, right, joins other farm workers in celebrating outside the Assembly Chambers after lawmakers approved a measure requiring farmworkers to receive overtime pay after working eight hours, at the Capitol, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, in Sacramento, Calif. Arturo Rodriguez, left, president of the United Farm Workers, looks on. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

FILE -- In this June 6, 1975 file photo California Gov. Jerry Brown, center, flanked by Lt. Gov. Mervyn Dymally, left, gives Democratic Assemblyman Richard Alatorre, a pat on the back after signing a landmark farm labor bill at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. Alatorre was one of the chief authors of the bill that allowed state-supervised secret ballot farm labor elections during two key fall agriculture harvests. Brown will once again consider historic farmworker legislation after the Assembly approved a proposal requiring farmworkers to receive the same overtime pay as other hourly workers, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. (AP Photo/File)

Farmworker Florentino Reyes poses for a photo Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in a tomato field near Mendota, Calif. Farmworkers such as Florentino would be eligible for overtime pay after working eight hours a day or 40 hours a week under a bill headed to the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown. If it becomes law, it would put California at the forefront nationally of farm labor pay and mark a victory in the fight to improve farmworkers' rights in a decade's old movement launched by Cesar Chavez. (AP Photo/Scott Smith)
Mother's delight as conjoined twin daughters prepare to start school

Conjoined twins who had a slim chance of survival are now preparing to go to school for the first time.

Rosie and Ruby Formosa, who were born joined at the abdomen and shared part of the intestine, needed an emergency operation to separate them when they were born in 2012.

Their parents, Angela and Daniel Formosa, were told the girls had a low chance of survival when medics discovered they were conjoined.

Rosie and Ruby Formosa, who are due to start school in September

But after a successful separation operation at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh), the identical twins lead happy and healthy lives and are preparing to start school next week.

The four-year-olds, from Bexleyheath in Kent, are "very excited" to be starting school like their big sister Lily, nine, Mrs Formosa said.

"Four years ago it wasn't in my mind that this would ever happen," she said.

"When I was pregnant I didn't think I'd ever see their first day at school so it is really amazing and all thanks to Gosh really."

Mrs Formosa said it was "heartbreaking" when she discovered the girls had the rare medical condition - it accounts for one in every 200,000 live births.

"At 16 weeks they sent me to King's College Hospital and it was there that they discovered the connection between the girls," she said.

"It was heartbreaking really - I was already worried that they were monoamniotic (where twins share an amniotic sac), and conjoined was the worst-case scenario.

"I was really, really, really scared and really upset because at that point I was told that there was a high possibility that the girls wouldn't survive the pregnancy.

"And if they did survive the pregnancy they might not survive the birth, then they might not survive surgery.

"They couldn't tell what was connecting them.

"I didn't prepare to bring them home. It wasn't until they were in hospital and they'd had their operation that my husband started painting the bedroom and getting everything ready for them."

The girls were born at University College Hospital in London by caesarean section when Mrs Formosa was 34 weeks pregnant.

Within a couple of hours of being born, they were taken to Gosh for emergency surgery because of an intestinal blockage.

Praising the staff at the world-renowned children's hospital, Mrs Formosa added: "They had a look and did scans and all sorts of tests and it wasn't until they got into surgery that they saw what was going on.

"It was on-the-spot decisions as to what was to be done."

The operation to separate them took five hours and the girls were well enough to go home when they were just three weeks old.

Mrs Formosa, 35, said it feels like "a million years" ago since she was waiting for the girls to come out of their surgery.

"The time has just flown by, I can't believe how fast it has gone," she said.

"They are very excited (about starting school); their big sister is in school so they can't wait.

"They've met their teacher a few times and they love their teacher.

"They're looking forward to painting, anything messy, they love reading.

"They are very similar, they are very bubbly little girls, they are very headstrong and very determined, which I knew they were from when they were in my belly because of the way they kept growing and surviving.

"I knew they were going to be determined and they are. They rule the roost."

Great Ormond Street Hospital is the leading centre in Europe for the care of conjoined twins, performing the first successful separation surgery on conjoined twins in 1985.

It has since cared for 27 sets of conjoined twins.

The Formosa family are supporting the hospital's charity through it's Back To School Campaign - which is celebrating all of the children who are able to go to school thanks to care at the hospital as well as raising funds.

The campaign encourages people to share their children's back-to-school moments on their social media pages to help raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity.

Professor Paolo De Coppi, consultant paediatric surgeon at Gosh, said: "Over the last 30 years we have treated 27 sets of conjoined twins at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

"The surgery is highly complex and requires teams from across the hospital to work together and combine a whole range of expertise.

"We're thrilled that Rosie and Ruby are starting school this September.

"It's always a joy to witness patients' progress and to hear that they are reaching new milestones - this makes the job we do all the more rewarding."

Tim Johnson, chief executive of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, said: "Thanks to the world-class care given to seriously ill children from across the UK at Gosh, more children will go back to school or enjoy their first day at school.
One in every 67 people in the UK is now a millionaire, down 3.8 per cent

North east is least prosperous but rate of growth is still 'impressive'

Every region in Britain is more prosperous than last year, with some areas emerging as challengers to London and the South East for affluence, a new report shows.

Wealth, spending or earnings rose across the country in the 12 months to April 2016, while jobless rates dropped, according Barclays' Prosperity Map.

The lender's report calculates regional scores based on an array of factors such as gross domestic product (GDP), house prices, charitable giving, working hours and average house prices.

The above map shows the rate of GDP growth across Britain in the 12 months up until April 2016, with Scotland leading the way with the fastest rate of growth

The upbeat news comes despite economic uncertainty sparked by China's economic slowdown, stock market turmoil and the Brexit vote.

Akshaya Bhargava, chief executive of wealth, entrepreneurs and business banking at Barclays said: 'It is very encouraging to see the upward trajectory for prosperity in the UK continuing despite recent global volatility.'

While London still ranks as the UK's most prosperous city, others are 'emerging as prosperity hotspots,' the report added.

House prices are up in the majority of UK regions, but down in Scotland, as the above map shows

The number of millionaires in Britain is down overall, but there are more and more outside of London and the South East

Scotland saw the biggest increase to household wealth, which rose by 13 per cent versus London's 12 per cent rise.

Barclays said the rise was likely linked to Scotland's median private pensions wealth, which jumped 60 per cent compared to 19 per cent in England and 24 per cent in Wales.

Some areas are challenging London and the South East amid a boost in prosperity, research from Barclay's has found

Scotland advanced in the rankings to become the seventh most prosperous region on the index, behind the East Midlands, Northern Ireland, South West and Eastern England, South East and London.

The North East emerged as the least prosperous region in the UK, although Barclays noted an 'impressive' six per cent increase in average annual earnings, reaching 24,748.

HOW BRITAIN COMPARES IN THE PROSPERITY TABLE First place: London, with eight per cent increase in GDP per capita Second place: South East, with a four per cent increase in average earnings and 11.3 per cent growth in GDP per capita Third place: East of England, with a 11 per cent increase in house prices Fourth place: South West, which recorded a seven per cent rise in house prices Fifth place: Northern Ireland, which moved up a place with a nine per cent increase in average earnings Sixth place: East Midlands, which dropped a place, but still had a 10.7 per cent increase in GDP per capita Seventh place: Scotland jumped three places with an eight per cent increase in household wealth Eighth place: North West stayed in eighth, with 8.1 per cent increase in GDP per capita Ninth place: West Midlands dropped but did record a four per cent rise in house prices 10th place: Wales jumped one place with a 9.7 per cent rise in GDP per capita 11th place: Yorkshire and the Humber, which had dropped two places but had an 8.5 per cent increase in GDP per capita Bottom place: North East stayed at the bottom, but had an eight per cent rise in GDP per capita Advertisement

'This is in stark comparison to London, where average earnings dropped by in the same time period,' the report explained.

Meanwhile, Bristol and Cambridge have become 'increasingly attractive areas to live and work,' with house prices rising 13 per cent and 14 per cent respectively in the 12 months to April.

That is compared to the capital's housing market, which saw price growth of 11 per cent during the same period.

Manchester, Cardiff and Sheffield saw some of the strongest turnover among small and medium sized businesses, up 15 per cent, 12 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively.

'The research shows that not only is the UK still 'open for business', it sends a clear message that all parts of the UK are sharing in, and contributing to its role as a driver of global prosperity,' Mr Bhargava said.

However, the UK now has 3.8 per cent fewer millionaires at 690,000. One in every 67 people in the UK is now worth at least seven figures, but they are not all based in London.

'Even without London and the South East, the rest of the UK has shown an increase of 85,000 additional millionaires, up by 31 per cent since 2010,' the report showed.

Eastern England hosts the largest proportion of the country's millionaires after the South East and London, at 13.2 per cent or 148,000.

About 8.1 per cent of the UK's wealthiest are in the South West, followed by 6.4 per cent in the North West and 6.2 per cent in Scotland.
Vaping could pose long-term danger to the heart, cardiologist warns

Vaping from electronic cigarettes could be as bad for the heart as smoking the real thing, scientists have warned.

A study found that a typical vaping session caused similar damage to the main artery in the heart as that suffered by those who smoked cigarettes.

The findings appear to fly in the face of advice from Public Health England (PHE), which last year said vaping is 95% less harmful than tobacco and called for GPs to be able to prescribe e-cigarettes on the NHS to help people quit smoking.

The UK has rushed into championing vaping as a method to help give up smoking, a cardiologist said

Researchers said vaping could damage the aorta in a similar way to smoking as they presented their findings at the European Society for Cardiology congress in Rome, the Daily Telegraph reported, and they would not encourage using such devices.

They found that the effects from a 30-minute session of vaping - seen as a typical habit as e-cigarettes deliver nicotine at a slower rate than cigarettes - were similar to those from smoking a cigarette for five minutes.

And they warned the UK had "rushed into" championing vaping as a method to help give up smoking.

Experiments were carried out on 24 adults with an average age of 30, examining only the immediate effects of e-cigarettes and smoking.

Professor Charalambos Vlachopoulos, from the University of Athens Medical School, told the conference: "We measured aortic stiffness. If the aorta is stiff you multiply your risk of dying, either from heart diseases or from other causes."

He added: "The aorta is like a balloon next to the heart. The more stiff the balloon is, the more difficult for the heart to pump. It's the most powerful biomarker we have for estimating cardiovascular disease."

Prof Vlachopoulos said that while the long-term risks of vaping remained unknown, he would not recommend their use.

He said: "There could be long-term heart dangers. They are far more dangerous than people realise. I wouldn't recommend them now as a method to give up smoking. I think the UK has rushed into adopting this method."
UK borders not secure, senior MP warns after 27,000 illegal entry arrests

A senior MP has warned the UK's border is not secure after it emerged that more than 27,000 people suspected of illegally entering the country have been arrested over the last three years.

Figures obtained by the BBC showed arrests of those illegally entering the UK have steadily increased, rising from 7,700 in 2013 to 9,600 in 2015 as the European refugee crisis deepens.

The total number of 27,800, which includes the first quarter of this year, comes from responses to a request under the Freedom of Information Act by 39 police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Those illegally entering the UK have steadily increased

It does not include those detained at ports or airports, or those arrested after outstaying what their visa allowed, the BBC said.

Many of those held were picked up at places such as truck stops and motorway service stations after entering the UK hidden in lorries.

Labour MP Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said the figures were at odds with the Government's claim that it had "water-tight security at our borders", and instead showed they are not secure.

He told the BBC: "If 27,000 people have been arrested for entering the country illegally by our police forces, then it shows that this problem is even worse than we had anticipated and we expect urgent action to be taken."

The Home Office said it would take action to remove someone who is found to have no right to remain in the UK.

A spokesman said: "As part of the ongoing action we are taking to secure our borders, we have invested tens of millions of pounds to bolster security at ports in northern France.

"We are also committed to finding long-term solutions to the problem of illegal migration, which is why we created the Organised Immigration Crime Taskforce last year to work with law enforcement and international partners to target the organised crime gangs behind people smuggling."
No EU-US trade deal during Obama presidency, Francois Hollande says

Prospects for the proposed EU-US trade deal have been cast into further doubt after French president Francois Hollande said an agreement would not be forged before Barack Obama leaves office in January, and a trade minister called for an end to talks.

"France prefers to look things in the face," Mr Hollande said in a diplomatic speech.

"These discussions cannot result in an agreement by the end of the year. The negotiations have bogged down, the positions have not been respected, the imbalance is obvious."

A man dressed like the Statue of Liberty attends a protest against the planned Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership in Hannover (AP)

His comments come after Matthias Fekl, the French minister for foreign trade, tweeted on Tuesday morning that the country is calling for negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) to cease.

Mr Fekl also told RMC radio that "we need a clear, clean, definitive stop" to the negotiations, adding that talks could resume if wider EU-US trade relations improved.

Accusing the US side of offering "just crumbs", Mr Fekl said France would ask the European Commission to halt the talks at a trade ministers meeting in Slovakia next month.

German economy minister Sigmar Gabriel said at the weekend that the current round of talks with the US have "de facto failed, even though nobody is really admitting it".

His views were in marked contrast to public comments by German chancellor Angela Merkel, who said last month the proposed US-EU deal was "absolutely in Europe's interest".

But Mr Gabriel, who is the head of Germany's centre-left Social Democratic Party which is in coalition with Ms Merkel's centre-right Christian Democratic Union, said: "We mustn't submit to the American proposals."

The prospect of TTIP failing could also be welcomed on the left of British politics, as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been a prominent critic of the proposed deal.

A Downing Street spokesman said it is "obviously in Europe's and America's benefit to get an international trade deal organised".

He added: "Any post-Brexit trade deal will be negotiated by us in terms which see the best possible result for us and our trading partner or partners."

Asked if Theresa May shares Mr Hollande's assessment on the prospects for TTIP negotiations dragging on beyond the end of the year, the spokesman said: "I wouldn't be drawn on whether TTIP will be concluded by the end of this year or the end of next year. TTIP will be concluded when it's concluded.
Notting Hill Carnival ends with 440 arrests over Bank Holiday weekend

The sun set on hundreds of thousands of revellers who danced the Bank Holiday weekend away at Notting Hill Carnival.

A parade of floats and brightly-dressed performers snaked their way through the streets of west London as part of the Caribbean-inspired celebration.

But festivities at Europe's biggest street party were marred by 440 arrests across the two-day event - many relating to drugs and offensive weapons.

Police said 156 arrests were made on Sunday, while as of 8.45pm on Monday there had been 245 arrests

Ambulance crews and St John Ambulance staff also treated more than 1,000 people, most for alcohol-related illnesses and injuries.

Scotland Yard said 156 arrests were made on Sunday, while as of 11.45pm on Monday there were 284 arrests.

Some people were arrested for more than one offence, and 26 knives were seized.

Police said there were four incidents involving people being stabbed, two of which involved teenagers.

On Sunday a 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of GBH after a 15-year-old boy was stabbed on Wornington Road in Kensington and Chelsea, while the same day two boys aged 15 and 16 were stabbed in Ladbroke Grove. None is in a life-threatening condition, police said.

Sixty four people were also arrested during the carnival for having an offensive weapon, while there were six arrests for sexual offences and 17 for assaults on police.

Met Police licensing officers also seized a large canister of compressed nitrous oxide on Queensway. Officers understand that the canister had the capacity to fill 2,250 small canisters, representing a street value of over 150,000.

Around 1,000 small nitrous oxide canisters and associated paraphernalia were seized in a number of separate operations.

As the street party came to a close on Monday evening, carnival-goers kept on dancing.

Revellers watched the colourful parade from balconies on Ladbroke Grove while people of all ages took to the streets to celebrate.

Colette Ford from Salisbury was among those taking part in the carnival. Dressed in an elaborate Dominator costume which cost 170 to match a 50 Shades Of Paradise float, she said: "It's a lovely amazing atmosphere to be part of a truck."

Meanwhile keen dancer Jasmin Castrioty, 25, said she had loved her first experience of carnival, saying: "The rhythm is absolutely stunning. I can actually feel it. Next year we are coming back."

Teacher Jan Harvey, who is originally from Jamaica, said: "Everybody is enjoying themselves, there is no trouble and there is a good atmosphere."
UK and France pledge to work together to resolve Calais migrant crisis

Britain and France have pledged to work together to address the Calais migrant crisis in the wake of questions about the future of co-operation on border controls.

The governments of the two countries presented a united front after a meeting between Home Secretary Amber Rudd and her counterpart, French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve.

It follows controversy over a proposal to allow migrants to lodge UK asylum claims on French soil - a plan dismissed by a Home Office source as a "complete non-starter".

The Jungle camp in Calais has become a source of resentment among the French

A joint statement from both governments after talks between Ms Rudd and Mr Cazeneuve in Paris said: "I n the face of the challenges posed by ongoing migratory flows in Europe, and taking into account the migratory pressure in the Calais region and the particularly difficult humanitarian situation, we are committed to working together to strengthen the security of our shared border, to strongly diminish the migratory pressure in Calais and preserve the vital economic link supported by the juxtaposed controls in Calais."

The two nations committed to a number of specific steps, including:

:: Further securing the ports and tunnel in the region. Britain has already provided around 85 million to reinforce security;

:: Addressing humanitarian challenges in Calais, where around 7,000 migrants are now gathered - including 5,000 without housing;

:: Continuing to work together to return illegal migrants in Calais who are not in need of protection;

:: Bringing unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to the UK when in their best interest.

The statement, which reaffirmed a commitment to closer cooperation on counter-terrorism, security and migration, comes after a long-standing agreement on border controls came under scrutiny.

Under the Treaty of Le Touquet, British immigration officials check passports in Calais while their French counterparts do the same in Dover - an arrangement known as "juxtaposed controls".

On Monday, Xavier Bertrand, president of the Hauts-de-France Nord Pas De Calais-Picardie region, which includes Calais, said he wants a "new treatment" for asylum seekers trying to get to Britain from France.

He said: "If the British Government don't want to open this discussion, we will tell you the Touquet Agreement is over."

A Downing Street spokesman said local politicians in France occasionally called for changes to the Le Touquet arrangements, but that the Paris government's continued support for the agreement was clearly restated last month in talks between Prime Minister Theresa May and French president Francois Hollande.

Asked about presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy's call for a processing centre in England to deal with asylum requests from those in Calais, the No 10 spokesman declined to speculate on the position of a possible future French administration.

He pointed out that it was Mr Sarkozy, in a previous stint as interior minister, who first struck the Le Touquet deal with the UK.

Dover MP Charlie Elphicke said: "Today's statement is a welcome step in the right direction.

"I'm delighted there is a greater focus on cracking down on people-traffickers and repatriating migrants."

He went on: "Yet the swelling of numbers at the Jungle camp, migrant landings on British beaches and nightly attacks on lorries underlines the need for more action.

"That is why Britain and France should go further - dismantle the Jungle, protect lorries from attacks and ensure there is a new Dover Patrol to keep the English Channel safe and secure."
French striker Loic Remy joins Crystal Palace on loan from Chelsea

Crystal Palace have announced the signing of striker Loic Remy on a season-long loan from Chelsea.

The France international moves to Selhurst Park after finding opportunities limited at Stamford Bridge.

Palace wrote on Twitter: "#CPFC are delighted to confirm Loic Remy has joined on a season-long loan from @ChelseaFC."

France striker Loic Remy has joined Crystal Palace on a season-long loan from Chelsea

Chelsea added on their website: "Loic Remy will spend the 2016-17 season on loan across London with Crystal Palace.

"The 29-year-old, who has been a Chelsea player for two years, will play the rest of the current campaign in the Premier League with our south London neighbours."

Remy has two years remaining on the four-year contract he signed when moving to Chelsea from QPR on August 31, 2014.

He will have 12 months left on his Chelsea deal come the end of the 2016-17 season, so it may be the move can be made permanent if Remy impresses at Palace.

Seven of his 12 Chelsea goals - in a total of 46 appearances - came in the Blues' 2014-15 Premier League title win. He was also part of the squad which won the 2015 League Cup.

He was unable to dislodge Diego Costa as first choice striker and described being reunited with Palace boss Alan Pardew as "a big opportunity".

Pardew was Remy's manager during the 2013-14 season at Newcastle, where the Frenchman scored 14 goals in 27 appearances on loan from QPR.

Remy said on cpfc.co.uk: "This is a very good chance for me and a big opportunity. It was very important to know Alan Pardew as he is a very good manager and I am happy to be here."

Pardew added: "Loic has been a target of mine throughout this transfer window and I'm delighted the deal has been done.

"I brought him to Newcastle so I know what he is capable of and I am convinced he will be a quality addition to our squad as we evolve.
Sixth arrest made as police probe death of Polish man in possible hate crime

Six teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of the murder of a Polish man in a possible hate crime.

Two Polish men were set upon outside a row of Harlow takeaway shops in what Essex Police believe to be an unprovoked attack on Saturday night.

A 40-year-old man from Harlow died of head injuries on Monday and a 43-year-old man, also from Harlow, was discharged from hospital after he was treated for suspected hand fractures and bruising to his stomach.

Police are investigating whether the incident can be considered a hate crime

The men were targeted in The Stow in Harlow, Essex at around 11.35pm on Saturday.

Essex Police said one line of investigation was that it was a hate crime.

Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Al Pitcher, of the Kent and Essex serious crime directorate, said: "This is now a murder investigation and our inquiries have quickly led to the arrest of five teenage boys.

"Following this vicious attack, a man has sadly lost his life and I urge anyone with information to contact us as soon as possible."

Police will be carrying out extra patrols in the area to provide reassurance to the community.

Four 15-year-old boys and one 16-year-old boy, all from Harlow, were arrested on Monday on suspicion of attempted murder and then further arrested on suspicion of murder.

All five have been released on police bail pending further inquiries until October 7. A sixth boy, a 15-year-old from Harlow, was arrested on Tuesday afternoon on suspicion of murder and is awaiting questioning.

Councillor Jon Clempner, leader of Harlow Council, said: "I am saddened and shocked by this brutal attack in our community.

"My heartfelt thoughts and sympathies go out to the families and friends affected by this meaningless attack.

"I know Harlow and its communities will support each other through this and that all our communities will stand together.

"We don't know the full circumstances of what motivated this attack but whatever the motives were they will never ever have a place in Harlow."
John and Libby Stupak live in Eau Claire, but love riding their bicycles throughout Chippewa County.

Well ride to Chippewa Falls for breakfast. Well ride to Cornell to breakfast, John Stupak said.

Libby Stupak added: Its great to have trails, particularly through town.

The Stupaks were on hand Monday evening at an informational session by the West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, which does plans in a seven-county area including Chippewa Falls, Lake Hallie and the towns of Anson, Eagle Point, Hallie, Lafayette, Tilden and Wheaton.

The commission is updating its metropolitan bicycle and pedestrian plan, which was last done in 1995. Mondays session in the basement of Chippewa Falls City Hall was the first of two informational sessions about the planning process.

The next meeting will be from 4-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, at the Altoona City Hall, 1303 Lynn Ave.

People who cant attend a session can learn more on the commissions website, wcwrpc.org/bikepedplan.html. There they can fill out a survey and draw what the commission calls a wiki map about where they think there should be bicycle and pedestrian trails in the years to come.

The goal is to have more people walk or bike trails and do so safely.

The commission said 55 people died in traffic crashes involving a pedestrian in Wisconsin last year, while 15 died in 2015 crashes involving bicyclists.

There are many people who could use more trails, said Jason Duba, assistant transportation planner for the commission.

One-third of the (states) population does not drive, Duba said.

Dave Staber, the chairman of the Town of Lafayette, would like to see the people who walk or bike around Lake Wissota be able to use trails that are connected to each other.

If we can ever get the connection to the other trails, it would be great, Staber said, mentioning having links to the Old Abe Trail and trails in Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire.

Some of the bicycle riding in Lafayette takes place on county roads.

You have 45-50 mph traffic on those roads, Staber said.

Getting the County X bridge construction completed this fall will help, as it has wider lanes for pedestrians. Staber said the bridge work is on schedule, set to be done Oct. 28.
Naomi Broady says 'northern grit' helped her defeat Laura Robson at US Open

Britain's Naomi Broady saluted her "northern grit" after beating Laura Robson at the US Open to record only her second ever grand slam victory.

Robson was looking to extend an eight-match winning streak at Flushing Meadows, but her compatriot Broady came from behind to seal a gutsy 6-7 (4/7) 6-3 6-4 win.

The 26-year-old from Stockport will now face world number four Agnieszka Radwanska in round two, and said her progress was testament to her strength of character.

Naomi Broady, pictured, beat Laura Robson

"I've played on the whole northern grit, Stockport, Manchester thing," Broady said.

"I don't know if that's whether I tend to fight well on the court. I definitely enjoy the competitive side of tennis - that's my favourite part of it. So yeah, that's definitely what got me through today."

After a nightmare two years of injury, Robson had enjoyed an encouraging run this summer, winning an ITF tournament in Pennsylvania before coming through three rounds of qualifying.

Her recent form, however, was little consolation.

"I'm feeling a lot of things right now but mostly disappointed," the 22-year-old said.

"I don't know what I expected to play like, but I thought I didn't impose myself enough in the rallies.

"She is tough to play against and she serves well, but I had a couple of chances and put myself in the right position and then took my foot off the pedal a little.

"It's really disappointing. I will get over it and probably think that overall this was a pretty good tournament but right now it sucks."

When Robson made her breakthrough run to the fourth round here in 2012, Broady was ranked 224th in the world and had just lost in the first round of qualifying to world number 231 Yifan Xu of China.

Four years on, there has been something of a role reversal, with Broady climbing to 82nd and Robson now looking to find form and fitness after dropping to 254th.

Spectators were treated to a contest of high quality on Court 13 but Broady's consistency, and perhaps superior stamina, ultimately proved decisive.

Despite coming from the same country, Robson and Broady have rarely crossed paths in their careers and there was a hint of irritation during an intensely competitive contest.

Broady regularly took drinks between points towards the end to ease an onset of cramp, while Robson repeatedly caught her ball toss as her serve began to go awry.

"I think I was just getting annoyed because she was doing the ball tosses a lot of times," Broady said.

"She certainly wasn't doing it intentionally but I just felt that it was taking a longer amount of time because she was throwing the ball up three times before serving.

"I think she was annoyed with me that I was taking my Gatorade between each point but I know the rule on that one is that if you're within time you can do that.
Iraq says fires put out at four oil wells in town captured from IS

BAGHDAD, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Iraq has put out fires at four oil wells in the oil-producing region of Qayyara which Iraqi forces recaptured from Islamic State last week, the oil ministry said on Monday.

"Work is underway to put out flames in the remaining wells or oil spots that Daesh criminal gangs set ablaze before fleeing the city," Deputy Oil Minister Fayadh al-Nema said in the statement. Islamic State is also known as Daesh.

He didn't say how many fires were still ablaze.
12 soldiers die in clash with Islamist militants in the Philippine south

MANILA, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Twelve soldiers, including a young lieutenant, were killed in a clash with Islamic State-linked rebels on a remote southern island in the Philippines, an army spokesman said on Monday as the army offensive entered its fifth day.

Major Filemon Tan said five soldiers were also wounded in an 1-1/2 hour firefight in the jungles of Patikul town on Jolo island as troops pursued a large formation of the small but brutal Abu Sayyaf group.

"The fighting was really intense, we lost 12 men," Tan said. "You can really expect heavy casualty from both sides due to volume of fire from both sides. We don't know how many from the enemy died but there could be more than 30 rebels."

A young army lieutenant leading the troops was killed in a rebel ambush.

More than 20 Abu Sayyaf rebels had died since Thursday when the military launched an air-and-ground offensive in Patikul, an Abu Sayyaf stronghold, after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered troops to "destroy" the militant group.

The Abu Sayyaf, known for kidnapping and beheading captives, has dogged successive Philippine governments, entrenching its network with vast sums of ransom money in what has become one of Asia's most lucrative kidnapping rackets.

Security experts say the Muslim rebels are motivated less by Islamist ideology and more by the tens of millions of dollars from kidnappings.

Two Canadians and a Filipino teenager were executed this year by the Abu Sayyaf. Last week, two Indonesians escaped captivity but there was speculation the Abu Sayyaf freed them after their families paid their ransoms.
In Asia, Obama faces trade pact test amid U.S. opposition

By Roberta Rampton and David Brunnstrom

WASHINGTON, Aug 29 (Reuters) - When President Barack Obama travels to Asia next week, he will try to reassure leaders in the region that he still has the clout to deliver U.S. approval for the sweeping Trans-Pacific Partnership, even though the two candidates vying to succeed him and a congressional leader have said the 12-nation trade deal should not move forward.

The trade pact is the economic pillar of Obama's broader plan to shift U.S. foreign policy toward Asia and counter the rising economic and military might of China.

"It would be a real setback for Obama's legacy and for the rebalance strategy if TPP were not to be ratified," said Matthew Goodman, a former Obama foreign policy adviser now at the CSIS think-tank in Washington.

Domestic politics have put the deal's future in doubt. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Thursday the Senate would not vote on the pact this year, punting it to the next president, who will take office on Jan. 20.

Both Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton have said they oppose the TPP, citing past trade deals that have cost Americans jobs. As Obama's Secretary of State, Clinton backed the Pacific trade deal.

Obama has said the TPP will boost labor and environmental standards - fixing some of the problems seen in past trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement - and give both large and small U.S. companies access to the world's fastest-growing markets.

The White House said failure to approve the TPP would hurt U.S. interests in Asia, where some leaders made politically tough decisions to advance the deal.

"In this part of the world, which is the largest emerging market in the world, TPP is seen as a litmus test for U.S. leadership," Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser, told reporters on Monday.

"We would be stepping back from that leadership role, we would be ceding the region to countries like China who do not set the same types of high standards for trade agreements were we to not follow through with TPP," Rhodes said.

Estimates of the potential economic impact of TPP vary, but most show little meaningful growth for the U.S. economy. Estimates from the Peterson Institute, an economic think-tank in Washington, suggest that TPP would raise growth by 0.5 percent after 15 years.

Even those estimates, which amount to a rounding error in U.S. economic output, have been criticized as being too optimistic due to their treatment of so-called non-trade measures that are included in the analysis.

But White House spokesman Josh Earnest said polls shows most Americans support the deal, creating "a path for us to get this done" before Jan. 20.

In an interview, Former U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab described the odds of the TPP passing as slim, but not impossible.

"There's history of candidates criticizing previous administrations' policies on trade and then having to figure out how to live with them in office, and they include presidents Obama and (former Democratic president Bill) Clinton," said Schwab, who served as trade representative under former Republican President George W. Bush.
Fleeing persecution at home, thousands of Rohingya land in Malaysia

By Beh Lih Yi

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 30 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Malaysia is considering opening up its job market for thousands of refugees, who are mostly Rohingya and up until now have no legal right to work in the country.

Although not a signatory to the United Nations Refugee Convention, Muslim-majority Malaysia has been hosting a large number of Muslim Rohingya, who are shunned and persecuted in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

Here are some facts about refugees in Malaysia and the Rohingya:

- As of end of June this year, there are some 150,700 refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia, Southeast Asia's third-largest economy with a population of 30 million. Among them are 34,000 children aged below 18.

- About 90 percent of the country's refugees and asylum seekers are from Myanmar. Topping the list are 53,140 Rohingya, followed by ethnic Chin from the country, Myanmar Muslims, Rakhines and other ethnicities.

- The remaining refugees and asylum seekers are from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestinian territories.

- The Rohingya are often referred to as "Bengali" in Myanmar, a term that implies they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, although Rohingya families have lived in the area for generations. They are stateless as the state does not recognise their citizenship.

- Sectarian violence between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar's western Rakhine state in 2012 displaced about 145,000 people and around 20,000 homes were destroyed. An estimated one million Rohingya live in Rakhine.

- Worsening violence sparked an exodus by boat. Some 25,000 Rohingya and economic migrants from Bangladesh boarded smugglers' boats between January and March 2015, almost double the number over the same period in 2014. An estimated 300 people died at sea during this period as a result of starvation, dehydration and abuse by boat crews.

- Thousands of Rohingya and Bangladeshis were left stranded in the sea for weeks in May 2015 after Thai authorities cracked down on a popular smuggling route, sparking the Asian migrant crisis.

- Malaysia and Indonesia ended the impasse by agreeing to offer temporary shelter to the boat people on condition that a resettlement and repatriation process would be carried out within a year by the international community.

- Of over 1,000 people who landed in Malaysia in May 2015, 371 were identified as Rohingya and "of concern" to the U.N. refugee agency. So far, only 36 have been resettled in the United States, leaving in May this year.

Sources: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Fortify Rights
Typhoon Lionrock nears Japan's tsunami-hit northeast, grounds flights

TOKYO, Aug 30 (Reuters) - More than 100 flights were cancelled and evacuation warnings were issued for thousands of people as a powerful typhoon approached Japan's northeast on Tuesday, a region devastated by a massive earthquake and tsunami five years ago.

Typhoon Lionrock was expected to make landfall in the northeast Tohoku region later on Tuesday, with sustained winds of 120 km per hour (75 mph) and gusts up to 176 kph (109 mph) as it moved north from the Pacific Ocean, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Toyota Motor Corp said production would be suspended on Tuesday at two of its factories in the typhoon's path due to concerns that heavy rain and strong wind would affect road conditions and delay parts deliveries.

Tokyo Electric Power Co, operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant wrecked in the March 2011 disaster, said it had suspended some outdoor operations. About 1,200 households lost power in eastern Japan near Tokyo.

The category one typhoon was expected to dump about 35 cm (14 inches) of rain in the northeast by Wednesday morning, more than the average rainfall for all of August, according to meteorologists.

However, Lionrock was expected to be downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it made landfall.
Bangladesh Islamist leader loses final appeal against execution for war crimes

By Ruma Paul

DHAKA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Bangladesh's top court on Tuesday rejected a final appeal by the leader of an Islamist party against a death sentence for atrocities committed during the 1971 war of independence, lawyers said, meaning he could be hanged at any time.

The verdict comes amid a spate of militant attacks in the Muslim-majority nation, the most serious on July 1, when gunmen stormed a cafe in the capital, Dhaka, and killed 20 hostages, most of them foreigners.

The rejection, by a panel of five judges headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, comes a day after a visit by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during which he urged Bangladesh to uphold democratic principles.

In March, the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty for Mir Quasem Ali, 63, a media tycoon and key financier of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, for murder, confinement, torture and incitement to religious hatred during the war to leave Pakistan.

"Now it is only a matter of time to execute the verdict, unless he seeks clemency from the president," Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told reporters.

The Jamaat leader and his family have yet to decide whether to approach the president, said Ali's lawyer, Khandaker Mahbub Hossain. "All the legal battles are over now," he told reporters.

Ali could go to the gallows any time, without such clemency.

The war crimes tribunal set up by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2010 has sparked violence and drawn criticism from opposition politicians, who say it is victimising her political opponents. The government denies the accusations.

Human rights groups say the tribunal's procedures fall short of international standards, but the government rejects that assertion, and the trials are supported by many Bangladeshis.

Authorities have deployed additional security forces across Bangladesh as similar previous judgments triggered violence that killed around 200, mainly Jamaat activists and police.

Hundreds of people cheering the verdict flooded the streets of the capital, Dhaka, and the southeastern port city of Chittagong, where torture camps were set up during the war.

There have been no reports of violence, although the party called for a nationwide protest strike on Wednesday.

Since December 2013, four Jamaat leaders, including former top leader Motiur Rahman Nizami, and a leader of the main opposition party, have been executed for war crimes.

Official figures show about 3 million people were killed and thousands of women raped during the nine-month war, in which some factions, including the Jamaat-e-Islami, opposed the break from what was then called West Pakistan.
Livestream of Kim Dotcom extradition hearing a first for New Zealand

By Charlotte Greenfield

WELLINGTON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - A New Zealand judge gave permission on Tuesday for the hearing of German tech entrepreneur Kim Dotcom's appeal against his extradition to be streamed on YouTube, making it the country's first court case to be broadcast on the Internet.

The six-week hearing opened in Auckland this week, nine months after a lower court ruled Kim Dotcom could be sent to the United States to face copyright infringement and money-laundering charges over the filesharing website Megaupload.

The case has been closely watched by the media industry and developers in the file-sharing business for signs of how far the United States is willing to go to protect U.S. copyright holders.

"It's very important that the entire world gets to see the courtroom," said Dotcom's lawyer, Ira Rothken. "The Internet isn't run by any one nation, so we thought the solution itself would come from the Internet."

Dotcom was arranging for a videographer to start recording the proceedings from Wednesday, the lawyer added. They will appear on Youtube with a 20-minute time lag to ensure removal of any material suppressed by the court.

The judge ordered the stream to be taken down at the end of the hearing.

New Zealand government prosecutors, who are representing the United States, had argued against the livestreaming.

The government law office did not immediately respond to a request for comment but a spokeswoman on Monday said it was not appropriate to comment while the matter was before the courts.

Media reported that the lawyers had argued on behalf of the U.S. that live streaming could be prejudicial, as submissions made in the New Zealand court could be inadmissible in a future trial in the United States.

Legal experts believe the livestreaming of an entire hearing will be a first in New Zealand, although domestic media sometimes film brief snatches of courtroom argument.

"The New Zealand judiciary have been very cautious about letting cameras into the courtroom," said Bill Hodge, a criminal law professor at Auckland University, adding that the exceptional nature of the case could have contributed to the decision.

Years of legal wrangling followed Dotcom's arrest during a raid by New Zealand police working in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2012.

It later emerged that the Government Communications Security Bureau had illegally spied on him before the raid.
Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan hit by suspected suicide car bomb

By Olga Dzyubenko

BISHKEK, Aug 30 (Reuters) - A suspected suicide car bomber rammed the gates of the Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on Tuesday, killing the attacker and wounding at least three other people, officials said.

Officials from both countries described the assault as a terrorist act, and Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev ordered the government to take extra counter-terrorism measures in the capital and regions, his office said in a statement.

China condemned the attack and urged Kyrgyz authorities to "quickly investigate and determine the real situation behind the incident.

"China is deeply shocked by this and strongly condemns this violent and extreme act," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing in Beijing.

The ministry later said China would "resolutely strike against all forms of terrorism" and protect the safety of its people and government organisations overseas.

A Kyrgyz Interior Ministry spokesman said the car exploded inside the compound. Police cordoned off the embassy and adjacent area, and the GKNB state security service were investigating the bombing that occurred at about 10:00 a.m. (0400 GMT).

Three embassy staff suffered minor injuries and were taken to hospital, but no organisation claimed responsibility, Hua said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed the attack by phone with his Kyrgyz counterpart and requested that Kyrgyzstan "establish the truth as soon as possible, severely punish the culprits and prevent such an incident from happening again", the Foreign Ministry reported on its website.

Xinhua reported Wang as saying China would deepen anti-terrorism cooperation with Kyrgyzstan "to safeguard mutual security interests".

China's state news agency Xinhua reported that six people were wounded: three Kyrgyz nationals working at the embassy and the three embassy staff mentioned by Hua.

The U.S. State Department said the blast appeared to have been caused by an improvised explosive device in a vehicle. It said it had been in touch with its embassy personnel in Bishkek and all were accounted for. The U.S. embassy will be closed on Wednesday for Kyrgyz independence day, it said.

Authorities in Kyrgyzstan, a mostly Muslim former Soviet republic of 6 million people, routinely detain suspected militants they accuse of being linked to Islamic State, which actively recruits from Central Asia.

A Turkish official said in June that one of three suspected Islamic State suicide bombers involved in the deadly attack on Istanbul's main airport was a Kyrgyz national.

An anti-Chinese militant group made up of ethnic Uighurs - a Turkic-language speaking, mainly Muslim people living in China's Xinjiang region - is also believed to be active in Central Asia.

Some security experts have questioned the group's cohesiveness, however, and say China's policies in Xinjiang, where hundreds have died in recent years in unrest blamed by Beijing on Islamist extremists, have contributed to the unrest.

In 2014, Kyrgyz border guards killed 11 people understood to be members of that group who had illegally crossed the Chinese-Kyrgyz border.

Attacks on Chinese missions abroad are rare but in 2015, an Islamist militant attack on a hotel in Mali killed three Chinese citizens, and in Pakistan, Chinese workers have occasionally been targeted by what police say are nationalists opposed to Beijing's plan to invest tens of billions of dollars in a new trade route to the Arabian Sea.

That is part of China's "One Belt, One Road" project to open new markets via Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle East.
Poland - Factors to Watch Aug 30

Following are news stories, press reports and events to watch that may affect Poland's financial markets on Tuesday. ALL TIMES GMT (Poland: GMT + 2 hours):

Q2 GDP SECOND ESTIMATE

The statistics office will publish its second estimate of second-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) at 0800 GMT. The office will for the first time publish the breakdown of second-quarter GDP.

JSW CLINCHES DEAL WITH BONDHOLDERS

JSW said on Monday after trading session close that is has signed a deal with its bondholders - PKO BP, state bank BGK, PZU - that envisages extending the payments from JSW's bonds by five years until 2025.

****Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.****
Thailand's first halal hotel hopes to help boost Muslim arrivals

BANGKOK, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Predominately Buddhist Thailand has opened its first halal hotel as hopes to attract more Muslim visitors and boost one of the few bright spots in its economy.

Nearly 30 million foreign tourists came to Thailand last year but only about 658,000 were from the Middle East, according to industry data.

The four-star Al Meroz hotel in Bangkok, which opened in November, hopes to play its part in changing that, and to cash in.

"There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. It's a huge market," said the hotel's general manager, Sanya Saengboon.

"Just one percent of that market is enough for us to thrive."

The Al Meroz, which boasts mosque-like architecture, has two prayer rooms and three halal dining halls.

Rooms cost from 4,000 baht all the way up to 50,000 baht ($116 to $1,445) a night, said Sanya.

A guest at the hotel, Aamir Fazal, 28, a security officer from Australia, said access to a halal hotel was a comfort to Muslim travelers in Thailand where halal food can be hard to find.

"It's a really nice experience. It's the first halal hotel here and I find that amazing," said Fazal.

Eager to tap into a growing Muslim tourist market, Thailand launched a mobile application last year which helps tourists search for halal eateries and Muslim-friendly attractions.

Parts of Thailand's south, near the border with Muslim Malaysia, are majority Muslim.

Many Malaysians pop over the border for short visits but a low-level separatist insurgency in the far south, that has included bomb attacks in border towns frequented by Malaysian tourists, has dented business there.

A series of bomb attacks in more mainstream tourist towns south of Bangkok this month, in which four people were killed and dozens wounded, has led to fears the insurgency is spreading.
EU demands Apple pay Ireland up to 13 bln euros in tax

By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS, Aug 30 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators ordered Apple on Tuesday to pay up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in taxes plus interest to the Irish government after ruling that a special scheme to route profits through Ireland was illegal state aid.

The massive sum, 40 times bigger than the previous known demand by the European Commission to a company in such a case, could be reduced, the EU executive said in a statement, if other countries sought more tax themselves from the U.S. tech giant.

Apple, which with Ireland said it will appeal the decision, paid tax rates on European profits on sales of its iPhone and other devices and services of between just 0.005 percent in 2014 and 1 percent in 2003, the Commission said.

"Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years," said Competition Commission Margrethe Vestager, whose crackdown on mainly U.S. multinationals has angered Washington which accuses Brussels of protectionism.

Online retailer Amazon.com Inc and hamburger group McDonald's Corp face probes over taxes in Luxembourg, while coffee chain Starbucks Corp has been ordered to pay up to 30 million euros ($33 million) to the Dutch state.

A bill of 300 million euros this year for Swedish engineer Atlas Copco AB to pay Belgian tax is the current known record. Other companies ordered to pay back taxes in Belgium, many of them European, have not disclosed figures.

For Apple, whose earnings of $18 billion last year were the biggest ever reported by a corporation, finding several billion dollars should not be an insurmountable problem. The 13 billion euros represents about 6 percent of the firm's cash pile.

As of June, Apple reported it had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $231.5 billion, of which 92.8 percent, or $214.9 billion, were held in foreign subsidiaries. It paid $2.67 billion in taxes during its latest quarter at an effective tax rate of 25.5 percent, leaving it with net income of $7.8 billion according to company filings.

The European Commission in 2014 accused Ireland of dodging international tax rules by letting Apple shelter profits worth tens of billions of dollars from tax collectors in return for maintaining jobs. Apple and Ireland rejected the accusation.

"I disagree profoundly with the Commission," Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan said in a statement. "The decision leaves me with no choice but to seek cabinet approval to appeal.

"This is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system; to provide tax certainty to business; and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation."

Ireland also said the disputed tax system used in the Apple case no longer applied and that the decision had no effect on Ireland's 12.5 percent corporate tax rate or on any other company with operations in the country.

Apple said in a statement it was confident of winning an appeal.

"The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process. The Commission's case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes, it's about which government collects the money. It will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe."

"REVERSE ENGINEERING"

When it opened the Apple investigation in 2014, the Commission told the Irish government that tax rulings it agreed in 1991 and 2007 with the company amounted to state aid and might have broken EU laws.

The Commission said the rulings were "reverse engineered" to ensure Apple had a minimal Irish bill and that minutes of meetings between Apple representatives and Irish tax officials showed the company's tax treatment had been "motivated by employment considerations."

Apple employs 5,500, or about a quarter of its Europe-based staff, in the Irish city of Cork, where it is the largest private sector employer. It has said it paid Ireland's 12.5 percent rate on all the income that it generates in the country.

Ireland's low corporate tax rate has been a cornerstone of economic policy for 20 years, drawing investors from multinational companies whose staff account for almost one in 10 workers in Ireland.

Some opposition Irish lawmakers have urged Dublin to collect whatever tax the Commission orders it to. But the main opposition party Fianna Fail, whose support the minority administration relies on to pass laws, said it would support an appeal based on reassurances it had been given by the government.
Bunzl sees no material Brexit impact, H1 profit beats consensus

Aug 30 (Reuters) - British business supplies distributor Bunzl Plc said on Tuesday it did not expect Britain's vote to leave the European Union to have a significant impact, after a string of deals helped it post a better-than-expected first-half profit.

Bunzl said it was difficult to know the probable impact of Brexit as the terms of Britain's exit from the bloc were unknown, but added that it did not expect any material impact as 85 percent of its business was currently based outside the UK.

Adjusted pretax profit rose 13 percent to 210.6 million pounds ($275.2 million) in the six months ended June 30, coming in ahead of the 204.1 million pounds forecast by nine analysts in a company-compiled consensus.
Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on Aug 30

PRAGUE, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial markets on Tuesday. ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 2 hours) =========================ECONOMIC DATA========================== Real-time economic data releases.................... Summary of economic data and forecasts........... Recently released economic data.................. Previous stories on Czech data............. **For a schedule of corporate and economic events: http://emea1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/Apps/CountryWeb/#/2E/events-overview ==========================NEWS================================== TOLL: The Czech transport ministry signed a maximum 3-year tolling contract extension with Kapsch Trafficcom for 5.27 billion crowns ($218.51 million). Story: Related stories: CEE MARKETS: The zloty led a weakening of Central European currencies on Monday as Friday's hawkish comments from Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen cut risk appetite, with lingering concerns over the Polish government's policies also weighing on sentiment. Story: Related stories: =============================PRESS DIGEST======================= TAX: The finance ministry's EET online sales-reporting system takes effect on Dec. 1. Hospodarske Noviny, page 1 BEER: Finance Minister Andrej Babis and his ANO coalition party will propose lowering the tax on beer to 15 percent from 21 percent as a way to lower the impact on pubs affected by the new EET online reporting system. Hospodarske Noviny, page 3 PUBLIC TENDERS: The amount of public tenders rose 13 percent in the first seven months of the years to 5,466, with the value up almost 7 percent to 192 billion crowns. Hospodarske Noviny, page 3 (Reuters has not verified the stories, nor does it vouch for their accuracy.) For real-time stock market index quotes click in brackets: Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX For updates on CEE currencies TOP NEWS -- Emerging markets Prague Newsroom: +420 224 190 477 E-mail: prague.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com ($1 = 24.1160 Czech crowns) (Reporting by Prague Newsroom)
Philippines says China must recognise South China Sea ruling

MANILA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - China will be the "loser" if it does not recognise an international court ruling against its territorial claims in the South China Sea, Philippine Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay said on Tuesday.

An arbitration court in The Hague infuriated China in July when it ruled that China had no historical title over the South China Sea and it had breached the Philippines' sovereign rights.

China has ignored the ruling that none of its claims in the disputed Spratly Islands entitled it to a 200-mile (320 km) exclusive economic zone. Its construction work on reefs there has alarmed other claimants, as well the United States and Japan.

"We are trying to make China understand especially when the dust settles that unless they respect and recognise the arbitral tribunal, they will be the losers at the end of that day on this matter," Yasay told a congressional hearing.

Prior to starting bilateral talks, the Philippines plans to seal a deal for China to allow Philippine fishermen to access the resource-rich waters, Yasay said.

China seized Scarborough Shoal in 2012, denying Philippine fishermen access, one of the factors that prompted Manila to seek arbitration.

"When we start formal negotiations or bilateral engagements with China, we will have to do it within the context of the arbitral decision. There are no buts or ifs insofar as our policy on this matter is concerned," Yasay said.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims in the sea, believed to be rich in energy deposits.
Slovakia - Factors To Watch on Aug 30

BRATISLAVA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Slovak financial markets on Tuesday. ALL TIMES GMT (Slovak Republic: GMT + 2 hours) =========================ECONOMIC DATA======================== Real-time economic data releases.................. Summary of economic data and forecasts......... Recently released economic data................ Previous stories on Slovak data.......... **For a schedule of corporate and economic events: http://emea1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/Apps/CountryWeb/#/1C/events-overview =======================NEWS=================================== UNITED NATIONS: Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres still leads the race to become the next United Nations Secretary-General after a third U.N. Security Council secret ballot on Monday, diplomats said. Slovakia's Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak jumped to second spot with nine encourage, five discourage and one no opinion. Story: Related stories: ==================PRESS DIGEST================================== CAR PRODUCTION: Slovakia's three car plants -- run by Germany's Volkswagen, France's Peugeot Citroen and South Korea's Kia -- assembled 560,000 cars in the first half of the year and are on course to top 2015 output of 1,038,503 cars. SME, page 5 (Reuters has not verified the stories, nor does it vouch for their accuracy.) For real-time stock market index quotes click in brackets: Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX Main currency report TOP NEWS -- Emerging markets News editor of the day: Jan Lopatka on +420 224 190 474 E-mail: prague.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (Reporting by Prague Newsroom)
U.S.-led coalition planes hit Islamic State in north Syria - Turkish military

ISTANBUL, Aug 30 (Reuters) - U.S.-led coalition warplanes hit Islamic State targets near the Syrian frontier town of Jarablus overnight, the Turkish military said on Tuesday, as forces backed by Ankara pushed deeper into north Syria.

Two A-10 planes hit and destroyed two Islamic State targets, the military said in a statement, without elaborating.

Turkey-backed forces seized Jarablus from Islamic State militants last week. They have since pushed into areas held by Kurdish-aligned militias that are supported by Washington.

Differences over Syria policy have long complicated the relationship between NATO allies Turkey and the United States.

While Turkey is a member of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, it is concerned about Washington's support for Syrian Kurdish fighters, which it sees as an extension of Kurdish militants who are waging an insurgency in Turkey.
China foreign ministry condemns attack on embassy in Kyrgyzstan

BEIJING, Aug 30 (Reuters) - China's foreign ministry on Tuesday condemned a car bomb attack on its embassy in Kyrgyzstan, which it said wounded three embassy staff, calling it an "extreme and violent attack".

China also urged Kyrgyz authorities to "get to the bottom of the incident", spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

The three staff suffered minor injuries and have been taken to hospital, Hua said. No organisation has claimed responsibility for the incident, she added.
Philippines may open mothballed Marcos-era nuclear power plant

MANILA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The Philippines is looking into operating the country's only nuclear power plant, built four decades ago at more than $2 billion but never used, to ensure the long-term supply of clean and cheap electricity, its energy minister said.

The Southeast Asian country is joining more than two dozen other countries looking to add nuclear power to their energy mix, including neighbours Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said on Tuesday reviving the mothballed 620-megawatt nuclear plant in Bataan province, northwest of Manila, will require a $1 billion investment.

Nuclear generation is one of the options for the Philippines to meet its growing power needs, with annual electricity demand expected to rise by an average 5 percent until 2030, he said.

"We have to weigh all our options, with emphasis not just on meeting capacity requirements, but sustainability and environmental obligations as well," Cusi said, speaking at the opening of a three-day international conference on nuclear power in Manila.

Cusi will revive a government task force created in 2007 to study nuclear power as an alternative to imported fuel oil and coal, which currently provide more than half of the country's energy mix.

He said technical experts, including those from the International Atomic Energy Agency, have been invited to help the country identify the next steps and come up with a "well-informed" decision.

Cusi is not committing any timetable for the study, but he expects the move to reignite protests against the project, especially by environmentalists and the Catholic Church arguing restarting the plant is unsafe and expensive.

"We need to move away from fossil fuels like coal but nuclear energy is not safe and will also harm the people and environment," said Zaira Patricia Baniaga of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice in a statement issued before the conference.

The late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos order the plant built in 1976 in response to rising energy prices and it was finished in 1984.

The facility never started generating electricity after it was declared unsafe because it sits on a major earthquake fault line and lies near the Pinatubo volcano, which was dormant at that time.

Pinatubo's 1991 eruption had no effect on the Bataan plant, 70 km (45 miles) away, but the project was mothballed in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

A decade ago Manila looked into reopening the plant but the 2011 Fukushima nuclear incident renewed concerns about safety.
EU-U.S. trade deal in doubt as France urges end to talks

By Sophie Louet and Philip Blenkinsop

PARIS/BRUSSELS, Aug 30 (Reuters) - France cast serious doubt on Tuesday on the prospects of an EU free trade deal with the United States, adding to opposition within Germany and growing scepticism among Americans.

Washington and Brussels are officially committed to sealing the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) before U.S. President Barack Obama leaves office in January, but their chances of doing so are being eroded by approaching elections on both sides of the Atlantic and Britain's vote in June to leave the European Union.

"Everything is moving. In this situation it's just not going to happen," said Peter van Ham, senior research fellow at Dutch think tank Clingendael and author of a paper on Tuesday called "TTIP is dead, long live transatlantic trade".

French Trade Minister Matthias Fekl said he would request a halt to TTIP talks at next month's EU trade ministers' meeting in Bratislava after German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel declared at the weekend that talks were "de facto dead".

Observers say both are responding to public mistrust of a deal that critics say would lower environmental and food standards and allow foreign multinationals to challenge government policies.

Stop TTIP campaigns have been particularly vocal in Germany and Austria, which supporters of TTIP say are among the countries most likely to benefit from increased U.S. trade.

In the United States, Obama has promoted the accord, saying it would fuel growth. But the public mood is turning increasingly negative, with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump making attacks on international trade deals a cornerstone of his campaign, saying they have cost U.S. jobs.

His opponent, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, has also stepped back from her previous support for free trade when she was U.S. Secretary of State, and has questioned whether trade deals hold down U.S. wages.

FRENCH, GERMAN ELECTIONS LOOM

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, of Gabriel's Social Democratic Party (SPD), urged diplomats and business chiefs on Tuesday to counter anti-globalisation sentiments that are fuelling opposition to free trade deals.

Ahead of elections in France and Germany next year, politicians are keenly aware that TTIP is not a vote winner.

The Bertelsmann Foundation poll showed only 17 percent of Germans saw TTIP as a good thing in April, down from 55 percent two years earlier.

"There may be an economic rationale, but everyone is scrapping for votes and you lose votes if you support TTIP," Van Ham said, adding that any credit from potential free trade gains would be two to three years away.

Supporters say TTIP could boost each economy by $100 billion, creating jobs at a time of economic uncertainty as growth and consumption slow in China and emerging markets. EU leaders backed TTIP talks at a summit in June.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest admitted "significant aspects" of the deal were unresolved, but said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman would travel to Europe in an effort to push the talks forward.

"I anticipate that when he travels to Europe in mid-September that they'll be engaged in substantive discussions and hopefully will be able to make some additional progress," Earnest said.

Three years of negotiations have failed to resolve multiple differences, however, including over public procurement and rules to protect foods from particular regions, such as Parma ham, which the EU wants, and greater access to services and for its agricultural products, as demanded by the United States.

"Practically there's no real change. It's been stuck for the better part of two years," said Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, director of Brussels-based think tank ECIPE.

BREXIT QUESTION

EU trade chief Cecelia Malmstrom told journalists negotiations had not failed and that many EU countries had said they still backed TTIP.

They included Italy, whose trade and industry minister said it was essential for Italian exporters that the negotiations bore fruit.

Germany's Gabriel is the chairman of the SPD who share power with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives. Merkel backs the talks and her spokesman insisted on Monday that they should continue.

Malmstrom added that it made no sense to suspend talks in September because the two sides could still make advances in regulatory cooperation, agreeing standards that are important to industries such as the auto sector, and that could be picked up by Obama's successor even if a deal was not sealed this year.

"The more work we have done, the easier it is to resume," she said before a planned video conference with Froman.

Froman has said Britain's EU exit will affect TTIP because Britain consumes about a quarter of U.S. exports to the bloc.

Trade analysts say that Washington may be preparing for the end of trade talks, which typically conclude with each side holding the other responsible for failure.

President Francois Hollande told ambassadors on Tuesday that talks were "bogged down" and "unbalanced" and it was an illusion to imagine that a deal could be sealed during Obama's term.
Judge Steven Cray offered to resolve Kenneth M. Wulffs transportation and housing problems on Monday.

Actually it was an order, not an offer. Cray ordered a bench warrant for Wulff, who missed his scheduled sentencing for OWI-sixth offense.

Mr. (Scott) Schlough has a tale of woe, Assistant District Attorney Lawrence J. Broeren told Cray.

Schlough, Wulffs attorney, said Wulff was homeless until his mother took him into her home.

His only transportation was going to be his mother, Schlough said. Unfortunately, she has encountered health problems, and Wulff was unable to make Mondays sentencing in Chippewa Falls.

Wulff has significant back problems and is undergoing physical therapy, the attorney said.

Hopefully no more tragedies have befallen this man, Schlough said.

However, Cray said he has adjourned the case a number of times because of Wulffs medical ailments. Thats when he ordered Kenneth Wulff to be picked up and taken to Chippewa Falls to be sentenced.

The case against Wulff, 46, of Jim Falls goes back to Oct. 19, 2013 in Chippewa Falls.

A criminal complaint said police were dispatched to a retail theft call in downtown Chippewa Falls. Wulff was questioned about the retail theft, and then got into a truck and drove out of a parking lot.

Wulff was pulled over by police. An officer asked if it was safe for Wulff to drive.

No, no Im not, Wulff said, according to the criminal complaint.

Wulff is now scheduled to be sentenced at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Editor's Note: Wulff was sentenced to a year in jail, 36 months probation, and ordered to pay $2,277 and to doe 300 hours of community service, along with being told to meet other conditions.
Canada working hard to resolve canola trade dispute with China - trade minister

BEIJING, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Canada is working hard to reach an agreement with Chinese counterparts to resolve a dispute over canola imports, said Canadian trade minister Chrystia Freeland on Tuesday.

Canada, the world's biggest canola exporter, wants China, its top export market for the oilseed, to drop plans to toughen canola inspection standards on Sept 1.
U.S.-Russia talks this week crucial for Syria truce - de Mistura

GENEVA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Talks between U.S. and Russian officials this week are "crucial" for restoring a ceasefire in Syria, the United Nations Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura said on Tuesday.

"The Special Envoy greatly regrets intensified fighting and the grave humanitarian situation. A political process and political solution is the only way out of the crisis," his spokeswoman Jessy Chahine told a news briefing in Geneva.
Free school meals in Brazil help local farmers stay on the land

By Chris Arsenault

BRASILIA, Aug 30 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - At an elementary school in Brazil's capital, students are not too concerned about who has produced their food as they tuck into an afternoon snack of pineapple and watermelon.

Nevertheless, they are among 45 million students benefiting from the world's biggest universal school feeding programme, whose meals are helping keep Brazil's small farmers on the land.

Family farmers and cooperatives have seen their fortunes rise as a result of the programme, which guarantees them a local market and has helped to expand formal land rights nationwide.

"Incomes have increased significantly because of it," Amanda Venturim, agricultural adviser to a cooperative of 56 small farmers outside Brasilia, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"The government makes a contract with us beforehand so farmers know how much food they need to produce and how much they will receive," said Venturim, standing beside vast grain elevators on the dry savannah land that surrounds the capital.

The cooperative has been selling food to the government for school meals for three years, she said, enabling farmers to invest in new equipment and to retain control of their land.

LOCAL PREFERENCE

First developed in the 1950s, Brazil's school feeding initiative has expanded rapidly over the past decade as part of a successful push for "zero hunger" in Latin America's most populous country.

About a quarter of Brazilians receive free meals under the programme as it provides food to all of the country's students enrolled in government schools.

Brazil has about five million small farms, according to the U.N.'s Centre of Excellence Against Hunger in Brasilia. These farmers are some of the prime beneficiaries of hundreds of millions of dollars of government spending on school meals.

A 2009 law stipulates that authorities must spend at least 30 percent of their school meal budget on produce from smallholder farmers.

At the elementary school in south Brasilia, nutritionist Sumara de Oliveira Santana said the law is helping farmers to stay on the land because it encourages local production.

"Smallholder farmers and local producers have priority when we buy food for the schools," Santana told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, as she supervised several dozen rowdy students during snack break.

For their part, the kids were not too concerned with the details of land politics.

"Pineapple is my favourite fruit for a snack," said seven-year-old Anderson Souza. "For lunch I like meat, but I don't know where all the food comes from."

LANDED FARMERS

Most of Brazil's food - about 70 percent of what's consumed in the country - comes from small farmers, according to the U.N.

About three-quarters of these small farms are owned by farmers who have official land title deeds, according to government data.

Access to a guaranteed market through the feeding programme allows small farmers to keep control of their land, Venturim said.

Farmers say they now know roughly how much they will be earning each year and can apply for credit and other government support due to their participation in the initiative.

It means they don't have to migrate to cities in search of work, unlike many farmers in the developing world who leave their land in the hopes of earning more in the city.

The programme also helps farmers make decisions on investing in new seeds or technology because they can plan ahead on what crops they will grow by liasing with nutritionists like Santana.

UNIQUE LINK

Across Brazil, more than one million small farms have no formal land title deeds, according to official data. These farmers simply occupy the land where they produce or live in settlements with no formal title, but even they benefit from the programme.

Having a direct relationships with the state through the school feeding programme helps small farmers and cooperatives to gain formal ownership over their land.

Many farmers who work with Venturim on the cooperative farm lease public land from the state, but they use their earnings from school meal contracts as a springboard to gain title deeds.

"We have a process going to receive final land titles," Venturim said. "Now, we have a concession, but we would rather be owners."

Formal title deeds can be difficult for small farmers to obtain; the process for formalising land claims has been criticised as expensive, time-consuming and bureaucratic.

As Brazil is mired in political crisis and suffers its worst recession since the 1930s, analysts see the school feeding programme and its support for small farmers' land rights as a rare public policy bright spot.

"We believe this is an excellent example for other countries," Isadora Ferreira, a U.N. official who monitors the programme, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Iraq's Qayyara oil fields won't return to production before Mosul retaken - spokesman

BAGHDAD, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Iraq doesn't expect to resume production from the northern Qayyara oil region before the capture of nearby Mosul from Islamic State, an oil ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.

The region's two main fields, Qayyara and Najma, used to produce up to 30,000 barrels per day of heavy crude before it fell under control of the ultra-hardline militants two years ago. It has also a small refinery to process some local oil.

"The rehabilitation process cannot resume unless the security situation improves with the conclusion of the battle for Mosul" some 60 kilometres (37 miles) north of Qayyara, oil ministry spokesman Asim Jihad told Reuters.

The Iraqi army took Qayyara back last week and oil ministry services started putting out fires at wells caused by insurgents as a tactic to escape air surveillance and hamper the progression of Iraqi forces.

The oil ministry also dug trenches to prevent oil spills from reaching the Tigris river, Jihad said. "They were contained," he added.

Angolan oil company Sonangol pulled out from an agreement to increase output at the Qayyara fields in 2014, citing the increased security risk.
Death toll in Yemen war rises to at least 10,000-UN

SANAA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The death toll in Yemen's 18-month-old civil war stands at about 10,000, the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator said on Tuesday, an increase from estimates of more than 6,000 cited by officials and aid workers for much of 2016.

Jamie McGoldrick told a new conference in the Yemeni capital that the new figure was based on official information provided by medical facilities in Yemen.
Iraq's Qayyara oil fields won't return to production before Mosul retaken - spokesman

BAGHDAD, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Iraq doesn't expect to resume production from the northern Qayyara oil region before the capture of nearby Mosul from Islamic State, an oil ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.

The region's two main fields, Qayyara and Najma, used to produce up to 30,000 barrels per day of heavy crude before it fell under control of the ultra-hardline militants two years ago. It has also a small refinery to process some local oil.

"The rehabilitation process cannot resume unless the security situation improves with the conclusion of the battle for Mosul" some 60 kilometres (37 miles) north of Qayyara, oil ministry spokesman Asim Jihad told Reuters.

The Iraqi army took Qayyara back last week and oil ministry services started putting out fires at wells caused by insurgents as a tactic to escape air surveillance and hamper the progression of Iraqi forces.

The oil ministry also dug trenches to prevent oil spills from reaching the Tigris river, Jihad said. "They were contained," he added.

Angolan oil company Sonangol pulled out from an agreement to increase output at the Qayyara fields in 2014, citing the mounting security risk.

Iraq, OPEC's second-largest producer after Saudi Arabia, pumps most of its crude from the southern region. The nation has an average daily output of 4.6 million barrels per day.
Zimbabwe rights body criticises "violent" police crackdown

By MacDonald Dzirutwe

HARARE, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has accused the police of brutality and violating the rights of protesters when clamping down on anti-government demonstrations in the last two months.

Political tension is rising in the southern African nation, where public anger at the dire state of the economy, in particular an 80 percent jobless rate, cash shortages and delays in salaries for public workers, has spilled onto the streets.

Zimbabwe's police have a history of violence against President Robert Mugabe's opponents and last month a trauma clinic said dozens of people, including children, suffered "savage" abuse after a demonstration.

Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba declined to comment on the findings of the ZHRC, an independent body formed in 2013.

In its first statement on the protests the commission said its investigations had revealed "unbecoming and violent conduct" by police officers and urged victims to make formal complaints.

"It is noted with regret that the police did violate the fundamental rights of the people as evidenced by the facts gathered on the ground," it said.

"Security concerns should not be used as an excuse to harass demonstrators and non-demonstrators. Citizens should enjoy police protection and not brutality."

The commission also said demonstrations should be peaceful, after protests on Friday descended into some of the worst violence seen in the former British colony for two decades.

Sixty-eight people have been charged with public violence at Friday's clashes. A court was due to rule on Tuesday whether they should be released from custody while they await trial.

More anti-government protests are planned for Wednesday and Friday.

Mugabe has said there would be no "Arab Spring" in Zimbabwe, referring to a wave of revolts in the Middle East and North Africa in 2011, some of which toppled governments, while others were stamped out by security forces.

Information Minister Christopher Mushohwe rejected criticism from the United States and Canada.
U.S.-EU trade talks are vital, must continue -Italian minister

ROME, Aug 30 (Reuters) - A free trade deal being negotiated by the United States and the European Union will be reached, but the talks will take more time than originally expected, Italy's trade and industry minister said.

The U.S. and the EU have been negotiating the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) for three years, and with no agreement in sight, France's trade minister said on Tuesday that the discussions should be halted.

But Italy's Carlo Calenda said it was essential for Italian exporters that the negotiations bore fruit. "TTIP will be sealed. It is inevitable," he said in an interview with Corriere della Sera newspaper published on Tuesday.
Canada PM touts agricultural safety amid China canola dispute

By Ben Blanchard

BEIJING, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Canadian farm goods are high quality and safe, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in Beijing on Tuesday as his trade minister said Canada was working hard to resolve a canola import dispute that threatens C$2 billion ($1.5 billion) in business.

Trudeau is seeking deeper ties with China but a the canola spat, government divisions over China policy and the case of a detained citizen could limit his gains.

China is Canada's top export market for the oilseed, and Ottawa has taken an increasingly strong line in talks on a new standard, which industry participants say would significantly raise costs for exporters.

China says the standard is necessary to prevent the spread of blackleg disease from Canadian canola into Chinese crops of rapeseed, another name for the agricultural commodity.

Speaking to Chinese entrepreneurs shortly after landing in Beijing, Trudeau said Canada had always had a reputation as a safe, clean and responsible country.

"In our agriculture, we use high-quality products and we create high-quality products and goods," Trudeau said, without making direct reference to the canola dispute.

Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters after Trudeau's speech that Canada had made very clear what a key issue canola is.

"This is a big deal for Canada," she said. Canola is the country's second-largest trading product with China.

Canada's canola farmers are close to harvesting this year's crop, and Freeland said the government was "working really hard" to keep the China market open and find a resolution.

Chinese officials in Ottawa have said the two countries were having "positive consultations" and the issue could be "resolved properly through joint efforts".

Under the new standard, China will allow no more than 1 percent of foreign matter per canola shipment, down from a current maximum of 2.5 percent.

There has been no reply to a request for further information or comment to China's quarantine authority, the agency that formulated the new standard.

Traders have suggested that China's real reason for a higher standard is that its domestic rapeseed oil stocks are high. Beijing sold 2.8 million tonnes of rapeseed oil from state reserves in the first half of the year, reducing import demand.

Trudeau, who meets Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday, has also said he will raise human rights, an issue of great sensitivity in Beijing.

Ottawa is pressing the case of Canadian citizen Kevin Garratt, who was indicted on charges of spying and stealing state secrets earlier this year.
France's Hollande says Paris climate change deal far from being implemented

PARIS, Aug 30 (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday an international deal on climate change agreed in Paris last year was still far from being implemented and called on countries to ensure it was ratified by year-end.

"The immediate urgency is to ensure the (climate agreement) is put into action by year-end. That's far from being achieved. I ask you to double your efforts to push countries where you reside to ratify the accord before Marrakech," he said addressing an annual gathering of French ambassadors.
Croatia T-bill auctions beat targets, yields fall

ZAGREB, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Croatia raised more than targeted at an auction of one-year euro and local currency treasury bills on Tuesday as they drew strong demand from non-bank investors, Finance Ministry data showed. Yields fell slightly on both papers from the previous auctions. Bids for the one-year kuna paper reached 931 million kuna ($139 mln) against the ministry's 400 million kuna target and it decided to sell 406 million kuna worth of bills. It also sold 20.1 million euros ($23 mln) worth of one-year paper, well above its target of 5 million euros. The bills were mostly taken up by non-banking investors, or all of those denominated in euros and 80 percent of those in kuna. Around 456 million kuna worth of bills mature later this week. The ministry also sometimes sells three-month and six-month paper. Currently, Croatia's short-term debt in local currency amounts to 17.27 billion kuna, while that in euros totals 74.35 million. Below are the auction details: Auction date Previous auction 30/08/16 23/08/16 1-year maturity Yield 0.87 0.91 Assigned price 99.135 99.101 Offered 400 mln HRK 1.0 bln HRK Total bids 931 mln 1.55 bln Assigned 406 mln 1.15 bln Yield 0.24 0.25* Assigned price 99.760 99.753 Offered 5 mln EUR 20 mln Total bids 22.1 mln 21 mln Assigned 20.1 mln 16 mln NOTE - *The one-year euro bills were last auctioned on May 24. ($1 = 6.6953 kuna) ($1 = 0.8953 euros) (Reporting by Igor Ilic; Editing by Susan Fenton)
Iraq blacklists tankers involved in shipping Kurdish crude

By Dmitry Zhdannikov

LONDON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Iraqi state oil firm SOMO has blacklisted three tankers involved in shipping crude from Kurdistan, stepping up pressure on the semi-autonomous region amid tense talks on sharing oil revenue.

Kurdistan has been exporting crude independently via Turkey since mid-2015 after saying Baghdad had failed to respect an oil revenue-sharing deal and transfer enough money to Erbil.

Baghdad, which exports most of its oil from the Gulf, has said Erbil was not exporting enough crude under the deal.

Last week SOMO sent market participants a letter - seen by Reuters - saying it would no longer allow the ships Maran Centaurus, Four Smile and SN Olivia, which had been shipping Kurdish oil, to enter Iraqi ports or export its crude.

Baghdad has regularly sent such letters in the past. It had refrained from doing so in recent months as it was preparing for new talks on revenue-sharing with Kurdistan and had resumed shipping crude from the northern Kirkuk fields to Kurdistan.

SOMO did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest letter.

The semi-autonomous region exports around 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) of its own crude from the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. Baghdad's shipments to Kurdistan of Kirkuk crude, which it restarted earlier this month, have been only half the previously supplied 180,000 bpd.

Baghdad said last week it could divert the Kirkuk crude to Iran by truck instead of sending it to Kurdistan via pipeline if the talks on revenue-sharing broke down.

The move may further undermine Kurdistan, whose funds have been sapped by its fight against Islamic State militants. The region's oil exports do not cover its budget needs.

Diverting oil to Iran could also damage the unity of Iraqi Kurdistan, which had been counting on additional crude from Kirkuk.

The only way SOMO could truck oil to Iran would be through the central Kurdish region of Suleimaniya, controlled by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, a rival of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Kurdish President Masoud Barzani in Erbil.

"The move could be very divisive for the Kurds but also it could set a precedent for other political parties in Iraq to demand their own oil," a government source in Erbil said.
Denmark, Sweden toughen up asylum rules despite falling numbers

COPENHAGEN/STOCKHOLM, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Denmark and Sweden will toughen up asylum rules further as the two countries look to prevent a repeat of last year's record numbers and calm public fears about the financial burden on traditionally generous welfare states.

Around 250,000 people sought asylum in the Nordic region last year, most of them in Sweden, straining tolerance and pressuring government budgets.

Tougher rules, along with efforts by the European Union to make its external borders less porous, have slashed asylum applications this year.

But Denmark, which has taken a tougher line on immigration than its Nordic neighbours in recent years including a "jewelry bill" that allows police to confiscate refugees' valuables, and Sweden want to go further.

Denmark said on Tuesday it would introduce a law to enable police to reject asylum seekers at the borders in times of crisis.

"We are getting the flow of refugees under control. But we cannot relax," the Ministry for Immigration, Integration and Housing said in a report. "The pressure on Europe and Denmark could intensify again."

In Denmark, applications have fallen to 5,305 in the first seven months of this year from 21,300 in 2015.

Sweden's centre-left government said on Tuesday it would cut grants given to local authorities to house young asylum seekers who arrive in the country without their parents.

"Last year Sweden took 40 percent of all the unaccompanied minors who came to the EU," Integration Minister Ylva Johansson said. "That is an unsustainable allocation."

The new rules, which cut subsidies to 1,350 crowns per day will be introduced in the middle of next year and will save Sweden around 7 billion Swedish crowns ($820 million) annually from 2018, the government said.

EMERGENCY BRAKE

More than one million migrants and refugees crossed into Europe last year, putting pressure on the Dublin rules under which the member state where asylum seekers first apply for protection is responsible for examining their claims.

Inspired by neighbour Norway, where a similar law was adopted in June, the Danish government said it needed to prepare for a situation where the Dublin agreement ceased to work.

"If and when we do pull the emergency brake, it is because we believe the Dublin cooperation genuinely has fallen apart," Minister of Integration Inger Stojberg told a news conference.

The government also wants faster extradition of asylum seekers who have had their applications rejected, tougher standards to qualify for benefits and increased security at asylum centres.

The proposals have yet to be adopted by the parliament, where the governing Liberal Party holds only 34 out of 179 seats and depends on three other parties to pass laws.

In a U-turn on decades of generous asylum policies, Sweden has introduced border controls and restrictions on family reunions, and introduced temporary residence permits.

Asylum numbers are expected to drop to around 35,000 this year from more than 160,000 in 2015.

The government has said it expects to save around 100 billion Swedish crowns over the next four years as a result of tighter asylum policies.
Serbian border patrol arrests three for smuggling 64 Afghans

BELGRADE, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The Serbian authorities have detained three men on suspicion of the attempted smuggling of 64 Afghan migrants, including women and infants, in the south east of the country near the border with Bulgaria, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

So far this year Serbia has arrested 360 suspects accused of smuggling 2,000 migrants and refugees, part of a mass influx of people heading to Western Europe from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere.

In July, Serbia deployed joint military and police patrols to its border as the flow of migrants did not stop, even after other Balkan countries closed their borders in March.

Three men from the capital Belgrade were arrested near the southeastern town of Zajecar, some 10 kilometers (six miles) west of the Bulgarian border, as they boarded migrants onto a van and cars, the defence ministry said in a statement.

In the van there were 34 Afghans, including four women, one of them pregnant, an infant and a child, while another two cars were about pick up another 30 people, including three children, the ministry said.

There are some 4,000 asylum seekers in Serbia at present, mainly from the Middle East and Asia, though most do not want to stay there, aiming instead for Germany or Sweden.

Since the beginning of 2016 more than 103,000 migrants have passed through Serbia, which wants to join the European Union, mainly through neighbouring Hungary.

Last week Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said his country plans to build a second fence on its border with Serbia to keep out any major new wave of migrants.
EUROPE POWER-German spot lifted by expected decline in wind power output

PARIS, Aug 30 (Reuters) - European spot electricity prices for next-day delivery were mixed on Tuesday as a sharp decline in forecast wind power supply lifted German prices, while an increase in expected nuclear power availability weighed in France amid stable demand.

German wind power supply for Wednesday is expected to fall by 1.5 gigawatts (GW) day-on-day to 2.1 GW, according to Thomson Reuters data. Germany is seen as a net power importer on Wednesday with 2.2 GW of electricity imported.

In France, which depends on nuclear power for about 75 percent of its electricity needs, nuclear power production is seen rising to 64 percent of capacity on Wednesday, from 59 percent the previous day as several reactors resume production after planned outages.

Combined electricity demand in both countries is expected to be stable compared with the previous day at 114 GW. Temperatures will rise lightly by 0.5 degree Celsius on average in Germany, and 0.6 degree Celsius in France, data showed.

German baseload power for Wednesday delivery rose 5 euros or 15.52 percent to 32 euros ($35.72) a megawatt hour (MWh) compared with Monday's close, while the equivalent French contract fell 2.75 euros to 39.25 euros/MWh.

Along the forward curve, the benchmark German Cal '17 contract rose slightly on Tuesday, tracking gains in oil and coal.

Oil futures rose on Tuesday supported by production suspensions in the U.S. Gulf due to an expected tropical storm and speculation that producers meeting in Algeria next month will act to prop up prices.

German year-ahead Cal '17 baseload power rose 0.77 percent to 26.20 euros/MWh while the equivalent French contract rose 0.22 percent to 31.80 euros/MWh.

European coal prices for 2017 rose 0.79 percent to $57.25 a tonne. Front-year EU carbon allowances rose 0.43 percent to 4.72 euros a tonne.

The Czech year-ahead position was down 0.55 percent at 26.9 euros. The spot price for Wednesday fell 1.77 percent to 33.30 euros /MWh.

Czech 820 MW Chvaletice power plant is expected to be offline for "several weeks" after a fire.
South Africa committee recommends ex-diplomat to head graft watchdog

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 30 (Reuters) - A South African parliament committee on Tuesday adopted a report recommending lawyer Busisiwe Mkhwebane to replace outgoing Thuli Madonsela as Public Protector, a powerful watchdog position that has subjected President Jacob Zuma to unwelcome scrutiny.

The committee's recommendation will go to a vote in parliament on Sept. 7 that requires 60 percent approval, the office of the Chief Whip of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) said in a statement. It will then be sent to Zuma for assent.

Mkhwebane is a high-level civil servant and former diplomat, positions typically held by those with solid ANC connections.

Corruption Watch, a local NGO that focuses on graft issues, applauded the committee's recommendation, saying it was satisfied "that the final candidate got the job on merit and not for any other reason".

Among Mkhwebane's past achievements, Corruption Watch noted she had set up a Public Protector's office for the province of Gauteng, which includes Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria.

Madonsela, who steps down in October when her seven-year term expires, has become a household name in South Africa. Her probes have cast Zuma and other powerful figures in an unflattering light, contributing to the ANC's poor showing in local elections in early August.

In 2014, Madonsela found Zuma had included in a state-funded $16 million "security upgrade" to his rural Nkandla home such items as a swimming pool and amphitheatre.

She said Zuma should pay back a portion of the cost of those items. In March, South Africa's highest court said Zuma had broken the law by ignoring Madonsela's order.

The Public Protector has a constitutional mandate to probe misconduct in state affairs. Madonsela's replacement may inherit current probes, including one into whether Zuma allowed a business family, the Guptas, to decide on cabinet appointments.
South Africa's ruling party says ministers must obey police summons

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 30 (Reuters) - South Africa's ruling party said on Tuesday that ministers who are summoned by police to answer questions should do so, days after Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan declined to obey a police summons.

Gordhan said on Wednesday he had done nothing wrong and had no legal obligation to obey a police summons over the probe into whether he used a surveillance unit set up at the tax service when he was in charge to spy on politicians.
Austria takes another baby step towards tougher asylum rules

VIENNA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Austria has taken its next step, albeit small, towards introducing tougher rules on immigration that will allow it to turn away asylum seekers at its borders within an hour and also to cap the number of asylum requests it accepts.

The government said on Tuesday it would start next week to collect expert opinions needed to pass an emergency decree necessary to trigger implementation of the new rules.

Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka wants the emergency decree to be introduced as soon as possible rather than when an agreed yearly cap of 37,500 is reached.

But Chancellory Minister Thomas Drozda said on Tuesday that debating the matter and procedural issues would take at least until late October.

He also said that turning away migrants at the border might be complicated by the fact Austria has not yet agreed on a deportation arrangement with its eastern neighbour Hungary and many other relevant countries.

"It's a question of whether one wants to or should prepare now for a situation that will possibly occur in November or December," Drozda told reporters.

Chancellor Christian Kern has not pushed for the implementation of the tougher rules on asylum claims yet and has said he saw little point in starting to do so if this year's limit would only be reached around late November.

Austria has mostly served as a conduit into Germany for refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa but the country of 8.5 million people has also taken in about 110,000 asylum seekers since last summer.

After initially welcoming refugees, the government decided to cap the number of asylum claims it would accept this year and has made family reunification harder for migrants, steps widely criticised by EU states and human rights groups.

Drozda said the number of asylum requests had reached 24,260 at the end of July with requests coming in at a much slower pace than last year.

Austria led efforts that resulted in the closing of the so-called Balkan route from Turkey to northern Europe and is turning away an increasing number of migrants at its southern border with Italy.
Four Haqqani commanders reported killed in east Afghanistan

GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Aug 30 (Reuters) - U.S. air strikes in Afghanistan have killed four commanders of the Haqqani network, a militant group affiliated with the Taliban, as government forces try to retake a district captured by insurgents last week, Afghan officials said on Tuesday.

Naqeeb Ahmad Atal, a spokesman for the governor of Paktia province in eastern Afghanistan, said 120 militants were also killed in the strikes in Jani Khil, a strategically located district at a crossroads on a major route into Pakistan.

That toll could not be independently confirmed.

Insurgents overran the district centre late on Friday, gaining a significant success after stepping up attacks across the country in recent weeks, putting government forces on the back foot.

Afghan army spokesman Fazlkhuda Ibrahimkhil said U.S. drones carried out the air strikes that killed the commanders, hitting fighters gathered in the town overnight.

Colonel Michael Lawhorn, director of public affairs for Afghanistan's NATO-led mission, confirmed that U.S. forces had carried out attacks in support of Afghan forces on Monday. He declined to provide details while the fighting was going on.

"I can confirm that U.S. forces conducted four air strikes," he said in an emailed statement.

Another Afghan official said several military vehicles captured by the insurgents were also destroyed.

One senior Afghan security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said about 1,200 fighters, most from the Haqqani network, were involved in last week's attack on Jani Khil.

The involvement of Haqqani fighters, whose traditional stronghold has been in eastern Afghanistan, underscores the group's key role in Taliban military operations following the death of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a U.S. air strike in May.

Unlike Mansour, new Taliban leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, a religious scholar, is not believed to have much command experience.

His appointment has led many analysts to suggest a growing role for deputy leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, commander of the network named after his father, a veteran Islamist who battled Soviet forces during the 1980s and later sided with the Taliban.

The Haqqani network has been known for kidnappings and high-profile attacks in cities but is rarely known to take part in big attacks on Afghan government positions.

One of the commanders killed in the air strike had been district chief in Jani Khil for the Taliban. Another came from the Waziristan region on the Pakistani side of the border and was suspected of involvement in the killing of 42 construction workers in Jani Khil four years ago, Atal said.

The fighting came after the Taliban stepped up their offensive to oust the U.S.-backed government in many parts of the country after a lull following Mansour's killing.
Indian climbers banned from Nepal over fake Everest photos

KATHMANDU, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Nepal on Tuesday banned an Indian couple from mountain climbing in the country for 10 years after they tried to fake a successful ascent of Mount Everest with digitally altered photographs, officials said.

Police constables Tarakeshwari and Dinesh Rathod were among hundreds of climbers who attempted the 8,850 metre (29,035 feet) summit this climbing season, a year after the peak was closed following the death of 18 climbers in an avalanche triggered by an earthquake.

Tourism Department official Gyanendra Shrestha said a government investigation had confirmed complaints by other climbers that the Indian couple had doctored photographs to show themselves at the top of the world's highest mountain.

"We have revoked their climbing certificate," Shrestha told Reuters. "They will not be allowed to do any climbing activity in Nepal for 10 years."

Tourism officials said that analysis of photos submitted by the couple showed they had superimposed their faces and the Indian flag on pictures taken by another climber who had climbed Everest a few days earlier than they claimed to have done so.

They held a news conference in the capital, Kathmandu, on June 5 to say they had reached the peak of Everest on May 23.

The Rathods, who serve in the police force in the city of Pune, could not immediately be reached for comment. The city's commissioner of police, Rashmi Shukla, said an inquiry had been opened into apparent discrepancies in their Everest account.

"We are waiting for information from the Nepali side," Shukla told Reuters.
Senior European lawmaker urges dialogue with Turkey as talks restart

By Gabriela Baczynska

BRUSSELS, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The senior European lawmaker for foreign affairs said on Tuesday the European Union might have "underestimated" the gravity of Turkey's failed coup and must pursue dialogue with Ankara to preserve an agreement on halting the flow of migrants to Europe.

Elmar Brok, the European Parliament's foreign affairs chair and a member of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's party, was briefing fellow lawmakers on his visit to Turkey last week, which came after the summer saw a souring of relations between the EU and Ankara following the failed coup in July.

The EU condemned the coup, but it has also criticised the ensuing crackdown by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. Tens of thousands have been arrested or sacked in Turkey for their alleged support for Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who the Turkish government accuses of masterminding the coup.

Turkey in turn has accused the EU of indifference to the coup and said it might abandon an agreement with the EU to curtail the flow of migrants from the Middle East and Africa through Turkey into Europe. It has also demanded that Gulen, who lives in the United States, be extradited to Turkey.

In addition, Ankara has repaired its relationship with Russia, complicating its relations with Washington and the EU . In one sign of the growing tension, Turkish troops have fired on U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria .

Brok pointed out that during the failed coup, "rockets have actually hit the (Turkish) parliament ... you have to think of how you'd feel in that situation in the European Parliament. Imagine that the French National Assembly or that Westminster were hit by their own army."

"After my visit, I take a different view on some of the Gulen-related issues," Brok said. "The movement has infiltrated the state, they have acted as a 'brotherhood'. There has been a misappraisal of the Gulen movement on our side."

Brok said the EU must keep the migration deal with Turkey on track after Ankara threatened to walk away from it should the bloc fail to ease travel rules for Turks in October.

"I certainly did not get the impression that the Turks were trying to blackmail Europe ... My impression was that Turkey intends to stand by the refugee agreement," Brok said. "I think we should step back in rhetoric.

"However much Turkey merits our criticisms ... from our geo-strategic point of view, it's more important for Turkey to be on our side than in some else's camp."

Brok's comments come amid a string of senior EU visits to Turkey as Brussels, back from summer holidays, gears up for more negotiations. The European Commission, the EU executive, will also report in September on the implementation of the migration deal.

Agreed in March, the deal has helped cut a mass influx of migrants and refugees to Europe. In exchange for preventing them from setting sail for Europe, Ankara won promises of 6 billion euros ($6.69 billion) in EU money for Syrian refugees living in Turkey, revival of Turkey's EU membership talks and speedy visa liberalisation.

But visa talks stalled before the summer break as Turkey refused to reform its anti-terror laws, which the EU says are applied too broadly to stifle dissent. Ankara says they are key to fighting Islamic State and Kurdish militants.

"We have to negotiate ... to adopt a constructive approach in the negotiations," Brok said. He stressed, however, that Turkey must meet all 72 technical requirements to win more relaxed travel rules with the EU.

While all members of the committee seemed to agree that Turkey is nowhere near joining the EU, some lawmakers disagreed with Brok's pragmatism.

Some stressed that Erdogan's rapprochement with Russia's Vladimir Putin proved Ankara was not attached to European values.

"We are against the coup, but we are also against the counter-coup, with what it implies for the abandonment of the rule of law," said Ana Gomes, a leftist lawmaker from Portugal.
Top Democrat urges FBI probe of allegations Russia seeking to influence US vote

WASHINGTON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid is calling on the FBI to conduct a quick and thorough investigation into concerns the Russian government is trying to undermine the U.S. presidential election, including by tampering with official election results.

"The prospect of a hostile government actively seeking to undermine our free and fair elections represents one of the gravest threats to our democracy since the Cold War," Reid said in a letter to FBI Director James Comey.

"It is critical for the Federal Bureau of Investigation to use every resource available to investigate this matter thoroughly and in a timely fashion," Reid added. The letter, dated Aug. 27, was obtained by The New York Times and posted on its website on Monday.

Comey, speaking at a cyber security conference on Tuesday, declined to give details about what the FBI was investigating in connection with the political hacking but indicated the agency was closely watching what foreign countries are doing.

"We take very seriously any effort by any actor, ... especially nation states, that moves beyond the collection of information ... and offers the prospect of an effort to influence the conduct of affairs in our country, whether that is an election or something else," he said.

Reid's letter follows a spate of hacking attacks targeting U.S. political databases, including some that officials and cyber security experts have blamed on hackers with links to the Russian government.

The FBI discovered breaches in voter registration databases in Illinois and Arizona but did not specify who might have been behind it.

Officials and cyber security experts say recent breaches at the Democratic National Committee and elsewhere in the Democratic Party were likely carried out by people within the Russian government. Kremlin officials have denied that.

Reid, a Democrat, said that the threat of Russian government tampering in the election was "more extensive than widely known and may include the intent to falsify official election results."
Death toll in Philippines' drug war hits 2,000

By Manuel Mogato

MANILA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The number of drug-related killings in the Philippines since Rodrigo Duterte became president two months ago on a pledge to wipe out the illegal drug trade, has reached around 2,000, according to data released on Tuesday.

There has been popular support for his campaign, but the wave of killings unleashed since his election victory has alarmed rights groups and brought expressions of concern from the United States, a close ally of Manila.

As officials readied a publicity campaign to explain his fight against on narcotics, the Philippine National Police said that close to 900 drug traffickers and users had been killed in police operations from July 1 to August 20. That was an increase of 141 people over a week, on average 20 people a day.

Last week the police said 1,100 other drug-related killings that were not classified as police operations were also being investigated. No new number for that category was given on Tuesday but, together with the new figure for police encounters, the total came to around 2,000.

Duterte won the presidency of the Southeast Asian nation in a May election on a promise to wipe out drugs.

Two U.N. human rights experts recently urged the Philippines to stop extra-judicial killings, drawing a furious response from Duterte, who threatened to pull h is country out of the United Nations. His foreign minister later rowed back on the threat.

Duterte's communications secretary, Martin Andanar, said on Monday that a 30-second advertisement explaining the anti-drug campaign would be aired over the next week by commercial and public TV stations and by movie theatres.

"The government is not spending a single centavo on these ads and TV stations are carrying them for free," Andanar told reporters at an event in a Manila hotel.

"THIS IS A WAR"

He said his office would also publish a 40-page pamphlet to explain the rising body count. This would be issued on the president's first trip abroad next week, first to Brunei and then to an East Asia summit in Laos.

"Some people abroad have to understand why many people are getting killed in the anti-drug campaign. They must understand, this is a war and there are casualties," Andanar said.

"The pamphlet will inform and explain that the government was not killing people at random, that these killings are not extrajudicial in nature but as part of the anti-crime campaign. Some of those killed were police officers who are involved in criminal activities."

The White House said on Monday that U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to meet Duterte in Laos on Sept. 6, and plans to touch on human rights as well as security concerns.

Duterte's crackdown on drugs and some strongly worded criticism he has made of the United States present a dilemma for Washington, which has been seeking to forge unity among allies and partners in Asia in the face of an increasingly assertive China, especially in the strategic South China Sea.

There have been few signs in the Philippines itself of a backlash against the war on drugs.

However, on Tuesday a newly formed group called the "Stop the Killings Network" announced a #Lightforlife campaign that would start with simultaneous candle-lighting events on Wednesday evening at six venues across Manila.
South Africa's ANC backs Gordhan, urges him to cooperate with police

By Stella Mapenzauswa

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 30 (Reuters) - South Africa's ruling party backed Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan on Tuesday but urged him to cooperate with police investigations, days after Gordhan declined to meet detectives looking into his time at the tax office.

Gordhan said last week he had done nothing wrong and had no legal obligation to obey a police summons over the inquiry into whether he used a surveillance unit set up when he was head of the tax service to spy on politicians.

State prosecutors have denied suggestions in local media that Gordhan could be charged over the investigation; but the speculation has hit South African assets.

The main opposition party Democratic Alliance said last week the police investigation into Gordhan was a "witch-hunt". Political commentators say the probe is supported by a faction allied to President Jacob Zuma, who is said to have been among the politicians spied on by the tax surveillance unit.

Zuma - who has said he backs Gordhan but cannot stop the investigation - has denied warring with the finance minister.

"The ANC reaffirms its unreserved confidence in the Minister," the African National Congress (ANC) Secretary General Gwede Mantashe said, warning that speculation over the minister was hurting the economy and the case could be dealt with better.

The rand gained after Mantashe expressed confidence in Gordhan but then went into reverse, falling 0.6 percent to a session low, after he said the minister must obey the police summons.

"The minister must cooperate with processes. If he has no case to answer he can only prove that through processes," Mantashe told a news conference.

Mantashe said the investigation into Gordhan should be carried out in a manner that does not embarrass the minister.

"All we are saying is that please deal with this matter in a decent way. We don't say Pravin Gordhan must be untouchable," he said, adding the probe should be conducted without "having an element of humiliating this minister."

Analysts said the ANC was split on how to handle the fallout from the Gordhan investigation.

"The ANC is also divided on the question of whether the Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan should remain or should be removed which ever way it turns it will affect the ANC," said Professor Shadrack Gutto, a law lecturer at the University of South Africa.

TREASURY, ESKOM ROW

Mantashe also said the ANC was concerned about a dispute between the Treasury and state-owned power utility Eskom.

The Treasury on Monday accused Eskom executives of blocking the probe of coal contracts between the utility and a company linked to the wealthy Gupta family that is accused of holding undue political sway over Zuma.

Eskom said it was cooperating with investigations and had not been involved in any wrongdoing.

The Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown said she was concerned that the row could lead to the utility being downgraded by credit rating agencies and ordred the utility to provide a report to facilitate the probe.

The utility later said it sent the report to the Treasury.

"It has been unfortunate that Eskom and National Treasury have also taken their disagreement to the public domain on matters relating to procurement issues," Mantashe said.

In another public spat between the Treasury and a state-run company, South African arms maker Denel said late on Tuesday it would fight a bid to halt a joint venture it has been pursuing called Denel Asia.

Local media have reported that the company is linked to the Gupta family but Denel said this was not the case and there were no grounds for the Treasury to block the joint venture.
Tight security, food stockpiling as Gabon braces for Bongo dynasty fate

By Gerauds Wilfried Obangome

LIBREVILLE, Aug 30 (Reuters) - People stockpiled food, police manned major crossroads and soldiers were deployed at petrol stations and banks on Tuesday as Gabon braced for results from a election that will decide the fate of Ali Bongo and his family's 50-year grip on power.

Bongo's main challenger for the presidency, Jean Ping, a former foreign minister, African Union Commission chairman and lifelong political insider in Gabon, has already declared victory.

He urged Bongo, first elected in 2009 after the death of his father Omar, who ran Gabon for 42 years, to acknowledge defeat.

Bongo's supporters, however, say he is on track to win.

With both sides trading accusations of fraud after a bitter campaign, there was widespread concern that the results, set to be announced from 7 p.m. (1800 GMT), would trigger unrest.

"There will be trouble and Ali will tackle the problem with his men ... We're afraid of the spillover," said Jadi Mabende, 57, a civil servant at a shop in the capital Libreville.

Several African governments have shut down mobile telephone networks, Internet and social media during contentious elections over the past year to prevent people organising protests, although there were no signs yet of that happening in Gabon.

However, the army said in a statement that customs officials had seized some illegally imported satellite telephones.

The embassy of France, Gabon's former colonial ruler, advised its citizens on Tuesday to stay indoors after 2 p.m. and to stick to safety precautions.

France's ruling Socialist Party took the unusual step of declaring that early results showed Ping defeating Bongo, just a day after Saturday's poll.

"We're in a situation of suspense. We're ... worried about the demonstrations that are going to happen," said Libreville resident Franck Boubzanga, 33.

Gabon's first-past-the-post system means the winner only needs more votes than any other candidate. In 2009, Bongo won with 41.73 percent.

The European Union's observer mission on Monday criticised a "lack of transparency" among the institutions running the polls and said Bongo had benefited from preferential access to money and the media.

"We've noted that the mission overstepped its mandate. This mission was looking into things that had nothing to do with this election," Bongo's spokesman Alain-Claude Nze said, reacting to the EU's statement on French radio RFI on Tuesday.

Bongo, 57, also benefited from being the incumbent in a country with a patronage system lubricated by oil largesse.

But oil output and prices have fallen, forcing budget cuts despite Gabon having one of the biggest revenue streams of all Africa's oil producers.
Vital that Pakistan joins fight against terrorism - Kerry

NEW DELHI, Aug 30 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Pakistan on Tuesday to join other nations in tackling terrorism, and said Islamabad should not feel isolated by planned trilateral talks between the United States, India and Afghanistan.

"It is vital that Pakistan join with other nations in fighting this challenge," Kerry told a news conference, saying he had been in touch with Pakistan's civilian and military leaders on terrorism and noting progress in counter-terrorism operations in the west of the country.
Four Haqqani commanders killed in east Afghanistan -officials

GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Aug 30 (Reuters) - U.S. air strikes in Afghanistan have killed four commanders of the Haqqani network, a militant group affiliated with the Taliban, as government forces try to retake a district captured by insurgents last week, Afghan officials said on Tuesday.

Naqeeb Ahmad Atal, a spokesman for the governor of Paktia province in eastern Afghanistan, said 120 militants were also killed in the strikes in Jani Khil, a strategically located district at a crossroads on a major route into Pakistan.

But Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied the report as "baseless", saying the air strikes had killed only eight people. He said 48 members of the security forces had been killed in fighting in the district.

Insurgents overran the centre of Jani Khil late on Friday, a significant success after they had stepped up attacks across Afghanistan in recent weeks.

Afghan army spokesman Fazlkhuda Ibrahimkhil said U.S. drones carried out Monday's air strikes, hitting fighters gathered in the town.

Colonel Michael Lawhorn, director of public affairs for Afghanistan's NATO-led mission, confirmed that U.S. forces had carried out attacks in support of Afghan forces on Monday. He declined to provide details while the fighting was going on.

"I can confirm that U.S. forces conducted four air strikes," he said in an emailed statement.

Another Afghan official said several military vehicles captured by the insurgents were also destroyed.

One senior Afghan security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the media, said about 1,200 fighters, most from the Haqqani network, were involved in last week's attack on Jani Khil.

The involvement of Haqqani fighters, whose traditional stronghold has been in eastern Afghanistan, underscores the group's important role in Taliban military operations following the death of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a U.S. air strike in May.

Unlike Mansour, new Taliban leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, a religious scholar, is not believed to have much command experience.

His appointment has led many analysts to suggest a growing role for deputy leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, commander of the network named after his father, a veteran Islamist who battled Soviet forces during the 1980s and later sided with the Taliban.

The Haqqani network has been known for kidnappings and high-profile attacks in cities but is rarely known to take part in big attacks on Afghan government positions.

One of the commanders killed in the air strike had been district chief in Jani Khil for the Taliban. Another came from the Waziristan region on the Pakistani side of the border and was suspected of involvement in the killing of 42 construction workers in Jani Khil four years ago, Atal said.
Turkish judge seeks asylum in Greece - news agency

ATHENS, Aug 30 (Reuters) - A 48-year-old Turkish judge has requested political asylum in Greece, claiming persecution by the government of President Tayyip Erdogan, the Athens News Agency said on Tuesday.

Eight Turkish soldiers requested political asylum in Greece in July, fleeing Turkey in a military helicopter after a failed coup attempt. Turkey has since detained thousands of soldiers and half its generals alongside thousands of judges and prosecutors.

The Greek coast guard said only that a Turkish national had been arrested on Tuesday after being rescued along with six migrants from a boat off the Greek island of Chios. It did not give the nationality of the migrants.
Danish PM risks snap elections in uphill battle to trim welfare state

By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen

COPENHAGEN, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Denmark could be headed for snap elections this autumn as the country's minority government struggles to satisfy conflicting demands from political allies, with some insisting on more welfare and others on tax cuts for the wealthy.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen on Tuesday announced a broad reform plan to boost Denmark's sluggish economic growth over the next ten years. Measures proposed included income tax cuts to entice people to work and raising the pensions age.

Rasmussen, of the liberal Venstre party, leads a minority government and could face strong headwinds from political allies. Some parties have warned that there could be a snap election in the autumn if their demands are not met.

In response, the prime minister, who stands to lose in the event of snap elections, launched what resembled an election campaign more than political negotiations. He presented part of his reform agenda live on his personal Facebook page, while also starting a week-long tour of the country.

Denmark is among the most affluent countries and one of only eight to hold the best possible rating - AAA - at the three main credit rating agencies.

The Danish welfare model became an unlikely feature of the U.S. presidential election campaign, when Republican candidate Bernie Sanders pointed to Denmark as a model for his vision of an ideal American future.

But Denmark's economic growth is lagging behind neighbours Norway, Sweden and Germany, and some economists and politicians partly blame the country's generous welfare system and high tax burden.

The government on Tuesday further trimmed its economic growth forecast for 2016 and 2017, crystallising what will be another difficult economic year for the Nordic country, which has suffered a decade of lacklustre growth since the 2007-08 financial crisis.

Only Spain and Italy among OECD countries have recorded slower growth than Denmark in productivity per working hour in the last 20 years.

"We risk falling behind, and risk that our children won't have the same welfare and possibilities as their peers in Germany or Sweden," Rasmussen said at a news conference to announce the plan.

The government will, with its plan, seek to send 250,000 more into employment by 2025 and improve conditions for businesses, which will boost the economy with 65 billion Danish crowns.

Under the proposal, income tax would be lowered for those earning incomes below 1 million Danish crowns ($150,000) a year by 2025, and the top marginal tax rate would be lowered to 10 percent from 15 percent.

All measures in the plan are subject to parliamentary approval, with political negotiations to take place between now and year-end.

The Liberal Alliance had made the lowering of the top marginal tax rate a key demand, threatening to withdraw support for Rasmussen's government if it was not met.

Another political ally, populist Danish People's Party, wants more welfare and tougher immigration measures, including the right to reject asylum seekers at the borders, a demand that was included in the government's plan.

"I would like to emphasize that there is no guarantee this will end with a grand agreement. It may be necessary to ask the public at a parliamentary election," party leader Kristian Thulesen Dahl said in reaction to the government's plan.
Vital that Pakistan joins fight against terrorism, Kerry says

By Lesley Wroughton

NEW DELHI, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Pakistan needs to join other nations in fighting terrorism, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged on Tuesday, saying Islamabad should not feel isolated by planned trilateral talks between the United States, India and Afghanistan.

Kerry announced the initiative on a visit to New Delhi, and his show of support for his Indian hosts marked a departure from Washington's usual neutrality regarding the nuclear-armed South Asian antagonists.

Tensions have spiked of late, as an uprising in Indian-administered Kashmir killed more than 60 people and injured thousands. Pakistan and India each claim the disputed territory in full but rule it only in part.

Addressing a news conference, Kerry denounced terrorism in all its forms. He said the perpetrators of attacks on Indian soil - in Mumbai in 2008 and at an airbase in Punjab last January - should be brought to justice.

"We cannot and will not make distinctions between good and bad terrorists," Kerry said. "Terror is terror no matter where it comes from, (or) who carries it out."

India accuses Pakistan of responsibility for both attacks. Pakistan is trying suspects in the Mumbai attacks, in which 166 people died. Investigations into this year's airbase attack have so far been inconclusive.

India's minister for external affairs, Sushma Swaraj, struck a similar note, saying there was a "meeting of minds" between her and Kerry on terrorism, which she described as the foremost threat to international peace and security.

Kerry said the United States would open the trilateral talks at the forthcoming United Nations meetings in New York with a view to stabilising Afghanistan, whose U.S.-backed government is struggling to contain Taliban rebels.
Iraq to support oil output freeze at OPEC meeting - PM

BAGHDAD, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Iraq would support a decision by OPEC to freeze oil output in order to prop up prices, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told a news conference in Baghdad on Tuesday.

"We are with freezing production at the OPEC meeting," he 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).
Singapore confirms Zika spread; U.S. and other countries issue travel warnings

By Marius Zaharia

SINGAPORE, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Confirmed cases of Zika virus in Singapore rose to 82 on Tuesday, as the United States joined a growing list of countries warning pregnant women or those trying to get pregnant to avoid travel to the city-state.

The mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has caused explosive outbreaks in the Americas and the Caribbean since late last year, poses a particular risk to pregnant women because it can cause microcephaly, a severe birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains.

On Tuesday, the United States warned pregnant women not to travel to Singapore, joining Australia, Taiwan and South Korea.

The warnings followed news that Zika transmission appears to be occurring outside of the original cluster, with at least five of 26 new cases confirmed late on Tuesday detected in the Aljunied area in the southeast of Singapore, the health ministry and National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a joint statement.

Singapore has advised pregnant women to take a free Zika test if they showed any symptoms or if their partners tested positive. "This is regardless of whether they have been to Zika-affected areas," health officials said in a statement.

The outbreak and advisories come as the tourism industry in one of the world's busiest travel hubs already faces weak global economic growth. Singapore's Tourism Board said it was premature to consider any impact on the sector, adding it remained a "safe travel destination".

More than 55 million people pass through Singapore's Changi airport every year. In the first half of this year, tourism arrivals topped 8 million, around 1 million more than a year earlier.

MOZZIE SPRAY SALES

Singapore reported its first case of locally-transmitted Zika at the weekend, and the number of confirmed infections has risen steadily since then. At least three dozen patients have made a full recovery.

Neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia have stepped up protective measures, introducing thermal scanners at airports and border checkpoints with the island state. Such measures, however, will only identify symptomatic cases of Zika, but only one in five people have symptoms of the virus, which include fever, rash, joint pain and pink eye.

Singapore residents responded to government calls to be vigilant and to take precautions against mosquito bites.

Online retailer Lazada Singapore said sales of insect repellents jumped five-fold in the past three days. FairPrice supermarkets and Watsons pharmacies said their sales of such products had doubled.

Most of the early infections were among foreign workers, hundreds of thousands of whom, mainly from the Asian sub-continent, work on Singapore's construction sites and in the marine sector.

The Singapore government has not said where the infected foreign workers are from. The foreign ministry directed queries to the health ministry, which did not respond to Reuters questions on the issue. The Ministry of Manpower also did not respond to a request for comment made outside working hours.

The High Commission of Bangladesh, which represents the largest community of foreign workers, said none of those infected were Bangladeshis, and the Thai foreign ministry said none were from Thailand. The embassies of China, India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar said they had not been notified by Singapore whether their citizens were among those infected.

Authorities inspected thousands of homes in seven parts of Singapore, including five foreign worker dormitories, spraying insecticide and removing potential mosquito breeding habitats.

The NEA has inspected about 5,000 premises in and around the initial outbreak area, issuing 400 notices to owners of buildings they could not access. The NEA can force entry into those premises if needed.

Zika was first discovered in Uganda in 1947. It caused clusters of human infections from the 1960s to 1980s across Africa and Asia, according to the World Health Organization.

The outbreak in the Americas was caused by a Zika strain from Asia, possibly carried to Brazil through travel to a sporting event. Many experts believe once infected, Zika produces lifelong immunity.

"Unfortunately, it is not clear the level of immunity that is currently in Asia," said Alessandro Vespignani of Northeastern University in Boston.

WHO declared Zika a global health emergency because of its link with microcephaly. In Brazil, Zika has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly.
Saudi Arabia signs initial deals with China on prince's visit

DUBAI, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia signed 15 preliminary agreements with China on Tuesday in sectors from energy to housing on a trip headed by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aimed at bolstering relations with a top energy customer and trade partner.

The visit is part of a broad reform drive championed by the powerful prince to cut the kingdom's reliance on oil exports and showcase Saudi Arabia as a dynamic nation with diverse opportunities for global investors.

Prince Mohammed met China's vice premier Zhang Gaoli on Tuesday, state news agency SPA reported.

"During the meeting, the strategic relationships and future opportunities to enhance the existing partnership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and China were reviewed," SPA said.

Fifteen memorandums of understanding (MoU) were later signed between the two nations in fields including oil storage, water resources, cooperation on science and technology, and cultural cooperation, SPA said.

Among the MoUs was a plan for the two countries to cooperate in building 100,000 homes in the Asfar suburb of the eastern Saudi city of al-Ahsa.

Saudi Arabia's Housing Ministry signed similar memorandums with South Korea and a Saudi-South Korean consortium in March to develop 100,000 housing units in northern Riyadh over 10 years.

In April, Prince Mohammed launched radical economic reforms designed to develop non-oil industries in Saudi Arabia and attract billions of dollars of foreign investment. Chinese and Japanese banks and companies are expected to play major roles.

Prince Mohammed arrived in China on Monday for talks on economic ties as well as security issues. He will then visit Japan from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3, meeting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

From Japan, the prince will return to China to chair Saudi Arabia's delegation to the Sept. 4-5 summit of leaders of the world's 20 biggest economies in the eastern city of Hangzhou.

A Saudi source familiar with the trip said Prince Mohammed would present to the G20 his economic reform plan, which envisages state spending of around 270 billion riyals ($72 billion) in the next five years on projects to diversify the economy.

Prince Mohammed's father, King Salman, led the Saudi delegation to last year's G20 summit in Turkey. Heading this year's delegation would be a political boost for the 31-year-old prince, who rose to prominence when his father took the throne in January 2015.

Saudi officials will also discuss energy cooperation agreements with Japan, the Saudi cabinet said last week.

Saudi Arabia has traditionally accounted for most of Asia's crude imports, but the world's largest oil exporter has lost ground in a number of major markets including Russia and China, and faces a further threat from Iran, which is ramping up exports after the removal of Western sanctions.
UN chief says Myanmar's Rohingya "deserve hope" ahead of peace talks

By Shwe Yee Saw Myint and Antoni Slodkowski

NAYPYITAW, Aug 30 (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Myanmar to improve living conditions for its Rohingya Muslim minority on Tuesday, ahead of peace talks between leader Aung San Suu Kyi and many of the country's ethnic armed rebel groups.

Myanmar's 1.1 million Rohingya will not be represented at the conference starting on Wednesday, but the fact Ban raised their plight - and used the term for the group that is divisive in Myanmar - may add to international pressure on Suu Kyi to address the issue.

"The government has assured me about its commitment to address the roots of the problem," Ban told a news conference in the capital Naypyitaw.

"Like all people everywhere, they need and deserve a future, hope and dignity. This is not just a question of the Rohingya community's right to self-identity."

Ban and Suu Kyi met reporters as the Nobel Peace Prize laureate launched a push to end decades of fighting between Myanmar's military and ethnic rebels.

Suu Kyi has made the peace process a priority for her administration, which faces sky-high expectations at home and abroad after sweeping to power in an election last November to end more than half a century of military-backed rule.

Tensions between Buddhists and Muslims in western Myanmar, however, are not being tackled as part of that process.

Many in the Buddhist majority country regard the largely stateless Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, and they are not among the 135 ethnic groups recognised by law. Suu Kyi has asked foreign diplomats and leaders not to use the term "Rohingya" because in her view it is inflammatory.

Some 120,000 Rohingya remain displaced in squalid "internally displaced persons" (IDP) camps since fighting erupted in Rakhine state between Buddhists and Muslims in 2012. Thousands have fled persecution and poverty.

"I conveyed the concern of the international community about tens of thousands of people who have been living in very poor conditions in IDP camps for over four years," said Ban.

He added that if they had lived in the country for generations, all people in Myanmar should enjoy the same legal status and citizenship as everyone else. Many Rohingya families have lived in Myanmar for that long.

Last week Suu Kyi picked former U.N. chief Kofi Annan to lead a commission to stop human rights abuses in Rakhine.

PEACE CONFERENCE

Few concrete proposals are to emerge from this week's talks, with delegates expecting to meet every six months to discuss issues ranging from security, political representation and culture to sharing the fruits of Myanmar's mineral riches.

The gathering has been compared to the Panglong Conference, a meeting between Suu Kyi's father, Myanmar's national hero General Aung San, and ethnic minorities in 1947 that led to the formation of the Union of Burma after independence from Britain.

"The 21st Century Panglong conference is a promising first step," said Ban. "I congratulate all participants for their patience, determination and spirit of compromise."

The fact that Suu Kyi has been able to bring the vast majority of the rebels to the negotiating table only five months after taking power is a sign of progress, experts say.

Powerful armed groups from regions bordering China, who refused to sign a ceasefire last October under the previous military-backed government, are now set to take part, partly owing to China's tacit support for the talks.

As Myanmar's economy opens up, China is vying for influence with the United States. President Xi Jinping pledged his country would play a "constructive role" in the peace process when Suu Kyi visited China this month.

Suu Kyi is travelling to Washington in September where she is likely to face questions on the treatment of the Rohingya.

Myanmar has been torn by fighting between the military, which seized power in the 1962 coup, and ethnic armed groups almost without a break since the end of the Second World War.

Casting a shadow over the talks is a recent flare-up in fighting in northernmost Kachin State and clashes in northeastern Shan State, which is home to several large groups operating close to borders with China and Thailand.

The still-powerful military has also strongly opposed talks with three groups that fought it in the remote Kokang area last year unless they disarm. The groups have said they cannot, citing continued pressure from the army. It was unclear whether they would be allowed to attend the summit.

Ethnic delegates have complained about what they saw as an arbitrary schedule set by the government.

Suu Kyi, who said little at Tuesday's joint appearance with Ban, has not consulted the groups about the date of the conference or the specific agenda, diplomats familiar with the situation said.
Iraq to support oil output freeze at OPEC meeting - PM

BAGHDAD, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Iraq would support a decision by OPEC to freeze oil output to prop up prices, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told a news conference in Baghdad on Tuesday.

"We are with freezing production at the OPEC meeting," he said, in the clearest indication yet about the position Iraq will support when the oil exporters' group meets next month.

Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries are due to meet informally in Algeria on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum (IEF) on Sept. 26-28.

OPEC's second-largest producer, after Saudi Arabia, Iraq has previously sent contradictory signals about its position.

Oil Minister Jabar al-Luaibi last week said Iraq plans to play "a very active role" with other OPEC members to support prices while at the same time expanding its own output, which now stands at about 4.6 million barrels per day.
Iraq on track to retake Mosul this year, U.S. general says

WASHINGTON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Iraq is on track to meet its objective to retake the city of Mosul from Islamic State later this year, should Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi choose to go forward as planned, the head of the U.S. military's Central Command said on Tuesday.

"It's the prime minister's objective to have that done by the end of the year," General Joseph Votel, who oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East, told a news conference.
Bahrain's al-Wefaq opposition appeals dissolution ruling - Wefaq official

DUBAI, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Bahrain's main opposition al-Wefaq has appealed against an administrative court ruling last month that dissolved the group and found it guilty of fostering terrorism, a leading Wefaq official said on Tuesday.

The court decision to dissolve al-Wefaq was part of a wider government crackdown on an opposition mainly comprised of Shi'ite Muslims demanding reforms and a bigger say in running the Western-allied Gulf Arab state.

Ali Alaswad, a former member of the Bahraini parliament for al-Wefaq who lives in Europe, said the group officially submitted an appeal "to challenge the verdict of the high civil court issued...dissolving the society and liquidating its funds". The court set a first hearing for Sept. 20.

Government officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet, has a Shi'ite majority but a Sunni Muslim-led government, mainly drawn from the ruling al-Khalifa family. Seen by other Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdoms like Saudi Arabia as a bulwark against Iranian influence, it put down Arab Spring protests in 2011.

It drew U.S. and U.N. criticism in June when it moved to strip a top Shi'ite cleric's citizenship and announced it was suspending Wefaq and closing its offices.
Germany outlines deal with EU on green levy for co-generation plants

BERLIN, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Germany said it has resolved a dispute with the European Union so that German firms that generate power for their own consumption can remain exempt from a green energy surcharge, Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Tuesday.

Gabriel said the agreement covers existing plants with co-generation systems combining heat and power production - the so-called "Kraft-Waerme-Kopplungsanlagen" (KWK) - that will continue to be exempt from the surcharge.

"With the agreement, we've created planning security for companies," said Gabriel, the vice chancellor and leader of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD). His ministry had opposed the EU's demands to impose the surcharge on the companies, which would have cost them some 760 million euros per year.

Future KWK plants, however, will have to pay 40 percent of a green energy surcharge from 2017 for newly built combined heat and power plants under a new deal with the EU.

Gabriel also said, however, that the agreement with the European Commission states that the government would restrict subsidies to combined heat and power plants in firms' factories.

Germany has been discussing the disputed issue of exemptions to the country's renewable energy levy with the European Commission for years. Germany's chemicals and steel sectors in particular are affected. Overall, about a quarter of the power consumed by industry is generated in-house.

Until now, many companies, especially those in energy-intensive industries, have been exempted from paying the green energy surcharge that has helped finance Germany's shift away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy sources.
Votes mount against Brazil's Rousseff at impeachment trial

By Anthony Boadle and Maria Carolina Marcello

BRASILIA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Votes piled up against President Dilma Rousseff at her impeachment trial on Tuesday as opponents made final arguments for her removal, not just for breaking budget rules, but for plunging Brazil into a political and economic crisis.

Rousseff, suspended from office in May pending the Senate trial, is charged with spending public funds without Congressional approval and illicitly using money from state banks to boost public works to favor her 2014 re-election, an accounting sleight of hand employed by many elected officials.

With a final vote expected to convict her on Wednesday, 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.

Several senators who had not previously declared their votes, including two from the northern state of Maranhao, shifted decisively against Rousseff on Tuesday, according to four sources familiar with their deliberations.

In testimony to the Senate on Monday, the 68-year-old leader denied any wrongdoing and said the impeachment process was aimed at protecting the interests of the economic elite in Latin America's largest country.

However, lawyer Janaina Paschoal, the author of the impeachment request against Rousseff, told Senators in her closing arguments that the trial should focus on the corruption and economic turmoil under Rousseff's government.

"The world needs to know that we are not just voting about accounting issues," Paschoal said, arguing along with most senators that Rousseff's alleged budget crimes had contributed to a sharp downturn in Latin America's largest economy.

If Rousseff is convicted, her conservative former vice president, Michel Temer, will lead the nation until the next presidential elections in 2018.

Temer, 75, has vowed to pull the economy out of its worst recession since the 1930s and implement austerity measures to plug a growing budget deficit that cost Brazil its investment-grade credit rating last year.

His main challenges, if confirmed as president, would include pushing an unpopular spending cap through Congress and balancing overdrawn government accounts without resorting to tax increases.

His government could also risk being caught up in an investigation over kickbacks at state oil company Petrobras that has ensnared dozens of politicians in the coalition that backed Rousseff.

The scandal, which has also tarnished Temer's PMDB party, could hobble his efforts to restore economic confidence and political stability.

While senators disagreed on the merits of the accounting charges brought against Rousseff, most who took the podium held her responsible for Brazil's crisis and said she must go.

"Maybe most Brazilians can't explain the accusations, but they can tell you the consequences they felt in the flesh, through unemployment and years of recession," said Senator Cassio Cunha Lima.

For the second night in a row, Rousseff supporters marching in downtown Sao Paulo against her impeachment clashed with riot police who fired tear gas cannisters to disperse the crowd.

FINAL VOTE ON WEDNESDAY

The final vote in the trial, which paralyzed Brazilian politics for the last nine months, is expected on Wednesday, according to Supreme Court Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski, who is presiding over the process.

At least 66 of the chamber's 81 senators registered to speak in the final debate. Lewandowski said he expected to end the session late on Tuesday and resume on Wednesday morning.

Temer, interim president since Congress opened impeachment proceedings in mid-May, is so confident of the trial's outcome that he has planned an address to the nation on Wednesday.

He then plans to fly to China for a summit of the G20 group of leading economies, hoping to secure pledges of trade and investment, his aides say.

Workers Party Senator Angela Portela said it was a sad day for Brazil's democratic system because an elected president was being unjustly impeached. "This is not a fair trial. It is a political lynching," she said.

Rousseff's popularity fell into single figures this year, partly because of the massive graft scandal at Petrobras and partly due to a deep recession that many Brazilians blame on her government's interventionist policies.

In an emotional speech on Monday, Rousseff compared the trial to her persecution under Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship, when she was tortured by security services as a member of a leftist urban guerrilla group.

If the Senate convicts Rousseff, she would become the first Brazilian leader to be dismissed from office since 1992 when Fernando Collor de Mello resigned just before imminent impeachment for corruption.
Gabon condemns Ping, warns French officials against 'interference'

By Gerauds Wilfried Obangome

LIBREVILLE, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The Gabon government on Tuesday accused President Ali Bongo's challenger, Jean Ping, of trying to destabilise the country, and warned French ruling party officials against "interference" in its affairs.

With both sides trading accusations after a bitter election campaign, there was concern the results, when they came, would trigger unrest. People stockpiled food, police manned major crossroads and soldiers deployed at petrol stations and banks.

Ping, a former foreign minister, African Union Commission chairman and longtime political insider, is the main challenger to Bongo, whose family has ruled the oil-producing central African nation for half a century.

In a statement late on Tuesday, he said that election results his team had collated from almost all of the country's regions showed he had defeated Bongo.

"Jean Ping's victory is no longer in doubt," the statement signed by him said, adding he had received 59.32 percent support in the eight out of the nine provinces for which they had data, with Bongo getting just 37.97 percent.

Government spokesman Alain-Claude Nze told a news conference earlier in the day that "Jean Ping seems to be the instigator of a destabilisation that threatens the democratic process."

Bongo's supporters say he is on track to win. The president was first elected in 2009 after the death of his father, Omar Bongo, who ran Gabon for 42 years.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern about the issuance of premature results and called on Ping and Bongo to urge their supporters to show restraint.

Bongo's allies are also furious about a statement from France's ruling Socialist Party on Sunday declaring that early results showed Ping to be the winner.

They accused French officials of carrying on the old politics of 'La Francafrique' - an intricate, shadowy web of diplomacy and commerce that for decades kept African presidents in its former colonies, like Bongo's father, in power in exchange for privileged deals for French companies.

"The Socialist Party by this interference, coming from the same members of La Francafrique, shows once again their inability to understand how African democracies function," Nze said. "The French Socialist Party is advised to respect our sovereignty."

FEARS OF UNREST

Authorities have also reacted angrily to an app set up by an Ivorian citizen that allegedly gives live results by region.

Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet-Boubeya said he would announce results starting on Tuesday evening after a meeting of the electoral commission and warned that any attempts at destabilisation by publishing results would not be tolerated.

"Any other so-called results released before, during or after the official declaration are nothing but a lie and a violation of the law," Moubelet-Boubeya said in a statement.

"Anti-democratic forces both inside and outside the country are looking for ways to provoke trouble in Gabon."

The French Embassy advised its citizens to stay indoors.

Gabon's first-past-the-post system means the winner only needs more votes than any other candidate. In 2009, Bongo won with 41.73 percent.

The European Union's observer mission on Monday criticised a "lack of transparency" among the institutions running the polls and said Bongo had benefited from preferential access to money and the media. Nze accused the EU of overstepping its mandate.

Ping's supporters called on the electoral commission to publish the results polling station by polling station. But electoral commission head Rene Aboghe Ella rejected that, telling Radio France International "to do so would excessively delay the publication of the results".

Bongo, 57, also benefits from being the incumbent in a country with a patronage system lubricated by oil largesse.

But oil output and prices have fallen, forcing budget cuts despite Gabon having one of the biggest revenue streams of all Africa's oil producers.
Turkey's post-coup purges shake higher education

By Seda Sezer

ISTANBUL, Aug 30 (Reuters) - With the summer holiday almost over, computer science student Hande Tekiner should be gearing up for a year of cram sessions and late-night homework. Instead, she may have nowhere to return to, as her university was shut after Turkey's failed coup.

Authorities have closed 15 universities and around 1,000 secondary schools linked to Fethullah Gulen, the U.S.-based Muslim cleric blamed for the July 15 attempted putsch. Gulen has denied involvement in the plot and condemned it.

The closures have left about 200,000 students in Turkey in academic limbo, wondering if they can continue their studies and worried about the black mark of a Gulen school on their college record. Tens of thousands of academics and school teachers have also been purged, deepening concern about curtailment of academic freedom and free speech.

"As students at universities that have been shut, we are being victimised, even though those schools were opened with state approval," said Tekiner.

The 23-year-old had been due to start her fourth and final year at Mevlana University in the central city of Konya before the coup. "I have doubts if I will be able to finish my studies," she said.

Tekiner said she and others were harassed on social media, labelled by anonymous accusers as supporters of the coup because they attended Gulen schools.

President Tayyip Erdogan and the government say the cleric's network used the schools to recruit followers who then infiltrated the military, civil service and judiciary. Gulen, who has lived in Pennsylvania since 1999, denies the charges.

Turkey has asked the United States to extradite him but Washington says only a federal court can make that decision. Since the coup, in which at least 240 people died, Turkey has detained about 40,000 people and formally arrested half of them.

Rights groups and some in the West fear Erdogan is using the purges to stifle dissent and tighten his grip on power.

PIOUS MASSES

Until a public falling-out in 2013, Erdogan and Gulen were allies. Erdogan initially saw the cleric as useful in taming the influence of the military and secular elite who had dominated Turkey since the founding of the modern republic.

For years Gulen's followers have run schools across Turkey and as far afield as Africa and the United States, blending Islam with an emphasis on science and interfaith dialogue.

The schools helped to open up higher education to Erdogan's voter base - the pious masses often from poorer regions who were traditionally shut out of elite universities in Istanbul and Ankara.

Erdogan, himself a graduate of a religious school, has fought to bring religious education into the mainstream of constitutionally secular Turkey and worked to overturn a ban on the headscarf in parliament and universities.

But the closure of Gulen schools is troubling for students in towns where there are no other universities. Those from modest backgrounds - and female students from pious families - cannot afford, or may not be allowed, to live away from home.

"The reason I chose my university is to be close to home," said another student from Konya's Mevlana University. "As a girl, my family would never allow me to study in another town."

The Council of Higher Education, known as "YOK" in Turkish, provoked widespread outrage when it said students would be placed at new universities based on exam scores, meaning they could end up at a school on the other side of the country.

It later relented following a number social media campaigns, including one under the hashtag "#YOKbizimagduretme" or "YOK, don't victimise us".

PURGES

Roughly 80,000 people in the military, civil service, and judiciary have been sacked or suspended in the purges. Around half of those have been in education, according to state media.

Teachers' unions and some opposition politicians say authorities are targeting educators based on evidence that is tenuous at best - such as having opened a savings account at Bank Asya, a now defunct lender founded by Gulen's followers.

The government has said the investigations and other measures are necessary to prevent another coup.

But Kamuran Karaca, who heads one of Turkey's biggest teachers' unions, said the wrong people were being targeted. Since the coup, 88 members of his Egitim-Sen union have been suspended.

"All of our members who have been suspended, rather than being supporters of Gulen, are on the contrary people who strive for secular education and a secular life," said Karaca.

"We believe they were blacklisted because they deposited their rent in Bank Asya, or took a loan from it, or a relative took a loan from it."

Gaye Usluer, a lawmaker from the opposition Republican People's Party, criticised what she said was a "sweeping" crackdown that has also harmed people who may be innocent.

Candan Badem, a Marxist historian, was briefly detained for possessing a book by Gulen in his home, his lawyer told Reuters. He was later released. Badem signed an "Academics for Peace" petition this year that criticised military action in the largely Kurdish southeast.

Erdogan denounced the more than 1,000 signatories, which also included U.S. linguist and activist Noam Chomsky, and some Turkish academics were detained over it.

DEFENDING THE PURGE

Several academics and teachers declined to talk to Reuters about the purge, saying they were afraid to go on the record.

"The freedom to communicate and the freedom to collaborate are essential to functioning good science," said Rush Holt of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, who wrote an open letter to Erdogan urging protection of the rights of the scientific community.

The European University Association has said that measures introduced in the wake of coup "go in the wrong direction".

Still, some academics defend the crackdown.

"Nobody knows where this illegal organisation starts and where it ends," said Sedat Gumus, an associate professor at Necmettin Erbakan University in central Konya.
Ex Guantanamo prisoner deported to Uruguay from Venezuela

MONTEVIDEO, Aug 30 (Reuters) - A former Guantanamo Bay prisoner arrived in Uruguay on Tuesday after being deported from Venezuela, where he set off alarm bells for traveling without proper documents and was detained earlier this month, a government official said.

Jihad Diyab was held for 12 years in Guantanamo without being charged and was released to Uruguay in 2014 in a deal to reduce the number of detainees at the U.S. military prison.

"He arrived early this morning," Susana Muniz, the director of Uruguayan health services said on local television, adding that he was being taken for a medical check-up.

The Syrian national had not been seen in Montevideo since mid-June and arrived in Caracas by way of Brazil in late July.

Diyab's lawyer told Reuters earlier this month that he asked the Uruguayan consulate in Caracas to help him travel to Turkey where he was to meet with his family. But he was then arrested by Venezuelan security forces.

"He did not properly enter either Brazil or Venezuela, and was deported to Uruguay. He will continue to be treated as a refugee," Uruguayan Interior Minister Eduardo Bonomi told local paper El Pais.
Workers at Chile Codelco's Salvador copper mine vote on strike

SANTIAGO, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Workers at Chilean state-owned miner Codelco's smallest copper mine began voting on Tuesday whether to accept a wage offer or go on strike, a potential headache for the company as it finds itself in a delicate financial position.

Union leaders at the Salvador mine in Chile's arid north say they are opposed to the wage offer and complain that much-needed investments are being crimped because Codelco is legally required to funnel part of its revenues to the armed forces.

"Workers have to ask their conscience and evaluate whether or not they accept this proposal, but in our opinion we view this proposal negatively," Waldo Ponce, the spokesman for union 2 at Salvador, told Reuters.

The wage proposal includes a $3,730 per worker bonus but offers no wage increase. The results of the vote are expected by Thursday.

Nelson Pizarro, the outspoken chief executive of world no. 1 copper miner Codelco, has said that the company was in an "extremely fragile" position and argued that "there is no money, not one damn peso" to pay for an ambitious multi-billion dollar investment plan.

As Codelco has been forced to slash spending in the wake of a steep fall in the price of copper, a heated debate has stirred to abolish the law inherited from General Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship that forces Codelco to hand over the equivalent of 10 percent of its sales to finance the military.
Uber hires senior Target executive to lead global operations

By Heather Somerville and Subrat Patnaik

Aug 30 (Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc has plucked a top executive from U.S. retailer Target to help lead the growing ride-services company and reshape its image.

Uber said on Tuesday it hired Jeff Jones, chief marketing officer for Target Corp, to oversee the bulk of its global operations. Jones will be president of ride-sharing at Uber, running local Uber services in every city, as well as marketing efforts and customer support.

The hire underscores efforts by Uber, which has become the dominant on-demand ride service, to bolster its reputation and brand. Since 2009, the company has aggressively expanded to more than 450 cities, at times steamrolling regulators and launching campaigns against local lawmakers.

Jones joined Target in 2012 to rejuvenate its brand and is credited with modernizing the retailer's marketing efforts. He led campaigns including #MoreMusic, under which Target partnered with singer Gwen Stefani for a live video that aired during the Grammy Awards and released exclusive tracks from artists such as Adele, part of an effort to burnish Target's cool image.

Prior to that, Jones led marketing for Gap Inc and worked for Coca-Cola and advertising firm McKinney.

"Jones has a strong track record of driving the narrative around Target's brand, and will now try to do the same for Uber," said Mike Mannor, associate professor at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business.

"You can surely expect to see stakeholders responding positively to Uber CEO Travis Kalanick taking steps to upgrade his middling in-house talent with proven professional chops."

Kalanick said in a blog post that he and Jones met in February and "within minutes we were debating how Uber could improve its reputation." (http://ubr.to/2cclIj5)

Kalanick said he wants to align Uber's marketing functions more closely with individual city operations and put more focus on customer service.

Uber's global operations span dozens of countries and about 1.5 million drivers.

Jones' hiring marks a change for Ryan Graves, who has been at Uber since 2010 and ran the company's operations and global expansion. Graves will give up some of those responsibilities but continue to work on Uber's delivery businesses, including UberEats and UberRush, as well as other projects, Kalanick said.

Jones' exit is the latest in a string of executive departures from Target, which has made a series of management changes since last year.
U.S. lauds fragile respite between Turkey, Kurdish fighters in Syria

By Angus McDowall , Orhan Coskun and Phil Stewart

BEIRUT/ANKARA/WASHINGTON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The United States welcomed an apparent pause in fighting between Turkish-backed forces and Kurdish militia fighters in Syria on Tuesday, both of them members of the coalition fighting Islamic State, but it was far from clear that any truce would hold.

Washington has been alarmed by NATO ally Turkey's incursion into northern Syria, launched almost a week ago. The operation, dubbed "Euphrates Shield", aims to push back Islamic State but also to prevent U.S.-backed Kurdish militia fighters from seizing more territory along the Turkish border.

Ankara fears advances by Kurdish fighters as Islamic State is pushed out are aimed at establishing a Kurdish enclave along Syria's northern border, a move which could embolden a three-decade Kurdish insurgency on Turkish soil.

The Turkish incursion has left Washington scrambling to get its feuding allies to focus their firepower on Islamic State instead of each other after clashes that have threatened to unravel America's war strategy in Syria.

"The United States welcomes the overnight calm between the Turkish military and other counter-ISIL forces in Syria," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, using an acronym for Islamic State. "It continues to encourage these moves as a way to prevent further hostilities and loss of life between all counter-ISIL forces operating in the area."

A Kurdish military official said a ceasefire between Turkey and Kurdish-backed militia fighters was holding. But Turkish military sources denied there was any such agreement, while a Turkish-backed Syrian rebel commander characterised it only as a "pause" and said that military operations would soon resume.

Turkish-backed forces began their offensive last week by capturing the Syrian frontier town of Jarablus from Islamic State; they then advanced on areas controlled by Kurdish-aligned militias which have U.S. support in battling jihadists.

Washington said the offensive by its NATO ally risked undermining the fight against Islamic State.

French President Francois Hollande meanwhile said he understood Turkey's need to defend itself but that targeting Kurdish forces which were battling jihadists could further inflame the five-year-old Syrian conflict.

"Those multiple, contradictory interventions carry risks of a general flare-up," he told a meeting of French ambassadors.

Ankara says it will not take orders from anyone on how to protect the nation. The Turkish foreign ministry said on Tuesday military operations in Syria would continue until all threats to Turkish security were removed and that U.S. comments on Turkey's targets in the operation were "unacceptable".

"The statements of U.S. officials about the content and the targets of the Euphrates Shield operation ... are unacceptable and are not in line with the alliance between the two countries," a foreign ministry spokesman said, adding that a complaint had been lodged with the U.S. ambassador to Turkey.

"CROWDED BATTLESPACE"

Eager to avoid more clashes between Turkey and U.S.-backed Syrian fighters, the Pentagon said the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State was establishing communications channels to better coordinate in a "crowded battlespace".

"The improved coordination of armed activities in northern Syria will seek to assure the safety of all forces," Pentagon spokesman Matthew Allen said.

Sharfan Darwish, a spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, said a ceasefire between Turkey and the Jarablus Military Council was holding.

Both councils are allied with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a U.S.-backed alliance of groups including the powerful Kurdish YPG militia that is fighting Islamic State insurgents and has expanded along Syria's frontier with Turkey.

The Jarablus Military Council subsequently said the temporary ceasefire was "under the oversight of the international coalition led by the United States".

Two senior Turkish military sources denied any such truce had been agreed. A commander in one of the Turkish-backed Syrian rebel groups that have clashed with SDF-allied groups south of Jarablus also denied such a deal.

"There is no truce and no ceasefire. But there has been a pause for some time," the commander, who declined to be identified, told Reuters by telephone, adding that the operation would resume shortly.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also declined to describe the pause in fighting as a ceasefire per se, though he said the intent was similar.

In a boost elsewhere to the fight against Islamic State, its Amaq News Agency reported that the jihadist group's spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, one of its longest-serving and most prominent leaders, had been killed in Aleppo.

AFTER COUP, MARK OF TURKISH PRIDE

Turkey's army chief earlier signalled no let up in Ankara's Syria offensive, saying its successes showed a failed coup in Turkey last month had done nothing to dent the military's power.

"By pursuing the Euphrates Shield operation, which is crucial for our national security and for our neighbours' security, the Turkish Armed Forces are showing they have lost none of their strength," Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar said in a statement to mark a national holiday.

Turkey is still reeling from an attempted coup in July in which rogue military commanders used warplanes and tanks to try to oust President Tayyip Erdogan and the government, exposing splits in the ranks of NATO's second biggest military.

In a subsequent purge of suspected coup sympathisers, 80,000 people have been removed from both civilian and military duties, including many generals, officers and rank-and-file soldiers.

In its Syria offensive, Turkish forces and their rebel allies have taken a string of villages in areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and advanced towards Manbij, a city the SDF seized from Islamic State this month in a U.S.-backed campaign.

Turkey says its forces have struck multiple positions held by the Kurdish YPG militia, part of the SDF coalition.

The YPG says its forces withdrew from the region before the Turkish assault and have already crossed the Euphrates, in line with a demand from the United States to withdraw to the eastern side of the river that flows through Syria or lose U.S. support.
Canada regulator suspends TransCanada pipeline approval hearing

Aug 30 (Reuters) - Canada's National Energy Board on Tuesday suspended Montreal hearings on TransCanada Corp's proposed Energy East pipeline for the rest of the week after protests disrupted the first day on Monday.
U.S. lauds fragile respite between Turkey, Kurdish fighters in Syria

By Angus McDowall , Orhan Coskun and Phil Stewart

BEIRUT/ANKARA/WASHINGTON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The United States welcomed an apparent pause in fighting between Turkish-backed forces and Kurdish militia fighters in Syria on Tuesday, both of them members of the coalition fighting Islamic State, but it was far from clear that any truce would hold.

Washington has been alarmed by NATO ally Turkey's incursion into northern Syria, launched almost a week ago. The operation, dubbed "Euphrates Shield," aims to push back Islamic State but also to prevent U.S.-backed Kurdish militia fighters from seizing more territory along the Turkish border.

Ankara fears advances by Kurdish fighters as Islamic State is pushed out are aimed at establishing a Kurdish enclave along Syria's northern border, a move which could embolden a three-decade-long Kurdish insurgency on Turkish soil.

The Turkish incursion has left Washington scrambling to get its feuding allies to focus their firepower on Islamic State instead of each other after clashes that have threatened to unravel America's war strategy in Syria.

"The United States welcomes the overnight calm between the Turkish military and other counter-ISIL forces in Syria," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, using an acronym for the militant group.

U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the period of calm had lasted 12 to 18 hours and the United States would like it to continue so that all members of the coalition could focus their efforts on fighting Islamic State militants.

A Kurdish military official said a ceasefire between Turkey and Kurdish-backed militia fighters was holding. But Turkish military sources denied there was any such agreement, while a Turkish-backed Syrian rebel commander characterised it only as a "pause" and said that military operations would soon resume.

Turkish-backed forces began their offensive last week by capturing the Syrian frontier town of Jarablus from Islamic State; they then advanced on areas controlled by Kurdish-aligned militias which have U.S. support in battling jihadists.

Washington said the offensive risked undermining the fight against Islamic State.

French President Francois Hollande said he understood Turkey's need to defend itself but that targeting Kurdish forces battling jihadists could further inflame the five-year-old Syrian conflict.

"Those multiple, contradictory interventions carry risks of a general flare-up," he told a meeting of French ambassadors.

Ankara says it will not take orders from anyone on how to protect the nation. The Turkish foreign ministry said on Tuesday military operations in Syria would continue until all threats to Turkish security were removed and that U.S. comments on Turkey's targets in the operation were "unacceptable".

"The statements of U.S. officials about the content and the targets of the Euphrates Shield operation ... are unacceptable and are not in line with the alliance between the two countries," a foreign ministry spokesman said, adding that a complaint had been lodged with the U.S. ambassador to Turkey.

"CROWDED BATTLESPACE"

Eager to avoid more clashes between Turkey and U.S.-backed Syrian fighters, the Pentagon said the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State was establishing communications channels to better coordinate in a "crowded battlespace".

"The improved coordination of armed activities in northern Syria will seek to assure the safety of all forces," Pentagon spokesman Matthew Allen said.

Sharfan Darwish, a spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, said a ceasefire between Turkey and the Jarablus Military Council was holding.

Both councils are allied with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a U.S.-backed alliance of groups including the powerful Kurdish YPG militia that is fighting Islamic State insurgents and has expanded along Syria's frontier with Turkey.

The Jarablus Military Council subsequently said the temporary ceasefire was "under the oversight of the international coalition led by the United States".

Two senior Turkish military sources denied any such truce had been agreed. A commander in one of the Turkish-backed Syrian rebel groups that have clashed with SDF-allied groups south of Jarablus also denied such a deal.

"There is no truce and no ceasefire. But there has been a pause for some time," the commander, who declined to be identified, told Reuters by telephone, adding that the operation would resume shortly.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also declined to describe the pause in fighting as a ceasefire as such, though he said the intent was similar.

In a boost elsewhere to the fight against Islamic State, its Amaq News Agency reported that the group's spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, one of its longest-serving and most prominent leaders, had been killed in Aleppo.

AFTER COUP, MARK OF TURKISH PRIDE

Turkey's army chief earlier signalled no let-up in Ankara's Syria offensive, saying its successes showed a failed coup in Turkey last month had done nothing to dent the military's power.

"By pursuing the Euphrates Shield operation, which is crucial for our national security and for our neighbours' security, the Turkish Armed Forces are showing they have lost none of their strength," Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar said in a statement to mark a national holiday.

Turkey is still reeling from an attempted coup in July in which rogue military commanders used warplanes and tanks to try to oust President Tayyip Erdogan and the government, exposing splits in the ranks of NATO's second-biggest military.

In a purge of suspected coup sympathisers, 80,000 people have been removed from both civilian and military duties, including many generals, officers and rank-and-file soldiers.

In its Syria offensive, Turkish forces and their rebel allies have taken a string of villages in areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and advanced towards Manbij, a city the SDF seized from Islamic State this month in a U.S.-backed campaign.

Turkey says its forces have struck multiple positions held by the Kurdish YPG militia, part of the SDF coalition.

The YPG says its forces withdrew from the region before the Turkish assault and have already crossed the Euphrates, in line with a demand from the United States to withdraw to the eastern side of the river that flows through Syria or lose U.S. support.
Victims in Canada crossbow attack were mother, brothers of accused

TORONTO, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The three people killed in a crossbow attack last week in Toronto were the mother and two brothers of the man accused of the crime, police in Canada's largest city said on Tuesday after a local court lifted a publication ban on their names.

Court files showed the people killed last Thursday in Toronto's east end were Susan, Christopher and Alexander Ryan.

Brett Ryan, 35, a convicted bank robber known as the "fake beard bandit" for committing the robberies in disguise, faces three counts of first-degree murder.

Toronto police spokesman Mark Pugash confirmed the family ties between the victims and the suspect but declined to provide more details.

Police said Susan Ryan was strangled, while Christopher and Alexander Ryan were killed by crossbow bolts.

The mother owned the property where the killings occurred. Brett Ryan had lived there before, public records showed.

Ryan appeared in court on Tuesday when local media challenged the publication ban. He wore a white T-shirt and appeared calmer than during his previous appearance.

Ryan next appears in court on Friday. His lawyer, G.J. Partington, declined to comment.

Police have not given a motive for the crime.
Day of the Disappeared: South Asia's torturous wait for the missing

By Nita Bhalla and Gopal Sharma

NEW DELHI/KATHMANDU, Aug 30 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - S hova Bhatta vividly remembers the morning 16 years ago, when five men came to her grocery shop on the outskirts of the Nepali capital and took her husband Shyam.

"They asked him to accompany them and promised that he would be back after answering some questions," said Bhatta. "My husband told me not to worry and that he would return soon because he had not done any harm to anyone."

But 29-year-old Shyam never came back.

His wife insists he was kidnapped by Maoist rebels fighting to topple the feudal monarchy during the Himalayan nation's decade-long civil war which ended in 2006.

The mother of two is left in limbo, fluctuating between the hope of seeing him alive and the agony of believing he is dead.

"I still don't know if they killed him. I don't know if he is still alive," she said. "If he is dead, I want his body as proof so I can carry out our traditional last rites."

Hundreds of thousands of families around the world on Tuesday marked the "International Day of the Disappeared" - aimed at drawing attention to people gone missing amid conflict, disasters, migration or state oppression.

Despite the vast numbers of missing, humanitarian workers say scant attention is given to the plight of their families who spend years seeking the truth.

"This is a tragedy affecting millions, but it remains vastly unacknowledged and underreported. Such indifference is extremely disturbing," said Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

"Disappearances are often a sensitive social and political issue, but that is no excuse for inaction. Governments must generate the political will necessary to provide answers."

CHILD SOLDIERS, MIGRANTS, PRISONERS

There are no accurate figures on the number of people missing but the ICRC, which works in more than 60 countries, estimates there are likely hundreds of thousands of victims.

They include combatants missing in action and children separated from their families when fleeing their homes or forced to join armed groups as well as prisoners and migrants.

The numbers of missing people is high in South Asia, which includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives and is home to one fifth of humanity, say activists.

The region is vulnerable to earthquakes and floods which force hundreds of thousands from their homes annually, and it has witnessed violent conflicts.

These include Sri Lanka's 26-year-long war pitting ethnic Tamils against state forces, a crackdown by India forces on people in the disputed region of Kashmir and alleged state violations against people in Pakistan's Baloch region.

There are also disappearances of political activists, human rights defenders, journalists and lawyers who criticise or voice dissent against regimes, corporations or other powerful players.

This month, rights groups accused Bangladesh of illegally detaining sons of members of two main opposition political parties. Authorities claim they do have no knowledge of the disappearances.

Bangladeshi rights group Odhikar says 287 people have disappeared after being picked up by men claiming to be law enforcement over the last seven years. Of these, 38 were found dead, 132 surfaced alive and the fate of 117 people remains unknown, it said.

MISSING YOUNG MEN

In Wunigam village in Indian administered Kashmir's Bandipore district, Hajra Begam, 70, hopes her missing son Bashir will knock at the door one day.

"When my son was taken by the army from his bakery, he had still had flour stuck to his hands," said Begam, adding she and her husband were dependent on Bashir's earnings.

"The army told us later that he ran away from their custody, but we don't believe them. The army did not take only our source of living, but also our Bashir."

According to activists, more than 8,000 people have gone missing in this volatile region bordering Pakistan, where security forces are battling a separatist insurgency.

Almost all young men, they include militants, former militants, civilians and Kashmiris working for security forces, activists say.

Families gather every year to mark the International Day of the Disappeared, said Parveena Ahanger, founder of the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), whose son went missing in the early 1990s.

"It gives us some solace when many of us get together and listen to each other."

LACK OF POLITICAL WILL

Experts say there is a lack of political will to address the issue, often because governments are implicated and investigations can be biased, flawed and lengthy.

In Sri Lanka, some 65,000 people are missing from its civil conflict with separatist Tamil Tigers which ended in 2009 as well as a Marxist insurrection between 1987 and 1989, according to government figures.

The government has set up an office to investigate but families accuse Colombo of not doing enough.

In Nepal, almost 1,400 people are missing, says the National Network of the Families of the Disappeared and Missing, accusing both state forces and Maoist rebels of committing abuses.

The war ended in 2006 under a United Nations-brokered peace deal in which both sides agreed to address war crimes within six months.

The government only established two panels last year to investigate disappearances. The panels have collected thousands of complaints and have until February to finish their work.

"I am in total confusion about his fate," said Ruby Shrestha whose husband went missing more than 13 years ago. "I don't think he is alive. But there is no evidence of his death either."

Humanitarian workers say governments must step up their responses, develop legal frameworks and procedures to account for the missing and provide support to families.

"Those with influence and in a position to help should take the opportunity of the International Day of the Disappeared to recommit themselves to this issue," said Maurer.
There was fear in her voice. But also a steely resolve to fight for freedom from Pakistani oppression. The young Baloch activist risked her life to report from ground zero.

As we dug into reports of the Pakistan Army and deep state's brutality in Balochistan the question was - why had the world so far turned a blind eye to the systematic subjugation of the Baloch people by the Pakistan army? The United Nations sent a fact-finding body to Balochistan in 2012 and the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) duly records the pain of the Baloch people.

But strangely, there has been silence after that. The UN team had spent ten days in Pakistan in 2010 and one of the main areas of focus was the disappearance of people in Balochistan. The report states how people started disappearing post 2005 in a bigger way.

According to the Baloch activist India Today spoke to, that was when there was a spike in the freedom struggle in Balochistan and a brutal crackdown by the Pakistan Army.

The UN report states: "Pakistan has endured several periods of military dictatorship throughout its history, which resulted at times in massive violations of human rights. The perceptions of different groups in the society of not being treated on an equal footing with others created frustrations and demands which were often responded to through violent means and further inequalities. Article 25 of the Constitution of Pakistan provides that 'All citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law' and this principle should lead all policies of the State."

Pakistan should be held accountable.

While prolonged periods of military dictatorship in Pakistan did mean the brutal violation of human rights under jackboots - Balochistan has faced atrocities irrespective of who was in power - a dictator directly or ruling through a facade of civilian leadership.

The UN report goes on to say: "Starting from 2005-2006, a number of cases were received from Sindh and Baluchistan. In 2011, as noted in its annual report, the working group transmitted five new cases to the government, including two cases through its urgent action procedure. The 2011 annual report of the WGEID also indicates the latest public information on the reported 107 cases concerning Pakistan, pending before the WGEID."

The Baloch activist who risked her life to give details of the Pakistan Army atrocities in Balochistan, especially after Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged the greetings of the Baloch people along with those of the people of Gilgit and Baltistan from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15, 2016 - told India Today that more than 20,000 people are missing in Balochistan.

Even the UN report of 2012 spoke of 14,000-plus people missing. In Balochistan alone, some sources allege that more than 14,000 people are still missing, while the provincial government only recognises less than a hundred.

To date, the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances still has more than 500 cases in its docket concerning the whole country. The number of officially registered allegations, although not reflective of the reality of the situation, is an indication of the existence of the phenomenon. Cases of enforced disappearances by State actors, in this context, would be the result of misconducts and ultra vires behaviour by some agents of the State.

However, non-governmental sources allege that there is a pattern of enforced disappearances in Pakistan, imputable to law enforcement agencies in conjunction with intelligence agencies. The UN team had in 2012 documented the role played by Pakistan's deep state and those close to it. Intimidation of families was just one part of the story. The Pakistani deep state adopted an "abduct, torture, kill and dump" policy. There was a method to this madness. Intimidate the Baloch people into submission.

The UN report of 2012 states: "In a large number of cases, families reportedly received threats or were intimidated to try to prevent them to file such cases. Some families were promised that if they would not file a case, their loved ones would be released, which did not happen. Some other families were threatened that if they did file a case, their loved ones will be harmed, or another member of their family would also be abducted."

And this intimidation is not restricted to the next of kin. Very few lawyers were anyway willing to take up cases of the Baloch people. Those who did were also coerced into submission. Some brave Pakistani lawyers who refused to submit to the Pakistani deep state became victims of forced disappearance themselves.

The UN report states: "According to the families we have heard, witnesses who were called to testify before the courts were threatened and in some cases victimised. In a few cases, the lawyers defending the families were reportedly themselves victims of enforced disappearances. Some of the abducted persons were released while others were never seen again by their relatives. A number of those who have returned have testified to being held in unofficial places of detention. "Many of those who came back were allegedly threatened not to speak about their period of disappearance. Some however have chosen to take high risks to give statements before courts or before the Commission of Inquiry. In Baluchistan, since 2010, a number of persons whose whereabouts were previously unknown were found dead, generally with signs of torture and sometimes decomposed to the point that their relatives were unable to identify them."

After the Revolt of 1857, the British crown took over control of India from the East India Company. The Crown unleashed the worst form of torture and public hangings to teach the freedom fighters a lesson. The aim was to put the fear of the Empire in the hearts of the Indians.

Now look at what the UN has written on enforced disappearances in Pakistan: "Sometimes those bodies were found far from the place where they had been abducted, for some in deserted areas. The practice of "delivering" dead bodies has allegedly accelerated in the years 2011 and 2012. Most of the families we have met, telling their stories, felt abandoned and hopeless. They implored that if their loved ones were being accused of any crime, he or she should be presented before a judge and, if recognised guilty, be convicted." The UN report goes on to say that despite efforts made by the Pakistani civilian government, the commissions of inquiry were either not given the mandate or the power to probe the cases in the right earnest.

The report adds: "There is no doubt that the courts and the Commission are facing enormous difficulties in their task related to cases of enforced disappearances. The fact that they are being criticised by some families is reflective of the frustration, anguish and fear endured by these families. It is also a sign that those institutions ought to be further strengthened. The WGEID is in particular aware of the limits imposed on a two-member Commission, notably with respect to the limited capacities in terms of staffing."

It is a fact that terrorists call the shots in Pakistan, and India has been highlighting it from the rooftop. From Hafiz Muhammed Saeed who leads the Eid namaz at the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore to Dawood Ibrahim who controls the transport business from Karachi to Afghanistan, terrorists are more powerful than the Pakistani establishment.

The UN report says: "Some officials conveyed their concerns that criminals, terrorists or militants from armed groups enjoyed a great impunity because, even when investigations were initiated against them, they managed to get out of them, by using threats against the police, the judges or witnesses. There were hints that this might explain why some law enforcement or intelligence agents might resort to illegal practices such as enforced disappearances."
Nationality is an accident by birth. In my deepest prayers, I have wished to re-incarnate again as a Hindu-Indian, despite the flaws in inequity of caste, gender, or economic disparity within my country. Yes, flaws abound, but are my sentiments seditious or secessionist in their expression for change? Were I to fly to Rome for Mother Teresas canonisation, would Modi-bhakts troll me for being a "sickular"/anti-nationalist?

India was once an amalgam of states, now a federation, embracing multicultural diversity and respecting plurality. How can the multitude be bullied into conformity? Which party or individual holds the patent or propriety to "Indutva"? There is a growingly untenable position adopted on sedition by those in power reminiscent of the British who punished natives fighting for freedom from oppression. Neither does holding a flag nor chanting "Bharat Mata ki Jai" sanctify me as a nationalist. This is just symbolic cultural nationalism. My sentiments go much beyond tokenism as a patriot.

Threat

A creeping fascism into the BJP by rightwing Hindu evangelists threatens to condemn as a traitor anyone who is beef-eater, pro-Pakistan or does not hail the chant of Bharat Mata, as viewed through the prism of the rabids. Whether its vigilantism or extending the seditious arm of law to muzzle student or social movements that are in conflict with the government or its ideological parent, the RSS, there is an unmistakable social coerciveness in bullying anyone contrarian to their "Idea of India".

The fact is the BJP rose to power on the back of a social coalition of the Hindutva Parivars cadres, and both need each other to expand the partys social and political footprint.

The PM can neither silence nor dispense at will the hardliners by sending them back to their "shakhas", because of the diarchical structure of governance. We experienced dyarchy, meant to be a symbiotic sharing of responsibilities, during the UPA, when Sonia Gandhi managed party affairs and the PM functioned as the administrative head. In an ideal division of labour, shared power between two vertical heads works well in optimising synergies for the greater good of citizenry. But when the two function as polar opposites with separate agendas, it works to the detriment of the populace.

Ram Mandir, the hyper-nationalistic symbol of the last century that unified Hindus, cannot be replayed by the BJP in 2016 in its new avatar of gau raksha, or ultra nationalism to coalesce the majority community and isolate as seditious anyone at variance with the Parivar ideology.

Modi the futurist is a progressive with an incremental economic agenda, yet is unable to control culturally and socially the tyranny of dogma that is drowning the voice of reason, as an orchestrated fear is beginning to silence the voice of innocence.

When RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat appeals to Hindus to procreate more to counter the imaginary rise in Muslim demographics, or when Dalits are flogged by Hindu gau rakshaks in Una, it reveals the underbelly of Hindu radicalism at its worst. It is the same Parivar Modi has to rely on, as the crucial UP polls near, to help the saffron cause.

Sedition

How does actor Ramyas pleasantry, "Pakistan is not hell, people there are like us", come within the ambit of sedition? Even in victimisation of cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, the Bombay High Court opined expressing disapproval of government by lawful means without violence cannot come under Section 124(A). Activism to rectify the perceived injustices of an errant state is a reformist, and cannot be deemed seditious by intent.

Hardik Patels agitation demanding reservations for Patidars, or JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumars activism is an extension of the same challenges, where status quoism and the official line of thinking confine in fetters and chains any liberated thinker.

Agitation

Campus life is about critical thinking, activism for creative disruptions in politics, and democratic dissent. Sedition cannot be unleashed at whim to muzzle liberals, artists and civil society. Section 124(A), a draconian law left behind by the British originated with the aim to stifle dissent against freedom fighters, now revoked it in their own country. It applied to those who intended to excite disaffection against His Majesty. Who is the "majesty" in the context to India: a non-radical, free thinker, or the imperious state?

If CBI was the caged parrot of the UPA to torment Opposition and tax-terrorism was the hallmark of its regime to intimidate the populace, then oppressive vigilantism and charging for sedition are becoming the BJPs signature style to scare student movements or agitators into submission.

Mahatma Gandhi said in 1922 when facing trial for sedition, "We desire to show that the government exists to serve the people, not the people the government. No empire intoxicated with the red wine of power has yet lived long enough in this world.

Midway into its term, the BJP has a chance to course-correct by reigning in extremists before the 2019 elections. What the voter will reward Modi for is how hard he tried to mitigate the injustices of 60 years of inequitable growth, yet strived to deliver jobs and prosperity.
RICHMOND  A consumer group is demanding that the State Corporation Commission force Dominion Virginia Power to obtain approval for its $19 billion proposal to add a new nuclear reactor at its North Anna Power Station in Louisa County before spending more money on the project.

"This petition asks the commission to exercise its statutory authority to protect Virginia ratepayers from hundreds of millions or billions of dollars in expenditures for development of a wasteful and unnecessary nuclear power plant project," says the petition, filed Tuesday by the Virginia Citizens Consumer Council, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group. "North Anna 3 would be the most expensive power plant ever built in the United States and could raise customers rates by 26 percent or more according to the Virginia attorney general. While Dominion claims that North Anna 3 is needed for compliance with the federal Clean Power Plan, it would be far more costly than the low-carbon alternative of combined renewables, demand-side management and efficiency."

In its filing, the council says Dominion already has spent about $600 million on project development and preliminary construction of North Anna 3.

"While Dominion has represented to the commission that it is incurring these costs at the risk of its stockholders, the company has also stated that eventually it intends to seek recovery before the commission," the petition says. "Approximately $310 million of North Anna 3 development costs have already been charged to Virginia customers."

Dominion officials have long maintained that they haven't yet made a decision on whether to move ahead with the third reactor.

State law says that any electric utility subject to the jurisdiction of the State Corporation Commission that intends to build a new generation facility that produces more than 100 megawatts or more of electrical energy, "prior to construction or financial commitments therefor," must submit a petition to the commission.

"Prior approval of the need for, and expenditures related to, North Anna 3 is not only required by law, but constitutes sound regulatory policy," the petition says. "This review is essential to the preservation of the commissions ability to protect ratepayers from unreasonable expenditures with very large impacts on customers and the Virginia economy by monopoly utilities."

The North Anna project is included in Dominion's integrated resource plan, essentially a 15-year business forecast that the commission weighs to determine whether it is "just and reasonable," said Andrew Farmer, a spokesman for the commission. Dominion has not filed for approval of the project itself, he added.

A hearing on the resources plan, which investor-owned utilities are required to file yearly, is scheduled for Oct. 5.

Farmer said he could not comment specifically on the petition filed by the consumer group.

"The commission speaks through its orders and actions," he said. "So we received it, its been assigned a case number and its been posted to our website so its available for review pending further action."

An assemblage of environmental and consumer advocates have lined up to oppose the reactor project, arguing that its colossal cost will place unnecessary burdens on energy customers and that it will siphon away money that could go to renewable energy projects such as wind and solar. The Attorney General's Office has also urged Dominion to abandon the North Anna project, which must be approved by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a move that is expected to happen by the end of 2017 according to Dominion.

Dominion spokesman Richard Zuercher said the company has yet to make a decision on the new nuclear unit but acknowledged that Dominion has spent nearly $600 million to date on it, including about $301 million authorized by the General Assembly to be recovered from customers' pocketbooks.

"We are not barred from spending money on the project without prior approval of the SCC," Zuercher said. "We would need SCC approval to build the project and pass on prudent costs to customers."

In the past, Dominion, which already produces about 41 percent of its power from nuclear reactors at North Anna and Surry, says it needs to preserve the option to expand North Anna if the federal Clean Power Plan, which mandates reductions in carbon emissions from power plants, survives a legal challenge currently before the U.S. Supreme Court.

"We have substantially reduced spending on the potential new nuclear unit until the Clean Power Plan plays out," Zuercher said. "The company believes that all options to meet the future electrical requirements of our customers must be considered. Nuclear is a safe and reliable option that does not produce any greenhouse gases, and, if built, a new unit could operate beyond 60 years."
The Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce has announced that Forward Adelante Business Alliance, Virginias first bilingual magazine, has been selected as the recipient of the 2016 John F. Bell Sr. Vanguard Award. The award will be presented at the Chamber Business Diversity Luncheon, being held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center.

The alliance was chosen for the award because of its strong commitment to business diversity, the chamber said in a statement. Forward Adelante provides a number of opportunities for business professionals and owners from all backgrounds to connect and do business together, and builds up individuals while doing so.

The Chamber Business Diversity Council established the John F. Bell Sr. Vanguard Award to recognize an individual, business or organization that actively promotes diversity within the greater Charlottesville business community. The award is named in honor of John F. Bell Sr., an African-American business leader who founded the J.F. Bell Funeral home in 1917.

Bill Cooper, director of diversity strategies for Atlantic Constructors, will deliver the keynote address at the luncheon, hosted by the Chamber Business Diversity Council.

Cooper has worked in government, nonprofit and private enterprises. He has an undergraduate degree in architecture, a masters in urban planning and an MBA, all from the University of Virginia. He has served as an adviser on supplier diversity to four Virginia governors.

Bill Cooper has so much experience in business diversity and inclusion. Were delighted that hell be sharing some of his knowledge and wisdom with us at this years luncheon, said Mel Burruss, vice-chairman of the CBDC.

The Chamber Business Diversity Luncheon provides participants an opportunity to connect with business professionals with a variety of backgrounds and experiences. The luncheon seeks to help create opportunities for individuals to make business connections they might not otherwise be able to make.
VIRGINIA BEACH  State Sen. Frank Wagner of Virginia Beach says hes seeking the Republican nomination for governor.

The Virginian-Pilot reports that Wagner made the announcement Sunday.

Hes one of four candidates who have announced they are seeking the GOP nomination. Hes the only state lawmaker of the group and the only candidate from Hampton Roads.

Wagner will be challenging Ed Gillespie, the former Republican National Committee chairman who lost a close Senate race to Democrat Mark R. Warner in 2014. Also running are Rep. Rob Wittman and Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors who is also Donald Trumps Virginia campaign chairman.

Wagner says he decided to run after the state GOP decided Saturday to hold a primary next year instead of a convention.
Several witnesses of a fatal plane crash Aug. 12 at Spotsylvania Countys Shannon Airport said the private aircraft had flown toward the runway high and fast, according to the National Transportation Safety Boards recently released preliminary report of the accident.

Surveillance videos later recorded the 1969 Beech twin-engine, fixed-wing airplane floating above the runway before briefly touching down and bouncing several times, the NTSB report states. The plane was attempting to land, but became airborne again near the end of the runway, the report continued.

As it ascended, the airplane drifted to the right of the runways center line and began a gradual, climbing left turn about 50 feet above ground, the report states.

It appeared to level off, but then started to descend before pitching up abruptly and rolling to the left as it crashed into trees.

The NTSB said the wreck happened during an aborted landing attempt, but the report does not indicate what caused the fiery crash that killed all six people aboard the plane.

The pilot was attempting a go-around, when a plane circles an airport to attempt another landing.

It could be a year or more before the NTSB releases a probable cause.

The planes wings and engines separated during the crash, and the right propeller broke from the engine, according to the report.

The fuselage, or main body of the airplane, was destroyed after the plane caught fire.

William C. Hamerstadt, 64, of Carmel, Ind., was piloting the plane.

The passengers were Robert D. Ross, 73, of Louisville, Ky., who owned the plane; Maren Timmermann, 15, of Berlin, Germany; Lisa K. Borinstein, 52, of Shelbyville, Ind., and her children: Luke J. Borinstein, 19, and Emma R. Borinstein, 15.

The aircraft left Louisville on the morning of Aug. 12 and stopped in Shelbyville before heading to its final destination of Shannon Airport.

Lisa Borinstein had chartered the plane to visit her son, Drew Borinstein, a Virginia Military Institute senior who was graduating from Marine Corps Base Quanticos Officer Candidates School. The passenger from Germany was an exchange student living with the Borinstein family.

The planes owner had flown from Louisville to Shelbyville to pick up Hamerstadt, a friend and commercial pilot, and the four passengers, the NTSB report said.

The report does not say whether a lack of fuel was a factor in the crash.
Hasan Sinan and Sarath Sasidharan both vividly recall the blend of excitement and anxiety that characterized their first days at Dalhousie. Like most first-year international students, both were making the adjustment to university life while simultaneously trying to get acclimated to a new country and culture.



The first couple of weeks were a bit rough, of course, but day by day it got better, says Hasan, a third-year Psychology student who identifies as half-Lebanese and half-Jordanian and came to Dalhousie from Kuwait.



Now thriving members of the campus community, Hasan and Sarath, who is originally from India but has lived much of his life in Dubai, have dedicated themselves to helping incoming international students find their footing at Dalhousie. They are two of the five members of the International Centres new Global Connections Welcome Ambassador program, an initiative that aims to ease the cultural and academic transition for students from abroad.



Welcome webinars



The primary task of the Welcome Ambassadors is a series of four webinars, which have run over the course of the summer. Hosted by the Ambassadors themselves, the webinars covered issues ranging from academics to getting used to life in Nova Scotia.



In the webinars, which also included guest speakers from units such as security and advising, the Ambassadors provided information and answered questions about visas, what to expect from immigration authorities, housing, obtaining mobile phone service, the weather in Nova Scotia, how to buy textbooks and how to choose courses, among many other topics.



When asked, the Ambassadors also conducted one-on-one information sessions with incoming students via Skype and online messaging apps.



Were helping people who are as confused as we were at the beginning (of our studies), so they dont have to go through all of that, says Hasan.



Sarath Sasidharan (left) and Hasan Sinan.

Sarath, a fourth-year Commerce student, agrees, noting that he and his fellow Ambassadors can draw on personal experience when advising new international students.



It helps to understand what new international students will feel like and address those concerns in the right environment, in the right way.



Bonding with the community



One of the pieces of advice Sarath has for new students is to get involved in student life on campus. He says that living in residence helped him make friends and served as a bonding experience, while additional extracurricular activities made him feel like a part of the community.



It gave me a perspective on the culture in Canada and helped me meet new friends from around the world, he says. 



For Hasan, engagement with the community came later in his Dalhousie career, but has been no less rewarding.



It took me a bit longer to start volunteering, but it changed my whole university experience, he says.



Hasan and Sarath will continue to be active as Welcome Ambassadors, even though the webinar series is complete. Hasan will meet new students at Dalhousies International Orientation on August 30, while Sarath will be doing the same for international students at the Faculty of Management.



Both will also be volunteering at the International Centres Welcome Desk, answering questions from incoming students and their families.



According to Hasan, helping new international students make a happy and successful transition to life at Dalhousie is a reflection of how giving back has strengthened his own ties to university and country where he studies.



Its a chance to contribute and feel like an active member of the community.
43 years is a long time for any independent business, but even more impressive for one in the constantly evolving business of coffee. On Tuesday, September 13 Boston Stoker celebrates their 43rd anniversary as one of Ohios leading coffee roasters.

Coffee has always been a part of our lives but its also changed a lot over the past 43 years, Henry Dean, Boston Stoker President said. We started as a pipe tobacco and custom pipe shop in 1973 and as the times changed we started offering our tobacco customers complimentary coffee and then in 1983 we started roasting our own coffee.

Throughout the 43 years as a business, what a coffee house is has evolved just as much as peoples tastes in the drink.

Coffee houses are a fixture of their communities. Theyre a place for people to meet, to send out a few emails, to listen to music, Henry Dean said. We ingrain our shops into the neighborhoods and communities they serve, no two shops are the same.

To celebrate this anniversary, Boston Stoker will be offering $5 off of all 12oz bags of coffee and $1 off beverages at all shops for one day only on Tuesday, September 13.

Our customers are why weve been growing over the last 43 years, Henry Dean said. This is our way of saying thanks and heres to the next 43.

For those interested, the Boston Stoker 43rd anniversary sale takes place at all shops on Tuesday, September 13. All 12oz bags of coffee will be $5 off for one day only.
New Delhi: Automobile industry turnover is poised to grow over four times to Rs 20 lakh crore in 10 years and has the potential to occupy the top slot globally, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today said.

Urging automakers to "not to compromise with quality", he said innovation and technological upgradation can boost exports. "Automobile industry, which is of Rs 4.5 lakh crore at present, we will take it to Rs 20 lakh crore in 10 years.

It has the potential to become number one in the world," Road Transport and Highways Minister said while addressing the annual meet of Automobile Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) here.

He said the industry registered a growth of 8 per cent and accounted for exports to the tune of Rs 70,000 crore. Urging automakers to go for research and innovation and

not to compromise on quality, the minister said, "It is the government's endeavour to frame such economic policies, which boost employment potential. To enhance employment potential we will have to increase exports. Innovation and research is key to it."

He said unfortunately, the number of patents registered by India are very low as compared to the US and China which shows "industry's motivation is less towards research and innovation. Made in India and Make in India is the priority of our government. I will request you to give attention to quality... if not, we will miss out on opportunities."

To boost automobile exports, he said, the government has initiated a number of steps, including providing facilities to ports for exports besides promoting waterways. "Our priority is to boost exports. Change your mindset. Western countries pay much attention to quality. We should improve our research and quality," he said.

The minister said 1, 58,000 vehicles were exported from Mumbai Port Trust last year and this year it will be 2 lakh cars. "... Each port we are providing facilities. We are promoting waterways. We have started transporting cars from Varanasi to Haldi through waterway and this could result in car costs coming down by Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 in Assam and West Bengal," he said.

He said the government was harnessing its 7,500 km of seafront and 20,000 km of waterways that will reduce transportation cost drastically. The minister said he was aware of the problems of automakers and once GST was cleared in the next session of Parliament, taxation problems will be solved while promoting waterways will reduce their logistics costs.
Bringing e-commerce under GST is expected to solve some of the tax woes of such companies.

New Delhi: The rapidly expanding e-commerce companies on August 30 made a strong case for keeping them out of the proposed GST net but the state finance ministers appeared in no mood to oblige.

At the first meeting of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers held after the Parliament approved the GST Bill, online retailers said they only provide a 'platform' to vendors and customers and do not make money out of sales made.

According to representation made at the meeting, companies like Flipkart, Amazon India and Snapdeal are only 'service providers' to the vendors and as such are liable to pay GST only on service income.

When panel chairman and West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra questioned the billion dollar valuations some of the so-called online platforms command, the e-retailers said their source of revenue is advertisement on which which they pay service tax.

Vendors selling goods through their portals should be liable to pay GST, they argued. NASSCOM in its representation said the sector is creating huge job opportunities and allowing small industries to sell their products.

Stating that e-commerce facilitates competition, it said in the sector, one cannot avoid being in tax bracket. Mitra however said the discussions so far have concluded that the e-commerce sector is generating millions of dollar but pay practically no taxes.

According to Mitra, consumer buying products online pay VAT, producer pays excise duty but these companies go untaxed on the pretext that the transaction is just a pass through. But their business is USD 6-8 billion.

"E-commerce brings in competition, but you are also adding some value. Else how are your companies generating so much valuation," Mitra observed.

He said the issue may become a political hotpotato as the end product will come under GST but the intermediary will not pay tax. Mitra asked the e-commerce companies to give in writing how the tax structure for such companies should be under the new GST regime, which the government proposes to roll out from April 1, 2017.

GST is to subsume most of the indirect taxes like excise duty, VAT and service tax. The model draft GST law has brought e-commerce under its purview. Under it, all online purchases will be taxed at the first point of transaction. Bringing e-commerce under GST is expected to solve some of the tax woes of such companies.

States like Uttarakhand, Assam and Bihar recently imposed a 10 per cent entry tax on the goods sold online and there were fears that more states may follow suit. The GST regime is seen as ending such arbitrary moves by state governments.
Rocket Internet-backed company today announced launch of a new initiative Food Doctor Program (FDP) with the aim of strengthening quality standards for over 12,000 network restaurants.

New Delhi: Online food ordering and delivery firm Foodpanda is in the process of a fresh round of fund raising for expansion and has mandated investment bank o3 Capital for this.

The company however did not share the amount it is seeking to raise. Foodpanda, which had attained operational profitability early this year, is aiming to regulate and standardise the quality measures.

"o3 Capital is supporting Foodpanda during the current fund-raising process for foodpanda India. We are not looking to exit India," Foodpanda India CEO Saurabh Kochhar said in a statement.

The company has grown rapidly over the past months while increasing its already positive operative margins and would continue to do so, he added. Rocket Internet-backed company today announced launch of a new initiative Food Doctor Program (FDP) with the aim of strengthening quality standards for over 12,000 network restaurants.

"Foodpanda is going to focus on quality standards for all the kitchen ops cycles, right from procurement of raw material to the final stage of dispatching packaged food from the restaurant to the customer," the company said in a statement.

FDP will consist of restaurant diagnostics and audits that would culminate into a specific 'Hygiene rating' for the restaurant, it added. "We have always used our technological innovation and resources to bring best food ordering and delivery experience to our customers - whether with almost 100 per cent automation, 45 minute express delivery guarantee or this," Kochhar said.
Le2, which was launched two months ago, has already sold 2,00,000 units in India.

New Delhi: Joining peers such as Xiaomi, Vivoand Gionee, Chinese handset maker LeEco will assemble its smartphones in India, investing Rs 50 crore in the facility.

Set up in partnership with Compal Electronics, the facility in Greater Noida will have an initial capacity of 60,000 units a month. This will be ramped up to 2,00,000 by the end of December.

"We have partnered with Compal for the facility and will start with the assembly of Le2. We will invest Rs 35 crore to start with and have earmarked another Rs 12-15 crore for the ramp-up," LeEco COO Smart Electronics Business Atul Jain told PTI.

He added that the facility, spread over 2,00,000 sq ft, will provide jobs to nearly 200 people. "India will be a global export hub... We are already there in China, Hong Kong and will soon start selling in Russia, Indonesia and the US," he said.

Le2, which was launched two months ago, has already sold 2,00,000 units in India. "The facility will provide us about 6-8 per cent cost benefit," he said, adding that LeEco has a similar partnership with Compal for its facility in China.

India attracted investment from 37 mobile manufacturing companies in the last one year that have generated 40,000 direct jobs and 1.25 lakh indirect employment. These include the likes of Xiaomi, Vivo, Gionee, Karbonn, Lava, Micromax, Intex, Jivi, iTel, and MTech.

"Handset manufacturing in India rose 185 per cent in value terms in 2015-16 to Rs 54,000 crore and is expected to touch Rs 94,000 crore this fiscal," IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

Also, according to estimates, FDI in electronic manufacturing has touched an all-time high of Rs 1.23 lakh crore in 2016. LeEco launched its handsets in India in January this year and televisions a few weeks ago.

The company has already sold one million units of smartphones in India. "The partnership with Compal is non-exclusive and both partners can work with other players," he said.

India is one of the largest markets globally for smartphones. According to research firm IDC, smartphone market in India saw a 17.1 per cent sequential rise in shipments to 27.5 million units in April-June, with Chinese vendors like Lenovo, Xioami and Vivo driving the growth.
Hyderabad: Godrej Group would look at listing animal feed and agri-business company Godrej Agrovet, though no time frame has been proposed for the exercise.

"We will look at it at the right time but not in the immediate future," Godrej told PTI when asked if there were any plans for Godrej Agrovet to be listed. He added that there is no time-frame for the proposed exercise.

Speaking on inorganic growth plans of the Group, he said it has made several acquisitions during the last ten years. "Even in the last one year, we have had two acquisitions in Godrej Agrovet and two acquisitions in Godrej Consumer Products.

We will continue to look at more acquisitions both in India and internationally," Godrej said. Godrej Consumer Products is looking at developing world - Asia, Africa and South America - for suitable and strategic acquisitions, he said, adding that the company is looking at potential candidates.

He indicated that the Group would come out with "more innovated products" in future.

Noting that India is the fastest growing major economy in the world, Godrej said the country's progress should be very good in the next few years, especially with good monsoon and GST coming in.

"We (Godrej) are one of the largest consumer marketing companies in India. So, we have great scope in meeting the needs of our consumers and we should concentrate on more innovative products that will better meet the needs of our consumers," he said.

"There are many growth opportunities but we are not looking at totally new sectors," he said. On Patanjali's growing marketshare and its competition to FMCG companies, Godrej said: "They are in certain areas, especially atta, ghee and some branded consumer products.

So, I think they have done very well, and they are expanding quite rapidly but I wouldn't say they are any threat to FMCG sector".
Mumbai: Karan Johar released the first teaser of his upcoming directorial Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, early on Tuesday. The trailer got noticed for its intensity but the one thing that was on everyones mind after watching the teaser was  Will the movie be able to stand up to the gargantuan hysteria surrounding Ajay Devgns Shivaay?

Karan Johar had closely guarded the minutest of details surrounding the film, had released the first look posters of the film, just a day prior to the release of the teaser. This secrecy had piqued the interest surrounding the film amongst audiences to a massive extent. though the music and chemistry between the lead actors in the teaser received rave reviews, most were quite underwhelmed by it.

'Shivaay,' whose trailer released to humongous fanfare and international acclaim, is amongst the most awaited movies in recent times, with unanimous applause for its action choreography and most hailing it to be at par with Hollywood action.

The Ajay Devgn directorial will be clashing with Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which features Ranbir Kapoor, whos desperately in need of a hit, alongside Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Anushka Sharma and Pakistani heartthrob Fawad Khan.

Which is why this picture, that Ajay just tweeted, seems to suggest that hes in no mood to worry and is quite confident of a positive outcome off this much publicised clash.

Can't wait for Diwali to come and witness the outcome of this clash of the titans for ourselves.
The name Padma Patil will certainly ring a bell for Harry Potter fans. Afshan Azad, the English model-actress of Bangladeshi descent who played the character of Padma Patil in the film series, will soon be seen at Hyderabad Comic Con, on September 24 and 25, this year. The young actress will be taking part in sessions and signings.

Says the actress, Its such an honour for people to still appreciate and recognise me as Padma. Being a part of something so magical and successful has been the biggest blessing in my life. Harry Potter fans are the best fans, theyre so loyal and always supportive of everything we do.

Afshan fondly reminisces about her time on the movie sets. The whole experience was so memorable. The Yule Ball scene in Goblet of Fire had an incredible set and everyone was dressed up. Off the set too, I am in touch with most of the cast. Everyone is so busy these days, but thanks to social media, I check up on them now and again, and when everyone is in the same country, we always try to make time to visit one another.

The actress has not been seen on the silver screen since the series ended and admits, For the past few years, I have been spending time with my family and friends. Ive been travelling; eating a lot of food and generally loving life back at home in Manchester.

So has she read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child or attended the play? Says Afshan, Ive got the book, however, I havent had the time to read it yet. Hopefully, Ill be going to see the play soon!

Asked if she ever felt discriminated against in Hollywood, the actress says honestly, After filming Potter, auditioning wasnt so easy, being a Muslim Asian girl. Roles werent always readily available and it was disheartening to see how devalued Asian people were within the media. It was also one of the reasons why I moved away from acting. However, I am now seeing a huge rise in Asians within the media. I just hope it stays like this always.

Afshan is looking forward to her Hyderabad visit next month. Its been a lifelong dream to visit India! I am super excited to be visiting Hyderabad and being a part of this years Comic Con. I dont have anything planned as yet, but I really want to experience Indian culture and food, so hopefully, someone out there can show me the best places.

So which character would she cosplay at Comic Con, Hyderabad? Afshan laughs, There are so many cool characters, I just cant choose. Can I be Khaleesi from Game of Thrones? Shes hot and I just want an excuse to wear her gowns!

As for her future plans, the model-actress says, Id love to go into presenting and being in front of the camera in a different way, lets see what the future brings!
A 21-year old civil engineer, who was declared brain dead after an accident, donated his vital organs to six patients.(Photo: Pixabay)

Coimbatore: Six people got a new lease of life after the family of a 21-year old civil engineer, who was declared brain dead after an accident, donated his vital

organs.

Yuvaraj, hailing from Dharapuram in Tirupur District, had met with an accident in March and was recovering. However he had frequent fits and lost consciousness a couple of times, family sources said. He was brought to Sri Ramakrishna hospital here on August 26 and was under treatment, but did not respond to medication and was declared brain dead last evening, Hospital nephrologist Dr Chezian said in a release.

A team of doctors harvested his heart, liver, two kidneys and two corneas this morning. One kidney was transplanted on a patient in Ramakrishna Hospital and another on a patient at KG hospital here, it said.

The corneas were sent to Sankara Eye Hospital, the liver to PSG Hospitals and heart to GKNM hospitals, all in the city, and transplanted on patients.
Transplant of organs has been a blessing for patients suffering from life threatening diseases or ailments with serious implications, and while heart, kidney and live transplants have helped a lot of people, a duo is now seeking to achieve a medical marvel by performing the first ever head transplant.

55-year-old Chinese surgeon Xiaoping Ren was part of a team that performed the first ever successful hand transplant in the US, and practiced by switching pigs forelegs.

The man with a vision has teamed up with an Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero who likens his abilities to that of Dr Frankensteins and talks of Nazi doctor Josef Mengele. Having written numerous respected papers including one about seducing women, he announced his enthusiasm for a head transplant back in 2013.

While many scientists and ethicists have ruled out the surgery as junk science that raises false hopes, a 31-year-old Russian tech geek seems to be optimistic about a surgery which is said to have a 90 plus chance of success, as per Ren and Canavero.

Valery Spiridonov is battling a condition called Werdnig-Hoffman disease, a genetic disorder that wastes muscles and motor neurons. This means he can do little more than steer his wheelchair with a joystick, type and feed himself.

His disease not only poses challenges, but is also a fatal one and doctors expected him to be dead now. But Spiridonov seems to have fought back and how.

Not only has he survived longer than doctors expected him to, but he refuses to live on like this and has volunteered for the head transplant Ren and Canavero are going ahead with in 2017.

The doctors said that the process would require around 80 surgeons and tens of millions of dollars in funds. The severed muscles of Spiridonov will be colour coded with that of a brain dead body donor, and a transparent diamond blade will be used in the process.

While the operation will most likely be performed in China since it might not get approval in US, many are saying that Ren and Canavero should be tried for murder if the surgery goes wrong.

Click here to watch the video
The software intuitively translates patient charts and mammograms into diagnostic information at 30 times human speed and with 99 per cent accuracy. (Representational Image)

Houston: Scientists, including those of Indian origin, have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) software that can assist doctors to quickly and accurately predict breast cancer risk.

The software intuitively translates patient charts and mammograms into diagnostic information at 30 times human speed and with 99 per cent accuracy.

"This software intelligently reviews millions of records in a short amount of time, enabling us to determine breast cancer risk more efficiently using a patient's mammogram. This has the potential to decrease unnecessary biopsies," said

Stephen T Wong, from the Houston Methodist Research Institute in the US.

Researchers, including Jitesh Shewale of University of Texas, Tajel Patel and Mamta Puppala from Houston Methodist, used the AI software to evaluate mammograms and pathology reports of 500 breast cancer patients. The software scanned patient charts, collected diagnostic features and correlated mammogram findings with breast cancer subtype.

Clinicians used results, like the expression of tumor proteins, to accurately predict each patient's probability of breast cancer diagnosis. Currently, when mammograms fall into the suspicious category, a broad range of 3 to 95 per cent cancer risk, patients are recommended for biopsies.

Over 1.6 million breast biopsies are performed annually nationwide, and about 20 per cent are unnecessarily performed due to false-positive mammogram results of cancer free breasts, researchers said. Researchers hope this AI software will help physicians better define the per cent risk requiring a biopsy, equipping doctors with a tool to decrease unnecessary breast biopsies.

Manual review of 50 charts took two clinicians 50-70 hours. AI reviewed 500 charts in a few hours, saving over 500 physician hours. "Accurate review of this many charts would be practically impossible without AI," said Wong. The research was published in the journal Cancer.
Spraying affects adults, but it does not usually kill the immature forms (Photo: AFP)

Adult female mosquitoes can pass the Zika virus along to their offspring, US researchers said on Monday, a finding that makes clear the need for pesticide programs that kill both adult mosquitoes and their eggs.

The findings, published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, show that as with many related viruses, including dengue and yellow fever, Zika can be transmitted from female mosquitoes to their offspring.

Dr. Robert Tesh of the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, a study co-author, said the fact that the virus can be passed along to mosquito offspring makes Zika harder to control.

"Spraying affects adults, but it does not usually kill the immature forms - the eggs and larvae. Spraying will reduce transmission, but it may not eliminate the virus," he said.

Although Zika generally causes mild disease in adults, it is a major threat to pregnant women because it has been shown to cause the severe birth defect known as microcephaly and other brain abnormalities.

The ongoing Zika outbreak was first detected last year in Brazil, where it has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly, and has since spread rapidly through the Americas.

Aedes aegypti, the mosquitoes that carry Zika, lay eggs in small containers of water. Homeowners have been advised to dump out containers of water on their properties. When the water is dumped, the eggs cling in a ring around the water line, where they remain dormant until the next rain, when they can hatch.

Scientists studying Zika wanted to find out whether some of the offspring from these tropical mosquitoes might carry the virus, helping to perpetuate an outbreak during dry seasons.

To find out, researchers injected female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes raised in a laboratory with Zika. They were then fed, and within a week, they laid eggs. The team collected and cared for the eggs until they hatched into adult mosquitoes, and counted the ones that carried the Zika virus.

They found the virus present in one out of every 290 mosquitoes tested.

"The ratio may sound low," Tesh said, "but when you consider the number of Aedes aegypti in a tropical urban community, it is likely high enough to allow some virus to persist, even when infected adult mosquitoes are killed."

Tesh said the next step is to show that mosquitoes are actually passing Zika to their offspring in the wild.

Experts fighting Zika in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami have announced aerial spraying campaigns using pesticides that kill both adult mosquitoes and mosquito larvae.

For homeowners in affected areas, Tesh advised people to dump standing water from containers on their property and scrub them thoroughly to remove eggs and larvae. They should also remove any objects from their yards that could collect water.
The ban seems to be only on paper as vendors are ferrying in idols from the neigbouring states.

With Ganesh Chaturthi just days away, the idols of the most-loved god are flying off the shelves. But the grand festival leaves a bitter aftertaste with poisonous paint and Plaster of Paris idols choking our lakes and water bodies. Karnataka has banned the sale of PoP idols and has become the first state in the country to do so. But the ban seems to be only on paper as vendors are ferrying in idols from the neigbouring states. Is the Pollution Control Board letting go of another opportunity to curb the menace and save our dying lakes.

With Ganesh Chaturthi fast approaching, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board has formed squads with police officers and local body officials to stop trucks bringing in painted Ganesha idols from other states, and also restricted entry points into the city to save Bengalurus lakes from more contamination from their immersion, but none of this seems to be stopping the vendors. Many are even now promising to get any variety of idol the customer wants all the way from Mumbai.

Says Shivaji, a vendor on DVG Road, I only sell top class idols and they are brought only from Mumbai. Just tell me the size, colour and style of the idol you want and I will ensure you get it before Saturday.

The breezy assurance doesnt say much for the policing in the place. Only last year, a KSPCB survey done post-Ganesha Chaturthi revealed alarming levels of contaminants in Ulsoor, Mallathahalli, Sankey and Yelamallappa lakes. While the chromium and copper content of their water set off alarm bells, the presence of lead, zinc and nickel in many other lakes revealed more damage to the eco system.

Read: 'Political leaders must stop funding painted idols'

At a time when our lakes are already dying due to contamination from industrial waste, the PoP idols are causing them additional damage. The ecosystem of lakes will be severely hampered by this chemical pollution, warns former state environment secretary and green crusader, Yellappa Reddy.

Infographic

Ask why the KSPCB is not able to fully prevent the sale of Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols, its chairman, Lakshman explains its hard to enforce the ban strictly when the religious sentiments of the people are involved. Yes, there are teething problems in fully enforcing the ban because it is the first time it has been introduced. All these years, activists demanded a ban and the government only discussed it. But to enforce a ban like this is like walking on a tightrope because it can hurt the religious sentiments of people. But there is no question of going soft from next year, he assures.

For once, the BBMP, which has joined hands with the KSPCB to prevent the sale of PoP idols in the city, is going about its job systematically. We are assessing the number of PoP idols already available in the market so we know when more enter it. The assessment is done every day in every zone. But we havent arrived at a consolidated number yet, says BBMP commissioner, Manjunath Prasad.

Both agencies have also kicked off awareness campaigns, and penalty drives and inspections to see that the ban on PoP idols is not violated. While they seem to be having some success with some vendors reporting a fall in sales owing to the rising awareness among people about the painted idols harmful effects, it's anybodys guess whether the impact will be as much as hoped for.

Festival-ready says BBMP, ropes in RWAs

Dont be surprised if volunteers come knocking on your door this week asking you to buy eco-friendly Ganesha idols. Members of resident welfare associations and green volunteers are going door to door to help the BBMP create awareness about the harmful effect of the PoP variety and school children too have been told about the pollution they can cause in lakes so they can carry the message home to their families.

Says BBMP joint commissioner (health), Sarfaraz Khan, We realised that levying a fine of Rs 100 or Rs 200 on idol vendors and manufacturers will not do the trick. Festivals are emotional issues and need to be handled with care. So we decided to create awareness among people instead of penalising them. While no action will be taken against buyers, our volunteers in each zone are requesting them not to opt for the painted idols.

In addition to the campaign, groups of volunteers will be stationed at pandals, lakes and immersion tanks to segregate the festival garbage. While bio-degradable garbage like flowers and banana and mango leaves will be sent to Mavallipura, all non-biodegradable waste, including the idols, will be sent to the Kogilu landfill. Like last year we will remove all the PoP idols from the tanks and lakes on September 4 and 5, and transport them to different landfills. We do not want the idols to contaminate the lakes, Mr Khan adds.

Ban on PoP idols creates fear, demand decreases

Surrounded by hundreds of PoP Ganesha idols that he hopes to sell this festival, vendor, Sridhar is a worried man. And he has reason to be as there are not many takers for the idols he has on offer this year. My annual income depends on selling these 6,000-odd idols. But with only a week left for the festival, people are refusing to buy them. How am I going to survive this year? he asks worriedly.

With awareness of the ban on PoP idols rising, vendors in the city are afraid their years hard work and investment in readying the painted Ganeshas for the festival may all amount to nothing. While they can be fined for selling the painted idols now that the ban is in force, a lot of their customers too seem to think they may attract action during immersion if they dont opt for the more eco-friendly variety.

Although we assure them that they will not have any problem immersing the painted idols, they still refuse. Even my regular customers are now placing orders for mud idols. How can I make them in a few days? asks Sridhar.

Seeing his business go downhill, another vendor, Raju, decided not to fight the inevitable. Besides the painted idols, he is now selling the clay/mud variety as well and it appears his tactic is paying off.

Many customers, who came to my store left on seeing there were no mud idols. So I ordered an equal number of mud idols as otherwise I may not have done any business. Now at least people come to enquire about the rates and place orders, he says with relief.

Vendors like Sridhar, however, feel the government should revoke the ban and instead introduce a cap on the size of the idols so they can be immersed in smaller tanks and keep the lakes free of pollution.

We too are concerned about the lakes. If the government restricts the size of the idols , allowing only them to be no bigger than 5 ft or 6ft tall, they can be immersed in tanks rather than lakes, he suggests.
Best friends are always very special and most times they are close to each other as siblings, in fact men often use the term brother from another mother to describe their best friend. But what if you actually found out that your best buddy, who you grew up with, was the child of your parents.

Such a story of best friends discovering that the others parents are actually their own, sounds like something straight out of a Bollywood flick, except it isnt. This mind boggling tale is true account of Leon Swanson and David Traits lives.

There are times when people jokingly say that they were switched at birth, and Swanson and Trait also did suspect that given the similarities with each others parents, but never really took it seriously.

The 41-year-old men grew up together in a small village in a small village in Canada, only to discover that they had been switched at birth at the government-managed Norway House Indian Hospital in Manitoba, where they were born three days apart.

Finally the friends decided to go for a test to confirm their suspicions in 2015, when they heard of two people finding out they had been switched at birth. The DNA test results confirmed that Charlotte Mason who raised Swanson was actually Taits biological mother.

Tait didnt get his reports at the same time as Swanson, the families are sure their suspicions have been confirmed. The remote village and the families have been shaken by the mix up, for which the Norway House Hospital is being held accountable.
Lucy was conscious at the point of impact, and that instant in time right before her death (Photo: AFP)

Paris: Lucy, an ancient ape-like human relative, met a brutal end when she plummeted from a tall tree, new analysis of the famous fossil suggested today - offering a solution to a decades-old mystery.

Lucy's upper-arm bones were shattered by the impact of the fall some 3.2 million years ago - a type of trauma also common in car crash victims, researchers from the United States and Ethiopia wrote in the journal Nature.

Her injuries suggested "she stretched out her arms at the moment of impact in an attempt to break her fall," said study co-author John Kappelman of the University of Texas at Austin.

"That tells us that Lucy was conscious at the point of impact, and that instant in time right before her death," he said.

Until now, there has been no official theory on how Lucy, whose bones were unearthed in Ethiopia in 1974, met her demise. Previous studies had suggested the bone breaks happened after death.

The new study, based on high-resolution 3D scans, said the fractures were rather consistent with a traumatic impact such as a fall from "considerable" height, said the team.

They showed that Lucy had also suffered a broken ankle, knee, pelvis and at least one fractured rib - suggesting she must have suffered severe internal organ damage, the researchers concluded.

"For me, understanding her death brought her to life for me for the first time," Kappelman said of arguably the world's best-known hominin.

"When I better understood the potential cause of her death, I could picture her broken body lying there at the foot of the tree. I could empathise with her."

The team had performed 10 days of computed tomography (CT) scans on Lucy, one of the most complete hominin fossil skeletons ever unearthed.

Lucy was an Australopithecus afarensis that died in Ethiopia -- an extinct member of the hominin family which includes modern humans and all our ancestors.

The bones, discovered in 1974, make up nearly 40 percent of a full skeleton and filled a major gap in the human evolutionary tree.

While Lucy had an ape-like skull, jaws and teeth, as well as long, dangling arms, she walked upright like us.

There is ongoing debate as to whether she was a direct human ancestor - the "Mother of Mankind" - or a relative further removed.

Monday's findings added evidence to the theory that Lucy and her ilk spent at least some of their time in trees.

The analysis is an important contribution to the scientific tracking of our forebears' evolutionary journey from tree-dwelling foragers to tool-wielding shapers of nature.

The team found that Lucy, standing a mere three feet, six inches tall, must have fallen from a height of more than 40 feet to suffer such horrific injuries.

She would have hit the ground at more than 56 kilometres per hour.

It follows that Lucy must have climbed trees, the team said, possibly seeking refuge in the forest canopy at night.

But this versatility may also have precipitated her demise.

Physical features adapted for walking upright "may have compromised her ability to climb trees, predisposing her species to more frequent falls," said the researchers.

From her injuries, the team concluded that she crashed to the ground feet-first, then braced with her arms.

Death "followed swiftly".
Pune: A 48-year-old man allegedly hanged himself to death at his house here on Tuesday, apparently as he was depressed over the jaat panchayat's (community court) decision to socially ostracise him and his family, police said.

The victim has been identified as Arun Naikuji, who belonged to the Gavali community, police said.

Police said members of the jaat panchayat had allegedly boycotted Arun and his family as his brother helped his friend marry a girl from another community.

"We have booked Vahappa Pailwan, Mankappa Aurange, Vitthal Pailwan, Kisan Janubas and other members of Veershaiva Lingayat Gavali Samaj Jaat Panchayat under IPC sections 306 (abetment to suicide) and 34 (common intention)," a police official from Chandan nagar police station said.

The deceased and his family were allegedly boycotted by the jaat panchayat two years ago and they were not allowed to take part in any functions of the community.

"On Sunday, Arun went to the panchayat members and tried to seek explanation from them why they were not being allowed to take part in the functions, where he was insulted.

"Depressed due to the boycott and reeling under the insult by the panchayat members, Arun allegedly hanged himself in his room. The incident came to light today," the officer said.

He said that five years back, one a man from Lingayat Gavali community, had married a girl from other community and Arun's brother, Appa Naikuji, had helped him and even attended the wedding in Pandharpur.

"Two years ago, the jaat panchayat members had come to know that the girl whom Dheeraj had married belonged to other caste and they boycotted him from the community.

"The members learnt that Appa had also helped him in the marriage, following which they passed an order for the community to boycott him and his family," he said.

Further investigation is on.
A youth attacks a police vehicle with a wooden plank during clashes in Srinagar's Batmaloo on Monday as authorities lifted a 52-day curfew in Kashmir. (Photo: HU Naqash/ DC)

New Delhi: Riot-control equipment less lethal than pellet guns  which have caused grievous injuries to protesters in Kashmir over the last two months  had been approved for acquisition by Jammu and Kashmir police and the Central government in 2012.

According to a report in The Indian Express, the acquisition process got stuck in bureaucratic red-tape, despite a commitment from then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had kickstarted the search for less lethal weapons immediately following the protests in 2010. Police had shot dead 110 protestors in the 2010 unrest in Kashmir, the last time such mass protests had broken out in the Valley.

On Monday, a panel set up by Home Minister Rajnath Singh recommended the use of PAVA shells in place of pellet guns.

The committee short-listed the procurement of Nonivamide pellets and grenades, filled with an irritant derived from capsaicin; a foul-smelling repellant liquid known as skunk; directional speakers that can create an acoustic shield to push back crowds; and 12-gauge shells filled with rubber pellets, instead of lead.

Read: Kashmir unrest: No blanket ban on pellet guns, to be used in rare cases

But according to the report, in 2012, the same capsaicin-derived pellets, as well as rubber balls that deliver baton-like blows at a distance, were tested in Srinagar at field trials attended by several army and police officials.

But the Ministry of Home Affairs called for a fresh round of tests, the fourth time since 2011, to allay the concerns of some officers. But the fresh tests were never held and the procurement process never began, says the report.

Experts in the present MHA panel were quoted as saying that unless a clear acquisition procedure is laid out this time, the new recommendations could end the same way. Training of police and army personnel for its use is one of the challenges, said the experts.

Police and CRPF in Kashmir were, during the tenure of UPA-2, supposed to attend a seven-day course for all units deployed in the region for riot control, called the Joint Law and Order Training Module. But the courses ended in 2014 as elections dawned upon the country, said the report.

In January 2016, two of the officials who had attended the field trials in 2012 called for a restoration of the training schedule. But no action was taken.

The original idea was that the CRPFs Rapid Action Force centre in Meerut would become a hub for training instructors, former CRPF DGP K Vijay Kumar was quoted as saying.

But there is still no course in less-lethal methods of riot control at any police academy in the country, and no standard protocols for the use of the new weapons, said the report.
New Delhi: CBI on Tuesday told the Delhi High Court that its investigation in a disproportionate assets (DA) case against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and others was "complete" and it wanted to file the charge sheet in the matter.

The agency told Justice Vipin Sanghi that a case was made out against Virbhadra and others and since the investigation was over, they would like to file a charge sheet.

Additional Solicitor General P S Patwalia said that as per the order passed earlier by the Himachal Pradesh High Court, CBI cannot file a charge sheet without that court's permission.

"Himachal Pradesh High Court says charge sheet cannot be filed. Now investigation is over. Our challan (charge sheet) is ready. We want to file the challan. A case is made out against them," Patwalia said.

The Himachal Pradesh High Court in an interim order passed on October 1, 2015, had restrained the agency from arresting, interrogating or filing a charge sheet against Singh in the case without the court's permission.

The matter was later transferred by Supreme Court to Delhi High Court, but the interim order has not yet been vacated or stayed.

During the hearing today, Patwalia said the CBI had moved an application in the high court in New Delhi for modification of the order passed by the Himachal Pradesh High Court.

The court, however, said it would hear arguments in the matter on the next date of hearing on September 8.

The Delhi High Court on April 6 this year had directed CBI not to arrest Singh while asking him to join the probe.

The direction had come when the court was disposing of CBI's application seeking vacation of the Himachal Pradesh High Court's order, which, the agency claimed, had "seriously held up" its investigation in the case.
New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday signed an ordinance amending the Enemy Property Act, but issued a note of caution to the government.

According to NDTV, the President was upset that the ordinance was not routed through the Cabinet before being sent to him. This is the first time in the history of independent India that an ordinance has been sent to the President without the cabinet first clearing it.

Pranab Mukherjee told the government that he was signing the ordinance in the interest of public good though the Cabinet had been bypassed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi used Rule 12 of business and transactions to send to the President the ordinance, which amends the Enemy Property Act, a 48-year-old law to guard against claims of succession or transfer of properties left by people who migrated to Pakistan or China after wars, said the report.

The Lok Sabha had passed a bill to amend the act earlier this year, but opposition parties want it reviewed and have stalled it in the Rajya Sabha, where the government is in a minority. Hence, the only option left for the government was to keep issuing ordinance after ordinance.

The government is in a hurry as the earlier ordinance lapses this Sunday, said the report.
Chennai: Expelled AIADMK MP Sasikala Pushpa on Tuesday left for Singapore by a flight.

After arriving at the airport here from Madurai, she left for Singapore by an Indigo flight, airport officials said.

Earlier, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had reserved its order on the anticipatory bail petition moved by her in connection with a sexual harassment case filed by her two domestic aides.

On August 26, the Supreme Court had granted protection from arrest to Sasikala Pushpa for six weeks in the case.

The Delhi High Court had on August 11 asked Tamil Nadu government not to take any coercive action till August 22 against the expelled AIADMK MP, her husband and their son who are facing the harassment case.

Pushpa was expelled from AIADMK after an altercation with DMK MP Tiruchi Siva at the Delhi airport. Since then she has alleged she was being threatened into resigning from her post.
New Delhi: Seeking to dissuade labour unions from a nationwide strike on September 2, the government on Tuesday announced 42 per cent minimum wage hike and a two-year bonus, but the trade bodies rejected these measures as "completely inadequate" and stuck to their call.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who heads an informal group of ministers constituted to address labour issues, said the minimum wages for unskilled non-agricultural workers will be hiked to Rs 350 per day from the current Rs 246.

Also, the government employees will be paid a wage bonus as per revised norms, for 2014-15 and 2015-16, a move that will entail a payout of Rs 1,920 crore.

Other 'labour-friendly' moves included amendment in the Payment of Bonus Act and government support the cause of unions in high courts and the Supreme Court.

The government also said that it will issue advisories to states for ensuring completion of trade union registration within 45 days.

The trade unions, who are demanding minimum monthly wage of Rs 18,000 per month or Rs 692 a day and base pension of Rs 3,000 a month, were not impressed by the government's move and said they would go ahead with the day-long general strike on Friday.

The strike call is being supported by almost all major labour unions except RSS-affiliated BMS, and may impact banking and insurance services, power supplies and coal mining.

"The government's minimum wage announcement is completely inadequate. The strike stands and we demand they should enact a law to fix minimum (universal) wage," All India Trade Union Congress General Secretary Gurudas Dasgupta said.

"Finance Minister's statement clearly shows that the government has not considered any of the demands in our 12-point charter. The unions have no other alternative but to fight for their rights," Indian National Trade Union Congress Vice-President Ashok Singh said.

Asked about the strike call, Jaitley said: "I think, we have responsible trade unions."

Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) lauded the government's announcements and decided to abstain from the general strike on September 2.

"We welcome it and are satisfied by the increase in minimum wages. BMS will not participate in the strike," BMS General Secretary Virjesh Upadhyay said.

On the unions' opposition to government plans to merge associate banks of SBI with the parent bank, Jaitley said,

"The merger is not subject of trade unions. Their service conditions are not being hurt adversely or affected at all.

"There will be no impact of merger on service conditions of any employee. If government decides that we need strong banks, then unions would have to change their approach to the whole issue".

Asked about not calling trade unions other than BMS by inter-ministerial group on labour issues, Dattatrey said later that he held a meeting with all trade unions on July 18, 2016.

All India Trade Union Congress Secretary D L Sachdev said the unions had asked for another round of discussions with the ministerial group, but they held two such rounds with BMS only earlier this month.

The ministerial panel had met trade unions to discuss their charter of demands on August 26-27, 2015. After that, the panel had only called BMS for two rounds of discussions earlier this month.

The joint declaration issued by the 10 central trade unions issued on August 18, 2016 stated: "It is unfortunate that during the past one year, the group of ministers appointed for discussion with CTUOs (unions) on 12-point charter has not convened a single meeting, but has been only talking to BMS which has not joined the strike call."

It added: "The CTOUs condemn the move of the central government to divide the workers in the face of ongoing strike campaign and create confusion through making misleading statements..."

The 10 central trade unions have given a call for one-day pan-India strike on September 2, 2016, to protest against the government's labour reforms and not paying heed to their demands.
Mumbai: MNS workers on Monday forced staffers of civic-run meat shops here to reopen the outlets which were closed by the municipal corporation in view of 'Paryushan', the Jain festival of fasting.

The Raj Thackeray-led party slammed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for enforcing ban on meat sale and the slaughter of animals today and September 5 in view of the festival during which community members observe fast and spend time on reflection, self-purification and meditation.

According to MNS, the civic body or state government cannot decide the food habits of people. The protest by MNS came a day after Raj criticised BMC and government's decision to close down abattoirs for a few days during Paryushan.

MNS activists forced staffers of at least 10 BMC-run meat shops in Dadar and other areas to reopen the outlets, the party's group leader in BMC, Sandeep Deshpande, said.

"If you are closing abattoirs, then it is OK up to certain extent. But who are the BMC and state government to decide the food preferences of common people. This is why we strongly opposed the move to close the civic-run meat shops and asked the officials to open them," he said.

"What one wants to eat is for that person to decide. Who is the state government to decide it? This is why workers led by our leaders in the city visited the meat markets and got the stops opened," Deshpande said.

Raj had yesterday lashed out at the Jain community for seeking closure of abattoirs during 'Paryushan', saying if slaughterhouses can remain open during 'shravan' (during which most Hindus shun non-vegetarian food) why not during the fasting festival.

Meanwhile, MNS leader Shalini Thackeray today met the Mumbai Metro officials and demanded permission to let commuters carry meat with them in the metro for domestic use. "When common people can travel with meat in local trains and BEST (civic-run) buses, then why not in metro trains?" she asked.

On Sunday, a metro commuter was not allowed to board a train as he was carrying raw meat with him.

However, Mumbai Metro said it was only following rules enforced for all metro train systems in the country.

A Mumbai Metro spokesperson said, "Raw and uncooked meat is prohibited inside metro to avoid any inconvenience to fellow passengers in closed-door air-conditioned environment. This law is followed across all the metros in the country".
Srinagar: At a time when the Valley is on the boil in the aftermath of the killing of Hizbul Mujahideens Internet-savvy poster boy Burhan Muzaffar Wani more than seven weeks ago, the militant outfit has asked displaced Kashmiri Pandits to return home assuring them were your guardians, not enemies.

A new 11-minute video from the Hizb surfaced in Srinagar on Monday evening showing one of its commanders Riyaz Naik, speaking on several issues, including the plight of tens of thousands of Kashmiri Pandits, who fled their homes in the Valley following the outbreak of militancy in 1990 and currently live in Jammu and other parts of the country. He said, If they want to come back, we will welcome them warmly and there is always a place for them in our hearts. He assures, They are a part of our nation, we are their guardians, we are not their enemies.

The Hizb commander, however, insists that they were not forced out of Kashmir by militants and alleges that it was a conspiracy of the then Governor, Jagmohan Malhotra. Now we want to ask those Kashmiri Pandit brothers who left their own country in 1990s and settled in different parts of India to prove which mujahid forced them out of Kashmir. He adds, It was Jagmohans conspiracy under which they were taken them out of the Valley . He had planned to kill the Kashmiri Muslims the way the Muslims of Amritsar were massacred and then bring the Pandits back to the Valley, (sic).

He further said, India wants to weaken our freedom struggle by creating different conspiracies, which we will not allow. He then asks, Who forced those Pandit and Sikh brothers who were staying here to leave?

Naik reiterates the Hizbs threat to the Kashmiri youth who join the police force. Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, had earlier this month said that as many as 10,000 youth would be absorbed as Special Police Officers (SPOs). The posts have since been advertised formally and the authorities are expecting overwhelming response. But Naik termed it conspiracy by which India wants to weaken our freedom struggle.

He said, They want us fight with one another. Neither India has any concern about our youths' employment nor does it need our youth. He adds, It is same India which martyred lakhs of our youth, made thousands of our youth lose their eyesight, and dishonoured our women. We will not forget these sacrifices and will not allow anyone to betray the sacrifices.

He threatened, Whosoever gets appointed as a SPO should also be ready to face the consequences. Naik also asks the J&K policemen to stay at home and not to be part of the measures aimed at containing the ongoing unrest in the Valley. We appeal police personnel to sit at their homes like the employees of other departments are doing. The fate of the policeman who attends duty will be nothing but death.

Speaking on the August 15 militant attack on the CRPF in Srinagars Nowhatta area in which its commandant Pramod Kumar was killed, Naik says, Were saddened to listen to the statement of his 6-year-old child. When she said she loved her father the most, it brought tears to my eyes. We sympathise with her.

He adds, We dont want to see any child becoming an orphan, but India has forced us to take up guns by forcibly occupying our land. We did not go to kill her father at his home but her father came here to make our children orphans, deprive us of our rights and impose forced occupation on us. I want to tell her mother to come to Kashmir and see how many children have become orphans and how many mothers have become widows at the hands of the Indian forces.

The Hizb commander, however, threatened to kill more security forces officers and jawans. He said that India perhaps thought that after killing Wani it will live with peace in Kashmir. This is their misunderstanding. We will not let India live with peace until it leaves Kashmir. We will send Indian forces packed in coffins similarly like we did on August 15.

He asked people not to be saddened on the killing of Wani. Dont be sad over his martyrdom. Believers dont grieve over martyrdom, they aspire for it. We are proud of his martyrdom. It has brought the struggle for freedom to such a phase that we had never imagined, he said.

He insisted that he and others in the Hizb and other militant outfits were not terrorists but mujahideen (holy fighters). His (Wanis) martyrdom has proved to the world, particularly India that we are not terrorists but true mujahideen who are fighting hard for the right to self-determination which is our innate and fundamental right. He also says, We are not terrorists. We are the torchbearers of humanity. But we are ready to take away the life of anybody for our right and protection, and are also ready to lay down our own lives for the same.

He sought to compare the funerals of Wani and the then Chief Minister, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, and says, We want to ask India that if Burhan Wani was a terrorist, then why did India, which claims to be a democratic country, impose restrictions on social media on killing of a terrorist...If Burhan Wani was a terrorist, why did then 500,000 people participate in his funeral whereas not more than 1,000 people turned up at that of Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, whom India believed to be Kashmirs Chief Minister? If Burhan Wani was a terrorist, then why did people of Kashmir come out on roads and why did hundreds of young men offer their lives?

While speaking on the ban on social media, Naik alleged that India wants to suppress our voice by imposing strict ban on social media and does not allow our voice to reach different countries of the world. He says, Imposing restrictions on social media and showering bullets on people make it clear as to who is a terrorist. He then announced, Every child here is Burhan Wani and asks How long will India mislead the world by killing Burhan Wanis, imposing restrictions on social media and making false statements.

Threatening to continue with the armed struggle, Naik said, Even if India spends all its resources on Kashmir still we would not forget the blood of martyrs. Neither we have accepted India as our country nor will we accept it in future. This has been proved in 2008 and 2010 also.
New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee has said Myanmar comes first on India's horizon when it comes to its 'Neighbourhood First' and 'Act East' policy even as he said the two neighbours are committed to according special attention to the economic progress of the border areas.

He made these remarks while hosting a banquet for visiting Myanmarese President U Htin Kyaw and his wife at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday.

Mukherjee said his country would like to see Myanmar as "India's gateway to ASEAN and India as Myanmar's bridge to South Asia".

The President thanked the Myanmarese leader for choosing India for his first bilateral overseas visit as the Head of State of Myanmar.

He said this step was fitting, considering the bonds of friendship, culture, spirituality and history that unite India-Myanmar as he congratulated his counterpart on the historic victory of the National League for Democracy in the general election held in November last year.

"India sees Myanmar as a key partner in its 'Neighbourhood First' and 'Act East' policy. As the government of India looks eastward to rejuvenate historical, cultural and commercial links between India and Southeast Asia, Myanmar is the first on our horizon.

"India attaches high value to Myanmar's contribution and further role in achieving our shared vision of stability, peace and progress in the region," he said.

Mukherjee said India welcomes the bold step taken by State Counsellor, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in initiating an inclusive process for peace through the 21st Century Panglong Conference.

"With regard to our common security concerns and our joint efforts in the area of border management, we have agreed to accord special attention to the economic progress of

our border areas, that will transform them into zones of peace and prosperity," he said.
New Delhi: The Centre seems to be staring at a full-blown crisis with the countrys main trade unions all set to go on a nation-wide strike in protest against the governments economic policies and labour laws on September 2.

With Central government employees unions, university and college teachers unions, as well as bank unions deciding to join the stir, the nation could come to a standstill as all major public services are going to be affected. Considering the gravity of the situation, labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday on the prevailing impasse.
Sanosara: Showering praise on Olympic medallists PV Sindhu and Sakshi Malik, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said these "daughters" were the saving grace of India at the Rio Games.

Speaking at the inaugural function of Sauni irrigation project here today, Modi touched upon several social issues plaguing the country including gender-based discrimination.

"We have to make sure that our sisters and daughters don't have to go in open for defecation. You must have witnessed how our daughters saved India's face in Rio Olympics and brought honour to us (by winning medals). This is the true power of our daughters," said Modi to a cheering crowd at the venue here in Jamnagar district of Gujarat.

Shuttler Sindhu bagged a silver in the women's singles while Sakshi won India's first ever medal (bronze) in women's wrestling at Rio.

Modi stated that Gujarat government has been working on the "Beti Bachao" (save girl child) movement since long.

He urged parents as well as the society not to discriminate between boys and girls.

"I urge people not to repeat their old mistakes. We must understand that our girls are as capable as boys, which was proved in Rio Olympics. Do not discriminate between them," said Modi.



The PM urged people to take forward the movement of Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao (Save Girls-Educate Girls) to the next level, that is Beti Khilao (Let girls play).



"After girls' performance in Rio, people have started saying that Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao and Beti Khilao. So lets encourage our daughters to take up sport activities," said Modi.
Srinagar: More than fifty people were injured in fresh clashes across Kashmir Valley on Tuesday even as curfew was lifted from southern Pulwama town. Elsewhere it remained in force only in two police station areas of summer capital Srinagar.

Among the injured are five women and an equal number of policemen, and cameraman of a private TV channel Aijaz Ahmed. Police arrested 14 people during or immediately after the clashes which occurred in Batamalloo, Tengpora and Bagh-e-Mehtaab areas of Srinagar, Mahmoodabad, Dooru in Anantnag, Muhammad Pora in Kulgam, Chankipora and Main Chowk of Sopore town in Baramulla, Kaloosa in Bandipore and Watho in Shopian districts.

Life continued to remain at a standstill across the Valley where a shutdown is being observed in response to the 'protest calendar' and extended from time to time. However, private cars and auto-rickshaws were seen plying on select routes of mainly uptown Srinagar. At places, groceries, pharmacies and vegetable and milk kiosks were also open. Reports received in Srinagar said that women took out processions and held demonstrations in a number of places across the Valley in response to a call earlier issued by the separatists' alliance. The security forces fired teargas canisters and pellet guns at a few places to quell the protests. Protesters torched Chief Minister Mehbooba Muftis effigies including one in Nawa Kadal area of Srinagar.

Residents of Srinagars Batamalloo area alleged that the security forces forcibly entered their homes, ransacked them and also thrashed inmates. Among the houses which were attacked, one is of a photojournalist Danish Ismail. I was not at home when the incident took place. Later, I was told the uniformed men damaged several homes including ours. They smashed the window panes and then threw rocks inside. My wife was so scared by their behaviour that she fainted, he said. The Kashmir Press Photographers Association strongly condemned the incident.

Reports said that the security forces foiled pro-aazadi rallies at a few places including in southern Kulgam and Shopian areas where marquees erected for these were uprooted, banners removed and flags confiscated. However, one such rally was held even after clashes at Panzath in Qazigund area of Kulgam. Witnesses said the locals resisted the security forces' raid at the venue of the rally leading to a clash, during which the latter lobbed teargas and fired pellet guns injuring over a dozen people. The people reassembled at the venue later to hold the rally, they added.

A statement issued by police in Srinagar later afternoon said that following lifting of curfew except in Nowhatta and Maharaj Gunj police station areas of Srinagar greater movement of private and passenger vehicular traffic and people was observed in major areas of the Valley including Srinagar city. It also said that barring few minor stone pelting incidents, the overall situation remained peaceful and under control throughout the Valley.
Patna: BJP on Tuesday questioned the long absence of election strategist Prashant Kishor, who was assigned by the Bihar government to prepare the state's vision document, and sought his removal from the post of Chief Minister's advisor on policy and programme implementation.



BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters that Kishor has left the work of preparing 'Bihar @ 2025 vision document' for which the Bihar government paid Rs 9.31 crore to his 'Citizen Alliance Pvt Ltd'.



He said Kishor has been devoting time on drawing election strategy for Congress in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.



"After getting Rs 9.31 crore for preparing vision document for the state, Kishor neither prepared the document nor discharged his duty as CM's advisor," Modi said while questioning his continuance in the post of advisor.



"Kishor should resign from the post of CM's advisor or the CM should dismiss him from the key job," Modi said, adding Chief Minister Nitish Kumar should tell the people as what suggestions he had given for the development of the state in past eight months.



Kishor, who is also the member of Bihar Vikas Mission in the capacity of CM's advisor, had not attended the meeting of the mission on May 31.



He has been to Bihar barely once or twice after being appointed as CM's advisor in January this year.



Kishor had planned the election strategy for Nitish Kumar in Bihar Assembly elections of 2015. The Nitish Kumar government appointed him as CM's advisor and gave him the job of preparing vision document for Bihar's long term development.



Kishor, who had hit the limelight by planning election strategy for Narendra Modi in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, has been engaged by Congress for the coming elections in UP and Punjab next year.



Had the state got the vision document prepared, it would have become quite easier for the government to prepare the 15 years of vision document as mandated by NITI Aayog, Modi said.



Apart from preparing the 15 year vision document, NITI Aayog has asked state governments to also prepare seven years 'strategic plan' and three years of 'action plan', he added.
Hyderabad: NABARD has agreed to release Rs 1,000 crore loan to Telangana government's flagship programme "Mission Kakatiya" (MK) for restoration of minor irrigation tanks with community participation, an official said Tuesday.



NABARD had already provided a loan of Rs 725 crore to MK, and would now extend another Rs 1,000 crore in phases, the official from the Irrigation department said.



Officials said under the programme with a tentative cost of Rs 20,000 crore, more than 46,000 tanks are aimed to be restored in phases.



"Already, 8,000 tanks have been rejuvenated at a cost of Rs 1,600 crore," they said.



Telangana government has also approached the Union Finance Ministry to release an amount of Rs 5,000 crore to the state as central assistance under RRR (repair, renovation and restoration of water bodies) of Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation for implementation of MK.



Officials said the NITI Ayog has already recommended to the department of expenditure, Ministry of Finance to release the said amount of Rs 5,000 crore as central assistance in a period of three years.



In addition, the government has been encouraging people to adopt tanks or donate in their villages for their protection, beautification and maintenance.



"Telangana NRIs are coming forward to adopt a tank or donate in their respective villages," an official said.



So far, Rs 17.09 crore has been raised as donations from NRIs, Telangana citizens, employees and industries among others, and 30 tanks have been earmarked for adoption.



Collector, Adilabad district, M Jagan Mohan and MLA of Boath constituency in the district Rathod Bapu Rao said, "People are enthusiastically involving themselves in the programme as they see benefit in the area of irrigation, improved ground water recharge and drinking water facility to cattle in summer."



Irrigation department officials said farmers are seeing increased yield due to usage of silt which has nutrient qualities, and savings on fertilisers and pesticides.
Ghaziabad: Manish Deewan, who allegedly shot at and injured BJP leader Brijpal Teotia earlier this month, was arrested on Tuesday by the Uttar Pradesh Police after a brief encounter.



He was nabbed near Manan Dhaam Duhai on Delhi-Meerut Road while he was travelling by a bike without registration number, police said.



Manish told the police that he was on his way from Jhansi to his in-laws house at Dehradun, police said.



Police claimed to have recovered a US made .30 caliber carbine and live cartridges from his possession.



Superintendent of police (rural area) Rakesh Pandey said since the attack on Teotia on August 11, police had been raiding Manish's hideouts and were tracing his location through electronic surveillance and some informers were also giving inputs.



Teotia, his security guards and driver, had sustained serious injuries when Manish, along with his 13 accomplices, allegedly fired indiscriminately on the BJP leader's Scorpio at Raoli Road Murad Nagar while he was returning to Ghaziabad after attending a function.



STF has taken Manish to Greater Noida for further interrogation, police said.
New Delhi: Embattled middleman in the VVIP chopper scam Christian James Michel has written to CBI, saying he is willing to meet with Indian investigators in Dubai and has sought the withdrawal of Interpol Red Corner Notice against him in case the meeting takes place. In the letter to CBI on August 25, the English law firm representing him, said Michel is ready for a meeting at the Indian consulate in Dubai too.

Claiming to be innocent, he said he might have some information which could enable the Indian authorities to progress with their probe into the scandal. Michel, against whom there exists a non-bailable warrant, said he is reluctant to come to India for the proposed questioning as he fears that a long period of time might elapse, between his questioning here and withdrawal of criminal charges or conclusion of criminal trial, during which he will be detained against his wish.

Michel vigorously denies having been involved in any wrongdoing relating to this matter  and in particular, we are instructed that he denies making or facilitating any corrupt payments to inducements relating to this matter, the letter read. The British national has also claimed that he has not received any communication from the Indian authority regarding the charge sheet against him in court and the issuance of non-bailable warrant.

Subject to certain conditions, Michel has offered to return to India not less than 7 days before the scheduled start of any criminal trial against him and attend every court hearing which he might be required to attend until his innocence or guilt has been established.

The conditions for the same are that within two days of the meeting with investigators in Dubai or through video conference, they shall ask Interpol to withdraw the Red Corner Notice against him as long as he sticks to his promise of appearing in court. He also wants that no authority shall arrest or otherwise detain him in relation to this matter until he is found guilty and subsequently sentenced.

Michel had allegedly played a key role in swinging the Rs 3,727-crore deal for AgustaWestland to supply 12 VVIP choppers to India in 2010. AgustaWestland, a subsidiary of Italian defence giant Finmeccanica, allegedly paid more than Rs 370 crore as kickbacks to secure the deal.
Mysuru: Maintaining that Karnataka was not in a position to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said his government will explain the ground realities to the Supreme Court, which has been approached by the neighbouring state over the issue.

"They (Tamil Nadu) have petitioned the Supreme Court. We will make Supreme Court aware about the ground realities in Karnataka," Siddaramaiah told reporters.

He said, "Tamil Nadu is asking for 50 tm-ft that was to supposed be released in a normal year. Do we have a normal year?" and added that the water level in the KRS Dam here was 93 feet instead of the 124 feet it was supposed to be in rainy season.

"A total of 50 tmc-ft water is there from four reservoirs (in the Cauvery river basin) area which was supposed to be 114 tmc ft.

"It is not that we don't want to release water, but we don't have water. We don't have water for our crops; we want 40 tmc ft water for drinking. Where do we have water to release?" Siddaramaiah said.

The Supreme Court on September 2 will hear Tamil Nadu government's plea seeking release of 50 TMC of water from Karnataka to meet its irrigation demands in the backdrop of the Cauvery water row.

A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur had last week posted the matter to September 2 after Tamil Nadu government mentioned it and sought an urgent hearing.

In the petition, Tamil Nadu has charged Karnataka with diverting water meant for farmers during distress years for undeclared projects, in violation of the final orders of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in 2007, apportioning the inter-state river water among the riparian states.

Karnataka had on August 27 made it clear that it was not possible for it to spare Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu given the "severe distress" it was facing with an all-party meeting deciding that the same stand should be placed before the Supreme Court.
Hyderabad: Fifty six infants were raped in Telangana and AP in 2015, says data released by the National Crime Records bureau. Telangana and AP registered a steep jump in rape cases in 2015. compared to previous years.

According to NCRB data, around 2,100 women were raped in both the states last year. In Telangana most rape victims were teens aged below 18. More than half of the victims were aged between 12 and 18 in Telangana.

Read: Hyderabad: Most victims knew rapists

Older women also became rape victims in Telangana and AP. While six women aged above 60 were raped in TS, three senior citizens were raped in AP.

TS and AP together contributed 9.5 per cent of the total crimes against women recorded in the country. Telangana recorded more gang rapes, abduction of women and dowry deaths compared to AP, NCRB said. The NCRB data revealed that AP police registered 15,931 cases of crimes against women.

Infographic

The data showed that Telangana witnessed 15,135 cases of crimes against women. Police officials from both states said rape cases increased because of the changed registration process.

Read: Telangana is fourth in trafficking

Earlier many rape cases were unreported in the state as it was difficult to approach the police. Now things have changed, police is more friendly. So victims are approaching the police without hesitation, said a top official of the Telangana police.
SRINAGAR: At a time when the Valley is on the boil in the aftermath of the killing of Hizb-ul-Mujahedins Internet-savvy poster boy Burhan Muzaffar Wani more than seven weeks ago, Kashmirs indigenous militant outfit has asked the displaced Kashmiri Pandits to return assuring them Were their guardians and not enemies.

A new 11-minute video from the Hizb surfaced here on Monday evening showing one of its commanders, Riyaz Naik, speaking on varied issues including the plight of thousands of Kashmiri Pandits who had fled their homes in the Valley following the outbreak of militancy in the early 90s.

If they want to come back, we will welcome them warmly and there is always a place for them in our hearts, Naik says in the clip. They are a part of our nation, we are their guardians, we are not their enemies, he adds.

The Hizb commander, however, insists the Pandits were not forced out of Kashmir by militants and claims it was a conspiracy of the then Governor, Jagmohan Malhotra. Now we want to ask those Kashmiri Pandit brothers who left their own country in 1990s to prove which mujahid forced them out of Kashmir, he adds.

No mercy to J&K terrorist

A fresh writ petition by a convict to set aside the life sentence is not maintainable as such an exercise will derail the process of the criminal justice delivery system, the Supreme Court held on Tuesday.

A bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi, Prafulla C. Pant and A.M. Kanwilkar was rejecting the plea for release of a terrorist convicted under TADA in J&K. Frantic cries of injustice founded on perceived erroneous application of law or appreciation of facts will not be enough to extend the frontiers of this jurisdiction, it said.
New Delhi: Signalling a paradigm shift in their defence relationship, India and the United States finally inked the long-awaited Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement in Washington on Tuesday, allowing for unprecedented closer ties between the militaries of the worlds two largest democracies.

The announcement about the deal was made by defence minister Manohar Parrikar and US defence secretary, Ashton Carter, at a joint press conference.

Our decision to sign the LEMOA today would make it easier for our armed forces to carry out joint activities, such as training and exercises, as well as HADR missions, Mr Parrikar told the media in the presence of Mr Carter. The defence minister is on a three-day visit to the United States.

A landmark pact which was 12 years in the waiting, LEMOA  a watered down version of the Logistics and Supplies Agreement, an agreement that the US has with its key Nato allies  will facilitate much easier and simpler access to each others bases in the form of logistical support, refuelling, supplies, and other such services on a reimbursable basis.

The agreement, signed during Mr Parrikars sixth meeting with Mr Carter in two years, has added further fillip to the belief that a new military alignment is in the making  one whose impact may be quite pronounced in the important South Asia region.

India, US deal will worry China

Signalling a paradigm shift in their defence relationship, India and the US inked the Logistics Exchange Memo-randum of Agreement in Washington on Tuesday

LEMOA will make joint operations easier  a development that China will definitely watch with a lot of concern. After all, the US is the largest operator of overseas military bases with 662 bases across 38 nations.
Mumbai: A 17-year-old girl from Dadar has made it to the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology without a Class X or XII certificate. The only thing that helped Malvika Raj Joshi get through MIT was her computer programming talent. With this, Ms Malvika, who joined the MIT 10 days ago, has set an example of how merit has more weightage than marks.

The teenager has been provided scholarship by MIT as she is pursuing her Bachelor of Science degree after getting a seat for being a three-time medal winner (two silver and a bronze) at International Olympiad of Informatics or what is commonly known as the Programming Olympiad.

The MIT has a provision for accepting students who are medal winners at various Olympiads (maths, physics or computers) and it was Malvikas medals that ensured that she can fulfil her aspirations of pursuing research work in her favourite subject  computer science.

Her story began about four years ago when she was in Class VII at Dadar Parsee Youth Assembly School and her mother had to pull her out of school. When I started unschooling, I explored many different subjects. Programming was one of them. I found programming interesting and I used to give it more time, she told PTI.

MIT was impressed with Malvikas computer skills

A 17-year-old girl from Dadar has made it to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology without a Class X or XII certificate. The only thing that helped Malvika Raj Joshi get through MIT was her computer programming talent, it has been revealed.

Speaking to this newspaper, Supriya Joshi, Ms Malvikas mother and an activist promoting home schooling, said, Malvika was contacted by the MIT last September and joined it 10 days ago. In 2012, when she was in class VII, I realised that she was not enjoying her studies and took the tough decision to pull her out of school. However, Malvikas sole focus remained on learning.

She added: In India, people are still not very aware about the term home schooled or unschooled as it is commonly referred. It also took sometime to convince my husband on this. The education in schools is rote-based and does not give the child the option of learning what they like. Hence, I designed a curriculum for them, said Ms Supriya.

Suddenly I saw that my daughters were happy. They were learning more than ever. Malvika became interested in programming and also participated in the IOI under the tutelage of Madhavan Mukund from Chennai Mathematical Institute . Without a class X or XII certificate, we enrolled her in CMI for an MSc-level course. She won three medals in the IOI and her performance got noticed by MIT, said Ms Supriya, adding that though initially not interested, Malvika accepted the MIT offer following positive response from them.
Hyderabad: A large number of corruption cases in Telangana and AP slow down during the investigation process or during trial. Although it is hard to find empirical evidence it is an open secret that political influence hamper investigations and delay the legal process.

A significant number of corruption cases filed by both the Anti Corruption Bureau and vigilance departments in AP and Telangana are either stuck in probe officials files or in court and several suspects are yet to be convicted.

According to National Crime Records Bureau data, in Andhra Pradesh, investigation into as many as 284 cases out of the over 500 cases are still pending, while in Telangana, 206 cases out of 400 are still under investigation by 2015-end.

The data also showed that probe officials from AP have not filed charge sheets in 113 cases even after the deadline, while the ACB and vigilance officials of Telangana have not filed charge sheets in over 160 cases.

An analysis of the data proves that despite being special agencies, which deals with high profile cases with a lot of resources, the two agencies are going slow in many cases.

Governments are also sitting on departmental inquiries against bureaucrats slowing down probes. Sources said that in AP, over 133 reports of ACB are pending with the government for appropriate orders after inquiries by the commissioner of inquiries (COI) and Tribunal for Disciplinary Proceedings (TDP) and departments.

Meanwhile, higher officials from both Telangana and AP disagreed with this. They claimed that ACB and vigilance do well in conviction compared to CID and the police. ACBs conviction rate is more than 70 per cent.

The pendency in investigation is due to factors like delay in seizure of evidence, witness procurement and other factors which make it difficult to file charge sheets in time," said a TS ACB official. The officials also denied any sort of external or political influence hindering ACB cases in both the states.

"ACB is independent compared to other enforcement agencies. Investigation officials cannot be easily influenced by external factors. We also have to show maximum transparency in our task since we primarily fight corruption," claimed another officer.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Maharashtra government to file its reply to a writ petition filed by Indian Hotels and Restaurants Association challenging a new law aimed at regulating the states dance bars. The top court also came down hard on the practice of throwing cash on the dancing girls.

Justices Dipak Misra and S. Nagappan, while admitting the dance bar owners plea, rejected the States objection for entertaining the petition and sought reply in six weeks.

Senior counsel Jayant Bhushan, appearing for the Association, said conditions, including the installation of CCTV in dance bars were unconstitutional  affecting fundamental rights of the bar girls. Other conditions included no dance bars around a kilometre from religious sites, schools and no liquor.

Even as senior counsel Shekar Naphade, for Maharastra, opposed the petition saying that preventing obscenity was the policy of the State, the Bench agreed with the State to a limited extent saying, Currency cant be thrown at dance women in bars. It is against the dignity of women. The Bench, however, did not agree with the condition on installing CCTV in bars as it said that such regulation is against the 2013 judgment.

Vyapam re-hearing on hold

The Supreme Court has faulted an order passed by a three-judge Bench in July this year referring an appeal in the Vyapam medical admissions scam for re-hearing.

A Bench of Justices J. Chelameswar and A.M. Sapre in a cryptic order on Tuesday said, Neither the Constitution nor any other law of this country provides an intra-court appeal insofar as the Supreme Court is concerned.

The Bench said a re-hearing of the entire matter as apparently suggested by the larger Bench, in our opinion, would amount to an intra-court appeal.
HYDERABAD: The TS Assembly on Tuesday ratified the Constitutional Amendment of Goods and Service Tax Bill, thus joining a clutch of states which have already approved the legislation that will pave the way for roll-out of a single and unified tax system in the country.

Thanking all parties for unanimously supporting the bill, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao informed the House about the Centre's assurance of compensating losses to states for a period of five years.

Introducing the Bill in a special Assembly session, Mr Rao stated that 150 countries were following the GST mode of taxation already. Despite GST coming into force, VAT on petrol and diesel as well as liquor will remain as state subjects, he said.

Elaborating, Mr Rao said that out of the Rs 31,117 crore revenue generated from VAT in the last fiscal, nearly 50 per cent was VAT contribution from various goods while the remaining 50 per cent was revenue generated from sale of petrol, diesel and liquor. This 50 per cent share from different goods is now going into GST purview, he said.

Mr Rao said the services sector would expand with the implementation of GST and the state would benefit from this as it will have 50 per cent share in service tax. The service tax in the state is growing at 35 per cent, he added.

At present service tax is under the Centre's purview. However, TS will benefit with GST coming into force since it is ahead in sectors like e-commerce and software exports, Mr Rao said. Further, the interests of the states are bound to be protected since the finance minister of each state will be a member of the GST Council to be headed by the Union finance minister, he said.

Dispelling fears of the Opposition about states losing out with implementation of GST, Mr Rao said that the NDA government's word on monetary assistance for five years can be trusted since it released Rs 1,700 crore pending dues of CST to TS of the Rs 10,440 crore accumulated since 2007.

All the Opposition parties, while welcoming the Bill, wanted the Centre to take steps to ensure that consumers are not burdened. Senior Congress leader G. Chinna Reddy urged the TS government to lower VAT on petrol and diesel, but increase it on liquor to wean away youth from the habit.

G. Kishan Reddy (BJP), S. Venkata Veeraiah (TD), Sunnam Rajaiah (CPM) and Moazzam Khan (MIM) as well as Srinivas Goud, Ch. Ramesh and S. Satyanarayana (TRS) also spoke.

10-day session from September 20

A full-fledged 10-day monsoon session of the TS Assembly has been convened from September 20. The Business Advisory Committee, chaired by Assembly Speaker S. Madhusudhna Chary took the decision after the Assembly unanimously ratified the Constitution Amendment Bill on GST on Tuesday. The Assembly was adjourned sine die after the passage of the GST and three other Bills.

The Opposition, especially the Telugu Desam, slammed the government for convening the special session for the GST Bill but passing three more Bills ignoring burning public issues like the drought like conditions across TS, reorganisation of districts, agreement with Maharashtra, pending instalment of loan waiver scheme, 2BHK houses, KG-to-PG, 3-acre land for dalits and other issues.

The Speaker informed Floors leaders of the TRS, Congress, MIM, BJP, TD, CPM and MIM that the present session could not be continued due to the Ganesh Chaturthi.
New Delhi: Visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday that the United States fully backed India on its demand that Pakistan should act against terrorists operating from sanctuaries on its soil but stopped short of lambasting Islamabad, saying that while Pakistan needs to deprive terror groups of any sanctuary, Pakistan has taken some action near its western borders with Afghanistan. He also said the US would hold trilateral talks with India and Afghanistan at the UN soon.

Terror, talks cant go hand in hand: MEA

Visiting US secretary of state John Kerry said on Tuesday that the United States fully backed India on its demand that Pakistan should act against terrorists operating from sanctuaries on its soil.

MEA Sushma Swaraj said terror from Pakistan and dialogue with Pakistan cannot go on together, adding that there would be no talks till Pakistan acted against terrorism emanating from its soil.
Lucknow: The Akhilesh government in Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday ordered a probe into allegations that a 12-year-old boy was denied timely treatment in Kanpur even as his father ran from hospital to hospital, carrying the ailing son on his shoulder. The boy died without treatment on Monday.

Uttar Pradesh health minister Ravidas Mehrotra said that two inquiries had been set up at different levels and those responsible for denying treatment to the boy would not be spared.

In heart-wrenching visuals from Kanpur, a 12-year-old boy is seen hanging limply on the shoulders of his father, who is hurrying, apparently to a childrens ward.

The father, Sunil Kumar, has alleged that his son Ansh died on his shoulder, even as he tried to get a doctor to attend to the boy urgently.

My son was in Class 6 and very intelligent. He had high fever since the past two days and was being initially treated at private clinics. I took him to a local hospital but they asked me to take him to the government hospital, the father told the media.

Mr Kumar, a mechanic, said that he waited for 30 minutes at the emergency ward of the government-run Hallet hospital, the biggest in the city, before he was allegedly told to take the boy to the childrens section some 200 metres away.

The doctors did not even examine the child and the father was not even provided a stretcher to carry the child. He carried the boy on his shoulder to the other section.

At the childrens section, he was told that the boy was dead, that he would have survived if he was brought earlier. It took me nine minutes....how could he be dead in just nine minutes? the father asked, sobbing bitterly. The Hallet hospital now claims that the child was dead when his father brought him.
Lucknow: Ministers in the Akhilesh government have drawn Rs 8.78 crore as pocket money from the state exchequer in the past four years. The state government gave this information after a question was put up by BJP MLA Suresh Khanna.

According to official sources, each minister is entitled to Rs 2,500 per day as pocket allowance while touring the state  even to-and-fro their constituencies and other places  and Rs 3,000 per day while touring outside the state but within the country. It is basically meant to enable ministers to meet expenses after offering snacks to visitors, an official said.

The minister who has withdrawn maximum allowance is Aruna Kori, minister of state for culture with independent charge. She took away Rs 22.93 lakh as pocket allowance. Senior minister Mohd Azam Khan comes a close second with Rs 22.86 lakh and third on the list is Kailash Chaurasia, minister of state for child development, who has taken Rs 22.05 lakh.
Chennai: The Amma brand under which several welfare schemes like the Amma canteen, Amma mineral water, Amma cement and Amma pharmacies were launched is getting bigger.

Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Monday unveiled two more of her initiatives  Amma parks and Amma gyms. These would be set up in rural areas of the State.

In a bid to make the youth in rural areas mentally and physically strong, 500 Amma Gyms would be set up in rural areas at a cost of Rs 50 crore.

Each gym will be established at a cost of Rs 10 lakh, Ms Jayalalithaa said while making a statement under Rule 110 in the State Assembly. An equal number of parks would be set up this year at a cost of Rs 100 crore in all Gram panchayats in the state.
Chennai: In a freak accident, a 37-year-old man's suicide bid turned fatal for his neighbour, a 75-year-old woman who was sleeping in front of a slum clearance board building in Ashok Nagar. The man survived the fall in the early hours of Monday, but sustained fractures in his skull and is battling for life.

The deceased, Saradha, resident of II floor tenement in A- Block, TNSCB, Nallan Kuppam, Ashok Nagar, was sleeping on her cot in the open air for want of fresh air. Around midnight, her next-door neighbour Selvamurugan, an auto rickshaw driver had come home drunk and indulged in a wordy altercation with his wife and brother.

The driver was threatening to kill himself and was convinced by the family to put off the bickering to Monday morning and he appeared to have been convinced. However, even as his unsuspecting family was preparing to sleep at around 12.30 am, the man climbed the stairs to the terrace of the three-storey building and leapt from a height of around 30 ft.

The residents of TNSCB heard a loud thud and found the man bleeding profusely on the cot on which Saradha was asleep. Both were injured in the accident and the families rushed them to a hospital in the vicinity where the doctors declared Saradha dead. The woman's body was subsequently moved to the Government Royapettah Hospital (GRH) for a post-mortem.

The doctors suggested that Selvamurugan be shifted to the GRH since he was grievously hurt. After admission to GRH the doctors diagnosed the skull fracture and referred him to RGGGH.

Selvamurugan and his wife, Dhanalakshmi have two children. Of late, the couple were having frequent quarrels due to the former's alcoholism. The deceased Saradha had been living with her husband Mari and their son Rajendran in a joint family.

Due to the sultry weather prevailing in the city, Saradha had made it a habit to sleep in the open in front of their tenement.
New Delhi: Four girl students of Delhi University's Daulat Ram College were injured when a part of the ceiling of a classroom collapsed and fell on them prompting the police to register a case of negligence against the college governing body.



Agitated students staged a protest demanding better infrastructure and accountability from the college administration prompting the authorities to suspend the classes for the day.



At around 11.45 am when classes were on, a part of the ceiling of classroom number 105 at DRC fell. Four students were injured and were given medical attention.



Confirming the incident, Savita Roy, principal said, "Yes a part of the roof broke and injured four students. Unfortunately the college infrastructure is in bad shape and there are more rooms which are in similar state."



"The students were rushed to nearby hospital and are absolutely fine now," she added.



In July and earlier this month, students and teachers protested against the college administrating demanding improvement of the infrastructure.



"The classrooms of the college are in a dilapidated condition. After the incident today, classes were called off and there was a protest by the students. Earlier also, students had protested against the college authorities for poor infrastructure but to no avail," a student alleged.



According to police officials, a case under sections 336, 337IPC has been lodged at the Maurice Nagar police station against the college governing body and further investigation is underway.
Kanpur: Deteriorating health facilities at hospitals in Uttar Pradeshs Kanpur have been magnified by the death of a 12-year-old boy on his fathers shoulder because he was denied timely access to medical facilities at different hospitals.

The incident took place on August 28 when Ansh, suffering from high fever, was allegedly turned down at the government-run Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital.

The hospitals emergency section refused to admit Sunil Kumars son. They suggested him to take Ansh to a childrens medical centre but did not provide any assistance to carry the boy.

I begged doctors at the emergency to examine my son and admit him. They took 30 minutes before telling me to take the kid to the childrens hospital. I asked for a stretcher to carry my son, but the request was turned down, Kumar said.

Sunil finally managed to take Ansh to the Hallet Hospital but the boy died on the way on his fathers shoulder. Doctors declared him dead on arrival. Kumar then took his sons body on shoulder and walked home.

My son had high fever...He was studying in class sixth. He was very good at studies. Doctors at the childrens ward told me had I arrived 10 minutes before, my son would have been saved, the father said carrying his dead son on his shoulder.

A committee led by three doctors has been asked to submit a report on the matter within three days.

Kanpur DM Kaushal Raj Sharma has also ordered an inquiry into the matter and has formed a two-member committee comprising Additional City Magistrate and Additional Chief Medical Officer.

A similar incident happened last week in Odisha. A tribal man, along with his 12-year-old daughter, walked around 10 km carrying his wife's body on his shoulder as he failed to get a vehicle to transport it from a government hospital in the backward district of Kalahandi where she died.
About 55 slums in the city of Nagpur will be regularised under a plan to recognise the more than 25,000 families who live there as legal residents. (Representational photo: file)

Mumbai: Maharashtra will give women slum dwellers equal ownership rights with men, the first such move by the state where millions live in the very poor neighbourhoods.

About 55 slums in the city of Nagpur will be regularised under a plan to recognise the more than 25,000 families who live there as legal residents. Each family will be given a land title that gives joint ownership to the man and woman, a senior official said.

"We have given land titles in the past to slum dwellers, but this time the titles will have the name of the woman as well," said Shrawan Hardikar, commissioner at the Nagpur municipal corporation.

"We wish to empower women with equal rights to property as men. Especially for the poorest of the poor who live in slums, land and property are a means of security," he said.

Hundreds of millions of people live in slums in Indian cities because they cannot afford to buy or rent a home. They are often migrant workers who move in search of better economic opportunities.

Many live in shacks with no running water or toilets, under the constant threat of eviction or displacement.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis last week said Nagpur's lead may be applied to slums across the state.

While Indian law gives women equal ownership rights to land and property, women are seldom aware of their rights and are often denied access, said Shivani Chaudhry, executive director of advocacy group Housing and Land Rights Network in India.

"We welcome this move to give joint ownership titles, but while these rights exist on paper, in reality women aren't allowed to access these rights," said Chaudhry.

"These steps need to be accompanied by ways to increase women's awareness of their rights and some measure of protection of these rights. Implementation also needs to be monitored to ensure women are really able to access these rights," she said.

India ranked 59 of 128 countries in the International Property Rights Index 2016. The index measures factors including the legal and political environment, physical property rights and intellectual property rights.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea of Kashmir's longest serving prisoner, Ashiq Hussain Faktoo, to reconsider his conviction and life term.

A top-ranking former commander of the Islamist outfit Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen (JM) and a separatist, Faktoo has been serving a life term on account of his alleged involvement in the murder of human rights activist Hridhay Nath Wanchoo in 1992 and has been in jail since 1993.

A Jammu court had acquitted Faktoo in 2001, but the Supreme Court overturned this verdict and held him guilty. He has spent more than 20 years in prison.

In prison, he completed his doctorate in Islamic studies. More than 125 students have completed their bachelors' preparatory program, graduation, post graduation under his guidance.

He is married to an equally prominent separatist activist and Dukhtaraan-e-Millat (DM) chief, Syeda Asiya Andrabi.

Faktoo has the distinction of being the only Kashmiri militant to have completed his PhD while detention. He was awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy by the Department of Islamic Studies of the University of Kashmir.

During his detention, Faktoo joined as head of the Muslim League. His deputy, Massarat Alam, played arguably the most prominent role in a street agitation over Amarnath land row in Kashmir in 2008.

His wife Asiya Andrabi has openly called for Kashmir's accession to Pakistan.
Srinagar: Wedding halls and prayer rooms have been turned into classrooms in Jammu and Kashmir as families struggle to provide children with a normal life after more than 50 days of violence.

At least 70 civilians and two security officials have been killed and more than 9,000 people injured, according to official tallies, in clashes between protesters chaffing at security forces.

Authorities trying to stifle protests that erupted after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was gunned down by the security forces on July 8, ordered schools and colleges to close two days later. There's no sign of them re-opening.

Teacher Ghulam Rasool Kambay, seeing children becoming increasingly restless cooped up at home, decided to do something.

He opened a tutorial centre in a village on August 3 and now has more than a dozen of them in villages in a district south of the region's main city of Srinagar.

"The response is good. We have about 800 students in these centres. Parents are eager to send their children as they have no option right now," Kambay said.

Students find their way to the makeshift schools in small groups through back lanes. They often sit on the floor as there are not enough desks and share books. "It's more like a self-learning exercise, just a way to keep in touch with books," said Muneer Wani, 16, at his temporary school at a mosque where classes begin after morning prayers.

Muneer said it was the only place to meet friends and study. "We can't even go outdoors."

India has blamed Pakistan for supporting the violence but Pakistan denies that.

Thousands of teenage boys defy curfew every day and gather in groups to pelt stones at police. On the streets of Srinagar, people have scrawled Go India, go back.

Zubair Ahmad said he was too worried about the safety of his two children to send them to classes at a nearby mosque. His wife has been teaching them at home instead, but the children were getting restless, he said. "It is very difficult for children...they've become aggressive."
At least 16 states are required to ratify the Constitution amendment bill on GST. (Photo: File)

Hyderabad: The Telangana Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Constitutional Amendment Bill.

Telangana has become the ninth state to ratify the Bill. While the Legislative Council passed the Bill unanimously, the Legislative Assembly debated on the Bill. Opposition parties, sought clarifications on the Bill, but supported its passage.

The GST Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha earlier in this month, with 443 members present in the House voting in favour of the legislation.

At least 16 states are required to ratify the Constitution amendment bill on GST. It will be then sent to the GST Council which will decide on the new tax rate as well as centre and state taxes that will be subsumed in the new tax regime.

The Council will be constituted after the Constitution amendment bill is notified.
The Haryana Gau Seva Aayog has been reconstituted by Haryana Government for the preservation and welfare of cows in the State.

Chandigarh: To tackle the menace of stray cattle, the Haryana government has decided to establish around 40 'gau abhayaranyas' (cow sanctuaries) in the state in a phase-wise manner.

Animal Husbandry and Dairy Minister O P Dhankar on Tuesday told the state Assembly the state has a livestock population of 89.98 lakh, of which 18.08 lakh are cattle, as per 2012 census.

He said around 1.17 lakh out of these - 85,000 are in rural areas and 32,000 are in urban areas - are stray cattle and for accommodating them 40 gau-abhayaranyas would be required.

Replying to a calling Attention Notice of MLA Hari Chand Midha and 15 other legislators, he said facilities for drinking water, sheds, boundary wall, veterinary hospital, store for fodder, office, accommodation for attendants, tube wells, power backup are proposed to be created at the gau-abhayaranyas.

"To tackle the problem of stray cattle, the government has decided to establish gau-abhayaranyas at various places in the state. These gau-abhayaranyas are to be established over an area of about 50 to 100 acres of land," he said.

In order to accomplish this objective, the government has started identifying and earmarking land pools, Dhankar said.

The cost of civil works, machinery and equipment for one 'abhyarana' will be Rs 4.30 crore, he further said.

These Gau-Abhayaranyas shall be operated by District Cattle Welfare Society headed by the Deputy Commissioner concerned and the Society would have two Committees- Governing Committee and Executive Committee.

"Due to economic reasons, farmers leave their animals when they become unproductive because of which the number of stray animals increases. These stray animals in rural areas cause damage to the crops and in urban areas cause accidents and problems for road traffic," he said.

Giving the details of the gaushalas in the state, Dhankar said Haryana has a network of 408 Gaushalas housing 3,06,490 animals. Of these 392 are registered and 16 are unregistered. There are 3,04,833 animals in registered Gaushalas and 1,657 in unregistered ones.

They are being managed by various societies or trusts,

which are registered with the Registrar, Firms and Societies, Haryana, under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, he said.

"The state government does not have any administrative control over these Gaushalas except Kamdhenu Nandi Gurugram Gaushala, Karterpuri (Gurgaon), which is being managed by Municipal Corporation, Gurgaon and Gauraksha Sadan, Mawai and Nandi Gaushala, Uncha Gaon which are being managed by Municipal Corporation, Faridabad," he told the Assembly.

The Haryana Gau Seva Aayog has been reconstituted by Haryana Government for the preservation and welfare of cows in the State, he said in his reply.

To provide adequate financial aid to Gaushalas, a grant-in-aid of Rs 9.20 crores for the year 2015-16 and Rs 20 crores for the year 2016-17 has been provided by the Government to Gau Seva Aayog in the budget.
The Puducherry Assembly witnessed heated arguments between Anbalagan and some in the treasury benches.

Puducherry: The opposition AIADMK staged a walkout in the Puducherry Assembly on Tuesday, alleging violation of rules of business during a debate on the budget.

As soon as the House disposed of the question and answer part of Tuesday's session and took up the scheduled business of debate on budget presented by the Chief Minister yesterday, AIADMK legislature wing leader A Anbalagan said the rules clearly said the House could take up budget debate only after giving 48 hours notice to the members.

"Taking up the debate just a day after its presentation is violation of the rules of business and the rules were framed by the President," he said adding that there could be no debate on the budget without following the rule.

Speaker V Vaithilingam told the member that the schedule for debate was discussed and decided at the Business Advisory Committee, of which Anbalagan was also part of.

After accepting the schedule, the member was now raising objection, the Speaker said triggering heated arguments between Anbalagan and some in the treasury benches.

DMK legislator R Siva said that Anbalagan after binding himself by the decision of the Business Advisory Committee, was now taking a different stand, demanding a gap of 48 hours after presentation of the budget.

Anbalagan said he had clearly stated at the meeting that there should be 48 hour gap before holding the debate.

He said if the rules were not followed,then holding of debate was in violation of the statutory provisions.

After registering his protest, Anbalagan and three other party legislators walked out of the House.

The members did not return for the remaining part of the session which went ahead with the debate on the budget.
Haryana wears its heart and mind on its sleeve. There is a lot of brawn and bravado but little guile here. Last week, the Haryana Assembly listened in rapt attention to a pravachan (teachings of a holy person) by a Jain monk. Alarm bells rang immediately in the citadels of prickly pseudo-secular vigilantism. The Indian Constitution clubs Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists under the broader rubric of Hindus. So, the choice of a Jain monk, rather than a Hindu priest, to preach to the Assembly was a clever and far-reaching tactic to formalise the mix of religion with politics. Clever, because the minority Jain community is being used as a proxy for Hindu thought. Far reaching because, frankly, it was disturbing, coming from an overwhelmingly Hindu state, ruled by the BJP.

In these fractious times, an overt mix of religion and politics is unusual. The practice has been to keep religion distanced from the formal processes of the State, whilst discreetly extracting political mileage from religious discord. Secular fundamentalists cavil that unless the strictest oversight is exercised, in this God-fearing, Hindu dominant country, religion can creep into politics and governance, to the detriment of marginalised communities. They have a point. In earlier days, prayers on public occasions were explicitly secular. Holy men from all major religions were allotted time for doing their bit. But this tradition has waned during the last two deca-des. Hindus no longer feel obliged to be subdued, lest they offend minorities. This is a healthy dev-elopment. Truth needs to be spoken and recognised before reconciliation can happen. Paying lip service to secularism, whilst practising a more partisan strategy, has done little for those away from the mainstream.

The syncretic culture of India is predominantly Hindu. We are more comfortable with Barelvi Sufi version of Islam than the more strident Wahhabi Deoband type. Strident, ritualised religion  whether Hinduism, Islam, Christianity or Sikhism, do not align with the benign and neutral constitutional provisions which place citizenship, not religion, as the primary identity of Indi-ans. This is the essence of a modern, secular state. Haryana has initiated a novel experiment of dem-ocratising religion by inviting a never-before direct interaction between a religious leader and elected legislators. This has been long overdue. Legislators reflect voter preferences better than intellectuals. But their formal duties thrust them into an artificial bubble, which bars frank recognition of the extent to which religion both deeply divides and elevates India. Nothing wrong in puncturing the bubble. But the Haryana experiment will lack credibility as a positive new beginning, unless it promotes similar interaction with religious leaders of all denominations.

Religion can be inherently divisive, particularly in the highly-contested political environment of democracy. This is why Communist regimes sta-nd out from other political parties, in that they steadfastly ignore religion. Harkishan Singh Surjeet, the wily politician and grand old man of the CPI(M), passed on in 2008. He was a Sikh. But at his funeral, there were no religious rituals beyo-nd a spirited Lal Salaam. Contrast this with the traditional rituals which ac-company the sendoff for other departed leaders. The overlay, mostly incipient and often explicit, between religion and politics, has been a fact in the subcontinent since Independence. Pakistan hived itself off into an Islamic state consisting of physically and culturally separated West Pakistan and Bengali-speaking East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.

Surely, the fact that Pakistan split subsequently, despite a common religion and that Nepal, despite being a predominantly Hindu state, holds its sovereignty dear, sufficiently illustrates that Hinduism is not the primary glue which binds India. India is predominantly Hindu. But significant political jurisdictions, where 32 per cent of our people live, are not. These states cannot ignore the salience of a plural polity. Nagaland and Mizoram are predominantly Christian; the Kashmir Valley is Muslim; Punjab is 60 per cent Sikh; 20 per cent of West Bengal, 18 per cent of Uttar Pradesh and 17 per cent of Bihar is Muslim; 19 per cent of Kerala is Muslim and 25 per cent is Christian; Goa is 26 per cent Christian.

Rather than hiding from religion as an identity, dealing with it upfront and sanitising it democratically, could have real value. The pseudo-secularist approach, driven by 1950s beliefs in modernity versus tradition as values, rather than processes, relies on insulating politics from religion as the right way to go. Nothing could be worse, if the ground realities do not reflect this belief. Far from fading away, across the world, religion as an identity is fighting back. And this is true across all religions. The modern state needs to explicitly factor in the resilience of religion as a treasured personal belief.
When relatively smaller and poorer countries lie on the periphery of two influential neighbours, they may seek to draw the maximum mileage from both. This is normal. But when the two larger nations have a prickly relationship with each another, the tendency for their smaller neighbour can be to play one off against the other. This has frequently been seen in Nepals dealings with India and China. We hope it wont turn out that way in the context of Myanmar. After the formation of the government of the National League of Democracy (NLD) led by the iconic Aung San Suu Kyi, the first foreign visit of Myanmarese President Htin Kyaw was to India on Monday, in the course of which he was assured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India would be with Myanmar at every step.

It is evident, nevertheless, that Ms Suu Kyi, who is nominally her countrys foreign minister but in reality the key figure around whom the government revolves, chose to visit China first, days before her Presidents visit to India  and Beijing laid out the red carpet for her. Evidently, the India-educated pro-democracy leader of Myanmar whose tireless struggle helped free her country from decades of military dictatorship, has still not overcome her personal hesitation about India since this country, even while offering her moral support during her years of struggle, maintained official ties with the military junta. In this respect India also disregarded the counsel of the leading democracies, including the US.

But New Delhi had compelling reasons. It didnt wish to see Myanmar being pushed wholly into the Chinese sphere of influence in the days of the junta. Beijing already had a leading presence in Myanmar. New Delhi also needed Myanmars help to block Naga and Manipuri insurgents from using its territory as a launch pad against India. But even as it avoided antagonising the Myanmar generals, India consistently advised them to pay heed to the voice of the democracy proponents and to treat Ms Suu Kyi with the utmost dignity. Indeed, this counsel was heeded. The NLD leadership could conceivably harm its own cause in the long term if it didnt take this political aspect on board in setting the trajectory for its ties with India. Much background work, however, lies ahead for New Delhi and Naypyidaw in the post-junta setting.
With Rajnath Singh visiting the Valley to interact with key constituents of the populace and Prime Minister Narendra Modi talking of a permanent solution within the four walls of the Constitution, New Delhi appears to be making yet another push to heal the wounds of disaffected Kashmiris. But theres no clarity on what the scope of the dialogue will be, but if the Prime Minister is talking of a permanent solution, his mavens must have a broad framework to work with. It remains to be seen if all stakeholders, including Hurriyat hawks, will be brought to the table. Needlessly, the Sunni-dominant Valley is holding India and J&K state hostage with its perfidious approach. Autonomy is a loosely-defined term in Kashmirs context, its throwback is to Article 370 and the 1952 Delhi Agreement. Pertinently, the State Autonomy Committee set up by Farooq Abdullahs National Conference in 1996 hits the nail on the head in its 1999 report.

Undoubtedly, Sheikh Abdullahs 1953 arrest and a succession of malleable CMs thereafter eroded the construct of the Instrument of Accession and the Delhi Agreement, leaving autonomy in tatters and impinging on the federal context in terms of the contractual relationship. Article 370 itself, the SAC report noted, acquired a dangerously ambiguous aspect  designed to protect the states autonomy, it has been used systematically to destroy it. Article 370, enshrined in the Indian Constitution to give Kashmir a special status, was based on a federal contract. Over time, a dismayed populace of Jammu and Ladakh have sought regional autonomy, but the SAC recommended maximum autonomy in 1999, categorically declaring: The best course is for the President of India to repeal all orders which are not in conformity with the Constitution (Application to J&K Order 1950) and the terms of the 1952 Delhi Agreement. Will this be the basis of the new permanent solution?

From the apogee of the Nehru-Sheikh Abdullah friendship that delivered J&K to India, the plates of history were soon shifting as the strife in Jammu began to prey on Sheikh Abdullahs mind. The seeds of the seductive call to chaos were sown by the Delhi Agreement signed on July 24, 1952. Dr Jose Korbel, UNCIP member, in his book Danger in Kashmir, stated: It gave to Kashmir special rights which other princely states never had... It was agreed the hereditary ruler would be replaced by a head of state to be elected by the constituent assembly/state assembly for a term of five years; however subject to ratification by the President of India. Second, fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution of India will apply to J&K subject to the provision that they will not be applicable to the programme of land reforms, including the expropriation of land without compensation, nor they should adversely affect security measures undertaken by the state govt.

Third, the Kashmir legislature shall have the power to define and regulate the rights and privileges of the permanent residents of the state, more specially in regard to the acquisition of immovable property, appointments to services and like matters. Fourth, the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of India was to be limited, as regards Kashmir, to inter-state disputes, to the fundamental rights applicable to the state and to matters of defence, foreign affairs and communications. The Govt. of India wanted the Supreme Court to be the final court of appeal in civil and criminal cases. The distance between Nehru and Abdullah was growing by the minute. Jumping into this volatile mix was Mridula Sarabhai. Her July 17, 1953 letter to Sheikh Abdullah, just days before his dramatic August 9 arrest, was revelatory. It was evident Abdullah was no longer in a conciliatory mood and that full autonomy for Kashmir was the only thing he wanted now.

Though completely independent-minded, Sarabhai was a close associate of Panditji and knew Abdullah very well too. A general secretary of the Congress, she was secretary to Mahatma Gandhi and was well networked in Congress circles. Later, she worked tirelessly for Abdullahs release. She wrote: Soon after reaching Delhi, I handed over your letters to Jawaharlalji, Rafi Saheb and Maulana Saheb. To know they carried your feelings that no useful purpose can be achieved by carrying on oft-talked subjects and hence you had decided not to come to Delhi  really, if I may say so, has come as a shock...

I thought I understood you and wanted to facilitate the way, but I find I was mistaken. In the morning talk, you were good enough to explain to me the basic issues and emphasis. Both Jawaharlalji and you should understand the need of the hour, and only then can a way be found. If the doors are closed between the two of you, what is the way out? I have taken the liberty of conveying my feelings to you and urge you again to reconsider my appeal to you and Jawaharlalji  that for Kashmir and India  for humanity and its confidence in both of you  please understand each other and find a way out. For such a national problem, talk and exchange of views, even though they might be futile, can never be useless.

It is clear that a rapidly-fraying relationship was sought to be salvaged by Mridula Sarabhai, but all attempts at rapprochement were failing. But some of the salient points of the Delhi Agreement further distilled, that he signed off on but could not later digest. These were:

The decision to abolish the hereditary Dogra dynasty was accepted by New Delhi

The Indian Citizenship Act was made applicable to the state, but the state legislature was empowered to regulate the rights and privileges of permanent residents, specially over acquisition of immovable property and appointment to services

The right of state nationals who had gone to Pakistan or Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in 1947 or earlier, to return to their homes was acknowledged

The President of India was empowered to declare a state of emergency in case of external danger, but in case of internal disturbance the power could be exercised only at the request, or the concurrence of, the state government

The President of India was empowered to grant reprieve and commute death sentences

India agreed confiscation of jagirs without compensation shall permanently stand

The state was allowed its own flag, which was the flag of the National Conference party

The jurisdiction of the Supreme Court was extended to certain matters; and

It was agreed that Jammu and Ladakh should have cultural and regional autonomy

Greater autonomy versus full integration was what Sheikh Abdullah was grouching about. He argued as accession with India in any form or basis would finally involve the merger of the state with India, alternative solutions of the Kashmir problem must be discussed... He ruled out any accession to Pakistan, and referred to the alternatives of partition, plebiscite-cum-partition, independence of the state guaranteed by India and Pakistan. With Pakistan pressing for a solution and referring to Kashmir as a client state of India, the Sheikhs delusions on flirting with the idea of independence for the Kashmir Valley cost him his job and J&K its autonomous character forever.
Gaza is cut off from the world under a blockade imposed by Egypt and Israel. (PHOTO: REUTERS)

Khaled Bardawil and Jamal al-Meqati, both 23-year-old, designed and built the solar power vehicle to combat fuel shortage and the constant electrical blackouts plaguing the Gaza Strip.

We decided to depend on a power that God gave us, which is renewable, alternative and clean energy. So we decided to make a solar vehicle, explained Bardawil.

Electricity blackout disrupts the daily life in Gaza and cripples businesses, as many stores are forced to reduce working hours to save electric spending and residents have to coordinate their social schedule with the times when the power is on.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the densely populated Gaza strip currently receives less than half of its electrical demand of 470 megawatts (MW). This leads to long hours of blackout that last between eight and 12 hours a day.

Bardawil and Meqatis solar vehicle may bring some relief to the energy shortage, however they had some trouble finding parts needed to built the vehicle in Gaza.

The DC (direct current electricity) motors are not available in our city (Gaza) and unfortunately no body knows how to make them in the city, no body knows how to create them. So we had to bring a motor and make a lot of changes to it, and these changes were not easy to make, said Meqati.

Lecturer at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, Mazen Abu Amer, hoped this project would help raise the awareness of solar power usage in the community.

By building this vehicle we wanted to introduce a prototype as some European universities did. We wanted to spread awareness and the culture of using solar power through these projects. We made this project and it is the first, first in the Gaza Strip, to design a vehicle from A to Z which works on solar power, said Amer.

The Hamas group, which has run Gaza since 2007 and the rival authority of President Mahmoud Abbas have traded blame over the energy shortage in Gaza.

In the past six years, three wars have broken out between Israel and Hamas. The conflict has ravaged its already debilitated infrastructure, said a United Nations report in 2015.

Gaza is cut off from the world under a blockade imposed by Egypt and Israel and the economy is in turmoil, with 43 percent unemployment among the territorys 1.95 million people.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
The Delhi High Court has asked the government to respond to a plea against instant messaging service WhatsApp. (Representational image)

The Delhi High Court has asked the government to respond to a plea against instant messaging service WhatsApp after it decided to share data with its parent company Facebook.

Several media reports said that the ruling came after a petition was filed by Karmanya Singh Sareen and Shreya Sethi against WhastApp, Facebook Inc and Facebook India Online PVT Ltd for the new privacy policy. The concerned citizens alleged that the new policy compromises the rights of users.

The notice to the centre to examine the issue was issued by a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra. The concerned authorities have been asked to file their reply by September 14.

The petition alleged that WhatsApps new privacy policy is in stark contrast to their actual policy since the time of its inception and the revised policy severely compromises the rights of its users and makes them vulnerable.

WhatsApp had on August 25 announced that it would start sharing users account information with its parent company Facebook, indicating a significant shift in its strict privacy stance.

The new policy is likely to come into effect from September 25 but it is not necessary for users to agree to the new policy.

Representing the petitioners, senior advocates Sandeep Sethi and Pratibha M Singh informed the Delhi High Court that the change in policy is a very serious breach of policy.

The petition doesnt really make any sense as WhatsApp has given an option to opt out of the new policy, it has clearly mentioned that the new policy doesnt harm privacy in any way and only attempts to enhance user experience with better targeted ads and friend suggestions on Facebooks platform.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
The new bill was introduced in response to the sentence given to 20-year-old Brock Turner by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky in June. (Photo: AP)

Los Angeles: California lawmakers, responding to outrage over the six-month jail term given to a former Stanford University swimmer after his conviction for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, passed legislation on Monday closing a loophole that allowed the sentence.

The bill now goes to Democratic Governor Jerry Brown for his approval. He has not indicated whether he will sign it into law.

The measure was introduced in response to the sentence given to 20-year-old Brock Turner by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky in June, which was widely condemned as too lenient.

Prosecutors had asked that Turner be given six years in state prison. He is scheduled to be released on Friday from jail in Northern California.

"Sexually assaulting an unconscious or intoxicated victim is a terrible crime and our laws need to reflect that," Democratic Assemblyman Bill Dodd, a co-author of the legislation, said in a written statement following its passage.

Turner was convicted of assault with intent to commit rape, penetration of an intoxicated person and penetration of an unconscious person in the January 2015 attack. Under California law, those charges are not considered rape because they did not involve penile penetration.

The uproar over the sentence, fueled in part by the victim's harrowing letter in which she detailed the assault in graphic terms, comes amid growing outrage over sexual assault on U.S. college campuses.

This bill is about more than sentencing, its about supporting victims and changing the culture on our college campuses to help prevent future crimes," Dodd said.

The case has also led to efforts to remove Persky from the bench. Earlier this month, the judge asked for a transfer to civil court.

According to the legislators, current California law calls for a mandatory prison term in cases of rape or sexual assault where force is used, but not when the victim is unconscious or severely intoxicated and thus unable to resist.

The bill, which faced no serious opposition in the Democratic-controlled legislature, would eliminate a judge's discretion to sentence defendants convicted of such crimes to probation. Under its provisions, Turner would have faced a minimum of three years behind bars.
In his testimony, the prisoner said that when he entered a deserted stash house, he came across Drexel who was kept there. (Photo: YouTube Screengrab)

McClellanville, South Carolina: In a major breakthrough into a case that has been pending for seven years, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) made a shocking revelation about a teenager who went missing from Myrtle beach in South Carolina, stating that she was raped, shot and fed to alligators.

According to a report in the Independent, FBI officials said that 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel was sexually assaulted by a 16-year-old kidnapper before being killed.

Drexel had gone missing in 2009 after she went to a beach against her parents will. When she failed to return home, her parents filed a missing complaint.

Investigators have been trying to trace her since then, until recently when they came across a prisoner serving a 25-year jail term who said that he was witness to the crime involving Drexel.

In his testimony, the prisoner said that when he entered a deserted stash house, he came across Drexel who was kept there. The prisoner also told FBI officials that she was sexually assaulted by her alleged kidnapper, Timothy DaShaun Taylor.

Later, he saw Taylor threatening Drexel with a gun and heard two gunshots, assuming that the kidnapped might have killed the victim.

Although Drexel's body has not been found, FBI officials revealed that several witnesses said Drexel's body was fed to alligators. However, it could not be found even after searching 40 ponds.

Taylor was arrested in 2011 and later released on bail of $10,000.
Defence MinisterManohar Parrikar listens during a joint news conference with Defense Secretary Ash Carter at the Pentagon. (Photo: AP)

Washington: Defence minister Manohar Parrikar said that a small percentage of people in Kashmir are holding the majority to ransom and alleged that forces across the border are fomenting trouble in the Valley.

Parrikar said the government is working proactively to handle violence in the state.

As far as Kashmir is concerned, the Indian government has been very proactive in handling the violence which comes from across the border Parrikar told Pentagon reporters on Monday at a joint news conference with US defence secretary Ashton Carter.

A few small percentage is holding the majority to ransom, he added.

Asked about the current situation in Kashmir, he said curfew has already been lifted and an all-party delegation is also heading to the Valley.

Kashmir has a government that is a democratically elected. And the chief minister belongs to the Valley, he said.

Earlier this month, Parrikar had told a gathering of BJP workers in Haryana that Pakistan was trying to create tension in the Valley, but the security forces minimised the terror threat. He said Pakistan had no strength left for a face-to-face battle with India, and thats why it was trying to wound India through terrorism.

At least 70 people have died in clashes between security forces and protesters after the death of a militant commander last month in Kashmir.

Curfew was lifted from most parts of the Valley on Monday -- after 51 consecutive days of lockdown and subsequent clashes in the aftermath of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wanis death on July 8.
Washington: Donald Trump's campaign is making its biggest general election ad buy to date, with plans to spend upward of $10 million on commercials airing over the next week or so.

The campaign is expecting to air a new ad, which paints rival Hillary Clinton as a job-killer, 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  all battleground states.

Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has so far been badly outspent by his Democratic rival and groups supporting her. Since clinching her party's nomination in early June, Clinton has spent more than $77 million on television and radio advertising, largely targeting voters in battleground states, according to Kantar Media's political ad tracker.

Trump finally hit the airwaves earlier this month with an ad focused on immigration, and so far has only spent about $5 million.

Clinton has reserved about $9.2 million in airtime this week.

The new investment comes amid signs the campaign sees that Trump's lagging poll numbers may be improving against Clinton's following a campaign reboot.

Trump senior communications adviser Jason Miller said in a statement that the billionaire businessman's "positive message of economic opportunity is working and we see the national and battleground state polls all moving in the right direction."

"With Hillary Clinton off the campaign trail yet again this week and continuing to take many communities' votes for granted, we see this as the right time to show voters the benefits of an American economy under the leadership of Mr. Trump," he added.

Clinton will be spending much of the week in private fundraisers in the Hamptons, the wealthy enclaves of eastern Long Island, New York.

Trump is also expected to unveil on Monday his second ad of the general election. It will focus on his economic message, contrasting his approach with Clinton's.

"In Hillary Clinton's America, the middle class get crushed. Spending goes up, taxes go up. Hundreds of thousands of jobs disappear. It's more of the same, but worse," says a narrator.

The narrator continues that, in "Donald Trump's America, working families get tax relief. Millions of new jobs created, wages go up. Small businesses thrive."

In fact, neither Trump nor Clinton's tax plans would have any major impact on how much the middle class pays, analysts say.
The accused told police that she stuffed the holy medallion in her daughter's mouth until blood came out. (Photo: YouTube Screengrab)

Oklahoma City: Oklahoma police have arrested a woman for murdering her 33-year-old daughter by shoving a crucifix down her throat, claiming that she was possessed.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, the accused identified as Juanita Gomez, 50, committed the crime and later confessed it to the police who had come to her home for a welfare check.

During investigation, Gomez told police she suspected that her daughter was possessed by the devil, a day prior to the crime.

The accused told police that she stuffed the holy medallion in her daughter's mouth until blood came out. She then placed her daughter's lifeless body in the position of a cross and washed it with holy water to get rid of the devil.

Cops found marks and bruises all over the accused's arms, hinting at a scuffle between the accused and the victim.

Police also found a huge cross placed on top of the victim's body with several injuries to her arms and neck, indicating a struggle before death.

Confessing to her crime, the accused said that she had also punched her daughter several times while trying to get rid of 'Satan'.

The accused has been sent to prison and faces homicide charges.
Chessy Prout spoke in an interview on NBC's "Today" show about what happened to her at St. Paul's School in 2014 when she was a 15-year-old freshman. (Photo: YouTube Screengrab)

New York: A teen who was raped during a game of sexual conquest at a prestigious New Hampshire prep school said on Tuesday in her first public comments that she is no longer ashamed or afraid and she hopes to be a voice for others.

Chessy Prout spoke in an interview on NBC's "Today" show about what happened to her at St. Paul's School in 2014 when she was a 15-year-old freshman.

"It's been two years now since the whole ordeal, and I feel ready to stand up and own what happened to me and make sure other people, other girls and boys, don't need to be ashamed, either," said Prout, now 17 and about to start her senior year at a different school.

The Associated Press normally does not identify victims of sexual assault, but Prout has now spoken publicly about the case.

Former St. Paul's student Owen Labrie, of Tunbridge, Vermont, was arrested in 2014, days after graduating from the Concord school. Prosecutors alleged he assaulted the girl as part of a competition known as the Senior Salute in which some seniors sought to have sex with underclassman.

Labrie was convicted last year of misdemeanor sex assault charges and a felony charge of using a computer to lure the student. He was acquitted on three counts of felony sexual assault.

Labrie was sentenced to a year in jail, but he remains free pending appeal.

Prout's parents have sued the school, arguing it should have done more to protect their daughter. The school has denied it could have prevented the assault, but it has since taken steps to "prevent and reduce risky adolescent behavior."

In the interview, Prout said she sometimes gets panic attacks and hides in her closet and rocks on the floor. She wants to use the experience to help others.

"I want everyone to know that I am not afraid or ashamed anymore, and I never should have been," she said.
The United States has asked Turkey and Kurdish YPG militia to not to not fight with one another and instead us the fight on the Islamic State group, or ISIS. (Photo: AP/Representational)

Washington: The United States scrambled on Monday to get its feuding allies, Turkey and Kurdish YPG militia, to focus their firepower on the Islamic State group instead of each other after clashes that have threatened to unravel America's war strategy in Syria.

Turkey, which has long viewed Kurdish militants as its top security threat, upended US assumptions about the conflict by launching a major push last week into northern Syria that has included areas controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which includes experienced Kurdish YPG fighters.

In turn, Turkey has blamed a rocket attack from a YPG-controlled area for the death of one of its soldiers on Saturday. Turkey said it killed 25 Kurdish militants on Sunday.

"We've called on both sides to not fight with one another, to continue to focus the fight on ISIS," US Defence Secretary Ash Carter told a Pentagon news conference, using an acronym for Islamic State.

White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said further Turkish targeting of the SDF, which also includes Arab fighters, would undermine efforts to forge a "united front" against the Islamic State group.

But experts say the Turkish offensive has again exposed the vastly different, often competing objectives of America's allies in the five-year-old conflict in Syria, where the Islamic State is only one of many actors.

It has also raised questions over whether Turkey will attempt to thwart any more major advances by the SDF, just weeks after the Pentagon hailed the group's victory against Islamic State in the town of Manbij, about 30 km (20 miles) south of Turkey's border.

Carter signaled no change in US strategy on Monday, stressing that both the SDF and Turkey were critical allies in Syria. The Pentagon hopes U.S.-backed forces can eventually retake the Syrian city of Raqqa from Islamic State.

"We do understand that they (Turkey and Kurdish fighters) have historical differences with one another but American interests are quite clear," Carter said. "We, like they, want to combat ISIL and we are calling on them now: 'Lets keep our priorities clear here.'"

Tensions with Turkey

Experts say the best-case scenario for defusing tensions would be for Turkey to accept US assurances that the YPG is withdrawing east of the Euphrates river. Turkey, which wants to stop Kurdish forces from further extending their control near its border, has demanded such a withdrawal.

Carter on Monday described the river as a natural barrier that would separate Turkey and the YPG.

"What we can do and are doing with them is to clarify where the YPG elements of the SDF are and are not," he said, adding YPG fighters were indeed withdrawing.

In a nod to Turkey, Carter also praised Turkish military advances against Islamic State in the past week, notably its seizure of the town of Jarablus.

Blaise Misztal, director of national security at the Bipartisan Policy Center think-tank, said the United States was witnessing the consequences of a strategy that heavily depended on Kurdish fighters to defeat Islamic State, despite explicit Turkish objections.

Turkey is battling a Kurdish insurgency on its soil.

"The enemy of my enemy is still my enemy," Misztal said.

Experts warned that it was far from clear whether Ankara would back down, given that the United States was unlikely to side with Kurdish militia over NATO ally Turkey.

Turkey is host to important US and NATO military facilities. They include Incirlik Air Base, from which US fighters and drones hit Islamic State in neighboring Syria, US listening posts and an early warning radar for NATOs European missile defence system.

"When it comes down to: Do we alienate the Turks, or do we alienate the Syrian Kurds, there's no doubt who's going to be the loser," said Bruce Riedel, a Middle East expert at the Brookings Institution and a former CIA analyst.

The United States is already walking on eggshells after accusations from Turkey that Washington was too slow to condemn last month's failed coup there.

In a sign of the sensitivities, the top US military officer, General Joseph Dunford, called his Turkish counterpart on Sunday and Carter told the briefing he would see Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik next week.

President Barack Obama will meet with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Sept. 4, the White House said.
The first lady was invited to his residence, the Pakistan House, to participate in his son's graduation party. (Photo: Twitter)

Washington: The White House has conveyed its displeasure to Pakistan ambassador to the US Jalil Abbas Jilani for tweeting an image of him and his wife with the first lady Michelle Obama.

In a strongly-worded letter addressed to Jilani, the White House criticised his actions and accused the ambassador of breaching trust and being undiplomatic in his action, reports the News.

Jilani had in the last week of May this year tweeted the picture with the caption, "It was an absolute delight hosting FLOTUS at Pakistan House today."

Reports suggest that the tweet along with the picture dispensed the impression that he has close ties with America's first family.

Following his tweet, a section of the press also carried out an analysis that Michelle Obama and Jilani discussed bilateral relations as well.

Disappointed by the tweet, the White House also reportedly reminded in the letter that the first lady's short stopover at Jilani's residence was personal and extracting any political gain out of that was unprofessional.

The first lady was invited to his residence, the Pakistan House, to participate in his son's graduation party.

His youngest son is said to have attended the same school as President Barack Obama's daughters.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry in Islamabad also took notice of the tweet followed by embarrassment forcing Jilani to remove the image from his twitter feed.

When asked to comment on the incident, Jilani reportedly termed it incorrect.

The relations between Islamabad and Washington have been in the soup for the past few months and this was quite visible after Obama administration declined to sell eight fighter jets to Pakistan on subsidy.

The US had also then carried out a unilateral drone strike killing Afghan Taliban leader Mulla Akhtar Mansour.

Though the two countries were hardly on favourable terms, the tweet portrayed as if the ambassador had saved the day.
Washington: Dr. Harold Bornstein, Donald Trumps doctor, reportedly paid $86,250 to a former patient's husband in 2002 to settle a lawsuit alleging that Bornstein had overmedicated his wife with powerful, unneeded prescriptions, which contributed to her addiction, and ultimately her death.

This, however, is only one of the three malpractice claims brought against the doctor who has been treating the Republican presidential candidate since 1992. Two of the lawsuits allege that the doctor improperly administered powerful drugs which led to the death of patients, according to the Daily Beast. Both the cases were settled before jury trials, with no finding of liability against Dr Bornstein.

Last week Dr Bornstein had claimed that he had written a clean bill of health for trump in five minutes. This comes at a time when health has become a central focus of the 2016 presidential campaign. The Trump campaign has been alleging that the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton suffers from several maladies which could affect her ability to carry out her duties if elected the new US president.

The Daily Beast which reviewed one of the complaints reported that Kenneth Levin had alleged that Dr Bornstein was negligent, careless, and unskilled in failing to properly diagnose the plaintiff in treating his wife, Janet Levin. He also alleged the doctor was negligent in failing to make a referral to a mental health professional; in wrongfully prescribing tuinal, morphine, and valium, particularly in light of the history of drinking; in improperly and negligently seeing the patient without providing treatment; and in overmedicating the decedent.

A family member told The Daily Beast he prescribed medication that was disproportionate for her physical weight and she ended up falling and dying.

Dr Bornstein has been sued for malpractice at least three times. In 2000, Lorraine Pollifrone alleged Bornstein improperly medicated her husband, causing his death during a colonoscopy. The case was settled for an unknown amount.
Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang speaks during an interview with AFP at the presidential palace in Hanoi. (Photo: AFP)

Singapore: Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang warned on Tuesday there would be no winners in any armed conflict sparked by territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Quang, who is on a state visit to Singapore, told a forum that recent developments there were threatening regional security.

The Vietnamese leader did not mention any country but there is growing unease over Chinas actions.

China claims most of the South China Sea. It has reclaimed reefs and built airstrips capable of hosting military equipment, sparking anger from competing claimants led by Vietnam and the Philippines.

The South China Sea, located at the heart of Southeast Asia, not only brings about many important benefits to nations in the region but it is also a vital route to maritime and air transport of the world, Quang said.

But recent worrying developments there have had a negative impact on the security environment of the region, especially maritime security and safety, freedom of navigation and overflight.

And should we allow instability to take place, especially in the case of armed conflicts, there will be neither winners nor losers but rather all will lose, he warned.

Tran was speaking to diplomats, academics and students at a forum organised by the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute.

Four Southeast Asian states -- Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam -- as well as Taiwan have competing claims in the sea.

Vietnam has been among the most vocal critics of Chinas blanket territorial claims. In 2014, China moved a controversial oil rig into contested territory, prompting riots in Vietnam.

Chinas activities in the sea have also drawn criticism from the United States, which says it seeks to ensure freedom of navigation in the waterway through which $5 trillion in annual global trade passes.

The sea row has also driven a wedge between members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which has failed to forge a unified front against Beijings actions.

Last month the Philippines won a case against China at a UN-backed tribunal in the Hague which rejected Beiijings claims to most of the sea.

China boycotted the hearing and has refused to recognise the ruling.
Pyongyang: Known for his tough laws, North Korean supremo, Kim Jong-un, ordered execution of two high-ranking officials by anti-aircraft gun at the military academy in Pyongyang.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, Ri Yong Jin, a member of the education ministry, was given death sentence after he fell asleep during a meeting addressed by Kim.

While Ri was arrested and interrogated, security officials discovered that he disliked Kim and was even disloyal towards his work, following which he was awarded with the brutal punishment.

Read: Failed to bag medals at Olympics, N Korean athletes asked to work in coal mines

In another case, a former agriculture minister was also executed in the same manner as Ri, after he had developed his own ideas that would boost the agricultural production.

The agriculture minister's ideas were seen as an attempt to undermine Kim.

Recently it had emerged that prior to the Rio 2016 Olympic games, Kim Jong-un had threatened the country's athletes to return home with at least 17 medals. When the failed to do so, he announced that he would make them work in coal mines as punishment for their unsatisfactory performance.
According to reports, a car rammed into one of the gates of the embassy. (Photo: Twitter)

Bishkek: A car exploded near the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday, killing its driver and wounding three people, the healthcare ministry said.

The GKNB state security service said it was investigating the blast but provided no other details.

The interior ministry could not be reached for comment. Kyrgyz news website 24.kg reported that the car appeared to have rammed the embassy's gate before exploding.
Typhoon Lionrock made landfall near the city of Ofunato, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) northeast of Tokyo. (Representational Image/ AFP)

Tokyo: A typhoon slammed into northern Japan on Tuesday evening, threatening to bring floods to an area still recovering from the 2011 tsunami.

Typhoon Lionrock made landfall near the city of Ofunato, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) northeast of Tokyo. It's the first time a typhoon has made landfall in the northern region since 1951, when the Japan Meteorological Agency started keeping statistics.

Even before it made landfall, the storm had already paralyzed traffic, caused blackouts and prompted officials to urge residents to evacuate. It was packing winds up to 126 kilometers (78 miles) per hour Tuesday evening.

More than 170,000 people were subject to evacuation, including 38,000 in Ofunato, though only some of them actually went to shelters. More than 10,000 homes in the northern region were without electricity, with power lines damaged from the winds.

The March 2011 earthquake and tsunami left more than 18,000 people dead in the wide swaths of Japan's northern coast, including 340 in Ofunato.

As of Tuesday evening, Typhoon Lionrock had brought 15 centimeters (6 inches) of rainfall to the region over the past 24 hours, and was expected to dump up to 8 centimeters (3 inches) of rain per hour in some areas, the meteorological agency said, urging residents to use caution and stay away from the coastline.

Major airlines canceled more than 100 flights to and from the northern region. Bullet train services in the Tohoku and Hokkaido regions were suspended.

At the Fukushima nuclear power plant, decimated by the 2011 disaster, some outdoor decommissioning work was suspended as a precaution.
After examining all the reports, a clinical psychologist said that the girl was traumatised by her childhood experiences. (Representational Image)

Sydney: A judicial inquiry has been ordered by Glebe Coroner's Court in New South Wales, Australia, after a 15-year-old teenager was given a speed ball drug overdose and was repeatedly raped at a child care facility in Sydney.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, the victim died of a hypoxic brain injury. Doctors said that there was insufficient oxygen supply to her brain, resulting in her death.

Prosecutors told the judge that the victim was taken into custody of the care facility when she just just one-year-old.

The care facility authorities were so much concerned about her welfare that she was snatched away from her family even before she could celebrate her first birthday , the court heard.

Prosecutors also told the court that the victim might have been dragged into criminal activity as well as prostitution. She was used and abused for several years since the time she had stepped into the care facility, the court heard.

Before her death, the victim had carved 'I hate feelings' on her leg, the court heard.

Medical and autopsy reports of the victim revealed that her body contained large amounts of speed ball, meth, cannabis and heroin. Medics also added that she might have been injected with speed drug a night before her death.

After examining all the reports, a clinical psychologist said that the girl was traumatised by her childhood experiences.

The state opposition has called for immediate suspension of the child care facility where the victim was raped and abused. Brad Hazzard, Family and Community Services Minister, has called for an investigation into the sex abuse scandal.
France's Socialist government, including Cazeneuve and President Francois Hollande, have said they will respect the Touquet agreement which, if dropped, could spur the flow of refugees fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa through France to Britain. (Photo: AFP)

London: Britain's new interior minister, Amber Rudd, will meet her French counterpart in Paris on Tuesday to reaffirm the deal which allows Britain to make border checks in Calais and keep thousands of refugees and asylum seekers in France.

The meeting comes days after French presidential contender Nicolas Sarkozy said Britain should deal on its own territory with refugees camped in the northern town, joining similar calls by Alain Juppe, also a conservative presidential candidate.

There are close to 7,000 refugees sprawled across the area known as the "Jungle" north of Calais, with the aim of many to reach Britain illegally through the Channel Tunnel. Non-governmental organisations put the number at over 9,000. "We remain committed to working together to protect our shared border in Calais," a spokesman for Rudd said, while adding that the meeting would focus on security. "We firmly believe in the established principle ... that those in need of protection should seek asylum in the first safe country they enter."

Some French and British officials, including then prime minister David Cameron, had warned Britain that the Anglo-French Le Touquet agreement could be harmed if the country voted to leave the European Union (EU) at a referendum on June 23.

Sarkozy's comments chimed with Xavier Bertrand, the region's head, who said France should scrap the agreement unless British Prime Minister Theresa May agreed to renegotiate the system agreed under the accord which allows British officials to check passports in France.

Bertrand, who belongs to the same party as Sarkozy and Juppe, the conservative Les Republicains, has no power on migration issues, which was a hot-button issue in the Brexit vote in Britain and is now also in the campaign for next April's presidential election in France.

France's Socialist government, including Cazeneuve and President Francois Hollande, have said they will respect the Touquet agreement which, if dropped, could spur the flow of refugees fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa through France to Britain.
Hollande, in a speech to France's diplomatic corps, chose his words more carefully but said it would be an "illusion" to say a deal was close. (Photo: AP)

Paris: France said on Tuesday it wanted to halt thorny EU-US trade talks as President Francois Hollande said there would be no deal at least until after President Barack Obama leaves office in January.

Junior trade minister Matthias Fekl said there was "no more political support in France" for the talks because US negotiators were offering "nothing or just crumbs".

"France calls for an end to these negotiations," Fekl told RMC radio.

Hollande, in a speech to France's diplomatic corps, chose his words more carefully but said it would be an "illusion" to say a deal was close.

"The current discussions on the treaty between Europe and the United States will not lead to an agreement by the end of the year," he said.

"France would rather see things as they are and not harbour the illusion that an agreement will be struck before the end of the US president's term in office."

The EU Commission and US negotiators began work on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) in 2013, aiming to create the world's largest free-trade area before Obama ends his term.

But the talks have become bogged down amid widespread suspicion in the 28-nation EU that a deal would undercut the bloc's standards in key areas such as health and welfare.

Fekl said Paris sees an imbalance in the negotiations in favour of the US side.

"The Americans give nothing or just crumbs... that are not how negotiations are done between allies," he said.

"Clear and definitive halt"

"We need a clear and definitive halt to these negotiations in order to restart on a good foundation."

France will make its case for the talks to be halted at a meeting of foreign trade ministers in Bratislava in September, Fekl added.

He did not say when or under what conditions the talks could restart.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls had earlier said it would be "impossible" for the two sides to conclude negotiations on a trade deal by the end of 2016.

And Germany's vice chancellor and economy minister Sigmar Gabriel said Sunday the negotiations were effectively dead in the water.

"The talks with the US have de facto failed because we Europeans of course must not succumb to American demands... nothing is moving forward", Gabriel said.

But the European Commission on Monday rejected the German claims and insisted the talks remained on track.

"The ball is rolling right now. The Commission is making steady progress," Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said.

"Talks are now indeed entering a crucial stage but... provided the conditions are right, the Commission stands ready to close this deal by the end of the year," he told a press briefing.

Activists who have opposed TTIP since negotiations began in 2013 say the deal would only benefit multinationals and harm consumers.

Behind the scenes, top diplomats have said talks may be suspended until after the US presidential election in November and could even be put on hold until after elections in France and Germany next year.

All EU member states and the European parliament must ratify any TTIP deal before it can take effect.
Pope Francis meets Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, at the Santa Marta residence, the guest house in Vatican City where the pope lives, on Monday.

Vatican City: Pope Francis has met with Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Zuckerberg's wife Priscilla Chan at the Vatican.

Vatican spokesman Greg Burke says one topic of discussion at Monday's meeting was "how to use communication technologies to alleviate poverty, encourage a culture of encounter, and make a message of hope arrive, especially to those most in need."

Pope Francis meets Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, at the Santa Marta residence, the guest house in Vatican City where the pope lives, Monday,

"We also discussed the importance of connecting people, especially in parts of the world without internet access. We gave him a model of Aquila, our solar-powered aircraft that will beam internet connectivity to places that don't have it," Zuckerberg said in a post on Facebook.

Zuckerberg wore a dark suit and tie for the occasion while Chan wore a black, knee-length dress.

The atmosphere appeared informal, with the chat taking place in the Santa Marta residence, the guest house in Vatican City where the pope lives.
Berlin: Saudi Arabia is closing a government-sponsored school in Germany that has been the subject of tension in the past.

The kingdom's embassy says the King Fahd Academy in Bonn, Germany's former capital, will be closed in early 2017.

It said in a statement on Monday that the decision was taken as part of Saudi Arabia's effort to provide the best education for its citizens.

The embassy says "Germany is known to have one of the best educational systems in the world ... therefore our country sees no need to have its academy in Germany."

German authorities expressed concern in 2003 that the school might be used to spread Islamist ideology.

It currently has about 150 students and 30 teachers who follow the Saudi curriculum but also offers an International Baccalaureate program.
"These decrees do not improve the security situation but rather fuel religious intolerance and the stigmatisation of Muslims in France, especially women," Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN rights office, told reporters. (Photo: AP)

Geneva: The UN on Tuesday welcomed a decision by France's highest administrative court to suspend a controversial ban on burkini swimwear, warning that the ban had fuelled religious intolerance and stigmatisation.

"These decrees do not improve the security situation but rather fuel religious intolerance and the stigmatisation of Muslims in France, especially women," Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN rights office, told reporters.

"Dress codes such as the anti-burkini decrees disproportionately affect women and girls, undermining their autonomy by denying them the ability to make independent decisions about how to dress, and clearly discriminate against them," he said.

He also decried that "the manner in which the anti-burkini decrees have been implemented in some French resorts has been humiliating and degrading."

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.

The bans come in the wake of a string of Islamist attacks to hit France over the past 18 months, which have raised questions over security failures and resulted in a spike in Islamophobia.

Colville said the UN rights office welcomed the ruling affecting the seaside town of Villeneuve-Loubet, urging authorities in other French seaside towns and resorts that had adopted similar bans "to repeal them immediately."

He stressed that the bans would do nothing to make people safer.

"Clearly, individuals wearing burkinis, or any other form of clothing for that matter, cannot be blamed for the violent or hostile reactions of others," he said.

He warned that "by stimulating polarisation between communities, these clothing bans have only succeeded in increasing tensions ... (and may) undermine the effort to fight and prevent violent extremism."

Colville pointed out that according to international human rights standards, "limitations on manifestations of religion or belief, including choice of clothing, are only permitted in very limited circumstances, including public safety, public order, and public health or morals."

Such measures, he said, "must be appropriate, necessary, and proportionate."

"Gender equality cannot be achieved by restricting individual freedoms including by policing what individual women choose to wear," he said.
Iraqi security forces including a forensics team work at the site of a mass grave containing the bodies of dozens of men, women and children killed by Islamic State group militants. (Photo: AP)

Hardan (Iran): Surrounded by smoke and flames, the sound of gunshots echoing around him, the young man crouched in the creek for hours, listening to the men in his family die.

On the other side of the mountain, another survivor peered through binoculars as the handcuffed men of neighbouring villages were shot and then buried by a waiting bulldozer. For six days he watched as the extremists filled one grave after another with his friends and relatives.

Between them, the two scenes of horror on Sinjar mountain contain six burial sites and the bodies of more than 100 people, just a small fraction of the mass graves Islamic State extremists have scattered across Iraq and Syria.

72 mass graves have been discovered so far, says a report, with many more expected to be uncovered as the Islamic State group's territory shrinks.

In Syria, locations for 17 mass graves have been discovered, including one with the bodies of hundreds of members of a single tribe all but exterminated when IS extremists took over their region, says the report. For at least 16 of the Iraqi graves, most in territory too dangerous to excavate, officials do not even guess the number of dead.

In others, the estimates are based on memories of traumatised survivors, Islamic State propaganda and what can be gleaned from a cursory look at the earth. Still, even the known victims buried are staggering from 5,200 to more than 15,000.

Sinjar mountain is dotted with mass graves, some in territory clawed back from IS after the group's onslaught against the Yazidi minority in August 2014; others in the deadly no man's land that has yet to be secured.

The bodies of Talal Murat's father, uncles and cousins lie beneath the rubble of the family farm, awaiting a time when it is safe for surviving relatives to return to the place where the men were gunned down. On Sinjar's other flank, Rasho Qassim drives daily past the graves holding the bodies of his two sons.

According to the report, the road is in territory long since seized back, but the five sites are untouched, roped off and awaiting the money or the political will for excavation, as the evidence they contain is scoured away by the wind and baked by the sun.

"We want to take them out of here. There are only bones left. But they said 'No, they have to stay there, a committee will come and exhume them later,'" said Qassim, standing at the edge of the flimsy fence surrounding one site, where his two sons are buried. "It has been two years but nobody has come."

IS made no attempt to hide its atrocities. In fact it boasted of them. But proving what United Nations officials and others have described as an ongoing genocide and prosecuting those behind it will be complicated as the graves deteriorate.
Bangladeshs Supreme Court on Monday rejected Mir Quasem Alis final appeal against a death sentence over atrocities committed during the 1971 war of independence. (Photo: PTI)

Dhaka: Bangladesh's top court on Tuesday rejected a final appeal by the leader of an Islamist party against a death sentence over atrocities committed during the 1971 war of independence, lawyers said, meaning he could be hanged at any time.

Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha turned down the appeal by Mir Quashem Ali of the Jamaat-e-Islami party in the nation's capital, Dhaka.

The verdict comes as the Muslim-majority nation suffers a series of militant attacks, the most serious on July 1, when gunmen stormed a cafe in the capital, Dhaka, and killed 20 hostages, most of them foreigners.

In March, the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty for Ali, 63, a media tycoon and key financier of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, for murder, confinement, torture and incitement to religious hatred during the war to separate from Pakistan.

The war crimes tribunal set up by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2010 has sparked violence and drawn criticism from opposition politicians, including leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami, who say it is victimising her political opponents. The government denies the accusations.

Defence lawyers said Tuesday that Ali and his family would decide whether to seek clemency from the president.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said they were happy with the verdict. At least five people have been executed since the 2010 when the special tribunal was set up to deal with war crimes.

Ali is a member of Jamaat-e-Islami's highest policy-making body and considered to be one of the party's top financiers. He was found guilty on eight charges, two of which carried a death sentence, including the abduction and murder of a young man in a torture cell. Ali was also sentenced to 72 years in prison on the other charges.

Jamaat-e-Islami, which had openly campaigned against independence, has denied committing atrocities.

Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called the trials a long overdue effort to obtain justice for war crimes, four decades after Bangladesh split from Pakistan.

Bangladesh says Pakistani soldiers, aided by local collaborators, killed 3 million people and raped 200,000 women in the 1971 war.
Kyrgyz police officers look at the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. (Photo: AP)

Beijing: China on Tuesday strongly condemned the suicide car bomb attack at its embassy in Kyrgyzstan, the first of its kind on a Chinese diplomatic mission, as an extreme and violent act.

The attack has sent shock waves as Beijing probed the involvement of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), an al-Qaeda affiliated separatist outfit, blamed for a number of violent attacks in the restive Xinjiang, home of Uyghur Muslims.

A van driven by a suicide bomber exploded after ramming through a gate at the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan wounding three people and killing the suicide bomber.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed shock over the attack and condemned it as an extreme and violent act. "This morning Chinese embassy was attacked by car bomb causing minor injuries to three embassy staff. We are deeply shocked by this and strongly condemn this extreme and violent act," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Hua Chunying told a media briefing in Beijing.

The foreign ministry has activated emergency response mechanism and asked the Kyrgyzstan government to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel and "get to the bottom of this incident and bring those involved to justice", Hua said.

Asked whether it was a terrorist attack, she said no organisation has claimed responsibility for this and asked the Kyrgyz government to share the information with China in a timely fashion.

To another query whether China sounded a security alert cfor its diplomatic missions abroad, she said, "We value the safety of the diplomatic missions overseas and we will take all necessary measures to ensure their safety."

Many members of ETIM, who are drawn from Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang bordering Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Afghanistan have joined the Islamic State (IS) to fight in Syria.

China apprehends that many of them may return to carry out attacks in Xinjiang and other parts of China. While China blamed it for terror attacks, the ETIM, a shadowy organisation has never claimed responsibility of the attacks.

In bid to curtail infiltration, China recently formed Quadrilateral Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism involving Afghanistan-China-Pakistan-Tajikistan Armed Forces to step up security along the borders.

It is not clear why China omitted Kyrgyzstan from the border security mechanism.

Besides this the China-Pakistan border police also launched border patrols along the PoK-Xinjiang borders.

China has close security cooperation with Kyrgyzstan which is a member of the Beijing led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Besides China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan are its members.
Beijing: A state-run Chinese daily cried foul on Monday over India's move to extend enhanced compensation for victims of terror to people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi has "lost patience and switched to the expected hardline tone of hostility".

Referring to Modi's comments on Balochistan for the first time, an article in the state-run Global Times website said he is raising it to divert attention from the tense situation prevailing in Kashmir.

"After reluctant attempts to revitalise Indo-Pak relations, Narendra Modi, now in his third year as Indian prime minister, has lost patience and switched to the expected hardline tone of hostility," it said.

Describing the extension of Rs five lakh compensation to the victims of terrorism to people in PoK, as a "provocation", the article said "more importantly, Kashmiris on the Pakistani side of the border can claim this compensation, too".

"This is not the only provocation. Another was his Independence Day address on August 15," it said, referring to Modi's remarks that people of Balochistan, Gilgit and PoK were thanking him for raising human rights violations there.

This is the first time Chinese official media referred to Modi's remarks about PoK and Balochistan, where China is building USD 46 billion Economic Corridor, which was objected to by India as it goes through Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.

"Analysts see the political push as coming from a small team filled by influential ministers and people who are the veterans of the 'cold war' with Pakistan. Some are members of the National Executive of the RSS," it said.

"This risky gesture is not supported by everyone in the Indian government. Outstanding reservations come from his intelligence chiefs and the external affairs ministry," said the article 'Modi's provocations raise risks for India'.

"Why would Modi choose to publicly reference Balochistan when his country kept denying an Indian role there? Even on Kashmir, why would he be so provocative when the Pakistani response will inevitably draw world attention at a time his government is trying to prevent the issue being internationalised?," it said.

"Not surprisingly, there are speculations that Modi is just trying to divert global attention from what's going on in the valley," it said.

"This may only make it even trickier for India to find a resolution by deliberately expanding the range of bilateral conflicts," the article said.

"Another concern for Modi is the 19th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit, which will be held in Pakistan this year. Modi is scheduled to visit Islamabad for the SAARC summit in November, but the impatient prime minister has decided to break up the Indo-Pak impasse to see what can be fished from the troubled waters," it said.

"But the long-term cost will be the moral blow to India when it tries to manage its own insurgencies and secessionist movements, which tends to invite international attention and intervention," it said.
The first lady was invited to his residence, the Pakistan House, to participate in his son's graduation party. (Photo: Twitter)

Islamabad: Pakistan on Tuesday rejected as "baseless" the reports that US has reprimanded its ambassador in Washington after he tweeted an image of him and his wife with the first lady Michelle Obama.

In a statement, the Foreign Office said the media reports published regarding a letter of displeasure from the White House to Pakistan's ambassador to the US Jalil Abbas Jilani was "completely incorrect and baseless".

"No such letter from the White House has been received either in our Mission in Washington or this Ministry. It is nothing but a figment of the Reporter's own imagination," it said.

It further said it was "unethical" on the part of the reporter, based in Washington, to have filed a "baseless story without verifying its authenticity."

In a report, Pakistani daily 'The News International' claimed that in a strongly-worded letter addressed to the ambassador, the White House criticised the actions of Pakistan's top diplomat.

Quoting sources, the paper said the official letter "showed displeasure" and accused the ambassador of breaching trust and being undiplomatic in his action.

It said the letter was sent in connection with a picture tweeted by the ambassador in May.

The tweeted image showed Ambassador Jilani and his wife with the first lady, Michelle. "It was an absolute delight hosting FLOTUS at Pakistan House today," Jilani had said in his tweet

The tweet along with the picture dispensed the impression that Ambassador Jilani has close ties with America's first family, it said.

A section of the press also carried out analysis that Michelle and Ambassador Jilani discussed bilateral relations.

The paper said the White House appeared disappointed by the impression that was forged and reminded in the letter that the first lady's short stopover at the ambassador's residence was personal and extracting any political gain out of that was unprofessional.

Michelle Obama was invited to the ambassador's residence - otherwise known as the Pakistan House - to participate in his son's graduation party.

Ambassador Jilani's youngest son attended the same school as President Obama's daughters Malia and Sasha.

The envoy had removed the image from his twitter feed a few hours after tweeting it.

The paper also reported that when asked to comment on the incident, the ambassador in his one-liner reply termed it "incorrect".

The Pak-US ties strained after Congressional restriction on financing of F-16 fighter jet's sale from Foreign Military Financing programme, due to which Pakistan could not buy the jets.

The relationship further suffered when the US carried out a drone strike in Balochistan, killing the Taliban chief, which was termed by Pakistani leadership a violation of the country's sovereignty.
Words fail to explain the experience of watching a six-year-old sub-adult tigress walking towards your open jeep and semi-circle it at a distance of 10 feet while posing for the cameras, showing off her glittering skin, piercing eyes and a baby bump. Words also fail to explain the enthusiasm of a few of our co-safari tourists, who in an anxiety to save the poor deer, raise their voice to alert the prey, and deprive the cruel predator its meal. But what they dont realise is that their concern for the deer is actually interfering in natures food chain.





Both environmentalists and officials are divided on the issue of whether tourists should be allowed into the world of animals  the forest  or not. While one section strongly argues that the presence of humans in the forests is causing more damage than helping it, the other section feels that we can create awareness among people regarding the importance of forest life by letting them have a first-hand experience. However, both sides unanimously agree that whatever is done inside the forest should be in compliance with the rules.



Responsible tourism

Our approach should be that of responsible eco-tourism, says former principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife), Ravi Ralph. It is only by creating awareness on the importance of forest and wildlife that we can protect these natural resources, and one of the best ways of doing this is by introducing people to forests and helping them understand the natural habitat and behaviour of wild animals, he says.



Ravi adds that each forest has its own tourists carrying capacity and there is a need for regular surveys to assess the total number of tourists who can be allowed inside the forest at a given time. Several studies have shown that the presence of excess humans inside the forest has an adverse impact on the animals.



Ajay Dubey, whose public interest litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court (SC) resulted in the formation of guidelines for tiger safari in India, says that his efforts were not to prevent tourists entering forest but to set rules for ethical and lawful tourism. We should give topmost priority for the rights of speechless animals, especially the predators, during safaris, he said.



Based on his PIL, the Supreme Court set strict rules including specifying the total core area allotted for safari (maximum of 20% of total forest area and minimum of five per cent), the dos and donts for the visitors of safari park. The SC guidelines state that all the visitors should be sensitised about the rules before entering safari, entry into safari should be allowed through eco-friendly vehicles only, no visitor should be allowed inside the safari park on foot under any circumstance, or allowed to carry any forest product (dead or alive) from the reserve forest.



Krupakar B S, renowned wildlife documentary maker, says that revenue is very important for conservation and maintenance of forest assets and one of the main financial sources for the Forest Department is safari. Laws in India are very strong, however, it all depends on the individual officer posted in the forest to enforce the laws. Currently, only 10% of the total forest area is open for the tourists in the State, which is a very small portion compared to remaining core area. We have to make sure that the public becomes a part of conservation efforts, he states.



I can vouch for the Forest Department in Karnataka in the sense that utmost priority is being given to follow the rule book, Ravi says. Several experts opine that while safaris in the national parks in South India are conducted in compliance with the government rules, the same cant be said about the national parks in North and West India.



Santosh Martin, a Ballari-based environmentalist, argues that by letting tourists venture into a small portion of the forest, we have restricted the forest officials to concentrate only on that demarked area. The argument that by letting tourists inside the forest, the officials are succeeding in controlling poaching and other illegal activities, does not hold any substance as poachers are or may be active in the non-tourists zones.



Kaziranga National Park in Assam is the best example for this. Despite the national park opening its doors for tourists, poaching of rhinos has continued unabated. Normally, forest officials get information about illegal activities inside the forest through forest guards or the local people, explains Santosh.



Joseph Hover, a member of the Karnataka State Wildlife Board, is against tourists venturing into forest even under the guidance of forest guards. Apart from increasing the carbon footprint inside the forest area, the tourists are doing no good to the forest, he says and adds that the number of people visiting the forest with the idea of protecting the wildlife is very less. There have also been incidents, where based on the locations tagged by camera-toting Facebook-inspired environmentalists, the poachers have been successful in laying a trap for the animals, he says.



Most of the canter and jeep drivers, who ply tourists inside the forest, are well versed with the forest and its inhabitants. Patient ears to their words would really serve the purpose with which the safaris are arranged. However, most of the visitors do not do so; for them, bravado matters over the concerns of the environment.


The large-scale, long-term decline in wild bees across England has been linked to the use of neonicotinoid insecticides by a new study. Over 18 years, researchers analysed bees who forage heavily on oilseed rape, a crop widely treated with neonics. The scientists attribute half of the total decline in wild bees to the use of these chemicals. Industry sources say the study shows an association, not a cause and effect.



In recent years, several studies, conducted in the lab and in the field, have identified a negative effect on honey bees and bumble bees from the use of neonics. But few researchers have looked at the long-term impacts of these substances. This new paper examined the impacts on populations of 62 species of wild bees across England over the period from 1994-2011. The team, from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), used distribution data on wild bees, excluding honey and bumblebees collected by the bees, ants and wasps recording scheme. They were able to compare the locations of these bees and their changing populations with growing patterns of oilseed rape across England over 18 years. The amount of this crop being sown has increased significantly over the period of the study, from around 5,00,000 hectares in 1994 to over 7,00,000 in 2011.



A key innovation was the commercial licensing of neonicotinoid insecticides for the crop in the UK in 2002. Seeds are coated with the chemical and every part of the plant becomes toxic to pests. Manufacturers hailed the development as a major advance, reducing the need for leaf spraying with other insecticides. Around 85% of the oilseed rape crop in England now uses this method for pest protection. But this new work suggests, for the first time, that the detrimental impacts seen in the lab can be linked to large scale population extinctions of wild bees, especially for those species of bees that spend longer foraging on oilseed rape.



The negative effects that have been reported previously do scale up to long-term, large-scale multi-species impacts that are harmful, said Dr Nick Isaac, a co-author of the new paper.



There was a decline in the number of populations of 10%, attributable to neonicotinoids, across the 34 species that forage on oilseed rape. Five of the species showed declines of 20% or more, with the worst affected declining by 30%. Overall, half the total decline in wild bees could be linked to the chemicals.



Historically, if you just have oilseed rape, many bees tend to benefit from that because it is this enormous foraging resource all over the countryside, said lead author Dr Ben Woodcock from the CEH. But this co-relation study suggests that once its treated with neonicotinoids up to 85%, then they are starting to be exposed and its starting to have these detrimental impacts on them. The authors acknowledge that their study finds an association and doesnt prove a cause and effect link between the use of neonicotinoids and the decline of bee populations.



The manufacturers of the chemicals agree that it is an interesting statistical study, but they argue that intensive farming and not just a single insecticide might be the real cause of the decline. The European Food Safety Authority is currently conducting a review of the scientific evidence about neonicotinoids. An EU-wide moratorium on their use was implemented in 2013 and is still in place. This new work is likely to be part of that review, along with another, major field study due to be out in the Autumn. However, the National Farmers Union (NFU) says that it doesnt make a convincing case about the extinction of bees in England.



The scientists involved in the wild bee study caution against simplistic solutions to the problems of pollinators. They say a holistic approach to the use of insecticides must be taken and they are lukewarm about the idea of banning chemicals. When you grow oilseed rape you cant do it without pesticides, theres an underlying reality to this, said Dr Ben.



Just because you say dont use neonicotinoids anymore, the likelihood is that another pesticide is going to have to be used to compensate for that, that is going to have impacts on runoffs into waterways and on other species that you can control for.


India and the US today signed an important agreement that will make the two nations logistical allies and enable both the militaries to use each other's assets and bases for repair and replenishment of supplies.



Welcoming the signing of the bilateral 'Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement' (LEMOA), Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said the pact will facilitate opportunities for "practical engagement and exchange".



LEMOA facilitates the provision of logistical support, supplies, and services between the US

and Indian militaries on a reimbursable basis, and provides a framework to govern them.



"They agreed on the importance (that) this framework will provide to facilitate innovative and advanced opportunities in defence technology and trade cooperation. To this end, the US has agreed to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with its closest allies and partners," said a joint statement after the pact was signed.



According to the statement, the defence ties between the two countries is based on their "shared values and interests," and their "abiding commitment to global peace and security."



During their meeting, Parrikar and Carter discussed the "wealth of progress" in bilateral cooperation and deepening strategic partnership between the United States and India.



The US has agreed to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with its closest allies and partners.



The visit  their sixth official interaction to date  demonstrates the importance both sides place on strengthening defence ties across many areas: from strategic and regional cooperation, to deepened military-to-military exchanges, to expanded collaboration on defence technology and innovation, it said.



Welcoming India's membership in the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), Carter reaffirmed US support for India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).



Acknowledging India's positive contributions to regional security and stability, including in matters beyond the maritime space, Carter and Parrikar announced their agreement to further consultations in the area, including through the next Maritime Security Dialogue, scheduled later this year.



During his stay in the US, Parrikar will visit Boeing's manufacturing facility at Philadelphia. He would also interact with American defence industry representatives at an event organised by the US-India Business Council (USIBC). Earlier today, Parrikar was accorded an enhanced honor cordon by Carter after he arrived at the Pentagon here.



The enhanced honour is reserved for valued guests. During normal cordon, visitors are greeted at the Pentagon stairs and welcomed with handshakes, before proceeding inside.



During the enhanced honour cordon, national anthems are played. Parrikar, accompanied by Carter, also laid a wreath at the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial. Carter and Parrikar noted the recent official exchanges, including the visit to New Delhi of General John Nicholson for consultations on Afghanistan, as well as by the Secretary of the



US Navy and the Secretary of the US Air Force this month. They welcomed the progress achieved under the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) so far. In Delhi in July this year, India and the US decided to broaden its agenda by setting up five joint working groups on naval systems, air systems, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, chemical and biological protection, and other systems.



The two leaders noted the signing of an information exchange annex under the framework of the Aircraft Carrier Joint Working Group.



Carter and Parrikar agreed to continue their close consultation on 'Make in India' proposals and praised the discussions at the inaugural Maritime Security Dialogue held in May.



They welcomed the conclusion of the bilateral 'White Shipping' technical arrangement for data sharing on commercial shipping traffic and also discussed cooperation on capabilities to augment India's capacity for maritime domain awareness (MDA).



Welcoming the continued efforts by the militaries of the two countries to deepen bilateral cooperation and expand opportunities for greater collaboration, the two leaders commended the recent completion of the Malabar naval exercise with Japan and India's participation in the Rim-of-the-Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise in Hawaii, as well as the Red Flag Air Force Exercise in Alaska.



They were encouraged by increased complexity in the 'Yudh Abhyas' Army exercise scheduled in September in India. The two leaders agreed to facilitate greater and regular interactions to deepen mutual understanding between military services and promote practical cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as counter-terrorism, maritime security, special operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.


Visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry and his convoy were stuck in massive traffic near Satya Marg here this evening due to waterlogging caused by heavy rains while on his way to the hotel from the IGI airport.





The convoy of Kerry, who arrived here to participate in the 2nd Indo-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, was heading to the hotel in Chanakyapuri in south Delhi when it was stuck in the traffic jam near Satya Marg today, an official said.



Senior Delhi Police and traffic officials declined to share details of the incident claiming it was a "security matter".



Mediapersons, accompanying Kerry's convoy, posted on social media pictures of vehicles stuck up.



Officials sought to downplay the incident saying the convoy was not stuck but had only slowed down due to heavy traffic and rainfall.



The capital received heavy rains in the evening with the Safdarjung observatory recording 15.2 mm rainfall while the reading at Palam observatory was 8 mm.



Vehicular movement was affected across the city with traffic crawling at various major intersections.
A leading Australian daily today said it will not be publishing more confidential data on the Indian Scorpene Class submarines after a court imposed a temporary ban on further publication of the documents.



The New South Wales Supreme Court issued the order yesterday and ordered 'The Australian' to remove documents from its website, from which the newspaper had already redacted security-sensitive material, and to give French defence firm DCNS all of the company material in its possession by 5 PM tomorrow, according to media reports.



The court's order came following an affidavit filed by DCNS which sought a ban on the publication of the sensitive documents by 'The Australian'.



The court's order preventing the newspaper from using the leaked material expires at 5 PM on Thursday. The case will again be listed for hearing on Thursday in the Supreme Court.



In its affidavit, DCNS said the disclosure of the material had caused a prejudice against it because its competitors now have access to some of the company's material, according to media reports.



The massive media coverage of the leak had jeopardised the company's international image and reputation, the affidavit was quoted as saying.



"The sensitive and protected nature of the documents also covers the nature, structure and the mere existence of the documents themselves," it said.



A day after the court's ruling, The Australian's Associate Editor Cameron Stewart said, "there are very large documents but we are certainly not publishing more documents".



Asked if the paper intends to bring up any of the documents when the injunction ends, he told an Indian TV channel that, "No, we don't. I'm not involved in the court process. I can't comment very much and there are no plans to post any more items."



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 the French company, have been leaked.



The French public prosecutor has opened a preliminary investigation into the data leak, with DCNS filing a complaint of breach of trust.
A second-year Delhi University student was set afire by her stalker in North West Delhis Mukundpur after the girl refused to marry him.



The girl, 21, is in intensive care unit of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospitals burns ward with 70% burn injuries, said police.



She is still in a serious condition. Next 48 hours would be crucial for her life, said Vijay Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North West).



The incident evoked angry response from the Aam Aadmi Party government which blamed Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung for the spurt in crimes against women.



What is this going on in Delhi LG sahib n PM sahib? Do something, tweeted Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The main accused Abhishek, 21, and seven other co-accused have been arrested and slapped with charges of attempt to murder,voluntarily causing hurt, house trespass, and acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention.



Abhishek, a dairy owner, who used to live near the girls house, had been following her whenever she used to venture out of her house, police said.



The girl was doing her graduation from Delhi University through correspondence. The accused had been forcing her to accept him as her lover but she never responded to him, the police officer added.



The girls brother was allegedly also against their relationship because Abhishek was from a different caste. According to locals, Abhishek belonged to the Valmiki community while the girl was a Rajput.



The incident happened on Saturday evening when the girl showed her brother Dharmendra, 25, an SMS which she had received from Abhishek.



In the message the accused had asked her to marry him, said a police officer. Dharmendra went to Abhisheks house and warned him against following his sister.



After confronting Abhishek, Dharmendra came back home. He stayed at the house for a while and then went out to meet someone, said Manoj, a local.



In the meantime, around 9 pm, Abhishek arrived at the girls house with 10-12 other men, which included his uncles and brother. They then started beating the family members. He didnt even spare the girls mother, said police.



The girl ran on the top floor of the house to save herself, but was chased down by the group.



After cornering the girl, Abhishek again asked her to marry him which the girl refused point-blank.



An enraged Abhishek then opened a nearby kerosene stoves lid and pour out the fuel on the hapless girl.



He then lit a match stick and threw it on the kerosene-drenched girl before running downstairs, said Manoj.



Meanwhile, Dharmendra along with one of his friends also arrived at home. Seeing Dharmendra, Abhishek and his colleagues started beating him with iron rods. Dharmendra was beaten on his head, chest and abdomen. Even his friend was not spared, said Manoj.



When the assailants left the house, the girls family members went upstairs and doused the fire.



She was rushed to Jehangirpuris Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital from where she was referred to LNJP, said police.



Investigation is on as some of the accused are still at large.


Holding his first public rally in poll-bound Gujarat after taking office in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today reached out to farmers from the heartland of the restive Patel community after launching an irrigation project.



Modi also launched a veiled attack on the Congress after inaugurating the first phase of the ambitious Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (Sauni) project here, saying that polls can be won by dangling baits and "throwing pieces" but a country can't be run by doing so.



Targeting the Congress which had questioned the timing of his visit to poll-bound Gujarat, Modi said his government does not believe in "throwing pieces" to attract voters.



"You can win polls by throwing pieces, but you cannot run a country by doing so. We do not believe in throwing pieces. We worked hard for almost 15 years for this project to bring transformation and development," Modi told a huge gathering at Sanosara village in Jamnagar district in the patidar(or patel)-dominated Saurashtra region.



Water is a politically sensitive issue in Gujarat, which the BJP plans to cash in before the 2017 Assembly polls to revive its fortunes, specially at the time when it is facing challenges like Patel quota agitation and Dalit uprising.



The Congress has termed the inauguration of Sauni scheme at this juncture by the Prime Minister as an attempt to give a message to voters ahead of the polls.



In his address, Modi stressed on conserving water and remembered his days as Gujarat Chief Minister when people did not understood his vision to bring transformation in agriculture sector.



"After I became Gujarat's CM for the first time (in 2001), I used to tell farmers that instead of fighting against government to get more electricity for irrigation, they should focus more on water management. However, I failed to make them understand for almost 2-3 years" said Modi.



"At that time, I faced lot of protests by farmers. They used to burn my effigies. But, I remained firm on my vision. Today, I want to thank farmers of Gujarat for accepting my vision of conserving water through sprinklers, drip irrigation and micro irrigation tools, which significantly brought up ground water levels," said Modi.



He added that water of Narmada river has now reached till the extreme end of parched Kutch region and helped farmers to a great extent.



"Narmada waters have reached till Khavda in Kutch. There was a time when camels were used to transport water to our BSF jawans posted there. They used to get small quantity of water for drinking. But now, they use Narmada water for even bathing," said Modi.



"We worked on the motto of Jai Jawan and Jai Kisan. Water from Narmada has transformed the lives of farmers too. This season, farmers of Kutch exported 70,000 tonnes of Kesar mangoes" added Modi.



Remembering the day when Modi first coined the idea of Sauni scheme, the PM said that people had apprehensions about the success of this project initially.



"On September 25, 2012, I made a presentation about SAUNI project in Rajkot during a program organised to celebrate the birth anniversary of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay. All the representatives of Saurashtra region present in the hall were surprised to know about this scheme and felt that it can ever be accomplished," said Modi.



"The work started in February 2014, after which, I left Gujarat (to become PM). Then, (former CM) Anandiben Patel took over the task of completing the project and finally (current CM) Vijay Rupani and (Deputy CM) Nitin Patel's team sped up the task. And today, the project has become a reality," said Modi. He added that a total of 115 dams will be filled up under this project. Modi stated that agriculture production in Saurashtra region was growing at a rapid pace due to the Narmada canal network.



"In Saurashtra alone, cotton production has grown by 370 per cent, groundnut production registered a growth of 600 per cent and wheat production by 300 per cent. I wonder what will happen when farmers will get some more water under this project. This water is no less than gold for them," said Modi. Under the SAUNI scheme, the Gujarat government plans to fill 115 dams of Saurashtra region with excess overflowing water of Sardar Sarovar dam across river Narmada, by web of pipeline networks.



The Rs 12,000 crore scheme aims to take excess water of Sardar Sarovar Dam on river Narmada all the way to 115 dams of parched Saurashtra region. During monsoon, on an average, around three MAFt (million acre feet) water overflows from the dam is wasted, as it goes to sea. The project is divided in four phases. In the first phase, which was inaugurated by Modi today, ten dams including Aji-3, will get excess water of Narmada. Modi termed the entire project as an "engineering milestone", for which, the entire nation can take pride.



"Saurashtra's landscape is like an inverted saucer, which forces us to lift water. In such adverse scenario, it is not a small achievement to complete such large network. People of India should understand and appreciate this engineering wonder," said Modi. Modi also listed the Central government's pro-farmers schemes like Pradhan Mantri Fasal Vima Yojana, turnaround of urea production and Pradhan Mantri Sichai Yojana for the benefits of the farmers.


Pakistan today rejected as "baseless" the reports that US has reprimanded its ambassador in Washington after he tweeted an image of him and his wife with the first lady Michelle Obama.



In a statement, the Foreign Office said the media reports published regarding a letter of displeasure from the White House to Pakistan's ambassador to the US Jalil Abbas Jilani was "completely incorrect and baseless".



"No such letter from the White House has been received either in our Mission in Washington or this Ministry. It is nothing but a figment of the Reporter's own imagination," it said.



It further said it was "unethical" on the part of the reporter, based in Washington, to have filed a "baseless story without verifying its authenticity."



In a report, Pakistani daily 'The News International' claimed that in a strongly-worded letter addressed to the ambassador, the White House criticised the actions of Pakistan's top diplomat.



Quoting sources, the paper said the official letter "showed displeasure" and accused the ambassador of breaching trust and being undiplomatic in his action.



It said the letter was sent in connection with a picture tweeted by the ambassador in May.

The tweeted image showed Ambassador Jilani and his wife with the first lady, Michelle. "It was an absolute delight hosting FLOTUS at Pakistan House today," Jilani had said in his tweet.



The tweet along with the picture dispensed the impression that Ambassador Jilani has close ties with Americas first family, it said.



A section of the press also carried out analysis that Michelle and Ambassador Jilani discussed bilateral relations.



The paper said the White House appeared disappointed by the impression that was forged and reminded in the letter that the first lady's short stopover at the ambassador's residence was personal and extracting any political gain out of that was unprofessional.



Michelle was invited to the ambassador's residence  otherwise known as the Pakistan House  to participate in his son's graduation party.



Ambassador Jilani's youngest son attended the same school as President Obama's daughters Malia and Sasha.



The envoy had removed the image from his twitter feed a few hours after tweeting it.



The paper also reported that when asked to comment on the incident, the ambassador in his one-liner reply termed it as "incorrect".



The Pak-US ties strained after Congressional restriction on financing of F-16 fighter jet's sale from Foreign Military Financing programme, due to which Pakistan could not buy the jets.



The relationship further suffered when the US carried out a drone strike in Balochistan, killing the Taliban chief, which was termed by Pakistani leadership a violation of the country's sovereignty.
Trade unions today said they will go ahead with nation-wide strike on September 2, rejecting as "completely inadequate" the government's 42 per cent hike in minimum wage to Rs 350 per day.



"The government's minimum wage announcement is completely inadequate. The strike stands and we demand they should enact a law to fix minimum (universal) wage," All India Trade Union Congress General Secretary Gurudas Dasgupta said.



Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced a slew of labour-friendly measures including hiking of minimum wage to Rs 350 a day for unskilled non-agricultural workers for 'C' category areas in central sphere.



Calculated monthly, it comes to Rs 9,100 minimum income (for 26 days) which is way below the unions' demand of Rs 18,000. Initially, the unions had demanded Rs 15,000 as minimum monthly income for daily wagers but the demand was revised after the government accepted the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission.



Asked whether this will be a benchmark wage for the entire country, Labour Secretary Shankar Aggarwal said that this is for workers in central sphere and states can fix a minimum wage lower or higher than this rate.



Explaining further, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said that an amendment in the Minimum Wage Act is required for fixing a universal minimum wage and an initiative has been taken in this direction.



"Finance Minister's statement clearly shows that the government has not considered any of the demands in our 12-point charter. The unions have no other alternative but to fight for their rights," Indian National Trade Union Congress Vice-President Ashok Singh said.



However, RSS affiliate Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh has lauded the government's announcements and decided to abstain from the general strike on September 2. "We welcome it and are satisfied by the increase in minimum wages. BMS will not participate in the strike," BMS General Secretary Virjesh Upadhyay said. Besides increasing the minimum wage, government has decided to pay bonus for 2014-15 and 2015-16 to central government employees based on revised norms. This will have annual financial implication of Rs 1,920 crore.



It has also assured that the amendment in the payment of Bonus Act will be implemented strictly and it will support the cause of unions in high courts and the Supreme Court. Dattatreya said that 97 cases regarding implementation of amendments in Payment of Bonus Act are pending in 14 High Courts and the Supreme Court.



The government is trying to get stay orders vacated for implementation of the changes in Payment of Bonus Act, he said. Of the 12 demands put forth by the trade unions, only 8 are related to labour issues and the government is working on seven of them, he added.



The government also said that it will issue advisories to states for ensuring completion of trade union registration within 45 days. Jaitley said registration of contract workers and their staffing agencies is mandatory and states will be advised to strictly implement them. Errant contractors will face appropriate action for violation of law, he warned.



The issue of giving social security benefit to the unorganised sector (like Anganwadi, mid-day meal, Asha volunteers) will be examined by a committee which will submit its report at the "earliest".

Asked about the strike call, Jaitley said: "I think we have responsible trade unions."



On the unions' opposition to government plans to merge associate banks of SBI with the parent bank, Jaitley said, "The merger is not subject of trade unions. Their service conditions are not being hurt adversely or affected at all.



"There will be no impact of merger on service conditions of any employee. If government decides that we need strong banks, then unions would have to change their approach to the whole issue". Asked about not calling trade unions other than BMS by inter-ministerial group on labour issues, Dattatrey said later that he held a meeting with all trade unions on July 18, 2016.



All India Trade Union Congress Secretary D L Sachdev said the unions had asked for another round of discussions with the ministerial group, but they held two such rounds with BMS only earlier this month.



The ministerial panel had met trade unions to discuss their charter of demands on August 26-27, 2015. After that, the panel had only called BMS for two rounds of discussions earlier this month. The joint declaration issued by the 10 central trade unions issued on August 18, 2016 stated: "It is unfortunate that during the past one year, the group of ministers appointed for discussion with CTUOs (unions) on 12-point charter has not convened a single meeting, but has been only talking to BMS which has not joined the strike call."



It added: "The CTOUs condemn the move of the central government to divide the workers in the face of ongoing strike campaign and create confusion through making misleading statements..." The 10 central trade unions have given a call for one-day pan-India strike on September 2, 2016, to protest against the government's labour reforms and not paying heed to their demands.


Political leaders and the people, who had welcomed the entry of Dr Yatindra, second son of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, into public life as a positive sign have turned averse to his frequent public appearances and inspection of lakes and canals with government officials

.



The entry of Dr Yatindra follows the untimely demise of his elder brother Rakesh, who was deemed as the heir apparent of Siddaramaiah. Rakesh fell ill after he participated in Tomorrowland festival in Belgium and was rushed to a hospital in Brussels. However, he failed to respond to the treatment. Even the procedure of flying the body of Rakesh from Brussels to Bengaluru; from Bengaluru to Mysuru; and the display of the body at the Exhibition Grounds was an example in itself.



The whole Cabinet, the Secretariat, the district administration and the police force had descended on the Exhibition Grounds for the occasion. People also made a beeline to the grounds from in and around the city and also from distant districts.



People did not object to the misuse of the government and official machinery for the procedures as they sympathised with the chief minister, who was in grief.



However, over the past one week, Dr Yatindra has become very active. After meeting the party workers and well-wishers on August 24, he has inspected the entire stretch of the Varuna canal and the lakes on its way. He recently shared the dais with his father during the valedictory of the centenary celebrations of the late seer Shivaratri Rajendra Swami at Suttur in Nanjangud taluk.



On Tuesday, he sat along with the chief ministers Joint Secretary M Ramaiah at the chief ministers constituency office on the premises of the Zilla Panchayat to receive petitions. He also accompanied the chief minister on Tuesday morning, while he inspected the spot where a portion of the Devaraja Market had collapsed on Sunday. So, the general opinion among the people is that while Rakesh worked in the background for his father, without attracting any publicity, Dr Yatindra has come out more openly.



A de-facto MLA

Dr B H Manjunath, president of the city (district) BJP, said, Dr Yatindra is acting like a de-facto MLA and the days are not far when he will act as the de-facto CM. He is wielding power without accountability. Hereditary politics is in the DNA of the Congress and the JD(S). But, Dr Yatindras conduct seems to be blatant. The chief minister should take note of this in the interest of the voters, who have elected him.



N R Ravichandregowda, president of the city JD(S) legal cell, said this is not a good development.



The chief minister has plans to contest from Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency in the 2018 election. So, he wants to groom Dr Yatindra for Varuna constituency. It has to be recalled that former Zilla Panchayat president K Marigowda was also interfering in the affairs of Chamundeshwari constituency as he was supported by Siddaramaiah. The then DC C Shikha had objected to his behaviour from the beginning, he said.



However, Constitution expert C K N Raja, said, There is nothing wrong in Dr Yatindra acting on behalf of his father with the latters permission. But he has no official role and cannot attend meetings like his father.


Barely a kilometre away from the headquarters of the Kolkata Police, a number of veteran Maoist leaders met to condole the death of their comrade Himadri Sen Roy.





Many of those who attended the meet were members of the banned outfits polit bureau and central committee.



The city police, however, remained oblivious to the first public event of the Maoists.

The condolence meeting, which took place at Bharat Sabha Hall in central Kolkata, was pre-scheduled, said those who organised the event on Monday.



The main speakers  Narayan Sanyal, Purnendu Sekhar Mukherjee, Chandi Sarkar and Gour Chakraborty  all of them septuagenarians, were released on bail in the last couple of months, after spending several years in jail.
Blood drive set for Schuyler

SCHUYLER -- The Knights of Columbus will sponsor a blood drive from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 6 at St. Augustine Parish Hall.

Donors will receive a Red Cross duffle bag, while supplies last.

For an appointment, call Paul Doerneman at 402-352-3092 or visit www.redcrossblood.org, search sponsor code SchuylerNebraska.

WinnaVegas bus trip Sept. 19

SCHUYLER -- The Colfax County Senior Center in Schuyler will host a WinnaVegas Casino bus trip as a fundraiser on Sept. 19.

The bus will leave the senior center at 8 a.m. Reservations are due by Sept. 16.

For more information or to make a reservation, call 402-615-0353 or 402-615-0857.

Adult education classes planned

Central Community College is offering adult education classes during the 2016 fall semester in various Nebraska communities.

Adult education includes assistance with basic reading, writing, math and spelling skills; drills and special instruction through the English as a Second Language Program; citizenship classes; and preparation for the Nebraska high school diploma (GED) exam.

All adult education classes are open to individuals 16 years or older who are not enrolled in secondary school. Students must pay a $20 registration fee at least two weeks prior to attending orientation. The fee should accompany a registration/receipt form that students can pick up at their local adult education classroom.

A fee also is charged for each of the four GED tests.

For more information, contact Ann Chambers in Grand Island at 308-398-7446 or toll-free at 1-877-222-0780, ext. 7446, or one of the following local coordinators: Columbus, St. Edward and Schuyler - Mary Wiegand at 402-562-1432 or toll-free at 1-877-222-0780, ext. 1432; Schuyler Cargill - Vicki Pribil at 402-352-8221.

Get emergency notifications

COLUMBUS -- Columbus and Platte County have changed vendors for the provision of emergency notification messages.

Emergency response agencies in Columbus and Platte County are able to send out emergency alerts via text message, email, pager, or voice mail (in extreme cases).

Those who are interested in receiving messages on their cell phones or VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) telephones should go to the registration page at http://public.alertsense.com/SignUp/?regionid=1204.

The system is intended to be used for emergency alerts, as well as non-emergency incidents that may have significant impacts to residents.

In addition to receiving information on a wireless device, citizens may also receive notification on land telephone lines depending on the type of incident or event.
With the existing police system considerably alienated from the rural mass, a new study has suggested that there is an urgent need for increased involvement of panchayats in the functioning of the police.





There should be one police station per panchayat in order to have a better working relationship and sharing of budget and other schemes between these two institutions at the local level, according to Local Self Governance and Policing: a study on two Grama Panchayats of Thrissur District, Kerala by Sony Kunjappan.



The study based on Janamaithri Suraksha Project and Jagratha Samithi (Vigilance Committees) in two gram panchayats in Kerala was aimed at examining the functional relationship between grama panchayat and the police in rural policing, thereby exploring ways to strengthen the rural citizens access to justice.



Acknowledging that the existing police system continues to produce fear and inaccessibility in time of need, the study commissioned by the Bureau of Police Research and Development said the police stations should not be viewed as symbols of a foreign power or an alien form of government imposed on the local community.



Police stations must be transformed into centres of justice where citizens may enter with confidence to demand that their rights of citizenship be secured. For this, a policing system that interacts directly with the people must be created, the study said while commending the Kerala Police initiative of Janamaithri Suraksha Project.



The study said that the police stations do not have enough staff and each one caters to more than one local body.



It goes on to suggest the need for outsourcing the functions of service of summons, escort and such general duties to appropriate agencies.



There is also an urgent need for increased involvement of local government in the functioning of the police, it said adding, police functions such as traffic control and solving minor law and order problems should come under local self governments. It needs transfer of most of the police functions along with the personnel to the local self governments over a period of time. With politicisation of police causing considerable amount of barriers to human rights based policing, the study said, insulating the institution of police from politics and related dynamics are of paramount importance towards ensuring the constitutional mandate of equal treatment for all citizens before law.


Hundreds of farmers from the Cauvery Delta region were arrested on Tuesday when they staged protests and tried to block rail and road traffic at different places across the state, seeking immediate release of the Cauvery water from Karnataka.





The protests were held following Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's announcement that his government was not in a position to release the Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and, would face legally the case filed by the neighbouring state in the Supreme Court seeking release of the Cauvery water.



The police arrested hundreds of farmers in the Delta districts of Thanjavur, Trichy, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam, who were backed by various political parties including the opposition DMK, the Congress, the Tamil Maanila Congress, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, when they tried to hinder rail traffic. This is the second time in less than a month, the Delta farmers have organised a state-wide bandh.



The protesting farmers sought setting up of the Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee for implementing the final verdict of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal. They demanded that the state government lead an all-party delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to solve the Cauvery issue immediately.



Tension prevailed for a while after railway services were affected in several districts including Chennai, when farmers had a scuffle with the police and entered railway stations to block movement of trains. Farmers organised demonstrations on more than 1,000 roads and at 100 railway junctions. Traffic on several highways, including Tiruvarur-Tanjavur and Nagapattinam-Karaikal was affected as farmers blocked the roads with huge tree branches and stones.



Shops and business establishments in the Delta districts remained closed. Lorry owners, merchant welfare societies, milk vendors federation, railway labourers association, mine labourers organisation and cotton labourers association among others supported the stir. Agriculturists from Pudukottai and Cuddalore, under the aegis of Tamil Nadu Farmers Association also organised rallies in support of the Delta farmers.




India has witnessed a marginal 2% decrease in sexual offences in 20151.30 lakh as against 1.32 lakh in 2014but activists warn against going just by the numbers.





The latest Crime in India 2015 report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) gives a picture of a decrease in the number of cases of rape and insult to modesty of women, while that of attempt to commit rape and assault on women is on the rise. Overall, there is a decrease of 2,744 cases.



However, All India Progressive Womens Association secretary Kavita Krishnan said the right way to read statistics on sexual violence is to do it with a great deal of caution.



It is not an easy assumption because the reporting of cases is much distorted. There is under reporting though there has been a very slight improvement. Also, there are cases that are reported as sexual offences, which are not like in many elopement cases. I have learnt not to read too much into statistics, she told DH. The actual incidents may be extremely high and what we need is to look at the experience of women these days, Krishnan, who was at the forefront of the protests against the December 2012 gang rape of a young woman in Delhi in a moving bus, said.



Though there could be some false cases, she said victims of sexual violence still do not get a friendly hand from the authorities, especially in cases where they are not grievously injured.



Madhya Pradesh (4,391), Maharashtra (4,144) and Uttar Pradesh (3,644) topped the list in rape cases, while Delhi too had high numbers at 2,199 cases. Karnataka had 589 cases.



With the number of rape cases decreasing, the crime rate regarding sexual offences has also dropped to 21.4 per one lakh women from 22.16.


Despite lifting of the curfew, clashes continued in Kashmir for the 53rd day in a row on Tuesday.





Reports said 50 people were injured after forces foiled protest rallies in areas of south Kashmir. Amid the shutdown, women protesting at at various places on the call of separatists, were also held.



Twenty people sustained injuries after security forces tried to foil a protest rally in Wathoo village of Shopian district. Earlier on Tuesday, security forces vandalised the venue where the rally was scheduled and beat up the volunteers who were making arrangements, according to witnesses.



They also fired teargas shells and pellets on the people who tried to resist their move injuring at least 20, they said.



In a similar incident in Panzath village in Anantnag district, 10 people sustained injuries. In Dooru area of Anantnag 10 people, including an elderly woman, were injured when security personnel used force to disperse a protest rally.



Reports said six people were injured after forces conducted nocturnal raids in Srandoo village of Kulgam in south Kashmir, beat up inmates and tried to arrest the youths. In Srinagar, clashes erupted between stone-pelting youths and security forces in Batamaloo, Nowhatta and Khanyar areas in which several people were injured. The house of a senior photo journalist working with an international agency was damaged by forces in Batamaloo area. I wasnt home, when the forces attacked my house. Locals told me that they threw stones at my house. It was a joint team of the police and the CRPF. My wife, who isnt keeping well, fainted, Danish Ismail, who works with Reuters said.



A police spokesman said curfew has been lifted from Kashmir except in the limits of two police stations of Nowhatta and M R Gunj in Srinagar.



Greater movement of private and passenger vehicular traffic and people was observed in major areas of the Valley including Srinagar city today (Tuesday), the police said.



However, despite lifting of the curfew, the police and paramilitary forces were manning the streets across Kashmir, while the Army was deployed at several places along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway. Curfew was lifted on August 29 from most parts of Kashmir. It was lifted from the restive Pulwama town following a gradual improvement in the situation.


Puducherry on Tuesday approached the Supreme Court seeking direction to Karnataka to release immediately at least 57 tmcft of water at Billigundlu reservoir, to receive its share of at least 7 tmc ft of water from Tamil Nadu to save the standing crops in Karaikal region.





The union territory, which identified itself as Pondicherry in an application, contended that Karnataka denied the share of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry without any compunction, despite receiving copious rainfall in 2016.



Ktaka flouting directions

Karnataka was, with impunity, flouting the directions of the supervisory committee and denying the allotted share of the Cauvery river water to the lower riparians, it said.



Karnataka did not care to give the minimum requirement for Tamil Nadu as well as Pondicherry. So far as Pondicherry is concerned, their standing crop of paddy is now perishing, it maintained.



Supporting Tamil Nadu's plea for 50 tmcft of Cauvery water for its samba crops, the union territory claimed that during the agricultural year, Karaikal region did not receive any water from Tamil Nadu, since they could not provide it.


Taking exception to junior police officials using social media to vent their ire against senior police officers, Home Minister G Parameshwara said that he has sought reports pertaining to the matter.





Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on Tuesday, Parameshwara said that disciplinary action would be initiated against the officials, if need be.



On Monday, Gayathri Farhan, police sub-inspector, Ballari had detailed the plight of women police officers in the department, on Facebook.



The same day, another woman police official, Revathi, had resigned from her post after she was suspended on the charge of dereliction of duty. Revathi was serving as a sub-inspector in Bhatkal town police station, Uttar Kannada.



A few months ago, Kudligi DySP Anupama Shenoy too had taken to the social media to express her angst against her seniors, before quitting the service. The minister said that he had taken serious note of all these developments.



He, however, said that counselling sessions would be organised for senior police officers to create awareness on the ill-effects of harassment.


Intellectuals and social activists on Tuesday gave state government two weeks to make a formal public statement on what it is doing to trace the killers of researcher and rationalist Dr M M Kalburgi.





People from a cross-section of society converged here under the auspices of Dr Kalburgi, Pansare, Dabholkar Hatya Virodhi Vedike to mark the first anniversary of the renowned scholars murder. They took out a silent rally from Soujanya, Kalburgis residence at Kalyan Nagar, passed through main streets of the city and converged at the RLS ground. The scholar was shot dead at point blank range at his residence on August 30, 2015.



The convention asked the government to make tangible efforts in the case and update Kalburgis family on the status of investigation.



Writers G N Devy, Rajendra Chenni, Narahalli Balakrishna, B T Lalita Naik, Siddalinga Pattenashetty and family members of Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar from Maharashtra took part in the programme. The Special Investigation Team made some progress in the murder of my father and arrested some people only after the Bombay High Court took it to task. The Karnataka police have no clue on the killers of Dr Kalburgi even after a year of his death, said Mukta Dabholkar, daughter of Dr Dabholkar. She said the High Court of Karnataka could expedite the investigation in the Kalburgi murder case.



Killers will be nabbed soon

Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday reiterated his confidence that the CID would apprehend the killers of Kalburgi shortly, reports DHNS.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he insisted that the CID had made steady progress in the case. He said that a large number of police personnel were working on the case and that the CID was in regular touch with the CBI which is hunting for the killers of Dabholkar. The government has taken serious note of the case. We consider it a national issue. Just because its been a year since the murder, it doesnt mean investigation has slowed down, he said.
The state government on Tuesday sought more grants from the Centre for construction of toilets under Swachh Bharat scheme.





Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru after holding a meeting with Union Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation Ramesh Jigajinagi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the state had set a target of constructing 12 lakh toilets in 2016-17 at a cost Rs 1,740 crore but the Centre was yet to release its share (60% of the project cost). Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister H K Patil said 34 lakh toilets need to be constructed to free Karnataka from open defecation. Jigajinagi said he would look into to the issues raised by the state government.
India and the United States on Tuesday asked Pakistan to stop distinguishing between good and bad terrorists and deny sanctuaries to all terror networks.





Even as the US sought to nudge India for talks with Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made it clear to her counterpart and American Secretary of State, John Kerry, that New Delhi would not resume dialogue with Islamabad unless the neighbouring country stopped export of terror across the border.



Sushma conveyed to Kerry Indias concerns on cross-border terrorism from Pakistan during the second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, which took place in New Delhi on Tuesday.



They were also joined by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce Nirmala Sitharaman and US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker.



The external affairs minister noted that not only India, but other countries in the region had also been targeted by terrorism emanating from Pakistan.



Sushma and Kerry agreed on early implementation of the Agreement on Exchange of Information on Known or Suspected Terrorists.



They also agreed that India and the US would intensify intelligence sharing and continue to work closely to get terrorist entities designated and sanctioned by the United Nations.



We both agreed that nations must not maintain double standards, such as the categorisation of good and bad terrorists, nor must they act as sanctuaries and safe havens for terrorist organisations, said Sushma, while addressing a news-conference along with Kerry after the Strategic and Commercial Dialogue. Pritzker and Nirmala were also present in the news-conference.



There is no good or bad terrorist. A terrorist is a terrorist, said Kerry, adding that the US had conveyed to Pakistan that it must deny sanctuaries to all terror networks.

The India-US strategic and commercial dialogue took place at a time when New Delhis troubled ties with Islamabad worsened further, after the neighbouring country raised its pitch on Kashmir in the wake of the unrest in the valley.



Sushma conveyed that the Modi government had tried to mend Indias ties with Pakistan. She said that despite attempts by New Delhi to restart talks, Islamabad did not act.

She said that Pakistan had neither expedited the trial of the plotters of the Mumbai terror strike, nor did it act to bring to justice the masterminds of the Pathankot airbase attack.
Foreign language courses may be popular with the GenX. But Indias own - Sanskrit, one of the worlds oldest languages, is making a comeback in a big way.





People are rediscovering the merits of the language, once thought to be dead, thanks to its rich heritage and cultural value.



Sanskrit enthusiasts are spreading the language far and wide and it is now on a revival path.



At the Bhooneela Venkateshwara Swami temple, BEML Layout, Brookfields, people from IT, finance, medical and other backgrounds had gathered on August 28 for the closing ceremony of the basic 10-day free spoken Sanskrit course. A Sanskrit play was staged and students thanked their teacher, Bhawana Purohit, for teaching them Sanskrit, the easy way. Once strangers to the language, they can now converse in Sanskrit without much difficulty.



Purohit, a resident of Hoodi, has been teaching the language for the last 13 years. She has conducted more than 70 such free courses, benefiting over 1,000 people.



The demand for the course has increased over the last few years and most learners are from the IT and medical fields, said the 34-year-old teacher who is associated with Samskrita Bharati, a non-governmental organisation that offers Sanskrit courses.



Dr Ganapathi Hegde, founder, Mythree Samskrutha Study Centre, said there are several from the IT field who opt for these classes.



They say that they find peace in learning the language. Many have taken to meditation. Several recitations that are taught in yoga classes as well are in Sanskrit. They feel learning Sanskrit can help them understand the meaning of the verses taught there better, he said.



The centre conducts classes that help one learn Sanskrit in quick time (two hours each for 12 days between 6 pm and 8 pm). We use more of audio visuals to teach students as it helps one learn fast. Students do not even have to use pen and paper during these sessions, Hegde said.



For many, it is a passion to learn an Indian language that drives them to the class. For a few, it helps decode the vedic scriptures. Parents who want their children to learn shlokas (hymns) also send them to the Sanskrit classes. They want the children to understand what the verses mean, he added.



World Sanskrit Day (Vishwa Samskrita Diwas) is annually celebrated on the Shravan Purnima day. Samskrita Bharati, Girinagar, as a part of the celebrations, will hold a workshop on September 3 on its premises, on the history and roots of the language.


The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is learnt to have filed a B report in the case filed by the daughter of a retired IAS officer against her in-laws pertaining to rape and dowry harassment, saying that it is false.





The woman was married into a family that owns a hospital in the city and resides in VV Mohalla, in 2011. Her husband had filed a case against his father and elder brother regarding a property dispute. This had led to a family feud. She had shifted to Bengaluru, to her fathers place, after delivering a baby.



On April 14, 2015, she had lodged a complaint against her brother-in-law that he raped her when she was eight months pregnant, with the Inidranagar police in Bengaluru. She had also filed a complaint against her father-in-law and mother-in-law that they were harassing her for dowry. As the incident was reported to have occurred in Mysuru, the case was transfered to the jurisdictional VV Mohalla police.



The woman had appealed to the Director General and Inspector General of Police, seeking change in the investigation officer. So, the government ordered a CID probe on May 15, 2015. The case is before the fourth JMFC court.
Normal life is likely to be affected in the city and the state on Friday as unions representing BMTC and KSRTC have extended support to the one-day strike call given by the central trade unions on Friday (September 2). Private transport unions may also support the strike. They will take a final call on Thursday.





Commercial establishments, nationalised banks, insurance companies among others will remain closed in support of the mass strike called to protest against the anti-labour policies of the Union government.



H V Anantha Subbarao, general secretary of KSRTC Staff and Workers Federation, told DH on Tuesday that a strike notice was already served on the managements of four state-run transport corporations in response to the strike call.



With this, 23,000 buses of the four corporations will remain off the road from 6 am to 6 pm on Friday. The buses will resume operation in the evening, he added.



Educational institutions are yet to take a call on whether to declare a holiday for schools and colleges. A holiday will be declared in case there is no mode of transport, sources said.



No plans of hoilday

K Anand, director, primary education, said that the department of public instruction had no plans to announce a holiday. However, the respective district administrations would be authorised to take a call.



Associations representing cab and autorickshaw drivers have adopted a wait and watch approach. Radhakrishna Holla, secretary, Bangalore Tourist Taxi Owners' Association, said a decision in this regard will be taken on Thursday.



K T Rajashekhar, president of Karnataka State Tourist Transport Operators Federation and managing director of SRS Travels, said most of the private transporters run their services in the evening. It means they indirectly support the strike, he added.



The Bengaluru unit of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) said in a statement that it supports the strike. It has already served strike notices to all factories across industrial areas in the city. Members of AITUC are creating awareness among the public through several activities, including distribution of pamphlets and holding public meetings.


Karnataka has been identified as a pilot state for carrying out scientific experiments of population control measures on wild animals, which are in conflict with humans.





The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has given in principle approval for carrying out the scientific studies in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and West Bengal where human-wildlife conflict is prevalent. In Karnataka, two species have been identified for these studies - elephants and wild boars. The Human-wildlife conflict mitigation in India project is being carried out in collaboration with the German government, which will be extending its technical expertise as well as financial assistance.



A mission team comprising three wildlife experts, which visited these states in the second week of August, has submitted a report to the Ministry stating that the studies are feasible. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, which will act as the knowledge partner, will identify scientific institutions and experts to carry out the studies. The ministry, which has come under criticism for approving culling of wild animals such as nilgai and wild boar in Bihar and rhesus monkey in Himachal Pradesh by declaring them vermin, is now exploring other mitigative measures, which do not have ethical concerns. Elephant conservation expert Ajay Desai, who was part of the mission team said that immunocontraception will be explored as a measure to control population of elephants and primates. While outside knowledge will be sought to address the growing nilgai population, culling of wild boars will be reviewed, he said.Till date, immunocontraception in animals has been tested only in controlled conditions. He said that this method is bound to pose a challenge in case of wild animals.


The cash-strapped Urban Development Department has proposed to impose betterment fee on properties which fall within a 500-metre to one-km radius where its infrastructure projects are implemented in the city.





In return, the government will allow property owners the choice to convert their residential plots into commercial spaces without having to go through any tedious land conversion procedures.



The department has proposed to collect a maximum of one-third of the appreciation cost of the property as betterment fee.



An official source told DH on the condition of anonymity that the department had prepared a detailed note on the proposed betterment fee. The note will be placed before the Cabinet for its approval. The subject is likely to come up before the Cabinet on Wednesday, he said.



When any mega project like the light rail system or the Metro is implemented, areas falling within 500 metres to one-km radius enjoy direct benefit. Under the new proposal, betterment fee will be levied on these areas, government sources told DH.



Explaining the rationale behind collecting betterment fee, the official said: Whenever a mega project like the light rail system or the Metro is implemented, the property value increases in areas within 500 metres to one-kilometre radius. So, there is nothing wrong in collecting a fee as such projects benefit property owners.





Moreover, the official said, there were provisions in the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act and the Bangalore Development Authority Act to levy betterment fee. Initially, the betterment fee will be restricted to areas where projects are coming up in Bengaluru. Later, depending upon the success rate, it will be implemented across the state, the source added.



Why now?



Various civic agencies had tabled many infrastructure projects at the Global Investors Meet held in February. Projects like the peripheral ring road, mono rail, high-speed rail link, elevated corridors and the Bus Rapid Transit System failed to attract the attention of many investors for immediate implementation.



Due to lack of budgetary allocations, the government, too, is unable to take up these projects, sources said.




A man has posted a complaint on the Bengaluru polices Facebook page, accusing an autorickshaw driver of assaulting him and molesting two women near the Central Silk Board junction, south Bengaluru.





The complainant, Mohit Kalra, said he had hailed the auto-rickshaw to reach Madiwala on August 17 around 6.30 pm. The driver physically attacked and harassed two women travelling with me. He also hurt me badly. He was threatening to kill us. He sexually attacked the girls. He touched the girls repeatedly despite repeated warnings. He was very rude and disrespectful. We got down from the auto-rickshaw and took the help of another auto-rickshaw driver (sic), he stated in the post on Tuesday.



The jurisdictional Madiwala police took note of the complaint and traced the driver based on the vehicles registration number given in the post.



They also tried to contact Kalra by sending him several messages but he is yet to respond. We cant take up suo motu cases in such incidents, the inspector of Madiwala police station told DH. A case would be registered once Kalra responds, he added.


A bus driver has been arrested for ferrying schoolchildren while being drunk at the wheel. Bettaswamy, 43, was arrested at Nagarabhavi junction, west Bengaluru, on Tuesday during a special police drive against drunk-driving.





Bettaswamy, a resident of Mallathahalli, owns a mini bus and ferries students from their homes to school and back. Around 7.40 am on Tuesday, he was driving from Moodalapalya to Nagarabhavi to pick up students. Policemen at the traffic signal noticed him speeding.



They waved him down and subjected him to alcometer test. The result indicated that he was drunk. There were five students in the bus. We made alternative arrangements to send them to school, the inspector of Byatarayanapura traffic police station told DH.



When questioned, Bettaswamy admitted to getting drunk on Monday night but insisted he didnt consume alcohol on Tuesday morning. Police booked him for drunk-driving and seized his vehicle.



DCP (Traffic West) S Girish said the traffic police would recommend to the Regional Transport Authorities (RTA) to suspend Bettaswamys driving licence.



We will also request the RTA to cancel his permit. The RTA will be requested not to issue permits to drivers unless they are attached to a school, he said.

The DCP said there were no complaints against drivers attached to schools.


The governments attempt to dissuade the central trade unions from going on a nationwide strike on September 2 has failed.





The Centre on Tuesday announced a hike in the minimum wages of unskilled non-agricultural workers of the Central sphere and other measures such as payment of two-year bonus to government employees. But the unions rejected the offer and decided to go ahead with their strike. All the major sectors except the railways will join the shutdown.



BMS (Bharat Mazdoor Sangh) is not associated with the strike call. Instead of talking to the central trade unions who gave the strike call, the government has chosen to talk to a non-striking union. The government has not accepted any of our demands. We will go on strike, All India Trade Union Congress secretary Amarjeet Kaur told DH.



The Centre increased the minimum wages of unskilled non-agricultural workers of C category of the Central sphere to Rs 350 per day from Rs 246. It also declared bonus for government employees for 2014-15 and 2015-16 to be paid based on the revised norms. The likely financial implication of these measures is Rs 1,920 crore per annum.



Announcing the governments decision, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who heads the Inter-ministerial Group on Labour, said the government would take necessary steps to resolve the cases relating to payment of bonus in high courts and the Supreme Court. He also promised strict implementation of the Bonus Amendment Act.



Registration of contract workers and their staffing agencies is mandatory and the states will be advised to strictly implement the same, Jaitley said. Contractors will face appropriate action for any violation, he said.



The government also decided to set up a committee to examine the issue of benefit to the unorganised sector (anganwadi, midday meal, Asha volunteers). The committee will submit its report shortly.



Rejecting the government offer, Kaur said, We are demanding a minimum wage of more than Rs 15,000. The wage declared (today by the government) works out to Rs 10,500.

Kaur said the declaration on bonus payment was misleading. The government had already agreed to implement the Bonus Amendment Act with retrospective effect, she added.


COLUMBUS  Lakeview Community Schools Superintendent Aaron Plas knew raising the districts property tax levy would be a hard sell.

So he organized a conversation Monday morning with around 15 property owners in the district to discuss the proposed 2016-17 budget and school funding over coffee and doughnuts.

Its great to see patrons take an interest in the school and come in on a Monday morning for this, Plas said afterward. We want to be as transparent as possible.

The district is proposing a 7-cent increase in its property tax rate to support the general fund for 2016-17, taking that amount to 60 cents for every $100 in valuation.

Lakeview currently has the lowest general fund tax rate among the 10 Central Conference schools, according to Plas, so a 7-cent jump may not seem like much.

But in a largely rural district populated by farmers facing a third straight year of losses because of low commodity prices, it's a big ask. And Plas knows this.

I'm not very old, I'm not very smart, I promise you. But I also know that raising the levy seven pennies in the second month isn't the greatest thing to do when you walk into a job, he said. I wish we were having a different meeting right now to be quite honest.

Plas, who took over as the district's superintendent in July, went over the district's recent history to explain the tax hike.

In 2010-11, Archer Daniels Midland paid Lakeview $3 million in excess property taxes because ADM missed the deadline to file for an exemption. Lakeview used some of that money to shore up its cash reserve, which can now cover about three months of operating costs.

The district also lowered its tax levy each subsequent year to redistribute that money to property owners and help offset rising land values.

From 2010-11 to 2015-16, the general fund tax rate dropped from 90.4 cents to 53.2 cents per $100 in valuation, a 41.2 percent decrease.

Unfortunately, the tax levy lowered to the point where the district was receiving less money than it spent, according to Plas.

While the district's total spending has only increased an average of 1.3 percent annually since 2010-11, the superintendent said Lakeview has been operating at a deficit since 2012-13. The four-year deficit from 2012-13 to 2015-16 was $2.15 million.

On top of that, Lakeviews enrollment has increased from 670 students in 2012-13 to 902 this school year. The district's capacity is 950 students.

Plas said hes had to turn away students from other districts who want to attend Lakeview because their grade level is at or over capacity. And with more than 115 housing lots for sale in the district, enrollment is projected to continue growing, to the extent that Plas is weighing expanding facilities at all three schools in the future.

Its a great problem to be honest. What you want is kids in your school. You go ask 30 schools around us, Plas said. We're excited to have so many kids, but with that comes so many things we have to work our way through.

Some of the challenges lie within Lakeviews demographics. In 2015-16, Lakeview had 38.5 percent of students receiving free or reduced-price lunches, 16.7 percent were in special education and 9.5 percent were English language learners, populations that are more expensive to educate.

Also, state funding for education has dropped, so the district is dependent on property owners for 70 percent of its funding.

The way our funding mechanism in the state of Nebraska is set up we don't have a different option. So when your land values go down, taxes are going to go up, he said. I hate to even say it, but we don't have a different option. That's the only way we can continue to operate the school.

Until things change on the statewide level for funding, you're it, he told the property owners in attendance.

On the expenses side, Plas said, the district has very little wiggle room. Payroll accounts for 77.1 percent of Lakeviews budget, according to Plas, and the district isn't in a position to cut personnel.

We really can't do it just because of the numbers of students that we have, he said. We're stretched pretty darn thin as we are.

Plas said he plans to advocate along with other districts for a reconfiguration of the school funding formula, so districts receive more state aid and dont have to lean so heavily on property owners.
Zain Iraq and Ericsson have signed a three-year extension of their network and IT operation and optimisation managed services agreement.

Under the extended agreement, Ericsson will continue to optimise, transform and manage network and IT operations for Zains nationwide 3G mobile network in Iraq, which currently includes over 4,200 sites across the country. This agreement will allow Zain to focus on expanding its network and offering appealing voice and highly demanded data services to meet customer needs, especially in the corporate sector.

The deal will result in Zain ramping up its offer to deliver best quality of service and experience to its 11.2 million customers using Ericssons managed services capabilities. The agreement also sees Zain benefit from a reduction in operating costs (OPEX) while offering customers improved data service quality and availability, given the pent-up demand for mobile broadband in the country.

Furthermore, Zain will be able to increase its focus on its core customer-facing business activities such as managing customer relationships and offering a shorter time-to-market for the delivery of new services and technologies.

Scott Gegenheimer, Zain Group Chief Executive Officer, says: Through this agreement, Zain Iraq will be better positioned to support the evolution and growth of the telecommunication industry in the country and ensure that all Iraqis receive urgently-needed quality mobile telecommunication services. Social volatility has led to network instability in this huge and significant market for Zain, and as we strive to continue providing connectivity for our valued customers, our close relationship with Ericsson enables us to maintain vital mobile services and further contribute to the economic and social development of Iraqs economy.
American researchers have developed an insulin pill that could provide a less painful way for people with type 1 diabetes to control their blood sugar levels.

This new technology is known as a Cholestosomen, which was reported on this week at the 252nd National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Mary McCourt, a researcher from Niagara University, explains that a Cholestosome is a neutral, lipid-based particle that is capable of doing some very interesting things.

McCourt said at the conference that a major problem with oral insulin delivery is to move the drug through the stomach while keeping it intact.

Insulin often degrades before it moves into the intestine, leaving it ineffective when it eventually reaches the bloodstream. But the Canadian team have been able to address this problem.

A Cholestosome encapsulates insulin using simple lipid esters, which are assembled into spheres. These then form neutral particles that are resistant to attack from stomach acids.

When the Cholestosome packages reach the intestines, they are recognised by the body as something that can be absorbed. Once they have passed through the intestines into the blood stream, the cells then break the packages apart, releasing insulin.

In laboratory studies, the Niagara team have been able to deliver multiple insulin molecules into cells, and trials with rats have shown that certain formulations of Cholestosomes have high effectiveness.

The researchers now plan to optimise their formulations in future clinical trials involving animals. The, their aim is developing new partnerships to help fund human trials.

There is currently an array of research into oral insulin pills, which is all positive news for people with type 1 diabetes, who normally have to inject insulin multiple times every day.

In May, Oramed Pharmaceuticals announced positive results from human trials investigating their ORMD-0801 drug, while Novo Nordisk put their own oral insulin into clinical trials earlier this year.
Researchers from the University of Michigan Medical School havent been able to establish conclusively that negative changes in gut microbial diversity contribute to the obesity crisis.

The new report, which aggregated data from ten previous studies on the topic, shows that there is no clear common signature in the assembly of microbe populations in obese people that makes them different from those with a healthy weight.

The study, published in the journal mBio, aimed to investigate the relationship between the microbiome and the health outcomes of more than 1,000 volunteers in ten of the largest microbial studies conducted to date.

The capacity of the microbiome to influence the host immune function or cognitive behaviours (via the gut-brain axis) is well established, but the impact of gut microbes on aspects of metabolic diseases like obesity or type 2 diabetes remained unclear.

Previous animal studies showed that obese rodents tend to have an imbalanced microbiome with a certain ratio of two groups of bacteria species.

Many suggested that the human bacterial microbiome is not only different between obese and non-obese but may also predict obesity, a claim that the scientists wanted to verify by looking at existing scientific literature.

To do so, the two main authors of the study, Marc Sze and Patrick Schloss Sze used machine-learning computing tools to perform the analysis. This includes a program called mothur that gives microbiome researchers a free open-source tool for studying vast amount of data in the field.

In order to identify significant associations with obesity, the researchers used the Shannon diversity index (H), which is a popular index measuring diversity and abundance in gut microbe species.

The results indicate that there may be an association between gut microbiota and obesity status but it appears to be smaller than can be detected by most published microbiome studies.

The difference between the Shannon diversity indices of nonobese and obese participants was 2.07 per cent and only one out of the ten studies was able to detect a five per cent difference in diversity.

Although no specific linkages or predictors have been found across the microbiome data reported so far, the researchers believe that this finding means that there is much more complexity  and therefore much more to learn  when it comes to changes in the microbiome impacting our health.
Dotcom's livestream will be on a 20 minute delay, and will be deleted the minute the hearing ends.

Entrepreneur Kim Dotcom has won the right to live stream his extradition hearing to the United States. Dotcom is wanted in the country, for charges of online piracy on his file sharing service, Megaupload. Judge Murray Gilbert rejected the US attempts to stop Dotcom from livestreaming the hearing, in Auckland high court on Tuesday. The judges ruling allows Dotcom to stream the proceedings, but under strict conditions.

Dotcoms live stream has to be delayed by 20 minutes, so that no restricted material is published. Further, all footage from the stream has to be removed from the Internet as soon as the hearing ends. Dotcom seemed ecstatic at the ruling, crediting New Zealand for being at the forefront of transparent justice, in a tweet.

His lawyer praised the courts move, calling it democracy at its finest. Dotcom seems bent on exposing what he calls incompetencies in the whole process. Heres another tweet he sent out.

We will win this together.

Then we make them pay.

Then they will remember.

Don't attack the Internet.  Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) August 30, 2016

Dotcom was the owner of website Megauploadz, which has now been seized by the US authorities. The authorities claimed that users uploading and downloading content to Megauploadz caused loss worth millions of dollars to production houses and movie studios. Dotcoms lawyers have argued that he should not be held responsible for what users on his website did.
While the company sells televisions in India, LeEco says that it will initially only focus on manufacturing smartphones

LeEco, the Chinese technology giant, has announced its initiative to Make in India. At a press conference held in New Delhi, the company's initiative was announced by Atul Jain, COO, in presence of Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology.

The company initially plans to make its smartphones in India out of the component assembly plant in Greater Noida. The present component plant has seen an investment of $5 million by the company, and has one production chain capable of making 60,000 smartphone units every month. By the end of 2016, LeEco aims to increase the numbers up to two production lines and 200,000 units every month.

The company has also stated that alongside making smartphones in India, it also aims to use its facilities to export smartphone units out of India. The company is introducing its products to international markets as Russia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and the United States of America. "This will allow us to reap the full benefits of the new GST norms set in India," Jain stated.

While LeEco also sells its televisions and related accessories in India, the company will focus on making only smartphones in India. The employment opportunities created by this move will be filled up by a share of skilled as well as unskilled labour, and like other companies that have joined the Make in India bandwagon, component making and engineering remains out of the frame for now.

Addressing the attendees at LeEco's Make in India launch, Union Telecom Minister Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad stated that 38 companies have joined the Make in India platform till now, and the plants have been established all over India, including Videocon in West Bengal, Xiaomi in Telengana, and plants have even been established in Jammu. Noida and Greater Noida leads the forefront of production and assembly lines in India, and all of this has been a pivotal reason for the smartphone boom in the country. "For Q2 2016, while developed countries have seen smartphone growth of 4.4, developing nations apart from India have grown by 9, and India leads the list internationally with 15 growth," Prasad said.

LeEco revealed positive results of its sales in India, with its lineup of 'Superphones' that include the LeEco Le 2 and Le Max2. The company also stated the success of the LeEco Le 1s, the predecessor to the Le 2, and hopes to carry forward its ventures in India with the new initiative.
Apparently, the issue kicks in after a few days of regular usage. There is no set pattern that leads to the smartphone crashing.

Information circulating the internet suggests that Samsungs latest flagship, the Galaxy Note 7, crashes randomly after a few days of regular use. There is no set pattern that leads to the crash, and people have taken to forums to complain about crashes, boot loops and bricking of the device.

Phonearena has faced issues with its unit, too. It says, We even had the phone crash while in Recovery, and it is currently stuck on a bootloop right on our desk as we are writing this story. Factory resets, wiping the cache, or anything else that is user-accessible doesn't seem to help, too, so it might be a hardware issue. Users have reported that even certified Samsung shops have been unable to deal with the issue and have replaced the phone with a new one instead. Phonearena suggests that it may be an issue related to the Exynos variant of the phone, which happens to be selling in India. Internationally, the smartphone has received generally great reviews, baring a few exceptions. We are yet to receive our unit of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, and have reached out to Samsung for comments on the issue.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is priced at Rs. 59,990. Under the hood, it is powered by an Exynos 8890 SoC, coupled with 4GB of RAM. It has a 12MP Dual Pixel camera, the same one that we have seen and loved on the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. Samsung has added 64GB of internal storage, which is expandable by up to 256GB via microSD cards. Along with curved edges, the 5.7-inch display on the Note 7 also lets users change the resolution from QHD to FHD and below, in order to save battery.

If you are facing a similar issue with your unit of the Galaxy Note 7, please let us know in the comments section below, or write to us.
Harwood Wealth Management has acquired Network Direct Limited (NDL), a national network of financial advisers based in the West Midlands, for up to 4m

The AIM-listed financial planning and discretionary wealth management group said the deal will extend its reach nationwide and is its most significant acquisition to date.

Network Direct has 107 advisers spread across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. For the year ended 31 May 2015, it reported gross revenue before pay-aways of approximately 10.1m (unaudited) and was broadly break even.

The maximum consideration payable for the acquisition will be 4m, based on the performance of NDL over the next five years. The initial consideration of 1m has been paid from the company's existing cash resources. A further deferred consideration of up to 3m will be payable in cash over the five-year period following completion.

Chairman Peter Mann said: "We are extremely pleased to be able to announce this key strategic acquisition. We anticipate that the acquisition will enable us to further leverage our existing investment solutions to the benefit of NDL's advisers and clients, and also that it will enable us to expand our reach across the UK where there is a growing market for the delivery of quality investment management and advice.

We welcome the NDL team and advisers to the group, and look forward to working with them to deliver fully integrated investment solutions to their clients."

NDL is being sold by its principal shareholders, Willian Wynn, Jenifer Schwartz, Brian Raymond, Richard Simon and Leslie Dennis Lee, together with various other minority shareholders.
The European Commission has published a widely-expected decision to determine Apple's tax dealings in Ireland illegal , and ordered the US tech giant to pay up to 13bn in back taxes to the government there.

"Selective treatment" was given to the makers of the iPhone and iPad by the Irish government between 2003 and 2014, in which it was allowed to decrease its tax rate from 1% to 0.005%, according to the Commission.

The findings of the three-year investigation into Apple's taxes were released on Tuesday by Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.

"The Commission's investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years," said the statement accompanying the ruling.

Apple fell by 1.7% in premarket trading on Tuesday.

The controversy surrounds two of Apple's subsidiaries which are headquartered in Ireland but controlled in the United States, Apple Operations Europe and Apple Sales International. The Commission has ruled that these subsidiaries should have paid tax on their global income by the Irish tax authority.

Both Apple and the Irish government have denied any wrongdoing. Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Charlie Flanagan said the government did not act favourably towards Apple, saying "we don't do deals with corporations".

The US company was one of the first of many firms to relocate operations to the Emerald Isle due to its attractive corporate tax rates, at times as low as 2% compared with 35% in the US.

The report released by the Commission made a suggestion that Ireland had been lenient on Apple's taxes as the company brought a lot of jobs to the area.
Shares started the holiday-shortened week slightly higher following gains overnight on Wall Street, with investors apparently treading cautiously ahead of the all-important monthly US non-farm payrolls report due out at the end of the week.

As of 0828 BST Londons FTSE 100 was trading six points higher at 6,844.55.

Oandas Craig Erlam said: Tuesday is likely to be one of the quieter days in an otherwise busy and important week for the markets, with investors having one eye on Fridays US jobs report following Janet Yellens hawkish comments at Jackson Hole on Friday."

Not only did Yellen give an upbeat assessment of the US economy on Friday, this was backed up by comments from her vice Chair Stanley Fischer who claimed that Yellens comments were consistent with as many as two rate hikes this year."

"Weve had this hawkish commentary from officials on numerous occasions in the past but with a consensus appearing to build and policy makers repeatedly hinting that at least one hike this year is likely, markets need to take notice. Still, investors are not totally convinced which makes Fridays jobs report extremely important.

On the data front, UK money supply and mortgage approvals are at 0930 BST. In the US, consumer confidence is at 1500 BST.

The economic calendar in the euro area was expected to be more heavily loaded, with consumer price data from Germanys main regions referencing the month of August due to be released.

In corporate news, a review conducted by a panel of experts concluded that the Samarco dam disaster at a mine part-owned by BHP Billiton in Brazil last year that killed 19 people was caused by construction and design flaws.

The report, commissioned by BHP, said problems at the dam made it more unstable, causing liquefaction in the dam wall, the Daily Telegraph reported.

BHP Billiton, and its partner Vale, have set aside up to $1.3bn (1bn) to cover costs arising from the fatal accident that occurred at an iron ore mine in Brazil last year.

Distribution and outsourcing group Bunzl reported a rise in first-half profit as revenue grew and the company lifted its interim dividend.

For the six months to the end of June, pre-tax profit increased to 155.6m from 147.1m on revenue of 3.45bn, up from 3.14bn.

Chief executive Frank van Zanten said: We continue to have a strong balance sheet and an active pipeline of opportunities for further acquisitions and expect to complete more transactions during the rest of the year. The board is confident that Bunzl's well positioned businesses will develop further and that the prospects for the group are positive."

Also on Tuesday, the company announced that it has completed two further acquisitions in Canada and has entered into an agreement to acquire a business in Hungary.
The Samarco dam disaster at a mine part-owned by BHP Billiton in Brazil last year that killed 19 people was caused by construction and design flaws , according to a review conducted by a panel of experts.

The, report commissioned by BHP, said problems at the dam made it more unstable, causing liquefaction in the dam wall, the Daily Telegraph reported.

BHP Billiton, and its partner Vale, have set aside up to $1.3bn (1bn) to cover costs arising from the fatal accident that occurred at an iron ore mine in Brazil last year.

The US law firm commissioned to publish the report, Cleary Gottlieb Steen and Hamilton, hired a panel of experts to work out why the dam collapsed. The panel, chaired by geotechnical engineer Norbert Morgenstern, used eyewitness accounts, advanced lab testing and computer modelling.

The authors said the original design had to be changed, which used a type of sand designed to prevent a process known liquefaction  where soil loses its strength and stiffness when pressure is applied to it.

As part of this modification, a change in the design concept was also adopted and saturated conditions were permitted to develop in the sand, the report said.

Dean Dalla Valle, BHP Billiton's Chief Commercial Officer, said the dam failure had a devastating impact.

"This important technical study will improve our understanding of what happened at Samarco. We have shared these findings so that the sector can learn from the dam failure and develop and implement further standards that can help prevent a similar event like this happening again," he said in a statement.

He added that BHP Billiton had also conducted its own reviews of other significant dams at its operations and of its non-operated minerals joint venture arrangements.

"In the wake of this event, we have separately undertaken a comprehensive review of our significant dams, which has confirmed that those dams are stable. We will take a number of actions to further enhance risk management at these facilities."

"We have looked comprehensively at tailings dam management and benchmarked to global leading practice. We have assessed our portfolio of dams against these global standards and are implementing actions to enhance the management of our dams."
A suicide bomber has attacked the Chinese embassy in the capital of Kyrgyzstan , killing himself and injuring at least three others.

The attacker drove a car into the compound in Bishkek where it exploded, according to reports from AFP.

The incident was an "extreme and violent attack" according to China's foreign ministry. No Chinese nationals were injured, with three Kyrgyz security guards the only people confirmed as having been hurt.

"China is deeply shocked by this and strongly condemns this violent and extreme act," spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a news conference in Beijing.

We are demanding that Kyrgyzstan find out the truth rapidly and punish [those responsible], she added.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks as of yet.

Footage circulating on social media shows smoke rising from the building in Bishkek.

China has been involved in a complex conflict with the ethnic Uighur community around the border with Kyrgyzstan in the Xinjiang province, in which several people have been killed, and thousands held on terrorism offences.
Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump has restated his promise to build a physical border between the United States and Mexico, after criticism over whether he had backtracked on immigration policies.

Recent weeks have seen Trump and members of his campaign obfuscate their stance on key immigration issues which were central to his victory in the Republican primaries.

However, on Tuesday the New York tycoon reaffirmed his strong stance on the border between the countries.

Through his Twitter account, Trump hinted that he's set to deliver a speech about the issue on the campaign trail on Wednesday.

"From day one I said that I was going to build a great wall on the SOUTHERN BORDER, and much more. Stop illegal immigration. Watch Wednesday!" Trump wrote.

Some campaign backers, such as former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Texas governor Rick Perry had suggested that the wall take on more of a digital element.

A spokesman for the Repubiclan candidate confirmed that this would not be the case.

Speaking on Fox, Jason Miller said that the wall would be physical.

"There's going to be a physical wall," Miller said. "There will be a physical wall on the Mexico border, and, as we know, Mexico is going to pay for it."
Cyclicals drove gains on the FTSE indices as trading resumed after the Bank holiday, although it was food producers which did best, with an upgrade out of RBC giving shares in Associated British Foods a boost.

The broker upgraded its recommendation on stock in the owner of Primark to outperform, while hiking its target price from 2,800p to 3,400p.

Construction related stocks also put in a good showing, especially those with the greatest exposure to the US, such as Ashtead and CRH.

Banks and insurers were also wanted, tracking gains in their peers on the other side of the Pond since last Fridays somewhat hawkish round of Fed speakers.

To take note of perhaps, in a research note published on 29 August analysts at UBS said UK banks "are fine" when it comes to the risk of higher capital requirements for lenders.

Nevertheless, analyst Daniele Brupbacher recommended investors steer clear of the likes of BBVA and StanChart for "company-specific reasons".

"Regulatory visibility will increase towards the end of 2016 as the Basel Committee is likely to announce updated leverage ratio requirements and a potential 'floor concept'."

Evraz was a standout-faller once again, as rebar futures on the Shanghai Futures Exchange dropped 2.2% overnight to close at 2,422 yuan per tonne, a three-week low.

On 22 August, analysts at Russian broker Aton reportedly kicked off their coverage of the companys shares with a 'sell' recommendation, pointing out how that the stock was trading at 6.5 times operating earnings versus its sector peers at 5.6.

Market commentary had also recently been highlighting the companys elevated gearing.

Miners were all generally lower, as the Bloomberg commodity index continued to cede ground, to trade at 83.66 or 1.0% lower as of 1950 BST and the greenback continued advancing.

Top performing sectors so far today

Food Producers & Processors 8,806.99 +2.30%

Banks 3,560.32 +1.75%

Construction & Materials 6,341.99 +1.52%

Life Insurance 6,904.85 +0.59%

Technology Hardware & Equipment 2,020.16 +0.53%

Bottom performing sectors so far today

Industrial Metals & Mining 1,300.03 -4.42%

Mining 11,366.87 -4.40%

Forestry & Paper 16,921.80 -1.63%

Gas, Water & Multiutilities 6,516.98 -1.61%

Oil Equipment, Services & Distribution 15,202.43 -1.53%
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Where does 'College GameDay' have Ohio State in the first CFP rankings?

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CHICAGO (AP)  A former Chicago transportation official was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison for taking bribes to steer $100 million in red-light camera contracts to a company in Phoenix.

U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall sentenced John Bills, 55, in Chicago moments after he apologized for his actions. Federal prosecutors had asked the judge for at least a 10-year prison sentence.





. . .
Keeping fish ladders cool helps more salmon survive trip thru Snake dams

By KEITH RIDLER

Associated Press

Joe Jaszewski/The Idaho Statesman [enlarge] The Corps spent $1 million on a new system at Lower Granite Dam that pulls cold, deep water into the fish ladder and keeps fish from turning around. More dams on the Snake and Columbia rivers may get these systems.

BOISE, Idaho  Work on two Snake River dams in Washington state is helping more endangered sockeye salmon make the trip upstream to central Idaho this year, federal officials say.

The permanent system at Lower Granite Dam and a temporary system at Little Goose Dam pull up cold, deep water for fish ladders to combat high temperatures that discourage fish from completing their journey. The success of the new systems could lead to similar changes at other dams on the Snake and Columbia rivers.

The strategy of putting cooler water at the top end of the ladder appears to be effective, said Ritchie Graves of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It takes a while to learn how to do it correctly.

The permanent structure installed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Lower Granite Dam earlier this year cost $1.2 million and follows the massive die-off of sockeye salmon in the Columbia Basin in 2015. Managers say an unusual combination of low water and an extended heat wave pushed water temperatures past 70 degrees, lethal for cold-water sockeye.

A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report released in April cited hot water throughout the basin as the cause for the die-off, but also noted a lack of action by federal managers as playing a role.

The report said one of the factors contributing to the deaths of sockeye salmon was fallback, a tendency of fish to successfully climb a dam's fish ladder but then, running into warm water, decide to go back downstream, often via a dam's spillway or through the turbines.

Fish that survive use up energy reserves, decreasing their chance of reaching their destination. Officials say fallback is a problem at many dams in the system. Snake River sockeye have to pass eight of them to get to central Idaho.

We want to get (salmon) to where they're going as quickly as possible, Graves said. Part of that is making sure there are no delays in the ladder system.

That led to the fish ladder changes that appear to be working. In 2014, about 25 percent of sockeye fell back at Lower Granite Dam. This year with the new system, that dropped to 5.5 percent.

The ladder exit shower has worked about as well as we could have hoped for at Granite, said Russ Kiefer of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

The permanent system at Lower Granite Dam pulls up water from about 70 feet deep, which in summer is about 10 degrees cooler than surface water, and uses a spray system near the top of the ladder to create a plume of cold water.

A temporary system costing $342,000 is in place at Little Goose Dam. Kiefer is a member of a basin-wide technical team considering putting in a permanent system at the dam.

He said similar systems at dams farther downstream would tend to lose their effectiveness as the reservoirs themselves are hotter and pulling up deeper water might not make a significant difference.

Overall this year, Snake River sockeye are doing much better than last year with cooler water temperatures throughout the Columbia Basin. About 1,250 of the fish crossed Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River this year, and about 400 have arrived in central Idaho so far, with about another 100 expected by the end of September.

Last year, an estimated 4,000 Snake River sockeye crossed Bonneville Dam in what managers expected would be one of the best-ever returns to high mountain lakes in central Idaho. But only about 40 fish survived the 900-mile journey.

This year, Mother Nature helped us out, Kiefer said.




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EUGENE, Ore. (AP)  A large apartment complex in Oregon has sold to a group of California investors for $31 million.

The Register-Guard reports that it is the third time this year that California investors have paid $30 million or more for an apartment building in Eugene.





. . .
Social media users in Saudi Arabia are demanding a boycott of Microsoft after its Bing search engine erroneously translated Daesh, the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State (Isis), into "Saudi Arabia". Irate users in the kingdom voiced their outrage over the gaffe and called for a boycott of both Bing and Microsoft using the hashtag "#Microsoft_Insults_Saudi". "As an employee of this company [Microsoft], I personally apologise to the people of great Saudi Arabia, which is a country very close to our hearts, for the unintentional error," Dr Mamdouh Najjar, vice president and national technology officer for Microsoft in Saudi Arabia, tweeted in Arabic. Microsoft had also reportedly apologised to the Saudi monarchy for the error. Najjar told Huffington Post Arabi the error could be due to Bing Translator's crowdsourcing function where a large number of people - usually over 1,000 suggested a specific translation, it was then automatically listed as the preferred possible answer. A Microsoft spokesperson told The Register that the company's product team fixed the automated translation error "within hours of learning about it". Posting a screengrab on Twitter, Najjar later tweeted in Arabic, "The fix has been implemented and this could have been caused due to many reasons that we are working to find out." Meanwhile, according to commentators, while perfection in translation was not expected from online translation tools, it was the minimum expectation that they would not falsely identify countries as being synonymous with terrorist groups that committed gruesome atrocities. According to commentators, the search engine's blunder followed accusations that Saudi Arabia supported multiple terrorist groups. In April, Riyadh's possible link to 9/11 attacks was brought to the spotlight, after it emerged that an envelope from the Saudi embassy in Washington was found containing the flight certificate of an Al-Qaeda operative, leading to the US Senate passing a bill that would allow families of victims of the 9/11 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia (See: US Senate's 9/11 bill against Saudi Arabia set for Obama veto).








Sheephaven SAC conducted their annual John McGarvey Memorial Fin Swim last Saturday under the leadership of Hugo McFadden.

In a change from previous years when the divers swam from Burtonport to Arranmore, this year they swam from Gola Island to the mainland at Magheragallon near Bunbeg in near perfect sea and weather conditions.

With Gola and Magheragallon bathed in late August sunshine and little or no wind to upset the serenity of the location, the swim was idyllic. Additionally the area is loaded with history, particularly as Gola was the home of Patrick McGinley and Charles Duggan, two of the crew of the Asgard, the famous yacht Erskine Childers used to run guns for the Irish Volunteers into Howth in July 2014.

Sheephaven SAC last visited Gola in 2007, when the divers swam from Magheragallon to the island, and were hosted on site by one of the homeowners. Now, with the establishment of a regular ferry service, many more houses on the island have been reopened and they looked very pretty in the sun.

The club had 21 divers in the water and they completed the 2km passage in just under an hour, enjoying crystal clear waters that allowed them to see the wonderful eelgrass and kelp park that populates the seabed at this location.

Amongst the divers, there were some who choose to swim rather than snorkel the course: Maureen Gallagher, Caroline McGee and Bernie Gallagher, who recently were awarded their club diver accreditation and now have open water swimming added to their list of growing achievements.

As in previous years, the accompanying boat support was vital in ensuring on-site safety. In addition to the clubs own boats, helmed by Brendan Proctor and Joe Neely, Atlantic Composites also provided a boat.

Atlantic Composites build bespoke RIBs for a range of customers, including maritime enforcement agencies. The vessel supporting the fin swim, helmed by Timmy Boyle, was powered by two 115 HP Suzuki outboards, which gave it a remarkable turn of speed as she delivered the divers to Gola pier.

Also standing watch over the divers was the Bunbeg Coastguard boat Misneach and crew under the helm of Joe Curran, and this boat is spectacularly fast, powered by two 225HP Yamaha outboards, clearly outpacing anything in the bay.

The divers were dropped off on Gola pier, and under the guidance of local boatman Danny ODonnell a course was set to Magheragallon that took the best effect of the tide flooding towards Bunbeg.

After everyone got safely ashore and Hugo had conducted the mandatory debrief at the pier, all involved were hosted by Peppers Diner in Bunbeg to a super meal, during which Hugo presented all the divers and supporters with their complementary 2016 Fin Swim hat.

However this was not the end of the days activities: The final destination was a stay over on Arranmore Island, this time led by Joe Neely.

Trips away are a major feature of Sheephaven SAC and once again a night in Arranmore comes with the highest possible recommendation and remains a firm favourite destination for the divers involved. It was a fitting end to a wonderful day in the water.
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.
Ronald Moede was born on December 21, 1934, in Rio Creek, WI. The son of the late Fred and Emily (Hanamann) Moede, he married Bonnie Neinas in Brussels on June 4, 1960, and they were married for 62+ years. He was a life-long resident of Rio Creek and was an innovative dairy farmer. He owned and managed a large dairy operation, Meade Manor Farms, which had been homesteaded by his grandfather, August Moede, in 1895. The log cabin home, barn, and herd grew to become one of the larger dairy farms in Kewaunee County under his guidance. Upon his retirement, it evolved into Meade Manor Pet Clinic, a vet service for small animals, but the land continued to flourish and produce. Ron graduated from Casco High School, Class of 1952 and Graham School for Cattlemen, Kansas. He was a member of the Wisconsin Holstein Breeders, Kewaunee County Holstein Breeders, and the National Holstein

Association. He was a charter member of the Algoma FFA Alumni. His family exhibited champion dairy cattle at local, state, and national dairy cattle shows. In 1984, in Madison, the Wisconsin FFA named him Outstanding Farmer and in 1995, he was named and honored at the Wisconsin State Fair as a Century Farmer. He served as an elder in his church for many years as well as a trustee and various committee appointments. In his younger days, he was active in dartball and also high school sports. He received the Algoma Honorary Chapter Farmer Award, and the Unified Board Business Award. In his retirement, he drove school bus for 15 years for the Algoma School District and was a member of the Great Lakes Sports Fishermen. A hobby later enjoyed was his chicken farming. He raised a small flock of chicken, and he enjoyed passing out extra eggs to friends and relatives when the supply was greater than the family could handle. He was an avid sports fan and he and Bonnie attended both Packers Super Bowl games in 1996 and 1997, and also the Milwaukee World Series in 1983. He enjoyed hunting and fishing, both here and in upper Michigan and Minnesota. He even got Bonnie to go along with him to Lake of the Woods on the Canadian border to do some ice fishing. He held Packers season tickets since 1960 and at the time they bought their tickets they were allowed to pick out where they wanted to sit on the sidelines --there were no end zone seats yet-- and the tickets cost $5.00 a piece! He traveled through most of the U.S. including Alaska and Hawaii as well as traveling to the Caribbean and Europe. He enjoyed a summer place in Door County for 20 years. He told many stories of farming with his dad and the fact that at the age of 12, he had his own team of horses to work with on the farm. Responsibility came early as he was left in charge whenever it was necessary for his parents to be gone for a few days. He learned to drive a truck at an early age and often drove himself to school in 8th grade and parked the vehicle a few doors down at a relatives. This was because chores need to be done before and after school. The first tractor purchased was in 1937. In his retirement, he had it restored and displayed in local fairs and tractor shows. He would tell of shocking grain and threshing crews traveling from neighbor to neighbor and the wonderful table his mother would set full of food. A vivid memory was the day WWII ended. The whole neighborhood and working crew quit in the early afternoon (unheard of) and celebrated With beer and music! Even the clergy arrived and joined in. It was a day to remember! In his lifetime he went from horses and the depression, to the digital age and unimagined luxuries. There was no electricity and no running water in his youth and now he had wireless phones, computer screens in his vehicles, along with heated steering wheels and heated seats. Who would have thought that back then.

Ron is survived by his wife Bonnie; son Robert (Debbie Harms) Moede; grandson Michael and granddaughter Megan; siblings, Terry (Jane) Moede, Paul (Roxie) Moede; sisters-in-law, Diane Fontaine, Sheila (Don) Baudhuin; and brothers in-law, Dan (Mary) Neinas. He was preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Emily Moede; sister, Marilyn (Arno) Schneider; father- and mother-in-law, Herman and Madeline Neinas, and brother-in-law, Gary Fontaine.

Visitation will be held at Kinnard Funeral & Cremation Services  Algoma, on Friday, October 7, 2022, from 4-7:30 pm with a prayer service at 6:30. Visitation will continue on Saturday, October 8th at St. Johns Lutheran Church  Rankin, from 9-11:00 am. Funeral service will be held at 11:00 am with Dr. Rev. Christopher Jackson officiating. Burial to follow in Evergreen Cemetery. Online condolence message may be shared at KinnardFCS.com. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Kewaunee County 4-H Dairy Fund and the Projection Screen Fund at St. Johns- Rankin.
judi online hadir sebagai solusi praktis saat ingin memasang taruhan dengan mudah dan fleksibel. Berbagai tipe game bermunculan dan sportsbook terutama taruhan bola masih mendominasi. Anda cukup berkunjung ke situs judi bola lalu siap memainkan gambling kapan saja. Judi seperti ini membutuhkan akun dan deposit. Akun menjadi bukti bahwa anda adalah member. Situs tersebut hanya memberikan akses kepada member yang valid. Sebelum lanjut bermain, segera ikuti prosedur daftar dan lakukan apa yang dibutuhkan. Deposit di situs judi menggunakan beberapa cara. Yang sering dipakai adalah transfer bank sebab lebih praktis dan mudah. Ada juga deposit dengan e-money yang sedang tren serta sering dipakai kalangan muda. Uang yang masuk dianggap sebagai saldo lalu dipakai membeli kupon judi bola online.

Fitur Situs Judi Bola

Fitur judi berguna agar aktivitas dapat dilaksanakan tanpa kendala. Di judi online seperti sportsbook, mayoritas fitur tidak berbeda jauh dengan gambling lain seperti live casino. Akan tetapi, objek dan acuan berbeda sehingga harus menyesuaikan beberapa situasi. Cek daftar berikut untuk mengetahui penjelasan lebih lanjut.

1. Akses dan server

Akses situs judi membutuhkan server 24 jam yang terus online tanpa henti. Anda dapat bermain kapan saja sehingga lebih fleksibel. Bandingkan saat masih bermain secara konvensional. Dari semua sistem judi yang tersedia, taruhan bola memang cocok dengan sistem online sebab sesi judi bukan melawan member lain seperti poker.

2. Deposit

Seperti yang disebutkan sebelumnya, deposit merupakan cara member mengisi saldo. Uang tersebut dipakai secara otomatis. Transaksi memakai cara non tunai yang dijamin oleh pihak situs judi. Selain deposit, ada juga withdraw yaitu menarik dana dari akun. Jika memenuhi syarat, proses ini dapat dilakukan. Sistem transaksi akan terus muncul yang baru terutama metode e-money. Untuk menjamin keamanan, pihak pengelola hanya memilih yang telah berlisensi resmi.

3. Customer service

Saat anda bingung cara deposit, customer service akan memberikan solusi. Mereka dapat dihubungi 24 jam kapan saja. Pihak pengelola ingin memberikan layanan terbaik sehigga keberadaan cs sangat penting.

Daftar Jenis Judi Bola Online



Secara umum, cara main judi ini adalah anda membuat prediksi lalu memasang. Misalnya, dua tim akan menghasilkan lebih dari dua gol. Opsi klasik yaitu prediksi apakah pertandingan berakhir dengan imbang, menang, atau kalah. Jenis taruhan yang tersedia di situs judi bola dapat disimak pada daftar berikut.

1. Tebak hasil

Bagi yang baru bermain di situs judi bola, mulai dari pilihan yang mudah dan sudah familiar. Contohnya adalah tebak hasil atau three ways. Seperti yang disebutkan sebelumnya, opsi ini akan memberikan pilihan menang, imbang, dan kalah. Ini merupakan taruhan klasik yang diterapkan sejak lama. Nama lainnya adalah three ways karena terdiri dari tiga opsi. Selain itu, ada juga double chance yaitu memilih dua dari tiga opsi tersebut. Selanjutnya, pilihan taruhan yang juga berkaitan adalah draw no bet terdiri dari yes dan no. Bettor akan menang saat tim yang dipilih menang. Akan tetapi, uang taruhan segera dikembalikan karena hasilnya seri.

2. Halftime/fulltime

Ada juga pilihan lain disebut halftime/fulltime. Anda menebak hasil di masing-masing babak. Misalnya, seri di babak pertama dan menang di babak akhir. Pilihan ini terdiri dari beberapa kombinasi karena menggabungkan dua sesi. Cara bermain judi ini tidak sebatas tebak hasil karena pihak pengelola juga menambahkan over under, double chance, dan lainnya. Satu kategori dapat diperluas dan berlaku secara online.

3. Over under

Jenis taruhan bola yang terkenal dari situs judi bola over/under. Cara memakainya adalah anda menentukan berapa maksimal atau minimal gol. Misalnya, member memilih over 1.5 yaitu gol harus lebih dari 1.5 atau minimal 2. Hal sebaliknya berlaku saat menentukan under 1.5 dimana maksimal gol adalah 1.5. Fitur over under termasuk yang mudah dimengerti karena pilihannya juga sangat jelas. Anda akan menemukan opsi terendah yaitu 0.5 dan tertinggi 5.5 bahkan hingga 6.0.

4. Both team to score

Anda menebak dua tim akan memasukkan gol. Untuk memasang prediksi ini, pilihannya adalah both teams to score. Jika pilih yes, anda menang saat keduanya mampu menciptakan gol. Tentu saja, pilihan no berarti salah satu tim tidak mencetak gol.

5. Clean sheet

Saat cek situs judi bola, ada pilihan disebut sebagai clean sheet yaitu hasil pertandingan tanpa gol bagi satu atau dua tim. Opsi ini juga berkembang dengan pilihan clean sheet di babak pertama dan kedua.

6. Handicap

Situs judi bola juga menambahkan pilihan yang cukup populer yaitu handicap. Istilah ini terkait memberikan kekurangan atau keunggulan sehingga awal pertandingan tampak tidak imbang. Hal ini terjadi karena salah satu tim dianggap sangat kuat atau lemah.

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Setelah mengetahui opsi judi dan fitur yang tersedia di situs tersebut, bagian berikutnya adalah membahas bonus yang diterima. Anda dan para member berhak mendapatkannya karena mampu memenuhi syarat tertentu.

1. Bonus rollingan

Situs judi bola memberikan bonus rollingan. Sistem ini berdasarkan total taruhan dan berlaku di semua game. Sekian persen dari taruhan akan dikembalikan lagi kepada member. Bonus seperti ini mempunyai beberapa syarat yang sangat penting. Pada umumnya, member wajib mencapai batas minimal tertentu. Situs judi kadang membuat bonus rollingan berlaku umum yaitu tidak terikat game dan taruhan. Member akan tetap menerimanya meskipun bermain pada judi lain. Perlu anda ketahui, sportsbook bukan hanya sepakbola sehingga opsi bonus semakin besar.

2. Event

Situs judi bola sering mengadakan event serta memberikan promo. Misalnya, event tebak juara saat kompetisi atau turnamen sedang berlangsung. Ada juga mix parlay yaitu tawaran memasang kupon judi terdiri dari beberapa pilihan. Event akan selalu ada apalagi di periode tertentu dimana para bettor sedang memiliki waktu luang. Selain event berdasarkan kompetisi, pihak situs judi juga membuat acara seperti akhir tahun, mingguan, liburan, dan sebagainya.

3. Jackpot

Jackpot juga sering dibagikan di situs judi bola. Member harus membeli kupon dan menunggu undian. Hadiah besar siap diterima jika beruntung menang. Program ini kadang diperluas ke game lain.

4. Referral

Referral adalah bonus karena member mengajak orang lain bergabung. Semakin banyak yang ikut serta di situs judi maka peluang komisi juga meningkat. Sistem ini memakai kode khusus sebagai identifikasi. Cara memperoleh referral tidak ada batasan. Member berhak memakai cara apa saja misalnya share ke social media, website, dan video streaming. Bonus berlaku selama judi online tetap beroperasi.

Situs judi bola menyediakan bonus dan promo untuk menarik banyak member. Mereka berhak menerima lebih apalagi yang sering bermain dan loyal. Jadi, anda segera terus meningkatkan transaksi dan menangkan banyak bonus besar.

Keunggulan Yang Identik Dengan Agen Judi Bola Bagus

Dari aspek mana saja tidak akan ditemukan hal yang kurang atau mengecewakan dari agen judi bola online bagus. Agen judi online terbagus selalu memiliki cara mereka sendiri untuk memberikan yang terbaik bagi membernya. Kepercayaan yang pemain berikan dengan cara mendaftar kesana akan dibalas dengan sepadan melalui berbagai keunggulan yang hanya akan anda dapatkan jika bermain gambling bola online dari agen taruhan bola terbagus ini. Detailnya akan dibahas disini jadi simak sampai akhir bila anda ingin tahu lebih banyak.

Fasilitas Utama Agen Judi Bola Terbagus

Agen judi bola online terbagus diakui dan mendapatkan banyak kepercayaan dari pemain pasti karena ada alasan yang jelas. Harus ada hal logis yang menjadi kriyteria dari agen taruhan bola ini menjadi yang terbagus diantara agen taruhan bola yang lainnya. Jumlah pemain agen taruhan bola ini juga semakin besar dari tahun ke tahun membuktikan jika kualitas dari agen judi online ini memang fakta bukaan hanya sekesar janji saja untuk menarik banyak pemain gambling bola online.

Detail fasilitas unggulan yang dimiliki oleh agen judi bola terbagus adalah sebagai berikut ini:

1. Jam operasional dan layanan bandar yang akan dibuka selama 24 jam, setiap hari tanpa cuti selama satu tahun penuh.

2. Bisa menghubungi custumer service melalui layanan livechat, whatsapp dan email selama 24 jam juga.

3. Custumer service adalah asisten pribadi yang akan membantu mengatasi kendala yang dialami pemain kapan saja. Custumer service memang sudah sangat terlatih dan profesional sehingga mampu merespon dengan sangat cepat.

4. Ada banyak permainan hgambling bola yang bisa dimainkan disini dari mix parlay, handicap, ix2, outright, kick off, odd/oven dan under/over dengan nilai taruhan yang paling rendah adalah 1000 rupiah saja.

5. Bonus yang akan didapatkan pemain yang sudah bermain di agen judi online ini ada bonus anggota baru, referal, depo harian, pinjaman online, bonus liga lokal, cashback dan toko kode promo.

Permainan gambling bola yang ada di agen judi bola terbagus ini memakai semua pertandingan yang ada di bursa bola besar dan terpercaya seperti Agen Sbobet sampai ubobet. Permainan gambling yang anda mainkan disini juga termasuk permainan yang fair karena memakai teknologi live streaming dan sistem manual multiplayer yang tidak memberikan kesempatan pemain maupun bandar untuk melakukan kecurangan.

Setiap transaksi yang ada di agen judi bola terbagus ini juga telah menggunakan aturan baru yang membuat pemain tidak harus menghabiskan banyak waktu untuk melakukan transaksi. Midsalnya saja untuk melakukan pendaftaran ke agen judi online ini yang sekarang bisa dilakukan hanya dengan memberikan data personal asli yang masih berlaku ke custumer service dan cs yang akan melakukan pendaftaran id pemain untuk anda. Ketentuan baru ini yang akan membuat pendaftaran tidak lagu butuh waktu yang lama.

Deposit Yang 1000% Aman Dan Mudah

Agen judi bola terbagus juga berani menjamin setiap transaksi keuangan yang dilakukan disini akan berjalan dengan lancar dan 100% aman. Misalnya seperti deposit yang menggunakan aturan pemain harus transfer ke nomor rekening yang didapatkan langsung dari Custumer service dan memakai nomor rekening yang masuk ke server. Aturan itu berlaku untuk berjaga-jaga bila ada masalah yang terjadi bandar akan mudah melakukan pelacakan dan mengatasi kendala dengan mudah.

Deposit yang ada di agen taruhan bola online ini bisa dibayar mulai dari 10.000 saja. Deposit juga bisa memberikan bonus depo harian 5 ribu. Proses deposit yang harus dilakukan pemain akan melalkui proses berikut ini:

Langkah yang pertama pemain harus sudah memiliki id pemain disini. Setelah melakukan pendaftaran baru login ke web agen taruhan bola online terpercaya ini. Setelah itu harus ada komunikasi yang dilakukan dengan custumer service untuk meminta nomor rekening bandar yang masih aktif.

Langkah yang kedua, setelah dapat nomor rekening bandar aktif di agen judi bola terbagus ini langsung datang ke ATM. Transfer sejumlah dana ke nomor rekening bandar yang masih aktif tadi (harus pakai nomor rekening yang anda pakai untuk mendaftar). Jangan transfer uang dalam jumlah yang dilebihkan karena tetap yang akan masuk tetap sesuai dengan yang anda masukkan ke dalam formulir deposit nantinya.

Langkah yang ketiga, kembali login dengan menggunakan id pemain yang anda miliki. Lanjutkan dengan livechat bersama custumer service untuk menunjukkan bukti transfer yang telah anda lakukan. setelah pengecekan yang dilakukan oleh custumer service selesai anda bisa melanjutkan ke tahap yang berikutnya.

Langkah yang keempat, anda bisa memilih menu deposit dan klik pilihan deposit dengan uang asli. Nanti akan muncul form deposit yang harus anda lengkapi dengan data ini:

1. User ID

2. Password

3. Bank yang dipakai

4. Nomor rekening bandar

5. Nomor rekening pemain

6. Jumlah deposit yang dibayar

Submit setelah melakukan pengecekkan dan tidak ada yang salah dari data dan proses deposit online yang anda lakukan dengan uang asli di agen judi bola terbagus ini.

Transaksi Withdraw Tanpa Potongan

Agen judi bola terbagus juga akan mempermudah pemainnya untuk melakukan tarik dana atau dikenal sebagai transaksi withdraw. Saat pemainb ingin mengatur jumlah saldo yang ada di akun mereka, saat akan cuti atau bahkan saat ingin berhenti bermain judi bisa langsung melakukan transaksi withdraw kapan saja dengan lancar dan tentu saja selalu aman.

Transaksi withdraw di agen taruhan bolka online ini bisa dilakukan dengan proses sebagai berikut ini:

1. Login dengan pakai user id dan password.

2. Hubungi custumer service dan berikan user id yang anda miliki, minta custumer service untuk mengecek sisa saldo yang anda miliki.

3. Klik menu withdraw yang ada di agen taruhan bola terbagus ini, isi dengan user ID, password, bank, uang yang ditarik dan nomor rekening yang anda miliki.

4. Tunggu konfirmasi, saat ada konfirmasi yang masuk ke email langsung cek rekening anda untuk memastikan uang yang tadi anda tarik sudah masuk.

Meskipun pemain bermain dengan menggunakan pulsa, saat melakukan withdraw akan tetap cair dalam bentuk uang asli. Selain itu bandar juga tidak akan memotong dana yang anda tarik untuk biaya admin jadi uang yang ditarik akan tetap utuh. Pemain yang melakukan deposit ini harus menyisakan saldo 10.000.

Agen judi bola terbagus memang selalu memiliki banyak keunggulan yang membuat banyak pemain betah bermain disini. Dari fasilitas yang lengkap dan layanan keuangan yang aman serta mudah akan membuat pemain tidak memiliki keraguan untuk bermain derngan jumlah bet yang besar. Jadi anda juga harus mulai bergabung dengan agen taruhan bola online ini supaya bisa sukses sama dengan pemain yang telah lebih dulu daftar ke agen judi online ini.
Digiweb has announced the launch of Electric Broadband, a 1 Gigabit broadband service powered by SIRO in Dundalk. Using SIROs 100% fibre optic broadband network, Digiweb will offer a number of packages for both residential and business customers in Dundalk, with speeds ranging from 150 Megabits per second (Mbps) to one Gigabit per second (Gbps), and pricing from as little as 45 per month.

SIRO, the open-access wholesale broadband provider, is building a 100% fibre-optic internet network in 50 towns across Ireland, which is different and better than any other broadband infrastructure in Ireland, with no copper connection at any point in the network. SIROs Gigabit connectivity, is three times as powerful as the market leading service in Dublin and 10 times as powerful as the market leading service in rural Ireland.

Digiwebs Electric Broadband will transform the internet experience of SMEs, remote workers and consumers in Dundalk. For example, a high definition film (4GB) takes one hour to download with a 10mbps connection - with Electric Broadband it will take 30 seconds. As a result, Dundalk residents and businesses will be at a competitive advantage over their peers in other towns.

Commenting about the launch in Dundalk, Declan Campbell, Managing Director of Digiweb, said: This is a different kind of internet and we are delighted to be offering our customers in Dundalk the choice. It will be great to be able to offer customers in these areas SIRO powered broadband packages of up to 1Gbps, enabling us to deliver the people of Dundalk one of the most powerful broadband services available in Ireland. On a number of levels, the introduction of this service will differentiate us from most of the competition. With the quality of service and support Digiweb offer our customer base, this product will set us apart from the market. As one of the first broadband retailers to offer services on the SIRO network, this is the latest milestone as part of our strategy of delivering the best broadband experience in the country.
Many Dundalk residents of the present day will have connections with Derry City which go back over 150 years to the time when Dundalk was connected to the city on the banks of the Foyle by the railway system. In fact, old local railwaymen still refer to the old single track line between the Portadown Junction and the Maiden City as 'The Derry Road'.

That connection is long gone but many Dundalk people had, and some still have, grandparents and great grandparents who were born and reared in the Derry City; or maybe they would call it Londonderry. But did you know that the Dundalk Democrat had an intimate connection with the Derry Journal? That connection is even stronger than the fact that both publications were both owned, for brief period, at the same time by Johnston Press, as the Journal still is!

My own connections with Derry City were more involved with its hinterland in County Donegal and I still have many blood relatives living there who remind me of youthful memories of the Derry Journal. At a time when I could barely read I was impressed by the fact that the Journal was an unusual publication, in that it was published twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Fridays, and when I joined the staff of the Democrat I had hopes that the Democrat might one day achieve that record also!

It was not those memories, however, that remind me most of the close connection between the Dundalk Democrat and the Derry Journal! The two broadsheet publications were both printed on the very same Cossar printing press, not at the same time but the Democrat was the immediate successor to that tradition when the Journal moved from its old premises at the heart of Derry, on Shipquay Street, after the most recent Troubles began there in the late 1960s!

I was reminded of how this came about when I read an article in the Irish Times on Saturday by a Freya McClements, (I wonder are her people from Derry) telling the story about how the Derry Journal come to be the only local newspaper to be banned on both sides of the Border.

How the Democrat came to be printed on the Derry Cossar is a long and convoluted story. It all began away back in 1775 when the original Journal was founded. Unlike the original Democrat, the Journal was a very different newspaper then, as it was founded as a Protestant landlord supporting publication. The paper began to change its stance when it supported Catholic Emancipation in 1829, so much so that the then Editor resigned and founded his own Unionist publication; while the Democrat was founded in 1849 by James Carton to try to pull down the Act of Union. It was not until 1880, however, that the Journal became a fully Home Rule supporting publication.

By the time that the Troubles began in Derry in the late 1960s the Journal offices became the target of the Orange mobs as 'a nationalist rag' and the owners decided to move to new printing works at Pennyburn on the northern outskirts of the city. How exactly the Roe family, who owned the Democrat at the time, got involved I do not know but the outcome was that Tom Roe purchased the old Cossar press on which the Journal had been printed for many years.

What I do remember is that I was in the old works at the back of Shipquay Street on a Saturday afternoon on 1970 when a mini-riot was taking place outside around the Diamond. I had accompanied Tommy Gosling, from Hill Street, the Democrat 'machine man' printer for many years; probably because I knew Derry better than any others on the staff of the Democrat at the time. What do remember is that Tommy worked stoically for hours, with the help of some Derry printers, dismantling the Cossar and then loading it on a lorry driven by another brave Dundalk man whose name I cannot now remember. I was not a lot of help to them, other than to act as 'guide' to Derry and its environs but we carried out the 'operation' successfully!

That Derry Cossar made a big difference to the publication of the 'Democrat' during the 'boom' years of the paper during the 1970s. When I joined the Democrat in the early fifties, there were only six broadsheet pages being printed each week on the original Cossar in the basement at Earl Street. The number of pages gradually increased in the sixties but we could still only print twelve pages, with the aid of a 're-wind' which had been printed earlier in the week and then fed back into the main sheets in the early hours of a Saturday morning.

When the Derry Cossar arrived at Earl Street the whole basement was revamped so that it could be linked up with the original Cossar and we could now produce a paper with up to 36 broadsheet pages. This was at the time of the property sales boom in Dundalk and we would carry about six full pages of house and site sales, apart from an increase in other advertisements. It was a great time to be in the local newspaper business as the national papers had begun decline but we were not as greatly effected as them by advertisments going to television and radio!

The twin Cossars continued to print the Democrat for another 20 years or more, until the Anglo Celt printing works in Cavan Town took over its productions for a number of years. When I was Editor, in the late 90s, a man from New Zealand tried to buy the old Cossar printing press and made a substantial offer, including its shipment to the Antipodes, but Tom Roe was not interested. I still wonder what happened to the old Cossars and can hear the 'rumble' of the machinery, churning away, in the recesses of my memory!
"We must be ready to dare all for our country. For history does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid. We must acquire proficiency in defense and display stamina in purpose." - President Eisenhower, First Inaugural Address
LINCOLN  Samar Akins, who spent 11 years in Nebraska prisons, knows the frustration of inmates when improvement and rehabilitation programs are not available.

The 38-year-old Lincoln resident has been out of prison seven years, and reform of Nebraska's prison system is moving at a snail's pace, he said. Assaults on corrections officers by inmates are being reported more often. Nine were injured just last week.

"I denounce all violence," Akins said at a rally Monday to push prison reform. "I understand the inmates' struggle. They've been on (modified) lockdown for several years, and they feel that everything is more punitive in nature."

But trying to get someone to listen by participating in or advocating violence is going about it the wrong way, Akins said.

He wanted to combine the rally to support inmates with one held Saturday to support corrections workers. It takes the prison staff and the inmates working together to solve the problems, he said.

But an organizer of that Saturday rally would only work with him if he would advocate for harsher penalties for inmates who assault staff. That was not what it was about, he said.

It's about safety, security and rehabilitation, Akins said.

"The prison system is not about punishment. It's about rehabilitation and reform, to put positive, productive people in the community and give them a second chance," he said.

About a dozen people gathered in front of the governor's mansion over the noon hour Monday to call for more attention for prison reform.

John Krejci, a Nebraska Wesleyan University emeritus professor of sociology, anthropology and social work, and an advocate for peace and justice issues, helped Akins plan the rally. He said it was both a protest and an opportunity to raise awareness.

No one wants violence, Krejci said, but rather justice and fair treatment. And inmates want to have their voices heard.

The Legislature is key to reform, he said, and needs to keep it a priority.

Akins said it's time for the prisons to take action, with job training, college courses, vocational programs. The majority of inmates only want peace, to get their freedom and to be able to succeed.

Since Corrections Director Scott Frakes has come on board to be a "problem-solver," Akins said, the prisons instead have seen a riot at Tecumseh State Correctional Institution with deaths of two inmates, multiple assaults with injuries of staff, and an escape of two inmates from Lincoln Correctional Center.

Raesean Cratton, 20, attended the rally to support the inmates, including his uncle who was recently incarcerated.

More supervision is needed. And with training and programs, more inmates could get jobs when they get out, Cratton said.

Sharon Waters, who helped organize a rally Saturday with current and former Department of Correctional Services employees, came to the rally Monday to watch, and said Akins' message about nonviolence was a key one.

"Our organization (Change for Nebraska Family of Correctional Services) is not taking on prison reform," Waters said.

But she agreed that Gov. Pete Ricketts, Frakes and the state employees union were not moving fast enough.

"There's too much finger pointing going on between the union and the governor's office," she said. "The union was not even present at our rally."

If the governor and Frakes expect staff to work overtime, then they and the union need to work overtime to get the issues resolved, she said.

Waters said she believes corrections staff will show up at Wednesday's Department of Correctional Services Special Investigative Committee hearing. And there will be letters written to members of the committee and other senators.

"The change has to come from them," she said.

"We're advocating for the change. And we want to be able to support the workers that are in there now. We want to be a voice for them because a lot of them are afraid to even talk out."
If you get seated at a table and get served all sorts of coffee from around the world, would you be able to distinguish the difference in flavor and aroma?

I bet the only way you might describe the cup of Joe you will be served is that it is either bitter and sweet.

Here I was at a coffee appreciation segment of theI was enjoying my cup of El Salvador coffee which now I think is my favorite next to Panama coffee.

Mind you we drank the coffee straight up after brewing without any sugar, milk or cream mixed in it so we can truly appreciate the real coffee flavor, which I totally did!

That is Eric Conlin telling us about coffee secrets. I can really tell how passionate he is about his work and I appreciate that he speaks in laymans term about coffee which made me understand about it more !

He taught us how to smell the coffee to distinguish scent and aroma. Then he made us tell the difference between sweetness and bitterness in coffee. He also taught us about acidity which is very important in determining a good coffee but of course we have our own preference if we like it sweet, better or just in between.

With all the knowledge I gained at theI was able to conclude that. Why? El Salvador has this kinda sweetness in it like honey but has that just right amount of bitterness of a strong coffee and has that fruity bright pleasant acidity in it Panama is also good because of it has nice pleasant bitterness not as slightly sweet but not that much and less acidity.coffee is more bitter and has more acidity in it.

Mr. Conlin also taught us another way to brew coffee aside from using the presser or the electric dependent coffee maker by using this Hario V60 Dripper! All you need is hot water and your grinded coffee. Put filter scoop grinded coffee, pour hot water and let it drip on your cup. (Although there are other technical processes he taught us about this process like weighing the water and the coffee and the temperature of the hot water to use when dripping. What is important is to know that You dont pour in boiling water!

Im gonna brew me some Brazil coffee soon and will tell you how it tasted and if it is better than Panama or El Salvador.

For all your brewing needs and even all the World Coffee I mentioned, you can visit Alessi at B5 of Bonifacio High Street at Global City in Taguig across Lush!

In all honesty, I was not expecting much, knowing I have spent time in a coffee farm and learn beyond the cup of Joe. I even experienced how to be a coffee Barista. But none of them really thought me about true coffee appreciation the way thought us! Thank you Eric Conlin, and Alessi for having me at this World Coffee Masterclass.
Republicans have been trying to sort out why black people tend not to vote for their presidential candidates since they got annihilated in 2008 and then again in 2012. Nowhere is their deficit more pronounced than in Detroit which has a population that is 83% African American. In 2008, 98% of Detroit voters voted for Democrat Barack Obama. In 2014, he got 97% of the vote. Being a black candidate certainly helped, of course, but its the fact that Republicans have little to nothing to offer African American voters that is most responsible.

In December of 2013, Republican Rand Paul came to Detroit to open their first African American Engagement Office. It went about as you would expect. He made a brief speech at the office which was stacked with lots of black faces. Then he traveled a short distance away to give a more public speech and the audience was over 90% white people. Rand Pauls message was that Republicans need to reach out to black people more but had almost nothing to offer in terms of policy other than reducing regulation and lowering taxes. When you are addressing a group of people who live in some of the most polluted zip codes in the country and where poverty is so high that taxes simply arent an issue, these are not particularly compelling arguments.

During his last appearance in Michigan, Donald Trump went to the lily-white community of Dimondale to ask black people What the hell do you have to lose? in voting for him. You live in poverty, he said. Your schools are no good. You have no jobs. What the hell do you have to lose? Im pretty sure the folks in Detroit and other majority black communities couldnt hear him from Dimondale. And, even if they could, Im not sure telling them how hellish their existence is was the right approach.

This weekend, Donald Trump is going to give it another shot, this time in Detroit where hell tape a television interview at a predominantly black church Great Faith Ministries International. Its his first time in front of a mostly-black audience and its clear he has some splainin to do.

To date, Trump has offered little more to the African American community than Rand Paul offered almost years ago. In fact, his claim that he could solve violence in America by having police being very much tougher than they are right now is likely to solidify his lack of support from African Americans who are the main victims of police violence in the USA.

Its no surprise Trump isnt holding a rally in Detroit. He only does that when he is certain hell draw large crowds. A Detroit rally could well draw more protesters than rally goers.

But, lets be honest. Trumps appearance in Detroit isnt a sincere attempt to woo black voters. His messaging so far and anything hes likely to say in Detroit is not intended for blacks, its intended for potential white supporters. Its his way of reassuring white voters that hes not a racist bigot despite all evidence to the contrary.

No word on whether or not Trump will bring his African American to the event.

By the way, the Clinton campaign answered Trumps question as to what in the hell black voters have to lose quite effectively with a single word: Everything.
Its easy to lose sight of people in a CRM discussion, focusing instead on the great technology and what it lets us do under optimum circumstances. We should keep the customer in mind at all times, however, for without them what are we?

Forgetting the customer is dangerous both for customers and vendors in this social age. Far from being a universal good, automation can make it hard to reach a human being when circumstances require a human to make sense of reality. Its dangerous for vendors too, because that disconnect results in unhappy customers who have the ability to tell their stories in the most public forums.

United Breaks Guitars  the song, the book, and the YouTube series  provides a graphic example of how things can go bad and how some organizations are culturally misaligned with the era of customers.

For the uninitiated, UBG chronicles a months-long saga of one customer trying to get the airline to repair a guitar badly damaged in transit by baggage handlers  all to little avail. The customer, Dave Carroll shredded Uniteds reputation by writing songs about the incident, which were recorded on the way to going viral on YouTube.

UBG might be the poster child for what not to do and how important it is to adapt to the customer era  but it is not the only example.

From Bad to Worse

I recently became aware of another incident involving an airline in which good CRM  the attitude and approach to business, if not the technology  was completely lacking. The Villaluz family of three, Americans of Filipino extraction, wanted to fly from Boston to Dallas on American Airlines in July. Through a series of missteps, they instead ended up broke, baggage-less and blacklisted in New Yorks LaGuardia airport.

The original flight from Boston, American 2607, was delayed and ultimately canceled after about six hours. Passengers were given the option of taking AA 2172 Boston to LaGuardia for a connection to Dallas AA 1144 leaving at 7:59 p.m. The airline also gave them food vouchers.

The Villaluz family are the salt of the earth, sources have told me, known for volunteering and giving to their church and community. Their trip was to have been part vacation and part work. The father, Ken Villaluz, is a pastor who had been scheduled to perform two house blessings in Dallas. The remainder of the trip was to have been a family visit. His wife, Ruby, is a nurse. Their 12 year-old daughter has difficulty flying  shes actually phobic, and one parent needed to be seated with her to reassure her during the flight.

In New York, the family needed a little assistance from the ground crew to help ensure that their daughter was accommodated. While they all had boarding passes, they werent given two seats together, thanks to the original cancellation.

Special needs such as theirs often are met on board by a flight attendant asking other passengers to volunteer switching seats. The Boston ground crew assured the family that their need would be taken care of by the New York crew  but even though the family was allowed to board early, they didnt get the assistance they needed.

What happened next is the stuff of movies. Since the family was on board early and very polite, they didnt simply take seats. Instead, they asked for assistance from the crew. The flight attendant instead demanded that the family ground-check their carry-ons  including a live lobster  and stand out of the way.

The Villaluzes were confused, because theyd arrived from Boston on a smaller plane with their bags in the overhead bins. It makes no sense that passengers boarding early were being told to check their bags  but a lot doesnt make sense at this point.

Total Breakdown

The father, the pastor, asked to speak with a manager, and one Brady S. approached. Rather than helping the family, Brady S. insisted on getting their bags checked. When the minister complained about his demeanor, Brady S. escorted the family off the plane and told them to hed deal with them after the flight left.

The daughter began to sob. The father, already humiliated, sobbed too. The plane left without the family  but with its gate-checked luggage, including the lobster.

The father tracked down a policeman to be present as a witness when he had his next encounter with Brady S., but after the facts were laid out, the cop excused himself from the conversation saying that it was not his jurisdiction and nothing criminal had happened. Nothing.

The family then sought to rebook on American yet again, hoping to exchange the value of their original tickets. Unfortunately, though they found another American flight, the agent told them they could not access it. Brady S. had blacklisted them, making it impossible to fly American and making the value of their tickets inaccessible.

The family was stranded. It was about 8 p.m., and all of their luggage was on a flight to Dallas. They didnt have much money and had to call family to help them rebook on United for a flight the next morning. Meanwhile, the 12 year-old was in a highly disturbed state. The family had to get a hotel in New Jersey near the Newark airport, which required an expensive cab ride from LaGuardia.

United flight 1993 left Newark at 6:30 a.m., bound for Houston, meaning that the broke, bag-less, and blacklisted family got all of two hours sleep at their hotel. They reached Houston and eventually Dallas that day, but the father missed his house blessings. Naturally, the family is trying to get its money back  and unsurprisingly, American Airlines is doing its best imitation of see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

Why Did This Happen?

Theres some evidence that American is doing what it can to speed up its boarding and aircraft turnarounds to help ensure that it gets the most productivity from every flight.

The speedup is an effort to improve on-time performance, but the Allied Pilots Association warned about the changes, according to a Bloomberg story: The airline is directing that some flight plans increase air speeds to near plane limits and on routes expected to hit turbulence, as a means of making sure that crews comply with FAA guidelines on hours worked and avoiding the delays associated with assigning fresh personnel, the union said.

The article goes on to quote a letter from union President Dan Carey: APA pilots are now reporting that management is manipulating flight plans in order to keep an operation under duress from coming apart at the seams,' the letter said. These last-minute manipulations are used to make a flight appear legal when in reality its not or is, at best, on the ragged edge.'

You can only wonder if the speedup prevented this family from getting the attention their simple request deserved. If their account of the ordeal is true, it suggests an almost total failure of what CRM should be about: customers and companies relationships with them. Moreover, this story suggests just how decrepit the airline business model is, at least for some.

This was not a technology failure  it was caused by a lack of empathy up and down Americans structure, from senior management who wanted faster turnarounds and greater profitability per flight to customer service people whose jobs have been corrupted to serve profits almost to the exclusion of customer service.

An airline focusing on on-time arrivals and departures might be able to say that it has its customers best interests in mind, but without attending to all of the other moments of truth involved in making air travel successful, that single focus is ultimately self-defeating.
Twitter last week announced it had suspended 235,000 accounts since February for promoting terrorism, bringing to 360,000 the total number of suspensions since mid-2015.

Daily suspensions have increased more than 80 percent since last year, spiking immediately after terrorist attacks. Twitters response time for suspending reported accounts, the length of time offending accounts are active on its platform, and the number of followers they draw all have decreased dramatically, the company said.

Twitter also has made progress in preventing those who have been suspended from getting back on its platform quickly.

Tools and Tactics

The number of teams reviewing reports around the clock has increased, and reviewers now have more tools and language capabilities.

Twitter uses technology such as proprietary spam-fighting tools to supplement reports from users. Over the past six months, those tools helped identify more than one third of the 235,000 accounts suspended.

Global efforts to silence #Daesh online are bearing fruit.#UnitedAgainstDaesh pic.twitter.com/InNXnYUmEj

   (@sawabcenter) July 13, 2016

Twitters global public policy team has expanded partnerships with organizations working to counter violent extremism online, including True Islam in the United States; Parle-moi dIslam in France; Imams Online in the UK; the Wahid Foundation in Indonesia; and the Sawab Center in the UAE.

Twitter executives have attended government-convened summits on countering violent extremism hosted by the French Interior Ministry and the Indonesian National Counterterrorism Agency.

A Fine Balance

Twitter has been largely reactive rather than proactive, and thats been hit and miss, but from [its] standpoint, thats probably the best they can do without being too draconian, said Chenxi Wang, chief strategy officer at Twistlock.

You could, perhaps, consider creating a statistical analysis model that will be predictive in nature, she told TechNewsWorld, but then you are venturing into territories that may violate privacy and freedom of speech.

Further, doing so is not in Twitters best interest, Wang suggested, as a social networks aim is for people to participate rather than be regulated.

Gauging Effectiveness

Its not easy to judge Twitters success in combating terrorism online.

How often does Twitter actually influence people who might be violent? wondered Michael Jude, a program manager at Stratecast/Frost & Sullivan. How likely is it that truly crazy people will use Twitter as a means to incite violence? And how likely is it that Twitter will be able to apply objective standards to making a determination that something is likely to encourage terrorism?

The answers to the first two questions are uncertain, he told TechNewsWorld.

The last question raises highly problematic issues, Jude said. What if Twitters algorithms are set such that supporters of Trump or Hillary are deemed terroristic? Is that an application of censorship to spirited discourse?

There Oughta Be a Law

Meanwhile, pressure on the Obama administration to come up with a plan to fight terrorism online is growing.

The U.S. House of Representatives last year passed the bipartisan Bill H.R. 3654, the Combat Terrorist Use of Social Media Act of 2015, which calls on the president to provide a report on U.S. strategy to combat terrorists and terrorist organizations use of social media.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee earlier this year approved a Senate version of the bill, which has yet to be voted on in the full chamber.

Its probably a good idea for the president to have a plan, but it would need to conform to the Constitution, Jude remarked.

Policies havent yet caught up  . Its not out of the question that government policies may one day govern social media activities, Twistlocks Wang suggested. Exactly how and when remains to be seen.

Automatic Counterterrorism

YouTube and Facebook this summer began implementing automated systems to block or remove extremist content from their pages, according to reports.

The technology, developed to identify and remove videos protected by copyright, looks for hashes assigned to videos, matches them against content previously removed for being unacceptable, and then takes appropriate action.

That approach is problematic, however.

Such automatic blocking of content goes against the concepts of freedom of speech and the Internet, said Jim McGregor, a principal analyst at Tirias Research.

On the other hand, you have to consider the threat posed by these organizations, he told TechNewsWorld. Is giving them an open platform for promotion and communication any different than putting a gun in their hands?

The pros of automatic blocking terrorist content online are its fast and its consistent, observed Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

The cons are, automatic systems can be easy to figure out and circumvent, and you may end up casting too wide a net  like Reddit did with the Orlando shooting, he told TechNewsWorld.

Im all for free speech and freedom of the Internet, McGregor said, but organizations posting extremist content are responsible for crimes against humanity and pose a threat to millions of innocent people and should be stopped. However, you have to be selective on the content to find that fine line between combating extremism and censorship.

There is the danger of content being misidentified as extremist, and the people who uploaded it then being put on a watch list mistakenly. There have been widespread reports of errors in placing individuals on the United States governments no-fly list, for example, and the process of getting off that list is difficult.

I have one friend whos flagged just because of her married name, McGregor said. There needs to be a system in place to re-evaluate those decisions to make sure people arent wrongly accused.

Fighting Todays Battles

The automated blocking reportedly being implemented by YouTube and Facebook works only on content previously banned or blocked. It cant deal with freshly posted content that has not yet been hashtagged.

There might be a solution to that problem, however. The Counter Extremism Project, a private nonprofit organization, recently announced a hashing algorithm that would take a proactive approach to flagging extremist content on Internet and social media platforms.

Its algorithm works on images, videos and audio clips.

The CEP has proposed the establishment of a National Office for Reporting Extremism, which would house a comprehensive database of extremist content. Its tool would be able to flag matching content online immediately and flag it for removal by any company using the hashing algorithm.

Microsofts Contribution

Microsoft provided funding and technical support to Hany Farid, a professor at Dartmouth College, to support his work on the CEP algorithm.

Farid previously had helped develop PhotoDNA, a tool that scans and eliminates child pornography images online, which Microsoft distributed it freely.

Among other actions, Microsoft has amended its terms of use to specifically prohibit the posting of terrorist content on its hosted consumer services.

That includes any material that encourages violent action or endorses terrorist organizations included on the Consolidated United Nations Security Council Sanctions List.

Recommendations for Social Media Firms

The CEP has proposed five steps social media companies can take to combat extremism online:
Gawker founder Nick Denton earlier this week said that he filed for personal bankruptcy protection after exhausting his appeals to stave off collection of damages resulting from adefamation and invasion of privacy lawsuit brought by professional wrestling icon Hulk Hogan.

The filing followed a Florida courts rejection of Dentons appeal to block Hogan from collecting US$140 million a jury awarded to him earlier this year. The case stemmed from Gawkers publication of a tape of Hogan having sex with the wife of his friend.

In the New York Bankruptcy Court filing, Denton revealed that he had assets of between $10 million and $50 million, and liabilities of between $100 million and $500 million. The filing lists the top three unsecured liabilities as follows: a $125 million claim by Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, pending appeal; a $100 million claim by Chicago lawyer Meanith Huon; and a $35 million claim arising from a pending defamation case brought by Shiva Ayyadurai, the husband of actress Fran Drescher.

It probably heightens the likelihood of Gawker being sold or closed, Rick Edmonds, media business analyst at The Poynter Institute, told the E-Commerce Times.

Asset Sale

Gawker, which was granted bankruptcy protection in July, is set to be sold at auction later this month. Ziff Davis is the most likely candidate to take over the company. Originally scheduled for July 27, the auction was postponed, and Aug. 15 set as the new deadline for bids.

Dentons confirmation that he would be filing for personal bankruptcy, just weeks after Gawker filed for bankruptcy protection, came earlier this week in a memo he sent to staffers. Denton lashed out at billionaire investor Peter Thiel, who secretly backed Hogans legal case against Gawker. Thiel was the subject of a controversial in 2007 article published by the companys Valleywag blog, which outed the conservative billionaire as gay.

Its a personal vendetta, Denton said in the memo to Gawker Media staff, and yes, its disturbing to live in a world in which a billionaire can bully journalists because he didnt like the coverage.

A spokesperson for Thiel was not immediately available for comment. Lawyers representing Hogan in the bankruptcy case declined to comment and referred calls to Hogans publicist, who was not immediately available for comment.

Despite the bankruptcy filing, Denton was in a positive frame of mind, he wrote in the memo, because the companys influential brands will soon be free to thrive under new ownership.

Collection Fight

It appears that Denton filed for personal bankruptcy to avoid personal liability, said attorney Peter Vogel, a partner at Gardere Wynne Sewell. If its granted, Hogan may not be able to collect much.

The bankruptcy courts are uniquely different than the trial courts, as the bankruptcy judges primary job is to pay creditors as much as possible, Vogel told the E-Commerce Times. In this case, its not entirely clear that Hogans trial led to whats referred to as a final judgment, which usually occurs months after a trial, with lawyers on each side making motions to change the jury verdict.

Even if Hogan got a final judgment, he would have to get in line to collect any money owed, and would have to compete with other Gawker creditors to collect, Vogel said.

Bankruptcies can go on a long time, he pointed out, since the objective is to find assets to pay creditors, and it takes time and energy to see if any monies are controlled by others or offshore.
Delta Air Lines reportedly canceled 300 flights Tuesday morning, a day after a mammoth outage that forced it to temporarily ground thousands of flights worldwide and ultimately cancel more than 400 of them.

Although an update posted at 10:00 p.m. ET Monday night warned that there would be more than 100 flight cancellations and roughly 200 delays Tuesday morning, the actual numbers appeared considerably worse.

The disruption began with a power outage that took place around 2:30 a.m. on Monday at the airlines Atlanta headquarters, according to Delta and Georgia Power.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian apologized to customers later Monday in a video message taped live from the airlines operations and customer center, saying the carrier was engaged in an all hands on deck effort to restore service.

Mea Culpa

I apologize for the challenges this has created for you with your travel experience, Bastian said in his video message.The Delta team is working very, very hard to restore and get these systems back as quickly as possible.

The company instituted system-wide waivers, he added, which would allow customers to rebook their flights or get refunds without penalty. Those waivers were available through Delta.com and the companys reservations agents.

The airline was investigating the cause of the outage, Delta spokesperson Traci Messier told TechNewsWorld on Monday, noting that it had not yet discovered the exact cause.

A hack may have been responsible, early media reports suggested, but that hypothesis remains unconfirmed.

Georgia Power responded to the outage, which appeared to be related to Delta equipment that interconnects with Georgia Power, which serves more than 2.4 million customers in the state, according to spokesperson John Kraft.

The utilitys other customers were not impacted by any power problems, he said, adding that Delta has been a great customer of Georgia Power for a long time.

Delta issued a number of updates on Twitter and its corporate website, noting that there were lag times on the flight arrival and departure screens at the airport and on its reservations site and mobile app.

Mondays failure was one of a very few major outages at Delta in many years, according to Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst at Atmosphere Research Group.

Delta generally has a strong record with handling technology issues, he noted.

Clearly something extraordinary happened today, Harteveldt told TechNewsWorld on Monday. What Im curious about is why the backup systems didnt kick in to make sure the flights werent canceled.

Delta responded admirably to the outage, which appeared to be limited to departure control systems, he said. The airline was able to get flights from Europe and Asia back on track and also was able to maintain its mobile app and website functionality.

Southwests Meltdown

The Delta outage followed by about three weeks an hour-long outage at Southwest Airlines, which was due to the failure of a notebook-sized router that didnt know it had failed, said Melanie Jones, a spokesperson for Southwest.

So it broke, but did not trip a backup, she told TechNewsWorld. It kept bringing traffic into itself for processing.

That outage, which caused the cancellation of 2,300 flights, required Southwest to reboot all of its systems, which took hours to complete.

Southwest Airlines responded to its outage like the Keystone Cops, according to Atmosphere Research Groups Harteveldt, who said it was embarrassing to watch.

Southwest had failed to make necessary upgrades in technology, he maintained.

Two major unions at Southwest called for the ouster of CEO Gary Kelly after that outage. However, the company pushed back, criticizing the statement as a negotiating tactic.

Southwest has taken action to shore up its technological defenses, according to spokesperson Jones.

First, we have developed a backup procedure for this router brown out condition, should it ever recur. The router in question is an older model, and we will soon have upgraded all routers that will be more reliable and not subject to a brown out, she explained.

Beyond addressing the immediate problem, Southwest will continue on our journey of updating, enhancing, replacing and modernizing our software, systems and technologies, said Jones.

We are also replacing, upgrading and modernizing our entire primary data center, currently housed in Dallas across the street from TOPS, she added.

Thats the place where we store and run our vast array of computers that provide the systems we use to support our customers every day, Jones said. We have a complete remote data center as a backup to our primary data center, and we run redundant systems and networks even in our primary data center.

Delta has made healthy investments in its technology over the years, Harteveldt said.

The airline two years ago signed an agreement with Travelport to reacquire its data and intellectual property rights, which are critical for passenger service and flight operations.

The agreement made Delta the only major carrier to have direct control over those systems, the company said.

Under that agreement, Travelport continued to host the Delta platform of its Atlanta data center.

Delta previously was the owner of the Worldspan global distribution center, which Travelport acquired in 2007. GDS systems historically have been used by travel agencies to book reservations for airline flights, hotels, car rentals and cruises.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise and HP are facing a potential class action lawsuit brought earlier this month by four former employees.

The companies engaged in widespread age discrimination during a restructuring of the legacy computer and printer manufacturer, according to their complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in San Jose, California.

HP from 2012 to 2015 made a series of discriminatory job cuts involving tens of thousands of workers, the suit alleges. Cuts made late last year, when the company split into two separate units, reflected a well-publicized effort to become younger, according to the complaint.

Diamonds and Pyramids

HPE CEO Meg Whitman (who was then CEO of the undivided HP) in 2013 told a group of securities analysts that the company needed to transform itself from a labor diamond into a labor pyramid or a quite flat triangle with young employees at its base, according to the complaint.

The plaintiffs are seeking to have the suit confirmed as a class action case for former HP and HPE employees who were 40 years old or older when they were cut  a class that potentially could number in the thousands.

The four plaintiffs are Donna Forsythe, who was laid off from HPE in May at age 62; Arun Vatturi, who lost his HP job in January at age 52; Dan Weiland, who was cut from HP in July 2015 at age 63; and Sydney Staton, who was cut in April 2015 at age 54.

HP and HPE officials denied the allegations and said their companies were committed to lawful employment practices.

HP has long been committed to the principles of equal opportunity, diversity and inclusion, said spokesperson Tom Suiter.

Any decision to implement a workforce reduction is always difficult, but we take care to make tough decisions based on legitimate, nondiscriminatory reasons, he added. We are aware of the claims, deny them and plan to defend against them.

HPE also denied the allegations.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise has a longstanding commitment to the principles of equal employment opportunity and age inclusion is no exception, said spokesperson Blair Hinderliter. The decision to implement a workforce reduction is always difficult, but we are confident that our decisions were based on legitimate decisions unrelated to age.

Industry-Wide Problem

The employment practices of Silicon Valley firms have been a subject of scrutiny for some time. The tech industry has developed a reputation not only of lacking racial and gender diversity, but also of blatantly favoring younger employees.

This has been a problem that was well documented at Google and other software companies, observed Kevin Krewell, principal analyst at Tirias Research.

The rationale is that young people are more willing to work long hours and sacrifice work/life balance to deliver a product, he told the E-Commerce Times.

The problem of age discrimination at Silicon Valley companies is compounded by the fact that industry leaders largely have been unapologetic about the practice, Laurie McCann, senior attorney at AARP Foundation Litigation, said this spring in testimony before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

HPs goal apparently was keep salaries down at the company, but the way it was executed may have crossed a line into discriminatory behavior, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

Whitman has seemed excessively focused on salaries of late, he told the E-Commerce Times.

The nature of her compensation is that she makes more as expenses drop, showcasing a natural affinity for her own income over that of others, Enderle said. The intent wasnt to discriminate by age, but that appears to be the result.
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Jennifer Falbe and other investigators from Kristin Madsons group at UC Berkeley have just produced an analysis of the effects of the Berkeley soda tax on consumption patterns.

Berkeleys soda tax passed in a landslide in November 2014. Berkeley vs. Big Soda

They surveyed people in low-income communities before and after the tax went into effect. The result: an overall 21 percent decline in reported soda consumption in low-income Berkeley neighborhoods versus a 4 percent increase in equivalent neighborhoods in Oakland and San Francisco.

The Los Angeles Times breaks out these figures:

In Oakland and San Francisco, which have not yet passed a tax, sales of regular sodas went up by 10 percent.

Other findings, as reported by Healthy Food America:

During one of the hottest summers on record, Berkeley residents reported drinking 63 percent more bottled water, while comparison cities saw increases of just 19 percent.

Only 2 percent of those surveyed reported crossing city lines to avoid the tax.

The biggest drops came in consumption of soda (26 percent) and sports drinks (36 percent).

Agricultural economist Parke Wilde at Tufts views this study as empirical evidence for the benefits of taxes. He writes on his U.S. Food Policy blog that its time for his ag econ colleagues to take the benefits of taxes seriously:

There is a long tradition in my profession of doubting the potential impact of such taxes  Oklahoma State University economist Jayson Lusk, who also is president of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA), has blogged several times about soda taxes, agreeing with most of the Tamar Haspel column in the Washington Post and concluding stridently: Im sorry, but if my choice is between nothing and a policy that is paternalistic, regressive, will create economic distortions and deadweight loss, and is unlikely to have any significant effects on public health, I choose nothing (emphasis added).

Wilde points out that Lusk has now modified those comments in a blog post.

All that said, Im more than willing to accept the finding that the Berkeley city soda tax caused soda consumption to fall. The much more difficult question is: are Berkeley residents better off?

Yes, they are.

This Is What a Soda Commercial Would Look Like If They Were Telling the Truthhttps://t.co/NfPqtsMP1M @markhymanmd pic.twitter.com/bXkhIp2JfF  EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) February 4, 2016

The Berkeley study is good news and a cheery start to the week. Have a good one.

Addition

Politico adds up the piles of cash being spent on the soda tax votes in San Francisco, Oakland and Alameda and analyzes the soda industrys framing of the tax as a grocery tax.
By Winona LaDuke

Its 2016 and the weight of American corporate interests has come to the Missouri River, the Mother River. This time, instead of the Seventh Cavalry or the Indian police dispatched to assassinate Sitting Bull, it is Enbridge and Dakota Access Pipeline.

In mid-August, Standing Rock Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II was arrested by state police, along with 27 others, for opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline. In the meantime, North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple called for more police support.

Wiyaka Eagleman has been at the encampment since April and is from one of the seven Sioux council fire tribes set up there. Desiree Kane

Every major pipeline project in North America must cross indigenous lands, Indian Country. That is a problem.

The road west of Fargo is rarely taken. In fact, most Americans just fly over North Dakota, never seeing it.

Let me take you there.

My head clears as I drive. My destination is the homeland of the Hunkpapa Oceti, Standing Rock Reservation. It is early evening, the moon full. If you close your eyes, you can remember the 50 million buffalothe single largest migratory herd in the world. The pounding of their hooves would vibrate the Earth, make the grass grow.

There were once 250 species of grass. Today the buffalo are gone, replaced by 28 million cattle, which require grain, water and hay. Many of the fields are now in a single GMO crop, full of so many pesticides that the monarch butterflies are dying off. But in my memory, the old world remains.

If you drive long enough, you come to the Missouri River.

Called Mnisose, a great swirling river, by the Lakota, she is a force to be reckoned with. She is breathtaking. The Missouri River has a fixed place in the history and mythology of the Lakota and other Indigenous nations of the Northern Plains, author Dakota Goodhouse would explain.

In the time before Sitting Bull, the Missouri River was the epicenter of northern agriculture, the river bed so fertile. The territory was known as the fertile crescent of North America. That was then, before the treaties that reduced the Lakota land base. But the Missouri remained in the treatythe last treaty of 1868 used the Missouri as a boundary.

Then came the theft of land by the U.S. government and the taking of the Black Hills in 1877, in part as retaliation against Sitting Bulls victory at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. In a time prior to Black Lives Matter or Native Lives Matter, great leaders like Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse were assassinated at the hands of police.

One truth: The Lakota people have survived much.

Forced into the reservation life, the Lakota attempted to stabilize their society, until the dams came. The 1944 Pick Sloan project flooded out the Missouri River tribes, taking the best bottom lands from the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara, the Lakota and Dakota. More than 200,000 acres on the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River reservations in South Dakota were flooded by the Oahe Dam itself, forcing not only relocation, but a loss of the Lakota world. The Garrison, Oahe and Fort Randall dams created a reservoir that eliminated 90 percent of timber and 75 percent of wildlife on the reservations.

That is how a people are made poor.

Today, well over two thirds of the population of Standing Rock is below the poverty leveland the land and Mother River are what remains, a constant, for the people. That is what is threatened today.

Enbridge and partners are preparing to drill through the riverbed. The pipeline has been permitted in sections from the west and from the east. The northern portion was moved away from the water supply of Bismarck, into the watershed of Standing Rock. That was unfortunate for the Lakota.

Despite Lakota legal and regulatory objections, the Dakota Access Pipeline construction began in May 2016. If finished it will snake through North and South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois, where it will link to a 774-mile pipeline to Nederland, Texas.

More than 570,000 barrels of Bakken crude oil will pass through the pipeline daily, along with 245,100 metric tons of carbon dailyenough carbon to combust the planet to oblivion.

The pipeline would span 200 water crossings and in North Dakota alone would pass through 33 historical and archeological sites. Enbridge just bought the Dakota Access pipeline, noting that the proposed Sandpiper routeMinnesotas 640,000 barrel per day Bakken lineis now three years behind schedule.

The route of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

In late July, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe represented by Earthjustice, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Standing Rock claims the project violates federal and treaty law. Standing Rock also filed an intervention at the United Nations, in coordination with the International Indian Treaty Council.

As Chairman Archambault explained in a New York Times story:

The Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior and the National Advisory Council on Historic Preservation supported more protection of the tribes cultural heritage, but the Corps of Engineers and Energy Transfer Partners turned a blind eye to our rights. The first draft of the companys assessment of the planned route through our treaty and ancestral lands did not even mention our tribe.

The Dakota Access pipeline was fast-tracked from Day 1 using the Nationwide Permit No. 12 process, which grants exemption from environmental reviews required by the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act by treating the pipeline as a series of small construction sites.

Without closer scrutiny, the proposal breezed through the four state processes.

In Iowa where work on the pipeline is underway, three fires erupted causing heavy damage to equipment and an estimated $1 million in damages. Investigators suspect arson, according to Jasper County Sheriff John Halferty. In October 2015, three Iowa farmers sued Dakota Access LLC and the Iowa Utilities Board in an attempt to prevent the use of eminent domain on their properties to construct the pipeline.

The health of the Missouri River has been taken for granted.

Dammed in the Pick Sloan Dam projects, each project increases contamination and reduces her health. Today, the Missouri is the seventh most polluted river in the country. Agricultural run-off and now fracking have contaminated the river. My sister fished a gar out of the river, a giant prehistoric fish, only to find it covered with tumors.

Heres just one case: In a January 2015 spill, saltwater contamination from a massive pipeline spill reached the Missouri River. In the baffling way of state and federal agencies, North Dakotas Health Director David Glatt did not expect harm to wildlife or drinking water supplies because the water was diluted. The saying is: The solution to pollution is dilution. That is convenient, but not true.

Blacktail Creek and the Little Muddy River were contaminated after nearly 3 million gallons of saltwater with elevated levels of chloride contamination. All was diluted. But then there was that gar fish with the tumors.

There are pipelines everywhere and fewer than 150 Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) pipeline inspectors in the whole country.

Leonardo DiCaprio Stands With Great Sioux Nation to Stop Dakota Access Pipeline via @EcoWatch https://t.co/aMPErH1OXW @shailenewoodley  Lori Woodley (@WoodleyLori) August 12, 2016

And now comes the risk from oil.

The pipeline companies generally discuss a 99 percent safety record, but studies have found that to be grossly inaccurate. A former Scientific American Editor, Trudy Bell, reports that PHMSA data from 2001 to 2011 suggest the average pipeline has a 57% probability of experiencing a major leak, with consequences over the $l million range in a ten year period.

Not good odds.

At Standing Rock, as the number of protesters grew from 200 to 2000, state law enforcement decided to put up a safety checkpoint and rerouted traffic on Highway 1806 from Bismarck to Standing Rock, hoping to dissuade people from coming and put the squeeze on Standing Rocks Prairie Knights Casino, which is served by that road.

We just drove around; the scenic route is beautiful. And as supporters surge in numbers, the casino hotel and restaurants are full.

While North Dakota seeks to punish the Lakota, Chairman Archambault expresses concerns for everyone:

From the New York Times: I am here to advise anyone that will listen that the Dakota Access Pipeline project is harmful. It will not be just harmful to my people but its intent and construction will harm the water in the Missouri River, which is one of the cleanest and safest river tributaries left in the Unit States. To poison the water is to poison the substance of life. Everything that moves must have water. How can we talk about and knowingly poison water?

Resistance sign at the site of the drill pad back in May. Desiree Kane

In the meantime, North Dakota Gov. Dalrymple announced a state of emergency, making additional state resources available to manage public safety risks associated with the ongoing protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline. He may have exceeded his scope of authority and violated civil and human rights to water.

Chairman Archambaults interpretation: Perhaps only in North Dakota, where oil tycoons wine and dine elected officials and where the governor, Jack Dalrymple, serves as an adviser to the Trump campaign, would state and county governments act as the armed enforcement for corporate interests.

There are a lot of people at Standing Rock today who remember their history and the long standoff at Wounded Knee in 1973. In fact, some of those in Standing Rock today were there in 1973 at Wounded Knee, a similar battle for dignity and the future of a nation.

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.

Thousands of Native Americans have joined Standing Rock Sioux tribe members in their protest against the construction of the $3.8 billion Dakota Access Pipeline. Crow Nation News

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.

The Standing Rock protest camp represents that struggle for freedom and the future of a people. All of us. If I ask the question What would Sitting Bull do?the answer is pretty clear. He would remind me what he said 150 years ago: Let us put our minds together to see what kind of future we can make for our children.

The time for that is now.

This article was originally published by LA Progressive and reposted with permission from our media associate YES! Magazine.
With oil and gas in high demand and harder to find with each passing day, people seeking to squeeze the last drops of buried oil are back again in Utah.

This time they are trying to ring out some of the dirtiest trickles of remaining oil trapped in the sizable deposits of tar sands that is associated with even more voluminous amounts of oil shale deposits beneath the ground in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming.

This brings to mind visions of what is still taking place full force and escalating in Alberta, Canada today. What many locals call present day Mordor on Earththe devastated wastelands found in J.R.R. Tolkiens Lord of the Rings. And reminds us of what the Peabody coal company did to the Midwest in search of coal in places like Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana. On our watch, how can people be doing such a destructive thing in neighboring Canada just across the border and now planning to do in our very own backyards?

A company called U.S. Oil Sands, Inc. has big, big plans of bringing what we are seeing done in Alberta, Canada to the U.S. Ironically, this company calling themselves U.S. Oil Sands is an Alberta, Canada investor-based business, formerly called Earth Energy Resources. They have high hopes of striking it rich on U.S. lands, and they come equipped with the latest technology refined in the Canadian tar sands landscape. Lucky us.

Now listening to this company makes you think that the oil found in Utahs tar sands or what they want to refer to as oil sands is going to flow right out by rinsing the mined deposits with a citrus-based solvent called d-limonene (pronounced de-lie-mo-neen) derived from oranges, lemons and such. It sounds too good to be truea miracle potion. It almost sounds like no water will be involved in the process.

In the documentary Last Rush for the Wild West: Tar Sands, Oil Shale and the American Frontier, a film directed by Jennifer Ekstrom, instead of the two barrels of water that Bryn MacDonald had been hearing it takes to make one barrel of oil in Alberta, Canada when working as a regular employee in the Alberta tar sands there, he found out that it took more like six to eight barrels of water to make one barrel of oil.

[vimeo https://vimeo.com/104267917 expand=1]

Also in this movie Kate Anderson of that advocacy group Before it Starts said, Theyre going to have to truck water up from the Green River for this project which is going to cost them a lot of overhead. It just looks a little shaky to investors like you really dont know where you are going to get this water from and they havent been really forth coming about how theyre going to do it.

So, it might take a little less of waterperhaps two barrels or somewhere between 1 to 5to make a single barrel of oil in Utah. Of course there is this patented proprietary protection in place on U.S. Oil Sands citrus-based extraction process. This is sounding similar to the mysterious case of fracking fluid, where companies are not legally bound to disclose all the multitude of hidden ingredients in their injected cocktail of fluids.

Remember, this is thanks to the people who gave us the 2005 Energy Policy Actnamely, then Vice President, Dick Cheney and his associates. InsideClimate News reported that in spite the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency including d-limonene on their Generally Recognized as Safe List based on small quantities, in high amounts it made laboratory rats sick. And safety information that U.S. Oil Sands filed with Utah regulators says this citrus-based solvent should not be discharged into surface water and may be toxic to aquatic organisms.

Dr. William Johnson of the University of Utah, where he specializes in contaminant transport in the Department of Geology and Geophysics, said, while providing testimony on behalf of the organization Living Rivers, that during the extraction process the residual dlimonene in the sand creates the potential for increased transport of carcinogenic tar compounds at higher concentrations.

In Canada, according to National Geographic, it takes about 2 tons of bitumen-laden sand to produce a single barrel of oil. Thats 2 tons4,000 pounds. Imagine how many oranges itll take to wash 2 tons for only one barrel of oil.

Lets be fair, in Utah it may take less than or more than 2 tons of their oil sands or tar sands per one barrel of oil. U.S. Oil Sands test site at PR Spring is only 213 acres at present but they are trying to expand it to 316 acres.

According to the organization Western Resources Advocates and the Colorado Riverkeeper, the small test operation will use 116 gallons of water per minute on a 24-hour basis to meet the 2,000 barrels of oil per day goal. On top of that they predict theyll use 1,000 gallons a day of the citrus-based d-limonene. If thats what it takes in a small test site, try to imagine how much water they are going to use if their operation goes to a larger scale.

U.S. Oil Sands already has leased about 32,000 acres from Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands (or SITLA). Since they were able to lease state of Utah lands for their mining test operation and extra lands, they had been able to circumnavigate the more stringent requirements and safeguards placed on federal lands. We could all do the math on how many tons of sand it will take to reach their long-term goal of 190 million barrels inside and outside their test site. Thats a lot of tons of tar sands. Its much harder to calculate how many more tons must be removed to get at the tons of sand theyll need.

There are almost 1 million acres of federal and state lands in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming available for tar sands and oil shale development and already 60,000 acres leased. According to an article in the Atlantic, in Alberta, Canada there is possibly 2 trillion barrels of recoverable oil. They are currently producing 2 million barrels a day, and might reach 4 million barrels of oil by 2022.

In Utah, pro-business sounding advocate James Burgess says in an article, Sky is the limit for New Oil Sands Tech, the Green River formation may hold 3 trillion barrels of recoverable oil. Much more conservative estimates from the U.S. Department of Interior, Salt Lake Tribune and Utah Geologic Survey have the resources at 12 to 19 to 25 billion barrels of oil from tar sands in Utah and 70 billion from oil shale.

Oil sands should be more concentrated with oil than oil shale. Oil shale should take even more tons of rock per barrel of oil and much more water and heat to extract the oil.

Full scale production of tar sands and oil shale combined, and in the three states with the Green River Formation, would use 500,000 acre-feet of water per year, minimum. That water would service 4 million people, said Colorado Riverkeeper John Weisheit. This kind of large scale extraction and production would jeopardize drinking water quality and quantity for about 35 million people living downstream, as Jennifer Ekstroms film supports, and increase air pollution in Salt Lake City and its surroundings, where air quality is already some of the worst in the nation.

The movie, Last Rush for the Wild West is very well done and informative. It educates the viewer about tar sands and oil shale and what is happening in Utah. Utah is likely to be the seed that awakens the beast in the West (Utah, Colorado, Wyoming) of tar sands and oil shale mining and processing. If its alright to extract tar sandswhy not oil shale. And theyre doing it in Utah where their governor and many of their elected officials appear willing to open the doors of their state freely to exploitation, so why not in Colorado and Wyoming too.

U.S. Oil Sands, Inc. and Utah Gov. Gary Herbert did not want to talk openly about this matter of significant consequence to the state. In 25 years is this region going to be known for its current beauty of the Colorado and Green Rivers running through this tar sands and oil shale laden lands, with Arches and Canyonlands National Parks near the southern extreme, Colorado National Monument to the east and Dinosaur National Monument towards the north or will moon-like landscapes resembling the worst parts of J.R.R. Tolkiens Mordor surrounding Mt. Doom prevail in the end?

I made this film because of the magnitude of destruction on the horizon in America if strip mining for tar sands and oil shale is allowed to gain momentum, said filmmaker Jennifer Ekstrom who directed, produced and wrote the script for Last Rush for the Wild West. She thinks if a full scale mining and processing operation occurs in Utah and the surrounding area it could be one of the most damaging and polluting industrial centers in the U.S.

EcoWatch chose Last Rush for the Wild West as one of the 10 best Eco-Documentaries of 2014. This well made and insightful film won the Energy Award at the Cinema Verde Film Festival (2015) and the Audience Appeal at the Moab International Film Festival (2014).

Ekstrom was born in eastern Washington, and has a long record of environmental activism. She worked as communications director for the statewide Wild Washington Campaign where they had success with establishing the Wild Sky Wilderness near Index, Washington. And she served as the Waterkeeper executive director for the Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper in Sandpoint, Idaho. She also took part in the indigenous-led Tar Sands Healing Walk that was open to everyone near Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada in August 2012. The walk inspired Ekstrom greatly and saddened her at the same time. Despite her sadness she realized, there is still time to stop these devastating projects before its too late.

Whatever is the case with the new process, the overall process stays basically the same requiring the destruction of vast areas of landstrip mining the surface. Theres no way around this. Overall this process is going to harm the surface water and groundwater. After harming the groundwater and the aquifers underneath where the water resides, it will be incredibly difficult if not impossible to completely fix and restore them.

In the short term, if all the oil from these deposits are extracted, we get maybe a maximum of a three year supply of oil needed to supply the U.S. current oil needs. However, in the long-term, we possibly irreversibly harm our water supply and this is the legacy we get to hand down to our grandchildren.

The point that needs to be emphasized is that there is no more water in the Colorado River basin for any more diversions, and if this basin wants water resiliency in its future, it has to divert even less water than it already does, said Weisheit. More diversions will break the back of the Colorado River ecology for humans and wildlife. As Wallace Stegner said in 1965, the basins civilization will subside.'

What can you do? You come to the Last Rush for the Wild West viewing at AREday in Snowmass Village, Colorado, on Aug. 8. There is another showing in Boulder, Colorado at Sanitas Brewery on Aug. 18. Or you could host your own screening of the film and invite your friends.

The time is now to get informed and act as best you are able before we trade in all our culinary water for tar (oil) sands and oil shale extraction and processing. Jennifer Ekstroms nicely crafted documentary with a balance of sources will help show you the way to act accordingly.
Earlier this month, my 15-year-old son, Aidan, and I joined a group of environmental activists on a six day float down Utahs Green River. In rafts and kayaks, we paddled Desolation and Gray canyons almost to the Colorado River confluence.

The Green River.

It was my second trip down the Green. In April 1966, I ran the prime white water stretches of the Yampa and Green through western Colorado and eastern Utah near Dinosaur National Park with my father and mother, U.S. Interior Secretary Stuart Udall and five of my 11 siblings. My fathers friend, mountaineer Jim Whitaker, had organized that trip. Whittaker also accompanied my family on a Colorado River trip in 1964, down the Middle Fork of the Salmon in the summer of 1965 and on a kayak run on the upper Hudsons wild white water during a blizzard in May 1965. My fathers purpose for the latter trip was to block an industry proposal to dam the Hudson River Gorge.

On each of those western trips, my father took us to nearby Navajo, Hopi and Ute reservations where we visited schools and health clinics and saw the despair among Americas first nations mired in poverty, racism, oppression and hopelessness. My father taught us the history of the early American explorers, John Wesley Powell, John Charles Freemont, and Lewis and Clarke.

Following his brother, John Kennedys assassination in 1963, he increasingly found spiritual renewal in wilderness which he considered the undiluted work of the Creator. He saw white water as a way to struggle with nature without subduing it and he hoped that all that climbing, paddling and privation would imbue his children with the kind of beef jerky toughness he associated with the American character.

American democracy, he told us, had its roots in wilderness. He felt that outdoor adventures would connect us with those values and with the generations of Americans who lived before Columbus. He told us that these wilderness rivers and the majestic western landscapes were part of our American heritage and that good Americans of every generation would need to fight to protect them from the greed of reckless developers and the rapacious extractive industrialists who wanted to liquidate our public commons for private profit.

In 1973, five years after my fathers death, I ran the 46-mile Cataract Canyon along with my uncle, Sen. Ted Kennedy; the legendary white water guide, Dee Holladay; and Sen. Frank Moss. Moss, a close friend of my father, who had arranged for the canyon to be protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Holladay was one of the iconic white water guides and, like his competitor and friend, the recently deceased George Wendtand so many guides of that generationhe was an ardent river conservationist.

Holladays granddaughter, Lauren Wood, now heads the Green River Action Project, a Colorado Riverkeeper Affiliate which is also a licensed member of Waterkeeper Alliancethe umbrella group for some 300 river, sound and bay keepers in 34 countries. I am the organizations president. Wood accompanied us down the Green River as a guide along with Colorado Riverkeeper (and white water guide) John Weisheit and Howard Dennis.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Colorado Riverkeeper John Weisheit, Green Riverkeeper Lauren Wood, Howard Dennis and Waterkeeper Alliance trustees Geralyn Dreyfous and Deer Valley CEO Lessing Stern at Sand Wash put in.

Dennis, the chief of the Squash Clan and the Grey Flute Chief of Mishongnovi Village, gave us vivid interpretations of the thousand year old Fremont Petroglyphs we saw at campsites and canyon walls throughout the trip. On each panel, Dennis pointed out the great variety of Hopi religious and mythological figures all mixed up with more banal items that Howard analogized to contemporary newspaper obituaries and local news.

Fremont Petroglyphs

During its more recent history, the canyon was a hiding place and traverse for western outlaws, including Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, Joe Walker, Elzy Lay and other members of The Hole in the Wall gang and Cassidys Wild Bunch. Those bandits commonly traded exhausted horses for fresh mounts at the ranch of Mormon homesteader, Jim McPherson.

McPherson built his log cabins, barns, chicken houses soon after arriving in Gray Canyon in 1889. Those sturdy structures still stand at the Greens confluence with Rock Creek. At Schoolhouse rapids, a few miles downriver from the McPherson spread, a local posse ambushed and killed bank robber, flat nose George Curry in April 1900, leaving bullet holes that are still visible on the canyon walls. McPherson and the other ranchers were sympathetic with the outlaws; the railroads, coal companies and banks they robbed were often the bane to western working people, farmers and ranchers.

We rapidly confirmed John Wesley Powells observation that weather in the canyon can be extreme. Violent storms interrupted otherwise hot sunny days on the river dropping sheets of rain so dense we could hardly see the bow of our boat from the stern. I kidded Forest Cuch, a Ute Elder, for digging a ditch to anchor his tent with buried tree branches one cloudy afternoon. He laughed at me a few hours later when my tent blew away like a tumble weed with Aidan and me in it being flayed by our own tent pegs.

Green River warriors.

The Green cuts through the Colorado plateau in a mile deep canyon that is home to mule deer, beaver, otter, mountain goat, big horn, sheep, golden and bald eagle, peregrine falcons, all of which we saw as we floated through towering canyons of layered sedimentary rock.

On the third day, we found a dead falcon, otherwise healthy but recently drownedprobably after binding to a duck. Inquisitive big horn sheep raced down to the river banks in large herdsseemingly to greet usas we drifted by only a few yards away. We forgot our fishing rod but Aidan and I fashioned a hook from a round metal keychain ring. Using dental floss for a line, a stone for a sinker and cheese for bait, we filled a bucket with enough feral catfish in one afternoon to feed most of the camp.

Dr. Mark Hyman preparing to paddle.

Every evening around the campfire, we heard lectures from reigning experts. Eleven time New York Times bestseller, Dr. Mark Hyman of the Cleveland Clinic, spoke brilliantly on food justice; John Weisheit told stories on the history and geology of the region; Howard Dennis spoke about the Hopis heartbreaking century long battle against Peabody Coal, which has enriched company shareholders with hundreds of millions of dollars by stealing Hopi resources, sickening the people and poisoning their water; and Green Riverkeeper Lauren Wood and her advocacy partner, Will Munger, taught us about the growing scourge of dirty energy development in Utah.

Dr. Mark Hyman gives lecture on food fascism at Cow Swim Camp.

This Green River paradise is now threatened by a boondoggle meant to benefit a new generation of corporate villains. Utahs carbon titans are slicing up the plateau for tar sands oil and gas fracking. Utahs wilderness is under siege and up for sale, said Munger, a charming and eloquent environmental leader and activist who accompanied us on the trip.

The Green River basin boasts reserves of oil shale and tar sands (OSTS reserves) that surpass Saudi Arabias conventional oil deposits. On both banks of the Green River, the oil saturated ores are near enough to the surface to strip mine. In the thrall of these companies, the state of Utah is actively encouraging proliferation tar sands and oil shale development across the state. If the oil tycoons get away with their caper, the footprint will metastasize into Colorado and Wyoming with impacts to land, air, water and climate that could surpass the current tar sands mining operations in Alberta, Canada.

Inside the US Oil Sands tar sands test pit in Utah after shutting down mine operations during a protest. Canyon Country Rising Tide

The most advanced project is the PR Spring Mine, operated by a Canadian firm deceptively, named US Oil Sands (USOS). USOS holds leases to strip mine 32,005 acres on the Green River Basins Tavaputs Plateau. Despite years of legal challenges and protests, USOS is promising its investors it will be commercially producing oil by 2016. The company is already in the early stages of mining: building roads, bulldozing the land and installing new processing machinery. Munger was arrested on site in June for replanting the strip minepart of a series of mass protests by Canyon Country Rising Tide and others.

Thirty people walked onto the countrys first tar sands mine in Utah and sowed seeds to regrow land destroyed by tar sands. Canyon Country Rising Tide

As usual, the industry will externalize its costs by destroying the global climate and privatizing Americas water, air and democracy. USOSs billion dollar swindle is a windfall for the Canadian company and a suicide pact for the planet. Tar sands oil requires enormous energy inputs to extract, refine and transport, all while destroying complex, carbon-sequestering ecosystems. Even as it hastens the overheating of our climate, Green River Basins oil developer will also destroy a waterway that is vital to the future survival of this thirsty region. The mines are located in the headwaters of the Green and Colorado Rivers, which supply more than 40 million people with drinking and irrigation water.

Tar sands mining requires 1.5-4 barrels of water for every barrel of oil produced. Oil companies mix this water with solvents to separate the bitumen and then discharge a witches brew of toxic chemicals onto the soils without even a lined pit.

The extracted bitumen must then be further processed and refined. The likely venue for that filthy enterprise is Salt Lake City, where a string of refineries already process bitumen from the Canadian tar sands mines. Salt Lake City currently has the worst seasonal air quality in the world.

OSTS development produces over three times the greenhouse gas emissions of regular oil because it requires vast chemicals and energy inputs to create liquid oil. Reckless industry and political leaders hope to supply this extra energy from fracked gas, coal or nuclear power from the recently proposed Green River Power Plant. Thus, we have all four horsemen of the apocalypseoil, gas, coal and nukeconverging in a kind of Armageddon offensive on the Colorado Plateau.

These dinosaur industries require vast public subsidies to make a profit. In a classic example of socialism for the wealthy, Big Oils fawning toadies in the Utah state legislature will dutifully rob public monies intended for environmental protection to fund a massive corporate welfare program for petroleum tycoons. Unctuous Beehive State politicians have already shanghaied funds intended for environmental mitigation and diverted them toward building the oil industrys stairway to heaven.

The Utah Community Impact Board was created to help communities remediate the destructive legacies of oil, gas and mining. This money was appropriated so that damaged regions could transition away from fossil fuels and remediate damage from pollution. Instead, shameless Utah politicians are using the funds to further entrench a dying industry by paying for haul roads, power lines and other infrastructure required solely for extreme energy extraction, including, believe it or not, export terminals for tar sands oil in Oakland, California.

Utah has pillaged the fund to pay $86.5 million of public money in order to upgrade Seep Ridge Road, the oil road to the PR Spring tar sands mine, into a paved highway, so that its toxic bitumen can roll into Salt Lake City in style. Now the oil giants are asking the taxpayers to fork over another $150 million of public money to connect that road to 1-70. The carbon titans consider this road their Stairway to Heavena publicly funded highway that will allow them to liquidate the incomparable Green River watershed for cash.

In contrast, local environmentalists, ranchers, hunters and the elected Grand County Council consider the project to be the regions Highway to Hell. They have fought it successfully for more than two decades, but during that period, Utahs political leaders have increasingly become sockpuppets to the carbon cronies. Now oils pet politicians are trying to override local consent in order to subsidize the extraction industry.

Munger told me that the extractive industry has near total control of the Utah legislature due to massive political payoffs and kneejerk support for virtually any dirty energy development among Mormon populations in the rural counties.

The Mormon Church has a long history of good stewardship and a cooperative humane style of capitalism, laments Munger. The Mormon holy books are chock filled with nostrums requiring that the faithful act as caretakers for the Earths future generations.

He explains, however, that in recent years, industry money propaganda has helped spread the proliferation of Dominion Theology, a perverse strain of Christianity that absolves individuals from caring for the Earth or taking any responsibility for future generations. As the bard taught, Satan can cite scriptures for his own purposes.

In Utah, big oil and gas crooked politicians are not just stealing our purple mountain majesty, they are corrupting our democracy, our religion and stealing our future!
The state of Victoria in Australia has voted to ban fracking on its territory, further cementing the moratorium first put in place in 2012. It is the first Australian state to impose such a ban.

Australias indigenous flag is raised in protest to fracking on aboriginal land. Damian Kelly Photography

Premier Daniel Andrews announced Tuesday.

It is clear that the Victorian community has spoken, the premiers office said in a statement. They simply dont support fracking. The governments decision is based on the best available evidence and acknowledges that the risks involved outweigh any potential benefits to Australia.

The Victoria government had conducted a parliamentary inquiry into fracking for onshore gas in the state and received more than 1,600 submissions. Most of these were opposed to fracking.

The newly imposed ban will help protect agricultural industries and workers, the government said.

Our state is the nations top food and fiber producer with exports worth $11.6 billion, the statement said. The permanent ban protects our farmers and preserves Victorias hard-won reputation for producing high quality food.

More than 190,000 people are employed in the agricultural sector in Victoria.

Existing exemptions to the moratorium will continue. Gas storage, carbon storage research and accessing offshore resources are still permissible in the state of Victoria, while exploration and development for offshore gas will also continue.

The government said it will extend the current moratorium on exploration and development of conventional onshore gas until June 30, 2020. Scientific and environmental studies will be conducted on the risks and benefits of drilling for onshore gas, the statement said.

The scientific panel will be headed by lead scientist Amanda Caples, and will include representatives from business, the agricultural sector and the community.

Farmers are relieved that the Victoria government has come down in favor of a ban.

It has been so heart-wrenching at times, when we thought the drill rigs were coming and there was nothing we could do, dairy farmer Julie Boulton of Seaspray, Victoria, told The Guardian.

But we pulled together as a community and decided to fight this threat to our farmland, water and health and todays decision is just fantasticwe are ecstatic.

A coalition of rural communities operating under the moniker of Lock the Gate has been working for the past five years to protect their industries and the environment. If fracking hadnt been banned, an estimated 1.4 million hectares of land in the state would be under threat, Lock the Gate coordinator Chloe Aldenhoven said.

For the farming communities that have been fighting to stop this industry for over five years now, this is a wonderful day, she said. This decision gives them certainty to move forward, and this decision protects Victorias vital clean and green image.

The Victoria government was aware of the misgivings of its population, Minister for Resources Wade Noonan said.

There has been a great deal of community concern and anxiety about onshore unconventional gasthis decision gets the balance right, Noonan said.

Momentum towards a ban increased in April, when EcoWatch reported that a river in South Western Queensland exploded with fire. The Condamine River, the site of coal seam gas operations, had so much gas seeping into the river that it sustained a substantial fire.

have gone almost entirely to the overseas owners of global oil and gas companies licensed to export Australian gas, largely at the expense of Australian businesses and jobs.
By Max Phillips

So much methane gas is now bubbling up through the Condamine River in Queensland, Australia that it exploded with fire and held a large flame. Gas seeping into the river began shortly after coal seam gas operations started nearby and is growing in volume and the stretch of river affected is expanding in length.

Jeremy Buckingham and John Jenkyn stand in front of the flaming Condamine River.

Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham travelled to Chinchilla in South Western Queensland to investigate the impact of the coal seam gas industry on the environment as part of the Greens campaign to ban fracking and unconventional gas in Australia.

I was shocked by the force of the explosion when I tested whether gas boiling through the Condamine River, Qld was flammable, Buckingham said. So much gas is bubbling through the river that it held a huge flame for over an hour.

Watch here:

Methane was first discovered bubbling through the Condamine River near Chinchilla in 2012 where coal seam gas wells had been drilled by Origin Energy nearby. There are hundreds of wells in the immediate area, with three companiesOrigin Energy, QGC and Arrow Energyall operating coal seam gas fields nearby.

Locals say the river has never bubbled like this historically. Government investigations found (page 19) that the source of the gas was consistent with gas originating from Surat Basin geological formations. The concern is that depressurising the coal seams for gas extraction has caused methane gas to flow up other cracks, fissures, bores, to the surfacesuch as through the Condamine River. This is directly polluting the river and the air, but also methane is a potent greenhouse gas and these fugitive emissions are a major concern.

Not only is the gas bubbling becoming more intense recently, but it is spreading to a greater length of the river. Origin Energy, which operates wells in close proximity to the gas seep, has installed some monitoring pipework, and the Queensland government has put stakes on the river bank to mark each visible seep.

Explosive gas boiling through a river shows just how damaging fracking and unconventional gas extraction can be, Buckingham said. We should be going with clean renewable energy and banning fracking and unconventional gas in Australia. The era of fossil fuels is over.

I do not want to see this happen to the Namoi River, or any other river in NSW [New South Wales], or anywhere else, which is why unconventional gas should be stopped. The fact that this is happening in the Murray Darling Basin is a national disgrace.

Chinchilla local resident, John Jenkyn, who lives next door to the QGC Kenya gas field and gas processing facility said: Anything that contaminates the underground water is a terrible thing. Depressurising the aquifers to extract the coal seam gas seems to have made the gas flow out beneath the Condamine River and its now spreading further.

Over the last few years there more and more patches of bubbles have appeared on the river and the pressure of the gas has increased to the point where it is like an over-sized spa bath. Its a river, it shouldnt be doing that.

Karen Auty, Chinchilla resident and activist against unconventional gas, said: Its deeply troubling to see contaminated water ways and to see water bores blow out with gas or fail and ground water levels drop. Were all deeply concerned about the water.

As local residents we want to know whether it is safe to live among all these gas wells and infrastructure, what are the impacts on our health?

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(Photos: aliexpress)Models show burkini in Alibaba sales promotion.

GENEVA - The United Nations Human Rights Council has hailed a ruling by France's highest administrative court that suspends a contentious ban on burkini swimwear that is sometimes warned by Muslim women.

The U.N. joined other groups in warning that the ban had fueled religious intolerance and stigmatization.

"These decrees do not improve the security situation but rather fuel religious intolerance and the stigmatization of Muslims in France, especially women," Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the UN rights office, told journalists.

"Dress codes such as the anti-burkini decrees disproportionately affect women and girls, undermining their autonomy by denying them the ability to make independent decisions about how to dress, and clearly discriminate against them," he said.

"We welcome last Friday's decision by France's highest administrative court, the Conseil d'Etat, to suspend the ban adopted in the seaside town of Villeneuve-Loubet on supposedly inappropriate beachwear  which had been widely interpreted as targeting the burkini and other forms of dress worn by Muslim women," said Colville.

The burqini swimsuit was designed for women in Australia and covers the whole body except the face, the hands and the feet and is made of light material that makes it easy to swim in.

It was designed to be harmony with Islamic traditions of modest dress.

France bans the wearing of veils that cover faces in public and sought to do the same for burkinis triggering an uproar.

"The shocking images" of police undressing a burkini-clad Muslim woman on a Nice beach will fuel support for the extremist group known as ISIS, or Daesh, Britain's Independent newspaper reported.

Seeing four armed men forcing a woman to remove her clothes in public feeds the extremist narrative that the West is at war with Islam, The Independent commented.

"It is dangerous and smacks of thoroughly illiberal hysteria," it said.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz carried the same view in its pages.

"The enforcement of this law is not just insensitive and immoral, it feeds the hate that drives some into the open arms of Islamic State recruiters," said Haaretz.

The mayor of one seaside town on the French Riviera said he would stick by his town's burkini ban, telling beachgoers, "if you don't want to live the way we do, don't come."

"You have to behave in the way that people behave in the country that accepted you, and that is it," Cogolin Mayor Marc Etienne Lansade told CNN.

"If you are accepted in Rome -- do like Romans do," he said, adding, "go in Saudi Arabia and be naked and see what will happen to you."

Lansade belongs to the right-wing National Front political party and is keeping the ban despite a ruling by the French administrative court that mayors do not have the right to outlaw burkinis.

The U.N.'s Colville said, "We urge all remaining local authorities which have adopted similar bans to repeal them immediately, rather than exploit the limited geographical scope of this particular decision in order to keep their highly discriminatory bans in place until the end of the current holiday season."
Considered to be the Ten Best UFO Photos Ever Taken I am sure that we could add more pictures to this list but these are considered ten o...
The California Supreme Court last week upheld an appellate decision rejecting key contentions in Vergara v. California, the much-watched suit that argued the states teacher-protection laws make it nearly impossible to fire grossly ineffective teachers and thus pose a direct harm to students. But while the ruling put an end to the case, its not likely to resolve the battles over teacher tenure and other teacher job protections in the state or elsewhere.

The Vergara lawyers strategy of casting tenure laws as a violation of students constitutional rights, which won support at the trial-court level but not on appeal, has already provided a blueprint for activists and politicians intent on chipping away at teacher protections in the courts and state legislatures. That could make it more difficult for teachers unions to put the focus back on what they see as the real problem in weeding out ineffective teachersthe more mundane issue of a lack of funding.

The latest ruling, largely seen as a win for the unions, wont dampen the arguments that teacher protections are responsible for ineffective teachers, said Joshua Pechthalt, the president of the California Federation of Teachers: The narrative is out there that bad teachers are the cause of all evil in public education. The people behind this lawsuit arent going to give up on this narrative any time soon.

The nonprofit Students Matter, founded by Silicon Valley entrepreneur David F. Welch, filed the lawsuit on behalf of the plaintiffs and has vowed to continue the fight in the California legislature. But the effort wont stop there. Pro-Vergara candidates for governor and state superintendent of schools will likely raise the issue of teacher protections again, said Pechthalt.

Students Matter may also pursue ballot initiatives challenging the 18-month time frame in which teachers gain tenure in California, as well as the last-in, first-out practice, under which the last teacher hired is the first fired during layoffs.

Vergara has also spawned similar lawsuits in Minnesota and New York that are still pending.

Focus on Evaluations

Other experts said that the California Supreme Courts decision left the issue of teacher equity in the states schools largely unresolved.

Katharine Strunk, an associate professor of education and policy at the University of Southern California, said the courts refusal to review the appellate courts decision ultimately failed students.

We have been trying for a long time to effect change in the legislature, she said. If we cant effect change in the legislature, and we cant effect change in the courts, I dont see what other recourse these kids have. Strunk said the next step might be for lawmakers, state education leaders, and the unions to work together to craft stronger teacher-evaluation criteria in the state.

I dont think having just a system that holds teachers accountable without providing support or just a system that provides support without holding teachers accountable is going to create the kind of change that we really need, she said.

Students Matter also has an eye on the issue of evaluations. The group has filed a separate lawsuit, Doe v. Antioch , against 13 California districts that seeks to force the use of test scores in teacher evaluations.

Resource Questions

Teachers-union representatives generally dont dispute the argument that bad teachers ultimately need to be cut loose. But they argue, as did the appellate-court ruling in Vergara, that teacher-protection laws do not in themselves create bad teachers.

Better-funded districts, they say, would have the resources to hire well-qualified teachers and observe beginning teachers in the classroom frequently before granting or denying tenure. Often, principals are stretched too thin, and dont have the time to provide proper guidance and support for new teachers, they add.

Betty Olson-Jones, a 22-year veteran teacher from Oakland, Calif., who testified for the defense in Vergara, said she was only evaluated twice in her career, and never as a new teacher. I used to beg my first principal to evaluate me, and he would say, Oh, the parents love you! Youre fine. Thats not OK. Teachers need feedback.

Olson-Jones comments echo one of the key contentions in the appellate courts ruling in Vergarathat principals and district leaders play an important role in decisions about teachers careers.

Olson-Jones, who served as the president of her local union for six years, said that, when principals are able to do their jobs and document a teachers progress, or lack of it, an ineffective teacher can be counseled out of the profession in a timely manner.

Chris Ungar, the president of the California School Boards Association, which supported the plaintiffs in Vergara, lamented the lack of funding in the state to support systemic teacher-quality improvements and vowed to make it a top priority. Its not like you wake up in the morning and say, Im going to need to do an evaluation. Oh, and here it is. There needs to be professional development. All these things cost money, he said.
Research has shown that when teachers collaborate, their practice changes, and student learning improves. But when the superintendent of Floridas Palm Beach County district mandated that all teachers spend 90 minutes a week in group meetings, he received an onslaught of complaints from the teachers union. Union officials said the requirement took away from teachers planning time, according to the Palm Beach Post. They threatened to file a federal unfair-labor-practice complaint.

After about a week, Superintendent Robert Avossa dropped the plan, calling the opposing teachers isolationists and divisive.

Teachers and union officials took issue with Avossas characterization of teachers as being opposed to collaboration. They said teachers already work together and want to collaborate more, but not by a bureaucratic decree.
The founder and former CEO of an online public school that educates thousands of Pennsylvania students pleaded guilty last week to federal tax fraud. He acknowledged he siphoned more than $8 million from the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School through for-profit and nonprofit companies he controlled.

Nicholas Trombetta, 61, said he had used the money, among other purposes, to buy a Florida condominium for $933,000, pay $180,000 for houses for his mother and girlfriend in Ohio, and spend $990,000 more on groceries and other items.

The school, founded in Midland in 2000, had more than 11,000 students across the state when Trombetta was charged three years ago. It still has more than 9,000.
Kentucky officials have determined that 241 testing violations occurred on required statewide tests for the 2014-15 school year.

A state education department spokeswoman said most violations involved procedural errors, not intentional efforts to cheat. Investigators found that students in the Anchorage Independent district were allowed to use dictionaries during tests. In Grant County, investigators determined that a teacher let students use protractors, which arent allowed during testing.

As a result of the investigation, officials lowered the tests scores of 48 students and changed the scores of 44 others to zero. About 216 educators have also been required to have extra training.
Maine Gov. Paul LePage has called for a review of his states groundbreaking 1-to-1 student computing initiative, highlighting the growing pains nagging an educational-technology movement now well into its second decade.

Among the questions increasingly faced by states and districts that have given computers to every student: How to demonstrate the impact of such programs on student achievement? How to navigate the explosion of new device options now available to schools? And, perhaps most significantly, how to maintain a focus on teaching and learning, even while fighting for the millions of dollars necessary to maintain and refresh growing hardware inventories?

Once a national and international leader, the Maine Learning Technology Initiative recently has struggled with such challenges.

We drifted away from our central goals, said Mike Muir, the programs policy director, in an interview.

We need to get back to conversations about what kind of learning experiences we want for kids, how tech can help, and what kind of supports teachers need.

Launched in 2002 under former Gov. Angus King, an Independent, the Maine initiative began by leasing and distributing Apple laptop computers to every 7th and 8th grader in the state. During the past eight years, the effort expanded to include other grades, vendors, and devices.

The initiative, which now provides computers or tablets to 66,000 of Maines roughly 183,000 students, helped convince a generation of policymakers across the country that widespread 1-to-1 computing was possible. In the process, it provided a roadmap for how to manage the purchase and deployment of tens of thousands of devices to schools.

But since his election five years ago, LePage, a Republican, has been skeptical of the program, which now costs about $11.5 million per year. While the details of the current review are still being hammered out, it appears as though all options, including a dramatic scaling back of the states involvement in technology purchases for schools, could be on the table.

Such uncertainty speaks directly to the need for better monitoring of technologys use and impact in K-12, said Douglas Levin, the president of EdTech Strategies LLC, a consulting organization.

Its an incredible missed opportunity to have Maine run its 1-to-1 initiative for over a decade and to still have so many questions about the efficacy of the program, Levin said.

Momentum Nationwide

During the past decade, the push for 1-to-1 student computing has picked up considerable steam. More than half of U.S. students now have access to school-issued personal computing devices, according to Futuresource Consulting, a U.K.-based research firm.

Generally, the thinking behind such efforts has been that putting personal devices in the hands of students will allow for the delivery of more personalized content and lessons. Many 1-to-1 initiatives, including Maines, include an explicit focus on helping to prepare students for the modern workplace. Proponents frequently describe their desire to empower students to use technology to solve problems, engage in complex and creative work, and collaborate with others.

But districts, rather than states, have mostly taken the lead. In Michigan, an effort similar to Maines lasted only a few years before funding was pulled. Smaller state-led efforts in Pennsylvania and Texas never fully took flight. Only Utah and Nevada are pursuing statewide 1-to-1 initiatives, both via pilot programs.

In general, the research behind 1-to-1 computing initiatives has been mixed.

Earlier this year, researchers at Michigan State University released a first-of-its-kind meta-analysis of 15 years worth of studies, finding that efforts to give K-12 students their own laptop computers led to increased student achievement and modest boosts in students 21st century skills.

A raft of prior studies, however, showed that even when technology is present in classrooms, teachers have been slow to transform their practice and often failed to make the most powerful uses of the new tools at their students fingertips.

That seems to have been the experience in Maine.

There is a legitimate concern that our kids are stuck at [using technology for] word processing, presentions, and online research, Muir said.

That reality, plus flat statewide test scores, has been a source of consternation for LePage.

While some educators and digital-learning proponents bristle at the notion that technology initiatives should be expected to move the needle on standardized test results, Levin of EdTech Strategies thinks its a fair expectation.

If youre going to roll out a high-profile learning initiative statewide for 10 years, I dont think its inappropriate to expect to see some effect on math and reading scores, he said.

More Device Options

Another point of concern in Maine, as elsewhere, is that too much attention has been paid to the question of which device students will use. For years, the state department of education dealt solely with Apple, for laptops.

By 2013, however, a wide range of new, more affordable devices had entered the educational market. LePage intervened in the states procurement process, threatening to pull the plug on the program before ultimately agreeing to a compromise that allowed districts to choose from among four options: Macbook Air laptops or iPads from Apple, and a laptop and a tablet option from HP Inc.

In the years since, just 5 percent of schools have selected the HP options. And an initial swing by schools toward iPads has since been reversed, with many opting to trade those tablets back in for laptops.

Jeff Mao, the states learning technology policy director from 2004 to 2014, said any undue focus on the technology itself came primarily from those outside the Maine Technology Learning Initiative.

The training that has taken place for the last 16 years has never focused on the device. It has focused on teaching practices and how to best integrate technology into the classroom, he said.

Still, Mao acknowledged that the initiative has struggled to cultivate a consistent classroom approach, in part because Maine, as a local-control state, cant mandate specific teaching practices for all of its schools.

Its always been difficult to provide measurement for the program due to lack of fidelity, he said.

Supporters hope that the efficiencies Maine is able to generate through its single, statewide contract will be enough to see the 1-to-1 initiative through its current difficulties.

The process by which the review of the initiative will take place is still to be determined. Among the options under consideration are a switch in focus to early grades, or shifting resources away from devices and into professional development and training.

The idea of such a nationally lauded program being on such thin ice may come as a surprise to some. But it may actually be an opportunity, Muir said.

In any long-term implementation, things start getting taken for granted, he said."I think every so often, its good to stop and reflect.
They have traveled from Tunisia and Algeria, from Lebanon and Palestine.

One teenage girl wants to be an engineer, another to work in astrophysics. They are TechGirls , participants in a summer program that brought them to the nations capital this summer to nurture their passion for leadership and sharpen their technology skills.

The U.S. Department of State-sponsored program is one of a growing number of efforts that are providing real-world, in-depth experiences to get girls more engaged in science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM. Men still largely outnumber women in STEM fields, and the State Department aims to pick away at that gap.

TechGirls is run by Legacy International , a nonprofit group with a long history of supporting local community-building around the world. The itinerary for the program brings girls from the Middle East and North Africa on visits to tech companies, and has them take part in a coding camp and in community-service activities, all designed to cultivate their interest in math- and science-related studies and professions.

The intersection of technology experience, cultural exchange, and leadership training is what attracts many applicants, including 17-year-old Vera Murad. TechGirls alums, some of whom have gained international recognition, brought back stories that intrigued the young Palestinian, who had helped build a job and scholarship search app with her high school tech team.

You get to learn more about other peoples cultures, traditions, and you get to make long-lasting friendships, said Vera. You get to learn leadership skills, and how to be a successful leader and change-maker.



Seeking to Inspire

The TechGirls program emerged from the success of TechWomen, an initiative created in 2011 by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for career development in STEM fields, focused on 20- to 30-year-old women around the world.

By increasing opportunities for women and girls in the STEM fields, we are getting closer to realizing greater equality for women across the world and widening the pipeline for the next generation of female leaders, Sarah Shields, the State Departments program officer for TechGirls, said in an email.

The State Department also sponsors the WiSci Girls STEAM Camp, which brings together high school students from around the world for a STEM and art-focused summer camp. Started as part of the Let Girls Learn initiative, the camp first took place last year in Rwanda, bringing African and American girls together in the southern city of Gashora. This year, Americans joined girls from Latin America in a different location, Peru.

Let Girls Learn  was launched in 2015 by the White House to promote girls education on a global scale. Earlier this summer, Oracle announced a $3 million investment in the initiative. That commitment includes technology-based teacher training and curriculum development for STEM high schools in Egypt. The nine schools that Oracle is supporting include a girls boarding school, funded through the United States Agency for International Development.

The U.S.-based tech company AOL also launched the Let Girls Build challenge as a part of the same initiative Oracle is supporting, inviting American high school girls to find tech-enabled solutions that will help girls around the world who dont have access to education.

The goal is to make sure girls are provided with resources, and educators and mentors who are not only going to inspire them to get interested in computer science, but to stay in computer science, Alison Derbenwick, the vice president of Oracle Academy, said in an interview.

The 2016 TechGirls class included girls from Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco.

Part of the TechGirls program includes a weeklong coding camp at American University, hosted by iD Tech Camps , which provides students with hands-on technology summer experiences around the country.

Thanks to a grant allowing iD Tech Camps to expand their focus on girls education, the TechGirls program was able to start bringing in American girls last year to join their peers from Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and other countries for the week.



Culture and Coding

While attending the iD Tech camp, the TechGirls primarily focused on Java and C++ coding. In one of their classes, an instructor led four girls through graphic design.

They worked on desktop computers labeled with account names: Albus Dumbledore, Nemo, Dobby, occasionally turning to journals full of coding notes laid out alongside them. They spoke mostly with their instructors in English, and when chatting with each other, sometimes shifted into Arabic.

One of the TechGirls from the United States, Alexandria DAntonio of Madison Heights, Mich., heard about the opportunity from a travel agent who organizes trips for her schools service club.

Though she and the four other American girls were only with the program for a week, DAntonio bonded quickly with the other TechGirls. She talked about violence against women with Hadil Daif, a participant from Algeria.

Another participant, Jana Sebaali, spoke about the isolation that comes with being interested in engineering. When technology education opportunities are offered at her school in Lebanon, the 16-year-old often feels alone in her eagerness to pursue them.

Ill be the only girl raising my hand, she said. It gets a little bit uncomfortable, or intimidating.

Hadil, a 16-year-old who wants to work in technical mathematics, observed that in her school, girls often outperform boys. Whether it is in North Africa or in the United States, she believes that one of the greatest barriers to women pursuing education and careers in STEM fields is themselves.

Most of the girls ... have this idea stuck in their minds that they cant be geeks, they cant be brilliant computer geniuses, Hadil said. Well, the reality is the total opposite, said the young Algerian.

According to the World Economic Forum, women in Middle Eastern and North African countries graduate with STEM degrees at a higher percentage than in the United States. In 2015, 30 percent of American STEM graduates were women. The average between Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia was 43.8 percent the same year, with Tunisian women leadingearning 55 percent of STEM degrees awarded in the North African nation.

Nour Atrissi, co-founder and president of the Lebanese coding academy Teens Who Code , believes that a significant obstacle to proper STEM education in her country is curriculum. Many schools in Lebanon do not offer adequate exposure to STEM subjects, she said in an email. A report released this summer by the Information and Technology Innovation Foundation cited similar shortcomings in schools in the United States.

Programs like TechGirls help bridge that gap, but Atrissi said that to be successful, they must complement what is already provided in schools and allow students to explore the subjects that they are interested in. Pressuring students to take a particular academic focus, she said, is rarely effective.

Once the TechGirls participants return to their home countries, the work does not end. The program requires them to complete a project related to technology following along the lines of the service and leadership mission that TechGirls emphasizes.



Future Plans

Many in the 2016 class already had ideas about those projects before the program even ended. Meriam Gaied, 16, wants to hold motivational conferences in her native Tunisia, and in Lebanon. Jana Sebaali plans to help bridge the divide between refugees and the local population with a club for children. Hadil Daif aspires to create an image-processing club for elementary-age children in Algeria, as well as hold conferences meant to inspire people to get into technology, both within the country and internationally.

TechGirls alums have gone on to create apps and websites for family businesses. Nourhan Fooda, an alumna from Egypt, was cited by Michelle Obama in a speech for her desire to be the youngest Nobel Prize winner for nuclear physics. She currently attends the Cairo Maadi STEM School for Girls, the same girls boarding school that Oracle is supporting as a part of the Let Girls Learn initiative.

Mary Helmig, Legacy Internationals vice president of youth initiatives, pointed to the power of the program to shatter preconceived notions. Its really important to expose teenagers to each other, and find all of these stories of great people that are doing community work, she said.

As Hadil put it, in summing up her experience with the program, TechGirls rock!
The newly redesigned SAT is the latest example of the need for students to skillfully communicate evidence-based ideas across content areas.

The treacherous waters of effective evidence-based writing, as a colleague recently referred to it, is far more intricate than might initially be expected. A gatekeeper skill that appears indirectly as early as 1st grade , it can play a large role in determining college admissions and success. The essay on the new SAT asks students: As you read the passage below, consider how [the author] uses evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims. This is strikingly similar to the Common Core Writing Standard 1 for high schoolers, which asks students to write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

As part of an evolving process, Ive found the following 10 accessible strategies to be helpful in teaching students to skillfully work with evidence in responding to essay prompts. To layer a growth mindset while building confidence and engagement, I begin with paragraph writing and build outwards in quantity of writing and complexity of texts and questions.

1. Selection. To introduce the idea of evidence, students mark the top two sentences in their essay that best capture the message of a text. They share with a partner, explaining why they chose those sentences, what they mean to them, and what message the author is trying to convey. In this seemingly simple task, students evaluate and differentiate evidence, justify why they made the selection, analyze the quotation, and create an idea based on these thoughts. For classes that might need more scaffolding, sentences can be selected as a class, or students can work as a team to select, justify, analyze, and create their ideas.

2. Validity. Students evaluate various types of evidence, examining what makes evidence valid in proving an idea. This can be incorporated into lessons where students are given pre-determined texts and need to select evidence from the texts to prove an idea. Or students can find and evaluate their own researched sources to determine the credibility of the source and author, the purpose of the text, and any existing biases. Students can sequence evidence or sources from most to least effective, providing rationales for their ideas, or they can hold up fingers to differentiate the strength of validity on a scale of level 3-definitely, level 2-somewhat, or level 1-nonexistent. They justify responses with peers or the class to defend their scores.

3. Sufficiency. In the same way, students determine what makes for sufficient evidence in their readings or in their lives. They may evaluate legislation, court cases, or pro/con issues that apply to a given subject area, and then examine how much valid evidence is needed to vote for or against something. They may also apply the need for valid evidence to their own lives, and examine questions like: How much (valid) proof do you need to hear in order to believe _________?

Ideas for Using Evidence Across Subject Areas:

Social Studies: Analyze evidence that political leaders give to justify their decisions to go to war or propose policies. Science: Evaluate evidence needed to prove a scientific theory (or create their own theories) and evaluate the function of that evidence. Math: Determine evidence for how they arrived at their answers and justify their responses. Art: Justify evidence as to why they chose certain colors, styles, or techniques in their own work. Or evaluate the validity of evidence used to determine authenticity in the artwork of others. World Language: Using evidence from linguistic research, analyze the effectiveness of U.S. language policy in determining how students learn language. Physical Education: Evaluate evidence-based theories of the impact of physical activity on health.

4. Ideas. Creating valid ideas involves understanding and addressing the prompt. Students initially highlight key words in the prompt, paying special attention to the verbs in the prompt. They then number or list the different tasks the prompt asks of them. Students then can examine, sort, and classify their evidence to create their ideas. To do this, they develop a coding system to label the evidence about one topic in one color and another topic in another color. They may put a star next to evidence that fits one idea and a circle next to the ones that fit another. Or students write out (or type) their evidence, each on a separate index card, and then group them. They then look at what the threads are between the different pieces of evidence. Do they each express a certain concept or word? What are the connections between the different types of evidence? Does the evidence address the prompt? For a beginning thesis, students can initially reword the prompt question into a statement that includes their idea.

5. Relevance. Students can paraphrase both evidence and ideas to determine if they match. Or they can even do a matching game to pair ideas with relevant evidence. After writing, its also helpful for them to outline their ideas and evidence to clearly see if they are relevant to each other and the prompt.

6. Sequencing. Three ways I initially suggest sequencing evidence are chronologically, within order of importance, or leading and ending with students best ideas. Im not as interested in the sequence they choose as I am in how they are thinking through sequencing their ideas.

7. Analysis. Students initially work with the function of analysis as elaborating on and extending the evidence as to how and why it proves their main ideas. When a student contributes a quotation in class discussion, I initially ask, What does/might that mean to you? This phrasing removes the idea that there is a right answer, and emboldens students to freely voice their interpretations. For variations, the class can work with one quote, each student analyzing it in different ways. They can view samples of analysis, create analysis together in groups or as a class, use sentence starters and extenders , fill in teacher-created blanks, or do a gallery of student analysis to evaluate each others work by placing post-its with their responses to analysis. For stylistic flow, they can also use transitional words or create synonyms from key words of the evidence to use in their analysis.

8. Three Questions. To put it all together, students need to ask three questions in regards to their ideas, evidence, and analysis. Does it have depth? Is it relevant? Is it precise? Through examining samples and peer critiques, students can evaluate whether answers are surface level or deep, whether they directly answer the question, and whether their work is specific enough to avoid generalizing or vagueness.

9. Feedback. A good rubric is a crucial part of the feedback process. Mine is student generated, easily accessible, and standard-assessment aligned. It essentially includes deep, relevant and precise ideas, evidence, analysis, style, and organization. For team or peer feedback, students also utilize our writing work-list holistically or in component parts.

10. Revision. Ive found that students greatly benefit from a targeted essay upgrade (sometimes to the tune of Beyonces song Upgrade U ) where they have a fixed period of time to incorporate feedback into their papers. Following a writing workshop, they may color code each writing component (Ideas, Evidence, Analysis) to build organization and balance. Or code their writing with an I for where they list ideas, E for evidence, or A for analysis. They adjust ideas that dont directly answer the prompt, examine the validity and sufficiency of evidence, or go through each analysis sentence and add depth with why explanations.

A student wrote in a class reflection: My writing skills have grown by tremendous measures... Before entering your class, the evidence and analysis aspects were lacking. Well, that is not the case anymore. I have really started to read (for) and interpret the evidence and analyze it.

In the same way students are being asked to do what theyve never done, teachers are too. And that will take time, quality professional development, and a school community willing to work together to grapple with how to increase the strength of our collective teaching of evidence-based writing in order to increase learning opportunities for our students.
BIOMIN Aqua Days: Mycotoxins represent real risk to aquaculture



"Mycotoxins represent a real risk to aquaculture," according to Rui Goncalves, scientist for aquaculture at BIOMIN.

He cited recent data from a recent peer-reviewed scientific study showing that deoxynivalenol and fumonisins were the most common mycotoxins found in finished aquafeeds (Goncalves et al. 2016). A full 76% of samples tested contained two or more mycotoxins. A total of 41 finished aquafeed samples from Europe and Asia were analysed.

Recognizing the threat

"Though it may be a relatively new topic for the industry, mycotoxins are important to aquaculture in terms of the negative effects in animals," said Goncalo Santos, R&D manager for aquaculture at BIOMIN. "While each mycotoxin has its own structure and particular effects, we know that generally mycotoxins reduce growth, increase mortality and decrease weight gain," stated Michele Muccio, the company's mycotoxin risk management product manager.

Immune suppression

Anwar Hasan, technical manager for aquaculture, noted that "aquaculture producers in Asia Pacific countries face challenges such as EMS or white feces syndrome." Each year, the shrimp industry suffers losses of more than US$1 billion due to early mortality syndrome or acute hepatopancreatic necrosis (EMS/AHPND), an emerging disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

"Mycotoxins have an immunosuppressive effect, making fish and shrimp more vulnerable to opportunistic pathogens," Goncalves said. The remarks were made within the context of 2016 Aqua Days hosted by BIOMIN. More than 60 aquaculture industry members from 16 countries attended the event on August 23-25 in Austria.

The programme consisted of conference sessions on important topics affecting the aquaculture industry, an overview of the R&D activities at BIOMIN along with on-site tours of the BIOMIN Research Center in Tulln, Austria.
Ely, Cambridgeshire is best known for its majestic cathedral dubbed the 'Ship of the Fens' because it dominates the flat landscape. The city, which is the second smallest in England, is about 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge and about 80 miles by road from London.

14:55, 28 OCT 2022
Its safe to say Iggy Azalea has moved on with rapper French Montana after her very public breakup with her ex-fiance Nick Young of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Iggy and French were spotted getting extra cozy and even locking lips during what appeared to be a romantic getaway in Mexico this week.

A photo posted by fameolous.com (@fameolousent) on Aug 29, 2016 at 12:50pm PDT

One insider confirmed the relationship with Us Weekly magazine that they are very much a couple Monday. Theyve been all over each other. Iggy uploaded a photo on Instagram of herself, French, and a few of their friends jet setting.



French posted photos too.

A photo posted by French Montana (@frenchmontana) on Aug 28, 2016 at 5:12pm PDT

Rumors that they are dating sparked after they were seen flirting at one of Jennifer Lopezs concerts last month. An observer said, At multiple points, he leaned into her and swiped his hand across her lower back and shoulder. As for fans, they have already sent warnings to Iggy when it comes to her romance with French. So Iggy went from Swaggy Cheat, to French Montana, who also Cheated on his baby mama & khloeyou in danger girl

so Iggy went from Swaggy Cheat, to French Montana, who also Cheated on his baby mama & khole...you in danger girl pic.twitter.com/yZT3s0Cx0d  lovelyti (@lovelyti) August 30, 2016



Others said they turned to one another after their music careers might not have jumped off the way they hoped.

Iggy and French Montana are perfect for each other because they are both terrible rappers  max (@nosbocajxam) August 30, 2016

French Montana and IGGY is a perfect couple. Two lames who can't rap. Match made in heaven . Hope they live happily ever after.  #OTAPShow (@Pinky_Balboa) August 29, 2016

French Montana & Iggy dating makes all the sense in the world, for many reasons. One being, I don't wanna listen to either of their music.  FKA Lyriciss (@RobRegal301) August 29, 2016

When no one wants your music, to stay relevant French Montana dates Iggy Azalea. @FrencHMonTanA @IGGYAZALEA pic.twitter.com/He4PTX3yFt  Jerome Trammel (@MrJeromeTrammel) August 30, 2016



Another clapped it up for French and wrote, French Montana is the guy that gets girls when theyre down and vulnerable. First Sanaa [Lathan], then Khloe [Kardashian], & now Iggy. Professional rebounder.

French Montana is the guy that gets girls when they're down & vulnerable. First Sanaa, then Khloe, & now Iggy. Professional rebounder.  NUFF$AID (@nuffsaidNY) August 29, 2016



The photos came after Iggy called off her engagement with Young on social media. French has been connected to actress Sanaa Lathan and reality star Khloe Kardashian this year.

Be sure to keep up with Enstars for more on Iggy, French, and your favorite celebrities.
JSE-listed diversified real estate investment trust Redefine Properties (JSE: RDF) has announced its intention to acquire the entire issued share capital of The Pivotal Fund (JSE: PIV).

Pivotal, a development focused investment fund, has an A-grade portfolio of completed income producing properties and developments.

Under the terms of the transaction, valued at R6 billion, shareholders in Pivotal will receive from Redefine 460 million new Redefine Properties shares plus 31 million shares in Echo Polska Properties (EPP), effectively placing Pivotal shareholders in the commercial position they would have been in had Pivotal unbundled its EPP shares to its shareholders.

The Redefine shares will be issued ex-dividend, anticipated to be at the end of November 2016 and the EPP share will be delivered during January 2017. Redefine Properties strategic investment in EPP will remain intact.

The deal, which is subject to the usual regulatory processes for a transaction of this nature, will be implemented through a scheme of arrangement which requires 75% approval at a general meeting of Pivotal shareholders.

Redefine Properties will delist Pivotal once the deal has been concluded which is expected before the end of the year.

Andrew Konig, CEO, Redefine Properties says, An irrevocable buy-in from a significant number of Pivotal shareholders has been received. Our intention is not to be a shareholder as we can only achieve the full potential for synergies with complete ownership.

Development funds like Pivotal are seeing twin challenges of increasing cost of capital as well as the macro environment putting pressure on development returns, adds Konig.

The acquisition of the Pivotal portfolio enables Redefine to continue with its investment philosophy to recycle its capital through disposing assets no longer aligned to its long term investment strategy and replacing them with prime (Pivotal) assets.

We believe we bring compelling value to shareholders of both companies with Pivotal shareholders receiving a long-term upside potential of an investment in Redefine, increasingly recognised for its performance in a difficult and competitive market.

The deal will see Redefine Properties which already co-owns S&J Industrial Estate in Germiston and Rosebank Galleria with Pivotal, gain significant reach in Sandton and consolidate its position in Rosebank.

The acquisition demonstrates Redefines strategic intent to become the landlord of choice in A-grade office space in sought after areas in South Africa. Redefine has shifted its strategy in recent years to become a more urban focused landlord by acquiring modern properties in better performing nodes, says Konig.

Pivotals property portfolio is valued at R12.9 billion and its income producing assets comprise 8 retail properties, 10 offices and 3 industrial sites, a number of development properties with 4 active developments. Pivotals African assets in markets like Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Morocco, Kenya and Zambia will be sold post implementation.

Once the deal has been finalised, Redefine will operate approximately 350 properties totalling nearly 5.7 million square metres across the country.

According to Konig, the deal provides Redefine with a unique opportunity in the current environment to acquire a portfolio of well leased modern properties in a single transaction. The acquisition further cements our position as one of the top landlords in Sandton, a node where we have grown to almost 30% of our office portfolio from almost no exposure five years or so back and allows us to make meaningful expansion into Bryanston and Centurion.

In Sandton, Redefine will add crown jewels like Alice Lane with tenants like Sanlam, Santam, Standard Bank, and Virgin Active South Africa. Part of the development at Alice Lane also includes an office building likely for completion during April 2017 to house legal heavy weight Bowman Gilfillan.

Besides this acquisition, Redefine Properties significantly broadened its offshore footprint earlier in the year via a 260 million equity investment into EPP which has a 1.2 billion high-yielding commercial platform comprising 18 properties in the rapidly-expanding and exciting Polish market. To continue on its growth trajectory, EPP plans to broaden its shareholder base by listing on the JSE during the first half of September this year.
CHICAGO, August 30, 2016 - The first-ever Alzheimer's Association Sex and Gender in Alzheimer's (SAGA) research grant awards will provide $2.2 million to nine projects to advance understanding of the disproportionate effect of Alzheimer's disease on women.

Almost two-thirds of the more than 5 million Americans with Alzheimer's are women. Among Americans age 71 and older, 16 percent of women have Alzheimer's or dementia compared with 11 percent of men, according to the Alzheimer's Association 2016 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures. It is unknown why more women than men are living with this disease. There are several theories, including differences between the sexes regarding length of life, duration of disease, and when they approach their doctor for guidance/diagnosis. In addition, there may be distinct biological and genetic contributions that differ between the sexes.

"Research showed us how women experience heart disease differently from men. We need to look at Alzheimer's in a similar way. If we can better understand the disease processes and progression in men and women, we have an opportunity to tailor how we approach detection, diagnosis, and therapeutic approaches based on sex," said Maria Carrillo, Ph.D., Alzheimer's Association chief science officer. "As a core part of this discussion, we must explore fundamental differences in biological characteristics and lifestyle factors between the sexes that may play a role to the disproportionate impact on women."

Each of the SAGA grant-funded projects will receive approximately $250,000. The majority of the investigations are examining relationships between hormones, genetics and the development of Alzheimer's. Other key themes include differences in men's and women's brains that may contribute to the development or progression of the disease, and sex-specific response to Alzheimer's risk factors.

Understanding Potential Sex Differences in Alzheimer's

Emerging evidence suggests the higher frequency for Alzheimer's in women may, in part, be due to biological or genetic differences, or different life experiences, such as type and amount of education, occupational choices or rates of cardiovascular disease.

In May 2015, the Alzheimer's Association hosted a think tank of biological sex and Alzheimer's experts. The meeting identified three gaps in understanding the influence of sex on the disease:

The role genetics plays in Alzheimer's.

Hormonal factors, including changes over time that may affect differences in development and progression of Alzheimer's.

Lifestyle factors, such as why the brains and cognitive health of women may have more vulnerability to factors such as stress, sleep disorders, depression and metabolic disorders.

"The link between sex and Alzheimer's is complex and likely due to multiple factors. Discovering those factors and translating those discoveries into therapy is critical," said Roberta Brinton, Ph.D., director of the Center for Innovation in Brain Science at the University of Arizona Health Sciences and a think tank co-chair. "We all can agree that as women and men, we have different experiences as we age. For example, as a SAGA-funded researcher, I am investigating the influence of estrogen loss and genetic risk for Alzheimer's on brain health, and if that combination of factors impacts the development of Alzheimer's in women."

As a direct result of the think tank, the Alzheimer's Association announced the SAGA funding initiative. SAGA is the only active, multi-project, research funding effort focused on filling previously identified knowledge gaps related to potential sex differences in Alzheimer's.

"With SAGA, there is a potential for discovery that could open a whole new world in terms of how we treat people with dementia in the physician's office," adds Brinton. "There is also an opportunity to improve the way we test new therapies. By better understanding how the disease progresses differently in men and women, we can adjust treatment and the ways we measure effectiveness to be more precise. This could lead to potentially better, more successful clinical trials."

Making the Funding Possible

The Alzheimer's Association funding for the SAGA grant initiative is made possible by:

Alzheimer's Association Zenith Society members John and Crystal Beuerlein; The Judy Fund and Gelfand Family; and the Sigma Kappa Foundation.

Alzheimer's Association supporters Stuart and Lisa Alperin; Michelle and Lawrence Herbert; the W.C. English Foundation; Ellen Yankellow, Pharm.D.; and Bill Chapman.

Part the Cloud, an Alzheimer's Association fundraising initiative led by philanthropist Michaela "Mikey" Hoag.

Move for Minds, an initiative of Maria Shriver and A Woman's Nation.

Alzheimer's Association National Board members Jim and Carla Grossmann and Diana R. Kerwin, M.D.

Alzheimer's Association Celebrity Champion Kimberly Williams-Paisley.

"These research efforts are possible because of the generosity of these visionary donors," said Carrillo. "They understand the potential of this research for field-altering discoveries that will bring us closer to new Alzheimer's treatments for both men and women. We are grateful for their selfless and substantial commitment to this cause."

SAGA is a core component of the Alzheimer's Association Women's Initiative. The broader initiative highlights the multiple and disproportionate effects of Alzheimer's on women as caregivers, advocates and people living with this disease. It launched in June 2014 with a major goal to engage more women in the fight against Alzheimer's.

"Through the Alzheimer's Association Women's Initiative, we have ignited a global conversation about the striking impact Alzheimer's has on women and its far-reaching consequences," added Carrillo.

###

About the Alzheimer's Association

The Alzheimer's Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's. For more information, visit the Alzheimer's Association at alz.org or call the 24/7 helpline at 800-272-3900.

Alzheimer's Association Fact Sheet

Capsule Descriptions of the August 2016 SAGA-Funded Projects
BEER-SHEVA, Israel ...August 30, 2016 - Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have determined that a child pedestrian's ability to safely cross the road is hindered more during a cell phone conversation than an adult's. The study will be published in the November, 2016 issue of Safety Science (Elsevier).

"Although many children carry cell phones, the effect that cell phone conversations have on children's crossing behavior has not been thoroughly examined," explains Prof. Tal Oron-Gilad, a researcher in the BGU Department of Industrial Engineering and Management.

"Over a third of the road traffic deaths in low- and middle-income countries are among pedestrians. This high level of involvement is particularly meaningful for child pedestrians as the proportion of child pedestrian fatalities is significantly high relative to adults," she adds.

The study was conducted at the BGU Virtual Environment Simulation Laboratory, one of the world's most sophisticated traffic research facilities, which enables researchers to measure pedestrian reactions to virtual reality scenarios. The pedestrian dome simulator consists of a 180-degree spherical screen aligned with a highly accurate three-projector system large enough to immerse a participant within its circumference.

The simulator experiment was conducted in a virtual city environment with 14 adults and 38 children who experienced road crossing scenarios paired with pre-determined cell phone conversations. The subjects were requested to press a response button whenever they felt it was safe to cross while the researchers tracked their eye movements.

"The results showed that while all age groups' crossing behaviors were affected by cell phone conversations, children were more susceptible to distraction," says Prof. Oron-Gilad.

"When busy with more cognitively demanding conversation types, participants were slower to react to a crossing opportunity, chose smaller crossing gaps and allocated less visual attention to the peripheral regions of the scene."

The ability to make better crossing decisions improved with age. The most prominent improvement was shown in the "safety gap;" each age group maintained a longer gap than the younger one preceding it.

"It is important to take those findings in account when aiming to train young pedestrians for road safety and increase public awareness with children going back to school," Prof. Oron-Gilad says.

###

Cell phone conversations and child pedestrian's crossing behavior, a simulator study. Hagai Tapiro, Tal Oron-Gilad, Yisrael Parmet Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. Tapiro, H., et al. Safety Sci. (2016). Safety Science 89:36-44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2016.05.013.

About American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (AABGU) plays a vital role in sustaining David Ben-Gurion's vision: creating a world-class institution of education and research in the Israeli desert, nurturing the Negev community and sharing the University's expertise locally and around the globe. As Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) looks ahead to turning 50 in 2020, AABGU imagines a future that goes beyond the walls of academia. It is a future where BGU invents a new world and inspires a vision for a stronger Israel and its next generation of leaders. Together with supporters, AABGU will help the University foster excellence in teaching, research and outreach to the communities of the Negev for the next 50 years and beyond. Visit vision.aabgu.org to learn more.
Pasadena, CA--An international team of astronomers, including Carnegie's Eric Persson, has charted the rise and fall of galaxies over 90 percent of cosmic history. Their work, which includes some of the most sensitive astronomical measurements made to date, is published by The Astrophysical Journal.

The FourStar Galaxy Evolution Survey (ZFOURGE) has built a multicolored photo album of galaxies as they grow from their faint beginnings into mature and majestic giants. They did so by measuring distances and brightnesses for more than 70,000 galaxies spanning more than 12 billion years of cosmic time, revealing the breadth of galactic diversity.

The team assembled the colorful photo album by using a new set of filters that are sensitive to infrared light and taking images with them with the FourStar camera at Carnegie's 6.5-meter Baade Telescope at our Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. They took the images over a period of 45 nights. The team made a 3-D map by collecting light from over 70,000 galaxies, peering all the way into the distant universe, and by using this light to measure how far these galaxies are from our own Milky Way.

The deep 3-D map also revealed young galaxies that existed as early as 12.5 billion years ago (at less than 10 percent of the current universe age), only a handful of which had previously been found. This should help astronomers better understand the universe's earliest days.

"Perhaps the most surprising result is that galaxies in the young universe appear as diverse as they are today," when the universe is older and much more evolved, said lead author Caroline Straatman, a recent graduate of Leiden University. "The fact that we see young galaxies in the distant universe that have already shut down star formation is remarkable."

But it's not just about distant galaxies; the information gathered by ZFOURGE is also giving the scientists the best-yet view of what our own galaxy was like in its youth.

"Ten billion years ago, galaxies like our Milky Way were much smaller, but they were forming stars 30 times faster than they are today," said Casey Papovich of Texas A&M University.

"ZFOURGE is providing us with a highly complete and reliable census of the evolving galaxy population, and is already helping us to address questions like: How did galaxies grow with time? When did they form their stars and develop into the spectacular structures that we see in the present-day universe?" added Ryan Quadri, also of Texas A&M.

In the study's first images, the team found one of the earliest examples of a galaxy cluster, a so-called "galaxy city" made up of a dense concentration of galaxies, which formed when the universe was only three billion years old, as compared to the nearly 14 billion years it is today.

"The combination of FourStar, the special filters, Magellan, and the conditions at Las Campanas led to the detection of the cluster," said Persson, who built the FourStar instrument at the Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena. "It was in a very well-studied region of the sky--'hiding in plain sight.'"

The paper marks the completion of the ZFOURGE survey and the public release of the dataset, which can be found here: http://zfourge.tamu.edu/DR2016/data.html.

###

This work was supported by the George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy, the National Science Foundation, the Australian Research Council, an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship, and a NASA Hubble Fellowship awarded by the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for NASA. Australian access to the Magellan Telescopes was supported through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy of the Australian Federal Government.

The ZFOURGE survey was conducted with the FourStar camera on the Magellan 6.5-meter telescope in Chile and further involved data collected by many of the world's most powerful observatories, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the Very Large Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Herschel Space Observatory.

The Carnegie Institution for Science is a private, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with six research departments throughout the U.S. Since its founding in 1902, the Carnegie Institution has been a pioneering force in basic scientific research. Carnegie scientists are leaders in plant biology, developmental biology, astronomy, materials science, global ecology, and Earth and planetary science.
UPTON, NY -- Five projects from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have been selected as finalists for the 2016 R&D 100 awards, which honor the top 100 proven technological advances of the past year as determined by a panel selected by R&D Magazine.

"This was a very strong year for research and development across various markets, led by many outstanding technologies that broadened the scope of innovation," said R&D Magazine Editor Anna Spiewak in a press release announcing the finalists. "We are honored to recognize these products and the project teams behind the design, development, testing, and production of these remarkable innovations and their impact in the field."

Robert Tribble, Brookhaven National Laboratory's Deputy Director for Science & Technology, added, "The Laboratory is pleased that five of our technologies have been selected as finalists for the 2016 R&D 100 awards. Our scientific mission includes translating new ideas into benefits to society. These awards recognize the important role the Lab plays in connecting research to commercial impact."

The winners will be announced on November 3, 2016, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland, near Washington, D.C. The Brookhaven finalists are: MoSoy Catalyst

A novel low-cost, high-performance electrocatalyst derived from biomass (soybean) and a non-precious transition metal (molybdenum) for producing hydrogen. The project was led by Brookhaven chemists James Muckerman, Etsuko Fujita, and Kotaro Sasaki with the participation of Wei-Fu Chen (former postdoctoral Research Associate) and twin sisters Shweta and Shilpa Iyer (high school summer students).

This technology delivers a durable and effective catalyst that can be used as a cathode electrode in either a solar photochemical electrolysis cell using sunlight or an electrolyzer using electricity from external sources, such as photovoltaics, to split water into hydrogen (at a cathode) and oxygen (at an anode). It eliminates the need for expensive metals such as platinum, improving the economic viability of this technology for producing hydrogen. The hydrogen can be compressed, stored and transported for use directly as a fuel or for hydrogenating carbon compounds in a process that mimics photosynthesis for producing energy-rich hydrocarbons. Read more about the MoSoy catalyst.

Nanostructured Anti-reflecting and Water-repellent Surface Coatings

A scalable, nanotechnology-based surface-texturing method that imparts perfect anti-reflection and robust water-repellency to silicon, glass, and some plastics. Brookhaven physicist Charles Black, recently named Director of the Lab's Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN), led this project.

This work leverages the ability of materials called block copolymers to self-assemble into ordered patterns with dimensions measuring tens of nanometers. The scientists use these self-assembled nanoscale patterns as templates for etching the surface of silicon, glass, or plastic. The resulting nanotextured surfaces have remarkable properties: the ability to absorb all wavelengths of light from any angle and robust water repellency (with water droplets carrying away particles of dirt). The technology could potentially be used to produce highly efficient, self-cleaning solar cells, glare-free cell phone screens, and perfectly transparent windows. Read more about the antireflective and water repellent results.

Hard X-ray Scanning Microscope with Multilayer Laue Lens Nanofocusing Optics

A high-throughput hard x-ray scanning microscope with specialized lenses for imaging of a broad range of materials spanning from nanoscience to biology with the spatial resolution better than 20 nanometers. This is a joint entry with DOE's Argonne National Laboratory, led at Brookhaven by physicists Evgeny Nazaretski and Yong Chu along with their NSLS-II collaborators. This novel MLL-based vacuum-compatible microscope is a general purpose x-ray instrument suitable for a broad range of imaging experiments. Multimodality of the scanning hard x-ray microscope allows users to perform comprehensive structural and chemical studies on various material systems with sub-20 nm spatial resolution. This unique instrument has been commissioned and is available to the NSLS-II user community.

Flex Plate

A type of lab-ware to be used in protein crystallization, where the protein crystals formed within can be studied using x-ray diffraction without the need for a plate-handling robot.

The device was developed by a group led by Brookhaven biophysicist Alex Soares, who works at Brookhaven's National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), one of the world's brightest sources of x-rays for studying protein crystals. The Flex Plate is designed to operate in connection with standard liquid handling robots for high throughput screening of crystallization conditions for crystal discovery projects or chemical libraries for drug discovery projects. Ultra-compact Diamond X-ray Monitors

Fulfilling a universal need among synchrotron beamline developers and researchers, scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Stony Brook University, and Case Western Reserve University have developed x-ray detectors based on synthetic diamond that provide extraordinarily accurate measurements of x-ray flux, position, and shape. The diamond x-ray beam position monitors developed by the team, led at Brookhaven Lab by the Instrumentation Division's John Smedley, have already begun to play a vital role in x-ray beam diagnostics, and have been installed in synchrotrons worldwide.

Significant advances in sensor and electronics readout design have resulted in many innovative applications not possible using previously available detectors. Not only have these innovations made a huge impact in enhancing scientific research conducted at synchrotrons, the capabilities of these detectors have extended their application to the medical dosimetry community. The radiation hardness, dynamic range and speed of diamond make it ideal for monitoring gamma ray, proton, and carbon ion beams for use in cancer radiotherapy. Similar diamond-based devices are already used as radiation-hard beam monitors at the Large Hadron Collider. Read more about diamond detectors here https://www.bnl.gov/newsroom/news.php?a=25299

###

The R&D 100 Awards

Since 1987, Brookhaven Lab has won more than 30 of the prestigious R&D 100 awards that celebrate the top 100 proven technological advances of the year as judged by R&D Magazine. These technologies include innovative new materials, chemistry breakthroughs, biomedical products, consumer items, testing equipment, and high-energy physics.

The first three of the five projects listed above were supported by the DOE Office of Science. Flex Plate was supported by the National Institutes of Health. The Ultra-compact Diamond X-Ray Monitors project was supported by the Office of Science, the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. All but the last project had additional funding from Brookhaven's internal Technology Maturation Program. NSLS-II and CFN are DOE Office of Science User Facilities.

Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.
Analysis by a team from Drexel University found that firefighters may shun safety gear due to the pressure of living up to their risk-taker image.

Jennifer Taylor, PhD, associate professor in Drexel's Dornsife School of Public Health and her team, used data from 123 firefighters interviews across the country to determine why they often refrain from using personal protective equipment (PPE) in dangerous situations. Their work was featured in the American Journal of Health Behavior.

What the researchers found through their interviews was that many firefighters feel pressured against using the proper safety gear by older, more experienced co-workers, as well as the public image of a firefighter as a daredevil.

"Our society has a romanticized notion of what firefighters do, which is kill themselves," Anthony, a firefighter of 20-plus years, said in the study. "And we do everything we can in the fire service to reinforce that."

Perception Over Safety

Popular culture certainly falls in line with that view of firefighters. The film "Backdraft" featured a Kurt Russell character who increasingly put himself into dangerous situations, such as charging through a burning house without support -- or an SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus). In FX 's "Rescue Me," Dennis Leary's character followed suit.

"If firefighters feel that the public expects them to take risks to save other lives and property, firefighters may internalize the belief that getting injured on the job or dying in the line of duty is an expected outcome of work," Taylor explained.

One firefighter in the study with more than 30 years of experience described the second floor rescue of a woman that he once witnessed.

"He removes his SCBA while he's in the smoky environment and then proceeds to give her air, which, on TV, looks like this sensationally heroic act. Really, it's pure foolishness," the firefighter said. "Even when you're in an aircraft they tell you [to] get yourself oxygen before you help someone else. But because it would look good in the press, he takes his SCBA off ... Now both of them have been exposed exceedingly long compared to how quickly they would have both made it out [had he not wasted his time and air]."

The "Senior Man"

The public's perception isn't the only viewpoint influencing whether firefighters use safety gear. Sometimes pressure comes from within the firehouse.

Firefighting is a profession steeped in tradition and image, Taylor said, so veteran firefighters have certain sway.

"In fire departments across the United States, there is a person in the department known as the 'senior man,'" Taylor explained. "This is not necessarily an officer, but a highly experienced and long-serving firefighter who everyone regards. His storytelling about past lessons learned can make a huge impression on how recruits look at the job."

According to the study, the opinions of veterans can be set against some of the things younger firefighters learned in their fire academy training.

"When I started as a firefighter -- I mean, my experience was that you got frowned on for wearing your breathing apparatus," said Jake, a firefighter with more than 30 years of experience. "[They said,] 'Come on, don't be a sissy, you don't need that.'"

Although the SCBAs were relatively new when Jake began firefighting, other interviews confirmed there are still some particularly lax attitudes toward the packs -- especially during overhaul.

Overhaul is the period when the main fire is extinguished but more work needs to be done to prevent fire hidden in walls or other areas from spreading. Many firefighters don't use their breathing apparatus at that point, even though smoke and other carcinogens remain in the air. This can be the result of peer pressure but also out of a desire to finish the task unimpeded.

Goal Seduction

The desire to achieve goals or finish tasks is a strong factor in the use of safety equipment, the researchers found. Termed "goal seduction," personal protective equipment is often viewed as a detriment to it.

Firefighters told the Drexel team that wearing packs during overhaul is hot and cumbersome, so they often take it off. One firefighter also described never wearing the chinstrap for his helmet.

"It's easier for me to pull my helmet off and ... look up or whatever," said Xavier, a 20-plus year veteran of the fire service.

Safety Gear Proponents

Ultimately, Taylor and the other researchers determined that two factors worked in favor of using the safety equipment: individual will and organizational solidarity.

Between training and personal knowledge of the injury or illness that could arise from not using the right equipment, some firefighters had the wherewithal to refuse peer pressure against using the safety equipment.

"If you're going to make fun of me, you're going to make fun of me," said Kate, a 33-year-old firefighter with less than 10 years on the job. "But I'm not going to use an inhaler later on in life."

Leading by example was particularly effective, according to the interviews. When use of safety equipment became a team-wide commitment, it made the interviewed firefighters more cognizant of properly using it and less likely to feel out-of-place.

"Organizational solidarity can do a lot to help recruits follow protective equipment standard operating procedures," Taylor said. "If the overall gestalt of the group is to protect themselves from the known hazards of the job, then most people in the group will follow that behavior."

The Tug of War

All of this sets off a tug-of-war between firefighters' image/the desire to accomplish goals (termed goal seduction) and personal will to remain safe/the team's desire to remain safe.

To win that tug-of-war, Taylor and her team believe more emphasis by firehouse administration must be placed on creating a culture of safety -- which starts with the use of personal protective equipment.

To assist with that, the Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) and the Firefighter Injury Research and Safety Trends (FIRST) organization, which Taylor heads, received a $1.5 million grant funded by FEMA for training 100 safety officers to make them champions of safety in their firehouses across the country. Additionally, the grant will fund new surveys of approximately 500 fire departments to better understand barriers to safety culture.

This research also doesn't just apply to firehouses. It provides some insight that could be utilized by other "high-hazard" industries where personal protective equipment is crucial.

"Our study is really about understanding how all the factors -- comfort, fit, beliefs -- come together in the organizational environment," Taylor said. "There needs to be the gear, the knowledge and also the organizational support for a positive environment of protection."

###
Rome, Italy - 30 August 2016: Drug-eluting stents had a clear advantage over bare metal stents in patients undergoing revascularisation of saphenous (leg) vein grafts, results of the BASKET-SAVAGE trial show.

"This is currently the largest trial with long-term outcome data comparing these two types of stents in saphenous vein graft disease, and will reassure clinicians about the use of DES for this specific indication," noted principal investigator Raban Jeger, MD, from University Hospital, in Basel, Switzerland.

Findings from BASKET-SAVAGE, (which stands for Basel Kosten Effektivitats Trial - SAphenous Venous Graft Angioplasty Using Glycoprotein 2b/3a Receptor Inhibitors and Drug-Eluting Stents) were presented in a Hot Line session at ESC Congress 2016.

The results address inconsistency in the published literature regarding long-term outcomes after stenting of saphenous vein grafts (SVG), added Professor Jeger.

Saphenous veins from the legs may be used to bridge plaque-filled coronary arteries as part of coronary bypass surgery, but eventually they too can become blocked (atherosclerosis) and require stents to keep them open.

The BASKET-SAVAGE trial randomised 173 patients with SVG disease to undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with either bare metal stents (BMS, n=84) or paclitaxel drug-eluting stents (DES, n=89). (The trial reached only 72% of its target sample size before being terminated early due to limited enrolment).

The patients were a median age of 72 years and had received their SVGs a median of 13 years earlier.

During the procedure, most patients also received glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (74%) to prevent clotting, and distal protection devices (66%) to catch any dislodged plaque debris.

The primary endpoint, which was major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 12 months, occurred significantly less often in the DES compared to the BMS group (2% vs. 18%, hazard ratio [HR] 0.15, P<0.001). This difference was driven largely by a 12% rate of repeat procedures in the target graft among BMS-treated patients compared to none in the DES group (HR 0.04, P<0.001), as well as a significantly higher rate of nonfatal myocardial infarctions in BMS-treated patients (12% vs 2%, HR 0.24, P=0.025).

Longer follow-up to 3 years among a subgroup of patients showed that MACE rates were 67% lower in the DES compared with the BMS group (30% vs 12%, HR 0.33, P=0.0012), and the safety profile was similar in both arms.

Due to different pathophysiology, SVG atherosclerosis is potentially more demanding to treat compared to coronary artery disease in native vessels, but combining distal protection devices and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors with DES resulted in MACE rates comparable to those seen after native vessel stenting, said Prof. Jeger.

"DES should remain the standard of care in patients with SVG lesions undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions," he concluded.

###

Notes to editors

Sources of funding: The Swiss National Science Foundation, the Basel Cardiovascular Research Foundation, and Boston Scientific Germany.

Disclosures: None

ESC Press Office

For background information, please contact the ESC Press Office at media@escardio.org.

For press enquiries, please contact, the Media & Press Coordinator, Jacques Olivier Costa: +393427028575

For independent comment on site, please contact the ESC Spokesperson coordinator, Celine Colas: +393402405148

To access all the scientific resources from the sessions during the congress, visit ESC Congress 365.

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

This press release accompanies both a presentation and an ESC press conference at the ESC Congress 2016. Edited by the ESC from material supplied by the investigators themselves, this press release does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Society of Cardiology. The content of the press release has been approved by the presenter.
This press release accompanies a presentation at the ESC Congress 2016. Edited by the ESC from material supplied by the investigators themselves, this press release does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Society of Cardiology. The content of the press release has been approved by the presenter.

Rome, Italy - 30 August 2016: Caution has been urged in the use of blood pressure lowering treatment for heart disease patients after a study in more than 22 000 patients with coronary artery disease found that too low blood pressure was associated with worse outcomes. The analysis from the CLARIFY registry is presented today at ESC Congress and published in The Lancet.1-3

Professor Philippe Gabriel Steg, principal investigator of the CLARIFY registry, said: "The optimal blood pressure target in patients with hypertension continues to be debated, especially in those with coronary artery disease (CAD). ESC guidelines recommend lowering blood pressure to values within the range 130-139/80-85 mmHg for patients with CAD to reduce the risk of further cardiovascular events."4

He added: "Some argue 'the lower, the better' but there is a concern that patients with CAD may have insufficient blood flow to the heart if their blood pressure is too low."

The current analysis of the CLARIFY registry assessed the relationship between blood pressure (BP) achieved with treatment and cardiovascular outcomes in CAD patients with hypertension.

The study included 22 672 patients with stable CAD who were enrolled between November 2009 and June 2010 from 45 countries into the CLARIFY registry and treated for hypertension. The primary outcome was the composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. Secondary outcomes were each component of the primary outcome, all-cause death, and hospitalisation for heart failure.

Systolic and diastolic BPs before each cardiovascular event were averaged and categorised into 10 mmHg increments. Hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated with multivariable adjusted Cox proportional hazards models, using the 120-129 mmHg systolic BP and 70-79 mmHg diastolic BP subgroups as reference.

The investigators found that after a median follow-up of five years, a systolic BP of 140 mmHg or more and a diastolic BP of 80 mmHg or more were each associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events.

Professor Steg said: "These results were expected, and are in line with ESC recommendations to reduce blood pressure below these levels in patients with CAD."

Systolic BP less than 120 mmHg was also associated with increased risk for the primary outcome (adjusted HR 1.56 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.36-1.81]) and all secondary outcomes except stroke. Likewise, diastolic BP less than 70 mmHg was associated with an increase in the risk of the primary outcome (adjusted HR 1.41 [1.24-1.61] for diastolic BP 60-69 mmHg and 2.01 [1.50-2.70] for less than 60 mmHg) and in all secondary outcomes except stroke.

"We found that systolic blood pressure less than 120 mmHg was associated with a 56% greater risk of the composite primary outcome of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke," said Professor Steg. "Diastolic blood pressure between 60 and 69 mmHg was associated with a 41% increased risk of the primary outcome, with risk rising to two-fold when diastolic blood pressure fell below 60 mmHg."

He added: "This large study of hypertensive CAD patients from routine clinical practice found that systolic BP less than 120 mmHg and diastolic BP less than 70 mmHg are each associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, including mortality. The findings support the existence of a J-curve phenomenon, where the initial lowering of BP is beneficial but further lowering is harmful."

Professor Steg concluded: "Our results suggest that the ESC recommendation remains valid and physicians should exercise caution when using BP-lowering treatment in patients with CAD. This should however not detract from our efforts to diagnose and treat hypertension which remains massively underdiagnosed and undertreated worldwide."

###

NOTES TO EDITORS

Sources of funding: The CLARIFY registry is supported by Servier. The sponsor had no role in the study design or in data analysis, and interpretation; or in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication, but assisted with the set-up, data collection and management of the study in each country.

Disclosures: EVP reports non-financial support from Boston Scientific and Servier, outside the submitted work. PGS reports grants, personal fees and non-financial support from Servier, during the conduct of the study; personal fees from Amarin, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers-Squibb, Daiichi-Sankyo, GlaxoSmithKline, Lilly, Merck-Sharpe-Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Medtronic, Servier, Janssen, CSL Behring, and Regeneron, grants and personal fees from Sanofi, personal fees and non-financial support from The Medicines Company, outside the submitted work.

ESC Press Office

For background information, please contact the ESC Press Office at media@escardio.org.

For press enquiries, please contact, the Media & Press Coordinator, Jacques Olivier Costa: +393427028575

For independent comment on site, please contact the ESC Spokesperson coordinator, Celine Colas: +393402405148

To access all the scientific resources from the sessions during the congress, visit ESC Congress 365. References and notes

1Professor Steg will present results from the CLARIFY registry during a Registry session on 30 August at 14:00 to 15:30 in the Forum - The Hub.

2Vidal-Petiot E, Ford I, Greenlaw N, Ferrari R, Fox KM, Tardif JC, Tendera M, Tavazzi L, Bhatt DL, Steg PG, for the CLARIFY Investigators. Cardiovascular event rates and mortality according to achieved systolic and diastolic blood pressure in patients with stable coronary artery disease: an international cohort study. Lancet. 2016.

3CLARIFY: Prospective Observational Longitudinal Registry of Patients With Stable Coronary Artery Disease

42013 ESC guidelines on the management of stable coronary artery disease. Eur Heart J. 2013;34:2949-3003. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/eht296

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 30 August 2016: More than one quarter of heart attack patients who are normally treated with stents to re-open their blocked arteries might be able to forgo this procedure and receive anti-thrombotic medications only, according to results of a pilot study.

Results of the EROSION (Effective Anti-thrombotic Therapy without Stenting: Intravascular OCT-based Management in Plaque Erosion) study, presented in a Hot Line session at ESC Congress 2016, and published simultaneously in the European Heart Journal, suggest "a potentially major change in the treatment of a significant number of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS)," said lead investigator Ik-Kyung Jang, MD, PhD, from Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA, USA.

"If this conservative approach without a metallic stent or polymer scaffold proves to be effective and safe, it may become a new treatment paradigm for over a quarter of patients with ACS, thereby abrogating stent-related early and late complications," he said.

Most (60%) cases of ACS are caused by plaque rupture, but plaque erosion is responsible for 25%-44% of cases, and has a distinctly different pathology that is amenable to anti-thrombotic therapy, said Dr. Jang.

The study used an intracoronary imaging technique called optical coherence tomography (OCT) to differentiate plaque erosion from plaque rupture among 405 ACS patients presenting at the emergency department and undergoing coronary angiography.

Plaque erosion was identified as the underlying pathology in 103 (25.4%) patients, of whom 60 had a residual diameter stenosis of less than 70% on angiogram, Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow grade of 3, and were stable without symptoms.

These patients were deemed suitable to receive anti-thrombotic medications alone without stent placement and were treated with dual antiplatelet therapy (aspirin and ticagrelor), as well as the addition of a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor in 63.6%.

At one month follow-up 47 of the 60 patients (78.3%) met the primary endpoint of the study which was a more than 50% reduction in the size of their clot, with 22 of these patients having no visible clot at all, reported Dr. Jang.

Overall, clot volume decreased from 3.7 to 0.2 mm3 and minimal flow area increased from 1.7 to 2.1 mm2.

One patient died of gastrointestinal bleeding while on DAPT and another one had no improvement in the stenotic artery at one month, with the decision to undergo percutaneous coronary intervention.

"Currently all patients with ACS are uniformly treated with stenting regardless of underlying pathology. This study, for the first time, demonstrates that patients with ACS caused by erosion may benefit from a tailored therapy with anti-thrombotic medications," said Dr. Jang. "If we can identify ACS patients with erosion without an invasive procedure, those patients may be triaged to a conservative therapy pathway instead of invasive catheterization and stent implantation."

###

Notes to editors

Sources of funding: The EROSION study was supported by AstraZeneca.

Disclosures: Dr. Jang received an educational grant and consulting fees from St. Jude Medical.

ESC Press Office

For background information, please contact the ESC Press Office at media@escardio.org.

For press enquiries, please contact, the Media & Press Coordinator, Jacques Olivier Costa: +393427028575

For independent comment on site, please contact the ESC Spokesperson coordinator, Celine Colas: +393402405148

To access all the scientific resources from the sessions during the congress, visit ESC Congress 365.

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

This press release accompanies both a presentation and an ESC press conference at the ESC Congress 2016. Edited by the ESC from material supplied by the investigators themselves, this press release does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Society of Cardiology. The content of the press release has been approved by the presenter.
Rome, Italy 30 August 2016: New generation drug eluting stents (new DES) did not outshine contemporary bare metal stents (BMS) as they were expected to, in a surprise finding of the largest randomized stent trial to date.

The Norwegian Coronary Stent Trial (NorStent), presented at ESC Congress 2016, and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine, "demonstrates that the efficacy of new DES versus contemporary BMS is lower than expected," noted Kaare Harald Bonaa, MD, PhD, in a Hot Line session here.

"Patients treated with DES do not live longer and they do not live better than patients treated with BMS."

"Although ESC guidelines recommend new DES over BMS as default for coronary revascularization, this recommendation may need to be modified in light of the NorStent findings," he added. "Both stent types may be recommended."

With 9,013 patients and more than 40,000 patient years of follow-up, NorStent is an all-comers study in a usual care setting "and therefore has the potential to yield outcomes of great relevance to clinical practice," added Prof Bonaa from University of Tromso - The Arctic University of Norway, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim.

The multi-centre study included patients with stable angina pectoris (n=2636) or acute coronary syndromes (n=6377) who needed percutaneous coronary intervention.

Patients were randomized to receive either BMS or DES, with 83% of DES patients receiving everolimus-eluting stents and 12% receiving zotarolimus-eluting stents.

After 6 years of follow-up there was no significant difference between the DES and the BMS groups in the primary outcome of total mortality or nonfatal myocardial infarction (cumulative rate of 16.9% in the DES group vs 17.4% in the BMS group; HR 0.98), as well as secondary outcomes of unstable angina, or quality of life.

"As expected, the need for repeat revascularization was lowered by DES, but this effect was less than anticipated," noted Prof Bonaa. "The 6 year cumulative rate of repeat revascularization was 16.5 % in the DES group vs. 19.8 % in the BMS group - an absolute risk reduction of 3.3 %. On the basis of this analysis, 30 patients would need to be treated with new DES in order to prevent one repeat revascularization, as compared with contemporary BMS. This figure is 2-fold higher than previously reported."

###

Notes to editors

Sources of funding: The trial was investigator initiated and funded by the Norwegian Research Council and other Norwegian not-for-profit organizations.

Disclosures: Prof Bonaa reports no conflicts of interest.

ESC Press Office

For background information, please contact the ESC Press Office at media@escardio.org.

For press enquiries, please contact, the Media & Press Coordinator, Jacques Olivier Costa: +393427028575

For independent comment on site, please contact the ESC Spokesperson coordinator, Celine Colas: +393402405148

To access all the scientific resources from the sessions during the congress, visit ESC Congress 365.

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

This press release accompanies both a presentation and an ESC press conference at the ESC Congress 2016. Edited by the ESC from material supplied by the investigators themselves, this press release does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Society of Cardiology. The content of the press release has been approved by the presenter.
The Editor-in-Chief for Family Medicine and Community Health, Professor Wei Wang and publisher of Planetary Health Weekly, Dr David Zuckus coordinated the July 2016 special issue focusing on the global reach of primary care and community health services. In this issue, eight articles address this topic by reporting research on child health (Australia, Bangladesh, Botswana, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, India, Kenya, Malawi, Mongolia, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, the Seychelles, the Solomon Islands, Tanzania, Tonga, Vanuatu, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe), maternal health (Nepal), psychological processes (China), sedentary lifestyle (Jordan), training medical undergraduates (India), and ecology, plans, and reforms regarding a health care system (Malaysia). A discussion on care for aged ethnic minorities in China is also presented.

Authors contributing to this issue come from Edith Cowan University and University of Sydney, Australia; Ryerson University, Canada; Beijing Municipal Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, Beijing Municipal Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Capital Medical University, Yunnan College of Business Management and Yunnan University of Traditional Medicine, China; The Chinese University of Hong Kong, College of Family Physicians and Kwong Wah Hospital, Hong Kong; Ashwani Ayruvedic Hospital, Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Maharashtra University of Health Sciences and Velammal Medical College Hospital & Research Institute, India; Ministry of Health, Jordan; James Cook University, Singapore; University of Dongola, Sudan; University of Western Cape, South Africa; and University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. The issue includes two original research articles, two reviews, one commentary, a case study on community postings for medical undergraduates and two papers focusing specifically on health care in China.

The first featured work in this issue is a commentary on: "An innovation in child health: Globally reaching out to child health professionals". The authors, Russell Jones, Kathryn Currow, Mary Kwong and Pramila Menon note how worldwide deaths of children younger than 5 years reduced from 12.7 million in 1990 to 6.3 million in 2013. This paper discusses the Diploma in Child Health/International Postgraduate Paediatric Certificate program and shows how it offers an inexpensive, cost-effective, proven strategy for effectively improving the child and maternal health knowledge, skills, and abilities of a broad range of child health professionals in developing and first-world countries.

The second featured work is by Bingxin Wang and Kenneth Mark Greenwood and looks at "'Face' and psychological processes of laid-off workers in transitional China"). The authors explore the psychological experiences of laid-off workers in contemporary transitional China. Four themes underline the psychological processes of these laid-off workers and these are characterized by Chinese culture and its philosophy: feeling of loss is dominated by their loss of face (diu mianzi), physical pain is a somatization of their mental painfulness, their fatalism is traced back to the Chinese ancient theocratic concept of Tian Ming, and their acceptance of reality to their final making face (zhen mianzi) is sourced from both Confucianism and Daoism.

Other articles published in the issue include the following:

Ghazi F. Sharkas, Tayseer Saheb, Kamal Arqoub and Raja Haddadin: "Sedentary lifestyle among adults in Jordan, 2007". The authors used data from the behavioral risk factors surveillance survey conducted in Jordan in 2007 in this original research and found that most Jordanian adults have a sedentary lifestyle, which emphasizes that there is a public health problem. The authors recommended a national survey to gain updated data followed by an applicable national plan enabling people to practice a healthier lifestyle.

Another item of original research is by Nicolette Vanessa Roman, Serena Ann Isaacs, Charl Davids and Xin-Cheng Sui entitled "How well are families doing? A description of family well-being in South Africa" As a result of South Africa's unique sociopolitical history and diverse cultures, the South African family is neither simple to describe nor easy to understand. This study used a descriptive survey design and looked at perceived parenting styles, family functioning, family satisfaction and family resilience.

In "How well are families doing? A description of family well-being in". Andrea Sebastian, Mohamed Ali Alzain, Collins Otieno Asweto, Gehendra Mahara, Xiuhua Guo, Manshu Song, Youxin Wang and Wei Wang write about Malaysia's plans to achieve developed nation status by 2020. Malaysia has risen beyond and above the status as a Southeast Asian country and is an example to many countries. However, there is still a need for solutions to key challenges such as lack of access to water, sanitation, and proper waste management in rural areas, and the rapid rise in the cost of living.

Gehendra Mahara, Jill Barr, Janeeta Thomas, Wei Wang and Xiuhua Guo penned a commentary on "Maternal health and its affecting factors in Nepal", where the main aim of this article was to critically evaluate and explore the situation of maternal health in Nepal based on published or unpublished governmental or nongovernmental organization's scientific reports regarding maternal health. The authors found there were several direct or indirect causes and affecting factors of maternal death in Nepal, which are preventable.

In a case study on "Training medical undergraduates in the core disciplines of community medicine through community postings - an experience from India" Hemant Deepak Shewade, Chinnakali Palanivel and Kathiresan Jeyashree discuss the development of a community posting program within the framework of community medicine core disciplines at a primary health centre attached to a teaching hospital in Puducherry, India.

The section on China Focus contains the article by Bingxin Wang and Kenneth Mark Greenwood, and also the following item:

In "Long-term care for aged ethnic minority people in Yunnan, China: Understanding the situation" authors Kaining Zhang, David Zakus and Chuqun Gao discuss how China is one of the fastest ageing counties in the world and details the efforts of the Chinese government to support this population. The authors surveyed an ethic minority group and found that most were being cared for by family. Therefore it was felt there is an urgent need to reexamine the allocation of public resources for the aged.

FMCH is available on the IngentaConnect platform and at Family Medicine and Community Health. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. There are no author submission or article processing fees. FMCH is indexed in the DOAJ, EBSCO, OCLC, Primo Central (Ex Libris), Scopus, Sherpa Romeo and Ulrichsweb databases.

###
Australia is known as a country full of deadly creatures - now people have trapdoor spiders hiding in their backyards.

The mysteriously elusive creatures are hiding in most forests in Brisbane and are tucked away in national parks throughout the state of Queensland, Australia.

PhD student Jeremy Wilson recently returned from a mission with the Queensland Museum to collect new specimens for its upcoming Wild State display, while also uncovering species of golden trapdoor spiders in common or remote parts of the state from Fraser Island to Cape York.

Mr Wilson has even found new spiders in Lamington National Park in the Gold Coast Hinterland, species that build intricate traps near Gympie and others around the Capricorn Caves in Rockhampton.

Because trapdoor spiders spend most of their life underground their true number and diversity has been a bit of a mystery.

Just four species of golden trapdoor spiders are known in southeast Queensland, but Mr Wilson says he's identified at least 10 more in that area alone.

"We believe there are many more undiscovered species out there," he says.

"The really cool thing about them is that they're really long lived and they don't move much, they live in these holes their entire life.

"What that means is it's really easy for populations to become isolated and become new species."

While some people's first instinct is to swat a spider away, Mr Wilson says these guys have an important role to play in the ecosystem.

The big female trapdoor spiders are likely to be the top invertebrate predator in their ecosystem.

Because populations are so dense, there can be a lot in a very small area which means whole populations could be wiped out by clearing a patch of forest.

"In Australia especially there is so much that is still unknown about them," Mr Wilson says.

"When they do conservation planning they need to know what's there. With only four species of so many potentially, these trapdoor species are in danger of going extinct before we even know they exist.

"The key thing to highlight is that predators are crucial to ecosystems as they control the population of all organisms at lower levels of the food chain."

Because they stay so well hidden, their danger is somewhat unknown but with 1cm fangs on some, there is potential to do serious damage.

Mr Wilson has become good at spotting the traps and handling the "aggressive" spiders.

"You have to be very careful with the spiders and if they're in a bad mood you don't pick them up. If you hesitate that's when it will bite you."

Mr Wilson wants to delve further into how the species and its trapdoors have evolved.

"If we know why evolution occurs and why different species occur then we can predict how things like climate change and deforestation could affect these spiders in the future.

"There's so much work that needs to be done and it's important work because these spiders get overlooked. They live in trapdoors and no one sees them."

###
An interdisciplinary team of researchers at KU Leuven (University of Leuven), Belgium, have developed a new way to evaluate whether a cancer radiation treatment is effective. Their technique uses gas-filled microbubbles and ultrasonic sound waves to determine whether the radiation beams have reached the target area. This makes it easier to limit or avoid damage to healthy tissue.

Radiotherapy is often used to treat cancer. A downside of the treatment is that the radiation beams damage healthy tissue as well. Various complex systems and methods already exist to target the tumour with as much precision as possible, but there is no remote method to check inside the body - in situ - whether the radiation beams have actually reached their target.

Professor Koen Van Den Abeele and his colleagues have now found a way to change that. Their new technique combines gas-filled microbubbles and sound waves to determine whether the radiotherapy has reached the targeted area. The microbubbles are about the size of a red blood cell and are injected into the bloodstream. Once inside the body, they bind to the tumour. Exposure to radiation makes the microbubbles stiffer. This local change in stiffness is what the researchers detect with ultrasonic sound waves.

Professor Van Den Abeele from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at KU Leuven Campus Kulak Kortrijk explains: "We send ultrasonic sound waves to the gas-filled microbubbles, which makes them vibrate at their natural frequency. We then measure the vibration of the microbubbles before and after the radiotherapy. If the radiation has reached the targeted area, the microbubbles will have become stiffer and thus vibrate at a higher frequency. The change in frequency and attenuation is a measure of the radiation dose."

Oncologists currently have to rely on computer simulations or measuring devices inside a tissue-like phantom or outside the body to check whether the radiotherapy will reach the right area in the right dose. The new measuring technique provides more accurate information based on the actual tumour and the surrounding tissue to help decide whether or not the treatment has to be adjusted.

Microbubbles are already being used as contrast agents for ultrasound-based medical imaging of tissue, organs, and bloodstreams for drug delivery and for gene transfer. This new technique is the first to use microbubbles for dosimetry in the fight against cancer.

The technique has already been tested in vitro and in mice. Further research is necessary before the technique can be translated to human beings as well.

###

This research was conducted in collaboration with Professor Jan D'hooge (KU Leuven), Professor Karin Haustermans (KU Leuven and University Hospitals Leuven - Leuven Cancer Institute), Dr Helge Pfeiffer (KU Leuven), and Dr Emiliano D'Agostino (SCK* CEN and DoseVue NV).

Patent protection has already been established in Europe and the US ("Non-Invasive In-Situ Radiation Dosimetry", publication numbers US 9,035,268 and EP2758130).
A research group from Kumamoto University, Japan has been awarded an international research grant from the U.S.-based Alport Syndrome Foundation. This marks the first time the foundation has awarded funding to a Japanese research group.

Alport syndrome (AS) is a progressive genetic kidney disease with high risk for kidney failure and often requires dialysis treatment or kidney transplant. For those with the disease, symptoms may not appear soon after birth but they usually emerge at some point during their lifetime. In previous research working toward inhibiting the development of AS, Professor Hirofumi Kai and his team at Kumamoto University focused on the point at which symptoms began progressing. Their findings were published in the Jan. 2016 issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, one of the top journals for kidney studies, and photos from the study were featured on the cover.

The Alport Syndrome Research Funding Program began in 2010 and has selected between one to two projects each year for funding. This year, two projects were selected for the award out of ten applications from around the world. Professor Kai's winning research proposal is entitled, "Search for therapeutic reagents by modeling Alport syndrome in mice and humans" and will receive 50,000 USD per year for the next two years.

In 2013, Kumamoto University was selected by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology for "The Program for Promoting the Enhancement of Research Universities" and has since been strengthening its international collaborative research programs. These collaborations at Kumamoto University are expected to develop even further in the coming years with increasing overseas grant acquisitions.

###

Visit the Alport Syndrome Foundation website to learn more about Alport syndrome, the research program, and this year's funding recipients. http://alportsyndrome.org/research/asf-research-program/
NASA satellites provided forecasters with infrared and visible imagery of Major Hurrricane Lester as it continued to move through the Eastern Pacific Ocean. After peaking as a Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 29, Lester weakened to a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale today, Aug. 30.

On Aug. 29 at 7:25 p.m. EDT (23:25 UTC) NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite passed over Lester and the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured a visible image of the storm when it was a Category 3 hurricane. The VIIRS image showed a cloud-free eye about 20 nautical miles wide, surrounded by powerful thunderstorms.

At 11 p.m. EDT, the National Hurricane Center noted Lester reached its peak with maximum sustained winds near 140 mph (220 kph), making it a Category 4 Hurricane. Lester was symmetrical.

By Aug. 30, however, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted that Lester was showing signs of weakening as maximum sustained winds decreased. NHC forecaster Kimberlain said that "The areal extent of deep convection within the hurricane's central dense overcast (CDO) has decreased substantially, and the CDO has lost much of its axisymmetry since late yesterday [and does not appear as rounded]."

At 5 a.m. EDT (2 a.m. PDT/0900 UTC) on Aug. 30 there were no coastal watches or warnings in effect. The center of Hurricane Lester was located near18.2 degrees north latitude and 133.2 degrees west longitude. That puts Lester's eye about 1,435 miles (2,305 km) east of Hilo, Hawaii, and east of Category 4 Hurricane Madeline.

The NHC said that Lester is moving toward the west near 14 mph (22 kph), and this general motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days. The estimated minimum central pressure is 956 millibars.

Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 125 mph (205 kph) with higher gusts. Lester is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours.

At NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, infrared data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite was made into a false-colored infrared image from data taken on Aug. 30 at 6:29 a.m. EDT (10:29 UTC). Infrared data provide temperatures, and the AIRS image showed powerful storms with very cold cloud top temperatures in excess of minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 53 degrees Celsius) surrounding what appeared to be a less-defined eye.

NHC forecasts call for Lester to continue in a westerly direction before turning to the west-northwest on Aug. 30. For updated forecasts, visit the NHC website at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov.

###
PORTLAND, Ore. - Researchers at Oregon State University and other institutions have discovered a type of drug delivery system that may offer new hope for patients with a rare, ultimately fatal genetic disorder - and make what might become a terrible choice a little easier.

No treatment currently exists for this disease, known as Niemann Pick Type C1 disease, or NPC1, that affects about one in every 120,000 children globally, and results in abnormal cholesterol accumulation, progressive neurodegeneration and eventual death.

However, a compound that shows promise is now undergoing clinical trials, but it has major drawbacks - the high doses necessary also cause significant hearing loss and lung damage, as well as requiring direct brain injection.

New findings, published today in Scientific Reports, outline the potential for a nanotech-based delivery system to carry the new drug into cells far more effectively, improve its efficacy by about five times, and allow use of much lower doses that may still help treat this condition without causing such severe hearing loss.

The same system, they say, may ultimately show similar benefits for 50 or more other genetic disorders, especially those that require "brain targeting" of treatments.

"Right now there's nothing that can be done for patients with this disease, and the median survival time is 20 years," said Gaurav Sahay, an assistant professor in the Oregon State University/Oregon Health & Science University College of Pharmacy, and corresponding author on the new study.

"The new cholesterol-scavenging drug proposed to treat this disorder, called cyclodextrin or HPCD, may for the first time offer a real treatment. But it can cause significant hearing loss and requires multiple injections directly into the brain, which can be very traumatic. I'm very excited about the potential of our new drug delivery system to address these problems."

In this approach, the HPCD drug is attached to an extraordinarily small, nanotech-sized lipid particle that can carry it into cells, where it helps to flush out cholesterol. Researchers were surprised to discover, however, that the carrier itself also helped address the problem, while working in synergy with the drug it carries to greatly increase its effectiveness.

This should allow use of much lower dosages, Sahay said, and possibly an easier delivery through intravenous injection, instead of brain injection. In the form currently used, only 0.2 percent of the drug is able to cross the blood brain barrier.

In previous research with the HPCD drug in animal models, the treatment did slow the progression of this disease, but did not reverse it. The disease focuses its damage on liver and brain cells.

In their report, researchers noted that this type of drug delivery system has several advantages, including prolonged circulation times, the ability to incorporate multiple drugs with different mechanisms of action, and a variety of "targeting ligands" that can help cross the blood brain barrier.

The researchers have also partnered with Dr. Edward Neuwelt at the OHSU Blood Brain Barrier Program, who has pioneered temporary opening of the blood brain barrier in humans to access drugs to the brain.

"Taken together, nanocarriers can serve as a platform that can effectively deliver small molecules, genes and perhaps imaging agents for treatment and diagnosis of a wide variety of other rare lysosomal storage disorders," the researchers wrote in their conclusion.

###

This research was supported by the OSU College of Pharmacy, OSU Venture Development Funds, AACP New Investigator Award, Birmingham Fellowship and Wellcome Trust Seed Award. Collaborating researchers were from the University of Birmingham, Oregon Health & Science University, and Newcastle University.
TORONTO, Aug. 30, 2016--People who have received organ transplants are at higher risk of developing and dying of cancer than the general population. Yet a new study has found cancer screening guidelines for this group are inconsistent as is the use of these guidelines.

Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital did an international systematic review and found only 13 sets of clinical practice guidelines - recommendations for optimizing patient care generally based on evidence - for cancer screening of transplant recipients. Most were for kidney transplant recipients as kidneys are the most commonly transplanted organ.

Their findings were published online today in the American Journal of Transplantation.

Dr. Nancy Baxter, senior author of the review and chief of the General Surgery Department at St. Michael's, said the review found that most of the guidelines were written only by transplant specialists and did not involve oncologists, primary care physicians, public health officials or patients.

She said none of the guidelines were based on evidence collected during clinical trials - a situation unlikely to change given that clinical trials require large numbers of people to provide accurate data and the transplant population is relatively small.

Dr. Sergio Acuna, the study's lead author and a physician and PhD student in clinical epidemiology at St. Michael's, said the existing guidelines generally recommend that transplant recipients should receive the same level of cancer screening as the general population.

Most of the guidelines recommended transplant patients be screened for skin cancer, but varied considerably on recommendations for other types of cancer, such as breast, cervical or colorectal cancer.

Previous work by Drs. Baxter and Acuna found that people who had organ transplants were three times more likely to die from cancer than the general population and that cancer was the leading cause of death among these patients. The risk of developing and dying from cancer was highest among children.

"Transplant recipients should be aware they have a heightened risk of developing and dying from cancer and should advocate with their health-care providers to be screened for cancer," said Dr. Baxter. "Even though transplant recipients often have other serious medical conditions that could shorten their life expectancy, they also need to be screened for cancer to ensure early detection."

The authors said more studies were needed to inform cancer screening guidelines for transplant recipients and guideline development should involve transplant patients, oncologists and cancer screening specialists.

Their work relates to solid organs such as the heart, lung, liver and kidneys, but not hollow organs such as intestines or non-solid tissues such as bone marrow or blood.

###

This study received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

About St. Michael's Hospital

St. Michael's Hospital provides compassionate care to all who enter its doors. The hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in more than 23 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, and care of the homeless are among the Hospital's recognized areas of expertise. Through the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Center, which make up the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, research and education at St. Michael's Hospital are recognized and make an impact around the world. Founded in 1892, the hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.

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Using advanced stem cell technology, scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have created a model of a heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) -- an excessive thickening of the heart that is associated with a number of rare and common illnesses, some of which have a strong genetic component. The stem cell lines scientists created in the lab, which are believed to closely resemble human heart tissue, have already yielded insights into unexpected disease mechanisms, including the involvement of cells that have never before been linked to pathogenesis in a human stem-cell model of HCM. The research was published in the journal Stem Cell Reports.

The genetic disorder discussed in the new study is called cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome (CFC), which is caused by a mutation in a gene called BRAF. The condition is rare and affects fewer than 300 people worldwide, according to the National Institutes of Health. It causes abnormalities of the head, face, skin, and major muscles, including the heart.

To learn more about HCM associated with various genetic diseases, Mount Sinai scientists took skin cells from three CFC patients and turned them into highly versatile stem cells, which were then converted into cells responsible for the beating of the heart. This model has relevance for research on several related and more common genetic disorders, including Noonan syndrome, which is characterized by unusual facial features, short stature, heart defects, and skeletal malformations.

"At present, there is no curative option for HCM in patients with these related genetic conditions," said Bruce D. Gelb, MD, Director of The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute and Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics, Genetics and Genomic Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "If our findings are correct, they suggest we might be able to treat HCM by blocking specific cell signals--which is something we know how to do."

Dr. Gelb says that about 40 percent of patients with CFC suffer from HCM (two of the three study participants had HCM). This suggests a pathogenic connection, though the link has never been fully explored or explained. The primary goal of the current research was to understand the role of a cell-signaling pathway called RAS/MAPK in the cascade of events leading to HCM in patients with CFCs -- and by association, with Noonan syndrome, Costello syndrome, and other similar illnesses.

Observing the disease progression in these heart cells, called cardiomyocytes, Dr. Gelb and his team found that some of the changes were caused by interactions with cells that resemble fibroblasts -- the same kinds of cells that produce collagen and other proteins. Fibroblasts make up a significant portion of total heart tissue, although it is the cardiomyocytes that are primarily responsible for pumping blood. "These fibroblast-like cells seem to be producing an excess of a protein growth factor called TGF-beta, which, in turn, caused the cardiomyocytes to hypertrophy, or grow larger," Dr. Gelb said. "We believe this is the first time the phenomenon has been observed using a human induced pluripotent stem cell model of the disease."

Prior to this observation, Dr. Gelb and his team assumed hypertrophy was "cell autonomous," meaning intrinsic to the cardiomyocytes themselves. "Based on our cell culture model, we saw that fibroblasts are playing a key role in giving the heart cells the signal that causes them to get big," Dr. Gelb said. "That was quite unexpected."

The therapeutic implications may also be profound. "We were able to block TGF-beta in vitro using antibodies that bind to the protein. When we did that, the cardiomyocytes no longer hypertrophy," Dr. Gelb said. It's not certain the same effect would be seen in the many clinical cases of HCM that are not influenced by BRAF or the RAS pathway--essentially a chain of cellular proteins that help transmit signals from surface receptors on the cell to DNA in the nucleus -but researchers believe this could be the case.

The bigger surprise, said Dr. Gelb, "is that we may be talking about a signaling circle" in which fibroblasts trigger the release of a growth factor, which causes cardiomyocytes to hypertrophy, which in turn, prompts fibroblasts to release more of the growth factor." Dr. Gelb didn't witness this last part of the circle in his stem cell culture, but evidence of fibroblast stimulation has been reported in mouse models that don't express the RAS mutation. If the circle theory is validated, Dr. Gelb said, there could be new and broad therapeutic interventions for HCM in both RAS and non-RAS contexts. "In theory, at least, a therapy could be useful for both," he said.

###

About the Mount Sinai Health System

The Mount Sinai Health System is an integrated health system committed to providing distinguished care, conducting transformative research, and advancing biomedical education. Structured around seven hospital campuses and a single medical school, the Health System has an extensive ambulatory network and a range of inpatient and outpatient services--from community-based facilities to tertiary and quaternary care.

The System includes approximately 7,100 primary and specialty care physicians; 12 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 140 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. Physicians are affiliated with the renowned Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which is ranked among the highest in the nation in National Institutes of Health funding per investigator. The Mount Sinai Hospital is in the "Honor Roll" of best hospitals in America, ranked No. 15 nationally in the 2016-2017 "Best Hospitals" issue of U.S. News & World Report. The Mount Sinai Hospital is also ranked as one of the nation's top 20 hospitals in Geriatrics, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Nephrology, Neurology/Neurosurgery, and Ear, Nose & Throat, and is in the top 50 in four other specialties. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 10 nationally for Ophthalmology, while Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Luke's, and Mount Sinai West are ranked regionally. Mount Sinai's Kravis Children's Hospital is ranked in seven out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report in "Best Children's Hospitals."

For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/, or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
This is the second potential diagnostic application for a UAB investigational biomarker, and discussions are underway with industry partners to develop an assay from this technology -- the prospective study enrolled 248 patients over 2 years

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - In a study of children with brain shunts at Children's of Alabama, a University of Alabama at Birmingham investigational biomarker outperformed the current "gold standard" test for detecting bacterial infections in the shunts.

This is the second potential diagnostic application for the biomarker, say Scott Barnum, Ph.D., professor, and Theresa Ramos, Ph.D., research associate, both of the UAB Department of Microbiology. The biomarker has already shown the ability to distinguish viral meningitis from bacterial meningitis. This is valuable because patients with viral meningitis usually get better in several weeks, while bacterial meningitis can kill within hours. Bacterial shunt infections are also potentially life-threatening and may require surgical removal of the shunt.

A quick and accurate test for bacterial infection in brain shunts or meningitis would improve the quality and efficiency of patient care and patient outcomes. Such a test would also lower health care expenses by avoiding needless hospitalization and treatment. The UAB investigational biomarker has a pending international patent related to immunodiagnostics.

The shunt study, which was headed by senior author James Johnston Jr., M.D., a UAB assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery who treats patients at Children's of Alabama, and first author Ramos, was recently published in JCI Insight.

Ventricular brain shunts -- a drain from cavities in the brain to the abdomen -- are the most common procedure to treat hydrocephalus, a condition of excess cerebrospinal fluid in the brain that affects 1 million people in the United States. The national health expenditures for shunts run about $2 billion a year.

Studies have shown that one-eighth of shunts fail within 30 days, more than a quarter fail within a year, and the rates of shunt infections range from 5 to 12 percent. The current standard laboratory tests to identify bacterial infection cost more than $1,000 per shunt tap at most U.S. hospitals, and many shunt patients are repeatedly tapped -- some only twice, but others as many as 10 to 15 times in an effort to detect infection and identify the pathogen.

Diagnosing the difference between shunt failure and shunt infection is difficult because of overlapping clinical signs, and even when infection is present, the current tests fail to detect bacteria in culture 25 to 30 percent of the time.

The UAB and Children's of Alabama researchers tested the UAB biomarker in a prospective study that enrolled 248 patients over two years. They found that levels of an immune system protein called soluble membrane attack complex, or sMAC, were elevated about 100-fold in cerebrospinal fluid from patients with shunt infections as compared with patients with no infection.

Using appropriately adjusted cutoff values for maximum sensitivity and specificity, sMAC was able to detect 14 of 15 infections in the 248 patients, while the current diagnostic gold standard of bacterial culture was less accurate, detecting only 11 of the 15 infections. At the best cutoff value, the test had "excellent diagnostic capability," the researchers said, with a sensitivity of 93 percent and a specificity of 86 percent.

Ramos, Barnum and Johnston are co-inventors, and the research was funded in part by Children's of Alabama using its Impact Fund. The fund allows the state's only freestanding pediatric medical facility to immediately meet special or emergency needs without having to reduce expenses in other critical areas.

Barnum and Ramos are continuing to develop additional indications for their biomarker, and discussions are currently underway with multiple industry partners to develop a point-of-care assay.

###

Besides Johnston, Ramos and Barnum, co-authors of the paper, "Soluble membrane attack complex is diagnostic for intraventricular shunt infection in children," are Anastasia Arynchyna, MPH, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Children's of Alabama; and Tessa Blackburn, UAB Department of Microbiology.

About UAB

Known for its innovative and interdisciplinary approach to education at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, the University of Alabama at Birmingham is an internationally renowned research university and academic medical center, as well as Alabama's largest employer, with some 23,000 employees, and has an annual economic impact exceeding $5 billion on the state. The five pillars of UAB's mission include education, research, patient care, community service and economic development. UAB is a two-time recipient of the prestigious Center for Translational Science Award. Learn more at http://www.uab.edu. UAB: Knowledge that will change your world.

About Children's of Alabama

Children's of Alabama has provided specialized medical care for ill and injured children across the state and throughout the southeastern U.S. since 1911. Children's is consistently ranked among the best children's hospital programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Last year, patients made more than 677,000 outpatient and nearly 15,000 inpatient visits to Children's from every county in Alabama and from 41 other states and 10 foreign countries.

With more than 2 million square feet, Children's is the third-largest pediatric medical facility in the U.S. Children's is the only hospital in Alabama dedicated solely to the care and treatment of children. It is a private, not-for-profit hospital that serves as the primary site of the University of Alabama at Birmingham pediatric medicine, surgery, research and residency programs. More information is available at childrensal.org.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a separate, independent institution from the University of Alabama, which is located in Tuscaloosa. Please use University of Alabama at Birmingham on first reference and UAB on all subsequent references.

The UAB News Studio is available for live or taped interviews with UAB experts.

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In California's Sierra Nevada mountains, as more precipitation falls in the form of rain rather than snow, and the snowpack melts earlier in spring, it's important for water managers to know when and how much water will be available for urban and agricultural needs and for the environment in general.

While changing precipitation patterns can have a significant impact on stream flows in the Sierra Nevada mountains, a new study by UC Santa Barbara researchers indicates that shifts in vegetation type resulting from warming and other factors may have an equal or greater effect. Their findings appear in the journal PLOS One.

"We found that vegetation change may have a greater impact on the amount of stream flow in the Sierra than the direct effects of climate warming," said lead author Ryan Bart, a postdoctoral researcher at UCSB's Bren School of Environmental Science & Management. Bart co-wrote the paper with Bren professor Naomi Tague and fire ecologist Max Moritz, an associate at UCSB's National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis.

As the climate continues to warm and produce more severe droughts, fires and tree die-off events across the western United States, the potential for widespread vegetation-type conversion is becoming increasingly plausible.

Wildfire is a particularly important factor. Exacerbated by climate and drought, fires such as the 2013 Rim Fire in Yosemite National Park can destroy entire stands of forest, which may not return. In some cases, they may be replaced by shrubs, raising the question of whether such a shift in vegetation type will leave more or less water in nearby streams.

The findings were generated using the Regional Hydro-Ecological Simulation System (RHESSys), a spatially distributed model of which Tague is the primary architect. Because the future composition of shrub lands and the distribution of shrub species in the Sierra Nevada is unknown, the researchers examined stream flows under multiple possible scenarios of vegetation-type conversion in two Sierra Nevada watersheds.

The team focused on the lower montane zone -- which ranges in altitude from 4,000 to 7,000 -- because the trailing, lower edge of many forests is likely to be the most susceptible to vegetation-type conversion. While some forest-to-shrub land conversion scenarios resulted in higher stream flow, depending on factors such as the size and area covered by shrub leaves relative to tree leaves, Bart noted that a shrub-dominated landscape would not necessarily result in more water in stream.

"Intuitively, you might think that shrubs would use less water than trees because they're smaller, but field work from a related study has shown this isn't always true," he explained. "Shrubs are adept at pulling water out of the soil, so that in some cases, a decent-sized shrub may use just as much water as a much taller tree. It is only when shrubs are much smaller than trees that we see less water used by vegetation and thus more stream flow."

The researchers also found that increases in stream flow would be observed only during wet years. "During very dry years, it doesn't matter what vegetation you have on a landscape, whether a tall tree or a small shrub," Bart said. "Each vegetation type will be able to exploit all the available water."

The goal of the study was not to specify how much water will be available in the watersheds. "It's a small-scale study of just two watersheds, but it's the first to examine what might be the implication of vegetation-type conversion on stream flow in the Sierra Nevada," said Tague.

"Our results show that the hydrology and ecology communities need to collaborate to understand how mountain landscapes will change 50 or a 100 years from now in the Sierra or elsewhere," Bart said. "The results underscore the importance of accounting for changes in vegetation communities to accurately characterize future stream flow for the Sierra Nevada."

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A rare small-bodied pterosaur, a flying reptile from the Late Cretaceous period approximately 77 million years ago, is the first of its kind to have been discovered on the west coast of North America.

Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight.

The specimen is unusual as most pterosaurs from the Late Cretaceous were much larger with wingspans of between four and eleven metres (the biggest being as large as a giraffe, with a wingspan of a small plane), whereas this new specimen had a wingspan of only 1.5 metres.

The fossils of this animal are the first associated remains of a small pterosaur from this time, comprising a humerus, dorsal vertebrae (including three fused notarial vertebrae) and other fragments. They are the first to be positively identified from British Columbia, Canada and have been identified as belonging to an azhdarchoid pterosaur, a group of short-winged and toothless flying reptiles which dominated the final phase of pterosaur evolution.

Previous studies suggest that the Late Cretaceous skies were only occupied by much larger pterosaur species and birds, but this new finding, which is reported in the Royal Society journal Open Science, provides crucial information about the diversity and success of Late Cretaceous pterosaurs.

Lead author of the study Elizabeth Martin-Silverstone, a Palaeobiology PhD Student at the University of Southampton, said: "This new pterosaur is exciting because it suggests that small pterosaurs were present all the way until the end of the Cretaceous, and weren't outcompeted by birds. The hollow bones of pterosaurs are notoriously poorly preserved, and larger animals seem to be preferentially preserved in similarly aged Late Cretaceous ecosystems of North America. This suggests that a small pterosaur would very rarely be preserved, but not necessarily that they didn't exist."

The fossil fragments were found on Hornby Island in British Columbia in 2009 by a collector and volunteer from the Royal British Columbia Museum, who then donated them to the Museum. At the time, it was given to Victoria Arbour, a then PhD student and dinosaur expert at the University of Alberta. Victoria, as a postdoctoral researcher at North Carolina State University and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, then contacted Elizabeth and the Royal BC Museum sent the specimen for analysis in collaboration with Dr Mark Witton, a pterosaur expert at the University of Portsmouth.

Dr Witton said: "The specimen is far from the prettiest or most complete pterosaur fossil you'll ever see, but it's still an exciting and significant find. It's rare to find pterosaur fossils at all because their skeletons were lightweight and easily damaged once they died, and the small ones are the rarest of all. But luck was on our side and several bones of this animal survived the preservation process. Happily, enough of the specimen was recovered to determine the approximate age of the pterosaur at the time of its death. By examining its internal bone structure and the fusion of its vertebrae we could see that, despite its small size, the animal was almost fully grown. The specimen thus seems to be a genuinely small species, and not just a baby or juvenile of a larger pterosaur type."

Elizabeth Martin-Silverstone added: "The absence of small juveniles of large species -- which must have existed -- in the fossil record is evidence of a preservational bias against small pterosaurs in the Late Cretaceous. It adds to a growing set of evidence that the Late Cretaceous period was not dominated by large or giant species, and that smaller pterosaurs may have been well represented in this time. As with other evidence of smaller pterosaurs, the fossil specimen is fragmentary and poorly preserved: researchers should check collections more carefully for misidentified or ignored pterosaur material, which may enhance our picture of pterosaur diversity and disparity at this time."

###

The study, which also involved researchers from the University of Portsmouth, North Carolina State University, and the University of Alberta, was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
The University of Texas at Arlington continues to set new standards of excellence with ground-breaking research and new frontiers of knowledge that impact the developing megacity of the future that is the Dallas-Arlington-Ft. Worth region.

Three faculty and a graduate of UTA won Tech Titans Awards for excellence and leadership in technology fields in 2016, announced at a recent celebratory gala. UTA professors won the the Tech Titans Inventors Award and Tech Titans of the Future University Award and a UTA alumnus was named Tech Titans Corporate Company CEO of the year.

The prestigious Tech Titans awards, presented by the Technology Association of North Texas, recognizes the elite in North Texas technology and seeks to salute those individuals and companies transforming the high-tech industry, developing a competitive edge, and leading the way in innovation, adaptation and execution of technology.

This year's UTA awardees are:

Purnendu "Sandy" Dasgupta, Hamish Small Chair in Ion Analysis and James Garrett Professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry, received the Tech Titans Technology Inventors Award for his numerous innovations in chemical and environmental analysis

Kevin Schug, professor and Shimadzu Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry, along with Laura Mydlarz, associate professor and associate chair of biology, received the Tech Titans of the Future University Level Award for their leadership of the Achieving Success in Science through Undergraduate Research and Engagement or ASSURE program

UTA alumnus Chris MacFarland, Chairman and CEO of Masergy, received the 2016 Tech Titans Corporate Company CEO Award.

"I'm extremely proud of our exceptional faculty and accomplished alumnus who were recognized by these prestigious Tech Titans Awards," said UTA President Vistasp M. Karbhari. "All three professors embody the unprecedented excellence in research, teaching and community engagement that is powering UTA's drive to pre-eminence through our Strategic Plan 2020: Bold Solutions | Global Impact. We are also immensely proud of our Chris MacFarland's success at Masergy, and his award as Corporate Company CEO of the year."

Zhenhua Yao, senior vice president of ZTE, the company sponsoring the Tech Titans Inventors Award, underlined that "Dr. Dasgupta's inventions simplify the broad area of chemical and environmental analysis by representing radical new departures on existing practices to impact a range of fields from the environment to health care, semiconductor fabrication and law enforcement." Dasgupta was ranked among the Top 100 most influential people in the world of analytical science by the monthly journal The Analytical Scientist in 2015.

Jim McGee, senior director of Huawei Technologies, presented the Tech Titans of the Future University Award to Schug and Mydlarz for their leadership of the ASSURE program, a highly successful undergraduate research program "where students create their own experiments, work with peer mentors, then publish and present their research in manuscripts and verbal presentations at symposiums," he said. The undergraduate research experience is unique among large public universities and a growth area that UTA envisions for its baccalaureate candidate students.

Ashley Purgason, UTA assistant vice president for strategic initiatives and director of the ASSURE program, added, "Our ASSURE program, presented by these outstanding faculty, is enhancing experiential learning, exposing students to technologies and the process of research as undergraduates. Dr. Schug, Dr. Mydlarz and our entire team have given the students a safe space to stretch their limits and explore the excitement of scholarship."

Alan Hartmann, senior manager of Moss Adams, the company sponsoring the Corporate Company CEO Award, emphasized that UTA alumnus Chris MacFarland and Masergy chairman and CEO is "an individual whose leadership and business expertise have turned his software company around when it was facing considerable challenges at the beginning of the recession in 2008." Masergy owns and operates the largest independent Software Defined Platform in the world, delivering hybrid networking, managed security and cloud communication to enterprises around the globe.

"I am proud to receive the Tech Titans CEO of the Year award," said MacFarland, "and glad to see that UTA professors have also received recognition. UTA provided me with a great education and foundation on which I have built my business success."

The Tech Titans Awards were launched in 2001 by the Metroplex Technology Business Council, which is North Texas's largest technology trade association, representing a quarter of a million employees through more than 300 member companies. MTBC changed its name to Tech Titans in August 2015.

###

About The University of Texas at Arlington

The University of Texas at Arlington is a Carnegie Research-1 "highest research activity" institution of about 55,000 students in campus-based and online degree programs and is the second-largest institution in The University of Texas System. U.S. News & World Report ranks UTA fifth in the nation for undergraduate diversity. The University is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is ranked as the top four-year college in Texas for veterans on Military Times' 2016 Best for Vets list. Visit http://www.uta.edu to learn more, and find UTA rankings and recognition at http://www.uta.edu/uta/about/rankings.php.

For more on the Strategic Plan, see Strategic Plan 2020: Bold Solutions | Global Impact.
August 30, 2016 - While some progress has been made, further work is needed to achieve more equitable representation of women plastic surgeons in leadership roles, according to a special topic paper in the September issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

"Women bring unique qualities to leadership, yet there remain barriers to gender equality," according to the article by five leading women plastic surgeons. "Our failure to attract, nurture, and sustain women for leadership positions significantly reduces the talent pool of capable leaders in plastic surgery." The lead author is ASPS Member Surgeon Debra J. Johnson, MD, of The Plastic Surgery Center, Sacramento, Calif.

Fostering Leadership by Women in Plastic Surgery

Although they now account for half of all medical school graduates, women are still underrepresented in plastic surgery--especially in leadership positions. "Thus there are inadequate role models for the 14 percent of women plastic surgeons and 32 percent of female plastic surgery residents," Dr. Johnson and colleagues write.

The authors discuss some intrinsic and extrinsic barriers to leadership positions for women plastic surgeons. Intrinsic factors include differences in career aspirations as well as a "confidence gap." The authors write, "Women are less likely to have strong mentors pushing their careers, and are hesitant to seek promotion unless they are fully qualified."

Extrinsic factors include women's continuing disproportionate responsibility for family and home duties. Another contributing factor is "role incongruity," where women in leadership roles may be viewed as less competent due to gender-role stereotypes.

What do women "bring to the (operating) table" as leaders in plastic surgery? "While women leaders may not be as popular as their male counterparts, there is actually no difference in their effectiveness as leaders," Dr. Johnson and coauthors write.

"In fact, women more often exhibit leadership styles that are associated with greater effectiveness." Diverse leadership has been shown to result in more diverse decision-making, and thus to better organizational performance.

Dr. Johnson and colleagues recommend some steps that the specialty of plastic surgery can take to create a culture of women in leadership. Plastic surgery organizations must make a commitment to greater diversity in leadership--the current representation of three women on the 12-member ASPS Executive Committee is cited "an important milestone."

The authors call for increased mentorship opportunities for women, education on promotion criteria and equal pay for equal work, and institutional support to ease conflict with family responsibilities. They also encourage women surgeons to take active steps to prepare themselves for leadership roles, such as seeking mentors and regularly discussing their career progress with supervisors.

"Women leaders are valuable and skilled assets that will help their organizations flourish," Dr. Johnson and coauthors conclude. "A commitment to nurturing the leadership potential of all plastic surgeons will exponentially increase the creativity and influence of our specialty."

###

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is published by Wolters Kluwer.

Click here to read "Melting the Plastic Ceiling: Overcoming Obstacles to Foster Leadership in Women Plastic Surgeons."

Article: "Melting the Plastic Ceiling: Overcoming Obstacles to Foster Leadership in Women Plastic Surgeons" (doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000002483)

About Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

For more than 60 years, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery has been the one consistently excellent reference for every specialist who uses plastic surgery techniques or works in conjunction with a plastic surgeon. The official journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery brings subscribers up-to-the-minute reports on the latest techniques and follow-up for all areas of plastic and reconstructive surgery, including breast reconstruction, experimental studies, maxillofacial reconstruction, hand and microsurgery, burn repair, and cosmetic surgery, as well as news on medico-legal issues.

About ASPS

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is the world's largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons. Representing more than 7,000 Member Surgeons, the Society is recognized as a leading authority and information source on aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. ASPS comprises more than 94 percent of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States. Founded in 1931, the Society represents physicians certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. ASPS advances quality care to plastic surgery patients by encouraging high standards of training, ethics, physician practice and research in plastic surgery. You can learn more and visit the American Society of Plastic Surgeons at http://www.plasticsurgery.org or http://www.facebook.com/PlasticSurgeryASPS and http://www.twitter.com/ASPS_news.

About Wolters Kluwer

Wolters Kluwer is a global leader in professional information services. Professionals in the areas of legal, business, tax, accounting, finance, audit, risk, compliance and healthcare rely on Wolters Kluwer's market leading information-enabled tools and software solutions to manage their business efficiently, deliver results to their clients, and succeed in an ever more dynamic world.

Wolters Kluwer reported 2015 annual revenues of 4.2 billion. The group serves customers in over 180 countries, and employs over 19,000 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands. Wolters Kluwer shares are listed on Euronext Amsterdam (WKL) and are included in the AEX and Euronext 100 indices. Wolters Kluwer has a sponsored Level 1 American Depositary Receipt program. The ADRs are traded on the over-the-counter market in the U.S. (WTKWY).

Wolters Kluwer Health is a leading global provider of information and point of care solutions for the healthcare industry. For more information about our products and organization, visit http://www.wolterskluwer.com, follow @WKHealth or @Wolters_Kluwer on Twitter, like us on Facebook, follow us on LinkedIn, or follow WoltersKluwerComms on YouTube.
Attempts to limit free speech on college campuses are many  for example, at Yale, students berated professor Nicholas Christakis after he suggested that the school shouldnt regulate Halloween costumes that were not culturally sensitive.

Someone finally decided to stand up and defend freedom of speech as a defining principle of education. This summer, the University of Chicagos Dean of Students, Jay Ellison, sent a letter to all incoming freshman, stating:

Once here you will discover that one of the University of Chicagos defining characteristics is our commitment to freedom of inquiry and expression. This is captured in the Universitys faculty report on freedom of expression. Members of our community are encouraged to speak, write, listen, challenge, and learn, without fear of censorship. Civility and mutual respect are vital to all of us, and freedom of expression does not mean the freedom to harass or threaten others. You will find that we expect members of our community to be engaged in rigorous debate, discussion, and even disagreement. At times this may challenge you and even cause discomfort. Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so-called trigger warnings, we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual safe spaces where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own. Fostering the free exchange of ideas reinforces a related University priority  building a campus that welcomes people of all backgrounds. Diversity of opinion and background is a fundamental strength of our community. The members of our community must have the freedom to espouse and explore a wide range of ideas.

(Note that the University has clarified that this does not ban the use of trigger warnings or setting up safe spaces.) The letter has received national attention and generated controversy. Professors from the school and from different schools across the country, and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), among others, rightly commend the university on its stance. FIRE notes that it hopes that students, faculty, and administrators nationwide take a cue from UC and recommit to freedom of speech on their own campuses.

The letter follows a report generated by a specially-organized university group on freedom of expression.

Robert J. Zimmer, President of the University of Chicago, followed the letter with an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Free Speech Is the Basis of a True Education. After discussing the intellectual skills students need for successful lives, including recognizing cultural differences, identifying complexity, and engaging in critical thinking about evidence, Zimmer states:

One word summarizes the process by which universities impart these skills: questioning. Productive and informed questioning involves challenging assumptions, arguments and conclusions. It calls for multiple and diverse perspectives and listening to the views of others. It requires understanding the power and limitations of arguments. More fundamentally, the process of questioning demands an ability to rethink ones own assumptions, often the most difficult task of all. Essential to this process is an environment that promotes free expression and the open exchange of ideas, ensuring that difficult questions are asked and that diverse and challenging perspectives are considered. This underscores the importance of diversity among students, faculty and visitorsdiversity of background, belief and experience. Without this, students experience becomes a weak imitation of a true education, and the value of that education is seriously diminished.

One could not ask for a more thorough endorsement of free speech in universities. The concept of freedom of expression is crucial for many areas, not least in debate over Darwinism. Although he is almost certainly referencing it historically, note Zimmers mention of evolution:

 Some assert that universities should be refuges from intellectual discomfort and that their own discomfort with conflicting and challenging views should override the value of free and open discourse. We have seen efforts to suppress discussion of Charles Darwins work, to insist upon particular political perspectives during the McCarthy era, to impose exclusionary acts of racial and religious discrimination, and to demand compliance with various forms of moral behavior. The silencing being advocated today is equally problematic. Every attempt to legitimize silencing creates justification for others to restrain speech that they do not like in the future. [Emphasis added.]

Wow. Today the situation is reversed: those who question Darwins work face discrimination. But the University of Chicagos position, at least in principle, would support free debate about neo-Darwinism and intelligent design, along with all other issues.

If only intelligent design proponents routinely faced this perspective. Perhaps Eric Hedin, physicist at Ball State University, would still be teaching his interdisciplinary honors course, Boundaries of Science, which included some material on intelligent design. Perhaps the Michael Polanyi Center at Baylor University would still exist, with Dembski at its head.

Zimmer proclaims that violations of liberty pave the way for future restrictions. And professor Geoffrey Stone, chair of UCs Committee on Freedom of Expression, in an article quoted by FIRE, notes that academic freedom is key because first, bitter experience has taught that even the ideas we hold to be most certain often turn out to be wrong, second, silencing some speech leads to more silencing, and third:

[A] central precept of free expression is the possibility of a chilling effect. The potential costs of speaking courageously, of taking controversial positions, of taking risks, is greater than ever. Indeed, according to a recent survey, about half of American college students now say that it is unsafe for them to express unpopular views. Many faculty members clearly share that sentiment.

Stones points hits home: intolerance of dissent from Darwinism has sparked all three of these issues.

Even though UCs position does not address intelligent design specifically, any step towards academic freedom on campus is beneficial. Freedom of speech staves off a downward spiral of viewpoint discrimination, allowing new (and sometimes more accurate) ideas to come forward.

After all, as Zimmer noted:

Universities cannot be viewed as a sanctuary for comfort but rather as a crucible for confronting ideas and thereby learning to make informed judgments in complex environments. Having ones assumptions challenged and experiencing the discomfort that sometimes accompanies this process are intrinsic parts of an excellent education. Only then will students develop the skills necessary to build their own futures and contribute to society.

Its high time for universities to extend protections to those who question neo-Darwinism. Perhaps Chicagos ringing endorsement of academic freedom will open more doors for evolution skeptics. We commend Robert Zimmer, Jay Ellison, and UCs Committee on Freedom of Expression for their courage.

Image: Harper Library, University of Chicago, by Rick Seidel [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.
The county commissioners voted Monday to approve the operating bylaws of the new Real Estate Collaborative, an offshoot organization of the Cumberland Area Economic Development Corporation.

The REC will be able to buy and sell property, acting as an investment conduit to rehabilitate blighted or outdated real estate that private developers would otherwise be uninterested in backing.

As is CAEDC, the REC will be an independent nonprofit organization, albeit owned by the county. As an independent LLC, however, the collaborative would not incur any liability back on either group.

I believe I am correct in saying that this would not put any fallback or encumbrance on CAEDC or the county government, Commissioner Jim Hertzler said.

That is correct, confirmed County Solicitor Keith Brenneman.

The commissioners only change to the REC bylaws had been to mandate that one of the organizations five board members be from the Cumberland County Housing and Redevelopment Authorities. A county agency, the CCHRAs duties and funding mechanisms frequently overlap with CAEDC, and the two are currently working on an agreement to delineate duties.

The CCHRAs new director, Tim Whelan, supported the creation of the REC and will serve on the board.

CAEDC CEO Jonathan Bowser said the REC would likely be involved immediately in preparing for several funding opportunities that the state is expected to open up this fall. The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development will likely announce what programs have openings in the coming weeks.

The REC plans to make use of Pennsylvanias Keystone Opportunity Zone tax abatement system, Bowser said. Properties must be larger, likely multi-use, projects of at least 10 acres. The KOZ designation would exempt from taxes any assessed value added to the property for up to 10 years from the start of the parcels redevelopment.

At this point, were just waiting for the DCED to open the program, Bowser said. It is mainly a property tax abatement, and the state also offers relief on a businesss net income tax if they develop in a KOZ.

KOZ designation requires approval from the county, municipality and school district that would be forgoing the tax increases. The topic has not been broached with the jurisdictions in the potential KOZ sites.

At least one of the properties in the Shippensburg area would be a good fit, but we need to discuss it with the surrounding jurisdictions before we get too far into it, Bowser said.
The US Dollar (USD) Rallies Through 1.307 Against the Canadian Dollar (CAD) as Markets Digest the Latest CB Consumer Confidence Release Today

Risk appetite increased on Thursday in response to an unexpectedly strong Chinese Manufacturing PMI, which boosted commodity prices and weighed on the safe-haven US Dollar.

As a result the US Dollar to Canadian Dollar exchange rate was prompted to trend narrowly, unable to benefit from the persistent downside pressure on oil prices.

The US Dollar continued to advance against the Canadian dollar during Wednesday's session, as oil prices and spread yields impacted CAD.

The USD exchange rates were boosted by ADPs employment change results and MBAs mortgage application report, both of which beat expectations.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Dollar saw mixed movement as while Junes Canadian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) results beat expectations, Q2s overall GDP revealed a contraction of -1.6%, largely due to the damage Canadas economy suffered in May.

With Brent crude on the back foot once again, thanks to analysts lowering their price forecasts for the year, the US Dollar to Canadian Dollar rate has been able to regain some ground on Wednesday morning.

However, a stronger showing from the afternoons Canadian GDP data could soon see those gains reversed, providing the economy demonstrates robustness.

The US Dollar (USD) exchange rates has seen strong demand among foreign exchange investors over the course of Tuesday, having been pushed up by a pair of supportive economic announcements for August.

In the first instance, the annual Redbook result (showing retail sales made) has risen on the year and moved closer to a positive figure on the month.

For the CB consumer confidence figure, another rise has been seen, this time from 96.7 to 101.1. Significantly, this represents the best confidence figure in almost a year.

Latest US Dollar / Canadian Dollar Exchange Rates

On Saturday the Canadian Dollar to British Pound exchange rate (CAD/GBP) converts at 0.633

The pound conversion rate (against canadian dollar) is quoted at 1.58 CAD/GBP.

The live inter-bank GBP-ZAR spot rate is quoted as 21.063 today.

At time of writing the pound to pound exchange rate is quoted at 1.

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.

US Dollar Forecast: Three Fed Speeches, US Employment Change Data Tomorrow

Wednesday will be packed with high-impact US economic announcements, starting with a speech from Fed official Eric Rosengren during the morning.

Following on from this will be the MBA mortgage applications result for late August, as well as another Fed speech, this time from Neel Kashkari.

Continuing the stream of high-impact US data, the August ADP employment change is expected to show a rise during the afternoon while closing off movement will be a speech during the night from Fed official Charles Evans.

Canadian Dollar (CAD) Exchange Rates Fluctuate on Concerns about Housing Market Bubble

The Loonie has been in a state of uncertainty during trading over Tuesday, having risen by 0.3% against the Australian Dollar but fallen against all of its other peers, including the US Dollar.

In addition to the prices of nationally important commodities such as gold and crude oil falling, the Canadian Dollar has also been weakened by recent concerns about an incoming housing market bubble.

Predicting hard times in Canadas housing market in the future, US Financial Analyst Jared Dillian said;

Debt to disposable income for consumers is 165%, which is much higher than it was in the US at the top of our housing bubble.

Canadian GDP Stats, Manufacturing PMI and Trade Data Due to Impact CAD Exchange Rates

This week is comparatively full in terms of Canadian economic data.

Tomorrow will bring Canadas Q2 GDP growth rate stats, which are expected to fall into negative ranges on the quarter and for the annualised figure.

Thursday will bring Canadas pessimistically-predicted RBC manufacturing PMI for August, while Friday will bring the July balance of trade result. This latter field has a slight reduction in the deficit forecast.

Potential USD/CAD Exchange Rate Driving News  CA PM Looks to Bring Back Investment during Chinese Visit

This week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is undertaking a week-long trip to China, with the aim of encouraging foreign investment in his home nation from the Asian superpower .

Speaking about how China may become a key player in the future when it comes to considering where to invest, Trudeau said;

Around the world, there is anxiety around change, there is anxiety around China. Canada, through the fact that we are more open to trade than other countries are right now, have a deep friendship and a strong relationship with China that goes back generations, [and] are in a position to help China position itself in a very positive way on the world stage.
Camp Hill Presbyterian Church will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a parade at 6:45 p.m. on Sept. 21, followed by a worship service; a Community Open House from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sept. 24, featuring an Organ Recital at noon; and culminating with a commemorative worship service at 11 a.m. on Sept. 25.

Camp Hill Presbyterian Church is at 101 North 23rd St., Camp Hill. According to anniversary co-chairmen Beth Fine and Mary Swartz, each event reflects the special ties the church has with the community throughout its 100 years.

The parade starts at the Old Borough Hall where the founding 47 members met for the first time in the upper room. The building at that time was the Camp Hill Fire Hall, Swartz said. In 1923, the churchs 143 members, led by a 5-year-old boy, marched from the fire hall to their new church at the corner of 23rd and Walnut Street, our present location. We will re-enact that parade followed by a worship service.

The Community Open House on Sept. 24 will feature food, games and activities for children of all ages. At noon, an organ recital will be held.

Music has always been an important part of the worship service, Fine said. The first pipe organ was purchased in 1940 with a three-manual pipe organ installed in 1957. In 2008, a Schantz Organ was installed with additional pipes added last year.

The weeklong celebration culminates with a special Community Service on Sunday, Sept. 25. The service will include special music and reflections of how the church, which has grown to be one of the largest churches in the Carlisle Presbytery, has strengthened the community in worship, mission, nurture and service.

Because the community has been an important part of our church, we invite everyone to celebrate with us from our special worship services to our open house, Fine said.

For more information visit http://www.thechpc.org.
3) Yes, there are youth football leagues in Canada... my two younger brothers and I played briefly as a children in Vancouver in the early 1980s (I was a terrible player and lasted one season) and my oldest nephew (6 years old) got his first introduction to the sport last year in Toronto.



4) I am happy to report that the Barclay's Premier League has a following and is very much available to be seen on the telly in Canada, including a selection of the "only-available-in-the-UK-on-Radio-5-Live/Talk-Sport-and-not-on-Sky/BY Sport" 3pm kick off matches (my Yorkshire born/raised football mad husband was very pleased to discover this the first time he came to Canada)... I think that the matches are shown on either TSN or SportsNet (it's been 3 years since we were last in Canada).







FWIW, I don't know if you are a fan/follow it in the UK, but cricket is starting to develop a following in Canada. I know that it's popular in the South Asian community (the Canadian term for what the Brits call "Asian" people) as I saw some blokes playing on a field in Vancouver the last time we were there... it's not so very big (popular) that it gets much airtime on Canadian telly so you may only be able to tune on to 5 Live Sports Extra once you get here if you want your fix of Aggers/Blowers/Boykes/Tuffers & Vaughn and the TMS commentary.



Incidentally, do you not think that Nasser Hussein looks like Vladimir Putin, or at least bears a very striking resemblance to same?





6) Canadian houses are quite different in some ways from those in the UK... not every home has the basement fitted out with a gym/pool table (my Dad had installed a wet bar in our house when I was a child and he also had a workshop down there and the laundry room was located down there as well) some have a spare bedroom/granny flat type set up down there (sometimes referred to as a "basement suite" if there's a separate entrance and a lockable door that separates it from the rest of the house and turns it into a bedsit type situation for paying tenants to live) or a rec room where kids can go and play with their toys/games consoles, and many families do kit out the basement with a large t.v. to watch movies (either on the satellite or DVD) or sports (ice hockey is a very. big. thing. in Canada and many children your son's age [and even younger] will follow the NHL in much the same way you and your son follow English football)... but yes, Canadians can and often do spend a lot of time in the basement of the house.
We are looking at purchasing a property in the Lot et Garonne area, near Fumel. Does anyone have useful info or contacts in the expat community who can give us some guidance and advice. Whilst we want to integrate into the French community we would also like to establish English contacts.



Thankyou
Given that you're on a student visa, I would go talk to a local car dealership and see about buying one of their trade-ins. It may cost you a bit more, but the dealers generally handle all the registration paperwork for you and will probably warranty the car for a year (or more, depending on the age of the car you wind up buying).Talk to an insurer up front (even your bank if you have no other insurance - they can tell you their conditions for insuring a car) to find out what the constraints are.You don't necessarily have to finance your purchase. But be aware when your ability to drive on your US license will expire. Depending on what state your license is from, you may or may not need to go the whole route of taking driving classes and the written and driving tests - or you may simply be able to exchange your US license for a French one. (Oh, and see the US Consulate's publication on automobiles and driving in France https://fr.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/ Cheers,Bev
You take all the required forms and documents and the registration fee for both cars to the prefecture (or any other office that can deal with it, I believe some garages offer this service). They'll check all the paperwork and if it's OK they'll usually issue a temporary certificate on the spot; you can then get your new plates made up for the imported car, and for the other too if the number has changed, and you can inform your insurers of the new number; and the carte grise will usually arrive in the post a few days later. The only thing you need from the centre des impots is a quittus fiscal for the car you're importing; the tax office don't deal with immatriculation as such.If you want to know the exact cost in advance, enter all the details here Cout de la carte grise (certificat d'immatriculation), tarif region par region du cheval fical, taxe sur les emissions de CO2 And it will tell you.PS you don't mention that you and the seller of the French car completed the certificat de cessionat time of the sale - hopefully you did, because this is one of the many documents you need. They won't process the change of ownership if any of the required documents are missing so do check the list of documents before you go, to save yourself a wasted journey.
BPI apparently requires all customer to update their information. The original date was by August 31 but after an uproar they changed it to September 30. If you don't comply you have to do all your transactions at the branch and not use ATMs or online. This could be quite a pain in the butt if you're overseas. One of their reps said on twitter that foreigners can use email if they have to.
hogrider said: For sure, with no light on there should be no current draw so definitely needs investigating. However, 0.25A should not cause any significant drain on the battery unless it was over a few days. Are you sure that the alternator is OK and the battery is being charged whilst the car is driven? Are you sure that the problems is battery related? I had a similar situation recently, sometimes starting OK, sometimes the dreaded solenoid click and it turned out that the starter motor was the culprit. Click to expand...

Sometimes I may go three or four days without driving this particular car, so conceivably a quarter amp could kill it over that period of time. However, I'm wondering what's the deal with 8 volts? The only thing I can think of is that maybe a rat got into my trunk and caused a short somewhere. Last year a rat ate the wires for the electric motors on my passenger side window (he attacked it inside the dash) so I'm guess that he must have got under neath interior panels inside the trunk, and nibbled on the wires. Maybe when the weather's cooler I'll go out there and pull all the junk out of there and take a closer look at wiring inside the trunk.Also, I'm fairly confident that my alternator is working correctly. The output from the alternator appears to be slightly above 14 volts, but hard to tell with this old analog meter that I'm using.I'm thinking that maybe I've had the short in the trunk for awhile, but until recently my original battery was healthy enough to handle it. Also, I found a fusible link that was heavily corroded, and I think that may have been causing problems with the voltage being supplied to the S terminal on the starter solenoid? Maybe there wasn't enough current flowing, due too bad fusible link, that the bendix gear couldn't engage, and the solenoid just clicked.Well, I've cleaned and tightened connections at starter and also grounds on engine and body frame. I've replaced the bad fusible link, and I've disabled the interior lights (the circuit with short) by pulling the fuse. Right now I'm running on a known good battery, and the car has started about a dozen times without clicking. Guess I'll just have to observe it for a while, and see how it goes.
With classes back in session at colleges across the Midstate and beyond, Pennsylvania State Police are ramping up efforts to identify and stop underage drinking.

Its important to remind students and parents about the risks and consequences of underage drinking, said Cpl. Adam Reed, spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Police. The consequences are too often realized when its too late.

As part of this effort state police will be meeting with college administration officials, campus law enforcement and establishments that serve alcohol as a preemptive effort to combat underage drinking, according a news release issued by state police.

Under Pennsylvania law, any person under the age of 21 found in possession of, or drinking, alcoholic beverages can be cited. First offenses carry a maximum fine of $500 and up to 90 days in jail, according to state police.

The fine increases to $1,000 for any subsequent offense.

A conviction for underage drinking, misrepresenting age to buy alcohol or carrying a false ID also carries a 90-day driving privilege suspension for the first offense, a one-year suspension for the second conviction and two years for any subsequent convictions.

Police will also be making efforts to crack down on anyone who supplies alcohol to people under the legal age.

Furnishing alcohol to minors is a misdemeanor offense and carries a minimum fine of $1,000 and up to one year in jail for the first offense.
Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Nobodys perfect.

As business owners  no matter how hard we try  sometimes we fail to live up to our customers expectations.

My point is: Bad reviews are going to happen.

But guess what?

Its not the end of the world! In fact, handled properly, a negative online review can even work in your favor. Read on and Ill explain

In 2016, its easy for unhappy customers to air their grievances  and to do so in a public forum.

It stings when it happens, and whats worse: It can hurt your business.

But

Its how you handle these negative reviews that determines whether or not they affect your bottom line, so Im going to give you three tips for turning those negatives into positives!

Because heres the thing:

Your prospects read  and care about  online reviews.

According to the 2015 Local Consumer Review Survey:

92% of consumers read online reviews (up from 88% in 2014)

40% of consumers form an opinion after reading just 1-3 reviews

And unfortunately

The people who are the most upset always seem to be the loudest!

Im glad to say that our reviews are overwhelmingly positive  PostcardMania has a 4.7-star Google rating (based on 132 reviews). But when we do get a negative review, we do our best to turn that unhappy person into a satisfied customer.

A recent example:

A client of ours took to the internet to say she spent thousands of dollars with us and got nothing for it. My quality control manager contacted her to figure out what had gone wrong.

It turned out that she didnt get the response she was expecting and was just disappointed. Our qual manager went over her results with her and she realized her return on investment was much higher than she initially thought!

But she was so pleased with our willingness to address the problem, she offered to take down her review. (We would never  never!  ASK someone to do this, by the way.)

Have you ever heard of the service recovery paradox? Its when a customer thinks more highly of a business after that company has corrected a problem than they would have if no problem had occurred at all.

Sometimes people are angry because they feel like they arent being listened to.

Thats an easy fix!

With that, here are three ways to prevent negative online reviews from hurting your business:

1. Make it easy for customers to reach out to you directly.

Invite your customers to email, text or call you with any issues. If they come to you first, they are much less likely to take to Yelp or other online forums to complain.

Giving them the chance to reach you privately tells them that you really care about customer service and want to make sure theyre satisfied  and it gives you a chance to address the problem.

Ideally, youll resolve the situation and instead of getting a negative review, youll get a positive one!

2. Ask for reviews from happy customers.

Rack up good reviews for your business so they outnumber any bad ones that pop up.

Put yourself in your prospects shoes:

If a business has 100 Google reviews and 92 of them are positive, what are you going to think?

Those 8 negative reviews are going to carry much less weight. Right?

And heres something else to consider:

If you have tons and tons of good reviews, a couple of bad ones actually give them some credibility! Like I said at the beginning: nobodys perfect!

3. Monitor reviews and respond to the negative ones.

If you dont keep up with your reviews, you cant respond to them  and if you dont respond to negative reviews, it looks like you dont care.

Not cool.

Plus:

By ignoring bad reviews, youre missing an opportunity to turn an unhappy customer into a happy (and loyal) one!

There are plenty of tools out there (even FREE ones, like Google Alerts) to help small businesses monitor their online reputations.

As I said earlier:

How you handle negative reviews is what determines how they affect your business. Take the opportunity to turn the reviewers experience around and show them (and the other people who might be reading) that you truly care about their satisfaction.

Here are some tips:

Be pleasant, respectful and helpful (NOT defensive!)

Apologize when appropriate (Im sorry you had a bad experience)

Use the opportunity to highlight your strengths (This is disappointing to hear, because we pride ourselves on our customer service)

Tell them you appreciate the feedback and will use it as an opportunity to improve

 And DO actually use it as an opportunity to improve  a negative review can alert you to a problem you didnt know existed!

Invite them to contact you privately to take the discussion out of the publics view

Be willing to offer compensation if the situation warrants it

Follow these suggestions and prospects reading your reviews will be impressed with your commitment to customer satisfaction. Then doing business with you wont feel like a risk at all, because they know if they encounter a problem, youll fix it!

And:

You might turn an unhappy customer into a brand ambassador.

Questions? Call one of our marketing consultants at 800-628-1804  its FREE!  or you can always email me directly at Joy.Gendusa@PostcardMania.com.

Best,

Joy
Welcome to the News Release Wire Selection Control Panel.

Instant News Wire
While the bald eagles and polar bears might grab most of the national headlines when it comes to endangered species regulations, in Cumberland County, the mussel is king.

Out of many possible issues that have delayed the countys ongoing bridge rebuilding and repair program, none has seemed more of a nuisance to the county commissioners than the requirement to shell out (pun intended) $15,000 for a mussel survey at the Wolf Bridge.

We have to comply with the Endangered Species Act, otherwise we dont get federal and state money, said county Planning Director Kirk Stoner. For some of these bridge projects, were only paying five percent, and federal stimulus is picking up the rest. But that money comes with certain requirements.

Under the 1973 act, the federal government required all projects using federal funds to complete a rigorous set of studies to ensure that the new infrastructure does not interfere with protected wildlife.

For Cumberland County, that wildlife has, more often than not, been mollusks. In fact, Pennsylvanias own Endangered Species act, passed in 1984, currently lists 10 species of mussel as endangered, and one more as threatened.

Although this legislation falls under the purview of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the state no longer does its own inspections, Stoner said. Rather, local governments are required to hire an outside environmental contractor to verify compliance with state and federal law.

It used to be Fish and Boat Commission staff that would come out and do it, Stoner said. Now were in the position of having to pay someone. There are only a few folks that do that kind of work, and with the level of bridge work being cranked out around the state, theyre in high demand.

Further, mussel surveys can only be done from April to September, since the mussels burrow deeper into the riverbed for the winter and cant be located.

Basically we have to pay to have it done now, or else have a further six month delay on the Wolf Bridge, Stoner said.

The mussel survey itself consists of recording how many mussels are in the bridge project area, and then relocating them to another part of the stream where they wont be harmed by construction work.

For $15,000, give me some waders and a bucket and Ill go do it myself, quipped County Commissioner Vince DiFilippo.

The Wolf Bridge, built in 1895, was closed in 2013 after structural deficiencies were found. The county is in the process of building a new span across the Conodoguinet Creek alongside the old one, located on Wolfs Bridge Road in Middlesex Township.
Tuesday, August 30, 2016

International Businessperson and Executive Consultant Explains the Complex Relationship between African American Males and The Police

Honolulu, HI, August 30, 2016. Relative Power: Understanding the Complex Relationship Between African American Males and the Police, a book project by author Neil Holmes, MBA, explains the unconscious reasons behind the often contentious interactions between black males and the police. Relative Power explores this uniquely American problem with deep insights from the perspective of one who has spent year living, traveling and raising a family abroad to then move back to his hometown of Philadelphia, Pa. to join the ranks of corporate America. Relative Power explains how understanding the historical context for police-black male conflict is a fundamental component for understanding how the social phenomenon of "relative power" plays out in that relationship today. The book also delivers unique strategies for how we can finally address the discord.

"Power perceived is power achieved." Power, is the one thing that on some level, everyone wants, but know one asks for. Power  gaining it, maintaining it, and relinquishing it is the subtext to almost every interaction in our lives, rather consciously or unconsciously. Most mothers expect to have absolute power over her child. Most teachers expect to have unquestioned power in the classroom. Some husbands expect to have some level of power over their wives, and reverse can also be true. Whenever there is an unspoken disagreement between parties in a relationship (mother and child, teacher and student, husband and wife, etc.) in the underlying subtext for any conversation or interaction, the result will be discourse and potentially conflict of some kind.

Relative Power uncovers the unspoken context, components and ironclad rules of the social phenomenon now referred to as "relative power." This social phenomenon plays out in boardrooms and playgrounds around the world everyday and is as old as humanity itself. Any reader, regardless of their background, aspirations or accomplishments, will take away new tools that can transform the level of success that they can achieve on any level in their lives, both personally and professionally. And more importantly, each read will come away with something that has been eluding all of us for years  an understanding of the causes and practical steps to solve a problem that now, more than ever, drives division in our country  the conflict between African American males and the police.

Neil Julius Holmes discovered his love of writing through a career of communicating complex ideas to lay people during an accomplished career as an executive consultant. His unique world view was formed through spending the majority of his adult life traveling and living abroad to include more than 12 years in Europe and Latin America. He and his wife of 27 years have raised five successful adult children including three African American sons. He was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and now resides in Waikiki in Honolulu, Hawaii. His life-long interests are philosophy, psychology and religion. Holmes is a dynamic speaker, presenter and entrepreneur. He holds an MBA in international business. He can be reached for comment at: 215-298-2408 or Neil.Holmes@NJH-Consulting.com.
From: Chuck Gallagher -- The Business Ethics Expert - Keynote Speaker For Immediate Release: Dateline: Greenville , SC Tuesday, August 30, 2016



What launched the ethics probe was a series of questionable decisions by Katehi. Going back to the pepper spraying of students, there was allegedly $175,000 in payments to social media/public relations consultants to minimize any negative publicity. Initially, the chancellor claimed she had nothing to do with the PR cover-up, but it turned out that she did. Again strange ethics

However, that was not the only reason that Katehi was forced to resign. Katehi employed immediate family members (her son and daughter-in-law) for her staff and while there was no direct link to nepotism, she made short-cuts in terms of established university policy. Strange ethics indeed.

Her poor judgment did not even end there. She went further by accepting payments for sitting on the boards of textbook publisher John Wiley & Sons, and most strange, the DeVry Education Group.

While Katehi resigned from DeVry (she apologized because it was against policy), but kept on with John Wiley (because she said it did not violate policy). Nevertheless, she is still professor in the college of engineering and will keep the title of chancellor emeritus. Where is all this strange ethics leading?

No wonder people were angry

Pepper spraying students was not the smartest thing to do. Pepper spray in not harmless but for this discussion, it is not the main issue. If, as an administrator, you have made the decision to end a campus protest why then authorize a large chunk of money to aid in a cover-up? Even worse, why authorize the money and then deny you had any role in its approval? In making this denial you are being unethical in the sense of having a staff member take the blame for your actions.

Speaking of staff, while it may not have been nepotism in the strictest sense, Katehi was walking a very dangerous tightrope in employing two relatives to staff positions. It not only gave the impression of impropriety but also of insulation and secretive behavior.

In terms of board participation, Katehi who is well versed in university policy, should have known better as well. Both the DeVry conflict and the John Wiley & Sons payments further cast doubt as to the chancellors ethics. What student or any reasonable party would not believe that she profited from any sale of a John Wiley & Sons book? What observer would not believe that she was using her position as the chancellor at a prestigious university to lend credibility to another school?

It is not at all a reach to understand why the student body (honestly) rejoiced when she stepped down.

Every poor decision that Katehi made was indicative of someone who saw no consequences for her actions and there was obviously no one within the universitys structure who reviewed her decisions. She had free reign to bend the rules to follow her whims.

What is so surreal to me is that after she stepped down as chancellor, she was able to retain a title and return to her previous position in the school of engineering. While I am not certain of how the University of California, Davis sets its policies given the vagaries of tenure, I cannot help but believe that anger still festers that Katehi is well fixed after what seems like a slap on the wrist.

Unless there are consequences and new policies put into place, the university is setting itself up for future ethical disappointments.

YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME!

Save

Save

The post

The weight of ethics has finally come down on the administration of Linda Katehi, chancellor of the University of California, Davis. The embattled chancellor has been battling with faculty and students since 2011 and the infamous campus police pepper spray incident. The students were sprayed because they were protesting against Wall Street. There seems to be strange ethics afoot at UC  Davis.What launched the ethics probe was a series of questionable decisions by Katehi. Going back to the pepper spraying of students, there was allegedly $175,000 in payments to social media/public relations consultants to minimize any negative publicity. Initially, the chancellor claimed she had nothing to do with the PR cover-up, but it turned out that she did. Again strange ethicsHowever, that was not the only reason that Katehi was forced to resign. Katehi employed immediate family members (her son and daughter-in-law) for her staff and while there was no direct link to nepotism, she made short-cuts in terms of established university policy. Strange ethics indeed.Her poor judgment did not even end there. She went further by accepting payments for sitting on the boards of textbook publisher John Wiley & Sons, and most strange, the DeVry Education Group.While Katehi resigned from DeVry (she apologized because it was against policy), but kept on with John Wiley (because she said it did not violate policy). Nevertheless, she is still professor in the college of engineering and will keep the title of chancellor emeritus. Where is all this strange ethics leading?Pepper spraying students was not the smartest thing to do. Pepper spray in not harmless but for this discussion, it is not the main issue. If, as an administrator, you have made the decision to end a campus protest why then authorize a large chunk of money to aid in a cover-up? Even worse, why authorize the money and then deny you had any role in its approval? In making this denial you are being unethical in the sense of having a staff member take the blame for your actions.Speaking of staff, while it may not have been nepotism in the strictest sense, Katehi was walking a very dangerous tightrope in employing two relatives to staff positions. It not only gave the impression of impropriety but also of insulation and secretive behavior.In terms of board participation, Katehi who is well versed in university policy, should have known better as well. Both the DeVry conflict and the John Wiley & Sons payments further cast doubt as to the chancellors ethics. What student or any reasonable party would not believe that she profited from any sale of a John Wiley & Sons book? What observer would not believe that she was using her position as the chancellor at a prestigious university to lend credibility to another school?It is not at all a reach to understand why the student body (honestly) rejoiced when she stepped down.Every poor decision that Katehi made was indicative of someone who saw no consequences for her actions and there was obviously no one within the universitys structure who reviewed her decisions. She had free reign to bend the rules to follow her whims.What is so surreal to me is that after she stepped down as chancellor, she was able to retain a title and return to her previous position in the school of engineering. While I am not certain of how the University of California, Davis sets its policies given the vagaries of tenure, I cannot help but believe that anger still festers that Katehi is well fixed after what seems like a slap on the wrist.Unless there are consequences and new policies put into place, the university is setting itself up for future ethical disappointments.YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME!The post Strange Ethics Afoot at UC  Davis appeared first on Chuck Gallagher


In its latest move to quell outrage over its price increases, the maker of the EpiPen has resorted to an unusual tactic  introducing a generic version of its own product.

The company, Mylan, said Monday that the generic EpiPen, expected in several weeks, would be identical to the existing product, which is used to treat severe allergic reactions. But it will have a wholesale list price of $300 for a pack of two, half the price of the brand-name EpiPen.

The introduction of the generic is in addition to measures the company announced last week for the branded EpiPen, which will remain in place. Those steps were to increase the financial assistance the company provided to commercially insured patients to help with their out-of-pocket costs and to broaden the eligibility for uninsured patients to receive free products.

Those measures, however, did not stem the public furor, in part because the company kept the list price the same. So now, the company will essentially sell the same product under two names at two price points, in competition with each other.

The new move could help mollify critics, though some are likely to note that even at $300, the generic would still be triple the price of the EpiPen in 2007, when Mylan acquired the product and began steadily raising its price from around $100 for a pair, with the increases accelerating in recent years. Even the generic is expected to provide a nice profit to Mylan because its manufacturing costs are believed to be far less than $300.

Robert Weissman, president of the consumer group Public Citizen, said the new move was not enough and that Mylan should just cut the price across the board.

The weirdness of a generic drug company offering a generic version of its own branded but off-patent product is a signal that something is wrong, he said in a statement. In short, todays announcement is just one more convoluted mechanism to avoid plain talk, admit to price gouging and just cut the price of EpiPen.

The move to offer a generic is somewhat unusual. While brand-name drug companies sometimes start selling so-called authorized generic versions of their own products, it is usually to undercut an outside generic competitor. In this case, Mylan faces no immediate generic threat.

So why is it acting? And why did it not announce the move last week with the other measures?

The company suggested in its news release that its action required an agreement from its manufacturing partner, Pfizer. It also has said that merely reducing the list price of the drug would not necessarily lower the prices for patients because the out-of-pocket costs are set by pharmacy benefit managers and insurers. The generic should mean savings for insurers and federal health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, in addition to some patients.

Because of the complexity and opaqueness of todays branded pharmaceutical supply chain and the increased shifting of costs to patients as a result of high-deductible health plans, we determined that bypassing the brand system in this case and offering an additional alternative was the best option, Mylan CEO Heather Bresch said in a statement.

Mylan has repeatedly pointed to high-deductible health plans, which leave patients with more out-of-pocket costs, as the main reason patients are suddenly noticing higher prices for EpiPens.

Adam J. Fein, president of Pembroke Consulting, who studies the drug distribution industry, said that if Mylan had simply lowered the price, it would have risked angering all parties in the distribution network, including pharmacy benefit managers, wholesalers and pharmacies, which take a piece of the total amount spent on the drug.

Introducing a generic is a way to do it without making enemies with a bunch of Fortune 25 companies who control your fate, he said.

Still, by selling both a generic and a branded version of the drug, Mylan is now in competition with itself.

Ronny Gal, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., estimated in a note on Monday that Mylans overall revenue per epinephrine auto-injector prescription would be reduced by around 25 percent, to about $280, because of the introduction of the generic.

A couple of factors are expected to limit that revenue decline. The term EpiPen is so familiar that many doctors write prescriptions for it by name, rather than for a generic epinephrine auto-injector. While pharmacists in many states will be able to substitute the generic version, some are almost sure to sell the branded version instead, leaving Mylan with higher revenue.

In addition, Fein said, insurers might have negotiated deals with Mylan that make the brand-name version less expensive for them than the generic. Its going to depend on your particular insurance plan, and the kind of deal they have negotiated, he said.

Consumers also might have incentives to use the brand-name drugs in some cases because most of them would have no co-payments if they use a savings card being offered by Mylan. They might face a co-payment, albeit a relatively small one, for the generic product.

Despite the lower revenue from releasing the generic, Gal said the move could be good for Mylan shareholders by alleviating the downward pressure on the stock. After falling more than 10 percent last week, Mylan shares were up about 1 percent by midday Monday.

It is not uncommon for brand-name companies to introduce a generic version of their own product  known as an authorized generic, in part to try to retain some sales once generic competition arrives. But the generic industry and some other critics say the practice undermines the economics of the generic business and ultimately can lead to higher costs for consumers and insurers.

A study by the Federal Trade Commission several years ago found that some generic manufacturers agreed to delay the introduction of their generic product by years if the brand-name company promised not to introduce an authorized generic.

Mylan settled litigation with Teva in 2012 allowing Teva to introduce a generic EpiPen in 2015. It is not known if part of that agreement was for Mylan to withhold any authorized generic. If not, then Mylan might have been planning to introduce this authorized generic when Teva introduced its own product. But Teva announced earlier this year that its application had been rejected by the Food and Drug Administration.

Still, it might be only a matter of time before Mylan faces new generic competition. Other companies, sensing opportunities, are looking at developing less expensive products that, like EpiPen, provide a rapid injection of epinephrine to counter anaphylaxis that can occur from a bee sting, peanut allergy or other cause.

And pressure is mounting on the FDA to be more accommodating in letting alternatives on the market.

Epinephrine, the drug, is already generic. The challenge has been developing an easy-to-use auto-injector that can reliably deliver the right amount of drug when used by the patient or caregiver under emergency circumstances. Sanofi removed a nongeneric competitor to EpiPen, called Auvi-Q, from the market last year because of dosing problems.

In another move to quell outrage over its price increases, the maker of the EpiPen said Monday it would introduce a generic version of the product, with a price about half of the existing EpiPens cost.

The company, Mylan, said the generic EpiPen would be available in several weeks and be identical to the existing product, which is used to treat severe allergic reactions. But it would have a wholesale list price of $300 for a pack of two, compared with just above $600 for the existing product.

It will be available in both 0.15-milligram and 0.30-milligram strengths, like the current version on the market.

EpiPens are used in emergencies to treat severe allergies to insect bites and foods like nuts and eggs that can lead to anaphylactic shock. People usually keep a number of EpiPens handy at home, school or work. The syringes, prefilled with the hormone epinephrine, expire after a year.

Under pressure, Mylan announced last week that it would increase the financial assistance it provided to commercially insured patients to help with their out-of-pocket costs. It also said it would broaden the eligibility for uninsured patients to receive free products.

Those two measures, however, did not stem the public furor, in part because the company kept the list price the same, meaning the overall cost to the health system, mostly borne by insurers and taxpayers, would remain the same.

Voter Guide: What to know for the midterm election Your guide to the Texas and San Antonio races and candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot.

The introduction of the generic comes in addition to those other measures, which will remain in effect, Mylan said.

A company representative said Monday that the $300 cards would be available only for the branded version, but patients could use its assistance program for both the branded and generic versions of the medicine.

While the other measures would reduce costs only for consumers, the generic introduction would introduce savings for insurers and federal health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.

We understand the deep frustration and concerns associated with the cost of the EpiPen to the patient, and have always shared the publics desire to ensure that this important product be accessible to anyone who needs it, Heather Bresch, chief executive of Mylan, said in a statement, calling the companys move an extraordinary commercial response.

The new move could help mollify critics, although some are likely to point out that even at $300, the generic would still be triple the price of the EpiPen in 2007, when Mylan acquired the product and began steadily raising its price from around $100 for a pair, with the price increases accelerating in recent years.

Critics also might wonder why the company just does not reduce the price across the board rather than introduce an identical generic.

The company suggested in its news release that the move required an agreement from its manufacturing partner, Pfizer. The company also said last week that merely reducing the list price of the drug would not necessarily mean that patients would pay less since the out-of-pocket costs for patients are set by pharmacy benefit managers and insurers.

Because of the complexity and opaqueness of todays branded pharmaceutical supply chain and the increased shifting of costs to patients as a result of high-deductible health plans, we determined that bypassing the brand system in this case and offering an additional alternative was the best option, Bresch said in her statement.

Mylan has repeatedly pointed to high-deductible health plans, which leave patients with more out-of-pocket costs, as the main reason that patients are suddenly noticing higher prices for EpiPens.

The move to offer a generic is somewhat unusual. While brand-name drug companies sometimes start selling so-called authorized generic versions of their own products, it is usually to undercut an outside generic competitor.

In this case, Mylan faces no immediate generic threat. However, other companies, sensing opportunities, are looking at developing less expensive products that, like EpiPen, provide a rapid injection of epinephrine to counter anaphylactic shock that can occur from a bee sting, peanut allergy or other cause.

And pressure is mounting on the Food and Drug Administration, which rejected a generic version from Teva earlier this year, to perhaps be more accommodating in letting alternatives on the market.

Epinephrine, the drug, is already generic. But it is the combination of the drug with an easy-to-use auto-injector that can reliably deliver the right amount of drug when used by the patient or caregiver under emergency circumstances that has proved difficult to master. Sanofi removed a nongeneric competitor to EpiPen, called Auvi-Q, from the market last year because of dosing problems.

Introducing a generic might have less effect on Mylans finances than simply cutting the price of the existing EpiPen. The term EpiPen is so familiar that many doctors write prescriptions for it rather than for a generic epinephrine auto-injector. Pharmacists in many states will be able to substitute the generic version, but in some cases they may not, leaving Mylan with higher revenue than if it had cut the price across the board.

Ronny Gal, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., said in a note Monday that the action was a smart (and real) move that would be quite costly for the company. He estimated that Mylans overall revenue per epinephrine auto-injector prescription would be reduced by around 25 percent to about $280. However, he said the move could be good for Mylan shareholders by alleviating the downward pressure on the stock because of the pricing controversy.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.
As a freshman at the University of the Incarnate Word, Megan McHugh was walking across the tree-lined campus last year when she received a warm, unexpected greeting from the schools president, Louis Agnese Jr.

Oh, are you guys freshmen? Agnese asked McHugh and a friend. Well, I hope you feel welcome. If you need anything let us know.

McHugh, now a sophomore studying theater at UIW, walked away from that random encounter thinking, Cool, the president of the school just said that to me.

But with news spreading Tuesday about the ouster of Agnese as the longtime president of the Catholic university effective immediately, McHugh said she agreed with the unanimous vote by UIWs board of trustees to dismiss Agnese.

The sudden and drastic departure of Agnese, 65, came after school officials received at least one complaint from very concerned students about comments he made at an Aug. 15 luncheon for physical therapy students, where he joked about their skin color and told one student her test scores were so low she was fortunate to get into UIW.

McHugh and other students who fondly remember chatting with Agnese over the years say they cant imagine how he could be allowed to remain as president of a diverse university  even if the university owes its success to Agneses leadership.

Especially since it's a Catholic program, I feel like it's important to be accepting of other people, McHugh said. And it's really stereotypical and awful that he would do something like that.

UIW Board Chairman Charles Lutz did not answer questions about Agneses departure or whether it included a severance package. Incarnate Word paid Agnese nearly $860,000 in salary, bonus pay and other compensation, according to the schools publicly available tax filings for the fiscal year June 1, 2013, through May 31, 2014, making him the highest paid university president in San Antonio.

The rift between Lutz and Agnese widened last week when Agnese told the San Antonio Express-News he would sue the pants off Lutz if the chairman didnt retract an Aug. 18 statement saying Agnese had taken 90-day medical leave for sporadic uncharacteristic behavior and comments.

We offer a sincere apology to persons who may have been or were offended, Lutz wrote. Our prayers and thoughts are with Dr. Agnese, his family, and the entire university community during this difficult situation.

Agnese later backed down from his legal threat but didnt apologize for comments he made at the Aug. 15 luncheon.

I havent made an offensive comment in my life, Agnese told the Express-News.

Among the comments: Agnese singled out an African-American student who wasnt wearing the school colors of Cardinal red. Well, youre lucky youre black so you are in a way wearing Cardinal black, Agnese reportedly told her.

Agnese went on to ask if there were any Native American students in the group and said their Indian-red skin color would also count as wearing Cardinal red.

Agnese acknowledged saying those comments and others  but denied they were offensive.

Even if made in jest, such comments coming from UIWs president werent just politically incorrect, they were wildly inappropriate, several students said Tuesday.

I mean, we stand for something important, said sophomore Patricia Nintcheu-Momo. So if we were to allow him to stay, it would be a bad image for the school and for us.

Meagan Bailey, who attended Incarnate Word from 2005 to 2010 and was visiting the campus Tuesday, said she backed the boards decision.

I think it was the right call, to be quite honest, Bailey said. I would have done the same thing.

The vote to remove Agnese from office was not a decision that was taken lightly, wrote Agneses temporary replacement, Denise Doyle, in a statement emailed Tuesday afternoon to the UIW community.

The past couple of weeks have been very difficult, Doyle wrote.

Saying UIW appreciated everything Agnese had done to guide Incarnate Word over the past 30 years, Doyle added: This is by no means the first challenge we have faced over the past 130 years of our existence as first a college and now a university.

But for part of that long history, Agnese was the face of Incarnate Word in the schools advertising campaigns as it grew from 1,300 students in 1985 to 11,000 today.

Without him there its the end of a big era for the University of the Incarnate Word, said April Ancira, vice president of the Ancira Auto Group whose family has donated to UIW and whose father, Ernesto, serves on the schools board of trustees.

Ancira said its difficult to imagine UIW without Agnese. But when the school conducts a national search for Agneses replacement, Ancira said UIW might discover theres life after Lou.

With the right selection, UIW could find a new president with the kind of fresh ideas that Agnese brought to San Antonio more than three decades ago.

They might be pleasantly surprised, she said.

jtedesco@express-news.net
A CNN political commentator recently said its sexist to raise questions about Hillary Clintons health.

Apparently, issues like health, age, gender, religion, and race are off limits unless those in the mainstream media are discussing their political opponents. This bias should come as no surprise, given an Indiana Universitys School of Journalism report found Democrat journalists outnumber Republicans 4 to 1. Who knew?

We dont need Indiana Universitys report to know left-leaning newsroom bias is everywhere. All one needs to do is watch television or read the newspaper. In 2008, liberal media pundits didnt say it was sexist to attack Sarah Palin. And its not racist when men like Ben Carson or Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas are disparaged. A column at Firebrandleft.com, Is Ben Carson Really an Uncle Tom calls Carson a dimwit, a f-king nincompoop, and an Uncle Tom. Firebrandlefts website says it was founded by a group of journalists ... and other writers.

Liberal media pundits believe that health and age is a matter of no practical value when it comes to Hillary, but made it an issue open for debate with John McCain.

A 2008 NBC News headline, 1 in 4 Chance McCain may not survive 2nd term, warned readers: America could see its first woman president, Sarah Palin  if the GOP presidential candidate,John McCain, died in office. Its actuarial math, the article stated.

Its not sexist to question if a person is well enough to be president. Its patriotic.Ben Carson recently said elderly candidates running for president should disclose their complete medical history, especially their current.

We do know that a letter from Trumps doctor says hes never used alcohol or tobacco and is in excellent health. Requiring only a few hours of sleep per night, Trump had the energy to pull away from an already vigorous schedule to help flood victims in Baton Rouge the same weekend Hillary cleared her schedule for a period of rest.

Its public knowledge that Hillary suffers from hypothyroidism. Its also known she takes prescription blood thinners to prevent blood clots like the one doctors discovered when she suffered from a concussion after a fainting spell which prevented her from testifying about Benghazi in 2012. Hillarys husband told a group in Washington it required six months of very serious work to recover.

The liberal media are doing their best covering for Clinton rather than reporting facts and allowing voters to decide.New York Times columnist Farhad Manjoo sent out a tweet asking Google to censor stories and fix search results about Clintons health.

The pro-Hillary Washington Post said Hillarys health record should come as no surprise for someone who has spent decades in high-stress jobs and turns 69 in October.

If Hillarys high-stress jobs left her with fainting spells, hypothyroidism, blood clots, concussions and needing rest periods, its not sexist to ask if shes healthy enough to take on one of the most high-stressed jobs on the planet.

And as a fellow female, its not at all sexist to wonder if Hillary would be better served serving out her remaining years enjoying her grandkids.

Hillary defended her health on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show by changing the subject and opening a jar of pickles. A potential presidents health is no laughing matter but with the media clowns on her side, obviously it doesnt matter.

The news industry has sold out the American people to further their own progressive agenda using fake narratives, censoring real news and telling lies. And its neither sexist or racist for conservative columnists like me to call them out although well certainly have our characters assassinated in the process.Let the hate emails in my inbox begin...
Q: What kind of marijuana use has Ohio legalized?

A: On June 8, Governor John Kasich signed legislation legalizing the use of medical marijuana in certain forms for certain medical conditions. There is no Ohio law legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

  

Q: When does the medical marijuana law become effective?

A: Technically, the new law takes effect Sept. 6, however, before any medical marijuana can be bought or used, Ohio must first establish the Medical Marijuana Control Program (MMCP).

The MMCP will oversee licensing of marijuana cultivators, processors and testing facilities. Establishing the MMCP and making it operational may take up to two years.

  

Q: What does the medical marijuana law allow?

A: The new law allows patients suffering from one or more of approximately 20 qualifying medical conditions (including HIV/AIDS, epilepsy, cancer, PTSD, etc.) to use medical marijuana.

The law only allows medical marijuana to be dispensed to patients or caregivers who are registered with Ohio and who possess an Ohio-issued patient or caregiver identification card.

  

Q: How can I register in Ohio as a patient or caregiver, and how can I obtain an ID card?

A: You must wait for the states Department of Commerce and the Ohio Board of Pharmacy to develop rules for obtaining an ID card and for the registration of patients and caregivers.

  

Q: What forms of medical marijuana can be dispensed and used?

A: Oils, tinctures, plant material, edibles (food containing THC) and patches may be dispensed. Vaporization of medical marijuana is permitted, but smoking and combustion of medical marijuana are not authorized.

Any retailer who properly obtains a license from the Ohio Board of Pharmacy may dispense medical marijuana.

  

Q: Is marijuana still illegal under federal law?

A: Yes, marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance under the federal Controlled Substance Act [21 U.S.C.  802(16)]. It is also illegal for physicians to prescribe Schedule I controlled substances.

Ohioans who use medical marijuana have no protection against the consequences for violating federal law. Under current federal law, possession of marijuana for a first offense (misdemeanor) is punishable by incarceration for up to one year in jail and a maximum fine of $1,000.

Subsequent violations carry higher fines and additional incarceration. But, for several years now, the federal government has purposely avoided enforcement of these types of low level violations as it watches the legalized marijuana movement unfold at the state level.

  

Q: Can Ohio employers still enforce drug testing and drug-free workplaces with zero-tolerance policies against medical marijuana users?

A: Yes. Under Ohios medical marijuana law, employers need not accommodate an employees use, possession or distribution of medical marijuana.

Employers can discharge, discipline, refuse to hire, and take any other adverse employment action against an employee because of the employees use, possession or distribution of medical marijuana.

This law does not provide relief or protection to employees who use medical marijuana. Therefore, if their employer maintains a zero-tolerance policy, medical marijuana users will be faced with a choice of not using medical marijuana or working elsewhere with an employer who does not maintain a zero-tolerance policy.

  

Q: What is the take away for Ohio employers concerning Ohios new medical marijuana law?

A: After the law becomes effective in September 2016, Ohio employers may begin to see more applicants and employees who are using, or who claim to be using, medical marijuana for medical purposes. But until Ohios MMCP is formed and operational, any such use would not be legal under Ohio law.

An Ohio employer who wishes to maintain a zero-tolerance policy should review the companys drug-free workplace policy.

The policy should clearly state that marijuana is an illegal drug under federal law, and that the employer prohibits its employees from using any form of marijuana for any purpose, including for medical use, even if allowed under state law.

The policy should also prohibit illegal drug use, regardless of where or when the use occurs, instead of prohibiting illegal drugs only at work, during work hours or on the premises.

Finally, the policy should define illegal drugs to include all drugs that are illegal under federal, state or local law.

(This information was provided by the Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA). It was prepared by Columbus attorneys Kevin E. Griffith and Julia R. Baxter. This article is not intended to be legal advice. Before applying this information to a specific legal problem, readers are urged to seek the advice of a licensed attorney.)
Midwest spinach production explained in detail

Learn how spinach performs in the Midwest and seasonal considerations in a new publication from ISU.
New research reveals that agricultural firms are leading the adoption of drone technology.

A study of 3,045 UK adults published in the The UK Drone Usage Report 2016, reveals that 586,430 Britons have used drones for commercial purposes.

The agricultural industry (18%) has been quick to incorporate the remote flying technology into their processes, including assessing crop growth, and distributing pesticides and fertilisers.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are being put to work in an increasing number of commercial situations, such as filming, surveying landscapes, and product delivery.

The media industry (63%) is leading the uptake of their use  most commonly using them for taking aerial photography or videography.

Facilities management firms (39%) ranked in second place for commercial drone usage, with Mitie having recently unveiled plans to use drones for accessing problems such as pest control in high rise buildings.

Oil and utilities companies (34%) are also driving drone uptake. Firms such as BP and Shell currently use UAVs to inspect off-shore oil rigs and pipelines.

The construction industry (17%) ranked in fifth place, and are using drones to access the progress of projects.

The UK fire and police services have also been incorporating drone technology into rescue operations.

UAVs can provide alternative angles from which to access and observe crime scenes and can be used to access the safety of hazardous sites.

Surveillance (32%) is amongst the most common commercial uses of drones, following photography.

More than one in five (21%) is using a drone for security purposes in the workplace.
Members of the Red Tractor farm and food standards scheme will be visiting Aldi stores in Bramley, Caerphilly, Enfield, Irlams o' th' Height, Cowes and Edgbaston next month.

Farmers from across the country will meet customers and talk about how products are farmed and produced.

Red Tractor is the UKs biggest farm and food standards scheme, covering all of animal welfare, food safety, traceability and environmental protection.

Red Tractor Week aims to highlight the standards behind the scheme and encourage shoppers to buy Red Tractor-labelled food and back British farmers

Aldi has been working with Red Tractor to give customers the assurance that food carrying the logo is farmed, prepared and regularly checked by independent experts to make sure it is of a good standard.

The retailer says it is "committed to building long-term relationships" with its farmers and all other suppliers and growers.

Aldi was the first supermarket to sign up to the NFU Fruit & Veg Pledge  a charter of best business practice, seeking to develop relationships and limit risk between retailers, intermediaries and growers.

Tony Baines, Joint Managing Director of Corporate Buying at Aldi, said that supporting Red Tractor is "very important to our customers".

"We are proud to be able to offer our customers high quality, Red Tractor assured products, which recognise the best of British," said Mr Baines.

"We look forward to welcoming Red Tractor farmers to our stores to share their knowledge and experience with our consumers, and also to reinforce the fact that you dont have to break the bank to buy responsibly sourced, quality food products."
Caution has been urged for rural businesses considering incorporation, says Chartered Accountants Saffery Champness.

Former Chancellor George Osbornes pledge to lower Corporation Tax from 20 per cent to 17 per cent by 2020 with a lower than 15 per cent target beyond that might make incorporation appear more attractive, but caution is required.

Alison Robinson, Partner in Chartered Accountants Saffery Champness and a member of the firms Landed Estates and Rural Business Group says: "The prospect of reducing Corporation Tax and the additional benefits of incorporation such as limited liability, increased credibility, and a formal business structure, may paint limited company status with an overly rosy glow.

"However, sole traders and partnerships contemplating a change in structure should be cautious.

"There is a lot under discussion in this area right now - we dont even know whether the proposed Corporation Tax reductions will be deliverable by Philip Hammond particularly when Brexit negotiations get underway.

Tax driven incorporation

The move to reduce Corporation Tax, designed to attract continuing new investment, could prompt tax driven incorporation according to some commentators, with businesses incorporating and directors taking dividends as remuneration instead of salary.

As of 6 April this year, the 10 per cent notional tax credit on all dividends was abolished and instead a 5,000 tax-free limit introduced, with rates chargeable above that of 7.5 per cent for those in the basic rate Income Tax band, 32.5 per cent higher rate, and 38.1 per cent additional rate.

Under this mechanism however even those on the lowest rate could be worse off and be paying more tax.

Also, the regime for the future taxation of small businesses remains under discussion.

The Office for Tax Simplification (OTS) is currently reviewing how small businesses are taxed saying that many spend too much time and money sorting out their tax or paying someone to do it for them.

Alison Robinson says: "The OTS is currently consulting on proposals for Lookthrough Taxation for small businesses where Corporation Tax would be dropped and individuals taxed directly under Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax rules.

"OTS sees such a structure as beneficial to firms that are one person businesses or are stable in terms of size, that distribute all or most of their profits, and that have few assets or the need for investment funding."
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Co-ops have met with Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity, Fergus Ewing to discuss the potential for more collaboration within Scotlands farming, food and drink industries.

The visits, to Montrose and Laurencekirk, let the Cabinet Secretary hear from two of Scotlands most successful co-operatives about their co-op advantage  pooling resources, economies of scale, sharing best practice and leading-edge technologies.

The Cabinet Secretary said a key feature of the government's vision for agriculture is that the sector, and the wider agri-food supply chain, is "resilient to shocks and to future challenges."

"Collaboration among farmers, and between farmers and other parts of the food chain, builds such resilience as it takes advantage of economies of scale, shares best practice and benefits from a stronger price-negotiating position," Mr Ewing said.

"Huge potential for Scotlands farming, food and drink industries through further co-operation"

"This can only be a good thing for the industry as it adds significant economic and other benefits and the Scottish Government is keen to work with SAOS to encourage and support further co-operative activity."

George Lawrie, Chairman, explained SAOS reasons for the invitation: "Co-operation is about self-help and accepting responsibility for determining our own future.

"Co-operative business is more crucial than ever for Scottish agriculture and we want to demonstrate to the Cabinet Secretary how our co-operation in farming, food and drink provides opportunities and resilience that are required for success in these changing times."

The visit commenced at daffodil and potato marketing co-op, Grampian Growers, at Craigo, Montrose, providing its directors the opportunity to share their success story as a relatively small co-op of growers, punching well above its weight with worldwide exports, as well as their current challenges.

'Huge potential for further co-operation'

Mark Clark, Managing Director of Grampian Growers and also Vice Chairman of SAOS, said the industry are "delighted" that the Cabinet Secretary was keen to find out more co-operatives.

"The huge potential for Scotlands farming, food and drink industries through further co-operation and collaboration," Mr Clark said.

The second visit was to Ringlink Scotlands headquarters in Laurencekirk.

Ringlink is Scotlands largest machinery ring, with a membership of 2700 and a staff of 36.

Chairman, Andrew Moir, commented: "We welcomed the opportunity to tell the Cabinet Secretary more about the work of Ringlink and, in particular, to highlight the immense value that our internship programme offers to the future of our industry.

"We had a good discussion about possible ways for the internship to achieve national recognition".

George Lawrie concluded: "The Scottish Governments Vision for Agriculture highlights the importance of agriculture, the environment and the wider economy in Scotland.

"Co-ops deliver valuable productivity and resource efficiency as well as resilience to challenges such as market volatility and climate change.
The early sowing of wheat has possibly lost favour and indeed is frowned upon by many growers and agronomists who have moved away from this concept due to ever increasing blackgrass levels on farm.

Nevertheless, growers without blackgrass problems still have the opportunity to , and can continue to benefit from, drilling crops early, says Ron Granger, technical arable manager for seed breeders Limagrain UK.

Although growers in the main have moved away from the extreme early drilling scenario of early to mid-August practiced by many a decade ago."

"Earlier drilling which is now considered to be before mid-September does have benefits - taking advantage of mild autumn weather to establish crops before the weather closes in for the winter. 

Early drilling however does have significant risks recognises Mr Granger, and is a major test for both grower and variety both in terms of crop management and variety suitability.

Early sown crops will be taller and hence carry a higher risk of lodging, and disease susceptibility will certainly be higher."

"It is thought that a varietys ratings for both lodging and disease susceptibility can be reduced be one point on the AHDB Recommended List.

Most commercial varieties currently available are products of breeding programmes and varietal testing that is targeted at traditional sowing dates in October.

"Although the AHDB does produce data on earlier sowing dates, this is quite limited, he points out.

At Limagrain we evaluate lines in more depth to ensure they meet the specifications required for early drilling and this is done through additional plot and field trials both internally and externally with partners, to ensure a variety is fit for purpose. 

Of course this work is carried out over several seasons as it is not in the interest of a breeder to push a variety into such a high risk situation without it being fully evaluated.

In order for a variety to be deemed suitable for the earlier drilling slot, it should ideally have a number of key agronomic characteristics, highlights Mr Granger.

Good straw strength

Early sowing does tend to produce plants with a greater biomass, due to increased stem length and extra tillers per plant which in turn increases lodging pressure.

Graph

Mr Granger advises a good split PGR programme at the key crop development phases of stem elongation.

Prostrate winter habit with high tiller number

A prostrate winter habit is essential to prevent the crop becoming too erect and over proud through the winter which can produce plant loss from winter kill or frost damage to the growing point in the early spring.

High tillering ability is necessary as seeding rates are reduced significantly at sowing time  winter wheat plants are very adaptable and plants sown early with a high tillering capacity will produce many tillers, this also ensures better standing ability.

Growth habit differences in the spring

Historically varieties for the very early drilling scenario required a very slow apical growth in the early spring.

However, we have learnt that actually varieties that sit with a prostrate habit in the winter, with a faster development in the spring do perform in this situation if the variety has good ear fertility.

Interestingly in a blackgrass situation you actually do not want plants with a late prostrate growth habit in the spring as they struggle to compete with the growing blackgrass population.

"You actually need plant ideotypes that have an earlier plant / ear development so that they grow and compete with the blackgrass.

Good disease resistance

Good disease resistance should be considered of high importance for the earlier drilling concept  earlier drilling leads to more nitrogen being taken up in the autumn leading to lusher growth and a consequent greater risk of foliar disease.

Root and stem disease, noticeably eyespot, is considerably greater even in a first wheat situation and eyespot resistant varieties and a good seed treatment for control should be considered.

The fungicide programme for earlier drilled wheats will certainly have to be adjusted to take into account both the possibility of greater disease pressure.

More importantly timings of application must be considered, as earlier drilled crops will certainly move quicker through the growth stages compared to crops drilled later at the more traditional sowing dabtes.

Ear fertility

The ear fertility of the variety in the earlier drilled scenario is certainly a significant attribute for full yield potential.

This is regarded of high importance and Limagrain test varieties to the extreme to tease out the differences to ensure varieties will perform in this situation.

Determining variety differences for ear sterility is not easy and collating of data over regions and seasons is essential in ever changing environments.

High specific weights

Varieties with good specific weights should be considered for the earlier drilling period.

High ear numbers from early sowings can reduce specific weights so its important to ensure that thick crop canopies are managed by either delayed nitrogen timings or good PGR programmes to establish targeted ear numbers for optimal yield.

Yield performance

Although early drilling does not guarantee additional yield performance its important that the variety fits the criteria and does well on farm both in terms of yield and agronomic type.
Another case of Swine Dysentery has been diagnosed on a farm in Yorkshire, initially by clinical sign and confirmed by tests.

Further details of the affected farm will not be published but area available to those who have signed up to the Significant Disease Charter.

No details are being given of the location of the affected farm, except to members of the Significant Disease Charter.

The charter is run by AHDB Pork on behalf of the Pig Health and Welfare Council and is an extension of the swine dysentery charter.

AHDB Pork veterinary manager Martin Smith said: The aim of the charter is to share information quickly making the control and elimination of the disease easier and faster.

Those who used to belong to the old Swine Dysentery Charter still need to sign up to the new one as their details have not been carried across.

I would urge all producers to become members as it benefits the whole industry, not only with outbreaks of Swine Dysentery but also any other exotic or emerging diseases.

National Pig Association senior policy adviser Dr Georgina Crayford said: "These cases are cropping up more frequently so I cant overstress how important it is for producers to sign up to the Charter which can bring benefit to the whole industry."
New badger culling licenses have been granted in areas of England to tackle bovine TB, Farming Minister George Eustice has said.

Defra said bovine TB costs taxpayers over 100 million every year and England has the highest incidence of the disease in Europe.

"In 2015 alone over 28,000 cattle had to be slaughtered in England to control the disease, causing devastation and distress for farmers and rural communities, where herds have often been built up on family farms over many generations" they said.

"This strategy is already delivering results: we are on track to achieve TB freedom to more than half of the country by 2020the first time anywhere in England will have this status."

"Advice from the Chief Veterinary Officer makes clear that dealing with the disease in both cattle and badgers is essential to tackle the disease effectively.

"This strategy is already delivering results: we are on track to achieve TB freedom to more than half of the country by 2020the first time anywhere in England will have this status."

NFU President Meurig Raymond said bovine TB remains a huge threat to beef and dairy farmers in large parts of the country.

In 2015 badger control operations in Somerset, Glocs and Dorset were all "successful in meeting their targets", government said

"More than 28,000 cattle were slaughtered in England last year because of it and nearly 4,000 herds that had previously been cldar of the disease were affected by it.

"Farmers facing a daily battle against bTB in those areas that have been granted licences for badger control operations this year will welcome the news that finally action is being taken to tackle the reservoir of disease in wildlife in these areas.

"Todays announcement means that badger control will now be taking place in ten per cent of the area where cattle are at the highest risk of contracting bTB.

"There is still a huge amount of work ahead to ensure the eradication of bTB from this country and I would like to take this opportunity to thank farmers for their continued support in working towards this goal."

But David Bowles, the RSPCA's head of public affairs, said the cull was not necessary.

"The RSPCA believes there are better ways to tackle bovine TB," Mr Bowles told BBC Breakfast.

"It's more expensive to cull. It's more inhumane to cull. It doesn't sort out the problem even if you do it properly."

TB 'not transmitted through badger cattle contact'

Researchers in the UK have spent more than a decade studying how badgers transmit bovine tuberculosis (TB) to cows

Research claimed in a paper published in Ecology Letters said cattle and badgers rarely come into direct contact in the countryside and instead TB is transmitted through infected faeces and urine in pastures.

Researchers in the UK have spent more than a decade studying how badgers transmit bovine tuberculosis (TB) to cows and have said contaminated pasture is to blame with significant implications for farm practices like slurry spreading.

Since 2013, the government has sanctioned the culling of badgers in controversial culls to prevent further spread of the disease, which has an estimated cost to the countryside of 100 million.

"There are loads and loads of things that farmers are being advised to do and there is no certainty that any of them will actually work and because of this, hardly any farmers implement any of these sorts of measures," Professor Rosie Woodroffe of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) said.

"If we can focus on the things most likely to work on that massive array of things farmers are being advised to do more people will do them."

"We are now beginning to identify how the transmission happens and that ought to open up an array of finely tuned management approaches instead of the blunt instrument we have now," she said.

'Badgers avoid cattle'

With over 65,000 moments recorded in the study, there was not one occasion a badger and a cow, bull or bullock were within five metres of each other, and only one where the animals were less than 10 metres away from each other.

"Do badgers avoid cattle? Yes, they do, they significantly prefer to be at least 50 metres away from cattle, so they love cattle pasture but they hate cattle."

There is strong evidence that badgers transmit bTB to cattle, she said, as well as for cattle to cattle transmission and for livestock to give the disease to badgers.

"It's more likely this transmission is happening through the environment rather than direct contact."

In response to the findings of the study a Defra spokesperson said: "Our comprehensive strategy to beat bovine TB includes tighter cattle controls, good biosecurity and badger control in areas where the disease is widespread, and a number of measures are in place to prevent the spread of infection.

"These include frequent testing and rapid removal of infected cattle, pre- and post-movement testing and wildlife proofing of high risk units.

"To reduce the risk of cattle-to-cattle transmission from contaminated environment, farmers are required to carry out cleaning and disinfection and to keep cattle out of fields grazed by reactors for two months after their removal.

"There are also rules about the use of manure and slurry on infected farms to mitigate the risks associated with their spread."

Proactive badger control 'best available option'

Farming Minister George Eustice said bovine TB has a devastating impact on farms, which is why they are taking "strong action" to eradicate the disease.

"The veterinary advice and the experience of other countries is clear; we will not be able to eradicate this disease unless we also tackle the reservoir of the disease in the badger population as well as cattle."

Chief Vet Nigel Gibbens said that action to prevent infection of cattle from significant reservoirs of TB infection in local badger populations is an "essential part" of the governments 25-year strategy to eradicate bovine TB in England.

"Proactive badger control is currently the best available option and the licensing of further areas is necessary to realise disease control benefits at regional rather than at local levels," Mr Gibbens said.

In 2015 badger control operations in Somerset, Gloucestershire and Dorset were all successful in meeting their targets, and the government announced in December that it wanted to see badger control over a wider number of areas in 2016.
Broadcaster Melvyn Bragg has accused the National Trust of 'bullying' after the charity bought farmland in the Lake District.

Thorneythwaite Farm's private owner put it up for auction in two separate lots, with a guide price 750,000 for the land and 800,000 for the farm and buildings.

The trust bought the land but not the farmhouse and there are concerns about what will happen to the farm which has been part of an agricultural tradition dating back 4,500 years.

Lord Bragg said it was a 'disgraceful purchase' and a 'nasty piece of work', adding that its opening bid of 200,000 above the initial 750,000 guide price put off other potential buyers in a move 'straight out of the Mafia.'

There are also concerns for the livestock on the farm which include a flock of rare 413 Herdwick sheep which is part of the traditional landscape.

'Bullying charity'

In a letter to The Times, Lord Bragg said: "had a billionaire bullied his way into this disgraceful purchase there would have been a deserved outcry.

"If the increasingly arrogant National Trust is there to protect anything of our past surely this is a prime example.

"The National Trust is about to destroy what centuries of working men and women have created.

"It used a shameful manoeuvre to achieve its aim. Who can check this bullying charity?"

The National Trust said it was the best way to secure the landscape's future.

A spokesman for the charity said: "We believe we can look after this land in a way that benefits nature, visitors and the local community."

"We understand some people believe we should also have bought the farm house and continued to manage the land in the same way. However, given our limited funds, we believe that this was the right approach.

"Managing the land is the best way for us to secure the long term future health of this special landscape, given our available resources."
Arable farmers in Scotland have got off to a slow start but momentum is building, according to NFU Scotland's annual harvest round-up.

Winter barley harvest is almost complete  at average to below average yields and quality  winter oats are under way and earlier areas are now moving into spring barley and wheats.

Those growing oilseed rape (OSR) have faced the biggest disappointments with high winds in mid-August shattering seedpods and stripping fields bare just as harvest approached.

However, growers are persevering with OSR and plantings of this years crop are moving ahead.

For the East Lothian and the Borders, the harvest has been slow and sporadic, with OSR suffering due to the strong winds  potentially reducing yields by one to two tonnes per hectare.

Winter barley and oats cut look normal at this present time, with other crops due to be cut this week, weather dependant.

For the north east of the country, winter barley grain yields were better than some other areas of Scotland, however the straw yield has been disappointing after being impacted by the strong winds in August.

The strong winds, however, allowed for some crops to ripen and for a quick, dry harvest.

"The strong winds and heavy showers in August have had an impact on yields"

Winter oat yields in the north east have been higher than expected, with moisture levels similar to winter barley.

Wheat is some way off at present with growers trying to avoid heavy showers.

In the Highlands, OSR yields have been variable due to the weather, however for one farmer Concerto spring malting barley has been harvested a week earlier than last year, with good yields so far.

Winter barleys have been average to disappointing.

For Orkney there was little movement on harvest last week, with little expected to get done by the end of August.

In Ayrshire, one farmer reports that winter wheat is done, with yields down albeit moisture was low.

Spring barley is due to start soon, with crops looking good and heavy.

Strong winds and heavy showers

In summary, Ian Sands, NFU Scotlands Combinable Crops Chairman who farms in Perthshire said that generally this years harvest "has been better in some areas than others."

"The strong winds and heavy showers in August have had an impact on yields, particularly in the east of the country, with many waiting by combines to make the most of any dry spell," Mr Sands said.

A lot of what we have so far is based on anecdotal evidence from members around the country.

"As we now move into autumn, many will also be facing additional drying costs in a year when prices are very disappointing.

At the same time, the arable sector is Scotland has carried virtually all the burden of meeting the greening element of the new Common Agricultural Policy.

"Gold plating by the Scottish Government around greening rules has impacted on our competitiveness.

Combine the challenges of the weather with low commodity prices, and the arable sector is facing a disappointing and challenging year once again.
The preliminary results of the June 2016 Agricultural Census have been released by Northern Ireland's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.

The statistics generally show a slight increase in crop area and livestock numbers, but a reduction in the agricultural workforce.

The statistics are compiled from a survey of farm businesses augmented by administrative data.

The preliminary results were based on the first 9,000 returns and, whilst they should give an indication of the main trends, are liable to be amended in the light of returns received and processed later.

Slight increase in cereals grown

The area of cereals grown increased by 2% to 33,600 ha with winter wheat, winter barley and oats all increasing in 2016.

Total cattle numbers were 3% higher than in June 2015

Spring barley fell by 3% but still remains the most popular cereal crop with 15,200 ha planted across Northern Ireland.

The area in other field crops is 4% lower than last year, which is partly due to a reduction in the areas planted under arable crop silage and forage maize.

The area of arable crop silage fell by 5% to 3,100 ha, whereas, the area of forage maize fell by 8% to 1,400ha.

This fall in the forage maize area continues a downward trend that began in 2008 when 3,500 ha was grown.

The area of potatoes increased by 4% to 3,700 ha, a slight recovery from 2015 which had the lowest area ever recorded for the crop.

Livestock numbers increase slightly

Total cattle numbers were 3% higher than in June 2015. The number of dairy cows increased by 2% to 317,100 head, which is an all time high. The number of beef cows increased by 4% to 269,700.

There was a 1% rise in the number of breeding ewes compared with 2015.

Numbers have fluctuated in recent years, falling to a 20 year low of 876,000 in 2010 before increasing to 950,100 this year, which is the highest level since 2007.

Lamb numbers have increased by 2% which links in with the increase in ewe numbers.

Overall, the total number of sheep recorded surpassed 2 million which again is a level not seen since 2007.

In comparison with 2015, sow numbers increased by 2% to 39,100, whereas, the overall pig herd was 4% larger.

Most pig categories are showing an upward trend but the growth in the number of fattening pigs has caused the most increase in total numbers.

Laying birds recorded for the 1 June 2016 increased by 20% to 3.8 million birds while broiler poultry numbers increased by 4% at that date.

The laying bird population has shown strong growth since 2013 and this is partly due to new producers who have entered the industry.

Decreased labour force

The size of the agricultural labour force decreased by 1% per cent from the previous year to 47,400.

Within this, the number of farmers decreased by 2% to 29,500 due to decreases in both the full-time and part-time farmer categories.

In terms of other full-time workers, both paid and unpaid categories showed a decrease of 5% compared to 2015.
AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds and AHDB Potatoes are uniting to showcase evidence-based developments in agronomy this December.

Initially a single day focused on cereals and oilseeds, a second potato-focused day has been added to the AHDB Agronomists Conference this year to bring extra rotational breadth to the event.

Tim Isaac, Head of Knowledge Exchange for AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds, said: 2016 sees the Agronomists Conference enter its tenth year.

Since its introduction, the event has matured to become a staple in the agronomists calendar.

Every aspect of the event is designed to make people think a little differently about agronomy and that has been its key to success.

We are delighted to work with AHDB Potatoes to bring the latest technical developments to agronomists operating across the UK.

Cross-sector activity

The expansion of the event to two days occurred following feedback given at the 2015 event. Almost half of the respondents said they would be interested in joint events with AHDB Potatoes.

Phil Burgess, Head of Knowledge Exchange for AHDB Potatoes, said: The Agronomists Conference is an established event that delivers information on the latest technical efficiencies.

We recognise the value of agronomists in translating highly technical information and repackaging it on behalf of their grower clients and see it in our strategic interests to work more closely with them.

The inclusion of a second day focused on potatoes will be of tremendous benefit to all  not only to those who advise on potatoes  as there is so much to be learned from potato production systems and their place in the rotation.

Save the dates

The AHDB Agronomists Conference will take place on Wednesday 7 to Thursday 8 December at Peterborough Arena.

The first day is dedicated to AHDB Potatoes and the second day to AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds.

For the potatoes, the event will replace the annual Winter Forum in the East, enhancing the offering previously provided by that single day.

Full programmes, as well as information on the conference theme, will be published early in the autumn.

Each day will include information on wider rotational issues (such as cover crops and soils), as well as pest, weed and pathogen management. The conference will also feature growers talking about the application of innovation on the farm.

AHDB plans to upload papers and videos to YouTube after the event to ensure as many people as possible have the opportunity to access the latest technical developments.
The aid package adopted in July marks a turning point in the EU milk policy, the European Milk Board has said.

The measures were presented to the Council of EU Agriculture Ministers by Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan.

"Coming at a time of significant budgetary pressures, this package provides a further robust response, and means that the Commission has mobilised more than 1 billion in new money to support hard-pressed farmers," Mr Hogan said.

"Our ultimate goal is to see the much needed recovery of prices paid to farmers, so that they may make a living from their work and continue to provide safe, high quality food for citizens, as well as their contribution to rural areas and rural jobs and the provision of public goods."

The European Milk Board has called the EU's previous attempts as "failures", and that the recent measures for voluntary production cuts "finally focus" on the production side.

This week, the EU Commission finalised the details of the aid package. It contains three main elements:

- A EU-wide scheme to incentivise a reduction in milk production (150 million)

- Conditional adjustment aid to be defined and implemented at Member State level out of a menu proposed by the Commission (350 million that Member States will be allowed to match with national funds, thus potentially doubling the level of support being provided to farmers)

- A range of technical measures to provide flexibility (e.g. on voluntary coupled support), cash-flow relief (e.g. through an increase in the amount of the advances for both direct and area-based rural development payments) and reinforce the safety net instruments (by prolonging intervention and private storage aid for Skimmed Milk Powder).

Countering overproduction

The restraint on supply is a "crucial factor" in countering overproduction and a collapse in prices, the Milk Board said.

Romuald Schaber, President of the European Milk Board, says he is "relieved" that with the restraint on supply EU policy-makers have "finally given dairy farmers a potential instrument."

"We welcome the measures adopted by the EU Commission and Ministers of Agriculture," Mr Schaber said.

Although the concrete drafting of the measures could be improved, they do represent a step forwards for dairy farmers, he says.

The European Milk Board regrets above all the "lacking systematic" European-wide implementation of the production cuts and "an adequate budget."

Schaber continues: One stumbling block is that the production volumes of all EU Member States are not capped during the reduction period, and that the compensation payments are very low.

It is now even more important for the Member States to also apply the funds from the 350-million-euro package for additional reductions in volume, so as to enable an impact on the milk market.
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Fort Bragg to be known as Fort Liberty. Here's what to know.

When will Fort Bragg be renamed? Why will it be renamed Fort Liberty? How much will it cost?
U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-8th District, has named two educators from the 8th Congressional District to represent him on the Missouri State Council for the Congressional Award.

Jennifer Woods, elementary principal of Valley R-6 in Caledonia, and Scott Dill, superintendent of Poplar Bluff Schools, will offer their input in the process of recruiting candidates for the Congressional Award.

"The Congressional Award is the highest award Congress can give to a young person," explained Smith. "I am delighted to have these two dedicated community members representing me on the Missouri Council. The commitment and successes Jennifer and Scott have made in improving the lives of the thousands of students they have had the opportunity to work with and better is truly remarkable. I am honored that in addition to their current positions, they are willing to continue those efforts through additional means such as the Congressional Award program."

Youth between the ages of 14 and 23 are eligible to register for the awards program. They commit to achieve the required hours of community service and to set and accomplish goals of personal growth, exploration and physical fitness. Based upon the achievements, bronze, silver and gold medals are awarded. To register, go to www.jasonsmith.house.gov.

Candidates select an adult mentor to help them and keep a scrapbook of their journey.

"Students who plan to take part in the A-plus program, become Eagle Scouts, participate in FFA, Future Business Leaders of America or the National Honor Society will already be on track to do what the Congressional Award program requires," said Smith. "However it is open to all students interested in bettering themselves and their communities and serves as the official way Congress can celebrate the commitment and time these students put forth."

Candidates pledge to give hours of community service such as volunteering at a homeless shelter or mentor a younger student. Additionally, they may also pledge to improve their physical fitness by taking part in a program of exercise or develop a project of personal exploration, such as specialized study of a specific topic or taking a trip to learn about another culture. Overall the purpose of the program is to foster personal development by setting goals and discovering new talents and abilities.

"They're involved in their own personal growth and achievement, but also involved in what goes on in their schools and their communities," said Dill, who is beginning his 20th year in education. "I would think this kind of award would open doors for these students."

Dill is beginning his first year in Poplar Bluff after serving as superintendent for nine years in Houston, Missouri.

"This is a wonderful way to encourage our youth to challenge themselves and award their efforts," said Woods. "The earlier the students become aware of the award, the better the chance they'll be able to do all that's required to achieve it."

There are 50,000 young people throughout the nation working toward the Congressional Award. All 8th district medals will be awarded by Congressman Smith at a state or local ceremony. Gold medalists are invited to Washington D.C. for another ceremony that honors their achievements.
FARMINGTON  Earnest Wesley Harris of Farmington passed away Sunday, August 28, 2016, at St. Joe Manor in Bonne Terre at the age of 89 years. He was born on May 17, 1927, at Bonne Terre son of the late George Gentry and Grace Susan (Pigg) Harris. In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by his wife Dorothy Lucille (Welch) Harris, three brothers Paul Helms, Eddie Helms, and Roy Harris, three sisters Elsie Stange, Nellie Rodgers, and Emma Johnson, and a dear niece Janice Helms.

Mr. Harris began his career in the U.S. Army at the age of 17 when he enlisted during World War II with his mother's permission. He trained at Jefferson Barracks and Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. In October of 1945 the government transferred him from the Army to the Navy and he went to Camp Pendleton at San Diego, California and later Treasure Island at San Francisco to complete his naval training before boarding the USS Warden to head into the Pacific for his first duty assignment. He was honorably discharged and transfer to the Naval Reserves in 1946. On April 28, 1947, he was married to Dorothy Lucille Welch but shortly thereafter in 1948 he once again was called to serve and reenlisted in the Navy and served his country during the Korean War and beyond. In 1958 he was once again honorably discharged from the Navy. Following his military service Ernie began a career with the Missouri-Pacific Rail Road working in the rail yard maintenance shops as a welder and continued until retirement. He was a member of American Legion Post 416 and VFW Post 5896 of Farmington. For many years he attended the Three Rivers Baptist Church near his home.

Ernie was a very caring person and anyone who came to know him also became his friend. He will be missed by all those who knew and loved him including his nephew and close companion Karl Helms of Desloge, his dear friend Tom Sloan of Farmington, numerous other extended relatives, and a great host of friends and neighbors.

Friends may call at the Cozean Memorial Chapel & Crematory on Wednesday, August 31, 2016 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. A joint American Legion and VFW service will be held at 6 p.m. Visitation will resume on Thursday morning beginning at 7 a.m. until 10 a.m. followed by a funeral service in the Cozean Chapel at 10 a.m. with the Reverend Gene Rauls officiating assisted by the Reverend David Wright. Interment services with full military honors will be at the Three Rivers Cemetery near Farmington. Memorial donations, if desired, may be made to Camp Hope for Veterans. Arrangements are under the direction of the Cozean Memorial Chapel & Crematory. Share your memories and leave condolences online at cozeanfuneralhome.com.
Mexico President Enrique Pena Nieto (official government photo)After an aggressive grassroots campaign, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto recently announced the enactment of sweeping changes to Mexicos anti-corruption regime. The new law is a significant step toward transparency in a country that consistently ranks among the most corrupt in the region and the world.

When he announced the new law, President Pena Nieto publicly apologized for his own involvement in a conflict of interest scandal that has plagued his administration for years.

The new law creates Mexicos first independent anti-corruption prosecutor. It also sets up whistleblower protections for individuals and implements methods to enhance cooperation across federal, state, and municipal enforcement authorities, as well as with the U.S. government and other international regulators.

The new legislation was originally proposed in early 2016 to the Mexican legislature through a unique citizen petition process primarily aimed at increasing transparency of public sector officials. The new law expands transparency but doesnt require recipients of government contracts to disclose personal assets, tax information or economic interests. It also allows public officials to withhold information whose publication may affect privacy or personal data protected by the Constitution.

The regulations, which will come into effect on July 19, 2017, also provide for significant criminal and administrative sanctions for private parties and legal entities that are found to have engaged in bribery, collusion in public bid procedures, influence peddling, wrongful use of public resources, or wrongful recruitment of ex public servants, among other acts.

Individuals face sanctions of up to twice the amount of the acquired benefits (or if no tangible benefit, around $600,000), temporary ineligibility to participate in procurement, leases, services or state-owned projects for a period ranging from three months to eight years, and compensatory and/or punitive damages.

Legal entities face similar sanctions  up to twice the amount of the benefit (and up to $6 million if no monetary benefit)  and could be deemed ineligible to participate in procurement, leases, services or state-owned projects for up to 10 years.

Entities could also be subject to suspension of activities for a period ranging from 3 months to 3 years, partnership dissolution, and compensatory and/or punitive damages.

The new regulations provide for some partial defenses for entities and persons charged with violating the law. For example, legal authorities will give credit for the existence of a current compliance or integrity program that includes effective reporting and whistleblower protection tools. Entities may also receive credit for self-reporting misconduct and collaborating with government investigations, and a person who has committed a serious administrative offense can confess and fully and continuously cooperate with authorities in exchange for a reduction of 50 percent to 70 percent of the total amount of his or her sanction.

* * *

In an unprecedented step, Pena Nieto issued a public apology during the press conference announcing the legal reforms for the distraction of an ongoing conflict of interest scandal that has plagued his administration for nearly two years.

Beginning in November 2014, Mexican media outlets started reporting that a major government contractor had sold a luxurious, seven-bedroom home valued at $7 million to Pena Nietos wife, first lady Angelica Rivera. The contractor who designed and sold the home to Rivera, Grupo Higa, had been part of a consortium of companies that won a multibillion-dollar infrastructure contract during Pena Nietos presidency. One of the contractors chief executives was a close friend of Pena Nieto.

Rivera and Pena Nieto maintained that the purchase of the home was legitimate, and a government-sponsored investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of either member of the first family. However, during his press conference, Pena Nieto apologized for the effect the controversy had on public perception of his administration, though he maintains that he had not broken any laws and that combating corruption would continue to be a principal goal of his administration.

* * *

The changes to Mexicos anti-corruption enforcement regime occur at the same time U.S. regulators signalled that corruption in Mexico remains an enforcement priority.

On August 11, the SEC announced that Key Energy Services, Inc., a Houston-based energy company, would pay $5 million in disgorgement for violations of the internal controls and books-and-records provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

The Commission explained that its investigation yielded evidence that Key Energys Mexican subsidiary had made payments to an employee at Pemex, Mexicos state-owned oil company, in order to induce the employee to provide information that would benefit Key Energy while negotiating Pemex contracts. Key Energy paid the Pemex employee through a third-party consulting firm and recorded the payments as legitimate business expenses in the records of the Mexican subsidiary.

* * *

The Key Energy enforcement action and recent changes in Mexican law prove that the state of play regarding interactions with government officials in Mexico is becoming increasingly fraught with risk. Given this reality, companies should consider how their past or future conduct may make its way into the public sphere and monitor the practical application of these new laws on the day-to-day operations of their businesses.

For example, companies doing business in Mexico can protect themselves by ensuring they perform comprehensive, risk-based due diligence on engaged and prospective third parties, training and educating their employees on the risks associated with doing business in Mexico, and examining the companys internal controls to ensure that the company has properly accounted for its funds, its presence in the country, and any interactions with government officials.

______

Kim Nemirow and Nicholas Berg are partners at Ropes & Gray based in the firms Chicago office. They focus their practice on anti-corruption and other international risk issues.

The authors thank David Peet, a Ropes & Gray associate in the litigation department and a member of the firms government enforcement practice group. Hes based in Washington, D.C.
Hello Everyone,

Caroline Oldham

This weekend I headed to the Foodie Festival Harrogate, I thought the weather might be nice seeing as it is August but no it was like April showers all weekend! The Foodies Festival was held at Ripley Castle, well a little bit behind in a large open field, which was lovely but I made the mistake of wearing flip-flops and I came back with drenched feet! I skipped along to the great live band playing and followed my nose to the amazing scents flowing around the fields!

It didn't keep people away which was great and I took my dad and made our way around the stalls, although this festival is not primarily aimed at the 'free from' market it was incredible to see how many of the products were either naturally gluten free or were dairy free and vegan.

We first passed by 'Live Life on the Veg', this is a company that are growing at a rapid pace, delivering fresh vegetable boxes to your door and including wonderful recipes for you to enjoy. They always try to source vegetables locally and believe in organic and ethically grown vegetables. Even if you are a meat eater, this is a great way of getting all your vegetables for the week delivered. Boxes start from 10.35 check out their website for more details.

There was a wonderful Macaroon store, which are naturally gluten free as they are made from almond flour and some amazing gluten free Malaysian curries, which were also naturally gluten free. Another naturally gluten free food was fudge by The Black Cat Kitchen, all of their fudges are gluten free and there were some amazing flavours, we grabbed a bunch of them including the cherry and almond, one of my favourites, liquorice, salted caramel and mint chocolate!

They were so delicious as a family we couldn't get enough of them. Next door to this was an amazing chocolate company, all gluten free and most of them dairy and vegan free too, when I asked why as I am always interested I got the best response, well they don't need to have any dairy in them so why bother! Love that! It is so true there are so many ways of making delicious treats now without having to use gluten, dairy, honey or eggs! The company is called Sciolti Chocolates and they are worth a try, my favourites included the dark chocolate with violets and the cherry and pistachio, but I have to say the orange and chili was also wonderful.

I then chatted to the lovely girls at Tarte and Berry where I couldn't resist having a gluten free, nut free and vegetarian Berry Crumble! You don't see many products like this around so I was dying to try one, they were so fresh and soft which the crunch of the crumble. A local bakery in Leeds run by two sisters who use locally sourced products.

One of the last stalls I visited was Curry on Cooking' their bold allergen signs grabbed my attention straight away. These curry kits are gluten free, additive free, preservative free, MSG free, nut free and sugar free, created by 'spice sisters' Nilam and Veena, they wanted to bring their authentic cooking not only to UK but to expat Brits who live abroad. We haven't tried them yet but we are going to and I can't wait!

So I had a wonderful time at the Foodies Festival and definitely recommend popping along, the next one is at Alexandra Palace this weekend in London, I am at a wedding all weekend for some great friends of ours so I will sadly miss it but pop along and join the fun, plus the sun with be shining this weekend!

This week's recipe is one of my mum's canape recipes, which I just absolutely love, it is gluten free and vegetarian and so easy to put together pre dinner party! https://www.biteappy.com/blog/blog/feta-olive-mint-canapes/
Six long lost episodes of 'Doctor Who' which feature the first ever regeneration are to be turned into an animated series by the BBC - 50 years after they aired.

A Dalek from Doctor Who

'The Power of the Daleks' starred Patrick Troughton in his first adventure as the Second Doctor after taking over the role from William Hartnell and aired between 5 November to 10 December 1966.

The serial is among the many episodes that were erased from the BBC archive before the organisation realised the value of such shows and is one of the most sought after stories for fans as it was only shown once in the UK and only sold overseas to Australia and New Zealand.

According to the Daily Mirror newspaper, BBC Worldwide has commissioned a company to animate the six-part story using state-of-the-art techniques based on off-screen photos taken at the time of filming.

Just a few short clips some poor quality cine footage shot by a fan are known to be in existence.

The plot features the Second Doctor explaining to his companions Ben (Michael Craze) and Polly (Anneke Wills) how his appearance has changed stating the TARDIS has "renewed" him before they must fight his most deadly enemies the Daleks on the planet Vulcan.

BBC Worldwide is actively searching for the other lost episodes of 'Doctor Who' with a significant find coming in 2013 when all six episodes of 'The Enemy of the World' and five instalments of 'The Web of Fear' were found by Phillip Morris, director of Television International Enterprises Archive, in a television relay station in Jos in Nigeria.

The next series of 'Doctor Who' is currently being filmed with Peter Capaldi returning as the Twelfth Doctor along and Pearl Mackie joining the sci-fi show as new companion Bill.
Back in April, I introduced you to the talented diver and photographer, Onder Diktas.

Also back in April, I had no intention of ever having another go at diving after a rather disastrous attempt back in 2015.

However, because I am a weak willed individual, within one hour of meeting Onder and witnessing his passion for diving I was persuaded to sign up for another go, along with a bunch of fellow novices.

After a few cancellations due to little things like lockdowns, we finally took the plunge (excuse the pun) in mid-June.

Heres How It Went

The Fethiye Diving Centre boat and crew left Fethiye harbour with a bunch of nervous, highly-strung adults at 9.30 am on a sunny Thursday morning.

After introductions were made one of the team went through what each piece of equipment was for, usually with the sign off of but dont worry about that, we will do it for you.

The basic story was we will do the important stuff, you just need to remember to keep breathing.

The Fethiye Diving Centre Boat

In We Go

Once we reached a secluded bay the first few nervous souls, including myself, got kitted out in our wetsuits  an outfit that not even a catwalk model could carry off that well. This was when the first attempt at keeping breathing came into play  damn those things are snug.

After that came the flippers which, once on, make you walk like youve either stood on chewing gum or are trying to give John Cleese a run for his money in his Ministry of Funny Walks campaign.

Getting Ready

Anyway, soon it was my turn to get in the water. I had a qualified diving instructor all to myself, as did the others, which reassured me I was in the best hands.

After a bit of small talk, you know; do you come here often?, that sort of thing, I was hitched up to my tank and instructed on what to do next.

Unsurprisingly that was to get my head under water and remember to breathe.

Receiving Instruction

And Breathe

And breathe.

And breathe.

Then he instructed me to hold my nose in order to unblock my ears. An instruction he gave many times although more often than not my ears where ok.

And breathe.

And breathe.

Then we sunk a little deeper. All the time he held my hand. On one occasion he went to let go but my vice like grip persuaded him otherwise. In fact I wouldnt be surprised to learn hed been for an x-ray on his hand at the local hospital afterwards.

Going Well So Far

And breathe.

After Id got comfortable with being under water he took me slightly lower so I could kneel down and then gave me some bread to feed the fishes.

To do this he had to let go of my hand.

And breathe, panic, wheres he gone, oh there he is, stop panicking, and breathe, ohh look at all these little fishes, arent they pretty, and breathe.

After that I returned to the boat, feeling very smug that Id managed not to drown myself, de-robed and passed the baton to the next trainee.

After wed all had a go we were served lunch  the usual chicken and spaghetti combo found on many dive boats.

Second Outing

Once dinner had gone down it was time for me to go again. Yeah Ive got this, Ill be fine.

And breathe.

We went a different way round this time and I actually relaxed enough to take a good look at my surroundings. Fascinating.

The Fish Whisperer

Arghhh.my mask is full of water, panic, Im drowning

Ok thats a slight, alright huge, exaggeration. About a millimetre of water had snuck in my mask but it wasnt a problem. I just signalled to go up and up we went. Sure, I could have emptied it underwater like wed been shown but I was too much of a wimp to do that.

I asked my dive buddy, who Im sure may be the offspring of a member of ZZ Top, if I could finish and he gave me two options; to go back to the boat with my head above the water or below it. I came over all brave and decided to finish off the lesson with dignity.

And breathe.

All too soon my dive experience was over.

All Done

The Man Who Refused To Let Me Drown

Time For a Pat on the Back

After everyone else had completed their second dive we were given time to relax, have an ice cream or a pancake and regale our friends with our stories of bravery under the water and how wed seen fish THIS big.

Then we headed back to the harbour around 5pm, said goodbye to our wonderful crew, and left the boat clutching our phones that contained photographic evidence of our thrilling day.

Will I Do It Again?

Well actually Ive already got another diving day out booked. Will it be something I take up as a hobby? Probably not but it was an experience to remember. Has my dive buddy regained the feeling in his hand? I doubt it.

Want To Try It?

If you fancy giving diving a go you can contact Onder via his website: https://fethiyedivingcentre.com/

And dont forgetall you have to do is breathe.
By raising $4-5 million through a new clutch of investors, online lifestyle and fashion retailer Bewakoof is giving another shot at setting up brick and mortar retail stores. It will set up a few stores in Mumbai before moving to other cities. Earlier, the website, which is backed by founders of Snapdeal had attempted to start offline retail in 2014.Since our online business is doing well, we want to slowly get back to giving our consumers the brand experience through flagship stores which would measure between 2,000-3,000 sq. feet'', Prabhkiran Singh, co-founder, Bewakoof told Businessline.

By raising $4-5 million through a new clutch of investors, online lifestyle and fashion retailer Bewakoof is giving another shot at setting up brick and mortar retail stores. It will set up a few stores in Mumbai before moving to other cities. Earlier, the website, which is backed by founders of Snapdeal had attempted to start offline retail in 2014.#

The fashion retailer after having built a private label namesake brand also plans to sell the label across other online marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart.We have been able to garner healthy margins and have also been profitable, since we design and manufacture our private label, Singh added.Having raised angel funding, we are now looking at PE and VC funds to raise capital and slowly make an entry into brick and mortar retail with our flagship stores,'' he informed. (AR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Cotton Association of India (CAI) has predicted that cotton production for 2016-17 season beginning October 1 would be 336 lakh bales of 170 kg each. This estimate is nearly similar to the 337.75 lakh bales produced in the ongoing season, as per CAIs July estimate. However, cotton acreage is likely to dip by about 10 per cent compared to the current year.

Better weather conditions across all cotton growing regions of the country will result in higher productivity during 2016-17, which explains the similar output despite fall in area under cotton, CAI said in its first estimate for 2016-17 season.

For 2016-17, the total cotton supply is projected at 400 lakh bales, while domestic consumption is estimated at 308 lakh bales. This leaves an available surplus of 92 lakh bales for export, the association said in a statement. (RKS)

Cotton Association of India (CAI) has predicted that cotton production for 2016-17 season beginning October 1 would be 336 lakh bales of 170 kg each. This estimate is nearly similar to the 337.75 lakh bales produced in the ongoing season, as per CAI's July estimate. However, cotton acreage is likely to dip by about 10 per cent compared to the current year.#

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
German textile machinery producer H. Stoll AG & Co will present inspiring, economical and exciting possibilities of knitting technology at ITMA Asia. Among these are the CMS 330 HP W multi gauge knitting machine and fabric samples from its ADF technology portfolio, along with software for the textile industry, which is user friendly.According to the company, the CMS 330 HP W multigauge is the answer for the special technical requirements of shoe-fabrication, while also finding application in the fashion sector.

German textile machinery producer H. Stoll AG & Co will present inspiring, economical and exciting possibilities of knitting technology at ITMA Asia. Among these are the CMS 330 HP W multi gauge knitting machine and fabric samples from its ADF technology portfolio, along with software for the textile industry, which is user friendly. According to the...#

The CMS 330 HP W multigauge is an extremely innovate machine with an excellent price to performance relationship and meets the demand for a high performance machine, H. Stoll said.It will also show fabrics made from its ADF technology, which incorporates beneficial features, one of which is the implementation of body-monitoring functions like pulse, heat, temperature into the knitted piece.The software room will be another highlight, where it will show the Production Planning System (PPS), the patterning software M1plus and the user-optimised tool Grading for Knitting System (GKS).In the area of technical textiles, H. Stoll will show a prototype of a chair coat, which has been knitted with a CMS 330 HP W multigauge machine. (AR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The state legislative assemblies of Maharashtra and Telangana today unanimously ratified the 122nd constitutional amendment bill that will enable the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST).

This takes the tally of states having approved the bill to 11. At least 16 states need to pass the bill before the President can notify the GST Council.

The state legislative assemblies of Maharashtra and Telangana today unanimously ratified the 122nd constitutional amendment bill that will enable the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST). This takes the tally of states having approved the bill to 11. At least 16 states need to pass the bill before the President can notify the GST Council.#

Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Nagaland have already ratified the bill which aims at replacing all central indirect levies like excise duty, countervailing duty and service tax, as also state taxes such as value added tax, entry tax and luxury tax, by a single tax pan-India.

Moving the resolution in the Maharashtra state assembly finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said the state would not suffer financial losses post implementation of the GST due to a revenue-sharing mechanism with the Centre.

The minister announced a separate law to ensure compensation towards the loss of revenue to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), as GST will abolish octroi duty, which is a major source of revenue for the BMC.

In Telangana, the GST bill was unanimously ratified at a special session of the two houses convened to exclusively take up the issue. Moving the resolution, chief minister K Chandrasekhara Rao assured the assembly that the state would not face any financial loss as the bill deals only with the commercial taxes component of VAT. He said the state will continue to earn revenue from taxes on petrol and excise duty.

He said the state would also benefit from the proposed share the state would get from the Service Tax, which would create additional revenue.

The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha earlier this month. (RKS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Abhinaya Chakravarthy Kichcha Sudeeps's next film Hebbuli's teaser, will be live on YouTube at 12 am on September 2, as a gift to all Kichcha Sudeep fans on his birthday.

The motion poster of Hebbuli was released recently, and it was widely appreciated for Kichcha's new avatar and Arjun Janya's fantastic background score. The motion poster was attached to Kotigobba - 2 prints, and was screened all over the state.

The film is directed by cinematographer turned director Krishna, who made his directorial debut with Yash's Gajakesari. Krishna has been working on this script from the past few years and as Sudeep said in one interview, he accepted movie looking at Krishna's zeal for the script.

Raghunath and Umapathy are bankrolling the project under SRV Productions and Umapathy Productions. Raghunath had previously collaborated with Sudeep for Jigarthanda, whereas Umapathy is new to the industry and this is his first movie.

The team has completed major portions of shoot in Bangalore and Mysore. Next stop for team Hebbuli is Kashmir. Director Krishna and Producer Umapathy were in Kashmir earlier this month for scouting the locations.

As per the team, never seen picturesque locations, have been finalized for the shoot. The technical crew has already left for Kashmir on Monday, who will start the preparations for the shoot before important members of team reach Kashmir.

Kichcha Sudeep, director Krishna, Amala Paul, Chikkanna, producers will travel to Kashmir this Saturday, once the birthday celebrations of Kiccha Sudeep are over this Friday. The team is planning for grand release in multiple languages simultaneously this December.
The Park Hills City Council will meet tonight at 6 p.m. for a special session in the municipal court chambers at city hall, located at 9 Bennett St.

Council members will vote on two bills during the meeting. The first involves an ordinance to authorize the mayor to enter into a contract for the painting of the Davis water tower.

The second bill, if passed, will create an ordinance to authorize the mayor to enter into a contract for the East Main Street paving project.

Also on the agenda will be a presentation on the citys parks and recreation department by Councilman Bowers.

The meeting is open to the public.
Earlier, there were reports that Dileep would be seen essaying the lead role in debutante Arun Gopy's directorial venture. Now, the makers have come up with official announcement poster of the film.

The yet-to-be-titled film would be produced by Tomichan Mulakuppadam under the banner Mulakuppadam films. The film would have its script written by renowned scenarist, Sachy.

The pooja ceremony of the film would be held today (August 30, 2016). Nothing much has been revealed about the movie, but the film is touted to be in the lines of a comedy entertainer.

It is for the first time that Sachy is scripting for a Dileep film. Expectations are sky high from this combo, which is likely to strike gold at the box-office.

Reportedly, the makers are planning to start the shooting of the film by November, this year. Dileep would join the film once he completes the shoot of his upcoming film Kammara Sambhavam, in which he would be seen in the role of a 94-year-old.

The actor's next release is Welcome To Central Jail, which would hit the theatres during Onam season. The trailer of the film has opened to good response.
Singapore, Singapore--(Newsfile Corp. - August 29, 2016) - Zecotek Photonics Inc. (TSXV: ZMS) (FSE: W1I), a developer of leading-edge photonics technologies for medical, industrial and scientific markets, today announced that the Company has closed on the private placement, previously announced on August 12, 2016, by selling 2,761,935 units of the Company at a price of $0.30 per unit for gross proceeds of $828,580.

Each unit of the Company consists of one common share and one common share purchase warrant. Each warrant of the second tranche entitles the holder to acquire one common share at an exercise price of $0.43 per common share at any time on or before August 29, 2018.

The Company paid finder's fees on the tranche consisting of cash fees totalling $57,161 and issued 190,535 finder's warrants. Each finder's warrant entitles the Warrantholder to acquire one unit (the "Unit") at a price of Cdn$0.30 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one Common Share in the capital of the Company and one half of a share purchase warrant (the "Unit Warrant"). Each whole Unit Warrant shall entitle the Warrantholder to acquire one Common Share at a price of Cdn$0.43 per Common Share until August 29, 2018.

All securities issued are subject to a four-month hold period expiring on December 30, 2016.

Net proceeds from the funds raised will be used for general working capital purposes including the manufacture of products and strengthening and maintaining the Company's IP portfolio. All shares and warrants are subject to a four-month hold period.

About Zecotek

Zecotek Photonics Inc (TSXV: ZMS) (FSE: W1I) is a photonics technology company developing high-performance scintillation crystals, photo detectors, positron emission tomography scanning technologies, 3D auto-stereoscopic displays, 3D metal printing, and lasers for applications in medical, high-tech and industrial sectors. Founded in 2004, Zecotek operates three divisions: Imaging Systems, Optronics Systems and 3D Display Systems with labs located in Canada, Korea, Russia, Singapore and U.S.A. The management team is focused on building shareholder value by commercializing over 50 patented and patent pending novel photonic technologies directly and through strategic alliances, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (Switzerland), Beijing Opto-Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. (China), NuCare Medical Systems (South Korea), the University of Washington (United States), and National NanoFab Center (South Korea). For more information visit www.zecotek.com and follow @zecotek on Twitter.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are based on management's expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual future results and trends may differ materially from what may have been stated.

For Additional Information Please Contact:

Zecotek Photonics Inc.

Michael Minder

T: (604) 783-8291

ir@zecotek.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. If you would like to receive news from Zecotek in the future please visit the corporate website at www.zecotek.com.
PASADENA, CA--(Marketwired - August 29, 2016) - A bill backed by the California State Senate leadership would help to fund several important projects in the San Joaquin Valley and clean the air.

Assembly Bill 1613, backed by President pro Tempore Kevin De Leon, would allocate approximately $1.2 billion in revenues collected under California's greenhouse gas Cap & Trade program. The majority of the funds were generated during auctions held by the state in 2015. The Assembly leadership has not yet publicly announced its approach to awarding the funds.

"If Assembly Bill 1613 is approved by both houses, it would enable approximately $20 million in high-value clean transportation projects in the San Joaquin Valley. A number of very promising and different electric trucks and buses would be deployed in the Valley if this legislation passes," said CALSTART President and CEO John Boesel.

Through a solicitation completed in January of this year, the California Air Resources Board (ARB) received a large number of proposals for zero emission truck and bus proposals. The ARB has approved and is recommending funding of five specific projects in the San Joaquin Valley, contingent upon approval of an additional $60 million in new Cap and Trade funding. A short summary of the projects is listed below.

Porterville Electrification: Ten 40' electric transit buses will be provided to the City of Porterville.

On-Road Linen Delivery: AmeriPride, one of the nation's largest linen delivery service firms will deploy 20 all electric trucks in cities in Fresno, Merced, Bakersfield, and Stockton.

Repowered UPS Trucks: 21 trucks formerly powered by diesel fuel will be converted to electric power and operated by the nation's largest fleet in cities in California, including Visalia.

SJV Zero Emission Bus Project: 15 battery electric buses will be deployed in Modesto, Stockton, Visalia, and Selma. The buses will be produced by Proterra, a firm that recently moved its major operations from South Carolina to California.

Zero Emission Postal Trucks: A California start-up, Motiv Power Systems, will partner with one of the nation's work truck body builders, to deployed 15 all electric trucks for U.S. Postal Service distribution centers in Fresno and Stockton.

About CALSTART

CALSTART, a national non-profit organization with 160 member companies is dedicated to expanding and supporting the clean transportation technology industry. CALSTART's member companies represent a broad range of clean transportation technologies, and include fleets, vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, Fortune 500 companies, and start-ups. CALSTART has 5 offices that are located in Fresno, Richmond, Pasadena, New York, and Colorado. For further information visit www.calstart.org.

Contact: John Boesel at Email contact

& 626/744-560

or

Ryan Schuchard at Email contact

& 510/307-8774
CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Japan will release a raft of data on Tuesday, highlighting a busy day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. On tap are July numbers for unemployment, household spending and retail sales. The jobless rate is expected to hold steady at 3.1 percent, while the job-to-applicant ratio is expected to move up to 1.38 from 1.37 in June. Household spending is expected to fall 1.4 percent on year after slipping 2.2 percent in the previous month. Retail sales are called lower by 0.9 percent on year after falling 1.4 percent a month earlier. Australia will provide July numbers for building approvals, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 1.1 percent and a decline of 8.3 percent on year. That follows the 2.9 percent monthly decline and the 5.9 percent annual contraction in June. New Zealand will see July figures for building permits; in June, permits jumped 16.3 percent on year. Malaysia will release July data for producer prices; in June, prices were up 0.4 percent on month and down 1.3 percent on year. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) announced that it has reached a tentative agreement on the terms of a new contract for its Pilots. 'We appreciate our Pilots and recognize their role in the Company's success,' said Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Mike Van de Ven. 'With the support and assistance of the NMB, the negotiating teams were able to reach an agreement that balances the needs of our Pilots and the Company.' The Negotiating Committees will work this week to draft final language. Once complete, the agreement will go through the normal union ratification process. Dates and details on a ratification vote will be announced in the days ahead. The current Pilot contract became amendable September 1, 2012. The Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association represents about 8,000 Pilots. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
TOKYO, Aug 30, 2016 - (JCN Newswire) - Mazda Motor Corporation's production and sales results for July 2016 are summarized below.I. Production1. Domestic ProductionMazda's total domestic production volume in July 2016 decreased 8.9% compared to July 2015 due to decreased production of both passenger and commercial vehicles.Domestic production of key models in July 2016CX-5: 29,134 units (down 7.3% year-on-year)Mazda3 (Axela): 16,177 units (down 10.2% year-on-year)Mazda6 (Atenza): 11,326 units (down 12.1% year-on-year)2. Overseas ProductionMazda's overseas production volume in July 2016 decreased 1.6% year on year due to decreased production of both passenger and commercial vehicles.Overseas production of key models in July 2016Mazda3: 21,992 units (up 5.4% year-on-year)Mazda2: 8,026 units (down 26.9% year-on-year)CX-4: 5,403 unitsII. Domestic salesMazda's total domestic sales volume in July 2016 decreased 21.5% year on year, due to decreased sales of passenger vehicles.Mazda's registered vehicle market share was 4.8% (down 1.5 points year on year), with a 2.2% share of the micro mini segment (down 0.1 points year on year) and a 3.9% total market share (down 1.0 point year on year).Domestic sales of key models in July 2016Mazda2 (Demio): 4,635 units (down 30.9% year-on-year)Mazda3 (Axela): 3,199units (up 75.9% year-on-year)CX-5: 1,445 units (down 36.1% year-on-year)Mazda's export volume in July 2016 decreased 12.0% year-on-year, reflecting decreased shipments to North America, Europe and other regions.Exports of key models in July 2016CX-5: 26,808 units (down 7.3% year-on-year)Mazda3: 12,640 units (down 15.4% year-on-year)Mazda6: 8,813 units (down 23.6% year-on-year)About MazdaMazda Motor Corporation (TSE: 7261) started manufacturing tools in 1929 and soon branched out into production of trucks for commercial use. In the early 1960s, Mazda launched its first passenger car models and began developing rotary engines. Still headquartered in Hiroshima in western Japan, Mazda today ranks as one of Japan's leading automakers, and exports cars to the United States and Europe for over 30 years. For more information, please visit www.mazda.comSource: MazdaContact:Copyright 2016 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Dr Enrico Bastianelli, Chief Executive Officer and Wim Goemaere, Chief Financial Officer, will host a conference call today at 14:00 CEST 13:00 BST 08:00 EDT. The call will be conducted in English and a replay will be available for 30 days.

To access the conference call, please dial one of the appropriate number below quoting the conference ID.

BE: +32 (0) 80 04 08 64

FR: +33 (0) 805 63 20 56

US: +1 (0) 8669 669 439

Standard International Dial-In: +44 (0) 1452 555566

Conference ID 71646893

The presentation will be made available on the Investors section of the Bone Therapeutics website shortly before the call (http://bonetherapeutics.com/en/investors/presentations)

Regulatory News:

The interim financial report is prepared in accordance with article 13 of the Royal Decree on the obligations of issuers of financial instruments admitted to trading on a regulated market and can be accessed on the website of Bone Therapeutics in the section 'Financial information'.

Bone Therapeutics publishes its interim financial report in English. A French translation of the report will also be made available. In the event of differences between the English and the French version of the report, the original English version will prevail.

BONE THERAPEUTICS (Brussels:BOTHE) (Paris:BOTHE) (Euronext Brussels and Paris: BOTHE), the bone cell therapy company addressing high unmet medical needs in bone fracture repair, fracture prevention and spinal fusion, today provides a business update and its financial results for the six-month period ended 30 June 2016, prepared in accordance with IFRS as adopted by the European Union.

Enrico Bastianelli, Chief Executive Officer of Bone Therapeutics, commented: "Over the past six months we have made significant progress across our pipeline, with important safety and efficacy results from the ongoing Phase II programs in delayed-union fractures, spinal fusion and osteoporosis and the final results of the Phase IIB osteonecrosis study, underpinning confidence in our platforms.

"Following the promising results of the first patient group in the PREOBPhase IIA severe osteoporosis trial, we made the important strategic decision to transition the osteoporosis program to allogeneic development. This reflects our belief that ALLOBhas the potential to deliver a better solution for patients and enhance the value of this programme from a future partnership.

"In the second half of 2016, we look forward to communicating efficacy results from the ALLOB spinal fusion trial and completing recruitment for the interim analysis in the Phase I/IIA delayed-union trial."

Operational Highlights

In the first half of 2016, the Company made important progress across its pipeline:

Osteoporosis:

Positive effects on pain and osteoporosis blood markers after a single intravenous administration of PREOB in the first patient cohort in the Phase IIA severe osteoporosis trial.

in the first patient cohort in the Phase IIA severe osteoporosis trial. The strategic decision was made to transition the program for severe osteoporosis to allogeneic development. The initiation of a controlled Phase IIB study with ALLOB is currently being prepared.

Spinal fusion:

Presentation of positive 12-month efficacy results of the first patient in the ALLOB Phase IIA spinal fusion trial at the Clinical Applications of Stem Cells conference.

Phase IIA spinal fusion trial at the Clinical Applications of Stem Cells conference. Completion of recruitment for the ALLOB Phase IIA spinal fusion trial without any treatment-related safety concerns, with extension of the study due to high clinical demand and to investigate the detailed dynamics of the fusion.

Impaired fracture healing:

Primary endpoints met in seven out of eight patients in the Phase I/IIA ALLOB delayed-union trial, with overall 77% radiological and 68% clinical improvement six months after treatment.

delayed-union trial, with overall 77% radiological and 68% clinical improvement six months after treatment. Expansion of the delayed-union program with ALLOBinto multiple fractures. Twelve patients, diagnosed with multiple delayed-union fractures of long bones, will be enrolled into the study.

Osteonecrosis:

Demonstration of superiority of a single PREOB administration over standard of care in Phase IIB osteonecrosis study. Data presented at EULAR in June showed that at 24 months, 70% of PREOB-treated patients responded to treatment, compared to only 37% of patients in the standard of care group.

Corporate Highlights

The Company further strengthened its ability to deliver its growth strategy with the appointment of Benoit Champluvier as Chief Technology and Manufacturing Officer. Mr Champluvier joins from GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines, where he has more than 20 years' experience of driving innovative and complex bioprocesses, supporting the development and launch of a number of new products. He will be responsible for production and quality control, playing a key role in gearing up Bone Therapeutics' capacity to manufacture both commercial-scale and clinical trial batches at its specialist facility in Gosselies. Mr Champluvier's nomination follows the appointment of Thomas Lienard as Chief Business Officer in November 2015 with responsibility for business development, business operations and strategic planning.

Bone Therapeutics celebrated its 10-year anniversary together with guests from the industry and the government, as well as from the international scientific community. Strong testimonials were given by representatives from the medical community involved in Bone Therapeutics' clinical programs: Click here to view the videos.

Financial Highlights

During the first six months of 2016, the operating income amounted to EUR 1.95 million, in line with revenues realized during the first half of 2015 (EUR 1.98 million).

The operating loss for the period amounted to EUR 5.74 million, compared with EUR 5.36 million in H1 2015.

The Company ended the first six months of 2016 with EUR 26.60 million in cash and cash equivalents. Cash burn for the period amounted to EUR 7.01 million, in line with cash used over the same period last year excluding the revenues and expenses related to the IPO.

Outlook for the remainder of 2016

In the second half of 2016, Bone Therapeutics will continue its promising Phase II proof-of-concept trials with ALLOB and plans to communicate important efficacy results of the spinal fusion trial. The Company also expects to complete recruitment for the interim analysis in the Phase I/IIA delayed-union trial. The outcome of this interim analysis, expected in Q2 2017, will determine whether the trial can be stopped at this point and already proceed towards the next phase of development.

An important focus in the second half of 2016 will be the preparation of Bone Therapeutics' first US clinical trial.

Careful cash management will remain a key priority for the Company, with a strong focus on net cash burn. The Company has sufficient cash to carry out its strategic objectives until early 2018. Cash burn for the full year 2016 is expected to be in order of EUR 14.5-16.0 million.

About Bone Therapeutics

Bone Therapeutics is a leading biotechnology company specializing in the development of cell therapy products intended for bone fracture repair and fracture prevention. The current standard of care in this field involves major surgeries and long recovery periods. To overcome these problems, Bone Therapeutics is developing a range of innovative regenerative products containing osteoblastic/bone-forming cells, administrable via a minimally invasive percutaneous technique; a unique proposition in the market.

PREOB, Bone Therapeutics' autologous bone cell product, is currently in pivotal Phase IIB/III clinical studies for two indications: osteonecrosis and non-union fractures, and in Phase II for severe osteoporosis. ALLOB, its allogeneic "off-the-shelf" bone cell product, is in Phase II for the treatment of delayed-union fractures and lumbar fusion for degenerative disease of the spine, including a minimally invasive therapy for failed spinal fusions. The Company also runs preclinical research programs and develops novel product candidates.

Founded in 2006, Bone Therapeutics is headquartered in Gosselies (South of Brussels, Belgium). Bone Therapeutics' regenerative products are manufactured to the highest GMP standards and are protected by a rich IP estate covering 11 patent families. Further information is available at: www.bonetherapeutics.com

Certain statements, beliefs and opinions in this press release are forward-looking, which reflect the Company or, as appropriate, the Company directors' current expectations and projections about future events. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. A multitude of factors including, but not limited to, changes in demand, competition and technology, can cause actual events, performance or results to differ significantly from any anticipated development. Forward looking statements contained in this press release regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. As a result, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any update or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this press release as a result of any change in expectations or any change in events, conditions, assumptions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based. Neither the Company nor its advisers or representatives nor any of its subsidiary undertakings or any such person's officers or employees guarantees that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does either accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or the actual occurrence of the forecasted developments. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income (in thousands of euros) For the six-month period ended June 30, 2016 2015 Revenue 0 0 Other operating income 1,953 1,984 Total operating income 1,953 1,984 Research and development expenses (6,014) (5,271) General and administrative expenses (1,681) (2,071) Operating profit/(loss) (5,742) (5,358) Interest income 191 130 Financial expenses (314) (1,897) Exchange gains/(losses) (5) (2) Share of profit/(loss) of associates 1 5 Result Profit/(loss) before taxes (5,870) (7,122) Income taxes 60 0 PROFIT/(LOSS) FOR THE PERIOD (5,809) (7,122) TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE INCOME OF THE PERIOD (5,809) (7,122) Basic and diluted loss per share (in euros) (0.85) (1.07) Profit/(loss) for the period attributable to the owners of the Company (5,638) (7,051) Profit/(loss) for the period attributable to the non-controlling interests (171) (71) Total comprehensive income for the period attributable to the owners of the Company (5,638) (7,051) Total comprehensive income for the period attributable to the non-controlling interests (171) (71)

Consolidated Balance Sheet ASSETS

(in thousands of euros) 30/06/2016 31/12/2015 Non-current assets 9,575 8,682 Intangible assets 63 69 Property, plant and equipment 6,320 5,793 Investments in associates 283 282 Financial assets 269 205 Deferred tax assets 2,639 2,333 Current assets 33,809 41,701 Trade and other receivables 7,038 7,912 Other current assets 167 178 Cash and cash equivalents 26,604 33,611 TOTAL ASSETS 43,384 50,383 EQUITY AND LIABILITIES

(in thousands of euros) 30/06/2016 31/12/2015 Equity Equity attributable to owners of the parent 22,415 28,147 Share capital 20,708 20,708 Share premium 42,670 42,670 Retained earnings (41,561) (35,752) Other reserves 597 520 Non-controlling interests 0 0 Total equity 22,415 28,147 Non-current liabilities 11,713 11,693 Financial liabilities 10,101 10,118 Deferred tax liabilities 0 0 Other non-current liabilities 1,612 1,575 Current liabilities 9,256 10,543 Financial liabilities 2,799 2,313 Trade and other payables 2,251 2,579 Other current liabilities 4,206 5,590 Total liabilities 20,969 22,236 TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES 43,384 50,383

Consolidated Cash Flow Statement

(in thousands of euros) For the six-month period ended June 30, 2016 2015 CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES Operating profit/(loss) (5,742) (5,358) Adjustments for: Depreciation, Amortisation and Impairments 282 163 Share-based compensation 86 243 Grants income related to recoverable cash advances (1,218) (1,279) Grants income related to patents (36) (83) Grants income related to tax credit (306) (299) Other (15) 34 Movements in working capital: Trade and other receivables (excluding government grants) 222 (422) Trade and Other Payables (384) (1,156) Cash generated from operations (7,117) (8,158) Cash received from grants related to recoverable cash advances 438 32 Cash received from grants related to patents 59 12 Cash received from grant tax credit 37 0 Net cash used in operating activities (6,583) (8,114) CASH FLOW FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES Interests received 21 25 Purchases of property, plant and equipment (786) (996) Purchases of intangible assets (17) (7) Payments to acquire financial investments (0) (1) Net cash used in investing activities (782) (978) CASH FLOW FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES Proceeds from government loans 188 14 Repayment of government loans (402) (250) Proceeds from loans from related parties 300 0 Reimbursements of financial lease liabilities (116) (20) Proceeds from other financial loans 476 491 Interests paid (186) (119) Proceeds from issue of equity instruments of the Company (net of issue costs) 0 34,622 New financial lease liabilities 98 0 Net cash provided by financing activities 358 34,737 NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS (7,007) 25,646 CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS at beginning of period 33,611 11,577 CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS at end of period 26,604 37,222

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity Attributable to owners of the parent Non-controlling

interests TOTAL EQUITY (in thousands of euros) Share capital Share premium Retained earnings Total equity attributable

to owners of the parent Balance at 1 January 2015 10,466 1,671 (21,622) (9,486) 0 (9,485) Total comprehensive income of the period 0 0 (7,051) (7,051) (70) (7,121) Issue of share capital 6,990 30,390 0 37,380 0 37,380 Transaction costs for equity issue 0 (2,788) 0 (2,788) 0 (2,788) Conversion of convertible bonds 3,253 13,397 0 16,650 0 16,650 Share-based payment 0 0 243 243 0 243 Movement non-controlling interests 0 0 (70) (70) 70 0 Other 0 0 1 1 0 1 Balance at 30 June 2015 20,708 42,670 (28,497) 34,879 0 34,882 Balance at 1 January 2016 20,708 42,670 (35,232) 28,146 0 28,146 Total comprehensive income of the period 0 0 (5,638) (5,638) (171) (5,809) Issue of share capital 0 0 0 0 0 0 Transaction costs for equity issue 0 0 0 0 0 0 Share-based payment 0 0 86 86 0 86 Movement non-controlling interests 0 0 (171) (171) 171 0 Other 0 0 (9) (9) 0 (9) Balance at 30 June 2016 20,708 42,670 (40,964) 22,415 0 22,415

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160829006027/en/

Contacts:

Bone Therapeutics SA

Enrico Bastianelli, Chief Executive Officer

Wim Goemaere, Chief Financial Officer

Tel: +32 (0)2 529 59 90

investorrelations@bonetherapeutics.com

or

For Belgium and International Media Enquiries:

Consilium Strategic Communications

Amber Fennell, Jonathan Birt, Jessica Hodgson, Lindsey Neville and Hendrik Thys

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3709 5701

bonetherapeutics@consilium-comms.com

or

For French Media and Investor Enquiries:

NewCap Investor Relations Financial Communications

Pierre Laurent, Louis-Victor Delouvrier and Nicolas Merigeau

Tel: 33 (0)1 44 71 94 94

bone@newcap.eu
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Destatis releases German import price figures for May in the pre-European session on Tuesday at 2:00 am ET. Ahead of the data, the euro showed mixed trading against its major rivals. While the euro fell against the U.S. dollar, it held steady against the yen, the Swiss franc and the pound. As of 1:55 am ET, the euro was trading at 0.8539 against the pound, 1.0953 against the Swiss franc, 1.1166 against the U.S. dollar and 114.08 against the yen. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Illustration of MPMT at completion with transmission plant (top left) and engine plant (bottom right)

Corporate Communications Division Mazda Motor Corporation, Japan +81-3-3508-5056 [Tokyo] +81-82-282-5253 [Hiroshima] mailto: media@mazda.co.jp

HIROSHIMA, Japan, Aug 30, 2016 - (JCN Newswire) - Mazda Motor Corporation announced today that it will increase the annual production capacity of the engine assembly plant at Mazda Powertrain Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (MPMT) in Chomburi, Thailand, to 100,000 units in the first half of 2018. The company also announced a plan to construct a new engine machining factory with production capacity similar to that of the engine assembly plant.The annual production capacity of MPMT's engine assembly plant, which began full-scale production in October 2015, is 30,000 units. The plant produces SKYACTIV-D 1.5-liter clean diesel engines and SKYACTIV-G 1.3-liter gasoline engines, which are shipped to Auto Alliance (Thailand) Co., Ltd. for use in the Mazda2 (known as Mazda Demio in Japan).Mazda is investing 22.1 billion yen to increase the engine assembly plant's annual production capacity to 100,000 units. The company will also construct a new engine machining plant to enhance its system for comprehensive production in Thailand that includes vehicle bodies, engines and transmissions. The SKYACTIV-G 2.0 will be added to the engines produced, and the export of engines to vehicle production sites in the ASEAN countries of Malaysia and Vietnam will begin."Enhancing Mazda's comprehensive production system in Thailand is a key initiative in our effort to strengthen global production," said Masatoshi Maruyama, Mazda's Managing Executive Officer in charge of Global Production. "By increasing production capacity and starting up the new engine machining factory as scheduled with quality assured, Mazda intends to further develop MPMT as its first overseas hub for engine export, thereby improving our global production efficiency and contributing to the development of Thailand's automotive industry."Mazda will continue its efforts to enrich people's lives through a variety of touch points, including the production of high-quality cars, and become a brand with which customers feel a strong emotional connection.(1) Areas of the engine plant in light gray indicate the planned machining factory.About MazdaMazda Motor Corporation (TSE: 7261) started manufacturing tools in 1929 and soon branched out into production of trucks for commercial use. In the early 1960s, Mazda launched its first passenger car models and began developing rotary engines. Still headquartered in Hiroshima in western Japan, Mazda today ranks as one of Japan's leading automakers, and exports cars to the United States and Europe for over 30 years. For more information, please visit www.mazda.comSource: MazdaContact:Copyright 2016 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
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JAKARTA, Indonesia, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- PUMPS & VALVES INDONESIA 2017 - held during 29-31 March, 2017 at Jakarta International Expo, is the only specialized event on Pumps, Valves and Fittings in the country.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402097

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121014/HK92339LOGO-d

With increasing investment and expansion in food & beverages, water treatment, construction and more, the Indonesian region will continue to see strong growth which will result in further demand for high-end, pumps, valves and boilers. Professionals in areas such as industrial and commercial expansion, chemicals, construction, energy production, water & wastewater, food processing, agro-based industries, hospitality and many others will now have a common platform to find low impact, energy efficient and cost effective pumps, valves and boilers.

Part of a portfolio of regional events of this kind, this leading trade show features the very latest technology in industrial pumps, valves, seals and other major processing components along with a wide variety of metering technology and related equipment.

Running in conjunction is BOILEX Indonesia 2017 - the exhibition of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Technology. This peculiar event will be showcasing innovative technology in steam boilers, electric boilers, fire-tube boilers, water-tube boilers and more.

Visitors profile





Industrial Users: Food and Beverages, Textile & Garments, The Electric, Power, Power Plant, Oil Refinery and Chemical & Petrochemical, Pulp & Papermaking, Printing, Sugar Mill, Animals' Feeds, Rubber and Tires, Plastics and Synthetic Resins, Rice Mill, Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Building and Construction Users: Building Engineering Companies, Real Estate, Developers, Architects, Construction Companies, Engineering, Project Departments, Property Management Companies, Decoration and Renovation Companies Government: Municipal Administration, Environmental Protection Bureau, Provincial and Municipal Production Safety Supervision & Management Institutions, Technical Supervision Business and Other Large Users: Hotel, Resorts, Hospitals etc. Agencies, Distributors, Wholesalers, Import and Export Companies for Boiler, Heat Pump and Related Equipment.

More information at: www.pumpsandvalves-indonesia.com

Budi Sutrisno

Event Manager

budi.sutrisno@ubm.com

+62 21 2930 9595 Riyan Haritama

Marketing & Communications

riyan.haritama@ubm.com

+62 21 2930 9595 ext 131

EDITOR'S NOTE

PUMPS & VALVES INDONESIA 2017 is organized by UBM.

ABOUT UBM

Owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM Asia is the largest trade show organiser in Asia and the largest commercial organiser in mainland China, India and Malaysia. Established with its headquarters in Hong Kong and subsidiary companies across Asia and in the US, UBM Asia has a strong global presence in 24 major cities with 32 offices and 1,300 staff.

UBM Asia was awarded 'Asia's Most Reliable Trade Show Organizer Award' in Hong Kong's Most Valuable Companies Awards (HKMVCA) 2016.
Munich (ots/PRNewswire) -Not for US or UK media- ENSURE-AF is the largest clinical trial of a non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation - who undergo electrical cardioversion - ENSURE-AF is a Prospective, Randomized, Open-Label, Blinded E ndpoint evaluation (PROBE), parallel-group phase 3b study, evaluating the efficacy and safety of once-daily edoxaban versus enoxaparin/warfarin in patients undergoing electrical cardioversion - The results demonstrate that LIXIANA may be an effective and safe alternative to conventional treatment with enoxaparin and a vitamin K antagonist (VKA), and may allow prompt cardioversion to be performed with transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) - Results from the ENSURE-AF study were presented during ESC Congress 2016 Hot Line session and the full results are published in The LancetDaiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH Group (hereafter "Daiichi Sankyo") today announced results from the global phase 3b ENSURE-AF study of 2,199 patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) undergoing electrical cardioversion (low-energy shocks to trigger normal heart rhythm). The study demonstrated that oral, once-daily edoxaban (known by the brand name LIXIANA outside the US and SAVAYSA in the US) met the study's primary endpoints, demonstrating comparable efficacy and safety to well-managed enoxaparin/warfarin (mean time in therapeutic range on warfarin was 70.8%) for the prevention of stroke and other blood clot complications.[1] Results from ENSURE-AF were presented today during a Hot Line session and late-breaking oral presentation at ESC Congress 2016 in Rome, and published online in The Lancet."The results of ENSURE-AF show that once-daily edoxaban may be a viable treatment option for NVAF patients undergoing cardioversion, as demonstrated by the largest prospective dataset for a non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant in this clinical setting to date," said Andreas Goette, MD, Chief Physician, St. Vincenz-Hospital Paderborn, Germany, Department of Cardiology and Intensive Care Medicine and principal study investigator. "These results may have important clinical implications for newly diagnosed non-anticoagulated AF patients undergoing cardioversion. According to the study protocol, a newly diagnosed non-anticoagulated AF patient was started on edoxaban, and the cardioversion procedure was scheduled as early as two hours following the start of treatment when applying a TEE-guided approach."ENSURE-AF is a PROBE parallel group study designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of once-daily edoxaban versus enoxaparin/well-managed warfarin in patients with NVAF undergoing electrical cardioversion. For the primary efficacy outcome evaluating the composite of stroke, systemic embolic event, myocardial infarction, and cardiovascular mortality, edoxaban demonstrated a similar incidence compared to enoxaparin/warfarin (0.5% vs. 1.0%, respectively) (odds ratio [OR], 0.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.12 to 1.43). The main difference between the treatment groups was driven by cardiovascular mortality, with one event in the edoxaban group and five events in the enoxaparin/warfarin group (0.1% vs. 0.5%, respectively).[1],[2]For the combined principal safety outcome of the incidence of major and clinically-relevant non-major (CRNM) bleeding, events occurred in 1.5% of patients in the edoxaban group and 1.0% in the enoxaparin/warfarin group (OR, 1.48; 95% CI, 0.64 to 3.55). The difference was statistically non-significant. The incidence of major bleeding was numerically lower in the edoxaban group compared to the enoxaparin/warfarin group (0.3% vs. 0.5%, respectively) (OR: 0.61; 95% CI, 0.09 to 3.13). No intracranial bleedings were reported in the study in either of the treatment groups. No fatal bleeding was reported in the edoxaban group vs. one patient in the enoxaparin/warfarin group.[1],[2]The result for the net clinical outcome (composite of stroke, systemic embolic event, myocardial infarction, cardiovascular mortality, and major bleeding) was 0.7% in the edoxaban group and 1.4% in the enoxaparin/warfarin group (OR=0.50; 95% CI, 0.19 to 1.25) during the overall study period.[1],[2]Of note, the trial was not adequately powered to demonstrate statistical differences for efficacy or safety endpoints, but provides further insights on the use of edoxaban in the setting of electrical cardioversion of NVAF.[1],[2]In the ENSURE-AF study, patients were stratified according to cardioversion approach (TEE or non-TEE), a patient's prior experience taking anticoagulants at the time of randomization (i.e. anticoagulant-experienced or naive), and edoxaban dose (60 mg once-daily or reduced 30 mg once-daily). Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to two treatment groups within each stratum. Edoxaban was dosed at 60 mg once-daily. The dose was reduced to edoxaban 30 mg once-daily for those patients if one or more factors (renal impairment, low body weight, or concomitant use of certain P-glycoprotein inhibitors) were present. Patients in the enoxaparin/warfarin group received optimized standard of care such that those with International Normalized Ratio (INR) <2 began treatment with a minimum of one dose each of enoxaparin and warfarin before cardioversion and continued anticoagulation until therapeutic range (INR >=2) was achieved. Enoxaparin was discontinued after a therapeutic range was obtained. The efficacy and safety outcomes were consistent to the overall study cohort independent of TEE-guided strategies for cardioversion, prior anticoagulation naive status.[1],[2]"We are pleased with the results from ENSURE-AF, which provide additional scientific information about the use of once-daily edoxaban for peri-cardioversion management of patients with atrial fibrillation," said Hans Lanz, MD, Executive Director, Global Medical Affairs, Edoxaban. "Daiichi Sankyo is committed to expanding the scientific knowledge about edoxaban. The results from ENSURE-AF represent an important step in further understanding the use of edoxaban in cardiovascular patients in critical need."About ENSURE-AF(EdoxabaN vs. warfarin in subjectS UndeRgoing cardiovErsion of Atrial Fibrillation)ENSURE-AF is a Prospective, Randomized, Open-Label, Blinded Endpoint evaluation (PROBE), parallel-group phase 3b study, evaluating the efficacy and safety of once-daily edoxaban versus enoxaparin/warfarin in patients undergoing electrical cardioversion. The primary efficacy endpoint was the composite of stroke, systemic embolism, myocardial infarction and cardiovascular mortality. A total of 2,199 NVAF patients undergoing electrical cardioversion were enrolled at 239 clinical sites across North America and Europe. Patients were randomized to receive edoxaban 60 mg (or a reduced dose of edoxaban 30 mg for specific patients with renal impairment or low body weight or P-glycoprotein inhibitor use) or enoxaparin/warfarin for 28-49 days.[1],[2]About Atrial FibrillationAF is a condition where the heart beats irregularly and rapidly. When this happens, blood can pool and thicken in the chambers of the heart causing an increased risk of blood clots. These blood clots can break off and travel through the blood stream to the brain (or sometimes to another part of the body), where they have the potential to cause a stroke.[3]AF is the most common type of heart rhythm disorder, and is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality.[4] More than six million Europeans are diagnosed with AF, and this figure is expected to at least double over the next 50 years.[5],[6] Compared to those without AF, people with the arrhythmia have a three to five times higher risk of stroke.[7] One in five of all strokes are as a result of AF.[5]About EdoxabanEdoxaban is an oral, once-daily, direct factor Xa (pronounced "Ten A") inhibitor. Factor Xa is one of the key components responsible for blood clotting, so inhibiting this makes the blood thin and less prone to clotting.Extensive Clinical Research Program for EdoxabanDaiichi Sankyo is committed to expanding scientific knowledge about edoxaban, as demonstrated through our research programs evaluating its use in a broad range of cardiovascular conditions, patient types and clinical settings in atrial fibrillation (AF) and venous thromboembolism (VTE). The extensive edoxaban research program includes multiple RCTs (randomized, controlled trials), registries and non-interventional studies, with the goal of generating new clinical and real-world-data regarding its use in AF and VTE populations. Daiichi Sankyo expects that more than 100,000 patients will participate in the edoxaban clinical research program, including completed, ongoing and future research.The RCTs include:- ENSURE-AF (EdoxabaN vs. warfarin in subjectS UndeRgoing cardiovE rsion of Atrial Fibrillation), in AF patients undergoing electrical cardioversion; - ENTRUST-AF PCI (EdoxabaN TReatment versUS VKA in paTients with AF undergoing PCI), in AF patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention; - Hokusai-VTE Cancer (Edoxaban in Venous Thromboembolism Associated with Cancer), in patients with cancer and an acute VTE event.In addition, global and regional registry studies will provide important real-world-data about the use of edoxaban and other oral anticoagulants in everyday practice, and include:- ETNA-AF (Edoxaban Treatment in routiNe clinical prActice in patients with non valvular Atrial Fibrillation); - ETNA-VTE (Edoxaban Treatment in routiNe clinical prActice in patients with Venous ThromboEmbolism); - EMIT-AF/VTE (Edoxaban Management In diagnostic and Therapeutic procedures-AF/VTE); - Prolongation PREFER in AF (PREvention oF thromboembolic events - E uropean Registry) in patients with AF.We are committed to adding to the scientific body of knowledge around edoxaban in a variety of AF and VTE patients, including those who are vulnerable.About Daiichi SankyoDaiichi Sankyo Group is dedicated to the creation and supply of innovative pharmaceutical products to address diversified, unmet medical needs of patients in both mature and emerging markets. With over 100 years of scientific expertise and a presence in more than 20 countries, Daiichi Sankyo and its 16,000 employees around the world draw upon a rich legacy of innovation and a robust pipeline of promising new medicines to help people. In addition to a strong portfolio of medicines for hypertension and thrombotic disorders, under the Group's 2025 Vision to become a "Global Pharma Innovator with Competitive Advantage in Oncology," Daiichi Sankyo research and development is primarily focused on bringing forth novel therapies in oncology, including immuno-oncology, with additional focus on new horizon areas, such as pain management, neurodegenerative diseases, heart and kidney diseases, and other rare diseases. For more information, please visit: http://www.daiichisankyo.com.Forward-looking statementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements and information about future developments in the sector, and the legal and business conditions of DAIICHI SANKYO Co., Ltd. Such forward-looking statements are uncertain and are subject at all times to the risks of change, particularly to the usual risks faced by a global pharmaceutical company, including the impact of the prices for products and raw materials, medication safety, changes in exchange rates, government regulations, employee relations, taxes, political instability and terrorism as well as the results of independent demands and governmental inquiries that affect the affairs of the company. All forward-looking statements contained in this release hold true as of the date of publication. They do not represent any guarantee of future performance. Actual events and developments could differ materially from the forward-looking statements that are explicitly expressed or implied in these statements. DAIICHI SANKYO Co., Ltd. assume no responsibility for the updating of such forward-looking statements about future developments of the sector, legal and business conditions and the company.ContactLydia Worms (Europe)Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbHEdoxaban Communications & Product PR Europe+49-(89)-7808751References1. Goette, A, et al. Edoxaban versus enoxaparin / warfarin in subjects undergoing cardioversion of atrial fibrillation: the randomized (ENSURE-AF) study. The Lancet. Published online August 30, 2016: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/. 2. Goette A, et al. Edoxaban versus enoxaparin/warfarin in subjects undergoing cardioversion of atrial fibrillation: the randomized (ENSURE-AF) study. Presented at the European Society of Cardiology. August 30, 2016. Rome, Italy. 3. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute - What is Atrial Fibrillation. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/af/af_diagnosis.html. [Last accessed: March 2016]. 4. Iqbal MB, et al. Recent developments in atrial fibrillation. BMJ. 2005;330(7485):238-43. 5. Camm A, et al. ESC Guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation: the Task Force for the Management of Atrial Fibrillation. Eur Heart J. 2010;31(19):2369-2429. 6. Krijthe BP, et al. Projections on the number of individuals with atrial fibrillation in the European Union, from 2000 to 2060. Eur Heart J. 2013;34(35):2746-2751. 7. Ball J, et al. Atrial fibrillation: Profile and burden of an evolving epidemic in the 21st century. Int J Card. 2013;167:1807-1824.ots Originaltext: Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de
OJSC Surgutneftegas / Half-yearly Results OJSC Surgutneftegas: Statement of a significant fact 'On disclosure by the Issuer of interim condensed consolidated financial statements' 30-Aug-2016 / 08:39 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Regulatory Announcement, transmitted by EquityStory.RS, LLC - a company of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. *Statement of a significant fact* *'On disclosure by the Issuer of interim condensed consolidated financial statements'* 1. General information 1.1.The *Open Joint Stock Company 'Surgutneftegas'* Issuer's full corporat e name 1.2. The *OJSC 'Surgutneftegas'* Issuer's abbrevia ted corporat e name 1.3. The *ul.Grigoriya Kukuyevitskogo, 1, building 1, Surgut, issuer's Khanty-Mansiysky Autonomous Okrug - Yugra, Tyumenskaya location Oblast, Russian Federation* 1.4. The *1028600584540* Issuer's OGRN code 1.5. The *8602060555* Issuer's taxpayer identifi cation number (INN) 1.6. The *00155-A* Issuer's unique code as assigned by the register ing authorit y 1.7. http://www.surgutneftegas.ru/ru/investors/ [1]*;* Website used by *http://www.e-disclosure.ru/portal/company.aspx?id=312* the Issuer to disclose informat ion 2. Information content 2.1. Type of consolidated financial statements of the Issuer: *interim condensed consolidated financial statements.* 2.2. Reporting period for which the consolidated financial statements of the Issuer are compiled: *for the six months ended 30 June 2016.* 2.3. Standards of accounting (financial) statements in accordance with which the consolidated financial statements are compiled: *International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).* 2.4. Information on the auditor who prepared an audit report for the relevant consolidated financial statements of the Issuer or indication that an audit report for the relevant consolidated financial statements of the Issuer was not carried out: *audit was not carried out.* 2.5. Website where the Issuer published the text of the relevant consolidated financialstatements: http://www.surgutneftegas.ru/ru/investors/ [1]*;* *http://www.e-disclosure.ru/portal/company.aspx?id=312.* 2.6. Date when the Issuer published the text of the relevant consolidated financial statements on the Internet website: *29.08.2016.* 3. Signature 3.1. *Director General* *OJSC 'Surgutneftegas' ___________________ V.L.Bogdanov* 3.2. Date *29 August 2016 * STAMP The EquityStory.RS, LLC Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.dgap.de/ukreg Language: English Company: OJSC Surgutneftegas Grigoriya Kukuyevitskogo, 1, bld.1 628415 Surgut Russia Internet: www.surgutneftegas.ru ISIN: US8688612048 Category Code: IR TIDM: SGGD Sequence Number: 3362 Time of Receipt: 30-Aug-2016 / 08:39 CET/CEST End of Announcement EquityStory.RS, LLC News Service 496919 30-Aug-2016 1: http://public-cockpit.eqs.com/cgi-bin/fncls.ssp?fn=redirect&url=55af7fb5d5e6fd6d305f4410c8263b41&application_id=496919&site_id=vwd&application_name=news

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 30, 2016 02:39 ET (06:39 GMT)
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - A measure reflecting Swiss economic activity declined for the first time in three months and at a faster-than-expected pace in August, to its lowest level in eight months, survey data from the Swiss Economic Institute KOF showed Tuesday. The KOF Economic Barometer declined to 99.8 from 103.5 in July, which was revised from 102.7. Economists had forecast a score of 102. The latest reading was the lowest since December last year, when it was 96.7. The score also fell below its long-term average for the first time since December. The outlook for the Swiss economy is less upbeat than one month ago, returning to its long-term average path, the Zurich-based KOF said. The think tank attributed the monthly fall in the index to the deteriorating outlook in the Swiss manufacturing, banking and tourism sectors as well as international business situation. However, these negative tendencies were slightly offset by the positive tendencies in domestic consumption and construction sectors, KOF said. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.


OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - Shares of Bunzl PLC (BZLFY.PK, BNZL.L) were gaining around 2 percent in the early morning trading in London after the distribution and outsourcing Group reported Tuesday higher profit and revenues in its first half. The company also announced two acquisitions in Canada and its agreement to buy one in Hungary.



For the first half, profit before income tax increased 6 percent to 155.6 million pounds from last year's 147.1 million pounds. Earnings per share were 33.4 pence, higher than 31.8 pence a year ago.



Adjusted profit before income tax was 210.6 million pounds, compared to 187.0 million pounds last year. Adjusted earnings per share were 46.2 pence, compared to 41.4 pence last year.



Revenue for the period grew 10 percent to 3.45 billion pounds from 3.14 billion pounds last year. At constant exchange rates, revenues grew 6%.



Further, the company said its Board has decided to increase the interim dividend by 11% to 13.0 pence, as 23 year track record of dividend growth continues.



Frank van Zanten, Chief Executive of Bunzl, said: 'Going forward, we will focus on further expansion of the Group, continuing our investments in IT and digital projects and intensifying the sharing of best practice across our businesses globally. ...The Board is confident that Bunzl's well positioned businesses will develop further and that the prospects for the Group are positive.'



Separately, Bunzl announced that it has completed two further acquisitions in Canada and has entered into an agreement to acquire a business in Hungary.



During July, Bunzl entered into an agreement to purchase Budapest -based Silwell Kft, which had revenue in 2015 of about 6 million pounds. The business supplies a variety of disposable foodservice items both to distributors and end users operating in the hotel, restaurant and catering sectors in Hungary. The acquisition is expected to be completed at the end of September.



In Canada, the company acquired cleaning & hygiene products suppliers Plus II Sanitation Supplies Inc with 2015 revenue of C$32 million, as well as Apex Sanitation Products Ltd with 2015 revenues of C$12 million. Both businesses were acquired in July.



In London, Bunzl shares were trading at 2,469 pence, up 2.02 percent.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
EQS Group successfully supported the first virtual AGM by a listed company in the UK, which was held by the FTSE250 luxury shoe specialist Jimmy Choo PLC. Shareholders located across the globe were able to take part in the 2016 AGM virtually, watch the presentation and ask questions due to the solutions of EQS Group, a leading international technology provider for Digital Investor Relations.

EQS provided a live presentation and an additional teleconference to make the event accessible to all shareholders, regardless of their location. In fact, shareholders from three different time zones followed the meeting.

The EQS technologies allowed shareholders to follow the meeting via different devices like desktop computers, smartphones and tablets. A secure authentication process ensured that only authorised shareholders could enter the meeting. Questions could be asked via telephone conference, which was provided and managed by EQS including professional operator support. For voting purposes Jimmy Choo used the Lumi AGM Mobile platform.

"It's an honour for us to be chosen as partner for the first virtual AGM in the UK ever", says Ania Wojtus, Director at EQS Group Limited in London and explains: "In today's day and age, most institutional investors prefer to cast their vote electronically. It makes sense for companies to take advantage of technology and hold virtual meetings online so that shareholders can watch, listen, ask questions and vote wherever they are."

Peter Harf, Chairman of Jimmy Choo PLC, is happy with the AGM: "We are very pleased with the outcome of this process, which achieved its aim of broadening shareholder access to our AGM in the most convenient way possible. This was in good part due to our technology partner's innovative approach to modernising the traditional AGM."

About EQS Group:

The EQS Group is a leading international technology provider for Digital Investor Relations. More than 8,000 companies worldwide trust EQS's products and services to securely, efficiently, and simultaneously fulfil complex national and international information obligations to the global investment community.

The COCKPIT, a Software as a Service (Saas), digitally maps the work processes of IR managers, communicates with the company website and distributes company releases via one of the most important Financial Newswires. With further products like websites, IR tools and online company reports EQS Group is a digital single source provider.

EQS Group was founded in Munich, Germany in 2000 and has developed from a start-up to an international group with offices in the world's key financial markets. The group furthermore holds the majority interest in ARIVA.DE AG and employs about 300 professionals.

Language: English Company: EQS Group AG Karlstr. 47 80333 Munich Germany Phone: +49(0)89 210298-0 Fax: +49(0)89 210298-49 E-mail: info@eqs.com Internet: www.eqs.com ISIN: DE0005494165 WKN: 549416 Listed: Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Munich (m:access), Stuttgart, Tradegate Exchange; Open Market (Entry Standard) in Frankfurt

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830005551/en/

Contacts:

EQS Group Limited

Ania Wojtus Director

+44 (0) 7950693119

ania.wojtus@eqs.com

uk.eqs.com
ROME (dpa-AFX) - Italy's retail sales increased for the third straight month in June, defying economists' expectations for a decline, figures from the statistical office ISTAT showed Tuesday. Retail sales rose a seasonally adjusted 0.2 percent month-over-month in June, following a 0.3 percent climb in the previous month. Meanwhile, it was expected to drop by 0.2 percent. Sales of non-food products grew 0.4 percent over the month, while those of food products edged down by 0.1 percent. On an annual basis, retail sales climbed 0.8 percent in June, reversing a 1.5 percent fall in May. The expected rate of rise was only 0.1 percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
H.I.G. Europe ("H.I.G."), the European arm of global private equity firm H.I.G. Capital, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Inspired relating to the sale of the International School of Europe Group ("ISE") Closing of the transaction is expected in mid-September 2016. Terms were not disclosed.

ISE, founded in 1958 by the Formiga family, is a leading group of schools in Italy with over 1,800 local and expatriate students between the ages of 3 and 18 years old in Milan, Modena, Monza and Siena. ISE is one of the leading IB schools in Europe.

Raffaele Legnani, Managing Director of H.I.G. and head of H.I.G.'s activities in Italy, commented: "Paolo and Franco Formiga have been terrific partners for H.I.G. on this project and have helped us deliver an outstanding result for H.I.G. and its investors."

Paolo Formiga stated: "We would like to thank H.I.G. for their assistance in the development of ISE and we are excited to join the Inspired community of schools that will provide additional opportunities of growth for ISE's students and teachers."

Nadim M. Nsouli, Founder Chairman of Inspired,added: "We look forward to welcoming the students, parents and staff of ISE into our family of schools. We believe this represents an exciting development for both Inspired and ISE and look forward to working with the ISE leadership team to build upon the schools' impressive history of providing families in Milan, Modena, Monza and Siena with world class international education."

About the International School of Europe Group

The International School of Europe Group is a leading group of schools in Italy providing an outstanding education to over 1,800 local and expatriate students between the ages of 3 and 18 years old in Milan, Modena, Monza and Siena.

About H.I.G. Capital

H.I.G. is a leading global private equity and alternative assets investment firm with 18 billion of equity capital under management.* Based in Miami, and with offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Atlanta in the U.S., as well as international affiliate offices in London, Hamburg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Rio de Janeiro, H.I.G. specializes in providing both debt and equity capital to small and mid-sized companies, utilizing a flexible and operationally focused/ value-added approach:

1. H.I.G. Capital's equity funds invest in management buyouts, recapitalisations and corporate carve-outs of both profitable as well as underperforming manufacturing and service businesses.

2. H.I.G. Capital's debt funds invest in senior, unitranche and junior debt financing to companies across the size spectrum, both on a primary (direct origination) basis, as well as in the secondary markets. H.I.G. is also a leading CLO manager, through its WhiteHorse family of vehicles, and manages a publicly traded BDC, WhiteHorse Finance.

3. H.I.G.'s real estate funds invest in value-added properties, which can benefit from improved asset management practices.

Since its founding in 1993, H.I.G. has invested in and managed more than 200 companies worldwide. The firm's current portfolio includes more than 100 companies with combined sales in excess of 22billion. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. website at www.higcapital.com.

About Inspired

Inspired (www.inspirededu.co.uk) is a leading premium schools organization in Europe, Australia, Latin America and Africa. Inspired's expansion is backed by Educas (www.educasinternational.com), an education investment firm founded by Nadim M Nsouli. The addition of ISE will expand the group's global network to a total of 23 schools, providing an outstanding education to over 15,000 students. As part of Inspired's family of international schools, students and staff at ISE will benefit from the support of world-leading educational experts and access to state of the art learning platforms.

Based on total capital commitments managed by H.I.G. Capital and affiliates.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830005621/en/

Contacts:

H.I.G. Capital

Raffaele Legnani, +39 02 45 37 5200

Managing Director

rlegnani@higcapital.com
EQS-News / 30/08/2016 / 18:24 UTC+8 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 30, 2016 (A joint stock limited company incorporated in the People's Republic of China with limited liability) (Stock code: 3396.HK) *Legend Holdings Corporation Announces 2016 Interim Results* *Releases Strategic Investments Business Value Gradually,* *Net Profit amounted to RMB4.214 billion* *Financial Highlights* Six months ended 30 June, 2016 - Revenue of the Company and its subsidiaries was RMB134.984 billion - Consolidated Net Profit of the Company was RMB4.214 billion; Net profit attributable to equity holders of the Company was RMB2.584 billion - Basic earnings per share were RMB1.10 (30 August, 2016 - Hong Kong) *Legend Holdings Corporation* ( the "Company" or "Legend Holdings"; stock code: 3396.HK) is pleased to announce the unaudited condensed consolidated interim results of the Company for the six months ended June 30, 2016 (the "Review Period"). For the six months ended June 30, 2016, Legend Holdings realized revenue of RMB134.984 billion, with net profits attributable to the Company's equity holders amounting to RMB2.584 billion, and basic earnings per share were RMB1.10. With the unique and creative "Strategic investments + Financial investments" two-wheel-drive business model, Legend Holdings seizes domestic and overseas investment opportunities in the focus domain, and offers proactive value-added services to upgrade and unlock the value of the investment portfolio. In addition, the Company optimizes the debt structure to bring down long-term cost of capital; meanwhile, mid-term and long-term incentive scheme of the Company after listing attracts and encourages talents to create values for improvements of sustainable development, thereby fostering the achievement of the Company's strategic objectives. "In the first half year of 2016, there remained considerable uncertainties over the global economy and geopolitical landscape. In China, structural reforms have advanced to a critical stage, and it brought short-term impact on the development of enterprises. In this context of our insight and understanding of Chinese economy and corporate management & operations for over 30 years, and complete allocation of financial investments for over 10 years, Legend Holdings' strategy focused on emerging economy drivers in financial services, healthcare services, agriculture and food and consumer innovations, and brought initiative to create own value, and strategic investments business was growing steadily with value releasing continually, while financial investments maintained to contribute profit." *Mr. Zhu Linan, President of Legend Holdings*, stated, "Looking forward, when it comes to value enhancement of strategic investments, we will step up our management and service support to invested businesses in line with the New Normal trend of China. We will help investees to seize the opportunities to grow into the outstanding enterprises in the industry, and achieve growth in both value and financial return; help investees which are more susceptible to the external environment further unearth their potential. As for certain businesses, we leave open the option of making adjustments through optimization; timely improve and fine-tune our debt structure, which effectively minimizes the cost of funding and in turn augment our profitability. As far as our financial investments are concerned, aside from continuing to allocate into emerging and innovative industries, we will also follow closely the capital markets and seize the right window to realize IPO or exits for our investees." *Strategic investments* *Value Sustained Release in Focus Domain and Allocation of Overseas Quality Assets* During the Review Period, Legend Holdings has registered continuous growth in the strategic investments segments of financial services, modern services, modern food & agribusiness, and chemicals and energy materials, and the Company has also made outbound investments into quality assets from financial services and agriculture. Among them: Out of our strategic investments, financial services segment continued its healthy development, represented by robust business growth of Zhengqi Financial and JC Finance & Leasing and constant profit growth of Lakala. Modern services segment further capitalized on the momentum of invested themes, with Bybo Dental expanding its national footprint smoothly, and the Company further expanded alongside initiatives in other private healthcare practices. CAR Inc. consolidated its leading position in China with contributing substantial net income. In modern food & agribusiness segment, improvements in profit-making and business synergy have been realized for the fruit business of Joyvio Golden Wing Mau. Funglian Group turned from deficit to profits. Meanwhile, chemicals and energy materials segment has witnessed significant growth in revenue and net profit. Among the new investment projects, the Company has invested in Pension Insurance Corporation Group, UK's leading pension insurance company, pulling off allocation into quality financial assets overseas. The Company has also acquired KB Seafoods, Australia's leading seafood supply chain operator, working to build it into a leader in China's seafood industry by eyeing the Chinese market as its next stop. *IT*:During the Review Period, the revenue was RMB125.234 billion. Lenovo continued to outperform the PC market through solid execution of its strategy and further solidified its number one position, with continuously increase market share. Its worldwide PC market share was 21.1% for quarter two, 2016, an increase of 0.4 percentage point year-on-year, according to preliminary industry estimates. Meanwhile, capturing the potential high growth opportunities of smart devices, Lenovo has announced the world's first augmented reality (AR) capable smart device P-HAB2 Pro, which demonstrates Lenovo's strong R&D capability. Through the business transformation of Mobile Business, products was cut back and operating profit margin increased. While the business in China was in the transformation plan, the rest of world continued to be stable or realized growth. Lenovo will pursue the efficient organization structure, coupled with the competitive cost structure across all of its business, and drive stronger innovation, more customer-centric products and experiences, in order to realize its business transformation and gradually deliver the planned benefits. *Financial Services:* During the Review Period, the revenue was RMB 555 million. Legend Holdings has established a broad presence in the financial services business. Our subsidiaries or associates have obtained various financial licenses and permits. Based on a large pool of our portfolio and customer resources, we promote synergic development of our financial business. The net profits of financial services segment amounted RMB1,122 million, representing a growth of 78%. After development of more than 3 years, Zhengqi Financial has gradually become a cross-province SME financial services provider of considerable influence throughout China. In the first half of 2016, net profits of Zhengqi Financial increased approximately 143% to RMB578 million. Since JC Finance & Leasing established in November 2015, Lenovo's financial leasing business realized mutual growth and benefits. Lakala's profitability continued to grow. Leading business advantage of its symbiotic and integrated financial services platform, steady development of payment services and rapid growth of financial business combined to contribute to growing profits to Legend Holdings. In May 2016, Legend Holdings invested?111 million in PICG, whose subsidiary Pension Insurance Corporation is one of the leading pension insurance companies in Britain, representing 5.44% of the total share capital issued by PICG. Being optimistic in the development of the global pension insurance market in the long run, Legend Holdings will continue to look for quality overseas financial assets. *Modern Services:* During the Review Period, the revenue was RMB941 million. Bybo Dental continued to accelerate its network consolidation and paid attention to development of business scale and medical technology. As of 30 June, 2016, it has opened 180 hospitals and clinics, representing a year-on-year increase of 89.5%. The number of dental chairs increased 201% to 2,290, and the number of dentists increased 39.0% to 934. CAR completed a series of shareholding reorganization and organizational structure changes to further enhance and comb business collaboration between traditional car rental business and Internet innovative business, so as to better capture the emerging growth opportunities. The net profit increased 160.9% to 1,062 million, the total number of fleet increased 17.7% to 99,727. Until now, CAR had 764 directly operating service outlets in 93 cities of all provinces in China, the number of "CAR quasi-new" shops that sell used cars through a B2C platform increased to 14. *Modern Food & Agribusiness:*During the Review Period, the revenue was RMB1,225 million. Modern food & agribusiness segment kept finding significant investment opportunities around the circumstances among upgrading of consumer products, innovative model, industrial integration and overseas resources, to realize great growth with 33.2% and achieve overall profitability Through integration with distribution channels of Golden Wing Mau, the business performance of Joyvio Group was significantly enhanced with more balanced capability in different segments of supply chain. Joyvio Golden Wing Mau has become the country's largest industrially integrated fruit company. Through systematic integration with supply chain premium resources in China including the largest domestic planting bases of blueberries and kiwifruits, the largest supermarket supplier, Chile's premium fruit planting bases, Joyvio Golden Wing Mau has

(MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires

August 30, 2016 06:25 ET (10:25 GMT)
ARNHEM, the Netherlands, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

HyGear today announced the signing of a long term contract with Saint-Gobain (SGO.PA), one of the world's largest manufacturers of flat glass, to supply its float line in Arboc, Spain with hydrogen through on-site generation.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160826/401631 )



HyGear's technology, Hy.GEN, produces hydrogen by converting natural gas with steam methane reforming which offers a more reliable and cost-effective alternative to conventional supply methods.

With years of experience in on-site gas supply combined with extensive knowledge of the flat glass industry, HyGear has proven that their technology is the leading factor for cost reduction which lead to the decision for change at Saint-Gobain.

"At HyGear, our mission is to provide our customers with the most optimal, cost-effective and reliable form of gas supply. We have proven our mission through the experience that we have gained over the years in the industry and we are honoured to be selected by Saint Gobain," said Niels Lanser, HyGear's Director of Sales.

"Capturing innovative solutions among our suppliers is part of our World Class Purchasing key strategies. Hygear has developed an innovative cost-effective hydrogen production solution we could benefit worldwide," said Daniel Pacheco, Saint-Gobain's Industrial Gases Purchasing Manager.

Saint-Gobain is currently evaluating to transform other operations worldwide to on-site supply as well.

About HyGear

Providing an alternative solution for end-users of industrial hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen gases, HyGear developed cutting-edge technologies of on-site gas generation. With the combination of these systems and conventional gas distribution methods, we offer the most cost-effective and reliable supply method with a guarantee of 100% up-time.



Our technical services and customer support is guaranteed by many of our partners worldwide. And to be able to serve our customers more effectively, we have offices in Europe and Asia. More information, visit http://www.hygear.com

About Saint-Gobain

Saint-Gobain is constantly innovating to make living spaces more comfortable, cost-efficient and sustainable worldwide. Saint-Gobain solutions span from self-cleaning windows and photovoltaic glass to smart insulation systems, water supply systems and building materials distribution.

We offer solutions to the major challenges of energy efficiency and environmental protection. No matter what new needs emerge in the habitat and construction markets, the future is made of Saint-Gobain. More information, visit http://www.saint-gobain.com

HyGear Media Contact

Joanna Kwan

Asia: +65-9169-4232

Europe: +31-88-9494-302

joanna.kwan@hygear.nl



Saint-Gobain Media Contact

Daniel Pacheco

+33-1-47-62-49-36

Daniel.Pacheco@saint-gobain.com


ALBANY, New York, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

A market research report published by Transparency Market Research projects excellent growth prospects for the global aqua feed market. The report, titled "Aqua Feed Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019", states that the market will expand at an 11.4% CAGR between 2013 and 2019. Owing to such excellent growth prospects, the market is expected to rise from a market valuation of US$57.7 bn in 2012 to US$122.6 bn by 2019

The demand for aquaculture products has been on the rise over the past few years. This is because aquatic foods have high nutritional value and are also quite affordable. To cater to this demand, aquaculture has developed considerably, wherein the breeding of aquatic products is monitored and controlled.

The flourishing aquaculture market contributes significantly to the growth of the global aqua feed market. On the other hand, revenue contribution by the aqua feed market makes up almost 50% of the cost involved in operating an aquaculture facility. Therefore, the growth of the aqua feed market is dependent on the growth of the aquaculture industry to some extent.

Get Latest Industry Research PDF for more Professional and Technical Industry Insights:http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=1447

The report credits the flourishing growth of the global aquaculture market as the largest contributor to the overall growth of the global aqua feed market. According to the report, revenue generated by the aqua feed market contributes nearly 50% of the overall costs involved in running an aquaculture facility. The growth of the aqua feed market, therefore, to an extent depend on the overall growth of aquaculture industry. While the continuously rising demand for aquatic food products from the aquaculture industry will drive the market for aquafeed, the fluctuating costs of key ingredients such as fish oil, corn, and soybean and fish meal will restrain market's growth to a certain extent over the report's forecast period.

Of the key end users of aqua feed, the segment of carps held the largest share of the global market, accounting for 25%, in 2012. Carps are expected to be one of the fastest growing segments over the report's forecast owing to their compatibility in harsh environmental conditions. In 2012, the segment of mollusks held the second largest share of the global market and is expected to expand at an above-average growth pace over the report's forecast period owing to rising consumer awareness about their health benefits.

Browse Research Report with ToC & Free Analysis: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/aqua-feed-market.html

Geography-wise, the regional segment of Asia Pacific accounted for over 65% of the global demand of aqua feed in 2012. This regional market is also expected to maintain its dominant position in the market over the report's forecast period owing to the flourishing aquaculture industry in the region. Demand for aqua feed is also expected to significantly rise in the countries in the Rest of the World region over the report's forecast period. Some of the key vendors operating in the global aqua feed market are Beneo GmbH, Avanti Feeds Ltd., Alltech Inc., BioMar A/S, Aller Aqua A/S, Cargill Incorporated, Dibaq Aquaculture, and Cermaq ASA.

Browse Research PR: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/aqua-feed-market.htm

The global aqua feed market is segmented as:

Aqua Feed Market: End-use Analysis

Crustaceans

Mollusks

Carp

Salmon

Catfish

Tilapia

Others (Trouts, eels, milkfish, etc.)

Aqua Feed Market: Regional Analysis

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

RoW

Browse Market Analysis Blog: http://www.tmrblog.com/2016/08/aqua-feed-market-research.html

Browse Other Research Reports:

Aquaculture Market : http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/aquaculture-market.html



http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/aquaculture-market.html Global Fast Food Market:http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/global-fast-food-market.html

About TMR

Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The company's exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.

TMR's data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.

Contact

Transparency Market Research

State Tower

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Suite 700,

Albany NY - 12207

United States

Tel: +1-518-618-1030

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Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com



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Expanding offering with strategic investments

Regulatory News:

Tradedoubler (STO:TRAD):

THE SECOND QUARTER APRIL JUNE 2016

Net sales amounted to SEK 322 M (414). Net sales excluding change related items were SEK 322 M (419), a decrease of 23%.

Gross profit excluding change related items was SEK 71 M (84), a decrease of 15% or 13% adjusted for changes in exchange rates. Gross margin excluding change related items increased to 22% (20).

Operating costs excluding depreciation and change related items were SEK 72 M (90), a decrease of 19%.

EBITDA amounted to SEK -2 M (-13). Excluding change related items, EBITDA was SEK -2 M (-6).

Capitalised expenses for product development were SEK 8 M (8).

Cash flow from operating activities was SEK -76 M (-32) and the sum of cash and interest-bearing financial assets was SEK 227 M (323) at the end of the second quarter. Net cash in the second quarter decreased by SEK 96 M to SEK -21 M.

Earnings per share, before and after dilution were SEK -0.26 (-0.52).

Tradedoubler expands to Asia with the opening of an office in Singapore.

In June Tradedoubler announced a minority investment in the video company DynAdmic.

THE INTERIM PERIOD JANUARY JUNE 2016

Net sales amounted to SEK 694 M (846). Net sales excluding change related items were SEK 694 M (851), a decrease of 18%.

Gross profit excluding change related items was SEK 151 M (173), a decrease of 12% or 10% adjusted for changes in exchange rates. Gross margin excluding change related items increased to 22% (20).

Operating costs excluding depreciation and change related items were SEK 157 M (176), a decrease of 10%.

EBITDA amounted to SEK -8 M (-17). Excluding change related items, EBITDA was SEK -6 M (-3).

Capitalised expenses for product development were SEK 18 M (20).

Cash flow from operating activities was SEK -89 M (-30).

Earnings per share, before and after dilution were SEK -0.66 (-0.76).

In January 2016, Reworld Media S.A. increased its ownership in Tradedoubler from 17.8% to 29.95%.

Tomas Ljunglof, CFO of Tradedoubler resigned in December 2015 and left the company after the Annual General Meeting on 3 May. Viktor Wagstrom, previous Head of group accounting, will be interim CFO until a permanent CFO is appointed.

CEO MATTHIAS STADELMEYER'S COMMENTS

"The underlying gross profit trend in Q2 (excluding previously communicated losses) is in line with recent quarters. These year-on-year losses will start to phase out from Q3 as they are the result of client losses during 2014 and the first half of 2015. Throughout the first half of this year we have placed an increased focus on efficiencies and this has resulted in a reduction in costs and an improved EBITDA.

We have rolled out our full service programmatic solution, TD ENGAGE, in the UK and Germany and are already seeing encouraging results and interest from clients. We will roll out TD ENGAGE in all other markets during Q3.

During the first half of 2016 we took a minority share in DynAdmic, a company specialising in targeted contextual video, and we also took a minority share in R-Advertising, an affiliate marketing company. These strategic investments allow us to expand the scope of our customer-focused digital marketing offering.

In June we opened an office in Singapore to capitalise on the many opportunities that we see in the developing South East Asian e-commerce market. We are already having positive conversations and first signatures with both existing and new clients about working with them in the region.

During the second quarter we enhanced our market-leading tracking solution with the launch of Cross Device tracking in the UK, Germany and France and we will roll this out in other markets during Q3. In Q3 2015 we launched Cookieless tracking which is already delivering measurable results. We estimate that Cross Device will have an even greater impact on revenue generation as it significantly improves the sophistication and accuracy of our tracking.

We have ambitious plans to expand our offering: we will continue to develop new technologies that enhance our capabilities; we will seek out further strategic partnerships and acquisitions that extend our client-focused offering and will open new offices where we see the opportunity to develop our business.

The positive developments during the first half of 2016 and our ambitious future plans mean that we are continuing to make good progress with bringing Tradedoubler back to profitable growth."

Stockholm 30 August 2016

Matthias Stadelmeyer

Other information

This information is information that Tradedoubler AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Swedish Securities Markets Act. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, at 08.00 CET on 30 August 2016. Numerical data in brackets refers to the corresponding periods in 2015 unless otherwise stated. Rounding off differences may arise.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830005700/en/

Contacts:

Tradedoubler

Matthias Stadelmeyer

President and CEO

telephone +46 8 405 08 00

or

Viktor Wagstrom

interim CFO

telephone +46 8 405 08 00

E-mail: ir@tradedoubler.com
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
VIENNA (dpa-AFX) - Array BioPharma (ARRY) reported results from a Phase 2 study of ARRY-797, an oral, selective p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor, in patients with lamin A/C-related dilated cardiomyopathy (LMNA-related DCM), a degenerative cardiovascular disease caused by mutations in the LMNA gene and characterized by poor prognosis. The results demonstrated an absolute mean change from baseline of 69 meters on the six-minute walk test at week 12, the study's primary endpoint. The company has met with regulators to discuss the design of a study that could be the basis for marketing approval. Array is evaluating different options to advance the ARRY-797 program, including advancing it on its own, partnering the program for further development and commercialization or creating a separate company based on this asset. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Press Release

Krasnodar

August 30, 2016

PJSC "Magnit" Announces the Change of Share of the Entity under the Issuer's Control

Krasnodar, August 30, 2016: Public Joint Stock Company "Magnit", Russia's largest food retailer (the "Company", the "Issuer", MOEX and LSE: MGNT), announces the change of share of the entity which is under the Issuer's control.

Full company name and address: Joint Stock Company "Tander"

185, Levanevskogo street, Krasnodar, Russia Taxpayer Id Number: 2310031475 Principal State Registration Number: 1022301598549 Object of acquisition/ disposal: Ordinary registered uncertified voting shares with a state registration No. 1-01-60525-P of 04.03.2004, International Securities Identification Number (ISIN) RU000A0JKQU8 Disposal of shares Date of change: August 24, 2016 Amount of disposed shares: 5,394 shares (0.005704% of the total equity) Basis for disposal: Sale and Purchase Agreement executed in the trading of Closed Joint Stock Company MICEX Stock Exchange Amount of votes before disposal: 14,239 votes (0.015058% of the total number of votes) Amount of votes after disposal: 8,845 votes (0.009354% of the total number of votes) Disposal of shares Date of change: August 25, 2016 Amount of disposed shares: 660 shares (0.000698% of the total equity) Basis for disposal: Sale and Purchase Agreement executed in the trading of Closed Joint Stock Company MICEX Stock Exchange Amount of votes before disposal: 8,845 votes (0.009354% of the total number of votes) Amount of votes after disposal: 8,185 votes (0.008656% of the total number of votes) Acquisition of shares Date of change: August 26, 2016 Date of the fact being reported to the Issuer: August 30, 2016 Amount of acquired shares: 4,900 shares (0.005182% of the total equity) Basis for acquired: Sale and Purchase Agreement executed in the trading of Closed Joint Stock Company MICEX Stock Exchange Amount of votes before acquired: 8,185 votes (0.008656% of the total number of votes) Amount of votes after disposal: 13,085 votes (0.013838% of the total number of votes)

For further information, please contact:

Timothy Post Head of Investor Relations

Email: post@magnit.ru

Office: +7-861-277-4554 x 17600

Mobile: +7-961-511-7678

Direct Line: +7-861-277-4562 Investor Relations Office MagnitIR@magnit.ru

Direct Line: +7-861-277-4562

Website: ir.magnit.com/ Media Inquiries Media Relations Department

press@magnit.ru

Company description:

Magnit is Russia's largest food retailer. Founded in 1994, the company is headquartered in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar. As of June 30, 2016, Magnit operated 34 distribution centers and 12,888 stores (9,902 convenience, 398 hypermarkets and 2,588 drogerie stores) in 2,397 cities and towns throughout 7 federal regions of the Russian Federation.

In accordance with the reviewed IFRS consolidated financial statements for 1H 2016, Magnit had revenues of RUB 522 billion and an EBITDA of RUB 52 billion. Magnit's local shares are traded on the Moscow Stock Exchange (MOEX: MGNT) and its GDRs on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: MGNT) and it has a credit rating from Standard & Poor's of BB+. Measured by market capitalization, Magnit is one of the largest retailers in Europe.
Representatives from ABB, Fujitsu, MITRE, and RTI elected by the membership

The Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC), the global, public-private organization formed to accelerate adoption and enablement of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), announced four new Steering Committee members for a total of 13 members. The new Steering Committee members, voted in as the result an annual membership election, include:

ABB, Eric Harper, Senior Principal Scientist, elected to serve a one-year term in one of the large industry seats.

Fujitsu, Jacques Durand, Director of Standards and Engineering, re-elected to serve a two-year term in one of the large industry seats.

MITRE Corporation, Robert A. Martin, Senior Principal Engineer, re-elected to serve a one-year term in the academic non-profit seat.

Real-Time Innovations, Inc., Stan Schneider, CEO, re-elected to serve a two-year term in the small industry seat.

"I'd like to congratulate the new and re-elected Steering Committee members on their election and welcome them to the team," said John Tuccillo, IIC Steering Committee Chair, and Senior Vice President of Global Industry and Government Affairs, Schneider Electric. "We have a dynamic group and I look forward to working together to guide the IIC and collaborate on strategic initiatives in the coming years."

Eric Harper, Senior Principal Scientist, ABB, who brings additional perspective of the large industry to the IIC from a leading automation supplier in utilities, industry, and transport, said, "As a Steering Committee member, I will foster collaboration between group leaders and encourage knowledge sharing and best practices among members to advance the goals of the IIC." Eric currently serves as Co-chair for both the Technology Working Group and the Industrial Analytics Task Group. He contributes to both the Testbed and Business Strategy and Solution Lifecycle (BSSL) Working Groups.

Jacques Durand, Director of Standards and Engineering, Fujitsu, said, "As a Steering Committee member, I'll continue to use my large-industry expertise with standards development organizations and testing, conformance, and interoperability labs to further the mission of the Industrial Internet Consortium. I'll also bring additional representation on the SC for the IIC members of East Asia and in particular for the Japanese IIC community." Mr. Durand is Co-chair of the BSSL Group. He is an active participant in the Liaisons, Technology, and Testbed groups.

Robert A. Martin, Senior Principal Engineer, MITRE Corporation, brings his knowledge and skills about risk management, cyber security, and quality assurance to the IIC. "During the past year, I have been actively engaged in crafting the Industrial Internet Security Framework," said Mr. Martin. "As a Steering Committee member, I will ensure that we are diligent in how we shape new solutions and approaches to security." Previously Mr. Martin co-chaired the Vertical Taxonomy Task Group and delivered the first version of the Verticals Taxonomy. He also serves on the Testbed Subcommittee and participates in the Industrie 4.0/IIC Joint Working Group on Security.

Stan Schneider is the CEO, Real-Time Innovations, Inc. (RTI), a small company with more than 1,000 IIoT projects spanning many industries. "The IIC has the scale and momentum to lead the amazing future of the Industrial IoT. Small companies bring great ingenuity and agility to the IIC but they need the IIC to move quickly," said Dr. Schneider. "On the Steering Committee, I will work to speed execution and communication." Dr. Schneider is the Chair of the Steering Committee Testbed Subcommittee, chartered to clarify testbed strategy and ensure execution and maximum industry impact. Recently, Dr. Schneider created the Ecosystem Task Group to help member companies leverage the IIC's members and resources to maximize return.

The newly-elected steering committee members will officially join their peers at the IIC's quarterly member meeting in St. Leon-Rot, Germany on September 19th.

About Industrial Internet Consortium

The Industrial Internet Consortium is an open membership organization with about 250 members from 30 countries, formed to accelerate the development, adoption and wide-spread use of interconnected machines and devices, intelligent analytics and people at work. Founded by AT&T, Cisco, General Electric, IBM, and Intel in March 2014, the Industrial Internet Consortium catalyzes and coordinates the priorities and enabling technologies of the Industrial Internet. The Industrial Internet Consortium is managed by the Object Management Group (OMG). For more information, visit www.iiconsortium.org.

Note to editors: Industrial Internet Consortium is a registered trademark of OMG. For a listing of all OMG trademarks, visit http://www.omg.org/legal/tm_list.htm. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830005140/en/

Contacts:

Industrial Internet Consortium

Karen Quatromoni, +1-781-444-0404 x146

quatromoni@iiconsortium.org
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The S&P/Case-Shiller is scheduled to release their 20-city composite house price index for June at 9 am ET Tuesday. Economists expect the index to have risen a seasonally adjusted 0.1 percent month-over-month, reversing the 0.1 percent drop in May. Ahead of the data, the greenback traded mixed against its major rivals. While the greenback declined against the pound, it moved up against the rest of major rivals. The greenback was worth 1.1156 against the euro, 1.3106 against the pound, 102.48 against the yen and 0.9813 against the franc as of 8:55 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
YOKOHAMA (dpa-AFX) - Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (7211, MMTOF.PK) suspended sales of eight car models in Japan after the country's Transport Ministry said the company overstated fuel-economy figures. The Transport Ministry has ordered Mitsubishi to correct the numbers, which were off by as much as 8.8%. The company said it would suspend sales of the eight models for two weeks. In April, Mitsubishi said that it had falsified fuel-economy data for four car models sold in Japan, two of which it had manufactured for Nissan Motor Co. The latest announcement brings the total number of vehicle models withdrawn from the market over misstated fuel-economy figures to 12. Mitsubishi said Tuesday it would set aside 7 billion yen in addition to the 150 billion yen it already earmarked to compensate owners of the affected models and its partner, Nissan. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
The main activities of the Company in 2016 were logging and production of timber products: peeled and turn poles production in timber processing unit.In 2016 the net turnover was EUR 1 686 925, that is about 10.15% less than in 2015.During 6 month of the year 2016, 10 213.- m3 poles were produced in the timber processing unit and woodchips of 23 803.-m3 were sold.Total revenues for the Company during 6 month of year 2016 were EUR 1 686 925.The result for 6 month of the year 2016 is profits EUR 64 164, which corresponds to EUR 0.129 profits per share.2016 2015 -------------------------------------------------------------- Note EUR EUR -------------------------------------------------------------- Revenues 2 1 686 925 1 877 472 -------------------------------------------------------------- Cost of goods sold 3 (1 574 664) (1 766 775) -------------------------------------------------------------- Gross result 112 261 110 697 -------------------------------------------------------------- Administration expenses 4 (38 829) (34 825) -------------------------------------------------------------- Other operating income 5 2 348 4 -------------------------------------------------------------- Other operating expenses 6 (7 114) (7 606) -------------------------------------------------------------- Fiancial income 7 2 005 -------------------------------------------------- Financial expenses 8 (3 245) (1 812) -------------------------------------------------------------- Profit (loss) before taxes 65 421 68 463 -------------------------------------------------------------- Deferred corporate income tax 9; 18 - - -------------------------------------------------------------- Other taxes 17 (1 257) (1 243) -------------------------------------------------------------- Net profit (loss) 64 164 67 220 --------------------------------------------------------------In the future the Company plans to continue the production of peeled and turn poles, increasing the proportion of timber purchased from small logging companies and private loggers, whose price offering is lower than that of VAS Latvijas valsts mezi. It is also planned to sell the produced goods to a wider network of clients, achieving the most beneficial sales price.Please find attached Financial Report (with Declaration) of 6 month 2016.Chairman of the Board JSC Talsu mezrupnieciba Gatis Staks Mob.ph. +371 26538894 e-mail:gatis@tmr.lvAttachment:https://cns.omxgroup.com/cds/DisclosureAttachmentServlet?messageAttachmentId=584161
The ULE Alliance, a non-profit organization, based in Bern, Switzerland, is pleased to welcome Panasonic as a new promoter member.

"We are excited to expand our role at the ULE Alliance. We are convinced that ULE has all the merits to become a dominant player in the IoT domain," says David Tuerk, General Manager Smart Home Telecom Europe of Panasonic. "Panasonic will support the global market deployment of ULE for home and building use."

"I am very pleased to welcome Panasonic's upgrade to Promoter member. As a leading global player, we are confident that Panasonic's leadership will bring substantial value to the ULE Alliance and the growing worldwide adoption of the ULE technology," says Rene Kohlmann, Chairman of the ULE Alliance. "With ten Panasonic products already ULE Alliance certified, their increased activities in the Alliance will certainly help us as we look to expand ULE standards conformance and interoperability in the Smart Home market."

The ULE Alliance is driving the effort to make ULE technology the leading infrastructure and standard for home wireless networks. ULE technology is the most secure, longest range and most stable low energy wireless networking solution available on the market. It supports integrated two-way voice and video, and enables whole home solutions with a simple low-cost layout. The ULE Alliance assists its members in developing IoT solutions that build on ULE's technological superiority and market benefits.

For more information about the different types and benefits of ULE Alliance membership, please visit the ULE Alliance website or contact the Secretariat.

Please visit us at IFA 2016: The ULE Alliance is located in Hall 6.2, Booth 102. To set up a meeting with representatives of the ULE Alliance, please contact secretariat@ulealliance.org.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830005655/en/

Contacts:

ULE Alliance

Roland Schmidt

+49 176 2535 0007

media@ulealliance.org
Las Vegas, Nevada--(Newsfile Corp. - August 30, 2016) - Defense Technologies International Corp (OTCQB: DTII) (The Company), a developer of security technologies, announces that it has begun the final phase of production, and will be testing and market its New Passive Scanner Unit in the very near future.

The original prototype was successfully demonstrated and proven at the Science and Technology Offices of Homeland Security in Washington DC's Offices.

Our thanks go out to Mr. John Richardson for his assistance in arranging the demonstration to the Department of Homeland Security.

John Richardson, a retired Airline Pilot arranged last fall for DTC to demonstrate its former Prototype to Science and Technology at the Homeland Securities Offices in Washington DC.

Mr. Richardson said: "The Metal Detector (Passive Scan) was demonstrated at the DHS Washington DC Office in the presence of the Deputy Secretary of Science and Technology Mr. A. Trent DePersia and a group of workers. Each worker was instructed to bring some concealed object to test the detector unit that was set up in the office. Not a single person was able to pass through the detector without triggering the alarm. Everyone present was very impressed.

He continued, "With the new patents added to the device, I am sure that it will be even better and I am pleased that DTC is succeeding. This device is a must especially for schools as well as other venues of assembly. It will trigger an alert for any metal object such as guns, knives etc. I believe that our country and the world need the DTC Scanner device which will save many lives and give especially parents peace of mind while their children attend school".

"I am completely a neutral party and have never been paid by the Company concerning anything with Defense Technologies and my statement is factual and unbiased," Mr. Richardson concluded.

Mr. Richardson is not a shareholder of Defense Technologies International Inc. nor its subsidiary Defense Technology Corporation. He has no business relationship with the Company or any of its Directors/Officer or employees.

Since the demonstration at HLS the inventor added two new patents (including Bluetooth Technology) that will enhance communication as well as the sensitivity and accuracy of the original scanning device. We look forward to demonstrating the improved design in the near future.

The Company's 'Offender Alert Passive Scan' is a "next generation" walk-through detector scanning unit. This patented and trademarked passive scanning system allows for detecting and identifying concealed threats such as guns, knives, etc. Unlike other scanners the public is more familiar with, Defense Technologies does NOT use X-rays to detect threats. Serious health concerns have been raised over the repeated exposure to X-rays from scanning machines currently in use.



Photos of the first unit frames can be seen on our official Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/DefenseTechnologiesInternationalCorp

Merrill W. Moses the CEO of Defense Technologies International Corp. commented." We are pleased to announce that the added patented technology will improve the quality of our Passive Scanner substantially. We are especially interested to bring more safety to our schools but other venues of assembly as well."

As of August 30, 2016, the Company had approximately 26,546,056 common shares issued and outstanding, and was traded on the OTCQB exchange under the ticker symbol "DTII".

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking" statements. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

Contact:

Defense Technologies International

Merrill W. Moses,

President & CEO

Phone: 800 520-9485

Email: dtii@defensetechnologiesintl.com
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that the US Government has reached the goal of welcoming at least 10,000 of the most vulnerable refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria to the United States. Today, by committing additional resources to our refugee admissions process and maintaining our rigorous screening process and commitment to the security of the American people, we have reached that goal, he said in a statement Monday. Since 1975, over 3.2 million refugees have joined the fabric of American society, each one making us a stronger, more pluralistic society, he added. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 22, 2016) - Castle Peak Mining Ltd. (TSXV: CAP) ("Castle Peak" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the results of its Annual General and Special Meeting of shareholders (the "Meeting"), and provides a general corporate and exploration update.

Results of the Meeting

At the Meeting held on November 16, 2016, the shareholders of the Corporation elected the five directors nominated by management in the Corporation's Management Information Circular dated October 14, 2016. The ordinary resolutions to re-appoint the auditor, Davidson & Company, and to ratify and approve the amended stock option plan were both approved.

Corporate and Exploration Update

The Company continues to discuss partnership opportunities with respect to certain concessions and the high grade Apankrah Deposit, and review additional opportunities as they are presented. The Company's objective is to be active on the ground during the upcoming dry season.

Technical Disclosure

Castle Peak's technical disclosure in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Darren Lindsay, P.Geo., Castle Peak's President and CEO, who serves as a Qualified Person under the definition in National Instrument 43-101 ('NI 43-101').

About Castle Peak

Castle Peak Mining Ltd. is a Canadian-based exploration company focused on advancing early stage gold projects. The Company holds a strategic land package in the Ashanti belt adjacent to several producing gold mines in Ghana, West Africa. The Ashanti belt is known as one of the most prolific gold belts in the world, putting Ghana as the second largest gold producer in Africa with past production of >150 million ounces. For additional information please visit www.castlepeakmining.com



On behalf of the Board of Castle Peak Mining Ltd.:

"Darren Lindsay"

President and Chief Executive Officer

darrenl@castlepeakmining.com



FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain 'forward-looking information' and 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of applicable securities laws including statements regarding the proposed consolidation and exploration results, anticipated gold recoveries and future exploration and development at the Akorade Project. Such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to vary materially from the anticipated results or events predicted in these forward-looking statements, including the ability of the Company to enter into strategic relationships and obtain regulatory approval; the outcome of due diligence investigations in connection with any strategic partnership; and those risk factors identified in the Company's Annual MD&A filed under the Company's SEDAR profile. As a result, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this release. Except as required by applicable law, Castle Peak disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Students in Hyden, Kentucky, will have the opportunity to speak with two NASA astronauts currently living and working aboard the International Space Station at 1:10 p.m. EDT Wednesday, NASA said. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website. Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineer Kate Rubins will answer questions from students of Leslie County High School at the Hazard Community & Technical College's (HCTC) School of Bluegrass and Traditional Music in Hyden. Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky will kick-off the event, joined by NASA astronaut Tim Kopra, who returned from the space station June 18. Williams launched to the space station on March 18 and is scheduled to depart on September 6. Rubins launched on July 6 and will return home in October. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
LIMASSOL, Cyprus, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

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Banc De Binary operates within a strict legal framework where the integrity of client information is safeguarded at all times. Due to the company's devotion to its clients' safety, Banc De Binary goes to extreme measures to ensure potential success amongst its traders. Thus, Banc De Binary only operates in regulated financial markets, which meet strict regulatory standards.

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All transactions are SSL-secure (secure socket layer) and the highest encryption protocols are in place at all times. The process of withdrawal is equally easy and secure. The moment a client submits a Withdrawal Request, it is passed on to the Back Office Department for processing. Processing a Withdrawal Request may take up to 5 business days to fulfill, and it will reach the client through the same method he used to deposit the funds to begin with. This process is part of Banc De Binary's commitment to promote a safe trading environment.

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DUBLIN, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global and China Automotive Night Vision System Industry Report, 2016-2020" report to their offering.

Night vision system can solve the vision problem in night driving and thus is the first to be used in Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, as well as other luxury cars such as Rolls-Royce Ghost/Wraith, Cadillac CT6, Lexus LS/GS and Maybach S Class. As the core part detector is costly, night vision system hasn't been popularized yet.



According to the survey, in 2016, the penetration rate of global automotive night vision system is only 0.47%, of which, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW boast the highest assembly volume, Autoliv serves as the uppermost system provider, and FLIR is the primary supplier of thermal infrared imagers.



In China, night vision system is mainly assembled in imported cars of luxury brands e.g. Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, as well as domestically made models e.g. Dongfeng Yulon Luxgen, Hongqi H7, BYD SIRUI, registering a low penetration rate of 0.05% in 2016. Among them, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Luxgen have relatively high assembly volume.



Global automotive night vision system suppliers are mainly Autoliv, Delphi, Bosch, Valeo and Visteon. Autoliv as the biggest one serves primarily Audi and BMW and accounts for roughly 60% of the market share. In 2016, Autoliv has launched the third-generation night vision solutions, which is said to be the world's first night vision system that can detect traffic danger and living things in total darkness or fog.



In China, local night vision system manufacturers are mainly Protruly Vision Technology Group (PROTRULY), Wuhan Guide Infrared Co., Ltd, Zhejiang Dali Technology Co., Ltd., etc. Among them, PROTRULY is engaged in the development of active infrared technology, while Guide Infrared and Dali Technology specialize in passive infrared night vision system.



In the future, with the growth of ADAS market, night vision system will usher in new development opportunities, resulting in fast-growing demand but also a change in product form e.g. fusion as a function of driving safety assistance system, integration with HUD and intelligent headlamp. Besides, whether active or passive night vision systems the technical defects haven't been effectively improved, without ruling out the possibility of being replaced by other technologies such as millimeter-wave radar and camera in years to come.



The report provides the following:



Structure, technical solution, development characteristics and trends of automotive night vision system;

Penetration rate, assembly volume, market size, competition pattern and trends of global night vision system;

Penetration rate, assembly volume, market size, development characteristics and trends of Chinese night vision system;

Development of night vision system industry chain, including market size and competition pattern of the downstream - ADAS and the upstream - thermal infrared imager;

Analysis on global and Chinese automotive night vision system enterprises, including profile, financial condition, characteristics of night vision system products, development planning, and more.

Companies Mentioned



Autoliv

Bosch

Delphi

FLIR

Guangdong Coagent Electronics S&T Co., Ltd.

Guangzhou SAT Infrared Technology Co., Ltd.

Hubei Jiuzhiyang Infrared System Co., Ltd

Jiangsu Kinzo Opto-electronic Instrument Co., Ltd.

North Night-Vision Science & Technology Group Co., Ltd.

Protruly Vision Technology Group

Valeo

Visteon

Wuhan Guide Infrared Co., Ltd

Xinxing Guangdian (XXGD)

Zhejiang Dali Technology Co., Ltd.

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/7c87xk/global_and_china



Related Topics: Automotive Safety

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716


TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (7211, MMTOF.PK) has suspended sales of eight car models in Japan after the country's Transport Ministry said the automaker overstated the fuel-economy figures for those models.



Japan's Transport Ministry has ordered Mitsubishi to stop domestic sales of the eight vehicle models and submit correct fuel-economy readings for the offending vehicles.



'Our investigation confirmed that the fuel economy on eight models. were as much as 8.8% and on average 4.2% lower than advertised,' the transport ministry stated.



Mitsubishi, Japan's sixth-largest automaker, said it will suspend sales of the eight models for two weeks. The models include the Outlander, Pajero and RVR SUV.



In April, Mitsubishi admitted manipulating fuel economy data for about 625,000 vehicles sold in Japan. The company admitted to falsifying fuel-economy data for four mini-car models, two of which are the 'eK Wagon' and 'eK Space' that were manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors.



The other two mini-car models were the 'Dayz' and 'Dayz Roox,' which have been manufactured by Mitsubishi and supplied to Nissan Motors Corp. since June 2013.



The latest announcement brings the total number of Mitsubishi vehicle models withdrawn from the market for falsified fuel-economy data to twelve.



In April, Mitsubishi revealed a fraud in its fuel-consumption test. The scandal-hit company's President Tetsuro Aikawa resigned, taking the responsibility for the fraud.



The scandal prompted Mitsubishi to seek financial help from Nissan Motors, which agreed to acquire a controlling one-third stake in the company.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - After reporting a marginal decline in U.S. consumer confidence in the previous month, the Conference Board released a report on Tuesday showing that consumer confidence rebounded strongly in the month of August.



The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index jumped to 101.1 in August from a downwardly revised 96.7 in July.



Economists had expected the index to come in unchanged compared to the 97.3 originally reported for the previous month.



With the substantial increase, the consumer confidence index reached its highest level since September of last year.



'Consumers' assessment of both current business and labor market conditions was considerably more favorable than last month,' said Lynn Franco, Director of Economic Indicators at the Conference Board.



She added, 'Short-term expectations regarding business and employment conditions, as well as personal income prospects, also improved, suggesting the possibility of a moderate pick-up in growth in the coming months.'



Reflecting the improved assessment of current conditions, the present situation index climbed to 123.0 in August from 118.8 in July.



The report said consumers calling business conditions 'good' increased to 30.0 percent from 27.3 percent, while those saying business conditions are 'bad' remained virtually unchanged at 18.4 percent.



Consumers' assessment of the labor market was also more favorable, with those claiming jobs were more 'plentiful' rising to 26.0 percent from 23.0 percent, although those saying jobs are 'hard to get' also rose to 23.4 percent from 22.1 percent.



The Conference Board said the expectations index also improved to 86.4 in August from 82.0 in July, as consumer optimism regarding the short-term outlook picked up.



The percentage of consumers expecting business conditions to improve over the next six months rose to 17.3 percent from 15.7 percent, and those expecting business conditions to worsen fell to 11.1 percent from 12.4 percent.



Additionally, consumers expecting more jobs in the months ahead edged up to 14.2 percent from 13.5 percent, while those anticipating fewer jobs remained virtually unchanged at 17.5 percent.



The University of Michigan released a separate report last Friday that unexpectedly showed a slight decline in consumer sentiment in August.



The report said the final reading on the consumer sentiment index for August came in at 89.8 compared to the initial estimate of 90.4. With the downward revision, the consumer sentiment index for August was below the final July reading of 90.0.



The downward revision came as a surprise to economists, who had expected the index to be upwardly revised to a reading of 90.7.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Japanese yen extended decline against its key counterparts in New York deals on Tuesday. The yen weakened to near a 5-week low of 102.84 versus the greenback and near a 4-week low of 134.81 against the pound, from its early 4-day highs of 101.75 and 133.34, respectively. The yen reached as low as 114.59 against euro and 104.66 against the franc, off its previous 4-day highs of 113.85 and 104.03, respectively. Reversing from an early high of 77.08 against the aussie, the yen edged down to 77.38. The yen declined to near 3-week lows of 74.31 against the kiwi and 78.73 against loonie, reversing from its early high of 73.84 and a 4-day high of 78.19, respectively. On the downside, the yen is likely to find support around 104.00 against the greenback, 137.5 against the pound, 116.00 against the euro, 106.00 against the franc, 79.00 against the aussie, 75.00 against the kiwi and 80.00 against the loonie. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
The Supervisory Board of SUSS MicroTec AG has appointed Dr. Franz Richter (61) as a new member of the management board of SUSS MicroTec AG. His contract will run for a period of three years. Dr. Richter accepted the appointment to the management board as of today and he will assume his position as new CEO on September 7, 2016. Dr. Richter on the one hand stands for continuity in the strategic orientation of the SUSS MicroTec Group and on the other hand for innovation and technological leadership.

Following his professional activities as a scientist at the Carl Zeiss Group and the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology, he spent 14 years working for SUSS MicroTec, the last six of them as its CEO until 2004. During this time, the IPO took place and revenue grew beyond 200 million Euro. After serving as President of Semiconductor Equipment Division at Unaxis (now OC Oerlikon) in Pfaffikon, Switzerland, he set up Thin Materials AG and became its CEO in 2007. The company is engaged in the process development for the 3D chip integration and was successfully sold to Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd.,Tokyo, in 2013. Today Dr. Richter serves as a member of the supervisory board of the stock listed Siltronic AG, Munich, Germany, the administrative board of Meyer Burger Technology AG, Gwatt, Switzerland and the COMET Holding AG, Flamatt, Switzerland.

During his career, Dr. Richter has gained a lot of international expertise in technology management topics, especially in the semiconductor industry, where he is considered as being a leading expert. In all these years, he remained closely linked to SUSS MicroTec

"We are delighted that in Dr. Richter we could win a proven expert familiar with the company as well as the industry and an internationally experienced manager for the position as CEO, who stands for continuity and at the same time for innovative solutions.", says Dr. Stefan Reineck, chairman of the supervisory board of SUSS MicroTec AG.

"I look forward to the exciting challenge as CEO in this high-technology company. SUSS MicroTec has an enormous potential in rapidly changing markets. I am convinced that the management board and the supervisory board together will shape the successful future of the company. ", says Dr. Franz Richter.

About SUSS MicroTec

SUSS MicroTec is a leading supplier of equipment and process solutions for microstructuring in the semiconductor industry and related markets. In close cooperation with research institutes and industry partners SUSS MicroTec contributes to the advancement of next-generation technologies such as 3D Integration and nanoimprint lithography as well as key processes for MEMS and LED manufacturing. With a global infrastructure for applications and service SUSS MicroTec supports more than 8.000 installed systems worldwide. SUSS MicroTec is headquartered in Garching near Munich, Germany. For more information, please visit http://www.suss.com

Language: English Company: SUSS MicroTec AG Schleissheimer Strasse 90 85748 Garching Germany Phone: +49 (0)89 32007-161 Fax: +49 (0)89 32007-451 E-mail: ir@suss.com Internet: www.suss.com ISIN: DE000A1K0235 WKN: A1K023 Indices: TecDAX Listed: Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, Stuttgart, Tradegate Exchange

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830006087/en/

Contacts:

SUSS MicroTec AG

Franka Schielke

Senior Manager

Investor Relations

Tel.: +49 (0)89 32007-161

Fax: +49 (0)89 32007-451

Email: franka.schielke@suss.com
The global UV LED technology marketis expected to grow at a CAGR of close to 39% during the forecast period, according to Technavio's latest report.

In this report, Technavio covers the market outlook and growth prospects of the global UV LED technologymarket for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers the total sales of UV LEDs (UV-A LEDs, UV-B LEDs, and UV-C LEDs). However, the report does not consider the sales of components used for the production of UV LEDs to estimate the market size.

In 2015, the UV curing market dominated the UV LED technology market with a 48.14% market share owing to the increased demand for UV curing equipment from the printing industry, and the breakthrough in flux density of UV LED chips.

The printing industry has emerged as one of the largest users of UV curing equipment. Press designers and manufacturers can achieve both high-power pinning and curing with UV LED inkjets, resulting in the highest possible image quality. The use of UV LED systems for curing UV inkjet inks is introducing new applications for print shops and expanding the versatility of a printer platform. The use of UV LED in inkjet printers allows it to print on heat-sensitive substrates without shrinking or warping the material. The use of UV LED inkjets also increases printer reliability because of fewer head strikes.

Technavio's research study segments the global UV LED technology market into the following regions:

APAC

Europe

North America

ROW

APAC: largest UV LED technology market

APAC will see the fastest growth during the forecast period. With an increase in adoption of UV LED technology, the UV LED technology market in APAC will grow at a CAGR of 39.31% during the forecast period.

The demand for UV curing equipment and technology is high in this region, which is the primary reason for the market's significant growth potential. The consumption of counterfeit detectors is also increasing in this region due to an increasing number of fraud, especially in the eastern countries of APAC. "China and India are the emerging markets due to the increasing government initiatives for energy-efficient lighting sources and supporting regulations for the industrial, medical, and scientific sectors. This has encouraged the UV LED manufacturers to increase the production of UV LEDs," says Sunil Kumar Singh, a lead analyst at Technavio for research on embedded systems

Ask for a sample of this report: http://goo.gl/jm8vMv

Europe: increased adoption of UV LED technology in the European healthcare and adhesive and printing curing markets driving growth

The spending on UV LED technology in Europe will grow from USD 36.28 million in 2015 to USD 190.2 million in 2020. Europe is a significant contributor to the total market revenue due to the significant presence of environmental regulations regarding the use of hazardous substances. This has helped the UV LED technology market to grow positively in this region as UV LEDs are environment-friendly and consume less power.

"The increased adoption of UV LED technology in the European healthcare and adhesive and printing curing markets is the other major factor contributing to the growth of the market in this region," says Sunil.

North America: high demand for UV curing equipment emerging from the graphic arts industry

In 2015, North America accounted for a revenue share of 26.8%. The region will grow from a USD 34.33 million market in 2015 to a USD 179.06 million market by 2020.

The consumption of UV LEDs is significant in North America. UV curing equipment and technology is increasingly being used in the graphic arts industry in this region due to the rapid growth of the market. The progressive healthcare industry and the demand for communication devices such as smartphones and tablets in the Americas are also driving the demand for UV LEDs by the manufacturers in this region.

Browse Related Reports:

Global Automotive LED Lighting Market 2016-2020

Global LED Chip Market 2015-2019

Global LED Lighting Market 2015-2019

Do you need a report on a market in a specific geographical cluster or country but can't find what you're looking for? Don't worry, Technavio also takes client requests. Please contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and our analysts will be happy to create a customized report just for you.

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.

Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830005091/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
Regulatory News:

OSE Immunotherapeutics SA (Paris:OSE) (ISIN: FR0012127173; Mnemo: OSE), a biotechnology company developing immunotherapies of activation or regulation in immuno-oncology, auto-immune diseases and transplantation, today announced it will be featured as a presenting company at the Rodman Renshaw 18th Annual Global Investment Conference, sponsored by H.C. Wainwright Co., LLC. The conference is being held on September 11-13, 2016, at Lotte New York Palace Hotel in New York City.

Dominique Costantini, Chief Executive Officer of OSE Immunotherapeutics, will provide an overview of the Company's business during the live presentation and will be available to participate in one-on-one meetings with investors who are registered to attend the conference.

"With first-in-class immuno-oncology and immunotherapy products ranging from R&D to Phase III registration studies and a first global pharmaceutical agreement with Janssen Biotech (Johnson Johnson group) on FR104 (CD-28 antagonist), we are in a good position to reinforce our visibility in the U.S.. Our strong position in these very attractive markets is a major asset and we look forward to updating investors with our progress and prospects," said Dominique Costantini.

Date: September 12, 2016

Day and Time: 11:40-12:05 PM (Eastern Time)

Location: Kennedy I Room, 4th Floor; Lotte New York Palace Hotel in New York City

The presentation will be webcast live. To access the webcast, please visit: www.rodmanevents.comor the company's website: http://ose-immuno.com/en/. The webcast replay will remain available for 90 days following the live presentation.

If you are an institutional investor, and would like to attend the Company's presentation, please click on the following link (www.rodmanevents.com) to register for the Rodman Renshaw conference. Once your registration is confirmed, you will be prompted to log into the conference website to request a one-on-one meeting with the Company.

ABOUT OSE IMMUNOTHERAPEUTICS

OSE Immunotherapeutics is a biotechnology company specializing in immune regulation with clinical applications in immuno-oncology, autoimmune diseases and transplantation. The company has a balanced portfolio, from R&D to clinical phase 3 registration, with a diversified risk profile. It is composed of advanced immunotherapy products in clinical pivotal phase 3 and in phase 2 with Tedopi (combined neoepitopes in oncology, developed in advanced lung cancer, NSCLC); and FR104 with phase 1 completed (a CD28-antagonist Immunotherapy licensed to Janssen Biotech Inc.). The company also has promising products in preclinical phase and potential drug candidates in R&D, targeting new receptors of interest in immuno-oncology, autoimmune diseases, and transplantation. This product portfolio is supported by an innovative technology foundation and know-how in selection and optimization of new generation products acting on new immunological targets, notably Effi-DEM, a new generation check-point inhibitor targeting the SIRP-a receptor on strategic CD47/SIRP-a pathway (blockage of suppressive myeloid and macrophage cells) and Effi-7, an immunomodulator, interleukin-7 antagonist, developed for autoimmune diseases and transplantation.

Forward-looking statements

This press release contains express or implied information and statements that might be deemed forward-looking information and statements in respect of OSE Immunotherapeutics. They do not constitute historical facts. These information and statements include financial projections that are based upon certain assumptions and assessments made by OSE Immunotherapeutics' management in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current economic and industry conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate.

These forward-looking statements include statements typically using conditional and containing verbs such as "expect", "anticipate", "believe", "target", "plan", or "estimate", their declensions and conjugations and words of similar import.

Although the OSE Immunotherapeutics management believes that the forward-looking statements and information are reasonable, the OSE Immunotherapeutics' shareholders and other investors are cautioned that the completion of such expectations is by nature subject to various risks, known or not, and uncertainties which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of OSE Immunotherapeutics. These risks could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in or implied or projected by the forward-looking statements. These risks include those discussed or identified in the public filings made by OSE Immunotherapeutics with the AMF. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance.

This press release includes only summary information and should be read with the OSE Immunotherapeutics Reference Document filed with the AMF on 8 June 2016 under the number R.15-052, the consolidated financial statements and the management report for the fiscal year 2015, as well as the Merger Document registered with the AMF on 26 April 2016 under number E.16-026, all available on the OSE Immunotherapeutics' website.

Other than as required by applicable law, OSE Immunotherapeutics issues this press release at the date hereof and does not undertake any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking information or statements.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830006096/en/

Contacts:

OSE Immunotherapeutics

Dominique Costantini, Mob +33 6 13 20 77 49

CEO

dominique.costantini@ose-immuno.com

or

Maryvonne Hiance, Tel: +33 (0) 240 412 834

Mobile: 33 (0) 680 060 183

Vice-Presidente

maryvonne.hiance@ose-immuno.com

or

Alexis Peyroles, Mob: +33 6 11 51 19 77

DGD, Operations, Finance BD

alexis.peyroles@ose-immuno.com

or

Bernard Vanhove, Mob: +33 6 75 41 40 08

DGD, R&D, Collaborations scientifiques

Bernard.vanhove@ose-immuno.com

or

Contacts media

Citigate Dewe Rogerson

Laurence Bault, +33 1 53 32 84 78

laurence.bault@citigate.fr

or

Alize RP

Florence Portejoie Caroline Carmagnol, +33 6 47 38 90 04

oseimmuno@alizerp.com

or

Consilium Strategic Communications

Chris Gardner Matthew Neal /

Hendrik Thys, +44 (0) 20 3709 5700

OSEImmuno@consilium-comms.com

or

Rx Communications Group, LLC

Melody Carey, 1 917-322-2571

mcarey@rxir.com

or

Acorelis

Gilles Petitot, Mobile: 33 (0) 620 27 65 94

gilles.petitot@acorelis.com
APWG.EU October muster considers automated response schemes using advanced data capture and exchange

Global cybercrime-fighting association APWG.EU is hosting its eCrime 2016 program on October 5-7 in Bratislava, Slovakia, presenting advanced data analysis and data exchange schemes to automate the global response to cybercrime.

Cybercrime researchers and responders will be focusing on shared platforms for the capture and exchange of event data and intelligence related to cybercrimes to inform programmatic responses on a global scale.

"Cybercrime gangs' cooperation in development of their attack programs is key to their success. Investigators and responders have a lot to learn from them in that regard," said APWG Secretary General Peter Cassidy.

The agenda is here: https://apwg.eu/apwg-events/ecrime2016eu/agenda

Among the key research presented this October are presentations on:

Analysis of transaction data related to the exchange of virtual currencies

Recruitment of electronic event data for programmatic response to cybercrime

Virtual currency transaction analytics

Development of a European sensor network for capture and delivery of event data related to cybercrime

Reports of policy and logistics impediments of data related to cybercrime and discussion of potential resolutions

A proposal for a global, multi-stakeholder cybercrime data sharing community

A panel on managing the threat of advanced information hiding

"The response to cybercrime must be as programmatic as the crimes themselves if the responder community is to keep pace. This conference features presentations on cooperative data collection, data analysis and data exchange routines to confound the felonious enterprises of the attacking cybergangs," said Mr. Cassidy.

In observance of European CyberSecurity Month (ECSM), APWG.EU will be hosting a Train the Trainer session at the start of the conference on Wednesday, October 5 to train cybersecurity activists from Slovakia in imparting cybersafety principles and practices to large audiences of users.

The conference, which will take place during the Slovak presidency of the Council of the EU, will be hosted by Slovenska sporitelna (a member of the Erste Group), the country's leading retail bank. It will also count with the support of ESET, Slovakia's corporate flagship and one of the world's best-known AV, and Preventista.sk, a local civic organization aimed at raising awareness against cybercrime.

Conference registration data is here: https://apwg.eu/apwg-events/ecrime2016eu/register

Venue data is here: https://apwg.eu/apwg-events/ecrime2016eu/venue

Sponsors and participants can contact the organizers at info@apwg.eu.

Follow us on Twitter: @apwg_eu

About the APWG and APWG.EU

The APWG, founded in 2003 as the Anti-Phishing Working Group, is a global industry, law enforcement, and government coalition of more than 1,800 institutions working to unify the global response to electronic crime. Since 2004, the APWG has developed and curated one of the world's largest NGO-managed clearinghouses of cybercrime event data enabling the sharing of this data to protect consumers and businesses alike. APWG's directors, managers and research fellows advise and correspond with national governments; global governance bodies like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, International Telecommunications Union and ICANN; hemispheric and global trade groups; and multilateral treaty organizations such as the European Commission, the G8 High Technology Crime Subgroup, Council of Europe's Convention on Cybercrime, United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Europol EC3, the Organization of American States and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. APWG is a member of the steering group of the Commonwealth Cybercrime Initiative at the Commonwealth of Nations. Membership is open to qualified financial institutions, online retailers, ISPs and Telcos, the law enforcement community, solutions providers, multi-lateral treaty organizations, research centers, trade associations and government agencies. The APWG's and websites offer the public, industry and government agencies practical information about phishing and electronically mediated fraud as well as pointers to pragmatic technical solutions that provide immediate protection. APWG is co-founder and co-manager of the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Messaging Convention, the global online safety public awareness collaborative and founder/curator of the eCrime Researchers Summit, the world's first peer-reviewed conference dedicated specifically to electronic crime studies

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830006115/en/

Contacts:

APWG.EU

Alejandro J. Fernandez-Cernuda Diaz

afcernuda@apwg.eu


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - It seems that Colonel Sanders' nephew unknowingly disclosed the secret blend of 11 herbs and spices behind KFC's fried chicken, which the food chain touts as the most heavily-guarder food recipe in the world.



However, KFC executives refutes the report and insist that its 11-spice 'Original Recipe' is still safe and secure.



Chicago Tribune, in an article, published the secret recipe after one of its journalist received it during an interview with Joe Leddington, the nephew of the famous KFC founder Colonel Harland Sanders.



The reporter, who was working on a story for the Tribune's travel section about Corbin, Kentucky, met Ledington for an interview. Corbin, Kentucky is the place the Colonel sold his first fried chicken.



During the interview, Leddington showed the reporter a family album that contained pictures, newspaper clippings and also the last will and testament of Sanders' second wife, Claudia Ledington. On the back of the document, the reported noticed a handwritten list for a blend of 11 herbs and spices to be mixed with two cups of white flour.



But, KFC claims that the recipe published in the Chicago Tribune is not authentic. KFC, a subsidiary of Yum Brands Inc. (YUM), boasts the the 11-spice recipe is still one of the biggest trade secrets in the world.



'Many people have made these claims over the years and no one has been accurate - this one isn't either,' KFC said in a statement.



KFC says the original recipe is kept locked up in a digital safe that is encased in two feet of concrete and with 24-hours of video and motion surveillance system.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
DUBLIN, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Embedded Internet of Things (IoT) Ecosystem: Next Gen Embedded System Hardware, Software, Tools, and Operating Systems 2016 - 2021" report to their offering.

This research provides analysis of the products that will be developed to support IoT, changes in traditional RTOS required to match performance with IoT, changes in hardware required to match needs of IoT, types of peripherals, and emerging tools to support processing of embedded systems in IoT.



The report provides five year forecast for Embedded Systems in IoT for the period of 2016 - 2021. It provides regional segmentation by industry for embedded systems and components.

Embedded systems are highly customized, developed and programmed as per user requirements. Conventional embedded systems are electronic components that possess a microprocessor, peripherals, memory card, and software program that run instructions, operating system and tools (debuggers, static and non-programmable), and follows firmware programming embedded in the micro-chip.



Smart embedded systems will require changing contemporary embedded system design and architecture to suit real-time operations, smaller size of the unit and lowered power consumption and become cost efficient. Use of microcontroller and technologies such as Systems on Chip (SoC) and Reduced Instruction set Computing Chips (RISC) will have greater scope in IoT.



Key Findings:



- Transport and cargo, oil industries, consumer electronics, Home Automation, HVAC and Utility markets will take North America to $108B in embedded systems for IoT through the year 2021 with a CAGR of 20.8%.

- Use of IoT and embedded system will be high in EMEA due to positive response to Industrial IoT and growth of embedded systems in electrical grids, automobile and healthcare. The markets in EMEA through 2021 will reach to $112 billion with a CAGR of 19%

- Hardware MCU vendors such as ARM, Texas Instruments, Intel/Wind River and Freescale are now looking to play role in IoT. The new powerful but low cost MCUs are in development. SoCs for IoT that have larger memories, higher clock rates, low power consumption and directly accessed memory will be in production

- The majority of the devices will be in building automation, healthcare, automobile, Oil and Gas and Utility industries. Many embedded devices are of size about 300KB and thus require RTOS and APIs that can handle operations with high performance at lower memory and lower RAM



Key Topics Covered:



1 Introduction

1.1 Scope of Report

1.2 Intended Audience

1.3 Companies in Report



2 Executive Summary



3 Overview

3.1 Introduction to IoT

3.1.1 Consumer IoT

3.1.2 Industrial IoT (IIoT)

3.2 Embedded Systems in IoT

3.3 Key Embedded Devices used in IoT

3.3.1.1 Short Range Low Power Radio Devices

3.3.2 Network Devices: Gateway / Hub / Router / Bridges

3.3.3 Sensors and Actuators

3.3.4 Edge Devices

3.3.5 Wearables

3.4 Role of the Embedded Systems in IoT

3.5 Real-time vs. Standard Embedded Systems

3.6 Working Principal of the Embedded Systems in IoT

3.7 Examples of Connected Embedded Devices in IoT

3.8 Global Markets for Embedded Systems



4 Embedded System Technology and Developments

4.1 Embedded Devices and IoT Infrastructure Architecture

4.2 Key Technology Developments in Embedded System for IoT

4.3 Core Embedded Systems Infrastructure

4.3.1 Microprocessor / Microcontroller

4.3.1.1 Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) Chips

4.3.1.2 System on Chip (SoC) (AISC / FPGA)

4.3.2 Embedded Software

4.3.3 Next Generation Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS)

4.3.3.1 Key Next Generation RTOS Features

4.3.3.1.1 Scalability

4.3.3.1.2 Modularity

4.3.3.1.3 Connectivity

4.3.3.1.4 Reliability

4.3.4 Embedded System Software Design Tools (Debuggers, Compilers and Assemblers)

4.3.5 Peripherals



5 Global Market for Embedded Systems in IoT 2016 - 2021

5.1 The $1.6 Trillion IoT Business

5.1.1 Markets for IoT 2016 - 2021

5.2 Markets for Embedded Systems 2016 - 2021

5.2.1 Markets for Hardware and Software Components in Embedded Systems 2016 - 2021

5.2.2 Market for Microcontrollers and Other Hardware Components 2016 - 2021

5.2.3 Markets for Software Components in Embedded Systems 2016 - 2021

5.2.4 Regional Markets for Embedded Systems 2016 - 2021

5.2.5 Markets for Embedded Systems in North America 2016 - 2021

5.2.6 Markets for Embedded Systems in EMEA 2016 - 2021

5.2.7 Markets for Embedded Systems in APAC 2016 - 2021

5.2.8 Markets for Embedded Systems in CALA 2016 - 2021

5.2.9 Markets for Embedded Systems by Industry 2016 - 2021



6 Embedded Systems in IoT Industry Analysis

6.1 Next Generation RTOS to Drive Embedded Expansion in IoT

6.2 Next Generation Chips in Development to support IoT Needs

6.3 Focus to be on Small Devices

6.4 Time Savings for Go to Market to Drive Demand for COTS

6.5 Embedded SIM (eSIM)



7 Embedded Systems in IoT Vendor Landscape

7.1 Hardware Vendors

7.1.1 ARM Holdings

7.1.2 Cisco System Inc.

7.1.2.1 Cisco Industrial Networks

7.1.2.2 Cisco Embedded Networks

7.1.3 Echelon Corporation

7.1.3.1 Echelon's IzoT platform

7.1.4 GreenPeak

7.1.5 Intel Corporation

7.1.6 Microchip Technology Inc.

7.1.7 Micron Technology Inc.

7.1.8 MediaTek Inc.

7.1.9 Qualcomm Atheros Inc.

7.1.10 Renesas Electronics Corporation

7.1.11 STMicroelectronics

7.1.12 Samsung Developers

7.1.13 Texas Instruments

7.2 Software Vendors

7.2.1 Contiki

7.2.2 Lynx Software Technologies, Inc.

7.2.3 Oregan Networks Ltd.

7.2.4 Wind River

7.2.4.1 VxWorks 7 for IoT

7.3 Other Platforms/ Alliances / Peripherals

7.3.1 Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)

7.3.2 Insteon

7.3.3 GE Software

7.3.3.1 GE Predicitvity Solution

7.3.3.2 GE Predix Platform

7.3.4 Marvell

7.3.5 Nest Labs.

7.3.6 Netgear

7.3.7 Netgem

7.3.8 Object Management Group (OMG)

7.3.8.1 Unified Component Model for Distributed, Real-Time Embedded Systems (UCM)

7.3.9 Technicolor

7.3.10 ZigBee Alliance

7.3.11 Z-Wave Alliance



For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/cqnpdc/embedded_internet



Related Topics: Software, Internet of Things and M2M, Operating Systems

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
Starwood European Real Estate Finance Ltd (SWEF) SWEF - Notice of Extroadinary General Meeting 30-Aug-2016 / 17:08 GMT/BST Dissemination of a Regulatory Announcement, transmitted by EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. *Starwood European Real Estate Finance Limited* Extraordinary General Meeting The Company has today published a circular giving notice of an extraordinary general meeting to be held at 1 Royal Plaza, Royal Avenue, St Peter Port, Guernsey GY1 2HL on 14 September 2016 at 4.00 p.m (the 'Circular'). The current placing programme of the Company (the 'Existing Placing Programme') expires on 6 September 2016. The Board is now considering a new replacement programme at a point later in 2016 or in 2017 subject to an assessment of likely new investment opportunities for the Company. The timing of any such new placing programme (the 'New Placing Programme'), which will require the publication of a new prospectus of the Company, is not currently determined. However, the Board considers that it would be prudent to take this opportunity to renew the necessary authorities from Shareholders (the 'Placing Programme Authorities') to enable equity issues under the New Placing Programme (the current authorities being linked to the Existing Placing Programme which is due to expire as described above). The New Placing Programme, if implemented, will enable the Company to make further investments in accordance with its investment policy. Whilst the timing of the New Placing Programme and the amount of any equity issues thereunder remain to be determined and will depend on consideration of new investment opportunities, potential repayments and cash drag, amongst other factors, the Board has resolved to seek Shareholder approval at this point to provide flexibility for the issue of, in aggregate, up to 250 million New Ordinary Shares and/or C Shares pursuant to the New Placing Programme. The Resolutions to approve the Placing Programme Authorities will, if passed, supersede the existing allotment and disapplication authorities of the Company currently in place. A copy of the Circular is available at http://www.starwoodeuropeanfinance.com/index.php/team-2/corporate [1] and will be available on the National Storage Mechanism at http://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/nsm [2]. Terms not defined in this announcement shall have the same meaning set out in the Circular. For further information, please contact: Peter Denton - Starwood Capital - 020 7016 3664 Robert Peel - Fidante Capital - 020 7832 0900 The person responsible for arranging for the release of this announcement on behalf of the Company is Nick Robilliard of Ipes (Guernsey) Limited, Company Secretary. Notes: Starwood European Real Estate Finance Limited is an investment company listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange with an investment objective to provide Shareholders with regular dividends and an attractive total return while limiting downside risk, through the origination, execution, acquisition and servicing of a diversified portfolio of real estate debt investments in the UK and the wider European Union's internal market. www.starwoodeuropeanfinance.com [3]. The Group is the largest London-listed vehicle to provide investors with pure play exposure to real estate lending. The Group's assets are managed by Starwood European Finance Partners Limited, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Starwood Capital Group. Language: English ISIN: GG00B79WC100 Category Code: NOG TIDM: SWEF Sequence Number: 3367 Time of Receipt: 30-Aug-2016 / 17:08 GMT/BST End of Announcement EQS News Service 497339 30-Aug-2016 1: http://public-cockpit.eqs.com/cgi-bin/fncls.ssp?fn=redirect&url=62ff2660f353c77171d5575341930db6&application_id=497339&site_id=vwd_london&application_name=news 2: http://public-cockpit.eqs.com/cgi-bin/fncls.ssp?fn=redirect&url=e0443ba251b67afb33b56617e3f419c9&application_id=497339&site_id=vwd_london&application_name=news 3: http://public-cockpit.eqs.com/cgi-bin/fncls.ssp?fn=redirect&url=b14fd12a9d67a041cd95eabce5bcab5f&application_id=497339&site_id=vwd_london&application_name=news

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 30, 2016 12:09 ET (16:09 GMT)
LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwired - August 30, 2016) - WorkForce Software  announced today at SuccessConnect 2016 the expansion of the company's global reseller agreement with SAP (NYSE: SAP) to include forecasting and scheduling optimization.

The arrangement enhances WorkForce Software's existing reseller agreement with SAP, announced last year. As part of the agreement, SAP will resell the WorkForce Software solution as SAP  Workforce Forecasting and Scheduling by WorkForce Software. Available now, the solution empowers customers to forecast demand-based scheduling needs using multiple data sources, including traffic analytics and point-of-sale systems. Coupled with the ability to incorporate employee scheduling preferences, the solution helps employers more quickly and easily create optimized, employee-friendly schedules.

"There's tremendous excitement in continuing to expand our agreement with SAP," said WorkForce Software CEO Mike Morini. "This next-generation technology makes it easy for employers to tee up their best performers to drive revenue during the hours most critical to their business."

Designed to give centralized headquarters complete visibility across all locations, the solution's flexible, mobile self-service options allow employees to indicate availability, work across multiple stores and access their schedules weeks in advance. This gives employers the ability to digitize complex scheduling processes while making fair practices transparent to workers.

"Employers are looking for new ways to empower their workforce," Morini added. "This forecasting and scheduling optimization solution allows employees to have a say in their own schedules. They can indicate availability, swap shifts and take on additional hours when they want to earn more. With that flexibility, employees are happier and more engaged. By optimizing scheduling to meet critical business needs and take employee preferences into account, the solution empowers employers to retain top talent and maximize the return on their investment."

"Employee satisfaction is a top issue for HR across all industries, no less so for employers with a high concentration of hourly workers," said SAP SuccessFactors President Mike Ettling. "With variable demand in the mix, forecasting plays an even larger role in both managing costs and ensuring all employees are all in. Adding this solution as part of our HCM suite brings integrated core data to customers to help simplify forecasting and improve scheduling, which is critical for industries like retail and hospitality."

About WorkForce Software

As a leader in cloud-based workforce management, WorkForce Software is 'Making Work Easy' for employers around the globe. Our tailored solutions empower enterprise and mid-sized organizations to fully automate time, labor, and workforce scheduling processes, simplify absence management, and enable strategic business insight. With seamless integration and real-time visibility, WorkForce Software helps organizations tackle their most complex policies and compliance concerns, so they can reduce costs, maximize efficiencies, and improve employee satisfaction. For more information, visit www.workforcesoftware.com.

Note to editors: WorkForce Software, EmpCenter and their logos are trademarks registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Copyright  2016 WorkForce Software

SAP, SuccessFactors and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE (or an SAP affiliate company) in Germany and other countries. See http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx for additional trademark information and notices. All other product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

SAP Forward-looking Statement

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

Contact:

Jennifer Wolf

WorkForce Software

+1-877-493-6723 x 786
VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - August 30, 2016) - TriMetals Mining Inc. (TSX: TMI) (TSX: TMI.B) (OTCQX: TMIAF) (OTCQX: TMIBF), (the "Company"), is pleased to announce the drill results from 2  holes on the patented Talisman claim located in Nevada close to the Utah border.

The first hole intersected very high grade material within a vein system characterized by quartz veins with bladed and banded textures. The vein sits within a wide zone of mineralized material which is described later in this release. Results from the high-grade portion of the vein zone are shown below:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- RC Hole From To Thickness Au g/t Ag g/t AuEq g/t AuEq oz/t (metres) (metres) (metres) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- T-16-001 179.8 181.4 1.5 215.42 203.80 218.71 7.032 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Within: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 179.8 187.4 7.6 44.774 58.32 45.72 1.470 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

True width not known. Average grades for intervals shown are heavily influenced by the high grade 215 g/t gold interval (average uses a 0.1 g/t AuEq cutoff). Gold Equivalent (AuEq) uses a Ag/Au ratio of 61.9 and assumes 100% metallurgical recoveries. g = grams oz = ounces t = tonne

Ralph Fitch President and CEO, stated "We have finally intersected some very high grade material which we have historically found in float. This is a great start to our drilling program."

All three RC holes reported here also intersected a second high-grade near surface vein which is projected to sub-crop 25 m west of T-16-002, below post-mineral colluvium cover. The vein dips to the East at approximately 35 degrees and is seen in all 3 holes in the drill section. These results are shown below:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- RC Hole From To Thickness Au g/t Ag g/t AuEq g/t (metres) (metres) (metres) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- T-16-001 18.3 19.8 1.5 2.58 42.20 3.26 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- T-16-002 13.7 15.2 1.5 12.63 77.3 13.88 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- within ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12.2 18.3 6.1 4.47 45.73 5.2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- T-16-003 13.7 19.8 6.1 3.43 51.6 4.26 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

True width 80-95% of width shown. Average grade uses a 0.1 g/t AuEq cutoff. Gold Equivalent (AuEq) uses a Ag/Au ratio of 61.9 and assumes 100% metallurgical recoveries.

Ralph Fitch President and CEO, went on to say "These excellent and consistent near-surface results are exactly the type of material we need to find to accomplish our goal of putting together a modest sized higher-grade resource for a "starter pit". A higher-grade starter pit has the potential to significantly enhance the already positive economics of the project described in our PEA."

These first three holes are located approximately 75 metres south of our holes drilled in 2011 in the Thor area (T-11-02 and T-11-03). T-11-02 may have intersected the same vein (3m @2.29 g/t Au and @42 g/t Ag) but further drilling is required to confirm this. The three holes outline approximately 50 metres of down-dip extent of the vein. Additional holes will be drilled to further define this vein later in the program once we have received the results from all 10 holes drilled to date in the Thor area.

The location of the holes is in the middle of the 1.6 km strike length of the ZTEM high resistivity feature that has historically been associated with gold mineralization.

The "high-grade" vein intercept described from T-16-001 is located within a wide zone of stock-working quartz veins near to the boundary between the typical andesite volcanic host and a deeper rhyolite. This zone is sufficiently wide that it might make an "open-pit" target similar to Jumbo or Grey Eagle. Further drilling will be needed to both define the extent of the very high-grade material and the lower grade bulk-tonnage material.

The wide zone of mineralized material surrounding the high-grade is shown below:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- RC Hole From To Thickness Au g/t Ag g/t AuEq AuEq (metres) (metres) (metres) g/t oz/t ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- T-16-001 179.8 181.4 1.5 215.42 203.80 218.71 7.032 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 181.4 182.9 1.5 3.310 59.7 4.27 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 182.9 184.4 1.5 0.726 9.10 0.87 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 184.4 185.9 1.5 3.546 12.80 3.75 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 185.9 187.4 1.5 0.869 6.2 0.968 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Average 179.8 187.4 7.6 44.774 58.32 45.72 1.470 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- within ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Broader zone of Mineralization: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- With high grade 147.8 230.1 82.3 4.34 8.44 4.47 0.144 215 g/t interval included* ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- With high grade 147.8 230.1 82.3 0.40 8.44 0.54 0.017 215 g/t interval excluded and replaced with 3 g/t Au ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

True width not known. *Average grades for intervals shown heavily influenced by the high grade 215 g/t gold interval (average uses a 0.1 g/t AuEq cutoff). Gold Equivalent (AuEq) uses a Ag/Au ratio of 61.9 and assumes 100% metallurgical recoveries

RC hole T-16-002 may also have intersected the same broad zone of mineralization but at a lower grade:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- RC Hole From To Thickness Au g/t Ag g/t AuEq g/t (metres) (metres) (metres) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- T-16-002 115.8 202.7 86.9 0.18 2.58 0.23 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- including 189.0 193.6 4.6 1.46 9.10 1.60 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

True width is not known. Average grade uses a 0.1 g/t AuEq cutoff. Gold Equivalent (AuEq) uses a Ag/Au ratio of 61.9 and assumes 100% metallurgical recoveries

Only results from the upper portion of RC hole T-16-003 have been received to date.

The Talisman claim purchase was completed last year. This claim includes portions of the historic Thor Vein located in Nevada close to the Utah border. This area is comprised of a portion of 3 of the 26 areas of outcropping gold mineralization, that TMI press releases often refer to when illustrating the potential of the large 74.7 sq km Gold Springs exploration property in safe, mining friendly Nevada and Utah. Outcrop areas, Silica Hill/Thor, Silica Hill Extension and North Jennie are all part of a large ZTEM resistivity anomaly which includes the Thor Vein System.

About TriMetals Mining Inc.

TriMetals Mining Inc. is a growth focused mineral exploration company creating value through the exploration and development of the near surface, Gold Springs gold-silver project in mining friendly Nevada and Utah in the U.S.A.

The Company's approach to business combines the team's track record of discovery and advancement of large projects, key operational and process expertise, and a focus on community relations and sustainable development. Management has extensive experience in the global exploration and mining industry.

The Company's common shares and Class B shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbols "TMI" and "TMI.B" and the common shares and Class B shares also trade on the OTCQX market under the symbol "TMIAF" and "TMIBF". Additional information related to TriMetals Mining Inc. is available at www.trimetalsmining.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Qualified Person

The Qualified Person on the Gold Springs property is Randall Moore, Executive Vice President of Exploration - North America of TriMetals Mining Inc. and he has reviewed and approved the content of this press release.

Assay Method

TMI Assays were performed in Reno, Nevada by Buena Vista Laboratories, an ISO 9001:2000

Certified laboratory. Gold was analyzed by fire assay of a 30-gram sample with an AAS finish with samples assaying greater than 10 g/t re-assayed using a 30-gram sample and a gravity finish. All other elements were analyzed by a four acid leach ICP method coded MA300.

Quality Assurance and Quality Control

Approximately 15 kg of RC chips were sent to the laboratory for each 1.52 metre drill interval. Fifteen percent of the samples submitted by the Company are blanks and standards for QA/QC purposes. In addition, the laboratory also includes duplicates of samples, standards and blanks. The results of these check assays are reviewed prior to the release of data. All RC chip sample assays are also reviewed for their geological context and checked against the drill logs.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements contained herein constitute "forward-looking statements". Forward looking statements look into the future and provide an opinion as to the effect of certain events and trends on the business. Forward-looking statements may include words such as "target", "projected, "may", "will", "goal", "potential" and similar expressions. Interpretations of exploration results, including the strength of mineralization, are also forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and entail various risks and uncertainties. Actual results may materially differ from expectations if known and unknown risks or uncertainties affect our business or if our estimates or assumptions prove inaccurate. Factors that could cause results or events to differ materially from current expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, include, but are not limited to, risks of the mineral exploration industry which may affect the advancement of the Gold Springs project, including possible variations in mineral resources, grade, recovery rates, metal prices, capital and operating costs, and the application of taxes; availability of sufficient financing to fund planned or further required work in a timely manner and on acceptable terms; availability of equipment and qualified personnel, failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, changes in project parameters, including water requirements for operations, as plans continue to be refined; regulatory, environmental and other risks of the mining industry more fully described in the Company's Annual Information Form and continuous disclosure documents, which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The assumptions made in developing the forward-looking statements include: the accuracy of current resource estimates and the interpretation of drill, metallurgical testing and other exploration results; the continuing support for mining by local governments in Nevada and Utah; the availability of equipment and qualified personnel to advance the Gold Springs project; execution of the Company's existing plans and further exploration and development programs for Gold Springs, which may change due to changes in the views of the Company or if new information arises which makes it prudent to change such plans or programs.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Except as required by law, TMI assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or any other reason. Unless otherwise indicated, forward-looking statements in this press release describe the Company's expectations as of August 30, 2016.

TriMetals Mining Inc. Contact:



Ralph Fitch

President & CEO

303.584.0606

ralphfitch@trimetalsmining.com



Matias Herrero

Chief Financial Officer

303.584.0606

mherrero@trimetalsmining.com
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Citing mounting evidence of a direct connection between the Russian government and Donald Trump's presidential campaign, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has asked the FBI to investigate Russian tampering with the upcoming election. In a letter to FBI Director James Comey, Reid noted that former acting CIA Director Michael Morell described Trump as an 'unwitting agent' of Russia and the Kremlin. 'I have recently become concerned that the threat of the Russian government tampering in our presidential election is more extensive than widely known and may include the intent to falsify official election results,' Reid said in the letter first reported by the New York Times. He added, 'The prospects of a hostile government actively seeking to undermine our free and fair elections represents one of the gravest threats to our democracy since the Cold War.' Reid argued that the American people deserve to have a full understanding of the facts from a completed investigation of the matter before they vote in November. The letter from Reid comes after a report from Yahoo News on Monday said foreign hackers penetrated two state election databases in recent weeks. Reid also noted that a consensus of national security experts has concluded that the Russian government was responsible for cyber attacks on the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. At a conference hosted by cybersecurity firm Symantec, Comey declined to comment specifically on the FBI's investigations but stressed that the agency takes election tampering very seriously. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
BEVERLY, MA--(Marketwired - August 30, 2016) - Cellceutix Corporation (OTC: CTIX) ("the Company"), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies with oncology, dermatology, antibiotic, and anti-inflammatory applications, is pleased to announce today the addition of another senior executive to its management team. Jane Harness, MS, MP, has been appointed to the role of Vice President, Clinical Sciences and Portfolio Management.

This new hire comes two months after pharmaceutical executive, Arthur P. Bertolino, MD, PhD, MBA, joined Cellceutix as President and Chief Medical Officer.

Ms. Harness is a seasoned industry executive with over 20 years of experience in clinical drug development, which will significantly broaden Cellceutix's management capabilities going forward.

Ms. Harness will direct all management aspects toward advancing the Company's pipeline, with a particular focus on clinical trials. Ms. Harness has successfully led numerous teams in executing clinical studies both internationally and domestically. Her expertise spans early and late-phase therapeutic programs at both large pharma, such as Pfizer and Novartis, and at smaller specialty companies. She possesses extensive experience in the areas of Dermatology, as well as Inflammation and Immunology. Ms. Harness has also run clinical trials in other therapeutic areas and has provided key leadership in project management and strategy.

"I am extremely pleased that Jane has joined our senior management team and, by so doing, further validates the Company's vision for success in developing its portfolio of first-in-class drug candidates," said Arthur P. Bertolino, MD, PhD, MBA, President and Chief Medical Officer at Cellceutix. "Now is the time for efficient execution of strategies that will help take Cellceutix to the next level in its clinical programs. The addition of Jane to our team is a key operational development toward achieving this end," said Dr. Bertolino.

Leo Ehrlich, Chief Executive Officer, added, "We recognize the need for Cellceutix to supplement its ranks with accomplished pharmaceutical leaders in order to realize the full potential of our clinical pipeline. With the June 2016 hiring of Dr. Bertolino, followed by the recent employment of Jane, another talented and proven leader, we are establishing a solid foundation for major accomplishments in drug development."

Alerts:

Sign-up for Cellceutix email alerts is available at

http://cellceutix.com/email-alerts/ - sthash.CRfqSmmY.k6MzKBo8.dpbs

About Cellceutix: Headquartered in Beverly, Massachusetts, Cellceutix is a publicly traded company under the symbol "CTIX". Cellceutix is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies in multiple diseases. Cellceutix believes it has a world-class portfolio of compounds and is now engaged in advancing its compounds and seeking strategic partnerships. Cellceutix's anti-cancer drug Kevetrin concluded a Phase 1 clinical trial at Harvard Cancer Centers' Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Cellceutix is now preparing its plans for a Phase 2 study. In the laboratory Kevetrin has shown to induce activation of p53, often referred to as the "Guardian Angel Gene" due to its crucial role in controlling cell mutations. Cellceutix is in a Phase 2 clinical trial with its novel compound Brilacidin-OM for the prevention of Oral Mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer. Brilacidin-OM, a defensin mimetic compound, has shown in an animal model to reduce the occurrence of severe ulcerative oral mucositis by more than 94% compared to placebo. Cellceutix's anti-psoriasis drug Prurisol completed a Phase 2 trial and Cellceutix is now setting up a Phase 2b study. Prurisol is a small molecule that acts through immune modulation and PRINS reduction. Cellceutix's lead antibiotic, Brilacidin, has completed a Phase 2b trial for Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections, or ABSSSI. Top-line data have shown a single dose of Brilacidin to deliver comparable clinical outcomes to the FDA-approved seven-day dosing regimen of daptomycin. Brilacidin has the potential to be a single-dose therapy for certain multi-drug resistant bacteria (Superbugs). Cellceutix has formed research collaborations with world-renowned research institutions in the United States and Europe, including MD Anderson Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and the University of Bologna. More information is available on the Cellceutix web site at www.cellceutix.com.

Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause Cellceutix's actual results and experience to differ materially from anticipated results and expectations expressed in these forward looking statements. Cellceutix has in some cases identified forward-looking statements by using words such as "anticipates," "believes," "hopes," "estimates," "looks," "expects," "plans," "intends," "goal," "potential," "may," "suggest," and similar expressions. Among other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements are Cellceutix's need for, and the availability of, substantial capital in the future to fund its operations and research and development; including the amount and timing of the sale of shares of common stock to Aspire Capital; the fact that Cellceutix's compounds may not successfully complete pre-clinical or clinical testing, or be granted regulatory approval to be sold and marketed in the United States or elsewhere. A more complete description of these risk factors is included in Cellceutix's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Cellceutix undertakes no obligation to release publicly the results of any revisions to any such forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by applicable law or regulation.

INVESTOR AND MEDIA CONTACT:

Cellceutix Corporation

Leo Ehrlich

Email contact


AUSTIN, TX--(Marketwired - August 30, 2016) - Privately-held real estate investment firm 29th Street Capital (29SC) is looking to expand its foothold in the growing national student housing market. The firm entered the market in July with the acquisition of the 492 bed Villagio student apartments near the campus of Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. It is currently seeking other opportunities nationwide, and particularly in Texas.

Senior Vice President John Price heads the new division. He is seeking opportunities in markets where the supply of newer student housing assets is keeping pace with, but not exceeding, the demand of enrollment growth. "29SC will continue to focus on investing in high-return amenities and quality interior upgrades at well-located properties acquired at a reasonable basis," Price said.

"We feel this is a logical progression of our goal of offering investors excellent returns within this real estate asset class without taking on unnecessary development risk."

"Since its formation in 2009, 29SC has deployed over $450 million of investor equity, including more than $200 million for multifamily investments," said Managing Director Robb Bollhoffer. "The capital allowed for the acquisition and renovation of more than 8,500 traditional multifamily units in properties across 11 U.S. states. Expanding on this existing footprint, student housing offers a promising new line of business for our value-add business model."

"With the existing stock of student housing steadily aging in markets across the nation, and institutional investors looking to primarily capitalize on the newest student housing assets, opportunities to acquire undervalued properties far below replacement cost are becoming available," Price adds.

Despite obvious differences such as leasing cycles and tenant profiles, 29SC sees a window of opportunity to leverage its successful history of investment returns and its network of acquisition directors and construction management teams in its conventional multifamily space into this new Student Housing platform within a similar asset class.

Formed in 2009, 29SC is a privately-held real estate investment and advisory firm that employs a value-added investment strategy on properties that are below the radar of institutional peers. 29SC's rapidly-growing portfolio consists of nearly 7,000 units and it has acquired over 8,500 units across its 11 offices in the U.S. Investments typically require approximately $8 to $35 million of total capital and involve the acquisition or recapitalization of real estate assets, portfolios or platforms. Learn more about 29SC at www.29thstreetcapital.com.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/8/30/11G112347/Images/Villagio_water-2ac32ed739b88157a0c53fa916a5cde4.jpg

For student housing investment inquiries, contact:

John Price, Ph.D.

Senior Vice President

29th Street Capital

(512) 346-4300

(512) 422-9292 cell

jprice@29thstreetcapital.com
Regulatory News:

AREVA (Paris:AREVA):

Adoption of the draft partial transfer agreement providing for a remuneration of the contribution calculated on the basis of an actual value of transferred assets and liabilities in the order of 1.4 billion euros;

Convening of the Extraordinary General Meeting of AREVA SA on November 3, 2016, to approve the draft partial transfer agreement;

Convening of Meetings of Bondholders on September 19, 2016, to approve the proposed partial transfer of assets from AREVA SA to NewCo and the simultaneous transfer of the bond debt 1 to NewCo: Granting by AREVA SA of a temporary guarantee until completion of the NewCo capital increase, in the form of an irrevocable joint and several guarantee for the bondholder debt to be transferred to NewCo Preliminary B+ credit rating attributed to NewCo by S&P with possible raise by several notches on completion of the capital increase

Confirmation of the projected capital increase for an overall amount of 5 billion euros 2 divided into 2 billion euros in AREVA SA and 3 billion euros in NewCo, in line with the financing requirements of the two companies;

Update of Newco's mid-term financial outlook to take account of Front End market conditions.

1- Adoption of the draft partial transfer agreement

In line with the announcements made during the presentation of its 2016-2020 roadmap on June 15, 2016, AREVA SA announces that it has settled, on August 29, 2016, on a draft partial transfer agreement governed by the regime for demergers, with one of its subsidiaries, the New AREVA Holding company ("NewCo"), which provides for the transfer by AREVA SA to NewCo of all assets and liabilities related to its nuclear fuel cycle activities (including Mining, Front End and Back End activities) as well as all bondholder debt1

1 With the exception of the 2016 bond issue which will be repaid by AREVA SA at maturity

2 Subject to approval by the European Commission under the rules on state aid

The remuneration of the contribution will be determined on the basis of an actual value of the assets and liabilities transferred in the order of 1.4 billion euros, valuing NewCo post-transfer at an amount in the order of 2 billion euros, taking tax consolidation into account.

The valuation work conducted corresponds to an overall net worth of the activity transferred and of the beneficiary company in the order of 6.5 billion euros (excluding cash and financial liabilities).

The Board of Directors has adopted this valuation for the calculation of the remuneration of the contribution envisaged in the draft partial transfer agreement that it has approved. As the transaction is taking place between companies under common control, the assets and liabilities transferred have been valued at their book value in accordance with accounting regulations. The contribution auditors appointed for the operation will issue a report on the value and the modalities of the transfer, which shall be made available to the shareholders of the company in accordance with legal and regulatory provisions.

The partial asset transfer will be submitted to approval by the Extraordinary General shareholders' Meeting, to be convened on November 3, 2016. It remains subject to the realization of certain conditions related to the agreement of co-contractors, customary for this type of transactions.

2- Convening of bondholders'3 General Meetings

As a result of the validation of the draft partial transfer agreement, the Board of Directors of AREVA SA has decided to convene for September 19, 2016 General Meetings of holders of the bonds issued by AREVA SA maturing between 2017 and 2024, these being intended for transfer to NewCo at the same time as the nuclear fuel cycle activities.

The 2016 bond issue will mature before the completion of the planned partial asset transfer.

The agenda of the General Meetings of bondholders concerns:

1. The approval of the draft partial transfer of assets granted by AREVA to the benefit of NewCo of all assets and liabilities related to nuclear fuel cycle activities;

2. The acceptance of the benefit of a temporary irrevocable guarantee in the form of a joint and several guarantee to be granted by AREVA SA to the bondholders for the bond issue in question, up until completion of the capital increase in NewCo in an amount of 3 billion euros;

3. The authorization to amend the terms of the contractual obligations to include a commitment by NewCo to publish half-yearly IFRS consolidated financial statements as of the half-year ending June 30, 2017.

1 With the exception of the 2016 bond issue which will be repaid by AREVA SA at maturity

A consent fee amounting to 0.25% of the nominal value of each bond shall be paid to all bondholders subject to the consent and acceptance of the transfer by:

1. All of the General Meetings of bondholders;

2. The Extraordinary General Meeting of shareholders of AREVA SA.

3- Pursuit of implementation of the strategic roadmap

In line with the liquidity needs of both companies and the financial obligations they will face, a capital increase in AREVA SA and in NewCo is envisaged, representing an overall envelope of 5 billion euros4 which would be allocated as follows:

A capital increase of 2 billion euros at AREVA SA level, for subscription by the French state.



The modalities of the capital increase in AREVA SA and its consequences, in accordance with stock exchange regulations, shall be established at a later stage and shall be subject to a specific communication at that time.

A capital increase of 3 billion euros at NewCo level, for subscription by the French state and by third party investors.



Discussions with third party investors have progressed in recent weeks and several expressions of interest have been made.

Subject to validation of these operations by the European Commission, and to their implementation, the French State would hold at least 2/3 of the capital of NewCo, either directly or through AREVA SA, alongside third-party investors. AREVA SA would meanwhile become a minority shareholder of NewCo.

4- Following these operations, two companies with strengthened balance sheets and in a position to meet their obligations

Following the operations set out above and subject to their effective completion, the two companies AREVA SA and NewCo, and their subsidiaries, would be in a position to meet their respective obligations:

AREVA SA, whose cash position has benefited from the disposal of Canberra on July 1, will receive in addition to the 2 billion euros' capital increase intended for it the proceeds from the sale of the activities of "NEW NP", a subsidiary to which the activities of AREVA NP would be transferred, with the exception of certain contracts (one of them being OL3). It will manage the stake held to date in ADWEN, close out the residual renewables projects, assume the repayment of bank debt maturities (bilateral, RCF and bridge loan if applicable) in 2017 and 2018, and assume, via AREVA NP, the completion of the OL3 project with the necessary resources, in accordance with the terms of the contract.

1 Subject to approval by the European Commission under the rules on state aid

NewCo, enjoying a capital increase of 3 billion euros and focused on more profitable activities, will be able to deploy its strategy while bearing bond maturities and before seeking to finance its business on the markets in the medium term.

It should be noted that, given the uranium and SWU market trends, the group has updated the mid-term financial outlook for NewCo. The profitability level target for 2020 is now:

Between 22% and 25% for the EBITDA revenue margin;

Over 8% for the operating income revenue margin.

Activity by activity, on average, for the overall period 2017 2020:

Mining should maintain its stable EBITDA revenue margin at a level of around 40% for a stable volume of business compared to 2015;

Front End EBITDA revenue margin, penalized by the price pressures on Enrichment, should be in the range of 20% to 25% with, as specified in June, a lower level during the industrial transition between Comurhex I Comurhex II;

The EBITDA revenue margin targeted for the Back End remains unchanged at over 15%.

On this basis, Standard Poor's, mandated to conduct a preliminary credit ratingfor NewCo, has issued a provisional B+, in line with the rating of AREVA SA.

The agency has also specified that NewCo's rating, constrained, for the time being, by that of AREVA SA because of the level of the capital holding uniting the two companies, could be improved by several notches following the completion of the capital increases.

Details and modalities for convening bondholders' general meetings:

Documents relating to the General Meetings of bondholders

The notice convening the General Meetings of bondholders to be published on September 2, 2016 in the BALO bulletin, Les Petites Affiches, Les Echos, the Financial Times and via Euroclear France, contains the agenda and the principal provisions regarding attendance and voting.

This notice will also be available for consultation on the website of the Company (www.areva.com / Finance section). English translations will be available.

The other documents and information relating to these General Meetings will be communicated, posted online or made available at the registered office of the Company and the offices of the centralizing agent BNP Paribas Securities Services Les Grands Moulins de Pantin, 9, rue du Debarcadere, 93500 Pantin, France in accordance with the legal and statutory conditions.

Place and date of the General Meetings of bondholders

Each of the General Meetings is convened at Allen Overy LLP 52, avenue Hoche 75008 Paris France, on September 19, 2016 on first notice at the time indicated in the table below.

Isin Code Description Time (CET) FR0011791391 Bonds issued March 20, 2014, due March 20, 2023 at the rate of 3.125% for a total amount of 750 million euros 9:00am FR0011560986 Bonds issued September 4, 2013, due September 4, 2020 at the rate of 3.25% for a total amount of 500 million euros 9:30am FR0011227339 Bonds issued April 4, 2012, due March 21, 2022 indexed to the CNO-TEC10 for a total amount of 200 million euros 10:00am FR0011125442 Bonds issued in two tranches on October 5, 2011 and March 14, 2012, due October 5, 2017 at the rate of 4.625% for a total amount of 900 million euros 10:30am FR0010941690 Bonds issued September 22, 2010, due March 22, 2021 at the rate of 3.5% for a total amount of 750 million euros 11.00am FR0010817452 Bonds issued November 6, 2009, due November 6, 2019 at the rate of 4.375% for a total amount of 750 million euros 11:30am FR0010804500 Bonds issued September 23, 2009, due September 23, 2024 at the rate of 4.875% for a total amount of 1 billion euros 12:00pm

Provisional calendar of upcoming events and publications

Market Update:

Posting of commented presentation reporting on the progress of the structuring projects underway on August 30 after the close of market

Partial transfer of assets

The partial transfer agreement entered into between AREVA SA and New AREVA Holding will be filed with the Clerk's office of the Paris Commercial Court and will be published in the official bulletin of civil and commercial announcements (BODACC) and in the legal announcement bulletin (BALO), in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. It will also be posted on AREVA's website on August 30

The notice of the Extraordinary General Assembly of AREVA SA convened to approve the partial transfer operation shall be published in the course of September.

The reports of the shares auditors will be made public within the legal timeframe and in accordance with laws and regulations.

Consultation of bondholders

The Consent Solicitation Memorandum that contains the modalities of the consultation of bondholders and a detailed provisional calendar will be made available at the registered office of the Company and at the offices of the centralizing agent on August 30

The notices convening the General Meetings of bondholders shall be published on September 2, 2016, in the BALO bulletin, Les Petites Affiches, Les Echos, the Financial Times and via Euroclear France. They shall contain the agenda and the principal provisions regarding attendance and voting. These notices will also be posted on AREVA's website on September 2, 2016.

Tour AREVA 1 Place Jean Millier F-92400 COURBEVOIE France Tel: +33 (0)1 34 96 00 00 Fax: +33 (0)1 34 96 00 01

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830006391/en/

Contacts:

AREVA

Press Office

+33 (0)1 34 96 12 15

press@areva.com

or

Investor Relations

Manuel Lachaux, +33 (0)1 34 96 11 53

manuel.lachaux@areva.com

or

Anne-Sophie Jugean, +33 (0)1 34 96 62 41

anne-sophie.jugean@areva.com
In November 2015, Brazil had perhaps its worst-ever environmental disaster  from the collapse of a dam, holding back waste water, at the Samarco iron ore mine, which is owned by BHP Billitonand Vale SA. This incident resulted in a major river being polluted, the death of 19 people and hundreds of people being left homeless.The companies responsible for this spill have commissioned an investigation, and the report has just been released. The investigation found that there was a change in the dam's design in 2011 and 2012. This resulted in less efficient drainage and the soil in the dams wall weakening and becoming structurally deficient.The report also noted that a small earthquake earlier that day may have "accelerated" the failure of the dam.Litigation by the Brazilian government, seeking compensation against BHP and Vale, remains pending.BHP reported a net loss of $8.36 billion at 30 June 2016.
Bboxx, a London, UK-based global off-grid solar company, closed a $20m Series C funding round.

Backers included MacKinnon, Bennett & Company (MKB), ENGIE Rassembleurs dEnergies and KawiSafi Ventures, as well as existing investors Khosla Impact Fund, Bamboo Finance and DOEN Foundation.

The company intends to use the funds to expand its presence in existing markets, Kenya and Rwanda, and accelerate the provision of licensed products and services in other markets, including the creation of three franchises in the West African countries of Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Nigeria.

Led by CEO Mansoor Hamayun, Bboxx has developed a distributed energy platform, comprising data-driven technology and a solar home system design to deliver off-grid energy on a utility scale. Since 2010, the company has provided off-grid electricity to more than 350,000 people in 35 countries around the world.

It is currently building its operational headquarters in Kigali, Rwanda.

FinSMEs

30/08/2016
Bio2 Medical, Inc., a Golden, CO-based developer of a catheter to protect critically ill patients from acute Pulmonary Embolism (PE), closed its $3m second tranche of venture debt funding.

Oxford Finance provided the financing.

The company intends to use the funds to further execute its plan for commercialization of the Angel Catheter in the United States. The commercialization plan includes hiring a Sales team, building inventory and executing on market development initiatives.

Led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Christopher E. Banas, Bio2 Medical has introduced the Angel Catheter, an IVC filter that received FDA clearance for a prophylactic use indication.

To date, the company has raised $43.1m of institutional funding.

FinSMEs

31/08/2016
Global investment firm KKR today announced additions to its private equity investment team in Asia.

It has specifically changed its leadership in China and added new senior investment talent in China, Singapore and Korea.

Ming Lu, a Member of KKR and Co-Head of Asia Private Equity, has been named sole Head of Asia Private Equity. He will serve as Interim Head of China until the Firm appoints a successor continuing to report to Joseph Bae. Lu also will continue in his role as Managing Partner of KKR Asia with offices in both New York and Hong Kong.

KKR Members David Liu, Co-Head of Asia Private Equity and Head of China, and Julian Wolhardt, are leaving KKR at the end of this year to form a new China-focused investment firm. They will transition to KKR Advisors beginning in 2017.

New appointments include the following:

 Ashish Shastry, Head of Southeast Asia and Member of KKR, Singapore. Mr. Shastry has more than 18 years of private equity experience and joins from Northstar Group where he has served as a Managing Partner since 2011. Prior to that he was a Partner and Head of Southeast Asia at TPG Capital where he held various investment roles since 1998.

 Zhen Ji, Managing Director of KKR, China. Mr. Ji joins KKR from CITIC Capital where he has served as a Managing Director since 2009. Prior to that he held various investment and management roles at EQT Partners (Hong Kong), Monitor Group (Beijing), Metainternet Inc. and Microsoft Corporation.

 Hyoung Seok Lim, Managing Director of KKR, Korea. Mr. Lim has over 23 years of management consulting and operational experience, including 15 years at McKinsey and Company where he was a Partner in its Seoul office. Subsequently, he served in various senior management roles at LG Electronics, including Chief Operating Officer of its European operations. More recently, Mr. Lim founded Compass LKL in London, an advisory firm focused on providing cross border investment solutions for Korean investors and companies.

 Rob Yang, Managing Director of KKR Real Estate, China. Mr. Yang joined KKR earlier in the summer as a Managing Director leading KKRs Real Estate business in Greater China. Mr. Yang was previously with The Blackstone Group, where he was a leader of Blackstones China team for the last nine years, helping to establish the firms China real estate investment platform and leading a number of key transactions in Greater China.

FinSMEs

30/08/2016
Swell Fundraising, a Birmingham, Alabama-based software for nonprofit organizations to raise more money, secured $500k in funding.

Four angel investors including Gillian Goodrich, Brooke Coleman and Elizabeth Pharo participated in the round.

The company intends to use the funds to expand product offering and aggressively market to the nonprofit community.

Founded by Brooke Battle, Swell provides nonprofits with a platform to launch an event site, a peer to peer fundraising campaign and expand the potential of events by creating awareness and generating donations from an online community- in addition to guests.

The company recently announced its first full-time Team Lead for Marketing  Maria Davis, Kevin Kilburn as the Team Lead for Software Development, and Haley Nock as the Team Lead for Client Services.

FinSMEs

30/08/2016
Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court on Monday granted three-week parole to Nupur Talwar, serving life sentence along with her husband Rajesh for the murder of their teenage daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj.

A division bench comprising justices BK Narayana and AK Mishra ordered the release of Nupur for three weeks following her plea that she be granted parole as her mother was seriously ill and all her other siblings were abroad.

The court granted the parole observing that she may be allowed to take care of her ailing mother until her siblings return to the country.

The Talwar couple, who were well-known dental surgeons based in Noida, were awarded life sentence by a special CBI court at Ghaziabad in November, 2013.

They were convicted for the murder of 14-year-old Aarushi, who was found dead inside her room at their Noida residence in May, 2008, and Hemraj  who was initially suspected of being the killer until his body was found on the terrace of the house two days later.

The high-profile double murder case was handed over to the CBI by the then Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati following an outcry over alleged shoddy investigation by the state police.

Here is a brief timeline of the case:

16 May, 2008: Aarushi Talwar found dead with her throat slit in the bedroom of her home in Noida. Domestic help Hemraj, a Nepali, suspected of murder.

17 May: Hemraj's body found on the terrace of Talwar's residence.

18 May: Police say murders done with surgical precision, insider job suspected.

19 May: Talwar's former Nepali domestic help Vishnu Sharma named as suspect.

21 May: The Delhi police joins murder probe.

22 May: Family under suspicion, probe begins on honour killing angle, the police quiz Aarushi's close friend whom she spoke to 688 times in the 45 days preceding her murder.

23 May: Rajesh Talwar arrested for the twin murders.

1 June: CBI takes over the probe in the case.

13 June: Domestic help of Rajesh Talwar, Krishna, arrested by CBI.

20 June: Lie detection test of Rajesh Talwar conducted at CFSL, Delhi.

25 June: Second lie detection test conducted on Nupur Talwar. Her first lie detection test was found inconclusive.

26 June: CBI declares the case to be a "blind case". Rajesh Talwar refused bail by the special magistrate in Ghaziabad.

3 July: The Supreme Court rejects a PIL which challenged the conduct of narco-analysis test on the accused.

12 July: Rajesh Talwar freed on bail from Dasna Jail in Ghaziabad.

5 Jan, 2010: CBI moves court to conduct narco test on Talwar couple.

29 Dec: CBI submits closure report. Clean chit to servants but points fingers at parents.

25 Jan, 2011 : Rajesh Talwar attacked in the Ghaziabad court premises.

9 Feb: Court takes cognisance of CBI report, charges Aarushi's parents with murder and destruction of evidence.

21 Feb: Couple approaches the Allahabad High Court for quashing trial court summons.

Mar 18: HC dismisses their plea to quash summons and orders initiation of proceedings against them.

Mar 19, 2011: The couple approaches the Supreme court which stays the trial against them.

Jan 6, 2012: The apex court dismisses Talwar's plea and allows the trial to proceed.

Jun 11, 2012: Trial starts before Special Judge S Lal.

Oct 10, 2013: Final arguments begin.

Nov, 25, 2013: Talwar couple convicted by a special CBI court in Ghaziabad.

With inputs from PTI
New Delhi: Pointing to a massive surge in vector-borne diseases in the national capital, chikungunya and dengue cases in the city have shot up to 423 and 487 respectively. According to report released by the civic authorities 423 chikungunya cases were diagnosed in Delhi till 27 August, while 368 out of the 487 dengue cases were recorded in August.

Safdarjung Hospital has reported nearly 250 chikungunya cases till 29 August.

"chikungunya cases have spiked in the city. We are getting more and more patients with its symptoms. Till 29 August, our hospital has reported 246 cases," Medical Superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital A K Rai told PTI.

Three hundred and eleven dengue cases have been reported till 20 August, while 176 cases came to light in last week alone, marking a rise of nearly 57 per cent, said a senior official of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, which compiles dengue report on behalf of all the civic bodies in Delhi.

An 18-year-old boy died on Sunday of dengue at Apollo Hospital in south Delhi, taking to five the number of fatalities from the disease.

"He was brought to the hospital in a critical state on 26 August. He was earlier admitted to some private hospital in south Delhi area and later referred to Apollo Hospital. He died of dengue shock syndrome," a hospital source said.

At the AIIMS laboratories, which get blood samples from Delhi and other parts of the country, 362 samples were tested positive for chikungunya during July to 20 August.

"Out of 133 samples sent to our labs, 83 were tested positive in July and this month till 20 August, out of 502 samples, 279 tested positive for chikungunya," Department of Microbiology at AIIMS, Lalit Dar, had earlier said.

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) which compiles the vector-borne disease cases report on behalf of all civic bodies, had pegged the total number of cases till 20 August at 20.

chikungunya is a viral illness and its symptoms are similar to those of dengue, which include high-grade fever, severe joint pain, muscle pain and headache and joint swelling.

It also causes rashes in patients but is not a threat like dengue in which there is a risk of bleeding due to abrupt fall in platelet count.

The sudden spike in chikungunya cases in Delhi and several other parts of north India, has come nearly 10 years after a big outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease across the country.

In 2006, over 13 lakh suspected chikungunya fever cases were reported across the country, according to National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP).

In 2016, till 28 July, 9,990 suspected chikungunya cases have been recorded, with Karnataka reporting 7,591 cases. dengue cases were reported rather early in 2016. The disease had claimed its first victim on 21 July when a girl from Jafrabad in northeast Delhi died at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital.

Doctors have advised people to keep themselves adequately hydrated and not resort to self-medication, and also to go for blood test before rushing to get admitted in hospital.

"Only in severe cases should they go for hospitalisation. Also, it is extremely important to note that platelet transfusion is only needed in dengue cases where the platelet count is less than 10,000 and there is active bleeding.

"Unnecessary platelet count can cause more harm than good. Adequate hydration is the best management approach to dengue while monitoring crucial signs," said Dr K K Aggarwal, Secretary General, Indian Medical Association.

Last year, the city saw a staggering 15,867 dengue cases the worst in 20 years with the disease claiming 60 lives, as per municipal reports.
The Centre may soon book controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and his Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) under terrorism related charges for preaching inciting violence among the Muslim youth.

According to CNN-News 18, in a letter written by Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar to the Ministry of Home Affairs, he said that Zakir Naik should be booked under anti-terror law and that the government should gag him. The letter further stated that Naik's ideology is divisive and against India's pluralistic, secular and social fabric.

In July, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju too had shown concern over Naik's divisive speeches. In an interview in Delhi he said that, "Zakir Naik's speech is a matter of concern for us. Our agencies are working on this. But as a minister, I will not comment what action will be taken."

#UPDATE | Zakir Naik and IRF should be booked under anti-terror law. Govt should gag Zakir Naik: Solicitor General to MHA  News18 (@CNNnews18) August 30, 2016

CNN-NEWS18 EXCLUSIVE | Zakir Naik's ideology is divisive against India's pluralistic and secular and social fabric: Solicitor General to MHA  News18 (@CNNnews18) August 30, 2016

Naik, who is currently in Saudi Arabia, is under the scanner of state and central agencies for allegedly making incendiary speeches. But he rejected charges that his sermons inspired terror activity, claiming that he never encouraged anyone to kill innocent people.

Soon after the cafe attack in Dhaka, he faced a lot of heat, because the attackers claimed to have been inspired by his speeches. Naik condemned all terror attacks and dubbed himself as "a messenger of peace".

In a conference with reporters, he condemned the Indian media and alleged that they had doctored his statements. "Indian media doctored my statements," Naik said in the interview. "Our channel is promoting peace...the present government (of India) has not called me so far," he said.

The controversial Islamic orator and founder of Mumbai-based IRF is banned in the UK and Canada for his 'hate speech' aimed at other religions. He is among 16 banned Islamic scholars in Malaysia.

He is known in Bangladesh through his Peace TV, although his preaching often demean other religions and even other Muslim sects.

With inputs from PTI


A widely used modern version of the 'Hippocratic Oath' taken by a doctor reads, I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.

But when abject insensitivity, that seems to be sharper than a surgeons knife, denies a 12-year-old boy treatment in Kanpur  treatment that would have saved his life  Hippocrates died another silent death.

On Monday, an ailing 12-year-old Ansh passed away, as his father carried him from one hospital to the next in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, begging for treatment for his child.

Sunil Kumar had to carry his son in search of treatment and ultimately ended up at the emergency section of the government-run Lala Lajpat Rai (LLR) hospital, where his son was allegedly refused admission. The staff allegedly didn't even provide any assistance to the father in the form of a stretcher to carry the kid, who eventually passed away on arrival at the nearby children's hospital.

https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/770490292613021696

In May 2013, in an attempt to prevent loss of life due to delayed medical help, the Delhi High Court had ordered the state government to ensure that all hospitals, including private hospitals, dont deny treatment to rape and road accident victims. Also, the committee for road safety, appointed by the Supreme Court, had directed compulsory and free treatment in cases of road accidents. But then, it is hardly followed by all the hospitals, as it involves certain legal tangles to treat accident patients.

But what can stop a hospital from treating a child suffering from fever?

Denying a 12-year-old treatment, pushing him to his death, will surely invite sharp criticism of the hospital authority. But beneath the apparent insensitivity of the hospital staff, that denied Ansh a chance to live, lies a bigger irony.

The fact remains that the apathy displayed in this case is so common, that cases like these hardly grab attention; until it is exploded in disturbing imagery on national television.

In the Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh, every year hundreds of young children die due to lack of proper medical care. In an article published in Frontline in 2011, it was stated that "488 children died in Uttar Pradesh from encephalitis alone that year, with Gorakhpur  the centre of the endemic disease  contributing majorly to the death toll.

A Hindustan Times report dated 24 September 2005, reads, Ten more patients, including seven children, succumbed to Japanese Encephalitis (JE) at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur in the past 24 hours. With this, the death toll at the medical college went up to 574 since the outbreak of the disease.

While lack of medical facilities and proper care is the reason behind the death of hundreds of children, the hospital staff cannot be blamed alone for this. As the Frontline report stated, The hospital is in need of at least 50 ventilators but has only 20. And clearly, there is an overwhelming feeling of helplessness among the medical staff as they find the facilities and the manpower hugely outpaced by the number of patients coming in everyday.

https://twitter.com/TimesNow/status/770497572041428992

Lack of proper infrastructure and stringent regulatory mechanism has plagued the health sector in a big way. Unregulated mushrooming of the private health sector is further making it impossible for a common man afford proper medical facilities.

But then this has been the state of affairs for long. Switch to news reports from September 2015, when the parents of a 7-year-old boy named Avinash ran from hospital to hospital, trying in vain to save their dying child. They begged everyone to admit their child suffering from Dengue. But by the time someone consented to treat their son, it was too late.

The parents of a seven-year-old, not able to cope up with their loss, committed suicide by jumping from a four-storeyed building in south Delhi's Lado Sarai.

Following the deaths of Avinash and his parents, the Centre and Delhi government ordered separate probes into the incident, and issued show-cause notices to five hospitals that had allegedly denied treatment to the child.

Union Health Minister J P Nadda ordered an inquiry and said that the "guilty wont be spared". "Ordered inquiry into incident reported in media involving death of child in Delhi due to Dengue & suicide by parents. Guilty wont be spared, Nadda had tweeted.

A year on, another young child, in another state, has died due to lack of treatment. There will again be some chest-beating, some high decibel debates about the lack of apathy and some notices will be issued. But the bigger questions will still remain unanswered.

What regulatory mechanism do we have in place to ensure strict compliance of the rules in treating patients? How far can we go in punishing those who violates these rules? How serious are we in removing the bottlenecks that that lead to deaths? And the most important among all the questions: What could have been done to prevent the sad demise of Avinash and Ansh, and many more who are unidentified?
Even as an expert committee appointed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday recommended the use of chilli-filled grenades and 'stun lac shells' to control mobs in place of pellet guns, a news report has now revealed that the same less lethal alternatives had been approved in 2012 but their acquisition process was never completed.

According to The Indian Express, in 2010, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had called for a search for less-lethal weapons after the violence in Kashmir at that time killed over 100 protesters.

The then PM had called for "a high-power task force" to come up with recommendations. However, a committee which was led by the then home secretary GK Pillai struggled to meet the PM's timeline as the Bureau of Police Research and Development, which was tasked with shortlisting the less lethal equipment available globally, got involved in a dispute with the vendor chosen for the task.

Despite this hurdle, it was announced in 2011 that CRPF's Rapid Action Force was introducing less lethal long-range acoustic devices, capsicain ball rounds and grenades. These are some of the same equipments which the MHA panel has recommended now.

But the procurement process for the less lethal gear ended without explanation in 2012.

Frankly, I have no idea what happened after I left office...There were people who were quite resistant to new ideas, which is perhaps understandable, so the process was slow. It perhaps petered out as memories of what had happened in 2010 faded," the report quoted Pillai as saying.

On Monday, a seven-member expert committee, headed by Joint Secretary in the Home Ministry TVSN Prasad, submitted its report on the alternatives to pellet guns. The panel was constituted after many protesters were blinded by the use of pellet guns in Jammu and Kashmir.

The use of pellet guns in Jammu and Kashmir has been widely debated, where the death toll in the unrest, which began on 8 July after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, has crossed 65.

Sources had told PTI that Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide (PAVA), also called Nonivamide, and other non-lethal ammunition like 'stun lac cells' and Long Range Acoustic Device (LARD) which create deafening noise to paralyse people were understood to have been suggested as possible alternatives to the pellet guns.

However, LARD is likely to be used in rural areas as it could prove dangerous for old buildings in downtown Srinagar.

Sources also said that pellet guns, which are being used by security forces for crowd control in Jammu and Kashmir, will not be completely banned but will be fired in "rarest of rare cases".

Senior government functionaries have arrived at this conclusion after extensive consultations with security forces and examining the ground realities in Kashmir Valley.

With inputs from PTI
George Fernandes as defence minister, once arriving at Srinagar, was informed that a large crowd had gathered at Baramula and was chanting Azadi, Azadi. In his characteristic style, he decided to drive down with minimum security to meet the crowd. On sighting him, the crowd got restive and the shouts got louder. He listened to them for sometime before raising his hand to indicate he wanted to speak. He then told them, Hamen bhi azadi chahiye (we also want freedom). There was a stunned silence following his statement. Fernandes then amplified Hamen bhi azadi chahiye corruption aur berozgari se (we also want freedom from corruption and unemployment).

Now the question is which government in Jammu and Kashmir has: Addressed unemployment; made efforts to industrialise the state; defined a roll-on-plan to create jobs; explained to youths that stable environment is essential for industrialisation in order to create jobs, and articulated conditions and unemployment in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and the rest of India. Sure, youths in the Valley want employment, but then Maoists too pasted posters (20 July, 2016) demanding employment for local masses, simultaneously triggering bombs at an under-construction Constable Training Centre under Jadugora police station in Jharkhand, though no one was injured.

What is the public participation in administration in Jammu and Kashmir? Some three years back, Delhi Policy Group held a two-day workshop for all MPs and MLAs/MLCs of Jammu and Kashmir in Delhi. Their grouse was panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir had no powers and no finances. When asked what were they doing about being politicians in power, their response was that the state government doesnt permit it. Little wonder sarpanches and panches were being killed periodically, being dispensable commodity. What is the status of panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir today is anybodys guess but the fact remains that if grass root public participation in administration is denied, it not only breeds more corruption but also increases discontent. Ladakh and Jammu regions are open about the state governments step motherly treatment, but does the state government have no compunctions about not sharing the winter misery with the public in the Valley? Why is this royal practice of moving the Durbar to Jammu in winters not dispensed with, when the business of moving the British Durbar from Delhi to Shimla in summers was buried decades ago? If the Jammu and Kashmir government stays put at Srinagar during winter, Valley public surely would be better off by way of electricity, water, commodities, open banks, road clearance etc. Can the present government make a break from this tradition with all the comforts at their disposal anyway?

Kashmiri Pandits were forced out from the Valley, years back but is the Valley turning to Islamic radicalisation? Strangely, a country like Bangladesh is openly talking of the scourge of Islamic radicalisation but we are shy of using the term. Zakir Naik would not have been probed, had Bangladesh not asked us to do so. Sure Pakistan is fully into Islamic radicalisation with China-aided nukes tucked in its pocket. But this is despite facts brought out by the University of Maryland Global Terrorism Database that of the 1,67,221 terrorist related fatalities in period 2001-2015, 75 percent of these have been in 25 Muslim-majority countries (Muslims killed by Muslims) albeit fatalities have also included non-Muslims. The US and Western Europe with combined 3,689 fatalities (including 2,977 during 9/11) account for just 2.2 percent of total terrorist related fatalities during same period. Pakistan began going down the terror vortex since Wahabi-Salafi concepts were embraced by Gen Zia-ul-Haq. Pakistan has been making every effort to replace Kashmirs Sufi culture with Wahabism and appears succeeding to some extent. If MP Muzaffar Hussain Baig says that the Kashmir conflict is on verge of merging with Islamic States global war, it didnt happen overnight and shouldnt be taken lightly. Maps on internet show IS official branches in Afghanistan (Nangarhar), Pakistan (Karachi and Peshawar) and in Bangladesh  latter confirmed recently by US Secretary of State John Kerry. The Velayet Khorasan in Afghanistan was cobbled together in Peshawar by Pakistans ISI and has elements of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad; LeT and JeM operating in Pakistan confirmed in report of UN Assistance Mission Afghanistan (UNAMA) released in July 2016. Voice of America says Afghanistan has officially told Pakistan that Hafiz Saeed, former LeT chief is directing IS operations in Afghanistan. This is separate from Hafiz Saeed of Velayet Khorasn killed recently.

In the US-led GWOT or other counter-terrorist campaign, de-radicalistion has always been given short-shrift or ignored. US, European aid to a country like Pakistan was never linked to de-radicalisation. We too have never given due thought to how and with what means Sufi culture of the Valley is being replaced by Wahabism; information warfare, optimizing Hurriyat hardliners and through religious preachers. We cant brush the issue under the carpet by simply under cover of misguided youth, terrorists use children and women as shields and the like. What about the parents of the children  are they under terrorist threat or are they getting radicalised as well, and if so why and how. Dont they need to be addressed? Has the state ever talked to religious maulvis and religious preachers since they are crucial to radicalisation and de-radicalisation? Should they not be talked to periodically, to review the situation and make course corrections, as required? Why is it always the calls to the Prime Minister or the Home Minister to talk to the public of the Valley? What is the state administration doing? In the instant case the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister made the first public statement and appearance 15 days after the trouble commenced  only when the Home Minister visited Srinagar.

Operations are essential against the hardcore but military solution is not the key, population being the centre of gravity. True blending development with education, protecting population from violence, counter narrative to external information war and taking proxy war into sponsors territory are essential. However, continuous de-radicalisation is must, to integrate education system in national mainstream, separate focus for select communities/regions, teachers/religious teachers, youth, girl child/mothers, apprehended terrorists plus cross-section of population liable to support terrorism, alternatives to expend youth energies including employment opportunities. The psychological operations would include exposing terrorist abuses, inform and empower communities to challenge radical ideology, and monitor de-radicalisation versus ongoing radicalisation. Significantly, civil society usually contributes more to the cause of preventing and countering terrorism than encouraging terrorism. Last but not the least is the massive funding of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, both externally and from within India. The state cannot absolve itself from these happenings and this needs to be quashed ruthlessly.

An all-party delegation, headed by the Home Minister, is reportedly going to Jammu and Kashmir on 4 September. But unless the above issues are addressed holistically, not much may be achieved. At the Heart Security Dialogue held last October in Afghanistan, Salman Khurshid (former external affairs minister) giving keynote address spoke of inter regional civilisation influences and explained that Hinduism is a way of life that embraces all and that India has Muslim Hindus, Christian Hindus, Buddhist Hindus, Jain Hindus etc - which is common phenomenon. Ali Akbar Shah (Delhi University) said, Islamic countries should learn from India where mysticism of all religions including of Islam have been amalgamated and absorbed. As for Islam, India has absorbed both the Islam brought by invaders as well as by sages like Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, adding there is need to revive the true spirit of Islam and while everyone knows what has gone wrong, we need to act to set it right. Can we have such discourse within India or are we going to let politics hold us to ransom?

The author is veteran Lt Gen of Indian Army.
Unfair but balanced commentary on tax and budget policy, contemporary U.S. politics and culture, and whatever else happens to come up
In almost all his foreign tours and address to Indian diaspora, Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks extensively of values about promoting tourism in India and the transformation it could cause, both in terms of enhancing the nation's image and also the revenue earned. He actively promotes tourism in his domestic programmes also. Even a chaiwala earns through tourism, is his usual refrain.

As chief minister of Gujarat, he had realised what promotion of tourism could mean to the state and the nation. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan's Kuch din toh gujariye Gujarat me was part of a well thought out campaign initiated by Modi. Big B's appeal would not have meant anything if the state government had not provided the right environment for people outside the state and country to stay there without any fear or favour.

Tourism is essentially about being at peace with oneself, the ambiance and being in right frame to enjoy whatever comes by, nature or man-made.

In the last two years since the time Modi has been at the helm at the Centre, he has made all the right noises, expressed all the good intent. But he made a big mistake in choosing a person called Mahesh Sharma, a doctor-turned-businessman cum politician, as tourism and culture minister.

Tourism and culture are obviously areas of huge significance for the Modi government. Ideally, it should have been headed by the person in whom Modi had his fullest trust and confidence in competence. One is not sure what kind of talent and skills Modi saw in Mahesh Sharma but in popular perception, he is a man who thinks after he speaks and is a permanent embarrassment to self and the government he is a part of. He has been tasked to promote tourism and create the right environment for it, not to do the reverse. As culture minister, he had earlier conceived the idea of cultural cleaning, only to backtrack later.

His latest pearl of wisdom or an alarmist diktat as tourism minister  no skirt for foreign women tourists, no night out, free pre or post dinner stroll on the street, posting of a photo of the car one is using to a perceived protector before boarding a cab  is like actually saying don't come to India. In the land of Gautam Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi where the world's oldest civilisation flourished, you are at your own peril. What he didn't say but implicitly meant was that you could be raped and murdered if you don't cover yourself well and haven't taken care of moving around with male companions.

In a way, he is saying only burkinis are welcome here, not bikinis. Here is his idea of welcoming the foreign tourists when they land in Indian at various airports: "When tourists arrive at the airport, they are being given a welcome kit which has a card with dos and don'ts... it has instructions like if they are in small areas, they should not roam around alone at night or wear skirts...they should take a picture of the car they are travelling in and send it to their friend." Only Mahesh Sharma knows whether he is welcoming them or scaring them.

His clarification, after hit by all round criticism was no better: "I did not comment on what women should wear or not, I was just speaking in the context of religious places....Also if I ask women tourists to be a bit careful while moving around at night then what is wrong in it? I am simply concerned."

The Tourism and Culture Minister also needs to reflect how would Indians and Indian women react when after landing in any Islamic, Middle East countries they are asked to put on a veil or if travelling to western countries asked to put on a Bikini while venturing out on a beach. More so, if the issue is not just culture, but it carries an implicit threat to personal honour and life.

Looks like Mahesh Sharma has never gone to Khajuraho temples in Madhya Pradesh and Sun temple in Orissa. Or he does not even go out to fancy malls in Noida, where he lives. He is perhaps too big a person to walk inside these malls. Otherwise, he would have realised skirts, short frocks and such other western outfits are no longer exclusive preserves of the Western world. He needs to hand over similar advisories at bus stands, metro stations, malls, college gates, railway stations and so on.

He is better advised to give a thought to Modi's words, spoken recently at BJP's core group meet. Modi had said, "Hum nirantar vikas ke karyon me lage huen hain kintu kuch aise tatva hain jinko yah ras nahi aa raha hai. Wo hamara aur janata ka dhyan bhatkane ki koshish kar rahen hai lekin hume iss tatva se mamanya manvi ko avgat karana hai ki hamara ekmatra lakshya rashtra nirman hai (We are continuously engaged in developmental works but there are some elements who are not liking it, they are trying to distract popular attention from development. But we have to make common people aware of these elements and let them know that our only aim is nation building)."

PM Modi has to decide which category, Culture and Tourism Ministers falls and accordingly decide on future course of action.
There was a Perry Mason mystery, written by Erle Stanley Gardner, so full of action and courtroom drama. In the courtroom, a lawyer argues successfully that his client pumped one of the two bullets into the body, but it was not the fatal one. Another bullet shot at the same time, at the same person, went to the heart and took the person's life. Therefore, his client was innocent.

Much of the same argument is being played out in Mumbai, in support of the defiance of the Supreme Court order, restricting the height of pyramids to 20 feet and banning children under 18 years from participating in Dahi Handi pyramids. Most of the organisers had kept the pot hanging at 20 feet, and children were kept away. If taller pyramids were formed, it was not to reach the pot.

This argument has been forwarded by Raj Thackeray, the head of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), a breakaway rival of the Shiv Sena, led by his cousin, Uddhav Thackeray. If pyramids were formed to give the salaami was higher it was no violation of the courts order. They didnt reach for the pot. This is rather odd, as the Supreme Court order on the height was for safety purpose.

Chances are the ingenuous argument may be made in the Supreme Court, should someone move for contempt of court, or the apex body takes suo motu cognizance and speaks its mind. The nature of the argument put forth by the MNS leader, who had deliberately organised a Dahi Handi with an intent to have a nine-tier pyramid in Thane, is same as what Erle Stanley Gardner had thought of for his pulp fiction.

Thackeray made two other points: One, the courts should stay away from religious matters; and two, if there are restrictions on the use of public spaces, not grounds, but roads and footpaths, for installing Ganesh idols "should they be installed in the courtrooms instead?

Firstpost has argued that Dahi Handi is not religious, even if it replicated on a taller scale, the antics of Krishna the child, to get to the butter his mother tried to keep out of his reach (read here and here).

Now, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has sought the opinion of the Advocate General if the sections of law applied to the violators of the height prescription like culpable homicide etc. could be withdrawn.

This smacks of the governments inability to ready itself to deal with what was meant to transpire, and the possible political loss and gain. The political war between parties is carried out at various levels and with the next years civic elections, all parties are worried about votes, if not voters.

What takes the cake is the letter from the Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar to Fadnavis, which seeks to dilute the perception of the offences. He wrote, The court verdict has to be respected by everyone but some Govinda squads have been booked under Section 308, which can adversely impact the lives of young Govindas. I urge you to take legal opinion from the State Advocate General, if necessary, before taking action. Promptly, Fadnavis obliged, though the letter was subsequent to a visit to hospitals where Shelar and minister Vinod Tawde saw the injured.

The letter widely shared with the media points out that, We met 14-year-old Ankush Nangre, who has seriously been injured. He has innocently committed the violation and is clearly unaware of the implications for his future. The implications, Shelar has failed to understand, is what the apex court had in mind when it set out its order. So has Raj Thackeray. Earlier, elder cousin Uddhav had sought an ordinance promulgated to overcome the court orders.

If the provisions of law, which deal with endangering life or personal safety of others, disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant, are applied, and to Shelar are serious sections which can adversely impact their (Govindas) future, then people responsible in pushing Ankush Nagre and such "innocents into danger need to be made accountable. It could be the squad leader, or the squad which has enough political patronage to at least distribute t-shirts with their sponsorships emblazoned on them, and provide transport etc.

That is the least, of course. But organised defiance, in matters such as these, does not bode well for the well-being of a society. It is all very well for the government to switch between religious event to adventure sport without even specifying the norms under which it could be conducted, but be a master at knee-jerk reactions is hardly the way. Maharashtra, under Fadnavis stewardship, has had two years since 2014 to set them out after declaring it a sport. It dawdled, and it is now politics.
New Delhi: VHP on Tuesday lauded Jain saint Tarun Sagar's speech in Haryana Assembly stressing on significance of dharma in socio-politics and condemned those insulting him by saying free speech does not give the right to hurt "our traditions, socio-religious sentiments and symbols".

"I also appeal to all in Bharat and abroad not to ridicule/insult any saint or/and anything that has been a revered part of our socio-religious psyche for ages. Freedom of Speech is not the right to hurt our socio-religious sentiments and symbols.

"VHP strongly condemns frivolous and insulting remarks by Vishal Dadlani and the likes. It has become a fancy fashion to ridicule, humiliate and insult all that is a part of a socio-religious psyche and then term it 'art', 'Freedom of Speech' etc.

It is deplorable and we condemn all such efforts to demean and degrade our socio-religious symbols of faith," VHP International Working President Pravin Togadia said. He said Jain saint Tarun Sagar, who has shared dais and guided all greatly, gave a "great speech" in Haryana Assembly stressing on significance of Dharma in socio-political aspects and appealed to all not to insult saints in the name of freedom of speech.

"We appeal all not to insult Sants and all that is an integral part of socio-religious psyche for ages. Free speech does not mean right to hurt our traditions," he also said. Praising the Jain saint for his speech as a "great guidance to the nation and to politicians", Togadia said it is a commendable step by the Haryana Assembly to invite him.

"Munishri Maharaj has stressed on the significance of dharma over Politics in socio-political aspects and all should keep that in mind. Munishri Maharaji's pearls of wisdom are important and a guiding path to all. All Jain Sants have been a guiding source for VHP and we respect them all," he said.

Music composer Vishal Dadlani was booked by Haryana police for allegedly hurting religious sentiments with his sarcastic tweet on Jain monk Tarun Sagar. Ambala Cantt police registered a case against Dadlani and one Tahseen Poonawala, a Congress activist who also tweeted on the Jain monk, even as Jain community members staged a protest outside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence in the national capital, demanding the composer's immediate arrest.

The case against Dadlani and Poonawala in Ambala was registered under relevant sections including 153A (promoting enmity between classes), 295A (maliciously insulting the religion or religious beliefs of any class) and 509 of the IPC (uttering any word or making any gesture to insult the modesty of a woman etc), police said.

The Haryana government had invited the Jain monk, who appeared in nude, to deliver a lecture Kadve Vachan in the Assembly on Friday.
The enemies of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu are overjoyed by Mondays directive by a Hyderabad court to investigate his role in last years nearly-forgotten cash-for-votes scam. Some are even hoping that he will be arrested, though a big question mark hangs over whether Naidus arch rival and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Raoknown as KCRwill go the whole hog.

There is no doubt that the reopening of a virtually closed case must be embarrassing for Naidu, the publicity-conscious, tech-savvy darling of the corporate sector who prides in his lily-white image.

But if the investigation and the trial take the universally acceptable course, as they must, its doubtful whether the case will ultimately mean a legal water-loo for Naidu. The alleged evidence of Naidus involvement hinges on a phone conversation he had with an MLA, whose vote his party  Telugu Desam Party (TDP)  was trying to buy. But courts are famously allergic to accepting digital evidence as the sole basis for establishing guilt.

Its even more doubtful whether the case will wreak any political or electoral havoc on the TDP leader, considering that the people of the two Telugu states are familiar with the vicious political games that even Machiavelli would shudder to contemplate.

The case is this: Last year, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Telangana arrested two TDP MLAs in Telangana Revanth Reddy and Venkata Veeraiahand a few others for allegedly paying Rs 50 lakh to nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson for his support to the partys candidate in the Legislative Council elections. Their phones were seized and voices in their conversations related to the deal were authenticated.

Though investigation apparently brought to light at least one phone conversation in which Naidu himself took part, his voice samples were not sent for forensic analysis. This led to allegations that there was a rare, secret understanding between Naidu and KCR, as a result of which the ACB was going soft on the TDP leader. Whatever the reason was, the case was at a standstill.

By seeking and getting a directive from the ACB special court to investigate Naidus involvement on Monday, YSR Congress legislator Alla Ramakrishna Reddy claims to have filled a gaping hole in the investigation.

Ramakrishna Reddy had filed a complaint with evidence that he claimed established that Naidu was the chief conspirator, abettor and perpetrator in the case.

He said a scientific agency in Mumbai had confirmed that the voice in a phone conversation with Stephenson was that of Naidu by comparing it with the voice in a publicly available speech of the Chief Minister.

It was precisely such voice identification that the Supreme Court said in a landmark judgement in 2011 that courts must be extremely cautious about. Evidence of taped conversations were prone to tampering, doctoring and editing, judges B Sudershan Reddy and SS Nijjar said while acquitting Chhota Rajans associate Nilesh Dinkar Paradkar.

Paradkar had been arrested in 2005 for conspiring to murder diamond merchant Bharat Shah, and the prosecutions case rested on interception of calls made by one of his four accomplices. The Bombay High Court convicted him. But the Supreme Court set him free, saying that, under the Evidence Act, taped conversations were no different from documents and photographs and that these were admissible as evidence only if it was proved beyond doubt that they were not tampered with.

The apex court had issued a similar warning before. Dismissing an appeal that challenged the election of Col Ram Singh to the Haryana Assembly in 1982, the court said in 1985 that the acceptability of taped conversations was subject to stringent safeguards to ensure their reliability. Even earlier, courts had accepted tape-recorded evidence only if it was duly corroborated by other evidence.

In his taped conversation with Stephenson, the MLA he was allegedly wooing, Naidu is said to have assured him that he would honour the commitments and promises made to him by his partymen.

This was something like the notorious Moily tapes which shook Karnataka in 1984. Back then, a Janata Party MLA produced a taped conversation, alleging that Congress leader Veerappa Moily had offered him Rs 2 lakh to defect. One of the grounds on which the RG Desai commission of inquiry gave a clean chit to Moily in the case in 1987 was that there was no mention of this amount in the alleged conversation.

In the case of Naidu, whether he was the mastermind of the bribery episodehe might or might not beis difficult to establish. A few others accused in the case were caught red-handed. But all that there is against Naidu is a telephone conversation, whose authenticity is being vouched for by a rival party MLA.

Much will also depend on the extent to which KCR will go to fix Naidu. If the ACB investigators soon descend on Naidu to question him about his role, it will hardly be a surprise. But it will indeed be a big surprise, if KCR lets his ACB to arrest Naidu. For KCR, that would mean taking a huge risk of facing a law-and-order crisis and incurring the wrath of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose political ally the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister is and whose good offices the Telangana leader himself is wooing.

In the case of the Moily tapes, the Janata Party milked every ounce of political mileage from the alleged scam as long as it lasted. The Naidu tapes are unlikely to be anything different. The case will surely oil the propaganda machines of both TRS and YSR Congress, while the plague of buying votes in elections to Legislative Councils and the Rajya Sabha will continue across India.
In the last 27 months, since the time Narendra Modi became Prime Minister and moved to Delhi, Tuesday's was his third visit to Gujarat and first when he attended a public function and addressed a rally. It was an occasion, which the people of Saurashtra region in Gujarat had waited for long  fulfillment of an ambitious promise that he had made in September 2012 as chief minister to bring excess Narmada water from Sardar Sarovar dam by laying a long web of pipeline to solve water woes of this parched region.

This was indeed a momentous occasion, both for Modi and the agricultural community who would benefit from it.

But precisely for these reasons  conceive grand ideas and execute them  why Modi was able to sell his Gujarat development model to the people of the country and become the Prime Minister thereafter.

Gujarat needed a reassurance from Modi that he was still there for the state. The event gains additional importance because of the fact it was coincidentally held in the region where Patel community is dominant. The Prime Minister addressed the rally in his mother tongue Gujarati that could be taken as a clear indication that the poll bugle for the impending state Assembly election has been effectively sounded early. The state votes for a new government towards the end of the current year.

It would be interesting to compare and contrast Tuesday's (30 August, 2016) public speech of Modi with his first speech delivered in Gujarat after he moved to Delhi and with the speech that he gave on 20 December, 2012 in Ahmedabad after winning the Gujarat elections for the third consecutive time.

On 20 December, 2012, which was a hugely significant occasion for Modi, he began his victory or thanks giving speech in chaste Hindi and not in Gujarati. There was no mistaking the fact that he was speaking for a national audience, though he didn't say in as many words but it was more than apparent that he now had national ambitions.

"The results show that if the voters see good governance and development, they vote for the government... I would like to convey this message to the whole country through Gujarat's voters that the country should have good governance and development. The national leaders should understand that and not indulge in divide and rule politics," Modi had said.

It was at this rally, held in front of the old BJP office at Khanpur, Ahmedabad, where for the first time "Modi, Modi" chant was heard. It began suddenly in a low pitch, only to grow louder as the speech progressed.

Subsequently this chant or sloganeering became the trademark activity at all Modi rallies, India or abroad.

But on Tuesday when Modi landed in Gujarat as Prime Minister, he spoke in Gujarati. Perhaps he no longer needed to address the national audience from his native state. On Tuesday, he was focussed on Gujarat and more so or the the electorate in the state. Since the time he left Gujarat and handed over reigns, first to Anandiben Patel and then to Vijay Rupani, the BJP fortunes have slipped. Modi can't afford BJP to have rough prospects in next elections. He thus had to take measures to contain the damage and salvage the situation.

Changing the chief minister, Anandiben Patel succeeded by Vijay Rupani was the first significant measure and his visit to Jamnagar to give some good news to the people affecting their daily life was another. His physical presence, speech in Gujarati and detailing of his own work as Prime Minister was to make people feel that he may have moved but he still was one among them.

About four years ago he had announced Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation Yojna (SAUNI). The first phase of which became operational on Tuesday will ultimately (by 2019) fill 115 dams built in the drought prone 11 districts of Saurashtra region with excess water from the Sardar Sarovar dam. During monsoon, on an average around three MAFt (million acre feet) water overflows from Sardar Sarovar dam and flows into sea.

The government plans to transfer one MAFt of excess water to dams of Saurashtra, using existing canal networks and then laying a web of pipelines to fill dams that are located in the range of 300 to 500 kms from Sardar Sarovar dam.

The political significance of the event could be assessed from the fact that whole of Gujarat government and the state BJP was present on the occasion.

Both Anandiben Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel got due prominence on the dais and opportunity to speak at length in presence of the Prime Minister. After all, this is a Patidar stronghold region. Chief Minister Rupani is also from the region but has no political constituency of his own.

For now Modi has played his card well and would hope Gujarat would not let him down when the time comes.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government's move to review the previous government's phased prohibition policy in Kerala has not created big ripples across political circles in the state.

Barring Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president VM Sudheeran, who incidentally imposed the policy on the United Democratic Front (UDF) government by refusing to allow the renewal of the licence of 418 substandard bars on the eve of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, no other senior leaders of the Congress or its allies has come out strongly against the LDF move.

Sudheerans suggestion to conduct a referendum before reversing the policy has not been taken seriously by either LDF or the UDF since they consider the assembly poll, in which the LDF captured power by winning 91 of the 140 seats in the Assembly, itself as a big referendum.

Former Home Minister and current Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala had even termed the policy as a failure as it did not make the desired impact and called for changes in the policy. Rameshs statement has emboldened the LDF, which had taken an ambiguous stand on the policy during the election, to revisit the policy.

Excise Minister AC Moideen prepared the ground for changes in the policy that sought to make Kerala liquor-free by 2023 by making a strong case for reopening the closed bars in at least major tourist destinations, citing fall in foreign tourist arrivals, especially in the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing and Exhibitions) sector.

Excise Minister TP Ramakrishnan backed him saying that the long queues in front of the retail outlets run by state-run by Kerala State Beverages Corporation and Kerala State Co-operatives Consumers Federation (Consumerfed) was a disgrace to the 100 percent literate state. He also cited a huge rise in drug consumption in the state to buttress his argument for reopening the closed bars. However, neither of them called for a total reversal of policy, under which all 713 liquor bars below the five-star category and 20 percent retail outlets were shut down till 1 October, 2015 even when the LDF maintained that abstinence was their policy.

The statements by the two ministers are viewed as a move to reopen all bars attached to four-star hotels and stop further closure of retail outlets. The closure of the next bench of 10 percent retail outlets is due on 1 October, 2016. A hectic move by three star hotel owners to upgrade their hotels is seen as a reflection of the positive signals they have got from the LDF government on its liquor policy. The excise minister said that the government will formulate the policy due on 1 April, 2017 in consultation with all concerned.

Former Congress MLA TN Prathapan, a strong proponent of total prohibition, views the move the result of a deal the LDF had reached with the bar owners before the assembly elections. He told the Firstpost that the bar owners, who had tried to dislodge the UDF government by raising bribery charges against several ministers of the Oommen Chandy cabinet, had flowed money to ensure the defeat of the UDF in the assembly polls.

The LDF had run an extravagant campaign for the election with the help of funds given by the bar owners. They had taken the money by giving an assurance that they will reopen the bars if they come to power. The LDF has been speaking about the reviewing the UDF policy as part of this assurance ever since they assumed office, said Prathapan, who is a close confidante of Sudheeran.

He said that the LDF leaders were not speaking about the total reversal of the policy as they may have realised the actual impact of the policy on the people and the society after they assumed office. He said that the figures furnished by the excise minister in the Assembly regarding substantial reduction in hard liquor consumption were contrary to the statements given by the LDF leaders outside.

The LDF government had also acknowledged steep fall in liquor-related crimes, including domestic violence, and road accidents following the introduction of the phased prohibition. This is the reason why they are not ready to reverse the policy totally. If they do they know the people who are benefited by this will not tolerate it, Prathapan said.

The Congress leader said that his party will mobilise the people against the government if they dilute the policy. He said that the tourism ministers argument that prohibition had affected tourism was baseless.

Tourists are not coming to Kerala to drink liquor. They visit the state to enjoy its natural beauty and cultural heritage. This will become clear if the government orders a social audit of the transactions of the star hotels in the last 10 years, Prathapan said. Father TJ Antony, general secretary of the Madhya Virudha Samithi of Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) also backed Prathapan saying that the numerous awards the Kerala tourism received at the national and international level this year was an indication that the tourism was not hit by the liquor policy.

Political commentator Jacob George believes that the LDF government will ultimately implement its own policy, which is abstinence and not prohibition. He told the Firstpost that the LDF government had no obligation to bear the burden of a policy born out of political intrigues. The policy was imposed by Sudheeran as part of his own political agenda. The UDF government had announced the policy without due deliberations within the ruling front and consultations outside. A policy not based on consensus will not stand the test of the time, said Jacob.

He said that LDF was not only concerned about the impact of the policy on tourism but also the serious dip in the revenue and loss of livelihood to thousands employed by the liquor industry. Liquor, which brought about Rs 12, 000 crore to the state a year, is a major source of the governments revenue. Kerala which grapples with a public debt of Rs 1.35 lakh crore cannot absorb such a huge loss in revenue. "The LDF has been opposing the prohibition saying that it had failed wherever it was implemented. Will they implement a policy that they strongly believe will not succeed? I dont think they will," says Jacob.
New Delhi: Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung has ordered transfer of several senior officials engaged in flagship projects of the AAP government, prompting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being "hell bent" to "destroy" Delhi.

This is the first major reshuffle by the Lt Governor in Public Works Department (PWD) and Environment and Health Departments following the Delhi High Court ruling that the Lt Governor is the administrative head of the national capital.

Jung has replaced Health secretary Tarun Seem with IAS officer Chandrakar Bharti while Ashwani Kumar has been appointed as new PWD Secretary in place of non-IAS cadre office Sarvagya Srivastava.

In the wake of the HC order that stamped the primacy of the LG in the city administration, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had requested Jung not to transfer Seem and Srivastava as they were handling flagship projects  setting up of mohalla clinics and construction of new school buildings  of the Kejriwal government.

"Today, several officers transferred by LG directly. Files not even shown to CM or any minister. Is this Modi model of democracy?... Manish Sisodia requested LG not to transfer these two officers looking after works of setting mohalla clinics and new schools till 31 March, but he (LG) did not relent," Kejriwal tweeted.

Reacting strongly to the LG's order, Sisodia said that if quality of health and education deteriorates, Modi will be responsible as he is creating hurdles in the functioning of the AAP government.

"We have got to know that Modiji has asked LG on phone to transfer these two offices. Modi can go to any extent. If education and health quality deteriorates, Modiji will be responsible for this," he said.

In another order, Jung has created approving authorities for transfer and postings of officers of IAS, DANICS and DASS cadres, Principal private secretaries, suspending all previous orders of the AAP government.

In the order, Jung said the LG will be the approving authority for transfer and postings of IAS, DANICS, All India Service Officers, equivalent officers of central civil services. But for DASS Grade I/II, principal private secretary, senior personal assistant, the Chief Secretary will be the approving authority.

Besides, Secretary (Services) has been appointed as the approving authority for transfer and postings of DASS Grade III/IV and Grade II/III (Stenographer) while Administrative Secretary/Head of Department will look after transfers and postings of other employees of cadre/ex-cadre within the department concerned.
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Whatever I learnt in Gujarat has helped me a lot when I went to Delhi: PM Modi in Jamnagar pic.twitter.com/6EIVakp7sS

The water table of Gujarat which was falling began to rise. Check dams were built in large numbers: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/ScctqHu8HD

He said that number of dams is also increasing in India and this is going to give farmers easy access to water. He said, "We brought a crop insurance scheme that will help the farmers."

On his Gujarat trip, PM Modi attended a rally and said, "In my experience the farmer can belong to any part of India, if he gets water than he can produce gold from the earth. This is why we are running schemes like drip irrigation. This methods have helped save water. It is important to save water for future generations. It is our duty to do this."

Whatever I learnt in Gujarat has helped me a lot when I went to Delhi: PM Modi in Jamnagar pic.twitter.com/6EIVakp7sS

"Corruption and deceit has reduced and this has given farmers access to urea. Such work can be done and we have done this," he said.

He added, "There was a time when farmers were fighting amongst themselves to get their hands on fertilisers like urea. Now we have started importing which means that the farmers have easy access to this fertiliser."

He added, "Today India has accepted Gujarat's son as their PM. Gujarat knows that a son from this land can take the responsibility of the entire nation and this son will never do anything to embarrass the state."

PM Modi hailed the farmers in Gujarat. He said, "When I travelled India as Prime Minister, I was under the impression that most states were following the same schemes as us in Gujarat. What I have learnt from Gujarat has helped me a lot."

He talked about the lessons he has learnt from Gujarat and that he wishes to continue to do good work at the Centre. "This land has fed me and made me capable of taking such a responsibility. In the past two years I have only heard news of progress."

He added, "Now this work is being done by the govt at the Centre without any deceit. Even in this atmosphere in recession, India has held its own. India's economy is doing well."

"Today 6 rivers are connected in Gujarat. It supplies water throughout the state. I hope to do the same in India," Modi said.

Grateful to Guj Govt for inviting me to programme (inauguration of SAUNI project), which is of great imp: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/0KeUTpDOVe

He ended his speech with chant of 'Narmade'. "I am very thankful to the state government to give me this chance to talk."

In his closing paragraoh he talked about the Centre's approach towards the state of Gujarat. He said, "Indian government will never hold back on what Gujarat deserves."

PM Modi raised the issue of 'Save girl child'. He talked about the achievements of the women atheletes in 2016 Rio Olympics. He said "Beti bachao (Save the girl child), we have been saying this in Gujarat for very long. Today these girls have made us proud. Beti Bachao (Save the girl child), beti padhao (Educate the girl child) and now they are saying Beti khilao (Teach sports to the girl child). Now there is no bias between a girl and a boy."

Gujarat has adopted the Mantra of Vikas. We took up the issue of better road connectivity across India & particularly in villages: PM Modi

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled by road to Aji-3 dam to inaugurate the SAUNI project after landing at the airport in Jamnagar, instead of taking a helicopter ride owing to bad weather conditions.

As monsoon has been active over Jamnagar for the past few days, the plan to travel by helicopter was dropped.

"Due to bad weather, the Prime Minister is coming by road to the venue instead of a helicopter," BJP Saurashtra region spokesperson Raju Dhruv told PTI.

"Our PM was supposed to reach Aaji-3 dam through helicopter. However, due to safety reasons in the wake of bad weather and cloudy atmosphere, PM has been taken to the venue by road in a car," said an official of Jamnagar police control room.

Ahead of his arrival at Jamnagar, Modi tweeted, "Looking forward to being in Gujarat today for the launch of SAUNI Yojna. This scheme will truly benefit the people of Gujarat."

Looking forward to being in Gujarat today for the launch of SAUNI Yojana. This scheme will truly benefit the people of Gujarat.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 30, 2016

The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti had earlier threatened to stage a protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Gujarat visit if its members were not allowed to submit him a memorandum of their demands.

Rajkot PAAS convener Brijesh Patel had said they want to seek "clarification" from the PM on his "silence" on the "atrocities" committed on Patels during last year's agitation for reservation.

"We do not wish to disrupt the programme if we are given permission by authorities to meet him (PM) and hand him over a memorandum. If we are denied permission, PAAS members will stage protest outside the venue (of the PM's event)," Brijesh had said, a close associate of quota stir spearhead Hardik Patel.

PAAS wants to raise several demands through their memorandum, including the key demand of granting reservation to Patidar community in government jobs and education under OBC quota.

"Our PM never said anything about the atrocities committed on Patels during our agitation. We want to seek clarification from Modi on his silence. Through our memorandum, we also want to raise the issue of inaction by state government in punishing police officers involved in thrashing and killing Patels," Brijesh had said.

He had said that PAAS has already sought permission from the police commissioners and the collectors of Rajkot and Jamnagar to allow its members to hand over the memorandum to the PM.
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After holding public hearings through concerted campaigns, Swaraj Abhiyan, the splinter group of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has now raised a red flag against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for concealing the truth on distribution of new liquor licenses after coming to power.

Yogendra Yadav, the founding member of Swaraj Abhiyan and the expelled national executive member of AAP has challenged Kejriwal to tell the truth in public about the issuance of 399 new liquor licenses in the national capital by the state government. He has also demanded a public apology from the party.

6 or 399?

My challenge to @ArvindKejriwal on truth of liquor licenses issued by AAP govt. https://t.co/id9OS5FXdT  Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) August 30, 2016

In a scathing letter written to the CM on Tuesday, Yadav has questioned the Delhi government about reasons for concealing information from the public regarding liquor licenses given to shops and restaurants.

Your government has repeatedly claimed that AAP government has issued only six new licenses for liquor after coming to power. When Swaraj Abhiyan released different RTIs showing figures ranging from 58 to 217 new licenses, your Deputy CM claimed this was a lieSince you have questioned us, I am constrained to respond with this challenge. I am releasing a list of 399 new licenses that AAP government has issued to liquor vends/stores and restaurants etc. It means that your government was working hard to issue almost one license every day! Yadav has written in his letter to the CM.

Here is the list of 399 licences issued by AAP govt in Delhi.

I challenge @ArvindKejriwal to prove this is not true.https://t.co/Qs9dKEw7wk  Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) August 30, 2016

Yadav has asked Kejriwal to offer an apology to the people of Delhi for the governments failure in keeping with its promises while seeking replies to four questions.

The four questions posed to Delhi CM by Yadav are:

1. Why is the government led by RTI activists concealing information from the public?

2. Why did the government that came to power on the promise of Nashamukti increased the supply of liquor?

3. Why did the government that promised swaraj not conforming to the existing rules of consulting local public before issuing a license?

4. Why did the AAP government not use even one crore of the 3589 crore earned from liquor for de-addiction?

Through my letter, I have challenged Arvind to come up with the truth related to issuing of 399 liquor licenses by his government. We have been raising concerns through our campaigns regarding the Delhi government issuing liquor licenses without the consent of local residents. It is the same AAP that has gone against its promise to make Delhi addiction-free (Nashamukti) in its manifesto. The deputy CM Manish Sisodia in the Assembly claimed that only six licenses were issued. It is a lie as proven by the list of 399 licenses, which we are releasing, Yadav told Firstpost.

Swaraj Abhiyan which was founded as a socio-political movement and has been campaigning since 7 August against the Kejriwal-led government for issuing new licenses to open liquor vendors in residential areas. The organisation recently conducted public hearings at Kasturba Nagar, Karawal Nagar and Uttam Nagar  attended by the residents, who complained against the Delhi governments move to open liquor shops in their localities, without asking for the consent of the locals.

As per the Delhis Excise law, the government has to seek approval from local residents prior to opening a liquor shop in a locality.

Based on a list of new liquor shops opened at 11 places released by us, we conducted public hearing at three places. Our next hearing will be at Burari, Model Town, Matia Mahal, Jangpura and Bonda. After coming under pressure due to our repeated campaigns, public hearings and protests made by the local residents, the CM has been compelled to announce that no new liquor shops would be opened in Delhi in the next one year, barring in malls. It has tactically been done keeping the upcoming Punjab and Delhi MCD elections in mind, Swaraj Abhiyans national executive member, Anupam told Firstpost.

Moreover, the government says that Mohalla Sabhas would take a decision on closing of the liquor vends. This is just a political rhetoric meant for media consumption. Mohalla Sabhas do not have any power or legal standing to do so. Through this sort of announcement, the government has been planning to kill Mohalla Sabhas in a way similar to what they did with Jan Lokpal, he alleged.

Here is a copy of Yadav's letter to Kejriwal:

Yogendra Yadav Letter to Arvind Kejriwal on 399 New Liquor Shops Aug 30 by Firstpost on Scribd
Karachi: Pakistan has sent a formal reference to the British government against self-exiled Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain for inciting violence in Karachi last week, interior ministry said on Tuesday.

An official of the interior ministry said the reference was sent by the ministry. The official said that the detailed reference includes evidences that Hussain had given hate speeches against Pakistan and some media houses and incited his party workers to resort to violence and anarchy.

He said Hussain had as such violated Pakistani laws as well as British and international laws. The ministry in the reference wants the British government to take action against those who are inciting people to violence in Karachi and creating a law and order situation, he said.

The reference pertains to the speech made by Hussain at a hunger strike camp set up outside the Karachi Press Club on 22 August where he made anti-Pakistan comments and urged workers to go to some media offices and teach them a lesson.

His remarks led to violence and one person was killed and several others injured in the Saddar area where offices of a large media house is located. DG Rangers Maj Gen Bilal Akbar claimed that MQM unit and sector workers were involved in attack on media house.

The attack was facilitated by MQM Labour Division, he said, adding that it was a pre-planned act. Since the incident, the paramilitary rangers and police have launched a crackdown on the MQM and razed dozens of its sector and unit offices and sealed hundreds more including the MQM headquarters 90 near Aisha Manzil.

Senior MQM leaders have distanced themselves from Hussain's remarks and the central leadership which ran party affairs from London where the MQM chief is in self exile since 1993. The MQM emerged as a largely ethnic party in the 1980s. It has political dominance in the southern Sindh province's urban areas - notably in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Sukkur where a large number of urdu-speaking people reside.
Now that the United States presidential elections are just a few months away, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are fiercely campaigning. While the least they can rely upon are votes from their own party members, at least 110 Republican leaders have reportedly come out and refused to vote for Trump.

Trumps crude remarks and weary of his bombast and seemingly loose party allegiance, traditional Republicans largely stayed out of primary politics, Vox reported.

In an Op-ed for The Washington Times, GOP Senator Susan Collins wrote, I will not be voting for Donald Trump for president. He does not reflect historical Republican values nor the inclusive approach to governing that is critical to healing the divisions in our country.

Possibly the Republicans have for long believed that Trump would clean up his comments and behave more responsibly as the elections approach.

However, far from that, Trumps remarks and attitude has managed to irate Republicans to the extent that some of them would vote for rival Hillary Clinton, reported The New York Times.

Trumps call for a complete shutdown on Muslims entering the United States infuriated Representative Reid Ribble, who said that he will not support Trump.

Christine Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey too revoked her support because according to her Trumpis employing the kind of hateful rhetoric and exploiting the insecurities of this nation, in much the same way that allowed Hitler and Mussolini to rise to power in the lead-up to World War II, The New York Times reported.

In an interview with Der Spiegel, Paul Wolfowitz discussed the dangers of a Donald Trump presidency and said that I might have to vote for Hillary Clinton.

According to The Atlantic, Neoconservative intellectuals and pundits like Bill Kristol, Max Boot, and Robert Kagan have also been particularly harsh in criticizing Trump.

The report also said that former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and President Bush himself have remained pointedly silent, declining to back the Republican nominee.

Former First Lady Barbara Bush told CBS news that some of the things that Trump have said about women are outrageous.

Richard Hanna in an op-ed for Syracus Post wrote, Months ago I publicaly said I could never support TrumpI found him profoundly offensive and narcissistic but as much as anything, a world-class panderer, anything but a leader.

Tim Miller told Vox that I am in the camp that thinks that its important for him to suffer a humiliating defeat in November.

Ted Cruz said, I am not in the habit of supporting people who attack my wife and attack my father.

Mark Kirk too has denounced Trump by saying Given my military experience, Donald Trump does not have the temperament to command our military or our nuclear arsenal,  reported CNN.

Lindsey Graham too does not support Trump because he does not consider him to be a reliable Republican conservative, according to a report in The Washington Post.

Ben Sasse too said that he cannot support someone the he doesnt think would take the oath of office in good faith.

These are just few of the 110 Republicans who have refused to support Trump. His policies and comments leave no choice for some Republicans but to denounce him and rather vote for Clinton.
Google has launched a new app dubbed as Crowdsource which lets you contribute to language translation and handwriting recognition.

With Crowdsource, Google is asking its users to contribute with translations, transcriptions and handwriting recognition. After booting the app, users are asked which languages you are fluent in, which will provide more options within the various categories. Next up, it lets you choose from micro-tasks like image transcription, handwriting recognition, translation and translation validation, as well as map translation validation.

Google Crowdsource app description on Play Store,

Each microtask takes no more than 5-10 seconds, so knock away a few the next time you find yourself with a few moments to kill  be it while waiting in line at the grocery store or on the train ride home. Everytime you use it, you know that youve made the internet a better place for your community.

Google Crowdsource
General Motors (GM 1.81%) and the U.S. Army will unveil an electric pickup truck powered by a fuel cell in October, GM said on Tuesday.

An electric pickup powered by hydrogen

We won't have all of the details until October, but we know it's an all-electric Chevrolet Colorado mid-size pickup powered by a fuel cell, a device that chemically converts the energy in a fuel cell (hydrogen gas, in this case) to electricity. The fuel cell's only "emission" is water vapor, making it a clean-energy technology.

The truck is a product of a collaboration between GM and the Army's Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, or TARDEC, that began last year. The intent of the collaboration is to allow the Army to explore consumer automotive technology, while GM gets feedback on how its technology performs under harsh military conditions.

Why is the Army interested in fuel cell trucks?

If they can be made affordable and reliable, electric vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells offer the Army several advantages over gasoline or diesel engines. First and foremost, they're quiet, which has obvious advantages in a military context.

Second, unlike internal-combustion engines, electric motors generate a lot of torque instantly. (That's what gives Tesla Motors' cars such thrilling acceleration.) Applied a little differently, that same torque can give off-road vehicles some big advantages when moving over rough terrain.

The Army also likes the idea of a vehicle that can serve as a portable electric generator. If it has enough fuel-cell vehicles operating, that "exhaust" might be useful as a water source. And even the Army is under political pressure to clean up its environmental act these days.

"Hydrogen fuel cells as a power source have the potential to bring to the force incredibly valuable capabilities," said TARDEC Director Paul Rogers in a statement. "With fuel cell technology advancing, it's an ideal time to investigate its viability in extreme military-use conditions."

What does GM get out of this deal?

GM has been working on fuel cells for many years. Its current research and development program, a joint project with Honda (HMC 1.06%), is focused on bringing affordable fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) to market around 2020, as part of GM's broader strategy to shift its global product portfolio toward electric powertrains.

Fuel-cell vehicles have long intrigued researchers. Compared to the heavy and expensive battery packs used in most electric cars, a tank of hydrogen gas is lighter and easier to design a vehicle around, and it can be "recharged" in just a few minutes.

While the about-to-be-launched Chevrolet Bolt EV shows that GM's battery-electric efforts are well advanced, GM has hinted that it sees a role for fuel cells in its future product portfolio as well. Fuel cells might make sense for bigger, heavier vehicles, or for situations in which quick recharging is essential (think first responders, for instance -- or for that matter, military applications).

Critics point out, rightly, that hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are limited by the lack of refueling stations, while recharging stations for battery-electric vehicles are becoming much more common. It might turn out that fuel cells make the most sense in fleet applications, where the fleet owner can provide the refueling infrastructure. The Army would certainly qualify.

Working with the Army gives GM a chance to test its current fuel-cell technology under intense conditions. It might also, in time, give GM a leg up on winning contracts to supply fuel-cell vehicles to the other U.S. military branches.

What's next for GM's fuel-cell pickup

GM said the FCEV Colorado pickup will be revealed at the fall meeting of the Association of the United Stats Army in Washington, D.C., in October. We'll know more about the truck -- and GM's plans to bring it to the consumer market, if any -- at that time.
Nuclear energy is being pressured across the United States. In recent years nearly one dozen nuclear reactors have been taken offline or scheduled for decommissioning, including the last nuclear power plant in California. Despite a heightening sense of urgency for responding to climate change and reducing carbon dioxide emissions, politicians and environmental groups continue to turn their backs on the nation's largest source of carbon-free power, which provided 20% of the country's total electricity in 2015.

The issue at hand has nothing to do with building new, prohibitively expensive nuclear reactors. Instead, it seeks answers to a simple question: How far are we willing to go to keep existing nuclear energy facilities online? Exelon (EXC 2.81%), the nation's largest producer of nuclear power, has attempted to work with state regulators in Illinois -- which generates 48% of its electricity from atomic energy -- to provide a small subsidy that would keep reactors online and competitive. Politicians balked, afraid of providing "corporate bailouts," despite handing generous state subsidies to wind and solar power owners. As a result, Exelon is planning to close two nuclear facilities in the state that generate 12% of Illinois' total electricity.

That got me thinking: What would the United States look like without nuclear energy? Answering that question by swapping in other forms of power generation and comparing emissions provides insight into the importance of existing nuclear power plants.

By the numbers

Let's consider a few hypothetical scenarios where all American nuclear power plants -- which generated 797,000 GWh of electricity in 2015 -- ceased to exist and were instead replaced by other power sources. What happens?

Most electricity in the United States is generated by coal and natural gas, so let's start there. Here's what would happen to emissions if all nuclear power were replaced with either fossil fuel source, using per-unit emissions data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration:

Electricity Source Increase in Carbon Dioxide Emissions, United States Increase in Carbon Dioxide Emissions, Earth Coal 14% 2.1% Natural gas 8.2% 1.2%

Replacing all nuclear power generation in the United States with coal would result in a 14% increase in the nation's carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to doubling all industry-related emissions. It would also increase global emissions by 2.1%, or the equivalent to adding another Germany.

Natural gas fares better, but only slightly. A complete replacement would result in a 8.2% increase for the United States, equivalent to giving up all of the country's climate and pollution gains since the year 2000, and increase global emissions by 1.2%, or the equivalent of adding another Brazil.

These scenarios would set the United States back on its overall climate goals, so let's consider what would happen if all nuclear power were instead replaced by wind and (photovoltaic) solar power. Obviously, replacing one carbon-free power source with another wouldn't have a net effect on emissions, but there are other things to consider -- like capacity factors.

A capacity factor is the average power generated divided by the maximum power generation possible, or a measure of how close a power source is to operating at full capacity over time. Wind and solar power have among the lowest capacity factors, which means more capacity has to be installed to generate the same amount of power. Consider the following table comparing American nuclear, wind, and solar on these metrics from 2015 operations:

Electricity Source Installed Capacity Share of Total Electricity Generation Capacity Factor Nuclear 98,729 MW 20% 92.2% Wind 73,992 MW 4.7% 32.5% Solar (PV) 27,635 MW 0.97% 28.6%

In other words, to replace all of the electricity generated from 98 GW of nuclear energy would take 309 GW of wind power and 570 GW of solar power at current capacity factor ratings. This isn't to say that wind and solar aren't valuable sources of clean power, but it goes to show the importance -- and efficiency -- of nuclear energy.

What does it mean for investors?

This simple analysis shows the difficulty facing regulators and politicians that consider neglecting existing nuclear power plants. Reactors that close will need to be replaced by fossil sources -- resulting in a net increase in emissions -- or impossible amounts of wind and solar power. This also hints that states such as Illinois will eventually need to allow subsidies for all forms of clean power generation, which includes nuclear energy. Investors have already seen this demonstrated. Not long after Illinois told Exelon to beat it, New York passed a Clean Power Standard that provided subsidies for wind, solar, and nuclear power. Exelon responded by investing $300 million into existing nuclear facilities, including purchasing a troubled power plant from Entergy for $100 million.

If New York's move sets a precedent for other states to follow, then Exelon could become considerably more profitable in the next several years. After all, in the last seven years it has lost $800 million from the two soon-to-be-closed facilities in Illinois. Simply breaking even at those two facilities alone would boost EPS by 5% compared to last year. In other words, I think long-term investors should be more optimistic than the stock price would suggest.
The Internet isnt just for browsing social media and binge-watching Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) anymore. Now, artists are taking advantage of the digital age, using the World Wide Web as a tool to promote their creative works and expand their customer base on a global scale.

In fact, the amount of art sold online globally in 2015 reached $4.7 billion, a 7% increase from 2014. Whats more, that number is expected to reach $9.58 billion by 2020, according to The European Fine Art Foundation

Using the Internet to reach a wider audience also means more competition for artists. The challenge is creating artwork that is relevant and engaging to the buyer. Rob Mulholland, a sculptor from Scotland has been able to do both of those things.

He experienced the same struggles as any other artist trying to make a name for himself. Mulholland said in order to stand out in the industry, he discovered an artist has to focus more on creative ideas and less on making contacts. For their part, though, consumers have also contributed to the industrys shifting landscape as theyve changed the way they hunt for the latest masterpieces.

As the world continues to embrace digital technology, the day of the gallery is all but dead  which Mulholland said might not be all bad. To a certain extent, he has the Internet to thank for his big break. His business saw a huge increase when social media latched on to his invisible sculptures.

It kind of expanded into a more international audience, which is what every artist wants, Mulholland said.

Instead of waiting for potential local buyers to walk into a gallery, the Internet gave his artwork a place to be seen from anywhere in the world.

People were taking photographs and sharing them on Flickr and I think it just slowly kind of developed from there, he explained.

His reflective sculptures, which almost appear invisible at times, captured the imaginations of people across the world.

I just happened to be sitting in my studio one day, and I was looking at some mirror and the idea came to mind of creating silhouettes with mirror because they reflect the connectivity of the environment, Mulholland said.

They are made from highly polished stainless steel, and cost anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000. The tremendous response to his unique sculptures on social media has given Mulholland an international audience, and have led to other reflective sculpture projects.

Its not just Mulholland taking advantage of non-traditional methods of reaching potential consumers. Artists of all walks of life are embracing the tools of social media, and online sites like Etsy (NYSE:ETSY), that offer visibility and access to consumers from all over the world looking to buy unique artwork. This digital age allows artists to take control of their own marketing and a creative way to shape their brand, just like they do with their artwork.

Mulholland will soon head to Virginia where he has been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts for 2016 in collaboration with the Elizabeth River Project to install his newest creation called, One Flock.

Even through the lean years, I always knew this was my calling and purpose, said Mulholland. [Its] great to be in a position now to create my work internationally, but [I] never take it for granted.
Inovio Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:INO) announced Monday its launching a ground-breaking clinical trial of a Zika vaccine in Puerto Rico.

The Pennsylvania drug company will be testing its DNA-based vaccine on 160 adult volunteers in the area hardest hit by the mosquito-borne illness. Inovio has already completed enrollment for the North American trial that consists of 40 subjects throughout Miami, Philadelphia and Quebec City, Canada.

The Puerto Rican trial is very interesting in that now we have half the people of 160 patients receiving the vaccine, the placebo, andwe can look at the hint of efficacy of the vaccine, said Inovio CEO Dr. Joseph Kim during an interview with the FOX Business Networks Countdown to the Closing Bell.

The Zika virus was first discovered in Africa back in 1947 and was mostly unknown until it spread to parts of the Caribbean and the southern part of the United States.

More From FOXBusiness.com Fears mount as tropical storm could spread Zika virus

According to Dr. Kim, the Zika virus is a very insidious virus and its dangers go beyond the threat it poses on pregnant women and their unborn child as its taken an uptick

The birth defects, microcephalus and shrinking heads, for the new born is devastating, but also, it can also cause a Guillain-Barre syndrome which is a temporary paralysis where you can collapse and die because your lungs wont function. Those cases have also taken an uptick on healthier adults as well, Dr. Kim said.

Dr. Kim said Inovio expects regulators to put the vaccine in a fast-track path to get the vaccine to market as soon as possible.

Theres an all-hands effort to get a vaccine approved for public use, along with these diagnostic which will go hand-in-hand to help, Dr. Kim explained.

When asked if the vaccine will be expensive, the Inovio CEO said Philadelphia based company is very committed in bringing a vaccine thats affordable to everyone.
America's fastest mobile network is getting faster. Verizon today announced that it's speeding up its LTE network, to theoretical maximum speeds of 300Mbps, using a technology known as three-carrier aggregation.

Carrier aggregation bonds together separated lanes of spectrum so they can be used as one, wider lane. AT&T and Sprint have been officially using 2x carrier aggregation, bonding two kinds of spectrum, for a while now; Sprint branded it "LTE Plus." The real news is that Verizon is the first to do a large-scale rollout of 3x carrier aggregation (3xCA), although it's neatly hiding the technology's wide availability.

We've seen 3xCA in action on the Bell network in Toronto, and we've been duly impressed: real-life speeds of 200Mbps or more are definitely possible. Of course, that often only means you can exceed your monthly data cap in minutes. But more speed, and more capacity, are always good things.

So it's important that Sprint and T-Mobile, both of which offer unlimited data, are also publicly working on 3xCA; Sprint demonstrated it in Chicago this week, and Redditors have seen the technology in the wild on T-Mobile. Verizon isn't necessarily that far ahead of the competition.

Verizon confirmed that it's using 2x carrier aggregation in most cities, and 3x in some, although it didn't specify which are which. In 2xCA markets, the company says it's shooting for a maximum of 225Mbps, and with 3xCA, it can hit 300Mbps. The first variety bonds 700MHz and 1700MHz spectrum, both of which Verizon has been using exclusively for LTE. The second variety gets even faster by adding 1900MHz spectrum. But Verizon is still using 1900MHz in some places for 3G.

The width of the individual bands also matters a lot for speed. As carriers have different amounts of each band of spectrum, they end up with different width pipes when they merge them together. It also matters how high-frequency those pipes are. Sprint, for instance, has a huge amount of spectrum, but much of it is at a very high frequency, which has proven hard to deploy over long distances.

The important takeaway: everyone's getting faster, and with 3xCA, 200Mbps is in sight for everyone.

But You Need the Right PhoneThere's another twist, as well. Not all phones support 2xCA, and even fewer support 3xCA. Even worse, Verizon actually has 3xCA turned off in the phones which support it.

Most current phones, including the iPhone 6s generation, support 2xCAVerizon has a list on its website. Those are also called Category 6 phones.

But only a more limited set supports 3xCA. That includes Samsung's Galaxy S7, Note 5, and Note 7, the S6 Edge+, and the HTC 10. The next iPhone, to be announced on Sept. 7, as well as the LG V20, coming on Sept. 6, are widely expected to support 3xCA. Those phones are also known as Category 9 (or higher.)

Verizon says it's working on firmware updates for phones that support 3xCA, and hopes to push them out soon.

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.
Just days after the Great Flood ravaged parts of Louisiana this month, the largest natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy in 2012, an estimated 60,646 houses were damaged and 122,000 people looked for assistance. Already, FEMA has cleared $205 million to support victims.

Besides financial aid, food and shelter, in this time of need Captain Clay Higgins, Deputy Marshal for the City of Lafayette said his fellow residents needed prayer.

Its a hard time. To be prayerful and uplifting for your fellow man thats part of the American spirit Higgins told FOXBusiness.com

"If the government gets out the way Americans can handle their business." - Capt. Clay Higgins

However, after walking through a Red Cross shelter filled with flood victims in Lafayette, he was asked to leave and escorted out by volunteers. Higgins, who was in uniform and holding a bible during his visit to the shelter, responded with a video on Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) that went viral.

I had many heartfelt conversations, and hugs with folks there, and you know, we shared some tears together  I was told that the Red Cross doesnt allow that. They dont allow just a person to offer prayer in that matter Higgins said.

In response, Jono Anzalone, Red Cross External Relations Lead for LA Flood Operation, spoke to FOXBusiness.com.

"You cannot go cot to cot giving out Bibles or Korans or Torrahs" - Jono Anzalone, Red Cross External Relations Lead

"We are comfortable in saying that if the sheriff would have approached us to ask us to find a way to administer prayer to the shelter and its residents, we would have. We have been doing this for 130 years, we create safe spaces not do damage to a particular faith." Anzalone said.

The Red Cross, rooted in history dating back to 1859 was set up to give "neutral" aid to victims of war, no matter what country or background.

"You cannot self invite yourself to shelter. You cannot go cot to cot giving out Bibles or Korans or Torrahs" Anzalone said.

The Red Cross also explained if a victim would like to speak with a spiritual adviser its workers are happy to facilitate that dialogue.

In accordance with the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, the Red Cross looks to provide appropriate and respectful disaster spiritual care.

Higgins who is running for Congress said this is an example of what the nation needs right now.

If you have to deal with bureaucracies and ridiculous red tape and restrictions from the government, we are sorta restricted from how we can respond freely" he said.

Be sure to watch the full interview with Captain Higgins at the top of the page.
It could be a record year for corn and soybeans according to crop surveys by the USDA and private analysts, which means cheaper feed for chickens and cheaper chicken for consumers but bad news for farmers.

Low feed costs have saved the nations number three poultry producer, Sanderson Farms (NASDAQ:SAFM), tens of thousands of dollars in the last quarter and boosted their stock price by 38% in the last year.

Similarly, Tyson (NYSE:TSN), the nations largest producer has seen a 77% surge in shares.

While meat processors and consumers reap the benefits of these low prices, farmers could lose money if the record crop costs more to produce.

The FOX Business Networks Jeff Flock visited the Slagel Family Farm in Fairbury, Illinois, and a flock of 600 chickens, to find out how the bountiful harvest and low prices impact the fifth generation farmers.

Whenever we feed our own product I guess it helps us out regardless of pricing, we have a lot more set fee costs and we have set inputs and it helps us out in the long run, said Slagel Family Farm Owner LouisJohn Slagel.
A university in Florida is working hard to fight back against the Zika virus, which has been a concern for citizens of the state.

Researchers at the University of Miamis Miller School of Medicine have been preparing for the virus well before the Florida Board of Health recently identifying two areas of Miami-Dade County where Zika is being spread.

Our teams have been very focused more than a year ago in developing diagnostics and working on an effective vaccine and new ways of controlling mosquitoes, University of Miami President Dr. Julio Frenk told the FOX Business Network. This is not going to be the last epidemic we will see and we need to develop the tools, invest in the research and the public health infrastructure to make sure were prepared for this and future epidemics as well.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of August 24, more than 2,500 cases of Zika have been counted in the United States. Though many people who are infected with the virus wont show symptoms, some of the most common include fever, rash, joint pain, conjunctivitis.

Dr. Frenk explained what the staff at the universitys medical school has been doing in their quest to quell expansion of the virus.

We have a group thats been working on diagnostics of viral diseases which started with AIDS many years ago, he said. Others in our faculty have been working on a fast, much cheaper diagnostic test. Were actually moving forward, seeking FDA approval so that you can have that diagnosis, which is so critical for early intervention."

He added: The other side of this is better prevention through vaccines and better control of mosquitoes. Weve also done mapping of where the mosquitoes breed, what are their habits, how we can better control those populations.

Currently, there is no cure for Zika. However, there are many things that can be done to screen patients, says Frenk.

In the case of Zika, of course we have the challenge of also screening babies in the case of pregnant women that might be affected, and our hospitals have worked on some of those screenings and tests, particularly when it comes to eye defects that might be present. So we are very active, both in protecting our own students, but also in generating the research and healthcare for our community, he said.
We do a lot of farmers markets and have a store on the farm where we take in a lot of cash, he said. We normally just deposit the cash with no problem. One day my wife had $12,000 dollars and the [bank] teller asked her next time keep it under $10,000, that way she wouldnt have to fill out a lot of paper work. So thats what she did for 32 weeks that summer and February of the next year, the Justice Department showed up with some agents and was asking me about our accounts. I had no problem talking to them because we didnt do anything wrong that I knew of. We claimed all that money on our taxes."

He added: When they asked where all the money comes from, I said well sometimes we do $12,000 or $15,000 in a week. Then they kind of stopped the questioning and handed me some paperwork and said theyd seize my account of $63,000. The account was pretty much empty; I could use it if I wanted to after that, but they took all the money.

Sowers explained what he had to do in order to get the near $30,000 back in his account.

We got in touch with the Institute for Justice, which is a bunch of young lawyers that had been working on civil forfeiture, he said. I had testified before the House Ways and Means [Committee] twice and demanded that they give us our money back. After four and a half years last Friday, I finally got the money back.
With $2.4 billion in debt maturing within a year, Seadrill is running out of time for the offshore market to start turning around. Image source: Getty Images.

Seadrill Ltd.(NYSE: SDRL) announced its second-quarter results on Aug. 25 and delivered solid operating and financial performance within the context of an ugly offshore environment. Are things looking up for Seadrill? To be blunt, no. As long as oil producers aren't spending money to develop offshore reserves, things could deteriorate even further before they get better.

Let's take a closer look at Seadrill's results and what the company's outlook is, based on what we know right now.

Balance sheet strengthening, but the clock is ticking on debt as backlog weakens

Here are several key operating metrics for Seadrill in the second quarter:

Revenue, net income, operating income, and cash and equivalents in millions. Data source: Seadrill.

Revenue and net income have fallen sharply over the past year as more and more of Seadrill's vessels come off contract without new work available, but the company has managed to reduce operating costs at a high enough rate to keep operating income at a fairly high level. That reduced spending, combined with management's so-far successful efforts to push back debt expirations and new build deliveries, has helped the company retain more of its cash flows.

Here are several key financial metrics for Seadrill at quarter's end:

All figures in billions. Data source: Seadrill.

Seadrill finished the second quarter with approximately $200 million more cash than it started with, and about $300 million less debt, though share issuances paid for the majority of that debt reduction, not operating cash flows.

This, however, is about where the "good" news ends. Seadrill's backlog declined by more than $1 billion from the first quarter to the second, and current debt -- the amount of debt that Seadrill must repay within 12 months -- ballooned to $2.4 billion.

Update on the fleet and newbuilds

According to Seadrill's fleet status report, dated Aug. 25, the company's contract status looks like this:

Total fleet: 68

Newbuilds: 14

Active and operating vessels (excludes newbuilds and stacked vessels): 41

Operational vessels out of contract: 16

Active vessels with contracts expiring by end of 2016: 4

Active vessels with contracts expiring in first half of 2017: 7

Active vessels with contracts expiring in second half of 2017: 5

Active vessels contracted beyond 2017: 24

Here's a breakdown of Seadrill's newbuild status:

Eight jack-up newbuilds on order with Dalian: Five to be delivered in 2017, three in 2018.

Two semi-submersibles due to be delivered by end of 2016, with possibility that shipbuilders (Sevan and Cosco) would entertain further extending deferral and standstill agreements on these two vessels as the offshore market remains in a downturn.

Four drillships on order, with two scheduled for 2017 delivery, and one each in 2018 and 2019.

Operating activity set to fall further

Seadrill will feel the brunt of expiring contracts and increased idle time pretty heavily in the third quarter, with eight vessels either coming off contract in the quarter or being idle for the full period. Furthermore, three additional vessels will operate with lower day rates in the third quarter than in the second quarter.That will mean a significant reduction in revenues and operating cash flows.

Because of this reduced operating activity, management guidance is for EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization) of $380 million and operating income of $183 million, both significantly lower than in the second quarter.

Slow turnaround, debt maturities remain biggest risks

Seadrill, like all of its offshore peers, continues to see very little interest from oil and gas producers for new investment, with management saying that "blend and extend" deals that reduce current day rates at the benefit of longer-term agreements, as well as some short-term work, are dominating talks with customers. Capital spending remains weak across the entire oil and gas industry.

Furthermore, offshore drilling tends to recover later in the cycle than other areas, and it's possible that advances in onshore drilling techniques, such as fracking and horizontal drilling, could exacerbate the matter, further delaying the eventual recovery in offshore investment. Add the oversupply in the global offshore drilling fleet to the mix, and it's possible we may not have even seen the bottom yet.

Lastly, Seadrill has $2.4 billion in secured debt maturing between now and June 2017, with $450 million of that amount due by December. The company doesn't have enough cash to address all of this debt, and with a market capitalization of $1.27 billion at recent share prices, conversion of a portion of this debt to equity would cause considerable dilution to existing shareholders -- and that's assuming the debtholders would accept common equity in payment.

A best-case scenario would likely include some cash payment of debt and some refinancing, kicking the can down the road as the offshore turnaround plays out.Whether Seadrill can find agreeable terms to refinance that debt is another question, and the uncertainty around its ability to address this debt is a big risk for the company.

Looking ahead

It's still not clear when offshore spending will bottom out, how long activity will remain down, or when producers will start reinvesting in offshore development. It's probably going to be near the end of 2016 before those questions start getting answered, when major oil producers begin releasing capital spending plans for 2017.

But eventually offshore resources will get developed. The huge reductions in global capital spending, combined with the inevitable decline curve of existing oil production, virtually guarantee it.

But for Seadrill, the clock is ticking, as each quarter more vessels come off contract and the company inches closer to those debt maturities amid an ongoing downturn. Management has navigated the environment about as well as it could, considering the situation. But the unanswerable question is whether those efforts will buy the company enough time for it to see the recovery begin.

A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here.

Jason Hall owns shares of Seadrill. The Motley Fool recommends Seadrill. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Yale University graduate students on Monday petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for union recognition, saying they have organized to address concerns surrounding pay and benefits and give themselves a stronger voice in university affairs.

The filing follows a board ruling last week that found graduate assistants at private universities are employees and have a right to union representation  a reversal of guidance that had stood since 2004. Graduate students at many public universities, which are covered by state labor laws, are already unionized.

At Yale, like some other private universities, graduate students had been preparing for months in anticipation of the ruling. In asking for certification of Local 33-UNITE HERE as their union, the Yale graduate students are seeking NLRB elections department by department, beginning with those where union support appears strongest.

"We've been ready to vote for a long time," said Local 33-UNITE HERE co-chair Robin Canavan. "We're extremely excited to have our election, make it official, and get to negotiating a contract for the improvements we want to see."

An NLRB spokeswoman confirmed receipt of the Yale students' petition and said the board did not have a count available on the number of petitions from other schools, if any, since its ruling last week in a case involving graduate students at Columbia University.

A Yale spokesman, Tom Conroy, said the university is opposed to a graduate student union. Yale President Peter Salovey said in response to last week's ruling that it presents an opportunity for campus debate, but he worries the relationship between teachers and graduate students could become less productive and rewarding under collective bargaining.

Yale students involved in the organizing effort said they believe a union would help them negotiate better terms and give them more influence over university policy, including efforts to promote diversity.

Emily Sessions, who is entering her fourth year in a doctoral program on History of Art, said she loves teaching undergraduates but believes a union would help negotiations for fair compensation. Last semester, she said, she was asked to double her teaching load  from teaching one section to two  without any increase in pay.

"The thing that bothered me was that I was expected to do double the work with no pay increase, with no voice in the process," she said.
EU antitrust regulators ordered Apple on Tuesday to pay up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in taxes plus interest to the Irish government after ruling that a special scheme to route profits through Ireland was illegal state aid.

The massive sum, 40 times bigger than the previous known demand by the European Commission to a company in such a case, could be reduced, the EU executive said in a statement, if other countries sought more tax themselves from the U.S. tech giant.

Apple, which with Ireland said it will appeal the decision, paid tax rates on European profits on sales of its iPhone and other devices and services of between just 0.005 percent in 2014 and 1 percent in 2003, the Commission said.

"Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years," said Competition Commission Margrethe Vestager, whose crackdown on mainly U.S. multinationals has angered Washington which accuses Brussels of protectionism.

Online retailer Amazon.com and hamburger group McDonald's face probes over taxes in Luxembourg, while coffee chain Starbucks has been ordered to pay up to 30 million euros ($33 million) to the Dutch state.

A bill of 300 million euros this year for Swedish engineer Atlas Copco AB to pay Belgian tax is the current known record. Other companies ordered to pay back taxes in Belgium, many of them European, have not disclosed figures.

For Apple, whose earnings of $18 billion last year were the biggest ever reported by a corporation, finding several billion dollars should not be an insurmountable problem. The 13 billion euros represents about 6 percent of the firm's cash pile.

As of June, Apple reported it had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $231.5 billion, of which 92.8 percent, or $214.9 billion, were held in foreign subsidiaries. It paid $2.67 billion in taxes during its latest quarter at an effective tax rate of 25.5 percent, leaving it with net income of $7.8 billion according to company filings.

The European Commission in 2014 accused Ireland of dodging international tax rules by letting Apple shelter profits worth tens of billions of dollars from tax collectors in return for maintaining jobs. Apple and Ireland rejected the accusation.

"I disagree profoundly with the Commission," Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan said in a statement. "The decision leaves me with no choice but to seek cabinet approval to appeal.

"This is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system; to provide tax certainty to business; and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation."

Ireland also said the disputed tax system used in the Apple case no longer applied and that the decision had no effect on Ireland's 12.5 percent corporate tax rate or on any other company with operations in the country.

Apple said in a statement it was confident of winning an appeal.

"The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process. The Commission's case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes, it's about which government collects the money. It will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe."

"REVERSE ENGINEERING"

When it opened the Apple investigation in 2014, the Commission told the Irish government that tax rulings it agreed in 1991 and 2007 with the company amounted to state aid and might have broken EU laws.

The Commission said the rulings were "reverse engineered" to ensure Apple had a minimal Irish bill and that minutes of meetings between Apple representatives and Irish tax officials showed the company's tax treatment had been "motivated by employment considerations."

Apple employs 5,500, or about a quarter of its Europe-based staff, in the Irish city of Cork, where it is the largest private sector employer. It has said it paid Ireland's 12.5 percent rate on all the income that it generates in the country.

Ireland's low corporate tax rate has been a cornerstone of economic policy for 20 years, drawing investors from multinational companies whose staff account for almost one in 10 workers in Ireland.

Some opposition Irish lawmakers have urged Dublin to collect whatever tax the Commission orders it to. But the main opposition party Fianna Fail, whose support the minority administration relies on to pass laws, said it would support an appeal based on reassurances it had been given by the government.

The U.S. Treasury Department published a white paper last week that said the EU executive's tax investigations departed from international taxation norms and would have an outsized impact on U.S. companies. The Commission said it treated all companies equally.

(Additional reporting by Padraic Halpin in Dublin, Robin Emmott, Philip Blenkinsop, Robert-Jan Bartunek and Alastair Macdonald in Brussels and Eric Auchard in Frankfurt; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Philip Blenkinsop)
Image source: FarbenfroheWunderwelt/Flickr.

Nuclear energy is being pressured across the United States. In recent years nearly one dozen nuclear reactors have been taken offline or scheduled for decommissioning, including the last nuclear power plant in California. Despite a heightening sense of urgency for responding to climate change and reducing carbon dioxide emissions, politicians and environmental groups continue to turn their backs on the nation's largest source of carbon-free power, which provided 20% of the country's total electricity in 2015.

The issue at hand has nothing to do with building new, prohibitively expensive nuclear reactors. Instead, it seeks answers to a simple question: How far are we willing to go to keep existing nuclear energy facilities online? Exelon (NYSE: EXC), the nation's largest producer of nuclear power, has attempted to work with state regulators in Illinois -- which generates 48% of its electricity from atomic energy -- to provide a small subsidy that would keep reactors online and competitive. Politicians balked, afraid of providing "corporate bailouts," despite handing generous state subsidies to wind and solar power owners. As a result, Exelon is planning to close two nuclear facilities in the state that generate 12% of Illinois' total electricity.

That got me thinking: What would the United States look like without nuclear energy? Answering that question by swapping in other forms of power generation and comparing emissions provides insight into the importance of existing nuclear power plants.

By the numbers

Let's consider a few hypothetical scenarios where all American nuclear power plants -- which generated 797,000 GWh of electricity in 2015 -- ceased to exist and were instead replaced by other power sources. What happens?

Most electricity in the United States is generated by coal and natural gas, so let's start there. Here's what would happen to emissions if all nuclear power were replaced with either fossil fuel source, using per-unit emissions data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration:

Source: Calculated by author with data from EIA.gov

Replacing all nuclear power generation in the United States with coal would result in a 14% increase in the nation's carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to doubling all industry-related emissions. It would also increase global emissions by 2.1%, or the equivalent to adding another Germany.

Natural gas fares better, but only slightly. A complete replacement would result in a 8.2% increase for the United States, equivalent to giving up all of the country's climate and pollution gains since the year 2000, and increase global emissions by 1.2%, or the equivalent of adding another Brazil.

These scenarios would set the United States back on its overall climate goals, so let's consider what would happen if all nuclear power were instead replaced by wind and (photovoltaic) solar power. Obviously, replacing one carbon-free power source with another wouldn't have a net effect on emissions, but there are other things to consider -- like capacity factors.

A capacity factor is the average power generated divided by the maximum power generation possible, or a measure of how close a power source is to operating at full capacity over time. Wind and solar power have among the lowest capacity factors, which means more capacity has to be installed to generate the same amount of power. Consider the following table comparing American nuclear, wind, and solar on these metrics from 2015 operations:

Source: Installed capacity data from EIA.gov, AWEA, and SEIA. Raw generation data and capacity factor data from EIA.gov.

In other words, to replace all of the electricity generated from 98 GW of nuclear energy would take 309 GW of wind power and 570 GW of solar power at current capacity factor ratings. This isn't to say that wind and solar aren't valuable sources of clean power, but it goes to show the importance -- and efficiency -- of nuclear energy.

What does it mean for investors?

This simple analysis shows the difficulty facing regulators and politicians that consider neglecting existing nuclear power plants. Reactors that close will need to be replaced by fossil sources -- resulting in a net increase in emissions -- or impossible amounts of wind and solar power. This also hints that states such as Illinois will eventually need to allow subsidies for all forms of clean power generation, which includes nuclear energy. Investors have already seen this demonstrated. Not long after Illinois told Exelon to beat it, New York passed a Clean Power Standard that provided subsidies for wind, solar, and nuclear power. Exelon responded by investing $300 million into existing nuclear facilities, including purchasing a troubled power plant from Entergy for $100 million.

If New York's move sets a precedent for other states to follow, then Exelon could become considerably more profitable in the next several years. After all, in the last seven years it has lost $800 million from the two soon-to-be-closed facilities in Illinois. Simply breaking even at those two facilities alone would boost EPS by 5% compared to last year. In other words, I think long-term investors should be more optimistic than the stock price would suggest.

A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here.

Maxx Chatsko has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
In two days of hearings next month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will consider if clinics offering stem-cell treatments should be more closely regulated.

Stem-cell treatments arent approved by the FDA and not long ago, Americans had to travel to Mexico, China or elsewhere to receive them. Now, with the regulatory environment murky, clinics offering them are spreading rapidly across the U.S. A recent report in the journal Cell Stem Cell counted 570 clinics advertising stem-cell therapies directly to consumers. Many claim to treat a long list of disorders, from arthritis to Alzheimers disease, even though the stem-cell treatment for many of the conditions hasnt yet been tested on humans. Treatment typically costs thousands of dollars.

Critics, including many top stem-cell scientists, say the clinics are peddling 21st century snake oil and want the FDA to crack down. Clinic operators say they dont need FDA approval because they are practicing medicine, not creating new drugs. Some patients say they have been helped and that the government shouldnt regulate what they do with their own cells.

Stem cells, found in both embryos and adult tissues, offer enormous promise to scientists because they have the potential to develop into many different kinds of cells or serve as the bodys own repair service. Research is exploding into ways stem cells might be harnessed to cure diseases, mend damaged tissue, even grow replacement organs.

But most such research is still in the early stages. To date, the FDA has approved only a handful of stem-cell treatments, mainly for blood diseases such as leukemia. Scientists say much more work needs to be done to understand how stem cells work and what uses are safe and effective.

We need to make sure that these technologies are reliable and reproducible, time and time again, before you put them into patients, says Anthony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., which has 450 researchers working to create new tissues from stem cells.

This is the future of health care, using your own stem cells to fix problems, not drugs, says Paula Grisanti, chairwoman of the National Stem Cell Foundation, a nonprofit that funds many research projects. But clinics that make over-the-top claims that a single stem-cell therapy will cure ALS or Parkinsons or other diseases raise huge safety and ethical concerns. It gives the whole field a black eye.

Click for more from The Wall Street Journal.
Jaxon Buell, the Florida boy born with a rare, incurable defect wherein his head and brain are partially formed, defied another odd recently when he turned 2 years old.

The toddlers mom and dad, who regularly provide updates on the Facebook page Jaxon Strong, have said doctors originally predicted their son wouldnt live longer than two months, Fox 29 reported. Doctors also said Jaxon would never talk, hear or hold himself up. But hes doing all of that and more.

In December, Jaxon met Santa, marking another childhood milestone celebrated. The Buells updated supporters on Facebook in February and noted Jaxon began sucking on a pacifieranother unexpected milestone.

Brandon Buell, Jaxons father, told FoxNews.com in December that his family had been waiting for public interest to kind of disappear and Jaxon be a flavor of the week but [the media attention] is not going away. It is surreal, its humbling, overwhelming and odd to be about our family and our son, but he certainly deserves it.
A California startup has developed a portable technology that will allow consumers to test their food for gluten on the go.

"Even when you go out and see these labeled menu items, you are still playing Russian roulette," said Shireen Yates, co-founder and chief executive of NIMA, which was founded in 2013.

Designed in San Francisco by a team from MIT, Stanford, Google and Nike, NIMA can analyze any type of food or beverage for gluten down to 20 parts per million, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) classification for gluten free products.

"There is still cross contamination, there is miscommunication, you just never know," Yates added.

An estimated 15 million people in the United States have some form of food allergy, a statistic that is on the rise, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Users of the device are instructed to fill a disposable cartridge with a pea-sized sample of food and then load it into the device, which is about half the size of a smartphone.

Roughly two minutes later, after the device measures the chemical reaction between antibody proteins and gluten, the screen will display a happy face if no gluten was detected.

Conversely, a wheat icon and text that reads "gluten found" will appear if any gluten is detected.

According to Yates, the antibodies bind to the presence of gluten if it is present in the sample, triggering a change that a sensor picks up on, Yates said.

To date, the company has raised $14 million in total with the help of a $9.2 million Series A round of venture capital funding earlier this year.

The funding, Yates said, will drive the company's next generation sensor, which consumers will be able to purchase as soon as 2017 if they want to detect milk and peanut allergens in their food as well.

Yates is launching an iPhone application to complement the device, allowing users to share their results.

The first orders of the gluten device, priced at $199, are expected to ship out to customers by the end of the year.
Former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner has been caught, again, sexting with a woman other than his wife Huma Abedin. She is Hillary Clinton's longtime aide. This time, Weiner sexted a photo of himself, bare-chested and in briefs, obviously sexually excited, while lying beside his 4-year-old son.

Why would a man hazard explicitly texting a woman, again, when he has been caught before, costing himself his political future? Why would he do it with his son in bed with him? Even if sexting is clearly, for such a man, understood as a compulsion, what are the possible roots of such a compulsion?

I dont know Anthony Weiner, personally, and have not examined him. My reflections here are general ones about any man in his predicament.

1. Texting and sexting are as addictive to millions of people as heroin. I mean it. Hence, the question about Anthony Weiner sending explicit material via text is not different than questions about why successful, married men would gamble away their homes or risk arrest and cerebrovascular accidents (strokes) by buying and inhaling lines of cocaine.

We are only now beginning to understand just how little restraint many people can exercise over electronically communicating in ways they should not, because technology literally (probably, in varying measures, both neurologically and psychologically) short-circuits their better judgment.

I have testified in cases, for example, in which men who would never, in their wildest imaginations, even remotely consider handing out naked photos of themselves to anyone, send such photos to 15-year-old girls over the Internet.

They do this seemingly without regard to the fact that those they are sexting could easily be (and sometimes are) middle-aged men or FBI agents posing as 15-year-old girls. They take extreme risks because they are high on technologyliterally intoxicated by it.

To some extent, by the way, most of us are.

2. No psychiatrist worth anything would dismiss the fact that any person who would take a photo of himself or herself, while sexually excited, lying next to his or her 4-year-old son, then send it to another adult (and, accidentally, via the Internet and the media, to hundreds of millions of people) might be a person with a history of having been violated, sexually, as a child. To be more specific, if an adult had been touched inappropriately in bed by a parent, then unwittingly staging a similar scene, and sharing it, would make a terrible kind of unconscious sense. And, of course, a history of sexual abuse is one reason someone could become addicted to sex (or sexting), to begin with.

3. Marriage is, more often than we like to admit, a barren landscape, wherein outlets for sexual energy are rare or absent. The Internet provides such outlets to millions of married Americans, probably with less risk than in-person flirtations and actual affairs. Anthony Weiner got caughtat least twice. Hes a public figure, so we hear about it. But, as a psychiatrist, I know at least a dozen married men and women who have also been caught, at least twice. They keep doing it because they dont particularly want to end their marriages, and they dont want to have actual affairs, but they dont want to live entirely passionless lives.

Whatever is happening inside the mind of Anthony Weiner, its time for him to delve deeply into it, with the help of a therapist. The same could be said for millions of married, technology-addicted Americans, of coursewhether their behavior reflects problems in their psyches, in their marriages, or both.
Editors note: The following column originally appeared on SuzanneVenker.com. It is used with permission.

My dearest Bill,

The other day, around 3:00pm on a random Wednesday, I was headed to the grocery store to get something to make for dinner. As you know, Ive been slacking on the food front for some time and cant seem to get organized the way I used to. Remember when I would go through our cookbooks every Sunday and plan the meals for the week, and then shop once for the entire week? I know, I know, I always made a second trip; but still, the bulk of the food was in the fridge.

I did that for more than a decade, but it was such a monotonous task I cant bring myself to keep up with it. So now I play catch as catch can and, as you like to say, shop like a French woman who goes to the store each day for that nights meal. This has its own annoyances, but at least theres food on the table.

Anyhow, on my way there Wednesday I was thinking about how grateful I am to have never, in all the years since we had kids, had to face a trip to the grocery store in the evening or on the weekend. I have always gone on a weekdayalwayswhich has made the quality of my life so much better not having to deal with the stress of long lines or having to make sure I get to the store at the final hour. There was always the next day.

Ive had this life because of you.

It is the steady breadwinner husband, men like you, who allow women like me to live such comfortable lives.

All we ever hear in the media is what life is like for the harried working mother. Marriages that are more traditional in nature, with a primary breadwinner and a primary parent, are viewed as a thing of the past.

It is true that today, most mothers work outside the home. But the media dont offer specificsand the specifics matter. Most married mothers with children at home do not work full time and year round as their husbands do. About a quarter are not employed at all, and the rest move in and out of the workforce over the course of their childrens lives to accommodate for the needs of their families.

Either way, these womenwho represent half of all married mothersstill depend on a husband.

Without him, these mothers could not have stayed home with their kids when they were young. They could not have afforded to work part-time once the kids were in school. They could not just decide one day, I dont feel like working today. They could not have chosen mid-career to switch careers because the one they had wasnt satisfying.

It is the steady breadwinner husband, men like you, who allow women like me to live such comfortable lives.

It is because of your willingness to work full time, year roundwith no freedom to tell your boss I quit! and with no sabbatical to think about what other things youd like to do with your life, and with no ability to have time just for you smack in the middle of a workweek that my life, and our kids lives, are as wonderful as they are.

Even when the kids got older and I went back to work, so to speak, you and I never had to fight over who can take that business trip or who can take off work when our kids were sick. It was always I who stayed home, and it was always you who went to work.

It was a win-win for everyone.

But more so, I suspect, for me and the kids. The kids because they always have a mom at home when theyre home, and me because I have all the flexibility in the world. You have a lot of flexibility with your job, too; but you always have to be on in a way that I do not. I can just decide on a Tuesday to go shopping or out to lunch if I want. Not that I ever do because thats not my style. But I could!

Depending on you also allowed me to become a writersomething you wanted to do at one point in your life, too. But alas, writers do not make enough money to support a family, so you gave up that dream.

I didnt have to.

Because of you.

The culture wants us to believe the breadwinner husband is obsolete, but you and I both know that isnt true. Yes, there are fewer mothers who are exclusively home with their children; but there are millions of mothers like me who work outside the home in some capacity but still depend on their husbands steady incomes.

So I wanted to take this moment to thank you for everything youve done on my behalf and on behalf of our children. Dont think I dont notice the sacrifices youve made and continue to make. Our culture may not care, but I do.

I love you.
Donald Trump's campaign disavowed a robocall by Louisiana senate candidate and former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke, in which he urged people to vote for Trump and himself.

In the robocall, reported by Buzzfeed on Monday, Duke says he'll "tell the truth that no other candidate will dare say."

"Unless massive immigration is stopped now, well be outnumbered and outvoted in our own nation," Duke says in the robocall. "Its happening. Were losing our gun rights, our free speech. Were taxed to death. Were losing our jobs and businesses to unfair trade. Were losing our country. Look at the Super Bowl salute to the Black Panther cop killers."

"Its time to stand up and vote for Donald Trump for president and vote for me David Duke for the U.S. Senate," he says.

Trump's campaign said in a statement to Politico it had "no knowledge" of the robocall.

Mr. Trump has continued to denounce David Duke and any group or individual associated with a message of hate, the Trump campaign told Politico. There is no place for this in the Republican Party or our country. We have no knowledge of these calls or any related activities, but strongly condemn and disavow."
With the first presidential debate just a few weeks away, Hillary Clintons campaign has more than two-dozen staffers digging deep into Donald Trump's background and looking for ways to get under his skin.

Their quest for damaging information on the billionaire businessman even includes talking to Trumps The Art of the Deal co-author Tony Schwartz.

The New York Times first reported on the discussions Tuesday. Clinton strategists are hoping the 18 months Schwartz shadowed Trump at his office -- including weekends with him at his Manhattan pad and travel with Trump on out-of-state trips -- will yield some anecdotal ammo Clinton could use at the debate.

Whether Schwartz has any juicy details that could be used to throw Trump off his game at the candidates' first faceoff -- set for Sept. 26 in Hempstead, N.Y. -- is unknown.

To be sure, there is no love lost between Schwartz and Trump. In an interview with The New Yorker, Schwartz once said he felt like he had put lipstick on a pig with their "Art of the Deal" book and added that he has a deep sense of remorse that he contributed to presenting Trump in a way that brought him wider attention and made him more appealing than he is.

If Schwartzs info doesnt help, a Democratic source told Fox News the Clinton campaign still has at least 25 researchers digging into four decades of Trumps background and mining for information that can be used against him.

They're also seeking advice from psychology experts, searching for ways to bait him into making blunders on stage.

The Democratic source noted the Clinton campaign recognizes that during the Republican primaries, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's snarky reference to the size of Trump's hands at a Virginia rally seemed to throw Trump off balance.

Trump addressed the comment at the next debate in Detroit, in an awkward moment.

Nobody has ever hit my hands, Ive never heard of this before. Look at those hands, are they small hands? Trump asked the audience. And he referred to my hands, if theyre small something else must be small. I guarantee you theres no problem, I guarantee it.

Senior Clinton aides, meanwhile, are predicting that Trump will "go for broke at the debates" and cast him as a "formidable adversary."

But as Clintons crew continues to look for ways to stump Trump, the Republican nominee -- who used the debates to help clear away the crowded GOP field during the primaries -- says he isnt going to spend too much time rehearsing for the big day.

I believe you can prep too much for those things, Trump told the Times. It can be dangerous. You can sound scripted or phony  like youre trying to be someone youre not.

Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway argued Sunday that Trump is indeed an unconventional candidate but will arrive at the debates prepared.

He is the unpredictable X factor, Conway told Fox News Sunday. Donald Trump, who's been taking his case directly to the voters, is the one that you will see on the debate stage with Hillary Clinton. And I think they're nervous over in Clinton camp.

Fox News' Mike Emanuel and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
Newly released State Department emails shed light on top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedins close dealings with Clinton Foundation matters while she was working at the State Department  as well as aides' frustration with their bosss email practices.

Emails obtained by Fox News show how Abedin used her State Department email address to deal with issues relating to a Clinton Global Initiative event. In an email dated Sept. 16, 2009, Abedin was forwarded an email chain about how campaign donor Geri Shapiro first accepted an invitation to an event, but then declined when she discovered that her husband was not allowed to attend.

Abedin responded from her State Department email: Why was she invited in the first place?

The emails, first obtained by Citizens United, come as new questions are being raised about the relationship between the Clinton Foundation and State Department when Clinton was secretary of state. Critics say recent email dumps show donors who gave significant amounts to the Clinton Foundation calling in favors and being given preferential treatment by the State Department, with Abedin frequently acting as point person. Abedin had a special arrangement allowing her to work for the foundation while at State.

Although Clinton has claimed there was no connection between the foundation and her work at the department, Republican critics have jumped on the recent revelations, with Donald Trump accusing Clinton of having engaged in pay for play activities.

The New York Times editorial board on Tuesday called for the Clintons to cut ties to the foundation if Hillary wins. While Bill Clinton has said he will resign from the board if his wife wins, and the foundation will no longer accept foreign and corporate donations, the board called for the end to such donations immediately, and said the Clintons may need to do more.

If Mrs. Clinton wins, Bill and Chelsea Clinton should both end their operational involvement in the foundation and its affiliates for the duration of her presidency, relinquishing any control over spending, hiring and board appointments, the editorial board said.

Meanwhile, more information is coming to light about how Clinton's own staff viewed her personal email habits.

Emails seen by The Daily Caller show Abedin and Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills discussing how somebody had emailed the secretary about a job. Personally, I think its outrageous that staff go straight to her on this stuff, Abedin wrote in the April 2009 exchange, according to The Daily Caller.

Mills responded: "This is unbelievable, and she also should not be giving her email to everyone  b/c she will get stuff like this."

Abedin explained that emails were being automatically forwarded from Clinton's old Senate account and IT would have to "fix" it. However, she complained that Clinton would take her unsecure BlackBerry everywhere, even the "shower."

Clinton has been frequently criticized for what critics say was a dismissiveness of serious security concerns surrounding the use of her private email server while the nations top diplomat. In July, FBI Director James Comey described Clinton as extremely careless in her handling of sensitive material, but did not recommend charges against her.

The emails obtained by Fox News also show concerns about email security, on a trip to Moscow in December 2009. Abedin wrote that they would be leaving their BlackBerry phones on the plane.

Want to make sure DC is aware that those of us in the Russia traveling party will be leaving blackberries on the airplane once we tough down in moscow tonite [sic], Abedin wrote.

When an aide noted that her clintonemail.com address should work if Russian officials are taking their BlackBerrys away, Abedin responded: Its for security reasons. I dont want to use that one either.
Hillary Clinton is facing the possibility of new revelations on her personal email scandal on multiple fronts, as the FBI prepares to release some of the documents from its investigation in a matter of days  and a watchdog group sends the Democratic presidential nominee a detailed set of questions shes expected to answer under oath by next month.

The FBI files are being released in response to a number of Freedom of Information Act requests.

Law enforcement sources told Fox News that FBI and Justice Department officials are still in the process of determining what exactly will be released to the public as part of this response.

Fox News is told the release could come as early as this week.

The FBIs report on the probe, which ultimately recommended no charges be filed, was first sent to the Justice Department in July. The DOJ dropped the case in response, though FBI Director James Comey concluded Clinton nevertheless had been extremely careless in her handling of sensitive information. The FBI interviewed Clinton for several hours at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., before announcing the decision to close the investigation.

So far, the FBI has only provided portions of these investigative documents to Congress.

The decision to make public some of them comes as Republican lawmakers have pressured the FBI to loosen restrictions on the files. Its unclear what details will be revealed, though one lawmaker who has viewed the files  Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C.  recently said they show Clintons team went to great lengths to delete her emails.

Meanwhile, Judicial Watch announced Tuesday that it has submitted 25 questions to Clinton about her email set-up and practices, on the heels of U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan allowing the conservative group to do so.

Clinton is under court order to answer the questions, under oath, within 30 days  putting the deadline at Sept. 29, well before the election.

The Judicial Watch questions span everything from why Clinton created a private email system to whom she consulted to whether she had any discussions about the possibility the practice violated recordkeeping laws.

The line of questioning focuses in large part on the recordkeeping law aspect, asking how Clinton preserved her emails and whether FOIA and other requests for her messages were granted or denied.

Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, also asks about any hacking attempts and why Clinton continued to use her clintonemail.com in the face of such risks.

One of the questions also asks: After your lawyers completed their review of the emails in your clintonemail.com email account in late 2014, were the electronic versions of your emails preserved, deleted, or destroyed? If they were deleted or destroyed, what tool or software was used to delete or destroy them, who deleted or destroyed them, and was the deletion or destruction done at your direction?

This comes after Gowdy told Fox News last week that Clintons team used a program known as BleachBit to delete her private emails and try to prevent their recovery.

They didn't just push the delete button. They had them deleted where even God can't read them, Gowdy said.

Yet some additional emails have been recovered. The State Department has said the FBI provided it with about 14,900 emails purported not to have been among those previously released.

Notably, the department says about 30 emails that may be related to the 2012 attack on U.S. compounds in Benghazi, Libya, are among the thousands of emails recovered.

Government lawyers told U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta Tuesday that an undetermined number of the emails among the 30 were not included in the 55,000 pages previously provided by Clinton. The State Department's lawyer said it would need until the end of September to review the emails and redact potentially classified information before they are released.

Mehta questioned why it would take so long to release so few documents, and urged that the process be sped up. He ordered the department to report to him in a week with more details about why the review process would take a full month.

The hearing was held in one of several lawsuits filed by Judicial Watch.

Fox News Matthew Dean and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Controversial Maine Gov. Paul LePage opened the door Tuesday to making an early exit from the governors office following pressure from state lawmakers to step down.

Im looking at all options, LePage said on talk radio station WVOM. I think some things Ive been asked to do are beyond my ability. Im not going to say that Im not going to finish it. Im not saying that I am going to finish it.

Later in the day, LePage took to Twitter, though, to push back on media reports about a possible resignation.

Regarding rumors of resignation, to paraphrase Mark Twain: "The reports of my political demise are greatly exaggerated." #mepolitics  Paul R. LePage (@Governor_LePage) August 30, 2016

During the radio interview, the governor apologized repeatedly for an expletive-ridden voicemail he recently left for Democratic state Rep. Drew Gattine -- the latest controversy to hang over his office.

Earlier, the Republican governor had refused to apologize for the message, even saying at press conference he wished it was 1825 so he could shoot Gattine in a duel.

In a recording of the message obtained by the Press Herald, the governor identified himself and went on to curse out Gattine.

I would like to talk to you about your comments about my being a racist, you c---sucker. 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-b----, socialist c---sucker. You  I need you to, just friggin. I want you to record this and make it public because I am after you. Thank you, he said in the message.

LePage initially said his outburst was justified because Gattine called him a racist  something Gattine has denied.

The alleged name-calling came after LePage said during a town hall that hes collected a binder full of drug dealers arrested in the state showing that 90 percent of them are black and Hispanic people from Waterbury, Conn.; the Bronx; and Brooklyn.

The leaked voicemail prompted members of LePages own party to question his ability to lead the state.

During his news conference Friday, LePage offered more racially charged comments that have drawn fire, saying, "A bad guy is a bad guy. I don't care what color it is. When you go to war ... you try to identify the enemy. The enemy right now, the overwhelming majority of people coming in, are people of color or people of Hispanic origin."

But this isnt the first time LePages comments have gotten him in trouble.

The Republican governor has a long history of making controversial statements dating back to 2010 when he said if he were elected governor, hed tell President Obama to go to hell.

A year later, LePage said that NAACP officials, who had called him out for not attending a Martin Luther King Jr.s event, could kiss my butt.

In 2015, LePage was forced to apologize to the son of a cartoonist for The Bangor Daily News because he told him hed like to shoot his father. That same year, a charter school said LePage threatened to strip it of its funding if it did not rescind a job offer to Democratic state House Speaker Mark Eves.

In January, he said drug dealers with names like D-Money, Smoothie (and) Shifty are getting Maines white women pregnant. He later said he had misspoke and meant to say all Maine women not only Maines white women.

LePages second and final term as governor officially ends in 2019.
The top U.S. commander in the Middle East told reporters Tuesday that Irans behavior has not changed significantly since the signing of the international nuclear accord  and that, to the contrary, Tehrans increasing harassment of U.S. vessels in the Persian Gulf is unlike what theyre seeing from any other country.

No one else does what they do in the Persian Gulf, said Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command. They don't go out and they don't drive fast boats towards military vessels out there in the same way that they do. Nobody else does that.

Votel was responding to the rising number of provocative interactions between Iranian vessels and the U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf. Fox News reported Monday that that number nearly doubled in the first half of 2016 compared with the same time period a year ago.

Votel said its a sign the regime in Tehran is trying to exert their influence and authority in the region. He described the incidents as unsafe and unprofessional and not even helpful toward their long-term objectives.

And he reiterated concerns that Tehrans behavior has changed little since the historic signing of the nuclear deal committing the country to curb its nuclear program in exchange for easing sanctions and other benefits.

We haven't seen a significant change in their behavior, just as we've kind of been talking about here, with the agreement, Votel said. To me that remains a concern.

According to data shared with Fox News, in the first half of 2016, there were 19 dangerous interactions with the Iranians, which the U.S. Navy characterized as unsafe and unprofessional. In the first half of 2015, that number was 10, according to a defense official. The Iranian vessels acted as the aggressors every time, according to the U.S. Navy.

Further, since July, there have been 11 dangerous confrontations, according to the data, in a sign of increasing Iranian aggression in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. There were four such encounters with Iran last week alone, including one that required warning shots from a U.S. Navy ship.

This comes despite the highly touted nuclear accord, as well as a recent $1.7 billion U.S. payment to Tehran in January.

Last year, Secretary of State John Kerry suggested the nuclear deal might improve ties.

I know that a Middle East that is on fire is going to be more manageable with this deal and opens more potential for us to be able to try to deal with those fires, Kerry said in July 2015.

Votel told Fox News in Baghdad last month that he was concerned Irans behavior was not changing much.

On Sunday, Iran also announced via its state TV that it had deployed the Russian S-300 missile system around its nuclear facility in Fordow, a previous uranium enrichment site. According to the nuclear agreement, Fordow is no longer permitted to enrich uranium, but can only be used for civilian research.

Fox News Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz is fighting Tuesday to hold onto her House seat after losing her post atop the Democratic National Committee last month over a leaked email scandal, amid warnings from her primary challenger that shes taken her base for granted.

First-time candidate Tim Canova, a law professor backed by Bernie Sanders, is trying to unseat the incumbent Tuesday, in one of several big end-of-the-season primaries.

Canovas longshot bid to upset Wasserman Schultz got a huge boost this spring when Sanders endorsed him and even hinted at coming to Florida to campaign for him. He benefited again when Wasserman Schultz was caught up in the leak of emails showing top DNC officials criticizing and discussing ways to undermine Sanders presidential primary campaign against Hillary Clinton.

In the end, Sanders never did show up to stump for Canova. But the candidate was able to mount a considerable campaign on his own, amassing $3.8 million to advertise across south Florida and assemble a grassroots organization that has made the race surprisingly close.

A recent South Florida Sun Sentinel/Florida Atlantic University poll shows him trailing Wasserman Schultz 40-to-50 percent. Wasserman Schultz remains the favorite to win, but Canova maintained shes vulnerable.

Debbie has been reading her press clippings for too long, Canova said in an interview with FoxNews.com. And she started to take her core base for granted.

He said investing early in what he called a very large field operation has been key.

Its such a big army, Canova said Monday. This has been a very local race.

Wasserman Schultzs bid for a seventh term in Floridas 23rd Congressional District is just one of several high-profile congressional primaries Tuesday in which incumbents are facing formidable challenges.

In Arizona, GOP Sen. John McCain is facing a primary challenge from former state Sen. Kelli Ward in his bid for a sixth term.

McCain is again answering questions about his conservative credentials and age, which Ward has made a campaign issue, vowing to retire him Tuesday, a day after McCain turns 80.

Ward has recently received some backing from groups outside the state, including gun rights organizations. But McCain, a former Navy officer and prisoner of war in North Vietnam, has drawn large support from the states retired military as well as community and business leaders -- including more than $1 million from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The polling varies widely. But Jennifer Duffy, who analyzes Senate races for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, thinks McCain will win.

Ward never got the support from the national Tea Party groups that she needed, Duffy said Monday.

The winner will face a strong challenge in November from popular Arizona Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, in a race that could decide whether Democrats retake control of the Senate.

Also in Arizona, embattled Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is running for a seventh term against three GOP challengers.

The election comes less than two weeks after a federal judge recommended criminal contempt-of-court charges against the 84-year-old Arpaio for ignoring an order to halt his signature anti-illegal immigrant patrols. The winner will face Democrat Paul Penzone.

The other big Senate primary is in Florida -- Democratic Reps. Alan Grayson and Patrick Murphy competing to take on incumbent GOP Sen. Marco Rubio.

Murphy is the Democratic establishments choice and joined Congress after upsetting Tea Party favorite GOP Rep. Allen West in a 2012 race eventually decided by a partial recount.

Despite Graysons lack of support -- including calls from Senate Democratic leaders Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer to leave the race -- he has refused to quit.

Whatever support the combative Grayson had appeared to dwindle after the House ethics committee decided in April to expand its probe into allegations he committed financial improprieties and used congressional staff for campaign purposes.

Allegations then surfaced last month about domestic abuse, which prompted Schumer, in line to replace Reid as Senate minority leader, to call on Grayson to quit the race.

Once the allegations about domestic abuse surfaced and progressive groups dropped their endorsement, what was already a difficult path for Grayson became impossible, Duffy said.

The three-term congressman and his team have denied any wrongdoing, suggesting the probe is politically motivated and that the ex-wife who made the abuse allegations is disturbed.

The RealClearPolitics average of recent polls shows Murphy leading Grayson by roughly 8 percentage points.

In his primary race, Rubio mostly cleared the field when he reversed course and ran for re-election following an unsuccessful presidential bid  but still faces homebuilder Carlos Beruff in Tuesdays contest.

Despite the attention on the Sanders connection, Canova, meanwhile, argues his House primary race is largely about Wasserman Schultz losing contact with her constituents and such local issues as the recent algae bloom in south Florida hurting tourism and just putting food on the table.

Still, Nathan Gonzales, editor and publisher of the nonpartisan Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, thinks the advantage goes to the incumbent.

Its up to the challenger to prove he can actually get over the top in the primary, he said. It takes extraordinary circumstances. I know Debbie Wasserman Schultz has made a lot of national headlines recently. But Im still skeptical about the level of dissent in her district.
EXCLUSIVE: An internal history of the Watergate scandal prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency  intended to help the Agency make a clean breast of its own wrongdoing and kept in classified vaults for more than four decades  reveals how the spy service used a double agent to keep tabs on the burglars whose arrests ultimately led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon, and withheld information about the agent from federal prosecutors.

Entitled Working Draft  CIA Watergate History, the 155-page study was largely written by John C. Richards, a CIA officer who died in December 1974, and was brought nearly to completion by unnamed Agency colleagues who built on Richards typed draft and handwritten annotations.

Earlier this year, a federal judge ordered the government to turn the document over to Judicial Watch, the conservative legal watchdog, which had sued for access under the Freedom of Information Act. The group finally received the declassified report in July and shared it with Fox News.

Even in draft form, the document represents CIAs fullest narrative treatment of the Watergate affair, which first surfaced publicly in the predawn hours of June 17, 1972. Thats when Washington police, dressed in plain clothes and responding to a call from a private security guard, arrested at gunpoint five burglars inside the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington.

The arrested men were wearing business suits and rubber gloves and carrying electronic eavesdropping devices. Investigation swiftly revealed that one of them was employed by the president's re-election campaign committee, and that four of the five boasted past ties to CIA. But one of the arrested men, it turns out, was still on Langley's payroll at the time of the arrests, and had been feeding information about the break-in team to his CIA case officers the entire time.

That CIA mole was Eugenio R. Martinez, a Cuban Bay of Pigs veteran who was recruited to the break-in team by E. Howard Hunt, the legendary former CIA officer and spy novelist who had helped plan the Bay of Pigs operation in the Kennedy era and had gone on to work as a consultant on covert projects at the Nixon White House. Along with re-election committee lawyer G. Gordon Liddy, a former FBI agent, Hunt masterminded the doomed break-in and surveillance operation at the DNC; he and Liddy would be indicted along with the five arrested men and both would serve lengthy sentences in federal prison.

While Watergate scholars have previously reported that Martinez was a CIA informant during the time he was working for Hunt and Liddy  the wiry operative known as "Musculito" provided Langley with a steady stream of information about the Cuban exile community in Miami, from where he and three of the other burglars hailed, for $100 a month (about $575 today)  the newly declassified CIA document fleshes out the relationship in greater detail and shows how highly the Agency prized it.

In October 1973  by which point the months-long effort of the Nixon White House to cover up the origins of the DNC break-in had collapsed, and President Nixon was struggling in vain to stave off impeachment  attorneys from the Watergate Special Prosecution Force met with the CIAs top lawyer and sought access to documents concerning Martinez. In particular, the draft report states, the WSPF lawyers wanted to review a previous report prepared by one of Martinezs case officers in Miami and a copy of Martinezs roundup of his discussions with Hunt from April 1972, the month before the burglars first penetrated the DNC suite.

CIA General Counsel John S. Warner adamantly refused. Warner stated that under no circumstances would the Agency give up all records relating to the Agencys relationship with Martinez, the report stated. Warner explained why such a request was difficult for the Agency  the breaching of trust of an agent.

The document marks the first known reference by CIA to Martinez as an agent, as opposed to an informant, and exposes how valuable an asset the Agency considered him to be. Among several-dozen passages of the report still redacted today, more than four decades after the events in question, are the names of two CIA case officers to whom Martinez reported.

Elsewhere the report chronicles how top CIA officials, including then-Director Richard Helms, withheld data about Martinez from the FBI at the very outset of its investigation of the break-in.

On June 19, 1972, the first business day after the burglars were arrested, the report notes that Helms received a briefing from CIAs Director of Security at the time, Howard Osborn, who provided biographic details for each of the arrested men. Yet three days later, the report states, Helms told the Bureau's acting director, L. Patrick Gray III, that none [of the arrested men] had worked for the Agency in the past two years. That was untrue where Martinez was concerned.

"This CIA Watergate report is an extraordinary historical document," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton in a statement to Fox News. "Given that it disclosed direct CIA involvement in Watergate, it is no surprise it took forty-two years and a Judicial Watch lawsuit to force its release."

Now 94 and believed to be living in Miami, Martinez has granted virtually no interviews. He has long fascinated Watergate scholars, both because of his dual role on the break-in team and because the FBI determined that a key that Martinez was carrying at the time of the arrests -- and struggled unsuccessfully to conceal from the police -- fit the desk of DNC secretary Ida Maxie Wells, whose telephone was the only one wiretapped in the ill-fated operation. No other burglar had such a key and it has never been satisfactorily explained as to how or why Martinez came into possession of it.

Jim Hougan, author of Secret Agenda: Watergate, Deep Throat and the CIA, a landmark study of the break-in published by Random House in 1984, called the declassified draft an artifact in its own right but said it carries a musty fragrance, brought on by having been squirreled away for so long that its narrative has begun to rot.

Hougan pointed to numerous aspects of Watergate  all of which involved CIA  that are unmentioned in the Agencys ostensibly comprehensive mea culpa. These omissions include, among other things, the destruction of Watergate-related documents shortly after the arrests by a CIA officer named Lee Pennington and the activities of Robert F. Bennett, later a U.S. senator from Utah, who as a CIA asset in the early 1970s sent his superiors a memorandum  first published in Hougans book  boasting of how he had been feeding Bob Woodward of the Washington Post story leads that led him and the newspaper away from Agency involvement in Watergate. For this, Bennett said in the 1973 memorandum, the reporter was suitably grateful for the fine stories and by-lines which he gets.

One area where the CIA draft report appears willfully to have steered clear of further implicating the Agency was in its reference to a CIA officer named Rob Roy Ratliff, the Agencys liaison on the National Security Council.

In a 1974 affidavit filed with the House Judiciary Committee when it was weighing articles of impeachment against President Nixon, Ratliff swore that E. Howard Hunt, while ostensibly retired from CIA and working as a consultant in the Nixon White House, was using secure Agency couriers to send sealed pouches to CIA Director Helms on a regular basis, continuing right up until shortly before the Watergate arrests.

Sources familiar with the matter said the pouches contained gossip of a sexually graphic nature about White House officials that could be used for the purpose of constructing psychological profiles of them  a violation of the Agencys charter. Hunt had already played a lead role in getting CIA prepare such a profile of Daniel Ellsberg, the former Defense Department analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times.

The draft report mentions Ratliff by name and notes the existence of his affidavit  but otherwise makes no mention of its explosive contents, which suggested that Hunt had never really retired from CIA and was spying on the Nixon White House for Langley at a level even higher than Martinez.
An ancient tablet recently unearthed in Tuscany has revealed its first secret: the engraved name of a goddess linked to fertility.

The 500-pound stone slab, or stele, was unearthed earlier this year at Poggio Colla, a sixth century B.C. site built by the Etruscans. The stele bears a long inscription in a language that has not been used for 2,500 years, project archaeologist Gregory Warden, a professor emeritus at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, told Live Science in April.

Now, translation is underway and archaeologists have discovered that the tablet references the goddess Uni. [Photos: The Tomb of an Etruscan Prince]

"We can at this point affirm that this discovery is one of the most important Etruscan discoveries of the last few decades," Warden said in a statement. "It's a discovery that will provide not only valuable information about the nature of sacred practices at Poggio Colla, but also fundamental data for understanding the concepts and rituals of the Etruscans, as well as their writing and perhaps their language."

Mother goddess?

Uni was an important goddess linked to fertility. Previously, the most famous find at Poggio Colla was a piece of ceramic depicting a woman squatting to give birth, perhaps suggesting that a fertility cult worshiped at the site, according to Warden.

The Etruscans were a heavily religious society that started around 700 B.C. in modern-day northern and eastern Italy. They flourished until they were absorbed by Rome, a gradual process that took place between 500 B.C. and 100 B.C.

There are at least 120 characters on the Poggio Colla stele, making it the longest Etruscan inscription ever found on stone and among the longest three sacred texts ever discovered, researchers will report in a yet-unpublished article in the journal Etruscan Studies. The inscription might express the laws of the sanctuary, Warden said, perhaps outlining the ceremonies that took place there. Archaeologists have deciphered another word on the tablet, "Tina," which refers to the head god of the Etruscan Pantheon (much like Zeus for the Greeks).

Striking find

Archaeologists have been digging at Poggio Colla for 21 years, and found the slab at the very end of the most recent field season at the site. It's about 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide and made of sandstone. Because the stone is scuffed and chipped, researchers are painstakingly cleaning it in order to translate the words. Etruscans left behind few texts because they mostly wrote on linen or erasable wax tablets. Understanding Etruscan religious belief and ritual is important because as the civilization was engulfed by Rome, it influenced Roman culture and belief.

Most previously discovered texts are short inscriptions on graves, according to Warden. One linen book written in the Etruscan language was found on an Egyptian mummy  recycled as wrappings. Otherwise, researchers know little about Etruscan religious rituals, other than that they were polytheistic.

Though the stele is still being cleaned and studied, a hologram projection of it will be displayed in Florence on Aug. 27 as researchers announce the translations they've made so far.

Original article on Live Science. Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Its no secret that exam schedules can be annoying, but would you write your countrys president to voice your concerns? How about hacking their official website?

Enter this summer's boldest Sri Lankan teenager. The BBC reported that a 17-year-old student has been arrested for allegedly hacking President Maithripala Sirisena's website to express frustration over the country's exam schedule. The announcement that the A-level (or advanced) exams were scheduled for April angered the teen, who pointed out that the exams coincided with celebrations for Sinhala and Tamil New Year.

Under the pseudonym of group hacking outfit The Sri Lanka Youth, the teen hacked into the website on Friday and Saturday and addressed a message to the president requesting that he reschedule the exams. However, the hacker brought up other concerns in the message.

Furthermore, take care of the security of Sri Lankan websites, wrote the teen. Or else, we will have to face a cyber war.

If you cannot control the situation hold a Presidential Election, continued the message.

The incident serves to underline the challenges that governments face in matters of cybersecurity.

Although exam rescheduling was paramount to the teens requests, the message also called for the president to stop the Prime Ministers irresponsible work, and look more into the problems of the university students.

Sirisena became president last year. His website is up and running again after the weekend's mishap.
In a ruling handed down this morning, Apple was given a $14.5 billion bill for back taxes by the European Commission, related to its business in Europe and Ireland. Apple's tax situation, including the hundreds of billions in cash held offshore, has always been a hot topic for the company. But how did it land in this mess, and who does it even owe money to anyway?

The situation right now is a little unclear. This morning's ruling was given by the European Commission, which says that both Apple and Ireland made a tax arrangement against the rules of the E.U. As a result, Apple owes money to Ireland, but the country disagrees. In a statement, the Finance Minister said he "disagrees profoundly" with the E.C.'s ruling, and will appeal.

As you might expect, Apple is also planning on launching an appeal. CEO Tim Cook argues that because Apple complied with Irish tax authorities, there shouldn't be any penalties applied, and Cook is confident that Apple's case will "ultimately prevail." Oh, and the U.S. government is also on Apple's side, accusing the E.U. in a statement last week of acting as a "supra-national tax authority."

In other words, we have the stage set for one hell of a fight. In one corner, the European Commission, a powerful international body with the backing of all the E.U. member states (except Ireland), who are tired of having Apple pay very little tax on billions in sales. In the other, we have the world's largest corporation, the U.S. Treasury Department, and an Irish government that really doesn't want to be labelled as a tax haven.

Apple's tax arrangement

What the sides ultimately disagree on is how Apple's taxes are structured through Ireland. It's a complicated arrangement used by hundreds of big companies aside from Apple, but it works something like this. Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe are two Irish-registered companies, which hold the intellectual property to Apple products and brands outside of North and South America.

Using legal tax mechanisms, all sales of Apple products in Europe went to these companies, so the bulk of all profits made in Europe ended up in Ireland. Using transfer pricing like this to funnel profits into a particular country is a legal and well-used (if ethically dubious) practice.

The real problem is how profits were taxed once they got to Ireland. Apple and Ireland agreed on a system that channeled "most profits...away from Ireland to a 'head office' within Apple Sales International," according to the E.C. The Commission's investigation showed that Apple had been given a tax rate as low as 0.005 percent at some points, far lower than the already-low Irish corporation tax rate of 12.5 percent.

So whose rules did Apple break?

The E.U.'s involvement makes this a weird case. Normally, tax evasion is pretty cut-and-dry: a country has rules on tax, a corporation breaks them, and then the company is found out and has to pay up. But in this case, Apple was in compliance with Ireland's rules. It was Ireland's rules that were out of line with the E.U.'s taxation policies, which don't allow member states to act as tax havens.

So Apple has to pay back taxes to Ireland, but Ireland doesn't want the money. Directly after the Commission released its findings, Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan released a statement, saying "I disagree profoundly with the Commission's decision," and that he has "no choice but to seek Cabinet approval to appeal the decision before the European Courts. This is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system; to provide tax certainty to business; and to challenge the encroachment of E.U. state aid rules into the sovereign Member State competence of taxation."

What does Apple say?

Obviously, Apple isn't happy about the ruling. Tim Cook issued an open letter to customers this morning, seeking to reassure them. In it, he restates Apple's long-running justification of the Irish tax arrangements. Cook points out that Apple has had a tangible presence in Ireland for decades, starting with a factory with 60 employees in Cork, Ireland back in 1980.

He goes on to say that "over the years, we received guidance from Irish tax authorities on how to comply correctly with Irish tax law -- the same kind of guidance available to any company doing business there. In Ireland and in every country where we operate, Apple follows the law and we pay all the taxes we owe."

Cook's final argument goes back to one of the principles of taxation, that "a company's profits should be taxed in the country where the value is created." Since Apple's R&D is mostly done in California, Cook argues, that's where Apple should be taxed.

They're all powerful-sounding arguments, but most don't apply to this ruling. Apple does have a physical presence in Ireland, but its low taxation rate really depends on the existence of a "head office" in the country that coordinates worldwide sales. According to the E.C. investigation, the head office exists on paper only.

The fact that Apple was in accordance with Irish tax law is also a moot point. The European Commission objects to Ireland's own taxation policies, claiming they're out of line with E.U. rules. You can see the point: the E.U. is a free trade zone, so if one country can manipulate its taxation code to offer low rates to multinationals, it's offering all of the benefits of a tax haven while also being inside the world's biggest single market.

Cook's final argument also ignores some important facts -- mainly that if Apple should be taxed where it creates the value (R&D in California), why are hundreds of billions of dollars sitting offshore?

What about the US government?

The US Treasury Department has been unusually vocal about this case, in statements last week and also after the ruling was handed down today. Mostly, the Department objects to retroactive taxation, which is says is "unfair, contrary to well-established legal principles, and call into question the tax rules of individual Member States."

So what happens next?

After the international hand-wringing is done, Apple is highly unlikely to just sit down and pay up. (Although it's worth mentioning that the $14.5 billion back tax bill is barely 10 percent of Apple's offshore tax holdings.) Both Apple and Ireland have said they will appeal the decision. Given that E.U. bureaucracy moves at a truly glacial pace, and the first investigation took three years, don't expect this to be settled soon.

But there is also a very good chance Apple ends up paying some money from this. Ireland and the United States may well disagree with the ruling, but public opinion in the 27 other E.U. member states is on the other side. Ireland offering favourable rates has enabled dozens of other high-profile multinationals like Starbucks and Google to avoid paying taxes in other countries.
Authorities in China have reportedly instructed select hotels to reject guests from a handful of majority Muslim countries, according to Reuters.

While the country's foreign ministry denies that such a policy exists, workers at several budget hotels in Guangzhou said that they were ordered as far back as March to deny guests from Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Afghanistan.

One worker recently told the South China Morning Post that local authorities ordered the hotel to turn away guests from the aforementioned countries until Sept. 10.

"I'm not clear of the reason. We just can't take them," a hotel worker told Reuters over the telephone.

Only independent hotels appear to be impacted by the ban, with chain hotels being unaffected, and while multiple sources claim they have received notices from police, Chinese officials have yet to confirm whether a temporary ban is in effect.

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"I've never heard that there is this policy being followed in China," said China's foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang, via Reuters.

"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."

It's worth noting that the 11th Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Cooperation and Development Forum was held in Guangzhou this past week. What's more, the G20 leaders' summit is scheduled to commence in Hangzhou Sept. 4.
Please come to our country. But if you do, you might be in danger if you don't cover up.

Thats the message Indias tourism minister Mahesh Sharma conveyed to female tourists during a promotional event in the north Indian city of Agra, site of the Taj Mahal on Sunday.

Sharmas team recently rolled out a new welcome kit designed for foreign tourists with advice targeted toward female travelers.

In that kit they are given dos and donts, Sharma said Sunday, reports The Guardian. These are very small things like, they should not venture out alone at night in small places, or wear skirts, and they should click the photo of the vehicle number plate whenever they travel and send it to friends.

But according to CNN, though the packet advocates for modest dressing, there's no mention of the word "skirt."

The tourism minister added, For their own safety, women foreign tourists should not wear short dresses and skirts ... Indian culture is different from the western.

The information included is supposed to provide assurance that India is in fact safe, says Sharma, even after a series of high-profile assaults.

According to the Guardian, India has experienced declining rates of female visitors after the high profile gang-rape and murder of medical student in 2015. Last September, an American tourist traveling alone also claimed she was gang-raped in northern India. In 2015, Indian police recorded an average of six reported rapes daily.

Despite the pamphlets intention, backlash to Sharmas comments was immediate.

It was very stupid, not a fully thought-through statement, said Ranjana Kumari, the director of the Delhi-based Centre for Social Research, a thinktank focusing on gender equality in India. The minister doesnt realize the implications of such irresponsible statements.

Many online also critizied the tourism minister for allegedly blaming women, instead of calling on Indias government to do more to improve safety throughout the country.

Don't want to get gang raped in India?

1. Don't be a woman.

2. Don't travel at night.

3. Don't wear a skirt. https://t.co/BV486tG2my  #HalfricanAmerican (@lenubienne) August 30, 2016

On Monday, Sharma tried to clarify his comments, saying he only meant to make people more aware of different cultural norms.

I am a father of two daughters...I would never tell women what they should wear or not," he told reoprters.

"Such a ban is unimaginable, but it is not a crime to be cautious. Different countries issue advisories from time to time, but I never said change anyone's way of dressing."

But this isnt the first time the tourism minister has gotten in trouble for comments over women.

Last year he said women in India shouldn't go out at night.

Said Sharma, "Girls wanting a night out may be all right elsewhere but it is not part of Indian culture.
Tired of working Monday through Friday? Sick of those eight-hour days? Maybe you love your job but it leaves you with little time for family or even for yourself. Whatever the reason, you may be in luck. Theres been much speculation about the effectiveness of a five-day, 40-hour workweek, and some companies are seeking other options.

Even some of the worlds most successful people oppose the concept of 40 hours a week. Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim supports a three-day workweek. "You should have more time for you during all of your life -- not when you're 65 and retired," he explained. Virgins Richard Branson agrees, and said that Slims idea could work. People should be able to work "when, where and how they like, in order to get the best results possible," he said.

But dont get the wrong idea. A shorter workweek doesnt necessarily translate to more vacation time or less work to actually do. It's a way for employees to get more done in the time they do work.

From improved employee morale to lower turnover rates to even a drive in profits -- its no wonder these companies have cut down employee hours.

More From Entrepreneur.com Related:

Amazon

The Washington Post recently revealed Amazons new program for a 30-hour workweek. By testing a new program created for part-time employees who will work Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the company hopes to create a work environment that is tailored to a reduced schedule and still fosters success and career growth.

These employees will be salaried and receive the same benefits as full-time employees, and also have the option to transition into full-time employment.

KPMG

Global audit, tax and advisory firm KPMG offers U.S. employees the option of a four-day workweek -- although it must be arranged between employees and their managers.

Their satisfaction goes way up when they have control over their time. And it increases employee morale and productivity and retention, said Barbara Wankoff, KPMGs director of workplace solutions.

Overall, the company found an increase in employee morale, productivity and retention. Who doesnt want Fridays off?

Ryan

Perhaps one of the first known leaders in the four-day workweek movement, tax services firm Ryan has seen nothing but success from compressed weeks. After installing the program in 2008, the company saw its employee turnover rate drop from 30 to 11 percent, revenues and profits nearly doubled and client satisfaction increased.

Its no wonder the firm has won multiple  Best Place to Work awards.

Treehouse

Treehouse, an online education company, employs a four-day workweek and pays its employees full salaries.

You might be surprised to hear that the company has actually experienced major growth -- which many attribute to the reduced workweek. Thirty-two hours of higher quality work is better than 40 hours of lower quality work, CEO Ryan Carson said.

A boost in employee morale is also ever-present in the office, On Mondays, everyones invigorated and excited, he said.
Another public university in Mississippi has stopped flying the state flag that prominently features the Confederate battle emblem.

Mississippi State University becomes the sixth of the state's eight universities to do so.

University spokesman Sid Salter said Tuesday that President Mark Keenum approved deans' plans to remove the flag from most parts of the Starkville campus. It has been replaced with larger American flags.

Mississippi's Confederate-themed flag has been criticized as a symbol of racial oppression. State voters overwhelmingly supported keeping it in 2001.

Salter didn't immediately say how many flags were removed or when. He said Mississippi's flag remains part of a 50-state display in a cafeteria.

The University of Mississippi and the University of Southern Mississippi removed state flags last year. Three historically black universities removed them earlier.
Nikki Petrees five-year odyssey through the bureaucracy, courts and jail began with the stroke of a pen.

The 40-year-old Pulaski County, Ark., resident was arrested in 2011 for bouncing a $29 check, which led to a series of missed payments, skipped court dates, new arrests and fines that have swelled to $2,700. Now battling hepatitis and pancreatitis, the minimum-wage worker is one of several plaintiffs who claim in a federal suit that the county  and others around the nation - runs what amounts to an unconstitutional debtors prison.

"The debtors' prison is rearing its head all across the country," said Kristen Clarke, director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights under the Law, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. which filed suit along with the ACLU of Arkansas.

The suit was filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas and named as defendants the City of Sherwood, Pulaski County and Sherwood Municipal Judge Milas Hale III.

Clarke called the "hot check" division of the municipal court in Sherwood, Ark., near Little Rock, the "poster child" for a national trend toward "criminalizing poverty."

This summer, Petree did more than 3 weeks in jail. Her fellow plaintiffs include a pancreatic cancer patient jailed for 35 days this summer, Lee Robertson. Robertson says he hasn't been able to work since he got sick in 2009 --- and wrote $200 worth of bad checks. Fines have increased the amount he owes to more than $2,600.

In 1983, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a convict whose punishment is a fine can't be imprisoned if he or she proves an inability to pay the fine. The high court said a judge should reduce the fine, lengthen the payment plan, or require community service instead.

But the Arkansas lawsuit asserts that Hale doesn't follow the high courts ruling.

According to the plaintiffs, Hale imposed fines without asking defendants if they could pay, and he's ignored them when they said they couldn't. The attorneys who filed the suit say defendants, before entering court, are told to sign forms they don't understand, waiving their right to legal counsel. According to the suit, the public defender in the courtroom normally remains silent, along with the prosecutor during the short hearings, which are closed to the public.

In a phone interview, Hale dismissed the "debtors' prison" accusation, and said only defendants who plan to plead guilty are required to sign those waivers. He declined to say more until he had met with his lawyers. Neither Sherwood nor Pulaski County officials have commented on the suit.

Arkansas ACLU Director Rita Sklar said the court in Sherwood is "notorious for just making money on the backs of the poor. The non-poor don't go to jail."

Hales court is not the only one accused of locking up people who cant pay their fines.

Earlier in August, another suit, against the northern suburbs of St. Louis, accused 13 towns of targeting black motorists for traffic tickets, then holding those who didn't pay in what amounted to debtors' prisons.

In Houston, a disabled woman was reportedly jailed multiple times for unpaid traffic tickets --- even though she lived on $390 a month from Social Security and was primary caretaker for her grandchildren. In Austin, Texas, a single mother of seven was jailed while pregnant for unpaid traffic tickets. She lost her job while incarcerated; she was jailed again, reportedly for the same tickets, while unemployed.

Civil rights groups say local governments are turning minor offenses into revenue streams by multiplying the fines for misdemeanors.
Crowds thinned Tuesday on the beaches of North Carolina's Outer Banks ahead of a tropical weather system that threatened to bring strong winds and heavy rains that could flood low-lying areas.

Elsewhere, a powerful hurricane threatened to pass "dangerously close" to Hawaii and another tropical depression churned in Gulf of Mexico waters with the potential to bring rain and wind to Florida.

On North Carolina's Hatteras Island, a slow stream of dozens of cars from places including Maryland, New York and Ohio headed toward a bridge to the mainland. There was light, intermittent rain and a mostly cloudy sky.

A public beach near Rodanthe was nearly empty, save for two parents enjoying a walk with their 11-year-old son. Nearby, large waves crashed in the increasingly angry-looking surf.

Joe and Kelley Walker of Markham, Virginia, plan to wait out the rain with movies or card games unless the forecast worsens.

"We're not worried about the storm so much unless they say there's something to worry about," Joe Walker said.

The tropical weather system off the coast was expected to strengthen and pass near the Outer Banks by late Tuesday, bringing sustained winds as high as 45 mph and heavy rains of up to 5 inches in some areas.

An 11 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center said the tropical depression could become a named storm later in the day. Forecasters have said it's not expected to surpass tropical-storm strength.

With the storm centered about 70 miles south of Cape Hatteras, a tropical storm warning was in effect for much of the Outer Banks.

Coastal Carteret County emergency officials issued an advisory on Tuesday saying that wind problems were likely to be "mostly minor," but residents should prepare in case trees topple, limbs snap or lightweight objects are blow around.

At the same time, the National Hurricane Center said another tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico could hit northern Florida as a tropical storm later in the week and possibly head toward the Atlantic coast.

That depression was about 340 miles west of Key West, Florida. Forecasters expect it to become a tropical storm later Tuesday and turn northeast toward Florida the next day

National Weather Service meteorologist Tom Lonka said the center of the storm approaching North Carolina should stay offshore as it passes, but it will hit the Outer Banks with bands of rain and wind through Wednesday.

"They'll be rain showers coming on shore, rain bands and gusty winds," he said by phone Tuesday. "The biggest impacts will be relegated to the beaches, the waters, high surf, maybe some erosion."

Lonka said the storm in the Gulf was forecast to move across northern Florida later this week toward the Atlantic, but likely to stay south of North Carolina. Still, he cautioned it was difficult to predict a storm's path days in advance.

Outer Banks business owners warily eyed both storms because of fears that a one-two punch of rain could waterlog the ground and cause problems. Roads along the thin barrier islands are prone to flooding and erosion damage, including the two-lane N.C. Highway 12 serving as the main north-south artery.

At Ride The Wind Surf Shop on Ocracoke Island, owner Bob Chestnut said he canceled all of his kayak tours and other rentals for Tuesday because he was concerned about the wind. Foot traffic in the store has been sparse.

"The amount of day-trippers has been pretty minimal because I think people were worried they'd get down here and not be able to get back," he said by phone, referring to people who take a ferry to get to the island on the southern stretch of the Outer Banks.

Meanwhile, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch for the Big Island of Hawaii, saying Hurricane Madeline could pass "dangerously close." The storm should be near or over the Big Island by Wednesday.

Early Tuesday, forecasters said the storm was a powerful Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. Madeline was centered about 445 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii, and moving west at 10 mph. Officials urged residents there to restock emergency kits, create evacuation plans and secure outdoor furniture.

Elsewhere, another Category 3 hurricane named Lester -- also with top sustained winds of 120 mph -- was about 1,355 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii and moving west over the Pacific at 14 mph. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect for Lester.
An Omaha woman whose husband is a police officer has started a letter-writing campaign to support members of law enforcement and their families.



Kathleen McCallister told the Omaha World-Herald that her fear of her husband's safety has increased in the past few months as officers have been attacked nationwide.



"It's a different lifestyle," McCallister said. "There's things you don't always anticipate, just off the radar."



McCallister is encouraging residents to write letters during September and send them to Embrace Blue, a group formed under the Fraternal Order of Police Association. Embrace Blue will send the well-wishes across the Omaha Police Department.

"He has always been eager to serve everyone," McCallister said of her husband, Michael McGee.



Cody Kanger whose father, Lt. Ken Kanger, works for the Omaha Police Department, also wrote a letter for the campaign.



"I can remember the ring tone on his work phone all too well, going off on our way to a family party, just sitting down for dinner, or even in the middle of the night," Cody Kanger wrote in his letter.

"Not once did Dad hesitate to do what was necessary, even if that meant going in after a few hours of rest on New Year's Eve knowing full well the call would require several days' work."



People are also able to donate small items that officers will give to children while on patrol in an effort to promote the department's mission of community policing.



"Omaha is great, but we want to make it better," said McCallister, who has served on the Douglas County Board, the Nebraska State Board of Education and the Omaha Public Schools board.



More information about the program will be announced at a press conference Wednesday night.
A distracted real estate agent holding an open house in Southern California apparently didn't notice two unwanted guests: a pair of crafty jewel thieves.

The men made off with more than $150,000 worth of watches, jewelry and electronics under his nose, KABC reported Tuesday. The house is on the market for $1.6 million.

"These guys seem like they were professionals. They walked right in, they didn't pay attention to anybody... It just seemed like they do this all the time," the owner of the house in Sherman Oaks told local media, asking not to be identified. "You feel violated."

The owner figured out exactly what happened when he reviewed surveillance video from Sunday. It showed a couple -- who reportedly scouted the property -- distracting the real estate agent as two other men walked right through the open gate and slipped into the home.

One of the men raced upstairs into the master bedroom, the video showed. He reportedly spotted and grabbed a pricey watch collection the owner had tried to hide in his closet.

The other man swiped an iPad and camera -- which he hung around his neck, apparently trying to look like a tourist, KNBC added.

Police said they were investigating, and asked anybody who might have details on the crime to come forward.

The homeowner, a watch collector, said this obviously would be his last open house. "My advice is: Do 'appointment only.'"
Authorities in Ohio say a man shot two of his neighbors just after they put their children on a school bus. They say he then set fire to their home and shot himself.

All three were taken to a hospital Tuesday, but their conditions haven't been released.

The suspect's girlfriend told media outlets in Toledo that she saw him shoot the couple before shooting himself in the head.

She says there had been an ongoing dispute between the neighbors and her boyfriend.

The Lucas County sheriff's office says the couple was found shot at the street corner near the bus stop in the village of Holland.

The fire apparently was put out within an hour of a 911 call about the shooting.
Former Green Beret Sergeant Major (Retired) Karl Erickson has faced all kinds of liars: combative locals who dont want to tell you where the bad guys are hiding, friendly forces who exaggerate their capabilities to help, guys on your squad who dont want to admit how badly they messed up, the list goes on and on.

Over the course of his career, Erickson has learned a simple method, taught by John E. Reid and Associates, that anyone can use to help separate sniff out a liar whether they are going to war or hiring a new employee. Entrepreneur spoke with Erickson from his office at T1G, an elite Special Operations training facility.

Forget what youve seen in the movies.

In the movies and TV, they always talk about the eyes. If the guy looks upper right or upper left, they are lying. That might be true for some people, but what you have to remember is that there are people who will do that just because they are scared or nervous, not because they are lying. You need to find each individuals baseline for truthfulness.

Related: Check Out This CIA Operative's 9-Step Hotel Safety Checklist

Get social.

Do some fast research prior to the conversation and learn some truths about this person. Go to their social media pages and find some easy things you know they wont lie about: vacations, celebrations -- easy stuff like that. Then look for some other stuff that might make them uncomfortable to talk about.

Related: The One Trick This Navy SEAL Used to Turn Failure Into Success

Start with the fun stuff.

"Watch their body language as they answer easy questions that you know the truth about. 'Do anything fun this summer?' If they answer truthfully about a vacation and seem jittery, you now know that theyre just nervous and the jitteriness doesnt mean theyre lying. Watch where their eyes go, note if they clear their throat before they speak, do they lean back or forward?"

Slowly turn up the heat.

"Next, move on to topics that you think they might lie about, that you know the answer to. This may be some information you read about their company online. If they lie, watch and listen for what changed in their tone or mannerisms."

Now go for it.

"At this point, you should have a good baseline for their body language and speech patterns when they are telling the truth. Now you can get into the questions that you dont know the answer to. Using what you now know about their behavior, youll have a better chance of ascertaining if they are lying or not."

Related: Video: The Secret Business of Training Navy SEALs

Have a three-way.

"If you think someone is lying, ask them the same question in three different ways. You might think that it is to catch any differences in their response, but what Im telling you to look for just the opposite: is there a scripted aspect to their response? Do they use the same careful phrasing over and over again? Politicians are amazing at this. It allows them to answer the question without revealing anything they don't want you to know. If it feels like a prepared and scripted response, that is a sign that theyre either lying or not telling you the whole story."

Check their speed.

"Take note of how quickly they answer a question. Did they immediately respond without giving much thought? Think about a teenager standing in front of his parents. If the parents ask him a question and the kid immediately launches into an answer without thinking, he prepared. He had a story ready to go for you, Mom and Dad."

Have a second set of eyes and ears.

"When possible, have another observer in the room. Have someone pretending to be an assistant sitting off to the side working on a laptop, or someone pretending to be an IT person. Your interview subject will quickly forget that they are in the room. That gives you another set of eyes paying attention strictly to this persons mannerisms, someone who can help you catch changes that you might have missed. While youre watching their eyes, you might not notice that they started tapping their foot on the ground."

Ultimate goal

"What this all allows is for you to make better decisions on partnerships. For the most part, you dont want to link up with liars, but you also dont want to pass on a great opportunity because the guy had shifty eyes and it turns out he was just nervous. This method can help prevent that from happening."

Watch Erickson explain why he became a Green Beret:
An American woman detained in China for more than a year has been indicted by prosecutors on charges of spying, a court confirmed Tuesday.

Husband: Local woman suffered 'mental torture' in China https://t.co/epRv63f7vS  Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) August 26, 2016

The Nanning Intermediate People's Court in southern China accepted the case against Phan "Sandy" Phan-Gillis on July 11, and no date has been set yet for a hearing, said a court official who gave only her surname, Chen.

Authorities detained the international business consultant in March 2015 when she visited China as part of an American trade delegation that was promoting business opportunities in her hometown of Houston, Texas.

Phan-Gillis' husband, Jeff Gillis, said Monday that her lawyer received the indictment "weeks after it was issued to the court."

He said in a statement that she is charged with being a spy for a foreign government from 1996 to 1998, and that the charges are "absolutely false."

Spying convictions carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

A U.N. panel ruled in June that China was arbitrarily detaining Phan-Gillis, 56, in violation of international human rights norms because she hadn't been brought before judicial authorities or given access to legal assistance.
North Korea publicly executed two top officials earlier this month by shooting them with anti-aircraft guns, a South Korean newspaper reported Tuesday.

The JoongAng Ilbo identified the murdered officials as former agriculture minister Hwang Min and senior education ministry official Ri Yong Jin. According to Reuters, Hwang was identified by North Korea's state-run media as an agriculture minister in 2012 and a vice minister of agriculture in 2014.

Due to the North Korean state's secretive nature, reports of executions and other government purges are difficult to confirm. This past May, a former North Korean general believed executed was revealed to still be alive, in an embarrassing moment for South Korean intelligence.

There was no immediate comment from the South Korean government regarding Tuesday's report.

However, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un reportedly has carried out a series of killings, purges and dismissals since he took power in late 2011, part of what foreign experts call an attempt to tighten his grip on power.

JoongAng Ilbo reported that Hwang was killed because his policy proposals were seen as a challenge to Kim, while Ri was accused of nodding off during a meeting with the dictator as well as corruption.

Last year, South Korean intelligence reported that former North Korean defense chief Hyon Yong Chol was also executed by anti-aircraft fire for also falling asleep during a meeting and talking back to Kim.

Click for more from Reuters.
When an EF4 tornado ripped through the northeastern Dallas suburb of Rowlett the day after Christmas last year, the people at a McAlister's Deli a mile away knew just what to do.

"Our manager was feeding first responders free, handing out food to anyone who needed it," says Adam Saxton, chief business officer at The Saxton Group. "He knew it was the right thing to do and that the company would support that decision without question. You can't do that if your people don't know your culture."

Employees of The Saxton Group, the country's largest McAlister's Deli franchisee, are card-carrying members of the company's culture--literally. Every employee receives a business-sized laminated card that outlines the franchisee organization's vision, mission, and values--with a special emphasis on contributing to the communities where they operate.

"We call them culture cards," says Saxton, who co-owns the Dallas-based company with his father Kelly Sexton, founder and CEO, and younger brother Matt, chief operating officer. Saxton, who has been with the company for 13 years, says it's really been a lot longer than that. "Since this is a family business, I feel like I have been in it all my life. I was never that kid in school who didn't know what his father did at work. We talked restaurants at home as long as I can remember."

The Saxton Group, which operates 67 McAlister's Deli restaurants with 10 more in the pipeline, was honored with the MVP Award for Community Involvement Leadership for their thoughtful approach in giving back in ways big and small, and serving as a role model not only for the brand but for franchising itself.

As chief business officer, Saxton focuses on growth, development, new business opportunities, marketing, and legal issues. In other words, he says, "all the things that happen outside of a restaurant that it takes to make a company of our size grow and thrive."

Saxton says community giving is a very important element of how he leads. All the company's charitable efforts are designed to keep the money local, even when it goes to national charities. For example, company hosts fundraisers every single week in all of its locations. In 2015, these hyper-local fundraisers raised more than $90,000 for small, local organizations.

With The Saxton Group planning to top the 100-store mark in the next few years, Saxton expects to seek bigger ways to give as the company grows--while never taking his eyes off the customers they serve.

"It's really the cornerstone of who we are. One customer at a time, one community at a time, one successful restaurant at a time. That's how we built our business," he says. "The restaurant business is a relationship business, and we want to know our customers and understand the needs of the places they live."

Name: Adam Saxton

Title: Chief business officer, co-owner

No. of units: McAlister's Deli, 67

Age: 34

Family: Wife Sarah, 2-year old twin boys, Patrick and Harry

Years in franchising: 13

Years in current position: 2 (previously vice president)

Personal

Formative influences/events:

I grew up in the restaurant franchising business. I remember once, when I was 12, eating at one of our pizza restaurants--it had a salad bar. At the table, my parents were discussing the fact that the salad bar really needed cleaning and that my Dad would need to talk with the manager about how to make that an area of focus. Well, my 12-year-old self thought I could take action right away. I went up to a young team member and told her in my sternest pre-teen voice that the salad bar was unacceptable. My parents were mortified. The team member was confused and embarrassed--after all, who was this kid? I think I learned pretty quickly that how you treat your people matters. I've thought of that often as we try to build a people-first culture.

Key accomplishments:

Just recently I was proud to help lead our team to open four restaurants in four weeks, back-to-back, in four different states. That was a record-opening cadence for both The Saxton Group and the McAlister's brand. Growth and opportunity are key values in our company, and it was such an accomplishment to bring those values to life in a really tangible way.

Work week:

I work all the time, but I have a lot of flexibility too. That's being a part of the modern, connected workforce! I've always been an early riser so I do some of my best work very early in the morning. I travel frequently, visiting new markets and finding ways to grow our brand.

What are you reading?

I read the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and parts of The Financial Times every day, and because I'm a Millennial I read them on my phone. I started that habit about a year ago and felt that was the best combination of news to give me a wider perspective. I keep up with restaurant industry news by following trade blogs and love seeing what articles others in our industry are sharing on LinkedIn.

Best advice you ever got:

A high school teacher of mine--and I don't know why he even did this--encouraged me to look at colleges in Texas and move to Texas after I graduated from my high school in a small town in Mississippi. That's what led me to SMU. Moving myself to Texas--and eventually our business and family to the state--opened up a world of opportunity and success for The Saxton Group. I'm a firm believer in that saying, "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as soon as I could!" It's an amazing place to live, work, and grow a company and I'm forever grateful for the advice that brought me to Dallas.

What's your passion in business?

Growth! I am most gratified when we bring the brand to a new market that has never experienced McAlister's before. When done properly, growth fuels opportunity for advancement for our people, creates new jobs, provides our shareholders with fantastic returns, and gives our company something to rally around. Really, nothing is more exciting than opening a new restaurant.

Management

Business philosophy:

Really happy customers will solve at least 90 percent of any business challenge.

Management method or style:

You have to give people room to let their talent shine, but with balance. Too much oversight will stifle the individual drive to succeed inside of top performers, but too little will leave them feeling neglected and on an island. I try to give people plenty of rope, but also an anchor.

Greatest challenge:

People.

How do others describe you?

I hope that people believe I have genuine passion for the McAlister's brand, its inherent strength, and its huge runway of opportunity.

How do you hire and fire, train, and retain?

We are looking for people who first and foremost are passionate about service--and not just our restaurant staff. When I hire for the corporate office, I want that person to provide world-class customer service and support to our restaurants. I believe service can be trained, but only to a degree. There is a natural inclination in everyone to either serve or not, to put the needs of others above themselves, or not; and if you have those qualities you will stand out at The Saxton Group. We can train job skills, but we can't teach you how to have a genuine smile, anticipate needs, or care about your customers and your co-workers.

Bottom Line

Annual revenue:

$140 million.

2016 goals:

9 new McAlister's Deli locations.

Growth meter: How do you measure your growth?

40-plus additional McAlister's Deli locations in the next few years. We talk a lot about the 1.2.3. plan. For us, that means 100-plus McAlister's locations, $200 million-plus in revenue, in about a 3-year time horizon. I like to put big goals in front of our teams that all levels of the organization can engage in to help make happen.

Vision meter: Where do you want to be in 5 years? 10 years?

See above.

What are you doing to take care of your employees?

We provide a competitive and comprehensive benefit package, but what keeps our employees around is our culture. We treat people well. Happy employees make for happy customers. Our employees are our first customers. We are growing and provide a ton of opportunity for advancement. In fact, the majority of the senior directors and vice presidents started as hourly employees in the restaurants.

What kind of exit strategy do you have in place?

I believe that if you build a business with really strong fundamentals--consistent sales growth, strong profitability, proven ability to open and grow, and a culture in place to continue to do all of that in the future--then the opportunity to make an exit will always be there. Strong businesses attract buyers.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

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.

 | 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: VOA , August 28, 2016
(1) , who had earlier this year noted that 'the overall situation has worsened' with respect to human rights," today condemned Irans illegal NCRI - 29 August 2016- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran Ahmed Shaheed, who had earlier this year noted that 'the overall situation has worsened' with respect to human rights," today condemned Irans illegal execution of 12 people on drug-related charges , following is the press release which was published today by The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)





UN rights expert condemns Irans illegal execution of 12 people on drug-related charges





GENEVA (29 August 2016)  The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, has expressed outrage at the execution on 27 August of 12 people, including Alireza Madadpour, on drug-related charges.





Mr. Shaheed had appealed publicly on 26 August to the Iranian authorities not to go ahead with the planned executions at Karaj Central Prison.





The execution of individuals for drug-related offences is simply illegal, Mr. Shaheed said, noting that international law only allows the imposition of the death penalty for the most serious crimes, where there is intentional killing, and after a fair trial that respects the most stringent due process guarantees. None of these conditions were respected, at least in the case of Mr. Madadpour.





Combating drug trafficking, a serious concern in Iran, does not justify the use of the death penalty in drug-related cases, the Special Rapporteur stressed.





The execution of Mr. Madadpour and 11 others shows the Iranian authorities complete disregard of its obligations under international human rights law and especially of international fair trial standards and due process guarantees, Mr. Shaheed added.





The UN expert renewed his call on the Government of Iran to end all executions and to immediately institute a moratorium on the death penalty.





(1) Ahmed Shaheed (the Maldives) is a Visiting Professor at Essex University, UK; a former member of the Maldivian presidential Commission Investigating Corruption; and a foreign policy advisor to the President of the Maldives. Mr. Shaheed was Foreign Minister of the Maldives from 2005 to 2007 and from 2008 to 2010. He led the countrys efforts to sign and ratify all nine international human rights Conventions and to implement them in law and practice. He was appointed as the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran in June 2011 by the UN Human Rights Council.









Documentation: Pictures of the 12 Prisoners Executed On August 27

IRAN HUMAN RIGHTS (AUG 30 2016): Iran Human Rights (IHR) reported on the execution of 12 prisoners for drug offences in Karaj Central Prison on Saturday August 27.



These executions haven't been announced by the authorities.



A local source in Iran has provided Iran Human Rights with Warning: Graphic Content ) of these prisoners after they were hanged to death.



The photos were reportedly taken before the bodies of the prisoners were returned to their families.



Sign of the rope is evident on the neck of the prisoners.





Pictures of the bodies of the 12 Prisoners

Executed On August 27, 2016

Between 50 to 60% of the executions reported by IHR have not been announced by the authorities and are confirmed by its own sources in Iran.



Source: Source: NCRI , August 29, 2016IRAN HUMAN RIGHTS (AUG 30 2016): Iran Human Rights (IHR) reported on the execution of 12 prisoners for drug offences in Karaj Central Prison on Saturday August 27.These executions haven't been announced by the authorities.A local source in Iran has provided Iran Human Rights with photos of the bodies () of these prisoners after they were hanged to death.The photos were reportedly taken before the bodies of the prisoners were returned to their families.Sign of the rope is evident on the neck of the prisoners.Between 50 to 60% of the executions reported by IHR have not been announced by the authorities and are confirmed by its own sources in Iran.Source: Iran Human Rights , August 30, 2016

 | 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!
After 51 years as a good and faithful servant, Barbara Anne McGarvey Smith went to be in glory with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Saturday, August 27, 2016 at Inova Fairfax Hospital.

She was many things to many people and always a rock to all who came into her life, a loyal friend, best mom, doting gramma, loving daughter, perfect sister, and faithful wife. Her entire life she radiated strength and service.

Born in Maryland in 1964 to Lillian and Stan, she called Damascus home for many years, and loved the Jimmy Cone. Affectionately known as Barbie, a moniker she was never able to shake into adulthood, she was a 1982 graduate of Stafford High School. In 1985, she met and married the love of her life, Steve, a commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps (Semper Fi). When he asked her out, she reluctantly agreed, telling friends the only way she would go was if he showed up in a silver Mustang. Well, thats exactly what he did and despite having only Gregorian Chants and Edith Pilaf in the car, she did not run. It was fate, a match made in heaven. Shortly after they married, they moved to Japan where their first child, Rebecca, was born. Rebecca was a mommas girl through and through and was her best friend from day one. Made to be a mom, she always knew what to say and what to do. She passed down to her daughter a steady resolve. With a newborn and husband deployed, she finished her undergraduate degree with the University of Maryland. After moving back stateside in 1988, Ben was born in Fredericksburg and she became a mother of two, although at times it probably seemed like ten.

She loved her son and his rambunctious nature that provided her with endless stories. She always said, your father may be the trained FBI agent, but Im the master investigator and she was; her children rarely got away with anything. She was most proud of him when he followed in his father and grandfathers steps to join the USMC. Her husbands assignments with the USMC and FBI allowed them to move several times, but her favorite was Wilmington, N.C. There she found her passion for preschool ministry and made lifelong friends. As the Assistant Director of Noahs Ark, she made a profound impact on many childrens lives. She eventually moved back to Fredericksburg where she continued her ministry. She also found a new love with greyhound rescue and took in two former racers, giving them forever homes. Her most recent pride and joy came when her son and daughter-in-law welcomed the arrival of her granddaughters Stella and Rylee Jo.

Just a week ago she was diagnosed with leukemia and was prepared to fight back with a vengeance, but the Lord took her from that pain. Even at the end, with wit still intact, she gave us all an option, shave our heads in solidarity or give up the F-bomb. She was best known for her quick wit, which was dispensed readily after honing her survival skills as the youngest of five children and four older brothers. She loved her family, being blessed with four brothers; and her husbands four sisters; and despite her brother, Michaels claims, she always did make the best clam dip.

Her father, Stan McGarvey, her namesake Aunt Barbara Lee, and four-legged family members Bear, Cotton, and the infamous Lady Belle, preceded her in death.

She is survived by her husband, Steve; children Rebecca and Ben; daughter-in-law Sarah; grandbabies, Stella and Rylee Jo; mother, Lillian; brothers, Bob, John, Mike, and Dan; and many sister and brothers-in-law; and nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, August 31, at Covenant Funeral Service Fredericksburg.

A service will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, September 1, at Spotswood Baptist Church. Burial will follow at noon in Quantico National Cemetery.

In lieu of donations, please send flowers.

Only the good die young, and Barbara Anne was a good one.

Online guest book is available at covenantfuneralservice.com
We are here for you and your loved ones beyond your cancer diagnosis.

Find information related to your care at Fred Hutch. Our team members

will help you with your medical records, financial assistance, housing

questions and other services.
Nick Ruiz Expands 'Home Buyers' Business To Include Milwaukee Suburbs

Metro Milwaukee Home Buyer now expands its 'cash home buyers' business to include the entire Milwaukee Metropolitan area.

--

Homeowners in Metropolitan suburbs planning to sell homes for cash and looking for a quick sale can now contact Nick Ruiz.

Nick's real estate investing company, Metro Milwaukee Home Buyer, buys distressed properties, homes where owners cannot afford renovation and houses involved in probate proceedings. "We buy houses in Milwaukee, including Metropolitan areas of Mequon, Brookfield, West Allis, and St. Francis," says Nick.

The company has purchased more than 200 properties (an approx estimate), helping homeowners get out of a sticky situation. They buy estate properties, inherited homes, and bequeathed houses- clearly states that aren't easy to sell on the conventional market.

"Over the years, Metro Milwaukee Home Buyers have purchased countless homes that were in danger of foreclosure. Owners who needed to downsize wanted to move into a retirement community, and those who've had to move out of Milwaukee quickly, have contacted us," adds a spokesperson.

It takes less than two weeks to complete a sale, and the transaction is 100% cash. "To initiate the process, customers have to call us, ping on live chat, or fill in the contact form for a no-obligations evaluation," adds Nick.

About Metro Milwaukee Home Buyer:

Metro Milwaukee Home Buyer is a real estate investor. They're cash home buyers buying properties where owners are looking to sell quickly. Owners don't have to pay for closing costs or agent commission. Nor, do they have to spend on expensive repair projects.

For more information, please visit http://www.metromilwaukeehomebuyer.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Nick Ruiz

Organization: Metro Milwaukee Home Buyer

Address: Po Box 242442, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53092, USA

Phone: 414-435-2888

Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aMe995jK1c

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/nick-ruiz-expands-home-buyers-business-to-include-milwaukee-suburbs/130127

Release ID: 130127

For more information visit r



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Maxxlife Financial Announces Super Visa Insurance

Insurance broker now offering policies for Super Visa Insurance for Parents - is intended for parents or grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents.

--

Maxxlife Financial, Inc., an insurance broker, today announced that it is now offering policies for Super Visa Insurance for Parents. This type of insurance is intended for parents or grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents. It is a temporary resident permit that enables the applicant to stay in Canada for visits of up to two years. These type of policies provide coverage that meets the Canadian government requirement that visitors carry $100,000 in health insurance. The policies offered by Maxxlife Financial, Inc. carry this level of coverage for Super Visa applicants.

"We're really delighted to be helping people reunite with their parents," said to Manoj Vohra, Director of Maxxlife Financial, Inc. "It brings smiles to their faces, and ours."

The Super Visa program was launched in December 2011, offering a multi-entry visa that is valid for up to 10 years. While a successful, popular program, Super Visa applicants must meet a number of criteria. The program reduces the need to renew status at each visit. Applicants for the insurance need to be the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. They need to be allowed to enter Canada and provide proof that their child or grandchild meets the minimum income threshold.

The Canadian government does not want to get saddled with costs related to financial support of visitors under the program. In particular, the government does not want to be compelled to spend money on healthcare for visiting parents and grandparents of citizens and permanent residents. This is the need addressed by the Super Visa health insurance policies from different carriers offered by Maxxlife Financial, Inc.

The company's website, www.maxxlife.ca, details the policy offerings. Maxxlife Financial, Inc. works with such insurance carriers as Manulife, Travelshield, GMS, Destination, Tugao, SRMRM travel Insurance, Allianz Global Assistant and 21st Century Travel Insurance ltd. Maxxlife Financial, Inc. offers a 24-hour international answering service for clients at 1 (855) 846-2524. The company has 6 offices in Ontario and Alberta. For more information, contact the company at info@maxxlife.ca.

For more information, please visit http://www.maxxlife.ca/

Contact Info:

Name: Manoj Vohra

Organization: Maxxlife Financial, Inc.

Phone: 1-855-846-2524

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/maxxlife-financial-announces-super-visa-insurance/129914

Release ID: 129914

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Floristopia Introduces Local Florist Search Service

The website is connecting consumers who need floral arrangements with local florists who can deliver them, reports www.floristopia.com.

--

Floristopia has announced the introduction of their local florist search service. Right now, consumers who are in need of floral arrangements for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, funerals or other occasions and events can simply search Floristopia.com to connect directly with verified local florists who will make and deliver flower arrangements straight to their doorstep. The website currently has thousands of verified local listings across the U.S. and Canada and expects to verify thousands of additional listings as they complete a recently launched call center initiative.

Brad Denham, CEO of Floristopia, commented "Although shopping for flowers through online venues can be a great way to order a floral arrangement in a hurry, there are many people out there who prefer to support their local communities by ordering flowers directly from flower shops near me. This is where Floristopia can help. Our website allows consumers to deal directly with nearby flower shops by searching for the location closest to where they live or where they need to send flowers. In turn, this gives consumers the opportunity to speak directly with the floral experts who are responsible for making and delivering their flowers, get service or make special requests that are unique to them, and build lasting relationships with local business owners."

Floristopia's search volume has rapidly increased as they quickly become the go-to resource for consumers who want to connect to thousands of verified real local florists across Canada and the U.S. The website makes finding a local florist fast and simple for every consumer. They simply go to floristopia.com and enter a city, state or zip code in the search box on the front page. One click is all it takes to find a florist location, contact details, store hours, and business reviews posted by other consumers. In addition, Floristopia visitors can easily search for local flower shops by city from the front page of the website as well.

As Denham goes on to say, "Working with a florist near me truly is the best way to improve your floral shopping experience when it comes to ordering high-quality fresh flower arrangements for delivery. Doing so not only creates thriving communities, but it also leads to a more personal experience for everyone involved. We invite consumers to check out our website and see how the Floristopia team is transforming the way consumers shop for flowers."

About Floristopia:

Floristopia is the largest and most comprehensive online local florist search engine. Their team is committed to providing the easiest and most transparent way for consumers to find and connect with the perfect local florist. Floristopia makes it easy for anyone to find a florist near them. Browse local flower shops by location and get flowers delivered directly to the doorstep.

For more information, please visit http://www.floristopia.com

Contact Info:

Name: Brad Denham

Organization: Floristopia

Phone: (480) 257-7111

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/floristopia-introduces-local-florist-search-service/130199

Release ID: 130199

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Aroga Worldwide, Announces Signing Of Agreement With TACC, Of South Africa, And Opens Its Newest Division, Aroga Africa, In Durban

Aroga Worldwide, CEO, Grove Bennett's recent trip to Africa, resulted in signing of an SLA (Service Level Agreement) with (TACC) (Twelve Apostles Church in Christ), and the opening of Aroga Africa Division, paving Aroga's path to increase distribution channels throughout the Continent of Africa.

--

Aroga Worldwide, CEO, Grove Bennett, Announced today, that Aroga Worldwide has signed an SLA with TACC (Twelve Apostles Church in Christ) to facilitate the distribution of Aroga's Acu-Point Holograms, starting in South Africa and expanding to other countries throughout the entire Continent of Africa.

TACC has 6.5 million members in South Africa and has partnerd with Aroga to assist Aroga Worldwide in the distribution of Aroga's products on the African Continent. The SLA between Aroga and TACC provides for TACC to acquire 250,000 Acu-Point Hologram customers within the first six months of the agreement. The plan includes beginning distribution in South Africa, but will also include expanding distribution into other African countries, and ramping up distribution to over 1 million customers within the first twelve months, with expected annual gross revenues to exceed $40 Million USD from sales in Africa, alone.

Mr. Bennet's recent visit to South Africa was graciously hosted by TACC's Chief Apostle and Chairman, Professor, Caesar Nongqunga. The visit included, Bennet attending TACC's Thanksgiving Service, on Sunday, August 14th, at King Zwheliti Stadium, in Durban, where Bennett shared his vision for Aroga in Africa, with more than twenty-thousand members of TACC, many of whom are already regular users of Aroga's Holograms.

"This agreement between Aroga and TACC is an unprecedented accomplishment for Aroga Worldwide, Aroga Holdings, and our Group of Aroga Companies. We are very pleased and honored that TACC was able to align with our vision for Aroga in Africa, and offer Aroga access to their distribution channels throughout the African Continent. We are also very honored to welcome TACC's Chief Apostle, Professor, Caesar Nongqunga and the entire TACC Congregation to Our Aroga Family." -Grove Bennett, CEO, Aroga Worldwide

According to Mr. Bennett, Aroga has officially registered, and is now licensed in South Africa as "Aroga Africa". This registration will not only make the Aroga operation, official, in the eyes of the South African Government, but will also help facilitate the expansion of Aroga's business activities across Africa.

Mr. Bennett plans an additional trip to Africa this October to oversee expansion of Aroga Africa into the countries of Nigeria and Zimbabwe. During this expansion trip, Mr. Bennett is scheduled to attend a special Thanksgiving Service with Chief Apostle, Professor Caesar Nongqunga and TACC Members.

About TACC:

Twelve Apostles' Church in Christ, is an independent Apostolic Church with its Head Administration Office in East London, South Africa. Membership is well in excess of 6 million. In addition to the numerous congregations throughout South Africa, there are many additional congregations in other African countries, and, as a result of labor and political migration, congregations in the United Kingdom, as well. In addition, TACC also has an affiliated Church in India, Twelve Apostles' Church in Christ in India, based in Hyderabad. Other TACC churches are located in Ghana, and Bangladesh, with additional congregations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and even the United States Of America.

About Aroga Worldwide:

Aroga Worldwide, is one in a group of seven companies under the umbrella of the Aroga Holdings Corp, a publicly listed company. Aroga Worldwide manufactures, and distributes Acu-Point Holograms. These Holograms, when placed on the strategic Acupressure Points (also called meridians) on the body, are believed by many, to help in supporting the body's functions and help to maintain a harmonic and balanced body.

More about Grove Bennett:

Aroga CEO, Grove Bennett, has an extensive business resume. Having the experience of running private and public companies, from operations, manufacturing, business development, finance and customer relations. Bennett has worked within the major credit card and banking industries, and even headed up a team that developed training programs for Integrated Maintenance Training System (IMTS), a maintenance training system for the F/A:18 Fighter Jet and a $44MM Canadian contract to the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force.

More about the Acu-Point Holograms:

Aroga's Acu-Point Holograms are are small, portable and disposable. Each Quantum Infused Hologram is smaller than a US Quarter, and thinner than a postage stamp. The energy is infused into a design, that can best be described as a circuit, or chip technology. The Holograms stick to the skin with a non-allergenic adhesive, and can be worn as long as needed. Each Hologram is color coded to remind the user of which application the Hologram is recommended for. As a do-it-yourself product, the user not only benefits from the convenience of the Holograms, but can save considerable amounts of money using Aroga's Acu-Point Holograms

Previous Aroga Press Releases:

Aroga Worldwide, CEO, Grove Bennett, Traveling To South Africa To Meet With Customers And Distributors

Aroga Worldwde, CEO, Grove Bennett, Takes His Vison For Aroga Worldwide To Durban, South Africa, Thousands Were In Attendance.

For more information, please visit https://arogaworldwide.com/africa/home

Contact Info:

Name: Eric Grant

Email: egrantonline@gmail.com

Organization: QastMe

Address: Seattle, WA

Phone: 2062506625

Video URL: https://youtu.be/s8B0XM05wXE

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/aroga-worldwide-announces-signing-of-agreement-with-tacc-of-south-africa-and-opens-its-newest-division-aroga-africa-in-durban/130186

Release ID: 130186

For more information visit r



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Online Writing Homework Help For Students Introduced By Studypool

Online homework help platform Studypool introduced the writing homework help

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Students need all the help they can get in writing excellent and well-organized articles, topics, subjects, and any other homework that needs writing. Online writing homework help websites can help students produce better and more effective written communication pieces.

Writing is a fundamental component of education as one of two main forms of communication, the other being speech. Academicians consider communication skills as very important in conveying information that develops in the brain without necessarily using the faculty of speech. From the very first time a person has learned to draw lines and then shapes, experts say that he is already communicating something that may otherwise prove difficult to explain using speech. Written communication is therefore an important part of learning.

Getting Online Writing Homework Help

Schools teach students as a group. As such, some students may lag behind when it comes to developing their writing skills. Some individuals are naturally gifted to write their thoughts as eloquently as they can voice out their ideas. Unfortunately, some will require help in their writing assignments.

Some academicians discourage getting outside help for writing assignments citing it as a form of cheating. However, other academicians do recognize the value of seeking outside help as a means to augment the learning of the fundamentals of writing. They do caution however that students will still need to read the written assignment before submission in school in order for them to get an idea of how the different elements of the article are constructed. Additionally, academicians recommend actively engaging with writers to gain an insight into how the assignment or homework was written.

Online writing homework help platforms are therefore one of the best ways to seek assistance in the completion of writing homework.

The Value of Online Homework Help Websites

Successfully passing the written requirements of any subject is tantamount to earning a degree. Written communication is a very important aspect of man's daily life is it in the form of a business correspondence, social letter, or even a simple letter to a friend. Unfortunately, not everyone is gifted to put into writing the ideas that are generated by the mind.

Online writing homework help websites such as StudyPool provide help to students and other individuals who may have problems writing their thoughts into meaning sentences to convey a particular message. Each of this writing homework is tailored specifically to the need of the student and is not mere templates which can be reproduced over and over. This is what makes online writing homework help websites very invaluable when it comes to creating opportunities for students to learn how to write effectively. Students are able to engage with their writers giving them the opportunity to ask questions about how the article needs to be written and what the student is actually thinking about.

StudyPool is an online academic tutoring platform that has been helping students and learners of all ages to create meaningful writing homework. The company aims to ensure that students also learn the essentials of good writing by understanding how a good article should read.

For more information, please visit https://www.studypool.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Peter Smith

Organization: Studypool

Address: Mountain View, CA

Phone: 4503600960

Release ID: 130258

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Debut Novel Helps Japan Face Climate & AI Robots Before Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Brandon Chin is launching his debut novel, "Kyosei", available for free via email or for purchase on Amazon, targeted at readers interested in Asian culture and history. More information is available at the website: http://brandonchin.net/ilovefree

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Jamaican-Chinese U.S. born author and Japan enthusiast, Brandon Chin, is launching his brand new book, "Kyosei". The book is set to go live today, available free via email or for purchase on Amazon and is expected to become a big hit with readers interested in Asian culture and history.

More information on the book can be found here: http://brandonchin.net/ilovefree

This is the first novel Chin has authored. The book was written to raise awareness of issues Japan faces in preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. There's also a particular urgency surrounding this launch considering that the novel comes during the hottest recorded year in Earth's history, alongside announcement of Japan's plans to use AI robots to serve tourists during the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

"Kyosei" sets its main focus on self-awareness. Readers will likely find the futuristic vision for Japan applicable in 2016. The book is being released by the author.

Brandon Chin has a background in Japanese culture and language. Growing up in the USA under the wing of a Japanese karate sensei for close to a decade and living in Japan for three years completely immersed in the culture inspired him to raise awareness around social issues that affect not just Japan, but the world.

When asked about why he wrote the book, Chin said: "After living all throughout Japan, I witnessed nature I've never seen elsewhere during my travels. The experience left me quite humbled and inspired. Choosing to leave after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, I became interested in environmental activism. I joined a research internship in university that spoke of how to activate people to contribute to sustainability. The key was self-efficacy, which means that the more a person feels confident in their ability to act and be effective, the more they will feel compelled to act for a complex cause like environmental justice. I experienced the same sensation during my travels. Feeling quite empowered in myself, I returned to Japan in 2012 and participated in online activism while I learned the language on self-sustainable farms with World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF). This book, loosely based off those few years in Japan, pinpoints self-awareness as the first step to any venture."

Chin has hopes that the book will encourage readers to pay attention to the systems that shape their daily lives. He plans on launching a petition with readers on his email list to large Japanese organizations. The massive, international movement known as Avaaz has succeeded in huge victories for the environment, including the largest climate march in history in 2014. In Japan, they have put pressure on the government for cruel whaling and dolphin hunting, as well as cleaning up the nuclear waste after Fukushima. Chin, a member of the Avaaz community for five years, aims to collaborate with readers on his email list in holding Japan accountable before the Olympics.

In a recent interview, the author made a point of thanking his mother, father, and brother who have supported him from around the world during the writing process, saying: "You are my roots. Without your support and criticism, I would not be determined enough to start typing. I love you."

Those interested in learning more about the book can visit here: http://brandonchin.net/ilovefree

For more information, please visit http://brandonchin.net/ilovefree

Contact Info:

Name: Brandon Chin

Email: chin@brandonchin.net

Organization: OUIL QIN LLC



Release ID: 130090

For more information visit r



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New Ebook By Renowned Children's Author Laura Ceville Launches 31 August 2016

Laura Ceville is launching her brand new book, 'The Aug-Monster,' available through Amazon targeted at fans of the children's book world. More information is available at the website: http://goo.gl/tYyfM2

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Renowned children's author Laura Ceville of Beavercreek, Ohio is launching her brand new book, 'The Aug-Monster.' The book is set to go live 31 August 2016, available exclusively on Amazon and is expected to become a big hit with fans of the children's book world.

More information on the book can be found here: http://goo.gl/tYyfM2

This is the third book Ceville has authored. The book was written with the aim of engaging readers ages 3-5 years old with scenes that parents and children can relate to. There's also particular excitement about this launch because the book is based on her oldest nephew.

'The Aug-Monster' sets its main focus on scenes of everyday life in a household with children. From "tossed and trampled colored blocks" to "sudsy soap trails" from bath time. Ultimately, the true identity of 'The Aug Monster' is discovered in this playful and colorful rhyming tale that will delight readers young and old.

This is Ceville's first partnership with illustrator Clara Spinassi, who created the vibrant and colorful images with a style designed to appeal to younger readers.

The author explains that 'The Aug-Monster' is, "a continuation of the comforting charm and wonder of previous work. The goal is to remind children that they are special and loved."

She adds that, "I have had a passion for writing children's books since I was a child. I love books that inspire and uplift and touching the life of a child in a positive way with my stories is a tremendous blessing."

More information on the upcoming release of 'The Aug-Monster,' available as a Kindle e-book on Amazon, her previous books and details on the author, Laura Ceville, a United States Air Force veteran also known for her unique and whimsical mixed media artistry, can be found on the website link provided below.

Those interested in learning more about the book can visit here: http://goo.gl/tYyfM2

For more information, please visit http://goo.gl/tYyfM2

Contact Info:

Name: Laura Y. Ceville

Organization: Ceville Designs

Address: 204 N. Barron Street, Eaton OH 45320

Phone: 9374274521

Release ID: 129938

For more information visit r



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The Career Mastery Launches to Help Readers Gain Employment with Multinationals

Building on successful Landing Interviews Guaranteed program, new free blog gives readers the benefit of founder Deniz Sasal's experience and insights, The Career Mastery reports

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Able to withstand the toughest of economic times and compete with great confidence in the cutthroat global arena, today's giant multinational corporations rank among the most desirable employers of all. Many young people have discovered, however, that making the cut can be difficult, with continually rising standards and other hurdles standing in the way of a secure future full of opportunities for advancement.

Thanks to the launch of the new Career Mastery blog, young job-seekers for the first time gain access to an insider's perspectives on how to land an interview and start a career with a top multinational company. With years of experience as a PwC Consulting Manager and at Standard & Poors, along with a notably successful career advancement training service to his credit, The Career Mastery founder Deniz Sasal offers up practical, informed advice that readers can put right into action. With regular updates at thecareermastery DOT com blog and a series of helpful videos now online at the site's YouTube Channel, all those seeking careers with multinational firms will be interested.

"When I was starting off on my career years ago, I confronted plenty of challenges," Sasal said, "Perseverance and hard work produced the results I was looking for, and I was fortunate enough to become employed first as an analyst at Standard & Poors and then to go on to PwC, where I became a Consulting Manager. I learned many important lessons along the way that are directly applicable to the challenges faced by young people seeking multinational employment today. Building on the success of my Landing Interviews Guaranteed program, I'm therefore proud to announce the launch of The Career Mastery as a way of helping even more career-minded young people achieve their goals."

With income inequality rising in a number of well-developed countries around the world, many economists point to increasing globalization as the primary cause. For those whose financial fortunes remain bound to a single nation, wage stagnation has often become the rule. On the other hand, workers who are equipped to achieve on a global scale can find that nearly limitless options and rewards await them.

Naturally enough, this also means that the multinational firms who most often serve as gatekeepers to opportunities of these kinds can afford to be selective. As a result, many highly talented, ambitious young people find that even landing an interview with a company of this scale can be challenging.

Having traveled the same road himself to take a prominent place on the other side of the desk, The Career Mastery founder Deniz Sasal has helped many young people achieve the breakthroughs they were looking for. With participants in his Landing Interviews Guaranteed program having gone on to careers at Google, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Company, PwC, and other top employers, Sasal has built up a reputation as one of the most successful career advancement trainers anywhere.

With the launch of The Career Mastery, access to that proven insight becomes available to all on an ongoing basis, for free and without any obligation. Visitors to the new blog will find a number of helpful posts already in place, with PwC consultant Sasal tackling subjects including the creation of compelling resumes and answering tricky interview questions. The Career Mastery readers can also make use of Sasal's highly regarded three-day training course, entirely for free, and learn more about Landing Interviews Guaranteed and his other projects.

About The Career Mastery:

With grounded, practical advice informed by the founder's years of experience as a PwC Consulting Manager, The Career Mastery blog helps readers realize their dreams of securing employment with the world's top multinational companies.

For more information, please visit http://thecareermastery.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Deniz Sasal

Organization: The Career Mastery

Phone: 9714538282

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/the-career-mastery-launches-to-help-readers-gain-employment-with-multinationals/130329

Release ID: 130329

For more information visit r



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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.
Horse Racing Authority, G1X, Releases National Form Guide

Horse racing enthusiasts, owners, trainers and bloodstock shareholders will be able to keep up with Australia's horse racing scene easier than ever with the release of G1X's national form guide. Serving as a comprehensive and real-time listing of every horse race in Australia, the guide will allow punters and other interested parties to keep updated [...]

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Horse racing enthusiasts, owners, trainers and bloodstock shareholders will be able to keep up with Australia's horse racing scene easier than ever with the release of G1X's national form guide. Serving as a comprehensive and real-time listing of every horse race in Australia, the guide will allow punters and other interested parties to keep updated on upcoming races and results.

The form guide will include all relevant information for each race, including the date, time, location, participating horses and jockeys, stats on each horse and even the prize money for key finishing positions. Users can sort through the stats by horse name, weight, TAB number and can also look up more in-depth information for each horse.

Once each race is finished, the guide is updated with the results to ensure users have a readily available and continually updated listing of information for every race.

General Manager of G1X, Simon Mackay, said that the form guide was just their latest function to help keep the horse racing community informed on the races that interested them.

"G1X has always been about sharing relevant news and information on the horse racing industry and this guide means that punters, trainers and owners alike can keep up to date for all their races," said Mr. Mackay.

Since G1X was founded in 2015, it has quickly become a trusted and leading provider of news stories and resources surrounding the exciting universe of horse racing. Whether it be finding raceday results, or reading up on some of the untold stories that go on behind the scenes, G1X offers everything you need to know about the industry.

"Our members turn to us because they can rely on our information being factually correct, topical and useful," said Mr. Mackay. "We understand the need to have race results and fields listed accurately and consistently and this is what our form guide delivers."

Company Name: G1X

Contact Name: Aniya Roslan

City: MELBOURNE

State: Victoria

Country: Australia

Phone: 0403 222 640

Email: aniya.roslan@g1x.com.au

Website URL: https://www.g1x.com.au/

Source: http://authoritynewsnetwork.com/horse-racing-authority-g1x-releases-national-form-guide/

Release ID: 130346

For more information visit r



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Facebook  2016



News Feed

Chris Amos

11 hrs 



An Open Letter to Colin Kaepernick,



Dear Colin guess you have been pretty busy these last few days. For the record I dont think any more or less of you for not standing for the National Anthem. Honestly, I never thought that much about you, or any professional athlete for that matter, to begin with. Ive read your statement a few times and want you to know I am one of the reasons you are protesting. You see I am a retired police officer that had the misfortune of having to shoot and kill a 19-year-old African American male. And just like you said, I was the recipient of about $3,000 a month while on leave which was a good thing because I had to support a wife and three children under 7-years-old for about 2 months with that money. Things were pretty tight because I couldnt work part time. Every police officer Ive ever known has worked part-time to help make ends meet.



You know Colin the more I think about it the more we seem to have in common. I really pushed myself in rehab to get back on the street, kind of like you do to get back on the field. You probably have had a broken bone or two and some muscle strains and deep bruising that needed a lot of work. I just had to bounce back from a gunshot wound to the chest and thigh. Good thing we both get paid when we are too banged up to play, huh? We both also know what its like to get blindsided. You by a 280- pound defensive end, ouch! Me, by a couple of rounds fired from a gun about 2 feet away, into my chest and thigh. We also both make our living wearing uniforms, right? You have probably ruined a jersey or two on the field of play. I still have my blood stained shirt that my partner and paramedics literally ripped off my back that cold night in January. Fortunately, like you I was given a new one. Speaking of paramedics arent you glad the second we get hurt trainers and doctors are standing by waiting to rush onto the field to scoop us up. Im thankful they get to you in seconds. It only took them about 10 minutes to get to me. By the grace of God, the artery in my thigh didnt rupture or else 10 minutes would have been about 9 minutes too late. We also have both experienced the hate and disgust others have just because of those uniforms we wear. I sure am glad for your sake that the folks who wear my uniform are on hand to escort you and those folks that wear your uniform into stadiums in places like Seattle!



I guess thats where the similarities end Colin. You entertain for a living, I and almost 800,000 others across this country serve and protect. Are there some bad apples within my profession? Absolutely and they need to be identified and fired or arrested! But you know what, the vast majority do the right thing, the right way, for the right reason. Did I mention that seconds before I was shot, an elderly African American gentleman walking down the sidewalk, turned to my partner and I as we rode past and said, Get them. Get who you ask? The thugs terrorizing an otherwise good and decent neighborhood, home to dozens of good, decent African American families trying to raise those families in communities not protected by gates and security guards. No these folks and families depend on Americas Law Enforcement Officers.



Colin I have buried 7 friends, killed in the line of duty and three others who have committed suicide. I have attended more funerals than I care to remember of neighboring departments who have lost officers in the line of duty, during my career. Law Enforcement Officers with different backgrounds, upbringings, and experiences united by their willingness to answer the call to protect and serve their fellow citizens.



Colin I am sorry for the endorsement deals you may lose and the dip in jersey sales, but please know you will NEVER lose what these men and women and their families have lost. And so whether you stand or sit during the National Anthem or not means very little to me. As for me and the men and women on whose team I was privileged to serve, we will put on our ballistic vests, badge, and gun, kiss our loved ones goodbye, for some tragically for the last time, and out into a shift of uncertainty we will go. We will continue to protect and continue to serve and we will be standing at attention Colin, not just for the playing of our National Anthem, but far more importantly for the playing of Taps.



V/R



Chris Amos
The wealth manager, which started trading on the Aim market in March, has agreed to buy Wolverhampton-based firm Network Direct for a maximum consideration of 4m, of which 1m will be paid upon completion.

Back in April, Harwoods chief executive Alan Durrant told FTAdviser he was looking to spend the 10m raised in its stock market float on acquisition opportunities.

Harwood hopes the takeover of Network Direct Limited, or NDL, will mean it can reach out to clients across the UK.

NDL has an army of 107 financial advisers with assets under influence of 1bn.

Following the acquisition, which is subject to approval from the Financial Conduct Authority, Harwoods assets under influence are expected to hit 3bn.

Peter Mann, chairman of Harwood Wealth, described the move as a key strategic acquisition adding to the companys existing investment offerings, in order to benefit NDLs advisers and clients.

katherine.denham@ft.com
The Food and Drug Administration is recommending universal testing of donated whole blood and blood components for Zika virus in the United States, and so far Oregon has had few cases.

But one case has been reported in Linn County.

Linn County health officer Dr. William Muth recently told the Linn County Board of Commissioners that a case of Zika was identified locally in February. Muth said the person had traveled to an area where the Zika virus is present.

Statewide, as of Monday, there have been 23 confirmed Zika cases, all involving persons who had traveled out-of-state. None of the cases were infected in Oregon.

There have been 26 confirmed cases of Zika in Washington State.

It does not present a threat to the general public since the Zika virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected Acedes species mosquito, which is not present in Oregon.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, Zika can be passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus and can cause serious birth defects known as microcephaly.

Zika can be spread by sexual contact.

Zika symptoms are usually mild and can last several days to a week. Symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain, red eyes, muscle pain and headache.

In the United States, the Zika virus is most prevalent in Florida at this time, primarily near the city of Miami.

According to the Oregon Health Authority, neither of the two types of mosquitoes that carry Zika are common to Oregon.

Zika may also be linked to Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which can cause muscles to be weak and sometimes leads to paralysis.

To prevent the spread of Zika:

 Protect your skin from mosquito bites during travel to areas with Zika and for three weeks after.

 Avoid unprotected sex with people who could have Zika.

 Get rid of standing water and places mosquitoes live.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are 8,602 confirmed Zika cases in the U.S.

Of that number, 2,517 cases are in the continental U.S. and 9,011 cases are in the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa.

There have been 584 cases involving pregnant women in the U.S. and 812 in its territorities.

To learn more, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1_SiG0yEUw.
Just 5 per cent of FTSE 250 companies are still providing defined benefit payments to a significant number of employees, with contributions likely to stop almost completely by the end of 2016, according to JLT Employee Benefits.

The FTSE 250 index, which represents the second biggest cohort of companies listed on the London Stock Exchange after the FTSE 100, had just 11 companies contributing more than 5 per cent of their total payroll into DB schemes.

An additional 37 companies were contributing between 1 and 5 per cent of their total payroll on DB contributions.

Charles Cowling, director at JLT Employee Benefits said building product manufacturer Ibstock was the latest FTSE 250 company to announce plans to close its DB scheme to future accrual for all active members.

The phrase managed decline has become synonymous with the gradual phasing out of DB pensions and unfortunately this narrative may continue. It now appears likely that DB pension accrual in the FTSE 250 will be almost completely stopped by the end of the year, said Mr Cowling.

JLT reported that at the end of 2015, FTSE 250 schemes had liabilities of 86 billion, a 21 per cent year-on-year increase. The total deficit, meanwhile, was 11 billion, up 1bn on the previous year. Ninety-five companies reported pension deficits, while just 37 reported surpluses.

The FTSE 250 company with the biggest surplus was inter-dealer money broker Tullett Prebon, which was 144 per cent funded. It was followed by Cineworld, Henderson, Ladbrokes and Investec.

The company with the biggest deficit was Al Noor Hospital Group, which was 0 per cent funded (it has since merged with Mediclinic International) followed by Micro Focus International, Vedanta Resources and Keller.

The report found total allocation to bonds had risen to 55 per cent. That was up from 52 per cent the previous year, and 48 per cent five years ago.

Dechra Pharmaceuticals, pub company Enterprise Inns, financial services firm Investec and global workplace provider Regus were the biggest investors in bonds, all them allocating 100 per cent of the their assets to fixed interest.

james.fernyhough@ft.com
Was Your Sushi Nuked in Japans Fukushima Meltdown?

When we read the Economists hypothetical piece on a radioactive prawn ending Kim Jong Un, and leading to changes in the geopolitical relations between the two Koreas, we didnt realize this situation was perhaps more likely than we had previously thought. Or dared to hope.

Article by Margaux Schreurs

Adding to the list of food scandals in China for us to worry about, there are now warnings of potentially radioactive seafood brought over from Chinas most famous historical nemesis: Japan. This week, 14 people were detained in Shandong for smuggling frozen seafood into China, some of it hailing from waters near Fukushima prefecture, the Global Times reported.

Seafood imports from the prefecture have been banned by China following the Tohoku earthquake and resulting nuclear disaster in 2011.

In total, the smugglers brought over 5,000 tons of frozen seafood worth approximately RMB 230 million over the course of two years. Some of this seafood was sold in Beijing after having been stored in Japans Hokkaido and shipped through Vietnam and Guangxi, according to China Wire.

Thankfully, fish caught near Fukushima, although containing radioactive substances, does not present a significant health risk, according to an expert blog on the NRDC from 2013. This is due to dilution of the radioactivity released from Fukushima in the vast waters of the Pacific Ocean, the piece says.

Melissa Rodriguez, a Naturopathic Doctor at Beijing United Family Hospital, concurs. She says that, to her knowledge, radiation levels in food coming from Japan are within safe limits, before citing this recent study and adding: The Japanese government has strict standards and they have done very thorough testing of various food products coming out of Fukishima, including fish. Everything that is on the market is safe. However, she does have some concerns about black market alternatives, saying that she is weary of the seafood smugglers, since they do not perform any testing.

Still, Dr. Rodriguez says theres no need for Beijingers to panic or go into meltdown (pardon the pun) over the notion of radioactive seafood. She adds: In general I would say that the risks are very low, the levels of radiation are continually dropping, and according to studies, most foodstuffs are currently within the safe limit.

However, if you want to take extra care to make sure that your fish is alright the next time youre eating, get this Geiger counter for your iPhone on Taobao, for a mere RMB 388.

One final note: If youre going to type radioactive seafood into a search engine to do more research, we recommend you do not search for images. Your author is slightly traumatized. More stories by this author here. Email: [email protected]

Instagram: s.xuagram Photos: Taobao, quirch Read more at thebeijinger.com

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Story Highlights Life evaluations across all racial/ethnic groups have improved since 2008

Blacks' life evaluations have dropped during Barack Obama's second term

Life evaluations among whites now at highest point in nine-year period

This is the second article in a five-part series examining changes in Americans' health and well-being during Barack Obama's presidency.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In the nearly eight years since President Barack Obama took office in January 2009, the percentage of U.S. adults who evaluate their lives well enough to be considered "thriving" has improved by nearly four percentage points. The 55.4% who are thriving so far in 2016 is on pace to be the highest recorded in the nine years Gallup and Healthways have tracked it.

Gallup and Healthways classify Americans as "thriving," "struggling" or "suffering" according to how they rate their current and future lives using a ladder scale with steps numbered from 0 to 10, based on the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale. Those who rate their present life a 7 or higher and their life in five years an 8 or higher are classified as thriving.

In 2008, George W. Bush's final year in office, 48.9% of U.S. adults were classified as thriving. By 2010, the second year of Obama's presidency, this figure had bumped up to 53.2%, where it generally remained through 2013. In 2014, the percentage of adults classified as thriving crossed the 54% mark for the first time, only to be topped again at 55.1% in 2015. Life evaluations are currently on pace to reach another record high in 2016.

Under Obama, Life Evaluations Improve for All Major Racial and Ethnic Groups

The percentages of U.S. whites, blacks, Hispanics and Asians who are thriving have all increased during the Obama era, although not uniformly. Blacks' life evaluations improved by about 11 points between 2008 and 2010, more than any other group. By 2010, blacks' life evaluations were second only to those of Asians. Some of the increase among blacks -- particularly the seven-point increase that occurred between 2008 and 2009 -- could be explained by Obama coming into office, which may have made blacks feel more optimistic about their current and future lives even if his being in office hadn't yet had any tangible effect on their lives.

However, blacks' life evaluations have waned in Obama's second term, averaging below 54% each year since 2013 and now registering below that of whites and Hispanics. These results dovetail with blacks' collective sentiment that Obama has not done enough to improve black Americans' standard of living.

Editor's Note: On Aug. 12, 2020, the above graph was updated to reflect the accurate percentage of Black adults who were thriving in 2010.

Whites' and Hispanics' life evaluations improved much more modestly in the first two years of Obama's presidency. The percentage thriving among whites rose from 49.2% in 2008 to 52.4% in 2010 and stayed near that level through 2013. Similarly, the percentage of Hispanics thriving rose from 49.2% in 2008 to 53.9% in 2010 and remained in the 52% to 55% range for the next three years. Since then, both groups have improved to an identical 55.7% thus far in 2016.

Asians, who experienced marked improvement between 2008 and 2010, have historically maintained the highest life evaluations of all four groups. The percentage of Asians thriving is currently on pace to be above 60% for the fifth straight year.

Implications

U.S. adults' life evaluations are better today than when President Obama took office in January 2009. During the Great Recession, the rapid decline in the labor market played an instrumental role in suppressing life evaluations nationally, setting the scene for improvement to come. Many factors could help explain the subsequent uptick in life evaluations, including the election of the president himself. Obama's first term showed a major improvement in blacks' life evaluations, especially among black Democrats. White Democrats' life evaluations improved as well, but this was partially offset by a modest decline in life evaluations among white Republicans.

Obama's second term, however, shows an improvement in whites' life evaluations -- particularly those of white Republicans -- and corresponding declines among blacks and black Democrats during a period when the presidency did not change. This finding suggests that some improvements in the economy after the Great Recession have likely played a more significant role in the overall gains that have been measured. For example, the percentage of U.S. adults who can't afford food and the percentage who have experienced healthcare insecurity within the past 12 months are both at their lowest levels since Gallup and Healthways began tracking them in 2008, and the uninsured rate has dropped over six percentage points since late 2013. The percentage of U.S. adults who have a good job -- those who work full time for an employer -- is now at its highest point since measurement began in 2010. Additionally, Gallup's Job Creation Index -- U.S. workers' reports of employer hiring activity -- is at its highest point since measurement began in 2008.

Social turmoil also may be affecting some Americans' life evaluations. For example, recent high-profile incidents of police shooting black men have resulted in unrest in many black communities, which may be contributing to the decline seen in blacks' life evaluations in Obama's second term.

Finally, Gallup research shows that Asians do well in many of the areas that drive positive life evaluations, including having enough money to buy what one needs, using strengths daily and making time for trips or vacations with family or friends. Each of these aspects of well-being strongly influences life evaluations -- and in all cases, Asians substantially outpace their counterparts.

Survey Methods

Results are based on telephone interviews conducted Jan. 2-Dec. 30, 2008-2015, and Jan. 2-July 31, 2016, as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, with a random sample of adults aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The national sample size averaged 350,000 in 2008-2012, approximately 175,000 in 2013-2015 and about 105,000 for the first seven months of 2016. In each year since 2013, Gallup has interviewed about 130,000 whites, 16,000 blacks, 16,000 Hispanics and 4,000 Asians. The margin of sampling error for each reported racial/ethnic group is no more than 1 percentage point in most cases, but climbs to 1.6 points for Asians in 2016. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting.

Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 60% cellphone respondents and 40% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods.

Learn more about how the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index works.
One of the questions that always comes up when Im forming a new game company for clients is How do we divide the equity? There are a few ways to go about it, each with their own pros and cons. Lets take a look at the options.

An even split

One way that many new companies divide their interests is the simplest way: evenly. If you and your partner(s) do an even split, that definitely SEEMS fair. An even split, particularly between two company members, can introduce some issues, though.

With two equal votes on every issue, what happens if you cant agree? A deadlock during development of your first game can be crippling to a new company.

Another major issue with an even equity split is when one member does a lot more work than the others. Theres almost no way to foresee how much each LLC member will do for the company when youre first setting it up. If youre spending every waking hour on the company, while your partner is just working a few hours on the weekends, that seems very unfair.

Unless that other member has invested a lot of money or some other property, an even split can easily end up tearing the company apart due to hurt feelings, jealousy, or a sense of unfairness. Well get into how to deal with this later.

Uneven splits

Other new companies split up their equity unevenly in order to better reflect anticipated contributions. This can seem a bit fairer, since the ownership is theoretically more accurate when compared to an even split. This can also vest a majority of control in one of the members, rather than opening yourselves up to the deadlocks that come from an even split.

However, the same issues crop up. What if your anticipated division of labor and control doesnt pan out? You could still be left with someone doing little work, but getting the lions share of both ownership and control of the company. Is that fair?

Some possible solutions

In my law practice, Ive seen the issues of control and deadlocks dealt with in a few different ways.

In the event of a deadlock on a decision, your operating agreement could require that an independent party is brought in to arbitrate the dispute (sometimes as many as 3 independent parties!). This can get expensive, as the arbitrators are expecting to be paid for their time.

Another way to deal with it is to give an appointed manager control over the day-to-day management of the LLC. Only certain major decisions, like whether to sell the company or take on investment or debt, require the unanimous vote of all owners. This seems to be the best way, as the manager can be one of the members, but retain 90% of the control over its operations.

Lastly, you could write certain time commitments into the operating agreement or an LLC resolution. The LLC interests could be subject to repurchase, should the members time spent on the LLC not reach a certain level (and is not cured within a reasonable amount of time).

These are just a few ideas for solving this difficult issue. Another way to do it, though, is to build the realities of startup commitments into your LLC itself. You do this using a Dynamic Equity split.

What is a Dynamic Equity Split?

I came across a really neat solution to these equity problems a year or so ago when I found the book Slicing Pie, by Mike Moyer. The system that Moyer lays out in the book (and its companion on implementation, Fair and Square) is one that allows for the ultimate equity split to shift dynamically up until a certain event.

How does it work? Basically, everyone keeps track of what they put into and get out of the company. Time spent working for the company is tracked in units. Money invested in the company is also tracked. So is any salary that you get paid, which essentially subtracts units.

Certain contributions are more highly valued, such as cash investment. Every dollar of cash is valued at twice as much as someones time, because having cash on hand is so crucial in these early stages. People need to eat and bills need to be paid, after all.

At some point in time, the company will be able to pay its own bills from the profit that its generating. Or, an investor will come in and invest a large amount of money to keep the company going. Sometimes, the company will just be bought out entirely.

Its at this point that the equity share freezes. If one team member has been pumping a lot of cash into the company, theyre going to see their slice of the pie realized at a fairly high percentage. Similarly with the balance of hours put in by the various members. This is good. This is fair. I believe that this type of setup is one of the best ways to form a company that has an uncertain future.

Resources for Game Developers

Heres the books I discussed in this post (Amazon affiliate links)

Mike Moyers Slicing Pie  understand how the Slicing Pie system works

Mike Moyers Fair and Square  learn about how to implement the Slicing Pie system

I should also caution that all of these moves should be done with the assistance of both an attorney and a tax advisor.

For assistance with setting up your game studio, from LLC formation to getting the proper contracts in place, contact a game lawyer. Also, check out my ebooks and other goodies by signing up for the mailing list over on the right.
Jan. 13, 1928  Aug. 25, 2016

Joy Esther (McGinnis) Dahlberg, 88, died Aug. 25, 2016 with family close by. Joy was born in Kalispell, Montana on Jan. 13, 1928 to Maurice and Martha McGinnis. She married Henry Dahlberg on July 31, 1951, and immediately left for Upper Volta, West Africa (now Burkina Faso) where they served as missionaries until 1954. They pastored a home missions church in Pine City, Minnesota and then in Madras. In 1961, they moved to Lebanon where they lived and worked until Henry passed away in 2011. Joy was the pianist at First Assembly of God for many years. After Henrys death, Joy moved to Mesa, Arizona and was lovingly cared for by the Good Shepherd Assisted Living home which was across the street from where her son Don lives. She cherished the fact that her son and daughter-in-law lived so close by.

Joys love was her children and grandchildren. She was always sacrificing so that she could bless them. She had a great sense of humor and loved to tease. She is also well remembered for the funny skits she performed for the 39 Forever group they pastored at Lebanon First Assembly. Joy was a very optimistic person and one of her favorite sayings was It could be worser. Joy was a devoted follower of Christ and continually prayed as she cleaned and cooked. We will miss her prayers greatly.

Joy is survived by her three sons, Don (Debbie) of Mesa, Arizona, Richard (Sandy) of Desert Hot Springs, California, Jerry of Kirkland, Washington; daughter Jan (Steve) of Missoula, Montana; seven grandchildren and two great grandsons.

She was preceded in death by her father and mother, Maurice and Martha McGinnis; sister June; brothers Jack and Joe; and her husband Henry.

Memorials may be sent to Lebanon First Assembly of God.
'Pirates of the Caribbean 5: Dead Men Tell No Tales' News & Update: Shoot Affected By Johnny Depp; Looking For New Lead?

"Pirates of the Caribbean 5: Dead Men Tell No Tales" may be taking a rough turn as the lead star Johnny Depp may have given the cast and crew a hard time. The reason behind it may not be something that surprises many, however.

Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean 5: Dead Men Tell No Tales" is the next installment in the long-running saga. Though many have waited for it reasonably, their patience may be tested further as the delay goes even further.

According to Yahoo, Australian DJ Jackie 'O' Henderson of the morning radio show "The Kyle and Jackie O Show" mentioned that the crew behind "Pirates of the Caribbean 5: Dead Men Tell No Tales" were left hanging on multiple occasions. Shooting in the Gold Coast, most of the supposed time allotted for the shoot were wasted due to the actor's absence.

Parent Herald noted that one of the primary causes is the relationship of Johnny Depp with actress Amber Heard which is currently slipping. The actress even delivered that some of the crew members described working on "Pirates of the Caribbean 5: Dead Men Tell No Tales" alongside Depp was a very unpleasant experience to say the least.

One factor for Depp is the suspicion of Depp towards Heard having an affair with Hollywood actor Billy Bob Thornton. This instigated fights between the couple, which rendered Depp missing from the set of "Pirates of the Caribbean 5: Dead Men Tell No Tales."

One more reason to note is the injury that Depp sustained during a certain go-karting incident in the US. Regardless of the reason, it was said that a consideration for the lead role of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" going to Orlando Bloom is storming the web, but without official word yet.

Will the film's very future and existing relationship with Depp be walking the plank? Stay tuned for more news and updates on "Pirates of the Caribbean 5: Dead Men Tell No Tales."
'Grimm' Season 6 Release Date, News & Update: Next Installment Will Officially Be The Last For The Show

"Grimm" is an exciting and thrilling fantasy television drama series that has a growing following. But just because the show is going strong, doesn't mean that it will last for a long time. It is not officially confirmed that "Grimm" Season 6 will be the show's last installment.

READ: 'Grimm' Season 6 Air Date, Spoilers, News & Update: Nick Discovers His Dark Side? [Predictions, Theories]

For the show to reach up to "Grimm" Season 6 means that it is doing something good and effective. So what went wrong? Cartermatt previously reported that "Grimm" Season 6 will have at least thirteen episodes.

It's quite alarming that Grimm" Season 6 was given a 13-episode-order, this could be a subtle sign that "Grimm" has finally reached the end of the line. The site noted that fans should pay attention to the airing schedule of "Grimm" Season 6 as it will hint whether NBC will pull the plug or not.

READ: 'Grimm' Season 6 Air Date, Spoilers, News & Update: David Guintoli Prefers Nick's Dark Side? New Plot Details Revealed

David Giuntoli, who plays Nick Burkhardt on "Grimm" admitted to TV Insider that "Grimm" Season 6 may be the last installment of the show. "Nothing lasts forever," David Giuntoli said. "We have time to wrap it up in a wonderful, perfect way, for all of our characters."

Although David Giuntoli initially noted that fans should not worry about the 13-episode order for "Grimm" Season 6, it appears like that fans' worries has finally been realized. NBC officially announced that the show will end after "Grimm" Season 6. Cue the tears.

READ: 'Grimm' Season 6 Air Date, Spoilers, News & Update: David Guintoli is Ready To Take Everyone To Nick's Dark Side!

Were you shocked that "Grimm" was cancelled? Let us know in the comment section below! "Grimm" Season 6 air date is slated to begin on January 6.
'Orange Is The New Black' Season 5 Air Date, Spoilers, News & Updates: Piper Turns Against Stella, Flaca; Forms Alliance With Inmates?

The depiction of Piper Chapman's daily adventures and struggles behind bars continues on "Orange Is The New Black" Season 5. The writers of the original Netflix series were ruthless enough to kill Poussey, who can be considered as a fan-favorite.

The turn of events in the last episode has fans wondering if there will be another character killed in "Orange Is The New Black" Season 5. The death of Poussey Washington was not really welcomed by the followers of OITNB. If the writers of the series were trying to make a point, it's safe to say that they did make one. However, the avid viewers of the series are not so happy with the point that they made.

"Orange Is The New Black" Season 5 will see Piper in a different light as she embraces everything just so she can survive. The previously prim and proper Piper will be seen abandoning her old self and sinking her teeth in the harsh reality for her to survive,

There is a growing tension in "Orange In The New Black" Season 5 and fans are expected to see more catfights between Piper and other inmates. The life behind bars is way more different than the outside world and Piper will see herself in the middle of conflicts among her fellow inmates.

Unions and alliances will be very important for Piper to emerge successful in "Orange Is The New Black" Season 5. Piper needs to choose wisely who she would trust in season 5 because it will be a turning point for her life behind bars.

It seems like Piper's relationship with Stella and Flaca will both turn sour, so the fans are expecting a new ally for Piper in "Orange Is The New Black" Season 5. Stay tuned to GamenGuide for more OITNB news and updates.
Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Release Date, News & Update: Arriving in September? Leaks Confirm Android 7.0 Nougat, Dual-Curved-Edge Display & 6GB RAM?

Reports say the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 will have some extremely desirable configurations and will also boast a remarkable exterior design. It will also come decked with a 6GB RAM and will run on Android 7.0 Nougat. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer may also give it the dual-curved-edge display.

If the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 does come with a 6GB RAM it will acquire a place beside the OnePlus 3 smartphone, the only phone currently with that much RAM power. Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is also expected to be powered b a 6GB RAM.

Leaked images apparently showed the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 to be using MIUI 8.6.8.26. Its Snapdragon 820 processor will reportedly clock at 2.15 GHz. Previous reports has pointed at a Qualcomm's Snapdragon 821 chipset that is a bit over-clocked compared to its predecessor.

The Xiaomi Mi Note 2 is expected to have an internal capacity of 64GB but the company may also surprise everybody with a titanic 128GB storage for the high-end variant. Buyers of the 64GB phone will be able to use 52.28GB.

Phone Radar reports the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 will have a screen size between 5.5 and 5.7 inches and may also have a stunning 2K display. Other reports have also hinted at an Android 7.0 Nougat Xiaomi Mi Note 2 smartphone. LG V20 and Google Nexus 2016 will also be running the same.

Xiaomi has struggles recently with its sales in its own Chinese market, slipping behind Huawei, OPPO and Vivo. It is now eyeing the US market for a swift turnaround and is also heavily banking on its upcoming releases including Xiaomi Mi Note 2.

No official confirmation has come from the company yet regarding the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 release date. However, rumor has it that the smartphone may be introduced at the IFA 2016 event in Berlin, Germany, between Sept. 2 and Sept. 7, reports The Bitbag.
'Grimm' Season 6 Air Date, Spoilers, News & Update: David Guintoli Hints 'We're All On The Run,' Scooby Gang Seen With Renard?

It looks like the Scooby Gang will be all in the spice shop and made in it as their headquarters in the return of "Grimm" Season 6. David Guintoli, who plays the lead role Nick Burkhardt, revealed that the new incoming installment will exactly pick up from where "Grimm" Season 5 finale ended.

Nick, Scooby Gang On The Run

"It picks up the millisecond we left off; the micro-moment. We're all on the run," David Guintoli told EnStarz. The show's co-creators and executive producers David Greenwalt and James Kouf also hinted that they can't omit any part of the escape. If they did, fans are going to miss out a lot of unanswered questions.

David Guintoli also added that Sean Renard (Sasha Roiz) has all the power right now and they can't do anything about it but to hide. In fact, they can't even go to the usual places they visit as it is now all dangerous in "Grimm" Season 6. "We can't go to the precinct ... to the loft ... to Monroe and Rosalee's place. We spend a lot of time in the rabbit warren," the 36-year-old star disclosed.

Sean Renard With The Scooby Gang?

Meanwhile, Bitsie Tulloch, who plays the role of Juliette/Eve, shared a behind-the-scenes snap of the gang in "Grimm" Season 6 on her Twitter page. The group is hiding in the spice shop and made it as their safe haven, but they are all with Sean Renard. "Why is Renard in his jammies in the spice shop, you ask? Find out on episode 603 of @nbcgrimm!" the 35-year-old actress captioned the photo, per Vine Report.

To recall, although Sean Renard tried his best to save Nick from the Black Claw leader, Conrad (Shaun Toub), the two still have a fight. Fans believe that in spite of the mayor's efforts, Nick and the Scooby Gang will not easily forgive what he did. "Grimm" Season 6 is set to return in October on NBC.
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July 13, 1918  Aug. 28, 2016

Marvelle May Christianson passed away at home under hospice care on Aug. 28, at the age of 98.

Born on July 13, 1918, to Robert and Frances Harris Bennett, she was the fourth of 13 children. She spent her early years growing up in Falls City, Oregon.

In 1929 the family moved to Philomath where Marvelle graduated from high school. She worked at a bakery in Newport to earn money to attend business school in Portland. After business school, she returned to Philomath where she met and married Calvin Tatom in 1941. They settled in a new home in Philomath and had two children, Jack and Susan, before Calvin was killed in a logging accident in 1952. Marvelle carried on as a single mom, raising her children while working full time as manager of the coffee shop at Clemens Mill in Philomath

In 1970 she met and married Wernald "Chris" Christianson. They became snowbirds for over 20 years, spending winters in Apache Junction, Arizona, where they made many new lifelong friends, and thoroughly enjoyed their early morning swims, shuffleboard and card games. The highlight of their winter was riding their Honda cycles across the desert. Summers were spent in their home in Philomath. They also enjoyed the shipboard life, with cruises to Alaska and the Caribbean. Marvelle continued cruising and going south for several years after Chris passed away in 1995. In later life, she enjoyed tending her flowers and visiting with friends and family.

Marvelle is survived by three sons, Jack Tatom and wife Jan of Sequim, Washington, Chris Christianson and wife Sharon of Portland, and Bill Christianson and wife Judy of Salem; daughter Susan Brawn and husband Mike of Corvallis; six grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; brother Ray Bennett of Corvallis; and sister Bobbie Barnhouse of Albany.

A graveside service will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1, at Oaklawn Cemetery in Corvallis.

McHenry Funeral Home is handling the arrangements (www.mchenryfuneralhome.com).
ALBANY POLICE

Theft arrest  9 p.m. Sunday, Oregon Cannabis Co., 1977 Santiam Highway S.E. A caller reported a theft. Justin Wayne Baggett, 27, of Albany, was arrested on charges of first-degree aggravated theft and second-degree burglary. According to charging documents, Baggett broke into the dispensary and stole more than $10,000 in cash. Police logs indicate more than $16,000 was taken.

Elude arrest  9:05 p.m. Sunday, Linn County Jail. Christopher Joseph Smith, 21, of Albany, was arrested on charges of felony attempt to elude (by vehicle) and reckless endangering. He also had a warrant for failure to perform community service. No other information about the case was available.

OREGON STATE POLICE

DUII crash, assault charge  5:27 p.m. Thursday, Interstate 5 northbound near Tangent Drive. A car left the highway and rolled multiple times before coming to rest on its top. One of the passengers was seriously injured and transported to an area hospital. The driver, Blair Rigert Smith, 25, of Mystic, California, was booked, cited and released on charges of second-degree assault, driving under the influence of intoxicants  alcohol and controlled substances, reckless driving, reckless endangering and no operators license. She was scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 21.

Crash update  Investigation was continuing into a crash on Highway 228 near the Holley Market on Sunday afternoon. At about 3:15 p.m., an Oldsmobile headed eastbound and driven by Sharon Howard, 55, crossed the center lane and crashed head-on with a Toyota Corolla driven by Abigail Bear, 28, of Sweet Home. Both drivers, the only occupants of the vehicles, were hospitalized.

LEBANON POLICE

DUII arrest  7:27 p.m. Saturday, 100 block Russell Drive. A caller reported that he was threatened by a man in a pickup who had a pistol in his lap. The suspect did not point the pistol or pick it up. Dustin Durlam, 19, was later contacted and arrested on a charge of driving under the influence of intoxicants.
Gov. Kate Brown has had a somewhat tortured relationship with Measure 97, the proposal on the November ballot for a corporate sales tax.

First, as you might recall, she at least appeared to deliberate for a long time on whether to support the measure, which would impose a 2.5 percent gross receipts tax on certain corporations on sales in Oregon above $25 million annually. It's estimated that the tax would raise $3 billion a year, and proponents of the measure have said the money would be earmarked for K-12 education, health programs and senior services. (Of course, nothing in the measure forces the Legislature to spend the money on those areas.)

In any event, the suspense over Brown's deliberations lessened somewhat when she announced her suggestions for how to spend the additional tax money should the measure pass. A few weeks after that, she announced that she would support Measure 97. By that time, the endorsement did not exactly come as a political bombshell.

Still, we were somewhat surprised to receive a terse press release on Friday about the measure from the governor's campaign. Here's the complete text of the release:

"In response to a press report this morning, Governor Kate Brown reiterates that she endorsed Measure 97 because she believes the vast majority of costs will appropriately be paid by out-of-state corporations.

"As Governor Brown continues to point out, the campaign against Measure 97 is raising millions of dollars to fight it because corporations know this as well. "

We were curious, so we tried to track down the report in question, and our best guess is that it refers to an interview OPB's Jeff Mapes did on Thursday with Brown. And we suspect the part of the interview that worried Measure 97 supporters was the governor's concession that Oregon consumers would pay more if the measure is approved, as businesses passed through at least some of their additional costs.

That's a sore point for Measure 97 supporters, who have contended that the large corporations targeted by the tax would not pass along those increased costs. So it had to rankle to see the governor toss that argument under the bus: Oregonians are smart enough to realize there will be, um, they will bear some of these increased costs, Brown told Mapes.

She did not say what share of the tax would be passed on to consumers. The nonpartisan Legislative Revenue Office has estimated that the measure eventually would cost Oregon households somewhere between $372 and $1,282 a year.

To be fair, Brown still supports the measure, which she believes is the only "viable option" to adequately fund vital state services. And it would appear that sometime after her interview with Mapes, she concluded that the "vast majority" of costs would be paid by "out-of-state corporations," judging by Friday's statement.

The question of who winds up paying the bill for Measure 97 will be a critical one as the campaign heats up. After all, if proponents can frame their case in terms that Measure 97 will "make Comcast pay," in the words of a pro-97 bumper sticker, that's potentially a winning strategy. But if the question becomes how much more an average Oregon household will pay because of Measure 97, that spells trouble for supporters.

That's why Brown's burst of candor about the costs of the measure potentially could become an important moment in the campaign. But it could be that the governor is just saying what Oregonians have been "smart enough" to figure out for themselves.
Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.

Morality cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated. Judicial decrees may not change the heart, but they can restrain the heartless.

A right delayed is a right denied.Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.

Martin Luther King Jr.

No one is born hating another person People must learn to hate and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.

Nelson Mandela

We can disagree and still love each other, unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist

James Baldwin

There is a fine line between free speech and hate speech. Free speech encourages debate whereas hate speech incites violence.

Newton Lee

The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.

Albert Einstein
Initiative against pickpockets : Eyes open and handbags shut!

Bonn Pickpockets earn up to 5,000 euro a day and are highly mobile. A statewide campaign was launched on Monday to make people aware of their tactics and what they can do to avoid becoming victims.

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A little chat, the slightest distraction - and already a cell phone or wallet is gone. Stolen by thieves who get around in groups of two or three, mainly in inner cities, on trains and at train stations. After statistics for this type of crime went down in 2015, it seems the odds of becoming a pickpocketing victim is increasing again. On Monday, police launched a new campaign, Augen auf und Tasche zu! (Eyes open and handbags shut!) to inform people about how to keep their possessions secure. The statewide prevention campaign is supported by police, the City of Bonn, German Rail, and marketing and business groups. Flyers, films, and discussions are meant to make people more conscious of taking better care of their belongings.

Recent case: On August 5, a 79-year-old man was in a drugstore on Sternstrae when a woman spoke to him, telling him his jacket was dirty. As he took off the jacket, he was suddenly surrounded by three men. One took an envelope containing several hundred euros from a jacket pocket. Police suspect they had observed him getting cash from an ATM beforehand. Photos of the alleged thieves can be found here.

The Criminals: Police say that most pickpockets are professionals who are repeat offenders and make a living off the crime. They are mobile and work throughout Germany and Europe, staying for only a few days in one place so they are not recognized or caught. According to Klaus Mertins, Director of Criminal Police, they are mostly organized bands from southeastern Europe or northern Africa.

How they work: Some will distract the victim while one steals the item and hands it on to an accomplice. They dont want to be seen which means some may block cameras with their bodies so the others can continue on their stealing spree. Magician Giovanni Alecci says, Most people think they will never become a victim. At a press conference, he was able to lift a cell phone from the pocket of North Rhine Westfalias Interior Minister Ralf Jager, even though the Minister had been prepared for something to happen. Alecci explained that a pickpocket just needs the right moment. Police officer Stefanie Kugler said, A good pickpocket earns between 2,000 and 5,000 euros a day.

Fabricated confusion: The criminals will first look for someone with an open bag or backpack. They then create confusion and chaos around their victim, seeking body contact. One of them will take the opportunity to lift something in the whirl of activity.

A victims experience: A 41-year-old woman was sitting with her daughter in a restaurant in June and got into a conversation with a woman at the table next to her. She didnt notice that an accomplice was stealing from her while she was conversing. 15 minutes later, the accomplice had stolen 2,000 euro from her bank account. She had no idea how they got her PIN number. It is suspected that she was observed while buying something.

Here are some tips recommended by crime prevention police:

Be aware that especially in crowds, thieves will try to distract you to steal something.

Remain on guard when a stranger starts speaking to you.

Do not carry items of value and documents in your purse, but instead distribute them in inner pockets on clothing items worn on the upper body.

Wear purses or any kind of handbags completely closed and firmly under your arm with the closed part towards your body.

Never let luggage or valuables out of sight. If you are hanging up a coat on a hook or hanger somewhere, or throwing it over the back of your chair, take out your cell phone, keys and wallet and keep them in sight.

Only take as much cash with as you will need.

Never keep your PIN number near your cash or debit card.

More photos and a video at: www.ga.de/taschendiebe
Muffenale : A feast for foodies and for the eyes

Muffendorf The historic village of Muffendorf will open up once again to greet flocks of visitors for its annual street festival. Culinary treats, art and homemade crafts will be offered in a lovely and quaint setting.

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Historic half-timbered houses dating back to the 17th Century will open their doors once again this year for the 28th annual Muffenale, a street festival in the picturesque old town area of Muffendorf (a part of Bad Godesberg). Culinary treats and handmade art will be offered at the various homes and establishments as guests are invited to visit the charming courtyards throughout the village. The unique festival will take place on September 4 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and has proven very popular in the last years.

A traditional tapping of the barrel at the Muffendorf Weinhaus (Wine house) at 10:30 a.m. will signal the start of the festival. After that, guests can wander down the main street and into the little side streets to discover the different foods and artistic offers. Handmade items and jewelry will be offered as well as paintings and sculptures from an atelier. Practical items such as self-manufactured bed sheets or handmade caps and bags will also be sold. Visitors can also expect to hear lots of music.

Rheinischen Tapas, or snacks from the region such as Eifel bratwurst or a hearty harm tray make up part of the culinary offers. If youre a breakfast fanatic, the Tschernich family will offer 50 different varieties of marmalade. There will also be fresh bread baked in a stone oven, plum cake, Moroccan lemon chicken and many other local and international specialties.
Article

Protecting the worlds oceans  an important goal of Germanys climate diplomacy

The worlds oceans are vital to our survival. They regulate the global climate and are a source of food and income for billions of people. Only a very small part of the seas enjoys legal protection, however. Our diplomats are working in New York right now to change this state of affairs.
Islamic State turns to Telegram app after Twitter crackdown News oi -GizBot Bureau

With the micro-blogging site Twitter coming down heavily on Islamic State-sponsored accounts, the terrorist organisation and its followers are fast joining the heavily-encrypted messaging app Telegram built by a Russian developer.

On Telegram, the IS followers are laying out detailed plans to conduct bombing attacks in the west, voanews.com reported on Monday.

SEE ALSO: ChampOne C1 Priced at Rs. 501 and Other Super Affordable Phones that Created a Buzz

France and Germany have issued statements that they now want a crackdown against them on Telegram.

"Encrypted communications among terrorists constitute a challenge during investigations. Solutions must be found to enable effective investigation... while at the same time protecting the digital privacy of citizens by ensuring the availability of strong encryption," the statement said.

Recently, IS released a technology guide ranking the security of more than 30 chat apps -- including WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal.

SEE ALSO: How to Stop Getting Reliance Jio 4G Tele-verification SMS after SIM Card Activation

Reports indicate that Telegram -- which has over 100 million users -- is currently hot among IS supporters after WhatsApp initiated end-to-end encryption to its chats.

IS supporters began using Telegram in 2015 shortly after the app announced a new feature called "Channels" that helps users connect anonymously.

In its continued effort to curb terrorism-related activities, Twitter has suspended an additional 235,000 accounts for violating its policies related to promotion of terrorism in the last six months.

Twitter had announced the blocking of more than 125,000 accounts earlier this year which were primarily related to the Islamic State (IS) terror group.

"This brings our overall number of suspensions to 360,000 since the middle of 2015. As noted by numerous third parties, our efforts continue to drive meaningful results, including a significant shift in this type of activity off of Twitter," the company said in a blog post this month.

The daily Twitter account suspensions are up over 80 per cent since last year with spikes in suspensions immediately following terrorist attacks.

SEE ALSO: Sony Xperia X Compact Pegged for IFA 2016 Launch: Here's What We Know So Far

"Our response time for suspending reported accounts, the amount of time these accounts are on Twitter and the number of followers they accumulate have all decreased dramatically. We have also made progress in disrupting the ability of those suspended to immediately return to the platform," the blog post read.

According to a latest study by the US-based Brookings Institution, IS supporters may be operating over 46,000 active Twitter accounts.

Source IANS

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HTC One A9s Images Leak Tipping iPhone Like Design [Rumor Roundup] News oi -Vigneshwar

Looks like the HTC One A9s - which has been surfaced on the Internet may soon be made official. Last year, the Taiwan-based handset maker HTC has launched the exact iPhone replica with a name One A9. The design language of that smartphone has indeed raised some eyebrows in the market, but it was a pretty solid smartphone at the end.

Now the successor of A9 has been spotted on the Internet with an even more iPhon-ish design. As per the famous leakster Evan Blass, this smartphone will be called as HTC One A9s.

SEE ALSO: How to Unlock your Samsung Phone if You've Forgotten the Lock Screen Pattern, PIN or Password

HTC One A9s is more iPhonish!

Following One A9, the company again draws inspiration from the Cupertino giant for its A9s. As per the report, the design is more or less similar to its predecessor, except for some subtle changes.

According to the leaked image, the rear camera has been shifted to the corner just like iPhone 6 and the HTC logo on the front has been removed.

HTC One A9s to debut on IFA 2016!

The image also suggests that the purported One A9s is expected to come with a 5-inch display and metal unibody design just like its predecessor.

SEE ALSO: Become a Pro MacBook User with These 10 Keyboard Shortcuts

Ultrapixel will be replaced with megapixel

On the optic front, the One A9s is backed with 13MP camera on the back and the four ultra pixel on the front is replaced with 5MP camera as well.

Upgraded specs!

From the image, we can expect the One A9s to come in white, black, gold, and bluish-silver color variants just like A9. Moreover, we are not sure about the specifications of the smartphone yet.

SEE ALSO: LEAKED: New Set of Apple iPhone 7, 7 Plus Images Hits the Web Confirming Specs

HTC Nexus prices leaked!

On the other hand, the approximate price of the HTC Nexus smartphone has been leaked on the Internet yesterday. The 32GB of both Nexus Marlin and Sailfish will carry a price tag of $599 (approx Rs. 40,200) and $449 (approx Rs. 30,100) respectively.

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Pancreatic cancer trial to make tumours more sensitive to treatment

Cancer Research UK (CRUK) launches a first-of-its-kind pancreatic cancer clinical trial to make cancer cells more responsive to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, with University of Glasgow researcher Professor Jeff Evans as the chief investigator.

The trial, which launched in four hospitals across the UK on Monday 29 August, will treat pancreatic cancer patients whose cancer has grown too big to be removed by surgery but has not yet spread to other parts of the body.

The team will give patients on the trial a drug called olaparib, in addition to the standard treatment of chemotherapy and radiation known as chemoradiation. CRUK support helped to develop this drug.

In the first part of the trial, the doctors want to find the safest dose of olaparib to give with chemoradiation. And in the second part of the trial, the doctors hope the combination will make the tumour small enough to be removed by surgery in these patients.

Cancer survivor Noreen Leighton, 58, from Stirling, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February 2011 after going to her doctor because she had been feeling unwell. She says that taking part in a CRUK trial during her treatment played a huge part in her survival.

She said: When my doctor told me I had cancer I was in a state of disbelief. I was sure they had made a mistake. After I had an operation to remove the tumour, my doctor enrolled me on a clinical trial and thats the reason Im here and able to spend time with my two beautiful grandchildren. Research transformed my life and now I live in the moment of every day. Pancreatic patients urgently need new treatment options and the only way to find these is through research.

Professor Evans, director of the Institute of Cancer Sciences, said: This is the first time were looking at ways to make pancreatic cancer cells more sensitive to radiotherapy. One way to make pancreatic cancer a more treatable disease is to shrink the tumour enough to make surgery a possibility and we hope to see that happen in this trial.

Many people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at a stage when the tumour is too big to be removed by surgery and this treatment could bring tumours back to an easier-to-treat state.

Radiotherapy, and some chemotherapy drugs, works by causing damage to DNA in cancer cells. When cancer cells repair this damage, then the tumours become resistant to treatment.

Olaparib stops an enzyme in the body, called PARP-1, from working. Cells rely on PARP-1 to help repair their damaged DNA. So cancer cells are more likely to die when olaparib stops PARP-1 working.

The drug is approved by NICE and the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of certain types of advanced ovarian cancer and is used in clinical trials for other types of cancer, including pancreatic.

Professor Peter Johnson, Cancer Research UKs chief clinician, said: Around 9,400 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year in the UK and it remains a very difficult disease to spot at an early stage, making it much harder to treat. Despite this we are making steady progress through research and trials like this one.



We still have a long way to go, but Cancer Research UK has made a big increase in the amount were investing into pancreatic cancer research, tripling our spend in this area, and we are just starting to see the results.

The trial was set up through the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres Combinations Alliance  an initiative that supports research into drug combinations to bring cancer patients more treatment options. The trial will be managed by the Cancer Research UK clinical trials unit in Glasgow and co-sponsored by the University of Glasgow and Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Board. And it receives infrastructure funding from the Experimental Cancers Medicine Centres.
'Feels Like Home Season 2' offers something real and tangible to think about; takes home a pertinent point - if your intentions are good, there is nothing in life that isn't achievable.
U.S. Department of Defense

Press Operations

News Release

No. NR-306-16 August 29, 2016

U.S.-India Joint Statement on the visit of Minister of Defence Manohar Parrikar to the United States

At the invitation of U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, Minister of Defence of India Manohar Parrikar made his second official visit to the United States Aug. 29-31. In addition to his official meetings at the Pentagon and joint visit to the 9/11 Memorial with Secretary Carter, Minister Parrikar also met with the leadership of the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) and visited U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM). He will also visit the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and Joint Base Langley-Eustis for a tour of the Air Combat Command (ACC) and the 480th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Wing. In addition, he will interact with representatives of U.S. defense industry during the visit.

The defense relationship between India and the United States is based on the two countries' shared values and interests, and their abiding commitment to global peace and security. During their meeting, Minister Parrikar and Secretary Carter discussed the wealth of progress in bilateral cooperation and the deepening strategic partnership between the United States and India. The visit  their sixth interaction to date  demonstrates the importance both sides place on strengthening defense ties across many areas: from increased strategic and regional cooperation, to deepened military-to-military exchanges, to expanded collaboration on defense technology and innovation.

Minister Parrikar and Secretary Carter discussed India's "Major Defense Partner" designation, announced during Prime Minister Modi's visit to Washington in June. They agreed on the importance this framework will provide to facilitate innovative and advanced opportunities in defense technology and trade cooperation. To this end, the United States has agreed to elevate defense trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with its closest allies and partners.

Secretary Carter welcomed India's membership in the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and reaffirmed U.S. support for India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Secretary Carter and Minister Parrikar welcomed continued progress under the Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI). They welcomed the decision at the DTTI meeting in Delhi in July to broaden its agenda by setting up five new joint working groups on: naval systems; air systems, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; chemical and biological protection; and other systems. They also noted the signing of an information exchange annex under the framework of the Aircraft Carrier Joint Working Group. Secretary Carter and Minister Parrikar also agreed to continue to their close consultation on "Make in India" proposals.

Secretary Carter and Minister Parrikar praised the discussions at the inaugural Maritime Security Dialogue held in May. They welcomed the conclusion of the bilateral 'White Shipping'' technical arrangement for data sharing on commercial shipping traffic. They also discussed cooperation on capabilities to augment India's capacity for maritime domain awareness (MDA). Acknowledging India's positive contributions to regional security and stability, including in matters beyond the maritime space, Secretary Carter and Minister Parrikar announced their agreement to further consultations in this area, including through the next Maritime Security Dialogue, which will be held later this year. They noted recent high level official exchanges including the visit to New Delhi of Gen. John Nicholson for consultations on Afghanistan, as well as by the secretary of the U.S. Navy and the secretary of the U.S. Air Force earlier this month.

Minister Parrikar and Secretary Carter welcomed the continued efforts by both countries' militaries to deepen bilateral cooperation and expand opportunities for greater collaboration. They commended the recent completion of the naval exercise MALABAR with Japan and India's participation in the Rim-of-the-Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise in Hawaii, as well as the Red Flag Air Force Exercise in Alaska. They were encouraged by the increased complexity in the YUDH ABHYAS Army exercise, which is scheduled for September in India. They agreed to facilitate greater and regular interactions to deepen mutual understanding between military services and promote practical cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as counter-terrorism, maritime security, special operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. They also welcomed the signing of the bilateral logistics exchange memorandum of agreement (LEMOA), which will facilitate additional opportunities for practical engagement and exchange.

Secretary Carter reiterated his appreciation for the support provided by Minister Parrikar and the Government of India that facilitated the recovery and repatriation of U.S. World War II remains in April. Minister Parrikar reinforced his commitment to this important mission and he and Secretary Carter were pleased that the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) would return to India Nov. 1-Dec. 14 to survey additional aircraft crash locations.

Washington DC

August 29, 2016

http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/929270/

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Daesh car bombing kills dozens of pro-Saudi militants in Yemen's Aden

Iran Press TV

Mon Aug 29, 2016 1:47PM

A bomb attack targeting forces loyal to Yemen's resigned president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, has killed dozens of recruits and injured scores of others.

Sources close to the resigned Yemeni government in the port city of Aden said Monday that an attacker detonated his explosive-laden car after he drove into a compound of militant recruits in the city's Mansurah district.

The Health Ministry put the number of those killed at 54 while aid group Doctors Without Borders said 45 dead were received in their hospital in Aden.

Medical sources from the three hospitals where the victims were taken put the death toll at 60, although they could not corroborate that all the dead were recruits.

Pro-Hadi sources said most of those killed were preparing to travel to Saudi Arabia to fight against fighters of the Houthi Ansarullah movement.

They said the men had been signing up to join army units in Saudi cities of Najran and Jizan, near the border with Yemen.

The Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, which is mainly operating in Iraq and Syria, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it aimed to dismantle the Saudi-run recruitment center.

"Bodies and body parts are scattered all over the place ... it was a massacre," said a resident of Aden who was close to the site of the explosion.

Saudi Arabia's extensive assistance to pro-Hadi militants, which started after Hadi fled to Aden in early 2015, has failed to undermine the Houthis and allies who control the capital, Sana'a.

Saudi Arabia's air campaign against the Yemenis has killed about 10,000 people since it began over 18 months ago.

Rights campaigners and international organizations have fiercely criticized the Saudi airstrikes, which are accompanied by ground fighting, saying they mainly target civilians in the impoverished Arab country.

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FARC declares permanent ceasefire in Colombia

Iran Press TV

Mon Aug 29, 2016 4:36AM

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has announced a permanent ceasefire following a peace deal reached last week between the rebel group and the government.

FARC leader Rodrigo Londono said in the Cuban capital of Havana on Sunday that the fighters will cease hostilities from midnight local time (05:00 GMT Monday).

"Never again will parents be burying their sons and daughters killed in the war," said Londono. "All rivalries and grudges will remain in the past."

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos also declared on Friday that the military would cease attacks on the FARC beginning Monday.

After four years of negotiations to put an end to the country's five years of insurgency, the two sides eventually reached "a final, full and definitive accord ... on ending the conflict and building a stable and enduring peace," in Havana on Wednesday.

The Colombian president described the agreement as "the beginning of the end to the suffering, pain and tragedy of war."

The peace deal will be signed in the next few weeks and would be put to a vote in a national referendum in October for final approval.

After it was signed, FARC's estimated 7,000 fighters will begin handing over their weapons to United Nations observers during six months and reintegrate into civilian life.

Under the deal, the rebel group will formally end its existence as a guerrilla army and transform into an unarmed political movement.

The rebel group, which took up weapons in 1964 to fight against deep economic and social inequalities, now controls large swathes of Latin America's third most-populous country.

As many as 220,000 Colombians have been killed and more than 5 millions displaced in the conflict.

While some Colombians want punishment for the FARC, many others welcomed the peace deal and took to the streets in the capital Bogota on Wednesday to celebrate it.

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Reverse 'negative trajectory' and restore hope for two-state solution, says UN Middle East envoy

29 August 2016  The United Nations senior official coordinating efforts towards the peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict today reiterated a call for both sides to work towards a negotiated two-state solution which envisages the co-existence of Palestine and Israel as amicable neighbours.

"Both sides should work to reverse the negative trajectory, to build trust and to restore hope that a negotiated two-state solution is not just a political slogan but a reality that can be achieved through negotiations in our lifetime," the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, told the Security Council in his regular briefing on the situation in the region.

The envoy noted that recommendations offered by the so-called Middle East Quartet  the United States, the Russian Federation, the European Union and the UN  on the way forward in the peace process have been ignored, pointing to a surge in Israeli settlement-related announcements and continuing demolitions of Palestinian buildings as an example of this. The Quartet's recommendations include an end to Israel's settlement policy and a halt to Palestine's incitement to violence.

In the briefing, Mr. Mladenov recalled that more than 37 years ago, the Security Council determined that Israeli settlements in occupied territory have no legal validity and are an obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

"That determination was true in 1979, and is equally true and even more urgent of a concern today," he said, urging the leaders on both sides, with support from the region and the international community, to end the conflict on the basis of relevant Security Council resolutions, and in a manner that meets the legitimate national aspirations of both peoples.

He reported that since 1 July, Israel has advanced plans for over 1,000 housing units in occupied East Jerusalem  in Pisgat Ze'ev, Ramot, Har Homa, and Gilo  as well as 735 units in Ma'ale Adumim and other settlements in the West Bank.

Israel has also published tenders, some new, for 323 units in East Jerusalem settlements and reissued tenders for 42 units in Kiryat Arba, near Hebron, he added, for which it also allocated more than $13 million in new funding.

All of these and other plans would essentially create new illegal settlements, and it is difficult to read in such actions a genuine intention to work towards a viable two-state solution, the UN envoy said, calling on Israel to cease and reverse these decisions.

"Let me be clear: no legal acrobatics can change the fact that all outposts  whether 'legalised' under Israeli law or not, whether located on state land, or absentee land, or private land  just like all settlements in Area C and East Jerusalem, remain illegal under international law," Mr. Mladenov said.

The Special Coordinator also noted that, according to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 91 structures across 26 communities in Area C were demolished due to the lack of Israeli building permits in August alone, displacing some 125 people and affecting the livelihoods of at least 2,100 people.

Other topics covered in his briefing included security-related incidents in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.

"With no prospect for resuming negotiations in sight, developments on the ground continue to undermine an already precarious situation," he noted, adding that although the past month has been relatively calm, a number of security-related incidents occurred last week,

These incidents included the apparent extrajudicial execution by the Palestinian Security Forces of a man in custody; the firing of two rockets from Gaza, to which Israel responded by directing some 60 missiles and shells at 30 suspected military installations in Gaza; and the killing by the Israeli Security Forces of a Palestinian man who was reportedly under psychiatric care.

Preparations under way towards October elections

In a positive development however, the UN official said, political parties had signed an electoral code of conduct on 25 July to which all parties and candidates must adhere to in the Palestinian local council elections taking place on 8 October and which are expected to be the first simultaneous polls in the West Bank and Gaza since 2006.

Conducting the local elections in line with established international standards can contribute to advancing Palestinian reconciliation, Mr. Mladenov said, while also underlining that "the lack of unity, however, or any attempt to influence the outcome of the elections, including through intimidation, threats, violence or coercion, risks widening divisions and undermining the Palestinian national cause."

Turning to Gaza, he said that while progress has been made on reconstructing the physical damage since the ceasefire agreement two years ago, repairing the psychological damage of the conflict is "miles away" from being over. "We need a radical overhaul of how we deal with the problems of Gaza," he said.

On the issue of the Golan heights, the Special Coordinator said the situations remains volatile and continues to undermine the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement. He flagged that fighting between the Syrian armed forces and armed groups in the areas of separation and limitation is continuing, with several incidents across the ceasefire line being reported.

Mr. Mladenov also drew attention to a nearly $100 million shortfall in the core budget of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which would affect the agency's key services for vulnerable Palestine refugees throughout the region.

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Yemen: UN humanitarian coordinator 'deeply concerned' by failures to protect civilians

29 August 2016  A senior United Nations humanitarian official said today he "is deeply concerned" by the devastating impact that the recent upsurge in fighting is having on civilians in Yemen and along the border the country shares with Saudi Arabia.

"In Yemen, seven people have been confirmed dead and one injured following an attack on a market in Baqim in Sa'ada Governorate," the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, Jamie McGoldrick, said in a statement issued by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), referring to the marketplace attack which took place on 25 August.

Baqim is a district within the Sa'ada Governorate which lies in northern Yemen. Part of the governorate sits on the country's border with Saudi Arabia, where media reports indicate that attacks from the direction of Yemen have caused an unconfirmed number of civilian casualties, according to the OCHA statement. It also noted that civilian infrastructure continues to be hit and power plants were attacked across both sides of the border.

In the statement, Mr. Goldrick also said that the continued closure of Yemen's Sana'a airport to commercial flights is having serious implications for patients seeking urgent medical treatment abroad, given the inability of the national health system to treat all medical cases, particularly chronic or life-threatening diseases such as cancer.

Initial statistics from Yemen's national airline, the statement added, indicate that thousands of people cannot leave while many others remain stranded outside of the country, facing financial hardship and administrative hurdles due to expired visas.

Mr. McGoldrick called on the relevant authorities for the immediate reopening of the airport and the resumption of commercial flights into Sana'a to alleviate some of the suffering of the civilian population, strongly echoing a recent reminder from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to all parties of the utmost necessity to protect civilians and to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.

Also in the statement, the humanitarian official underlined that "a political solution is the only viable option to bring the safety and security that the people of Yemen deserve."

On 6 August, the UN's Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, announced a one-month break in the Yemeni peace talks, during which "the focus will be on working with each side separately to crystalize precise technical details."

On 17 August, alarmed by escalating airstrikes and ground fighting in Yemen and along the shared border with Saudi Arabia in the wake of the suspension of the talks, the Secretary-General repeated his call on all the parties to the conflict to immediately cease all hostilities.

Eight days later, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, called for the establishment of an international, independent body to carry out comprehensive investigations in the country. His call came as his office released a report on the situation of human rights in Yemen which outlines a number of serious allegations of violations and abuses committed by all sides to the conflict.

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9th Congress of Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League Held in Presence of Kim Jong Un

People's Daily Online

Pyongyang, August 29 (KCNA) -- The 9th Congress of the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League was held with splendor in Pyongyang on Saturday and Sunday.

Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, was present at the congress.

Also present there were Hwang Pyong So, Choe Ryong Hae, Kim Ki Nam and others and delegates elected at the conferences of the youth league in Pyongyang and local areas.

Present there as observers were officials of party, administrative and armed forces organs, those in the field of education of youths, a delegation of the Korean Youth League in Japan and a delegation of Federation of Young Korean Nationals in China.

Man and woman delegates to the congress presented a floral basket to Kim Jong Un and offered salutes to him.

Kim Jong Un was presented with silk banners by the heads of the delegations.

The participants were informed that floral baskets and congratulatory messages and letters were presented to Kim Jong Un by figures of political and social circles, representatives of the groups for the study of the Juche idea and organizations for solidarity and friendship and youth organizations of various countries of the world on the occasion of the Ninth Congress of the youth league.

They were also informed that floral baskets and congratulatory messages and letters were presented to the Central Committee of the youth league and its 9th Congress by figures of political, social and economic circles and youth organizations of various countries of the world.

The congress approved the following agenda items:

"On review of work of the Central Committee of the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League"

"On review of work of the Central Auditing Commission of the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League"

"On election of the central leadership organ of the youth league".

"On renaming the youth league"

"On revising the rules of the youth league"

Jon Yong Nam, first secretary of the Central Committee of the youth league, made a report on the first agenda item.

The reporter said that the period from the 8th Congress of the League of Socialist Working Youth till today has been proud days when the youth league has been further cemented as the glorious youth league of the leaders and the Party thanks to the outstanding idea and leadership of the peerlessly great men of Mt. Paektu and when the youth league has dynamically advanced in the van of the all-people advance for ushering in the new era of the Juche revolution, Songun revolution, braving the grim tempest of history.

The idea and politics of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) on prioritizing the youth are the great idea and politics which created the glorious history of victory of the Korean revolution and the youth movement and built a youth power, the reporter said.

The WPK's idea and politics on prioritizing the youth are associated with the warm loving care, trust and noble outlook on the future of President Kim Il Sung, leader Kim Jong Il and Marshal Kim Jong Un, the reporter noted, and went on:

The great Comrade Kim Il Sung, after starting his revolutionary activities with the work with youth and exploring the path of the Korean revolution with the youth movement, founded the unique idea of prioritizing the youth on the basis of the Juche idea and clearly indicated the way to be followed by the youth movement in each period and at each stage of the developing revolution.

It was thanks to him that the position and role of the youth were put on the highest level as the vanguard and main unit responsible for the most difficult and labor-consuming field of the revolutionary struggle and social movement and backbone unit which would shoulder upon itself the destiny of the future for the first time in history, and this unfolded the new history of the Juche-oriented youth movement in which the young people dynamically push ahead with the revolutionary movement as vanguard.

The great Comrade Kim Jong Il who regarded it as the eternal strategic line of the WPK to prioritize the youth and put up the slogan "Love the Youth!" developed the youth league into the youth organization of the leader and trained the youth to be dependable vanguard fighters upholding the cause of the WPK in the van.

He handed over the torch of the revolution to the youth and led the youth league and the youth with his deep trust and loving care so that they might creditably perform their mission and duty as the eternal companions of the Party, reserve combat unit and detached force of the supreme commander.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un who is carrying forward the leaders' noble intention of prioritizing and loving the youth, has made great efforts to prepare the youth league and the youth as reliable reserves, advancing group and wing of the Party.

The most important achievement made by the youth league in its work during the period under review is that it has developed into the youth league of the great Comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il both in name and reality.

Another achievement is that the youth league has fully prepared the young people as the young vanguard of the WPK, made sure that they created legendary stories about heroic youth in defending the country and in every worksite for building a socialist power and demonstrated the might of the youth power and prepared schoolchildren as dependable pillars of powerful Korea who are knowledgeable, virtuous and healthy.

The reporter called on the youth league organizations and the youth to perform their role as the reserves, advancing group and wing of the Party in the drive for accomplishing the socialist cause of Juche in hearty response to the important tasks set forth at the 7th Congress of the WPK.

He said that it is an important duty facing the youth league and the young Koreans to accomplish the historic cause of national reunification as early as possible.

The youth league will steadily raise the position and influence of the Paektusan youth power, boost the solidarity and cooperation with world progressive youths and students aspiring after independence against imperialism and make a positive contribution to the development of the world youth and students movement and the realization of the world independence by firmly adhering to the Party's idea and principle of foreign policy, he added.

Speeches were made at the congress.

Speakers said the youth league has grown to be the reserves, advancing group and wing of the Party remaining boundlessly loyal to the idea and cause of the leaders under the wise guidance of the peerlessly great persons of Mt. Paektu.

They renewed their determination to further enhance the fighting capability of organizations of the youth league and develop it into the Kim Il Sung's and Kim Jong Il's youth league forever.

A resolution on the first agenda item was adopted at the congress with the unanimous approval of the delegates.

The heads of the delegations of the Korean Youth League in Japan and the Federation of Young Korean Nationals in China made congratulatory speeches.

A report on the second agenda item was made by Kim Ju Il, chairman of the Central Auditing Commission of the youth league.

A congratulatory group of the Korean Children's Union entered the venue of the congress.

It read out a congratulatory poem "We Offer Congratulations to Elder Brothers and Sisters of Young Vanguard" addressed to the 9th Congress of the youth league.

The third agenda item was discussed at the congress.

The Central Committee of the youth league was elected.

All candidates for members and alternate members of the C.C., the youth league who had been nominated were elected members and alternate members of the C.C., the youth league with the unanimous approval of the delegates.

The Central Auditing Commission of the youth league was elected.

All candidates for members of the commission who had been nominated were elected members of the commission with the unanimous approval of the delegates.

The contents of the resolution of the First Plenary Meeting of the 9th Central Committee of the youth league were published at the congress.

The Executive Committee of the Central Committee of the youth league was elected.

Jon Yong Nam was elected first secretary of the C.C., the youth league and Pak Chol Min, Jang Hyon Chol, Pae Chung Il, Kim Kyong Jun, Ri Song Ho, Jang Yong Gil, Jong Yong Won, Ham Kwang Chol and Ri Kum Chol were elected secretaries.

The organizing committee of the C.C., the youth league was formed.

Department directors of the C.C., the youth league and editor-in-chief of newspaper Chongnyon Jonwi were appointed.

The congress announced the results of election of chairman and vice-chairmen of the Central Auditing Commission of the youth league held at the First Plenary Meeting of the 9th Central Auditing Commission.

The fourth agenda item was discussed.

A resolution on renaming the youth league "the Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist Youth League" was adopted with the unanimous approval of the delegates.

Kim Jong Un handed over the flag of the youth league.

Jon Yong Nam vowed to accomplish the cause of the Juche revolution, the cause of the Songun revolution down through generations under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, reflecting the loyalty of the members of the young vanguard across the country.

The fifth agenda item was discussed.

A resolution on revising the rules of the youth league was adopted with the unanimous approval of the delegates.

Kim Jong Un made a speech at the congress.

The congress will go down in the history of the Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il youth movement as the congress of single-minded unity and congress of loyalty which powerfully demonstrated before the whole world the faith in certain victory and will of the five million members of the young vanguard to creditably discharge their duty as the reserves, advancing group and wing of the WPK in accomplishing the socialist cause of Juche. -0- (2016.08.29)

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Salehi: Iran to attend, monitor outcome of upcoming IAEA general conference

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Aug 29, IRNA -- Head of Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi said on Monday that Iran will attend and monitor outcome of the upcoming IAEA annual conference in the wake of implementing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Speaking to IRNA, he said that the IAEA annual conference is to be held in the near future and as the general practice the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran will partake in the general conference.

In the IAEA general conference, Iran will announce its stand on nuclear activities while a number of meetings with our counterparts in other countries will be held on the sidelines, he said.

Iran is very optimistic about IAEA annual conference, Salehi underlined.

Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi is to head the Iranian delegation in IAEA general conference.

A new medical cancer treatment named 'pact' is to be introduced as an international scientific project at the IAEA general conference, Salehi said.

On sales of 39 tons of heavy water to Russia, he said the final steps on concluding the deal are underway but it has not been finalized yet.

Spokesman of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Behrouz Kamalvandi said on Sunday that sale of 39 tons of heavy water to Russia is under final stages and that Iran received the cost of heavy water delivered to US.

1430**1416

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Iranian Army warns off US radar-evading spy drone

Iran Press TV

Mon Aug 29, 2016 11:11AM

Iranian Army's Air Defense Base has reportedly warned off a US radar-evading unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which had sought to intrude on Iranian airspace.

The US spy drone had sought to cross into Iran through the eastern border from neighboring Afghanistan, Tasnim News Agency reported on Monday.

However, it was immediately detected and forced to leave the area after a "timely and stern" warning by the Air Defense Base.

The drone had taken off from a base in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar and had come to within 20 miles of the Iranian border.

After the identification of the drone, the monitoring and missile systems of the air defense base were put on alert.

In December 2012, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) captured a US ScanEagle drone over the Persian Gulf waters upon its intrusion into the Iranian airspace.

In the same month the previous year, Iran downed a US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft with minimal damage. The drone was flying over the Iranian city of Kashmar, near the Afghan border, when it was brought down.

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Upcoming peace conference an opportunity to transform Myanmar - UN rights expert

29 August 2016  Speaking ahead of a major peace conference in Myanmar, a United Nations independent expert has urged its participants to prioritise human rights issues in their discussions over the coming days, and to do more to ensure the process is fully inclusive.

"A lot is at stake with this Panglong Conference," the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, said in a news release issued by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). "As with the peace process generally in Myanmar, this is the opportunity to transform the country, into a state that the people of Myanmar have wanted for several decades. But to do so it must be fully inclusive."

In the release, she added that discrimination, land rights and equitable sharing of natural resources are at the heart of the Southeast Asian nation's conflict and, therefore, must also be at the heart of the peace discussions and solutions. "It is only by addressing and prioritising these issues that the durable peace desired by the people of Myanmar can be achieved," she said.

The 21st Century Panglong Conference, which will take place in the country's capital, Naypyidaw, from 31 August to 5 September, is the first major peace conference held in Myanmar since Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy assumed power in late March 2016, according to OHCHR.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is scheduled to attend the event on its first day.

In the news release, Ms. Lee described the conference as "a historic moment" but cautioned against celebrating too much too early.

"This is the first brick into the paving of a long road ahead. There is so much, much more to be discussed and negotiated after the first 21st Panglong Conference," the expert said, while also calling for all parties to "be committed and to work together in full steam to achieve a sustainable, inclusive and transformative peace."

Ms. Lee drew special attention to women's participation as a vital ingredient in successful and transformative peace agreements, and noted that women will be underrepresented in the coming discussions despite making up over half of the population in Myanmar.

She also flagged the importance of civil society organisations to be fully involved in the process at every level, and the need for youth to also have a voice at the upcoming gathering and in future discussions. "But the young people themselves must also remember the importance of inclusivity not just amongst armed groups but within all communities," she added.

"This is the beginning of the process of creating a beautiful mosaic of a diverse, harmonious, and peaceful new Myanmar," emphasised the UN Special Rapporteur.

Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.

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Pentagon condemns Turkey's clashes with US-backed Kurdish forces

Iran Press TV

Mon Aug 29, 2016 6:17PM

The Pentagon has called for an immediate de-escalation in clashes between Turkey and Syrian Kurdish forces, saying the fighting is "unacceptable" and a "source of deep concern."

Ankara launched a bloody offensive in northern Syria last week and killed 25 Kurdish forces on Sunday, a day after a Turkish soldier died in a rocket attack allegedly by the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

"This is an already crowded battle space," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a written statement. "Accordingly, we are calling on all armed actors to stand down immediately and take appropriate measures to de-conflict."

Turkey threatens it will carry out more strikes on the Kurdish fighters if they fail to retreat beyond the Euphrates River.

However, YPG forces insist that they have already withdrawn to the east of the Euphrates in line with US and Turkish demands.

The Pentagon spokesman said the US had demanded the YPG return to the eastern side of the Euphrates but said Washington understood this had "largely occurred."

Ankara regards the YPG and YPD as allies of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region inside Turkey since the 1980s.

The US-allied YPG, which controls nearly Syria's entire northern border with Turkey, has been fighting against Daesh. Conversely, Turkey is running a dual military campaign in Syria targeting both Daesh militants and the YPG.

It adds to simmering tensions between Ankara and Washington when Turkey's government is still reeling from last month's failed coup, which it says Washington was too slow to condemn.

US Vice President Joe Biden intended to patch up ties in a visit last week, just as Turkish forces entered Syria.

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Friendly Fire: Intense Clashes on Turkey-Syria Border Endanger US Forces

Sputnik News

03:52 29.08.2016(updated 05:11 29.08.2016)

Tensions rise following the first death of a Turkish soldier at the hands of US-backed YPG Kurdish forces with whom American Special Forces are often embedded.

The crisis in Syria has taken on another dimension with war being waged on several fronts among mixed allies and enemies after Turkey vowed to intervene more aggressively in the fight against Daesh (ISIS), but have trained their weapons instead on US-backed Kurdish forces out of domestic self-interest.

The United States now finds itself aligned not only with the Erdogan regime, but also with Kurdish YPG forces considered by Ankara to be a terrorist organization aligned with the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), the latter of which aim to carve out a separatist stronghold in Turkey.

President Obama's delicate balance between the two opposing forces who share the mission of defeating and degrading Daesh in Syria appears to be collapsing following an intense offensive by Turkish forces that have left at least 70 people killed, the majority of whom are civilians according to local monitoring groups, in Kurdish dominated areas.

The Turkish military, by contrast, claims that it killed at least 25 "terrorists," the majority of which are believed to be Kurds rather than Daesh jihadists, claiming that they are taking all necessary measures to protect the safety of noncombatants.

Regardless of whether the Erdogan regime struck civilian or military installations, the Obama administration now finds its soldiers stuck between the two sides  both of which are US allies.

American Special Forces remain embedded with YPG forces who earlier this month helped to oust Daesh from the strategic enclave of Manbij less than 20 miles from the outbreak of Saturday's airstrikes. Those same US Special Forces also work with their Turkish counterparts who they rely on for rear supply lines according to Wall Street Journal sources.

The Obama administration now faces yet another major crisis in Syria with American Special Forces potentially in the crosshairs of Turkish bombing campaigns as the Erdogan regime seeks revenge against YPG Forces after the Kurds successfully struck a Turkish tank killing one soldier.

The clash between Turkey and Kurdish forces is not the only mixed allegiance that the United States finds itself locked in at present as the Obama administration continues to provide arms and support to the so-called "moderate" rebel opposition to the Assad regime while engaging in bombing of al-Nusra Front (formerly al-Qaeda) terrorists  the only catch is that the rebels and al-Nusra Front have joined forces under the umbrella group The Army of Conquest.

With yet another major military force drawn into Syria to conduct an operation focused on self-interest first and the fight against terrorism second, the question is now whether that delicate balance can be maintained or whether confusion over who each side is really fighting will turn chaos into tragedy.

 Sputnik

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UK warship to join US fleet in Persian Gulf

Iran Press TV

Mon Aug 29, 2016 10:27AM

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Daring is slated to join a fleet of US warships stationed in the Persian Gulf, UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon says.

The Type 45 destroyer will arrive in the region on Friday and take on the role of HMS Defender, another warship of the same class which provided air support to American aircraft carriers there, Fallon said on Sunday.

The American warships have been conducting attacks on purported Daesh (ISIL) positions inside Syria and Iraq for several months now.

Fallon said that all three branches of the British armed forces have been engaged in the attacks.

"All three armed services are making a vital contribution to defeating Daesh," he said.

"RAF aircraft are hitting the terrorists daily on the ground; the Army is providing counter-explosives training to Iraq troops; the Royal Navy helps protect coalition carriers in the Gulf as they launch strikes," he added.

Earlier this month, British warplanes targeted one of Iraq's former dictator Saddam Hussein's palaces in the northern city of Mosul.

London also announced in late July that it will send 250 more troops to the Arab country, raising the total number of British troops to more than 500.

The UK's involvement in the US-led campaign against militants in Iraq and Syria stirred controversy after British Special Forces were spotted fighting alongside anti-government militants in Syria.

HMS Daring's deployment to the Persian Gulf is expected to spark controversy amid substantiated reports that the ship is not capable of coping with the warm waters.

In fact, the UK navy's fleet of six Type 45 destroyers is prone to shutdowns in the harsh environment, despite being viewed as the force's most modern warships.

First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Philip Jones told the House of Commons Defense Committee in July that the gas turbine engines used in the warships "degraded catastrophically" in the Persian Gulf's very warm seas.

According to him, the Royal Navy has acknowledged that it would not be able to operate the ships "all the time in every place on every day of the year."

Weighing around 8,000 tons each, the 1 billion ships run on Rolls-Royce engines and have a crew of 190 people.

Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems, the manufacturer of the destroyers, have refused to take responsibility for the problem, with the latter saying the ships were never meant for "repeated and continuous" missions in the Persian Gulf.

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Rights Groups Say 13 Released From Secret Ukrainian Jail, Allege Torture

August 29, 2016

by Christopher Miller

KYIV -- Thirteen civilians who were allegedly held incommunicado, interrogated, and tortured after being rounded up "abduction-style" have been released from a secret jail run by Ukraine's domestic security service, two prominent human rights groups say.

In a letter to Ukraine's chief military prosecutor, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) said 12 men and one woman who had been held at a detention facility in the eastern city of Kharkiv were set free by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on July 25 and August 2.

At least five people were still being held in secret detention at the Kharkiv facility, according to the rights groups' letter, which was dated August 23 and made public on August 29. Some of those who were released had been held for weeks, others for months.

The SBU, which has said it has no secret jails, did not respond to RFE/RL's requests for comment.

"The SBU has denied the existence of the secret prison in Kharkiv and the use of the practice of secret detention, both in public and in our private meetings with them," Krasimir Yankov, a Kyiv-based researcher for Amnesty International, told RFE/RL.

In their letter, Amnesty International and HRW said the SBU's continued denial of enforced disappearances and secret detentions "fosters a climate of lawlessness and perpetuates impunity for grave human rights violations." They called on the office of the chief military prosecutor, Anatoly Matios, to take immediate steps to secure the release of those who remain in custody and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The recent releases, which Amnesty and HRW learned of through interviews with five of the freed individuals, followed the groups' joint report on July 21 that accused Ukrainian authorities and pro-Kyiv militias of rounding up and abusing civilians suspected of supporting or having connections with Russia-backed separatists.

Besides the Kharkiv site, the report said detainees were held in secret SBU jails in the government-controlled eastern cities of Kramatorsk, Izyum, and Mariupol.

It also alleged that the Russia-backed separatists imprisoned civilians suspected of backing or spying for the Ukrainian government. Separatist leaders in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk have called the allegations "absurd."

The report detailed 18 alleged cases of arbitrary, prolonged detentions by both sides during the conflict, which has killed more than 9,500 civilians and combatants since April 2014. Fighting persists despite a February 2015 cease-fire deal signed by Ukraine, Russia, and the separatists, and little progress has been made on political steps to resolve the conflict.

"International humanitarian law acknowledges that during times of armed conflict there may be security grounds for temporary detention of civilians, but arbitrary detention is always prohibited, and parties to an armed conflict are required to ensure a legal basis and framework as well as basic safeguards for the detention of civilians," Yankov said.

Allegations of torture by the SBU at secret jails were first raised by a group of United Nations (UN) inspectors in March.

In May, UN efforts to gain access to the facilities were thwarted by the SBU.

Because Ukraine is a party to the United Nations Convention Against Torture and the Optional Protocol to that agreement, UN inspectors should be able to make unannounced visits to any detention center.

Detained, Tortured, Discarded

Amnesty and HRW said that SBU officials in Kharkiv freed six detainees on July 25, and seven more on August 2. At least five remain at the secret detention facility there, they added.

The groups interviewed five of the freed detainees who said SBU officials covered their heads with black bags, drove them out of Kharkiv in the back of an armored minivan, and left them on the side of the road on the outskirts of Kramatorsk and Druzhkyvka, in Donetsk Province. The two cities are under government control but are close to the front lines of the conflict.

Before letting them go, their captors returned their passports and gave them about $2-$5 "for transportation costs," the rights groups said. One man was without a passport because he did not have it when he was detained. The captors warned the detainees to keep silent about their secret detention and threatened them with severe repercussions if they spoke out.

But three of them have given detailed testimony to Amnesty and HRW.

Viktor Ashykhin, 59, told Amnesty and HRW that he was abducted from his home in Ukrayinsk, in Donetsk Province, on December 7, 2014.

"One of them went through my computer. The others found my phone and badge from the [May 11, 2014 separatist] referendum, [which] I had kept. Then, without giving any explanation or producing any papers, they put a black plastic bag over my head, tightened it with scotch tape at eye level, and led me outside into a white VW van," he said. The men warned his wife not to contact any authorities for the next two days or else they would harm him.

Ashykhin said his captors took him to an SBU facility in Kramatorsk, where he was tortured and forced to confess to being an informant for armed separatists. Four days later, Ashykhin was transferred to the Kharkiv facility, where remained until his release on July 25.

Mykola Vakaruk, 34, said he was taken from his home in Ukrayinsk by unidentified armed servicemen in face masks on December 9, 2014 and brought to a facility in the city of Chervonoarmyisk, which has since been renamed Pokrovsk. There, he said, interrogators wearing insignia of Ukraine's Dnipro-1 and Donbas battalions beat and kicked him for six hours while he was handcuffed before forcing him to confess to being a separatist spy.

"They were doing it in pairs: when two men got tired from kicking me, another two replaced them," Vakaruk told Amnesty and HRW. "At some point they said, 'Do you hear this? Would you want your wife to be next in line?'" he added.

On December 11, Vakaruk was transferred to the SBU facility in Kramatorsk and four days later to the Kharkiv site. In October 2015, he said, he developed a serious kidney problem and his captors took him to a Hospital in Kharkiv. While registered under the false name of Serhiy Ivanov, surgeons removed one of his kidneys. He said he was kept him in intensive care for 10 days before being moved to another room for an additional 20 days. There, he was handcuffed to a bed and supervised by a guard watching around the clock.

On November 27, Vakaruk said, SBU officials returned him to the Kharkiv site, where he stayed until July 25, when he was set free along with Ashykhin and four others.

Dmytro Korolyov, 37, was a policeman in the city of Zaporizhzhya who joined separatists in Donetsk in early June 2014 but returned home weeks later. He was arrested in January 2015 and given a five-year suspended sentence for organizing an "unlawful armed group." He was transferred to a detention facility in the city of Dnipro until the verdict came info force. He said that on August 3, 2015, with his release papers in hand after walking free, he was abducted by SBU officials and taken to the Kharkiv site.

Korolyov told Amnesty and HRW he thought he was going to be part of a prisoner exchange. Instead, his captors took him to the Kharkiv site, where he remained until his release on August 2.

In their letter, Amnesty and HRW said Ashykhin, Korolyov, and Vakaruk were invited by the police in their respective hometowns to file reports about their forced disappearances. But police merely wrote in reports that they were no longer missing and closed the missing person cases on each of them.

The police did not open investigations and did not encourage them to file complaints, according to Amnesty and HRW.

Amnesty and HRW said a Russian national named Vladimir Bezobrazov was among at least five people held in secret detention in Kharkiv at the time the letter was written.

"We call on the Ukrainian authorities to commit to an independent and transparent investigation of the information provided in our report and to deliver justice to the victims of these egregious violations," Yankov said.

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/rights- groups-13-released-from-ukrainian- secret-jails-tortured/27951657.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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Another crucial milestone in the KaloBios transformation



Shifts all focus and resources to near-term incremental value catalysts

BRISBANE, Calif., Aug. 29, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTC:KBIO), a biopharmaceutical company focused on advancing medicines for patients with neglected and rare diseases, today announced the sale by Martin Shkreli of his remaining shares of KaloBios common stock, fully eliminating his association with the company. KaloBios also outlined its priority goals as it continues to transform the company.

In private transactions, Mr. Shkreli sold his entire stake in KaloBios directly to other investors. Mr. Shkreli has zero ownership of the capital stock of, or ongoing financial interest in, the company. In addition, under the terms of the governance agreement announced July 7, Mr. Shkreli continues to be restricted from certain further actions concerning the company for a period of time.

This transaction enhances our flexibility to execute the companys strategy by removing an impediment to progress, said Cameron Durrant, MD, KaloBios chairman and CEO. The new KaloBios strategy is to leverage available U.S. regulatory incentives as a framework to swiftly and cost-effectively advance and strengthen our portfolio for neglected and rare diseases, with an interest in pediatric conditions.

KaloBios has set out key near-term goals in executing this strategy:

Benznidazole  expect to have U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Pre-Investigational New Drug (IND) application meeting within the next six months to confirm the regulatory pathway for benznidazole in the treatment of Chagas disease, a neglected tropical disease.

Lenzilumab  continue enrolling patients in the companys ongoing Phase 1 study of lenzilumab for Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML), with the expectation to use the data to help inform a possible study in Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML), a rare pediatric condition.

Corporate  regain compliance with periodic reporting requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and seek relisting on a national stock exchange.

Dr. Durrant stated, We have come a long way quickly  overcoming obstacles, establishing the framework for success and leveraging a hard-driving mindset to advance our pipeline. Our differentiated strategy is gaining traction and we will continue to execute our plan through transformational models, such as responsible pricing and innovative internal and external approaches.

KaloBios emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy June 30 with $14 million in equity financing. The company acquired the rights from Savant Neglected Diseases LLC to develop benznidazole for the treatment of Chagas disease and has initiated a Phase 1 study of its monoclonal antibody candidate lenzilumab for the treatment of CMML.

About KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTC:KBIO) is a developmental stage biopharmaceutical company focused on advancing medicines for patients with neglected and rare diseases through innovative and responsible business models. Lead compounds in the KaloBios portfolio are benznidazole for the potential treatment of Chagas disease in the U.S., and the proprietary monoclonal antibodies, lenzilumab and ifabotuzumab (formerly KB004), for the potential treatment of various solid and hematologic cancers such as CMML and potentially JMML. For more information, visit www.kalobios.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements reflect managements current knowledge, assumptions, judgment and expectations regarding future performance or events. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such statements are reasonable, they give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct and you should be aware that actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the Companys ability to execute its revised strategy and business plan; the ability of the Company to regain compliance with reporting requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission; the ability of the Company to list its common stock on a national securities exchange; the success of the Companys clinical trials for its product pipeline; the Companys access to limited cash reserves and its ability to obtain additional capital on acceptable terms, or at all, including the additional capital which will be necessary to complete the clinical trials that the Company has initiated or plans to initiate; the potential timing and outcomes of clinical studies of benznidazole, lenzilumab, ifabotuzumab or any other products undertaken now or in the future; the commercial viability of the Companys proposed drug pricing program; the ability of the Company to timely source adequate supply of its development products from third-party manufacturers on whom the Company depends; the potential, if any, for future development of any of its present or future products; the Company's ability to successfully progress, partner or complete further development of its programs; the ability of the Company to identify and develop additional products; the uncertainties inherent in clinical testing; the timing, cost and uncertainty of obtaining regulatory approvals; the uncertainty of receiving a Priority Review Voucher; the Company's ability to protect the Company's intellectual property; competition; changes in the regulatory landscape or the imposition of regulations that affect the Company's products; and other factors listed under "Risk Factors" in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary notice. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. The company has no obligation, and expressly disclaims any obligation to update, revise or correct any of the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
U.S. Rep. Robert Hurt, R-5th, told Republicans to not take the 5th District for granted in November election during a stop in Danville in Monday.

Its changed and I love it, but if youre a Republican running, its not a slam dunk, Hurt said.

Hurt  who voiced his support for Republican congressional candidate Tom Garrett  also gave his thoughts on the national contest between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Hurt said he has disagreed with Trump several times in the past, but said he thought Trump could succeed as president if he learned from the right people.

I think that if he surrounds himself with smart people, he could be a good a president, Hurt said. The campaign is the same way.

Hurt said Barack Obama was able to create a huge campaign engagement system to win elections during his two White House bids, and Clinton would be inheriting and using much of the same infrastructure.

The Democrats have proven that they know how to do that, Hurt said.

Hurt said Trump needs a ground game to improve his chances, and he needs it soon.

The Republicans are going to have to really work hard to compete, and as your question suggests, were running out of time, he said.

Hurt was in Danville on Monday to tour downtown businesses and talk with business owners and managers. During the trip, he stopped by the original Biscuitville location on Patton Street. The business is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Its an icon, Hurt said about the downtown location.

Hurt said small businesses like Biscuitville helped create jobs, five or 10 positions at a time.

These are businesses that really drive job growth, Hurt said.

Hurt said he believed jobs and the economy would remain the top campaign issue for the 5th District election. After peaking around 15 percent in 2009, the jobless rate in Danville has slowly fallen to around 8 percent.

Hurt announced in December he would be retiring from Congress after three terms in Washington. His seat is being challenged by Garrett and Democratic candidate Jane Dittmar.
The Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services  in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health  has announced that it will cover insect repellent for some Medicaid members under the pharmacy benefit with a prescription.

This decision, which required approval from Gov. Terry McAuliffe, is in preparation for the possibility of local transmission of the Zika virus, which can be spread through mosquito bites.

Virginia becomes one of seven states in the nation that currently offer this benefit.

The coverage will apply to members enrolled in Medicaid, FAMIS, FAMIS MOMS and the Governors Access Plan.

Because the Zika virus can cause birth defects, the free insect repellent benefit will be offered to pregnant women, as well as men and women of child-bearing age 14 to 44  who are trying to conceive.

Even though insect repellents are generally considered over-the-counter medicine, individuals who want to use this benefit will need to get a prescription from their health care provider.

The department of health recommends those individuals first make sure their pharmacy is participating in this benefit  then call their doctor and ask for a prescription for an EPA-registered insect repellent be called or faxed into their pharmacy.

A news release stressed an office visit to a doctor is not needed to request a prescription.

The Zika virus has been found to cause birth defects in infants whose mothers are infected while pregnant. Because there is no preventive vaccine or medicine to treat Zika, it is important that pregnant women use repellent to prevent mosquito bites, in order that they may protect themselves and their fetuses.

It is also important for sexual partners of pregnant women and women trying to conceive to use repellent because Zika can be sexually transmitted.

Although using insect repellent is a good preventive measure during mosquito season in Virginia, it is particularly important to use if a pregnant woman or her sexual partner has to travel to an area of the world with ongoing Zika virus transmission, the release stated.

As of Thursday, there had been 69 cases of the Zika virus reported in Virginia  none caused by a bite from an infected mosquito here but instead happening to people who traveled to areas where the virus is prevalent, such as Mexico, Central America and South America.

In February, McAuliffe announced the creation of a statewide task force to guide preparedness initiatives related to the Zika virus. The task force, which is comprised of state and local officials, has been responsible for coordinating with Virginia localities on mosquito surveillance and control programs leading up to and during mosquito season. Should local mosquito-borne transmission of the Zika virus occur, VDH will be prepared to provide repellent to people living in a designated local transmission area.

To learn more about this benefit and what insect repellents are covered by specific health plans, visit http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/zika/sample-page/medicaid-insect-repellent/. For more information on Zika in Virginia, visit www.zikava.org.
SOUTH BOSTON  Center of Manufacturing Excellence staff Will Soyars and Ricky Gordon recently traveled to Berlin, Germany, to complete Siemens Level 2 Mechatronics Instructor Training. Soyars is the SoVA CME Industrial Maintenance/Mechatronics Program Leader and Gordon is the SoVA CME Programs Technician.

They both received their Siemens Level 1 certification in 2015.

With two certified trainers on staff, SoVA CME in South Boston can now offer Siemens Level 1 and Level 2 training. Siemens Mechatronics certification is recognized in the United States and around the world as the gold-standard in mechatronics certification. The key point for industry to understand is that Siemens Mechatronics training is not about Siemens equipment or products. The training teaches the concepts and skills you should know as an entry-level industrial mechanic. Today, Siemens is the only one with a certification for that, Soyars said.

Siemens Level 1 certification demonstrates that an individual has completed at least 60 hours of training, and is knowledgeable of a machine operating system. Level 2 certification demonstrates that a student not only understands the machine operating system as a whole but can also work with the systems individual components.

Traveling to the Siemens Technik Academie in Berlin, Soyars and Gordon participated in two weeks of training with students from around the world. To earn their level 2 certification, they had to go through Siemens instructional methods, prepare a lesson with hands-on activity, and teach a class to students at the Academie.

The Berlin experience was really great, Gordon said. The program at the Technik Academie is designed for students to get their hands on the actual equipment, which causes them to remember how things work rather than memorize something for a test. The feedback from the students we had an opportunity to teach was overwhelmingly positive with the majority saying they wished we could do more before we had to leave, he continued.

Mechatronics takes a systems approach to industrial maintenance (the repair and upkeep of equipment and machinery used in an industrial setting) where electrical, mechanical, and computer functions are viewed as one unit instead of separate functions. By taking a systems approach, students are better able to understand industrial equipment and manufacturing processes. This leads to more efficient troubleshooting and faster repairs.

Soyars states industrial maintenance is a good career choice because so many of the current technicians are reaching retirement age. If an industry has equipment, they have to have someone to maintain it. They need qualified, trained technicians, and were here to help meet that need.

SoVA CME is now recruiting for the next Siemens Level 1 training cohort. SoVA CME in South Boston, VA offered its first Industrial Maintenance/Mechatronics training spring 2016. Five out of six students earned Siemens Level 1 certification, and most students received job offers before their training was complete.

For more information on industrial maintenance/mechatronics training offered through the SoVA Center of Manufacturing Excellence visit www.sovacme.org, email scarlettbrandon@svhec.org or call (434) 572-5473.
Calgary - Smoothwater Capital Corporation (Smoothwater) responded today to a press release issued by Alberta Oilsands Inc. (AOS) late Friday night purporting to deny Smoothwater, one of the largest shareholders of AOS, the right to nominate directors at the next shareholders meeting.Smoothwater filed a Notice of Intent to Nominate Directors in full compliance with the advance notice provisions of Bylaw #1 of AOS. This was filed just before Smoothwater learned that AOS secretly applied to a Court to move the 2016 AGM from September 23 (the last legal date) to November 15, 2016.This is a further illustration of a long pattern of abusive and oppressive actions taken by the management and board of AOS. It is yet another attempt to avoid accountability to shareholders and an AOS vote on the proposed merger with Marquee Energy Ltd. , said Stephen Griggs, CEO of Smoothwater.The affidavit the AOS CEO swore to obtain the secret Court order did not tell the Court the real story. He did not mention that Smoothwater is opposed to the Marquee transaction or that it believes shareholders should be given an opportunity to approve or reject it. Mr. Vu stated that he had been in regular contact with Smoothwater  implying that Smoothwater was aware of his convert application. In fact, Mr. Vu ignored repeated requests by Smoothwater to discuss this matter and only communicated when it was advantageous for him to do so.Surely AOS knew that Smoothwater and other shareholders should have been given advance notice of this application to set a new meeting date, which was intended solely to frustrate the interests of AOS shareholders, said Mr. Griggs.The Smoothwater Notice of Intent to Nominate Directors fully complied with Bylaw #1. Advance Notice Bylaws are supposed to be used for the purpose of avoiding ambushes at annual meetings of shareholders so that shareholders can make fully informed decisions when voting. Griggs continued, The law is clear - advance meeting requirements cannot be used by a board to defeat or frustrate shareholders seeking to participate in a properly conducted AGM. They cannot be used as a sword, asAOS has purported to do. The actions of AOS are indefensible and show how desperate they have become. We will not let this entrenched and entitled board and CEO avoid accountability.AOS has kept key documents and information about the proposed merger with Marquee Energy hidden from shareholders, contrary to their legal obligation to disclose all material facts and agreements. Griggs asked, What do they have to hide? Why will they not release all of the material information relating to their deal with Marquee as to what will happen if and when an AOS shareholder vote is required? What other secrets and possible payments are they hiding? Why will they not tell shareholders the truth about the $1.5 million poison pill break fee the board appears to have agreed to if a shareholder vote is even required?.For more information and updates, including a copy of this press release and other documents please visit www.smoothwatercapital.com. Investors are asked to sign up online for emails from Smoothwater as this matter progresses.Smoothwater Capital Corporation is a leading Canadian activist investor, focusing on investing in small to midcap Canadian public companies where there is an identifiable path to significantly improve shareholder value. Smoothwater works to effect change in targeted companies, often collaboratively with institutional and other like-minded investors who hold material positions but are not able to take on the time consuming and costly activist role.Smoothwater Capital CorporationSuite 2500, 120 Adelaide Street WestToronto, Ontario M5H 1T1Attention: Stephen J. Griggs, Chief Executive Officer416.644.6582sgriggs@smoothwatercapital.com
VANCOUVER, Aug. 29, 2016 /CNW/ - Eco Oro Minerals Corp. ("Eco Oro" or the "Company") (TSX: EOM) is pleased to announce that Kevin O'Halloran has been appointed to the board of directors of the Company (the "Board"), effective immediately.

Mr. O'Halloran has more than 30 years of experience working in industry, operations, financial and executive management, and turnaround consulting. He has worked primarily with companies challenged by transitions resulting from rapid growth, acquisitions, and changes in financial structure and market environments. Mr. O'Halloran has served in Chief Financial Officer, Chief Restructuring Officer, and Chief Executive Officer roles and has also led numerous debtor and creditor advisory consulting engagements. Mr. O'Halloran has served on the boards of for-profit and not-for-profit corporations, including as audit committee chair and as a member of diversity, finance and compensation committees.

"We are very pleased to welcome Kevin O'Halloran to the Board" said Anna Stylianides, Executive Chairman of the Company. "Kevin has deep expertise in analyzing, developing and implementing tactical and strategic plans that satisfy short-term expediencies and long-term goals. His years of experience, knowledge and expertise assisting companies in difficult circumstances will help guide the Company as it enters this next phase."

The Company also announces that John Hayes has resigned as a member of the Board in order to focus his efforts on other commitments. Anna Stylianides commented, "On behalf of the Board, I wish to thank Mr. Hayes for his tremendous contribution and commitment to the Company and wish him well in all his future endeavors."

Company Profile

Eco Oro Minerals Corp. is a publicly-traded precious metals exploration and development company with a portfolio of projects in Colombia. Eco Oro has been focused on its wholly-owned, multi-million ounce Angostura gold-silver deposit, located in northeastern Colombia. Eco Oro is committed to further advancing the Angostura Project in a socially and environmentally responsible manner that will be beneficial for all stakeholders.

For more information please visit the Company's website at www.eco-oro.com or contact:

The Toronto Stock Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this news release are "forward-looking" within the meaning of Canadian and United States securities legislation. They include statements with respect to the Company's ability and plans for advancing the Angostura Project, and the funding of the Company and the ability of the Company to meet its obligations. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon the current belief, opinions and expectations of management that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and other contingencies. Many factors could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. These factors include, among others, the timeliness and success of regulatory approvals, availability of capital and financing, the cost of arbitration, general economic, market or business conditions, as well as other risk factors set out under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Annual Information Form dated March 11, 2016, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

SOURCE Eco Oro Minerals Corp.
Val d'Or, Quebec, Canada / TheNewswire / August 30, 2016 Knick Exploration Inc. ("Knick") is pleased to announce the posting of its East-West gold property Drill Program Proposal and Methodology on the company's website at www.knick.ca. The drill program has been developed by Mr. Martin Demers P. Geo. from Knick's ongoing research of the East-West gold property, Val d'Or mining camp, Quebec, Canada. Mr. Martin Demers was instrumental to the restart of the Casa Berardi Mine by Aurizon Mines in 2006.

The East-West gold property Drill Program Proposal and Methodology document will be distributed to various mining analysts.

Knick's East-West property and Wesdome's Kiena Mine Complex Discovery

Two high grade gold zones on the East-West are suggestive of deposits situated on properties immediately east and west of the property. The Marban deposit of Osisko Mining Inc. (TSX: OSK) lies to west and Wesdome's (TSX: WDO) Kiena Mine Complex to the east were ongoing exploration work is returning positive results. Wesdome highlights include 94.35 grams per tonne (g/t) gold over 17.4 meters, 223.12 g/t gold over 14.25 meters (uncut and downhole widths) and Mr. George Mannard V.P., Exploration of Wesdome, in their press release of August 24, 2016, commented, "These early results exceed expectations, and these rich veins are unlike anything previously encountered at this property. Three holes have been completed to date hitting four high grade intersections. More drilling is underway and is required to define the geometry, true widths and extent of this extraordinarily rich mineralized system."

The East-West property is straddled by a 500 meter corridor encompassing mafic-ultramafic rocks which have been tightly folded and injected with quartz veins. Significant alteration halos of chlorite-carbonate and albite occur on Knick's property similar to what has been documented in its neighbour's deposits. Down dip extensions of known mineralization below 200m on the East-West property have yet to be tested while the ore bodies of the Val d'Or mining camp typically exceed 1000 meters depth.

Final Closing of Financing-September 15, 2016

The company will be closing a flow through financing on or before September 15, 2016. The flow through financing is at $0.05 per common share of Knick Exploration Inc. accompanied with one warrant of the company per common share. The warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one common share of the Corporation at a price of $0.08 per Common Share for a period of 12 months following the closing date.

Knick will also be closing a $500,000 offering (hard cash) offered by way of a Private Placement in all of the provinces of Canada on the 15th of September. Each share is composed of one warrant of the Corporation and entitles the holder thereof to purchase one common share at a price of $0.05 per Common Share, for a period of 18 months following the closing date.

Knick press releases are available in the news room on Knick's web site at www.knick.ca

Gordon N. Henriksen, P.Geo., Vice President of Knick Exploration, is the Company's qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. He has reviewed and approved the contents of this press release.

We seek Safe Harbour.

Forward-Looking Statements

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This Press Release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Jacques Brunelle Gordon N. Henriksen

President & CEO Vice President

Knick Exploration Knick Exploration

536, 3rd Avenue 536, 3rd Avenue

Val-d'Or, Quebec Val-d'Or, Quebec

J9P 1S4 J9P 1S4

Office Office

819-874-5252 819-874-5252

Cell Cell

819-856-1387 819-210-1406

Copyright (c) 2016 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
We're eating BREAKFAST AT HUXTABURGER

Brekkie burgers are as good for dads as they are for hangovers, and recently Melbourne's Huxtaburger added "Vanessa" to the menu. The bacon and egg bun oozes cheese and is smothered with bloody mary mayonnaise and tomato sauce. Add a potato rosti and/or beef patty and some onion rings on the side. Pick one up this Sunday and treat dad to breakfast in bed without the cleaning up.

The world's first smoked rum, created by Stolen Spirits.

We're drinking... THE WORLD'S FIRST SMOKED RUM

Created by Stolen Spirits, Stolen Rum is inspired by Jim Jarmusch film Coffee & Cigarettes. The United States banned the name, so Stolen Rum it is. Aficionados will enjoy the smoky, toffee aromas of the aged, all-natural spirit. The infusion process  which features Columbian coffee, fenugreek, Madagascan vanilla and smoked American hardwood  takes two weeks. Drink it in an old fashioned way or respect the craft and have it neat. Available at Dan Murphy's and BWS. thisisstolen.com

Designer camping gear: The Escape Kit by Wanderings & Co.

We're cooking with DESIGNER CAMPING GEAR

It's nearly spring  time to pull out the camping and picnic gear. The Escape Kit by Wanderings & Co. is a classic enamelware range with mugs, tumblers, bowls and plates bundled up in a heavy-duty canvas roll down bag ($165, wanderingsandco.com), while the new Stanley Adventure Happy Hour System features an all-in-one shaker, strainer, citrus reamer, jigger and set of two stainless steel glasses ($79.95, shopstanley.com.au).

Beer Days, a craft beer club that delivers a selection of brews to your door. Photo: Ric McLallen

We're buying CRAFT BEER DELIVERY FOR DAD

Buying for a bloke who loves beer this Father's Day? Try Beer Days, a craft beer club that delivers a selection of brews to their door. To celebrate dads, limited edition book and beer combos are available, but our pick is the foodie pack with a dozen craft beers, Pornburger recipe book, retro bottle opener and beef jerky. Visit beerdays.com.au/collections/fathers-day.

Sarah Menanix from Snixy Kitchen blog has step-by-step instructions on how to make bacon jam, bacon candy and bacon salt.

Advertisement

We're craving BACON CONDIMENTS

Everyone knows a good father's day gift is homemade, but this set of DIY bacon condiments is next level. Sarah Menanix from Snixy Kitchen blog has step-by-step instructions on how to make bacon jam, bacon candy and bacon salt  complete with DIY printable labels. Show dad you care; say it with bacon. Go to snixykitchen.com.

Denim aprons from urbanbar.com.au and cargocrew.com.au make a snazzy gift.

We're obsessed with DENIM APRONS

You've seen waitstaff rocking denim aprons in top cafes and restaurants, but they're readily available to buy for home online. With pockets, buckles, leather straps and designer details, these unisex aprons make a beautiful and affordable gift for avid cooks (and make beginners look like they know what they're doing). From urbanbar.com.au and cargocrew.com.au.

Heart-shaped boiled eggs from annathered.com

We're learning how TO BOIL HEART-SHAPED EGGS

Ditch pancakes and show dad you love him with heart-shaped boiled eggs. All you need is a length of clean milk carton, a single chopstick, two rubber bands and a boiled and peeled egg. While the egg is warm, lay it lengthways across the crease of the milk carton and firmly place the chopstick on top of the egg so it's parallel with the milk carton crease. Fasten it down firmly using a rubber band on each end. Leave for 10 minutes and cut in half. For easy-to-follow, visual instructions, see annathered.com.

Redgum Smoked Sea Salt, made in collaboration with Piaglligo Estate Smokehouse in Canberra. Photo: Andy Knight

We're loving FLAVOURED SALTS

It took three years for Olsson's Salt and The Bridge Room's Ross Lusted to sign off on Redgum Smoked Sea Salt, made in collaboration with Piaglligo Estate Smokehouse in Canberra. An old favourite of the Vikings, this modern take smokes salt from South Australia's Eyre Peninsula over native river red gum for 72 hours. Best sprinkled liberally on meat, seafood and vegetables. Visit olssons.com.au.
Are carrots better for me cooked or raw? K. Ferroni

I hate questions like these. I don't know if you, K. Ferroni, have teeth. That would be a real game changer. If carrots were your source of vitamin C you would eat them raw as cooking destroys vitamin C. If you want to eat carrots for their beta carotene, an antioxidant, then you cook them. The beta carotene is inside tough walled cells and cooking helps break these down. Most of the beta carotene is just under the skin so scrub and wash your carrots  don't peel.

Invest in a good, old-fashioned vegetable brush. You will be able to metabolise more beta carotene if there is some fat in the meal. Did anyone say steamed carrots, butter and parsley?

Older carrots have more beta carotene than younger ones. And if you need vitamin C consider the local kiwifruit that are in the market. One hundred grams of kiwifruit supplies 150 per cent of your average daily allowance of vitamin C.

Salume is an overarching Italian term describing cured meat products. Photo: Supplied

What is salume? G. Holmes

It looks like a spelling mistake. We are familiar with the Italian word "salami' which is the plural of "salame" or a singular fermented sausage. Salume, however, is an overarching Italian term describing cured meat products such as salami, prosciutto, pancetta and salsicce.

What unites them is the use of salt. It's the "sal" in salume. Salt is rubbed into whole pieces of meat like pork belly that is used to make pancetta or mixed through the minced pork stuffed into skins to make salami. The salt draws out water from the meat. Less moisture makes a less hospitable place for bad bacteria.

Salt penetrates the meat creating a hostile environment for bad bacteria. It also adds flavour. Meanwhile beneficial lactobacillus bacteria make lactic acid that helps preserve the flesh while the salume air dry to complete the curing process. That's why good salume has a salty flavour and slightly sharp tangy finish.

This double chocolate cake is made using olive oil  but should all cakes be? Photo: William Meppem

Can I use olive oil to "grease" a cake tin. V. Moore

Olive oil has always had myriad uses and in classic times it wasn't just used in the kitchen. It was a commodity that was used to power lamps, as hair conditioner, skin cleaner and a vegan version of something you might see in Last Tango in Paris.

Advertisement

In many parts of the world it is the WD-40 used on squeaky hinges and rusty bike chains. You can readily use it to grease a cake tin. One word of warning: olive oil will give you an ever so slightly more crunchy finish to the sides of the cake. Not something you want in a sponge and the likes.

Letters, Correction and Apologies.

Last week, I wrote about the ages of broad beans from sweet little ones to dried fava beans. T. Fatseas wrote in saying, "broad beans have a more useful early life than you give them credit for. When they are young we eat them pod and all! In fact, you will find that there are plenty of delicious Greek recipes for whole broad beans."

Send your queries to brainfood@richardcornish.com.au
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By Staff Report

The Tom Green Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's assistance in identifying a suspect involved in an aggravated robbery that occurred Sunday.

Deputies were dispatched to the 2100 block of S. Loop 306 to investigate an aggravated robbery report. Deputies learned the victim was taken by ambulance to Shannon Hospital Emergency Room, where they later met with the victim in the hospital and gathered information about the incident.

Based on information from the victim, deputies began a search for the suspects and a vehicle, which was later observed traveling west on Preusser Street.

Deputies subsequently initiated a traffic stop of the vehicle, but after initially coming to a stop, the driver sped off, accord to the Sheriff's Office.

A pursuit ensued, and ending when the suspect vehicle crashed in the 500 block of Pulliam Street.

Two occupants of the vehicle fled the scene and a third was apprehended.

The suspect who remained at the scene was identified as Edmundo Rodriguez, 28, who was arrested on suspicion of evading arrest/detention on foot, and transported to the Tom Green County Jail.

The identity of the other two suspects is unknown at this time.

One suspect was last seen at Lowe's Grocery Store at 9 a.m., and the Sheriff's Office is hoping that someone can help identify the man from images taken from the store's security cameras.

He is described as a Hispanic male, 5'9 to 6'0 and 180 to 190 pounds, with tattoos on both arms. Deputies say he might be a smoker and possibly a transient. He may go by the name of Gerardo or Junior and may be from Houston, Texas.

Suspect is considered dangerous.

If you know the identity and/or location of this man, please contact Sgt. Martha Muro or Sgt. Orlando Juarez at 325-655-8111.

This investigation is ongoing.
SHARE Lyle Jeffs was awaiting trial on charges involving alleged food stamp fraud.

By David Demille, USA TODAY NETWORK

The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information on Lyle Steed Jeffs, the escaped younger brother of imprisoned polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs.

Lyle Jeffs was on home arrest in Salt Lake City, awaiting trial on charges involving an alleged multimillion-dollar food stamp fraud scheme, when he went missing the night of June 18. Investigators said he slipped out of a court-ordered GPS tracking device by using olive oil.

The 56-year-old was released from jail June 9 after several previous requests were denied, with U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart saying that 10 other defendants in the fraud case had complied with the court's conditions and that Jeffs would have had to stay an unusually long time in jail because his trial had been pushed back to October.

Jeffs was believed to run the day-to-day operations of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-day Saints, the most influential sect in a community set up along the Utah-Arizona border.

His brother, Warren Jeffs, is serving a life sentence in Texas after being convicted of sexually assaulting girls he considered brides.

Prosecutors indicted Lyle Jeffs and others in February on charges of diverting at least $12 million worth of federal benefits. They argue FLDS leaders instructed followers to buy items with their food stamp cards and give them to a church warehouse where leaders decided how to distribute the products to followers.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact the nearest FBI field office or American Embassy or Consulate. The FBI office in Salt Lake City takes calls at its Major Case Contact Center at 1-800-225-5324. Tips can also be submitted online at www.fbi.gov/tips.
Graphic Illustration

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By my scientific count, there are only two newspaper columnists in the known universe who have not already declared Donald Trump's presidential campaign dead and buried. One is me.

Having mocked Trump for getting in a Twitter war with a Mexican narcotrafficker way back at the beginning of the campaign, only to see him shoot to the top of GOP polls, I long ago certified this campaign as too bat-guano-crazy to predict.

The other dissenter is the lethally blonde Ann Coulter, whose new book "In Trump We Trust" will be published Tuesday and, if history is any indication, will next be spotted on The New York Times best-seller list.

Coulter, an early and enthusiastic backer of Trump (he essentially adapted her book "Adios, America" as his campaign platform on immigration), has been warning that the polls were undercounting his supporters ever since he started out near the bottom of a 17-candidate Republican field.

And though Trump is trailing by an average of more than 5 percentage points in the Real Clear Politics survey of major opinion polls, she is still convinced he's neck and neck with Hillary Clinton  maybe even ahead.

The main reason, she believes, is that Trump is going to be the biggest beneficiary ever of the so-called Bradley Effect, named for Tom Bradley, a black mayor of Los Angeles who lost the 1982 gubernatorial election in California despite a seven-point lead in the polls on the eve of voting.

Pollsters concluded that a lot of the people they interviewed didn't want to admit they were voting against a black candidate. The Bradley Effect  or, if you're a social scientist, "social desirability bias"  has since become a blanket term for voters who lie to pollsters for fear of violating political-correctness norms.

"Trump has endured $75 million in negative ads from his opponents, and the news media universally hate him," says Coulter. "A lot of people would rather admit to being Nazi war criminals than to say they're voting for Trump. But once they're inside the voting booth, it's private  no one will ever know they voted for him."

In fact, argues Coulter, a lot of Trump voters aren't even being contacted by pollsters, because they're so alienated from American politics that they aren't even registered voters  yet.

"In the past, that would be a real problem at this stage of the election," she says. "But now all these motor-voter laws have made it really easy to register, and you can do it really late. Thank you, Democrats! Democrats are about to learn what a 'petard' is."

Coulter's full-front-attack style is not everybody's cup of tea  even among those who share her conservative politics, there are plenty to whom it tastes more like hemlock. And like her other books, "In Trump We Trust" is sometimes scabrously funny, sometimes just scabrous.

Venomous punch lines aside, "In Trump We Trust" undeniably brims with insights into the candidate's appeal, particularly his lock-down-the-borders stance on immigration. His opponents and their courtiers among the chattering classes essentially tried to declare the discussion out of bounds by labeling it racist. Political reporters added that it was crazy, because nobody they knew was against immigration.

But as Coulter notes, Trump's candidacy took off precisely at the moment he pledged to build that "beautiful wall" on the Mexican border. Since then, even though he's spent little money on his campaign and shunned Washington's hordes of political consultants and their precious focus groups, Trump has become the top vote-getter of all time in Republican primaries.

Perhaps Coulter is wrong about the polls, and Trump will lose in November. But she is clearly correct when she says the lesson of his candidacy is that a lot of Americans are unhappy about immigration and refuse to allow the argument to be circumscribed on the grounds of political correctness.

Several recent polls show about three-fifths of Americans think the United States permits too much immigration. Donald Trump may go away, but the forces that produced him won't.

Glenn Garvin is a columnist for the Miami Herald. Contact him at ggarvin@miamiherald.com
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The following editorial appeared in the Aug. 19 Houston Chronicle:

If you live in Texas and you've never received a letter welcoming you to the AARP, then you probably support Hillary Clinton for president.

That's the result of Public Policy Polling survey released last week that showed the Democratic candidate leading among Texas voters under age 65. Younger voters have traditionally swung Democratic, but Donald Trump's candidacy is redefining youth up by an entire generation. In comparison, a 2012 PPP survey found that Republican candidate Mitt Romney was only losing Texas voters under 30.

So what's different this year?

Political scientists like to say that demographics are destiny, and Texas voters under 45 are about one-quarter Hispanic. That number is only 17 percent for voters over 65, according to the Pew Research Center. Trump hasn't exactly tried to win over Hispanics ...

Still, it feels like something else is going on besides Trump's racial rhetoric, insults to women and cozying up with white supremacists. It has to do with policy.

On every issue from energy to trade to education, Trump looks square into the rearview mirror. This can be comforting for older voters who would want to replace a changing world with a faded Kodachrome image of the past. But for students in college, young people looking for jobs, parents wondering what life will hold for their own kids, the future is inevitable whether we like it or not, and the president should be ready to face the challenges of a dynamic globe rather than pretend like they don't exist. Anyone who isn't already retired knows that they're competing not only with the student in the next town or a business on another coast. They're competing with the entire world  and competition can make us better.

This is the reason why WIRED magazine has made its first-ever endorsement of a presidential candidate  Hillary Clinton.

"Right now we see two possible futures welling up in the present," Scott Dadich, the editor in chief of the emerging technology magazine, wrote in this month's issue. "In one, society's every decision is dominated by scarcity. Except for a few oligarchs, nobody has enough of anything. In that future, we build literal and figurative walls to keep out those who hope to acquire our stuff, while through guile or violence we try to acquire theirs."

That's Trump's future.

"In the other future, the one WIRED is rooting for, new rounds of innovation allow people to do more with less work  in a way that translates into abundance, broadly enjoyed."

That's Clinton's future.

It is also the Texas future. While pundits were worrying about scarcity, oil and gas geniuses like George P. Mitchell used fracking to open up a world of oil surplus. Tech companies have found a home in Austin where the brightest minds are working on the next big thing. NASA, SpaceX and Blue Origin all have a foot placed firmly in the Lone Star State as they take steps beyond our planet.

To put it bluntly: What does Texas have to gain from a president who promises to save a dying coal industry when our future is clearly powered by natural gas and renewable energy?

We're a state that's not afraid of growth and competition at a time when other places are tied up in red tape. Texas is optimistic about the future. Trump is terrified of it, and no amount of pivoting or new staffers will change that fact.
The minds at Pixar Animation Studios, responsible for an almost unprecedented string of original hit movies, believe in failure. The philosophy of the studio's heads is to get all the failures out of the way early, and keep polishing. As President Ed Catmull has written, "Management's job is not to prevent risk but to build the capability to recover when failures occur."That's not the way things have worked in government. Failure has not been an option. When America's greatest government bureaucracy was built up in the 1940s, it was wartime and the consequences of mistakes were dire. Often processes were conceived and executed by military veterans who associated imperfection with laziness, recklessness and death. After all, you can't make a mistake with an atom bomb, or planning an invasion, or sneaking a rocket scientist over the Berlin Wall.You can, however, make a mistake with a government website or other technology system, and there are times when you should. Whether at the city, state or federal level, there's an increasing realization that failure is essential to the eventual success of a complex technology project. The trick is figuring out how and when to fail.The reasons for accepting small amounts of risk have to do with the ways government is changing. We're seeing government agencies adopt a customer focus, moving to prioritize citizens and businesses who use public services. We're also seeing a breakdown of walls between agencies and between higher- and lower-level employees. And we're seeing modular, agile approaches to procurement and development.These approaches make sense together. Customer-centric design requires regular testing and updates to refine the user experience. Agile development, with small, modular gains, permits the kinds of fast improvements that customer-centric design assumes. Changes in governments' approaches, however, will require their managers and rank-and-file employees to adopt a new mindset. They will have to learn to fail well.That won't be easy. Anne Rung, administrator of the federal Office of Federal Procurement Policy, remarked that one of the key obstacles to procurement innovation is the mindset in government that failure is not an option: "We don't tolerate any kind of perceived failure. And people immediately walk away and resort to the old way of doing things."There are obvious reasons to fear failure. Bureaucracies notice and reward metrics. Failure appears on a record, but quiet mediocrity is safe. The bias is toward invisibility, documentation and taking credit. And perfectionism has merit. There is value in getting things right the first time. Theoretically, avoiding mistakes is cheaper and prevents a tangled mess when minor imperfections compound into systemic failure. Even in the risk-praising world of software development, it's known that fast and messy approaches function temporarily, but that excellent design lasts.The conflict is over how tothat excellent design - or, rather, whether excellent, enduring systems are something you design or something you find. Designing a system in its entirety as Step One implies that a team can predict a user's requirements. But requirements change. Often, it's difficult to anticipate how actual users will react to or repurpose a product -- think of Twitter inadvertently facilitating citizen journalism. Testing becomes essential. Prototypes permit testing.In some ways, embracing risk is a small change of mindset, from never crossing the line into failure to being willing to tiptoe over it in service of a better end. Detail-oriented execution is still crucial to a project's success. But in a mindset inspired by agile development, painstaking execution comes on tighter deadlines. Under this pressure, flaws are more likely but are not catastrophic. They'll just be revised in the next release.Taking risks and welcoming mistakes can create robust products, but that's not the only reason for a new mentality. The calculus of risk itself is changing: The costs are lower and the rewards are higher.First off, technology has made change cheaper. So failure is cheaper. Even processes we don't think of as technological, such as the organizational structure of a team, can be changed without the expense of typing up and distributing memos.And we now have the public cloud. Ten years ago, a large IT project might require procuring servers and building a data center to store them before the first line of code was written. Now, the existing remote servers that make up the cloud can simply be repurposed as needed. "We can [use] them, and turn them right off again-and we have spent almost nothing," says Mark Schwartz, CIO of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. "It's a huge enabler for breaking things down into small pieces of work and delivering them quickly into prduction, so that we can then start immediately tweaking it."Not only is failure cheaper these days, it's more necessary. With the fast pace of change, it's nearly impossible to predict what citizens will be demanding from their governments in five years. To keep up with those changing needs, an ethic of constant iteration has become essential. For complex projects with a digital component, flaws are just plain more likely -- and a key ingredient for success.
Gov. Bruce Rauner on Friday used his veto powers on several bills aimed at increasing help for the state's most vulnerable, rejecting measures that would increase wages for workers who care for people with developmental disabilities and expand a child care program for low-income families.The Republican governor said his opposition to the proposals lawmakers sent him is simple: There just isn't enough money to go around. It's the same argument he's used to block efforts to fund social service groups during the budget impasse. The moves also further fueled the anger of labor groups and providers who contend they've been repeatedly targeted by Rauner and forced to bear the brunt of the state's financial troubles.At issue is legislation pushed by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees that would raise the minimum wage for so-called direct support personnel to $15 an hour. Those workers help the developmentally disabled with daily tasks ranging from cooking and cleaning to taking medication.Providers say their average hourly wage is about $9.35, which they said has led to a severe staffing shortage that's forced some group homes to close and leave many families without the help they need. Two days earlier, Rauner himself acknowledged the "documented critical and growing shortage of direct support professionals throughout the United States" in a proclamation declaring that a week in September would honor support workers.Art Dykstra, CEO of Trinity Services, a nonprofit that provides care for people with disabilities, said the state's "service system is crumbling."We are getting to the point where we will have to ask families to consider taking their loved ones home on weekends because we can't adequately staff the houses," he said in a statement.In his veto message, Rauner said the pay hike would cost the state an additional $330 million a year, adding that the bill provides no way to cover the added expense. Rauner said the proposed pay increase was "significantly above" the national average, which he put at $10.71."We should first acknowledge the difficult and important work of these professionals, who assist persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities in residential and day programs," Rauner said. "Many of these professionals have not had a wage increase in years. I am open to finding a responsible way to increase wages for these professionals, but unfortunately this bill is not the answer."Rauner also vetoed a bill that would have expanded eligibility requirements for low-income families to receive child care assistance. The measure was designed to provide access for thousands of poor families struggling to juggle work and school or providing care for their children. The move came after Rauner toughened eligibility last year, cutting services for many families."I'm disappointed that the governor chose to turn his back on parents working to give their children a better life," said sponsoring state Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood.Rauner said such a large expansion could ultimately threaten the child care program altogether, saying without funding to go along with it, parents may be asked to pay higher copays, or see long waitlists."None of which would best serve the interests of the children that this legislation is intended to support," Rauner said in his veto message. "The state of Illinois can no longer make spending promises that exceed available revenues."Meanwhile, Rauner used his amendatory veto power to rewrite legislation that would have required the state to give those who do business with state government 30 days written notice if their contract was being suspended or reduced, and 120 days written notice if those changes were due to a "lack of appropriations." That's the technical term for what has happened to many groups that were on the hook to provide services for the state, but were not paid because of the budget impasse.Rauner said that time frame is too long and should be reduced, adding that it should only apply to social service providers who do things like care for the elderly and disabled, not all companies that contract with the state.
Gov. Paul LePage took a step Tuesday toward atoning for his recent actions, but he also sent sharply conflicting signals about how he plans to respond to mounting pressure from Democrats and members of his own party.In a morning radio interview, LePage said he was totally at fault for leaving a threatening voice mail last week for a Democratic lawmaker whom he believed had called him a racist. He later invited Rep. Drew Gattine to the State House to have a face-to-face meeting on Wednesday, and Gattine accepted.LePage also raised the possibility more than once on the radio that he may not finish his second term because of the controversy, which has stretched on for a week."I'm looking at all options," the Republican governor said while appearing on WVOM, a Bangor talk radio station, Tuesday morning. "I think some things I've been asked to do are beyond my ability. I'm not going to say that I'm not going to finish it. I'm not saying that I am going to finish it."He said later in the interview: "If I've lost my ability to help Maine people, maybe it's time to move on."Some six hours later, in a tweet posted from his Twitter account, LePage backed away from any suggestion that he was considering resignation."Regarding rumors of resignation, to paraphrase Mark Twain: 'The reports of my political demise are greatly exaggerated,'" his office tweeted.LePage's press secretary, Adrienne Bennett, would not provide clarification of the governor's intentions Tuesday afternoon, saying only, "The tweet speaks for itself."The uncertainty comes after several days of sustained controversy that began last week when the governor told an audience in North Berwick that he's been keeping a three-ring binder of drug dealers and that 90 percent of those dealers are black or Hispanic. Statistics show that the overwhelming majority of drug dealers arrested in Maine are white, and critics have said that even if the governor's numbers were accurate, he is wrong to focus on race.Over the past week, LePage has repeated his statements about the race of drug dealers in media interviews in several settings, ranging from his Blaine House residence to a meeting with New England governors in Boston -- where he was roundly criticized by regional officials for his focus on race.The governor's actions, and the responses Maine of lawmakers, residents and others, have been fodder for national media attention, putting the state in an unflattering light.One of LePage's critics was Rep. Drew Gattine, a Westbrook representative. When the governor heard that Gattine had called him racist -- Gattine actually said the governor made racially charge comments -- LePage lashed out by leaving an obscenity-laced voice mail and then later saying he wished he could challenge Gattine to a duel.Since last Friday, lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns about the governor's fitness to hold office. Republican State Sen. Amy Volk of Scarborough encouraged the governor to seek treatment.LePage was on his way to Baileyville, in Washington County, on Tuesday to take part in a ceremony at St. Croix Tissue and was not available for additional comment.Rob Poindexter, spokesman for the House Republicans, said Minority Leader Ken Fredette, R-Newport, and Assistant Minority Leader Ellie Espling, R-New Gloucester, would not comment on LePage's remarks Tuesday until after their members met that evening.Senate Republican leaders also had no comment.Tom Saviello, a Republican senator from Wilton, said the governor, in his radio remarks, started to answer some concerns."He has work to do," Saviello said. "I'm glad that he's going to have a conversation with Drew Gattine. That's important to me personally."Democratic leaders, meanwhile, said LePage's apology did not go far enough and called on legislative leaders from both parties "to get in the same room and discuss these very serious issues.""I believe the governor has taken away from meeting with Republicans sort of their concerns, but what I didn't hear was an admission that the governor is willing to admit that Representative Gattine did not call him a racist," said House Democratic Leader Jeff McCabe. "Also, as part of that interview, the governor sort of tried to turn things around and make himself the victim, which that's not really what Democratic leadership is looking for at this time."McCabe said Democrats still feel the best thing for LePage to do is resign. Outside of that, he said the governor needs to consider treatment."I'm not in the medical profession, but it's clear that the governor needs to seek professional help," McCabe said. "He's crossed a line and we are questioning his well-being at this time."Senate Democrats had similar feelings."As abhorrent as that behavior was, we're even more concerned with what could happen next," Senate Democratic leaders Justin Alfond and Dawn Hill said in a joint statement. "What important decision might the governor be making the next time he experiences one of these out-of-control episodes -- when he is, as he puts it, 'so angry he literally cannot breathe?'"McCabe said he doesn't know what legislative Republicans have discussed with the governor but said Democrats have been trying to meet with leaders on the other side. So far, that hasn't happened,During his radio interview, LePage did apologize to the people of Maine and to Gattine's family for leaving a threatening voice mail last week, but didn't apologize to Gattine directly."When I was called a racist I just lost it, and there's no excuse," the governor said. "It's unacceptable. It's totally my fault." LePage said being called a racist for him was, "like calling a black man the 'N' word or a woman the 'C' word. It just absolutely knocked me off my feet."LePage scheduled one of his recurring town hall events for Wednesday night in Westbrook. But the event was canceled by the governor Tuesday night, and the venue where the event was to have been held, My Space Teen Center, also backed out because it lacked the space to accommodate the expected crowd.Several times since he made his initial comments about black and Hispanic drug dealers, LePage has returned to the issue of race -- even as lawmakers have challenged his assertions. The governor didn't soften that position Tuesday."The fact of the matter is this: I got all of my info in my book from the press. It's that simple," he said. "Every drug arrest, we get the story and the people, and when it comes to meth labs it's all white people from Maine. When it comes to heroin, it's just the opposite. Whether it's right or wrong and I'll leave you to make that judgment, but I spoke fact."Now they are saying, you can't do this because of the racially charged atmosphere in our country but the same token is all lives matter. That's the bottom line, all lives matter."LePage continues to focus on the racial makeup of drug dealers. He first made the claims months ago when he accused black dealers of coming up to Maine and impregnating white women.Last Friday, in an attempt to clarify his comments at the North Berwick town hall, the governor appeared to endorse racial profiling."Look, the bad guy is the bad guy, I don't care what color he is," LePage said. "When you go to war, if you know the enemy and the enemy dresses in red and you dress in blue, then you shoot at red."LePage then turned to House Minority Leader Ken Fredette, R-Newport, an officer who serves as a military lawyer in the Maine Air National Guard and sat in on the press conference. "Don't you -- Ken (Fredette) you've been in uniform? You shoot at 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."McCabe said he's troubled that the governor keeps focusing on race when talking about the drug crisis. He did it again on Monday in Boston following a meeting of New England governors."This is a meeting of governors trying to solve issues that affect the states, trying to solve and move forward with addressing the drug epidemic that is beyond Maine, and what the governor does is, he goes down to Massachusetts and he doubles down on the same comments he made here in Maine that caused such an outcry," he said.Asked about that, Sen. Saviello said, "It troubles me when he singles out any minority."While LePage has repeatedly emphasized his concern about the impact of drug addiction in Maine, state spending on addiction treatment during his administration has actually declined.LePage met with Republican House and Senate leaders Monday night at the Blaine House but said he plans to talk with his staff before deciding his next move. He said his impression from Monday's meeting was that House Republicans want to "salvage what we can and move forward." Senate Republicans, he said, are "making demands."State Rep. Jeff Timberlake, R-Turner, an ardent supporter of LePage, said he hadn't been paying close attention to everything that had transpired in the last few days as he was dealing with an emergency at his family's apple orchard involving a burglary.""It's not my monkey," Timberlake said. "I going to come and see and listen tonight before I say anything. I don't know what was said to the governor (Monday night) So I need to wait and see how it all shook out."LePage seemed to at least acknowledge in his radio interview that his ability to lead Maine may be in question now."It's not about me. It's about making sure that we can move the state forward," he said. "It's one thing to have one party behind (you), it's another thing to not have any party behind you."
Description

GIS - 30 August, 2016: A batch of 62 newly recruited officers in the grade of Word Processing Operators (WPO) joined the Civil service yesterday. The Minister of Civil Service and Administrative Reforms, and Minister of Environment, Sustainable Development and Disaster and Beach Management, Mr Alain Wong, welcomed them at the Lunch Room of the National Assembly, Port Louis.

In his address, the Minister recalled that Government trusts its Civil service, which plays a major role in sustaining governance and in facilitating the implementation of various programmes and projects. This is the reason why, in spite of all constraints, the Civil service in Mauritius is continuing to make recruitments in the required grades, hence the recruitment of Word Processing Operators, he said.

You are here to serve the nation, meet the growing needs and aspiration of citizens and to provide quality services in a timely, effective and efficient manner, the Minister told the new recruits. We require your full commitment in the performance of your new duties, he added.

Citizens expect diligent and quality services, said the Minister who urged the recruits to develop the right attitude at work as delivery standards will determine customer satisfaction. He encouraged them to take the opportunity to grow within the civil service and compete for different posts open to serving officers.

An induction training has been programmed to acquaint the WPOs with the working of the Civil service. Subsequently they will have the opportunity to follow specific training courses in Customer care and effective communication, amongst others, which will be organised in collaboration with the Civil Service College, Mauritius.

The Ministry has recruited a first batch of 44 Word Processing Operators in October 2015 and a second batch of 10 in March 2016. As at date, 45 Office Management Assistants have been promoted to the post of Office Management Executive; 313 Management Support Officers have been appointed to the post of Office Management Assistant; and 480 Management Support Officers have been recruited.

Furthermore a batch of 91 Word Processing Operators has been promoted to the post Management Support Officer; 53 Word Processing Operators have been promoted to the post of Confidential Secretary; 10 Word Processing Operators have been promoted Senior Word Processing Operator; 28 Office Care attendants have been promoted Head Office Care attendants; and 199 Office Care Attendants/Senior Office Care Attendants have been recruited.
Trice Construction was frustrated. For years, the Chicago contractor for sidewalks, curbs, gutters, foundations and pavement had been dealing with the procurement process in the city and its six independent agencies: the housing authority, the park district, public schools, the transit authority, city colleges and the public building commission.Among the procurement problems that had troubled Trice, as well as other companies, had been the separate and inconsistent procurement systems for each agency. The challenges consisted of distinct dollar thresholds for various bids; a variety of definitions for emergency procurements that dont go through the regular bidding process; and variations in the number of hours that make up a standard working day. Each agency had its own set of standards, says Stephanie Hickman, Trices president and CEO.When procurement systems are like that, vendors go elsewhere and competition declines, forcing expenses to rise. The canary in the coal mine is that not enough vendors bid, says Chicagos Inspector General Joe Ferguson, adding that inconsistencies favor incumbents and bigger entities. That puts smaller companies like Trice at a disadvantage.Fortunately, reforms have found their way to the top of the to-do list for Chicago and many states and localities that suffer from inconsistent practices and other management challenges. Major cities like Boston, Philadelphia, New York and Washington, D.C., as well as a number of counties, are engaged in various kinds of procurement reform. Ins March special report on state procurement practices, we found multiple states were involved in or considering reforms.While its early, theres still a great deal to be learned from the efforts Chicago has made thus far -- and how they play out over time. For the last seven years, Jamie Rhee, the citys chief procurement officer, has worked to get agencies within the core city government to develop more standardized practices. As of last year, theres been an all-out effort to bring greater transparency and standardization to every sister agency.This effort was a mandate from the mayor, who appointed a reform task force in 2015 that is co-chaired by Ferguson. Making the process more open is a key goal. One of the big focuses for the city is to eliminate the perception that you have to know someone to get ahead in government contracting, says General Counsel James McIsaac. Its perception only, but it exists, and having the most transparent system possible refutes that allegation.One step to greater transparency has been for the city to publish online every contract it awards, including both winning and losing bids for jobs. Our goal is for every vendor to know why they win and why they lose, says Rhee. All subcontractor information is posted online as well. The citys process acts as a model for the six sister agencies.Chicago also now produces a consolidated buying forecast, in which plans for the next six quarters of solicitations are disseminated in one document for all the city agencies. This is a huge planning tool when you know in advance that agencies are going to come out with procurements, both big and small, Rhee says. It has helped the core city and its six agencies see when they may have opportunities for joint procurements.Another critical change has been the sharing of information about contractors that have been banned from doing business with the central city government or any of the six agencies. In the past, a company that ran into trouble with one government entity could win a bid at another. Policies are being amended so that agencies can honor each others debarments. In the future, if someone is banned in one place, theyre banned in all places.Of course, reforms can be problematic. Theres such a thing as too much standardization, particularly if it compromises flexibility. Some of the component agencies really do comparatively unique things, said Ferguson. You have to have a standardized process that recognizes when unique operational aspects come into play.Six years ago, Illinois began to put in place several state procurement changes. The impetus for reform stemmed largely from ethical questions regarding contracting that had been raised in Gov. Rod Blagojevichs administration.By and large the Illinois reforms have improved the state system and restored its integrity. But reform is an ongoing process. The impact of changes needs to be subjected to analysis to see if a fresh round of improvements is needed.For example, over time new registration requirements for vendors began to diminish competition. Contract bids were being eliminated when they didnt adequately follow complex new rules. Subsequently, the rules were rewritten to allow a vendor to fix an improper registration.The original Illinois reform also went too far in cutting off communications with vendors during a bidding process. The reform helped to prevent improper contact in order to avoid collusion, but it also prevented clarifications and information about best practices and new innovations. We heard from the vendor community that the reform was shutting doors, says Ellen Daley, chief procurement officer for Illinois General Services. So we changed it to allow conversations to take place, and we listed the types of conversations that were permissible.One lesson learned from the overall experience: Reform requires substantial training for procurement managers in government and for vendors as well.
(TNS) -- WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- City planner Amanda Jacobson gave the Tree Board a demonstration Thursday on how the new geographic information system will be used to monitor and manage the citys tree inventory.Jacobson said the system pinpoints trees in the inventory and highlights the trees to be removed, shows the trees needing pruning, available planting sites and the location of trees that have been removed.Were educating the parks and Public Works staff to let us know when they touch a tree, Jacobson said, so the plan can be kept up to date.Chuck Connor, urban forester with the Missouri Department of Conservation, commended Jacobson for keeping the plan updated.Board member Trish Smith said she found the presentation informative. It shows (tree management) is being addressed in a professional way, she said.Jacobson said the information includes the number of trees of each species to help keep the inventory diversified.She said it is hoped that public layers of the GIS system will be available on the citys website by January.Community Development Director Barbara Carroll said the city did not have the GIS available when it started the tree inventory in 2011.She said the development of the GIS system began two years ago under the leadership of County Assessor Mark Reynolds, who contracted for new aerial photographs of the county.Midland GIS is building the maps, layer by layer, she said.Residents can use the information on tree locations if they need to replace water lines or for landscaping projects, she said.The Tree Board maintains a list of trees recommended for residential use on the website.It also has a list of recommended trees for parking lots that developers can obtain from city staff.Carroll said that list is not on the website to avoid confusion.Connor said he had reviewed that list and removed some trees that need a lot of root space and do not do well in compacted soil.I hate to be restrictive, he said, noting that it is becoming more difficult to obtain some species of trees.Carroll said she would make some corrections suggested by Smith to the Tree Board website, including changing some links that dont work.The city is seeking requests for proposals for a firm to redo its website, she said, which are due by Aug. 31.She said she anticipates a contractor will be issued a notice to proceed in October.We have to fix some obvious things now, she said, adding, Well have to live with (the current website)  for six months.The board agreed to add information directing property owners to ask the city about tree plantings within 10 feet of a curb or within 20 feet of an intersection on public streets and parks and to maintain their plantings so they do not interfere with safe use of sidewalks, streets and alleys. www.warrensburg-mo.com
Where Legislatures Can Improve

Promoting Usability

In just the last few years, the public sector has been abuzz with plans to open data and revolutionize the way citizens interact with their government. But behind these well meaning attempts to further the democratic process with technology, glaring inconsistencies remain.State legislative websites, among other online assets, are a prime example of this point. True, the majority of Americans have likely never been to their states legislative website, but there are groups that rely on regular, effective access to session information to transmit what they find through more digestible means.Journalists who report on congressional goings-on, watchdog groups and lobbyists are just some of the individuals perusing state portals on a daily basis. Often the lack of modern search tools and Web best practices make getting to critical information a challenge.And while some legislative websites struggle, there are states that are getting it right. Their approaches are worth noting as well.We have come a long way since the days of sitting in the gallery and carefully noting floor votes by hand. Today, at the intersection of government and technology, legislatures are embracing streaming video and other tools that bring the happenings on the floor into the offices and homes of those who are invested enough to watch.Other tools like Google-esque search features allow online visitors to quickly and easily find bills or subjects that matter most to them, and in some states the results of votes are updated the same day.While the general design of a website is important to an end user, access to the meat of it all is the important part to government watchdog group the Sunlight Foundation.The advice that we have given, particularly as different government agencies come to us and [ask], How can we make our website more functional? [is] we often point out that the best way to do this cheaply  is to improve the accessibility of your data so that at least it can get used, said Sunlight Senior Analyst Emily Shaw.In releasing data, whatever it may be, Shaw argues that other groups outside of government may be able to translate that data into usable information for other constituents. While an easy-to-navigate website is an added bonus, it means nothing if theres no substance behind it.With states looking to be as cost-efficient as possible, website redesigns are often what she calls a hard sell. Instead of focusing on the overall presentation of a portal, she points to the addition of tools that will improve the timeliness of data, like machine readability.The Center for Data Innovation agrees that theres work to be done in making more of the legislative process publicly available. Director (and GovTech columnist) Daniel Castro said there are gaps in the process, especially when it comes to things like scanning handwritten notes and committee votes.He sees this as cause for collecting more digitally. Right now in some states youll basically have handwritten changes to bills or things like that where it is not being captured electronically  especially committee votes  so its hard to actually see that process if the information isnt digital. Capturing the data well in a digital format is another big thing we are looking at.In some states, bills are regularly posted as PDFs, which Castro said is a clear indicator that legislatures need to update their systems. The format can make finding information a laborious and difficult process.These types of things are a huge impediment to transparency, he said.Another issue is the lack of cohesive standards and best practices. With each state approaching the information it disseminates to the public differently, there are few real guidelines for portal managers to look to when it comes to making the sites they run good vessels for communicating legislative information.There are different things that people want access to. I have yet to see real clear and generic rules for how to make legislative information most accessible, or most useful for people, Shaw said. I think its something that we all know when we dont feel it, but the articulation of specifically what you need to do in order to make it most usable is a more complicated question.The next natural step in the progression of government legislative portals is making data available by API, or application programming interface, and structuring the data to maximize its utility.Castro and Shaw agree that the move toward APIs would allow outsiders to more easily use the wealth of information held by government. Though your average person may not access data sets for his or her own enjoyment, other groups and entities can help to turn data into publicly useful information.Something that I think we are hoping to see more states doing, something that leading states like Washington and the New York Senate are already doing, is making their data available by API or Web service, Shaw said. As different kinds of analysis start to rely more heavily on API access to their sources of data, its going to continue to make this information accessible to the largest number of technical users.Castro added that a willingness on the part of those within the federal government to move toward more usable structured data that could easily be used analytically would also go far to advance the mission of government transparency.
(TNS)  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  With cyber crime growing exponentially, cybersecurity products and services are emerging as a premier 21st-century industry.As of 2014, a joint report by Intel Security and the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., estimated that cyber attacks were costing businesses worldwide about $445 billion per year and possibly up to $575 billion. U.S. firms alone were losing $100 billion annually, leading to the loss of about 200,000 jobs a year, according to the report.The aggression is coming from a range of cyber criminals, including groups seeking to steal money and property, professional hackers trying to acquire trade secrets and other data, and foreign governments conducting espionage against other countries.That, in turn, is turning cybersecurity into a huge growth industry. Worldwide, spending on information security reached $75 billion in 2015, according to research consultant Gartner Inc. And thats projected to grow to $170 billion annually by 2020.The U.S. government alone is expected to spend $65.5 billion on cybersecurity between 2015 and 2020, according to Market Research Media Ltd. The White Houses fiscal year budget for cybersecurity is projected at $19 million for FY 2017, a 35 percent increase from FY 2016.As cybersecurity-related business grows, New Mexico may be well poised to tap the market.The state is already a major source of innovation in the cyber defense realm, thanks to cutting-edge research and development at New Mexicos national laboratories and research universities. Thats led to new products and services entering the market, such as the comprehensive software-as-a-service defense platform that Albuquerque-based cybersecurity firm RiskSense now offers to businesses and organizations.In addition, New Mexico universities are churning out highly educated cyber professionals, many of whom cut their chops as interns or employees at the national labs before going on to top-ranking positions in industry, said RiskSense CEO Srinivas Mukkamala.New Mexicos labs and universities have produced some amazing cybersecurity research and some of the nations best cyber professionals, Mukkamala said. Several of the mid- to senior-level industry executives across the country are graduates of our universities, or people who interned or worked at the national labs here.Given the states cyber assets, local and state officials believe New Mexico could become a hub for the cybersecurity industry.Its one of our focal points, said Economic Development Secretary Jon Barela. The cybersecurity industry is growing dramatically and the technology were developing here is cutting edge.
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1 CAS PO 240 Democracy in Contemporary France Spring 2014 Professor: Office hours: Monday 12-12:30, and by appointment I. Course objectives and methodology This course allows students to discover and deepen their understanding of the primary elements of institutional and political life in contemporary France, with a special focus on the state of French democracy today. Specifically, we will examine the notion of a much-cited crisis of democracy. To what extent are French political institutions dysfunctioning? Is there a growing divide between the French government and the French people? In this context, how do we understand the transition of power and the inauguration of a new president in 2012? The course, including additional seminars and visits, is conducted entirely in French. Course texts: - A course pack with all required and suggested readings to be purchased by the student. - Websites to follow regularly: o o Course schedule (7 weeks): Monday and Wednesday, 9:30-12:30 Additional required activities (guided visits): - Walking tour of Parisian political sites and institutions - Visit to the Charles de Gaulle exhibition at the Musee de l Armee - Attendance at a municipal election meeting (candidate and date TBA) II. Grading Oral presentation: 20% Each student will prepare a minute presentation responding to a given question on a current political reality of contemporary France. This assignment aims to relate the theoretical themes of the class to current events. Essay: 20% The essay will build on the topic studied for the oral presentation, developing a critical analysis on a specific focus and complementary research, determined with the professor s guidance, in a 500-word paper to be handed in one week after the oral presentation. The essay also allows students to develop their written French in an academic context. Midterm exam: 20% Final exam: 30% 1

2 Participation and preparedness: 10% Included in this grade is weekly homework, which involves following current news and events in Paris and France and participating in discussions of current events in each class session. This grade also takes into account the quality of a student s presence in class, their energy, relevance of their comments in class, effort and progress in language proficiency, and attendance and punctuality. Attendance Policy 1 absence (class session or activity) = -1 point on the overall grade 4 or more unexcused absences = grade of F for the course Missed assignment or test = grade of 0 for the assignment Plagiarism on an assignment = grade of 0 for the assignment NB: Excused absences must be justified by a doctor s note or a scheduled internship interview. Plagiarism (BU Policy) All students are responsible for having read the Boston University statement on plagiarism, which is available in the Academic Conduct Code. Students are advised that the penalty against students on a Boston University program for cheating on the examinations or for plagiarism may be expulsion from the program or the University or such other penalty as may be recommended by the Committee on Student Academic Conduct, subject to approval by the dean. Read the full Academic Conduct Code online at III. Calendar Topics and Readings PART ONE Democracy and Republic in France 1. Fri, Jan 10 Visit: Guided walking tour of Parisian political institutions and important sites 2. Mon, Jan 13 What is democracy? - Varying definitions - Democracy in France - Constitutional history of France 3. Weds, Jan 15 Values of the French Republic - Does a republican model exist? - Republic and nation - Liberte, egalite, fraternite Assignments and Activities - Group activity: analysis of the Constitution - Article presentation #1 Charles Waline, Qu est-ce que la Revolution francaise a apporte a nos institutions?, dans Charles Waline, Marc Thoumelou, Samir Hammal (dir.), Les institutions de la France en questions, Paris, La documentation francaise, 2013, pp Numero special des Cahiers francais, Les valeurs de la Republique, n 336,

3 PART TWO Democracy, an institutionalized regime 4. Mon, Jan 20 The Fifth Republic - Major phases of the Fifth Republic - Presidential power - The five-year term Guy Carcassonne, La Constitution, Paris, Seuil, 9eme ed., 2009, Introduction, pp Samir Hammal, Peut-on parler de preponderance presidentielle en France?, dans Les institutions de la France en questions, pp Weds, Jan 22 Visit: Charles de Gaulle exhibition at the Musee de l Armee 6. Mon, Jan 27 Weakness of opposing powers - Parliament: weakness and resurrection - Judicial nomination - Europe: limits and opportunities - Group activity: analysis of municipal campaign posters and official presidential portraits - Article presentation #2 - Article presentation #3 Marc Abeles, Un ethnologue a l Assemblee, Paris, Odile Jacob, 2001, extrait du chapitre 1, Les deputes au pluriel, pp Samir Hammal, Le renforcement des droits du Parlement est-il un mythe?, dans Les institutions de la France en questions, pp Weds, Jan 29 The law in France - Legal domain - Article presentation #4 Pierre Avril, De l hyperpresidence a la presidence normale, dans Pascal Perrineau (dir.), Le vote normal. Les elections presidentielle et legislatives d avril-mai-juin 2012, Paris, Presses de Sciences Po, 2013, pp Samir Hammal, Comment est organisee la procedure legislative en France?, dans Les institutions de la France en questions, pp PART THREE Elections and Political Life 8. Mon, Feb 3 Political notions of left and right in France MIDTERM EXAM - Oral presentations briefing 9. Weds, Feb 5 The party system - Introduction to political parties in France - Party politics in the Fifth Republic - From polarization to bipartisanship? Remi Lefebvre, Democratie d opinion, democratie des partis?, Les Cahiers francais, n 370, 2012, pp Frederic Lambert, Sandrine Lefrand, Cinquante fiches pour comprendre la science politique, fiche n 34 Partis politiques et democratie, Paris, Breal, 2003, pp Oral presentation #1: Is Le Front national becoming normalized? 3

4 10. Mon, Feb 10 The French vote - Voting and abstention in France - Voting and social groups - Electoral geography - Oral presentation #2: Why did Francois Hollande win the 2012 presidential election? Jerome Jaffre, La victoire etroite de Francois Hollande, dans Pascal Perrineau (dir.), Le vote normal. Les elections presidentielle et legislatives d avril-maijuin 2012, Paris, Presses de Sciences Po, 2013, pp Pierre Brechon, Les elections presidentielles dans le systeme politique francais, dans Pierre Brechon (dir.), Les elections presidentielles sous la Ve Republique, Paris, La Documentation francaise, 3eme ed., 2013, pp Weds, Feb 12 New forms of political participation - The referendum and participatory democracy - Electronic democracy - The crisis of representative democracy Philippe Teillet, Jours de la Cinquieme Republique, Grenoble, Presses Universitaires de Grenoble, 2011, chapitre 8. Numero special des Cahiers francais, Les democraties ingouvernables?, n 356, PART FOUR Public Debate in France 12. Mon, Feb 17 Interior security - Guest lecturer: Cedric Moreau de Bellaing, PhD, Lecturer at the Ecole Normale Superieure, will speak about political violence in France, specifically regarding the 2005 riots in the Parisian suburbs, and the political reaction to such events and behaviors. - Oral presentation #3: Analysis of social movements related to the vote on universal marriage in Article presentation #5 Duprez Dominique, Comprendre et rechercher les causes des emeutes urbaines de Une mise en perspective, Deviance et Societe, 2006/4 Vol. 30, p Lagrange Hugues, Chapitre 1 : Autopsie d'une vague d'emeutes, in Hugues Lagrange et Marco Oberti, Emeutes urbaines et protestations, Paris, Presses de Sciences Po, 2006 p Weds, Feb 19 Women in French democracy - Women s suffrage: a late right to vote - Difficulties in accessing power - Parity and republican universalism - Oral presentation #4: Was the transition of power in 2012 beneficial to women in France? Janine Mossuz-Lavau, Genre et politique dans Pascal Perrineau et Luc Rouban (dir.), La politique en France et en Europe, Paris, Presses de Sciences Po, 2007, pp Annie Junter, Rejane Senac-Slawinski, La diversite: sans droit ni obligation, Les discriminations entre les femmes et les hommes, Paris, Presses de Sciences Po, 2011, p

5 14. Mon, Feb 24 French values - Resistance to globalization - Decline in authoritarian values - The crisis of confidence - Oral presentation #5: Is there still a exception francaise in politics? - ESSAY: final deadline Luc Rouban, La France en Europe, dans Pascal Perrineau et Luc Rouban (dir.), La politique en France et en Europe, pp Lire specialement les pages 415 a 420. Etienne Schweisguth, Valeurs et attitudes politiques en Europe, dans Pascal Perrineau et Luc Rouban (dir.), La politique en France et en Europe, pp Weds, Feb 26 Conclusion - Synthesis and review for Final Exam 16. TBD Visit: Municipal election meeting Fri, Feb 28 FINAL EXAM 5
Following a mid-season slump, things are looking up for Ferrari.

That is the view of the patriotic and yet hyper-critical Italian press, agreeing with team boss Maurizio Arrivabene that podium finishes were on the cards at Monza.

"The best Ferrari of the year did not even manage a third place, but only Verstappen can be blamed," declared the La Gazzetta dello Sport daily.

"Ferrari certainly proved in Belgium, under the supervision of the new technical boss Mattia Binotto, a new responsiveness. Something is going on but we will have to wait for Sunday at Monza."

The Corriere dello Sport daily, meanwhile, pointed the finger at Sebastian Vettel.

"The car is showing potential but it is undeniable that Vettel caused the (first corner) collision that destroyed the prospect of a positive result for Ferrari," it said.

Team boss Maurizio Arrivabene, however, did not want to dwell on the incidents, even though he admitted Ferrari had pursued the matters regarding Max Verstappen.

"We called the FIA to ask for an explanation," he said, "but it is not Ferrari's style to shout from the rooftops. So we said what we had to say.

"I do not want to talk about the events that characterised the race," Arrivabene is quoted by Autosprint. "I want to think about our position, how well we did in qualifying and the great possibility we had to have two drivers on the podium.

"Now we have to turn the page and look to our GP at Monza."

(GMM)
Transcription

1 Charter of the People's Democratic Party, Bhutan (ECB Approved version) August 2007 Thimphu 0

2 Charter of the People's Democratic Party, Bhutan... 0 PREAMBLE... 2 Article I: Name of the Party... 2 Article II: Vision... 2 Article III: Mission... 2 Article IV: Symbol of the Party... 3 Article V: Membership... 4 Article VI: The Party Convention... 5 Article VII: The Executive Committee... 7 Article IX: The Dzongkhag Offices Article X: The Constituency Committees Article XII: Financial Management Article XIII: Dissolution of the Party

3 PREAMBLE We, the people of Bhutan have enjoyed continuous peace, progress and prosperity under the wise and benevolent reign of the Wangchuck Dynasty. In an unprecedented act without parallel in world history, His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck voluntarily devolved power from the Golden Throne to the people of Bhutan with the gift of a Constitution and the establishment of a Democratic Constitutional Monarchy. The People's Democratic Party has been formed to enable the people to exercise the power bequeathed to them by actively engaging in democratic governance to advance their well-being and chart the future course of the Pelden Drukpa in keeping with rapidly changing times. The People's Democratic Party shall ensure that the noble vision and aspirations of His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo's selfless act of devolving power to the Bhutanese people are fully realized, and that the power is exercised in a responsible and progressive manner. Towards this end, we offer ourselves, all of our resources and skills to the service of the people of Bhutan. The People's Democratic Party pledges to serve His Majesty the Fifth Druk Gyalpo Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and future Monarchs with absolute loyalty and devotion. The People's Democratic Party shall bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan. We, the members of the People's Democratic Party give unto ourselves this Charter and pledge to abide by its provisions. Article I: Name of the Party 1. The name of the Party shall be the People's Democratic Party (hereafter referred to as "the Party"). 2. The name of the Party in the abbreviated form shall be PDP Article II: Vision 3. The vision of the Party is a peaceful Kingdom of Bhutan that is politically united, culturally harmonious, socially just, economically prosperous, environmentally rich, and secure in its sovereignty enabling all Bhutanese to pursue and enjoy happiness. Article III: Mission 4. The Party's mission, inspired by our unique philosophy of Gross National Happiness, shall be to: 4.1. Safeguard the independence, sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Bhutan; 2

4 4.2. Strengthen the unity of the nation through adherence to the principles of equality, tolerance and justice, and to infuse in our people a sense of national identity; 4.3. practice and advance democratic governance with the participation and representation of all sections of our society; 4.4. safeguard the rights and freedom of our people through democratic governance, justice and the rule of law, and to encourage healthy public debate through a free and vibrant media and civil society; 4.5. promote economic growth and self-reliance while ensuring equity, balanced regional development, and the sustainable use of natural resources; 4.6. provide equal opportunities and gainful employment to our people regardless of ethnicity, religion, region, gender, social origin, disabilities or language so that they may realize their full potential, and endeavour with the knowledge that merit shall be the only path to success in our country; 4.7. foster professionalism at the workplace, and the efficient and responsive delivery of public services by the government and public sector; 4.8. achieve social justice, equality and fairness for all our people, regardless of ethnicity, religion, region, gender, social origin, disabilities or language and ensure that all have access to basic necessities such as food, shelter, healthcare and education; 4.9. protect and conserve our rich and pristine environment and respect the right of future generations to a healthy environment and to all the natural resources our generation enjoys; preserve and promote our unique cultural, religious and spiritual heritage as the essential basis of our national identity and as a source of enrichment and happiness in the lives of our people; promote friendly relations with the international community on the basis of peace, cooperation and the sovereign equality of states; to play a responsible and constructive role in regional and global affairs; and in particular to further strengthen the unique, warm and friendly relationship and economic cooperation with India. Article IV: Symbol of the Party 5. The symbol of the Party shall be a galloping white horse against the backdrop of a clear sky. The galloping white horse signifies dynamism, advancement and purity of the Party while the clear sky symbolizes peace and prosperity of the country. The Party symbol shall be as specified in Annexure I. 3

5 Article V: Membership 6. Membership of the Party shall be open to all Bhutanese citizens who are registered voters and support the principles and objectives of the Party. 7. To become a member, a duly filled Membership Application Form shall be as sections 53.4 and 65.2 of this Charter. Upon approval for admission, the person shall pay applicable Member Registration and Annual Membership Fees, from which time on the person shall become a member of the Party. 8. Registration fee shall be Nu. 100 while Annual Membership Fee shall be Nu. 1,200 for each member. However, the Executive Committee shall, from time to time, revise the registration and membership fees within the ceiling set by the Election Commission of Bhutan. Annual membership Fees, except in the case of a new member, shall be payable in the first month of each year. 9. Members of the Party shall enjoy the following rights to: 9.1. Be offered equal opportunities to participate in activities of the Party, and not to be excluded by the deliberate withholding of information or by other unfair means; 9.2. Attend and participate in the Party Convention; 9.3. Attend and observe any other Party meeting unless that meeting specifically resolves that it is a closed meeting and states the reason why its business is confidential; 9.4. Have such details about themselves as may be held by the Party kept confidential and not disclosed to any other person without their permission; 9.5. Be provided any information about the Party and its activities which are available but excluding any information which the Party declares to be confidential. 10. Membership of the Party may be refused, revoked, or suspended by the Party on any of the following grounds: Actively supporting a person standing against a Party candidate; Assuming membership of another political party; Expressing disagreement with the Party policy expressed in a way and to an extent, or personal conduct, that seriously throws doubt on the person's support for the principles and objectives of the Party as set out in this Charter; Failing to pay applicable membership dues; or 4

6 10.5. Failing to comply with prevailing laws and regulations relating to political parties and elections, which shall result in automatic and immediate forfeiture of their membership of the Party. 11. Any person whose membership is refused, revoked or suspended may appeal in writing to the Party. The Party shall take reasonable steps to ascertain the full facts of the case and its decision shall be final and binding. A person whose membership has been refused or revoked may not apply for membership again until one year has passed. 12. In any dispute between members or groups of members efforts shall first be made to resolve the matter at the most local practical level. If the dispute remains unresolved, it may be referred to the President of the Party for arbitration, whose decision shall be final and binding. 13. Any member may withdraw his membership from the Party by notifying the local Party office in writing. Article VI: The Party Convention 14. There shall be a Party Convention which shall be attended by the following: President and Vice President; Members of the National Assembly; Representatives of the Constituencies; Elected representatives of the Committees; Secretary; and Treasurer. 15. The Party Convention shall meet annually in a Regular Session. 16. All other members of the Party are entitled to attend the Party Convention. 17. The Executive Committee may at any time and for whatever reason convene a Special Session of the Party Convention. 18. The Executive Committee shall determine the date, time, and venue of Regular or Special Session of the Party Convention. A calling notice for a Regular Session shall be broadcast at least one calendar month before the date fixed for the meeting. 19. Any Party member desirous of moving a resolution at the Regular Session of the Party Convention shall submit a copy of the draft resolution to the Secretary not less than two 5

7 weeks before the date of the Session, provided that the draft resolution shall bear the names and signatures of at least one hundred registered Party members in support of the resolution. 20. Calling notice for a Special Session of the Party Convention shall be broadcast to Party members not less than seven days before the date fixed for the meeting and shall state the agenda for discussion at the meeting. No other item may be discussed at the Special Session. 21. Party policy shall consist only of resolutions passed at meetings of the Party Convention. Election manifestos and policy statements as may be produced by the Party from time to time shall not contradict Party policy.. The functions of Party Convention are to: elect the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Party; lay down the broad basic policies of the Party; enact or amend the Charter of the Party; elect a new President in case of death, resignation or retirement while in office; elect the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committee; elect four representatives of the Constituencies to the Executive Committee; elect five Members of the National Assembly to the Executive Committee; determine Party priorities and develop the Party's political strategy; approve the annual budget for Party; consider a report of the Executive Committee covering the work of the Party since the previous Party Convention; review audited accounts and a financial report from the Executive Committee; appoint external auditors until the next Party Convention; consider policy motions duly submitted for its consideration; and decide on any other measures to be taken to further Party aims. 23. The resolutions of the Party Convention shall be adopted before the end of the Session of the Party Convention. 6

8 24. The President and Vice President shall be elected by the Party Convention from among the registered members of the Party through secret ballot. They shall hold office for a term of five years and shall be eligible for re-election. 25. Representatives of the Constituencies shall be elected by the Constituency Committee members from among registered members of the Constituencies through secret ballot. 26. The President, Vice President, Secretary General and Treasurer shall relinquish office on being voted out by a resolution supported by two-thirds majority at the Party Convention. The motion for the resolution must be signed by at least one-third of the members of the Party Convention. 27. The Secretary General of the Party shall serve as the Member Secretary to the Party Convention. 28. In the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall assume the powers and duties of the Chair. 29. When resolutions are put to a vote in the Party Convention, each Party member shall be entitled to one vote, and, in case of an equality of votes, the resolution shall be declared to be lost. There shall be no voting by proxy. 30. Votes on resolutions shall be decided by a show of hands unless a member demands a ballot. When a show of hands is used, a declaration by the Chair that a resolution has on a show of hands been carried or lost shall be conclusive evidence of the fact The maximum age of the President shall be 65 years at the time of nomination. Article VII: The Executive Committee (change it according to the discussions.) 32. The Executive Committee of the Party shall serve as its executive arm and shall be responsible for plans, programs and implementing the policies. 33. The Executive Committee shall comprise the following members: The President, who shall also be the Chairperson; representatives from Dzongkhags; Secretary General as Member Secretary; Head, Research Wing; Head, Private Sector Development (business development) 33.6 Women Coordinator 7

9 33.7 Youth Coordinator 34. The tenure of the members of the Executive Committee shall not be more than five years and shall be eligible for re-nomination or re-election as applicable. 35. The quorum for the meeting of the Executive Committee shall be two thirds of its members. 36. The Executive Committee shall meet as and when necessary and at least two times in a year. The Executive Committee shall also meet once before the Convention to prepare the agenda for the Session and once after the Convention to discuss the implementation of the resolutions. 37. The Executive Committee may establish such committees for specific tasks, as it deems necessary, and shall specify the extent to which its powers are delegated to the committees. Members to such committees may be co-opted from amongst the general membership of the Party. 38. The Executive Committee shall have full powers to direct and supervise the work of the Party Secretariat in accordance with the rules and policies laid down by the Party Convention and the objectives of the Party. 39. The Chairperson shall assume such powers of the Executive Committee when it is not in session, provided that his or her decisions on these matters are put before the next session of the Executive Committee for endorsement. 40. The Executive Committee may establish branch offices of the Party Secretariat in the country for such purposes as it shall deem necessary, and determine the staffing strength and posts within those branch offices. 41. The Executive Committee shall be empowered to borrow from financial institutions within the country for the purposes of the Party such amount and upon such security as shall be specified in a resolution passed by the Party Convention. 42. The Executive Committee shall have power to sign and execute such deeds, documents and other instruments for the purposes of the Party as shall be specified in a resolution passed by the Party Convention. 43. The duties of the Executive Committee shall inter alia be to: elect Party candidates to stand for elections to the National Assembly direct and supervise the organization, staffing and finances of the Party; finalize the agenda for the Party Convention; 8

10 43.4. recommend the annual budget for the Party; initiate and implement political campaigns and action; receive and review regular reports on the Party's finances from the Treasurer; review the Party's policies regularly; direct, control and review the functioning of the Dzongkhag Coordinators and Constituency Committees; monitor compliance by the Party and Party candidates nominated to stand for parliamentary elections, of all laws and regulations covering political parties and elections; propose to the Party Convention such resolutions and declarations as may be deemed necessary to further the objectives and interests of the Party; present to the Party Convention a report on its work since the previous Party Convention, along with a financial statement and audited accounts; promote the aims and objectives of the Charter and to take any action it deems necessary for such purpose; and make such Rules as it considers necessary for the implementation of the Charter and proper administration and discipline of the Party. 44. The Executive Committee shall elect the leader or nominee of the Party as the Prime Minister from amongst the elected Members of the National Assembly who shall then recommend candidates for appointment as Ministers from amongst the elected Members of the National Assembly. Article VIII: Registered Head Office 45. The registered Head Office of the Party shall be the Secretariat of the Party and based in Thimphu. 46. The registered Head Office of the Party shall be headed by a Secretary General. 47. The Secretariat shall be responsible to conduct the day-to-day functions of the Party. 48. The Secretariat shall be headed by a Secretary General who shall manage the affairs of the Party Secretariat with the sole purpose of advancing the interests of the Party. 9

11 49. The term for the Secretary General and Treasurer shall be five years from the date of appointment. An outgoing Secretary or Treasurer shall be eligible for re-election. 50. In the event of the post of Secretary General becoming vacant, the Executive Committee shall nominate an Acting Secretary to serve until the next meeting of the Party Convention. 51. The Secretary General shall serve as the Secretary of the Party Convention and Member Secretary of the Executive Committee. 52. The duties of the Secretary shall include to: collect and submit agendas to the Executive Committee for Party Convention; summon the Party Convention and meetings of the Executive Committee; conduct the correspondence of the Party under the directions of the Executive Committee; maintain an up-to-date register of Party members; keep all members fully informed of all important activities of the Party Convention and the Executive Committee; record minutes of the Party Convention and the Executive Committee meetings; inform Party members at least one calendar month before the date fixed for the Party Convention, and seven days before the date fixed for a Special Session; serve as the spokesperson of the Party; manage all affairs of the Party Secretariat, including the performance and conduct of Party Secretariat officials in accordance with the Party Service Manual; direct and supervise the work of such branch offices of the Party as may be established by the Executive Committee; maintain the records and monitor the functions of the Affiliated Associations. Article IX: The Dzongkhag Offices 53. A Dzongkhag Office shall be established in each Dzongkhag to coordinate the functions and responsibilities of the constituencies in the Dzongkhags. 54. The Dzongkhag Office shall be headed by a Dzongkhag Coordinator who shall be elected by the Constituency Committee members of that Dzongkhag from among registered members of the Party in that Dzongkhag through secret ballot. 10

12 55. The Dzongkhag Coordinator shall inter alia: be responsible for the organization and finances of the Constituencies; determine Party priorities and propose the annual budget for the Constituencies in consultation with the Constituency Committees; coordinate campaigns in the Constituencies during the campaign period as notified; register new members to the Party and collect registration and membership fees and receive voluntary contributions on behalf of the Party for which the Party shall make appropriate rules; promote awareness and understanding of the plans, policies, programs and principles of the Party; propose prospective candidates from the constituencies to the Executive Committee for election to the National Assembly; submit annual reports on the works of the Dzongkhag Coordination Office and the Constituency Committees to the Executive Committee; and 56. The Dzongkhag Coordinator shall be responsible to the Executive Committee and shall abide by all its decisions. 57. The term of office of the Dzongkhag Coordinator shall be three years and shall be eligible for re-election. 58. The Dzongkhag Coordinator shall relinquish office on being voted out by a resolution supported by two-thirds majority of the members of the Constituency Committees in the Dzongkhag. The motion for the resolution must be signed by at least one-third of the members of the Constituency Committees. 59. A bank account shall be maintained for the funds of the Dzongkhag Coordination Office and the Constituency Committees and an annual financial statement shall be submitted to the Executive Committee. Article X: The Constituency Committees 60. Each Constituency shall have a Constituency Committee comprising: up to three representatives from each Gewog within the constituency elected by the Party members registered in the Gewog; up to two representatives of the Thromde within the Constituency. 61. The Executive Committee based on voter population and spatial nature of settlements in the 11

13 Constituency shall determine the number of Gewog and Thromde representatives in each Constituency. 62. Gewog representatives shall be elected by the registered members of the Party in the respective Gewogs from among registered members of the Gewog through secret ballot. 63. Thromde representatives shall be elected by the registered members of the Party in the Thromde from among registered members of the Party through secret ballot. 64. Constituency Committee members shall serve for a period of three years. Its members shall be eligible for re-election, and any casual vacancy amongst members of the Committee shall remain unfilled. 65. Constituency Committee members shall be voted out of office by a two-thirds majority of the registered members of the Party in the Constituency. The motion for the resolution must be signed by at least one-third of the members of the Party in the Constituency, 66. The Constituency Committees shall be responsible to the Executive Committee and shall abide by all its decisions. 67. The Constituency Committee shall be responsible for implementing the Party's policies, plans and programs within the constituency. In particular, the Committee shall: promote awareness and understanding of the plans, policies, programs and principles of the Party; register new members to the Party and collect registration and membership fees and receive voluntary contributions on behalf of the Party for which the Party shall make appropriate rules; submit proposals to promote the aims and objectives of the Party through the Dzongkhag Coordinator propose prospective candidates for their constituencies to the Executive Committee through the Dzongkhag Coordinator; initiate and carry out campaigns during the campaign period as notified; submit annual reports on its work along with a financial statement of its accounts to the Executive Committee through the Dzongkhag Coordinator, Article XI: Conduct 68. The Party shall conduct strictly in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Political Parties in all Party affairs. 69. The Party shall abide by all electoral laws, Rules and Regulations, Guidelines, Notifications 12

14 and Orders of the Election Commission of Bhutan, issued thereunder. Article XII: Financial Management 70. The overall financial management of the Party shall be the responsibility of the Executive Committee. 71. The Treasurer shall be responsible for all the funds of the Party, and shall maintain a proper set of books covering all financial transactions of the Party. 72. The Treasurer shall have a place as of right on any committee appointed to oversee the finances of the Party, and has a right to address any meeting of that committee, or the Executive Committee, on the financial implications of a proposal before the vote on that proposal is taken. 73. At the end of each financial year the Party's accounts are to be audited by an external auditor appointed by Party Convention and whose report is to be embodied in the annual accounts. 74. The Party Convention shall agree on a budget for each financial year and observe the restraints imposed by the budget, and take any action that may be necessary to contain excess of expenditure or manage any shortfall in income. 75. All cheques and other financial instruments shall be duly signed by the Secretary or Treasurer and one of two other signatories authorized by the Executive Committee. 76. The Treasurer shall be responsible for drawing up the Financial Statement and Accounts for presentation to the Executive Committee. 77. The Executive Committee shall appoint an Internal Auditor to audit the financial transactions of the Party. 78. The Party shall not accept any money or assistance from foreign sources including foreign governments, non-governmental organizations, private organizations, private associations, or individuals. Article XIII: Dissolution of the Party 79. The Party shall stand dissolved as per Section 145 of the Election Bill. 80. The Party may only be dissolved if a proposal to that effect is passed by a three-fourths majority of its members present and voting at a Special Party Convention. 81. Any proposal to dissolve the Party must incorporate proposals for the disposal of the assets and records of the Party. 13

15 Article XIV: Amendments and Interpretations 82. This Charter shall only be amended by a two-thirds majority of members present and voting at a Party Convention. The Executive Committee or any member of the Party may propose amendments to the Charter provided that the proposed amendment shall bear the names and signatures of at least one hundred registered Party members in support of the amendment. 83. In any question of interpretation of this Charter, or where a matter arises in which the Charter is silent, the President of the Party shall give a ruling that may be reversed by a twothird majority of those present and voting at a meeting of the Executive Committee. Initial Authorised Representative People's Democratic Party 14
Trumpanzee is looking at a John W. Davis-sized landslide



The Public Religion Research Institute released a poll over the weekend that isn't just bad news for Senor Trumpanzee, but looks like band news for the Republican Party going forward. If America was a country where only white people could vote-- a goal the GOP still works towards whenever they get a chance-- Trump would be OK and the Republican Party would be rocking from coast to coast. But it's 2016 and the U.S. is a far richer and more diverse country today that it was in the 19th Century. And that's why Trumpanzee and the bigoted message the Republicans are helping him to disseminate are losing.





The PRRI poll showed Hillary with a nation-wide 13 point lead over Trumpanzee among registered voters. That's huge. Just 35% of registered voters say they will cast a ballot for Trumpy-the-Clown. The dozen most recent losers haven't done as badly as Trump is polling:

 Romney- 47.15%

 McCain- 45.6%

 Kerry- 48.26%

 Gore- 48.38%

 Dole- 40.72%

 Bush I- 37.45%

 Dukakis- 45.65%

 Mondale- 40.56%

 Jimmy Carter- 41.01%

 Jerry Ford- 48.01%

 McGovern- 37.52%

 Humphrey- 42.72%

Even Goldwater's drubbing in 1964 gave him 38.47% of the popular vote. You have to go all the way back to 1924, a three-way race between Calvin Coolidge (R), John Davis (D) and Robert LaFollette (Progressive) to find a major party candidate doing as badly as Trumpanzee.





Among independents, Clinton leads Trumpanzee by seven points (40-33%). She also leads him among Hispanic voters (67-18%), among black voters (85-4%) and among whites with college educations (51-33%). Trumpanzee leads among whites without college degrees (50-32%). Candidate preference also varies significantly by age, though notably, Clinton is leading Trump in every single age bracket. Six in ten (60%) young adult voters (age 18 to 29) prefer Clinton, compared to only one-quarter (25%) who support Trump. Senior voters (age 65 and older) are more divided, with 45% supporting Clinton and 38% supporting Trump.





But what makes the PRRI poll interesting and distinct from the other polling organization's work is the religion aspect.

Religious groups are divided by race and ethnicity, with white non-Hispanic Protestants leaning toward Donald Trump and all other religious groups leaning toward Hillary Clinton. A majority of white evangelical Protestant voters (62% Trump vs. 23% Clinton) and a plurality of white mainline Protestant voters (47% Trump vs. 37% Clinton) support Trump over Clinton.



Catholic voters are divided along racial and ethnic lines. White Catholic voters are closely divided but lean toward Clinton (44% Clinton vs. 41% Trump), while non-white Catholic voters overwhelmingly support Clinton over Trump (76% vs. 13%, respectively).



Majorities of every other major religious group support Clinton over Trump: religiously unaffiliated voters (55% vs. 24%, respectively) and black Protestant voters (89% vs. 2%, respectively).

NY Times published a page headlined This morning thepublished a page headlined At Least 110 Republican Leaders Wont Vote for Donald Trump. Heres When They Reached Their Breaking Point. The give Club for Growth the credit for being the first GOP operation to break with Trump, announcing an ad campaign to discredit him on September 15, 2015, 3 months after he and the mail-order bribe came down the escalator in Trumpanzee Tower to call Mexican immigrants rapists and two months after he made the gratuitous crack about McCain not being a war hero. But it was Reid Ribble (R-WI) who was the first GOP elected official to say he wouldn't vote for Senor Trumpanzee if he won the nomination. He had already announced his intention of retiring from Congress but on December 11, 2015 Ribble broke with Trump. The following day the former Governor of New Jersey, Christine Todd Whitman, did the same, comparing Trump to Hitler.





Florida Congressman Carlos Curbelo became the first member of Congress not retiring to say he wouldn't vote for Trumpanzee (Feb. 23, 2016) and 5 days later Ben Sasse (R-NE) became,e the first senator to do the same. Curbelo is in a 90%+ Hispanic district in Miami and will probably lose his seat in November and Sasse isn't up for reelection this cycle.





March 1 of this year saw retiring Virginia Congressman Scott Rigell just say no and the next day the current governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker, did the same, as did former Congressman Jim Kolbe (R-AZ)-- and over 100 Republican national security experts. Next day: Mitt Romney and Norm Coleman (who was in my class at James Madison High School before he became the mayor of St. Paul and a then a Minnesota senator). One week later, March 9, Richard Hanna (R-NY) weighed in and became the first Republican member of Congress to say that he'd not only not vote for Senor Trumpanzee, but that he'd vote for Hillary. By the end of March, the second sitting Republican governor, Larry Hogan of Maryland, announced he wouldn't vote for Trump.





April was quiet and the May 6 came announcements from current congressmembers Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Robert Dold (R-IL) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC)... as well as from Jeb Bush. In June Senor Trumpanzee made his insane statement about Judge Curiel and the floodgates started to open. Two days later Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) called Trumpanzee un-American and Connecticut ex-congressman Chris Shays endorsed Hillary Clinton. June saw more Republicans endorsing Hillary, including former Montana Governor Marc Racicot and former Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson-- as well as several high level Bush cabinet members.





By August Republican congressmen who are not retiring and not in electoral trouble started giving Trumpanzee the thumbs down. Charlie Dent (R-PA) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) led the way. And August has seen a steady drip stream of Republicans saying they won't vote for him-- from Susan Collins (R-ME), William Howard Taft IV and more and more former congressmen and senators (Connie Morella of Maryland, David Durenberger of Minnesota, Tom Campbell of California and Tom Coleman of Missouri).





Capitol Hill insiders are whispering that "most" Republican senators are going to actually vote for Hillary but just won't say so publicly. One super-high ranking House staffer told me that by November I'd be able to write a short post about which Republican congressman are actively backing Trump. "The only one who gave him any money," he told me, not knowing that DWT broke this news last week, "is Lamar Smith and he could be in trouble with his voters back in Bexar County."
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Not everyone believes, as Thomas Sowell does, that the University of Chicago deserves high praise for an anti-politically correct stance on free speech.

"Members of our community are encouraged to speak, write, listen, challenge and learn, without fear of censorship," Sowell quotes an unnamed dean of students. "Civility and mutual respect are vital to all of us, and freedom of expression does not mean the freedom to harass or threaten others."

Sounds good. But, writing at Accuracy in Academia, John Q. Wilson doesn't buy it:

"For all of the high-minded invocation of free speech, the University of Chicago has one of the worst speech codes (and perhaps the most confusing one) that Ive ever read. Its full of arbitrary power, lack of due process, and multiple disciplinary systems that are never adequately explained.

"The worst part of it gives the Dean of Students total authority to effectively expel students without a hearing on extremely vague grounds. Its called the 'Involuntary Leave of Absence Policy' and there is an incredible variety of violations that qualify for banishment."

I was a little suspicious of Sowell's real meaning when I read this in his column:

"Back in the 1960s, as campus riots spread across the country, and academic administrators caved in to even the most outrageous demands, dozens of disruptive students were simply expelled from the University of Chicago and dozens more were put on probation."

While he wrote that approvingly, I read it as a harsh reaction to "disruptive" behavior by students at a time when the whole country was in turmoil over the Vietnam War and civil rights. Most colleges tolerated a little disruption in the spirit of the times, but maybe the University of Chicago wasn't one of them.

In general  and this is a human trait  we tend to be more tolerant of those with whom we agree than those with whom we disagree. That's true of me, and perhaps Mr. Sowell would admit to the same shortcoming.
The Apple logo hangs in a glass enclosure above the 5th Ave Apple Store in New York, September 20, 2012. Photo by Reuters/Lucas Jackson/Files

Apple could be ordered to pay back taxes to Ireland.

The E.U. is expected to announce on Tuesday its decision on possible fines against American tech giant Apple, which is suspected of receiving preferential treatment from Ireland on taxes, sources said.

For weeks reports have emerged saying that the European Commission, the bloc's competition watchdog, was gearing up to hit Apple with a hefty penalty over tax agreements with the Irish government.

A source close to the matter told AFP on condition of anonymity that a decision was expected on Tuesday, while another source also cited that date.

Under European Union rules, which deem state tax aid illegal, the firm could be ordered to pay back taxes to Ireland.

A commission spokeswoman and Apple both declined to comment on news that a decision was forthcoming.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, in a Washington Post interview published August 13, said he hoped to "get a fair hearing" on the matter.

"If we don't, then we would obviously appeal it," he added.

The U.S. stepped up its fight last Wednesday against the commission's crackdown on tax avoidance by Apple and other multinational companies, accusing it of unilateralism and overstepping its mandate.

In a white paper, the U.S. Treasury said the commission probe into alleged special tax treatment that certain E.U. countries gave Apple, Amazon, Starbucks and Fiat Chrysler "undermines the international tax system."

"Defend our reputation"

A U.S. Treasury spokeswoman declined to comment on a possible ruling Tuesday from the commission.

The U.S. has acknowledged the problems around the issue of multinational firms obtaining state aid, in the form of secret and extremely lucrative tax breaks, from Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg for setting up business in those countries.

But it said those deals were made under international treaties and accepted tax practices. The Treasury accused the commission in the white paper of taking a "new approach" to established EU tax law in challenging member states' legal tax breaks offered to multinational firms.

Last week the commission denied it was targeting U.S. companies in particular and said that E.U. rules do not allow national tax authorities to give tax breaks to some companies that are not available to others.

If such breaks are ruled illegal, the benefits from them have to be repaid.

"This is a standard feature of E.U. state aid rules," the commission's statement said.

Ireland has stood by its actions, with Junior finance minister Eoghan Murphy saying Sunday: "We don't believe we gave any state aid to Apple".

He reiterated the government's stance that it would appeal any decision that found against Ireland in the matter.

"It's in the national interest that we defend our international reputation in this regard," he said in the comments on RTE, the national broadcaster.

Related news:

> Apple plans to take a $1 billion bite into central Vietnam

> Apple Inc suffered an outage, some service unavailable for some users.
BRIDGEPORT  Vacant and boarded up for several years, the former T.D. Bank branch on Barnum Avenue will re-open soon as an urgent care facility.

St. Vincents Barnum Health and Wellness Center, a 2,500-square-foot clinic, will open by mid- to late September.

Its been all gutted to the outer walls and totally redone, said Dr. Frank Scifo, medical director for St. Vincents MultiSpecialty Group and urgent care services, of the former bank building at 1640 Barnum Ave., next to Frankies Diner.

Removing the banks vault alone was a major project, he added.

There will be four employees at the facility, including one physician. There will be an element of primary care there, as well, Scifo said.

He said St. Vincents tries to be strategic in its developments. The medical group also has urgent care clinics in Stratford, Fairfield, Milford, Monroe, Shelton, Trumbull and on Main Street in Bridgeport.

Scifo said St. Vincents looks for access points where its services can be most effective.

All these decisions are driven by community needs, he said. We realize that we have a lot of patients coming from that part of town going to our primary care facility so we wanted to make sure they had urgent-care facilities.

More Information Existing St. Vincent's urgent care clinics are located at: St. Vincent's Health Check Clinic At Oronoque, 7365 Main St., Stratford Urgent Care Walk-In Center Bridgeport, 4660 Main St., Bridgeport Urgent Care Walk-In Center Fairfield, 1055 Post Road, Fairfield Urgent Care Walk-In Center Milford, 199 Cherry St., Milford Urgent Care Walk-In Center Monroe, 401 Monroe Turnpike, Monroe Urgent Care Walk-In Center Shelton, 2 Trap Falls Road, Suite 105, Shelton Urgent Care Walk-In Center Stratford, 3272 Main St., Stratford Urgent Care Walk-In Center Trumbull Center, 900 White Plains Road, Trumbull See More Collapse

Keith Williams, president of the East End Neighborhood Revitalization Zone, said he looks forward to having the clinic in that spot.

Wed love to have something in the area thats close by, especially for those who dont have transportation, he said. Anytime there is something vacant and something comes in its a good thing, as long as its beneficial to the community.

Earlier this year, St. Vincents launched myvirtualcare.com, an online tool that allows people with common health conditions such as colds, coughs and sinus infections to connect with the hospitals clinicians for a virtual diagnosis.

The service is available for a set fee of $35. The patient typically gets a response within one hour during business hours.

Any prescriptions needed can be sent electronically to the patients pharmacy. If an in-person visit is necessary, patients are provided help booking an appointment at a local clinic.

ktorres@hearstmediact.com; 203-330-6227
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NEW HAVEN  Joe Bertolino was a college freshman majoring in psychology when he saw a posting for a summer job as a camp counselor.

He thought, I can do that.

Not a great fan of the outdoors, his interview went badly. Still, Bertolino got the job and found he really liked working with kids.

Camp is the way I found my way to education, Bertolino, 52, said.

A painted oar commemorating his camp counseling days was one of the first decorations he hung wall of his office at Southern Connecticut State Universitys Engleman Hall, where he took over as president last week.

My hope is to raise the profile of Southern, said Bertolino, who holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Teachers College at Columbia University and served most recently as president of Lyndon State College in Lyndonville, Vt. Southern is great place that a lot of people just dont know about.

Ready for a keeper

Lushka Vasquez, a graduate student from Ansonia has been at Southern for six years. Bertolino will be her third president.

He is the first president that actually seems to go out and interact with students, Vasquez said. He seems interested in what students have to say. I find him very easy to talk to.

Cynthia Stretch, a professor of English and president of Southerns AAUP chapter, said she is optimistic about the universitys future.

His collaborative style, his commitment to social justice, and his energy will serve the community well, she said.

Robert DeMezzo, director of student life at Southern, described President Joe, as many are already calling him, as engaging and charismatic.

He is clearly the right person to lead Southern Connecticut State University, DeMezzo said. I especially appreciate his genuine interest in connecting with students and treating members of the university community with dignity and respect.

Plenty to do

A university of some 10,500 students, 70 percent or more of them commuters from Fairfield and New Haven Counties, Southern is part of the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system run by the Board of Regents for Higher Education.

Bertolino, whose annual salary will be $294,700, takes over at a time when enrollment is falling, costs are rising and aid from the state is on a downward trajectory.

Certainly there are challenges we need to confront and we will, but all and all this is a good spirited community that cares deeply about the students that are here, Bertolino said.

The issues Southern faces, he said, are not unique. He hopes by raising the profile of the university, Southern can stand out.

Wonderful things are happening here, Bertolino said. Part of my most significant goal is to help Southern define itself and help articulate its brand.

He wants to throw a spotlight on the universitys teacher preparation program, its business school  which is seeking national accreditation  and its year-old science building.

And he said he will work to make sure Southern remains competitive through financial aid packages.

Attending Southern full time this academic year as an undergraduate costs $10,054 for commuters and $22,079 for those who live on campus.

Bertolino said one way to keep costs down is to keep more of the students it gets. About 75 percent of students who start at Southern return for their second year. Just under 52 percent graduate with a bachelors degree within six years.

Retention is important, Bertolino said, promising to invest in academic advising and student support despite ongoing budget cuts.

Moving in

One of Bertolinos first orders of business has been to move to New Haven. He and his longtime partner, Bil Leipold, recently bought a house in town.

Leipold is head of human resources at Rutgers University in Newark, N.J.. and for several years the couple have endured a 400-mile commuter relationship.

For us this is a big deal, Bertolino said. Pictures of their 11 godchildren  most of them children of former students  are already spread across his Southern office.

Not that he has spent much time in his office. By day three on the job, he was traveling the 168-acre campus to meet with the dean and faculties at all of its schools. Next will be a series of town hall meetings to hear from faculty and students.

For me, our top priority are the students, he said. It is the reason we exist as an institution.
Is this a risk to our country? Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue questioned.

Vietnam experienced a trade deficit with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries in the first seven months of 2016.

After seven months of being a part of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), a regional single market, Vietnam saw a trade deficit of $3.6 billion with ASEAN countries, Vuong Dinh Hue said in a meeting August 26. The biggest trade deficit was recorded with Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

It took Thailand seven months to surpass two car manufacturers China and Korea to win the heart of Vietnamese importers, Hue quoted from data of Vietnam customs.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Tran Quoc Khanh doubted whether Vietnam can gain benefit from both ASEAN and ASEAN+ markets since almost all partners have similar economic structure as Vietnam.

In recent years, several free trade agreements between Vietnam and big economic communities have been reached, while domestic firms still tie themselves into knots. FDI firms have shown their well-adaptive manner by quickly taking advantage of tax deductions and incentives. In that case, Tran Quoc Khanh suggested the government should encourage big domestic companies such as dairy producers Vinamilk and TH True Milk, and seafood giant Minh Phu to broaden their investment overseas.

Speaking of Vietnams stance in the global playing field, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment urged Vietnamese companies to enhance their competitiveness or else we will lose right at our home, not to mention the upcoming Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).

Related news:

> Vietnam's stock market outperforms ASEAN rivals

> TPP poses a threat to ASEANs integration: former WTO chief
"This investment reflects our confidence in Vietnams long-term growth potential," said GIC.

Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC will buy a 7.7 percent stake in Vietcombank, Vietnam's biggest bank, both companies said in a joint statement on Monday.

GIC signed a memorandum of agreement to buy 305.8 million new shares of Vietcombank, the fund's first significant direct investment in a Vietnamese commercial bank.

Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, who is visiting Singapore, on Monday witnessed the signing of the deal, estimated by Bloomberg News to be worth some $400 million in a company worth $6.9 billion.

President Tran Dai Quang (standing, fourth from left) witnessing the signing of the deal. Photo from Vietcombank

Vietcombank, established in 1963, is Vietnam's largest lender by market capitalization, the statement said.

The bank also plans to allow Japan's Mizuho Financial Group to buy additional stocks to maintain its 15 percent holding, Vietcombank chief executive Pham Quang Dung told Bloomberg News. The Japanese banking giant in 2011 paid nearly $570 million for its stake.

"This investment reflects our confidence in Vietnams long-term growth potential," said Amit Kunal, GIC head of direct investments group for Southeast Asia, private equity and infrastructure.

"GIC's strong reputation and experience will provide Vietcombank the support it needs to achieve its financial and business goals, both locally and internationally," said Vietcombank chairman Nghiem Xuan Thanh.

The deal is pending regulatory approval and is expected to be completed by end of the year.

Singapore is Vietnam's third largest investor, with a total registered investment capital of around $38 billion, the foreign ministries of both countries said in a separate joint statement.

GIC last month reported a substantial dip in returns and warned of difficult global investment conditions in the next decade.

Formerly known as the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, GIC manages Singapore's foreign reserves with a focus on long-term performance.

It does not disclose the exact value of its portfolio, saying only that it has "well over $100 billion of assets" in more than 40 countries, including real estate, equities and fixed-income investments.

The U.S.-based Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute says GIC has $344 billion of assets under management, making it the world's eighth largest.

Related news:

> Singapore GIC in talks to own at least 7 pct of Vietnam's Vietcombank: sources

> Singtel eyes stake in Vietnams MobiFone
Ricky Agustin, pouring a drink at Pegu Club. Photo: Melissa Hom

Do not be fooled by Ricky Agustin, the dapper and debonair 27-year-old assistant general manager at New Yorks storied Pegu Club. Yes, he will adjust his vintage tie clip, and smooth his fitted vest, and happily explain that the cardamom tincture used in the bars Ramos gin fizz takes two weeks to make. His golden lapel pin will glimmer, and he will charm you with his smile and his dimples. But underneath all that polish is a dude who loves Crocs, Burn Notice, and Cheetos.

In fact Agustins grasp of, and love for, high-low pairings borders on brilliant. When he first heard that Spaniards in Barcelona enjoy flautas Ibericos  sandwiches stuffed with some of the worlds most revered ham  with orange Fanta, he just shook his head in disappointment. Itd be better with Orange Crush. At Chipotle, he does that trick where you ask for two half orders of meat so you can make a super-burrito. At Carbone, meanwhile, he goes for the tagliatelle with black truffles. He confesses a love of Dicks Drive-In, the burger chain from his native Seattle. (I know its gross, but I love tearing into a big bag of Dicks.) And he readily admits to an affinity for Cosmopolitans, just like the Samantha he is. I love Cosmos, he says  verbatim! It makes me sad when I go to a great bar and order one and they refuse. These things can be done right, just like a Mudslide can be done right. This is a guy whose geek-chic arcana stretches to include both obscure cocktails and obscure Pokemon.

Agustin joined Pegu in 2013, and, about six months ago, began working at Suffolk Arms  itself a powerful pastiche of new New York authenticity  and rejoined Pegu exclusively this month. He could be the best bartender in NYC. Easily, says Giuseppe Gonzalez, Suffolks owner. Agustin, in other words, is equal parts decorum and dopeness. He may have the Prohibition-inspired look and repertoire of your everyday top-shelf mixologist, but he is no clone. Hes more talented than that. Meet mixologys doppelgangsta.

His background, remarkably, is rooted in that other Seattle chain: Starbucks. Even there, he perfected his craft. I used to drink a mocha with one pump of raspberry and one pump almond syrup. When you mix those two flavors, you get cherry. That was something you werent taught officially, but a pointer that career Starbucks people would share with the new hires, he explains. It was at the ubiquitous coffee chain that Agustin also began to understand the need to keep his regular customers happy. Coffee orders are like martini orders: Guests are very particular about both. They prefer one and a half pumps of one flavor of syrup, or a rinse of this type of vermouth or a splash of that type of milk with a certain percentage of fat content. Its that type of custom work that I became accustomed to.

Agustin is Filipino-American, a culture where an ube milkshake will be garnished with Rice Krispies, pork ribs will be glazed with Sprite, or pinakbet might have some ranch dressing tossed in. Like so much of the worlds truly gestalt cuisine  Peruvian Chifa, Louisiana Creole, Caribbean Callaloo  he recognizes that what might be mocked as lowbrow by one group can inform and improve what is celebrated as highbrow by another.

At Starbucks, he developed a rogue Frappy Hour where he perfected his approach to frozen drinks. I doubled down on Starbucks in a big way. I really threw myself into it. They called me Pretty Ricky because I took this five-star approach to everything. He loved an off-menu drink called the Undertow, which was a layered shot of espresso hidden in ice-cold milk kissed with a syrup of choice (his is cinnamon dolce).

He moved from coffee to cocktails in Seattle, but left soon after to take a bartending job at Pegu. So many people, I just want to tell them, Relax! Relax! Ricky knows how to relax, says Audrey Saunders, Pegus owner. Any good person in hospitality knows the importance of warmth, of curiosity. But so many are hiding behind eyedrops and costumes. Its correct math, but not elegant math. Ricky is elegant. Hes relaxed. He comes to the kismet of the situation. He trusts in simplicity because he knows you can find joy and excitement there.

For now, though, he isnt regularly mixing drinks at Pegu. Instead hes on the floor, as well as developing recipes and planning the menu. Hes tweaking a frozen coffee drink, and playing with the idea of a boozy cognac with black-cherry soda. He also served as bartender at a recent pop-up event, where he offered something called a Stony Negroni, which was mixed in a bong, its bowl packed with chamomile tea nuggets before he ripped a hit, thereby infusing the Negroni with the tea smoke, which lay potionlike atop the poured-out drink.

Gimmicks aside, Agustin knows what makes a good drink  and how that truly great drink should make customers feel. It should make your nipples pop, he says, unintentionally echoing a quote about Tina Brown, the great high-low impresario who was said to run stories when they did something similar. Agustin, however, thinks about it a little more, and amends his statement on a great drinks effect: It should give you a chub, honestly.
This sounds bad. Photo: Inti Ocon/AFP/Getty Images

Climate change will wreak havoc on the coffee industry: In this century, it will reduce the land fit for coffee production by half, impacting the livelihoods of 120 million of the worlds poorest people. This is according to a report by the Climate Institute, commissioned by Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand, and its particularly dire news for the coffee farmers, who tend to be poor, primary growers of the commodity and cant easily adapt without help.

While change wont happen at the same time in all regions, it will start in the next 40 years. Coffee powerhouse Nicaragua, scientists believe, could lose most of its growing areas by 2050 and yields in Tanzania are predicted to reach critically low levels by 2060. Just as bad, wild coffee  important to the genetic diversity of farmed coffee, and therefore the crops viability  is expected to go extinct by 2080. Adapting for farmers could mean moving to higher ground or further from the equator, but doing so wont be possible without assistance, as coffee plants take years to become productive.

However, as Lavazzas Mario Cerutti said at a conference last year, Its no longer about the future; its the present. Climate change is already negatively impacting the industry. There has been a 50 percent decline in coffee production since the 1960s in Tanzania, while a scourge of coffee leaf rust in 2012 affected half of the coffee in Central America. Producers in Guatemala lost as much as 85 percent of their crop that year, and there was damage to the tune of $500 million in 2012 through 2013, putting 350,000 people out of work. From the looks of it, more of this is on the way  and coffee is about to become a even more precious commodity.
If a new report allegedly coming from "several people familiar with Google's plans" is to be believed, then the Nexus program is dead. The Huawei Nexus 6P and LG Nexus 5X from last year have been the last Nexus-branded smartphones ever.

The highly anticipated (and much-leaked) two handsets built by HTC that we thought would be 2016's Nexuses will instead have different branding, the same unnamed sources go on to claim. This isn't detailed any further, so it could just be that they will be called Google phones or something like that.

Furthermore, the Marlin and Sailfish won't have HTC's brand anywhere on them either, despite the fact that the Taiwanese company is producing them. With Nexus handsets, the manufacturer's brand featured alongside the Nexus logo. This won't be the case anymore.

All of this kind of fits with what Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in June, namely that the company would get involved in phone design more than before. The Marlin and Sailfish handsets will ship with "additional software and a tweaked interface atop vanilla Android", differentiating their user experience from the Nexus phones which basically all shipped with 'pure' Android. We've already heard that such alterations to the OS include a new launcher, a new design for the software navigation buttons, and the integration of Google Assistant throughout.

Finally, one source was apparently able to confirm that Google is also working on two smartwatches that will be released before the end of the year, something first uttered in a leak from July.

Source
For those in India waiting to get their hands on the Lenovo ZUK Z2, here is some good news: the Chinese company has confirmed that the device is coming soon, although an exact date or month wasn't revealed.

The phone, however, will be launched in the country with a different name - the Lenovo Z2 Plus.

Prior to the confirmation, Lenovo's India subsidiary had tweeted a teaser image that effectively suggested that the ZUK Z2 will land in India soon.

The ZUK Z2, in case you missed, was made official back in May this year in China. It carried a launch price of RMB 1,800 ($275/245). There's currently no information on how much the device will cost in India.

Via | Lenovo India (Twitter)
The lastest kit to deal with the chaos named traffic in Hanoi.

200 LED mounted reflective vests and clubs which look like drawn straight Star Wars' famous weapon will be assigned to traffic patrol units in the capital of Hanoi to prepare for night shifts in central districts.

Colonel Dao Vinh Thang, head of Hanoi traffic police, said the proposal to outfit city police with reflective jackets and flashing clubs will be tested at the opening of pedestrian zones around the central district of Hoan Kiem, which is scheduled for September 1.

Colonel Thang with the new stick. Photo by VnExpress/Phuong Son

The reflective vests have flash lights mounted both at the front and the back while the batons have flashing red lights, which will help drivers to better recognize on duty traffic police, Thang said, stressing that these are modern equipments that are essential for the traffic control unit to work during the night.

Hanoi traffic police's reflective jackets will now have flahslights attached to them. Photo by VnExpress/Phuong Son

According to Thang, lighting on the reflective jackets has two different modes. The default yellow is on when an officer controls the traffic, while the white lights up when the officer is issuing a ticket.

The move will coincide with Hanoi's relaxation of the midnight curfew (to 2 a.m.) and the establishment of pedestrian zones around Hoan Kiem Lake, which is hoped to ease the chaotic traffic in the Old Quarter. So, starting September, may the force be with you.

Related news:

> Hanoi traffic cops learn how to deliver...babies

> Traffic police should be allowed to fire on fleeing vehicles: senior police official

> Vietnams new traffic rule makes yellow the new red to educate bad drivers
Published on 2016/08/30 | Source

Added episodes 1 and 2 captures for the Korean drama "The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop" (2016)

Advertisement

Directed by Hwang In-hyeok

Written by Koo Hyeon-sook

Network : KBS

With Lee Dong-gun, Jo Yoon-hee, Shin Goo, Kim Young-ae, Oh Hyun-kyung, Cha In-pyo,...

Sat, Sun 19:55

Synopsis

"Suited Gentlemen In Yanggye-dong" is based on a traditional tailor's with history. The drama depicts the tears, friendship, success and romance of four men.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2016/08/27

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Published on 2016/08/30 | Source

Added episodes 11 and 12 captures for the Korean drama "Age of Youth" (2016)

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Directed by Lee Tae-gon-I

Written by Park Yeon-seon

Network : jTBC

With Han Ye-ri, Han Seung-yeon, Park Eun-bin, Ryu Hwa-young, Park Hye-soo, Yoon Park,...

12 episodes - Fri, Sat 20:30

Synopsis

The drama is a story about five attractive female college students, who live in a shared residence called Belle Epoque.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2016/07/22

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Harlow is a former New Town in Essex with a population of 86,000. Located in the upper Stort Valley, it was built in the decades after the Second World War to ease overcrowding and London and provide homes for people bombed out during the Blitz. It includes Britain's first pedestrian precinct and first modern residential tower block, The Lawn. Old Harlow, the historic part of the town, was mentioned in the Domesday Book. David and Victoria Beckham's former home, Rowneybury House, nicknamed 'Beckingham Palace', is nearby.

06:00, 29 OCT 2022
The virus is the main cause of liver disease and cancer in the country.

Vietnam has some of the highest rates of viral hepatitis B and C in the Asia Pacific region, and the infections have had serious consequences on victims, their families and other contacts, the Ministry of Health told the press on Monday.

A joint study carried out by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Vietnamese Health Ministry estimated that the Southeast Asian country currently has as many as 8.7 million people infected with hepatitis B and about one million with hepatitis C.

Official statistics show that in 2015, hepatitis B killed more than 23,000 people in Vietnam, and a further 6,000 deaths were directly linked to hepatitis C.

Hepatitis B is mainly transmitted through childbirth, from mother to child, according to the Preventive Medicine Department under the Health Ministry.

It is estimated that in Vietnam, chronic hepatitis B infection rates are 10-20 percent among pregnant women, which translates into roughly 55,000 infants born with the virus each year.

Health experts said those newborns have a 90 percent chance of being chronically infected and that they can pass the virus to other people.

Drug users are at a high risk of contracting viral hepatitis C from needles. About 40 percent of people with HIV also have hepatitis C and 54 percent of them are injection drug users, the study found.

Viral hepatitis B and C infections are the major cause of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer in Vietnam.

Around 10,000 Vietnamese people die every year from cirrhosis complications and liver cancer, according to the WHO.

Despite the fact that up to 40 percent of infected cases could develop liver cancer, many Vietnamese people are unaware of prevention and treatment of the virus.

It is estimated that 5 percent of patients chronically infected with viral hepatitis are unaware of the disease and 1 percent of them do not seek treatment, said the Preventive Medicine Department.

According to the WHO, a vaccine given within 24 hours of birth could prevent most cases of transmission.

In Vietnam, 65 percent of new-born babies in 2015 received the vaccination on the day of their birth.

Viral hepatitis B and C are highly infectious, often transmitted through blood and unprotected sexual intercourse.

Symptoms include tiredness, loss of appetite, trouble sleeping and unusually yellow urine.

Health experts said spreading information about the disease and how it can be prevented is essential.

Related News:

>Deadly diphtheria returns to southern Vietnam due to low vaccination rate

>Dengue fever continues to ravage Vietnam

>Vietnam province reports first case of rare brain infection
Vietnam says all will lose in any South China Sea war

'There will be neither winners or losers but rather all will lose.'

Quang, who is on a state visit to Singapore, told a forum that recent developments there were threatening regional security.

The Vietnamese leader did not mention any country but there is growing unease over China's actions.

Vietnamese President, Tran Dai Quang delivers a speech at the 38th Singapore Lecture, organized by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) in Singapore on August 30, 2016. Photo by AFP/Roslan Rahman

China claims most of the South China Sea, which Vietnam calls the East Sea. It has reclaimed reefs and built airstrips capable of hosting military equipment, sparking anger from competing claimants led by Vietnam and the Philippines.

"The East Sea, located at the heart of Southeast Asia, not only brings about many important benefits to nations in the region but it is also a vital route to maritime and air transport of the world," Quang said, using the Vietnamese term for the South China Sea.

But "recent worrying developments" there "have had a negative impact on the security environment of the region, especially maritime security and safety, freedom of navigation and overflight".

"And should we allow instability to take place, especially in the case of armed conflicts, there will be neither winners or losers but rather all will lose," he warned.

Quang was speaking to diplomats, academics and students at a forum organized by the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute.

Four Southeast Asian states including Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam as well as Taiwan have competing claims in the sea.

Vietnam has been among the most vocal critics of China's blanket territorial claims. In 2014 China moved a controversial oil rig into contested territory, prompting riots in Vietnam.

China's activities in the sea have also drawn criticism from the United States, which says it seeks to ensure freedom of navigation in the waterway through which $5 trillion in annual global trade passes.

The sea row has also driven a wedge between members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which has failed to forge a unified front against Beijing's actions.

Last month the Philippines won a case against China at a U.N.-backed tribunal in the Hague which rejected Beijing's claims to most of the sea.

China boycotted the hearing and has refused to recognize the ruling.

Related news:

> Vietnam warns South China Sea is a 'test' of ASEAN

> ASEAN to keep mum on South China Sea ruling: diplomats

> Vietnam welcomes 'South China Sea' ruling
Fast food mega-chain KFC has promised to bring in 1,000 jobs across its 630 restaurants as part of a new campaign by News Corp Australia.



The initiative, entitled 5,000 Jobs in 50 Days, aims to help first time jobseekers find a foot in the market and boost the national youth unemployment rate.



HC spoke to Rob Phipps, chief people officer at KFC Australia, to see how the organisation plans on recruiting such a large number of staff.



KFC Australia encourages anyone who is interested in working for KFC to take a leap and apply, he said.



To make applications more accessible, all restaurant roles are advertised for on a dedicated careers page.



In addition to job opportunities, our website includes videos from actual employees providing insights into what it is like working at KFC; a section for parents and career advisors; and an FAQ page, Phipps said.



Because of our culture, our staff often help the recruitment process via word of mouth. We find that our employees are our best advocates.



These 1,000 incoming staff will be a combination of fulltime, part-time and casual employees, he added. This added flexibility means a broad range of applicants can apply.



KFC Australia has made this pledge because we are deeply committed to creating a workplace that gives all Australians an opportunity to develop the life skills they need to reach their full potential.



To bolster this commitment, KFC has also developed a branded People Promise for its staff, Phipps said.



We promise to help our staff to: Be their Best Self, Make a Difference, and Have Fun! By implementing this People Promise through carefully developed programs, we strive to maintain a workplace where all employees can confidently grow both personally and professionally.




By Jessica Isaacs | [email protected]

Photos by Ken Ketchie

With Boone and Linville locations now under one roof, a brand new Graystone Eye facility opened up today along N.C. Highway 105 in Boone, establishing the practices permanent position in the High Country community.

Front Office Administrator Ann Gardner said the first day of business has been great.

I think all the patients have loved it and we love our new facility, she said. Were just excited to be here.

Graystone occupies the lower half of the new 25,000 square foot building, with Fresenius Kidney Center slated to operate upstairs.

Our layout is just really, really nice. We can accommodate three physicians, whereas before we had a location in Linville and one in Boone. We can see more of our patients, said Gardner. We have hired another physician who will start next year, so well have another full-time physician and the others will rotate. Our goal is to have three so that we can meet the needs of the patients.

After a successful first day in the new facility, Gardner said the Graystone team looks forward to a bright future in the High Country, as it will now have a physician available for appointments every day of the week.

Previously we were limited because we didnt always have a physician in both offices. Linville was only open on Mondays, she explained. Boone was open five days a week, but sometimes we didnt have a physician in the facility because Dr. Allen usually does surgery twice a week. There were limitations in meeting the needs of the patients, but now we are able to do that.

Check out our Whats Going On? spotlight story on Graystone Eye for more information about the practice, the new building and upcoming grand opening festivities.

To learn more, visit graystone-eye.com or call 828-322-2050.

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The operation raised concerns among local and national policy-makers due to lack of communication on behalf of Sarkanniemi as well as among animal rights activists due to the destination of the dolphins.

Anna-Kaisa Ikonen (NCP), the Mayor of Tampere, reveals that she has requested a report on the relocation four bottlenose dolphins from Sarkanniemi, an amusement park in Tampere, to the Attica Zoological Park in Athens, Greece, on Saturday.

Sarkanniemi did not break its silence until early on Sunday and cited security concerns for its reticence about the operation.

I apologise for having had to keep people in the dark. Announcing the transfer in advance could have put both animals and people in danger. We decided to comply with the instructions of authorities until the end, even though reports about the transfer surfaced during the course of Saturday, Miikka Seppala, the managing director of the city-owned amusement park, said in a public statement.

He also stressed that the destination of the dolphins was select by a group of marine mammal experts and veterinarians with animal welfare as their top priority.

Jaakko Mustakallio, a deputy chairperson of the Tampere City Council, is unimpressed by how the operation was carried out. Sarkanniemi's course of operation was amateurish and indefensible. It creates an immensely negative image of the City of Tampere across Finland and suggests that the welfare of these intelligent animals was not a high-enough priority, he writes on Facebook.

The dolphinarium was the country's only and the world's northernmost dolphinarium since it opened its doors to the public in 1985. The loss-making attraction was closed due to financial reasons in October 2015, a couple of weeks after the remaining four bottlenose dolphins performed their last show in Tampere.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Kalle Parkkinen  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
Rubber shoes, umbrellas and raincoats are your best friends during the monsoon season in Vietnam.

Considering traveling to Vietnam from July to late November in the monsoon season? Dont forget these items that will make the heavy downpours and temporary rivers become a piece of cake.

Rubber footwear

Tourists, dont ever think of showing off your stylish canvas or fashionable leather shoes when the monsoon season strikes, or else consider them dead already.

Rubber shoes, rubber slippers, rubber sandals... in short: rubber footwear is the best choice against the pools of (most of the time dirty) water that fill up everywhere.

And, as you're in Vietnam, you might as well dress like a Vietnamese.

Treat yourself to a pair of iconic beehive slippers (dep to ong). The legendary footwear that saves you from heavy downpours with waterproof and non-slippery features will cost you only $1.5 (VND 30,000).

Plus, they are comfy and perfect for the muddy rainy season in Vietnam as all you have to do in the aftermath is to rinse off the dirt. They are cute too, kind of.

A pair of Crocs isn't a bad choice either. Crocs stores can be found in almost every shopping mall in Hanoi, Saigon and Da Nang.

Or more simply and less costly, cover up your shoes with plastic bags. Find bags that fit your feet and done! Your shoes are protected from the water. But it is not recommended since it's not environmentally friendly and a little dangerous in the slippery conditions.

Plastic boots for a rainy day. Photo by VnExpress

Travel umbrella

We know what youre thinking. Umbrellas are a luxury item for some travelers because of their weight and size. Plus, if you try to use an umbrella during a typhoon, you might be able to fly like Mary Poppins...

...in your dreams. Real life s*cks.

Strong winds are coming! Hold on people! Photo by Reuters/Stringer/Files

However, for the occasional small showers, an umbrella makes good company. Travel umbrellas are just perfect, and you can take them everywhere with you. One more thing: monsoon season doesnt mean it will be raining day after day; the sun shines too. Then the umbrella becomes your shield against harmful UV rays.

Umbrella, the shield protecting you from UV rays. Photo by VnExpress

Raincoat

The best rain gear award should go to the simple raincoat. The raincoat gives you more mobility than youve ever wished for and is small enough to fit in your backpack. Plus, not only does it cover your body from head to toe, but also your backpack and camera gear. Raincoats are the garment of choice among locals, and the different colors guarantee to brighten up the gloomy weather.

When a raincoat and an umbrella come together. Photo from Vitalk

Lens raincoat

Dear travel photographer, this is exclusively for you. This kind of raincoat protects your camera and lens from the rain. Its made of a lightweight waterproof, breathable poly tricot material that is small and takes up as much space as a pair of socks in your bag! No need to worry about your digital camera getting wet.

A lenscoat. Photo from bhphotovideo.com

Related news:

> What to do when monsoon season hits Vietnam

> Heavy rains turn Saigon airport to seaport

> Silver linings: Hanoians go fishing in the streets after Typhoon Dianmu
Authorities reopen case of woman last seen at local motel

Felicia Reeves.

A New Jersey prosecutors office has opened a new investigation into the death of a woman last seen alive at the Rainbow motel in Hendersonville in August 2015.

Related Stories

Despite an official ruling that Felicia Reeves took her own life, her sister Suzan Bayorgeon never stopped seeking to have the case reopened, even after a harassing call earlier this summer from someone claiming to be with the police.

Bayorgeon sent out a steady stream of letters to public officials, posted links to Carolina Public Press articles about the case on public websites and made repeated phone calls hoping to find someone who would listen.

As CPP reported last week, a representative of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christies office recently responded to one of Bayorgeons letters, promising to refer the case to the Union County (N.J.) Prosecutors Office. Reeves has been the subject of an ongoing investigative reporting project by Carolina Public Press.

On Monday, Bayorgeon received an email from Michael Henn, homicide task force supervisor for the Union County Prosecutors Office.

After wishing Bayorgeon condolences on the loss of her sister and the recent anniversary of her passing, Henn described a course of action.

Please be advised that after consulting with Acting Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Ann Luvera, the Union County Prosecutors Office will be conducting its own review of the circumstances surrounding the loss of your sister, as well as a review of the investigation done by members of the City of Elizabeth Police Department, Henn wrote.

Henns email said the case would be assigned to a sergeant in his homicide task force and other detectives in that persons squad, with Henn handling the legal side of the investigation personally.

While New Jersey authorities take a second look at Reeves death, police in North Carolina may be gathering information about her disappearance for the first time.

Bayorgeon told CPP that the Hendersonville Police Department contacted her last week, promising to seek information on the taxi in which Reeves was seen leaving the Rainbow Motel on Greenville Highway on Aug. 19, the last confirmed sighting of her in North Carolina.

Unanswered questions

Although some of Reeves movements around the country prior to her death can be guessed from receipts, her family had no certain knowledge of her whereabouts at the time. But the staff of the Royal Motel in Elizabeth, N.J., reported finding her body hanging in a bathroom Aug. 28, 2015, after cleaning the room she had checked into a few days earlier.

Elizabeth Police seem to have handled the case as a suicide from the beginning, with an autopsy stating its findings were consistent with suicide, but apparently not examining whether that was the only plausible cause of death.

But family members had their doubts about this finding and asked CPP to investigate. Reports published in February, March and earlier this month examined multiple problems with the case for suicide, as well as issues that police had not considered.

Reeves parents say they received a strange call from a man demanding credit card information so Reeves could check in to a motel, which timing suggests would have been the Royal Motel. But motel staff have said she checked in alone and they had no male staff on duty at the time.

Evidence suggests Reeves was involved with a multi-state criminal enterprise, possibly engaged in human trafficking, but had described herself as an informant in social media posts in the weeks leading up to her disappearance. She had even predicted that someone would attempt to silence her.

Bayorgeon also told CPP last week that the family remains concerned about how Felicias ex-husband, Titus Boley, knew that she had died. They said he called them with condolences a short time after they learned of her death, but well before any extended family members were told or any reports appeared in the news or social media. Boley is currently facing drug trafficking charges in Polk County and previously served time in prison for repeated attacks on Reeves, including an attempt to strangle her.



Here are links to previous Carolina Public Press stories about Reeves' case.

http://carolinapublicpress.org/24325/what-happened-to-felicia-reeves/

http://carolinapublicpress.org/24401/family-disputes-police-claims-about-daughters-case/

Carolina Public Press is a nonprofit online news service providing in-depth and investigative reporting to Western North Carolina. Find more at www.carolinapublicpress.org.
Four charged in death of HHS graduate

Jenkins

Authorities have charged four men in connection with the murder of a Hendersonville High School graduate who died in the back yard of a party in Goose Creek, S.C.

Related Stories

Kyle Shirlin, a 2015 graduate of HHS, was pronounced dead after he was shot in the chest in the backyard of a party that had attracted 80 to 100 people, police reports said.

Multiple media outlets reported that the Goose Creek Police Department charged three men with murder and one with accessory after the fact. Charged with murder were Michael Dwayne Smith, 20, of Wadmalaw Island; Riccardo RaShawn Jenkins, 23, Hollywood; and Ali Shaheim Smalls, 26, of Ladson. Jamal Deangelo White, 25, of Ladson, was charged with accessory after the fact.

In the days after the Aug. 21 shooting police received confessions from White, who told them Jenkins pulled the trigger, the Charleston Post and Courier reported. White admitted to driving Jenkins away from the crime scene.
Investigators, Interior Ministry officers and members of security forces work near the site of a bomb blast outside China's embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, August 30, 2016. Photo by Reuters/Vladimir Pirogov

At least one is dead and three other people are wounded.

A suspected suicide car bomber rammed the gates of the Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on Tuesday, killing the attacker and wounding at least three other people, officials said.

An Interior Ministry spokesman said the car exploded inside the compound and quoted Deputy Prime Minister Janysh Razakov as describing the blast as "a terrorist act".

Police cordoned off the building and the adjacent area, and the GKNB state security service said they were investigating the bombing that occurred around 10 a.m. local time (0400 GMT).

China condemned the assault and urged the Kyrgyz authorities to "quickly investigate and determine the real situation behind the incident.

"China is deeply shocked by this and strongly condemns this violent and extreme act," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing in Beijing.

Three embassy staff suffered minor injuries and had been taken to hospital, but no organization had yet claimed responsibility, Hua said.

A car is parked near China's embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, August 30, 2016. Photo by Reuters/Vladimir Pirogov

China's state news agency Xinhua said five people were wounded: two security guards and three Kyrgyz nationals working at the embassy.

Authorities in Kyrgyzstan, a mostly Muslim former Soviet republic of 6 million people, routinely detain suspected Islamist militants they accuse of being linked to Islamic State, which actively recruits from Central Asia.

An anti-Chinese militant group made up of ethnic Uighurs - a Turkic-language speaking, mainly Muslim people, most of whom live in China's Xinjiang region - is also believed by some to be active in Central Asia, although security experts have questioned that.

In 2014, Kyrgyz border guards killed 11 people believed to be members of that group who had illegally crossed the Chinese-Kyrgyz border.

Attacks on Chinese missions abroad are rare, although its embassy in Belgrade was hit in error during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999.

An Islamist militant attack on a hotel in Mali in 2015 killed three Chinese citizens, and this year a Chinese U.N. peacekeeper was killed in an attack, also in Mali.

A police car is parked near the place of bombing, near the Chinese embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, August 30, 2016. Photo by Xinhua/Chen Yao/via Reuters

In Pakistan, Chinese workers have occasionally been targeted by what police say are nationalists opposed to its plans to invest tens of billions of dollars in a new trade route to the Arabian Sea, part of its "One Belt, One Road" project to open new markets via Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle East.

Related news:

> Suspected Islamists kill Bangladeshi gay activist working for US embassy

> Wedding suicide bomber was aged 12 to 14
Pat Kenny said he has been looking for "new television opportunities" when asked if he will be presenting TV3's revamped current affairs show.

The Newstalk presenter is expected to be confirmed as the big-name signing for its news show at tomorrow's TV3 media launch, as they unveil their autumn schedule.

He has dipped in and out of various TV projects since he left RTE after 41 years with the broadcaster in 2013. Now he has been tipped to take over TV3's Wednesday night current affairs show.

Change

The former Frontline presenter said there's been an "active process under way" when asked if he was seeking a new TV project.

"Anything I decide to do will become clear in time. I've always been looking at television opportunities. I enjoyed In the Round with UTV Ireland.

"It was clear they were headed for change anyway," he told the Herald. "They were put on the market shortly after I arrived. Then I did a thing on the Trial of the Century for TV3 and it's the way I like to work. I can choose projects if they appeal to me. My day job is Newstalk and, if other projects come my way, I'll consider them."

Kenny will mark his three-year anniversary with Newstalk this Thursday and said he has enjoyed the leap into the unknown which came with him leaving RTE.

His morning radio slot will also be extended and moved from 9-12pm next month.

"What excited me then still excites me now. There's a kind of collegial atmosphere in Newstalk. It's a very co-operative environment," he said.

His former employer, RTE, hit the headlines recently after a flurry of high-level executives left the station in the wake of Dee Forbes taking over as director-general.

Asked for his opinion on the changes, the broadcaster said it was "the end of an era in one sense".

He said this was the first time a DG had come in from the outside and wasn't "home grown", citing former DGs like Vincent Finn, Oliver Maloney and Cathal Goan.

"This is someone who's coming in from the commercial sector, and I've heard great things about her," he said. "She will work to a different imperative and there is an element of leaping into the unknown. No one knows how it's going to impact the station.

"There are also people that might have had ambitions to ascend to the highest office in RTE, and if those ambitions are now delayed for seven years - the length of the office - they may look elsewhere for a new challenge."

He also welcomed the increased investment in Irish stations like TV3 from its new British owner, Virgin Media, which has also acquired UTV Ireland in a 10m deal.

"The sector should become more lively now. TV3 will have better investment, a big owner with deep pockets," he said.

"It's the environment I've always wanted - where you can come and go into RTE or the private sector and nobody will think the worst of you."
Italy's cultural voucher for 18 year olds By: Alberto Mingardi

Tyler Cowen links to this piece by Cara Giaimo on an initiative of the Italian government: a  500 euro bonus that youngsters can cash in as they turn 18.

If I read him correctly, Tyler is moderately positive on the idea. I suppose we may agree that this is a relatively harmless kind of policy. Young people turning 18 are given some cash by the government to buy books and movies and concert tickets of their own liking. The government is expecting to spend some 290 million euros.

A few details that could perhaps be of interest:

(*) The measure is funded for 2016 and will be administered through a website. The website isnt up yet, but if I understand correctly the government preferred to prepare an e-commerce platform of sorts, instead of giving people a kind of ATM card to use in shops. I think this may be a sensible choice: Im no expert, but the option chosen seems instinctively to have lower set up costs than the other. But of course if the measure ends up not being funded for 2017 and the following years, that government platform will end up in the graveyard of websites.

(*) The rationale offered by the Italian government for this measure relates to building a sense of community and reminding young people of the importance of culture. Which raises the question: will all kinds of cultural consumption be available to them? Really? We dont know that yet, but the spirit of the voucher would entail that people could use the money to buy a movie by Wim Wenders as much as an Adam Sandler one. If this is the case, it is safe to predict that some intellectuals will raise their eyebrows. If this is not the case, and the government is somehow selecting some worthy cultural consumption, the obvious questions will come: who is doing the selection? Who controls those who select? Can government distinguish between high- and low-brow culture, and if so where do George Simenons novels or Alan Moores comic books fit?

(*) What about an 18 year old buying a book for his mother? Or for his younger sister? If the government is ok with that, this looks more and more like a stimulus attempt under the pretense of a cultural measure. If the government is not, how can it seriously make sure that only 18 year olds will benefit from this?

(*) My colleague Filippo Cavazzoni, an expert in the economics of culture, pointed out to me that the voucher should be disciplined by a legal decree to be produced one month after the budget law was approved. That happened on December 28, 2015, but the decree hasnt been published yet.The voucher is supposed to be operative as of September 15th. Matteo Renzi practices what we may call government by announcement. My sense is that he is not alone. The legal infrastructure of contemporary government has became so complicated, that while politicians aim at intervening instantly whenever a problem arises, they take months just to make sure that the new laws of their writings are consistent with old ones. This phenomenon is particularly pronounced in Italy but, again, I fear it is not a uniquely Italian one.
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LAS VEGAS (AP)  Nevadas largest school district is starting the new school year with more than 300 teacher vacancies.

The Clark County School District opened up the new school year Monday with about 320,000 Las Vegas-area students. Its also the first year that the fifth-largest school system in the country will offer full-day kindergarten at all of its schools.

The district said it has 319 teacher slots to fill as of Monday, cutting by more than half the 881 vacancies left at the end of last school year in June. Long-term substitutes are heading the classrooms where there isnt one hired. The school system said it already has 18,300 licensed teachers on the payroll and are continuing to work through the hiring and paperwork process for current applicants.

Officials had said that there were about 700 vacancies back in February when the governor declared the teacher shortage a statewide emergency. That allowed educators who were already licensed in another state to start teaching in southern Nevadas vacancy-filled classrooms immediately while they work through the Nevada licensure requirements within a year.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports (http://bit.ly/2c3EC8b) that the Clark County School District made the largest share of its recent hires thanks to that policy change. Mike Gentry, chief recruitment officer, also credited salary hikes in the latest teachers contract for drawing in new teachers.

And even though the district has hired 1,539 new teachers, the latest vacancy numbers still come with some caveats. Increased class sizes cut nearly 300 positions in order to balance the districts budget. Another 200 or so applicants are now being vetted before hiring is made formal.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A man jailed in Las Vegas ahead of three court appearances this week on charges that could put him in prison for up to 14 years claims that he holds a British royal title, police said Monday.

Alexander Montagu-Manchester identified himself to detectives as the 13th Duke of Manchester, said Las Vegas police Officer Laura Meltzer, a department spokeswoman. The royal title dates back 950 years in Britain, to the time of William the Conqueror.

Montagu-Manchester, 53, is due to face a judge Tuesday on a burglary charge stemming from a break-in at a home in July. Police said he was found shirtless about 2:30 a.m. in a neighboring home shortly after the burglary was reported, and said he lived there.

Montagu-Manchester also is scheduled in court Wednesday in a separate felony false police report case that led to his arrest Aug. 12. Hes been jailed since then.

He will face another judge Thursday in a misdemeanor driving under the influence of drugs case from 2015. Prosecutor Eric Bauman said hes accused of having high levels of the muscle-relaxant benzodiazepine in his system at the time.

Meltzer said police reports didnt specify Montagu-Manchesters citizenship. A man who answered the phone for the British consulate in Los Angeles said Friday he could not give information about Montagu-Manchester without his authorization.

An arrest report states that Montagu-Manchester told Las Vegas police Aug. 3 that his estranged wife attacked him with a knife two days earlier, badly cutting his thumb as he moved into a new apartment. Laura Montagu denied that she cut him and said she never visited the new apartment.

A police detective said in the report that a moving company employee who had been at the apartment and hospital medical personnel said Montagu-Manchester told them he injured himself using a bayonet to cut packing box tape.

Montagu-Manchester is represented by three different court-appointed public defenders. None responded to telephone and email messages Friday and Monday seeking comment.

He resolved a felony bad check charge in Las Vegas in 2013 without being convicted after paying restitution, court records said.

That came after Montagu-Manchester several months earlier pleaded no contest to a disorderly conduct charge alleging he pointed a gun at someone. The charge was dismissed after he completed a court diversion program.
More women, juveniles help drive need for more space at the jail
Elmer Taylor, 68, died of metastatic melanoma on July 1, 2016. He is survived by his wife, Dianne, his daughter, Melinda, and her daughters. He is also survived by his sister, Lisa, his brother-in-law Kevin Dinwiddie, their daughters and their grandchildren.

Elmer came to Sun Valley to conduct a three week workshop in ceramics at the now defunct Ceramics Center at the Sun Valley Center for the Arts. He and his wife purchased a small cabin before returning to Texas where they both taught at the University of North Texas (UNT). The cabin became Taylormade Pottery in Ketchum in 2002.

Elmer was a skilled fly fisherman and hunter and had many interests, but what was most important to him was teaching. He taught at UNT for over 40 years and was appointed Regents Professor, an honor extended to few. In the School of Visual Arts, he was Professor of Art.

After he died, one of his students started an Elmer Taylor Memorial Page on Facebook and at last count there were 198 members, most of them students. Their words describe him best:

Your ability to push us beyond our own boundaries was really powerful and it shaped me in so many ways. is a recurring theme. Another is, You have always been a larger than life force with a great sense of humor, and creative energy that few can match. How many pots have you made.....thousands, tens of thousands. That is what you taught, not with words but with actions. He mentored hundreds of students during decades of teaching and many of them credit him with changing their lives. One student wrote something that sums him up well, Integrity, Industry, and Accountability are what Elmer Taylor embodied. And they are eternal.

At school, he was a mentor and teacher. At home, he demonstrated great love for his family and extended family in tangible ways. Elmer was the one we depended on, and his early death leaves a void that we will never be able to fill.
Aug. 28

Steven R. Arnold Jr., 34, of West Wendover was arrested at 1045 Wendover Blvd. for committing or attempting to commit a fraudulent act in gambling and theft. Bail: $10,000



Octavio Salazar, 23, of West Wendover was arrested at the West Wendover Police Department for failure to appear after bail for a misdemeanor. No bail listed.



Savana J. Smith, 21, of Elko was arrested at 12th Street and College Avenue for DUI and stop lamps required. Bail: $1,255



Jason D. Tucker, 45, of Helper, Utah, was arrested on Interstate 80 for DUI. Bail: $1,140
This domain has expired. If you owned this domain, contact your domain registration service provider for further assistance. If you need help identifying your provider, visit https://www.tucowsdomains.com/
In general, in a campaign filled with controversial statements, its fair to say Donald Trump doesnt do apologies and he doesnt do regret. Which is why it was extraordinary that in his speech in Charlotte Thursday night  one of his first under a new campaign management  Trump did that rarest of things: he expressed regret for rhetorical excesses of the past and conceded that they may have caused pain for some people.

Sometimes in the heat of debate and speaking on a multitude of issues, you dont choose the right words or say the right thing, Trump told the crowd at the Charlotte Convention Center. I have done that. And believe it or not, I regret it. And I do regret it. Particularly where it may have caused personal pain. Too much is at stake for us to be consumed with these issues.

That was new Trump. Very new Trump.

But there was much more new Trump in Charlotte. Trump introduced a theme of a New American Future  his team capitalized in his prepared text  which all Americans would reach by working together in a Trump administration. For the man who at the Republican convention proclaimed that I alone can fix the nations problems, the Charlotte speech represented a remarkable turn toward common effort. According to the prepared text, Trump used the word together seven times in the speech, which must be a record for him. (He used together once  once  in his convention acceptance speech.) From Charlotte:

We are one country, one people, and we will have together one great future.

Id like to talk about the New American Future we are going to create together.

This isnt just the fight of my life, its the fight of our lives  together  to save our country.

We are going to bring this country together.

Together, we will make America strong again.

Now, much of that is political boilerplate. But it is political boilerplate that Trump, the unconventional politician and speaker, has not used before.

And not just together  Trump also added a message of inclusiveness that could have come from any mainstream politician, Democrat or Republican. But not, until now, from Donald Trump.

We cannot make America Great Again if we leave any community behind, Trump said. Nearly four in 10 African-American children are living in poverty. I will not rest until children of every color in this country are fully included in the American Dream. Jobs, safety, opportunity. Fair and equal representation. This is what I promise to African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and all Americans.

Trump expanded on the appeal to black voters that he made Tuesday night at a speech in West Bend, Wisconsin, charging that Hillary Clinton and Democrats have for decades taken black support for granted. Citing figures on poverty, education, and crime, Trump said, If African-American voters give Donald Trump a chance by giving me their vote, the result for them will be amazing ... Look at how badly things are going under decades of Democratic leadership ... It is time for a change ... What do you have to lose?

Change  Trump hit the theme over and over, portraying himself as the change candidate to voters wary of electing Democrats to a third consecutive term.

Much of the speech was a tighter, more disciplined indictment of Clinton along the lines of Trumps older speeches. But in Charlotte, Trump admitted his own rhetorical sins before laying into Clinton for her substantive lapses.

The American people are still waiting for Hillary Clinton to apologize for all of the many lies shes told to them, Trump said. Tell me, has Hillary Clinton ever apologized for lying about her illegal email server and deleting 33,000 emails? Has Hillary Clinton apologized for turning the State Department into a pay-for-play operation where favors are sold to the highest bidder? Has she apologized for lying to the families who lost loved ones at Benghazi?

There were the standard Trump critiques of big trade deals. Of a corrupt system. Of immigration practices. But there were also rhetorical turns everywhere. For example, when Trump declared that he would refuse to let another generation of American children be excluded from the American Dream, he turned a term favored by immigration reformers to his own uses: Let our children be dreamers, too.

In all, it was perhaps Trumps most remarkable speech of the campaign  and the third noteworthy effort this week. On Monday, Trump gave a solid speech on his proposals to fight radical Islamic terrorism. On Tuesday, he gave a sharp and focused speech on law and order, coupled with an appeal to black voters. And then Thursday night in Charlotte.

Among other things, the North Carolina speech defied expectations set by some of the reporting on the recent changes at the top of the Trump campaign. Some press accounts suggested that Trumps decision to bring in Breitbart executive Steve Bannon and to promote pollster Kellyanne Conway somehow amounted to an effort to return to the old Trump of the Republican primaries. The original wild man so beloved by a winning margin of GOP voters would come back.

Thats not at all what has happened so far. Trumps speech in Charlotte suggested a candidate willing to take a new approach to the formidable problems he faces in this race. Perhaps the old Trump will come roaring back at any moment. But Trump in Charlotte was something entirely new.
India is a fast urbanising nation. Back in 2010, a major consultancy firm pointed out that it took nearly 40 years (from 1971 to 2008) for Indias urban population to rise by nearly 230 million, but that it will take only half that time to add the next 250 million. In the same report, it was estimated that Indias cities need an investment of 1.1 trillion dollars. The population density in urban India has risen from 325 persons per square kilometres to 385 persons in the same area. A FICCI Report estimated that in India 57% of GDP in 2012 was contributed by urban regions and that by 2025, 69 metropolitan cities in India are expected to have 78% of the urban population.

Youth are responsible for fuelling a major part of these transitions. To realise the full economic potential of these changes, and to minimise the adverse social impact of dislocations that result, policy and implementation need to focus on low income and other groups that come to urban environments in search of a better life. An affordable, culturally sensitive, and empowered urban architecture is urgently required. This needs to be informed by a larger vision of remodelling the existing architecture of the marginalised to be a more meaningful to local and national life.

Read | Gurgaon is doomed: How not to plan and build a city

For far too many years, a large populace has consistently been disenfranchised by being pushed into sub-human squatter settlements  unauthorised by civic agencies  and deprived of any legitimate means of access to basic public utilities such as potable water, sanitation, and power. Located on the fringes of the city, the deprivation of this citizenry is made worse by their inability to access major networks of public transportation. The members of this vast segment of our population are forced to endure the hardship of a daily commute of several hours to their places of work. Their ability to sustain a work-life balance is non-existent. This daunting challenge also offers an historic opportunity to showcase a credible urbanisation vision, illustrating how urban development is targeted towards ensuring that the lowest economic strata are empowered to live equitable lives. Social housing  embedded within urban centres, complete with infrastructure for power and water supply, and for sanitation must be an integral component of any smart ideation.

Read | Six lessons in urbanisation from Gurugram and Bengaluru

Le Corbusiers design for the modern city of Chandigarh  replete with sectors for housing several social classes according to their economic stature in the new civic order  proclaimed independent Indias urban ambition to the world. As our first professionally designed post-colonial city, Corbusier sought to create meaningful networks between buildings, landscape and mobility (pedestrian and vehicular). The enduring irony of this vision lies in its failure to provide any permanent accommodation for the thousands of men and women who toiled for years on constructing its buildings and boulevards. These were the first slum-dwellers of Indias first modern metropolis.

Read | To succeed, citizens must have more say in the Smart Cities Mission

Lack of such imagination and large-scale thinking is evident in early experiments in the design and construction of housing for the masses by most civic and municipal authorities, which have failed to anticipate and include those urban citizens who occupy the lowest rung of the economic ladder. A serious reconsideration of social housing policy is long overdue. And this is perfectly achievable. A basic overview of the history of public policy and urban planning would provide numerous examples of cities that have successfully transformed themselves from fetid, disease-infested dumps, into healthy urban centers, just in the last century. This process entailed an expansive introduction and implementation of laws. These laws defined templates for zoning, introduced stringent measures for health and fire-safety, mandated and enforced the provision of energy, water supply and sanitation infrastructure, created networks of pedestrian and vehicular movement, introduced multiple modes of public transportation, banished child-labour, prioritized safety and security for all citizens, and created urban design templates to benefit all sectors of society.

In India, democratic governance introduces another layer of public participation in determining the future of the city. Since urban environments in India are often the fragmented responsibilities of local, state and central governments, and numerous other organisations that keep challenging the urban environments for their topical requirements, close coordination and alignment needs to be fostered and deeply institutionalised.

Read | Poor planning has cost Mumbai its open spaces, eco-sensitive land

To achieve this circumstance for Indias exploding urban populace requires the creation of a governance entity comprising of professionals from a multitude of disciplines  healthcare, energy, technology, transportation, landscape, education, and architecture  working collaboratively with the local government and the municipal agencies to create effective templates for the transformation of our cities. This entity, governed by the most stringent standards of accountability and transparency, would recommend time-bound projects across the city to begin this renovation.

Read | Urbanisation can mitigate poverty: PM Modi at smart city launch

The foremost priority would be the enabling of policies for the creation of built environments that would restore the ability of all economic classes to co-exist with the same level of civic infrastructure. If the parameters for all neighbourhoods established common platforms of amenities  each citizen deserving of the same amount of potable water, the same units of energy, the same public transportation networks  critical ingredients of any equitable city, we would be well on our way to a realised vision. Our failure to imagine and quickly implement urban reform will expose the glaring lack of intelligence behind newly christened smart cities. Before our cities become smart, they need to become livable and humane.
Did France do the right thing by banning the so-called burkini, a baggy head-to-toe wetsuit that reveals only a womans face, from about 30 beaches across the Riviera?

On Friday a French court struck down the ban at one beach, but the broader argument around it will continue to rage. Opponents decry the ban as a hideous human rights violation that has no place in a country that prides itself on its democratic values. Ban supporters welcome it as a sign that the French are finally standing up to a culture of Islamic extremism in their midst.

Read | Burkini ban: French resorts defiant despite court ruling

There is another way to look at the controversy, especially for those of us not directly affected by who wears what on a distant shore. The burkini ban may be ham-handed and extreme, but the underlying problem it flags is all too real. The quest to enshroud women is a cornerstone of Islamism, the ideology that seeks to order all of life by the tenets of orthodox Islam. The French are wise to recognise this, even if they are foolish to fight it with this ban.

By now almost anyone who has heard of a burkini would likely have heard the case against the ban. It violates a basic tenet of individual liberty  a persons right to decide for herself what to wear. It will further constrict the lives of Muslim women already oppressed by community norms. It gives the Islamic State and other terrorist groups an easy propaganda victory. They can say, look, even the French dont let women dress as they please.

Read | Your ultimate bikini dictionary

The idea of a law that effectively forces women to reveal skin in order to enjoy the beach makes many Indians especially uncomfortable. Where will the withering gaze of Western modernity turn its attention next? What if they decree that sarees and salwar kameezes dont respect good morals and secularism?

Not surprisingly, arguments in favour of the ban tend to be bluntly put. As a democracy, France has every right to expect immigrants to respect its cultural norms in public spaces. Just as you wouldnt dream of wearing a bikini on a Saudi Arabian or Iranian beach, you shouldnt disrespect local custom by wearing a burkini in France.

Moreover, the argument goes, the French deserve to be cut a little slack considering the sheer horror inflicted upon them by Islamic extremists. In January 2015, terrorists murdered 12 people at the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. Ten months later they killed another 130 people in the Paris attacks.

Read | Burkini ban protesters throw beach party at French embassy in London

Last month, two 19-year-olds of Algerian ancestry slit a Catholic priests throat in a church in Normandy. Barely two weeks earlier, a Tunisian immigrant, claimed as a soldier by the Islamic State, used a cargo truck to mow down 84 people out celebrating Bastille Day. The dead included ten children.

At such a fraught time, can you really blame the average French person for not eagerly welcoming an obtrusive advertisement for Islamic norms  at some level the same norms that many terrorists claim to champion  at the beach?

Moreover, the French response to the burkini is embedded in an historical context alien to many of its loudest critics in Britain and America. In Catholic France, secularists clawed authority away from a powerful clergy by imposing a particularly stringent form of separation between church and state known as laicite. Against this backdrop, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that French laws banning face-covering garments such as the niqab in public do not violate religious freedom.

Read | Disdain in Britain, US for French burkini ban

Indeed, the question of womens clothing and Islamism is far more complex than many liberal critics of the burkini ban acknowledge. As the London-based Egyptian commentator Nervana Mahmoud has argued, the burkini is problematic for two reasons: It symbolises a perception in the Islamic world that women who cover up are superior to those who do not. And for many Islamists it is merely one step on the ladder toward complete segregation of the sexes.

As Mahmoud puts it, the more women give in and cover up, the more the advocates of regression will raise the stakes higher.

To its credit, France has grasped this complexity  that the burkini is not merely a piece of swimwear, but also a symbol of a regressive political project. Nonetheless, this particular ban appears lazily concocted and ultimately counterproductive.

Safety concerns can justify outlawing the all-encompassing burqa and face-covering niqab from public places. A narrowly tailored ban on ostentatious displays of religiosity in French state schools applies equally to headscarves, large crosses, Jewish yarmulkes and Sikh turbans.

Read | Heres why burkini is banned in France and the politics, backlash over it

Nobody in their right mind can argue that a burkini makes a great hiding place for an AK-47. And on the face of it the burkini ban appears narrowly aimed at pious Muslims rather than equally at all flagrant displays of faith.

More importantly, neither the West, nor pluralistic democracies more broadly, will defeat Islamism by mimicking it. Ultimately, freedom of choice is as powerful an idea as the Islamist vision of implementing gods law on Earth. Victory for the democratic world lies not in banishing burkinis from France, but in a future where women everywhere can choose without fear or coercion to wear a bikini, a burkini or anything else.

Sadanand Dhume is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC

The views expressed are personal
An all-party delegation is slated to visit Srinagar next month to open dialogue with the people. Its a laudable initiative. The question nevertheless remains whether times ripe, the sentiment conducive and the Valley receptive to reconciliation?

One view of the visit: Its never too early or too late to reach out to alienated citizenry; that a direct encounter with the severity of the situation would help national parties appreciate better the challenges facing the people, the local administration and the security forces.

The other argument: Not much would come out of the one-off visit without sustained outreach at other, more difficult, tiers. Elected representatives will have to pick up courage to connect with rebellious constituents, at once mobilizing peer leaders, parents, teachers and elders to reason with the youth whore veritable family dropouts.

The glaring inter-generational cleavage needs bridging, noted Wajahat Habibullah, a former J&K cadre IAS who was Commissioner, Kashmir Division, during the insurgency of 1990s. The post-nineties generation of Kashmiri Muslims and Pandits, he continued, grew up amid violence and distrust: They know nothing about Kashmiriyat.

Another name for syncretism, Kashmiriyat was always a nubile concept, blown out of public consciousness in the decades after the Pandit exodus of January, 1990. Even a vestigial narrative of the romantic construct conjured up by Sheikh Abdullah, hasnt had any inter-generational voyage.

Reconnecting the youth with elders should be at the core of any peace initiative in Kashmir, averred Rajiv Vora of Swaraj Peeth Trust that has worked with the Valleys youth. Their aspirations have to be relocated in India .

Voras comment alluded to Kashmirs cross-border dimension. But before getting to the substantive, theres need to address the emotive: use of pellets, excessive force, resultant casualties and house raids that exacerbated disaffection, swelling the number of youth with guns.

That brings one to the elephant in the room-- the Hurriyat. Why would separatists who thrive on popular distrust of India, help mainline parties restore normalcy? Replied Habibullah: Theres one concern the Hurriyat is duty-bound to share with others: the wellbeing of youth fighting troops on streetsIts wider connect with the disaffected population enhances its responsibility to reach them succour without prejudice to its stance on Kashmir.

A healing touch approach by elected representatives would take jamhooriyat (democracy) and insaniyat (humanity) to Kashmirs doorsteps. The all-party team should go there as good listeners, not spokespersons of any established authority. Theyd connect better as emissaries of people of India holding out a caring hand.

That also will jell well with the PMs new slogan-- mamata (empathy) and ekta (unity). To be true to its word, the BJP, cautioned an official, has to have an image makeover. It must abandon reassertion of its traditional positions to be heard and believed in Kashmir

If nothing else, it will be good tactics to pull the Valley back from precipice.
Keen to ensure smooth implementation of GST in April 2017, the empowered group of state finance ministers will meet industry chambers on Tuesday. Within days of Parliament passing the Constitution Amendment Bill for rolling out the Goods and Services Tax (GST), several sectors had begun hectic lobbying for exemption from the new tax.

The government cannot give exemptions to sectors from the ambit of the Goods and Services Tax, revenue secretary, Hasmukh Adhia told HT in an earlier interaction.

Industry chambers such as FICCI, CII and Assocham are meeting the state finance ministers to highlight concerns raised by several sectors. These sectors include, IT & ITES, financial services, e-commerce, renewable and energy sectors. Their concerns range from exemptions to increased compliance burden under the new indirect tax regime. The provision of tax registration in every state under GST seems to be a recurring concern among all sectors, said a source in the know of the matter. He did not want to be named.

Representatives of these sectors have already met the revenue secretary and other officials in the tax department to express their apprehensions about the new indirect tax.

Several sectors such as renewable energy enjoy exemption from state levies such as value-added tax (VAT), so its best that business chambers express their concerns directly to the states, says an official in the finance ministry who did not wish to be named. Since renewable energy, where most of the equipment is imported, enjoys exemption from customs duty, VAT and excise, the concern is regarding the cost of machinery going up after GST.

The telecom sector is also vying for similar privileges. The GST is likely to lead to a spike in charges for the consumers and so wants to stay outside the net of the new tax. The compliance burden will increase manifold under GST. For example, service registration in every state will be cumbersome. Hopefully, they will understand the impact on the economy and telecom sector, said Rajan Mathews, director general of Cellular Operators Association of India.

The tourism sector has met us. They want services to foreigners to be treated as export. This is not possible, said the official quoted above. Exports will attract a lower tax rate under GST.

For e-commerce players of India, the concern is the compliance under GST. Under GST, e-commerce operators would be responsible for collecting tax at source from sellers at a rate to be notified. This would increase the compliance burden and they want the onus of paying taxes to be shifted to the sellers, said an official in the tax department. But he clarifies that this exemption cannot be given to the ecomm sector, as the burden of paying tax will be on the aggregator.

Dashing hopes of most sectors, Adhia said: High exemptions will mean that the tax rate will become high, so it is not possible.

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PAHRUMP (AP)  It was the perfect campaign setup for a Republican congressional candidate who showed up in an F-350 pickup and dusty work boots  a room full of potential voters settling in for a barbecue lunch he brought them on a recent Friday at the senior center in rural Pahrump.

But instead of shaking hands inside, Rep. Cresent Hardy spent much of his time outside, crouched over glowing coals and an industrial-sized Dutch oven as he tended to a bacon-infused potato dish for his constituents.

It was emblematic of the spotlight-shirking freshman congressman, who acknowledges the red wave serendipity that swept him into office in Nevadas solidly Democratic 4th Congressional District in 2014, and the tough road he has to keep the seat in the opposite currents of a presidential year.

Cresent is, first of all, a workhorse and not a show horse, said Rep. Mark Amodei, a veteran congressman whos in northern Nevadas safe Republican district and is much more at ease talking with the media than Hardy, who joked that he runs from newspapers.

The two were roommates in Washington, D.C., until their lease ran out a few months ago; Hardy now sleeps in his office on an air mattress his wife bought at Wal-Mart.

With Congress in a lengthy recess, Hardy and his campaign have knocked on more than 55,000 doors this summer in preparation for a matchup with state Sen. Ruben Kihuen.

The winsome Kihuen emigrated from Mexico at age 8 and counts Sen. Harry Reid and Bill Clinton as supporters. Kihuen notched a wide primary victory over two strong opponents with help from foot soldiers in Vegas powerful Culinary Union.

It is kind of nerve-wracking, but if anyone can do it, he probably can do it, said Hardys wife of 34 years, Peri, whos watched him wake up before dawn and stay up late studying bills. Anything he does, he does it to the max.

Hardy comes from a line of Mormon pioneers who settled the Virgin Valley in the 1870s. His grandfather was the first baby born in Mesquite, and Hardy was the one to break the chain of five ranching generations when he went into construction instead.

He met his wife while she was managing a small store in St. George, and their wedding reception in 1982 included an entire cow barbecued in a dug-out pit.

Hardy took a year of college classes but never earned a degree. His wife describes him as super talented in masonry and manual labor, pointing to the brick home he built for them and a handmade fireplace that stretches up an entire wall.

His edge, he said in an interview outside the senior center, is his experience. He served as the Mesquite public works director and on the Mesquite City Council before his two terms in the Nevada Assembly, and hes served on the boards of a water district, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada.

Im not an educated man by any stretch of the imagination. Im not stupid either. Ive grown up in a world of hard knocks, he said. I believe the only man that doesnt make a mistake is one thats not doing anything.

Those hard knocks include triumphs and trials in business. In 1993, he started his own construction company, growing it with a partner to about 350 employees who worked on roads, bridges and commercial projects.

But the recession pummeled construction in Nevada and prompted the company to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2012  a process under which creditors who were owed a combined $8.1 million at the time will all be paid, he said.

He blames government policies for facilitating unscrupulous lending and clearing the way for the recession, and said his work in office is motivated by his concern about the hefty national debt.

Democrats are zealous in linking Hardy to Donald Trump, who he now supports after initially endorsing Marco Rubio. Hardy walks a fine line in the swing district, avoiding public events with the Republican nominee and publicly criticizing some Trump comments, like his remarks about a Gold Star family.

Im worried about my race, Hardy said. I think people are smart enough to separate the two.

Opponents have also sought to conflate his public lands policies with those of rancher Cliven Bundy, a fellow Bunkerville resident who refused to pay federal grazing fees and whose supporters staged an armed standoff with Bureau of Land Management agents in 2014.

Hardy said he thinks the proper way forward is through legislation; he wants local and federal governments to work together to transfer about 7.2 million acres of federally managed land to Nevada.

Hardy must also overcome his own tendency toward verbal gaffes, which contrast with Kihuens polish. Ryan Erwin, the political consultant credited with recruiting Hardy for a seat most saw as unwinnable for Republicans, said Hardys strength is his interest in putting his head down and solving problems for constituents.

Hes a genuine person whos genuinely committed to doing the right thing, Erwin said. Hes not addicted to D.C. He could be just as happy sitting out next to his campfire.
Indias second-largest software exporter Infosys has adopted a new break and grow strategy, something its larger rival Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) had implemented successfully since 2009.

We are expanding the bandwidth of the current presidents by creating smaller business units of $500-700 million headed by our next line of leaders. This will help us in better market penetration and client management, chief executive Vishal Sikka said at an investor meet in Pune last Friday.

Smaller business units will allow Sikka and the heads of businesses to attend specific needs of a smaller client set.

In 2009, TCS had implemented a similar strategy, which helped the company grow from $6.34 billion in 2009-10 to around $16.5 billion in 2015-16. The software major currently has 23 autonomous heads managing smaller business units with revenues not exceeding $250 million. The units were given a target of $1 billion in revenues.

Between 2009-10 and 2015-16, Infosys revenue grew from $4.8 billion to $9.5 billion.

The company did not provide further details on the new strategy that Sikka plans to implement over the next few months.

I am aware that many of you believe that certain recent leadership attrition has resulted in stretching our executive leadership bandwidth. I have to candidly say that some of the exits were related to performance, Sikka said.

Infosys has seen a number of high-profile exits in recent months.

Last month, Manish Tandon, head of insurance, healthcare and life sciences, had quit after spending two decades in the company. Anup Uppadhayay, head of strategic global sourcing, also put in his papers during the month, taking the total number of senior leadership exits during Sikkas tenure to seven. Sikka joined Infosys in 2014. At the investors meet, Sikka also said that second-quarter performance is expected to be better than the first. Many of you asked us if Q1 was an aberration to the growth trajectory that we saw in the previous year. And if we have arrested the drag factors we saw in Q1. We are confident that the sequential growth in Q2 will be better than Q1.

Infosys revenue grew 11.2% during April-June 2016-17, compared to a year-ago, and 3.6% against the previous quarter.
NEW DELHI: A 22-year-old auto-lifter was arrested on Thursday in south Delhis Saket after a brief shootout with the south Delhi police. His gang members escaped.

One stolen motorcycle, six cartridges, a mobile phone and a set of master keys used to steal motorcycles were recovered from Akram, who is from Haryanas Mewat.

Police are interrogating him to find if he and his gang were involved in other cases of motor vehicle theft.

Ishwar Singh, deputy commissioner of police (south), said that on Thursday around 4.45am, a team of the Saket police station was patrolling Lado Sarai. The team noticed four men on three motorcycles riding dangerously on old MB Road.

Our team members signalled them to stop but the motorcyclists accelerated. One of the motorcycles managed to speed away while the second motorcyclist was intercepted by putting a police motorcycle in his way, said Singh.

Seeing his associate in trouble, the person riding the third motorcycle shouted, Harun Goli Chala and signalled his associate, riding pillion on his bike, to fire. The pillion rider fired a bullet at the police. Fortunately, nobody was hurt in the firing, he said.

In the meantime, constable Surender overpowered Akram, who was driving the second motorcycle. A case under relevant sections of IPC was registered at the Saket police station in connection with the incident.

Police are searching for his gang members, who were with him at the time of the police encounter but managed to escape from the spot.

Akrams interrogation revealed that the motorcycle he was riding was stolen from Malviya Nagar area some days ago. He disclosed names of his associates who fled the firing spot as Harun, Wasim, Dilshad, all residents of Mewat region in Haryana.

The gang used to arrive in Delhi in buses. With the help of master key, they used to break the locks of motorcycles and steal them, added Singh.
NEW DELHI: More than 400 cases of chikungunya were recorded in Delhi in the past week, health officials said on Monday, as the mosquito-borne disease that causes debilitating joint pain threatened to replace dengue as the Capitals most widespread monsoon ailment.

Officials said 412 new cases of chikungunya were reported last week, taking the total this year to 432. The same period saw 176 new dengue cases, taking the number to 487 this year. Two of them have died.

Though both diseases are spread by the day-biting aedes aegypti mosquito, fatalities are rare in chikungunya and patients hardly need hospitalisation. Besides acute joint pain and swelling, the disease also causes fever.

Its not an outbreak but an unusually high number of cases because of a high pool of people infected and low immunity as people in Delhi have not been exposed to the infection, said Dr DK Seth, municipal health officer.

In south Delhis upscale Jaunapur, chikungunya has hit almost every home. Chartered accountant Manjit Singh Kalha, 41, said he couldnt get out of bed for four days since August 20.

The pain was unbearable and I could not work for more than a week, he said. At his neighbours farm too, three people are down.

Shivani Wazir, joint secretary of the Jaunapur Residents Welfare Association blamed uncleared garbage dump sand low-lying land full of rainwater for the disease.

The Municipal Council of Delhi, however, accused hospitals of reporting cases late .The data is not real time. Hospitals send data after a person has been treated and discharged, so backlog cases are added all at once, said a health official. Delhi reported 176 fresh cases of dengue in a week (till Saturday), taking the total to 487.

As many as 831 cases were reported during the same period in 2015 -- the worst outbreak year in Delhi with 16,000 cases and 60 deaths.

In a report released on Monday, the municipal corporations also confirmed 412 cases of chikungunya.

Of the 487 cases, 368 were reported in August. Last year, there was a sudden spike in the number of cases from 36 in July, to 778 in August.

This year, a disproportionately high number of people affected by dengue have been pouring into Delhi for treatment. Of the 487 cases, 285 are from Delhi and 202 from neighbouring states. Last years data shows that only 71 of the 831 cases reported were from outside Delhi.

The report show that the number of deaths remained the same as the previous week  two. However, the Hindustan Times independently confirmed five dengue deaths. The latest case was that of an 18-year-old from Shaheen Bagh, Okhla, on Sunday at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital. He passed away due to dengue shock syndrome, the hospital confirmed.

The death of a 17-year-old girl from Jafrabad, who, according to her death certificate, died of dengue shock syndrome at Lok Nayak hospital on July 21, and a 38-year-old woman, who died of cardiac arrest and multi-organ failure as a result of dengue haemorrhagic fever at Apollo hospital on August 12, were reported by the HT.

The disease usually peaks around the month of October, and doctors are expecting more cases in the next couple of months.

The strain circulating this year is Type 3, which is a milder strain that largely does not cause severe symptoms.

Doctors have advised people to keep themselves adequately hydrated and not resort to self-medication, and also to go for blood test before rushing to get admitted in hospital.

Only in severe cases should they go for hospitalisation, said Dr K K Aggarwal, secretary general, Indian Medical Association.

Also, it is extremely important to note that platelet transfusion is only needed in dengue cases where the platelet count is less than 10,000 and there is active bleeding, he said.

Unnecessary platelet count can cause more harm than good. Adequate hydration is the best approach, Dr Aggarwal said.

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NEW DELHI: Delhi University has decided to launch seven vocational courses with 350 seats in subjects like news production, printing technology, software development and web designing from the current academic session onwards.

The new courses will be offered at four colleges  Kalindi College, Ramanujan College, Jesus and Mary College and Maharaja Agarsen College.

The registration process for these courses is likely to start from September 1, officials said.

The universitys academic council had last year given a go-ahead to Maharaja Agrasen College, Kalindi College, Jesus and Mary College and Ramanujan College, to introduce these courses.

The courses being offered at Maharaja Agrasen College will be two-year advanced diploma courses. At the other colleges these will be three-year courses. The university shall announce the detailed schedule for registration and admission to these courses very soon, said JM Khurana, dean of students welfare, Delhi University.

There are 50 seats in each course. The duration for these courses will be three years and the fee will be similar to other courses like BA (programme) and B.Com, said officials.

Kalindi College will be offering Bachelors in Vocational Studies courses in printing technology and web designing while Ramanujan College will have Bachelors in Vocational Studies courses in banking and financial services and insurance sector (banking operations) and software development.

At Maharaja Agrasen College, students will have advanced diploma courses in TV programming and news production.

Jesus and Mary College will offer Bachelors in Vocational Studies courses in healthcare management and retail management and IT, officials said.

Financial assistance of up to Rs 1.85 crore is also provided by UGC to each of the colleges, which are approved to offer the Bachelors in Vocational Studies programme as under the National Skill Qualification Framework.
GHAZIABAD: Shaken by the Bulandshahr gang rape, the Uttar Pradesh police have readied a plan to secure all highways in the state. It also identified five sensitive national and five state highways.

Under the plan prepared by the UP director general of police, these 10 stretches will see stricter checks by police and highway patrol vehicles.

The five national highway stretches are NH-2 (Mathura  Varanasi), NH-24 (Ghaziabad  Lucknow), NH-76 (Jhansi  Allahabad), NH-91 (Ghaziabad  Kanpur) and NH-93 (Agra  Moradabad),

The five state highways are 1A (Maharajganj  Gonda), 5 (Akbarpur  Sonbhadra), 34 (Sultanpur  Ballia), 51 (Badaun  Bijnor) and 57 (Ghaziabad  Saharanpur).

More police pickets will come up and at least one of two vehicles from police stations having highways under their jurisdiction will be used for night patrolling.

The vehicle will bear flasher lights and the name of the police station concerned.

The deputy superintendent of police/circle officer have been directed to be engaged in highway patrolling between 11pm and 4am. In case the stretch is long, two officers will supervise the patrolling, said Rahul Srivastava, PRO to the state DGP.

The inspector generals of these respective zones will monitor the progress of the night patrol and report to the additional director general (law & order) the next day.

The plan highlighted the need to install solar lights at dark patches, flyovers, culverts, major drains and jungle stretches with help of agencies such as the National Highways Authority of India and the state highway authority.

There will be strict checking at toll plazas and vehicles such as mini-trucks will be monitored.

According to NHAI, the entire state has nearly 8,483 kms of highway stretches. Police identified nearly 42 NH stretches and another 8,232 kms of road under 83 state highways in UP.
NEW DELHI: The political duel between the lieutenant governor and the AAP government over providing compensation to consumers against unscheduled power cuts intensified on Monday.

Najeeb Jungs office termed as incorrect chief minister Arvind Kejriwals allegations that the lieutenant governor cancelled the governments decision to make discoms compensate consumers for unscheduled outages.

Soon after the L-G House issued the statement, the Delhi CM accused Modi of being hand in glove with power distribution companies and asking Jung to do what power companies want.

Modiji is in the pockets of power companies. Power companies are hand in glove with Modi. Modiji asked L-G on phone to do what they (discoms) say, he tweeted.

Kejriwal accused the PM of trying to implement an increased power tariff in Delhi as in Gujarat. Cost of 200 units and 400 units of electricity in Delhi is Rs 550 and Rs 1,200, respectively, whereas in Gujarat it is Rs 1,100 and Rs 2,300, respectively.

Now Modiji wants Delhi rates to be equal to Gujarat, Kejriwal said in another tweet.

Earlier, the L-G office said it had not asked for any specific file and not issued any order following the Delhi High Court order terming the policy decision to compensate consumers for unscheduled power cuts as illegal and unconstitutional.

Files have been submitted to the office of the Lieutenant-Governor by the GNCTD following the Honble High Courts order dated 4th August 2016, it said in a statement.

It said all such files that had come to the L-G office were likely to contain constitutional infirmities. It said it was unfortunate that factually incorrect and misleading statements were being placed in the public domain.

The reaction from Jungs office came a day after Kejriwal said that the L-G cancelled his governments order to make discoms pay compensation for unscheduled power cuts.

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 cuts extending up to one hour. Fifteen days ago, L-G sahab called the file pertaining to this matter and cancelled this order. Modi is hand in glove with the power companies. Why Modiji needed to turn down this order? Kejriwal said.
NEW DELHI: Delhi tourism minister said on Monday that Union tourism and culture minister Mahesh Sharma is bringing embarrassment to India.

Reacting to Sharmas statement that visiting women tourists should avoid wearing skirts in India, Kapil Mishra said his words will bring shame to India on the global stage and make it a laughing stock.

Such an advisory not only tarnishes the image of India, but also has a negative and deleterious impact on the tourism sector. This may be a first-of-its-kind instance in the world. The central government is issuing an advisory that will only have a negative effect, he said.

Mishra said there was no need to issue an overarching advisory to cover all tourist spots. The Union minister had also allegedly said that foreign tourists should not stay and roam alone.

If at all some religious places have their own rules and restrictions, foreign tourists always followed them in letter and spirit. It is confounding as to what was the need to issue an overarching advisory that covers all tourist spots in India, Mishra said.
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Friday arrested a man from south Delhis Vasant Kunj for allegedly duping several persons to the tune of crores on the pretext of offering them diplomatic cars at discounted rates.

The matter came to fore after one Nitin Berry, hailing from Dehradun, lodged a complaint with Vasant Kunj Police Station alleging that he came in contact with a 62-year-old businessman, Sanjeev Behl, who introduced himself as the only exporter of diplomatic cars from embassies and AutoExpo.

Behl claimed to have a diplomatic car pool, with contacts in the German Embassy from where he would get the cars at a discount ranging between 20% and30%. He reportedly promised to arrange a Honda City, a BMW, two XUV 500 cars, one Ford Eco Sport, one Skoda Octavia and one I-20 car for Berry and his three other friends.

The four men paid Behl a token money of Rs 1 lakh and another sum of Rs 24.60 lakh through RTGS in his various bank accounts. Behl even sent them a confirmation mail regarding the booking of the cars and demanded more money from them. However, no cars were provided. When the four men demanded that their money be returned, Behl issued them post-dated cheques that bounced. He began to ignore their phone calls and went underground, DCP south, Ishwar Singh said.

The police then conducted raids and kept a close watch at his office in Mahipalpur. On Friday, the police got a tip-off about Behl coming to his office, following which ar aid was conducted .Behl saw the police team waiting for him and he managed to escape. The police chased his car on the Mehrauli-Mahipalpur Road and Behl was arrested, Singh said.
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Sunday arrested a person involved in seven criminal cases, including a case of attempt to murder.

Nitin Dutta, 37, was evading court proceedings after he was let out on bail. He was reportedly declared a proclaimed offender and was a member of the infamous Neetu Dabodia gang.

On Saturday the police received information about Dutta going to Old Police Station, Delhi Cantt, to meet someone. Following which he was arrested.

During questioning, Dutta said that after completing graduation from Delhi University, he came in contact with Sandeep Gaba and Omender  both Neetu Dabodhia gang members.

In 2002, he was arrested in a case of assault. He was also convicted for seven years in another case of dacoity. He was however let out on bail.

After coming out of jail, he came into contact of gangster Rishi Surakhpuriya and started extorting money from businessmen and property dealers. In 2011, one Gaba and him called a businessman, Manmohan Singh, for a business deal. When Singh refused to make Gaba his business partner, the men thrashed him and he was admitted to the hospital for days. He was arrested in the case but had been evading court proceedings since then, a senior police officer said.
NOIDA: The police on Monday arrested 60 protesters from the Delhi-Noida-Direct Flyway, nearly 31 hours after they forced the toll operator to allow vehicles pass through without paying charges.

The protesters, led by former BJP MLA Nawab Singh Nagar under the umbrella of Janhit Morcha, want the contract between the toll company and the Noida authority to be terminated and charging of toll to be stopped.

We spoke to the district magistrate (DM) Gautam Budh Nagar, NP Singh, before taking action. We will release them after finishing the formalities, said Dinesh Yadav, superintendent of police, Noida.

The administration had briefed the UP chief secretary Deepak Singhal about the protest that began at 11 am on Sunday.

Nagar accused the administration of acting at the behest of the toll company. The administration should have helped us in removing the toll in the interest of the people. We will continue our protest till the toll is removed, said Nagar.

The NTBCL officials said they were talking with the administration. The toll firm claimed to have been facing loss due to the protest. More than 250 police personnel were deployed at the toll plaza from Sunday morning, including two platoons of PAC.

The Delhi HC on Monday rejected a NTBCL plea, seeking a direction against the protest by anti-toll agitators.

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Hipolito, 90, chats to psychologist Iratxe Bolanos in the deserted streets of Lubia. LUIS SEVILLANO

In Ituero, a village on the River Duero, there are 40 stone cottages, a church with a bell and a community center with an aluminum bar that serves lemon shandy in the summer. The old schoolmasters house has not been touched since he left and there is a health clinic down the road where the basic tools of the trade have not been moved since it closed. A stray dog wanders the deserted streets, liable to bite strangers. But there arent many of those around. Mostly there is silence, particularly on a winters evening when Moises, the only inhabitant in the coldest months of the year, puts out the light and goes to sleep.

In Itueros district of Cubo de la Solana, its not unusual to go the whole day without seeing anyone in winter

In Itueros district of Cubo de la Solana, its not unusual to go the whole day without seeing anyone in winter. The 193 remaining villagers, spread among six hamlets, are keeping warm behind the stone walls of their cottages. Alone in Ituero, Moises doesnt remember ever having seen the sea and can count the nights he has spent elsewhere on the fingers of one hand, occasions when a nephew or niece was getting married out of town. Even then, he had to get back to feed the sheep, given no one else was around to fill in.

To break the monotony, he goes into Soria in his old car to meet his friends for a few glasses of wine once a week. The rest of the time, he stays in the village and speaks to no one.

But things are about to change for this 80-year-old farmer as the first initiative of its kind in Spain is set in motion by the local mayor, Juanjo Delgado, who is trying to combat the loneliness that comes from living in these abandoned rural areas with positive psychology, a method established by Martin Seligman in the 1970s.

Moises Las Heras, 80, the only villager who lives in Ituero in winter. LUIS SEVILLANO ARRIBAS

In a place that has just 1.45 inhabitants per square kilometer  exceptionally low even for Soria, where 91% of the villages are officially considered deserted  Delgado believes its necessary to address the issues that accompany such desolation. Winters here are hard, says Delgado. There is a lot of time and nothing to do. You can go days without seeing anyone. The idea is to coax the villagers out of their homes to socialize, which will help improve morale.

The psychologist hired by the mayor is Iratxe Bolanos. In rural areas, success is generally equated with moving to the city while staying put or coming back to the village is associated with failure. But Bolanos, 36, who came to these villages five years ago after fleeing a life in the city, is determined to tackle the stigma. Though at first she was met with the grim stares of Espana vacia, a phrase coined by journalist Sergio del Molino to describe the landlocked rural interior, once she gained the confidence of the locals, she started to see that she could help raise their self-esteem using group sessions and has organized a program due to begin in September.

There is a lot of depression in rural areas, says Bolanos from the community center in Lubia that doubles as a bar, but serves no more than two or three coffees a day. No one wants anyone to know about their problems. Nights draw in early and there is a sense of deep isolation. But by chatting to each other, getting to know each other and opening up, we can overcome the loneliness.

The idea is to coax the villagers out of their homes to socialize, which will help improve morale Mayor Juanjo Delgado

Getting the locals together should prove positive, but there is the danger of opening old wounds. Dona Petra looks out from behind her washing. So now were getting a psychologist! she says to her husband Hipolito, who still remembers when he was mayor and had his budget taken from him when the villages were consolidated for administration purposes. It still hurts but he is willing to do psychology if he has to.

Asked about his life, Hipolito tells his tale. Look, my father died of tuberculosis and we had to burn his bed. My pregnant mother was left to bring up three children. Two years later, my 18-month-old brother drowned in the river. The autopsy was done there, over the road. The problem was that they left the door open while they did it, and my sister saw it and died two weeks later from the shock.

Asked when he had been happiest, Hipolito has a stark reply: Never. Petra tells him to stop talking nonsense because it will all be printed in the newspaper. Hipolito hasnt seen Moises since 1983. Although they live only kilometers apart, its been three decades since they spoke. The psychologist hopes to get them sitting at the same table, playing cards or just chatting, with Moises telling stories about his sheep and how he did in fact once see the sea in Gijon and Hipolito recounting memories of his sisters autopsy and the time he shook hands with former Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez. At least for a few hours, they might feel a little happy. But this needs to happen now before they lose their memories and this part of Spain empties out for good.

English version by Heather Galloway.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court took on Monday strong exception to Samajwadi Party leader and senior Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khans remarks that the Bulandshahr gangrape was a political conspiracy against the state government.

The top court asked Khan to respond to a petition seeking criminal proceedings for his statement.

Why people in power and authority make statements that shake the faith of a victim in the justice delivery system? wondered a bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra.

Khan made his remark after suspected highway robbers stopped a family travelling in a car on the outskirts of Bulandshahr in western UP on the night of July 29, tied up the men, and raped a 45-year-old woman and her 14-year-old daughter in a nearby field. They took away gold jewellery and cash of the family from Ghaziabad.

Six members of the family were travelling from Noida to Shahjahanpur on national highway 91 when they were waylaid.

The court, which asked senior advocate Fali S Nariman to assist it, will determine whether such a statement can be a part of freedom of speech and expression.

The court framed constitutional questions, asking if a person holding public office can make a remark that may create distrust in the minds of victims about a fair probe.

Nariman will address whether such comments defeat the concept of constitutional compassion and sensitivity.

The court issued a notice to the UP government on the petition filed by the Bulandshahr rape survivors husband and father to transfer the case to New Delhi. The case would be heard on September 27.

The Allahabad high court ordered a court-monitored CBI probe, but the petitioner moved the Supreme Court, saying he has no faith in the state machinery, especially in the wake of Khans statement.

His petition also says Khan should be charged as his statement substantially outrages the modesty of the rape survivors and their family.

The state, including senior police officers, should pay appropriate damages to the survivors since they failed to reach them for assistance, despite several distress calls to a helpline.
The crime branch has arrested a couple and six of their associates for allegedly running an organised trafficking syndicate.

The gang, police said, was suspected to have trafficked more than 5,000 girls from Nepal, Odisha, Karnataka, Assam and Andhra Pradesh, making at least Rs 100 crore from the business.

They have been booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

The couple, Saira Begum and Afaq Hussian, reportedly bought girls for Rs 50,000 from several towns, promising them employment and then allegedly pushed them into prostitution by selling them to clients for Rs 2 lakh each.

The couple, police said, had been into the business for the past 15 years and controlled almost 80 per cent kothas on GB Road through their network of agents.

The victims were confined in hidden cells at the kothas, locked up in almirahs, thrashed, intoxicated and starved for days before they were forced to entertain clients without protection.

Joint commissioner of police, crime branch, Ravindra Yadav, said the department took up a study to identify the main perpetrators and beneficiaries of this illegal trade, when they zeroed in on the couple. The team then conducted raids on August 25 and made arrests.

Begum, police said, controlled the business closely through their handpicked kotha managers called nayikas and assistants. The couple had earlier been arrested by the crime branch in two cases of trafficking of minor girls reported in 2013. But the arrest did not deter then from running the business.

To avoid legal action the couple had transferred the ownership title of their kotha premises to their associates and their management in the name of managers and naiyaks, but controlled the entire business. Afaq used to pay them 15% of the earnings for their roles. This way, they did not come to the notice of the investigating agencies but kept trafficking girls and making money, Yadav said

Hussains driver Ramesh Pandey and manger Vasudev along with four others -- Samshad, Shilpi, Mumtaz and Puja Thapa -- have been arrested.

Begam, police said, came to Delhi from Hyderabad in search of work, after her fathers death, but was forced into prostitution by an agent. Kotha number 58 became her home, where she was forced to entertain clients. In 1990, she was arrested after she was found seducing a client in public in Kamla market.

After this she learnt the tricks of the trade and built a network of her own. Now, she started employing girls at the kotha, where she once herself worked as a sex worker.

She was again arrested in case in 2001 and eight girls from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Nepal were rescued from her Kotha. She was convicted in this case for seven years.

It was at kotha No.58 when Saira met Afaq Hussain, who then worked as a contractor, and fell in love. The two got married in 1999 and started assisting each other in the business. They then expanded and hired managers, nayikas and traffickers to work for them, an investigator said.

In 2003, the couple purchased kotha number 57 and started operating from there. When Begum was in jail, Afaq looked after the prostitution racket with the help of his different associates. After her release, the couple restricted their visits to kothas to prevent from being exposed. It is then when they hired a dozen employees to work for them.

Rishikant, activist, Shaktivahini, said, How did a couple manage to earn Rs 100 crore with the business and the local police had no clue? This case needs investigation from the higher authorities. A joint committee involving inter-state delegates needs to be constituted and the 5,000 girls who were trafficked should be documented.
From Sarita Vihar, a narrow lane leads you to Madanpur Khadar village. Here, the scene is quite different from the well-planned colony. The streets are packed with houses, some have been renovated and turned into multi-storey builder flats, others still boast of old arches and wooden doors. The village is believed to be more than 100 years old and retains its rural charm despite being surrounded by key industrial areas and urbanised localities.

Out of the seven mohallas here, four are dominated by Gujjars and one by Chauhans. There are six chaupals (community spaces) in the village, where panchayat meetings used to take place to till some time ago to resolve family issues and social disputes. Now, the chaupals are used for weddings and yoga classes. Village elderly sit here for hours, talking or playing cards.

The village has been home to 10 generations of Mahender Singh Bidhuris family. All of them were farmers and worked in adjoining agricultural lands. They cultivated different crops like rice, wheat and maize. Bidhuri, 63, says, Due to development , our traditional profession of farming has seen a decline. But this has not affected our lifestyle, the community bonding remains the same.

Bidhuri said there were more than 20 wells in the village. But over the years, these either dried up or became unfit to use. The remaining wells have been protected by a fence. Old hand pumps, no longer in use, are located near these wells. As kids we used to have a lot of fun while drawing water from the wells, he said.

Over the years, people working in areas like Okhla, Mohan Estate, Noida and Faridabad have found affordable housing here, changing the demography and economics of the village. Pamphlets announcing rooms for rent can be found pasted on walls and poles. The villagers now make additional income by renting spare rooms with rent starting from as low as Rs 1,700 per month.

The village streets are packed with houses, some have been renovated and turned into multi-storey builder flats, others still boast of old arches and wooden doors. (Tribhuwan Sharma / HT Photo)

Bidhuri said the village attracts migrants because of the low rent. He recalls that earlier the village comprised small houses and vast agricultural fields. The scenario changed when Sarita Vihar came up in the late 1980s. The growth of nearby industrial areas brought in more workers and the farmers let out rooms for extra income.

Kartar Singh, 66, another resident, remembers the days when the village children attended the only school in the locality. His classmates came from Tughlakabad, Aali village and Jasola. My friends would walk or cycle several kilometres to reach the school. That time there were neither proper roads nor transport. The village began transforming in 1980s, he said.

When farmers began giving out rooms on rent, the first tenants consisted of workers from factories in Okhla. A majority of them were from Uttar Pradesh or Bihar. By 1990s, small food stalls and grocery stores began opening on the streets so that tenants no longer had to go outside the village for daily items.

Ravi Tiwari, 42, a migrant from Patna, came here in 2004. For the next five years, he lived in a rented room. His roommates kept changing but all of them were migrant workers like him. Every morning, before going to work, they would eat samosas and bread pakoras at a nearby eatery. After returning at night, they would have dinner at other food stalls. These outlets would open in the afternoon and operated till late in the night. They provided pocket-friendly meals.

In the past few years, dhabas have opened and some have started tiffin service. The price of food has gone up. Now a simple thali costs Rs 60. People like me cannot afford it. So, I brought my wife here three years ago. We cook at home to cut expenses, said Ravi.

The rent of the rooms that was between Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000 till late 1990s has now gone up to Rs 7,000.

The rooms in old houses are cheaper as compared to the rooms in the new multi-storey houses. Most of the owners live on the ground floor, and the rest of the rooms are rented out, he said.

Despite the escalating rent, Madanpur Khadar is popular among the lower middle-class. Apart from its proximity to industrial areas, medical and education facilities are also nearby. The nearest hospital, Indraprastha Apollo in Jasola Vihar, is barely 20 minutes away. The opening of Sarita Vihar Metro station in 2010 attracted more migrants to the village.

The original inhabitants of the village, however, worry that the influx has led to dwindling sanitation and civic facilities. Residents say the village is home to at least 400 Gujjar families, but it has seen no major development in the last few years. The population increased and new constructions came up within a limited space. The result is that the roads have narrowed and are dirty. Open nullahs and overhanging electric wires are other problems, said Singh.

He added: Amid rapid urbanisation and arrival of migrants, the rural charm of this village has not faded. We still live in joint families. Every evening, we go to chaupals and encourage the youth to come too. A visit to the Shiv temple, one of the oldest in the entire neighbourhood, is a must during religious occasions. During festivals, it looks like the entire village is out on the streets and celebrating. The community bonding is strong. And I know that it will continue in future.

Village elderly spend time at the chaupal. (Tribhuwan Sharma / HT Photo)

THE PAST AND THE PRESENT

* History enthusiast Sohail Hashmi says that there is no clarity on how the village got its name. Earlier, settlements were usually named after a person, who built or set up a locality. There is a possibility that Madanpur Khadar would have been named after a person. And the word Khadar was added as it was situated on the bank of Yamuna. Khadar means a low floodplain located alongside a river, he said

* Home to 400 Gujjar families, Madanpur Khadar is surrounded by Sarita Vihar, Jasola Vihar, Aali village and Tehkhand village The village has a considerable lower middle-class population living in rented rooms and working in nearby areas like Okhla, Mohan Estate, Noida and Faridabad

* The Gujjars who were the landowners here and made a living as farmers now let out rooms

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Lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung on Tuesday constituted a three-member panel to examine around 400 files cleared by the AAP government over the past one-and-a-half years.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal termed the move as part of a witch-hunt. He demanded that a similar independent panel be set up to scrutinise the files cleared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The appointment of the panel comprising former CAG VK Shunglu, former chief election commissioner N Gopalaswami and ex-chief vigilance commissioner Pradeep Kumar, has come after the Delhi High Court ruled that the L-G is the administrative head of Delhi.

The panel has been asked to submit its final report within six weeks of its first meeting.

Delhi government departments have submitted the files to Jung in the wake of the high court order. The L-G had told the chief secretary that all files that required his prior approval need to be sent to his office for examination.

The committee has been tasked to look into the omissions and commissions in the decision-making process and fix the responsibility of individuals, including civil and criminal liability, if any, the L-Gs office said.

Read: L-G Jung transfers senior Delhi officers, Kejriwal lashes out at PM Modi

This is witch-hunting. Like they arrested MLAs on false cases, they will victimise officers now Let an independent 3-member committee scrutinise all files cleared by Modiji also n lets compare the results (sic) Kerjriwal said in a series of tweets.

The L-G office said while more files are expected, around 400 files have been received for ex post facto approval.

On preliminary scrutiny of these files, it is found that over the last one and a half years, several decisions taken are in violation of acts/rules with attendant legal and financial implications. It is necessary to examine them in depth and suggest forward action. Therefore, the committee has been constituted, the L-Gs office said in a statement.

COMMITTEES MANDATE

# Determine whether the decisions taken in these files and the processes adopted were in violation of the acts/rules and the constitutional scheme for governance of GNCT of Delhi

# Determine whether such violations were wrong, illegal and deliberate acts of omissions/commissions

# Examine the role played by the public officers of the GNCT of Delhi and other individuals and fix responsibility

# Recommend appropriate administrative/criminal/civil action against the guilty as well as action for recovery of financial loss to the exchequer

# Recommend course of action to be taken on each of the files/proposals, including whether the decisions can be regularised by the Lt. Governor.

# Outline the administrative, legal and financial repercussions of the regularisation/non-regularisation of the decisions

# Make any other recommendation relevant in the above context including further inquiry in specific cases
Uttar Pradesh childrens rights body said on Tuesday that Ananya Verma is not eligible to join Class 9 after interacting with the four-year-old child prodigy in Lucknow.

The Uttar Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (UPSCPCR) chairperson Juhie Singh, Vinika Karoli, who works with an NGO, and another expert Pooja Awasthi found that Ananya can read well but her level of understanding is not at par with a Class 9 student.

She is no doubt a wonder girl. She can read Hindi and English text very well. But she cannot comprehend or explain what she read. Ananya recites without understanding. She can identify numbers but does not know anything about symbols of multiplication, division, addition or subtraction, Juhie Singh told Hindustan Times after meeting Ananya.

We found books on physics and chemistry in her bag but she was unable to tell something about the subject, Singh said. She can join Class 2 or 3 but for that, the child needs special training. If she goes to Class 9, she will be under immense mental pressure, she added.

Read more | Poor and prodigies: Lucknows genius siblings shake up academics

The commission has referred her to a child clinical psychologist and she will also undergo a scientific intelligence quotient test. Singh said that Ananyas parents told the commission that they did not meet the district inspector of schools (DIoS) Umesh Tripathi who gave permission to Ananya for admission to Class 9. The commission will issue a notice to the DIoS seeking an explanation as to what prompted him to allow the girl to take admission in Class 9.

Vinod Ratra, the manager of St Meeras School where Ananya was enrolled, said, The childs father has withdrawn Ananya. She is not coming to school anymore.

Ananya will study whatever the experts and child rights commission suggests. We will not put any undue pressure on this talented girl, Ananyas father Tej Bahadur, a sanitation supervisor at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU), told HT.

Read more: UP rights body to test child prodigy Ananyas eligibility

Ananyas elder sister, Sushma, also faced a similar situation. The UP board, however, helped her and Sushma appeared for the Class 10 examination at the age of 7. Sushma made it to the Limca Book of Records as the countrys youngest matriculate by passing the examination.

In 2013, Sushma went on to become the youngest science graduate from Lucknow University and then becoming the youngest post-graduate in microbiology from BBAU in 2015. She touched another milestone by enrolling for a PhD course the same year.

Her brother Shailendra graduated in computer science from Lucknow University in 2007 at the age of 14. He passed the examination with 74.93% marks and is now a software engineer in Bengaluru.

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As a teacher imparting lessons to his students in conflict-ridden Dantewada and Sukma, Chhattisgarh, Ashish Shrivastava has learnt some big lessons in life.

I learnt a lot from my students. They taught me that there is no such word as teach. The only word that exists in schools is learn and all of us are learners sharing our wisdom and experiences. That has been my key driver. I believe children can be co-creators of the content for learning and co-own their learning journey, says Shrivastava, who has been working in two districts in the tribal and rural areas of Chhattisgarh, the hotbed of left wing extremism.

Through his initiative Shiksharth, Shrivastava works with the local government and tribal community to improve the quality of education in schools with a belief system that communities should take ownership of their own institutions by contributing actively in the learning of its children.

The greatest challenge is working in the Naxal-affected area and mobilising resources to effectively and efficiently deliver. Accessing communities which are hostile to outsiders, access to logistic and technical expertise are some other challenges. Because of the conflict arising due to left wing extremism, thousands of children were forced to drop out after schools in villages were destroyed in Naxal violence.

Talking about what moves him most, Shrivastava says, We all had a childhood that was peaceful (in most of the cases), fun and full of life. Our work in Sukma has given many surprises but one surprise that has stayed with us has been the hope and zeal towards life that the tribals here have. They have been going through pain, misery and suffering, still they continue to live with a smile. Our team members did a painting exercise with their children. For the first time in school, the children were asked to draw whatever they wanted to draw with nothing to copy from the board. And interestingly, the students drew only two pictures: one of a village fair and other of a combat situation between police/security forces and rebels. Close to 90% students had drawn the latter, says Shrivastava.

This made him realise that he needed to work on the fear and pain hidden deep inside the little ones instead of just working on competency, learning levels and value systems.

I have worked for over 11 years now with exposure and experience across technology, education, skill development and political activism in companies like Infosys and NIIT. I am an Acumen and Teach For India fellow. We work together in bringing the tribals, teachers and administration on a common platform. We are bridging the gap in academic excellence arising out of language and non-contextual education in rural and tribal areas of India. The governments are introducing ICT-based education which is also non-contextual for such students. We are working on designing efficient and effective solutions for the government and district education administration to improve the quality of efforts being put in by them, says Shrivastava.

While working on the technical aspects and developing learning methods for children, Shrivastava and his team have to first create a comfortable trust-based environment as the children they teach have to face conflict daily.

It is important for the children to be proud of their history and culture instead of being intimidated by what the outside world tells them. Thanks to programmes like School Chalein Hum, schools have had decent enrollment. Since the last five years, the government and administration have been struggling to bring the children back to schools and more than that to retain them with consistent high attendance. To do that many initiatives have been started such as community outreach, residential schools, bridge courses etc. As part of Shiksharth, we collaborate with the administration in making schools more children-friendly, he says.

Shrivastava says mothers now want to enrol their children, as young as three to four year old, in residential schools so that they are safe and have a peaceful future.

My wife and colleague Shalini was involved in one such conversation where a mother was crying because she wanted to get her son enrolled in a residential school. Nothing can be a better example of the pain and concerns of villagers for their children in the conflict zone and their desperation, he says.

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Sanam Arora, president, National Indian Student and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK, talks about the change in visa rules, impact of Brexit on Indian students, cost of studying in the UK and more. Excerpts from an interview.

Is the tier 4 pilot visa scheme a good move?

While we are supportive of the scheme in general, the key aim seems to be around enabling students to find employment opportunities by giving them a slightly longer time period. This addresses the wrong issue.

The issue is that students are discriminated against the moment they disclose they will require visa sponsorship. Many students time and again lose out on job offers that they could otherwise achieve much earlier on, often during the course of their studies  purely because they need a visa.

Employers seeking to hire non-EU students need to pass a Resident Labour Market test, under which they need to demonstrate there is no one in Britain or the EU who could do the job advertised. The test makes it extremely difficult and costly for employers to take on international students, and these things are the crux of the issue.

There are reports that British PM Theresa May is set to scrutinise the number of student visas being granted to UK university applicants in a fresh attempt to reduce immigration. Whats your take on this?

The UKs visa policies such as the closure of the Post Study Work Visa and issues such as the closure of hundreds of bogus colleges, which has impacted thousands of innocent students, have already affected the countrys image as a study destination. However, despite all of this, it is testimony to the brilliance of the UKs Higher Education system and the India-UK relationship that students tell us they still think of the UK as their top preference for higher education, and they are very sad to be unable to choose the UK due to its post-study employment issues. The impact of further scrutiny depends on the way in which this scrutiny is conducted. Mass movements such as closure of bogus colleges that completely neglect the impact of, and in fact lead to victimisation of innocent students will have very negative effects on the UKs popularity. On the other hand, if the scrutiny is conducted in manners that place the student and his/her well-being at the centre of the initiatives, then I am confident the Indian student and alumni community will in fact support all such initiatives.

How do you see the proposed visa policies for Indians?

Existing policies for Indian students are the same as the ones for other international students. A visa is granted for the duration of studies with a period of a few months on top - the very popular Post Study Work visa has been removed.

Proposed policies include a STEM visa and a Commonwealth visa (to be started with Indian students), proposed by former Mayor of London Boris Johnson. Both these visas will be very welcome moves, particularly the latter, which will be favourable for Indian students. Essentially, this is a two-year post study work visa but only for Indian students. It is similar to a visa type that the NISAU has been raising requests for over the past few years. The key thing Indian students want is this post study work visa. A global education, no matter how world class it may be, is incomplete without global work experience. The UK is fortunate to be blessed with exceptionally high standards for both. The latter is of particular interest to Indian students, and the defining factor between the choice to go to the UK or Australia. In fact, British Councils research has shown that in the long term, only 3% of Indian students actually want to settle abroad - the rest want to return to India.

Should there be a Commonwealth visa, aimed at helping Indian students?

Absolutely! Indian students are the second largest consumers of the UK higher education sector. The Chinese also have a special visa, so why not Indian students? We have fully supported the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in this, and hope the new London Mayor Sadiq Khan continues to push for it.

What steps are British funding agencies and varsities likely to adopt when it comes to Indian students, especially after Brexit?

The number of scholarships on offer has gone up over the recent past, particularly as universities try to promote themselves in the wake of an increasingly unattractive environment for Indian students. I dont think this has had the desired impacts though  numbers continue to fall and have fallen by 40% over the last few years. It may be likely that we will see the number of scholarships rise for a little while and stabilise over the medium term. Over the medium to long term as the practical impacts of Brexit are realised these limited scholarships will have to be divided over the EU and International student base, potentially leading to fewer overall scholarships or reduction in some other shape. Diversity in the student base is very important, and we may see the diversity requirements increased for EU students post Brexit, thereby tilting the scholarship division in their favour.

How will the cost of studying in the UK be affected after Brexit and other govt policy decisions?

This is difficult to predict, but it is likely to positively impact students - as it has done since Brexit. The political uncertainty caused by Brexit is going to dominate how sterling performs over the medium to long term. Over the short term, the fall in its value is a positive thing for all international students as it significantly reduces the cost of education and living for them.

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The head of one of Indias leading Hindu monastic institutions, Jayendra Saraswathi of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, was admitted to the Andhra Hospital in Vijayawada on Tuesday after falling unconscious due to high blood pressure.

The 80-year-old seer was brought to the hospital by his devotees, who are now gathered in front of the hospital, and was immediately placed on a ventilator system. Doctors said he is in a critical condition.

Saraswathi had complained about a general feeling of uneasiness before falling unconscious, one of the devotees who brought him to the hospital, said.

The Kanchi Seer was named by Chadrasekharendra Saraswati Swamigal as his successor on March 22, 1954.

In 2002, the holy man was accused of hiring men to assault an auditor, Radhakrishnan, who questioned the disappearance of 83 kgs of gold meant for the Kamakshi temple in Tamil Nadu as well as alleged financial irregularities in the Kanchi mutt.

He was also accused of ordering the murder of former Kanchi mutt devotee Shankararaman in 2004.

Though Saraswati was cleared of all charges in April by a sessions court in Chennai, the state government filed an appeal with the Madras high court challenging his acquittal in July.

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The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has initiated an impact assessment exercise to find out the fallout of sacking state convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur over corruption allegations last week.

The party has also decided to put on hold the appointment of a new Punjab convener to avoid fuelling factionalism in the Punjab unit ahead of assembly elections next year, sources said.

AAPs Punjab legal cell chief and Mohali candidate HS Shergill was a frontrunner for the post but the party leadership has decided not to fill the slot immediately, sources added. Bhagwant Mann is the campaign committee chief. At this stage, that is sufficient, a party leader in New Delhi said.

Leaders in Punjab have been asked by New Delhi to gauge the mood of the people and party workers after reports of concern and confusion among the partys supporters in pockets, over the events related to Chhotepurs sacking, sources in the poll-bound state confirmed.

The partys Political Affairs Committee (PAC) -- which met at AAP chief Arvind Kejriwals house in Delhi -- had removed Chhotepur on August 26 for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe from a ticket seeker.

But hours before he was removed, Chhotepur went on the offensive, charging the party brass with amassing donations without keeping proper accounts or issuing receipts. He also accused Kejriwal of being anti-Sikh.

The AAP made money by organising dinners. A few leaders went abroad and got donations. I was not given a penny to run the office or making travel arrangements, he had said.

The allegations prompted AAPs rivals Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal to demand that the party reveal the source of its funds. Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal shot off a letter to Union home minister Rajnath Singh seeking investigations into the huge amount of money being received by AAP from radical elements residing in North America, Europe and Australia.

The allegations and the subsequent action against Chhotepur also resulted in protests within the party. The former Punjab minister -- who joined the party in 2014 -- and his aides leveled allegations against party in-charge Sanjay Singh and his deputy Durgesh Pathak of discriminating against Punjabis. A senior party leader said the allegations were the outcome of a turf war within the state unit.

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The Santacuz police, investigating the murder of 43-year-old businessman Tilakraj Rajput on Sunday night, said his lover Purity Countino, 26, earlier identified by her alias Ronita, has confessed to strangling Rajput with her dupatta. However, the police are sceptical about whether she could have killed him on her own and are looking into whether she had accomplices. They are checking her call records for clues. Deputy commissioner of police Ashok Dudhe said, We are investigating the possibility that more people were involved in the murder.

The police have also found that Rajput and Coutinho were seated in the second-row seat of his SUV when she allegedly strangled him with her dupatta. On Tuesday, the police interrogated Countinos husband, who told them he had been unaware of his wifes affair with Rajput. The police are also scouring financial transactions between Rajput and Countino for leads.

An officer, who did not wish to be named, said Countino has confessed to strangling Rajput with her dupatta, but the police are sceptical about whether she could have killed him on her own and are looking into whether she had accomplices. They are checking her call records for clues. Deputy commissioner of police Ashok Dudhe said, We are investigating the possibility that more people were involved in the murder.

The police have so far recorded the statements of at least six people, including relatives and friends of Rajput. The relatives said they hadnt heard of Countino and didnt know Rajput had been having an affair.

Rajput had met some friends for drinks in Bandra on Sunday afternoon. Between 4pm and 4.30pm, he telephoned Countino a few times and the two got into an argument, during which he allegedly abused her. His friends overheard the fight, the police said.

After finishing his drinks, Rajput left for Vile Parle in his SUV to meet Countino. He picked her up from her house and drove to a spot near the LIC office at SV Road, Santacruz, where he parked in a lane with many other cars to avoid attention. There are no CCTVs in that area, the police said.

After Rajput parked the SUV, he and Countino shifted to the second-row seat, where they got into an argument, the police said.

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Diana Quer's mother shows a picture of the missing teen. Oscar Corral (EFE)

The Spanish Civil Guard continues to search for a young woman from Madrid who went missing in the early hours of August 22 while vacationing with her family in Galicia.

The family believes that Diana is being held against her will and could be in any part of Spain

Diana Quer was walking back home from the local fiestas at the time of her disappearance. Investigators now believe that the 18-year-old made it as far as the family home, on the outskirts of A Pobra do Caraminal, but never went inside the house for unknown reasons.

She sent one last message to a friend in Madrid at 2.43am through the WhatsApp service on her cellphone. In it, she wrote that she was concerned because there was a man calling out to her on the street: Im getting really scared, a Gypsy man has been calling out to me.

Her friend replied: What did he say to you?

Come over here, brunette! answered Diana in her last message.

She never read her friends next reply, an analysis of her WhatsApp account reveals. But the police believe that she continued to walk toward the house that she shared with her mother Diana and sister Valeria.

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The Civil Guard said that all avenues of investigation remain open, and is searching the hills around Dianas holiday home. Navy divers are also combing the Arousa estuary for signs of the missing teen.

In the meantime, the police have located a man who was reported by several teenage girls to have been harassing them at the local fiestas with similar cries of Come over here. This individual, described as dark-skinned, tall and displaying a tattoo on his shoulder, works setting up amusement rides at local festivities.

After questioning him and two colleagues, the Civil Guard has ruled out any involvement by this man in Quers disappearance.The suspect admitted that he likes to have fun calling out to women who pass by.

A family dispute

Four days before her disappearance, Diana had a big argument with her relatives. Several witnesses said they saw a family scene being played out at the local health center, and that Dianas mother and sister came in in a very distressed state requesting medical assistance.

This led investigators to consider whether Diana may have tried to run away from home, then failed to make it back for some unknown reason. But Dianas father, Juan Carlos Quer  who was not with his family at the time of the disappearance as he is divorced from his wife  has dismissed this possibility.

A search of the home has shown that Diana left without her ID card or any credit cards  just 20 in her pocket and a cellphone with a low battery life, as she told friends shortly before her disappearance.

Investigators have found no signs of violence and no physical evidence along the path that Diana took to return home in the early hours of August 22. She was last seen at 2.30am in front of a pizzeria located 1,100 meters from the residential estate where she was staying for the summer.

The family believes that Diana is being held against her will and could be in any part of Spain. Her sister Valeria has made numerous calls on social media asking for her sisters safe return. On Monday she was taken into hospital after suffering an anxiety attack.

English version by Susana Urra.
Call it spiritual awakening or the most exhilarating route to nation building. A few days ago, Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee liberated the citizens of her state from the tyranny of dry days, slashing them from 12 a year  an oppressive one day a month  to a less revolting 4.5.

However, before raising a toast to the chief minister, lets take a hard look at the compelling reality, both prosaic and frightening.

But there is more liberating information. While earlier you could enjoy your drink round the clock only within private confines, the government has now thrown open the doors of bars and pubs on more days of the year. In fact, there will be no dry days at all clubs and bars at three-star hotels and above. The four-and-a-half days of dry spell will be applicable to off shops, bars and pubs only.

Naturally, we are just a step away from the age of pure bliss when the doors of a bar, like those of a police station or a hospital, will never be closed in Bengal.

Desperation, the Mother of Innovation

And before puritans can cry foul, here are the numbers  distressing and justifying.

At the end of the last fiscal, West Bengal was groaning under a debt burden of Rs 3,050 billion. This means each citizen of this country has to pay about Rs 2,350 to square it off.

The fallout is that the poor chief minister has to fork out an immense amount  well over Rs 300 billion every year  to repay debt, and the amount is only growing, leaving precious little for development work. Faced with this crushing challenge, bureaucrats feel Mamata Banerjee has very few avenues to explore to lift her spirits.

Over the past few years, her finance minister had put up a valiant effort to earn money, but then there is only a limit to which he can squeeze the lemon. A desperate finance minister now wants to collect around 10% of the states own tax revenue from alcohol only and hence, he has held the doors of bars and clubs ajar.

Government officials argue that the step will also dampen the spirits of the bootleggers who regularly make a fast buck by selling alcohol on dry days.

There is another handicap that requires Bengal to encourage volume sales of alcohol. Trade analysts say premium liquor attracts higher excise rates, but Bengal records significantly less sales in this category than Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, which means, in order to earn the same revenue, Bengal needs to sell more bottles than these states do.

However, there is no reason to think that the state government has an exclusive bias towards alcohol. Three years ago, it chose tobacco to raise funds for the relief of Saradha chit fund victims and the CM urged people to smoke a bit more. Her target: to raise Rs 150 crore through a 10% cess on the sales tax for cigarettes.

A Touch of Romanticism

If you thought this laissez faire policy of alcoholism will trigger a social backlash, you are wrong.

Mamata Banerjee has an advantage  she has the backing of religious tradition. Alcohol is one of the necessary ingredients of worshipping the goddess who symbolises power (shakti) and destruction. A few sects such as the tantriks have been offering alcohol to the goddess directly for centuries. In fact, an American beer company had even planned to name a beer after goddess Kali in 2012.

Theres more. Nothing in Bengal works effectively without endorsement or active participation of Bengali intellectuals, and fortunately, the CM can turn to this crucial

section for help in her hour of need. The state never had any shortage of writers, poets, film directors, painters, musicians, and in a few cases, respectable politicians, who were famous worshippers of alcohol  and many of them have attained nearly cult status the links of which with alcohol are not tenuous.

In fact, very few regions can boast of watering holes like Khalasitola, Baarduari, Olypub romanticised as they have been in this state. Poets such as Michael Madhusudan Dutt (1824-1873), Sunil Gangopadhyay (1934-2012), Shakti Chattopadhayay (1933-1995), writers such as Samaresh Bose (1924-1988), filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak (1925-1976), artists like Ramkinkar Baij (1906-1980) have spawned folklore in Bengal courtesy their drinking spirits, providing an intellectual sanction to swat any backlash from the purists in society. While Ghatak lived as much for the bottle as for the celluloid, Baij was even more valiant  he is said to have sold paintings and sculptures for a bottle.

Modern Bengali intellectuals love for the bottle began in the early days of Bengal Renaissance during Derozios Young Bengal Society (in the late 1820s and through the next decade), when his maverick students hit the bottle and beef raising a storm in the orthodox sections, but inaugurating a chapter that has since then become a part of the Bengali intellectuals DNA.

Uncork The Optimism

And now turn to the market.

For those who remember the basics of the rules of investing can also hope that the growing drinking culture can encourage at least some IMFL manufacturers to set up factories here to take advantage of the proximity to market factor.

Their optimism need not end here. One chief ministers alcohol is another chief ministers poison and manufacturers will soon realise that thanks to the prohibition in Nitish Kumars Bihar, many from the neighbouring state, too, are flocking to Mamatas Bengal to enjoy their drink, thereby pushing the numbers even higher. And, which marketer in India will refute the logic of numbers.

Over the past few years, the CM has been wooing investments, with her voice mellowing from one of wonder as to why investments are shying away to one of entreating investors. If IMFL manufacturers now put a few of their eggs in Didis basket, it will count as a collateral benefit of the government policy.

The critics, especially the opposition, may go on lambasting the CM, but they should remember that of Bengals 91 million population, 80 million get rice at Rs 2 per kg. State subsidy on food grain has increased almost 12 times from Rs 516.32 crore in 2010-2011 to Rs 6,000 crore in 2016. The government claims more than 10 million minority students were provided scholarship at a cost of Rs 1,921 crore; 20,380 clubs and NGOs were provided grants; 3.3 million girl students were enrolled under the Kanyasree scheme for Rs 1,900 crore; four million boys and girls received bicycles under the Yuvasree scheme and one lakh job seekers got a monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,500 and so on.

You will only be helping in this exercise if you drink heartily  a sort of PSR (personal social responsibility) you may say. Cheers.

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Four former chief ministers and equal number of aspirants for the top job have created a problem of plenty for the BJP in Uttarakhand.

Assembly polls in the hill state to elect a new government are scheduled for March 2017, but the BJP is concerned about the lack of a face to project as the leader even as Congress chief minister Harish Rawat consolidates his position.

BJP president Amit Shah met the core group of the party in Uttarakhand here on Monday, asking them to pull up their socks for next years battle. Unhappy with the level of the partys preparedness, Shah has asked states leaders to scale up efforts, sources said.

Shah and others are worried that Rawat has managed to project himself as the victim of BJPs power politics and has laid the blame for all controversies dogging his government at the doors of Congress rebels who are now with the BJP. Rawat has lodged cases against nine Congress MLAs who quit the party and joined the BJP in May.

BJP leaders concede that Rawat has not suffered not much despite nine Congress MLAs quitting, three sting operations against him and a growing dissent in his party.

The BJP now plans to launch an offensive against him. A parivartan yatra, conferences of scheduled caste communities and other programmes have been finalized to make the BJP battle-ready. Dates for these programmes will be announced shortly.

But the challenge to find a CM candidate continues to trouble Shah.

Its a problem of plenty. There are too many aspirants and Shah fears projecting anyone of them could add to factionalism in divided state unit, a leader who attended the Monday meeting told HT.

Maj. Gen (Retd) BC Khanduri who was also the partys candidate for the top post in 2012 election but lost from Kotdwar, is the seniormost of the four former chief ministers angling to return as head of government. Now an MP from Garhwal, the 81-year-old is on the wrong side of the BJPs age bar for any leadership role.

Another former chief minister and Nainital MP Bhagat Singh Koshyari, headed the state government for three months between 2001 and 2002. A prominent Thakur leader from Kumaon region, he is approaching 75. He is active, but considered not suited for power politics that a government formation exercise would require.

Haridwar MP Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishak, also a former chief minister, the 57-year-old ticks the right box in the age category but doesnt enjoy the backing of the BJP top brass. He is youngest of the three chief ministers that the BJP had in Uttarakhand.

Nishank was a three-term member of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand assemblies. Appointed Uttarakhand CM in 2009, he was removed in 2011 and is now a Lok Sabha MP from Haridwar.

Former Congress CM Vijay Bahuguna and two-time MP, who joined the BJP just over three months ago after leading a failed rebellion against Rawat, also nurses ambitions of heading the government again. But projecting him as chief ministerial candidate is likely to trigger opposition from the local leadership.

Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, 56-year-old Ajay Bhatt who is also the president of BJPs Uttarakhand unit is another contender for the CMs post. A former cabinet minister in the last BJP government, Bhatt represents Ranikhet constituency in the state assembly.

The relatively lesser known Anil Baluni is also in the race. Now a BJP national spokesperson, Baluni had lost out to Bhatt in the fight to become the partys Uttarakhand chief. A young face, Baluni is considered close to the BJP president.

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After a lull of over two years, the movement for creation of a separate Bodoland resumed on Tuesday with protesters blocking major national highways across Assam.

Accusing the Centre of ignoring their demand, groups headed by All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) that wants a separate state in areas dominated by Bodo people prevented movement of vehicles.

Todays protest began at 6am and will continue till 11am with blockade of four national highways at seven places in different districts, Lawrence Islary, general secretary ABSU, said.

The blockade spread across seven districts including the four under Bodoland Territorial Council, affected the movement of heavy vehicles bringing goods to Assam and other states in the northeast.

Thousands of protesters shouting slogans and carrying placards demanding a separate state blocked national highways, but police say there has been no law and order problem.

Although, there are thousands of protesters gathered at places where the highways have been blocked, everything is peaceful and under control, Assam police ADGP LR Bishnoi told Hindustan Times.

Security arrangements have been put in place at Bodo dominated areas in the state. There is a pile up of vehicles at certain places, which is expected to clear after the blockade ends.

The agitation, which has been on for three decades, was put on hold ahead of the 2014 general elections after the Bharatiya Janata Party assured Bodo parties of support for the creation of a separate Bodoland.

Though there have been several informal interactions between Bodo organisations and Union home minister Rajnath Singh and his deputy Kiren Rijiju in the past two years, no official talks have taken place.

Disappointed with New Delhi repeated assurances, the Bodo groups gave the deadline of August 15 this year for initiation of talks. They decided to resume their agitation when the Centre did not respond.

We have waited 2 years, 3 months and 4 days for the Centre to initiate official tripartite talks on the Bodoland issue. We are forced to resume our agitation as we have got only assurances, Islary said.

We will continue our protests in a democratic and non-violent manner. In the next phase, the protests will intensify and we may block movement of trains as well, Islary said.

Started in 1987, the Bodoland movement has witnessed several twists with signing of two accords and creation of the BTC comprising four districts in Assam.

But the demand for dividing Assam 50:50 to create a separate state hasnt died down. Areas falling under the BTC witnessed major clashes between Bodos and other groups in 2012 and 2014 leading to over 100 deaths.
Congress leader Saifuddin Soz advocated on Tuesday the four-point formula suggested by former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf as a solution to the Kashmir issue, saying it can be fine-tuned to the present needs of the stakeholders.

While all the stakeholders will express ideas as they wish, we could also subject the ideas of reviving Delhi-Agreement within the framework of what was known at one point of time as Manmohan (Singh)-Musharraf four-point formula for the resolution of Kashmir dispute, the former Union minister said.

Soz said the elements of the formula were actually initiated during former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Musharraf deliberations but then in Singhs tenure, the talks could not be taken forward due to the internal situation of Pakistan in 2007.

The discussions around this point of time can also lead to fine-tuning of the formula to the needs of the stakeholders. It could now be characterised as (Narendra) Modi-Nawaz (Sharif) formula.

Fortunately, this formula does not entail defeat for the either of the parties to the dispute, he said.

The Congress leader, apparently referring to separatists, said we must adopt democracy as our tool for achieving the necessary goal.

It does not suit our present day needs and our future requirements, in political terms, to appear to be supporting extremism, much less the violence, as an instrument for seeking solution to our political problems, he said.

He suggested discussions among the people of Kashmir followed by a discussion with people of Jammu and Ladakh to address the issue.
The Congress and the CPM expressed serious concerns on Tuesday over the signing of the Logistic Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) between India and the United States.

While the main opposition party claimed that it is a fundamental departure from the countrys time tested policy of strategic military neutrality, the CPI(M) said the Modi government has compromised on Indian sovereignty and surrendered its strategic autonomy by signing such an agreement with the most powerful imperialist country in the world.

The Congress also demanded that contents of the agreement be placed in public domain or at least shared with the leadership of opposition parties as the decision has been taken in an opaque manner by stealth as also unilaterally.

It raises a genuine and grave apprehension regarding India being unwarrantedly drawn into an operational military design in the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said.

In a statement, the CPI(M) politburo said, By signing such an agreement, India has acquired the formal status of a military ally of the US. Under this agreement the US airforce and navy can use Indian naval and air bases for logistics support, refueling and services on a regular basis.
At a time when prices of pulses have hit the stratosphere, depriving the common man of his favourite source of protein, farmers in five villages of Pudukottai district in southern Tamil Nadu have sown the seeds of what could be the solutionproduce more.

The experiment, launched by agricultural scientist and Father of 60s Green Revolution, MS Swaminathan, has shown encouraging results.

In the first attempt, the five villages produced 745 kg per hectare, close to the national average of 781 kg.

For Swaminathan, this could be beginning of a revolution.

I hope 2016 marks the beginning of a pulses revolution, the scientist told HT.

RS Shanthakumar, director, eco-technology centre, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), is also on the same page, saying it is a project that can be replicated elsewhere and scaled up.

All these began on April 22, 2013, when farmers gathered at a pulses panchayat held by Swaminathan and his team at Edaiyampatti village in Illuppur taluk, and pledged to grow pulses.

They were grouped in 71 teams and trained in seed selection, use of technology and implements and application of bio-fertilizers and enriched manure.

For 43-year-old Lakshmi of Kathavampatti village, who took up black gram cultivation in three-fourths of an acre, the 300 kg-yield and net income of Rs 21,400 was simply unbelievable.

Swaminathan sir is like a God to us. My income has doubled and we have more money to spend, thanks to him, she beamed.

Fifty years ago, Swaminathan and other scientists had introduced India to the Green Revolution, bringing in high-yielding seeds, technological implements and machinery and scientific methods for pest control and soil management. With governments support in land reforms, easy credit and procurement, the country became a surplus producer of rice and wheat.

But the neglect of pulses has proved costly, forcing the government to import, and making the once-economic source of protein out of reach for the common man.

A kilogramme of moong dal costs Rs 160-180, while urad dal is around Rs 200 and tur dal Rs 180-200, all of which have doubled since 2014.

Each time we go to the market, the shopkeeper raises the prices by Rs 10 per kg, laments Premalata Srinivasan, a resident of Mylapore in Chennai.

It is hard to understand, whether it is an actual or artificial shortage that the shopkeepers are taking advantage of, she said, an apprehension shared by many across the country.

Historically, India has been the largest producer, consumer and importer of pulses, accounting for 33% of the worlds cultivated area, 22% of the production and 27% of consumption of pulses.

In 2012, 18.34 million tonnes of pulses were produced from a total area of 23.47 million hectares with the average productivity per hectare at 781 kg, falling short of the estimated demands by about 3-4 million tonnes.

The pod-bearing plants are cultivated in rain-fed areas and are severely affected by the vagaries of monsoon. Higher input cost, in terms of seeds, fertilisers and labour, affects the return on investment. Lack of incentives from the government also has forced farmers across the country to stick to rice and wheat.

For Swaminathan, the crisis was an opportunity to overcome the problem which led to the crisis.

When he and his team came to Pudukottai three years ago, it was the driest district in Tamil Nadu.

The setting up of Illuppur Agriculture Producer Company Limited (IAPCL) ensured that agriculture became profitable again and ensured that the farmers got the benefits.

IAPCL, registered in 2015, markets and sells all the produce from the villages directly to retailers in various cities of Tamil Nadu under the brand: Edaimpatti and Patikaadu.

Though the CEO is senior scientist K Thachinamurthy of MSSRF, he only executes the plans. Decisions are taken at the meeting of board of directorsall of who are farmersheld on the 7th of every month.

Major decisions taken at the meeting and financial statement of the previous month are circulated to all the producer groups, promoting transparency and accountability and boosting confidence of farmers.

With 70 % shareholders being women, the company and the programme also have accorded greater importance and representation to women.

The company has now expanded beyond pulses and has a product mix of organic vegetables, integrated dairy and poultry.

For R Subbaiah, another prosperous pulses farmer in Illuppur, the 482-kg black gram yield per acre in his farm almost doubled his average returns to Rs 27,306 per acre.

I am glad I listened to Swaminathan sir. Today many people from other villages want to imitate us, he said.

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A Supreme Court-appointed committee has warned six states of punitive action if they fail to provide adequate subsidised foodgrains to the poorest of the poor under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

Harsh Mander and NC Saxena, special commissioners to the court, found that the number of beneficiaries under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)  a scheme for distributing subsidised food to poorest of the poor  has come down in Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, Delhi and West Bengal after implementation of the NFSA.

This ran contrary to the law enacted by the erstwhile UPA government.

Under the AAY scheme, around 2.5 crore households across the country are entitled to 35 kg of foodgrains every month.

In letters written to the chief secretaries of six states, the commissioners pointed out that denial of entitlement under the scheme amounts to violation of fundamental rights. They also said there was a shortfall in the coverage due to confusion regarding the ceiling in the scheme.

Mander and Saxena said the confusion was due to a notification by the Centre, which reduced the number of beneficiaries. But, all the entitlements under scheme were restored in October.

Any arbitrary denial of entitlements would be a violation of SC orders, NFSA and legal rights of the beneficiaries, the letter said

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China played down on Tuesday an India-US pact that allows the two countries the use of each others military bases, saying it was glad to see the collaboration as long as it promoted regional peace and stability.

We have noted the relevant report. We hope that this cooperation between the US and India work to promote stability and development of the region, Hua Chunying, a foreign ministry spokesperson said hours after the deal was signed in Washington.

Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikar and his United States counterpart Ashton Carter signed the logistics exchange memorandum of agreement (Lemoa) on Monday ending months of speculation surrounding the pact.

The agreement will allow the two countries access to land, air and naval bases for repair and resupply. It doesnt extend ship basing rights and gives access only to logistics such as fuel for joint exercises and relief, humanitarian operations.

For such a normal cooperation between the two sides, we are glad to see it happen, Hua said at a regular foreign ministry briefing.

Huas reaction to the agreement was markedly calmer to that of a leading expert and the state media both declared that the deal marked the end of Indias independent foreign policy.

The pact is a big concern. There is now a big question whether India will now lose its cherished strategic independence, Hu Shisheng, a south Asia expert at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations told the Hindustan Times.

The state media, too, was critical.

The pact could trigger strategic troubles for New Delhi and may not make it any more secure, an editorial in the nationalist Chinese tabloid Global Times said.

This is undoubtedly a leap forward in US-India military cooperation. US media highly applauded this deal, with Forbes hailing it as a war pact and believing that India is shifting away from Russia, its Cold War ally, toward a new alliance with the US, the editorial said.

But it was not good for Sino-India relations or relations between India and other countries in the region, it said.

If India hastily joins the US alliance system, it may irritate China, Pakistan or even Russia. It may not make India feel safer, but will bring strategic troubles to itself and make itself a centre of geopolitical rivalries in Asia, the commentary said.

What is under threat is Indias traditional foreign policy of non-alignment, the newspaper said, adding New Delhi seemed to be gradually succumbing to the USs overtures.

India has practised the principles of non-alignment since independence, which have been advocated by Indian elites. However in recent years, Washington has deliberately wooed New Delhi to become its quasi ally so as to impose geopolitical pressure on China. It is possible that the Modi administration is trying an unconventional way to lean toward the US with the logistics agreement, it said.

But will the returns of such a strategy be substantial? The newspaper didnt think so. But how close the US-India relationship can be and what geopolitical values it can get remains a question, it said.

Despite expanding India-US ties, the newspaper was optimistic that India would not change its independent foreign policy.

Due to its non-alignment policy, India has been given attention from all the major powers such as the US, Japan, China and Russia in recent years, it said.

Now is arguably a time when India has the most room for strategic manoeuvring. During Shinzo Abes first tenure as Japans prime minister, Japan hyped the concept of a quadrilateral alliance between the US, Japan, Australia and India; however, New Delhi remained cool to the idea, it said.

Therefore, India will not lean toward the US, because it will not only hurt Indias self-esteem, more importantly, India can gain more strategic benefits by striking a balance between China and the US.
Five years ago, then a fresh graduate, Sarfaraaz, now a cop with the J-K police, was waiting for his life to begin. Rows of shuttered shops are now around him, an empty street is before him. He has to guard both. His eyes are restive the moment someone peeps from a window or a vehicle seems in bit of an extra rush in curfew-bound Srinagar. Watching others -- thats not much of a life, says the policeman, who actually wanted to be a teacher. The salary is so-so; the hours, long; and the rules of combat are not often followed, he adds.

Regarding working conditions, Kashmiri cops have two points of reference  the CRPF, but more often, the Punjab police, a force that has, like them, handled a popular insurgency. Punjab police have a 12-hour duty, we 24. These days, off days are rare and you could even be on the job from 5 am. A J&K constable earns Rs 20,000 a month, a Punjab constable Rs 36,000, he says.

The CRPF men get to go home on long leave. But we are always here. In our own land, we have the image of oppressors, says Sikander (name changed), a cop at Bemina, and yet in a situation of increasing turmoil, we do almost the same work as the CRPF.

Indeed, at every major crossing or thoroughfare; or in keeping the highway clear for traffic. Behind the spools of concertina wire, stands a joint team of the local police and the paramilitary force. At any protest, the J-K police are the first line of defence.

The state budget says we have to wait two more years for the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission, points out the cop at Bemina. The CRPF gets 80 days leave, we 20.

A paramilitary police force of nearly 80,000 is stationed here in the Valley. There are four paramilitary personnel for every Kashmiri, says Akram (name changed), a cop at Lal Chowk, quickly putting on a black patch over his face to talk to HT. I dont want to be identified as talking to the media, he says. Theres much a J-K cop has to say, but cant.

Would he allow a video? We will be handed a suspension order if we talk to the media. But since youve come from far. video is unthinkable.

K. Rajendra, DG, J-K police, was not available for comment. Local media in Srinagar say the charge of biased reporting is levelled at them, but as senior cops do not answer their telephone calls, their stories are invariably one-sided. National media fared no better.

Cop after cop refuses to give his/her name. Those who did, held back their surnames. A Sanatnagar cop spoke on the condition that we follow his bike to a vacant plot in nearby Rawalpora. A Jawaharnagar cop said he would speak if we could meet him at Rajbagh.

Most policemen say the reality of police work is completely different from what is given in the training manual. In over 50 days of curfew, over 500 people have serious pellet wounds.

Are cops exercising enough restraint? During training, what we have been taught is when a mob appears, take the magistrate with you, give a warning, then give the people 5 minutes, start counting, and then start action to scatter them, and, if need be, shoot at the legsthe reality is orders are given to go on the offensive from the word go, says a cop at Gawkadal. There are mixed signals all around, he adds. The government says people should come out of their homes. And we say: Curfew has begun, go back home.

Sarfaraaz says what he can perhaps never say during office hours. He wants aman (peace) and azaadi. Whatever you do, dont diminish our heroes. If Burhan Wani had been just a militant, would so many have cried at his funeral and carried that boy on their shoulders?

Has he ever rained his stick on a fellow Kashmiri in the course of his job? Sometime or the other, I have had to hit a boy whose brother or uncle I know, he says. It is a pity that Ive to control a violence created by situations that has nothing to do with me.

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For the first time the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has deployed women personnel to man the India-China border along tribal districts of Kinnaur and Lahual and Spiti in Himachal Pradesh.

In the first phase, the paramilitary force, which guards frontiers, has deployed one dozen women on five of its check posts close to the China border. Right now, only a few women are deputed in the frontiers. More will be deployed in the area from next month onwards, said HS Goraya, inspector general of police, ITBP, Northern Frontier.

The central government has directed the paramilitary troops to at least deploy 15% women in its check posts, he said, adding, As of now, we are creating infrastructure for women troops in the border areas. Separate bunkers are being built for them.

It was last year that the ITBP raised its first mahila contingent, comprising of 500 women personnel. The women who were recruited in the ITBP hailed from different states Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand.

The women constables were first inducted into the ITBP in 2008, but they were not deputed for combat duties. Rather, they were only deployed for rendering law and order duties in troubled areas and at Nathu La to frisk women traders.

6,000 ITBP MEN GUARD INDIA-CHINA BORDER

Himachal shares nearly 190km boundary with China. Of this, 80 km is in Kinnaur and 110 km in Lahual and Spiti. There are nearly 6,000 ITBP men guarding the borders with China. The border areas have usually been peaceful, but of late China is expanding its infrastructure along borders in Himachal.

There have been a lot of activities on China side, but all these are related to creating infrastructure. Still we have increased vigil, said an ITBP official requesting anonymity. With China rapidly increasing its infrastructure along the India border, the challenges are more for paramilitary forces manning the border. What adds to the worries is that there is no fencing along the border.

China has constructed airfield at Lupsuk, which is nearly 190 km from last border point Kaurik, which is the last village situated beyond Sumdoh.

Shipki La is a high mountain pass and the border post on the India-China border at a height of 18,599 feet above sea level. It is through this pass that Sutlej enters India from Tibet. Shiplki La is the main pass through which the Indo-China trade is carried annually. There are many other mountain passes between both the sides, which include, Lepchala Rangla, Ranisha Dob Rang.

But, between the passes, there are many transit routes that are used by the villagers of bordering Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti to cross over to meet their relatives across the border.

ROUTE USED FOR SMUGGLING

In 2009, the police on a tipoff had seized two trucks laden with red sanders  wood found in Andhra Pradesh and is used in Chinese medicines for making musical instruments and is also said to be used as coolant in the obsolete reactors in China.

In 2011, the police caught two trucks laden with pashmina wool smuggled from Chinese villages inside the Indian border. The estimated cost of the seized wool was pegged at around Rs 1.5 crore in the international market. The police seized these trucks near Kharo in Pooh subdivision, 100 km from Nako, a village close to the China border in the district.

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Rajoy during his speech in Congress on Tuesday. Juan Carlos Hidalgo (EFE)

Spaniards on Wednesday morning tuned in to day two of a congressional debate that will determine whether they have to go to the polls again on Christmas Day for a record third general election.

Opposition leader Pedro Sanchez, of the Socialist Party (PSOE), took the podium at 9am to explain to the nation why his group will vote against acting prime minister Mariano Rajoy, who is trying to get himself reinstated despite lacking enough support for a congressional majority.

The phrase, Spain needs a government has become a popular cry Acting PM Mariano Rajoy

We cannot support what we want to change, said Sanchez, who tried for the post himself after the first inconclusive election, but was voted down by other forces, including Rajoys Popular Party (PP).

The lies you have told, now and in the past, and your refusal to accept your political responsibilities, support our lack of trust in you, and that is why we will vote against you, said Sanchez. In our opinion, you are not to be trusted. Your administration can be summed up in one word: cuts. Cuts to civil liberties, to rights, to equality, to democracy.

Sanchez ended his 35-minute address by insisting on his categorical no to four more years of Rajoy.

The interim PM was given a chance to reply, and fell back on his trademark dry humor to comment on Sanchezs speech.

Spain's Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez delivers his speech. ANDREA COMAS (REUTERS)

I have understood every part of no...I got it, dont worry, he said. But if Im bad, how bad are you? Disastrous?

A day earlier, Rajoy had addressed Congress as the first speaker of the investiture debate that will end in a vote requiring an absolute majority of 176 seats in order to win reinstatement. Failing that, there will be a run-off requiring only a simple majority of more yes votes than no votes.

While Rajoy has secured the support of emerging center-right group Ciudadanos and the Canaries Coalition, he is still six votes short of 176. He is likely to fail at the first round, and looks set to lose the second round as well, unless the PSOE reconsiders.

On Tuesday evening, Rajoy explained why he has chosen to give it a try anyway.

The reasons that I have accepted the request from the king [to form a government] are threefold: Spain urgently needs a government, Spaniards have expressed their preference for the PP, and there is no reasonable alternative, he told his fellow deputies during a speech that began at just after 4pm and lasted nearly 90 minutes. The phrase, Spain needs a government has become a popular cry.

When [Socialist leader Pedro] Sanchez appeared in the investiture debate he said, Spain urgently needs a government, and three months have passed since then, said Rajoy on Tuesday afternoon, in reference to Sanchezs failed bid earlier this year to win a similar investiture vote  also with the support of Ciudadanos.

The speech was mediocre, full of blackmail. He knows he wont be chosen Inigo Errejon, spokesperson for Podemos

We are the European country where employment is growing the most, Rajoy continued. We have received a lot of warnings from outside Spain [about the lack of government] Things could take a turn for the worse.

Spain recently negotiated with the EU an important level of flexibility for complying with its public deficit. We cannot put off taking the measures needed to achieve this before October 15, he continued. Spain urgently needs a government that is able to act and to respond.

Elections on Christmas Day?

Spain finds itself in this unprecedented situation after two inconclusive general elections, in December 2015 and June 2016. At both polls the PP emerged with most votes, but fell well short of the 176 seats in Congress needed to form a government. Since then the main parties  the PP, the PSOE, Ciudadanos and left-wing anti-austerity group Podemos  have failed to reach an agreement on a coalition or a minority government.

If Rajoy is unsuccessful in this investiture vote the strict timetables laid out by electoral law could see a third general election scheduled for Christmas Day.

Unless someone during this debate expresses the opposite, I suppose that all of us want Spain to avoid new elections. Is anyone thinking about that? Rajoy asked the assembled deputies, and was met with jeers. I have to believe that we are all in agreement, and that we respond with the values that we all share with Spaniards.

He concluded his speech by stating: There must be an opposition. I dont want to be there. But for there to be one there must be a government. Otherwise its not possible.

The circumstances call for us to put ourselves at the service of consensus. I hope that at the end of this debate we will put the general interest first.

Other opposition parties will have the chance to respond to Rajoy before the first round of voting takes place.

Full of blackmail

However, reaction to Rajoys speech was swift in the halls of Congress. We have just witnessed a speech from a tired candidate, and a political project that is worn out and contains nothing new, PSOE spokesperson Antonio Hernando told reporters. It was more like a bureaucrat who came to give us a summary of the state of the nation debate.

Us Socialists dont have a single reason to give him our confidence, neither tomorrow nor Friday PSOE spokesperson Antonio Hernando

Us Socialists dont have a single reason to give him our confidence, neither tomorrow nor Friday. This was a speech from a bureaucrat who came to read a paper, a bureaucrat who knows that he has no role in 21st-century Spain.

Meanwhile, Inigo Errejon, the spokesperson for Podemos, called the speech mediocre, full of blackmail. He knows he wont be chosen. He spent too long saying there was no alternative. [Podemos leader] Pablo Iglesias will express tomorrow the reasons why we are going to say no and we are going to argue that there is another alternative.

Ciudadanos, of course, was supportive of Rajoys speech. The intervention was correct, said Juan Carlos Girauta, the partys parliamentary spokesperson. He laid out the fact that there is no reasonable alternative to his government. In terms of the content, the prime minister laid out some of the demands. Some of them. And then he called for stability, a stable and lasting government.

English version by Simon Hunter and Susana Urra.
Kanpur district magistrate on Tuesday ordered a probe into the death of a 12-year-old boy, who died on his fathers shoulder as he was denied admission to the citys biggest hospital, after Uttar Pradeshs childrens commission took notice of the matter.

Nahid Lari Khan, a member of the Uttar Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, said DM Kaushal Raj Sharma has told them that the footage of the incident was being scanned and the boys father was being located so that he could record his statement with the inquiry panel.

Sharma formed a three-member committee to look into the matter. The team comprising two additional city magistrates (ACM) and additional chief medical officer (ACMO) reached the government-run Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital to carry out its investigation.

The team will complete its inquiry by late evening. Strict action will be taken against the guilty if medical negligence or denial of a stretcher to the patient is established, Sharma said.

We will share the findings with the childrens commission which has sought a report, he added.

Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College (GSVM) has also ordered a separate probe into the case and it would submit its findings to the administration late on Tuesday evening. LLR Hospital is associated with GSVM.

The principal of GSVM Medical College, Navneet Kumar, said when the doctors examined him at paediatric emergency, the child was already dead. He was not admitted to the hospital as per the records, he said.

He failed to answer as to why the child was not treated at the LLRs main emergency centre or why he was not shifted to the paediatric emergency ward by the hospital staff.

Kumar said he was looking into the matter and strict action would be taken against the guilty.

On Monday, the hospitals emergency section refused to admit Sunil Kumars son, Ansh, neither did the staff provide the father with any assistance to carry the boy to a childrens medical centre where he was suggested to go.

The boy died on his fathers shoulder when he was dashing on foot to the childrens hospital, 250 metres away.

Ansh was down with high fever since Sunday night. Kumar first went to neighbourhood doctors in Fazalgunj but took his son to LLR as the fever increased gradually.

I begged doctors at the emergency to examine my son and admit him. They took 30 minutes before telling me to take the kid to the childrens hospital, he said.

Kumar asked for a stretcher to carry his son, but the request was turned down. By the time he reached the childrens hospital, his son was dead. Doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Kumar had to bundle his sons body on his shoulder and walk home as no one helped.
US secretary of state John Kerry and US commerce Penny Pritzker will co-chair the annual India-US strategic and commercial dialogue with external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and commerce and industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Here are the key issues on the table:

NSG bid

India would make a strong push for greater support from the United States in getting a membership to the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) during the dialogue that would also focus on business ties, defence cooperation and clean energy initiatives. The NSG bid is closely linked to its push for clean energy sources, an area where India-US cooperation is getting stronger.

India also feels that the US didnt go all-out so far in helping it a full membership in the group that deals with trade in nuclear technology and fissile materials. For example, when India got an exemption from the NSG guidelines, the effort was led by former president George Bush. But this time around, President Barack Obama left the task to the officials.

Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT)

The US has been nudging India to sigh the BIT that protects US investment in India and vice versa. This is proving to be a really tough task. India wants to keep the taxation and arbitration outside the preview of the pact, which the US is opposed to. The US says BIT in such a format defeats the very purpose of having an investment protection treaty.

Early ratification of Paris climate accord

India is ready to ratify it. But would like the US going for all out push for its NSG membership in return. The US administration sees ratification of the deal as a legacy of President Obama. But the Indian side not so sure whether they should sign soon or wait for the next US president to assume office.

AfPak

There is a greater convergence on Afghanistan now, with India seeing no immediate chance of Taliban getting mainstreamed into the political system of that country. India would like the US to put more pressure on Pakistan on the cross-border terrorism and link its aid with measures that Pakistan is taking on addressing terrorism.

Make in India

The two sides will also explore means for greater US participation in the Make in India flagship in the defence sector. They will review progress in the establishment of the working groups on aircraft carrier technology and jet engine.

In 2015, the bilateral trade reached $109 billion, which was $37 billion in 2005. The US investment in India reached more than $28 billion and India has invested more than $11 billion in the US. The US affiliates of Indian companies employ more than 52,000 workers in the US.

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Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik may soon be booked under the stringent anti-terror law with a legal opinion is said to have suggested action against him and his NGO, Islamic Research Foundation (IRF).

Sources said the home ministry had sought a legal opinion on the possible action to be taken against Naik for his controversial activities, including allegedly delivering hate speech.

The legal opinion is understood to have conveyed to the ministry that Naiks statements in different forums allegedly promoted enmity and hatred between religious groups and inspired and incited terrorists.

A case of should be registered against Naik under anti-terror laws for allegedly delivering hate speech on different occasions, sources said quoting the legal opinion.

The legal opinion suggested that there is a conscious intention on Naiks part towards spreading enmity among religious groups.

Apart from Naik, cases should be registered against his NGO IRF, which is allegedly funded radical activities, the legal advice said to have suggested.

Naik has come under the scanner of the security agencies after Bangladeshi newspaper Daily Star reported that one of the attackers of the July 1 terror strike in Dhaka, Rohan Imtiaz, ran a propaganda on Facebook last year quoting Naik.

Naik, in his lecture aired on Peace TV, an international Islamic channel, had reportedly urged all Muslims to be terrorists.

Naik is banned in the UK and Canada for his hate speech aimed against other religions. He is among 16 banned Islamic scholars in Malaysia.

He is hugely popular in Bangladesh through his Peace TV, although his preaching often demean other religions and even other Muslim sects.
With one of his legs in a plaster cast, he could barely walk. Yet, he was made to crawl from one place to another to seek medical aid, with the hospital administration and those present at the government health facility here remaining insensitive to his plight.

The man, whose identity is still not known, was found lying beside a railway track. On Thursday evening, he was brought to the Muzaffarpur Sadar Hospital in north Bihar by government railway police (GRP) personnel. He has been since referred to the 'better equipped' Shri Krishna Medical College Hospital (SKMCH) for treatment but wasnt provided an ambulance to ferry him there.

Imran Alam, GRP station house officer, said, He has neither disclosed his name nor his place of residence. Probably he is from another state and is having difficulty in following Hindi. We got him admitted at Sadar Hospital. He was allotted bed number 28 in the general ward."

Civil surgeon Dr Lalitha Singh said the man was referred to SKMCH for better treatment. "An ambulance has been allotted to him. We have done whatever was possible. Our responsibility is now over," she said, adding that the hospital administration was to be blamed for his plight.

Ambulance driver Sanjay Singh said the vehicle had been running short of diesel for the last four days. "How can I ferry him to SKMCH if the hospital administration does not provide fuel?" he questioned.

Despite many efforts, district magistrate Dharmendra Singh, who is also the chairperson of district health society, could not be reached for his comments.
India and the US tried on Tuesday to put Pakistan in the docks for harbouring extremists and making a distinction between good and bad terrorists.

Also, the two countries decided to set up a trilateral dialogue on Afghanistan  another irksome development for Pakistan  as they stepped up their counter-terrorism cooperation by expanding intelligence-sharing about known or suspected extremists and terrorist threats.

The decision was taken at the India-US annual strategic and commercial dialogue in the national capital.

I am happy to note that there was a meeting of minds on this issue (of terrorism), foreign minister Sushma Swaraj said at the joint press conference after her meeting with US secretary of state John Kerry.

We agreed that nations must not maintain double standards, such as the categorisation of good and bad terrorists, nor act as sanctuaries and safe havens for terrorist organisations, she said.

Kerry echoed Swarajs views, saying the US stands with India against all terrorism, no matter where it comes from.

He said he had spoken to the Pakistan leadership about the need for Islamabad to deprive any (terrorist) group of sanctuary.

His remarks came at a time bitter neighbours Pakistan and India are locked in hostile rhetoric over public protests in Jammu and Kashmir over the killing of a militant leader on July 8. The unrest has claimed 70 lives and wounded hundreds of people. Pakistan has called the militant a martyr to ratchet up anti-India sentiments.

Kerry named the Haqqani network that operates in Afghanistan as well as the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which is blamed for the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks of 2008.

He backed Sushmas demand for bringing to book those behind the Mumbai attacks and this years terrorist strike on the Pathankot airbase.

It is vital that Pakistan join with other nations in tackling this challenge, and in fairness, in recent weeks and months they have been moving more authoritatively, Kerry said.

The enhanced Indo-US counter-terrorism cooperation will include expanding exchange of screening information and speeding up processing of requests from both nations for information about terrorist suspects.

We will intensify intelligence-sharing and continue to work closely to get terrorist entities listed by the UN system, Sushma said.

The two countries also concluded an over-arching cyber security agreement.

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BJP parliamentarian Subramanian Swamy thinks Delhi lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung is unsuitable for the job and should be replaced with somebody loyal to the RSS and its affiliates.

Swamys pitch against Jung came on a day when chief minister Arvind Kejriwal accused the lieutenant governor of undermining the Aam Aadmi Party government in the city by transferring officials in charge of flagship projects. The BJP leader, however, shares no goodwill with Kejriwal either.

In my opinion, this LG of Delhi Mr. Jung is unsuited for this high post. He is another 420 like Kejri. We need a Sangh person in Delhi, he tweeted on Tuesday.

His tweet didnt find support even within the Sangh, though. The BJP ignored the demand while Kejriwals AAP, which has been at loggerheads with Jung since coming to power in 2015, refused to react.

In my opinion, this LG of Delhi Mr. Jung is unsuited for this high post. He is another 420 like Kejri. We need a Sangh person in Delhi  Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) August 30, 2016

Swamy is not the first BJP lawmaker to call for replacing Jung. But despite Jung and Kejriwals longstanding acrimony, the chief minister tweeted on September 26, 2015: Removing him will not help. His successor would also do the same if PMO kept interfering Real solution is PMO should stop interfering in Delhi.

The Delhi lieutenant governor is appointed by the Union government and reports to the home ministry.

For his part, Swamy is known to be one of the reasons behind RBI governor Raghuram Rajans decision not to extend his three-year stint which ends this September.

An appointee of the previous UPA government, the 53-year-old Rajan announced he will not seek a second term and go back to academia. The announcement followed personal criticism from a section within the ruling BJP, especially parliamentarian Swamy who said Rajan was mentally not fully Indian and should be sacked.

Before he joined the BJP, Swamy, a Harvard professor-turned-politician, was a Janata Party leader and described himself as some kind of Clint Eastwood who single-handedly can destroy someone, or at least his reputation.

Swamy is credited for engineering the fall of the first NDA government that lasted 13 days in 1998. He arranged a meeting of J Jayalalithaa and Sonia Gandhi  two leaders became his bitterest rivals later  to not support the Vajpayee government.

The Indian Express reported in 1993 that Swamy, the Janata Party chief then, sought a ban on the Shiv Sena and called RSS and its wings terrorist organisations.

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The use of pellet guns in the Valley may have led to calls for less harmful methods of crowd-control but it is not new.

A home ministry panel set up after the 2010 street protests in Jammu and Kashmir, too, had come up with a long list of non-lethal weapons that could be used to disperse violent protesters without causing deaths.

From stink and chilli grenades to acoustic devices that disorient protesters, the 2010 panel like the one that submitted its report to home minister Rajnath Singh on Monday  had listed 10 non-lethal weapons that forces could use to control mobs.

The list, which became part of the standard operating procedure for handling street protests across the country, however, did not find favour with the security forces.

These weapons were found to be ineffective against the stone-pelting crowds that the forces encountered in the Valley.

The pump action gun, which fires cartridges containing hundreds of metal pellets and has come to symbolise Delhis strong-arm tactics in the Valley, wasnt on the list. But it was in use well before the panel gave its report in February 2011.

K Vijay Kumar, who then headed the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), said the pellet guns were introduced to minimise casualties, particularly after more than 100 civilians were killed in police firing in 2010, the Valleys bloodiest summer.

It was certainly a less-lethal option as compared to the Insas rifle that the central forces had used, Kumar said.

A senior CRPF official said there were reservations about the efficacy of the non-lethal options proposed by the panel, as many felt that the crowds on Kashmirs streets were too determined for them.

The assessment was also influenced by the view that the security forces had already made a concession to violent protesters by introducing the pump action gun.

The pellet gun  also deployed along the Indo-Bangladesh border  has always been classified as a non-lethal weapon by the home ministry.

But after several people suffered serious injuries, many to their eyes, in the latest cycle of violent protests in the Valley, the focus is back on the pellet gun.

The alternatives are few. The CRPF recently told the Jammu and Kashmir high court that fatalities would mount if pellet guns were to be banned, as it would have to use bullets when faced with hostile crowds.

A senior police officer said it was unlikely that the pellet gun would be phased out any time soon and it should co-exist with, say, the stink bombs.

The pellet gun would be the weapon of choice, where I would, otherwise, have had to use a rifle, he said. Just because there was a pellet gun did not mean that the police did not carry regular firearms, or did not use them.

Security personnel needed a mix of weapons -- to enable them to use the best weapon to deal with a particular situation, he said, confident that the government would soon deploy some new non-lethal weapons in Kashmir.

The Valley erupted in protest after a militant was killed in a gunfight with security forces in south Kashmir on July 8. Seventy people died in clashes with security personnel and it was after 51 days on Monday that curfew was lifted from most parts of Kashmir.
Blinded by pellets in one eye, a young Kashmiri protester recuperating in Srinagars SMHS hospital vows to see through his revenge with the other.

Vengeance trembled through the lips of a 14-year-old girl too. Pellets fired by security forces damaged both her eyes and she is undergoing treatment at Delhis AIIMs. I want to kill those responsible and die, she said at the Srinagar hospital where she was initially treated.

They are suffering from trauma and acute psychological stress. There are hundreds like them, maimed in a massive security clampdown to quell protests over the death of militant leader Burhan Wani on July 8.

Kashmir was under curfew for 51 days. Seventy people died during the unrest while thousands suffered pellet injuries.

Principal of the government medical college here, Dr Kaiser Ahmad, has formed a crisis intervention team (CIT) to offer psychological assistance to the wounded people.

The eight-member team comprising four clinical psychologists, two counsellors with expertise in conflict-related trauma, and two psychiatrists was constituted soon after the wounded began pouring into Srinagar hospital in recent wave of unrest in the Valley.

Patients are primarily dealing with their disability. Many cant see; others cant walk. Their eyes are blinded by pellets or their legs shattered by bullets. So there is anger and depression and some are worried about their future, said Javid Jeelani Shah, a counsellor.

The team has counselled over 200 patients so far. Along with physical wounds, there is psychological suffering. So we needed a comprehensive crisis management, Ahmad said. Patients who lost their eyesight or vital organs might go into deep depression or develop suicidal tendencies.

Initial symptoms are sleep disturbance, panic , fears over losing their eyesight permanently, clinical psychologist Aijaz Khan explained.

There can be panic attacks, irritability and agitation, shortness of breath and palpitation in the first weeks.

He said such has been the trauma associated with pellet injuries that many doctors required debriefing after treating or counselling patients.

The team is worried about patients developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

If symptoms of psychological problems continue, perhaps the patients will get scary flashbacks of the incident, like pellets or bullets hitting them, Khan said.

The team has kept contact details of its patients to know how they are doing, and advised parents and guardians to report any signs of PTSD.

Read | Treat Kashmiris as own people: J-K HC raps Centre on pellet gun injuries

Feel sorry for people injured by pellet guns in Kashmir, says CRPF

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (SAUNI) project at Aji 3 dam near Jamnagar in Gujarat on Tuesday.

Later at Sanosara, Modi addressed his first public rally in Gujarat after becoming the Prime Minister.

The SAUNI irrigation project will cater to the region that is the heartland of Patidars, or the Patel community, which is up in arms over the demand for OBC quota.

About 150 members of the Patidar community, who were on their way to protest against the Prime Ministers visit, were detained.

However, top Patidar businessmen and industrialists from the region have issued full page advertisements in Gujarats newspapers, welcoming the Prime Minister Modi to the state.

WATCH: PM Modi inaugurates the first phase of SAUNI project at Aji Dam site in Jamnagar, Gujarathttps://t.co/EDwBWE0H6j  ANI (@ANI_news) August 30, 2016

At Sanosara, Modi talked about his governments welfare efforts. He talked about his governments campaign to empower the girl child as well as irrigation schemes.

SAUNI project

Modi travelled by road to Aji-3 dam to inaugurate the project after landing at the Jamnagar airport, instead of taking a helicopter ride owing to bad weather conditions. As monsoon has been active over Jamnagar for the past few days, the plan to travel by helicopter was dropped.

The first phase of the SAUNI project will cover 105 villages, including 47,943 hectares of land.

Farmers can reap both Kharif and Rabi crop -- as opposed to Kharif crop cultivation so far -- once the project makes more water accessible for agriculture.

Though the project will not be added to the command area under irrigation, it will strengthen the existing network by providing 1 acre million cubic feet of surplus Narmada water from the Sardar Sarovar Dam through a new pipeline network connecting existing dams.

Of the total 138 dams in Saurashtra, 115 dams will be provided Narmada waters through the SAUNI Yojana, which was first announced by Modi during his tenure as the Gujarat chief minister.

Through this scheme, the excess overflowing flood water of Narmada river will be distributed to various reservoirs in eleven districts of Saurashtra region through 1,126-km-long four-link pipelines. The scheme will supply water for irrigation to agricultural land of about 10.22 lakh acres and drinking water to 731 villages and 31 towns.

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Holding his first public rally in poll-bound Gujarat after taking office in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday reached out to farmers from the heartland of the restive Patel community after launching an irrigation project.

Modi also launched a veiled attack on the Congress after inaugurating the first phase of the ambitious Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (Sauni) project here, saying that polls can be won by dangling baits and throwing pieces but a country cant be run by doing so.

Targeting the Congress which had questioned the timing of his visit to poll-bound Gujarat, Modi said his government does not believe in throwing pieces to attract voters.

You can win polls by throwing pieces, but you cannot run a country by doing so. We do not believe in throwing pieces. We worked hard for almost 15 years for this project to bring transformation and development, Modi told a huge gathering at Sanosara village in Jamnagar district in the patidar(or patel)-dominated Saurashtra region.

Water is a politically sensitive issue in Gujarat, which the BJP plans to cash in before the 2017 Assembly polls to revive its fortunes, specially at the time when it is facing challenges like Patel quota agitation and Dalit uprising.

The Congress has termed the inauguration of Sauni scheme at this juncture by the Prime Minister as an attempt to give a message to voters ahead of the polls.

In his address, Modi stressed on conserving water and remembered his days as Gujarat Chief Minister when people did not understood his vision to bring transformation in agriculture sector.

After I became Gujarats CM for the first time (in 2001), I used to tell farmers that instead of fighting against government to get more electricity for irrigation, they should focus more on water management. However, I failed to make them understand for almost 2-3 years said Modi.

At that time, I faced lot of protests by farmers. They used to burn my effigies. But, I remained firm on my vision. Today, I want to thank farmers of Gujarat for accepting my vision of conserving water through sprinklers, drip irrigation and micro irrigation tools, which significantly brought up ground water levels, said Modi.

He added that water of Narmada river has now reached till the extreme end of parched Kutch region and helped farmers to a great extent.

Narmada waters have reached till Khavda in Kutch. There was a time when camels were used to transport water to our BSF jawans posted there. They used to get small quantity of water for drinking. But now, they use Narmada water for even bathing, said Modi.

We worked on the motto of Jai Jawan and Jai Kisan. Water from Narmada has transformed the lives of farmers too. This season, farmers of Kutch exported 70,000 tonnes of Kesar mangoes added Modi.

Remembering the day when Modi first coined the idea of Sauni scheme, the PM said that people had apprehensions about the success of this project initially.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Tuesday inaugurate the first phase of Saurashtra Narmada Avataran for Irrigation (SAUNI) project -- in which nearly 10 dams and reservoirs of Rajkot, Jamnagar and Morbi would be filled up with the water of Narmada river.

The Rs 12,000 crore project is considered to be ambitious after PM Modi had announced the project in 2012 when he was the chief minister of Gujarat. The project intends to fill nearly 115 dams of Saurashtra region that faces shortage of water for irrigation and drinking.

Nearly ten dams of three districts would be filled up with water from Narmada under the project, which would be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Aji-3 dam site, Rajkot district collector Vikrant Pandey said.

After inaugurating the project, the Prime Minister would address the public gathering at Sanosara town, he said.

We are expecting around 80,000 people to attend the Prime Ministers public rally, Pandey said, adding that all preparations have been done and police too have made adequate security arrangements for the PMs security.

A special dome (temporary covered area) has been set up using German technology as senior party leaders like Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, his predecessor Anandiben Patel, deputy chief minister Nitin Patel, and other ministers of the Gujarat government would attend the function.

BJPs Saurashtra-Kutch spokesperson and vice chairman of Yatradham Vikas Board, Rajubhai Dhruve, said that with the implementation of the project, the Saurashtra region would witness a green revolution.

This would probably be the first project in the country to be announced and implemented within four years, Dhruve claimed.

Narendrabhai had announced the project in September 2012 when he was the chief minister of Gujarat, and after four years, the first phase of the project is to be inaugurated by him, he said.

Nearly 10,22,589 acres of farming land would be benefitted by using the water from Narmada river for irrigation once the project is completed, Dhruve added.
A womens university in Rajasthan has asked students details of their menstrual cycle and reproductive status in a health-profile form that comes with the admission application, a practice described as disgusting and intrusive by activists.

Banasthali University in Tonk, which is 85 km from Jaipur, is a popular residential facility set up to promote higher education in the desert state, where women are way down the social ladder.

While the intrusive form has come under attack from rights activists, vice-chancellorWhile the intrusive form has come under attack from rights activists, vice-chancellor Aditya Shastri says the record helps the university provide better healthcare to students. says the record helps the university provide better healthcare to students.

(HT Photo )

Students refused to talk about the questionnaire. The alumni were divided on the university seeking these details but they all agreed that the form has been there for some time.

Shwetangi Goyal, who completed B Tech (Biotechnology) in 2015, recalled a question that asked if her menstrual cycle was irregular. But I think it is well within the university managements rights to ask such questions. They ask them to maintain a health profile of the students, she said.

Students are also asked about their last menstruation date, visits to a gynaecologist -- if any -- and married women are asked if they are pregnant or have had an abortion.

The form took her by surprise, said Shweta Singh, who graduated from the university earlier this year. It was the first time that I saw a form in which all these details were required. The first thing that struck me was why do they want to know these things? All these details are personal, said Singh, an IT engineer.

The university started maintaining gynaecological profiles of students after a newborn was found dead in one of the hostels, university sources said.

The health profile form is filled after the students are admitted to the university, and the questions pertain to their health, vice-chancellor Shastri said. There are a couple of gynaecological questions too, but they apply only to married students. Unmarried students are not asked any questions regarding their sexual health.

But, contrary to Shastris claims questions about sexual health are posed to all students. The health-profile form is part of a 10-page admission application.

Kavita Srivastava, a member of the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties, a rights body, said the form violated privacy. It is an utterly disgusting practice. It impinges on the privacy of female students, and the university has absolutely no right to ask such questions, she said.

Details of a persons body cannot be made public. Such information can only be shared with ones doctor. The questions should be withdrawn immediately, Srivastava said.

The health-profile form

For all students

1) Do you have regular menstruation?

2) When did your menstruation last occur?

3) Have you consulted a doctor for any gynaecological problem?

For married women

1) Are you pregnant now?

2) What was the date of your last delivery?

3) Have you ever had an abortion, miscarriage or caesarian section?

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A field overflowing with supporters of a popular film star boisterously cheering his every word last weekend at the temple town of Tirupati has ratcheted up political temperatures in Andhra Pradesh.

The show of strength by Pawan Kalyan, 46, the younger brother of former union minister and Telugu matinee idol K Chiranjeevi, has set off a new round of animated debate over his ambitions and to what extent he could redraw the political alignments in the state.

Kalyan heads a regional party, Jana Sena, which he had floated weeks before the 2014 general elections. He, however, abstained from contesting the elections and chose to back the Telugu Desam-BJP combine instead, rallying votes of the influential Kapu votes for the alliance that won the state.

His latest foray after a few years of relative hibernation has been more dramatic. He announced a three-phase agitation to secure special category status for Andhra Pradesh  starting with a rally at Kakinada in East Godavari on September 9. A special status for Andhra, which has been financially emaciated after the new state of Telangana was carved out, is an emotive issue that many politicians are seeking to exploit.

At the Tirupati rally, Kalyan lost no opportunities in milking it. Though considered an ally of the BJP, he took veiled pot shots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not delivering on the special category status that expectedly would bring economic and financial benefits to the state. If a person gives a word, it should be like an arrow that would not return once released from a bow, he said.

He also criticized Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu and his MPs for failing to bring adequate pressure on the central government. Why did they speak in a begging and pleading tone? Why didnt they stall Parliament? Why did they mortgage the self-respect of Telugus in Delhi? he asked in his theatrical style and the crowd roared in collective agreement.

Political commentators see a design in Kalyans histrionics. It appears that he is keen on emerging as an alternative political force by 2019 elections. If he is able to make a mark for himself as a politician in the next two years, the political scenario in AP will undergo a dramatic change, said political analyst Chalasani Srinivas.

Several factors could work in the actors favour. Having acted in 23 movies, many of which such as Tholi Prema, Khushi, Jalsa and Badri went on to become smash hits, he enjoys a huge fan base. Many of his followers are known to be fanatics and only weeks ago one of his fans was killed in a brawl with the fan of a rival film star.

He is also supposedly a big draw for members of his Kapu caste who make up some 27% of the states population. The Kapus dominate East and West Godavari districts, accounting for 34 of the states 175 assembly seats. He can also influence another 30 seats in Chittoor, Visakhapatnam, Krishna and Guntur districts. No wonder, Modi met him one-on-one to discuss the issues of the state in 2014.

Few expect Kalyan to do another NTR  the yesteryear actor who became the chief minister in the 1980s. Kalyan might not be able to come to power on his own, but one might witness a change in the political equations in the coming days, since Kalyan will be a force to reckon with and all parties will try to woo him, added Srinivas.
Divya Pahuja, alleged girlfriend of gangster Sandeep Gadoli who was killed by the Gurgaon police in a fake encounter in a hotel near the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai in February, broke down in a magistrates court on Monday, insisting that she had no role in the encounter and didnt know that Gadoli was a gangster.

The 20-year-old is accused of conspiring the encounter in which Gadoli was killed. She allegedly shared details of gangsters whereabouts with the Gurgaon Police who tracked him down to a hotel in Andheri and shot him. She was allegedly present in the room when Gadoli was killed .

Divya and her mother Sonia who were arrested by a Mumbai Police special investigation team (SIT) in Gurgaon on July 14, were produced in the magistrates court on Monday afternoon for their regular fortnightly appearance. Pleading that she was a victim of circumstances, Divya told the court that Gadoli had introduced himself as Rishab and concealed the fact that he was a gangster.

My life is ruined. Ever since my name cropped up in the case since last seven months, no one talks to me anymore. My friends have left me and I am isolated. I was 19 when the incident took place and have just turned 20, lost my job and now stuck in prison, a weeping Divya told the court.

She insisted that she has been framed in the case. I was introduced to Gadoli by a common friend Manish. One day he called me and asked me to meet. It was then that Manish introduced me to Gadoli as Rishabh. I knew nothing more than this, Divya told the court.

While the court patiently listened to her, the magistrate said he could not do anything at this stage.

I have done nothing. I didnt give the room number or hotel number to police. In fact I didnt know that Gadoli was a gangster. Even in the hotel register he gave his fake name and produced fake identity. There was no way for me to get to know about his criminal record, Divya pleaded. She was finally interrupted by the police and the court said that she has to approach her lawyer and family for help.

Divya also complained about her lawyer and said that he doesnt visit her. The lawyer doesnt come to jail to visit us. My sister is too young to understand all this and my father is handicapped. We have no one here. How do I contact anyone and whom should I approach for help? Divya cried. The court later adjourned the case for a fortnight.

The Gurgaon police had claimed that Gadoli was killed in retaliatory fire at Hotel Airport Metro in Andheri (east) on February 7. But after an investigation the Mumbai police submitted a report in the court that said the encounter was staged.

A Gurgaon police sub inspector and two constables were also arrested in the case in July.

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An engineering student was clubbed to death by her senior inside the classroom on Tuesday morning in Karur, 380 kms from Chennai.

Twenty-year-old Sonali, a third year student at the Karur Engineering College, was killed in broad daylight by Udaykumar even as some of her classmates looked in shock, police said.

According to the police, Udayakumar entered the classroom armed with a wooden log and confronted Sonali for ignoring him. They had an argument following which Udayakumar smashed her head with the log.

A professor tried to intervene but Udayakumar attacked him also before walking out of the classroom.

A profusely bleeding Sonali was first taken to Karur Hospital where she was given first aid and then rushed to Madurai hospital, where she died.

Udayakumar was arrested soon after the incident and a case of murder registered against him.

Police said that Sonali and Udaykumar appeared to have been friendly for some time. But since Udayakumar was suspended a few days ago, Sonali had been avoiding him. Udayakumar met her at the college canteen on Tuesday. As she did not talk to him, he was infuriated. He followed her to the classroom and then hit her after the argument. A police inspector investigating the case said he hit the girl twice with the log.

Sonali hails from Madurai while Udaykumar is from Paramakudi in Trichy district.

The incident comes two months after IT professional Swathi was hacked to death at a railway station in Chennai by a man for rejecting him.

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The man , who allegedly shot at and injured BJP leader Brijpal Teotia earlier this month, was arrested on Tuesday in by the Uttar Pradesh Police after a brief encounter in Ghaziabad.

Manish Deewan, the alleged shooter, was nabbed near Manan Dhaam Duhai on Delhi-Meerut Road while he was travelling on a bike without registration number, police said.

Manish told the police that he was on his way from Jhansi to his in-laws house in Dehradun, police said.

Police claimed to have recovered a US made .30 caliber carbine and live cartridges from him.

Superintendent of police (rural area) Rakesh Pandey said since the attack on Teotia on August 11, police had been raiding Manishs hideouts and were tracing his location through electronic surveillance and some informers were also giving inputs.

Teotia, his security guards and driver, sustained serious injuries when Manish, along with his 13 accomplices, allegedly fired indiscriminately on the BJP leaders Scorpio at Raoli Road Murad Nagar while he was returning to Ghaziabad after attending a function.

STF has taken Manish to Greater Noida for further interrogation, police said.
One year ago today, noted scholar and professor MM Kalburgi was shot dead outside his home in north Karnatakas Dharwad by suspected Hindu right-wingers for offending religious sentiments.

His murder was the third and last in a string of similar killings of rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare and inspired top authors, scientists and filmmakers to return government awards in protest against what they called rising intolerance in the country.

But things have fizzled down since  both the government and the protesters have moved on to newer and more controversial issues  the beef ban, gaffes by ministers and mounting sedition charges. Kalburgis murderers are still out there and the state crime investigation department is waiting to question a suspect in the case.

The probe is going nowhere, despite a Bajrang Dal leader publicly saying anyone insulting Hinduism will die like a dog and warning that there would be more murders like Kalburgis. All this in a state ruled by the Congress.

While the principal opposition party has been vocal in Parliament and BJP-ruled states about the apparently rising hardline violence, it has done little to arrest any such growth of right wing in the states it rules.

The blood-soaked clothes of Professor Kalburgi. (HT File Photo)

In Karnataka  the largest of the Congress-ruled states  the government has repeatedly pandered to right-wing sentiments, the latest being sedition charges filed against Amnesty India for hosting a pro-Kashmir event. In Kalburgis case, the chief minister has stopped at announcing a cash reward while his CID has been repeatedly blamed for stalling the probe and not sharing details of the investigation with the CBI that is looking into Dabholkar and Pansares deaths.

Whatever be the rhetoric of the top leadership, on the ground there appears to be little fight-back against rising Hindu nationalism by the Congress, if its performance in Karnataka is anything to go by.

This is unfortunate because the rise of right-wing sentiments is being resisted by far-more vulnerable populations  like the Dalits in Gujarat, who form just 7% of the states population but have taken on the influential and powerful cow protection lobby.

Kalburgis murder was significant not only because a anti-superstition, rationalist ideologue was gunned down but also because the murder was brazen  the killers walked up to the writers home, shot him and calmly left. The level of smugness in their impunity was chilling.

The murder showed the world that India didnt take seriously its tag of the worlds largest democracy, that it was willing to stifle dissenting voices and brought justifiable criticism to the BJP for allegedly pushing a majoritarian agenda.

But in failing to nab his killers and arrest the rise of this right-wing sentiment, the Congress has shown that it is ill-equipped to take on the mantle of the principal force against the BJP. It is no wonder that in state after state, voters have chosen regional outfits over the Congress to take on Indias ruling party. It is a real shame.

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The Centre announced on Tuesday two years bonus for its employees and hiked minimum wages of unskilled workers by more than Rs 100, aiming to outmanoeuvre trade unions ahead of a general strike on September 2.

However, Left and Congress-affiliated workers unions dismissed the largesse and said they will go ahead with their day-long stir that could impact sectors like banking, telecom and railways.

This is a mere eyewash. We demanded minimum wage for every worker at Rs 18,000 per month. The labour minister has misled people, said Gurudas Dasgupta, the chief of the CPI-affiliated AITUC.

The government will fork out an additional Rs 3,800 crore in paying the bonus that will benefit 33 lakh-odd central employees ahead of the festive season.

In the last one-and-a-half year, the inter-ministerial committee held meetings with the central trade unions. The unions placed various demands. Some were labour-related and some related to economic policy issues. The government has taken decisions on the basis of their recommendations, finance minister Arun Jaitley said.

Labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya said the government has accepted seven out of the eights demands of the trade unions. There is no justification for a strike, he told HT.

The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, a workers union affiliated to the ruling BJP, however, is staying away from the strike called to protest the Narendra Modi government reforms that will see several state-run banks merged with the State Bank of India, the countrys biggest lender.

The (banks) merger is not the subject of trade unions, Jaitley said, hoping that they will act responsibly.

Employees will get bonus for the years 2014-15 and 2015-16 while minimum wages for non-agricultural workers have been revised from Rs 246 to Rs 350 per day, he added.

The finance minister also assured that necessary steps will be taken to resolve pending cases on bonus payments in courts.

Although the minimum wages is applicable for works commissioned by the Centre and its organisations, the state governments will come under pressure to hike their minimum wages.

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A local court in Jaunpur on Tuesday convicted Ubaid-ur-Rehman, the second Bangladeshi accused in 2005 Shramjeevi Express blast case which left 12 passengers dead and 60 others injured.

The blast took place in the general compartment of the train at Hariharpur railway crossing near Harpalganj station in Jaunpur on July 28.

The court of additional sessions judge Budhiram Yadav convicted Rehman for murder, attempt to murder and conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code, and under various sections of the Explosive Material Possession Act.

The court will pronounce the quantum of the sentence on Wednesday.

Recently, the court awarded death sentence to Mohammad Alamgir, the main accused in the case.

Both Alamgir and Rehman are residents of Bangladesh.
India and the United States pledged on Tuesday to deepen security and commercial ties at the start of an annual strategic dialogue in which tension with Pakistan over the Kashmir region will also be discussed.

Secretary of state John Kerry and commerce secretary Penny Pritzker led the US delegation in talks with senior Indian government officials in New Delhi.

It couldnt come at a more important moment, Kerry said in his opening remarks.

In both sectors, security and economics, we have room to be able to further grow, and to expand our two-way trade and investment, but also to resolve our security problems in doing that.

Kerry cited cyber-security and energy as areas where both countries could expand cooperation. He said the sides have reached an understanding on financing to help India meet its ambitious renewable energy targets.

Our plate between our two nations is as full now as it has ever been, added Kerry, who was attending the second Strategic and Commercial Dialogue that will also be the last of the Barack Obama presidency.

Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj said she hoped the next US president would continue the dialogue that also seeks inputs from companies, which this year included e-commerce giant Amazon and wireless technology firm Qualcomm.

India is keen to attract foreign investment to back Prime Minister Narendra Modis Make in India initiative while foreign investors are keen for reassurance that Asias third-largest economy is becoming an easier place to do business.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley briefed US CEOs on a planned Goods and Services Tax (GST) that the government hopes to introduce next year and would transform the market of 1.3 billion people into a single market for the first time.

Kashmir tensions

In a meeting with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval earlier, Kerry discussed regional security challenges in South Asia, as well counter-terrorism efforts, said US state department spokesperson Mark Toner.

A senior US official said Kerry would urge Modi in a meeting on Wednesday to open talks with neighbouring Pakistan to resolve tension over Indian-ruled Kashmir.

Kashmir is at the centre of a decades-old rivalry between nuclear-armed neighbours.

Dozens of people have been killed in violent protests in Kashmir since July 8, when security forces killed Burhan Wani, a field commander of Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen, who enjoyed widespread support in the Muslim-majority region.

Modi has said India will not bow to terrorism and accused Pakistan of glorifying it in his annual Independence Day speech on August 15, in which he also raised the rhetorical stakes by highlighting concerns about human rights in restive regions of Pakistan.

New Delhi has rejected Pakistans invitation to hold talks on the future of Jammu and Kashmir, Indias northernmost state, saying it is an integral part of the nation. It also says any talks should address cross-border terrorism in Indian-ruled Kashmir - something Pakistan denies any role in.

We have a long-standing policy of encouraging and advocating for great dialogue between the two countries on addressing areas of difference, and that continues to be our position, a senior US official said before the talks.

But we have also underscored that combating terrorism is a high priority for the United States in its bilateral relations with all of the countries in the region, the official added.

Afghanistan would also be discussed, the official said, amid closer ties between India and Afghanistan, which is likely to aggravate fears in Pakistan of being wedged between two hostile neighbours.

India has provided a little over $2 billion in economic assistance to Afghanistan in the last 15 years and said recently it would deliver more arms to Afghanistan.
The United States and India agreed Tuesday to boost counterterrorism cooperation by expanding intelligence sharing about known or suspected extremists and terrorist threats.

Speaking after conclusion of the second US-India strategic dialogue in New Delhi with visiting US secretary of state John Kerry, Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said the two countries also renewed their commitment to track down and prosecute perpetrators of several terrorist attacks on Indian soil, including the 2008 strike in Mumbai and a January 2016 attack on the Pathankot Air Force base. India has blamed Pakistan-linked groups for the attacks.

Swaraj said the two sides had agreed on the urgent necessity for Pakistan to disable safe havens and terrorist networks and on the need to Pakistan to do more to bring the perpetrators of (the two attacks) to justice quickly.

We reaffirmed the urgent necessity for Pakistan to dismantle safe havens for terrorists and criminals networks including LeT, JeM and the D-Company, she said.

On his part, Kerry said, US continues to support all efforts to bring the perpetrators of 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot attacks to justice.

EAM @SushmaSwaraj addresses Jt press interaction with @JohnKerry, highlights meeting of minds on issue of terrorism pic.twitter.com/EyQYn2Er78  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) August 30, 2016

The US Secretary of State arrived in New Delhi on Monday for strategic and commercial talks with India. He is leading the American delegation to the seventh meeting of the US-India strategic dialogue, which seeks to improve between the nations.

Swaraj said that she apprised Kerry of cross border terrorism by Pakistan and said there cannot be double standards in combating terror.

I briefed secretary Kerry on the continuing problem of cross border terrorism that India and the larger region faces from Pakistan, said Swaraj.

Echoing the Indian foreign ministers remark, Kerry also said that US cant and wont make distinction between good and bad terrorists.

US stands with India on all matters of terrorism, no matter where it comes from; its crystal clear we are on the same view over it, he said.

But, he did say he had spoken recently with Pakistani officials about the need for Pakistan to deprive any (terrorist) group of sanctuary. He specifically named the Haqqani network that operates in Afghanistan as well as Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has been blamed for attacks in India.

It is vital that Pakistan join with other nations in tackling this challenge, and in fairness, in recent weeks and months they have been moving more authoritatively, Kerry said.

LIVE NOW!

Watch the Joint Press Interaction by EAM @SushmaSwaraj & Secy of State @JohnKerry

Click here: https://t.co/vDKo5Ex6Mq  Indian Diplomacy (@IndianDiplomacy) August 30, 2016

The counterterror cooperation will include an expansion of the exchange of screening information and expediting the processing of requests from both nations for information about potential suspects, the ministers said.

Swaraj said India remained ready to open discussions with Pakistan but that such dialogue was difficult while India remains a target of Pakistan-based groups.

The US has consistently urged dialogue between India and Pakistan on the dispute and, in a meeting with Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval, Kerry reiterated that position, according to US officials.

The two countries also agreed to restart a three-way dialogue with Afghanistan over its future and signed an agreement to combat and counter cyberattacks.

The nations also reaffirmed pledges to boost cooperation on climate change and clean energy development, including pressing ahead with the previously agreed construction of six nuclear reactors by the US firm Westinghouse.

(With inputs from AP)

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The Congress should follow the Jhabua-Ratlam model of better planning and coordination among party leaders to win the next assembly elections in the state, former union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said in Indore on Monday.

The Congress MP made the remark at a Meet the Press event on a question about his partys poll strategy for the next assembly election.

Congress candidate Kantilal Bhuria won the Jhabua-Ratlam Lok Sabha by-election in November last year with a margin of more than 88,800 votes over his BJP rival.

Scindia attributed the victory to good planning and better than usual coordination among the Congress leaders.

The state goes to the polls in 2018.

On a question whether he was Madhya Pradeshs chief minister in-waiting, Scindia did not give a clear answer. It was said of my father, Madhavrao Scindia, that he was not a typical politician (hankering for power). I guess it is the same for me. I believe in service and development of the state.

Scindia, who was election in-charge of the Congress in the 2013 assembly polls, said his party was still strong in the state but needs to energise cadres and properly organise itself to defeat the BJP.

He said there was a feeling of negativity in the state due to the wrong policies of the BJP government, which has failed on all fronts.

On Modi raising Balochistan issue

Asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising Balochistan issue in his Independence Day speech, Scindia said it was the Congress that had first raise atrocities against Baloch people by the Pakistan government.

We should first put our house that is Kashmir in order. The central government has completely failed to tackle the situation (in Kashmir). It is only now that they have taken the opposition into confidence. The situation in Kashmir has never been so bad in recent times than now, Scindia said.

On Indias Olympic debacle

He said Modi had claimed after the 2011 Olympics that if the NDA returns to power Indias medal tally would increase many fold. Modi had two years, what did he do? Scindia asked.

India should concentrate on a few sports, draw a blueprint and have a budgetary provision for it. The United Kingdom, which was failing badly in previous Olympics, has achieved major success by adopting this strategy, he said.
A random idea given by a villager during in an informal talk with Bahraichs district magistrate in 2009 is changing the way the administration fought floods in the state. Called elevated hand pumps, the implementation of this idea since 2010 floods has been doing wonders in nearly 300 villages of Bahraich and many other villages of UP.

The idea was first recognised by the Uttar Pradesh Planning Department and was adopted by UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who formed a state committee under his secretary Amod Kumar in December 2015, to implement it across the 21 flood prone districts of the state.

And before the onset of monsoon this year, a total of 2549 hand-pumps in all the 21 districts were raised above the highest flood level (HFL), making it biggest self-sufficient potable water management for the flood-hit areas in the world.

Read more: Its the season of flooding, but monsoon is below normal

Now, when floods sweep any village that has elevated hand pumps, the villagers can get potable water by reaching these hand pumps. But, they have to wade through the flood water or reach in boats. Most flood villages have a boat or two, said Virendra Pandey, a flood activist in Bahraich.

In August and September, floods often attain severity in UPs 21 flood prone districts. So now, when floods occur, villagers at least have access to drinking water.

Subsequently, the idea was also implemented by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Delhi.

Whats the idea?

Bhaggu, 69, of Sohras village in Kaiserganj district of Bahraich says: Since the age of 5, I remember that Ghagra flooded my village every year and the government has been a mute spectator of our sufferings. His main concern is the availability of drinking water during floods. During floods, we have water everywhere, but not a drop of potable water. All wells, ponds, taps or hand pumps get submerged. When floods occur, government machinery or NGOs distribute food packets, tarpaulin, kerosene, match-boxes, but no one ever bothers to do something for drinking water.

Dharmraj, 46, who holds the same view, says: So the villagers drink muddy water, either as it is or by sieving it through a cloth.

This often resulted in outbreak of several water-borne diseases during the floods or as the floods receded. So, Rigzin Samphel, the then DM of Bahraich, ahead of the 2010 monsoon, began talking to villagers. An unidentified farmer sitting with folded hands suggested, What if we raise existing hand-pumps from their ground level above HFL.

The idea looked appealing, and we realised that it did not require formulation of any new project but would only need elevation of the existing hand-pumps with minor funds, said Samphel, who is now one of the officers in CMs team.

The Economist magazine, in 2008, rated Samphel as one of the hardest working bureaucrats in the world. Soon after, the union rural development ministry awarded him for implementation of the rural employment scheme MGNREGA.

The district administration formed a team from Jal Nigams flood division. The engineers designed a prototype for elevated hand-pumps with a broad base to withstand flood water pressure. And in 4 months, drawing funds from the respective panchayats, raised 300 existing hand pumps in many villages above the HFL.

WhatsApp group for monitoring

When the CMs Hand pumps team comprising officers from Jal Nigam, Panchayat Raj, Rural Development and Rural Engineering Services began to work on it, they created a WhatsApp group of officers in all the 21 districts for day-to-day monitoring of the progress.

Engineer Utkarsh Shukla, the technical consultant for Ballia, wrote on the Hand pumps WhatsApp: All the gram pradhans are so impressed with the project that they are doing elevation of existing hand pumps in non-flood zones as well.

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A group of three people allegedly robbed a 22-year-old man on a road behind a police chowky in Sion Koliwada area on Monday morning of mobile phone and cash collectively worth Rs15,200. While the Antop Hill police have arrested one of the accused, two are still at large.

According to the complainant, Shridhar Yadav, he was cornered by the three accused who threatened to kill him.

The police have managed to recover Rs9,000 cash till now and are on the lookout for the other two. Yadav, who is a resident of Sion Koliwada, said the incident took place right behind a police chowky in Punjabi camp area of Sion Koliwada. He added that the accused forced him to withdraw money from an ATM kiosk in the area, the CCTV footage of which might help police get leads in the case.

The police have booked the trio for robbery.
Since main accused Vidyadhar Rajbhar in the double murder case of artist Hema Upadhyay and her lawyer Haresh Bhambani still remains at large, the Mumbai crime branch has started tracking down his relatives across the country to nab him.

After taking over the investigations, the crime branch has visited Gujarat, Indore and Chennai, and shall soon go to Jaipur. The investigating team believes that the accused would eventually get involved in metal fabricated idol business in order to support self financially.

A crime branch official said, We have gone through his history and learnt that since he specialises in idol making, he would get involved in the business to sustain financially. A team was dispatched to Gujarat, where his sister stays, then later another team was sent to Indore, where his brother-in-law lives and then recently a team visited Chennai, where a big exhibition related to idols takes places every year suspecting that Vidyadhar might participate in it.

Furthermore, a team shall soon be visiting Jaipur, where his uncle, who also is part of the idol making business, lives. His whole family is in the same business as his father Vanshraj deals in dispatching idols to different locations across the country, while his sister in Gujarat, brother-in-law in Indore and his uncle are also doing something or the other in the same field, added the officer.

Vidhyadhar has a wife and an eight-month-old daughter, who have gone back to their maternal residence after the murders. We have checked their CDRs as well but the accused has never contacted them. The last time we got to trace his location was on February 2, when Vidyadhar had called his brother-in-law to check on the familys well-being from a different number and a different mobile. During this call, the brother-in-law had asked him to come back and surrender. The relative then approached the Mumbai police and get his location, said an officer.

A team was then sent to Chennai, but later the police could see that the accused was slowly moving towards Assam and the mobile phone was switched off on February 10. The team followed his location to Assam, but couldnt find him, said an officer.

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Two days after Hindustan Times exposed another alleged illegal kidney transplant at Dr LH Hiranandani hospital, the Directorate of Health Services (DHS), taking cognisance of the report, has started investigating if the surgery took place without checking organ compatibility.

In an exclusive interview, Harshaben Kevadia, sister of the recipient Rasilaben Kataria, had said she had given her blood samples, but had not donated her kidney.

DHS officials said they had asked the Mumbai police to question the actual donor in the case and if proven guilty, file a case under section 304 A of the Indian Penal Code (death by negligence). We are sure that the blood samples were switched to match the HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) reports. However, since the recipient has died of renal complications, organ rejection could be one of the major causes. If proven guilty, the responsible parties will be booked, said the official.

DHS will also send notices to HLA testing laboratories named by Kevadia in the HT report because the same names have cropped up during past investigations. "Some popular testing laboratories are involved and we are going to investigate the coordinating parties," added the official.

When HT contacted Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital, authorities refused to comment.

However, deputy commissioner of police Vinayak Deshmukh (Zone X) said, We have not yet received any application regarding the matter. Once we receive an application we will investigate.

The case of Kevadia and Kataria, two sisters, is one of the four cases under DHSs investigation. The documents with the hospital show Kevadia as the donor. But the real donor, according to DHS, is the wife of Yusuf Shah Diwan, one of the accused in the kidney transplant case involving Brijkishore Jaiswal, from an earlier scam that unearthed the racket.

Diwan, originally from Bhind, Gujarat, is the seventh accused to be arrested in the case and was produced in the magistrate court in Andheri last Tuesday. Sources said his statement mentioned that his wife donated a kidney to an unknown woman and the surgery took place at LH Hiranandani Hospital. Later, he turned an agent and introduced Shobha Thakur to alleged racket mastermind Bijendra Bhisen.

According to documents submitted to the DHS, Kevadia had given a blood sample and signed on the donors form, but the photograph pasted on the transplant documents was that of an unidentified woman who was presented as Katarias biological sister. Kataria died three months after the surgery owing to renal complications
Maharashtra wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may not be able to use the party symbol  Lotus  in the upcoming civic body polls throughout the state, including Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, as the state election commission has initiated process for cancellation of its registration by sending it a notice on August 26. The state election commission has proposed the action against BJP and other parties on failing to submit documents related to Income Tax (IT) and accounts books.

It has asked the ruling political party to submit the requisite documents by September 9 or get ready to face action. Once de-registered the political party will not be able to contest polls on its symbol in the state and will also be deprived of using symbol of its choice, said a senior election commission officer.

Confirming the development, JS Saharia, state election commissioner said they have issued such notices to eight political parties and BJP is one of them. They have been asked to submit relevant documents within a stipulated time to avoid any action from the commission, Saharia said.

The other political parties that have received notices are Janata Dal (Secular), All India Forward Block, Lok Janshakti Paksh, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal (United), All India United Democratic Front and Indian Union Muslim League.

Admitting the same, BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said the commission has asked them to submit records related to accounts from 2005 that have created the problem. We have no issue in submitting old account books but all such information is being stored at partys central office at New Delhi. The central office has been informed about the notice, Bhandari told HT.

Recently, the commission has de-registered Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) for similar reasons. The party later paid a fine of Rs 1 lakh and submitted all the documents to get the registration restored.

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The state cabinet has announced that it will financially assist the hard-pressed onion farmers by giving them a grant of Re1 behind every kilogram. Though the government has claimed that about 3 lakh farmers will benefit from the new scheme, farmers have demanded grant of at least Rs5 a kilogram in the wake of the fallen onion prices.

With a bumper crop during rabi season, the onion prices have fallen to Rs 500-600 a quintal this season after the production for 2015-16 was registered at 74.28 lakh metric tonne against 56.89 lakh metric tonnes during 2014-15. This excess produce has spelled trouble for the farmers, as they are unable to recover even the production cost . After the issue reached the Centre, the state government moved the proposal of issuing the grant of Re1 a kilogram to the farmers who have sold their produced between July 1 and August 31, 2016.

The grant will be given to the farmers who have sold their onion stock through Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMC) markets. As per our records, farmers have sold about 65 lakh quintal in the last two months and the total cost expected to be incurred is Rs65 crore. We sent a proposal to the Centre on August 23, requesting it to foot 50% of the total grant amount, said an official from the state marketing department.

Though the state government has urged the central government to share the 50% of the cost towards the grant, the Centre is yet to respond. If the Centre turns down the proposal, the state has decided to bear the entire cost.

After the state government expressed inability to purchase the onion from the farmers owing to the shortage of warehouses to store the produce, the decision of issuing the grant was taken in a meeting between the union and the state ministers on August 10. A similar grant of 50 paise a kg was given in 2008 when the onion market prices crashed.

Voices of dissent

The onion farmers, however, expressed displeasure over the amount state is ready to dole out per kilogram. The cost of production per quintal is Rs885, against which the current procurement price is about Rs600 a quintal. The grant should have been at least Rs500 a quintal [Rs5 a kg] to safeguard the interest of the farmers, said Nanasaheb Patil, director of National Agricultural Co-operative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED).

Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar criticised the state for sending the proposal this late. The state had assured in the meeting held in Delhi that the proposal will be sent within 12 hours, but it was not sent until recently, he said.
NEW DELHI: The government was taken by surprise by the current phase of violence in Kashmir and there was initial confusion in the response, BJP general secretary and Delhis point man in the Valley, Ram Madhav, said on Monday.

He, however, blamed Pakistan-backed forces and agent provocateurs for the unrest.

The admission by Madhav, who played a key role in sealing the BJP-PDP alliance government in the state, is the first by a senior member of the ruling party on the violence that has left 69 people dead in Kashmir since July.

In an exclusive interview to HT , Madhav said Kashmir could ask for the Moon within the Indian Constitution and reiterated the Centres willingness to engage with all sections of the Valleys society to defuse the volatile situation.

There was no such anticipation of any outburst of violence on the streets. In earlier phases, there was some reason  genuine or based on propaganda. This time, the BJP-PDP government had been careful to ensure there was no issue. So initially, there was some kind of confusion about how to tackle this situation, he said.

He rejected the contention that the protests were sparked by the killing of Burhan Wani , a Hizbul Mujahidden commander shot dead by security forces on July 8.

Tackling militants has been a day-to-day affair for 20 years. Successive governments have done it. I do not buy this theory (of Wanis killing sparking the protests).

The protests have seen stone-pelting mobs target security forces, resulting in retaliatory firing. Hundreds of people have also been left with eye injuries by pellets fired by security forces, fuelling anger among Kashmiris. Madhav said the pellet gun was actually a substitute for regular bullets, and it saved lives, but even better, less-lethal ways had to be found for crowd control.

To a question on whether the protests indicated political and psychological alienation, Madhav said the slogans of azadi (freedom) needed to be taken with a pinch of salt.

It will be a grave mistake to think all Kashmiris are anti-India.

Asked if the Modi government made a mistake in not continuing former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayees outreach to separatist groups such as the Hurriyat, Madhav said the principle remained the same.

The J&K issue is not just a law and order issue for us. We look at it from the perspective of those three terms used fondly  Kashmiriyat (Kashmiri ethos), insaniyat (humanity), and jamooriyat (democracy).

Let them ask, let the Indian Parliament decide, he said to a question on whether autonomy could be a solution to the decades-old Kashmir issue.

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Members of school parents welfare association and the parents of the Class 8 girl student, who was abruptly expelled by Delhi Public School Ghaziabad, Vasundhara (DPSGV) on August 24, approached Ghaziabad district magistrate on Tuesday and sought her intervention.

The school expelled the girl student citing that her father had filed many frivolous cases against the school before the local administration and courts.

A TC dated August 24 was sent to her parents through a registered post.

The girls father, Neeraj Bhatnagar, is an active member of the school parents welfare association and another organisation called All School Parents Association. He had been actively voicing the issue of arbitrary fee hike in schools, selling of stationery and uniform in school premises and the use of private books by schools.

We thought the issue was resolved on Monday but the parents approached us and gave a representation that the girl was not allowed in school on Tuesday. I have asked the district inspector of schools to issue a notice to the school and make a visit on Wednesday to look into the issue so that the girls studies are not affected, said Nidhi Kesarwani, district magistrate, Ghaziabad.

DPSGV principal Dharmender Goyal did not respond to repeated calls and text messages.

In 2015, the school asked me to take back protests and dissolve the association. They issued me a show cause notice in June. I complained to the joint director (education) at Meerut and he ordered the school that the childs education should not be hampered. My daughter is under severe stress by the arm twisting and coercive tactics used by the school, Neeraj Bhatnagar said.

They dispatched the TC through post stating the show-cause notice issued to me as reason behind the TC, ruining my daughters prospects of studying in any other school. I protested and took action within the legal ambit and my constitutional rights. If I was wrong, the school should have taken legal action against me, Bhatnagar added.

After the issuance of TC, the girl was allowed inside the school on Monday only after polices intervention. They allowed her inside after taking an undertaking that her father would not interact with the school. My wife gave the undertaking as we had no option. Later in evening, they called us saying that my daughter should not visit the school further, he said.

When the parents and the association members again went to the school on Tuesday, the girl was not allowed inside. After which they approached the DM, Ghaziabad.

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Three weeks before his three-year tenure ended on September 20, municipal commissioner Uma Shankar Gupta has been transferred. Gupta had been opposing populist decisions of elected councillors in the House and had been involved in a war of words with mayor Kulwant Singh and deputy mayor Manjit Singh Sethi over encroachments. Rajesh Dhiman, Sangrur district transport officer, who is also the Sangrur SDM, is the new commissioner.

Gupta has now been posted as joint secretary, information and public relations, and also as joint principal secretary to Punjab deputy chief minister.

REASONS FOR FACE-OFF

Sethi and Gupta exchanged heated words over a list of people allegedly patronising encroachers in the city during the July 15 House meeting. The two office-bearers had then written to the government demanding vigilance inquiry in the allotment of bus queue shelters and allotment of space to private company awarded the sanitation contract.

Gupta had opposed populist decisions like the exemption to villages from paying property tax.

He had dissented against the decision to scrap paid parking, adding that it would have resulted in a loss of `85 lakh with the MC.

He had also slammed mayor Kulwant Singhs demand to seek abolition of property tax and the called the resolution on this as one passed without application of mind as it would cause a loss of `35 crore to the MC.

In February, Gupta issued a show-cause notice for non-cooperation and insubordination to MC joint commissioner Nayan Bhullar and she was transferred. She has now been given the charge of assistant commissioner, grievance cell, SAS Nagar.

I am happy and my tenure as commissioner in SAS Nagar has been very satisfying, said Gupta.

The union government had awarded Guptas initiative to launch mechanised night sweeping project in SAS Nagar as one of the best projects in the field.

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Panic gripped the Chatiwind area on the Tarn Taran road in Amritsar after a bag containing hand grenades, mortar shells, rocket launchers and live cartridges was found from near a canal on Monday.

Police were alerted after a ragpicker, Shama Chakraborty, of Malda district of West Bengal opened the bag containing ammunition that he had found at the Bhagatanwala garbage dump.

Police commissioner Amar Singh Chahal and assistant commissioner of police (south) Prabhjot Singh Virk rushed to the spot. The area was cordoned off and the armys bomb disposal squad was called.

Armys two-member team reached the spot at 4.15pm and returned after examining the ammunition. Police were waiting for the bomb disposal squad till the filing of this report. Chahal said the material found was used and very old.

Police have taken the ragpicker into custody and investigations are on.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), it seems, has bitten more than it can chew. In sacking Sucha Singh Chhotepur as Punjab convener, it underestimated the repercussions grossly.

Chhotepur was the one building the partys organisational network in the state since taking over as convener in 2014. His men dominated the unit until a Delhi team came over last April and deployed its own men as observers in zones and sectors. The two systems of hierarchy ran parallel but since the Delhi team had easier access to the partys top leaders, they commanded more power.

Also read | Chhotepurs bouncers, Sidhus hardball with AAP: Cong feels back in game

The masterstroke

But Chhotepurs organisation-building has paid off. Six of the 13 zonal coordinators came out in his support even before he was sacked. Five joined his press conference on Friday, where he also flaunted the support of many sector (covers three assembly constituencies) and circle in-charges. The press conference, Chhotepurs masterstroke, went down very well with the AAPs support base, especially Punjabi NRIs (non-resident Indians).

He played the victim, claiming that the Delhi leadership did him in. He played the religion card, recalling something that hit out at party convener Arvind Kejriwal directly and sent out a message that the AAP leadership was anti- Sikh and anti-Punjabi.

He projected himself as the messiah of volunteers, partys backbone, vowing that he was fighting for their election ticket. Besides, he said he was not going to take the humiliation lying down. He announced a show of strength at the Golden temple on September 3. He briefed supporters and the battle lines were drawn  it is Punjabis versus the outsiders.

Hunters turn prey

Chhotepurs supporters also want Delhi observers Sanjay Singh and Durgesh Pathak, besides all the zone and sector observers they appointed, sacked by September 1, failing which they will show black flags to them.

On Monday, the volunteers shut the partys zone office in Bathinda. On Tuesday, one of the six zone coordinators, Iqbal Singh Bhagowalia (Khadoor Sahib), addressed his supporters against the AAPs Delhi leadership. Chhotepurs supporters also vowed to expose the Delhi leaders and their chosen candidates. At the first press conference on Tuesday, disciplinary committee member and Batala observer Narinder Singh Walia said 15 of the 32 candidates were unsuitable and gave details of their alleged deeds.

The party has realised that Chhotepurs hold on the organisation is substantial, admitted a party leader associated with damage control. It is enough to cause cracks in several assembly seats, if not a vertical split.

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As many as 46 of 109 government primary schools in Dharamkot tehsil of Moga district have only one teacher. While 25 such schools in block-1, 21 are in block-2, said a source in the education department. Two of these schools have been without a regular teacher for over a year.

With 669 of 1,705 sanctioned posts of primary school teacher lying vacant in the district, students are at the receiving end.

It in stark contrast to what Punjab education minister Daljeet Singh Cheema has been claiming in his speeches -- provision of quality education in the state.

LONE TEACHER FOR 140 STUDENTS AT REHARHWAN

Kulwant Singh is the only teacher at Reharhwan primary school, which has 140 students. The school has six sanctioned posts: one headmaster and five junior basic training (JBT) teachers.

While the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act mandates a studentteacher ratio (PTR) of 30:1 to ensure better classroom learning, here the ratio is 140:1.

Either I have to teach all the students in a single class or have to assign duty to some students to maintain discipline in other classrooms. It is difficult for a single teacher to handle five classes, he said.

Prabhdeep Singh, a Class 5 student of the school, said sometimes in the absence of the teacher, he has to manage the class, including maintaining the discipline and teaching other students.

STUDENTS MANAGING JALALPUR SAID SCHOOL

The primary school at Jalalpur Said has no regular teacher or even a peon. The 40 students that are enrolled in the school have been left to fend for themselves. Even keys of this school were handed over to one of the students, who opens the building daily, a teacher, who was temporarily deputed at the school for a week, said, seeking anonymity.

In the absence of regular staff, teachers are deputed here, mostly on weekly basis, for the past two years. Gurmeet Singh, a student, said: Often no teacher turns up at the school and we have to return home.

In the first three weeks of July, the education authorities failed to depute even a temporary teacher, said sources.

VACANCIES WILL BE FILLED SOON

District education officer (DEO, primary) Balwinder Singh said he had taken charge recently and was not aware of the vacancies.

All vacancies will be filled throughout the state within this week, as about 4,500 teachers have been recruited for elementary education, he said.

Agriculture minister Tota Singh, who represents Dharamkot assembly segment, said: The government was helpless due to the stay on the recruitment of 4,500 teachers. But now the teachers have been recruited and all vacancies will be filled soon.

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Punjab revenue and public relations minister Bikram Singh Majithia said on Monday that Kejriwal should not hurt Sikh sentiments and stop playing politics of disassociating the Sikhs from Sri Akal Takht Sahib.

Majithia was addressing a function organised to distribute grants in Sadhpur and Bhoe villages of Majitha constituency on Monday. He said that Kejriwal would have to face anger of Sikhs for his anti-Sikh activities.

Kejriwal has taken an anti-Sikh stance. In the past, Indira Gandhi destroyed Sri Akal Takht Sahib with tanks and now Kejriwal is scripting conspiracies against Sri Akal Takht Sahib and Sikhs. Sucha Singh Chhotepur has himself exposed Kejriwals anti-Sikh mind set-up, Said Majithia.

The revenue minister also lashed out at MP from Amritsar Capt Amrinder Singh saying that during the elections, he promised grants for the constituency, but after winning, he has not even visited villages of his constituency.
Taking them for drug smugglers, cops fired upon some goat thieves at Sawaddi Kalan in this district on Tuesday morning.

The gang was trying to flee after hitting a police vehicle. Police could catch only two of the six burglars. They were charged with theft and damaging the police vehicle. The sound of gunshots caused people to panic and shut their doors.

The CIA (crime investigation agency) wing of Ludhiana (rural) police had laid the trap for drug smugglers only. They didnt expect to catch burglars when they signalled a black SUV to stop for checking. Instead of stopping, the car hit the police vehicle out of the way.

Cops gave it a chase and shot out its tyres. We then fired in the air to warn them, deputy superintendent of police (detective) Wariyam Singh said. The burglars operate in Jagraons Hathoor and Bet areas.

Also read | People thrash Khanna police, vandalise vehicle, help criminal flee
The Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) of SAS Nagar police have arrested a man, accused in a number of drug cases across Punjab, with 500 gram heroin on the Kurali-Morinda road.

The accused, Balraj Singh alias Raju Katta of Tarn Taran, who is out on bail in a drug case, was arrested when he was going to deliver the contraband to his client in Kurali. The contraband was smuggled from Pakistan, the police said.

SAS Nagar senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said, Balraj has been into cross-border smuggling of drugs since 2011. He has smuggled 60 kg heroin from Pakistan to India via the Jalalabad border.

He first got heroin from Pakistan in connivance with a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan, Bhullar said. The police are probing if there are other BSF jawans involved in crossborder smuggling. We do not rule out his involvement in terror contacts and arms smuggling.

Bhullar said the accused brought two consignments of heroin weighing 5 kg and 12 kg from Pakistan with the help of his accomplices Ranvir Singh alias Bola and Bau from Tarn Taran. He was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in Amritsar and Kapurthala.

He was also booked in 2011 along with his accomplice Chamkaur Singh. They were arrested and Balraj was in jail. He got bail last year.

In 2015, Balraj smuggled a 40-kg consignment with Ranvir and Bau. A BSF jawan was caught red-handed while getting the consignment delivered, but Balraj escaped. A case was lodged in Amritsar.

BOUGHT HOUSE FOR LIVE-IN PARTNER

The police said Balraj was making a lot of money by selling drugs. He had purchased a house at Rs 27 lakh at Kurali for his live-in partner Sukhwinder Kaur.
The police arrested a granthi for the desecration of a pothi (copy of Sikh holy book) of Japji Sahib in Badesha Kalan village near Khamano on Monday evening, a few hours after the incident.

He was remanded in police custody till September 3 by a local court on Tuesday.

Accused Jasvir Singh had been serving as a granthi in a nearby Manella village for the past many years, said inspector general (IG), Patiala range, Paramraj Singh Umranangal at a press conference here.

Jasvir is the same person who had first reported the incident. He informed former sarpanch of village Surinder Singh around 4pm on Monday that he had seen four pages (1-8) of the holy book scattered in bushes behind elementary school of village on the banks of a Rajbaha. Surinder had then informed police about it.

The IG said Jasvir was arrested within five hours of the incident. We formed two teams immediately and started the investigation. The accused has admitted to the crime in the preliminary investigation, said the IG.

The IG said Jasvir wanted to establish a good image of himself and secure a job for his son in the gurdwara and get some financial help.

Jasvir originally belongs to the Khanna area and was earlier convicted for his mothers murder, after which he had spent many years in the Ludhiana jail.

He was arrested under sections 295A (intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion) and 120B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal code (IPC).

Meanwhile, the IG appealed people to be aware of such antisocial people and asked village panchayats to keep a check and guard religious places.
A day after the Hindustan Times reported Panjab University vice chancellor Arun Kumar Grover saying that PU was controlled by mafia and that senators were vultures, the PU senators on Monday hit back, triggering a major controversy. They allege that the V-C turned against them as they refused to toe his line and opposed his illegal acts.

The senators raked up issues such as appointment of the VCs wife in the music department which they allege was done in violation of all rules and regulations. Thats just one case, the VCs outburst is a fallout of our opposition to his illegal acts which are in conformity with neither the rules of the university nor University Grants Commission, minister, education minister, UT Adviser, and many former and present MLAs and MPs, said syndic Ashok Goyal.

Despite being busy with elections on August 31, some senators planned to stage a protest against the V-C while others mull legal recourse. The VC has lost the right to call himself an academician, researcher and an administrator, added Goyal.

The VC alleged the senators were hostile towards him as he has been pressing for removal of unauthorised persons who certain senators were protecting. Their anger is because of items listed for the September 3 Senate meeting, he said, while talking to HT on Sunday.

But I will ensure these items arent deferred even if the meeting goes on until the next day.

Goyal added that the flashpoint with Prof Grover started as he wanted his wifes appointment in music department while we opposed the unfair move.

Goyal and another senator Tarlok Bandhu alleged the VC had been calling them names in unofficial meetings but denied it later. Now he stands exposed. He doesnt believe in democratic functioning, they said.

They said the VC should have been mindful that the senate includes Punjab chief minister, the education minister, the UT Adviser, and many former and present MLAs and MPs.

UTs audit department trashes V-Cs allegations

CHANDIGARH: Responding to the V-Cs allegations that some auditors with the UT administration were handin-glove with RTI activists to serve their ulterior motives, the local audit department has termed the allegations as baseless.

The local audit department, under the UT administration, objected to the promotion of 80 PU teachers under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS). The V-C had got approval for these in violation of UGC regulation (second amendment), an official with the audit department claimed.

He added that the V-C tried to get the varsity audit done by a private chartered accountants, but he could not throw us out.

He also claimed that the V-C had passed orders to admit the salary of registrar Colonel Gurjit Singh Chadha (retd) as fixed by the syndicate, but the audit department did not entertain this request.
The Punjab Roadways Joint Action Committee on Monday staged a dharna outside the district administration complex and raised slogans against the state government for altering schedule of buses.

The committee comprises various roadways unions that are active in the state. Over 250 representatives, including drivers, conductors and other staff, of all 18 depots in Punjab took part in the protest. They accused the government of bias towards private firms.

Union members alleged the Badal family had changed the time table of roadways buses and allocated slots to private buses owned by them in Hoshiarpur.

They have allocated 712 minutes of our time to a private firm just because we didnt have enough buses to run during that time, said union workers, alleging the roadways was suffering loss because of this.

The union members are demanding action against the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) for changing the time schedule. The Punjab Roadways employees also plan to hold a strike.
Four pages of a pothi (copy of Sikh holy book) were found scattered in the bushes behind an elementary school of Badesha Kalan village of this nagar panchayat in Fatehgarh Sahib district on Monday evening.

A man who served as granthi in a nearby village first saw the pages near a rajbaha (irrigation canal) around 4pm and informed villagers and police, said granthi (Sikh priest) Satnam Singh. Ropar range deputy inspector general Gursharan Singh Sandhu, Fatehgarh Sahib senior superintendent of police (SSP) Harcharan Singh Bhullar, and superintendent of police (detective) Rajwinder Singh Sohal inspected the spot.

First, a rumour broke out that the torn pages were from Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh holy book) but later in the evening, police confirmed that these were from a pothi. Police called up SGPC employees to confirm.

We have checked all Sarups (copies) of Guru Granth Sahib in the surrounding area and found each to be in place, said SSP Bhullar.
A day after a stray bull killed a passerby and injured another, Patiala Municipal Corporation gave a rather poor justification saying that it cant solve the problem of stray cattle on its own as it lacked resources and space to rehabilitate them.

City residents, however, came down heavily on the MC alleging that it lacked the will to solve the problem and never prioritised the issue despite numerous accidents and deaths involving stray cattle.

A local resident Yogesh Aggarwal, revealed that an RTI filed by him revealed that the civic body had spent `60 lakh on cow shelters in 2015 but that could not stop accidents and deaths on road due to stray cattle.

What is the use of charging cow cess if people die and live in constant fear of the stray cattle menace, he said.

Justifying its stand, MC Commissioner PS Gill said that all its current facilities created to rehabilitate the stray cattle have been exhausted.

MC is spending nearly Rs 40 lakh every year to ensure fodder and other facilities to over 300 cattle adjusted in its Gaushala on Sanur road. There is no more space left there to adjust more animals.

He further said that MC funds two private cow shelters but their capacity is not more than 200 animals.

Our only hope now is the new cow shelter coming up on Samana road which is spread over an area of 25 acres and can adjust over 2,000 stray cattle. The district administration is setting it up and it is likely to start soon, he added.

However residents are in extreme anger. Last week, residents of Rajpura town protested in front of the DC office against the stray animal menace.

The residents came with over 40 stray animals and the administration had tough time sending them in different cow shelters.

POOR PLANNING TO BLAME

Congress legislator from Patiala rural, Brahm Mohindra, blamed MCs poor planning for the problem.

He said the civic body has a lot of vacant land both inside the city as well as on the outskirts but it never thought of converting these into gaushalas and reprieve residents of the cattle menace.

MCs annual budget has surpassed over Rs 100 crore. Besides, they will soon start the collection of cow cess on a number of items but what is the use if not spent, he added.

Residents also said that the MC never bothered to carry out a survey as how these cattle reach the urban areas and create trouble here.

Local RTI activist DC Gupta said that the root cause of the problem is the unplanned dairies, inside and around the city. The owners, after milking the cattle, leave them loose so that they can graze outside. Non-milking cattle are also left loose to save on their feed.

We need to penalise those who are involved in such acts besides creating huge gaushalas, at appropriate locations, which can house thousands of such cattle, he added

DC ASSURES ACTION SOON

Deputy commissioner Ramvir Singh said that Sundays incident, in which a person was killed by a stray bull is unfortunate.

We are working overtime to start new gaushalas on Samana road that should be started in the next couple of weeks.

While it will adjust nearly 2,000 animals, efforts are also on to talk with the forest department to use their land for rehabilitation activities so that sheds can be created there, he added.

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White nationalist and former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke is urging voters in a robocall to vote for him for Senate and Donald Trump in the presidential election.

Unless massive immigration is stopped now, well be outnumbered and out-voted in our own nation. Its happening, Duke said in the automated call, a recording of which was posted online by Buzzfeed on Monday.

Were taxed to death. Were losing our jobs and business to unfair trade. Were losing our country, he added.

Its time to stand up and vote for Donald Trump for president and vote for me, David Duke, for the US Senate.

The 66-year-old Duke, a former KKK imperial wizard repudiated as racist and anti-Semitic, confirmed to Buzzfeed that it was his voice on the call.

Trump, 70, was criticised by some, including members of rival Hillary Clintons presidential campaign, for not swiftly and forcefully denouncing Duke six months ago when Duke expressed support for the provocative billionaires White House bid.

He later disavowed Duke, but not before the incident fuelled an already controversial national debate about race.

Trumps campaign was quick to repudiate Dukes robocall.

Its absolutely disturbing, Trump campaign spokesperson Katrina Pierson told CNN.

Trumps team has no knowledge of the campaign that David Duke is running, and we have disavowed David Duke and dont condone any of the activities that hes doing, she added.

Duke, running as a Republican to fill an empty Senate seat for Louisiana, has discomfited many Republicans by pushing racial overtones onto the political stage.

The so-called alt-right political movement has formed a substantial chunk of Trumps base of support. Clinton unveiled an attack ad last week seeking to paint Trump as the candidate for neo-Nazis, racists and white supremacists.

Duke has run unsuccessfully for multiple political positions, including president, although he did serve in the Louisiana House from 1989 until 1992.

On Monday, Clinton called Duke despicable, telling supporters in Easthampton, New York that she wanted to pull it out from under the rock so people could see it and understand that David Duke has endorsed Donald Trump.
Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang warned on Tuesday there would be no winners in any armed conflict sparked by territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Quang, who is on a state visit to Singapore, told a forum that recent developments there were threatening regional security.

The Vietnamese leader did not mention any country but there is growing unease over Chinas actions.

China claims most of the South China Sea. It has reclaimed reefs and built airstrips capable of hosting military equipment, sparking anger from competing claimants led by Vietnam and the Philippines.

The South China Sea, located at the heart of Southeast Asia, not only brings about many important benefits to nations in the region but it is also a vital route to maritime and air transport of the world, Quang said.

But recent worrying developments there have had a negative impact on the security environment of the region, especially maritime security and safety, freedom of navigation and overflight.

And should we allow instability to take place, especially in the case of armed conflicts, there will be neither winners nor losers but rather all will lose, he warned.

Tran was speaking to diplomats, academics and students at a forum organised by the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute.

Four Southeast Asian states -- Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam -- as well as Taiwan have competing claims in the sea.

Vietnam has been among the most vocal critics of Chinas blanket territorial claims. In 2014, China moved a controversial oil rig into contested territory, prompting riots in Vietnam.

Chinas activities in the sea have also drawn criticism from the United States, which says it seeks to ensure freedom of navigation in the waterway through which $5 trillion in annual global trade passes.

The sea row has also driven a wedge between members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which has failed to forge a unified front against Beijings actions.

Last month the Philippines won a case against China at a UN-backed tribunal in the Hague which rejected Beiijings claims to most of the sea.

China boycotted the hearing and has refused to recognise the ruling.
Ten months after the death of an Indian-origin man, Australian police have arrested his wife and her paramour for allegedly poisoning her husband with cyanide.

Sam Abraham died of cyanide poisoning at his Epping home in October last year. His death came just three months after he was attacked in what police allege was an attempted murder.

After several months of sophisticated covert investigations, detectives have arrested his wife Sofia Sam and her lover alleging poison plot, The Herald Sun reported.

All the three hailed from Kerala. The police have charged Arun Kamalasanan, 34, of Port Melbourne, with attempted murder and a separate charge of murder while 32-year-old Sofia Sam has been charged with murder.

In a hearing recently, Melbourne Magistrates Court heard that police had intercepted phone calls throughout their covert probe and had about three months of phone recordings to transcribe.

In July last year, Abraham was also attacked and stabbed by a balaclava-clad man who had been hiding in the foot-well of his car at Lalor train station.

Cable ties, material scraps and handcuffs were found in his car. Abraham had received injuries to the neck, temple and cheek.

Police alleged Kamalasanan was the man in the balaclava. The magistrate granted investigators extra time to transcribe phone conversations and prepare evidence.

The pair were remanded to reappear for a committal mention on February 13 next year.
Bangladesh's Supreme Court rejected on Tuesday a final appeal by a top Jamaat-e-Islami leader convicted of war crimes in the country's independence war against Pakistan, confirming a death sentence given earlier by a special tribunal.

Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha led a five-member bench of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court to turn down the appeal by Mir Quashem Ali in Dhaka amid expectation that his death sentence would be upheld.

But Sinha pronounced dismissed after he took seat in the morning.

Officials said a certified copy of the verdict would be sent shortly to the Dhaka Central Jail through the International Crimes Tribunal to take necessary steps for the execution.

Tuesdays decision means there is no legal bar anymore to execute Ali, who is a member of Jamaat-e-Islamis highest policy-making body and considered one of the partys top financiers with businesses from real estate to shipping. He is a business conglomerate with base in southeastern Chittagong city, which is the home of the countrys main seaport.

The prosecution says Ali has spent millions of dollars to campaign by lobbyists against his death sentence and possible execution.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam on Tuesday said they were happy with the verdict.

It was not clear exactly when the execution would take place but the attorney general said it would follow previous cases of execution involving the similar charges.

Ali, a commander of the war time militia group Al-Badr, would still be able to seek presidential clemency.

His lawyers said Ali and his family would decide whether to seek clemency from President Abdul Hamid.

On November 2, 2014 the special tribunal had found Ali guilty on eight charges including murder, abduction and torture. Two of the charges carried a death sentence while he was also sentenced to 72 years in prison on other charges.
A suspected suicide bomber rammed the gates of the Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishek on Tuesday, killing himself and wounding three others, officials said.

An interior ministry spokesperson said the car exploded inside the compound and quoted deputy Prime Minister Janysh Razakov as describing the blast as a terrorist act.

Police, who cordoned off the building and the adjacent area, and the GKNB state security service said they were investigating the incident, which occurred around 1000 local time (0400 GMT).

Authorities in Kyrgyzstan, a mostly Muslim former Soviet republic of 6 million people, routinely detain suspected Islamist militants accused of being linked to the Islamic State, which actively recruits from Central Asia.

An anti-Chinese militant group made up of ethnic Uighurs is also active in the region. In 2014, Kyrgyz border guards killed 11 people believed to be members of that group who had illegally crossed the Chinese-Kyrgyz border.
A defiant President Dilma Rousseff warned on Monday that her conservative opponents were trampling on Brazils democracy by using trumped-up charges to oust her and roll back the social advances of 13 years of leftist rule.

Presenting her defense at an impeachment trial in the Senate, Brazils first female president said the economic elite had sought to destabilize her government since she narrowly won re-election to a second four-year term in 2014.

Rousseff is expected to become the first Brazilian leader in more than 20 years to be dismissed from office on Wednesday when the Senate will rule on charges that she broke budgetary laws by using state banks money to boost public spending.

In an emotional speech from the Senate podium, Rousseff denied any wrongdoing and compared the trial to her persecution during Brazils 1964-1985 military dictatorship, when she was a member of a leftist guerrilla group.

She said the impeachment process, which has paralyzed Brazilian politics since December and cast a shadow over last months Rio Olympics, was little more than a plot to protect the interests of the privileged classes in Latin Americas largest economy.

I did not commit the crimes that I am arbitrarily and unjustly accused of, Rousseff said, in what may be her last public appearance as president. We are one step away from a real coup detat.

If the Senate convicts Rousseff, as expected, her Vice President Michel Temer will be sworn in to serve the rest of her term through 2018.

Temer, who has been interim president since Congress opened impeachment proceedings in mid-May, has vowed to impose austerity measures to plug a growing fiscal deficit that cost Brazil its investment-grade credit rating last year.

Rousseff warned that a future Temer government would dismantle her Workers Partys social programs that helped lift 30 million people out of poverty in the past decade and sell off state assets, including Brazils massive offshore oil reserves.

In a statement, Temers office denounced the comments as false accusations.

Rousseff, a trained economist and daughter of a Bulgarian immigrant, was handpicked by ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to succeed him when he stepped aside in 2012, despite her lack of political experience and charisma.

Rousseff, 68, faces no allegations of personal enrichment. But she has been charged on the sidelines of the impeachment process with obstructing an investigation into political kickbacks at state-run oil company Petrobras.

She chaired the board of Petrobras from 2003 to 2010, when the worst of the corruption was taking place.

After riding the commodities boom in her first term, Rousseffs her popularity has dwindled to single figures this year, partly because of the massive Petrobras scandal and partly due to a deep recession that many Brazilians blame on her governments failed interventionist policies.

Unbowed, Rousseff told senators that history would judge them by their votes and recalled her trial under the military dictatorship in 1970, when officers hid their faces to not be recognized in photographs.

This is the second trial I have suffered in which democracy has sat with me in the dock, she said, choking back tears as she recalled facing death when she was tortured day after day in detention. Today I only fear the death of democracy.

Odds against her

With many Brazilians assuming the result of the trial to be a foregone conclusion, there were scattered protests by Rousseff supporters on Monday but no sign of the massive demonstrations for and against impeachment that shook Brazil earlier this year.

A survey by O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper said 53 senators have already confirmed they will vote against Rousseff, just one vote short of the two-thirds of the 81 seat Senate needed to dismiss her. Only 19 said they will back her.

They want to overthrow a president re-elected by 54 million Brazilians and get rid of the Workers Party that has protected the poor, said Thiago Fagundes, a 27-year-old graphic artist and Rousseff supporter in Brasilia. It looks like they will get their way.

Twenty of Rousseffs former Cabinet ministers were in the Senate gallery to support her, along with Lula himself.

With the odds stacked against her, Rousseffs testimony appeared more aimed at making a point for the history books, rather than a bid to sway a handful of wavering senators.

The impeachment process was launched by the former lower house speaker, Eduardo Cunha, who is facing charges of corruption, including taking bribes in the Petrobras kickback scandal and having millions of dollars hidden away in Swiss bank accounts.

Curiously, I will be judged for crimes I did not commit before the trial of the former speaker who is accused of very serious illegal acts, she said.

A full one-third of the members of the Senate are under investigation for corruption, graft, fraud or electoral crimes, according to Congresso em Foco, a prominent watchdog in Brasilia.

Temer is confident he has the votes needed to remove Rousseff and plans an address to the nation on Wednesday before heading to China to attend the summit of the G20 group of leading economies, according to his press spokesman Marcio de Freitas.

A strong vote to oust Rousseff would help Temer take the difficult measures needed to restore confidence in Brazils economy, which is caught in a two-year recession, de Freitas said.

Rousseff is accused of using money owed to state banks to bolster spending during an election year in 2014, a budgetary sleight of hand employed by many elected officials in Brazil. She says the money had no impact on overall deficit levels and was paid back in full the following year.
Karachi's newly elected mayor Waseem Akhtar took oath of office on Tuesday despite the fact that he is currently in prison.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader took oath despite staunch opposition from rival parties.

Waseem, a former MP who is being held at Karachis central prison, was brought to the city's main square, the Karachi Polo Ground amid high security to take oath of office.

The tenure of the citys last elected mayor, Syed Mustafa Kamal, ended in February, 2010.

Family members of Waseem and MQM leader Farooq Sattar were present at the oath-taking ceremony.

MQMs Arshad Vohra took oath as deputy mayor.

Opening his speech at the ceremony with the chants long live Muttahida, long live Bhutto and long live Imran Khan, Waseem thanked all institutions in the country.

Despite the problems Karachi has been facing, I ensure that we will work together for the betterment of this city and the province, Waseem said while urging Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to set aside all differences.

I am currently in prison but all charges against me are fake, the mayor said.

Waseem announced his decision to fight for justice and move a bail application in court after taking oath.

The city of lights has suffered already, I will not let it suffer any more, he added.

On winning the mayoral election on August 24, Waseem said, It will be written in history because elections have never happened like this ever before.
North Korea publicly executed two officials in early August for disobeying leader Kim Jong Un, a South Korean newspaper reported on Tuesday, in what would be the latest in a series of high-level purges under the young leaders rule, if confirmed.

Kim took power in 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, and his consolidation of power has included purges and executions of top officials, South Korean officials have said.

Citing an unidentified source familiar with the North, the JoongAng Ilbo daily said former agriculture minister Hwang Min and Ri Yong Jin, a senior official at the education ministry, had been executed.

The report could not be independently verified, and South Koreas Unification Ministry, which handles North Korea-related matters, did not have an immediate comment.

Some previous media reports of executions and purges in the reclusive state later proved inaccurate.

The report of the executions comes soon after the South said North Koreas deputy ambassador in London had defected and arrived in the South with his family, dealing an embarrassing blow to Kims regime.

North Korea rarely announces purges or executions, although state media confirmed execution of Kims uncle and the man widely considered the second-most powerful man in the country, Jang Song Thaek, in 2012 for factionalism and crimes damaging to the economy.

A former defence minister, Hyun Yong Chol, is also believed to have been executed last year for treason, according to the Souths spy agency.

The JoongAng Ilbo said the two men were executed by anti-aircraft gun at a military academy in Pyongyang.

North Korean state media described Hwang, one of the officials named, as agriculture minister in 2012, and referred to him as a vice minister of agriculture in 2014.

Hwang was killed because his policy proposals were seen as a challenge to Kim Jong Un, JoongAng Ilbo said. Ri was caught nodding off during a meeting with Kim and later investigated for corruption and showing disrespect to the leader, it added.
Pakistans top diplomat was allegedly admonished by the White House for posting on social media his photograph with US first lady Michelle Obama, news reports said on Tuesday, forcing Islamabad to issue an official denial.

In a statement on Tuesday, the foreign office said media reports about a letter of displeasure from the White House to Pakistans ambassador to the US, Jalil Abbas Jilani, was completely incorrect and baseless.

The Pakistani daily The News claimed Jilani was criticised for tweeting the picture in May.

On May 28, the Pakistani ambassador had tweeted: It was an absolute delight hosting FLOTUS at Pakistan House today, with a picture. He later removed the tweet.

The White House said Jilanis action was undiplomatic and a breach of trust, the report said.

Mrs Obamas brief visit to the residence of the ambassador was purely personal and extracting any political gain out of that was unprofessional, the report quoted the letter as saying.

Michelle Obamas visit to Pakistan House  Jilanis residence  was connected with his sons graduation party, who attended the same school as President Barack Obamas daughters.

However, the picture tweeted by Jilani gave an impression that the US first lady had close ties with the Pakistani ambassadors family.

Jilani was also allegedly scolded by the Pakistani foreign office, the newspaper claimed quoting unnamed sources.

Some media reports had even suggested that bilateral ties were discussed during Michelle Obamas visit.

Pakistan foreign office spokesman Nafees Zakariya said it was unethical on the part of the Washington-based reporter to have filed a baseless story without verifying its authenticity.

No such letter from the White House has been received either in our mission in Washington or this ministry. It is nothing but a figment of the reporters own imagination, it said.
Monotony was the hardest part of a yearlong Nasa experiment about the mental and psychological rigors of long-term space flight, crew members said after the test ended.

The six-member crew emerged on Sunday from a dome in Hawaii, on the barren northern slope of the Mauna Loa volcano, where they were studied as part of the US space agencys mission to send people to Mars by the 2030s.

On Monday, US President Barack Obama congratulated them, writing on Twitter: Congrats to NASA and the scientists taking us a step closer to Mars. Now enjoy Hawaii and get a shave ice!

In addition to insufficient stimulation, isolation and a lack of fresh food and air were the toughest challenges during the yearlong experiment, known as the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) -- the third and longest of its kind.

The team locked themselves into the dome, located in an abandoned quarry far from animals and vegetation, on August 28, 2015.

We were always in the same place, always with the same people, said French astrobiologist Cyprien Verseux in a Periscope interview by organisers posted on Twitter.

The crew lived inside a structure 36 feet (11 metres) in diameter and 20 feet tall, emerging only if outfitted in spacesuits, never breathing the outside air or eating fresh produce.

Despite describing the monotony as the hardest part, Verseux said the experiment shows that a mission to Mars in the close future is realistic.

He said a key hurdle involves producing food and a small-scale ecosystem on Mars, where the atmosphere is thin, the ground dry and water is scarce.

The exterior of the HI-SEAS habitat on the northern slope of Mauna Loa in Hawaii. (AFP File Photo)

The experiment did not test the process of growing food, but was aimed primarily at the psychological study of the crew.

The technical and psychological problems can be overcome, Verseux said.

Bring books

Video footage of the team as they emerged shows the three men and three women looking a bit bewildered as they met visitors and well-wishers and posed for selfies. Organisers gave them fresh fruit and vegetables.

In interviews, the crew was upbeat but made passing references to arguments and growing tired of seeing the same faces.

Verseuxs advice to new volunteers on a similar isolation experiment: Bring books.

Another mission member, American Tristan Bassingthwaighte, agreed, urging future participants to bring lots of books.

Bassingthwaighte said that team members engaged in hobbies such as salsa dancing and playing the ukelele to stave off the boredom.

If you can work on something that is self-developmental... you will not go crazy, he said.

Powdered cheese, canned tuna

The men and women had their own small rooms, with space for a sleeping cot and desk, and spent their days eating food like powdered cheese and canned tuna.

The dome had composting toilets and showers, and was powered by solar energy. Team members had limited internet access.

Team members could venture outside only in spacesuits, and Bassingthwaighte said that the astronauts removed a vast amount of garbage from the flanks of the volcano in their excursions.

Christiane Heinicke from Germany said that her main experiment was extracting water from the ground -- adding that the volcanic soil on Mauna Loa is very similar in mineral composition to the Martian soil.

You can actually get water from a ground that is seemingly dry, she said.

The implication is that you could get water from Mars.

She said that having something meaningful to work on was key to helping her endure the year-long mission.

However, she also spoke of the difficulties of living in close quarters with the same group of people for a long time, and said she planned to stay in close contact with only three of the other five.

A journalist (left) poses questions to members of the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation crew who went into isolation for 365 days. (AFP Photo)

The crew also included a pilot, a doctor/journalist and a soil scientist.

The full analysis of the teams psychological performance has yet to be revealed, but it is expected to be published in the coming months.

We are just starting the debrief week, lead researcher Kim Binsted told AFP by phone from Hawaii.

They didnt break the simulation, they did all the things we asked of them, and all of those things are pretty good signs, she said.

It certainly wasnt worse than expected. Every crew has conflicts.

Next crew

Nasa is studying how these long-term isolation scenarios play out on Earth before pressing on toward Mars, which the US space agency hopes to reach sometime in the 2030s.

Nasa can currently send a robot to the Red Planet in about eight months, but astronauts travelling to Mars face a trip lasting between one and three years.

The first HI-SEAS experiment involved studies about cooking on Mars and was followed by a four-month and an eight-month cohabitation mission.

Two more HI-SEAS missions are planned starting in January 2017 and 2018. Both are scheduled to last eight months, and organisers are already looking for volunteers.

Read | China unveils images of spacecraft it aims to send to Mars by 2020
Sri Lankas police Monday arrested a 17-year-old teenager for hacking into President Maithripala Sirisenas official website and posting a message calling for the postponement of A-level examinations.

The unnamed boy was taken into custody under the Computer Crimes Act and on conviction faces a fine of 300,000 rupees ($2,000) and up to three years in jail.

We traced the hack to his home in Kadugannawa, a police official said referring to a town about 100 kilometres (62 miles) east of the capital Colombo. The website was crippled over the weekend after the attack.

On Monday, the presidents official site was up and running again.

The attacker had removed the home page of the website and replaced it with a demand that the President postpone the ongoing GCE Advanced Level examinations or step down.

Sri Lankan websites had been hacked in the past, but this was the first time that a teenager had been arrested under the Computer Crimes Act of 2007.
The Taliban has appointed a new military chief as the insurgents try to gain ground rather than talk peace under a new leadership, Taliban officials said in telephone interviews over the weekend.

They said the appointment of Maulvi Ibrahim Sadar, once a close ally of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammed Omar, heralds a commitment to confrontation at a time when multiple governments are trying to coax the Taliban to the negotiating table.

Sadar is a battle-hardened commander, who gained prominence among Taliban foot soldiers following the movements overthrow in 2001. The two officials both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly for the Taliban.

Sadars appointment coincides with an uptick in Taliban attacks against Afghanistans security forces. The U.S. has sent additional troops to southern Helmand province, where its capital Lashkar Gah is under pressure. The provincial council head Kareem Atal earlier said roughly 80% of Helmand is already under Taliban control.

So far this month Taliban fighters have attacked Afghan security forces in northern Kunduz province, briefly taking control of a district headquarters. The militants also overran a district in northern Baghlan province and in eastern Paktia province. Meanwhile, in eastern Nangarhar province, Taliban militants are fighting pitched battles with security forces. Afghanistans ministry of defense says its security forces are waging operations in 15 provinces.

Mohammad Akbari a member of Afghanistans high peace council, tasked with talking peace with insurgent groups, said there has been no progress in talks since Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in a U.S. drone strike in May in Pakistan. Mansour was succeeded by Maulvi Haibatullah Akhundzada with the notorious Haqqani network gaining a prominent role in the leadership structure.

I cant see any green light toward peace by the Taliban for Afghanistan and instead we have seen an increase in their fighting in the provinces, Akbari told The Associated Press.

Since Mansours death Pakistans Interior Ministry has launched a stepped-up campaign to verify the identity of roughly 1.5 million Afghans living in Pakistan, many possessing Pakistani identity cards, some legally obtained and others illegally acquired. Mansour was carrying a Pakistani passport and identity card under an alias.

The crackdown has resulted in the withdrawal of thousands of suspicious identity cards. Pakistans Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said in the last four years roughly 80,000 suspicious identity cards have been revoked. He didnt have a figure of the number of cards withdrawn in the latest campaign.

Taliban officials say their fighters, whose families are living in Pakistan, are getting caught up in the crackdown - forcing them to find shelter in Afghanistan. The officials said as a result, in order to accommodate their fighters, they need to expand their territory for practical reasons in addition to their standing military goals.

Pakistan has been bitterly criticized by the Afghan government for not doing more to arrest and expel Taliban fighters from its territory - particularly the Haqqani network, which is blamed by Afghanistan for many of the most brutal attacks. Pakistan meanwhile has carried out military operations in its tribal regions that border Afghanistan, and accuses Afghanistan of harboring its own Taliban insurgents who have been carrying out attacks in Pakistan.

Following last weeks insurgent attack on the American University in Kabul, the Afghan government sent three telephone numbers to Pakistans military, believed to belong to those involved in planning the attack, seeking Pakistans assistance in tracking down and arresting the culprits. The assault killed 13 people and wounded dozens more.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has invoked long-disputed conspiracy theories to suggest Huma Abedin, a close Clinton aide of Indian descent, had links to Islamic extremists.

You know, by the way, take a look at where she worked...and at where her mother worked and works, Trump said in a radio interview about Abedin.

Other Republicans have been less subtle, demanding in the past an investigation of those links, going so far as to allege she is linked to the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt.

Abedin, who served Clinton as her deputy chief of staff at the state department, has been under attack from Republicans for her role in her bosss use of a private email server.

Abedin, whose father was from India and mother from Pakistan, announced on Monday she is separating from her husband Anthony Weiner, a one-time congressman found to have been involved in a new sexting scandal, his third.

After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband, she said, adding, Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what is best for our son, who is the light of our life. During this difficult time, I ask for respect for our privacy.

She had been a target of conspiracy theories linking her to Islamic extremists, stemming from her brief association with the Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, which is edited by her mother Saleha Mahmood Abedin, who is based in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia.

The magazine was founded by Abedins father, Syed Zainul Abedin, who is of Indian origin. The family had shifted to Saudi Arabia from the US.

Trump invoked those same theories in the interview on Monday to suggest, without saying it in as many words unlike others who have been more direct, that Abedin was linked to extremism.
The United States scrambled on Monday to get its feuding allies, Turkey and Kurdish YPG militia, to focus their firepower on Islamic State instead of each other after clashes that have threatened to unravel Americas war strategy in Syria.

Turkey, which has long viewed Kurdish militants as its top security threat, upended U.S. assumptions about the conflict by launching a major push last week into northern Syria that has included areas controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which includes experienced Kurdish YPG fighters.

In turn, Turkey has blamed a rocket attack from a YPG-controlled area for the death of one of its soldiers on Saturday. Turkey said it killed 25 Kurdish militants on Sunday.

Weve called on both sides to not fight with one another, to continue to focus the fight on ISIL, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter told a Pentagon news conference, using an acronym for Islamic State.

White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said further Turkish targeting of the SDF, which also includes Arab fighters, would undermine efforts to forge a united front against Islamic State.

But experts say the Turkish offensive has again exposed the vastly different, often competing objectives of Americas allies in the five-year-old conflict in Syria, where the Islamic State is only one of many actors.

It has also raised questions over whether Turkey will attempt to thwart any more major advances by the SDF, just weeks after the Pentagon hailed the groups victory against Islamic State in the town of Manbij, about 30 km (20 miles) south of Turkeys border.

Carter signalled no change in U.S. strategy on Monday, stressing that both the SDF and Turkey were critical allies in Syria. The Pentagon hopes U.S.-backed forces can eventually retake the Syrian city of Raqqa from Islamic State.

We do understand that they (Turkey and Kurdish fighters) have historical differences with one another but American interests are quite clear, Carter said. We, like they, want to combat ISIL and we are calling on them now: Lets keep our priorities clear here.

Tensions with Turkey

Experts say the best-case scenario for defusing tensions would be for Turkey to accept U.S. assurances that the YPG is withdrawing east of the Euphrates river. Turkey, which wants to stop Kurdish forces from further extending their control near its border, has demanded such a withdrawal.

Carter on Monday described the river as a natural barrier that would separate Turkey and the YPG.

What we can do and are doing with them is to clarify where the YPG elements of the SDF are and are not, he said, adding YPG fighters were indeed withdrawing.

In a nod to Turkey, Carter also praised Turkish military advances against Islamic State in the past week, notably its seizure of the town of Jarablus.

Blaise Misztal, director of national security at the Bipartisan Policy Center think-tank, said the United States was witnessing the consequences of a strategy that heavily depended on Kurdish fighters to defeat Islamic State, despite explicit Turkish objections.

Turkey is battling a Kurdish insurgency on its soil.

The enemy of my enemy is still my enemy, Misztal said.

Experts warned that it was far from clear whether Ankara would back down, given that the United States was unlikely to side with Kurdish militia over NATO ally Turkey.

Turkey is host to important U.S. and NATO military facilities. They include Incirlik Air Base, from which U.S. fighters and drones hit Islamic State in neighboring Syria, U.S. listening posts and an early warning radar for NATOs European missile defense system.

When it comes down to: Do we alienate the Turks, or do we alienate the Syrian Kurds, theres no doubt whos going to be the loser, said Bruce Riedel, a Middle East expert at the Brookings Institution and a former CIA analyst.

The United States is already walking on eggshells after accusations from Turkey that Washington was too slow to condemn last months failed coup there.

In a sign of the sensitivities, the top U.S. military officer, General Joseph Dunford, called his Turkish counterpart on Sunday and Carter told the briefing he would see Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik next week.

President Barack Obama will meet with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Sept. 4, the White House said.
ADEN: An Islamic State group militant rammed his explosives-laden car into an army recruiting centre in Aden today, killing 71 people in the deadliest jihadist attack on the Yemeni city in over a year.

The army, supported by a Saudi-led coalition, is training young recruits to join its nationwide war against Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies, as well as Sunni jihadists.

Aden is the temporary base of Yemens internationally recognised government, which was forced into exile after Iran-backed insurgents seized Sanaa and other parts of the war-torn country.

Security officials told AFP the attacker drove the car bomb into a gathering of recruits at a school in the north of the port city.

The recruits were among 5,000 newly enrolled soldiers being trained to fight the Huthi rebels in the north along the border with Saudi Arabia, military sources said. Although the complex was locked as recruits registered inside, the attacker drove in when the gate was opened for a delivery vehicle, officials said.

Witnesses said some recruits were buried when a roof collapsed after the blast which left a gaping hole on the buildings facade.

Debris was scattered around the complex and nearby buildings were damaged. The assault killed at least 71 people and wounded 98, medical sources told AFP. They could not immediately verify whether all those who died were army recruits.
LONDON: Activists of UK-based Baloch and Sindhi groups held a demonstration against the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and human rights violations outside the Chinese embassy here, demanding the $46-billion project be called off.

World Sindhi Congress chairman Lakhumal Luhana told HT the massive trade and transit project was responsible for gross human rights violations.

It is a matter of life and death for us, Luhana said, adding there were no plans for rehabilitating thousands of people displaced by the CPEC. The project is being imposed by Islamabad but could not materialise without the peoples consent, he said.

Sundays protest at Portland Place  the latest of several in Pakistan and elsewhere in recent weeks  was organised by the World Sindhi Congress, Sindhi Baloch Forum, Baloch National Movement, Baloch Republican Party, Baloch Human Rights Council-UK, Baloch Students and Youth Association and Baloch Students Organisation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Balochistan and Kadam badhao Modiji hum tumhare saath hain were some slogans shouted during the protest. The protesters also shouted slogans like No to CPEC and Hai haq humara aazadi, ANI said.

The CPEC, considered a part of Chinas One Belt, One Road initiative, covers Balochistan and Sindh provinces and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. India has formally opposed the CPEC because it runs through PoK.

The activists said the project was causing damage to the environment and would not benefit the people of the region. Holding placards, they alleged Balochistans abundant resources were being diverted for the benefit of Punjab, Pakistans most populous province. A memorandum opposing the CPEC was sent by post to the Chinese embassy before the demonstration. It described Balochistan as an occupied territory and said the CPEC is aimed at bringing demographic changes in the province by settling 2.5 million people from other parts of Pakistan.

(With inputs from ANI)

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BRUSSELS: Attackers rammed a car through the gates of Belgiums national crime laboratory on Monday in Brussels and then started a fire in what officials said may have been an attempt to destroy evidence.

Five people were arrested nearby but later released, while prosecutors said there was no confirmed link to terrorism so far. No one was injured in the fire or by a large explosion which shook houses nearby.

The incident comes as Belgium remains on high alert following suicide attacks on the capitals airport and metro system in March claimed by Islamic State.

This location was not chosen randomly, said Ine Van Wymersch, a spokesman for the Brussels prosecutors office, adding that the institute deals with sensitive information in connection with several ongoing cases.

Prosecutors had opened an investigation into deliberate arson of a building and damage by explosion, while bomb disposal experts attended the scene.

The possibility of a terrorist act is not confirmed. It goes without saying that several individuals may have wanted to destroy evidence related to their legal cases, Van Wymersch added.

She said that several attackers forced their way into the institute using their car and were able to attack the building and had apparently deliberately targeted the wing where the laboratories are located.
BEIJING: Gao Chengyong was the quiet man in his neighbourhood who lived in a house down the lane, ran a grocery store with his wife and saved enough to send his two sons to university.

He appeared just a little detached from his family but then, it is hardly a crime to keep to ones self.

Last Friday, when armed police personnel stormed the 52-year-olds nondescript grocery store at Baiyin and pinned him down, Gao turned out to be someone else  allegedly Chinas worst serial killer who found release in raping, murdering and dismembering his female victims.

Chinas Jack the Ripper  as Gao was quickly named by the Chinese media  was a serial killer on the loose in the north-central province of Gansu between 1988 and 2002, sexually assaulting and murdering 11 females, including an eight-year-old child.

Gao, according to case records reported by the Chinese media, targeted mostly single women who stayed alone.

He also had a fetish for the colour red and his victims were often found in red dresses.

As with the original Jack the Ripper, a serial killer active in London in the late Victorian era who is believed to have murdered five women, some of Gaos alleged victims had their reproductive organs removed.

According to Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, Gaos first alleged murder was in May 1988, the year his first son was born.

The first victim, a 23-year-old woman, was killed in her home in Baiyin and was found with 26 wounds to her body.

The subsequent murders followed a similar pattern. The killer targeted young women who lived alone, pursuing them to their homes before raping and killing them, according to earlier media reports, it said.

Police had said at the time of the murders that patience was one of the killers traits as he waited to pounce on the most vulnerable victims. The murders spread terror in the region, with women not venturing out alone.

The suspect has a sexual perversion and hates women, police said in 2004, when they linked the crimes for the first time and offered a reward of 200,000 yuan ($30,000) for information leading to an arrest.

Gao was very good at hiding and the case was all but closed for more than a decade.

But his luck began to run out this year.

In March this year, the Ministry of Public Securitys Criminal Investigation Bureau launched a new investigation using the latest technologies to re-examine DNA and biological evidence.

Police eventually linked Gao with the murders and managed to collect his DNA, which was a match for the killer, China Daily reported.

Police said Gao had confessed to the murders, but many questions remain unanswered. For one, why did Gao stop committing murders after 2002? Or did he?
DHAKA: United States believes that elements of Islamic State are connected to operatives in Bangladesh, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday, promising help with intelligence and law enforcement after a wave of militant attacks.

Kerrys blunt statement followed the July 1 attack on a cafe in the upscale Gulshan district of the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, in which 22 people were killed  mostly non-Muslims and foreigners, including one American.

It directly contradicted the narrative of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas government, which has blamed homegrown militants and denied a foreign hand in the hostage taking at the Holey Artisan Bakery that was claimed by IS. Responding to questions after giving a speech, Kerry said he had a very candid conversation with Hasina.

He said the Islamic State had wide contacts around the world, including in South Asia, adding: They are connected to some degree with some of the operatives here, and we made that very clear in our conversations.

As Kerrys motorcade headed to the US embassy, a government minister directly contradicted him. I told him that there is no such terrorist or militants from outside or who are connected with the (IS), but there are militants inside our country and they are homegrown, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told Reuters.
SYDNEY: A 62-year-old man who allegedly put highly corrosive acid inside a lubricant dispenser at a gay nightclub in Australia has been arrested and charged, reports said on Monday. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said the incident occurred on Saturday at Aarows bar which describes itself as Sydneys gay and bi social club.

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WASHINGTON: Donald Trump says hell deliver a detailed speech on his proposal to crack down on illegal immigration on Wednesday in Arizona  but its anyones guess what he might say.

The announcement came late Sunday in a tweet by the GOP presidential nominee after days of wavering  and at least one cancelled speech  on a question central to his campaign: Whether he would, as he said in November, use a deportation force to eject the estimated 11 million people in the US illegally.

On Sunday, led by vice presidential running mate Mike Pence, Trumps surrogates fanned out across the televised talk shows to reiterate other parts of his proposal but none could answer that question. And they wouldnt say whether it was worrisome that such a consequential proposal remained unclear so close to the November 8 election.

In one case, the chairman of the Republican National Committee refused to speak for the GOP nominee at all.

I just dont speak for Donald Trump, Reince Priebus said Sunday.

It was a striking look at Trumps leadership of a team he had said would help drive him to victory against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The very purpose of surrogates is to speak for and back up their presidential nominee. But Trumps stand-ins struggled to do so even as they stayed tightly together on the details they know: Trump will issue more details on the immigration plan soon, the policy will be humane, and despite his clear wavering, hes been consistent on the issue.

Any discussion of inconsistencies or potentially non-presidential tweeting, Pence and others suggested, reflected media focus on the wrong issue. Trumps tweet on Sunday suggested he was poised to clear up those questions.
SINGAPORE: Officials sprayed insecticide and cleared drains of stagnant water in residential areas of Singapore at high risk of further Zika infections on Monday after 41 locally transmitted cases were confirmed in the city state. Workers wearing fumigation masks skimmed high-rise housing estates in seven separate areas of the island, inspecting plant pots.

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TKAY MAIDZA ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM TKAY

OUT OCTOBER 28 VIA DOWNTOWN / INTERSCOPE RECORDS









LISTEN TO AND SHARE CARRY ON FT. KILLER MIKE BELOW





Tkay Maidza US Shows w/ What So Not:



9/16 -- Los Angeles, CA -- The Fonda Theatre

9/17 -- Los Angeles, CA -- The Fonda Theatre

9/19 -- San Diego, CA -- The Observatory North Park

9/20 -- San Francisco, CA -- The Regency Ballroom

9/21 -- Eugene, OR -- WOW Hall

9/22 -- Seattle, WA -- Showbox SoDo

9/23 -- Portland, OR -- Wonder Ballroom



Watch tkaymaidza.com for all the latest release and touring news. 9/16 -- Los Angeles, CA -- The Fonda Theatre9/17 -- Los Angeles, CA -- The Fonda Theatre9/19 -- San Diego, CA -- The Observatory North Park9/20 -- San Francisco, CA -- The Regency Ballroom9/21 -- Eugene, OR -- WOW Hall9/22 -- Seattle, WA -- Showbox SoDo9/23 -- Portland, OR -- Wonder Ballroom

source: Interscope Records

Having already carved a name for herself as Australias hottest new musical superstar, Tkay Maidza today unleashes, Carry On, featuring none other than cultural and political icon and one half of Run The Jewels - Killer Mike. Carry On is the first official single to be lifted from her highly-anticipated, forthcoming debut album titled TKAY, which is set to shake up audiences worldwide when it is released on October 28 via Downtown / Interscope Records. Pre-order the album viaThe 20-year-old, Zimbabwe-born, Australia-based pocket rocket with appropriate lashings of swag has proven to be a commanding force in the international music scene, thanks to her versatility as an emcee and vocalist, as well as the complexity of the lyrics she brings to the table.On Carry On, Maidza fires off on her haters and lets loose a whiplash delivery that deftly sets the stage for a head-turning guest verse from Killer Mike who publicly declared himself a Tkay fan multiple times throughout 2015 - first live on air in an interview on Australias triple j where he stated after seeing her performance; "I saw her perform at one of the festivals - she's dope man, shout out to her. She's a great human being and a dope performer too. Shout outs mama, you dope. She is dope!" and then again during a lecture the rapper gave at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Now it seems hes not just a fan but considers her a peer, sharing the mic with her on this epic new track.The song is about people trying to stop my stride, says Tkay, but I guess what I'm trying to say is I have bigger issues that only matter to me as a youngin at this point in my career and Killer Mike is reinforcing that. Ive loved Run the Jewels for ages as they were the first act I saw at my favourite touring festival Laneway Festival. It was super inspiring to see them. We had the idea of having him on a song and reached out to his team, they were totally down. It turned out to be Carry On :)It was really cool that Mike listened to what I was saying in my verse as his verse is a conversation to mine... to him I must sound like I need guidance, and what he said was really reassuring and relevant for me. I think it's super important to have support from someone who has so much knowledge and experience in life and music... He is the first person who is a respected and loved rapper to have said they approve of what I do so having him on the song is super special.Nominated for Best International Act at the 2016 BET Awards, Maidza recently lent her vocals to Martin Solveigs chart-climbing single Do It Right. With her past live experience, including support slots with Charli XCX, Mark Ronson, and Years & Years, shes also just torn through a string of summer dates in Australia that have brought her blissed-out live show to bigger and bigger crowds.Shes currently back in UK and Europe wrapping up a run of dates huge shows and festival appearances including Pukkelpop, Way Out West, Reading & Leeds. Tkay will be returning to the USA to tour with Australian producer and collaborator, What So Not.
The wife of former New York congressman Anthony Weiner, a mayoral candidate of New York City, publicly confirmed that she sought separation from her husband following his involvement in a new sexting scandal.

According to the New York Post, the latest sexting scandal was at least the third publicly-revealed episode involving the former lawmaker.

The first scandal happened in 2011 when a revelation surfaced that Weiner had been sending lewd photos and messages to different women. The issue caused him to resign from Congress and ruined his political career. The second scandal was revealed in 2013, which derailed his attempt to make a political comeback.

The New York Post revealed that in the latest sexting scandal, former congressman sent multiple explicit photos to a 40-something busty brunette divorcee out West for the past 19 months. The same report also claimed that this happened while Huma Abedin, Weiner's wife and Hillary Clinton's top aide, is busy campaigning for her boss.

The report further hinted that Weiner and his alleged female virtual friend in sexting escapade exchanged photos that include an image of the woman wearing a red lace dress with a cleavage-baring layout and a shot showing her in a pair of black tights with a rip near the rear midline.

Weiner, on the other hand, sent his half-naked pictures along with the most controversial crotch shot where his toddler son Jordan is seen sleeping on the same bed .

Upon learning the latest sexting scandal, his wife, through a statement quoted by the New York Times, said: "After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband. Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what is best for our son, who is the light of our life. During this difficult time, I ask for respect for our privacy."
India's Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma called on women visiting the country to prevent from wearing skirts for their own safety.

While this may be a part of the process to rectify India's reputation of rampant sexual assaults, the attempt has simply backfired drawing online public outcry.

But Sharma, father of two girls, explained that the ban is intended as a precaution for women against sex offenders.

This is not the first time that the minister received a backlash for his comments. Last year, his statement "nights out for girls were not part of Indian culture," did not fare well with the public.

He also vowed to defend India from "encroachment by Western culture."

Being a Hindu nationalist of the Bharatiya Janata Party, his expressions tread on India's deep and divisive intercultural differences. He clarified that western sophistication is not bad but only distinctive to Indian views.

He also said that tourists should be aware of the sensitivities affiliated with temple towns like Agra, Mathura and Vrindavan.

Four years after the gang rape incident involving a 23-year old medical student, a tougher anti-rape provision is still nowhere to be found. Statistics show that a hundred rape cases are reported daily but only one in four leads to conviction.

While India modified its laws to broaden the definition of rape, high-profile intimate incidents continue to surface which ultimately questions India's commitment to protect its women.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Apple, one of the largest corporations in the world, have spread their operations in a range of geographies over the past decade or so as they looked to cash in tax breaks offered by different countries and one such operation was in Ireland. However, according to a recent report on Reuters, that cosy structure could be coming to an end as the European Commission is all set to rules against the structure in place at the moment and according to sources, the payout in back taxes could be as much as 1 billion.

According to the report on Reuters, "Commissioner Margrethe Vestager will hold a news conference on an antitrust case at noon (1000 GMT) in Brussels. Though the subject of the case was not given, she was expected to detail her verdict on why a deal that encouraged the U.S. tech giant to route vast profits through Ireland had breached EU state aid laws barring governments giving some firms unfair advantages. The ruling is likely to anger Washington, which has accused Brussels of campaigning against U.S. corporate success stories.

The European Commission accused Ireland in 2014 of dodging international tax rules by letting Apple shelter profits worth tens of billions of dollars from tax collectors in return for maintaining jobs. Apple and Ireland rejected the accusation; both have said they will appeal any adverse ruling"

The report further added that the calculations will be up to the Irish authorities but the total back taxes could be as much as around $1 billion. "The source said the Commission will recommend a figure in back taxes that it expects to be collected, but it will be up to Irish authorities to calculate exactly what is owed. A bill in excess of 1 billion euros ($1.12 billion) would be far more than the 30 million euros each the European Commission previously ordered Dutch authorities to recover from U.S. coffee chain Starbucks (SBUX.O) and Luxembourg from Fiat Chrysler (FCHA.MI) for their tax deals.

Both companies and countries have appealed those decisions. When it opened the Apple investigation in 2014, the Commission told the Irish government that tax rulings it agreed in 1991 and 2007 with the iPhone maker amounted to state aid and might have broken EU laws."

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A woman refugee, attempting to cross the treacherous waters of Mediterranean Sea, gave birth to a twin while in transient on the perilous seawaters.

The Italian Coast Guard intercepted the woman cuddling her 5-day-old children in her effort, along with 3000 others, to leave Libya.

Dignity 1 (a Medecins Sans Frontieres' ship) and Proactiva Open Arms (a Spanish humanitarian organization) have utilized 15 rubber boats and a wooden one to save people on Monday.

It is on one of these boats that the twins and their mother were found. The MSF have the three transferred for treatment in Italy via Medevac.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Monday's rate has nearly tripled the weekly total. Many of the refugees have used the Central Mediterranean route from Nigeria, Eritrea and Gambia with Libya as a transit point.

Weak and technically ill-equipped for rough voyages, the migrants travelled with a manageable amount of gasoline for their overcrowded vessels.

The intention is to get into the open sea and find rescuers to pick them up. Rescued people are usually taken to the Italian ports of Sicily and Calabria.

The huge migrant influx has emptied the Italian reception centers of equipment needed to accommodate new arrivals.

Before Monday, Italy's total number of arrivals has been around 105,000.

So far in 2016, IOM estimated that 2,726 men, women and children have died.

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard has stated that more refugees are expected to sail this week due to favorable weather conditions.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
IBIZA, Spain and MCLEAN, Va.  Curio - A Collection by Hilton announced today the opening of Gran Hotel Montesol Ibiza, Curio Collection by Hilton. The upscale, one-of-a-kind hotel is Hilton Worldwide's first property on the island of Ibiza. Gran Hotel Montesol Ibiza is part of Hilton Worldwide's (NYSE: HLT) Curio brand, a rapidly-expanding global collection of distinctive upscale and luxury hotels, Curio caters to passionate travelers seeking local discovery and authentic experiences.

Originally established in 1933, Gran Hotel Montesol Ibiza is steeped in history as it was the first purpose-built hotel on the island and has been declared an asset of cultural interest by UNESCO. With its opening as part of the Curio collection, the property has been fully refurbished while maintaining its neo-colonial facade. The hotel's 33 elegant guest rooms have been decorated by famed interior designer Lazaro Rosa-Violan and most rooms offer views of the old town and harbour.

Open year-round, the intimate property is located in the heart of Ibiza's historic centre, just 20 metres from Ibiza's bustling harbour and steps from Dalt Vila ('Upper Town'), a UNESCO World Heritage site which features ancient buildings as well as modern markets. Beautiful beaches such as Ses Salines and Cala Vadella are easily accessible from the hotel, and Formentera Island is a short ferry ride away. Also nearby are nightclubs where guests can experience the island's infamous club scene.

Cafe Montesol sits on the ground floor of the hotel and has been a hub for social life in Ibiza since it was originally established in 1933. It is known among local residents as a place to gather and socialize while enjoying Spanish mediterranean cuisine and tapas specialities, and can accomodate up to 300 guests. Its cocktail bar is the perfect place to lounge while enjoying a refreshing drink and its street terrace overlooks Vara de Rey Boulevard.

"Each hotel selected to join the Curio collection is hand-picked for its distinctive character and Gran Hotel Montesol Ibiza is no exception to this as it joins 23 Curio hotels open around the world, including Reichshof Hamburg in Germany which was the first Curio hotel to open in EMEA," said Dianna Vaughan, senior vice president and global head, Curio - A Collection by Hilton and DoubleTree by Hilton. "We are delighted to add this property to our growing portfolio. With its prime location, bespoke concierge service and top restaurant, the hotel is ideal for travellers to Ibiza."

A bespoke concierge service offers a private service to help plan and manage a trip prior to or during a guest's stay. This assists guests with anything they may need during their stay in Ibiza including restaurant reservations, yacht rentals, diving experiences and more. Gran Hotel Montesol Ibiza also runs a partnership which allows guests to reserve private meeting rooms at the nearby Ibiza Archaeological museum. In addition, the property can arrange meetings aboard private yachts with catering by the hotel's food and beverage team.

"We are thrilled to open Gran Hotel Montesol Ibiza. The iconic building is Ibiza's oldest hotel and with this refurbishment, its luxury and elegance has been restored to a brilliant quality," said Eduardo Miquel, general manager, Gran Hotel Montesol Ibiza. "The hotel is well placed for travellers to Ibiza, particularly those who wish to organize conferences and events during Ibiza's calm winter months. As the property is open year-round and can organize unique meeting experiences, it appeals to business travellers as well as those here for leisure."

Gran Hotel Montesol Ibiza participates in Hilton HHonors, the award-winning guest-loyalty program for Hilton Worldwide. The program is open to all guests and free to join. Hilton HHonors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits, including an exclusive member rate that can't be found anywhere else, free standard Wi-Fi, digital check-in and HHonors Points.

Gran Hotel Montesol Ibiza is located at Passeig de Vara de Rey, 2, 07800 Ibiza, Illes Balears. For more information, or to make a reservation, telephone: +34-871-515049 or visit here to book.

About Hilton

Hilton (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 18 world-class brands comprising more than 6,800 properties and more than 1 million rooms, in 122 countries and territories. Dedicated to fulfilling its founding vision to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality, Hilton has welcomed more than 3 billion guests in its more than 100-year history, earned a top spot on the 2021 World's Best Workplaces list and been recognized as a global leader on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for five consecutive years. In 2021, in addition to opening more than one hotel a day, Hilton introduced several industry-leading technology enhancements to improve the guest experience, including Digital Key Share, automated complimentary room upgrades and the ability to book confirmed connecting rooms. Through the award-winning guest loyalty program Hilton Honors, the nearly 128 million members who book directly with Hilton can earn Points for hotel stays and experiences money can't buy. With the free Hilton Honors app, guests can book their stay, select their room, check in, unlock their door with a Digital Key and check out, all from their smartphone. Visit newsroom.hilton.com for more information, and connect with Hilton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

Rachel Kenon

Brand Public Relations, Hilton Garden Inn

+1 703 883 5333

Hilton
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Gran Hotel Montesol Ibiza Joins Curio Collection

Originally established in 1933, Gran Hotel Montesol Ibiza is steeped in history as it was the first purpose-built hotel on the island and has been declared an asset of cultural interest by UNESCO. With its opening as part of the Curio collection, the property has been fully refurbished while maintaining its neo-colonial facade.

Curio  A Collection by Hilton announced today the opening of Gran Hotel Montesol Ibiza, Curio Collection by Hilton. The hotel is Hilton Worldwides first property on the island of Ibiza. Gran Hotel Montesol Ibiza is part of Hilton Worldwides (NYSE: HLT) Curio brand, a rapidly-expanding global collection of distinctive upscale and luxury hotels, Curio caters to passionate travelers seeking local discovery and authentic experiences.

Originally established in 1933, Gran Hotel Montesol Ibiza is steeped in history as it was the first purpose-built hotel on the island and has been declared an asset of cultural interest by UNESCO. With its opening as part of the Curio collection, the property has been fully refurbished while maintaining its neo-colonial facade. The hotels 33 elegant guest rooms have been decorated by famed interior designer Lazaro Rosa-Violan and most rooms offer views of the old town and harbour.

Open year-round, the intimate property is located in the heart of Ibizas historic centre, just 20 metres from Ibizas bustling harbour and steps from Dalt Vila (Upper Town), a UNESCO World Heritage site which features ancient buildings as well as modern markets. Beautiful beaches such as Ses Salines and Cala Vadella are easily accessible from the hotel, and Formentera Island is a short ferry ride away. Also nearby are nightclubs where guests can experience the islands infamous club scene.

Cafe Montesol sits on the ground floor of the hotel and has been a hub for social life in Ibiza since it was originally established in 1933. It is known among local residents as a place to gather and socialize while enjoying Spanish Mediterranean cuisine and tapas specialities, and can accommodate up to 300 guests. Its cocktail bar is the perfect place to lounge while enjoying a refreshing drink and its street terrace overlooks Vara de Rey Boulevard.

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Each hotel selected to join the Curio collection is hand-picked for its distinctive character and Gran Hotel Montesol Ibiza is no exception to this as it joins 23 Curio hotels open around the world, including Reichshof Hamburg in Germany which was the first Curio hotel to open in EMEA, said Dianna Vaughan, senior vice president and global head, Curio  A Collection by Hilton and DoubleTree by Hilton. We are delighted to add this property to our growing portfolio. With its prime location, bespoke concierge service and top restaurant, the hotel is ideal for travellers to Ibiza.

A bespoke concierge service offers a private service to help plan and manage a trip prior to or during a guests stay. This assists guests with anything they may need during their stay in Ibiza including restaurant reservations, yacht rentals, diving experiences and more. Gran Hotel Montesol Ibiza also runs a partnership which allows guests to reserve private meeting rooms at the nearby Ibiza Archaeological museum. In addition, the property can arrange meetings aboard private yachts with catering by the hotels food and beverage team.

We are thrilled to open Gran Hotel Montesol Ibiza. The iconic building is Ibizas oldest hotel and with this refurbishment, its luxury and elegance has been restored to a brilliant quality, said Eduardo Miquel, general manager, Gran Hotel Montesol Ibiza. The hotel is well placed for travellers to Ibiza, particularly those who wish to organize conferences and events during Ibizas calm winter months. As the property is open year-round and can organize unique meeting experiences, it appeals to business travellers as well as those here for leisure.

Gran Hotel Montesol Ibiza participates in Hilton HHonors, the award-winning guest-loyalty program for Hilton Worldwide. The program is open to all guests and free to join. Hilton HHonors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits, including an exclusive member rate that can't be found anywhere else, free standard Wi-Fi, digital check-in and HHonors Points.
Rendering of the Wyndham Soleil Danang

The 57-storey building will become the companys second Wyndham location in Vietnam

Wyndham Hotel Group unveiled plans at a recent signing ceremony for a five-star Wyndham Hotels and Resorts location in Danangs Son Tra district, set to become the citys tallest building at 199 metres.

The four-tower condotel complex currently under construction will stand at 57-storeys at its tallest point and will consist of 3,200 apartments, studios and hotel rooms; extensive conference facilities; a retail and dining precinct; and recreation parks.

The US$446 million project, expected to open in September 2018, is being developed by PPC An Thinh Danang. Wyndham Hotel Asia Pacific Co. Limited will manage the condotel.

The upscale Wyndham Hotels and Resorts brand connects with guests by delivering comfort that exceeds expectations with the tailored services and amenities expected at a world-class hotel. Currently, there are nearly 100 Wyndham Hotels and Resorts branded hotels located around the world in major urban and resort destinations.

Wyndham Soleil Danang, located just 100 metres from the white sands of My Khe Beach, will be the brands second location in Vietnam following the opening of Wyndham Legend Halong Bay in July of this year.

Wyndham Soleil Danang will feature a coral-inspired facade and a mix of studio, one, two and three-bedroom guest rooms, each featuring breathtaking views of the sea and the mountains surrounding Danang. Additional offerings will include a restaurant and bar, swimming pools, a gym, a spa, and a health and wellness centre.

With airport improvements underway, as well as its proximity to scenic beaches and UNESCO World Heritage sites, Danang is a market poised for great growth within a country popular with world travellers, said Barry Robinson, President and Managing Director, Wyndham Hotel Group South East Asia and Pacific Rim.

Vietnam is a destination sought after for memorable experiences, attracting more than 5.5 million visitors so far this year  an increase of more than 20 per cent over last year. We will continue to focus efforts to develop our Wyndham Hotels and Resorts brand in emerging destinations throughout the country to make travel extraordinary for millions of potential guests.

Wyndham Hotel Group currently has nearly 8,000 hotels worldwide with almost 100 open and operating across South East Asia and the Pacific Rim under its Ramada, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, Days Inn, TRYP by Wyndham and Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham brands.

About Wyndham Hotels and Resorts

Part of Wyndham Hotel Group, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, LLC, offers upscale hotel and resort accommodations at nearly 100 properties throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East and China. Most Wyndham hotels are franchised by Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, LLC or its affiliates. Certain Wyndham hotels are owned or managed by an affiliate of Wyndham Hotel Group, LLC. Additional information and reservations for all Wyndham hotels are available by visiting www.wyndham.com. Travelers have the opportunity to earn and redeem points through Wyndham Rewards, the brands guest loyalty program, which can be joined for free at www.wyndhamrewards.com. For more information about hotel franchising opportunities visit www.whgdevelopment.com.
SPOILER ALERT: We have the full gig video evidence!

Judging by their Paredes de Coura headliner last week in Portugal, LCD Soundsystem will be in killer form on Saturday when they take to the Picnic Main Stage.
While on holiday in Cuba, Paddy Breathnach visited a drag club. It was the beginning of a decade-long filmmaking adventure, culminating in his stunning new film.

Viva tells the story of Jesus, a young hairdresser who begins working in a Havana club where drag artists and trans women known as transformistas perform.

I had seen a show in Cuba when I was on holidays, says the Dublin director, and I fell in love with the emotional power of that particular style of Cuban drag. That atmosphere and the emotional performances really drove my ideas.
Despite their moniker, UK indie rockers Wild Beasts obviously aren't serious party animals. Not all of the time, at least. When Tom Fleming, Hayden Thorpe, Ben Little and Chris Talbot began the writing sessions for their fifth album, they resolved to take a more orderly approach to their work. Most days the band arrived at their East London studio at 9am and clocked out at 5pm.

"Well, we did that where possible," Fleming recalls, speaking in that very same studio. "Put it this way, work/life balance is a phrase that makes me laugh every time I hear it because there is none for us. The war between who we are and what we do and the people around us is just completely all encompassing. So in the brief moment that we could, we wanted to have lives as well and live in a sane fashion because, for us, it's usually just not possible.

So in that sense, it was a case of going in and making sure that you did something every day, as opposed to going in there, sitting around all day and coming out with nothing. We had an attitude of "today, no matter how small it is, we're going to get something done". So that was how we approached it."
Chinese authorities have accused a 56-year-old Houston businesswoman of going to a city in southern China two decades ago to conduct an espionage mission, recruiting Chinese citizens to spy for foreign agencies and spying on the communist nation herself, her husband said Monday.

The revelations, which he said comes from her indictment last month and conversations with her legal team, provide the first insight into why China has detained Sandy Phan-Gillis, who was arrested in March 2015 as she passed through an immigration control post connecting mainland China with Macau. Phan-Gillis was in China on a trade delegation that included former Houston City Councilman Ed Gonzalez.

China has provided little information about its allegations, saying only that she is suspected of stealing and spying on its national secrets and that during her arrest "a new crime of espionage" was uncovered.

The Chinese Consulate in Houston said on Monday that it had no further details on her charges other than what it has already released.

But according to Phan-Gillis' husband, Jeff Gillis, who has revived a media campaign to focus attention on her arrest as President Barack Obama prepares to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 Summit in China this weekend, the indictment alleges that she conducted a spying mission there in 1996. Specifically it accuses her of the crime in Nanning, a city in the Guangxi province neighboring Vietnam where Phan-Gillis is currently being detained.

But Gillis said his wife's passport shows that she did not visit China at all in 1996. Moreover, he said her legal team has indicated that Chinese authorities believe Phan-Gillis conducted the mission in June and July of that year.

But at that time he said Phan-Gillis was employed as a clerk by the Houston Police Department and pay stubs show she took only 11 hours of vacation during those two months.

"It's just not enough time to go on a spy mission to Nanning," he said.

Phan-Gillis, a Vietnamese refugee of Chinese descent who became a U.S. citizen decades ago, met Gillis in 2001 and they married the following year. In the last 20 years, he said she has made about 40 trips to China, either as a business consultant or in her role as president of the Houston Shenzhen Sister City Association.

He said his wife only mentioned one trip to Nanning, though it occurred several years after China accuses her of being there.

The Shenzhen Sister City Association did, however, have plans to take the Texas Southern University basketball team to Guangxi in 1996, Gillis said. Though the trip never materialized, he said Phan-Gillis would have corresponded with local officials there while trying to organize it.

"It may be that the government found out that there had been a plan for such a trip," he said. "To me, it's too much of a coincidence. She has virtually never been to Guangxi, and I know of only one trip she ever made to Nanning."

Frightening phone call

He also revealed new details about the sole conversation he has had with his wife during her 18 months of detention that may provide further insight into China's accusations.

In the frightening 16-minute phone call last September, which came as Phan-Gillis was held by state security officials under residential surveillance, he said she pleaded with him to stop his campaign publicizing her arrest and asked him to assure security agents in the room that he would do so.

Gillis said she told him that her arrest was related to people she knew two decades ago who were from the province of Guangxi but whom "she knew in the United States, not in China." She told him that, according to Chinese authorities, these acquaintances "have been violating their law, and the law is catching up to them," he said.

Phan-Gillis has since told her lawyers that she felt forced to admit to the espionage mission but that the confession was "faked" because she was threatened with life imprisonment during daily interrogations. The questioning was harsh and terrified her so much that at one point she even fainted and had a heart attack, causing her to be hospitalized twice.

The indictment additionally accuses Phan-Gillis of spying for foreign agencies and recruiting Chinese citizens for espionage in 1997 and 1998, Gillis said.

In that time period, he said her passport shows she only visited China in 1998 as part of a delegation of NCAA All-Star basketball teams playing friendly games.

In a plea for help to Obama, which Gillis said his wife dictated to consular officials, she asked him to speak with Xi this week.

"I am accused of being a spy for the U.S. government," she said in the letter. "I have never been a spy."

John Kamm, a human rights activist in China and director of the Dui Hua Foundation in San Francisco, said Phan-Gillis' case meets the United Nations' definition of torture because she was placed in solitary confinement with no access to a lawyer under residential surveillance in a designated location, which the U.N. has compared to an enforced or involuntary disappearance.

The detention of Phan-Gillis last year came as the Xi administration launched a widespread anti-corruption probe that critics say wrongly ensnared some of his political opponents.

Under Xi, who assumed his country's head post four years ago, there has also been an increased crackdown against human rights activists, journalists and others who released sensitive financial information at a time when the slowing of one of the world's largest economies stoked fears of not only a global recession but of unrest within China.

Experts say Chinese authorities tend to more aggressively pursue ethnic Chinese they accuse of crimes and Beijing is pushing for an extradition treaty with Washington, vowing that its national corruption campaign would extend beyond its borders for corrupt officials, business executives and their assets.

'Very serious' claims

Gillis, who has stayed publicly silent since his wife asked him to stop the media blitz last fall, spoke out for the first time last week, saying her indictment in July and new details about her condition in detention has made him increasingly desperate.

She was able to meet U.S. consular officials without the presence of Chinese state security agents for the first time last month and disclosed more information during an August meeting with her newly appointed legal team, Mo Shaoping, a leading human rights law firm in China.

A State Department official this weekend called the allegations "very serious."

"We remain deeply concerned about Ms. Phan-Gillis' welfare," the agency said in a statement. "This matter is compounded by China's unwillingness to allow her attorneys and U.S. consular officers full access to her."

Consular officials do meet with Phan-Gillis every month, the agency said, but that is normally in the presence of Chinese authorities. Senior officials in Washington have raised her case with their counterparts in Beijing.

In July, a United Nations panel said China has arbitrarily detained Phan-Gillis in violation of international human rights norms, calling for her to be released or given proper assistance by legal counsel.

The U.N. working group said that the Chinese government told it that Phan-Gillis is charged with "assisting external parties to steal national intelligence," a lesser charge than those detailed in her indictment last month.

Espionage and collaborating with spying organizations carries a sentencing range between three years and life imprisonment depending on the severity of the crime.

According to the Dui Hua Foundation in San Francisco, no American has been convicted and served time for spying in recent decades.
Opponents of billboards and other signs along Texas roadways reacted on Monday with dismay to an appeals court decision striking down significant portions of the Texas Highway Beautification Act, saying the ruling could lead to a litany of signs along federally funded highways.

The Third District Court of Appeals in Austin issued the decision on the state law - cheered as the linchpin of Texas' scenic roadway efforts - because the 42-year-old act restricts free speech.

Scenic Texas, a statewide group that has fought watering down Texas billboard laws, is urging the Texas Department of Transportation - the defendant in the current case - and state officials to appeal.

"What it appears to do is strip away TxDOT's authority to regulate outdoor advertising as they have been doing it for the last 40 years," said Margaret Lloyd, a Galveston resident and vice president of Scenic Texas. "We are concerned that authority has been removed completely."

The ruling came late last week in a case regarding a 2011 sign erected to support Ron Paul's 2012 presidential campaign. Auspro Enterprises placed the sign on its property along Texas 71.

Auspro is owned by Michael Kleinman, who also owns the Planet K chain of smoke, erotica and novelty shops in the Austin and San Antonio area. The sign was in front of the Bee Cave Planet K location.

"It took us over five years of litigation to vindicate our First Amendment rights, but it was worth the wait," Kleinman said. "The court got it right. Texas sign laws are unconstitutional."

In July 2012, Texas Department of Transportation officials told Auspro to take the sign down, saying it was illegal because it was outside the allowed time for a political sign. The beautification act allows political signs only 90 days before and 10 days after elections.

When Auspro didn't move the sign, TxDOT sought to punish the coporation for non-compliance, leading the company to sue on the grounds the state was violating its free speech.

A district court found in favor of TxDOT, but the Third District Court of Appeals reversed that decision.

TxDOT spokeswoman Veronica Beyer said the agency is reviewing the ruling and consulting with the Attorney General's Office and the Federal Highway Administration.

"TxDOT does not regulate or restrict content, as TxDOT has regulations that provide protection for freedom of speech," Beyer said in a statement. "Texas has the most beautiful roadways in the nation, and as such TxDOT only wishes to further maintain the safety to the traveling public without restricting peoples' constitutional rights."

Citing other restrictions on signs and previous court rulings, the appeals court struck down subchapters B and C of the beautification act, which are the centerpiece of the law. Essentially, the court ruled Texas' law relies on exemptions that differ based on the content of the sign, which is unconstitutional.

"The Texas Act, as both (TxDOT) and the Texas Supreme Court have acknowledged, on its face draws distinctions based on the message a speaker conveys," appeals court Chief Justice Jeff Rose wrote.

Rather than void parts related to political speech, as TxDOT sought during the case, the appeals court said it cannot sever one type of sign from another and deemed TxDOT's total authority of signs unconstitutional.

"We strongly disagree with the interpretation the court has come up with," said Anne Culver, president of Scenic Houston, a local version of the statewide group.

Houston, and many Texas highways, was once littered with billboards and other ads, drawing ire from many, Lady Bird Johnson among them, who worried the state's natural splendor was being ruined by shaving cream ads and other roadway announcements.

Though many point to sign-heavy areas of Houston and Harris County - FM 1960 is among the most oft-cited - many of those who've lived in the region 30 years or more remember even more signs spread across the horizon.

Culver noted while reasonable exceptions have been made, the court's ruling "throws a lot of that completely out the window."

In cities such as Houston, which adopted a sign ordinance in 1980 during a proliferation of outdoor ads, municipal laws can keeps signs at bay. Houston's regulations have taken the number of billboards from an estimated 10,500 in 1980 to roughly 1,300 today.

Janice Evans, spokeswoman for Mayor Sylvester Turner, said officials are reviewing the ruling for potential local effects, and what it could mean for ongoing efforts to work with companies to remove some billboards in the city.

Houston City Council last month approved an agreement with outdoor advertising company JGI, which removed 13 billboards the company owns around Houston, while allowing four others to remain for another 20 years. The agreement, coordinated with Scenic Houston, is similar to others that have reduced signs around the city.

Smaller cities, meanwhile, have relied on TxDOT's authority to keep major highways clear, as well as the Federal Highway Beautification Act of 1965, which regulates many types of signs on federal highways.

Supporters of the laws limiting ads were especially stung by the fact that an appeals court in Texas - home to highway beautification champions President Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson - struck the law down.

"It is a little bit of a slap in the face," said Lloyd, of Scenic Texas, noting she was "aghast a court in Austin would be the one to do this."

Rebecca Elliott contributed to this report.
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lords holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge  that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:16-21 NIV

Following one of the recent more devastating earthquakes in Haiti, it was reported that in the church congregations as communities came together to worship, the older women walked around and touched different ones, praying for them as they worshipped. When I saw that report, it was so moving seeing that taking place  poor people made even more decimated by the destruction that an earthquake brings to life and substance, seeking solace through faith in the power of what those prayers could do for the hurting people attending that service. The women prayed as they moved through the gathering fully believing in the invisible Force they could tap into for continued assurance of Gods love and care in a time of desperate proportions of loss. When your faith becomes all that you have and you feel like a helpless victim, you can never be without hope or power as you begin to understand even more this statement from Ephesians 3: And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lords holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge  that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

The need I see in our communities among people living in poverty and people who are incarcerated are extreme. Life choices and resulting circumstances from generations of poverty, violence, untreated mental and physical illness and drugs in a culture of survival of the fittest can be very difficult to turn around. Where drugs are concerned I have found that even though you are intelligent with skills and resources, it doesnt seem to matter. The far-reaching destruction of drugs has no bounds.

I have found though, that when individuals hear the Good News packaged in love and the power of the Holy Spirit  this culture begins to change one person at a time as they begin to trust and believe. When they see with new eyes they gradually fill with hope. The transformative message that Jesus Christ brought to earth with the accompanying power that is promised, is enough, whether others around them, those in the religious community and representatives in the system of justice share that Spirit or not. It doesnt keep them from receiving the gift of salvation and all the blessings that come with it. With Jesus Christ and his God-breathed Scripture as Paul referred to it, we have everything we need that is most important to us. It does matter on a different level to those without The Force who render justice and those who profess Christ but fail to carry out Christs mission in power, as we will examine further on in this chapter of Sweetwater Journey.

When we seek after the selfish things that are not of God, we lose our way. Every living being has access to The Force through Christ. The person who has little resources and is dealing with circumstances for which in the beginning they may not have been fully responsible, can receive the Holy Spirit through faith and be in an amazing place of hope and wonder even in a house with the roof caving in or a jail cell awaiting sentencing. It doesnt matter. We still must repent for the wrong choices we have made and call on Jesus Christ to help us turn our lives around. We cant do it without Him. Jesus Christ had nothing  no wealth or material substance. He shared out of his vast spiritual resources and knowledge, teaching us what matters most and will bring us happiness and contentment. He conveyed that happiness is not found in wealth.

I came to see this anew in dramatically moving ways with the inmates who come to Christ.

You can read The Force in its entirety on the Houston Herald website.
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transparency has long been a contentious issue with arguments to be made on both sides. We talked to three HR experts about this to see if employees should know what others are paid.Transparency is definitely good for business, said Shanyn Payne, general manager of HR at Swinburne Online.One of our remuneration principles is to be transparent about pay without breaching individual confidentiality. While we havent taken the controversial step of publishing everyones salary on the intranet, were open about how our employees salaries are benchmarked.Amanda Jackson, general manager of HR at LG Electronics Australia says that employees should have the opportunity to determine where they sit within their peer group remuneration bracket.We also believe that we have a duty to our staff to be transparent with processes and factors determining salary review outcomes.However, she added that individual pay should remain confidential.Ultimately, we believe it is crucial to respect privacy and confidentiality in our workplace, and while we endorse pay transparency, sharing individual packages is where we draw the line.One way to achieve transparency is through mechanisms such as a strong job architecture, said Hamish Deery, head of talent and rewards at Willis Towers Watson.Best-in-class organisations share their remuneration strategy with employees, including their total rewards philosophy, how pay structures keep pace with the market, and the criteria against which variable pay decisions are made.Employers may also choose to communicate where each workers pay falls within a range or relative to a market benchmark, he said.We find these factors are just as important to the employee experience of pay equity as the absolute pay level  sometimes even more so.
months after the contentious Health and Safety at Work Act and employers are still concerned about potential repercussions but  according to one industry lawyer  theres little need to fret.The changes were signalled a long time ago so many [employers] were taking steps in the last 24 months or so  some have not taken steps and are finding themselves anxious and worried about the new penalties that have come in and the new systems, says Garth Galloway , health and safety lawyer Garth Gallaway.The advice were giving to people is, if theyve had good systems in place in the past, they have nothing to fear in the new legislation  it really does just codify whats been in place in the past.Gallaway, a partner with Chapman Tripp, says his clients are also concerned about the obligation of due diligence that directors and CEOs have now found themselves under.Thats causing a lot of anxiety for many of them, he told HRM. Our advice is if they have good systems in place and simple, straight-forward systems that allow them to exercise their due diligence they should have nothing to fear.Christchurch-based Gallaway says one of the main concerns coming from employers is around the penalties they face if they happen to breach the Act.I think thats the wrong thing to focus on because the thing to focus on is how do you have good health and safety systems and that needs to be the starting point, he stressed. If you have those in place, you dont need to worry about what the penalties are because youre not going to breach the Act.Are you still concerned about the recent changes despite Gallaways sage advice? Or is there something else keeping you up at night?To find out which aspects of employment law are causing the most strife for HR professionals, were asking readers to provide comment and feedback on the nations major issues.Click here to complete the short survey and one lucky survey respondent will win a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne. Thank you for your participation.
OTTAWA  The Liberal government says it will from now on refer to the Islamic State as Daesh.

The terrorist group, which is also known as ISIL or ISIS, is being described in government communications and ministerial speeches as Daesh, a term that reportedly angers the so-called Islamic State.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau noticeably used the term last Friday during his press conference in Saguenay, Que., referring to Canadas military mission in Iraq as our part in the coalition against Daesh.

On Monday, Trudeaus office referred questions about language to Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dions office. Global Affairs is charged with ensuring that the government of Canada uses the same language overseas to describe the Islamic State.

ISIL is no state and never will be, Chantal Gagnon, Dions press secretary told HuffPost.

Daesh is also an increasingly common name that is understood more widely throughout the region.

ISIL is no state and never will be."

Last week, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale announced in the preamble of a departmental report on Canadas terrorism threat that the term Daesh would be used throughout the document.

This group is neither Islamic nor a state, and so will be referred to as Daesh (its Arabic acronym) in this Report, he wrote.

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Department of National Defence spokesman Daniel LeBouthillier said DND is also transitioning to Daesh. Press releases from earlier in August and a ministerial speech from June use the term.

Canadas allies  the United States, Britain, and France  have already adopted the term. The Conservative party has also been using Daesh in its communications with the public and in fundraising emails for several months.

Dion told reporters last year that he preferred to use the term so-called Islamic State but said the government might consider using the word Daesh in all its communications.

My own preference is the so-called Islamic State, because people understand what it is, he said in December. Daesh, Im not sure how many people will understand about what we are speaking about.

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Toronto Star editor-in-chief Michael Cooke announced in March that his newspaper would use the term Daesh, because the criminal gang that has murdered, raped and pillaged its way across the Middle East, while sending sycophants to slaughter civilians abroad, is neither Islamic nor an internationally recognized state.

'Daesh' could be an insult

Using the term Daesh has the added benefit, Cook wrote, of insulting rather than flattering the group.

Daesh is the Arabic acronym for ISIS: al-Dawla al-Islamiya fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham. But, as a story in the Boston Globe noted two years ago, Daesh can also be an insult.

Depending on how it is conjugated in Arabic, it can mean anything from to trample down and crush to a bigot who imposes his view on others, author Zeba Khan wrote.

The Associated Press was told in Iraq that ISIS militants had threatened to cut the tongue of anyone who publicly used the acronym Daesh, insisting that the group be called by its full name, saying that doing otherwise would show defiance and disrespect.

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It denies that the group is either Islamic or a state and uses the derogatory Arabic acronym."

Most news outlets havent followed the Stars example. The Associated Press uses the term Islamic State group. The BBC also uses the term Islamic State group and so-called Islamic State. Last year, the British broadcaster rejected calls by some British MPs to use the term Daesh. It said using Daesh would affect the broadcasters position of impartiality as it could give the impression of supporting the groups opponents.

The Huffington Post Canada will continue to use the terms Islamic State, so-called Islamic State, ISIS and ISIL.

Middle East expert Janice Gross Stein called the governments new wording a significant change.

It denies that the group is either Islamic or a state and uses the derogatory Arabic acronym, said Stein, a professor of conflict management at the University of Toronto and the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs.

Also on HuffPost
While the importance of vaccines has long been stressed by the medical community, a new study published on Monday has revealed that an increasing number of parents are refusing the shots.

The study, which was published by American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), surveyed over 600 doctors and found that 87 per cent of pediatricians in 2013 said they had dealt with parents who refused a vaccine. This is a significant jump from 2006, when that number was only 75 per cent.

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AAP reports that many parents are also delaying vaccinations out of fear of causing their child discomfort or bombarding their immune system. In 2013, about 19 per cent of pediatricians reported parents delaying at least one vaccine.

So whats causing the anti-vax movement to rise so quickly? Parents are simply deeming vaccines unnecessary, the study says.

Explaining this phenomenon, study co-author Dr. Kathryn Edwards said: People today may not remember that before vaccines, diseases like whooping cough, measles, polio, meningitis and diphtheria sickened and claimed the lives of thousands of children and adults each year in the United States.

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As a result, doctors are warning parents that the anti-vax movement can lead to future epidemics. Serious disease can occur if your child and family are not vaccinated, Edwards stressed.

Dr. Gerald Evans, a medicine professor at Queens University, agrees. Back in 2014, during the measles outbreak in Canada, Evans explained to Global News: When people say some of this might be related to low vaccine rates among people, thats a huge understatement.

Its all because of vaccination rates falling, he continued. Its 100 per cent blamed on the fact that people arent getting vaccinated.

Evans point is further proved by the fact that another measles outbreak occurred in California Disney parks and in some Canadian cities last year.

Speaking about these outbreaks, lead study author Dr. Geoffrey Simon said: Its clear that states with more lenient exemptions policies have lower immunization rates, and its these states where we have seen disease outbreaks occur as the rates slip below the threshold needed to maintain community immunity.

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"Communities benefit from high immunization rates, and as such, easing vaccine hesitancy is not just the job of a pediatrician, but of the entire community."

But parents arent the only ones to blame for low vaccination rates. According to AAP, it is also a result of doctors dismissing their anti-vax patients. In the survey, 12 per cent of doctors in 2013 admitted to terminating patients who refused to vaccinate their kids. This number is up from just six per cent in 2006.

So what are the next steps? More education.

AAP reported that 32 per cent of patients who originally turned down vaccines changed their minds after increasing their knowledge.

This illustrates the importance of initiating conversations about vaccines with an understanding of the reasons for parents' concerns ... to best devise effective strategies to promote vaccinations in the refusing and delaying patient, the studys authors wrote.

Not only that, but some believe putting the onus on the community to get children vaccinated, rather than just parents and doctors, can also help.

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Director Karen Ernst, of Voices for Vaccines, told Forbes: Communities benefit from high immunization rates, and as such, easing vaccine hesitancy is not just the job of a pediatrician, but of the entire community. School administrators, vaccinating parents, public health agencies, lawmakers and pediatricians need to elevate immunization as an important and shared community value.

Also on HuffPost
Police in northern China have arrested a man allegedly responsible for several "Jack the Ripper"-style killings.

Gao Chengyong, 52, was detained Friday at a grocery store in Baiyin, in Gansu province, the South China Morning Post reported, citing the country's Ministry of Public Security.

He has confessed to killing 11 women and girls between 1988 and 2002, according to the website, in Baiyin and Baotou in nearby Inner Mongolia. The youngest victim was eight years old.

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Police say, according to China Daily, that Gao picked women dressed in red and followed them home, where he would rape and kill them.

China's "Jack the Ripper" has been caught after 28 years on the run https://t.co/EUOUCCzYiOpic.twitter.com/ZbO6KKJZOl  CNN (@CNN) August 30, 2016

They say he often cut their throats and mutilated their bodies, which drew comparisons in Chinese media to Jack The Ripper, the infamous killer in late 19th-century London who was never caught.

Many women in Baiyin were afraid to walk alone in the streets, according to China Daily.

The first murder occurred in May 1988, when a 23-year-old woman was found dead in a Baiyin home with over two dozen stab wounds, according to Beijing News.

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Chengyong's eldest son was born the same year, the outlet reported.

Police offered a reward back in 2004 for information about the murders, Xinhua reported at the time, and said they were looking for a male suspect between 33 and 40 years old.

Unrelated investigation led police to Chengyong

But authorities only recently discovered Chengyong's DNA was a match for the serial killer's when they investigated his uncle for a minor crime, China Daily reported, and found that the uncle's DNA matched that of one of the killer's relatives.

The father of two liked ballroom dancing with his wife, news site thepaper.cn reported, and Baiyin residents said he was quiet.

They were shocked to hear of the arrest. However, his wife may have been the most devastated  she reportedly said she wanted to end her life.

ALSO ON HUFFPOST
Just a few months after a wildfire forced them to flee their homes, 50 Fort McMurray, Alta. kids are about to embark on the trip of a lifetime to Disneyland.

Dreams Take Flight Edmonton, the charity organizing the trip, usually takes 150 disadvantaged kids to the theme park every year.

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'Magical' experience

But this time, thanks to sponsor Air Canada, they were able to make room on the September flight for the Fort Mac kids.

The organization surprised the children with the news at a hotel in Edmonton on Sunday.

One of the kids headed to Disneyland poses with a volunteer. (Photo: Dreams Take Flight)

"Aside from the flight itself, this is an event that our volunteers wait for all year," said the organization's Nadine Bailey in a release.

"Giving children this kind of experience is magical."

Their parents were in on the secret, but the kids had no idea what was about to happen.

Also on HuffPost:
An Academy Award-winner has teamed up with Greenpeace Canada to pressure Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on seismic testing for oil and gas in the Arctic.

British actress Emma Thompson visited Nunavut's Clyde River this month to again advocate against seismic blasting in Baffin Bay and the Davis Strait. The tiny hamlet is set to argue its appeal against the practice before the Supreme Court of Canada in November.

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Thompson appeared in a Facebook post Tuesday alongside former Clyde River mayor Jerry Natanine, reminding Trudeau of the Liberal Party's campaign pledge on environmental assessments for resource projects.

"Governments grant permits. Only communities grant permission. Your words, Trudeau," reads a sign Natanine is shown holding.

Seismic testing is a technique where companies use blasts of high-intensity sound waves to survey for oil and gas reserves under the ocean floor as a precursor for offshore drilling. Environmentalists and activists say the practice poses dangers to marine animals and disrupts migration routes.

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Members of the Clyde River community believe such blasts would scare off the marine life upon which residents rely for food.

Greenpeace is financial supporting the hamlet's Supreme Court fight against the National Energy Board's decision to permit the testing, CBC News reports.

Thompson optimistic about Trudeau

Last week, Thompson was interviewed by Democracy Now! where she conceded the idea of Greenpeace teaming up with Inuit communities in Canada's north may seem strange. Greenpeace long angered indigenous communities with its historical opposition to the seal hunt.

Thompson blasted a "cataclysmic carousel of greed" that she says motivates oil and gas companies to keep "prospecting for more of the stuff that melted (the Arctic) in the first place."

When asked if the new Canadian government may be more receptive to the group's message than the last, Thompson noted Liberal support for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and climate change commitments made in the Paris agreement.

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She also referenced a statement Trudeau released with U.S. President Barack Obama in March promising to better address risks posed by "heavy fuel oil use and black carbon emissions from Arctic shipping." Experts have suggested, however, that the statement lacks teeth.

"Trudeau now has a fantastic opportunity to put his words into action," Thompson said.

With files from The Canadian Press

ALSO ON HUFFPOST:
OTTAWA  China's best-known Canadian says he's optimistic Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will succeed in warming relations with the People's Republic.

Canadian-born Mark Henry Rowswell is an immensely popular performer known to Chinese audiences as Dashan. He's now doing stand-up comedy, but for years he appeared frequently on television and is often described as the most famous foreigner living in China.

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On Chinese social media site Weibo, his 3.8 million followers turn to him to explain all things Canadians. And this prime ministerial state visit has been no exception.

"Dashan" is seen in a performance of 'Red Star Over China' in Shanghai in June 22, 2016. (Photo: Hou Xiao/VCG via Getty Images)

"I do tend to get sucked into these things because I am Mr. Canada, I guess," he told The Huffington Post Canada on Monday via Skype.

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Six years ago, during former prime minister Stephen Harper's visit to China, the Conservative government named Rowswell Canada's goodwill ambassador to China.

"As far, as I know there is no expiry date," he said, laughing.

While the title is honorary, Rowswell considers it a recognition of what has been doing in the Chinese media for the past 28 years.

He has participated in every Canadian prime ministerial visit since 1994, he said.

Mark Henry Rowswell and former Tory cabinet minister Stockwell Day walk into the Canada Pavilion at World Expo site on May 16, 2010 in Shanghai, China. (Photo: Eugene Hoshiko/AP via CP)

"That was the very first big team Canada event," he said, describing former Liberal prime minister Jean Chretien's first visit to the People's Republic of China. Chretien brought with him nine provincial premiers and close to 300 Canadian business representatives.

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"That was huge, because it was only five years after [the government's massacre of protesters at] Tiananmen Square, so it was another restarting of the relationship," Rowswell noted.

Rowswell was involved in former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin's visit in 2005 and in Harper's visits in 2009, 2012 and 2014.

The relationship with the Conservative government in 2009, he said, was much more difficult to build. "We were trying to dig out of a hole."

While in opposition, Harper had been critical of the Liberals' Chinese trade missions suggesting they favoured business interests over human rights.

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A panda reaches for Prime Minister Stephen Harper during a photo at the Chongqing Zoo in Chongqing, China on Feb. 11, 2012. (Photo: Adrian Wyld/CP)

As prime minister, Harper appointed as his parliamentary secretary, Jason Kenney, someone who had gone to China in 2005, met the family of a well-known deceased dissident, and, as National Post columnist John Ivison recalled, stood in Beijing and called the country "a totalitarian one-party state" while raising concerns about its forced labour camps and continued lack of respect for freedom of religion and of expression.

A few months into Harper's first term, the prime minister also bestowed honorary Canadian citizenship to the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan leader.

It was perhaps not a surprise then that the Chinese president, Hu Jintao, snubbed a request for a meeting with Harper during an Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit later that year. Harper explained the embarrassment away by suggesting he was standing up to China on principle over human rights.

Trudeau aims to 'reset' relationship

Last week, Trudeau told reporters his trip to China offered a chance to "reset the relationship a little bit."

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While the prime minister pledged to stand up clearly for human rights, he also suggested the new Sino-Canadian relationship would be marked by more robust and stable engagement.

Rowswell is a bit cynical about all this talk of "fresh starts"  something "we've done before and we'll probably do again in the future, in another 10 years from now"  but he does believe Trudeau's trip will prove to be much smoother.

The primary reason is Trudeau's father.

"There aren't many Canadian prime ministers that are household names in China apart from Pierre Trudeau," he said. "So even though Chretien had a more positive relationship with China and Harper was in the news, I don't think the man on the street remembers those names, but they remember Pierre Trudeau 'cause that is the era of Chairman Mao and establishing relations and in the 1970s, that was a real big deal."

Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai toasts Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau during a banquet held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 11, 1973. (Photo: Peter Bregg/CP)

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In 1973, Trudeau senior visited Beijing to renew diplomatic relations between the two countries. He flattered his hosts and was later credited with helping China open up to the West.

"On a sentimental level, that has a big impact," Rowswell said.

Trudeau junior is also generating some buzz.

While it's "superficial"  "it's that he's young, and attractive, and active and that he takes his shirt off"  Rowswell said it's having an impact with the younger generation.

"The whole Pierre Trudeau thing has an impact on the older generation, and the Internet celebrity thing has an impact on younger people, so his public profile in China is probably already as high as any prime minister since his father," Rowswell said of Trudeau's cross-generational appeal.

China also wants visit to be seen as 'warm'

Rowswell, who will be involved in two events this visit  a Canada China Business Council meeting in Shanghai on Sept. 1 and a river cruise to promote Canadian tourism on Sept. 2  said it's not just Canada but also China that wants to present this visit as "much more positive and warm."

"Both sides are trying to put things on a more friendly ground," he said.

"The Chinese will put a lot of emphasis on trying to, themselves, position this as a new start and that sort of historical connection to Pierre Elliott Trudeau, and the fact that Justin came here with his father," he said.

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Trudeau has visited China three times, twice accompanying his father on prime ministerial visits.

'Soft side of the relationship'

And while Rowswell, whose brother, Ben, is Canada's ambassador to Venezuela, cautioned that warmer relations will not necessarily mean a deal on trade irritants, such as canola, or a big breakthrough on free trade  "those discussions with continue to be very hard nosed and self-interest based"  he said the soft side of the relationship will benefit.

A good personal relationship between leaders sets the tone and has a trickle-down effect, he said.

"I feel pretty good about it in general. I think the soft side of the relationship is looking pretty positive."

Trudeau arrived in the People's Republic of China on Tuesday for a eight-day official visit that will take him to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Hangzhou, where he will also participate in the G20 Leaders' Summit.

Also on HuffPost
Calgarys current economy is particularly unforgiving for Syrian refugees looking for work, according to an employment counsellor.

Its horrible. Its affecting us really badly in our settlement jobs, said Carmen Goussous in an interview. I chase behind employers to return my calls and emails. Sometimes I book appointments [to] go visit them, try to talk to them, convince them to take clients.

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Goussous works with Calgary Catholic Immigration Society, a non-profit that provides settlement and integration services for newcomers. Her focus is finding jobs for Syrian refugees.

She said since she started her job last April, her client list of both government and privately sponsored refugees has grown more and more.

Companies who used to send her postings don't anymore. And it's not because of anti-refugee sentiment  places are simply not hiring.

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Goussous said her strategy now is to going to small businesses directly, such as downtown restaurants and motels in Canmore, in an effort to convince employers to take refugees for simple positions such as janitorial work and dishwashing.

But even that has been tough. Im having a hard time, she told The Huffington Post Canada.

Competition high for survival jobs

Goussous said Albertas economic downturn is exacerbating challenges in finding work for Syrian refugees. The plunge in the price of oil has spurred a ripple effect in Calgary. Mass layoffs have left thousands out of work. Downtown retail and office have also been forced to close.

Last month, the provinces unemployment rate hit 8.6 per cent  the highest level in nearly 22 years.

I chase behind employers to return my calls and emails.

The competition is really high, Goussous said, adding that its not just refugees or other newly arrived immigrants looking for survival jobs; its everyone.

The biggest challenge that shes found is that a majority of refugees who come to her for help have inadequate language skills. An employer who does have work to offer is often more inclined to select the candidate who is a native English speaker, she said.

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Basically I cant refer them to any employer because they dont have basic communication skills.

Those without basic English skills are referred to language classes.

Syrians who have intermediate grasp of English end up in survival jobs, Goussous said. Theyre almost always in retail, services, and food processing through small businesses, and not big employers or professional jobs, she added.

Approximately 1,500 Syrian refugees resettled in Calgary, according to government data.

Canada on track to year-end refugee resettlement target

Since Canada welcomed 25,000 Syrian refugees in between November and February, the pace of government resettlement efforts has scaled down significantly over the spring and summer.

In the six months between March and August, just under 5,000 Syrian refugees have been resettled.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada did not provide an answer to HuffPost Canada as to the reasons behind the slowdown. Department spokeswoman Nancy Chan reiterated the governments exceptional and time-limited situation response from earlier this year.

To stem complaints about delays in private sponsorship application processing, Immigration Minister John McCallum announced a staffing boost in Canadian visa offices in the Middle East in May. The department confirmed to HuffPost that those temporary efforts ended in June.

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We are currently finalizing details on the flow for the remainder of the year, Chan said.

The federal government previously pledged all private sponsorship applications of Syrian refugees received before March 31, 2016 would be processed before early 2017.

As of mid-August, 9,630 of the nearly 18,000 resettlement applications still in progress are for private sponsorship.

The Liberal governments initiative earned international praise and comparison  the Obama administration just this week hit its goal of welcoming 10,000 Syrian refugee by the end of the fiscal year.

Also on HuffPost
As the debate over which is safer: e-cigarettes or traditional cigarettes, wages on, scientists say they pose the same, harmful risks when it comes to your heart's health.

During the European Society for Cardiology conference in Rome, Professor Charalambos Vlachopoulos of the University of Athens Medical School told fellow researchers vaping had the same damaging effects to the aorta as smoking, The Telegraph reports.

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"We measured aortic stiffness. If the aorta is stiff you multiply your risk of dying, either from heart diseases or from other causes," Vlachopoulos said at the time.

It should be noted, however, that while the results were the same, the time required to get the results were vastly different. According to the study, a 30-minute vaping session yields the same results as a five minute smoking session.

But that doesn't mean it's a safer option. There could be long term heart dangers. They are far more dangerous than people realize, says Vlachopoulos. "I wouldn't recommend them now as a method to give up smoking. I think the U.K. has rushed into adopting this method.

In 2015, Public Health England endorsed vaping as a safer alternative to smoking. The claim is considered controversial since e-cigarettes are a fairly new invention that has yet to undergo long-term testing.

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Who's having a worse summer than you? Zara.

Smfh this why I hate fashion now RT @StreetwearDaiIy: Zara looking like Yeezy season pic.twitter.com/fKs2qQLW9r  THEO (@SincerelyTheo) August 19, 2016

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Not good, Zara.

And here we are again, with Zara attempting to knockoff another runway hit.

Aurora James, the designer behind the 2015 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winning brand Brother Vellies, took to Instagram on Monday to reveal that Zara has obviously copied her designs, ripping off the Black Magic Tufted Dhara Sandal.

Stolen from Africa @zara  #DharaSandals A photo posted by Aurora James (@aurorajames) on Aug 29, 2016 at 6:50am PDT

"Stolen from Africa @zara  #DharaSandals," James wrote.

Brother Vellies' heeled sandals, which retails at $715, is designed with nubuck and fox vamp and handcrafted in Ethiopia. Zara's version? Made with polyester and synthetic fur, retailing at $59.90.

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As Fashionista points out, "Zara's copycat sandal surely doesn't include any of the ethically produced components of the original," especially since Brother Vellies is committed to responsible sourcing, using sustainable materials crafted by artisans in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa and Morocco for its footwear.

"I honestly dont go into Zara, because its not my thing and I know they knock people off a lot," James told Refinery29 in an interview. "But to see [the shoe] actually on the shelf was very disheartening. I actually felt very sick."

Sure, Zara is making the best fall trends accessible to the public, but there is a reason behind the high price points of designs like the Brother Vellies' sandal.

Saturday brunch wins with @harpersbazaarus @aurorajames & @kerrybazaar #chickenandwaffles  A photo posted by Brother Vellies (@brothervellies) on Jun 11, 2016 at 6:29am PDT

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"Our price point is based on the way that we do things," she explained to Refinery29. "I understand the people that want to buy into trends  and Zara knocks trends off for that reason  but as consumers, we have to understand that there are some things we just cant have."

We guess we're just left with the question: who will Zara rip off next?

Follow Huffington Post Canada Style on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter!

Also on HuffPost
bakerjarvis via Getty Images Capital building in Ottawa (Canada)

In my final blog on electoral reform I will share my most serious concern with a move away from our long standing electoral system. In previous blogs I highlighted that this electoral reform exercise was a solution in search of a problem and how the limited debate and lack of a referendum undermined the legitimacy of the exercise.

My greatest concern stems from the fact that a move to Proportional Representation (PR) could actually undermine national unity.

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Canada is one of the world's leading democracies and our stable and effective Confederation is even more impressive when you consider our expansive geography, relatively small population and our diverse cultural and linguistic heritage. National unity must be a core consideration for our Prime Minister and a look at our history shows that unity is not always a simple task.

From the conscription crisis to two Quebec Referenda to the divisive National Energy Program that alienated the West, the actions of government can often tangle Canadians in our differences rather than bind us together in common purpose.

Tory Leader Robert Stanfield described the need for Canadian political parties to appeal to all Canadians when he reminded us that "national unity does not mean uniting most of Canada against part of it".

Our Plurality or First Past the Post (FPTP) electoral system has helped unite Canadians due to the consensus nature of the system that rewards parties that unite Canadians rather than those that divide. Since 1935, the House of Commons has always had at least four or five political parties represented by Members of Parliament, but only the Liberal and Conservative parties have formed the government.

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This is due to the fact that these two national parties had broad enough appeal to win a plurality of votes in a large number of ridings across Canada. They achieved this appeal by bringing Canadians together on a range of issues and not by advancing only narrow or regional interests.

Canadian history is dotted with dozens of regional or single-issue parties at both the federal and provincial levels. The United Farmers and Progressive parties grew out of agrarian movements in the early 1900s and they ran on agricultural and rural issues. They formed governments in Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba and elected MPs to the House of Commons by effectively speaking only to a portion of the electorate.

In Quebec, the Bloc Populaire was formed to fight against conscription in the Second World War and had several MPs in the Commons. The Bloc Quebecois became a party premised on the single issue of Quebec sovereignty. In the 1993 election the Bloc became the official opposition in the House of Commons and has elected MPs in every election since that time.

In New Brunswick, the Confederation of Regions (COR) Party ran almost singularly on the issue of opposing official bilingualism. The COR Party took 21% of the vote and 8 seats in the 1991 New Brunswick election becoming the official opposition.

This brief history demonstrates that regional or single-issue parties can secure seats under our FPTP system, but it also shows that without a willingness to grow beyond their narrow appeal they generally fade away. A move to Proportional Representation would actually discourage the consensus building that has been the hallmark of our parliamentary democracy and lead to a narrowing of interests that we see causing disruption in other parts of the world.

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A PR system would set a threshold (of seats or popular vote) that once passed would allow regional or single-issue parties to join the House of Commons even when they fail to elect an MP in a riding. Once these parties gain the legitimacy provided in the House of Commons and the financial resources that come with it, their motivation will be to perpetuate their narrow views and horse trade with other parties in shifting coalitions.

This has certainly been the experience in New Zealand, which has lived through the rise of splinter parties, strange coalitions and the general uncertainty caused by their move away from FPTP.

Will Canada's Parliament see more regional or secessionist parties under PR? Will we see more single-issue parties based on social or cultural issues? Will a move to PR virtually guarantee that the Bloc Quebecois never fades away like single-issue parties of the past? Under a PR electoral system the answer is "likely yes" to all of these questions.

If PR discourages consensus building within political parties and produces a more balkanized House of Commons, how does this improve our democracy? The Prime Minister is quietly trying to move Canada towards a system that breeds division rather than working within our system that fosters unity. The fact that he believes he can do this without a real debate and without a referendum shows a reckless disregard for national unity. It also confirms that "sunny ways" was nothing more than an election slogan.
Wavebreakmedia via Getty Images Hand about to bang gavel on sounding block in the court room

Wages and benefits for unionized government employees make up more than half of every dollar spent by provincial and local governments in Canada.

This is why the current legal battle between the B.C. teachers' union and the B.C. government is so important. Their decade-long fight is expected to be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada this November, and if the union wins, it will mean no duly-elected government in Canada could legislate policy contrary to anything negotiated with a union.

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Government union bosses across the country know that the result is vitally important in keeping their gravy train running. Eighteen unions applied to the Supreme Court for intervenor status - 12 were accepted. Only one citizens' group on the other side of the argument applied - the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) - and it was rejected.

In the battle between big government and big unions over big tax dollars, the country's highest court has decided there's just no need for the little people -- the taxpayers -- to be heard.

This might have made sense if the Court limited its judgments to protecting truly fundamental freedoms. However, its recent judgments expanding freedom of association to protect the economic and contractual rights of unions can have serious impacts on government's budgetary spending priorities.

The B.C. teachers' union is effectively trying to constitutionalize collective agreements, so that nothing granted by a government to a union could ever be altered without the union's permission. In practice, it means that union-friendly politicians, on their political deathbed, could sign long-term contracts with their favourite government employees' union, promising massive wage increases, job protection, or gold-plated pension payments - you name it - and no future government could do anything about it.

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Sound crazy? Manitoba's NDP signed a five-year deal with their union in January, promising that nobody could get fired in those five years. At the time the NDP were only months away from an election and in third place in the polls - 20 points behind the now-governing PC Party. And if the B.C. teachers' union wins at the Supreme Court, the new Manitoba government won't be able to fire anyone unless the union agrees to it.

The CTF wanted to argue in the B.C. teachers' case that making policy and prioritizing how tax dollars are spent is the job of the people we elect: politicians who we can vote out - not union bosses beyond voters' reach. The freedom of association must be understood in a way that preserves the ability of governments to remain responsive to democratic influences and changing socio-economic circumstances in the course of public policy making.

The Court wasn't interested in hearing from the people paying the bills. Yet they'll hear from a dozen different unions, all of whom will simply parrot the B.C. teachers' union lines in an effort to claw more money and more decision-making authority from taxpaying citizens. In effect, many government employee unions believe taxpayers work for them, not the other way around.

It will be up to the governments lining up with B.C. -- including Canada, Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec and Saskatchewan -- to try and stop the unions from winning an expensive victory over taxpayers.

You'll forgive us for being a bit nervous at the thought of governments led by Rachel Notley and Kathleen Wynne siding with taxpayers over the unions. They haven't exactly fostered much confidence in that regard.

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The Supreme Court had already fallen into the trap of thinking that "government" pays for education, health care and all the employees that provide the same. They don't. Government has no money apart from what it collects in taxes. The CTF wanted to emphasize not only importance of controlling costs, but also the constitutional authority of elected governments to manage services and maintain control over public policy decisions. It's a shame the Supreme Court isn't interested in hearing this broader perspective.
Dr. Mohammad Fadel, a Professor at the University of Toronto, offered a reflection on the possible theological inclusion of gay Muslims in Islam. His main argument is that while the Qur'an does not countenance the possibility of same-sex relationships, gay Muslims may be accommodated based on necessity.

Specifically, Fadel states that the Qur'an contrasts illicit and licit heterosexual relationships but it does not contemplate "any form of same-sex intimacy." He asserts that verses 23:5-7 view any "form of sexual gratification" beyond a spouse or concubine as transgressive.

He opines that regulations on dower, maintenance, divorce and prohibited marriage partners are heteronormative enough to preclude same-sex marriages. However, he claims that a potential concession could emerge through necessity to reduce harm. These arguments are addressed below.

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The Qur'an cannot be reasonably expected to delve into the marriage relationships of sexual minorities. It merely delineates broad ethical guidelines and leaves details to Muslims of their times. In the context of verses 4:15-16, Maududi had written that, "the Qur'an seeks merely to chart a broad code of law and morality and hence deals only with fundamental questions."

Past jurists were able to go against the grain of their societies based on the principle of adl (justice) as opposed to explicit Qur'anic backing and jurists like Tufi, Abduh and Rida advocated deriving rules even if they were not directly confirmed by the texts.

In a similar vein, Dr. Hashim Kamali asserts that the mujtahid (independent thinker) must exert himself for the benefit of people, as efforts for justice, even in the absence of rulings in the Sharia, will always be in harmony with the Sharia.

Verses 23:5-7 have been traditionally used to prohibit masturbation as a sexual expression outside marriage and concubinage. However, contemporary scholar Ghamidi claims that these verses are referring only to the prohibition of sexual activity with other individuals. Therefore, he contests the prohibition of masturbation upheld by the jurists Malik and Shafi.

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Other scholars have also alleviated this textual prohibition of masturbation through different arguments. Some use extra-textual reasoning of comparing masturbation with bloodletting, others use the argument of necessity and alleviating hardship, some assert that non-penetrative acts can be expiated by supererogatory works and still others argue that fasting cannot be a pragmatic approach in contemporary times.

Collectively all of these positions suggest that a juristic opinion can be formulated, which can go against the classical grain. Certainly, these verses have not pre-empted the marriage of the khuntha mushkil (ambiguous sex) and transgender Muslims. The counter argument would be that both cases have been subsumed into a heteronormative context.

However, this criticism can be addressed by noting that marriage can be based on verses that are not necessarily fettered by heteronormativity. Specifically, a legal contract in contemporary times can be based on verse 9:71 that depicts mutual protectorship, verse 2:187 that depicts cooperation and harmony between spouses and verse 30:21 that upholds mawadda (affection), rahma (compassion) and tranquility between them.

Likewise, issues of dower, maintenance, divorce and prohibited marriage partners can all be addressed outside a heteronormative context. Indeed, specific rules can be easily derived from the higher principles that pervade Sharia and Islam.

Marriage falls under the rubric of muamalaat (social transactions) not ibada (worship). As such, all these regulations are subject to change based on time, location and circumstances. Given that marriage is no longer viewed as an ownership based contract, the understanding of mahr (dower) can be recast through its symbolic value and in cases of economic inequality between the spouses, the one who is better off socially and economically can offer it to other spouse.

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As has been observed in the Tunisian family law reforms, stipulations can be placed in marriage against polygamy, for the right to divorce for both partners, the optionality of a wali (custodian), and for the economically better off spouse to uphold family responsibility. Likewise, the purpose behind idda (waiting period) is to reveal any hidden pregnancy; a rule that may be recast in the case of elderly women and sterile couples irrespective of their sexual orientation.

Just as prohibition of marriage to paternal and maternal aunts of one's wife was extended from the prohibition of marrying to two sisters at the same time, the prohibition of same-sex incest can be deduced from the prohibition to one's mother and sister in verse 4:23. Moreover, according to the body fluids theory of incest, ties between people established due to blood, milk and semen prohibit sexual relationship between them.

Fadel's point on the darura (necessity) framework may be problematic as it is usually applicable in life and death situations. For instance, the act of pork consumption is still deemed prohibited but it is tolerated under the extreme need to preserve life.

Given that man can live without sexual expression, the darura framework may not be applied for sexual expression unless there was an extenuating situation involving the choice between sexual expression and death. For instance, jurists like al-Ramli and Ibn Qayyim tolerated glances and kisses out of fear of the lover's death.

To the extent the darura framework has been applied in the cases of interest based mortgages, interest based pensions and masturbation, perhaps it can be applied in the case of Muslim same-sex unions as well. But as Fadel mentions that would not be a "fulfillment of an Islamic aspiration."

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However, to the extent the Tunisian family reforms have unfettered marriage from its heteronormative context and given the fact of rising stay at home Muslim Dads, affirming same-sex Muslim marriage seems reasonable and plausible.
ASSOCIATED PRESS This undated photo made available by Amanda Ghahremani, shows retired Iranian-Canadian professor Homa Hoodfar. A Tehran prosecutor said Monday, July 11, 2016, that Hoodfar, who is a retired professor at Montreal's Concordia University, is among four people with foreign ties indicted on unknown charges in the Islamic Republic. Iran does not recognize dual nationalities. (Courtesy of Amanda Ghahremani via AP)

It seems that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau likes to describe himself as a feminist. He might be right but he might also fail to be what he really wants to be known for. One thing we can say for sure is that so far he was not able to "save" Professor Homa Hoodfar from Iran and bring her back to Canada.

Professor Homa Hoodfar is one of the most renowned academics who wrote extensively and ardently defended women's choices. She lived and taught for over 30 years in Canada. Now, her life and fate are in danger.

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Today, it was reported in the media that Professor Homa Hoodfar has been hospitalized. This is a shock but it wasn't unexpected. We knew when she was arrested last June in Tehran's Evin prison that she was already frail and suffered from several health issues. We also knew what happened years ago to Zahra Kazemi, the Canadian-Iranian photographer, when she was arrested, beaten and later declared dead in that same prison.

In general, Canada has tremendous issues with its Canadians who have been detained abroad for political reasons. So far, only one description can fit the official Canadian position: "put our head in the sand until a big thing happens."

Trade deals and economic negotiations shouldn't be the only criteria guiding our foreign policy.

This big thing can be news of the detained individual being tortured, or news of his or her imminent conviction or news that her health is deteriorating. Unfortunately, as long as there is nothing happening publicly, there is almost nothing happening behind the scenes or very little.

In the last few years, Canada hasn't developed a clear policy when it comes to dealing with Iran. The relationship wasn't going well after the death of Zahra Kazemi but the Conservative government of Stephen Harper, for ideological reasons, brought a "coup de grace" to the shaky relationship. They closed the Iranian Embassy; they did nothing when some Canadian banks closed bank accounts of their Iranian-Canadians clients. Today, Canadians detained in Iran are hostages of these broken and sour relationships.

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Of course, Iran should not be cleared of the blame. They are to be held responsible for arresting these Canadians and not giving them the right to free, transparent trials. At the same time, as a "soft power" member of the G8, Canada needs to solve its issues with Iran, so Prof. Homa Hoodfar won't be used as a bargaining chip by the Islamic Republic to gain more power in shaping any new relationships.

Trade deals and economic negotiations shouldn't be the only criteria guiding our foreign policy.

It is a bit ironic and contradictory to see Prime Minister Trudeau and his foreign affairs minister jumping from their seats defending the "undefendable" by arguing that selling Light Armoured Vehicles to Saudi Arabia would keep a needed back door open for advancing human rights and calling for women rights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; but on the opposite side of the geopolitical spectrum, with Iran, it seems that Prime Minister Trudeau is in no rush to deal with the Iranian file and save the life of many dual citizens held in there, including Professor Homa Hoodfar.

Last fall, Foreign affairs Minister Stephane Dion coined a new concept named "responsible conviction." Honestly, I am still puzzled by this concept but I will dare to ask the following question: "aren't we morally responsible for saving the life of a Canadian who spent her life speaking from Canada, representing a Canadian institution and pushing for better understanding of other cultures and other societies?

What do we need to be better convinced that Canada has a moral duty to speak on behalf of its Canadian detained abroad, especially when they are at risk of brutality and death.

So if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau still wants to be considered as a feminist, he should immediately call his Iranian counterpart and tell him that Canada values the academic work of Professor Homa Hoodfar; that she is respected and liked in Canada and that Canada wants her back. There must be a way to do it and he should do it. Professor Homa Hoodfar needs this "feminist" action more than ever.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS In this April 9, 2012 photo, the back of a violin showing a Star of David is shown on display at the Violins of Hope exhibit at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, N.C. Eighteen violins recovered from the Holocaust and restored by Israeli violin maker Amnon Weinsten make their U.S. debut on Sunday, April 15. Some were played by Jewish prisoners in Nazi concentration camps, while others belonged to the Jewish Klezmer musical culture. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

"This violin saw all the atrocities," says Amnon Weinstein, pointing to a fiddle in his Tel Aviv workshop. The Star of David is imprinted on its wooden back.

The story of that violin includes time in a Nazi death camp -- one that allowed some Jews to hold onto their musical instruments. The Nazis forced these prisoners to play marches while slave laborers left for each day's work, and then again when they returned. The musicians also gave concerts to entertain individual SS staff who wanted to hear a bit of music after sending thousands of people to their deaths. These prisoners survived because they could perform music. Many of the musicians perished, but not all of them.A short and moving documentary, Violins of Hope by filmmaker Katrin Sandmann, tells the story of their instruments' journey.

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Filmed in Berlin, Tel Aviv and London, it opens with Guy Braunstein, the youthful former concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic, paying a visit to the Tel Aviv instrument shop of Weinstein, who had been collecting and restoring violins that belonged to Holocaust victims who made their way to Palestine (later Israel.) Weinstein, like his violin-maker father, Moshe, from Vilnius, himself emigrated to what was then Palestine. All his relatives who had remained in eastern Europe perished during the Nazi onslaught.

One of the musicians who survived the camps was cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who settled in London in 1946. In the film (much of which is in German) she relates her experiences in Auschwitz, where she played death camp marches under the musical direction of fellow-prisoner Alma Rose -- a niece of Gustav Mahler. Later the cellist was transferred to Bergen-Belsen, which was eventually liberated by British troops.

For survivors of those camps who played music, their German-made violins were fraught with horrible associations. Example: in the 1980s, a man with a violin entered Weinstein's workshop and told him about playing his violin in Auschwitz. He hadn't touched the instrument since then, but wanted to bequeath it to his grandson in good condition, so he gave it to Weinstein to restore.

Decades later, Guy Braunstein heard about Weinstein's care for those violins and paid a visit to him in Tel Aviv. The story riveted him, and he conceived the idea of gathering the restored instruments together for a concert in Berlin. He chose for himself a violin whose previous owner had been interned in Auschwitz.

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Last January, Braunstein returned to the Berlin Philharmonic. His fellow string players selected instruments from Weinstein's collection, and together with conductor Simon Rattle gave a special concert in Berlin's Philharmonie. Excerpts of the concert, which marked the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, are included in the film.

The musical program included the haunting Adagietto from the Fifth Symphony by Mahler -- a composer banned from performance by the Nazis because of his Jewish background. The music melds the inexpressible grief of loss with the aspiration to transcend.

Having lost so many family members in the Holocaust, it wasn't easy for Weinstein to return to Berlin as guest of honour for the concert. After all, this is the city where the extermination of the Jewish people was decided and planned. But the memorial concert, performed on instruments he had restored, obviously gave him a sense of a mission fulfilled as the "violins of hope" came back to Germany after a long absence.

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The film -- not all of it in English -- can be viewed on the Berlin Philharmonic's website, www.digitalconcerthall.com

It is available through various subscription packages, from seven days (9.90 Euros) to 12 months (149 Euros). A subscription includes access to both live-streamed and archived Berlin Philharmonic concerts, and an array of other documentary films.

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Marcus Oleniuk via Getty Images TORONTO, ON - AUG. 10: Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip performing at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto as part of the band's Man Machine Poem tour. (Marcus Oleniuk/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Dr. James Perry and Sunnybrook staff sing "Courage" in tribute to Gord Downie.

Written by Dr. James Perry, Head of Neurology at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. He is also a Neuro-oncologist at Sunnybrook's Odette Cancer Centre and Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program.

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Dear Canadians,

Thank you so much to The Tragically Hip and all their fans who have generously donated to the Gord Downie Fund for Brain Cancer Research.

I've had the honour and privilege of treating Mr. Downie over the past few months, and working with his health-care team during this summer's tour.

When the band stepped on stage in Victoria, B.C. for the tour's first stop, like many others in the audience, I cried. It is always inspiring to see one of my patients return to something they love, and in this case, I saw someone sharing his passion with thousands of others who were able to share this moment with him.

Over the next few weeks, millions of Canadians would watch this incredible band, celebrating their success and paying tribute to what has become part of our nation's identity. Stories of people hosting backyard barbecues, drive-ins (and boat-ins!), and many other fundraisers to help battle brain cancer have been a turning point in the level of awareness for this disease.

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"Thank you again for all of your support, for sharing the stories of how cancer has touched your lives, for raising a glass for Gord, and for donating money to the research fund."

I have been truly inspired by the outpouring of support from across Canada and beyond our borders.

On a hot Saturday night in August, 11.7 million people tuned into the CBC's broadcast of The Tragically Hip show in Kingston, Ont.

Sadly, in the next year, nearly 400 of those viewers will develop a glioblastoma. And 400 more the year after that. And the year after that too...

But there is hope.

At Sunnybrook and at cancer centres around the world, we are making progress in treatment advancements, and support like yours helps us continue our work. We want to find tumours earlier and see them better. We want to see tumours so clearly that we can find their weak spots, send medication into the right areas, and kill the cancer cells without harming other healthy tissue. We want to do this to give our patients more time -- time to sing, time to fly, and time to do whatever it is that makes them and those around them happy.

Our Brain Tumour Clinic Team at Sunnybrook is made of a wonderful group of people who want the best for our patients. Funding will help us expand our team and bring in more of the best and brightest minds to lead the way in research. We also work with other brain specialists so that breakthroughs in imaging help not only those with brain tumours, but offer hope for patients with Alzheimer's, ALS and other diseases of the brain.

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I've been asked a lot this summer if I'm a Hip fan, and I am. I treat 250 new patients year, and I'm a fan of all of them -- for the strength they show and for the determination they have to make the cancer journey better for those who face it after them.

Thank you again for all of your support, for sharing the stories of how cancer has touched your lives, for raising a glass for Gord, and for donating money to the research fund. On behalf of my team, my patients and their families: Thank you.
It has been two months since the Battle of brexit was decided, and finally there is enough distance from its hysteria for fresh reflection. The question as to why the British public leant toward the Leave campaign, and didn't wish to Remain, requires evaluating which strategies worked - and which failed. This war of words formed key campaigning battlefields, in all of which Leave won.

'Project fear' was a fashionable title, often launched from either camp. Both campaigns claimed the other was seeking to scare citizens into submission, whilst themselves upping the hyperbolic language right up until D-Day. It appeared the UK was hovering in between potential invasion and destruction for much of the final weeks.

The reason that the leave campaign's flavour of fear worked was because it was written in the language of ordinary people, tapping into their personal assumptions and observations. Remain's claims were too remote - too far from the everyday trials people face. Ipsos Mori found that it was immigration, and not the economy which forced the public's hand. The steady rise in anti-immigration sentiment had not gone unnoticed, and yet it was not fundamentally challenged. Instead, the media coverage that Remain revelled at wrote all the wrong talking points.

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For Leave, the campaign leaders spoke and they were heard. The sight of David Cameron campaigning beside Jeremy Corbyn hardly constituted coherent leadership . Although factually inaccurate, more people though that Turkey were waiting for the trumpet sound of Remain to join the EU than those aware of the legal absurdity of the claim. The grander '350m a week cost to the EU' claim struck louder chords than the Treasury's tame '4,300 a year worse off' attempt. This was first blood for Leave; irrespective of Remain's long-term warnings, Gideon Skinner was right in saying that people cared more about sovereignty than the economy.

The public trusted people they knew more than the instructions of faceless institutions, with 46% seeing the threat of Brexit as having no personal impact on their standard of living, leaving Remain paralysed to instil their long-term projections. This would have been forgivable, if there was a reliable leader upon whose back future prosperity could rest upon.

Crucially, the public did not find that leader in David Cameron. Not in his second-hand EU stance, not in his hollow renegotiation skills, and certainly not in his feeble attempt at convincing aged or opinionated people. His resignation was inescapable.

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Their regret immediately after the result was matched only by others' uncertainty immediately before it. Those who claimed 'buyer's remorse' chose to cure their indecision with retail therapy at the Leave shop, and overwhelmingly. Leave did not anticipate this late surge, and didn't mistrusted polling right until the last moment, when Farage was perceived as conceding a defeat his campaign never believed in. Leighton Vaughan Williams, the director of the political forecasting unit at Nottingham Business School cited the media's 11th-hour 'emotive appeals to patriotism' as essential, with the prospect of an 'independence day' appealing stronger than 'the day we remained in the EU'.

Leave's PR campaign had a tangible theme and time-sensitive strategy, using language correlating directly with escalating public concern. Remain's campaign escalation depended largely on which party was gaining internal traction over the others

The use of experts is telling example of this incompetence, the majority of whom backed Remain. Michael Gove had to appreciate industry experts' overwhelming advice to remain in order to belittle it. For Boris Johnson to racially smear President Obama, he had to contrive the President's contribution as sufficiently authoritative. But the remain campaign didn't use experts to convince their colleagues, they were intended to provide credibility to an expecting public.

But this British public lost faith in political and economic experts at the time of the most important political and economic event of the generation. Instead, perhaps for self-reassurance, there is already an attempt to prematurely negate expert forecasting post-sterling drop. This is part of the general wistful longing found today in metropolitan-based pub corners and prospective labour party leaders' speeches.

It may have been reliance on such expertise that instilled Remain with such strong self-belief, in disregarding academic objections to people's propensity to desire change in a referendum, or pollsters' already poor reputation in getting it right when it matters. Even Jo Cox's tragic death was seen as fair game - which is almost as disappointing as the fact that it nearly worked.

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The phrase "we've got an app for that" is a bit of a joke these days, but genuinely it seems that almost all everyday and some not-so-everyday functions have some sort of mobile app designed to make our lives easier.

Whether it be a dating app. an app to control your heating, or an app to manage your bank account, mobile phone apps are taking over as we demand more and more of our smart devices.

Last week I read an interesting article about the growth of political apps, which is especially relevant as the United States prepares to go to the polls in what looks to be one of the most divisive and acrimonious presidential elections ever.

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Political parties around the world are constantly looking for new ways to engage with their constituents and possible voters and appealing to the millennials, as they become the voting power in most developed nations, can be the difference between success and failure. Young people between the ages of 18 and 35 make up about 31 percent of the eligible voting population in the U.S., and they will soon be the largest group in the electorate.

But while apps certainly make our lives easier in many ways, do we ever stop to think about the security implications of them?

For example, do you ever check what permissions the apps you download from the iTunes or Google store requires you to give? Just why does your torch app need access to your contact lists or location? Or why does your heating app need access to your phone records?

Never thought about it?

Well, you are definitely not alone as most people simply click "OK" without reading the terms and conditions or what they are giving permission for.

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Of course, just because an app asks for these sorts of permissions does not mean there is necessarily anything underhand going on, but it seems the more convenience driven we become with our technology, the more casual we become with our digital profiles.

Mobile apps are an important consideration in the broader digital shadow we share with the world; they are yet another vector through which data can escape an organization. This consists of exposed personal, technical or organisational information that is often highly confidential, sensitive or proprietary.

The trouble is cyber criminals and hostile groups can exploit information found in a digital shadow to find your organization's weak points and launch targeted cyber attacks.

People are the soft underbelly of any organization and, unfortunately we will never entirely prevent people downloading unsafe apps in the same way as we wont stop people clicking on links in emails and accidentally allowing hackers access to our corporate machines and networks.

Education and awareness certainly play their part in mitigating the risk, but also we need to be aware what we are exposing to the cyber world so we know what our digital shadow is.

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By monitoring our digital shadow we can prevent, detect and contain cyber-related incidents by analysing the organisation we work for through an attacker's eye view. With tailored and specific threat intelligence that alerts a business to potential threats, instances of sensitive data loss or compromised brand integrity.
The lady sitting in my clinic room had breathing problems likely to be related to a couple of severe chest infections in the last year. Nevertheless, after seeing an advert, she had proceeded with genetic testing from 23andme, to find out if she had "anything wrong with her heart or lungs".

Anne Wojcicki, who co-founded 23andMe in 2006, has previously said, "Our generation is used to getting information they need when they want it, and the idea that we can't have access to our own health data is bewildering. If you can be proactive with your health, you can be more in control."

The test report documented a small risk of developing cardiac disease and asked her to "seek the advice of her physician". This passing of the buck from health tech to the public health service is not uncommon. Anxiety and uncertainty replaced the empowerment of organising her own investigation, when I explained that the test did not necessarily give useful or relevant information.

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The vast majority of diseases are caused by many genes and their interaction with each other. These genes also have complex relationships with lifestyles and environment, which the science of epigenetics attempts to decipher, but cannot yet capture. At present, these genetic tests cannot provide the information this lady wants or expects. There have been concerns with the test, interpretation of the results and post-test support for customers. Above all, it is unclear whether 23andme base their business model on provision of a health-related service or sale of their customers' data. These considerations led to a ban by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2013, which was eventually lifted in 2015. The UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency approved the test in December 2014.

The 5V's of big data in healthcare (velocity, veracity, volume, variety and value), coupled with direct-to-consumer technology make the promise of better access to better healthcare compelling but sometimes, too good to be true.

Theranos, the company which heralded the age of mass direct-to-consumer blood diagnostics rode on a wave of hype for several years before the lack of evidence base for its tests were exposed. The big data agenda has to avoid fuelling public expectations of technology in healthcare by grounding itself in evidence rather than hype.

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At the International Population Data Linkage Network Conference in Swansea last week, a major topic of debate was the way in which privacy, anonymity and security are maintained when public data is used for research in order to improve healthcare. As plans for a revamped national healthcare IT strategy are planned after the catastrophe of care.data, it is clear that the public's major concerns are the ability of the NHS and universities to adequately protect sensitive data, as well as suspicion that data will be sold to private companies, including insurance and pharma.

We want the benefit of big data research with improvements in diagnostics, disease prediction, treatment and prognosis, but without giving access to our big data. The major complaint of any researcher trying use public data for research, whether it is national GP data (e.g. the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, CPRD), hospital data (Hospital Episode Statistics, HES) or administrative data (from the Administrative Data Research Network, ADRN), is the time delay between request for data and approval of that request for access to data, which can range from months to years.

This delay in research inevitably slows down the process of science, and as importantly, the ability of the system to learn lessons from its current practice. It is a huge patient safety issue. In any other sector, including aviation and retail, which are often highlighted as examples for quality improvement in the NHS by our politicians, this time lag in the ability of the system to monitor, research and change its practice would be unacceptable. Interestingly, the failure of care.data may have enhanced the scope for private companies (e.g. Google Deep Mind) to pursue projects which involve health records of millions of patients.
In her opening speech as the new British Prime Minister, Theresa May highlighted the great inequalities in health in the UK including the large life expectancy gap of nine years between boys born in the richest neighbourhoods and those born in the poorest. Media commentators have also drawn parallels between her speech and her desire to heal these health divides, to that of Mrs Thatcher when she became Prime Minister in 1979 and used the prayer of St Francis. Theresa May has also drawn parallels between herself and Mrs Thatcher - not least in her first stint in Prime Minister's questions. So, will Theresa May succeed in reducing health inequalities? Unfortunately, the lessons from the past and from the Thatcher era in particularly are not promising - they suggest strongly that not only will Theresa May fail to reduce health inequalities, but that, if she pursues similar policies to the Conservatives in the 1980s, new Labour in the 1990s or the coalition government's austerity agenda, then she is very likely to actually increase them during her term of office.

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In my new book, Health Divides: where you live can kill you, I show how the welfare cuts enacted by successive neoliberal governments have contributed to these increased health inequalities. The Thatcher "reforms" of the 1980s, many of which were continued under subsequent governments, reduced the social safety net which protected the health of the poorest in the post-war period, reduced the influence of trade unions in terms of negotiating better wages and working conditions and the commitment to full employment was abandoned resulting in millions of people and whole communities feeling left behind. These negative social and health trends are similar in other neoliberal countries, such as the US or New Zealand. There is also emerging evidence that austerity (itself the consequence of neoliberal policy choices, in particular the deregulation of financial markets and institutions by the Reagan and Thatcher governments in the 1980s) is beginning to have unequal impacts on the health of the nation with welfare and local authority budget cuts particularly hitting the Northern and deindustrial areas.

But, there are alternatives: health inequalities were reduced during the period of welfare state expansion and full employment in the UK from the 1950s to the 1970s and in the US during the 'war on poverty' instigated by President Lyndon Johnson (LBJ) in the 1960s. In my book, I outline the evidence for how an alternative politics leading to a more inclusive welfare state, publicly provided services and stronger work and employment rights can lead to public health improvements for everyone - whether they are rich or poor, Northern or Southern, Scottish or English.

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So will Prime minister May take a healthy approach to economic and social policy? It seems unlikely given her pro-welfare cuts voting record as an MP and Conservative minister. Likely, there will be a policy focus on interventions aimed at changing individual health behaviours as these blame people for their own health problems, thereby letting governments and businesses off the hook for the wider economic, social and environmental determinants of health inequalities.

There is little evidence that such lifestyle interventions are effective in reducing health inequalities - as my book shows, most of the health gains over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries were brought about by far-reaching economic, political, and social reforms.

So for Mrs May to be successful in her desire to unite and heal the nation, she will need to become more like President Johnson and less like Mrs Thatcher.
Theresa May's first full month in office ended with her party riding high in the polls. She has also shown decisiveness in personnel management. However, the policy priorities and detail of her government remain something of an unknown quantity. The May government's methods are, nonetheless, starting to become apparent. There has been some flying of plausibly deniable policy kites to test parliamentary, public and press reactions. Notable examples have been around grammar schools and energy policy.

The first of these in particular hints at symbolic policy shifts to please social conservatives who felt ignored by David Cameron's patrician Tory version of establishment liberalism. Giving groups such as the Campaign for Real Education, the restoration of grammar schools would thus be a visible sign, in policy terms, of taking back control from an unresponsive establishment elite seemingly demanded by the Brexit vote. This is indeed rapidly becoming the standard interpretation of the 23 June vote, both in Britain and abroad. For example, in Lee Hsien Loong's Prime Minister's address to Singapore's National Day Rally on 21 August, Brexit was invoked as a shorthand warning of what happens to governments who ignore the governed.

Such an interpretation is probably politically convenient for Theresa May's government, as it reduces the complexities of Brexit to protest. The idea of reviving grammar schools similarly reduces complex issues to simple certainties. They supplement the focus on measurement of performance of successive governments since the 1980s with a belief that grammar schools benefit social mobility. In practice both of these are flawed, stressing as they do measurement or mechanisms rather than ensuring young people learn how to learn and how to think.

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While grammar schools and the idea that they represent past educational standards that ought to be revived appeals to a range of social conservatives, it is less clear who the fracking rhetoric is designed to please. Government thinking may be that this will bring economic revival, not least to the North, with middle-class nimbys bought off with compensation. However, the idea that the Brexit vote was a protest by the poor has been overstated. In all parts many Leave voters are reasonably well-off, but resentful of changes to their life and/or culture seemingly imposed by unaccountable elites. The Daily Mail nonetheless clearly shares the government's view that they can be won over, not least through small amounts of compensation.

The Daily Mail has also presented fracking as a replacement for the Hinkley Point nuclear power station. This project has also been the subject of some of the government's summer kite-flying. Given the hints the Prime Minister has dropped that she prioritises prices over the other two key issues in the energy policy arena - security and environmental considerations - Hinkley Point must now be looking somewhat uncertain.

Whether the May government is setting an agenda in these areas, or simply trialling one already developed in elements of the right-wing press is a moot point. If nothing else, it certainly helps to preserve an image of unity on the right in contrast to the situation in Labour. Indeed, the Tory loyalty to the institution of the party - though not, of course, each other - has meant that for many electors they currently look like the only available party of government. This and the rally round the flag effect of the Olympics - despite May's absence from Rio - has delivered the Tories poll ratings not seen since they were an as yet untested opposition in 2009. Of course, what they are now is an untested government.
On Thursday 25th August, West London Mental Health Trust (WLMHA), the NHS Trust that hosts my full-time employer, Charing Cross Gender Identity Clinic, issued a statement on its website. Entitled The future of the Charing Cross Gender Identity Clinic, it talked of the Trust's pride at having been at the forefront of developing gender services and the challenge of ever-rising numbers of referrals, concluding:

However, as WLMHT moves forward it is necessary to refocus the services that we provide. The Board has made a decision that the medium-term strategic focus for the Trust will be to develop mental health services, physical care and integration between the two. As a result, the Trust has come to the conclusion that patients requiring gender identity services would be better served in the long term by another provider, and has therefore served notice on our contract to NHS England.

Acknowledging the alarm this would create in an already stressed, often desperate group of people, WLMHT attempted reassurance: services would not be stopping, a suitable alternative provider would be found as soon as possible, staffing levels would not be reduced and patients would not have to restart their treatment again. Handover to a new provider would be made as seamless as possible, and disruption would be kept to an absolute minimum.

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There was, arguably, some degree of ambiguity to the statement in that it suggested the timescale for a new provider would be "at least six months" and that patients from London and the South East would not be left without a service "or have to travel much further", combining to give the spurious impression of a mysterious unnamed provider already waiting in the wings, ready to spirit the clinic off to a new location within half a year. In specifying London and the South East, it left hanging, by omission, the question of service provision to trans and non-binary people in other parts of England and, particularly, to Wales.

I first became aware of WLMHT's statement when, in an afternoon meeting, my phone started buzzing. Within five minutes, I was responding to anxious queries from half a dozen trans contacts and, even as a latecomer to Twitter, it was impossible to ignore the widespread and escalating distress and panic among users of the gender services.

This arose, in large part, by the alarmist headlines that sprang up in some quarters of the LGBT press. Pink News was at least technically correct in stating, "NHS trust terminates Gender Identity Service contract amid trans health turmoil", but Gay Star News led with the wholly inaccurate and spectacularly irresponsible "UK's largest gender identity clinic to close", adding "There is currently no alternative provider in sight".

In addition to wrongly stating that "new patients had to wait up to four years for their first appointment" - not so, this has been the case in Leeds and Sheffield GICs, but not Charing Cross - the Gay Star News piece piled on the anxiety, claiming that "with the closure of the gender identity clinic in London, there will only be six across the whole of England". Despicably shoddy.

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Later in the day, Attitude uncritically regurgitated Gay Star News' version of events, intoning "UK'S LARGEST GENDER IDENTITY CLINIC SET TO CLOSE" with the same misinformation.

This would all be worthy of epic eyerolls and slow handclaps aplenty if it weren't for the fact that a highly vulnerable group of people are dependent on Charing Cross GIC for vital care and treatment.

My colleagues and I - clinicians, not media folk - quickly found ourselves in a firefighting position. Some of us took to social media in an attempt to limit the damage. By the end of the afternoon, the following clarification had been added to the original WLMHT statement:

Dr James Barrett, Lead Consultant at the Gender Identity Clinic (GIC), on behalf of GIC clinicians, said: "The gender identity clinic is not closing. "To clarify, we clinicians have long felt that West London Mental Health Trust is not a good fit for the unique and specific service we provide (the vast majority of those we see are not mentally ill). "Increasingly, we feel our patients would be better served by us if we worked somewhere better able to support and develop a more tailored approach to gender. "There are a number of options in terms of alternative providers. We would not make any move unless confident that patient care would be markedly improved. "Until that point, current arrangements will still apply. Our aim is for any change to be a positive one, and any transition to be as seamless as possible."

At the time of writing, Gay Star News and Attitude have not corrected their headlines or the content of their articles.

There's a whole separate article to be written on the GIC's reasons for wanting to change host provider - and another on future options in this regard. For now, however, we're resigned to dealing, on a more human level, with the aftermath of yesterday's statement.
Fifteen years ago in the Design issue of Wired, an article appeared outlining Polaroid's five-year strategic plan. Just 8 months later the company filed Chapter 11. The 'new company' formed in its aftermath declared bankruptcy again several years later. For real.

Corporate failure aside, we all have a warm and fuzzy place in our hearts for polaroids.

Polaroids = Vintage personified. Now cherished by teens, the polaroid phenomenon today resembles the recent resurgence of vinyl.

For Polaroid, design was chiefly about breakthrough cameras -- the Model Swinger, SX-70, Spectra -- and those that came before and after. The innovation in the one-step process which allowed you to hold a photo in your hand just one minute after hitting 'click', was simply housed in a different container over the years.

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The birth of instant photography is by far one my favourite inventions. You can probably testify to owning that cool-as-hell Polaroid that enabled you to magically freeze a moment and instantly share with friends. That vintage camera has since been replaced by the one currently in your pocket, and now rests on your shelf where house guests nod their head with nostalgic approval.

With over 2 billion photos being uploaded daily, the world is undeniably obsessed with sharing photos. And lest not forget about the trillions more that fail to make the publishing cut.

At the turn of the century, Gary DiCamillo was at the helm of Polaroid. He identified two ways to help innovate the business; Styling and Reinvention. Styling referred to giving the company a makeover. The narrative to convey was that Polaroid was cool and fun. Reinvention was in response to a world that had been digitised and was about to leave the company in its rear view mirror.

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With hindsight it is easy to critique. We can see clearly now the reasons for the downfall of Kodak or Hipstamatic. In the case of Polaroid, the guilty culprit may have been DiCammilo and the company's self-sealing logic. They were unable to foresee that the photo album would inevitably be replaced by the digital swipe.

New Operating Models

The Digital Era required a drastic overhaul of the business model -- wholly reliant on instant film -- which in turn would mean taking big risks. Perhaps if they had turned the sails towards something like Instagram, VSCO, EyeEm or even the recently launched Swing -- the history books would need a rewrite.

Cases of bold manoeuvres to redesign and reinvent a businesses in the face of changing times are a plenty: Intel (shifted from storage to processing), Red Bull (became a media company), and Patagonia (evolved into a business that with implements solutions to the environmental crisis).

What do all these companies have in common? They all employ an operating model that allows for their business to evolve in the face of change. They've built internal capabilities that enable speed, agility, and openness together with a healthy appetite for risk. Their systems of organising are adaptive. Instead of getting hung up on the design of pretty things they continually focus in tandem on the Design of Business.

Innovation By Design

The original champions of design in business include luminaries such as Tim Brown, David Kelley and Roger Martin. All have been touting the transformative effects that occur when design is placed at the heart of the organisation. As former Dean of the Rotman School of Management, Martin succinctly sums up design's undeniable influence when he says, "When it comes to innovation, business has much to learn from design. The philosophy in design shops is, 'try it, prototype it, and improve it.'"

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In any large company, it takes time, patience and persistence to change a business culture.

Organisational structures and processes are often designed, rather ironically, to keep design out.

The outdated way of operating where designers were kept on the fringes (and often brought in to put lipstick on a pig) is gradually being replaced by more fluid methods. Designers now occupy centre stage. And the effects may be felt across the whole organisation -- for people, product, and processes.

Perhaps one of the best examples of this is how Google has evolved into a design company and manages the gentle push and pull between the company's vision and the living and breathing organisation itself.

Google Venture's has pioneered the process that acts as a "greatest hits" -- fusing together the intersecting fields of behavioural psychology, business strategy, innovation and design thinking. The Sprint has since become ubiquitous; used by the bedroom startup right through to the corporate beast looking for it's next kill.

John Maeda, Global Head, Computational Design and Inclusion at Automattic, has feverishly championed the importance of design in technology and in business. The former Design Partner at KPCB is credited with helping foster the first generation of engineers to elegantly design, and designers to fluently code. Maeda explains that;

"In the not too distant future, all technology companies will be design companies."

Some of the most forceful and well-funded startups -- Pinterest, Airbnb, Vice Media and Lynda.com, have designers as co-founders. Indeed, the number continues to grow with 36% of the world's top funded startups now having designers as co-founders. In the year since the first #DesigninTech Report the trend for designers entering the world of Venture Capital continues and a further 24 design firms have been acquired by larger design hungry players.

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Shockingly, it has taken nearly 30 years for these contentions to take hold and manifest themselves across every industry. Whether it is computing (IBM hosts the largest design team in the world), finance (Barclays Bank is now the UK's single largest employer of designers), management (McKinsey acquired top design firm, Lunar) or government (GOV.UK has received countless accolades for its user experience design) -- no sector remains untouched.

Something Beautiful

In the technology driven world we have always believed that faster is better. But Moore's Law is no longer cutting it. In fact it's the holistic view, the entire customer experience that truly matters. Design is, and always was, the key.

As the role design plays in business continues to expand, the world stands to benefit. Products won't just look better, they will work better. Services won't just be provided, they will delight. Organisations won't just sustain, they will adapt and evolve to become something truly magnificent.

I think back to those Polaroid moments when the magic happened. While I pointlessly flicked the paper in my hands, the faces of friends would faintly appear. The image that I snapped seconds ago would slowly come to life. Like the smartphone, this type of transformative experience will happen again -- and with greater frequency.
In my last post, I wrote about how identity "needs tangible, measurable, concrete products to hinge itself to, such as apple crumble and custard, or films."

Music is one of these concrete products which forms of our sense of who we are. I usually write about film and memory, but I want to turn my attention to music because August 25th 2016 marked the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Paul Simon's album Graceland; an album which has consistently been meaningful to me since 1986. How does an album like this work on our memories, on our sense of identity, and our social and cultural interactions? Considering the impact of Graceland, I can only address these questions by delving into my memories, my sense of identity and my cultural interactions.

I'm now in my mid-thirties; Graceland is the first album I remember listening to in my parents' car, the soundtrack to our long journeys. It's the first encounter with pop music I remember, as well as trying to learn to whistle along to The Beatles' "Love Me Do". Now I can whistle along to that and to the tin whistle in "You Can Call Me Al", and teach my children to do the same.

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Graceland is undoubtedly one of the most important American pop music albums. But Simon's collaboration with South African musicians was also one of the most politically controversial, due to his breaking the cultural boycott against Apartheid South Africa. Much has been written about Graceland and its legacy from this political point of view, such as here and here recently.

"I know what I know, I'll sing what I said"

As a child, I was oblivious to the politics. Graceland was simply great music. The lyrics are amazing, with complex phrasing and surprisingly pleasing clunky combinations of words ("Rearranging my position on this friend of mine who had a little bit of a breakdown"). I may think I know every word on the album, but the lyrics are hard to catch and there's always something new to hear, or a misheard lyric which has stuck for years.

I remember my brother telling me sagely about the words to "You Can Call Me Al": "Do you think it's 'roly poly little fat-faced girl'? Because it's not, it's bat-faced." How brotherly.

What other album gave birth to such a wonderful cast of characters? On realising that the anniversary was also my brother's birthday (happy birthday!), we discussed a Graceland party where we'd all come as characters - I would be the "girl in New York City who calls herself the human trampoline"; who would be Fat Charlie the Archangel ("sad as a lonely little wrinkled balloon"), or The Boy in the Bubble? Who would get to have Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes? They are like Roald Dahl characters mixed with the Jewish American sadness and neuroticism of Woody Allen. We haven't had the party - maybe in another ten years.

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"Graceland, Graceland, Memphis Tennessee"

Graceland is an album of journeys, which takes us from New York, "the bodegas and the lights on Upper Broadway"; to the Mississippi Delta; Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee; Tucson, Arizona; Louisiana and of course to South Africa - underscored by the rhythms and voices Ladysmith Black Mambazo. As a child, the place names filled me with wonder, for then all travel was exotic and all music was "world" music. Listening to the songs now, I am still transported to that early sense of exoticism.

So many lines stir memories each time I hear the songs. I can feel my memory at work, a sensory memory linking me to places and people.

At age 11, I remember walking around school with a friend who always had an air of sadness about her. I remember the exact spot where I sung the line from Graceland; "Losing love is like a window in your heart, everybody sees you're blown apart, everybody sees the wind blow". She asked me to repeat the words so she could memorise them; she found them a perfect solace.

The rhythms are infectious. The force of the beats and vocals implore us to tap our toes and get up and dance, often inciting my father to speed on the motorway, resulting in our chorus of "O! O! O!" (from "I Know What I Know"), our coded speeding warning.

"This is the powerful pulsing of love in the vein"

Graceland continues to produce memorable moments for me. Under African Skies, a 2012 documentary directed by Joe Berlinger, follows Simon as he returns to South Africa on the 25th anniversary of Graceland. The film explores the cultural and political climate of the 1980s and explains how the album was made. Now when I hear the reverse guitar riff, or The Everly Brothers on backing vocals, or the tin whistle, I have a deeper appreciation of the complexity of the music, and the political realities at the time of its composition.

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If you haven't heard Graceland, if you don't know the music; what will you make of it? What would it mean to me if it were devoid of memories? How does it stand the test of time?

Graceland is objectively a masterpiece, and this has been proven over the past thirty years. I stood with tens of thousands of other Paul Simon fans at his packed-out Hyde Park concert in 2012, where he performed the songs from Graceland with Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Although listening to the album is for me a deeply personal experience, millions of people share a similar connection to the music. The power and success of the album is its ability to hit each of us in the heart and to unite us with a shared aspect of cultural identity.

Despite the knowledge that I am not alone in my love of Graceland, and being aware that the album is held dear to million of fans, I was still pleasantly surprised on my first date with my now-husband when he professed his love for Paul Simon. The album has provided us with a language, a code of reference, which is not secret or unique to us, but nonetheless feels personal and soulful.
The Earth, the seventeenth century Digger Gerrard Winstanley famously declared, was made 'a common treasury for all'. His vision of the original sharing economy, where everyone could occupy and work land for themselves, their families and their neighbours, was very quickly squashed by the powers of the time.

But his vision and legacy have lasted centuries, constantly resurfacing in new forms. The combination of a radical vision with direct, immediate action are what's known as prefigurative politics: you might not have the power to change the system, but you can begin to model what a changed system might look like.

You don't have to share the Diggers' romantic idealism to recognise why the concentration of property ownership and the lack of fair access to food have become the standout problems of the early 21st century. It's a global problem, with the World Bank increasingly concerned about the future of food; and a very British problem, with emergency food banks turning into the safety net the welfare state once offered.

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When you face complex and intractable problems, you need prefigurative action as well as institutional change. And you need to begin to connect the two together. In the spirit of the Diggers, some prefigurative planting might help to get things moving.

That's what happened nearly a decade ago in Todmorden. The tale of Incredible Edible Todmorden and its effects in changing the story of a small Yorkshire town is familiar to many, and one I've written about before.

The Incredible Edible movement has grown organically, with groups springing up across the UK and internationally. What it hasn't yet done is fully demonstrate how food systems, and the powerful institutions that support and maintain them, can change. But that may be starting to happen. And where better to look than Wigan, birthplace of Gerrard Winstanley?

Wigan hosts an annual Diggers Festival, celebrating Winstanley's life and ideas but also demonstrating how those ideas still strike a chord and inspire action among many people today. And this year there's some real digging going on as Incredible Wigan starts to get its hands dirty across the Wigan borough.

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Incredible Wigan is unlike other Incredible Edible projects in that rather than just being run by volunteers, it has the backing of the local council which sees it as a model for building local communities and rethinking local economies. Donna Hall, the council's chief executive, sees Incredible Wigan as integral to its own 'deal' with citizens, arguing that:

'It reaches far beyond growing and eating locally produced food. It's about creating a sustainable future and empowering local people to be self-reliant.'

Councils have been struggling with some of the worst austerity cuts imposed by central government, but still have the power and responsibility to articulate a vision for their communities and act on their behalf.

If that action includes bringing people together around food, supporting local food-based businesses and helping people to learn how to grow, cook and share food in ways that preserve resources for future generations, it can open up the conversations we need to have about land: who owns it, who can use it, how it can be used sustainably and who benefits from its use.

These conversations aren't just starting in Wigan. The founders of Incredible Edible see the potential to change the narrative across the north of England, turning previously closed and impermeable institutions into agents that build people's skills, pride and opportunities. Work has already started in prisons in the northwest, developing prisoners' horticultural skills and providing fresh produce to share. And if it can happen in a prison, why not anywhere? The slogan 'it's green up north' could catch on in even unlikelier places.

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Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte has not been without his critics. His rhetoric against crime and corruption served as the pinnacle of his campaign. However, striking a balance in his policies is a task the president is yet to tackle. This has been evident between his policies relating to public order and the economy.

The drug war stands out as the biggest campaign of his administration. As the former mayor of Davao City, Duterte claims to have cleaned the streets of his hometown through a series of summary executions, in which over a thousand people have been reported missing. Philippine police chief Ronald Dela Rosa announced last Monday that, so far, 712 drug traffickers have been killed in operations since the president's inauguration in June. More recently, the president stepped up his crusade against alleged narco-officials in a nationwide name-and-shame campaign which aims to combat the corrupt drug networks within the government. Senator Leila de Lima, a former human rights secretary and a critic of Duterte, has been the latest to be put under the spotlight. His justification?

"I have seen how illegal drugs destroyed individuals and ruined family relationships", tells Duterte in his inaugural speech last June, "Look at it from that perspective and tell me that I am wrong."

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"His campaign against crime was the hallmark of his performance as mayor," says Malou Mangahas, executive director of the Philippine Centre for Investigative Journalism, "Our research is suggesting that this is a drug war copied from the Davao template." Monitoring intel closely, Mangahas questions the estimates being reported by the police but also the cases that are being filed: "The difficulty is that we are getting all this information from a single source - the police." Indeed, what makes analysing the drug war worrisome is how the lack of due process is able to skew the numbers. After all, it was Duterte who openly admitted that if human rights meant drug pushers are able to destroy the country, then they should be forgotten.

"We are told by lawyers that there are supposed to be standard crime scene operatives in every case of violent death", said Mangahas, "If you go by the established protocols of the police, you will not see any of these investigations coming fully as the protocols of the drug war".

There is much to say about this Nixon-style war on drugs. But what about Dutertenomics? Indeed, much of the discourse has been overshadowed by the slew of state-sponsored killings. By focusing too hard on the reactions coming from the drug war, it can be difficult to realise the counter-narratives surrounding other policy areas.

"Coming from his background, a lot of the focus has been on crime," says Edward Lee, Head of ASEAN Economic Research for Standard Chartered, "However these social issues are a part of an ecosystem geared towards growth and investment."

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Duterte's stubborn focus on crime initially divested the interests of business leaders. However, the tables turned after the announcement of his 10-point economic agenda, which received high praise from the business community. Local companies are beginning to warm up for rural investment as Duterte promises to lower corporate taxes. His pledge to increase infrastructure up to 7% of GDP and to reduce foreign ownership onshore shows his commitment to improve job opportunities for Filipinos. This year's second fiscal quarter results were better than what economists had predicted - a 7 percent increase in GDP versus the 6.6 percent forecasts. With consumer spending up by 7.3 percent, services - the largest industry in the Philippines - expanded by 8.4 percent.

"The Philippines has the fastest growing economy in the ASEAN-6," Lee forecasts, "Demographics are favourable and in terms of the economy itself, it is doing extremely strong".

The contrasts between these policy areas are evident. However, if the two sides of the same blade are sharp, then the "double-edged sword" cuts both ways. With the ability to protect, it has the same effect to harm. This personifies Duterte's ability to both help the Philippines yet be the demise of it. Drug abuse was an issue which resonated with many communities. Poverty is often seen as the root to the country's problems. Duterte, considered by some as a "political outsider", brings hope to the country's poorer factions now bedridden by oligarchic politics. This is where the president's potential lies: his focus on increasing business competitiveness does well for the growing middle class - a determinant of healthy economic development. A middle class could also close the country's inequality gap as more voters are able to participate intelligently in political life. Likewise, tax reforms can help the poor gain more disposable income, thus spurring consumer spending. Having inherited a growing economy from his predecessor, Duterte's economic agenda provides a promising platform for policy continuity.

However, his emphasis on the drug war has many repercussions. Having only completed less than 100 days in office, time is yet to tell whether Duterte will be able to keep up the momentum of his so-far acclaimed economic plan. While he uses this to boost his agenda, Duterte must also implement his key initiatives during the first half of his term before he risks losing political clout. Indeed, his free hand over the military force enables him to make quick changes easily, but at what cost? In the last three months, the killings have, in many ways, diminished political capital at home and abroad. Whether business leaders will think twice about the president will become more evident as Duterte tightens his grip on the war against drugs.

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My Dearest Aleena and Yara,

Happy Birthday!

Aleena, you are now putting together full sentences. Yara, you have just started to walk. It's time for the 4th installment of my letter.

(Here are the letters from the past 3 years: 2013 , 2014 , 2015.)

This year I am going to tell you about America.

America is in the middle of a heated presidential election. I am deeply concerned by the divisive language used by the Republican candidate, Donald Trump. During his campaign, he initially expressed that all Muslims should be banned from coming to America. Then, he changed the ban to cover Muslims from countries compromised by terrorism. Either way, in Trump's version of America, I wouldn't be able to come to the United States. In Trump's version of America, you wouldn't have happened.

But, you did happen. And I am so grateful for that.

You represent the American promise that is at this country's core! The promise that it doesn't matter where you come from; what matters is where you go. The promise that if you work hard and do the right things, you will be rewarded with opportunities. It is a promise that doesn't discriminate against race, religion, or gender.

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I came to America in 1997 to pursue better opportunities, but I am not unique. Around the world, people look to the United States, like I did, and see a land of opportunity.

I arrived as a student of Angelo State University -- a small university in western Texas, that I was able to attend because they offered me a full scholarship. Then, Microsoft -- an American company -- believed in me enough to give me a job. Today, I lead LiveStories -- a company that governments across America depend on to make data-driven decisions related to building healthier, safer, and better communities.

I am grateful to the United States for the opportunities it has presented to me and I hope my efforts and contributions will build a better and stronger America.

For many people, the United States represents hope and justice. Whenever, the world finds itself in dark places of history, America is there to shine the light of reason and guidance. America gives opportunities to those in despair. America stands up for those who are unable to defend themselves. America gives voice to the voiceless. It is not perfect, but every day, guided by these principles, America gets closer to those ideals.

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America's foundation -- the promise of a better future for hard-working, honest people, regardless of background -- seems more fragile than ever. By the time I write the next letter, it could all be very different.

However, one thing will never change: your story. You are the result of that American promise. You are here because millions before you have made sacrifices upholding these values. Now it is your responsibility to cherish and protect these values and pass them on to future generations.

Don't ever forget that!
Rachel Somers Miles, Project Director, The Garage

Brands that excel are the ones that look to connect with consumers in new ways. Its easy to jump to the conclusion that in order to be a savvy 21 century brand you must embrace new mediums like Virtual Reality (VR). But regardless of the medium, in order to stay relevant, brands must think about culture: the most powerful tool when it comes to engaging and connecting with your audience.

Culture is the meme of life, its the collective creative conscious and thus the centrepoint for finding out whats important to millennial audiences today (millennials being the most financially powerful, critical and aware audience demographic). Focusing on culture, by developing brand-artist collaborations, is a way of building authentic relationships with audiences that may be hard to connect with. Brands need to work with those who already have a knack for organically developing relationships with consumers, in this case artists, whose relationships with consumers come from consumers genuine excitement and interest in the products, activities and stories of the artists

The rise of brand-artist collaborations has been an important development in the marketing mix over the past few years, and one thats proven highly successful with millennials. As both an art gallery and an international artist management team, The Garage sees first-hand the value of brand-artist collaborations and the benefit brought to both worlds when cultural connections are forged in an authentic manner.

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Why Brands Should Work With Artists

Brand-artist collaborations are quite straightforward. Consumers are smart, and as a brand theres only so much talking you can do about yourself before the message grows old. Enabling someone else to do the talking with you is a great way to add new energy to what you want to say. Todays culture is one of collaboration. If you think about the modern audience of millennials, its made up of friends across borders communicating through many means, young people speaking multiple languages and people consuming content created across the world. What does it say to your audience if youre a brand that collaborates? It says youre inclusive, open, you appreciate the world around you, and that youre tapped into the ways people create meaningful experiences and stories todayall values that millennials respect.

An artist is really the highest form of expression. There are few boundaries. As a brand, youre often restricted. When brands collaborate with artists, they enable the artist to tell stories on their behalf. While approaches to advertising used to be about the final product, were now in a world where the journey to the final product has more meaningits about sharing and the experience economy. What does a brand-artist collaboration do? It creates stories for a brands audience, and provides the brand with content to tell stories, thus bringing the brand purpose alive and giving it relevant and authentic context. Ultimately, its creating brand awareness through collaborations that provide a cultural, real-life context to your existing ethos. Working with an artist is a chance to share your brands creative vision in a completely new way and context. It alters your public image, taps into new markets, creates possibilities for consumer experiences and connects you with different audiences.

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What Success Should Look Like When Working With Artists

There's no one-size-fits-all equation for the perfect brand-artist collaboration. And really, thats the beauty of it. Finding that artist who will tell your brand story in an authentic way requires some serious soul-searching. But remember, millennials value brands that listen and adjust with the times; brands that are successful today change, they are flexible and grow alongside their audience. The kinds of artists you work with will evolve. Its not about having one spokesperson for the long haul, but developing authentic relationships with various artists over time in order to share many meaningful experiences with your audience.

While each brand has its own performance metrics to measure the success of its activities, success shouldn't solely be viewed within the rubric of KPIs. If the aim is to create meaningful new experiences that resonate culturally with consumers, you must question your brands approach to working with artists.

So when thinking about teaming up with an artist, here are some questions to ask yourself:

Does the artist visually express the values of the brand and the goals of the project at hand?

To truly establish a creative partnership, the collaboration needs to feel authentic. It is essential that it is a natural pairing. Brands need to be thoughtful about who to bring on when enlisting artists. It's not just about grabbing the hottest young artist to team up with. If the artist doesn't visually express or elevate the characteristics and values of your brand, or isnt able to visually execute the story you're trying to tell, then the partnership will feel forced or fall flat. And remember, theres no more critical an audience than a millennial audience.

Weve enjoyed a long relationship with French visual artist Ludo who we teamed up with Japanese fashion label MINOTAUR last year to collaborate on a capsule collection. Ludo is known for his unique style called 'Nature's Revenge' where he connects the organic world of plants and animals with technology through hybrid images of the two. MINOTAUR explores traditional and timeless clothing through a hi-tech approach. Both parties are clearly creatively interested in the blending of nature with technology. So not only is it about having clear visual strength in collaborating, but its also about extending both partys audiences and bringing value to them. Ludos audience value nature and technology, as does MINOTAURs, so by coming together theyre saying we know what you love, and heres another brand for you, and were working together to make you something new.

Are we willing to allow the artist to stay true to their vision and voice?

Of course revisions and feedback are necessary, but wisely selecting your artists, sharing a thoughtful and thorough creative brief and having a proposal sketch phase allows artists the freedom to move forward with creating. So think through what you're asking of them and share this upfront. You've picked the artist because you respect their style and creative vision, so trust their work. Getting bogged down in minute changes, and amending briefs requiring artists to redo their work can be demoralising and demotivating, thus making for a less successful collaboration on the inside. Changes can be necessary, but if you've briefed well this shouldn't happen. So, know where to pick your battles and trust the artists you're working with.

Value your artists. The partnership being viewed as authentic from the outside is just as important as the partnership being authentic on the inside. Success is the artist walking away feeling proud of their work. That their vision was respected and realised. That they've come out the other side having had the chance to share their genuine self in an interesting new way, grown from the experience, and that they'd want to collaborate with you again.

Google's recent launch of The Data Center Mural Project is a great example of this. With an ambition to share what happens at their data centers they've teamed up with artists to bring a bit of the magic from the inside to the outside creating large-scale murals on the facades of these buildings to illustrate different aspects of their use and daily life. Each artist has a distinct style that plays to Google's personality of being fun, playful and creative, and from the two murals released thus far it's clear the artwork directly expresses the style and vision of the artists individual creative practice while founding the vision in local insight.

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Why do we want to work with artists?

More of a state-of-mind than a how-to-rule, a successful collaboration is born from a brand's genuine interest in connecting with artists and the culture they creategood brands create culture, bad brands buy it. More than just tapping into culture for a brand pick-me-up, brands must respect the role that artists play in enriching everyday life. Its in this way that brands become part of the collaboration culture that sits at the center of the millennial audience.

From our ongoing relationship with Converse weve seen them continue to grow by pushing the edge and consistently connect with artists in a broad and forward-thinking range of different ways. From commissioning artists, illustrators and designers to create original artwork to customise their sneakers, to the Chuck Hack project of enlisting technologically-minded artists and designers to play their hand at creating electronic art out of a sneaker, to Photo Clash which saw artists from around Europe, the Middle East and Asia visually mash-up photos submitted by fans via Twitter. Converse consistently works with artists because it sees its shoes as a canvas of creativity, and sees artists as the driving force of creating exciting and innovative connections with consumers through culture.

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Of course theres always the first time a brand collaborates with artists, and collaborations have different scales, but sustained success in working with artists comes from the respect and championing of creative communities being a core value of the brand.

The questions a brand should use to think through its approach to working with an artist should provide a healthy foundation for a collaboration, resulting in meaningful new experiences that resonate culturally with your consumers. Reaching new audiences and connecting with them in a different way requires developing collaborative creative partnerships that enable a certain amount of artistic freedom. As a brand wanting to work with an artist, if youve gone through the process of carefully selecting your partner and sharing a thoroughly considered brief, then it should be easy to take on this model of working and make the most of it. Embrace the possibilities that collaborating with artists brings, create culture, and show generation authentic you understand whats exciting and important to them.

Rachel Somers Miles

Projects & Exhibition Director, The Garage

info@thegarageamsterdam.com
Gavin Shore, Creative Director, Jaywing

From Marilyn Monroe Kissed By Coca-Cola ad through to more recent campaigns like Brooklyn Beckhams endorsement of Huawei; celebrity endorsements are a tried and tested tactic for building consumer confidence and brand awareness. Yet, with the rise of digital and social media the traditional role of the celebrity is shifting. These platforms have enabled everyday people to reach out and build audiences, so a new kind of influencer is emerging. In light of this clash of culture, lifestyle and brand, do we still need celebrity endorsement and can these icons still have a role in modern day marketing?

One argument is that people are completely over exposed to advertising  we see it everywhere we go on the internet, on streets, in magazines  so a recognisable celebrity can play that all important role of cutting through the marketing clutter. On the other hand, with people engaging more and more with bloggers, vloggers and online communities, there is a different type of influencer available for us to engage with. After all, why would I trust a celebrity, when I can trust one of my peers?

Brands are certainly rethinking celebrity endorsement. Supermarket Iceland is a brand that has always relied on celebrity ambassadors from Peter Andre through to Kerry Katona. Yet, for the first time the brand has recently announced that it will be dropping celebrity endorsement as a tactic. Its new TV ad campaign will instead feature real-life mums, following internal research that showed 63 per cent of mums trust information from other mothers above all sources. According to Icelands Joint Managing Director, Nick Canning, the modern customer now wants something real and with tangible roots.

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Identifying new influencers or real life people to endorse products has been taken a step further by some brands. For example, oil brand Castrol GTX identified one of its own longstanding customers, Irv Gordon, a long-distance driving record holder  who has driven three million miles in his car only ever using Castrol oil. The brand has put the focus on this customers passion and experience of driving cars in a new 15-minute documentary developed with Jaywing that explores his phenomenal journey. Brands like Castrol and Iceland are fast realising that its not just celebrities who can be brand ambassadors, but real people can be just as effective and even offer more authenticity around the product and brand experience.

As digital gives rise to a new breed of influencer, celebrity endorsement has now become a much broader term. Celebrities are no longer just the faces of a product, but are starting to take a greater role in the creation and ideation of products; or so it would seem. Over the last three years many A-list celebrities have taken on the role of creative director of a brand or product. In an age where everyday people are savvier to advertising and demand more authenticity, it could be a step in the right direction when using celebrities. A person is arguably far more likely to engage with a product if they feel a celebrity has been involved in the creation and design of it.

Yet, how much people believe a celebrity is truly involved is definitely up for debate. Are celebrities really taking up roles that typically take years of training and experience to excel at? Many brands have claimed that celebrity creative directors spend hours in brainstorms strategising. Gwen Stefani was allegedly the designer of the HP Photosmart R607 Harajuku Lovers Digital Camera. The camera features a Japanese influence and extras such as a carrying case and charms that HP claims were designed by Stefani herself.

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Despite this, celebrity endorsement still presents many risks for brands. While celebrity creative directors claim to be personally involved with a product, often through a personal interest, we still see many slip ups in the public eye. The most famous example is Alicia Keys who was caught with an iPhone, when she was a brand ambassador and global creative director for its competitor, Blackberry. The collaboration was ended shortly afterwards.

While I definitely dont expect a celebrity to make me redundant in my creative director role, I can see the benefit for some brands in the future. The next generation of consumers are demanding greater authenticity from brands. Celebrity partnerships can help invigorate older, established brands  HP being a case in point. Enlisting celebrities that align with the companys brand values can help them reach new audiences in a credible way. However, longer term, access to a wider range of influencers, who customers can better identify with rather than aspire to, is likely to mean celebrities influence will be of less importance for brands in the future.
White collar criminals seem to be the most hated criminals around. When the 2008 financial crisis shined a light on the financial industry people were horrified at what they saw. Your banker, your investment manager, and your lawyer are all playing the same dangerous game.

But there's a lot to learn from our white collar friends. With their horrific crimes and short prison sentences, they have a lot to teach us. And that advice doesn't just revolve around knowing a good lawyer. Here's some financial advice you can learn from some of the biggest white collar individuals and companies that committed financial crimes in the US.

Bernard Madoff - Ponzi Scheme

Bernard Madoff is one of the most famous white collar criminals to have ever lived. He was finally convicted of fraud in 2009 after robbing investors of $65 billion. His Ponzi scheme involved taking money from investors and using it to pay older investors who wanted the money back. None of that money was ever invested like it should have been. And that was why he was sentenced to 150 years in prison.

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But it fell apart because eventually, he couldn't pay back a large number of investors who wanted their money back. His scheme might still be alive and well if he could pay his creditors.



Financial Lesson #1 - Make sure you always budget enough to pay your creditors.

Credit Suisse - IRS Tax Evasion

Credit Suisse got into trouble in 2014 when it admitted enabling tax evasion. It was found that it had helped a large number of US citizens to evade taxes through hiding their income from the Internal Revenue Service. Through some clever accountancy, Credit Suisse managed to get away with it, for a time.

But with so many false accounts and records, it was only a matter of time before it sprung a leak. A single misstep in the confusion cost them $2.6 billion.

Financial Lesson #2 - Keep good records and make sure you're paying the full amount of tax. It will catch up with you.

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Bank of America - Mortgage-Backed Securities Crisis

Bank of America displayed the type of behavior that led to the 2008 financial crash in 2014. It admitted to selling mortgage-backed securities connected to properties that had massively inflated values. It sold billions of these loans without the proper collateral. Bank of America agreed to pay $16.65 billion in damages.

What it actually did was sell something that wasn't there. This is a financial mistake you should never make. Attempting to gain an income through lying to your main customers will only leave you in a position where people are going to ask for their money back.

Those represent unstable financial foundations for your company.

Financial Lesson #3 - Never try to build the financial base of your small business through trying to make a quick buck.



Enron - When Mistrust Runs Throughout Your Company

You wouldn't attempt to look into small business working capital loan options without consulting your team. You wouldn't make big financial decisions without running it past someone else first. Enron was one of America's largest energy giants and seemingly indestructible at the turn of the millennium.

Rumors of illegal accounting practices and rampant dishonesty swirled throughout much of its history. Jeffrey Skilling, the president, and CEO, hid billions of dollars with the help of Andrew Fastow, the COO. They both lied to the board of directors about the accounts of the company.

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It was only when stocks fell a formal investigation uncovered the accounting practices. Skilling and Fastow received 24-year and six-year sentences respectively.



Financial Lesson #4 - As well as report your income correctly, make sure you're being open and honest with your team about the financial health of your company.



Tyco - Expensive Parties and Lavish Expenses

Dennis Kozlowski and Mark Swartz were the two fall guys for the goings on at Tyco. The CEO of Tyco was found to have stolen over $150 million from the company. Most outrageously of all was Kozlowski's wife was gifted $2 million to throw a birthday party in Sardinia back in 2001.

The pair managed to escape after the first trial because it was declared a mistrial. The second trial left them with sentences of eight years and four months each.

Financial Lesson #5 - Separate your personal expenses from your business expenses and don't use the former for the latter.

Last Word - Play Things by the Book
Within a six-month span in 2012, Lindsey lost three people to drug addiction. That's three dreaded phone calls, three worst nightmares, three funeral services, three times she felt like dying herself, three holes in her heart, all because of one drug. Heroin.

She lost Henry on April 23, 2012. Henry, who was 24 years old at the time, was Lindsey's first boyfriend, and they grew up together. Two years prior, Lindsey learned Henry, who excelled in political science in college, was using heroin. After many trips to rehab only to relapse, he hanged himself.

"At his memorial I spoke of all the amazing adventures we had together," said Lindsey. "All I really wanted was to scream and curse 'WHY?' But you can't say things like that at a funeral."

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Tragedy struck Lindsey's family three months later when her cousin, Joey, who she considered a brother, overdosed.

"He must have felt like he was having an asthma attack because he died trying to plug in his nebulizer," said Lindsey.

Joey lived with Lindsey's family, sharing a room with Lindsey, for five years of his life. Lindsey knew he was battling a pill addiction and had been to rehab twice, but did not know Joey was a heroin addict until after he died.

Lindsey still has the last text message he sent her on July 6, 2012: "I love you." He died the next day. He was just 18 years old.

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Leo, a close friend of Lindsey's, overdosed and died on October 30, 2012. Lindsey discovered Leo was using three years prior when she caught him red-handed with a local heroin dealer. Lindsey was shocked, since Leo's own stepfather had overdosed and died earlier in Leo's life. Leo's mother asked Lindsey to put together the memory boards for his services. He was 25 years old at the time of his death.

"I knew this would happen," admitted Lindsey. "Sad reality, but most people battling this addiction do not make it."

Lindsey and the three loved ones she's lost all grew up and lived in a very small town in Upstate New York. Lindsey began grammar school and graduated from high school with the same 60 students. Everyone knows everyone, so when Lindsey experienced her loss, she was not alone. The entire community was affected by the deaths of these three young men. Yet, that has not stopped people from using heroin in her town.

"So many here are still using," confessed Lindsey. "Some of them I have known forever, some of them are related to people who have already died. I am still surrounded by it, but these days, who isn't?"

Lindsey is right. The United States is struggling with a heroin epidemic, with the number of users reaching a 20-year high, according to a United Nations report. Cincinnati is in the news this week for a bad batch of heroin that lead to an "unprecedented" 174 overdoses in just six days. Reports are stating the heroin at the root of the overdose surge is cut with carfentanil, an elephant tranquilizer, 10,000 times stronger than morphine.

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Like many out there, Lindsey believes her generation is struggling with this drug because of the availability of painkillers. Studies have proven the connection. Whether the pills were rightfully prescribed or not, many become hooked and begin buying them on the streets. A prescription pill habit can quickly become too costly to maintain, so many turn to heroin because it is far cheaper, and maybe still surprising to some, easier to find.

"2012 was the worst year of my life," stated Lindsey, matter-of-factly. "There were so many days that year where I would lay down at night and not even remember the day I just had. I was too preoccupied with death and the decisions these three made."

Lindsey fell into a deep depression, and even contemplated taking her own life. She credits her mother and her best friend for keeping her head above water during those really dark moments.

"I made the decision with my doctor to go on depression medication while I was going through this," explained Lindsey. "It helped me get through the worst of it, after a year and counseling, I was able to learn to cope without antidepressants."

Lindsey, now 27 years old, has begun to focus on one of her life goals, a dream that got pushed to the side as she worked through her nightmare and grief: graduate school.

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"I am happy to say that after four years and countless attempts I am finally enrolled in a master's program!" announced Lindsey, who hopes to become a school counselor one day.

"It has taken me four years to try and deal with all of these emotions, and it still takes a toll on me every day. Depression takes a hold, and when that happens, all I can do is hope for a better tomorrow."

Lindsey has learned first-hand that you cannot love someone out of addiction. Her advice to other people who love someone struggling with Substance Use Disorder is to ask for help, both from your friends and family as well as doctors and counselors, when feeling overwhelmed with helplessness.

"Remember to always tell them you love them," stressed Lindsey. "Do not end of conversation without saying 'I love you.' It's more for you, than for them, because believe me, you do not want to the last words you say to be anything but 'I love you.'"

---
Sur-ro-gate: a substitute or deputy for a person in a specific role.

The crumbling, decrepit remnants of the Syrian state are overrun by the pestilence of so many mini-conflicts it is impossible to know who is fighting what at any hour of any given day, or which devastated rubble of a city or town is under control of what Sunni Islamist of Shiite faction or proxy of Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia or the United States. Syria is a veritable cauldron of hell on earth by any account. One day a surrogate force is on one side, the next day, on the other - depending on the highest bidder and the gravest threat to their proxy hosts.

Syria's butcher-in-chief - Bashar al-Assad - courtesy of Russia's Putin, Iran's Khamenei, and the terrorist group known as Hezbollah, has clung to power by controlling a sliver of territory around the capital, Damascus, while his beleaguered forces barrel-bomb and deploy poison gas (yes, poison gas) to subdue a civilian population not under his regime's direct control into starvation and submission. That is what is taking place in Syria's largest city of Aleppo.

It is bad enough that Assad has resorted again to chlorine bombs against Syrian civilians in contemptible violation of his own agreement to ban chemical weapons after his regime had been caught red-handed using sarin in a Damascus neighborhood a few years ago. But a special joint investigation of the United Nations also found that ISIS launched a poison gas attack last year using sulfur mustard, which, like chlorine, is banned as a weapon under international treaties. Both constitute war crimes. But what really is a war crime in Syria today? Who's counting?

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The atrocities committed by Assad's devilish jihadi opponents are no less contemptible. Whether it be the al-Nusra Front, Al Qaeda, ISIS, or whatever battlefield nom de guerre stirs the Prophet's fancy, jihadi/criminal networks are as perverse in their ruthlessness as the regime itself. The law of the jungle prevails throughout the country. Even when the calamity seems it cannot descend into more of a fiasco, it does. For a world shamefully impervious to Syria's plight, the daily death-watch of humanitarian horror defies comprehension -- and there is no end in sight. No political settlement is on the horizon much less a cease fire that would last more than a week.

As valiant as the Secretary of State Kerry's endless shuttle diplomacy is to arrange anything that stops the fighting anywhere, his desperation is matched time and again by rote Russian diplomatic trickery.

For the desperate civilians still under siege - no sustainable acts of mercy are on anyone's radar. The international Syrian Support Group cannot even carry out any meaningful, promised airlifts of food and medicine because Assad will not guaranty safe passage. And where he does, the charade of humanitarian tokenism is breathtakingly diabolical - akin to the Nazis parading concentration camp inmates before the cameras to prove to the world they were a well-fed, well-cared for population. As one neighborhood of besieged Aleppo is open to a days' relief supplies, Assad is bombing the rest of Syria's largest city into smithereens.

American policy is in disarray, largely because U.S. military and diplomatic strategy are simply out of sync and shackled by a White House that can't wait to turn this burning hot potato over to the next president. Is our objective to beat ISIS, beat Assad, or both? Don't expect a coherent reply from the White House. Whoever wins in November, Syria is, as my friend Anthony Cordesman of CSIS accurately observed, is little more than a poison chalice for the next president.

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During her tenure as Secretary of State, Mrs. Clinton was largely focused on defeating Assad since ISIS had not consolidated its gains in Syria. But as candidates, neither Mrs. Clinton or Mr. Trump have devoted substantive time on the campaign trail to redress the Syrian quagmire. Mr. Trump would cozy up to Putin and bomb his way to Mosul. That's a "Cliff Notes" Syria policy (and that is being charitable). Mrs. Clinton has proposed several important tactical objectives: 1) a "no fly zone" that would prevent Assad from killing civilians; 2) create safe havens in northern and southern Syria for civilians; 3) "increase" support for the democratic forces opposing Assad; and 4) compelling Russia to cease its air support for Assad's ground forces. Good propositions all, but they would be better served by an over-arching strategy to guide America's core interests in the Middle East.

In fairness, to anyone compelled to come up with Syrian solutions Harry Houdini would be tongue-tied. The Syrian Gordian Knot is implacably untiable.

For all his failures in Syria since the civil war commenced in 2011, Mr. Obama has pursued a singular strategy focused on recapturing the ISIS Syrian of capital of Raqqa without deploying American troops to do so - relying on surrogates instead - his 21st century version of colonial-era Hessians German mercenaries fighting alongside the British.

But Obama's so-called "good" Syrian Arab rebel surrogate strategy has been an abject disaster. The much-heralded Coalition has poured billions of dollars into a failed effort to stand up a unified "moderate" Arab rebel force. The last U.S.-trained Syrian Arab outfit funded by the Pentagon to the tune of $500 million evaporated in its first battlefield confrontation with ISIS forces in eastern Syria. Most of the other so-called "good jihadists" supported by Washington have either joined forces with the "bad jihadists" or have actually jumped ship entirely and joined Al Qaeda's own militia fighting the Assad regime AND ISIS. Oh, and just as a footnote, only 8 NATO members out of 27 have joined the U.S. to place battlefield assets into Syria to defeat ISIS. That Arab Syrian surrogate operation has proven to be a disaster.

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However, the other part of the U.S. surrogate strategy began to show promise and yield battlefield results earlier this year when the Syrian Kurdish militia (the Kurdish "Peoples Protection Units" or the more familiar Kurdish acronym "YPG") fighting under the coalition moniker SYRIAN DEMOCRATIC FORCE, proved its worth against ISIS forces dug in and towns along Syria's northern border with Turkey east of the Euphrates River.

This promising news lasted until YPG forces decided to cross the west bank of the Euphrates River - at the behest of U.S. military commanders -- and begin seizing Syrian villages along Turkey's border. The Pentagon considered this an important Coalition military strategy - part of its overall surrogate strategy to lay the groundwork for an offensive and ultimate liberation of ISIS's capital of Raqqa.

But the Turkish government considered this nothing more than a dangerous Kurdish military effort to link up a corridor between two Kurdish enclaves.

The Euphrates river crossing constituted a Turkish red line since Turkey believes the Kurdish land seizure is an overt effort to create a rump Syrian Kurdish independent state. Unlike American red lines in Syria, Turkey was not going to go color blind when it came to Kurdish nationalistic conspiracies - especially given the recent coup attempt and the escalating violence perpetrated by terrorist PKK Kurdish militants.

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Turkey has vowed now to wipe out the Kurdish Democratic Union and its YPG military wing. Turkey massed several armored battalions on its Syrian border. Aided by its own allied Syrian (non-Kurdish) rebel forces and U.S. air support, pounced on the YPG forces deployed west of the Euphrates.

This, in short, is the "order of battle" on Syria's northern frontier. American-backed surrogate Kurdish forces are now fighting Turkish-backed surrogate Syrian rebel forces supported by Turkish military contingents AND U.S. fighter jets- diverting attention away from the real military goal of recapturing Raqqa from ISIS.

The U.S. finds itself supporting two adversaries fighting each other on the ground: the Turks and the YPG Kurdish forces. Turkey's main objective is to prevent Kurdish forces from creating a Kurdish Syrian enclave - not to fight ISIS. But without the YPG, the U.S. has no surrogate boots on the ground to fight ISIS.

So what did the U.S. do?

When Vice President Biden visited Ankara last week to calm U.S.- Turkish relations following the failed Turkish military coup, Biden embraced Ankara's demands for YPG forces to redeploy east back across the Euphrates - who were then compelled to vacate the strategic Syrian towns and villages it had liberated from ISIS. Biden's declaration was news to Brett McGurk -- President Obama's anti-ISIS czar, who had given his own green light, along with American Special Forces supporting the YPG, for YPG forces to cross the Euphrates westward.

Now the very best American-backed surrogate fighting force in Syria considers Washington's about-face as a betrayal. The Pentagon is tongue-tied trying to explain the predicament it is in.

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Four hundred and Seventy Thousand (470,000) Syrians are dead so far. Millions more displaced.

Between doing little to alleviate the humanitarian crisis, and putting boots on the ground in Syria, Mr. Obama has tarnished his legacy by paying lip service to the plight of Syrians and shedding a lot of crocodile tears for their suffering.

It need not have turned out this way.

Mr. Obama could have laid the groundwork for his successor by being a humanitarian hero - an "angel from the air" if not a "commander on the ground" to stem the killing and the flow of displaced Syrians to Europe and the U.S. He could have accepted the advice of his former secretary of state and Pentagon generals to pursue a safe-haven policy as we successfully did in Iraq to protect the Kurds against Saddam in the 90's. He could have done what the Israelis do when Assad begins feeling his oats: bomb one or three of Syria's military runways used to prevent the barrage of barrel bombs. Instead, we have drift, indecision, uncertainty, and defiance from an exhausted, indifferent White House. And Messrs. Erdogan and Putin are calling all the shots.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a campaign event in Reno, Nevada on August 25, 2016. Clinton remarked that her opponent, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, runs a campaign based on prejudice and paranoia. / AFP / JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)

We all have moments in our lives when we think: "Isn't that like the time when..." Those moments are particularly intriguing when a new historical analogy comes to mind, something that has not already made the rounds of coffee shops and Facebook posts.

So here's mine: the 2016 elections in this country are most like the presidential election in Russia in 1996, which I covered as Newsweek's Moscow bureau chief. The contest pitted the former Communist Party bigwig-turned reformer Boris Yeltsin, who was seeking a second term, against Gennady Zyuganov, the head of the largely unreconstructed Communist Party.

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Is this a far-fetched analogy riddled with inaccuracies? Yes. But less so than the analogy I'm most frequently asked about as the author of books like Hitlerland and The Nazi Hunters.

My specific answer to the Nazi analogy: No, we are not living in a country like Germany of the 1920s and 1930s, and Donald Trump is not Hitler, no matter how demagogic he may sound. Any attempt to argue otherwise trivializes Hitler and his monstrous crimes. My more general answer: direct historical analogies are almost always inaccurate and more a reflection of conventional wisdom than of real analysis.

But that doesn't mean that such analogies can't be fun to play with. In that spirit, certainly not as a historian, certainly not as a disciplined intellectual exercise, I'll make the case for mine, no matter how much it will infuriate supporters of both Trump and Clinton.

In this script, Trump plays Zyuganov and Clinton plays Yeltsin, at least in terms of the kinds of voters they attract.

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Attending a Zyuganov rally in the manufacturing town of Klintsy in Western Russia that had fallen on hard times, I jotted down the chatter of his mostly older supporters. A sampling:

"All the factories have stopped producing. We don't know who is responsible for this."

"Everyone is to blame -- Yeltsin, the government. They tricked us all and they took everything for themselves."

"They are building mansions -- for themselves and their children."

"The mafia is living well. That's why they're all for Yeltsin."

"We lived better under the Communists. Of course we did."

Although not explicitly stated, the recurrent theme, in Trumpian terms, was "Make Russia Great Again." Zyuganov's stump speech included this line: "People ask themselves one simple question: what happened in this huge country that was one of the five countries where people felt most secure?" He usually didn't bother to explain who the others were.

Bewildered by a new economic order that enriched the few and left many behind, Zyuganov's supporters conveniently "forgot" about the Communist Party's recent history of mass cronyism and corruption, food shortages and political repression, all of which censors had worked hard to eliminate from public discourse. Instead, they focused on the highly publicized abuses of the new system.

As for Yeltsin's younger, more entrepreneurial supporters, they were not blind to the shadier dealings of the new establishment, where the line between government and organized crime was frequently blurred. But they were appreciative of the chance to open private businesses, travel freely and benefit from what was then still a relatively free press. Between the oligarchs and the destitute, a fledgling middle class had begun to take hold.

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The Yeltsin camp's message: whatever their team's failings, a Zyuganov victory would throw the country back to a dark past, where all the progress they now took for granted would be wiped out in a day. Just as Hillary supporters firmly believe that a Trump victory would wipe out all social progress in this country.

For Yeltsin supporters, a key vulnerability was his health. The Russian leader was only 65 at the time, but his history of heart trouble and heavy drinking, often on public display, was hardly reassuring. Besides, male life expectancy in Russia was barely 60 then.

In fact, before the final vote, Yeltsin disappeared altogether for several days. To cover this up, state television ran footage of him in previous public appearances. The newly independent media -- composed of journalists who were terrified by the thought of a Zyuganov victory -- played along. When I talked to people emerging from voting stations, many of them had not even noticed that Yeltsin had dropped out of sight.

There is plenty of chatter in this country about Clinton's supposedly shaky health at the moment. Her supporters predictably dismiss this as more right-wing slander. But suppose that she suffered a major medical setback in late October. Given our polarized media, you can bet that many reporters who are repulsed by Trump would try to underplay the story -- and that Trump supporters would do the same if his health faltered.

As in the case of Yeltsin versus Zyuganov, both sides are convinced that they have to win at all costs -- or they will lose much more than an election. In Russia's case two decades ago, this outside observer was left with the uncomfortable feeling that neither choice was an edifying one -- and that the country had blown the opportunity to reframe the public debate and initiate a new more honest discourse. You had to wonder: couldn't a country as large and full of talented people as Russia produce two less flawed candidates?

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Or a country like the United States?
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S., August 25, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

The bedrock of a Democracy is free speech and an open, independent, free press. The media's fundamental role in a free society is to (a) report, analyze and investigate the news in a timely, factual and objective manner; (b) hold government leaders accountable to its citizens; (c) educate and inform relating to key issues and news; and (d) connect citizens with each other. In doing so, it is supposed to have unfettered access to those people and situations on which it reports.

But Donald Trump, his campaign officials and surrogates appear to have a different definition of the media's role not just in a Democracy like America, but within his very campaign. To Team Trump, the media is an extension of the campaign itself, much in the same way that publicists and surrogates function.

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To understand Trump's relationship with the media is to start with his basic disdain for journalists. He sees them as the enemy. He neither understands their role in American society or appreciates the critical fact that without them we'd live in a fascist dictatorship (though the latter appears increasingly more attractive to him). With his incredibly thin-skin, Trump views challenges from the media as "vicious" criticism. An attack. A "ganging up" on him for which he responds, as a self-described "counter-puncher," with often ruthless, incendiary return-fire, public insults and/or, as in the case of the Washington Post, a ban from campaign events and rallies.

As a self-consumed, self-aggrandizing narcissist, Trump believes everyone else in the world exists to serve him. Even as he runs for president of the Unites States, Trump fails to understand and accept journalists' role, especially on the campaign trail. The press is viewed as an extension of his promotion, marketing and PR team. Rather than respect the media's watchdog role, Trump genuinely expects them to reinforce and help spread his message, and gets deeply shocked and offended when they don't. And when they don't they're mocked, ridiculed, called "disgusting" and accused of "rigging" the system.

When Trump makes ignorant, inflammatory, sexist, racist and ill-advised comments, he gets mad at the press for covering it as news. And when his unconscionable behavior impacts his campaign -- miring it in controversy and sagging polls, for example -- he then blames the media for his misfortunes. He's living the old Tina Fey parody of Sarah Palin: "I hope the lamestream media won't twist my words by repeatin' 'em verbatim!"

It's an incredibly dangerous state of being when a candidate for the highest office in the freest nation on the planet loathes and impedes its free press because of personal animus. This Constitutionally-bankrupt behavior on Trump's part should be an automatic disqualifier in the race. But bankruptcy seems to be a calling-card in this unprecedentedly bizarre election.
When a pig farmer reported an animal rights activist for interfering with his property, he likely didn't anticipate that he'd be setting up the entire meat industry to be put on trial. Yet, that's exactly what happened last week when Anita Krajnc pled not guilty to mischief charges for having given water to a pig overheating on the farmer's transport truck.

It's hard to credibly dispute that the pig was in distress. An expert veterinarian has already testified that she believed this to be the case, but even if she hadn't, it's fairly clear from the video footage that the pigs were overheating. The industry's own (conservative, outdated) guidelines state: "all species will pant when overheated, animals standing with neck extended with open mouthed breathing is a dangerous situation."



The pig Anita gave water to standing with their neck extended, open-mouthed breathing. Crowded, unventilated transport trucks can become very hot, especially on hot days, as this particular day was. Pigs are particularly susceptible to overheating because they can't sweat, which is why in natural circumstances they would spend hot days wallowing in cool, sun-protective mud. Photo: still from Toronto Pig Save video used in court.

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The case is receiving international media attention -- most decent people recognize immediately that causing animal suffering, not relieving it, is what should be the crime. The twisted circumstances of the case illuminate fundamental animal rights issues: animal welfare laws are inherently both weak and under-enforced; animals are used as commodities, the property of owners whose raison d'etre is profit; and our legal and political institutions privilege those with money and power, of which animals have neither.

So here we are: the pig's owners minimal interest in not having "his" pig given water without his permission has warranted a trial, while the interests of the pig suffering from overheating -- an animal now long dead and eaten -- have disappeared into the void of business-as-usual.

And it wasn't just this particular pig on this particular day. We know that transportation is incredibly stressful and dangerous, that our regulations are considered the weakest in the Western world, and that enforcement is shamefully lax.

Our federal agriculture's own data shows that in 2015 -- the year Anita committed her so-called crime -- 14,212 pigs were found dead at slaughterhouses. That means more than fourteen thousand pigs were loaded onto transport trucks alive, and died during the journey. Nobody was convicted of animal cruelty for any of these deaths.

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That same year, a dog walker was sentenced to six months in prison and a lifetime ban on caring for animals for leaving six dogs inside her truck, where they died from overheating.

The cross-examination of the truck driver who told Anita to leave his "stuff" alone was live-tweeted by multiple reporters and Toronto Pig Save. It's a breathtaking revelation of how systemic incentives work against animals' interests. For example:

The driver acknowledged that pigs go into distress during transport.

The driver acknowledged that pigs disperse heat differently (i.e. they can't sweat, so they become overheated on hot days without water) and that trucks with fans, ventilation, and water misting are available; but he doesn't have this technology on his truck.

The driver agreed it is important to act quickly to cool an overheated pig or they will die. Yet, the driver said they "can't" give them water when they're hot (i.e. the technology is available, it just isn't being used.)

When the driver got out of the truck to confront Anita, who was giving water to an obviously heat-stressed animal, the driver acknowledged that he didn't even look at the pig to see whether they were in distress.

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The driver doesn't know about the code of practice guideline to spray pigs with water prior to loading. According to the driver, trucking companies don't follow this guideline.

When asked by the lawyer to confirm that the trucking contract requires drivers to comply with federal animal welfare laws, the driver responded that he didn't know: "that is not my department."

We killed 20 million pigs last year, and as enormous as this number is, it pales in comparison to the total number of land animals we killed for food: more than 750 million last year alone. Virtually all of them were transported under similar conditions.
Law professor Peter Sankoff is a respected expert in both criminal and animal rights law. So when animal activist Anita Krajnc was charged with criminal mischief for giving water to a heat-stressed animal aboard a transport truck last summer, Professor Sankoff naturally took an interest in the case. He's analyzed the case in a video blog, on Twitter, and in the 'Globe and Mail', and here he answers a few questions about why he thinks Anita will be acquitted and how it's really the meat industry that's on trial.

The farmer testified he believes he ought to have the right to decide how his property--the pigs--are interfered with, likening it to people feeding dogs without the "owner's" permission. You say the criminal law isn't the right legal tool for these situations. Why?

The criminal law is not the correct tool for everything we might not like in society. It's a powerful instrument, and a blunt one, and we shouldn't use it lightly. Not every interference with someone's property constitutes a crime; nor should it.

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For example, I don't have the right to trespass on someone's property, but it doesn't mean that if I do trespass I've committed a crime. There's an important line (admittedly, a blurry one) between criminal acts and illegal ones. But we absolutely need to have that line in order to reserve the criminal law for the most seriously wrongful things in our society.

It may be bad manners to give my dog food without asking me; it might even amount to a civil trespass, but it's nowhere close to being a crime.

You think Anita will be acquitted. Why?

The language of the Criminal Code is pretty clear. The Crown would have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she "obstruct[ed], interrupt[ed] or interfer[ed]" with the "use, enjoyment or operation" of the property. The section is not really designed to capture the conduct in question, and we should never bend the criminal law to capture a wider degree of conduct. Quite the contrary, actually.

So let's look at the conduct. She had to have "obstructed, interrupted or interfered" with the pig in a way that affected "use, enjoyment or operation". I don't see how she could have possibly affected the "use, enjoyment or operation" of the pig by giving it water. The pig wasn't being "used" or "operated" when she gave it water. Those terms are applied to mechanical objects that are in the process of being, quite literally, operated. "Enjoyment" applies to situations, for example, where people are noisily stopping others from enjoying their back lawn. I don't see any reason why the court should apply those terms expansively in the circumstances. Doing so would widen the criminal law dramatically, making the person who gives a dog water without asking liable to mischief charges.

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It is an absolutely cardinal principle of the criminal law that you need to actually violate the law as drafted before a conviction can be entered. So before I even consider whether she was right to do what she did, I just don't see any crime here.

If a mischief offence could be made out against Anita, there are a number of defences available to her. Which defence do you think is her strongest option and how would you argue it applies?

Lots of possibilities here. I'm partial to de minimis myself - the notion that "the law should not concern itself with trifles". The offence charged here is that she interfered with the pigs, which did not belong to her. I'm not convinced this is an offense at all, but if it is, it's a trifling interference. The de minimis defense is essentially an expression of what I talked about above: some transgressions might technically amount to an offense, but they should not be punishable, because they're not serious enough.

I also like the defence of colour of right, which essentially allows people to raise a mistake of law in relation to property offences. Krajnc believed she was legally entitled to provide water to animals in distress. If the court finds that mischief was committed, it means she wasn't, but her honest belief that she was is a defence to these sorts of offences. Normally, people cannot raise mistakes of law, but crimes involving property are so problematic to resolve that we allow people to say "I thought I had the right to do this" and escape liability.



The case is receiving international attention. Photo: Julie O'Neill

Outside of the mischief charge and even the likely transport violations, what animal rights law issues are being raised?

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Plenty. I think it's interesting to see how the transport industry is the one really being put on trial here. Whether or not the pig transporter complied with the law governing transport, the public is getting a crash course in how troublesome the law is.

In the 'Globe and Mail', a pork industry spokesperson noted that "the regulations followed by farmers are developed alongside animal-welfare experts and overseen by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency." All of this is technically true, but examining the statement in light of this trial gives us an opportunity to explore the way in which the law can be manipulated to serve ends that are not animal-friendly.

If I make my own rules--and let's just say that the industry has a large role in setting the rules that are followed--it's usually easy to follow them. If you're allowed to transport pigs for 36 hours without giving them water, what does it mean to say you are "following the rules?" The question is not whether you're adhering to the rules, it's whether the rules themselves allow for abusive conduct. That's what I think is really on trial here: how our law allows conduct that leads to the suffering of animals in transport to happen.
WASHINGTON, DC (Herald de Paris) -- President Obama announced his plans at the White House today to expand the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii. This would make the Marine Reserve the largest in the world.

Many years ago, after an injury and a need to get to New Zealand to recover, I took a cruise ship from United States through to New Zealand. It took 3 weeks, with two separate weeks- 6 days each - at sea with no land in sight.

The Pacific ocean is vast, indeed. I loved that trip and after being on a ship with 1500 strangers, did not begrudge for a moment those with vast super yachts filled with friends.

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In fact, I wondered, with my new found love of the ocean why I had not studied to become a super yacht designer or marine biologist. Having said that I have thought that way about NASA too. When you originally come from a small remote country like New Zealand these possibilities in life were not offered up. In fact, they were not even on the radar of young kiwi kids dreams, well they were not in my day and age . So I had my own dreams. Dreams I pondered on the ship, staring out at the ever changing horizon line.

Among the pondering thoughts were the knowledge of my parents' generation. My parents traversed the world in ships, New Zealand to England and return. Six weeks it took, through the Panama Canal. It was considered normal, a rite of passage (no pun intended) to visit the old homeland - Mother England. The fact I was doing it was not normal. Because of that, one was able to clarify clearly and with stark contrast, though spoken word, the vast difference in the pacific ocean between those who had traveled it in the 1940's 1950's and today.

Two things struck me on the trip. One was simple, the delightful change of colour in the ocean's water, every few thousand miles, from the warm waters of Hawaii, through to azure turquoises, to deep teal navy blues over the Mariana Trench, to the clearer lighter waters around the tropical islands of Tahiti and it's atolls, then to the greenish grey shores of New Zealand.

The other thing that struck me was not so simple, and when I arrived in New Zealand, one stormy day with the tenders lurching, this "thing" compelled me to research it immediately. There was put simply, no wildlife - on the entire three week trip. Where were the whales breaching, the dolphins guiding us, the sea birds? The ocean was empty. Apart from one very small pod of flying fish approaching the South Pacific there was no ocean life at all. This was in stark contrast to what my parent's generation confirmed from their travels years ago, where the ocean was full of life.

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My research led me to Captain Charles Moore and Algalita. Captain Moore is the man who discovered the Pacific Gyre. The vast waste of trash that swirls in the Pacific, poisoning the ocean life. The vast broken down bits of plastic - the result of our wasteful ways in countries stretching from the United States, through to all countries in Asia, Australia New Zealand and elsewhere. It's the plastic from industrial waste, human garbage, from sail boats and sun screen lotion and ships crossing oceans, from satellites in the sky.It's our waste.Humanity's reliance on plastic and our lack of heed as to where we put it when we dispose off it.

That is why on that trip I saw no ocean life. I made contact with Captain Moore and was given permission and the opportunity to board his research vessel and travel make a film on his work, to raise first hand awareness of the issue, but at that time, which was only a few short years ago, before the plastic Pacific Gyre became well known public knowledge it was impossible to raise funding for it. So I wrote about it instead.

Maybe I was ahead of my in the White House today, as well.


"King Kamehameha was a great warrior," said Kahakahi'i, who was sitting cross-legged in the sun, naked to the waist, when I stopped to watch him carve a weapon, a traditional Hawaiian knife. "The King fought many battles on this island. But not here in Pu'uhonua o Honaunau," he said, breaking cover for a moment to explain that he was an employee at the City of Refuge National Historic Park, on the Big Island's south Kona Coast, in Hawaii. "This was a sacred place, a retreat where kahunas performed secret ceremonies, and where the king came to pray," he told a group from Iowa who crowded around the thatched, Polynesian-style shelter to see what he was making.

When the talk turns to famous generals, you could argue that Hawaii's King Kamehameha I, famously known as Kamehameha the Great - conqueror of the Hawaiian Islands between 1781 and 1810 - was every bit as shrewd and as skilled as his more celebrated contemporary, George Washington. But unlike Washington, Kamehameha's fame is local. And even here, in Hawaii, he remains something of a mystery. Though his rivals were legion and the battles he won were well-planned, his reputation rests primarily on oral histories, stories remembered, repeated and past to the next generation.

Burnished in the glow of the past, he's shines as a mighty warrior, a charismatic leader and a just but autocratic king. What facts exist come from meetings recorded by a few foreign visitors who described his commanding presence, thoughtful courtesy and calm intelligence. Indeed, the very qualities we despair of finding in today's leaders. But there was, I hoped, a way to get a glimpse of this remarkable man and the times in which he lived: follow his path to some of the places that mark his evolution from promising youth to revered leader.

I began the journey in an odd and unexpected place: the Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel, in Kailua-Kona, which just happens to sit on what was once Kamehameha's royal compound. Here, in Kamakahonu Bay, a block from a busy intersection, is his last home, the restored, thatched Ahuena Heiau (sacred temple). Built in 1812, it was his retreat and refuge until 1819, when he died. By then, most Hawaiians had adopted Christianity. But Kamehameha, loyal to the old gods, vowed he would die as he lived. Today the royal grounds are the venue for the hotel's award-winning Island Breeze Luau, an outdoor dinner theater highlighting Hawaiian dance and dress styles over the decades. Digging into a generous helping of "kalua pig" with rice and poi, as the drummers chanted and the dancers swayed, I couldn't help wondering what the king would think.

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Kamehameha, born in north Kohala, (some say as early as 1740, others say 1758, the year of Halley's Comet), a turbulent period of frequent clan wars, was raised in secret -- and in safety --in the remote Waipio Valley. But it was at Kealakekua Bay, ten miles south of Kailua-Kona where the young Kamehameha first showed his chops -- and where I went first. In 1778, when Captain Cook landed at Kealakekua Bay, the young man accompanied his uncle, King Kalani'opu'u to the landing site, where they met Cook and toured his ship. Seeing the strange newcomers' iron tools, knives, muskets and canons, Kamehameha quickly realized that these white men and their weapons would someday make good allies.

Four years later, in 1782, Kamehameha defeated his first rival, a hostile cousin, near Moku'akae Bay, a mile farther south, near Ke'ei. Known as the Battle of Moku'ohai, it won Kamehameha the support of Kona's leading chiefs and ensured his future control of north Kohala and the Waipio Valley. I stopped to see the bay but had to imagine what had happened there, and how.

From here, I continued south, following the signs to my next stop, Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park. Truly a City of Refuge, this was the sacred site where condemned criminals able to outrun their pursuers were guaranteed sanctity and absolution. But members of the ali'i, royalty like Kamehameha, came here, too, to perform secret prayer rites. Stop at the Visitors Center first, then walk through the site to see traditional Hawaiian thatched shelters and cultural and craft demonstrations. The heiau (temple), closed to visitors and guarded by carved figures of Hawaii's many gods, perches behind a fence beside the ocean.

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To follow Kamehameha's footsteps north, drive 35 miles north of Kailua-Kona to the Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site, an enormous rock heiau overlooking the ocean.

Dedicated to Kukailimoku, Kamehameha's family war god, the king built this vast monolith in 1791, an offering for success in battle. A polyhedron-shaped stack of boulders, carried to the site by thousands of workers, it was built in less than a year.

To sweeten the gesture, the king also restored the smaller and much older heiau close by, once used for human sacrifices. With paths circling the hill, this spot is ideal for ocean views, photos, fresh air, and long or short walks. Walk the downhill through a shaded grove and you'll come to tiny Pelekane Bay, where Kamehameha defeated his last Big Island enemy, another rival cousin. Learn more about it at the Visitors Center, staffed by informed rangers who sell history books, maps, charts, prints and souvenirs.

As for the Ahuena Heiau, back where I started, at the Courtyard Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel, it's said that when Kamehameha died, a loyal follower prepared his bones according to an ancient ritual and secreted them nearby, most likely in a cave somewhere along the coast.

After Kamehameha died, his son and heir and a Christian, destroyed most of the sites and artifacts of the old religion. As for Kona, the town, when the young Kamehameha became chief of Kona, he made it his seat of government. And thus it remained throughout his life.

If you've got time, squeeze in a stop at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, an ancient village near the man-made fishponds so essential to cultural life, now an archaeological site, near Kona. I had trouble finding the road, so ask for directions.
Bruce Springsteen could have won the White House had he decided to run. Which is why, instead of spending millions on advisors and ad campaign, U.S. Presidential hopefuls would be better served by attending a Springsteen concert (conveniently he is on tour) and internalizing a few crucial lessons.

So here are the Boss' lessons for winning the White House:

Stay fit.

Springsteen turns 67 in just a few weeks so he is almost the same age with Hillary Clinton (68) and Donald Trump (70). He is in great shape and in no need of presenting his health records since he just broke his own record for the longest concert performed on U.S. soil (it clocked at 3 hours and 59 minutes). Staying fit and in great shape clearly pays off if you wanna survive a grueling Presidential campaign and the rigors of the White House.

Give preferential treatment, but do it fairly and transparently.

There is a huge ongoing debate about giving access to big donors and party hacks. Hypocrisy aside, the truth is that presidential candidates and politicians will reward those willing to actively support their candidacies. There is no getting around this fact. But they can learn a lot from the Boss. The best place to be at a Springsteen concert is right in front of the stage. This requires a GA ticket (worth hundreds of dollars in the secondary market), patience, dedication and determination. Fans will always spend this kind of money to assure the best access. But the Boss is fair and transparent. For GA ticket holders there is a lottery that determines the order in which they enter the arena. Everyone sees this happen, monitors the process and hence everyone accepts it. Everyone is both equal and privileged at the same time. Hope Trump and Clinton are paying attention.

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Work the crowd.

During a Springsteen concert, the fans are showered with attention. In his recent Chicago concert no fewer than three were chosen to dance with the Boss during "Dancing in the Dark"; a little girl was selected to accompany him singing "Waitin' On a Sunny Day" (she did such a good job she was proclaimed to be the future of Rock N Roll); several song sign requests wee honored; the Boss crowd surfed (and someone passed him a copy of the Constitution!); dozens of hands were shaken and countless fans acknowledged. If a presidential candidate could approach a crowd with half this kind of enthusiasm and gusto victory would have been assured.

Do not ignore the world.

Springsteen, it is often said, is as American as apple pie. This is true but it is also a fact that he is immensely popular around the world. He is probably bigger in Europe today, than he is in the States. Springsteen does not disavow his American roots or themes. He will often perform "Born in the USA" in front of foreign audiences (and on rare occasion even "Jersey Girl"). But Springsteen does not ignore the world outside America. He constantly tours it and has figured out how to gain international respect and attention. Donald Trump, are you paying attention?

Stay on message but also surprise.

If you attend a Springsteen concert nowadays there are certain expectations that will be met. "Born to Run" will be performed with all the lights on. "Rosalita" will be as riotous as ever. "The Rising" and "Badlands" will get them fists in the air and a crowd sing a long. "The River" will almost reduce you to tears. In effect, the Boss stays on message and thus pleases immensely. But he always surprises, always comes up with something new and unexpected (on Sunday in Chicago it was the obscure "Born in the USA" outtake "None But the Brave"). Presidential candidates should similarly reassure and uphold the basic tenets of their respective political bases. But they should also evolve, be open to some change and to new approaches.

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Read and listen.

Springsteen is about to publish his autobiography, inevitably titled Born to Run. I remember a few years back seeing a photograph of him in his study with a biography of the controversial Founding Father Aaron Burr. His songs are often inspired by movies and novels. His literary tastes are impeccable. Springsteen attended no college but is knowledgeable and intellectually curious -- a true autodidact. He travels the country incessantly; and he listens and interacts all the time with "real people" in his home State of New Jersey where he has chosen to reside. No secluded Hollywood Hills life for him. If only all presidential candidates followed his footsteps...
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 29: Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton, and Bill Clinton attend the 2016 general election kickoff rally for Hillary for America at McGonigle Hall at Temple University on July 29, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Taylor Hill/WireImage)

As an outspoken supporter of Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, I often get questions akin to the one Stein was asked at the Green Town Hall on August 17: "Given the way our political system works, effectively you could help Donald Trump like Ralph Nader helped George Bush in 2000. How could you sleep at night?" More often than not, such questions are followed by the claim that voting for Stein in November is an act of self-indulgent privilege. Only those with little to lose from a Donald Trump presidency can afford to risk it by adhering to a rigid set of principles that will never come to fruition, third-party critics argue; people who might suffer under Trump's policies, on the other hand, understand the stakes involved in this election and that Hillary Clinton is the only practical alternative to Trump.

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This formulation misconstrues privilege dynamics and misrepresents the identities and considerations of third-party voters and others who refuse to support Clinton, who are far less often White, affluent, heterosexual men than their detractors seem to believe.

The status quo is serving many people poorly. Proclaiming that, because the alternative is "worse," everyone must vote for Clinton - a politician who has championed policies that have actively harmed millions of people both here and around the world - is, at its very best, patronizing to those who are currently suffering. It's a promise of crumbs instead of a meal with the admonition that starving people better be thankful for crumbs, as the other candidate might take even those away.

This rationale plays on the fears of disadvantaged people and those who care about them in order to perpetuate current power dynamics. Its use is in many ways an expression of the very privilege it critiques.

Third-Party Critics Misconstrue Privilege Dynamics

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The thing is, the argument that the Democrats are the only actual alternative voters have to Trump - that the status quo cannot be radically improved and that incremental change is all that is possible - is one that many people cannot afford. Those of us voting for Stein seek to challenge this thinking, to fight for a world in which the most marginalized people are not consigned to deportation, lifetime imprisonment, poverty, or death at the hands of Democrats who are better than Republicans but not nearly good enough. Third-party voting and abstaining from the presidential election altogether are strategies designed to either change the Democratic Party or create an alternative in a political system that has failed disadvantaged populations for decades, as Sebastian Castro points out.

It's perfectly fine to challenge the efficacy of that strategy, and I encourage everyone to read compelling cases for lesser-evilsism in 2016 from Michael Albert, Noam Chomsky and John Halle, Shaun King, and Adolph Reed. I evaluate the risks of Trump relative to Clinton and a lesser-of-evils vote relative to third-party voting differently than they do, but I also have a ton of respect for where they and other social justice advocates like them are coming from.

Those who prioritize identity politics should also remember that prominent spokespeople for the Green Party (including Clemente and Cuellar) tend to be less privileged than their Democratic Party counterparts, that a woman has been on the Greens' presidential ticket every single year in which the party has launched a bid for the White House (beginning in 1996), and that the party's presidential and vice presidential candidates this year -- Stein and Ajamu Baraka -- are by far the least privileged candidates running.

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Third-Party Critics Misrepresent Voter Demographics

Statistics on Green Party voters in the United States are hard to find, but it's possible to back out some rough estimates from recent polling. The graph below uses data from four different polls to compare demographic shares among registered Clinton supporters, registered Stein supporters, and all registered voters.

The estimates debunk the notion that Stein's base is especially privileged. Her supporters are about as likely as Clinton's to be women and seem to be a little less likely than Clinton voters to make over $50,000 a year or to have the privilege of a college degree. The confidence intervals on these estimates are likely fairly large and the average differences between the candidates' supporters in these domains, if there are any, are thus probably small, but other evidence also suggests that Green Party voters tend to have low incomes; as Carl Beijer has observed, Ralph "Nader had a stronger 2000 performance among voters making less than $15,000 a year than he had with any other income demographic."

Beijer also makes an important point about the domain in which Stein and Clinton supporters differ most: age. While age-based privilege is a complicated concept - both young and old people can be targets of discrimination - younger voters have to worry much more than older voters about "what happens over the span of decades if [they] keep voting for increasingly right-wing Democrats."

Now, to be fair, Clinton voters are more likely than Stein voters to be people of color. But Stein's share of voters of color is similar to the share in the general population of registered voters; Stein voters are not disproportionately White. Looking at the total population that won't vote for Clinton, which is a larger universe than the set of registered voters who support Stein, provides an even more striking rebuttal to the those-who-oppose-Clinton-are-White-male-Bernie-Bros narrative. As Visser shows, Reuters data actually suggests that over 40 percent of people of color do not plan to vote for Clinton in 2016. In fact, neither do over 45 percent of the LGBTIQ community, nor the majority of women, "marginalized religious folk," and people making less than $50,000 a year.

None of those statistics change the fact that I, along with many Clinton supporters, am privileged enough to have little to lose from a Trump presidency. But like nearly all Clinton supporters - and unlike the millions of people who, as Visser reminds us, "do not have the privilege of feeling or being any safer under Democrats [as] opposed to Republicans" - I have even less to fear from a Clinton win. Pundits and partisans would do well to spend less time alleging that third-party voters don't care about the disadvantaged and more time reflecting on why large numbers of people are much more worried than they are about the status quo.

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As the saying goes, love conquers all-including politics.

Seeking re-election for a third term, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega recently announced his vice-presidential running mate. His VP pick? It's Rosario Murillo, his actual mate. Ortega's wife already wields considerable influence as the First Lady of Nicaragua, the country's de-facto spokeswoman. When she and Ortega appear together on the ballot this coming November, Nicaragua will join the ranks of political couples who've held political office and served in Latin American governments.

In Argentina there was Cristina Fernandez, who succeeded her husband, Nestor Kirchner, as president in 2007. Also in Argentina, Isabel Martinez de Peron, too, succeeded her husband, the Argentine President Juan Peron, following his death in 1974. And though Guatemala's constitution bars close relatives from succeeding the president, Sandra Torres divorced Alvaro Colom to run for president in 2011.

"Power Couple" takes on a whole new-and very literal-meaning when applied to politics. Politicians who marry each other won't always form a more perfect union, both politically and matrimonially-speaking. But the couples on this list did attract media attention for their narrative appeal. In some cases, they formed a political force to be reckoned with.

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Francois Hollande & Segolene Royal



Hollande and Royal once formed France's leading power couple, but the two separated after Segolene Royal's failed presidential bid in 2007. Their marital split didn't stop President Hollande from appointing Royal, the mother of his four children, to serve as France's Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy in 2014.

Julius Caesar & Cleopatra VII



Some historians believe the Egyptian Queen and Roman Emperor's relationship was history's greatest love affair. Other historians think Cleopatra and Julius Caesar's alliance was a political power play on her part. The historical record is unclear.

Mitch McConnell and Elaine Chao



Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Elaine Chao were introduced in the early nineties by their mutual friend Stuart Bloch, a well-known lobbyist in Washington. Chao became the first Chinese-American to serve in a U.S. President's cabinet when George W. Bush appointed her as Secretary of Labor in 2001.

Bill Paxon and Susan Molinari



Currently head of Google's office in Washington, DC, Susan Molinari was a New York congresswoman when she married her fellow New York Rep. Bill Paxon in 1994. The congressional couple often appeared together at local constituent events in their respective districts-except they called them "dates."

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Andrew Cuomo and Sandra Lee



New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Food Network chef Sandra Lee were introduced by Alexandra Stanton, a former Cuomo aide. Lee, who overcame a difficult and impoverished childhood to become a popular chef with her own Food Network show, tends to avoid the spotlight. Unlike Lee, Cuomo comes from political pedigree. Their relationship and devotion to each other were the subject of news headlines when Lee underwent treatment for breast cancer in 2015.

Claire and Frank Underwood



Though First Lady Claire Underwood and President Frank Underwood (portrayed by Robin Wright and Kevin Spacey) are a fictional partnership, the House of Cards couple are the epitome of what New York Magazine writer Mandy Stadtmiller refers to as a BMP (Beyond Marriage Partnership). She defines BMP as a relationship and partnership that transcends marriage, a union that is "not just husband and wife...not just running mates." BMPs, she says, "are both and more." Think FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt, or Bill and Hillary Clinton.


Credit: Damian Gadal via Flickr Creative Commons



By Thomas Kennedy

Miami Dade County has for too long been a place where money means political influence and this can be seen in the daily lives of people who make up this vibrant community. Developers have pushed out working class people as traditional Miami neighborhoods gentrify and rising rent prices make the cost of living unaffordable. It is no wonder that voter apathy in the county is prevalent in a community where most residents don't see their elected officials working for them.

A few months ago a coalition of progressive organizations in South Florida organized a titanic grassroots effort to dismantle this quid pro quo system of politics that has become the norm in Miami-Dade. Community members and activists collected more than 127,000 petitions, more than half required to put a question on the November ballot, to reform campaign financing in Dade County.

Unfortunately, the County Commission has set every bureaucratic roadblock possible in what seems to be an effort to derail this initiative calling for greater transparency and accountability in Dade County.

This election year, we have seen high-profile calls for more accountability in the way money influences politics. Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders made this one of his flagship campaign issues. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has promised to push a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, a 2010 Supreme Court ruling which allowed unlimited corporate and union spending in elections.

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In Southern Florida, thousands of voters are taking these appeals to curb money in politics to heart. But it is disturbing to see how elected officials are trying to silence them in response.

The language of the Miami-Dade initiative would ban contributions by county contractors and close loopholes used by lobbyists to circumvent campaign contribution laws. The current limit for campaign contributions stands at $1000, which benefits donors with deep pockets. The petition called for a cap of $250 as well as updating the small donor fund matching program to give working class folks more ability to take part in donating to candidates.

The efforts of the advocacy groups pushing the petition drive were derailed earlier this month when the commissioners did not authorize the validity of the signatures, even though the advocates followed the law. The commissioners had schedule a special meeting to approve the signatures, but could not reach a quorum when a commissioner did not attend because of a medical issue. The county is stymieing efforts to find out what happened behind the scenes before the vote by attempting to charge $22,000 for public records of correspondence among local elected officials related to the vote.

Three weeks of intense media and community pressure followed the vote, including a protest by about 200 community members at the County Commissioners' and Mayor's Offices, which forced them to hold another meeting. The commissioners voted to allow the petitions to be counted. Because of all the delays by local leaders, we missed the deadline for a question on reforming campaign finance to appear on the Aug. 30th ballot. So now we are pushing for the question to appear in the November ballot. The commissioners, though, are claiming that the legal language in the initiative is "deficient" and the county attorney's office will sue to stop the initiative from getting on the ballot.

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When Daw Aung San Suu Kyi visits the White House in September for the first time as Burma's State Counselor, she will be focused on something more sustainable than the positive acclaim she can expect everywhere: building the economic component of our relationship.

Of course, her personal story -- and by extension, Burma's -- always bears retelling. The last time Daw Aung San Suu Kyi came to the United States, she was a member of parliament. Before that, she couldn't visit at all because she was a political prisoner under a military regime. But now, after decades of military rule, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President Htin Kyaw head a legitimately-elected civilian government.

More than 100 men and women -- once political prisoners themselves -- are now parliamentarians. And the new government has begun the laborious and patient process of building a democracy and an economy -- virtually from scratch.

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And there's the rub. Burma's full transition to an enduring democracy and inclusive economic growth is a work in progress. There are serious challenges ahead, in terms of human rights, labor rights and structural impediments to economic growth.

Recognizing this, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will be eager to demonstrate to her people that there are economic benefits to this democratic transition. To achieve that, she will work to convince American businesses that Burma is truly open for business with a secure and dependable democracy and a pro-business investment climate.

Our broader diplomatic efforts have been committed to supporting that outcome, from easing sanctions against the former government to working with the new government to build trade and investment.

And as the State Department's leading advocate for America's economic and business interests abroad, I have worked with my Bureau within the Department, my interagency colleagues, and U.S. companies to help fulfill the same agenda.

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That is why, in support of Secretary Kerry's American Innovation Roadshow series across Asia and President Obama's U.S.-ASEAN Connect initiative, I led a business delegation to Burma this month.

Accompanied by senior executives from IBM, General Motors, the Omidyar Network, and Deloitte, among others, I met with the new ministers of the democratically-elected government -- some of whom had been in prison for decades following their involvement in the pro-democracy movement.

We discussed a variety of topics, from the importance of an investment environment that supports transparency, predictability, and rule of law to building smart cities. And we underscored that U.S. businesses don't just invest abroad; they empower local communities, they model responsible business practices, and they bring international best practices, high standards, and new technologies to the economy.

Our visit was not restricted to government meetings, however. We went in search of the people who will be Burma's greatest economic asset: its entrepreneurs.

As a former CEO myself, I enjoyed participating on a panel at Phandeeyar, with US-ASEAN Business Council leaders, where we listened and responded to the business pitches of young entrepreneurs. Their innovative spirit reaffirmed for me that Burma's young nation is more than ready to help grow their economy, given the opportunity.

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It should be remembered that, in the 1940s and 1950s, Burma's rural productivity was so high, the country was often referred to as the "rice bowl" of the region. With more people empowered and engaged in the agricultural sector than any other, it is clear that reviving Burma's rural entrepreneurial spirit will be critical towards building better lives for the Burmese people.

We saw many examples of that growing spirit. In one village, for example, Coca-Cola has partnered with the NGO "PACT" on a micro-banking initiative called Swan Yi. This initiative empowers women by helping them save money, access credit, and start small businesses.

We were invited to witness a circle of women convening one of their regular meetings to support and expand local businesses. I was particularly moved by the pride of one woman as she showed us the herd of goats she now owned as a result of this initiative. Thanks to a loan from this group, she can begin to build her own sustainable livestock farm.

These and other highlights during a memorable visit brought some powerful truths home. Burma is still a fledgling democracy and a nascent economy, squinting at the bright light of opportunity. But it has the potential and the resources to build a better future for its people.

Those resources include Burma's natural wealth; from timber and precious stones to natural gas and oil. And by 2025, Burma is projected to be within a five-hour flight of more than half of the world's consumers.

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Finally, there is Burma's most important resource: its people -- whose economic potential has yet to be fully realized.
Purva Gupta is the Founder of Lily. Lily helps women discover & buy clothes according to their emotions and perceptions about their own body. Purva's team has built the industry's first algorithm that uses advanced machine learning to match emotions, preferences, and perceptions to clothes in real time- both in online and offline stores.

Purva is an alum of the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute, UNICEF, The Founder Institute, and Khosla Impact Fund, and has an MBA from the Indian School of Business.



Purva Gupta

What does entrepreneurship mean to you, and what underlying characteristics do you see in successful entrepreneurs?



Purva: For me, it is the most powerful medium to create the change I want to see in the world. It is indeed very hard to bring change in the face of resistance, but possible.

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The early stages of a startup are like launching a rocket against the force of gravity. The force of gravity is like every single imaginable & unimaginable challenge that comes in front of the founders everyday as they are trying to get the rocket off the ground. Nonetheless the fuel here is the founder's unwavering belief in their vision, consistent hard work and a healthy disregard for impossible.

Sometimes I agree with Elon Musk that entrepreneurship is like eating glass. And I would recommend it to anyone who has a taste for... eating glass!

What are you most proud of in your professional career?



Purva: Creating a product that speaks to the inner thoughts of a woman about her body by creating an emotional connection.

I started my career working with one of the world's best advertising agencies- Saatchi & Saatchi where I learnt that most loved brands connect emotionally with the user. It's how they make the user feel that matters. When I moved to New York, the desire to connect emotionally with users was breeding in me for a few years now. I was very observant of my own problems and thoughts. With a few months of shopping in the US, I started paying attention to my inner thoughts while shopping in stores- I was always looking for clothes that would make me look thinner or make me feel that I am looking thinner, because that's the social norm. I hated walking out of store without finding anything that fit my criteria. My strong itch persuaded me to speak to a 1000+ women about their shopping experiences only to come to the behavioral insight that- "Women are always trying to find clothes that helps them accentuate the parts of their body they like and de-emphasize the ones they don't like." That was my Aha! moment that led me to create Lily, knowing that no shopping experience today cares about what goes on in a woman's mind about her own body/needs when she is in a physical store or online buying clothes.

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I am very proud of the team building Lily- a founding team of women with backgrounds in machine learning/AI, behavioral science, marketing, image consulting and retail with working experiences at Facebook, Saatchi & Saatchi, Macy's, Instagram and Khosla Impact Fund and education from Stanford, MIT, CMU, ISB and Yale. And the team is dreaming big- to be the emotional intelligence in the world of commerce.



If you could do something over in your life, what would it be?

Purva: I feel everything in my life is going according to a script and the challenges are because there is a demand in the script for the protagonist to emerge as a gladiator overcoming those challenges. From an acute problem of stammering as a teenager to going against my family to marry the man I love and then pursuing a long distance relationship with him after marriage so I could chase my startup dream. I believe that every challenge is helping me learn something new about myself and making me more fearless. That said, I wish I had realized my love for technology as an enabler earlier when I was a teenager- may be I would have started building companies earlier. At 27, I feel I am running out of time.

Tell us about an instance where you had to go against the flow to realize your goal.



Purva: Recently, I had to give up (almost) everything I fought very hard for- a prestigious job, my secure US visa, financial security & staying with my husband under the same roof. What for? To further jump off the cliff and build a plane on my way down. I fought with my family to marry the guy I love. I married him. Then while still in India, I had to find myself a job in the US. A job that could help me create a ding before a dent in the world, and by the way, I wasn't even authorized to work in the US at the time. I found a job with UNICEF'S Innovation team creating a Venture capital inspired fund to back literally life saving technology products and I got a diplomatic visa to work in the US. My husband was attending his MBA program at Yale and I had just finished my MBA. Lets just say, we had enough in student loans, but my tax free salary from an international development agency was a good start. In the midst of all this- I found my calling to build Lily in the face of uncertainty. I had no money, I gave up my diplomat visa hat came with my job, I moved to California to join an incubator and most importantly I entered into a long distance relationship with my husband a year into our marriage. Then I literally asked myself- what would I do if I were not afraid? Would I go to California and build my company? A first time, non-technical, solo, female founder with lack of experience in retail, I was intimidated in the beginning, but passion won over fear and I am so glad I went against the flow.



How does Lily work?

Purva: Lily is all about how she makes the users feel about themselves and about the products they would like to buy from their favorite stores- online & offline. Our proprietary algorithm matches women with products in stores according to their emotional needs. On the mobile app, Lily asks the users simple questions and creates their unique profile. On the other hand, Lily embellishes product inventory from every brand or retailer with the similar attributes that create a user's unique profile. Hence the matching of products to people happens in real-time. Lily uses a personalized, hybrid chat as the fundamental user experience.



What drives you? How do you measure success for yourself?

Purva: When I describe Lily to women and they tell me they can't wait to use it. You always want to make something people want!

More than 80% women in the US are unhappy with their appearance, still current shopping experiences ignore what's going on in a woman's mind about her body which heavily influences the buying decision. Its is sad but true, as studies show, Women on an average get 13 negative thoughts about their body every single day. More than 85% apparel is bought in physical stores, still users are frustrated, confused and using trial & error to discover clothes in stores. And I want to create the emotional intelligence that can solve these problems. It fascinates me that a real real behavioral insight has led me to create a product that solves these hard problems mentioned above.

One of my measures of success is how solving this problem has become the personal mission of my life. I want to lead this movement of empowerment for women, leaving behind the self-doubt in appearance to a world of confidence, happiness and unlimited possibilities.

If you were to give advice to your 22 year old self, what would it be? What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were graduating from college?

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Purva: Until you don't ask, the answer is certainly no! So don't bother yourself with doubts, self-doubts or the mother of all questions, why will they listen to me? Asking hard questions is okay. Getting attracted to hard problems is even better. As I am realizing my own style now as a founder, I think I do not get discouraged by picking up hard problems. Almost every investor in the last few months has told me that I have picked up a very hard problem, but someone has to solve hard problems too, no?

Like every founder faces overwhelming times in the journey, I go through those as well. My way of dealing with situations is best explained by what Mark Watney, the character in the movie the Martian, says- 'One step at a time and you get to go home!'
BILLINGS, MT - MAY 26: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a rally on May 26, 2016 in Billings, Montana. According to a delegate count released Thursday, Trump has reached the number of delegates needed to win the GOP presidential nomination. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Republicans have now, by my count, missed two rather large opportunities to improve their general standing with Latino voters. Donald Trump's speech Wednesday (unless it is further postponed or even cancelled outright, of course) might just become the third big missed opportunity. This is a problem entirely of the Republicans' making, since they are caught in a spiral of trying to prove (to each other) how pure their opposition to immigration truly is. They keep redefining the ugly term they toss around (at each other) to describe apostates on the subject, and now will label anything short of deporting 11 million people as "amnesty." This is the trap Trump found himself in, all last week.

Again, this problem is entirely constructed and contained within the Republican Party. Pretty much anything the Democrats propose or support will automatically be called "amnesty," which doesn't really faze Democrats at this point (when your opponent is digging his own political grave, sometimes you just politely offer to hold his coat while he's working). But Republican politicians are terrified of anyone on the right slapping the A-word on them, and not without cause. "Getting primaried" by a Tea Party stalwart is a very real threat.

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The Republican establishment tried mightily to avoid the position they now find themselves in. After Mitt Romney lost in 2012, they issued a post-mortem document which suggested that maybe Republicans shouldn't demonize undocumented immigrants quite so much, if they wanted to remain a viable political party on the national level (or "have any prayer of winning the White House for the next generation," perhaps). This sage advice was heard by some in the party, but not by quite enough of them.

What followed the post-mortem was an honest attempt to come up with a comprehensive immigration reform plan that Republicans could actually vote for. The "Gang of Eight" came up with just such a plan, and it passed the Senate with a comfortable margin. This bill was then totally and completely ignored by the Republican House, where the Tea Party had more influence. The turnabout was swift, and very likely destroyed Marco Rubio's chance of winning the Republican nomination this year. Rubio, a Gang of Eight member, had initially tried to claim pretty much all the available credit for the bill the Senate passed. To hear him talk, he singlehandedly came up with the compromise (much to the annoyance of a few other GOP Gang of Eight members, it's worth mentioning). But then he realized it wasn't going to pass the House, so he flip-flopped and refused to support the very bill he was supposed to have been solely responsible for creating. Watching Rubio's shift was enough to give a political observer whiplash.

That was the first chance the Republicans blew. It would have actually doubled the size of the Border Patrol, and it would have had a very long "path to citizenship" -- one that would have taken (at a minimum) 13 long years for anyone to travel. The plan, naturally, was labelled "amnesty" by the purists in the Tea Party. The second big chance the Republicans torpedoed was perhaps the biggest danger to the Democratic position on the issue, because it sounded quite reasonable to the general public. Some crafty Republicans decided on doing a little triangulation of the Latino demographic. What they came up with was a "path to legalization" -- again, a very reasonable-sounding idea to many. Immigrants without documentation would be allowed to (eventually -- the "path" would doubtlessly have been a long one) apply for and receive legal status, which would allow them to legally work and pay taxes. They'd be legal residents, with the functional equivalent of a green card. The catch, though, would be that they would never be allowed to take the final step most green card holders take -- they would have been consigned to never being able to become citizens.

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This was actually a brilliant plan, for the Republicans. If they had gotten behind it in a big way and pushed a bill through Congress, then Democrats might now be awfully fearful that Latino support could be up for grabs in future elections. But, of course, Republicans blew this golden opportunity once again, with plenty of cries of "Amnesty!" from the peanut gallery of the Tea Partiers in the House.

The brilliance of this plan might eventually be resurrected, so it is important for Democrats to understand it. There are essentially three things that a legal resident cannot do that a U.S. citizen is allowed to do: hold certain sensitive government jobs, serve on a jury, and vote. Now, the missing out on the joys of jury duty or being a spy for the C.I.A. (or whatever other sensitive job openings fall under this classification) aren't exactly big worries for most people in this situation. What undocumented immigrants instead worry about is being pulled over by a cop for some silly infraction, only to end up being deported. The weight of these fears is almost unimaginable to those who don't experience such feelings on a daily basis. How many undocumented immigrants might accept legal status as "good enough," even if the price is forever forfeiting the chance to actually participate in American democracy? The opportunity to be able to show a police officer a residency card and to be allowed a drivers' license would lift an enormous weight off the shoulders of millions. And they might even be grateful to the Republicans who allowed such a thing to happen. This is the brilliance of the GOP plan, at least as far as Democrats are concerned.

That is, if they could ever get such a thing passed. To be blunt, they can't -- because the purists in the party have (no surprise) already called such a position amnesty. Donald Trump was flirting with supporting this position last week, but now appears to have moved back into the "they've all got to go home" camp once again.

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Trump's speech might represent the third blown opportunity, because if he really has gone back to his hardline position it means Republicans might see Latinos voting solidly Democratic for a long time to come. Mitt Romney only managed to get 27 percent of the national Latino vote, but Trump could easily sink a lot lower than that. Future Republican presidential candidates might struggle to even get double digits, in much the same way they currently do with African-Americans.

From where I sit, Trump has one opportunity left. I even hesitate to publicly state it, because it would be such a game-changer for the entire immigration reform debate. There is one glaring fact in the midst of all the posturing on immigration that neither party has ever adequately addressed, and that is the unacceptable backlog of immigrants -- legal immigrants -- who routinely wait decades for their paperwork to be processed. Imagine waiting in a D.M.V. line for twenty years, and you'll begin to comprehend what people who legally apply for immigration regularly face.

For any other government service, a wait time of two decades would be beyond unacceptable. But because these are immigrants (who can't yet vote), there is little political will in Washington to change things any time soon. It would require a massive infusion of resources to even begin to attack this monstrous backlog, and neither Democrats nor Republicans are willing to even broach the subject in Congress.

To put it plainly: we would not have a problem with illegal immigration if our legal immigration system were not so broken. Imagine if the backlog were erased, and immigrants with a solid claim knew they would only have to wait something like three years for their paperwork to be processed. It would mean few would attempt to illegally immigrate, since the legal process wouldn't be such an undue burden.

This is why I say it could be a game-changer for Donald Trump. Only Nixon could go to China, and only someone like Trump could ever propose such a radical plan to Republicans with any hope of seeing it become reality. Trump could say in his upcoming speech something like the following:

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The backlog for legal immigration is disgraceful. It's disgraceful! It can take someone two decades to enter this country as a legal immigrant, after they file their paperwork. The system is totally broken, folks. As president, I will put tens of billions of dollars into hiring people to process all this paperwork, so that the process for legally immigrating becomes a lot more humane and manageable for everyone. Within the first two years of my administration, the backlog will cease to exist. I want to see anyone with a claim to immigrate to America have their application considered within three years -- and not a day more! When this has been achieved, then I will have no special plan for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in America -- they can just get in line with everyone else, knowing that their application will be dealt with in three years. I don't think three years is too long to wait, especially for someone who has been here for 10 or 15 years already. People already here will have to pay any and all back taxes, and they'll have to pay a reasonable penalty for breaking the law for so long. Hey, you broke the law, you pay a big fine, that's the way it goes. But then they'll be just as eligible as anyone else and they'll be able to go through the same process as everyone else, knowing it won't take decades before they get an answer. The real problem is the backlog, folks. Believe me. We're going to get rid of it. Problem solved!

That is what should worry Democrats, although the chances of Trump actually taking this issue on is remote enough for me to propose it to him before he actually gives his speech. Trump could change the conversation overnight on the immigration issue, and focus everyone on how broken the system truly is. He could make his "I'm a businessman" pitch by identifying a problem even Democrats never want to talk about. "I'm an outsider, I will change Washington" would fit right in with taking on the backlog head-on. Oh, sure, some Republicans would howl at spending any money in the budget, but Trump could sell the idea that they would all be "temporary jobs for the emergency," and that after the backlog was cleared, many of the jobs would disappear. A temporary hike in the budget would be a lot easier sell than spending the money every year for eternity, in other words.

Trump would even avoid the amnesty label as well. One of the few positions still accepted by the hardliners (who toss the label around with abandon at their fellow Republicans) is that the 11 million people already here should have to "get in the back of the line" and "receive no special treatment." If the only special treatment Trump is proposing is having them pay all their back taxes and a big fine, that would probably be acceptable to the hardliners. Trump would be seen as fixing the underlying problem, and after it was fixed the problem of the 11 million would essentially solve itself. If applying for legal immigration weren't such a nightmare for so many, there would be no real reason why these people wouldn't be happy (indeed, overjoyed) to "get in the back of the line." Their biggest problem with doing so now is that the back of the line means a 20-year wait or more. Remove that obstacle, and the system might just work fairly well for everyone.

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If Donald Trump came up with such a plan, it would unquestionably change the entire conversation surrounding immigration reform. If the legal immigration system worked well, in a timely fashion, then the enticement of illegally immigrating would all but disappear. It'd be a true paradigm shift. The tenor of the debate would shift -- even within the Republican Party -- from throwing endless money at border controls (and walls) and repeated choruses of "Amnesty!" to questions like: "How much is this going to cost?" and "Can it be done on Trump's timetable?" Democrats would be left flat-footed, with the choice of either supporting Trump's plan or having to explain why they couldn't do so. Hillary Clinton would be left with only: "Me too! I'm for that too!" as a viable political position, which would cede the prize for leadership on the issue to Trump himself.

It would indeed be a game-changer. But Donald Trump and the entire Republican Party are quite likely to blow this latest opportunity in the same spectacular fashion as they've blown all other recent opportunities. So I'm really not all that worried that Trump will take my advice.

Chris Weigant blogs at:
Part II: How the Policy Came About and Will It Last?

In a blog last week, I summarized the Department of Justice's August 18 announcement it plans to stop sending federal inmates to privately-owned prisons. Now, let's look at the background leading up to this change, and how far-reaching it may turn out to be.

Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates' announcement took most commentators by surprise, but signs were in fact mounting private prisons were becoming a bigger issue. For example, spurred by Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, the Democratic Party's 2016 political platform for the first time included a call for ending federal contracts with private prisons.

Second-term Administration efforts - like DOJ's "Smart on Crime" initiative and a presidential commutation project - drew greater attention to the size and cost of the federal inmate population. The most immediate foreshadowing for DOJ's announcement, however, came exactly a week earlier, when a DOJ Inspector General's report unfavorably compared the safety and effectiveness of private prisons, where DOJ's Bureau of Prisons has contracted to house nearly 12% of all federal inmates, to BOP-run prisons.

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The IG's report evaluated performance data on eight key security and inmate safety criteria for the 14 private prisons DOJ used between fiscal years 2011 and 2014, comparing them with results at 14 BOP-operated prisons comparable populations and services. With few exceptions, private prisons performed worse on a per-capita basis than did BOP facilities.

Eight times as many contraband cellphones were seized in private prisons, and assaults by inmates occurred at higher rates - both on other inmates and on staff. Private prisons also had more frequent lockdowns, use of force incidents, guilty findings in inmate discipline hearings, and inmate-filed grievances; monitoring of inmate telephone conversations was lower. In private prisons they visited, IG investigators discovered new inmates being routinely held in solitary confinement, apparently as a stopgap overcrowding remedy, and detected other administrative lapses, including failure to secure use-of-force videos or take timely action against rules violations.

The IG's report faulted BOP's oversight, especially its compliance checklist which omits some important health and corrections services, such as verifying inmates receive such BOP-mandated services as initial health exams, TB tests, and immunizations, and which also failed to require confirmation of staffing levels and certain security inspections. The report also noted BOP compliance officers weren't required to coordinate with health service supervisors.

Private corrections firms criticized the report, saying it lacked data to show inmate populations at their facilities were actually comparable to inmates in BOP facilities the report used for comparison.

DOJ's announcement didn't apply to privately-operated residential reentry centers, short-facilities for recently released inmates. Nor did it cover Department of Homeland Security- created detention centers, or state prison systems, which send far more inmates to private prisons. But private prison opponents quickly took up the call for states and DHS to follow DOJ in pulling out.

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If BOP-run prisons must in fact absorb inmates transferred from private prisons, their inmate populations may not only increase, but also change somewhat in character (private prison executives note their facilities have focused primarily on housing adult males, particularly criminal aliens). And since the plan will take up to five years, its fate will largely be determined by the administration arriving next January.
Oprah's newest book titled "What I Know For Sure" got me to asking myself what do I really know? After these past two really challenging years one thing I really know about is picking yourself up and starting over after things fall apart. I just turned 49 (amazing all by itself!). More amazing is that even now, I am, once again, reinventing my life and career.

This has been such a difficult time but also one of such huge growth that I feel compelled to share it. I know I am not alone in facing abrupt reinvention and I hope my own journey can be helpful to others SO... here are my Top Ten Rules to Strong Self-Reinvention.

1) Look for Deeper Meaning in the Mess



Two years ago when my life blew up, again, in spectacular fashion, I was freaked out, angry and absolutely terrified. I was scared to death that maybe I really was so flawed, so deeply fucked up, I was beyond repair and would never be able to achieve a sound, solid career and life.

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But, despite the terror and exhaustion, I knew that in order to find a way out I had to go in, deep. The first step to breaking through the breakdown is taking a deep, honest look into ourselves at our patterns, the parts of us that need to improve AND the parts of us we know are good.

In the midst of my brokenness I saw how tormented I'd been by my feelings of unworthiness. I was horrified and embarrassed to realize how much that "not-enoughness" had driven a deep desire to be recognized and validated by others. This was wildly painful and embarrassing to face but as soon as I did I started growing again, and loving myself more. As I got to know myself better I started more truly believing in my own value.

In reinvention it's important to examine the circumstances, feelings and reactions and stay on the alert for those Eureka! moments when a whole new realization pops into consciousness. It's often in our most tortured moments we learn the really powerful truths that can transform and free us.

2) Make Conscious Choices



Sometimes life blows up and we have no other option but to reinvent. The choices then aren't if you're going to do something differently, they're what and how you're going to do it. For me, I just made the choice that I wasn't going to allow my attackers to defeat me. That not only meant figuring out a way to get my career back on the rails. It also meant not allowing myself to harden, to succumb to the depression or the hate. It meant working very intentionally on my inner self and on forgiveness.

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Other times the call for reinvention is more subtle. Things aren't catastrophic but you know they aren't what they should or could be. In some ways this is even harder because you have to throw yourself out of the nest! You have to overcome the human tendency to stay in the comfort zone even when it's uncomfortable. Everything we do is a choice. Deciding to do nothing is a choice!

3) Allow Yourself to Wallow in It -- Have a Dirty Bathrobe Day



At the beginning of my ordeal I tried everything to fight back against the destruction seizing my life. I fought and flailed to keep my career moving. But at times the sheer weight, fear and hurt took me under. Then I would lie on the couch in my increasingly dirty bathrobe, binge-watch TV ALL DAY and drink too much beer at night. At first, I felt terribly guilty but as time went on I relaxed into these occasional escape days.

A couple of months into my unasked for life-changing mess I told my counselor about my Dirty Bathrobe days and, to my great surprise, she said, "Well, given what you're going through as long as it's only a day or so and not three or four and every week, it's probably pretty healthy!"

When facing extremely challenging, life-changing phases in our lives we need to be gentle with ourselves and make some room every now and then to lay down the burden and take a break from the battle.

4) But Don't Wallow Long -- Get Your Butt Off the Couch!



The reason I was able to begin to relax into the Dirty Bathrobe Days was that I never stayed for very long. After one or two days of god only knows how many episodes of Game of Thrones, Heartland, Orange is the Next Black and countless Lifetime movies I would always pull myself up, reengage, get back to taking better care of myself and start moving forward again. I got to where I could really enjoy a wallow day here and there because I knew I could trust myself even in the midst of awful circumstances to drag my butt up off that couch!

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It is critical to find your motivation, your catalyst, the thing you hook into to pull out of the despair. And this is NEVER something outside yourself even though it might look like it.

For me, this came in the form of my beloved dog, who after two days of laying next to my prone, zoned body would become restless and I knew she needed exercise. Or the cat pestered me for food. Or my fiance really needed to talk. Sometimes it was that I just didn't want to treat myself unhealthfully for one more moment. It was love that got me off the couch. Love for the dog, the cat, John and even for myself.

So go ahead and give yourself a break, wallow a bit, but for god's sake don't lie around until you get bedsores or can't find a Lifetime movie you haven't seen!

5) Get Professional Help



If you can't pull out of your version of the Dirty Bathrobe Day get professional help immediately. And, even if you can, get help!

I am a big believer. The old stigma has it all wrong. It's not the really fucked up, crazy people who go to mental health therapists; it's the people who are sane enough and brave enough to realize they are in deep.

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When my recent ordeal exploded it triggered so much pain from past traumas that I found myself literally flinching from old memories. I knew I was going to need professional help to cope with the attacks and my own frantic, stabbing feelings. I began working with a therapist, who luckily, was trained in Eye Movement Deprogramming and Reprocessing (EMDR). This turned out to be life-transforming. I am now absolutely certain that had I not leaned into therapy so early in the crisis I would have had a much harder time surviving it, let alone thriving on the other side.

Professional counseling can be especially valuable if your need for reinvention involves shame. Growing scientific evidence suggests that shame is one the most painful and destructive emotions. Guilt is believing that you have done something bad; shame is believing that you are bad. Shame means feeling worthless, rejected, cast out.

The professional counseling and deep dive inner work not only helped me survive the onslaught, but it actually empowered me to reach a place where I feel more enough than I ever have in my entire life. This feeling is SO WORTH the vulnerability of baring your soul to a trained stranger!

6) Remember You Still Are Even if You Don't Still Have



In what seemed like a blink of an eye I lost my title, all my current clients, every single one of my active work projects, the home I had lived in for four years and, at least in some circles, my reputation. The sense of loss was devastating and, because I had always based so much of my self-worth on my work and doings, I felt utterly cast adrift and valueless.

The main thing that helped me weather the loss was realizing that even through I may not HAVE those things anymore, I still WAS everything I had been before my fall from grace. Every talent, every skill, every bit of professional and personal experience was still in me.

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The same is true of everyone. You can lose things, positions, jobs, titles, homes, lovers. But no matter the loss you still are what you are and all your talents and experiences are right there ready to help you open up the next phase of your reinvented life.

7) Imagine that Maybe You Are So Much More Than You Thought -- STRETCH!



Because of the circumstances that led to the unasked for pause in my career my usual work channels were closed to me for over a year. This was so horribly painful. Who was I if I wasn't a consultant, an advocate, if I wasn't working on the issues I'd dedicated my life to?

At first I was resentful and terrified and my ego stung. I felt like I'd been demoted in life in general! I really had to scramble just to pay the bills. But I moved forward, took some risks, STRETCHED! I got a paid gig as a writer. I took on some research work. I started teaching personal development courses. I also started volunteering for causes I loved but had been too busy for. And, guess what? I LOVED it!

I realized that by fighting so hard to hold onto my old familiar view of myself I was actually limiting my full identity. Not only was I everything I had been before but I was also a professional writer, a wildlife healer and a great dog-fence builder! By clinging to the old image of myself, I was masking my bigger, fuller, more creative bad ass Self with a capital S!

You can either believe you've been lessened by the loss of the old, familiar way of things, or you can find fabulous aspects of a fuller, richer, more multi-faceted YOU.

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8) Kiss People Off and Make New Friends



Sometimes one of the hardest things about self-reinvention is the need to cut loose the people around us. There is a reason the old cliche about learning who your true friends are has been around for so long. It really is in our darkest hours we learn who is truly there for us and who isn't. I was staggered with the pain of abandonment by so many I considered friends and the terrible sense of isolation.

To reinvent strong you have to shed the people who undermine you. Don't chase after the ones who flee. You can never lose a true friend and abandoners aren't worth your effort. And don't spend time with those who tear down your dreams or judge you unworthy. It is easy enough to fall into the trap of doing that ourselves -- we don't need reinforcements!

Instead be very intentional, spending time with people who are positive, moving forward and genuinely want good for you. Sometimes these are the old, dear friends that stick. Other times they're new friends that appear at just the right moment -- don't overlook or undervalue either of these precious gifts. And do not, for one more second, spend your precious time and energy on people who don't believe in you and want you to be your very best!

And remember, cutting someone loose today doesn't mean they're out of your life forever -- sometimes it just needs a big break. I "divorced" my biological family for years and now we are coming back together more healthfully and lovingly than I ever would have believed.

9) Keep Giving



When I finally let it sink in that it would be months before I could resume my career my self-value plummeted. Some part of me knew that I needed to find a way to feel like I was making a positive contribution. That's when I started volunteering for causes I cared about. I joined a volunteer organization that builds fences for dogs who were living their lives on the end of a chain.

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It was incredibly good for me. Watching a dog run and play freely for the first time in their lives in a fence that I had helped build I knew I'd done something valuable that day. Their canine joy and forgiving natures were infectious. And, being part of the community of fellow volunteers helped overcome my sense of isolation.

Giving to someone else is one of the very best ways to feel valuable and abundant because it proves you have enough to spare, you have something of value.

10) Develop/ Deepen a Spiritual Practice (I don't mean religion!)



I am beyond grateful that I already had an established practice of meditation, journaling and spiritual connection before my big mess slammed into my life. However, what I was going through was so intense I knew I needed more. For a while every book I read was on the subject of spiritual growth in difficult times. Feeling a bit like the Prodigal Daughter I reconnected with the Unity church I hadn't attended in ten years! I started working with a Course in Miracles. Not only have these steps helped me cope with the trauma, they've opened whole new vistas, opportunities and friendships.

Whatever spiritual path you choose be sure to include gratitude. It is essential not to let the challenges blind you to goodness and abundance you already have. We attract what we focus on. What we appreciate appreciates! And there is nothing better for keeping a hopeful positive outlook than practicing gratitude.

Connecting to our spiritual aspects is essential to shaping a strong self-reinvention. These times of turmoil can break us down but they also hold the promise of breaking us open into deeper, richer more beautiful lives. Getting in touch with spirit, with our true inner selves is key to seizing that awesome gift.

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To Wrap Up: Make no mistake, successful self-reinvention isn't for wimps! But it is absolutely essential to living your fullest life. Here's to empowering your inner Phoenix Rising and becoming the next awesome version of YOU!

If you fellow reinventors have other tips I'd love to hear them! cylvia@3estrategies.org.

This article first appeared on www.cylviahayes.net.
A recent story in The New York Times tells you all you need to know about the mandatory arbitration process imposed on investors who use brokers.

Blatant misconduct

The story reported on the erratic behavior of Steve Wyatt, a top broker employed by Morgan Stanley in Mississippi. Mr. Wyatt had exhibited signs of erratic behavior, including sleeplessness, coming into the office in the middle of the night and trading client money "erratically." During his five years of employment, his "problematic behavior and business patterns" were brought to the attention of Morgan Stanley's compliance officers and supervisors "many times."

His conduct had a devastating effect on the portfolios of his clients. They allegedly lost about half of their investments, aggregating almost $50 million. He was fired in 2012.

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The Mississippi Secretary of State entered into a settlement with Morgan Stanley. It barred Mr. Wyatt and his immediate supervisor from the securities industry for life and required Morgan Stanley to establish a fund of $4.2 million to reimburse clients.

A process inherently biased

Since the settlement was a fraction of the losses, aggrieved investors commenced arbitration proceedings, as they were required to do in the account opening statements with Morgan Stanley. The arbitration process is administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), which describes itself as " an independent, not-for-profit organization authorized by Congress to protect America's investors by making sure the securities industry operates fairly and honestly."

The Board of Governors of FINRA is populated by members of the industry it's supposed to regulate, including representatives from Merrill Lynch and Edward Jones, among others.

Think of this arbitration system this way: If you had a dispute with a funeral director, how would you feel if you were required to arbitrate it through a process administered by a funeral trade association?

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Using its leverage

Given the sordid history of this matter, you would think the arbitrations would be a slam dunk for Mr. Wyatt's clients. In fact, you might wonder why Morgan Stanley would not settle these cases and avoid the uncertainty, cost and expense of an arbitration.

Your assessment would ignore the ace Morgan Stanley had up its sleeve: The FINRA arbitration process is perceived by many to be biased in favor of the securities industry. Instead of settling these cases, Morgan Stanley is fighting them -- hard. It alleges the clients were "negligent" for not monitoring their investments with Mr. Wyatt more closely and that the losses were caused by the financial crises.

One client, an 84 year old widow, placed her trust in Mr. Wyatt and in the company's ability to supervise him. Morgan Stanley defended the arbitration she commenced, alleging she willingly signed up for an "aggressive portfolio" and should bear the responsibility for her losses.

The arbitrators tossed her a bone, and awarded her $150,000, despite evidence her losses totaled $700,000.

She was fortunate to receive any award.

The case for abolishing this process

William Galvin, the highly respected Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts testified before a congressional subcommittee on March 17, 2005. He correctly characterized FINRA's arbitration process as follows:

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"The term "arbitration" as it is used in these proceedings is a misnomer.

Most often, this process is not about two evenly matched parties to a dispute seeking the middle ground and a resolution to their conflict from knowledge, independence and unbiased fact finders, rather what we have in America today is an industry sponsored damage containment and control program masquerading as a juridical proceeding."

One study found that 80 percent of arbitrators in these proceedings are male with an average age of 69.

Misleading investors

Morgan Stanley has no remorse. It's spokesperson stated: "We take extremely seriously our responsibility for placing our clients' interest first."

The reality is quite different. As indicated in this study, Morgan Stanley, and other brokerage firms, profess to "put the interest of the clients first", but disavow this obligation in arbitration proceedings. In order to be legally obligated to put the interest of clients first, Morgan Stanley would have to accept what is known as a "fiduciary" standard of care. The study quoted from its position in another arbitration as follows:

"There is no fiduciary duty where, as here, the client maintains a non-discretionary brokerage account."

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Lack of political will

To date, all efforts to legislate an end to mandatory arbitration have lacked the political will to get it done, despite the views of a former SEC Commissioner, the North American Securities Administrators Association and various consumer groups, including the AARP.

You can read more about the deficiencies in FINRA's arbitration system, the lack of diversity of its arbitrators, unjust results of these proceedings and the inherent conflict of interest of arbitrators who "are reluctant to make big rulings against the industry because they won't be asked back", in this compelling blog.

Protect yourself

As an investor, you should know that your broker essentially has carte blanche to engage in wrongful conduct -- with or without the knowledge of the brokerage firm -- and, regardless of the merit of your claim, you're unlikely to find justice before a FINRA panel.

There's a simple way to avoid this fate. Don't do business with any broker. Instead, invest yourself using low cost index funds available from fund families like Vanguard and Fidelity, use a robo-advisor like Betterment or Wealthfront, or use the services of a registered investment advisor (RIA). RIAs are required by law to act solely in your best interest and will confirm that obligation in writing. Most importantly, disputes with RIAs are not subject to FINRA's mandatory arbitration process.

Don't put yourself in a position where you can be victimized by your broker, and revictimized when you try to recover your losses.

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Dan Solin is a New York Times bestselling author of the Smartest series of books, including The Smartest Investment Book You'll Ever Read, The Smartest Retirement Book You'll Ever Read and his latest, The Smartest Sales Book You'll Ever Read.
U.S. President Barack Obama listens to comments during a working session at a G-20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia on Friday, Sept. 6, 2013. World leaders are discussing Syria's civil war at the summit but look no closer to agreeing on international military intervention to stop it. (AP Photo/Dimitar Dilkoff, Pool)

When President Obama travels to China for the G20 economic summit on September 4, he will arrive amidst the worst crackdown on human rights activists since the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. In what many China experts are warning is a dangerous new form of authoritarianism, China's President Xi Jinping has in the last two years jailed and "disappeared" hundreds of human rights activists and lawyers and denied many access to legal counsel or visits by family members, a violation of China's own laws and international commitments. Those eventually released are often coerced into publicly "confessing" that foreigners tried to use them to undermine the Chinese government. As the U.S. State Department's 2015 report on human rights in China notes: "Repression and coercion markedly increased during the year against organizations and individuals involved in civil and political rights advocacy and public interest and ethnic minority issues."

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So what can the United States do about it?

It needs to do something, because the disease is contagious. Around the world, including in several other G20 states, governments are increasingly repressing and attempting to eliminate the independent non-governmental organizations that make up what we call "civil society." In fact, more than one hundred states have recently passed legislative restrictions on foreign funding and foreign cooperation with NGOs.

President Obama has repeatedly pointed to the importance of strong civil society during his presidency. In September 2013 he launched Stand with Civil Society -- "a global call to action to support, defend, and sustain civil society amid a rising tide of restrictions on its operations globally." His September 23, 2014 Presidential Memorandum instructing U.S. agencies to engage with civil society abroad pointed out: "The participation of civil society is fundamental to democratic governance. Through civil society, citizens come together to hold their leaders accountable and address challenges that governments cannot tackle alone."

The situation in China represents an alarming example of an attempt to destroy precisely such citizen efforts. In April, China passed a new Foreign NGO Management Law, scheduled to go into effect in January, which forbids foreign funding of all NGOs and gives Chinese security forces authority over them. Foreign NGOs may not engage in any activities that damage "China's national interests" or "ethnic unity," and individuals can be held criminally responsible for funding a foreign NGO engaged in activities that "split the country or damage national unity or subvert the state." The new law is expected to restrict the work of more than seven thousand independent rights and humanitarian organizations operating in China.

This follows a sweeping national security law China passed last year bolstering the power of its security forces and extending their reach to all areas of Chinese society, from culture to education to cyberspace. Human rights advocates in China worry the government will use the laws to target civil society activists.

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U.S. officials have voiced concern about the new restrictions on foreign NGOs, but done nothing more to pressure China to revoke or modify its new law. President Obama's visit to China in September will likely be his last and best opportunity to make clear to the Chinese government undermining basic human rights, of its own citizens and of foreigners, will have negative consequences for U.S-China relations.

According to National Security Advisor Susan Rice, "Advancing democracy and respect for human rights is central to our foreign policy" and "profoundly in our interests."

President Obama seemed to recognize that when he went to Russia for the G20 summit in 2013. In St. Petersburg, he met with a broad range of rights activists, noting that "a country's strength ultimately comes from its people" and that "what makes a country democratic and effective in delivering prosperity and security and hope to people is when they've got an active, thriving civil society."

When he arrives in Hongzhou on September 4, President Obama should make clear to President Xi that the U.S. government supports independent civil society organizations focused on advancing human rights. As Human Rights First made clear in a recent letter to the president, he can do that in three clear ways:

1) Invite Chinese civil society and rights activists who are not in prison to meet with him;

2) Publicly call for the release of detained and imprisoned activists and an end to the arrests and trials of human rights lawyers on pretextual charges such as "subverting state power;" and

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3) Speak out publicly against the anti-NGO law and other overly-restrictive laws in China that threaten civil society and rights activists.

To be most effective, President Obama should coordinate his statements of opposition with other G20 countries that share these concerns.

President Obama has made a strong case during his presidency that human rights is an important component of national security. He has acknowledged when the U.S. government hasn't always lived up to those values, and he's attempted to ensure the United States acts in accordance with international law and human rights principles going forward.
If geopolitics can be understood as a succession of situations in which the relations among the actors constantly evolve, the chess or Go game on a world scale, the analyst has to characterize each successive configuration. In that sense, it can be argued that the current moment in global affairs is marked by a growing uncertainty and disorder.

The underlying causes of this entropy are as profound as powerful - deep demographic trends, a series of unprecedented technological disruptions, power diffusion and shift of power - but they come to the surface through economic, social, political or international crises.



The G20 Hangzhou summit especially matters because it coincides with an accumulation and intensification of crises: a sluggish global economic recovery following the 2008 financial crisis, the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s, environmental perturbations threatening the balance between nature and mankind, the development of regional tensions impacting the interactions and level of trust among the G20 members.

"Now, all eyes are on the G20" wrote Xi Jinping, the President of the People's Republic of China, in a message announcing the Chinese presidency of the international mechanism on December 1 2015. He was already the host of the 26th APEC Economic Leader's Meeting two years ago in Beijing, but both the nature of the G20 and its timing makes it the most important international event that Xi Jinping will chair in his home country.

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The high expectations for the summit can be explained by the unique context surrounding it but also by the recognition that it can have a positive impact at a critical moment in the international relations.



The surprise of the Brexit can be interpreted as both an effect and a cause of a larger disorder. Facing the consequences across Europe of the 2008 economic crisis on the one side, and, on the other, the "Arab Spring" and the migratory issue it generated, a majority of the British voters called to a referendum on June 23 added more volatility in the global village by choosing to take the United Kingdom out of the European Union.



When the G20 convenes on September 4 and 5 by the West Lake no one really knows in the European capitals how the EU27 and the UK will organize their future interactions and what will be the terms and dynamics of a new China/EU27/UK triangle. Such political uncertainty across an entire continent undermines the EU's economy - according to the World Bank, at 28, the world's largest in 2015 - and clearly handicaps the global recovery.

At a bilateral level, it has also to be noticed that Theresa May, leader of the British Conservative Party and Prime Minister since July 11, has already shaken what was presented by many as the UK/China "Golden Era" by unexpectedly requesting a review of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station project, a 18 billion mega deal involving both French and Chinese interests.



The Syrian ongoing tragedy - more than 300 000 people killed in five years, 8 million internally displaced and 5 million refugees -, terrible side effect of the "Arab Spring", has deeply affected its northern neighbor, Turkey, which is, with Saudi Arabia, one of the two G20 members from the Middle East. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will travel to China but his mind and his closest advisors will be preoccupied by the challenges that Ankara is facing following the July 15 coup d'Etat attempt fomented by some individuals from the Turkish armed forces.

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In the Far East, the South China Sea issue has generated mutual suspicions between China and Australia and complicates the China-ASEAN interactions - Indonesia, the world's 16th economy, being the only ASEAN country belonging to the G20.

In Northeast Asia, the decision by South Korea's President Park Geun-hye to deploy the THAAD anti-ballistic missile system in reaction to Kim Jong-un's behavior brings serious turbulence in the relations between Beijing and Seoul.

Besides, the nomination in August by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of the hyper nationalist Tomomi Inada as defense minister in Tokyo is not conducive to political synergies between China and Japan, respectively the world's second and third largest economy.

Three of the BRICS countries, Brazil, Russia and South Africa, the G20 only African nation, are facing economic difficulties but, with the suspension since May of President Dilma Rousseff, Brasilia adds political instability to economic downturn.



Moreover, a factor complicating the backdrop of the Hangzhou summit, is the American populist temptation, in the middle of a tough campaign leading to the presidential election on November 8, to depict China as the source of its own inadequacies and, beyond, as a generator of global disorder in a series of variations on the theme of the "China Threat".

However, volatility and entropy should not paralyze the intergovernmental mechanisms, on the contrary, they are an urgent call for decisive actions and wise leadership at the service of a better global governance. Without the appropriate reforms of the global institutions and the strengthening of the global governance disorder will only broaden.



It is in this context that the G20 Hangzhou summit offers a unique opportunity for the world leaders to enter a course of constructive, responsible and inclusive policies and, by doing so, to advance a renewed global governance. The G20 is not a substitute for the United Nations but with 85% of the world economy, more than 80% of global trade and 2/3 of the world population it ideally complements in the field of finance and economy the work done by the UN in the security domain.

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For Hangzhou to be a success, world leaders have to insist on the points of convergence and focus on cooperative actions staying away from sterile controversies. One can't hope for a more robust global economic growth which would be beneficial for all without a better coordination of monetary, fiscal and structural policies.



In a sense, there is no better place than China today to reassure on the capacity to tackle daunting problems and to send a message of confidence for the future of the world economy. In the first half of 2016, supported by an entrepreneurial mindset - what is called in Beijing "mass entrepreneurship" - and an appetite for innovation, China's GDP grew by 6,7%, and, last year, the Middle Country contributed approximately 30% to global economic growth.

Xi Jinping's ambitious and long term plan for a New Silk Road - known also as the "One Belt, One Road" strategy -, the world's largest infrastructure project building upon the success of China's own material transformation, is open to the Eurasian and African countries and, beyond, to all the forces willing to create the conditions for future economic expansion. In Hangzhou, both Kazakhstan and Egypt, pivotal countries on the New Silk Road, will be the special guests of the Chinese presidency.

The Hangzhou meeting comes only nine months after the success of the COP21. Laurent Fabius, the chairman of the Paris conference and the main architect of its positive outcome, acknowledged on several occasions that without the synergies between the U.S. President Barack Obama and Xi Jinping it would have been impossible for the 195 parties to reach such a historical agreement on climate change. There is no doubt that the G20 chairman, President Xi Jinping, will ensure that in Hangzhou the Paris' spirit is kept well alive.



All along the preparation leading to the Hangzhou summit (G20, B20 or T20 meetings) the host country has rightly repeated that a long term approach to solving problems is of the utmost importance. The effectiveness of China's internal governance - a proven capacity to reform and to act with a long term strategic horizon - is an invitation for the 11th G20 meeting to take us closer to the new equilibrium of an organized multipolarity.

For years, discussions on a permanent secretariat of the G20 have been recurrent. For the G20 to fully play its role such a mechanism would be indeed a necessary condition and the idea to use the OECD as a de facto office is far to be satisfying. As a link between the developed and the developing economies, as the 21st century major factor of geopolitical change, China would be the ideal venue for the establishment of a secretariat at the service of an effective G20.

The shores and the hills of Hangzhou's West Lake have been a source of inspiration for many of the greatest minds of the Chinese civilization, it is a setting which can certainly inspire today's world leaders.



However, despite the quality of its preparation and organization a two-day summit can't realistically solve all the world's problems and order the disorder but it can certainly infuse a spirit. Working "towards an innovative, invigorated, interconnected and inclusive world economy", the official theme of the meeting, the spirit of the Hangzhou summit takes its roots in the imperatives of creativity, harmony and inclusiveness, such a spirit can enrich our collective wisdom and is an encouragement for mankind to envision a common dream of peace and happiness.

In the written message already mentioned and signed by Xi Jinping the value of partnership rightly occupies a central position : "Looking back, I believe that the most valuable thing the G20 process has created is the close partnership we have forged that has enabled us to jointly tide over a difficult time" wrote the Chinese President.

While, on our way to a more stable global order, we navigate a tempestuous sea hit by gales of changes and disruptions, one should not let the walls of populism and protectionism erected with the bricks of fear divide mankind but, as the 2016 G20 Hangzhou summit will illustrate, one should work to forge even stronger partnership so our future can be peaceful and prosperous.
Donald Trump recently called Hillary Clinton a "bigot," saying that she is "selling [minority communities] down the tubes because she's not doing anything for those communities." Except for one thing: not only was he wrong, but she has the record to show her work in these communities.

As First Lady, Hillary advocated publicly for children and families, helping to pass the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which now covers more than 8 million children, helping reform the foster care and adoption system and advocating for the expansion of Medicaid to cover foster kids until they are 21. She pushed for the expansion of Head Start and advocated for quality child care and equal pay for women to help break down barriers for working parents.

In 1995, Hillary led the U.S. delegation at the U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, declaring that "women's rights are human rights and human rights are women's rights." Hillary made advancing the status of women and girls around the world a core part of U.S. foreign policy, working to bring down the barriers that stop women and girls from reaching their potential. She stood up against sex trafficking, expanded opportunities for women and girls in education and business and led the fight for a U.N. Security Council resolution to combat sexual violence against women and children in conflict zones.

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As the Senator from New York, Hillary co-sponsored legislation to end racial profiling and fought to restore voting rights and expand programs that help people re-enter society after they have served time. As Secretary of State, Hillary was a champion for LGBT rights at home and abroad, fought for internet freedom, and rights and opportunities for women and young people around the globe.

And because of Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton, The Clinton Foundation and its affiliated Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), more than 11.5 million people in over 70 countries have access to lifesaving HIV/AIDS drugs at 90 percent lower cost, including more than 800,000 children.

So let's discuss bigotry, Mr. Trump. A "bigot" is "a person who hates or refuses to accept the members of a particular group." For example, a "bigot" would be someone who calls a judge "biased" because he is Mexican or someone who says that Mexicans immigrating to our country are "rapists" and "bringing crime." A "bigot" would be someone who says that people of a certain religion should not be permitted entry into a nation.

Former President Bill Clinton said in 1993: "There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right in America." I believe that this still holds true today.

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One of the former President's favorite stories is about Nelson Mandela, the late leader of South Africa. After his 27 years of imprisonment, Mandela invited his opponents to his presidential inauguration.



When Clinton asked Mandela how he could forgive them, he said, "I realize they could take everything from me except my mind and heart. Those things I would have to give away. And I decided not to give them away."



Vote for who you want in November. But when you vote, vote with your mind and your heart - because no one can ever take either one away from you.
The Obama administration has assiduously avoided U.S. military engagement in Syria. President Barack Obama is wary of the pottery barn rule: "You break it, you own it." Supporting Turkey's invasion and occupation of Syria would be a strategic mistake, making the United States a protagonist in Syria's civil war.

Vice President Joe Biden went to Ankara last week on a mission to repair U.S.-Turkey relations. Upon arrival, Biden learned that Turkish Special Forces, tanks, and fighters with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) were invading Syria, targeting Jarablus near the Turkish border.

Biden endorsed Turkey's "Operation Euphrates Shield." He also claimed that the U.S. provided air power. However, eye witnesses say no bombs were actually dropped on Jarablus.

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Slipping into Syria's quagmire is not in America's interest. Nor is being played by Turkey.

Operation Euphrates Shield violates Syria's sovereignty. Supporting Turkey would make the U.S. complicit in Turkey's land grab.

Turkey keeps pushing south. It has no intention of relinquishing territory. To justify its presence, Turkey will populate a Syrian enclave for refugees.

Turkey wants a seat at the table of the Geneva peace process. It seeks equal standing with Russia and the United States.

Given Turkey's sordid history supporting Islamists, it will be more difficult to negotiate an end to Syria's conflict with Turkish troops on-the-ground.

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The Obama administration has been giving weapons and air support to the People's Protection Forces (YPG), Syrian Kurdish forces numbering 40,000. The PYG is America's most reliable ally against ISIS. Washington will continue to support the YPG if it fights ISIS east of the Euphrates.

Erdogan abhors U.S. cooperation with the YPG, which he calls a terror group. Erdogan wants the U.S. to make a choice between Turkey and the YPG, but was repeatedly rebuffed.

The Obama administration must be steely-eyed about Turkey's intentions. Erdogan says the primary purpose of Operation Euphrates Shield is to fight ISIS. This is patently false.

Turkish-backed Islamists never engaged ISIS in the so-called battle for Jarablus. Before invading, Ankara made a deal with the Islamic State. Rather than resist, ISIS forces simply changed into FSA uniforms. Jarablus was "liberated" from ISIS with barely a shot.

Unlike Falluja and other battles where ISIS used civilians as human shields, civilians were evacuated from Jarablus. The Islamic State does not want civilians to identify newly clad FSA members as hard core ISIS fighters.

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It is not surprising that Erdogan and ISIS made a deal. ISIS and Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) are ideologically aligned. They are both branches of the Muslim Brotherhood. Despite official denials, there is a mountain of evidence that Turkey provided weapons, money, and logistical support to Islamists in Syria beginning in 2014. Turkey also underwrote the Islamic State by transporting its oil and selling it on the international market. About 500 Islamist fighters are still transiting from Turkey to Syria each month.

According to Erdogan, Euphrates Shield was aimed at the YPG and "terror groups that threaten our country." Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu pledged that Turkey would "do what is necessary" to keep Kurdish fighters east of the Euphrates River. Turkey announced plans for a safe zone 90 kilometers long and 40 kilometers wide, stretching from Jarablus to Marea, deep into Kurdish controlled territory.

In fact, Turkey is trying to prevent the YPG from establishing a contiguous Kurdish territory that would make Rojava a reality. Erdogan fears that Rojava's existence will inspire Kurds in Turkey to intensify their demands for greater autonomy.

Erdogan's hostility towards the Kurds is no secret. He insists that the YPG and PKK are the same, even though the U.S. Government says they are distinct.

It was predictable that Turkey would drop the pretense of fighting ISIS and focus its operation on the PYG. The Obama administration knows what's going on.

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A senior Pentagon official told CNN: "The Turks never cared about Jarablus until the Kurds wanted to get there." Special Envoy Brett McGurk called Turkey's targeting of the PYD "unacceptable and a source of deep concern".

U.S.-Turkish relations were already on the rocks because of Turkey's wholesale crackdown on oppositionists after the failed coup of July 15. The relationship is further challenged by Turkey's decision to go after America's allies in Syria.

Turks are increasingly restless. They welcomed Operation Euphrates Shield, which restored the military's credibility after the coup. They were told the operation targeted their two nemesis - ISIS and the YPG/PKK. Now Turks are growing concerned about the end game. How long will Turkish troops stay in Syria and what will they accomplish?

The term "October surprise" is used to describe an event just prior to the U.S. presidential election, which is the work of a foreign foe. This time, the October surprise came in August with Turkey's invasion of Syria.

Obama must guard against manipulation. Providing military and diplomatic support to Turkey's invasion and occupation creates a conundrum, vexing his successor.Syria will be Erdogan's Waterloo. The U.S. Government must not be tethered to Turkey's sinking ship.

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In every visit to Greece, I spent lots of time in the country's museums. My hunger for the sculpture and architecture of ancient Greece remains constant and complements my interest in Greek philosophy, history and science.

It's hard to explain, but being close to a Greek temple like the Parthenon is an experience of pleasure and satisfaction. The temple becomes a time machine, helping me appreciate the society that built it. I am convinced the marble columns and the remaining parts of a temple fit so nicely together they become magnets of beauty and harmony. But, at the same time, the ruined temple gives me clues of its aesthetic, religious, possibly healing, and practical use at the time it came into being.

It pains me that ancient and modern barbarians vandalized and looted Greece, including all of its magnificent temples and sculpture.

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I relived that tragedy last summer in Peloponnesos where I spent a few days traveling in and around Argos and Arcadia. For the first time in my life I visited the Temple of the Epicurean (Helper) Apollo at Bassae on Mount Kotilion near the ancient Arcadian town of Phigaleia.

Pausanias, the second century Greek traveler who authored "Guide to Greece," saw the Temple of Apollo at Bassae and admired its architecture and beauty. Iktinos, the architect of the Parthenon, also designed this gorgeous temple in late fifth century BCE. The people of Phigaleia dedicated their temple to Apollo the Helper because Apollo saved them from plagues.

Like other temples in Greece, this one is in ruins. Only its columns barely stand. So when I reached the temple sometime in September 2015, the entire temple was covered by canvas. The temple has been under the care of restoration experts since 1995.

I went inside the covered temple and tried to absorb as much beauty and knowledge as possible. This is a Doric temple that had a frieze running on top of the wall inside the main building. But the frieze, representing a struggle between Greeks, Amazons, Lapiths and centaurs, was looted by the British architect C. R. Cockerell in the nineteenth century and is now at the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford, UK.

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I went outside the ruined temple for a walk. I imagined the sanctuary full of ancient Greeks celebrating the birth date of Apollo. People walking for hours through the woods, climbing the steep mountain so they would offer sacrifices to the Epicurean Apollo.

Those times are gone forever. We are left with ruins to recreate Greece and its art. Archaeologists have been digging the soil of Greece for more than two centuries. The debris they uncover could be humble clay vases or treasures of great importance, dating all the way from the Bronze Age to the time of the Roman occupation of Greece.

John Boardman, professor emeritus of classical archaeology and art at Oxford University, explains how and why the Greeks created their art and architecture. His "Greek Art" (fifth edition, Thames & Hudson, 2016) is a beautifully and lavishly illustrated book covering a millennium of Greek art history. But the book is more than a collection of images of Greek art. It is also a book of extraordinary insights, knowledge and wisdom.

Boardman has been studying and writing about the art of the Greeks for half a century. He is a masterful storyteller who knows the origins and history of Greek art. He rejects political correctness and calls things by their names.

The Greeks created art for personal and social needs. There were no museums or art markets in Greece. Boardman says Greek artists "were suppliers of a commodity on a par with shoemakers."

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The story of the classical art of the fifth century BCE is the story of the Greeks: how they rose in artistic, economic, and political power in the Mediterranean and defeated the greatest empire of that age, Persia. In art, the victory over the Persians probably speeded the abandonment of the Archaic conventions the Greeks shared with the Egyptians, Mesopotamians and Anatolians from the 8th to the 6th centuries BCE. But in the 5th century BCE, according to Boardman, the Greeks launched a Classical revolution. This meant "the artist shows complete understanding of how the body is constructed, how to express nuances of movement and... repose."

Another insight of Boardman is that the Greeks used colors in their sculpture and architecture.

He is also right mythology for the Greeks was history. The Greeks always turned to their mythology-history for inspiration. They constructed beautiful temples for their gods, sculpted nude statues for their athletes, heroes and gods, and painted countless vases.

Reading Boardman's book gives you the satisfaction of learning from one who knows. He says Greek art "needs to be... understood on Greek terms," by which he means we need a thorough understanding of the Greek society that created that art. He guides you how to look at the masterpieces of the classical age, noting their "peculiar blend of idealism and realism." At the same time he explains when the art came into being and why. "Knowledge of the date and origin of works is a necessary prerequisite for exploration of their function and quality," he says.

"Greek Art" informs you that Greek sculpture and architecture have left their footprint on modern art and architecture. This happened through the Renaissance. Such a contribution was merely "one of the legacies of ancient Greece which have helped form western thought, society and art -- the product of a civilization which... had a unique effect on the history of mankind."

Boardman also says that the Greeks communicated with art at "all levels from the moral and political to the appropriately entertaining, far more effective than word of mouth or writing." Art enabled the Greeks to explore their present through the past.

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Antonio Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) addresses a news conference at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland December 18, 2015. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

UNITED NATIONS - To state the obvious, it appears former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres will be the next UN secretary-general to succeed Ban Ki-moon. But this is not a sure bet.

Guterres, the former spirited head of the UN refugee agency, has been in first place in three informal straw polls among the 15 members of the UN Security Council. But the voting has not yet distinguished between the five council members with veto power (United States, Russia, China, Britain, France) and the other 10 nations.

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Guterres received 11 votes in favor, three against and one "no opinion". In the first round last month, he had no negative votes. Diplomats believe Russia may have cast the negative vote. If so, this would throw the procedure into chaos and possibly a deadlock.

Surprisingly, Slovakia's foreign minister, Miroslav Lajcak was in second place after finishing second to last in the previous straw poll, according to the supposedly secret results leaked to journalists within minutes. (see full list at end)

Irina Bokova of Bulgaria, who heads UNESCO, and Serbia's former foreign minister Vuk Jeremic were tied for third place followed by Susana Malcorra, Argentina's foreign minister and the former chief of staff for Ban Ki-moon.

When the polling began, last month there were 12 candidates, six men and six women. Two have dropped out. Before the voting, British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft told reporters that the point of the straw polls was to gradually "winnow down the field" so that candidates with a poor showing would drop out of the race.

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But with Lajcak's leap from the near bottom to the near top of the list, others might wish for the same and stay in the race. How they vote and how they leakThe peculiar voting involves delegates marking ballots for each candidate with "encourage" or "discourage" or "no opinion." The results, mainly at the urging of Russia and China, are kept secret but journalists placed the numbers on Twitter within minutes.

General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft organized sessions with each of the candidates submitting to questions from UN members, the first time in the 70-year history of the world body.

Annoyed that the Security Council itself did not release the results, he said that the "absence of any further details beyond the fact that the informal straw poll has taken place adds little value and does not live up to the expectations of the membership and the new standard of openness and transparency."

The post of secretary-general has usually rotated among geographical regions, including Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe.

But Eastern European nations, most of who are in the European Union and/or NATO, say it is their turn because they have never had a secretary-general. Russia's Ambassador Vitaly Churkin has said he "prefers" a candidate from that region.

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Therefore, if any of the "discourage" votes were cast by Russia or other permanent members, Guterres' candidacy is in danger. The winning candidate has to gain nine votes in the Council and no veto.

And the women?Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon who is in office until the end of 2016, said it was "high time" for a woman to hold his job after eight men in the post.

And Susana Malcorra told the Argentine newspaper Clarin there was still "a biased vote against women" at the United Nations. She noted that U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power was the only woman on the Security Council.

Led by Colombia's Ambassador Maria Emma Mejia Velez, about 56 nations have campaigned for a woman. And among those from Eastern Europe, only Irina Bokova of Bulgaria has a chance.

In sixth place was former Macedonian foreign minister Srgjan Kerim followed by former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who heads the U.N. Development Program. Both Malcorra and Clark had shown themselves extremely knowledgeable about UN affairs.

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Slovenia's former president Danilo Turk, once tipped for the top post, was in eighth place followed by a tie for last place between Moldovan Foreign Minister Natalia Gherman and Christiana Figueres of Costa Rica, who headed the UN project for an agreement on climate change.

The next straw poll is expected in September.--------------------------------------------Results of Third Straw PollCandidate (Encourage-Discourage-No Opinion Expressed)Antonio Guterres11-3-1Miroslav Lajcak9-5-1Irina Bokova7-5-3Vuk Jeremic;7-5-3Susana Malcorra7-7-1Srgjan Kerim6-7-2Helen Clark6-8-1Danilo Turk5-6-4Natalia Gherman2-12-1Christina Figueres2-12-1Igor Luksic WithdrewVesna Pusic Withdrew
By Jackie Summers

The Death of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru is one of the most iconic scenes in all cinema. Luke Skywalker, then just a simple farm boy on an irrelevant dustbowl of a planet, returns home to find his family has been executed; burned alive by the Empire. His immediate response is a choice that will eventually affect an entire galaxy long ago, far far away. He decides to join The Rebellion, and becomes (arguably) the greatest Jedi of all time.



In the twelfth chapter of the second book of Samuel, the prophet Nathan famously described a scenario to King David, wherein a terrific injustice is done. A man with everything steals the entire means of living from a man with nothing. Enraged, King David immediately decrees that for committing this horrific crime, the perpetrator should die, and fourfold restitution should be made. With great courage, Nathan then condemns the King, telling him that he has in fact, committed this atrocity. David is appropriately contrite; mortified when confronted with his own behavior.



These two seemingly unrelated scenarios have several things in common: A horribly wronged underdog. A supreme power responsible for committing atrocity. A (rightfully) enflamed sense of justice. An unquenchable sense of moral outrage, and righteous indignation.

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In these situations, who do you root for? Who are the "good guys?"

Now take a moment, and look at the picture below.



In 1906 at the Massacre of Bud Dajo, soldiers opened fire into a volcanic crater filled with men, women, and children. Facing overwhelmingly superior numbers and firepower, 900 people were brutally slaughtered, while defending their freedom.

If you'd survived this carnage-if you'd watched your parents, your children, your siblings, your friends-mowed down by machine gun fire, would you, like Luke Skywalker, vow to spend the rest of your life fighting the empire that killed your family?



In North America, greatness has always come at a terrific cost. On one hand, there are the tens of millions of aboriginal lives taken from the natives of the Americas, for their lands and the plethora of natural resources. Add to this the tens of millions of lives and the indescribable suffering inflicted on Africans forced into chattel slavery. As a new nation seeking to differentiate itself from its European heritage, the United States proudly proclaimed itself to be a place of liberty and freedom; a bastion of the ideology of self-determination.

During the Age of Imperialism, these concepts were entirely uncharted waters. The great nations of Europe made no such claims of righteousness: the right to govern "the inferior" was simply, divine. While unrealistically noble, the Declaration of Independence seemed to-by default-hamstring the new nation's moral authority to colonize, relegating it to relative obscurity on the world scene.

Great nations simply didn't ask permission to steal what it took in order to make themselves great.



As the grandson of immigrants, I've never questioned the greatness of the United States of America. The wealth, cultural influence, and scientific contributions this country has made have changed the world, and shaped the past two centuries. This is irrevocable.

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Equally immutable is the blood-stained path by which this greatness was achieved, as well as the abject hypocrisy of its stated morals when compared with its actions. There's nothing more American than the juxtaposition of her romantic ideals against the loathsome reality of her policies. In the infamous words of John Godfrey Saxe, "laws, like sausages, cease to inspire respect in proportion as we know how they are made."



Cognitive dissonance is described as "the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioral decisions and attitude change." People in majority groups tend to suffer from (or enjoy, depending on your perspective) a particular kind of collective delusion. Like the emperor's new clothes, people are willing to ignore abominable moral offenses, so long as they benefit from (or at least aren't harmed by) the results.

The need-and ability-to justify unconscionable actions, all while professing righteousness-is deep in the DNA of the United States.

In the 1800s, concepts like Manifest Destiny (a direct ancestor of The Divine Right of Kings) and Social Darwinism (a now entirely debunked theory that claimed racial biological superiority) were used to justify egregious atrocities against brown peoples. South and Central America became to the United States what Africa had been to Europe: entire continents that existed only to be divvied up by genetically superior beings, to the "benefit" of the savages that occupied those spaces. Civility and religion would be exchanged for limitless natural resources. Liberty and freedom would be forced upon sovereign nations deemed incapable of governing themselves.

In the immortal words of Theodore Roosevelt, "all the great and masterful races have been fighting races. No triumph of peace is quite so great as the supreme triumphs of war. Diplomacy is utterly useless when there's not force behind it."



It's important to acknowledge that, at the height of American Imperialism, "good folks" entirely embraced these beliefs. I'm on record as saying that concepts of goodness are relative to adjacent periods of time. In the United States, there has always been a struggle for national identity between our professed ideals and our national interests. It is an incredible feat of intellectual and moral gymnastics to---in your founding documents---declare inalienable human rights, while simultaneously denying said rights to humans who don't look like you. During what's referred to in American history books (where it still appears) as The Filipino Insurrection-otherwise known as the natives of the philippine islands exerting their right to rule themselves---General Jacob H. Smith's is notoriously remembered for his order to "kill everyone over ten [years old]." General Shafter was known to have said 'it might be necessary to kill half the native population in order to bring perfect justice to the surviving half." In his attempt to justify conquest by doing good for the conquered, then President McKinley remarked, "it is not a good time for the liberator to submit important questions concerning liberty and government to the liberated while they're engaged in shooting down their rescuers."

Does that sound more like the Rebel Alliance, or like the Galactic Empire?



What you just read is an incredibly abridged version of a single instance of American Imperialism. This doesn't address the concentration camps, or water torture, or rape culture, or all of the other places the United States sanctioned this kind of behavior in order to "secure the blessings of liberty." It doesn't talk about how this kind of behavior was idolized by our presidents, the giants who now adorn the face of Mount Rushmore, and how they set the emotional tone for the nation. It doesn't talk about the 800 military bases the US currently maintains around the world, or how the rest of the world feels about our capacity for drone strikes.

It's the fetishization of the culture of imperialism that's the subtext beneath the desire to "make america great again."



When I-and folks of color-hear the phrase "Make America Great Again"-we know intrinsically this does not express a desire to live up to the noble (if unrealistic) ideals of the founding fathers. It doesn't express a desire to return America to some lost greatness, as much as it yearns for a return to the heinous process by which this country became great.

Which process in light of current day harkens back to war crimes no longer justifiable by 21st century standards of morality.

It is impossible to deny the very real feelings of those who believe they are "losing their country." It's easy to understand the (misplaced) nostalgia that permeates the memories of a time when there was no shame in cruelly dominating people who were "liberated" against their will. Much like King David, we have an historic opportunity to collectively look in the mirror, and come to terms with who we are, who we have been, and who we want to be.

It's only after we admit our history that we can decide if we want to continue The March of Progress, living up to our professed ideals, or abandoning them to dissimulation.

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This post originally appeared at the Good Men Project. Reprinted with permission.

---
Happiness finds this cancer survivor with the help of her favorite hobby. Tracy Yost was diagnosed with cancer in 2015 when she was just 46 years old. That's when it hit her, life is too short to have a "suck the life out of you" career. While going to chemotherapy, Tracy realized she could have fun while working. She planned out her whole new career path! Her passion for leisure bike rides led her down the path to start the first leisure bike rental company in Westport, Connecticut. She loves working by the water and doing what she loves most - riding bikes. She wants people to slow down and enjoy life!
Unlike in Europe where socialist and communist parties have had sizeable voter support, historians have long noted and puzzled over their lack of electoral support in the United States, a part of the original meaning of the concept of American exceptionalism.

The highpoint of American socialist voting on a national level was the 1912 election, when Eugene V. Debs, the Socialist Party's candidate, received 901,551 votes, 6% of the total. It was downhill from then on, that is, until 2016 when in the Democratic Party primary Bernie Sanders, a self-described socialist, received 13,168,222 votes, nearly fifteen times Debs' total.

The comparison is of course not exact. The 2016 electorate is a lot larger than that of 1912 since the national population is a lot larger. But even in proportionate terms, Sanders broke Debs' record. If the November percentage turnout of registered voters is the same as that of 2012, Sanders 13 million plus votes will represent 9.8% of that total, which is greater than Debs' 6%. We can also assume that had Sanders beaten Clinton and gone on to be the party's candidate those 13 million plus votes would have expanded greatly.

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But while Sanders was a socialist and, to his credit, did not shy away from the label despite the taboo that burdens it carries in American politics, he ran as a Democrat and not as the candidate of an actual socialist party, as did Debs.

Further, the platform that Debs ran under was substantially to the left of that of Sanders. That platform opened with a ringing denunciation of capitalism: "The capitalist system has outgrown its historical function, and has become utterly incapable of meeting the problems now confronting society." It then went on to propose, among other things, "the collective ownership and democratic management of railroads, wire and wireless telegraphs and telephones, express service, steamboat lines, and all other social means of transportation and communication and of all large scale industries."

Sanders had no such total denunciation of capitalism. He called for campaign finance reform, universal healthcare, and free college tuition among other proposals--all important but far short of what Debs and his Socialist Party were calling for. Sanders essentially was trying to bring the United States up to the social standards of European capitalist countries. He was not calling for the abolition of capitalism as such, as was Debs.

But despite not being an exact comparison, Sanders' 13 million plus votes was a remarkable achievement. It may have finally broken the socialist taboo, conditioned into a population by decades of antisocialist and anticommunist rightwing and often elite sponsored crusades.

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To the astonishment of many, including on the left, the Sanders campaign proved immune to socialist-baiting. Governor Martin O'Malley indulged in a bit of it in an early debate, no doubt thinking of it as a silver bullet. But Sanders' popularity only grew. To the consternation of O'Malley and Clinton, what was supposed to be only a fringe candidacy that could easily be dispatched by socialist baiting was turning into a serious threat to the establishment.



Sanders then delivered a speech at Georgetown University, taking on the issue of socialism directly. What he had in mind, he said, were quite reasonable social protection reforms similar to those already adopted in Denmark and other European countries. He did not call for, like Debs in 1912, abolishing the capitalist system itself.
This election, I've been trying an experiment, judging journalism from a different perspective, from the outside, as a member of a community and a partisan. I don't like what I'm learning about my profession.

We journalists tend to separate ourselves from the public we serve. We call ourselves objective, to distinguish us from the opinionated masses and to enable us to rise above their fray. We fancy ourselves observers, not actors, in the dramas we chronicle. I've argued that we must end that separation and learn to empathize with the needs and goals of the communities we serve, even considering ourselves members of those communities. Thus, social journalism. But in this argument, the journalist is still the journalist.

Then I found myself in a position to look at the field not as a journalist but as an involved participant in a community. That community: Hillary Clinton supporters.

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I haven't been a reporter or editor in years. I have been a loudly opinionated blogger since 2001, transparent about my political views and votes. I made it clear eight years ago that I voted for Clinton and then for Barack Obama. So there's no surprise in telling you that I would vote for Clinton now. But this time, I decided to become politically involved. I bought my Hillary hat, went to a few campaign events, contributed to the campaign, made my support abundantly clear on social media, and a week ago volunteered at the Clinton office in West Philly, registering voters, driving others doing the same, and briefly canvassing a neighborhood so I could talk with voters. These are things journalists have never been allowed to do. Some people tell me every day on Twitter that I should not be allowed to do these things now. I disagree.

I have my reasons:

First, #ImWithHer. Full stop. I want to be clear that I am enthusiastic about Clinton's candidacy. I am not voting for her as the lesser of evils. I am not just voting against Donald Trump. I am not voting for her in spite of all the reasons media give not to do so. I am voting for Hillary Clinton because I respect and trust her intelligence, experience, policies, and good will. I tweeted 25 reasons (and counting) #WhyImWithHer.

Second, I am voting against Trump and actively opposing him because I see a moral imperative to do so. As Jay Rosen said in my dotNYC podcast, Trump's candidacy approaches a civic emergency. As Univision's Jorge Ramos said in Time: "It doesn't matter who you are -- a journalist, a politician or a voter -- we'll all be judged by how we responded to Donald Trump.... And neutrality is not an option." This is my generation's "What did you do in the war, Daddy?" Still, I'm not hiding behind any Trump exception to the journalistic canon, arguing that this year is special. If Clinton were running against a reasonable, human, patriotic, unbigoted, smart, articulate, decent, mature, experienced opponent, I'd still be her passionate, open supporter.

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My third reason -- a fringe benefit of sorts -- is that I've wanted a better understanding of journalism from the public's perspective and I finally saw I could not do that unless the coverage mattered to me, unless I took it personally. I also realized that this meant I could no longer claim to be standing removed, as the disinterested critic. Some years ago, when I spoke on a panel at the Online News Association, an editor came to the mic complaining about my use of the term "citizen journalism." She cried (choking back real tears): "I'm a citizen, too." Then act like a citizen, I said; be a part of your community. Many years later, I decided to take my advice.

As I consume the news in my role as a citizen, not media critic or journalist, I find myself constantly aggravated -- not just by Fox News but also by CNN and the Associated Press, often by MSNBC and NPR, and occasionally by The New York Times and The Washington Post. My lessons so far from this:



Journalism is a lousy mirror.

I don't see myself in any of the coverage of the campaign. All I ever hear from media is that nobody likes or trusts the one candidate who has an 89 percent chance of winning the presidency. In media, I never hear from voters like me who are enthusiastic supporters. I never see reporters wading among eager backers at Clinton rallies to ask them how much they like her and why. I don't even hear her surrogates (what a ridiculous beltway/TV invention that is, by the way) asked about their support of Clinton, only their defense of her. In media, I never hear echoes of the voices I heard last week when I met people on the porches of West Philly, who told me their families were all in to vote for Hillary. (Only when I continued the conversation did they also agree we must defeat Trump. Like me, they are voting for, not against. )

I've been able to use Twitter to call journalists on this failing. When The Post's Chris Cillizza labeled Clinton a "deeply flawed" candidate on CNN once too often, I tweeted a challenge and, to his credit, Cillizza answered. He said polls show that two-thirds of Americans don't trust her. But compared to whom? Four-fifths of Americans don't trust journalists. When media keep hammering again and again how untrusted Clinton is, couldn't that become a self-fulfilling prophecy?

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This is why the great James Carey despised the reductionist impact of public opinion polls on democracy and the press:

[P]ublic opinion no longer refers to opinions being expressed in public and then recorded in the press. Public opinion is formed by the press and modeled by the public opinion industry and the apparatus of polling. Today, to get ahead of the story, polling (the word, interestingly enough, from the old synonym for voting) is an attempt to simulate public opinion in order to prevent an authentic public opinion from forming. With the rise of the polling industry our entire understanding of the public went into eclipse.

This is also why I am fascinated by the death of the mass-media business model, the consequent death of the idea of the mass, and the impact this has on institutions -- the press, government, politics, advertising, brands, schools -- which depend on speaking to and swaying the mass. The mass is dead. Long live communities.

My community of Hillary Clinton supporters is unheard and unseen. But that's by no means the best example of journalism's faulty mirror. Because of this election, we now know that the media has done a terrible job of reflecting the concerns and goals of underemployed, angry white men in the heartland. If media had done a better job of reporting -- and then informing -- their worldviews, would there have been an opening for them to be recruited by Trump and the forces of the so-called alt right?

Far more important than either of those examples, of course, is the experience of minorities in this country: African-Americans, Latinos, Muslims, too often women, and too many others who are unseen in media. A few weeks ago, I spoke with a journalist planning to write about how the internet is destroying the truth. The unsaid assumption in his thesis is that we used to have the truth, when the truth came from media. But whose truth was that? The truth presented by mass media was but one view of the world and did not reflect so many diverse worldviews because the people making it were -- and still are -- not diverse. That is one reason why so many do not trust journalists. (Note that people trust presidents more.)

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In this election, I am not a mass. I am not a poll number. I am not a color on a map. Neither am I a journalist. I am a member of a community I cannot see and hear in media. I am frustrated.

The news chases squirrels, calls them rabid, and shoots them.

Every damned day, news organizations scan the horizon for any distraction they could call a scandal -- squirrel! -- and, finding none, they just dredge up yesterday's road kill and repeat it all again, over and over, asking the same questions that are so obvious as to be rhetorical but that nonetheless fill hours of airtime.

Is Hillary Clinton a bigot because Donald Trump says so? they ask. Did TV's anchors even consider what an insult that is to the 91 percent of African American voters who support her vs. 1 percent for Trump? Can't our commentators see Trump's trick: that he projects onto Clinton every failing of his own? He is crooked, so he calls her crooked; he is unhinged, so he calls her unhinged; he is a bigot so he first calls her a bigot. But the press treats each new attack as news to be debated. Seriously?

I know I'll get scorned for this, but I say Clinton's email scandal isn't a scandal. It was a mistake. Yes, I believe that she never knowingly sent classified information. Of course, she didn't. In any case, where her email sat is less important than every other issue facing the American electorate.

I'll get trolled for this, too, but the Clinton Foundation story isn't a scandal either. The Foundation does good work, and as James Carville says, someone will be going to hell for cutting off that good work. The Associated Press' recent effort to find its scrap of squirrel meat in this story was an appalling example of journalism corrupted by the hunt for traffic. It is fine and necessary to ask the questions the AP asked but then, finding no quid pro quo, no smoking gun, why still report the innuendo of the question? I am utterly unconvinced by AP executive editor Kathleen Carroll's defense of it. Of course, Secretary Clinton met with Melinda Gates and Muhammad Yunus; people line up to meet both of them every year at Davos because they are important people who do important work and, like the Clintons, they both raise and donate funds and find partners to help meet their worthy goals. That's how the world works. I'd have thought world-wise journalists would be wiser about that. Amazing how they can turn off their sophistication when convenient.

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The problems with chasing these squirrels:

Balance: These faux scandals become tokens in journalists' well-documented insistence on finding balance. Let's spend one block of our show talking about how Donald Trump demonizes Mexicans and Muslims and -- because we need something to "balance" that -- let's spend the next block repeating the same, year-old allegations about Hillary's damned emails. The hunt for balance is especially cynical this year, as any attempt to give balanced coverage to an unbalanced candidate can only mislead.

Savvy: Journalists use these stories and their impact to try to feed their political savvy, as Jay Rosen has pointed out for years. They want to sound like -- no, they want to be -- insiders who can predict every political outcome. I've been particularly struck this season how both commentators and reporters talk about what a candidate "should" do to win. When was that the reporter's job, to advise on political strategy for politicians? Do they want to declare themselves partisans? Then they need to declare sides.

Distraction: The real problem, of course, is that these squirrels keep journalism from doing its real job, which is to say....

Journalism does not inform.

If journalism as a whole had done its job informing the electorate in the U.K., I believe there would not have been Brexit. If journalism had informed and educated the American electorate, I am confident there would have been no room for Trump to spread his virus of ignorance, lies, and bigotry. It is patently clear that journalism is doing a terrible job informing the public. Judge the results.

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This is what depresses me most and makes me realize more than ever that we must rethink and reinvent the very core of journalism, its relationship with the public, its forms, and its business models. For it's the business model that makes Les Moonves at CBS and Jeff Zucker at CNN rub their greedy little hands in glee at the audience and revenue the Trump Circus brings them. It's the business model that has newsrooms chasing rabid squirrels and outrageous Trumpisms to get more volume, less value. It's the form of journalism -- the scoop, the exclu, the provocative TV yelling match, the savvy political roundtable-- that brings out our worst in political opportunism and sensationalism, leaving no room for substance. And because we in journalism separate ourselves from the public we serve -- sitting above them, in judgment -- we try to argue that it's not our fault if they're not informed. Because of that separation, we cannot credibly contend that we know what the public's concerns are; we're not good at listening. And because of that separation, we still expect people to come to us for the news, when we should be going to them wherever they are.

Imagine if even a fraction of the time we see wasted on cable news were devoted to educating the public about the issues and realities of immigration, refugees, criminal justice, the economy, infrastructure, education, health care costs, entitlement costs, security, the environment, taxes, jobs.... When was the last time you saw TV news do that? How much of any news organization's work is devoted to doing this, to informing the electorate? Shouldn't we ask before assigning every story and booking every TV discussion: How will this help the public better decide how to vote?

Journalism is failing the nation. This election is the proof.

Since I've declared myself a member of the community of Clinton supporters, I also have standing to criticize the campaign. If the campaign were run more as a grass-roots effort -- a la Dean, Obama, Sanders -- then it would be easier for the journalists to find and report on the enthusiasm I have seen myself. I can now speak from first-hand experience about how difficult it is to get involved in the campaign in person and online.

If the candidate did a better job addressing the damned email story from the start, maybe -- maybe -- we wouldn't be bombarded with it every day.

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If the foundation and family were more aggressive in sharing news of what the foundation does then it would be less of a target for squirrel hunters and more of a character statement in her favor.

If the candidate gave more interviews, there'd be less whining among the journalists about her not having a press conference (not that press conferences ever do a great job of informing; interviews are better because they allow for followup).

And -- this is going to sound trivial but I mean it -- if the campaign didn't take a full month to ship the Clinton-Kaine bumperstickers, then we'd be seeing them on more cars and it would be more apparent to the journalists that there is a community of Clinton supporters out here.

As I was writing this, I spoke with one of my deans and he pointed out that all my complaints have been the fodder of academic critics of journalism for decades. They are outsiders. It has helped me to be the outsider so I could judge journalism as a user. That these problems continue and perhaps get worse as news companies get more desperate ("We need more traffic! Throw more squirrels on the fire! We need to save money! Fire more reporters!") is only cause for deeper professional angst.

What could save journalism from uselessness and society from the consequent stupidity and ruin? We bloggers thought we would topple the gatekeepers. Blogs did allow more voices to be heard and social media did enable debate. Then again, blogs led in a straight line to Breitbart and Twitter to Trump and we know where those lines crossed. And as I noted in my Gawker death notice last week, the death of the mass-media business model might mean the death of blogs, too.

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What stops me from quitting and sustaining myself on road kill or PR? My students. I tell them they must reinvent journalism. When I spoke with our incoming class last week, I came away inspired by their innovation (in a design exercise, none of them invented a magazine or a web-site filled with long-form writing) and their aspirations (I will once again quote the definition of journalism from student Kate Ryan: "It is a means to inform the public and, in doing so, cultivate an educated, empathetic, and engaged society").

Does our political journalism inform and cultivate an educated, empathetic, engaged society? It fails on all counts, wouldn't you agree? Could it ever do all that? Ever the optimist, I will say yes. It must. But we have to throw out our well-worn reflexes and assumptions and start over. Do we need to destroy the news to save it? People think that's what I've been saying for years, but I wasn't. Until now.

We must create a journalism that mirrors the many and diverse communities and concerns in societies and convenes these communities in dialog so they can foster empathy and understanding. We must create a journalism that educates the public about the issues that matter to each other (so we must start by asking them what matters, not assuming we know). We must create a journalism that does not reduce people to numbers and colors but instead invites them into a substantive, intelligent, fruitful, and civil discussion as individuals and members of communities, not a mass. We have so many new tools to do all that. That's what I tell my students; they are our last, best hope.
I remember the spring of my senior year at Purdue University vividly. It was a time of great fear and desperation. I interviewed with 50 companies and received 50 rejection letters while my engineering classmates fielded multiple job opportunities. I feel that my blindness hurt my ability to get a job offer. I didn't give up, though, and eventually received offers from AT&T and IBM. It took large companies with some open-minded managers to take a shot on the engineer who was blind. That overall experience was one of the first major hurdles I had to leap. It taught me a lasting lesson about the value of work in my life.

Work is part of every person's identity. It's how we gain economic and personal independence. But getting the job isn't always simple. Many complex barriers can stand in the way of that important first job and ongoing employment.

On Labor Day, we pay tribute to American workers who can be successful and celebrate their many civic and economic accomplishments. Yet, every day, many of our fellow Americans are striving to overcome challenges to obtaining and sustaining fulfilling work.

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There are too many people who work part time but need full-time work, and many others who are underemployed. According to PayScale's report, The War on the American Worker: The Underemployed, 46 percent of nearly 100,000 workers surveyed from 2014 to 2016 felt they were underemployed, defined as "working part time when you'd rather be working full time, or not using your education and training in your current role."

When we are underemployed and looking for work, we rely on our support systems. We rely on our family, friends and other community members. Job-training programs, like those available at Goodwill organizations across the country, are part of the solution and integrate with that support system. Goodwill is far more than a thrift store improving our environment; last year, one in every 200 people hired in America secured his or her job with the help of Goodwill's job training and placement services.

If you love your job or believe that work has given you dignity and independence, we invite you to pledge support for those in need of a hand up through the power of work. In observance of Labor Day, between August 30 and September 6, we invite you to sign our #LaborOfLove pledge to spread awareness about Goodwill and the importance of job placement and training programs for people looking for employment.

How can we connect more of our neighbors with opportunities to work and advance their careers?

Goodwill understands that preparing for a career often means going back to school. We provide education opportunities for people to earn high school diplomas, post-secondary education, and technical certificates. Several Goodwill organizations now operate adult charter schools called Excel Centers to support people earning high school diplomas and post-secondary credentials. This concept has been proven in Indianapolis, Austin and recently expanded to Washington, D.C., and other locations across the country.

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According to an analysis by Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce, by 2020, 65 percent of all jobs in the economy will require postsecondary education and training beyond high school. Our workforce needs to upskill and earn the credentials that mid-market jobs demand. Goodwill Industries International's Community College/Career Collaboration (C4) Initiative is a national program addressing the education gap. Together, 77 Goodwill organizations, 144 community colleges and a number of business partners collaborate to expand skill-training and educational opportunities in local communities.

It's difficult balancing our demanding lives while earning credentials that matter so employers will hire us. Local Goodwill organizations customize services to help each individual and household along the road to personal and family sustainability by addressing career pathing, job searching, child care, transportation and financial wellness needs.
Social media and news outlets the past few days have been abuzz with the prospects of a strong signal apparently coming from the star unromantically known at HD 164595, which is about 94 light years from Earth. Reading news reports, one would think that the signal was intercepted last week, but actually it was picked up over a year ago in May of 2015.

Indeed, the buzz is reminiscent of extensive news coverage that surrounded KIC 8462852, now known as Tabby's Star, last year when it was suggested by Penn State astronomer Jason Wright that the star's odd dimming behavior might be the result of an alien civilization building a mega-structure blocking the star's light. We've also seen recent fascination with the discovery of a rocky planet orbiting inside the habitable zone around Proxima Centauri, which is quite near (by galactic standards) Earth at a little over 4 light years distant. It's our next-door neighbor.

Scientists have been careful in expressing optimism over these unusual discoveries, noting that neither of the candidates for extraterrestrial civilizations are anything more than interesting at this point. There is no evidence right now that something artificial is going on either around KIC 8462852 or HD 164595 and it's not even certain that the signal under discussion now came from HD 164595.

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Both METI International, using the Boquete Optical SETI Observatory in Panama, and the SETI Institute, using the Allen Telescope Array in California, have plans to train their observational equipment on HD 164595 to see if anything interesting might emerge that supports, or discounts, the idea that the signal was artificial. Perhaps something intriguing will show up.

However, SETI astronomer Seth Shostak makes several good points about the problems with HD 164595 being a signal from a civilization. For example, it would have required a great deal of power to generate the signal we received -- either the equivalent of all of humanity's power usage on Earth if it were aimed directly at us or the equivalent of the entire power output of the Sun if the broadcast was omnidirectional.

Neither of these conditions are impossible, but they should raise eyebrows. Oddly enough, it's the argument for the lower level of power usage that should raise significant questions. If the signal were a beacon aimed at Earth, we are forced to ask, why? At 94 light years away, as Shostak notes, our television and other signals have not yet had time to reach HD 164595. How would they know we are here? Of course, 94 years ago they may have had technology that would allow them to detect our presence, even if we were not sending out much in the way of signals at that time. But it's difficult to imagine how they would pick up the presence of Earth civilization as it existed in 1920. And if they were somehow able to do this, why would they send a message to a civilization that didn't look as though it could respond?

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Perhaps they are both prescient and very patient. They knew that a century later, humans would have the capacity to send out signals at the speed of light, so they anticipated that. And they are patient enough to wait two centuries for an answer.

This explanation is possible, but if that alien civilization were anything like us, it would seem pretty unlikely. It's best to expect other explanations will work better for this signal until we have more evidence. Of course, if the signal doesn't appear again, it may be little more than another fascinating data point like the WOW! Signal, that showed up once leaving little more than a tantalizing mystery.
The biggest story in African solar markets may have nothing to do with solar at all.

This week news broke in Bloomberg that the impact investment fund of the world's largest utility ENGIE Rassembleurs d'Energies, co-led a new $20 million Series C investment with KawiSafi Ventures and MacKinnon, Bennett & Company in leading beyond the grid solar company BBOXX. This isn't the first time BBOXX has made news. They pioneered the world's first off grid solar securitization and have backing from high-profile impact investors like Khosla. But this time is different.

Kawisafi, a 100 million USD fund anchored by Green Climate Fund making its first investment is itself big news. But even more important is that fact that ENGIE (formerly GDF Suez) is, simply put, a giant. With annual global revenues exceeding 74 Billion Euros the company has the resources required to make BBOXX a force to be reckoned with. But more importantly the fact that a company of this size would be interested in this market speaks volumes.

Of course the interest is well-deserved. According to BNEF the sector has garnered over half a billion dollars in investment thanks to 15 fold growth over the past four years. The sector is now projected to account for $3 billion in annual revenue by 2020.

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But even in a frothy market a company needs to stand out in order to attract the attention of the world's largest private utility. So what makes BBOXX different? Well, it's not really a solar company.

BBOXX was founded by engineers trained at the Imperial College London. That engineering mindset has infused the direction of the company since day one. That's why they now have the most sophisticated remote monitoring, data analytics, and even machine learning algorithms in operation today. The end result is reams and reams of data whose value is literally untapped. From financial inclusion and credit scoring, to access to Wi-Fi the value data can unlock is enormous.

BBOXX generates this data because every system 'talks' to the company's engineers sitting a world away in London. That means a staffer sitting in London can tell when an off grid customer living in rural Rwanda turns on a TV or a light bulb. They are alerted by machine to machine technology that sends information over the cloud as soon as a system begins to draw too much or too little power. Their

machine learning algorithms can then remotely control the discharge of the units battery which helps prolong the life of the unit and save customers money all the while feeding machine learning that makes the system smarter every time it operates.

That means they uniquely understand consumer behavior in a way that no energy company operating in sub-Saharan Africa (or Europe) does today. The reality is despite the impressive scale of companies like ENGIE their systems were rolled out in an entirely different era. Which means they lack the kind of sophisticated data collection and analytics that is increasingly standard in the modern beyond

the grid solar world.

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Remember only 43% of Americans have a smart meter. That means similar utilities in the US and Europe know very little about household consumption -- let alone have the ability to remotely monitor and control individual devices. For a 19th century utility a strategic investment in a company like BBOXX provides them the ability to leapfrog into 21st century data streams. Data that will provide insight into hundreds of millions of potential new customers across sub-Saharan Africa.


Youth gathering in Tivouane, Senegal

The great festival of Tabaski is approaching; this is the feast that commemorates, in the Islamic calendar, Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son and God's mercy. In the city of Dakar there are rams everywhere: rams tied up individually and in flocks, nibbling on grass or garbage. Billboards promise a ram as a prize. Every family wants a ram, to be sacrificed on the day.



Many taxis in the city sport a tail - a bunch of fiber tied to the back fender. I was told they bring good luck. It's an old tradition, perhaps a superstition, but a visible sign of faith.



A common observation about Senegal is that religion is an integral part of life. The rams and taxi tails illustrate what is termed religiosity, as do, in a more meaningful way, the ubiquitous mosques and the calls to prayer. Religiosity is not easy to measure but by the measures that exist - surveys that ask how important religion is in your life, for example - Senegal ranks high. People also observe that religious tolerance is a national characteristic and norm. Examples come from daily life: marriages between Christians and Muslims, celebrating the festivals of other religions, and, in a Muslim majority country, decorating Christmas trees. Most significant, in a world where religious conflict is all too common, Senegal prides itself on long decades of peace and stability.

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These observations suggest two questions. First, why has Senegal, in the West African region where religiously linked conflicts are common, succeeded in establishing such a strong culture of interreligious respect? And what does the high religiosity mean for the tasks of governance and development?

History explains in part the tradition of religious harmony. Leopold Senghor, Senegal's first president, was Christian and he and other independence fathers and mothers inculcated a form of Senegalese laicite or secularism that has generally worked to this day. It is described as a "bargain" that allows both secular and religious to flourish side by side. The Senegalese Sufi Muslim traditions are renowned for their openness and their acceptance of diversity. Religious leaders of the distinctive Senegalese religious "families" are seen as vital political actors but generally exercise these roles in informal ways. Catholic schools, especially, are respected for their quality and openness to students from all traditions. The very different strands in Senegalese religious beliefs and institutions and in the society more broadly make for a stable fabric that even, to date, accommodates and tolerates voices that preach extremist ideas in ways that do not disrupt. To be clear, there are tensions but also a confidence in the robust commitment to respect and harmony.

So how does the pervasive influence of religion affect governance and development? That's a more difficult question to answer in part because it is rarely discussed in formal policy settings. There's a veneer of secularism in a sophisticated, often technocratic discourse. The roles of both religious actors and beliefs are often unspoken, if taken for granted. Senegal balances its relationships with Western and Muslim countries in a skillful way, as it does the roles of various secular and religious actors.

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But the religious backdrop is nonetheless omnipresent (a new Berkley Center/WFDD report explores how and why ). It is, for example, central to three ongoing debates that will define Senegal's future path in important ways.

Senegal's education system is currently divided between a self-consciously secular public system and an Islamic, decentralized, and diverse set of schools. While it has long been clear that more integration makes sense, there's little agreement on how to do it. There's urgency in moving ahead towards a more "Senegalese", quality system and it is hard to envisage effective reforms that do not take the demand for religious elements in education well into account.

There's much talk of the potential for a "demographic dividend" that can happen only if Senegal's people have fewer children. Contraceptive use is increasing but large families are still a norm and women are far from attaining the full equality that is the national ideal. Religious beliefs play a part in attitudes towards family planning, though spacing children is well accepted. Engaging the influential religious leaders on this and other traditions like child marriage is increasingly understood to be a key to success.

Senegal has a remarkable number of children and young people and thus child protection and engaging youth have special importance. Over 60 percent of the population is under 25 years old. Again, there is wide consensus on the principles but an urgent need to translate principles into practice. And again religious leaders have vital roles to play.
This week, I woke up each morning to countless pictures on Facebook of kids going off to college. So cute as they set up their dorms and ventured off into the next step of the adult world. It left me thinking, what about the kids who chose not to go to college?

Where are their pictures?

Where is their send off?

Where is their "atta boy"?

What does it take for us as parent's to step out of the proverbial college box?

My best friend and I sat talking with my 14 year old son. He was asking questions about college, and I was answering them in the most cryptic, yet complete way I could. I always have a little fear around these conversations. I notice my body tenses up and my brain begins furiously looking for the right words that will simultaneously portray college as hard work, fun, and not an option... a must.

Why do I do this?

I know that society has funneled us into this money grab that we call college.

I know that statistics don't look great for employment after college.

I know that college isn't right for everyone, and we must allow our children to pave their own path.

My friend later brought the topic up when we were alone. "You are trying to talk him into going to college aren't you"? I responded "no... I want him to do what makes him happy... at least I think so."

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THAT is at my core. I want my children to be happy, regardless of what that looks like.

Regardless of what society thinks of it.

Regardless of what his friends are doing.

Regardless of what will make the most money.

This is what is in my heart.

My heart screams, do whatever makes you whole son. Travel, play, learn and BE whoever you want to be for a moment in time, because society does their best to take that from us from the minute we come out of the womb. Live! Be free! Call into work and get fired a time or two. Eat Ramen for two weeks straight, and put $2 into your gas tank. Listen to people... really listen. Hear their stories, and their plights. Learn what makes people tick and how their childhoods differed from yours. Invite everyone into your light, and then learn who you need to escort out. Decide what your boundaries are with toxic people and learn to lay them respectfully, not concerned with how the other person feels about them.

Take this time son.

Reflect on what makes your heart scream with joy.

Reflect on what your values are when no one is watching.

Determine what drives you and what makes you weep.

Stand back and watch how this game works, then choose in what area you will create change.

I want to create change makers, not game players.

My mind... now that is a different story. My mind has judgment thoughts that swirl around up there. My mind is acutely aware of what could happen if he doesn't go to college.

My mind feeds on fear, if left unchecked.

Fear says, what direction will he follow if he doesn't go to college?

Fear says, he might not "live up to his potential" if he doesn't go to college.

Fear says, I am highly educated, people might expect for my kids to be as well.

Fear says, how will that judgement feel?

Fear says, what will that judgment look like?

Fear says, if he doesn't go to college, will he end up in my basement long term, with a Mountain Dew, one hand down his pants and the other playing x-box???

Fear says... what exactly will I post on Facebook to reflect my kid is launching too (it must have equal parts being at peace with his decision and indignant belief in his path)?

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Fear is insecure. Fear does not access rational mind. Fear doesn't care what you think of her... she only cares about ruling your decisions and actions.

Fear is passionate and she starts a storm that is hard to gain control over. Fear starts with physical symptoms, but if you aren't trained to notice the warnings, then fear travels to your thoughts. There she sets up a perfect roadway for travel, called a neural pathway. Fear travels up and down that road, happily invading your thoughts. Happily circling around and around until you can't think of much else. Then fear, if left unmanaged, causes behaviors that we wouldn't rationally choose. Fear is rooted firmly in emotional mind.

When we react from emotional mind, we leave ourselves open to regret.

What if... we accessed wise mind? What if we chose not to participate with those fear thoughts. We noticed them, but we knew they weren't all accurate, so we didn't jump in that boat. What if we chose a different thought?

Wise mind means not being attached to an outcome.

When you take the time to recognize your thoughts, and feelings, you are taking the time to access wise mind. Accessing wise mind means combining your heart with your rational thoughts (only the rational ones please).

Letting go of a predetermined outcome for your child is essential to their growth as a human.

Not being attached to an outcome for your child frees them to grow into exactly who they were supposed to be.

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Not being attached to an outcome, does not mean a lack of expectations for responsibility and choices.

Not being attached to an outcome, requires trust in the job you have done as a parent.

Not being attached to an outcome, requires trust in that human you've been guiding for 18 years.

Not being attached to an outcome, frees your child to confide in you and leaves the door open for more much needed guidance.

Not being attached to an outcome is a gift to you and to your child.

In the end, all of my reflecting over the last week has led me to this. The only outcome I am attached to is happiness. Wholeness. At peace with who they are and who they are growing into. At peace with the job I have done and will continue to do.

I am attached to the outcome of unconditional love and acceptance. If that happens to mean college, I will support them through and through. If that happens to mean moving to Hollywood to pursue their dreams... well then, they better have a pull out couch, because I am there...right beside them, every step of the way.

Let's do this.
There's always something wonderful about passing a school playground. Wherever you are in the world, you hear those same yells and shrieks of laughter. You see those same clusters of students, on swings, playing games, chatting, running around. It's a reminder that schools really are societies unto themselves, with groupings, cultures and subcultures. But sometimes, amidst the cacophony of sounds, there are silences, too. The silences that signal social isolation.

I've been thinking about this recently for two reasons. The first is store shelves loaded up with rows of backpacks and composition books attest to the fact that millions of children are on their way back to school. As they begin this new school year, it's important for all of us to think about what they're learning, and what we want and need them to learn.

The second is that I'll be going back to school myself this year, in a way. I'll be teaching a class at McGill University examining the factors that leave certain populations at particular risk of social isolation, and how the international development community can promote community, build connectedness, and mitigate isolation.

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I've made combatting social isolation my life's work. In this post, I want to discuss how we can prevent it among student populations. In a follow-up post, I'll discuss how it impacts teachers.

When it comes to our schools and students, there's a well-developed consensus that the traditional "3 R's" of reading, writing, and arithmetic serve as the basic skills and habits students need to succeed by purely academic standards. But what do they need to build successful, meaningful lives?

I recently read a literature review published by Beyond Differences, a San Francisco Bay Area-based, student-led organization dedicated to promoting inclusivity and connectedness at schools. They found that students who are socially isolated suffer from a range of academic and health effects--from lower levels of engagement and motivation to poorer performance on tests to heightened risk for anxiety, depression, and even suicidal tendencies. (Of course, no one who has felt isolation in their school days needs a report to attest to these truths; experience alone is enough.)

Young people need help in navigating social challenges. Yet there's a disconnect that leaves too many stoically nursing unseen wounds. We need to ensure that students have the space to open up, and the support to explore their vulnerabilities, without fear of judgment. Decades of research show that students thrive most when schools prioritize social and emotional health alongside academic achievement. And this is why I believe we need a second set of three Rs: respect, recognition, and reciprocity. These are the keys to social connectedness--an indispensable ingredient of well-being. And students themselves can lead the charge of teaching and reinforcing these 3 Rs.

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Take the initiative displayed by Christian Bucks of York, Pennsylvania. In 2013, Christian--then just a first grader--told his principal about a school in Germany he had learned about (his family was considering a move at the time) that had a playground with a special "buddy bench," where children could sit to signal they wanted a buddy to play with. With the principal's support, Christian's elementary school got a "buddy bench" of their own, and news coverage helped the movement to spread. As the birthplaces of untold new friendships, these "buddy benches" can demonstrate that there is little to lose in admitting loneliness, but much to be gained in embracing inclusivity.

Adolescents can be especially vulnerable to social isolation. That's why Beyond Differences began National No One Eats Alone Day in middle schools across the United States. Because the act of eating alone can perpetuate exclusion, students at participating schools are encouraged to sit with peers who don't have a lunch table companion. This year, over 1,000 schools participated in the event, spreading an important lesson students can act on year-round: we only belong if we belong together.

For students attending university, pressure to thrive academically and socially--while grappling with the new responsibilities of independence--can produce feelings of loneliness, even amidst a crowd. It's particularly taxing for young people living with mental illnesses. By some estimates, this population may include as many as 1 in 4 of all college-aged adults in the United States. Those enrolled at school may struggle to find emotional support on campus. While stigmas associated with mental illnesses can discourage them from opening up to friends, the inadequate resources allotted to campus mental health services often leave students waiting weeks before they see a professional provided by the school. Even worse, schools show little compassion for students who might need a leave of absence, greeting them with long and cumbersome re-enrollment processes once they return.

At York University in Toronto, students are creatively pushing back against isolation and building a sense of connectedness through the power of technology. As part of Let's Talk Day in Canada, students created and shared a video that showed them "wearing" their mental illness for everyone to see, sending an important message for those struggling: You are not alone. It's a powerful act of recognition, while also encouraging all of the student body to take responsibility for one another.

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"One tends to think of oneself as being somewhat more functional and dynamic than one actually is." Join the incomparable David Shrigley for a thorough and humorous talk about making art that some people think is absolute rubbish.

David Shrigley, known particularly for his naive, yet poignant works on paper, started drawing "because I had a lot to say and I could say it very quickly and efficiently." Often working small-scale at the beginning of his career, Shrigley's first books were made while the artist was employed as a gallery assistant minding the exhibitions and, in his own words, "being paid to take care of other people's work. There was a certain irony or paradox there." Incidentally, the drawings in these books were often about Shrigley's own boredom: "In a way they were paying me to make art about how pissed off I was working for them."

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Today Shrigley's work revolves around what the artist calls "slippage": "I'm interested in the way image and text works together ... I try to make images that don't illustrate text and text that doesn't describe the image." His work is a proposition to which there will be different answers. The worst, he says, is if people find it boring: "Saying it's rubbish is fine! But saying it's boring, I guess that's pretty damning criticism."

David Shrigley (b. 1968) is a British visual artist, perhaps best known for his distinctive drawing style and works that make satirical comments on everyday situations and human interactions. Shrigley works across a range of media including large-scale installation, animation, painting, photography, music and sculpture. He has held solo exhibitions at venues such as Stephen Friedman Gallery in London, Galerie Yvon Lambert in Paris, Transmission Gallery in Glasgow and Galleri Nicolai Wallner in Copenhagen, and his works are included in prominent collections internationally, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Art Institute of Chicago and National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. In 2013, Shrigley was a Turner Prize nominee. He is based in Brighton, England. For more about him see: http://www.davidshrigley.com/

David Shrigley was interviewed by Christian Lund at Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen in January 2016 in connection to his exhibition 'Coloured Works on Paper'.


A multi ethnic group, including Iraqi Sunnis and Shias protest against sectarianism in al-Muqdadiyah, Friday, 22 January 2016.

Last month, an improvised explosive device killed a leader of Iraq's Hashd al-Shaabi, or the "Popular Mobilization Units" (PMU), in the Sunni majority town of Gharma. The town is not far from Fallujah, and the PMU are majority Shi'a. If we follow a popular narrative in Iraq post 2003, we may assume this is another case of Sunnis fighting back against a Shi'a security force. According to Reuters correspondent Ned Parker, for example, the US has let "Shi'a militias" "run amok" in Sunni towns. But there is a fundamental problem with this representation.

After the attack, Karma Fallujah Brigade Colonel Juma al-Jumaili, issued a statement.

"The security forces have launched a probe to identify the perpetrators of the assassination attempts on the leaders of al-Hashd al-Shaabi and al-Ashaeri."

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Colonel al-Jumaili is a Sunni from the al-Jumail tribe, as was his Hashd al Shaabi colleague who was killed, moreover, the Hashd al-Ashaeri are a pro-government Sunni force. These are Sunni members of the Hashd al Shaabi and by some estimates their numbers reach around 20,000. Add to that the tens of thousands of Sunni police officers and army soldiers. Pay close attention to the news about Iraqi army advances, and you will find Sunni names among the senior Iraqi officers and spokesmen on every front across Iraq.

Be that as it may, you would never know this from the Special Reports peddled by Reuter's Ned Parker, which are often one sided, confused, and guilty of engaging in partial journalism based on a modus operandi defined by cherry picking of facts. In May 2015, for example, Reuters ran a special report on al-Hashd al Shaabi supposed "looting and house burning" in Tikrit. The report noted how "Sunni lawmakers who visited Tikrit complained that events have spun out of control since the security forces and militias retook the city," before immediately adding, "(Sunni) Parliamentarian Mutashar al-Samarrai credited the government with orchestrating a smooth entrance into Tikrit. But he said that some Shi'a paramilitary factions had exploited the situation."

The most notable aspect of the report is the mention of "some factions." The PMU is comprised of around 40 different groups, many of them with Sunni members and particularly in the Tikrit area, where thousands of Sunnis from the Jubour tribe have joined up, as Abed Mutlak al-Jubouri says, "there is a new reality. Sunni, Shi'a, everyone is fighting ISIS."

Parker's Tikrit report neglects to mention that while it is likely some Shi'a fighters were involved in house destruction, the violence appears to have been led by the Sunni Jubour tribe, who attempted to exact punishment on locals who had sided with ISIS. In fact, by some accounts the majority of property destruction was committed by angry locals. This is logical enough, given how brutal ISIS have been to Sunnis. So why does a supposedly impartial, professional journalist insist on reducing the variegated socio-political conflict of Iraq to simple, lazy, and neo-orientalist notions depicting irrational warring between Shi'as and Sunnis?

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Later, Sheikh Abdul Hamid al-Jabouri, a Sunni tribal elder with the Jubour tribe admitted that some families accused of links to ISIS would not be permitted to return to al-Alam, near Tikrit. Again, this is not a Shi'a punishment against Sunnis. The special reports of Reuter's correspondent Ned Parker do not illustrate such nuances, instead portraying a sectarian battle of "Shi'a militias" constantly tormenting Sunnis.

Some publications however, have managed to paint a balanced picture, with one New York Times piece highlighting Sunni participation in Shi'a paramilitary groups in the immediate aftermath of the Tikrit battle, and also noting the risk of Sunni on Sunni tribal violence. Parker instead chose to warn,

"If Sunnis dislike what they see in Tikrit, they may not back the government's efforts against Islamic State."

Over a year later, this warning simply has not come to pass, as the story of the Sunni Hashd Colonel mentioned earlier illustrates: Sunnis are fighting for the Iraqi government because of what ISIS have done to them, not joining ISIS because Shi'a Hashd have entered their towns. Almost exactly a year before the battle of Fallujah in the spring, there were 4000 Sunnis rallying in southern Anbar to fight ISIS, the same number that US spokesman Steve Warren announced would take part in the Fallujah battle.

Undoubtedly however, there have been atrocities, carried out by both Sunni and Shi'a Hashd fighters, against their former tormentors ISIS, and in some cases against civilians. Parker refers to allegations in Saqlawiyah, where a mass grave of ISIS victims, some 400 civilians and soldiers was found in June, a discovery announced by the town's mayor. For his latest report, Parker has apparently researched allegations of a massacre by members of Hashd unit Kataeb Hezbollah, thought to be several thousand strong; in other words, less than 10% of the Hashd al Shaabi.

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For his Fallujah's special report, he relied upon "interviews with more than 20 survivors, tribal leaders, Iraqi politicians and Western diplomats." But their testimony is very thin throughout the piece, and in Iraq political identity often strongly informs testimonies. While these claims need to be taken seriously and immediately investigated, the initial problem is that one unit of Hashd (Kataeb Hezbollah) is being used to slander a force that, as noted, comprises thousands of Sunnis, and in some cases has been invited into Sunni majority areas by Sunni Sheikhs. Generally, Parker follows a problematic methodology that has little basis in social sciences. Eye-witness accounts are not always true or representative of events on the ground. He does not place the testimonials within the socio-political context. For example, how does he distinguish between the testimony of a partisan local vexed at the status quo and its seemingly favourable relation to Iraqi Shias, and between a genuinely persecuted local who may have very well been the victim of some sectarian PMU unit? This isn't entirely clear in his reports.

Secondly, we must also be aware of eyewitness bias; in June, a sheikh in Anbar told the Daily Beast that 300 Sunnis had been "buried alive" by the Hashd al Shaabi, but nobody has since mentioned this claim--the claim has seemingly vanished and was not even mentioned by Anbar Governor Suhayb al-Rawi. Al-Rawi has demanded an investigation into the Saqalawiyah allegations, therefore it follows that if 300 people had been buried alive he would, at the very least raise this. But it was simply reported as fact.

Whether stories are exaggerated or not, atrocity allegations must be met with zero tolerance from the Iraqi government. Encouragingly, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has been consistent in his pleas for Iraqi security forces to protect the Sunni population. In Salahaddin and Anbar, where thousands of Sunnis have signed up to fight terrorism, it appears Sistani's wish is overwhelmingly being respected. If it were the case that the Hashd and the Iraqi Army really were leaving a trail of atrocities in their wake across Iraq, the number of Sunnis in their ranks would likely be few to nil and progress against ISIS would be slow as hundreds of thousands Sunnis resisted.

Parker, claims that "Sistani's pleas and the American threats (to uphold human rights) fell on deaf ears", when in fact Sistani's call will likely be upheld, as it derived from the Prophet's directives. If anything, humanitarian aid missions to Sunni areas led by Hashd al Shaabi units and Iraqi army units have been nothing but exemplary, with Shi'a Hashd units facilitating aid drops by the Preemptive Love Coalition.

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Meanwhile, US calls for Iraq to observe the rule of law are part of their commitment as a former occupier of Iraq and current partner in the War on Terror to make sure Iraq preserves human rights. But in an incredible over-simplification, Parker accuses the US of allowing "the Shi'ite militias to run amok against their Sunni foes."



It is this basic reduction of such a complex problem that, ironically, could fuel a regional sectarian narrative about Iraq and push peace further away. In this respect, Parker's claim that "Washington has fueled the Shi'a-Sunni sectarian divide that is tearing Iraq apart" is not only an over-reaction, it is a dangerous one, but one that unfortunately is being taken by some observers as "analysis."
So, the former host of "America's Next Top Model" has announced that she's going to be academia's next top branding expert. Tyra Banks is heading to Stanford University to co-teach a two-week class for MBA students next May on creating and protecting a personal brand.

This isn't a case of those who can't do, teach. Banks has developed a strong personal brand, and she's more than credible. But building and maintaining a compelling personal brand is far harder than it looks. It's always been a delicate balancing act, now more than ever, in this post-Gawker age of radical transparency.

It's also a necessary art--less a matter of selling yourself than educating the world about your value. Okay, it is about selling yourself. That's not gross; it's something everyone--your competition--does these days. The financial benefits of getting people to like you and believe in you are obvious.

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Look at the massive success of well-branded celebrities like JLo (ageless sex appeal), Beyonce (the epitome of entrepreneurial girl power), Michelle Obama (coolest First Lady ever, and awesome public speaker to boot), Jessica Alba (working mom and entrepreneur), Jennifer Garner (wholesome mother), Kate Moss (everyone's favorite bad girl) and Taylor Swift (artists' rights advocate).

Meanwhile, Ryan Lochte is losing sponsorships right and left after his massive mistake in Brazil (which makes the kerfuffle over Michael Phelps' smoking habits seem trivial--then again, Phelps owns that and has successfully incorporated it into his personal brand). Something similar happened to Lance Armstrong when he lied about doping. Johnny Depp is watching his star tarnish in the wake of domestic violence allegations (seriously not cool or cute), and Shia LaBeouf has lost his altogether, deciding he "is not famous anymore" and going off the rails with violence and booze, and so has Chris Brown, who one could argue is now better known for assaulting Rihanna than for his music.

This isn't to say women are better personal-branders--look at Lindsay Lohan, the poster girl for how-to-demolish-a-personal-brand--but it's interesting that the first people who come to mind when thinking about celebrity branding done brilliantly happen to be females. (Though to be fair, Steve Jobs is still considered the gold standard of personal branding; Richard Branson, Tony Hsieh and Jack Welsh all have excellent personal brands in the business realm; and Jay-Z is doing more than all right. But that's something for another column.)

Anyway, Tyra Banks is definitely a member of the girls' club, having gone from lingerie model to reality show icon to CEO of TYRA Beauty. That hasn't been just luck. In 2012 she completed an executive education program at Harvard Business School. Allison Kluger, the management professor at Stanford with whom Banks will be teaching, approached her about the educational role after seeing her speak at the university.

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"I was mesmerized," says Kluger of the speech, in which Banks described cold-calling Zappos CEO Hsieh for guidance on starting her own company. "She's a natural."
So you reached the dead end in your latest relationship. Again... To the extent that you're now wondering if you'll ever be with the right person. The truth is, if you've had one or more serious breakup, your journey to finding your perfect mate will likely require serious changes in the way you manage your love life. And the first one should be about your personal "laws." Simply put, personal laws are a set of rules that highlight how special you are, and... that you won't let any one break them! Here are 4 Personal Laws to Implement Before Looking For Your New Mate:

1. Zero tolerance for lies

The late Dr Maya Angelou had a wonderful saying: "When people show you who they are, believe them the first time." If someone you are dating lies to you about her age, employment, past relationships, or anything else, this is a RED FLAG! We believe there is no such thing as a "white lie" when you're seeking to build a long-term relationship. A lie is a lie. Remember, too, whatever a relationship is built upon will determine what the whole relationship will be about.

2. Respect is a two-way street

Our space, our faith and our pace are to be honored, not questioned. What does that mean? It means that you should both expect to respect one another's circumstances if you want this to work. Do not be afraid to address your expectations, limitations and hopes for the relationship. In addition, seek to understand the expectations of the other party.

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3. Meet each other's meaningful people IN DUE TIME

Who are the meaningful people in your life? Do you want them to have a great first impression of your new flame? And what about you? Don't you want to have the same impact on your mate's meaningful people? What this rule states is that both partners should meet each other's important people at a well-planned time and under appropriate conditions where there can be an authentic conversation. At the same time, keep in mind that there's no need to rush things or to improvise impromptu meetings with those VIPs. Curb your enthusiasm.

4. Don't rush into intimacy before you're ready

Postponing intimacy has become almost taboo in today's society. Please understand that we're not promoting abstinence here. Nor do we deny that physical attraction is one of the strongest forces of nature! What we're saying is that a healthy sex life is certainly part of a successful relationship. Besides, if you're in it for the long term, what's the rush?

* * * * * *
Opinion by Reboot Illinois' Madeleine Doubek

On Thursday, we got the news that the Democrats elected to the Illinois Supreme Court had rejected giving Illinois voters a chance to have their say on redistricting with some of the partisanship removed.

The decision was completely partisan. Majority Democrats on the court voted no to letting the redistricting question go before voters while the Republicans voted yes.

On Friday, I came home to another letter from one of the Democrats who is supposed to represent me in Springfield. This one was all about how that Democrat voted to make legislative mapmaking fairer.

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What fortuitous timing, she wrote sarcastically. I'm guessing nearly everyone who lives in a district considered contested or competitive got one of these letters that surely were ordered and designed by House Speaker Mike Madigan's and Senate President John Cullerton's minions. Of course, less than a third of districts up for election this year even are contested because of the political control over redistricting.

My letter said Legislator or Candidate X "believes Illinois must change the way the state's legislative district boundaries are drawn so politics can be removed from the process and true reform can begin." It even implied my legislator owned or authored a House Joint Resolution that was "superior to other so-called 'reform' proposals because it provides: true independence," true diversity, true transparency...blah, blah, blah.

What a crock of baloney. Do not buy it.

In classic, clever campaign legislating, majority House Democrats pushed through and approved one redistricting reform proposal, while majority Senate Democrats pushed through a different one. In order for redistricting changes to be made law, the two Democratic-run chambers would have to approve the same plan and then it could go to the governor for his consideration.

That didn't happen. On purpose. So now you still can have Democratic lawmakers and Democratic candidates saying they support redistricting reform, or they're on record supporting it, or they practically sponsored it as they campaign to win your vote Nov. 8.

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Let's be crystal clear on three points:

If Republicans won the power to draw legislative maps after a U.S. Census, they would draw them to their political advantage too, just as they did once in the 1990s.

Democrats have won the power more lately and have used it to full advantage.

Democrats are the ones blocking a less-partisan approach to legislative mapmaking.

If you want to have a shot at fixing Illinois politics, redistricting reform is one of the best ways to start. Corruption is born when politicians draw maps to their advantage, packing voters into districts they know will vote for their candidates based on their voting histories. Or they pack candidates or lawmakers from their opposing party into the same district so one of them can't win. Often in the process, they draw districts that look like ear muffs or spaghetti or spiders. Or they draw districts where one side of a block is represented by one lawmaker and the neighbors across the street have a different politician.

There's no guarantee that changing the way legislative maps are drawn will fix everything. Few things are perfect and most such attempts create unintended consequences. But nearly any change in the redistricting process that removes the conflict inherent in politicians drawing their own home bases is worth a shot.

The Independent Map Amendment group that was the second consecutive one to try and to be shot down by Democrats in the courts is weighing whether to ask the court for a rehearing.

Last week, Democratic Supreme Court justices said the amendment group erred by including the state's Auditor General in its plan by having that officer oversee the process for selecting independent commissioners to draw maps.

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Having seen the history of rigged mapping and attempts at changing it in Illinois, Republicans on the supreme court assailed their Democratic brethren.

"The Illinois Constitution was meant to prevent tyranny, not enshrine it," Republican Justice Bob Thomas wrote.

Enshrined tyranny. That's just what we have in Illinois. We've become numb to it.

Independents and Democrats with common sense have to join Republicans in concluding any attempt at changing redistricting is rigged against the people as the current maps are. Our very democratic, small d, rights are being stripped from us. We need to wake ourselves up from the stupor of our Illinois political slavery. Stop thinking that it doesn't matter or it's hopeless. Recruit family, friends and neighbors.

Call, email, visit your elected officials. Tell them to work with the other chamber and approve the same form of redistricting changes to send to the governor. Keep telling them. Keep up the pressure. Again and again. When they tell you they voted for reform, laugh at them. Tell them you'll vote for them after they see that redistricting changes are Illinois law.

That letter? The amendment it mentions, House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 58, was supported by some reputable groups in Illinois that also supported the Independent Map Amendment. The letter correctly says that other version of redistricting reform was supported by Common Cause Illinois, the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, the Illinois Public Interest Research Group, the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and the Small Business Advocacy Council.

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But again, Madigan and Cullerton made sure each chamber passed different versions of redistricting reform. Tell them to get HJRCA 58 to Gov. Bruce Rauner after the election or to call a special session and get it done now. Or tell them to pass the Independent Map Amendment version because lawmakers can approve whatever they want, unlike citizen voters. Tell them then, and only then, will you consider voting for them.

Call them on their campaign crocks of nonsense. Democrats control the Supreme Court, the state House and Senate. Voting for something isn't enough. Give us a real redistricting reform law supported by non-partisan experts.
My favorite left-journalist icon Molly Ivins would be celebrating her birth on August 30th if she'd been lucky enough to survive what she called a "scorching case of breast cancer" that ended her life back in 2007.

As a journalist, I've always loved Molly for her wisdom, politics and wicked sense of humor. My favorite quote of hers lately is the salient one to vote "with your heart" in primary elections but "with your head" in the general.

Molly treated my husband and I to rounds of beer in a bar one unforgettable evening in 1995 after she'd given a rousing speech at UC Davis in California. On this anniversary of her birth in 1944, I thought I'd share an essay I wrote about that night for the Sacramento News & Review:

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February 23, 1995. It had already been a long day for Molly Ivins. She'd flown into town from Texas and was scheduled to speak that night as part of the UC Davis Distinguished Speaker Series. She'd spent the day in classrooms chatting with faculty and students, appeared as the featured guest at a formal dinner that evening with the chancellor, and, finally, at 8 p.m., given a rousing speech--her call to a passionate populism--to a sold-out Freeborn Hall.

Molly was on fire that night, an inspiration.

But her day wasn't over; we hadn't yet made it to the bar.

OK, back up a second. My husband, Dave Webb, then marketing director at UC Davis Presents (now Mondavi Center), had volunteered to drive Molly to and from her destinations throughout the day. (For some reason, he hadn't offered to do the same for Dick Cheney when he'd appeared as a UCD Distinguished Speaker the month before.) When Molly learned that Dave was married to the editor of an alternative newsweekly, SN&R ... well, that was it. We three were heading to the nearest bar after her speech.

Molly must have been exhausted from her long day, but she didn't show it. (At one point, Dave remembers her opening the hotel-room door in her bathrobe, hustling him in amid piles of newspapers and magazines she'd strewn around the place, commencing to type feverishly into her laptop. On top of everything else she had scheduled during her visit to Davis, she was on deadline for her column.)

We took a table near the door at Cafe California (now Our House in Davis) at around 11 p.m. and she proceeded to buy rounds of Heinekens ("I'm the mainstream one here tonight! Always make the mainstream pay!"), and regale us with stories from her early days muckraking at the Texas Observer. She grilled me for information about the then current state of the alternative media in the country. She extracted personal gossip about some of the more, well, eccentric alt-weekly publishers and editors she happened to know. She lamented with us about the threat of media conglomeration, the continued plight of the poor and the general state of the country (though, in retrospect, American circa 1995 doesn't look all that bad.)

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Others at the bar--even people who didn't recognize her--were constantly turning their heads to see what all the commotion was about. It was just three of us sitting at a table talking, but Molly's volume, her bellowing laugh and that Texas twang, had made us a magnet for attention. As Molly's friend Jim Hightower has said, "It was her spirit coming at you."

Eventually, we wrapped up the evening and drove an exhausted Molly back to the hotel.

By now, everyone has read of her sad death, at age 62, from what she called a "scorching case" of cancer. They've been reminded of her irrepressible spirit and wildly successful career as a newspaper columnist. And they've heard her list of loves: the Bill of Rights, investigative journalism, the Texas Observer, democracy, political underdogs and (as Hightower has said) "the merry combination of good friends, good drink and good fun."

Her last column, dictated a few weeks before her death because the cancer had so weakened her, was titled "Stand Up Against the Surge." It was another one urging the American people to end Bush's war and take back the country. "The president of the United States does not have the sense God gave a duck," she wrote in a previous column. "So it's up to us."

I read her last essay and thought back to that night long ago in the bar and remembered her indomitable presence, her wonderful laugh and the unsolicited life advice she offered to me and Dave:
While many members of the LGBT community are anxious to see Hillary Clinton make history in November as the first female president, Tom D'Angora is taking action. As the official LGBT Outreach Grassroots Coordinator, D'Angora balances a career of producing Broadway shows like "Naked Boys Singing" and "The Marvelous Wonderettes" with doing everything he can to make sure Madame Secretary herself has a victorious night in November. He sat down with us to chat about Secretary Clinton's feelings towards the LGBT community, how she has supported this community throughout her career, and what a White House under Secretary Clinton could look like for the LGBT community.

What are some of the things about Secretary Clinton that make her so passionate towards the LGBT community and really want to see further positive change for the community as a whole?

I think she is a fighter for people in general. Hillary has always been a champion for all Americans and I think she truly believes that all Americans are created equal and that every single American, to quote her, "has the right to live up to his or her own God-given potential". Honestly, I think it's that simple. I don't think she sees us as any different than any other American, and she sees us as one nation. I think that's an amazing quality to have as President of the United States. She is an amazing champion for us.

People as well as their views are constantly evolving. Why do you think that some people continue to have an issue that at one time, Secretary Clinton and President Obama's views were not at the point that they are now on a variety of issues?

I think it's easy, because the fight for equality was such a huge battle, it's tough for people to see before that and to remember the battles that came before that. You can look back as far as the 90's and Hillary was on the front lines fighting for the LGBT community. Passing legislation, she had such a giant part of LGBT couples being able to adopt, so much on HIV/AIDS research, working with the state department on making passports gender neutral, which is a huge accomplishment. Right away when she was in the State Department, making sure that same sex couples had the same benefits as other couples in the state department. She always supported civil unions with 100% equal rights also; it's something she saw as achievable a decade before marriage. She was also the first sitting First Lady to march in a Pride Parade fifteen years ago.

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It can be frustrating because I think people's memories are very short. Also, she did not come late, she came when everyone else did. Additionally, she was the Secretary of State, so for four years, she was not allowed to weigh in on partisan politics. However, she did make that speech where she said "gay rights are human rights and human rights are gay rights". During that time, the rest of the family came out as well in support of marriage equality. immediately upon leaving the State Department, she came out in favor of it. I think her timeline was incredible.

In the 2008 campaign, she was hands down the friendliest candidate to the LGBT community and I think it's her entire life that she has been an actual advocate. We need to look at the actual record and not just where she may have evolved. I personally always saw her views as very pragmatic, as to what was actually going to take care of us. It may not have been a romantic idea, but I thought of her ideas as very pragmatic and very progressive for the time. She was talking about this at the turn of the century. She used to speak about civil unions fifteen years ago, and as they stood in Vermont at that time for example, there were I think eleven hundred rights that still were not made available to the LGBT community with those civil unions. She always made sure to say that she supported a national civil union with 100% equal rights and benefits. While that may not have been as forward as some people would have wanted, it would have been life changing. Imagine if that had happened ten years before marriage had passed? Imagine all of the people who would have been by the bedside of the person that they shared their life with, or those that spent their entire lives spending their money on a home and their partners second cousin or something came in and was legally able to take it away? To me, it was always about being denied the rights that other people had. The good news is, we are past that and it's romantic and wonderful now.

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Other than a very fashion forward Madame President, what will a President Clinton White House look like?

Well, I think President Obama has been an incredible ally for us. I think you will see President Clinton keep moving in the right direction. I think we still have a way to go on things, but I think she is fully committed to full equality for all. I am hoping to see a lot more on transgender rights, I think that is a battle we have a lot of fight left on, and think she has been incredible on that front. Last month at the Democratic National Convention, we had a record breaking twenty eight transgender delegates. I think just moving in the right direction is what we need to do, we cannot go backwards. I think the progress is now moving at a rapid pace and I find it really inspiring. That's what keeps me working every single day and I have no doubt in my mind that Hillary will continue on the right path.

What is something we don't know about Hillary Clinton that we don't know about her?

She remembers everybody. It's mind boggling. She remembers the tiniest of details. You could have a limp for example, and spend 5 minutes with her in September of 2014 and see her again in June of 2016, and she would say "how's that limp, did you go to the doctor? Did you get it checked out? What did they say"? She is an incredibly caring person and it's just so genuine. She really pays attention to detail and pays attention to people.

Something that speaks so hugely of her is that if you spend two minutes with her, she knows you for life. When she speaks to you in person, she looks right in your eyes and she listens to you. I think it's very apparent to anyone that has spent any time with her will tell you the exact same thing. She genuinely cares. Hillary, every time she starts something, she starts it with a "Listening Tour". She's going to run for Senate? She is going to go across New York and wants to hear what the problems are so she can start putting plans in motion to solve them. She did the same thing when she decided to run for President last year. She got in her "Scooby Van" and went all over the country and wanted to know what every day Americans were facing. She truly listens; that's what really motivates her.

There are some people that, despite what they have seen in the media, will still be casting a ballot for Donald Trump. How do you resign yourself to the fact that some people still feel he is a viable candidate?

I will never understand it. I am not going to judge anyone, or begin to say maybe it's this or maybe it's that. I cannot understand someone walking into a voting booth and giving someone who is fundamentally against everything that you are, any kind of power to rule over you. It makes me sad. All I can say is, there has to be a lot going on there. I don't understand people saying "it's not about social issues, it's about my wallet" either. I mean, John McCain's economic advisor just came out and said that Hillary Clinton's economic plan will add 10.5 million jobs, while Donald Trump's plan will lose 3.5 million jobs. If you actually do that math, we are talking about the difference of almost 14 million jobs.

Apart from stumping for Hillary, you are also a producer of some fantastic Off-Broadway shows! "Naked Boys Singing" is a personal favorite of mine.

Thank you! Right now, we just opened "The Marvelous Wonderettes", which featured "American Idol" finalist Diana DeGarmo. She is such a friend of the LGBT community and when she married Ace Young, who was on a different season of "Idol" her "gusband" stood in between them when they got married. Hillary sent me a fabulous letter for opening night congratulating me, sending love to my husband and asking how I found the time to work so much for her campaign and do what I do. It was a beautiful letter.

What's the climate like working on the Clinton campaign right now?

We are working very hard and not taking anything for granted. I have been working with these people for a very long time. We have great interns, we have volunteers all over the country and the staff is incredible. Everyone really believes in this and is working their heart out and not taking one vote for granted. We are all working so hard and it's going to be a beautiful night in November.

Lastly, how can people get involved?

There is always a way to get involved to. An hour a week, if you have more that's great, if not that's fine too. There is so much to do in the tri-state area. grassroots@hillaryclinton.com is where people can reach me directly.

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Nearly all artists take inspiration from the works of other artists. Or in the words of the legendary blues musician, Blind Willie McTell, "I jump 'em from other artists, but I arrange 'em my own way."

What happens when an artist doesn't collage, mash-up, remix or rearrange someone else's art and just takes it, mildly tweaks it, and then calls it his own original work? Ask the controversial appropriation artist Richard Prince.

In recent years, four different artists have sued Prince and his now-former gallery (Gagosian) for wrongfully creating reproductions without consent. Here is how it works for Prince as observed in his latest project, the New Portrait series. Prince screenshots web images of provocatively posed women he finds on Instagram, blows up the ink jet print portraits onto a 6' canvas, adds obscure captions, then exhibits and sells them through his gallery at $90k a pop. All without permission or providing compensation, recognition or attribution of the women whose selfie images he appropriates.

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Is what Prince doing legal? One of the core benefits the owner of a copyright has is the exclusive right to make copies or reproductions of the original work of art. This applies to any rearrangement, recasting or translation of a copyrighted work. A straightforward example of this derivative right is turning a comic book into a movie. Yet, what of an artist like Prince who enlarges the images, prints them on canvas, and adds text to the more significant creative art of the original copyright owner? Should society recognize a copyright in Prince's newly created work or has he infringed upon the reproduction right of the owner of the Instagram selfies?

The notion of what constitutes a copyright infringement is not always easy to decipher. On paper the legal test for wrongful use is straightforward: whether an ordinary person while examining the original work and the alleged copied work side by side, would conclude that the second work is indeed copied from the original work. Contrary to the common opinion there is no fixed percent rule that when more than X,Y or Z percent of the original work is used there must be a finding of infringement. The legal analysis requires an examination of both qualitative and quantitative factors.

In determining whether Prince's use of the copyrighted selfies is a fair use protected by copyright law there are four guideposts to consider. Did Prince make any money from his new art venture? The quick answer is a resounding YES. He didn't create this art for education reasons. Is the nature of the copied print similar to the copyrighted selfie? Once more, the response is in the affirmative. Both are portraited images, although Prince may argue his canvas print is a different medium than a digital image. How much of the original art did Prince use? He used the whole of it not a mere portion of the original. What impact did Prince's art have on the real or potential market value of the original selfie? Unlike the other three factors, here Prince can justly make an argument in this favor. His creations brought attention to the Instagram images of the pin-up Suicide Girls models and the makeup artist, Ashley Salazar aka Mynxii White, who most recently sued Prince, that serve to enhance the value of their original works, not diminish it.

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Besides examining each of these four factors individually, courts also will holistically assess whether Prince's art sufficiently transforms the original artwork by giving it a different meaning to qualify as a fair use.

Prince is not the first artist who seeks to reimage existing works of art for commercial purposes. Andy Warhol's silkscreen image of Marilyn Monroe, Roy Lichtenstein's parodied compositions of Mickey Mouse, and Shepard Fairey's HOPE poster of Obama based on a copyrighted photograph are examples of a venerable tradition in modern art that Prince is next-in-line to follow. However, in an age where copyrighted images are easily licensed or sold for megabucks, the stakes are higher today than ever before.
For more great car-free getaway ideas, visit offMetro.com.

This August, instead of following the hoi polloi to the east end or upstate New York, consider the quaint undiscovered hamlet of Frenchtown, located about 90 minutes from midtown Manhattan. This once bustling industrious river town along the Delaware is like a throwback in time, a sweet taste of New England right in your own backyard.

The boro of Frenchtown got its start back in 1794 when a French-speaking Swiss native bought and settled the town. In the decades that followed, trade in farm products, ferries that carried both people and cargo, and eventually the Belvidere Delaware Railroad came through town, further fueling its rapid growth. Now the river is used for recreation, and hotels that were once busy transit points, are restaurants with covered porches and original mahogany bars to while away your summer evening.

Get Outdoors

There's a myriad of ways to get yourself into the Delaware River. Now through just after Labor Day, head to Delaware Tubing Company for tubing, rafting, and kayak rentals. 1.5 miles north of town, it's accessible by bike, or a 30-minute walk along the scenic tow path. You can always splash around like the locals do, don your water shoes and scamper in the Nishisakawick creek by the playground or the shady picturesque spot where it feeds into the Delaware on the South side of town.

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Rent a bike at Cycle Corner (or bring your own on the bus). Ask helpful owner Dave for directions to the tow path along the Pennsylvania Canal; the covered wooden bridge, the old industrial barns- and mills-turned-houses, and Tinicum State Park make for a delightful ride. Or take the tow path on the NJ side north to Frenchtown's sister village of Milford about 20-minutes up the road. The Milford Station Bakery is a great place for a rest before exploring the town. Want a little romance with your outdoorsy weekend? Cycle Corner has tandem bikes for rent, as well as bikes with kid's trailers for a family-friendly ride.

Eats + Drinks

For a quaint village, Frenchtown offers a mighty selection of quality dining. The Lovin' Oven serves modern American cuisine in a loft-industrial setting and a beautiful shady patio. The food is great but you MUST leave room for most delicious homemade desserts you have ever had.

For breakfast or lunch with a view, check out The Bridge Cafe in what was once the old railroad station. The food is delicious, as are their old fashioned handmade doughnuts.

For dinner, first make a pitstop at Frenchtown Wine and Liquor for a bottle of vino or a cool six- pack, then try the BYOB Mexican eatery Cochina Del Sol (downstairs in the basement at 10 Bridge St). Or, see and be seen at a table on the porch of the award-winning Frenchtown Inn (7 Bridge St) where the bartender SarahBeth will make you the cocktail of your dreams.

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Stay Here

The National Hotel (31 Race St) has lovely rooms and suites for families, friends, or couples (weekends $159-$209/night) with continental breakfast. The B&B in town, Widow McCrea House, has five elegantly furnished rooms from $145/night, plus a pet- and family-friendly cottage with its own private patio for $350/night. If you don't mind a little walk, there are several Airbnb's in the area.

Insider Tip

Do not get back on the bus without peeking your head into Country Chic, the resale shop that also sells goodies from local artists. Those in the know flock here from far and wide for good reason. This once-NYC-fashionista has gotten a thousand-dollar suede Gucci handbag for $34, perfect fitting Joe jeans for $10, and several lovely designer cashmere sweaters for about $30.

Transbridge Bus Lines goes directly to Frenchtown from PABT in about two hours. $47.50 round trip. Buy your ticket at the PABT ticket counter, or pay the driver with exact cash from local stops. At the discretion of the driver, it's an additional $7 each way to bring a bicycle, although if you place it under the bus and retrieve it yourself, the drivers often waive the fee.
Medellin, the second largest city in Colombia, is a place that surprises, no doubt about it. Once the stereotype of "narco ciudad", home of the Cartel de Medellin and known as the most violent city in the world, now shows another face, one of vitality, culture, youth; all driven by great urban remodelations. They shout that this is a new era, a new beginning, not only for the city but for their citizens. Fear has been changed and transformed in bright colors and big projects for the community.

The streets, once taken by Narcos, now accommodate museums, parks, festivals (like the great Journalism Festival organized magnificently by Garcia Marquez Foundation every year). A few years ago it was elected by the Urban Land Institute as the most innovative city in the world, among other prizes and distinctions. This new spirit is called "Actitud Medellin", the hope that there is always a chance of a fresh start. Even on the worst places.

Today, that successful peace talks between the FARC and the Colombian government are finishing a 52 year war, I wonder about what I saw at a recent visit to Medellin, the strength of their people and their will to move on, no mater what, for the sake of the new generation of Colombians. It's the same spirit, I think, that has inspired President Juan Manuel Santos in this bold move that has had so many difficulties -and still has a long way ahead.

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This is a case of true leadership. He saw a possibility -a small one-, of achieving something no less than historic. He decided to pursue, against all odds, this remote possibility of success, and even thou he has the support of world leaders such as Pope Francis and President Obama, he knew that inside his country, critical voices should arise, as it happened. He navigated the complicated waters of negotiation, hard ones; with groups he had nothing in common, on the contrary. All the violence and suffering that the FARC caused the Colombian people made it extremely difficult to avoid hard criticism. But anyway, he persevered and now has delivered this peace agreement that has almost 300 pages. "It's an agreement that that allows to effectively end the conflict and lays the foundation so that violence doesn't come back", said President Santos to El Tiempo.



The road map begins tonight, when FARC Troops will begin their displacement to 28 sites to deliver weapons. A huge step, but lots of key ones come after: the referendum on 2 October, for example, when Colombian people should vote for this agreement. And after that begins the long and sometimes exhausting path of transitional justice that should give Colombian people peace, truth, reparation and justice. Reinsertion of seven thousand guerrilleros is another extraordinary challenge.
Do you know the main reason why most people are not good investors? It's because they don't jump at the first sign of serious trouble.

In this post I'm going to introduce the Zurich axioms - a set of investment maxims which have tremendous power. They were derived by a club of Swiss investors and traders on Wall Street after the Second World War. There is a great book by Max Gunther - The Zurich Axioms - a slim volume with more valuable advice than I've ever seen in so few pages. I hope you'll read it. To whet your appetite, I'm going to concentrate on the most important single axiom.

And at the end I will do more. I'll apply the same insight to business and life, something I don't think anyone has yet done.

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The Basic Idea



The greatest investment skill is knowing how to get out of a bad situation before it is apparent how bad it is. In theory this is not hard - you enunciate the rule and stick to it. The logic is clear - if something starts to go bad, it nearly always gets much, much worse before it gets better. If it ever does.

Easy to say.

So hard to do.

Why? Because we are all inveterate optimists and we HATE to take a loss. So we hope the trouble will blow over. Anyway, it's not very serious yet.

As Gunther says, "It takes courage and a kind of honesty with a cutting edge like a razor blade." Or as speculator Martin Schwartz said, "I'll tell you how I became a winner. I learned how to lose."

At poker, the winners are not afraid to fold their cards. The losers do so too late, or never.

When the ship starts to take on water, JUMP!

Not when it is sinking. Rats desert the sinking ship. Owls fly away when the ship is getting a tad damp.

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That's it. So simple. So hard. But next time, try it. You may lose ten or twenty percent but you will live to fight another day.

We are all loss-averse.

When things go wrong, we hope too much.

Because we don't cut our losses immediately, we suffer more.



Apply the JUMP Axiom to Life

Consider jobs. It may be you who is sinking, not the firm. I had that experience at the Boston Consulting Group in my twenties. I was not cut out for the firm. But I was stubborn. Failure was unthinkable. I'd never failed before. So I doubled down. Worked myself into the ground. Ruined my romantic relationship and most of those with my friends. Things just got worse. I wasted four years doing that, and they were the most miserable of my life.

I should have jumped at the first sign of real trouble.

What about firing people? There are very few people who enjoy doing this. So we put it off. I have had to fire perhaps thirty people in my life. I always procrastinate. In no single case did the potential victim come good, despite huge efforts from them and from me and others in the firm. It is kinder and a better use of energy to fire them at once. I wish BCG had done that to me.

How about trusting people?

It's right to trust everyone at first and to be generally trusting. Everyone should be trusted unless they prove otherwise.

Yet, what happens when you get the first real suspicion that they have behaved dishonestly? You put it out of your mind. You stick your head in the sand. And in the end you get robbed blind.

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Better to jump while you can and your losses are small.

And on and on. Spending time with people? If you stop really enjoying it, or never did, for Pete's sake STOP NOW.

If you get bad vibes about a person, a firm, or an institution, cut your losses. When I was seventeen and I applied to Cambridge University. I went to Trinity College to talk to the history tutor who would, if I was admitted, be my teacher. I disliked him and it was obvious the feeling was mutual. I came back to school and discussed it with Mr Parker, my headmaster.

He shocked me by saying, "withdraw your application today."

"What do you mean?"

"You won't get in. You'll waste your time. Apply instead to Oxford. Go to Wadham College, which is a friendly place. You have the grades and the talent. They may not admit you, but you stand a far better chance. Nobody will know you flunked Cambridge."

And nobody did, until I just told you.

Finally, what about relationships?

Here the 80/20 principle applies in spades. There are a few relationships in our lives - including our romantic one - which matter hugely. Here there cannot be any jumping. If water is coming in, we must bail it out together, or swim away together. With our life partner and our dearest friends, there must be unconditional commitment. Such relationships cannot work otherwise. They are the great exception to the JUMP rule.

Yet the large majority of our relationships can also benefit from the rule.

If a relationship - with a colleague, or someone we meet through friends, say - starts well, but then begins to deteriorate, what do most of us do?

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We ignore the problem and hope things will sort themselves out.

Nine times out of ten, they don't. Instead they get steadily worse.

If the waters accumulate, for your sake and that of your friend, there is only one sensible thing to do.

When the ship starts to take on water, don't hope, don't pray, and don't vacillate.

Close your eyes and JUMP!
A few years ago I wrote the piece reposted below about "My Favorite Place," referring to the classroom. At the time, I had taken a break from teaching and missed the thrill of the new school year. I saw the classroom as a space of possibility and opportunity, an orderly, safe place where the outcome was entirely dependent on you, your desires, your commitment, and your faith.

The classroom appears idyllic in that piece; individuals are accepted for their desire to learn, and mistakes are not simply forgiven, they are necessary steps for learning, reflection, and growth. As I often tell my students, a "draft" is inherently flawed. The goal is not perfection; it is practice, improvement, and refinement.

Today, on the cusp of a new school year, I can't wait to be back in the classroom, engrossed by evocative details, fluid sentences, and literary analysis. The darker the outside world seems, the more I want to shut myself in and obsess over thesis statements and comma splices.

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While those feelings may be natural, they are dangerous. Those of us privileged to be in a classroom have the responsibility not only to share knowledge, but also to put it to good use. So when we look at a headlines filled with strife, sadness, and conflict, we do not run away to our ivory tower, but face the world and try to be better. Sometimes that means actually making use of the content of lessons learned, facts and figures relevant to specific, important tasks. Other times we need to think creatively, to be patient, to take criticism -- all skills honed in the classroom -- in order to affect change.

What was true in 2013 when I first wrote the piece below is still true today, that our efforts to learn and grow are a matter of faith, a belief that if we try, things will be better.

"My Favorite Place"

For years, the arrival of a new school year brought on a mix of emotions -- anticipation, excitement, anxiety, curiosity. Walking into a clean, empty classroom, awaiting a new batch of students and peers, these moments filled me with exhilaration. I have felt that thrill as both a student and a teacher. It is during this time of year that I miss teaching most.

The classroom is my favorite place to be. It is a setting alive with possibility and potential. It is based entirely on the optimistic belief that we and others can improve. That we can learn and grow, that progress is possible.

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When we leave school, somehow the world changes us. We begin to feel cynical, pessimistic. We lose faith in ourselves and in others. We think that to be smart we must expect and express the worst possible outcome, that expecting more of ourselves or those around us will yield only disappointment. I believe that this approach sets us up for failure. I believe that we limit ourselves and others when we refuse to see the potential for change and growth. Perhaps it is easier to close ourselves off to what challenges us or makes us uncomfortable. It is safer to avoid the risk involved in having hope. But it is not better to do so. It is better to remain open.

My time teaching at community college has emphasized these lessons. My students come from all walks of life. Some are fresh high school graduates, but most are returning to the classroom after years away from school. In the same classroom I have taught a 16 year old and a 65 year old. They began their schooling in various parts of the world. I've taught students who hail from Ethiopia, Syria, Jamaica, Mexico, and Costa Rica, as well as those from across the United States. Some are working on their second or third degrees or are switching professions. Others have come to realize that a lack of a college degree is keeping them from achieving their current goals. For many, the classroom represents a second chance. They've told me about youthful mistakes that distracted them from who they wanted to be. But they haven't given up and given in, despite the hardships they have faced. They have come back to school because they know there is opportunity for change there.

Most of my community college students are inventing or reinventing themselves, trying to determine who they will be in the next phase of their lives. One of my students went to school before learning disabilities and differences were properly understood. Even if students were diagnosed with dyslexia or ADD, there was a taboo so associated with these issues that he did not feel comfortable speaking up or advocating for himself. He felt school wasn't for him, that he wasn't book smart, and nothing was going to change that. But new research and resources have helped him to realize his true academic potential. He has come back to the classroom with a new attitude toward academics and a different understanding of himself and of his potential.

The classroom is a world of possibility. It is based entirely in a belief that things can get better if we are willing to learn, grow, reflect, and share. Believing in the effectiveness of the classroom means believing that our efforts are not in vain, that hard work, dedication, and an open mind can bring positive change.

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The classroom is a place of faith, in ourselves, in others, in the world around us.
Along the lines of my previous piece, Startup Idea For European Entrepreneurs To Create Jobs For European Engineers, I believe there is a set of very similar ventures to be developed in India.

The Indian IT industry is going absolutely gangbuster. In addition to the highly acclaimed Services industry, over the past decade, a thriving startup scene has also now come together.

Across the board, however, a tremendous talent shortage is developing. Especially for entrepreneurs trying to build stable product teams, the battle is uphill.

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My solution, once again, is to look outside the major metros and build teams in small cities with local engineering talent. An entrepreneur can create a marketplace like Upwork but with a specific focus on Indian small-town talent. The marketplace also has a network of co-working spaces in different Indian small towns where the talent can come together to work together. And finally, there is training built into the framework as well.

So, if a programmer with Ruby-on-Rails expertise wants to work for a well-funded Bangalore startup, she can enlist herself on this marketplace, and get placed into such a company.

On the other hand, a Bangalore company that wants to build a satellite team in a place where the competition for talent is low, can build a low-attrition, stable team. It can work with this marketplace to hire, say, a dozen programmers who fit its requirements, in Shantiniketan or Siliguri.

This newly hired team has been sufficiently trained to hit the ground running by the marketplace, which is also performing, essentially, as a hiring agency.

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This newly hired team works out of a co-working space with nice amenities.

This team of 12 is not on the Bangalore company's payroll. Nor is it on the marketplace startup's payroll. All the employees are freelancers, and they just work out of the co-working space, and get trained and placed by the startup.

What about the business model for such a startup?

There are three components. First, the hiring company pays a recruiting fee to put the team together, including training charges. Second, there is a monthly fee for the co-working spaces that the hiring company also pays. And thirdly, there is a commission on the fees paid to the freelancers, all of which are processed through the marketplace.

Let's look at some numbers.

Say, Company A in Bangalore hires a dozen engineers in Shantiniketan at a monthly fee structure of $1k/month or $12k/year. That's a $12k/month or $144k/year billing. If an upfront recruitment and training fee of 25% of that amount is paid as the first component, which would amount to $38k. The second component, say, is another $50/month in co-working space fee per hire, that amounts to $600/month, or $7.2k/year. The third component, say, is 10% commission on the package, which is $100/month per person, or $1.2k/month for the team, and $14.4k for the year, recurring.

So, the total revenue that can be generated by placing a team of 12 is $38k upfront, plus $21.6k/year.

To get to a $1M annual run rate, we need 46 such teams to be placed, which will also generate $1.7M in upfront fees. In some cases, existing startups would expand their hiring, and 12-person teams would expand to 36- or 48- people teams. So 46 teams may not necessarily be for 46 separate employers, they could well be just 20-25 employers.

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Also, the only employers who should be targeted by the marketplace are those that have solid funding (Series B and beyond).

The model, I believe, is quite scalable, and it will generate a lot of high-paying jobs in small town India.

And various entrepreneurs all over India can start such initiatives in their local geographies as well.

It looks like entrepreneurs in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR can each use their satellite centers where they build their stable team extensions as the Indian startup eco-system matures over the next decade.
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An award-winning personal injury lawyer, Andrew Ellis proudly continues his uncle's legacy of advocating for those in need. In 1937, renowned attorney Emil K. Ellis was enmeshed in one of the most celebrated missing person's cases of its time when New York Supreme Court Justice Joseph F. Crater vanished after climbing into a taxicab one August evening in 1930. His disappearance, which happened at the height of a political scandal, generated wild speculation and was one of the most famous missing person's cases of the 20th century.

While rumors of blackmail and murder captivated the nation, Judge Carter's disappearance left his former wife, Stella M. Kunz, penniless. She was in dire straits, having been evicted from their apartment after failing to make rent. Thanks to the diligent efforts of Emil K. Ellis, Judge Carter was declared legally dead in 1939, ensuring that Mrs. Kunz received the full proceeds of her husband's life insurance, totaling $20,561 (equivalent to $350,000 today.)

Andrew Ellis - inspired by his uncle's noted accomplishments - pursued a career in law, and later founded Ellis Law Corporation in Los Angeles. He took up his first personal injury case just five months out of law school (a self-described "disaster) yet still won a $414 judgment. Over the last two decades, Andrew Ellis has distinguished himself as a champion of consumer rights and personal injury, securing more than a quarter billion dollars on behalf of clients.

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His exemplary achievements as a leading Los Angeles attorney have been recognized on a national level; just this year Mr. Ellis was named one of the country's 'Top 100 Trial Lawyers,' joining the ranks of a distinguished group of peers.

Today, Andrew Ellis and his colleagues work tirelessly on behalf of individuals harmed by negligence, defective products, and malpractice, providing steadfast representation to those without a voice. Giving back to the community remains a priority for Ellis, who serves as a Diamond Level Honorary Board member of Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Care, and participates in numerous outreach programs and charitable activities.

More information on the case of Judge Joseph F. Crater labeled the "Missingest Man in New York":

Justice Crater and his wife Stella Mance Wheeler had been vacationing in Maine in the summer of 1930. One day, near the end of July, Justice Crater received a phone call, the contents of which he did not divulge to his wife. He merely informed her that he would have to return to New York to "straighten those fellows out." He reached New York the next day and then returned to Maine for a short while on August 1. He set off for New York again on August 3, having promised his wife that he would return in time for her birthday, which was on August 9. He never did so.

On August 6, he had dinner with two friends at Billy Haas' Chophouse on West 45th Street. Initially, his friends stated that he had taken a taxi outside the restaurant around half-past nine. Later, their statements changed and they stated that they had hired a taxi while the judge had decided to walk. At any rate, this was the last time Judge Crater was seen. When he failed to appear for the opening of the courts on August 25, his colleagues instigated a search. Ultimately unsuccessful, they sought police assistance on September 3.

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After seven years, in 1937, Mrs. Crater petitioned to have the judge declared officially deceased. The petition did not go through immediately, and in 1938, she married Carl Kunz, an electrical contractor in New York. Eventually, in May 1939, Mrs. Crater (now Kunz), was interviewed at her home by the law assistant to surrogate James A. Foley and her own attorney, Emil K. Ellis. Mr. Ellis asked her about her married life and the last time she had seen the judge to which she testified that she had seen him on August 3. Mr. Ellis also questioned her about what she did next to which she stated that due to shock related illness she was unable to return to their apartment in New York until August 29. She searched the apartment but was unable to find clues to the judge's disappearance. She also stated that she returned to the apartment in January 1931, whereupon she and her mother instigated a search that revealed a note addressed to her and about $6,000. The note listed the people who owed Judge Crater money.

After further questioning by Mr. Ellis, Mrs. Kunz stated that she firmly believed her husband was dead and had no knowledge of why her husband would disappear without getting in touch with her. Based on this and various other circumstances, Mr. Emil K. Ellis was able to have Judge Crater declared legally dead in 1939, which enabled Mrs. Kunz to receive the life insurance proceeds.
How a push for democracy in Egypt was railroaded by the dictatorship.

Egyptian war correspondent and journalist Yehia Ghanem continues his series of short stories on the wars he has covered and the people he has met along the way. Read the rest of his Caged series here

In the years following the events of September 11, 2001, the image of the US in the Middle East was at its lowest. There were demonstrations against the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq in Egypt and elsewhere, along with calls to boycott US products.

It was during these years, with relations between the US and the Middle East at an all-time low, that Americans finally began to answer the question so many of them had asked in the wake of 9/11: "Why do they hate us?" American officials and researchers had sat in my office at Al Ahram newspaper and asked me that very question.

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But gradually, they had come to form their own answer: that the Arab world had been angered by the US' support for and empowerment of the dictators who had oppressed them. The only recourse, they had concluded, was to help the region to establish more democratic governments.

Believing Egypt, the largest and most populated country in the Middle East, to be the locomotive that would drag the rest of the Arab world along with it, the government of George W Bush turned its attention there. US-based think-tanks and NGOs began to operate in Egypt, promoting notions of human rights, freedom of expression and the development of the media.

There was suspicion among Egyptians, of course. But there was also a growing sense, reflected in everyday conversation, that Arabs were, at long last, being heard; that our deep hunger for democracy was being recognised.

From outward appearances, the Mubarak government seemed to have decided to bow to the coming storm. But, unbeknown to the majority of people, its intention was to set up "NGOs" of its own - organisations that would infiltrate NGO circles and report back on those that were truly independent and would help the government set the agenda for the NGO community in Egypt.

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In this context, it is important to point out that after the military took over in Egypt on July 3, 2013, many independent NGOs were shut down and, of those that remained, including the government's NGOs, most turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the unprecedented human rights violations taking place in the country, including the killing of peaceful protesters. But those same government-formed NGOs were vocal in smearing the toppled, democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi.

Aware that democratisation also meant a free and independent media, the Mubarak government also spared no effort in introducing its own "make-believe" version of that. The government gave up its monopoly over public media, allowing the private sector the right to establish television stations, radio channels and newspapers.

What few people seemed to notice, however, was that only four families - all within Mubarak's circle of business associates - were licensed to own private media outlets. In reality, these "independent" organisations served as safety valves to release the steam of public anger, all while protecting the government.

It was an open secret that, for years, a weekly meeting was held by the assistant minister of interior for public communication to discuss that week's agenda for the major talk shows on the private channels. Anchors, columnists and journalists would attend.

When the moment of truth came - with the January 25, 2011 revolution - all of these media outlets defended the government and turned on the protesters, describing them as "Western conspirators" against Egypt.

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But away from the pretend private media organisations and NGOs, genuine moves towards democracy were being made - by Islamic movements such as al-Jihad, a highly conservative Islamic group, many of whose leaders were jailed during the 1980s and 1990s, and al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, who began reviewing their doctrines, which had previously permitted the use of violence to achieve regime change, either by directly targeting the dictatorship or by targeting those Western countries that supported it. As these movements disowned violence and endorsed democratic means of regime change, an important part of Egyptian society began to tilt towards democracy.

Of course, the Muslim Brotherhood had renounced violence in the late 1950s. But in 2006, 77 years after it was founded, the Brotherhood made another change to its doctrine - one that was ignored by Egypt's public and private media: It recognised the right of jurisdiction of Christians and women. In Shariah law, this is referred to as the Major Jurisdiction, or al-Welaya al-Aama, meaning that a woman or a Christian could become president.

It was a major leap for the Brotherhood. But the Mubarak government sought to block the West from witnessing it; preferring to portray them as undemocratic terrorists.

When the West seemed to pick up on the signals regardless, the government took further steps to contain this process of democratisation. In 2004, it amended the constitution, creating the false impression that there would be genuine competition in the 2005 presidential elections. But it was just an illusion and efforts to eventually pass the presidency from Mubarak the father to Mubarak the son were already under way.

In the months after the 2005 vote, I was told by an adviser to Ayman Nour, Mubarak's main opposition in it, that the Nour candidacy had been allowed only as part of the government's choreographed elections. During the campaign, Nour had been surprised by the amount of support he received.

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Still, the results did not differ from those of previous elections: with 88.6 percent of the vote, it was a landslide victory for Mubarak. Nour secured 7.3 percent and Noman Goumaa, another opposition candidate, just 2.8 percent. But it was enough for the government to be displeased with Nour. By getting what was an unprecedented level of support in a country that had for so long run single-candidate votes, he had embarrassed Mubarak.
By Jason Kulpa

While choosing to forego outside investment can leave your business more susceptible to the ups and downs of the market, it can also be exhilarating to be in complete control of your professional destiny. Your ascent into the upper ranks of your industry may be slower than if you were bolstered by outside funds, but you have the freedom to determine each step in your path.

There were two main reasons my company decided to fund ourselves independently. The first -- and most obvious -- reason was ownership. Every founder starts with 100 percent undiluted ownership. Outside funding chips away at both ownership and emotional investment as you trade equity for investment; sometimes young entrepreneurs give up too much too fast. I know plenty of CEOs who sold out too early.

The second reason we wanted to support ourselves was the freedom it allows, though it is a double-edged sword. Having the freedom to determine our direction enabled us to exit certain profitable industries when it became apparent consumers were no longer receiving value. Without investors, it was easier to shift directions. In our case, closing one door opened a new one that may have remained closed to us had we been restricted by outside agreements and opinions.

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However, there are trade-offs. When it's all on you, the pressure is enormous. To succeed, you have to get creative about cash flow. Our solution was to work with our bank and leverage our receivables. That way, we could borrow based on a percentage at any time. Depending on the contract, our customers can pay us anytime from net 30 to net 90 days. The ability to borrow against our receivables has helped take the pressure off the day-to-day cash flow.

Getting Creative: The Secret Behind Successful Self-Funding

Constant creativity is necessary to navigate the tight budget of self-funding. I take every company expense -- from office space to the coffee we have in the break room -- as a challenge to secure amazing deals and promote future growth.

Here are three ways to creatively and effectively grow your startup without relying on money from outside investors:

1. Don't ask friends and family.

Betting your own money and losing it to strangers is difficult, but losing your friends' or family's money is an even bigger pressure you don't need. Instead, be relentless about making only deals that make economic sense. When using your own money, you simply don't have the luxury of taking deals that aren't profitable to some degree.

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When our building owner wanted a percentage each month that we couldn't afford, I applied a little creativity to the negotiation. We came away with a lease that enables us to pay less in the early years and make increased payments toward the end. It frees up money today based on the projection that we'll be making more money in five years.

2. Get inventive to get what you need.

Operate under the principle that it never hurts to ask. When funding your future is all up to you, the need for habitual frugality makes you come up with creative questions to get what you need.

We've asked for different things -- all of which enabled us to free up money. For example, I went to our customers early on and asked them to pay sooner in exchange for discounts. We also asked our media sources for larger credit lines so we could do more in the short term. We even vet our partners and credit the same way a bank does. If it weren't my own money on the line, I'm not sure I would have done the same.

3. Be a good neighbor.

Lift your head up and think beyond the day-to-day. It's not always easy to find the time, but getting engaged in your community not only helps you network, it also pays dividends.

Our company is a member of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, and our involvement is about the bigger picture, not our own company. Being part of the organization, which is working to revitalize downtown San Diego, is a long-term investment for us. As the organization succeeds, our business benefits from the greater community building a favorable environment for startups.

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Electing to go without outside investors isn't right for every startup, but I recommend giving it some serious thought. It keeps you focused on the bottom line around the clock -- and that's never a bad thing.
Buhler stopped the run but often got beat deep as Ark City wins 32-13

The Buhler Crusaders as the seventh seed hosted 10th-seed Arkansas City on Friday, but the night ended poorly for the home team in a 32-13 loss.
Revelator Raises $2.5M To Expand Digital Music Business Platform

Revelator's mission is as simple as it is important: build the first open business platform for distributing, selling, licensing and collecting revenue for music online. Today, the the company announced it has raised $2.5 million to fund its global expansion.

_________________________________





Tel Aviv based music tech startup Revelator has raised an additional $2.5 million to expand its b2b digital music distribution, sales, licensing and analytics platform. The Series A round was ld by Exigent Capital with participation from the Digital Currency Group and early-stage fund Reinvent. To date, the startup has raised a total of $4.5 million.

We are talking about a massive $45-billion-dollar per year global music economy, where people are consuming more and more music, and amazingly almost half of royalty payments arent finding their way back to the beneficial owner. The majority of players in the media and collective rights industry still rely on outdated means of tracking distribution and payments, and have completely failed to adapt or modernize their infrastructure to properly handle the explosion of data, channels and new business models, said Bruno Guez, CEO and Founder of Revelator. An integrated and cloud-based platform such as Revelator is able to provide attribution, reporting and business intelligence from one dashboard, enabling distributors, record companies, publishers, managers, artists and songwriters access to their sales and marketing data wherever they are.

Midemlab named Revelator one of the top 20 music startups of 2016.

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As a rising number of insurance carriers pull out of state and federal Affordable Care Act exchanges, regulators are growing bolder in voicing their concerns about the law.In conversation with The Tennessean, state Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak told the newspaper Tennessees public health insurance exchange is very near collapse, with just one insurer selling plans statewide.I would characterize the exchange market in Tennessee as very near collapseand that all of our efforts are really focused on making sure we have as many writers in the areas as possible, McPeak said. Im doing everything I can to prevent a situation where that turns to zero.Currently, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is the only company willing to offer plans to all counties  an excellent illustration of a Kaiser Family Foundation projection estimating that more than one in four counties in the country is at risk of having a single insurer on its exchange.Along with Tennessee, four other states are expected to have just one carrier on the 2017 Obamacare exchanges, and consumers in most counties in nine other states wont have competition for their exchange business either.The root cause of insurers flight, of course, is the major losses they have sustained while participating in the exchanges. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, for example, estimates that by the end of the year, it will have lost close to $500 million during its three years offering plans in the state.Those balance sheet red marks have led a rising number of companies including Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and many smaller insurers and cooperatives to either leave the exchanges or close their doors. Analysts have suggested that instead of transforming the countrys insurance markets, as was its original purpose, the Affordable Care Act will instead function as a solution for a predominantly sick and low-income population.Others have gone further, submitting that ACA supporters never wanted the law to succeed and instead saw it as an avenue for opening up a public option or even a single-payer healthcare system.I think those that favor a public option dont necessarily want to see the private healthcare system succeed because they dont believe in it, said David Reid, chief executive with EaseCentral. It comes down to your philosophy on how healthcare should be delivered.Reid noted that while public healthcare seemingly has its advantages, some systems in Europe dont pay for certain high-demand procedures later in life. With private insurance companies, he said, theres not that limitation.The public option has overwhelmingly been viewed as a negative development by those in the insurance industry.A government-run plan would underpay doctors and hospitals rather than driving real reforms that bring down costs and improve quality, said Americas Health Insurance Plans, the lobbying arm for the industry. Its time we focus instead on broad-based reforms that will ensure the affordability and sustainability of our healthcare system.
Pop star Chris Brown ended up in a standoff with police today after a pre-dawn call from a woman who claimed he had pointed a gun at her, according to a Reuters report.Brown posted to Instagram during the standoff to deny the charge. He said he had awakened to find police outside his property and that they would need a warrant before he would let them enter, Reuters reported.Brown has been in trouble over violence before. He assaulted then-girlfriend Rhianna in 2009 and only finished serving probation for it in 2015, according to Reuters. And in November he drew scrutiny after one of his security guards allegedly assaulted a 28-year-old insurance agent.The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that it went to Browns residence in response to a call for assistance for a woman. The woman claimed Brown pointed a gun at her and that she had run outside to call the police, Reuters reported.Brown, for his part, kept Instagramming denials of wrongdoing.I dont care yall going to stay playing me like Im the villain out here, like Im going crazy, he said in a video. Good luck when you get the warrant or whatever you need to do. Youre going to walk right up in here and youre going to see nothing, you idiots.
The recent flooding that affected parts of south Louisiana was so severe that experts are now encouraging everybody in the state to secure flood insurance, regardless of where their properties lie on the flood map.I think everyone in Louisiana should have flood insurance, Rapides Area Planning Commission assistant director and flood-plain manager Melissa Becker told thetowntalk.com.The natural disaster damaged over 40,000 homes in the area.Becker commented that with more flood events affecting even areas previously determined as low-risk, its almost to the point where [everyone] cant afford not to have flood insurance.State insurance commissioner Jim Donelon is of the same opinion, adding that the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is a must-have for all property owners."There is no doubt but that the best insurance buy a property owner anywhere in Louisiana can make is the National Flood Insurance Program," Donelon remarked.Becker commented that while the recent rains largely affected south Louisiana, it could well have occurred in central Louisiana instead.We could easily be in the same boat that they are in, Becker pointed out.During the previous spring flooding that affected central Louisiana, many flood victims did not have flood insurance.Everybody thats in a flood plain is not carrying flood insurance. We found that out with the last flood event that we had here, said Becker. A lot of the people that flooded from the March storm had no (flood) insurance because they didnt have a mortgage or they just couldnt afford it.According to data from the state Department of Insurance, only 21% of the residences in Louisiana are covered by flood insurance. The data also suggests that properties further from the coast are least likely to secure flood insurance."That's very low," Donelon said of the figure. "When Katrina hit we had 360,000 flood insurance policies in the state. That ballooned to 490,000 in 2008 and dropped back down to 450,000 statewide now."Another report by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) revealed that roughly 45% of homeowners in Louisiana who live in areas at high risk of flooding have flood insurance. The report also noted that in areas designated low to moderated risk, the figure falls sharply to about 12%.Homeowners and renters insurance policies typically do not cover for flood damage. On the other hand, comprehensive car insurance does cover for any water damages an automobile could sustain due to flooding.
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt announced yesterday that three men were laid charges for workers' compensation and insurance fraud.The first was Robert Brandon Page, 40, of Muskogee. Page was charged with one felony count of workers compensation fraud. Despite claiming that a carting incident injured his shoulder, evidence revealed that he was still participating in go-kart racing, and was even reported lifting the vehicles despite his supposed injury. Page faces up to two years in prison and $1,000 in fines.Brent Michael Baker, 40, of Enid, was charged one felony count of obtaining money by false pretense. Allegedly, he issued certificates of insurance despite not being licensed to sell in Oklahoma. He also obtained over $1,900 from a single family by issuing phony certificates of insurance. If convicted, Baker could face up to 10 years in prison and $5,000 in fines.William Dennis Mitchell, 52, of Sapulpa, was the last of the three revealed by the Attorney General. Mitchell was charged with one felony count of false claim for insurance. Purportedly, he purchased car insurance a day after he backed his truck into a gas meter. He also allegedly reported the accident as having occurred sometime after he had purchased insurance. A report detailing the gas leak following the incident contradicts with Mitchells claim. He faces up to three years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
SPLICE Software CEO Tara Kelly is confident that despite the insurance industrys poor reputation with young people, the business has a lot to offer millennials, who express interest in careers involving community involvement, big data and the chance to develop cutting-edge technology.When asked to name a few companies that are leveraging these concepts as successful recruiting tools, she had no trouble doing so.AAA is really doing well at developing a keen community focus, which is appealing to millennials, Kelly, who spearheads SPLICEs efforts to develop better customer experience solutions for clients, told Insurance Business America.  Liberty Mutual is also toying with better technology internally, as is Farmers and of course GEICO . GEICO really broke all the rules when it comes to using technology to improve the insurance companys relationship with its customer.Unfortunately, all of those companies have one thing in common  whether as a captive carrier or a direct writer, they do not involve independent insurance agents and therefore dont pass on those values and investments to agency principals and producers.The independent channel is already struggling to hire the young people it needs in order to meet projected customer demand. A 2015 report from Reagan Consulting found that agencies are posting a dismal 56% success rate in hiring new employees, and between 55% and 60% are under-hiring based on their needs.These are concerning figures, particularly given the onslaught of expected retirements in the next 20 years (the average insurance agent is 59) and the rising threat of alternative, tech-based solutions seeking to take over broker business.Yet Kelly believes even the smallest insurance agencies have the ability to attract ambitious young people looking to work with technology  even if they dont have the expansive budgets of a GEICO or a Farmers.We have so much data just waiting to be used, and software vendors are filling the gap by creating an affordable mix of products to do that, she said. Its going to create a paradigm shift where agents and brokers are earning the right to be part of a customers life by exploring that data to mitigate risk and help customers. Agencies that put those tools in the hands of their producers are going to be the ones that will crush it in terms of hiring this really intelligent and savvy workforce.Kelly specifically recommended mobile- and app-based communication services, big data tools and even new ways of writing products (think Veriflys per flight drone policies versus the traditional drone insurance model) as ways of adding value to the producer role and attracting millennials to the business.By providing these tools and setting young people free to find a different way of selling, she says agencies will redefine the role of insurance and attract more customers  particularly young people, who are becoming a growing portion of the general workforce.Its a very beautiful cycle, hiring millennials who look like the millennials theyre serving, Kelly said. She just takes off and she goes.
Michael Bloomberg and Tricia Farley-Bouvier are both seeking the Democratic nomination for the House of Representatives.

State Rep Candidates Battle It Out In Pittsfield Gazette Debate



Incumbent Tricia Farley-Bouvier said the position is not an entry-level job and her opponent doesn't have the background to take it on. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Michael Bloomberg has been using a phrase "0-for-25" in describing incumbent Tricia Farley-Bouvier's legislative record.

That drew the most heated discussion Monday night during a debate between the challenger and Farley-Bouvier, both seeking the Democratic nomination as state representative for the 3rd District.

Bloomberg has attacked the two-term representative on her record and she responded Monday by outlining a number of bills she served leadership roles on.

"The unanswered question is, you have proposed over 20 pieces of legislation which you have been the lead sponsor on and not one has passed," Bloomberg said.

Farley-Bouvier responded that that line of thinking shows how little Bloomberg understands the legislative process. Work in the Legislature isn't about who has his or her name written as the lead sponsor but how a team gets results, she said. Farley-Bouvier said U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren hasn't passed a piece of sponsored legislation on the federal level but remains influential and effective.

"Being a legislator is being part of a team," she said.

She said she served leadership roles in co-sponsoring the recently signed Equal Pay Act, helped usher through laws requiring gas companies to repair leaks, served a leadership position through the Progressive Caucus in pushing through new transgender protections, and repealing a law from the 1980s that restricted people with drug violations from getting driver's licenses back. In the Gateway Cities Caucus, she helped create the Transformative Development Initiative that now brings a full-time fellow to focus on development in the Morningside neighborhood for three years.

"Tyler street has the opportunity to be completely transformed," Farley-Bouvier said.

Bloomberg shot back that there are hundreds of co-sponsors to bills and that a legislator should be judged on writing and passing legislation tailored for the district and bringing back money through budget amendments. Bloomberg said Farley-Bouvier has brought back less money to the city of Pittsfield through budget amendments in the last five years than any of the other Berkshire representatives brought back to their districts just this year.

"Where you have been the lead sponsor, those are the bills that didn't pass. Where is the team helping to pass those bills?" Bloomberg said.

Moderated by retired radio news anchor Larry Kratka and put on by the Pittsfield Gazette at Berkshire Community College, the two Democratic candidates expressed their views on an array of issues. The winner of the Sept. 8 primary will face independent Christopher Connell in the general election for the seat, which encompasses nearly all of Pittsfield.

Starting with a ban on non-domesticated animals recently passed by the city, both candidates said they would support it on a statewide level. Farley-Bouvier added that she'd like to see legislation like that start on the local levels first and grow upward.

"It's been really driven from the local communities to the state level," Farley-Bouvier said. "I would be interested to see how that grassroots effort works the way around the commonwealth."

She called for a similar path for a ban on single-use plastic bags, which is also heading through the local process in Pittsfield and has been passed in Great Barrington. Bloomberg, however, said that type of legislation needs to take a backseat to economic development and education.

"I didn't hear anybody tell me their biggest issue was a plastic bag ban," Bloomberg said of his interactions with Pittsfield voters.

When it comes to education, Bloomberg says the state isn't spending money wisely. A penny on the sales tax goes to fund the building of new high schools through the Massachusetts School Building Authority at the same time the system is underfunded. He'd rather see the state keep those dollars and put them toward supporting the local districts.

"They tell us that buildings are the most important thing for teaching kids in education," Bloomberg said.

The question was about the state's financial condition. Farley-Bouvier rejected the notion that the state is overspending and instead needs to find ways for more revenue.

"Massachusetts is not overspending," Farley-Bouvier said. "Massachusetts does not have a spending problem, Massachusetts has a revenue problem."

That's why she is supporting the fair-share amendment, which raises a 4 percent additional tax on income generated over $1 million. She said that would make a significant impact on funding for education and transportation.

Bloomberg agreed that the state isn't overspending but says to generate more revenue, more taxes aren't needed but rather a stronger focus on economic development. He said taxes in Pittsfield have risen significantly over the five years Farley-Bouvier has been in office, making it increasingly difficult for homeowners.

"This city has not seen private section economic growth in 30 years," Bloomberg said. "We need to focus on the local economy. We need to focus on jobs and education. We need to lift all tides in the city of Pittsfield."

Bloomberg touted his experience working in finance in New York City as a background that would make him effective as a state representative. Farley-Bouvier, however, retored that the state representative job is "not an entry-level position."

"I am happy at any time to put my resume side by side with my opponent," Farley-Bouvier said, boasting of her 30 years as a resident and a dozen as a city councilor, director of administration for former Mayor James Ruberto and the last five as state representative.

Farley-Bouvier says she is accessible and collaborative when it comes to the job. She says she is constantly in conversation with the mayor, school superintendent, city councilors, the School Committee, and others in the community to handle issues.

"It is really teamwork that gets us to where we need to be," Farley-Bouvier said, using the term "team Pittsfield" as she had throughout the campaign. "I am in really close contact with the mayor, with the city councilors, with the superintendent, and with the school committee."

For the incumbent, that means listening to and supporting what the residents of Pittsfield and the leaders in the city want. When it comes to the proposed Walmart Supercenter at the William Stanley Business Park, she is supportive of an open process with many questions and answers so the right decision can be made.

"My role isn't to tell the people of Pittsfield how they should think about this," Farley-Bouvier said.

Bloomberg has been a vocal opponent of the project, saying it is bad economically for the city. He said he didn't take that position until after numerous meetings with officials with the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority, which controls the land, digging into the financials, and analyzing the impacts.

"I personally do not think this proposal as presented is good for the city of Pittsfield," Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg also opposes Farley-Bouvier's bill to pilot a vehicle-miles traveled tax. He said it wouldn't help Western Massachusetts and shouldn't have been a priority of Farley-Bouvier. The VMT was vetoed by the governor.

"We have the most miles to travel here ... We don't have the public transportation Boston has, we don't have these resources," Bloomberg said. "The answer is for focusing investment on programs that work like public transportation."

Farley-Bouvier has been criticized for the program that she says has often been misconstrued. The bill wasn't to implement such a tax but to run a study with 500 volunteers participating to get a better handle on it. She said the state's revenue from the gas tax is diminishing and further down the road, changes are going to have to be made to fund infrastructure projects.

"We are facing a crisis when it comes to having that revenue, because of a really good problem. The really good problem is we are getting more and more fuel-efficient cars," Farley-Bouvier said.

She said she has questions about the privacy, how out-of-state visitors will be taxed and more. But, she said there could be different amounts charged depending on where the vehicles are traveling and time of day, making it a possibility to create the infusion of revenue without unfairly taxing Berkshire County.

"There are still so many questions out there that I don't feel comfortable with," Farley-Bouvier said. "There are too many questions to answer and we need to gather this data to inform us."

Farley-Bouvier does support the state moving to all-electronic tolls on the turnpike.

"It is absolutely better for our environment. There will be a lot less congestion on the pike," she said.

But, the transponders haven't been used much in Berkshire County and for years Exits 1 through 6 were toll-free. She's sponsored programs to bring the transponders to the farmer's market and Third Thursday to make them more accessible for residents.

Bloomberg said while he supports "moving into the 21st century" he has concerns about jobs being lost. While it may only be a few, "five or 10 jobs matter to the people of Pittsfield," he said.

"How is this going to impact those families. There are plenty of people from Pittsfield who work at the Lee tolls," Bloomberg said.

When it comes to the Department of Children and Families, Bloomberg said the department is underfunded especially with a growing number of families in poverty, dealing with drug addiction, or crime.

"They need more funding to help those families," Bloomberg said.

Farley-Bouvier sat on the subcommittee for Children, Families, and Persons with Disability. She said she headed an effort to create a subgroup to really investigate the department to try to make lasting changes.

"We had a lot of headlines around children losing their life, children being abused, and it is not OK to just pay attention to this department in times of crisis," Farley-Bouver said.

She said in the wake of tragedy, she remembers legislators speaking to the television cameras.

"So many of us know so little about this department, really know about this department, and that's why I pulled these people together," Farley-Bouvier said.

One thing the group found was that "it doesn't seem to matter right now how much money we throw at this department, they are having trouble bringing the caseloads down." Farley-Bouvier said social workers are continually leaving and the state needs to find ways to retain that workforce.

Farley-Bouvier also supports moving toward a single-payer health care system. She said she'd like the state to create a "public option" and allow residents to "vote with their feet." She thinks that would be the start toward moving toward a full single-payer system. Bloomberg said he'd like to see single-payer on the federal level and vowed to sponsor a bill to study the impacts and how to roll it out in Massachusetts.

When it comes to the medical marijuana, Bloomberg said the state botched rolling that out. He said it is a drug just like tobacco or alcohol and needs to be controlled so as not to allow youth access. However, he believes the recreational marijuana ballot question will likely pass in November and, if so, he wants the state to have policies in place the ensure tax money generated is spent on education or other priorities.

"If this measure passes in November it is on our 160 state representatives to figure out how this is going to work," Bloomberg said. "I believe this is going to pass in November based on all of the poll numbers."

Farley-Bouvier supports medical marijuana and would actually like to see Pittsfield use it as an economic benefit.

"We could be growing medical marijuana right here in Berkshire County and I'd like to see that here," she said.

She thinks there are still problems with who has the ability to get medical marijuana and recognized frustration with the way it has been implemented. She'd also like to see hemp products be made.

Both candidates support the state allowing Syrian refugees to relocate here.
The School Committee held a special meeting on Monday to review policies before the start of the school year.

Williamstown Elementary Challenged Again on Preschool Question



Sam Crane addresses the Williamstown Elementary School Committee on Monday. WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  Williamstown Elementary School officials on Monday continued to face questions about their decision to restructure the school's special education program.

The fiscal 2017 budget season was marked by strong criticism of and confusion about the district's decision to eliminate a full-day program from Side-by-Side, a preschool program intended to address special needs students.

The debate continued on Monday at a special School Committee meeting.

Although Side-by-Side was not on the committee's agenda, two of the most outspoken critics of last spring's decision took the opportunity to raise the issue during the meeting's public comment period.

Sam Crane and Steven Miller each reiterated questions that they posed last year at meetings and on social media.

Crane, who made a successful motion for a protest vote on the floor of May's annual town meeting , challenged the school's administration to explain its rationale for seeking a one-to-one ratio of special needs children and typically developing children in the preschool classroom.

Crane harkened back to a May 6 letter to the community cosigned by Superintendent Douglas Dias, then-Director of Pupil Personnel Services (now Assistant-Superintendent) Kim Grady, School Committee Chairman Dan Caplinger and Principal Joelle Brookner.

In the letter, the officials wrote, "Ideally a target ratio of students with special needs to typically developing peers would be 1:1."

On Monday, Crane said that assertion was at odds with several authoritative studies he cited to the committee.

"When I look at a variety of different studies  I don't find support for the idea that 1-to-1 is the ideal ratio, Crane said, reading excerpts from reports the U.S. Department of Education and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

From the latter, he read a passage stating that typically-developing children must be in a majority relative to children on individualized education plans in order for an environment to be inclusive.

"One-to-one is clearly not a majority," Crane said.

Miller took a different tack, questioning the committee about its process for setting budget priorities. He also made the oft-repeated claim that unidentified town residents have pledged "$35,000" to save the full-day program and asked if a full-day program would be more "financially sustainable."

Miller challenged the School Committee's decision this summer to add a math specialist, a decision growing out of an unanticipated windfall because of a retirement. He asked whether the committee had considered adding the math specialist before adding the half-day preschool section announced in the May 6 letter.

"What are the relative needs of the third half-day population versus those served by the math interventionist?" Miller asked. "What are the top priorities for WES this coming year?"

Caplinger asked Dias whether he wanted to respond to the questions raised by either of the speakers during public comment, to which the superintendent answered, "Not at this time."

Caplinger indicated he, too, might have more to say on both topics at a later date.

"On Sam's point, there's some research I'd like to do in putting together a response," Caplinger said.

Miller's comments about budget priority-setting likely would be addressed in the School Committee's Finance Subcommittee, which the committee formed in the spring at the conclusion of the rancorous budget season.

In other business on Monday, the School Committee unanimously approved some state-mandated policies on drug and alcohol abuse and education. The special meeting was called for the purpose of having those policies in place before the start of the school year on Tuesday, Sept. 6.

The committee also decided to alter its meeting schedule for the rest of the school year at least.

The School Committee will generally meet on the fourth Wednesday of each month starting with its next meeting on Sept. 28.

Dias requested the committee change its meeting schedule as part of a reorganization of the meeting dates for committees in the Williamstown-Lanesborough Tri-District. The Mount Greylock School Building Committee is planning to meet on the first Thursday of each month during the building project to align its schedule with the Massachusetts School Building Authority's reimbursement process, Dias said.

The introduction of those meetings caused a domino effect on other committee meetings, which are staffed by Tri-District personnel like Dias and Business Manager Nancy Rauscher, who both serve on the School Building Committee.
We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector
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Imperial Valley News Center

Syrian Refugee Admissions

Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "A year ago, President Obama set the goal of welcoming at least 10,000 of the most vulnerable refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria to the United States. Today, by committing additional resources to our refugee admissions process and maintaining our rigorous screening process and commitment to the security of the American people, we have reached that goal. Since 1975, over 3.2 million refugees have joined the fabric of American society, each one making us a stronger, more pluralistic society.

"The Department of State is grateful for the tremendous collaboration with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration, the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services, and voluntary groups that help refugees. These organizations are front and center in the campaigns to resettle refugees from Syria and to address the current crisis  the worst humanitarian catastrophe since World War II.

"In addition to resettling some of the most vulnerable refugees, we have always focused on providing humanitarian assistance and protection to refugees in the places to which they have fled, so they can return home when the conflict ends. That is why we have been working so hard with the International Syria Support Group and the United Nations to find an end to this conflict through diplomacy; and that is why we have made such a large commitment to humanitarian assistance in Syria and the regionnearly $5.6 billion so farhelping the millions of Syrian refugees and IDPs in the region.

"We recognize that more needs to be done to help those who are besieged inside Syria; more has to be done to assist refugees; more has to be done to support Syrias neighbors, Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey; and more has to be done to resolve this brutal conflict that has cost far too many lives and forced far too many people from their homes. On September 20, President Obama will host the Leaders Summit on Refugees a high-level event on the margins of the UN General Assembly to increase humanitarian assistance and create more long-term, durable opportunities for refugees  not just for the millions of Syrian refugees, but for those fleeing intense strife and persecution in all places."

For more information on the United States humanitarian commitment to assisting Syrian refugees, please visit www.state.gov/refugeeresponse, and www.aidrefugees.gov.
Secretary Kerry's Lunch Hosted by Bangladesh Foreign Minister Mahmood Ali

Washington, DC - Secretary Kerry attended a lunch hosted by Foreign Minister Mahmood Ali that included Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Law Minister Anisul Huq, and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan. They discussed the longstanding and broad U.S.-Bangladesh relationship and our cooperation on global issues, such as international peacekeeping, counterterrorism and climate change.

The Secretary recognized Bangladeshs notable accomplishments in achieving inclusive economic growth, reducing poverty, and improving maternal and child health. The Secretary offered his condolences for Bangladeshi deaths in the recent terrorist attacks and pledged strong U.S. support to continue combating the threat. He also emphasized the importance of upholding human rights and democratic values as effective measures in counterterrorism and countering violent extremism efforts.
Special Representative for Environment and Water Resources Travel to India

Washington, DC - U.S. Special Representative for Environment and Water Resources Ambassador Jennifer Haverkamp will travel to New Delhi, India, August 30 - September 1.

On Tuesday, August 30, Ambassador Haverkamp will participate in the U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue to advance continued and increased engagement on our bilateral commitments within multilateral fora including the Montreal Protocol and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

On August 31, Ambassador Haverkamp will join Special Envoy for Climate Change Dr. Jonathan Pershing to participate in the Indo-U.S. Joint Working Group on Combating Climate Change. In addition, August 31-September 1 she will meet with counterparts from the Government of India and the private sector to discuss progress in securing an ambitious hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) phasedown amendment to the Montreal Protocol and a Global Market Based Measure to address aircraft emissions through the ICAO this year.
Assistant Secretary Ryan and Ambassador Kennedy to Promote Study Abroad in Chicago and Boston

Washington, DC - Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Evan Ryan and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy will travel to Chicago and the Boston area this week to promote study abroad and how studying abroad helps students gain the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in a globalizing world.

In Chicago on August 31, Assistant Secretary Ryan and Ambassador Kennedy will host group discussions at both Loyola University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago. They will then travel to Massachusetts, where they will host a panel with students at Babson College on September 1.

The USAStudyAbroad initiative is working to increase and diversify U.S. participation in study abroad. By studying overseas, students learn about the people, cultures and institutions of other nations so that they are better prepared to help address todays toughest challenges, from climate change to public health issues to the spread of violent extremism.

This engagement is part of Secretary Kerrys efforts to #EngageAmerica by connecting with Americans as partners in foreign affairs, and to increase understanding of our diplomatic work abroad and its impact on American lives.
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Walking around Somerset House with Bastilles frontman Dan Smith, trying a VR headset for the first time to experience the inside of the Discovery One from 2001: A Space Odyssey, feels a bit like bunking off school for the afternoon.

Daydreaming with Stanley Kubrick is a fascinating exhibition and one that has very clearly been put together out of a sincere love for his work. The list of names involved is staggering, as is the work itself. According to its curator  Unkle mastermind James Lavelle  it took around five years to put together.

Featured works include an installation by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard of 114 analogue radio sets, which broadcast the voices of Matt Berninger [The National], Rachel Goswell [Slowdive/Minor Victories], Jehnny Beth [Savages], Blaine Harrison [Mystery Jets], and Beth Orton performing a new version of "Dies Irae", used by Kubrick in both The Shining and A Clockwork Orange.

A sculpture by Polly Morgan sees a snake stuffed into a concrete triangle; its bulging coils recalling the aggressive sexual symbolism of the codpieces worn by Alex and his Droogs. Thomas Bangalter, one half of Daft Punk, shows unsettling yet beautiful footage of a man on fire walking slowly through darkness.

(Peter Macdiarmid/Somerset House. (Peter Macdiarmid/Somerset House.)

Although the rooms run down either side of a straight corridor, the exhibition feels like a maze. Visitors become so absorbed in the immersive works that it actually feels quite disorientating to emerge, blinking, into sweltering heat.

Sitting at a table on the terrace outside, Smith explains where his love of Kubrick began, and how the filmmakers influence has made its way into his own work with Bastille.

It turns out that The Shining, his first Kubrick film, was seen one Christmas after the rest of his family had gone to bed. This seems to be a recurring theme for many people (including yours truly), where a Kubrick film has been viewed at what many might consider "too young" an age. Years later were still scarred by the scene with the old woman in the bathtub.

"Watching The Shining that happened at a time where I was really obsessed with the side of cinema that was banned, especially in the UK, Smith says. The Shining is operatic and sensational and really shocking. It has this amazing meld of classical music and modern interpretations of classical music, and incredible imagery. From the set design to the costumes, theres so much to unpack. As an interpretation of the book as well, I went through a phase of being fascinated by film versions of novels."

Smith talks at a million miles per minute, and is endearingly but also exasperatingly humble when it comes to speaking about his own work. He has a tendency to leap to self-criticism before you can broach the subject yourself, as though hes trying to get there before you.

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Kubrick may have inspired his desire to be involved in almost every aspect of the band  he seems determined to, figuratively, put his name on to so many elements of the music. Not out of vanity though, more from a sense of responsibility. I tell him about a 1987 interview with Kubrick in Rolling Stone, where he explained how he had to reconstruct Dr Strangelove out of fine-grain positives because the studio had lost both the picture negative and the magnetic master soundtrack.

He went on to defend himself after the interviewer asked whether it was true that he called up cinemas to check the quality of the projectors was good enough:

"Some people are amazed that I worry about the theatres where the picture is being shown. They think that's some form of demented anxiety Now, is it an unreal concern if I want to make sure that on the press shows or on key city openings, everything in the theatre is going to run smoothly?

"You just send someone to check the place out three or four days ahead of time. Make sure nothing's broken. It's really only a phone call or two, pressuring some people to fix things. I mean, is this a legitimate concern, or is this mindless anxiety?"

"I guess a clumsy parallel would be as the technology of making music progresses, audiophiles will obsess over the quality of something even though we eventually know that someone will listen to it on their phone, Smith suggests. You can imagine how it would have felt for him, how much effort he was putting into it, and so of course he wants it to be fairly represented.

"As much or as little as people may notice weve put so much effort into every tiny little bit, because to have the opportunity to do that is f****** amazing, and who knows, this might be the album we ever get to make. If the people making it dont care about every little detail wheres that going to lead to down the line?"

(Peter Macdiarmid/Somerset House. (Peter Macdiarmid/Somerset House.)

Smith says the release of Bastilles upcoming album, Wild World, has allowed him to scratch the itch of what he calls the frustrated lazy filmmaker that I never was". On the "Good Grief" video, which stars Smiths disembodied head, he says it was "meticulously planned" and the treatment they ended up with was around 50 pages long.

"There was a scheme behind it, this numbers game a logic that made no sense in real life. But it was a bit like we were saying in the exhibition: you can absorb it in a totally instinctive way, or you can choose to read about it. I can talk about our stuff, but I would rather have other people interpret it themselves."

In "Good Grief" theres a euphoria that runs through the bass and the upbeat way Smith sings, despite the typically dark content of his music, and that contrast becomes almost comical, as though the narrator knows theyre a walking disaster. It prompts another Kubrick quote:

"A film is  or should be  more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what's behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later."

"In 'Good Grief', in trying to create this sense of the huge downs and ups, stumbles of this process, were almost using the music to make it uplifting, so its not completely hopeless," Smith says. "Theres always room to make stuff that is completely morose and downbeat, but wed probably spiral into a state of complete despair, if our music reflected the lyrics all the time. I think thats almost the fun game with some songs, is this complete tearing of two feelings at once. Im not saying that we can do it, but thats what some people do so brilliantly  you can have this really uplifting song about absolute heartbreak. Nothings ever that simple that you feel one emotion at one time."

To get some one of the film samples the band include in Wild World, they tried to track down an old film studio in Italy to find someone who could get them the orginal archives. When that didn't work, they ended up rewriting and recording some of the samples themselves,

"I often think it'd be a much more chilled process if we were just four guys in a garage writing songs on guitars," Smith says with a laugh. "But it wouldn't be the same album, and it's a lot of the other stuff that gets me excited, those other elements of the album. And I'm not naturally an extrovert... I'm not a pop star-type frontman, so I get to obsess over the behind-the-scenes stuff."

"For me on Wild World with finding these quotes, that was a whole other avenue of making this album, of getting them into the album and making them part of the music, trying to make a record that had real texture, like the soundtrack to a film that doesn't exist yet. It jumps about over different moods. And obviously then my vocals come in and I start singing about self-hatred and stuff, and then it becomes typically Bastille," he adds with a grin.

Wild World is released on 9 September  pre-order here. A brand new exhibit, Bjork Digital, opens at Somerset House on 1 September and runs until 23 October
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Sausage Party (15)



Dir: Greg Tiernan, Conrad Vernon, 89 mins, voiced by: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Paul Rudd, Edward Norton, Salma Hayek

Sausage Party culminates in one of the great orgies in recent cinema  a scene so extravagantly decadent that it makes Tinto Brasss Caligula look understated. The twist here is that the writhing bodies copulating in such enthusiastic fashion belong to products from the supermarket shelves.

Its a moot point as to whether the premise here is original or simply idiotic. This is an animated feature with a very dirty mind. Its characters all speak in the same over-emphatic fashion as the toys and fishes in kids cartoons. The plot line could just about pass muster in a kids cartoon too.

The sausages, buns, bagels and lesbian taco shells all dream of a world beyond the supermarket. They think that, when theyre picked up and put in a shopping basket or trolly, they are being carried away to some Elysium where theyll live happily ever after. In fact, as returned products who came back to the shelves warn them, its hellish out there. Humans actually eat the food.

The screenplay contrives a love story between Frank (voiced by Seth Rogen), whos a sausage of course, and the very curvaceous hot dog bun, Brenda (voiced by Kristen Wiig.) Occasional moments are inspired. For example, theres a mind-bending sequence in which some of the groceries come face to face with a junkie (voiced, inevitably, by James Franco) who can see and communicate with them. Theres also a very spirited battle sequence in which the groceries wage war on the shoppers using toothpicks as weapons.

The film, though, very quickly passes its sell by date. There are nagging questions which ruin the spell  for example, just how does Brenda manage to get in and out of the sealed bun packet quite so easily?

The filmmakers target doesnt seem very well chosen either. It is lampooning animated features but the best of these  whether Pixars films or The Lego Movie  are often partially tongue in cheek and with a strong strain of humour aimed at adults anyway. Whats more, their plots stack up, which is something that cant be said at all for the supermarket products which pass for heroes in Sausage Party.

Morgan (15)



Dir: Luke Scott, 92 mins, starring: Rose Leslie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Kate Mara, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Paul Giamatti, Michelle Yeoh, Toby Jones

Produced by Ridley Scott, directed by his son Luke, Morgan is like Blade Runner re-made as a rural chamber piece. This too is a dystopian story about androids which look and sound exactly like humans.

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Morgan (Anya Taylor-Joy) is a very advanced model. She is kept in quarantine in an underground lab at a house on the edge of a big forest. The team of scientists looking after her all dote on her as if she is their sister or daughter: Toby Jones is like a father to her, Rose Leslies character behaves as if she is Morgans rebellious sister, and Michelle Yeoh is like a proud mother.

They all want her to be the best of what we are, a super-advanced human who has empathy as well as extraordinary intellectual and physical prowess. She is only five or six years years old but has the body and appearance of a truculent teenager  and she even wears a hoodie.

One of the original aspects of what develops into a gripping sci-fi thriller is that the story, although set in the future, takes place deep in the countryside. It is character-driven and doesnt rely too heavily on special effects. Kate Mara plays Lee Weathers, the equivalent of the Harrison Ford character in Blade Runner. She is a consultant from Corporate (the shadowy organisation behind the robot programme) who has been sent to investigate Morgans erratic behaviour.

Like an adolescent psychopath, Morgan has, for some reason, savagely assaulted one of her scientist carers (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Shes a good girl, she got all mixed up, just for a moment, the scientists protest. Theyre all terrified that Lee, who works on the theory that Morgan is not a she, its an it, will shut the programme down. Paul Giamatti is the expert who specialises in psychoanalysing robots (Morgan is clearly a suitable case for treatment).

In its early scenes, this could almost be a country house drama, or a film about the perils of bringing up a teenage daughter. The scientists live in their cosy little world, a long way from the big, bad city. Theyre so close to Morgan that they dont even begin to suspect that she might be manipulating them. Without realising they are doing so, they project their own anxieties and feelings onto her.

Mara plays her character in impressively chilly fashion. She is the management consultant type whose only concern is in ensuring that the project is working efficiently.

Certain elements here are on the generic side. There is a big twist in the final reel that canny spectators will anticipate well in advance and that feels a little contrived. At times, the settings are too claustrophobic and the storyline is stretched at feature length. You yearn for the seething, rainswept cityscapes in which Deckard carried out his investigations in Blade Runner.

Nonetheless, Morgan is a provocative and atmospheric reworking of familiar sci-fi tropes. The excellent supporting cast helps anchor the film even in its more improbable moments.

ChickLit (15)



Dir: Tony Britten, 96 mins, starring: Christian McKay, Dakota Blue Richards, Caroline Catz, David Troughton, Miles Jupp, John Hurt, Eileen Atkins

ChickLit has a reasonable enough starting point but is badly undermined by its cumbersome exposition. This is an Ealing comedy-style yarn about four domino-playing men from Norfolk who write an erotic novel together in a bid to save their local pub from closure.

Their ringleader is local journalist David (McKay) who has long dreamed of dashing out a novel instead of reporting on village fairs and flower shows. He has noticed that his lawyer wife (Catz) reads huge amounts of steamy books with titles like She Came In Chains, written by authors with names like Lydia Lovemore. The local bookshop is also doing a roaring trade in 50 Shades Of Grey-style fiction.

In greatest secrecy, the four friends each write a quarter of Love Let Her. David then makes a day trip to London to deliver the manuscript to a very world-weary publisher, Peggy Law (Eileen Atkins), pretending he is representing the author. Peggy and her business partner Francis Bonar (John Hurt with a very big moustache and in fruity form) agree to take it on.

The hitch then is that the friends need to find a young woman to portray the novelist on the book tour. Enter Dakota Blue Richards as Davids struggling actress niece.

In its own bumbling way, ChickLit is amiable enough. McKay harrumphs away in fine comic fashion. The film, though, is generally as prudish and as timid about mummy porn (something nasty they publish for women of a certain age) as its main male characters. We get little sense of what the four authors are actually writing about other than that their prose is very purple. There are some predictable gags about BDSM and about the reading habits of the Norfolk gentry but the filmmakers steer away from exploring any of the sexual politics behind the fiction.

Jim: The James Foley Story (15)



Dir: Brian Oakes, 111 mins, featuring: James Foley, Katie Foley, John Foley Sr., Unai Aranzadi, Zac Baillie

There is grief and bafflement at the heart of this affecting documentary, reflecting on the life of journalist James Foley, murdered and beheaded by Isis two years ago after a prolonged period of captivity. His family, colleagues and several of the European hostages who shared his captivity all portray a generous, courageous and big-hearted man; they are devastated by the loss. The US government emerges very badly, seemingly doing next to nothing to try to secure his release.

The circumstances of his death were cruel in the extreme, and he achieved a very macabre posthumous celebrity. One consolation for his family was that his achievements as a war reporter were recognised too. But there are omissions here  for example, the film casts very little light on his relationship with John Cantlie, the British journalist arrested at the same time as Foley.
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The prospect of a golden age of cheap and green energy is being put at risk by constant Government tinkering that is driving away investors, the industry has warned.

In an interview with The Independent, Lawrence Slade, the chief executive of Energy UK, highlighted 10 different changes over the past year or so that he said were undermining confidence in the sector.

He urged the new Business Secretary, Greg Clark, to put an end to the repeated and sometimes sudden alterations and develop a long-term plan that would help investors better calculate what kind of return they could expect on their money.

Failure to do that, Mr Slade said, would see them go elsewhere and that could lead to higher prices for consumers and hamper Britains ability to meet targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Renewable Energy Association (REA), the other main industry body, said it had a list of 15 "negative" changes made recently by the Government.

The renewable energy sector has been particularly hard hit with the UK dropping out of the top 10 best countries to invest in green energy. The US was first on the latest Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index, followed by China, India and Germany with Britain in 11th behind Chile.

Earlier this year the Commons Energy and Climate Change Select Committee said sudden and numerous policy announcements had damaged the UKs reputation as a stable and predictable place to do business, and noted that investment had collapsed in some countries.

This warning appears not to have been heeded.

 Renewable energy is making waves in Europe

Mr Slade decided to speak out after the Government cut a renewable energy subsidy this summer  potentially affecting 140m of investment  with just six weeks notice.

We have seen quite a lot of changes since the current Government came into power an awful long time ago  in May last year, he said.

All of this makes investors question just how secure their investment is and make them look at other markets. Weve got this background and then Brexit comes along, which just casts another set of uncertainty into the equation.

Recommended Read more The day coal power dropped out of the national grid

We need that long-term clear plan [from the Government], so that people can actually plan, invest and see a return, and we get a steady build-up of lower carbon technology.

He doubted the lights would go off, but warned consumers might face higher bills. We might throw money at it to make sure we keep things going, he said.

Energy UK, which represents Britains largest energy companies, provided a list of recent changes made by the Government.

These included: changes to planning law to allow new windfarms to be blocked; the cancellation of a 1bn competition to design an effective carbon-capture-and-storage system; the phasing out of unabated coal by 2025; and the removal of the exemption from the climate change levy for renewable generators.

The postponement of the second round of allocations of new energy contracts; Renewables Obligation support for photovoltaic solar panels and onshore wind closed early; cuts affecting most technologies under the feed-in tarrif; the ongoing review of the embedded charging benefits; and a cut affecting biomass conversion projects were also highlighted by the industry body.

There is also fresh doubt over whether the UK will commission a new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset.

Design inspired by renewable energies presented at Saloni Show all 2 1 /2 Design inspired by renewable energies presented at Saloni Design inspired by renewable energies presented at Saloni 357323.bin courtesy of Jaime Hayon Design inspired by renewable energies presented at Saloni 357324.bin courtesy of Jaime Hayon

All these changes have detracted from efforts to create a revolutionary new energy system, Mr Slade suggested.

He said the UK was heading for a tremendously exciting period in which a household isnt just a consumer any longer, they are also a generator, a business isnt just a consumer they are also a generator  but only if the Government created the right conditions for investors.

Mr Slade compared this transition to the opening of the UKs first coal-fired power station by Thomas Edison in 1882 at Holborn Viaduct in London.

We are on the cusp of a golden age in terms of what we can achieve, he said.

This year is the first year we have had days where there has been zero coal in the system and its happening again and again.

We are regularly seeing days where solar is producing 10 per cent of our energy or more. We are going through another change in how we generate electricity, how we use electricity and how we manage electricity.

What we need is that encouragement from Government so we can get going because time isnt on our side.

I dont think theres a risk of the lights going off, but the problems might be in terms of how quickly we can deliver the transition and how quickly we can meet our international climate targets. And we have international climate obligations regardless of Brexit.

James Court, the REAs head of policy, said they had a list of 15 negative policy changes, some of which we can understand while others had come out of the blue.

We need to see more settled energy policy, he said.

It is unsurprising it is a more difficult environment to find investment, but it is still a sector that is active and looking.

There is a pressing need to replace older power stations in the UK. In May, the National Grid was forced to issue an urgent call for moth-balled generators to be turned on after a series of breakdowns helped reduce the gap between supply and demand to a perilously low level. It had to pay the staggering price of 1,250 per megawatt-hour of electricity to one generator.

Professor Catherine Mitchell, an expert on energy policy at Exeter University, said a common complaint by large energy companies was that there had been too many policy changes but that is often because they do not want the new policies.

Nobody likes to have chopping and changing of policies but if you have a bad policy in place, people actually prefer you to put in place a sensible policy, she said.

However the Governments recent steps, she said, were an example of sensible policies which were chopped and that will affect investor confidence and could mean higher prices and more emissions.

They have made lots of changes  and there are also things they have put in place, like the Green Deal to do with energy efficiency, which did not work and which absolutely everyone told them wouldnt work and lost us millions of pounds, Professor Mitchell added.

The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said in a statement that it believed it was encouraging investors.

Were dedicated to reducing emissions and moving to low-carbon energy, through creating the right environment for businesses, it said.

Weve given industry confidence by committing to 730m of renewables support funding in this Parliament to invest in secure, clean and affordable energy.

It pointed out that one firm, MGT Power, had recently announced the go-ahead of a new 650m biomass combined heat and power plant on Teesside.
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Apple CEO Tim Cook has denounced a decision by the European Commission that said his company owed up to $14.5bn in unpaid taxes, saying the ruling was unjust, unfair and incorrect.

In an open letter posted on the Apple website, Mr Cook said Apple had started operating in Ireland at a time when the city of Cork was suffering from high unemployment and extremely low economic investment. It had since become the largest taxpayer in Ireland, the US and the world.

Over the years, we received guidance from Irish tax authorities on how to comply correctly with Irish tax law - the same kind of guidance available to any company doing business there. In Ireland and in every country where we operate, Apple follows the law and we pay all the taxes we owe, he wrote.

The decision comes amid a debate over the amount of taxes paid by corporations (AP)

The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apples history in Europe, ignore Irelands tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process.

He added: The opinion issued on August 30th alleges that Ireland gave Apple a special deal on our taxes. This claim has no basis in fact or in law."

The letter was posted after the EC ruled that Ireland should to recoup 13 billion Euros ($14.5bn) from Apple over a sweetheart tax deal offered to the tech company.

Following a three-year long investigation, the commission concluded the tax arrangements between Ireland and the multinational tech firm were illegal.

Irelands corporation tax rate is already relatively low at 12.5 per cent, but the commission said Apples tax deal meant the firm was paying an effective corporate tax rate of less than 1 per cent.

Mr Cook said most of Apples research and development efforts took place in California so most company profits were taxed in the United States. He said the Commission wanted to retroactively change the rules to collect more money in its own region.

(Getty ) (Getty)

Taxes for multinational companies are complex, yet a fundamental principle is recognised around the world, he wrote. A companys profits should be taxed in the country where the value is created. Apple, Ireland and the United States all agree on this principle.

The US has been quick to criticise a decision by the European Commission that Apple should pay back taxes in Ireland - saying the move will undermine foreign investment.

The Commissions actions could threaten to undermine foreign investment, the business climate in Europe, and the important spirit of economic partnership between the US and the EU, a US Treasury spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The Associated Press said that the White House had also voiced concerns that American taxpayers will ultimately bear the brunt of the European Unions decision.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Apple could deduct the payment from those back taxes to the amount owed the United States government and that was not fair.

We are concerned about a unilateral approachthat threaten to undermine progress that we have made collaboratively with the Europeans to make the international taxation system fair, said Mr Earnest.
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It isnt an Apple event without wild speculation. But this year Apple seems to have done its best to get people talking.

The invitations to its biggest event of the year have gone out. On 7 September, journalists will descend on San Francisco to be told about the iPhone 7, and likely the Apple Watch 2 and other products as well.

And two things stand out about the otherwise mysterious and information-free invitation. First, the Apple logo is made out of blurry circles; second, the bottom reads See you on the 7th.

Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

Those blurry circles, as well as the mention of see, might be an important hint about whats coming in the new phone.

The image appears to be making heavy use of the bokeh effect, that can be seen on good cameras when something blurs because it is out of focus. On a phone, such an image will just be fuzzy; on a DSLR, it will go pleasingly round, and the effect is often pursued on purpose.

Apples invite appears to be indicating that the new phone will be able to achieve that second effect, using its rumoured two lenses to bring a more professional-style look. Other phones have done that in the past, and Apple is expected to concentrate on the camera while selling the new phone.

The emphasis on the 7th  the invitations dont normally have dates on, and would usually be expected to write out seventh instead  is probably meant as as a way of emphasising the iPhone 7 branding.

That helps confirm that the name of the phone will be iPhone 7, as widely expected. And it also makes all but certain that the phone will be the centre of the event  something that would be hard to doubt, given Apples track record.

Taken together, it also does suggest that the blurry branding of the invitation is related to the iPhone. Thats not always the case  last year, for instance, Apple themed its invites around Siri, but that was a hint of what was coming for the Apple TV introduced at the same event, rather than the phone.

 EU orders Apple to pay up to 13 billion euros tax to Ireland

Of note is the one white circle that sits alongside the Apple logo, and wouldnt normally have been expected to be there. It isnt clear why thats there  or whether it will ever be explained  but some have suggested that it might refer to the missing headphone jack or something else entirely.
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GP appointments should be lengthened to 15 minutes and limited to 25 a day per doctor, industry leaders have said.

The British Medical Association (BMA) suggested the changes in a bid to stop general practice being run into the ground.

The proposals come as part of Safe Working Levels in General Practice, a report that discusses measures which could help tackle GPs' growing workload.

Appointments are normally allocated 10 minutes, meaning that some doctors see up to 60 patients a day.

The BMA said this does not give GPs enough time to treat patients who have complicated needs.

BMA GPs committee executive team member Brian Balmer said: In a climate of staff shortages and limited budgets, GP practices are struggling to cope with rising patient demand, especially from an ageing population with complicated, multiple health needs that cannot be properly treated within the current 10-minute recommended consultation.

Many GPs are being forced to truncate care into an inadequate timeframe and deliver an unsafe number of consultations, in some cases seeing 40 to 60 patients a day.

This is well above the 25 consultations per day, which is the recommended level in many other EU countries.

The report also recommends the introduction of locality hubs  a central facility where demand, patient lists and safe working limits would be managed for a number of local practices  as GPs could benefit from the way pressure would be taken off individual practices.

Dr Balmer added: We need a new approach that shakes up the way patients get their care from their local GP practice.

The consultation time needs to increase to 15 minutes, with the Government providing on its promised funding to make this work.

As part of the package, more GPs must be put in front of patients so the number of consultations per GP a day falls to a sustainable level.

We need to learn from best practice across the UK and look at options, where appropriate, for organising GP practices into hubs, where knowledge and resources can be shared.

General practice in the UK cannot be allowed to continue being run into the ground: it's time for positive change that gives patients the care they deserve.

An NHS England spokesman said: How long to allocate to individual patient appointments is at the discretion of individual GP practices, based on patient need, and there are no national limits suggesting 10 minutes should be the norm.

However, GPs are under pressure, so the recently published General Practice Forward View is substantially increasing investment and reforming care to free up GPs to spend more time with patients.

Press Association
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People who leave countries to flee war or poverty have had their fair share of column inches devoted to them lately. But what about those who are motivated by love? This question of love migration is what Yvonne Clarke-Salt hopes to understand; and to do that, shes collecting scores of stories and photos of people whove made the journey. (To disguise their identities, she shot only their hands, and has changed their names for publication.)

As an English language teacher in Mexico, Poland, Italy and the UK, Clarke-Salt saw countless couples with different mother-tongues leaving home for their partners. Inspired by her own relationships abroad, three years ago she decided to explore others. The Love Migration Project is the result.

Clarke-Salt has so far collected nearly 60 love stories from couples whom she has interviewed both in person  in Barcelona, Brussels and London  as well as online. She hopes to question the view that migration "is mostly about push-and pull factors and delve into what it is like to move for the person you love.

True, she says, wider political contexts can create painful chasms between couples. Yet, however stressful the experience, those she has met have pushed on regardless. For them, moving is a heady, romantic gesture which can also can present new opportunities. Clarke-Salt hopes to submit an 80,000 word PhD thesis on the subject in 2017. Meanwhile, here are five love-migrant couples that she has interviewed.



Akash and Esifir

UK/Russia

Ages when they met: 30/26

Esifir has lost a car and found a wife (all photographs by Yvonne Clarke-Salt ) (Yvonne Clarke-Salt)

When Akash met Esifir on a chatroom in 2000, he assumed she was living in Russia. But it was soon clear that they were closer than they thought.

We realised that we only lived about 10 minutes walk from each other, says Esifir, who was living with a host family in the UK while she studied at university.

On her way to university, Esifir had admired a unique old yellow car near her hosts home. When they met in person, she realised it was Akashs. The car, which they used to drive around in, has long since been replaced, but the couple remain in London with their two children.

Dominique and Freya

France/UK

Ages when they met: 32/21

Freya and Dominique hold a fish they bought on holiday together. Clarke-Salt often asks couples to talk about important objects to help them open up (Yvonne Clarke-Salt)

Dominique and Freya met at Cambridge University in 2007. Aware that Dominque would return to France, they ignored the spark between them. But even when Dominique headed back and Freya continued her studies, they couldnt resist meeting every six months over the next three years. When Freya made a spontaneous trip to visit Dominique after he moved to Ireland, they decided to be together. Shortly after, Freya joined him.

Freya crammed her life into a suitcase, but couldn't pay the fee for overweight luggage. So she headed to the airport loos.

I put on all of my clothes. Id brought loads of stuff for his birthday, so I put saucisson in my pockets. I put all my jewellery on and came out like the Michelin Man, she recalls.

Realising she couldnt pursue her career in Ireland, Freya moved to London. After a tough year apart when Freya slept on sofas and dealt with a family bereavement - Dominique joined her. They are now engaged and share a flat.

Mavis and Peter Ireland/Belgium. Age when they met: 19/31

Mavis felt instantly attracted to Peter (Yvonne Clarke-Salt)

Mavis met Peter in the German city of Munich in July 1972, on the first day of a German language course.

It was very, very instant, says Mavis. I remember going back to where I was staying and saying to somebody, I think I might have met the man that I might be going to marry.

Neither doubted that they wanted to be together.

My parents were very surprised when I started getting phone calls every Saturday morning and five letters a week, she adds. A year later, she moved to Belgium. Another year on and they were married. The couple still live together in their first home.

Faye and Carlos The Netherlands/Chile. Ages when they met: 22/24

Carlos plucked Faye out of a Bolivian crowd (Yvonne Clarke-Salt)

Faye loves to travel. She met Carlos in Chile in 2014, where they were on separate backpacking trips. Hitting it off, they agreed to meet a few weeks later at the Oruro Carnival in Boliva. But Fayes phone ran out of battery and she had little hope of finding him amid the throng of people. She waited for him in the citys main square for three hours.

I was watching everywhere and thought its not possible that hes here.

But Carlos foudn her when she glanced down momentarily to read. After their lucky meeting, they finished their travels side-by-side. When Faye finishes her Masters degree in Belgium, she will join Carlos in Chile.

It was destiny, says Carlos.

Matthew and Louise UK/Canada. Ages when they met: early 30s

When Louise fell pregnant by Matthew, she finally settled in the UK (Yvonne Clarke-Salt)

Matthew and Louise clicked instantly when they met at a dinner party. Packing in a few dates when Louise travelled back to London for work in the weeks that followed, they decided to give long-distance love a go  even after she threw up in his shoes.

As Louise had a successful career in Canada and Matthew had family commitments in the UK, they travelled back and forth between the two countries for a decade.

Eyebrows were raised among friends and family when they decided to get married.

Festivals of love around the world Show all 16 1 /16 Festivals of love around the world Festivals of love around the world Vashi Festivals of love around the world Brazil Vashi Festivals of love around the world Vashi Festivals of love around the world Vashi Festivals of love around the world Vashi Festivals of love around the world Vashi Festivals of love around the world Vashi Festivals of love around the world Vashi Festivals of love around the world Vashi Festivals of love around the world Vashi Festivals of love around the world Vashi Festivals of love around the world Vashi Festivals of love around the world Vashi Festivals of love around the world Vashi Festivals of love around the world Vashi Festivals of love around the world Vashi

People thought that because of the distance it was something that we both were mucking about with. But if youre going to be in a long distance relationship, you have to really mentally commit, says Matthew.

People thought, Oh, well, its not a real marriage, adds Louise. When the couple had their first child in 2013, they made the step of settling together in London.

If you would like to submit your own story of love and migration visit lovemigrationproject.com/log-a-love-migration-story or email Clarke-Salt on: thelovemigrationproject@gmail.com
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Apple faces having to pay billions of euros in back taxes to Ireland if a probe by the European Commission declares the companys tax arrangements with the Irish government are illegal.

The final ruling is expected today and if the commissions position is upheld, the record repayment sum is expected to spark one of the worlds largest tax battles along with an international dispute over the commissions role and authority.

Apples tax arrangements in Ireland are based on an agreement drawn up in 1991, when Apple was struggling against the PC boom, and another in 2007, which allowed the company to pay just four per cent tax on almost $200bn of profits over a 10 year period.

Recommended Read more US condemns EU over plan to demand millions from Apple in unpaid taxes

According to EU law, such tax benefits for a selected company amount to illegal state aid.

Apple and the Irish government are likely to appeal the ruling.

Around 90 per cent of Apples foreign profits are earned by Irish subsidiaries, the Financial Times reports, and the companys total $187bn in cash it holds in Ireland is the largest foreign cash pile held by any US multinational.

The European Commission says the tax arrangements gave Apple an unfair advantage that distorted competition.

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No figure has yet been given as to how much money Apple may be forced to pay in back taxes, but EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager is expected to give an estimate on Tuesday.

Analysts have provided a range of estimates. According to JPMorgans Rod Hall, a worst-case scenario could mean Apple may face a $19bn bill.

Comparable Rulings

A precedent for such repayments has already been set (albeit on a smaller scale) after the commission ordered the Netherlands to claw back 30m (25.6m) from Starbucks last year, and Luxembourg was ordered to recover a similar sum from car manufacturer Fiat as the commission cracked down on so-called sweetheart tax deals.

In January, The commission ordered Belgium to recover about 700 million euros in what it called illegal tax breaks from at least 35 companies, including Anheuser-Busch InBev NV and BP Plc, according to Bloomberg.

There are also ongoing investigations into Luxembourgs tax arrangements with McDonalds and Amazon.com.

US response

The US government has strongly criticised the probes into American multinational firms by the EU.

The US Treasury Department said the action by the European Commission along with the penalties it was issuing to firms were deeply troubling, and accused the commission of becoming a supra-national tax authority, the BBC reports.

But the commission said there was no bias against US companies in its investigations and said it was trying to ensure EU law was applied equally to all firms operating in Europe.

Apple previously said it did not have a special tax deal with the Irish government.

Apple is subject to the same tax laws as scores of other international companies doing business in Ireland, the company said.

The US Treasury Department has pushed back hard against the state-aid probes, most recently with an unusual white paper that said the Brussels-backed commission had overextended its legal authority.

 FBI breaks into gunmans iPhone, drops Apple legal case

When the investigation was announced, Irelands Department of Finance said it was confident that there is no state aid rule breach in this case and we will defend all aspects vigorously.

Why Ireland?

Ireland has a relatively low corporation tax rate of 12.5 per cent of profits, compared to the UKs rate of 20 per cent and the USs 38.9 per cent for the largest companies.

This means the country has become an attractive place for US companies to place their subsidiaries, with more than 700 US companies operating there and employing 140,000 people.

But Apple has paid far less than even the 12.5 per cent rate in Ireland, according to a 2013 report by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

The report found the company was able to cut its global tax bill by negotiating a tax rate of less than 2 per cent with the government of Ireland - significantly lower than Irelands statutory rate.
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Its a tax demand for the ages. The European Commission has ordered Apple to pay Ireland 13bn (11bn) in back taxes after ruling that a so called 'sweetheart deal' struck between the two was illegal.

But the move could spark a damaging international trade spat. Heres your cut out and keep guide to what could become a very taxing story...

Why has the Commission ruled in this way?

The European authorities accused Ireland of helping Apple to avoid tax by means of a sweetheart deal that is in breach of EU rules. Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who oversees competition policy, said this allowed Apple to pay an effective corporate tax rate of 1 per cent on its European profits in 2003, falling to just 0.005 per cent in 2014.

How will the money be repaid?

Thats up to Ireland. It is in charge of recovering the money the EU says is due as a result of the deal breaking rules banning state aid to industry. It looks a bit like asking convicts to guard their own prison, but thats the way these things are structured.

So Ireland will get a big bung?

Not just yet. Apple and Ireland have hotly denied the charges, and there will be appeal. This isnt over, not by a long shot.

How does this compare to other rulings?

The EC has become much more aggressive in its approach to the agreements struck between multi national companies and EU member states. Previously it ordered the Dutch authorities to recover 30m (26m) from Starbucks with a similar amount due to Luxembourg from Fiat Chrysler.

Both companies and countries have appealed. The Apple ruling dwarfs the biggest bill so far levied, which is 300m (256m) that Swedish engineer Atlas Copco has been told to pay Belgium. It is not quite as much as the $19bn (15bn) that had been predicted, but its fair to say this is a game changer.

Are there any more cases due?

Amazon and McDonald's are in the frame over deals struck with Luxembourg. It wouldnt be at all surprising to see further probes opened if the EU finds anything it doesnt like. Look for the bloc to seek out non US based companies in the future, to avoid accusations of unfairly targeting American businesses.

Can Apple afford such a thumping bill?

Are you kidding? This is one of the worlds richest companies. Apple reported it had cash equivalents (cash!) and marketable securities of a staggering $231.5bn (176.7bn) in June. Some 92.8 percent of that enormous cash pile  $214.9bn (164bn)  is parked in foreign subsidiaries doing nothing much more than earning a pitiful rate of interest.

Why is that?

US corporation tax is charged at a headline rate of 35 per cent and Apple has no interested in paying up. While few companies pay that rate  it can be chipped away at through allowances and other accounting wheezes  it is still far ahead of what most developed nations charge. The headline rate in the UK, by comparison, is just 20 per cent.



How will the US react to this?

Not well. Americas Treasury secretary Jack Lew last week accused the EU of trying to become a supra-national tax authority. He claimed US companies were being treated unfairly and that the EU was potentially undermining efforts to reform international tax rules so companies pay their share. Hes also worried that Apple will offset this bill against its US bill, potentially resulting in a huge transfer from US taxpayers to Irish taxpayers.

Hang on, didnt the US criticise Apples avoiding tax at home?

Indeed so. A US congressional committee has previously accused Apple of using sham subsidiaries and convoluted strategies to shift profits offshore. There was bipartisan criticism of the company at a Senate committee hearing back in 2013 with Democrat Carl Levin, who chaired a grilling of Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Republican John McCain both weighing in. But at the same time, Tea Party poster boy Rand Paul accused the committee of bullying one of Americas greatest success stories.

So what is the politics this time around?

The Republican presidential candidate is Donald Trump, a bellicose nationalist who has aggressively advocated an America First trade policy. Mr Lew stepping up to the plate for Apple and other US companies in the EUs cross hairs could be seen as an attempt by the Obama administration to shore up the flanks of Hillary Clinton and other Democrats against any potential charges of weakness by their opponents in the midst of a hotly contested election.

Biggest business scandals in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Biggest business scandals in pictures Biggest business scandals in pictures Volkswagen emissions scandal VW admitted to rigging its US emission tests so that diesel-powered cars would looks like they were emitting less nitrous oxide, which can damage the ozone layer and contribute to respiratory diseases. Around 11 million cars worldwide were affected. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Martin Shkreli and Turing Pharmaceuticals Martin Shkreli became known as the most hated man in the world after his drug company, Turing, increased the price of a 62-year-old drug that treated HIV patients by 5,000% to $750 a pill. He was charged with illegally taking stock from Retrophin, a biotechnology firm he started in 2011, and using it pay off debts from unrelated business dealings. Shkreli, who maintains he is innocent, and says there is little evidence of fraud because his investors didn't lose money. Biggest business scandals in pictures Panama Papers: Millions of leaked documents expose how worlds rich and powerful hid money - April 2016 Millions of confidential documents have been leaked from one of the worlds most secretive law firms, exposing how the rich and powerful have hidden their money. Dictators and other heads of state have been accused of laundering money, avoiding sanctions and evading tax, according to the unprecedented cache of papers that show the inner workings of the law firm Mossack Fonseca, which is based in Panama. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Google's tax avoidance Google reached a deal with the HM Revenue and Customs to pay back 130 million in so-called back-taxes that have been due since 2005. George Osborne championed the deal as a major success. But European MEPs have since called for the Chancellor to appear in front of the committee on tax rulings to explain the tax deal. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Rogue trader A French court cut the damages owed by rogue trader Jerome Kerviel from 4.9bn (4.2bn) to just 1m (860,000). The court ruled on that Kerviel was partly responsible for massive losses suffered in 2008 by his former employer Societe Generale through his reckless trades. Kerviel has consistently maintained that bosses at the French bank knew what he was doing all along. AP Biggest business scandals in pictures Barclays CEO under investigation for trying to identify whistleblower - Monday Paril 10 Authorities have launched an investigation into Barclays chief executive officer Jes Staley for trying to identify a whistleblower, the bank said on Monday. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) are both investigating Mr Staley after the bank notified them that Mr Staley had tried to identify the author of two anonymous letters, which were sent to the board and a senior executive in June 2016. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures UK to crack down on bank money laundering after reports of 65bn Russian scam, City minister says - March 2017 The Economic Secretary to the Treasury has vowed that the Government will crack down on money laundering practices, after several of the UK's biggest banks were accused of processing money from a Russian scam, believed to involve up to $80bn (65bn). Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Former HBOS bankers convicted of bribery and fraud over 245m loan scam - February 2017 Two former HBOS bankers were among six people found guilty of bribery and fraud that cost customers and shareholders hundreds of millions of pounds, the BBC reports. Lynden Scourfield, 54, a manager at HBOS, forced struggling clients to use the services of his friends David Mills, 60, and Michael Bancroft, 73. In return, the two businessmen arranged sex parties, cash and lavish gifts. On Monday, the three were convicted at Southwark Crown Court on accounts including bribery, fraud and money laundering. Mark Dobson, another manager at HBOS, Alison Mills, and John Cartwright were also convicted. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Lloyds chief apologises for damage caused by affair allegations - August 2016 Antonio Horta-Osorio, the chief executive of Lloyds Bank, has broken his silence over allegations about his private life admitting he regrets any "damage done to the group's reputation". In a message sent to the bank's 75,000 employees, the banker said that anyone can make mistakes while insisting that staff had to maintain the highest professional standards. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Christine Lagarde faces court over 340m Bernard Tapie payment - July 2016 The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, must stand trial in France over a payment of 403 million (now 340m, then 290m) to tycoon Bernard Tapie, a France's highest appeals court has ruled. The court rejected Ms Lagarde's appeal against a judge's order in December for her to stand trial over allegations of negligence in her handling of the affair. Ms Lagarde could risk a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of 15,000 euros if convicted. Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures HSBC senior manager arrested in FX rigging investigation at JFK airport in New York - July 2016 A senior executive at HSBC has been arrested at New York's JFK airport for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to rig currency benchmarks, according to reports. Mark Johnson, global head of foreign exchange cash trading in London, was reportedly arrested on Tuesday. He will appear before a federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, Bloomberg said. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Former PwC employees found guilty in 'Luxleaks' tax scandal - June 2016 Two ex- PricewaterhouseCoopers staffers were found guilty in Luxembourg of stealing confidential tax files that helped unleash a global scandal over generous fiscal deals for hundreds of international companies. Antoine Deltour and Raphael Halet face suspended sentences of 12 months and 9 months and were ordered to pay fines of 1,500 (1,230) and 1,000 (822) for their role in the so-called LuxLeaks scandal. Despite the minimal sentences, the ruling was described by Deltours lawyer as shocking and a terrible anomaly. The ruling puts on guard future whistle-blowers, Deltour told reporters.The LuxLeaks revelations sped beyond Luxembourg, causing European Union regulators to expand a tax-subsidy probe and propose new laws to fight corporate tax dodging, while EU lawmakers created a special committee to probe fiscal deals across the 28-nation bloc. Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Goldman Sachs dealmakers lavished Libyan officials with prostitutes to win contract - June 2016 A former Goldman Sachs dealmaker trying to persuade Gadaffi-era Libya to invest $1 billion with the investment bank procured prostitutes and invited Libyan officials to lavish parties in the hope of winning the business, the High Court heard on Monday June 13.The Libyan Investment Authority sovereign wealth fund is suing Goldman Sachs for inappropriately coercing its naive staff into giving its sovereign wealth fund cash to the bank to invest in products they did not understand. The products were designed to generate big profits for Goldman, the LIA claims.Goldman denies wrongdoing and says the LIA was treated as an arms-length customer Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Former boss of BHS said his life was threatened - June 2016 Darren Topp, the former boss of BHS, has said former owner Dominic Chappell threatened to kill him when he challenged him over a 1.5 million transfer out of the business. MPs on the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee asked Mr Topp about a 1.5 million transfer Mr Chappell made from BHS to a company called BHS Sweden. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley admits paying workers below the minimum wage - June 2016 Mike Ashley admitted paying Sports Direct employees below the minimum wage at a hearing in front of MPs. The company founder said that workers were paid less than the statutory minimum because of bottlenecks at security in an admission that could result in sanctions from HMRC. Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Mitsubishi admits improper fuel tests - April 2016 Mitsubishi has admitted to using false fuel methods dating back to 1991. The scale of the scandal is only just coming to light after it was revealed in April that data was falsified in the testing of four types of cars, including two Nissan cars. AP Biggest business scandals in pictures Quindell, the scandal-ridden insurance firm Quindell was once a darling of AIM but its share price fell in April 2014 when its accounting practices were attacked in a stinging research note by US short seller Gotham City. In August the group was forced to disclose that the 107 million pre-tax profit it had reported for 2013 was incorrect, and it had in fact suffered a 64million loss. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Toshiba Accounting Scandal The boss of Toshiba, the Japanese technology giant, resigned in disgrace in the wake of one of the countrys biggest ever accounting scandals. His exit came two months after the company revealed that it was investigating accounting irregularities. An independent investigatory panel said that Toshibas management had inflated its reported profits by up to 152 billion yen (780m) between 2008 and 2014. Biggest business scandals in pictures FIFA Corruption Scandal Fifa, football's world governing body, has been engulfed by claims of widespread corruption since the summer of 2015, when the US Department of Justice indicted several top executives. It has now claimed the careers of two of the most powerful men in football, Fifa President Sepp Blatter and Uefa President Michel Platini, after they were banned for eight years from all football-related activities by Fifa's ethics committee. A Swiss criminal investigation into the pair is ongoing. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Libor fraudster City trader Tom Hayes, 35, has become the first person to be convicted of rigging Libor rates following a trial at London's Southwark Crown Court. Hayes worked as a trader in yen derivatives at UBS before joining the American bank Citigroup in Tokyo. He was fired from Citigroup following an investigation into his trading methods. He returned to the UK in December 2012 and was arrested following a two-and-a-half year criminal investigation by the SFO. Getty

Does this mean Apple will quit Ireland?

Theres not much chance of that happening. Even if the EU manages to stamp out future deals like the one between Ireland and Apple, the Republics headline rate of corporation tax is still only 12.5 per cent. And as one loophole closes you can be sure clever accountants (mostly based in London) will be hard at work on finding others to exploit

How will this affect Britain?

To all intents and purposes Britain is a bystander. However, it would be playing a dangerous game were it to try to replicate Irelands tactics post Brexit. A trade war with the EU over future British tax policy might make The Sun happy, but the reality is that it is a battle Britain couldnt win and would harm both sides.
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Conjoined twins who were given a slim chance of survival are now preparing for their first week at school.

Rosie and Ruby Formosa, aged four, from Bexleyheath in Kent, were born joined at the abdomen and shared an intestine, meaning they needed an emergency operation to separate them.

Their parents, Angela and Daniel Formosa were told their daughters had a minimal chance of survival when doctors discovered they were conjoined.

But after successful operation at Londons Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh), the identical twins have grown up healthy and will begin their first year of primary school in September.

Ms Formosa, 35, said the twins were very excited to be starting school.

Four years ago it wasn't in my mind that this would ever happen, she told the Press Association.

When I was pregnant I didn't think I'd ever see their first day at school so it is really amazing and all thanks to Gosh really.

Conjoined twins occur when a mother produces a single egg, which does not fully separate after fertilisation. The rare condition affects one in every 200,000 live births.

Heartwarming news stories from around the world Show all 30 1 /30 Heartwarming news stories from around the world Heartwarming news stories from around the world A boy who saved the life of a suicidal man by simply asking him "Are you okay? has said he did it because he likes to help people who need help. Jamie Harrington, from Ballymun, Dublin, told the Humans of Dublin project about a meeting with a man in his 30s sitting on the edge of a bridge and about to jump off it. After sitting down and speaking to the stranger for 45 minutes, 16-year-old Jamie persuaded the man to go to hospital and seek treatment Heartwarming news stories from around the world This little boy loves books so much that he cries when his mother stops reading to him A good book can keep a child entertained for hours, but there aren't many that can actually make babies cry when they end. That's exactly what happened to one little boy, who looks completely engrossed while his mother reads him the book 'I Am a Bunny', a classic children's book about the pattern of the seasons. However, when the story ends and his mother closes the book, he immediately begins crying. The only thing that seems to placate him is opening the book at the beginning and reading the story again. It's heartening to see such a little child so completely in love with a book, but it must get a little wearing for his parents after a while Leesedanielle/YouTube Heartwarming news stories from around the world Tattoo with a hidden message highlights the invisible battle faced by people with depression A young woman has brought attention to the invisibility of depression - by getting a tattoo which sends out two opposing messages depending on how you look at it. The tattoo on her leg appears to say "I'm fine" when read by someone looking at her, but reveals its true secret to its wearer when she looks down at it, reading "Save me" instead. Bekah Miles, a 21-year-old US student who has struggled with depression for some years, got the inking on her leg to start a conversation about mental health and give voice to her experience Facebook/Bekah Miles Heartwarming news stories from around the world Teen goes to extraordinary lengths to give autistic twin the high school graduation to remember A teenager has earned herself an army of fans after she finally reached her goal to help her severely autistic twin brother across the stage at their high school graduation. Anders Bonville, 18, from Birmingham, Alabama, was diagnosed with autism when he was two, which left him non-verbal but  along with his sister, Aly  the pair developed their own unique language and set out to alter perceptions of the condition. Aly was called first on-stage to receive her diploma. With her brother being walked quietly behind a curtained area in his wheelchair to keep him calm, she quickly exited to get him before his name was called out. Aly zoomed down the hallway with her brother in his wheelchair so that he would be happy when the big moment came. Although the principal had ordered the audience to hold all applause until the end  the moment Aly took her brothers hand and led him across the stage  the entire hall rose to its feet and erupted into applause  including the principal herself Benida Pillitary Bonville via Facebook Heartwarming news stories from around the world 'Forrest Gump' completes 42 back-to-back marathons A man has completed 42 back-to-back marathons  while dressed as Forrest Gump. Ewan Gordon, 42, from Oxfordshire, copied the popular film character by growing out his hair and beard to complete the 1,050-mile challenge in memory of nine-year-old Thomas Laurie who died last year. Thomas suffered from Cockayne Syndrome  a rare premature ageing disease  which is known to affect just 100 youngsters in the UK. Mr Gordon, a civil servant, ran about 26 miles each day (42km)  the equivalent of a marathon a day  for 42 days, from John OGroats to Lands End. He said he was inspired to adopt the quirky persona following a bet when a friend said he would sponsor Mr Gordon more money for his charity run if he did @OxLightBlues/Twitter Heartwarming news stories from around the world Charity shop thanks 'true gent' who donated late wife's wedding dress with heartfelt message A charity shop in Leeds has tracked down the elderly man who donated his late wifes stunning 1950s wedding dress with a heartfelt note. St Gemmas Hospice, which runs a speciality bridal shop in Garforth, described the man as a true gent while appealing for help finding him on social media. The stunning vintage gown has a lace bodice and sleeves and full embroidered skirt. A note attached to it read: I wish any lady who takes this dress to have a life with her loved one 56 years like I did. Happy years. I was a lucky man to marry a lady like mine" St Gemma's Hospice Heartwarming news stories from around the world Blood donors in Sweden get a text message whenever their blood saves someone's life With blood donation rates in decline all over the developed world, Swedens blood service is enlisting new technology to help push back against shortages. One new initiative, where donors are sent automatic text messages telling them when their blood has actually been used, has caught the public eye. People who donate initially receive a 'thank you' text when they give blood, but they get another message when their blood makes it into somebody elses veins Getty Heartwarming news stories from around the world Guide dog jumps in front of oncoming bus to save blind owner When Figo the service dog saw an oncoming mini school bus heading for Audrey Stone, the blind woman he was trained to guide, the golden retriever's protective instincts kicked in: He threw himself at the closest part of the vehicle he could. Police photos show the result: fur stuck to the front driver's side wheel and in the middle of Michael Neuner Avenue in New York, where the bus came to a stop after striking the pair. The driver of the Brewster school bus, carrying two kindergartners to St. Lawrence O'Toole Childhood Learning Center, told police he didn't see the pair crossing the road as they made their way home at about 8:15 Monday morning. But Figo saw the bus coming and leapt into action AP Heartwarming news stories from around the world Florida boy grew his hair for two years and endured bullying to donate it to charity After more than two years growing his hair, a boy from Florida has donated his locks to charity, despite being bullied along the way. Christian McPhilamy, an eight-year-old from Florida, began growing his hair after seeing an advert about paediatric cancer and has now donated four locks, each measuring over 10 inches, to charity Facebook Heartwarming news stories from around the world A police officer who told a student his parents were killed surprised him at his graduation ceremony Kazzie Porties parents, Riley and Emily, were killed by a drunk driver. Eric Ellison, an officer at the Orange Police Department in Texas, broke the news to the couples five children and told the youngest hed be by his side during graduation Heartwarming news stories from around the world Cafe asks customer to leave after he tells breastfeeding mother to cover up An Australian cafe has been praised for sticking up for a breastfeeding mother after a customer told her to cover up. Jessica-Anne Allen, owner of Cheese and Biscuits Cafe in Queensland, Australia, has described how she was approached by a male customer in the cafe on Thursday to complain that he was upset by a woman in the coffee shop breastfeeding her child nearby. The customer asked the cafe owner, 29, to tell the mother to cover up. When Mrs Allen refused to do so, he took matters into his own hands and challenged the woman himself. Staff at the cafe then asked the man to leave Heartwarming news stories from around the world Dog with cancer completes bucket list When their dog was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Cocos owners put together a bucket list and made sure their hound experienced an exciting few weeks before she died. Before she was put down on 5 May, Coco: visited a beach; took a ride in a helicopter; went in a fire engine; ate a steak at the pub; and also had a Big Mac from a McDonalds Drive Thru, amongst other activities https://www.facebook.com/symon.spencer.9 Heartwarming news stories from around the world Elderly cancer patient who rang 911 because he had no food is inundated with donations from well-wishers An elderly cancer patient who called 911 because he was hungry and had no food is receiving donations from hundreds of people across America who were moved by his story. Clarence Blackmon was discharged from a private hospital in Fayetteville, in North Carolina, on Tuesday after spending months there for cancer treatment. The 81-year-old returned to his house without any supplies and anyone close by to call for help, leading him to call 911 in desperation and ask for food. An hour-and-a-half later, Marilyn Hinson, the operator who answered that call, arrived at his front door with police carrying bags full of food and made him some ham sandwiches Heartwarming news stories from around the world Son receives touching 30th birthday card from father who died in 1999 A son has revealed how he only just received a birthday card from his dad who died from cancer over a decade ago, with the father having the foresight to mark his children's milestone birthdays before passing away. It was inscribed with a simple 'Love ya - Dad', and was written such a long time ago that even the corny joke on the inside feels quite charmingly dated ChrisBenRoy Heartwarming news stories from around the world Chinese student carries disabled friend to school every day for three years so he doesn't miss class A teenager has been hailed as the most beautiful student in China after spending three years giving piggy-backs to his disabled friend so that he doesnt have to miss a class. The story of 18-year-old Xie Xu, who volunteered to look after his 19-year-old classmate Zhang Chi, has been shared widely on Chinese social media and received widespread local media coverage Heartwarming news stories from around the world Teenage Aldi worker Christian Trouesdale walkes an old man home A young man from Horwich in Greater Manchester has become an unexpected internet sensation after he was photographed walking a frail old man home from the supermarket. Aldi worker Christian Trouesdale, 18, said he had received a crazy reaction with messages of support flooding in from as far afield as Dubai, Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand. The image of Mr Trouesdale hand-in-hand with a 96-year-old customer on the street outside the shop was first shared by nearby worker and Horwich resident Samantha-Jayne Brady, 23, who said it was a lovely thing to witness Samantha-Jayne Brady Heartwarming news stories from around the world 8-year-old survivor of abuse writes inspirational 'thank you' letter to social workers An eight-year-old girl who was abused as an infant has written a thank-you letter to social workers and detectives who helped to rescue her from a home where she had been left paralysed as a result of beatings. Marie Suprenant is not able to walk as a result of the injuries that she sustained before she was taken under the care of a foster parent. I want to thank you for making me happy by giving me a new warm and safe environment, she writes. Now I have a home that is nice and I have three nice meals a day Heartwarming news stories from around the world Woman praised for defending Muslim woman 'harassed on train for wearing a hijab' An Australian woman has been described as a hero for challenging a train passenger who was allegedly being abusive towards a Muslim woman sat in the same carriage. Stacey Eden claimed an older woman was accusing the unidentified Muslim woman and the man sat next to her of being an Isis supporter because she was wearing a hijab. Ms Eden, from Sydney, said the alleged tirade began "a good ten minutes" before she started filming the woman, later uploading the video on to her Facebook page. Footage from the alleged incident began as the unnamed passenger asked the woman, who was also sat with a pram on the opposite side of the train, "why do you wear it [a hijab] for a man that marries a six year-old girl?" The woman and the man remained silent, but Ms Eden responded: "She wears it for herself, OK? She wears it because she wants to be modest with her body, not because of people like you who are going to sit there and disrespect her" Heartwarming news stories from around the world Loving parents have got matching tattoos of their daughters huge red birthmark Honey-Rae Phillips was born with the large strawberry mark covering half her body. The Daily Mirror reports that Mum Tanya Phillips and dad Adam Philips, who are both from Grimsby, got the tattoos after people starting making comments about it in public. We wanted Honey-Rae to feel special, that her birthmark was something to feel proud of and not embarrassed by, Ms Phillips told the newspaper Heartwarming news stories from around the world James Robertson who walked 20 miles to work every day for nine years is gifted new car James Robertson  who was unable to afford a new car after his last one broke down nine years ago  was recently awarded more than $310,000 in donations by kind strangers who learned of his daily difficulties. Even though the money raised was meant for a new vehicle, a car dealership decided to give him a new one worth around $37,000 (around 24,000) for free in his preferred colour, red Reuters Heartwarming news stories from around the world Stranger gives Kindle to homeless man An anonymous do-gooder has shunned praise after he gave a homeless man his Kindle. The man from San Diego, California, was visiting Las Vegas last month, when he met a homeless man named Paul, who had read the same, worn book, each time he passed. The man said he had also been down on his luck in the past, and decided to give Paul his Kindle e-reader. A moving photo showing Paul with his Kindle has been viewed over 2 million times on Imgur Mjuad/Reddit Heartwarming news stories from around the world Attacked pensioner Alan Barnes crowdfund passes 200,000 in donations Pensioner Alan Barnes was mugged outside his home in Gateshead last week in an attack that left him with a broken collarbone and too scared to return to his own house. Katie Cutler, who lives nearby to Barnes, set up a crowdfunding page intending to raise 500 to help the disabled pensioner find a new home. Her efforts have led to more than 200,000 in donations being made Heartwarming news stories from around the world Man reunited with stolen dog during search for new pet Richard Brower was heartbroken after his dog, a German shepherd called Dozer, was stolen from the Yard of his Alberta home, and his endless searching proved fruitless. But he had no idea that when he started searching for a new German shepherd, he would experience the closest thing to a miracle in his life  the Claresholm Animal Rescue Society, unbeknownst to its organisers, had Dozer safe and well, and now hes back at home Global News Heartwarming news stories from around the world Bart the 'zombie cat' set to make full recovery following his unlikely return from the grave Bart, the Florida cat who was buried after his owner found him lifeless in a pool of blood after being hit by a car, is set to make a full recovery when he returned from the grave five days later. Upon his return owner Ellis Hutson took the cat for surgery to remove his eye and have his jaw re-wired, and Bart is expected to return home soon Reuters/Humane Society of Tampa Bay Heartwarming news stories from around the world Friendship Nine's civil rights-era convictions overturned by South Carolina court It is 54 years since the Friendship Nine walked into McCrorys in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and sat down at the whites-only lunch counter in a sit-in that inspired non-violent protests across the South that were an integral part to the civil rights movement. The nine were arrested and convicted of ignoring a segregation order and sent to jail for 30 days, but this week their convictions were finally overturned Reuters Heartwarming news stories from around the world 'Humans of New York' blog raises over $1 million for Brooklyn school Humans of New York, the photo blog that aims to capture daily glimpses into the lives of New York inhabitants, has raised over $1 million dollars for a school in one of the most-crime ridden parts of the city this week, all because of the story of 13-year-old Vidal. The money is for Vidals school to be able to make contributions towards its pupils college tuition and to fund trips for sixth-graders to tour Harvard University IndiGoGo/Humans of New York Heartwarming news stories from around the world Mystery man who gave heart-warming note to young mum on train to 'put a smile on her face' has been identified The stranger who handed a small piece of paper and a 5 note to a 23-year-old mother just to tell her what a great mum she is has been identified, after recipient Sammie Welch was so overwhelmed by his kindness she started a Facebook search just to be able to thank him. Ken Saunders, 50, said he just wanted to put a smile on Welchs face PA Heartwarming news stories from around the world Father calls out his daughters racist bullies in emotional video A father has taken to YouTube to shame bullies who bombarded his daughter with racist abuse on social media. Mr Knudsons daughter, from Prior Lake in the US state of Minnesota, was adopted and is of African American descent. He recounted how he approached the parents of the twin bullies only to be told that there was nothing wrong with the abuse. I have a beautiful African American daughter who I love more than life itself and would do anything for, he said in the video Heartwarming news stories from around the world This kid thought the postman should get post too It must be kind of lonely being a mailman, all this correspondence running through your hands every day but none of it addressed to you. It must be kind of lonely being a mailman, all this correspondence running through your hands every day but none of it addressed to you absofaluminium Heartwarming news stories from around the world Student raises thousands of pounds for homeless man who offered her 3 for a taxi Christmas is a traditionally a time for giving, particularly to the less fortunate members of society, but one homeless man was prepared to hand over everything he had. The man, named Robbie, offered a 22-year-old student 3 to help her get home safely after a night out - and now she is hoping to raise enough money to help him off the streets Rex

Ms Formosa said it was heartbreaking when she discovered the girls were conjoined at 16 weeks.

I was already worried that they were monoamniotic (where twins share an amniotic sac), and conjoined was the worst-case scenario, she said.

I was really, really, really scared and really upset because at that point I was told that there was a high possibility that the girls wouldn't survive the pregnancy.

And if they did survive the pregnancy they might not survive the birth, then they might not survive surgery.

They couldn't tell what was connecting them.

I didn't prepare to bring them home. It wasn't until they were in hospital and they'd had their operation that my husband started painting the bedroom and getting everything ready for them.

Rosie and Ruby were born at University College Hospital in London by caesarean section when Mrs Formosa was 34 weeks pregnant.

Within a couple of hours of being born, they were taken to Gosh for emergency surgery because of an intestinal blockage.

Praising the staff at the world-renowned children's hospital, Mrs Formosa added: They had a look and did scans and all sorts of tests and it wasn't until they got into surgery that they saw what was going on.

It was on-the-spot decisions as to what was to be done.

The twins underwent a five-hour operation to separate them, and were well enough to go home after three weeks. Four years later, they are due to join their older sister Lily at primary school.

They've met their teacher a few times and they love their teacher, said Ms Formosa.

They're looking forward to painting, anything messy, they love reading.

They are very similar headstrong and very determined, which I knew they were from when they were in my belly because of the way they kept growing and surviving.

Professor Paolo De Coppi, consultant paediatric surgeon at Gosh, said: Over the last 30 years we have treated 27 sets of conjoined twins at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

The surgery is highly complex and requires teams from across the hospital to work together and combine a whole range of expertise.

We're thrilled that Rosie and Ruby are starting school this September.

It's always a joy to witness patients' progress and to hear that they are reaching new milestones  this makes the job we do all the more rewarding.

Press Association contributed to this report
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The Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen continues her reign as the worlds highest-paid model, according to Forbes.

Bundchen, 36, who recently featured in the opening ceremony at Rio, has topped the list since 2002 and last year amassed $30.5million (approximately 23.3million). According to the finance magazine the majority of her income comes from her advertising contracts with brands including Chanel and Carolina Herrera.

The list also serves as a testament to the power of the new generation of models who have successfully navigated social media to advance their careers. Kendall Jenner is named as the third highest model having earned $10 million over the past year, meaning her earnings on the year before are up by 150 per cent. Jenner has the highest Instagram following on the list and was owner of the most liked post on the social networking site until recently.

The worlds highest-paid models 2016 Show all 20 1 /20 The worlds highest-paid models 2016 The worlds highest-paid models 2016 Gisele Bundchen ($30,500,000) Getty Images The worlds highest-paid models 2016 Adriana Lima ($10,500,000) Getty Images The worlds highest-paid models 2016 Karlie Kloss ($10,000,000) Getty Images The worlds highest-paid models 2016 Kendall Jenner ($10,000,000) Getty Images The worlds highest-paid models 2016 Gigi Hadid ($9,000,000) Getty Images The worlds highest-paid models 2016 Rosie Huntington-Whiteley ($9,000,000) Getty Images The worlds highest-paid models 2016 Cara Delevingne ($8,500,000) Getty Images The worlds highest-paid models 2016 Candice Swanepoel ($7,000,000) Getty Images The worlds highest-paid models 2016 Liu Wen ($7,000,000) Getty Images The worlds highest-paid models 2016 Miranda Kerr ($6,000,000) Getty Images for The Huffington The worlds highest-paid models 2016 Lara Stone ($5,500,000) Getty Images The worlds highest-paid models 2016 Natalia Vodianova ($5,500,000) AFP/Getty Images The worlds highest-paid models 2016 Kate Moss ($5,000,000) Getty Images The worlds highest-paid models 2016 Alessandra Ambrosio ($5,000,000) Getty Images for Coca-Cola The worlds highest-paid models 2016 Doutzen Kroes ($5,000,000) Getty Images The worlds highest-paid models 2016 Joan Smalls ($4,500,000) AFP/Getty Images The worlds highest-paid models 2016 Lily Aldridge ($4,000,000) Getty Images for Victoria's Secr The worlds highest-paid models 2016 Jasmine Tookes ($4,000,000) Getty Images The worlds highest-paid models 2016 Taylor Hill ($4,000,000) AFP/Getty Images The worlds highest-paid models 2016 Barbara Palvin ($4,000,000) Getty Images

Similarly, her close friends and fellow social media influencers Gigi Hadid and Cara Delevingne make the list. Hadid, who has over 22 million Instagram followers, made the list for the first time ranking fifth having earned $9 million (6.8million) over the past year. Delevingne, who has over 33 million Instagram followers, earned $7million (5.3million) last year.

The list also reflects the lack of diversity on the catwalk, given that aside from the Puerto Rican model Joan Smalls, American model Jasmine Tookes and Chinese model Liu Wen the majority of the list are white women.

Natalie Robehmed, a staff writer at Forbes, told the Independent: The majority of the list is overwhelmingly white, which reflects the lack of diversity in campaigns. A recent survey of Spring print ads found 78% of models used were white, compared with just eight per cent Black or four per cent Asian models featured. Despite the rising fame of plus-sized models such as Ashley Graham, no plus-sized model earned the $4 million cut off necessary to make this year's ranking. While models of colour and models who aren't 'straight-sized' do find work in editorial shoots, they still rarely book the high-paying contracts that lead to a spot on this list.

Rosie Huntingdon-Whitelys addition to the list makes her the highest-earning British model, in part thanks to her signature lingerie, beauty and clothing lines at Marks and Spencer, which saw her earn $9 million (6.8million). Closely following Huntingdon-Whitely is Delevingne and Kate Moss in 13th.

Forbes calculated the estimated earnings of the models, before management fees and taxes, based on earnings from various contracts, as well as interviews with managers and agents.
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France's first female Education Minister placed herself firmly at the centre of the controversy around the string of burkini bans in the country when she spoke out in strong terms against the restrictions.

Moroccan-born Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, who describes herself as a non-practicing Muslim, described the prohibition of burkinis as a threat to individual freedoms.

Speaking to French radio channel E1 Matin, the politician said that while she was against women being forced to wear the burkini, she strongly opposed the bans on modest swimwear that have swept across French cities and communes during this summer.

If youre asking me in a general context whether Im for or against the burkini, the response is simple: I oppose the burkini. I think you know my feminist convictions and know that my dream is a society where women are free to do what they like, she said.

But if you ask me whether I agree with the polemic against the burkini in the past week, the response is no. Definitely not.

Ms Vallaud-Belkacem continued: I think at this serious time, post-attacks, when many French people are worried, you shouldnt add fuel to the fire. You should be appeasing people as much as possible, not stigmatising them. The ban of the burkini puts into question people's individual freedoms."

Her words provoked a vicious backlash from the French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who said the comments were a bad interpretation of the ban, insisting the measures were taken in the name of public order.

It is not the first time Ms Vallaud-Belkacem has been in the headlines for subverting mainstream politics. Born in a rural village in the Moroccan countryside of Bni Chiker, the second child of seven siblings, her appointment to the cabinet in 2012 came as a shock to many. An immigrant by status, her background alone made her an outlander in the bourgeoise-studded world of French politics.

After spending her early years in the hazy rural landscapes of the Rif mountain ranges in northern Morocco, four-year-old Najat moved with her mother and sister to France, where they joined her father, a construction worker, in the northern city of Amiens. Conscious as a child of her immigrant status, Ms Vallaud-Belkacem's interest in politics began to kindle from an early age.

After a glowing academic journey through school, Ms Vallaud-Belkacem received a scholarship to attend the university at Paris Institute of Political Studies, a privelige she said made her a pure product of the [egalitarianism] of the [French] Republic". She graduated in 2002 at the age of 26, and became a member of the Socialist Party the same year.

Less than a year after entering the world of politics, Ms Vallaud-Belkacem had been given a position working for the mayor of Lyon. Two years on she was elected to the Regional Council of the wider region, leading movements to strengthen local democracy, fight discrimination and promote citizens' rights, while also working for the campaign team of prominent Socialist Party member Marie-Segolene Royal.

Ms Vallaud-Belkacem married her civil servant husband Boris Vallaud in 2005, after their romance blossomed at university. Four years later she gave birth to a set of twins - a boy and a girl - who she has said they brought up to "reject gender stereotypes". Ms Vallaud-Belkacem's staunch view on gender equality transcended into her political career. In 2012, when she was appointed Minister for Women's Affairs, she used the platform to stand up for the legalisation of gay marriage and gender ideology - a stance criticised by many.

Two years after joining the cabinet Ms Vallaud-Belkacem was appointed to Minister of Education, making triple history by becoming not only the first ever female to be appointed to the role, but also the first Muslim and youngest person ever to be given the high-profile position.

While her ground-breaking appointment marked a victory for progressive thinkers in France's modern regime, it wasn't welcomed by everyone in the National Assembly. Ms Vallaud-Belkacem's unconventional background and liberal beliefs made her victim to the nastiness of French politics, and in the weeks after landing the role she was besieged by racist and sexist comments and malicious rumours on social media. Right-wing magazines and Conservative figures claimed her appointment was a provocation and a politically-correct engineering by the President.

In the years since her appointment attacks against both Ms Vallaud-Belkacem's gender and her immigrant status have not completely abated. She has been accused by right-wing figures of flaunting her charms and attacked by two far-right magazines for her Moroccan origins in the last two years, shedding light on the steep traditionalism and intolerance that still pervades French politics.

But 35 years after emigrating from Morocco, Ms Vallaud-Belkacem is making her mark as a strong-willed, female, Muslim politician at the heart of a country rocked by divisiveness.
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Taylor Swift was notably absent from the MTV Video Music Awards, and speculation swirled as to the whereabouts of the pop star amid her ongoing feud with celebrity power couple Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.

But Swift had to miss the pop music pageant because the Sunday night event conflicted with her fulfilling her civic duty at jury duty on Monday morning.

Swift showed up for jury duty to the surprise of other Nashville, Tennessee, residents vetted by the court for an aggravated rape and kidnapping case. The Davidson County district judge dismissed Swift, however, because she did not feel she could be impartial in the case due to ongoing civil case in Denver.

From beef to BFFs to beef again: Kanye West and Taylor Swift Show all 6 1 /6 From beef to BFFs to beef again: Kanye West and Taylor Swift From beef to BFFs to beef again: Kanye West and Taylor Swift September 2009 NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 13: Kanye West (L) jumps onstage after Taylor Swift (C) won the "Best Female Video" award during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on September 13, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images) From beef to BFFs to beef again: Kanye West and Taylor Swift September 2009 NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 13: Kanye West (L) jumps onstage after Taylor Swift (C) won the "Best Female Video" award during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on September 13, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images) Christopher Polk/Getty From beef to BFFs to beef again: Kanye West and Taylor Swift February 2015 LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 08: (L-R) Recording Artists Taylor Swift, Jay Z and Kanye West and tv personality Kim Kardashian attend The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards at the STAPLES Center on February 8, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for NARAS) From beef to BFFs to beef again: Kanye West and Taylor Swift August 2015 LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 30: Recording artist Kanye West (L) accepts the Video Vanguard Award from recording artist Taylor Swift onstage during the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on August 30, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) From beef to BFFs to beef again: Kanye West and Taylor Swift April 2016 Kanye West drops 'Famous', which includes the controversial line 'I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/Why? I made that bitch famous' From beef to BFFs to beef again: Kanye West and Taylor Swift July 2016 Kim Kardashian releases of audio of Tayior Swift approving the lyrics to 'Famous' Getty

She asked to be left off out of concern for an upcoming trial in Denver where she was  she used the term  groped by a fan at a meet-and-greet, Davidson County district attorney spokesperson Ken Whitehouse told The Guardian.

Swift still offered to serve on a jury at another time.

After the hearing, Swift posed in selfies with other potential jurors  although many of the photos posted to Twitter are now deleted or private.

Nashville resident Michael Washington said he did not realise she was at the hearing, but was happy to meet her once it became clear.

Shes a really nice girl, he told The Tennessean. She didnt have a problem with taking pictures. If she didnt want to be there, she didnt act like it. She was just doing her civic duty. Very sweet.

Prior to the event, a source close to Swift told The Independent that the artist was not nominated in any category this year and had no plans to attend.
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A new signal has been found deep in space that could come from alien life.

The community of astronomers and scientists who scan the skies with telescopes in an attempt to find extraterrestrial life is abuzz with excitement over a strong signal detected deep in space that could come from an alien civilisation.

Scientists are cautioning people not to get quite too excited  at least not yet. The evidence remains preliminary and more work will need to be done to establish if it is not just a mistake, let alone whether its actually an extraterrestrial communication.

The message appears to have come from a nearby star, HD164595, in the constellation Hercules. That star is 95 light years away  relatively close at the scale of the universe  and almost exactly the same size as Earth.

Whats more, that same star has at least one planet, HD164595b, which is roughly the size of Neptune and has a 40-day year. Its this planet that has people excited, since it appears that it could have the right conditions for supporting life.

The signal came to public attention after it had been noted by science fiction author Paul Gilster, who maintains a blog that looks at deep space exploration and alien life. Until then it had gone unremarked  the signal was actually detected in May last year, and was only brought to light after a presentation by the scientists who found it.

Claudio Maccone of Turin University in Italy attended a talk by the two scientists, who work at Russias Ratan-600 telescope. He passed that data on to Mr Gilster, who then wrote up his blog describing what had been found.

 Possible second Earth discovered

No one is claiming that this is the work of an extraterrestrial civilisation, but it is certainly worth further study, wrote Mr Gilster on his site Centauri Dreams.

He wrote that the strength of the signal might suggest that it came from a Kardashev Type II civilisation. The Kardeshev scale indicates how advanced an alien civilisation might be: a Type I civilisation can use and store energy from a nearby star as we can, whereas a Type II civilisation can harness the energy of the entire star and would be far more advanced than mankind.

Working out the strength of the signal, the researchers say that if it came from an isotropic beacon, it would be of a power possible only for a Kardashev Type II civilisation. If it were a narrow beam signal focused on our solar system, it would be of a power available to a Kardashev Type I civilisation, Mr Gilster said.

He did acknowledge that the signal might have been noise rather than an actual signal.

Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427  more commonly known as WR 124  and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead  sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later  having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. 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The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. 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The possibility of noise of one form or another cannot be ruled out, and researchers in Paris led by Jean Schneider are considering the possible microlensing of a background source by HD164595. But the signal is provocative enough that the RATAN-600 researchers are calling for permanent monitoring of this target.

The Russian scientists who first found the signal wrote in their presentation that the probability of it being noise was low. As such, it should be permanently monitored by Seti scientists to see whether more can be learned about the star and its planet, they said.

Some at Seti  the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, which is a collective of scientists looking to find transmissions from alien life  have already squashed the possibility of alien communications.

I was unimpressed, wrote Eric Korpela, an astronomer who works closely on the Seti project. Because the receivers used were making broad band measurements, there's really nothing about this 'signal' that would distinguish it from a natural radio transient, he wrote, pointing to the fact that it could equally have been caused by a stellar flare, active galactic nucleus, microlensing of a background source, or something else entirely.

There's also nothing that could distinguish it from a satellite passing through the telescope field of view, he wrote in a post aimed at trying to temper the excitement . All in all, it's relatively uninteresting from a Seti standpoint.

 Hawking launches alien search

Mr Korpela said that SETI@home  the project that lets people volunteer their computers to search for life elsewhere in the universe  picks up millions of potential signals with similar characteristics, but it takes more than that to make a good candidate. The new potential star didnt even satisfy the minimum criterion  that it should be detected multiple times.

If it isnt heard again then it might be something like the WOW signal, received in 1977. That was a powerful radio signal that came from a group of stars called Chi Sagittarii. The astronomer who discovered it, Jerry Ehman, circled it and wrote WOW next to it to mark it for future study, but the message was never detected again.

Seti scientists hope to hear more from the star by using the Allen Telescope Array, a huge system that can be used to look for messages that indicate alien intelligence. It was pointed towards the star over the weekend but has not as yet found any signal.

However, we have not yet covered the full range of frequencies in which the signal could be located, if its of far narrower bandwidth than the Russian 1 GHz receiver, Seti wrote. We intend to completely cover this big swath of the radio dial in the next day or two. A detection, of course, would immediately spur the Seti and radio astronomy communities to do more follow-up observations.

Seti hopes that those observations can be enough to learn more about the star system that the signal is supposedly coming from.

So whats the bottom line? asked Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at Seti. Could it be another society sending a signal our way? Of course, thats possible.

However, there are many other plausible explanations for this claimed transmission, including terrestrial interference. Without a confirmation of this signal, we can only say that its 'interesting'.
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Dogs understand what some human words mean, according to a study published in the prestigious journal Science.

In a world-first experiment, academics in Hungary trained 13 dogs to voluntarily lie in an MRI scanner to monitor what happened in their brain when the researchers spoke to them.

They discovered that dogs brains process language in a similar way to humans, with the right side dealing with emotion and the left processing meaning.

It was only when both sides of the brain agreed they were hearing praise that the dog was truly happy.

While this was only the dogs word-meaning representation, it still shows they had an idea of what message the specific sound of an individual human word was designed to convey.

Lead researcher Dr Attila Andics, of Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest, said: During speech processing, there is a well-known distribution of labour in the human brain.

It is mainly the left hemispheres job to process word meaning, and the right hemispheres job to process intonation. The human brain not only separately analyses what we say and how we say it, but also integrates the two types of information, to arrive at a unified meaning.

 This country has opened its first-ever dog beach

Our findings suggest that dogs can also do all that, and they use very similar brain mechanisms.

During the brain scans, the researchers spoke words like good boy and well done spoken with a praising intonation, the same words in a neutral voice and also words that were meaningless to them, like however, in both intonations.

The scans showed the dogs left brain tended to be activated when they heard words that were meaningful to them. This did not happen when they heard words they did not understand. The right hemisphere activated when they heard a praising intonation.

But the reward centre of their brains  which responds to pleasurable sensations like being petted, having sex and eating nice food  was only activated when they heard praising words spoken in a praising intonation.

It shows that for dogs, a nice praise can very well work as a reward, but it works best if both words and intonation match, Dr Andics said.

So dogs not only tell apart what we say and how we say it, but they can also combine the two, for a correct interpretation of what those words really meant.

This is very similar to what human brains do.

The dogs from Instagram Show all 6 1 /6 The dogs from Instagram The dogs from Instagram Noodle the Dachshund is just over a year old and comes with her own hashtag (#OodlesOfNoodle) The dogs from Instagram Three-year-old Staffie Ramsey was malnourished when he was adopted as a puppy but is now big and boisterous with ripped muscles and a cheeky grin The dogs from Instagram Winny the Welsh Corgi has been credited with the breed's upsurge in popularity The dogs from Instagram Bruno the miniature Dachshund has 66,700 followers The dogs from Instagram Mika the Husky has 58,900 followers The dogs from Instagram Elle the French Bulldog has 8,868 followers

This appears to contradict the idea that dogs only understand tone of voice and do not have an idea of the words actual meaning.

While they might respond tentatively to a praising tone using words they do not understand  or even insults  they are only genuinely happy when they understand the praise they are receiving.

The researchers described their work as a first step towards understanding how dogs interpret human speech.

A statement about the study said the researchers believed their results could help to make communication and cooperation between dogs and humans even more efficient.
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The ancient human ancestor, named Lucy, who roamed the planet more than three million years ago, may have died after falling from a tree, scientists in the US have suggested.

A high resolution X-ray CT (computed tomography) study of the female hominid, indicates she suffered fractures to her right humerus - not typically seen on fossils - with compressive fractures observed throughout the skeleton, researchers said on Monday.

The injuries were consistent with those "caused by a fall from considerable height when the conscious victim stretched out an arm in an attempt to break the fall," John Kappelman, a University of Texas anthropology and geological sciences professor who led the study, said.

"This compressive fracture results when the hand hits the ground during a fall, impacting the elements of the shoulder against one another to create a unique signature on the humerus," he added.

US President Barack Obama touches a bone fragment of 'Lucy' (AFP)

Dr Kappelman said the scan revealed multiple broken bones but no signs of healing, suggesting the injures occurred around the time of death.

Lucys well-preserved fossil remains were unearthed in the Afar regions of Ethiopia in 1974. The find was significant as it allowed scientists to establish that ancient human ancestors walked upright before evolving a large brain.

Lucy was a member of Australopithecus afarensis - an early human species that lived in Africa between four million and three million years ago.

The earliest humans, like Lucy, walked upright and used their long arms to climb trees. Lucy is believed to have been a young adult when she died.

University of Texas researchers, including Dr Kappelman, completed the first high resolution CT scan of Lucy in 2009 when the fossil toured the US.

The study resulted in 35,000 CT electronic slices, which were then studied by university researchers.

Dr Kappelman's study, published in the journal Nature, also offers a recreation of Lucy's death, which speculates that 3-foot-6-inch tall Lucy fell from a height of at least 40 feet and hit the ground at 35 mph.

The fossil skeleton of 'Lucy', a female of the hominin species Australopithecus afarensis (AFP)

He believes she landed on her feet before twisting and falling, while fractures on her upper arms suggest she attempted to break he fall, he said.

Some scientists have discredited the theory attributing the cracks in her skeleton, which have been well documented, to the fossilisation process and natural forces, such as erosion.

Tim White, a paleoanthropologist at the University of California, Berkeley, called the study's conclusion a "misdiagnosis".

The Texas researchers "appear to have focused only on the cracks that they could attribute to an imagined fall, ignoring the additional abundant cracks," he told the Associated Press in an email.

For Dr Kappelman, however, the discovery has humanised the small, partially complete skeleton.

"When the extent of Lucy's multiple injuries first came into focus, her image popped into my mind's eye, and I felt a jump of empathy across time and space," Dr Kappelman said.

"Lucy was no longer simply a box of bones but in death became a real individual: a small, broken body lying helpless at the bottom of a tree."

Additional reporting by agencies
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Six scientists have just emerged from a year-long simulation of life on Mars, during which they lived in near isolation.

The group has been living together on a mountain in Hawaii, to test how a team would fare in the harsh landscape of Mars.

They could only head outside while wearing spacesuits. And they had no access to anything that they wouldnt have on Mars  leaving them without fresh food or water.

Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427  more commonly known as WR 124  and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead  sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later  having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. Vibrant bands of clouds carried by winds that can exceed 400 mph continuously circle the planet's atmosphere Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Chandra Observatory Sees a Heart in the Darkness This Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of the young star cluster NGC 346 highlights a heart-shaped cloud of 8 million-degree Celsius gas in the central region

But this week the simulation came to an end and the scientists inside of it finally made their way out into the world  without a suit on.

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.

Cyprien Verseux, a crew member from France, said the simulation shows a mission to Mars can succeed.

"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," Verseux said.

Christiane Heinicke, a crew member from Germany, said the scientists were able to find their own water in a dry climate.

"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.

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.

Kim Binsted, principal investigator for the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS), said the researchers are looking forward to getting in the ocean and eating fresh produce and other foods that weren't available in the dome.

"HI-SEAS is an example of international collaborative research hosted and run by the University of Hawai'i. So it's really exciting to be able to welcome the crew back to earth and back to Hawai'i after a year on Mars," Binsted said.

 NASA wants to grow potatoes on Mars

NASA funded the study run through the University of Hawaii. Binsted said the simulation was the second-longest of its kind after a mission that lasted 520 days in Russia.

Scientists in the Hawaii simulation managed limited resources while conducting research and working to avoid personal conflicts.

Additional reporting by Associated Press
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The shadow foreign secretary has accused the Labour Party hierarchy of trying to quash Jeremy Corbyns leadership and put the members back in their box.

Emily Thornberry said she was disgusted at attempts to block Mr Corbyn from being put on the leadership ballot paper because he did not have enough support among MPs.

And she accused some in the party of doing their level best to deny the flood of new members and supporters the equal chance to make their voices heard in the looming leadership contest.

The Labour MP, whose Islington South constituency borders Mr Corbyns in Islington North, launched the outspoken attack in a Facebook post to local party members.

It comes amid continuing division and bitterness within the party as Owen Smith takes on Mr Corbyn in the leadership contest.

She confirmed she will be voting for Mr Corbyn in the upcoming election and hit out at the failed High Court bid to stop him being placed automatically on the leadership ballot papers.

Mrs Thornberry wrote: Here we are now, less than a year after Jeremys overwhelming victory, and the party hierarchy  through decisions of the National Executive Committee  is attempting to overturn that result, quash Jeremys mandate, and put the partys members back in their box.

And they are doing so in the most naked way.

I was disgusted to see the attempts to try to stop Jeremy from getting on the ballot. And then, if that wasnt bad enough, hundreds of thousands of fully paid-up Labour party members were excluded from taking part in the election, having been told the opposite when they joined.

Third, your membership fees were spent on securing that decision through the courts. And then lastly, registered supporters, who had been told they could be involved in the leadership election, were then told that they must increase their donation to 25 within two days to remain eligible for a vote.

She added: In short, some people have done their level best to deny the partys full membership a fair and equal vote in this contest, or even the chance to make their voices heard.

Instead of welcoming the enthusiasm of our new members, instead of celebrating the strength of our mass membership, they have been behaving as if it is something to be afraid of.

She accused sections of the Labour Party of turning their back on the surge of new members and supporters who have signed up to the party rather than harnessing their energy.

And she said that in the wake of the historic Brexit vote it is more important than ever for the party to unite and present a viable opposition.

She wrote: I believed that this was a time for people to unite and think of the country, not to turn inwards and indulge in a coup attempt against a leader elected with an overwhelming mandate less than a year ago.

It will therefore come as no surprise to my local party to learn that, having remained totally loyal to the democratically-elected leader of our party since his election, I will stay loyal to Jeremy during the contest that has arisen from that coup, and he will have my vote in this election.

And she warned the growing divide between the party hierarchy and its members could see the Labour Party repeat mistakes made under Tony Blair when the rank and file members were left alienated, demoralised and ignored.

 Press Association
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A French teacher has been accused by a disciplinary hearing of having sex with a 17-year-old student after his sixth form prom.

Isabelle Graham, a teacher at Whitburn Academy in Edinburgh, was allegedly found in a Travelodge bed with the pupil by another sixth form student, according to the Daily Record.

In a statement, the 27-year-old told the hearing, "I am the victim", saying she had her drinks spiked.

A photo appeared on social media showing a blonde woman, purportedly Ms Graham, asleep in a hotel bed with a young man looking on.

The teacher, who now lives abroad with her husband, was absent from the hearings and denies all the allegations.

She claims to have no memory after 10.30pm - saying she only had four glasses of wine.

According to her statement, her first recollection after 10.30pm was "about 5.00am" next morning.

After the allegations came to light, She resigned from her position at Whitburn Academy.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) have accused her of leaving the Edinburgh prom venue with a pupil to a nearby Travelodge in June 2014.

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Police Detective Sergeant Keith Mailer, who investigated the incident, told the hearing CCTV footage from the night showed no signs of her being "under excessive influence of drugs or alcohol."

He added there was video showing the teacher and the student kissing.

Police pressed charges against Ms Graham but the procurator fiscal did not pursue the case, claiming a lack of evidence.

Responding to the police's assertions, she said there are date-rape drugs available that leave a victim lucid but undermine their decision-making ability.

Ms Graham added that she was "an acting and practising Christian" who was "waiting until marriage" to have sex.

Her husband Andrew Wilkie, who is training to join the clergy, has vigorously defended the conduct of his then-fiancee.

The hearing was adjourned until later on Tuesday 30 August to allow the panel to reach a verdict.
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A GP and mother of two, who died of a rare form of cancer after her condition went undiagnosed for two years, has spoken out about being dismissed as a hypochondriac as she searched for a diagnosis from her colleagues.

Dr Lisa Steen described her years of wandering in the wilderness of the medically unexplained in a posthumously published blog post.

She also criticised health professionals for being reluctant to lay their hands on and examine a fellow medic before she was diagnosed with kidney cancer in July 2014, by which time the cancer had spread to her bones.

The 43-year-old from Cambridge, who was a GP and had trained as a psychiatrist, had complained of a vast series of symptoms, including dizziness, visual disturbance, fatigue and memory problems, since 2012.

Lisa Steen with her family (Raymond Brown ) (Raymond Brown)

Despite visiting her doctor repeatedly from August 2012, her health problems were initially thought to be the result of depression and health anxiety.

She voiced her frustration at the way she was dealt with by colleagues, describing visits to specialists as seeming fruitless and feeling like a goldfish with no voice. Watching doctors' faces glaze over at the multitude of symptoms. Trying to fit it all in with work and looking after my family.

Writing in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) online, Dr Steen said: I do not know how long Ill live. It probably wont be for many weeks. But right now I am glad to be alive, I am grateful for the expensive drug which is holding back the cancer. I am angry at being left in the medically unexplained wilderness and I did not like the way my colleagues looked at me, when they believed me to have health anxiety.

If anyone of the doctors I saw had gone another mile they wouldve stumbled upon it. I almost told them the answer; I repeated over and over my belief of a genetic syndrome linked to the carotid body, something related to it, but they were unable to hear the answer from a patient. They were reluctant to lay their hands on and examine a fellow medic.

Lisa Steen with her two children (Raymond Brown)

I was disappointed in finding a very poor appetite for a diagnostic hunt, which may in part be the result of protocolisation and superspecialism. I disliked being unable to order my own tests, and I regret not pulling more strings. I was too embarrassed about my psychiatric condition, too confused by not having the whole answer ready.

My story is a cautionary tale to all of us health professionals when we get ill. Illness is somehow not the done thing. It upsets our them/us belief system, which helps us cope with the horror of what we see. We do not get ill, they are ill. We are a lot more military than we realise.

We are trained to keep going, as if there was a war on. Our workloads are superhuman, and we seriously do not appreciate it if those around us slack off, particularly those taking sick leave with depression or stress.

Following her diagnosis, Dr Steen underwent chemotherapy, had a kidney removed and a hip replacement. She died in February this year.

Her husband, Raymond Brown, told the Telegraph: "They didn't seem to be taking her too seriously particularly because she had been diagnosed with health anxiety, she was being looked at as a hypochondriac.

"She just wants doctors to be aware when they are treating doctors to give them really good treatment and they have to be aware they are a patient and they don't know everything. They need to be treated like a patient, not like a doctor."
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Downing Street has signalled it would welcome any company to the UK, just hours after an unprecedented EU tax-decision left a question mark over Apples future in Ireland.

Number 10 and the Treasury said Britain was open for business after being asked whether it was comfortable with the tech-giant coming to Britain, following a decision which left it facing an Irish tax bill running into billions of pounds.

Chancellor Philip Hammond has already raised fears of a European tax war and drawn criticism from one EU leader after saying the UK is ready to bolster the British economy with business levy cuts.

 EU orders Apple to pay up to 13 billion euros tax to Ireland

His departments statement following the EU decision on Apple is likely to heighten tensions, with the Irish government scrambling to say it would launch an appeal to protect the low-rate Apple pays in Ireland.

Recommended Read more Apple tax ruling is good news despite its flaws

It is also likely to anger tax campaigners who applauded the Irish decision and fear Theresa Mays Government may turn post-Brexit Britain into a tax haven for multi-national corporations.

The European Commission said the 'sweetheart' deal Ireland made with Apple had allowed the company to unlawfully avoid paying some 11bn in tax.

Its decision was a major blow for Ireland, which has sought to attract inward investment by lowering its corporation tax rate to 12.5 per cent.

5 tax avoiding companies in the UK Show all 5 1 /5 5 tax avoiding companies in the UK 5 tax avoiding companies in the UK Facebook Facebook paid 4327 in corporation tax in 2014, after it made a pre-tax loss of 28.5 million, according to filings at Companies House. That's less tax that new average UK employee pays on their salary. 5 tax avoiding companies in the UK Amazon Amazons UK business paid just 11.9m in corporation tax last year, even though the online retail giant took 5.3bn in sales from British shoppers. 5 tax avoiding companies in the UK Google So well known for avoiding tax that it had the 'Google tax' on multinationals that move profits to low-tax countries named after it. Alarm bells started ringing in 2012, when Google revealed it payed only 11.6 million to the Treasury, despite taking 3.4 billion in the UK. 5 tax avoiding companies in the UK Uber Uber paid 22,134 in UK corporation tax last year despite making an 866,000 profit. 5 tax avoiding companies in the UK Starbucks In October, the European Commission ruled that Starbucks' tax deal in the EU was illegal, ordering it to pay pay between 20-30 million to the Netherlands.

Asked if the UK would like to see Apple locate here, the Prime Ministers official spokesman said: The narrative of the Government has been well set out. Britain is open for business, we welcome any company wishing to invest in Britain and Britains workforce.

The Treasury later followed suit, releasing a statement saying: The UK is open for business and we welcome any company wishing to invest in Britain, but we have always been clear that companies that do business here must pay UK taxes.

Thats why we led the G20 in creating international rules to make sure taxes are paid where profits are made and why we introduced the diverted profits tax to tackle profits moved overseas when they should rightly be taxed in the UK.

Apples tax arrangements in Ireland are based on an agreement drawn up in 1991, when Apple was struggling against the PC boom, and another in 2007, which allowed the company to pay a significantly reduced rate of tax on profits over more than 10 years.

But following a three-year long investigation, EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said member states couldn't give such tax benefits to selected companies.

She claimed the selective treatment allowed to Apple had left it paying an effective corporate tax rate of just 1 per cent on its European profits in 2003 down to 0.005 per cent in 2014.

She went on: This is illegal under EU state aid rules. The Commission's investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years.

Apple said it would challenge the ruling, paving the way for an international political and financial dispute over the Commissions authority.

In a defiant statement, the tech firm accused the Commission of launching an effort to rewrite Apples history in Europe and upend the international tax system.

Chief executive Tim Cook said: The Commissions move is unprecedented and it has serious, wide-reaching implications.

It is effectively proposing to replace Irish tax laws with a view of what the Commission thinks the law should have been.

This would strike a devastating blow to the sovereignty of EU member states over their own tax matters, and to the principle of certainty of law in Europe.

The firm stated that it follows the law and pays all of the taxes it owes wherever it operates.

Irish finance minister Michael Noonan said that he disagrees profoundly with the commissions findings, and has said Ireland is now seeking to appeal the decision.

The US Treasury has also responded to the commissions decision. It said the ruling threatened the business climate between the US and Europe.

It is not the first time that British tax policy has threatened to cause tension following the EU referendum.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven previously warned Britain against aggressiveness in slashing corporate tax cuts during Brexit talks.

Mr Lofven made his comments after being asked how Brexit negotiations would proceed.

He said: If the UK wants some time to think about the situation, this will also give EU countries some time.

On the other hand, you hear about plans in the UK to, for example, lower corporate taxes considerably. If they, during this time, begin that kind of race, that will of course make discussions more difficult.

Mr Lofven added: Aggressiveness from Britain in [tax] issues, that doesnt improve the relationship.
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The Government is expending its controversial badger cull to five new areas despite warnings by campaigners and scientists that it is both expensive, ineffective, and inhumane.

Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Cornwall, Devon and Dorset are being added to the list of areas marked for animal killings.

Animal welfare groups have warned against the cull while some veterinary experts have criticised it an ineffective way of controlling bovine TB.

Farmers generally back the killings because they blame badgers for spreading tuberculosis to their cattle, hitting profits.

David Bowles, the RSPCA's head of public affairs, said the policy was inhumane and expensive.

We have huge sympathy for farmers and we want to work with them to try to tackle this disease but we are extremely concerned as we believe that culling badgers will not help to eradicate bovine TB," he said.

The trouble is that the Government has moved away from using scientific evidence as a basis for the scheme and are now killing badgers for the sake of it. Government is fixated on the idea that killing badgers will solve the problem of bovine TB but it is a costly distraction that is not helping anyone.

As culling can't be selective, many healthy badgers have been slaughtered as collateral damage. As many as six out of seven badgers killed by the cull could be bovine TB free, but we will never know as none of the badgers killed as part of the cull have been examined to see if they have TB.

He added: We believe there is a huge amount of opposition to the badger culls not just from animal welfare campaigners but also the public, scientific experts and from many in Parliament itself.

A protester wears a 'badger' mask while holding a placard reading 'Stop The Cull' following a demonstration in the form of a mock 'funeral parade,' in protest against the culling of 2,263 badgers in 2013/2014, in London

Bovine TB is a devastating disease and it is of major concern for cattle and dairy farmers  but we do not believe culling badgers is an effective way to manage the disease.

Methods should be based on available scientific evidence and expert opinion. Alternatives include stricter controls on the movement of cattle, increased levels of cattle testing, improved biosecurity, and vaccination of both badgers and cattle.

Professor Alastair MacMillan, veterinary advisor for Humane Society and an ex-Defra advisor, said: The Government-appointed independent expert panel showed that, in the first year, almost a quarter of the badgers shot were extremely likely to have suffered for more than five minutes. Post-mortem reports have shown that a high proportion of badgers shot were hit outside the target area of the body necessary to ensure a quick death.

We are concerned that, in the coming months and years, many more badgers will continue to be wounded in this way and will retreat to their setts to suffer and die painfully and slowly underground. The science is unambiguous and the evidence is clear  the culling of badgers is absolutely causing suffering, and it will make no meaningful difference to the spread of bovine TB in cattle in the UK.

Independent Advisory Panel scientist Professor Timothy Coluson previously accused the Government of abusing the scientific process and wilfully ignoring evidence in pursuit of the cull.

Activists have been forming patrols to scare badgers away from state-backed hunters (Getty Images)

"They just want to cull badgers, regardless of whether the population or humaneness consequences can be assessed, he said at the start of the cull.

Dominic Dyer, the chief executive of the Badger Trust charity, also said at the time that the Governments own evidence contradicted the policy.

Defra's own data suggest that while 15 per cent of badgers may test positive for bovine TB, just 1.6 per cent of them are capable of passing on the disease, he argued .

This means 98.4% pose no risk whatsoever to cattle and 85% are likely to be completely bovine TB free. Trying to control bovine TB in cattle by culling badgers that don't have it doesn't make any sense.

Figures released last year showed taxpayers forked out 7,000 for every badger killed under the cull. The Government has also admitted that not all badgers killed have TB.

In pictures: Protesters demonstrate against badger culls Show all 11 1 /11 In pictures: Protesters demonstrate against badger culls In pictures: Protesters demonstrate against badger culls badger-cull.jpg PA In pictures: Protesters demonstrate against badger culls badger-cull-2.jpg PA In pictures: Protesters demonstrate against badger culls badger-cull-1.jpg PA In pictures: Protesters demonstrate against badger culls badger-cull-3.jpg PA In pictures: Protesters demonstrate against badger culls badger-cull-4.jpg PA In pictures: Protesters demonstrate against badger culls badger-cull-5.jpg PA In pictures: Protesters demonstrate against badger culls badger-cull-6.jpg PA In pictures: Protesters demonstrate against badger culls badger-cull-7.jpg PA In pictures: Protesters demonstrate against badger culls badger-rx.jpg Rex Features In pictures: Protesters demonstrate against badger culls 14-badger-pa.jpg PA In pictures: Protesters demonstrate against badger culls badger-cull-10.jpg PA

Farming Minister George Eustice said: Our comprehensive strategy to eradicate bovine TB in England is delivering results, with more than half the country on track to be free of the disease by the end of this Parliament.

Bovine TB has a devastating impact on farms, which is why we are taking strong action to eradicate the disease, including tighter cattle controls, improved biosecurity and badger control measures in areas where the disease is rife.

The veterinary advice and the experience of other countries is clear - we will not be able to eradicate this disease unless we also tackle the reservoir of the disease in the badger population as well as cattle."

Chief vet Nigel Gibbens said: Action to prevent infection of cattle from significant reservoirs of TB infection in local badger populations is an essential part of the Government's 25-year strategy to eradicate bovine TB in England.

Proactive badger control is currently the best available option and the licensing of further areas is necessary to realise disease control benefits at regional rather than at local levels."

Meurig Raymond, president of the National Farmers Union, said: Bovine TB remains a huge threat to beef and dairy farmers in large parts of the country. More than 28,000 cattle were slaughtered in England last year because of it and nearly 4,000 herds that had previously been clear of the disease were affected by it.

Farmers facing a daily battle against bovine TB in those areas that have been granted licences for badger control operations this year will welcome the news that finally action is being taken to tackle the reservoir of disease in wildlife in these areas. Todays announcement means that badger control will now be taking place in ten per cent of the area where cattle are at the highest risk of contracting bovine TB.

There is still a huge amount of work ahead to ensure the eradication of bovine TB from this country.

The cull was launched in 2012 on a trial basis and expanded by successive environment ministers.
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Theresa May has ruled out a second referendum or a general election on the terms of Britains exit from the European Union.

It comes after Owen Smith, the Labour MP competing against Jeremy Corbyn for leadership of the party, vowed under his leadership that the party will vote against invoking Article 50, until the Conservatives commit to asking the British public to approve any final Brexit deal.

But a spokesman for Ms May said: The Prime Minister is very clear there will be no second referendum."

There is no need for a general election either, he added.

Ms May is expected to trigger Article 50, the untested protocol for a member state leaving the EU, in early 2017 after government lawyers ruled out invoking the formal procedure this year.

However, some reports have suggested the Prime Minister, who has repeatedly pledged to make a success of Brexit, could push back the timetable because her new Brexit and International Trade departments are not yet ready to enter the formal negotiation process.

 Fear and Loathing in Great Britain

Welsh First Minister, Labour's Carwyn Jones, also said on Tuesday that Wales had to make the best of Brexit.

We've got to sell Wales to the world like never before," Mr Jones told an audience at Cardiff's Cathays Park.

We need to reassert our confidence and we need to do it now.

Brexit racism and the fightback Show all 9 1 /9 Brexit racism and the fightback Brexit racism and the fightback Demonstrators protest against an increase in post-ref racism at London's March for Europe in July 2016 PA Brexit racism and the fightback These cards were found near a school in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, the day after the EU referendum Twitter/@howgilb Brexit racism and the fightback Getty Brexit racism and the fightback Romford, Essex, June 25 @diamondgeezer Brexit racism and the fightback A worker at this Romanian food shop was asleep upstairs at the time of this arson attack in Norwich on July 8, but escaped unharmed. Hundreds later participated in a love bombing rally outside the shop to express their opposition to racism and their support of the shop owners. JustGiving/Helen Linehan Brexit racism and the fightback This neo-Nazi sticker was spotted in Glasgow on June 26 Courtesy of Eoin Palmer Brexit racism and the fightback But after news emerged of neo-Nazi stickers appearing in Glasgow, some in the city struck back with slogans of their own. Courtesy of Eoin Palmer Brexit racism and the fightback Getty Brexit racism and the fightback More signs began to appear in some parts of the UK, created by people who wanted to show their opposition to post-referendum racism Courtesy of Bernadette Russell

The First Minister said he supported Britain remaining in the single market but suggested there could be changed to freedom of movement rules.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday the former Conservative leader William Hague said a second referendum would be a bad and dangerous idea.

"Seductive as it seems, such a referendum is a thoroughly bad and dangerous idea, and it needs to be dismissed by the Government from the outset, Mr Hague said.

"It is bad in principle, because a defeat for the terms of exit, after lengthy negotiations, would presumably come after the time permitted for such negotiations by Treaty, and when the time to seek any other terms would have expired.

"It could leave the UK in a state of pure limbo, having decided to leave in principle but not in detail. And since the terms of exit might be settled long before the detail of any new trading arrangement with the EU, it could involve voting on half a deal without knowing the content of the other half."
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Pro-EU campaigners have urged Leave supporters to help fund their legal challenge aimed at preventing Theresa May from triggering Brexit without gaining parliamentary approval.

Around 1,400 people have contributed more than 50,000 to the 'Peoples Challenge' campaign, meaning the group has reached its first funding target to prepare a written case to the High Court.

Crowd-funding organiser Grahame Pigney insisted there was a need to fight suits with suits and is seeking to raise a further 100,000 over the next 34 days in a bid to boost the campaigns legal team, adding that he welcomed Brexit backers in joining his cause.

Mr Pigney argued the Prime Minister needed the approval of MPs to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, thereby starting the two-year process of negotiating the UKs withdrawal from the EU.

Government lawyers advised in July that the royal prerogative can be used to start the process- which does not require a vote in Parliament.

Various reports suggest that Mrs May is leaning towards this approach. The development emerged as Mrs May is set to chair a meeting of senior ministers to discuss how Brexit could be a success in their particular areas.

Mr Pigney, of the Say Yes 2 Europe group, is backed by his 22-year-old son Robert, Gibraltarian national and Brex-In founder Paul Cartwright and others in developing the legal challenge.

Speaking from France, Mr Pigney said: What were doing is on behalf of everybody - not just experts, not just on behalf of a few people interested in this, but 65 million citizens in the UK

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

They all have these rights. Whether they use them or cherish them, they all have these rights and Parliament needs to make the decision rather than the Government in some sectional, political interests.

I dont see why Leavers cant get behind this as its about parliamentary sovereignty.

Judges have decided a legal challenge over Brexit can be heard by the High Court in October, with London-based investment manager Gina Miller the lead case in the action.

The Peoples Challenge is aiming to be involved as an interested party in what has been described as the most important constitutional law case in living memory.

Mr Pigney, who was unable to vote in Junes referendum after moving to France 19 years ago, is vocal in his backing for the EU and frustration at the result.

But he adds that his legal bid is not to do with individual grievance, but about allowing MPs to decide what happens next.

This approach could cause concern for Brexit supporters by adding to their suspicions that either the UK will not trigger Article 50, or a diluted approach will be adopted in light of the fact that the majority of MPs backed Remain.

Recommended Read more Theresa May rules out second EU referendum or vote on terms of Brexit

Mrs May has developed the slogan Brexit means Brexit as she seeks to reassure her parties hard-line Brexiteers about her commitment to honouring the referendum result despite opting to back Remain.

Mr Pigney said he could not deny he would like the referendum result ignored and for people to be allowed to have a chance to make a more informed decision.

But he went on to add: If Parliament decided we leave the EU, I cannot argue with that. Its the democratic process. I dont want that to happen. I would like Parliament to have a long, hard think and come to a more sensible conclusion.

If Parliament decides its going to take us out and set the conditions and timing, I cannot argue with that.

I can argue with Theresa May saying Brexit is Brexit, which is as useful as her saying Breakfast is breakfast.

Opposition has been voiced to the legal challenges, with Conservative MP Bernard Jenkins reported in the Huffington Post saying: This is ludicrous, its desperate and its people who cannot face the truth that Britains membership of the European community has lost democratic consent and thats what counts.


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The British government is refusing to budge on French calls to allow refugees in the Calais jungle camp to claim asylum in the UK.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd is expected to stand firm on the issue in a visit to Paris on Tuesday, where she will meet her counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve for the first time.

There have been calls from senior French politicians to revisit the so-called Le Touquet agreement, which allows the establishment of British border controls on the French side of the channel. The default arrangement when countries have a border is for controls to be located in a states own territory.

Recommended Read more Nicolas Sarkozy demands the Calais migrant camp be moved to the UK

Nicholas Sarkozy, the former French president who has announced he will run for office again next year, has called for changes to the deal, which he says created and is sustaining the camp.

Im 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 said in a speech this weekend.

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.

The presidential frontrunner is backed by Calais regional president Xavier Bertrand, who on Monday told the BBC: Its not possible to keep people here without a new agreement between the two governments.

Officially the border control accord is bi-lateral and therefore remains valid even if Britain leaves the EU. Government sources in Paris have however previous said it is unlikely to be able to continue its present treaty arrangements with a non-EU state.

Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, is visiting France on Tuesday (Dan Kitwood/PA)

But the British government has rejected any change whatsoever to the agreement. A Home Office source said: This is a complete non-starter. The Home Secretary is crystal clear that people in need of protection should seek asylum in the first safe country they enter. Thats the long-held norm, and we are going to stick to it.

A departmental spokesperson added: The French government has repeatedly made it clear that removing the juxtaposed controls would not be in the interests of France.

Comments attributed to another Whitehall source in The Times newspaper appear to threaten France with the withdrawal of security cooperation if the agreement was suspended.

Calais and Dunkirk camps Show all 16 1 /16 Calais and Dunkirk camps Calais and Dunkirk camps (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps A portrait of an Afghan man wearing a traditional Perhan Turban in the Calais Jungle (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps Two Gendarmes guard the main entrance to the Dunkirk camp (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps One Kurdish Iraqi mans reminder to himself (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps Two young boys in the Dunkirk camp (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps An Iranian hunger striker stands outside the only remaining shelter in the South Side of the Calais camp (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps A church in the South Calais camp, on of the the only structures not demolished in the South Side of the camp (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps A man gets a hair cut in the Calais camp (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps Night falls on the Calais Jungle. Fires burn in the distance (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps The containers provided as alternative accommodation for the people in the camps (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps A young boy in the Dunkirk camp (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps A man listens to music inside one of the shipping containers (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps The awful living conditions in the Dunkirk camp (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps An Afghan man in the Calais camp (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps One of the Iranian hunger strikers (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps A family in their wooden shelter in the new Dunkirk camp (Photo: Alan Schaller)

It is a bilateral arrangement. They depend on us for a lot of security advice and co- operation after the Nice attack, the source said.

There are other elements in our security relationship that I dont think they would be interested in having changed.

Andy Burnham, the shadow home secretary, said explicitly linking the border agreement with the Nice attack was crass and insensitive.

Given all the security concerns France as at this present time, the UK should be providing unconditional security support to our neighbour and ally, he said.

After all, the same terror networks that threaten France threaten security on British streets too.

Theresa May should disown these comments without delay and make it clear that threatening a long-standing ally with the withdrawal of cooperation on counter-terrorism is not part of the UKs negotiating position.

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. Other refugees and migrants from other countries have also joined the camps in northern France  the most famous of which is the Jungle near Calais.

According to the latest information provided by the Help Refugees and lAuberge des Migrants organisations, 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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The British and French governments have played-down a row over the Calais "jungle" by claiming their co-operation on the migrant camp will continue for "years to come".

Home Secretary Amber Rudd and her French counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve said the two countries would continue "working together to strengthen" security at the camp, tackle organised crime and provide aid.

It follows calls from other senior French politicians to close the controversial camp and move the British border controls around which it is based back to UK soil.

The joint statement from the British and French ministers also emphasised a commitment to intelligence sharing, after reports suggested the UK could threaten to withdraw it as a bargaining chip to ensure border controls remain in Calais.

Recommended Read more Nicolas Sarkozy demands the Calais migrant camp be moved to the UK

The statement read: "In the face of the challenges posed by ongoing migratory flows in Europe, and taking into account the migratory pressure in the Calais region and the particularly difficult humanitarian situation, we are committed to working together to strengthen the security of our shared border, to strongly diminish the migratory pressure in Calais and preserve the vital economic link supported by the juxtaposed controls in Calais."

It also pledged to "strengthen links through sharing of intelligence and closer working on investigations" and to "deepen" collaboration on tackling radicalisation.

It went on: "We look forward to our countries collaboration on these and other important issues in the months and years to come."

Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French president running for office again, has called for changes to the Le Touquet agreement, which allows the establishment of British border controls in Calais.

In a speech at the weekend, he said: Im 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.

Xavier Bertrand, the regional president who backs Sarcozy in his presidential bid, told the BBC: Its not possible to keep people here without a new agreement between the two governments.

Officially the border control accord is bi-lateral and therefore remains valid even if Britain leaves the EU, though government sources in Paris have suggested it is unlikely to continue the treaty with a non-EU state.

Inside the camps in Calais Show all 20 1 /20 Inside the camps in Calais Inside the camps in Calais A Kurdish child and her father get out of their tent in the makeshift migrant camp in Grande-Synthe near Dunkerque Inside the camps in Calais Kurdish migrants works around the tents of the makeshift migrant camp in Grande-Synthe near Dunkerque Inside the camps in Calais Volunteers from Holland set up a bridge of fortune over the mud using pallets of the makeshift migrant camp in Grande-Synthe near Dunkerque Inside the camps in Calais Refugees walk among tents in a makeshift camp as containers (rear) are put into place to house several hundred migrants living in what is known as the "Jungle", a squalid sprawling camp in Calais Inside the camps in Calais A makeshift camp is seen in front of containers (rear) put into place to house several hundred migrants living in what is known as the "Jungle", a squalid sprawling camp in Calais Inside the camps in Calais Inside the camps in Calais Inside the camps in Calais Inside the camps in Calais Inside the camps in Calais Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais The camp near Calais harbour where refugees from the Middle East and central Asia congregate to attempt the crossing from France to the UK Justin Sutcliffe Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais Most of the temporary residents in this camp are from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria or the Kurdish administered regions Justin Sutcliffe Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais Camp residents cook and share food at their site just outside Calais Justin Sutcliffe Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais A group walk through the camp near Calais Justin Sutcliffe Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais Most of the temporary residents in this camp are from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria or the Kurdish administered regions Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais A 16 year old immigrant from Eritrea tries to brace himself against the rain and cold by sheltering under the road bridge Justin Sutcliffe Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais Rubbish strewn on the ground near one of the campsites Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais A man stands among the tents at the campsite just outside Calais, France Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais A camp near Calais harbour where migrants from the East africa congregate to attempt the crossing from France to the UK. Most of the temporary residents in this camp are from Eritrea. Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais Graffiti depicting the dangerous journey trying to smuggle onto a lorry to the UK

Comments attributed to a Whitehall source in The Times appeared to threaten the withdrawal of security cooperation if the French back out of the Le Touquet agreement.

They depend on us for a lot of security advice and co-operation after the Nice attack, the source said.

There are other elements in our security relationship that I dont think they would be interested in having changed."

Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham said explicitly linking the border agreement with the Nice attack was crass and insensitive.
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The former Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna has called on Leave campaigners now serving in the Government to ensure that EU citizens already resident in Britain are guaranteed the right to remain.

Mr Umunna is chair of Vote Leave Watch; a new campaign group dedicated to holding Vote Leave campaigners to account for promises made during the referendum campaign, and has launched a petition backing the rights of EU migrants in the UK.

"The citizens of other European countries are human beings like the rest of us," he said. "It is a disturbing sign of the times that that needs to be stated.

"But with the Government refusing to rule out changes in status for EU citizens who currently live here in Britain, its more important to emphasise than ever. Thats why were fighting to ensure the Government guarantees the right to remain, and the right to equal treatment, for EU nationals living in the UK, he said.

Throughout the EU referendum campaign, Vote Leave campaigners, including the now-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, constantly pledged that brexit would not affect existing EU migrants living in Britain.

But so far Prime Minister Theresa May has stopped short of guaranteeing this status, a move that has been described as using foreign nationals as a "bargaining chip", which also puts at risk the status of the more than one million British nationals living abroad within the EU, including large numbers of retirees in Spain.

Mr Umunna said: "Shamefully, since the referendum result, David Davis, the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, is talking of a cut-off date, after which EU citizens living here could be summarily sent home. Needless to say, Mr Davis did not say anything about this during the EU referendum campaign.

"This is different to debates about how to manage future immigration. It is perfectly legitimate to believe future numbers should come down. But it is wrong to argue that people who came to Britain before the referendum in good faith, who work here and contribute to our country, should be sent home.

"The governments apparent position is that they need European citizens in Britain as a bargaining chip to ensure protection for Britons living in Europe. But the government should not be using people as bargaining chips in this way  they are human beings, not pawns.

"The more than two million European citizens who live in Britain are our friends, neighbours and work colleagues. In many cases they are our relatives, partners, wives, husbands. They all have a right to work, a right to live, and a right to a family life. No civilised government should even contemplate meddling with that in these circumstances.

Mr Umunna also highlighted the contribution to the UK economy made by EU migrants. More than 1.5 million British people are employed in businesses founded by migrants.

He added: "If the government will not do what is right themselves, they must be pressured into it. Thats why I want to you sign this petition to force the government to commit to defend the rights of EU citizens in Britain. With your help, we can force the new Conservative government to do the decent thing.
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David Cameron gave some of his special advisers bumper pay rises just months before they were given generous severance packages, it has been reported.

The former prime minister upped the salary of some of his advisers, known as spads, by as much as 18,000, or up to 24 per cent, according to analysis by Civil Service World.

The double digit hikes were ordered despite pay being capped at just 1 per cent across the public sector.

Trade unions and taxpayer groups said the increases are shameful at a time when Government departments have faced cuts.

Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union, which represents senior officials, told Civil Service World: It would seem hypocrisy knows no bounds from a prime minister who preached pay restraint and austerity to public servants and the public, whilst at the same time awarding double-digit pay rises to his special advisers.

He added: It will be a further body blow to the morale of thousands of hard-working civil servants to learn that the very same special advisers who received enhanced redundancy terms from the outgoing prime minister also received pay rises of up to 24% in one year.

John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: Taxpayers will be shocked at the size of these increases at a time of necessary spending restraint.

While spads can help ministers implement their decisions it's important to strike a balance and deliver value for taxpayers. Politicians talk about bringing down the cost of politics but it's important to follow it up with action.

The revelations come just a month after it emerged that Mr Cameron overruled strongly worded civil service advice and boosted the golden goodbyes he gave his special advisers.

He ignored concerns raised by civil service chief executive John Manzoni to hand his staff an extra 282,000 in severance pay because of his resignation.

Seven out of 10 of the Downing Street advisers reappointed after last year's general election - and who therefore became entitled to bigger severance packages - received pay rises of up to 24% in 2015, according to Civil Service World.

This far outstripped the 2% average pay award across the private sector in 2015.

Adam Atashzai, one of the spads given an enhanced severance package, saw his salary increase from less than 58,200 in 2014 to 72,000 in 2015 - up 24%.

He was also awarded an MBE in Mr Cameron's resignation honours list.

Ameet Gill, former director of strategy, and Liz Sugg, former head of operations at No 10, both reportedly received pay rises of 23% - sending their salaries from 80,000 in 2014 to 98,000 in 2015.

Ms Sugg was given a life peerage in the wake of Mr Cameron's resignation.

And special adviser Kate Marley went from being on Pay Band 1 in 2014 which is capped at 54,121, to earning 65,000 in 2015, an increase of at least 20%, it was reported.

Daniel Korski, former deputy director of the No 10 policy unit, had a 16% pay increase from 80,000 in 2014 to 93,000 in 2015, it was reported.

Special adviser Nick Seddon, who was awarded an MBE, benefited from an 11% pay rise last year, with his salary increased to 88,000, Civil Service World said.

Other advisers and speechwriters including Max Chambers, Laura Trott, Richard Parr, Martha Varney, and Kate Shouesmith all enjoyed pay increases, according to the report.

And Frances Trivett, the political private secretary to the prime minister's chiefs of staff, progressed from being in a Pay Band capped at 40,352 a year, to Pay Band 1 in 2015 - capped at 52,999 a year.

Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services union, told Civil Service World: We believe that every civil servant deserves a decent pay rise. It is frankly shameful that David Cameron thinks that this should just apply to his close circle of political friends.

He added: Our members will be rightly outraged by the double standards of a prime minister who richly rewards a privileged few, while ignoring the falling living standards of hundreds of thousands of dedicated civil servants.

A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said: Decisions about special adviser salaries take into account various factors including the level of responsibility associated with a particular role and the background and experience of the individual concerned.

These increases, which were agreed by the then prime minister, reflected changes to the scope and range of responsibility in the roles of a number of special advisers following their reappointment after the 2015 general election.

Press Association
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Labour must take a strong pro-immigration stance even if it means shedding votes to Ukip, leadership contender Owen Smith has said.

Speaking to The Independent the Labour MP said that his party needs to be positive on immigration regardless of whether it leads to electoral damage.

His unequivocal position will unnerve Labour MPs whose constituents overwhelmingly backed Brexit following a Leave campaign built on blocking further EU immigration.

Mr Smith also said it would be absolutely scandalous if Prime Minster Theresa May attempted to trigger Article 50, starting the formal Brexit process, without putting the issue to a Commons vote.

But he reserved his most scathing criticism for rival Jeremy Corbyn, whose leadership he branded a cataclysmic failure that had left the party teetering on the brink of obscurity.

The leadership-hopeful also promised tougher action on racial equality, branding the House of Commons as so white and signalling his backing for all-ethnic-minority shortlists for MP selections.

Mr Smith has previously suggested there are too many migrants in some parts of Britain where a rapid influx in particular of Eastern European people had put pressure on wages.

 Owen Smith and Jeremy Corbyn clash at latest leadership debate

But an apparent shift to a more overtly pro-immigration position has come after Mr Smith said he had thought about the issue deeply during his leadership campaign.

He said that would mean the party telling people that immigrants played a key role in economic growth and pulling the country out of recession, pay more in taxes than they took in benefits and play a critical role in delivering public services  even if it meant putting some voters off.

Mr Smith added: I think even if there was some electoral damage, we should be clear about it.

There have been moments when Labour has sent mixed messages about this and I think the time has come to be absolutely clear about it.

Explaining his view, he said: The conclusion I have come to is that in politics you get the politics you deserve.

We've had a really ugly debate about immigration in Britain and crucially I think Labour, which is the party that always has to speak to the best of people's value and always has to speak for decency in Britain and tolerance and diversity, needs to be much more straight forward about our views on immigration.

He also said that peoples fears about immigration were a proxy for anger about the decline of some areas in post-industrial Britain.

The difficulty of the issue for Labour was exposed in 2010 when Gordon Brown was caught calling voter Gilliam Duffy a bigot after she complained to him about immigration.

During the EU referendum while the party officially backed the Remain campaign, many of its voters and party members did not, with immigration at the heart of many peoples opposition.

In some northern seats party officials said members were planning to vote Brexit by a margin of two to one, leaving some MPs more willing to talk about the pressure immigration puts on public services than its positives.

Mr Smith tried to play down the threat from Ukip in Labours northern heartlands, claiming it was possible to overstate it.

But his apparent willingness to forgo votes over a matter of principle comes as he tries to reach out to left wing members of the party, which many believe are lining up behind Mr Corbyn.

Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Show all 8 1 /8 Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith clash at a leadership hustings in Gateshead, where Mr Smith was scarcely able to answer a question without being booed by Mr Corbyns supporters PA Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Jeremy himself admitted he was seven out of 10 in terms of his faith in the European Union. He said it, said Mr Smith during his second live debate with Jeremy Corbyn Getty Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Ballot papers are currently due to be sent out on 22 August and returned a month later, with the result being announced at a special Labour conference on 24 September Getty Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Jeremy Corbyn supporters cheer and wave placards as the Labour Leader addresses thousands of supporters in in Liverpool, England Getty Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Labour Party leadership candidate Owen Smith poses for a picture with supporters during a picnic for young members in London Fields, Hackney in London Getty Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith The Labour leader has a spring in his step at a leadership rally in Sunderland Screenshot Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Labour leadership contender Owen Smith delivers a speech at the Open University in Milton Keynes, where he promised to reverse Conservative cuts set to leave millions of low paid workers thousands of pounds a year worse off PA Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has urged Owen Smith to distance himself from those saying they want to split the Labour party Getty

He was recently accused of trying to out-Corbyn Mr Corbyn by suggesting that Isis could be brought round the negotiating table to end the civil war if they renounced violence.

But Mr Smith was clear on his views of the Corbyn leadership in his interview, saying: One of the fundamental failures of Jeremy is that he has failed to hold the Labour party together. Labours always been a coalition since our inception

The job of the Labour leader is to recognise that, hold it together, keep it united, moving the party forward and attacking the Tories. Its fallen apart as never before under Jeremys watch  its a really cataclysmic failure.

He said the shadow cabinet in general had not been very evident in holding the Government to account, but that featherweight Mr Corbyn bore responsibility for the performance.

He said the vote to leave the European Union had weighed particularly heavily on him and was adamant the party should not give the Tories a blank cheque to implement a hard Brexit.

On claims that Theresa May could trigger Article 50 without a Commons vote, he said: I think that would be absolutely scandalous. To be honest I don't think they will be able to do it.

I've seen legal opinion from three or four QCs and legal chambers suggesting that you would have to have a parliamentary vote on it.

I suspect there would need to be a parliamentary vote on it. There absolutely ought to be a parliamentary vote on it, it's an advisory plebiscite that we held in the country and we ought to make sure it was properly debated in Parliament not least because we still don't have a clue what Brexit is going to look like.

Mr Smith has already pledged to use more all woman shortlists, achieve parity in the top jobs in the shadow cabinet and committed to ensuring either the Leader or Deputy Leader is a woman.

Asked about whether he backed all ethnic minority shortlists, he said: There is a case for making that, yeah. We've not been effective enough at supporting people from ethnic minority backgrounds into politics.

There are still whole communities that are un-represented in Parliament and they should be.

There is an important signal that we can send by making sure ethnic minorities are represented in Parliament, and I don't think we've thought deeply enough about that and the signal it sends that Parliament is so white.

Mr Smith said he had taken two mornings off campaigning to spend time with his sons as they received exam results last week.
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The French government is to call for an end to negotiations of the controversial Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) trade agreement.

The commerce framework, planned between the European Union and the United States, is controversial because its critics say it will hand big business too much power.

Now Matthias Fekl, the French minister for foreign trade, has said his country will call for an end to the deal, potentially kicking it into the long grass.

Mr Fekl told Frances RMC radio station that we need a clear, clean, definitive stop to the negotiations.

In a separate speech French president Francois Hollande said the deal would certainly not be completed before Barack Obama left office.

France prefers to look things in the face, he said in a diplomatic speech.

These discussions cannot result in an agreement by the end of the year. The negotiations have bogged down, the positions have not been respected, the imbalance is obvious.

In May President Hollande said he would never accept the deal in its current guise. He they were too friendly to US businesses.

The latest negative noises emanating from France come just days after Germany economy minister Sigmar Gabriel said talks for TTIP had de facto failed, even though nobody is really admitting it.

French trade minister Matthias Fekl (Getty) (Getty Images)

Some Leave campagners cited TTIP as a reason for Britain leaving the European Union and it is not inconceivable that its unpopularity may have swung the vote.

Critics say one of the main concerns with TTIP is that it could allow multinational corporations to effectively sue governments for taking actions that might damage their businesses.

They claim US companies might be able to avoid having to meet various EU health, safety and environment regulations by challenging them in a quasi-court set up to resolve disputes between investors and states.

The 6 reasons why we should be scared of TTIP Show all 6 1 /6 The 6 reasons why we should be scared of TTIP The 6 reasons why we should be scared of TTIP The NHS Public services, especially the NHS, are in the firing line. One of the main aims of TTIP is to open up Europes public health, education and water services to US companies. This could essentially mean the privatisation of the NHS. The European Commission has claimed that public services will be kept out of TTIP. However, according to the Huffington Post, the UK Trade Minister Lord Livingston has admitted that talks about the NHS were still on the table Getty The 6 reasons why we should be scared of TTIP Food and environmental safety TTIPs regulatory convergence agenda will seek to bring EU standards on food safety and the environment closer to those of the US. But US regulations are much less strict, with 70 per cent of all processed foods sold in US supermarkets now containing genetically modified ingredients. By contrast, the EU allows virtually no GM foods. The US also has far laxer restrictions on the use of pesticides. It also uses growth hormones in its beef which are restricted in Europe due to links to cancer. US farmers have tried to have these restrictions lifted repeatedly in the past through the World Trade Organisation and it is likely that they will use TTIP to do so again Getty The 6 reasons why we should be scared of TTIP Banking regulations TTIP cuts both ways. The UK, under the influence of the all-powerful City of London, is thought to be seeking a loosening of US banking regulations. Americas financial rules are tougher than ours. They were put into place after the financial crisis to directly curb the powers of bankers and avoid a similar crisis happening again. TTIP, it is feared, will remove those restrictions, effectively handing all those powers back to the bankers Getty/Bloomberg The 6 reasons why we should be scared of TTIP Privacy Remember ACTA (the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement)? It was thrown out by a massive majority in the European Parliament in 2012 after a huge public backlash against what was rightly seen as an attack on individual privacy where internet service providers would be required to monitor peoples online activity. Well, its feared that TTIP could be bringing back ACTAs central elements, proving that if the democratic approach doesnt work, theres always the back door. An easing of data privacy laws and a restriction of public access to pharmaceutical companies clinical trials are also thought to be on the cards AFP/Getty Images The 6 reasons why we should be scared of TTIP Jobs The EU has admitted that TTIP will probably cause unemployment as jobs switch to the US, where labour standards and trade union rights are lower. It has even advised EU members to draw on European support funds to compensate for the expected unemployment. Examples from other similar bi-lateral trade agreements around the world support the case for job losses. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the US, Canada and Mexico caused the loss of one million US jobs over 12 years, instead of the hundreds of thousands of extra that were promised Dave Thompson/Getty Images The 6 reasons why we should be scared of TTIP Democracy TTIPs biggest threat to society is its inherent assault on democracy. One of the main aims of TTIP is the introduction of Investor-State Dispute Settlements (ISDS), which allow companies to sue governments if those governments policies cause a loss of profits. In effect it means unelected transnational corporations can dictate the policies of democratically elected governments AFP/Getty

The UK was seen as one of the strongest supporters of TTIP in the EU, so its departure following the Brexit vote would remove one of the US's closest allies in the talks.

Kevin Smith a spokesperson for campaign group Global Justice Now, which opposes TTIP, said:

The fact that TTIP has failed is testament to the hundreds of thousands of people who took to the streets to protest against it, the three million people who signed a petition calling for it to be scrapped, and the huge coalition of civil society groups, trade unions and activists who came together to stop it.

TTIP would have resulted in a massive corporate power grab, and sovereign democracies across the EU would have been deeply compromised.

Were still not out of the woods in terms of dealing the EUs legacy of toxic trade deals. CETA, the free trade deal between Canada and the EU has already been ratified, and if the European Parliament passes it, it will come into effect before the UK parliament has had any chance to vote on it.

So many of the controversial elements of TTIP would effectively come in through the back door with CETA, and people across Europe are already mobilising in large numbers to stop this attempted corporate coup just like they have done with TTIP.
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A suicide bomber has detonated a lorry packed with explosives near Somalias presidential palace in the latest terror attack to strike the countrys capital.

The blast was believed to target politicians and officials attending a security conference at the Somali Youth League (SYL) hotel, in a heavily guarded are near the palace in Mogadishu.

Captain Mohamed Hussein, a senior police officer, said the lorry exploded during a morning traffic jam on Tuesday, incinerating nearby cars and damaging nearby hotels frequented by ministers and business executives.

At least 10 people were killed, including soldiers and civilians, and 30 wounded according to police.

Soldiers near a building destroyed by a blast near the presidential palace in Mogadishu, Somalia, on 30 August (AP)

Government ministers and journalists were said to be among those taken to the Medina Hospital for treatment as rescue workers collected bodies from the rubble-strewn streets.

The explosion was heard across Mogadishu and smoke was seen billowing over the city centre, with the blast tearing into blast walls around hotels and blowing roofs off nearby houses.

Security forces tried to stop the bomber who used back roads before he sped through checkpoints near the presidential palace and detonated the bomb, said police spokesman Colonel Ali Nur.

He reached near the gate of the state house with flat tyres.

Al-Shabaab, a Somalian terrorist group affiliated with al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it targeted the SYL Hotel and hailing several deaths.

It was the second time militants had attacked the same hotel  one of many to be hit by a stream of bombings and shootings in Mogadishu.

In pictures: Mogadishu attack Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Mogadishu attack In pictures: Mogadishu attack People carry an injured man after Somali security forces took control over of the restaurant and ended the siege where gunmen exploded car bombs and opened fire on people In pictures: Mogadishu attack A soldier patrols on Lido beach following an attack at beachside restaurant Beach View Cafe, in Somalia's capital Mogadishu Reuters In pictures: Mogadishu attack In pictures: Mogadishu attack People gather to assess the damage at Lido beach following an attack at beachside restaurant Beach View Cafe, in Somalia's capital Mogadishu Reuters In pictures: Mogadishu attack A policeman and residents walk past the wreckage of cars destroyed in a car bomb attack outside beachside restaurant Beach View Cafe on Lido beach, in Somalia's capital Mogadishu Reuters In pictures: Mogadishu attack Relatives carry away a dead body from the beach, following an overnight attack on a beachfront restaurant in Mogadishu AP In pictures: Mogadishu attack A Somali soldier walks past wrecked cars in front of the Lido seafood restaurant following an overnight attack on the beachfront restaurant in Mogadishu Getty Images In pictures: Mogadishu attack A general view through a broken glass shows government forces patrolling on Lido beach following an attack at beachside restaurant Beach View Cafe in Somalia's capital Mogadishu Reuters In pictures: Mogadishu attack In pictures: Mogadishu attack Ambulance workers stand by near the Lido beach where gunmen exploded a car bomb and opened fire at a restaurant in Mogadishu EPA

Al-Shabaab fighters attacked military bases housing government and African Union troops south-west of Mogadishu on Monday, and extremists killed 10 people at a popular beach restaurant last week.

In July, two al-Shabaab suicide bombers detonated car bombs outside the office of the UN's mine-clearing agency and an army checkpoint near the African Union's main base in Mogadishu, killing 13.

The previous month, extremist gunmen stormed the Nasa-Hablod hotel, killing at least 14, and just a fortnight before extremist gunmen killed 15 victims including two members of parliament at the Ambassador Hotel.

Al-Shabaab is fighting an insurgency to impose Islamist rule in Somalia and other parts of East Africa, battling security forces and the 22,000-strong Amisom force that drove militants out of Mogadishu in 2011.

Its members have continued to launch a series of terror attacks and ambushes against civilians, politicians and military installations across the country.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office warns of specific threats against Westerners by the group, as well as very frequent attacks in Somalia that could occur at any time
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The US has been quick to criticise a decision by the European Commission that Apple should pay back taxes in Ireland - saying the move will undermine foreign investment.

The Commissions actions could threaten to undermine foreign investment, the business climate in Europe, and the important spirit of economic partnership between the US and the EU, a Treasury spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The US has emerged as a staunch defender of Apple, and has made clear its unhappiness about the reach of the decision. Last week, US Treasury secretary Jack Lew accused the EU of trying to become a supra national tax authority.

He claimed US companies were being treated unfairly and that the EU was potentially undermining efforts to reform international tax rules so companies pay their share. He also expressed concern that Apple would offset this bill against its US bill, potentially resulting in a huge transfer from US taxpayers to Irish taxpayers.

Earlier this year, in an open letter to the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, Mr Lew warned that he had serious concerns about fundamental fairness of the EUs tax policy.

US Treasury secretary Jack Lew accused the EU of trying to become a 'supra national tax authority' (AP)

He added that the uncertainty created by the investigations could damage the business climate in Europe and deter foreign direct investment.

US officials have long argued that Brussels is attempting to force EU member states to levy taxes on earnings it has no right to pursue.

American companies face tax charges of 40 per cent if they attempt to repatriate the money to the US. That disincentive has led to US groups building up large overseas cash piles in low tax destinations, the FT said.

Ireland offers US companies the prospect of minimal regulation and significantly lower corporate tax rates. This is a major reason why top-ranking US tech companies, including including Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook, Yahoo, Microsoft, Twitter and eBay, have corporate facilities in Ireland, where they employ thousands.
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A 12-year-old who uploaded a picture to Facebook posing next to a giraffe she killed has vowed to never stop hunting.

Aryanna Gourdin and her father, Eli Gourdin travelled from Utah to South Africa for a hunting trip, where they killed a range of animals on a safari.

Several photos of the hunt were uploaded to social media and received a huge backlash from members of the public. Some called Aryanna sick and others branded her disgusting and evil for posing with the dead animals, the International Business Times reported.

She responded to the comments by saying she wants others to experience what she has and nothing will stop her hunting.

"It's something I cherish and enjoy and I want other people to see what I experienced," she said in an interview with Good Morning America.

I would never back down from hunting. I am a hunter and no matter what people say to me, I'm never going to stop, she added.

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. 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Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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Aryannas father claimed the giraffe pictured was actually a danger to the rest of the herd and had been using resources other animals need to survive.

He also claimed the meat from the hunt is being used to feed 800 orphans in the local area, the Daily Mail reported.

Chris Pitt, Deputy Director of Campaigns at the League Against Cruel Sports, told The Independent, hunters are killing because they like it and not for conservation purposes.

"The reality is, people are still shooting animals for sport, they are teaching their kids to kill animals for sport, and so the bloody baton is passed along to a new generation of people who are convinced they are in the right," he said.

Frankly hunters dont head off into the bush to kill a lion because they are pro-conservation.

"They do it because they like killing animals and until the rest of us consistently hammer home the message that cruel sports, like trophy hunting, dog fighting, fox hunting or bull fighting, are not acceptable in the 21st century, then well continue to see sickening pictures like this.
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Protesters are planning to gather outside the jail from where Brock Turner, the white Stanford athlete convicted of sexual assault against an unconscious woman, will be released on Friday after serving only three months in prison.

Turner, who was sentenced to six months in June, will have served half of his sentence when he is freed.

In the January 2015 attack, two Swedish students spotted him "thrusting" upon an intoxicated and unconscious woman, ran after him and tackled him to the ground.

Protesters, led by Stanford law professor Michele Dauber, are orchestrating a recall movement to try to oust Aaron Persky from the courts, the judge responsible for the sentence.

Recommended Read more Stanford bans spirits at parties in wake of Brock Turner assault

A rally is planned at 10am at Santa Clara Hall of Justice on Friday, next to the jail where Turner is being held.

Among the attendees will be state senator Jim Beall, congress members Eric Swalwell and Jerry McNerney, as well as Kamilah Willingham, a survivor of assault at Harvard Law School.

A spokesperson from the Santa Clara courts could not be immediately reached.

The recall movement so far has gathered more than $90,000 (69,000) and more than two million names on two petitions demanding Judge Persky be removed from his role as a judge.

Brock Turner (Dan Honda/Associated Press) (Dan Honda/AP)

Ms Dauber has asked protesters to bring hand-painted signs on cardboard, to donate to the campaign and spread the message on social media.

She told Democracy Now! that the sentence for Turner was overly lenient when the state mandates a two-year minimum sentence.

"With collegiate athletes, the judge seems to have a blind spot, and doesnt see these felonies as serious crimes against women," she said.

Feminist protests demand end to violence against women in Brazil after gang rape of teenage girl Show all 10 1 /10 Feminist protests demand end to violence against women in Brazil after gang rape of teenage girl Feminist protests demand end to violence against women in Brazil after gang rape of teenage girl Brazilian women march in Sao Paulo during a protest following the gang rape of a 16-year-old girl Rex Features Feminist protests demand end to violence against women in Brazil after gang rape of teenage girl There have been calls for protests to end to what campaigners call Brazil's 'culture of rape' after the attack Rex Features Feminist protests demand end to violence against women in Brazil after gang rape of teenage girl An online campaign has been set up in response to the crime, using the hashtag #EstuproNuncaMais, meaning 'rape never again' Rex Features Feminist protests demand end to violence against women in Brazil after gang rape of teenage girl The 16-year-old victim was attacked in a poor neighbourhood in the west of the city on 21 May 2016 Rex Features Feminist protests demand end to violence against women in Brazil after gang rape of teenage girl Two of the attackers posted pictures and video on Twitter of the assault, which has shocked the country Rex Features Feminist protests demand end to violence against women in Brazil after gang rape of teenage girl Brazilian women protest in front of the Candelaria Church in Rio de Janeiro AFP/Getty Images Feminist protests demand end to violence against women in Brazil after gang rape of teenage girl Seven men have been charged in connection with the attack AFP/Getty Images Feminist protests demand end to violence against women in Brazil after gang rape of teenage girl Women's underwear and photos from Brazilian photographer Marcio Freitas displayed on Copacabana beach during a protest by non-governmental organization Rio de Paz (Rio of Peace) against rape and violence against women REUTERS Feminist protests demand end to violence against women in Brazil after gang rape of teenage girl Women's underwear smeared with paint is seen during a protest against rape and violence against women in Brasilia, Brazil REUTERS Feminist protests demand end to violence against women in Brazil after gang rape of teenage girl Demonstrators attend a protest against rape and violence against women in Brasilia, Brazil REUTERS

She also called out the judges other "lenient" sentences for convicted felons, like Tony Chiang, who was given 72 days of "weekend jail" for aggravated assault against his former fiance.

Judge Persky has since requested to be removed from judging in criminal cases and will only rule in civil courts. Ms Dauber said judges can rotate annually, however, and claimed he has also displayed "bias" in civil court.

The news of the protest this week comes as legislators in California have closed a loophole in sexual assault cases, to stop more lenient sentences being issued if the victim or survivor did not resist the assault.

"I think the recall effort is misguided and short-sighted," said Sajid Khan, deputy public defender at the Santa Clara County Office.

He added the community should be extending "mercy and compassion" rather than seek for the sentences to be overly punitive.

Turner will remain on probation for three years and will remain a registered sex offender for the rest of his life, he said.

Mr Khan referred to Turner being a "capable member of society", in school and with no criminal record.

When we look at it holistically, it was a harsher sentence and not as lenient as some perceived it to be, said Mr Khan.

Turners father previously said his son should not be jailed for "20 minutes of action".

Turner has blamed binge drinking and a "party culture" for the assault, and has been asked by the judge to attend alcohol and drug treatment. Turner also said he wanted to go into high schools to teach students the "danger" of alcohol and how it could "ruin a life".

The case was propelled into the spotlight after a 7,000 word victim impact statement, read out to Turner in court by the survivor, exposed the issue of white male privilege and how the focus of the case was on Turners life rather than the impact on hers.
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A Colorado man has confessed to the attempted murder of his toddler son, after he unbuckled the two-year-olds seatbelt and crashed his own car at approximately 75mph.

Nathan Weitzel, 29, told police he tried to kill his son, Isaiah, because he couldnt handle the responsibility of fatherhood. He was charged with attempted first-degree murder, child abuse, assault, criminal mischief, possession of a controlled substance and vehicular assault.

Isaiah is recovering from non-life-threatening injuries, including a concussion and a broken leg. He had stitches on his head, a neck brace and a will have cast on his lower body for at least the next two months.

According to court records, Weitzel took his son to the park in Centennial, a Denver suburb, on the morning of Sunday 21 August. While Isaiah was playing, his father sat and considered ways to kill his son. After leaving the park, police said, he drove around looking for a good place to crash the car and eventually plowed his vehicle into a parked car outside a local home at around 11am. As firefighters freed him from the wreck, he tried to slit his own throat with a sliver of smashed glass, the Denver Post reported.

Weitzel admitted he had used cocaine on the day of the crash. He had deliberately neglected to put the child in his carseat, later telling Arapahoe County police officers that he wanted to killed his son because being a father was a big responsibility and he did not think he was man enough to raise a child.

Weitzel and Isaiahs mother, Nancy Lopez, live separately and the toddler spends weekends with his father. He was due to return to his mothers home on the afternoon after the crash occurred. Speaking to KUSA, Ms Lopez said Weitzel was in the place that he should be, adding: He needs to be in jail for a long time.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for Isaiahs treatment.
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Mark Burns, an African-American pastor who has been a very public supporter of Donald Trump, has apologised for tweeting a cartoon of Hillary Clinton in blackface.

The deleted Tweet mocked the Democratic candidates outreach to black voters, saying: Thank you for your votes and letting me use you again.

See you in four years.

Mark Burns has apologised for his incendiary tweet

The cartoon showed Ms Clinton dressed in a black T-shirt that read: No hot sauce no peace! and holding a placard saying: #@!* the police.

The image brought a wave of condemnation on Monday - two days before Mr Trump was expected to finally unveil his immigration policy.

At first Mr Burns defended the tweet as satire.

The picture is designed to do draw attention to the very fact that Hillary Clinton do pander after black groups, after black people, he told MSNBC.

But within hours he deleted the tweet and apologised in a video.

Obviously many people were offended by my tweet and it was not at all my intention ... I really am a shepherd to God's people and the last thing I would want to do is offend people, he said.

Recommended Read more Trump campaigns for black vote to appeal to moderate whites

He added that the tweet was designed to highlight how the Democratic campaign was exploiting black people for their votes.

Mr Burns is a high-profile surrogate or Mr Trump, speaking at the Republican National Convention in July, introducing the candidate at rallies and appearing frequently on television.

His role has only taken on more importance in recent weeks as Mr Trumps campaign has attempted to woo black voters, who overwhelmingly back Mrs Clinton.

Mr Trump is also due to speak to the Impact Network, a black-owned Christian TV network, in Detroit at the weekend.
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Donald Trump has swept to Republican victory by peddling rhetoric of a wrecked economy, a rigged political system and the "danger" of terrorists and illegal immigrants.

His key foreign policy involves keeping foreigners out, by building a wall along the US-Mexico border.

But a new survey by Public Policy Polling has discovered that 31 per cent of Trump supporters would be in favour of - or, at least, would not be against - building another wall along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean to deter Muslim immigrants from the Middle East.

Recommended Read more The lure of of Isis will not be stifled by the building of walls

The support breaks down to 18 per cent of people in favour, while 13 per cent were not sure.

A little more than half his supporters - 52 per cent - oppose the idea.

The poll also found that voters consider Mr Trump more favourable than junk mail, the Bubonic plague, bed bugs and mosquitoes.

One reason Trump's campaign may be struggling is that voters just don't buy into the premise that the United States is a dangerous country, the poll read, which surveyed 881 likely voters between 26 and 28 August.

Only 26 per cent of voters believe the US is a dangerous country.

The numbers come one day before Mr Trump is due to give a key speech on his immigration policy, a topic he has pushed to win the votes of the white middle class.

The speech was rescheduled from last week, causing speculation that he might be softening his stance on plans to deport millions of illegal immigrants, carry out "extreme vetting" and impose a temporary ban of all Muslims entering the US.

Mr Trump has also been focused on reaching out to Latino and African American voters.

He guaranteed last week that he would have 95 per cent of the African American vote within four years. One tactic was to politicise violence, claiming that the killing of Dwyane Wades cousin, Nykea Aldridge, in Chicago would act as an incentive for African Americans to vote for President Trump.

Thus far Mr Trump has low favourability ratings with ethnic minorities, however.

Only 13 per cent of Latinos and African Americans believe that Mr Trump actually cares about them, according to the poll.

The majority of voters - 67 per cent - also want Mr Trump to release his tax returns.

Mr Trumps 37 per cent of the vote lags rival Hillary Clintons 42 per cent, according to the poll, but the Republican has beaten several other personalities and pundits, including the disgraced Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, the right-wing commentator who was roasted on Comedy Central, Ann Coulter, and Fox News-turned-Trump adviser Sean Hannity.

A poll from the same company last December found that 30 per cent of Republicans would support the bombing of Agrabah, the fictional city in the film Aladdin.
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A man has been found guilty of murdering his baby daughter in the US after neglecting her and then refusing to seek medical treatment because of his religious beliefs.

George Landell was jailed for 20 years on Monday after being convicted of second-degree murder at Gwinnett County Court.

He previously told the jury he believed prayer rather than medicine would heal his daughter, Nevaeh, as he watched her starve to death.

All sickness, disease and infirmities are of the devil. And not of God, his Christian spiritual advisor, Dwayne Murphy, told the court.

Landell and his wife, Lauren Fristed, watered down breast milk during their babys short 10-week life and did not take her to hospital until she was already dead, Channel 2 Action News reported.

The parents told medics Nevaeh was not breathing in March 2015 but a nurse described her body as already stiff.

Investigators found the baby was not given medical treatment after she was born, or properly clothed or fed, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

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Watering down the breast milk caused the infants electrolyte and sodium levels to drop and made her brain swell, with photos showing Nevaeh emaciated and unresponsive.

Babies should not drink water until they are at least 6 months old and rely on breast or formula milk for vital nutrition.

Records from the Gwinnett County Sheriffs Office, in Georgia, lists Landells charges as murder, child cruelty and aggravated battery.

Fristed previously pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
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A teenager from Florida accused of posing as a doctor and treating patients at a fake surgery he had opened has been arrested on new theft and fraud charges.

Malachi Love-Robinson is accused of stealing between $20,000 and $100,000.

Reportedly dubbing himself Dr Love, he was arrested on Monday during a court hearing where his lawyer asked to be released from working with him, according to the Palm Beach Post.

The 19-year-old was originally arrested in February after being accused of practicing medicine without a license. He turned down a plea deal that would have seen him imprisoned for three years.

Officials say he called himself a certified naturopathic doctor and opened his own clinic in January.

Family and friends reported him to authorities, fearing any malpractice would injure someone or their children.

Mr Love-Robinson denies the claims and reportedly put the concerns down to jealousy now that he had become successful". He said he had a doctorate from the Universal Life Church, which can be bought online for 29.95.

I am a well rounded professional that treats, and cares for patients, using a system of practice that bases treatment of physiological functions and abnormal conditions on natural laws governing the human body, a previous entry of his on a "find a doctor" website read.

"I utilise physiological, psychological, and mechanical methods, such as air, water, light, heat, earth, phototherapy, food and herb therapy, psychotherapy, electrotherapy, physiotherapy, minor and orificial surgery, mechanotherapy, naturopathic corrections and manipulation, and natural methods or modalities, together with natural medicines, natural processed foods, and herbs and natures remedies.

Mr Love-Robinson posted an $8,000 bond over his latest arrest and was released from Palm Beach Bounty Jail the same day.

During the hearing, Judge Krista Marx granted his defence lawyers request to be taken off the case.

Leonard Feuer, who was representing Mr Love-Robinson for free, said he needed to be taken off the case over ethical issues he would not disclose.

Mr Feuer said: I really wish him the best and hope that eventually he can put this all behind him.

Court records regarding specifics of the new charges were not immediately available.
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Coleen Kaska points over the South Rim of the Grand Canyon towards the rocks and scrub below, where a dark shadow marks the entrance to the old Orphan Mine. Theres a big old hole down there that is evidence they cant clean up an area after mining it, says Kaska, 51, a member of the Havasupai tribe. The Orphan Mine was here before I was born, and its still here to this day.

First mined for copper at the turn of the 20th Century, the Orphan Mine became a source of uranium to supply the nuclear arms race in the 1950s. It was closed in 1969, but not before contaminating the water in nearby Horn Creek with enough uranium that passing hikers are warned not to drink it. The US National Park Service has already spent millions on a clean-up effort that is still in its early stages. It proves not everything you dig up can be covered again, says Kaska.

The Havasupai, whose name means people of the blue-green water, have lived in the Canyon for at least 800 years. The tribe, who today number fewer than 700, rely for their income on the tourists  some 20,000 per year  who visit their reservation to see its strikingly beautiful blue-green waterfalls. But now they fear their lives and livelihoods could be endangered by another uranium mine being drilled nearby.

Unlike the Orphan Mine, Canyon Mine sits far from the tourist attractions of the Grand Canyon, six miles to the south in a quiet, 15-acre patch of the Kaibab National Forest. But it is close to Red Butte, a Havasupai sacred site  and, more perilously, it threatens to affect the tribes water. The aquifer under the mine flows into Havasupai Springs, their sole water source, explains Roger Clark of the Grand Canyon Trust. If those lovely aquamarine pools get contaminated, theyre s*** out of luck, he says.

 Havasupai activist Coleen Kaska talks about the Grand Canyon National Monument

The US Geological Survey has identified 15 springs in the Grand Canyon with dangerously high uranium levels related to mining processes from past ventures. While the elevated concentrations of uranium in the water may not seriously harm a single thirsty hiker, it can have long-term health effects on those who drink it for decades. It could also threaten wildlife in the Canyon, which contains several endangered species that rely on water from its aquifer-fed springs.

Energy Fuels, the company behind Canyon Mine, insists its operation is safe and strictly regulated. But many here distrust the claims of mining companies: the Navajo Nation, which also borders the Canyon, banned all uranium mining and processing in 2005, after suffering a decades-long health crisis caused by radiation exposure from its poorly regulated mines.

Now, the Havasupai, the Navajo and the Grand Canyon Trust are all part of a coalition of tribes, conservationists and other campaigners hoping to persuade President Obama to create a national monument that would permanently protect the Grand Canyon watershed from any further uranium mining.

Since taking office, Obama has created or enlarged 26 national monuments, protecting almost 550 million acres of federal land and water  at least twice as much as any of his predecessors. Last week, under the US Antiquities Act, he created the largest protected area on Earth, expanding a national marine monument around Hawaii to 582,578 square miles.

It was Theodore Roosevelt who signed the Antiquities Act in 1906, who declared the Canyon a monument in 1908, and who created the National Park Service in 1916. In the Services centenary year, and before he departs the White House, the campaigners are urging Obama to expand the Grand Canyon monument to include 1.7 million more acres of public land.

Last November, Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva, a Democrat, introduced the Greater Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument Act to preserve, and if necessary, restore the areas natural and tribal resources. A poll released by the Grand Canyon Trust in February suggested 80 per cent of Arizonans supported the proposal. Since then, however, Grijalva has said he is not convinced his bill will get an honest, rational hearing from a Republican-led Congress, and instead called on the President to create the monument using his executive authority.

The monument is opposed by Arizona Republicans including Senator John McCain, and by the conservative Prosper Foundation, an Arizona-based group whose funding has been traced back to billionaire industrialists the Koch brothers. GOP Congressman Paul Gosar has said the proposal is the work of radical environmentalists. Hunters and ranchers have also been critical of the plan, though it would ostensibly have no effect on hunting or grazing regulations.

Electrifying photos of lightning striking the Grand Canyon Show all 8 1 /8 Electrifying photos of lightning striking the Grand Canyon Electrifying photos of lightning striking the Grand Canyon grand-canyon8.jpg Rolf Mader/Rex Features Electrifying photos of lightning striking the Grand Canyon grand-canyon7.jpg Rolf Mader/Rex Features Electrifying photos of lightning striking the Grand Canyon grand-canyon6.jpg Rolf Mader/Rex Features Electrifying photos of lightning striking the Grand Canyon grand-canyon5.jpg Rolf Mader/Rex Features Electrifying photos of lightning striking the Grand Canyon grand-canyon3.jpg Rolf Mader/Rex Features Electrifying photos of lightning striking the Grand Canyon grand-canyon4.jpg Rolf Mader/Rex Features Electrifying photos of lightning striking the Grand Canyon grand-canyon1.jpg Rolf Mader/Rex Features Electrifying photos of lightning striking the Grand Canyon grand-canyon2.jpg Rolf Mader/Rex Features

What its critics often fail to mention is that the monument would encompass only land that is already owned and managed by the federal government. The Antiquities Act only allows monument designations on land already owned by Uncle Sam, Grivalja recently pointed out in an article for the Daily Kos, a liberal blog. Despite repeated Republican talking points, no land is being grabbed. National monument designations shine a spotlight on sensitive and irreplaceable natural resources and protect them from excessive private development.

Whether or not Obama listens to the activists, it is likely too late for the Havasupai to close Canyon Mine. In 2012, the federal government placed a 20-year ban on new uranium mines in the Grand Canyon area  a ban that the monument would make permanent  but older, existing sites remain exempt. Canyon Mine was dug in the mid-1980s and closed several years later. But with nuclear power being re-evaluated as a source of clean energy, there is renewed demand for raw uranium. Arizona provides the richest supply of uranium in the US.

Though far from the Grand Canyon's tourist attractions, the Canyon uranium mine is close to a Havasupai sacred site (Tim Walker) ((Tim Walker))

Reopened in 2012, Canyon Mine is currently the only active uranium mine close to the Grand Canyon, and is yet to reach its planned depth. Even without the monuments protections, no more than 10 other mines would go into production in the area over the next two decades, estimates Curtis Moore, spokesman for Energy Fuels. Its not going to turn the region around the Grand Canyon into a huge industrial zone, he says.

But the mine is visible from the top of Red Butte, the nearby peak that the Havasupai consider their tribes birthplace. Moore sympathises with their concerns about their traditional sites. Its something that has to be balanced, he says. I know they have sincerely held religious beliefs, but that doesnt give them licence to dictate everything that happens in the region.

On the other hand, Moore insists the tribes worries about water contamination are unfounded. Were not going to impact the water, were not going to impact human health or safety, he says. These mines are well above any of the aquifers that feed into the Canyon.

David Kreamer is a professor of hydrology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, whose research team discovered the high concentrations of uranium in the creek beneath the Orphan Mine in the 1990s. While the Canyon Mine shaft may not penetrate as far as the main aquifer, he says it will pass through a perched aquifer at a lesser depth, which feeds springs on the walls of the Grand Canyon. Those springs are thus in danger of becoming contaminated, or even of drying up altogether.

The dangers and their scope are difficult to gauge with accuracy, however, because Canyon Mine has just one monitoring mine to assess the content and flow of underground water. It ought to have at least three, Kreamer says. The system for monitoring for escaping contaminants is worse than Ive seen in a lot of developing nations Were conducting a huge experiment on the Grand Canyon, and we wont know the results for decades.
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No-one knew Ronald Read's secret until after his death. The janitor had quietly amassed a fortune of $8 million from a frugal lifestyle and a string of canny investments.

It was only when his will became public, leaving the bulk of his wealth to his local library and hospital, that the truth was revealed - much to everyone's amazement.

Reads fortune first hit the spotlight in 2014 when he died at 92 years of age.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Read owned at least 95 stocks at the time of his death which he held for years. His holdings included Procter & Gamble, JP Morgan Chase, General Electric and Dow Chemical, JM Smucker, CVS Health and Johnson & Johnson.

He was the first in his family to attend high school and served in the military during World War II. He went on to become a janitor at JCPenny. He would later marry and have two children.

Into his 90s, Read's frugality remained strong. He drove a second-hand Toyota Yaris and skipped the tailor by holding his jacket together with safety pins.

"I'm sure if he earned $50 in a week, he probably invested $40 of it," his neighbour Mark Richards said.

Read left a generous donation of $4.8 million to Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, where he regularly ate breakfast to start his day. His meal of choice included a single cup of coffee and one English muffin slabbed with peanut butter.

The hospital plans to use the money to update the buildings infrastructure. "He was a hard worker, Read's stepson Phillip Brown told The Brattleboro Reformer. I don't think anybody had an idea that he was a multimillionaire.

There are multiple areas in the hospital that need to be updated, so this money will certainly allow us to do that," Gina Pattison, director of development at the hospital, told CNBC. "We are just incredibly fortunate and grateful.

He also left $1.2 million to his local library, whose administrators plan to extend the facilities hours and complete renovations on the 50 year old building.
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A US motel owner who stabbed his wife twice in the abdomen and pleaded guilty to attempted murder has been spared a prison sentence, in part because the judge took into account the family's Hindu culture.

Navinkumar Patel, 46, reportedly stabbed his wife with a pocketknife as she ate a bowl of cereal, and subsequently told police he had done it because his wife was overweight.

The court in Lawrence, Kansas, heard that Mr Patel suffers from bipolar disorder which is exacerbated by alcohol addiction.

More than a dozen family members, including his wife, appeared in court to support him, while others wrote letters to Douglas County District Court Judge Robert Fairchild asking for a lenient sentence.

Mr Patels attorney, John Kerns, called the case unusual to say the least.

According to local newspaper the Lawrence Journal World, Mr Kerns told the judge that in the Hindu culture of Patel's family, his wife and children would also suffer if he were sentenced to prison. They would essentially be ostracised, he said.

Two of Mr Patels cousins addressed the court, saying that he was a loving husband and that the violent outburst was the first of its kind.

Judge Fairchild said: The cultural part of it is very significant in this case, adding that he did not want a prison sentence for Mr Patel to further harm the family.

Instead, Mr Patel was sentenced to serve probation, but was ordered to remain in jail until a plan is established to help prevent a repeat offence.

Mr Patels family said they were willing to ensure he remains sober and follows a strict medication schedule.

Addressing the family, Judge Fairchild said: Its going to take a community to make his sobriety stick.

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You cannot accept the fact that just because he's clean now he's going to stay that way.

The judge also said that though the conviction carries a presumptive prison sentence, the law allows him to depart from those guidelines in the case of a substantial and compelling reason.
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A 59-year-old man who repeatedly sexually assaulted a three-year-old boy has been sent to prison for over a century.

Mario Hernandez, from Upland, California, was convicted to 106 years behind bars.

The abuse was carried out over a span of seven years from when the boy was three years old, according to the San Bernardino deputy district attorney Karen Schmauss.

Hernandez reportedly often withdrew food from the boy to bribe him to perform sexual acts, added Ms Schmauss, and he would tell the child: "You owe me."

"He would also refuse to sign the boy's school planner if he did not cooperate," Ms Schmauss said in a statement.

"As the victim grew older, Hernandez threatened harm to the boy and his brother if they told anyone."

When he was 10 years old, the boy told his school friends what was happening.

Hernandez was charged with three counts of sodomy with a child of 10 years or younger, one count of oral copulation with a child aged 10 or younger, and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child. He was given the maximum sentence on 3 June.

Judge Stanford Reichert added: "The crimes showed a high degree of cruelty, viciousness and callousness."

Ms Schmauss said Hernandez would never hurt a child again.

The boy and his brother were assisted by comfort dogs while giving their testimonies, the district office said, the first time that a trial in the county employed animals to comfort victims.
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Mexicos top police chief has been dismissed after a scathing report by the countrys human rights commission alleged the federal police executed at least 22 people on a ranch last year.

President Enrique Pena Nieto decided to remove federal police chief Enrique Galindo after the National Human Rights Commission released their report to allow for a more transparent investigation into the alleged events, the Associated Press reported.

Recommended Read more 6 killed and 100 injured after Mexico teachers union clash with police

In light of the recent events and on instructions of the president, Police Commissioner Enrique Galindo has been removed from his position, Interior Secretary Osorio Chong announced. That is with the objective of facilitating that the corresponding authorities carry out an agile and transparent investigation in full view of citizens.

In their report, the NHRC said that Mexico Federal police killed at least 22 suspected drug cartel members in a remote ranch in Michoacan in May 2015. Police then allegedly moved the bodies and planted guns on the victims to corroborate their reports.

Mexico protests: Teachers vow to fight reforms

The investigation confirmed facts that show grave human rights violations attributable to public servants of the federal police, said commission President Luis Raul Gonzalez Perez at an 18 August conference.

Of the 22 killed, investigators found two instances of torture and four deaths caused by excessive force. Thirteen had been shot in the back.

In addition to the suspects killed in the incident, the report said some 40 civilians died by bullets.

Mr Galindo and Mexican National Security Commissioner Renator Sales denied any wrongdoing on part of the police  but still accepted the recommendations put forth by the commission.

The use of weapons was necessary and proportional against the real and imminent and unlawful aggression, Mr Sales said when the NHRC released their report. That is to say, in our minds they acted in legitimate defence.

The deaths occurred during a police operation against the Jalisco New Generation cartel  a rival of the more well-known Sinaloa cartel, led by Joaquin El Chapo Guzman. Police claimed they had taken fire from a truck that led them to the ranch.

However, the commission found no evidence to corroborate that claim, and believe the police opened fire arbitrarily  including 4,000 shots fired from a helicopter.

Mexico federal police received major criticism following their inconsistent account when violence broke out at a teachers strike in Oaxaca. Police originally claimed that gunfire had come from people from outside the protest, before Mr Galindo confirmed that armed officers were, in fact, at the demonstration.
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A teenage girl who disappeared from Myrtle Beach seven years ago was abducted, raped, shot and thrown into an alligator pit in the forests of McClellanville, South Carolina, FBI officials revealed this week.

Seventeen-year-old Brittanee Drexel first disappeared in 2009 after going to the beach from Rochester, New York against her parent's permission. Investigators spent years chasing leads but had not been able to make progress in the case.

The Post and Courier reports that authorities recently caught a break after a man serving a prison sentence of 25 years for voluntary manslaughter recently confessed that he witnessed what happened to the victim.

According to a federal court transcript obtained by the South Carolina newspaper, Taquan Brown told investigators that he entered a stash house where Drexel was being kept. He claims she was being sexually abused by Timothy DaShaun Taylor, who was 16 years old at the time.

He said that he also witnessed the girl being pistol-whipped, and later heard two gunshots, leading him to assume that DaShaun Taylors father killed Drexel. FBI agent Gerrick Munoz gave a detailed account in the transcript saying that although the girls body had not been found, several witnesses said Drexels body was placed in an alligator pitto have her body eaten by the animals. Investigators searched as many as 40 ponds without discovery.

After authorities held a news conference in July informing the public that the teen may have been held captive in McClellanville for several days, police received multiple tips corroborating the jailhouse confession.

The FBI testimony was made during a bond hearing for Mr Taylor, 25, whose attorney characterised the allegations as "nothing but a squeeze-job" to bring closure to the case. He's currently being held on charges relating to the robbery of a McDonald's in 2011.

His mother told The Post and Courier that she plans on speaking out on the allegations, calling them unjust and an attempt to "pin something else on him."

He was later released on a $10,000 bail.
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President Barack Obama granted clemency to 111 federal inmates on Tuesday, including 35 inmates who were slated to spend the rest of their lives behind bars.

Justice Department lawyers worked through a tremendous backlog of drug cases and will consider thousands before President Obama leaves office. The latest round of decisions marks the second this month, along with quietly denying 2,227 cases.

"At our current pace, we are confident that we will be able to review and make a recommendation to the president on every single drug petition we currently have," Deputy Attorney General Sally Q Yates told NPR.

Sixteen of the sentences were related to gun charges, while the rest dealt with drug trafficking related to cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine.

White House Counsel Neil Eggleston says that President Obama considers every case to give non-violent offenders a second chance at life outside the penitentiary walls. Hes now commuted the sentences of 673 inmates.

"As successful as weve been in reducing crime in this country, the extraordinary rate of incarceration of nonviolent offenders has created its own set of problems that are devastating," Mr Eggleston wrote in a blog post.

"Entire communities have been ravaged where largely men, but some women, are taken out of those communities, he continued. Kids are now growing up without parents It perpetuates a cycle of poverty and disorder in their lives. It is disproportionately young men of color that are being arrested at higher rates, charged and convicted at higher rates, and imprisoned for longer sentences."
Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Nadine White Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter The Race Report Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

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The Council on American-Islamic Relations has thanked a library chain in Oklahoma for using a picture of a Muslim woman in its advertising following a resident's complaint that the library was "promoting Islam" with taxpayers' money.

CAIR has called on people in the state, of all faiths, to celebrate the fact that the Pioneer Library System is making an effort to represent the diversity of Oklahoma.

But local Chad Grensky, from the town of Norman, had accused the public libraries of "funding and promoting Islam" on Facebook.

"We aren't allowed to display a cross but on the vehicles provided by the state of Oklahoma we can promote Islam / Muslims with tax payers [sic] money," the former field investigator for the US Department of Defense wrote.

"Where are the Christians, Jews, Catholics etc. No, we the tax payers are funding and promoting Islam."

He added that he was sure that the director of the library, Ann Masters, had made a "mistake".

"Being the director of a library you'd think she'd know the definition of equality," he wrote.

Adam Soltani, executive director of the CAIR Oklahoma chapter, told The Independent that the complaint was "unfounded".

"The more I did research, I saw his [Facebook] posts which were Islamophobic in nature and hateful to Islam and Muslims in general," he said.

"He has his own agenda and is approaching the image from a divisive and hateful standpoint. This is just one of about 20 images that the library system is using to promote a diverse culture and we should celebrate that rather than condemn it."

The executive director of Pioneer Library Systems, Ms Masters, said the images on each vehicle were unique and showed people of different ages, cultures and races, but what they had in common was reading.

She told The Independent that the purpose of the picture was to show people of different cultures, not different religions, and she said she was "concerned" that some people perceived that differently.

"The picture we used of the person in the hijab is just a woman," she said. "If I saw her in the workplace or when I was shopping, I would think that was what she chose to wear and not that she was "promoting" religion."

She added that the library's lawyer confirmed they were not violating the first amendment by showing the picture on their car.

"We want to be welcoming to everyone and we try to be inclusive in every way," she said.

Mr Grensky told The Independent that he was not racist, and simply wanted all faiths to be represented as the vehicle was a publicly-funded service.

 Muslim girl tackled by police

"It's about equality," he said. "I don't have anything against Islam or Muslims. But all religions - Christians, Mormons, Jews - should be depicted, if that's the goal."

He said he fought as a veteran for freedom of religion, and said that Islam was a religion of peace.

He took issue with a woman wearing a hijab, however.

"I'm surprised women's rights campaigners are not all over this," he said, referring to Shariah law. "She is illiterate. She can't read or write. She can't drive a car. She can't do math."
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It is never too late to get an education.

Melanie Salazar might not have expected that her posts about her 82-year-old grandfather going back to college - and the same college as her - would spark so much attention.

But when the 18-year-old student wrote on twitter that she was proud of her grandfather, Rene Neira, for completing his two-year associate degree, it was quickly picked up and re-tweeted more than 2,000 times.

The Palo Alto College student in Texas tweeted: I'm so proud of my grandpa for finishing his first day at PAC this semester! 82 years old and not giving up!!!

She also posted a selfie of the two of them, smiling at the camera.

Mr Neira is taking his last classes to obtain his associates degree in economics, while his granddaughter is studying liberal arts.

Honestly to me it feels normal that Im going to school with my grandpa, she told ABC News.

I look at my grandpa and Im proud of him," she said.

She added that she has watched her grandfather take classes occasionally as she was growing up.

When he graduates in autumn, he will enroll at the University of Texas at San Antonio to get a bachelors degree.

Ms Salazar said she was undecided what to study herself at first, but her grandfather inspires and motivates her.

"I know that if he can do it I can definitely do it," she said.
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Donald Trump is at a high-stakes fork in the road in his campaign for president as he prepares to lay out his latest position on immigration law in a major speech in Arizona on Wednesday.

The New York billionaire is expected to confirm that he is abandoning some of the more extreme pledges he made during the primary election season, notably to create a deportation force to evict the roughly 11 million people believed to be in the United States illegally.

It will be a perilous moment for Mr Trump, who surged to capture the nomination of the Republican Party earlier this year in part on his uncompromising platform of evicting everyone in the country en masse and simultaneously building a 2,000-mile wall at the US-Mexico border.

He is now in a political pickle that was always predictable. To win the general election he must urgently repair his image with Hispanic voters in states like Arizona but also in almost every swing state. Only by softening kis anti-immigration rhetoric can he make that happen.

But if he goes too far, he risks angering the Republican Party base that precisely embraced him because of his hardline stance on illegal immigration as well as upending his carefully wrought image as a non-politician who tells it like it is and does not slither and slide on the issues.

On Wednesday, Mr Trump is likely to stick resolutely by his plan to build the wall - to abandon something that is almost tangible to his supporters and appeals to them viscerally would just seem too obviously venal with barely two months until election day.

From day one I said that I was going to build a great wall on the SOUTHERN BORDER, and much more, Mr Trump tweeted on Tuesday. Stop illegal immigration. Watch Wednesday!

Similarly, one of his top spokesman, Jason Miller, took to Fox News early on Tuesday to declare that the wall plan remains fully alive and to try to tamp down the broader narrative taking hold that his boss is in full flip-flop mode on immigration.

What you've seen with Mr. Trump is he's been remarkably consistent in his pledge to end illegal immigration, he said. We're going to build the wall, we're going to secure our borders, we're going to enforce our immigration laws. We're going to end sanctuary cities. We're going to pass e-Verify and uphold the Constitution. That's going to make a big difference in this country.

Sarah Palin has warned of a backlahsh if Trump goes wishy washy (Getty Images)

The hope of the campaign is that by sticking with the wall - however improbable in practice its eventual construction remains - Mr Trump will catch less criticism for wavering on deportation.

He is likely on Wednesday to say that he will instead set priorities in his handling of those already in the country illegally, deporting those who have committed crimes first and looking for ways for everyone else eventually to attain permission to stay, after, for example, paying back taxes.

That would be an important shift that would make his proposals on illegal immigration almost indistinguishable from what most of his primary rivals for the nomination were making last winter, including former Governor Jeb Bush and Florida Senator Marco Rubio. It would even be hard to distinguish what hed be proposing from what President Barack Obama is already doing.

We already deport a lot of people every year, Mr Miller told Fox. But what we have to do is do a much better job than what President Obama has been doing. Mr. Trump has said that we're going to start with criminal illegals. We have to go with the really bad ones and get them out of here first. That's the No. 1 priority.

How much of a difference Mr Trumps moderating would make for Hispanic voters is hard to predict. Mr Trump has unleashed rhetoric so offensive to many of them it may hardly shift the needle. It could, however, cause an eruption among those who have backed him so far.

The reaction to the speech from some of the mouthpieces of Americas conservative movement will be key. If figures like Sarah Palin, Ann Coulter or Rush Limbaugh, react poorly to what he says, the damage to his base could be far greater than the good he will do among Hispanics.

Ms Palin, the former 2008 running mate, has already fired a first shot warning Mr Trump, whom she has thus far vigourously supporting against going wishy washy on the topic.

If Mr. Trump were to go down a path of wishy-washy positions taken on things that the core foundation of his support has so appreciated, and that is respecting our Constitution and respecting law and order in America, then yeah, there would be massive disappointment, she told the Wall Street Journal. Parts of that message we heard in the last week are clearly not consistent with the stringent position and message that supporters have received all along.
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There are psychologists and ghostwriters, researchers and dirty-tricks experts. There are people with advice about what to wear, others who have expertise in political messaging.

What there is not, yet, is someone to play the role of Donald Trump.

This is reportedly the scene inside the campaign of Hillary Clinton, as it prepares for a crucial debate showdown with the freewheeling, boisterous New York tycoon.

Mr Trump bullied his way to victory during the Republican debates (AP)

A report in the New York Times said that while Mr Trump may be preferring to keep preparation for the three presidential debates to a minimum, Ms Clinton - typical for someone known to be obsessed with details - is leaving as little as possible to chance.

Her team is receiving advice and insight from everyone from Tony Schwartz, Mr Trumps ghostwriter of the 1987 biography The Art of the Deal, psychology experts who are creating a personality profile of the Republican candidate, and people who have even been poring over the long history of controversies surrounding the Clintons and readying her for any questions about them.

National polls suggest Ms Clinton is anywhere up to nine points ahead of Mr Trump. Previous campaigns suggests debate tend to cement opinions already have of candidates.

But experts said that if the margin is narrower - and Mr Trump is certainly closer to Ms Clinton in several battleground states - then the clashes can be important.

They are not make or break, Robert Shapiro, Professor of Political Science at Columbia University, told The Independent. But in close campaigns that can be important. And I think that Trump is close enough so it means the debate is important for him.

The tradition of televised presidential debates dates back to 1960, when a sweating Richard Nixon failed to overcome the telegenic John F Kennedy. Since then, there have been many memorable moments, including Vice Presidential candidate Lloyd Bentson destroying Dan Quayle in 1988 - Senator, youre no Jack Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan gently mocking his own age when he confronted Walter Mondale in their second debate in 1984.

The first televised debate was held in 1960 between Richard Nixon and John F Kennedy (AP)

Mr Trump, 70, has apparently told his advisers he wants to spend little time practising for the debates, the first of which is scheduled for New York - home territory for both candidates - on September 26. At a recent gathering at his club in Bedminster, New Jersey, he declined the offer of conservative radio host Laura Ingraham to stand in for Ms Clinton in a mock debate, and instead asked about the likely topics that would be covered.

The property magnate apparently believes he can bluster and bully his way to success in the same way he defeated and demolished 16 Republican rivals during the Republican primary debates.

I know who I am, and it got me here, Mr Trump told the Times.

I dont want to present a false front. I mean, its possible well do a mock debate, but I dont see a real need.

David Corn, Political Editor of Mother Jones magazine, said Ms Clinton is known as the smartest kid in the class and will not only be exhaustively prepared about her own policies, but also Mr Trumps positions and controversies.

She will be prepared to talk about detail, but also to prod him in ways that could score psychological wounds, he said.

The danger for Ms Clinton, said Mr Corn, is if she fails to persuade people that she can competently answer questions that relate to matters of trust - such as her state department emails, the Clinton Foundation and her low favourability score with voters.

If she cant do that, she may lose some voters, he said.

Within the Clinton campaign preparation, one of the topics of repeated discussion among officials and members of staff is who should stand in for Mr Trump during their mock-ups. The names that have been offered as possibilities are Congressman Joseph Crowley of New York, James Carville, Bill Clintons chief strategist in 1992, and Mark Cuban, another billionaire businessman.

Mr Corn had another suggestion as to who might stand in for the tycoon. He said: I think that if they asked Trump, hed do it.
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One person has been killed and three others wounded after a car exploded near the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday.

Kyrgyzstans deputy prime minister Zhenish Razakov said the explosion in the countrys capital of Bishkek was caused by a suicide bomber who rammed their car into the gates of the Chinese embassy, Interfax news agency reported.

The action detonated the bomb and killed the driver of the car while injuring three embassy employees, he said.

Local reports claim the vehicle managed to smash through the embassys gates and explode close to the ambassadors residence in the centre of the compound, the BBC reported.

Pictures posted on social media showed smoke billowing from the ground near the compound and fragments of concrete on the floor by the embassys gate.

The AKIpress news agency quoted the chief of security at the Chinese embassy as saying that no embassy staff had been injured, while Kyrgyz security officials called the explosion a terrorist attack, the BBC reported.
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Two senior North Korean officials were executed with an anti-aircraft gun in early August on the orders of Kim Jong-un, South Koreas JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported, citing people it did not identify.

Ri Yong Jin, a senior official in the education ministry -- possibly minister -- was arrested for dozing off during a meeting with Kim and charged with corruption before being killed, the paper said. Former Agriculture Minister Hwang Min was purged over a proposed project seen as a direct challenge to Kims leadership, it said.

If true, it would mark the first executions ordered by Kim from outside his party or the military, the paper said. A spokesman at South Koreas Unification Ministry said he couldnt immediately confirm the JoongAng report.

 North Korea weapon tests

Kim has carried out a series of executions since taking power in 2011 after his fathers death as he puts his mark on the leadership of the isolated nuclear-armed nation. The most high profile was the killing three years ago of his uncle and one-time deputy Jang Song Thaek. He had about 50 officials executed in 2014 on charges ranging from graft to watching South Korean soap operas.

"Kim is continuing to replace the old guard of his fathers regime with loyalists," said Robert Kelly, a political science professor at South Koreas Pusan National University. "The charges are obviously trumped up, and this is how promotion or demotion often works in totalitarian states without legitimate venues for opposition."

Kim had his military chief Ri Yong Gil executed in February on charges including corruption, Yonhap News reported at the time. In January last year he executed General Pyon In Son, head of operations in the army, for disagreeing with him; and in May of that year he purged his defense minister Hyon Yong Chol for dozing off at a rally.

North Korea's worst human rights abuses Show all 11 1 /11 North Korea's worst human rights abuses North Korea's worst human rights abuses Starvation A UN report said that policies leading to mass starvation in North Korea amounted to crimes against humanity. Deaths peaked during the 1990s North Korean famine. Al Jazeera North Korea's worst human rights abuses Executions Defence minister Hyon Yong Chol is believed to be the latest official executed after falling foul of Kim Jong-un. As well as gruesome public executions, thousands of people have been killed in state 'purges' and for alleged anti-state crimes Getty North Korea's worst human rights abuses Torture Torture is prevalent in prison camps, as well as in police and security service custody. AP North Korea's worst human rights abuses Freedom of religion American missionary Kenneth Bae was one of the many people detained after trying to practice their religion. The DPRK Constitution claims to protect freedom of religion but not if it as alleged of being used a a pretext for 'drawing in foreign forces or for harming the state and social order'. Christianity is frequently considered a political crime North Korea's worst human rights abuses Freedom of expression All media is tightly-state controlled and expressing facts of opinions critical of the government or Juche ideology can lead to arrest and imprisonment. As well as being under extensive surveillance, people are encouraged to 'inform' on friends and neighbours Getty North Korea's worst human rights abuses Freedom of thought A UN report found that the 'DPRK operates an all-encompassing indoctrination machine which takes root from childhood to propagate an official personality cult and to manufacture absolute obedience to the Supreme Leader, effectively to the exclusion of any independent thought from the official ideology and state propaganda' Reuters North Korea's worst human rights abuses Forced labour Prisoners are subjected to forced labour in camps, including children as young as five. Some workers are also reportedly being sent abroad to fund the government's projects AFP North Korea's worst human rights abuses Sexual discrimination Although women are permitted to serve in the military, their role is restrained by the Juche ideology and the UN reports that 'discrimination against women remains pervasive in all aspects of society' AP North Korea's worst human rights abuses Freedom of movement Freedom of movement is severely restricted within North Korea and very few citizens are allowed to leave the country. Immigrants found in China can be forcible repatriated and punished on their return. The right for foreigners to enter is also severely restricted. Reuters North Korea's worst human rights abuses Prison camps Many of the worst abuses reported take place at prison camps, some specifically for political crimes. The camps officially do not exist but have been photographed using satellite. Inmates are 'forcibly disappeared' and usually imprisoned until death REUTERS North Korea's worst human rights abuses Reproductive rights Forced abortions have been reported for imprisoned women, often after being raped by guards. Mothers and babies frequently die in childbirth because of a lack of adequate care, often delivering babies unaided at home. AP

Still, reports of purges of senior North Korean officials are not uncommon and at times have proven to be unreliable.

Earlier this month, Seoul announced that a senior North Korean diplomat based in the UK had defected to South Korea. The man was among seven diplomats who have defected this year, according to JoongAng Ilbo.

South Korean President Park Geun Hye said on Monday the defections signal a serious fracture within the North Korean regime and raise the prospects of fresh provocations as Kim seeks to maintain control. Her comments came as South Korea and the U.S. hold annual military drills that North Korea calls a prelude to an invasion.

 11 most corrupt countries in world

Even so, Kelly at Pusan University said that the isolated state is probably more stable than many people think or want it to be.

"I dont think there has been a fracture," he said. "So long as China keeps the goodies flowing into Pyongyang, which is like a city-state in an ocean of deprivation, the elites wont turn on each other."

Copyright: Bloomberg
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An Indian couple have been banned from climbing any mountain in Nepal for 10 years after officials said the pair faked an Everest climb.

A government investigation concluded the two police constables doctored images of themselves at the summit of the worlds highest mountain.

Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod  from Pune in the state of Maharastra  claimed they reached the peak in May. The ascent was initially certified by the Nepalese tourism department, but that decision was reversed following an analysis of the photos used to make that claim.

Tourism Department official Gyanendra Shrestha said the government investigation confirmed complaints by other climbers that the Indian couple had doctored photographs to show themselves at the top of the mountain.

We have revoked their climbing certificate, Mr Shrestha told Reuters. They will not be allowed to do any climbing activity in Nepal for 10 years.

Tourism officials said that analysis of photos submitted by the couple showed they had superimposed their faces and the Indian flag on pictures taken by another climber who had climbed Everest a few days earlier than they claimed to have done so.

Department chief Sudarshan Prasad Dhakal told AFP: Despite several attempts to get clarifications from them, they did not co-operate with us during the investigation. The two Sherpas that assisted them are also absconding.

The ban should serve as a warning for mountaineers to follow ethics.

One Indian climber, Satyarup Sidhantha from Bangalore has claimed that that one of his photographs was manipulated by the husband and wife team.

Climber Satyarup Sidhantha holds a photo of him at the summit of Everest, alongside what he claims is the altered version (AP)

The Rathods held a press conference on 5 June, having supposedly reached the summit. At that conference Dinesh Rathod said: We were committed that we would not give birth to a child until we climb Everest, before adding, With pride now, we want to become parents.

The couple have always maintained that they did reach the summit, as have the guides who climbed with them

Sixty years since the first ascent, Everest is still on top of the world Show all 3 1 /3 Sixty years since the first ascent, Everest is still on top of the world Sixty years since the first ascent, Everest is still on top of the world everest-getty.jpg Getty Images Sixty years since the first ascent, Everest is still on top of the world himalaya.jpg AFP/Getty Sixty years since the first ascent, Everest is still on top of the world himalaya1.jpg AFP/Getty

Back in June, the chief of Kathmandu-based Makalu Adventure, which organised the ascent, told the BBC he had no doubt the couple had scaled the world's highest peak.

They were taken to the summit by sherpas who worked for my company for several years and they reached the summit on 23 May, Mohan Lamsal said.

This year 454 people scaled Everest during the March to May climbing season, following two years of poor weather  leading to a number of deaths  and the Nepal earthquake in 2015, which killed more than 1,100 people.
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A British man who tried to save another backpacker from a knife attack has died from his injuries in Australia.

Tom Jackson came to the aid of fellow Briton Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, who was stabbed to death at Shelley's Backpackers in Home Hill, south of Townsville.

The 30-year-old suffered multiple stab wounds to his head and leg, and passed away as result of the injuries in Townsville Hospital, ABC reported.

Mr Jackson's father, Les, said the world was a poorer place now that his son had passed away but that he was immensely proud of him for his bravery.

"There are many and varied reasons why we are, and always will be, immensely proud of Tom," the BBC reported Mr Jacksons father as saying.

"His actions in response to this horrific attack only add to that sense of pride."

A spokesman for Queensland Police said investigations were continuing but French national Smail Ayad, 29, has been charged with murder.

The murder has led to calls for a ban on Muslim immigration, which have been condemned and branded "opportunistic" by politicians.

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".

"The Frenchman being held on suspicion of my daughter's murder is not an Islamic fundamentalist  he has never set foot in a mosque," she told The Independent.

"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?"

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

Ayad is alleged to have murdered Ms Ayliffe-Chung, to have caused the injuries which led to Mr Jackson's death and also harmed 12 police officers. He is set to next appear in court on October 28.
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A 102-year-old science professor in Australia has said he hopes to continue his research, despite being ordered to leave his university post on health grounds.

Edith Cowan University in Perth told Dr David Goodall he was unfit to carry on working on campus in his unpaid capacity, which involved reviewing academic papers and supervising students.

The ecology experts career has spanned over 70 years and would make a 90 minute commute, including taking two buses and a train, up to four times a week to the campus in the north of the city.

The university said Dr Goodall would only be allowed on campus for prearranged meetings and should be accompanied by a carer, amid concerns from colleagues over his safety.

"I would hope that my example may lead to other people being able to continue being active in their field, up to a very advanced age like me, Dr Goodall told ABC News. They should be given every opportunity of doing so in the society in which we live in.

"[The decision] has depressed me, it shows the effect of age. The question would not have arisen if I were not an old man."

Dr Goodall's daughter Karen met with senior staff at Edith Cowan this week and argued the requirement for her father to have a carer on campus was unnecessary.

"People are staying healthier for longer, and if a person wants to work and is able to work and contribute then I think that each case should be judged on its merits.

[The decision] has depressed me, it shows the effect of age. The question would not have arisen if I were not an old man <p>Dr David Goodall</p>

"All of us are going to get old and does that mean that we are not expected or wanted to contribute if we can, or just put into nursing homes or forced to have a carer just because we are not as physically able as we used to be?

"He is a very intelligent, bright man, sharper than many people a quarter of his age. I think it is very demeaning and disempowering."

Dr Goodall received the prestigious Order of Australia earlier this year, having produced over 100 research papers throughout his career and earned three doctorates.

The professor still reviews and edits papers for different ecology journals and was publishing his own research until 2014.

Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary

In a statement the Dean of Sciences said of Dr Goodalls departure: This is not a decision we've taken lightly, this is something that has been considered over a period of time.

We are now of the opinion where the situation is at a point where we really do need to make this change in David's best interest and our own.

Dr Goodall currently lives by himself and is able to complete a range of tasks around his home, including shopping for himself and cleaning.

He previously taught at the universities of Melbourne, California and Utah and completed research placements in Africa.
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A criminal who held up a fast food restaurant in Austria handed himself into police after admitting he wanted a fresh start in life.

The unnamed 33-year-old brandished a gun loaded with blanks at the restaurant on Ausstellungsstrae in the Leopoldstadt district of Vienna.

The man seized 85 from the cash till and fled.

He then gave himself up to police officers at a nearby station less than an hour later, claiming he had severe financial problems and was desperate for money.

The weapon and stolen goods were seized and the man arrested on armed robbery charges.

He was very unhappy with his life situation, police spokesman Christoph Polzl told the Austrian newspaper ORF. He said during the interrogation that he wanted to be locked up so he could have a fresh start.

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

Police confirmed the man has been detained and is being held in jail in Vienna.
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The French Prime Minster has faced ridicule from historians and politicians after suggesting naked breasts are more representative of France than burkinis, after invoking Marianne - a national symbol of the French Republic - at a government rally.

Controversy over burkini bans, imposed in a number of the countrys cities, resorts and communes, heightened after photographs emerged showing four police officers forcing a woman on a beach in Nice to remove her burkini.

Some of the prohibitions have since been overturned in French courts. On Tuesday, a court in Nice ruled the burkini ban in Cannes violated basic freedoms.

The decision followed a ruling by France's highest administrative court over a similar ban in the Riviera town of Villeneuve-Loubet, in which the Council of State said the ban has dealt a serious and clearly illegal blow to fundamental liberties such as the freedom of movement, freedom of conscience and personal liberty.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls (Reuters)

Wading into the on-going debate over the full-body swimwear worn by some Muslim women, Manuel Valls invoked the image of Marianne, a depiction of the Goddess of Liberty and significant republican symbol, during the rally on Monday.

"Marianne has a naked breast because she is feeding the people! She is not veiled, because she is free! That is the republic!" he said at a Socialist Party meeting, Le Monde reports.

His comments have been mocked by historian Mathilde Larrere, who specialises in the French revolution and French citizenship. She called Mr Valls a "cretin", adding: "Marianne has a naked breast because it's an allegory."

In a series of Tweets, Ms Larrere explains that past depictions of Marianne with a bare breast were simply an "artistic code" and not related to femininity.

She further noted that the famous 1830 Eugene Delacroix painting was a representation of Liberty, not the Republic.

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

The historian Nicolas Lebourg told French newspaper Liberation, he also thought the Prime Minister had confused Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People with Marianne.

Green Politician Cecile Duflot also mocked Mr Valls' remarks by noting that many depictions of Marianne show her with her head covered in a felt Phrygian cap, which has become a further symbol of the French revolution.

She posted several images on Twitter, with captions including, "In my opinion the main quality of Marianne is perseverance" and "Marianne, is a little each of us".

According to the BBC, Social Affairs Minister Marisol Touraine and Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem failed to applaud Mr Valls at the rally when he spoke of Marianne.

Marianne has been a national symbol of the French Republic since the fall of the monarchy in 1848. She is an icon of freedom, democracy and opposition to monarchy.

Depictions of Marianne are displayed across France, including the Place de la Nation in Paris. She is also represented on Government documents and engraved on French euro coins.

Last week, Mr Valls supported the decision of some local mayors to invoke burkini bans.

Earlier on Tuesday, the UN human rights office condemned local bans in France on burkini swimwear as "a grave and illegal breach of fundamental freedoms" and a "stupid reaction" to recent extremist attacks.

While lawyer Patrice Spinosi, representing the Human Rights League, said women who had already received fines could appeal against them following the overturn of the Villeneuve-Loubet ban.
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Twin babies born on the treacherous refugee route through Libya are among thousands of asylum seekers rescued in just one day on the Mediterranean Sea.

The five-day old siblings had been born prematurely during their mothers journey to Europe and were found packed on a dangerously overcrowded boat with hundreds of other migrants.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said one of the twins was desperately ill and that both infants were evacuated to shore with their mother for emergency care.

One of the overcrowded wooden boats in rescue operations off Libya on 29 August (AP)

Antonia Zemp, the medical team leader on board the charitys rescue boat, said the woman had been travelling alone.

One of the boys was not well, she added. He was vomiting, had hypothermia and non-reactive.

Our medical team decided to request an evacuation due to the fact that his health was so fragile that he would not have survived the long journey to Italy in our boat.

They were among at least 6,500 migrants rescued while attempting the deadly crossing to Italy on Monday, in a concerning spike for humanitarian groups attempting to prevent disasters at sea.

MSF assisted the rescue of 3,000 people off the Libyan coast, taking 435 men women and children on to its Dignity I vessel and distributing 700 life jackets to those drifting at sea.

Those rescued including 13 children under the age of five, 110 minors  mostly unaccompanied teenagers  and 82 women.

A man clings to a boat during a rescue operation in the Mediterranean, yesterday (AP)

Aid agencies found asylum seekers suffering from hypothermia, fevers, dehydration and skin diseases after rescuing them from overloaded rubber dinghies and wooden fishing boats.

This is one of the largest numbers of people we have assisted in any single day since our search and rescue operations began over a year ago, said Nicholas Papachrysostomou, the field co-ordinator for Dignity I.

This unbelievable number speaks to the desperation people are facing in their countries that pushes them to risk their lives to seek safety and protection in Europe.the EUs response to the crisis at and within its borders has failed to address the urgent humanitarian and protection needs of refugees and migrants.

The operation came just weeks after a rescue vessel was boarded by armed men who shot at aid workers off the coast of Libya.

MSF is joining other humanitarian groups calling for safe and legal routes to Europe to be opened following the deaths of more than 3,000 migrants in the Mediterranean so far this year

Refugee crisis - in pictures Show all 27 1 /27 Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugee crisis - in pictures A child looks through the fence at the Moria detention camp for migrants and refugees at the island of Lesbos on May 24, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Ahmad Zarour, 32, from Syria, reacts after his rescue by MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) while attempting to reach the Greek island of Agathonisi, Dodecanese, southeastern Agean Sea Refugee crisis - in pictures Syrian migrants holding life vests gather onto a pebble beach in the Yesil liman district of Canakkale, northwestern Turkey, after being stopped by Turkish police in their attempt to reach the Greek island of Lesbos on 29 January 2016. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees flash the 'V for victory' sign during a demonstration as they block the Greek-Macedonian border Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants have been braving sub zero temperatures as they cross the border from Macedonia into Serbia. Refugee crisis - in pictures A sinking boat is seen behind a Turkish gendarme off the coast of Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016. At least 33 migrants drowned on January 30 when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A general view of a shelter for migrants inside a hangar of the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, Germany Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees protest behind a fence against restrictions limiting passage at the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Since last week, Macedonia has restricted passage to northern Europe to only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans who are considered war refugees. All other nationalities are deemed economic migrants and told to turn back. Macedonia has finished building a fence on its frontier with Greece becoming the latest country in Europe to build a border barrier aimed at checking the flow of refugees Refugee crisis - in pictures A father and his child wait after being caught by Turkish gendarme on 27 January 2016 at Canakkale's Kucukkuyu district Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants make hand signals as they arrive into the southern Spanish port of Malaga on 27 January, 2016 after an inflatable boat carrying 55 Africans, seven of them women and six chidren, was rescued by the Spanish coast guard off the Spanish coast. Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee holds two children as dozens arrive on an overcrowded boat on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures A child, covered by emergency blankets, reacts as she arrives, with other refugees and migrants, on the Greek island of Lesbos, At least five migrants including three children, died after four boats sank between Turkey and Greece, as rescue workers searched the sea for dozens more, the Greek coastguard said Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants wait under outside the Moria registration camp on the Lesbos. Over 400,000 people have landed on Greek islands from neighbouring Turkey since the beginning of the year Refugee crisis - in pictures The bodies of Christian refugees are buried separately from Muslim refugees at the Agios Panteleimonas cemetery in Mytilene, Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures Macedonian police officers control a crowd of refugees as they prepare to enter a camp after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee tries to force the entry to a camp as Macedonian police officers control a crowd after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees are seen aboard a Turkish fishing boat as they arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coast to Lesbos Reuters Refugee crisis - in pictures An elderly woman sings a lullaby to baby on a beach after arriving with other refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A man collapses as refugees make land from an overloaded rubber dinghy after crossing the Aegean see from Turkey, at the island of Lesbos EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures A girl reacts as refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees make a show of hands as they queue after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures People help a wheelchair user board a train with others, heading towards Serbia, at the transit camp for refugees near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija AP Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees board a train, after crossing the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Macedonia is a key transit country in the Balkans migration route into the EU, with thousands of asylum seekers - many of them from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia - entering the country every day Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures An aerial picture shows the "New Jungle" refugee camp where some 3,500 people live while they attempt to enter Britain, near the port of Calais, northern France Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A Syrian girl reacts as she helped by a volunteer upon her arrival from Turkey on the Greek island of Lesbos, after having crossed the Aegean Sea EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Beds ready for use for migrants and refugees are prepared at a processing center on January 27, 2016 in Passau, Germany. The flow of migrants arriving in Passau has dropped to between 500 and 1,000 per day, down significantly from last November, when in the same region up to 6,000 migrants were arriving daily.

The vast majority of asylum seekers are currently arriving on the Central Mediterranean route between Libya and Italy, since efforts to stop crossings over the Aegean Sea with the EU-Turkey deal.

But more than 460 migrants and refugees arrived on Greek islands on Tuesday alone - the highest figure in several weeks.

Most entered through the Aegean islands of Lesbos and Kos, where asylum seekers are detained until their applications are decided  being deported to Turkey if they are unsuccessful.

More than 160,000 migrants have arrived by sea in Greece so far this year, mostly Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis, and 105,000 in Italy, where the majority of asylum seekers come from Nigeria, Eritrea, Sudan and other African nations.

A record high of around 9,000 refugees hoping to travel to the UK are living at The Jungle camp in Calais, which has been the subject of discussions between Home Secretary Amber Rudd and her French counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve.


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The terror caliphate Isis has announced that its chief spokesman and one of its most senior figureheads has been killed in Syria.

Abu Muhammed al-Adnani was martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo [province], the groups Amaq News Agency said on Tuesday without providing any details. No date of his death was given although a eulogy of Adnani was released, dated 29 August 2016.

Recommended Read more US urges Turkey and Syrian factions to fight against Isis

Adnani was believed to be the second most important leader of Isis, after Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in charge of all of its operations beyond the bounds of its self-declared caliphate in Syria and Iraq. He is also one of the group's longest-serving top commanders. Some western offiicals believe he met al-Baghadi in a US prison camp after being arrested in Iraq in 2005.

The Amaq agency vowed to take revenge against the filthy cowards in the sect of disbelief. It said a generation raised in Isis-held territory will strike back.

If the death of Adnani is confirmed, it could represent the most significant kill ever of a top lieutenant of Isis by its enemies. Far more than just a spokesman for the group, he was a top strategist, particularly when it came to orchestrating terror attacks overseas, including in western European countries like France. It was Adnani, western officials believe, who helped plan some of those attacks and deployed Isis soldiers from the caliphate to carry them out.

He also stood out for his chilling choices of words when calling for a new unleashing of terror in the West. In one statement to the Isis faithful, Adnani urged the killing of the "filfthy French", adding that if it proved difficult to achieve that with either a bullet or a knife, the next best thing was to "crush them with your car". That staement seeemd to take on fresh significance after the terror attack in Nice in July when a 19-tonne cargo lorry was driven through a crowd killing 86 people.

While US officials said they were aware of the report, they could not immediately add any details or indeed confirm the death of Adnani.

Isis has come under increasing military pressure both from the US and its allies as well as from Russia and the forces of the Syrian government. While it holds territory in Aleppo governorate it is not in control of Aleppo city, where rebels are fighting fiercely with Syrian government forces.

Last year the US government put up a $5 million reward for information that would lead to Adnanis capture.

The military outlook for Isis in Syria has become more precarous in recent weeks as US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, and Syrian rebels backed by Turkey have advanced into its terriotory in northern Syria effectively cutting off its access to Turkey and strangling its route out of that country for bringing in new recruits.

A Syrian born in the city of Idlib, Adnani reportedly swore allegiance to the jihadist movement a decade ago. Earlier this year, the Iraqi government said he had been wounded in an aerial attack in the western province of Anbar and had then repaired to Mosul in northern Iraq.

Adnani frequently appeared as the face of Isis in its proclamations and threats to its foreign enemies, as when it urged its followers worldwide to launch attacks against the US and its allies during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan this year.
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Microsofts search engine, Bing, has provoked an outcry after it automatically translated Daesh, the Arabic acronym for Isis, as Saudi Arabia.

The incident has led representatives of Saudi Arabias monarchy, as well as many members of the public, to demand a complete national boycott of the search engine.

Social media users first spotted the mistake, which soon went viral as people complained about the translation - with some describing it as an "insult".

A Microsoft spokesperson told The Independent: "Our product team fixed the error in the automated translation within hours of learning about it."

Dr Mamdouh Najjar, Vice President and National Technology Officer for Microsoft in Saudi Arabia, took to Twitter to apologise for the mistake.

I apologise on behalf [of Microsoft] in person as an employee of the company, to the great Saudi people and this country dear to all our hearts for this unintended mistake.

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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. 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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. 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Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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The error was due to Bings use of crowd sourced translations, Dr Najjar told the Huffington Post.

Alternative translations can take the top spot if they are put forward by more than 1,000 people.
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Militias backed by the Iraqi government are recruiting child soldiers from refugee camps, while mounting a key operation against Isis.

Families said young boys were taken from a camp in northern Iraq earlier this month in the latest reported use of children in Iraq, where the illegal practice has also been documented in the so-called Islamic State and the Shia militias.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that residents of the Debaga camp, near Erbil in the autonomous Kurdistan region, said tribal militias recruited children among hundreds of refugees.

 Iraqi forces advance to weaken ISIL stronghold of Mosul

Witnesses said Hashad al-Ashari members drove the boys to a town closer to Mosul, where the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) are preparing to launch an offensive against the largest remaining Isis stronghold in the country.

The terrorist group has already been driven out of swathes of the country, including the cities of Fallujah, Ramadi and Tikrit.

But the gains have caused millions of Iraqis to flee their homes, including 35,000 people sheltering at Debaga after fleeing battles between government forces and Isis.

A resident told HRW that local militias had been arriving in the refugee camp with empty lorries and leaving with them filled with men and boys who volunteer to fight.

Two very large vehicles arrived on 14 August, taking around 250 new recruits, at least seven of them under the age of 18, to join forces headed by a commander known as Sheikh Nishwan al-Jabouri.

Young Iraqi volunteers were photographed training with the Popular Mobilisation Forces in Baghdad, Iraq. (AP)

Aid workers believe the boys, as young as 16, will be used to reinforce the militias forces near the front line.

There were allegations of complicity by Iraqi security forces after a man saw men wearing official ISF uniforms in Debaga camp days before the transfer on 14 August, as well as militia members wearing the uniforms.

Recommended Read more Isis using more child fighters than feared as suicide bombers

The resident, who had fled the Makhmour district that Isis ruled for 21 months before they were driven out by Iraqi forces in March, said 10 of his sons had joined militias.

One of the boys is just 15, he said, but one born in 2001 went along too but they sent him home because they said he was too young.

His 20-year-old son said men in his group fight for one week at a time, adding: We are fighting alongside the ISF, and our salaries are paid by Baghdad, we are basically part of the Iraqi military.

They receive 447,500 Iraqi dinars (290) per month, adding that at least four men in his militia had been killed and 45 wounded in the past six months.

The Hashad al-Ashari, a group of local Sunni fighters, is expected to play a key role in the operation amid rumours the government may ban the Shia Popular Mobilisation Forces after allegations of war crimes including summary killings and torture.

In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Show all 12 1 /12 In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Smoke rises after airstrikes by US-led coalition planes as Iraqi security forces advance against Islamic State extremists in Fallujah, June 15, 2016 AP In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Iraqi security forces advance during heavy fighting against Isis militants in Fallujah, Iraq, on 14 June AP In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Shia militia say that moving resources from Fallujah towards the area near Mosul was a 'betrayal' of the battle for the city GETTY In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Hospital sources said 18 bodies were recovered from the river over the weekend AP In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Up to 60,000 civilians were feared trapped in Fallujah at the start of the Iraqi operation AP In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Shia fighters hold an Isis flag in an operation east of Fallujah  the terror group has lost ground in both Syria and Iraq AFP/Getty In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Shia fighters hold their weapons as they gather near Falluja, Iraq, June 4, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Pro-government forces bid to take back ground from Isis in Fallujah MOADH AL-DULAIMI/AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Smoke billows on the horizon as Iraqi military forces prepare for an offensive to retake the city AP In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah A member of the Iraqi security forces fires artillery during clashes with Isis militants near Fallujah, Iraq, 29 May, 2016 Reuters In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Iraqi government forces fire a rocket near al-Sejar village, north-east of Fallujah, on May 26, 2016, as they take part in a major assault to retake the city from the Islamic State group AFP/Getty In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Shia fighters and Iraqi security forces advance towards Fallujah Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters

PMF fighters were also filmed training boys at an anti-Isis "summer camp" in Iraq last year, before sending them to the front line in Anbar province.

Bill Van Esveld, Human Rights Watchs senior childrens rights researcher, said the Iraqi government and its allies must ensure that anti-Isis forces are not using child soldiers.

The recruitment of children as fighters for the Mosul operation should be a warning sign for the Iraqi government, he said. The government and its foreign allies need to take action now, or children are going to be fighting on both sides in Mosul.

Isis has carried out large-scale abductions of children and advertises its use of young boys as fighters and suicide bombers, frequently hailing them as martyrs on social media and featuring them in gory propaganda videos.

A United Nations protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, which Iraq ratified in 2008, prohibits armed groups from recruiting and using children under 18.

As parties to the conflict, the US and other coalition members should pressure Iraqs government and Iraqi militias to end child recruitment, immediately demobilise children, work to reintegrate them, and appropriately penalise commanders responsible for recruiting children, a spokesperson for HRW said.

Children at an Isis training camp for children in Syria

The US-led coalition is supporting Iraqi forces and militias, launching air strikes as part of Operation Inherent Resolve and providing training, weapons and logistical support.

Britain is deploying HMS Daring, a Type 45 destroyer, and her 190 crew to the region this week and has carried out more than 900 air strikes against Isis since September 2014.

A recent tally of operations listed the bombing of militants in a cave north west of Mosul, and strikes near Qayyarah and Ramadi last week.

Air support will continue for Iraqi forces as they prepare for the long-awaited assault on Mosul, with a town and air base to the south taken from Isis on Thursday.

The UN has warned that the offensive could cause a displacement crisis on a scale not seen for many years, as tens of thousands of Iraqis flee their homes.

The assaults on the former Isis strongholds of Fallujah and Ramadi have seen entire districts razed to the ground, with families either shot by militants while attempting to escape or fleeing to find themselves without access to water and shelter in overcrowded camps.

Following reported abuses in Tikrit earlier this year, the Iraqi prime minister vowed not to tolerate any violations against civilians by militias.

Referring to allegations against the Popular Mobilisation Forces, Haider al-Abadi confirmed militia members were suspected of looting, arson and violence, sparking several arrests.

The Iraqi Embassy in London and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have not yet responded to The Independents request for comment.
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Q Where would you say the best place for a city break is at the end of March/start of April? Is Marrakech safe to go to?

Neil Bembrick

A Late March and early April is an excellent time for a city break somewhere warm and interesting  so long as you go far enough south. Eastern cities such as Dubrovnik, Athens and Istanbul can be distinctly chilly. For more westerly Mediterranean cities, its a matter of flying to the deep south: Valletta, the historic Maltese capital, becomes warm and alluring in March and April. Meanwhile in southern Spain, Malaga, Cordoba and Seville are also bright and beautiful, with fascinating medieval quarters, good museums and great places to eat and drink.

But Marrakech is an inspired idea for its extraordinary souk, handsome monuments and vibrant street life. It is more sun-sure than European destinations. I have been there at the start of March and, with the exception of a single downpour, the weather was excellent. A spring visit avoids the intense heat of summer, the crowds are not too bothersome and the Jardin Majorelle  developed by the fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent  will be blossoming.

In terms of danger, the Foreign Office says there is a high threat from terrorism in Morocco and reminds prospective visitors that, five years ago, 17 people were killed and 25 injured in the bombing of the Argana Restaurant in Marrakech, overlooking the Djema el-Fna Square. And it adds: The Moroccan authorities have warned of an increased threat linked to the growing number of Moroccans sympathetic or belonging to Daesh and other extremist groups.

It is impossible to say that anywhere is safe, but I believe the risks in Marrakech are tolerably low.

All these cities have been covered by our 48 Hours in series; just search online for 48 Hours and the name of your target city, and you will get a prescription for a rewarding weekend.

Every day, our travel correspondent, Simon Calder, tackles a readers question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder

Click here to view Moroccan tours and cruises, with Independent Holidays.
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Plenty of professionals in stressful jobs enjoy a drink. Some will occasionally binge, and small proportion may become alcohol dependent. But the risk to life and limb presented to the public by, say, a drunk journalist or lawyer is very low, providing he or she doesnt do something daft such as driving. At the other extreme, bus and train drivers, ships officers and airline pilots are responsible for many lives.

Several incidents involving pilots alleged to have reported for duty while drunk have occurred recently, leading readers to contact The Independent to ask about the prevalence, the risks and the rules on pilots and alcohol.

What are the risks of alcohol to a pilots ability to fly safely?

Flying an aircraft is a profoundly demanding job. Pilots are trained to perform the highly complex tasks necessary to get the plane into the sky, navigate safely to the destination and land. These procedures demand formidable cognitive ability, conformity to a plethora of international and national regulations and a constant sense of what if ?  preparedness for unexpected events from a sudden depressurisation to a medical emergency on board. The workplace is exceptionally small and cramped by the standards of ground-based work, and the hours involved are often antisocial and involve crossing multiple time zones.

Alcohol and aviation do not mix, whether you are a passenger or a pilot, and indeed the effects of alcohol can be intensified at altitude.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says: The majority of adverse effects produced by alcohol relate to the brain, the eyes, and the inner ear  three crucial organs to a pilot.

Brain effects include impaired reaction time, reasoning, judgment, and memory. Visual symptoms include eye muscle imbalance, which leads to double vision and difficulty focusing. Inner ear effects include dizziness, and decreased hearing perception.

What does the law say?

Every country makes its own rules, but the basic rules typically stipulate a significant gap  often eight hours  between the last alcoholic drink and reporting for duty. This is often called the bottle to throttle time. In addition, most nations impose a limit below the legal blood-alcohol maximum for driving.

Is there a typical set of circumstances in which pilots are suspected of being under the influence of alcohol?

Looking at a number of incidents, it appears that the most common time that a pilot is suspected of being drunk is after a night-stop away from base. In some circumstances there may be a culture among crews of drinking while away from home, perhaps as a reaction to boredom or loneliness.

What methods are used to detect pilots who infringe the rules?

At present, a typical scenario is that ground staff or fellow crew members suspect that a pilot may have been drinking and either challenge him or her or report their fears to the authorities.

Some jurisdictions, and individual airlines, carry out random alcohol and drug spot checks on staff (including cabin crew, who, like pilots, are safety-critical). After the Germanwings crash in 2015, in which the first officer deliberately flew the aircraft into the French Alps and killed all 150 on board, European safety regulators have been calling for such testing to be mandatory. But many pilots oppose this, saying it would be unhelpful and intrusive.

How often does alcohol contribute to accidents?

It is difficult to say, because a typical plane crash involves a whole sequence of events that combine to create danger. A survey of light-aircraft fatal accidents conducted by the Forensic Toxicology Research Section of the FAA (going back, it must be said, to 1993), shows that alcohol above the 0.04 blood-alcohol limit for pilots was found in about one in 12 cases.

But the figures for passenger aircraft are very different. Dr Rob Hunter of the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA), says: The data suggests that there is not a problem of drug and alcohol misuse in large commercial air transport operations.

Passenger planes crash far less frequently than light aircraft, so it is impossible to come up with any kind of percentage, but in two fatal accidents in Russia in 2011 and 2012 drunk pilots were held to be partly responsible.

Shouldnt flight crew simply be banned from drinking?

The FAA says: Alcohol avoidance is as critical as developing a flight plan, a good pre-flight inspection, obeying air-traffic control procedures, and avoiding severe weather. It notes that the effect of a hangover can continue for 48 to 72 hours following the last drink, degrading cognitive and psychomotor abilities.

Yet aviation is a social profession; most pilots are thoroughly responsible individuals; and an outright ban could have the undesirable effect of persuading some pilots to drink secretly, rather than openly in company.

Indeed, openness is probably the best key to reducing the risks in the long term. A leading aviation safety expert says: "In the Netherlands, an excellent programme exists called 'anti-skid'. The system is run by the pilot association together with professional alcohol help groups and the co-operation of the employer. The idea is to get the pilot off-line and into help without him or her losing their job. It requires delicate work but it does help the small number of pilots that get into trouble with alcohol or substance abuse."
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The European system of asylum, already no model of order, justice or efficiency, is about to be thrown into an even worse state of chaos, should the latest suggestions from the regional Calais authorities be acted upon.

In a misguided attempt, no doubt, to relieve pressure on local resources and solve the humanitarian disaster that is the so-called Jungle, Xavier Bertrand, president of the Hauts-de-France Nord Pas De Calais-Picardie region, says that migrants should be able to claim asylum in Britain, but on French soil. He suggested that the conscious creation of such a hotspot would be helpful all round.

The reality would be anything but. Already atrociously overcrowded and squalid, and run by criminal gangs, the migrant camp would immediately become more attractive to those wishing, genuinely or not, to gain passage to Britain. That would mean an upsurge in people trafficking. If, as seems likely, many would be refused asylum then they would remain marooned in limbo around Calais. For those who would be granted asylum there is, true, a better future for them and a potential gain for the UK, as the country would continue to benefit economically from immigration.

The problem with that is the orderly allocation of migrants, including refugees, across the EU, at least for as long as Britian remains a member. Under the EU's Dublin protocols, refugees should claim asylum in the first safe country they arrive in, and not in the last one they manage to enter. The EU has consistently failed to assist the Mediterranean nations under the greatest strain from the refugee crisis  Malta, Greece and Italy. Germany and Sweden aside, EU members have also shirked their humanitarian responsibilities to share the job of welcoming and settling people who have been fleeing for their lives from Syria and elsewhere. Only the EU's initiative with Turkey over the return of illegal migrants seems to be working.

So when Home Secretary Amber Rudd meets her French counterpart later this week she should open up the dialogue on the best way to preserve the present arrangements, under the Le Touquet Treaty, which allows for UK checking of passports in France and vice versa, in a post-Brexit world. She should also stress to the French authorities that the idea of a hot spot at Calais would make a difficult situation worse.

Looking ahead, Ms Rudd is also bound to suggest how a Britain outside the EU can still be a part of a continent-wide effort to deal with this unprecedented, at least since 1945, movement of human beings across Europe. That should involve states to the north, south and east currently not part of the EU, such as Norway, Macedonia, Serbia and Russia, for example, all of which have felt the impact of the migration crisis. It means supporting states that are the first point of entry; providing humanitarian support to the camps; ensuring law and order, and above all fixing fair quotas for safe settlement.

The track record so far in international cooperation on the migrant crisis has been poor; Brexit, and the extra uncertainties it has added to this as so many policy areas, is the fundamental reason why some French politicians are taking the opportunity to launch some unhelpful and counter-productive initiatives. At least we understand that part of this abiding human tragedy.
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A little over two years ago, the day before my fathers 80th birthday and the day he was due to fly home for a family celebration, my brother died unexpectedly in Bali, Indonesia.

I write this to underline that I empathise with the families of Mia Ayliffe-Chung and Tom Jackson, both killed in an Australian hostel last week. When Mias mother Rosie Ayliffe writes, as she did here in The Independent, that her daughters body is on a slab somewhere in a cold dark place, I know what she is saying. My last image of my brother is his lifeless body on a morgue table in Bali before we took him for cremation.

My brother was not killed and his death was not linked to Islam, the main religion of Indonesia but a minority religion on the Indonesian island of Bali. My family therefore did not have to go through the additional trauma of incessant speculation about a link with terrorism.

I respect and agree with Rosie Ayliffe when she writes the killer is not an Islamic fundamentalist, he has never set foot in a mosque. But this wont stop those who seek to link this tragic death with another cause. This tendency to jump to terrorism as a foregone conclusion plays right into the hands of Isis.

Isis understands well the propaganda machine that is social media. It has used the medium effectively to inspire people to join its cause. Calling people terrorists who may not be, latching on to reports that a killer shouted, Allahu akbar! before stabbing two young tourists, or banning the Australian-invented burkini from French beaches are all gifts that Isis is more than happy to receive.

While there is no doubt that some recent killings, such as the coordinated attacks in Paris last November, were conducted by organised fanatics who follow a twisted and flawed interpretation of Islam, other isolated loners have been given an elevated status they do not warrant.

Not all those who claim that they kill in the name of God are terrorists; some are mentally unstable, or taking advantage of a media landscape in order to gain themselves notoriety. Crying terrorist, before even Isis has the chance to, is a grave error.

Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Show all 9 1 /9 Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Policemen outside Rouen's cathedral during the funeral of Jacques Hamel, the priest who was killed in a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in Normandy on 26 July during a hostage-taking claimed by Islamic State group Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Two jihadists, both 19, slit Hamel's throat while he was celebrating mass in an attack that shocked France as well as the Catholic Church Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Muslims place flowers and hold a minute of silence in front of the church if Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, western France, where French priest Jacques Hamel was killed on 26 July Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Two people hold each other by the new makeshift memorial in Nice, in tribute to the victims of the deadly Bastille Day attack at the Promenade des Anglais Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the truck attack that killed 84 people in Nice on France's national holiday. Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, 31, smashed a 19-tonne truck into a packed crowd of people in the Riviera city celebrating Bastille Day Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Police work at a site where a Syrian migrant set off an explosive device in Ansbach, southern Germany, on 25 July, killing himself and wounding a dozen others Daniel Roland/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis A Syrian migrant set off an explosion at a bar in southern Germany that killed himself and wounded a dozen others in the third attack to hit Bavaria in a week. The 27-year-old, who had spent a stint in a psychiatric facility, had intended to target a music festival in the city of Ansbach but was turned away because he did not have a ticket Friebe/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Police officers walk along train tracks in Wuerzburg southern Germany on 19 July, a day after a man attacked train passengers with an axe. German authorities said they had found a hand-painted IS flag among the belongings of the man, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, who seriously injured four members of a family of tourists from Hong Kong in his rampage Daniel Roland/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis German police killed a teenage assailant after he attacked passengers on a train in Wuerzburg, southerg Germany with an axe and a knife on 18 July, seriously wounding three people Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/AFP/Getty Images

By rapidly naming certain loners as Islamic terrorists and incorrectly giving them status, the media ends up doing Isis propaganda work for them.

For example, were the Orlando murderer, the Sydney siege murderer, or the Nice murderer terrorists? Like Mia and Toms killer, these three did not appear to be part of organised groups. We know none of the Nice, Sydney and Orlando killers had a deep religious history. All three rarely prayed in mosques. They drank, had sex out of marriage, failed to fast in Ramadan. None was a devout Muslim, according to anecdotal evidence from people who claimed to have known them.

But what did they have in common? All three men had broken relationships with their wives and partners. They were all estranged loners who didnt belong. They all had a history of family violence. In the case of the Orlando killer, he had a long history of steroid use, which has been linked to aggression. Although claims were made during the attacks, no formal links with Isis have been found.

But if they werent terrorists, what were they?

In 1990s USA, we saw a sudden spike in what became known as suicide by cop. A group of deranged people decided to end their lives in a burst of publicity and misery, killing others in their wake and then forcing others to kill them.

In death, sick loners like these look for a sense of belonging. They look to die in publicity, being labelled a hero of a group. These people dont kill because they are Muslim; they kill because they want to be on the front page. And they know if they yell Allahu akbar, they will get the publicity they crave.

Why give these people what they are looking for in death? Why give them what we want, and risk encouraging more fools like them to follow?

These men were killers, but they werent terrorists and do not deserve to be given the right to terrorise us. We should follow the French lead and no longer publish these murderers names. We shouldnt falsely attribute to them a cause, as if they had a proper reason to do what they did.

Rosie Ayliffe wrote today about preparing for her 21-year-old daughters funeral: After talking about the misrepresentation of Mias death in the media as an act of terrorism on the part of an Islamic fundamentalist, the minister delivering the service suggested we include a Koranic reading, and he will find something suitable with a friend who is an Islamic scholar. If this brave woman can stand against prejudice and Islamophobia even now, then we can all manage to resist the easy narrative and pay attention to the more nuanced one.

When these butchers kill people, let the security services determine if they are terrorists. Everyone else should just call them for what they are: killers.

Andrew MacLeod is a visiting Professor at Kings College London and a former UN and Red Cross official who served in Rwanda, Yugoslavia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and others. He has negotiated with warlords and terrorists. He can be followed on Twitter @Why_slow_down
The boss of Apple has warned that the European Commission has put jobs and investment at risk after ordering the tech giant to pay 13 billion euro in unpaid tax.

Chief executive Tim Cook accused competition chiefs in Brussels of targeting his global brand with laws that did not exist and simultaneously putting every business on the continent at risk.

The tech guru launched the broadside after Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager's landmark ruling into the iPad and iPhone maker's tax affairs found it paid just 1% tax on its European profits in 2003 and 0.005% in 2014.

Two years ago that worked out at 50 euro on every million in profit, she said.

Mr Cook dismissed the three-year investigation and went direct to his customer base with a message on apple.com and a vow to fight the order in what will likely be years of courtroom battles.

He also claimed: "We have become the largest taxpayer in Ireland, the largest taxpayer in the United States, and the largest taxpayer in the world.

"In Ireland and in every country where we operate, Apple follows the law and we pay all the taxes we owe."

The Department of Finance is expected to lead the legal challenge to the Commissioner's record findings and tax bill.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan's response was a charm offensive on satellite channels devoted to money markets and a warning that Ireland does not do "deals" with taxpayers.

"Our tax system is founded on the strict application of the law ... without exception," he said.

Mr Noonan added that it was necessary to fight the verdict in the courts "to defend the integrity of our tax system, to provide tax certainty to business, and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation".

The unprecedented ruling from Brussels found officials in Dublin gave assurances to Apple in 1991 and 2007 that it was abiding by law in the manner it structured its affairs, recorded profits and made payments to its California offices.

The Commissioner said the treatment of Apple amounted to illegal state aid.

The inquiry found that Ireland's treatment of Apple allowed the global brand to avoid taxation on almost all profits generated by sales in the entire European single market.

It said this was because Apple recorded all its sales in Ireland rather than in the countries where the products were sold.

The company has had a base in Ireland since 1980 and now employs 6,000 people.

Mr Cook said he was committed to the presence but warned that the "most profound and harmful effect" of the watchdog's ruling will be on jobs and investment in Europe.

The case is one of the most high-profile in the fight to redraw boundaries on aggressive tax avoidance, an issue which has put the EU at odds with the US government - an irony given that it was a Senate committee in Washington that first heard Apple was paying as little as 2% tax on its profits.

Ms Vestager found the two tax rulings issued by Ireland on the use of two Irish incorporated companies of the Apple group - Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe - did not reflect economic reality.

The commissioner said almost all sales profits recorded by them were internally attributed to a "head office" which only existed on paper and could not have generated such profits.

Her inquiry found the profits were not subject to tax anywhere.

Ms Vestager dismissed threatened court challenges from Apple and the Irish Government, saying she had a "very concrete case".

Elsewhere, Apple dismissed suggestions that it will have to pay six billion euro interest on top of the 13 billion euro tax bill, while it suggested the legal challenge to the case will take several years.
Tim Cook accused Brussels of taking unprecedented action, with serious and wide-reaching complications.

Apple executives have accused one of Europe's most powerful watchdogs of getting her sums wrong in calculating the jaw-dropping bill for unpaid tax.

The company's chief financial officer, Luca Maestri, claimed the tech giant paid 400 million US dollars in tax in 2014 in Ireland as he joined chief executive Tim Cook to offer a doom-laden view of the fallout.

He claimed Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager's assessment that Apple paid just 50 euro in tax for every one million euro it made that year was nonsense.

"It is a completely made-up number," he said.

The dismissive response came after Mr Cook posted a lengthy message on apple.com, warning about devastating ramifications for the sovereignty of European countries in light of the competition chief's hard line.

"As our business has grown over the years, we have become the largest taxpayer in Ireland, the largest taxpayer in the United States, and the largest taxpayer in the world," the Apple boss said.

"In Ireland and in every country where we operate, Apple follows the law and we pay all the taxes we owe."

Mr Cook accused Brussels of taking unprecedented action, with serious and wide-reaching complications.

"Beyond the obvious targeting of Apple, the most profound and harmful effect of this ruling will be on investment and job creation in Europe," he said.

"Using the Commission's theory, every company in Ireland and across Europe is suddenly at risk of being subjected to taxes under laws that never existed."

Apple insists it is committed to Ireland, where employee numbers have grown from 60 in October 1980 and through the lean years of the early 1990s to almost 6,000 now.

But it warned about how US multinationals and others will view the prospect of setting up shop on European soil if the retrospective multi-billion euro bill stands once several years of legal wrangling play out.

Mr Cook said: "It is effectively proposing to replace Irish tax laws with a view of what the Commission thinks the law should have been.

"This would strike a devastating blow to the sovereignty of EU member states over their own tax matters, and to the principle of certainty of law in Europe."

Apple executives said the Commissioner's assessment of the Irish Government's 25-year-old tax advice was "legal mumbo jumbo".

And with officials in Dublin anxiously looking across the Irish Sea at a Brexit-focused UK economy, Mr Maestri followed up: "We really believe that the impact of this decision will be devastating for the European economy."

Apple also dismissed the prospect of a 6 billion euro interest bill being piled on top of the unpaid tax.

The company went further in its defence, accusing the Commissioner of misunderstanding its corporate structure, describing the entire operation at its original home of Cupertino, California as its crown jewels and head office.

Bruce Sewell, Apple's general counsel, slammed Commissioner Vestager's ruling on the 1991 tax advice as "astounding, stunning and very troubling".

"We think on the facts and the law we are going to win," the lawyer said.

"We are trying to sound the alarm that what the Commission is doing has real consequences."

And with Apple claiming it did not get a opportunity to defend itself during the watchdog's investigation, Mr Cook went direct to customers.

"Taxes for multinational companies are complex, yet a fundamental principle is recognized around the world: A company's profits should be taxed in the country where the value is created. Apple, Ireland and the United States all agree on this principle," he said.

"In Apple's case, nearly all of our research and development takes place in California, so the vast majority of our profits are taxed in the United States. European companies doing business in the US are taxed according to the same principle. But the Commission is now calling to retroactively change those rules."

Mr Cook said Apple supports international tax reform with the objectives of simplicity and clarity.

"We believe these changes should come about through the proper legislative process, in which proposals are discussed among the leaders and citizens of the affected countries. And as with any new laws, they should be applied going forward - not retroactively," he said.

"We firmly believe that the facts and the established legal principles upon which the EU was founded will ultimately prevail."
Dublin Bus users are facing the prospect of six days of strikes as drivers ratchet up their campaign for pay rises.

The National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) and Siptu issued the threat to the company today, which includes three 48 hour stoppages on September 8 and 9, the following week on September 15 and 16 and again on September 23 and 24.

Workers at Dublin Bus claim they have not had any wage increase for eight years.

NBRU general secretary Dermot O'Leary accused management and civil servants of playing Russian roulette with the vital transport service.

"It is a sad indictment on Dublin Bus and its pay masters that they have not made any effort towards resolving this dispute," he said.

"This despite the fact that it is now over six weeks since the Labour Court Recommendation on pay was rejected by staff, it seems that the company and the mandarins at the department are prepared to play Russian roulette with a public transport service that underpins the social and economic fabric of our capital city."

Dublin Bus carries about 330,000 people every day.

The strike warning was made after staff rejected a Labour Court recommendation which proposed an 8.2% pay rise over three years.

Owen Reidy, Siptu's organiser in the transport, energy, aviation and construction sectors, said the pay demands - 15% over three years along with other payments - was fair and reasonable.

The union is also seeking a payment in lieu of an agreed 6% pay increase which was deferred a number of years ago and it called for pay to be pensionable along the same terms as Irish Rail workers and a link between pay and pensions to be maintained.

Mr Reidy said: "Dublin Bus returned to profit in 2014. Over the last five years there has been an increase in passenger numbers and revenue is up 30%.

"However, during this period the state subvention to the company has been reduced by a total of 24%. This cut further undermines a transport company whose subvention, in comparison to that provided to bus services in other European cities, was already low."

Mr O'Leary said the pay demand and call for the deferred 6% pay increase to be met are "building blocks" in treating bus workers the same as tram workers.

The Luas network was crippled over the course of months earlier this year as drivers and ticket inspectors took repeated strike action in a bitter dispute with management. They secured an 18% pay increase.

"Our members desire is not to engage in a dispute which will discommode the very people who rely on this most practical, most necessary public service, however, the (Transport) Minister Shane Ross and the Government have a responsibility to ensure that Dublin Bus is allowed to come back to the negotiating table with an improved offer," Mr O'Leary said.
THE European Commission has ordered that Ireland demands back taxes from Apple of approximately 13 billion.

Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager today announced the findings of the three-year State Aid investigation into the tech giants tax arrangements in Ireland.

The EU probe has found that Apple had been conferred with an unfair advantage as a result of tax rulings it received from the Revenue in 1991 and 2007.

The Irish government and Apple have always rejected allegations of wrongdoing and both separately intend to appeal the decision.

The European Commission concluded that Ireland granted undue tax benefits of up to 13bn to Apple.

Member States cannot give tax benefits to selected companies  this is illegal under EU state aid rules, Ms Vestager said.

Expand Expand Previous Next Close Apple boss Tim Cook has repeatedly said he believed the EC would rule in his favour but was prepared to pay any taxes due. The European Commission probed the Irish 'sweetheart deal' with Apple / Facebook

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Whatsapp Apple boss Tim Cook has repeatedly said he believed the EC would rule in his favour but was prepared to pay any taxes due.

Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years, she added.

Ms Vestager the arrangement allowed Apple to pay an effective corporate tax rate of 1pc on its European profits in 2003 down to 0.005pc in 2014.

Read More

Response

Apple has responded to todays historic decision by the European Commission to require Ireland to collect up to 13bn in back taxes from the company.

Expand Close Finance Minister Michael Noonan,TD at Leinster House earlier today. Photo: Tom Burke / Facebook

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Whatsapp Finance Minister Michael Noonan,TD at Leinster House earlier today. Photo: Tom Burke

"The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apples history in Europe, ignore Irelands tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process, said the company in a statement.

The Commissions case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes, its about which government collects the money. It will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe.

"Apple follows the law and pays all of the taxes we owe wherever we operate. We will appeal and we are confident the decision will be overturned.

The company recently received planning permission to expand its facility in Cork by 1,000 jobs.

Special meeting

A special Cabinet meeting will convene tomorrow to discuss the ruling.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan discussed the matter with Independent Alliance TDs last night.

He also briefed Fianna Fail Finance spokesman Michael McGrath.

The States reaction to the Commissions ruling centres around five points which are that:

 The Government disagrees profoundly with the Commissions analysis.

 Ireland did not give favourable tax treatment to Apple. Ireland does not do deals with taxpayers.

 Finance Minister Michael Noonan will seek Cabinet approval to appeal the Commission decision to the European Courts.

 No fine or penalty has been levied against the Irish State.

 This decision has no effect on the 12.5pc rate of corporation tax and is not about Irelands wider corporation tax regime. No other companies are subject to this decision by the European Commission.

The Finance Department has insisted that Apple got no special treatment from the Revenue Commissioners and that Ireland has a robust case in appealing the Commissions ruling.

The purpose of tomorrows Cabinet meeting is to get face-to-face agreement on the appeal which a course of action Minister Noonan and the Department of Finance have repeatedly backed.

Opposition politicians have called for the back-taxes to be recovered and spent on public services and housing.

However, the government has argued that Ireland would suffer reputational damage if the State doesnt appeal the decision and that even if the cash ultimately ends up in the State's coffers, it would have to be used to pay down the national debt.

A government spokesman pointed out that Apple will soon employ 6,000 people in Cork.

When we talk about defending reputations were talking about defending jobs, he said.

Meanwhile, members of the Independent Alliance said they are "shocked" by the European Commission's decision and said they are reviewing the Commission's statement issued today.

"We will consult further with Minister Noonan, his officials, Revenue, and our own independent experts," they said in a statement released on Tuesday afternoon.

Read More

The Investigation

The Commission's statement says it launched its State Aid investigation in June 2014.

"The European Commission has concluded that two tax rulings issued by Ireland to Apple have substantially and artificially lowered the tax paid by Apple in Ireland since 1991.

"The rulings endorsed a way to establish the taxable profits for two Irish incorporated companies of the Apple group (Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe), which did not correspond to economic reality: almost all sales profits recorded by the two companies were internally attributed to a "head office".

"The Commission's assessment showed that these "head offices" existed only on paper and could not have generated such profits.

"These profits allocated to the "head offices" were not subject to tax in any country under specific provisions of the Irish tax law, which are no longer in force.

"As a result of the allocation method endorsed in the tax rulings, Apple only paid an effective corporate tax rate that declined from 1pc in 2003 to 0.005pc in 2014 on the profits of Apple Sales International," the Commission said.

Its statement said the "selective tax treatment of Apple in Ireland is illegal under EU state aid rules, because it gives Apple a significant advantage over other businesses that are subject to the same national taxation rules."

The Commission says it can order the recovery of illegal state aid for a ten-year period preceding the Commission's first request for information in 2013.

Ireland must now recover the unpaid taxes in Ireland from Apple for the years 2003 to 2014 of up to 13 billion, plus interest.

The Commission statement adds: "the tax treatment in Ireland enabled Apple to avoid taxation on almost all profits generated by sales of Apple products in the entire EU Single Market.

"This is due to Apple's decision to record all sales in Ireland rather than in the countries where the products were sold.

"This structure is however outside the remit of EU state aid control.

"If other countries were to require Apple to pay more tax on profits of the two companies over the same period under their national taxation rules, this would reduce the amount to be recovered by Ireland."
The IFA and ICMSA have clashed on how a new 22m support package for the dairy sector should be spent.

While IFA has suggested that the aid package be used to guarantee low interest farmer loans, ICMSA has called for funds to be distributed as a direct payment worth 1,200 per milk supplier.

"Unlike other sectors, there are no coupled support schemes in place for dairy cows comparable to the BDGP in place for suckler cows and the new sheep payment being introduced," the ICMSA president John Comer pointed out.

In contrast, the IFA has called on the Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, to use the aid package to provide farmers with "low-cost short-term loans, or otherwise help them with their cash flow difficulties."

IFA dairy committee chairman, Sean O'Leary, said any such loan package could be based on the 15,000 state aid concession agreed in Brussels earlier this year.

However, ICMSA claimed that involving the banks in the dairy crisis scheme equated "to a bank subsidy".

The EU Commission's Management Committee gave the green light to the 500m aid package for the dairy sector last week. Ireland has been allocated 11.1m of a 350m dairy fund. Member States can opt to match this funding, which the Irish government is expected to do.

The package also includes a 14c/l payment to dairy farmers who agree to cut production this autumn and winter; and an extension of the intervention period for skim milk powder.

It is still unclear how Minister Creed aims to allocate the direct aid funds but he said priority would be given to measures which delivered "value for money while offering structural assistance to farmers in helping to tackle ongoing liquidity issues."

Slowdown

Speaking at last week's Virginia Show, Agriculture Commissioner, Phil Hogan, said Irish dairy farmers had not shown any immediate interest in the scheme, dairy farmers in Germany and France were enthusiastic about the measures.

The slowdown in Europe's milk supplies appears certain with the British dairy herd down by 2pc in the past year - the biggest annual drop in four years.

Also revealed in the last week were figures that show EU monthly milk output is lower than the same period in 2015 for the first time.
Apple boss Tim Cook has repeatedly said he believed the EC would rule in his favour but was prepared to pay any taxes due.

An appeal by the Government against an EU ruling that Apple's tax arrangements in Ireland were illegal is likely to push back a final decision on the controversy for five or six years.

The Revenue Commissioners may have to seek billions of euro in back-taxes from the technology giant as a result of an anticipated finding that two tax rulings given to Apple amounted to illegal state aid.

Expand Close Fix services: John Halligan. Pic Tom Burke / Facebook

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The European Competition Authority will order Ireland to demand back-taxes from Apple today following a two-year investigation. Ireland and Apple say they'll appeal the ruling.

Critics, including the powerful US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, have accused Brussels of exceeding its remit with this and similar cases, mainly involving US multinationals.

The EU Commission has no authority to tell member states to change their tax rules, but it can act if it finds a company or companies gained an unfair advantage as a result of taxes being levied improperly.

Arrangements are already well advanced for the Government to lodge an appeal on an adverse decision once the European Commission's finding is delivered this morning.

"Absolutely, we will appeal," Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor said, denying that there was a 'sweetheart deal' with Apple. She added: "We will make sure we are putting Ireland first and that is what we will be doing."

The Apple decision will be top of the agenda when the Cabinet holds it first post-summer meeting tomorrow week.

Read more: FF to back appeal as Apple tax ruling poses 'political landmine'

Read more: Government is between a rock and a hard place over Apple tax

Mr Noonan has two months and 10 days to lodge the appeal, provided he gets Cabinet approval to do so. A memo circulated to ministers last night said that the US Treasury is likely to speak out against the ruling.

It also noted that if the Government were to accept the money, it may end up having to pay it back in years to come if Apple's appeal against the EU was successful.

Ministers were not told the final figure of tax payback in advance of today's formal announcement but it is expected to be more than 1bn.

Should the appeal fail, the Government can take the issue further to the EU Court of Justice. Legal sources said it could be "up to five or six years" before the appeals process is exhausted.

The Finance Department has retained barristers in Ireland and the UK over the past two years to work on the appeal.

Officials said the general grounds of appeal were relatively simple - that Ireland did not undercharge Apple.

"There is no deal. We don't do deals and we haven't done a deal here. That is the main ground of appeal," said one official.

A preliminary decision, delivered in 2014, found that Apple had been conferred with an unfair advantage as a result of tax rulings it received from the Revenue in 1991 and 2007.

Both the State and Apple have denied the allegations.

Read more: Brussels set to demand years of extra tax payments from Apple

Senior Government figures are deeply worried about the public's reaction to the effective rejection of a potential cash windfall and Opposition TDs have already begun to attack plans for an appeal.

Anti-Austerity Alliance TD Paul Murphy said that seeking to fight the payment of back-taxes amid a homelessness crisis would be "nauseating".

"We will be faced with the ludicrous situation of the Government spending public money fighting a case to ensure that owed taxes aren't paid," Mr Murphy said. Sinn Fein's Pearse Doherty said: "The damage to Ireland's reputation has already been done. Drawing out this process will not change that."

A Finance Department spokesman last night said that it had "no comment" on how much an appeal would cost.

Before the summer break, Finance Minister Michael Noonan told TDs the State had spent 667,000 defending its position so far.

However, a Fine Gael source insisted there had been no wrong-doing on the State's part and asked "why would we accept this attack on our reputation?"

They rejected the suggestion that back-taxes could be used to fund services and housing. The issue is set to be a headache for the minority Government.

Over the weekend, Independent Alliance junior minister John Halligan said any outstanding taxes should be used to fix the health service and build houses.

Mr Noonan briefed Independent Alliance TDs on his position last night.
The controversial European/ US free trade deal is still being negotiated and will happen, the European Union's most senior diplomat to Washington has insisted.

The view of EU ambassador to the US David O'Sullivan contradicts weekend comments by German economy minister Sigmar Gabriel, who effectively said the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) deal was dead in the water.

The Germany economy minister said the talks had "de facto failed" because Europe rejected some US demands.

However, in Dublin yesterday at an Institute of International and Economic Affairs event, David O'Sullivan rejected that view.

"We are continuing to work to see if this can be concluded this year with this (Obama) Administration," David O'Sullivan said. Even if that timeline slips a deal will eventually be agreed, he said.

"I do believe this deal will be done. It needs to be done," Ambassador O'Sullivan said.

He rejected suggestions that a deal with the US would lead to lower standards in Europe, including in relation to food - a key stumbling block.

Politicians in the EU and the US would still set their own standards after any deal, he said. In Brussels, the European Commission also insisted that a trade deal is still on the table.

A Commission spokesman said yesterday that it had a unanimous mandate from the bloc's 28 members to finalise negotiations on a free trade deal with the United States.

Asked to comment on Sigmar Gabriel's remarks, a European Commission spokesman said "the ball is still rolling" on TTIP.

"Although trade talks take time, the ball is rolling right now and the Commission is making steady progress in the ongoing TTIP negotiations," Margaritis Schinas told a news conference.

"Talks are now indeed entering crucial stage as we have proposals for almost all chapters on the table and a good sense of the outline of the future agreement."

Three years of negotiations failed to resolve multiple differences, including over food and environmental safety, with critics saying the pact would hand too much power to big multinationals at the expense of consumers and workers.

Backers of a sweeping US-EU free trade deal believe it will bringing economic gains on both sides of the Atlantic.

EU trade ministers will discuss the issue when they next meet, in Bratislava, on September 22.

Ms Schinas said the Commission was still ready to finalise the deal by the end of the year but not at the expense of "Europe's safety, health, social and data protection standards, or our cultural diversity".

Britain's June vote to leave the EU has further clouded the picture, though Ms Schinas insisted that Brussels was still negotiating on behalf of all 28 members of the bloc, including London.

But the prospect of a Brexit has triggered fresh doubt that TTIP could be completed in the final months of US President Barack Obama's term, as well as over Britain's exact status in any deal as London ponders its future ties with the EU.
New international research has revealed that foreign workers no longer find the country as desirable as they once did.

It appears that Irish charm isn't enough any more, as new international research has revealed that foreign workers no longer find the country as desirable as they once did.

The research, which was carried out by online networking organisation InterNations, revealed that Ireland is now ranked 56th out of 67 countries in terms of popular living destinations.

This is a drop from last year, when it was ranked as 40th from 60 countries.

The research is compiled by collating a series of sub-indices, including cost of living and weather.

Taiwan was ranked as the most desirable nation, while Malta and Ecuador were second and third. Of the countries that were included, Kuwait was ranked least desirable for expatriates.

Greece and Nigeria were second and third from bottom.

The survey had more than 14,000 respondents representing 174 nationalities and 191 countries.
Independent News & Media (INM) has announced a proposed change in the management of its editorial production function for Dublin.

The move will involve a number of redundancies, the company said.

It will see outsourcing of currently Dublin based editorial production services to PA (the Press Association), the company said.

This proposed change is being implemented to consolidate and outsource production services in line with many other newspaper titles, INM said.

We need to adjust our organisation and structures to protect against the impact of greater economic challenges. Businesses need to adapt and innovate to survive and working with PA will allow us to maximise synergies and efficiencies while partnering with a world-class organisation that already provides production services to many well-known titles, said Robert Pitt, CEO, Independent News & Media.

"Our commitment is to quality and trusted journalism and we will continue to invest in good writing and content in our newspapers and online. However, we are constantly looking at how we can produce and print the papers in the most efficient and innovative fashion possible," said Stephen Rae, Group Editor-in-Chief, INM.

"The business has decided to move our Production Hub facilities to PA from where they will be managed by our editorial team at Talbot Street in Dublin," he added.

The outsourcing project is a continuation of the overall ongoing group re-organisation of INM, the company said.

The move includes a programme of redundancies across the production function.

"Employees have been informed and the company is engaging with its staff to discuss these redundancies," INM said.
Almost 21,000 new homes are needed every year but the number coming on stream remains low. Photo: Ben Birchall/PA Wire

The Government is to punish landowners who fail to build homes on zoned lands - by classifying alternative sites nearby as suitable for housing.

The move is aimed at forcing land hoarders to build homes close to town centres and essential services, and to boost housing supply.

Councils have been told that if land is being hoarded and left undeveloped, then nearby sites should be zoned for housing instead.

The move will effectively reduce the value of sites being hoarded by some developers. Many of these sites were bought at the height of the boom.

Their losses would be further compounded if they are later refused planning permission to build, on the basis that housing demand is being met from the newly-zoned lands.

The new policy is aimed at tackling the housing crisis in built-up areas near Dublin, in the commuter belt, and in large provincial towns with a proven need for houses and apartments.

Despite the Housing Agency saying almost 21,000 new homes are needed every year just to keep pace with demand, the number of homes coming on stream remains stubbornly low.

Last year, fewer than 13,000 were constructed. So far this year, just over 6,600 have been delivered.

In an effort to ramp-up delivery, councils have been told to zone more land - despite there being sites capable of meeting 16 years' demand already available.

A 2014 survey from the Department of Housing found there was 17,434 hectares of residential zoned lands which could be used to build 414,000 homes. But many of these sites in "key demand areas" are not being developed because owners are holding onto sites in the expectation that prices will rise, allowing them to maximise profits. In other cases, they are tied to receiverships and subject to large outstanding loans. Sourcing the finance needed to build houses is also an issue.

A circular letter sent from the Department to the country's 31 local authorities says that in many cases, the sites have been zoned "for many years" but are not being made available for development.

Read more: Average Dublin house is now four times dearer than one in Longford

Read more: Rise in planning appeals 'reflects an increase in building activity'

It says the city or county development plan, which dictates the zoning which applies to all land in a council's area, is designed to ensure an "effective supply" of development sites so that housing can be provided in a "timely and affordable fashion".

But councils have no legal powers to force owners of zoned lands to build, even if planning permission is in place and demand for homes is high. Sources said that an option "on the agenda" was giving local authorities increased powers to seize land needed for housing, but lying idle, using ramped-up compulsory purchase powers.

In the meantime, the Department of Housing says councils should consider amending their development plans and zone additional lands where building is likely to occur.

"Despite the large reserve of zoned lands across all planning authorities, not all of that land would appear to be readily available to the broad range of housing providers," it says.

"It is often reported that landowners may not sell their lands to housing providers until prices match their expectation, regardless of what might be a realistic land price in terms of the overall price of housing that it is economically viable to provide on those lands."

It adds that councils should examine if other "well-located and ready-to-go but unzoned lands" should be considered for rezoning, "where the prospects of making available for development of such alternative lands is better".

Additional sites will only be zoned if the landowner enters into a formal agreement to begin delivering homes after the rezoning process is complete.

Sources said varying the development plan could take as little as three months. They added that owners of unused land could later be refused planning permission, as demand had been met from the new zoned lands. In cases where landowners sought to extend an existing approval, permission could be refused on the same basis.

The Government's housing plan promises to deliver 25,000 units a year by 2020.
The vast majority of Irish businesses had no plan in place to deal with a 'leave' vote in June's Brexit referendum, according to a new survey.

It found that 97pc of more than 750 business managers (north and south of the border) surveyed said they had no plans in place to deal with the result.

The figures are contained in cross-border trade body Intertrade Ireland's latest quarterly business monitor, covering the second quarter of the year.

The body's strategy and policy director, Aidan Gough, said it was evident that the result had "caught many businesses on the hop and introduced a large degree of uncertainty into the marketplace".

"In the short term, whilst companies will still trade under the same rules and regulations, we would encourage them to hedge any exposure their business may have to volatile movements in the sterling/ euro exchange rate," he added.

"In terms of wider business performance, the picture remains generally positive. In Quarter 2, 93pc of businesses in Ireland report that they were stable or growing."

"We may see uncertainty continuing in forthcoming quarters while companies adjust to the changing realities. However, it is encouraging that almost two-thirds of businesses on the island state that they have ambition to grow in the immediate future. Resilience in the face of adversity remains high and this can be seen across each of the sectors," Mr Gough said.

Almost one in four firms said they now expect to decrease the level or speed of planned investment.

Businesses in the Republic of Ireland were more pessimistic about cross-border sales than those in Northern Ireland, with 57pc in the South expecting a decrease, versus a quarter in the North.

Overall, more than four in five hospitality companies expected a downturn, compared to 15pc of retailers. Smaller companies (46pc expected a downturn) felt more vulnerable than medium (36pc) and large companies (33pc).

Mr Gough said businesses "will need support to manage the ramifications of Brexit, particularly in the provision of timely and relevant information to assist them to adjust to any new trading relationships."
Customers sit eating and drinking over crates featuring branding for Heineken and Tiger beers at an outdoor restaurant in the Old Quarter of the northern city of Hanoi

Heineken's expansion of its production in Vietnam by taking over a brewery from rival Carlsberg highlights growing interest by global beer brands to quench the thirst of about 70 million locals in one of the world's fastest- growing economies.

With a thriving street-side cafe and bar culture, young population and rising middle class, Vietnam is luring brewers such as Heineken, Thai Beverage and Asahi Group Holdings to expand.

Interest is also being piqued by the government's plans to offload lucrative assets, with Carlsberg in line to more than double its stake in state-run Hanoi Beer Alcohol Beverage, or Habeco.

"The Vietnamese beer market is of great interest to other international players," said Dominic Scriven, chairman of Dragon Capital.

Beer consumption in the Southeast Asian country jumped about 40pc in 2015 from 2010, according to the Vietnam Beer Alcohol Beverage Association. Vietnamese are expected to drink more than 4.04 billion litres of beer this year, the most in the region and up from 3.88 billion litres in 2015, according to Euromonitor International.

Economists predict Vietnam will be among the world's fastest-growing economies in 2016 as it benefits from a manufacturing industry that's grown in importance over the years.

The number of citizens of legal drinking age, 18 and above, is expected to rise to 72.4 million by 2021 from 68.7 million now, according to Euromonitor.

"The growth of the beer market in Vietnam over the past few years is nothing short of amazing, and it shows no sign of slowing down," said Andy Ho, managing director of VinaCapital in Ho Chi Minh City.

Heineken acquired Carlsberg Vietnam Brewery-Vung Tau in the south Vietnam port city last month. Carlsberg chief executive officer Cees't Hart said the sale of the facility would allow the Danish brewer to concentrate on its existing territory in the northern part of the country. (Bloomberg)
Analysts differ on the timeframe for stabilising of oil prices

Crude markets will continue to be plagued by volatility in the short and medium term after suffering the biggest downturn in a generation over the past two years, according to oil-company executives gathering for one of the industry's biggest conferences in Norway.

"The volatility is here to stay," ConocoPhillips chief executive officer Ryan Lance said on the sidelines of the ONS Conference in Stavanger yesterday. He said market rebalancing "will extend into 2017. The inventory levels are still quite high."

The industry remains on guard as oil entered a bull market on August 18, less than three weeks after tumbling into a bear market.

Prices have gained 19pc in the past four weeks on speculation Opec nations and other producers could agree to cap output at a meeting in Algeria next month.

While markets are expected to rebalance as they gradually absorb a glut of crude stocks, analysts differ over the timing.

"Basically, volatility is the word," said Martin Bachmann, head of exploration and production in Europe and the Middle East at Wintershall.

"There will be a rebalancing. Over what timeframe is the big question."

It may take time for markets to strengthen and there will be great uncertainty in the meantime, Statoil ceo Eldar Saetre said.

Some industry observers are more optimistic.

Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of consulting firm IHS, said oil supply and demand will balance this year, adding that spending on onshore oil and gas will rise in 2017.

"The rebalancing in the oil market is already happening," according to Norway's Petroleum and Energy Minister Tord Lien. Still, "parts of the supplier industry will continue to have demanding months ahead".

Oil declined yesterday amid doubts producers will agree on a deal to stabilise the market when suppliers meet next month for informal talks. (Bloomberg)
Greece's economy grew modestly in the second quarter but weak demand and scant investment mean a strong rebound after years of recession remains elusive a year after the country nearly crashed out of the euro.

Data released yesterday showed the 176bn economy expanded by 0.2pc in April to June, slightly less than a previous estimate of 0.3pc due to weaker consumer spending and net exports. It was the first quarter-on-quarter expansion since late 2015 and followed a 0.2pc contraction in Q1.

Facing a second bailout review entailing an unpopular loosening of labour laws in the autumn, Athens is keen to show a fatigued electorate that painful taxation and pension cuts that came with last year's 86bn bailout deal will bear fruit and lead to recovery.

But kickstarting growth to bring down a jobless rate of nearly 24pc, the Eurozone's highest, is a challenge as a fiscal straitjacket to attain budget surpluses of 3.5pc of economic output weighs on activity.

Jaded by years of austerity, Greeks were unimpressed by yesterday's figures.

"The GDP turnaround in the second quarter doesn't mean a thing for us in retail trade, there is no liquidity in the market," said Antonis Papadakis (60), a clothing wholesaler who has seen his sales fall 70pc during the debt crisis years.

The data showed Greece's economy shrank 0.9pc on an annual basis in the second quarter, more than a flash estimate of -0.7pc, with economists expecting a mild recession for the year as a whole.

"We had a downward revision but it is encouraging that GDP recorded positive growth on a quarterly basis," said Eurobank economist Platon Monokroussos.

"Overall, a milder than initially expected contraction in the first half points to a full year GDP decline of close to 0.5pc or slightly better."

The European Commission and Greece's central bank project a 0.3pc economic contraction this year while the OECD sees a milder 0.2pc decline.

Rating agencies Moody's and S&P are more pessimistic, expecting the economy to shrink 0.7pc and 1pc respectively. (Reuters)
The Financial Conduct Authority has approved a deal by Aermont Capital to acquire Pinewood Studios

The proposed takeover of Pinewood Studios by an international property fund for 323 million has been given the green light by Britain's financial regulator.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has rubber-stamped the deal by Aermont Capital, headed up by French property tycoon Leon Bressler, to acquire the famous home of the James Bond and Star Wars films.

" The boards of directors of Bidco and Pinewood are pleased to announce that they have received approval from the FCA," the firms said in a statement.

Shareholders will now vote on the deal on September 19.

In July, Pinewood said the plunge in sterling following Britain's decision to quit the European Union would give it a boost, adding that the impact of Brexit would be "largely mitigated" as its most significant customers are based in the US.

Chief executive Ivan Dunleavy said at the time: "The result of the UK's referendum on membership of the EU is now known. In the context of our business, the decline in the sterling exchange rate is undoubtedly positive for our international customers."

Revenues at Pinewood, which is based in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, grew 10.9% to 83.2 million last year while operating profit soared 136.3% to 13.6 million.
Actor Aidan Turner poses for a portrait at the Poldark Series 2 Preview Screening at the BFI on August 22, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Poldark and its star Aidan Turner will returning for a new series (BBC/PA)

Poldark star Aidan Turner was injured by a freak wave while filming the drama.

The second series starts this weekend, after its debut season was a huge and unexpected hit for the BBC.

However, Dubliner Turner has revealed he was hurt and even dropped Eleanor Tomlinson, who plays Demelza, in the sea off the Cornish coast during filming.

"There's nothing like the Cornish sea at the height of winter for putting you in your place," he said.

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"We were filming me lifting Demelza out of a boat in the actual sea when this huge wave picked up the boat and slammed it into my head. I dropped her in the water - not very Ross Poldark."

Aidan said he was not the only member of the cast and crew who was hurt.

"One of the underwater cameramen got cracked as well and he was concussed," he told Radio Times.

"These waves, you wouldn't think there's anything to them, but once you get out there you're at the mercy of Mother Nature and she doesn't care how well the previous season rated."

Poldark returns on Sunday night when it goes head to head with Victoria, ITV's period drama starring Jenna Coleman.

The finale of the first series last year saw Poldark arrested for murder and plundering a shipwreck while his wife Demelza was left alone on the Cornish clifftop.

Turner said that despite filming in the heart of winter, he tried to remain cheery.

"If somebody is grumpy, it's hard to get the crew going," he said, "so no matter how cold it is, you just have to man up and get on with it."
Brian listens intently to one of Mary's tales on First Dates. Photo: Channel 4

It was all going so well for Brian and Mary until the bill arrived.

The Channel 4 fly-on-the-wall dating show delivered a real treat last night in the form of Brian and Mary and their short-lived banter.

The pair in their sixties were both from the same town of St Helen (not too far from Liverpool) and spent a good few minutes tackling the linguistic Merseyside debates of how to pronounce the word book.

Brian insisted it should be "bewk", while Mary strongly disagreed.

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Both also had their hearts broken in the past.

For Mary (67), the heartache came at the end of her 24-year marriage. "He divorced me for unreasonable behaviour," she said of her ex-husband.

"It was very unreasonable of me to find out he was s***ing someone else".

She then proceeded to tell Brian about a fleeting encounter she enjoyed in the past: "I once had a chap who had a yacht, but I don't think he wanted a commitment, and I'm not too water-friendly at the best of times."

They seemed to be getting along so well until the bill came.

When the cheque landed on the table it was clear that Mary was expecting Brian to cover the costs.

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The fumbling pensioner dug his hands into his pockets before clearing his throat and saying nothing.

Mary was not impressed as she reluctantly agreed to split it and told the cameras afterwards that she'd never been expected to pay for a date before.

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"Not to offer and say 'I'll pay' and then wait for me to say 'we'll go halves'... I was absolutely fuming," said Mary.

Poor Brian looked very uncomfortable but stuck to his guns as he remarked: "When you meet somebody you should always go halves. That's my opinion."
'Bishop' Pat Buckley has accused the Catholic Church of attempting to censor him after a blog, in which he revealed an alleged gay sex scandal, was temporarily deleted by Google.

Google later reinstated the blog, which had revealed details of the alleged gay sex scandal in Maynooth training college.

The site disappeared for 48 hours but was yesterday back up again, following media reports highlighting its removal in our sister newspaper, the 'Belfast Telegraph'.

In recent weeks, the controversial Larne-based man made claims about students having profiles on the gay dating app, Grindr, and using the site to solicit sex with priests and laymen.

In an email to Buckley at the weekend, the Google-owned platform, Blogger, stated: "Your blog at wisecatholic.blogspot.com has been reviewed and confirmed as in violation of our terms of service for: HATE. In accordance to these terms, we've removed the blog."

Shocked

However, Buckley's blog was reinstated yesterday. Buckley said he was shocked when Google had accused him of spreading hate.

Read more: Church leaders admit 'unhealthy atmosphere' at college amid gay dating app Grindr row

"As a gay man who lives with his husband, and as a cleric who has performed blessings for same-sex couples for 30 years, it was crazy to suggest that I hated gay people," he said.

"I find it all rather mysterious that my blog is taken down without explanation and then is put back up without explanation," he said. "I suspect that the blog got too hot...

"But representations were made on my behalf to Google in America and that, along with the issue being raised by the 'Belfast Telegraph', seems to have done the trick."

He dismissed suggestions that his blog's removal could have been down to "an administrative error" by Google. But, he added: "I am very happy to be back online.

"My blog had a quarter of a million page views last month alone.

"I started out with a few hundred readers and it has taken me years to build it up."

Buckley pledged to "continue telling the truth about Maynooth and shining a light into the darkest corners of the church".
A GP who failed to recognise that a new mother was suffering from a potentially fatal inflammation of her uterus was found guilty of poor professional performance.

The disciplinary hearing at the Medical Council in Dublin found that Dr Saleem Sharif, 57, from Ballyphehane, Cork, failed to carry out an examination of Alison Hunter Hickey, or arrange for investigations when Ms Hickey visited him at the GP Now Clinic in Sandyford, Dublin 18 in October 2014, where he was working as a locum GP.

Legal counsel for the Medical Council, Eoghan OSullivan, said on Tuesday that Dr Sharif displayed a very worrying lack of clinical judgement.

On 6 October 2014, Ms Hickey, 47, gave birth to twin boys, Patrick and Finn, by emergency caesarean section. On 28 October, she became unwell, experiencing flu-like symptoms, shivering, a high temperature and abdominal pain.

Ms Hickey attended the GP Now Clinic in Sandyford, where she explained her symptoms to Dr Sharif. However, Dr Sharif conducted no physical examination, nor did he ordered any tests or take a complete medical history.

He said it was probably a urinary tract infection, and asked was I allergic to penicillin. I said no. That was it. It was a very short consultation, Ms Hickey told the inquiry on Monday.

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There were very few questions asked. There was very little interaction. When I got back in the car, my sister-in-law actually said, That was very quick.

But the following day, Ms Hickeys symptoms worsened, and she was rushed to the Rotunda hospital. There, Ms Hickey was diagnosed with endometritis, or an inflammation of the uterine lining. If left untreated, endometritis can lead to sepsis and organ failure.

Endometritis is the most likely cause of infection in post-partum women, especially for those who have given birth by caesarean section.

Ms Hickey made a full recovery, and was discharged from hospital on 1 November 2014.

On Tuesday, legal counsel Mr OSullivan said: To jump to that conclusion [of a UTI] in the absence of a history review, the absence of an examination of investigations, displays a very worrying lack of clinical judgement.

Although it was a brief consultation, Dr Sharif displayed various errors in clinical judgement at each stage.

Mr OSullivan pointed out that Dr Sharif was previously the subject of a disciplinary inquiry, in April 2011. Then, he was found guilty of poor professional performance in relation to a Cork-based patient with a history of cardiac problems, who had collapsed at home in May 2009.

Legal counsel for Dr Sharif, Simon Mills, said that no evidence suggests that Ms Hickeys condition was worsened by anything that the GP did.

Mr Mills said the 2011 inquiry actually falls into a quite different category of conduct.

There was no question over the quality of the exam carried out in the 2011 inquiry, he said.

Dr Sharif, who originally trained in Pakistan, currently has his own private practice in Ballyphehane, Co Cork.

On Monday, Dr Sharif, through his legal counsel, admitted that he failed to take an adequate medical history, failed to carry out any appropriate examination and failed to arrange for initial relevant investigations when Ms Hickey visited him. He also admitted that he failed to arrange for a follow-up appointment with her.

Sanctions against Dr Sharif will be decided upon at a later date.
Pat McCartan was a TD before becoming a judge

A leading Circuit Court judge who presided over the trial of three former Anglo Irish Bank officials has retired.

Judge Patrick McCartan (63) stepped down earlier this month after 19 years on the bench, but news of his departure has just emerged.

He presided over a number of high-profile trials, including that of former Anglo officials Tiarnan O'Mahoney, Bernard Daly and Aoife Maguire, over an alleged conspiracy to hide accounts from the Revenue Commissioners.

Both Mr O'Mahoney and Mr Daly would later have their convictions quashed by the Court of Appeal. Mr O'Mahoney is to be retried next year.

Ms Maguire later had an 18-month sentence halved and was released from prison.

Judge McCartan also presided over the trial of former solicitor Thomas Byrne, who was jailed for 12 years for fraud.

Prior to becoming a judge, Wexford-born Mr McCartan was best known as a criminal defence solicitor and later as a councillor and TD for the Workers Party and Democratic Left.

He was a founding partner of the firm McCartan & Hogan Solicitors.

In politics, his contemporaries in the Workers' Party included Pat Rabbitte, Liz McManus and Eamonn Gilmore.

He was elected to Dublin City Council in 1985 and to the Dail two years later.

Following the split in the party in 1992, he joined Democratic Left alongside Proinsias De Rossa.

He failed to get elected in the subsequent General Election, but remained a councillor and focused on his career as a solicitor.

In 1997 he was appointed to the Circuit Court by the John Bruton-led Rainbow coalition of Fine Gael, Labour and the Democratic Left.

He was only the second solicitor to be elevated to the court and spent most of his time on the bench dealing with criminal trials.

Earlier this year, a defendant in his court, who was about to be sentenced, grabbed a glass and attempted to throw it at him.

However, the man was stopped from doing so after being tackled by prison officers and a garda.

The judge later commended those who intervened for the speed with which they came to his assistance.

Last April, he recused himself from presiding over the trial of former Anglo Irish Bank chairman Sean FitzPatrick, which is due to begin in three weeks' time.

As a judge Patrick McCartan presided chiefly over criminal trials at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
A new mother suffering from a potentially fatal inflammation of her uterus was misdiagnosed by a local GP, resulting in her being rushed to hospital the following day, an inquiry heard yesterday.

A Medical Council hearing was told Dr Saleem Sharif (57) failed to carry out an appropriate examination of Alison Hunter Hickey, or arrange for relevant investigations when she visited him at the GP Now Clinic in Sandyford, Dublin 18 on October 28, 2014, where he was working as a locum GP.

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Ms Hickey (47) gave birth to twin boys in October 2014 by caesarean section, a disciplinary hearing in Dublin heard yesterday. Less than three weeks later, on October 28, 2014, Ms Hunter became unwell, experiencing flu-like symptoms, shivering, a high temperature, abdominal pain and odorous discharge.

She attended the GP Now Clinic in Sandyford, where she explained her symptoms to Dr Sharif. According to the new mother, Dr Sharif conducted no physical examination, nor did he order any tests or take a complete medical history

Instead, he asked her only two questions - one regarding her discharge, and also whether she was suffering from a sore throat.

"He said it was probably a urinary tract infection, and asked was I allergic to penicillin. I said no. That was it. It was a very short consultation," Ms Hickey told the inquiry yesterday.

"There were very few questions asked. There was very little interaction."

But the following day, Ms Hickey's symptoms grew worse. "I woke up at 1am feeling absolutely dreadful," Ms Hickey said. "I was having spasms. I wasn't able to talk."

An ambulance was called and she was rushed to the Rotunda hospital. There she was diagnosed with endometritis, or an inflammation of the uterine lining. If left untreated, endometritis can lead to sepsis and organ failure. Ms Hickey made a full recovery, and was discharged from hospital on November 1, 2014.

Ms Hickey's husband, Karl Hickey, made a complaint to the GP Now Clinic. Unsatisfied with the response he received, Mr Hickey then complained to the Medical Council.

Dr Sharif, through his legal counsel, admitted he failed to take an adequate medical history, failed to carry out any appropriate examination and failed to arrange for initial relevant investigation. The inquiry continues today.
A MEMBER of the Hutch family has been stabbed in an attack in Dublin city centre this morning.

The 19-year-old man was reportedly attacked in Kevin Barry House on Coleraine Street, in the north inner city.

The attack happened at around 9am this morning and the injured man has been taken to the Mater Hospital where his condition is currently unknown.

It is believed he was undergoing surgery today in the city hospital.

The man has been identified, but initial indications are that the stabbing was not related to the high-profile and murderous Hutch-Kinahan feud.

Gardai remained were at the scene at Kevin Barry House this morning.

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They were examining the building area following the stabbing and a separate site on Linen Hall Street.

One man was arrested at the scene at 11am after not complying with garda instructions.

Garda investigations are continuing.

The latest violent incident in Dublin city takes place on the same day as the funeral of innocent father Trevor ONeill.

Mr ONeill was shot dead in a case of mistaken identify earlier this month while on holidays in Majorca.

The intended target of the hit was Jonathan Hutch (37), a nephew of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch. Jonathan Hutch is not involved in crime and is believed to have been targeted because of his family connections.

The Balearic island murder is the 10th murder linked to the ongoing Hutch/Kinahan feud.

Mr O'Neill is the second person to be killed in a case of mistaken identity, with father Martin O'Rourke (24) also mistakenly gunned down in April.

Following Mr ONeills death, Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said that "no effort is being spared" in terms of Garda resources into the investigation of murders.

"The Government has done everything it has been asked to do by An Garda Siochana in terms of giving them the resources they need to tackle it.

"But it is very disturbing and I am sure it disturbs people to hear about this latest case involving somebody out walking with children," Ms Fitzgerald said.

"It is dreadful to see the events in Spain but I want to assure the public that everything that can be done is being done."

More to follow
'Im not going to sugar-coat it, this is a crisis' (Stock photo)

Students' unions across Ireland have been inundated with queries from first years who cannot find accommodation as the new term approaches.

The Irish Independent yesterday revealed the squeeze on campus accommodation, which particularly affects first years.

Jimmy McGovern, NUI Galway Students Union president, said that the number of students going to them for help was "quite frightening".

"I'm not going to sugar-coat it, this is a crisis," he said. "It's as simple as that.

University College Dublin's Students' Union also reported an influx of students requiring its assistance.

"We have quite a considerable amount of students approaching us looking for accommodation," said student union president Conor Viscardi.

However, students' unions in Trinity College Dublin and University College Cork said they had not been receiving significant numbers of students' inquiries.

UCC's students' union said that the crisis had not hit Cork as badly as other parts of the country.
Gardai investigate the discovery of the Hawe family at a house at Barconey, Ballyjamesduff in Cavan. Picture: Arthur Carron

The two primary schools directly affected by the tragedy immediately called in psychologists to help them deal with the aftermath.

The Department of Education's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) is available to offer first-hand advice and support to school communities in such situations.

A department spokesperson said the NEPS offers support to schools at "a potentially overwhelming time".

In any given year, about 100 or so requests are made involving the full range of trauma types, the spokesperson said.

While schools may call in the NEPS after a tragedy, as part of its wider brief, the service assists schools in preparing for eventualities that can adversely affect pupils and teachers.

The NEPS has issued schools with "critical incident" guidelines detailing preventive approaches that they can adopt in creating a safe and supportive environment, how they can plan for crises, and offers practical guidelines on how to respond when a tragedy occurs.

Traumatic

The guidelines are designed to deal with traumatic incidents such as suicide or suspected suicide, murder, accidental death including road traffic accidents and drowning, and death through illness of members of the school community.

In relation to suicide, advice is also given on prevention and positive mental health stratagems and approaches.

Among the pointers in the document is advice for teachers on how to handle a classroom session following news of a critical incident. It advises that the class teacher, class tutor or another teacher who knows students well should be the person to inform them of the event and lead the classroom discussion.

"Students generally fell safe and secure with someone they know. If a teacher feels uncomfortable with this role, another staff member may share the task," the guidelines recommend.

The documents states that the aim of such a session is to break the news, to give the students an opportunity to discuss what has happened and to express their thought and feelings in a secure environment.

The nine-step programme for a classroom discussion ends with a focus on the future, including what to do with a person's empty chair, followed by free time for students, in the playground or classroom. Teachers are also advised of the value of continuing the discussion, as the need arises, in the days afterwards.

If you have been affected by issues in this article, you can free-phone the Samaritans on 116 123
The tragedy that has befallen the Hawe family has sparked a grieving process for their small rural community that is familiar to many around the country.

Since 2000, there have been more than 30 murder-suicide cases in Ireland and over 40 children have been killed.

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Numerous communities in that period have been rocked by the tragedy of a father, mother or brother murdering their loved one.

One thing that many of the perpetrators have in common is a history of depression or mental illness.

In April 2007, dad Adrian Dunne (30) strangled his wife Ciara (24) and his daughters Leanne (5) and Shania (3), before taking is own life. The family lived in Monageer, Co Wexford. The deaths caused national shock and it later emerged that Adrian Dunne had asked a priest, in the days leading up to the killing, if people who take their own lives can get into Heaven. The inquiry into the murder-suicide deaths was heavily critical of the lack of out-of-hours social services in Co Wexford.

Smothered

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In April 2008, Wexford father, Diarmuid Flood (41) smothered his two children before shooting his wife dead. Flood had been suffering from depression.

The body of his youngest child, five-year-old daughter Julie, was found in her bed clutching a teddy bear. A jury at the inquest in Enniscorthy into the deaths returned verdicts of unlawful killing in relation to Lorraine Flood, and the couple's children, Mark (6) and Julie (5) and suicide in relation to Mr Flood.

Two years later, on November 16, 2010, John Butler (41) killed his two young daughters Ella (6) and Zoe (2) at their family home in Cork, before crashing his car into a ditch, taking his own life. Butler had suffered with mental health issues throughout his life. Butler's wife, Una, has gone on to campaign for greater supports for people living with mental health issues.

In another shocking incident mum, Diane Ward, killed her son Anthony (8) by smothering him with a pillow on September 3, 2012. The then 44-year-old later pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of her son. The court heard that she was severely depressed and suicidal at the time.

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On March 5, 2013 Martin McCarthy (50) and his only child, Clarissa (3) were found 200m apart in shallow waters off the West Cork coast near a secluded beach on the family farm at Ballydehob, Co Cork. He had left a note for his wife Rebecca (26).

Garda sources said Martin McCarthy didn't appear to have a history of depression or mental illness.

That same year, brothers Eoghan (10) and Ruairi Chada (5) died at the hands of their father Sanjeev Chada on July 29. The boys' bodies were found side-by- side in the boot of his car after it crashed into a wall in Westport, Co Mayo. The brothers had been missing overnight and gardai had mounted a nationwide search for them. Chada had attempted to take his own life by crashing his car, but survived the impact. He later got life in prison.

In September 2014, Jonathan O'Driscoll (21) killed his younger brothers Patrick and Tommy - twins aged nine. The boys were found in separate bedrooms in their family home in Charleville, Co Cork. Jonathan then drove 15km from the family home and killed himself. Speaking after the inquest into their deaths, the boys' mother Helen O'Driscoll urged people with mental health issues to get help. "No matter what phone you pick up, no matter what friend you tell, there's somebody out there who will listen to you," she said.

Stabbed

On December 28, 2014 dad of three Michael Greaney (53) fatally stabbed his wife Valerie, and left his daughter Michelle (21) fighting for her life before he killed himself at his Cobh home. The Naval Service veteran had previously been admitted to the Central Mental Hospital after attacking a young girl in May 2013.

However, he was released from the Dublin facility after six weeks. His family have asked for an independent review into the psychiatric care that he received before his death.

Earlier this year, Marco Velocci (28) attacked his former partner Jodie Power (26) in her home in Oola, Co Limerick before leaving with his son Alex (3). He then deliberately crashed into a truck, killing both himself and his son in east Limerick. Mum Jodie survived the attack.

If you have been affected by issues in this article, you can free-phone the Samaritans on 116 123
A controversial proposal to build a "patient hotel" to relieve pressure on beds in a hospital suffering severe overcrowding is still "under discussion," it has emerged.

The hotel, which would form a 40-bed extension to South Tipperary General Hospital, was announced by local Independent TD Michael Lowry.

It sparked allegations that he had entered a "sweetheart" deal with Health Minister Simon Harris in return for supporting the Government.

However, a spokeswoman for the hospital said yesterday that while the proposal was being discussed it had yet to get the official go-head.

"There is currently a capacity issue at South Tipperary General Hospital and additional beds are required to reduce the numbers of patients awaiting inpatient beds on trolleys, and to function at normal operating levels," the spokeswoman added.

If the so-called hotel gets the go-ahead, it would be used as a step-down facility for mostly elderly patients who no longer need care in the main hospital but are still not ready for discharge.

Mr Harris insisted there was nothing secret about his recent meeting with Mr Lowry and he has also discussed the matter with other TDs in the constituency.

Independent Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath insisted Mr Lowry was on a "solo run".

He added: "It's not the first of its kind. There is a similar facility operating in Cork."

Hospital consultant Paul O'Regan said he and another doctor were part of a delegation that went with Mr Lowry to the Department of Health to discuss the plan.

Mr Lowry has "more clout" because he is a supporter of the Government and looked more kindly on, Dr O'Regan told RTE's 'Today with Sean O'Rourke'.

He believes a bed in the unit would cost around 1,500 a week, compared to a cost of 1,000 a day in the hospital.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said the need for more beds in the hospital was "self-evident".

But they warned the new facility must be staffed and patients would continue to need high levels of care.
A mother who lost her two young daughters and husband in a murder suicide six years ago said there arent enough investigations and research into mental health to prevent more tragedies from happening.

Cork mother Una Butler lost her two daughters, Zoe (6) and Ella (2), and her husband, John (43), in a horrific murder-suicide six years ago.

John had been suffering from depression and took his own life minutes after killing his adored little girls in the familys home in November 2010.

Una was speaking to Sean O'Rourke on RTE Radio 1 following the tragic murder-suicide in Cavan yesterday where Alan Hawe, his wife Clodagh and their three children Liam (13), Niall (11) and Ryan (6) were found dead in their house in Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan yesterday morning.

Una told RTE Radio 1 that there had been no hints that her childrens safety was at risk from their father.

John loved his children, she said. He had never been physically abusive to me or Zoe or Ella. He was a good father. He was a very hard worker.

He did suffer with depression, which was quite difficult to live with, but Im looking back now with hindsight and Im saying: I should have been involved with his treatment. The medical professionals would have had a better insight into his behaviour and I would have been able to learn about his illness. I might have been able to support him better, or be able to deal with his illness in a better way, if I had been educated about his illness.

People are dead and the gardai have done their job but these cases are being brushed under the carpet and are being forgotten about and thats the way I feel about it. There arent enough investigations into these cases to learn from them and to help prevent other cases from happening."

Una said that families should be involved in the mental health treatment of their loved ones to prevent tragedies like this.

Would you not agree if a member of the family were involved in the patients treatment speaking with the doctor that they would get a better insight into the patients behaviour at home? I think the patient might only say what the doctor wants to know and not the full story.

"I think it should be compulsory to have a family member involved because Im looking back in hindsight and thinking yeah I should have been involved in the treatment.

Una said she did participate in some of her husbands treatment but that he was in isolation most of the time.

I was there in a few appointments and I felt he was treated in isolation. I was in there for maybe five minutes always in the presence of John but I was never spoken to on my own by a medical professional at the time. I look back in hindsight and think if it was made compulsory that I have to be there I think definitely.

She said she urges the community in Cavan to be there for the extended family.

Its a very cruel, unbelievable nightmare to be living every day, Una said.

I have to get out and about and keep active really. Support of friends and family is very important.

A lot of people will know the immediate family but just be there for support. My friends at the time were very supportive towards me and the community as well. I was numb and in shock for the first 12 months to be honest with you. The reality of it all only sunk in years later. First year youre in denial and shock. What can you say? Just be there for each other and thats all they can do. Im speechless, its numbing.

Dr Ian Gargan, a consultant and forensic scientist, told RTE Radio 1, that he agrees with Una about families participating in treatment.

I am very upset today about the news in Cavan yesterday and I offer my deepest condolences to Una, a very sad time for her and Cavan.

I agree with Una that its always good to get more research or insight into how mental health works. The people you want to research or get to know arent around because theyve killed themselves and theyve possibly killed others and their family if its a murder suicide.

Dr Gargan said it can be difficult doing research as patients records are hard to get.

I as a doctor whenever Im treating a patient and in the initial stages will always say that patient- doctor confidentiality is always of paramount but if that patient during the treatment voices the opinion that they want to harm themselves or others you are obliged to let people know in the community, those who are in danger of being hurt or the GP or other resources.

I completely agree that the family should be involved in the treatment and more often than not patients would be offered the opportunity that their partner, friend or close peer be brought in to be involved in their treatment. Most cases they have agreed.

"Theres always a danger that a patient might withhold, that someone will not give you the full information for whatever reason and that could be not out of any malevolence but they feel shame and guilt for their thoughts.

Dr Gargan said that the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) will be made available in schools in Cavan.

The NEPS is an excellent service and of course its a very difficult task for anyone. I find it very difficult to understand what happened in my 20 years of experience in mental health treatment and assessment. Its incredibly complex, upsetting and traumatising, Ian said.

What the psychologists will do initially is give advice to the teachers and to the friends and extended family and possibly leaders of the community on how they can support the extended family as well as the other children in school who will be wondering why their little friends wont be returning.

They have to explain that people arent around or theres been a tragedy or death. I imagine itll be even more difficult to explain, and every psychologist will approach it in their own way but, Id imagine that scripts will be given to say theyve gone away or theyve been separated from this part of community, theyve left us, theyve died. I doubt they will go into the logistics of what happened to the children especially for the young population along Cavan.
While some countries do offer vaccination for chicken pox under their health services, it is not part of Irelands public vaccination programme. So what is chickenpox, and should we be lobbying for change? Here are 15 things you should know.

1 What are the symptoms of chicken pox?

Although the most common chickenpox symptom is a red rash on the body, your child may actually feel unwell for some days beforehand. He or she may complain of flu-like symptoms such as feeling generally unwell, having a high temperature of 38C (100.4F) or over, headache, painful muscles and loss of appetite.

Children can feel unwell for about two days before the rash appears, so if the parent knows there has been chickenpox in the community, or that the child has been in contact with it, there may be a heightened suspicion that their child has come down with it, says Dr Suzanne Cotter.

However, she adds, its often only when parents see the rash that they realise a child has chickenpox.

The other symptoms can mimic other illnesses, Dr Cotter says, adding that the flu-like symptoms, especially the fever, tend to be worse in adults than in children.

2. What does the chicken pox rash look like?

Some children and adults may only have a few spots, but others are covered from head to toe. Spots normally appear in clusters and are often found behind the ears, on the scalp, under the arms and on the chest, stomach, arms and legs. They can also be found inside the ears and mouth, on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet and inside the nappy area.

The rash begins as small, itchy red spots. After about 12-14 hours the spots develop a blister on top and become very itchy. After another day or two, the fluid in the blisters gets cloudy and they begin to dry out and crust over. After one to two weeks, these crusts will fall off naturally.

Remember, however, that new spots can keep appearing in waves for three to five days after the rash begins. Therefore different clusters of spots may be at different stages of blistering or drying out.

3. How can chickenpox be treated?

There is no cure for chickenpox, and the virus usually clears up by itself without any treatment.

However, if your child is in pain or has a high temperature, you can give them paracetamol. Always read the manufacturers instructions. Paracetamol is the preferred painkiller for treating symptoms of chickenpox, because there is a small risk of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, causing a skin reaction. If a child with chickenpox were to develop this, it might be masked by the chickenpox rash, Dr Cotter says.

4 Stay hydrated

It is important for anyone with chickenpox to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. Sugar-free ice-lollies are a good way of getting fluids into children  and they can also help to soothe a sore mouth that has chickenpox spots in it. Avoid any food that may make the mouth sore, such as salty foods. Soup is easy to swallow so long as it is not too hot.

5 When To See the Doctor

Contact your GP straight away if you or your child develop/s any abnormal symptoms, for example if the blisters become infected, if the skin surrounding the blisters becomes red and painful or if the patient experiences pain in the chest, has difficulty breathing or becomes unwell to the point where you are concerned. In such cases, prescription medicine, and possibly hospital treatment, may be needed.

6 Prevent scratching

Chickenpox can be incredibly itchy, but its important for children and adults to not scratch the spots. Scratching can cause scarring and infection, warns Dr Cotter.

One way to avoid this is to keep fingernails clean and short. You can also put socks over your childs hands at night to stop him or her scratching the rash while sleeping. If your childs skin is very itchy or sore, try using calamine lotion, oatmeal or cooling gels. These have a cooling, soothing effect, are available in pharmacies and are very safe to use.

A stronger medicine called chlorphenamine can be prescribed by your GP to relieve itching. Its taken by mouth and is suitable for children over one year old.

7 Dress in Cool Clothing

If your child has a fever, or if their skin is sore and aggravated, its best to dress them in loose-fitting, smooth, cotton fabrics. Avoid sponging down with cool water as this can make the child too cold.

8 What Causes Chickenpox?

Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. You catch it by coming into contact with someone who is infected with the virus. Its a contagious infection, as about 90pc of people who have not previously had chickenpox will become infected when they come into contact with the virus. The source of infection can be someone who has chickenpox or shingles, because it is the same virus, explains Dr Cotter.

9 How You Catch Chickenpox?

The chickenpox virus is spread in the same way as colds and flu  through the respiratory system. Its contained in the millions of tiny droplets that come out of the nose and mouth when an infected person sneezes or coughs.

You can then become infected with the virus by breathing in these droplets from the air or by handling a surface or object on which the droplets have landed on, then transferring the virus to yourself by touching your face.

Once you have come into contact with the virus, it takes between 10 and 21 days for the symptoms of chickenpox to show. A person with chickenpox is most infectious from one to two days before the rash appears until all the blisters have crusted over, which usually takes five to six days from the start of the rash.

10 What To Do if You or Your Child has Chickenpox

Inform the school or nursery and keep the child at home while they remain infectious. If you have chickenpox, stay off work and at home until youre no longer infectious.

Avoid contact with pregnant women, newborn babies or infants under one-year-old, as well as anyone who has a weak immune system, such as people who are having chemotherapy or taking steroid tablets.

Remember that if you or your child have recently been exposed to the chickenpox virus, you may not be able to visit friends or relatives in hospital. Telephone the ward to check first.

11 Stop the Spread

Chickenpox can sometimes be spread through contact with objects that have been infected with the virus, such as childrens toys, bedding or clothing. The virus will not last forever, explains Dr Cotter, adding that the virus can remain alive and contagious on a surface, for example, in a creche.

So if someone in your household has chickenpox, wipe down any objects or surfaces with a sterilising solution and make sure that any infected clothing or bedding is washed regularly.

However, normally the route for transmission is through the respiratory system, Dr Cotter says.

12 Shingles

If you have not had chickenpox before, you can also catch chickenpox from someone with shingles, which is an infection caused by the same virus. However, its not possible to catch shingles from someone who has chickenpox.

The primary infection is chickenpox, but the virus can stay dormant in the nerve endings and later appear as shingles. Shingles is infectious to people who come into contact with it and who are not immune to the chickenpox virus, says Dr Cotter.

13 Vaccination

There is a chickenpox vaccine which is used to protect people who are most at risk of a serious chickenpox infection or of passing the infection on to someone who is at risk.

People who may be considered for chickenpox vaccination include healthcare workers who are not already immune  for example, a nurse who has never had chickenpox and who may pass it to someone they are treating if they become infected, as well as people living with someone who has a weakened immune system such as the child of a parent receiving chemotherapy.

The vaccine can be given to a child but it is not part of the routine primary childhood immunisation programme, says Dr Cotter. Its not part of the HSE programme but people can go to their GP and request it, though they have to get it administered privately.

The vaccine is not suitable for pregnant women. Avoid getting pregnant for three months after having the vaccine. The vaccine is also not suitable for people with weakened immune systems.

14 Chickenpox is a Notifiable Disease

Chickenpox is a notifiable disease since 2012. This means that hospital cases of chickenpox must be notified to the medical officer of health at the local Department of Public Health, explains Dr Cotter.

15 If you travel to Ireland from a warm climate

Chickenpox is a common childhood illness in northern climate and temperate zones of the world, and is less common in tropical regions. Therefore, adults who originate in the tropics are often more susceptible to chickenpox than indigenous Irish people because they have not been exposed in childhood, explains Dr Cotter. A study cited in the Journal of Infectious Diseases showed 96pc of urban adults were immune to chickenpox by the age of 25, compared with 42pc of people living in a rural Tropics group.
Twins Rosie (left) and Ruby Formosa who were born joined at the abdomen and shared part of the intestine, are due to start school in September: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

CONJOINED twins who were given a slim chance of survival are now preparing for their first week at school.

Rosie and Ruby Formosa, aged four, from Bexleyheath in Kent, were born joined at the abdomen and shared an intestine, meaning they needed an emergency operation to separate them.

Their parents, Angela and Daniel Formosa were told their daughters had a minimal chance of survival when doctors discovered they were conjoined.

But after successful operation at Londons Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh), the identical twins have grown up healthy and will begin their first year of primary school in September.

Ms Formosa, 35, said the twins were very excited to be starting school.

Four years ago it wasn't in my mind that this would ever happen, she told the Press Association.

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When I was pregnant I didn't think I'd ever see their first day at school so it is really amazing and all thanks to Gosh really.

Conjoined twins occur when a mother produces a single egg, which does not fully separate after fertilisation. The rare condition affects one in every 200,000 live births.

Ms Formosa said it was heartbreaking when she discovered the girls were conjoined at 16 weeks.

I was already worried that they were monoamniotic (where twins share an amniotic sac), and conjoined was the worst-case scenario, she said.

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I was really, really, really scared and really upset because at that point I was told that there was a high possibility that the girls wouldn't survive the pregnancy.

And if they did survive the pregnancy they might not survive the birth, then they might not survive surgery.

They couldn't tell what was connecting them.

I didn't prepare to bring them home. It wasn't until they were in hospital and they'd had their operation that my husband started painting the bedroom and getting everything ready for them.

Rosie and Ruby were born at University College Hospital in London by caesarean section when Mrs Formosa was 34 weeks pregnant.

Within a couple of hours of being born, they were taken to Gosh for emergency surgery because of an intestinal blockage.

Praising the staff at the world-renowned children's hospital, Mrs Formosa added: They had a look and did scans and all sorts of tests and it wasn't until they got into surgery that they saw what was going on.

It was on-the-spot decisions as to what was to be done.

The twins underwent a five-hour operation to separate them, and were well enough to go home after three weeks. Four years later, they are due to join their older sister Lily at primary school.

They've met their teacher a few times and they love their teacher, said Ms Formosa.

They're looking forward to painting, anything messy, they love reading.

They are very similar headstrong and very determined, which I knew they were from when they were in my belly because of the way they kept growing and surviving.

Professor Paolo De Coppi, consultant paediatric surgeon at Gosh, said: Over the last 30 years we have treated 27 sets of conjoined twins at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

The surgery is highly complex and requires teams from across the hospital to work together and combine a whole range of expertise.

We're thrilled that Rosie and Ruby are starting school this September.

It's always a joy to witness patients' progress and to hear that they are reaching new milestones  this makes the job we do all the more rewarding.
Katherine Neill was determined to enjoy life despite suffering from a rare form of cancer. She died last week at the age of 18

Katherine Neill was determined to enjoy life despite suffering from a rare form of cancer. She died last week at the age of 18

The mother of a teenager who died from cancer a week after receiving her A-level results has paid tribute to her "beautiful daughter with a massive smile".

Katherine Neill was just 18 when she passed away at her home in Banbridge on Thursday, surrounded by her family.

In the days since her death, the family have raised over 8,000 for a cancer charity in her memory.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph yesterday, her mum Roisin remembered her "very special daughter".

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"She had this big, massive smile," she said,

"Even when she was really, really sick, she would say she was fine and smile. She has left a very big void in our lives."

Roisin said the family have been amazed by the thousands of pounds which have been raised.

Just the week before her death, Katherine received her A-level results and achieved an A and an A* grade, despite spending the last year in and out of hospital.

The talented teenager was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma in July 2015 and although she was heartbroken that she had to give up the ballet dancing that had been part of her life since she was four, she was determined to try and keep her life as normal as possible.

The Banbridge Academy pupil was too unwell to study at school so with the help of local charities, she was tutored at home and was able to sit two A-levels in Maths and Psychology in June.

Roisin explained: "Her tutors were fantastic and we live right beside school so her friends would come over a few times a week at lunchtime or during their study periods and really kept her in the loop. She was still very much a part of school life. I think that kept her strong and positive throughout the last year."

She also passed her driving test and had a huge party in March to celebrate her 18th birthday, in between spells in hospital.

"She was so talented and clever," Roisin added. "She never complained and didn't want anyone's sympathy. She just said this was something that was happening and she just got on with it. She was a really determined young woman and just wanted to be doing what her friends were doing."

In June, Katherine, Roisin, her dad Gary and brother James (16) were told that her cancer was too aggressive and could not be cured.

Her mum said: "At that time, Katherine knew it was incurable but she said she was still going to make the most of her time. In the past few weeks, she wanted to go to her favourite restaurant - Deanes at Queen's - but she wasn't really well enough.

"I contacted Deanes and Michael Deane himself got involved. They arranged for a chef to come to our house and cook her favourite meal - pork belly - and all her friends were there. It was really, really special for them. She had this really big group of friends but they were very close. They got her through everything."

Following her death, her family set up a fundraising page to allow for donations in lieu of flowers for her funeral, which took place on Sunday.

They chose the Boom Foundation, which is a Northern Ireland-based charity for patients battling sarcoma.

They have already raised almost 7,800 from over 250 people in just a few days.

Her mum added: "We never dreamt it would be this much. It has brought us some comfort and it shows the respect people had for her. I have also loved reading all the lovely messages about her on the page. She really touched a lot of people."

Katherine Neill was just 18 when she passed away at her home in Banbridge on Thursday, surrounded by her family.

To donate in memory of Katherine, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Roisin-neill2?utm_source=facebook
Parents are increasing their childrens chances of being overweight or obese by serving them up adult-sized portions of popular meals. Stock Image: GETTY

Parents are increasing their children's chances of being overweight or obese by serving them up adult-sized portions of popular meals.

Doctors warned a five-year-old needs about half the food an adult does and parents should avoid piling up their plates.

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The warning came from Safefood and follows earlier research showing children aged over two eat up to 40pc more if they are given larger portion sizes.

Read more: Fat nation: Is Ireland eating itself to death?

Dr Sinead Murphy, a paediatrician in Temple Street Hospital, said more than half the children treated for serious weight problems were eating what we would consider "healthy food."

But there is "just far too much of it," she warned.

"We also know that the parents may feel they are doing the right thing for their children by filling them up with 'good food' when in fact they're creating problems for them now and in later life," she said.

"It's important to encourage children to recognise when they are full and to allow them not to eat any more when they feel full - most parents will go with this with sweet treats but not when it comes to other foods.

"This message from the campaign is critical and parents need to be aware that children only need child-sized portions of all foods and any more is doing them harm in the long-term."

Many parents are concerned they are not feeding their child enough and this causes them to overload plates.

As children return to school many parents worry even more.

However, Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan of Safefood advised using smaller child-sized plates at mealtimes.

"Give a smaller portion to begin with - if children are still hungry, then give a little bit more," she advised.

She pointed out there has also been a rise in the size of foods like scones, croissants, Danish pastries and takeaway foods in the last 20 years.

Some takeaway food portion sizes are now 180pc bigger that they were in the 1990s.

Tips include:
Small countries make big news on the front pages of the international press for bad reasons.

It's a point that my colleague Dan O'Brien made on radio yesterday but gets to the heart of the Apple problem.

Government ministers are very worried on two fronts. Abroad, they are concerned we will be stigmatised as a 'tax haven'. And at home, the fear is a massive public backlash as Michael Noonan does the equivalent of tearing up the winning Lotto ticket.

We are now just hours away from the EU Commission telling the world that in 1991 and again in 2007, the Irish Revenue Commissioners signed off on a 'sweetheart' deal for one of the world's biggest companies.

The trade-off, which involves Apple sustaining 5,000 jobs in Cork, would seem reasonable to the casual observer but the EU doesn't want a situation developing whereby multinationals can effectively play countries off each other to lower their liabilities.

None of what is about to unfold comes as a surprise to the Cabinet - albeit Mr Noonan was under the impression that EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager helpfully would hold off on an announcement until after October's budget.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny is acutely aware of the risks involved, having previously been stung by the 'tax haven' claims in May 2013.

At the time, Ireland held the presidency of the EU and was on a drive to be seen as crusading against tax evasion.

Unfortunately for the Taoiseach, just days before he was due to chair a European summit on the issue, a group of politicians in Washington took aim across the Atlantic using the word 'haven' as ammunition.

Former US Republican presidential candidate John McCain and Democrat committee chair Carl Levin were among the most high-profile. The 'New York Times', 'Wall Street Journal', 'Financial Times', Bloomberg and others dined out on it for days.

Since then the line from Fine Gael ministers has been consistent: "Ireland does not do special tax rate deals with companies."

Regardless of whether the back-tax due from Apple is judged to be in hundreds of millions or the 19bn some projected, that line will hold in the coming days.

Fianna Fail, which was in power under Charlie Haughey in 1991 and under Bertie Ahern in 2007, will back up Fine Gael.

However, the Independent Alliance has yet to be convinced by the idea that it's OK to reject free money.

Because the Department of Finance wasn't expecting a decision until later in the year, it let ministers head away for their summer break without a detailed briefing.

Now they have only a matter of hours to find a palatable way for John Halligan and Finian McGrath to backtrack on public statements that the money should be used for schools and hospitals.

"They have made the mistake of talking before getting the full details on how it works," one Fine Gael minister told the Irish Independent last night.

The Government must put up a united front if it is to stand any chance of fighting off the flow of international and domestic criticism.

Also ignoring the money for a moment, if the Cabinet were to accept the EU Commission's findings then it would have to set up its own Commission of Investigation to find out who sanctioned such a deal for Apple.

The Revenue Commissions have no such power in law.

That's a bridge nobody in Ireland wants to cross - but Ms Vestager is determined to clamp down on what she sees as state-aid to companies.

As a former Danish finance minister, she is well-known to Mr Noonan.

He describes her as a "very personable, friendly person who knows Ireland fairly well".

In mid-July, they met to discuss the "presentation" of the Apple judgment but Mr Noonan came away with the impression it wouldn't come until October and that she might "take into account" the timing of Budget 2017.

She hasn't and the net effect is that the Government must end silly season very much on the offensive - fighting for long-term reputation over short-term popularity.
It seems somewhat ludicrous that the State is advocating zoning more housing land when there is enough already available to build more than 400,000 homes.

But in the absence of powers to force owners to build homes on prime sites, even when planning permission is in place, it now appears the Government believes the carrot of cheaper development levies and access to a 200m infrastructure fund is not enough to get construction works underway.

A stick is now needed. Build on zoned land, or we'll zone alternative sites and refuse you permission to build in the future, the Department is saying.

Ireland's housing crisis will not be solved overnight. But it's certainly not helped by the unwillingness or inability of landowners to release sites to build homes at a time of such demand.

The Housing Agency analysis shows that units are needed in almost every county - in Carlow town, some 700 units are required, more than 500 in Ennis, Co Clare, and 2,300 in Drogheda and Dundalk in Co Louth alone.

The lack of delivery is fuelling price increases, with knock-on implications for the private rented sector where tenants are now enduring record-high costs.

The problem arises because many land banks are linked to hefty loans, and borrowers are not prepared to sell or develop because whatever return is available will not cover their costs. But not all landowners are lumbered with debt. In a market which shows no sign of slowing any time soon, many are quite happy to sit on strategic land banks and wait to maximise their profit.

Many of these sites have planning permission, but the State is powerless to force land hoarders to build. The vacant site levy doesn't kick in until 2019 and the absence of a site value tax, as recommended by the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) and others, means there is no financial penalty for failing to build.

This tax is based on the value of the land created by the State's investment in roads, public transport links, water networks and facilities such as schools. Such lands would incur a higher tax than a similarly-sized plot far removed from essential services.

It would encourage development on prime sites because the landowner would incur an annual charge. It would, as the NCC points out, force them to pay for the privilege of wasting land.

Without such a stick, landowners can play the waiting game and hoard until values increase and greater windfall gains can be made.
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Colette Browne Opinion Every effort must be made to retrieve oral histories of mother and baby home survivors

With three days to go until the Mother and Baby Homes Commission ceases to exist as a legal entity, we are being told that audio recordings of hundreds of witnesses which were deleted may not actually be gone forever. It is another usual twist in a most emotional saga. For decades, survivors of mother and baby homes have been denied a voice and denied autonomy. When they fell pregnant, many through rape and abuse, they were marched to the doors of religious institutions.
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Ian O'Doherty Opinion For once, the UN is right  were standing on the edge of a deadly nuclear precipice

For those of us of a certain age, the last few months have felt as if we have somehow time-warped back to the 1980s. Stranger Things, which is set in that decade, has been the biggest show on TV. Kate Bush  thanks, incidentally, to Stranger Things  is now regularly played on the radio and she has reached number one in 2022 with the re-release of her 1985 hit, Running Up That Hill.
Kirsty Blake Knox has a point: the Rose of Tralee does indeed reflect changing attitudes to young Irish women in the new millennium (Irish Independent, August 27).

It was years ago now that I heard a Rose announce in the Adelaide Irish Hall in South Australia that whereas she knew she was supposed to say, after dancing a vigorous 'Siege of Ennis', she was "positively glowing" the fact of the matter was she was "sweating like a pig".

The young colleens I saw in the wee hours in Ennis at the Fleadh the week before last surely typified the high-spirited independence of young Irish women today.

Their antics as they cavorted in the pouring rain, glasses in hand, up and down the streets of Ennis, was truly a delight.

One came up to me - a complete stranger - to share my umbrella and said: "There's room for two of us under there. Good man!"

Later, another quipped as I walked past her with my trousers rolled up (to keep them dry): "Are ye going hiking, are ye?"

Two others were trying to ride a shopping trolley down O'Connell Street. If these young women in the streets of Clare are any guide, the real question raised by Kirsty's fine piece on the subject is how the tension between the old and the new in the Rose of Tralee will play out, and whether, and in what way, this delightfully old-fashioned event can continue on into the future.

Terry Hewton

Adelaide, South Australia

Maths - it just doesn't add up

It's back to school/college and state exam results time. As I write, the Junior Cert results have yet to be published. And the importance and critical place and function of mathematics is promoted as though the truth of maths is written in stone.

Many have come to realise that Father Christmas and the tooth fairy are illusionary.

Why have so many allegedly intelligent people not realised that mathematics is also imaginary. If we do apply qualitative analysis to quantitative data, we are promoting unreality as reality.

My father once brought year-old heifers to a fair. His neighbour brought a similar number of year-old heifers to the same fair. Many buyers looked at both lots of heifers; my father got a much better price for his heifers than his neighbour. And buyers in the old days were not undiscerning as to how they spent their money.

The 10 note I have in my pocket will not be the same 10 note tomorrow. Money, or its value, like all things is constantly changing.

Can we say a tree or mountain is a certain height when that height is in a constant state of flux?

If good qualitative analysis had been applied to our Celtic Tiger growth/surpluses, would we have ended up in the mess we did?

When people say figures don't lie, be very careful. Surely others have realised that maths as we have come to accept it is possibly the greatest illusion of all time. Will I one day be nominated for a Nobel prize for stating what people will in future say was so obvious?

Mathematics as a quantitative quantity is a false god aiding the development of simple minds. Or is it?

Joseph Mackey

Athlone, Co Westmeath

Desecration of Jewish graves

The appalling desecration of 17 Jewish graves in Northern Ireland last week should shame us as a nation. The gravestones were smashed and knocked over last Friday at a municipal cemetery in West Belfast.

When police arrived at the scene, they found smashed pieces of glass on the overturned headstones. Eight young people are said to have carried out the attack with hammers and blocks, with a larger crowd looking on, according to DUP assembly member William Humphrey.

The hatred exhibited towards members of the Jewish community is a stark reminder of a visceral contemporary anti-Semitism, which sadly seems to have resurfaced in elements of the Irish State that conflate and justify this ancient hatred as an appropriate response towards Israel.

This is, of course, nonsense, some Jews do indeed support Israel, although many more do not, just as some Muslims support radical Islam and it is clear many more do not. To universally portray a vulnerable ethnic minority as responsible for the actions of a state whether real - as in Israel's case - or imagined - as in the case of an Islamic caliphate - is racism of the worst kind.

As both a state that prides itself on fair play and neutrality, and a nation of people who condemn prejudice, we should loudly call out these thugs who have sent ripples of fear through Ireland's small remaining Jewish community, just as we would vociferously condemn an attack on the gravestones of Protestant or Muslim citizens of our country.

Dr Kevin McCarthy

Kinsale, Co Cork

Burkini ban is itself offensive

As a proponent of political secularism, I find reports of armed police making a woman in Nice remove her clothing worrying, and ironic.

A Nice tribunal has found that the burkini was "liable to offend the religious convictions or (religious) non-convictions of other users of the beach", and "felt as a defiance or a provocation exacerbating tensions felt by" the community.

No one has the right not to be offended. This is an argument that we secularists use in relation to blasphemy laws, but it swings both ways. In any event, I do not see the rationale for a police-enforced burkini ban. Concerns about religious clothing in the wake of recent terrorist killings have been proffered as justification.

I don't recall the demented truck driver who massacred innocent people in Nice wearing a burkini, nor would it be an integral part of the modus operandi of a terrorist attack by a woman.

The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (religious police) in Saudi Arabia have rightly been criticised for enforcing a dress code among women.

Is it not ironic that the police in France - the great bastion of liberte, egalite and fraternite - are now doing it too? Perhaps they should be renamed 'Le Comite pour la promotion de la vertu et la prevention du vice'?

There has been an increase in sales of the burkini since the ban was introduced. There have been reports of non-Muslim women buying and wearing them in acts of solidarity. Are the police going to arrest and fine all these women?

What about women who wear wetsuits, or women who suffer from sun allergies? Are they to be told that they must remove their clothes on beaches too?

Individual rights, such as how one dresses, should only be compromised where there is a risk to others. The ban will not do anything to combat Islamic extremism. If anything, it will do the opposite.

Rob Sadlier

Rathfarnham, Dublin 16
Gene Wilder was the "father figure" of the Willy Wonka family, according to the actress who played spoiled child Veruca Salt in the hit film.

Julie Dawn Cole, who is originally from Guildford but now lives in Hampshire, played the young girl everyone loves to hate in the movie that Wilder may be most remembered for.

The 1971 film Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, which brings Roald Dahl's novel to life, follows lovable Charlie who clinches a golden ticket to gain access to the enchanting factory - and is joined by other lucky children including the pampered Veruca Salt.

Actress Cole said she and the other Willy Wonka "kids" - the actors who played the children in the film - had received a message from Wilder around a year or so ago in which he sent "lots of love".

She told the Press Association: "We knew that Gene wasn't in great health but he's a very private man, very dignified, so it's not entirely a surprise, but it's still a very, very sad day."

Cole, who was 12 when the movie was filmed, said she and her Wonka co-stars keep in touch and see each other at least once a year.

"We're all very, very sad. He was very much the father figure of our family," she said.

Remembering Wilder from his Wonka days, Cole said: "I think people think that he'd be kind of crazy and leaping around, but no, he was just quiet, but gently funny and patient.

"I think that's the thing that I admire him for, because when you've got five kids on a movie set it can't be easy, all bouncing around, especially with all that sugar.

"And he was very patient. We were never ever told 'Please leave Mr Wilder alone' or 'Mr Wilder is off to his trailer'."

Video of the Day

She said Wilder, with "those wonderful blue eyes" was "great to be around" and "very generous", adding: "He was always keen for other people to have their moment, and really for somebody so... such a mega star, no ego, there was no ego there."

Reflecting on the success of Wilder's portrayal of the famous candy man, Cole said: "The genius of it. You never quite know whether Mr Wonka is crazy, good, bad, evil. You never quite know what he is."
Broadcaster Claire Byrne with her Husband Gerry Scollan following their wedding ceremony. Picture Conor McCabe

Broadcaster Claire Byrne and new husband Gerry Scollan were surrounded by family and friends as the pair wed yesterday afternoon.

Together for four years and doting parents to son Patrick (3) and daughter Jane (2), Claire and Gerry exchanged vows in an intimate gathering.

The couple have been together for four years - with Gerry popping the question three years ago.

The newly-weds managed to keep their big day under wraps outside of their circle of close family and friends.

RTE host Claire (40) wore an elegant ivory shift dress with a cape to the registry office. She completed the look with a Jennifer Wrynne headpiece and open-toe shoes.

Read more: RTE star Claire Byrne weds Gerry Scollan in surprise ceremony in Dublin

For the reception, Claire slipped into a sweeping satin gown with a plunging neckline from Knightsbridge Boutique in the Powerscourt Town Centre.

After posing for pictures, the happy couple headed into The Angler's Rest in Chapelizod for the reception.

Newstalk's Ivan Yates, Chris Donoghue, 'Today' host Maura Derrane and Fine Gael TD John Deasy all attended the low-key do.

Asked if she would be enjoying a "mini 'moon", Claire shook her head and added that she would be "straight back to work".

Video of the Day

Some of the pair's celebrity friends have sent the couple their well wishes, with TV host Grainne Seoige writing on social media: "Congratulations Claire and Gerry. Long life together and every happiness in the future."

Speaking of her wedding plans recently, the bride admitted that with her hectic work schedule she did not have time to plan a lavish ceremony.

"It will be low-key, with just family and close friends," she said.

"I have no intention of going shopping for a big wedding dress. Whenever I do it, I'm not going to be in a big gown. I've no time for any of that stuff now, so it'll all be streamlined - the celebrations, the wedding and the dress.

"Simple and easy is my motto at the moment, so we'll keep it all straight-forward."

The TV presenter said she knew her partner was 'the one' on their very first date.

"I had been around quite a while at that stage," she said. "I think at one stage I would have hated people to say 'when you know, you know' - but that was how it worked out.

"We had so many similarities in our background - size of family, rural upbringing, the values we were raised with."

Reminiscing on how he popped the question, Byrne admitted it was not the most romantic of gestures.

"He was loading the dishwasher and said 'will we get married so?', and I said to him 'are you proposing?' He said yes. And I said, 'yes, I will!' That was it."

They plan on taking a family trip to France soon with their children.
Police said the bomb exploded in a morning traffic jam in Mogadishu

Somali lawmaker Abdalla Bos Ahmed was injured by the blast in Mogadishu (AP)

A suicide bomber has detonated an explosives-laden truck near the gate of Somalia's presidential palace in Mogadishu, killing at least 12 people, police said.

The bomb exploded during a morning traffic jam in the capital, said Captain Mohamed Hussein, a senior police officer.

The blast damaged nearby hotels often frequented by government officials and business executives, he said, and some cabinet ministers at the SYL hotel were among 31 injured.

The explosion was heard across Mogadishu, and smoke was seen billowing over the presidential compound.

Somalia's Islamic extremist group al-Shabab has claimed the blast, according to the rebels' Andalus radio station.

The injured were taken to Mogadishu's Madina Hospital, said Dr Mohamed Yusuf, the hospital's director.

The massive blast left a trail of destruction across the hilltop presidential complex and nearby buildings. The bombing tore into blast walls protecting hotels and blew off the roofs of houses.

"Security forces tried to stop the bomber who used back roads before he sped through checkpoints near the presidential palace and detonated the bomb," said police spokesman Colonel Ali Nur. "He reached near the gate of the state house with flat tyres."

While al-Shabab has been ousted from most of Somalia's cities, it continues to carry out bombings and suicide attacks, notably in the capital.

In late July, two al-Shabab suicide bombers detonated explosives-laden cars outside the office of the UN's mine-clearing agency and an army checkpoint near the African Union's main base in Mogadishu, killing 13.

In June, gunmen stormed the Nasa-Hablod hotel, killing at least 14. Two weeks before that, more gunmen killed 15, including two members of parliament, at the Ambassador hotel.

AP
Undated handout photo issued via a YouCaring page set up to help support the family of Thomas Jackson, who has died after being critically injured as he tried to save a fellow backpacker as she was stabbed in a knife attack in Australia: YouCaring/PA Wire

THE "indescribably proud" relatives of traveller Tom Jackson have paid tribute to a "wonderful big brother" and a "darling" son after he died in an Australian hospital.

The 30-year-old was stabbed as he tried to save fellow backpacker Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, during a knife attack at Shelley's Backpackers in Home Hill, Queensland, last week.

Expand Expand Previous Next Close Victim Mia Ayliffe-Chung (right) worked as waitress at the Bedroom Lounge Bar along with bartender colleague Amy Browne Photo: PA Mia Ayliffe-chung died after being stabbed at a backpackers' hostel in Australia (Tommy Martin/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Victim Mia Ayliffe-Chung (right) worked as waitress at the Bedroom Lounge Bar along with bartender colleague Amy Browne Photo: PA

Heartbroken sister Liv Jackson, who flew out with father Les after Mr Jackson was seriously injured last week, posted on Facebook: "There is nothing in this world that can prepare you for the pain and heartbreak of losing a sibling and a friend, but there is great comfort in knowing that he was mine.

"To everyone back home and to everyone here in Australia there are literally not enough words to thank you for your support and beautifully kind words to my family at this time."

She urged people not to remember him as a victim but as a friend and to cherish his memory, adding: "Indescribably proud of everything you accomplished and the lives you touched. I will love you always and forever TJ, your little sister, Lou."

Mr Jackson, from Congleton, Cheshire, in England died in a north Queensland hospital on Tuesday.

His father wrote on a Youcaring fundraising page set up to help the family: "We are bereft. Our darling Tom has left us and the world is a poorer place. Thanks again to everyone for the love and support you have given us over the last few days, we will be forever grateful.

"There is dark and evil in this world perpetrated by a few, but so much more love and light emanates from so many more. That thought will sustain us over the coming days."

The page is approaching a 5,000 target with all donations going to Mr Jackson's parents.

Queensland Police said detectives will upgrade a charge of attempted murder against a 29-year-old man when he next appears at Townsville Magistrates' Court on October 28.

Smail Ayad is alleged to have stabbed Ms Ayliffe-Chung and to have caused the injuries which led to Mr Jackson's death, as well as harming 12 police officers.

Police previously said they were investigating whether Ayad had an "obsession" with Ms Ayliffe-Chung, from Wirksworth, Derbyshire, and described Mr Jackson's actions as "selfless".

Friends and well-wishers of Mr Jackson posted tributes on social media sites, with many changing their profile pictures to images of them with him.

Emily Jayne Waters wrote on Facebook: "I honestly couldn't be anymore broken right now ... you will forever be remembered by us all ... RIP Tom Jackson ... I'm so proud to have had a hero like you as a friend. I love you buddy."

Paul Fraser said: "An act of selfless courage which is a an example to us all of the best of humanity in the face of the worst. I hope you find comfort in his example and thus small donation helps."

Lizzie Scott posted: "Tom, you were 1 true hero and I feel privileged to have known you. Not many people would have been so selfless to have lost their lives."
Mr Bryant said the MPs from various parties had been sent the email threat with a picture of a beheaded person and a message saying they and their families would be killed.

At least 24 MPs have received identical death threats in recent days, former Labour frontbencher Chris Bryant has revealed.

Mr Bryant said the MPs from various parties had been sent the email threat with a picture of a beheaded person and a message saying they and their families would be killed.

"In the last year there has been a slew of these, I've received five or six so far this year," Mr Bryant told the Press Association.

"It is difficult to know how seriously to take them, but when they mention your family, you have to take them seriously."

Mr Bryant said concern had increased after the death of Labour MP Jo Cox.

"It seems that women MPs, ethnic minority MPs and gay MPs get targeted the most," Mr Bryant said.

The Welsh MP, who is a vocal critic of Jeremy Corbyn, said there was no suggestion the death threats had anything to do with the Labour leadership contest.

However, he did claim that Mr Corbyn had not done enough to stamp out a general problem with cyber-bullying within the Labour Party.

"I think Jeremy has been very slow to take a clear line on this," Mr Bryant claimed.

The Rhondda MP said the Labour leader's "digital democracy" strategy launched on Tuesday was at least ten years out of date, as it did not strengthen anti-bullying procedures on social media.

Mr Corbyn insisted Labour had strict anti-bullying rules when he was asked why there was no specific reference to combating online trolling in the digital agenda policy paper.
Mary Berry has stuck by her comments, telling the BBC Radio 4 that deep-fat fryers are dangerous because they cause fires as well as being detrimental to health. Photo: Ian West

Mary Berry has defended her opposition to deep-fat fryers after her comments sparked indignation from MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace.

Berry, 81, provoked controversy when she told a magazine that "I don't think any household should have a deep-fat fryer", while also speaking out against children drinking fizzy drinks.

Wallace responded by saying that the Great British Bake Off veteran's opposition to the deep-fat fryer is "an attack on our British way of life".

Now Berry has stuck by her comments, telling the BBC Radio 4 that deep-fat fryers are dangerous because they cause fires as well as being detrimental to health.

"I have never, on any of my programmes, ever used a deep-fat fryer," she said.

"Nowadays everybody eats in the kitchen, I know we do, and I certainly don't want the smell of frying while I'm eating.

"So we do have oven chips from time to time when the grandchildren come - give them a treat - but I usually do things in the oven rather than frying. I think it's unhealthy as well."

Wallace blasted fellow BBC star Berry, stating: "Our nation was built on chips and spam fritters ... I love Mary dearly but this is an attack on our British way of life."

Berry is back on screen with fellow judge Paul Hollywood in the new series of Bake Off as another group of cake-loving hopefuls see whether they can stand the heat of the kitchen.
The LE James Joyce and its crew rescued 617 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea yesterday

The LE James Joyce and its crew rescued 617 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea yesterday

The LE James Joyce and its crew rescued 617 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea yesterday

The LE James Joyce and its crew rescued 617 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea yesterday

The Irish navy helped rescue an incredible 617 migrants from the Mediterranean Sea yesterday.

The LE James Joyce first assisted in an operation involving 165 migrants aboard three separate vessels during search and rescue missions yesterday morning.

It came following a request from the Italian Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre.

During the first operation, 15 migrants were rescued from a wooden vessel, which was floating 40 nautical miles off Tripoli, Italy.

The migrants were taken on board the LE James Joyce and received food, water and medical treatment.

The Irish boat was then called upon to assist with the rescue of a further 150 people from two rubber vessels.

Then the crew of the ship successfully located and rescued a further 452 migrants from eight separate vessels, bringing the total number of migrants rescued by LE James Joyce yesterday to 617.

The ship departed Naval Service Headquarters in Haulbowline, Cork to assist the Italian Authorities with search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean on July 8 and has rescued 1,111 people to date.

In the period May to November 2015, a total of 8,592 people were rescued by Irish Naval vessels.

More than 100,000 refugees have now reached Italy after crossing the Mediterranean in the past year, most departing from Libya.

Yesterday's rescue highlighted the dangerous tactics used by smugglers, who charge large sums for space on a boat they know will be unlikely to make the journey. The passengers then face the prospect of either being picked up by rescuers, or drowning.
Mr Vershbow insists Nato wants to 'develop a more stringent regime to increase transparency' (Stock photo)

Russia is straining its relationship with Nato by holding unannounced military exercises, said the Western military alliance's deputy secretary general.

Russia had staged large drills with no advance notification with increasing frequency, said Alexander Vershbow.

He said there had been about a dozen in the past two years, and that Russia's drills are allowed by a loophole in a security agreement signed with Western countries. Mr Vershbow insists Nato wants to "develop a more stringent regime to increase transparency.
Spain's Socialist leader said yesterday his party would not back acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's re-election and end an eight-month political impasse after meeting him for the final time before a confidence vote in parliament tomorrow.

The Socialists' head Pedro Sanchez holds the key to unlocking the deadlock as Rajoy is just shy of the majority he needs to form a government and has run out of allies.

The party's refusal to endorse their long-time rival in the vote heightens the chances of a third election in a year.

Rajoy's centre-right People's Party is six seats short of the absolute majority of 176 seats it needs in the vote, even with the support of liberal party Ciudadanos, which was agreed on Sunday, and one extra seat from a minor Canary Islands party.

The Socialists' abstention would be enough to enable a PP-led minority government under Rajoy, who won the most votes in elections in December and June but both times missed out on a majority.

Sanchez says, however, that Rajoy should instead win the support of several small regional parties which would tip him into majority territory.

"It was an unnecessary meeting," Sanchez told reporters yesterday.

"It is Mr Rajoy's responsibility to reach the 176 votes, exclusively Mr Rajoy's and not the Socialists'."

If Rajoy loses tomorrow's vote, a second vote will take place on Friday where a simple majority - in which he would need only to win more votes in favour than against - would suffice to allow him to form a government.

A loss in the second vote, also likely without the support of the Socialists, would trigger a two-month window to form a government at the end of which another election would be called, possibly on Christmas Day.

Pressure has mounted on Sanchez to cave in to both the PP and Ciudadanos' demands and public opinion. Polls show most Spaniards would prefer the Socialists to enable a government led by Rajoy than face new elections.

Spain's best-selling newspaper 'El Pais' said in an editorial yesterday that the Socialists, who it has traditionally supported, should abandon their "absurd obstinacy" in opposing the PP, blaming it on their "weakness and lack of perspective".

"The agreement signed on Sunday by the PP and Ciudadanos should be sufficient to form a government, since that is its objective and that is what Spain needs now," it said.

Rajoy, however, is not yet ready to give up on winning over Spain's second-biggest party.

He said after his half-hour meeting with Sanchez that he would continue to try to negotiate with them even if he failed in both investiture votes.

"To unblock does not mean to support, (the Socialists) simply would be allowing something as reasonable as Spain having a government," he told reporters.
Britain and France have pledged to work together to address the Calais migrant crisis in the wake of questions about the future of co-operation on border controls.

The governments of the two countries presented a united front after a meeting between Home Secretary Amber Rudd and her counterpart, French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve.

It follows controversy over a proposal to allow migrants to lodge UK asylum claims on French soil - a plan dismissed by a Home Office source as a "complete non-starter".

A joint statement from both governments after talks between Ms Rudd and Mr Cazeneuve in Paris said: "In the face of the challenges posed by ongoing migratory flows in Europe, and taking into account the migratory pressure in the Calais region and the particularly difficult humanitarian situation, we are committed to working together to strengthen the security of our shared border, to strongly diminish the migratory pressure in Calais and preserve the vital economic link supported by the juxtaposed controls in Calais."

The two nations committed to a number of specific steps, including:

*Further securing the ports and tunnel in the region. Britain has already provided around 85 million to reinforce security;

Expand Close Calais has become a magnet for migrants / Facebook

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Whatsapp Calais has become a magnet for migrants

*Addressing humanitarian challenges in Calais, where around 7,000 migrants are now gathered - including 5,000 without housing;

*Continuing to work together to return illegal migrants in Calais who are not in need of protection;

*Bringing unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to the UK when in their best interest.

The statement, which reaffirmed a commitment to closer cooperation on counter-terrorism, security and migration, comes after a long-standing agreement on border controls came under scrutiny.

Under the Treaty of Le Touquet, British immigration officials check passports in Calais while their French counterparts do the same in Dover - an arrangement known as "juxtaposed controls".

On Monday, Xavier Bertrand, president of the Hauts-de-France Nord Pas De Calais-Picardie region, which includes Calais, said he wants a "new treatment" for asylum seekers trying to get to Britain from France.

He said: "If the British Government don't want to open this discussion, we will tell you the Touquet Agreement is over."

A Downing Street spokesman said local politicians in France occasionally called for changes to the Le Touquet arrangements, but that the Paris government's continued support for the agreement was clearly restated last month in talks between Prime Minister Theresa May and French president Francois Hollande.

Expand Close French riot police in the Calais migrant camp, known as the Jungle, as demolition of the camp resumes in Calais, France. / Facebook

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Whatsapp French riot police in the Calais migrant camp, known as the Jungle, as demolition of the camp resumes in Calais, France.

Asked about presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy's call for a processing centre in England to deal with asylum requests from those in Calais, the No 10 spokesman declined to speculate on the position of a possible future French administration.

He pointed out that it was Mr Sarkozy, in a previous stint as interior minister, who first struck the Le Touquet deal with the UK.
The collected objects and documents consist of 30 original photos, such as five original photos of President Ho Chi Minh with the Dance and Singing Troupe under the General Department of Politics when receiving Governmental delegations from Indonesia and Bulgaria to Vietnam, which were presented by Ms. Duong Thi Sau  an artist from the Dance and Singing Troupe; seven photos related to President Ho Chi Minh and Russia presented by General Department V under the Ministry of Public Security; and eight photos about President Ho Chi Minhs visits to several countries in Eastern Europe presented by Nguyen Tien Thong, former Vietnamese Ambassador to the above countries.

Receiving objects and documents from comrade Hoang Quoc Viet's family (Photo by VH)

Visitors had a look at newly received objects and doucments (Photo by VH)

The highlight is a recording of the Presidents voice, calling for Italian peoples support for Vietnam, donated by Catia Casti and Fabio Marangon, members of the Italy - Vietnam Friendship Association.

There are 123 documents and books about President Ho Chi Minh and Germany in German and Bulgarian languages, presented by Tran Ngoc Quyen, former Vietnamese Counsellor in Germany.

The Ho Chi Minh Museum will continue researching, scientifically profiling and cataloguing the newly received objects and documents to develop and promote their effectiveness./.
Smoke rises from a blaze in a high-rise building under construction in Abu Dhabi (Hasan Qureshi/AP)

A high-rise building under construction in Abu Dhabi has caught fire, forcing the evacuation of the structure and a nearby luxury hotel in the latest in a series of tower blazes to hit the United Arab Emirates.

The fire began at the more than 20-storey building, which appeared to be nearing completion on the Emirati capital's skyscraper-studded main island. Thick smoke could be seen billowing from the blue tower for miles.

Government-owned daily The National reported that hundreds of labourers were cleared from the building as authorities sealed off the surrounding area.

The adjacent Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi hotel was forced to evacuate because of the fire, and was putting guests up overnight at its other properties in the city.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Cities in the fast-developing Emirates have been hit by a spate of fires in recent years, including one in a residential tower in Dubai last month and another at a luxury hotel next to the city's biggest shopping mall on New Year's Eve.

AP
Turkey sent tanks across the border to help Syrian rebels retake the key Islamic State-held town of Jarablus (AP)

Islamic State has said that its spokesman and senior commander has been killed while overseeing military operations in northern Syria.

The IS-run Aamaq news agency said Abu Muhammed al-Adnani was "martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns in Aleppo".

His death, if confirmed, would be the latest blow to the group, which has been on the retreat in Syria and Iraq, where it has declared a self-styled Islamic caliphate straddling both countries.

Adnani, a senior leader in the group, has been the voice of IS over the past few years, and has released numerous, lengthy audio files online in which he delivered fiery sermons urging followers to carry out attacks.

Earlier this year, he called for massive attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

He has also called for attacks in Western countries, telling Muslims in France on occasion to attack "the filthy French" in any way they could, including "crush them with your car".

He has also disparaged Saudi Arabia and its influential clerics for failing to rally behind the rebels that the monarchy supports in Syria like they did decades ago in Afghanistan.

Aamaq vowed to gain revenge for the killing.

IS has suffered a string of defeats in recent weeks, including in Syria's northern Aleppo province, where Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels drove the group out of the border town of Jarablus last week.

In Iraq, the group has lost its strongholds in Fallujah and Ramadi, in the western Anbar province. It still controls Mosul, but Iraqi forces are gearing up for a long-awaited operation to retake the country's second largest city.

(AP)
Typhoon Lionrock has paralysed traffic, caused blackouts and prompted officials to urge residents to evacuate (Kyodo News/AP)

A typhoon has slammed into northern Japan, threatening to bring floods to an area still recovering from the 2011 tsunami.

Typhoon Lionrock made landfall near the city of Ofunato, about 300 miles north east of Tokyo.

It is the first time a typhoon has made landfall in the northern region since 1951, when the Japan Meteorological Agency started keeping statistics.

Even before it hit land, the storm had paralysed traffic, caused blackouts and prompted officials to urge residents to flee. It was packing winds up to 78mph.

More than 170,000 people were subject to evacuation, including 38,000 in Ofunato, though only some of them actually went to shelters. More than 10,000 homes in the northern region were without electricity, with power lines damaged from the winds.

The March 2011 earthquake and tsunami left more than 18,000 people dead on Japan's northern coast, including 340 in Ofunato.

Typhoon Lionrock has brought at least 6in of rain to the region over 24 hours, and is expected to dump up to 3in per hour in some areas, the meteorological agency said, urging residents to use caution and stay away from the coastline.

Major airlines cancelled more than 100 flights to and from the northern region, and bullet train services in the Tohoku and Hokkaido regions were suspended.

At the Fukushima nuclear power plant, devastated by the 2011 disaster, some outdoor decommissioning work was suspended as a precaution.

AP
Alexander Montagu-Manchester has appeared in court (Clark County Detention Centre via AP)

An Australian man who claims to hold a British royal title has been ordered by a judge to remain in jail in Las Vegas pending the resolution of multiple charges.

Alexander Montagu-Manchester said nothing as he appeared in court in shackles.

Court-appointed defence lawyer Justin Glasgow said he had not asked his client about his lineage. No plea was entered for Montagu-Manchester at the hearing.

Police said the 53-year-old identified himself as Britain's 13th Duke of Manchester. That is a title dating back 950 years.

Montagu-Manchester was released on bail in July after he was arrested on a home break-in burglary charge.

He was jailed again on August 12 following his arrest on another charge.

AP
President Enrique Pena Nieto dismissed the chief of the federal police force to allow for a transparent investigation into claims that suspected drug cartel members were executed (AP)

Mexico's federal police chief has been sacked following claims that officers "executed arbitrarily" at least 22 suspected drug cartel members during a raid on a ranch.

President Enrique Pena Nieto dismissed Enrique Galindo to allow for a transparent investigation, i nterior secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said.

"In light of the recent events and on instructions of the president, Police Commissioner Enrique Galindo has been removed from his position," Mr Osorio Chong said.

"That is with the objective of facilitating that the corresponding authorities carry out an agile and transparent investigation in full view of citizens."

Earlier this month, Mexico's National Human Rights Commission said its investigation found that at least 22 people were killed without justification by police during the operation at a ranch in the western state of Michoacan in May 2015. It described them as being "executed arbitrarily".

The report alleged police planted guns on some suspects and moved some bodies to bolster the official version that all the deaths occurred during a gunfight. In all, 42 civilians and one federal police officer were killed.

Mr Galindo and National Security Commissioner Renato Sales had said they accepted the commission's recommendations, but denied that police executed anyone. They said the federal officers used necessary force against a heavily armed band of criminals.

After the incident, federal police had said they encountered a truck and took gunfire from its passengers before being led in a chase to the ranch in Tanhuato, near the border with Jalisco state.

The commission's report said the government did not produce evidence supporting that account and it said witness statements suggested 41 federal police officers had sneaked onto the ranch as early as 6am.

Officers started their assault at least an hour earlier than they maintained in reporting on the incident, the commission said.

According to the commission's report, after the federal police officer was shot, police called for back-up, and 54 more officers arrived along with a helicopter.

"I think his position was unsustainable after the CNDH report on Tanhuato," Mexico City-based security analyst Alejandro Hope said of Mr Galindo.

"It was just a matter of time. There were too many controversies surrounding commissioner Galindo."

The federal police have also been criticised for a June clash in the southern state of Oaxaca in which officers opened fire on protesting teachers and their allies in the town of Nochixtlan.

Eight civilians died, seven of them from gunshot wounds. Authorities said the police were fired on first, though others dispute that.

Mr Galindo will be replaced by Manelich Castilla Craviotto, who had been in charge of the federal police's gendarmes force.

Mr Hope said Mr Galindo was being replaced with the officer who was perhaps closest to him. Mr Manelich led federal police in San Luis Potosi while Mr Galindo was the head of state police there.

"It's not a sea change, not at all," Mr Hope said.

AP
A pickup truck suddenly accelerated through the building's gate as a food delivery arrived, exploding amid the crowd, witnesses said. Photo: Reuters

A suicide car bomb attack on an army training camp in Yemen's second city of Aden killed at least 60 people yesterday.

Isil has claimed responsibility for the attack.

A security official said that the attacker drove his vehicle into a gathering of new recruits at the camp in northern Aden.

The port city, the temporary base of Yemen's Gulf-backed government, has seen a wave of bombings and shootings targeting officials and security forces.

Attacks in Aden are often claimed by jihadists from either Al-Qaeda or Isil, which have both taken advantage of the chaos in Yemen to make gains in southern and southeastern regions.

Yemeni authorities have trained hundreds of soldiers in Aden over the past two months as part of operations to retake neighbouring southern provinces from jihadists.

Earlier this month, Yemeni government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition entered Abyan's provincial capital Zinjibar.

Troops retook other towns across Abyan but have been met by fierce resistance in key Al-Qaeda stronghold, Al-Mahfid, a town which lies further east, security sources said.

The militants are still present in areas surrounding the recaptured towns and control large parts of the neighbouring Shabwa province, the sources say.

The Arab coalition which backs the Yemeni government against Iran-backed rebels has also been providing troops with air cover throughout their war against the jihadists.

The coalition intervened in Yemen in March last year and has helped government troops push the rebels out of Aden and four other southern provinces.

But authorities have been struggling to secure these provinces.

More than 6,600 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Yemen since March 2015 and more than 80pc of the population has been left in need of aid.

Exploding

A pickup truck suddenly accelerated through the building's gate as a food delivery arrived, exploding amid the crowd, witnesses said.

"Bodies and body parts are scattered all over the place," said Mohammed Osman, a neighbour who rushed to the scene. "It was a massacre."

More than 60 wounded were being taken to three area hospitals, Yemeni security officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

They identified the bomber as one Ahmed Seif, distributing a photo of him smiling and holding an assault rifle next to a flag used by Islamic extremists as well as a rocket grenade launcher.

Yemen is embroiled in a civil war pitting the internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led coalition against the Shiite Houthi rebels, who are allied with army units loyal to a former president.

The fighting has allowed Al-Qaeda and an Isil affiliate to expand their reach, particularly in the south.
Turkey, led by President Tayyip Erdogan, has insisted the Kurdish militia, which it regards as terrorists, retreat east across the Euphrates river. Photo: Reuters

The surge in fighting between pro-Turkish rebels and Kurdish-aligned forces in northern Syria is "unacceptable" and must stop, the US has warned.

Clashes in places where Isil was not present were a "source of deep concern", the US envoy to the anti-Isil coalition tweeted.

Turkish forces have attacked what they say are Kurdish "terrorists" since crossing the border last week.

But the Kurdish YPG militia says Turkey just wants to occupy Syrian territory.

Ankara says it aims to push both Isil and Kurdish fighters away from its border.

Turkish forces and allied factions of the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) forced Isil out of the Syrian border city of Jarablus last week and have since pounded neighbouring villages held by Kurdish-led, US-backed Syria Democratic Forces (SDF).

The Turkish military carried out 61 artillery strikes around Jarablus over the past 24 hours, Reuters news agency reported yesterday.

Turkey, led by President Tayyip Erdogan, has insisted the Kurdish militia, which it regards as terrorists, retreat east across the Euphrates river.

Dozens of civilians were killed in Turkish airstrikes on Kurdish-held areas in Syria on Sunday, as the West's two main allies in the conflict inched closer to full-blown war.

Some 35 people died in dawn raids on Jeb el-Kussa and Al-Amarneh, villages close to the Turkish border.

Ankara, which has the support of the US, claimed they were "terrorists" from outlawed Kurdish militias.

The Jarablus Military Council, which is allied with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said the strikes marked an "unprecedented and dangerous escalation".

Turkey also suffered its first casualty in Operation Euphrates Shield after an attack by Kurdish fighters left one soldier dead and three injured.

The Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG), which dominates the SDF, says its forces have withdrawn, and that the Turkish action against the group was a "pretext" for occupying Syria.
Brock Turner was sentenced to six months in prison (Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office/AP)

Brock Turner is set to be released from jail as his six month sentence for sexual assault is being cut short.

The former Stanford swimmer (20) has served just half of his sentence and will likely be released on Friday.

The light sentence handed down to the ex-student had already provoked outrage following his conviction.

Three months ago, Turner was found guilty of assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated woman, sexually penetrating an intoxicated person with a foreign object, and sexually penetrating an unconscious person with a foreign object.

Expand Close Brock Turner, right, makes his way into the Santa Clara Superior Courthouse in Palo Alto, Califiornia Photo: Dan Honda/AP / Facebook

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Whatsapp Brock Turner, right, makes his way into the Santa Clara Superior Courthouse in Palo Alto, Califiornia Photo: Dan Honda/AP

The judge who gave the six-month jail term will stop hearing criminal cases after a firestorm of criticism.

California has a mandatory minimum sentence for forcible rape - but the law was not the same in cases where the victim is unconscious or heavily intoxocated.

However, just this week, the state passed legislation that removes a judge's ability of using discretion during sentencing in such cases.

Despite his brief jail time, Turner will spend the rest of his life on the sex offenders register.
Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith received Pham Minh Chinh in Vientiane on August 29th. (Photo: VNA)

The two officials held talks on August 29th, during which the two sides informed each other of the situation of each Party and each country, discussed the cooperation between the two Organization Commissions over the past time, and worked out measures to increase the efficiency of cooperation.

The two sides also exchanged the situation and results of Party building and rectification, experience in the building of the Party, the political system, apparatus and the training of cadres.

After the talks, the two Commissions Heads signed a deal of cooperation between the two agencies for the 2016-2020 period.

On the same day, Lao Party General Secretary and State President Bounnhang Volachith received the Vietnamese delegation in which Mr. Chinh congratulated Laos for its great achievements during 30 years of renewal, showing his belief that under the leadership of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, the Lao people would gain additional great achievements.

He informed the Lao Party General Secretary and State President of the cooperation results between the two Organization Commissions, expressing his pleasure with the reinforced and increasingly developed relations of special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos, and confirming that the two Inspection Commissions would increase cooperation and share experience in the building of the Party, the political system, the apparatus and the personnel work, contributing to successfully realising the resolutions of each Party Congress.

Lao Party General Secretary and State President Bounnhang Volachith appreciated the cooperation results between the two Organization Commissions, saying that he hoped the two commissions would continue their cooperation to contribute to protecting the Parties and the regimes; and continuously increasing the Parties leadership and combativeness.

He stressed that he hoped Vietnam would help Laos train greater numbers of cadres.

Earlier, the Vietnamese delegation was also welcomed by Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith./.
Mourners view a line of coffins at the state funeral for some of the victims of last week's earthquake in Amatrice (AP)

Relatives of victims of the Italian earthquake have gathered in Amatrice for an evening Mass remembering dozens of the 292 people killed.

Construction crews earlier worked through the rain in the earthquake zone to build a tent complex to host the state funeral, as prosecutors took preliminary measures to sequester buildings that crumbled despite being renovated with public anti-seismic funds.

Firefighters placed the coffins in rows, with two little white caskets sandwiched between larger ones - evidence of the many children enjoying the final days of summer who were killed.

Relatives placed bouquets on the coffins and sat next to them quietly.

The Mass was the second state funeral for victims of the August 24 disaster that flattened three towns in central Italy. The first, held on Saturday, honoured victims from the Le Marche region. The latest funeral was for victims in neighbouring Lazio, which includes Amatrice.

The service, on the outskirts of Amatrice's obliterated medieval centre in the grounds of a Catholic home for the elderly, came as Italy observed a second day of national mourning.

During the service, a bishop issued a sharp critique of the construction of buildings and warned that the rebuilding effort must not become a "looting" of state coffers.

"Earthquakes don't kill. What kills the most is the work of man," Rieti Bishop Domenico Pompili told the crying crowds gathered in the shadow of Amatrice's ruins for the funeral.

Wails echoed under the roof of the open-sided tent as the bishop read aloud the names of the 242 people killed in the towns of Amatrice and Accumoli at the start of the service.

And the crowd erupted in applause - a common gesture at Italian funerals - when white balloons were released at the end of the service.

In his homily, the bishop insisted that there was no choice but to rebuild Amatrice and Accumoli since abandoning the towns would "kill them a second time".

But he warned that the reconstruction effort must not become "a political fight or a looting of various forms".

Crews using bulldozers and steamrollers worked through the night to erect a huge, open-sided tented roof to shelter the altar and the seating area. Civil protection officials said only 37 coffins would be on hand, since many families had opted for private funerals elsewhere.

Initially, authorities planned to hold the funeral in an airport hangar in the provincial capital of Rieti, 40 miles away, citing safety and organisational concerns. The quake area has seen more than 2,500 aftershocks and faces logistical problems in bringing relatives and officials into a town with only one serviceable access road.

But grieving residents rebelled at plans to let them watch it on TV or be bussed to Rieti, where many bodies were being housed in a makeshift morgue at the airport. Prime minister Matteo Renzi reversed course on Monday evening.

Some 231 quake victims were found in Amatrice and 11 more in nearby Accumoli. The bodies of as many as 10 people, including Amatrice's baker, are believed still buried in the rubble. Fifty people were killed in Le Marche.

Romanian prime minister Dacian Ciolos was attending the state funeral, as 11 of the dead were Romanians. About 8,000 to 10,000 Romanians live in the quake zone, many working in agriculture or as carers.

Italian prosecutors, meanwhile, took the first steps to investigate if construction firms or any others bore any responsibility for buildings that collapsed in the quake.

The ANSA news agency said Rieti chief prosecutor Giuseppe Saieva ordered Amatrice's collapsed primary school to be sequestered and entrusted Italy's financial police with investigating how public funds destined for anti-seismic renovations across the region were used.

The school collapsed during the quake despite being renovated in 2012 using earthquake funds. In addition, the church tower in nearby Accumoli collapsed on a home, killing a family of four, despite also having been recently renovated with earthquake funds.

Mr Saieva is investigating what was stipulated in the contracts to restore the buildings and what exactly was done.

AP
Islam Karimov's daughter said on social media that he had suffered a brain haemorrhage (AP)

A concert marking Uzbekistan's 25th anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union has been cancelled amid uncertainty about the health of the country's president, news agencies have reported.

The government announced on Sunday that Islam Karimov, the 78-year-old hardliner who has ruled since independence, had been taken to hospital, but gave no further details.

His daughter said later on social media that he had suffered a brain haemorrhage.

No government statements on his health have been issued on Tuesday, a day after unconfirmed reports of his death circulated.

Russia's Interfax news agency cited an unnamed organiser of the independence day event as saying a concert planned for Wednesday in the capital Tashkent had been cancelled.

The state news agency RIA Novosti cited a diplomatic source as saying Uzbekistan had informed Russia of the cancellation.

AP
Vietnamese National Defence Minister and his Chinese counterpart

This is the first visit to China by General Lich in his capacity as Minister of National Defence.

The visit aims to continue to carry out the agreements reached by the two Parties and States, including increasing high-ranking exchanges and making relations deeper, more stable and practical.

During the meeting, Minister Lich will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart, meet with the Chinese Party and State leaders as well the Chinese Military Party Committee leaders, and visit the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army.

Earlier, Senior Lieutenant General Chang Wan Quan paid a friendship visit to Vietnam from March 26th-28th. During talks between the Vietnamese and Chinese Ministries, the two Ministers discussed the relations between the two countries and two armies, agreeing that the relations had developed actively, with practical cooperation having been recorded in defence cooperation.

The two ministries frankly discussed disputes at sea, stressing that the two sides would have appropriate settlements of the disputes by peaceful and friendly negotiations in accordance with legal regulations and principles set in international laws, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; make efforts in seeking long-term solutions accepted by the two sides; strictly obey the agreement and common awareness reached by the two countries high-ranking leaders; seriously realise the principles and spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), looking towards the building of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC); and make the East Sea a peaceful, friendly and cooperative sea, contributing to the development of the Vietnam - China comprehensive strategic partnership, and contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the region.

The two sides also reached a consensus that the two armies had to well control the situation, not to threaten to use violence, not to let conflicts happen, together maintain peace, stability, cooperation and the interests of the two countries, of the region and the world; increasing practical, stable and sustainable cooperation, with defence cooperation continuing to be considered as one of the pillars of the traditional relations between the two countries./.
Pawan Kalyan was in London last month to attend a United Kingdom Telugu Association (UKTA) cultural event as the chief guest. During his visit there, he sat down for an informal chat with the organizers, hosts, and others. Here is the transcript of what he spoke with them.

Amazing artistes:

"It's easy to organize events or anything for that matter to promote cinema. But it's not an ordinary thing to showcase neglected art forms in this way. My sisters used to learn Bharatanatyam. As an adolescent, I would overhear them talking about the classical dance forms, including Kuchupudi. They used to talk about Kuchupudi more. I was thrilled today watching live a Yakshagana and a Dasavatharam Mahishasuramardhini (Kuchupudi) performance. It's amazing how these artistes have been carrying on the legacy across generations.

Knowledge of art:

As a youngster, I did learn Carnatic music somewhat. So, I know the hardships of learning an art form.

When they are doing so much to keep the art forms (be it folk or classical) alive, it's our responsibility to encourage them. I know how difficult it must have been for the Telugu people living over here (in Lodon) to come together to promote the art forms. It's because I have kept interest in art since I was a child that I talk about art in my movies. My dad was transferred from one place to another as a part of his job. That's how I got to know something about the art forms in regions like Rayalaseema and Telangana. It's every Telugu's responsibility to promote art.

It's important not to forget our roots wherever we may go.

Acting means Chiranjeevi:

To me, acting was Chiranjeevi garu. I grew up watching him on the screen. I was never interested in acting. As a child, I used to question myself, "Who am I?" Maybe, that's why I wanted to become a yogi. After 'Suswagatham', I went to Kurnool (to inaugurate the statue of Mother Teresa). I was like, 'Who would turn up to see me?' To my surprise, a large crowd turned up to catch a glimpse of me. I was blank. It occurred to me that God creates some people to perform and others to appreciate the performance. Nothing more than that. I always introspect, whatever I am doing.

If not an actor, I might have become a yogi or a farmer. Farming increases ones respect for Nature. My dad was a constable, my grandfather a postman. It was a festival-kinda occasion when we went to the town to watch a movie. Those were the days when I could never have imagined that I would become an actor. Annayya dreamt of becoming an actor, broke his back to become what he is. That's why I have a lot of respect for him. I would have quit acting if three films had become successful after 'Khushi'. I can't be an actor every day. I am not a professional actor".
Actor Suriya was shooting for his upcoming action flick 'S3' directed by Hari in Chennai last week and the team was about to fly to Malaysia for the next schedule during the weekend.

But now we learn from reliable sources that there has been a slight delay in Malaysian schedule and the shooting continues in Chennai.

We also learn that the dubbing work have begun and Suriya has tarted dubbing for his character in a Chennai studio.

The team is planning to get the film ready for release in October and the producer K.E.Gnanavel Raja of Studio Green banner will decide the release date.

'S3' is the third part of the blockbuster 'Singam' series and it stars Suriya, Anushka and Shruti Haasan in lead roles. Harris Jayaraj is taking care of the musical score.
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An art performance at the event (Photo: baotintuc.vn)

The program was performed by artists from the People's Public Security's Drama Theatre and the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic to mark the 71st anniversary of National Day and welcome the second congress of the Nam Dinh fellow-countrymen association in the country.

Colonel and meritorious artist Nguyen Cong Bay, Director of the People's Public Security's Drama Theatre, said that the artist delegation led by Colonel Bui Tien Manh, Deputy Head of the Department of Political Affairs under the General Political Department of the Ministry of Public Security, came to Czech and Poland to serve overseas Vietnamese on the occasion of the National Day.

During the program, the organizing board raised funds to support the foundation For beloved Truong Sa and collected nearly CZK32,000 (about USD1,300).

Mr. Hoang Dinh Thang, Chairman of the Overseas Vietnamese Association in the Czech Republic, appreciated the movement in favour of the homelands sea and islands of the Nam Dinh fellow-countrymen association in the Czech Republic and stressed that similar activities have been carried out by member organizations of the Vietnamese community in the country.

He said that in May 2014, the Vietnamese Art and Cultural Association in the Czech Republic organized an art program themed "Towards the homelands sea, islands and the national sovereignty" and collected nearly CZK 1.5 million, which has been transferred to the Ly Son Island district administration to build a cultural house./.
Young overseas Vietnamese joining a game at the event (Photo: VNA)



LUMOS Festival with the slogan Shine as you are, attracted about 500 participants from Vietnamese Students Associations in Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland and France.

The highlight of the festival was Jeunes Talents Europe (European young talents), a show that featured dozens of performances of Vietnamese youth such as singing, dancing and other talents.

In the framework of the festival, a seminar on the East Sea was held with the participation of French historian Prof. Patrice Jorland and Vietnamese journalist Vo Trung Dung, who updated the students on the East Sea situation, Chinas provoking actions, Vietnams action to protect its sovereignty over the sea and islands, and issues arising after the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the Hague issued a ruling on the Philippines lawsuit against Chinas territorial claims in the East Sea on July 12th.

The seminar attracted the participation of a large number of Vietnamese students from European countries, and the participants signed their names on a national flag. The discussions and debates at the seminar helped the young people define their actions in the fight.

Le Xuan Tuan, Head of the Vietnamese Students Association in France, said that the festival, the second of its kind, connected young overseas Vietnamese in Europe.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Vuong, Director of the Vietnamese Cultural Centre in France, stressed the festival aimed to arouse patriotism and define obligations of Vietnamese students and youths for the country; share experiences for mutual support in studying and daily life; and have each student become an envoy, a Vietnamese cultural communicator in Europe. According to him, the festival should be duplicated and promoted in the coming period.

Choisy-le-Roi city is a familiar address in the history of Vietnams diplomatic struggle in the fight for independence and freedom of the country. It welcomed the Vietnamese delegations participated in the Paris Agreement negotiations lasting for five years from March 15th, 1968 to January 27th, 1973. Today, the city continues to be a close friend of the Vietnamese people and has twinned with Dong Da district, Hanoi.

The first festival was held in Berlin, Germany, in 2015./.
Facebook and the National Association of Women Business Owners, will host a Boost Your Business seminar in Indianapolis, IN.

The seminar is free to the public and aims to teach local small business owners how to optimize their presence and engage customers on the worlds largest social network.

The seminar will kick off with welcoming remarks from Congressman Andre Carson and will be followed by a presentation from a Facebook small business expert on the latest Facebook best practices and strategies for success. A question and answer session will follow, featuring a panel of local small business people that will share their Facebook tips, tricks and suggestions. Some of the small businesses represented on the panel are: ClusterTruck, Indyhomegrants.com and FACE Low Cost Animal Clinic.

Small businesses employ half of Indianas workforce, said Congressman Andre Carson. Connecting with customers in the age of social media is one of the challenges many of these businesses face, which is why Im grateful to be partnering with Facebook to bring this event to Indianapolis. Social media is a valuable resource available to help businesses reach their customers and find their niche in our growing economy.

There are more than 60 million businesses worldwide using Facebook to connect with customers, and approximately 8 in 10 Facebook users are connected to at least one small business in their network.

WHO: Congressman Andre Carson

Facebook Small Business Representative

National Association of Women Business Owners Representative

WHAT: Facebook Boost Your Business seminar (free of charge). To register and for more information, visit  https://fbindianapolis.eventfarm.com

WHEN: Wednesday, August 31, 2016

9:30 a.m. (registration), 10:00 a.m. (event kickoff)

WHERE: Events at Crane Bay

551 West Merrill Street

Indianapolis, IN 46225
Doris Proctor remembers her fear 33 years ago as she sat behind her 17-year-old son, Terrance, as he was sentenced for participating in several armed robberies.

Bernice Stewart, her mother and Terrances grandmother, sat with her.

I just kept praying, said Doris Proctor, 68, of Grand Prairie, Texas. My mother was praying. We were hoping that the judge would have mercy.

Terrance Proctor has been imprisoned in the Arkansas Department of Correction since he received 200 years plus life at hard labor on January 15, 1983  two weeks before he turned 18 years old.

The judge called Proctor a public threat. His supporters call his sentence excessive because he never committed physical violence against any of the robbery victims.

Proctor was not sentenced to life without parole, but the length of his prison term means he likely will spend the rest of his life behind bars unless he successfully appeals his release. His chances are slim because Arkansas administrators grant release to few inmates. The Arkansas parole board has recommended Proctors freedom four times, but governors have balked, records show.

Like many offenders, Proctor has been imprisoned for more than three decades for juvenile crimes that did not involve assault, rape, molestation or murder, experts said. In some jurisdictions, offenders have done that much time for property crimes.

It could not be determined how many inmates are serving lengthy sentences for juvenile offenses. However, among 159,000 people serving life sentences in 2012, 7,862 were juveniles when sentenced to life, according to the Sentencing Project in Washington, D.C. Another 2,498 were minors when sentenced to life without parole.

The next frontier in this work is to try to get legislators who make sentencing laws and judges who apply those laws to understand that juveniles should have the opportunity to be released within a reasonable amount of time, said Rhonda Brownstein, legal director of the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama.

Proctor was charged in late 1982 with armed holdups at a high school custodians office, a uniform shop, a jeans store, a cab company and several gas stations. He drove the getaway car in a purse snatching. Proctor was involved in a robbery in which shots were fired at a car pursuing him and his accomplice, records show. He said his accomplice fired to flatten the vehicles tires to disable it. None of his other charges involved a weapon being fired.

Proctor told Urban News Service that he pleaded guilty to 10 counts of aggravated robbery because he was remorseful, though he didnt commit some of these offenses. The Proctors said Terrances lawyer told them the judge would be lenient if he admitted guilt.

Doris Proctor, a nurse, reminisced about her sons life as she sat in court that fateful morning. She had divorced his father and raised Terry and his sister, Kim, with the help of her parents and nine siblings.

Problems started when Terrance reached adolescence. She took him to counseling. He refused to take ADHD medication because of its side effects. Doris learned of Terrances November 1982 arrest from a friend who saw police detain him.

There are potentially 10 life sentences here, Judge Floyd J. Lofton told Proctor, according to a court transcript. I dont think theres much doubt about it, Mr. Proctor, youre going to spend the rest of your life in the Department of Correction. Do you understand that?

Yes, sir, Proctor said, not understanding at all. He and his mother still believed that his lawyer would arrange a deal with the court.

And youre pleading guilty? Lofton asked.

Yes, sir.

How old are you? Lofton asked.

Seventeen, Proctor said.

Doris Proctor asked Lofton to consider her sons psychiatric problems, drug use and abusive father. Proctor admitted guilt.

However, Lofton was not moved.

Mr. Proctor, it is my intention that when you get out of the penitentiary you [will] be an old man, Lofton said. My intention is to keep you there for most of the rest of your life.

Doris Proctor is still praying for her son  that a lawyer will come forth to help him, that he will be safe. She still has nightmares about him being stabbed in prison several years ago.

She thinks his debt to society has been paid.

My greatest hope is that I stay here long enough that I see him live as a free man, she said. I pray that he will have a chance to experience some of his life outside of prison.
Among the 100 students are 38 males and 62 females. 60 of them have outstanding academic records with the total results above 9.0. Half of them are members of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

The event is the 14th of its kind hosted by the Hanoi authorities with over 1,500 students having been honoured over the past 14 years.





The honouring ceremony (Photo by HM)

Secretary of Hanoi city Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Nguyen Van Thang said that he hoped these students would make more contribution to the capital and the nation, contributing to building the capital prosperous, civilized and modern.

If these students have expectation to work in the citys agencies, they will be given priority policies such as being exceptionally admitted to agencies without exam and receiving a sum equaling 20 times of minimum salary at the enrollment time, and prioritized in further training in Vietnam or foreign countries after two years.

Signing names in a golden book at the Temple of Literature (Photo by HM)





Students participated in a forum on starting up career for the youth (Photo by HM)

These students also participated in numerous activities such as a meeting with Hanois leaders, a forum on starting up career for the youth, an exchange to light outstanding students dreams, incense offer to commemorate predecessors and signing their names in a golden book at the Temple of Literature./.
Denise Juneau takes the Montana congressional debate stage at Frazer School on the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribal Nation. Photo by Mark Trahant / Trahant Reports



#NativeVote16  Sovereignty in 30-seconds, but what about a deeper debate?

By Mark TrahantTrahant Reports

FRAZER, Montana  A couple of years ago I was moderating a debate. At the last minute, one of the candidates called in sick. But we went ahead anyway and spent the next 90 minutes having a conversation with a single candidate. It was the best debate ever. Those of us who were there learned far more about the candidates policies, his philosophy, and his temperament.

The Montana Congressional Debate between Rep. Ryan Zinke and Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau was not like that. It was formatted such that too many answers only left more questions.

Basically if you share a worldview of Republicans, and Donald Trump, you were probably cheering for Zinke. Flip it around, and if that lens you are wearing is a Democratic one, then it was Juneaus night. In that way: Montana voters are lucky: There is a stark divide on just about every issue before the public.

Except, at least in this format, when the issue involves American Indian policy . And of course that was the ideal topic for a debate held within the boundaries of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes. It was at least the third congressional debate held on a reservation in Montana (and the second on the Fort Peck Reservation).

Juneau, as you would expect, knows these issues. She grew up learning the language and the nuance of what it means to represent Indian Country from Indian Country. She said she has earned the endorsement of the Fort Peck Tribes and has the full weight of the Assiniboine and Sioux Nations behind her.

Zinke said he understands the contributions of the tribes and is an adopted Assiniboine. But when the issues went past a minute or 30-seconds there was a lot wanting.

The first question, for example, was from Fort Peck Tribal Executive Board Member Grant Stafne asking about a statement made by the Republican candidate for governor, Greg Gianforte, that Indian Country lacks a consistent rule of law , respect for property rights, and too much nepotism to be successful.

I stand with tribal sovereignty, tribal government sovereignty, with tribal economic self-determination, Juneau said. She said she recently rolled out her Indian Country priorities and has visited with every tribal nation in the state.

Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Montana) looks at notes before the Montana congressional debate in Frazer on the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribal Nation. Photo by Mark Trahant / Trahant Reports



Zinkes response was to align Juneau with Hillary Clinton. (This is interesting in itself. Across the country its usually Democrats who add Donald Trumps name to every reference to their opponent. But in Montana, and in Zinkes campaign, its the Hillary this, Hillary that.)

The truth is I support tribes, Zinke said. The truth is I support sovereignty. I dont think anyone has worked harder trying to get the Blackfeet Water Compact done, about tribal sovereignty, about recognizing Little Shell  I have been out here not because I am your congressman but because I care. He said he has been to peoples homes, met with councils, and been to powwows.

This is where the time limits kick in. Id love to hear a Republican conversation, a deep, thoughtful, complex back and forth about the issues beyond slogans. Zinke said that tribes need more freedom to be sovereign, free from Washington over-regulation. And Zinkes tribal labor sovereignty act would do that. But why only labor unions? Why not promote complete tribal jurisdiction, the authority to govern lands and people within tribal boundaries? And, if that is the plan, then why did the Republican majority in the House so vigorously object to the Violence Against Women Act on that very principle.

Zinke proudly dismissed the Affordable Care Act a disaster. When Juneau pointed out that law includes the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, Zinke countered, saying his whole sentence should include repeal and replace.

All that begs more conversation. How do you repeal and replace when there has never been a single Republican plan presented that includes Indian health (other than the wacky idea to open up supplemental insurance). Whats more: The main reason the Indian Health Care Improvement Act is included in the Affordable Care Act is because Republicans in the House blocked the reauthorization for a decade. Repeal and replace? Sure. With what?

And what about Medicaid Expansion? What is the Republican plan to replace that? Repealing the Affordable Care Act will take away health insurance from nearly 40,000 people in Montana . That may be the most successful component of the Affordable Care Act and it is adding significant resources to the Indian health system, money that mostly remains in local service units.

My favorite missing conversation is about coal. In this race, and indeed, across the country, its become a Republican talking point that Washington is responsible for the demise of coal. That Obama! The implication is that if you elect Republicans, coal will come back. The problem with that logic is that global markets have given up on coal . Its not just Washington. Its Europe. Its China. And the result is the biggest drop of consumption of any natural resource in history. An election is not going to change that fact. Its a global trend, not a political one.

Back to the debate. The format is terrible. Ideas are clipped before they begin. People will walk in and walk out more enthused than enlightened. Then again: Its a fabulous to have a debate in a community like Frazer. Montana shows how it should be done; kudos to Juneau and Zinke for that. We need politicians to answer questions (even with short answers) in every congressional district with tribal communities. In the end: The words are not nearly as important as being there.

Join the Conversation
Despite being promised to the Sioux Nation by treaty, the Black Hills in South Dakota were taken by the United States. Photo by Jerry and Pat Donaho



We saw the Statue of Liberty through the eyes of our ancestors

By Native Sun News Editorial Board

One often sees cartoons about American Indians sitting on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and watching a ship unloading the Pilgrims at Jamestown. The caption usually says something about how we (Indians) ought to tighten up our immigration laws.

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses, yearning to breath free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,

Send these, the homeless, tempest tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

The print at the base of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor reads:

The text of the poem was taken from a longer poem called The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus, a Jewish immigrant from Germany. She argued for a Jewish Homeland 13 years before Theodore Herzl started to use the term Zionism.

The statue was a gift from France to the United States and was dedicated on October 28, 1886.

As immigrants from around the world began to converge on the United States the first thing they saw as they landed at Ellis Island was the Statue of Liberty. And as immigrants they were offered what the United States called free land out West. The land was granted under the Homestead Acts which were several United States federal laws that gave an applicant ownership of land, typically called a "homestead, at little or no cost. In all, more than 270 million acres of public land, or nearly 10% of the total area of the U.S., was given away free to 1.6 million homesteaders; most of the homesteads were west of the Mississippi River.

The land may have been free land to the immigrants, but to American Indians, it was a massive theft of Indians lands now claimed by the United States government. South and North Dakota were settled mostly by Scandinavian and German immigrants on lands that once belonged to the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota people.

As always, the USA meant well, at least it meant well for the immigrants, but again, as always little care or concern went out to the American Indians.

The ensuing conflicts occurred because the new settlers were infringing upon the sacred lands of a people. What Indian lands not handed to the immigrants was confiscated by further acts of Congress and by outright theft.

When some of us (Indians) had the opportunity to see the Statue of Liberty for the first time, we saw it through far different eyes than the immigrants that landed at Ellis Island. Those were not tears of joy that ran down our cheeks, but tears of immense sorrow. We saw the statue through the eyes of our ancestors.

Find more news and opinion on the all-new Native Sun News website: We saw the Statue of Liberty through the eyes of our ancestors

(Contact the Editorial Board of Native Sun News at editor@nsweekly.com)

Copyright permission Native Sun News

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A lot of us will be horrified by the very idea of spending a night in jail - stale food, reeking rooms, and a down-at-heel setting for almost everything. Weve always associated life-in-jail as something extremely wild and impetuous. Largely all thanks to Bollywood. But if you've ever wondered what jail life is actually like and are still curious about it, the Medak Jail in Telangana has just the right thing for you.

thenewsminute

It is a trip to jail, without any fear or guilt. The district jail at Sangareddy in Telanganas Medak district has opened its gate for everyone to experience prison life, for a fee. Just for INR 500, one can get 24-hour confinement.

The departments feel the jail experience throws light on life behind bars in as real a fashion as possible, while a shorter tour of the jail museum is also available.

Those whore looking forward to the locked up experience will be given everything, which is there in the prison manual; khadi dress, shirt, shorts or trousers, bedding, steel plate, steel glass and steel mug, washing soap and toilet soap.

wiki

Everything will be exactly the same as it is there in the jail, except that a fan will be provided.

The food timings and servings will remain as it is, starting with tea between 6 and 6.30 a.m., followed by breakfast from 7 to 7.30, lunch from 10.30 to 11, another tea between noon and 12.30, and dinner between 4.30 and 5 p.m. While is prepared in house, food will come from the District Jail at Kandi.

The food menu is chapati or chitrannam for breakfast, pigeon pea with rasam, and red gram with rasam, on alternate days for lunch. Dinner is curry, rasam and curd.

The Jail Museum was inaugurated on 5th of June by Home Minister Naini Narasimha Reddy. The museum is becoming more and more popular, with a collection of INR 4,295 from 550 visitors since June 6.
mashtos

Looking at Priyanka Chopra's unstoppable attitude, we doubt if she has Bollywood movies at all on her mind. She's doing one photoshoot after another for international magazines in US, she's currently super busy with the shooting of Quantico second season, and she has no plans to return to Bollywood. In fact, this might not be a great news for PC fans, but according to a latest report on DNA, Priyanka Chopra might be shifting to LA, that too for the next five years!

nytimes

According to a source, "If all goes well for PC, she will be staying back in LA for the next five years, but it all depends on Quantico 2 and how well its received. She has also been getting offers for Bollywood movies, but none have been exciting enough for her to take up. Shes bought an apartment in LA, so she doesnt have any staying problems too. This will also give Priyanka an opportunity to explore further work in Hollywood as it will save her time flying back-and-forth. Her mother Dr Madhu Chopra will handle PCs production house in India.

So, according to reports she'll be exploring her options in Hollywood for the next five years. Sounds like a plan, Priyanka!
A 14-year-old girl reached Bulandshahr (rural) police station with an aborted four-month-old fetus in a polythene bag to file a complaint against a man who repeatedly raped her over six months and then forced her to terminate her pregnancy at the hands of a quack.

Thejournal/Representative image

According to police, the accused, Yunus Ahmad, a neighbour of the survivor at Bhaipura village in Bulandshahr, had allegedly raped the girl six months ago.

He also allegedly threatened her with dire consequences if she revealed the crime. He then continued to assault her.

On August 28, what the survivor thought was a stomach ache turned out to be a pregnancy . Her mother and brother then confronted the family of the alleged rapist, who took the girl and her mother to a quack by force and got the fetus aborted.

thehindu/Representative image

"The girl was taken to a local midwife of some kind, who administered some pills to her but the girl's condition worsened, after which another woman aborted the child. Some discord occurred over the fees after which there was an altercation between the woman who carried out the abortion and the girl's family . After that the 'doctor' threw the girl and her relatives out of her house along with the fetus.The girl, however, kept the fetus with her and arrived at the police station. The fetus has been sent for forensic tests," said city circle officer Dharmender Yadav.

TOI

Police has filed an FIR against all the accused in the case, the health department also swung into action and sealed the house where the abortion took place.

Chief medical officer of Bulandshahr, Dr Deepak Ohri, said, "I had sent my team and got the place sealed immediately and have also ordered an enquiry into the matter."
Days after the news of apathy of a hospital in Odisha made a man carry his wife's dead body on his shoulders, yet another incident has come to light. This time, from Kanpur in UP, where a 12-year-old boy died on his father's shoulder.

ANI

Sunil Kumar had taken his 12-year-old son Ansh who was having high fever to the Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital on Monday. Not only that the hospital refused to admit him, and referred him to a nearby children's hospital. But the hospital refused to provide any service to take the ailing child to the medical facility.

Kumar was then forced to carry his son on his shoulders to the Hallet hospital, but unfortunately the kid did not make it up to there. Before reaching the hospital, Ansh had lost the battle with his life.

A heartbroken Kumar said I begged doctors at the emergency to examine my son and admit him. They took 30 minutes before telling me to take the kid to the childrens hospital.

ANI

The Hallet hospital claims that the child was dead when his father brought him.

"We admitted him. We found that there was no heart rate, no pulse, and the pupils are fixated and dilated. We could tell from his condition that he died two to three hours before being brought in," Dr RC Gupta, the chief medical officer of the Hallet hospital told NDTV.
In what is the first case of its kind in Uttar Pradesh, a woman has been booked for sexual assault under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) following a complaint by a minor boy.

Saharanpur police lodged an FIR against the 23-year-old accused woman following a court order, after the 16-year-old boy alleged that she was putting pressure on him to marry her.

The case has been filed under sections 7 and 8 (both of which deal with sexual assault of minors) of POCSO Act as well as section 386 (extortion with threats to hurt or kill victim) of the IPC.

Reuters/Representational image

According to police officials, the woman had in her possession some video clippings showing the teenager in a compromising position and had been harassing the boy sexually for some time.

She had been mounting pressure on the minor to marry her and threatening to circulate the video clips online if he did not agree.

The boy's brother had first approached the police with a complaint, but the police had allegedly refused to file a case, as the accused was a woman while the victim was a boy, contrary to the usual kind of cases filed in the state under the law.

The boy's family then approached the court which instructed the police to lodge a complaint and investigate the matter.

ndtv/Represenatational image

"Following the court's instructions, we have lodged an FIR against the woman for sexually assaulting a minor. Prima facie the matter appears to be a love affair. It came to our knowledge during the initial investigation that, on the basis of some text messages exchanged between the couple and call recordings, the woman was mounting pressure on the boy to marry her but he refused. We are investigating if any video shows the boy in a compromising position with the woman," said station officer of Kotwali (rural) police station, Piyush Dikshit.

"This might be the first case in the state where a woman has been booked under POCSO following a complaint by a minor boy," the SO added.
A 70-year-old woman sleeping outside her house in Tamil Nadu Housing Board quarters at Ashok Nagar in Chennai died after a man, who attempted suicide by jumping off the terrace of a three- storey a building, fell on her on Sunday night.

vietuitorul.eu/Represenatational image

Police said Sharadha was sleeping outside her house when Selvam, 34, attempted suicide. The woman sustained severe injuries when he fell on her. The man also suffered injuries.

Hearing her cries, neighbours reached the spot. They rushed both of them to Government Royapettah Hospital where Sharadha died without responding to treatment. Selvam, who suffered head and leg injuries, was undergoing treatment at the hospital.

BCCL/Represenatational image

Selvam, an autorickshaw driver, allegedly had a fight with his wife over a trivial issue on Sunday night. Apparently upset over this, he went to the terrace of the building and jumped from there.
Call it irony, but Porbandar in Saurashtra, the birthplace of Mahtama Gandhi, has recorded the maximum cases of forced Dalit displacement and migration in Gujarat. What's further ironical is that the displaced also includes an elected sarpanch too. Suman Chavda, 44, was elated when he got elected as the sarpanch of Vinzrana village of Porbandar in 2012. Out of the 1500 people living in this village, over 500 are Dalits. However, soon afterwards, according to Sumanbhai, 44, his problems began. "Not just the upper castes but even OBCs ganged up. I was constantly reminded by the panchayat members that I was a Dalit and hence my presence was only for cosmetic value. My being a sarpanch was immaterial."

ahmedabadmirror

'Intolerance Has Gone Up'

"I had faced discrimination in the past, too. Unfortunately, of late, intolerance and bigotry towards Dalits has only intensified', he says. The population in Vinzrana comprises Dalits, Mers, Brahmins, Muslims and Rabaris (shepherd). Sumanbhai has not been allowed to enter the village since over a year. "I thought I had a chance at a better life after being elected the sarpanch. But when I refused to skin a dead cow, the non-Dalit community ganged up against me". Discrimination towards him, he says, aggravated after he filed an RTI to blow off the lid of financial discrepancies in the local school project. 'How can a non- Dalit question us?' was what got them furious.

Sumanbhai was beaten up by nine people on September 4, 2012. He does not know how many fractures he suffered but claims, "I am 60 per cent disabled. The fibula in both my legs has been broken". Even today, he can barely walk without help. After Sumanbhai registered a police complaint under the IPC and Prevention of Atrocity Act (PoA), he received many threats. He was also provided police protection, but it was "suddenly withdrawn" in 2015. Since then, he has not entered his village except on days when there are panchayat meetings. Today, all the accused are on bail.

'Constable Accompanies Me'

During panchayat meetings, he is provided a constable for his security. He attends the meetings and comes back to his tarpaulin tent in Sitaramnagar on Airport road where he lives with his aged parents. "I was hoping to live a life of dignity after becoming the sarpanch. Over 50 per cent population in my village are Dalits. Forget dignity, now I am a handicapped. All because I refused to skin a dead cow," he says. A few months ago, Sumanbhai converted to Islam after applying to the Collectorate, seeking to change his religion. He told Mirror, "I have approached all top officials, right from the mamlatdar to the governor, begging of them to provide my family safety and security back in Vinzrana. I go to the village only during the panchayat meeting as they would need me to sign on documents to initiate development work."

'He Lives Outside His Village'

When contacted, Tarun Duggal, Superintendent of Police, Porbandar, said that Suman Chavda's case was being investigated and that he was being provided police protection. "We have given him adequate police protection. However, since he has a house outside his village, he prefers to live there," said Duggal. Rebutting his claims, Chavda said, "If I enter my village, they would kill me. The SP's claims are absolutely false. It is a crime to be a Dalit." Talking to Mirror, Porbandar collector Dinesh Patel said, "I am not aware of these cases as many of them are old. I am posted here for only over a year now and will have to go through case papers before commenting."

ahmedabadmirror

Porbandar has registered nine cases of forced migration involving 600 Dalits in the past 26 years, the highest in Gujarat. However, it is not just the ruling BJP that can be blamed for this. Even when the Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Party (headed by Shankarsinh Vaghela) or Janata Dal Gujarat (headed by the late Chimanbhai Patel) was in power, it was Porbandar that topped the list. Ahmedabad and Banaskantha are close behind with seven and six cases respectively, according to data shared by Navsarjan, a human rights NGO.

Navsarjan carried out a detailed study of 1,589 villages in Gujarat with Robert F Kennedy Centre for Justice and Human Rights. The Understanding Untouchability report highlights that despite growing domestic and international concern and a constitutional prohibition on untouchability, it not only survives but thrives. There are separates garbas, separate prayer places and burial grounds for Dalits in Gujarat.

'The Hype Is Deliberate'

Dushyant Gautam, BJP's national president for Scheduled Caste (SC) Morcha, told Mirror, "There is a deliberate hype like Dadri being created in Gujrat. Dalits are in fact very safe in the state. Look at UP. The hype is created for political purpose. The anti-nationals, award-wapsi gang, pseudo seculars, the Dadri gang and anti-Modi brigade is active here. This is a deliberate attempt to defame Modiji who has done phenomenal work for Dalit welfare. With UP polls around, I see a pattern in how things are unfolding."

He added, "Just go to UP, There are 30,000 complaints of atrocity on Dalits and over 1,000 Dalits have been killed in Mayawati's regime. Compared to this, Gujarat has seen nothing. Even Una pales in comparison. Still, Gujarat has become the epicentre of Dalit issues." Gautam asserted that he believed PM Narendra Modi was above any class or caste. "However, Mayawati, who has used Dalits, is now trying to become the Messiah of the downtrodden. No nationalist and secular Indian can digest the fact that Dalits are being discriminated against in Gujarat," he said, adding that the forces playing up Dalit issues in Gujarat want to tear up the country's social fabric.

'Figures Manipulated'

Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Atmaram Parmar, however, maintained that there were no incidents of forced migration in the state. "The figures are manipulated by Navsarjan NGO to defame the state at national and international level," he said. He said that there may be some cases where Dalits face problems and leave villages, but the state government ensures that all help is provided to them. However, Martin Macwan, a leading Dalit rights activist from Gujarat disagrees.

Macwan, 54, winner of the 2000 Robert F Kennedy Human Rights Award, recipient of Gleitsman Foundation's Activist of the Year Award and Human Rights Watch awardee says that the recent spate of incidents against Dalits in the state indicated the growing intolerance against the community. Macwan, who has been honoured for his work by Human Rights Watch, says Gujarat government has failed in protecting the Dalits.

'600 Dalits Ousted'

In the past few years, over 600 Dalits have been ousted from Vanana, Nagka, Drafa and Boddar villages of Ranavav taluka; Khristi, Vinzrana and Bhomiyavadar, Sodhana villages of Porbandar taluka and Shegras in Kutiyana taluka of Porbander. "Gujarat lacks a political will to tackle Dalit issues. Discrimination is a major issue. I wish all political parties in Gujarat unite to fight this issue," says Macwan, adding, "Today, Dalits are more aware of their constitutional rights. About 12 per cent of total Dalit population in Gujarat lives across Saurashtra, which is dominated by Kshatriyas and Patels. Hence, there are more incidences of Dalit-Kshatriya and Dalit- Patel conflicts." Meanwhile, Ambalal Rohit, president of BJP SC Morcha, refused to comment on the migration issue of Dalits in the state. He said he could comment only after he went through the details of each case.

Ahmedabad Close Behind

In Ahmedabad, Dalits have been forced out of Aniyali (Dhandhuka taluka), Vanthal (Viramgam), Kundal (Sanand), Goraj (Sanand), Alav (Ranpur), and Kesharadi and Bhayla villages of Bavla taluka. Six Dalit families were displaced in Sambarda (Palanpur taluka), Ramun (Deesa), Dhada (Deesa), Rachiyana (Vav) and Lalpur (Vav) and Adrana (Vadgam taluka) villages of Banaskantha.

In 1990, Popatbhai Chanchiya, 45, aresident of Khristi village, was forced to migrate after he refused to engage in forced labour. Khristi, with a population of 1,300, has around 80 Dalits residing here. Recounting his tale, Chanchiya said, he and fellow Dalits were beaten up by the Mer community, which owned all the agriculture land in the village. About 125 Dalits from the village then sat on fast outside collector's office for 15 days. Following their representation, the government rehabilitated them to Dharampur village where they were also given farm land.

Parmar said they have lost touch with Khristi village and don't even visit it. Senior Congress leader Arjun Modhvadia, who has represented Porbandar in Gujarat Assembly, said, "Discrimination and atrocities against Dalits is on an all- time high time in Gujarat. The cases of forced migration of Dalits in the district is worrisome and immediate action should be taken. Even though there are instances of some people misusing the Prevention of Atrocity Act, we largely have people who are real victims and need immediate help from the government. The BJP government is anti-Dalit."
The Union Home Ministry has admitted in the court that despite the efforts to crackdown on child marriages, the practice is still rampant in India.

The MHA, in a submission told the Delhi High Court that due to "social realities" the decision to retain a girl's minimum age as 15 years to marry was taken under the amended rape law to protect a couple against decriminalisation of their sexual activity.

AP/ Representative Image

The submission was made as a reply to a PIL which claimed that there was an inconsistency in the amended rape law which protected a husband from prosecution for the offence of unnatural sex with his wife.

What is even more shocking is that the MHA said according to the amended law, husbands have been protected from prosecution for any sexual acts with their wives who are above 15 years of age in view of the "social reality" of child marriages in India.

"Although the age of consent is 18 years and child marriage is discouraged, marriage below the permissible age is avoidable but not void in law on account of social realities," it added.

Reuters/ Representative Image

This is not the first time the government has failed to have a clear position when it came to marital rape.

Earlier the government had told the parliament that the concept of marital rape cannot be applicable in the Indian context.

It is considered that the concept of marital rape, as understood internationally, cannot be suitably applied in the Indian context, MoS Home, Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary told the parliament in March.

Later, in April, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi said the government was considering criminalizing marital rape.

PTI

Criminalising marital rape has always remained a contentious topic in India.

In 2013, before the rape law was amended, a parliamentary committee had claimed that If marital rape is brought under the law, the entire family system will be under great stress, The government eventually passed a new sexual-assault law, which did not criminalize marital rape.

Even though marital rape is not widely reported in India, according to a study by the UN Population Fund, more than two-third of married women in India, aged between 15 to 49 have been beaten, raped or forced to provide sex.
Back in June, two Indian police officers had won praise after they claimed to have been the first Indian couple to summit Mount Everest together. They'd even said that they wouldn't "give birth to a child until we climb Mt Everest."

Turns out - they didn't climb the world's highest mountain

Now, Mt. Everest's home Nepal has banned them for 10 years for mountaineering, an official said Tuesday. Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod, both police constables, said they reached the top of the world's highest mountain on 23 May. But fellow climbers cast doubt on their claim, saying their photos at the summit were doctored.

twitter

Nepal's tourism department initially certified their claim but later conducted an investigation.

"Our investigation shows that the couple faked their summit. We have imposed a 10-year ban against them from climbing any mountain in Nepal," tourism department chief Sudarshan Prasad Dhakal told AFP of the decision made on Monday.

Dhakal said an analysis of the photos submitted by the couple showed they had superimposed themselves and their banners on photos taken by another Indian climber of his Everest summit.

"Despite several attempts to get clarifications from them, they did not cooperate with us during the investigation. The two Sherpas that assisted them are also absconding," Dhakal said.

"The ban should serve as a warning for mountaineers to follow ethics," he said.

Professional mountaineer Satyarupp Siddhanta, a member of the popular The Himalayan Club even shared the two original images he believes the Rathod couple photoshopped themselves into.

Satyarupp Siddhanta

Many of those who reach the top of the 8,848 metre (29,029 feet) mountain have gone on to make money or forge careers as motivational speakers and authors

Makalua Adventure

A total of 456 people, including more than 250 foreigners, summit Everest during the recently-ended spring season, after two consecutive years of deadly disasters that led to almost all attempts being abandoned.

twitter

Mountaineering is a major revenue-earner for the impoverished Himalayan nation. This year's string of successful summits is expected to boost the industry, which was left reeling after an earthquake last year killed almost 9,000 people nationwide.

If you wonder how dumb one needs to be to faff around like this, know that this isn't the first time the couple lied about their incredible achievements

Talking about their earlier exploits, Kulkarni also said, The news of Dinesh and his wifes Aussie 10 Challenge record is 100% fake news. The Aussie 10 Challenge requires climbing the 10 highest peaks in Australia.
Khursheed Ahmad was shot 8 times fighting militants in the Valley. The 43-year-old CRPF constable is currently recovering at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The Kupwara resident today can barely move from his hospital bed. Doctors are afraid that he could be paralysed for life.

Kupwara Martyr's Widow Will Join The Indian Army As A Tribute To Him

On the Azadi stone pelters

TOI

Ahmad, a resident of Kupwara which sees regular militant attacks on Indian forces doesn't support "Azadi": "It is these vested forces who have hijacked sanity and peace of our Valley."

And he says he'll continue fighting

Image via DailyMail

"Eight bullets, which hit me, have not shattered my courage even one bit. I will continue to fight for peace, for the sake of my country till my last breath."

Khursheed's elder brother Rasheed currently serving with the Army's Jat regiment remembered the attack on Khursheed: "Terrorists ambushed the bus in which a team of CRPF jawans was returning to their base after a practice session at a nearby firing range on June 26. My brother suffered eight bullet injuries - four in the stomach and one each in his left hand, shoulder, lungs and chest."

Burhan Wani May Be Projected A Martyr, But Kashmiri Youth Will Do Well To Stay Away From Militancy

Yet, they took down 2 militants

AFP

The 6 cm by 6 cm gunshot wounds across his chest, shoulder, right arm and lower back.

"His lower spine has sustained major injuries because of which the lower part of his body has lost movement. There are high chances that he might face permanent disability," a senior AIIMS doctor told India Today. "Doctors say bullet shrapnel was found in Khursheed's body. Because of this, an MRI test cannot be conducted. Unless the MRI is done, doctors can't operate on his body. We hope that he can walk back to his house," he said.
On Monday, the Italian coastguard organised a series of gargantuan operations that rescued 6,500 refugees off the coast of Libya. The coastguard announced on Twitter that it deployed 40 life-saving missions, one of which even employed Italian naval ships.

AP

Independent reported that the Italian vessels were operated by two non-government entities, namely Proactiva Open Arms (POA) and Medecins Sans Frontieres (also known as Doctors Without Borders).

The rescued refugees were reportedly sailing from Somalia and Eritrea in boats not worthy of the seas.

POA, a Spanish charity, reported 3,000 rescued refugees which made their mission the largest one in the Mediterranean this year alone. POA's vessels were the first ones to come across the boats, encouraging some of the refugees on board to dive into the seas and swim to the fleeing refugees, among which several were babies.

MSF said that it rescued 2,400 people from rubber and wooden vessels.

AP

Once pulled from the waters, the refugees were taken on board the Italian navy and MSF ships. From hereon, the rescued will, in all likelihood, be taken to the Italian mainland or Sicily for processing.

Nearly 100,000 refugees have already taken shelter in Italy, most of whom came from Libya.
Main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday again lambasted the leftist Greek government on the subject of law and order in the country, a day after the head of the traffic police for the greater Athens area was assaulted by unknown assailants, who took advantage of a protest through central
Iraqs Hangmen Are Back

By Robert Fisk

August 30, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " The Independent " - Youve got to hand it to Iraqs executioners. Since the days when they had to yank on a hanging mans legs to break his neck in American-occupied Iraq  because their victim was so tall that he could still stand on the edge of the drop  Iraqs state killers can now dispatch 36 men in a morning. That was quite a record by the Shia Muslim hangmen at the Nasiriyah prison this month when they strung up tens of Sunni Muslims for a 2014 massacre  while hundreds of their victims relatives invited for the occasion shouted in joy.

That wasnt quite the image which the invaders of Iraq wished to promote when they illegally blasted their way into the country 13 years ago to proclaim democracy, human rights, freedom from fear and an end to police state terror. Almost at once, Americas viceroy Paul Bremer suspended capital punishment because the Saddam regime used hanging as a means of oppression. That, at least, was true.

Saddams lads could break 2,000 necks in a day at Abu Ghraib  its later history to be avoided at all costs, for reasons we will not discuss here  and Iraqs pro-American democratic successors never reached that stage of professionalism. When they hanged Saddams half-brother Barzan Hassan in 2007, the rope was so long that his head, in the words of one witness, snapped off. In the case of the convicted terrorist too tall to hang  evidence of which came from a UK assistant to the then Iraqi government  the executioners eventually dragged the man to the corner of the death chamber and shot him in the head.

Its almost unfair to recall how European nations condemned Saddams own hanging  not because his killers jeered at him, but because Europeans didnt agree with capital punishment. Not a murmur this month, however, from Theresa May or Francois Hollande or Angela Merkel at the mass hangings in Nassiriyah. Nor did they say a word before or after the execution of a hundred prisoners before the Nassiriyah executions, 22 of them in one day in May.

The demand to reintroduce hanging in Iraq, of course, started within weeks of Bremers 2003 suspension of capital punishment. As sectarian killings mocked Americas promises of democracy in Baghdad and other cities, a frightening and soon very familiar claim was heard from Iraqis themselves: that in the choice between freedom and security, security came first. And so Saddams old execution prisons returned to their ferocious tasks, albeit slowly. Three convicted murderers were hanged in September 2005, then the execution of insurgents  those resisting American occupation or the provisional and then elected pro-American Iraqi governments  began. A year later, 26 men and one woman were hanged for high crimes [sic] against civilians. In 2009, the Iraqi government hanged another 120 men. Now their crimes were called terrorist offences, but Amnesty, Human Rights Watch and other rights groups were starting to record dozens of unreported hangings.

Its not that the desire for a return to executions was surprising. The rise of Isis and the vicarious mass murders which they committed only provoked the animosity of their victims families. Many of the witnesses to the Nassiriyah hangings cried out Allahu akbar when the trapdoors opened because they were relatives of the 1,700 air force cadets  almost all Shia Muslims  tortured and murdered at Camp Speicher in Tikrit when the Iraqi armys officers turned and fled at the first sight of Isis black-cowled supporters in 2014.

Sunnis have thus been the principal victims of the largely Shia hangmen now carrying out the democratically elected Iraqi governments executions. The inverted commas are necessary because European politicians continue to extol the unrepresentative but Shia-led Baghdad governments which have themselves been responsible for death squads, secret mass killings and prison rapes. In cases where defendants are even provided with a mockery of a trial, Amnesty has repeatedly condemned the gross disregard for justice and human life, and convictions solely based on confessions under torture.

Actual death sentences  92 in the first six weeks of this year alone  are achieving Saddam-like proportions. How soon, we must ask, before the present Iraqi government adopts Saddams practice of regularly cleaning out prisons  to make way for more inmates  by hanging convicted men even if they were not originally condemned to death?

The truth is that both the vicious Isis executions of Shia Muslims, Christians and other apostates are slowly being paralleled with an equally sectarian series of executions of Sunnis. Thus the hangings at Iraqs main prisons have now become part of the countrys sectarian war, merging imperceptibly, for example, with the slaughter of up to 900 Sunni detainees by a Shia militia during and after the capture of Fallujah from Isis in June. This particular outfit was fighting alongside the official Iraqi army, which was being assisted by constant US air strikes on the Isis defenders of Fallujah  who were themselves murdering Sunnis trying to flee the city. No wonder Washington has been downplaying the number of Sunni innocents murdered by the Shia good guys fighting for the Iraqi government in Fallujah and Ramadi.

For Americans are inevitably stained by their participation in a civil war. The same applies to other NATO forces dropping bombs in Syria. Western nations cannot decontaminate themselves from a civil war even if they do not themselves commit atrocities on the ground. The same applies to the Russians. Any pilot bombing Isis  or innocent civilians  is inevitably helping to give the wheel a shove for militias which then murder prisoners. We are presumably now going to see a far bloodier retribution carried out if Mosul is overrun by the Iraqi soldiers, Shia militia, Kurds and other assorted armed groups, supported  as usual  by the US air forces bombs.
By James Petras

Introduction: The Financial Times editorial page carries a logo that proclaims: Without fear and without favour. Indeed the editors have shown no fear when it comes to. . . fabricating lies, promoting imperial wars decimating countries and impoverishing millions, whether in Libya, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen and now Venezuela. The fearless Lies of Our Times have been at the forefront forging pretexts for inciting imperial armies to crush independent governments.

August 30, 2016 "

Information Clearing House

" - Despite its pretentious scribblers and prestigious claims, the FT is seen by the Anglo-American financial class as a belligerent purveyor of militarist policies designed for the most retrograde sectors of the ruling elite.

What is most striking about the FT fearless fabrications on behalf of imperial militarism is how often their political and economic prognostications have been incompetent and flat out wrong.

For the past ten years, the FT editorial pages have described China in economic crisis and heading for a fall, while in reality, the Chinese economy has grown at between eight and six percent a year.

For over a decade and a half, the FT editors claimed Russia under President Vladimir Putin presented an international existential threat to the West. In fact, it was the Western armies of NATO, which expanded military operations to the borders of Russia, the US, which financed a neo-fascist coup in Kiev and the US-EU which promoted an Islamist uprising in Syria designed to totally undermine Russias influence and relations in the Middle East.

The FTs economic gurus and its leading columnists prescribed the very catastrophic deregulatory formulas which precipitated the financial crash of 2008-09, after which they played the clownish role of Mickey the Dunce - blaming others for the failed policies.

The fearless FT scribes are currently leading a virulent propaganda campaign to promote the violent overthrow of the democratically elected Venezuelan government of President Nicolas Maduro.

This essay will identify the FTs latest pack of fearless lies and fabrications and then conclude by analyzing the political consequences for Venezuela and other independent regimes.

The Financial Times and Venezuela: From War in the Suites to Terror in the Streets

In covering the crisis in Venezuela, the FT has systematically ignored the ongoing campaign of assaults and assassinations against elected officials, security officers, military and police who have been murdered by the FTs favored opposition.

The FT did not cover the horrific murders of an elected Chavista congresswoman and her two young children, who were executed (shot in the head) in broad daylight by opposition-paid hitmen.

These ongoing opposition terror campaigns against the elected government and the general public are systematically ignored in the FTs reports and on its editorial pages, which focus more on the shortages of consumer items.

The FT cover-up of rightwing terror extended to inventing a possible army or National Guard plan to open fire on opposition demonstrators. In this case, the FT anticipated rightwing violence by laying the blame on the government in advance.

The FT covers-up the opposition business elites campaign of hoarding essential goods to create artificial shortages and panic buying. They deny the ongoing price gouging and pin the blame for shortages and long consumer lines exclusively on regime mismanagement.

The FT conveniently omits to mention that the decline in world oil prices has affected not only the economy of Venezuela but all countries dependent on commodity exports, including the Financial Times favorite neo-liberal regimes in Brazil and Argentina.

The Financial Times cites bogus opinion polls, which wildly exaggerate the governments declining popularity: In the recent elections Maduros supporters secured 40% of the popular vote while the FT claims his support to be 7%!

US client regimes (Mexico, Peru, and Colombia) are the largest producers of illegal drugs and US banks are the largest launderers for narco-money. Yet the FT reports on Venezuelas role as a conduit for illegal drugs smuggled north to the US and east into Brazil, Africa and thence to Europe. Drug enforcement experts all agree that Colombia, home to seven US military bases and with a regime closely linked to paramilitary-narco gangs, is the source of drugs smuggled through Venezuela. That Venezuela has become a victim of the violent Colombian narco-trade is never acknowledged by the elegant City of London pen-prostitutes.

The FT blames the re-emergence of malaria and other possible diseases on the leftist Maduro government. In fact the recent malaria outbreak (also cited by the New York Times propagandists) is based on a single illegal gold miner.

The FT ignores how the US- backed neo-liberal regimes in Argentina and Brazil, which rule by presidential decree, have slashed public health programs setting the stage for much greater public health crises.

The Financial Times: Big Lies for Mass Murder

The Financial Times is waging an all-out propaganda war with one goal: To incite the violent seizure of power in Venezuela by US political clients.

In line with the Obama-Clinton regime-change by any means policies, the FT paints a deceptive picture of Venezuela facing multiple crises, representing a destabilizing threat to the hemisphere, and on the brink of a global humanitarian crisis.

Armed with these deadly cliches, the FT editorial pages demand a new government soon and certainly before the 2018 elections.

Recently, the FT proposed a phony legal gimmick - a recall referendum. However, since the opposition cannot initiate the vote in time to oust the elected President Maduro, the FT calls for events which precipitate changes sooner - a violent coup!

FTs scenarios aim to precipitate a violent rightwing march, eventually provoking civil bloodshed in early September of this year.

The FT expects that blood in Caracas will require an active Latin America response(sic). In other words, the FT hopes that a US-backed military invasion from neighboring Colombia would help eliminate the Chavistas and install a rightist regime.

The Financial Times, which actively promoted the NATO-led destruction of the government in Libya, now calls for a US-led invasion of Venezuela. Never ones to re-assess their promotion of regime change, the FT now calls for a violent coup in Venezuela, which will exceed that of Libya in terms of the loss of thousands of Venezuelan lives and the brutal reversal of a decade of significant socio-economic progress.

Without fear and without favor, the FT speaks for imperial wars everywhere.

Conclusion

The US presidential elections take place just as the Obama-Clinton regime prepares to intervene in Venezuela. Using bogus humanitarian reports of widespread hunger, disease, violence and instability, the Obama will still need Venezuelan thugs to provoke enough violent street violence to trigger an invitation for Washingtons Latin American military partners to intervene under the auspices of the UN or OAS.

If successful, a rapid overthrow of the elected government in Caracas could be presented as a victory for Hilary Clintons campaign, and an example of her policy of humanitarian-military interventions around the world.
The Dumbed-Down New York Times A New York Times columnist writes Americans are so dumbed-down that they dont know that Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago, but that invasion was mostly in the minds of Times editors and other propagandists.



By Robert Parry August 30, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Consortium News " - In a column mocking the political ignorance of the dumbed-down American people and lamenting the death of objective fact, New York Times columnist Timothy Egan shows why so many Americans have lost faith in the supposedly just-the-facts-maam mainstream media. Egan states as flat fact, If more than 16 percent of Americans could locate Ukraine on a map, it would have been a Really Big Deal when Trump said that Russia was not going to invade it  two years after they had, in fact, invaded it. But it is not a fact that Russia invaded Ukraine  and its especially not the case if you also dont state as flat fact that the United States has invaded Syria, Libya and many other countries where the U.S. government has launched bombing raids or dispatched special forces. Yet, the Times doesnt describe those military operations as invasions. Nor does the newspaper of record condemn the U.S. government for violating international law, although in every instance in which U.S. forces cross into another countrys sovereign territory without permission from that government or the United Nations Security Council, that is technically an act of illegal aggression. In other words, the Times applies a conscious double standard when reporting on the actions of the United States or one of its allies (note how Turkeys recent invasion of Syria was just an intervention) as compared to how the Times deals with actions by U.S. adversaries, such as Russia. Biased on Ukraine The Times reporting on Ukraine has been particularly dishonest and hypocritical. The Times ignores the substantial evidence that the U.S. government encouraged and supported a violent coup that overthrew elected President Viktor Yanukovych on Feb. 22, 2014, including a pre-coup intercepted phone call between Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt discussing who should lead the new government and how to midwife this thing. The Times also played down the key role of neo-Nazis and extreme nationalists in killing police before the coup, seizing government building during the coup, and then spearheading the slaughter of ethnic Russian Ukrainians after the coup. If you wanted to detect the role of these SS-wannabes from the Times coverage, youd have to scour the last few paragraphs of a few stories that dealt with other aspects of the Ukraine crisis. While leaving out the context, the Times has repeatedly claimed that Russia invaded Crimea, although curiously without showing any photographs of an amphibious landing on Crimeas coast or Russian tanks crashing across Ukraines border en route to Crimea or troops parachuting from the sky to seize strategic Crimean targets. The reason such evidence of an invasion was lacking is that Russian troops were already stationed in Crimea as part of a basing agreement for the port of Sevastopol. So, it was a very curious invasion indeed, since the Russian troops were on scene before the invasion and their involvement after the coup was peaceful in protecting the Crimean population from the depredations of the new regimes neo-Nazis. The presence of a small number of Russian troops also allowed the Crimeans to vote on whether to secede from Ukraine and rejoin Russia, which they did with a 96 percent majority. In the eastern provinces, which represented Yanukovychs political base and where many Ukrainians opposed the coup, you can fault, if you wish, the Russian decision to provide some military equipment and possibly some special forces so ethnic Russian and other anti-coup Ukrainians could defend themselves from the assaults by the neo-Nazi Azov brigade and from the tanks and artillery of the coup-controlled Ukrainian army. But an honest newspaper and honest columnists would insist on including this context. They also would resist pejorative phrases such as invasion and aggression  unless, of course, they applied the same terminology objectively to actions by the U.S. government and its allies. That sort of nuance and balance is not what you get from The New York Times and its group thinking writers, people like Timothy Egan. When it comes to reporting on Russia, its Cold War-style propaganda, day in and day out. And this has not been a one-off problem. The unrelenting bias of the Times and, indeed, the rest of the mainstream U.S. news media on the Ukraine crisis represents a lack of professionalism that was also apparent in the pro-war coverage of the Iraq crisis in 2002-03 and other catastrophic U.S. foreign policy decisions. A growing public recognition of that mainstream bias explains why so much of the American population has tuned out supposedly objective news (because it is anything but objective). Indeed, those Americans who are more sophisticated about Russia and Ukraine than Timothy Egan know that theyre not getting the straight story from the Times and other MSM outlets. Those not-dumbed-down Americans can spot U.S. government propaganda when they see it. Robert Parry is an American investigative journalist best known for his role in covering the Iran-Contra affair for the Associated Press (AP) and Newsweek, including breaking the Psychological Operations in Guerrilla Warfare (CIA manual provided to the Nicaraguan contras) and the CIA and Contras cocaine trafficking in the US scandal in 1985. He was awarded the George Polk Award for National Reporting in 1984 and the I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence by Harvard's Nieman Foundation in 2015. He has been the editor of Consortiumnews since 1995
Brazil's Dilma Rousseff Testifies At Impeachment Trial

Video In English

"We are one step away from a real coup d'etat," said suspended Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff during her defense in the impeachment trial against her, on August 29, 2016

Posted August 29, 2016

Glenn Greenwald on Democracy Now Discussing Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff

Glenn Greenwald speaks to Amy Goodman (DemocracyNow) about the impeachment of the Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff.
Home Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter Erdogan Calls Putin as Russia Seethes at Turkeys Syrian Incursion By Alexander Mercouris August 30, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " The Duran " - Russia furious at Turkish move to set up rebel safe zone inside Syria to assist Jihadi rebels there, putting the recently announced normalisation of relations between Russia and Turkey in jeopardy. In the immediate aftermath of the Turkish capture of Jarablus in Syria Turkish President Erdogan telephoned his friend Putin on Friday 27th August 2016. The Kremlins account of the conversation is remarkable even by its standards for its terseness The two leaders discussed the development of Russia-Turkey trade and political and economic cooperation in keeping with the agreements reached in St Petersburg on August 9. Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan exchanged opinions on developments in Syria and pointed out the importance of joint efforts in fighting terrorism. They agreed to continue their dialogue on the issues of the bilateral and international agenda. The true subject of the discussion will in fact have been the Turkish capture of Jarablus in northern Syria. Whilst it seems the Turks did inform the Russians of this move in advance, it is clear that the Russians are to put it mildly unhappy about it. Though the Turks appear to have tried to arrange talks with the Russian military leadership presumably to discuss this move  even announcing a visit to Turkey by General Gerasimov, the Chief of the Russian General Staff  no such talks are taking place, with the Russians denying that a visit to Ankara by their Chief of General Staff was ever agreed, and the Turks now saying that the visit has been postponed. The Russian media meanwhile is carrying articles making clear the extent of Russian anger. An article in the Russian newspaper Kommersant, which is clearly based on official briefings, is accusing Turkey of going further than promised in Syria. That this article reflects official thinking in Moscow is shown by the fact that the semi-official English language Russian news-site Russia Beyond the Headlines has republished it in English. The article makes it clear that Turkey did not coordinate the Jarablus operation with Moscow or Damascus, and that it was much bigger than Moscow was led to expect. The Russians are also clearly annoyed by the extent to which the operation has been coordinated by Turkey with the US, which is providing air support. For Moscow, Ankaras operation was an unpleasant surprise, demonstrating that the expectations for a convergence of the countries positions on Syria that emerged after the meeting between Putin and Erdogan were premature. In deciding about the operation in Jarabulus, the Turkish leader has sent a signal that relations with the U.S. remain a priority for him, and he prefers to act in the framework of the antiterrorist coalition led not by Moscow, but Washington. (Bold italics added) I have repeatedly warned against over-high expectations that the recent rapprochement between Turkey and Russia amounted to any sort of realignment. I have also said that despite Turkish annoyance with the US over the recent coup attempt, Turkey remains a US ally, continues to be committed to regime change in Syria, and is not going to throw the US out of Incirlik or allow Russia to use the base. My only surprise is that judging from this comment it appears there were some people in Moscow who thought otherwise. The Kommersant article then continues ominously According to Kommersants information, in case of aggravation of the situation, the Russian military and diplomats are ready to employ bilateral channels of communication with their Turkish counterparts, as well as express their concerns to the U.S. if necessary. According to Vladimir Sotnikov, director of the Moscow-based Russia-East-West centre, Ankaras actions could seriously affect the process of normalisation of bilateral cooperation that was agreed by presidents Putin and Erdogan in St. Petersburg. (Bold italics added) That suggests that behind the mild public language strong complaints have been made in private by Moscow to Ankara. Erdogans call to Putin looks like an attempt to assuage Russian anger, to reassure Moscow about Turkeys intentions in Syria, and to keep the process of normalisation between Turkey and Russia on track. The terse Kremlin summary of the conversation suggests that Putin in response made Russian feelings and concerns perfectly clear, and that there was, in the diplomatic language of the past, a full and frank exchange of views ie. a row. Why are the Russians so angry about the Jarablus operation? Here I acknowledge my heavy debt to the geopolitical analyst Mark Sleboda who over the course of a detailed and very helpful discussion has corrected certain errors I have previously made about the Jarablus operation and has greatly enlarged my understanding of it. In my two previous articles discussing the Jarablus operation I said that it looked to be targeted principally at the Kurds, whose militia, the YPG, has over the last year significantly expanded the area in north east Syria under its control. I also discounted the possibility that the Turkish seizure of Jarablus was intended to affect the course of the battle for Aleppo by providing supplies to the Jihadi fighters trying to break the siege there. In my latest article I said the following .. it is not obvious that the rebels actually need a safe zone in this area. They already have a corridor to send men and supplies to Aleppo through Idlib province, which they already control. Why add to the problems of setting up a safe zone much further away in north east Syria when the rebels already control territories so much closer to Aleppo? Mark Sleboda has explained to me that the principal corridor to supply the rebels in Syria has always been through the area of north east Syria around Jarablus. In his words Idlib is not an acceptable supply route from Turkey to forces in Aleppo province because the Turkish-Syrian border in Idlib is mountainous terrain  small and bad roads and then long routes all the way through Idlib past SAA held territory into Aleppo province. The Jarablus Corridor north of Aleppo is and has always been absolutely vital for the insurgency,. Thats why Turkey, Brookings, etc have always placed so much priority on a no fly zone there. Now its come to realisation. In other words the Turkish capture of Jarablus before it could be captured by the YPG was not primarily intended to prevent the linking together of two areas within Syria under Kurdish control  though that may have been a secondary factor  but was primarily intended to secure the main supply route (or ratline) Turkey uses to supply the Jihadi fighters attacking Aleppo. Beyond that it is now clear that Turkish ambitions go much further than Jarablus. Various Turkish officials have over the last two days been speaking to the Turkish media of Turkey establishing a large rebel controlled safe zone in this area of Syria. Moreover  as Mark Sleboda says  they have now secured US support for it, as shown by the very active role the US air force is taking in supporting the Turkish move on Jarablus. As Mark Sleboda has also pointed out to me, creating this rebel safe zone within Syria has been a declared Turkish objective for over a year. The Turks have up to now been prevented from realising it because of US reluctance to provide the necessary support, and because of concern in Washington and Ankara about a possible Russian military reaction. With the move to Jarablus and beyond now carried out with US support and through Russian acquiescence obtained by stealth, the Turks have now achieved it. What implications does this have for the war in Syria and for the continuation of the Russian  Turkish rapprochement? Going back to the war in Syria, my own view remains that this will not in the end decide the outcome of the battle of Aleppo, where reports suggest that the Syrian army is continuing to gain ground despite the uninterrupted  and in fact increasing  flow of supplies to the Jihadi fighters across the Turkish border. My longer term view also remains that if the Syrian government succeeds in recapturing the whole of Aleppo and eventually Idlib, then it will have won the war. However what this episode shows is that the war is far from won, and that the Turks and their US backers are still prepared to go on escalating it in order to prevent the Syrian army winning it. Beyond that I think the British reporter Patrick Cockburn may turn out to be right, that by trying to establish a safe zone within Syria Turkey is overplaying its hand and is taking a step that .would embroil Turkey in the lethal swamp lands of the Syrian-Iraqi war. Already there are indications that the Turkish move is provoking a local reaction from the YPG and the Kurds. Despite earlier reports that the YPG was withdrawing all its forces back across to the eastern bank of the Euphrates, there are now credible reports of scattered resistance to the Turkish move by Kurdish militia aligned with the YPG, and there are also reports of mobilisation against the Turkish move in the Kurdish areas of Syria. In my recent article I made the following point about the potential ability of the YPG to wreck any scheme to set up a rebel safe zone in this part of Syria North east Syria is a bitterly contested area in which the dominant force is not the rebels but the YPG. It does not look like a credible safe zone for the rebels or a credible launch area from which to launch attacks on Aleppo. On the contrary an attempt to create a rebel safe zone in this area would antagonise the YPG, and would restore the alliance between the Syrian government and the YPG to full working order, leading to constant fighting in the area of the so-called safe zone between the Syrian rebels and the YPG. That would surely defeat the whole purpose of the safe zone, rendering it unsafe and effectively worthless as a safe zone. Of course the Turkish military could try to garrison the area to defend whatever safe zone it created inside it. That would however require an incursion into Syria that went far deeper than the one to Jarablus, and which would risk the Turkish army becoming bogged down in a lengthy guerrilla war on Syrian territory with the YPG. I doubt Erdogan, the Turkish military or the US would want that. In his article discussing the Turkish incursion Patrick Cockburn makes essentially the same point Turkey may be able to prevent the Kurds permanently extending their rule west of the Euphrates, but it would be a very different and more dangerous operation to attack the de facto Syrian Kurdish state, which has spread itself between the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers since the Syrian Army largely withdrew from the region in 2012. Setting up a rebel safe zone inside Syria in the teeth of the opposition of the YPG is however what Erdogan and the Turks  backed by the US  have now decided to do. In recent days there has been some renewed talk of Russia becoming bogged down in the war in Syria. In my opinion the country that runs by far the greatest risk of getting bogged down in Syria is not Russia but Turkey, which already has to deal with an Islamist terrorist campaign and a Kurdish insurgency on its own territory  both in large part consequences of the war in Syria  and which cannot afford to add a war between the Turkish army and the potentially Russian backed YPG in Syria to its mounting problems. That however is what Turkey by its latest move now risks. There remains the outstanding puzzle of US policy. The US actively encouraged the YPG to capture the town of Manbij  which lies west of the Euphrates  from ISIS, and provided heavy air support for the YPG operation to the capture Manbij. It is now demanding that the YPG withdraw from Manbij and from all areas west of the Euphrates, and is providing air support for a Turkish military operation that is at least in part targeted against the YPG. It is impossible to see any logic in these moves. As I said in my previous article It is impossible to see any coherent strategy here. Rather it looks as if CIA and military officials on the ground in Syria have been going their own way, encouraging the YPG to expand as fast as it can, heedless of the larger consequences. The political leadership in Washington, when it finally woke up to what was happening, then had to take disproportionate steps to bring the situation back under control. Regardless of this, the Turkish move into Syria should bury once and for all any idea that Turkey is in the process of undertaking a geopolitical realignment away from the West and towards the Eurasian powers. Not only is Turkey still a US and NATO ally, but it is now conducting an illegal military operation against Russian opposition in Syria with US military support. That is not the action of a country in the process of carrying out a realignment and preparing to switch alliances from the West to Beijing and Moscow. The Russians and the Turks are now talking to each other, which for several months they had stopped doing. The Kremlins summary of Fridays conversation between Putin and Erdogan shows that they are still talking about improving their trade links and economic ties. However, as the Kommersant article shows, even that limited progress now appears to be in jeopardy as the two countries conflicting stances in the Syrian war once again threaten to pull them apart. In other words Turkey remains, as it has always been, an ally not of Russia and the Eurasian powers, but of the US and the West, and its actions in Syria are a clear demonstration of that. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. What's your response? - Scroll down to add / read comments Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter For Email Marketing you can trust Donate



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Criminal Kiev Regime Gets a CNN Makeover Cue More War By Finian Cunningham August 29, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " SCF " - This week Ukraine marks 25 years of independence following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and American news channel CNN was only too willing to lend an audacious rewriting of history to sanitize current conflict in that country. A TV newscast on Wednesday, featuring CNN anchorwoman Rosemary Church, ran the following headline: Ukraine still fighting for independence from Moscow. The channel then cut to a report by its correspondent Phil Black from eastern Ukraine purporting to show Kiev-controlled armed forces coming under heavy gun and artillery fire from Russian-backed separatists. Viewers were told that the separatists launched their attacks against Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) two years ago in August 2014. Between whistling bullets, the intrepid CNN reporter also informed viewers, without verification, that the Russian army was amassing troops on its side of the border with Ukraine. This absurd reduction of history provides a much-needed makeover for the illegal Kiev regime that seized power in February 2014. It also sanitizes the involvement of Washington and the European Union in fomenting the coup against Ukraines then elected government. And, recklessly, this kind of US media distortion serves to embolden the Kiev regime to continue its criminal aggression against the people of eastern Ukraine, and to ignore its commitments to the February 2015 Minsk peace deal, as well as reportedly conduct acts of terrorism against Crimea. In other words, this is a case study in how ostensibly independent Western media dutifully perform a propaganda function and are in effect complicit in war crimes. Moreover, in the bigger perspective, the gross caricature of Russia as a villain with regard to Ukraine also augments the warmongering narrative of Moscow allegedly posing a threat to European security. This week saw US Vice President Joe Biden traveling through the NATO-member Baltic states promising them that American forces would leap to their defense if they were attacked by Russia. Bidens inflammatory, defamatory rhetoric is fuel for the anti-Russian Baltic regimes to escalate their unhinged accusations of hostility from Russia. This wholly deranged dynamic is largely permitted because major Western news channels such as CNN engage in outrageous falsification of past and present events. Or, as Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly said recently, such Western media indulge in telling their audiences that white is black and black is white. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, while running up the national flag this week marking 25 years of independence, vowed that the Kiev regime would one day retake Crimea. Due to CNNs corny coverage, the narrative that the Western public assimilates is that the evil Soviet empire [that is, its successor Russian Federation] has not forgiven Ukraine for declaring independence a quarter of a century ago, along with several other former Soviet Republics. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine is thus cosmetically and pleasingly presented as a continuation of liberation from Moscows tyranny, in which the freedom-loving Ukrainians are heroically still battling for independence and for the desire to join the American-led free world. Nowhere in the schmaltzy CNN reportage was there mention of relevant historical background, such as how US planners like Zbigniew Brzezinski from the outset saw the newly established Ukraine in 1991 as a strategic spearhead with which to destabilize Russia. That is, Washingtons policy was far from detente. It was immediately hostile and expansionist with regard to Ukraines historic ties with Russia. CNN did not mention either that the US State Department funneled $5 billion into Ukraine for the purpose of undermining fledgling governments there. We know of this clandestine subversion courtesy of bragging by State Department official Victoria Nuland. The culmination of Washingtons pro-democracy operations was the violent overthrow of elected President Victor Yanukovych in February 2014, involving a mass sniper-shooting of police and protesters, conveniently used to blacken the Yanukovych government, again by dutiful Western media who never checked facts or followed up on later disclosure of a false flag atrocity, as EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton let slip. The US State Department, CIA and EU governments pulled off the coup with the instrumental deployment of fascist Ukrainian paramilitaries. The political regime that then seized power and later installed the oligarch Poroshenko as president owes its existence to fascist goon squads orchestrated by the CIA. That the people of Crimea voted overwhelmingly to join with their historic Russian motherland rather than being subjected to the caprice of Nazi-adulating fascists was their moral and legal prerogative. Crimea did so promptly in a referendum within weeks of the illegal seizure of power in Kiev, and yet, fantastically, Western governments and media invert reality by accusing Russia of seizing Crimea. A similar revolt occurred in eastern Ukraine among the mainly ethnic Russian population there. They were simply unwilling to be ruled over by an illegally constituted west-Ukrainian cabal who extol their ancestors collaboration in Nazi extermination of millions of compatriots during the Second World War. In CNNs grotesque reduction of history this week, we are told that separatists from east Ukraine launched a war against Kiev-controlled forces. This is flagrant falsification by a supposedly reputable news channel. The verifiable record shows that CIA director John Brennan visited the new Kiev regime weeks before it launched the so-called Anti-Terror Operation in eastern Ukraine in August 2014. Two years later, the Western-backed Kiev ATO proceeds unabated, albeit on a lower-intensity scale. Some 10,000 people have been killed and up to one million refugees displaced, many of them fleeing across the border into Russia. Despite the Minsk ceasefire that was proclaimed in February 2015, the Kiev forces have not withdrawn heavy weaponry from the contact lines with separatist-declared Donetsk and Lugansk Peoples Republics. Towns and villages within these areas continue to be shelled by the UAF and its associated neo-Nazi militias. And all with NATO training and equipment. Of course, the Kiev regime claims that the separatists are the ones in breach of the ceasefire. The CNN report cited above tends to substantiate that claim, and thats exactly why CNN shows itself to be a propagandist service, rather than a public information service. Meanwhile, the supposedly neutral Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) sits ineffectually on its hands and mealy-mouths claims that both sides are violating the ceasefire. The fact is that civilian homes are being bombarded by Kievs forces in acts of criminal aggression. There is no excuse for such war crimes. If separatists fire back at the UAF it is with the reasonable aim to push back what are offensive forces targeting civilians. Besides, a touchstone for which party is to blame for the ongoing conflict is this: why hasnt the Kiev regime implemented commitments it signed up to in Minsk for political devolution in the separatist Donbass region? The Kiev regime has not moved one iota towards affording the people of Donbass any autonomy, as it is obligated to do under the terms of Minsk. This is the same regime that is covertly engaging in special operations to sabotage civilian infrastructure in eastern Ukraine as it reportedly did again earlier this month on the Crimean Peninsula. Russias President Putin is reportedly prepared to meet with German and French leaders, Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in China next week. Putin has indicated that Kievs Poroshenko is no longer welcome to the discussions owing to his regimes evident disinterest in finding a political solution to end the conflict in Ukraine. Merkel and Hollande, as with the whole of the EU, need to come to an unequivocal and realistic determination about the source of instability in Ukraine  and that is the regime that they indulged to install in the first place. The EUs ludicrous sanctions against Russia over trumped-up claims only compounds the problem and panders to the Kiev regimes reckless belligerence. The Europeans need to form an independent and accurate assessment on Ukraine that repudiates the historically falsified nonsense peddled by Washington. Europe also needs to repudiate its own past complicity. The lionizing of the Kiev regime as exemplified by CNN this week is not just a travesty of history that offends common intelligence. It is an incendiary incentive to the Kiev regime to escalate its rogue conduct. And it also plays into the wider nefarious narrative Washington is pushing for an all-out war with Russia. A war that would mean Europes third conflagration in a century. Are European leaders really that gullible to be led by illiterate Americanized history? Do they have the moral and intellectual fiber to renounce?
Washingtons Sunni Myth and the Wars in Syria and Iraq





A Westerner with extensive on-the-ground experience in Syria and Iraq explains how the Wests understanding of sectarian identity in the Middle East is fatally flawed.



By Cyrus Malik

Editors Note: This author is writing under a pen name. I know the authors identity and while his arguments are surely controversial, I am confident in his sourcing and subject matter expertise. I have decided to allow him to write under a pen name because he can reasonably fear for his safety and professional employment. -RE (Update 8/17  We have made an important factual correction explained at the bottom of the article. Update 8/26: The authors pen name has been changed to protect someone with the same name who has nothing to do with the article or the author.

IAugust 29, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " WOTR " - n Iraq, the senior Shia leaders of the Popular Mobilization Forces (P.M.F.) recently gathered for a meeting. Among them was a leading Sunni P.M.F. commander, who later recounted this story to me. When the men broke for prayer, a Shia leader noticed they were not being joined by their Sunni comrade, who remained seated. The Shia leader asked, Why dont you join us?

He responded, I dont pray.

What do you mean, you dont pray? asked his Shia counterpart.

If I prayed, answered the Sunni leader, I would be with the Islamic State fighting you.

If you read Western media outlets, including War on the Rocks, you might think that most of the problems in the Middle East can be traced to Sunni disenfranchisement, especially in Syria and Iraq. The broader Western debate about the ongoing civil wars in the Middle East is plagued by a false understanding of sectarian identities. Washington elites imagine a broader Sunni sense of identity that does not exist outside the confines of Saudi Arabia and territories held by jihadist groups. This has the malign effect of encouraging polices that add fuel to the fires consuming Syria and parts of Iraq. Alongside this narrative exists another that portrays Iraqs Popular Mobilization Forces as bloodthirsty sectarian militias engaged in constant abuses against Iraqs Sunni Arabs  but this is simply not the case.

Similarly, these same voices describe the Syrian government as an Alawite regime that rules and oppresses Sunnis. However, Sunnis are heavily represented at all levels of leadership in Assads government. The territory it controls at this point in the war and at all points past is majority Sunni. And the Syrian armed forces are still majority Sunni. Alawites may be overrepresented in the security forces, but all that means is that they get to die more than others. It if it is an Alawite regime, isnt it odd that includes and benefits so many non-Alawites?

Sunnis not only have political power in Syria, but they also have social power, more opportunities, and a greater range of choices in life compared to other states in the region ruled by Sunni heads of state. At the heart of this negligent misapprehension of what is actually happening in the Middle East is an acceptance and mainstreaming of notions of Sunni identity propagated by the most extreme voices in the Sunni world: Saudi Arabia, al Qaeda, and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Some American analysts have accepted the shrill claims of those who purport to represent the Sunni Arab world, such as Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir. They have accepted the sectarian victimization narrative as articulated by Syrian insurgents and their spokesmen  as if these voices represented the majority of Syrian people or even most Syrian Sunnis. They have accepted appeals for support from the angriest Iraqi Sunni rejectionists, as if giving in to their demands would push them to fight ISIL or move toward reconciliation to Iraq. By rejectionists, I mean those, whether Baathist or Islamist, who do not accept the new order and instead seek to overthrow it. Based on my years living and working in the Middle East, these voices do not represent those they claim to speak for. The Saudis only appeal to other Arabs is the money they have to offer. The Syrian rebel spokesmen represent only a fraction of Syrian Sunnis. The self-appointed Iraqi Sunni leaders control neither men nor territory. The United States is listening to the wrong Sunnis. When President Obama or Gen. David Petraeus or others repeat the myths of disenfranchisement these voices propagate, they reinforce and legitimize a dangerous sectarian narrative that should instead be countered.

The alternative ideology to the self-proclaimed Islamic State, whether in the Middle East, in Europes slums, or the former Soviet Union, is not to promote a Sunni identity  what the Bush administration pursued with its mantra of moderate Sunni allies. Instead, a counter-ideology should promote citizenship and secular states. This is the model that the West helped destroy in Egypt after Gamal Abdel Nasser died and the model it is currently destroying in Syria. In two articles, I will describe why the Wests view of sectarianism gets the region terribly wrong, resulting in policies that perpetuate rather than resolve the interconnected civil wars that plague the Middle East. In this first part, I use facts on the ground gathered in my years of working in the region to explain how Washingtons view of Syria and Iraq do not comport with what is actually happening there. In the second part, I will offer a counter to the Western narrative of sectarianism in the region and propose a dramatic re-think of how the West and the United States in particular should approach the Middle East. What I have to say will surely strike you as controversial. Some of you will dismiss me out of hand, especially because I am writing under a pseudonym. I only ask that you approach the facts and analysis below with an open mind and critically assess whether the dominant Western policy approach to the Middle East truly serves American interests. I, for one, do not think it does. And it has led to the regions descent into hell.

Misreading Sectarianism in Syria

There is a cacophony of voices constantly complaining that the U.S. government does not sufficiently support the Sunni sectarian insurgents it backs in Syria. At this point in the conflict, these voices are open about the fact that these Sunni Arab moderates cooperate with al Qaeda, but go on to say they still deserve Washingtons support. Sometimes, it seems they argue that we help al Qaeda win in Syria so that its men dont flee further west to us. At War on the Rocks, Faysal Itani bemoans the idea that Russia and the United States might cooperate to degrade Jabhat al Nusra, an avowed Salafi jihadist group that until very recently operated as an al Qaeda affiliate.

These advocates too often ignore that the Sunni insurgents have been receiving ample assistance and that Syrias political and military elite is majority Sunni. Yes, I am talking about the Assad regime. Those who lament the meager assistance provided by the United States to Syrian insurgents overlook the fact that this is one of the best-supported insurgencies in history. Moreover, they discount how successful Syrias insurgents have been at driving Assads forces out of most of the country. Most of the country has fallen into chaos or into the hands of the jihadists who cooperated with U.S.-backed groups. In fact, external aid to Syrias insurgents was so successful that it forced the Russian military to directly intervene to prevent the total collapse of Syria. Earlier this month Salafi-jihadists led by a Saudi cleric used suicide attackers and foreign fighters to nearly storm into the government-held half of Aleppo. And yet they were lauded as heroic rebels by Western media and applauded by the official Western-backed Syrian opposition leadership. If they succeed, over one and a half million residents of the government-held area of Aleppo will be at great risk.

These same Western voices who criticize the White House for not supporting Syrias rebels more robustly are also often quick to argue that more support to moderate insurgents earlier on would have prevented the rise of the jihadists and brought down the Syrian government.

These voices were and remain wrong because they underestimate the extent to which sectarianism and Salafism were already important trends among Syrias Sunni rural class and its urban poor. These segments of society have always formed the core of the insurgency. Their movement was dominated by Sunni sectarian Islamists who could finally express themselves freely after they expelled the state from their areas. The logical outcome of this movement is extremism. You cannot blame all or even most of this on the Syrian regimes harsh methods. Advocates of more support to so-called moderates early on forget what happens when states collapse and militias emerge. People embrace more primordial identities and extremist militias dominate.

Moreover, Western critics of Washingtons less than full-throated support for the armed Syrian opposition have always underestimated the commitment of Syrias allies. And they forget that Syria was taking place in a regional context where sectarian scores had to be settled. The Saudis and Qataris hoped to overthrow the Syrian government and turn it into a Sunni regime, and they saw Syrians as tools to achieve those goals. Iran was and remains committed to stop this from happening. These Gulf states were crucial in fostering the insurgency, but this left the rebellion reliant on external actors.

All this external support the Syrian insurgents received made these groups less closely involved with their own society. Effective insurgents are organically connected with their communities and place great emphasis on their well-being. This is often because they need communities to provide resources, shelter, and other forms of support. If a group is financed from outside the country, it can operate independent of these concerns and impose a reign of terror on a community or ignore the fact that its actions lead to the communitys destruction.

From my perspective as someone living and working in the region, American analysts seem even more sectarian than most people in the Middle East in promoting and legitimizing the Sunni-Shia divide. Sectarian-based movements and this American pro-Sunni sectarianism are seen by modernist and progressive Arabs in both the Sunni and Shia camps as abhorrent and dangerous. For those who want a Sunni force, they have ISIL, the Sunni militia par excellence. And the vast majority of ISILs victims have been fellow Sunnis.

It is commonly argued that only a Sunni Arab force can defeat the Islamic State. It is likewise argued that ISIL cannot be defeated as long as Assad is president because he is a magnet for jihadists, because the United States needs Sunni allies, and because Sunnis feel like they lost everything since 2003 and remain oppressed. These are flawed notions that rely on false assumptions about identity in the region, and they pose a grave danger for Syria, Iraq, and the Middle East as a whole.

This faulty American thinking on sectarianism in the Middle East was recently typified by former ambassador Robert Ford in The New Yorker. Referring to the so-called dissent cable written by hawkish State Department officials, Ford said:

The dissent message makes clear that the focus on the Islamic State will not win the hearts and minds of enough Syrian Sunni Arabs to provide a long-term, sustainable solution to the Islamic State challenge in Syria. The Syrian Sunni Arab community views the Assad government as a greater problem than the Islamic State.

In Syria, a majority-Sunni military force exists . It represents the only national institution remaining in a state that does not make nearly as many sectarian distinctions as its opponents seem to think. Yes, I am talking about the Syrian armed forces. The majority of Syrias state employees, government officials, and soldiers are Sunni, even today. The majority of the still-powerful urban capitalist class is Sunni. As someone who has been been interacting with people on every side of the civil war for its entire duration, I have learned that even some of Assads top security chiefs are Sunni, such as Ali Mamluk, the head of national security who supervises the other security agencies. Colonel Khaled Muhamad, a Sunni from Daraa, is in charge of securing Damascus for the feared Department 40 of the Internal Security. Deeb Zeitun, the head of state security, and Muhamad Rahmun, the head of political security, are both Sunni, as are the head of foreign intelligence, the minister of defense, senior officers in air force intelligence, the minister of interior, the head of the ruling Baath party, the majority of Baath party leaders, and the president of the parliament. The commander of the National Defense Forces (N.D.F.) in Daraa is a Sunni man of Palestinian origin. The commanders of the N.D.F. in Quneitra, Raqqa, and Aleppo are likewise Sunnis. One of the regimes leading anti-ISIL fighters who receives support from all regime security branches is Muhana al Fayad. He leads the large Busaraya tribe between the Derezzor and Hassake areas and is also a member of parliament. Even some pilots dropping barrel bombs on insurgent-held communities are Sunni. Many heads of military intelligence branches are also Sunni.

Sunnis in the Syrian government include many hailing from ISIL-held areas, such as Derezzor and Raqqa, or insurgent-held areas, such as eastern Hama, Daraa, and the Aleppo countryside. This is key to understanding the regimes survival. The head of security in the northeastern Hassake province which borders ISIL-held areas is himself a Sunni from the town of Muhassan in Derezzor. His town is held by ISIL, and he has relatives who defected from the Syrian security forces to join various insurgent groups. Muhamad Rahmun, the aforementioned head of political security, is from Khan Sheikhun in Idlib, and he has relatives in groups such as Jabhat al Nusra. As a result, the regime never cut off links to areas held by insurgents and ISIL and still pays civil servants in some of these places. This leaves a door open for people to return to the state. The regime continues to fight tooth and nail to maintain control over Aleppo and Derezzor, two Sunni-majority cities, and it struggles to provide state services to these communities. Finally, the leaders of the delegations representing the Syrian government that have gone to Geneva to negotiate the political process have all been Sunni, as have nearly all of their staffers.

When Robert Ford claims as that Sunni Arabs in Syria are more worried about Assad than the Islamic State, he is dangerously mistaken. Most of Fords Syrian Sunni Arab community remains in government-held areas and did not rise up. Damascus is an overwhelmingly majority-Sunni Arab city. If they viewed the Assad government as a greater problem than the Islamic State, then Damascus would have fallen to insurgents or at least would have endured the same constant car bombings that Baghdad has. Baghdad has proportionally far fewer Sunnis than Damascus, but jihadists are still able to find safe havens there and launch more attacks than Syrian insurgents in Damascus. But Damascus, of course, has not been immune to these attacks. The two Syrian cities most hit by insurgent rockets and mortars are Damascus and Aleppo, both overwhelmingly Sunni cities. Most of the many hundreds of dead civilians from indiscriminate insurgent attacks on government-held areas have been Sunnis, which is why the Sunnis of government-held west Aleppo cheered when government forces recently made gains against insurgent-held east Aleppo. Even the pro-regime militias in Aleppo are Sunni, such as Liwa Quds and the clan-based militias that have remained loyal to the state. Of course the vast majority of the governments victims have also been Sunni, and this has driven some to extremism. This war, however, is very much Sunni vs. Sunni in many places.

Not all Sunnis in Damascus love Assad, of course, (although more do than you would expect), but when I speak with them, it is clear they oppose the opposition and prioritize stability. The alternative vision equates Sunni Arabs with radicals and proposes that the United States radicalize its policy enough to win them over.

This obsession with supporting Sunni Arabs has led the United States to support unruly and corrupt militias who happen to be Sunni and Arab, but arent al-Nusra, al Qaeda, or ISIL. The mainstream Syrian insurgents (the Free Syrian Army, or FSA) are not located in the right areas to launch assaults on ISIL and do not possess the right incentives to do so. Over the last few years, FSA groups have become increasingly parochial. They fight for local issues, defend their villages and neighborhoods, reach accommodations with whomever they can, and lack motivation to go further. The many agreements the regime has reached with insurgent-held towns around Damascus, in southern Syria, and elsewhere evidences the exhaustion of these groups and their desire to find a settlement at the local level. The FSA lacks the mobility required to engage in the remote battles that the war on ISIL requires. When the so-called moderate opposition fights the jihadists, it gets beaten or melts away.

There are also Islamist insurgents such as Ahrar al-Sham, Faylaq al-Sham, or Nuredin al-Zenki (now famous for its latest beheading video). They fight ISIL only when it attacks them, and even then, many of their men are reluctant to fight against fellow Sunni Muslims. It is ironic that the P.M.F., which contain many thousands of Sunnis and are part of the Iraqi state, are called Shia militias while the Syrian insurgents who are entirely Sunni and explicitly fight for Sunnis are described as rebels. Islamist insurgents possess ideological and political aims inconsistent with U.S. interests (or with those of most Syrians, for that matter) and actually bear no small resemblance to those of ISIL. Ahrar al Sham is incapable of fighting without Jabhat al-Nusra alongside it or without getting approval from Jabhat al Nusra. And while Jabhat al-Nusra recently dissociated itself from al-Qaeda, this move was blessed by al Qaeda  not exactly a good recommendation. Al-Qaeda understood that an independent al-Nusra, or one that at least seems independent, is better for its jihad and would allow its assault on Aleppo to be described by western journalists as being carried out by rebels. Of the thousands of insurgent groups running rampant in Syria, some lack an ideology and are accidental guerillas  but this dominant Salafi jihadi ideology was imported from abroad. It rejects freedom, progress, and modernity. The language of these groups when talking to the West is seductive  or at least the language of their activist apologists  but their discourse in Arabic is indistinguishable from al Qaeda or ISIL. They differ only over who should have power and whether it is legitimate to establish a caliphate today. Anybody with basic Arabic can hear their voices calling in unison for the extermination of rival sects as the main objective of their war. They are not fighting for democracy, freedom, or human rights.

In Syria, moderate Sunnis are fighting al Qaeda and ISIL. One of these is Khaled Abaza, a Sunni commander of a paramilitary unit in the south who has been fighting against Jabhat al Nusra and other extremist groups for several years. I have personally observed former insurgents who now fight ruthlessly alongside government forces and against both Jabhat al Nusra and ISIL, such as fighters from Aqnaf beit al Maqdis (a group that was based in the Yarmuk camp).

Iraq and the Myth of the Bloodthirsty Shia Militias

The Western narrative of the nature of the ongoing conflict in Iraq similarly matches up only poorly with facts on the ground, especially as it concerns the role of sectarian identity and persecutions on every side. This is evident nowhere more than the Popular Mobilization Forces (P.M.F.), an umbrella group of institutionalized militias mobilized to fight against ISIL. During the now concluded battle for Falluja, a new genre of articles emerged warning hysterically about the role of the P.M.F. in Iraq. These articles incorrectly described the P.M.F. as sectarian or Shia militias devoted to persecuting Sunnis. In fact, these units are part of the Iraqi state, coordinate with the Iraqi Security Forces, and answer to the Iraqi prime minister. Because they were largely established in response to a sudden and immediate threat, their organization has been a gradual process, culminating in the 2016 decision to transition away from factions and into a formal military structure. With a few exceptions, P.M.F. units have not engaged in widespread abuse of Sunni populations during this war against ISIL. While most P.M.F. units are Shia, interlocutors in my meetings with Iraqi P.M.F. officials and members of the Iraqi government have told me that there are 30,000 Sunnis receiving P.M.F. salaries. These include leaders such as Yazan al Jiburi, who liberated Tikrit in cooperation with Iranian-backed units, and Wanas Hussein, whose tribe bravely resisted ISIL and whose sister Omaya Jabara was the first woman to die fighting ISIL. Some of these Sunni units are tribal holding forces, while at least 7,000 proper fighters fall under the P.M.F. chain of command. There are also hundreds of Sunnis in majority-Shia units and a few thousand Sunnis who fight alongside these units but are not yet officially registered and do not receive salaries. Further, these units do not engage in any more violations than the forces the American-led coalition supports. Some, such as Saraya Salam (formerly known as the Mahdi Army), are in fact the least sectarian and most disciplined of the various military and paramilitary units fighting in Iraq today.

Many Western analysts seem to think that just because a security force is majority-Shia that it will somehow be unable to resist killing and persecuting Sunnis. Some in the West even questioned whether the government of Iraq should have liberated Falluja, a city less than an hour away from Baghdad, from ISIL (just as they doubt whether the Syrian government should retake the half of Aleppo occupied by jihadists). These voices seem more worried about the Iraqi government treatment of Falluja than about ISIL, as if this jihadist group treats its residents well on account of a shared Sunni identity. One merely needed to look at Samara or Tikrit, cities already liberated from ISIL, to see that Sunnis are not being abused after their liberation from ISIL.

Baghdad stands as another example  a Shia-majority city with dense Sunni enclaves, such as Aadhamiya, Amriya, and many others. Its Sunni neighborhoods used to be insurgent strongholds. Now, Shia-majority security forces secure these neighborhoods, which are also full of displaced Sunnis from Anbar province. They are safe and unharmed. Cafes, restaurants, tea houses, and shops are busy day and night. The biggest danger in Baghdad is ISIL. If Shia vigilantes in the security forces wanted to target all these unarmed and vulnerable Sunnis, they could  but they do not. The Anbar provincial council is based in Baghdads Mansur district and protected by Shia-majority security forces.

The P.M.F. are a majority-Shia force fighting to liberate majority-Sunni areas from ISIL on behalf of Sunnis. Surely, abuses have taken place. Houses and mosques have been destroyed and there have been extrajudicial killings. But these violations pale by comparison to events of the Iraqi civil war during the American occupation. Iraq may have actually transcended the Sunni-Shia paradigm in a way that will seem counterintuitive to Washington-based analysts. Today, the threat is inter-Sunni violence, inter-Shia violence, inter-Kurdish violence, and Arab-Kurdish violence.

The Sadrists, one of the Shia political factions in Iraq, know that their competition in Iraqi politics does not come from Sunnis but from their Shia rivals in Dawa, Badr, and the Supreme Council. The Sadrists admit that Iraq cannot be ruled without its Sunnis. This is why Sadr has opened up to the Saudis. If Irans regional rivals were smart, they would not try to counterbalance Iran in Iraq using a handful of Sunni rejectionists too few in number to pose a threat. Instead, they would support the large Shia bloc that opposes excessive Iranian influence in Iraq. When Sadrist supporters stormed the Green Zone and Iraqi Parliament in April of this year, they stole from Sunni hardliners what they had dreamed of for over a decade: marching into the Green Zone to ransack the Shia government. Iraq can no longer be simplistically divided into a Shia government and Sunni opposition. Instead, there are Shias and Sunnis in the government, as well as in the opposition. Sadrist supporters chanted nationalist slogans, including calls for Iran to get out and rejecting Qassem Suleimani. The Sadrists proved that Iraqi Shia can be patriotic Iraqis rather than tools of Iran. And in Iraq today, the politician most popular among Sunnis is Ayad Alawi, who is Shia!

The battle to retake Falluja ended in a victory. The key element was the participation of thousands of P.M.F. fighters, as I observed and as my research with commanders on the ground confirms. Initially, the P.M.F. was assigned to retake the countryside around Falluja while the army and police assaulted the city. After these forces failed, the P.M.F. contingent entered the city and liberated it. These men, almost all Shia from the Badr forces, were at first dressed in police uniforms. But by the time they defeated the enemy, they were open about their role as P.M.F. members.

Yet it is undeniable that abuses typical of counterinsurgency campaigns took place in Falluja : Western human rights researchers who conducted field work in Anbar confirmed to me that there are between 600 to 900 men missing after the various Anbar operations and that about 600 men who fled the Falluja area were beaten or tortured. The P.M.F. needs a penal code, and it must publicly punish wrongdoers and conduct transparent investigations to demonstrate accountability. If the P.M.F. wants to become a permanent Iraqi institution, as seems likely, this could be supported by the United States and other members of the anti-ISIL coalition in a way that increases accountability for the force and helps ensure that human rights abuses are dealt with. The United States and its European allies can place conditions on support the Iraqi government receives to force better behavior among militias.

Much of the destruction in Iraq results not from battle but instead from revenge by both the P.M.F. and by tribes, including Sunni tribes. Deliberately destroying homes to punish a community is a war crime, and the international community is offering stabilization and reconstruction money to Iraq. Donors could impose conditionality on funding, refusing to pay to fix the damage resulting from war crimes committed by the P.M.F. or Iraqi security forces. The United States and the international community should engage with the P.M.F. to encourage better discipline, just as it does with partner military forces around the world. Some Iraqis might be skeptical about American admonitions, however. Iraqi security forces emerged during the American occupation of Iraq, when innocent prisoners were abused, brutal solutions were sought, and men were rounded up en masse. It was in this period that the Sunni victimization narrative arose.

So while abuses surely have occurred, claims that Sunnis are being persecuted wholesale in Iraq overlook a far more nuanced reality. Some Sunnis are indeed persecuted, including men from certain places under a policy of guilt by association (something the Syrian government engages in as well). So a man from Falluja, Jurf Assakhr, or other towns perceived to have a history of harboring al Qaeda and the Islamic State may be persecuted  but not all Sunnis. The Sunnis of Baghdad are not being targeted, for example. It is not 2006, when Sunni bodies were found in dumpsters every day. Even after mass-casualty attacks targeting Shia civilians such as the July 3 attack that killed about 200 or another attack this past May, there were not retaliatory attacks against Sunnis.

Moreover, the persecution of Sunnis in Iraq that exists, while inexcusable, is not indiscriminate. Based on my interviews and research, men who fled from ISIL-held areas early on and sought shelter in government areas, including in majority-Shia areas, are not suspected of ties to the jihadist group and are left to live their lives. However, those who remained behind or fled more recently are sometimes persecuted under the often unfair assumption that they sympathized with terrorists. From the point of view of security services, these are men who have chosen to stay in Falluja for the last two years, unlike the many Fallujans who fled ISIL early on and sought safety in Baghdad. Security services have a right to worry that some ISIL fighters had infiltrated the ranks of the fleeing civilians. In a significant improvement over what Iraqis call the period of sectarianism that ended in 2008, the violations today involve far less killing but instead the destruction of homes and villages in revenge for a perception that residents supported ISIL. The P.M.F. are imperfect, as is every security force in the Middle East. Given the role of Falluja as a safe haven for those beheading Shia and supporting insurgents, it is surprising how restrained the P.M.F. have been. Outside observers can debate about whether the Iraqi government should have prioritized the liberation of Falluja, but Baghdad does not have that luxury. Falluja is 50 kilometers away from the capital and not far from the key shrine city of Karbala. It also straddles the highway to Amman that is a key trade route.

While the P.M.F. benefit from Iranian advisors and assistance, these units are commanded by Iraqis and remain under the authority of Iraqs prime minister. At first the P.M.F. allowed the Iraqi Counterterrorism Service (CTS), police, and army to attempt and fail to take the city. Meanwhile, the P.M.F. respect the orders of the Iraqi prime minister, contradicting those who claim the units simply represent an extralegal force controlled by Iran. Western media (and some Arab satellite channels) have stoked Sunni fears and turned Falluja into a rallying cry, but it is not the P.M.F. themselves that are the cause of the rallying cry.

Finally, the P.M.F. is a clearing and supporting force rather than a holding force. It liberates territory from ISIL or supports the Iraqi Security Forces (itself majority-Shia) when they do so. Then the P.M.F. move on, leaving local (Sunni) forces to hold and the government to (hopefully) build.

The Iraqi army and security forces are also majority Shia, just like the P.M.F. . There is no alternative to the P.M.F. in Iraq, as their recent key role in liberating Falluja proved. Since the P.M.F. took Tikrit, most of its residents have returned and life has returned to normal. Because the P.M.F. were not allowed to participate in the liberation of Ramadi, the city had to be destroyed for lack of a willing ground force to take it. None of this is to say that the P.M.F. are the ideal force. It is an emergency solution in response to an existential threat, and it has saved Iraq from total collapse. Instead of eschewing the P.M.F. , the United States should engage with it. Instead of preventing the P.M.F. from participating in operations to liberate towns, the United States should be incorporating it into its planning alongside the conventional Iraqi security forces. This will help integrate the P.M.F. further into the Iraqi state.

Whither the Western Sectarian Narrative?

As I have explained, the Western narrative of these conflicts and the role of sectarian identity in particular simply does not match up with facts on the ground. This has led to poor policy choices at every turn.

None of this is to excuse the abuses of the Syrian state and the Iraqi state. In Syria in particular, the government has unleashed desperate levels of brutality, using collective punishment, indiscriminate attacks on insurgent held areas, and harsh siege tactics to prevent insurgents from penetrating state-held areas and to force them to accept ceasefires. This has certainly led to radicalization as violence always does. This legacy of war crimes committed by all will hopefully be dealt with, but the first priority must be ending the wars. But there are broader issues that Washington must confront.

In my next article on this topic, I will discuss how we got here, the crisis of Sunni identity that sits at the heart of these conflicts, and how Western and, in particular, American policy should change to accommodate the realities of the Middle East and to focus on building and reinforcing non-sectarian national institutions and national forces.

Cyrus Malik is a pen name for a security consultant to the humanitarian community in the Levant and Iraq.

Correction: This article originally inaccurately portrayed a proposal by Gen. David Petraeus as a plan to arm al-Qaeda against ISIL. In reality, Gen. Petraeus proposed trying to split less ideologically dedicated members of Jabhat al-Nusra (until recently, al-Qaedas Syrian affiliate) away from jihadist groups, much like the U.S. military was able to do in the fight against jihadists in Iraq.
Can Americans Overthrow The Evil That Rules Them? By Paul Craig Roberts August 30, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - Paul Wolfowitz and the lies that he told in the high government positions that he held are responsible for a massive number of deaths and massive destruction in seven countries. Wolfowitz has announced his vote for Hillary Clinton. Does this make you feel reassured? The real surprise would have been Wolfowitzs announcement in favor of Donald Trump. So why was what was expected news? Trump has said that he doesnt see any future in the conflict Washington has initiated with Russia, and Trump questions the point of NATOs continuing existence. These peaceful attitudes make Trump into a national security risk according to Wolfowitz. What Wolfowitz means is that a peace candidate is a threat to Wolfowitzs doctrine of US world hegemony. In the crazed mind of Wolfowitz and the neoconservatives, America is not safe unless it rules the world. Hillary is a warmonger, perhaps the ultimate and last one if she becomes president, as the combination of her hubris and incompetence is likely to result in World War 3. On July 3, 2015, Hillary declared : I want the Iranians to know that if Im president, we will attack Iran. . . . we would be able to totally obliterate them. The crazed Hillary went on from this to declare the President of Russia to be the new Hitler. Little doubt she thinks she can obliterate Russia also. Hillary is the one who brought zionist neocon Victoria Nuland into the State Department to oversee the US coup in Ukraine in order to create more propaganda against Russia and force Washingtons European vassals to impose sanctions and place military bases on Russias borders, thus provoking a nuclear power and raising dangerous tensions. This fits in perfectly with Wolfowitzs intention. As Wolfowitz is Hillarys likely Secretary of Defense, the two together mean World War 3. When the Soviet Union collapsed, Wolfowitz, then a high Pentagon official, penned the Wolfowitz doctrine. The doctrine states that the principal goal of US foreign policy is to prevent the rise of other countries that could serve as constraints on US unilateralism. This means Russia and China, The combination of Hillary with Wolfowitz should scare everyone in the entire world. The prospect of nuclear weapons being in such crazed hands as those of Hillary and Wolfowitz is the most alarming though imaginable. The question is whether Hillary can be elected in the face of her violations of national security rules, for which she received a pass from corrupt Obama, and her heavily documented self-dealings that have produced a Clinton private fortune of $120 million and $1,600 million in their foundation. It is completely clear that the Clintons use public office for their private aggrandizement. Is this what Americans want? Two people who become even more rich as the world is led into nuclear war? But with electronic voting machines, the question will not be decided by what Amerians want, but by how the electronic machines are programmed to report the vote. The US has already had elections in which the exit polls, always a reliable indicator of the winner prior to the appearance of electronic voting machines, indicated a different winner than the electronic voting machines produced. The secrecy of how the voting machines are programmed is protected by proprietary software. The machines have no paper trails, precluding vote recounts. As both political establishments are fiercely opposed to Trump, how do you think the machines will be programmed? Indeed, the media is so opposed to Trump, the question is whether there will be exit polls and if there are, will they be misreported? Republican operatives, not Republican voters, are all in a huff over their allegations that Trump is costing the Republicans votes. How can this be when Republican voters chose Trump over other candidates? Arent the Republican operatives saying that they, instead of the voters, should choose the Republican candidate? If so, they are just like the Democrats. Some years ago the Democrat establishment created super delegates who are not chosen by voters. Enough super delegates were created in order to give the Party establishment the ability to over-ride the voters choice of presidential candidate. That it was the Democratsallegedly the party of the peoplewho first took the choice away from the people is astonishing. Much information indicates that Bernie Sanders actually won the Democratic presidential nomination but was denied it by vote fraud and super delegates. This is politics in Americatotally corrupt. Chris Hedges might be right: nothing can change without revolution. The demonization of Trump by the presstitutes is proof that Trump, despite his wealth, is regarded by the Oligarchs who comprise the One Percent as a threat to their agendas. The Oligarchs, not Trump, own or control the media. So the presstitute demonization of Trump is complete proof that he is the candidate to elect. The oligarchs who oppress us hate Trump, so the oppressed American people should support Trump. The presstitute demonization of Trump did not work in the Republican primaries. Is it working in the presidential election? We dont know, because the polls are reported by the presstitutes, not by Trump. If the demonization does not work, and the election has to be stolen from Trump by the electronic machines, the consequence will be to radicalize Americans, something long overdue. Perhaps the expectation of this development is the reason all federal agencies, even the post office and Social Security, have acquired arms and ammunition, and Cheneys firm Halliburton was paid $385,000,000 to build detention centers in the US. Those who control us are not going to give up their control without a world war. In the United States evil has seized power from the people, and evil will not give it back. 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 .
Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State on Monday disclosed that no fewer than 2, 000 women lose their lives annually in the state due to pregnancy-related issues.

Mr. Tambuwal made the disclosure in Sokoto at the opening of a five-day Stakeholders Monitoring and Evaluation Workshop on Strengthening Health Outcome for Women and Children Project.

No fewer than 150 to 200 children in every 1000 under-five children in the state may not live to see their fifth birthdays, the governor added.

Mr. Tambuwal, who was represented by the state Commissioner of Health, Dr Balarabe Kakale, disclosed that the government planned to recruit 2,240 community health workers, as part of efforts to address the problem.

According to him, the effort would enhance access to health care services at the grassroots thereby reducing the high rate of maternal and child mortality in the state.

The state would partner with the Plan International, Nigeria, the organizers of the workshop in terms of accountability and transparency of healthcare delivery.

The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Almustapha Othman, said the workshop would help in improving the capacity of stakeholders to enhance access to health services especially by women and children in the state.

It will further reduce the maternal and child mortality in the state, and provide quality health data needed by the government to improve health issues. (NAN)
Two suspects, who allegedly gang raped a 14-year-old girl in Okeota Ona Grammar school road in Ikorodu area of Lagos, have been arrested by the police.

Vanguard gathered that three of the suspects, Afeez, Kabiru and Ramon are currently at large while Olabisi Olasunkanmi and Jamiu are being investigated by Juvenile and women centre at the Igbogbo Divisional Police Ikorodu.

It was gathered that the victim was ambushed on her way back from school, when one of the alleged suspects took her earpiece before dragging her into his room where she was reportedly gang raped.

Vanguard learned that the suspects took turns to rape the victim (names with held) while Jamiu (aka small) used a phone to record the act.

Victims account

According to the victim: Afeez has been asking me out for a while, but I refused; I told him I wasnt interested. On the day of the incident I was coming back from school while walking in front of their house, he collected my earpiece and ran inside.

She said while she ran after him to collect her earpiece, he dragged me into his room and locked the door.

As I was pleading with him to open the door, there was a knock on the door, I rushed towards the door, he pushed me and opened the door for four of his friends before locking the door again.

The victim alleged that he mouth was covered to prevent her from shouting as they took turns to rape her , while Jamiu used a Teno phone to video the act.

Source: Vanguard
The Presidency has reacted to speculations that the Federal Government had launched investigations into the activities of two former Governors of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Professor Charles Soludo and Muhammadu Sanusi II, Emir of Kano.

The duo had at separate forum last week, criticized some of the economic policies of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

While Soludo spoke at the Progressive Governors Forums 4th progressive governance lecture series in Kaduna State last Thursday, in which he faulted the anti-corruption war of the Buhari administration as well as proffered solutions to Nigerias economic challenges, Malam Sanusi II said the president risked ending up in infamy like former President Goodluck Jonathan.

SEE ALSO: Buhari Summons CBN Governor Over Sanusi And Soludo Criticism

The emir spoke last Wednesday while delivering a paper entitled, Nigeria In Search Of New Growth model at the 15th meeting of the Joint Planning Board and National Council on Development Planning in Kano.

The comments credited to the former heads of the countrys apex banks led to reports in a section of the media at the weekend that the FG was considering probing their tenures.

Citing a top Presidency source, the reports said the probe would specifically cover the activities of the apex bank between 2007 and 2014 when Soludo and Sanusi were Governor.

Although the reports stated that President Buhari was yet to finally give his blessings, the probe would focus on the printing of naira notes under the authorization of Soludo and the management of CBNs surplus finances under Sanusi.

Reacting to the reports, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Mallam Garba Shehu, denied any planned probes of the former CBN Governors.

Mr. Shehu made the clarification via his verified Twitter handle on Monday night.

The checks I made today indicated that the Presidency is unaware of the reported probe of Sarkin Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II & Prof. Soludo.  Garba Shehu (@GarShehu) August 29, 2016
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has faulted the decision by the Nigerian Army to declare three persons wanted in connection with the war against Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast.

The Army had over two weeks ago declared a citizen journalist, Ahmad Salkida; lawyer with the National Human Rights Commission, Aisha Wakil and social worker, Ahmed Bolori, wanted following the release of a video showing some of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls by Boko Haram.

Mr. Salkida, who is known to have rare access to the leadership of Boko Haram, released the video on August 14, 2016 after it was exclusively sent to him by the terrorists.

Subsequently, the Army declared him and the two others wanted, over suspicions that they have links with Boko Haram as well as the abducted girls.

While Bolori and Wakil turned themselves in to the nearest military formation in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital and Abuja respectively, Salkida, who resides in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, promised to turn himself in to the authorities as soon as he is able to pay for his flight to Nigeria; a trip he is yet to make as at the time of publishing this report.

Reacting to the declaration of the trio wanted, Mr. Falana, in a statement issued Monday, accused the Army of usurping the statutory powers of the Nigeria Police Force and the State Security Service.

Thus, by declaring the three persons wanted without any legal authority, the Army has usurped the statutory powers of both the Police and the SSS, the senior lawyer said.

In the process it has breached the fundamental rights of the suspects to personal liberty, dignity of the person and fair hearing guaranteed by the Constitution.

The Army, in declaring the civilians wanted, said it acted on the Terrorism Prevention Act (as amended), which prescribes punishment for Nigerians that hoard information about terrorists or their activities.

But Mr. Falana said the army declaring the suspects wanted is ultra vires, illegal and unconstitutional in every material particular.

Realizing that we are under a constitutional democracy which requires that the infringement of the rights of any citizen be justified in law, the army has relied on the provisions of the countrys anti-terrorism legislation.

Since the wanted persons are not serving military personnel who are subject to service law they cannot be investigated or tried under the Armed Forces Act Cap A20 LFN, 2004, he said.

Furthermore, under the Terrorism Prevention Act 2011 as amended the army has not been authorized to perform any duty whatsoever.
A business in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA, sustained an estimated $5,000 damage after a burglar ransacked its office over the weekend, breaking computers, overturning chairs, scattering files and gorging on break room goodies.

An employee of Erickson Sullivan Architects discovered the burglary Sunday at 10:30 a.m., Officer Katie Flood said.

The burglar didnt take anything from that office or the adjoining business, which was also accessed during the burglary, Flood said.

But the employee did report to police that the burglar ate Pop-Tarts, muffins and drank Dr. Pepper in Erickson Sullivans break room, Flood said.

Investigators believe the burglar got in through an unlocked door sometime between 5 p.m. Friday and Sunday morning.
The Deji of Akure, Oba Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo, has condemned in strong terms, the placing of fetish objects at the Secretariat of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Akure, the Ondo State capital early hours of yesterday.

Some unknown persons had placed the fetish objects, including rituals, cutlasses and palm fronds, at the entrance of the APC secretariat, which has remained under lock and key following an intra-party crisis.

Some of the fetish items were placed at the secretariat gate and some were hanged around the premises.

Although the objects were later removed after spiritual cleansing by some party members under the watchful eyes of security operatives, the secretariat was yet to be opened.

Reacting to the sacrilegious act, the Deji, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Michael Adeyeye on Monday, condemned the attitude of those who sealed the entrance of the party secretariat with palm fronds, which is the traditional means of sealing-off premises in Akureland.

The sacrilegious act carried out at the Ondo State Secretariat of the All Progressive Congress early this morning is condemned in its totality.

We want to state that carrying out traditional sealing-off of premises remains the prerogative of the palace.

The Deji of Akure remains non-partisan and a father to all political aspirants and never authorised such.

The palace is apolitical and therefore should not be dragged into the internal wrangling of any party, Mr. Adeyeye said.

According to the statement, Oba Ogunlade frowned at the attitude and wished to inform the general public that such an act did not emanate from the palace as any attempt to desecrate the tradition will be vehemently rebuffed.

The palace spokesman explained that those who carried out the act were not aware of the cultural and traditional implications of the action.

He said that the palace had sent its emissaries to carry out a thorough investigation of the matter and was confident that the culprits would be apprehended in no distant time.

Mr. Adeyeye also called on the APC and security agencies to unravel the circumstances behind the abominable act and bring to book those behind the sacrilegious act so as to serve as deterrent.
A second billboard has appeared in Los Angeles with the words Calabasas is the new Abu Dhabi printed across it.

The mysterious message was accompanied by the logos for Drakes record label OVO Sound and Kanye Wests label G.O.O.D. Music.

This potentially confirms a collaboration between Drake and Kanye West, especially as Calabasas is home to both rappers, as Pitchfork reports.

Earlier this month West hinted that he could be about to release a collaborative album with Drake, teasing the project during his surprise OVO Fest guest appearance in Toronto on August 1.

During the performance, the Chicago rapper asked the crowd: Is yall ready for this album? He then added: I wasnt talking about [The Life Of Pablo]. I wasnt talking about Views. I wanna ask yall right now: Are yall ready for this album?, before gesturing to himself and Drake.

Last week, Drake revealed his first LA billboard, when he congratulated Rihanna on her MTV VMAs success.

Congratulations to Rihanna from Drake and everyone at OVO read the giant digital billboard.
Following a state investigation in Ireland, the European Commission has determined that iPhone manufacturer, Apple owes $14.5bn in back taxes.

The European commission just concluded a three-year long investigation into Apples affairs in Ireland and ruled that the company received tax benefits which were not applicable to other companies.

The European Commission has concluded that Ireland granted undue tax benefits of up to 13 billion to Apple, reads the ruling. This is illegal under EU state aid rules, because it allowed Apple to pay substantially less tax than other businesses. Ireland must now recover the illegal aid.

Apple paid an effective corporate tax rate of 1 percent on its European profits in 2003 down to 0.005 per cent in 2014. while Irish corporate tax is 12.5 percent.


Former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode today lauded the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose,who recently signed a bill titled Prohibition of Cattle and other Ruminants Grazing in Ekiti, 2016 into law.

The bill is aimed at charging any herdsman caught grazing in the state with arms or in possession of any weapon with terrorism and prosecuted accordingly. Nigerians were also full of praises for the governor.

Proud of Ayo Fayose and people of Ekiti state for passing legislation banning grazing rights for and carrying of arms by Fulani herdsmen.  Femi Olu-Kayode(FFK) (@realFFK) August 29, 2016

@ipglow @realFFK This is the difference between Fayose & other governors.

SPINELESS is the perfect word for them. pic.twitter.com/X0b3lCUmIa  Seth Agbarah (@Agbarah1) August 29, 2016

@realFFK every reasonable governor that value his peoples lives shld take a clue from @GovAyoFayose .  Adeiza (@IamAdeiza) August 29, 2016

@realFFK are Fulani herdsman FG workers, why is FG interested in giving them lands for grazing. Is raising caws FGs responsibility.  A.I E (@amen_i_e) August 29, 2016

@realFFK @NGRWailers I saw the news and I saw hope for Nigeria, southwest needs to be liberated from the alimis  AGUDA JUDE MAKHENA (@JudeMakhena) August 29, 2016

@realFFK One good legislation in a long time!  toniaviator (@toniukachukwu) August 29, 2016

@realffk thanks for your commendation, we are proud of our amiable Governor.  Ibiyemi Adeniyi (@adeniyiibiyemi) August 29, 2016

@realFFK Im happy about this news sir and I encourage all southern states to do same so as to save our land frm the demonic northern agenda  Gbenga Isaac (@gbengasagba) August 29, 2016

@realFFK I hope that the governors of the other states affected will have the courage to follow Fayoses leadership.  Ogheneotsuko Ayadju (@OAyadju) August 29, 2016

@realFFK @afrispheric This is expected of every serious minded Political leader worth his salt. Well done Ekiti! well done Governor Fayose !  Emmanuel (@manny_ugo) August 29, 2016

@realFFK if his Enugu and Benue counterpart like they should do the same or keep watching as their people are murdered. Tump up for fayose  OTRONYI STEPHEN OKOJ (@otronyi) August 29, 2016

@realFFK : I am beginning to like Gov. Fayose. Long may he live.  Edebe Aku (@a_edebe) August 29, 2016

@realFFK @Areaaa_ I love this development! I need to relocate to Ekiti fast, in this change that nothing is change for good!  GBAOO! (@gbaoo) August 29, 2016

@realFFK Hopefully such legislation would save life and properties of the people of Ekiti State. Wake up calls to other states in Nigeria.  Dele Bolarinwa (@delawbolal) August 30, 2016
Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has vowed that herdsmen caught grazing with arms or any dangerous weapon in the state, would now be charged with terrorism.

He made the assertion while signing the anti-grazing bill into law on Monday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

The governor said he sent an Executive Bill to the House of Assembly after what happened in Oke-Ako some few months ago.

Suspected Fulani herdsmen had on Friday, May 20, 2016, invaded Oke-Ako community in Ikole Ekiti local government area of the state, killing two while three others were injured in the attacks.

In the aftermath of the invasion, Governor Fayose had vowed action against killer herdsmen in the state  one of such actions was sending a bill to the House of Assembly to outlaw open grazing in the state.

My government took the bill to the House after what happened in Oke-Ako some months ago, he said.

The House has passed the bill and I have to assent to it. It becomes a law from today that if you do anything to the contrary you will be punished by the law.

Any herdsman caught with firearms or any weapon while grazing in Ekiti now will be charged with terrorism.

Mr. Fayose, who signed the bill in the presence of traditional rulers in the state and members of the Assembly, led by the Speaker, Kolawole Oluwawole, pleaded for the support and cooperation of all stakeholders for his administration to succeed.

I solicit your support for this government to succeed, the governor said. This is not about party politics and Ekiti should be our primary concern. Ill continue to call you for this kind of meeting every three months to give accounts of governance.

Shedding light on the contents of the new law, the Speaker said the state government was already working with local government officials to mark out portions of land for grazing to all local government authorities in the state.

Grazing activities must be from 7am to 6pm on daily basis, he said. The government shall allot a certain portion of land to each local governments for grazing.

Mr. Oluwawole warned that anyone caught leading cattle to graze on portions of land or any farmland not allotted by the government would be apprehended and made to face the law.

Any herdsman caught with firearms and any weapons whatsoever during grazing shall be charged with terrorism.

Any cattle confiscated shall be taken to government cattle ranch at Erifun in Iworoko community.

Any farm products destroyed by the activities of any caught herdsman shall be estimated by an agricultural officer and the expenses of the estimate shall be borne by the culprit.

Any herdsman who violates any of these rules shall be imprisoned for six months without the option of fine, he read out parts of the recently signed law.
As part of ongoing efforts to revitalize the education sector, the Federal Government through the Ministry of Education has released a new road map to address the challenges facing the sector.

The Minister of Education, Mr Adamu Adamu, while unveiling a draft of the 2016-2019 Ministerial Strategic Plan on Monday in Abuja, reiterate the governments commitment to strengthening institutional structures and creating innovative strategies aimed at revamping the education sector.

Mr Adamu enjoined Nigerians to support the Federal Government in its efforts to salvage the sector and return it to the path of excellence.

It would be recalled that a similar plan was launched during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. The aim of the 2006 to 2015 Education Master Plan was to fashion out new policies that would enable the sector emerge from its declining status, especially on issues concerning Nigerias Education For All policy and infrastructural decay occasioned by institutional and legislative constraints.

The need for the new plan came after the expiration of the former to continue to address the challenges of the sector.

The Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru, attributed t

The fallen standard of education is due to the failure of past governments to regulate the teaching profession, Pastor Usani Uguru, the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, said while commenting on the new plan.

Also in her remark, the Director, Department of Educational Planning, Research and Development, Magdalene Anene-Maidoh, also highlighted the focus of the strategic plan.

She expressed hope that the new plan, when adopted and implemented by the experts, would arm Nigerian youths with the skills they require to face the challenges of the 21st century.
The Enugu State Police Command has arrested a 20-year-old herdsman, Ibrahim Adamumale, for being in possession of an AK47 rifle.

The suspect, who said he was an indigene of Nasarawa State, was also found with 24 rounds of live ammunition.

The spokesman of the Police Command, Ebere Amaraizu, confirmed the arrest to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Enugu.

Mr. Amaraizu said the suspect, who revealed that he lived at Hausa quarters in the 9th-mile area and had some cows at Affa-Udi bush, was arrested on Sunday.

The suspect was nabbed by the combined efforts of the police and the members of the public from Affa-Udi community acting on a tip-off.

The suspect, before he was nabbed, had expended about six shots in the air to evade being nabbed.

Before now, the police and members of the public have gathered information about the suspects antecedents in relation to the bearing of a sophisticated weapon within Affa-Udi axis in Udi council area and its environs, the police spokesman said.

Mr. Amaraizu said the suspect was already helping the police in their investigation to determine how he came about the rifle.

He said the states Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Ojukwu, had expressed delight at the effort of his men and the community that led to the arrest of the suspect.

The Commissioner has reassured that under his watch, he will continue to partner relevant stakeholders and sister security agencies for a safe, secure and peaceful Enugu State.

It would be recalled that suspected Fulani herdsmen killed two people at Ndiagwu Attakwu, Akegbe-Ugwu in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State last week.

(NAN)
A South African man, Manna Delport is devastated after his wife, Candice, 27, died in a plane crash on Saturday, August 27th, along with a man with whom she was having an affair.

Netwprk24 reported the four-seater Cessna crash-landed on the farm Doringkop, between Machadodorp and Carolina, in Mpumalanga after taking off from the Komati Gorge Lodge in SA.

The plane belonged to Herklass Smith, Candices lover and he was flying it. Ernst Labushagne, Smiths cousin, was also killed in the accident. Smith was also divorcing his wife, Anel.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said the plane exploded on impact and two of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition.

Manna, a banana farmer from Komatipoort, is the manager of Herklaas fathers Hentis fertiliser company.

I worked long hours and that was when the relationship between Candice and Herklaas started, he explained.

She had been living with her family and they were still married. The couple had a 3-year-old daughter, who was with her father when the plane crashed.

Addressing his late wife on Facebook on August 28th, the 30-year-old said Words cannot describe the feelings. You are and always will be the love of my life. He described her as a gorgeous woman and an excellent mother. His full post below:

Candice. Words cannot describe the feelings. You are and alway will be the love of my life. You stole my heart from the moment I saw you. You made me a true believer of love at first sight and every single time I saw you the love just grew,even if I just blinked my eyes. As you now made your way to heaven,just know that you were the most loved woman on the face of the earth. Your a mother to the most beautiful daughter and youve given me the greatest joy in life,she will forever remember her mother and Ill tell her daily how fantastic you were. There will be an empty space in our hearts forever, proudly reserved for when we meet in eternity!! I will raise our child to the best of my ability,but I will never be able to fill you shoes!! It is so unfair how life goes.and ends. I will forever be proud to call you my wife!!! Heaven is certainly a better place now!!!! I love you my dear and always will

Manna with their daughter

Credit: Manna Delport/Facebook/ News 24/South African Police Service

Source: Network24
The Lagos State Government has, for the month of August 2016, paid 180 retirees from the mainstream Civil Service, Local Governments, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Teachers Establishment and Pension Office (TEPO) and other parastatals their pension entitlements of N918.703 million.

The payment has brought the number of retirees paid between August 2015 to August 2016 to 4,104, while the total accrued pension rights paid by the State government within the same period is N16.951 billion.

Speaking at the 30th Retirement Benefit Bond Presentation Ceremony, which took place recently, the Director-General, Lagos State Pension Commission, Folashade Onanuga reiterated the commitment of the State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode to the well-being of both serving and retired officers, and to all residents of Lagos State.

She advised the retirees to live modestly and focus on healthy living rather than engage in frivolous spending which rather than add value to their living will diminish it and further encouraged them to maintain one form of exercise or the other and also beware of pension fraudsters.

The Bond certificate recipients were full of praises and thanks to the present administration for not abandoning them at this crucial time in the history of Nigeria.

In a related development, the Lagos State Pension Commission has received another Award of Excellence in recognition of its sterling

performance by the Nigerian Insurance and Pension Awards organised by Inspenonline Media.

In her remarks at the event which took place at Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Event Centre in Ikeja, Mrs. Folashade Onanuga, express her appreciation to the organisers for the award, saying the achievements and success story of LASPEC is primarily due to Governor Ambodes dynamism and commitment to the welfare of workers.
In Denmark, a complaint about the quality of teaching has led to a lecturer in law suing a student for defamation. A district court will decide whether the lecturer should receive compensation.

In the original complaint sent to the programme head in tax law, Kristian Hegaard writes that the in-class teaching was a shambles and lists a number of examples of what he thinks is wrong.

The teacher, for example, does not use group work and has not had assigned students to groups despite students requests. He also writes that the teacher seems unprepared. He has no notes with him and never really writes anything on the board.

In conclusion, he writes in the complaint, he has attempted to communicate these issues to the teacher, but he does not seem to be willing to adapt.

It is this complaint that has had lecturer Michael Bjorn Hansen taking the student Kristian Hegaard to court.
A 10-year-old boy was injured after he was shot by his grandfather who mistook him for a monkey in an incident in Kota Tinggi, Malaysia on Tuesday.

Kota Tinggi district police chief, Superintendent Rahmat Othman said the incident took place at about 9.10 am when the 79-year-old man was on the lookout for pests in his orchard.

He said the septuagenarian, who was also the complainant in the case, saw a moving object and quickly shot at it with his shotgun.

Suddenly, he heard someone screaming in pain and realised that the monkey that he had shot was actually his own grandson, Mr Rahmat said in a statement, adding that the pupil of Sekolah Kebangsaan Mawai, Kota Tinggi, was rushed to Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA) in Johor Bahru for treatment.

The boy had three shotgun wounds on his head and body, and HSA had to carry out an operation to remove the pellets, said Mr Rahmat. The boy is now in stable condition.

Police have seized a 32-inch Simpson Double Barrel shotgun belonging to the senior citizen. He was also detained to help in the investigation under Section 39 of the Firearms Act 1960, said Mr Rahmat.
An Urhobo militant group known as the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate, NDGJM, has claimed responsibility for bombing of a pipeline in Delta State.

The group claimed to have attacked the Ogor-Oteri pipeline operated by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), a subsidiary of NNPC and local energy firm Shoreline, at around 03:00 a.m on Tuesday.

The NDGJM in a statement signed by its leader, General Aldo Agbalaja said The Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate will no longer sit quietly watching the endless harassment of our people in various parts of the region by the Nigerian military.

They are now killing our people on the basis of mere suspicion, this cannot continue, the NDGJM added.

The group stated that with the Nigerian militarys launch of the Operation Crocodile Smile, a training exercise aimed at strengthening and familiarizing troops with skills needed to survive the Niger Delta terrain, it was also serving a notice on the commencement of its own exercise, which it tagged Operation Crocodile Tears.

It shall from now on be an eye for an eye; for every military atrocity carried out in the creeks and hinterland of the Niger Delta, the Nigerian armed forces will have the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate to contend with, the NDGJM vowed.

The alleged attack came on the heels of declaration by the Niger Delta Avengers, the group that claimed responsibility for most attacks in the region, that it had halted hostilities.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDPs Board of Trustees (BoT) has asked the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee to form a new national convention planning committee with a mandate to hold the next convention of the party in Abuja.

The May 21 and August 17 botched national conventions of the party were held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and the planning committee was headed by the State Governor, Nyesom Wike.

The new position of the opposition partys BoT may have been informed by the need to accede to some of the demands of the factional National Chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, which includes the relocation of the national convention of the party from Port Harcourt to a neutral venue  Abuja as well as removal of Gov. Wike as chair of the planning committee.

The BoT, also known as the conscience of the party, at the end of its meeting at the Shehu Musa YarAdua Centre, Abuja, on Monday, advised the Makarfi committee that to ensure a credible, transparent, free and fair National Convention, a new National Convention Planning Committee be constituted by the National Caretaker Committee and approve by the National Executive Committee, NEC.

A Communique signed by the Chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jibrin, also said that the forthcoming National Convention of the PDP be held in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The BoT said it would facilitate the raising of adequate funds for the party, while also calling on all PDP governors to continue pursuing positive programmes of good governance so as to clearly project the people-oriented manifesto of the PDP.

The BoT, also on Monday, mandated its reconciliation committee headed by a former Information Minister, Prof. Jerry Gana, to continue with all good efforts of reconciling all aggrieved Party members.

They also advised the National Caretaker Committee to, as soon as possible, convene the meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) to approve proposals on the way forward for the party.

The BoT equally passed a vote of confidence on the Makarfi-led leadership and urged the committee to continue its good work of repositioning the Party.

Apart from Mr. Jibrin, who chaired the meeting, other members of the BoT in attendance included Makarfi; former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu; former National Chairmen, Okwesilieze Nwodo, and Vincent Ogbulafor, amongst others.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Tuesday said a night operation conducted on Monday, successfully destroyed a new Boko Haram Terrorists Camp, located between Malam Fatori and Kangarwa in Northern Borno state.

The NAF said the new camp was about 4-6 kilometers away from the Boko Haram location earlier attacked on August 20, 2016 by an Mi-17 helicopter in which Abubakar Shekau was believed to have been fatally wounded.

The Air Force, in a statement by its spokesman, Ayodele Famuyiwa, affirmed that the new camp was within the same vicinity in a similar night operation that led to the death of about 300 insurgents.

Famuyiwa, a Group Captain, added that the post-strike Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) mission had revealed that surviving Boko Haram Terrorists converged at the new location.

According to him, the information was later confirmed to be true by series of follow-up Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions that led to the latest strike.

Recall that the general area around Malam Fatori and Kangarwa is infested with Boko Haram militants, hence the need to clear the remnants of in the area.

The air assault is therefore expected to further degrade the capability of the insurgents while fostering the creation of the necessary enablement for own ground troops to operate, he added.

Famuyiwa also said NAF Alpha Jets have helped to repel an attack by Boko Haram militants on troops of 153 Battalion who were on fighting patrol at Ala Lumshe.

He said the troops, on Saturday 27th August 2016, had come under attack from Boko Haram militants about four kilometers south of Marte, when the Alpha Jets were called-in to dislodge the insurgents.
Punch

External reserves rise by $595m in five days

The nations foreign exchange reserves have increased by $595m to hit a one-month high of $26.196bn, the latest data from the Central Bank of Nigeria have shown.

Vanguard

APC chieftain Elder Sunny Uyigue, Monday, declared that the gods of Benin land would never allow the PDP come back to power in the state.

Thisday

The Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Anthony Cardinal Olubumi Okojie monday in a worded letter to President Muhammadu Buhari said the Nigerian economy has never been this terrible as compare to the present situation under the incumbent government.

The Sun

The Presidency has assured all 24 aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Saturdays primaries in Ondo State, that President Muhammadu Buhari has no preferred candidate.

Daily Times

Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a legionnaire impersonating officials of the Lagos State Taskforce on Special Offences to rob motorcycle riders popularly called okada in Agege and its environs.

Guardian

A Pastor, Timothy Ngwu, was yesterday docked at an Enugu North Magistrates Court for allegedly marrying another mans wife, daughter as well as another woman.The pastors wife, Veronica Ngwu petitioned the court over the development.

The Nation

The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) broke the news in a letter posted on its website by its spokesman, Mudoch Agbinibo, and addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari. It also spoke of the need for regular dialogue to take place for the Nigerian union to survive.

Tribune

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Monday, declared that virtually all the economic polices of the present administration are aimed at eroding the little gains achieved by Nigerian workers in recent years.


The Presidential spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu through his twitter handle reacted to speculations that the Federal Government had launched investigations into the activities of two former Governors of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Professor Charles Soludo and Muhammadu Sanusi II, Emir of Kano, both former CBN governors, have been critical of Buharis administration in the past weeks.

SEE ALSO: Emir Sanusi Warns Buhari Not To Repeat Jonathans Mistakes

Nigerians swiftly responded to Garba Shehus comments. Here are some of the best replies:

The checks I made today indicated that the Presidency is unaware of the reported probe of Sarkin Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II & Prof. Soludo.  Garba Shehu (@GarShehu) August 29, 2016

@GarShehu THE PRESIDENT IS UNAWARE OF HIS WAEC RESULT / ECONOMIC MASTER PLAN FOR NIGERIA/ ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH GROWTH  APC NASO??? (@asari_freedom) August 29, 2016

@GarShehu tell dat to d cartoon ur boss @MBuhari loves to read. Nigerians aint all fools! & stop insulting our intelligence!  oladapo (@dec2812) August 29, 2016

@GarShehu 1. sir Nigerians are not interested in your check.We need the change @MBuhari promised us.We ve never seen hardship like this b4.  Odimba stanley (@StanleyOdimba) August 29, 2016

@GarShehu Aww, I get. Pls kindly put it in Cartoon on the pages of the news dailies. With that, d president can be aware of the happenings.  Ayodeji Ola. MBA (@EagledEye234) August 30, 2016

@GarShehu your check should also make you know the president is unaware of the devastating state he has put nigeria. Advice him to resign  Engr. Arafat Babs (@ArafatBabs) August 30, 2016

@GarShehu You just confirmed that EFCC is an attack dog not an anti corruption body. Is a president supposed to know abtall cases in EFCC?  Ben Ojobor (@benojobor) August 30, 2016

@GarShehu A good reaction there, sir! And a point of notice/info people have started to die of hunger. Two cases at sheka kano city. vtragic  Umarson Media Pub (@umarsonmediapub) August 30, 2016

@GarShehu This government is so unaware of everything happening in the country, Dumb and Clueless  Anarchy77 (@OluchukwuKel) August 30, 2016

@GarShehu so the president sanctioned others. I see  Che Guevara (@Ncheta82) August 30, 2016
Two weeks after Lagos state government signed into law the Property Protection bill which is aimed at putting an end to land grabbing in the state, an Ojodu magistrate court yesterday sentenced a land grabber otherwise known as Omo Onile, 37 year old Lekan Adetona, to three months in prison for beating up a site worker who refused to give him money at a site at Anobi Street, Alapere, Ketu.

According to the victim who is a welder, Lekan connived with others still at large to severely beat him up when he refused to give them money. He said on the day of the attack, he had gone to meet some of his friends at a site on Anobi Street, where they were to carry out some construction work. On getting there, he didnt meet them and as he turned to return to his shop, a group of three young men led by Lekan accosted him and demanded for money, thinking he was the site engineer.

His explanation that he wasnt a worker on the site fell on deaf ears as the accused and his accomplice began to beat him up.

He raised an alarm while he was being beaten and some people came to his rescue and were able to apprehend Lekan who they handed over to the police.

He was charged before an the Magistrate Court where the Magistrate, Sule Amzat, found him guilty of terrorizing land owners in the area and sentenced him to three months in prison.

Source: Vanguard
A mobile policeman escorting a jeep reportedly fired shots into the air to disperse vehicles in a traffic at Doyin bus-stop in Orile area of Lagos, hitting a driver of a mass transit bus killing him instantly.

This prompt action by the his colleagues who boycotted Okoko/CMS route to protest the alleged killing of the man identified simply as Fatai.

One of the protesting drivers , Ishola Manni, said, Our friend and colleague, Fatai , popularly called Oshe was killed by a Mobile policeman on Sunday.

He died leaving behind a wife and five children. Who will take care of them?, he asked.

An eye witness, Ebere Madu explained that:  I was attending to some customers when we heard some gun shots.

Everyone ran away, thinking it was a robbery operation, but by the time the whole place was calm, we were told that a man who was hit by a stray bullet fired by a Mobile policeman was lying in the pool of his blood.

When the Policeman realized what happened, he disappeared from the scene, leaving the vehicle he was escorting . Boys in the area swung into action and arrested an occupier of the jeep whom they handed over to policemen at Orile division.

The corpse was taken to the police station, from where it was taken to another location.
Ijaw youths under the umbrella of Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, on Monday strongly advised the Federal Government against deploying troops, fighter jets and other military hardware to the Niger Delta region to flush out militants.

The IYC said unlike Sambisa Forest in the Northeast, which provides safe haven for Boko Haram Terrorists from military onslaught, the militants have no permanent location in the creeks of the Niger Delta.

These positions formed part of the resolutions of the youths after their meeting in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had while speaking late Saturday night at a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan during the 6th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), which recently ended in Nairobi, Kenya, advised Niger Delta militants to accept his governments offer of dialogue or get Boko Haram treatment.

The Boko Haram Terrorists have been put on the back foot since President Buhari assumed office over a year ago with the Nigerian military unleashing its fury on the sect and in the process, claiming technical victory over the worlds deadliest terrorist organization.

But the IYC in a communique signed by the its President, Mr. Udengs Eradiri and Spokesman, Mr. Eric Omare, said militants claiming responsibility for bombings of oil installations were adopting guerrilla tactics to carry out their criminal acts.

It also said instead of resorting to military option, the security agencies should adopt intelligence gathering to forestall attacks and arrest militants.

IYC said: We strongly advise against this option. It is not and can never be a solution to Niger Delta quest for better deal. Those advising military option are enemies of your government, Niger Deltans and the people of Nigeria.

In the first place, the Niger Delta militants that have claimed responsibility for attacks on oil facilities are not stationed in any particular place like Boko-Haram in Sambisa forest. There is no Sambisa forest in the Niger Delta region where the military can go and confront insurgents.

Those carrying out these attacks have adopted a guerilla strategy; hence the solution is for the relevant security to deepen intelligence gathering by working with local communities and not full scale military onslaught on the communities and people.

Any full scale military action in the Niger Delta would only succeed in killing innocent people and destruction of communities that are also victims of the militancy. It is worthy to note that Gbaramatu Kingdom that the military has been consistently harassing is not the headquarters of any of the militant groups.

The Gbaramatu people are peaceful loving Ijaw people and the military must stop the consistent invasion of Gbaramatu or any other Ijaw community.
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone II, Abdulmajid Ali, has described as unfair, comments linking President Muhammadu Buhari to the prosecution of the trader, who named his dog Buhari in Ogun State.

The AIG spoke in a statement by the police zonal spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, a Superintendent of Police (SP).

The statement explained that the real reason the trader, Joe Chinakwe, was arrested and arraigned by the police, was to forestall likely breach of public peace.

According to Ali, those attributing the trial to the president misconstrued the matter, adding that Chinakwes action would have led to ethnic crisis at Ketere, Sango Ota in Ado/Odo Ota Local Government of Ogun State, but for the timely intervention of the police.

The statement reads: The case has nothing to do with President Muhammadu Buhari but with Alhaji Buhari, the biological father of the complainant, Alhaji Halilu Umar, all of Ketere in Sango Otta.

It is fundamental to state that the man was not charged to court for christening his dog, Buhari, but for his behaviour and circumstances surrounding the matter. He has been living in conflict with his neighbour, the complainant, and he named his dog, Buhari, his neighbours fathers name.

He inscribed Buhari on both sides of the dog, and started parading the dog with swagger among his neighbours and traders, who are mostly northerners.

Joe was actually attacked by the people around for his action before he was rescued by the police. The timely intervention of the police prevented a crisis or inter-tribal crisis.

The zonal command seeks the understanding of the public on the action of the man, which was capable of causing a breach of public peace, an offence the man, Joe Chinakwe, was actually charged with under Section 249(d) of the Criminal Code.

The AIG Ali appeals to the public to understand the action of the police in the matter, which is in consonance with the primary duties of the Police as enshrined in the constitution, and accept it as a professional way of preventing the breakdown of law and order.
The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) has declared an end to hostilities. It made the announcement in an open letter posted on its website by its spokesman, Mudoch Agbinibo, and addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari.

The NDA, whose attacks on oil installations in the region cut Nigerias crude oil production by 700,000 barrels a day to 1.56mpd, however, called for what it said was genuine and positive attitude on the part of the federal government in its offer of dialogue.

The president had while speaking at a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, on the sidelines of the just-concluded 6th International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Nairobi, Kenya, advised Niger Delta militants, Avengers inclusive, to accept his governments offer of dialogue or get ready to be dealt with like Boko Haram Terrorists.

In the open letter posted on its website, the militant group, which penultimate weekend declared a ceasefire, alleged that the Federal Government was out to execute a predetermined genocide against the people of the Niger Delta through the recently launched military exercise codenamed Operation Crocodile Smile.

The Nigerian military high command, however, denied the claim, explaining that the exercise was just a training drill designed to prepare the Amphibious Division for a better mastery of the Niger Delta terrain.

The NDA also observed that the Nigerian system would work better if the Federal Government learns from the developed democracies to allow internal protests and conflicts aimed at greater good of the nation.

The letter reads in part: We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to put away the garb of a stooge to the imperialists, whenever he speaks outside Nigeria. We have listened carefully and halted hostilities in the Niger Delta. We expect a genuine and positive attitude to restructuring and self-determination for every component unit of Nigeria. Dear president, what makes those countries (Japan, Germany, France, USA, Britain etc.) great is the ability of their governments to accommodate internal protestations and conflicts for the greater good of their nations over the years.

Nigeria is not a one-man personal property. We must have these talks every time if this union must continue to work as one. The people of the Niger Delta have been living here from time immemorial, so we have the secret of the terrain and survival of amphibious operations.

No amount of troop surge and simulation exercises will make you win the oil war; you can only win battles. You cannot apply the might of the state to restore the peoples confidence in your leadership when you cannot differentiate between genuine demands and being mismanaged by disorganised characters and tribal lords around you in your government that are playing the court jesters role as well as counting the days that is left in your four years term.

You can deceive the whole world but we cannot be deceived by the so glamorized ongoing military operations in the creeks of Ijaw communities in the Delta coded  Operation Crocodile Smiles the world should know that with your pronouncement in Kenya and your attitude to the military build-up in the Niger Delta, it is crystal clear that the military has nothing less than a pre-determined genocide in Niger Delta and burn more already scared national resources to the pockets of those that have failed to locate the missing Chibok School Girls.

Conclusively, dear President Muhammadu Buhari, please also tell those foreign nations that you are always at ease talking to, while refusing to listen to Nigerians that your troops are about carrying out extrajudicial killings in the Niger Delta in violation of Article Four of the Geneva Convention with OPERATION CROCODILE SMILE. All sane minds know the meaning of CROCRODILE TEARS so by code-naming your military operation CROCODILE SMILES only betrays your motives and attitude to the whole world about the Niger Delta question. The whole world will surely applaud you in The Hague when you leave office! This is not the Nigeria and the world of the 1980s and 1990s under General Sani Abacha and your watch.

Meanwhile, the Presidency has welcomed the cessation of all forms of hostilities by the Avengers.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in a terse statement, described the declaration as a good development which is in the interest of the country and especially the Niger Delta people.

Mr. Adesina noted that anything that portends peace is always good, adding that we hope that it cuts across board and it is sincere.
The White House today said it was worried that American taxpayers would pay for the European Union's decision to force Apple to pay more than $14 billion in back taxes.

"It's also possible that the kinds of payments that are contemplated by the EU decision today, at the end of the day, are merely a transfer of revenue from U.S. taxpayers to the EU," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest in a Tuesday press briefing. "That's the crux of our concerns about this [unilateral] approach."

If Apple was required to pay billions in back taxes to Ireland, it could then deduct those payments from what it owes to the IRS, either retroactively or in future returns. Those deductions, in turn, would reduce Apple's tax bill to the U.S. government, lowering the amount collected by the IRS.

Theoretically, that would mean U.S. taxpayers would have to make up the difference, or the government would simply have to go without those monies.

"The consequences for that transfer [are] that it could be treated in the U.S. tax system as a current tax payment that would allow, essentially, Apple to deduct that EU tax payment from their U.S. taxes," Earnest added as he answered a reporter's question. "That wouldn't be fair to U.S. taxpayers."

According to European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, Ireland -- an EU member -- must recover $14.5 billion (13 billion) in back taxes for the years 2003 to 2014. Ireland, however, has indicated it will appeal the ruling.

Apple has also said it plans to appeal. In the meantime, however, it will almost certainly be required to place a large amount -- Ireland was told by the EU to determine that amount -- in an escrow account.

Although Apple CEO Tim Cook didn't voice the same concerns as did the White House, he came close. "At its root, the Commission's case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes," Cook wrote in an open letter published on the firm's website. "It is about which government collects the money."

This story, "White House fears U.S. taxpayers will pay for Apple tax bill" was originally published by Computerworld .
Not every open source project is destined to be forked. But when it happens, it's both a sign of its popularity and disagreement within the developer community over how the project ought to evolve.

Now, a "boring" fork of Docker, proposed by a vocal group of developers who build on the container software, may be the next big thing in open source.

[ Dig into the the red-hot open source framework in InfoWorld's beginner's guide to Docker. Pick it up today! | Get a digest of the day's top tech stories in the InfoWorld Daily newsletter. ]

Move fast and break (too many) things

The New Stack writes that as-yet-unconfirmed discussions to fork the Docker engine are taking place among companies that have built a commercial business out of supporting the technology.

What has been confirmed, and is public for all to see, is dissatisfaction with Docker's release cycle, which "puts third-party system providers at odds with their own customer base," the article says. The rapid pace of changes means that breakage -- and the cost of addressing that breakage -- is pushed down to those who work with Docker either as a user or a partner.

Bob Wise of Samsung SDS asked in a blog post linked to by The New Stack, "Is it time for a common open source stability fork of the Docker engine, container image packaging, naming, and deployment specifications?"

Wise was especially dismayed by Docker's recent move to include its Swarm orchestration functionality, since it was "a large new system developed in secret without transparent community involvement." He cited this as an example of Docker pursuing a strategy of "[using its] position to impede the progress of [open source] communities in favor of [Docker's] commercial interests."

Slowing it down with the OCI

Docker strives to have its product seen as production-ready technology, so criticisms like this are especially stinging. While there is talk of a fork, where a "boring" version of Docker could be used as a reference implementation, where would it live and how would it be managed?

One likely solution, explored in the New Stack article, is for the Open Container Initiative -- a group formed to provide a home and set of reference implementations for container standards -- to maintain its own fork of Docker as a baseline. Originally, the OCI focused on the runtime, albeit to the exclusion of container image format (over the objections of OCI member and Docker competitor CoreOS).

If the OCI becomes the steward of Boring Docker, everyone involved will need to decide two issues: Which parts of Docker Engine will be considered stable core and maintained with the OCI? And what criteria should the OCI use to accept patches for core from Docker or other third parties?

The New Stack cites Red Hat's use of the controversial systemd as an example of the questions that will arise about what to include. Docker uses its own service manager rather than systemd, so Red Hat has devised a patch set to work around the problem. If the OCI decides that its version of Docker should play well with systemd, because of the latter's uptake across Linux distributions, Docker's version will be notable for both what it removes and what it adds -- and a fight over systemd's tendency to embrace and engulf everything it touches may loom.

Maybe the solutions begin at home

Another possibility is for those who are disgruntled with Docker to pick a competitor -- most likely CoreOS' rkt -- and back it as the more stable option. CoreOS has promoted itself as a more security-conscious alternative to Docker, so it wouldn't be much of a stretch to also deem itself as the more stable, dependable alternative. The hard part might be convincing customers to change workflows to a new brand of container product, given the wide acceptance of Docker.

Yet another possibility is that a fork won't be required at all, if Docker makes the wise move and finds elegant responses to criticisms about its products. For instance, API breakage could be limited to every other version of the application, as suggested by one Hacker News commentator.

Docker likes to style itself as amenable to customers requests -- for example, creating a more comfortable desktop environment for Docker developers. Providing a stable and reliable product could -- and should -- also be part of its mission.

Maybe Docker should address these issues before someone beats the company to the punch.
A destructive ransomware program deletes files from web servers and asks administrators for money to return them, though it's not clear if attackers can actually deliver on this promise.

Dubbed FairWare, the malicious program is not the first ransomware threat to target Linux-based web servers but is the first to delete files. Another program called Linux.Encoder first appeared in November and encrypted files, but did so poorly, allowing researchers to create recovery tools.

After attackers hack a web server and deploy FairWare, the ransomware deletes the entire web folder and then asks for two bitcoins (around $1,150) to restore them, Lawrence Abrams, the founder of tech support forum BleepingComputer.com, said in a blog post.

In the ransom note left on the server, attackers claim that before being deleted from the targeted server, the files were first encrypted and uploaded to another server under their control.

"We are the only ones in the world that can provide your files for you!" the ransom note reads. The payment must be made within two weeks, the note says.

There is no evidence yet that attackers actually have copies of the deleted files, so users should think twice before paying. The ransom note includes a contact email address but says questions like "can I see files first?" will be ignored.

Many server operators may decide not to pay because websites typically have backup routines in place. Many web hosting providers also include daily or weekly backups as part of their service.

Webmasters who run their own web servers should keep in mind that backups must be saved to an offsite location, not on the production server where they can be affected by a potential server compromise.

Even with backups available, a ransomware infection should be cause for concern and should prompt the server administrator to investigate the weakness that allowed the server incident to occur in the first place. Possible causes include vulnerabilities in the website or stolen administrative credentials.
Rains in the Plains, Dow soars Sidwell Strategies - Sat Oct 29, 8:38AM CDT 1st winter wheat ratings Monday; consider carbon for cash flow during drought

Open Enrollment 101: Make the Most of Your Benefits Young & The Invested - Sat Oct 29, 6:00AM CDT The 2022 open enrollment season will be a difficult one as workers have to factor in persistently high inflation while they choose their coverage. These tips can help you maximize your benefits.

Cattle Market Fades on Friday Barchart - Fri Oct 28, 4:39PM CDT Live cattle futures ended the weeks last trade day down by 35 cents to $1.02 with soon to expire October down the most. Cash trade picked up later in the week with some Friday catch up sales mostly... LEV22 : 150.375s (-0.68%) LEZ22 : 153.000s (-0.28%) LEG23 : 156.325s (-0.33%) GFX22 : 177.875s (-0.14%) GFF23 : 180.375s (-0.04%)

Hogs Rebound into Weekend Barchart - Fri Oct 28, 4:39PM CDT Lean hog futures ended the Friday round with 32 to 97 cent gains to fade the triple digit losses from Thursday. The USDA National Average Base Hog Price was $90.54 in the PM update, down by $1.15. The... HEZ22 : 86.100s (+1.15%) HEJ23 : 92.700s (+0.62%) KMZ22 : 96.125s (+0.37%)

Cotton Falls Triple Digits Barchart - Fri Oct 28, 4:39PM CDT December cotton ended the day locked limit lower on the 3c loss. The March contract worked back off the limit for the bell, but still went home down by 274 points. For the week, Dec cotton closed 702 points... CTZ22 : 72.11s (-3.99%) CTH23 : 72.07s (-3.66%) CTK23 : 72.30s (-2.99%)

Loss for Friday Wheat Barchart - Fri Oct 28, 4:39PM CDT Wheat futures faded on Friday with the front month contracts going home 6 1/4 to 9 1/4 cents lower in SRW. For the December contract that completed the week with a 21 1/2 cent loss. KC futures closed down... ZWZ22 : 829-2s (-1.10%) ZWH23 : 849-0s (-1.05%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.6281 (-1.18%) KEZ22 : 925-0s (-0.78%) KEPAWS.CM : 8.8324 (-0.81%) MWZ22 : 945-0s (-0.58%)

Corn Closes Red on Friday Barchart - Fri Oct 28, 4:39PM CDT Front month corn futures settled the Friday session with fractional to 1 1/2 cent losses. The December contract saw a tight 7 1/2 cent range from -6 cents to +1 1/2 cents on the day. It was also down for... ZCZ22 : 680-6s (-0.22%) ZCPAUS.CM : 6.7193 (-0.15%) ZCH23 : 686-6s (-0.15%) ZCK23 : 686-2s (unch)
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation has been dialed in to helping the worlds most vulnerable populations since it opened its doors in 1944 when the foundations namesake established the clear directive to relieve the suffering, distressed, and destitute. Since then, it has awarded over $1 billion in grants, supporting the work of Catholic sisters around the world, homelessness, children with HIV, substance abuse prevention, access to safe water and more. In 1996, Hilton added another way to help the poor, disadvantaged and vulnerable with its Hilton Humanitarian Prize.

The $1 million prize was the largest of its kind, and was monetarily equal to that of the Nobel and Templeton prizes. In 2005, the foundations board decided to raise the amount from the original $1 million to $1.5 million and in 2015, the board jacked it up to $2 million.

Related: The Worlds Largest Humanitarian Prize Just Got Larger

Two million bucks is a nice chunk of change for any organization, but to even have a chance at winning that check, the group has to be extraordinary in the eyes of the Hilton Humanitarian Prize jurors. This year, the jury of seven chose the Task Force for Global Health.

This Atlanta-based outfit is an international organization with one goal in its sights: to ensure that everyone in the world has a chance at a healthy and productive life. The task force focuses its efforts on eight areas of global health related to neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), field epidemiology, public health information technology, and healthcare workforce development. Its approach is collaborative in nature, based on the understanding that global health challenges cannot be solved by a single entity alone.

Everything that the task force is doing is right up Hiltons alley. It advocates for the health needs of the worlds poor, its responsive, and its impact is measurable. And while the task force doesnt subscribe to bureaucratic intransigence, it has formed what it refers to as unlikely partnerships with groups that are often subject to governmental red tape like the World Bank, World Health Organization, and the United Nations Development Program in an effort to eliminate NTDs.

NTDs are one of the more pressing global health challenges, and there are plenty of key actors in this arena working toward their elimination. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is one of the biggest funders of NTD research and prevention, other funders paying attention include Good Ventures, Helmsley, Izumi, and the Childrens Investment Fund Foundation, just to name a few.

(We make it our business to keep an eye on NTD funders, given that many of these lesser known diseases, like river blindness, can be pretty horrific.)

Related:

In the NTD space, the task force is working to eliminate blinding trachoma, river blindness, and lymphatic filariasis. Indeed, most funders in this space focus on specific NTDs, and those three are among the most common. This brings me to one of the more interesting facets of the task forces work and what the Hilton Humanitarian Prize will likely support in the coming yearsnoncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

According to the press release, the task force has started to look at and address the growing epidemic of NCDs, which have now surpassed infectious diseases as one of the leading causes of death in least-developed countries.

Related: Next Up for Global Health Funders: Battling Killers Well Known in Rich Countries?

In developed countries, plenty of attention is paid to NCDs like heart disease and diabetes. In poorer countries, not so much. A few big organizations have an eye on NCDs, including the Medtronic Foundation, which has a history of backing projects in this area for underserved populations in India and other least-developed countries. Additionally, the Abbott Fund supports the International Diabetes Federation, which has a presence in over 160 countries. This is a surprisingly uncrowded funding field. Surprising because 38 million people around the world die from NCDs, with nearly 75 percent of those deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries.

The task force isnt changing course from NTDs to NCDs; rather, it's examining its expertise and experience in getting vaccines and essential medicines to developing countries to determine how it could be helpful in addressing some aspect of NCDs. It has some serious pull, not to mention plenty of powerful partners. It certainly has the potential to bend the mortality curve for the 28 million poor people that die every year due to NCDs.
By Barry Sharpe

Self-storage owners are always looking for some magic formula to make more money in their investments. Many look to refinancing, but too many miss out on the potential for reaping large property-tax refunds by simply filing a petition to reduce their tax assessment. Its actually a foolproof move that can procure thousands of dollars with zero risk. Often, the only cost involved is a small filing fee. In many states, a property-tax agent can file the appeal, or the owner can do it himself.

Why do owners overlook this opportunity? Because they believe there isnt much they can do to change their tax amount. However, this isnt entirely true. Elected officials in each jurisdiction set their millage (tax) rate, which is multiplied by a propertys assessed value, to determine the tax due. But the value, which is set by the property assessor, can be reduced with a proper presentation by the facility owner. As the expert on the property, youre its best advocate.

Being a Property Advocate

Self-storage owners or their property-tax agents can perform wonders in getting a propertys assessed value lowered, which translates to a lower tax bill. Typically, the advocate makes an appearance before a special magistrate to argue the taxable value of the property. This is different and typically much simpler than appearing before a judge. To obtain a comfort level, you can attend other people's petition hearings. All hearings are public, and anyone can just walk in and listen.

Questioning an assessment is part of the mass appeal process. The truth is, local officials expect to receive appeals, so property owners shouldnt be shy. The assessor's office will even supply copies of the data it uses for appraising a property, including any sales comparables. It will actually provide the ammunition for you to use against it!

Once you have the information, you can dazzle the assessor's office with additional facts that refute the assessment. These might include rental concessions granted to attract new tenants, real estate broker commissions, the managers salary, and the length of time any storage units have been vacant. These are only some of the factors to help explain why the contract rental rates the municipality may use to estimate and establish the property value are different from the effective rental rates.

Additionally, assessors generally have no idea what each property looks like on the inside. They arrive at their values for local self-storage facilities using mass appraisal valuations. Providing photos as well as estimates of improvements that need to be made, including roof repairs, painting, replacing air-conditioning units, etc., will go a long way toward convincing the assessors office it has overvalued a property.

Ironically, a real estate broker can be helpful in the appeals process. His suggestion of things that can or should be done to improve the marketability of a commercial property are often helpful ammunition that can be used to argue for a value reduction. His list can also explain why a hypothetical purchaser would want a price credit at closing. These are things the assessor might not have been aware of in arriving at an assessment, which is often done by simply looking at aerial photos, advertised rental rates or the online sale price from the public records.

Becoming a Tax Pro

Once you go through the petition process the first time, youre more likely to come back and do it again year after year, as the outcome can represent big refunds. In many cases, its actually fun to do, especially when a refund is granted without much effort.

Very few self-storage owners appeal their property-tax assessments, but you shouldnt simply roll over and do nothing. Filing an appeal is a right afforded to every tax payer. The truth is, the odds are in your favor in obtaining at least a partial victory.

Barry Sharpe is a managing member and principal at Hialeah, Fla.-based Property Tax Appeal Group LLC, where he oversees every property-tax appeal case filed with the county's Valuation Adjustment Board on behalf of clients. Barry has done tax-assessment appeals for more than 30 years. He's also the owner of industrial and commercial properties, a real estate broker, and a licensed building contractor. To reach him, call 305.693.3500; e-mail [email protected].
Vince Hall, manager of Dainton Self Storage in Scorrier, England, will perform Sept. 3 at The Moor in Falmouth, England, to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support, a charitable group that serves those diagnosed with cancer. The tribute act, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will include songs by Nat King Cole, Matt Munro and Frank Sinatra. The event is free, but donations will be accepted, with all funds directed to the 3.5 million plans for The Cove Support Centre at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, according to the source.

"This is my way of helping to raise money for such an important service, said Hall, whos been performing the act for several years. Virtually everyone has been touched by cancer, either through a loved one, friend, neighbor or colleague. Being diagnosed with cancer can be a horrendous shock and a very lonely time. Macmillan ensures that no one has to face cancer alone by offering medical, financial and practical information as well as comfort and support.

Dainton Self Storage chose to support Macmillan Cancer Support this year. The company's properties have launched various fundraising activities, including a charity concert in July at Ugbrooke House in Chudleigh, England.

Established in 2002 by Paul Maddicott, Dainton Self Storage is the operating brand for self-storage and moving specialist Dainton Group Services. Based in Newton Abby, England, the company operates 13 self-storage facilities in England and Wales. The group also includes Dainton Portable Buildings and Dainton Removals.
Corporate executives around the world are struggling with sluggish growth and pressures on profitability, but they could spare a thought for bosses in Latin America. The steady decline in growth in recent years turned into an outright contraction of output across Latin America and the Caribbean in 2015, and that recession is expected to deepen this year, which would produce the regions first two-year downturn since the outbreak of the Latin American debt crisis in 198283.

Yet even in this challenging environment, some chief executives are managing to generate admirable growth.

Consider WEG, a maker of motors and industrial machinery based in Jaragua do Sul, southwest of Sao Paulo. Last year Brazils gross domestic product fell by 3.8 percent, according to the International Monetary Fund, a harsh recession to be sure, yet WEG boosted net profit by 21 percent, to 1.16 billion reais ($358 million), while revenue grew by 24 percent, to 9.8 billion reais.

For WEG the answer to Brazils recession was blowing in the wind, you might say. The company entered the renewable-energy business in August 2013 by striking a partnership with Vermont-based Northern Power Systems, which enabled WEG to sell utility-scale wind turbines. Last year renewable energy was its main driver of growth in sales and profit.

The expansion of the wind power business is just one example of WEGs adaptability and innovation. Last year the company derived 49 percent of its revenue from products and services introduced in the past five years. Such openness to change and willingness to venture into new areas is an absolute necessity in todays world, says CEO Harry Schmelzer Jr. The current situation demands that any company review its plans, he tells Institutional Investor. Were changing the direction of the company.

Many analysts and investors applaud these innovations. They rate Schmelzer as the top CEO in the Capital Goods sector in the 2016 Latin America Executive Team, Institutional Investors annual ranking of the regions top corporate helmsmen. WEG also takes the top spot overall as the sectors Most Honored Company based on the ratings of its CEO, CFO, investor relations team and IR professionals.

Combining a long-term strategic vision with top-notch execution, WEG was able to keep high returns for a very long time despite competitive pressures and unfavorable market conditions from time to time, and finally became one of the most successful cases of a Brazilian company expanding into a global player, says Clecius Peixoto, portfolio manager at Onyx Equity Management in Sao Paulo.

Its a similar story for the other executives who figure prominently in this years Latin America Executive Team. Amid volatility and slowdowns both global and domestic, the regions top corporate chieftains are pursuing long-term visions while standing ready to revise their approaches to growth as needed. In so doing, they have managed to deliver value to shareholders over a period when value was seemingly nowhere to be found.

Antonio Carrillo Rule, CEO of chemicals, petrochemicals, and pipe producer Mexichem, has remained agile in his planning as the economic context has demanded it.

I think Mexichem has been going through a transition over the last few years, says Carrillo, who finishes second among his peers in the Oil, Gas & Petrochemicals sector. Weve been transforming the company in terms of where our sales and our profits come from.

A decade ago Mexichem was a pure commodities player, focusing mainly on supplying salt and fluorite for use in chemical processes. In 2007 the business took its first steps toward vertical integration with the purchase of Amanco, one of the biggest PVC pipe makers in Latin America.

Carrillo took over as CEO in June 2012, and under his leadership the companys shape-shifting has continued. By 2015 more than half of Mexichems revenue came from pipes and related end-consumer products. Petrochemicals businesses are very cyclical, Carrillo says. The idea of integrating vertically into more consumer-oriented products is that you take away a lot of the volatility from the petrochemicals.

A major step in Mexichems ongoing transition will be the completion in late 2016 of an ethane cracker in Ingleside, Texas. The $1.5 billion plant, which will process ethane by cracking it into ethylene, is a 50-50 joint venture between Mexichem and Occidental Chemical Corp. Carrillo says the new cracker will help his company to more cheaply produce PVC resin, which serves as a base in products such as piping, cable coating, floors and window frames.

Sales rose 3 percent in 2015, to $5.71 billion (the company reports in dollars). On a constant currency basis, revenue would have been up 13 percent.

At Telefonica Brasil, which operates under the brand Vivo, the leadership has used the countrys harsh economic conditions not as an excuse to lower expectations but as an occasion to rethink the best way to go after profits.

Vivo has proved that even in a tough economy weve been able to build shareholder value, says CEO Amos Genish, who receives top honors in Technology, Media & Telecommunications. We decided it was time to reinvent the business model of the company.

Genish joined Telefonica Brasil as its chief executive in March 2015, when Spanish parent company Telefonica paid $9.2 billion for Brazils Global Village Telecom, which Genish had co-founded and where hed served as CEO since 1999. As a veteran of the telecommunications industry, Genish is well versed in the difficulties it is currently facing, not just in Brazil but worldwide: low revenue growth, high debt, declining revenue in voice without sufficient compensation from data and pushback from regulators on price increases.

In an effort to counter these pressures, Genish is moving fast to transition his company to one driven more by data than by voice-based services. Fully 56 percent of revenue came from data-based services in the second quarter of this year, up from 46 percent a year earlier, and Genish hopes to increase that share to 80 percent by 2018.

Thats really a major milestone for telecoms worldwide, Genish says. Our plan is that in five years we wont charge for voice; voice wont exist as a service. Genishs other big strategic pivot has been in response to Brazils recession woes: a focus on value rather than volume. He says the mantra of companies in his sector has traditionally been that telecoms grow primarily based on volume  and most stuck so closely to this received wisdom that they missed the fact that volume during a deep recession wont be strong enough to sustain growth. Genish has decided to focus instead on higher-income segments of the market, by building up its postpaid customers (which represented 70 percent of revenue from mobile in 2015) and shedding prepaid customers. We are not getting into fights on pricing in the prepaid market, Genish says.

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Indrawati, who recently returned from the World Bank to reprise her role as Finance minister, is known as a reformer and a tax hawk.

Indonesian tax dodgers, look out: The sheriff is back in town.

Two years after winning office on a pledge to clean up government, President Joko Widodo is getting down to business. With his country facing a $16.6 billion deficit this year amid grand plans to bolster public spending and economic growth, the president has turned to Sri Mulyani Indrawatito help fill government coffers. Jokowi, as hes popularly known, called Indrawati back late last month from her post as COO of the World Bank in Washington for a second stint as Finance minister.

During her previous go-around, from 2005 to 2010, Indrawati, 54, built a reputation as a tax hawk. She also showed that shes unafraid to make political enemies if it means getting the job done.

Indrawati doesnt really like to indulge in the kind of bureaucratic, transactional nature thats common in Jakarta, says Achmad Sukarsono, an analyst at geopolitical risk consulting firm Eurasia Group in London and a native of Indonesia.

In the midst of his second cabinet shake-up in as many years, Jokowi could use such a no-nonsense ally as he fights off criticism from opposition MPs and his own Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle. Their complaints: He has underwhelmed on fulfilling commitments to streamline business regulation, improve education, battle corruption and roll out an ambitious infrastructure spending program. Jokowi also promised to grow the economy by 7 percent annually.

Indonesia is chugging along, though well below that target. Gross domestic product expanded 5.18 percent year-over-year during the second quarter, beating economists estimates of 5 percent. Jokowis infrastructure package has provided a boost. Given the plans projected 5,519 trillion rupiah ($420 billion) price tag through the end of 2017, though, Jakarta needs money.

Indonesia has a 10 percent tax collection rate, one of the lowest for any emerging economy. An eight-month tax amnesty that took effect shortly before Indrawati arrived could coax Indonesians to repatriate an estimated $40 billion stashed in offshore accounts. Taxpayers have until March to qualify for the amnesty, but so far, they have remitted only $57 million.

In the meantime, Indrawati is taking no prisoners. Basically, you have heaven and hell. This is the opportunity for you to go to heaven with only 2 percent [tax penalty] and all of your sins have been deleted, she said in an August 19 interview with Reuters, her first since taking office. If youre not using the opportunity this time, Im not going to play around, Indrawati warned, adding that she had video footage of businesspeople admitting to being tax cheats.

If only she had had such proof six years ago. During her first turn as Finance minister, Indrawati cracked down on bribery in the tax office, ushering in a richer pay scale for revenue officials to deter graft. She also oversaw probes of several major Indonesian businesses. Among her targets: conglomerate Bakrie Group, led by Aburizal Bakrie, who also heads Golkar, the party of the Indonesian political establishment dating back to ex-president Suhartos rule from 1967 to 1998.

Indrawati sought to launch a full investigation into tax irregularities at a division of Jakarta-based Bakrie, but in 2010 the Supreme Court ruled that there was insufficient evidence. The ensuing political pressure pushed Indrawati to Washington and the World Bank. In 2011 a party formed with the goal of getting her elected president in 2014; because of snags in the registration process, it failed to win clearance for her candidacy.

To clear the way for Indrawatis return, the Indonesian president had to shed members of his inner circle from the cabinet in favor of figures more palatable to the nations establishment. The price that Jokowi had to pay to bring in this rock star with baggage was to get rid of some reformers, Eurasia Groups Sukarsono says. It seems like Jokowi is putting his eggs all in one basket.

Indrawatis cabinet colleagues include Wiranto, minister of Security, Political and Legal Affairs, a former general indicted in 2003 by a United Nations court in connection with war crimes in East Timor. Her predecessor in Finance, Bambang Permadi Soemantri Brodjonegoro, is now minister of National Development Planning.

Observers are confident that Indrawatis voice will drown out any political noise. She will try to push for what she wants, Sukarsono says. She is an alpha female in a country that very much remains male-dominated.

Follow Anne Szustek on Twitter at @the59thStBridge.

Get more on emerging markets.
This content is from: Opinion

Cryptos descent into hell, rather than sending institutional investors straight for the exits, has triggered a hunt for the next big bet.(Part of the crypto column series.)
"We see these climate perils as no different to an explosion"
The only insurance industry entity selected as one of Australias most innovative companies has called for the industry to up its innovation efforts. Claim Central was recently named the eighth most innovative businesses in the country by The Australian Financial Review  beating the likes of Qantas, PwC and Deloitte  and Brian Siemsen , Group CEO and managing director of the firm, said that innovation gives businesses an advantage. However, the industry needs to act quickly rather than talk about change.I think innovation is important industry wide, Siemsen told Insurance Business.A lot of people talk about customer centricity and all of these buzzwords. They all talk about them and they set up innovation labs but you know that when you scratch the surface and get under this commentary it is nothing but smoke and mirrors. Where have you deployed it? Where have you tried it?Put your money where your mouth is.For brokers, Siemsen said that an investment in innovation and technology could free up time to develop deeper, long-lasting relationships which will benefit business.The broker is obviously trying to protect their patch in terms of away from the direct insurers, Siemsen continued.Relationships more and more are becoming as critical as anything. However, in saying that, brokers need the time to spend on relationships.Siemsen added that there are problems with the broker market itself in terms of coping with change and dealing with some of the systems in place that the wider broker market has access to. "They have to be reliant on the insurers' system because they are passing those claims on tobe managed by the brokers underwriter, so they dont really control that process," he said. "They are running the risk of having someone else being the custodian of their customer or their twenty year relationship.How do they protect that? Well, there is going to be digitalisation and automation of that whole process to allow brokers to be more focused on the relationship side of their business.With many firms in the Australian industry investing heavily in innovation, Siemsen said that smaller, more agile businesses could benefit the most.This is one of the things that I love about the Australian industry at the moment, Siemsen continued.The tier two and tier three market, the innovation there. Some of them dont have the big budgets and spends, they dont have innovation labs but they are prepared to truly partner.The tier twos are agile. They are very nimble in terms of their ability to sign off, and they are also willing to be progressive and try things. I think that is a real risk to the tier one market.
The Sydney insurance community has come together to bring to Sydney a festival for celebrating diversity and inclusion in insurance, following its successful launch in London in 2015.The Dive In Festival will be held across ten locations in Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America from 27-29 September 2016. It will feature 45 events that will take place in 16 cities across Australia, Bermuda, Canada, China, France, Ireland, Singapore, Switzerland, as well as in some cities in the UK and the US.With over 1 million insurance professionals expected to participate in this years global Dive In Festival, themes to be covered will include multicultural diversity, gender diversity, LGBTI, and workability, covering both physical and mental health. Chris Mackinnon , Lloyd's general representative in Australia, said: Lloyds Australia is delighted to be hosting the first Dive In Festival in Sydney, and we are overwhelmed with the support that we have received for this initiative from the Australian insurance community.The feedback that we have had suggests that whilst there is a high level of awareness around the benefits and advantages of a diverse and inclusive workplace, the opportunities to drive home that message and promote its execution can be limited. The Dive In Festival creates the perfect environment to showcase our commitment as an industry to offer a diverse and inclusive working environment.Kelly Lyles, chief regional officer, insurance at XL Catlin explained the importance of embracing diversity and inclusion in the insurance industry.As an industry, although we are quite diverse with regards to acquired diversity (gained through experience) when it comes to inherent diversity, including gender, we can still do more to promote diversity and by doing so, foster innovation, said Lyles.Innovation is how the insurance industry will stay relevant into the future. Not only must our industry champion diversity to attract and retain the best and brightest minds; we must each look for, seize and create opportunities to strengthen diversity and lead the change we want to see in our industry.The festival will kick-off in Sydney, with platinum sponsor XL Catlin and event co-sponsors Aon and Norton Rose Fulbright holding a gender diversity discussion panel followed by networking drinks.On day two, Willis Towers Watson will host an event about LGBTI people in the workplace, insurance industry, and community; and GSA Insurance Brokers and JLT will host an event about multiculturalism in Australia and an exclusive viewing of Martin Sharps artwork.On day three, DUAL Australia and co-sponsor Marsh will host a cooking demonstration incorporating a discussion about the importance of mental health awareness. To close the festival, Lloyds Australia will host a network function focusing on physical disabilities.Pauline Miller, Lloyds head of D&I, said insurers focus on diversity and inclusion should not end with the festival.The festival creates a useful focus for D&I, but we need to educate, engage and embed D&I principles into our everyday business, Miller said.All festival events are available free of charge to all insurance professionals with prior registration via the website or app for iPhone and Android.For more details about the event and to register, visit: www.diveinfestival.com
Here are steps you can take to build or enhance your company brand from within:

Work with your marketing team to align the employee brand with the companys external brand, as viewed by the public. Create a corporate culture thats distinctive from competitors, and fosters loyalty among workers. A focus on innovation and rewarding unconventional thinking is helpful in making an organisation stand apart from rivals. Offer cutting-edge benefits such as flexible work options or health care for part-time workers, which will encourage employees to spread positive messages about the company in their free time. Communicate business goals with employees, so they feel connected to company values. Embrace new technology to showcase commitment to younger workers and the next generation of innovators.

Monitoring your brand image ensures your business remains competitive inside and out - and enables you to recruit top talent and maintain a favourable reputation with your clients.With the insurance industry currently under a talent crunch, it is vital that brokers develop their own brand as well as the brand of their business to make them not only attractive to clients, but prospective job-hunters too.Brett Minchington, chairman/CEO of Employer Brand International, noted that with the competitive market for talent, companies will have to offer more than job security and good wages to increase their chances of securing the best talent.It is clear that with the increasing talent shortages around the world, we will begin to see many more follow the lead of companies such as Google, IBM, Marriott, 3M, and EY in recruiting leaders to leverage the value an employer brand strategy has on profitability and sustainability, Minchington said.
Insurance regulators are a diverse bunch. Some are elected, while others are appointed. Some are Republicans, while others are Democrats. At the triennial meeting of the National Association Insurance Commissioners in San Diego, regulators were united in their interest and concern about self-driving vehicles.

Autonomous-vehicle technology stands to reshape both the insurance industry, and society as a whole, dramatically. California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones noted as part of a panel discussion on the topic that his principal concern as a regulator was that insurance markets be able to adapt to the emerging technology, citing Californias recent experience with transportation network companies and the work to craft legislation normalizing insurance requirements for the then-emerging industry.

A fellow panelist and one of the chief sponsors of that legislation  State Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord  struck a cautious tone about the transition of driverless technology from the private sphere of testing and development to the public sphere of consumer adaptation and use, suggesting that emerging rules will have to balance economic upside and consumer protection carefully.

Bonilla currently is chief sponsor of A.B. 1592, a bill that would make a small exception to Californias ill-conceived ban on Level 4 autonomous technology, in which the automated system can control the vehicle in all but a few environments, such as severe weather. Widely anticipated to be a candidate for the California insurance commissioner post in 2018, Bonilla offered something of a preview of her regulatory temperament by observing that public officials should be restrained from writing standards into statutory law that could later be rendered useless or, worse, prove harmful to innovation. Rather, she argued, legislators should approach regulation as an evolutionary process.

Bonilla noted the prospect of self-driving technology already had made some transportation industry labor unions nervous because they see the writing on the wall with respect to their members future employment prospects. Somewhat surprisingly, given her political history as a staunch labor ally, she opined that such fears were not sufficient reason to confound the technologys promise as both an environmental and economic windfall.

Were Bonilla to be elected insurance commissioner, a race likely to be decided effectively by the June 2018 Democratic primary, she would assume control at a time when autonomous vehicles already could be in the midst of sparking a full-blown reevaluation of some of the basic assumptions underpinning personal auto insurance, including the assumption that liability primarily runs with the driver. This is of particular concern in California, whose unique system of insurance regulation under Proposition 103 makes it especially brittle to changing assumptions.

Insurance markets are ripe for innovation in the face of technological changes like self-driving cars. As the nations largest insurance market, California will necessarily play a major role in writing the new rules of the road. This panel could well be remembered both as the beginning of Bonillas stint in the insurance regulatory spotlight, and a foreshadow of whats to come.

Topics California Legislation Tech Personal Auto
Various regulatory initiatives in Asian markets could lead to greater demand for local reinsurance capacity as direct insurers rethink risk management strategies and appetite, according to a report published by Fitch Ratings.

Asian regulators have implemented  or are in the process of implementing  a range of measures which would alter the operating and business climate in the region, said the report titled Asian Reinsurance Markets  Regulatory Reforms to Boost Asian Reinsurance Competitive Dynamics.

For example, Fitch said, many Asian governments are taking protectionist measures to make sure that reinsurance premiums are retained within the local market.

As a result of Chinas new risk-based capital framework  the China Risk-Oriented Solvency System (C-ROSS)  Fitch affirmed that there likely will be greater placement of reinsurance within the local market, rather than with overseas reinsurers.

This is attributable mainly to the difference in capital charges imposed on reinsurance receivables from locally incorporated reinsurers versus that for overseas reinsurers, Fitch said.

Several new local reinsurers have formed in China in 2015-2016, which should intensify market competition, the report said.

Indonesia, Vietnam & India

Similar protectionist measures have been adopted in Indonesia, which Fitch thinks will benefit the local Indonesian re/insurance industry, which will have to raise their level of sophistication in capital management, reserving and catastrophe modeling. They traditionally have been heavily reliant on international reinsurers for their reinsurance arrangements.

In December 2014, the Indonesia regulator required domestic insurers to reinsure all their motor, health, surety, credit, life and cargo business with local reinsurers, Fitch explained, noting that for the remaining classes, 25 percent of the business must be placed with local reinsurance companies.

Prior to this rule change, Indonesian insurers had been required to cede only 10 percent of their risk to domestic reinsurers.

Vietnam is following in the footsteps of Indonesia to retain reinsurance premiums with the local market, Fitch said, noting that the Ministry of Finance recently announced it plans to control the extent of reinsurance premiums underwritten by foreign reinsurers outside the country.

Only about two thirds of the countrys reinsurance premiums were retained in the country, Fitch said, citing statistics from the Association of Vietnam Insurance.

The Indian market, by contrast, has opened up cautiously to allow overseas reinsurers to set up branch operations, the Fitch report continued. These foreign firms are required to retain a specified minimum amount of reinsurance business within the country, while the Indian direct insurers would need to give priority to a local reinsurer to accept their reinsurance business.

Other Asian Business Opportunities

While the gap between insured losses and total economic losses from natural catastrophe improved in 2015, Fitch believes it is still far too wide. Total insured losses in Asia were 19 percent of the regions total economic losses in 2015, up from 10 percent in 2014, Fitch explained.

Many Asian markets have low insurance penetration, which Fitch believes will provide solid business growth potential  including the relatively untapped Indonesian, Chinese and Indian markets.

M&A Trends

Fitch predicted that the operating landscape of reinsurance in Asian markets will be shaped by a combination of three factors: new operations established by foreign reinsurers in Asia; start-ups by Asian insurers; and ongoing M&A activity.

Fitch believes there is solid business potential for the Asian reinsurance market to flourish, which will lead to a wave of M&A as well as new reinsurance start-ups.

The ratings agency pointed to the fact that Asian economies constituted about 34 percent of global GDP and 59 percent of the worlds population in 2015. (The Fitch report quoted statistics from Swiss Res sigma no. 3/2016).

However, the total reinsurance penetration rate in Asia was a meager 5.3 percent in 2015 (2014: 5.2 percent), compared with 7.3 percent in the U.S. (2014: 7.3 percent) and 10.0 percent in the U.K. (2014: 10.6 percent), the Fitch report noted.

Further, three of the most densely populated markets in Asia  China, India and Indonesia  have low penetration rates of between 1.7 percent and 3.6 percent, the report added.

These markets  characterized by rising affluence, a growing number of middle-income earners and rapid industrialization  collectively represent [more than] 65 percent of Asias population, and 40 percent of global population.

Source: Fitch

Topics Legislation Reinsurance China
Ireland says the Brexit vote has led to a jump in inquiries from London firms considering opening offices in Dublin, one of a handful of European cities trying to draw business away from Britains financial center.

Irish officials say they have had more than 35 concrete inquiries from financial groups looking at setting up a base or expanding in Ireland, which is recovering after near bankruptcy in the financial crash.

Post-Brexit, its meant a lot more meetings, more phone calls and a lot more travel, said Eoghan Murphy, the minister tasked with promoting Ireland as a financial center. Im in daily contact with different players in the industry.

Financial companies based in London are concerned that Britains vote to leave the European Union will stop them selling products in the bloc. EU member Irelands tax regime makes it an attractive alternative.

However, there will be questions as to whether it can maintain its appeal after EU regulators on Tuesday ruled that a special scheme used by U.S. technology giant Apple to route profits through Ireland was illegal and ordered the company pay billions of euros in taxes to the Irish government.

Ireland is trying to woo companies with the offer of a contracting entity, a legal toehold on the island that could be expanded when Britain leaves the EU, allowing them to keep the same access to the European market.

Businesses are being courted by other financial centers including Frankfurt and Paris as executives consider alternatives to London while British Prime Minister Theresa May weighs when to trigger two-year-long exit negotiations.

Some, particularly in fund management and insurance, say they are warming to Dublin.

Insurers Admiral and Beazley have said they are considering moving more business to Ireland while the funds arm of insurer Prudential is looking at expanding Dublin operations.

Mark Hemsley, the European head of pan-European stock exchange Bats, said that Ireland was attractive because its the most similar to the UK structure.

Two lawyers who advise financial services firms told Reuters that a group of less than a dozen executives would be enough to open an arm for an insurer or fund manager in Ireland.

Moving part of a bank, however, would typically be a bigger task, requiring more capital and staff to be relocated.

Brexit represents a historic opportunity, said Kieran Donoghue of Irelands Industrial Development Authority. Over the next few weeks, our approach will be dialed up.

Tax Regime Challenged

But Ireland, whose prime minister Enda Kenny once told a foreign business audience that they could call me any time, faces obstacles to growing its financial center, which employs more than 30,000 people.

Dublins open-door policy and flexibility could be upset by the European Commissions demand that Apple hand over up to 13 billion euros to the Irish government for only paying between 0.005 and 1 percent on European profits.

Ireland said it intended to appeal the decision.

The iPhones maker cut tax by channeling profits through Irish subsidiaries. The penalty, overturning a tax arrangement agreed decades ago with Dublin, challenges the low-tax regime that has been the cornerstone of Irelands economy.

Low taxes also underpin its financial center, home to more than 6200 investment funds, and were that regime to falter, it could dampen the interest of companies looking to relocate.

Jim Stewart, an academic with Trinity College Dublin, said Irelands financial center had hosted many of the vehicles involved in the financial crash and that it used smoke and mirrors to camouflage some activity.

It is not just the tax concession, he said. Its regulatory as well. The concession is that there is sometimes no regulation.

Stewart points to the extensive use of special purpose vehicles, including section 110 companies, allowing deductions to cut tax on profits to as little as zero.

Reliance on tax breaks may have spawned a financial sector with little real activity with Stewart saying investment funds are largely administrated rather than run from Dublins International Financial Services Centre (IFSC).

A lot of the jobs in the IFSC are fairly low skilled, he said. The thinking is always done in a major financial center.

Such criticism is rejected by Irish authorities, including the central bank, which said licensing procedures are rigorous.

Its the opposite to a brass plate financial center, said Padraic White, a former head of the IDA agency. Ireland has a transparent tax system. There is no such thing as a tax deal. There is an aspect of sheer jealousy and envy.

After years of cutbacks, Ireland also has other problems. As construction of new homes lagged, rents in Dublin have risen above the peak at the height of the property boom.

Many in London are still biding their time, listening carefully to the campaigns from Ireland, Paris and Frankfurt as well as keeping an eye on Brexit progress in Britain.

Most thought this would never happen, said Simon Tilford of the Centre for European Reform, a London-based think tank.

The test will come when they realize that theres no going back. Then the real reaction will kick in.

($1 = 0.8955 euros) (Editing by Anna Willard)

Related:

Topics Carriers Europe London
Toledo, Ohio-based insurance broker, Hylant, promoted Kevin ODonnell to senior vice president, Risk Practices.

ODonnell will lead the property, marine, global risk, casualty, environmental, executive risk, aviation, property risk control, surety and claims risk practice areas. He will work closely with partnership and office leaders in the development of resources throughout the organization to serve large and middle market accounts.

ODonnell has been with Hylant for 10 years and previously led the property, marine and global risk practices. His extensive client roster has included clients in industries such as automotive, chemical, construction, electronics, food and beverage, health care and pharmaceuticals.

He is a member of the Risk Management Insurance Society.

Source: Hylant
Property/casualty insurers in North America saw their operating income decline by double digits in the first half of 2016, as investment income plunged and catastrophe losses rose.

Fitch Ratings looked at 44 insurers and reinsurers that are either publicly traded or report GAAP consolidated results, determining that their aggregate operating earnings dropped by 10.8 percent over the period, landing at $21.6 billion.

Maintaining or improving underwriting performance will be the key to generating adequate returns on capital going forward, Christopher Grimes, director at Fitch, said in prepared remarks.

Grimes said that this could be a challenge, however, as competitive forces are promoting flat to declining insurance pricing in many market segments.

Insurers/reinsurers aggregate group combined ratio also deteriorated, hitting 95.7 in H1, 1.5 points higher than the same period last year. Fitch said that personal insurance and reinsurance groups saw the worst deterioration due to higher catastrophe losses.

Catastrophe losses added nearly 5 percent to the overall groups combined ratio  thats up from 3.4 percent during the first six months of 2015.

Meanwhile, investment income for the aggregate group declined by 6.8 percent to $21.9 billion. However, realized investment gains were about the same for H1 in 2016 versus the year before, at $2.4 billion.

Source: Fitch Ratings

Topics Carriers Underwriting Property Casualty
Despite frequent reports of hacking, cybercrime, security breaches and related events in all parts of the U.S., many middle market companies continue to underestimate their exposure to these attacks along with their need for focused risk management measures, which may include the purchase of specialized insurance.

A new report from Assurex Global, a privately-held commercial insurance brokerage group, identifies four misconceptions about cyber risks, predominantly among mid-sized and small businesses

Number one on the list is the notion that cyber events primarily affect larger businesses.

Even though you may not hear about breaches at $50 million or $100 million manufacturers, theyre happening, says Mike Richmond, a risk advisory executive at The Horton Group, an Assurex Global partner. Sometimes thats because the cyber protection at smaller companies isnt as sophisticated, so hackers consider them an easy target.

Even though you may not hear about breaches at $50 million or $100 million manufacturers, theyre happening.

The second biggest misconception: My type of business isnt a target.

As the growing number of victimized companies attest, that misconception is being debunked nearly every day, Richmond says. Theres no question that every enterprise is now a potential target for a cyber-attack  public, private or nonprofit, you still may be vulnerable.

The report cites Symantecs list of the top sectors breached in 2015 by number of incidents: services; finance, insurance and real estate; retail trade; public administration; and wholesale trade.

The third leading misconception: a business can self-insure against a data breach.

In fact, the high cost of cyber-attacks makes this a perilous option, especially for small and mid-sized companies, say the Assurex experts. The average cost of a data breach for 350 companies participating in the Poneman Institutes 2015 Cost of Data Breach Study was $3.79 million, up 23 percent from 2013.

If a data breach occurs today, businesses are almost certain to be subject to defense costs even if customers have yet to suffer any immediate or identifiable loss from the data breach, says Richmond. Once theres a breach, costs can mount rapidly.

The fourth misconception: many firms believe theyre insulated from financial consequences of cyber events because they outsource their network security, data management and payment transactions.

Yet, according to the report, as the original data owner, a company sustaining an attack will likely be named in third-party lawsuits and be held liable in most jurisdictions. While a vendor agreement may contain indemnification provisions, there may be caps on indemnification amounts and exclusions for certain types of data breaches. Further, the vendor may become insolvent, bankrupt, or simply not honor the agreement.

Cyber Coverage

Were working with customers now to continuously improve their front-end protection; then, adding insurance to make sure that if something slips through the cracks, the company has insurance to pay for it, Richmond says.

With respect to insurance, Richmond recommends companies consider two primary types of coverage for cybercrimes: a cyber liability/data breach policy and a commercial crime policy.

Cyber liability/data breach policies can include third-party coverage, first-party coverage, and media liability. Meanwhile, many commercial crime policies can be structured to address certain cyber-related risks otherwise not covered under a cyber liability policy, such as those involving certain phishing scams and corporate account takeover.

Although many firms opt to structure cyber coverage as an endorsement to their package policy rather than purchasing standalone cyber insurance, Richmond says standalone policies usually have higher limits, fewer exclusions, and are more comprehensive.

In choosing insurance he suggests businesses work with an insurance agent, get support from the companys C-level executives, and take steps to identify the firms risk and critical protection needs.

Richmond adds: Start with the question: If a data breach happens, how would your company pay for the damages? This should impel businesses to assess their risks, shore up their risk management, and investigate and purchase cyber liability insurance.

The report is Exposed, Targeted and Breached: The Risk of Cyber Crime.

Assurex Global is an exclusive partnership of independent agents and brokers with $28 billion in annual premium volume and more than 600 partner offices.

Source: Assurex Global

Topics Cyber
The constitutionality of Oklahomas workers compensation alternative, the Oklahoma Option, which was established in the 2013 overhaul of the states workers comp system, is currently being challenged in an appeal to the state Supreme Court.

The Oklahoma Employee Injury Benefit Act was created by Senate Bill 1062 in 2013 as an alternative system that employers may use to satisfy state requirements to provide benefits to injured workers. That bill also established the Oklahoma Workers Compensation Commission to replace the former Oklahoma Workers Compensation Court.

Ruling in Vasquez v. Dillards in February, the Oklahoma Workers Compensation Commission found the Oklahoma Employee Injury Benefit Act to be unconstitutional and not enforceable.

The Oklahoma Option allows qualified employers to opt-out of the Oklahoma workers comp system by establishing an Employee Benefit Plan (Plan) under the provisions of the federal Employee Retirement lncome Security Act (ERISA). Benefits plans are supposed to be equal to or better than those provided under the workers comp system.

The case under Supreme Court review involves the denial of a work injury claim filed by Dillards Inc. employee Jonnie Yvonne Vasquez, who injured her shoulder and neck while lifting shoe boxes at her workplace. Dillards denied her claim saying Vasquezs injury was a pre-existing condition and not an injury as defined by the Plan, according to the commissions order.

In its February order, the OWCC said the benefit plans permitted to be used to opt-out establish a dual system under which injured workers are not treated equally. The commissioners recognized in their ruling that the decision would be appealed to the states highest court.

Its a case that has created an odd situation in which insurance company trade groups and plaintiffs lawyers are on the same side of an issue. While acknowledging that improvements to the workers comp system are in order, opt-out opponents believe the traditional workers comp status quo should be preserved.

On the other side are those that see an option whereby companies may choose to establish their own plans for assisting workers who have been injured on the job to be a viable alternative, one which can both lower employer costs and result in positive outcomes for the employees.

Bill Minick, with the Dallas-based injury benefit consulting firm, PartnerSource, says however that the facts of the case are being overlooked by those seeking to overturn the opt-out portion of Oklahomas workers compensation act.

A strong supporter of both the workers comp nonsubscriber system in Texas and the Oklahoma Option, Minick says in the Vasquez ruling the OWCC never actually found that the employee at the center of the case was harmed by her employers alternative workers comp plan, nor did they find any wrong doing by her employer.

Dillards plan, he says, paid substantial benefits while Ms. Vasquezs claim was being reviewed.

The claim was denied after it was determined that the condition for which Vasquez made the workers comp claim was found by her employer to be pre-existing.

Minick says Oklahoma Option opponents are over-reaching in their challenge to Oklahomas 2013 legislative reforms.

In an amicus curiae brief submitted to the state Supreme Court, the Workers Injury Law and Advocacy Group (WILG) said opt-out plans, which are developed using ERISA guidelines, are a wholly inadequate substitute for traditional workers compensation plans.

One reason for that is the limitation on the right to sue under ERISA-based plans. But even if the right to sue is included in the ERISA plan, such plans are still inadequate and will inevitably shift the burden of liability from employers for employees injuries to state and federal programs, the WILG brief states.

Similarly, a brief jointly filed by three property/casualty insurer groups  the American Insurance Association (AIA), the Property/Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) and the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC)  states that Oklahomas opt-out alternative constitutes a prohibited special law that deprives injured workers of equal protection under the law.

In addition, the opt-out provision does not require the qualified employer to cover all of the injuries and occupational diseases covered by traditional workers comp, and it enables the employer to terminate benefits before the injured worker has completed medical care or returned to work, the brief states. The losses that are not covered by the plan, will be shifted to the employee and, in many cases, to taxpayers via state and federal programs like Social Security Disability, Medicaid and Medicare, the insurer groups brief asserts.

According to Minick, those groups that oppose workers comp alternatives are ignoring data that he says illustrate the positive outcomes opt-out plans have achieved for both employees and employers.

Changing the status quo in workers compensation is difficult. Theres a lot of resistance to the ideas of greater employer and employee, and medical provider accountability, and competition, Minick says.

Note: Listen to a podcast interview with Bill Minick.

Related:

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Workers' Compensation Oklahoma
Officials at Fort Bragg in N.C., say theyre expanding a driver improvement program aimed at cutting down on aggressive and dangerous driving on post.

The Fayetteville Observer reports that starting Sept. 1, service members could lose their on-post driving privileges for a year or more if they fail to complete a one-day class following certain traffic violations or if they become repeat offenders.

Command Sgt. Maj. John Cervenka, Fort Bragg garrisons senior enlisted leader, said the program is meant to address whats termed an unacceptably high rate of citation among Fort Bragg drivers.

Post spokeswoman Christina Douglas said the expanded program also comes in response to an uptick in speeding citations on post, which is attributed to a crackdown on speeding by Fort Bragg law enforcement.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Personal Auto North Carolina
Atlanta, GA, August 30, 2016  Breckenridge Insurance Services welcomed two experienced wholesale insurance brokers to the organization recently. Augie Christian, CPCU, CIC and Jessica Lovinggood, CIC are new vice president, brokers within the growing company. The addition of Christian and Lovinggood expands the breadth of competitive workers compensation insurance solutions among top-rated carries in this specialized marketplace. They will also provide agents with traditional excess and surplus lines placement.

Christian was last a broker at Swett & Crawford for nearly eight years specializing in primary workers compensation. In his twenty years in the industry, he has gained significant experience in general liability and property risks as well. Prior to Swett, he worked as a broker for Risk Reducers, Crump and RPS Insurance. Christian started his career in New York City at Program Brokerage after graduating from the University at Albany, SUNY with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He is located in Brentwood, Tennessee and can be reached at achristian@breckis.com or 917-692-4380.



Pictured from left to right: Augie Christian, CPCU, CIC and Jessica Lovinggood, CIC.

Lovinggood has more than 15 years of insurance experience specializing in workers compensation and also joins Breckenridge from Swett & Crawford where she worked for nearly eight years. Previously, Lovinggood was a business development manager for the carrier Markel FirstComp for four years. She started her insurance career at CompSource Mutual of Oklahoma as an agency business consultant. Lovinggood holds a Bachelors of Business Administration from Northeastern State University and is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She can be reached at jlovinggood@breckis.com or 405-312-3338.

About Breckenridge Insurance ServicesBreckenridge Insurance Services is a national wholesale commercial insurance brokerage firm with more than three decades of experience in supporting agents and their clients. Focused on building long-term partnerships, the experienced brokerage group offers consultative services and quality carrier relationships and binding authorities for a variety of standard and hard-to-place specialty coverages. Breckenridge Insurance Services has ten offices across the United States and continues to strategically expand its team and presence to serve diverse markets with top-rated domestic and international carrier partners.

About Breckenridge Insurance GroupBreckenridge Insurance Group, headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., is an international specialty wholesale insurance broker, program manager, managing general agent (MGA) and insurance services provider. The company offers access to a diverse range of commercial insurance and financial services products to businesses and professional services firms in a variety of industries. The company serves independent insurance agents, brokers and legal and financial institutions throughout North America by way of Blue River Underwriters, OSC, Breckenridge Insurance Services, Breckenridge Elevation Authorities contract binding group and InSpecialty innovative insurance solutions. For more information, please visit www.breckgrp.com or call 630.945.3878. CA Insurance License #0G13592

Media Contact

Caren Henry

chenry@breckgrp.com

267.961.8252

Topics Agencies Workers' Compensation Talent Oklahoma
Chinas State Administration of Taxation (SAT) and a local tax authority have released three tax audit cases on cross-border service provisions to Chinese entities. The cases should make businesses aware of the SATs enhanced efforts in PE administration this year. However, these efforts are not completely unexpected. An article written by KPMG for International Tax Review in December 2015, alerted businesses to this fact.

This new article examines the recent tax audit cases, the rules being applied by the tax authorities and the criteria used to determine whether a foreign companys services to China create a Chinese permanent establishment (PE) for tax purposes. It intends to help foreign businesses reduce the related tax exposures in China.

What is cross-border service provision?

Although there is no official definition of cross-border service provision in Chinas tax regime, its generally accepted that cross-border service provision means a foreign company that provides its service in China to meet the demands or requirement of its clients in China for a certain period, which means this activity is not permanent and continuous. For example, a foreign oil field service provider registered in the US provides technical service to a Chinese oil company by sending its technical employees to China to provide on-site technical supervision for a certain period and the Chinese oil company pays the service fees to this oilfield service provider. Generally, the service provider is responsible for the expenses relating to its employee working in China for a specified time.

The audit cases  a summary

Case 1

On July 23 2016, a branch of the Qingdao tax bureau, in Chinas eastern Shandong province, announced that they noticed a foreign company sent their technician to its joint venture in China to provide technical instruction from June 2005 to February 2016.

Although every technician came to China for a period of less than 183 days and their wages and costs were paid for by the foreign company  rather than the joint venture in China  the branch of the tax bureau assessed the foreign company has having a PE in China, requiring it to pay the related taxes. The tax charge in this case was relatively small.

Case 2

On August 1 2016, the SAT released a case study on another similar PE issue.

In the case study, a joint venture in China was mainly engaged in designing, developing, manufacturing and selling a vehicle, and providing related parts and after-sales services to customers. Its parent company, which was registered outside China, sent many of its employees to this joint venture to provide technical instruction and after-sales service in China from November 2011 to December 2014. Just like Case 1, every employee stayed in China for no more than 183 days (26 weeks) and they were paid by the foreign parent company, rather than the Chinese entity. The Beijing local tax bureau, which was the authority in charge of this Chinese joint venture, said this arrangement had triggered a PE in China for the parent company.

As such, it assessed the businesss tax liability and said it owed about $3.6 million in taxes and interest. The interest charged for late payments accounted for about $0.9 million of the total amount.

Case 3

Two days later, on August 3 2016, the SAT released another PE case, which was very similar to the above two cases.

In this instance, a local tax bureau located in the city of Nanjing, capital of Chinas eastern Jiangsu province, noticed that one of its taxpayers had made a payment of 22 million ($25 million) to a foreign related party (Company A) for technical services as of January 2015. The taxpayer explained to the Chinese tax bureau that the service fee was for their project in Nanjing, for which Company A had sent its engineers and project staff to provide technical support and project management.

The assessing officer at the local tax bureau then worked with their counterpart at the state tax bureau of Nanjing to evaluate if this arrangement had triggered a PE issue. They reviewed all related documents and noticed a statement in Chinese, which stated that the foreign service provider would allocate personnel to the Chinese entity. In addition, the costs associated with the remuneration of these employees will be borne by the foreign service provider. This led to tax officials setting up several consultations with staff at the Chinese taxpaying entity and on-site investigations being carried out. Tax officials finally obtained key evidence, proving that the arrangement had constituted a PE in China for Company A.

In the end, the taxpayers accepted the assessment and settled the applicable taxes, including individual income tax (IIT), amounting to about $4.8 million.

Regulations and rules

So, what is the regulation basis for tax bureaus to levy the taxes in these cases?

Generally, the applicable double taxation agreement (DTA) between China and the country, in which the foreign company resides, should be referred to first. In most DTAs, Article 5 defines PE and Article 7 defines the business profit.

Secondly, circular Guoshuifa [2010] No. 75 provides the departmental interpretation notes (DIN) on the DTA between China and Singapore (China-Singapore DTA), and it is applicable to all DTAs that have similar provisions to those of the China-Singapore DTA. Both taxpayers and tax officials refer to this circular. However, the SAT Public Notice [2013] No. 19 deserves equal attention because it provides more detailed instructions on employee secondment arrangements.

Under Article 5 of the China-Singapore DTA, it describes a PE as follows:

1. For the purposes of this Agreement, the term "permanent establishment" means a fixed place of business through which the business of an enterprise is wholly or partly carried on.



3. The term "permanent establishment" likewise encompasses:

a) a building site, a construction, assembly or installation project or supervisory activities in connection therewith, but only where such site, project or activities continue for a period of more than 6 months;

b) the furnishing of services, including consultancy services, by an enterprise through employees or other personnel engaged by the enterprise for such purpose, but only if such activities of that nature continue (for the same or a connected project) within a Contracting State for a period or periods aggregating more than 6 months within any twelve-month period.

The three cases referred to above are covered by point (b) of the DTA extract, i.e. service PE. Chinas circular Guoshuifa [2010] No. 75 provides a very detailed interpretation of this provision. The key points from this circular that were applied in the three cases include:

Service, which refers to the professional services including engineering, technical, management, designing, training, consulting, etc. Circular No. 75 also provides the most popular situations as illustrations for clarification and the three cases fall under these examples; and

Connected project Circular 75 sets the following criteria to determine whether several projects are connected:

Whether the projects are covered by a single master contract;

Where the projects are covered by different contracts, whether the contracts were concluded with the same person or with related persons, and whether the execution of one project is a prerequisite to the execution of another project;

Whether the different projects are in the same nature; and

Whether the projects are implemented by the same personnel.

In light of this, it is easy to conclude that tax officials referred to the definition of connected project to assess the tax liability is cases 1 and 2 above.

Secondment arrangements

SAT Public Notice [2013] No. 19 further clarifies the secondment arrangements from the technical and practical perspective to help taxpayers and tax officials to assess the nature of the arrangement, i.e. PE or not PE.

Secondment arrangements are typically used when an employee (or group of employees) is temporarily assigned to work in a different location or for another organisation. Circular No. 19 gives the overriding principle that the foreign service provider (the home entity) will be deemed as a PE for the service provision in China if the home entity:

Fully or partially bears the responsibilities and risks of the secondees work; and

Normally evaluates and assess the secondees performance.

This circular also provides five additional factors that have to be considered when applying the above overriding principle:

Whether the service recipient settles payments, such as service or management fees, with the home entity;

Whether the payment to the home entity is more than the payroll related payment to secondees on behalf by home entity;

Whether the home entity doesnt fully pay the amounts received from the services recipient to the secondees, but instead retains a certain amount as a profit;

Whether the China individual income tax (IIT) has been fully paid on the wages paid to the secondees when the cost is borne by the foreign related entity; and

Whether the foreign related entity determines the number, qualification, payroll standards and working location of the secondees.

It seems that the tax official on Case 3 mainly referred to this circular when assessing the tax liability.

Although there have been several regulations on PE as above, new guidance on PE administration is necessary from the SAT to provide more consolidated and clear instructions for taxpayers and all levels of tax authorities in China. With such guidance, the tax disputes in cross-border transactions should be reduced. However, when such guidance will be published is yet unknown.

Tax implications of service PE in China

Three major taxes should be considered for PEs in China:

VAT;

Corporate income tax (CIT); and

IIT.

VAT

SAT Public Notice [2016]No. 29 on consolidating business tax with VAT states that the service provision within China is subject to VAT, while service provisions in China can refer to service providers within China or service recipients in China. Either way, all these services are subject to 6% VAT in China.

As such, all three cases referred to above had already paid the applicable VAT when the service was provided and therefore there was no dispute on VAT for the three cases.

CIT

According to the Corporate Income Tax Law (CIT Law), non-tax resident enterprises, which have an establishment or a place in China, must pay CIT on income that is derived by an establishment or place in China when the income is sourced from within China. It should be noted that CIT is also payable on income that is derived from sources outside China but is connected with establishments or places in China.

Generally, the CIT should paid on an actual base or deemed profit basis at the tax rate of 25%, according to Circular Guoshuifa [2010] No. 19. The deemed profit rates vary for different service types as below:

Service type Deemed profit rates Construction projects, design and consulting 15%-30% Management services 30%-50% Other services or operations 15% minimum

However, it should be noted that the relevant tax authority has the right to adopt higher deemed profit rates than those stated above if there is obvious evidence that such services actually produce a significantly higher profit than others.

IIT

Once a PE is triggered, the IIT is applicable for expatriates working for the Chinese PE when their income is sourced from China from the first day they arrived in the country. All of the three cases required the Chinese PE to pay the IIT for expatriates in China for provided services, accounting for a large amount of the total tax payment. The IIT Law and implementation rules provide more details.

In a word, PE has a very critical definition in the tax world because it will decide the tax jurisdiction of a businesss profit.

Before the OECDs BEPS initiative, many countries started to take measures to implement measures against base erosion and profit shifting to strengthen their tax administration and ensure their own tax jurisdiction is not be weakened.

Therefore, it is necessary for taxpayers to plan ahead when the business units request any cross-border transactions. Early actions should be taken to effectively manage tax exposures in China.

By Maggie Zhuang, tax manager at Chevron China Energy Company

This article refereed to the following sources:

1. Secondment or service  the SAT of China gives its answers by PWC China (May 2013)

2. Tax implications of a Service Permanent Establishment by China Briefing (May 2013)

3. Checklist of hot China tax issues for MNE in 2016 by ITR (December 2015)
The Department of Labor (DOL) fiduciary rule, was originally scheduled to be phased in from April 10, 2017, to Jan. 1, 2018. As of June 21, 2018, The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals officially vacated the rule, effectively killing it.

However, according to language from former Department of Labor Secretary, Alexander Acosta, stated in early May of 2019, that the DOL was working with the SEC to resurrect the fiduciary rule.

Breaking Down the Fiduciary Rule

The DOLs definition of fiduciary demands that retirement advisors act in the best interests of their clients and put their clients' interests above their own. It leaves no room for advisors to conceal any potential conflict of interest and states that all fees and commissions for retirement plans and retirement planning advice must be clearly disclosed in dollar form to clients.

The definition has been expanded to include any professional making a recommendation or solicitation in this area, not simply giving ongoing advice. Previously, only advisors who were charging a fee for service (either hourly or as a percentage of account holdings) on retirement plans were likely to be fiduciaries. (And even then, to find out for sure you needed to ask.)

Key Takeaways The Fiduciary Ruling was one of the most hotly debated topics in finance, with many brokers and investment firms doing all they could to halt it from being enacted.

The Fiduciary Ruling was brought into effect to protect the interests of clients versus the financial interests of their brokers and advisors. This led to lower commissions for brokers, less income from "churning" portfolios, and increased compliance costs.

The DOL Fiduciary Rulings were vacated in 2018, but statements made by the DOL Secretary in May of 2019 stated the DOL was working with the SEC to reenact the controversial ruling.

The individual investors most affected were those with fully managed IRAs and 401(k) accounts. These investors would have benefited the most from the Fiduciary Ruling.

History of the Fiduciary Rule

The financial industry was put on notice in 2015 that the landscape was going to change. A major overhaul was proposed by President Obama on Feb. 23, 2015: "Today, I'm calling on the Department of Labor to update the rules and requirements that retirement advisors put the best interests of their clients above their own financial interests. It's a very simple principle: You want to give financial advice, you've got to put your client's interests first."

The DOL proposed its new regulations on April 14, 2015. This time around, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved the rule in record time, while President Obama endorsed and fast-tracked its implementation; the final rulings were issued on April 8, 2016.

Before finalizing the ruling, the DOL held four days of public hearings. While the final version was being hammered out, the legislation was known as the fiduciary standard. In January 2017 during the first session of Congress of the year, a bill was introduced by Rep. Joe Wilson (R, S.C.) to delay the actual start of the fiduciary rule for two years.

The fiduciary rule expanded the investment advice fiduciary definition under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Running 1,023 pages in length, it automatically elevated all financial professionals who work with retirement plans or provide retirement planning advice to the level of a fiduciary, bound legally and ethically to meet the standards of that status.

While the new rules were likely to have had at least some impact on all financial advisors, it was expected that those who work on commission, such as brokers and insurance agents, would be impacted the most.

In late March 2017, the world's two largest asset managers, Vanguard and BlackRock, called for a more significant delay considering the confusion these repeated moves to delay the rule had caused. After a 15-day public comment period, the DOL sent its rule regarding the delay to the Office of Management and Budget for review.

178,000 The number of letters the DOL received that opposed a delay to enact the new Fiduciary rulings.

After the review by the OMB, the DOL publicly released an official 60-day delay to the fiduciary rule's applicability date. The 63-page announcement noted that "...it would be inappropriate to broadly delay the application of the fiduciary definition and Impartial Conduct Standards for an extended period in disregard of its previous findings of ongoing injury to retirement investors." Responses to the delay ranged from supportive to accusatory, with some groups calling the delay "politically motivated."

On March 1, 2017, the DOL announced a proposed extension of the applicability dates of the fiduciary rule and related exemptions, including the Best Interest Contract Exemption, from April 10 to June 9, 2017. Then, in late May 2017, then-newly appointed DOL Secretary Alexander Acosta, writing in an opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal, confirmed that the fiduciary rule would not be delayed beyond June 9 as the DOL sought "additional public input."

Then, in early August 2017, the DOL filed a court document as part of a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, proposing an 18-month delay to the rule's compliance deadline. This would have changed the final deadline for compliance from Jan. 1, 2018, to July 1, 2019. The same document suggested the delay might include changes to the types of transactions that are not allowed under the fiduciary rule. The proposed delay was approved by the Office of Management and Budget in August 2017.

Originally, the DOL regulated the quality of financial advice surrounding retirement under ERISA. Enacted in 1974, ERISA had never been revised to reflect changes in retirement savings trends, particularly the shift from defined benefit plans to defined contribution plans, and the huge growth in IRAs.

The Fiduciary Rule Under President Trump

The regulation was initially created under the Obama administration, but in February 2017, former President Trump issued a memorandum that attempted to delay the rule's implementation by 180 days. This action included instructions for the DOL to carry out an economic and legal analysis of the rule's potential impact.

Then, on March 10, 2017, the DOL issued its own memorandum, Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2017-01, clarifying the possible implementation of a 60-day delay to the fiduciary rule. Full implementation of all elements of the rule was pushed back to July 1, 2019.

Before that could happenon March 15, 2018The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, based in New Orleans, vacated the fiduciary rule in a 2-to-1 decision, saying it constituted "unreasonableness," and that the DOL's implementation of the rule constitutes "an arbitrary and capricious exercise of administrative power." The case had been brought by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Financial Services Institute, and other parties. Its next stop could be the Supreme Court.

On June 21, 2018, The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals confirmed its decision to vacate the ruling.

Fiduciary vs. Suitability

Fiduciary is a much higher level of accountability than the suitability standard previously required of financial salespersons, such as brokers, planners, and insurance agents, who work with retirement plans and accounts. "Suitability" means that as long as an investment recommendation meets a client's defined need and objective, it is deemed appropriate.

Under a fiduciary standard, financial professionals are legally obligated to put their clients best interests first, rather than simply finding suitable investments. The new rule would have therefore eliminated many commission structures that govern the industry.

Advisors who wished to continue working on commission would have needed to provide clients with a disclosure agreement, called a Best Interest Contract Exemption (BICE), in circumstances where a conflict of interest could exist (such as the advisor receiving a higher commission or special bonus for selling a certain product). This was to guarantee that the advisor was working unconditionally in the best interest of the client. All compensation that was paid to the fiduciary was required to be clearly spelled out as well.

Covered Retirement Plans Included:

What Wasn't Covered

If a customer calls a financial advisor and requests a specific product or investment, that does not constitute financial advice.

When financial advisors provide education to clients, such as general investment advice based on a person's age or income, it does not constitute financial advice.

Taxable transactional accounts or accounts funded with after-tax dollars are not considered retirement plans, even if the funds are personally earmarked for retirement savings.

Reaction to the Fiduciary Rule

Theres little doubt that the 40-year-old ERISA rules were overdue for a change, and many industry groups had already jumped on board with the new plan, including the CFP Board, the Financial Planning Association (FPA), and the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA).

Supporters applauded the new rule, saying it should increase and streamline transparency for investors, make conversations easier for advisors entertaining changes and, most of all, prevent abuses on the part of financial advisors, such as excessive commissions and investment churning for reasons of compensation. A 2015 report by the White House Council of Economic Advisers found that biased advice drained $17 billion a year from retirement accounts.

However, the regulation met with staunch opposition from other professionals, including brokers and planners. The stricter fiduciary standards could have cost the financial services industry an estimated $2.4 billion and $5.7 billion over 10 years by eliminating conflicts of interest like front-end load commissions and mutual fund 12b-1 fees paid to wealth management and advisory firms.

The June 2016 Chamber of Commerce Lawsuit

Three lawsuits have been filed against the rule. The one that drew the most attention was filed in June 2016 by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, and the Financial Services Roundtable in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

The basis of the suit is that the Obama administration did not have the authorization to take the action it did in endorsing and fast-tracking the legislation. Some lawmakers also believe the DOL itself was reaching beyond its jurisdiction by targeting IRAs. Precedent dictates Congress alone has approval power regarding a consumers right to sue. This is the suit that resulted in the March 15, 2018, ruling against the fiduciary rule discussed above.

After the DOL officially announced the 60-day delay to the rule's applicability, a "Retirement Ripoff Counter" was unveiled by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. Partnering with Americans for Financial Reform and the Consumer Federation of America, this counter attempts to highlight the "... cost to Americans of saving for retirement without the fiduciary rule, starting from Feb. 03, 2017." The press release from Americans for Financial Reform states, "Every day that conflicted advice continues costs them [Americans] $46 million a day, $1.9 million per hour, and $532 a second."

Who Did the Fiduciary Rule Affect?

The new DOL rules were expected to increase compliance costs, especially in the broker-dealer world. Fee-only advisors and Registered Investment Advisors (RIA) were expected to see increases in their compliance costs as well.

The fiduciary rule would have been tough on smaller, independent broker-dealers and RIA firms. They might not have had the financial resources to invest in the technology and the compliance expertise to meet all of the requirements. Thus, it's possible that some of these smaller firms would have had to disband or be acquired. And not just small firms: The brokerage operations of MetLife Inc. and American International Group were sold off in anticipation of these rules and the related costs.

Advisors and registered reps who dabble in terms of advising 401(k) plans might have been forced out of that business by their broker-dealers due to the new compliance aspects.

Ameriprise CEO James Cracchiolo said, The regulatory environment will likely lead to consolidation within the industry, which we already see. Independent advisers or independent broker-dealers may lack the resources or the scale to navigate the changes required, and seek a strong partner.

Annuity vendors also would have had to disclose their commissions to clients, which could have significantly reduced sales of these products in many cases. These vehicles have been the source of major controversy among industry experts and regulators for decades, as they usually pay very high commissions to the agents selling them and come with an array of charges and fees that can significantly reduce the returns that clients earn.
What Is the Federal Direct Loan Program?

The Federal Direct Loan Program provides low-interest student loans to post-secondary students (undergraduates and graduate students) and their parents. The William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program is issued and managed by the U.S. Department of Education. It is the only government-backed student loan program in the United States.

Key Takeaways The Federal Direct Loan Program offers direct loans that are subsidized, unsubsidized, PLUS loans, and consolidation loans.

Subsidized federal student loans offer the lowest interest rates.

Parent PLUS loans often have the highest interest rates of all the federal student loans offered by the government.

All loans have maximum amounts that are set annually, with each successive year allowing for a specified increase.

Federal direct loans often have more favorable interest rates than private loans.

How the Federal Direct Loan Program Works

The program offers several types of loans, including subsidized direct loans, unsubsidized direct loans, direct PLUS loans, and direct consolidation loans. Subsidized direct loans are the only student loans from the federal government based on financial need. The U.S. Department of Education pays the interest on these loans while the student is in school.

All loans granted through the Federal Direct Loan Program have maximum amounts set each year, with each successive year allowing for an increase in the total maximum yearly amount, with set aggregate amounts. Students who wish to apply for funding must first submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Undergraduate students can borrow $5,500 to $12,500 per year, depending on what year they are in school and their dependency status. These amounts are for both direct subsidized loans and direct unsubsidized loans. Professional and graduate students may borrow $20,500 each year in direct unsubsidized loans, and parents of undergraduate students can borrow using a direct PLUS loan.

Your college or university decides on the amount of money you can borrow in federal loans.



Types of Federal Student Loans

Direct Subsidized Loans

Direct subsidized loans are for undergraduate students who are eligible for financial assistance due to their or their families' economic circumstances. These loans help to cover the costs of a professional career school, college, or university. Qualified individuals can borrow up to $12,500 per year in direct subsidized loans and $57,000 in total during their undergraduate years.

Direct Unsubsidized Loans

These federal loans are available to eligible undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, and they are not based on financial need. Undergraduate borrowers can take out up to $57,000 in total, or $12,500 per year, and graduate and professional students can borrow up to $20,500 per year and $138,500 in total.

Direct PLUS Loans

These loans are offered to both parents of undergraduate students and graduate or professional students to help offset the costs of education not covered by other financial aid. Eligibility is not based on financial needs like subsidized loans, but you will need decent credit to qualify without meeting additional requirements. Borrowers with less than stellar credit may still access these loans, but they will have to meet additional criteria.

Direct Consolidation Loans

These loans allow a student or family to combine all eligible federal student loans into one loan with a single service provider, making it easy to make all of your payments in one location. Direct consolidation loans also allow you to gain access to additional loan repayment programs.

There is no minimum credit score needed for parents to take out a Plus loan, but they cannot have an "adverse credit" on their history.

How to Get a Federal Direct Loan

To receive any federal direct loan (subsidized and unsubsidized), you must fill out FAFSA to find out if you qualify. When you fill out your FAFSA, you will be asked to create an account with the U.S. Federal Student Aid Office, which will issue you an ID to use the site.

After you file your FAFSA, your college will send you a student financial aid letter outlining the aid (including loans) available to you, including federal direct loans. If you qualify for subsidized direct loans, you should take them first because they come with lower interest. Unsubsidized direct loans are also available, and PLUS loans are the most costly of all the federal direct loans because they have fees and higher interest rates.

When you decide on the federal direct loans you want to take out, you will do so via your school's financial aid office, and the money will be sent directly there and used for tuition, room and board, and other costs. If you have any money left over, it will be given to you, but it may be wise to return it rather than spend it. Either way, the money has to be paid back.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Federal Direct Student Loan Program

There are advantages and disadvantages to taking out federal direct student loans to pay for college and university. An advantage of taking out federal direct student loans versus private loans is the low interest, fixed rates offered with federal loans. Federal loans (except for PLUS loans) do not require strong credit, and the interest on subsidized federal student loans is paid by the government when you are enrolled at school. Federal direct student loans have several pathways to repayment via federal repayment and loan forgiveness plans, too.

Drawbacks to federal direct loans include the fact that only unsubsidized loans are available to graduate students, who are also charged higher interest rates than undergraduates. Borrowers who default on these loans cannot escape the debt by declaring bankruptcy.

Federal direct loans have lower loan limits for undergraduates claimed as dependents on their parents' or guardians' income taxes. Finally, students must apply each year anew for direct loans.

Pros Low interest, fixed interest rate loans

Federal repayment programs are available when it comes to time to pay them back

You do not need good credit to get them

Grace period on repayment after graduation Cons Only unsubsidized direct loans are offered to graduate students

Parents who take out PLUS loans must pay fees

You cannot declare federal student loans in bankruptcy

You can only borrow a specific amount each year

You can only take out subsidized direct student loans if you meet the necessary criteria

Federal Direct Loans vs. Private Loans

Private lenders also provide student loans to use instead ofor in addition tofederal loans. Still, the federal program often has more favorable interest rates and other provisions, such as loan consolidation and forgiveness programs. Those seeking student loans should carefully investigate all available options.

Federal direct student loans have a cap on much they will lend. Private loan companies do not often impose a cap on how much they will lend. Interest rates are higher, but private loans may be more flexible in their rules of how the money can be used. All in all, private student loans usually end up being more expensive than federal student loans.

Federal direct student loan payments are deferred until you graduate, but not all private loan payments offer the same option. In addition, while direct loans may be eligible for student loan forgiveness and repayment plans, not all private lenders do.

What Are the Interest Rates for Federal Student Loans? Direct subsidized loans and direct unsubsidized loans for undergraduates have an interest rate of 3.73%, and unsubsidized student loans for graduate students have a 5.28% interest rate. Direct PLUS loans for parents and graduate students have an interest rate of 6.28%, the highest interest rate of all the federal student loans.

Are Student Loans Forgiven After 20 Years? Depending on the type of repayment plan you have, your student loan may be forgiven after 20 years. But no, all student loans are not forgiven after 20 years.
Thirty-six years ago, long before introducing iPhone, iPod or even the Mac, Steve Jobs established Apples first operations in Europe. At the time, the company knew that in order to serve customers in Europe, it would need a base there. So, in October 1980, Apple opened a factory in Cork, Ireland with 60 employees.

At the time, Cork was suffering from high unemployment and extremely low economic investment. But Apples leaders saw a community rich with talent, and one they believed could accommodate growth if the company was fortunate enough to succeed.

We have operated continuously in Cork ever since, even through periods of uncertainty about our own business, and today we employ nearly 6,000 people across Ireland. The vast majority are still in Cork  including some of the very first employees  now performing a wide variety of functions as part of Apples global footprint. Countless multinational companies followed Apple by investing in Cork, and today the local economy is stronger than ever.

Steve Jobs visits Apples new facility in Cork, October 1980.

The success which has propelled Apples growth in Cork comes from innovative products that delight our customers. It has helped create and sustain more than 1.5 million jobs across Europe  jobs at Apple, jobs for hundreds of thousands of creative app developers who thrive on the App Store, and jobs with manufacturers and other suppliers. Countless small and medium-size companies depend on Apple, and we are proud to support them.

As responsible corporate citizens, we are also proud of our contributions to local economies across Europe, and to communities everywhere. As our business has grown over the years, we have become the largest taxpayer in Ireland, the largest taxpayer in the United States, and the largest taxpayer in the world.

Over the years, we received guidance from Irish tax authorities on how to comply correctly with Irish tax law  the same kind of guidance available to any company doing business there. In Ireland and in every country where we operate, Apple follows the law and we pay all the taxes we owe.

The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apples history in Europe, ignore Irelands tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process. The opinion issued on August 30th alleges that Ireland gave Apple a special deal on our taxes. This claim has no basis in fact or in law. We never asked for, nor did we receive, any special deals. We now find ourselves in the unusual position of being ordered to retroactively pay additional taxes to a government that says we dont owe them any more than weve already paid.

The Commissions move is unprecedented and it has serious, wide-reaching implications. It is effectively proposing to replace Irish tax laws with a view of what the Commission thinks the law should have been. This would strike a devastating blow to the sovereignty of EU member states over their own tax matters, and to the principle of certainty of law in Europe. Ireland has said they plan to appeal the Commissions ruling and Apple will do the same. We are confident that the Commissions order will be reversed.

At its root, the Commissions case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes. It is about which government collects the money.

Taxes for multinational companies are complex, yet a fundamental principle is recognized around the world: A companys profits should be taxed in the country where the value is created. Apple, Ireland and the United States all agree on this principle.

In Apples case, nearly all of our research and development takes place in California, so the vast majority of our profits are taxed in the United States. European companies doing business in the U.S. are taxed according to the same principle. But the Commission is now calling to retroactively change those rules.

Beyond the obvious targeting of Apple, the most profound and harmful effect of this ruling will be on investment and job creation in Europe. Using the Commissions theory, every company in Ireland and across Europe is suddenly at risk of being subjected to taxes under laws that never existed.

Apple has long supported international tax reform with the objectives of simplicity and clarity. We believe these changes should come about through the proper legislative process, in which proposals are discussed among the leaders and citizens of the affected countries. And as with any new laws, they should be applied going forward  not retroactively.

We are committed to Ireland and we plan to continue investing there, growing and serving our customers with the same level of passion and commitment. We firmly believe that the facts and the established legal principles upon which the EU was founded will ultimately prevail.
Schools have become very dependent on the cloud to improve learning and teaching environments, as well as peer collaboration.
Kate Hickey is the CEO at Irish Studio, overseeing IrishCentral, Ireland of the Welcomes and British Heritage Travel, along with The IrishCentral Box and Irish Heritage Tree.

She joined IrishCentral as Editor in 2010 while living in New York. In 2015 she returned to her hometown of Dublin, expanding IrishCentral's base into Ireland. She now works from the Irish Studio Dublin office.

In 2010 Kate moved to New York having worked in various online and print publications such as The Irish Independent, The Irish Times, and New York Arts among others. Kate has also worked as a Spokesperson for the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform.
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Dnipropetrovsk region has conducted about 15,000 auctions through the ProZorro public e-procurement system over the year and saved more than UAH 111 million.

"This will mark one year since Dnipropetrovsk region started work via ProZorro. We were among the first in the country who started this work before the adoption of the relevant law in Ukraine. The regional state administration started introducing the new electronic trading system and now all of our divisions and municipal agencies work using the system. Over the year we have conducted more than 15,000 auctions and saved more than UAH 111 million," Head of Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration Valentyn Reznychenko told reporters.

According to him, all auctions are controlled by analysts from the regional department of economic development. Every day the specialists handle up to one hundred of applications: they provide consulting services, find errors and fix them.

Every month the region holds seminars on how to work through ProZorro for entrepreneurs and civil servants. It has organized about 50 such seminars and workshops. There conducted special meetings, at which the structural units of the administration and municipal enterprises report on the work in the system and analyze mistakes. Violations of rules in ProZorro lead to personnel decisions.
Police in the North are conducting fresh searches as part of a terrorism investigation which prompted the arrest of a British Royal Marine.

Ciaran Maxwell, 30, from Larne, Co Antrim, was detained by Metropolitan Police officers in southern England during a pre-planned swoop last week. He is still being questioned.

It is understood the operation is linked to the discovery of two dissident arsenals in woodland in Northern Ireland earlier this year and today's renewed activity by officers is being carried out nearby.

A PSNI statement said: "Police are conducting a search in the Inver Road area of Larne linked to the ongoing investigation into Northern Ireland-related terrorism which has resulted in the arrest of a 30-year-old member of the armed forces in Somerset last week."

Last Wednesday's arrest operation involved searches at a house and wooded area in south Devon, England.

Searches at the property in Exminster and nearby Powderham New Plantation woods continued the following day.

In Northern Ireland, officers searched a number of properties in Larne last Wednesday - near the two forest parks where the weapons dumps were unearthed earlier this year.

Maxwell is being detained on suspicion of preparation for acts of terrorism.

While the threat posed by violent dissident republicans in Northern Ireland has been classified as severe for a number of years, in May the UK intelligence services raised the threat level in Great Britain from moderate to substantial.

Two separate hauls of weapons were discovered in Carnfunnock and Capanagh parks within three months of each other.

An armour-piercing improvised rocket and two anti-personnel mines were among the cache recovered at Capanagh in May.

Several pipe bombs, magazines and ammunition for an assault rifle as well as bomb component parts and command wires were also concealed in barrels in purpose-built holes in woodland.

In March, bomb-making items were found at nearby Carnfunnock Country Park.

Police said four barrels were unearthed at Carnfunnock - two barrels were empty but two contained a variety of bomb-making components, including wiring, toggle switches, circuit boards, partially constructed timer power units, ball bearings and a small quantity of explosives.

Larne is predominantly unionist/loyalist in community make-up, so the discovery of the finds led to some initial speculation that they could be linked to loyalist paramilitaries.

However, after assessing the nature of the weaponry, police concluded they most likely belonged to dissident republicans.

Since 2009, dissidents have murdered two soldiers, two policemen and two prison officers in the North.
Pat Hickey has been released from a Brazilian jail.

Police in Rio have placed Mr Hickey on house arrest.

A judge in Rio ordered his release from Bangu Prison yesterday and it was decided that placing Mr Hickey under house arrest would not cause any risk to public order, or undermine the criminal investigation against him.

Mr Hickey left Bangu Prison in a car with blacked out windows.

The OCI has welcomed his release while the European Olympic Committees says it respects his dignity and fundamental human rights.

Mr Hickey issued a statement after his release.

He said: "I have been released from the police detention system. I will now stay in Rio and my lawyers will proceed to have the charges laid against me set aside as there is no substantive proof of any wrong doing on my part.

"I would like to thank the prison authorities for their kindness they have shown to me. Due to my medical condition, I will be making no further statements."

The Executive Committee of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) held an "extraordinary meeting" on Monday in Frankfurt.

After Mr Hickey's release from prison today, it released a statement welcoming the move.

"We believe this was the correct decision as it respects the dignity and fundamental human rights of Mr Hickey," it said.

"The EOC respectfully requests that these rights continue to be respected, including the principle of proportionality when under criminal investigation and Mr Hickey's presumption of innocence.

"The EOC Executive Committee fully respects the Brazilian judicial procedures and it is not our intention to comment on, nor question, any matter relating to a specific legal case in Brazil."

Separately, the OCI also hailed Mr Hickey's release on bail.

"The OCI also welcomes the news that three OCI officials are due to have their passports returned over the coming days and we look forward to welcoming Kevin Kilty, Stephen Martin and Dermot Henihan home shortly," the council added.
Documents recently filed with the Companies Office show ACC Bank, Bank of Scotland (Ireland) and AIB have received a combined 4.8m to date from the receivership of the assets.

The first bank to move against the firm was ACC, which appointed receiver, Declan Taite to Wallace properties in May 2011.

It is understood Mr Wallaces firm owed ACC around 20m. The Wexford TD has admitted he owed 40m to various banks.

The documents show ACC Bank has, to date, received 2.65m from the sale and rent of M&J Wallace properties.

In 2011, Mr Taite was appointed as receiver to company assets at the Italian Quarter on Dublins Ormond Quay, the Behan Square apartment complex on Russell Street near Croke Park, and to development land in Rathgar.

The banks decision to wait for the Dublin property market to recover and not carry out a fire-sale of the Wallace properties after taking possession of the assets in 2011 has paid dividends.

Tom Kavanagh of Deloitte was appointed by Bank of Scotland (Ireland) as receiver to other assets owned by M&J Wallace in September 2013.

Documents filed by Mr Kavanagh show Bank of Scotland (Ireland) Ltd has received 977,134 from the 1m in receipts he received.

Separate documents lodged by a third receiver, Gerry McInerney show AIB received 1.19m from the receivership of a number of M&J Wallace assets.

In 2014, AIB absorbed a major loss on the 4m it lent to Mr Wallace to purchase a site in Dublin.
With a thriving street-side cafe and bar culture, young population and rising middle class, Vietnam is luring brewers such as Heineken, Thai Beverage and Asahi to expand in the country.

Interest is also being piqued by the governments plans to offload lucrative assets, with Carlsberg in line to more than double its stake in state-run Hanoi Beer Alcohol Beverage or Habeco.

The Vietnamese beer market is of great interest to other international players, such as those from Japan and Thailand, said Dominic Scriven, chairman of Dragon Capital.

This in general is reflective of greater strategic interest across many sectors from foreign investors.

Beer consumption in the Southeast Asian country jumped about 40% in 2015 from 2010.

Vietnamese guzzlers are expected to consume more than 4.04 billion liters of beer this year, the most in the region and up from 3.88 billion liters in 2015, according to Euromonitor International.

Economists predict Vietnam will be among the worlds fastest-growing economies in 2016 as it benefits from a manufacturing industry thats grown in importance over the years.

Its citizens of legal drinking age, 18 and above, is expected to increase to 72.4 million by 2021 from 68.7 million this year, according to Euromonitor.

The growth of the beer market in Vietnam over the past few years is nothing short of amazing, and it shows no sign of slowing down, said Andy Ho, managing director of VinaCapital in Ho Chi Minh City.

Heineken in July acquired Carlsberg Vietnam Brewery-Vung Tau in the south Vietnam port city.

Carlsberg chief executive Ceest Hart said the sale of the facility would allow the Danish brewer to concentrate on its existing territory in the northern part of the country.

Amsterdam-based Heineken, the second- biggest brewer in Vietnam, has seen its shares rise 0.5% year to date, while Carlsberg, headquartered in Copenhagen, rose 2%. The Vietnam Stock Index rose 17 percent over the period.

We have a footprint, which we would like to improve, Mr Hart said, referring to Habeco, based in the capital Hanoi in north of Vietnam, in which Carlsberg is awaiting the governments go-ahead for it to raise its 17% stake to 30%.
Global demand for German goods has slowed significantly, with the UKs decision to leave the EU among several factors increasing uncertainties and complicating investment decisions, Anton Boerner said.

The repercussions (of Brexit) will impact us massively in the near future, he told Reuters in an interview.

That effect had yet to be felt in the export sector, which the association forecast in April would grow by 4.5% this year.

I (now) think growth of only between 1.8% and 2% percent is feasible this year, Mr Boerner said.

Exports - traditionally the main driver of Germanys economy - had increased by 6.5% as recently as 2015, but Mr Boerner said the outlook beyond 2016 was bleak.

Exports are set to stagnate, possibly as early as 2017 if viewed pessimistically, Mr Boerner said.

Were hitting the ceiling.

Germany releases trade figures next week for July, which are likely to show the first clear evidence of fallout from the Brexit vote.

German exports to Britain, its third most important market, stagnated year on year in the first six months at around 44.8bn.

Further afield, Germanys trade prospects are also clouded by uncertainty about the US presidential election, the rise of nationalist movements in Europe, and other crises including the failed July 15 coup in Turkey and the civil war in Syria, Mr Boerner said.

Exports to the US and France, Germanys two biggest markets, fell 4% to 53.4bn and 2% percent to 52.1bn respectively in the first half.

Demand from emerging markets was subdued, with exports to China only inching up 1% and Brazil falling by almost a fifth.

Strong demand from other EU countries drove export growth in 2015 and, overall, net foreign trade contributed 0.2 percentage points to GDP growth of 1.7%.

The government and Germanys central bank predict the same growth rate this year, helped by soaring domestic demand, while exports are already not expected to contribute much.

Meanwhile, Germanys 10-year bund yield yesterday rose to its highest level since the UKs vote to leave the EU, as hawkish comments from the US Federal Reserve were seen leaving the door open for a rate hike as early as next month. The yield rose more than 6 basis points to minus 0.025%.
Herbalife is also the high-profile target of fellow billionaire activist investor Bill Ackman.

The stock advanced up to 3.5% after falling last week when Mr Ackman said Mr Icahn was looking to sell his stake, not increase it.

The comment led to about 10.4 million shares trading hands, or more than six times its daily average.

Mr Icahn waited until after Fridays market close to announce that he had added 2.3 million shares to his stake.

The two investing heavyweights have been publicly sparring over the fate of the company.

Mr Ackman has called it a pyramid scheme, and his hedge fund, Pershing Square Capital Management, is nearing the four-year anniversary of its well-publicized $1bn (890m) bet against the Los Angeles-based maker of fitness and nutrition products.

Mr Icahn, who raised his Herbalife stake to 21%, has been on the other side of the debate since 2013.

He has been publicly assailing Mr Ackmans attempted evisceration of Herbalife  on stages, television, in documentaries and online  since a January 2013 CNBC phone-in fight.

That July, Mr Icahn told a conference he decided to look into Herbalife because he wasnt a great fan of Mr Ackman.

A year later at the same Delivering Alpha event in New York, both billionaires took the stage together and said their feud was over.

Days later, Mr Ackman delivered an emotional, nearly four-hour anti-Herbalife presentation that backfired  lifting the shares 25%. Mr Ackman sent Herbalife shares tumbling on Friday when he said Mr Icahn was looking to ditch his holdings.

In an interview with CNBC, Mr Ackman said investment bank Jefferies Group approached him about buying a portion of Mr Icahns Herbalife shares earlier this month.

He said he considered buying some of Mr Icahns stock if it would help get Mr Icahn out of his position.

Mr Ackman later said he didnt buy any of Mr Icahns stock and would have quickly sold the shares if he had.

Completely contrary to what Bill Ackman stated on television today, I have never given Jefferies an order to sell any of our Herbalife shares, Mr Icahn said in his statement, in which he disclosed adding to his holdings.

I continue to believe in Herbalife: Its a great model that creates a great number of jobs for people. n Bloomberg
The offer by the drugmaker, which has significant facilities across Ireland, to help patients cover out-of-pocket expenses was criticised as insufficient.

It will introduce a generic EpiPen identical to the branded product, which includes the drug itself and the handheld pen with a needle that injects the shot.

The company also plans to continue to sell the branded version.

Mylan has attracted scrutiny for increasing the treatments price 400% in nine years  EpiPen cost $57 for a single pen when the drugmaker bought it in 2007.

Criticism of chief executive o Heather Bresch, the daughter of Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, quickly intensified last week as members of the Congress called for investigations and the EpiPen became campaign fodder.

Introducing a so-called authorised generic, which doesnt require formal approval from the Food and Drug Administration, is a fast way for Mylan to get a cheaper version out without actually cutting the branded EpiPens price.

They can just do it. They dont need approval, said David Rosen, a lawyer at Foley and Lardner.

The move wont block future generics from competitors such as Teva, but it can help Mylan capture some of the market share it would have lost with the introduction of a rival generic, he said.

Mylan shares, which were slightly lower yesterday, had slid 12% last week as criticism mounted.

Ensuring access to medicine is absolutely the core of Mylans mission, Ms Bresch said.

We understand the deep frustration and concerns associated with the cost of EpiPen to the patient, and have always shared the publics desire to ensure this important product be accessible to anyone who needs it.

Mylans control of the market increased in the past year as competitors suffered setbacks.

In March, the Food and Drug administration identified major deficiencies in Tevas application.

In October, Sanofi voluntarily recalled its Auvi-Q injector. n Bloomberg
Reports claiming the arrest of Uzbek First Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Rustam Azimov are not true, Tashkent said.

A spokesman for Azimov's office told Interfax on Tuesday that the first deputy prime minister was at his place of work.

Some foreign online newspapers said earlier that Azimov had allegedly been placed under house arrest.

Uzbek President Islam Karimov's younger daughter Lola Karimova-Tillyayeva said the day before that Karimov was in intensive care following a brain hemorrhage suffered on Saturday.

In the evening, a source close to Uzbekistan's leadership refuted reports of some foreign media outlets that Karimov had died in the hospital.

"Doctors assess his condition as stable," he said.

The Russian Embassy in Uzbekistan, for its part, told Interfax that it could neither confirm nor deny information about Karimov's death.

Some foreign experts named Azimov as one of the possible candidates for the post of Uzbek president.
VistaMed said it is investing 10m in a new research and development plant in Carrick-on-Shannon.

Manufacturing at the site will also be expanded.

VistaMed makes catheters for medical use. The new roles will take the numbers employed by the company in Co Leitrim to 525.

Recruitment has started already and VistaMed said all the positions are expected to be filled by the end of 2018.

Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell OConnor said the latest expansion of the home-grown company is evidence that a rural county such as Leitrim can be home to successful international companies.

To announce 200 jobs for an Irish-owned, highly innovative, global supplier of medical technology out of County Leitrim, sums up why we can be ambitious  indeed, must be ambitious  in our plans for regional development and job creation, she added. The company was founded in 1999.

Meanwhile, Harvey Norman has announced it is to create 50 jobs with the opening of a new store in Airton Road retail park in Tallaght.

Construction is due to begin in October and will see five smaller retail units in the park merged. The new store location sees the number of Harvey Norman stores in the Republic grow to 13.

Harvey Norman said it planned to invest in the region of 6m in its latest project.

Also in Dublin, Camile Thai Kitchen, the Thai food restaurant delivery business announced it will open three new branches in Ireland, in Stillorgan and Artane in Dublin and in Sligo town before the end of the year, creating 100 jobs.

The brand currently has 10 branches in Dublin.
Among them was the environment unit which contains heavy duty water cannons.

Earlier in the day, gardai were called in to help deal with juvenile offenders who forced their way onto the roof of a detention centre during a strike by staff.

The Garda helicopter was dispatched after reports emerged that at least five, and as many as 10, residents of Oberstown Children Detention Campus in north Dublin gained access to the roof.

One member of staff was reportedly seriously injured when a resident broke down a door, hitting the staff member in the head.

Local senior gardai liaised with management at the centre regarding their response to the security breach, and the public order unit was on standby.

It happened as staff from Impact and Siptu were carrying out an eight-hour stoppage outside the main gates of the complex in a dispute over increasing assaults and poor safety measures.

Childrens Minister Katherine Zappone called on the unions to cancel the industrial action and use the mechanisms provided to address their concerns.

Speaking before the security breach, Ms Zappone said she was disappointed vulnerable young people would be impacted by the action.

The children were locked inside their rooms during the stoppage and emergency cover was provided. Before lunchtime, some residents managed to get onto the roof.

Impact official Tom Hoare said five residents got up on the roof and more than 12 staff members who were at the picket went in to assist their colleagues providing emergency cover.

He said care workers were doing the work of prison officers but only had facilities and protection equipment of a residential care home.

The record of assault and injury in this institution is absolutely appalling, said Mr Hoare.

Deirdre Malone of the Irish Penal Reform Trust said the action was directly detrimental to the care and welfare of the children atOberstown.
Dr Saleem Sharif, 57, from Ballyphehane, Cork, failed to carry out an appropriate examination of Alison Hunter Hickey, or arrange for relevant investigations when Ms Hickey visited him at the GP Now Clinic in Sandyford, Dublin on October 2014, where he was working as a locum GP.

Ms Hickey, 47, gave birth to twin boys in October 2014 by caesarean section, a disciplinary hearing at the Medical Council in Dublin heard yesterday. Less than three weeks later, on October 28, 2014, Ms Hunter became unwell, experiencing flu-like symptoms, shivering, a high temperature, abdominal pain and odorous discharge.

Ms Hickey attended the GP Now Clinic in Sandyford, where she explained her symptoms to Dr Sharif. According to the new mother, he conducted no physical examination, nor did he order any tests or take a complete medical history. Instead, he asked her only two questions  one regarding her discharge, and also whether she was suffering from a sore throat.

He said it was probably a urinary tract infection, and asked was I allergic to penicillin. I said no. That was it. It was a very short consultation, Ms Hickey told the inquiry yesterday.

But the following day, Ms Hickeys symptoms grew worse. I woke up at 1am feeling dreadful, Ms Hickey said. I was having spasms. I wasnt able to talk.

She was rushed to the Rotunda hospital. There she was diagnosed with endometritis, or an inflammation of the uterine lining. If left untreated, it can lead to sepsis and organ failure.

The inquiry heard that endometritis is the most likely cause of infection in post-partum women, especially for those who have given birth by caesarean section.

She made a full recovery and was discharged from hospital on November 1, 2014.

Following the incident, her husband, Karl Hickey, made a complaint to the GP Now Clinic and complained to the Medical Council.

Yesterday, Dr Sharif admitted he failed to take an adequate medical history, failed to carry out any appropriate examination and failed to arrange for initial relevant investigations when Ms Hickey visited him. He also admitted that he failed to arrange for a follow-up appointment with her.

Dr Sharif originally trained in Pakistan and has been working as a GP in Ireland since 2005. Although it was not mentioned at the inquiry yesterday, Dr Sharif was previously the subject of a separate fitness to practice inquiry, at the Medical Council. In 2011, the GP was found guilty of poor professional performance in relation to a Cork-based patient with a history of cardiac problems, who had collapsed at home.

The inquiry continues today.
Mr Lowry and two senior staff members at South Tipperary General Hospital in Clonmel recently met with Health Minister Simon Harris over trolley and staffing crises. It has since been announced additional staff and an extra 40 beds will be provided through a modular hospital hotel to help ease overcrowding over the winter period.

Mr Lowry supported Enda Kenny for Taoiseach but the Fine Gael leader has repeatedly denied that the Tipperary TD received any deal for doing so.

But, yesterday, fellow Tipperary Independent Mattie McGrath said other TDs had been campaigning for additional services for the hospital for many years and said Mr Lowrys solo run was a retrograde step.

Mr McGrath said he had also met with Mr Harris on the issue several times.

Weve worked together as a team. This is the first time that some consultants have gone off with one politician, some of them have even campaigned with him.

Professor Paud ORegan, one of two senior hospital staff who accompanied Mr Lowry at the meeting with the health minister on June 15, said yesterday that the meeting was extremely important.

Really the difference between Mattie McGrath and himself [Mr Lowry] is that Mr Lowry is a supporter of the Government and, therefore, much more able to facilitate these meetings and to get the ear of the relevant minister.

As a supporter of the Government, that has been my experience in some 30 years of trying to deal with political matters to do with the hospital, that members of the Government or supporters of the Government obviously have better access and are more likely to be listened to, Prof ORegan told RTEs Today with Sean ORourke programme.

But he denied Mr Lowry has an unwritten deal with Mr Kennys government.

No absolutely not, other than he is a supporter of the Government and therefore he is looked on more kindly than either of the other two TDs local to Clonmel who did not support the Government and who are therefore members of the opposition.

Prof ORegan said the hospital hotel could be put in place within 10 days of getting the go-ahead, but it could be delayed if planning permission was required.

These are removable modular units and they may not require planning permission, but that isnt clear.

They are really modular units, they come along as singular rooms with bathrooms en-suite, they can link on to the hospital. They provide care for the less acute patients, they are not suitable for the very acutely ill patients but patients pre and post surgery, patents who are within a few days of being let home, and patients who are awaiting investigations.

He said such units have been used in Scandinavia and across the UK. The staff would come under the HSE management, but the actual recruitment and payment of the staff would be from the company providing the units.
The European Commission is set to rule today that Irelands tax arrangement with Apple amounted to state aid and the multi-national must pay billions in back-tax. However, Fine Gael have said that they would immediately appeal such a decision.

Members of the Independent Alliance met yesterday before holding a meeting with Mr Noonan during which they raised a number of concerns and demanded he answer key questions on the issue. They are now due to meet the minister again today to seek these answers.

It is understood that members of the Independent Alliance were extremely angered by comments made by junior Finance Minister Eoghan Murphy over the weekend.

Mr Murphy told RTE that Fine Gael do not believe that any State aid was provided to Apple.

He added that the Government would be appealing any such decision despite the fact that Ireland would be set to receive anywhere between 8bn and 19bn, in back-tax as a result of the ruling.

Its in the national interest that we defend our international reputation in this regard, Mr Murphy said.

However, members of the Independent Alliance were incensed their government partners had announced they would be appealing the EU decision without consulting them on the matter.

After the meeting, a spokesperson for the alliance said they would waiting for the commission statement later today before commenting.

It is understood Fianna Fail would back Fine Gael in appealing any negative decision.

Fianna Fails finance spokesman Michael McGrath yesterday said his party would not be taking a final decision until the ruling is made public, but hinted strongly that they would support an appeal

Speaking on RTEs Sean ORourke Show, he said: This is a real operation, but the question is have they been treated fairly and consistently with other companies in relation to Irelands corporation tax.

We have been reassured so far that they have, so that remains our position and we will read the report very carefully and the Irish Government response.

But Sinn Fein finance spokesman Pearse Doherty yesterday said the Government should rule out an appeal if the commission rules that Ireland provided illegal state aid to Apple and that the correct tax bill should be imposed on the company.
Citing his critical health condition, judge Fernando Antonio De Almeida said the 71-year-old should no longer be kept at the high-security Bangu 10 jail.

I do not see that his freedom will present any risk to public order, criminal investigation or, if appropriate, the future application of criminal law, he said.

Mr Hickey will be released once the court order, which was issued last night, is forwarded to prison authorities.

Under the order, Mr Hickey will not be allowed to leave Brazil and will have to surrender his passport to the authorities within 24 hours.

The judge accepted the request of the Irishmans lawyers who went to an appeal court in Rio de Janeiro after initially being denied habeas corpus.

Bangu Prison in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where Pat Hickey was last night being held. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

The judge added that, even if Mr Hickey was convicted, he would not serve his sentence at a high-security jail as none of the three offences have a term of more than four years.

Mr Hickey is accused of facilitating touting, which carries a sentence of two to four years, forming a criminal cartel, which has a sentence of between one and three years, and illicit marketing, which carries a sentence of six months to one year.

On Saturday another arrested Irishman, Kevin James Mallon, 36, was released from Bangu, where he shared a cell with Hickey, after a federal court order.

An executive of THG Sports, the company accused of being at the heart of the alleged 3m touting ring, he was arrested on August 5, as the Olympics opened, with 823 tickets in his possession.

Yesterday, Mr Mallon attended a court in Rio de Janeiro, as prescribed by his bail conditions issued by the Superior Court of Justice in Brasilia.
Whats the background to the Apple case?

In 2013, the US Senate began probing why some big American companies were paying tiny sums in taxes on vast profits earned abroad. Apple, one of the worlds biggest tech companies, was a particular focus. The probe found two of its key subsidiaries, Apple Operations International and Apple Sales International, were registered in Ireland but paying a pittance in tax here  or anywhere else.

How could that be?

Apple doesnt just employ clever techies, but also supremely smart corporate lawyers. Apple Operations was based in Ireland so the US couldnt tax it, but largely managed from the US so Ireland couldnt tax it. Apple Sales looked after a lot of the research and development (R&D) and intellectual property (IP) side of things. IP firms are taxed where the IP is produced. You try pinning down where an idea was formed.

Why did Ireland Inc let Apple away with this?

Well, everyone likes a sweet Apple and it pays  politically and to some degree economically  to keep a company that employs 5,500 people in Ireland sweet.

But hasnt it left a sour taste in Europe?

Following on from the US investigation, the European Commission began its own probe into the tax arrangements of Apple in Ireland, Fiat in Luxembourg, and Starbucks in the Netherlands. The preliminary report, expected to be confirmed this week, concluded the Apple tax deal amounted to state aid to a commercial company which is illegal under EU law.

So what happens now?

The commission will order Ireland to get back the tax it says Apple should have paid. That could mean a tax bill of anything from 150m to 19bn depending on the analyst you listen to and how the profits are calculated.

So we get to ask Apple for loadsa money and put the blame on Europe? Sounds like a win-win for us. When do we write the tax demand?

We dont. Were planning to fight any such ruling by the European Commission.

Brain can not compute. Explain please.

Well, to meekly accept the commissions findings would be to admit we did wrong. Were not good at that. It is also feared it would embolden the commission to probe other tax deals and generally interfere with whatever autonomy we have left in handling our tax affairs. It would also upset the Apple cart.

But theres a budget coming up  couldnt we do with some extra cash in the kitty?

Absolutely but wed have to use the windfall to pay off some national debt rather than spend it on budget goodies so not even a new hospital wing with a kindly financed by Apple plaque would result.

Tackling national debt is no bad thing. Wouldnt Apple just get over it?

Global companies are loyal to profit, not places. If it cant be protected by us, the Apple cart may be tempted to trundle off elsewhere.

Whats Apple saying?

CEO Tim Cook described the preliminary findings as total political crap. There is no evidence to suggest his view has changed.

So is Apple planning to challenge the commission too or will we be effectively fighting their corner  and paying for the privilege?

Were already paying a heap in legal fees but Apple isnt going to leave it entirely up to us. It has its corporate lawyers primed.

So who will win?

Easier to answer who will lose. The taxpayer currently tops the list. Put it this way, Apples next product isnt likely to be the iPaid.
Maggie McEldowneys comments, issued through the festivals communications manager, come after a week of controversy in which one Rose claimed to have been manipulated, bullied, and mistreated in the course of filming Road to the Dome, a documentary broadcast by RTE immediately before the Rose of Tralee, at the end of which half of the Roses were dumped out of the competition on camera.

Down Rose Fainche McCormack equated the documentary to a cheap reality television show and Syndey Rose Brianna Parkins said she was angry going on stage, having spent months defending the festival as an event that respects and celebrates women. Ms Parkins, a journalist in Australia, provoked a strong reaction when she said on stage that she would love to see a referendum on repealing the 8th amendment, which guarantees equal right to life to mother and unborn baby.

Down Rose Fainche McCormack

Yesterday, Ms McEldowney, the winning Chicago Rose, said the festival committee has asked her to field suggestions and input from her fellow Roses in order to resolve issues moving forward, in light of the general upset and outrage at the manner in which contestants who did not make it to the final were told of their fate on camera the day before the programme aired on Monday, August 22.

Sunday morning was difficult for everyone involved, Ms McEldowney said.

I can speak as one of the 32 Roses who made it through that none of us felt right about it. The chaperones and team members who have looked after us and cared for us did not feel right about it. Our parents and family members, who are the most supportive and protective of us, definitely did not feel right about it. Most importantly, the girls who did not make it through to the final show obviously did not feel right about it.

The women were not upset because they were unsuccessful, she said, but at the manner in which the news was delivered. Ms McEldowney said the festivals executive director, Anthony OGara, had not made light of the Roses disquiet and had pulled the entire Rose of Tralee team...into the green room to personally apologise to all of us and to promise a review of the festival process.

Syndey Rose Brianna Parkins

Ms McEldowney was critical of media coverage of the festival, saying those involved in running it have been made out by the media to be heartless, ruthless, media-seeking robots, and they are the furthest thing from it and that some of her fellow Roses are being made out to seem like ungrateful, catty princesses who are only in it for the show.

Ms McEldowney said she also wished to clarify the Rose of Tralee is an apolitical festival, although none of the Roses were asked to be apolitical, she said.

Everyone was allowed to have whatever views on whatever topics... but out of respect for the festival, not use our Rose platform to share those beliefs, said Ms McEldowney.

This event is not to celebrate the ambitions and political beliefs of the modern day Irish woman. Could you imagine if all 65 of us had a political agenda on stage? That is not what this festival is about.

Moreover, her own views would not be in the headlines because this festival is not about me and my opinions, she said.

It was instead about celebration of my class, modern day Irish women, the marvellous women who had the title before me, and the remarkable list of wonderful things we are all doing (in our careers, in school, in local charities and causes) in our respective parts of the world.
A suspect in the murder of an eight-year-old girl in the village of the Loschynivka, Izmail district, Odesa region, has been remanded in custody for 60 days, the Izmail town district court ruled on Monday.

A number of forensic tests are due to be carried out as part of the criminal inquiry, a spokesperson for the Odesa regional prosecutor's office said on Monday.

It was reported that the girl's murder, of which the police suspect a 21-year-old man from the Roma community, led to mass riots in the village. On Sunday residents resolved that all representatives of this ethnicity must leave the village. The rural council backed the resolution.

Ukrainian police have launched a criminal inquiry on the "premeditated murder" charge.

On Sunday the local Roma residents agreed to leave Loschynivka. The Roma community decided that after what happened they would no longer be able to live a quiet life in the village, and so a compromise was reached that they would move to other populated areas across the district.

The police undertook to protect the Roma residents who lived in Loschynivka so that they could safely pack and move their belongings. However, on Monday the Roma refused to go back to the village because, as they said, they had already taken all they need and valuables when they left a couple of days ago.
Anne Marie James, of Kirwan McKeown James solicitors, made the remark as she again called on Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan to meet with the Brazilian ambassador concerning his detention in Rio.

Speaking before a meeting with the Fine Gael cabinet member in the next 72 hours, Ms James said Mr Hickeys family are terrified about a public backlash against them due to the Rio scandal.

However, despite the fact her client has been accused of being at the centre of a multi-million euro ticket touting scam dating back at least a decade and which Brazilian police believe needs to be examined for money laundering, the solicitor argued people need perspective on the events.

This could be any of us. We could be in the wrong place at the wrong time and youre picked up. And putting it in perspective, this is a ticket touting allegation, thats all it is. It isnt murder, Ms James told Newstalk radio.

The privately paid for solicitor repeated previous comments during the latest in a series of radio interviews to say the Hickey family is very private and that they have suffered because they had cars outside their houses since the veteran Olympic Council of Ireland president was arrested a fortnight ago.

To underline her point, she said on one occasion one of them had to leave a shopping centre with her children in hand because they walked straight bang into pictures of their grandfather on the paper, adding the situation is unacceptable.

Where is the level of hatred coming from? Part of it, I think, is Ireland has been rocked by so much controversy and weve all suffered so dreadfully coming through the recession.

Now we have a lot of terrorism going on, people are afraid to travel... thats the only thing I can... most of the public dont know this man, she said.

Since late last week, the Hickey family have said through solicitors Kirwan McKeown James that Mr Hickey is being unfairly treated in Brazil.

While they have sought Irish Government help to secure his release and are due to meet Charlie Flanagan in the next 72 hours to discuss the issue further, their calls for intervention are expected to be left unanswered.

In a statement on Friday evening, Mr Flanagan said while he would meet with the family and their solicitor in the coming days the reality is he cannot provide legal advice or intervene in any way in the judicial process in another country and that Mr Hickey is one of 1,500 foreign cases.

Similarly, a spokesperson for Taoiseach Enda Kenny declined to comment on similar calls for a meeting with him, only saying the Taoiseach notes the fact Mr Flanagan is meeting the family.

Mr Hickey was arrested by Brazilian police a fortnight ago in relation to alleged involvement in a multi-million euro international ticket touting scam authorities have claimed also needs to be examined for money laundering.

Mr Hickey denies the claims.
The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is the authority responsible for nursing homes in Ireland and all of them, whether public, voluntary or private, are registered and inspected by them. Their Older Persons Register on www.hiqa.ie lists all providers and you can search by county to find a home in your area. You can click through to get detailed information on any home you are interested in. In addition to contact details you can find out the patient numbers and read recent HIQA reports on the home.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) strongly advise you visit any nursing home you are considering. HIQA have a list of helpful questions to ask, including whether residents have a choice of what and when to eat every day. Depending on the residents mobility, it may be important to find out how free they are to come and go.

Paying the high cost for long-term nursing home care is a huge concern for families and it is an area the state has addressed with the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, commonly known as the Fair Deal Scheme. Managed by the HSE, under this scheme the resident makes a contribution towards the cost of care and the State pays the balance. Residents contribute up to 80% of their assessable income and 7.5% of the value of any assets per annum. The first 36,000 of assets (72,000 for a couple) are not counted. Where assets include land and/or residential property in the State, the 7.5% contribution based on those assets can be deferred. This means it is not paid during the residents lifetime but it instead collected from their estate.

A persons principal residence will only be included in the financial assessment for the first three years in care, capping the total liability at 22.5%.

Where one partner remains at home while the other enters longterm care the cap on the home is halved, to 11.25%. If a person seeking care does not own assets, their contribution will be based solely on 80% of their income. Find out more about the Scheme on www.hse.ie or by calling 1850 24 1850.

Because the Fair Deal Scheme only covers essential care, there are a number of extra services that the nursing home may provide but which the resident will have to pay for themselves. Recently Age Action said they had received reports of residents struggling to manage rising bill costs and offered advice on how to deal with the issue.

Before a resident enters a nursing home a contract of care should be agreed between them, or a family member acting on their behalf, and the home. This must include details of the services to be provided and the fees to be paid. If a resident feels they are paying more than was agreed they should ask for an itemised bill.

Remember that eligibility for the Medical Card is not affected by the Fair Deal scheme. If a resident has one they should not be charged by the home for doctors services or incontinence wear. The Drugs Payment Scheme also applies and should cap charges for approved prescribed drugs and medicines at 144 per month. If you would like further advice you can contact Age Action at 01-4756989 or email helpline@ageaction.ie.

If you or your relative are not happy with the care or feel it doesnt match what was agreed, there are avenues of complaint available. Care providers must provide information on how you can make a complaint. If you are not satisfied with the response, you can then contact HIQA. You can also contact the Office of the Ombudsman with complaints about both publicly-run and private nursing homes. However, you must first have made a complaint through the nursing homes complaints process before the Ombudsman will look at it.

DEAL OF THE WEEK

If you are preparing to send your student off to college in the next week or so, a trip to Aldi on Thursday will help you kit them out in their new home.

Their Student Living Range covers everything from bed linen to cleaning to kitchen essentials. The range includes a complete bed set  consisting of a duvet, two pillow, two pillow protectors and a mattress protector.

These sets cost 14.99 for a single bed, 18.99 for a double. They also have a range of cusions, throws and rugs from 7.99. For the student kitchen they have mini woks and pans from 4.99, a three-piece knife set for 5.99 and a range of kitchen tools for 2.49.

If you are feeling generous you can buy your fresher a 17 litre capacity table-top fridge for 79.99. And if you are being optimistic about their cleaning skills, they have a mini vacuum cleaner available for 34.99. The range is in store from Thursday September 1 - expect it to sell fast.
WAGNER Moura has lost the double chin and is working on the pot-belly. As he walks away from two years of playing cocaine kingpin, Pablo Escobar, in the Netflix hit, Narcos, he is deep into what he describes as detoxification. You dont shrug off a character such as Escobar with a finger click. Week by week, day by day, you shed his skin.

Losing weight is not only about losing weight, he says. It is about losing Pablo. I lived two years with this body that is not mine, this energy that is not mine. It is a process of detox. I have to get rid of the spiritual, psychological, physical aspects of Escobar. 

Netflix is releasing season two of Narcos, an action-packed chronicle of the rise and bloody downfall of the (dangerously obese) South American drug lord once ranked the worlds eighth-richest person by Forbes. His empire, at its height, challenged the legitimacy of the Colombian state. The first series, an addictive mash-up of Goodfellas and Scarface, was a surprise hit  and anticipation is high ahead of its return.

I tried to look at Pablo as a person  not as a villain, not as a Robin Hood, but as a man, says 40-year-old Moura of the challenge of truthfully bringing to the screen an international criminal. He was a very bad and mean person, but very complex, very interesting, as well. There is also a moral and ethical duty that you have to consider. This is a very recent story. The history of Colombia is divided into the time before Pablo and the time after Pablo.

CONTROVERSIAL ROLE

Moura, a Brazilian who had to learn Spanish for the part, understood that a Pablo Escobar drama would be controversial in Colombia. That Narcos is an American production with a mostly non-Colombian cast merely added to its divisiveness. Even before filming had begun, many in Bogota had condemned it as crass and exploitative (no matter that Escobars story has fuelled a mini- industry of Colombian drama).

I wanted the Colombian people to like this series, says Moura. Of course, we had a lot of criticism there. They are sick of Narcos stories, sick of showing their passports and hearing jokes about cocaine At the same time, this is part of their history. They cant run away from it. What I didnt want was for this to be perceived as the stereotypical story of American cops coming to the rescue and cleaning up this mess in South America. We were at pains for it not to fall into that cliche.

To prepare for the part, Moura ate ice-cream and read extensively. In the Spanish world, anyone who knew somebody who knew somebody who knew Pablo wrote a book about it, he says. The amount of material available was enormous.

We filmed in Medellin, where Pablo is from. The scars were very recent. People my age can remember the bombs going off. However, at the end, I had to put the books away and forget about all of that and create my own version of Pablo. As an actor, that is what you need to do, Moura says.

It is story that requires little embellishment. From his base in the regional capital of Medellin, Escobar presided over a fiefdom that eclipsed the GDP of many sovereign states. When Colombia  heavily pressured by the United States  belatedly cracked down, he unleashed hell. Bombs exploded across Bogota (whose middle classes Escobar despised as snobs and collaborators); judges, police, and politicians were assassinated with impunity.

Cristina Umana in Narcos.

MASS CASUALTIES

In Medellin, anyone who stepped out of line ended up face down in a ditch. It was a war, with thousands of casualties on both sides and lots of blame to go around (the governments elite anti-drugs squad were hardly heroes, with a shoot-to-kill policy and a penchant for torture).

Narcos year-one blended dramatic and documentary elements. The background details of Colombias drug trade were provided via voice-over and archive footage  a trick lifted from Scorseses Goodfellas. Alongside Moura, it starred former male model, Boyd Holbrook, as an American Drug Enforcement Administration officer sent to Colombia to help weed out Escobar, and Game of Thrones Pedro Pascal as his local liaison. The result was a fantastic mash-up of gangster movie and Wikipedia article  amid the often gratuitous sex and violence, the viewer gleaned much about 1980s Colombia and the impact of Washingtons war on drugs.

Season two is far leaner and specific to Escobar, says Moura. He is on the run and, with his loved-ones, targetted by the authorities. He is on the back foot (it is no spoiler to reveal that, as his empire began to draw the ire of the United States, the push-back was severe).

The first season is more epic  it covers 15 years of Pablos life, says Moura. It was a case of, Okay check out how this is how the drug trade works. The second season is more the last days of It is focused on characters. Pablo is trying to keep his family together. The powerful Pablo is gone. He is someone who is losing his power. It is interesting to see someone in that position at emotional breaking point.

WAR ON DRUGS

Playing Pablo has made Moura more convinced than ever that the prohibition of drugs is a tragic mistake. Not simply because it empowers criminals in wealthy countries, but because of the violence unleashed in the developing world.

The war on drugs is a big flop, he says. Especially the countries that produce and export drugs. The war on drugs takes place not in the United States, but in Mexico and Colombia and Bolivia and Brazil. They are the place where kids in poor neighbourhoods are being killed in a horrible way.

Im not saying drug use isnt a big deal  but it should be treated as a health problem, not a police problem.
There will be cursing...

We got the chance to check out the film a few weeks back and it's genuinely one of the funniest films of the year. Mostly that's down to the work of writer/director Peter Foott and his two young stars Chris Walley and Alex Murphy.

They're local lads who just throw themselves into the roles, leading to plenty of moment which are likely to turn this into a real cult hit. There are other comedic folks including Hilary Rose and PJ Gallagher as well as some gorgeous scenery (including a few stunning drone shots) and a fun and touching story to enjoy.

The film is set for release around Ireland on the 16th of September and will also be previewing on the 10th and 11th of September.
The European Commission has today adopted a decision that Apple's tax benefits in Ireland are illegal.

Two tax rulings granted by Ireland have artificially reduced Apple's tax burden for over two decades in breach of EU state aid rules. Apple now have to repay the benefits worth up to 13bn plus interest.

This decision sends a clear message that member states can not give unfair tax benefits to selected companies, no matter if they are European or foreign, large or small, part of a group or not.

This has been long confirmed by the EU courts and the Commissions' case practice. EU state aid rules have been in force since 1958 and apply to all companies that decide to operate in the EU single market.

State aid rules ensure that companies can compete on equal terms also as regards to taxation in each member state and these rules protect European taxpayers.

THE BACKGROUND

Today's decision concerns two companies in the Apple group, Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe. Both are incorporated in Ireland and have been set up by Apple to record profits there. Their ultimate parent is Apple Inc in the US.

The first company, Apple Sales International (ASI), accounts for almost all of the unpaid taxes Ireland now needs to recover. So how does this fit into the Apple group?

ASI holds the rights to use Apple's intellectual property to sell and to manufacture Apple's products outside of North and South America. In exchange for these rights, it makes payments to Apple in the US to contribute to the development of this intellectual property, often more than $2bn per year.

In practice, ASI buys Apple products from their manufacturers. It sells these products throughout Europe as well as in the Middle East, in Africa and in India. No matter if you buy your iPhone in Berlin or Rome or elsewhere in these regions, contractually you buy it from ASI in Cork in Ireland. This is how Apple decided to set it up.

This means that all profits coming from all these sales are recorded in Ireland. That arrangement, however, is not a matter for state aid rules and we did not look into it as part of our investigation. Our state aid investigation focused on the allocation of profits recorded in Ireland within ASI.

Apple ordered to repay 11 billion in Ireland after EU investigation rules tax deal illegal https://t.co/cw44OMArIz pic.twitter.com/78j13mzUuy  Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) August 30, 2016

THE DEAL IN PRACTICE

We looked into two tax rulings issued by Ireland to Apple, the first from 1991. It was replaced in 2007 by a similar second ruling. Both rulings endorsed an internal split of ASI profits for tax purposes.

They allocated the profits between each Irish branch and the company's head office, or I should say so-called head office, because this so-called head office only existed on paper. It has no employees, it has no premises and it has no real activities.

The Irish branch was subject to normal Irish corporation tax. However, the head office was subject to no tax in Ireland or elsewhere. This was possible under Irish law which until 2013 allowed for so-called stateless companies.

As a result of the allocation method in the tax rulings, only a fraction of the profits from the Apple sales internationally were attributed to the Irish branch. The remaining, the vast majority, of profits, was attributed to the so-called head office.

Apple say tax calculation is 'a made-up number' as CEO Tim Cook pens open letter https://t.co/OwGcX9iXP3 pic.twitter.com/Sh26NFYs5w  Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) August 30, 2016

BENEFITS TO APPLE

This means that ASI as a whole paid very little tax on its profits. Let me illustrate. For one tax year, in 2011, ASI made a profit of 16bn. Less than 50m were allocated to the Irish branch. The rest, the huge majority, were allocated to the so-called head office where they remained untaxed.

This means that Apple's effective tax rate in 2011 was 0.05%. To put that in perspective, it means that for every million euro of profits, it paid just 500 in taxes.

This effective tax rate dropped further to as little as 0.005% in 2014 which means that even less was paid in taxes. It was 50 per million in profits.

LIVE: Apple accuse EU Commission of threatening future investment following 13bn decision https://t.co/rtvSd7lKL2 pic.twitter.com/CyIVlBTQHs  Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) August 30, 2016

WHY IT IS A PROBLEM?

Our decision concluded that splitting the profits did not have any factual or economic justification. As mentioned, the so-called head office had no employees, no premises, no real activities. Only the Irish branch of ASI had any resources and facilities to sell Apple's products.

But under the tax ruling, the so-called head office was attributed almost all of the company's profits. In fact, due to Apple's set-up, it was attributed almost all of the profits made from selling products throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India.

The second company, Apple Operations Europe (AOE), makes certain Apple computers in Ireland. Under the same two tax rulings the majority of its profits was also artificially attributed to a so-called head office that only existed on paper and whose profits were not taxed.

This selective tax treatment of Apple in Ireland is illegal under EU state aid rules. It gave Apple a significant benefit compared to other businesses. Tax rulings can not endorse a methodology or a method to calculate taxable profits for a business that fails to reflect economic activity, or the reality for that matter.

Why Apple case could have implications for other companies https://t.co/kTveF14uuV pic.twitter.com/QPXuVn7Y2i  Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) August 30, 2016

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

So what are the consequences of this decision for Ireland and for Apple? To restore fair competition, Ireland must recover up to 13bn in unpaid taxes from Apple plus interest.

This amount covers the period 2003 until 2014. It starts 10 years before we made the first enquiries to the Irish authorities in 2013.

It is for the Irish authorities to now determine the exact amount and the modalities of payment. The recovered amount can for example be put in an escrow account in case of an appeal in front of the EU courts.

Also, Apple would no longer be allowed to benefit from this tax treatment in Ireland. The two tax rulings under investigation were in any event terminated last year by the company.

It is up to the Irish authorities to ensure that the company, under its new set-up, pays taxes in line with both Irish tax law and EU state aid rules.

EU Commission conclude Apple owe Ireland 13bn in tax arrears https://t.co/0bM2ot1h3K pic.twitter.com/xsDseQdozk  Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) August 30, 2016

INTERNATIONAL CONSEQUENCES

Finally, it may not be that all the unpaid taxes are due in Ireland. ASI is based in Ireland where it records all profits on sales of Apple products throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India.

As I have already mentioned, this recording of profits in itself is not matter for state aid rules. It results from Apple's choice of structure.

But other countries in the EU or elsewhere can look into our investigation, they can use our data, our reasoning. If they conclude that Apple should have recorded its sales in those countries instead of Ireland, they could require Apple to pay more tax in that country. That would reduce the amount to be paid back to Ireland.

The amount to be paid back to Ireland would also be reduced if the two companies were required to pay larger amounts of money to their US parent company to fund research and development efforts in addition to the annual payments they already have made.

As I mentioned, these are conducted by the US parents on behalf of ASI and AOE.

Q&A: Getting to the core of the EU attempt to put the bite on Apple https://t.co/oBCBa0aY0o pic.twitter.com/Ow9UuoctGX  Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) August 30, 2016

LOOKING AHEAD

Finally, I do hope that it is obvious that there are many good and transparent ways for EU countries to support and encourage investment, and many, many good reasons to invest in Europe. For one, we have a single market with more than 500m potential customers.

Today's decision shows that we can act when a member state gives illegal state aid to a company. It is a good thing since illegal state aid harms competition. It is unfair.

Looking ahead, the ultimate goal should of course be that all companies, big or small, pay taxes where they generate their profits.

Enforcement of EU state aid rules can not do this alone that is why we need changes both in corporate philosophies and we need changesin legislation to address loopholes and to ensure transparency.

On the international level, both G20 and the OECD have taken important steps to reach this objective.

Also in the EU, under the responsibility of my colleagues, Valdis Dombrovskis and Pierre Moscovici, significant changes have been made. It has been new legislation proposed, decided and now under implementation, with more to come. This is real change and it is change for the better.

The Commission still have two in-depth state aid investigations under way into the tax treatment of Amazon and McDonalds in Luxembourg and we are continuing our work on reviewing more than 1000 tax rulings from all EU countries that make use of them.

So we still have some work ahead of us to ensure that companies compete on equal terms and not on the expense of EU taxpayers, whether they be other companies or citizens.
THE streets of France have been subdued this summer. Tourism is down. Public events have been cancelled or curtailed. Red-bereted paratroopers patrol through crowded streets, assault rifles held at their sides.

The soldiers are unmistakably ready for trouble. Many wear armoured gloves in the mid-summer heat, ready to grapple with any knife-wielding attacker. Body armor and webbing pouches are stuffed with ammunition-heavy magazines.

Its now well over a month since the July 14 Bastille Day truck attack in Nice killed 86 people  and there is a clear sense of relief that Europe has been spared an attack on that scale since.

Still, the continent remains distinctly on edge  and in the background, what feels like a never-ending series of smaller attacks unsettle populations and continue to destabilise already messy politics.

Indeed, the last few days have seen alarming signs that the political reaction to the attacks might yet prove more destabilising than the attacks themselves. No one questions that Europe is under threat.

In tempo and scale  and most notably in the number of casualties  the successive attacks over the last 18 months far outstrip anything seen on the European mainland even in the days of Frances long war in Algeria or Germanys militant outrages of the 1970s. But there is a very real risk of overreaction.

Last week, Muslim women were confronted by armed police on southern French beaches as they enforced a local ban on the full-body burkini swimsuit. Local officials have described the garments as showing allegiance to a terrorist group. Witnesses say several women were issued with on-the-spot fines. Some French beachgoers apparently cheered the police action and shouted go home at nearby Muslim migrants.

On Friday, Frances highest court declared the various local burkini bans unconstitutional and illegal. Several local mayors, however, said they would continue enforcing it anyway. The issue now looks set to drag into Frances presidential election next year, with former president Nicolas Sarkozy calling last week for nationwide criminalisation of the garment.

In many ways, what happened on the beach at Nice is exactly what groups like Islamic State want  to deepen divisions within society.

Europes recent political polarisation is about much more than terrorism. Its about wider popular discontent with the unprecedented levels of migration of the last two decades, of moves to multiculturalism and fear of more change to come.

But it is the visceral fear of attacks  arguably out of all proportion to the risk, even with recent events  that seems to now be really driving the wider backlash.

Much of what France and other European countries have done since recent attacks is eminently sensible. Most have beefed up the size of their emergency response SWAT-style police or paramilitary units, allowing them to flood heavily armed officers to the scene of any Paris-style assault.

France, for example, has scaled up both the number of elite GIGN and RAID counterterrorism units as well as the number of offices and firepower within each individual team. Germany is looking at tweaking legislation to allow military units to back up police for the first time since World War Two.

In Germany, however, government officials have been criticised for a report suggesting householders should stockpile several days worth of food and water in the event of some kind of crisis. German authorities are also considering whether the country should re-introduce conscription, abolished in 2011. Those steps are not just related to the fear of Islamist militant attacks  indeed, the documents in question make it clear they are also a response to worries over potential cyber or hybrid attacks, phraseology which seemingly points to worries over Russia.

All of this adds to an ever more febrile environment on social and mainstream media.

Burkini Ban protests in London.

It increasingly seems to become less relevant whether an attack  such as the gun attack in Munich which killed nine, or last weeks stabbing of an Orthodox Jew in France, or a machete attack on a bus in Brussels  is directly related to a militant group like Islamic State or not. Providing a migrant or someone of migrant descent is involved, it all feeds into the same divisive narrative.

Good intelligence is key to preventing attacks  and that means authorities having good relations and deep contacts with the populations in which militants want to hide.

As distrust grows, that may become more difficult.

Its not entirely a negative picture. Many French Muslims made a point of attending Christian church services as a show of solidarity after the beheading of a local priest in July.

The French government is aiming to work with moderate Muslim groups to tackle the growth of what they say are extremist mosques often funded from groups and individuals in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States.

The social divisions in France, however, predate recent attacks and have been quietly growing for years. Frances 4.7m Muslims comprise 7.5% of the population and often live in distinct and much poorer neighborhoods on the outskirts of cities.

Crime is high and policing relatively weak there, despite attempts at changing that in the aftermath of major riots in 2005.

In general, opinion polls suggest citizens in those countries with the largest Muslim populations in Europe France, Germany and the UK  view Muslim migration less negatively than those countries in Eastern Europe that are home to very few. Even last years Paris attack did little to immediately shift those numbers.

This year, however, the constant drumbeat of stories of large and small attacks has begun to have an effect. And while attacks themselves have been carried out by a very small number of people, there is little doubt that popular discontent is often aimed at entire Muslim populations.

A poll in April showed 47% of French respondents viewing Islam as a threat to national identity, up from 43% in 2010. Two-thirds said they felt it was too visible. In Germany, where reports of sexual assaults conducted by migrants over New Years Eve received hefty media coverage, 43% said they viewed Islam as a threat.

That shouldnt be a surprise. But it may yet prove a self-fulfilling narrative.

Peter Apps is Reuters global affairs columnist, writing on international affairs, globalisation, conflict and other issues
TWO of journalisms most radical figures are now silenced, or shunned. Nick Denton, the Brit whose Gawker website has whipped away the lace curtains that covered (mainly) sexual privacy since 2002, has been bankrupted by vengeful and wealthy men.

Julian Assange, the Australian whose Wikileaks organisation has revealed (mainly) US secrets, has been left alone and friendless  dropped even by one-time allies after dumping troves of unredacted information taken from the files of US and Turkish political parties.

Both men tried to create new standards for investigative journalism; both have failed so far.

Theyve failed in their efforts to emulate the paper that sees itself, with some justification, as fashioning the model for that brand of reporting  The New York Times.

The Times has, for more than a century, stated its guiding principle on the top left-hand corner of its front page. All the News Thats Fit to Print was chosen as the papers slogan by Arthur Ochs in 1896, the year he bought the publication.

It was meant to differentiate the Times from the popular yellow press that, like Gawker, specialized in gossip, if way less racy.

Ochs wanted to attract, by a display of ethical propriety, the burgeoning, respectable bourgeoisie of the city.

The New York Times has long taken the lead in publishing the secrets of US (and other) administrations  but shorn of personal details.

If it tore aside a veil concealing a sex scandal, it did so with reluctance and justified its decision to publish to itself and to its readers on the grounds of public interest.

Joseph Lelyveld, editor during the hottest period of the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky affair, was genuinely conflicted about whether or not the story was fit to print.

Because it was at the centre of a move to impeach the president, it was.

The New York Times stature has made it a template for the respectable press.

The British and other tabloids have always thumbed their noses at such propriety.

So does the new generation of leakers, who think fit to print is mainly cowardice in the face of government disapproval.

Assange was never a mainstream journalist, and he has always scorned the tribe. Denton was a journalist. We worked together in December 1989, in Bucharest, after the fall and subsequent murder of the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu.

Denton allowed me to join him at an interview he had arranged with Silviu Brucan, a figure who was high in the Communist Party and who had turned against Ceaucescu. He landed me a huge scoop.

Denton lacked the feral quality that reporters tend to develop: His was an act of surprising generosity. In the way of human nature, I have ever since been well disposed to him.

As the former Gawker staffer Jia Tolentino wrote recently, Dentons managing style was to create no hierarchy, to encourage his staff to dig without any inhibitions and to follow their own path.

When fit to read news people came to see him, he was politely dismissive of them, telling James Fallows of The Atlantic that he was catering to those who dont want to eat the boring vegetables.

But Dentons self-starting staff crossed two rich and angry men.

One was the wrestler Hulk Hogan, incensed when Gawker published part of a video showing him having sex with a friends wife.

Hogan took Gawker Media to court and won a total of $140m in March. Hogans suit was bankrolled by Peter Thiel, a billionaire whom Gawker had outed as gay in 2007.

At last months GOP convention, Thiel told the audience that, Im proud to be gay. Im proud to be a Republican.

Gawker, for its part, went proudly bankrupt.

Assange is still working, though he refuses to leave his stifling sanctuary in Ecuadors tiny London embassy.

He outraged fellow leaker Edward Snowden when Wikileaks dumped files purloined from the Democratic National Committee and the Turkish ruling AKP party.

Snowden thinks Assanges release of uncurated personal information  the Turkish files include a database of female voters  broke the unwritten code of the new journalism.

Edward Snowden

Assange, though not a reporter himself, uses journalists to get his information out. He sees the institutions of government as webs of hypocrisy and mendacity. He believes political and corporate leaders undermine citizens rights with their hidden, self- interested maneuvering for ever more power and ever larger profits.

For those like Assange, the only hope lies in the online space that can be protected from invasion by the strongest encryption.

From there, guerrilla warfare can mine the secrets that states require to function, and whose leaking will progressively break down their claims to their populations allegiance.

Different as they are, both Assange and Denton see themselves as anti-hypocrite. Denton knows that most people like gossip more than long investigations that win Pulitzers.

Why pretend? Why cover up your emotional and sexual preferences and activities? Didnt we get through all that in the 60s and 70s?

Denton has been stopped in his tracks. But hes only 50, and hes too restlessly ambitious to give up pushing the media world in new directions.

Assange, age 45, can leave his sanctuary at any time, so long as he is prepared to face charges of sexual harassment, which have been pending in Sweden for years.

The charges may be heard inside the Ecuadorian embassy, and if dismissed, he would be free to go.

But hes farther out in the cold than Denton. If Assange does not row back from his fundamentalist position, he will be a rogue leaker, shorn of allies, the Lenin of the 21st centurys media.

Denton, for his part, may be the 21st centurys Oscar Wilde: hounded, brought down  but eventually canonised for being ahead of his time.

John Lloyd co-founded the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, where he is Senior Research Fellow.
The estimate of what we were due in back taxes from Apple varied over the last week from around 1 billion to 4 billion. And guess what? Were in line for a full 13 billion. Thats about the same amount as we shovelled into AIB to make up for the shortfall left by big time Charlie bondholders.

So the lawyers done good by us, even if their brief was to ensure we got no money, even if they lost the case the government hired them to fight, they still came home dripping in billions.

Examining the essence of yesterdays ruling by the EU competition commission is liable to make your head hurt. Nothing is as it seems. Everybody appears to be togging out for the opposition. All have great difficulty doing basic sums. Its next to impossible to discern who is running the show. And above all, not only is the soverign government of this Republic all over the shop on the matter, its leader and ministers are simply not on the level with the rest of us.

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.

The EU has ruled that Apple was given a sweetheart deal, and on the face of it the evidence appears to be compelling. The company negotiated two deals with Ireland in 1991 and 2007, which included meetings between Apple people and the Revenue. The minutes from those meetings are central to the EUs ruling.

What came out of this is that Apple opened a head office in Dublin as a means of funnelling its non US earnings. The effective rate of tax paid on its European profits thus went from 1% in 2003 down to 0.005% in 2014. We have been told for decades that a low corporate tax rate of 12.5% was necessary to attract foreign direct investment to this country. Now we find out that Apple obviously believed such a rate was daylight robbery, something that perhaps should be paid by the little companies but not by a giant such as it.

Now were told to go and collect all that back tax. The government could have applauded the ruling and told us to consider it a little payback in corporate terms for the absence of practically any tax paid by vulture funds which have been hovering up cheap property for the last five years. Or, the government could have said that this would go towards the extra contribution we must make to the EU on the basis of our alleged 26% growth in GDP, as revealed last month.

Instead, Michael Noonan has said that Apples money is no good around these parts. Its all about reputation apparently. IF Ireland accepts the ruling, we get a name for being the Wild West in tax haven terms. Except, we were first labelled the Wild West in the New York Times eleven years ago.

Since then, Ireland reputation has been thrashed around Brussels, Paris and Washington. Its not that we offer such a generous corporate tax rate, its just that having done so we insist that we dont really want multinationals to pay any tax at all in case they might throw a strop. There are plenty of little people in this country to pick up the slack with a whole slew of taxes.

The reputation defence in refusing to take the money doesnt wash. What would be refreshing in this area would be to strive towards a reputation for honesty rather than sleveenism. An admission that things were done wrong in the past and that such carry-on has been addressed and eliminated in the last two years might go a long way.

A windfall of 13 billion would also go a long way. Consider that the governments surplus in teh forthcoming budget is estimated to be 1 billion. What could be done with thirteen times that amount in an area like housing for instance?

But no, Noonan aint going there. It would be too simple, too much like common sense, an example of natural justice for the years in which the citizens were bled dry. Instead the government will appeal and if things go according to plan, his successor can triumphantly proclaim that he or she has successful appealed efforts to force a big corporation pay a relatively small amount of tax.

Sinn Feins Pearse Doherty called for an inquiry into the whole affair. If theres one thing we need less than a tax windfall its another inquiry. Then again, why not? At this stage it would be entirely in keeping with what has become high farce, hovering just on the right side of tragedy.
The Peaky Blinders actor has just completed Dunkirk, a Christopher Nolan film which stars Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance, and the former One Direction heartthrob.

Pictures emerged of Styles, 22, on the set of the Second World War film recently, with short hair and wearing an army uniform.

Murphy told Radio Times magazine: Harry Styles is great.

I had very few scenes with Harry but we got to hang out and Ive got to say hes a great, great kid, and really, really funny.

Above all, Chris knows talent and would have cast Harry for a reason.

Theres a long history of musicians moving over into acting and I come from that world myself, said Murphy, who originally wanted to pursue a career in music.

So Im sure hell be terrific in the role. I trust Chris implicitly in that.

Murphy is set to begin shooting series four of Peaky Blinders next year.

He said he had no idea why a drama about gangsters in late 19th and early 20th century Birmingham had struck such a chord in the US.

I can only surmise. The quality of the writing is the main thing, he said.

None of us expected that this quite small show  certainly at the beginning  would have resonance over there. I mean, America mythologises their gangsters fantastically..

So (creator) Steven (Knight) was very clear that the show had that  that the working class were mythologised for a change.

And in America theyve been doing that for decades, so perhaps that is the connection.
Positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Donbas came under fire 91 times on Monday, the press center of the headquarters of Kyiv's army operation said on its Facebook account.

"Ninety-one instances of shelling were recorded in the past day, including 46 in the Donetsk region, 25 in the Luhansk region and 20 near the city of Mariupol," the press center said.

Eleven artillery strikes were conducted on Ukrainian military positions in Nevelske, Avdiyivka, Keramik, Peski, Zaitseve, Dacha and Kadem in the Donetsk region, it said. More than 40 152mm projectiles and over 200 122mm projectiles were fired during the strikes.

Mortars of different calibers, grenade launchers and large-caliber machineguns were used during strikes from Nevelske to the northern edge of the Svetlodarsk arc. Ukrainian military positions in Kyrove, Troitske and on the outskirts of Avdiyivka came under mortar fire. Armored hardware was more than once used against Ukrainian army positions near Verkhnetoretske and Luhanske. Anti-aircraft guns were also used in Luhanske. Ukrainian fortifications in Peski and Kamenets came under tank fire, and snipers were active in Verkhnetoretske.

Mortars, grenade launchers and submachine guns were used against Ukrainian army positions in Novooleksandrivka, Krymske and Stanytsia Luhanska in the Luhansk region. Grenade launchers of different systems were used in Novozvanivka, Popasna and Zhovte, large-caliber submachine guns were fired in Zolote, and infantry fighting vehicles were used in Zhovte. Snipers were also active in Novozvanivka, Novooleksandrivka, Zolote and Zhovte.

A multiple-launch rocket system was fired on Krasnohorivka, near the city of Mariupol, at the start of the day. Mortars, grenade launchers and submachine guns were used against Ukrainian positions in Shyrokyne. Mortars were fired in Krasnohorivka, Pavlopil and Taramchuk, grenade launchers and large-caliber submachine guns were used against Maryinka, and Talakivka and Hranytne came under small arms fire. Infantry fighting vehicles were also used against Ukrainian fortifications in Talakivka. An aerial reconnaissance attempt was recorded at this sector as well.
The commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia announced that his fighters ceased hostilities beginning at 12.01am yesterday as a result of the peace accord the sides reached last week.

Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos made a similar announcement, saying the military would halt attacks on the Farc beginning yesterday.

Farc leader Rodrigo Londono made his announcement in Havana, where rebel and government negotiators talked for four years to reach the deal on ending one of the worlds longest-running conflicts.

Never again will parents be burying their sons and daughters killed in the war, said Londono.

All rivalries and grudges will remain in the past.

Colombia is expected to hold a national referendum on October 2 to give voters the chance to approve the accord, which would end political violence that has claimed more than 220,000 lives and driven more than 5m people from their homes over five decades.

Top Farc commanders are planning to gather one final time in mid-September to ratify the deal.

Under the 297-page accord, Farc guerrillas are supposed to turn over their weapons within six months after the deal is formally signed.

In return, Farcs still unnamed future political movement will be given a minimum 10 congressional seats  five in the lower house, five in the senate  for two legislative periods.

In addition, 16 lower-house seats will be created for grassroots activists in rural areas traditionally neglected by the state and in which existing political parties will be banned from running candidates.

Critics of the peace process contend that will further boost the rebels post-conflict political power.

After 2026, both arrangements would end and the former rebels would have to demonstrate their political strength at the ballot box.

Not all hostilities are ending under the deal with Farc. The much smaller National Liberation Army remains active, although it is pursuing its own peace deal with the government.
Positioning himself as a defender of French values and tough on immigration, the conservative said last week that he would impose a nationwide ban on the swimwear that has divided the Socialist-led government and dominated political debate through much of August.

Frances highest administrative court suspended on Friday a ban on burkinis that had spread to a dozen French coastal cities on the grounds they violated fundamental liberties.

The bans have exposed secular Frances difficulties grappling with religious tolerance after Islamist militant attacks in a Normandy church and the Riviera city of Nice in July.

Images of armed police apparently enforcing the ban on a woman on a beach in Nice have added to the controversy.

The bans had been justified on public order grounds, and Socialist prime minister Manuel Valls appeared to defend officials who imposed them.

After the court set the bans aside, however, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said a law against the garments would be ruled unconstitutional.

Asked about that risk, Sarkozy said: Well, then we change the constitution. Weve changed it 30 odd times, its not a problem.

Sarkozy is struggling to catch up in the polls with rival Alain Juppe, a mild-mannered, more centrist former prime minister before their Republican partys primary elections in late November.

Cazeneuve, who was meeting with French Muslim leaders yesterday to ease religious tensions, said he would name veteran politician Jean-Pierre Chevenement to head an independent body charged with handling relations between the state and the religions representatives.

While Sarkozy has called for a law allowing mayors to ban the burkini, Cazeneuve told La Croix newspaper that such a law was unlikely under the current socialist government.

The government... refuses to legislate on this because a law would be unconstitutional, ineffective and likely to create antagonism and irreparable tensions, he said. We do not need a new law. Current laws clearly lay out Frances secularism.

The controversy has filtered into early campaigning for the presidential election in April 2017, making French cultural identity and security highly-charged issues in the political debates.

France needs healing and people coming together, not divisive outbursts by those contesting in primaries, Cazeneuve said.
After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband, Abedin said in a statement.

Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what is best for our son, who is the light of our life.

During this difficult time, I ask for respect for our privacy.

The decision comes after the New York Post published a photo of an underwear-clad Weiner and his son, Jordan, across its front page, reporting that Weiner had sent the photo to a woman he had met online.

The New York Post identified the woman only as a 40-something divorcee who lives out West and is a supporter of Donald Trump.

Other photos included several shots of Weiner bare-chested and two close-ups of his bulging underwear.

In one of the pictures, Weiner is in bed with his toddler son while he is texting the woman, according to the newspaper.

Weiner resigned from Congress in 2011 after being caught sending racy messages and photos to women he met online.

He was found to be doing the same again during his 2013 race for New York City mayor.

The scandal was the subject of an award-winning documentary, Weiner, released this year.

Abedin and Weiner wed in 2010 in a ceremony officiated by former US president Bill Clinton.

In a recent interview with the New York Times, Weiner declined to answer a question about whether he was still engaging in the activities that had gotten him in trouble in the past.

Im not going to go down the path of talking about any of that, he said.
They also called for efforts to ensure organised crime does not infiltrate lucrative construction contracts to eventually rebuild much of the picturesque towns levelled 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 vanishing.

Over the past three 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 were still working to retrieve others.

It was not clear if those six were included in the overall 290 death toll given by officials.

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 last 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, Mr 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.

With summer holidays in their final weeks, the school was not yet in use. Many were shocked it did not 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 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 neighbouring house, including a baby of eight months and a seven-year-old boy.

That bell tower had been recently restored with special funds allocated after Italys last major earthquake, which struck nearby LAquila in 2009.

Italys national anti-Mafia prosecutor, Franco Roberti, vowed to work to prevent organised 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. Post-earthquake reconstruction is historically a tempting morsel for criminal groups and colluding business interests.
Duterte drew a line between the widespread killings sparked by his anti-drug war and the brutality under Syrian president Bashar Assad and the atrocities committed by Islamic State group extremists.

Genocide? Who did I kill? I did not kill any child. I did not drop barrel (bombs) just like Assad, Duterte said in a speech to mark the Philippines national heroes day before war veterans, ambassadors and top officials.

Im fighting ... criminals.

Referring to Islamic State group militants, whom he called idiots, Duterte said, I do not burn women because they refuse to have sex.

At least 1,779 drug suspects have been killed in Dutertes campaign, including 712 who were gunned down in clashes with police, with the rest being slain in still-unclear circumstances, the national police chief told a Senate inquiry last week.

At least 3.7m Filipinos have become addicted to methamphetamine, a prohibited stimulant known locally as shabu, with about 600,000 drug users and dealers surrendering to authorities, Duterte said.

Human rights groups have expressed alarm over the spate of killings, and UN-appointed human rights experts warned steps should be taken to halt the violence.

Claims to fight the illicit drug trade do not absolve the government from its international legal obligations and do not shield state actors or others from responsibility for illegal killings, UN Special Rapporteur on summary executions Agnes Callamard said in a statement this month.

Duterte repeated his pledge to defend the police and military, but warned law enforcers against conniving with criminals.

In the pursuit of law and order, pursuant to my directions, you do not have to worry about criminal liability, he said.

I will go to the prison for you. I take full legal responsibility, you just do it according to the books.

But for those in government, the police, the corrupt police, and the corrupt judges, and the corrupt prosecutors  there will be a day of comeuppance, there will always be a day of reckoning, Duterte said.
It came as the weather improved and cash-hungry people-smugglers sent hapless refugees out in even flimsier craft  primarily because the navy have destroyed the vessels the Islamic State-controlled gangs are using after rescuing migrants from them.

The crew of LE James Joyce initially rescued 617 people from three wooden craft and five dinghies and brought them onboard the ship where they were given food, water, and medical treatment.

Lieutenant Commander Neil Manning, who is in charge of the ship, then sent more boarding parties to a number of other migrant-carrying vessels to rescue their 154 occupants.

They were transferred to the safety of merchant ship Assorou, which was in the area at the time.

A man holds onto the side of a boat after jumping into the sea from an overcrowded wooden vessel in the Mediterranean yesterday.

LE James Joyce surpassed the previous record of 647 rescued in one day which was created last year by LE Eithne.

The last time LE James Joyce was involved in a rescue in the area was on June 29, because the weather off the coast of Libya deteriorated and the wind was blowing in the wrong direction.

However, yesterday morning, it became apparent the weather had significantly changed for the better and people smugglers reacted by putting as many vessels into the water as they could.

Of those taken onboard the navy ship, 454 were men, 138 were women, and 25 were children.

The total number rescued yesterday was more than half the number LE James Joyce had retrieved from the sea since starting its tour of duty in the Mediterranean on July 16.

The rescues were undertaken 69km north east of the Libyan capital Tripoli.

People smugglers normally send out migrants in large wooden fishing vessels capable of holding up to 700 people and dinghies which can hold up to 130.

Yesterday, migrants were discovered crammed in a very small fishing boat and a much smaller dinghy than normal.

LE James Joyce was last night steaming to the Italian port of Calabria, where the ships crew will hand the migrants over to the authorities.

The navy ships crew has now rescued 1,882 migrants since it began its deployment in the region.

The ship is due to return from her mission to the Naval Service headquarters at Haulbowline, Co Cork, on September 30.
For the past year, the group in the dome on the Mauna Loa mountain could go outside only while wearing spacesuits.

Cyprien Verseux, a crew member from France, said the simulation showed a mission to Mars could succeed.

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, Verseux said.

Christiane Heinicke, a crew member from Germany, said the scientists were able to find their own water in a dry climate.

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.

Kim Binsted, principal investigator for the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS), said the researchers are looking forward to getting in the ocean and eating fresh produce and other foods that werent available in the dome.

NASA funded the study run through the University of Hawaii.
Burma ANP Lawmaker Calls for Removal of International Experts From Arakan State Commission

Aung Kyaw San, ANP Lower House lawmaker. / San Mya Mya Aye

RANGOON  Arakan National Party (ANP) Lower House lawmaker Aung Kyaw San submitted an urgent parliamentary proposal on Tuesday calling for three non-Burmese experts on the Arakan State Advisory Commission to be replaced with local academic specialists.

The proposal will be debated in Parliament on Sept. 1 with the vote for further discussion receiving backing from Lower House military representatives. According to MP Aung Kyaw San, about 20 legislators expressed interest in joining the debate.

Even some NLD members support the proposal, but I dont know what will happen in the next session, he said, referring to parliamentarians belonging to the ruling National League for Democracy party.

The State Counselors Officeheaded by Daw Aung San Suu Kyiformed the nine-member Arakan State Advisory Commission with three international representatives on August 24. The commission will reportedly recommend lasting solutions to complex and delicate issues in Arakan State, in reference to ongoing tension and a history of violence often directed toward the self-identifying Rohingya minority.

The international commission members include former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Ghassan Salame, a scholar from Lebanon and once-advisor to Mr. Annan, and Laetitia van den Assum, a diplomat from the Netherlands and a UN advisor.

There are also six members from Burmatwo Buddhist Arakanese members, two Muslim members and two government representatives are included in the commission. The Arakanese Buddhist members and the Muslim members are from the commercial capital of Rangoon; the Muslim members are not themselves linked to Arakan State. There are no Rohingya members of the commission.

On August 25, the ANP published a letter of objection to the government demanding a cancellation of the commission, stating that it would diminish the rights of indigenous peoplea reference to the Buddhist Arakaneseand national sovereignty.

The commissions purpose is to gather suggestions from relevant people, including international experts, regarding the most appropriate manner to address the conflict in Arakan State. Also a priority is the guarantee the security of the regions residents. Recommendations for prevention of conflict, further provision of humanitarian support, addressing the issues of rights and reconciliation, and contributing to the construction of basic infrastructure are also included in the commissions work.

In his proposal, Aung Kyaw San specifically objected to what he described as foreigners interference in internal affairs, stating that selecting international members for the commission demonstrated the low confidence of the government in the countrys ability to address its own issues.

The ANP MP also objected to a commission review of refugees from Arakan Statemost of whom identify as Rohingya Muslimswith the purpose of possibly facilitating some of the individuals returns to Burma. This, Aung Kyaw San said, would be like pouring fuel on the fire.

I dont believe that the commission will have a good impact on us, he added.

In an interview with The Irrawaddy last week, Muslim commission member Al Haj U Aye Lwin said that he welcomed the involvement of international committee members, noting that the challenges facing Arakan State have grown beyond those of a domestic issue and have become the focus of global concern.
Burma Burma, India Agree to Cooperate on Defense, Energy, Infrastructure

President U Htin Kyaw seen with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to India, Aug. 27-30. / President Office Myanmar / Facebook

RANGOON  Burma and India have inked four memorandums of understanding (MoU) to promote bilateral cooperation in the areas of traditional medicine, renewable energy and infrastructural connectivity.

Burmese President U Htin Kyaw oversaw the agreements during a four-day visit to India from August 27-30. In a joint statement released on Monday, after the MoU signing ceremony, the two sides pledged to strengthen security and defense cooperation along the border, and develop infrastructure and prosperity in border areas.

The Burmese President held wide-ranging discussions with Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest, according to the joint statement.

U Htin Kyaws visit followed the visit of Burmas State Counselor and Foreign Minister Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to China, August 17-21, which attracted substantially more media attention and commentary.

The four MoUs signed by respective ministers from the two countries concerned cooperation in the areas of traditional systems of medicine, renewable energy, and the construction or upgrading of bridges and road stretches along the Tamu-Kyigone-Kalewa and Kalewa-Yagyi sections of the Trilateral Highway connecting Moreh in northeast India to Mae Sot in Thailand, via Burma.

During the visit, the two sides reiterated their shared commitment to fight the scourge of terrorism and insurgent activity in all its forms and manifestations, and uphold the policy of not allowing any insurgent groups to use their soil for hostile activities against the other side, according to the joint statement.

Indias Prime Minister Modi remarked at the joint press conference on Monday that Burma holds a unique position as a land bridge that connects India with Southeast Asia, and highlighted Burmas new era of democratic leadership and the commitment of your people to democracy.

[Burmas] President and I agreed to work together for the safety and security of our people, Modi said, and actively cooperate to combat the common challenges of terrorism and insurgent activity in our region.

Let me assure you that, at every step of the way, the 1.25 billion people of India will stand by youboth as partners and as friends.

President U Htin Kyaw said his visit was aimed at enhancing traditional ties of friendship between the two governments and people. He said cultural and academic exchange between the two countries should be strengthened.

Greater bilateral cooperation between India and [Burma] is required to promote inclusive growth and development and to contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in both countries and in the region as a whole, U Htin Kyaw said.

India offered to share its experience of parliamentary governance, and of power and resource sharing between national and state-level governmentsat a time when a transition to federalism is being discussed as part of peace negotiations in Burma.

Burma also invited Indian companies to bid for tenders in the petrochemical and petroleum sector.

According to the joint statement, the two countries have agreed to begin operating facilities connected to the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, which now links Sittwe in Arakan State with Paletwa in Chin State, by December 2016.
Burma Civil Society Demands Burma Army Halt Offensives

Preparations for the Union Peace Conference get underway at the Myanmar International Convention Center-2 in Naypyidaw on Tuesday. / The Irrawaddy

RANGOON  Forty Burmese civil society groups have demanded that the Burma Army halt offensives against ethnic armed groups, and that a ceasefire be mutually agreed before the 21st Century Panglong Conference begins on Wednesday in Naypyidaw.

The assortment of youth, gender, human rights and peace-focused civil society groups from across Burma called for equality to underpin negotiations at the conference towards a future democratic federal union.

The joint statement said that fighting initiated by the Burma Army has undermined mutual respect and trust between government forces and ethnic armed groups, which are fundamental to successful negotiations. The statement called for the government, the Burma Army and ethnic armed groups to find peaceful solutions that provide for the security of people living in conflict-affected regions.

The civil society groups also demanded that Burmas colonial-era Unlawful Associations Actwhich criminalizes interaction with non-state armed groupsbe repealed, so as to enable civil society to fully participate in the peace process and political dialogue.

The statement welcomed the inclusion of armed groups that have not signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in the peace conference, but highlighted the government and the Burma Armys responsibility to invite those groups excluded from the current conference to future peace conferences.

U Aung Myo Min, executive director of Rangoon-based organization Equality Myanmar, which was party to the statement, expressed his high expectations toward the 21st Century Panglong Conference, as the right path to deliver peace and end long-standing armed conflict.

As long as there is fighting, we cannot hope for peace, he said.
Approximately 500 persons are listed as missing in Donbas, Verkhovna Rada Vice-Speaker and Ukrainian representative to the Trilateral Contact Group's humanitarian subgroup Iryna Gerashchenko said.

"About 500 persons are currently listed as missing. Lots of them disappeared after the [battle of] Ilovaisk," she said on the Svoboda Slova program aired by the television channel ICTV on Monday evening.

She noted the importance of Red Cross access for finding, identifying and releasing the captives.

A mission of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) will come to Ukraine on Tuesday to discuss those matters, Gerashchenko said.
Economy India Eyes Further Expansion Into Burmese Markets

Burmese President U Htin Kyaw shakes hands with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) during his ceremonial reception at the forecourt of Indias Rashtrapati Bhavan presidential palace in New Delhi, India on August 29, 2016. / Adnan Abidi / Reuters

RANGOON  Indias investors have been eyeing Burmas health, energy, agriculture and automobile sectors, with bilateral trade agreements inked during President U Htin Kyaws recent visit to the country.

During his four-day trip to India, which began on Saturday, the Burmese President and the Indian leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, agreed to promote trade and expand cooperation, particularly in agriculture, banking and energy. According to a joint statement released on Tuesday, both sides commended how trade between the Burma and India has demonstrated resilience to global trends.

Despite being neighbors, Indias total investment in Burma was just over US$224 million during the 2015-2016 fiscal yearsignificantly lower than the investments of other regional countries, like China. No new Indian investments were made during the first four months of the 2016-2017 fiscal year.

Than Aung Kyaw, deputy director general of the Directorate of Investment and Companies Administration, said that India is interested in investing in Burmas automobile and agricultural sectors, but that those sectors are currently heavily influenced by other Asian nations.

For example, Japans used car market is very powerful and Chinas used agriculture machines and equipment are also taking the majority of shares in the market, he said.

Since under the previous government administration led by U Thein Sein, Indias Tata Motors has had a presence in the automobile industry in Burma, but their products have not been able to shake Japanese dominance in the sector.

Actually Indias import volume is quite low; Burmas export is much higher. There are many factors why trade is still low, said Than Aung Kyaw.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, total trade volume between India and Burma has reached US$1.17 billion, while Burma-China trade is $10.9 billion.

Economist Khin Maung Nyo said a major factor contributing to the low trade volume with India is a lack of connectivity and infrastructure in both Burma and India.

Infrastructure development is weak. For example, the India-Myanmar-Thai highway is still under construction from the Indian side. There are still armed groups on the Indian side that can make it difficult to promote border trade, as well, he said, also describing Indias bureaucracy as complicated.

President U Htin Kyaws visit, Tuesdays statement said, was an effort on the part of both the Indian and Burmese governments to identify and removeimpediments to bilateral trade, while highlighting the importance of security along the India-Burma border.

The two sides expressed satisfaction at the progress made in the implementation of Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, agreeing that the completed facilities in Sittwe in Arakan State, and Paletwa in Chin State, should be operational by December 2016. Both countries leaders were also pleased by the signing of two memorandums of understanding pertaining to the implementation of India-Myanmar-Thailand highway project connecting the region.

The two leaders highlighted the progress made in upgrading the Yangon Childrens Hospital and the Sittwe General Hospital with assistance from India.

Both sides also agreed that continuing to export a supply of pulses from Burma to India would mutually benefit Burmese farmers and Indian consumers.
Interview Panglong Vox Pops

Preparations for the Union Peace Conference at the Myanmar International Convention Center-2 in Naypyidaw on Tuesday. / The Irrawaddy

The Irrawaddy asks members of civil society, the business community and the general public for their thoughts on the 21st Century Panglong Conference, starting on Wednesday in Naypyidaw, where peace negotiations with ethnic armed groups will begin in an environment of high expectations, alongside skepticism in some quarters.

Khun Bernard: general-secretary of the Union of Karenni State Youth

What do you expect from the Panglong conference?

Everyone is demanding all-inclusiveness, but the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Arakan Army (AA), alongside some other ethnic armed groups, are not invited to the conference. So, all-inclusiveness is not being realized. I dont expect much from the conference; it will just feature discussions about the next round of negotiations.

What do you think is the most important element required for peace in the country?

The most important thing is to achieve internal peace through all-inclusive dialogue. If all stakeholders are not included, peace will not be fully achieved.

Mai Myo Aung: Taang Students and Youth Organization

What do you expect from the Panglong conference?

If all [stakeholders] were included as demanded by ethnic groups, we would expect a lot. But, without the participation of all stakeholders in war zones, I dont think they can make many decisions. So, I dont have high expectations toward it.

What do you think is the most important element required for peace in the country?

If all ethnic armed groups in war zones were included, it would be a first step towards peace across Burma.

Khin Shwe: chairman of the Zaykabar Group of Companies

What do you expect from the Panglong conference?

Peace is important, therefore I welcome the Panglong peace conference. The places where peace still does not prevail are virgin lands and rich in unexploited natural resources.

What do you think is the most important element required for peace in the country?

The government needs to create business opportunities for the [ethnic armed] groups. Only then they will be able to make a greater contribution towards peace.

Karen and Mon states and Tenasserim Division will soon become major driving forces in the countrys economic performance. The Asian Highway is now under construction and those regions will develop by leaps and bounds after the East-West economic corridor is completed.

Aung Myo Min: human rights activist and executive director of Equality Myanmar

What do you expect from the Panglong conference?

The conference marks the start of a path to discuss age-old armed conflicts, and seek solutions. Surely, the conference wont solve all the problems in one sitting. It will just be the starting point for adopting principles and finding ways and means to solve these problems.

What do you think is the most important element required for peace in the country?

Mutual respect is the most important thing. Our country experienced civil war and conflict because there was no mutual respect or equality. So, unless trustbased on respectis built, it is not possible to takes steps toward a solution.

I want for the peace conference to set an example, and for presentations and discussions to be based on mutual respect and openness, to help bring about selfless devotion to national interests. At the same time, we are very concerned that [stakeholders] may present only their own problems, and the discussion will get nowhere.

Wai Hin Aung: Wan Lark Foundation, a local NGO in Arakan State

What do you expect from the Panglong conference?

I dont expect much. We feel that the 21st Century Panglong Conference has not been an honest undertaking from the very beginning. We view it as discrimination that the government has left out three groups [AA, MNDAA, TNLA] while it has invited most other ethnic armed groups.

The coming conference does not include all ethnicities, so I have no trust in it.

What do you think is the most important element required for peace in the country?

Most of all, it is necessary that all ethnicities be included. You cant leave out this or that group. We would talk face to face, to build mutual understanding before moving forward toward peace. Of course, that process would take time. But the government has already left out some groups. This cannot create peace, and will just intensify clashes.

Hla Maung Thein, 56: a resident of Ngazinyine Village in Kyauktaw Township of Arakan State, displaced by clashes between the Arakan Army and the Burma Army

What do you expect from the Panglong conference?

I have high expectations. I want for all ethnic armed groups to be included. Only then will the country achieve peace. Since the country is not peaceful, we have to flee from one place to another.

I heard that certain groups are not included in the peace conference. I am sorry for their absence, because peace and stability cant be built without the inclusion of all.

What do you think is the most important element required for peace in the country?

It needs reasonable compromises from both sides. Now, both sides are sticking to their own policies and are unwilling to meet the demands of the other side. The demands made should be reasonable, and should be granted if they are reasonable.

Saw Honest: chairman of the Mae La refugee camp in Thailand

What do you expect from the Panglong conference?

Many people in the camp [located by the border with Burma] are not aware of the conference. Only politically engaged residents are interested in it. I support the conference and hope for positive results.

What do you think is the most important element required for peace in the country?

It will very much depend on our Karen leaders [in the Karen National Union, one of the armed stakeholders in the conference] and the government to reach an agreement. We have been preparing for years to return home. We hope it will help bring real peace to the country.

Naw Blooming Night Zar: spokesperson for the Karen Refugee Committee

What do you expect from the Panglong conference?

I welcome the Panglong conference. We hope it will deliver a federal democracy that grants rights to education and healthcare at the [sub-national] level. But the conference wont result in concrete decisions because there are a lot of participants and many issues will be raised. However, it is a good start before more detailed work is undertaken in the peace process.

What do you think is the most important element required for peace in the country?

The most important thing is for a ceasefire across the country to be reached. Not only ethnic armed groups, but also the Burma Army, should cease fighting. Political dialogue should then follow. Without a nationwide ceasefire, it would be a fake or incomplete peace.

U Nayaka: abbot of the Phaung Daw Oo monastic education school in Mandalay

What do you expect from the Panglong conference?

Im thinking, after all the positive signs weve seen, that Panglong could be the successful means of ending all armed conflicts in the country, even though some ethnic armed groups have been left out. I believe they will be allowed to attend future conferences, because all-inclusiveness is important for this process.

To end all conflicts and bring back peace, it is important to have dialogue, where all parties can negotiate for the sake of the country. If wars and conflicts continue, our country will never be stable. If theres no stability, there will be no democracy.

What do you think is the most important element required for peace in the country?

The most important thing is to build back trust, which was broken a long time ago. To build back trust, the parties need to talk face to face. It will take time. If theres no trust, peace will not be sustainable. If the parties do not let go of their egos, the conflicts will never end.
Lifestyle Ten Things to Do in Rangoon This Week

A football final, a lethwei world championship, charity events and art exhibitionsall in Rangoon this week, as picked by The Irrawaddy.

Bogyoke Aung San Shield Soccer Final

The final match of the season, between Myanmar National League rivals Magway FC and Yangon United FC, will be held at Aung San Stadium.

Where: Aung San Stadium, Mingalar Taung Nyunt Tsp.

When: Wednesday, August 17, 3:30pm

Save Myanmar Charity EDM Show

Organized by the Myanmar DJ Charity Foundation, an electronic dance music show will be held at J-One Music Bar to help flood victims. The entrance fee is 5,000 kyats.

Where: J-One Music Bar, Bo Cho Street, behind the Union Business Center, Tamwe Tsp., Tel: 09 5085908

When: Friday, August 19, 5pm

Art in Me, Sculpted From Found Objects, Solo Exhibition Opening

Over the years, Artist Nann Nann has collected objects from antique shops around the country, which she has now repurposed as art.

Where: The Yangon Gallery, Pyay Road, Peoples Park & Square, Sanchaung Tsp., Tel: 09-738 27777

When: Friday, August 19 to Tuesday, August 23

Myanmar Lethwei World Championship

The countrys first Lethwei World Championship will be held in Rangoon with bouts between international champions and Burmas fighters. Tickets are available for 10,000, 30,000 or 50,000 kyats, and the matches will also be aired live on Skynet Sport-3 and MNTV. Lethwei is a traditional Burmese form of martial artor kickboxinganalogous to Muay Thai in Thailand.

Where: Thuwunna National Indoor Stadium

When: Sunday, August 21, 5pm

Atmosphere Watercolor Exhibition

A group watercolor exhibition featuring 77 artists will be held at Lokanat Gallery, with 200 paintings on display with prices between $100 and $1,500.

Where: Lokanat Galleries, 62 Pansodan St, First Floor, Kyauktada Tsp., Tel. 095-1382-269

When: Monday, August 15 to Friday, August 19

MPP Yei Myint Charity Art Show

MPP Yei Myint holds a charity exhibition for flood victims at Cloud 31 Art Gallery. Twenty-five paintings, each priced at 300,000 kyats, will be on display. Half of the sale proceeds will be donated to flood victims through the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation.

Where: Cloud 31 Art Gallery, No.49/51, First Floor, 31st Street, Lower Block

When: Saturday, August 20 to Sunday, August 28

Watercolor Exhibition

A trio of watercolor artists will showcase 100 paintings at the River Ayeyarwaddy Gallery. There will be around 100 paintings on display at the exhibition.

Where: River Ayeyarwaddy Gallery, No. 134, 35th Street, Kyauktada Tsp., Tel:09-428324318

When: Monday, August 15 to Wednesday, August 17

Myanmar Contemporary Art Movements Crossing Borders III

A group exhibition of about 30 paintings from 11 artists will be showcased at Think Art Gallery.

Where: Think Art Gallery, No. 23, Nawaday Street, Dagon Tsp., Tel: 09-5143266.

When: Sunday, August 21 to Saturday, August 27

Thanlyin 2016

Fourteen artists will showcase about 70 works in different mediums at the Myanmar Artists and Artisans Association.

Where: Myanmar Artists and Artisan Organization, Bogyoke Market

When: Wednesday, August 17 to Sunday, August 21

Waveless Water Charity Exhibition

A charity group art exhibition to benefit flood victims will be held at Hninzi Myaing Art Gallery at the Hninzigon Home for the Aged. Seventy percent of the proceeds from the sale will be donated.

Where: Hninzi Myaing Art Gallery, Hninzigon Home for the Aged, Kabar Aye Pagoda Road

When: Friday, August 19 to Tuesday, August 23
9 Rules for Digital Transformation in the Enterprise

According to the newly released results of a survey of mid-market executives in the United States, CIOs and other IT leaders are increasingly likely to be identified as the individuals who drive technology adoption in their companies.

The findings, highlighted in Deloittes 2016 Mid-Market Technology Report released earlier this month, showed that 49 percent of respondents said IT executives direct the adoption of new and emerging technologies, up from 36 percent in 2015. I spoke with Steve Keathley, national technology leader of Deloitte Growth Enterprise Services, about whats driving this trend, and he attributed it to the promise of technologies such as cloud, analytics and IoT having been fulfilled. In other words, the C-suite is now full of believers.

I think what were seeing is initiatives that often started as pilots are bearing real fruit, and companies are much more willing to continue to invest along those lines, Keathley said. As a result, IT leaders are getting a bigger seat at the table in the C-suite  theyre spending less time talking to business leaders about platforms, and technical things that tend to make peoples eyes glaze over. Theyre talking more about the impact of technology internally within the business, and also within the customer base.

I have a feeling that a lot of IT leaders would argue that theyve always been the ones who drive technology adoption in their companies, so they really dont see whats new here. When I raised that point with Keathley, he said whats changed is the maturity of cloud and its ease of adoption, particularly in the mid-market. In the past, he said, IT leaders had to spend the preponderance of their time and energy dealing with the resource challenges associated with things like platform upgrades.

Now, if you want to upgrade to a cloud platform, you spend a whole lot less time having to talk about the capital required because of the platform upgrade, Keathley said. You can spend a lot more time talking with business leaders about the transformative aspect of it. I think thats changed the tone of the conversation. The time-to-value has gotten the attention of business leaders  theyre starting to see some of the promises actually come true in a way they never did before, or never fully understood before. I think thats the difference here.

Another interesting finding of the survey was that 54 percent of respondents ranked concerns over data security weaknesses as one of their top three reasons for investing in cloud technology. I mentioned to Keathley it wasnt that long ago that the respondents would likely have listed security concerns as one of their top three reasons for not investing in cloud technology. He said thats absolutely true.

The cloud providers have spent a tremendous amount of time, energy, and money on security  its an essential business issue for them, Keathley said. They have to provide secure platforms. Thats matured a lot over the last three or four years, and I think cloud providers are putting in a level of security, and a sophistication of cyber defense, that businesses couldnt afford to do on their own. And theyre now using that as one of the value drivers for going to the cloud.

Keathley wrapped up the conversation by highlighting the significance of all this in the mid-market.

I think what were seeing, particularly in the mid-market, is that businesses have been able to leverage a lot of these trends fairly easily, because the cost of entry is fairly low, he said. And because of the focused nature of their businesses, theyve been more willing and able to really take advantage of these things in a way that some of the larger companies may be lagging behind on.

The Deloitte survey was conducted by OnResearch earlier this summer. It polled 500 executives at U.S. mid-market companies to examine technology trends, and how technology influences business decisions.

A contributing writer on IT management and career topics with IT Business Edge since 2009, Don Tennant began his technology journalism career in 1990 in Hong Kong, where he served as editor of the Hong Kong edition of Computerworld. After returning to the U.S. in 2000, he became Editor in Chief of the U.S. edition of Computerworld, and later assumed the editorial directorship of Computerworld and InfoWorld. Don was presented with the 2007 Timothy White Award for Editorial Integrity by American Business Media, and he is a recipient of the Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for editorial excellence in news coverage. Follow him on Twitter @dontennant.

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The upcoming season of Wentworth will never be the same with Bea Smiths downfall. Next in line for the much-coveted top dog post is no other than Joan "The Freak" Ferguson, the person responsible for Smith's devastating death.

The finale of Wentworth season 4 portrayed the heart-tugging demise of Bea. While the series did not show scenes validating her death like a wake or her burial, rumor has it that Bea is still fighting for her life and that she will still appear in the new season with a minor role.

iTech Post noted in a previous report that her reappearance on the show is likened to a Jon Snow comeback. Fans hold on to the last string of their hope that Bea could still make it considering her major character is highly significant and that her loss is widely viewed as unacceptable. Unfortunately, it seems like the final curtain has been drawn for the character.

News.com.au revealed that producer Jo Porter confirmed the end for Beas role in Wentworth.

It is always an incredibly difficult decision to say farewell to a much-loved and revered character like Bea Smith, said Porter.

Which is why this storyline has had such a huge impact on us all and we are sure fans will feel the same. This decision was particularly hard as it meant also saying goodbye to Danielle Cormack, the producer elaborated.

Meanwhile, Danielle Cormack, who plays the role of Bea was in Cambodia for a charity project as her ex-coworkers started filming last month. She has not yet commented about the conclusion of her character.

With Beas official demise in the Australian drama series, viewers are left guessing as to who will take her throne as the Top Dog. Joan might take the lead as she is depicted as a perfect fit for the job considering her killing skills. Another candidate is Kaz Proctor, who got the majority of votes during the finale of the last season.
Former tax minister Klymenko's lawyers claim he is not suspect

Lawyers for Ukraine's former income and tax minister and leader of the Successful Ukraine political party Oleksandr Klymenko claim he is not a suspect and all actions by state investigators involving him as a suspect are illegal.

"Until today Oleksandr Klymenko has not been named as a suspect," Tetiana Zhukovska said at a press conference in Kyiv.

She said declarations made by Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko about investigating criminal cases against Klymenko involving losses of UAH 198 billion are groundless.

Zhukovska said that Klymenko's lawyers know about two criminal cases against Klymenko, but they do not mention losses, allegedly incurred by Klymenko, as stated by Lutsenko.

According to the lawyer, in one criminal investigation, Klymenko is suspected of misusing public office and incurring a loss to the state through unpaid taxes to the budget in the amount of UAH 126 million. In the other case, Klymenko is suspected of embezzling UAH 616 million in value added tax (VAT) compensation via a commercial entity (both cases have been open since 2014).

"In connection with these confusing statements and these amounts, and if Lutsenko continues to make unfounded statements, then we, Klymenko's lawyers, will appeal to Ukrainian courts to defend his honor and business reputation," Klymenko's lawyer Olena Klymenko said.

Lutsenko earlier said that the sum of losses incurred by the activities of companies affiliated with Klymenko and businessman Serhiy Kurchenko amounted to UAH 198 billion.

Kyiv's Pechersk District Court on August 19 turned down the PGO's request to begin the procedure of investigating Klymenko in absentia.
After Pangu's iOS 9.3.3 Jailbreak tool has been rendered useless by Apple's iOS 9.3.5 update, Jailbreaking fans might be up for a very long wait for a new tool from the popular Chinese hacking team Pangu.

Pangu Has No Plans To Release iOS 9.3.5 Jailbreak

The Chinese hacking team Pangu is already focusing its efforts on cracking iOS 10, Apple's upcoming mobile operating system. This is bad news for Apple iPhone users who are fond of jailbreaking their devices.

According to Enstarz, the Pangu team does not plans to release a iOS 9.3.5 jailbreak tool and Apple's latest mobile OS update effectively rendered useless the iOS 9.3.3 jailbreak. For a pretty long time, there might not be a fix, unfortunately, for jailbroken devices.

According to International Business Times, the Chinese hacking team that is behind the jailbreak updates to iOS is already focusing its efforts to create a jailbreak tool for Apple's upcoming mobile operating system, iOS 10, scheduled to be released by October. This would certainly be the operating system of choice for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus upcoming Apple flagship devices.

Just like Apple's top priority now is iOS 10, the Chinese hacking group Pangu has as top priority the upcoming iOS. In these circumstances, according to tech analysts, it is highly unlikely that Pangu would release an iOS 9.3.5 jailbreak tool. The group would just focus instead towards developing a jailbreak tool for iOS 10.

What Alternatives Are Left For iOS 9.3.3. Jailbreak Users?

Apple's updates are permanent and this means that there are actually no alternatives left for the users of Pangu's iOS 9.3.3 jailbreak tool. In the fortunate case where users have not initiated an iOS 9.3.5 update yet, their best option is to keep iPhones running iOS 9.3.3 or iOS 9.3.4.

This would ensure that their jailbreak in the device will keep working. But the problem is that by doing so their device will be vulnerable to security risks like the notorious Pegasus spyware, as reported by MacRumors.
The much awaited Season 7 of the hit HBO series 'Game of Thrones' is about to start filming and the rumor mills are off the charts. George R.R. Martin has not written this season in the books yet so fans are left in the smoke to do their own 'Game of Thrones' Season 7 spoilers.

One such spoiler according to Parent Herald is a twitter post that mentioned lots of activity in the Ireland filming location. It seems like there are plenty of workers setting up something that looks like the Dragonpit that was built by the Targaryens to house their pet dragons.

#GameOfThrones Titanic Studios, Belfast, Ireland, a hive of activity this week as preparations for Season 7 are continuing.  Irish Thrones (@IrishThrones) August 26, 2016

Another exciting 'Game of Thrones' Season 7 spoiler was reported by the Independent. Apparently, there was a casting call for new characters this season. And as per the usual practice of the show, there were no names on the characters but only generic titles and character descriptions.

Here are 9 new characters that you might see on the upcoming season of 'Game of Thrones':

Merchant, around 40 years old. A non-combatant role and will appear at an inn one busy evening. No ethnicity was mentioned for this character and is scheduled to shoot in the first week of November.

Lovely Lady, an attractive woman that will play the role a courtesan who has good speaking parts. It was also indicated that full nudity is required for the role. The character is scheduled to shoot in early October.

Young Lord, a tall handsome white actor who is in his late 20's that speak in RP accent. He is scheduled to start shooting in September.

Priest, speaks using an RP accent, white and in his 60's. He is scheduled to shoot in September.

Gate Guard, a confident, straight-talking Northerner in his 20's. He must be witty, charismatic, and good timing. He is set to film between October and November.

Warrior, a white tough looking character that has great combat skills. This role will have a considerable amount of speaking lines and will shoot by October.

Lieutenant, an athletic, disciplined warrior in his 20's. The show is looking for someone who is not white but someone who has Middle Eastern descent. Might be a Dothraki character perhaps? This character is set to shoot between September and November.

City Guard, in his 30's and has an RP accent. This character will intercept a suspicious looking person during his nightly patrol. He will start filming by October.

General, a 40-55 year-old white actor that uses a British RP accent. He will shoot for a week in September.

The smash hit has no confirmed season premiere yet. For now, fans will have to make do with 'Game of Thrones' season 7 spoilers to satiate their excitement.
The year is almost over and not a sight of the new Surface devices from Microsoft has appeared. This further fuels the curiosity of fans as to when the new Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is going to be announced.

Luckily, even though Microsoft has not yet provided a statement about it's upcoming device's unveiling, there are still a number of clues that can lead everyone to determine the release date of the Microsoft Surface Pro 5.

Microsoft Surface Pro 5 Release Date

With Microsoft being mum on the topic about the Microsoft Surface Pro 5, rumorists and leaksters took a look around to find hints about the device. According to various sources, the company is probably waiting for some things before they announce the device.

It has been mentioned several times that the company will use Intel's new Kaby Lake processors in the Microsoft Surface Pro 5. This means that Kaby Lake must be officially shipped first before the device can be announced.

It was also mentioned that the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is waiting for the arrival of the major Windows update, called Redstone 2.

Since Kaby Lake has just started shipping to manufacturers during the second quarter or this year, it is possible that the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 will be announced on October.

Redstone 2 has been rumored to come next year, but it is also possible that the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 will get it first. According to another source, the first preview of the upgrade has already been given to insiders since early August.

Microsoft Surface Pro 5 Specs

Aside from the processor and the OS, the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is expected to come with very impressive specifications.

According to various sources, the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is expected to have up to 16 GB of RAM, a high-capacity primary camera, and a dedicated graphics chip.

Microsoft Surface Pro 5 Price

Based on the device's history, it is expected that the new Microsoft Surface Pro 5 will come at a price higher than the average tablet, and possibly even higher than previous models. Speculations suggest that the new device would cost about $800 for the base model.
Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer is not returning to the Fox's action drama series "24". The show's new season, "24: Legacy" is not a reboot of Jack Bauer's story but rather it will feature a new hero, Eric Carter to be played by Corey Hawkins.

Eric Carter, ScreenRant reported, is an ex-Army ranger and is described as strong and smart at the same time. His plans of early retirement with his lovely wife, Nicole Carter (Anna Diop), were cut short when he chose to stop a potential terrorist attack in the United States.

According to TV Line, "24: Legacy" is based on a true story. It is about the guys who are responsible for taking out Osama Bin Laden.

Executive producer Evan Katz revealed that they do have plans to bring some of the old characters back in "24: Legacy" but as for now, the priority of the show is to establish "these new characters, and have the audience build relationship with them." Katz added, "But we have some surprises planned."

But how will Carter measure up against Bauer? We all know that Jack Bauer is a seasoned agent. He is all too familiar with the world of espionage. As for Carter, he is a soldier, a good one at that, but the world of espionage is new to him.

Maybe it is part of Carter's charm - someone who is just doing his job was suddenly thrust to the world that is unknown to him. If the goal behind "24: Legacy" is for Eric Carter to connect to the audience, I think his character is going to be successful in doing that.

Other cast of "24: Legacy" will include Miranda Otto, playing the role of Rebecca Ingram who is the former head of CTU and Charlie Hofheimer who plays the role Marcus Grimes, another ex-Army Ranger, Carter's former partner who now suffers from PTSD.
John Kappelman, along with orthopedic surgeon Stephen Pearce and other researchers, examined Lucy's fossil and described how she might have gotten those cracks in her bones. Meanwhile, Arizona State University's Donald Johanson rejected their claim.

Lucy's Deadly Fall

Kappelman described the injuries that Lucy sustained such as those in her right ankle, left knee, pelvis, first rib and right humerus. The fossils that were examined are only 40 percent of her body. The abovementioned damages are akin to someone who fell. He said, "I think the injuries were so severe that she probably died very rapidly after the fall." Furthermore, the most significant injury that she incurred is on her right arm. According to TIME, this might be the reason why Kappelman suggested that it might be a result of Lucy's fall from a tree.

Other Scientists Disagree

According to The Guardian, Arizona State University's Donald Johanson refuted Kappelman. He held that the cracks they found on Lucy are not any different from what are typically seen on fossils. "We don't know how long the fossilization process takes, but the enormous set of forces placed on the bones during the build-up of sediments covering the bones is a significant factor in promoting damage and breakage," he added.

Paleoanthropologist Tim White from the University of California at Berkeley also agreed that those cracks are only the usual fossil damage. He clarified, "If paleontologists were to apply the same logic and assertion to the many mammals whose fossilized bones have been distorted by geological forces, we would have everything from gazelles to hippos, rhinos, and elephants climbing and falling from high trees," he said.

Who is Lucy?

Lucy is part of the species Australopithecus afarensis. She was discovered in 1974 by Johanson and his student in northern Ethiopia. Her bones have been fossilized for 3.2 million years. It was displayed at the Houston Museum of Natural Science on Aug. 28, 2007.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister for European integration Ihor Dolhov has met with a NATO defense planning delegation in Kyiv; the delegation arrived in Ukraine on August 29 to participate in an expert session on Ukraine's involvement in the planning and appraisal of forces process.

David Brown from the planning department of the NATO International Secretariat's Defense Policy and Planning Division is the delegation head, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's press service said on Tuesday. The delegation is due to have working meetings with the heads of relevant units of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and Armed Forces' General Staff, and representatives of the State Border Service, the National Guard, the State Emergency Service and the Security Service.

The new national security strategy and military doctrine define every area of reforms in the defense and security sector, including the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Dolhov said.

The sides discussed progress of reforms in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and fields for further expert consulting and NATO practical support to the Ukrainian army, in particular, from the angle of the NATO summit in Warsaw.

The Ukrainian deputy defense minister noted close cooperation between the ministry and the NATO office in Ukraine.
has a new Android app that solicits your help to improve its services like translations Maps info.

Crowdsource lets you rate translations, validate image recognition, render a verdict on s other language efforts. You start off by telling what langues youre fluent in, then you can choose from a batch of activities to engage with.

Theres a Contributions tab that keeps track of the number of tasks youve completed, but unfortunately there arent any rewards for donating your time talent to .

Give Crowdsource a try if you want to offer your translation expertise.

The company has been known to dangle a carrot for users. For example, the cal Guides service lets you earn free Drive storage or Opinion Rewards, which offers you ay Store credits in exchange for answering survey questions. Since theres a tracker for your contributions, perhaps this will change down the line.

Crowdsource is available in the ay Store now.

y this matters: is making machine learning a major focus of its future efforts. But that still requires a human touch, since language is filled with a considerable amount of nuance conjecture. Those are areas that algorithms dont always do well with, so getting feedback from living people is valuable information for .
Get unlimited access to all content and features at ivpressonline.com with our Full Online Access Subscription. Read our E-Edition, the digital replica of the print newspaper online, access content in exclusive sections including Family, Teen, Business, Databases, Farm and more. This option does not include daily home delivery of the Imperial Valley Press newspaper. For home delivery service, please select Premium or Premium Plus.
Secretary of the National Investment Council under the president of Ukraine, former head of the Ukrainian presidential administration Borys Lozhkin hopes the council structure can be agreed in two or three months, and attraction of council board members in 2017.

"We are now preparing the structure of the investment council, an office that will work with the council, engage experts, analysts, representatives of the business community environment to make it an effective working body that will work on a daily basis," Lozhkin told Channel 5 on Monday.

Lozhkin said the National Investment Council will seek to raise $250-300 million for large-scale investment.

"I hope in two or three weeks we will already see the structure of the council, the first decisions, I hope, and the first projects that we will be able to support the next year," the former head of the presidential administration said.

According to him, the council will be able to attract investment projects totaling to $250 million in 2017.

Lozhkin said to achieve the level of 6% GDP growth and more, Ukraine would require annual investment of $10 billion.

According to him, Ukraine's energy, infrastructure, agriculture, military-industrial complex and space development could be attractive for investors.

"A sign that the council is operating efficiently would be when we have projects for more than $1 billion or $2 billion. Such projects can be implemented in Ukraine," Lozhkin said.

Lozhkin said he had discussed the issue of participation in the Board of the American financier and investor George Soros.
A businessman detained in Ukraine, Veaceslav Platon, has been extradited to Moldova and transferred to Chisinau on Monday late in the evening, according to Moldova's Prosecutor General's Office (PGO).

Platon was accused of large-scale embezzlement, bank theft and money-laundering charges upon his arrival there.

Chisinau's Buiucani district court is reviewing a petition filed by prosecutors to remand him to pretrial confinement for 30 days.

Platon was arrested in Kyiv on July 25 hours after Moldova's PGO put him on the international wanted list. An order for his arrest was given following a search of several banks and companies, during which prosecutors seized documents allegedly implicating Platon in the theft of EUR1 billion from Moldova's banking system, as well as laundering more than $20 billion from Russian banks via Moldova.

Platon's lawyers have said their client is in danger in Moldova. They attempted to prevent his extradition. Russian lawyer Ilya Novikov joined Platon's team lawyers on Monday in the effort to prevent his extradition, but he was extradited nonetheless pursuant to a court order handed down by Kyiv's Pechersk District Court last week.
The Ukrainian army has suffered casualties in the course of attacks in the anti-terrorist operation zone in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, Ukrainian Presidential Administration spokesman Andriy Lysenko said.

"One Ukrainian serviceman was killed and nine suffered injuries in the hostilities over the past day. Two soldiers suffered contusions," he told a press briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday.

"One died, one suffered injuries and one was shell-shocked during shelling in the village of Pavlopil; three were wounded in an artillery attack on Avdiyivka; one was hurt in grenade launcher fire on Opytne, one was wounded in a shelling incident in Shyrokyne, two suffered injuries and one was contused in Luhanske, and one was injured in Zaitseve," Lysenko said.

The hostiles fired over 690 mines and 250 artillery shells on Ukrainian positions on Monday, he said.

The number of shelling incidents doubled to 25 in the Luhansk sector, the spokesman said. Tensions persisted in the areas of Popasna, Zolote, Krymske, Zhovte and Stanitsa Luhanska. Snipers were active on Bakhmutka road and near Popasna, he said.

Tensions flared up near Svitlodarsk, the Avdiyivka industrial zone and Donetsk airport in the Donetsk sector, Lysenko said. Tanks and artillery were engaged in attacks on Donetsk airport which happened along the Butovka mine - Opytne - Pisky frontline. The hostiles fired cannons on a rear area near Keramik, 13 kilometers from the contact line. Intense artillery fire was observed on the northern outskirts of Horlivka. In all, 46 attacks were conducted in the Donetsk sector over the past day, which saw nine attacks more than the previous day.

In the Mariupol sector, the hostiles fired mortars on Ukrainian army positions during the day and once used Grad multiple rocket launchers in Krasnohorivka. Gunfire was most intense on the Maryinka-Krasnohorivka line and in Shyrokyne. Intense mortar fire on Ukrainian positions in Pavlopil was observed in the morning: the hostiles fired 60 mines. In all, 20 shelling incidents were observed in the Mariupol sector over the past day, half of them by use of heavy weapons.
Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) has completed its pretrial criminal investigation involving former Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych and the former director of the Justice Ministry's financial department.

The PGO's press service on Tuesday said it suspects the men of embezzling UAH 8.5 million of budget funds (equivalent then to $1.1 million), which was unnecessarily and illegally spent by the Justice Ministry on legal services provided by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates (U.S.) under the guise of providing legal assistance for Ukraine vs. Tymoshenko case heard by the European Court for Human Rights. The funds were, in fact, used to cover up facts of criminal violation of legislation during hearings of the case against Tymoshenko, a violation of Part 5, Article 191 (large-scale misuse of funds) and Part 1, Article 366 (forgery) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

"At the present time the suspects and their lawyers have been informed of the end of the pretrial investigation and, pursuant to Article 290 of Ukraine's Criminal Procedural Code, acquainted with the evidence in the ongoing criminal case," the statement says.

As earlier reported, On June 13, 2015 Ukraine's PGO accused Lavrynovych of violating Part 5, Article 191 of Ukraine's Criminal Code (appropriation, embezzlement using public office or by a criminal group) in connection with the involvement of the legal firm Skadden in the case against Ukraine in the European Court of Human Rights. Payment for legal fees has been interpreted by investigators as misuse using public office of state funds exceeding UAH 8.5 million.

On June 30 Kyiv's Pechersk District Court set bail for Lavrynovych at UAH 1.2 million. He left pretrial confinement on August 7 after paying the sum.

In April 2016 Lavrynovych said that his foreign passport had been returned to him, but that the criminal investigation against him continues.

On August 18, 2016, PGO chief Yuriy Lutsenko said Lavrynovych had been served notice of the charges against him.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has put Inessa Petrovna Kadyrova  the mother of parliament deputy Oleksandr Onyschenko, the main suspect in a natural gas embezzlement scheme involving Ukrgazvydobuvannia, who is hiding abroad  on its wanted list.

Inessa Petrovna Kadyrova, born on March 17, 1945, is suspected of committing crimes pursuant to Part 1, Article 255, Part 4 of Article 28, Part 5 of Article 191, Part 4 of Article 28, Part 3 of Article 209, Part 4 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 205, Part 4 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 205-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, according to a post on NABU's site on Monday.

As earlier reported, on June 15 NABU and the office of the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor announced the discovery of an organized criminal group, which incurred more than UAH 3 billion in losses to the state as a result of joint activities based on agreements signed with the PJSC Ukrgazvydobuvannia. During the course of pretrial investigation it was established that the organizer of the criminal scheme is Onyschenko, whom parliament stripped of immunity from prosecution on July 5. Deputies also voted to allow law-enforcement authorities to detain and arrest Onyschenko.

On July 27, Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko signed a notice stating Onyschenko is a suspect in the case. Onyschenko earlier, using his immunity from prosecution as a parliament deputy, fled Ukraine. On July 29 Onyschenko said that he was located in London and had filed, filed for a residency permit and asked for political refugee status in the United Kingdom.
VANCOUVER, Aug. 30, 2016 /CNW/ - Lithium X Energy Corp. ("Lithium X" or the "Company") (TSX-V: LIX) (OTCQB: LIXXF), is pleased to report the filing of a National Instrument 43-101 technical report prepared by FloSolutions (Chile), dated August 30, 2016 and entitled Resource Estimate for Lithium & Potassium, Sal de los Angeles Project, Salta (Argentina) containing its first independent lithium ("Li"), potassium ("K") and boron ("B") resource estimate for the Sal de los Angeles brine project at Salar de Diablillos (the "Project"). Lithium X holds a 50% interest in the Project and can acquire an additional 30% interest (see March 3, 2016 news release).

The NI 43-101 resource estimate, prepared by FloSolutions and summarized in Table 1 below, includes an Indicated component of 194,860 tonnes of lithium at an average grade of 501 milligrams per litre ("mg/l") (1,037,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent) ("LCE") and 2,143,491 tonnes of potassium at an average grade of 5,512 mg/l (4,088,000 tonnes of potash ("KCl") equivalent). The resource estimate also established an inferred resource of 189,130 tonnes of lithium at 410 mg/l (1,007,000 tonnes of LCE) and 2,068,161 tonnes of potassium at 4,489 mg/l (3,948,000 tonnes KCl equivalent).

The resource estimate establishes Sal de los Angeles as a large and high grade undeveloped lithium brine project, with a Feasibility Study underway.

Brian Paes-Braga, Founder and CEO of Lithium X, commented, "This resource estimate confirms the significance of the Sal de los Angeles deposit and will form the basis of a Feasibility Study. Our experienced operating team, led by Eduardo Morales, continues with ongoing processing and engineering work. These are major steps towards bringing Sal de los Angeles into commercial production."

Table 1. Sal de los Angeles Brine Resource Statement Indicated Inferred Li K B Li K B Aquifer area (km2) 22.2 32.4 Aquifer volume (km3) 3.195 3.807 Mean specific yield 12.2% 12.0% Brine volume (km3) 0.390 0.457 Mean grade (g/m3) 60.8 668.5 67.6 49.3 539.0 60.7 Eq, concentration (mg/L) 501 5,512 556 410 4,489 505 Resource (tonnes) 194,860 2,143,491 216,807 189,130 2,068,161 232,601

Notes to this resource statement: CIM definitions were followed for Mineral Resources. The Qualified Person for this Mineral Resource estimate is Frits Reidel, CPG. The Qualified Person relied entirely on data provided by Lithium X Energy Corp. for the preparation of the resource estimate and no independent data collection was carried out to verify the accuracy of the data provided by Lithium X Energy Corp. A lithium cut-off concentration of 100 mg/L has been applied to the resource estimate. Numbers may not add due to rounding. The effective date is August 29, 2016. The reader is cautioned that mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.

"The deposit is open to the north, where Lithium X has the opportunity to grow the resource through further drilling," commented Paul Matysek, Executive Chairman of Lithium X.

"The indicated resource defines a high-grade core in the northern portion of the basin that will be the focus of further work leading to the design of a production well field in this area," Matysek said. "We expect to continue advancing the project at a fast pace and converting the indicated resource into reserves."

"The overall quality of the brine continues to impress with its low level of impurities," commented Eduardo Morales, Chief Operating Officer of Lithium X. "We now have an indicated resource allowing us to develop a Feasibility level study. Lithium X is assembling a team of in-house and external consultants, led by Andres Barrientos and myself, to advance Sal de los Angeles through feasibility and on to construction as efficiently as possible."

"The quality and quantity of the Sal de los Angeles brine should allow for a world-class operation. We intend to demonstrate the viability of such an operation in the coming months," Morales said.

The resource estimate was prepared in accordance with the guidelines of National Instrument 43-101 and uses best practice methods specific to brine resources, including a reliance on core drilling and sampling methods that yield depth-specific chemistry and drainable porosity measurements. The resource calculations were also confirmed using two different resource models. The work was completed by independent qualified person Mr. Frits Reidel of international hydrogeology firm FloSolutions.

The resource is defined by reverse circulation and core drilling, but it has also been sampled by low-flow pumping and pumping tests in numerous locations. The footprint of the resource is 55 square kilometres. The new Indicated, and Inferred resource incorporates 21 reverse circulation holes and 7 diamond drill core holes, for a total of 6,270 metres of drilling in 28 holes. This equates to nominal drill spacing of 2 boreholes per square kilometre. Over most of the basin, the brine resource comes to within a few metres of the surface and its thickness is defined by the basement contact, which itself was defined by drilling and seismic tomography surveys. The brine resource was defined from 5 metres to more than 185 metres depth in one area.

The resource estimate confirms the favourable chemistry of the Sal de los Angeles brine. The low magnesium to lithium ratio has been shown to be a significant factor in reducing the use of common reagents employed during lithium concentrate production using conventional solar ponds. Some important parameters of the brine composition are:

Average density of the brine: 1.10 g/cm3

Average Magnesium/Lithium ratio: 3.8

Average Sulphate/Lithium ratio: 14.6

Based on the geological model, approximately 95% of the brine volume in this resource is hosted by predominantly sand and gravel aquifers; the balance is hosted in silt or clay dominated units.

The total contained lithium and potassium values are based on measurements of drainable porosity distributed throughout the aquifer volume that defines this resource and by pump tests performed within the indicated portion of the resource estimate. These methods of porosity determination, or specific yield, are designed to estimate the portion of the total porosity that can reasonably be expected to be drained by pumping; however, these in situ estimates may differ from total extractable quantities. The porosity of the resource volume varies with geology and the average for the entire database is approximately 12%. These porosity values compare favourably to other unconsolidated, clastic basins similar to Diablillos.

Resource Estimation Methodology

The resource estimate was developed for the Lithium X Sal de los Angeles Project using SgeMS software. Dr. Gregoire Mariethoz, Professor at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland led the numerical model effort to develop the resource estimate. The author was in close communication with Dr. Mariethoz throughout the model development process; all results have been reviewed and checked at various stages and are believed to be valid and appropriate for these resource estimates.

The total resource is calculated by multiplying, on the entire grid, the lithium concentration by the porosity. The overall resource is then estimated by taking the average of this weighted concentration on the entire grid.

The following steps were carried out to calculate the lithium, potassium and boron resources.

1) Adjust a variogram on the data in x, y and z directions.

2) Definition of model grid (52,154 nodes) and node size (x =150 m, y=150, z=6m).

3) Interpolation of Li, K B and Specific Yield in each node in g/m3 using kriging with the variogram models of step 1.

4) Calculation of total resource.

5) Preparation of grade-tonnage curve for Li.

The primary analytical laboratory for the data used in this resource is ALS Environmental laboratory of Fort Collins, Colorado. ALS labs are accredited to ISO 9001:2008 and ISO14001:2004 for its geochemical and environmental labs for the preparation and analysis of numerous sample types, including waters. The details of analytical methodologies and quality assurance protocols are reported in the NI 43-101 technical report for the project, which is filed on SEDAR.

The porosity determinations were made by Daniel B. Stephens & Associates, Inc. Soil Testing and Research laboratory of Albuquerque, New Mexico. For 30 years, the DBS&A Soil Testing & Research Laboratory has been the premier provider of consistent and reliable soil properties testing. It is also the go-to facility for research, development, and implementation of novel technologies and instruments to aid in successful project outcomes and project cost reductions. The laboratory adheres to standardized testing methods and industry accepted procedures established by the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM), American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), Methods of Soil Analysis (MOSA), American Petroleum Institute (API), American Society of Agronomy (ASA), and procedures developed and patented by DBS&A personnel.

The resource estimate and the information in this news release have been prepared and reviewed by Mr. Frits Reidel. Frits Reidel is a consulting hydrogeologist and is a Member of the American Institute of Professional Geologists. Mr. Reidel has sufficient relevant experience to qualify as a "Qualified Person" as defined in NI 43-101. Mr. Reidel has worked on lithium resource estimates for numerous brine projects including Salar de Hombre Muerto, Salar de Olaroz, Salar de Cauchari and Salar de Maricunga. Frits Reidel consents to the inclusion in this announcement of this information in the form and context in which it appears.

About Lithium X Energy Corp

Lithium X Energy Corp. is a lithium exploration and development company with a goal of becoming a low-cost supplier for the burgeoning lithium battery industry. Lithium X owns 50%, and has the option to acquire up to 80%, of the Sal de los Angeles lithium brine project in the prolific "Lithium Triangle" in mining friendly Salta province, Argentina, a well-known salar with positive historical economics, grade and size. Lithium X is also exploring a large land package in Nevada's Clayton Valley, contiguous to the only producing lithium operation in North America  Silver Peak, owned and operated by Albemarle, the world's largest lithium producer. Lithium X is listed on the TSXV under the trading symbol LIX.

For additional information about Lithium X Energy Corp., please visit the Company's website at www.lithium-x.com or review the Company's documents filed on www.sedar.com. Join the Company's email list at http://lithium-x.com/subscribe.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"Paul Matysek"

Paul Matysek

Executive Chairman

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively "forward-looking statements"). Certain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expects", "believes", "aims to", "plans to" or "intends to" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including the business of the Company and the commencement of trading in the Company's shares. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Lithium X Energy Corp.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Aug. 30, 2016) - Columbus Gold Corp. (TSX:CGT)(OTCQX:CBGDF) is pleased to announce the conclusion of its 2016 drilling program at its 100% owned Eastside gold project in Nevada. Columbus completed 17,500 meters (57,413 feet) of drilling during the 2016 program - 12,663 meters (41,544 feet) of reverse circulation rotary drilling and 4,837 meters (15,869 feet) of diamond core drilling. To present, a total of 37,311 meters (122,411 feet) of drilling in 136 holes has been completed at Eastside. Columbus is aiming to complete a maiden resource estimate at Eastside in the fall.

Eastside is a district scale project consisting of 725 claims covering 57.7 sq. km (22.55 sq. miles), in an area of outstanding infrastructure. Significant gold values of up to 27.9 g/t have been obtained in surface sampling at Eastside and so far seven (7) large geochem anomalies have been identified, however drilling to date has been confined almost exclusively to one target (referred to as the Original Target), in an area of only approximately 1,250 X 800 meters, or about 1 sq. km., of the large 57.7 sq. km land package.

Thorough oxidation is remarkably deep at Eastside in certain areas, exceeding 300 meters in places. Cyanide-leach, bottle-roll tests on 40 drill samples began at KCA in June, 2016. These 40 samples range in grade from 0.16 g/t gold to 1.5 g/t gold, and are of all ore types, depths, oxidation states, and host lithology. This testing will be completed in September 2016. Initial metallurgical testing at Eastside was completed by Kappes, Cassiday, and Associates (KCA) in 2014. The tests were 96 hour, cyanide-leach, bottle-roll tests, and were reported in a Columbus Gold press release on July 10, 2014. The 2014 testing indicated gold at Eastside was highly amenable to extraction using cyanide, irrespective of alteration type, depth, host rock lithology, grade, or state of oxidation (a link to the full KCA report is available in the August 10, 2014 press release). Columbus is currently planning a third phase metallurgical program of column-leach testing on various sizes of drill core from 2016 drilling. The column-leach testing will provide information to evaluate potential heap leaching at Eastside, in particular whether all, or parts, of the Eastside gold mineralization will need to be crushed and, if so, the optimum size of crushing.

The Eastside project has outstanding infrastructure for mining and processing, is 32 km (20 miles) west of Tonopah, Nevada, and lies 9.7 km (6 miles) north of paved highway US 95, the main road route from Las Vegas to Reno. A good County-maintained, gravel road from the highway, along with a major power transmission line both pass through the claim block. The claim block extends well into the adjacent flats, which would provide excellent operating sites. The valley is known to have shallow water available in the same aquifer, which provided water for milling in the early 1900's. The area is high desert with sparse vegetation, and year-round drilling is possible.

QA/QC and Qualified Person

Gold and silver assays for 2016 drilling were performed by American Assay Labs in Sparks, Nevada. American inserts blinds and standards in the drill-hole assay string-generally 7% of all assays performed are of standards or blinds. For 2016 drilling, gold analyses are by fire assay with atomic absorption finish. Silver assays are by fire assay with gravimetric finish. In addition, Columbus also inserts blank samples and also standard samples of known gold and silver assay values in the drill assay string for quality control. Additional check sampling is ongoing and, if material differences occur, will be reported. The position of all 2016 drill holes were surveyed with a submeter GPS system and also surveyed downhole by IDS.

Andy Wallace is a Certified Professional Geologist (CPG) with the American Institute of Professional Geologists and is the Qualified Person under NI 43-101 who has reviewed and approved the technical content of this press release. Mr. Wallace is the principal of Cordilleran Exploration Company (Cordex), which is conducting exploration and project generation activities for Columbus Gold on an exclusive basis.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD,

Robert F. Giustra, Chairman & CEO

This release contains forward-looking information and statements, as defined by law including without limitation Canadian securities laws and the "safe harbor" provisions of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 ("forward-looking statements"), respecting Columbus' intended plans for a resource estimate, expected results and time frame to complete the resource estimate and the metallurgical testing. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to materially differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the accuracy of interpretations; mineral reserve and resource estimates (including the risk of assumption and methodology errors); dependence on third parties for services; non-performance by contractual counterparties; and general economic conditions. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions that may prove to be incorrect, including without limitation assumptions about: market prices, exploitation and exploration success; that the design of the drill plan is appropriate for the site; general business and economic conditions; continued availability of capital and financing; ability to procure equipment and supplies including, without limitation, ongoing relations with employees and partners. The foregoing list is not exhaustive and Columbus undertakes no obligation to update any of the foregoing except as required by law.
The Supreme Court of Bangladesh [official website] on Tuesday denied [judgment, PDF] the final appeal of Mir Quasem Ali, an opposition leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, and upheld his death sentence. Ali was sentenced to death in 2014 by the International Crimes Tribunal, Bangladesh (ICTB) [official website] for murder, confinement, torture and incitement to religious hatred during during the Bangladesh war of independence in 1971. The death sentence was upheld [JURIST report] by the Supreme Court in March. UN humans rights experts urged [JURIST report] the government of Bangladesh to repeal the death sentence imposed upon Ali for failing to meet international standards on fair trial and due process for the imposition of the death penalty. Ali may now be executed at anytime following the ruling.

The ICTB, established in 2009 under the International Crimes Act [text], is charged with investigating and prosecuting war crimes committed during the 1971 war of independence. During the conflict, more than 3 million people are believed to have died and thousands of women raped, but the Jamaat-e-Islami party insists it did not commit any war crimes. Human rights groups have criticized [JURIST report] death sentences imposed by the ICTB, stating that trials of war criminals have, in the past, failed to meet international standards. Motiur Rahman Nizami was executed [JURIST report] in May for war crimes. Also in May, the ICTB sentenced four men to death for crimes against humanity committed during Bangladeshs war of independence.
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [official website] on Monday dismissed [text, PDF] a 2014 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) [official website] case against AT&T Mobile [corporate website], which took issue with AT&Ts disclosures regarding the reduction of a customers data speed [Reuters report]. The process, known as data throttling, involves an Internet service provider (ISP) slowing data speed once customers reach a certain usage threshold. The FTC claimed AT&T was deceptive and did not notify customers that this would occur, alleging that speeds were reduced by almost 90 percent in some cases. However, the court of appeals found that these claims could not hold up under the FTC Act due to an exemption for common carriers. The FTC expressed their dissatisfaction with the result but have not stated whether they will appeal.

The dismissal does not necessarily mean AT&T is in the clear. In June 2015 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) [official website] proposed a $100 million fine [JURIST report] for AT&Ts actions. AT&T challenged the fine, but it is not out of the question. More generally, the way ISPs manage customers access speed is an issue the FCC began addressing within the last couple of years through net neutrality regulations [JURIST backgrounders]. In June the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit [official website] upheld [JURIST report] the net neutrality regulations designed to ensure an open Internet. JURIST Guest Columnist Allen Hammond [official profile] of the Santa Clara Law School [official website] discussed the recent net neutrality ruling and what it means for the future of the internet [JURIST op-ed]. In November 2014 US President Barack Obama said [statement] that he strongly supports the concept of net neutrality.
Palestinian authorities are violating free speech rights by arresting and abusing dissenting activists and journalists,Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] said [press release] Monday. The report details five cases in Gaza and the West Bank where journalists and activists were arrested or detained by authorities due to their peaceful criticism of authorities. Activists also suggest that court proceedings are used as a means to harass them into silence as they are often delayed and rescheduled due to lack of witnesses, which requires their constant presence at the court. Some detainees claimed they were forced to sign documents promising not to critique the government without evidence while others maintained they were physically abused and harassed by authorities.

In Gaza, Hamas authorities detained and intimidated an activist who criticized the government for failing to protect a man with a mental disability; a journalist who posted a photograph of a woman looking for food in a garbage bin; and a journalist who alleged medical malpractice at a public hospital after a newborn baby died. In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority (PA) arrested and charged activists and musicians who ridiculed Palestinian security forces for cooperating with Israel and accused the government of corruption. The offending statements were allegedly made in Facebook postings, graffiti, and rap songs.

HRW has called on Palestine to disavow this crackdown on free speech and expression because it goes against their ratification of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention Against Torture and laws. The Palestinian authorities deny the accusations

Human rights continues to be an issue in Palestine due to the Isreali-Palestine conflict. In April an Israeli court convicted Yosef Haim for the 2014 murder of a Palestinian teenager that led to a 50-day war in Gaza [JURIST report]. In May the UN Committee Against Torture (CAT), a body of independent experts, released closing remarks to its fifty-seventh session, expressing concern about the use of excessive force by Israeli forces against Palestinians [JURIST Report]. In July a report by Amnesty International called upon Palestinian and Israeli officials to address human rights violations committed by their forces [JURIST report].
[JURIST] Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran Ahmed Shaheed [official website] on Monday expressed outrage [press release] regarding Irans execution of 12 people for drug-related charges on Saturday. The day before the execution, Shaheed had publicly appealed [JURIST report] to the Iranian authorities not to proceed with the planned executions. He specifically noted that international law only allows capital punishment for the most serious crimes with an intentional killing, and after a fair trial respecting strict due process. However, these conditions were not met in this instance. Combating drug trafficking, a serious concern in Iran, does not justify the use of the death penalty in drug-related cases, Shaheed said. The execution of Mr. Madadpour and 11 others shows the Iranian authorities complete disregard of its obligations under international human rights law and especially of international fair trial standards and due process guarantees. He renewed his plea to Iran to institute a moratorium on the death penalty.

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. 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.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has sent a protest note to the Russian Foreign Ministry in connection with the attack on the Embassy of Ukraine in Russia committed by a group of radicals on August 27.

"The note says that such actions violate the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 and other international legal obligations of Russia," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on Tuesday.

The Foreign Ministry noted that such illegal actions, which were taking place while Russian law enforcers did nothing, suggest that this was a planned and apparently sanctioned act.

The ministry urged the Russian authorities to hold a comprehensive investigation of this incident, to stop psychological pressure on the employees of the Ukrainian diplomatic mission and to ensure appropriate conditions for normal functioning of the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow.
Davide La Cecilia became a new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Italy to Ukraine on August 29, 2016, the Italian Embassy in Kyiv has said.

According to the information on the official website of the Embassy, Cecilia was born in Rome in 1961, he graduated from the University of Rome with a degree in political science.

In 1989, he began his diplomatic career working in the State Secretariat. In 1992 he became the first vice-consul in Hong Kong, in 1996 the first secretary in London. In 1999, he returned to Rome, where he was appointed head of the General Secretariat.

Between 2001 and 2005 he headed the Commercial and Economic Department of the Italian Embassy in Tokyo, and then, until 2009, held the position of deputy chief of the mission in Tel Aviv.

From 2009 until 2013 he worked in Rome, first as head of the department in the Middle East, and later in the office of the coordinator of the peace process in the Middle East.

In 2011, he received the rank of the minister plenipotentiary, and in 2013 he became consul general in Jerusalem.

Earlier, the post of the Italian Ambassador to Ukraine was held by Fabrizio Romano.
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File photo of Jack Ma.

Chinese e-commerce companies are expressing concerns about a perceived trend toward anti-globalization ahead of this year's G20 Summit in Hangzhou.

Alibaba founder Jack Ma is among those publically concerned about the trend e-commerce firms say they've been seeing in recent months.

"People don't like globalization, not because globalization is bad. If globalization can really benefit everybody, enable every individual, enable small business, and that would be a great stuff. So we've given our proposal."

Hangzhou-based Alibaba is among those who have been pushing for an electronic World Trade Platform, or e-WTP.

The idea would be to let small businesses to trade globally through e-commerce.

The concept itself has been compared to an online version of the World Trade Organization, as it would share similar goals of promoting global trade and fighting protectionism.

However, Jack Ma says there would be differences between an e- World Trade Platform and the WTO.

"Organization is like a treaty or an agreement agreed by the government, so rules and laws. For platform, we should set up another very feasible way for small business to do it."

At the same time, other leading Chinese business figures are also calling on G20 leaders for policy changes to address global trade.

Ning Gaoning is the Sinochem Group, a Chinese energy and chemicals conglomerate.

"We need to reduce all these protectionism measures, rolling back the old ones, and reducing all these kinds of small, regional trading agreement, which turn out to be complicated."

Ning Gaoning says corporate leaders are hoping to see the G20 focus on eliminating protectionist measures during next week's sessions.
File Photo

A 25-year-old man in southwest Chinas Yunnan province had his both kidneys removed during a surgery where he was lying unconsciously after a traffic accident on March 10, 2016. Neither did the man nor his family members accompanying him know about this until the patient was transferred to another hospital in the province and couldnt urinate for days. On March 20, the doctor informed him that he had lost both of his kidneys.

The medical record showed that the man had severe injury in his right kidney when he was rushed to the hospital from the traffic accident scene. The record also indicated that nothing wrong was detected on his left kidney. The hospital later said that the man had horseshoe kidney, which is a disorder that the patient's kidneys fuse together to form a horseshoe-shape. The hospital side also claimed that the man was in a very critical condition for too much blood loss when he was sent there. Hence they proceeded with the surgery, even though they were aware that the surgeons were not fully capable of handling such kind of surgery.

Ever after being informed that both of his kidneys, including the healthy left one, were taken in the surgery, the man and his family had been demanding for proper investigation and report. It was not until August 16 that the man received the report issued by Yunnan Medical Association, stating that the hospital shall take major responsibility for the malpractice. Currently the man is still waiting for kidney transplant.
The human impact on Earth's chemistry and climate has cut short the 11,700-year-old geological epoch known as the Holocene and ushered in a new one.

The Anthropocene, or 'new age of man,' would start from the mid-20th century if scientist's recommendation is adopted.

The recommendations for the era, which is being referred to as 'the golden spike' are being submitted today to the International Geological Congress in Cape Town, South Africa.

The human impact on Earth's chemistry and climate has cut short the 11,700-year-old geological epoch known as the Holocene and ushered in a new one. The Anthropocene would start from the mid-20th century if scientist's recommendation is adopted.

That approval process is likely to take at least two years and requires ratification by three other academic bodies.

But after seven years of deliberation, the 35-strong Working Group has unanimously recognised the Anthropocene as a reality, and voted 30-to-three for the transition to be officially registered.

'Our working model is that the optimal boundary is the mid-20th century,' said Jan Zalasiewicz, a geologist at the University of Leicester.

'If adopted - and we're a long way from that - the Holocene would finish and the Anthropocene would formally be held to have begun.'

Scientists refer to the period starting from 1950 as the 'Great Acceleration', and a glance at graphs tracking a number of chemical and socio-economic changes make it obvious why.

Concentrations in the air of carbon dioxide, methane and stratospheric ozone; surface temperatures, ocean acidification, marine fish harvesting, and tropical forest loss; population growth, construction of large dams, international tourism - all of them take off from about mid-century.

One of the main culprits is global warming driven by the burning of fossil fuels.

A telltale surge in the spread of invasive plant and animal species is also a legacy of our species.

But the working group is not allowed to take any of these measures into consideration unless they show up in the geological record.

Humans have created a 'striking new pattern' in the planet's global energy flow. Pictured is the produced energy and the pattern of human population growth from 1750. Dark blue, shows coal; dark brown, oil; green is natural gas; purple shows nuclear; light blue is hydro; orange brown is biomass.

If it can't be measured in rocks, lake sediments, ice cores, or other such formations - the criteria used to determine dozens of distinct eons, era, periods and ages going back four billion years - it doesn't count.

This, however, is not a problem when it comes to the Anthropocene, said Zalasiewicz.

'We are spoiled for choice,' he told AFP. 'There's a whole array of potential signals out there.'

Micro-plastics, for example - a synthetic, man-made substance - 'are now components of sediment around the world, both in land and in the sea.'

And the rise in atmospheric CO2 shows up in ice cores reaching back tens of thousands of years.

Past shifts in the biosphere - the realm of the living - show up in sediment and rock, especially mass extinctions marking boundaries when up to 95 per cent of all lifeforms disappeared within the geological blink of an eye.

The wipeout of non-avian dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period is one such die off, though far from the most dramatic.

Examples of fossils that provide evidence for the evolution of production and consumption over geological time. A shows Stromatolites, an example of ecosystem engineering from the late Mesoproterozoic Era. B is fossil arthropod from the 525 million-year-old deposits in China.

The word 'Anthropocene' - first proposed in 2002 by Nobel chemistry laureate Paul Crutzen - has been adopted by environmentalists as a rallying cry against Big Oil, and is viewed by some conservatives as a stalking horse for what they see as aggressive, economy-choking policies to combat climate change.

There are sceptical scientists too.

'The drive to officially recognise the Anthropocene may, in fact, be political rather than scientific,' said Stanley Finney, a professor at California State University at Long Beach and chair of the International Commission on Stratigraphy - one of the bodies that must validate the new epoch.

Finney's main objection is that not enough time has elapsed for a new epoch.

Pictured is the pattern of global migration exhibited by Homo sapiens from the Paleolithic culture to present. The latest research follows a study earlier this year that claimed humans have tipped the Earth into a new chapter of geological history that began around 1950.

'It's duration is that of an average human lifespan,' he wrote in a pointed commentary, published by the Geological Society of America.

If the Anthropocene is voted into existence, scientists will have to pick a 'golden spike' to mark the transition.

The spike nails down a date, but also pinpoints a primary 'signal' at a specific location.

The working group was divided on what that essential signal might be, but traces of nuclear bomb explosions emerged as a favourite.

As for what form the evidence will take, Zalasiewicz said it is still early days. 'Fast-growing coral form a layered archive that traps chemistry nicely,' he noted.

To mark the start of the Holocene, scientists chose an ice core sample drilled in 2003 from the central Greenland ice sheet at coordinates 75.10 degrees N/42.32 degrees W.

The core is archived in a freezer at the University of Copenhagen.

The new geological epoch (shown at the bottom of this diagram) - the name of which means the human epoch - was proposed by Nobel Prize-winning atmospheric chemist Paul Crutzen just 15 years ago, and since then the idea has caught on.
While Spain commemorates the 80th anniversary of the military revolt that culminated in Civil War and Francos dictatorship, victims families still seek justice.

On the 18th of July 1936, a military group proclaimed a revolt against the democratically elected Second Republic of Spain. With this action and from the very beginning, a systematic reign of terror and violence was instigated against all those who formed part of the second republic or supported the democratically elected government.

Under this process, thousands of people had disappeared: they were sequestered from their homes, taken various kilometres and assassinated by groups of fascists who supported the military revolt. Their bodies were buried in mass graves on the side of roads, the outskirts of mountains and outside of cemeteries across the country, with their relatives never to know their fate.

This 80th anniversary of the military coup detat was this July. The military revolt culminated in the Spanish Civil War and the 40-year dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. Since then, the number of disappeared persons remains at 114,226, their families disenfranchised with the persistence of the absence of the state in its legal obligation to recuperate the bodies of the missing persons. The state has failed to provide reparations to the families victims, despite the continuing demands for justice, which continues to scream from the graves.

Federico Garcia Lorca is the symbolic example of thousands of victims of this type of systematic repression created by the military revolt.

In 1939, after three years of civil war, the military dictatorships, supported by the Nazi regime and the Italian fascists, enabled the defeat of the Republican army. The military dictatorship maintained power until the death of Franco in November of 1975.

The discourse that had developed in the process of the transition to democracy failed to recognise both the Second Republic and the distress of the victims. Meanwhile the dictatorship was largely provided with impunity for torture and other crimes committed during the period.

In October of 1977, the congress passed the Amnesty Law, closing the door to justice and reparations for those assassinated extra-judicially. Moreover, Spain continues to maintain this pre-constitutional law, to the contrary of what occurred in Argentina, Chile or Guatemala, whose amnesty laws were derogated in favour of victims rights. Besides, this contradicts the recommendations of the UN Working Group for persons of Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance and international law that deems that these types crimes cannot be pardoned or outdated.

Since 2000, a generation of the victims grandchildren have been conducting the scientific work to recuperate the missing victims, which would be in the responsibility of the state. The exhumation of the mass grave in Priaranza del Bierzo in October of 2000 led to the creation of the Association for the Recuperation of Historical Memory (ARMH), breaking the definitive fear and silence that the dictatorship had entrenched socially.

A social movement has been vindicating the need for truth, justice and reparation for the victims and has recuperated and identified the remains of more than 5,000 victims across the nation. Due to limited financial resources, the team is made up almost exclusively of voluntary labour arriving from different parts of the world.

A scientific process was established that brings together an interdisciplinary team to recover and identify victims from mass graves. Thus far, the ARMH team has recovered the remains of more of 1000 victims from 157 mass graves in Spain. Thus, the relatives of the missing are given the possibility for their loved ones not to be buried on the location decided by the latters executioners.

Each year the resources become even more limited, with current funding originating from a Norwegian Syndicate of electricians and an award for activism in Human Rights from the ALBA Puffin organisation in 2015, which has permitted the subsistence of this collective work.

A multidisciplinary team of historians, archaeologists, psychologists, social anthropologists and forensic specialists apply their skills and knowledge to inform the victims families on the fate of their loved ones in order to resolve the long-unattended trauma created by the disappearance.

80 years since 18th of July 1936, the Spanish state still continues to ignore the human rights and their obligations.

Alejandro Rodriguez Gutierrez is a historian with The Association for the Recuperation of Historical Memory.
A woman surnamed Zhang called police and said she was robbed in front of an ATM machine in a bank in east Chinas Nanjing city right after she withdrew money. Police investigation has revealed that the suspect, who maintained that he was drunk at the time and thought the woman was one of his close friends, was most likely not intending for the money. Surveillance camera showed that the man apologizing to the woman right after she was robbed and startled. The police also said they called the mans friend in and compare her look on the back with Zhangs and thought they did look alike. The police let the man walk free after he apologized to Zhang.
President inspects Strategic Support Force and calls for efforts to boost innovation

President Xi Jinping shakes hands with delegates of the People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force in Beijing, August 29, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

President Xi Jinping made his first inspection tour of the People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force on Monday, urging efforts to boost innovation for the force's development.

Xi, also chairman of the Central Military Commission, told commanders of the Strategic Support Force that the service is a new-type combat force and an important pillar of the PLA's joint operation system, according to a news release on the Defense Ministry's website.

The president asked commanders to focus on innovating the force's development modes. He also emphasized the building of various support systems and the coordination of development of civilian and defense sectors.

Xi also inspected the combat command center of an unidentified unit of the force.

The president attaches great importance to and has high hopes for the Strategic Support Force, the news release said.

The force was established on Dec 31 in a key step of the ongoing military reform, which started in November and is overseen by Xi.

According to Senior Colonel Yang Yujun, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry, the founding of the Strategic Support Force will help to improve the PLA's structure and enhance its integrated support capability.

Although the PLA has not disclosed the components or functions of the new branch, the PLA's flagship newspaper, PLA Daily, has reported that researchers with the Strategic Support Force are focusing on cutting-edge technologies such as big data applications, cloud computing, 3-D printing and nanomaterials.

It quoted an unnamed researcher as saying that members of the force should always prepare for "tomorrow's warfare".

PLA Daily also has reported that units of the Strategic Support Force are stationed "from high mountains to distant oceans, and from desolate deserts to the front lines of the nation".

Du Wenlong, a senior researcher at the PLA Academy of Military Science, said the tasks of the Strategic Support Force are to concentrate, coordinate and make plans for the PLA's non-combatant resources.

Yin Zhuo, director of the PLA Navy's Expert Consultation Committee, said the mission of the force is to ensure that the PLA can maintain superiority in military operations taking place in space and involving the electromagnetic field and the internet.

He said that the force's responsibilities include target reconnaissance and tracking, global positioning operations, space assets management and defending against hostile activities in cyberspace and the electromagnetic field.
The EPAs proposal to cut field application rates of the herbicide atrazine down to 8 ounces per acre will have a dramatic and negative impact on American agriculture. Their level of concern is based on flawed research, not credible science  an aspect that even EPAs own science advisory panel rejected. More than 7,000 science based studies over time have consistently proven atrazines safety.

The proposed EPA action will establish a dangerous precedent for the future use of crop protection tools. Some activists even say if this is done then glyphosate, which is commonly called Roundup, will be next on their list of herbicides to eliminate. Agriculture cannot afford to lose these herbicides as crop yields and incomes will be reduced.

Replacing atrazine in agriculture will cost a farmer anywhere from $25 to $59 an acre, according to a recent study. If this cost is imposed upon agriculture, then profitability would essentially be eliminated in todays margin compressed environment. Atrazine is used on more than 70 million acres in this country.

This action by the EPA will diminish conservation efforts, such as reduced tillage, which farmers have implemented in an effort to improve soil and water conservation on their farms. Many would be forced to revert to disking their land as there will not be enough herbicide options to effectively kill weeds.

Send your comments to www.FightEPA.com by Oct. 4. Let the EPA know American agriculture needs this safe and proven herbicide to produce food and maintain the viability of farming operations.

Guy Mills, Ansley
The Kearney Hub deserves praise for calling out the largest social issue impacting America. Fatherlessness is an epidemic connected to virtually every social pathology in children. More local papers, who are in the trenches of Americas problems, are calling out the desperate need to address fatherlessness, even as national media stays silent.

However, its ironic to see a Nebraska paper calling out fatherlessness. Why? Because while fatherlessness has multiple causes, using the low estimate, family courts create a fatherless child every single minute of every single day, and Nebraska courts are among the worst offenders.

Every mother of a son should know, a 10-year study found Nebraska family courts gave children an average of five days a month visitation with their non-custodial parents, a.k.a. father. Recently, Nebraska family courts showed they prefer that convicted pedophiles spend time with children rather than their loving and capable fathers. Its shameful, considering the overwhelming research that shows shared parenting is best for children.

Shared parenting is endorsed by 110 world experts, supported by 43 peer reviewed papers, favored by 70 percent of the population, and was the conclusion of the largest study on children of divorce, reviewing 150,000 kids. The 110 experts stated theyre united in their concern that flawed science is leading to parenting plans and custody decisions that harm children.

Cordell & Cordell, a firm with offices in 30 states, noted: It is becoming increasingly clear that any argument against shared parenting is not based on empirical data. Logic would dictate that it should be painless to pass laws that grant children more equal access to each parent following a divorce.

With such support, 20 states recently considered shared parenting with Arizona, Utah and Missouri changing laws, allowing children more time with the paternal side of their family.

Although bills are put forth annually, shared parenting hasnt advanced in Nebraska as it reduces the income of lawyers. In reviewing the implementation of shared parenting in Australia, Professor Edward Kruk found a marked reduction in child custody litigation has also been noted since the new legislation, with applications to court over child custody falling by a staggering 72 percent.

Court-determined parenting arrangements fell from 7.8 percent to 2.8 percent of cases and lawyer negotiation from 10.6 percent to 5.8 percent of cases, Kruk found.

Corresponding to decreased litigation has been a marked increase in the use of family relationship centers and family mediation services. And most Australian parents (72 percent) now resolve parenting arrangements without the use of any legal services. (The Equal Parent Presumption)

The Nebraska Bar Association so feared this loss of revenue it acted illegally and was sued for lobbying against shared parenting, resulting in its dues being halved, the elimination of staff, and sublet of office space.

If were to pay more than lip service to addressing fatherlessness, follow the advice of psychiatrists, psychologists, child development experts and domestic violence practitioners whove endorsed shared parenting as best for children.

Until the Nebraska Legislature follows the lead of other states, the fatherless crisis will continue.

Terry Brennan, Newtonville, Mass.
FILE - In this Thursday, May 29, 2014, file photo, a customer holds a pair of Beats headphones at a Best Buy store in Hialeah, Fla. A judge has dismissed the key claims in a lawsuit alleging that headphone maker Beats Electronics duped one of its early partners before negotiating its $3 billion sale to Apple two years ago. The summary judgment issued late Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge William Fahey resolves the core of a case that accused Beats co-founders Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine of double-crossing former partner Noel Lee, founder of video and audio cable maker Monster LLC. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz, File)
Caffeinated alcoholic drink sold online

Four Loko, a hyper-intoxicating caffeinated alcoholic beverage that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) called a public health concern in 2010 and which was subsequently banned in several states, is now available on China's online shopping platforms.

Four women in their 20s in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province, who passed out in a karaoke lounge after trying the drink did not realize that they had been robbed until the police arrived, Yangtze Evening Post reported Wednesday.

Their escapade is only the latest headline-making experiment with shishenjiu, Four Loko's infamous Chinese nickname, which roughly translates to "rape liquor."

Phusion Projects, the manufacturer of Four Loko, received a warning letter from the FDA in 2010 that called their products a "public health concern" that would not be permitted to stay on the market without substantial modification, according to CNN.

In its letter, the FDA said peer-reviewed studies suggest the consumption of beverages containing caffeine and alcohol is associated with risky behavior that may lead to hazardous and life-threatening situations.

Phusion later agreed to lower the level of caffeine in the beverage, The Atlantic reported in 2014.

"I had it in undergrad, and it was, like, $2 a can," a US citizen from the state of Georgia told the Global Times on Monday, noting that Four Loko is now illegal in the state.

A customer service employee at the Four Loko flagship store on tmall.com, an online shopping platform owned by the Alibaba Group, told the Global Times on Monday, "The level of caffeine is lower in the drink due to China's food safety standards, though the high remains the same because we put in stimulants like guarana and taurine."

When asked if it is safe to drink Four Loko, the employee said, "It is the drinker who should be liable for the consequences, not the product."

However, a customer service representative with the self-proclaimed official website of Four Loko in China told the Global Times that their products contain no guarana or taurine and the amount of caffeine in the beverage has been reduced.

The products are evaluated under US food safety standards rather than under those of the China Food and Drug Administration, said the staffer, adding that "the products are all imported from the US."

A staff member at the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment confirmed on Monday that the center has not conducted an examination of Four Loko's content.

Two different stores on Taobao, another major Chinese online shopping platform owned by Alibaba, have sold a combined total of more than 15,000 cans of Four Loko as of press time on Monday.

Employees of the two stores - one of which is based in Shanghai and the other in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province - denied that there was any caffeine or stimulants in the beverage, saying it is just "fruit-flavored beer with 12 percent alcohol [by volume]."

Prices for Four Loko on Taobao and tmall.com vary from 33 yuan ($5) to 100 yuan per can, though searches for the beverage on both sites returned no results later on Monday.
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Wildin Acosta, 19, talks about being held in a detention center in Georgia, during an interview in Durham, N.C. Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. Acosta was picked up in January on immigration charges. He had fled Honduras in 2014, saying a gang member threatened his life. Acosta was held at the center until earlier this month, when he was released on $10,000 bond. He has applied for asylum, which his supporters say put the deportation attempts on hold. (AP Photo/Martha Waggoner)
Mourners hug each other during a state funeral for some of the victims of last Wednesday's earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The evening Mass for 37 of the 292 people killed is the second state funeral for victims of the Aug. 24 temblor that flattened three towns in central Italy. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Illustration: Luo Xuan/GT

Foreign ministers from China, Japan and South Korea have just wrapped up a trilateral meeting in Tokyo, prior to which the countries' trilateral relations had gone through a number of twists and turns, with a lot of sensitivities between China and Japan, in particular. As Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi put it, China-Japan relations seem to be a boat sailing against the current, which, if not able to travel upstream, will only bear back into the past. The fact that the foreign ministers of the three countries sat down for a frank exchange of views only marks the first step toward accumulating the mutual political trust necessary to pursue practical cooperation.

In the case of China-Japan relations, calls for the launch of a maritime and air liaison mechanism jointly operated by the two countries in an attempt to defuse the risk of military conflicts over the East China Sea are mostly on the mark. It is well acknowledged that it has been a long time since the defense departments of the two countries discussed cooperation. However, Japan has failed to face up to its incorrect historical claims as well as misdeeds, and instead has repeatedly taken provocative action. As a result, the creation of the liaison mechanism, that should be done as a matter of urgency, has been put on hold. Hopefully with the two nations sitting down at the negotiating table to hold pragmatic talks means that an effective mechanism can be put into place in the earliest possible way to avoid escalation in the East China Sea and prevent any irrevocable actions that would throw the two countries into a perilous situation. This is truly an urgent priority that the bilateral relations depends on.

Another bright spot in the just-concluded trilateral meeting is that it has substantially built up anticipation for a proposed free trade agreement between the three countries. A virtuous cycle of economic and societal development among the powerhouses of the Asia-Pacific region will certainly be in the making if China, Japan and South Korea can move beyond their existing investment and trade cooperation into an exploration of complementary industries as well as cooperation in the emerging high-tech and logistics industries.

Nevertheless, creating a security mechanism or making a breakthrough in free trade negotiations will require all parties involved, on the basis of building politically mutual trust, to show sincerity as well as take practical steps. The Chinese people know deeply that there's little humanity in sweet words and a pleasing countenance, and the people have suffered from treachery and broken promises in the past. In light of this, China has reiterated its principles and position at the Tokyo meeting, repeating the need for sincerity from Japan in acknowledging its history and addressing previous maritime disputes.

The crux of the trials and tribulations in Sino-Japanese relations is that Japanese dignitaries still refuse to face up to their country's history and can not discard their old ways of thinking that seek to drain away the country's problems into its neighboring countries. It's often the case that whenever major opportunities are coming up, such as next month's leaders' summit, Japan makes an effort at the last moment and urgently sends in its representatives to discuss the relevant matters with China. Meanwhile, the Japanese side has repeatedly played the trick of denying promises that it had previously made.

In the lead up to the Group of 20 (G20) summit hosted by China in Hangzhou, will Japan act in an inconsistent manner after it makes promises and obtains the ticket to attend and meet leaders from other major G20 countries at the summit? Part of the agenda of the upcoming Hangzhou G20 summit is global economic governance. Given Japan's past performance at some major international meetings, there is a possibility that Japan may inappropriately raise the issues of the South China Sea and the East China Sea to stir trouble. In East Asia, there is a saying that a guest should suit the convenience of the host. Therefore, it is truly necessary to warn the Japanese delegation to the G20 summit that Japan should take the interests of the group into account and act in tune with the theme of the summit instead of causing trouble. Japanese political leaders should instead behave and be introspective.

The author is acting director of the Institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. [email protected]
Prejudices between ordinary Chinese and their African counterparts has become a subject of writings and discussion at various forums in recent times.

And it seems there is a really big gap when it comes to people-to-people interaction from both sides that something needs to be done urgently.

Considering the vast distance between the two, no ordinary African can afford to travel to China just to discover the country and its people, in as much as no ordinary Chinese can afford to go to Africa for the same purpose.

A Chinese scholar and expert in African affairs, Professor Li Anshan, says there is a lot of such prejudices between the Chinese and Africans, which need to be debunked.

Speaking to African journalists based in Beijing recently, Prof Li cited a poll which indicated a lot of misunderstandings of each other between the Chinese and the Africans.

He quoted the Chinese Youth Daily poll carried out in 2006 showing that most Chinese think Africans are very poor and backward, afflicted by hunger and HIV and Aids, very primitive and that chaos reigns on the continent.

The poll indicates that Africans think that the Chinese have very limited desires and simple pleasures, very little legal consciousness, do not pay attention to image, do not hang out together, do not have religious belief and eat everything.

Prof Li noted that while political and economic interaction between China and Africa has been very solid, much lack when it comes to interaction between ordinary people.

While Prof Lis call to fight such low level prejudices might have few takers, one woman  Samantha Sibanda  has taken it upon herself to change the views of ordinary Chinese about Africa.

Samantha Sibanda

In 2013, Samantha, who comes from Zimbabwe and now stays in China, formed an organisaton called Appreciate Africa Network, whose purpose is to create awareness about Africa, African people and their culture not only in China, but in the whole of Asia.

The organisation does not only strive to deal with the above mentioned stereotypes, it also brings to the fore contributions Africans are making to the development of China.

We seek to bring the real and true Africa and the opportunity to create a relationship between Africa and Asia, not only business wise, but also in appreciating African people as well, said Samantha.

Appreciate Africa Network is a non-profit organisation whose sole intent is to promote the values of African socio-cultural and economic contributions anywhere in the world starting from our base of operation in China.

To achieve the objectives, Samantha recognises that it has to start with the sprucing up of the African physical image in the eyes of the Chinese.

This resulted in the Miss Plus International competition in which chubby African women take to the stage showcasing their beautiful curves.

This has helped change the perceptions of many Chinese people towards the plus-sized African women, and to some extent men.

Most importantly, we show that we are comfortable in our own bodies and not intimidated by the continuous pressure and stereotypes that people have about big women, said Samantha.

The first Miss Plus Size International Beijing was held at Landmark Hotel on 25 April 2015 with the theme Big is Beautiful, where 16 plus-sized women took to the stage.

The second one was held on 25 April this year.

Appreciate Africa Network also runs another competition called Discover Africa Speech and Music Contest, with this years edition set for 24 September in Beijing.

Contestants are given at least five minutes to sell and market their countries in front of a non-African audience.

The purpose is to ensure that by the end of the speech, the audience will have known something about the particular African countries.

This helps create awareness about the continent and its different cultures.

The contest aims to provide African communities in China to re-connect with their heritages, while encouraging others to discover the beauty of African countries and, of course, provide invaluable opportunities for multi-arts collaboration and involving artists, students, business people and so on, said Samantha.

Its a night to celebrate and embrace African culture through music, dance, fashion and food. Each represented African country has the opportunity to showcase to the world what they are capable of and who they really are, not how the media depicts them.

In an effort to prop up African entrepreneurs in China, Appreciate Africa Network runs the Africa Achievers Awards which recognises African community builders in Asia.

Categories of community development, leadership, arts and culture, business and entrepreneurship, agriculture, community service, rural development and education form the basis of the awards.

The major objective is to recognise the contribution made by Africans who are based in the Asia-Pacific and reward them for continuously uplifting their countries names in the region.

These awards also help showcase the positive contribution made by Africans, not only to China, but in the whole of the Asia-Pacific region.

Appreciate Africa Network is constructing the African Information Resources Centre in Beijing, which will have all information about Africa under one roof.

The network also runs the Africa Got Talent Show which scouts for talent among Africans living in China in the fields of music, dance, poetry, drama and magic.

The show caters for many Africans who would like to pursue a career in arts, but lack the financial capacity and consequently a platform to be trained, heard and known by production companies.

In the long run, Appreciate Africa Network intends to open African schools in China to create a suitable learning environment for African kids and ensure educational affordability to all.

The other project being run by Appreciate Africa Network is the Discover Africa Academy, which teaches students about Africa, African people and their cultures.

Students learn subjects like African history, African art, African music and dance, wonders of Africa, African folktales and stories and African languages.

The academy offers summer schools, winter classes and after school activities to students from kindergarten to high school.

It is already offering such lessons in partnership with Eduwings German Kindergarten at its Shunyi and Haidian campuses and the Sunrise International School.

Students under this programme will be taken to Africa during the winter vacation in January next year to enable them to have first-hand experiences on the continent.

Appreciate Africa Network has lined up a number of programmes before the end of the year.

The major highlight will be the invitation of Zimbabwean and African iconic musician Oliver Mtukudzi, to Beijing in early November.

With her organisation and projects, Samantha is striving to ensure that more Chinese are aware of Africa and enhance people-to-people relations between the two sides.

Samantha is an artist in her own right, having been involved in dance and singing in Zimbabwe, before starring in the Chinese film, China 1911, in 2011.

The film is about the Xinhai Revolution that ended the Qing Dynasty (1644  1911), the last imperial dynasty in China, leading to the formation of the Republic of China.

Lovemore Chikova is the News Editor of The Herald Newspaper in Zimbabwe, a fellow at the China-Africa Press Centre and an intern at Peoples Daily Online. He can be contacted on [email protected]
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By the end of my first year of residency, I knew I was in trouble.

I was overwhelmed by the 15-hour days, the unbearable sadness of the tragedies I witnessed, my feelings of impotence and my fears of making a mistake.

My life was my work, and everything else seemed to be falling apart: my physical health, my relationships, my ability to sleep after months of night shifts.

Yet, I came to work every day. I completed every task. And then Id go home each night and cry. An administrator pulled me aside one morning: Hows it going? she asked.

I began to sob. Well, get yourself together and get ready for the day, she said. I dried my tears off in the bathroom and readied for the rest of my 12-hour shift.

I thought I was alone. I wasnt.

After interviewing several residents at Boston teaching hospitals (their names are changed or omitted to protect their privacy) and reviewing the research, Im starting to understand the scale of mental health disorders in residency and why this problem seems to be growing worse.

Residencys long hours, trauma, sleeplessness and social isolation inevitably erode our healthy coping mechanisms. At the same time, there is a powerful culture of fear, stigma, and lack of self-care that prevents residents from seeking help. The resources that are in place in residency programs are simply not adequate.

Depression and other mental health disorders are incredibly common in residency. In a review article, Dr. Douglas Mata, an intern at Brigham and Womens Hospital, and his colleagues concluded that the prevalence of depression was around 29 percent. In other words, at any point in time, nearly one in three physicians in training is clinically depressed.

During the first year of residency  commonly referred to as intern year  depression rates increase by about 15 to 30 percent, the biggest jump in medical training. After that first year, depression rates decrease, but they never return to the level they were before training started. By the end of residency, depression rates are still double what they were prior to starting your intern year, Mata said in an interview.

While we may not know why exactly this happens, Mata ticked off reasons that resonated with me: We have little control over where we end up when applying for residency programs, and we may move across the country and lose our social support system. Then we have to work 80 hours a week and have no time to develop a new one. You might miss weddings, funerals. Theres just no time for you to be a regular person, Mata said.

A death in the family

A month after I began residency, my uncle called me. He had been losing weight. He was in pain. I think I have pancreatic cancer, he said. Though his doctors were doing tests, he wanted my opinion. I tried to reassure him.

I left for my first vacation and tried to forget the intense stress of my first two months, and the nagging feeling that my uncle might be right about his diagnosis.

Upon my return, I had two messages from my uncle. He had had an endoscopy and a blood test. As he went through the results, I looked up what they meant. Slowly, dread washed over me. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Three months later he was dead.

Meanwhile, in the hospital, I was surrounded by deaths that I had to manage. I hadnt processed my uncles death. I worked in the intensive care unit during his funeral, walking a patients family through the death of their loved one while my family was grieving in Texas.

These deaths took a toll on me. The first time a patient I took care of in medical school died, I wanted to stop and talk about it. We have to keep going, my attending said. There are a lot of other patients. I looked up to him and hoped he was right, and that I could just pretend these terrible things hadnt happened.

A lost connection

Connecting with patients made the work feel worthwhile but brought its own heartache. As residents, we are the pressure point of a broken system. We have to tell patients they need things they cant afford, and in Massachusetts, we live the difference between universal access to health care and equality of access. Every week, I had a patient who couldnt get the care that they needed, because they had no support, they didnt have the right type of insurance, or their life was simply too chaotic and the medical system too bureaucratic to respond.

As Sarah (not her real name), a first-year resident I spoke with, said: The patient is upset with their life, perhaps deservedly, and takes their frustration out on you because youre the person that they see most. And theyre frustrated with the medical system with very good reason, and youre the face of that too.

Intern year is marked by a paradoxical marriage of responsibility and lack of power. The single worst thing for your mental health is to be in a position of great responsibility with very little agency, and that perfectly describes intern year, said Sarah. You fight these behemoth systems [Patients] have no idea how hard you are working for them. All they see is youre in their room for five minutes a day, and they dont get to talk to you.

The lack of face time with patients strains the relationships that make medicine fulfilling. In 2013, a study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that residents spent less than eight minutes with each patient. Many older physicians blame the duty-hours restrictions  which prevent residents from working more than an average of 80 hours a week  for this.

But in fact, many residents are not working fewer hours, says Mata, the researcher. Instead, hospitals have created complex scheduling plans that often include frequent night calls, something Mata equates with taking a transatlantic flight every third or fourth day. That, he says is a big risk factor not only for depression, but for obesity and diabetes as well.

And though the hours of duty have been restricted, the amount of work has increased. Overnight, you might be responsible for 40 to 80 patients, Mata said, all of whom have complex reasons for being in the hospital and ever shorter stays.

To get through the days and nights, the things that disappear are not the forms we have to fill out, but the time chatting with patients, connecting to them on a human level, eating lunch with colleagues, processing our grief and helping others process theirs.

Seeking help

A friend in residency asked me to help her find a therapist  just as dozens of others have done since I began talking openly about my own depression. We met for dinner. Her romantic relationship had recently fallen apart, and then she started a string of night shifts. She couldnt sleep. She lost 10 pounds. She had thoughts of wishing she were dead. I dont think I was depressed. I just couldnt sleep for two weeks or process anything, she said. But is there a really a difference? She wasnt sure. Residency was OK for me. As long as nothing in my life went wrong.

But we cannot pause the world around us. Things go wrong.

One resident I spoke with learned that the hard way in her second year of training. Shed always taken care of herself with regular exercise and therapy when things were overwhelming. She excelled in school and training. She dreamed of being a leader. Her first year went well. Then, at the beginning of her second year, when she was now responsible for supervising other physicians for the first time, her boyfriends mother died suddenly. She was overwhelmed with the loss and the long days. She forgot to check the labs on one of her patients.

I got a page  that my patient was admitted to the ICU and all the terrible things that had happened, and I was completely mortified. I mean, I was devastated. It was a patient I was very close to, who I saw a lot, and who was not doing well and we all knew that, but I shouldnt have let it slip, you know? And I just didnt realize  that the days had passed, and I hadnt looked at those labs. And that was terrible.

The patient survived. But the resident knew she needed help and didnt know where to get it, so she went directly to her program director. I had to go through this in a very public way, and I worry how it will affect my opportunities to be a leader in the program, she said.

Even when resources exist, residents often do not know how to access them. And they worry that seeking help will affect their future careers. I asked my doctor friends to share their stories and opinions. In general, their responses fell into three categories:

1. I havent had depression, just depressive symptoms  for weeks.

2. I have experienced depression/suicidal thoughts/substance abuse, but I dont want to talk about it, even anonymously.

3. I am not doing well right now. Can you help me find a therapist?

In these responses, I felt denial, secrecy, stigma and hopelessness.

Sarah, the intern I spoke with, agreed. Though she would have no qualms about seeing a therapist, she didnt know quite how to do it. Going to therapy would mean leaving work at a place where its difficult to even break for lunch. I never asked because it didnt even seem plausible, she said. A fellow intern who was struggling seemed very depressed, and Sarah was worried he might hurt himself. She didnt know how to help him. She found herself searching her hospitals website but then gave up.

About a month after my uncle died, I was supposed to meet a friend for brunch. She was not a doctor, and I was looking forward to hearing about the world outside of my work. She didnt come. Later, I found out she had committed suicide the night before. I knew that this was too much for me to handle.

I went to the administrator designated to be the liaison for residents in need of mental health assistance. I was hesitant to reach out to her because she had other roles in the residency program that left me concerned about my confidentiality, but I did. This administrator connected me to a therapist, whose office was below my program directors. I found myself coming into the hospital on my day off, talking about how hard it was to always be at the hospital. After our sessions, I would scan the hallways for my employers, and dash out of the building. After three visits that made me feel even worse, I quit going.

Doctors and suicide

Suicide is the threat that lingers around us in training and beyond; it calls attention to mental health disorders in residency that often go ignored. At the beginning of my second year of training, two doctors jumped to their deaths in New York. These public suicides were impossible to overlook, and prompted some soul searching in our community.

They reminded us that the rates of physician suicide are much higher than in the general population: twice as high for men, and four times as high for women. But these numbers come from only those deaths that are reported publicly. In reporting this story, I heard of five separate deaths that were widely known to be suicides, but never publicly acknowledged.

Their deaths are not being recorded as such, Mata said. Someone who overdosed on fentanyl might be listed as having died of a drug overdose. It is possible that a physician could die of an accidental overdose, but we write drug doses for a living. This gap in data contributes to our inability to address mental health and suicide among physicians: We dont even know how big the problem is.

A third-year resident, Kate (not her real name), recounted the day that things became so bad she called a suicide hotline. The operator didnt know what to tell her, and she got off the phone. She was alone on her birthday, overwhelmed with loneliness. She started cutting herself. A few friends came to check on her. One of them called her program director.

The program director called an ambulance and sent her to a nearby hospital (luckily directing the paramedics to bypass the hospital where Kate worked). She was now a patient, strapped down in the emergency department. That changes my status. I will always be that person, she said.

After being released from the hospital, she took time off to get better. Later, when she applied for her medical license, Kate had to explain the gap in her training to the Massachusetts medical board. The license application requires applicants to report if they have taken any time off from the beginning of medical school through training for any reason. Kate says she had to go in front of the whole medical board, and was asked in-depth questions about her depression and suicidal thoughts. I walk into this room that was set up like a courtroom, Kate recalled. I felt like I was being vilified, she said.

Dr. Candace Sloane, chair of the Mass. Board of Registration in Medicine, said she recognizes the challenge of getting physicians to admit they might need help.

Even in medical training, were taught we have to almost be superhuman, she said. People who want to pick medicine tend to be the kind of people who want to be there for others. They want to be the caregiver.

I agree that denial keeps many of us from reaching out until things are already out of control. But even when we want to reach out, we often dont know how.

My struggle

At the end of my intern year, a psychiatrist I worked with in my clinic said she had noticed that I seemed to be struggling. I told her that Id tried to find help, but that seeing someone in the hospital building where my boss worked was untenable.

She asked around and found a list of outside therapists and psychiatrists who would see residents with my insurance. I started cold-calling dozens of providers until I found one.

My new chief resident made time for me to go, treating me with compassion and privacy.

After about a month, I began to feel like I was going to recover. I began to enjoy life outside of work again. I prioritized my health while still doing my work. Most importantly, I shared my experience with some friends in my program, and they shared their own stories. I finally understood that this was not just about me.

I wanted to put this experience behind me. In the summer after intern year, I was visiting a friend in New York. On the way back to her dorm building we heard someone had jumped from the roof, one of the two interns who would take their lives that week.

Shortly afterwards, our program had a meeting about those suicides. The directors told the residents that there were plenty of resources in place. It was easy to get help, they said.

I scanned the room, looking at the faces of colleagues I knew had had tremendous difficulty accessing care. I waited for them to say something. No one said a word. I wanted to be a leader, too, and could not remain silent. Finally, I spoke up. Its not that easy, I said. I tried to get help for a long time, and it took me a whole year. We need to do so much more.

It was one of the scariest moments of my life, and one of my proudest.

In the years since, I have helped dozens of friends get help. My residency program, in turn, did a lot of great work to establish a physician health committee. The committee is led by two psychiatrists who are not involved in the residency program, and who assist residents in getting access to care within and outside of our hospital system.

Mata, like me, was inspired to continue to work on this issue because of his friends experience  and his own. He initially started a residency program in urology at Massachusetts General Hospital, and realized he had chosen the wrong field. Because of his interest in mental health disorders for trainees, he felt empowered to get help early.

At a moment when he felt particularly low, he called the employee assistance program: I think Im having a major depressive episode, what do I do? he recalls asking. And they said, No problem, we get that a lot.  He switched to pathology and after a few counseling sessions, felt healthy again.

In writing this piece, Ive come to realize that we continue to treat mental health disorders in medical training and practice as the exception. But in reality, mental health disorders in residency are the rule, and those who never experience them are the exception. And though it is common, it should not be dismissed as normal. We should not tell trainees, as I was told by numerous colleagues and my own providers, that this is just residency. I had clinical depression, and it was very treatable once I was able to get adequate care.

Some fixes

Residency is never going to be easy. There is a certain amount of humility we need to learn, and tragedies that we will be powerless to change. I think that we need to help each other process this in a safe way. There are many ways to encourage this:

 We should have regular debriefing sessions in a safe space for residents to speak about issues that they face, such as the one at Stanfords surgery program. These sessions should be mandatory, and could be group sessions or one-on-one meetings with mental health professionals. The sessions should not include anyone with an administrative role in the residency program. Otherwise, residents can feel pressured to not share their failures, compounding the issues they already face.

 We should train residents to recognize mental health disorders in each other (something we are shockingly bad at) and empower them to help colleagues who are suffering.

 There should be mental health liaisons who are fire-walled from the residency program and can help connect residents to therapists. These liaisons need to be regularly visible to residents, not just at orientation, or it is unlikely residents will know and trust them.

 We should collect statistics about all deaths at medical schools and residencies to get a better idea of how many physicians are actually committing suicide and what can be done to prevent it.

 To protect the confidentiality of residents seeking mental health care and to eliminate the issue of time, we should make it mandatory for residents to leave the hospital during working hours once a week. Those who need therapy will then be able to access it confidentially, and those who do not can use this time for self-care to try to prevent mental health disorders.

 Residents who are comfortable sharing their experiences can do a lot for their fellow physicians by being open about their struggles. Programs should encourage residents to share and listen and respond to residents concerns about supports that are in place.

 Also, I would implore previous generations of physicians to recognize that medicine is not the same as when they practiced, and the hours restrictions in and of themselves do not mean that we are getting less exposure to patients and teaching. Rather, it is the quality of those hours that is the problem. The top-down nature of the reforms led to excessive night shifts and overnight calls that are less about our education and patient care and more about filling staff quotas.

 Finally, the licensing process stigmatizes physicians who take time off. We need to protect the public from physicians who are unsafe to practice, but I would submit that physicians who proactively take time off when they know that they need extra support should not be stigmatized for doing so. License applications in our state and other states should clearly distinguish between physicians who asked for time off and physicians who were removed from work. There should also be much more transparency in the licensing process. The perception that having a mental health disorder will prevent a physician from obtaining a license prevents many from seeking care until it is too late.

All of us will be patients at some point in our lives, as will our loved ones. Supporting physicians to be healthy will make it possible for them to be there physically and emotionally for us when we need them most. The irony of my experience is that I was worried that I would be perceived as less of a physician if others knew that I had had a mental health disorder. In reality, my experience with depression made me a much more compassionate physician and colleague.

The system has been far too slow to respond to this crisis. I worry about my colleagues who still do not feel safe or supported, and the many good reasons why they feel this way. For those who are still struggling, please know, you are not alone.

Elisabeth Poorman is an internal medicine physician. This article originally appeared in WBURs CommonHealth.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
A policeman stops a young self-balancing scooter rider in Beijing. (Photo/Beijing Evening News)

Riders of electric scooters and self-balancing scooters will be fined 10 yuan ($1.50) for travelling on roads across the capital city, according to Beijing Traffic Management Bureau.

In addition, traffic police will also demand users to immediately stop driving scooters or Segways in future.

But several police officers said the small fine is far from enough to deter users, who are mostly white-collar workers keen on fashion.

Use of the fancy two-wheel vehicles is against traffic safety rules in Beijing. A test by Beijing Consumer Association also showed these vehicles are fraught with issues including a capacity for high speeds along with questionable brakes and batteries.

The association added that electric scooters and Segways can be dangerous to users and others on public roads since they are mainly controlled by the rider's shifting weight.

Police noted a Segway's speed can reach 30 kilometers per hour, posing a serious threat to the aged and children when they are used in a non-motorized lane.

Traffic police in Shanghai have also staged a campaign to get electric scooters off roads.

Industry insiders warn that China still lacks industry standards for electric scooters, and that the quality of such vehicles sold on the Chinese market can't be guaranteed.
China's national image saw steady rise in global recognition in 2015, especially as an economic power.

The 2015 China National Image Global Survey, which was published on Aug. 29, showed that China's national image has seen a steady rise globally. Now ranking second, just after the U.S., the nation's image was rated 6.2 out of 10, up 0.3 points from 2014. Following China on the list are Russia, the U.K. and Germany.

Specifically, most respondents gave a positive evaluation of China's economic situation, and nearly 50 percent expressed optimism about the future development of the world's second largest economy, the survey showed.

The survey also indicated that many overseas respondents expect the country to play an even bigger role in global governance in the future. Some 64 percent said they hope China can play a more important role in the global economy, while 58 percent professed to having high hopes for China's role in science and technology.

"It should be noted that this improvement was accomplished in the midst of increasing communications between China and the global community, and also during the rise of sensitive issues, such as the South China Sea ... It shows more world recognition of China's role in global governance, as problems arise in the current Western-led system," said Zhou Qing'an, vice dean of the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University, at a press conference on Aug. 29.

Surprisingly, more overseas respondents gave credit to China's scientific and technological innovations than Chinese respondents. The respective percentages were 61 versus 57. The most noted technological achievement of China in 2015 was the ongoing development of the high-speed rail, which now extends 19,000 kilometers. The second most major achievement was the launch of China's independently-developed Beidou navigation satellites.

As for Chinese brands overseas, Lenovo and Huawei remain on the top two seats, followed by Alibaba and ZTE. Since 2014, brands such as Xiaomi, WeChat and UC Web have gained more popularity, and the rise of PetroChina was especially notable, according to the survey.

"We see individual humiliating cases overseas and they sometimes cause us to either over- or underestimate ourselves. The survey can help us change the way we see ourselves and guide us toward better development ... It is also important that we stop idolizing Western countries," said Wang Wen, director of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, at the press conference.

The survey was conducted between January and March by the Center for International Communication Studies under China International Publishing Group (CIPG), together with leading market research firms Millward Brown and Lightspeed GMI.
Shower and storm clouds over the city of Save, Benin, in the evening: The diurnal cycle of air pollution and cloud formation is one of the subjects of the studies in DACCIWA. (Photo: Norbert Kalthoff, KIT)

West Africa is changing rapidly. An explosively growing population, massive urbanization, and unregulated deforestation modify the composition of the atmosphere, thus affecting weather and climate. How exactly these emissions are changing the region in the long term is not clear. The EU-funded project DACCIWA coordinated by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) therefore studied the air over the coastal region of West Africa with the help of research aircraft and ground stations.

The air over the coastal region of West Africa is a unique mixture of various trace gases, liquids, and particles, explains Professor Peter Knippertz of KITs Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, who coordinates DACCIWA. The sources of these particles and gases are monsoon winds with sea salt from the south, Sahara winds with dust from the north, charcoal fires and burning rubbish in cities as well as power plants, ship traffic, oil rigs, and outdated engines. At the same time, multi-layered cloud covers frequently form in the atmosphere and strongly influence local weather and climate. The composition of the particles in the air and what impacts they have on the formation and breakup of clouds has not yet been studied in detail. This information is not included in the weather and climate models presently used.

The EU-funded project DACCIWA (Dynamics-aerosol-chemistry-cloud Interactions in West Africa) investigates the relationship between weather, climate, and air pollution in West Africa. For the first time, a coordinated measurement campaign was launched recently to study the entire chain of impacts of natural and anthropogenic emissions on the West African atmosphere. In June and July, three research aircraft, the Falcon of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Twin Otter propeller plane Ice Cold Katy of the British Antarctic Survey, and the ATR of the Service des Avions Francais Instrumentes pour la Recherche en Environnement (SAFIRE) of the French research institution CNRS, Meteo France, and CNES, flew targeted missions over West Africa. The different aircraft were used in different ways based on their strengths, but all three had a comparable instrumentation generating a rich set of reference data.

Some impressions from the field work of the researchers and pilots are shown in a short video on the measurement campaign:

Video embedding:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I4aeUkpyh7w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Dissemination of the video, also in parts, for pedagogic, editorial or private purposes is permitted, provided that the source is indicated (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology). Any use of reproduction for purposes other than those mentioned or dissemination in the advertising or commercial sector is not permitted.

Air pollution does not stay where it is produced, but extends inland by up to 300 km. For this reason, the aircraft followed the plumes of the big coastal cities of Accra, Abidjan, Lome, and Cotonou on their way from the coast towards the inland forests, savannahs, and the Sahara. For the campaign, the scientists also set up three highly instrumented measuring sites inland. They measured urban emissions and evaluated health data. KIT climate researchers under the direction of Dr. Norbert Kalthoff were mainly active in Save, Benin, where they used the KITcube measurement platform. The observation system integrates instruments for all relevant meteorological parameters and can measure a cube with an edge length of about ten kilometers as a part of the atmosphere. In parallel, a large weather balloon campaign was coordinated by Professor Andreas H. Fink, KIT expert for the African climate, in four West African countries. Optimal planning of the measurement flights and balloon launches was based on special forecasts with the COSMO-ART model developed by KIT. The project that has a duration of five years lays the foundation for new and more precise climate, weather, and air quality models for a more sustainable development of the region.

Surprisingly, first results show that the plumes contain large fractions of organic materials, Knippertz says. This finding points towards burning of charcoal, rubbish, and agricultural waste at low temperature. The particles from these fires lead to a considerable haziness in the atmosphere. Less sunshine reaches the ground, thereby changing the daily patterns of temperature, wind, and clouds. For the first time, the measurements show an enormous complexity in the different cloud layers, the causes of which are still unclear. Moreover, the air particles modify the formation of clouds and raindrops in the clouds.

Until 2018, the researchers will continue to study the impacts of atmospheric composition on cloud formation and air quality in West Africa, to evaluate the data measured, and to develop a new generation of climate and weather models. Work is also aimed at making more precise prognoses for West Africa, as strong impacts of climate change, such as water scarcity, heat waves or floods, are to be expected. Better prognoses will also be of benefit to other regions. We know, for instance, that West African monsoon interacts with the Indian monsoon and it is an important factor influencing Atlantic hurricanes, Knippertz says.

More about the DACCIWA Project

With the help of measurements of air quality and meteorological parameters in West Africa and with various computer simulations, the project studies the relationships of air quality, weather, and climate. The project is funded with about EUR 8.75 million under the 7th Framework Programme of the EU. DACCIWA is a cooperation project of 16 scientific institutions in Europe and Africa. Apart from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), these are: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France; German Aerospace Center (DLR); Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ), Switzerland; European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), United Kingdom; Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana; Met Office, United Kingdom; Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria; University of Manchester and University of Reading, both United Kingdom; Universite Blaise Pascal Clermont-Ferrand II, Universite Paris Diderot, Universite Paul Sabatier Toulouse III., Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, all France; University of Leeds and University of York, both United Kingdom.

More about the KIT Climate and Environment Center: http://www.klima-umwelt.kit.edu/english.

Being The Research University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,800 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press inked an agreement last week with Palgrave MacMillan, a global academic publisher, to publish an English version of My Personal Experience at the Tokyo Trial written by Chinas legendary judge Mei Ru'ao.

The deal was signed during the 2016 Beijing International Book Fair, which was held on August 24-28.

Mei is best remembered for his efforts to protect the dignity and legal interests of Chinese during the trial of 28 Japanese war criminals at a Tokyo court in 1946.

Apart from detailed documentation of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East recorded by Mei, who was the only Chinese judge that had participated in the entire hearing, My Personal Experience at the Tokyo Trial also includes journal and diary entries written after arriving in Tokyo for the trial.

Mei Xiao'ao, Mei Ruaos son who oversaw the compiling of materials for the book, said the English edition would further aid in-depth research on the trial.

Xiaoao quotes his father to illustrate his motivations. "I'm not a revanchist, and I have no desire to write down the bloodshed debts the Japanese imperialists owed us under the name of Japanese people. But forgetting the past bitterness might bring about catastrophe."

Mei Xiaoao said he hopes to present the events with historical accuracy, especially for the sake of younger generations.

Zhou Huilin, an official from the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, said that the systematic research, compilation and publication of documents on the International Military Tribunal for the Far East have both historic and immediate significance.

The English version will provide the world a window to learn more about the trial, Zhou said, adding that it also is of vital importance for academic research.

Readers around the world can now have a comprehensive understanding of history, so that they can better cherish the hard-won peace and post-war order following the victory of World War II, Zhou added.
ug 30 (Reuters) - The state of Victoria plans to ban shale and coal seam gas fracking in what would be Australia's first permanent ban on unconventional gas drilling, citing the concerns of farmers and potential health and environment risks.

However the government left the door open to allowing onshore conventional gas drilling after 2020.

The decision was made despite the fact that most of eastern Australia's gas supply is produced from coal seam gas and comes as a blow to manufacturers who have been clamouring for more gas supply to help keep prices down.

"Our farmers produce some of the world's cleanest and freshest food. We won't put that at risk with fracking," state Labor Premier Daniel Andrews said in a statement on Tuesday.

Farmers are worried that groundwater reserves could be depleted or contaminated by onshore gas drilling.

"Victorians have made it clear that they don't support fracking and that the health and environmental risks involved outweigh any potential benefits," Andrews said.

Gas supply has become an issue following the opening of three liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants in the state of Queensland, which together are set to triple gas demand in eastern Australia by 2018 from 2014.

Andrews said Victoria, which gets most of its gas from offshore fields in the Bass Strait, would extend a moratorium on onshore conventional gas drilling until 2020, while it evaluates the risks and benefits of allowing it.

The state has banned fracking since 2012.

The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) has said there is no environmental reason to ban onshore gas exploration and development.

Companies with onshore gas tenements in Victoria include Origin Energy ORG.AX , Beach Energy BPT.AX , Cooper Energy COE.AX and Bass Strait Oil BAS.AX .

(Reporting by Sonali Paul; Editing by Richard Pullin)
Aug 30 (Reuters) - In the last financial year before Britain voted to leave the European Union, the country gained more foreign investment projects than ever before, the government said on Tuesday.

Some 2,213 investments were made in the year ending in March, up 11 percent from the previous year, the government said. That resulted in the creation or "safeguarding" of 116,000 jobs, it said.

However, the government did not provide a value for the investments, and it did not explain how the jobs were "safeguarded". It did say 82,650 jobs were created, down from 84,603 jobs created the previous financial year.

The period covered by the government's statement ended almost three months before Britain's June 23 referendum on its EU membership. The vote to leave delivered a major blow to business confidence.

Multinational companies from consumer goods giant Unilever to carmaker Jaguar Land Rover had spoken out in favour of Britain remaining in the trading bloc. And some, such as carmaker Nissan, have said future investment will hinge on the deal Britain strikes with its former EU partners.

The United States was Britain's largest source of inward investment, providing 570 projects, followed by China with 156 and India with 140, the government said.

(Reporting by Paul Sandle, editing by Larry King)
Aug 29 (Reuters) - Zhongwang USA LLC, backed by Chinese aluminum magnate Liu Zhongtian, said on Monday it would buy U.S. aluminum company Aleris Corp ALSD.PK in a bet by the billionaire that the nascent U.S. automotive aluminum sector will be the industry's next big growth market.

The $2.33 billion deal comes as Liu and Zhongwang International Group Ltd, the parent of Zhongwang USA, are embroiled in a dispute over U.S. import duties amid broader trade tensions between the U.S. aluminum industry and China.

It marks the biggest entry by a Chinese company into the U.S. aluminum industry since trade tensions began ramping up in recent years.

Zhongwang International is parent of China Zhongwang Holdings Ltd 1333.HK , the world's second-largest producer of aluminum extrusions. It has been accused of evading U.S. import duties on extruded products, prompting an investigation by the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC).

The acquisition has strategic importance because Aleris is in the midst of a $350 million expansion of its Lewisport, Kentucky rolling mill to produce automotive body sheet for U.S.

auto manufacturers. It hopes to produce 200,000 tonnes per year and begin shipping in 2017.

Liu said in a statement that Aleris is "well-positioned to capitalize on the positive demand trends we see globally." Auto manufacturers like Ford Motor Co F.N have been moving toward aluminum, which is lighter than steel, to reduce body weight of autos in order to improve gasoline mileage, which will reduce emissions.

Aleris has been owned by a group of funds including Oaktree Capital Management LP and Apollo Management LP since it emerged from bankruptcy in 2010. It has plants in the United States, Europe and Asia and supplies fabricated products to the aerospace, construction, automotive and defense industries.

Sean Stack, chief executive officer of the Cleveland-based company, said the transition to strategic ownership from private equity would allow it to focus on long-term investments in the U.S. automotive market and aerospace market in China "without worrying about the next quarter's performance." Zhongwang produces extrusions for the automotive sector, and recently built a rolling mill in China for auto body sheet.

Stack said the two parties have not yet gotten into the details of how they might collaborate.

Extrusion is the process of shaping aluminum by forcing it to flow through an opening in a die.

Aleris's mill in Zhenjiang, China mainly serves the aerospace sector, and is licensed to supply Bombardier Inc.

BBDb.TO , Boeing Co BA.N and Airbus Group SE AIR.PA .

Zhongwang USA is majority-owned by Liu, China Zhongwang's founder. He has a net worth of $3.1 billion, according to Forbes. The company will pay $1.11 billion in cash and take on Aleris's $1.22 billion in net debt.

TRADE DISPUTE

Upstream smelters and downstream extruders in the United States have both argued that subsidized Chinese aluminum production has depressed global prices and presented unfair competition.

China Zhongwang - the subsidiary that is not the purchaser of Aleris - is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) into allegations from industry group the U.S. Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC), that the company evaded U.S. import tariffs on aluminum extrusions.

Jeff Henderson, president of the AEC, said on Monday the deal "raises very serious concerns for the entire industry." China Zhongwang has denied the allegations.

Zhongwang USA LLC is not owned by China Zhongwang, but the two are related through Zhongwang International and Liu.

Stack said Zhongwang had assured Aleris that it denies the allegations and was cooperating with the DOC to resolve the case. He emphasized that the two were separate companies despite the link to Liu.

"This helps them move beyond that with very significant investment and exposure to the U.S. market," Stack said, referring to the trade case. "Aleris' position doesn't change - we support free and fair trade with a level playing field." Henderson disputed that Zhongwang had been cooperating with the DOC, noting that it had not responded to the department's questionnaires.

"Zhongwang is a state-supported enterprise and has received large benefits and financing from the government of China.

Zhongwang also has a long history of circumventing and evading duties in trade cases," Henderson said.

Last year, short-seller Dupre Analytics accused China Zhongwang of doctoring its books, in a report cited widely in the AEC's complaint. The company denied those allegations.

The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017.

Credit Suisse was financial adviser to Aleris, while Moelis & Co advised Aleris on certain aspects of the deal. Zhongwang USA received financial advice from Deutsche Bank and Barclays.

(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York, Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru and Josephine Mason in Beijing; Editing by Paul Simao, Marguerita Choy and David Gregorio)
Aug 29 (Reuters) - The European Union's executive said on Monday it had a unanimous mandate from the bloc's 28 members to finalise negotiations on a free trade deal with the United States, a day after Germany's economy minister said the talks had "de facto failed".

Sigmar Gabriel of Germany, the EU's biggest economy, said on Sunday that negotiations over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) had failed because Europe rejected some U.S. demands.

Asked to comment on Gabriel's remarks, a European Commission spokesman said: "The ball is still rolling" on TTIP.

"Although trade talks take time, the ball is rolling right now and the Commission is making steady progress in the ongoing TTIP negotiations," Margaritis Schinas told a news conference.

The White House also disputed Gabriel's contention, saying it was still aiming to reach a deal by the end of the year.

"It's going to require the resolution of some pretty thorny negotiations, but the president and his team are committed to doing that," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in Washington.

In Berlin, Germany's leading industry associations were critical of Gabriel's remarks and urged the German government to show greater commitment to free trade deals.

The head of industry association BDI, Ulrich Grillo, said it was "astonishing" that Gabriel, who is also vice chancellor and head of the co-governing Social Democrats, had declared the TTIP talks a failure when negotiations were still going on.

Top officials of other industry associations such as VDMA and the Auto Industry Association VDA also spoke out against Gabriel's comments, which highlighted growing divisions within Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition ahead of next year's elections.

Three years of negotiations have failed to resolve multiple differences, including over food and environmental safety, with critics saying the pact would hand too much power to big multinationals at the expense of consumers and workers.

Backers of a sweeping U.S.-EU free trade deal see it bringing economic gains on both sides of the Atlantic. EU trade ministers will discuss the issue in Bratislava on Sept. 22.

Schinas said the Commission was still ready to finalise the deal by the end of the year but not at the expense of "Europe's safety, health, social and data protection standards, or our cultural diversity".

Commenting separately on Gabriel's remarks, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said he believed arriving at a deal would benefit both the EU and the United States.

"It would be better for all sides to agree," he said. "Of course, not at an expense of our interests. We have to defend our interests, but we also have to negotiate and conclude this agreement. It would be a big boost for economies, jobs, trade." Britain's June vote to leave the EU has further clouded the picture, although Schinas said Brussels was still negotiating on behalf of all 28 members of the bloc, including London.

(Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; Additional reporting by Michael Nienaber in Berlin, Nerijus Adomaitis in Oslo and Tim Ahmann in Washington; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Aug 29 (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve Board said on Monday that it had fined a former Barclays Plc BARC.L foreign exchange trader $1.2 million for manipulating trades.

The former trader, Christopher Ashton, allegedly used chat rooms to coordinate investments and disclose confidential information in foreign exchange trades, the regulator said.

Through his London lawyer, Ashton declined to comment.

Barclays also declined to comment.

Monday's action followed the board's May 2015 enforcement actions against Barclays for unsafe and unsound practices related to foreign exchange markets, the Federal Reserve said .

Barclays was required to pay $342 million at that time.

In that case, the bank had settled with the New York state financial regulator and faces civil lawsuits stemming from the alleged abuse.

(Reporting by Patrick Rucker; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Jonathan Oatis)
Aug 29 (Reuters) - U.S. wheat futures fell for a sixth consecutive session to hit a new 10-year low on Monday, as ample global stocks and a regulatory clamp-down from the world's largest buyer of the grain dragged on prices.

Corn set a seven-year low and soybeans also declined, pressured by prospects for large U.S. harvests of both crops.

At the Chicago Board of Trade, September wheat WU6 settled down 13 cents at $3.70-1/2 per bushel after dipping to $3.69-1/2, the lowest spot price Wc1 since August 2006.

December corn CZ6 settled down 4-1/4 cents at $3.20-3/4 a bushel and November soybeans SX6 ended down 3 cents at $9.64-1/4 a bushel.

Wheat slid after Egypt, the world's biggest wheat importer, reinstated on Sunday a controversial ban on wheat shipments containing even the slightest amount of a common grain fungus, ergot. The move baffled traders who had returned to the Egyptian market just last month when the ban was lifted.

"The market is bemused as to where Egypt expects to find millions of tonnes of ergot-free wheat," said Tobin Gorey, director of agricultural strategy, Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

Egypt's move comes at a time of huge global wheat surpluses, including stocks of feed wheat that may limit demand for corn.

The International Grains Council last week projected record-high world production for 2016/17 of both wheat and corn.

"Double-digit losses in wheat reflect global surpluses and chart failures, with wheat pulling down corn as well," INTL FCStone chief commodities economist Arlan Suderman wrote in a note to clients.

Front-month September corn dipped to $3.10-3/4 a bushel, the lowest spot price on a continuous chart Cc1 since September 2009.

The Pro Farmer newsletter on Friday predicted that U.S. average corn yields in 2016 will be 170.2 bushels per acre, or enough to produce a record-large 14.728 billion-bushel crop.

"The crop may not be as big as the (U.S. Department of Agriculture) put out in early August, but it is still a monster crop," ED&F Man Capital analyst Charlie Sernatinger wrote in a note to clients.

Pro Farmer projected soybean production at a record 4.093 billion bushels, with an average yield of 49.3 bushels per acre.

Its estimates topped the USDA's Aug. 12 outlook for a 4.060 billion-bushel crop with a yield of 48.9 bushels per acre.

After the CBOT close, the USDA rated 75 percent of the U.S.

corn crop in good to excellent condition, unchanged from a week earlier, and 73 percent of the soybean crop as good to excellent, up from 72 percent the previous week. Both figures are historically high.



CBOT settlement prices: Net Pct Volume Last change change CBOT wheat WU6 370.50 -13.00 -3.4 27245 CBOT corn CZ6 320.75 -4.25 -1.3 229264 CBOT soybeans SX6 964.25 -3.00 -0.3 77557 CBOT soymeal SMZ6 315.10 -0.40 -0.1 33254 CBOT soyoil BOZ6 33.22 -0.13 -0.4 42668 CBOT September wheat, December corn and November soybeans shown in cents per bushel, December soymeal in dollars per short ton and December soyoil in cents per lb.

(Additional reporting by Colin Packham in Sydney and Sybille de La Hamaide in Paris; Editing by Ruth Pitchford and Alan Crosby)
Aug 30 (Reuters) - Mitsubishi Motors Corp 7211.T overstated the fuel economy on eight of its vehicle models, in addition to four others the embattled Japanese automaker admitted to earlier this year, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Japan's transport ministry, which had been investigating the fuel economy on Mitsubishi models including the Pajero SUV, would report its findings as early as Tuesday, the Nikkei said, citing an unnamed source.

The Nikkei said the company would likely withdraw the affected vehicles from the market to revise its catalogues, a process which could take about two to three weeks. Compensation to customers was a possibility, it added.

Both Mitsubishi and the transport ministry declined to comment on the report. Shares in the automaker slipped 0.8 percent in early trade.

Japan's sixth-largest automaker has been struggling to recover after admitting in April that it had falsified the fuel economy on two of its minivehicle models, along with two similar models produced for Nissan Motor Co 7201.T .

The scandal led to a suspension of sales for nearly three months, and prompted a slump in Mitsubishi's market value. The company sought financial assistance from Nissan, which agreed to buy a controlling one-third stake for $2.2 billion.

An internal investigation has uncovered poor communication, slack governance and pressure on resource-starved engineers at the root of Mitsubishi's problems.

Mitsubishi said last month that the resulting slump in domestic sales led to a 75 percent plunge in first-quarter operating profit, while the company said it booked an extraordinary loss of 125.9 billion yen ($1.24 billion) in the first quarter as a result of the cheating.

($1 = 101.8600 yen)

(Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu; Editing by Stephen Coates)
Aug 30 (Reuters) - South Korea's ratio of short-term external debt to foreign exchange reserves ticked up during the second quarter to 28.9 percent versus a revised 28.1 percent as of end-March, central bank data showed on Tuesday.

The resulting ratio for the June quarter was still smaller than the 29.1 percent seen at the end of 2015, said the Bank of Korea.

The country's short-term external debt rose to $106.8 billion as of the end of June from a revised $104.1 billion at end-March, the same data showed. Over the same period, South Korea's foreign reserves remained steady at $369.8 billion at end-March, and edging up to $369.9 billion as of end-June.

A separate statement from the finance ministry said short-term external debt had risen as local banks borrowed more during the second quarter. The government said despite the rise in the June quarter, the country has ample resources to pay back its debt.

Total external debt owed by South Korea inched up to $391.8 billion in the second quarter, the central bank said, from a revised $389.3 billion as of end-March.

(Reporting by Christine Kim; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
China's key reforms have been smooth over the last three years, but implementation needs to be faster, Xinhua news agency said, citing a statement from a meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping on Tuesday.

Xi called for solid efforts to advance reforms, with more focus needed on the economy, at the meeting of the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform.

Some analysts say China's reforms, particularly those of state firms, have been slower than expected.

China should deepen rural land reform and protect land rights according to land transfer contracts and ensure stable business expectations, the statement said. Protection of intellectual property rights should also be improved, the group said.

The statement said green finance was important for environmentally friendly development and supply-side reform.

(Reporting by Beijing Monitoring Desk and Elias Glenn; Editing by Nick Macfie)
ZURICH, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Credit Suisse ChairmanUrs Rohner aims to stay in office beyond 2018, he told Germannewspaper Handelsblatt, confident that his and Chief ExecutiveTidjane Thiam's strategy will revive the struggling Swiss bank.

Shares in Credit Suisse closed on Tuesday at 12.53 Swissfrancs, lingering near record lows amid tough financial marketsand concerns over the bank's capital position.

But the surprise second-quarter profit announced last monthprovided a lift for management's push to move Switzerland'ssecond-biggest bank away from volatile, capital-intensiveinvestment banking and focus on wealth management. "We have developed a common strategy with plenty of thoughtand we are convinced it is the right one," Rohner toldHandelsblatt. "And our big investors are behind our alignment."

Challenges remain, however, and the bank has lost a numberof senior staff this year, including global chairman of M&ADavid DeNunzio, who joined Wells Fargo & Co , and a groupof five investment bankers who left for Jefferies Group in May. Rohner, whose post is renewed annually, also told thenewspaper that the continued independence of some large Europeanbanks may hinge on finding others to manage centralisedservices, such as customer account data.

"I can imagine that a third party could do that for a seriesof banks," he said. "If multiple banks would join up, theresulting IT infrastructure organisation could be sold in an IPOon the stock exchange."

Rohner's comments echoed the thought processes of otherSwiss bankers, including UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti, whorecently said he thinks the industry may need to form suchalliances to share economies of scale and lower costs. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Credit Suisse profit surprise bolsters Thiam's turnaround ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Reporting by John Miller; Editing by David Goodman)
As two major engines of global economic growth, robust trade and investment are crucial to long-termglobal economic flourishment. But in the past years, G20 did not live up to expectations of their cooperation in the two fields.

But thanks to Chinas strategic foresight and diplomatic wisdom while holding the rotating presidency as well as the efforts of other members, people now can expect more fruits from the G20s efforts in deepening trade and investment cooperation for the sake of win-win benefits.

Within seven months, the G20 Trade and Investment Working Group (TIWG) has hosted three official working meetings and one unofficial conference. Besides the engagement of all G20 members, a number of international organizations, the Business 20 and the Think 20 (T20) also offered their suggestions to this end.

Whats more, three policy documents on trade growth, investment policies and working mechanisms were drafted during the G20 Trade Ministers Meeting held in July. Those ministers also reached a consensus to support a multilateral trading system and promote inclusive and coordinated global value chains.

All these efforts have laid a foundation for the G20 to further tap into the potential in global trade and investment.

The G20 Trade Ministers, during the meeting, consented on seven pillars to bolster trade growth and nine principles to govern investment policies. They also agreed to increase the transparency of regional trade agreements, keep the core position of multilateral trade system, maintain the policy consistency of multilateral, plurilateral as well as regional agreements, and help developing nations get involved more in the global value chain.

It is anticipated that the upcoming G20 Summit can send clear-cut signal on these agendas, so as to revitalize global economic growth and employment by cementing market confidence and pooling more consensuses.

The achievements G20 has won in trade and investment sectors this year can also serve as a reference for a sustainable and in-depth global cooperation in the two fields.

The frequent communications between the G20 and T20 is one such experience. More interactions between officials and scholars will offer the working group more constructive suggestions.

At the same time, G20 is now transforming itself from a crisis response mechanism to a long-term governance mechanism. In this process, those mechanisms including the TIWG will also facilitate a deeper global trade and investment cooperation.

(The author is Managing Director of the China Office and Senior Program Officer for the Geneva-based International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development)
European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic said he will visit Kiev on Friday to discuss energy reforms and lay the groundwork for trilateral talks with Ukraine and Russia that he hopes will help ensure uninterrupted gas supplies in the winter .

The European Union relies on Russia for around a third of its gas. More than half of that arrives via Ukraine, but since ties between Russia and Ukraine hit rock bottom over Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Kiev in 2014, the potential for disputes over pricing and other issues has accelerated.

"Despite a very difficult situation, especially in east Ukraine, the transit route through Ukraine has been working well. We consider it a priority that this route is fully operational this winter as well," Sefcovic told reporters.

He said he would discuss the issue with Ukrainian officials, including the prime minister and energy minister, in Kiev on Friday. He said Ukrainian authorities were in favor of holding trilateral talks but Russia had yet to answer his letter outlining such a proposal.

"These talks have always been about additional legal and political certainty that the three parties will work on this together," he said. Clarifying pricing, financial assistance to cash-strapped Ukraine and delivery points would be other key elements of the three-way talks, he said.

Disputes over pricing and political rows in the past have led to cuts in Russian deliveries for Ukraine as well as for the EU. The European Commission has stepped in on some occasions, brokering agreements to help resume supplies.

Sefcovic praised Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman's government for showing commitment to reforms in the former Soviet state, which is struggling with a weak economy and endemic corruption, on top of the military conflict.

Sefcovic said further reforms on independent energy and utilities regulators, as well as the electricity market were crucial for unlocking more Western funds to modernize the sector and he hoped Kiev will pass them quickly.

(Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Susan Fenton)
Current transatlantic trade talks should be halted and a new set started, France's trade minister said on Tuesday, adding his voice to calls from within Germany for an end to the negotiations.

Matthias Fekl said he would request a halt to negotiations with the United States over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) on behalf of France at next month's meeting of European Union trade ministers in Bratislava.

"There should be an absolute clear end so that we can restart them on good basis," he said on RMC Radio, adding he would suggest that course to fellow ministers.

German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday that TTIP negotiations had effectively failed after Europe refused to accept some U.S. demands.

Gabriel is the chairman of Germany's Social Democrats (SPD), who share power with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives. Many Social Democrats have serious reservations about TTIP but Merkel backs the talks.

Her spokesman insisted on Monday that talks should continue, while Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier - also a member of the SPD - said on Tuesday that both sides were still far away from agreeing on standards and procedures.

Fekl's and Gabriel's comments highlighted discrepancies between the views in the EU's two biggest economies and the official line from both the European Commission, the bloc's executive, and the U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman.

Three years of talks have failed to resolve multiple differences, including over food and environmental safety, but the USTR's spokesman told German magazine Der Spiegel the negotiations "are in fact making steady progress".

The White House has said this week it aims to reach a deal by the end of the year. "It's going to require the resolution of some pretty thorny negotiations, but the president and his team are committed to doing that," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in Washington.

The Commission also remains upbeat.

"Although trade talks take time, the ball is rolling right now and the Commission is making steady progress in the ongoing TTIP negotiations," the executive's spokesman, Margaritis Schinas, told a news conference in Brussels on Monday.

Supporters say the TTIP could deliver more than $100 billion worth of economic gains on both sides of the Atlantic, but critics say the pact would hand too much power to big multinationals at the expense of consumers and workers.

Paris threatened to stall further negotiations as long ago as April, but there are national elections due in both France and Germany in 2017, and before the summer, experts were saying that this year -- ahead of the U.S. presidential election -- may be the best opportunity to strike a deal.

That prospect looks less likely now, and Britain's June vote to leave the EU has further clouded the picture, even though the Commission has a mandate to finalize TTIP talks on behalf of all EU 28 members.

(Reporting by Sophie Louet; Writing by Andrew Callus; editing by John Stonestreet)
Editor's Note: Updating earlier story with more details from report and comments from economists.

(Kitco News) -The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its index for U.S. consumer confidence rose to 101.1in August.

Consensus expectations from most news organizations had called for a reading of around 97.0 to 97.3.

The July reading was downwardly revised to 96.7 from 97.3.

Consumers have been the main driver of economic growth this year, and today's consumer confidence reading suggests that the party isn't ending, said Royce Mendes of CIBC Capital Markets. Mendes later added, The reading is at the top end of the range seen since 2015 and is the highest level for the index in almost a year.

The index for the present situation rose from 118.8 to 123.0, while the index for expectations improved from 82.0 last month to 86.4.

Consumer confidence improved in August to its highest level in nearly a year, after a marginal decline in July, said Lynn Franco, director of economic indicators at The Conference Board. Consumers assessment of both current business and labor market conditions was considerably more favorable than last month.

Short-term expectations regarding business and employment conditions, as well as personal income prospects, also improved, suggesting the possibility of a moderate pick-up in growth in the coming months.

Consumers stating business conditions were good in August rose from 27.3% to 30%, while those saying business conditions are bad remained virtually unchanged at 18.4%, according to the report. Consumers assessment of the labor market was also more favorable. Those claiming jobs were more plentiful increased from 23% to 26%; however, those claiming jobs are hard to get also rose, from 22.1% to 23.4%.

Mendes commented that the report showed consumers intentions to purchase homes and major appliances increased again during August.Overall, the healthy consumer reading bodes well for households to continue supporting growth over the remainder of the year, Mendes said.

The monthly survey is conducted for The Conference Board by Nielsen, a global provider of information and analytics on what consumers buy and watch. The cutoff date for the preliminary results was Aug. 18.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com

Follow @KitcoNewsNOW
Pat Scola/Miramax and Roadside Attractions Tika Sumpter, right, as Michelle Robinson, and Parker Sawyers as a young Barack Obama went on a date that Michelle didn't necessarily think was a date in "Southside With You."

SHARE This image released by Roadside Attractions shows Tika Sumpter, left, and Parker Sawyers in a scene from "Southside With You." (Matt Dinerstein/Miramax and Roadside Attractions via AP) CHRISTINE MITCHELL Leah Julius (right, with singer Molly Sides and guitarist Whitney Petty) plays bass for Thunderpussy, but also has membership in Seattle bands Sundries and Cumulus.

By Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service

"Politics? Maybe," so shrugs a young Barack Obama (Parker Sawyers) in Richard Tanne's "Southside with You." At the moment, he's got more important things to focus on  namely, his companion, Michelle Robinson (Tika Sumpter) and whether they're on a date or not.

Tanne's film follows the first date of the future first couple, "Before Sunrise" style. It's a little bit about politics, but mostly just about these two remarkable people, their life stories and what they want to do in the world, which at this time is simply "more."

As the American public has come to realize, Michelle is a star, and Sumpter plays her with both radiant grace and a determined tone in her voice, which is clipped, low and forceful. She keeps Barack on his toes from minute one, and you can imagine she still does. She instantly and repeatedly asserts that their afternoon together is not a date until she says it's a date, seeing as she's his supervisor at the law firm where he's interning as a summer associate.

Sawyers bears more than a passing resemblance to the current commander-in-chief, especially in profile, but he avoids doing an impersonation more suited for late-night comedy. Hints of Obama's cadence come out in Sawyer's speaking, but he portrays the young law student as a rakish, swaggering work-in-progress, puffing on cigarettes, driving a beat-up Datsun with a rusted-out floor, struggling to reconcile his conflicted feelings about his father with the ambitions he holds for himself. This is not the Barack Obama we know now as our president, but the young man he once was, still learning and growing, but with his values firmly in place.

Their banter and repartee isn't just about their hopes and dreams and light fluffy romance, but about the way that they challenge each other, in a caring way, to interrogate themselves and their patterns of thinking. Michelle is a worker and a fighter, and she always stands up for herself, quick to point out injustice and judgments. She exudes a strong sense of self, shored up by her own determination and backbone, and she's a formidable presence. Barack goes toe-to-toe with the stronger, more mature woman, testing her, but he's more of a philosopher, willing to debate for the sake of debate, observing and logically drawing conclusions.

"Southside with You" is an exceedingly pleasant film, from the 1989 radio hits to the sunny Chicago setting, as the attractive pair drifts from the Art Institute to a community meeting at organizer Barack's old haunt, to drinks and a showing of Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing."

But it's never escapist, always rooted in the realities of their life in Chicago, and their individual experiences in the world. One wouldn't quite say this date movie is political, but this deeply personal portrayal of the President and First Lady is inherently political  asserting their humanity and the specific life experiences that brought them to the White House.

Their lively debate inevitably makes for a few tough moments, but it's clear that they are learning about themselves as much as each other. It's as if they are setting, and then meeting, a standard they possibly didn't know existed, with each challenge. It's a demonstration of the ultimate goal for a mutually respectful partnership: They simply make each other better.

'Southside With You

Review: three stars

Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language, smoking, a violent image and a drug reference

Running time: 1 hour, 24 minutes

Cast: Tika Sumpter, Parker Sawyers

Director: Richard Tanne
By Andrew Binion of the Kitsap Sun

PORT ORCHARD  A 48-year-old Kingston man was sentenced to a minimum of 9  years in prison after pleading guilty to bringing a 15-year-old Florida girl he met online to Kitsap County and engaging in a sexual relationship with her for about two months.

Jeffrey Joel Dilks pleaded guilty to a count of first-degree kidnapping with sexual motivation and a count of third-degree rape of a child.

The girl told investigators that she met Dilks through the social media service Instagram and that their relationship evolved to her sending him naked photos of herself, according to court documents. The girl ran away from home at the end of March when Dilks sent her a bus ticket. During her stay in Kitsap, the girl said Dilks took video of them having sex and sent the videos to a woman in Texas who planned to join their relationship, according to the documents.

Dilks refused to speak to a state Department of Correction interviewer, who recommended Dilks be given an exceptional sentence because of the sexual motivation aggravator attached to the kidnapping charge.

"I do believe Mr. Dilks is aware of right and wrong and that he doesn't have any regard for the law or his victim," the interviewer wrote.

Kitsap Superior Court Judge Melissa Hemstreet sentenced Dilks on Aug. 22 to a minimum of 113 months in prison. Hemstreet also required him to be under Corrections supervision for the rest of his life.
Chaplain Lt. Commander Bill Stewart leads a prayer during the burial of Lt. Julian Jordan, who served as assistant engineering officer aboard the USS Oklahoma and lost his life when the ship was torpedoed Dec. 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor, at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Bremerton on Monday.

MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN

SHARE Julian Jordan in 1925 Navy pallbearers carry the remains of Lt. Julian Jordan, who served as assistant engineering officer aboard the USS Oklahoma and lost his life when the ship was torpedoed Dec. 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor. He was buried Monday at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Bremerton. MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN Family members (from front) Ann Jordan Remers, Julian "Jay" Remers and Laurel Remers Pardee are presented American flags at the burial of their father and grandfather, Lt. Julian Jordan, Monday at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Bremerton. Lt. Julian Jordan served as assistant engineering officer aboard the USS Oklahoma and lost his life when the ship was torpedoed Dec. 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor. MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN A salute by a Navy firing party is given as the remains of Lt. Julian Jordan, who was killed Dec. 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbo, are buried Monday at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Bremerton. MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN Related Coverage Remains of newly ID'd Pearl Harbor victim to be buried here

By Ed Friedrich of the Kitsap Sun

BREMERTON  Navy Lt. Julius Jordan died so long ago, during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, that family members at his memorial service Monday knew little about him.

Jordan's remains were recovered from the sunken battleship USS Oklahoma with hundreds of his shipmates and buried together in Honolulu. Only over the past year have they been disinterred and begun to be identified through improved techniques. Though from Georgia, Jordan was buried with military honors at Forest Lawn Cemetery to be closer to relatives.

Ann Jordan Remers, 83, was 8 years old when her father's ship was struck by five torpedoes and sank, killing 428 sailors and Marines. Though there's little documentation of Jordan's early life, she deduced several traits.

As a 1925 Naval Academy graduate, he was intelligent.

As the ship's assistant engineering officer, we was skilled.

As a world traveler, he was adventurous.

He was aware of the world situation, making his family stay in Long Beach, California, when he transferred to Hawaii a year before the Dec. 7, 1941, attack.

Believed to be working in the engine room during the raid, he was committed.

"All of these characteristics built a great man," said Remers, of Tucson. "It was a huge loss to his family and to his country."

Under a deep blue sky on a grassy hill overlooking Oyster Bay, Remers sat beneath a dark green canopy with son Julian "Jay" Remers of Cheyenne, Wyoming, daughter Laurel Remers Pardee, of Poulsbo, and Pardee's husband and two daughters. In front of their feet sat a walnut casket draped with an American flag. Sailors stood in dress white uniforms around the family.

"Because of the miracle that has transpired, we can now say, 'Welcome home, Lt. Jordan,'" Lt. Cmdr. Bill Stewart, a Navy chaplain, said in the opening prayer.

An honor guard opened two large flags before a 21-gun salute. Sailors saluted during the mournful bugling of "Taps." The flags were folded and presented to the Remers and Pardee. A rifle team member handed three shell casings to Ann Remers, representing the Navy values of honor, courage and commitment.

Jay Remers said his grandfather, who died long before he was born, was deprived of the joy of being the proud father of two daughters during their graduations and weddings.

Jordan, who was 37 years old when he died, lived with his family in Bremerton in the late 1930s when he was stationed here, another reason the family decided to bury him at Forest Lawn.

The battleship Arizona, upon which 1,177 officers and crewmen were killed, has always received the most attention and its own memorial, and rightly so, said Jay Remers. "The Oklahoma also deserved recognition and honor," he said. "With the remains being identified and reunited with their families, they can finally get the attention they deserve."

Cemetery workers lowered the casket into the ground as a sailor sang the Navy hymn "Eternal Father." In 30 minutes, the ceremony was over after taking 75 years to transpire.

"It's nice to see him honored," Pardee, the granddaughter, said. "I knew about his sacrifice at a very young age. I knew he was a hero, but it was all very distant.

"To have his remains come here and have a ceremony for him was special. It's great to have him here locally. We'll be able to come down and visit."
Stuff reports:

A 1700-person academic survey showed New Zealand had the second-worst rate of workplace bullying in the developed world with one in five workers afflicted.

Do we?

Ive certainly worked in jobs where weve had bullies, and have even been bullied. It is a hideously nasty experience.

But is NZ the 2nd worst in the world?

The survey cited does not appear to be representative. A 2010 article stated:

One in five Kiwi workers suffer from workplace bullying, one of the worst rates in the world. The figures are revealed in a university survey released today. A joint university research team  from Auckland, Waikato, Massey and London  polled more than 1700 workers from the health, education, hospitality and travel sectors asking how frequently they were exposed to negative acts at work. Overall 17.8 per cent of respondents were identified as victims of bullying. The international range was between 5 per cent and 20 per cent.

So this was a survey of people in four industries only. It was also a survey which was 80% female respondents and (sadly) women may get bullied more than men. Also the workplaces surveyed were not randomly selected. This doesnt mean that it wasnt valuable research, but it does mean that you cant conclude that this is the prevalence rate for all NZ employees and most of all you can not safely compare it to overseas surveys.

David Lowe, of the Employers and Manufacturers Association, was sceptical of the survey, saying the negative acts research question was too wide. What people would normally describe as bullying and `two negative acts in the workplace are not one and the same, Lowe said. If somebody had said to the person, `youre not doing well enough, you need to do it better, and told them that twice in one week, that might amount to bullying under this survey, but it is not bullying, it is simply running your business. The survey also posed a more direct self-report question asking whether respondents felt they were being bullied either several times a week or almost daily which yielded a smaller figure of 3.9 per cent.

So the definition of bullying is important. Is the one used in NZ the same as overseas?

Stats NZ does research on job satisfaction and has found 85.4% of employees satisfied (or very satisfied) in their main job and only 4.7% dissatisfied. I guess it is possible you can be bullied in a job and not dissatisfied but unlikely. So I think the 20% figure and 2nd worst in the world is not particularly sound as it was a survey of just four industries and had a massive gender skew.

Whatever the level, it is too high. But that doesnt mean we need to conclude that NZ is a nastier place to work than other countries.

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The skyline in the eastern Beijing district of Tongzhou already has a new look. Construction works are underway at every corner, high-rise buildings are springing up and streets have been paved.

The Beijing Municipal government plans to move most of its services to Tongzhou by the end of 2017, as part of efforts to decongest Beijing and set forth a better living environment.

Construction works around Tongzhou

With a larger chunk of services taken out of the city center, Beijing will remain a political, cultural center of the country and an innovation hub.

The plan is expected to draw about 400,000 people from central Beijing to Tongzhou and gradually reduce the population growth rate. Currently, the city has about 22 million residents.

The relocation of services to Tonzhou is part of a long-term integrated development plan meant to ease pressure on Beijing by developing outlying areas as far as Tianjin and Hebei province.

The new administrative center in Tongzhou is expected to improve public services in education, healthcare, cultural events and industries in Tongzhou.

The villages around Tongzhou central business district have been overhauled and replaced with decent condominiums for residents who were compensated and relocated.

Located about 22km from central Beijing, Tongzhou has some iconic landmarks, including Yunhe canal which stretches as far as Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province.

Yunhe Canal is a major landmark in Tongzhou

New hub

The area around Yunhe canal has been beautified and the recreational park kept neat where residents take time to relax under tree shades, play music or drive around in carts.

Mr Xu, who has lived all his life in Tongzhou and runs a kiosk inside the Canal park, says the facelift around the suburb has been fast since government revealed plans to move services there.

Mr Xu has lived all his life in Tongzhou and sees change all around him

The canal bridge was narrow but in 2007, it was expanded. The main street has been renovated and the standards of our schools have improved, Xu narrates.

In the past, it would take Xu four hours by bus to get to downtown Beijing, but now, it takes about 40 minutes since the suburb is now connected to the Beijing Subway.

He is upbeat and expects the number of residents in the area to grow, which he says will be good for his business.

Across Xinhua street, Mr Yu, a cleaner who has lived in Tongzhou for six months says he has witnessed a lot of changes in the suburb in just a short time.

Mr Yu, a cleaner in Tongzhou district says the area has been transformed

There are a lot of cultural activities and a steady increase in traffic. Construction works and business are growing rapidly, Yu observes.

He foresees a rise in property prices in the area but says he is not worried about rent since his daughter, with whom he lives, bought an apartment.

Some of the apartments built by government for residents who were compensated and relocated from a village in the central area of Tongzhou

Tongzhou No.3 High School that has since been renovated and placed under guardianship of Remnin University
Suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff attends a Senate impeachment trial in Brasilia, Brazil, on Aug. 29, 2016. Brazilian leader Dilma Rousseff, twice elected president as the candidate of a left-leaning alliance led by the Workers' Party (PT), will undergo one of the most critical moments of her political career. (Xinhua/Dida Sampaio/AGENCIA ESTADO)

BRASILIA, Aug. 29 -- Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff on Monday spoke in her own defense at her impeachment trial, denouncing the process as an attempted "coup d'etat".

In a 45-minute address to senators who will decide her fate starting Tuesday, Rousseff denied the charges of being "criminally responsible" for alleged fiscal wrongdoing by her administration, and called the accusations "unfair and arbitrary".

At times "overcome with emotion," according to the Agencia Brasil news agency, Rousseff said "never would I violate what I believe, or commit any acts against the interests of those who elected me."

Brazil's first woman president was re-elected to a second term in 2014 by more than 54 million votes, but struggled practically from the day she took office again with an aggressive and empowered conservative opposition that lost by a small margin, a sputtering economy and general discontent with a corrupt governing class.

Rousseff in effect said the trial was in retaliation for her government's efforts to clean up corruption.

"I ensured the independence of the Public Prosecution Service and did not tolerate any political interference with the (investigative) activities of Federal Police. I have opposed interests and now I have paid, and am still paying, a high personal price for the stand I have taken," she said.

Many political observers have noted that Rousseff has never been accused of corruption, unlike numerous lawmakers with the power to vote whether to impeach her or not.

"I am not fighting for my term, for vanity or attachment to power ... I am fighting for democracy, for truth, justice and the people of my country," said Rousseff.

Impeachment requires a two-thirds vote, or 54 of the 81 senators.

Should she be impeached and her ruling Workers' Party ousted, which most observers say is likely, interim President Michel Temer of the conservative PMDB party will see her term through 2018.
Local Motion IPA

SHARE

By Mary Constantine of the Knoxville News Sentinel

"Leaving East Tennessee Better Than We Found It." That's the mission statement on the Legacy Parks Foundation website.

The organization has managed to make that happen in many ways, from the creation of the Harrel Road Stormwater Park, the Knoxville Urban Wilderness initiative, the addition of Get Out & Play! bike rentals, various new bike trails, walking trails and river access sites.

But there are many other plans in the works and none of them can be achieved without financial support.

To that end, Blackhorse Pub and Brewery and Eagle Distributing have come together to create a limited-edition Local Motion IPA beer with sales that will benefit the foundation. It will be released Thursday and be available for purchase through Oct. 8. The product will be sold in cans.

"We have had a couple of batches come out already and are just now finalizing it. It's a lower ABV (alcohol by volume) IPA, very sessionable, light and drinkable with a ton of hop flavor and citrus," said Ben Copelin, head brewer for Black Horse Pub and Brewery.

The lower alcohol content is important, Copelin said. "You can sit and have two or three of them and not feel the effect. It's more of a refresher; one you can drink without concern."

Carol Evans, executive director of Legacy Parks, said the beer is a perfect match for those who take advantage of the many trails and greenways.

"Like any typical nonprofit, we rely on partners to help raise funds. We are very small and anything like this for fundraising brings awareness to our audience of outdoor engaged folks because an active culture is often a beer culture," she said.

That's been proven time and again by companies like Casual Pint that host organized running and biking opportunities which begin and end at its various locations.

Eagle Distributing's sales and marketing vice president, Steve Merrell, said this collaborative effort is something he has wanted to do for a while.

"We think this is a great way to give proceeds back to Legacy Park. Our sales team will go out with the message that for every account that buys a half-barrel, we will donate $15. For every case, $2 is donated. We are hoping to have at least 100 to 150 accounts on premise and 100 off-premise accounts.

Kelsey McMurry, marketing assistant for Eagle Distributing, said the following outlets will be offering the beer: Alliance Brewing Company; Balter Beerworks; Aubrey's; Barley's; The Crown & Goose; Fieldhouse Social, Sunspot; all The Casual Pints; Central Flats and Taps; Buffalo Mountain Grill; Carolina Ale House; Bearden Beer Market; Drink (at Bistro by the Tracks); Hops and Hollers; Maple Hall; Mellow Mushroom; Preservation Pub; Scruffy City Hall; South Knox Trailhead; Sugar Mama's; Suttree's; The Tomato Head; Food City; Ingles; and Kroger.

For more information, visit www.legacyparks.org.
SHARE Michael Washington of Nashville poses with superstar Taylor Swift during their jury service in Nashville on Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. (Photo: Courtesy: Michael Washington) In this image provided by Bryan Merville, pop star Taylor Swift, right, poses for a photo with Bryan Merville in a courthouse waiting area in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. A Nashville judge dismissed Swift as a potential juror in an aggravated rape and kidnapping case. Merville was dismissed as a potential juror in a separate case. Merville, who owns a technology infrastructure company, said he took a photo with Swift for his daughters, who are huge fans. (Bryan Merville via AP)

By Stacey Barchenger, USA TODAY NETWORK  Tennessee

To those who complain about jury duty: If Taylor Swift can do it, you can, too.

Superstar Swift took care of her civic obligation Monday when she showed up for jury duty in Nashville.

Swift was called in December but deferred her service, likely because at the time she was on her The 1989 World Tour in Australia.

She arrived at downtown's criminal courthouse on 2nd Avenue on Monday with additional security in tow. If anyone thought she'd be trouble when she walked in, it was the opposite. The celebrity posed for photographs and videos with fans, and when prosecutors asked during jury selection her profession, calmly replied: "I am a songwriter."

Michael Washington of Nashville was also called for jury duty. He said that at first, he didn't realize who Swift was, though he is a fan. By the end of the day, he left with a picture.

"Shes really a nice girl," he said. "She didnt have a problem with taking pictures. If she didnt want to be there, she didnt act like it. She was just doing her civic duty. Very sweet."

Swift was dismissed about 1 p.m.

The trial, had Swift been picked, was a domestic violence case involving a charge of aggravated rape before Criminal Court Judge Randall Wyatt Jr. It is expected to last two or three days.
The Yangtze 2016 military exercises were held on the Yangtze River on Aug. 29. During the exercises, the engineering support brigade of the PLA's Center Theater Command built a 1,150-meter-long steel pontoon across the main channel of the Yangtze River in just 26 minutes and 40 seconds.(Photo/81.cn)
SHARE A man holds a knife to a customer's throat to shield himself from a clerk who pulled a handgun when told to surrender the market's cash. A man armed with a knife tried to rob Danny's Market, 1203 Andrew Johnson Highway, but was thwarted by a clerk armed with a pistol. An aspiring armed robber used a customer as a shield to escape when a clerk at Danny's Market pulled out his firearm.

By Don Jacobs of the Knoxville News Sentinel

A 50-year-old woman continues to suffer panic attacks, days after she was used as a human shield by a knife-wielding robber as he confronted an East Knox County convenience store clerk brandishing a handgun.

She just wants the man who held a 4-inch knife to her throat Saturday caught. When she instinctively reached for the blade, he cut her fingers.

The woman, who is not being identified in this story because the aspiring robber remains free, had stopped at Danny's Market in Strawberry Plains for a beverage after work. She had placed her selection on the counter of the business at 1203 Andrew Johnson Highway when the man barged in.

"He never said a word to me," the victim said. "He immediately grabbed me from behind in a bear hug and said, 'Give me all your money or I'll cut her (expletive) throat.' "

The woman regularly patronized Danny's Market, where employee Dennis Parsons sported a handgun in plain view on a shoulder holster. Danny's Market usually has a steady stream of customers when the woman stops by, but at 10:39 p.m., she was the only patron in the business, she said.

That's when the robber  described by the woman as white, about 25-35 years old, with a stocky build  burst in. She said she couldn't see his face, but authorities said the man had some sort of fabric covering his head and his face disguised by paint, possibly camouflage.

"It's a little disturbing," Knox County Sheriff's Office Maj. Mike MacLean said. "He used her as a human shield."

As the robber repeated his demand to surrender the store's money, Parsons drew his semi-automatic handgun. Authorities would not give further specifics on the gun.

"I never said anything," the woman recalled. "I froze. You just don't expect such a thing."

Although the woman was able to reduce the pressure on her throat from the blade, she couldn't budge it any further.

"It was a nightmare," she said. "At one point, I had a knife at my throat and a gun in my face. But I was grateful Dennis had a gun."

Parsons said something to the robber, but the woman couldn't hear his words as she was dragged to the front door. Once the robber reached the door, he released the woman and darted into the parking lot.

Parsons ran out the door in pursuit. As the action moved to the parking lot, the woman used her cellphone to call E-911.

"I was shaking so badly, it took me three or four times to dial 911," she said.

The robber ran; when a customer drove after him, he ran to the passenger side of the vehicle and tried to get in. He realized his mistake and ran to a "black, four-door vehicle with tinted windows," according to the Sheriff's Office report. No further description of the getaway vehicle or the driver was available Tuesday from authorities.

MacLean said Parsons never fired his weapon. Parsons could not be reached Tuesday.

The victim said she composed herself and was questioned by detectives for about two-and-a-half hours. She said she thanked Parsons for his actions.

"I really felt he saved me," the woman said. "There's no telling what he would have done to me."

On her way home, she was overwhelmed by events and cried for the first time. On Tuesday, a panic attack forced her to leave work early.

Her attacker, she said, "really needs help" and has to be identified.

"Obviously, there's something wrong in his mind."

The Sheriff's Office asks that anyone with information about the robber call the Major Crimes Unit at 865-215-2243.
SHARE Jeremy Durham - 65th District

By Stacey Barchenger, Dave Boucher And Joel Ebert, USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee

NASHVILLE  Federal prosecutors have opened an investigation into campaign expenditures by embattled Franklin Rep. Jeremy Durham, his lawyer told The Tennessean on Monday.

Nashville criminal defense attorney Peter Strianse said he was recently retained by Durham.

"The U.S. attorney's office in Nashville has opened up a matter based on the allegations that were carried in your newspaper," he said. "I think the government has an open mind about what they're investigating."

The federal government has issued two subpoenas to Durham for records related to campaign finance issues and a possible tax violation, Strianse said. He said Durham was complying with those orders.

"Mr. Durham's going to cooperate fully with their investigation," Strianse said. "We feel confident once they take a look at the records and understand what happened they'll see there's no violation of any law."

House Republican Caucus Chairman Glen Casada, R-Franklin, who has been a longtime supporter and mentor of Durham, said, "No one is above the law, from Hillary Clinton down. If you break the law, you must be held accountable. I encourage Representative Durham to fully comply with this investigation."

A spokesman for David Rivera, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, said he could not "confirm or deny the existence of an investigation in this matter."

Durham has been the subject of several investigations, including one by the Tennessee attorney general that resulted in findings of allegations of sexual misdeeds against 22 women. During that investigation, former Durham employee Benton Smith approached the attorney general in May and accused Durham of using his campaign funds for his personal business.

Durham denied the allegations at the time, saying Smith  a former legislative assistant, campaign worker and employee at Durham's private business  was disgruntled.

In June the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance, an entity within the state Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance, opened an investigation into the campaign finance records. Earlier this month the registry said investigators found a roughly $191,000 discrepancy between Durham's campaign finance records and his bank account records. The investigation also referenced investments made by Durham's campaign and loans from Durham's campaign accounts.

Casada withdrew his support for Durham when the state's investigation into his campaign finances began.

In June, Drew Rawlins, executive director of the bureau, told The Tennessean it violates state law to use campaign funds for personal purposes.

On Monday, Rawlins confirmed that he talked to the U.S. Attorney but did not provide them with any information from the state's audit.

"We will not stop our audit because of the U.S. Attorney's probe," Rawlins said.

Tom Lawless, chairman of the registry board, said earlier this month the registry would refer any findings of illegal behavior to the appropriate officials.

"There are indications there may be some serious violations, and we want to garner the facts so we can take the appropriate remedies," Lawless recently told The Tennessean.

The state investigation is ongoing.

The state attorney general began investigating Durham after The Tennessean published a report in January detailing allegations from three women who had received inappropriate late night text messages from Durham's cellphone. Although Durham initially denied wrongdoing, he resigned as House majority whip and removed himself from the GOP caucus. In July, after the final attorney general report was released, Durham also denied any sexual malfeasance but said some of the interactions in the report were true. He suspended his re-election campaign, and lost to Sam Whitson in the GOP primary in August.

Strianse worked as a federal prosecutor in Florida and Middle Tennessee before going into private practice.

For the attorney general investigation Durham hired well-known Nashville attorney Bill Harbison. Harbison didn't immediately respond to questions Monday as to whether he still represented Durham.
By Dave Boucher And Joel Ebert, USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee

NASHVILLE  Rep. Jeremy Durham invested money from his campaign, his political action committee and his personal bank accounts into the company of well-known Republican donor and activist Andrew Miller, according to a state election finance official.

Miller, who was scrutinized in 2014 after another GOP lawmaker invested money in his company, confirmed Monday he's been contacted by the state about Durham's investment.

The Tennessee Registry of Election Finance, an entity within the state Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance, is investigating whether Durham, R-Franklin, used his campaign funds for personal use or anything else that would be deemed a violation of state law.

"Yes, the state did contact me for clarification on an investment Jeremy's campaign made. I have provided them that information and they seemed satisfied with our response," Miller said in an email to The Tennessean.

On Monday, Drew Rawlins, executive director of the bureau, confirmed Miller's company had provided information. Rawlins said Miller provided details about the amount of money Durham had invested in the company, along with the payouts Durham received from those investments.

Tennessee law states candidates can't use campaign funds for personal purposes.

When asked Monday if the information pertaining to these investments showed any illegal activity by Durham, Rawlins said, "We are still looking at it, so I can't really say yet."

On Monday, Nashville defense attorney Peter Strianse confirmed he is representing Durham in relation to an investigation by local U.S. Attorney David Rivera into Durham's use of campaign finances and a possible tax violation. Durham has received two subpoenas, Strianse said. Late Monday, Miller said he has not been contacted pertaining to the federal investigation.

Earlier this month, the registry provided an update on its own investigation, noting a roughly $191,000 discrepancy between Durham's campaign finance records and his bank account records. The investigation came after Benton Smith, a former Durham employee, told the Tennessee attorney general Durham was using his campaign funds for his personal business.

Durham denied the allegations at the time, saying the employee was disgruntled. He didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. Durham has been the subject of several investigations, including one by the Tennessee attorney general that resulted in findings of allegations of sexual misdeeds against 22 women.

In the registry investigation update, the report said the state was still looking into the former employee's allegation as well as several loans and investments made by Durham's campaign.

The registry said Durham invested money from his campaign and political action committee accounts, along with his own money, with a "Company A." Rawlins confirmed "Company A" is Miller's company, but said he couldn't disclose the amounts of the investments or the payouts.

Miller confirmed that the company Durham invested in is Life Watch Pharmacy. He also said Durham invested in a company called DiaTech Oncology a little more than three years ago. Miller serves on the board of the company. Durham's ethics disclosure forms list DiaTech Oncology as a personal source of investment income since 2014.

Miller was under scrutiny in 2014 when federal election officials asked questions after $200,000 was loaned to Life Watch by the U.S. Senate campaign of former state Rep. Joe Carr. At the time, Carr was running in the Republican primary against U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, and Miller had donated $2,500 to Carr's campaign. Miller has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to PACs working to defeat Alexander and to help Tea Party-aligned candidates in other elections.

Carr's campaign reported receiving $9,546.54 in income from the loan, according to Tennessean archives. The Federal Election Commission initially raised questions about the loan. The Carr campaign clarified that Miller's company was repaying the loan it had made, with interest. At the time, Carr's campaign manager told The Tennessean "the campaign did not see any purpose in letting the money simply sit in our checking account."

In 2012, a political action committee established by Miller was investigated by the registry.

The probe looked into whether Miller used Truth Matters PAC as an "illegal conduit" to avoid contribution limits to lawmakers. Miller put more than $70,000 of his own money into the PAC, which then donated to 10 legislative campaigns, including several that Miller had already given the maximum amount.

The board ultimately voted against imposing any penalties on the PAC.

Miller has been a longtime financial backer of GOP candidates, including Durham. Miller has contributed $7,000 to Durham since 2011, according to the lawmaker's campaign disclosure statements. In early January, Miller gave Durham $3,000 to be split between the primary and general election.

"As for why I donated to Jeremy Durham's campaign, I agreed with his voting record as a representative. Like many people, I was deeply disappointed to learn of the personal problems that he had," Miller said in his email Monday.

The registry has not indicated when its investigation will be completed. Earlier this month board Chairman Tom Lawless said if the completed investigation reveals any illegal conduct, there will be a referral to the district attorney.
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Age, character and claustrophobia?

Knox County Schools has its Central Offices in the Andrew Johnson building, an 18-story former hotel in downtown Knoxville. On the south end of Gay Street, it's among the area's tallest buildings, but removed from most of downtown's residences.

The school district is looking to sell the formidable building and move into new digs, as has been previously reported.

The A.J. building, named for President Andrew Johnson, was Knoxville's premier hotel from the time of its completion through the 1960s. It boasts lots of architectural details and character.

Age often accompanies character, as in this case. The building, completed in 1930 and purchased by the county in 1991, has some pretty old elevators.

On a recent visit to the school offices, PolitiKnox asked Pam Blackburn, administrative assistant for Knox County Schools, whether those cramped elevators ever get stuck.

Sure. As often as several times a month.

Has Blackburn ever been trapped in one?

Sure, many times.

"I just pick up the phone in there and call. One time it just was taking too long for the fire department to come, so I finally opened the doors (between floors) and climbed up." (The climb was only a foot or so, she admitted.)

PolitiKnox wonders if taking the stairs, especially for anyone suffering from claustrophobia, might be a better option.

Staples resigns

Rick Staples, the Democratic nominee for the 15th District of the Tennessee State House, had to give up his seat on the board of directors for the League of Women Voters of Knoxville/Knox County.

The voting advocacy group is a nonpartisan coalition, but that's not the issue. One he became the Democratic nominee to face Independent Pete Drew in November, Staples had to step down.

The League's bylaws outline why.

"Board members who desire to run for partisan or nonpartisan elective office must immediately resign from the Board of Directors  Board members who seek election to a special nonpartisan body, such as a delegate to a Constitutional Convention, may continue to serve with the concurrence of the Board of Directors. No officer or director of the League shall publicly endorse the candidacy, however," the League announced in a news release this past week.

The League is well-known in the community for voter education and outreach, and regularly holds forums and posts candidate information for the electorate to make informed choices.

Staples got the Democratic nomination after Rep. Joe Armstrong was found guilty of a felony and deemed unsuitable to run for office.

The last day to register to vote for the 2016 election is Oct. 11.

Early voting begins Oct. 19. Election Day is Nov. 8. Information: knoxcounty.org/election.
I had heard of Boyd Junior High School, but knew little of its history except that it at one time was located on the old City Hall property.

One of our major history books, "Heart of the Valley," says: "The concept of the junior high school was accepted early in Knoxville. In 1911 all seventh graders were housed in the Boyd School at the corner of Union and Walnut streets in what had been the Girl's High School."

I was aware of the history of the building that would become City Hall because I had read about it since it was built as the Tennessee School for the Deaf in 1848.

What I did not know was how Boyd Junior High School became a part of the TSD campus. News articles of March and June of 1924 solved the mystery for me.

The Journal and Tribune of March 5, 1924, announced: "Flames quickly spread through the old structure. Boyd Junior High School was destroyed by fire last night. Loss about $100,000, insured for $17,250. About 500 school children are without a place to attend school today."

The article gives a lengthy description of the fire, the firemen hurt in the blaze and the crowd gathered to watch the conflagration.

The newspaper the next day reported that the Boyd seventh-grade A would be taught at First Methodist Church and the Masonic Temple. Seven B would be housed in the Church Street Methodist Church and the First and Second Presbyterian churches.

Students were asked to meet at Second Presbyterian to receive instructions. Other churches offered Sunday school rooms, auditoriums and other spaces.

On March 16, 1924, Mrs. R.F. Wright, president of the Boyd Junior High Teachers Association, reported: "The burning was a great loss to the city, but out of the smoke spirit arose. Our catastrophe brought many friends to our rescue  the church people assisted the Board of Education in arranging for the children in their respective churches and enabled the classes to go on full time. Thus the children lost only three school days on account of the fire."

On June 1, 1924, the Tribune reported that a City Council committee favored the purchase of the Tennessee School for the Deaf property at Henley Street for $452,000.

Under the city charter, the city could not assume any obligation unless it had money in the treasury to meet it, so leaders created a financial scheme to meet those requirements by selling the Boyd Middle School property and the Water Works office on Gay Street.

They also would float a bond issue and do some belt tightening. The school had to be included in the process.

Knoxville Mayor Ben Morton headed a committee to negotiate with the Asylum Avenue Development Company for the purchase of the TSD property.

The deal was closed on June 3, with the city to take charge of it on June 16. Boyd Junior High began its fall term there in September.

The old junior high building had only 12 classrooms, while TSD had 22 classrooms, a large auditorium, a gymnasium and a manual training department.

City Council knew that the city hall they were using needed major repairs or should be replaced, so they opted to buy the old TSD. They hoped to get $107,000 for the old Boyd Middle School property and $75,000 for the Water Works building, to go with $70,000 in savings from the fiscal year budget and a $200,000 bond issue to reach the $452,000 purchase price.

Boyd Junior High School closed in 1938.
Demolition of Oak Ridge gaseous diffusion complex marks a first in world history

AUGUST 30, 2016 at 1:42 p.m.







One phase of the demolition of Oak Ridge gaseous diffusion complex. DOE photo by Lynn Freeny, 8-17-2016, Oak Ridge. Tennessee.





OAK RIDGE, TN  Today, national, state, and local officials joined nearly 1,500 employees to watch the final wall of Building K-27 fall at the East Tennessee Technology Park, marking the first time in world history that all of a sites uranium-enrichment gaseous diffusion buildings have been cleaned and demolished. The celebratory event was titled Enriching Our Future: A Historic Moment.



Among those in attendance were U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), U.S. Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management (EM) Dr. Monica Regalbuto, U.S. Environmental Protection Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office Director Charlotte Bertrand, and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau.



Today marks the end of an era, and I am extremely proud of the men and women who have worked here for more than a decade to complete the demolition of the uranium enrichment buildings and clean up the East Tennessee Technology Park, said Senator Lamar Alexander. Oak Ridge is an example of how cleanup should be donethe Department of Energy, the contractors, and the local community working together to get a result and help bring new jobs to East Tennessee. More than 720 acres of land and 332,000 square feet of building space has been made available for new economic development leading to an estimated $100 million private investment in technology, industry, and renewableshelping to achieve the vision of the Oak Ridge Corridor.



The cleanup project is part of Vision 2016, a DOE goal to remove all of the former uranium enrichment buildings at the East Tennessee Technology Park by the end of 2016. K-27 was the fifth and final gaseous diffusion building to be demolished at the site. Successful demolitions of the four other buildings were completed from 2006 to 2015.





Worker assists with the demolition of Oak Ridge gaseous diffusion complex. DOE photo by Lynn Freeny, 8-17-2016, Oak Ridge. Tennessee.







The completion of Vision 2016 sets a standard for what is possible through a dedicated workforce and strong partnerships, said DOEs Oak Ridge Office of EM manager Sue Cange. Its completion eliminates environmental hazards and makes 300 acres available for future development, creating opportunity for more innovation in a community already known for it.



As Oak Ridges EM program finishes cleaning properties at the East Tennessee Technology Park, it is transferring those parcels to the City of Oak Ridge and the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee. Together, they are working to transform the site into a private-sector brownfield industrial complex capable of creating hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in capital investment for the region.



URS|CH2M Oak Ridge (UCOR) has served as DOEs cleanup contractor for the East Tennessee Technology Park since 2011. Since then, they have completed demolition of Building K-25s north tower and east wing, Building K-31, and now Building K-27.



Today we have much to celebrate, said UCOR President and Project Manager Ken Rueter. We completed Vision 2016 ahead of schedule and under budget, all while reaching nearly 7 million hours without a lost workday accident. I want to give a special thanks to the men and women of the workforce who have spent many years in the field performing their craft safely and diligently. It would not have been possible without them.



Oak Ridge first made history as center of operations for the Manhattan Project, established in 1942 to aid the war effort. K-25, a gaseous diffusion facility on a 2,200-acre site, was built to produce weapons-grade enriched uranium, which would fuel one of two atomic bombs that would end World War II.



In 1955, the K-25 complex had grown to include gaseous diffusion buildings K-25, K-27, K-29, K-31 and K-33 that comprised a multi-building production chain, and it was renamed the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant. Following shutdown of gaseous diffusion equipment at Oak Ridge in 1985, DOE began a major environmental cleanup effort at the site in 1987. In 1996, the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant was renamed the East Tennessee Technology Park.



With todays fulfillment of Vision 2016, DOEs Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management will continue to complete cleanup of the East Tennessee Technology Park and assist in transitioning it to the private sector, as well as focusing on additional cleanup operations at the Y-12 National Security Complex and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The goal is to complete cleanup and transfer of the East Tennessee Technology Park by 2020.



As the final cleanup of the complex marks the start of a new era, the historic nature of its beginnings bears remembering:



 In 1945, the K-25 building was the world's largest with a 1.6 million square foot footprint and just under one mile from end to end; it employed 25,266 at its peak.



 The Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant continued to produce enriched uranium during the Cold War, making technological advancements to further develop the gas centrifuge enrichment method, strengthening the U.S. nuclear defense program and helping the country win the Cold War.



 During the Cold War era, the Oak Ridge complex produced the fuel for the USS Nautilus (SSN-571), the worlds first nuclear-powered submarine, and the world's first full-scale atomic electric power plant devoted exclusively to peacetime uses.



 In 1967, Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, in cooperation with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, developed a centrifuge for producing ultra-pure vaccines that eventually were used for early batches of polio vaccine and the first large batches of purified influenza vaccine.



 After a post-war life supplying low-enrichment uranium for civilian power reactors, the final gaseous diffusion equipment at Oak Ridge was shut down in August 1985.



 Today, the footprint of the demolished K-25 Building is part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Oak Ridge.



DOE is proud to partner with UCOR for the final phase of this historic milestone, which sets the stage for the next chapter in this sites history, Cange said.



OREMs mission is to remove environmental legacies resulting from more than 50 years nuclear weapons development and government-sponsored nuclear energy research. Specifically, it works to protect the regions health and environment; ensure the Department of Energys vital missions in science, energy, and national security; and make clean land available for future use.

Published August 30, 2016
The 11th G20 summit is set to convene in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, on September 4-5. In order to host a successful summit, China has made thorough preparations. Since assuming the G20 presidency on December 1, the country has hosted a series of high-level meetings, where many valuable suggestions were made, laying a foundation for the success of the summit.

The present-day G20 is the world's primary platform to discuss global economic issues and is the most representative global economic governance mechanism. The success of the Hangzhou summit hinges on whether it can solicit a consensus on global economic development, lead the world out of economic doldrums and inject vigor into the world economy for long-term development.

Multiple reasons account for the lackluster global economy. There has been a lack of new emerging industries or impetus to drive growth. Against the background of globalization, coordination, fair systems and rules, and long-term planning are absent in the world economy.

Besides, the uneven distribution of social interests and unbalanced economic development have given rise to trade protectionism and even a trend of de-globalization.

In view of those conundrums, China has proposed building an innovative, invigorated, interconnected and inclusive global economy. It hopes to revive the world economy and growth through driving structural reform, enhancing economic connectivity and infrastructural construction, re-boosting international trade and investment, as well as creating fairer and more reasonable rules for economic growth.

From this point of view, the agenda setting of the Hangzhou summit is highly relevant. Besides, China has coordinated relevant parties and taken into consideration their interests and concerns. Therefore, it's likely that most of the Chinese proposals will be supported by the other G20 members.

The success of the summit also depends on whether the G20 mechanism itself can see innovation. The G20 was initially founded to tackle issues of global crisis. Nevertheless, given the problems plaguing the global economy, its functions are not only confined to crisis-solving. It also needs to advance reforms of the current international systems and rules to prevent crisis effectively.

The G20 transformation includes reforming the international systems and restructuring the international order. Emerging countries, including China, don't want to totally topple the prevailing systems. Instead, they push for gradual reforms. G20's transformation is destined to be a time-consuming process, but it must have a clear-cut objective.

The Hangzhou summit has made at least two breakthroughs. Firstly, it gives priority to development for the first time in global macro policy framework; secondly, it offers the most seats to developing countries than ever before. This shows the representativeness and inclusiveness of the G20 summit. Besides, it indicates that the agenda of the G20 no longer only pays attention to the short-term problems that concerned the G7, but is turning to deep-seated and long-term ones. The G20 is no longer the extension of G7, but will truly become the center of global economic governance.

But the Hangzhou summit may not fulfill all designed goals. So far, the G20 members have failed to make a progress in coordinating macroeconomic policies. Although they will express their willingness for macroeconomic coordination in the joint statement of the summit and come up with concrete action plans to bolster the morale of global economy and display a united stance, it is highly concerned whether the willingness and plans can be put into practice. The G20 summit joint statement is not binding.

The success of the summit also requires some countries to restrain their impulse for geopolitical competition. It is possible that geopolitical topics such as the South and East China Seas will be raised at the summit by a very few countries with ulterior motives.

Including controversial geopolitical issues into the agenda doesn't conform to the purposes of the G20. China has learned from the G20 St. Petersburg summit in 2013, which was distracted by the Syria issue. Any attempt to use geopolitical conflicts to disturb the Hangzhou summit is doomed to fail.

The author is a senior fellow of Shanghai Institutes for International Studies and a visiting fellow of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China. [email protected]
By Choi Sung-jin

Will the slump gripping the shipping industry for the past seven years come to an end in 2016? Industry experts, who have been hesitant to make optimistic forecasts, are cautiously saying "yes."

Such rosy predictions were also prevalent at a workshop at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Friday.

"As the global trade recovers, container cargo movements will also likely increase this year," said Kim Wu-ho, a researcher at Korea Maritime Institute. "The increase of cargo volume along with the implementation of mega-free trade deals, such as TPP and RCEP, will also prove to be a boon for the industry."

According to Clarksons, a British agency analyzing shipping and the shipbuilding industry, container cargo transport is expected to increase by 5.4 percent this year, compared with the 3.5-percent rise in the 2014-2015 period. It is the highest growth rate since 2010 when the volume surged 13.1 percent after it plunged 9.2 percent the previous year in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.












Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

In a few days' time, Chinese President Xi Jinping will be hosting US President Barack Obama on the latter's last trip to China as US president, for the G20 Hangzhou Summit. In the context of the challenging atmosphere for China-US relations in recent months and the heated presidential campaign in the US, this Xi-Obama meeting, the ninth since 2013, will be keenly watched around the world.

Obama started his China relationship on a high note by visiting China in 2009, becoming the first US president in history to pay a state visit to China within his first year in office. His oft-repeated remarks that the US welcomes "a strong, prosperous, and successful China that plays an even greater role on the world stage" resonated well among the Chinese audience at the time.

A high point in China-US relations was reached in 2013 at the Sunnylands meeting, where the two presidents had an unprecedented eight-hour meeting. The meeting yielded an important common understanding on what the Chinese side repeatedly described as building a new model of major country relationship featuring no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, with a view to establish a generally stable strategic framework for one of the most consequential bilateral relationship for the 21st century.

Such top-level meetings, including similar ones at Yingtai and Blair House, advanced shared interests, effectively managed differences, and catalyzed bilateral cooperation in all areas.

Bilateral trade, two-way investment and people-to-people links flourished. US export to China almost doubled since 2008. In 2015, China became the biggest trading partner of the US for the first time in recent history, and 4.75 million visits were made between the two countries.

The two sides worked closely on international issues, from setting up a G20 summit mechanism in the deep winter of the 2008 financial crisis, to jointly fighting Ebola crisis, working on hotspot issues like the Iranian nuclear issue and Korean Peninsula nuclear issue. Climate change and cyber issues, long major irritants, have been turned into areas of cooperation. Even in military-to-military relations, two confidence-building mechanisms were set up on mutual notification of major military operations and on rules of behavior for the safety of air and maritime encounter.

Alongside this progress, however, Obama's signature policy, the Asia-Pacific rebalancing strategy, has also coincided with some turbulent times in China-US relations. The strategy has gone seriously astray by espousing a heavy military focus and explicitly targeting China.

For example, the US is intent on exploiting the South China Sea issue to peddle the "China threat," strengthen military relationships with regional countries like Japan, the Philippines and Singapore, and instigate unilateral arbitration against China. US military vessels and aircraft sailed and flew provocatively close to Chinese islands and reefs, creating dangerous risks. In Northeast Asia, US plans to deploy THAAD in South Korea have exacerbated strategic tensions.

Underlying these tensions have been profound shifts in the balance of strength between the two countries and the larger international landscape since the beginning of the Obama presidency.

The 2008 global financial crisis not only dealt a blow to the US-led Western economy, but the political and strategic repercussions have been unfolding, from rising populism in the West and the discrediting of the Western democratic system, to the global resurgence of terrorist groups, turbulence in the Middle East, and growing divisions in Europe.

These same years saw China becoming the world's second largest economy and the biggest contributor to world economic growth. China is seen as more confident and proactive in pursuing interests and expanding influence.

All this has heightened the strategic anxiety on the part of the US, leading to skewed perceptions of China. China's legitimate actions to defend its maritime sovereignty and territorial integrity are seen as being part of a salami tactic that aims to squeeze the US out of Asia, and China's "Belt and Road" initiative a strategic plot to dilute US influence in Eurasia. "The US must always lead on the world stage" became a new mantra for Obama.

Against this backdrop, the Hangzhou meeting between the two presidents will be a crucial opportunity to bring bilateral relations back on a steady footing. The two leaders are expected to engage in probably the last round of deep-ranging private conversation. The list of topics will be long, yet the goal should be to enhance strategic guidance and promote a smooth transition of bilateral relations.

The two sides should reaffirm their strategic intentions in the Asia-Pacific and their commitment to key tenets guiding the new model of major country relations. The US should realize that its future China policy should be based on the right reading of China's intentions and policies. China should continue to pursue cooperation wherever possible, from facilitating a bilateral investment treaty to expanding climate change and cyber cooperation, and dealing with a host of hotspot issues, while standing up for its core national interests. The two sides should work together on a cool-off in the South China Sea, and China will undoubtedly admonish the US about the harms of THAAD deployments.

The US should support China in hosting a successful G20 summit to work for strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth, reinvigorate trade and investment, enhance global governance and reenergize globalization.

Forty years ago, Hangzhou was a proud venue for the negotiations on Shanghai Communique, the first China-US joint communique. Forty years on, the city will once again witness another profound historic moment in bilateral relations. History will once again call for cooperation between the two countries, as Xi rightly said, "cooperation and mutual benefit is the only right option for China-US relations."

The author is a commentator on international affairs based in Beijing. [email protected]
By Choi Sung-jin



The "Hongdae" area -- around Hongik University and its neighborhood in western Seoul -- has emerged as the capital's new Chinatown, dotted with Chinese restaurants, lodgings and private duty-free stores.



Real estate agencies in this quarter, with the administrative name of Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, are awash with purchase inquiries from Chinese people who also buy up properties even in the neighboring villages of Mangwon-dong and Sangsu-dong, real estate market watchers said Tuesday.



In older Chinese blocks in Yeongdeungpo-gu and Guro-gu, it is not uncommon for Korean tenants to be living in buildings owned by Chinese landlords or landladies.



In a more upscale example of cash-laden Chinese people's property shopping in the capital Seoul and its vicinity, an investor drew the attention of market watchers recently by buying the entire block of land designated for commercial facilities in Yeongjong Sky City nearby Incheon through a private contract, paying 6.6 billion won ($5.9 million).



The Chinese investment in real estate, which had been limited to the southern resort island of Jeju and the suburbs of Seoul, is rapidly expanding to the heart of the capital city, including not only Chinese-crowded areas but the neighborhoods of major universities and even expensive apartments in the posh quarters of Gangnam, south of the Han River. Voices of concern are also growing about the seemingly insatiable appetite for Korean properties by these Chinese "big hands."



According to a recent survey of Chinese property ownership, the number of real estate deals involving Chinese buyers in southwestern Guro-gu jumped from 21 in the first quarter of 2014 to 38 a year later and to 83 in the second quarter of this year. In the second quarter, the number of land plots owned by Chinese people totaled 157. The comparable number of property deals and land lots owned by Chinese investors in nearby Yeongdeungpo-gu also jumped four to five times to 64 and 85, respectively, between the first quarter of 2014 and the second quarter of this year.



Chinese people's property purchases also sharply increased in Mapo-gu and Seodaemon-gu, which are closer to the city center and accommodate large universities, such as Yonsei, Ehwa Womans and Sogang.



The most expensive Gangnam area was not free from Chinese investors' reaches. According to data the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport submitted to Rep. Park Wan-su of the ruling Saenuri Party, Chinese people bought 17 expensive flats, each priced at 1 billion won or more, in the three southern districts of Gangnam-gu, Seocho-gu and Songpa-gu over the past three years.



The Chinese property-purchasing fervor is especially noticeable as it comes amid the overall sluggishness of investing in land and buildings by other foreigners here, the sources said.



Between 2014 and now, Chinese buyers accounted for 91 percent of the increase in foreign property ownership. Given there might be a considerable number of additional deals made in the name of Chinese-Koreans who acquired citizenship, actual transactions could be far larger than reported, they said, adding that the number of land lots owned by Chinese people jumped from 1,686 in 2014 to 3,516 now.



"Chinese people's property investment is rapidly spreading from the Chinatown of Yeonnam-dong to the rest of the capital area," said Ahn Min-seok, a researcher at FR Investment, a property information provider. "It could soon be a reality that like in America, Australia and Canada, Chinese people will buy up an entire block or village."




A miniature container is displayed at Hanjin Shipping's headquarters building in Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday. Creditors held a meeting to discuss Hanjin Shipping's self-rescue plan and unanimously decided to stop supporting the nation's largest shipping line. It is expected to go into court receivership unless there are additional financing plans for Hanjin Shipping. / Yonhap



Group required to shoulder greater burden for new loans



By Jhoo Dong-chan

The state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) and other creditors of Hanjin Shipping agreed on Tuesday not to extend fresh loans to the debt-ridden shipper, pushing it to the brink of court receivership.

Officials from KDB and KEB Hana Bank said creditors unanimously decided to stop supporting the nation's largest shipping line at a meeting as the shipper's self-rescue program was not viable enough for the creditors to keep the company afloat.

"The submitted self-rescue plan was just not enough," KDB Chairman Lee Dong-geol said at a press conference. "Under the plan, creditors are required to finance more than 400 billion won ($357 million) to meet its debt payment deadline this year. It is unacceptable."

The shipper has outstanding loans of 1.3 trillion won that are set to mature next year. Of them, 650 billion won is required to aid the beleaguered shipping line immediately this year.

"It's like pouring water into a bottomless pit. Any new loans will be spent to cover its overdue debt owed to foreign creditors, rather than being used to boost its corporate value," Lee said.

He said the banks' ongoing debt restructuring program for the shipper will expire on Sept. 4.

Asked whether creditors could resume talks with Hanjin Group over steps to keep the company from going under court receivership, Lee said, "It's uncertain. Still, creditors will do their utmost."
By Choi Sung-jin



The Park Geun-hye administration has come under fire for dragging its feet in compensating companies forced out of the now-closed Gaeseong Industrial Complex (GIC).



A group of small firms that supplied subsidiary materials to manufacturers at the inter-Korean factory park held a news conference in front of the National Assembly Monday and called for more swift compensation for their financial damages.



"As the government has stopped compensation after paying only part of its promised amount to 124 companies that operated within the GIC, a far larger number of their suppliers are suffering collateral damage," the protesters said. "We are being forced to freeze all operations as we can no longer pay wages to our employees or settle transactions with other customers."



The GIC companies reported 231.7 billion won ($207.2 million) in damages but the unification ministry recognized only 191.7 billion won of the losses and has paid only 121.4 billion won, the suppliers said.



Protesters said President Park, in her address to the Assembly in February, promised to compensate 90 percent of invested money but the administration has failed to keep her word. "Did the President make a promise that she cannot keep or some officials within the government are disobeying the chief executive's instruction?" they said.



"We can hardly suppress our anger and resentment upon the news that the government is injecting trillions of won in taxpayer money into large businesses and state enterprises that crippled the national economy through loose management and fraudulent accounting. What have we done wrong, except for faithfully following the government's policy?"



The Park administration, which agreed with North Korea about a year ago not to close the joint industrial park under any circumstances, unilaterally shut it down on Feb. 11 in the wake of the North's nuclear test and missile launch, promising sufficient compensation for the companies and their suppliers.



Noting that 5,000 supplier firms and their 100,000 employees are at a crossroads, the protesters called for the immediate compensation of the entire damage to current assets.



"We hope the government will not make numerous smaller firms and their employees spend the upcoming Chuseok holiday in tears," they said.




Gangdong District Mayor Lee Hae-sik gives a presentation on policies for creating healthy communities at the 7th Alliance for the Healthy Cities International Conference held in Wonju, Gangwon Province, Tuesday.

/ Courtesy of Gangdong District Office



By Yoon Ja-young



Gangdong District shared its knowhow for building "healthy communities" at an international conference.

Lee Hae-sik, mayor of Gangdong District, introduced how the district succeeded in making "healthy schools," at the 7th Alliance for the Healthy Cities International Conference held in Wonju, Gangwon Province. The conference, running Aug. 29 to 31, welcomes local governments and urban health experts from around the world to share information on how to foster healthier communities. Lee, who is chair of the alliance for healthy cities in Korea, also made a presentation on Korea's healthy cities.

"The conference aims at seeking ways to develop healthy cities through sharing knowledge among cities around the world," a spokesperson for Gangdong District said. "We hope to set up a foundation for healthy cities as well as promote our efforts."

The district has been engaged in 18 major projects for healthier communities under the motto of "Health for All."

Due to such efforts, the district received awards in four categories this year, including prevention of juvenile suicide and decreasing food waste. It operates a call center for teenagers in distress and uses food waste to make fertilizer.

"The district has been focusing on healthy city projects during the past few years," the mayor said. "We will continue with the health-friendly policies."
Participants of KB Hope Camp, a social responsibility program of KB Financial Group aimed at helping physically challenged students explore career options, pose on July 27 in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.

/ Courtesy of KB Financial Group



By Nam Hyun-woo

Choi A-ram is a high school freshman who has level 3 autism. Though she is musically talented, it has been difficult to develop, given the educational costs have been too high for her family who rely on a government subsidy for much of their income.

However, Choi has been able to get a proper musical education at KB Music University for Youth since August 2013 and notched up a top prize in a competition among physically challenged students just three months after joining the program. She was quoted as saying she felt confident while playing songs with her own style and now has the dream of being a musician.

KB Financial Group said Tuesday that it is engaging in a series of programs supporting the youths of multicultural families, including KB Music University for Youth, as part of its corporate social responsibility.

KB Music University for Youth is a support program for 120 students who are musically talented but suffer financial hardships. Since August 2013, professors at six universities across the country have been cooperating with KB Financial Group to provide weekly lessons for the students. The group said many of those students have won prizes at music competitions and seven participants entered music universities in 2016.

Another program supporting youths is KB Hope Camp, in which university students and younger high school and middle school students with physical disabilities become mentors and mentees to explore career options. Some 400 physically challenged youths participated in the program from 2013 to 2015 and 120 have joined this year's program.

KB Rainbow Camp is a program in which KB Financial Group officials and volunteers provide basic knowledge of economics and finance to children from multicultural families. The program has been in operation since 2007. This year's edition brought 210 children to Everland in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.

There are also programs teaching Korean and other subjects to children from multicultural families and helping jobseekers.

"As the leading financial group in Korea, KB Financial Group aims to become a highly respected corporate citizen that fulfills its corporate social responsibility," a KB Financial Group official said.
"The Art of Mathematics" and it's author Hong Sung-dae / Courtesy of Twitter



By Lee Han-soo

The nation's best-selling mathematics reference book, regarded as the "bible of math" among high school students, will mark its 50th on Wednesday.

The legendary "The Art of Mathematics" was first published on Aug. 31, 1966, and has sold more than 46 million copies. The book is believed to be the highest-selling book in Korea, except for The Bible.

Hong Sung-dae wrote the book aged 27, when he was studying mathematics at Seoul National University. He did the work after feeling sad that Korean students studied math with books imported from Japan. His book created a sensation on release, selling more than 35,000 copies in the first year.

The author established the Sangsan Institute, a non-profit school foundation, with his proceeds and opened Sangsan High School in 1981.

"My youth gave me the courage to put all my effort into publishing the reference book," Hong was quoted as saying in a report. "Now I want to give back the money I earned from the students to the students themselves."
By Kim Hyo-jin



South Korea needs at least two Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries to better defend itself from North Korea's submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), a U.S. arms expert said Tuesday.



Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS), warned of the possibility that the North's submarines could attack South Korea out of the range covered by the THAAD radar to be deployed in the southeastern part of the country.



"THAAD has forward-looking radar with a 120-degree field of view. In the case of a single THAAD battery, North Korea's submarines would not have to travel very far out to sea to attack the THAAD system from behind the field of view of its radar," Lewis, also a founder of Arms Control Wonk, said in an article posted on the website.



"South Korea needs two THAAD batteries to better cover ocean approaches. That is an obvious solution to at least part of the problem posed by the KN-11."



The analysis came after North Korea successfully test-fired the SLBM last week.

The missile, dubbed KN-11, flew about 500 kilometers toward Japan, making the longest flight by such a missile, according to the South Korean defense ministry.



The expert said it would offer North Korea a flexible system to threaten South Korea, noting the missile is solid-fueled which can shorten reaction and reload time from existing Scud missiles.



He also raised the possibility that the reclusive country could deploy the new ballistic missile as a land-based one, saying it already showed an example with the Russian SS-N-6 SLBM deployed as the Hwasong-10 strategic ballistic missile, also known as the Musudan.



Though he recommended two THAAD batteries to better defend the North's missile attack, he stressed that it does little to address the possibility of its "lofted attacks."



"Lofting a long-range missile results in reentry at very high speeds and at a very severe angle: Whether THAAD can deal with a lofted KN-11 depends in part on the missile's range," he said.



He pointed out that a THAAD unit has never been tested against an intermediate-range target, let alone on an unusual angle of attack.



THAAD is designed to intercept medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs)  1,000-3,000km in range  and in theory should have some capability to intercept intermediate-range missiles (IRBMs)  3,000-5,500km.



The Pentagon's testing office, the office of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), gives THAAD a good rating against MRBMs, but the lowest possible rating against IRBMs, the expert said.



He argued that considering that the last week's SLBM was launched at a high angle, the missile would travel further than 500 km  over 1,000 km and much further if fired at minimum trajectory.




Kamen Nam, a professor at Bulgaria's Sofia University, left, answers reporters' questions at a briefing room at the Gyeonggi Province Office in Suwon, Monday. Nam, son of a former professor at the Kim Chaek University of Technology in Pyongyang, met his half sister from the North for the first time upon his visit to Korea. / Yonhap



By Kim Bo-eun

Kamen Nam, a professor at Bulgaria's Sofia University, had a long awaited emotional meeting with his half sister from North Korea upon his visit to South Korea.

Nam, 59, is the son of Nam Seung-beom, the late professor at Pyongyang's Kim Chaek University of Technology and Ekatrina, also a professor at Bulgaria's Sofia University. He is also a descendent of General Nami, a military officer of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910).

His half sister Nam Yool-joo (an alias), 49, is one of three children Nam's father had with his second wife in the North. She defected from the North and settled in Korea in 2007.

The two corresponded for three years through emails, after the younger Nam came to South Korea.

"I cannot tell how happy I am to meet my sister. I want to compensate for her past years of troubles; having to live away from her family for several decades," Nam told reporters at the Gyeonggi Province Office in Suwon, Monday.

Nam's father was among the injured soldiers sent to countries in Eastern Europe by the North Korean regime following the 1950-53 Korean War, for them to be recuperated and receive education there.

He was sent to Bulgaria and stayed there for five years, studying at Sofia University receiving a scholarship from the Bulgarian government. He met his wife who worked at a rehabilitation center there and gave birth to the junior Nam.

However, the late Nam was ordered by the North Korean regime in 1959 to return to his home country; forcing him to leave his wife and two-year-old son.

In order to reunite with her husband, Ekaterina attained a position at the Bulgarian Embassy in the North.

The junior Nam was unable to join them, and was left with his maternal grandmother in Bulgaria.

"I have no memories of my father but I have kept with me a photo taken with him when I was two years old," Nam said.

However, the late Nam faced disadvantages due to the fact that he had a foreign wife, and even ended up losing his teaching position at Kim Chaek University. Ekaterina returned to Bulgaria after two years.

She became a geography professor at Sofia University and compiled a book titled "Korea," from the data she collected on North Korea while she was there.

Nam's visit to Korea was arranged after Gyeonggi Governor Nam Kyung-pil visited Bulgaria in May, where he met Nam and learned about his family's history.

Nam delivered a lecture at a Gyeonggi Province forum Tuesday, on his life experiences of trekking the Balkan mountain ranges as a geographer as well as about his life journey involving the Cold War and division of North and South Korea.

"We need to think about who can become the subjects of achieving peace and how this can be achieved. This must be considered for future descendents," Nam said.

Nam paid his respects at the tomb of General Nami in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, Monday, and will visit the Demilitarized Zone between the North and South, Gyeongbok Palace and other sites and return to Bulgaria on Saturday.
By Jun Ji-hye

While politicians are calling for the development of a nuclear-powered submarine amid mounting threats of North Korea's submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), the military is taking a cautious stance, apparently wary of possible repercussions from the United States.

Members of the ruling Saenuri Party and some experts say the only measure to counter the North's SLBM threat is possessing nuclear subs that can operate at high speeds for long periods of time, but critics point out that the nation will face many problems to develop them.

The first question is whether the United States, which virtually controls the uranium enrichment and nuclear fuel reprocessing of South Korea, would approve of Seoul's uranium enrichment activity to operate a nuclear sub.

Some say that a revision of the Seoul-Washington nuclear cooperation deal, signed last year, would allow Seoul to enrich uranium to a level of 20 percent when using U.S. ingredients, but critics point out that the agreement disallows the uranium enrichment for military purposes.

Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defense and Security Forum, told reporters that it is not hard to anticipate Washington's negative response to Seoul's move to develop a nuclear sub as the country tends to be reluctant to allow its allies to have strategic weapons.

Although a nuclear sub is not armed with nuclear weapons but uses nuclear fuel as a power source only, the development can still provoke controversy over whether or not the South Korean government shifts its position from the 1992 inter-Korean denuclearization declaration. Ahead of this, South Korea ratified the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1975 and has remained formally committed to it since then.
By Kang Seung-woo



Opposition parties questioned the fairness of the prosecution's ongoing investigation into corruption allegations surrounding Woo Byung-woo, the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, Tuesday.



They renewed calls for Woo to step down, saying the prosecution is using a double standard in investigating Woo and Lee Seok-soo, the former independent inspector general who is suspected of leaking information about his investigation of Woo to a journalist.



The criticism came one day after prosecutors raided a real estate company run by Woo's family and Lee's office. However, Woo's office was not searched.



Later on Monday, Lee offered to resign as inspector general, saying it is impossible to carry out his duties while under investigation.



"Lee's office was raided, but Woo's office was not. Although prosecutors are jointly investigating them, they seem to be conducting a biased probe in Lee's case," minor opposition floor leader Rep. Park Jie-won said in a party meeting at the National Assembly.



"Without a thorough investigation of Woo, this would go down as the most unfair investigation in the history of the prosecution."



Woo, a key aide of President Park Geun-hye, is suspected of evading taxes and embezzling assets from his family-owned company and accused of peddling influence to help his son get special treatment during his mandatory military service.



Lee, who initiated a one-month probe into Woo's accusations in July and referred his case to the prosecution, is accused of having illegally leaked details of the investigation to a reporter  a violation that could bring a jail term of up to five years or a suspension from his job if he is found guilty.



Rep. Woo Sang-ho, the floor leader of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK), renewed his call for Woo to step down.



"Lee resigned from his post after being placed under investigation, but Woo still retains his position," Woo said.



"I wonder if someone is behind Woo, helping him to keep his post. Woo himself should explain it."



The MPK floor leader also questioned the intentions of Rep. Kim Jin-tae of the ruling Saenuri Party who has revealed a lobbying scandal, involving a former chief editorial writer of the Chosun Ilbo. The conservative newspaper was first to bring up allegations regarding Woo, raising speculation that Kim's revelations are aimed at watering down allegations against Woo.



"If he received information about the lobbying scandal from the intelligence agency or Cheong Wa Dae, he has given up his self-esteem as a lawmaker, demoting himself to being a mere puppet of the administration," he said.



Some Saenuri lawmakers also urged the scandal-ridden senior secretary to quit.



"Woo needs to walk away from the post to ease the burden on President Park Geun-hye," former Saenuri Chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung told reporters.



Rep. Lee Hye-hoon also said in a radio interview, "It will be difficult for the prosecution to probe the incumbent senior civil affairs secretary."



She added that unless Woo resigns, it would be better for the President to replace him ahead of the Chuseok holiday to stop negative public sentiment toward the ruling party from growing ahead of next year's presidential election.



Despite the mounting demands to let go of Woo, Cheong Wa Dae rejected them.



"There is no change in Cheong Wa Dae's stance on Woo following the resignation of the independent investigator," said presidential spokesman Jung Youn-kuk in a briefing.



A Cheong Wa Dae official also said Lee's unexpected resignation may be aimed at pressing Woo to step down, as well.




#BREAKING At least 1 killed, 3 injured after bomb-carrying car rammed gates of Chinese embassy in Bishkek and exploded on Aug. 28
Japan's Stompin' Riffraffs are scheduled to perform in Seoul, Friday. / Courtesy of Stompin' Riffraffs



By Jon Dunbar

Japan's Stompin' Riffraffs will come to Seoul on Friday for their first-ever Korean gig.

"It is the first time for us except (pianist) Miku," said bassist Rie. "She has been to Korea before because she is a big fan of Korean BBQ!"

The quartet  "A Man and Three Chicks" as their album is named, will play at Gyeongnidan club Boogie Woogie, joined by Korean garage punks Crawler and local expat indie-pop act Nice Legs.

"Simple and primitive" is how bassist Rie describes the Riffraffs. We're all big fans of late 50s, early 60s rock and roll, and that's where we would hope to place our sound," she told The Korea Times.

But that doesn't do justice to their striking live performances, in which they dress up in costumes or formal wear on stage. Frontman Nao strikes quite a profile backed by masked female musicians Rie on bass, Miku on piano and theremin and Saori on drums.

"It's important to look sharp on stage," Rie explained. "You wanna see how crazy a bunch of masked women can get onstage, you're just gonna have to come see us for yourself."

The concert was arranged after a chance encounter in a bar in Shibuya, Tokyo, with Baron van West, an expat event organizer living in Seoul.

"We've always been interested in other Asian rock n' roll scenes outside of Japan," said Rie. "We are looking forward to meat, beer and rock n' roll!"

Seoul Shindig, an expat-run event promoter founded in 2011, is co-hosting the show with Seoul City Stomp, a new all-vinyl DJ crew specializing in vintage music.

"On any given weekend in Seoul you can't throw a rock without hitting a club playing top 40 pop, house, EDM or obnoxious party music," Baron told The Korea Times. "We do this out of our love and deep dedication to music from communities that were marginalized, segregated and never given the chance to become the stars they should have been!"

Baron co-founded Seoul City Stomp with Korean reggae/ska musician and DJ Jude Nah. He also runs Seoul Shindig with DJ Legba, having inherited it after the previous manager moved away. "Shindig has gone through many owners," he said.

"We're an extension of a worldwide scene that exists in world-class cities and we believe Seoul should be a part of that community."

Doors open at 9:30 p.m. and entry costs 10,000 won. After the bands, Rie and Baron will DJ an all-night vintage vinyl dance party with northern soul DJ Pablo Winchester. Visit facebook.com/seoulshindig or facebook.com/seoulcitystomp for more information.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula will be a key topic for U.S. President Barack Obama's upcoming talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the White House said Monday.



Obama is scheduled to visit China later this week for a summit with Xi and a summit of the Group of 20 nations.



The trip comes after the North ratcheted up tensions with a successful submarine-launched ballistic missile test that demonstrated the communist nation is making fast progress in its SLBM development.



The Obama-Xi summit, set for Sept. 3, also comes as the U.S. and China are at odds over maritime disputes in the South China Sea and the U.S. plan to deploy the THAAD missile defense system in South Korea.



"We'll be able to review the progress we've made on the global economy, on climate change, our shared efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons through the Iran deal, our shared concerns about the situation on the Korean Peninsula," said Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser, at a White House briefing.



"Of course, we'll also be addressing differences, as we always do with China, whether it relates to cyber issues, some of the economic practices that we have raised concerns about, some of the tensions around maritime issues in the South China Sea, and of course, our long-standing differences on human rights, as well," he said.



Rhodes did not say whether the THAAD issue will be on the agenda, but Xi is expected to raise the issue.



China has strongly protested the decision by Washington and Seoul to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) unit in South Korea, saying the system, especially the powerful "X-band" radar, could be used against it, despite repeated U.S. assurances the system is purely defensive and designed only to cope with North Korean threats.



The issue has raised concern that China might be refusing to render full-scale cooperation for international efforts to increase pressure on Pyongyang, including implementing the latest U.N. Security Council sanctions resolution, in protest of the THAAD deployment decision.



"Our point to China has been: this in no way is directed at China. It's directed at the threat from North Korea," Rhodes said of THAAD. "And so long as North Korea is developing ballistic missile capabilities and moving forward with its nuclear program, we have an obligation, a responsibility, for our own security and the security of our allies in Japan and the Republic of Korea to take steps to counter that threat."



Noting that China has expressed concerns about THAAD, Rhodes stressed that the most important thing is to continue to apply pressure on the North Koreans to change course.



"Absent that taking place, we are not going to skirt our responsibility to defend ourselves and our allies," he said. (Yonhap)








The U.S. State Department has turned in a report to Congress that details North Korea's abuse of its people through overseas labor, including the list of countries and individuals that accept or use such labor, diplomatic sources said Monday.



The report, which was submitted recently, is seen as the latest in a series of measures by Washington to increase pressure on Pyongyang over its human rights record. In July, the U.S. imposed its first-ever sanctions on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for his role in the country's human rights violations.



Under the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act of 2016, the department was required to submit the report within 180 days of the law's February enactment in the wake of the North's fourth nuclear test and a long-range rocket launch.



The department also plans to submit a report on the North's political prison camps in the future.



Details of the latest report were not immediately available, but it was supposed to include a list of countries that forcibly repatriate refugees from the North, a list of countries where North Korean laborers work, including countries that have formal arrangements with the North or any person acting for or on behalf of the North to employ North Korean workers.



The report is also expected to include a plan for bilateral and multilateral outreach, including sustained engagement with the governments of partners and allies to brief them on North Korea human rights issues, as well as public affairs and public diplomacy strategies.



About 50,000-60,000 North Koreans are believed to be toiling overseas, mostly in China and Russia and mainly in the mining, logging, textile and construction industries. The average wage was stated as $120 to $150 per month, but in most cases employing firms paid salaries directly to the North's government.



The North reportedly receives more than $100 million from this system per year.



They are also forced to work usually between 12 and 16 hours, and sometimes up to 20 hours, per day, with only one or two rest days per month. Health and safety measures are often inadequate, and workers are given insufficient daily food rations.



North Korea has long been labeled as one of the worst human rights violators. The communist regime does not tolerate dissent, holds hundreds of thousands of people in political prison camps and keeps tight control over outside information.



But the North has bristled at such criticism, calling it a U.S.-led attempt to topple its regime. (Yonhap)




By Yi Whan-woo

The government will set up an archive to record North Korea's state-perpetrated human rights violations under an ordinance endorsed by the Cabinet, according to the Ministry of Unification, which was announced on Tuesday.

Under the ordinance for the North Korean Human Rights Law, the government will also begin a foundation to oversee and support projects aimed at improving Pyongyang's dire human rights records. The law will take effect, Sunday.

Based on the law, the Park Geun-hye administration is expected to press North Korea's Kim Jong-un regime harder in collaboration with the United States and Japan, which have been addressing North Korea's human rights through their own sanctions against the North.

The ordinance had been awaiting the Cabinet approval after the National Assembly passed the related bill in March.

Rival parties passed the North Korean human rights bill more than a decade after it was first introduced in 2005.












By Choi Sung-jin

I first visited the United States in 1990 at the relatively late age of 35, especially for an English newspaper reporter.

Throughout the 15-day trip to do an in-depth report on the U.S. nuclear power industry, what surprised me and other first-timers in our press corps most was that almost everything about America, from the scenery to its people, was so familiar that there was nothing really surprising, at least not superficially.

It was not until we actually saw America that we realized how deeply we had been Americanized, through formal education and informal culture, including movies, dramas and music.

At school, the postwar generation born after 1953 here was taught that America was the liberator of Korea from Japanese colonial rule and later the defender of South Korea from the invasion of North Korean communists, abetted by Russia and assisted by China. America was also the largest donor to South Korea and for a long time the biggest market for the nation's exports.

All these are undisputed facts.

For those who want to see history from a little wider and broader perspective, however, it is also true that Japan's colonization of Korea might not have been possible without the U.S. endorsement 111 years ago. And that the swift rescue of South Korea from the communists' aggression 66 years ago was aimed at keeping Northeast Asia, ultimately Japan, from being swept by the reds, and saving capitalist states in this part of the world.

Most diplomatic disputes between Korea and Japan, including their respective claims over the Dokdo islets, stem from Korea's failure to clear away the remnants of Japanese colonial rule. That in turn was due to Washington's coercion to hurry the diplomatic normalization of its two allies half a century ago as well as the needs of the then dictatorial rulers, Syngman Rhee and Park Chung-hee. It suggests that Washington was also behind the half-baked settlement of the "comfort women" issue between Seoul and Tokyo last December.

Yes, every country has the right to put its national interests ahead of all else, and the world's most powerful country should be no exception from this. Yet the problem in this country is with some of its political leaders, including the incumbent chief executive, that seem to be going in the opposite direction to maximizing national interests  military security and economic prosperity. And nothing shows this better than the ongoing national controversy over deploying the U.S. missile-interceptor system called the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD).

In a more normal country, the debate should have proceeded from whether and how much the missile shield is effective in protecting the nation and its people, what are its costs and benefits, financially and strategically, and, if the answers to both questions are positive, how to deploy it with minimal harm to residents amid the least resistance from them. The government has skipped the first two debates and is doing a "drop-the-handkerchief" game in selecting and reselecting the location for the battery. President Park Geun-hye has precluded any more debates on the deployment itself and her aides are painting its opponents as sympathizers to North Korea and China.

These officials ask their opponents whether they have "any better alternatives." That could be the most brazen question coming from the political group that has done nothing over the past eight-and-a-half years but sit back and watch North Korea grow to become a de facto nuclear power. It is the conservatives and their U.S. counterparts with the support of the military-industrial complex that have thwarted the best  and probably the only  alternative: talking their way out of crisis. There still remain opportunities to mend the fire of dialogue, multilateral or bilateral. Pyongyang has hinted more than a few times that it will refrain from further expanding its nuclear arsenal in exchange for starting the discussion to replace the current armistice with a peace treaty.

It has become apparent that THAAD is for protecting U.S. troops stationed in the southern region of the country, provided it is effective, as American military officials allege  but many objective U.S. experts doubt such capacity, though. Even so, that may prove to be necessary for the allied forces to recoup in possible initial attacks from the North. In an all-out war, however, the North can mobilize far more effective, lower-flying missiles tipped with other weapons of mass destruction without feeling the need for high-altitude nuclear missiles.

While the benefits are hypothetical and limited at best, its costs are enormous  fixating South Korea and the entire Korean Peninsula as the last and only advanced guard of the renewed Cold War. In response to the North's successful test of submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM), the floor leader of the ruling conservative party is calling for the government to build nuclear-fueled submarines or probably buy some from abroad, even from the U.S., in escalating the military buildup between the Koreas.

It was a relief in this regard that the new leader of the main opposition party has come up with a "clearer no" to the Park administration's unilateral push for its employment. Toughening sanctions cannot solve the nuclear stalemate, particularly so now that THAAD-wary China would provide sufficient loopholes to the cornered North. Only simultaneous pursuit of dialogue can provide a way out.

South Korea will enter into a presidential election season before long. THAAD and the inter-Korean relationship should be the biggest issue, even bigger than the economic issue, because security should always come ahead of prosperity. I hope to see a candidate who can at least push for a negotiated settlement of the North's nuclear issue, persuading far larger diplomatic partners, and use the peace dividends for making better lives for all Koreans, south or north.

That must look like a daydream but the other option will be the worst nightmare, whether it is a life under constant tension and anxiety or reunification upon ashes. Three million people died in the last fratricidal war and Koreans must allow no one  either foreigners or petty, shortsighted leaders only with small political gains in mind, south or north  to demand any more sacrifices from them or decide their destiny.

Allies could be different from what they appear. But no allies can help us Koreans unless we help ourselves first.
By Young Hoy Kim Kimaro

"If newborn babies get mixed up, how do you think a Chagga mother finds her babe?" asks a doctor with a mischievous smile. "Have no idea. How does she?" "She jingles a bag of coins over the babies. The Chagga one will reach out to grab it." He can contain himself no longer. He bursts out laughing. This is a joke Chaggas often pull on themselves.

Indeed, the quest to make it in life drives Chaggas to push their children hard to study. It drives them to ferret out all corners of the country for business opportunities. Little shops found in unlikely places more often than not are Chagga-owned.

But the scene that unfolds before a visitor to Kilimanjaro bears little resemblance to the supposed "drive" of the people on this mountain. How come there has been so little change there in the last five decades?

There has been the usual migration of better educated rural youths in search of better job opportunities and, let's face it, more fun in urban centers. But perhaps politics had more to do with it. And for Kilimanjaro, that goes far back, back to years leading to independence in 1961.

For more than a decade before independence, Kilimanjaro Region was ruled by a traditional Paramount Chief, Thomas Marealle, an educated man. Under his enlightened leadership Kilimanjaro's education attainment and economy thrived.

Coffee was the leading cash crop in the area back then. Kilimanjaro Native Coffee Union, a cooperative which marketed the coffee, jealously guarded coffee quality. Kilimanjaro coffee made a name for itself in the world market, became highly sought after and fetched a premium price.

Under the chief's rule education thrived. Chaggas came to occupy a disproportionate share of academia and professional ranks in civil service. Those were heady days for the Chaggas.

As Independence approached, Paramount Chief Marealle and Nyerere, who later became the first President of the country, were invited to address the United Nations. Chief Marealle pitched for Kilimanjaro's independence, not only from the British but also from Tanganyika. A rift between Nyerere and Marealle, which had been kept below the surface, erupted into the open.

Flaws in national boundaries, arbitrarily drawn by colonialists in their scramble for Africa in the 19th century, are well known.

The U.N. General Assembly was impressed by the eloquence and passion of this larger-than-life chief. However, if they were to allow even a single boundary to be redrawn it would immediately open a can of worms that would get out of control. Marealle lost his bid and colonial boundaries were kept. Kilimanjaro remained within Tanganyika (later to be Tanzania).

Immediately following independence, Nyerere abolished chieftainship throughout the land. Chief Marealle's rule came to an abrupt end as did the prosperity that the Chaggas had enjoyed.

But the rift did not end there. When the multi-party system was introduced in 1985, the Chaggas immediately aligned themselves with the opposition and have practically remained there since. Maybe the visible absence of government programs on Kilimanjaro is a reaction to this. Why would the government want to go where it is not welcomed? For Mwika, its absence has been a high price to pay.

No electricity connection or clean water was piped to homes for 35 years after independence. Even then, not without fierce, persistent lobbying by highly placed individuals from Mwika in Dares Salaam. Tarmac road to relieve people of the life-threatening slippery drive up the Kilimanjaro slope came about five years ago.

Of five secondary schools in Mwika, only the most recent one was built by government barely seven years ago. Four were built by community and Lutheran church initiatives dating back three decades.

In health the situation is even worse. The only government-operated health center dates back to the colonial days. Not a single additional one has been added by the government despite a strongly felt need for more.

The Lutheran church and the community stepped in but couldn't go beyond three minimally equipped dispensaries. Thanks to recent Rotary support, these three now have solar systems for their light source and clean water storage, and they share a laboratory, mortuary and two ambulances.

Going it alone despite the government has severe limitations. Now a new political savvy is emerging. Even if the government doesn't come up with funding for development projects, why not involve its experts and tap their knowhow?

In reaching out to local government officials, Mwika villagers were thrilled to find the officials, many of whom are from the Chagga and themselves, keen and eager to collaborate. A district education officer, for one, used the weight of his office to help settle a prolonged controversy between schools and parents over computer lab fees.

Parents argued that computer lab fees contravened the new policy of free education. They rejected the explanation that computer labs are beyond the "basic" education to which the fee-free policy applies. But when the same was said by the DEO with the authority that rests in him, they accepted, putting an end to a drawn-out controversy which threatened to derail efforts to bring computers to primary schools.

As more district officials in other fields  animal husbandry, improved farming, health and more  are becoming involved, positive energies are rising. With the pace of development accelerating in the days ahead, hopefully changes that come about on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro will become impossible to hide even if we wanted to.

The writer resides on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. She worked for the World Bank for nearly 30 years and her email is youngkimaro@gmail.com.
The Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union (KTU) is at risk of breaking up as a group of former union leaders are moving to begin a separate labor union. This is the first time that the progressive teachers' union might split having weathered numerous ups and downs over the last 27 years.



In a statement on Monday, the tentatively named reorganization group for educational labor movement said it would form a new teachers' union, noting that many unionists have been saddened by the fact that the KTU has been losing its popularity, democratic values and progressiveness.



The group was formed in 2015 with the motto of "finding a new direction for the educational labor movement," and has been in operation separately from the KTU. The group will first begin a union composed of teachers in Seoul this year and plans to expand its organization nationwide. So far only 100 teachers have reportedly expressed the intention to join the new labor union.



The KTU dismissed the group's move to form a new teachers' union as a "storm in a tea cup." But some education experts say the move might gather strong momentum, lashing out at the existing union's regressive behavior, as has been shown in its biased education of young students.



Since its foundation in 1989, the KTU has received praise from students and parents for championing democratic values inside classrooms and eliminating a culture of graft in the education sector. Nearly 1,500 unionized teachers were dismissed at one time, but the KTU obtained legal status in 1999 thanks to people's ardent support for "true education."



In fact, its leftist political ideology, coupled with its overt political struggles, has prompted many people to look away from the KTU, resulting in the number of its members being halved to a little more than 50,000. More recently, the teachers' union has been outlawed for allowing nine fired teachers to remain members, in violation of the Teachers' Labor Union Law.



True, the KTU has been criticized for failing to reflect the opinions of teachers in policies owing to its rigid decision-making process. It has also been heavily motivated by political issues such as the four-river restoration project completed by the previous administration.



The existence of multiple teachers' unions is not bad, considering that it could stimulate the KTU into pursuing true innovations. The teachers' union should be reborn as an organization loved by the public by refraining from excessive political activities and rectifying corrupt practices in classrooms.




Baloch case shows foreigner-averse tendency



Korea has turned its back on a famous asylum seeker. (We decided to withhold his identity for fear of his being further persecuted). His plea to be sent to a third country was also denied, so he was deported to Pakistan on July 29 and his supporters here have lost contact with him. They fear the worst because he promised to get in touch with them. He was a self-proclaimed and court-denied member of the Balochistan National Movement and was on the blacklist of Karachi's feared Inter-Services Intelligence.



He fought to gain refugee status from the Korean government for six years before the Supreme Court confirmed the high court decision that his assertion that he feared harm would be done to him and his family by Pakistani authorities was not tenable.



True, he may have been lucky to take the case all the way to the highest court when many asylum seekers are summarily denied before that. In his case, one may rightfully argue that the rule of law has prevailed regardless of the consequences.



However, at least for future cases like his, the judiciary and immigration authorities need to take one thing into consideration. As the United Nations recommends, the benefit of the doubt should be given in assessing applications for refugee status.



In 2012, he was granted refugee status, acknowledging that his use of a false passport was an inevitable way of protecting himself. He claimed he escaped into Korea after sustaining a gunshot wound while fighting as an independence fighter for his tribe. His father was also interrogated by the ISA.



Balochistan has been under Pakistan's rule since it was liberated from India in 1947. Reports have it that many Balochs have been killed while hundreds of thousands have been relocated.



When it was found that he used somebody else's identity, he was detained by immigration officials. The appellate court overturned the verdict. The independence movement he said he belonged to denied he was a member when the question was asked through its website. In another inquiry made by his lawyer, Bae Eui-cheol, the organization confirmed he was an active member.



Then, the highest court sided with the appellate court's ruling, citing there was not enough evidence that proved he was being targeted by the Pakistani government.



When he pleaded with the court not to send him to Pakistan, immigration authorities rejected his plea, citing many cases of "vagabond" refugees who travel from one country to another in pursuit of refugee status.



"His hair turned white in a matter of months while in detention," said Bae, who worked pro bono for six years for him. "He was not much more than a beggar when he came out of his ordeal because he was not allowed to get a job during that time."



Bae said he respected the court's ruling and understood it in the context of the flooding requests for refugee status because Korea is the only East Asian signatory to the relevant U.N. protocols while Japan and China are not. "We tend to treat them as numbers and I am concerned we are losing our humanity in treating other human beings with respect," Bae said.



Europe is inundated by refugees to the tune of millions. Refugees knocking on the doors of Korea pale by comparison. And Korea is also set to suffer from a drop in population while diversity would be part of the solution as seen in the examples of other countries.



We as a society need to become more accepting to the extent that it should be allowed so it will reach all corners of society, including the courts. It is an exercise we need for our better future.




By Yoon Sung-won



KT began its commerce-focused mobile video platform service dovido, targeting the global market, Tuesday.



Starting by concentrating on providing beauty-related commercial content to the Chinese market, the company said it seeks to generate more than 70 billion won in sales by 2020.



"Our main competitor will be YouTube, which does not seek to emphasize its presence on mobile platforms. This is like Instagram targeting Facebook's weak points," said Kang Min-ho, vice president of KT's Platform Service Business Unit, during a press conference in Seoul. "Our goal is to record 73.8 billion won ($65.98 million) in net sales by 2020 and build a marketplace with a 1 trillion won trade volume by 2020."



Kim Hoon-bae, senior vice president of the Platform Service Business Unit, said, "Everything we are working on is about global markets. We are working to include our mobile payment service CLiP and cartoon content, and are in discussions with global telecom companies in the content sector such as China Mobile and NTT DoCoMo."



According to KT, the dovido service combines video content, online-to-offline (O2O) services and social networking service (SNS). Earlier in June, the company rolled out an O2O platform service named 100C specifically targeting the Chinese market.



With the new mobile video content service, users can easily produce, edit and upload video content like they used to do in computer-based work environments, and connect them to related businesses, which will be available starting next month.



"Whereas YouTube and Facebook share only advertising profits with content creators, we additionally provide three to five percent of product sales profits to them," Kim said.



Kang said dovido aims to provide an open marketplace. In this space, content creators can introduce diverse beauty-related products to sell them globally. In the process, KT shares the profits generated from sales and advertising with the content providers. Once the beauty-related content secures a position in the market, KT plans to expand the items to the cooking and living items sectors and reach out to North America and Europe, attracting around 200 million users in the long term.



The service is accessible through an application downloadable on Google Play. The iOS version is scheduled to be launched early next month, the company said.




By Lee Min-hyung



Samsung SDI has started building a new battery plant in Hungary to speed up its supply for European automobile clients.



The world's top-tier battery maker said Tuesday the project is expected to be finished by the end of 2018. The company plans to invest a total of 400 billion won ($357 million).



The decision to build the plant comes as the demand for electric vehicles (EV) is growing and more automakers are tapping into the promising, eco-friendly sector.



Samsung SDI said the European plant will have an annual battery production capacity for 50,000 EVs. It will give the company three manufacturing facilities across the world -- including those in Korea's southeastern port city of Ulsan and Xian in China.



The new plant will help Samsung SDI generate synergies with its battery pack plant in Austria. The facility belonged to auto parts supplier Magna before Samsung SDI Battery Systems acquired a 100 percent stake in Magna's battery pack division last year.



"The new plant in Hungary is expected to help Samsung SDI strengthen its foothold in the battery business, allowing us to manufacture not just battery cells, but packs seamlessly for our clients in Europe and other countries as well," a Samsung SDI spokesman said.



Samsung SDI's European clients include BMW, Volkswagen, Jaguar and Land Rover.



Samsung SDI executives met Hungary's Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister, Peter Szijjarto, Tuesday, at the nation's government complex to announce the plan. The Hungarian government has pledged its support for the new facility.



Jeong Seh-woong, vice president at Samsung SDI, said: "The new factory will allow us to have three major manufacturing systems for batteries used for EVs."



He said the factory is expected to generate synergies with SDI Battery Systems in Austria, meeting diverse and growing demand from its European clients.



Meanwhile, the global EV market will be worth some 20.7 trillion won in 2020, growing rapidly from about 3.7 trillion won in 2013, according to Tokyo-based market researcher B3.



As more automakers understand the importance of the EV industry, global IT companies and parts suppliers are tapping into these next-generation revenue sources. With EVs gaining popularity, Samsung SDI previously unveiled a plan to invest some 3 trillion won into its battery business for EVs by 2020.




(File photo)

A recent report by the Institute for Social Development of China's National Development and Reform Commission showed that the rate of Chinese employees' social contribution - which includes endowment insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, employment injury insurance, maternity insurance and the Housing Provident Fund - accounts for 39.25 percent of employees' total wages. This means that China ranks 13th in the world for social contributions.

According to the report, which was published on Aug. 29, China's high contribution rate has posed a great challenge for its manufacturing industry. Counting the Housing Provident Fund rate, which varies from 10 to 24 percent, the social contribution rate of some employees has reached nearly 60 percent of their total wages.

The high rate results in the continual rise of labor costs in China, which compromises the competitive advantage of China's manufacturing industry. The report indicated that the price of hiring one worker in China could pay for 1.5 in Thailand, 2.5 in the Philippines and 3.5 in Indonesia.

The report further called for reasonable adjustments of the social contribution rate and the establishment of a more reasonable rate determination mechanism. This would help to reduce the burden of enterprises, control the sharp rise of labor costs and promote an optimal allocation of resources.
The U.S.-based Korean drug trafficker, 41, known by the codename "Iris," was arrested in June after a yearlong probe by Korean prosecutors and investigators from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). She is in custody and will be extradited to Seoul in September. / Courtesy of YouTube



By Hong Dam-young

A U.S.-based Korean drug trafficker who allegedly has been supplying distributors in Korea was caught in Los Angeles, police said Tuesday.

The alleged trafficker, 41, known by the codename "Iris," was arrested in June after a yearlong probe by Korean prosecutors and investigators from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

She is in custody and will be extradited to Seoul in September.

Police said she is suspected of being a kingpin in the domestic drug supply network because her codename has been mentioned several times in the testimony of drug suppliers caught here.
The Nanjing subway has announced plans to upgrade its security check starting next month, but a rule that allegedly proposes a less stringent check of luxury handbags has sparked widespread debate.

On Aug. 28, a report circulating online stated that Nanjing will start requiring all subway passengers to have their bags scanned by an X-ray machine before entering the platform, starting in September. However, the report mentioned, "passengers with luxury bags can skip the machine and instead opt to have subway security officers open and examine their bags in order to pass the check.

This exception rubbed many netizens the wrong way, and the news quickly became a commonly searched topic on Weibo, with Internet users criticizing the subway for preferential treatment.

The purpose of undergoing a security check is to ensure safety - does that mean rich people wouldn't carry dangerous or banned stuff onto the subway, but only the ordinary and the poor? said Weibo user Chenglixi_o.

My bag is plain but is meaningful to me. Can I skip the machine, which rubs my bag, too?  said Weibo user Sunzzyyy.

As the debate rolled on, a manager for the Nanjing subway posted a response on the company's official Weibo account: All bags will be required to go through the machine, no matter if they are made of cloth or leather, with just a few exceptions. If any passenger is afraid the machine will make their bag dirty or damage it in some other way, they can just ask subway staffers to check it manually.

On Monday morning, there was another official post reaffirming that all bags are subject to security checks, and that there wont be any special treatment for designer bags.
In the summer of 2015, residents of Gongyi in Henan province reported that the area near the reservoir in Ciyun Temple was undergoing deforestation. In addition, over 10 mu (1 mu equals 0.0667 hectares) of arable farmland was being used to build villas and farmsteads.

In December 2015 and February 2016, the Gongyi Bureau of Land Resources conducted two rounds of inquiries and confirmed that 126 square meters of forest and arable land were being illegally occupied. The bureau ordered Li Siping, the man responsible for the illegal occupation, to stop construction and return the land. Additionally, Li had to pay a fine amounting to 378 yuan, as each square meter of occupied land incurred a penalty of 3 yuan.

However, after this punishment was meted out, the construction did not shut down but actually expanded. Villagers quickly claimed that Li had ignored the disciplinary measures because they were so insignificant.

Liu Xiaonan, deputy head of law enforcement at the bureau, explained that, according to existing laws and regulations, the punishment for illegally occupying forest or farmland can be set at up to 10 yuan per square meter. Li's occupation amounted to fewer than 3,335 square meters, which meant it was classified as a minor infringement. Accordingly, his penalty was only 3 yuan per square meter.

Liu also acknowledged that the low standard of punishment is likely a key factor in the frequent occurrence of illegal land occupation. Nevertheless, the penalty must be implemented according to the conditions set by the law, Liu said.
The Addis AbabaDjibouti Railway will soon open to traffic, according to the China Railway Group. As the first electric railway in Africa, it will play a significant role in rejuvenating the local economy.

However, the project did not always run so smoothly. During the design and early construction phases, the Chinese standards were met with suspicion. It was only after extensive communication and shoulder-to-shoulder work that the locals were finally convinced.

"The Ethiopians were skeptical about Chinese standards at the beginning, because their reference was European and American standards. They gradually accepted our standards after we invited them to China to see the railways we have already built," explained Long Zongming, who is responsible for the planning of Sebta-Mieso section of the railway.

The adoption of Chinese standards was not simply a matter of copying China's railway. Instead, the standards were adjusted and tailored to suit local conditions.

At first, the Ethiopian side said they wanted to build a railway with designed speed of 160 kilometers/hour. After careful study, Chinese engineers suggested that the design should comply with local economic conditions, and a design speed of 120 kilometers/hour was ultimately adopted, with the potential for an increase to 160 kilometers/hour at a later date. The design has since been lauded by the owner of the railway, and China's railway engineers and construction workers won respect from the local people.

From the Tanzania-Zambia railway to China's long-standing aid to Africa, bilateral cooperation between the two countries has clearly transcended the political and trade arenas to become a full-fledged, mutually beneficial partnership.
(Xinhua) 18:34, August 30, 2016

BEIJING, Aug. 30 -- China strongly condemned a terrorist attack near the Chinese Embassy in Kyrgyzstan, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a press release Tuesday evening.

The Chinese Embassy in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, was the site of a car bomb Tuesday morning, injuring three people employed by the embassy, spokesperson Hua Chunying told a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

In the press release, Hua called terrorism "a public enemy of the international community," as well as the most serious threat in the region.

Hua said that China was ready to cooperate with Kyrgyzstan and other countries in the region to fight terrorism and maintain regional safety and stability.

Stressing that China opposes terrorism in any form, she said China would continue to ensure the safety of the Chinese people and institutions in other countries.
A Federal High Court in Abuja Tuesday declined to grant an order sought by Senator Buruji Kashamu to restrain the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police (NPF) from arresting and extraditing to the United States.

Kashamu, a Senator Representing Ogun East, had through his lawyer, Godswill Mrakpor filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit and accompanied it with a motion ex-parte for injunction.

He had sought to restrain the respondents from taking steps to arrest him pending the determination of the substantive suit.

Tuesday, Justice Okon Abang declined to grant an ex-parte injunction.



Instead, the judge ordered that the respondents be served with the motion and for them to attend court on the next adjourned date to show cause why Kashamus prayers, as contained in the ex-parte application, should not be granted.

Kashamu, in a supporting affidavit, stated that the security agencies are acting based on a politically motivated petition authored by one Oladikupo Adebutu from Ogun State.

He alleged that there were moves to arrest him and transport him to the US to face drug-related charges.

Kashamu argued that the move to arrest and extradict him was contrary to orders earlier made by the Lagos division of the Federal High Court in two suits marked: FHC/ L/CS/49/2010 and FHC/L/CS/508/2015 which he had filed on the same issue.
The Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the British Government on the modalities for the return of Nigerian stolen assets.

The Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami, signed on behalf of the Federal Government in Abuja on Tuesday.

Malami said that the MoU reflected the desire and willingness of both countries to continue cooperation and mutual support.

Malami said that this was in the responsible and transparent return of all recovered assets. He outlined the objectives of the MoU to include the fact that the processes of returning stolen assets was a partnership recognising the interest of both countries and based on mutual understanding, confidence and trust.



That both countries recognised that they have a mutual interest in ensuring that returned assets are not at risk of being misappropriated again.

And that both countries recognised they have obligations toward their own citizens for providing such assurances.

That both countries recognised the importance of ensuring that the highest possible standard of transparency and accountability are applied for the return of assets.

He gave the assurance to the international community that all funds recovered would be judiciously utilised for projects that would benefit the poorest segment of the Nigerian society.
(Xinhua) 19:31, August 30, 2016

BEIJING, Aug. 30 -- China and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday signed 17 cooperative agreements after the first meeting of a high-level steering committee for coordinating bilateral cooperation.

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli and Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman co-chaired the meeting in Beijing.

The cooperative documents covered politics, energy, finance, investment, housing, water resources, quality inspection, science, technology and culture.

Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Saudi Arabia in January, reaching a consensus on various issues with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

During that visit, the two countries announced a comprehensive strategic partnership and set up a high-level steering committee to guide and coordinate cooperation.

Noting that Saudi Arabia is an important cooperative partner of China in the West Asian and North African region, Zhang said China views bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective.

China is willing to share experience with Saudi Arabia on state governance, he said, calling on the two sides to support each other's core interests and major concerns and cement strategic mutual trust.

China is ready to synergize the Belt and Road Initiative and Saudi Arabia's Economic Vision 2030, he said.

Under the framework, Zhang suggested the two sides promote cooperation in industrial capacity, equipment manufacturing, energy, trade, investment, finance, science and technology, culture and security.

Mohammed said relations between Saudi Arabia and China are of strategic importance, noting that the two sides enjoy great potential for cooperation.

Saudi Arabia firmly supports China's stance on issues related to Taiwan, Xinjiang and the South China Sea, he said.

Saudi Arabia hopes to join in the Belt and Road Initiative and forge a stronger partnership with China in the areas of energy, trade, investment, finance, industrialization and mining, he added.

The Saudi prince also called on the two sides to strengthen coordination, jointly fight terrorism, and promote international and regional peace and stability.

Saudi Arabia supports China in holding a successful G20 Summit, he said.

Mohammed, also the country's defense minister, will attend the G20 Summit in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, scheduled for Sept. 4-5.
The militants whose attacks have caused a huge dip in Nigerias oil exports, forcing the economy into a big crisis, said last night that they were done with the hostilities.

The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) broke the news in a letter posted on its website by its spokesman, Mudoch Agbinibo, and addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari. It also spoke of the need for regular dialogue to take place for the Nigerian union to survive.

Presidential spokesman Femi Adesina welcomed the cessation of hostilities by the Avengers as a good development which is in the interest of the country and especially the Niger Delta people. He said anything that portends peace is always good, adding that we hope that it cuts across board and it is sincere.



We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to put away the garb of a stooge to the imperialists, whenever he speaks outside Nigeria. We have listened carefully and halted hostilities in the Niger Delta. We expect a genuine and positive attitude to restructuring and self-determination for every component unit of Nigeria. Dear president, what makes those countries (Japan, Germany, France, USA, Britain etc.) great is the ability of their governments to accommodate internal protestations and conflicts for the greater good of their nations over the years, they said in the statement.

Nigeria is not a one-man personal property. We must have these talks every time if this union must continue to work as one. The people of the Niger Delta have been living here from time immemorial, so we have the secret of the terrain and survival of amphibious operations.

No amount of troop surge and simulation exercises will make you win the oil war; you can only win battles. You cannot apply the might of the state to restore the peoples confidence in your leadership when you cannot differentiate between genuine demands and being mismanaged by disorganised characters and tribal lords around you in your government that are playing the court jesters role as well as counting the days that is left in your four years term.

You can deceive the whole world but we cannot be deceived by the so glamorized ongoing military operations in the creeks of Ijaw communities in the Delta coded  Operation Crocodile Smiles the world should knows that with your pronouncement in Kenya and your attitude to the military build-up in the Niger Delta, it is crystal clear that the military has nothing less than a pre-determined genocide in Niger Delta and burn more already scared national resources to the pockets of those that have failed to locate the missing Chibok School Girls.

Please also tell those foreign nations that your troops are about carrying out extrajudicial killings in the Niger Delta in violation of Article Four of the Geneva Convention with OPERATION CROCODILE SMILE. All sane minds know the meaning of  CROCRODILE TEARS so by code-naming your military operation CROCODILE SMILES only betrays your motives and attitude to the whole world about the Niger Delta question.

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(Xinhua) 19:41, August 30, 2016

BISHKEK, Aug. 30 -- The Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan was attacked Tuesday morning by a suicide car bomber, in which the lone assailant was killed and five others were wounded besides serious material damage.

In staging the car bomb attack, the unidentified assailant drove a Mitsubishi Delica van and parked at the west gate of the Chinese embassy at 9:28 a.m. local time (0328 GMT). At around 9:31 a.m. (0331 GMT), another car arrived at the same place and parked there. The relation between the two cars is yet to be established, a local security official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

At 9:32 a.m. (0332 GMT), the explosive-laden van started ramming the embassy door and crashed into the compound. The driver immediately detonated the explosive device packed in the van, causing a powerful explosion, killing himself and wounding two security guards and three local people working at the embassy. The explosion was equivalent to 100 kg of TNT, the official said.

"As a result of the explosion, only the suicide bomber terrorist died. Security guards were injured," Kyrgyzstan's Deputy Prime Minister Jenish Razakov told reporters after the blast.

The wounded have only suffered minor injuries, and are currently under treatment at the hospital.

Razakov also called the attack as a "terrorist act."

The bomber has been blown into pieces, and local police are trying to identify the assailant using DNA extracted from remains of the attacker.

The explosion also caused damage to the embassy's east door and walls, as well as buildings next to the Chinese embassy.

The embassy compound and the area in the vicinity are currently under police blockade due to security concerns, with bomb disposal experts working on the scene.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry immediately expressed shock at the attack. It strongly condemned the car bombing, and required Kyrgyzstan to "take immediate and necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese people and institutions," according to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.

She also urged the Kyrgyz side to investigate the bombing and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The attack occurred one day before Kyrgyzstan celebrates the 25th anniversary of independence from the former Soviet Union. On Tuesday, Razakov convened a security meeting to discuss heightened security measures for the Independence Day celebrations.


Work on Sri Lankas national Innovation Index set to measure the Lankan innovation portfolio, began in Colombo Tuesday.

In view of the rapidly expanding knowledge-driven global trade and economic activities, Intellectual Property (IP) has acquired a very important status, Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen said addressing the inauguration of the National Level Innovation and Intellectual Property Policy Conference.

Minister Bathiudeen said the IP System of a country greatly contributes to its various development activities such as promotion of national creativity, research, technology transfer, licensing, commercialization of goods and services and proper implementation of industrial policies.

If we look at many developed economies practicing high level of innovation such as Japan and Korea, we can see that intellectual property has become a key growth driver for them, he noted.

Their strong research and development are transformed into innovations and then patents are obtained. This trend is never more important than at present times, he added.

The Minister said Asia contributed significantly to these growth taking a strong 43% of 2015 global total. Even Sri Lankas own applications showed a positive trend. In 2014, Sri Lanka filed a total of 516 Article 50 Patent applications. Costa Rica, Tunisia and Uzbekistan are the only countries that filed Article 50 Patent applications in a somewhat similar range to Sri Lanka.

Therefore an organized Intellectual Property System will not only pay back the innovator but also spreads knowledge and information to the society.

The Minister of Industry and Commerce said the government has recognized the usefulness of an active Intellectual Property System, and has taken major steps in promoting the use of Intellectual Property as a tool for economic and social development.

The vision of our Government is to transform Sri Lankas economy into a knowledge based economy.

The top UN agency tasked with world Intellectual Property (IP) development says many new IP projects have been earmarked for Colombo in future.

WIPO Asia Pacific Regional Director Andrew Michael Ong said the Innovation Index initiative is a result of WIPOs 2013 recommendation for such a national level and regional indices for Sri Lanka.

The conference is organized by the National Intellectual Property Office joined by Coordinating Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation (COSTI), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO- Geneva), and Ministry of Science and Technology of Sri Lanka.




Former Los Angeles TV news executive Bob Long died Monday at George Washington University Hospital in Washington. His television news career included stints as assignment editor and executive producer at KNXT Channel 2 here, managing editor and executive producer at KCOP Channel 13, and managing editor, VP and news director at KNBC Channel 4. He left NBC 4 in 2009 to teach journalism ethics in Istanbul. At the time of his death, he was a program analyst for the Voice of America. "One of the finest TV journalists I have ever known," former producer and news executive Pete Noyes says on Facebook.

Big From the VOA obituary:

A journalist, filmmaker, broadcasting executive and Combat Correspondent in the Marine Corps, Bob had a fascinating career developing motion picture scripts and serving in news rooms on the east and west coasts. He served as KNBC Vice President and News Director from 2003 to 2009 when he retired and accepted the teaching post in Istanbul. He had previously served at NBC as Vice President for News and Operations at the networks owned station in Washington, DC (1999 to 2003). His prior television news experience included news gathering, production and management jobs at the CBS owned station in Los Angeles (1968-1975), UPN Television in Los Angeles (1991-1994), Disney Television in Los Angeles (1994-1997) and a first tour at the NBC Los Angeles flagship as managing editor before going to Washington as Vice President for News.

Longs very early taste of what news reporting was like came when, at 14, he worked his way into Fidel Castros entourage during the revolutionarys 1959 victory lap in Washington. By the time he got through high school, he was an office boy for Time Magazines Washington Bureau. Other early assignments included campus stringer for Time at Yale (he dropped out), writer for WWDC Radio in Washington, combat correspondent in the Marine Corps, and writer for The Associated Press. In 1975, Long left CBS to pursue an independent documentary film project in what was then Zaire, Africa. During the late 70s, Long produced a number of independent documentaries for network outlets in Los Angeles. In 1977, he became Series Producer for In Search ofwith Leonard Nimoy and in 1979 became the Senior Field Producer for NBCs Real People, a forerunner of todays reality television. He was active in theatrical motion pictures as well, directing trailers or featurettes for California Suite, Alien, Blade Runner, and other major films. In 1984, he produced Two Fathers: Justice, an NBC movie of the week. He was building a motion picture studio in Turkey when the first Gulf War wiped out his financing. Long returned to television news in 1991.



In addition to a number of Emmys and Murrow Awards, Long received a Peabody Award in 2005 for investigative journalism. Long is also a recipient of the highest personal achievement award given by the Associated Press of California, and just this month was awarded the Presidential Award by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.



Funeral arrangements are pending.



Long is a respected and popular figure among his former colleagues in Los Angeles  he is credited with naming the emeritus group News Geezers and took part in their events. Nobody seems to know exactly his age, but he was around 74. He had battled bone cancer, according to social media.
Two of the early VIPs of the modern Los Angeles food scene, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, said in a letter Monday that they will let their lease run out on Border Grill. The Mexican grill began on Melrose Avenue in 1985 and moved to 4th Street in downtown Santa Monica in 1990, before the beach city became such a red-hot shopping, eating and tourist destination. From this location, Border Grill grew into a brand  with food trucks and locations downtown, at LAX and in Las Vegas  and Millken and Feniger became national food celebrities.

They opened City Cafe in a tiny space next to L.A. Eyeworks on Melrose as young but experienced chefs in 1981. City Cafe became popular way beyond its capacity to handle diners.They moved City over to a larger space on La Brea Avenue at 2nd Street and opened Border Grill in the Melrose space. They were the originators of KCRW's "Good Food" show, had a show on KCET and also starred in many seasons of "Too Hot Tamales" on the Food Network.

The plan is to open another unspecified restaurant in Santa Monica and keep the other Border Grill locations going. The Santa Monica location is set to close in mid-October with a final party.

Earlier this year, Los Angeles Magazine revisited the early years.







The first iteration of City was a little 39-seater next to L.A. Eyeworks on Melrose Avenue. Having trained in traditional French kitchensFeniger at Ma Maison and then LOasis on the French Riviera, and Milliken at Restaurant DOlympe in Paristheir original menus were peppered with classic fare like duck confit, cassoulet, brandade, and pot au feu. But things slowly got more global after the two chefs traveled around the world....

In the 1980s, food in L.A. was mostly French and Italian. Think: LOrangerie, Campanile, St. Estephe, Valentino, and La Toque. Chasens was still open, and Michael Roberts trendy Trumps restaurant on Melrose was about as avant-garde as it got. City was new, fresh, and extremely gutsy. By utilizing new ingredients and techniques they picked up around the world, coupled with things plucked from a few local farms, Feniger and Milliken were unknowingly contributing to the way wed all ultimately be eating today.



Here's their letter from earlier today.

Letter from Chefs Susan Feniger & Mary Sue Milliken

August 29, 2016 Its time for a new adventure! After 26+ years, our lease at Border Grill Santa Monica on 4th Street is up and we are beginning a new chapter in the neighborhood. With a sentimental and nostalgic nod, we are deeply grateful to all of our employees  without whom we never could have operated for so long, the many guests we have had the pleasure of serving through the years and of course, the forward-thinking city of Santa Monica. We have a million wonderful memories, from our opening party in 1990, when a spontaneous, margarita-fueled conga line snaked through the restaurant, to filming Food Network cooking shows with a live audience- packed to the rafters, to pitching KCRWs GM on our idea for a food focused radio show (and Good Food was born). By our most recent calculation, weve handmade more than 9 million tortillas on the comal in the window, mashed over 500 tons of avocados for guacamole and poured over 325,000 bottles of tequila  and counting. We are looking forward to making more memories with fans and customers at Border Grill Santa Monica in the coming weeks as we plan to operate through mid-October. This is less of a "goodbye/adios and more of a see you soon/hasta luego! as we prepare to unveil our next exciting concept in Santa Monica. We would love to see all of our guests and supporters from over the years and encourage one and all to come in, reminisce and enjoy their favorite Border Grill Santa Monica cocktails and dishes. Stay tuned for throwback menu items and pricing, resurrecting fan favorite dishes and a big final fiesta to relive that memorable conga line. Of course, we continue to make great food and great memories at our other Border Grill locations in Downtown Los Angeles, The Forum Shops and Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, LAX Airport, and the Border Grill Trucks.  Susan & Mary Sue






Joe Hicks, the co-founder of Community Advocates Inc. and a long-time media commentator on race and columnist in Los Angeles, died Sunday at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica after post-surgical complications. A former black militant who later ran the Southern Christian Leadership Conference chapter in LA and the city Human Relations Commission, he was popular among conservatives for being an African American lefty who turned right. He regularly wrote columns and op-ed pieces about race with David Lehrer, his partner at Community Advocates and the former head of the Anti-Defamation League in Los Angeles.

"We will remember Joe for his passion, his courage, and his commitment to truthfully assessing and unpacking complicated and difficult issues," Lehrer says in a statement. "He had a firm and unwavering moral compass that led him to be a voice of reason and righteousness. He was also a man of great warmth, charm, and humor. His memory will continue to guide and inspire us."

Here's the LA Times obituary, a report at KPCC and a tribute from PJ Media founder Roger Simon. "He was so much more than an activist," Simon writes. "He was what we used to call 'a cool guy,' someone you wanted to hang with. I didn't enough and I imagine many others reading and hearing this news are feeling the same way."

From the Community Advocates release:
PRESS RELEASE

CFR Magazine Features Call for U.S.-China Cooperation

Aug. 27, 2016 (EIRNS)An interesting article in the September-October issue of Foreign Affairs, the publication of the Council on Foreign Relations, chides the U.S. government for attempting to ignore the Chinese One Belt, One Road Initiative. The article is most interesting as it is written by Gal Luft, the co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security and a member of Committee on the Present Danger and co-director of the Set America Free Coalition, which also hosts a number of leading neo-cons who want to make the U.S. energy independent.

Luft complains of the folly of the Obama Administration in ignoring the Belt and Road project and encourages U.S. participation in it.

The B&R is a massive undertaking that will shape Eurasias future. It will extend from the Pacific to the heart of Europe, stimulate some $4 trillion in investment over the next three decades, and draw in countries that account for 70% of the worlds energy reserves,

Luft writes.

So far, however the United States has fruitlessly attempted to undermine the initiative or avoided engaging with it altogether. That is the wrong course. Washington should instead cautiously back the many aspects of the B&R that advance U.S. interests and oppose those that dont. The United States does not have to choose between securing its global position and supporting economic growth in Asia: selectively backing the B&R would help achieve both goals.

Outlining the magnitude of the Silk Road project, Luft is concerned that the U.S. is alienating itself from those countries which will definitely benefit from the project as well as allowing China to get the full benefit of the results, warning that such a policy could have the same negative effect as the U.S. attempt to boycott the AIIB, with even allied countries distancing themselves. Luft also points to the obvious tremendous infrastructure deficit in the world, noting that anything that China could do to tackle that problem should be supported simply on its own merits.

Luft warns, however, of giving blanket support to the project. Moving too close to China on the issue, he warns, will trigger paranoia in Russia, and working too closely with China in the Middle East, where Iran is a key pillar in the Belt and Road, could alienate U.S. allies in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Perhaps a division of labor, he moots, like the U.S. providing security for some Chinese construction projects or reviving Hillary Clintons New Silk Road project.

The Belt and Road Initiative could become either a source of great-power competition or a force for stability and collaboration, Luft writes.
Twelve years after he was first declared missing, Peng Yangwu, 41, was found in a vegetable market in the Huangpu district of Guangzhou, Guangdong province. He was discovered in the market on Aug. 27.

Peng, originally from the village of Daowu in Liuyang, Hunan province, was begging on his knees with a speaker on his back when he was recognized by a fellow villager. His feet had been cut off, and the stumps were covered by a pair of rubber rain shoes.

The villager reported his sighting of Peng to the police and sought help from vendors at the market. At one point a man appeared and attempted to take Peng away, but the local police arrived in time to stop the man.

Peng's family received the news at 12 p.m. the same day. Two of his family members, together with the village head, escorted Peng back to his hometown.

According to the Guangzhou Police Bureau, Peng claims that he suffered from a disease that required him to have his feet amputated. However, in light of the fact that Peng suffers from mental illness and owns next to nothing despite years of begging, his family believes he was coerced by others and forced to beg.

Currently, the Guangzhou police are investigating the case.
PRESS RELEASE

Sept. 6-8 ASEAN Summit To Solidify China Ties, Role in Silk Road

Aug. 29, 2016 (EIRNS)The 28th Annual ASEAN Summit will follow immediately after the G20 meeting in China, with many world leaders also participating in aspects of the many associated summits during the three days in Vientiane, Laos.

Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, as ASEAN Chairman, will preside over 11 summits, including the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits (the 29th is a retreat for the ASEAN leaders); summits between ASEAN and China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, the UN, India, and the United States; the 19th ASEAN+3 Summit (Japan, South Korea and China); and the 11th East Asia Summit (10 ASEAN nations China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russia, Australia, New Zealand and United States).

The ASEAN chairmanship will pass to the Philippines for the coming year. With the western leaders in a state of panic over the new Duterte governments turn towards China, rejection of Obamas war policy, his no-holds-barred war on drugs, his open attack on the American Ambassador for subversion of his country, his rejection of the Paris Climate fraud, and more, it will be a most interesting year for ASEAN.

In fact, it was the Philippines under past president Aquino, a puppet of Obama and Wall Street, which prevented unity on important issues for ASEAN, by constantly retailing Obamas lies and confrontational policies towards China. The most important side-event this year will be the ASEAN-China Summit. Duterte stated publicly last week that he will not raise the South China Sea issue at the ASEAN Summit and related summits, other than discussing "face to face" in planned bilateral meetings between Beijing and Manila.

China and ASEAN will release two documents at the summit regarding the negotiation of a Code of Conduct (COC) for the South China Sea, worked out at a pre-meeting of senior diplomats from China and the ten ASEAN countries on Aug. 15-16 in Inner Mongolia. These are guidelines on the establishment of the senior officials hotline in response to maritime emergencies, and a joint statement on applications of the Code for Unplanned Encounters (CUEs) in the South China Sea. The diplomats also agreed to quicken the pace of meetings toward establishing the COC.

Also, China is sponsoring the 13th China-ASEAN Expo from Sept. 11-14 in the southern city of Nanning. More than 2,000 companies are expected to attend the Expo. Exhibition halls will be established for Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand. China is ASEANs largest trade partner, and ASEAN has been Chinas third-largest partner since 2010. Mutual trade volume was nearly 472 billion U.S. dollars in 2015.

Obama will be making the first visit to Laos by an American president for the East Asian Summit. South Koreas Presidient Park Geun-hye will also attend.
PRESS RELEASE

Die Welt, Experts on Syria: Putin Changed the Whole Geometry

Aug. 29, 2016 (EIRNS)With the expert analysis of two leading German military figures, the Aug. 28 Welt am Sonntag reported that the two most basic postulates on Syria of the Obama White House and NATO are being proven wrong. "Peace with Assad?" is the headline of the item, and its summary:

"Turkey invades Syria; this is agreed to by Russia and the Assad regime. Thus could be seen a complete change of course, which is denied by the Weststill."

Welt interviews at length Wolfgang Ischinger, head of the annual Munich Security Conference and a leading German conservative military thinker, who says,

"I think the Turkish about-face on Assad [accepting his continuation in power for now] is comprehensible. And I am urging that the West find it comprehensible. The facts are simple. We cannot ignore them."

Thus Ischinger calls "a failed plan," the first postulate and "red line" of Obama, Cameron, NATO: that Assad must go.

Russian President Putin holds the levers in the situation, and Turkish President Erdogan is seeking to join him, Welt observes. It quotes also German Gen. Harald Kujat, a former Deputy Commander of NATO, who demolishes the other postulate of Obama and his ilk: that there is "no military solution" in Syria. Kujat observes that this is false, and that in fact all the powers involved have been seeking a military solution, beginning with the U.S.-UK seizing on the Kurdish militias and on the so-called "moderate rebel forces," and Erdogans seizing upon al-Nusra and al-Qaeda.

There are no "moderate rebel forces" any longer, Kujat insists, "if there ever were any." The idea of a "negotiated solution" based on Assad being forced out, was therefore entirely a house of cards, a recipe for chaos, he says, "a war of each against all." More importantly, Putin changed the situation fundamentally when Russia intervened last September 30, seeking a military solution against all the terrorist groups, with Assads own welcoming government as Russias "forces on the ground."

The lengthy and detailed survey by Thorsten Jungholt, by pointing to the basic shift in strategic alignment brought about by Putin, clearly made waves in Germany. The next days Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung tried to counter it with an editorial claiming that Turkey still wants Assad "to disappear" now. That lie is contradicted by the Turkish Foreign Ministers own recent, public statements, and merely shows the degree of disturbance Welt am Sonntags report of the new reality has caused.
PRESS RELEASE

Imperial Trade Deals Being Rejected

Aug. 29, 2016 (EIRNS)After 14 rounds of negotiations spanning three years, the latest in July, Germanys Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday that talks on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) had essentially failed. Appearing on Germanys ZDF channel, Gabriel told the host, "In my opinion, the negotiations with the United States have de facto failed, even though nobody is really admitting it."

Matthias Fekl, Frances Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Tourism, and French Nationals Abroad, quickly seconded Gabriels comments on CNBC today: "We completely agree with Gabriel." He added that France is prepared to stop negotiating in September. In May, French President Francois Hollande had stated that France would "never accept" the deal in its present form.

Since the United States has adopted a "take it or leave it" (no changes allowed) attitude to the negotiations, and the Europeans are refusing to buckle under, the deal may well be doomed. As Gabriel reportedly told the German Tagespiegel,

"The negotiations with the U.S.A. have de facto failed because we Europeans did not want to subject ourselves to American demands,"

adding, "Things are not moving on that front."

In the United States, the TPP (TTIPs cousin, the Trans Pacific Partnership) is also facing a dim future, with Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell telling an audience of farmers in Kentucky last week that there were "serious flaws" in the deal, and that he would leave it to "the next administration" to deal with, since "the politics of trade have become rather toxic." McConnell had already announced, there would be no vote before the election.

Desperate to have something besides war and destruction in his "legacy," Obama is refusing to admit defeat. An Aug. 22 New York Times article says that Obama is sending out his "heavy hitters"Secretary of State John Kerry, and military proponents such as Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter; retired Adm. Michael Mullen, Adm. Harry Harris Jr., and U.S. Sen. William Cohen, who also served as former President Clintons Defense Secretary on a nationwide tour, beginning in September, to sell the snake oil to the public.

By his choice of last-ditch hucksters for the TTP, Obama is tacitly but clearly admitting this "trade agreement" is a military toolagainst China.
Southern California is losing another manufacturing stalwart.

In two months, Ashley Furniture HomeStore will close two plants in Colton and lay off about 840 workers. The company said it would transfer the San Bernardino County production to its facilities in Wisconsin and North Carolina, citing the need to create more efficiency.

The move is a sign of the pressure bearing down on manufacturers in California and across the country, even as the sector recoups a chunk of the jobs it shed during the recession.

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The Inland Empire, one of Californias poorest regions, has enjoyed a micro-boom in manufacturing employment, which has increased 15% since 2010. The region, which includes Riverside and San Bernardino counties, also has been buoyed in recent years by retail giant Amazon, which has leased massive warehouses that require packagers and truckers to transport those packages.

On Monday, home-shopping retailer QVC opened a 1-million-square-foot distribution facility in Ontario that will eventually employ 1,000 people.

But some economists and lawmakers worry that new labor rules and environmental regulations may be easier on tech companies in Silicon Valley than blue-collar employers in San Bernardino.

Its going to devastate our community. Eight hundred and forty families will be without sustenance, said Cheryl R. Brown, the Democratic assemblywoman who represents San Bernardino. If we want business in California, then we need to be welcoming to business. It needs to be not just one kind of business.

Distribution and heavy manufacturing economies tend to be dirty, but they also offer people without much education a shot at a middle-class life.

People making furniture in California make an average of $43,319 per year, more than the $30,634 that warehouse workers take home. A job that pays the states minimum of $10 per hour equates to annual pay of $20,800.

Manufacturers still employ a lot of Californians, but, like in the rest of the country, their ranks have dwindled in recent years.

In 2015, the state was home to about 1.3 million manufacturing workers, which is about 215,000 less than there were in 2005, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

That decline of 14% in California is slightly faster than the overall drop in U.S. manufacturing workers during that period.

Furniture makers have been in an even more dramatic tailspin. Last year, there were 1,961 furniture manufacturers in the state, down 33% since 2005. Employment has plunged to less than 34,700 compared with nearly 60,000 workers a decade ago.

California is essentially eliminating its blue-collar sectors, said John Husing, chief economist for the Inland Empire Economic Partnership. He called Ashleys move a gigantic blow for the region.

Ashley executives did not offer a detailed explanation for their move, beyond saying in an email that it strengthens production capability and cost structure and will help ensure Ashleys continued ability to compete effectively long-term in the global marketplace from a U.S. base.

Brown, the assemblywoman, said she toured Ashleys Colton facilities two years ago and heard from company representatives that they were preoccupied with state taxes [and] environmental concerns.

Executives said they were having issues with their trucks, which have to meet strict state emissions standards, Brown said.

A law calling for deeper cuts to greenhouse gases, passed last week by the Assembly, would undermine the very industries that have powered San Bernardinos economy, contends Husing, the economist.

What [California regulations] have done is reduce the growth of jobs that allow people to move out of poverty toward the middle class, Husing said.

And yet the state continues to grow much faster than the rest of the country. California has added more than 2 million jobs in the last six years and continues to outpace the nation in employment growth.

Companies come and go all the time. Long term, this means nothing, said Chris Thornberg, the founding partner of Beacon Economics, a consulting firm in Los Angeles.

Thornberg noted that the Inland Empire specifically has been an economic machine in the last several years.

Unemployment in San Bernardino County was 6.7% in July, compared with 10.5% three years ago.

Gov. Jerry Brown, for his part, does not seem too concerned about losing a corporation here or there. In response to a question about the potential job cuts that would come from the states new greenhouse gas bill, which he has vowed to sign. Brown on Wednesday downplayed the risk of scaring off businesses.

Californias economy is one of the most dynamic in America, and we have more regulation, we have a very healthy tax system, the governor said, and still they come.

Natalie.Kitroeff@latimes.com

Follow me @NatalieKitro on Twitter

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Now that SpaceX has proved that its rocket boosters can land back on Earth, the company has signed its first customer to launch a satellite on one of those reused rockets.

Luxembourg satellite operator SES reached an agreement with Hawthorne-based SpaceX to launch a SES-10 communications satellite aboard a Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Martin Halliwell, SES chief technology officer, said he hoped that the satellite would launch in October. SpaceX would only say the launch was set for this fall.

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We believe this is the way to go forward, Halliwell said. Having these total-loss missions where nothing is recovered seems to be a terrible waste.

Reusing rockets could eventually cut launch costs 30%, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell has estimated. Halliwell said he could not disclose the price that SES paid for its flight on the rocket, saying only that the company did get a discount for being the first customer.

There also was no material change in the insurance rate compared to using a new Falcon 9 rocket, indicating insurers confidence in the launch vehicle, Halliwell said.

The 5.3-ton SES-10 satellite is intended to provide broadband, video and mobile-phone service, including maritime and in-flight connectivity, to Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean.

Halliwell told investors this year that SES wanted to be the first commercial satellite operator to fly the same rocket twice.

In a statement, SpaceXs Shotwell said relaunching a rocket that has already taken a spacecraft to orbit is an important milestone on the path to complete and rapid reusability.

By saving money on launch costs, SES could target emerging markets, such as Southeast Asia or Africa, Halliwell said. These large regions require bigger and more complex satellites, which can drive up costs.

SpaceX lists the starting price for a Falcon 9 rocket at $62 million.

If we can reduce the cost of the launch vehicle, it allows us to design missions that nominally would be too expensive, Halliwell said. It should allow us to increase the cadence.

SES has already launched two satellites on Falcon 9 rockets, and it has contracts for four more launches.

SES satellite will launch on a first-stage booster that landed in April after delivering supplies to the International Space Station. That was the first rocket to land on a floating droneship.

Since then, SpaceX has landed six first-stage boosters  two on land and four at sea.

The landed first-stages go through extensive testing at Cape Canaveral, including careful inspections of the entire booster, and individual engine tests in Texas. The engines are then put back in the vehicle. Before launch, the booster will undergo a static test fire.

Halliwell said the company has worked closely with SpaceX throughout its rocket refurbishment process and is confident that we have a flightworthy rocket.

samantha.masunaga@latimes.com

For more business news, follow me @smasunaga

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The key to Vizio founder William Wangs $2-billion business? Trust in his employees
William Wang, founder and chairman of TV maker Vizio Inc., had receded into the background at the Irvine company in recent years. So even though it was him at a media event announcing LeEcos acquisition of Vizio for $2 billion last month, he quickly turned the attention to a group seated directly in front of the stage.

The CEO clasped his hands together and beamed like a proud parent as he looked out at the executives who he said were among the companys true heroes.

Wang called out his disciplined chief operating officer, his chief technologist who took three years to recruit, and his hard-working sales leader who had been connected to him since she was 18 years old. Wang said he had the industrys best forecaster, the creator of the worlds biggest Excel spreadsheet. And he talked up the gains from Vizios external auditor and a former client joining the company.

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The cadre of senior executives is among the top reasons Wang believes Vizio has become the nations second best-selling TV brand, behind only Samsung. With the help of ambitious Chinese tech and media company LeEco, it could conquer much more of the globe. Wang plans to move on to a new venture when the acquisition closes, but he says the companys success has more to do with his team than himself.

We empower people to make decisions and make decisions together instead of me calling every single shot, Wang said.

He crystallized that dictum several years ago when he handed deputies batons. Like orchestra conductors, he wanted them to arrange operations as they saw fit.

The result speaks for itself, Wang said.

The heavy emphasis on delegation derived from Wangs previous start-up, a computer monitor seller. The Taiwanese immigrant, who says he learned English as a teenager watching TV, founded the business in 1990 at age 26 after working in tech support for a similar company. Life went well until monitors became a commodity and prices fell. Rivals grew efficient; Wang stuck to selling pricey tech. He recalled being a naive micromanager.

I was too young and without experience to be a leader of a large enterprise, he said.

With Vizio, which Wang started in 2002 seeking to undercut TV manufacturers with exorbitant profit margins, he initially hovered over many decisions. Supported by a bachelors degree in electrical engineering from USC and just a few employees, he put in 19-hour days and attended to even small design details (The key should be here or there or this picture is not sharp enough, Wang said.).

He also tapped his old contacts to outsource manufacturing and attract investment from the suppliers. The set-up, which includes not requiring manufacturers to adhere to labor and environmental standards, allows Vizio to keep costs downs, compared with rivals who make their own sets.

Other start-up cash came from venture capital firm WI Harper Group, a co-founder who later left the company, and personal funds after Wang and his wife, Sakura, took out a loan against their house.

Wangs influence led to a call center in South Dakota, the home of his former client, the once high-flying computer brand Gateway. Having worked in customer support as his first job out of college, he knew having support staff under the companys wing would quickly identify issues with products and help keep customers happy.

But as the company scooped up market share, Wang started to leave decisions to the rest of the management team.

Wang tasked Chief Administrative Officer Rob Brinkman, who joined in 2007, with expanding and improving customer service through new software and standards. Vizio now prides itself on being able to answer emails in less than an hour, compared with what it said was an industry standard of more than a day.

President and Chief Operating Officer Ben Wong and sales chief Laynie Newsome work in concert to match component supplies with sales at stores so that Vizio doesnt spend needlessly on parts with fickle prices or hold too much depreciating inventory.

Our competitors dont practice that and they lost a lot of money the last couple of years because they cant keep the inventory clean, Wang said.

Not every decision has panned out. Vizio introduced tablets about five years ago, but sales started to fall for the company and other tabletmakers as consumer preferences changed. Wang credits the team for adapting though, launching this year a way to stream content to its TVs from a wide range of tablets.

Wang describes the decision to sell as one he hesitated over because he didnt want to lose control. Hell most likely come out close to a billionaire, and he said his employees deserved the fortune theyll get. They hadnt ever been able to cash out shares.

LeEco, a multifaceted tech and media conglomerate founded by Chinese billionaire Jia Yueting, had been persistent with escalating offers over three years. A 100% acquisition and all cash  it was an offer I cant say no to, Wang said.

Now, the question is whether Wangs mantra of delegation works again. Hes spinning out from Vizio a viewer-tracking business, Inscape. Wang says San Francisco-based Inscape will modernize TV advertising, though hes coy about plans. He declined to say whether hes bringing over executives from Vizio or shaking up Inscapes existing leadership.

Vizio has previously said Inscape technology identifies what viewers are watching on their TV, information that would allow Vizio or third parties to serve tailored videos and ads more likely to interest users.

Theyre attacking a problem worth solving, but one that many others are studying, said Peter Horan, the former CEO of About.com who now advises media start-ups.

Companies such as Toyota, Dunkin Donuts and H&M have already worked with Gracenote, the largest player in the TV content recognition and new-wave ad space. Like Gracenote, Inscape could provide viewers interactive experiences such as polling and informational overlays while selling manufacturers TV usage data for six-figure fees, media experts said. The key will be amassing a large user base of potential ad viewers to make it worthwhile for advertisers to participate.

Wang says hes already achieved the American dream, coming out a victorious David in his mind after taking on Goliaths such as Sony, Panasonic and Sharp. His management team survived shortages and surpluses, price increases and decreases, patent trolls and the Great Recession, he said.

To come out on top again, hell count on another team.

I have a dream, I have a vision, Wang said. But without great employees, itll become nothing.

paresh.dave@latimes.com

Twitter: @peard33
Fox News is denying the sexual harassment allegations of former co-host Andrea Tantaros and has asked that her complaints against the network go to arbitration.

In a memorandum filed Monday in New York Supreme Court, Fox News disputes Tantaros allegation that she was removed from her on-air role in retaliation for making a sexual harassment complaint against her former boss, Roger Ailes. She also contended in her lawsuit filed last week that other executives covered up for Ailes, describing Fox News as a sex-fueled, Playboy Mansion-like cult, steeped in intimidation, indecency, and misogyny.

Tantaros, a former co-host of the Fox News daytime program Outnumbered, has been off the air since April 25. The network has said her removal was due to her not allowing management to vet her book, called Tied Up in Knots: How Getting What We Wanted Made Women Miserable, before it was published, as required in her contract.

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Tantaross allegations about sexual harassment are a smokescreen to obscure her violation of her employment contract, the court memorandum said.

A representative for Tantaros could not be reached for comment.

In her lawsuit, Tantaros said her tenure at Fox News devolved into a sexual harassment nightmare in the summer of 2014, when Ailes allegedly made inappropriate comments to her.

Ailes resigned from Fox News on July 21 after former anchor Gretchen Carlson filed a lawsuit against him, alleging he sexually harassed her and sabotaged her career. The suit led to an internal investigation at the 21st Century Fox unit; it found that other Fox News employees were subjected to similar behavior. Tantaros was not one of them, the memorandum said.

Tantaros asserts in her suit that she was never contacted to be interviewed in the investigation conducted by an outside law firm, Paul Weiss. But the response from Fox News said Paul Weiss attorneys had returned a call from her lawyer, Joseph Kane, about the matter. Kane never called back, the memorandum said.

The memorandum also said Tantaros never mentioned Ailes when she first complained of sexual harassment to Fox News programming chief Suzanne Scott, who is named in her lawsuit, and the companys human resources department in February.

Ailes has denied all allegations of sexual harassment.

stephen.battaglio@latimes.com

Twitter: @SteveBattaglio
Darrell Ward, the Montana legend on Ice Road Truckers, was killed Sunday in a small-plane crash southeast of Missoula, Mont., along with the pilot of the plane. The History channel star was 52.

Ward had just left the Great American Truck Show in Dallas and was on his way to Montana to film a pilot for a documentary-style show about recovering plane wrecks, his family said in a statement Monday morning on his Facebook page.

The man whose motto was Any road, any load joined the show about long-haul truckers on dangerous North American highways in its sixth season. He currently appears with business partner Lisa Kelly on Season 10, which began Aug. 4, and according to his family had just gotten the green light to return for the next cycle.

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Ice Road Truckers has been on for 5 year[s] but hes been my dad for 21 and I cherished him! I looked up to him he was my rock, daughter Terra Ward wrote on her fathers Facebook page Monday afternoon. I called him everyday he taught me everything I know! My Daddy was the best man ever hands down... NO ONE can say they miss him as much as me and my brother hurt for him today!

She continued: [N]othing will ever be the same with out his smart mouth there!! And Im dying over here dreaming of a hug from him ...

Kelly posted as her Facebook profile picture a simple square of red-and-black plaid, alluding to Wards familiar flannel shirt. She too had been at the truck show in Dallas over the weekend.

When Ward wasnt driving the ice roads, he hauled logs in Montana and occasionally helped local authorities fight fires. He also was active in charitable efforts including the Special Olympics and a food drive for victims of recent flooding in Louisiana.

Missoula County Sheriffs Capt. Bill Burt told the Associated Press that the pilot appeared to be trying to land at a small airstrip when something went drastically wrong. Witnesses say the plane went through a stand of trees, hitting some of them.

An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board is ongoing and more information will be made available at a later time, the family said.

The pilot, 56-year-old Mark Melotz, bought the Cessna 182 on Friday, the AP said.

Follow Christie DZurilla on Twitter @theCDZ.

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Turmeric and dill may not immediately come to mind when you think of Vietnamese food. A new take on gravlax or artisanal pickles, maybe. But these are the main flavor components of bun cha ca, a Northern Vietnamese specialty.

Bun cha ca is a rice noodle dish served with chunks of turmeric-marinated fish and generous amounts of dill, onion, and roasted peanuts. In Hanoi, the dish is also known as cha ca thanh long. In Vietnam you use the ingredients provided (mam tom, a fermented shrimp paste and pineapple sauce; nuoc cham, a fish sauce seasoned with lime juice; chiles, roasted peanuts, scallions, dill and rice vermicelli noodles) to make your own noodle bowls. In Los Angeles, the dish typically comes assembled.

In Southern California, there are many great spots in Orange County, particularly in Little Saigon, that serve bun cha ca. However in Los Angeles, the dish is still not as well known as its beef noodle soup cousin, pho. Here are four great places you can find it in L.A.

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Viet Noodle Bar in Atwater Village and Santa Monica

Listed simply as turmeric fish noodle on the menu, this version comes ready in a bowl to enjoy. Here, the rice noodles are a bit thicker than the usual bun variety, offering a more chewy and luxurious bite and complementing the crunchy peanuts and delicate pieces of turmeric and dill-studded fish perfectly. The staff says the fish is river-caught and imported from Vietnam. It tastes and flakes like cod. At Viet Noodle Bar, this dish is not served with the two traditional sauces of mam tom or nuoc cham. Instead, it is tossed perfectly with the dill and turmeric-infused oil that it is cooked in. Bottles of fish sauce and Sriracha are available at each table. Two locations: 3133 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles | 3221 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica, www.vietnoodlebar.net.

Pok Pok in Chinatown

At Pok Pok in Chinatown, chef and owner Andy Ricker was so inspired by the bun cha ca he enjoyed in Hanoi that he created his own version. On the menu as cha ca la vong, it is a glorious homage to the dish with bright and complex flavors, and crunchy and buttery textures. Like Viet Noodle Bar, the dish comes to your table already prepared. Served with a few wedges of lime, the juice gives the already radiant dish a few extra splashes of acidity. Here, an Asian catfish called basa is used. It is clean and succulent, allowing the subtle flavors of the fish, turmeric and dill to shine together harmoniously. If you love this version and would like to make it at home, Ricker shares his recipe in his cookbook Pok Pok, co-written with JJ Goode. 978 Broadway, Los Angeles, (213) 613-1831, www.pokpokla.com.

Pho Ga Bac Ninh in Monterey Park

Although most diners are slurping large bowls of pho ga (chicken pho), which happens to be Pho Ga Bac Ninhs specialty, the restaurant also serves many other Northern Vietnamese dishes, including bun cha ca. Written as cha ca thanh long on the menu, this version is served on a sizzling plate with dill and white onions, instead of scallions. The pieces of fish are battered and deep fried. Like at the restaurants in Hanoi, you build your own bowl and bites here. Pho Ga Bac Ninh also serves bun cha ca as a noodle soup, with fish cake and pieces of fried fish. 605 N. New Ave., Ste C, Monterey Park, (626) 288-1448.

HP Pho Ga Bac Ninh in Rosemead

At HP Pho Ga Bac Ninh (the HP stands for Hai Phong, one of Northern Vietnams largest cities), you can get the closest to the full experience of bun cha ca without having to make a trip to Hanoi, or Orange County. The fish, brought to the table on a sizzling plate, is fried perfectly without batter. Its balanced with just the right amount of earthy turmeric, accompanied by white onions and dill. Crumbled black sesame rice crackers add a wonderful crunch along with roasted peanuts. You can choose between the fermented and funky mam tom or the bright nuoc cham, or you can have both. And the restaurant actually serves two versions of bun cha ca. Listed as bun cha ca la vong, this version, like those served at Pok Pok and Viet Noodle Bar, already comes prepared. Or you can order the cha ca thanh long, and assemble your own bowls at the table. The portions here are more than generous and ideal for sharing.

You might also want to try an order of the bun cha Hanoi, a rice vermicelli dish with two kinds of pork. This dish was made popular by a recent episode of Anthony Bourdains Parts Unknown, in which Bourdain treats President Obama to a bowl of bun cha and beer at Bun Cha Huong Lien, a popular bun cha spot in Hanoi. 8930 Mission Drive, No. 102, Rosemead, (626) 288-999.

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Photos taken at Hangzhou International Airport on Aug. 30 show welcome and guidance signs for the upcoming G20 summit this weekend. From neat rows of luggage carts to smiling volunteers waiting at the entrance, Hangzhou is ready to welcome guests from across the world. (People's Daily Online/Jiang Jie)
Two California representatives called Monday for a congressional investigation of opioid manufacturers, citing a Los Angeles Times investigation that found that the maker of OxyContin collected extensive evidence of criminal trafficking of its drug but in many cases did not alert law enforcement.

Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) and Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance), both members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said in a letter to the committee chairs that an immediate investigation was necessary to fully understand the implications and consequences of pharmaceutical companies that do not fulfill their legal and ethical requirements to restrict the sale of opioids in circumstances that raise suspicion regarding inappropriate prescribing practices.

The congressmen added, There appears to be a pervasive disregard for patient safety and public health by some within the pharmaceutical industry.

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The Times report last month concerned the workings of the internal security department of Purdue Pharma, a private Connecticut company that has reaped more than $31 billion from OxyContin, the nations top-selling opioid painkiller. The newspaper found that, for a decade, company lawyers, investigators and other employees have used prescribing data, field reports, sales records and their own surveillance operations to identify doctors and pharmacies they suspected of catering to addicts and drug dealers. In many cases, the company did not share its information with the Drug Enforcement Administration or police or ensure its distributors cut off the supply of pills.

In one case highlighted by The Times, a criminal ring monitored by Purdue used a phony MacArthur Park clinic, elderly physicians and corrupt pharmacies to pump more than 1 million OxyContin tablets into the hands of gang members and other criminals. Purdue did not go to law enforcement until years later, when the ring was out of business and its leaders under indictment.

A spokesman for Purdue declined to comment. The company has said it complied with the law.

Since 1999, nearly 200,000 people in the U.S. have died of overdoses involving prescription painkillers. Stopping the crisis has attracted bipartisan support in Congress, including the recent passage of a law that would improve treatment programs and curb overdoses.

 Heres how a single L.A. drug ring pumped more than a million Oxy pills onto the black market.

DeSaulnier, who is in his first term, has worked to address Californias prescription drug problem for several years. While serving in the state Senate in 2013, he wrote a law that improved the prescription monitoring program to allow authorities to better flag doctor-shopping patients and overprescribing physicians.

He said he was concerned that Purdue seemed to have escaped any repercussions for the way it handled the information it collected on suspect doctors and pharmacies.

How do you get people to do the right thing when there are no consequences? he said in an interview.

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The states plan to build an initial stretch of high-speed rail line, from San Jose to a map point in the midst of Central Valley farmland, came under renewed attack at an oversight hearing Monday.

Republicans on the House rail subcommittee had sought to hold the hearing in the Silicon Valley but ran into Democratic opposition, according to sources familiar with the matter. So the group convened around folding metal tables in a nondescript basement room in a San Francisco federal building.

There is a lot that we are doing that will have immediate benefit.  Dan Richard, chairman of the rail authority

Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock), chairman of the panel, chided the state for lacking a plan to complete the Los Angeles-to-San Francisco bullet train system.

You could be stuck in a field somewhere between Shafter and Wasco  and  out of money, Denham said.

The apparent absurdity of the abbreviated route was not lost on supporters.

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It seems odd, acknowledged Dan Richard, chairman of the rail authority, to be stopping in the middle of an almond orchard.

He added, however, that an additional $2.9 billion from the federal government could extend the line to Bakersfield and eventually capture billions of dollars in fare revenue.

The hearing Monday largely reflected the enthusiasm of Democrats and the skepticism of Republicans for the $64-billion project.

We dont want something that has no riders, no train, no investor, only to have to wait for decades, Denham said of the initial route.

Richard, however, told the subcommittee that the project is going smoothly. The states new business plan, released earlier this year, said the project had enough sources of money from bonds, federal grants and state greenhouse gas fees to build a $21-billion line from San Jose to a point somewhere near the small agricultural town of Wasco, before continuing on with new money to more populated destinations.

Since then, the greenhouse gas fees, raised in so-called cap-and-trade auctions, have fallen flat and the auctions are under a legal challenge by the states Chamber of Commerce. The sale of bonds has been delayed by years over tough legal protections built into the 2008 bond act that voters approved.

The current construction, centered on 29 miles in Fresno, has been funded mostly by the federal grants and without state matching funds that will have to be paid later.

But Richard said he had great confidence that the cap-and-trade auctions would survive and that ultimately private investors would help the state complete construction, closing what is now a $43.5-billion funding shortfall that would be needed mainly to cross the Tehachapi and San Gabriel mountains.

But some Democrats and Republicans are beginning to worry that the project could turn into a train ride to nowhere, with snippets of the route scattered across the state as Bay Area and Los Angeles deal makers siphon off funds.

What if the state ultimately fails to connect the Bay Area to Southern California, asked Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), based on concerns Denham raised at the hearing.

I dont want my name [or] the governors name to be associated with a piece of track that isnt connected to the rest of the state, Richard said.

But he continued with an answer that provided insight into how the state might justify an isolated segment if the entire system never gets built.

The Central Valley segment, he said, would eliminate 55 grade crossings and provide a dedicated line for Amtrak trains, relieving overburdened freight track.

There is a lot that we are doing that will have immediate benefit, he said.

ralph.vartabedian@latimes.com

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UPDATES:

12:15 p.m.: This article was updated with additional deatils.

This article was originally published at 7:10 p.m.
Thirty-eight branches of the Los Angeles Public Library that offer homework help to poor and homeless students will receive a boost from a $1-million donation.

The gift from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, announced Tuesday, will create an endowment for the free after school homework centers, which offer students access to computers, printers and other devices they might not have at home, if they even have permanent homes.

There are an estimated 16,000 homeless students in L.A. Unified schools.

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The donation is meant to allow the centers to continue the work they are already doing  helping students with homework or completing college and scholarship essays  but it also could pay for updated technology, according to a press release.

We know that the hours immediately after school are crucial to the success of many young people, said Ken Brecher, president of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles. The generosity of the Broad Foundation helps to make our Student Zones true safe havens and productive centers for students to do their homework now and in the future.

According to the release, the gift is being made in Edythe Broads honor.

Editors note: Education Matters receives funding from a number of foundations, including one or more affiliated with an individual mentioned in this article. The California Community Foundation and United Way of Greater Los Angeles administer grants from the Baxter Family Foundation, the Broad Foundation, the California Endowment and the Wasserman Foundation. Under terms of the grants, The Times retains complete control over editorial content.

anna.phillips@latimes.com

Twitter: @annamphillips
Each day Suzanne White drives her daughters to school, she crosses an invisible border between the L.A. Unified School District in which she lives and Oak Park Unified, the higher-performing, much smaller district in which her children attend classes.

Its a trip that many parents frustrated by their local public schools wish they could make  and that is possible for the Whites thanks to a little-known, rarely used California statute.

Called the district of choice law, it currently allows about 10,000 students across the state to enroll in 47 participating school districts without seeking the permission of their home districts, which are often loath to let them  and the funding attached to them  go.

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The schools out there are half the size, have better technology and are more innovative, White said of the Oak Park district. Why wouldnt I try?

But after more than two decades of flying under the radar, the law is facing new opposition.

Advocacy groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and school districts that are losing students to competitors say the law increases segregation and discriminates against poor and minority families who cant drive their children across district boundaries.

After sailing through the state Senate, a bill to extend the law for an additional five years has foundered in the Assemblys Appropriations Committee, where Chairwoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) has refused to let it come up for a vote.

Leaders of participating school districts say that if the law expires next July, they will be forced to lay off hundreds of teachers, send students back to their zoned districts and possibly even close schools.

Most of these districts are clustered around Los Angeles and the Bay Area and see the law as an appealing way of filling their classrooms and budgets at a time of declining enrollment. Walnut Valley Unified, Glendora Unified and Oak Park Unified each draw hundreds of transfer students.

It would be devastating for us, said Oak Park Unified Supt. Anthony Knight, who estimated he would lose more than a third of his $42-million budget and would have to lay off at least 70 teachers. Of the 4,600 students in his district, nearly half transfer from outside, and 10% live within L.A. Unifieds borders, he said.

The people we get from the San Fernando Valley are choosing us over some of LAUSDs best schools, Knight said, touting his districts smaller class sizes and specialized programs. They are coming here because they want something else.

Under the law, a participating district has to advertise that its willing to admit a set number of students and to let in all students up to that limit, regardless of academic ability or needs. If the district receives more applicants than it has room for, it must hold a lottery. A home district cant refuse to let students leave unless there is an exodus so large that it does financial damage.

For White, 53, of Woodland Hills it was all about class size.

Until 2012, her children attended their local elementary school. But that year, Whites oldest daughter was entering middle school. She was supposed to go to an L.A. campus with nearly 2,000 students, from which she would matriculate into a high school of about 3,800.

White entered her daughters into Oak Parks lottery, winning seats for both of them. Now, the thought of having to send them to their zoned school in 2017 is enough to make her cry.

LAUSD to me is massive and impossible to navigate, she said. Its not an option.

The ACLU and other critics of the law say parents with time and money to drive to a neighboring district, like White, are the main beneficiaries.

The independent Legislative Analysts Office found that 59% of participating students during the 2014-15 school year were white or Asian, while Hispanics made up 32% and left their home districts at lower rates than their peers.

With few exceptions, students who transferred left poorer, lower-performing districts for more affluent ones that posted higher scores on state exams, the report found.

Gonzalezs staff said the San Diego lawmaker was unavailable for an interview, but in a written statement she said the choice law exacerbates the unequal system of haves and have-nots in our public schools.

Districts of choice, she added, should be properly phased out while allowing current students to stay in the schools they are already attending.

In response to concerns over access, the laws supporters added language to the extension bill requiring districts of choice to provide transportation to transfer students from low-income families. But opponents say the amendment, which would not force districts to bus students more than 10 miles, doesnt go far enough.

Its never been throttled like this before, said state Sen. Robert Huff (R-Diamond Bar), who sponsored the measure to extend the law and was surprised when it ran aground in the Assembly. Lawmakers could revive the law next year, he said, but in the interim, thousands of students and parents will begin the school year with uncertainty.

On Gonzalezs Facebook page, that anxiety spilled into a comment thread, where the debate raged long after the renewal bill was effectively dead. When Huff and parents rallied in Diamond Bar last weekend in support of districts of choice, Gonzalez responded with a post accusing Huff of playing partisan politics rather than negotiating with her.

Some parents said they would put their children in charter or private schools if the program ended.

Id probably home-school, said Dolores Perez-Shenavai, 48, whose children are zoned for L.A. Unified but attend Oak Park High School.

Before they kill the program, they need to ask why more people arent taking the opportunity, she said. If they choose not to, you cant punish everyone else.

anna.phillips@latimes.com

Twitter: @annamphillips
The chaos appears to have started Sunday evening when an actor wearing a mask and a black cloak and carrying a sword walked into the arrival level of Terminal 7 at Los Angeles International Airport.

Police detained the man at gunpoint, but released him after finding that the sword was plastic. By then, authorities had started to receive reports of gunfire at multiple terminals.

Hundreds of panicked passengers stampeded into the street and onto the tarmac. Flight operations on the south side of the airport came to a halt for half an hour. More than two dozen aircraft were diverted to other airports and 281 flights were delayed.

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No active shooter was found. But the incident marked the second time in two weeks that a major international airport was paralyzed by false reports of gunfire.

Airport officials and security experts said the LAX incident and a shutdown at New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport this month show how difficult it can be to control mass panic.

For all the investments in post-9/11 security improvements and training, the confusion and chaos stemming from a false report of violence can actually be harder to handle than dealing with a gunman, officials say. The hunt for a gunman takes much longer when there is no one to find.

To keep people calm, youd like to say that theres nothing going on, but you dont know that, and you cant say that, said Brian Jenkins, a security and terrorism expert at Rand Corp., the Santa Monica think tank. People do unpredictable things in panic situations.

Americans have become so aware of mass public shootings, particularly in airports, that in a moment of chaos, they are prepared to believe that theyre facing one, Jenkins said. An umbrella in a mans hands can become a rifle; the bang of a suitcase hitting the ground, a gunshot.

Plausibility is the enemy here. The perception is that its real. At that point, anything can reinforce that perception, he added.

During the first crucial minutes after reports of an active shooter, police typically focus on moving crowds out of harms way and searching for the gunman. In an airport, that often leaves thousands of passengers stranded in an unfamiliar location, confused and afraid.

Sundays chaos marked the first time that LAX officials have tested recommendations made three years ago, after a gunman at Terminal 3 killed a Transportation Security Administration officer and wounded several others.

The response to the 2013 shooting was hampered by poor communication between law enforcement agencies and with the public, officials later found. Authorities proposed a host of changes to the airports policies and systems, including better radio equipment, double-checking emergency phones in terminals and creating special teams to help stranded passengers.

Mike Bonin, a Los Angeles City Councilman whose district includes LAX, said he will seek another report on how well the airport has made those changes, including whether vendors at restaurants and kiosks were included in the emergency response, and whether intercoms and digital signboards shared adequate updates with travelers.

The first reports of gunfire came at about 8:40 p.m. Sunday, from Terminal 8. Police dispatched officers to the scene and set up a command post that worked directly with the airports operations center, authorities said.

Sparked by panic and posts on social media, reports of gunfire began coming from as far away as Terminal 1.

Videos shared on Twitter and Facebook showed passengers hurrying along the sidewalks near the curbside drop-off area, pulling suitcases and holding on to children. When the crowds pace began to slow, one man screamed, Come on, run!

It was a difficult and dynamic situation, airport Police Chief Dave Maggard said. We received dozens of calls, and the calls moved from terminal to terminal, which made it more challenging to determine what the threat was.

Armed police checked every terminal, a process that took more than an hour, but found no evidence of a gunman.

In the weeks ahead, airport police and LAX officials will explore the causes of the panic and comprehensively assess the response, looking for ways to provide accurate information faster to the public and passengers.

Theres always a need for improvement, said Edward Bushman, the director of emergency management at LAX, adding that officials have worked diligently for the last three years to improve response times and communication. All in all, I think we did a pretty good job.

Douglas Lee, 41, was waiting to board a Southwest Airlines flight to Albuquerque when a crowd of people ran toward him, panic on their faces.

Lee heard a repeated bam, bam, bam, as suitcases fell to the floor. A girl of about 10 tripped and fell in the crowd, and adults swept along in the mob began to jump over her, sometimes kicking her in the back.

They moved with such intent, Lee said, that he was certain they were running from something  perhaps a bomb, or a chemical attack. His wife, thinking it was a gunman, placed herself in front of their 12-year-old son.

People were terrified, Lee said. His family rushed through a set of double-doors, down two flights of stairs, and onto the tarmac. Like many travelers, he opened Twitter and posted a photo, showing hundreds of people stranded on the tarmac.

Unconfirmed reports that spread on social media can obviously contribute to alarm, Jenkins said. At the same time, it is the way the authorities can communicate back to the people.

Workers were dispatched to provide information to passengers, authorities said. Messages went up on social media and on signs inside and outside the terminals, and officials pushed alerts to smartphones within a five-mile radius of the airport.

One message, sent just after 10 p.m., read, No active shooter at LAX. Shelter-in-place. Repopulation to begin soon.

Lee and his family had been back inside the airport for more than a half-hour when they received the message. Others pointed out that news outlets and L.A. officials had dispelled the rumor on social media by then.

Marshall McClain, director of the union that represents airport police officers, contends that more security cameras are needed in the gate areas and certain officers should not patrol any farther than 300 feet away from screening checkpoints. He added that people should also be stopped from fleeing onto the tarmac, near moving planes.

Some travelers who fled onto the ramp area, where aircraft are parked, were gathered up by police and operations staff and bused to the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

Caught up in the chaos was Kenny Stavert, 32, of Houston, who was waiting for his luggage outside Terminal 7 when the man wearing a black cloak and a broad-brimmed hat wandered past, giving out hugs and posing for selfies with passengers.

Moments later, a crowd of passengers barged through the doors from the curbside pickup area, some screaming, others dropping suitcases and purses as they ran. A few collapsed to the floor.

Are those people falling because they tripped? Stavert wondered. Or is someone shooting at us?

Stavert sprinted through a security door and back into the terminal, where he joined a terrified family inside a supply closet at a Dunkin Donuts. Minutes later, an airport official on a walkie-talkie urged them out of the closet and onto the floor in the main terminal, where they lay on their stomachs and waited.

Police officers with rifles drawn rushed past Stavert and toward the center of the terminal, shouting at passengers, Dont run! Get on the ground! About 20 seconds later, Stavert said, the officers sprinted in the other direction.

We didnt know if they were running from something, or if they were chasing someone, Stavert said. It was a good five-10 minutes of, Am I going to live?

Authorities suspect the panic might have been set off by the fast flow of information on social media, loud noises in one of the terminals, or by a possible misreading by the public of the police detention of the man carrying a plastic sword in Terminal 7, Maggard said.

Officers found him and detained him with their firearms drawn, Maggard said. We dont know if he was a piece that connected all the calls. We did handle him in close proximity to those calls. We are looking at everything. We are not ruling anything out right now.

laura.nelson@latimes.com

dan.weikel@latimes.com

ruben.vives@latimes.com

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Two men riding a Bay Area Rapid Transit train into Fremont over the weekend were stabbed in the head by a screwdriver-wielding robber, BART police officials said.

The men were on the train approaching the Fremont station about 7:15 p.m. Saturday when BART police say Ronald Nalls, 49, tried to rob them.

Witnesses said the men fought with Nalls, who stabbed them in the head then ran out of the train when it reached the station, BART police Sgt. John Power said.

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Nalls ran up to the street, threatened another person with the screwdriver and stole a bike, Power said. BART police alerted local law enforcement, who found Nalls not far away and arrested him.

Nalls, a San Francisco resident, was booked on suspicion of two counts of attempted murder and three counts of robbery. Hes due in court Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

One of the stabbing victims suffered a serious injury and was rushed to the hospital where he is recovering, Power said. The second victim suffered a less-serious wound and has been released. All of the victims property was returned, Power said.

Joseph.serna@latimes.com

For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.

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Former Stanford University student Brock Turner, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman and sentenced to six months in jail  a penalty criticized for its leniency  is scheduled to be released from jail Friday, according to public records.

If released this week from the Santa Clara County jail, Turner will have completed half the jail term imposed by Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky, who faces a recall campaign over his handling of Turners case.

For the record: An earlier version of this article said that Turner was convicted of rape. He was convicted of assault with the intent to commit rape of an unconscious person, sexual penetration of an unconscious person and sexual penetration of an intoxicated person.

Early releases are commonly given because of good behavior and because of Californias prison realignment. In 2014, The Times reported more than 13,500 inmates were being released early each month to relieve crowding in local jails.

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Turner was convicted in March of three felony counts: assault with the intent to commit rape of an unconscious person, sexual penetration of an unconscious person and sexual penetration of an intoxicated person. Turner attacked an unconscious woman behind a garbage bin on the Palo Alto universitys campus in January 2015.

At his sentencing, the Ohio native faced up to 14 years in prison. Prosecutors sought a six-year prison term.

Persky opted for the lighter jail term and also sentenced Turner to three years of probation. At the time, he said a lengthier penalty would have a severe impact on Turner.

Public criticism of the sentence escalated after the unidentified victims 12-page, single-spaced letter that she read aloud in court went viral after it was published by the media. She excoriated the judge for giving Turner a soft time-out, a mockery of the [seriousness] of the assaults.

The seriousness of rape has to be communicated clearly, we should not create a culture that suggests we learn that rape is wrong through trial and error, she wrote. The consequences of sexual assault needs to be severe enough that people feel enough fear to exercise good judgment even if they are drunk, severe enough to be preventative.

Persky, who was appointed to the bench by Gov. Gray Davis in 2003, voluntarily moved to civil court, officials announced last week. The judge had recently recused himself from a case in which he was set to decide whether to reduce the conviction of a plumber for possession of child pornography from a felony to a misdemeanor.

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

Twitter: @MattHjourno.

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Los Angeles will spend more than $200 million over the next decade to settle a federal lawsuit alleging that the city failed to provide enough apartments for people with disabilities in its publicly funded housing developments.

Under a deal approved Tuesday by the City Council, city officials will be required to ensure that 4,000 units are accessible to people who use wheelchairs, have hearing impairments or live with other disabilities. The city could reach that goal by building additional apartments, redesigning existing ones or demonstrating that units already built are, in fact, accessible.

Michael Allen, a lawyer for three nonprofit groups that sued the city, called the agreement the largest accessibility settlement ever reached involving affordable housing.

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It will send a strong, positive message to cities all over the country that their housing programs must be accessible, he said.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti endorsed the settlement, saying in a statement that the city stands for inclusiveness and access for all.

If we have fallen short of that commitment, we need to fix it as quickly as possible, he said. This settlement allows us to resolve a long-standing legal issue with a predictable level of investment. More importantly, we are working to meet the needs of our disabled community now and for decades to come.

The settlement puts Los Angeles on the hook for another costly, multi-year legal payout centering on facilities for the disabled. Last year, city lawmakers agreed to spend $1.3 billion over 30 years on sidewalk repairs  ending a lawsuit that argued broken walkways were a nightmare for wheelchair users.

Tuesdays vote will end a legal challenge filed in 2012 by Independent Living Center of Southern California, Fair Housing Council of San Fernando Valley, and Communities Actively Living Independent and Free. The dispute focused on apartments that were supposed to be built for the disabled in more than 700 affordable housing projects  buildings with nearly 47,000 units  approved over nearly three decades, city officials said.

The three nonprofits argued that the city and its redevelopment agency had flouted state and federal anti-discrimination laws as they provided public money to affordable housing developments. Such buildings were typically constructed by private developers or nonprofit groups and financed or otherwise assisted by the city and its redevelopment agency.

Disabled residents reported going to apartment buildings that were advertised as accessible, only to find they werent. In some locations, apartments had doorways that were too narrow to accommodate wheelchairs, the lawsuit states. Bathrooms and kitchens lacked the room to accommodate wheelchair users.

Allen said that many apartments did not meet the higher accessibility standards established for housing built with government assistance, which require additional features such as lower countertops and grab bars in bathrooms.

They were not merely technical violations, Allen said. They were, in every instance that we studied, significant barriers to people with disabilities using those units, and in some cases the common areas leading to them.

Sharon Kinlaw, executive director of Fair Housing Council of San Fernando Valley, said her groups clients encountered apartments that were absolutely unusable by people with serious disabilities as early as 2007. Neither the city nor the redevelopment agency took action after they complained, advocates said.

Advocates for the disabled also said the accessible apartments that did exist were frequently occupied by people without disabilities.

Under the settlement, the city is not admitting wrongdoing or conceding that it violated anti-discrimination laws.

City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana, who helped negotiate the deal, said housing officials, among others, were responsible for ensuring that publicly financed housing complied with federal disability laws. Los Angeles is taking steps to prevent any such problems in the future, he said.

This is a settlement where the biggest investment is going to go back to the community -- back to the disabled community, back to those who need affordable housing, Santana said. So Angelenos are really the biggest beneficiaries.

Santana said the settlement could also set the stage for a separate agreement ending a federal investigation over housing for disabled Angelenos, initiated five years ago by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Under the agreement, city officials will need to go into hundreds of buildings to determine whether the required number of units for the disabled were built  and if so, whether those units comply with the correct standards.

At this point, officials do not know to what extent the city fell short.

Until we actually go in and evaluate every unit and make that determination, we really cant tell you, Santana said.

The city must spend an average of $20 million annually on the program and ensure that at least 2,655 of the 4,000 units are designed for wheelchair users. The settlement will also require new affordable housing supported by the city to include a larger percentage of units for people with disabilities than is currently required.

In addition to the $200 million, L.A. will also pay $4.5 million to the nonprofits that sued the city, plus up to $1 million in court costs and up to $20 million in attorneys fees.

The deal does not resolve outstanding legal claims against the redevelopment agency, which is now separate from city government.

The agreement is one in a string of major settlements that will saddle Los Angeles with financial obligations lasting for years. The council voted in March to spend up to $30 million over four years on job training and other programs to conclude a class-action suit over curfews in city gang injunctions. A year earlier, city lawmakers agreed to spend at least $31 million per year on sidewalk repairs.

In addition, the city has faced large onetime payouts, including a legal deal unveiled last year to pay up to $92.5 million to end a lawsuit over allegations that the city was improperly collecting telephone taxes. Santana said the ultimate amount is anticipated to be closer to $50 million.

Councilman Gil Cedillo said he isnt worried about the price tag for the latest settlement. The city, he said, has a solid surplus and can absorb the added cost.

Its our responsibility to ensure that disabled Angelenos have access to affordable housing, Cedillo said. So its the least we could do.

emily.alpert@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATimesEmily

david.zahniser@latimes.com

Twitter: @davidzahniser

UPDATES:

6 p.m.: This article with updated with reactions to the settlement and other details.

This article was originally published at 1:10 p.m.
A Los Angeles police officer pleaded not guilty Monday to a series of criminal charges, including theft of a police radio and an illegal search of a law enforcement database.

Prosecutors also allege that Jessica Guzzetti failed to pay for a baby stroller, according to a criminal complaint filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Guzzetti, 27, entered the not-guilty plea in a Van Nuys courtroom, her first court appearance since she was charged July 25 with the three misdemeanor counts.

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The officer could not be reached for comment. Her attorney, R. Alex Comley, told The Times that his client acted without criminal intent.

She tried to make things right and were going to show this in court, Comley said. He declined further comment.

The first count alleges that Guzzetti stole an LAPD radio valued at $3,470.30 in 2013. Another count alleges that she accessed information from a Department of Justice computer database in 2014. Prosecutors also contend that Guzzetti failed to pay for the baby stroller in August 2015.

Jackie Robnett, who is listed in court records as the rightful owner of the baby stroller, told The Times that Guzzetti and her boyfriend responded to a Craigslist ad in 2015 for a stroller that retailed for about $1,200. Robnett said she was selling it for about $250.

Guzzetti and her boyfriend inspected the stroller and offered to pay for it with a check. Robnett said she doesnt normally accept checks in Craigslist transactions but made an exception.

We trusted her because she was a police officer, Robnett said. She said she was with LAPD and that made us comfortable.

When the check didnt go through, Robnett repeatedly tried to reach out to Guzzetti and her boyfriend for the payment or for the return of the stroller. But Guzzetti responded that she wanted to keep the stroller.

I offered so many other options: PayPal, Venmo, Robnett said. Theres so many ways to transfer money.

With mounting frustration, Robnett learned that Guzzetti was working in a police station in the San Fernando Valley, called a supervisor there and reported the incident. She provided testimony to a detective with LAPDs internal affairs, she said.

Police later contacted Robnett and asked her to come to a station to see a stroller that had been recovered. But it was not the stroller Robnett said she had sold to Guzzetti and her boyfriend.

To date, Robnett has not received her stroller or money compensating her for the stroller. She was not informed that Guzzetti had been charged until a reporter contacted her Monday evening.

The prosecution of Guzzetti, a resident of Lancaster, is the latest twist in her LAPD career.

Guzzetti sued the city in January 2014, alleging she was sexually harassed by a supervisor in the LAPDs jail division and was retaliated against for spurning a supervisors sexual advances.

After complaining about the maltreatment, she was eventually reassigned to the Rampart Division, according to her complaint. There, she learned that her nickname was the black widow and that she had a reputation for complaining about officers who made sexual advances on her, according to the complaint.

Guzzetti contended in her lawsuit that fellow officers did not want to work with her as a partner, and that in roll call, colleagues laughed when a partner was assigned to her.

During her first day in the Rampart Division, according to the lawsuit, a female lieutenant told Guzzetti: We heard about you. We heard youre trouble.

Guzzettis attorney in the sexual harassment lawsuit, Greg Smith, later asked a judge to release him and his firm from the case.

Differences have arisen in the handling of this matter which would prevent my office from ethically representing this plaintiff and making it impossible to diligently prosecute [Guzzettis] claims, Smith wrote in a declaration filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Guzzetti later represented herself, but a judge dismissed the lawsuit after she failed to show up to two consecutive hearings, according to court records.

While on patrol in the Rampart Division  which covers Silver Lake, Echo Park, Westlake and the Pico-Union neighborhoods  Guzzetti was one of three officers who opened fire at 16-year-old Moises Palacios on the night of May 17, 2013. Palacios, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, was armed with two knives, according to court papers.

Police said Palacios taunted officers, saying he would throw the knives toward them. Palacios purportedly stepped toward the officers and they opened fire. Ten gunshots struck the boy, mostly in the abdomen and chest, according to court papers.

The boy later told authorities he wanted police to kill him, according to the LAPDs review of the shooting.

Palacios survived his injuries after major surgery, which included the removal of parts of his small intestine, according to court papers.

Palacios later sued the city and the LAPD, naming Guzzetti and the two other officers. The case is pending in federal court.

Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

Twitter: @MattHjourno

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A federal appeals court Monday firmly rejected a former Hollywood and bank executives allegations that he was beaten by Los Angeles police officers and maligned by union officials.

The decision by a panel of judges from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld lower court rulings in lawsuits Brian C. Mulligan brought following a bloody 2012 encounter with officers.

Mulligan, a onetime co-chairman of Universal Pictures and executive with Deutsche Bank, was badly injured when he allegedly tried to attack two LAPD officers who were trying to take him into custody. The officers had found Mulligan acting suspiciously in an Eagle Rock neighborhood and later encountered him trying to get into other peoples cars and screaming, according to police reports.

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After trying to run from the officers, Mulligan snarled and pretended to scratch at the officers as if he believed his hands were claws before charging at them, the reports said.

Mulligans attorney at the time gave a dramatically different account of the arrest. The officers, the attorney said, had kidnapped Mulligan, forced him to go to a motel and then beat him in a brutal, unprovoked attack when he tried to flee.

He also denied the officers assertion that Mulligan had admitted to using bath salts and marijuana, and he accused the officers of lying in their arrest reports to cover up the alleged abuse. Bath salts are a group of synthetic drugs that can cause a user to become agitated and aggressive.

In response to the attorneys allegations, the Police Protective League, which represents rank-and-file officers, issued a statement that portrayed Mulligan as a drug-abusing liar and accused him of trying to shake down the police department.

The statement included a link to a website on which the union had uploaded an audio recording that an officer from a different department had made during a chance encounter with Mulligan shortly before the arrest. On the recording, Mulligan admits to repeated use of bath salts.

In his lawsuits Mulligan contended that the force the officers used had been improper and that union officials had infringed on his constitutional right to free speech by posting the recording  a move Mulligan said was aimed at forcing him to drop his legal fight against the officers.

Mulligan failed to prevail on any of his claims in U.S. District Court and appealed to the 9th Circuit. Mulligans attorney raised several issues but the appeal panel shot them all down. It paid particular attention to Mulligans constitutional claim.

The First Amendment of the Constitution protects citizens from attempts by government officials to chill their speech. One question presented by this case is whether that same constitutional guarantee also requires those officials to remain silent when accused of misconduct, lest they risk liability for unlawful retaliation. We conclude that it does not, Judge Richard R. Clifton wrote for the panel.

Eric Rose, a former union spokesperson named in one of the lawsuits, expressed relief at the ruling.

One cannot hold a high-profile news conference accusing public officials of misconduct and threaten those same public officials with liability for unlawful retaliation if they respond to those allegations, he said.

Mulligans attorney, Louis Skip Miller, disagreed.

Its wrong, he said of the ruling, pledging to seek another hearing in front of the 9th Circuit.

joel.rubin@latimes.com

Follow @joelrubin on Twitter

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 30

By Huseyn Valiyev  Trend:

Azerfon LLC announced today that Kent McNeley, Chief Executive Officer for the past four years, has decided to leave the company to pursue new ambitions, effective as of 31 August 2016.

During his tenure as Chief Executive, Azerfon (Nar) was the fastest growing mobile operator in Azerbaijan, both in terms of revenue and subscriber growth. The company is also pleased to announce that Klaus Mueller (Ph.D) is to be appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Mueller joins from Deutsche Telekom where he served as Chief Operating Officer, in their foreign mobile & fixed operations division where he had responsibility for 12 European countries.

Commenting on his departure, Mr. McNeley stated, I am extremely pleased to have served as Chief Executive of Azerfon for the past four years. I am very proud of the results that we have achieved and the strong growth of the company. The leadership team and personnel at Azerfon are extremely talented and I know that they will continue to have great success in the future under Klaus leadership.



Georgios Koronias, Chairman of Azerfons Supervisory Board, added the following: Kent and his team have done an outstanding job of leading Azerfon. Whilst we are very sorry to see him leave, we will surely miss him and wish him every success in his future endeavors. We thank him deeply for his leadership at Azerfon. Mr. Koronias further said the appointment of Klaus will mark a new chapter of dynamic leadership for Azerfon. His experience in value creation from many different markets will be instrumental for us. As the chairman, I look forward to supporting Klaus as our new CEO.



Mr. Mueller stated, I am honored and excited to be joining Azerfon. Kent has grown the business in Azerbaijan excellently. Growth and profitability is critical for long-term success and Id like to ask everyone to work hand-in-hand in continuing Azerfons success to the benefit of our customers, society and shareholders.
When the Republican presidential ticket pivoted to focus on illegal immigration this summer, Donald Trump pointed to the man who has come to embody the muscular enforcement approach of the 2000s  massive immigration raids, unremitting warnings about the dangers posed by illegal immigrants and bold public pronouncements about enforcing the rule of law.

But while Joe Arpaio, Maricopa Countys six-term sheriff, has become a national touchstone to hardcore immigration enforcement advocates, he is increasingly under duress on the home front.

Arpaio easily rolled over three primary challengers Tuesday in a race the Associated Press called less than half an hour after the polls closed at 8 p.m. In early returns, Arpaio had 67% of the vote. His closest challenger, Dan Saban, had just 26%.

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Now, a general election battle looms against a Democratic Phoenix police officer who came within 6 percentage points of the veteran sheriff in the 2012 election.

Arpaios challengers on Tuesday included a retired sheriffs deputy, the former commander of a sheriffs posse and Saban, the former police chief of Buckeye, Ariz.

Based on fundraising, their chances appeared dim. Combined, all three challengers raised $85,000. Arpaio has a campaign war chest of $11.3 million hes taking into the general election.

Arpaios message hasnt changed much since his salad days of corralling groups of Latino drivers as part of immigration sweeps. But he has encountered a county, state and nation in which attitudes toward illegal immigration and immigration in general have softened since his election, but for brief spikes in anti-immigrant sentiment after Sept. 11 and during the recession.

Arpaios waning popularity corresponds with his deepening legal problems.

After a protracted eight-year battle that included allegations that Arpaio tried to spy on the federal judge overseeing a civil case alleging that Arpaio profiled Latino drivers on immigration patrols, the 84-year-old sheriff now faces a criminal investigation into his conduct while the case played out.

The judge determined that Arpaio had encouraged his deputies to subject Latino drivers to greater scrutiny during traffic stops than white drivers typically received. The judge ordered the sheriff to put an end to that practice of profiling.

Two years later, the judge found that Arpaio had continued the practice in violation of his order. At a Houston rally in 2014, Arpaio told supporters that he had violated the order out of spite and had arrested 500 people.

Arpaio later said in court filings that he had violated the order unknowingly.

The judge, G. Murray Snow, ruled that 19 times Arpaio intentionally violated his orders to end profiling of Latinos and called Arpaios brand of justice unfair, partial and inequitable.

The Arizona Republic newspapers editorial board was direct in its assessment of Arpaios fitness for office.

Joe Arpaio has made a mockery of the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office, the board wrote in a July 30 editorial calling for voters to pick Saban in the primary.

The octogenarian who calls himself Americas toughest sheriff survived Tuesday, but poll numbers for his November election indicate that he once again will face a tight race.

An independent poll in Arizona has Democratic challenger Paul Penzone up 3 percentage points on Arpaio. When undecided voters were asked to choose one of the two, they overwhelmingly sided with Penzone.

It appears that the toughest sheriff in America, Joe Arpaio, is in the toughest race of his career, said Nathan Sproul, managing director of Lincoln Strategy Group, in a message accompanying the July 22 poll results.

The voters may be saying its finally time for a change. He still has plenty of time to right the ship, but needs to define Penzone quickly or it may be too late.

Follow Nigel Duara on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/nigelduara

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Maryland public defenders office calls for immediate suspension of Baltimore police surveillance program

UPDATES:

8:55 p.m.: This story was updated with election results.

This story was originally published at 2:30 p.m.
Marylands Office of the Public Defender has asked the Baltimore Police Department to stop filming citizens from the sky until the public is briefed on the program and defense attorneys are given access to the footage.

The public defender also wants to know how evidence gathered by the recently disclosed aerial surveillance program has been stored, accessed and used in the prosecution of criminal defendants.

The office said the program should be shelved until there are in-depth conversations about how it works, and police should stop analyzing footage unless they have prior judicial authorization in the form of a search warrant or equivalent court order.

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Baltimore Deputy Public Defender Natalie Finegar made those requests in letters delivered Monday to Police Commissioner Kevin Davis and Baltimore States Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby.

We are requesting that this surveillance program be suspended until such time as public hearings can be held and a clear avenue of discovery and access to data by defense attorneys is established, Finegar wrote to Davis.

She asked Mosby to join the public defenders office in the request that the program be halted until a clear mechanism for handling the footage as evidence is established.

Finegar wrote that it is imperative that defense attorneys be given access to the footage, which she said could help to exonerate their clients.

T.J. Smith, a police spokesman, said police officials were in the process of reviewing and responding to the letter to Davis.

Mosby responded Monday afternoon with two letters of her own  one to Finegar, in which she called her concerns legitimate, and one to Davis also demanding answers.

Mosbys office has previously said it was made aware of the program only a couple weeks ago.

Unfortunately, I too just recently became aware of this program and surveillance technique; however, Id like to assure you of my firm commitment to fulfilling all potential discovery obligations under the law and the states procedural rules, Mosby wrote to Finegar.

Mosby asked Davis to send her the dates and times when the surveillance occurred and a list of the criminal cases in which the surveillance footage was used. She also asked that all of the footage be preserved until further notice.

It is critical that I be given access to this information immediately as any delay may imperil active criminal prosecutions, Mosby wrote.

Police acknowledged last week that a private donor had paid a private company to conduct aerial surveillance on the departments behalf from a small Cessna airplane flying about 8,000 feet above the city.

Ohio-based Persistent Surveillance Systems has conducted about 300 hours of aerial surveillance since January. Its cameras film about 32 square miles of the city at a time.

Police said last week they were going to continue the program for several more weeks, and then review it to determine whether it is effective in fighting crime. Davis promised a robust and inclusive community conversation in the event that we conclude it can improve public safety in Baltimore.

Ross McNutt, owner of Persistent Surveillance Systems, has said the resolution of the footage is too low to allow police to identify individuals below. But civil liberties advocates have said the surveillance of huge numbers of law-abiding citizens without warrants violates their rights..

Members of the City Council, who said they were unaware of the program until it was disclosed last week, have said they will hold special hearings to determine why the program was not disclosed.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said she was not aware of the program at its inception, and became aware of it only recently. She has backed the use of the technology since as an innovative step by the police department.

Finegar said the scope of the surveillance is such that the footage could capture vast numbers of alleged crimes, making it discoverable evidence, which must be disclosed to defense attorneys regardless of whether prosecutors plan to use it at trial.

Prosecutors say they are reviewing the use of the surveillance footage in five open criminal cases, but do not know how many other cases it was used in.

McNutt said his analysts have created investigative briefs in at least 102 cases.

Only two cases in which the surveillance system was used have been disclosed publicly: one involving the shooting of an elderly couple, and one involving the assault of an off-duty police detective who had been in an accident with a dirt bike. The use of the surveillance program was not disclosed in the statements of probable cause for either of the defendants arrested in those cases, according to a review of the documents.

Finegars letter to Davis included a list of nine specific requests:

A list of dates and times that surveillance was conducted.

That all data gathered under the program be preserved.

A clarification of whether the police department, Persistent Surveillance Systems, or some other entity own the footage.

The retention protocol for the programs data.

Any policies, regulations or agreements entered into between the Baltimore City Police Department, Persistent Surveillance Systems or any other private or public entity regarding the establishment or operation of this program.

Any internal policies or regulations regarding the establishment or operation of this program.

Any training protocols for civilian or police department employees related to the program.

Any warrants or court orders authorizing the analysis of data collected by the program.

Any legal authority that police or Persistent Surveillance Systems are relying on to operate the program.

Finegar wrote that the public defenders office enjoys an open and cordial relationship with police and prosecutors, but the surveillance program presents huge Fourth Amendment and Due Process implications for criminal defendants in Baltimore that must be addressed as quickly as possible.

If we cannot receive this information and be guaranteed of the cessation of this program until such time as it can be conducted openly with full disclosure in place, we must pursue remedies in court in an expedited fashion, Finegar wrote to Davis and Mosby.

In her letter to Mosby, Finegar cited media reports that the footage being collected would be destroyed after a certain period of time, and said the public defenders office would file motions to preserve any evidence collected by the program in all cases in which the alleged crimes occurred while the surveillance plane was operating.

We ask for your support and cooperation with regards to this motion, Finegar wrote. As soon as we receive clarification on what time periods the surveillance was gathered, we will narrow our motions to those dates and times.

Finegar said Mosbys response was a start in playing cleanup of a program that should have been disclosed before it began.

She said the police department still has a lot of explaining to do.

We are playing catch up at this point, she said.

Rector is a reporter for the Baltimore Sun.
They had survived brain damage, paralysis and the deaths of their children. For four years, they met in secret as a group. Now, they were finally prepared to settle with the owners of the Aurora movie theater where the opening of a summer blockbuster became the site of one of the deadliest massacres in U.S. history.

Marcus Weaver kept a calm facade, but writhed with anxiety within. His dreams often return him to the theater, the sounds of gunshots and the feeling of his friends lifeless body slumped against him. After he escaped, he found a bullet hole in his shoulder.



For the record: An earlier version of this article stated that four survivors were liable to pay the theater chain $700,000. There were 15 survivors who were liable. The earlier version also did not say that, according to a source close to the theater chain, there was no intention to seek recovery of the court costs.

A day earlier on a conference call, the federal judge overseeing the case told the plaintiffs attorneys that he was prepared to rule in the theater chains favor. He urged the plaintiffs to settle with Cinemark, owner of the Century Aurora 16 multiplex where the July 20, 2012, shooting occurred. They had 24 hours.

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But before that deadline, the settlement would collapse and 15 massacre survivors would be liable to pay the theater chain more than $700,000.

It was the biggest smack in the face.  Marcus Weaver, Aurora theater shooting survivor

The settlement conference, corroborated by The Times with four parties present at the conference, was hastily convened after a separate set of survivors suffered defeat in state court, where a jury decided that Cinemark could not have foreseen the events of that night in 2012, when James Holmes killed 12 people and injured 70 others in a 10-minute rampage at a screening of The Dark Knight Rises.

The survivors, some of whom had two and even three attorneys with them, were told that the state case had in effect decided the issue: Cinemark was not liable for the shooting.

The federal lawsuit was effectively over.

U.S. District Court Judge R. Brooke Jackson, though, wanted the survivors and Cinemark to end the case with a settlement. It was Thursday, June 23, at 8 a.m. For the next eight hours, attorneys for both sides inched closer to a deal.

At 4 p.m., Cinemarks attorneys presented a settlement offer. Before it was read, a federal magistrate cornered Weaver to speak with him one-on-one. He asked Weaver to remember the slow pace of change in the civil rights movement, and told him that changing theater safety would also be slow.

It was the biggest smack in the face, Weaver said. He was basically telling us, youre right, theyre basically at fault, but theres justice and then theres true justice.

The settlement offer was a pittance, Weaver thought: $150,000 split among the 41 plaintiffs.

Weaver leaned in close to his attorney.

Thats it? he asked.

Thats it, Phil Harding replied.

But the settlement would achieve the one thing Weaver had been pushing for, an acknowledgment that the theater chain would take new measures to protect patrons. Still, something was worrying him.

It was the 12th hour, we were all feeling the same way. We all knew they were liable. We knew they were at fault, Weaver said. [The settlement] was a slap in the face. But I said, Lets go for it because its better than nothing.

The deal came with a worrisome caveat : If the survivors rejected the deal, moved forward with their case and lost, under Colorado law, they could be responsible for the astronomical court fees accumulated by Cinemark.

The choice for the survivors was clear: Either seek justice and go into debt, or take that pitiful offering of money and the improved public safety, Weaver said.

The plaintiffs and their attorneys all seemed to agree. They decided on a split of $30,000 each to the three most critically injured survivors. The remaining 38 plaintiffs would equally share the remaining $60,000.

Attorneys with Cinemark drafted a news release to distribute the next day.

Then one plaintiff rejected the deal. Her suffering had been profound: Her child was killed in the shooting, she was left paralyzed and the baby she was carrying had been lost.

Weavers vision briefly blurred. The eight hours they had spent negotiating the deal, the weeks of the failed state court trial, the four years of anger at the theater since the shooting  all of it was for nothing.

It was done then, Weaver said.

None of the plaintiffs would receive a dime. And, more vexing to Weaver, the theater chain would make no public acknowledgment of safety improvements.

The chain issued a bill of costs in the state case, which amounted to more than $699,000, but has not issued a similar explanation of costs in the federal case, which are expected to be far more.

Although a source close to the theater chain said that there is no intention to actually seek recovery of the court costs, the theater chain has not issued any statement about its intentions.

Weaver removed himself as a plaintiff immediately. So did 25 others. By the next day, 15 plaintiffs remained when Jackson handed down the order that Cinemark was not liable for the damages.

A blind guy in a dark alley could have seen [the state verdict] coming, Harding, Weavers attorney, said.

Several plaintiffs and attorneys, including those who would not comment on the settlement negotiations, expressed frustration with the way the state case was handled.

In that case, a New York attorney representing 27 people paid one expert $22,000 to testify. Cinemark paid five experts $500,000 to testify. Most damaging to their case, the state plaintiffs were not permitted to enter a crucial piece of evidence before the jury: a May 2012 warning from the Department of Homeland Security to theater chains nationwide concerning the potential for a mass-casualty attack on a theater.

I strongly think that this guy was trying to make a name for himself and he wanted to get ahead of the curve, Weaver said. Youve got this guy from New York representing people in Colorado who were probably misguided, to be honest.

The case put forward in state court was so weak, the federal plaintiffs felt, that a rumor circulated among them that the case was a setup by Cinemark designed to fail.

Thats ridiculous, said Marc Bern, the attorney who argued the state case and is known for representing rescue workers from the Sept. 11 attacks. We had all the resources possible. The only expert we needed was a security expert.

In August 2015, Holmes was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, avoiding the death penalty.

Weaver, 45, has married and had a child since the shooting, a blue-eyed girl named Maggie. He still goes to therapy, which he said has helped him. The way the case ended, however, will never leave him.

Theaters arent any safer, Weaver said. Its almost like everything was for naught.

nigel.duara@latimes.com

Follow Nigel Duara on Twitter @nigelduara

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7:15 p.m., Sept 1: This article was updated with material omitted from the original story.
During a week of ping-ponging immigration stances, Donald Trump appears to be shifting his position from one which initially called for the deportation of all 11 million people here illegally to one that would focus on criminal immigrants.

Though it is true that some in the U.S. illegally have criminal records, the majority of those have violated only immigration laws or committed other nonviolent offenses, not the murders and assaults that Trump often brings up during stump speeches.

After a backlash from supporters worried he is backing down on a key campaign promise, Trump is now said to be reconsidering his change in policy. He is expected to outline his ideas Wednesday during a speech in Arizona.

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What does Trump want to do?

Its not entirely clear yet. Though he still plans to build a wall along the Mexico border, he began speaking in recent days about softening his policy. In a Fox News interview, he spoke about backing away from his earlier call to create a deportation force that would round up and kick out all immigrants in the country illegally, including their American-born children in some cases.

In recent days, he has said he would instead focus deportations on those with criminal records. On his first day in office, Trump said, he plans to sign orders to speed up the removal of criminal illegal immigrants from the U.S.

These international gangs of thugs and drug cartels will be  I promise you, from the first day in office, the first thing Im going to do, the first piece of paper that Im going to sign is  were going to get rid of these people, Day 1, before the wall, before anything, Trump said during a speech at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on Saturday.

Trump hasnt said what specific policy changes would help immigration agents find convicted criminals and speed up their deportation. But he has insisted that law enforcement agents know who and where they are.

Is this different from the Obama administration?

Not much actually. After suspected spies and terrorists, convicted criminals are already included in the highest-priority category for deportation from the U.S. A person convicted of a crime while a member of a street gang is also considered a high priority for removal by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In 2014, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson ordered Border Patrol agents and deportation officers to focus on deporting people with criminal records and those who had come to the U.S. after Jan. 1 of that year. Those who had entered illegally before that, if they had no other violations on their record, were pushed to the bottom of the list for removal, even if a person had been deported once before.

Records show Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported 235,413 people last year, down from a record high of 409,849 in 2012. Over that time, the percentage of immigrants deported with criminal convictions increased from 55% in 2012 to 59% in 2015.

Of those deported from the interior of the U.S., 91% had criminal convictions in 2015, according to ICE statistics. That number was higher because it excludes deportations that occur closer to the border, where the legal and logistical hurdles are lower.

Obama administration officials say the total number of removals is down because a large percentage of people now apprehended are from Central America, and it takes longer to send people back to countries that dont share a border with the U.S.

In addition, about 10% of all people deported each year are lawful permanent residents in the country legally who have been convicted of a crime, according to the American Immigration Council.

Once someone is ordered removed, ICE does its job, said Alonzo Pena, former deputy director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement from 2008 to 2010. They get an order, get the person, they put him on an airplane and they are gone.

Could that effort be accelerated?

It would be difficult. First, chasing down and removing people with criminal histories takes more time and resources than deporting indiscriminately.

Also any effort to speed up the removal of convicted criminals would run up against a massive case backlog in the immigration courts. By law, a deportation order can be challenged in immigration court. In some jurisdictions, such as Los Angeles and Denver, the backlogs can delay deportations for years, even if a person has been convicted of a crime.

The only way to deport someone without going before a judge is if a person agrees to leave voluntarily, or if the person was caught within two weeks of crossing illegally into the U.S. or apprehended within 100 miles of the U.S. border.

Congressional action to increase the number of immigration judges and courts could help speed things up, though gridlock in Washington makes that unlikely.

If Trump wanted to do something to increase enforcement it would be to triple the immigration judges, said John Sandweg, former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That would be the most effective way to increase deportations from the U.S.

You cant wave a magic wand and just remove all the criminal aliens; they still have to go through the process, Sandweg said.

How many immigrants have criminal records and what sorts of crimes have they committed?

Exact figures on that are hard to find because immigrants here illegally often live in the shadows and arent always identified in crime statistics.

But studies have indicated that even as the number of immigrants illegally living in the U.S. tripled between 1990 and 2013, the violent crime rate declined 48%, according to a 2015 report from the American Immigration Council.

The same report found the rate of incarceration is lower among all types of immigrants in the U.S. than among native-born Americans; roughly 1.6% of immigrant men ages 18-39 are incarcerated, compared with 3.3% of native-born American men of that age.

Among immigrants with criminal convictions who were deported from the U.S., by far the most common felony conviction, about 31%, is an immigration violation, including entry, reentry, false claims to citizenship and alien smuggling, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement data from 2013.

About 15% of offenses are related to dangerous drugs, including possession, sale, distribution and manufacturing. Another 15% are related to criminal traffic offenses, which include minor incidents, hit-and-run and driving under the influence.

Assault charges make up about 10% of criminal deportations, followed by burglary at 2.8%, weapons offenses at 2.7%, larceny at 2.7%, fraudulent activities at 2.6%, sexual assault at 1.6% and forgery at 1.5%.

Arent some immigrants with criminal convictions released inside the U.S.?

In the past, some local jurisdictions failed to contact immigration agents when a foreign national was going to be released after serving a sentence.

The July 2015 shooting of 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle on a pier at San Franciscos Embarcadero brought the issue of local cooperation with immigration officials into the national spotlight. The man arrested in her death had been jailed on an immigration law violation after returning to the U.S. despite being deported five times. He was released from custody months before the shooting after San Francisco prosecutors decided not to pursue a decades-old bench warrant in a marijuana case.

Trump has called for local officials to be required to identify people who are in jail and could be deported when they are released.

On Jan. 31, 21-year-old college student Sarah Root was killed by a drunk driver in Omaha, Neb. Eswin G. Mejia, an 18-year-old Honduran man in the U.S. illegally, was arrested for striking her vehicle but disappeared after being released on bond. The judge reportedly wasnt told about Mejias failure to appear at two earlier court appearances.

Sometimes immigrants cant be returned home. A few countries, including China, Cuba, Iran and North Korea, wont receive convicted criminals from the U.S., so immigration agents struggle to find a place to send them. On top of that, a 2001 Supreme Court decision, Zadvydas vs. Davis, requires U.S. immigration officials to release a foreign national with a final deportation order within six months if there is no country that will accept him or her.

In the last three years, 8,275 immigrants with criminal convictions were released in the U.S. under the Zadvydas ruling, according to a report published in July by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

What was been the reaction of Trump supporters?

Mixed. Some think his willingness to embrace a more humane approach to immigration reform will win over moderate Republicans.

But advocates of hard-line immigration policies say they feel betrayed and recently dubbed Trump with the hashtag #AmnestyDon. They would still like to see Trump order immigration agents to deport anyone they find who is in the country illegally, rather than focus solely on recent arrivals, repeat immigration violators and convicted criminals, as the Obama administration has done.

When it comes to deportation, you prioritize the bad guys but that doesnt mean you stop enforcing the other laws, said Ira Melman, the media director for Federation for American Immigration Reform, a Washington organization that advocates for lower immigration levels. Melman thinks that such an approach, despite being disruptive to families already living in the U.S., would deter future immigrants from coming to the U.S.

brian.bennett@latimes.com

Follow me @ByBrianBennett on Twitter

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Responding to complaints from gun-rights advocates pushing for greater access to public buildings, the Texas attorney general has sued a southeast Texas county that tried to ban guns from its courthouse.

A local government cannot be allowed to flout Texass licensed carry laws, or any state law, simply because it disagrees with the law or doesnt feel like honoring it, Republican Texas Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton said in a statement announcing the lawsuit Tuesday against Waller County, about 55 miles west of Houston. I will vigilantly protect and preserve the 2nd Amendment rights of Texans.

Waller County Judge Trey Duhon said the announcement wasnt a surprise: Earlier this month, the attorney generals office substantiated a complaint about the countys action and notified Waller officials that if they didnt respond in 15 days, they could face a lawsuit.

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We fully expected it to be filed, and we look forward to a hearing on the merits, Duhon said. We believe we are fully complying with what the Texas Legislature intended.

It appears Waller County will be a test case of a law passed last year that forbids state and local officials from posting signs restricting the concealed carrying of handguns by lawful permit holders. People objecting to such signs can file complaints with local agencies and the attorney generals office, which is charged with investigating and taking possible offenders to court. Violators could face a $10,500 daily fine.

We are anxious to have the issue resolved by the courts so that all Texans can be safe and sure about the law, Waller County Dist. Atty. Elton Mathis said.

Before Tuesday, the Texas attorney generals office had taken only one local agency to court over the complaints  the city of Austin  and that case is pending. The office did not have a tally of complaints filed.

Gun-rights advocates with the group Open Carry Texas have filed complaints against 63 local entities over gun bans. The Rev. Terry Holcomb, founder of another gun-rights group, Texas Carry, filed a complaint against Waller Countys courthouse, which has signs at the entrances warning its a felony to bring guns inside.

He filed similar complaints against 75 other local government entities and said 26 since have dropped their gun bans.

Not Waller County officials, though. Instead, they struck back, suing him last month for $100,000 in damages. Holcomb counter-sued this month, alleging the county filed suit to intimidate and shut him up.

Its extremely fitting that the attorney general is going to take lawless Waller County to task for their criminal behavior, Holcomb said. Were going to prevail.

If state law prohibits banning guns from courthouses and other public buildings, why do officials keep posting signs? The answer is that another state law allows them to bar carrying handguns on the premises of a government court.

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Gun-rights advocates say that provision applies to courtrooms, but officials in Waller County and elsewhere say it means entire courthouses, including associated offices, such as those for tax assessors.

The three-story Waller County courthouse, built of limestone and red brick in 1955, has a single elevator, staircase and narrow hallways that do not lend themselves to having security checkpoints at every turn, Duhon said. If people were allowed to carry guns inside, he said the county would have to add checkpoints and hire additional bailiffs.

About 2,600, or 6%, of Waller County residents are licensed to carry handguns, according to state figures. Earlier this year, Texas surpassed a million licensed handgun owners  1,069,706 as of June 30, about 4% the states 27 million residents.

molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com

Twitter: @mollyhf

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The Agriculture Department said Tuesday it had closed offices in five states after receiving anonymous threats that it considered serious.

USDA spokesman Matthew Herrick said in a statement that the department had received several anonymous messages late Monday that raised concerns about the safety of USDA personnel and facilities. He said six offices were closed Tuesday morning until further notice.

Herrick said the department is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and federal and local law enforcement to determine whether the threats are credible.

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The closed facilities are in Fort Collins, Colo.; Hamden, Conn.; Beltsville, Md.; Raleigh, N.C.; Kearneysville, W.Va.; and Leetown, W.Va.

In an email to employees, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said USDA is closing the offices due to the serious nature of these threats. He did not characterize the threats or say how they were received but asked employees to be aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity.

White House Spokesman Josh Earnest said the Department of Homeland Security is working with USDA to ensure the safety of their offices and the personnel that work there.

They include offices for eight USDA agencies, including the Forest Service and the Food Safety and Inspection Service. Among the sites affected was USDAs sprawling agricultural research center and library in Beltsville, where employees were informed of the threat Tuesday morning and sent home.

In his memo to employees, Vilsack said employees could telework or take authorized leave.

The temporary closures may affect some tourists. In Colorado, the Forest Services Canyon Lakes Ranger District tweeted that its information center is closed.

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This article was originally published at 8:40 a.m.
Trump glosses over immigration on the eve of his meeting with Mexican president

The night before Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was scheduled to meet with the president of Mexico and deliver a long-awaited speech on immigration, he barely mentioned his signature issue at a boisterous rally in Washington state.

There were no calls to build a border wall and make Mexico pay for it, or a deportation force to deal with the millions of people who are in the country illegally. Instead, the sole reference to immigration at the Everett, Wash., rally Tuesday night focused on the drug epidemic.

We are also going to secure our border and stop the drugs from pouring in and destroying our country, Trump said. And Ill be talking about that tomorrow night in Arizona -- big speech on immigration, Arizona tomorrow night.

He went on to cite large increases in heroin overdoses in the Seattle area. Its getting worse; its getting horrific, he said.

Trump made the remarks shortly after he tweeted that he would be meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Wednesday, before he delivers his immigration speech amid questions over whether he was softening the hard-line stance he took on the issue during the Republican primary.

Trump also pushed back at Democratic nominee Hillary Clintons recent argument that he does not represent the mainstream Republican Party because of his incendiary statements about various groups and his support from racists.

Trump, who said he was proud to represent the party of Abraham Lincoln, pointed to Democrats past support of slavery and opposition to civil rights. It is the Democratic Party that is the party of slavery, the party of Jim Crow and the party of opposition, he said.

Democrats largely lost the South after they abandoned such positions.

Trumps remarks were overshadowed by news of his trip. He was to be accompanied by Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama and former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, according to Bloomberg News.
U.S. reaches refugee milestone amid campaign debate

(Jewel Samad / AFP/Getty Images)

The U.S. was set Monday to welcome its 10,000th refugee from Syria, hailed by the White House as an achievement reached ahead of schedule and without cutting any corners.

Whether the country should have admitted even that many, or far more, remains the subject of fierce political debate.

The escalation of the Syrian civil war prompted a global refugee crisis last summer as millions fled to Europe from the Middle East and other global trouble spots. Amid pressure from the international community to ramp up the pace of refugee admissions, President Obama set the goal last fall of resettling 10,000 Syrians in the U.S.  a figure far lower than some international allies had sought but one the administrations critics saw as tantamount to opening the floodgates and inviting a potential national security threat.

In marking the milestone, the White House charged that both sides had politicized the issue and that Obamas focus throughout has simply been to do the right thing. In a statement, National Security Advisor Susan Rice thanked government agencies that played a role in the screening processes, as well as the communities that have welcomed these new neighbors, demonstrating the values that have made our nation great.

Although Rice said the 10,000 refugees represented a six-fold increase over the previous years admissions, the number was a minuscule fraction of the 20 million refugees currently fleeing war zones and other harsh conditions around the world. Activists called on the U.S. to do more, including accepting larger numbers.

Thousands of families from Syria have found safety on our shores, and that is a wonderful thing, Tarah Demant, senior director of the U.S. branch of Amnesty International, said in a statement. But so many are still trapped in horrific conditions in refugee camps or war zones. The U.S. must do more to uphold its responsibility to do all it can to protect those fleeing human rights abuses.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that the president hopes the U.S. will expand our ambition to admit more refugees. Secretary of State John F. Kerry is discussing the matter with members of Congress, but Earnest conceded the increase would likely not be more than several thousand.

As of March, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had submitted more than 32,000 Syrians to the U.S. for resettlement consideration. Over the last five years, more than 378,000 Syrians have sought asylum in Germany, by comparison.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has attacked Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for proposing a more significant uptick; she called for admitting 65,000 Syrian refugees during a 2015 interview.

In a speech this month, Trump proposed modifying already-rigorous screening measures to preclude admitting any who have hostile attitudes towards our country or its principles  or who believe that Sharia law should supplant American law.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 30

Trend:

Armenias armed forces have 16 times violated the ceasefire on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops over the past 24 hours, said Azerbaijans Defense Ministry Aug. 30.

Armenian army was using large-caliber weapons.

The Armenian armed forces stationed in the Dovekh village of the Noyemberyan district, Chinari village of the Berd district and on nameless heights of the Krasnoselsk district of Armenia opened fire at the Azerbaijani positions located in the Kemerli village of the Gazakh district, Kokhanabi village of the Tovuz district and on nameless heights of the Gadabay district.

Positions of the Azerbaijani army also underwent fire from the Armenian positions located near the Chilaburt village of Azerbaijans Terter district, as well as from the positions located on nameless heights of the Goranboy and Fuzuli districts.

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.
Neither presidents nor presidential candidates are under any legal obligation to hold regular news conferences. But periodically submitting to questions from a diverse group of reporters is a way to demonstrate accountability to the public and an incentive to stay abreast of the issues.

Hillary Clinton surely knows that, yet it has been almost nine months since she has held a news conference. It took place on Dec. 5, before the first primary was held, when she was still battling Sen. Bernie Sanders  and former Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley (remember him?)  for the Democratic presidential nomination she formally secured in June. A lot has happened since then.

To be fair, Clinton often has answered questions from journalists in other settings during that period of time, including a telephone interview with the Los Angeles Times editorial board in May.

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If you squinted, you could even call one of those events a news conference. On Aug. 5, Clinton spoke to a joint convention of the National Assn. of Black Journalists and the National Assn. of Hispanic Journalists in Washington, D.C., and took some questions from audience members. But even at that session, a representative from the Washington Post urged Clinton to do this more often with reporters across the country, especially those news organizations that travel the country with you wherever you go. (Clinton has participated in brief exchanges occasionally with reporters who cover her.)

Clinton acts as if it doesnt matter that she avoids the hurly-burly of news conferences so long as she talks to journalists in other situations. When CNNs Anderson Cooper recently asked her during an interview whether she would hold a news conference, her response was: Well, Anderson, Im talking to you right now.

And she was  including about charges that donors to the Clinton Foundation had improper influence on the State Department during her tenure as secretary of State. But a one-on-one television conversation is no substitute for a freewheeling news conference with multiple questioners.

Will that sort of event touch on topics Clinton might prefer to avoid? Will it force her to think on her feet? Will it include unwelcome, challenging and sometimes even hostile questions? Of course, but given widespread doubts about her trustworthiness and transparency, Clinton needs to confront such questions in a relatively unpredictable environment. Her continued refusal to enter that arena makes her look fearful and defensive.

Donald Trump has committed his own sins against transparency, including revoking the credentials of reporters from media organizations whose coverage has displeased him. But the Republican nominee has held news conferences, some more protracted than others. (That doesnt mean the answers have been illuminating; just the opposite.)

If Clinton is elected president, presumably she will follow the example of her predecessors and hold wide-ranging news conferences at which some of the questions will play to her strengths and others will exasperate her. Why not start now?

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
To the editor: I think the author has made a significant point about Hillary Clintons health.

It is also worth noting that the medical reports issued by each of the two major candidates  Clinton and Donald Trump  could not be more disparate.

( Im so tired of hearing that Clinton is tired, Opinion, Aug. 25, Billionaires Clinton ties face scrutiny, Aug. 28, and Smoke surrounds the Clinton Foundation, Opinion, Aug. 28)

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Clintons medical condition is reported by a physician (an internist) using standard, acceptable medical terminology.

On the other hand, Trumps physician, using the vernacular, issued a short letter that claims that Trump will be the healthiest person to ever serve as president.

And Rudy Giulianis spurious claims about Clintons health, as he stumps for Trump, are so ridiculous as to call into question his own current mental faculties.

Trump should release an authentic medical report, and while hes at it, he should also release his tax returns.

Marcia Herman, Los Angeles

::

To the editor: There is little doubt that the Clinton Foundation has done a lot of good work.

In spite of that, the press has emphasized the conflict of interest with Hillary Clinton as the presidential candidate.

Of course, the Clintons have been careless in some of their actions, giving the GOP machine very good excuses to attack them. The Clintons might have reduced these attacks by divesting themselves from their foundation.

Looking at the other side, though, has Trump divested himself from his company?

Should he not have put his business interest in a trust if he really wants to become president of the U.S. to avoid any real or perceived conflict of interest?

Domenico Maceri, San Luis Obispo

::

To the editor: Regarding yet another negative front-page article about Clinton, I see a Pulitzer in your future  for equivocation.

Oh sure, editorially, you will endorse Clinton over Trump, albeit with much hand-wringing over her faults.

I could have sworn that I heard and read somewhere that she was a excellent senator and an excellent secretary of State. I have even watched some speeches where she goes into great detail about what she wants to accomplish as president.

As for the Clinton Foundation, I doubt you would flinch if it shut down, though so many would die.

I have been to Africa and seen and heard about the foundations work there. No, what is more important is the perception or appearance of something not proved. Again, true (equal number of negative stories) journalism.

Keith Frohreich, Anaheim Hills

::

To the editor: With the unending attacks on the Clinton Foundation and possible conflicts of interest regarding two people who have dedicated their lives to public service, why has no sustained effort been made by editorial and opinion writers to raise questions about Trumps obvious conflicts with his business interests if he becomes president?

He has properties all over the world with his name plastered on most of them and anything he did or said as president could have an effect on his investments. How are those to be resolved?

What if he decides to default on one of his loans and throws another one of his properties into bankruptcy, dealing with a judge appointed by the president? The conflicts are overwhelming.

How about a little equal treatment here? Go after the most impossible-to-resolve conflict there could possibly be when a president owns real estate, encumbered by the Chinese government, no less.

John Rothman, Tarzana

::

To the editor: After reading this long article, my response is: And...?

Gilbert Chagoury is apparently a philanthropist who gives to a lot of different places.

As for the Clintons, like all the other articles I have read about the foundation, there is neither a quid nor a quo. Chagoury gave money that was of no benefit to the Clintons and got nothing in return. Why is this even a story?

Gary Page, Hemet

::

To the editor: What is the conclusion of this piece? The headline implies some major scandal, but it doesnt deliver. It contains a lot of random facts and he said, she said about Chagoury, who turns out to be your standard wheeler-dealer.

Doug Band of the Clinton Global Initiative has caused a lot of trouble by soliciting State Department access for donors, but this is unfortunately what fundraisers do. There is no evidence cited that anything illegal happened.

This piece seems a typical example of mainstream media intimidation resulting from continual right-wing charges of liberal bias. There results a tendency, in order to appear balanced, to match one-for-one every critical piece about Trump or Republicans with a critical piece about Clinton.

So, the fact that people try (but apparently not succeed in this case) to get special favors from donations (an everyday occurrence in Washington) is given equal weight and presumably cancels out blame for the Republican Partys denial of climate change or Trumps flirtation with white supremacists. The scale is not balanced.

Donald Burnett, Arcadia

::

To the editor: The Clinton Foundation funds a range of philanthropic causes worldwide. As such, it seems reasonable that donations from wealthy foreigners would be accepted. I am tired of the news media microscopically examining every transaction, every email, every interaction, and implying nefarious motives or conflicts. Please, if you are going to cover the Clinton Foundation, balance your coverage by mentioning the good that has come from the foundation work as well.

William Prothero, Santa Barbara

::

To the editor: Doyle McManus believes the Clintons helped save millions of lives around the world.

Are foreign governments incapable of administering the work undertaken by the Clintons? Is there no other foundation on the planet capable of carrying on good work?

Shuttering the foundation and initiative would demonstrate integrity and help restore Americans trust in those we elect to positions of power.

Julia Lutch, Davis

::

To the editor: The front-page piece on the Clinton Foundation did a great disservice to both charities in general, and the Clintons in particular.

The foundation has helped millions of people worldwide. And yes, it is an international foundation with many wealthy foreign contributors, some most certainly being a bit sleazy, just like any group of super-wealthy individuals.

And yes, many of them may be looking for access to American politicians, just like the thousands who contribute to political campaigns. Isnt that the way American politics works? Only in this case, the end result is help for millions who need it.

Give the Clintons credit for what they have done, in contrast to Trump, who bilks thousands like me out of so many dollars for his own charity.

Phil Kirk, Encinitas

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
Estimating that two-thirds of the medical marijuana stores in California have failed to pay sales taxes, state officials on Tuesday took a carrot-and-stick approach to persuade pot shops to pay the $106 million owed.

With the state preparing to license medical marijuana shops in 2018, the Assembly sent Gov. Jerry Brown a bill Tuesday that would establish a tax amnesty program to help bring scofflaws into compliance with the law.

The measure would allow medical cannabis sellers to temporarily avoid a penalty of 25% to 50% on late taxes but would block the issuance of new state licenses to any continuing violators.

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Assemblyman Mike Gipson (D-Carson), who introduced the bill, said many medical cannabis shops have not registered with the state and paid taxes for fear of criminal prosecution because marijuana remains an illegal substance under federal law.

You have a lot of businesses that would like to come out of the shadows and do the right thing, Gipson said.

Voters legalized the medical use of marijuana in California two decades ago; the state has some 2,500 dispensaries.

A recent court decision said federal officials could not spend money to prosecute people who comply with state medical pot laws.

Getting businesses to comply with tax laws is also important because a measure on the November ballot in California would legalize the recreational use of marijuana, potentially resulting in many more businesses opening to sell cannabis.

But the main development that led to the amnesty proposal is a new regulatory scheme approved last year for the state to issue licenses to medical cannabis dispensaries starting in 2018.

Now that California has officially taken steps to establish a regulatory framework for cannabis, we have an opportunity to engage these businesses to ensure they pay their dues, Gipson told his colleagues, who approved the amnesty program on a 46-to-13 vote.

The state Board of Equalization, which collects taxes, estimated the 66% rate of non-payment of taxes based on the experience of other states, including Colorado, officials said.

The six-month amnesty period would run from July 1, 2017, through Dec. 31, 2017, and apply to tax liabilities due before Jan. 1, 2015.

Last years approval of a state regulatory system requiring pot shops to get state licenses may be enough to persuade businesses that previously operated underground to comply with state tax and regulatory laws, David J. Gau, the executive director of the board, wrote to lawmakers.

Industry officials, including Nate Bradley, executive director of the California Cannabis Industry Assn., welcomed the amnesty offer.

Due to the lack of a legal framework and access to basic banking, paying taxes has been extremely challenging for our medical cannabis industry, Bradley said. The tax amnesty program proposed in Assembly Member Gipsons bill will help existing medical cannabis operators more easily transition from operating in an unregulated, gray market to a regulated one.

Updates from Sacramento 

Brown was also sent a bill that allows state licenses to be issued to 135 pot dispensaries authorized in Los Angeles when voters approved Measure D in 2013.

State law requires those applying for state licenses to have a license from the city, but the L.A. ballot measure did not provide a city license so special eligibility was needed through legislation, according to Assemblyman Reggie Jones Sawyer (D-Los Angeles).

patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com

Follow @mcgreevy99 on Twitter

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The Costa Mesa Historical Society offered free public tours and other activities Sunday at Estancia Park to mark 50 years of restoration and preservation of the parks Diego Sepulveda Adobe.

The event, dubbed Early California Days, celebrated the history of the adobe, a museum that contains artifacts from its past as part of a Native American village called Lukup.

The site later was a station of Mission San Juan Capistrano and the property of Don Diego Sepulveda, a former alcalde of Pueblo de Los Angeles, the Allen family and the Adams family, for whom Adams Avenue is named.

In 1940, the property was purchased by the Segerstrom family, who in 1963 gave the site to the city of Costa Mesa as a memorial to the areas early settlers.

In 1966, a committee of the Chamber of Commerce began work to establish a museum inside the adobe.

The interior of the museum represents four periods of California history  Indian, Mission, Spanish and Victorian.

For more information, visit costamesahistory.org.
A felon arrested in Costa Mesa on suspicion of pimping a young woman and possessing a loaded firearm with the serial number removed has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him, prosecutors said Monday.

Adam Rocky Trinidad, 24, of Fresno was charged with felony counts of pimping, pandering, possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of ammunition by a prohibited person and possession of a firearm with identification numbers removed, according to the Orange County district attorneys office.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of four years and four months in state prison.

Between Aug. 23 and Aug. 25, Trinidad is accused of pimping an 18-year-old woman from Fresno to areas in Orange County known for human trafficking and prostitution, prosecutors said.

Costa Mesa police arranged to meet the woman at a motel on Newport Boulevard in Costa Mesa on Aug. 25, prosecutors said.

Trinidad waited at a nearby bus stop during the womans meeting with police, prosecutors said. He also sent the woman text messages that identified him as her pimp and ones that said he booked the motel room in his name, prosecutors said.

Police found a bag in the room that contained a loaded firearm with the identification number scratched off, prosecutors allege.

Trinidad was arrested near the motel.

Authorities also allege that he posted sexually explicit ads of the woman to solicit commercial sex and kept part of the money she received from people who paid for sexual acts.

Trinidad is being held at Orange County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail and is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing Sept. 7 at the West Justice Center in Westminster.

Trinidad has a previous felony conviction for possession of a controlled substance for sale in 2012 from Fresno.

alexia.fernandez@latimes.com

Twitter: @alexiafedz
The Costa Mesa Sanitary District is taking the California Department of Transportation to court over allegedly substandard work done by a contractor hired by the state agency more than two decades ago to repair a district sewer line.

The districts complaint, filed earlier this month in Orange County Superior Court, alleges that the Caltrans contractor pierced a sewer pipe in the area of 2285 Newport Blvd. during work on a street-widening project in 1992.

The contractor never reported that damage, the complaint says. Instead, the sanitary district alleges that the contractor  which wasnt named in the complaint  fabricated a repair by connecting a smaller, 6-inch pipe section to the existing 8-inch sewer line.

The district is seeking compensation to help cover the cost of fixing the entire pipe  estimated in court documents at around $33,000  as well as to pay legal costs, according to the complaint.

Were going through the proper course to be reimbursed for those repairs that shouldnt have occurred, Costa Mesa Sanitary District General Manager Scott Carroll said.

Caltrans spokeswoman Yvonne Washington said Monday that she could not comment on the matter, as it is pending litigation.

The sanitary district didnt discover the issue until December, after workers reported running into problems cleaning the sewer line.

The districts crew couldnt get the cleaning hose through the line to remove debris and cooking grease, according to Carroll.

After excavating to find out why the hose couldnt make it through, Carroll said, the improper 6-inch pipe section was discovered.

Although there havent been any major issues in the area since the smaller pipe was installed more than two decades ago, Carroll said it had to be repaired because it eventually could cause the entire pipe to fail or lead to a sewage spill.

The sanitary district previously filed a claim about the pipe with the states Victim Compensation Board for $24,970, but that agency rejected it in May. Carroll said the board denied the districts case because it was outside its typical scope of analysis and interpretation. Thus, the district needed to make its case locally, he said.

We have to go through the legal system to get our money back, Carroll said.

luke.money@latimes.com

Twitter: @LukeMMoney
Geckos Adventures specializes in small-group travel with local guides. Among its last-minute discounts for this fall: an eight-day trip to Ecuador starting at $645 per person.

The deal: The trip offers a good value for those who like to poke around on their own during free time and then regroup for organized tours.

Base price roughs out to about $80 a day, and that covers lodgings, tours and some meals. Youll first go to high-elevation Quito (9,350 feet) before immersing yourself in the Amazon jungle and the villages of Banos and Otavalo.

When: Tours leave Sept. 6 (the lowest-priced trip) and 27, Oct. 4 and 25, and Nov. 29. Prices range from $645 to $790 per person, depending on availability and which dates you pick.

Details: For this price, you get five nights in hotels and two nights in a community lodge in the Amazon jungle with shared bathroom (its described as basic, and bringing your own sleeping bag is suggested.)

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The price also includes ground transportation  bus, canoe, minibus and hiking on foot  as well as village and market tours of Otavalo. Seven breakfasts, one lunch and two dinners also are included. Airfare to and from Ecuador is extra.

By the way, Geckos is changing it up for its 2017 trips to Ecuador. So if you like this city-and-jungle itinerary, grab a spot and go.

Info: Geckos Adventures Ecuador Highlights, (855) 832-4853

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Behrooz Ghamari recalled flying in Iran aboard a moldering, Russian-made Tupolev jet, a workhorse of the countrys beleaguered passenger fleet.

When youre taking off, the pilot says, Ladies and gentlemen, trembling and shaking is normal, said Ghamari, a history professor at the University of Illinois.

And when its taking off, the whole plane shakes like mad. It was so scary. The planes are so heavy, its like they are made of steel. It was bizarre to think these machines fly.

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They werent airborne in Iran for much longer. That flight was in 2009. Two years later, Iran grounded the countrys 23 Tupolev jets after a series of crashes.

Airplanes are mothballed at the international airport in Tehran. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times )

Irans reliance on an aircraft that has been banned from Western airports for years  in part because of its engine noise, which one enthusiast described as vacuum-cleaner-meets-rotary-phone-ringing  showed how badly its commercial aviation sector was hobbled by U.S. sanctions.

Since the 1979 hostage crisis in Tehran, U.S. trade restrictions have barred the sale of American-made aircraft and parts to Iran. European sanctions instituted more recently to discourage Irans nuclear program further limited what Iran could purchase. Today, Iran operates one of the worlds oldest passenger fleets and has managed to keep flying mainly with aging Russian jets and some U.S.-made planes it purchased through third-party dealers in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia  probably in violation of U.S. laws.

When sanctions were eased in January after Iran certified that it had shelved its nuclear program, Tehran immediately opened talks with Boeing Co. and the European manufacturer Airbus to buy hundreds of aircraft. The deals  potentially worth tens of billions of dollars  represent the biggest commercial result of the nuclear accord.

Airplanes have real political and symbolic significance for the Iranian government, Ghamari said. Whenever ordinary people and politicians referred to how immoral and cruel these sanctions are, they brought up the example of the Iranian airlines and their aging commercial fleet.

Iranian officials have long argued that U.S. sanctions forced its aviation industry to rely on outdated jets, making air travel less safe for civilians. Iran has one of the worlds worst air safety records; since 1979, 1,672 people have died in 92 aircraft-related accidents in the country, according to the Flight Safety Foundation.

Whenever ordinary people and politicians referred to how immoral and cruel these sanctions are, they brought up the example of the Iranian airlines.  Behrooz Ghamari, a history professor at the University of Illinois

In June, Iran announced that it had reached a $25-billion agreement to purchase or lease more than 100 aircraft from Chicago-based Boeing  the biggest U.S. business deal with Iran since Washington cut diplomatic ties with Tehran in 1979.

But Republican opponents of the nuclear deal in the House of Representatives approved legislation in July to block the sale. In a letter to Boeing, two Republican lawmakers cited accusations that Irans commercial aviation sector has been used to funnel troops and weapons to terrorist organizations and dictators such as Syrian President Bashar Assad.

These terrorist groups and rogue regimes have American blood on their hands, the letter said. Your potential customers do as well.

Although President Obama has said he would veto any attempt to stop the sale, in the heat of an election campaign in which Republicans are eager to paint Democrats as soft on Iran, it seems unlikely that any planes will be delivered before November.

Boeing representatives continue to travel to Tehran for meetings with Iranian aviation officials, most recently in early August at the former Sheraton hotel. Iranian officials say they have an agreement in principle, but cite the delay as evidence that the U.S. isnt living up to its end of the nuclear pact.

It is certainly a violation of [the agreement] and we will confront it, Irans nuclear negotiator, Hamid Baeidinejad, said in July.

Some analysts say Iran cant afford the planes and lacks the technicians and airport space to operate them.

Patrick Clawson, director of research at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, wrote last month that the more than 100 Boeing aircraft, plus a similar number Iran wants to purchase from Airbus, together exceed the entire fleet of Air France  which operates in a country that has seven times the number of air travelers as Iran.

But the Boeing deal is important symbolically for moderate President Hassan Rouhani, who is expected to seek reelection next year in part by arguing that he has improved Irans relations with the West.

They are using this to strengthen connections with the U.S., said Fariborz Raisdana, an independent economic analyst in Tehran.

But I hope they come to their senses. They need to find a solution that is pro-people, not pro-West.

Irans aviation industry says the deal would stabilize the country by bringing jobs, stimulating a moribund economy and promoting tourism across a land four times the size of California, with a roster of historic and religious sites.

Mehdi Hamidanpour, managing director of Iran Airtour airlines, hopes Iran will soon seal an agreement to purchase new planes from U.S. manufacturer Boeing. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times )

Iran Airtour, a quasi-private airline, is down to half a dozen aircraft after its Tupolevs were grounded. Its remaining planes are all McDonnell Douglas jets more than two decades old. Still, the carrier manages to squeeze out 800 flights a month, an average of four per plane per day.

Managing director Mehdi Hamidanpour called the Boeing delay illogical.

Theyre prolonging a process that is very simple, Hamidanpour said. Theres a buyer and theres a seller. When Washington wants to pass new sanctions, they do it in 10 minutes. So why is buying a plane so hard?

shashank.bengali@latimes.com

Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia

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The French government wants the European Union to end talks with the U.S. on forging a sweeping trade deal that it sees as too friendly to U.S. businesses.

French President Francois Hollande said Tuesday that talks on a landmark trade deal between the U.S. and European Union are unbalanced and cannot be completed before President Obama leaves office.

France prefers to look things in the face, Hollande said in a diplomatic speech. These discussions cannot result in an agreement by the end of the year. The negotiations have bogged down, the positions have not been respected, the imbalance is obvious.

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Its the latest blow to the proposed free-trade zone that would encompass half the worlds economy. Theres resistance on both continents, and the talks are complicated by Britains planned exit from the 28-nation EU and upcoming presidential elections in the U.S. and France.

On Sunday, German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said that in my opinion, the negotiations with the United States have de facto failed, even though nobody is really admitting it.

Hollandes trade chief, Matthias Fekl, accused the American side of offering just crumbs. He said earlier Tuesday that France will ask the European Commission at a meeting in Slovakia next month to halt talks on the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

Fekl, Frances secretary of state for foreign trade, said talks could resume if wider EU-U.S. trade relations improved.

We need a clear, clean, definitive halt to negotiations to be able to resume on a good basis, Fekl said on RMC radio, without elaborating on what conditions would be necessary for new talks.

Not all agree that the talks have failed.

Chief EU negotiator Ignacio Garcia Bercero played down Gabriels talk of failure. And in Washington, Matt McAlvanah, assistant U.S. trade representative for public affairs, insisted that the negotiations are in fact making steady progress.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 30

Trend:

The frontline defense of Azerbaijani Armed Forces in areas liberated from the Armenian occupation in the April clashes will be strengthened.

This was announced Aug. 30 at a board meeting held in the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense dedicated to the results of combat training of the countrys Armed Forces, the website of the ministry reported.

On the night of April 2, 2016, all the frontier positions of Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy fire from the Armenian side, which used large-caliber weapons, mortars and grenade launchers. The armed clashes resulted in deaths and injuries among the Azerbaijani population. Azerbaijan responded with a counter-attack, which led to liberation of several strategic heights and settlements.

During the meeting, deputy defense ministers and commanders of military formations of Azerbaijan presented their reports on the state of combat readiness and discipline in the countrys Armed Forces, the work done, problems and their solutions, etc.

Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov gave officials further instructions on equipping military units with advanced weapons, ammunition and armed vehicles, improving the combat readiness of the personnel, strengthening their psychological condition and discipline, as well as enhancing their social conditions.
For more than 50 years, the Colombian government battled a leftist rebel group known as the FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, in a conflict that claimed 220,000 lives, displaced millions of people and hampered the economy of a country rich in natural resources and human capital.

After several failed attempts, the government and the rebels reached an agreement last week in Havana that could finally end the longest running conflict in the Western Hemisphere. Colombians will vote whether to approve the deal Oct. 2 in a nationwide plebiscite.

In the meantime, the two sides Monday announced a formal cease-fire.

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Heres a primer on the history and potential future of the countrys largest rebel group:

What is the FARC?

Pedro Antonio Marin, a peasant farmer who went by the alias Manuel Marulanda, or Sure Shot, founded the rebel group in 1964 after a 10-year civil war known as La Violencia fought between paramilitary groups representing the Liberal, Conservative and Communist parties over control of agricultural lands. It ended with amnesties for leaders and a power-sharing agreement that didnt resolve underlying peasant complaints. The FARCs stated aim was to seek redistribution of land favoring the poor as well as opposition to the presence of multinational companies.

Under Marulandas leadership, the FARC drew recruits mainly from poor, rural, indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities and universities, growing to an estimated 20,000 armed fighters by the late 1990s.

Marulanda died of natural causes in 2008 at age 77.

What conditions allowed the FARC and other insurgencies to grow?

Colombia had a long history of inequality and repression of peasants by moneyed elites. The victimization of poor farmers was exacerbated by the lack of agrarian reform. Peasants effectively were the slaves of coffee haciendas controlled by rich land owners. The countrys mountainous geography that isolates many rural communities meant the state had little influence.

Peasant rebellions date back to the 1930s, when the collapse of agricultural markets and government neglect led to massive rural protests. In the 1940s, a dozen farm communities actually declared their independence from the government by forming red republics.

The 1958 pact that ended La Violencia excluded poor farmers and labor unions, making extremist groups like the FARC more appealing to the disenfranchised.

Why did the FARC become Colombias largest, most powerful rebel group?

While up to six insurgent groups operated in Colombia at various times, the FARC had the strongest ties to Colombias peasantry. In many remote communities where rule of law was weak or nonexistent, the rebels filled the void.

Even now, the poor in many areas turn to the FARC to resolve disputes over property, loans and other matters. The rebels would act as judge, jury and, if need be, executioner in exchange for the loyalty, intelligence and food support from poor petitioners.

Growth accelerated after 1982, when the FARC began to pursue a military takeover and finance it through kidnappings and drug trafficking. The change in strategy helped fill the ranks through better payments to fighters and gave the rebels greater control in the countryside.

When did the FARC achieve its peak military strength?

The FARC inflicted a series of humiliating defeats on the hapless Colombian military during the 1990s by overrunning several bases and taking hundreds of soldiers hostage. By the beginning of President Alvaro Uribes term in 2002, rebels had encircled the capital, Bogota. They fired rockets at downtown targets during his inauguration ceremony.

What led to the FARCs decline?

The rise of paramilitary militias forced the FARC to retreat from many areas of influence, including the Caribbean coastal areas, in favor of the remote eastern jungle plains and southern border areas. The paramilitaries were formed by wealthy farmers and cattlemen as self-defense forces against the FARC because they felt abandoned by the central government. By the time the militias demobilized in 2006, many had morphed into criminal gangs involved in drugs and extortion rackets.

Another blow was Plan Colombia, the U.S. antiterror and drugs aid program that funneled $10 billion to Colombias armed forces and social service agencies. Included in the aid was telecommunications monitoring technology that helped Colombia target and kill FARC leaders such as Raul Reyes in 2008, Mono Jojoy in 2010 and Alfonso Cano in 2011.

The 1982 decision to engage in kidnappings and drug trafficking ultimately cost the FARC popular sympathy.

Why did previous peace negotiations fail?

The FARC and the government signed a peace deal in 1984 that led to a three-year ceasefire and the formation of a FARC-allied political party, the Union Patriotica. But the slayings in subsequent years of about 1,000 of the partys office-holders and activists by right wing death squads quashed hopes for peace.

Starting in 1999, President Andres Pastrana held peace talks with the FARC and even consented to a demilitarized clearance zone in eastern Colombia for the rebels so they could negotiate. But the talks broke down in 2002.

Why did the FARC finally forsake war and join peace talks in 2012?

The killings of several top FARC leaders by the military and the death of Marulanda crippled the leadership structure. Over the last decade, the modernized Colombian army had the FARC on the run. Desertions in the lower ranks were common.

Convinced that the rebels would never win militarily, outside boosters, including Cubas Fidel Castro and the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, urged the FARC to seek peace and shift strategy to the political stage.

Polls show Colombians deeply divided over the peace deal. Why are so many expected to vote against it on Oct. 2?

Few families in Colombia are untouched by the wars kidnappings, displacements and extortion involving threats of violence. Although the military and right wing paramilitary groups committed atrocities over the course of the conflict, the public holds the rebels most accountable.

Under the peace deal, rebels would be guaranteed 10 congressional seats for the next two terms and amnesty for certain crimes if they confess. Those terms may be difficult for many Colombians to accept.

As former FARC hostage and presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt put it to a television interviewer last weekend, many victims are eager for peace but still need time to forgive.

What will be the FARCs future role in Colombian politics?

If voters approve the deal, the FARC will disarm over a six-month period as its fighters move to 23 relocation zones and eight rebel camps. The FARC has yet to say what its political party will be, but many think it will be the now-forming peasant-based Marcha Patriotica whose goals involve agrarian reform including redistribution of large land-holdings to poor farmers.

Kraul is a special correspondent.
A U.N. envoys statement suggesting Israels expansion of Jewish settlements presents an obstacle to peace with Palestinians distorts history, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday.

In a report to the U.N. Security Council in New York, Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov on Monday highlighted a surge in Israeli plans to advance 1,700 new housing units in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, and efforts to retroactively legalize hilltop settler outposts. The report also accused Israel of stepping up demolitions of Palestinian buildings, and conducting a land survey to identify grounds for a new settlement next to the Palestinian city of Bethlehem.

Palestinians want the West Bank and East Jerusalem for a future state.

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It is difficult to read in these actions a genuine intention to work towards a viable two-state solution, Mladenov, special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said in the report. This appears to reinforce a policy, carried out over decades, that has enabled over half a million Israelis to settle in territory that was occupied militarily in 1967.

David Keyes, a spokesman for Netanyahu, said Tuesday that Mladenovs statement was distorting history and international law and that the criticism would make peace efforts harder.

It is not the presence of Jews, who have lived in the West Bank and Jerusalem for thousands of years, that is a barrier to peace, Keyes said in a statement. Rather, it is the unceasing efforts to deny that historical connection and a refusal to recognize that Jews are not foreign to Judea, using a biblical term referring to the southern West Bank.

Keyes called criticism of Israeli building in East Jerusalem  areas of the city occupied and annexed following the 1967 Middle East War  as absurd as saying Americans cant build in Washington or the French cant build in Paris.

The exchange reflects the growing chasm between the international community and Israels government over the status of the West Bank. While the settlement building is widely considered illegal and harmful to the peace process, many ministers in Israels government are opposed to a Palestinian state and are increasingly calling to annex certain settlements to Israel.

Though Netanyahu says he still supports the eventual creation of a Palestinian state, many foreign leaders point to an interview on the eve of a parliamentary election in 2015 in which he said no such entity would be created if he were returned to office.

The two-year hiatus in peace negotiations and growing Palestinian efforts to pass international resolutions against Israel have fanned speculation in Israel that the U.S. may agree to a formal declaration or measure at the United Nations Security Council critical of Israel.

An advisor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas applauded Mladenovs report, but said more needed to be done.

We need actions more than statements, Husam Zomlot said in an emailed comment. The Security Council shouldnt continue to be paralyzed over flagrant and systematic violations of international law committed by Israel.

The U.N. envoys statement comes two months after a report on the state of Israeli-Palestinian relations from the so-called Middle East quartet of peace mediators  the U.S., the United Nations, the European Union and Russia -- also took Israel to task over settlements. The report pointed to large parts of West Bank territory designated for exclusive Israeli use and said Palestinian development on most remaining open land is blocked by Israeli military bureaucracy.

The quartet said the number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank excluding East Jerusalem had tripled to 370,000 since the beginning of Israel-Palestinian peace negotiations in 1993 and slammed the settlements as eroding the viability of a Palestinian state. An additional 200,000 Israelis live in neighborhoods of Jerusalem built in areas annexed after 1967.

This raises the legitimate questions about Israels long-term intentions, the report said.

A month ago, a U.S. State Department spokesman called plans to expand an Israeli neighborhood near the southern edge of East Jerusalem as provocative and counterproductive.

Oded Revivi, a spokesman for the umbrella Israeli settlement organization the Yesha Council, said the United Nations criticism was misguided and would not change the situation.

Half a million Israelis arent going anywhere, and its time the international community get used to it, he said in an email Tuesday.

Mitnick is a special correspondent.
All material is subject to strictly enforced copyright terms & conditions and cannot be repurposed or reproduced.  19882022 Latin American Financial Publications Inc.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 30

Trend:

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has urged the persons invited to the conference to be organized by Armenia under the pretext of the 25th anniversary of independence of the separatist regime established in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan to respect the rules and principles of international law, refrain from illegal visit to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and from participation in this conference, which serves provocative purposes, according to the statement of the countrys Foreign Ministry Aug. 30.

In accordance with the information disseminated in the mass media outlets, Armenia plans to organize a conference in Yerevan Sept.2-3 and a trip to the occupied lands for the participants under the pretext of the so-called 25th anniversary of independence of the separatist regime established in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, according to the statement.

It is also planned to organize an international youth conference and other provocative events in the city of Khankendi Sept. 15-18, Azerbaijans foreign ministry added.

Armenia, having unleashed the war against Azerbaijan, occupied twenty percent of the countrys territories by using force and ethnically cleansed over one million Azerbaijanis from those areas, as well as committed other numerous war crimes, the act of genocide and crimes against humanity in the occupied territories, the foreign ministry noted.

The separatist regime created on the occupied territory of Azerbaijan is the result of Armenias aggression and occupation against Azerbaijan.

The judgment in the case "Chiragov and others v. Armenia" on June 16, 2015 in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) confirms that the regime is controlled by Armenia and still exists due to the military, political and financial support for that country.

According to the statement, the international community has consistently and unequivocally condemned the use of military force by Armenia against Azerbaijan and consequences of the occupation of Azerbaijani lands.

In 1993, the UN Security Council adopted resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884, condemning the use of military force against Azerbaijan and occupation of its territories and reaffirming the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and the inviolability of its internationally recognized borders, the statement said.

In those resolutions, the Security Council reaffirmed that the Nagorno-Karabakh region is a part of Azerbaijan, and called for immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of the occupying forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan, the statement said. Other international organizations have adopted similar documents.

The persons, who visited Azerbaijans occupied territories, violate the countrys legislation and the corresponding measures will be taken in their regard by the government of Azerbaijan, they may be even banned from entering the country, according to the statement.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 30

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum Seyed Mohammad Hossein Adeli.

Seyed Mohammad Hossein Adeli recalled his previous meeting with President Ilham Aliyev and with the satisfaction noted the fact that Azerbaijan is an observer of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum.

He said that Bolivia will host a summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum in 2017 and invited Azerbaijan to the event.

President Aliyev highlighted that over the recent years, important events took place in Azerbaijans energy sphere, in particular, in the development of gas fields.

It was noted that the work on Shah Deniz-2 project is carried out successfully and a significant growth in gas output is expected in Azerbaijan in the coming years.

The president said also that gas output is expected to start within the Absheron project in the near future.

Thus, Azerbaijan will considerably expand gas export opportunities in the future, he added.

The parties also exchanged views on issues related to trends in gas and energy markets, Azerbaijan's cooperation with the Gas Exporting Countries Forum and ways to increase the efficiency of gas exports, based on these options.
Baku, Azerbaijan, August 30

Trend:

Azay Guliyev, Azerbaijani MP, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) vice-president, met with the Chairmen of the Senate and Majlis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who also serves as Head of Kazakhstan's OSCE PA Delegation, and Nurlan Nigmatulin at the international conference entitled Building a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World in Astana, Kazakhstan Aug. 30, said a message posted on the OSCE PA website.

According to the message, Guliyev expressed appreciation for the strong role that the Kazakh parliament plays in the OSCE PA and discussed prospects for continued bilateral cooperation.

The sides also discussed how to further consolidate cooperation between OSCE PA and all Central Asian countries, with the Kazakh parliamentarians expressing firm political will to further develop their relationship and deepen cooperation with the OSCE PA, the message said.

According to the message, the Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, Ambassador Gyorgy Szabo, also attended the meetings.
Baku, Azerbaijan, August 30

By Orkhan Quluzade  Trend:

Mehmet Simsek, Turkish deputy prime minister, urged Apple Inc. to begin production in Turkey, the Turkish Haberturk newspaper reported Aug. 30.

Simsek added that Turkey will be glad to see Apple Inc. in the country, the message said.

Earlier, the EU urged Apple Inc. to pay 13 billion euros to Ireland.

The European Commission ordered Apple Inc. to pay Ireland unpaid taxes of up to 13 billion euros as it ruled the firm had received illegal state aid.

Apple Inc. was founded in 1976.

Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and online services.

Apple Inc. has more than 500 stores in 19 countries.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Aug. 30

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Turkmenistan is a promising partner for Austria and a number of countries of the European Union (EU) in the sphere of energy security and the possibility to diversify the sources of raw materials supply, the Turkmen oil and gas complex said in a message Aug. 30.

According to a decree of Turkmenistans President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the countrys delegation has been sent to Austrias capital, where the 8th meeting of the joint Turkmen-Austrian commission and a business forum will be held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3.

The upcoming forum is aimed at implementation of bilateral agreements reached between Turkmenistan and Austria, as well as at further development of relation between the two countries, according to the decree.

Talks were held at the highest level in May 2015 during Berdimuhamedovs official visit to Vienna, where the interest of European countries in natural gas supplies from Turkmenistan was noted.

Austria supports projects, which ensure diversification and depoliticization of gas routes and it is in tune with Turkmenistans position, said then Austrias Former President Heinz Fischer. The Turkmen-Austrian memorandum of understanding signed in 2011 to intensify cooperation in the field of energy became one of the first steps to create the appropriate contractual legal base, he added.

Earlier, Austria was one of the authors of the Reliable and stable transit of energy and its role in ensuring sustainable development and international cooperation project, which was adopted at Turkmenistans initiative by the UN General Assembly in 2008 and 2013.

Currently, the EU, Tukmenistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia discuss the possibilities of Turkmen gas supplies to European market.

The Trans Caspian gas pipeline, with an annual capacity of 10-30 billion cubic meters, is one of the options for delivering Turkmen gas to European market.
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Members of the Nuclear Weapons Working Group are presenting their personal views as part of a wider consultation process into the partys future policy on nuclear weapons. The full consultation paper can be found at www.libdems.org.uk/autumn-conference-16-policypapers and the consultation window runs until 28 October. Party members are invited to attend the consultation session at party conference in Brighton, to be held on Saturday 17 September at 1pm in the Balmoral Room of the Hilton.

1945, August 6, 8.15am. Slicing through the clear blue sky, a previously unknown absolute evil is unleashed on Hiroshima instantly searing the entire city, Koreans, Chinese, Southeast Asians, American prisoners of war, children, the elderly and other innocent people are slaughtered. By the end of the year 140,000 are dead.

Witness, a boy of 17: Charred corpses blocked the road. An eerie stench filled my nose. A sea of fire spread as far as I could see. Hiroshima was a living hell Witness, a girl of 18: I was covered in blood. Around me were people with skin flayed from their backs hanging all the way to their feet  crying, screaming, begging for water.

 Taken from the Peace declaration of the City of Hiroshimas Mayor.

Never again must something like this happen. Yet those who have stuck rigidly to a policy of multilateral disarmament have not been successful in bringing about the nuclear-free world they profess to seek, and they show little sign of doing so.

It is my contention that British possession of nuclear weapons is immoral and that the UK should be leading by example in scrapping Trident and not replacing it with nuclear alternatives.

Nothing I have heard or read during the meetings of the Nuclear Weapons Policy Working Group has convinced me otherwise.

Britain has only 1% of the worlds nuclear weapons, yet our government pretends it is one of the big boys in the nuclear playground and that our nuclear weapons give us some sort of special leverage.

The evidence to back that claim is not convincing.

I recall the former Chief of Defence Staff Lord Carver asking the question Trident? What the bloody hell is it for?

Tim Farron and others have referred to it as a relic of the cold war. So why on Earth are we even considering the

possibility of spending, maybe, up to 200billion on it in future?

The savings from moving to a part-time fleet, the partys current policy, are said to be not that significant in the scheme of things.

Former Defence Secretary Michael Portillo said Trident is completely past its sell by date, and he is right.

With new technologies becoming available, Trident is increasingly likely to become vulnerable to cyber-attacks and drones, making it even more of a white elephant.

Of the five options suggested in the Nuclear Weapons Policy Consultation Paper, two relate to Trident and one relates to free-fall nuclear bombs (which to my mind conjures up images from the Doctor Strangelove movie). The aircraft and the bombs they would carry are vulnerable to being taken-out before reaching their target. The paper notes: in all likelihood there would not be significant savings because of the cost of developing a new platform.

Of the remaining two options, one is Virtual Capability. There are questions as to whether there would be sufficient warning of need to move to production and operational training. Such a policy could also send wrong signals at a time of international tension in the future.

Which leaves us with just one option The Zero Option of cancelling the Successor submarine programme and retiring the existing Vanguard fleet.

It is the option that I recommend. The time has come for Liberal Democrats to lead the way. Lets do it.

* Kevin White is Chair of LibDems Against Trident. He was a member of the last LibDem working group on nuclear weapons and was a member of the pre-merger Liberal Party's Defence and Disarmament Panel
IRISH Water says there are less than four weeks remaining for members of the public to lodge submissions in relation to plans to add orthophosphate to the citys public water supply.

The State-owned utility says orthophosphate is effective in putting a coating inside lead pipes and reducing the lead levels in water.

If the plan is implemented, the measure will result in the city becoming the first urban area in the country to have a lead-free pipe network by.

A number of homes in Limerick have confirmed levels of lead in their drinking water higher than the relevant limit allowed under the drinking water regulations, said a spokesperson for Irish Water.

Until all lead pipework is replaced, the introduction of Orthophosphate treatment in Limerick has the potential to protect customers and reduce lead concentrations below the drinking water regulation limit for properties that have lead in the private distribution system and service connection to the property boundary, added the spokesperson.

The period of public consultation will close on September 21, next and, subject to change, Irish Water says it will begin adding small amounts of Orthophosphate at the Clareville water treatment plant from October.

The Clareview Water Treatment plant serves Limerick city and its environs.

Irish Water says its confident that lead piping has been removed from the public water distribution mains but estimates that more than 5,000 homes and dozens of commercial and public buildings still have internal lead plumbing, including lead service pipes from the watermain to the stopcock.

The best and most effective way of dealing with lead in drinking water is to replace all lead pipes and homeowners should seek the advice of a plumber if they are unsure what material the pipes in their home is made from, said a spokesperson for Irish Water.

The Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government has established a grant scheme to assist low income households to replace lead pipes.

Meanwhile, a programme of works to replace shared backyard connections in Limerick and across the country is currently being undertaken by Irish Water in conjunction with local authorities.

The Draft Lead in Drinking Water Mitigation Plan can be viewed at www.water.ie/lead or at the planning offices of Limerick City and County Council.

Comments and feedback can be submitted by 5pm on September 21 by email or post.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 30

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

The US trade mission will visit Azerbaijan on Sept. 15-16, 2016, the US-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce said in a message Aug. 30.

The mission is organized in partnership with the Department of Small and Local Business Development of the Columbia District (ExportDC).

The delegation will include representatives of small and medium-size companies operating in sustainable energy development, green finance, strategic and advisory services, health services management and health education consulting, landscape architecture, planning and urban design services, IT, software design and development, infrastructure projects consulting, instructional content design and workforce training consulting, defense products and services, civil engineering, surveying and landscape architecture, business advisory and import-export management and others.

Meetings with representatives of government and private sector are expected within the visit.

In January-July 2016, the trade turnover between the US and Azerbaijan amounted to almost $312.3 million, $280.6 million of which accounted for the import of the US products.
A RECENTLY-retired Limerick GP, who served Kileely for more than 25 years, has been commended for his medical standards and community involvement.

Dr Ray OConnor, who was a community doctor in the city since 1990, will this week commence his role as adjunct senior clinical lecturer at the Graduate Entry Medical School, at UL. Dr OConnor will teach GEMS undergraduates and students at the school of paramedics.

I have always been interested in teaching, and the opportunity presented itself at the university to go teaching. UL is an inspiration, and it is great to see people coming from all over the world to be educated as doctors. And the campus is truly wonderful, he said.

Dr OConnor said that he hopes to continue volunteering for the community, adding that local groups, including Kileely Community Centre, do fantastic work.

The long-serving GP was commended by locals and by National Association of GPs president, Dr Emmet Kerin for his hard work.

Dr Kerin told the Leader: Ray always practised exemplary high medicine, both from a business sense and a personal sense. He always practised the highest standards in medicine and was great for his community.

Dr OConnor operated an additional diabetes clinic, without extra HSE funding, in Kileely for the past 25 years, which he said achieved great results.

He added that the GP practice has changed greatly since becoming a qualified GP in the early 1980s. As well as the change to a computerised and paperless environment, local doctors are taking on a lot of responsibility when it comes to managing patients chronic conditions, and ensuring that prescribed drugs are working and not harming patients.
THE NUMBER of third level students in Limerick receiving SUSI grants has doubled since 2012, new Department of Education figures reveal.

According to the statistics, 3,810 local students received grants from Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) last year, while 1,782 students received grants in 2012.

Since 2012, the number of maintenance and fees grants issued to students has steadily increased.

In relation to maintenance grants, which help cover living costs, 1,292 were issued locally in 2012; 1,941 in 2013; 2,468 in 2014; and 2,851 last year. In 2012, 490 fees grants were issued; 760 were issued in 2013; 838 in 2014; and 959 last year.

Limerick has the fifth highest number of students availing of SUSI grants, in the country. Close to 9,000 students in Clare accepted SUSI grants last year, according to the Department statistics.

Sinn Fein councillor Lisa Marie Sheehy said that, while the increase in grants could have a number of interpretations, she believes that it is an example of the increasing tough situation people are finding themselves in.

Cllr Sheehy has just finished her final year in Government at University College Cork.

In some cases, only for the grant, these students would not be able to access third level education, and it is a pivotal tool for the students who received their offers on Monday.

Increasing student fees and lack of student accommodation are issues that we, as students, face but the support and reassurance that SUSI gives to parents and students is important when paving ones career path, she told the Limerick Leader this week.

Limerick School of Art and Design Students Union president, Philip Desmond said that the figures can be seen as a great thing, as it shows students are looking into their options.

They are saying, Yes, there are barriers in the way, but I want to find a way around this, and get there. Young and old both have a right to be educated. Everyone also deserves the right to access to higher education, without fees and financial burdens getting in the way of that, the Adare native explained.

However, he said that some students are facing a financial challenge and are forced to make compromises.

Its horrendous. People are skipping meals. I see it, here, that students are giving up class time to go to part-time jobs. Some people are going to two different jobs every week, just to try and make ends meet. This has a massive effect; you miss out on class time.

And when you are that tired, you are working two jobs, you are going to college, and you are not coming in with the right state of mind. You are not alert. You are not replenished. Its impossible to learn like that.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS firm Ripplecom is to create 20 new roles in Limerick following a 1.2m investment to its network.

Hiring is already under way for the 20 new positions in sales, marketing, customer service and engineering, which will be based at the firm's headquarters at new state-of-the-art offices in the Raheen business park.

It brings Ripplecom's total staff to 50.

Speaking this morning, the chief technology officer at Ripplecom Denis Herlihy said: "This investment underpins Ripplecoms commitment to provide quality product offerings to the SME marketspace. Our enhanced core and backhaul network enables Ripplecom to connect customers throughout the 26 counties.

Leveraging this new capacity, Ripplecom now has unparalleled reach and can service more business locations than most other service providers in Ireland."

John McDonnell, the firm's managing director, said an increase in the company's activity has led to the decision to offer the jobs and move into larger offices in Raheen.

The expansion also enables Ripplecom to offer a broader range of technology solutions to business customers on a nationwide basis including large urban locations.

The solutions include broadband, voice, cyber security and customer-specific IT services.
GARDAI are investigating an aggravated burglary in county Limerick during which a man in his 60s was held captive while a gang ransacked his house.

The culprits, wearing balaclavas and head torches, forced their way into the house of a 66-year-old farmer at Ballinahown, Kilmallock.

According to gardai, the gang assaulted the victim and held him captive while they ransacked his house. It is understood that the gang may have been in the house for over an hour.

The gentleman was robbed. He got a punch into the stomach, explained a garda source.

A sum of money and other items were stolen in the burglary.

Before leaving the culprits locked the victim in his house and stole his mobile phone. A single barrel shotgun was also taken during the incident.

It is understood that there were three individuals involved in the incident and they gained entry to the house via an unlocked door.

It has not been established if the individuals were travelling in a vehicle or on foot.

The place is fairly isolated. He lives a good bit in off the road and is on his own, said the garda source.

The crime happened between 11pm on Thursday night last and the early hours of Friday morning.

We believe that they entered the house shortly after 11pm on the Thursday night and they didnt leave until about after midnight. They could have been there for longer than an hour  we are not 100% sure, said the garda source.

The house is located in an isolated area which lies off the Kilmallock to Ardpatrick Road.

Gardai at Bruff are appealing for any witnesses or anyone who may have noticed any unusual or suspicious activity to contact them at.

We would remind people living in rural areas of the importance of locking up their house, said Inspector Luke Conlon of Bruff garda station.

Bruff gardai can be contacted on 061-382940 or 1800-666111.
Born in Kerry I have, nonetheless, been in Limerick on and off since 2006, and have lived here permanently since 2011.

I went to national school in Sneem, Co Kerry (my home town), attending secondary school in Pobalscoil Inbhear Sceine in Kenmare and the University of Limerick (UL). I am relatively new to the art game as I didnt study it in college, my degree is in English Literature and New Media, but I am primarily a printmaker. I, also, practice crafting and illustration. Indeed, illustration and printmaking go beautifully together.

When I was younger I used to find it difficult to call myself an artist as I had a predisposed idea of what an artist was, and what they did or didnt do.

Once you get serious about it, though, and start to pursue art seriously, you figure out very quickly that there are all sorts of artists out there, being creative in their own right. This is what appeals to me the most about being an artist. It really must be on your own terms. While there are some painters on my Dads side of the family there are no professional artists as such. He calls me the artist of the family and both my parents have been really encouraging about my career choices. My older sister, Marie, is delighted that I am a printmaker, but that might have to do with the fact that Im hand screen printing her up-coming wedding invites for free.

While I try to print as much as I can, I am mainly involved in, and focus on, arts management. Indeed, I have been working with Limerick Printmakers, as their Education Co-ordinator, for the past couple of years.

It is a really varied role and I love it. As well as running a kids and adults education program, the printmakers is a busy studio with a constant stream of artists coming through the doors. In fact, its always buzzing with creativity. As a member I have access to the studio and can take part in their exhibition program. Theres a non-stop hum of activity in there, with different projects, workshops, exhibitions and everything in-between, going on at once. So, its really inspiring to be able to work in that kind of environment. There is a real community feel; something about the arts scene in Limerick makes it feel so inclusive.

In Ireland, but not exclusively, there are some serious obstacles out there for artists when it comes to sustainability and making a living through their work.

Im lucky, in that I am able to be involved in this area, and work with some amazing artists, but am still able to make a living on the side. There can be this expectation that artists will work for very little (or for free), to acquire some good experience, or because they should do it for the love of their art. Its crazy but I think that this is changing, through individual groups and organizations, like Visual Artists Ireland (VAI). They demand that artists be paid what they deserve and are trying to remove any stigma.

While I have amazing support from my family and friends I have always felt that its important to make your own decisions.

This is something that Ive done, with varying degrees of success, down the years. But when it comes to pursuing a career in arts I have always had incredible support and advice from my good friend, Kate OShea. Kate is an artist who never stops; shes constantly creating and bringing people together, a real firework. Together with Kate and Aoife Scanlon, we created a multidisciplinary festival, called Nomshtock in July of 2014, in Kenmare. It brought together artists, poets, engineers, yogis, writers, academics and musicians, to create a really unique experience, which we are very proud of. Working as creative director for the festival, led me to getting involved in the Limerick Spring Festival of Politics and Ideas. Indeed, I have co-ordinated their kids event for the past two years. Today, the festival is one of my favourite events in Limerick City as it has such a diverse audience with so much to offer. This year we created a kids zine, and sought submissions from all over the world, before hand printing it and launching it at the festival. Both of these festivals were a great opportunity to work on both sides of the industry, namely management and creativity.

I would absolutely encourage anyone who is unsure about art as a career to just go for it.

I always regret not doing it sooner for sure. Youll never regret doing something that makes you happy and fulfilled. In fact, I will continue to work in arts management in future. Organisations like Limerick Printmakers are vital for artists and the community. They create a tangible link to the arts world, which can, at times, seem lofty. I love the idea of getting children, and young people, interested in art early on. Indeed, I have been working on childrens printmaking workshops with Limerick 2020 this year, and the results have been incredible. Kids are far more insightful than adults, and way more fun to work with. Working with organisations, festivals and coordinating projects, is usually the norm for me.

Working as a curator for the Limerick City of Culture project; Are You Dancing? (2014), is something that I always wanted to do.

In fact, it was a great opportunity to work hands on in a really creative role. Today, I try to travel as much as possible. Great cities inspire me, places like Berlin and Barcelona are so amazing looking and steeped in art and culture. You could just walk around for days and days without even looking down!

For more information about Emer Casey please see: @caseyemer on Twitter.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 30

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

The State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) sold $50 million to 29 banks through an auction held by the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) Aug. 30, SOFAZ said in a message Aug. 30.

SOFAZ will continue to sell foreign currency through auctions in 2016. The foreign currency is sold as part of SOFAZs transfers to the Azerbaijani state budget, which are envisaged to stand at 7.615 billion Azerbaijani manats in 2016.

SOFAZ was established in 1999 with assets of $271 million.

As of July 1, 2016, SOFAZs assets increased by 4.6 percent and amounted to $35.1 billion as compared to $33.57 billion in early 2016.
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Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, August 30

By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who is on a working visit to Germany, met with Marwan Lahoud, Airbus Group executive vice-president of international, strategy and public affairs, Turkmen Altyn Asyr national TV channel reported Aug. 30.

According to the message, the sides discussed the opportunities of establishing closer cooperation given the priorities of Turkmenistans state development.

Lahoud stressed that the desire of foreign companies to expand their presence on the dynamically developing Turkmen market seems very promising due to the existing huge resource and economic potential, as well as a favorable investment sphere created for foreign business, the message said.

"Turkmenistan is always open for a constructive dialogue with the world leading companies which can offer the best innovations in various fields," the channel cited President Berdimuhamedov as saying.

Airbus Group is a global pioneer in aeronautics, space and defence-related services, creating cutting-edge technology.

After gaining independence Turkmenistan established long-term cooperation with the US Boeing company.

Fleet of the Turkmenistan Airlines has been recently renewed with several Boeing aircraft. Currently, the Turkmenistan Airlines, in addition to domestic flights, carries out regular flights to dozens of countries.

The area of the flights is constantly expanding.

Turkmenistan is also constructing a new international airport in Ashgabat, which is designed to become a major transit hub for continental and intercontinental flights.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 30



By Aygun Badalova - Trend:



Iran, which is still committed to boost its oil production, put the deal on oil output freeze under a big question, Ole Hansen, Head of Commodity Strategy at Saxo Bank believes.



The big question remains whether a deal can be struck given that key players such as Iran still reserve the right to continue to increase production, Hansen told Trend.



He believes, that if a deal was to be struck it would initially be taken positively as the first sign that OPEC members are actually able to support the price by more than verbal intervention.



The informal OPEC meeting is expected in late September in Algeria. It is expected that the talks on oil production freeze will be held between OPEC and non-OPEC countries.



The meeting will be held at the fringe of the International Energy Forum in Algiers from 26-28 September. The forum will bring together ministers, CEOs, international organizations like OPEC and the IEA, and experts from 73 countries.



Earlier, Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said that the is willing to proceed with a production freeze.



"We in Saudi Arabia, are watching the market closely, and if there is a need to take any action to help the market rebalance, then we would, of course in cooperation with OPEC and major non-OPEC exporters," Reuters quoted Al-Falih as saying.



Hansen noted that crude oil has stabilized following the short-covering surge sparked by Saudi freeze comments.



Further upside above $50 likely to be limited ahead of September which has been a challenging months for the past five years, he said.



Oil prices fell over one percent on Monday after the US dollar jumped, with markets pressured as Iraq's production rose and as Iran said it would only cooperate in talks to freeze output if fellow exporters recognized its right to fully regain market share, Reuters reported.



Brent crude futures LCOc1 were trading at $49.22 per barrel, down 70 cents, or 1.4 percent, from their previous close.



US WTI crude was down 75 cents, or 1.6 percent, at $46.89 a barrel.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Aug. 30

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Turkmenistan is considering the possibility to supply its energy resources to the West, said the countrys President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

He made the remarks Aug. 30 during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, the Turkmen government said in a message Aug. 30.

The Turkmen president is on a two-day working visit (Aug. 29-30) in Germany.

Berdimuhamedov said that the work on the legal and technical aspects is being carried out together with the European Commission.

We believe that Germany as a respected and authoritative member of the European Union (EU) will further provide support to this process, he noted.

He also drew attention to the fact that there are many legal issues that depend on the EU.

Angela Merkel, in turn, said that the sides have discussed this topic and they are confident that they can find a solution to the existing issues.

Negotiations between Turkmenistan and the EU on delivering Turkmen gas to Europe are conducted since 2011.

As interested parties noted earlier, the construction project of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline through the Caspian Sea to the coast of Azerbaijan is optimal for delivery of Turkmen resources to the European market. Then Turkmen fuel can be delivered to Turkey, which borders with European countries.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 30



By Aygun Badalova - Trend:



The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) AG welcomes the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Ionian Adriatic Pipeline (IAP) by Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR, TAP reported.



Ian Bradshaw, Managing Director of TAP, said that the MoU enhances energy cooperation across South East Europe and is an important step towards energy security and diversification in the region.



TAP remains committed to facilitating connections to key gas infrastructure in the region, including the Ionian Adriatic Pipeline and the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), he said.



IAP pipeline with a length of around 516 kilometers will be connected to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which is designed to transport Azerbaijani gas to Europe, in the city of Fier in Albania.



The IAP will pass through Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and end in the city of Split in Croatia, where it will be connected to the existing gas distribution system of the country. From Croatia, the gas can go to Hungary and other countries of Central and Western Europe.



The capacity of the IAP will be five billion cubic meters per year. The pipeline will be capable of carrying out reverse supply.



In January 2014, TAP signed a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation (MoUC) with ICGB, the company developing IGB, establishing technical cooperation to interconnect the two systems. In May 2013, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro signed a MoU for the support and cooperation in the realisation of both the TAP and IAP projects.
Baku, Azerbaijan, August 30

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

BP company will have no problems with financing a 12-percent share in the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline project (TANAP), BPs vice president for external affairs and strategy in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, told reporters in Baku Aug. 30.

He said that BP does not plan to abandon TANAP and Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) projects.

"BP has never had such plans on the agenda, Aslanbayli added. The company plans to stay on the Azerbaijani market for at least a few more decades."

TANAP project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijans Shah Deniz field to the western borders of Turkey. The gas will be delivered to Turkey in 2018, and after completion of the Trans Adriatic Pipelines construction, the gas will be delivered to Europe in early 2020.

Aslanbayli also touched upon the issue of reducing the Shah Deniz project costs.

He added that the reduction of costs is connected with the optimization.

"At present, the project costs are even less than the annual budget, which has been coordinated with Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR, he said.

Aslanbayli said that the cost optimization continues in all projects at the current oil price.

The costs on Shah Deniz project are reduced less than in other projects," he said.

The shareholders in the Shah Deniz contract are BP (operator - 28.8 percent), AzSD (10 percent), SGC Upstream (6.7 percent), Petronas (15.5 percent), Lukoil (10 percent), NIOC (10 percent) and TPAO (19 percent).
Find not too frequent updates from the Livesay family here
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 30

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

The Turkish Stream pipeline project, which envisages Russian gas supply to Turkey and further to Europe bypassing Ukraine, will be implemented, John Roberts, senior fellow at Atlantic Council's Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center and Global Energy Center said.

He made the remarks at the First International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE) Eurasian Conference being held in Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 30.

At least, Russia will build one or two branches of the Turkish Stream, said Roberts.

Initially, the Russian Gazprom company planned that the Turkish Stream pipeline would consist of four branches with capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters per year each and 63 billion cubic meters of gas per year in general.

Roberts stressed that the construction of one or two branches will not allow Russia to fully abandon gas supplies via Ukraine, but at least it will give the opportunity to supply gas to Turkey directly, rather than via Ukraine.

The expert said that the issue is more relevant given that the demand for gas in Turkey is growing steadily.

He said that however, the project implementation will have the same obstacle as in 2015 before the crisis in the Russia-Turkey relations, namely, different positions of Russian Gazprom company and Turkish BOTAS company over a gas price.

Moreover, Roberts said that besides the Turkish Stream project, Gazprom company plans to build such large gas pipelines as the "Nord Stream" and "Power of Siberia" and it will be difficult to implement them all given the devaluation of the Russian ruble, the economic crisis in Russia and the fall in gas prices.

Turkish Stream project, which involves the construction of a gas pipeline from Russia to Turkey through the Black Sea, was frozen after the relations between Moscow and Ankara deteriorated in November 2015.

During a meeting on Aug. 9, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to resume the implementation of the Turkish Stream project.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
Legendary comedic actor Gene Wilder has died at age 83 from complications of Alzheimer's disease, his family announced today. But what exactly does it mean to die from Alzheimer's?

Although Alzheimer's disease shortens people's life spans, it is usually not the direct cause of a person's death, according to the Alzheimer's Society, a charity in the United Kingdom for people with dementia. Rather, people die from complications from the illness, such as infections or blood clots.

Alzheimer's is a progressive brain disease in which abnormal protein deposits build up in the brain, causing brain cells to die. The illness is best known for causing memory loss, but it also has other debilitating effects on the body, and can affect people's ability to move and eat by themselves. There is no cure for the illness.

Alzheimer's patients may have difficulty swallowing, and they may inhale food, which can result in aspiration pneumonia, Dr. Marc L. Gordon, chief of neurology at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Queens, New York, who was not involved in Wilder's care, told Live Science in a 2014 interview. Pneumonia is listed as the cause of death in as many as two-thirds of deaths of patients with dementia, according to the Alzheimer's Society. [Top 10 Leading Causes of Death]

Alzheimer's patients may also become bedridden, which can increase their risk of fatal blood clots, Gordon said.

Weight loss and other complications from Alzheimer's can also lead to a weakened immune system, the Alzheimer's Society says. This increases a person's susceptibility to potentially life-threatening infections, according to the National Institute on Aging.

These effects on the body are most pronounced in the advanced stage of the disease, which lasts about 1.5 to 2 years, on average, according to the NIH.

Alzheimer's disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2013, nearly 85,000 people in the United States died from the disease, the CDC says.

However, deaths from Alzheimer's disease may be underestimated, because death certificates often list pneumonia or another complication as the cause of death, rather than the underlying Alzheimer's, according to a 2014 study. The study estimated that as many as 500,000 people in the United States died from Alzheimer's in 2010.

Editor's note: Portions of this article were previously published on LiveScience.

Original article on Live Science.
The American pika, a pint-size rabbit relative, is feeling the heat: Hotter summers induced by climate change are threatening these cute creatures' habitats throughout the western United States.

The small herbivores make their home in rocky slopes, known as taluses, across the West's mountain ranges. A new study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) found that whole populations of the tiny mammal are disappearing due to climate change. The pika's mountainous habitats have become hotter and drier in the summer and harsher in the winter, with less snow cover to insulate their burrows in the ground, the researchers said.

After studying the cute critters from 2012 to 2015, the USGS found that the pikas' range was shrinking in southern Utah, northeastern California and the Great Basin, the latter of which covers most of Nevada as well as parts of Utah, Oregon, Idaho and California. [In Images: 100 Most Threatened Species]

"It is certainly clear that changes we have observed in pika distribution are primarily governed by climate, given that nearly all of our climate-related predictions have been borne out," study lead author Erik Beever, a research ecologist at the USGS, said in a statement.

According to the survey, American pikas have completely disappeared from Zion National Park in Utah, where there had been sightings of the animals as recently as 2011. In Cedar Breaks National Monument, also in Utah, pikas were found within only one-quarter of their historical range. And in northeastern California, the animals were found in just 11 of their 29 confirmed habitats.

The study found that while some short-term population changes were due to drought, other areas have not been home to pikas for decades.

"Combined with our previous work across the western U.S., the results illustrate that pika losses are not confined solely to the Great Basin, but that the rate of decline is quite variable across the western landscape," Beever said.

For years, wildlife advocacy groups have requested that the American pika be added to the list of endangered species. In 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) rejected such a request, when the service's risk assessment found that "although the American pika could potentially be impacted by climate change  the species as a whole will be able to survive despite higher temperatures in a majority of its range."

A new request to evaluate the American pika's status was made this April, and a preliminary decision is due in early September, the Associated Press reported. However, the USFWS only takes into account information submitted with the petition. Therefore, the new study will not be considered in the decision, USFWS spokeswoman Serena Baker told the AP.

According to the USGS, the pika is also seen as an "indicator species," meaning the animal can offer scientists an early warning about ecosystem changes.

The new study was published online Aug. 25 in the Journal of Mammalogy.

Original article on Live Science.
Plague bacteria was extracted from the skull on the right.

With a single tooth from an ancient human skeleton found in Germany, scientists have now created the most complete genetic picture yet of the bacteria that caused the world's first plague pandemic.

The Justinianic Plague killed 50 million people from the sixth to eighth centuries, and was caused by the same species of bacteria, Yersinia pestis, as the Black Death, which struck Europe during the Middle Ages.

The new genetic analysis reveals that three of the genes of this bacteria likely contributed more to the spread of the plague than previously thought. In addition, the researchers found mutations that were unique to the strain of Yersinia pestis that caused the Justinianic Plague.

The new study also confirms some findings from an earlier study, published in 2014, that involved a genetic analysis of a different human skeleton that dated to about the same time as the skeleton in the new study, the start of the sixth century. [5 Scariest Disease Outbreaks of the Past Century]

"We now have a complete Justinianic re-constructed genome, as opposed to the partial draft genome that was published in 2014," Michal Feldman, the lead author of the new study and a researcher at the Max Planck Institutes in Germany, told Live Science in an email.

That earlier study was led by David Wagner, an ecologist at Northern Arizona University. The new findings are "a validation of what we found previously with a different sample, which is exciting," Wagner told Live Science.

In the new study, the researchers looked at plague DNA found in a skeleton buried in Altenerding, near Munich, just 12 miles (20 kilometers) from the site where the skeleton analyzed in the 2014 study was buried.

When the researchers analyzed the DNA, they found that their sample yielded 17.9 copies, on average, of the regions of the genome that the researchers were most interested in studying. In comparison, the sample used in the 2014 study had yielded 7.6 copies, on average, of the regions of interest.

The new study revealed mutations in three genes  named nrdE, fadJ and pcp  which the researchers said are associated with plague virulence. However, Wagner noted he was skeptical of this conclusion. "There's not a lot of background to suggest these things are associated with virulence," he said.

But the new evidence confirms the conclusions of the previous work, he said, that the strain of the bacteria that caused the Justinianic Plague is part of a lineage that can be traced back to China.

"More high-quality genomes from different locations and time periods could shed light on the disease transmission routes and the rate that it spread," Feldman said.

The research was published today (Aug. 30) in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Original article on Live Science.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 30

Trend:

09:32 (GMT+4) An explosion around the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan has killed at least one person and wounded several others, The Guardian reported Aug. 30.

The health ministry said a car exploded near the embassy in Bishkek, killing its driver and wounding three people.

The GKNB state security service said it was investigating the blast but provided no other details.

Kyrgyz news website 24.kg reported that the car appeared to have rammed the embassys gate before exploding.

08:43 (GMT+4) At least one person has been killed by the explosion in the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan's capital of Bishkek, Sputnik reported.

08:12 (GMT+4) An explosion has hit the city of Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, RIA Novosti reported.

According to witnesses, the explosion has occurred in the southern part of Bishkek.

No casualties were reported in the incident.
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Looking to stay up to date about all of the news stories and local headlines that are important to Long Islanders? We've rounded up the top coverage for all of the important topics from multiple sources around Long Island, so you can be sure you've got the most recent update on the top stories for Long Island. Have an idea for a news story? Email us at news@longisland.com

Columnists Press Releases
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 30

Trend:

12:06 (GMT+4) A suspected suicide bomber rammed the gates of the Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on Aug. 30, killing himself and wounding three others, officials said.

An Interior Ministry spokesman said the car exploded inside the compound and quoted Deputy Prime Minister Janysh Razakov as describing the blast as a terrorist act, Reuters reported Aug. 30.

Police, who cordoned off the building and the adjacent area, and the GKNB state security service said they were investigating the incident, which occurred around 10:00 local time (UTC/GMT+6).

Authorities in Kyrgyzstan, a mostly Muslim former Soviet republic of 6 million people, routinely detain suspected Islamist militants accused of being linked to the Islamic State, which actively recruits from Central Asia.

An anti-Chinese militant group made up of ethnic Uighurs is also active in the region. In 2014, Kyrgyz border guards killed 11 people believed to be members of that group who had illegally crossed the Chinese-Kyrgyz border.

10:58 (GMT+4) Kyrgyzstans Deputy Prime Minister Zhenish Razakov said that the suicide bomber died and three embassy employees, all Kyrgyz nationals, were injured while a car driven by a suicide bomber has exploded after ramming the gates of the Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital, BBC News reported Aug. 30.

The chief of security at the Chinese embassy told the local AKIpress news agency that no Chinese were hurt.

Social media footage showed smoke billowing above the building.

Other images showed broken glass and concrete.

The vehicle reportedly smashed through the gates and exploded in the centre of the compound, close to the ambassador's residence.

As well as Chinese embassy employees, staff at the American embassy nearby were evacuated.

Kyrgyz security officials are at the scene conducting an investigation.

09:31 (GMT+4) An explosion near the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan has killed at least one person and wounded several others, the Guardian reported Aug. 30.

The health ministry said a car exploded near the embassy in Bishkek, killing its driver and wounding three people.

The GKNB state security service said it was investigating the blast but provided no other details.

Kyrgyz news website 24.kg reported that the car appeared to have rammed the embassys gate before exploding.

08:43 (GMT+4) At least one person has been killed by the explosion in the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan's capital of Bishkek, Sputnik reported.

08:12 (GMT+4) An explosion has hit the city of Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, RIA Novosti reported.

According to witnesses, the explosion has occurred in the southern part of Bishkek.

No casualties were reported in the incident.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Aug. 30

By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:

New air service agreement signed with the government of Luxembourg will promote Turkmenistan's intensive integration into the modern world economic system, the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper reported Aug. 30.

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who is on a working visit to Germany (August 29-30), has met with Maxim Strauss, vice president for corporate development of one of Europe's largest all-cargo carriers - Luxembourg-based Cargolux Airlines International S.A..

The parties discussed the possibility of further expansion of partnership on economically mutually beneficial and long-term basis.

Turkmenistan attaches great importance to the improvement of transport sector, and above all, infrastructure modernization and technical upgrade of the aviation sphere, which plays an important role in passenger and freight transportation  both at domestic and international routes, Berdimuhamedov said.

At the meeting it was noted that due to its favorable geographical position, Turkmenistan has a significant transit potential and can become an important link for a considerable part of the Eurasian international freight transport flows, and the company is ready to double the number of weekly flights.

Construction of new and reconstruction of the existing airports, terminals, facilities of engineering purposes is underway in Ashgabat and the regions of Turkmenistan, within the National Program of Civil Aviation Development of the country for 2012-2030.

Since 2015, Cargolux regularly delivers loads of different purposes through the Turkmenbashi International Airport - from Luxembourg to Taipei, from Hong Kong to Vienna and Budapest.

In summer 2016, the company has increased the number of transit cargo flights to airports in Turkmenistan.

In total, since July 1, 2016, the carrier has weekly performed 11 flights through airports of Turkmenistan, and in 2017 it plans to ship cargo through the cities of Turkmenbashi and Ashgabat on a daily basis.
Image accompanying Abu Dher al Barmis speech denouncing the Islamic State. The image shows an Islamic State fighter brandishing a bloody knife over decapitated heads. The image has been edited by LWJ.

An influential jihadist who served as the mufti, or top religious figure, for the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and who defected to the Islamic States Khorasan province has denounced his new group and apologized for remaining silent on its misdeeds in the region. The defection is the latest blow to a weakening Islamic State, which is losing ground in Iraq, Syria, and Libya, and is struggling to maintain a foothold in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Abu Dher al Barmi, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) mufti who is also known as Abu Dher Azzam, disavowed the Islamic State in an Uzbek-language file uploaded onto YouTube by a media group opposed to the Islamic State, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which translated the audio. Al Barmi had previously been featured in IMU propaganda.

Al Barmi said that he joined the Islamic State in 2014 as he was among those who were influenced after Abu Bakr al Baghdadi declared the establishment of the caliphate. However, he quickly soured on the Islamic State.

But after a year, I learned of many evil deeds within this group, such their killing the Muslims on charges that lack evidence, and their issuing of fatwas against those who did not join their group, Al Barmi stated. After their fatwa was issued in Khorasan in which they infidel-branded the Taliban, who have waged jihad for nearly 40 years against the Russians, the Americans, and their agents, it pained my heart!

After denouncing the Islamic State, al Barmi apologized for remaining silent.

My first mistake was endorsing them, and the second mistake was delaying in informing the Ummah about the truth! he said.

He also appealed to our brothers who came from Central Asia to reject the Islamic State and to not use his previous declaration of support as a pretense to remain with the group.

Do not to take my past words as a pretense, and do not make me a reason for your going to the State group! Do not make me a reason for your saying that this Caliphate is a true Caliphate!, al Barmi pleaded.

The brothers who came from Central Asia that al Barmi are referring to are likely members of the IMU that defected to the Islamic State. A segment of the IMU followed its last emir, Usman Ghazi, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in August 2015.

Ghazis IMU faction joined with a cadre of disaffected Afghan and Pakistan Taliban commanders who established the Islamic States Khorasan province, which encompasses Afghanistan, Pakistan, areas in South and Central Asia. After its establishment, Khorasan province denounced the Afghan Taliban as a Pakistani proxy force and waged war on the group. Khorasan province was all but wiped in Helmand, Zabul, and Farah provinces. Ghazi is thought to have been killed in fighting in Zabul. It maintains a tenuous foothold in Nangarhar, where it is besieged by both the Taliban and US and Afghan forces.

Al Barmi also encouraged the brothers to join one of the many groups who are following the truth and the correct method and do jihad with it. He is likely referring to the Taliban, al Qaeda, the Turkistan Islamic Party, and the recently reestablished Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

It is unclear if al Barmi has rejoined the IMU. After Ghazi and his followers defected to Khorasan province along with the groups media arm, the faction that remained loyal to the Taliban and al Qaeda went silent. In June 2016, however, the IMU re-emerged and explained its absence, rejected the Islamic State, and said it would continue to fight alongside the Taliban. [See LWJ report, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan faction emerges after groups collapse.]

Al Barmi is the latest ranking figure to publicly denounce the Islamic States Khorasan province and accuse it of wanton brutality. In July 2016, Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost, a former Guantanamo Bay detainee who defected from the Taliban and became a top spokesman and recruiter, condemned the Islamic State for its senseless violence and called the emir of Khorasan province illiterate. In April 2016, several members of the Islamic State Khorasan province central council as well as other senior and mid-level leaders based in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar broke their oath to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi and rejoined the Taliban. The defectors, like Dost, accused the Islamic State of a rash of crimes. [See LWJ reports, Ex-Gitmo poet and committed jihadist denounces Islamic State for attacks on civilians and Senior Islamic State Khorasan leaders defect to Taliban.]

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
By Umid Niayesh  Trend:

Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 29

Five countries including China, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Turkey and South Korea accounted for 67 percent of Irans total non-oil exports in terms of value during the first five months of the current fiscal year (March 20-Aug. 21).

China was the main importer of the Iranian goods during the five-month period. Chinas imports accounted for 17.8 percent of Irans total non-oil exports in terms of value and 27.3 percent in terms of volume, according to the Iranian Customs Administrations latest monthly reported published Aug. 29.

Iran exported 13.69 million tons of non-oil goods, worth $3.405 billion to China during the first five months of Iranian fiscal year.

Irans non-oil exports to China witnessed a rise of 2.69 percent in terms of value, while the volume of the Islamic Republics non-oil exports to China rose by 31.99 percent.

Irans non-oil exports to South Korea witnessed a huge increase of over 2568.9 percent in the first five months of current Iranian fiscal year in terms of volume.

Iran exported 3.719 million tons of non-oil goods, worth $1.741 billion to South Korea during that period.

Tehrans non-oil export to South Korea was 1406.9 percent more in terms of value as compared to the same period of last year.

Irans exports to South Korea shared 9.1 percent of countrys total non-oil exports in terms of value.

The UAE (with $2.94 billion), Iraq ($2.49 billion) and Turkey ($2.25 billion) were the other three biggest importers of Iranian goods.

The UAE and Iraqs imports from Iran indicate a fall by 15.8 and 2.2 percent respectively. Meanwhile, the Islamic Republics exports to Turkey rose by 8.97 percent.

Tehrans total non-oil exports (including condensates) surpassed $19.108 billion during the five-month period, indicating a rise of 10.22 percent year-on-year.
By Umid Niayesh  Trend:

Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 30

Siemens has confirmed that is negotiating with Iran for cooperation in petrochemical projects.

We are in fruitful discussions with our Iranian partners in the field of petrochemical projects, Yashar Nasrollahi-Azad, a spokesman with the German company told Trend.

He made the remarks while commenting on Iranian media reports about a fresh round of talks with Siemens to invest in the Irans petrochemical industry.

He didn't reveal any details of the talks.

Iranian media reported that Siemens is already engaged in serious negotiations with Irans Oil Ministry over investing in the countrys petrochemical projects.

Reportedly a Siemens delegation visited Tehran over the past few days to meet the related Iranian officials for investment talks.

Providing advanced technology as well as the related technical and management solutions for Irans petrochemical projects was also among the issues discussed in the meetings, according to the Iranian media.
Luton is a large town, borough and unitary authority area of Bedfordshire. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 258,000. Luton is home to Championship team Luton Town Football Club, London Luton Airport and The University of Bedfordshire. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter. For all the latest news from Luton sign up to our newsletter here.
By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 30

Iran is still studying export of Iraqs oil through its territory, Ali Kardor, the Islamic Republics deputy oil minister, said, IRNA news agency reported Aug. 30.

Talks were held with Iraqi officials on the issue, Kardor said.

Kardor, who heads the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), said that no details have been discussed so far.

Iran should study the conditions to define whether the project will be in its favor or not, he added.

Given that East Asian markets are main destination of Iraqi oil and the Islamic Republic also exports its oil to the same markets, we must make sure that the plan will not affect our export, Kardor said.

It's not clear yet that transport of oil from Iraq and Iraqi Kurdish region would be in the form of swap or transit, he added.

Earlier Reuters quoted Iraqs Deputy Oil Minister Fayadh al-Nema as saying Iraq's government would consider selling crude through Iran if talks with the autonomous Kurdish region on an oil revenue-sharing agreement fail.

Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organisation (SOMO) plans to hold talks with the KRG, possibly next week, about Iraqi oil exported through Turkey, al-Nema said.

"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 added.
Tehran, Iran, August 31

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Companies from Norway, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom have expressed willingness to work with Tehran on oil and gas projects in the Caspian Sea.

They have requested a chance to explore the area and develop possible fields, regarding which a number of meetings have been held, Deputy CEO of the National Iranian Oil Company Qolamreza Manuchehri said, IRNA news agency reported August 29.

Iran has offered 4 projects at the Caspian Sea_ blocks 24, 26, and 29 as well as Sardar-e Jangal oil field_ to foreigners for exploration and development.

Iran divided its exploration aria in the Caspian Sea to 46 blocks, 8 of which are of priority. Iran carried out 3D seismic operations in 4000 square kilometers of the Caspian Sea at blocks 6, 7, 8, and 21 from 2003 to 2005.

Iran also announced in 2012 that while drilling a 1,000-meter well below the surface of the Caspian Sea by Amir Kabir drilling rig, the country found a gas field at the depth of 700 kilometers.

A year later Tehran announced the field (Sardar-e Jangal) was in fact an oil field with a gas layer. The Amir Kabir drilling rigs crane crashed in March 2015 in the mentioned field. Baku has the necessary equipment to repair the crane.
Nowadays, it is common for two or more companies to collaborate in developing certain projects for their common benefit. With the increasing number of companies entering into collaborative innovation, there is more joint ownership of intellectual property in Indonesia. Joint ownership of IP rights often occurs when two or more parties collaborate on a certain project. Each party in the project will then own a certain portion of the work product. The prevailing laws in Indonesia provide no specific guideline with regard to joint ownership of IP rights. Therefore, unless agreed otherwise, each joint owner will own an equal portion of the jointly owned IP rights.

While the prevailing laws allow joint ownership of intellectual property, there are some risks. Any action taken with regard to jointly owned IP rights, such as giving a licence to a third party, taking action against unauthorised use, and disposal of the IP rights, requires a joint decision by all owners.

The Trade Mark Law does not allow ownership of similar trade marks in the names of different parties. If a trade mark application/registration is jointly owned by two or more parties, each co-owner will be considered as a different party from the joint owners. Therefore, any prior trade mark application/registration owned by the joint owners will likely be cited against similar new trade marks which are filed by each individual owner. Similarly, if each individual owner has a prior trade mark application/registration, any subsequent trade mark application in the name of the joint owners which incorporates a similar element to the prior trade mark application/registration will likely be rejected due to its similarities with the prior trade mark application/registration. As letters of consent and co-existence agreements are not acceptable to overcome citation during the trade mark examination process, the subsequent trade mark application is not likely to be granted registration.

Given the above, it is advisable to avoid jointly owned IP rights. In the case of trade marks, you may choose not to obtain registration of a trade mark in the name of the joint owners which incorporates the house mark of each individual owner. Should the parties opt to own the IP rights jointly, to avoid any conflict, it is essential to make written arrangements in relation to ownership of IP rights before commencement of any work. As an alternative to joint ownership of IP rights, an arrangement which may be considered is that one party owns all the IP rights and grants a licence to the other party/ies. Compliance with the newly regulated IP rights licensing recordal must also be considered to validate the use of such rights.

Daru

Lukiantono Gayatri Putri

Utami

Hadiputranto, Hadinoto & PartnersThe Indonesia Stock Exchange Building, Tower II, 21st FloorSudirman Central Business DistrictJl. Jendral Sudirman Kav 52-53Jakarta 12190, IndonesiaTel: +62 21 2960 8888Fax: +62 21 2960 8999www.hhp.co.id
On January 31, 2014, a Mexican applicant, Grupo Bimbo, filed an EUTM application for the three-dimensional mark shown.

The application covered goods in classes 5, 29 and 30. By decision of April 25 2014, the examiner refused the application for all goods based on Article 7, paragraph 1 (b), of Regulation 207/2009. On June 25 2014 the applicant filed an appeal with EUIPO against the examiner's decision under Articles 58 to 64 of the Regulation No 207/2009.

By decision of March 2 2015, the First Board of Appeal of the EUIPO dismissed the appeal on the ground that the mark was devoid of distinctive character under Article 7, paragraph 1 b) of Regulation No 207/2009 for all goods. The Board of Appeal considered that the mark was not fundamentally different from certain basic shapes of the products. Instead, the mark was believed to be a variant of the basic shapes or to have a utilitarian function.

The applicant considered, in essence, that his mark, for which registration was requested for bars of chocolate-covered marshmallow, was sufficiently distinctive because of the rounded lateral lines that give these bars the form of four circles with a wavy profile. By refusing registration of the mark, the Board of Appeal violated Article 7, paragraph 1 b) of Regulation No 207/2009

The Court dismissed the appeal. The application for a 3D EUTM of a bar with four circles was dismissed for lack of distinctive character. The application contained a bar of chocolate-covered marshmallows. The simple fact that it was a variant of a conventional form did not give the 3D shape distinctive character.

Specifically, the Court considered that when a three-dimensional mark is constituted by the shape of the product for which registration is sought, the mere fact that that shape is a 'variant' of a common shape of that type of product is not sufficient to establish that the mark is not devoid of distinctive character under Article 7, paragraph 1 b) of Regulation no 207/2009.

It is always advisable to check whether the average consumer of that product, who is reasonably well informed, observant and circumspect, can easily distinguish the product concerned from similar products without conducting an analysis.

This decision appears to be in line with previous case law on this subject. Even so, if an applicant considers filing for 3D protection for the shape of the product itself, the shape must not only deviate from conventional forms but also be able to function as a sign to indicate the commercial origin of the product.

Noelle Wolfs

V.O.Johan de Wittlaan 72517 JR The HagueThe NetherlandsTel: +31 70 416 67 11Fax: +31 70 416 67 99info@vo.euwww.vo.eu
Washington : Countering terrorism is an important objective shared by India and the United States, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said here, while appreciating American support in India's efforts to eliminate extremism in its neighbourhood. "We resolved to continue our cooperation on counter-terrorism. Our open and diverse societies are committed to peace. However, as the United States has shown, there can be no compromise when we are faced with terrorism," Parrikar said at a joint news conference with US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter yesterday. "The forces that seek to undermine our progress and our ways of life require our comprehensive and robust response. We appreciate the support from United States in our efforts to eliminate terrorism in India's neighbourhood," Parrikar said.

"Secretary Carter and I agreed that countering terrorism is an important shared objective. The partnership between India and the United States is driven by our shared values and interests. This was underlined by the enthusiasm of the US Congress with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June this year," Parrikar said. Responding to a question, Carter said that not only Indian civilians but its military also has been a victim of terrorism, in an apparent reference to the terrorist attack on Pathankot military base, carried out by Pakistani intruders.

"Terrorism is one of the many missions on which we cooperate...We oppose terrorism affecting anyone and us. That's certainly true with respect to terrorist acts perpetrated against the Indian people, and also I should mention the Indian military, which has happened as well. And this gives new scope for that, as well," Carter said.

PTI
Marie Claire newsletter Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Thank you for signing up to . You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions (opens in new tab) and Privacy Policy (opens in new tab) and are aged 16 or over.

It's probably longer than you thought

So youve just been dumped and youre completely and utterly miserable. And rather than reeling off the usual list of age-old cliches about eating ice-cream in bed and sobbing in the loos at work, what were actually going to say is this  were sorry. That sucks.

Instead, here's one nugget of knowledge which might might help you bounce back from your breakup. Despite what social media might be telling you, your ex will take just as long as you do to get over the separation.

Thats right  even if it looks like your ex is loving the single life, new research has shown that both of you will be miserable for a certain amount of time regardless of who instigated the split.

This is according to The Journal of Positive Psychology who carried out a survey of 1404 university students aged 18-25 years old to find our how long it takes to get over a break-up.

The good news is that, despite what you might feel now, its not as long as you think. In fact, a massive 71% of participants viewed their former relationship in a positive light just 11 weeks after the break up.

Even better was the fact that this time frame was the same for both people in the couple, regardless of whether youd been dumped or had done the dumping.

So if youve just been dumped and youre so heartbroken that it feels like youll never love again, console yourself with this fact  for at least the next eleven weeks, your ex is going to be just as miserable as you.

And just like that, you feel that teeny, tiny bit better. Time to start showing people why single is the new sexy...
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 30

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Turkey's military operations in Syria against the Islamic State (IS, ISIL, ISIS or Daesh) terrorist group and the YPG (Kurdish People's Protection Units), as well as the Democratic Union Party (PYD, the Kurdish political party) resulted in activation of members of these organizations, as well as the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in the country.

For example, immediately after the start of the military operation Shield of the Euphrates in the Turkish province of Sirnak, an attempt to assassinate the leader of the Turkish opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu took place, and the PKK has taken the responsibility for that.

It is worth noting that if previously the CHP criticized operations by Turkish Armed Forces against the PKK, after the incident, the party began to support military efforts of the countrys authorities against the terrorists.

In general, the results of the military operation Shield of the Euphrates are successful: groups of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) with the support of the Turkish Armed Forces liberated more than 33 settlements from the IS in northern Syria near the city of Jarabulus on the eastern bank of the Euphrates.

According to the Turkish media, at present, more than 400 square kilometers on the eastern bank of the Euphrates river are controlled by the Free Syrian Army and the Turkish armed forces.

The Turkish armed forces and the Free Syrian Army aim at not only liberating Jarabulus city but also Syrian Manbij city controlled by YPG and PYD.

According to the Turkish media, the Turkish armed forces and the Free Syrian Army are attacking Manbij city as part of the "Shield of the Euphrates", and apparently the operation on Manbij city liberation will not be easy.

The Free Syrian Army has obtained information that YPG and PYD acquired chemical weapons, and there is a high probability that the weapons can be used against the Free Syrian Army and the Turkish armed forces.

The information was also confirmed by Zahir al-Sakit, former general of the Syrian army.

The information about using of chemical weapons by militants in Syria is not new.

The IS has already used chemical weapons against the Free Syrian Army.

Chemical weapons use by militants is a threat not only for Turkish forces in Syria, but also it can lead to a new refugee wave from Syria, which is one of the aims of IS militants.

The fact is that each new wave of refugees from Syria to Turkey creates new problems for Ankara.

Moreover, it is not only a humanitarian catastrophe for Syrian refugees; the main threat for Turkey is the entry of IS militants into Turkish territory as refugees.

Earlier, militants of IS and PYD have repeatedly entered Turkey as refugees and committed terror attacks in the country.

In order to prevent such a scenario, enhancing control at the Turkish-Syrian border within the Shield of the Euphrates operation will be a priority for Ankara.

Rufiz Hafizoglu is the head of Trend Agency's Arabic news service, follow him on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Its not everyday that Hollywood or Bollywood flies over to the beautiful shores of Southeast Asia to capture our Asian essence to complement in their films. That said, Malaysia has been a top location for modern and traditional background scenery. It has since caught the attention of several directors in both older and more recent films. Not only does Malaysia provide a vast array of beautiful backdrops and scenic vistas, shooting there also promotes the beautiful country and invites more tourists onto their shores.

The next time you sit in front of the big screens, do keep a look out for the background scenery. Chances are, youre bound to find a familiar terrain amidst the busy actors. Take this as an opportunity to check out the beautiful hidden gems in Malaysia so you can plan your next trip across the culturally rich country too. Also, with the increase of tourists flocking down to Southeast Asia, its no wonder why more places are getting recognised and making appearances on the big screens.

Here, we have included a list of 5 famous movies that were filmed in Malaysia, both old and new. Browse through the gallery to know more!

Sonia Lourdes

Read more:

Southeast Asian Film Festival 2015: Our top 5 movies to watch

Movie Mania: 10 Films you should watch with your child
Unifire ABs FlameRanger is a first-of-its-kind robotic nozzle system which automatically detects and extinguishes fires for fixed installations, indoors and outdoors, for numerous applications and industries.



The system uses two FV300 Array IR Detectors to detect and locate a fire in three dimensions (x, y, z). Up to four fires can be detected simultaneously, and the system knows the size and volume of the fire(s) as well.



When a flame is detected, the system extends a robotic arm mounted with an advanced robotic nozzle. The TARGA Robotic Nozzle PLC opens the valve or starts pump when the nozzle is aimed at the target fire. A large flow of water is then accurately aimed directly onto the target fire(s). The spray angle is also automatically adjusted. The stream dynamically follows the flame if the flame moves or spreads.



When no more fire is detected, the system automatically shuts off and returns to standby mode, and the water supply closes automatically, retracts the robotic arm and nozzle, and the system remains ready to reactivate should a flame reignite.



Each individual, fully self-contained, stand alone system has a built-in web-server with UniWeb technology. The FlameRanger web-server allows remote monitoring and remote control of all systems, providing personnel, in the control room and/or in the field, with the exact status of each unit 24/7/365.



The web-server also makes it possible to manually remote control any system, enabling firefighters to start the FlameRanger nozzle and fight the fire, without even being at the scene.
Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS), provider of products and services to the shipping industry, said it has signed a partnership with Turner Designs USA to market its Ballast-Check 2 PAM Fluorometer to shipowners worldwide.

The easy to use handheld device enables crew to qickly check the quality of treated ballast water for compliance with the D2 standard of the IMOs Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention.

Turner Designs fluorometer, used by authorities around the world for testing water quality, is simple, uses no chemicals and provides reliable results in less than a minute. It offers ship owners and operators a rapid indication of the efficacy of their ballast water treatment (BWT) systems.

Rune Nygaard, Business Manager, WSS Water Solutions, commented, The BWT segment is still in its infancy and the industry needs to build understanding about systems, and their on-going effectiveness, to ensure compliance with this important new regulation.

The Ballast-Check 2 PAM Fluorometer provides ease, insight and peace of mind. The IMO and USCG are yet to announce an approved measurement methodology, but as both organizations are investigating the use of fluorometry for indicative measurements it makes sense to follow this lead, Nygaard said.

This is a new area for compliance testing and WSS is keen to be at the vanguard of the industry, providing high quality and readily available technology solutions for our customers worldwide.

Ballast-Check 2 is a Pulse Amplitude Modulated (PAM) fluorometer measuring fluorescence emitted by algae in the 10 to 50um size range. It supplements WSS existing testing solutions for E Coli and Enterococci bacteria.

IMOs BWM convention comes into effect 12 months after at least 30 countries representing a combined total gross tonnage of 35 percent of the worlds merchant fleet have ratified it. At present 51 countries representing a combined fleet tonnage of 34.87 percent have done so, with Panama recently announcing its intention to ratify, thus crossing the required threshold, in the coming few months.
The Company:

MAN Engines and Components develops, produces and sells a wide range of efficient diesel and gas engines for extremely varied applications in many industries.

Primary Product / Service:

MAN offers a wide range of high-speed four stroke diesel engines for commercial shipping. For heavy operation  with unlimited operating hours and working up to 100% full load (tugboats and other workboats), MAN Truck & Bus provides a range of outputs from 190 kW to 735 kW (258 HP up to 1,000 HP). All MAN engines excel through their high power development even at low speeds with low fuel consumption. The advantages of V-engines in the power range from 662 kW to 1,397 kW (900 HP to 1,900 HP) lie in their outstanding power efficiency and compactness. The engines are delivered ready for installation, designed for optimum performance in various operating conditions. Introduction of the MAN V12-1900 is the most powerful high-speed four-stroke diesel engine of MAN Engines to date. The twelve-cylinder V engine provides 1,397 kW (1,900 hp) and was designed for luxury yachts of over 100 feet. The first engine is installed and running.

The Case:

Every single engine is tested via cold or hot test; the cold testing procedure saves approximately 1 million liters of fuel and 3,000 tons of CO2 per year. The Atlantic Pioneer, operated by Atlantic Wind Transfers and built by Blount Boats, is the first US flagged crew transfer windfarm vessel. The 21m aluminum catamaran is equipped with twin MAN D2862 LE466 medium duty engines rated at 2,100 rpm. With an output of 1,400 hp per engine the vessel reaches a top speed of 31 knots while burning 140 gallon per hour, total for both engines.

591 SW 13th Terrace

Pompano Beach, FL 33069

Telephone: (954) 960-6744

Website: www.man-engines.com

CEO/President: Ricardo Barbosa
On Saturday, August 27, shipbuilders at General Dynamics NASSCO celebrated the christening and launch of the Constitution, the sixth ship in a series of eight eco-friendly tankers constructed or under construction at the companys San Diego-based shipyard.

The ship, the Constitution, is a 610-foot, 50,000 deadweight-ton, and LNG-conversion-ready ECO Class product tanker with a 330,000 barrel cargo capacity.

As part of the ceremony, the ships sponsor, Cristin Thorogood  wife of Dan Thorogood, SEACOR Ocean Transport president  christened the ship with a traditional champagne bottle break over the ships hull. Sandi Dunkel, a NASSCO employee for nearly 25 years, pulled the trigger to release the ship into San Diego Bay.

The construction of a ship represents an entire community of highly-trained and highly-skilled individuals working together  from design conception to delivery  toward a common purpose: to revolutionize the future of American shipping with the construction of innovative, cost-saving, and environmentally-sound vessels, said Kevin Graney, vice president and general manager for General Dynamics NASSCO. The christening and launch of a ship represents the hard-earned efforts of this community. Its the first time a ship enters the water  and its another milestone toward the delivery of a quality product that will service our nations maritime needs for decades to come.

The Constitution was built for SEA-Vista, a partnership between SEACOR Holdings Inc. and Avista Capital Partners, and will be operated by Seabulk Tankers, Inc.
The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) welcomed the 10,700 TEU APL Yangshan, the largest containership ever to call the Port of Charleston.

The deployment of New Panamax vessels to the East Coast trade marks a new era, said Jim Newsome, SCPA president and CEO. Today 16 of Charleston's 26 weekly calls are handled by vessels 5,000 TEUs or larger, and we expect to handle our first 14,000 TEU vessel call later this year. As the deepest harbor in the Southeast, Charleston is well-prepared to provide the depth as well as the capacity and infrastructure necessary for efficiently handling big ships.

The Yangshan, which measures 1,140 feet long and 148 feet wide, can transport up to 10,700 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). It is deployed on the China East Coast (CEC) weekly vessel service via the Suez Canal.

The Yangshan's milestone visit comes on the heels of the arrival of two new cranes last month, boosting big-ship handling capabilities at SCPA's Wando Welch Terminal. The cranes, which offer 155 feet of lift height from the dock, are expected to be operational by December 2016. By December of next year, two additional cranes of this height will be delivered to the Wando Terminal in conjunction with the completion of a $44 million project to modernize and strengthen the terminal wharf.

The Yangshan departed Charleston for a call in Norfolk before it transits to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Charleston will receive the next vessel of this size, the APL Barcelona, in early September.
Senior Turkish military official denied that Turkey and the U.S. reached a "loose" agreement to stop fighting between Turkish forces and YPG-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Daily Sabah reported.

"We are not aware of such an agreement. If the U.S. announced such a thing that means they are trying to present terrorist organizations as formal parties as if we deal with them" the Turkish official said. Turkey says the SDF is largely controlled by the YPG -- the armed units of the PYD-- which is functioning as Syrian branch for internationally-designated terrorist organization the PKK.

Turkish officials say they don't recognize the SDF as a legitimate counterpart either. "We believe the U.S. officials slammed them to stop firing at us. Now they try to propagate this as a ceasefire," the official added.

Earlier on Tuesday, a U.S. defense official told AFP that US received assurance that all parties involved are going to stop shooting each other and focus on DAESH.

However, Turkey says its operations in Syria's Jarablus and beyond are depending on how YPG forces would behave. A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement said that Turkey expects YPG forces to retreat to eastern side of the river Euphrates and stated that U.S. officials statements on Turkey's intentions were 'unacceptable'.

Another Turkish official told Daily Sabah that U.S. was supposed to move YPG forces back to east side of the river as of last week. "YPG forces didn't leave. They attacked a Turkish tank with anti-tank weapons and even uploaded the video on the web. How should we have reacted? Shouldn't we defend ourselves against a terrorist organization that attack us? We won't open channel of communication with these people. They are terrorists" the official said.
1923 - USS Colorado (BB 45) is commissioned. Notable during her pre-World War II service, she helps in the search for missing aviator, Amelia Earhart, in 1937. During WWII, USS Colorado serves in the Pacific during World War II and is hit by kamikazes at Leyte in November 1944.

1929 - At New London, Conn., 26 officers and men test the Momsen lung to exit an intentionally-bottomed submarine. The device was created by Lt. C.B. Momsen following the failure to save surviving crew members trapped in USS S-4 (SS 109) that sank after a collision with Coast Guard cutter USS Paulding in 1927.

1942 - USS Colhoun (APD 2) is sunk by Japanese land attack planes (Kizarazu and Misawa Kokutais) off Lunga Point. Fifty-one crewmembers die. High speed transport USS Little (APD 4) and chartered freighter Kopara emerge undamaged from the attack.

1944 - U.S. tanker Jacksonville, steaming in convoy CU-36, is torpedoed by German submarine U-482 while en route to Loch Ewe, Scotland. The gasoline cargo explodes, giving little chance for the 49-man merchant complement or the 29-man Armed Guard to abandon the blazing ship, which breaks in two at the second massive explosion. USS Poole (DE 151) rescues a fireman and one Armed Guard gunner, Jacksonville's only survivors.

1945 - Rear Adm. Robert B. Carney and Rear Adm. Oscar C. Badger accept the surrender of Yokosuka Naval Base. The Headquarters of Commander, Third Fleet is then established there. Also on this date, USS San Juan (CL 54) evacuates Allied POWs from Japan.

2007 - USS Denver (LPD 9) renders medical assistance to an ailing fisherman on board a Qatari-flagged bow while conducting Maritime Security Operations in the Persian Gulf.

(Source: Naval History and Heritage Command, Communication and Outreach Division)
The Korea Shipowners Association (KSA) has officially suggested Hanjin Shipping merge with Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) to prevent court receivership and liquidation, reports Business Korea.

This is the first time that the industry recommends the merger of the two companies. As placing Hanjin Shipping into court-led restructuring will co-destruct the nations shipping businesses, the company should stabilize the business and merge with HMM later.

The KSA and the Federation of Korea Maritime Industries, which consists of 48 organizations in the maritime sector, plan to officially submit such a recommendation to the government and financial businesses.

When Hanjin Shipping goes under court receivership, the company will definitely not revive but liquidate. In this case, 1.2 million containers, which move along with global shipping lines, will be paralyzed, creating great logistical disturbance, says KSA.

The decrease in sales and transshipment container cargos of Hanjin Shipping and soaring shipping costs will cause annual losses of 17 trillion won (US$15.25 billion., said Kim Young-moo, executive vice-chairman of the KSA.

2,300 employees working in the the port and trade industries in Busan can lose their jobs. So, Hanjin Shipping should be normalized first and merge with HMM later in order to reduce costs and improve competitiveness. "This is the best option for now," said Kim.

Industry watchers expect that Hanjin Shippings filing for court receivership will have an adverse effect on HMM.

Although HMM joined the world's largest container shipping alliance 2M, the company is in much worse external and internal conditions than other members like Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC).

Maersk and MSC, the worlds two largest container shippers, have 623 vessels and 493 vessels, respectively, accounting for 15.37 percent and 13.39 percent in the market share. However, HMM has only 60 vessels with a 2.1 percent market share.
The Company:

Since 1935, MOPS Marine License Insurance has defended the USCG licenses of mariners operating in every maritime sector in the United States. Its network of over 80 maritime law firms, representing almost 200 experienced maritime attorneys, provides MOPS policyholders with personal legal representation from the marine casualty to final disposition. MOPS provides Unlimited License Defense, Full or Partial Income Protection, Civil Legal Defense, Civil Penalty Defense, Criminal Defense, Professional Liability, and Professional Equipment/Instruments Protection. The firm has 12 employees.



The Case:

MOPS, selected as one of the 2016 MarineNews 100 Leading Companies Serving the North American Shallow Draft Market, has provided license defense, income protection and a variety of optional civil, criminal and professional liability insurance coverages to USCG-licensed merchant marine officers, pilots and certified tankermen working in the inland marine and OSV sectors. In 2016, MOPS celebrates its 80th consecutive year of protecting the licenses, livelihoods and professional reputations of American mariners.

370 West Park Avenue

Long Beach, New York 11901

Tel: (516) 431-4441

Website: www.mopsmarinelicenseinsurance.com

CEO/President: David P. Delaney, Jr.
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An injured lobsterman was medically evacuated by U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew Tuesday roughly 130 nautical miles east of Cape Cod.

At about 10:15 a.m., a crewmember aboard the lobster boat Eagle contacted watchstanders at the First Coast Guard District command center requesting assistance for a 41-year-old crewmember who had accidentally been impaled.

A Coast Guard flight surgeon recommended a medevac and Air Station Cape Cod launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter at about 11 a.m. The air crew arrived on scene, hoisted the man, and is currently in transit to Cape Cod Hospital.
Norway-based boat system and davit-handling specialist Vestdavit has secured a breakthrough order for its unique MissionEase multi-boat handling solution for mission bays, under contract to offshore support vessel owner Esvagt.



Multi-boat handling on the high seas will be a defining characteristic of flexibility for offshore ships in the years ahead, according to Vestdavit, and MissionEases fast and safe solution for transferring boats between storage and davit is expected to enhance the attraction of ships up for charter.



MissionEase is the first multi-boat handling system in the offshore segment which has been designed from its conception for the widest array of ancillary craft, including RIBS, ROVs and Unmanned Support Vessels. It uses a system of hydraulic cradles running along the mission bay deck to move boats from their stowage positions to the maintenance, preparation or launch areas, whose patented feeding system links seamlessly with dual or single-point davits on either side of the vessel.



Esvagt has specified the innovative MissionEase in-hangar boat transfer system for installation onboard a crew change vessel under construction at Spanish shipbuilder Astillero Zamakona. The system will have capacity for four boats, with a transverse MissionEase cradle with lift and lowering capability feeding boats to one Vestdavit TDB telescopic davits on each side of ship.



The mission bay is becoming a key capability for vessels offshore, where flexibility in operations can be the most significant attraction, said Vestdavit Managing Director Rolf Andreas Wigand. We are delighted that a company whose reputation has been built on operating some of the industrys most flexible ships is the early first adopter of MissionEase.



The Esvagt crew boat installation will feature four fixed boat supports on deck, adaptable to accommodate three different boat types, plus one transverse cradle with lift and lowering capability. The cradles move across the ship, picking up boats from the supports and feeding them to the davits for launching.



With its own braking system, MissionEase allows boats to be moved within the bay, even in high seas or with a list on the vessel for launching, or back to stow when recovered. A single operator can control both davits and the cradle system by remote control, while the system also benefits from a manual back-up, with accumulators built-on for emergency operations in case of blackouts.



As part of the Esvagt contract, Vestdavit is also delivering a Workboat davit to accommodate a daughter craft onboard, with an SWL telescopic painter boom.



Many existing multi-boat handling systems rely on overhead gantries to lift boats within the bay. This can be hazardous when ships are in motion, while slinging and unslinging boats consumes precious time that operators cannot afford, said Wigand. MissionEase brings together all of our experience with naval and seismic ships to ensure the benefits of the mission bay can be successfully applied across a growing range of offshore vessel types.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) launched the first-ever International [email protected] Conference in Singapore.

The conference will run for two days and concludes on 31 August 2016. Held as part of [email protected] Week, over 30 international speakers and industry experts from different sectors of the maritime industry came together to share best safety at sea practices with more than 350 local and international participants.

Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure & Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan officiated the opening ceremony and announced that MPA will establish a Community of Practice (CoP) comprising international maritime administrations, national safety councils and classification societies to share knowledge and best practices, as well as collaborate on promoting safety at sea. The CoP will commence in August 2017 and convene biennially.

The conference also saw Kitack Lim, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), giving a keynote address entitled Building a Resilient [email protected] Culture. Mr Lim highlighted the importance of inculcating a safety-first culture throughout the global shipping community.

He also stressed the importance of training and career development, and shared some challenges the shipping industry faces such as manpower issues. This is Mr Lims first visit to Singapore since he took over as Secretary-General of IMO in January 2016.

Andrew Tan, Chief Executive of MPA said, Recent marine incidents around the world leading to loss of lives, loss of vessels and environmental damage underscore the importance of maritime safety. Singapore hopes to play our part by working with the regional and international community to raise the standards of safety."

He added: "This year, we are organising the inaugural International [email protected] Conference to focus attention on this issue and promote a culture of safety awareness. By building a community of good practice, we hope to disseminate best practices and foster closer cooperation between maritime authorities to prevent and respond to these incidents when they occur by adopting an integrated and multi-stakeholder approach.

A three-part training resource package, Safe Passage in the Singapore Strait, was also launched at the event. The training package comprises two videos and an interactive computer-based training module aimed at equipping mariners with valuable navigational information before transiting the Singapore Strait.

This package was developed jointly by the maritime authorities of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. BIMCO, International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and National Maritime Safety at Sea Council of Singapore (NMSSC) also contributed to the production of the videos.

Hector Goh, Senior Marine Manager of Hai Soon Ship Management Pte Ltd shared, We have participated in MPAs [email protected] Week for the last two years and found that the safety workshops and forums provided opportunities for the maritime community to get together and share information and best practices. We look forward to learn from renowned experts at this years international conference. We hope that MPA continues with these programmes which are extremely beneficial to the maritime community.
Leading international classification society Bureau Veritas has classed the first LNG-fuelled newbuilding oil/chemical tanker, the 15,000 dwt Ternsund, built under BV class at Avic Dingheng, China and delivered to Denmarks Terntank Rederi at the end of June 2016. The new vessel is the result of close co-operation between Terntank, Avic and Bureau Veritas.



The Ternsund is the first of a series of four ships all equipped with the Wartsila RT-flex50-D dual-fuel low-speed engine. This is the first installation of such engine and it was done under BV class. In early August the vessel became the first ever ship to take on LNG as bunker fuel in the port of Rotterdam, qualifying for an LNG bunkering premium equal to a ten per cent reduction in port dues.



Philippe Donche-Gay, President of Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore Division says, We led the way globally classing dual-fuel gas carriers and we are now leading the way with newbuildings of different ship types using LNG as fuel. Step by step shipping is moving to cleaner fuels and Bureau Veritas is helping it to do that safely and with confidence.



Ternsund is an IMO Type 2 oil/chemical tanker able to carry 9 grades of cargo in 16 different tanks. It will operate in North European waters under charter to a Finnish company. The Wartsila RT-flex50-D dual-fuel low-speed engine will deliver 5,850 kW propelling the 147 m LOA vessel via a CPP propeller delivering a service speed of 14.5 knots. LNG as fuel is stored on board in 2 Type C tanks on deck containing 315 cu m of LNG each.




Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.31

Trend:

Turkish jets conducted airstikes in village of Kulliyah in northern Syria, destroying terrorist targets, Anadolu reported.

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.
The Company:

Scienco/FAST is an original equipment manufacturer specializing in marine sewage devices, environmentally-friendly cleaners and other industrial water management technologies. These MSDs treat sewage and ensure compliance with ever-changing regulations. Scienco/FAST has several different models to offer, depending on physical footprint, weight of operating unit, access for retrofit installations, and price. Every system is functionally tested before shipping to ensure performance and eliminate service issues.



The Case:

Scienco/FASTs commitment to environmental stewardship is providing superior sewage and water management systems that lessen the impacts of wastewater in waterways. Since the first installation in 1969 on board the M/V Missouri Tugboat, MarineFAST Sewage Treatment Systems have been installed on myriad workboats and offshore facilities to provide total sewage treatment, pretreatment, and (in some cases) water reuse opportunities. Scienco/FAST takes pride in the fact that these certified, Type II Marine Sanitation Devices (MSD) and Systems are installed on some of the greenest ships in the world.

12977 Maurer Industrial Drive

Sunset Hills, MO 63127

Tel: (314) 756-9300

Website: www.sciencofast.com
Eric Haun is editor of Marine News. He has covered the commercial maritime and...

Four major Japanese shipbuilders are in discussions to form an alliance in hopes of riding out the industry slump.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) announced in a press release today that it has entered talks with Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., Oshima Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and Namura Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. toward forming new domestic alliances in order to leverage mutually complementary, synergy-generating [partnerships] that would collectively provide Japan's commercial ship industry with robust global competitive strength.

The move toward forming these alliances targets the integration of MHI's strengths in shipbuilding technology and engineering with the three prospective partners' manufacturing capabilities and cost competitiveness, MHI said. By combining these strengths, the alliances would boost ship development capabilities, enhance negotiation response, and enable further cost reductions, thereby accelerating the buildup of competitive strength in the global market.

MHI said it is also considering establishing a new facility for shipbuilding technology development and education, with the aim of creating new technology and developing human resources to disseminate Japan's commercial ship technologies globally. The shipbuilder plans to issue a broad call for participation in the technology center by Japanese shipbuilders, marine transport companies, etc.
Securing the position of its low-speed low-pressure XDF engines as market leaders, Winterthur Gas & Diesel (WinGD) has been selected to supply two 5-cylinder X72DF (5X72DF) engines for each of a pair of 180,000 m3 LNG carriers ordered by South Korean shipowner SK Shipping Co., Ltd (SK). The shipbuilding contract was signed in May 2016.



The twin-skeg LNG carriers will be built by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and the engines by Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd / Engine & Machinery Division (HHI-EMD). They will be fitted with a GTT Mark III Flex membrane cargo containment system. In addition, the ships will feature HHIs Hi-SGAS system combining fuel system supply for the two 5X72DF engines with the HiSGAS system that can re-liquefy 100 % of the boil off gas (BOG) from the cargo. The ships are scheduled for delivery in 2019 with engines being supplied in Feb 2018 for the first vessel and in April 2018 for the second.



This is SKs second series of 180,000 m3 LNG carriers to be fitted with WinGDs XDF engines. In 2014, SK became the first shipowner to order the low-speed low-pressure dual-fuel engines for LNG carriers. Those vessels are being built by Samsung Heavy Industries and will be fitted with two 6cylinder X62DF engines each.



Competitive and safe choice



The competitive capital and maintenance costs were a deciding factor for the choice of engine, as was the safety aspect of the substantially simpler and lower-cost LNG fuel handling system, which is designed for a pressure of less than 16 bar. Unlike dual-fuel Diesel cycle high-pressure gas injection engines, the XDF engine family employs the low-pressure Otto cycle combustion process, just requiring low-pressure gas compressors, eliminating the need for high-pressure compressors, reducing energy use, equipment cost and maintenance. In the Otto cycle combustion process the ignition of the compressed lean air-gas mixture is initiated by injection of a small amount of liquid fuel.



WinGDs XDF technology also permits stable operation on gas across the entire load range from 5 % to 100 %. Moreover, pilot fuel consumption is lower than with other low-speed dual-fuel engines, because the ignition fuel proportion of the total heat released during combustion is below 1 %.



As well as running on LNG, the 5X72DF engines can also use HFO, MDO and MGO as fuel when required. When running on LNG, the engines can easily meet all IMO Tier III NOx requirements without the need for any exhaust treatment, thereby further reducing equipment and maintenance costs. The ability to meet IMO Tier III NOx requirements is important as the two ships have been contracted on long-term 20-year charters with SK E&S to carry shale gas LNG from Freeport Terminal, Texas, USA. The Freeport Terminal is inside the North American ECA and under IMO regulations all vessels built after 1 January 2016 operating in NECAs must meet Tier III NOx emission rules.



These new LNG carriers will be the second series employing WinGDs X-DF technology in our fleet. We find that the competitive capital cost, excellent performance, low maintenance and increased safety as well as highest environmental standards is a very attractive combination and essential for commercial success in the highly demanding sector we operate in, said Mr. Harry Cho, Vice President of SK Shipping.


A bankruptcy would be biggest ever for a container shipper.



Hanjin Shipping Co's banks are halting support for the South Korean company, its lead creditor said, making it likely the nation's largest shipper is headed for bankruptcy as it is dragged down by a deep global industry downturn.



South Korea's shipbuilders and shipping firms, which underpinned decades of economic growth, are reeling under debt after racking up losses amid a downturn caused by overcapacity and sluggish trade, forcing state banks to pick winners.



Hanjin's lead creditor, state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB), said on Tuesday inadequate financial support from parent Hanjin Group to an ongoing debt restructuring plan forced creditor banks to pull the plug.



A bankruptcy for Hanjin Shipping, the world's seventh-largest container carrier, would be the largest ever for a container shipper in terms of capacity, according to consultancy Alphaline, exceeding the 1986 collapse of United States Lines.



"Hanjin's plans are inadequate given the total amount of funds needed, and considering the proposed timing of Hanjin's infusion of funds, they lack conviction to normalise the company," Korea Development Bank Chairman Lee Dong-geol told a press conference.



Shares in the shipping line plunged, ending down 24 percent.



Hanjin Group, the country's 11th-largest conglomerate and parent of Korean Air Lines Co, said it was disappointed in the banks' decision and would support the shipping industry even if Hanjin Shipping enters receivership.



Unlike South Korea's shipbuilding industry, which includes the world's three-largest manufacturers, shipping liners are not huge employers, giving them less political clout.



Creditors of troubled Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co, including KDB, last year pledged 4.2 trillion won ($3.77 billion) for the firm. Daewoo Shipbuilding is already controlled by KDB after an earlier bailout.



"It seems creditors are harsher on Hanjin than they were on Daewoo after loans that went to Daewoo ended up in a fiasco," said Lee Sang-jae, an economist at Eugene Investment & Securities Co.



Daewoo employs roughly 40,000 people in South Korea, while Hanjin had 1,428 South Korean employees at the end of June.



"KDB can no longer be seen as wasting taxpayer money after their previous bailout failed," Lee said, referring to Daewoo.



"Also, the number of jobs at stake isn't that big compared with Daewoo," he said.



INADEQUATE PLAN?

Globally, the shipping industry has slashed costs and tried to build scale to weather its downturn. In May, Germany's Hapag-Lloyd formed an alliance with five Asian rivals including Hanjin, seeking to save on expenses by pooling runs to various destinations.



The Baltic Dry Index, which measures changes in sea transport cost, fell to an all-time low of 290 in early February from more than 1,000 in mid-2015. It rebounded to 720 by Friday.



Hanjin Shipping had debt of 5.6 trillion won at the end of 2015. Earlier this month, Hanjin Group submitted a plan to Hanjin Shipping's creditors pledging to raise up to 500 billion won for the troubled shipper.



But Hanjin Shipping was not expected to be able to pay up to roughly 1.3 trillion won in obligations such as charter fees and terminal use fees through next year, even if it succeeded in renegotiating loss-making charter contracts and rolling over bank debt, KDB had said.



South Korean officials on Tuesday ruled out a merger of Hanjin and rival Korean shipping line Hyundai Merchant Marine Co , which is also under a debt restructuring program.



KDB officials, declining to be named, said they expected Hanjin to seek court receivership, which was likely to result in bankruptcy proceedings. The creditor-led debt restructuring period ends on Sept. 4.



In June, South Korea announced an 11 trillion won fund to support two state-run banks, KDB and the Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM), that were heavily exposed to shipping and shipbuilding firms.



Lee said banks exposed to Hanjin Shipping had been preparing loan-loss provisions.



"The risk of the company destabilizing the financial market is quite low," he said.





By Joyce Lee and Se Young Lee
wo new tankers, Nordic Star and Nordic Space, were named August 24 for owner Nordic American Tankers Limited (NAT).

NAT founder and chairman Herbjrn Hansson was present at the naming ceremony, along with the charge d'affaires a.i. of the Norwegian Embassy Marianne Damhaug, and the ships' two sponsors, Nordic American Offshore Ltd. executive vice chair Marianne Lie and Siv Helset, a Norwegian lawyer with experience with legal counseling in the industry.

Ordered by NAT in December 2014, the two ships were built by South Korean shipbuilder Sungdong. Of the 30 tankers owned by NAT, 24 were built in South Korea.

Both ships are built with energy-saving designs, and are consequently able to consume up to 10 percent less fuel.

Nordic Star will sail its first operation in early September, while Nordic Space is still awaiting completion in the shipyard.
The Company:

Viega was founded in Germany in 1899. By 1901, the company began to manufacture home plumbing products, growing and expanding internationally. In 1999, through the purchase of an interest in a U.S. company, Viega expanded its product offering to North America. Today, the innovative products of the Viega group of companies are produced at six international locations and distributed worldwide. Viega LLC, a privately held subsidiary, is the expert in the manufacture and distribution of plumbing, heating and pipe joining systems for customers in residential, commercial and industrial markets throughout North America. The firm has 400 employees.

Primary Product / Service:

With more than 16,000 products and systems offered worldwide for plumbing, heating, cooling and pipe joining applications, all Viega systems are highly engineered, making them fast, easy and safe to install. Viega offers its flagship Viega ProPress line for marine systems in copper, stainless steel and copper nickel. The systems are designed to perform in the harsh environments of the open sea. Viega ProPress systems are best suited for fresh water systems while Viega SeaPress is specifically designed for corrosive seawater environments. Viega ProPress, Viega MegaPress and Viega SeaPress can be used in a variety of applications from potable water to fuel and fire main.

The Case:

Only Viega offers press fitting systems in multiple materials like Viega MegaPress for black iron, Viega ProPress for copper and stainless, Viega SeaPress for copper-nickel and Viega PEX Press for PEX tubing. With the widest range of options and marine industry approvals, Viega can be installed in many shipboard applications.

100 N. Broadway, 6th Floor

Wichita, KS 67202

Telephone: (800) 976-9819

Website: www.viega.us

CEO/President: Dave Garlow
The Pro Hillary Supporter Challenge

As Labor Day approaches, the serious presidential campaign heats up. This cycle presents a truly clear and definitive choice. Hillary Clinton is the embodiment of the crony establishment. Donald Trump is the antithesis of the status quo and business as usual. Forget all the distractions. It is the final grudge match: Globalism One World Order vs. America First Populism and National Sovereignty. BREAKING ALL THE RULES would like to dare any staunch admirer of Hillary Clinton to present their case why she deserves to become POTUS.

BATR will post any serious and well reasoned argument that offers positive factors why she deserves to be President. Identify the policies she would advocate and explain why such programs or administrative initiates will improve government and protect our constitutional republic.

Avoid any comparisons to Donald Trump and restrain from attacking his candidacy. The purpose of this challenge is to define and defend why a Hillary Clinton Presidency would be good for the country.

Demonstrate an analysis based upon facts and her history of being in government for over thirty years. Avert emotional appeals and concentrate on rational specifics that illustrate your best grounds to support your contention.

Now for all those infatuated Hillary groupies who emerged from their government school programming, put your enormous skills on paper to vindicate your favorite heroine. A respectful, yet accurate refutation of sophomoric thoughts will be provided in scholarly manner using critical evidence and historic examples.

The flood of takers will certainly rush in to justify their fantasy queen of collectivist utopia. Or is it more likely that none will dare the test of wits.

BATR relies upon the pursuit of intellectual inquiry, based upon empirical evidence, factual behavior, founded upon indisputable logic and common sense.

How refreshing it would be to find some honest Clintonistas to take up this assessment. However, locating an honorable advocate for her qualification may just be an insurmountable task. Douglas Williams offers up this review to a defender of the self proclaimed consort of the People in the account, The Progressive Case For Hillary Clinton Isnt Much of a Case At All.

In a recent issue of In These Times, Sady Doyle made A Progressive Case for Hillary Clinton.

Doyle mentions a curious figure in her analysis: She states that the voting records of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders matched up 93 percent of the time. Such a statistic must certainly prove that these two candidates are very similar, right? Is Hillary Clinton every bit a progressive as the career-long member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus who is supported by organizations like the Democratic Socialists of America and Socialist Alternative?

According to the DW-NOMINATE scores, tabulated by political scientists Keith Poole and Howard Rosenthal, for every Congress since the beginning of the Republic, the average ideological median of the United States Senate for the time that Hillary Clinton served was -0.362 (a -1 is extreme left, while a score of 1 is extreme right). Clintons own score was -0.381, which puts her slightly to the left of the median. Bernie Sanderss score was -0.523, which earns him the most left score in the Senate for the entire time that he has served.

But Doyles inclusion of the roll call analysis does serve a purpose: It seeks to remake Hillary Clintons record into one that is as progressive as that uber-lefty Sanders. And if this is the case, it would support the notion that the opposition to Clinton is not based on her record, but on Clinton herself.

It is an argument, for sure; it is just one that is not borne out by Clintons actual record.

Perhaps the most glaring omission from Doyles piece is any substantive analysis of Clintons record on domestic issues. It is understandable; after all, this is supposed to be a progressive defense of Hillary Clinton, and when it comes to Clintons progressive domestic policy record, in the words of Gertrude Stein, there is no there there.

Who among the devoted social warriors are willing to counter such a critique?

Even the Daily Kos acknowledges the importance of a twenty year old column that nails the witch to the broom in The most thorough, profound and moving defense of Hillary Clinton I have ever seen.

In January of 1996, while Whitewater investigations were underway but unfinished, conservative writer William Safire wrote a scathing and now-famous essay about Hillary Clinton entitled, Blizzard of Lies. In the piece he called her a congenital liar, and accused her of forcing her friends and subordinates into a web of deceit. He insisted (without any apparent evidence) that she took bribes, evaded taxes, forced her own attorneys to perjure themselves, bamboozled bank regulators, and was actively involved in criminal enterprises that defrauded the government of millions of dollars. He ended the piece by stating that, She had good reasons to lie; she is in the longtime habit of lying; and she has never been called to account for lying herself or in suborning lying in her aides and friends.

Now for the delusional defense, better take a swig of the vine from the forbidden fruit on this one.

But while conservative propaganda and lies are a constant in Hillaryland, if we look at Hillarys career, and the negative attacks so often aimed at her, it seems clear that more than just political machinations are at play. My current conviction is that the main fuel that powers the anti-Hillary crowd is sexism. And yes Im serious. So go ahead and roll your eyes. Get it over with. But I think the evidence supports my view, and Ive seen no other plausible explanation. And just to be clear, I dont think its ONLY sexism. But I do think that this is the primary force that has generated and maintained most of the negative narratives about Hillary.

Is this the best that can be said about vindicating the dowager of sleaze?

Come on you irate Hillary followers, where is your crazed outrage?

BATR wants you to take your best shot to set the record straight in the world of neurotic hero worship.

You know when an archetypal Democrat dandy like Bill Moyers publishes Clintons Defense of Big Money Wont Cut It, by Robert Borosage, the summary for the defense falters.

Hillary Clintons heated defense of the money she has raised from Wall Street and other interests wont cut it. Her protests contradict the basic case that virtually all Democrats and reformers have made for getting big money out of politics. It is vital that voters not be misled by them.

Oh that ugly money trail keeps following the Empress of Pay to Play.

Yet, the Hillary Supporter Challenge entries await the opportunity to debunk all the criminal indictment instances and anoint her with a crown of glory for all her eternal achievements.

Come on, it has to be easy to defend your superstar when denial of all the disqualifying circumstances become a ritual of faith for the fate of a systemic deceiver.

Build the case for all her real world achievements and compile a list of all the reasons she would be a successful President. Explain what the public can expect and give a peak into how she will improve the economy, fix the debt crisis, protect the peace and get the nation back on track.

Since her stewardship at the State Department has so many failures, just what is going to make her change her pattern of behavior and how will the country be better with her as President?

A candid evaluation of her potential administration would conclude that, at best, she would keep the status quo intact and keep the establishment running like a well oiled machine. Global corporatist would be thrilled to have a proven and serial crook that operates on bribes and skilled in deceit.

Please do not overlook that her Murder Inc. culture of intimidation and payback will be back in force. Renting out the Lincoln bedroom would be chump change for Killery Klinton. A second go around wants the prize of a legacy that would rival the most infamous dictators in history.

Extracting a few billion more or even a trillion or two would be negligible when starting World War III. This will give her a much bigger bang for her mausoleum of shame.

Anticipation that rabid Hildabeast fans will prove us wrong is so high that it would not be a surprise that extending a summer vacation would be in order.

The essential issue is that a concise and plausible case that Hillary Clinton should be supported to sit behind the Resolute desk is a stretch for even the most deranged mind. Try if you dare. Give your best effort, even if you are likely to embarrass yourself.

Talking points will not help, only a clear head and earnest convictions can persuade intelligent voters. Obviously, Hillary endorsers are at a significant disadvantage. Thats why career criminals love a rigged election.

SARTRE

Source: http://www.batr.org/stupid/082316.html

Discuss or comment about this essay on the BATR Forum

http://www.batr.org

"Many seek to become a Syndicated Columnist, while the few strive to be a Vindicated Publisher"



 2016 Copyright BATR - 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

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




6.AI Tech Stocks Earnings BloodBath Buying Opportunity - Nadeem_Walayat

8.50 Small Cap Growth Stocks Analysis to CAPITALISE on the Stock Market Inflation -Nadeem_Walayat

9.WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO INVEST IN STOCKS AND HOUSING MARKET - Nadeem_Walayat

10.Apple and Microsoft Nuts Are About to CRACK and Send Stock Market Sharply Lower - Nadeem_Walayat

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Its Official: The Global Real Estate Bubble is Finally Bursting!

Its official.



The global real estate bubble is bursting.



After imposing a hefty 26% tax on foreign buyers, and a 12% to 16% surcharge for buyers who flipped their house between one and two years, Singapore real estate has declined 21.5%.



Vancouver has taken similar measures, and  surprise, surprise  its real estate is down 24% in just five months!





Thats what I mean when I say that when bubbles burst, they do so dramatically and rapidly.But this is likely just the beginningI put Singapore into razor-sharp focus in February of last year when I noted it had some of the most expensive real estate in the world . It has the highest standard of living of any country in Asia  even higher than in the U.S.!The problem is that the country is 100% urban and has limited land  making it incredibly susceptible to the kind of bubble thats formed there.And boy, has one ever.Prior to this recent crash, real estate prices there had risen 68% since early 2009 following the global financial crisisAnd 110% since the 1999 low after the financial crisis across Southeast Asia.Now, theyre down 21.5%:

Clearly, it was a bubble waiting to burst!



Eventually, there was public backlash against foreign buyers who were bidding up prices. After a certain point, the everyday, $60,000-a-year household couldnt afford to live in its own city!



And now that the government has slapped a bunch of fines on those buyers, those foreigners arent buying like they used to  and Singapores prices are crashing down to earth!



Just like I said they would a year and a half ago.



I also covered Vancouver about a year ago prior to heading there for our third annual Irrational Economic Summit. (Were hosting our fourth in less than two months in West Palm Beach, FL. (Click here for details.)







As I said at the time, Vancouver is my favorite city in North America and is also one of the single bubbliest cities on the planet.



Like Singapore, its residents were getting fed up with foreign buyers  mostly Chinese in their case  jacking up prices across the city.



From the beginning of 2002 to when I reported last year, home prices had gone up 290%!



A bubble, plain and simple.



I warned they would likely start punishing foreign investors as well  and they did. The city slapped a 15% tax on them. And given that Vancouver was a prime location for Chinese investors laundering their money out of China, the city got hit hard  again, down 24% in just five months.



What did I say? Bubbles. Always. Burst. There are no exceptions in history.



In greater Vancouver, sales have fallen from 597 in the first half of August last year to a mere fraction of that  87 over the same timeframe. Thats an 85% crash, for crying out loud!



It gets worse. The most high-end part of the city, West Vancouver, dropped from 67 to seven  90%.



And Vancouver West, the area across the bay with mostly upscale suburbs, which the Chinese love the most, is down from 52 to three, or a whopping 94%. The Richmond area got hit the hardest, falling from 84 to three, or 96%.



For now, buyers in Vancouver are staying put until they see how this shakes out.



But is this a crash in the making or what?





The question now is whos next?



My bets on London. I could see the highest-end falling off more rapidly after Brexit. Then San Francisco. And finally  the coup detat  Shanghai and China.



Let me make myself clear. This is the beginning of the greatest and most global real estate bust in all of modern history.



So Ill ask again



How much do you love your real estate?

Harry

http://economyandmarkets.com

Follow me on Twitter @HarryDentjr

Harry studied economics in college in the 70s, but found it vague and inconclusive. He became so disillusioned by the state of the profession that he turned his back on it. Instead, he threw himself into the burgeoning New Science of Finance, which married economic research and market research and encompassed identifying and studying demographic trends, business cycles, consumers purchasing power and many, many other trends that empowered him to forecast economic and market changes.

Copyright  2016 Harry Dent- 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.

Harry Dent Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




The Islamic State group announced on Tuesday that one of its longest-serving and most prominent leaders, responsible for attacks overseas, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, had been killed in Aleppo province in Syria, Reuters reported.

Adnani had been one of the last living senior members, along with self-appointed caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, that founded the group and stunned the Middle East by seizing huge tracts of Iraq and Syria in 2014.

As Islamic State's spokesman, he was its most visible member. As head of external operations, he was in charge of attacks overseas, including Europe, that have become an increasingly important tactic for the group as its core Iraqi and Syrian territory has been eroded by military losses.

Advances by Iraq's army and allied militia toward Islamic State's most important possession of Mosul have put the group under new pressure at a moment when a US-backed coalition has cut its Syrian holdings off from the Turkish border.

Those military setbacks have been accompanied by airstrikes that have killed several of the group's leaders, undermining its organizational ability and dampening its morale.

A US counter-terrorism official who monitors Islamic State said that Adnani's death will hurt the militants "in the area that increasingly concerns us as the group loses more and more of its caliphate and its financial base ... and turns to mounting and inspiring more attacks in Europe, Southeast Asia and elsewhere".

Under Adnani's auspices, Islamic State has launched large-scale attacks, bombings and shootings, on civilians in several countries outside its core area, including France, Belgium and Turkey.

The official said Adnani's role as propaganda chief and director of external operations have become "indistinguishable" because the group uses its online messages to recruit fighters and provide instruction and inspiration for attacks.

Islamic State's Amaq News Agency reported that Adnani was killed "while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo". Islamic State holds territory in the province of Aleppo, but not in the city where rebels are fighting Syrian government forces.

Amaq did not say how Adnani, born Taha Subhi Falaha in Syria's Idlib Province in 1977, was killed. Islamic State published a eulogy dated Aug. 29 but giving no further details.
Russian President Vladimir Putin doesnt plan to visit Turkey in the near future, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Aug. 30, Sputnik International reported.

Answering a question whether the Russian president planned to travel to Turkey, Peskov told reporters that this information doesnt correspond to reality, and there are no such plans for now in the near future.

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a reconciliatory visit to St. Petersburg on August 9 to restart bilateral ties after the downing of Russias Su-24 jet last fall effectively froze bilateral ties.
Blacksburgs Virginia Tech Transportation Institute plans to build a 300-acre test bed for drones and self-driving cars that would look like a movie set, but aim to replicate real-world driving and flying conditions for scientists.

The Virginia Automation Park would have street signs, stoplights, roundabouts, curves, hills and even portable buildings that manufacturers would be able to use to test their automation technologies of the future.

University spokeswoman Tracy Vosburgh said in an email to The Roanoke Times that the park is just a piece of a campus-wide initiative to expand teaching and research that looks at how to fit emerging technologies such as smart cars and intelligent buildings into our daily lives.

Its part of the Intelligent Infrastructure for Human-centered Communities destination area Tech first unveiled earlier this summer that acts like a real-world lab just off U.S. 460.

Blacksburg is already a hotbed for drone and self-driving car research, but Virginia Tech Transportation Institute spokeswoman Mindy Buchanan-King said the project hopes to take the universitys testing capabilities to the next level.

The project is still in its infancy, so she added that its too early to know when it will come together, what exactly it will look like or how much it might cost. The park will be funded by Tech and the institute, and Buchanan-King said she expects it to eventually pay for itself through usage fees from private companies that conduct research there.

The park cleared one hurdle Monday, as the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors voted unanimously to allow the university to lease 28 acres for the project from the Virginia Tech Foundation. Eventually, Buchanan-King said, Transportation Institute officials envision the park growing more than 10 times that size.

The facility is expected to sit at the end of VTTIs Smart Road, a similar test track with equipment designed to simulate a variety of weather, lighting and road conditions.

The Smart Road is already a popular research facility for nascent vehicle automation technology among industry leaders like Google. It has paid for itself several times over through more than 22,000 hours of research since 2000, Buchanan-King said. But she said its just a flat, 1.1-mile straightaway with a roundabout at the end.

The new park could possibly connect to the end of the Smart Road, allowing car manufacturers to test their technology in a variety of realistic conditions.

Early plans call for a suburban layout with some real buildings, and others that could be deconstructed and moved around to accommodate different experiments.

The track would be available to researchers around the clock and would have on-site secure storage for the experimental vehicles being driven there.

Other similar test tracks exist in Michigan and California, but Buchanan-King said Tech hopes it will stand out because of its focus on rural conditions.

It just takes the capabilities of the Smart Road and makes it even better, Buchanan-King said. We are going to work closely with auto manufacturers and suppliers to develop the automation park based on their feedback and what we know they want to see.

Staff reporter Robby Korth contributed to this report.
MARTINSVILLE-Exactly how many jobs are available in Martinsville and Henry County?

According to Chris Pope, manager of the Virginia Employment Commissions (VEC) Martinsville office there were 1,271 open positions in Martinsville and Henry County as of Monday. Thats 131 less than the estimate given at last weeks Martinsville City Council meeting.

Its not that people arent applying for the jobs. Its that more positions are coming open as others are filled. In fact, through the end of July, the Martinsville Virginia Employment Commission office had logged more hires than any other in the state. The offices program year runs Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, he said, and their goal for this year was 600 hires. So far, they have logged 794 confirmed hires with one month to go.

Over the last 30 days alone, there were 366 job openings posted through the Virginia Workforce Connection. These include jobs like a loan documentation clerk at Carter Bank & Trust in Martinsville, a psychiatric nurse practitioner and emergency services counselor, both needed for Community Family Services in Martinsville, along with a need for multiple truck drivers at J.B. Hunt Transport. There are also multiple positions open at Alcoa. The company announced plans in June to expand its plant in Henry County and finds itself in need of a production supervisor, a maintenance manager and several other full-time positions. Eastman Chemical also has multiple job openings, including several quality assurance engineers. Other full-time positions include an opening for a cake decorator at Food Lion and a grocery sales manager at the same store. All total, more than 500 of the 1,271 positions were for full-time work. The remainder were either part-time or seasonal hires, like those offered by Radial. The company hired 50 employees in July, then put out a call for 100 more part-time workers in August. The group plans to add additional workers as the Christmas season gets going in November, to help at their distribution center.

While there are open positions, it can be hard at times to find people to fill all of them. Amanda Witt, President of the Martinsville Henry County Chamber of Commerce, said that the chamber held a job fair at the Martinsville Speedway in June. There were about 1,500 open positions advertised at that job fair. Only about 350 people showed up to put in applications.

For the number of jobs we had and the number of employers we had represented, we were definitely disappointed at the job seeker turn-out, Witt said. Some of the jobs are part-time, some may be temporary, some may be seasonal, so you will see a little bit of fluctuation (in the total number of positions). But at any given time in the last two or three years, there have definitely been several hundred full-time jobs with benefits that have been available in this community.

Searching for employees

What sorts of skills are employers looking for? The most requested skill sets, Pope said, are customer service, maintenance and mechanical, logistics and medical.

However, he said, employers are also looking for soft skills  the social skills that allow employees to interact effectively while at work  such as flexibility, interpersonal skills and problem-solving. According to local officials, those much-needed soft skills are proving difficult to find locally.

Mark Heath, President/CEO of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation (EDC), said that area employers have told him that work ethic is a big issue here.

Finding people that will show up on time. People that will stay past lunch. People that can pass a drug test, Heath said, when asked what some of the needs were. Thats one thing people dont talk about  but if you want to be in manufacturing, youre going to need to pass a drug test. Thats just a given.

Pope and Witt agreed, saying that area employers have also told them it isnt always as easy as it should be to find employees who will show up to work on time or be able to pass a drug test.

I dont think its a local problem, Pope said. I hear other office managers speak to the same challenges in other communities across the commonwealth and, Im assuming, across the country.

The manufacturers know more about this than we do, Heath said. Theyre the ones dealing with it every day. Were trying to be part of the solution  if we keep our head in the sand and dont admit that we have some issues here weve got to work on, its only going to get worse.

Witt said that the chamber is working on ways to teach soft skills in the community, and agreed that she also has heard employers speak to these issues.

We have newly-announced industries that are coming into this community, she said. We have the jobs available. Weve just got to put the people in them.

While there seems to be a popular perception in the community that employers are unwilling to train new hires  or that the educational boundaries to employment are insurmountable  the training and education is there for those willing to put in the effort, local officials agreed.

I understand it can seem daunting, Heath said. We understand that. But there are plenty of jobs out there, and the best way to get a better job is to have a job now.

Some people, Heath said, may feel like its hopeless to even try and get a better job. However, he said, the options are out there. Patrick Henry Community College (PHCC) has begun offering later classes to accommodate peoples work schedules, and the Center for Advanced Film Manufacturing  a joint program between Eastman, PHCC, the EDC and New College Institute  guarantees a job interview with Eastman.

Connecting with that AFM program is as simple as visiting advancedfilm.org and clicking the Apply button to start an application.

Its just eight months before youre making money, said Lisa Lyle, EDC Director of Recruiting and Marketing. You take classes in the fall and in the spring, and then at the middle to the end of May is when the paid internship starts. Thats the last piece of the class, but youre getting paid while youre finishing it. Its on-the-job training.  And most of the students in the program actually work part-time or full-time jobs while theyre doing these classes. Some of the classes are offered at night and during the day, so theyre able to work it around their schedules.

Scholarships are another thing we think people see as a barrier, Lyle continued. It was important to us and to Eastman for the cost to not be the barrier. Students apply for federal financial aid, and if theres a gap and they still need more assistance, Eastman provides what they call the Last Mile Scholarship. Thats really key. Its hard for people to afford to go back to school.

Additionally, Lyle said, no students should be afraid that theyre too old for the program. Applicants of all ages and backgrounds are accepted.

Aside from the Center for Advanced Film Manufacturing, there are plenty of other training opportunities, according to Pope and Witt.

Weve got programs for senior workers, weve got programs for dislocated workers, programs for folks who are from lower socioeconomic brackets, Pope said. I would say there are training opportunities.

One example of this is at Patrick Henry Community College, where multiple training programs exist. On Sept. 1, for example, the school offers Testing for the Manufacturing Skill Standards, to see what skills people have and what they lack, when it comes to what manufacturers are searching for. Events like that go on throughout the semester and the college has several classes to help with different training needs. Pell Grants and other federal programs offer funding support for those who struggle to cover the cost. To get more information about Patrick Henry's programs, you can visit ph.vccs.edu. For more information on the jobs available in Martinsville and Henry County, you can visit the Virginia Workforce Connection at www.vawc.virginia.gov

If there are plenty of jobs and training opportunities available in Martinsville and Henry County, why is the popular perception the exact opposite?

Im not sure where the disconnect is, but working in this field for many years, I do know that the jobs are there, and they are all across the board, Witt said. All skill sets are represented. To say that no one will train (is untrue). There is no shortage of funding and training. If you need to fill a skills gap, there is money there to help and assist with that.

Ben Williams reports for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at .
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 30

Trend:

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with the US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the G20 summit in September, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Aug. 30, Sputnik reported.

It is self-evident that the presidents will in one way or another meet within the framework of the G20 forum, Peskov told reporters and added that the two leaders would make a separate decision on a meeting on the sidelines of the summit.

US Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting Ben Rhodes said earlier that Obama and Putin are likely to speak on the sidelines of the G20 despite having no formal meeting scheduled.

The 2016 G20 summit of the worlds 20 biggest economies will be held on Sept. 45 in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.
SPRINGFIELD -- Stock in Springfield-based gunmaker Smith & Wesson Holdings Corp. rode high early this week, trading at $29.40 a share at the close of trading Monday in advance of a quarterly earnings announcement set for Thursday afternoon.

That $29.45 a share price is just off the $31.19 52-week high recorded just a month ago on Aug. 1. The 52 -week low is $16.33 a share, a price last seen nearly a year ago on Oct. 1, 2015.

The strong price comes not only as Smith & Wesson prepares to release financial results Thursday but as it and partner General Dynamics continue to pursue a Pentagon contract for up to $580 million to manufacture the next generation of sidearms for the U.S. Army. Civilian gun sales have also hit new records according to federal background-check data.

General Dynamics is also making barrels for Smith & Wesson's line of M&P -- (it stands for Military and Police) -- handguns similar to those both companies want to sell to the Army.

There were 2.1 million NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Check) inquiries in July 2016, according to the FBI. That was a 37 percent increase from the 1.6 million background checks performed a year earlier in July 2015. The June 2016 total was 2.13 million, 39.4 percent higher than the 1.63 million recorded in June 2015.

NICS checks have risen for each of the 15 consecutive months.

Year-to-date data through July indicated there were 16 million background checks performed, putting 2016 well on pace to beat the 23.1 million checks performed in all of 2015, which was itself a record.

Gunmakers like Smith & Wesson use NICS data as a barometer for the industry even though the FBI warns that the checks do not represent the number of firearms sold. Before ringing up the sale, gun retailers call in a check to the FBI or to other designated agencies to ensure that each customer does not have a criminal record or isn't otherwise ineligible to make a purchase, according to the NICS website.

Gun sales often spike around the time of presidential elections or when the national conversation turns to the possibility of tightened gun control measures. Also, the last three months of the year tend to have strong gun sales because of hunting seasons and holiday shopping.

Smith & Wesson is aware that it is now riding a wave in what can be a boom-and-bust gun market. In January, Smith & Wesson announced its intentions to diversify into related sporting goods and outdoors industries.

This summer, Smith & Wesson announced two such acquisitions. It bought its knife-making partner Taylor Brands for $85 million and purchased Crimson Trace, a maker of laser gun sights and other accessories, for $95 million.

Both purchases are now complete as the Crimson Trace deal closed Monday and the Taylor Brands deal closed Aug. 1.

Taylor does its manufacturing in China while Crimson Trace will retain its factory in Oregon.

Smith & Wesson is also hiring, running ads for production workers and for customer service employees in The Republican and elsewhere.

Smith & Wesson has 1,758 full-time employees, most of them at its factory and headquarters on Roosevelt Avenue.

Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson founded the company in 1852. Over the following decades in Springfield, Smith & Wesson has become famous by making guns for a variety of customers, ranging from the Imperial Army of the Russian Tsar and the Allies in both world wars to Clint Eastwood, who brandished a Model 29 revolver as "Dirty Harry."

Today, the company makes a variety of firearms from black-powder muzzle loaders in its Thompson/Center line to revolvers and semiautomatic handguns and what it calls modern sporting rifles, a category of semiautomatic rifle often referred to as assault rifles.

But the company may be too dependent on the AR-15 style guns, said Leo Sun, a stock analyst for The Motley Fool personal finance website..

In a piece posted Monday, Sun warns investors that rivals Sturm Ruger & Co. and Taser international might be better bets for investors.

Ruger, for example, sells fewer of the assault rifles than Smith & Wesson and this wouldn't be hurt as badly if a ban is put in place.

Taser is a good bet, Sun said, because its brand of police body cameras are in demand.

In June, Smith & Wesson announced positive annual results for the fiscal year that had ended April 30.

Net sales totaled

Firearms division

Net sales

Full-year income from continuing operations

Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. news release from March 30, 2016 by Jim Kinney on Scribd
Gifford's Ice Cream often incorporates elements of Maine's natural environment when naming their ice cream products from Fly Fishing Fudge (one of my favorites) to Main Deer Tracks.

In honor of the National Park Service's 100th anniversary Gifford's is celebrating by adding two new flavors to its lineup, Chocolate Brownie Crunch and I Scream For Cake.

While the ice cream flavor names have nothing to do with nature 5 percent of the sales of these two flavors will go to the Friends of Acadia for the preservation and protection of Acadia National Park.

I'm very fortunate to have friends who love ice cream as much as I do and last week I was offered a bowl, and a few spoonfuls right from the carton, of the chocolate brownie crunch flavor.

I will say of all its flavors I find Gifford's chocolate ice cream to be the most basic offering. It's perfectly good, but not special. However, when you add brownies and chocolate coated cookie crunch, the ice cream is so much yummier.

The brownie chunks were plentiful and huge. I love biting into a brownie and finding a "fudgy" (as the label descries these brownies), chocolaty flavor, and that is definitely present here.

As for the cookie crunch, it's a perfect addition to this flavor and adds a nice texture.

I give this one four scoops. The cake flavored variety seems a bit too sweet for me, but if you try it, visit me on Twitter @Lizro27 and let me know what you think.
donatelife.jpg

(Baystate Health photo)

SPRINGFIELD - Baystate Medical Center is among a select group of hospitals nationwide recognized for promoting enrollment in state organ donor registries in a national campaign sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The region's only Level I Trauma Center, Baystate achieved the highest level of recognition - platinum - as part of the Life Hospital Campaign, a nationwide effort to increase the number of registered organ, tissue and eye donors with hospital partners and ultimately, the number of organs available for transplant.

Baystate Medical Center conducted awareness and registry campaigns to educate staff, patients, visitors, and community members about the need for organ, eye, and tissue donors and, by doing so, increased the number of potential donors on the state's donor registry. The hospital earned points for each activity implemented between May 2015 and April 2016.

More than 1,000 hospitals, hospital associations, and donation organizations participated in the most recent phase of the campaign registering 43,932 donors nationwide. Some 400,000 donors have been added to state registries nationwide since the campaign began in 2011.

"At Baystate Medical Center our promise is 'Together we deliver a higher state of caring.' Providing education and supporting events that result in increasing the numbers of persons in our state donor registry contributes to our delivering on this promise. When a patient and their family are given the gift of life through organ donation, we are reminded why our partnership with Life Choice and Donate Life America is priceless," said Vernette Townsend, director of Medical Nursing and Transplant Services at Baystate Medical Center.

The campaign unites donation advocates at hospitals with representatives from their local organ procurement organizations, Donate Life America affiliates, and state and regional hospital associations. Working together, the teams leverage their communications resources and outreach efforts to most effectively spread word of the critical need for donors.

Baystate worked with LifeChoice Donor Services, headquartered in Connecticut, on the campaign.

"Receiving Platinum Recognition is a true testament to the collaborative efforts between Baystate Medical Center and LifeChoice Donor Services. Our shared commitment to saving lives is evident through the numerous donation-related activities and donor enrollment events that we were honored to take part in," said Wendy Fitt, in house donation coordinator, LifeChoice Donor Services.

Making your wishes known is easy. Potential donors need only to sign a donor card, indicating their wishes on their driver's license, or register online at donatelifenewengland.org



However, while a signed donor card, online registration and a driver's license with an "organ donor" designation are legal documents, organ and tissue donation

should always be discussed with family members prior to any donation, so they are well aware of your wishes.

Baystate Medical Center offers the only Transplant Services in Western Massachusetts for adult and pediatric patients requiring kidney transplants, with some 136 patients currently on the waiting list.

Today, more and more people are making a difference in someone's life by becoming a living kidney donor, offering a child or adult in western Massachusetts an alternative to waiting on the national transplant list for a kidney from a deceased donor. Those altruistic donors will be donating one of their two healthy kidneys, and after the transplant surgery will resume normal, active lives.

To learn more about becoming a living kidney donor, call Baystate Medical Center's Transplant Services at 413-794-2321. To learn more about organ and tissue donation, contact LifeChoice Donor Services at 800-874-5215.

Also, for more information on Baystate Medical Center, visit baystatehealth.org/bmc
SPRINGFIELD -- With 10 days to go until the Sept. 8 primary election, candidates for office are working hard to meet as many undecided voters as possible.

On Monday, hopefuls for Hampden County sheriff and the Governor's Council brought their campaigns to Trinity United Methodist Church in Forest Park for a speed dating-style forum hosted by the League of Women Voters.

Sheriff candidates at Monday evening's event, dubbed Candidating 2016, included Democrats Mike Albano, Nick Cocchi and Tom Ashe; Republican John Comerford; independent James Gill; and write-in candidate Francis Barbaro, marking the first public appearance of his campaign.

Voters in next week's primary will narrow the Democratic field to a single candidate, while Barbaro needs to receive more votes than Comerford gets in order to appear on the general election ballot.

The next sheriff of Hampden County will take over from Michael Ashe, who was first elected to the position in 1974 and is not seeking re-election, and oversee a department with 900 employees and a $78 million budget. The position pays $152,000 per year.

Jeff Morneau and Mary Hurley, candidates for the Governor's Council, also made pitches to voters.

After brief opening statements, each candidate circulated among tables of voters, taking about 10 minutes to answer questions from each small group.

Cocchi fielded questions about the 2011 class action lawsuit that alleged the sheriff's department violated the rights of inmates at the Western Massachusetts Regional Women's Correctional Center in Chicopee with invasive strip search procedures. The lawsuit by 176 former inmates was settled in 2015 for $675,000.

Cocchi, a 23-year department veteran who oversees the day-to-day operations of the jail in Ludlow, said he was against videotaping strip searches, but argued they are an effective way to keep inmates safe. He said a strip search is only performed in response to an incident that justifies it.

He was also asked about the policy of segregating inmates from the general population, especially since long-term solitude has deleterious effects on mental health.

"It's so important to become more progressive in what we do," said Cocchi, pointing to changes in policies that allow segregated inmates to listen to educational programs on MP3 players and learn techniques for managing emotional stress. He said the average stay in segregation is down to 12 days.

Albano, a former mayor of Springfield now serving on the Governor's Council, said he wants to change the way the criminal justice system handles drug addiction. He said he wants drug addicts to receive treatment for their "disease."

"You shouldn't have to go to jail to get medical assistance," said Albano, "and that's how it is in Massachusetts. ... My goal is to direct people into treatment before they get involved in criminal activity."

He compared drug addiction to his son's diabetes, and decried the difficulty of getting care before the problem spirals into destructive behavior. He also reiterated his support for repealing mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses.

Monday's event was put on by the League of Women Voters, Neighbor to Neighbor, the Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts and Voices from Inside.

Linda Matys O'Connell, lead organizer for the League of Women Voters, said the voters at the forum are "engaged in this."

"We actually care. We understand that what the sheriff does, and what the Governor's Council does, has a lot to do with what social justice looks like," said O'Connell. "It matters how we treat people, and that's why we're here tonight."

Morneau and Hurley, the candidates for Governor's Council, spoke of the need to appoint more minority and women judges. Hurley said Springfield has the busiest district court in the state, with 13,000 cases per year, and it's been underserved for a long time.

Morneau is an attorney running as a progressive Democrat. He's the president of the Hampden County Bar Association, which offers guidance to the governor on judicial appointments.

Hurley, like Albano a former mayor of Springfield, served as a Chicopee District Court judge for nearly 20 years.

Both candidates are seeking the seat representing all four Western Massachusetts counties, which is currently held by Albano.
amherst police car.jpg

Amherst police have busy weekend as some students move back into town.

(Republican file photo)

AMHERST -- On the weekend before most University of Massachusetts and other college students arrive back in town, Amherst police responded to nearly 200 calls including fights, disturbances, drunk people, noise, a break-in and larceny.

Early Sunday morning, police arrested Jennifer R. Puleio, 20, of Brooklyn, New York, on charges of disorderly conduct and assault after she allegedly tried to kick a police officer.

Police responded to a report of a male and female yelling at each other on Gray Street at 1:25 a.m. Police were trying to talk to each separately, and the woman was being uncooperative, according to a police report.

She allegedly tried to push free and attempted to kick the officer, according to the report.

Puleio was scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown.

Tyngsborough 20-year-old arrested on drug, alcohol charges

Police arrested a 20-year-old Tyngsborough man on drug and alcohol charges Saturday night after they said they saw suspicious activity behind Ren's Mobil station.

An officer on patrol noticed the man near a fence behind the closed North Pleasant Street station after 11 p.m. and noticed a baggie with white powder near his backpack, according to a police report.

K-9 Dash was brought in and confirmed the narcotic's presence, according to the report.

Anthony Picca was charged with being a minor in possession of alcohol and possession of a class B substance, cocaine.

He was scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Eastern Hampshire District Court.

Theft of Oxycodone pills under investigation

Amherst police are investigating the theft of more than two dozen Oxycodone pills from a resident who reported the missing drugs Saturday afternoon after returning from being away for a day.

Nothing else was reportedly taken, according to the police report.

Sunderland man faces OUI, speeding charges

A 24-year-old Sunderland man is facing a multiple charges after he was stopped for speeding Saturday morning on Route 116 near Meadow Street, police said.

Police charged Jake A. Nolan with operating under the influence of alcohol and speeding after being stopped just after 2 a.m.

He was scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Eastern Hampshire District Court.

Other weekend calls
President Barack Obama and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet this week, the White House announced Monday amid tensions about Turkeys ongoing Operation Euphrates Shield, Anadolu reported.

The meeting Sunday will take place before the G20 summit in China, Obamas deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters at the White House.

President Obama will want to discuss, obviously, the circumstances in Turkey since the attempted coup, as well as our counter-ISIL campaign, and our efforts to promote greater stability in Syria and response to the refugee crisis, Obama said.

The meeting will be the first between Obama and Erdogan since the July 15 failed coup attempt.

It comes as the U.S. has urged Turkey to focus its efforts in Syria on Daesh, and to avoid engaging with the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Washingtons principal partner in Syria.

Turkey views the YPG as the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terror group, which the U.S. and EU have designated as such.

Ankara has insisted the group return to the east bank of the Euphrates River immediately, and has targeted the group south of Jarabulus.
Westfield City Hall

8.22.13 | WESTFIELD | Westfield City Hall

(Manon Mirabelli)

WESTFIELD - Mayor Brian P. Sullivan has called a meeting of school and city officials to reassess the needs of a 600-student $36 million elementary school at Ashley and Cross streets.

That meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, will review current and projected student enrollment figures and building specifications, Sullivan said Tuesday.

The review follows last week's state Appeals Court support of an earlier decision by Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Ford's in October 2014 allowing Westfield to proceed with construction of a 600-student $36 million elementary school to replaced the then closed Ashley Street School.

The Appeals Court, as did Ford, rejected claims from a group of Ashley and Cross streets residents that a portion of new school site was protected by Article 97, protection of playgrounds and parks.

Sullivan told the School Committee Monday night that because of the Appeals Court ruling he knows of no existing "roadblocks" preventing construction of the new school.

"But, before we move forward I want a review of enrollment, building specifications and another commitment from MSBA on funding," Sullivan said Tuesday morning.

"The Appeals Court sided with the city so we can now move forward. I don't know what additional roadblocks will be and right now we have the ability to move forward and that is what we will do," Sullivan told the School Committee.

City officials assigned to reassess the school needs include Superintendent of Schools Stefan Czaporowski, School Finance Officer Ronald Rix, City Solicitor Susan Phillips, City Purchaser Tammy Tefft, Community Development Director Peter Miller, School Committee vice chairman Raymond Diaz and Community Outreach Coordinator Amber Denehey

Plans for the new school have been on the table for more than four years after originally being proposed by former Mayor Daniel M. Knapik and his administration.

Knapik said Tuesday the decision of the state Appeals Court "affirms the city's position that this is a sound program to be located on a school site. It is time to move forward with its construction."

The new school, once completed, will house students currently enrolled at Abner Gibbs and Franklin Avenue schools as well as former Juniper Park School students who now are bused to Russell Elementary School in Russell. Those three schools represent roughly 600 students, Sullivan said Tuesday.

Westfield City Council has already authorized local funding for the project but the mayor must appoint a new School Building Committee to oversee competitive bidding and construction.

Fontaine Brothers of Springfield was originally awarded the contract for construction in 2012 and an official groundbreaking ceremony was held.

But, Westfield must advertise again for construction bids for the project and building specifications must be reviewed because of changes in school building codes, Sullivan and City Advancement officer Joseph Mitchel said.

Once started, the bidding process is expected to take six months before a new general contractor is selected, city officials said.
EAST LONGMEADOW - A 64-year-old East Longmeadow man was arrested last week on a fugitive from justice warrant issued by the Wallingford, Connecticut, police in connection with a July 2 stabbing that left a man seriously injured.

Edward Hoffman

Edward Hoffman Jr. was arrested Thursday in East Longmeadow on the Connecticut warrant. He waived his right to an extradition hearing, and was transported to Wallingford for booking on two charges: criminal attempt to commit assault in the first degree, and assault in the second degree.

He was ordered held on $50,000 bail pending his arraignment Tuesday in Meriden Superior Court.

According to Wallingford police, Hoffman traveled to Wallingford to spend the July 4th holiday weekend with friend at his condominium. At some point during the early morning of July 2 after the friend had gone to bed, he was awakened by Hoffman trying to stab him.

The man suffered stab wounds to his buttocks, abdomen and legs. During the attack the man managed to also stab Hoffman in the leg, which caused Hoffman to retreat and flee the residence.

None of the injuries to Hoffman or the man were life threatening, police said. Both men were treated at Yale New Haven Hospital.

Afterward, Hoffman left the state, resulting in police issuing the warrant for his arrest.

Police said the reason for the attack is not known. Hoffman has declined to cooperate with investigating officers.

Police said the man who owned the condominium was not charged because he acted in self-defense.
SPRINGFIELD -- The grand jury considering charges against Jeffrey Lovell was presented with choices to indict for first or second degree murder or manslaughter, according to a spokesman for Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni.

Lovell was indicted Monday for manslaughter for the fatal shooting of a teenager who, according to court records, he believed was trying to break into his Chicopee home.

James Leydon, spokesman for Gulluni, responding to an inquiry from The Republican, said, "In regards to the charges presented to the grand jury in the Jeffrey Lovell case - The neutral arbiter, that is the grand jury, was presented with manslaughter as well as the both degrees of murder."

According to the Massachusetts Trial Court website "A grand jury is a group of 23 persons working as a unit to hear evidence that is presented by the prosecutor. Its function is to consider this evidence, then decide if enough evidence exists to indict (bring a criminal charge against) a person or corporation."

Lovell is slated to be arraigned in Hampden Superior Court on Wednesday. The manslaughter indictment means the grand jury did not feel Lovell should be charged with murder, either first or second degree.

Grand jury proceedings are confidential and grand juries meet in secret. Although there are grand jury minutes available to lawyers on the cases, they are not public.

Lovell, 42, shot and killed 15-year-old Dylan Francisco of Springfield on the afternoon of July 16, according to police.

He had been charged with murder and denied that charge in Chicopee District Court.

The manslaughter indictment will mean the murder charge in District Court will be dismissed. Once a case is indicted in Superior Court, the District Court case is dismissed.

Lovell has been held without right to bail as most murder suspects are, but his lawyer can argue in Hampden Superior Court for a bail amount to be set now that the charge is manslaughter.

There is no minimum mandatory sentence for manslaughter. Under state law, a person convicted of manslaughter shall "be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than twenty years or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars and imprisonment in jail or a house of correction for not more than two and one half years."

In a grand jury, prosecutors present evidence (such as police reports) and testimony to back up the charge or charges with which they want to have a person indicted. It is not like a trial, where the defense presents a case or has a chance to rebut prosecutors.

The grand jury decides what the person is charged with by way of indictment. At all procedures once a case proceeds, judges emphasize that the indictment is just an allegation and does not mean a person is guilty.

Some judges tell jurors in their instructions at trial that the indictment is "just a piece of paper" and they must not attach any guilt to the defendant simply because he or she is indicted.

Francisco, who was supposed to be entering his sophomore year at Chicopee Comprehensive High School next month, was with two other teens on July 16. They were planning to visit a friend on Boucher Circle. But the three accidentally went to the wrong house, and began knocking on a door at Lovell's at 120 Boucher Circle home. Lovell's wife woke him up at about 1 p.m. and said someone was trying to break into their home, according to court records.

Lovell grabbed his handgun and looked through a kitchen window to see a teenager walking from the backyard toward the side door. The teenager started knocking on the glass of the locked door and said something Lovell said he could not understand, according to a statement in court records.

The door has three windows lined up vertically. The top window broke when the boy was knocking on it, said Leydon.

Lovell had called police but did not wait for officers to arrive. He shot Francisco through the bottom window pane, aiming for his torso, he told police in court records.

"Mr. Lovell told this party to 'get the f--k out' and 'stay the f--k out.' As the ... party continued to bang on the door Mr. Lovell stated that the window broke at which time Mr. Lovell raised his loaded S & W (Smith & Wesson) firearm and shot one round through the glass of the door," the police report states.

Francisco, of Springfield, was with two other Comprehensive High School students -- a 16-year-old boy and a girl who had just finished her senior year. Gulluni said they had been drinking before the shooting, but gave no details.

Court records did not explain what happened to the other teens during the shooting, but police said they were not injured.
masslive police lights.jpg

SPRINGFIELD -- Sean Deglis isn't a heroin dealer, but he did buy a car from one over the weekend, his lawyer said Monday.

Until police stopped him Saturday night, Deglis had no idea that 95 packets of heroin were stashed in a hidden compartment of his new car, lawyer Tony LaCasse explained.

"Unfortunately ... the car was under surveillance," LaCasse said, adding it was unfair to expect his client to "hire a drug-sniffing dog to inspect a car before purchasing it."

Deglis, 29, of Southwick, pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in Springfield District Court to one count of possession of heroin with intent to distribute.

Acting on a tip from a confidential informant, Springfield narcotics detectives arrested him Saturday night in the parking lot of a Forest Park liquor store, Assistant District Attorney Jill O'Connor said.

Police seized $155 in cash and 95 bags of heroin from a compartment in the car, according to the prosecutor, who said the drugs were packaged for sale, not personal use.

She asked for $5,000 bail, noting that Deglis has an extensive criminal record and had violated his probation in a 2015 case involving leaving the scene of a serious motor vehicle accident.

In addition, the defendant has convictions for drug possession and other charges, plus violations of probation and eight court defaults, O'Connor said.

LaCasse opposed the bail request, explaining that his client was a heroin user, not a heroin dealer. He asked Judge William Hadley to commit his client to a 90-day drug evaluation and treatment program in the Boston area, rather than imposing cash bail.

Despite battling heroin addiction for 10 years, Deglis has never received in-patient treatment -- an option the defendant and his family were pushing for, LaCasse said.

"No program -- only detox. I've tried and tried," Deglis added.

Court psychologist Amber Green-Thompson also recommended ordering Deglis to undergo inpatient evaluation, a process that typically takes about three weeks, she said.

The defendant's father also appealed to the judge, saying jail treatment programs had failed, leading to the "some old, same old." Once his impatient treatment ended, Deglis promised the judge he would enroll in a community-based program to continue his recovery.

But the judge said the drug distribution charge, combined with his default in the 2015 case, showed the defendant posed a risk to public safety.

"He's giving heroin to people ... and defaulting (in a case involving) leaving the scene of a serious accident," Hadley said.

While expressing concern for the defendant's future and sympathy for his family, the judge said he doubts Deglis's determination to free himself from addiction. "You can make all the promises you want," the judge said.

He ordered Deglis held on $10,000 bail, and continued the case for a pretrial hearing on Sept. 23.
Updates story posted at 7:54 a.m.

SPRINGFIELD -- A pedestrian, reportedly hit by a car as she used a crosswalk at Alden Street and Wilbraham Road late Monday night, had her handbag stolen after the fact as she lay dazed in the roadway.

The incident occurred shortly after 11:45 p.m. as the victim, a 44-year-old city woman, walked home from work, Sgt. John Delaney said.

The victim, who suffered a bump to her forehead and was treated and released at a hospital, has no memory of the incident and did not know how she came to be lying injured in the roadway, Delaney, public information officer for the department, said.

A witness, who had been outside the Dairy Mart about 50 feet away, told police that he saw a light-colored Honda or Toyota hit the woman in the crosswalk after turning left from Wilbraham Road onto Alden Street.

The witness said that the car, driven by a white or Hispanic male, then headed east towards Roosevelt Avenue.

The witness told police he then saw a second male come from the area of the Dairy Mart and take the woman's handbag, which was later identified as a black leather Michael Kors bag containing cash, the woman's driver's license and other personal items.

The witness could not provide a description of suspect who took the handbag, Delaney said.

When police arrived on scene they found the victim lying in the crosswalk on Alden Street, conscious and alert, surrounded by a group of Springfield College students who were attending to her.

The students told police they did not see how she came to be injured. Delaney said the victim's only injury was the bump on her head.

Detectives continue to investigate the incident.
Five children between the ages of 5 and 11 were injured when three rockets fired from Daesh-controlled territory in Syria landed in the Turkish province of Kilis on Monday, Anadolu reported.

One of the rockets hit the wall of a residential building in a central neighborhood of the Kilis province, while the other two landed in empty fields in other residential areas, the statement said, adding the rockets were fired at 6.25 p.m. local time.

The wounded children have been hospitalized, the eldest being in critical condition, a hospital source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The initial reports had indicated there were four wounded.

The Turkish military said it located the positions from where the rockets were fired, and retaliated, destroying eight targets.

The border province has been hit by more than 80 rockets since January, resulting in 21 deaths.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 30

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Thirty-five media workers have been detained as a part of the fight against the movement of Fethullah Gulen, who is accused of organizing the July 15 military coup attack in the country, Sabah newspaper reported Aug. 30.

The media workers are suspected of having links with the Gulen movement, as well as in promoting the activities of the movement.

The names of the detainees have not been disclosed.

On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed.

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people, excluding the coup plotters, and over 2,000 people were wounded.

Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 30

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

The Turkish armed forces destroyed 12 positions of the Islamic State (IS, ISIL, ISIS or Daesh) militants in Syria, the Turkish General Staff said Aug. 30.

According to the General Staff, the military operations are being held against the IS in Syria.

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.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
The popular anime series Tokyo Ghoul is not only set to release its third season later this year, but is also expected to unveil its newest mobile game and live action Tokyo Ghoul movie. (Photo : Wikia/Tokyo Ghoul)

"Tokyo Ghoul" Season 3 is finally going to follow the sequence and storyline of the manga series.



Speculations on various episodes for the next season of the popular anime suddenly become rife in different platforms. Among these is the belief that Ken Kaneki will be declared as the One-Eyed King in "Tokyo Ghoul" Season 3.



Advertisement

According to Manga Stream, this was based on the 86th chapter of "Tokyo Ghoul:re" manga, when Eto Yoshimora asked Ken Kaneki to proclaim himself as the One-eyed king after the latter defeated Kishou Arima, who was then leading the confrontation of CCG against the ghouls.



Since this is a continuation of the sequel to the original manga series, the setting of "Tokyo Ghoul" Season 3 is also said to be two years after the CCG raided the Anteiku, a cafe which serves as the headquarter of "more peaceful ghouls."



Aside from the declaration of Ken as One-Eyed King, impending fights and collision between the Aogiri Tree, a terrorist organization composed of ghouls, and the CCG will happen in "Tokyo Ghoul" Season 3. The latter, however, plans on launching a group called "The Quinx Squad," which has the primordial duty to extinguish the ghouls.



The team is said to be composed of humans who possessed ghouls' powers after undergoing operation. For fans, this makes the fight more exciting as humans and ghouls are put in an equal footing in "Tokyo Ghoul" Season 3.



Another catch in this group is that their leader is said to be a half-human half-ghoul named Haise Saseki. Although, according to Vine Report, this Sasaki is in fact Ken Kaneki. It is said that after being a captive of his own, he had doubts about his own breed, thus, making him transfer to the other side. Many are not convinced with this idea, instead, they believe that since the anime will follow the manga episodes, it is highly possible that he will be joining Professor Kanou in his battle against villains in "Tokyo Ghoul" Season 3.



Despite many speculations, the producers are still tight-lipped as to what the series will contain, and they have not released official statement yet as to the exact date it is rolling.


US Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar during the latter's visit to the Pentagon this week. (Photo : U.S.Department of Defense)

India has opened its defense industry to United States' investors and defense firms in the latest move indicating India has moved much closer to the U.S.' orbit and further away from Moscow's.



Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is in the U.S. for a three-day visit starting Aug. 29, said in a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter he intends to return to India having increased ties between the U.S. defense industry and that of India.



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Parrikar said a major goal of his trip to the U.S. is to encourage future tie-ups between US and Indian defense firms. He will also meet with top defense technology experts from the military, the business sector and the academe.



"I wish to invite US industry, including the defense industry, to be part of this new journey of hope and transformation in India," said Parrikar.



On Aug. 30, Parrikar will meet with representatives from 25 U.S. business firms including Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Textron in a meeting organized by the US-India Business Council.



Carter described Parrikar as "an innovator. He's a great partner and a true friend." He repeated his belief the U.S.-India relationship is "destined to be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century."



Both leaders noted the importance of India being named a Major Defense Partner in June, an event Carter described as an "enormous change." India received this designation during the official visit to the U.S. by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



"Across the board of what we do, whether they are co-production, co-development, whether they are exercises and the kinds of things that we do operationally together, in all of those respects, some of the barriers that were erected in the past when we didn't interact so much, all those are being knocked down," said Carter.



Following a meeting between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Modi last June, the White House released a joint statement acknowledging the US-India defense relationship as a "possible anchor of stability," and heralding new technology sharing "at a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners."



The leaders reached an understanding under which India would receive license-free access to a wide range of dual-use technologies along with unspecified steps that India has committed to take to advance its export control objectives.



"I think the Modi government is taking some very positive steps to promote more co-development and co-production in the defense sector," said Ben Schwartz, Director for Defense and Aerospace, of the US-India Business Council.



"There really is forward momentum at the political level. What remains to be done is working things out more at the level that occurs at the companies, and the lower level people at the Indian government in the acquisition system."



Schwartz claims the most significant policy shift of the government of Indian Prime Minister Modi has been opening up the defense sector to private industry.



"That was pretty substantial," said Schwartz.



In addition to industry, Parrikar met with the leadership of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) group.



Parrikar will also visit U.S. Cyber Command, Air Combat Command and the 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing.



The highlight of Parikar's trip will be signing the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), a foundational agreement for India and the U.S. that will allow the military forces of both nations to use each other's military bases.



LEMOA means India will allow U.S. forces to operate out of its military bases and vice versa. The agreement will give each nation access supplies, spare parts and services from each other's land facilities, air bases and ports, which can then be reimbursed, according to India's Ministry of Defense.



The ministry also said LEMOA does not give automatic access to the use of each nation's military bases.



LEMOA is seen as part of President Barack Obama's pivot to Asia and caps 12 years of unrelenting effort by the U.S. Under the pivot meant to rein in communist China and its imperialistic leaders, the U.S. Navy plans to deploy 60 percent of its surface ships to the Indo-Pacific with this decade.


SETI Investigating Strong Signal that Might be from an Advanced Alien Civilization

The strong radio signal from HD 164595 detected in 2015. (Photo : Bursov et al)

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has decided to investigate an unusual signal emanating from a star named "HD164595" located 94 light years from Earth first detected by an international team of astronomers on May 15, 2015.



Astronomers say it isn't clear if the signal is being transmitted by intelligent aliens, but said we should keep a close watch on this signal that's generating buzz almost as strong as the famous "WOW!" signal in 1977.



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In 2015, researchers led by N. N. Brusilov using the RATAN-600 radio telescope in the Russian Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia revealed a "strong signal in the direction of HD164595," a planetary system in the constellation Hercules.



Italian astronomer Claudio Maccone and others described the signal as a "strong candidate for SETI." The signal, however, will be discussed at a meeting of the IAA SETI Permanent Committee on Sept. 27.



As of now, however, SETI is examining the radio signal and HD 164595. Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer with the SETI Institute, said "it's hard to understand why anyone would want to target our solar system with a strong signal."



"This star system is so far away they won't have yet picked up on any TV or radar that would tell them that we're here."



The SETI Institute is examining HD 164595 using the Allen Telescope Array in California.



Shostak said they so far haven't found any signals to match those originally detected by the Russian telescope. He cautioned, however, that "we have not yet covered the full range of frequencies in which the signal could be located."



"A detection, of course, would immediately spur the SETI and radio astronomy communities to do more follow-up observations."



METI International, an organization that searches for life beyond Earth, will observe the star from the Boquete Optical SETI Observatory in Panama. Astronomers will search for any brief laser pulses that might be sent as a beacon from advanced extraterrestrials.



"Without corroboration from an independent observatory, a putative signal from extraterrestrials doesn't have a lot of credibility," said astronomer Douglas Vakoch, president of METI International.



"The signal from HD 164595 is intriguing, because it comes from the vicinity of a sun-like star, and if it's artificial, its strength is great enough that it was clearly made by a civilization with capabilities beyond those of humankind," said Vakoch.



Vakoch also warned against undue optimism noting that the signal hasn't been detected by another Earth station.



"The greatest limitation of the May 2015 signal is that it hasn't been replicated. Before we can give any credence to a signal as coming from extraterrestrials, we need to see it repeatedly to make sure it wasn't just a transient phenomenon," said Vakoch.



Researchers surmise that if the signal came from a multi-directional, isotropic radio beacon, it would have to be produced by what's called a "Kardashev Type II civilization" or an advanced alien civilization capable of using nearly 100 percent of its host star's energy potential.


Shenyang J-31 (Photo : Xinhua)

China is pouring a ton of money to correct its inability to make powerful engines suitable for its stealth fighter jets with the recent launch of state-owned Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC).



AECC is capitalized at $7.5 billion and is being funded by China's State Council and the Beijing government. Chinese state-run media said the new firm already has 96,000 employees.



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AECC combines the resources and employees of a number of state-owned firms, including the Aviation Industrial Corporation of China (AVIC). The major focus of state-owned AVIC is to efficiently develop indigenous military technologies, and to eventually compete with Airbus and Boeing in the civilian airline industry. One of AVIC's products is the Chengdu Pterodactyl-1, a long-range aerial drone.



On the other hand, AECC's grandiose dream is to propel itself into the same league as Rolls Royce and General Electric (makers of the world's best jet engines), while its most immediate aim is to perfect the art of making fighter jet engines powerful enough to allow China's stealth fighters to live up to their promise.



Analysts have long said inferior engines are holding back the development of the underpowered Shenyang J-31 and the Chengdu J-20 fifth generation stealth fighters. The most sophisticated engines powering fourth generation fighters of the People's Liberation Army Air Force are made in Russia.



Chinese President Xi Jinping said establishing the company was a "strategic move" to make China an aviation power and modernize the military, said Chinese state media.



The dearth of modern military jet engines has led China to resort to espionage and hacking to steal secrets from Western countries, especially the United States. Over the past few months, the U.S. has either caught or sentenced to jail Chinese spies attempting to steal advanced American aerospace technology.



Premier Li Keqiang said in written comments that "breakthroughs" in advanced aircraft engines will have great value in strengthening the military and manufacturing ability of the country.


Chicken will be the best-positioned protein due to its low price position in times of pressure on consumer spending power but rises in production costs and the long-term impact of COVID-19 threaten to disrupt the sector, according to Rabobank.
by Chase Martin , August 29, 2016

The day when consumers use wearables as stand-alone devices without the need for a smartphone has finally come, thanks to a new smartwatch.

Samsung just launched its Gear S2 Classic 3G smartwatch in Italy with Italian telecommunications provider TIM and in collaboration with Gemalto, the company responsible for the security in many mobile and credit card payments.

The smartwatch offers similar functions to other smartwatches on the market, like tracking fitness and receiving notifications, text messages and calls. However, the smartwatch can achieve all of this without needing to be connected to a smartphone.

Some other wearables are being developed with the same use case in mind, but are based around consumers transferring their current SIM card from their smartphone to the wearable in order to add connectivity.

Untethered connectivity coming to IoT devices might bring new opportunities for marketers and advertisers, but wearables wont become a channel for messaging in the short-term, according to Marley Kaplan, head of innovation at Kinetic Worldwide.

Wearables are not quite ready for mainstream ad networks, Kaplan told the IoT Daily.

However, this rollout on a global scale brings marketers one step closer to forming best practices around the activation of wearable data.

In the Samsung smartwatch is Gemaltos eSIM (embedded SIM), which the security powerhouse proposes will become the new standard to replace current SIM card technologies.

The eSIM can be remotely configured to manage service subscriptions to be used on a different network or in a different device and then consumers can simply insert the eSIM into that device with no further actions needed, according to Gemalto. The idea is to create a single standard that can enable connectivity both in IoT devices like wearables and also in smartphones and tablets.

The rollout of the new Samsung watch is a huge technological leap toward a unified ecosystem of devices and platforms, Kaplan told the Daily.

For now, the area of opportunity for marketers and advertisers is in leveraging the data collected from wearables to provide context, according to Kaplan.
The Chinese embassy in Bishkek (Photo : Kyrgyz state TV)

China is blaming unidentified Muslim separatists for a suicide car bomb attack on its embassy in Bishkek, capital of the Kyrgyz Republic that only killed the bomber but wounded three non-Chinese employees of the embassy.



China condemned the attack and asked the Kyrgyz government of President Almazbek Atambayev to identify and harshly punish those involved. No group claimed responsibility for the attack but China has had a long history of attributing attacks on Chinese government property inside and outside of China to Muslim separatists.



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The Chinese regularly blame separatists and religious extremists for attacks in its Xinjiang province to the northwest that borders Kyrgyzstan. Al-Qaida and ISIS have also threatened to attack Chinese targets in retaliation for alleged repression of Chinese Muslims, particularly those from the Uyghurs that dominate Xinjiang.



Kyrgyzstan is a majority Muslim country that shares its eastern border with China.



Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying described the three victims' injuries as minor but called for a stern security response at a press briefing in Beijing.



"China is appalled and strongly condemns the violent act," said Hua.



She said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has "demanded that Kyrgyz authorities take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel in Kyrgyzstan, launch a thorough investigation to find out the truth of the incident and harshly punish the perpetrators."



The Kyrgyz Ministry of the Interior said the suicide bomber crashed a car through the entrance of the embassy Bishkek, detonating a bomb that killed the attacker. It described the incident as a terrorist attack.



Deputy Prime Minister Zhenish Razakov said the attack was a suicide bombing. The country's spy agency, GKNB or the State National Safety Committee, said they were investigating the bombing that occurred 0400 GMT today.



Doctors at a nearby hospital said the three Kyrgyz victims suffered concussions and multiple bruises Photos from the scene released by the government showed the inner courtyard of the embassy compound strewn with debris. Windows of one building were smashed and walls were pockmarked with shrapnel.


by Tobi Elkin , Staff Writer @tobielkin, August 30, 2016

Nativo is a company with a patent-pending advertising platform that enables publishers to activate and manage native ad placements across their media properties.

RTBlog recently spoke with Justin Choi, the companys Founder and CEO, about industry trends.

RTBlog: What is Nativos focus at the moment?

Justin Choi: Nativo is focused on banner executions and in-feed advertising. Publishers are running ads in their feeds, but there are also publishers looking to fill more of their available inventory. Multiple providers are filling that need.

Were working on offering more healthy choices outside of Nativothird-party options that will provide distribution, not the demand. Were testing the efficacy to see if these partners can provide meaningful fill. Well be announcing partners in the coming weeks.

RTBlog: How would you describe the challenge then?

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Choi: Theres a challenge where publishers are looking for more fill, and theyre looking at their feeds as inventory that they now have to fill. Were trying to provide publishers with the ability to fill more of their feeds with ads without delivering a bad user experience.

The ad tech industry is trying to move into the feed and some are providing low-quality ads. So the options available to publishers are repurposed banners. Thats a challenge for publishers. They have to fill the feed but also to do so without hurting the long-term viability of their business. Lower quality ad inventory is trying to invade the feed. The ads that run in the feed will determine whether native becomes another terrible ad experience.

RTBlog: It sounds like the best in-feed ads are sold by publishers directly.

Choi: The best in-feed ads are contextually relevant to the sites theyre running on. Publisher-sold executions offer a very good native experience. Publishers are smarter about running campaigns that dont disrupt the user experience on their sites.

Everyone is realizing that the feed is the most valuable real estate. Publishers think of it as their inventory. But theyre being challenged with monetization goals.

RTBlog: Whats your take on the prospects for programmatic native?

Choi: Right now only in-feed ads are adaptable to the programmatic process. And the process is only aligned to driving traffic and conversions. Programmatic native is really programmatic in-feed right now. Its the evolution of display dollars, and not the evolution of native.

One of the challenges for news publishers is that they dont have enough scale to drive the revenue they want to drive. Facebook is the cheapest source and it has unlimited supply. The prices go up as they drive more demand to that supply. Were starting to see publishers that are cooperating with one another, as is the case with a group of German publishers that are pooling their data to go up against Facebook.

RTBlog: Can you elaborate on Facebooks role in all of this?

Choi: In-feed advertising is driving the scale. Its a FB traffic arbitrage play. The way native works is that in-feed advertising has really dominated what native has become and that aligns more with the evolution of display.

Advertisers are actually buying content creation and the brands from publishers like Buzzfeedand thats driving scale through Facebook. The question is, does Facebook eat the world? Its creating a lot of pressure on the industry and publishers to get smarter, consolidate, or cooperate. Does the pressure collapse them or make them operate better?
by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, August 29, 2016

Siding against the Federal Trade Commission, a federal appellate court said today that agency can't sue AT&T over broadband slowdowns.

The FTC alleged in an October 2014 lawsuit that AT&T duped consumers by promising them unlimited data, but slowing their broadband connections after they exceeded a monthly data cap.

But a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said the case must be dismissed because AT&T is a "common carrier." That decision reversed a ruling issued last year by U.S. District Court Judge Edward Chen in the Northern District of California.

The legal battle stems from AT&T's 2011 decision to throttle users with "unlimited" data plans. From 2011 until 2014, AT&T allegedly slowed down the connections of more than 3.5 million customers who exceeded monthly allotments of 3GB or 5GB, depending on their phones. AT&T recently revised its throttling practices and now only slows down customers who exceed 22 GB in a month; the company also now only throttles those users when the network is congested.

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The agency alleged in its lawsuit that AT&T duped consumers by selling them "unlimited" service, only to throttle their Web connections. AT&T argued that the case should be dismissed for several reasons, including that it's a common carrier.

The FTC generally has the power to bring cases against companies that dupe consumers via deceptive advertising. But the agency isn't authorized to bring enforcement actions against common carriers. Last year, a different agency -- the Federal Communications Commission -- classified mobile broadband as a common carrier service.

Chen rejected AT&T's argument, noting that the FTC's complaint dealt with activity that occurred before the FCC reclassified mobile broadband.

But the 9th Circuit reached the opposite conclusion. That court said that AT&T should have the benefit of the common-carrier exemption, even for activity that took place before mobile broadband service was considered a common-carrier service.

While AT&T won its battle with the FTC, the company still faces other problems as a result of the throttling. The FCC is seeking to fine AT&T $100 million for allegedly violating a 2010 regulation by failing to explain its throttling policies to consumers.
by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, August 29, 2016

The New York Post, never known as a paragon of good taste, is enduring another round of abuse for a questionable editorial decision. The tabloid is under fire for publishing a sext sent by the sext-addicted, perennially embattled and disgraced New York politician Anthony Weiner, whose now-estranged wife, Huma Abedin, is vice-chairwoman of Hillary Clinton's campaign.



Of course, this isnt Weiners first time through the sext mill. In 2011, he was famously forced to resign as a U.S. Representative when he mistakenly broadcast a revealing photo which he intended to send by direct message, but tweeted instead. Then, he famously botched a planned political comeback when another ill-advised sext went public.

Clearly, Weiner has a little problem with taking pictures of his junk and sending them to strangers, which is, generally speaking, not something politicians should do with great frequency. But this time is different, because the selfie in question  in addition to Weiners seemingly inescapable fabric-covered genitalia  also features his sleeping 4-year-old son.

While the mere existence of yet another Weiner selfie is debatably newsworthy, many critics expressed outrage that the NYP saw fit to drag a helpless bystander, and a child at that, into the political swamp. One media observer, sociology professor and New York Times writer Zeynep Tufekci, summed up the gist of the critique: Having a misbehaving parent doesnt give anyone else license to expose a little child to years of bullying and worse.

Its not hard to imagine some potential responses from the Posts defenders, if any exist.

First, no one can deny that it was Weiner himself who initially erred, displaying bad judgment (yet again) by sending a picture including his son to a total stranger. One might also argue that it is his lack of good sense, crystallized by the offending picture, that is most newsworthy, especially given Weiners proximity to a highly risk-averse presidential campaign.

But while all this may be true, it doesnt mean the NYP had to actually publish the photo. Wouldnt a simple description of the image be enough to convey the fathers reckless, narcissistic disregard for his own childrens welfare? Does the tabloid really have to make the harm to the child real, burdening him forever with his fathers poor decisions, in order for it the harm be recognized?

Images are admittedly more vivid than words, but in some cases, words should be enough.
by Richard Whitman , Columnist, August 29, 2016

Toronto-based Zulu Alpha Kilo, the agency behind Jingle Butts , the mocking of agency spec work, the mocking of agency Web sites and a host of other hilarious stunts is out with yet another. Now the agency has sent a video RFP to both the Clinton and Trump campaigns.

The video, which also includes several spoof Clinton and Trump ads, marks the second appearance of the company's faux founder. He was first introduced for the agency's own Web site, which poked fun at the absurdities of all ad agency Web sites and even itself in the aforementioned stunt. The character is played by veteran commercial and film actor Doug Murray, who was recently featured in Spotlight, 2015's Oscar winner for Best Picture.

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The video kicks off with faux Frank Zulu sitting by a pool sharing the fact that the agency won Ad Age's 2016 Ad Agency of the Year. Zulu then speaks directly to Clinton and Trump explaining why this particular Canadian agency is best suited to tout American presidential candidates. Zulu touches on strong walls for Trump and, ahem, a firewall for Hillary.

Give it a watch. You'll chuckle.
As trolls increasingly threaten the quality of consumers digital experiences, Microsoft is cracking down on these insidious haters.

We are refining some of our processes to make it easier for customers to report hate speech, Jacqueline Beauchere, Microsoft chief online safety officer, notes in a new blog post.

As part of this effort, the Web giant is launching a new dedicated Web form for reporting hate speech on its hosted consumer services.

To prevent mistakenly silencing well-intentioned users, Microsoft is simplifying requests to reinstate content that customers feel was removed in error, and adding a separate Web form for requests to reconsider and reinstate content.

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The changes add to Microsofts existing notice-and-takedown approach for removing prohibited content on hosted consumer services.

More broadly, the company says it is working with the wider Web community to combat offensive content online. We work with governments, online safety advocates and other technology companies to ensure there is no place on our hosted consumer services for conduct that incites violence and hate, according to Beauchere.

Microsoft recently joined major social media and video-sharing firms in support of the European Commission Code of Conduct countering illegal hate speech online. From sophomoric bullying to more serious threats, trolls have become a major problem for top tech platforms.

Like this latest move from Microsoft, many are countering with aggressive anti-troll efforts. For example, Instagram recently developed several tools that were designed protect users from bad actors.

Of course, online harassment is bigger than any one platform. Indeed, a full 40% of online users report being subjected to some form of harassment online, according to the Pew Research Center.

Harassment has been a particular problem for Twitter. Despite efforts to curb their activity, trolls have scared away some of the networks most influential users. Earlier this summer, New York Times editor Jon Weisman gave up on the network, given its failure to stem the tide of anti-Semitism being tweeted in his direction.

This month, Twitter permanently suspended the account of conservative commentator Milo Yiannopoulos -- but not before he directed a number of racist and demeaning tweets in the direction of Saturday Night Live star Leslie Jones.

Partly as a result, data recently emerged showing that ad agencies are increasingly bypassing Twitter for other social networks -- especially Instagram.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, August 30, 2016

It may not seem like a major achievement, but Microsoft sites inched up another fraction of a percentage to 21.9% market share in July 2016 from 21.8% in June 2016, according to comScore data released Monday.

The numbers for explicit core searches exclude contextually driven searches that do not reflect specific user intent to interact with the search results.

Microsoft inched up, but Google sites slid to 63.4% in July 2016 from 63.8% in June 2016.

Surprisingly, Yahoo sites also gained slightly -- up to 21.1% in July 2016 from 11.9% in June 2016. Ask Network followed, steady with 1.5% for June and July 2016, and AOL went from 1.0% in June 2016 to 1.1% in July 2016.

The number of search queries in the U.S. for desktop home and work locations fell across the board in July 2016, per comScore, so targeting consumers on these machines will become more difficult. The total number of explicit core searches fell 5% in July to 15,220. Google sites took the biggest hit for the month, declining 5%. AOL is the only engine gained. The company gained 3% from 156 to 161 in July 2016.

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Facebook took the no. 1 spot for mobile apps with 78.4% reach in July 2016 for the total U.S. smartphone mobile media users ages 18 and older on iOS and Android platforms, followed by Facebook Messenger with 70.9%. YouTube came in at No. 3 with 61.6%, Google Maps with 57.4% and Google Play with 53%, rounding out the top five.

Google Search with 52.4% came in at No. 6, and Gmail with 45.2 took No. 7.
by Thom Forbes @tforbes, August 30, 2016

Scott Kirby had no sooner departed as president of American Airlines yesterday  with $13 million in severance pay in his pocket  than he arrived at United Airlines with the same, newly minted title and responsibility for operations, marketing, sales, alliances, network planning and revenue management.

Robert Isom, 52, who has been COO at American, will become its president.

Americans board of directors described the moves as part of an ongoing succession planning process. American chairman and CEO Doug Parker said other organizations have been aggressively attempting to recruit from our ranks and that the decision to elevate Isom was a proactive step to create a longer-term leadership team for the carrier, reports Conor Shine for the Dallas Morning News.

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In his new role as president, Isom will continue to oversee the carriers operations and add new responsibilities for revenue management, network planning, marketing and sales, Shine continues.

Kirby, 49, will report to United CEO Oscar Munoz effective immediately, according to a news release.

The Wall Street Journals Susan Carey writes that Kirby was told that he needed to transition out of the Fort Worth, Texas, company, said people familiar with the matter, after the airlines board decided it wouldnt be able to retain its executive team in their current roles for the long term. Like other top executives of American, Mr. Kirby doesnt have an employment contract or a noncompete agreement, and he was free to make the lateral move to United.

Carey reports Kirby is known in the industry for having strong views and was sought after on earnings calls because he spoke more openly than most executives.

Scott's appointment, along with other recent leadership announcements, is the culmination of the formation of my senior leadership team, Uniteds Munoz said in a statement. This is just the latest step in our mission to be an agile and innovative industry leader.

Munoz, who was brought in as CEO last year to turn the airline around, has reached several new labor agreements with employee groups and improved the airline's on-time performance, but said earlier this year that United's financial performance still lags behind other major U.S. airlines, reports Lauren Zumbach for the Chicago Tribune.

Munoz, who had been the president and COO of the CSX railway and a member of Uniteds board, suffered a heart attack six weeks after taking the reins at United in September 2015 and had a heart transplant in January of this year. He has been back on the job since early March.

Kirby's appointment follows two management changes earlier this month, when Munoz made former Allegiant Travel president Andrew Levy United's new chief financial officer and former Boston Consulting Group partner Julia Haywood the airline's chief commercial officer, Zumbach continues.

Kirby had served as the president of US Airways since Oct. 1, 2006, where Parker had been CEO and Isom was COO and EVP, according to their bios on Bloomberg. He had been president at American since December 2013.

Kirby and Isom were both instrumental in the 2013 merger of American and US Airways and the subsequent integration of the airlines, Bill Hethcock reports for the Dallas Business Journal.

Parker and Kirby had worked together for 20 years, Tim Reed reports for The Street.

John Cahill, the airline's lead independent director, emphasized that Parker isn't going anywhere, suggesting a scenario in which Kirby, 49, was not going to move up at the carrier anytime soon, even though he was widely viewed as Parker's heir apparent. Parker is 54; Isom is 52.

Scott has been a key member of our team for over 20 years, Americans Parker said in a statement. We would not be where we are today without his leadership. The more than 100,000 team members of American Airlines  most notably me  will be forever grateful to Scott.

American, meanwhile, launched a new advertising campaign yesterday that promotes civility among passengers. Always upbeat, great fliers make the best of their situation no matter where theyre sitting, one print ad says, writes Martha C. White for the New York Times.

Sounds exactly like what Kirby is doing as he makes the move from Dallas to Chicago.
International Business Times, Tuesday, August 30, 2016 7:56 AM

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders will not hand over his email list to the Clinton campaign. Instead, he will use the list of about 5.3 million email addresses, to fundraise for progressive candidates running for Senate. A spokesperson for the former presidential candidate told Roll Call that Sanders supporters don't have to worry about having their information turned over to the Democratic party.

Read the whole story at International Business Times 
by Larissa Faw , August 30, 2016



Rokkan and The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) are launching a new campaign designed to resonate with younger viewers to educate them about the puppy mill industry. Rokkan conceived and developed the creative behind "Don't Buy Into Puppy Mills," while its media team led buying and planning efforts for the campaign running through October.

The concept contrasts optimistic images detailing childrens imaginative responses to the question Where do puppies come from? with darker animation to show how most puppies are sold online and in pet stores.

"We need kids and adults alike to care about where puppies come from so we can end puppy mills long term," says John Noe, CEO and Lindsay Williams, SVP, media + analytics, Rokkan. "However, the campaign wasn't designed explicitly for children. We wanted to use a childs POV to generate more universal appeal across the board  to give puppies (and their mothers) a new voice."

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The campaign consists of three :30-second films and one long-form film. Rokkan, part of the Publicis Groupe, also redesigned a dedicated anti-puppy mills website to help raise awareness for this issue.

The paid-media part of the campaign includes video distribution across social through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; animated display units to drive increased reach of campaign messaging; and a Google search to capture both pet enthusiasts plus users who are searching to buy a puppy/dog; and standard pre-roll across YouTube to dog owners and lovers.

This paid media is designed to direct traffic to the "Take Action" page where visitors are invited to sign the Puppy Pledge, showing their dedication to helping stop puppy mills.

The Puppy Pledge is also part of an interactive audience targeted pre-roll where visitors can click on the ad to learn more about this petition. "For this campaign we are using a branded slate -- this allows for campaign messaging to stay present throughout the entirety of the spot," says Lorraine Schwartz, senior media strategist, Rokkan. "It also provides a stronger [call-to-action] to help drive users towards our main [key performance indicator] for the campaign and puppy pledge signatures."

This campaign follows the Same Day Pups campaign that Rokkan and The HSUS launched in 2015.
by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, August 30, 2016

I couldn't help myself. What a classic line: "Talk to the headphones." That's how this wireless on-ear headphones brand describes the voice search feature for the FIIL Diva Pro. The headphones are just one in thousands of products where consumers will search for content and information with their voice.

Chinese rock star Wang Feng created the headphones, which not only provide voice search, but motion sensors and 3D audio.

Saying "Hello FIIL" wakes up the voice search function. Commands like "search for Alan Jackson's 'Gone Country'" will search and then play the song. It can store up to 4G worth of music filesabout 1,000 filesin the headphones.

Voice search lets the user search, play, and change or replay songs. They also can pause music and adjust the volume by running their finger on the outside of the headphone along sensors.

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Wang Feng's now launching a Kickstarter campaign to raise $50,000 in 35 days as part of an effort to take pre-orders for the product. This project will only be funded if at least $50,000 is pledged by Tue, Oct 4, 2016 5:34 AM PDT. Even if this isn't funded there will be others that follow.

How many devices will marketers see by 2020? The weird and wacky world of predicting the future seems to have hit a snafu. Like Amy Nordrum from IEEE Spectrum writes "If you follow discussions about the Internet of Things, youve probably heard this stunning prediction at least once: The world will have 50 billion connected devices by 2020."

Now in 2016, of course we're not anywhere near that number. Nordrum estimates that the current count is somewhere between Gartners estimate of 6.4 billion, International Data Corporations estimate of 9 billion, both of which excludes smartphones, laptop and similar devices, and IHSs estimate of 17.6 billion, which includes all the devices.

The move to voice search should have marketers thinking about optimization of content and advertisements. One marketer at the past Search Insider Summit told me it wasn't top of mind because the technology has yet to directly affect the brand.

The marketer's role in the transition to voice search will be one of the topics experts will discuss at the next Search Insider Summit this December in Park City, Utah. Join us.
A design for the alleged Naval Spacecraft Battle Cruiser battling reptilian aliens. (Photo : Selected by Extraterrestrials)

The U.S. Navy has been battling reptilian invader aliens bent on conquering the Earth for the past 60 years in a secret space war in which the Navy operates a fleet of fantastic space warships that include "Naval Spacecraft Carriers" 2.5 kilometers long.



These outlandish claims and many more like them were made by UFO author William Tompkins in his new book, "Selected by Extraterrestrials," that's become a sensation among UFO believers.



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In his tall tale, Tompkins claims to have helped design the Navy's kilometer-long anti-gravity spacecraft in the 1950s and 1960s. Tompkins, 92, also claims to have personally designed five spaceships and 30 support ships for this clandestine space war being waged close to the Earth.



He said there are currently eight Navy space carrier battle groups defending the Earth from the invaders, who Tompkins describes as "lizard aliens" that want to enslave the human race.



His book was written to warn the lizard aliens are becoming stronger and that the Navy build more weapons to prevent the reptilians from ruling the Earth.



Tompkins attempts to support his outlandish claims by revealing what he purports are several declassified documents that include designs he made for space battle cruisers that are the backbone of the Navy's battle groups.



He said these space warships were built under a classified program called "Solar Warden." Some of these Naval Spacecraft Battle Cruisers are 1.4 km long, he alleges. Star Wars-type space fighters flown by Navy pilots take-off from the Naval Spacecraft Carriers to do battle against the reptilians.



Tompkins claims the Navy isn't fighting these reptilians alone. The Navy has allied itself with another alien race called the "Nordics," who operate spacecraft as large as the moon.



Tompkins said the Nordics come from the constellation Orion and influenced the building of the pyramids.



The space war goes on even as you read Tompkins' tall tale-- if you believe any of it at all.


by Larissa Faw , August 30, 2016



Saatchi & Saatchi NY is shaking up its executive suite by elevating Andrea Diquez to CEO -- replacing Brent Smart, who has held the post since 2013. Javier Campopiano will take over for Jay Benjamin as chief creative officer.

Diquez has worked her way through the Saatchi ranks after beginning her career at Saatchi New York in 1995, and has held a variety of regional and global roles, including leading some of the agencys widely recognized work on Tide. The Venezuelan native was named CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Mexico in 2011 and returned to New York in August 2013 to run the Olay business as EVP-global director.

Last year, she was elevated to president, becoming the number two executive at the agency. She will continue in her leadership role on P&G as she takes on the CEO duties.

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Meanwhile, Javier Campopiano will relocate from Miami to New York to serve as chief creative officer. He has 20 years of global industry experience including his role as chief creative officer for the agencys Latin America region and Saatchi's U.S. Hispanic shop Conill. Earlier in his career, he worked at FCB NY, Ogilvy & Mather and J. Walter Thompson.

Smart and Benjamin will officially depart September 1. Both are leaving the agency to pursue other opportunities.

"Jay and I started this journey of reinventing Saatchi New York together as partners, and weve decided to finish as partners, as we both leave the agency to pursue other opportunities," says Smart. "For me personally, after five years with the agency its time for a change, and the time is right to do that now with the right succession in place, which is something weve been talking about for a while."

Diquez assumes her role immediately, while Campopiano starts Thursday.
A study, published in Alzheimers & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring, investigates the long-term effects of trauma on the cognitive performance of responders to the World Trade Center on 9/11.

Share on Pinterest The impact of PTSD on cognitive ability is only now being charted.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that can arise in individuals who have experienced shocking, dangerous, or frightening events.

After a trauma, it is normal to experience a range of reactions. However, in PTSD, these reactions persist and last for months or even years.

Symptoms vary from individual to individual, but one of the most prominent and upsetting symptoms is known as re-experiencing .

Re-experiencing refers to repetitive flashbacks of the event, bad dreams, and frightening thoughts.

Experts believe that re-experiencing might be an early marker of mental pathology.

During the events that took place at the World Trade Center (WTC) on the 11th September, 2001, many responders  firefighters, police, and public  experienced a range of traumas.

According to the authors of the current study, around 20 percent of these responders subsequently developed PTSD.

In July 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began a monitoring and treatment program for WTC responders. Since it began, more than 33,000 individuals have enrolled in the WTC Health Program.

Researchers from Stony Brook University in New York City took a sample of individuals that attended Stony Brook clinics between January 2014 and April 2015. In all, 818 responders (average age 52.8 years) were screened. Researchers assessed the participants concentration, reasoning, memory, and problem-solving abilities.

Each individual was also checked by psychologists to diagnose PTSD and major depressive disorder (MDD).
Opioid abuse is a growing public health crisis, affecting up to 36 million people worldwide. Many of these individuals first get hooked on prescription painkillers that target mu opioid receptors in the brain. A study in rats published in Cell Reports suggests that a different approach that targets delta opioid receptors on sensory neurons in peripheral tissues might avoid the side effects and high abuse potential of currently available pain relievers.

"People living with chronic pain have few innovative analgesic options available to them outside of systemic opioids. Prolonged use of these opioids can result in respiratory depression, tolerance, addiction, and overdose," says senior study author Nathaniel Jeske of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. "Being able to increase the responsiveness of peripheral opioid receptor systems could lead to a reduction in systemic opioid administration, thereby reducing the incidence of side effects."

Most clinical opioids currently available target mu opioid receptors, including those located in the brain, and therefore have a high potential for abuse. By contrast, drugs targeting delta opioid receptors in the peripheral nervous system rather than the brain and spinal cord produce fewer side effects in animals and have a much lower abuse potential. However, delta opioid receptors in peripheral tissues only become activated in the presence of inflammation. Because it has not been clear how to overcome this need for an inflammation trigger, the development of peripherally restricted drugs targeting delta opioid receptors has been limited.

In the new study, Jeske and first author Allison Doyle Brackley of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio set out to address this problem. They found that a protein called GRK2 binds to and prevents delta opioid receptors on rat sensory neurons from responding normally to opioids, but when these peripheral neurons were exposed to a natural inflammatory molecule called bradykinin, GRK2 moved away from the delta opioid receptors, setting off a biochemical reaction that restored the functioning of these receptors. Moreover, rats with reduced GRK2 levels in peripheral sensory neurons regained sensitivity to the pain-relieving effects of a drug that activates delta opioid receptors without the need for an inflammatory trigger.

The findings expand the known function of GRK2 to include a role in inhibiting the function of delta opioid receptors in peripheral sensory neurons. Moving forward, the researchers will attempt to replicate the findings using human tissues. "By shedding light on how inflammation activates delta opioid receptors, this research could potentially lead to the development of safer, more effective opioids for the treatment of pain," Jeske says.

This work is funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Salk Institute scientists have discovered the holy grail of endless youthfulness--at least when it comes to one type of human kidney precursor cell. Previous attempts to maintain cultures of the so-called nephron progenitor cells often failed, as the cells died or gradually lost their developmental potential rather than staying in a more medically useful precursor state.

But by using a three-dimensional culture and a new mixture of supporting molecules, Salk researchers have successfully suspended the cells early in their development. Such early-stage kidney cells could be used to grow replacement kidney tissue in order to study the organ as well as treat disease.

"We provide a proof-of-principle for how to make and maintain unlimited numbers of precursor kidney cells," says Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, professor in Salk's Gene Expression Laboratory. "Having a supply of these cells could be a starting point to grow functional organs in the laboratory as well as a way to begin applying cell therapy to kidneys with malfunctioning genes." The work was published in Cell Stem Cell.

Nephron progenitor cells (NPCs), at least in humans, normally only exist during a brief stage of embryonic development. The cells go on to form nephrons, the functional units of the kidney, responsible for filtering the blood and excreting urine. But adults have no remaining NPCs to grow new kidney tissue after damage or disease. Generating NPCs in the lab, scientists believe, will offer a new way to study kidney development and eventually treat kidney diseases.

Previously, other groups of scientists have used induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to make NPC-like cells. "Those approaches take a long time, it is difficult to isolate a pure population, and the NPC-like cells are still transient," says Zhongwei Li, a research associate in the Izpisua Belmonte lab and co-first author of the new paper. In those cases, the NPCs often matured into adult kidney cells in a manner of days, leaving no steady population of progenitor cells to study.

First working with NPCs directly isolated from mouse embryos, Izpisua Belmonte, Li and collaborators worked to develop methods that would keep the NPCs in their usually transient, progenitor state. They discovered that if they maintained the cells in a three-dimensional culture, rather than a flat dish, and used a new mixture of signaling molecules, they could maintain the NPCs for more than 15 months. They went on to show that the cells--when moved to new conditions - could then be coaxed to develop into functional nephron-like structures both in the lab or when transplanted into animals.

Next, the team used both human embryonic NPCs and human NPCs generated from stem cells to tweak the protocol for human use. Again, they were able to maintain the NPCs long term.

"The 3D culture strategy used in our study can potentially be applied to other lineage progenitors for efficient formation of tissue organoids," says co-first author Jun Wu, Salk research associate.

Aside from a regenerative therapy to replace ailing organs, the scientists add that the NPCs could be used to model diseases in the lab. By introducing disease related mutations to the cells, researchers could study the onset and progression of the disease and gain new insights into the disease as well as screen and discover new treatment drugs.

Next, the researchers would like to investigate how to culture the other types of progenitor cells that are required for a full kidney, in addition to the nephrons formed by NPCs. "There are several progenitor cells that work together to make a whole organ," adds co-first author Toshikazu Araoka, Salk research associate. "If we can culture the other progenitor cells as well, we'll be closer to building a transplantable kidney."

The work and the researchers involved were supported by grants from the Kyoto University Foundation, the Nagai Foundation Tokyo, the Kidney Foundation Japan, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, a Catharina Foundation fellowship, the Universidad Catolica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM), Fundacion Dr. Pedro Guillen, The G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Charitable Foundation, The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, and The Moxie Foundation.
While calcium's importance for our bones and teeth is well known, its role in neurons - in particular, its effects on processes such as learning and memory - has been less well defined.

In a new study published in the journal Cell Reports, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) offer new insights how calcium in mitochondria - the powerhouse of all cells - can impact the development of the brain and adult cognition.

In particular, the team showed in fruit flies, a widely used model system, that blocking a channel that brings calcium to the mitochondria, called "mitochondrial calcium uniporter," causes memory impairment but does not alter learning capacity.

"When we knocked down the activity of the uniporter, we found that flies have a deficit memory," said Ron Davis, chair of the TSRI's Department of Neuroscience. "Intact uniporter function is necessary for full and complete memory in the adult fly. What surprised us is that they were still able to learn - albeit with a fleeting memory. But we thought they wouldn't be able to learn at all."

The mitochondrial calcium uniporter protein, first identified in 2011, allows calcium ions to move from the cell's interior into mitochondria - like coal moving through a shoot into a furnace room. It is regulated by other proteins known as MICU1, MICU2 and EMRE. Davis noted that human patients with mutations in MICU1 can exhibit learning disabilities.

"The new study's conclusion is that mitochondrial calcium entry during development is necessary to establish the neuronal competency for supporting adult memory," said TSRI Research Associate Ilaria Drago, the first author of the study.

Drago noted the team found evidence that inhibiting mitochondrial calcium uniporter function led to a decrease in the content of synaptic vesicles (miniscule sacs within the cell where various neurotransmitters are stored) and an increase in the length of axons (the slender filaments of neurons).

While these structural problems were clearly observed, she added, what they mean in terms of neuronal development remains tantalizingly unclear.

"The discovery of a developmental role for the mitochondrial calcium uniporter complex in regulating memory in adult flies is especially intriguing and deserves more exploration," said Davis.

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants R37NS19904 and R01NS052351) and the Iris and Junming Le Foundation.
Researchers from MIPT, the Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, the Institute for Energy Problems of Chemical Physics, and the Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Medicine have presented an algorithm to detect mutant proteins based on mass spectrometry data and the results of exome sequencing. Using this new approach, the scientists have discovered unique genome variants, some of which are linked to cancer development. Studying mutant peptides will help to detect weaknesses in tumor cells in search for more effective drug treatments. The results have been published in the journal Proteomics.

Proteomics and Big Data

It seems as if the term "big data" is relatively new. However, it is impossible to imagine any science that would not use large amounts of data. In biology, big data enables scientists to, on the one hand, conduct large-scale experiments and extract more useful data from biological material. On the other hand, it is becoming increasingly difficult to reveal important patterns of high specificity within the large amount of information. To cope with this problem, scientists are increasingly focusing on developing complex algorithms and/or the workflows for filtering and analyzing the data.

Proteomics - the large-scale study of proteins of cells and entire organisms - is no exception. Generally, proteins, peptides, and their fragments can be analyzed using mass spectrometry. Mass spectrometry provides peptide fragmentation information specific to the amino acid sequence and, thus, allows scientists to identify proteins present in the original sample. A number of algorithms called a search engine are currently available for protein identification. These algorithms take the peptide fragmentation patterns provided by mass spectrometry, match them with a protein database and return the list of proteins corresponding to the experimental data.

However, this approach is not entirely suitable for proteins that are not encoded in a reference genome. If a mutant protein from a cancer cell does not present in the search database, then the so-called variant peptide corresponding to the mutated part of the protein would not be identified. This is where proteogenomics comes in - a rapidly growing area of biological research at the intersection of genomics and proteomics. Variant peptides identified using the proteogenomic approach provide invaluable information for gene annotation - information which is difficult or impossible to ascertain using standard annotation methods.

Expansion of the protein database

In their paper, the Russian scientists describe a workflow for searching variant peptides from mutant proteins enabling them to compare the mass spectrometry results of different groups and laboratories for unambiguous marking of cancer mutations. The effectiveness of their approach has been tested using HEK-293 cells. HEK-293 (Human Embryonic Kidney 293) cells are a specific cell line originally derived from human embryonic kidney cells grown in a tissue culture. HEK-293 cells have been widely used in cell biology research for many years because of their reliable growth and propensity for transfection.

In addition to their own experimental data, the researchers used the mass spectrometry results from two recent studies analysing HEK-293 cell proteomes. They generated the so-called customized database for proteogenomic analysis based on exome sequencing of HEK-293 cells. An exome is formed by exons (part of a gene that codes an amino acid sequence). As a result, the customized protein database now has 1336 sequences of mutant proteins in addition to the reference database of human proteins. This simply means that the protein "dictionary" has grown. Without this improvement it would be impossible to find the "wrong" mutant proteins. A cancer cell mutates more often than a regular cell, which is why known differences between proteins in cancer and "reference" cells will help scientists to find out more about tumor cells.

With the mass spectrometry data available from two previous studies and the own experimental results, the Russian scientists identified peptides and the corresponding proteins contained in the cell. Using the proteogenomic analysis with an expanded peptide database, the authors discovered 113 unique variant peptide sequences in HEK-293 cells referring to the exons of 103 genes.

Some of the mutations discovered had previously been proven to be connected with different types of cancer. These mutant proteins could possibly facilitate the survival and multiplication of the cells. In particular, one of the variants identified is related to the p53 protein which is known to suppress the malignant transformations.

"Our approach may be used to search for cancer-associated mutations based on proteomic analysis. This will help in studying the protein expressions in tumors and provide further basis for developing drugs targeting the mutant proteins produced in tumor cells," says Dr. Michael Gorshkov, one of the collaborators in the project, the Head of the Laboratory of Physical and Chemical Methods for Structure Analysis at the Institute for Energy Problems of Chemical Physics, and a member of MIPT's Department of Chemical Physics.


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Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice.
Pancreatic cancer is a malignancy of the pancreas, mostly involving its exocrine part. It is an aggressive tumor and very often not detected till it is quite advanced. As such it is one of the leading causes of cancer death.

Most tumors occur within the head or neck of the organ (75%). A few occur in the body (15  20%) and the rest in the tail of the pancreas.

Pancreatic cancer accounts for 2  3% of all cancers worldwide. It is the 6th leading cause of cancer death in the UK and the fourth leading cause in USA.

The pancreas is situated in the abdominal cavity behind the stomach and in front of the spine.

It has an exocrine part that secretes digestive juices and an endocrine part that secretes the hormones insulin and glucagon concerned with regulation of blood glucose levels.

Structurally, the organ is divided into head, neck, body and tail. The endocrine portion, referred to as the Islets of Langerhans is situated in the tail portion.

Like every other cell in the body, the cells of the pancreas constantly grow and multiply, with old cells being replaced by new ones. There is a perfect balance between the cell death and renewal.

If by some mechanism, this harmony gets disturbed, a large number of cells are produced than what is required for normal function, resulting in a tumor or cancer. If this disorder occurs in the pancreas, it leads to pancreatic cancer.

The cancer can arise from either the endocrine or the exocrine cells of the pancreas.

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This type of cancer is called primary pancreatic cancer. Cancerous cells can also spread to other parts of the body such as the liver, lungs, bones, brain, lymph nodes and other organs, leading to metastatic pancreatic cancer (spreads from pancreas to other parts of the body).

A metastatic cancer can also lodge within the pancreas from other cancers such as primary cancer of kidney, lung, colon, stomach or melanomas. They account for only 2-5% of all pancreatic cancers.

Most of the pancreatic exocrine cancers arise in its ductal system. They are termed ductal adenocarcinomas.

The cancers arising from the endocrine part are called neuroendocrine tumors (1  2%).

These tumors are less aggressive when compared to the adenocarcinomas and carry a better prognosis.

For treatment purposes, pancreatic cancer is staged, usually by a CT scan. The most commonly used staging system is referred to as the AJCC  UICC system.

The disease is divided into four stages ranging from early to advanced disease. Factors taken into account include Tumor size, spread to lymph Nodes and distant Metastasis, which is referred to as TNM classification.

The disease is further broadly divided into three categories based on whether surgical resection is possible. They include resectable, borderline resectable, and unresectable.

Diseases in the earlier stages and those that have not spread to blood vessels or other organs may be resected provided the patient is fit and prepared to undergo this major operation.

The incidence of pancreatic cancer is more in African Americans.

Age, sex and race - Pancreatic cancer risk increases with age. It is uncommon before 40 years. Most cases are diagnosed after 65 years of age.

Gender - It is more common in men compared to women

Following are the risk factors in developing pancreatic cancers -

Cigarette smoking

History of chronic pancreatitis

Diabetes mellitus

Obesity

Family history of hereditary cancer syndromes such as Peutz Jeghers syndrome, dysplastic nevus syndrome, Lynch syndrome and BRCA-2 gene mutation.

such as Peutz Jeghers syndrome, dysplastic nevus syndrome, Lynch syndrome and BRCA-2 gene mutation. Family or personal history of pancreatic malignancy.

Low levels of lycopene and selenium

Occupational exposure to certain chemicals, radiation and a combination of other environmental factors can cause pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer grows silently but aggressively and often does not produce symptoms till the disease is fairly advanced. This is one of the main reasons for its poor prognosis generally. The symptoms vary depending on which part is affected and extent of spread and include-

Upper abdominal pain that may radiate to the back

Jaundice or yellowish discolouration of skin and eyes

Loss of appetite

Nausea and vomiting

Tiredness and fatigue

Weight loss

Enlarged glands in the neck

Itching, that can be distressing

Depression

Venous thrombosis

As the disease progresses, the following complications may ensue.

Obstructive jaundice due to blockage of the biliary system and bile not being able to flow to the intestines. A bypass may be necessary or a stent may be placed in the bile duct to keep it open.

Severe pain  As the tumor grows in size, it may compress the nerves causing severe often unbearable pain. Pain medications and radiation to shrink the tumor may offer temporary relief.

Occasionally a nerve block may be performed injecting alcohol into the nerves to control the pain.

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Bowel obstruction  When the tumor infiltrates into the duodenum, it becomes obstructed, preventing the passage of food beyond.

A bypass surgery may be performed to bypass the obstructed part or a stent may be placed in the small intestine to keep it patent.

Weight loss  May be due to several causes such as nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy, bowel obstruction making eating difficult or deficiency of pancreatic juices causing impaired digestion and absorption of nutrients.

Usually the disease is fairly advanced when the doctor sees the patient. A history and physical examination may raise the suspicion of pancreatic cancer. Further tests are necessary to confirm the diagnosis and know the extent of disease in order to plan treatment.

History - Patient usually gives a history of jaundice, weight loss and pruritis . Other points in the history such as smoking, family history of cancer, and presence of associated medical conditions such as diabetes may aid in diagnosis.

- Patient usually gives a history of . Other points in the history such as of cancer, and presence of associated medical conditions such as diabetes may aid in diagnosis. Physical examination - may reveal enlarged neck nodes and an abdominal mass .

- may reveal enlarged . Blood tests - show the presence of anemia.

show the presence of anemia. Liver function tests - may provide information about the type of jaundice.

Diagnostic Imaging

Ultrasound provides a real-time visualization of the underlying abnormality and is usually the first choice as it is non-invasive and comparatively inexpensive.

provides a real-time visualization of the underlying abnormality and is usually the first choice as it is non-invasive and comparatively inexpensive. CT Scan Abdomen - Multiple x-ray images are taken and reconstructed in a computer.

- Multiple x-ray images are taken and reconstructed in a computer. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the Abdomen - Using magnetic waves, detailed images are created.

- Using magnetic waves, detailed images are created. Positron Emission Tomography (PET Scan) - Injection of radioactive glucose into veins. This is taken up by the cancer cells and helps determine the extent of spread.

- Injection of radioactive glucose into veins. This is taken up by the cancer cells and helps determine the extent of spread. Endoscopic Ultrasound and Biopsy - Using a thin, flexible tube, an ultrasound probe is passed into the stomach to obtain images. During this procedure, a sample of the tumor (Biopsy) may also be obtained.

- Using a thin, flexible tube, an ultrasound probe is passed into the stomach to obtain images. During this procedure, a sample of the tumor (Biopsy) may also be obtained. Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio Pancreatography (ERCP) - A flexible endoscope is passed into the stomach. Through the endoscope, contrast medium is injected into the bile ducts using a catheter. These are then visualised radiologically. During this procedure, a sample of the tumor (biopsy) may also be obtained.

- A flexible endoscope is passed into the stomach. Through the endoscope, contrast medium is injected into the bile ducts using a catheter. These are then visualised radiologically. During this procedure, a sample of the tumor (biopsy) may also be obtained. Pancreatic Biopsy - A sample of the growth may be obtained by injecting a needle into the pancreas through the skin (fine needle aspiration). The sample can also be obtained using endoscopic ultrasound guidance.

A biopsy is sent for histopathological examination (HPE) and other studies. It provides definitive evidence of the disease.

Staging of the Disease

Staging Laparoscopy  Using a laparoscope (thin tube passed into the abdomen via an incision), the surgeon visualizes the abdominal cavity and determines the stage of the disease to plan treatment.

 Using a laparoscope (thin tube passed into the abdomen via an incision), the surgeon visualizes the abdominal cavity and determines the stage of the disease to plan treatment. Diagnostic Imaging to determine the extent of spread

to determine the extent of spread CA 19-9 levels in blood are measured. It is a tumor marker used in pancreatic cancer.

levels in blood are measured. It is a tumor marker used in pancreatic cancer. Levels may be measured before, during and after treatment to gather the response to therapy.

Treatment of the disease depends on several factors such as the stage of the disease, location of the tumor, the age and condition of the patient, and their willingness to accept the options put forth.

Treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

A. Surgery

Surgery is generally considered as a cure if the tumor is confined to the pancreas. In inoperable cases, it is done only as a palliative option to keep the patient comfortable and free from pain.

Tumor of Head of Pancreas

For tumors involving the head, the Whipples procedure (procedure is also called pancreatoduodenectomy) is performed. The gall bladder and a part of the bile duct may also be removed. The remaining parts of the pancreas and small intestine are reconstructed to allow passage of food and digestion.

Tumor Body and Tail of Pancreas

Surgery to remove the affected part of the body or tail may be performed (distal pancreatectomy). In some cases, the spleen may also be removed.

B. Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. They may be administered orally or intravenously and singly or in combination.

Chemotherapy may be combined with radiation ( chemoradiation ) to treat locally invasive inoperable tumors of the pancreas.

) to treat locally invasive inoperable tumors of the pancreas. Chemoradiation may also be tried after surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence.

In patients with inoperable and advanced metastatic disease, chemotherapy may be used alone or in combination with targeted drug therapy.

C. Targeted Drug Therapy

This uses drugs that target specific defects within the tumor cells. Treatment is aimed at preventing their growth and division. For this purpose, the drug Erlotinib is used with chemotherapy in patients with advanced disease.

D. Radiation

Its role in pancreatic cancer remains controversial. It has been recommended as an option to shrink the tumor before surgery in resectable tumors. However its role in non-resectable tumors remains unresolved. Some recommend it as adjuvant treatment following curative surgery but its role still remains controversial.

E. Role of Clinical Trials

Clinical trials test out new unproven drugs, new forms of therapy such as gene therapy, or new approaches to existing treatment. They dont guarantee a cure and may have unexpected side effects also.

However cancer clinical trials are closely monitored to ensure safety. Patients are offered access to treatment that is otherwise unavailable.

The patient and the family may weigh their options and decide to accept or reject the offer of a clinical trial.
About

Insomnia may be due to physiological, psychological, physical or environmental factors. Lifestyle and medication intake may also be responsible. Insomnia should be treated promptly in order to improve the quality of life and prevent other health problems.

Insomnia or sleeplessness is a common sleep disorder characterized by insufficient sleep. It could be due to difficulty in falling asleep, maintaining the sleep or both. Insomnia is not always a disease by itself. It is usually a symptom associated with other disease conditions that cause sleep disturbance.

Lack of adequate sleep affects daily activities. The patient feels tired the subsequent day and is unable to concentrate on his work, thus affecting his productivity at work and could affect his personal life as well. Nearly everyone experiences insomnia at different phases of their life. Women and elderly people are at higher risk of insomnia. It is necessary to deal with the cause of insomnia to improve the quality of life and prevent other health problems.
Workers at a Chinese factory. (Photo : Twitter)

A supplier for global tech giant is in hot water after a Chinese labor watchdog accused it of worker exploitation.



In its report, the China Labor Watch claimed that Taiwanese electronics company, which manufactures and supplies parts for Apple's iPhones, has underpaid its workers while making them work for longer hours than allowed by Chinese laws, ZDNet reported.



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According to CLW, despite Pegatron paying its workers the legal minimum wage of $304 to $350 per month, their actual take ho9me pay ended up much lower due to deductions made by the company, including insurances, lodging, and other expenses. The group said that it discovered the discrepancy by studying over 2,000 payslips provided by employees.



The labor group also noted that the average wage in Shanghai, where the company's factory is located, $895 a month. However, Pegatron's workers only received $633 a month despite accumulating 90 hours of overtime.



The CLW also discovered that people working in departments where more man hours are needed ended up having excessive overtimes. An analysis of the company's payroll records conducted by the group in March showed that one employee even logging in 109 hours of overtime in a month, which is well beyond the legal limit of just 36.



Employees putting in too much overtime was again attributed to them trying to earn more out of their small wages.



Other exploitative practices that the CLW discovered included employees being required to come in 10 minutes earlier than their shifts, which is not accordingly recorded in the pay. They are also required to undergo a 60-minute security check before entering, which is then taken from their rest period.



While Apple does not have a share on Pegatron, the CLW asserted that the latter's actions are still the former's responsibility, as it has the resources to make improvements in its suppliers' labor practices, the Business Insider reported.



According to CLW executive director Li Quang, Apple's inaction on the matter could severely hinder efforts to improve working conditions in the smartphone industry.


In a series of articles in the official Egyptian daily Al-Watan, Dr. 'Imad Gad, a Coptic MP from the Free Egyptians Party and deputy director of the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, called for the separation of religion and state, as a condition for democracy and progress in the country. According to Gad, the historical religion-state connection has led to nothing but oppression, and has always stemmed from the narrow interests of regimes seeking clerics' blessing for establishing their rule. Pointing at the Middle Ages in Europe, he noted that this connection had hobbled thought, science, and creativity, leading to book-burning and the murder of scientists and writers. Europe, he said, emerged from this dark era only when its peoples rose up to separate religion from politics, leading to the Renaissance, democratic progress, and the advance of human rights. He stressed that no people could ever revive itself and attain democratic development until it separated religion from politics.

Addressing the situation in Egypt, Gad said that instead of advancing towards such a separation and a civil state, Egypt was moving in the opposite direction, establishing itself as a religious state. He argued that Egypt currently has attributes of a religious state rife with religious zealotry and extremism, and that Egypt's citizens are now witnessing "ancient sights that belong in the past." He added that throughout its history, Egyptian rulers such as presidents Gamal Abdel Nasser, Anwar Sadat, and Gamal Hosni Mubarak had leveraged the religion to establish their regimes, and allowed political Islam to emerge and operate in the country. The removal of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) regime headed by president Muhammad Morsi gave the Egyptian people hope that its new president, 'Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi, would work to establish a modern civil state, but these hopes, he said, remain false, as religious extremism continues to prevail in state institutions.[1]



'Imad Gad (Copts-United.com)

The following are excerpts from Gad's articles:

Egypt Has Characteristics Of A Religious State - Which Belong In The Past

In a June 20, 2016 article, Gad wrote: "In the few days since the start of the month of Ramadan, Egypt has witnessed several phenomena that belong to past times, other peoples, and different cultures, [and that are] based on a rigid and monolithic understanding of religion, sect, and thought. In those cultures, extremism and zealotry played a central role. In our country, there were several raids by [security forces loyal to] the regime on cafes operating during Ramadan. When the call for morning prayer [began], the police chased Egyptian citizens through the streets of old Cairo, forcing them to either pray in the mosques or go home... [Additionally,] the security forces are clearly lax in their dealings with violent religious and sectarian crime, and with attacks on churches and their institutions. These are the attributes of a religious state - ancient sights that belong in the past, when the regime mixed religion and politics and harmed both in the process...

"Throughout history, the ruler always needed the cleric to bless his regime and prohibit rebelling against him. This was also true in ancient Egypt with the pharaohs and priests, [back when] the pharaohs were treated like gods. In the case of the monotheistic religions, the religion-politics connection was found in the earliest historical stages of Judaism. In Christianity, kings used the Catholic popes for [their] interests, and in Islam emirs and rulers used the religion [as well].

"The religion-politics connection was purely for the sake of interests. Rulers constantly needed clerics to bless their regime, forbid rebellion against them, and provide religious justification [for the people] to accept the ruler's authority. The height of this connection... came in medieval Europe, between the Catholic Church and kings and rulers. It brought the Dark Ages down on the European continent, during which thought and science were restricted, creativity was considered a crime, and scientists and writers were murdered and burned along with their books, which were seen as heretical or deviating from tradition...

"Europe emerged from these dark times only after its peoples rose up against this [religion-politics] connection, and decided to separate religion from politics. Because of the heavy burden imposed [on these peoples] by the use of religion in politics of all forms, the popular response against religion was generally harsh: atheist movements [emerged], the religion was attacked, and people abandoned it - all because it was used for the benefit of rulers in all areas...

"The peoples of Europe rose up, separated religion from politics, and pushed the clerics into the churches. Then the Renaissance began, democracy began to develop, and human rights prospered.

"No country or people can revive or actualize its democratic development until it separates religion from politics - [until it separates] the absolute sanctity of religion from the relative manmade [laws] of politics. In general, separating religion from politics aims to preserve the sanctity and honor of the religion and the status of the clerics, and prevents the ruler from using religion to justify oppression and aggression against human rights. The separation is meant to restore the status of the religion in the souls of the people and the faithful, while paving political regimes' path to democracy - which is in essence a regime of the people, by the people, and for the people.

"[But] there are some among us today who have not learned this lesson, and who want to use the same approach [of linking religion and politics], while expecting different results..."[2]

Religious Zealotry Played A Central Role In Egypt's Political History, And Is Still Very Prominent Today

In another article, published June 25, 2016, Gad wrote: "One of the attributes of a democratic country is secularism - that is, a country that separates religion from politics, treats all religions, faiths, and opinions equally, and does not distinguish among its citizens based on their religion, faith, or sect. The central role [of a democratic country] is to defend the citizen and meet his needs as best it can... A country has no rights, and it is not its role to set out a selection of religions and faiths from which the citizen can choose, and it is not its role to favor one religion over another or elevate one sect at the expense of another.

"Following bitter experience and grinding wars... Europe decided to separate religion from politics, and began experimenting with democracy and progress.

"The situation here in Egypt is completely different. After the semi-liberal period that ended with the 1952 coup, religion was mixed with politics when [Gamal Abdel Nasser's] July regime[3] used religion in the service of politics. The Egypt situation began to deteriorate with the arrival of president Anwar Sadat, whose fate was to replace a charismatic leader. He searched for backing or a base [of support] for his regime, but found none - while nationalist organizations and left-wing [groups] in Egyptian universities worked against him. Therefore, Sadat decided to don a religious hat and establish armed Islamic organizations in Egyptian universities to strike against the Nasserist and left-wing streams...

"Sadat managed to Islamize Egypt's public spaces, and within a few years, he also succeeded in dividing the ranks in Egypt. He described himself as a pious president, and Egypt as a country of faith and religious law. He dubbed himself a Muslim president and Egypt an Islamic country. [As a result,] the violent groups sprang into action and continued killing Copts, especially in Upper Egypt. In the late 1970s, Egypt was on the verge of religious conflagration, and Sadat's assassination by the organizations he himself established [effectively] prevented a [religious] conflagration, civil war, or widespread blood feuds in Egypt.

"[Then came president Hosni] Mubarak, who maintained Sadat's formula - while not cultivating religious extremism, he also did not fight it, except [with regards] to keeping elements of political Islam away from regime circles... [Mubarak] let them use the social [arena] as their playground, and handed them effective control of educational activity and large sections of civil activity as well... He did not act against them unless they came close to the regime in an attempt to topple it. He played a division-of-labor game with the [Muslim] Brotherhood movement. He ensured that it would be present in the political arena, ratified agreements with it, and promoted it - and at the same time presented it as a tyrannical force that was the only alternative to him and his regime, and [thus argued that], since it was an extremist force that hated Israel and the West, then [Mubarak's] regime, as authoritarian and tyrannical as it was, was still better for the West...

"[Religious] zealotry is common in our societies, which are rife with extremism and whose hearts are too narrow to contain the other who is different. [This extremism], whose peak we witnessed during the year of MB rule, abated slightly after the June 30 [Revolution, i.e. the toppling of the Morsi regime], but today is once again noticeably active through bureaucratic institutions and state security apparatuses. There are many examples of this - from the crime against the lady in [the village of] Al-Karam in Al-Minia...[4] to the conspiracy between security elements and Salafis in the village of Al-Bayda in Al-'Amariya [in the Alexandria governorate] meant to prevent Copts from holding prayers.[5] The question is: Is there a way out of this situation of religious madness and moral depravity?"[6]

We Must Choose Between Establishing A Civil State And Preserving A Religious State That Will Eliminate Egypt

In a third article, published June 27, 2016, Gad wrote: "Our country is at an extraordinary stage in its history - it escaped a grand plot during which the [MB] General Guide and his movement caused the country distress by trying to change its identity and turn it into a religious state. The people took [to the streets] on June 30, [2013,] toppled the [General] Guide and his movement, and thwarted a huge plot against the entire region. [The people] expected its national military, which embodied what it [the people] wanted, to assist it in this...

"[The Egyptian people] had high hopes that after the [General] Guide and his movement were removed, a modern civil state could be built. These hopes increased following ongoing [MB] movement crimes against the homeland and citizenry, and also after President 'Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi received the keys to the kingdom. The people were impressed by him after he brought about civil national discourse that focused on citizenship and equality. There were high hopes that the president would lay the cornerstone for a civil state, and that its first stage would involve halting the activity of Sadat's rotten fruit by ending the policy of sectarian discrimination and social oppression; acting diligently to establish a commission to prevent discrimination and legislate a church construction law; combating sectarian crimes by a large segment of the bureaucracy and state security apparatuses; and investing serious work in the failing education system... To this moment, we expected some steps towards establishing a modern state, and we have seen nothing but a regression to the way of the despicable Sadat state. No efforts [were devoted] to establishing a lawful state and institutions, and there is nothing new regarding the role of parliament.

"[On the contrary,] we are heading towards establishing the foundation of a religious state; proof of this is the increasing incidents during [Ramadan] this year - [from] police chasing people they said were violating the Ramadan fast during the day, [to] allowing Salafis to operate freely in mosques controlled by the Ministry of Religious Endowments, [to] the trial balloons floated by some [regime] members regarding reconciliation with terrorist movements [meaning the MB][7] and greater acceptance of the Saudi Wahhabi [stream].

"[We are at] a fork in the road and have two options -either turning towards a religious state, which is a path of no return that would eliminate Egypt as we know it, or working to lay the foundations for a modern civil state based on science, law, and [state] institutions. Which way will our country turn?"[8]

Endnotes:
A hickey can do many things to you  and death is not one you would imagine. But it's possible and it just happened. A 17-year-old boy, Julio Macias Gonzalez, from Mexico died because of a hickey his girlfriend gave him hours before his death.

The boy suffered a stroke because of the love bite. The sucking action of the hickey caused a blood clot to form which then travelled to brain and gave him a fatal stoke. The 17-year-old was eating dinner with his family when he began experiencing convulsions, just hours after having spent an evening with his girlfriend.

 Thinkstock/Getty Images

This is not the first case of a love bite turning fatal. In 2011, a 44-year-old New Zealand woman suffered a minor stroke after a love bite. Sitting at home watching television, she noticed a numbing sensation in her left hand and was rushed to the hospital. The doctors found that a love bite on her neck had not only formed a blood clot but had also damaged an artery.

 Thinkstock/Getty Images

As scary as it sounds, a hickey can kill you. Putting too much pressure on the skin can cause blood clots to form and travel through the blood stream. If they reach the brain or the heart, the result is fatal. Heart attack, paralysis, deathan innocent kiss could very well be the kiss of death.

Better safe than sorry; always exercise a little restrain while giving and receiving hickeys. And they said protection was everything.

(Images for representational purposes only.)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry flew to Paris on Monday for talks related to ongoing efforts to revive the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, the foreign ministry said.

Paris, which is sponsoring the international initiative to revive peace talks between the two sides, hosted an international ministerial gathering in June to work towards organising an international conference to reboot talks by the end of the year.

The Palestinians have welcomed the French initiative, whereas Israel is strongly opposed.

Shoukry travelled to Ramallah in June and paid a rare visit to Israel in July in support of the efforts.

Talks have been ongoing with the US, France and Russia to find a middle ground to revive the peace process, Egypt's foreign ministry said, which has been comatose since a US initiative collapsed in April 2014.

Cairo supports a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict which would see the creation of a sovereign Palestine.

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi had said Cairo is serious about pushing forward peace talks.

He said in May that Egypt was willing to take part in peace talks, saying there was a "real opportunity" for an Israeli-Palestinian deal that could lead to warmer ties between Cairo and Israel.

During the one-day visit, Shoukry will also discuss recent developments in war-torn Syria and Libya, the ministry added in a statement.

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Prosecutors in the Egyptian governorate of South Sinai are questioning a beach resort official after he allegedly attempted to ban a woman from wearing a full-body burkini in a swimming pool and verbally berated her.

The woman filed a legal complaint alleging the official in the resort in Raas Sedr asked her to get out of the pool as she was swimming in her burkini and when she refused he hurled insults at her and her friends, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.

She claims he then threw chlorine in the pool, while describing her swimwear as "disgusting." He ordered resort workers to take their clothes off and swim in their underwear next to the women in a sign of derision, she added.

The prosecutors are identifying whether the resort regulations include any ban on burkinis.

The burkini, which originated in Australia, is a swimsuit that covers much of the body and the head, and has been favoured by Muslim women who prefer to cover on the beach.

A recent ban on the burkini in some French towns has caused worldwide controversy after photos emerged of armed French police confronting a woman on the beach and forcing her to remove some of her clothing.

A top French court on Friday suspended the ban on wearing the garment.

In Cairo, many women who wear the hijab have complained that they are prevented from entering restaurants, night clubs and other venues due to their dress.

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BAD AXE  The third and final suspect accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of televisions from Wal-Mart admitted to the crime, and role he played, in court this week and now faces up to 40 years locked up.

Brad A. Galloway, of Carsonville, appeared in Huron County Circuit Court on Monday to address two motions: motion to use prior convictions and motion to dismiss. The 33-year-old was scheduled to take his case to trial on Oct. 25.

Regarding the motion to dismiss, Andrew Lockard, Galloways attorney, argued his client didnt have a financial gain in the crimes he was being accused of. Lockard told the court that just because one party has a financial loss, doesnt necessarily mean the other party has a financial gain.

After hearing from the defense and prosecution, Circuit Judge Gerald M. Prill denied the motion. Regarding the motion for prosecution to use prior convictions, Lockard agreed the convictions were admissible.

Moments after the motions were completed, Galloway decided to change his plea and accept the prosecutions deal.

Per the agreement, Galloway pleaded guilty to conducting a criminal enterprise and habitual offender-third.

Prill asked Galloway to review the incidents  his involvement occurring May 8-19  to the court.

Whos idea was it? Prill asked.

It was just an idea that was sparked  more of a collective idea, Galloway replied, referencing the two co-defendants, Justin D. Sturm and Derrick N. Grifka.

Galloway told the judge he was involved in five to 10 incidents during the May timeline.

Galloway will be sentenced on Oct. 24 and because of his habitual offender status, he faces up to 40 years in prison.

The three co-defendants stole $18,958 worth of televisions from the retail store. Authorities said the men loaded up shopping carts with televisions, walked out the front door and then later sold the items for heroin.

Grifka was sentenced to five to 25 years for his involvement earlier this month and Sturm will be sentenced Oct. 3.
A suicide car bombing claimed by the Islamic State group killed at least 70 people Monday at Yemen's army recruitment centre

Cairo has strongly condemned a terrorist attack on a Yemeni army recruitment centre in Aden on Monday which killed at least 70 people, the deadliest militant attack in the city in over a year.

In an official statement on Monday, foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid expressed solidarity with the Yemeni people against any forms of terrorism, stressing the necessity of coordinating international efforts to counter it.

The suicide car bombing was claimed by the Islamic State group.

The war in Yemen pits the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the Saudi-led coalition against the Shia Houthi rebels who are allied with ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Islamic State militants are also operative in Yemen, particularly in the south and south-east.

Aden is the temporary base of Yemen's internationally recognised government.

Egypt has been participating with naval and air forces in the Saudi-led military coalition against the Houthi fighters in Yemen since the coalition was launched in March 2015.

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A military couple whose U.S.-purchased 2013 Toyota RAV4 SUV experienced major mechanical problems while they were stationed in Germany is hoping the car company will be forced either to replace their vehicle or refund their money.

Army Sgt. John Snell and his wife Christina purchased the vehicle in Georgia before their permanent change of station to Germany, according to their lawyer.

They were told by the dealership that the warranty and protections against catastrophic vehicle defects, known as "lemon laws," would apply while they were stationed overseas, said T. Michael Flinn, the couple's attorney.

But when the vehicle experienced major mechanical problems caused by a faulty anti-lock brake system actuator, the dealership in Germany was unable to make the repairs in under 30 days -- the timecap required by Georgia's law before the car is declared a "lemon," or unsafe vehicle.

Under that law, Toyota is required to replace the vehicle, but the company instead claimed that the warranty did not apply because the Snells took the vehicle out of the U.S.

Although a Georgia arbitration panel ruled last year that Toyota must replace the vehicle, the company is appealing the decision. A hearing on the matter will likely be held in Georgia early next year.

The struggle highlights a loophole in the lemon laws, said Rosemary Shahan, who leads the lobbying group Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety.

Instead of protecting service members, the laws allow companies to take advantage of military families by inadvertently excluding them from protection measures when they are stationed overseas, she said.

"When people are in the military, they don't surrender their rights," said Shahan, who was married to a Navy JAG officer for 20 years. "They bought this car in the United States, they are U.S. citizens ... I just don't quite understand why Toyota is doing this."

Shahan said she is working with Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, to look at legislation that could close that loophole, although no movement on that is likely to happen this year, she said. Nelson's staff did not respond to requests for comment by deadline.

Toyota officials said in a statement that they are working directly with the Snell family, which is still driving the now repaired vehicle at their new home at Fort Benning, Georgia. Toyota officials said they cannot comment on the case, but that they extend a special warranty to service members stationed overseas.

"Toyota's policy is to provide members of the U.S. military serving overseas with goodwill warranty coverage, including for services performed outside the geographic region of a specific limited warranty," they said in a statement.

The Snells' attorney contends that the original warranty does cover the Snells. He said Toyota's protest of the ruling granting the Snells a replacement vehicle comes out of fear.

"I believe Toyota is afraid that if they allow military families to use lemon law, they might get hit for more lemon law claims," Flinn said.

-- Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com.
NATO ally Turkey showed no signs Monday of heeding U.S. pleas to halt its offensive into Syria, cease clashes with U.S.-backed Kurdish militias and focus on their common enemy, the Islamic State.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said one of the main goals of the Aug. 24 push into Syria to take the border town of Jarabulus was to "wipe out" the YPG (People's Protection Units), the U.S.-supported military wing of the PYD, or Democratic Union Party of Syrian Kurds.

Erdogan told a rally that the Turkish military was also prepared to expand the Jarabulus offensive into "other regions [of Syria] if necessary" in a multi-pronged effort to cleanse them of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and the YPG, and eliminate safe havens for the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers Party, which has mounted an insurgency in southeastern Turkey.

"They will all be cleansed out like a cancer cell. We will find them and punish them," Erdogan said as Turkish tanks and elements of the Free Syrian Army, another militia group backed by the U.S., reportedly moved south of Jarabulus and clashed with the YPG.

Turkey's actions threatened to upend the training and advisory role some 300 U.S. Special Forces troops in Syria have with the YPG and other groups, and also stall the long-planned offensive to retake Raqqa, the self-proclaimed ISIS capital in northeastern Syria.

The U.S. initially provided close-air support to the Turkish drive on Jarabulus during the first two days, but the Pentagon, the White House and the State Department made clear Monday that the support had been withdrawn and that the Turkish actions in Syria were "unacceptable."

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said that Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford had called his Turkish counterpart, chief of the General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar, on Sunday to urge that the offensive into Syria be halted.

"We've called on both sides not to fight with one another," Carter said of the Turkish forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces, which include the YPG. He also urged the Turks not to move south of Jarabulus.

Carter said he understood Turkish concerns that the YPG was intent on controlling border areas as a prelude to setting up a statelet in northeastern Syria to be called "Rojava," and he renewed U.S. calls on the YPG to retreat east of the Euphrates River.

Carter added that he intended to take up the issue of Turkey's actions in Syria next week in Europe in meetings with Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik. The White House said that President Obama will also meet with Erdogan next week on the sidelines of an economic summit in China.

The U.S. and Turkey have been at odds since a July 15 failed military coup, which the Turkish president has blamed on Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic cleric and former Erdogan ally now living in exile in Pennsylvania. The Turkish thrust into Syria has added another complication to an already multi-sided civil war in its sixth year that has killed more than 300,000, displaced millions and led to a refugee crisis in Europe.

U.S. officials stressed that Turkey's actions would be another distraction from the effort to defeat ISIS and could bolster the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has been backed by Russian airstrikes since last September.

The officials are also concerned that the friction with Turkey could affect operations out of the U.S. air base at Incirlik in southeastern Turkey, which has been vital to the U.S. effort to provide close-air support for the U.S.-backed rebel groups inside Syria in the fight against ISIS.

The fighting around Jarabulus also raised the possibility that a U.S.-made weapon supplied to a U.S.-backed militia had killed the soldier of a NATO ally. On Sunday, the Syrian Democratic Forces posted a video purporting to show an anti-tank missile destroying a Turkish tank in a fireball, killing one soldier and wounding three others.

Reuters last year reported that the CIA, working with Saudi Arabia, had supplied hundreds of U.S.-made TOW anti-tank missiles to various rebel groups in Syria.

In a sign of growing frustration with Turkey, Brett McGurk, the White House special envoy to the anti-ISIS campaign in Iraq and Syria, used his official Twitter account to criticize the fighting between the Turkish military and the YPG.

"We want to make clear that we find these clashes -- in areas where [ISIS] is not located -- unacceptable and a source of deep concern," McGurk said.

At the State Department, spokesman John Kirby said that, "These actions were not coordinated with the U.S. and we are not providing any support to them. We call on all the armed actors on the ground to retain the focus on Daesh," an Arabic acronym for ISIS.

"Uncoordinated actions like this really aren't getting us further along" to defeating ISIS, he said.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
The littoral combat ship USS Coronado is returning to Pearl Harbor from the Western Pacific after experiencing an engineering casualty earlier Tuesday, officials with the Navy's Third Fleet confirmed.

The incident comes just days after the Navy acknowledged that another littoral combat ship, the USS Freedom, had sustained significant damage to one of its diesel engines.

The Coronado departed Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on Aug. 26 for an independent deployment to the Western Pacific, Third Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Ryan Perry told Military.com in a statement.

"USS Coronado (LCS 4) experienced an engineering casualty today while transiting to the Western Pacific," Perry said in the statement. "The crew took precautionary measures and the ship is currently returning to Pearl Harbor to determine the extent of the problem and conduct repairs."

The Coronado is the fourth littoral combat ship to be sidelined by an engineering casualty in less than a year, following breakdowns by the USS Freedom in July and the USS Milwaukee and USS Fort Worth in December and January, respectively.

However, the ship is the first of the Independence-class littoral combat ships, made by Austal USA, to suffer such an issue. The other ships are all part of the Freedom Class, made by Lockheed Martin Corp. The news of the Coronado's breakdown was first reported by Navy Times.

Third Fleet officials did not elaborate on the nature of the Coronado's engineering casualty, but said it appears to be unrelated to recent propulsion problems involving the Fort Worth and Freedom.

Prior to its planned Western Pacific transit, the Coronado participated in the Rim of the Pacific multinational exercise in July, where it was used as a platform to conduct a live-fire missile test with a Block 1C Harpoon over-the-horizon missile, a key step in development of an improved LCS with increased lethality and capacity.

The ship, which was commissioned in 2014, departed its San Diego homeport June 22 for its first deployment, with a crew of about 70 sailors aboard, officials said.

Navy officials have yet to make public the results of investigations into the three prior LCS engineering casualties.

The Milwaukee required repairs after a clutch failed to disengage while the ship switched from gas turbine to diesel engine systems, resulting in damage to the clutch gears and forcing the crew to cut short a transit from San Diego to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and receive a tow to Virginia for repairs.

The Fort Worth recently returned home to San Diego after eight months sidelined in Singapore after engine parts were damaged when lube oil was not applied correctly to the combining gears.

And Navy officials said Sunday that the Freedom may need an engine rebuild or replacement after a faulty seal allowed seawater to reach one of the diesel engines and damage it.

It's not clear how repairs to the Coronado may affect the ship's deployment plans. According to Navy officials, the ship was expected to conduct patrols and joint exercises with regional navies in the Western Pacific, and to participate in two major multinational exercises: Kakadu in Australia and Deep Sabre in Singapore.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at@HopeSeck.

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Despite Flipping in Surf 4 Times in a Year, Marines Say New ACV Is the Future of Amphibious Warfare

Some Marine veterans familiar with the vehicle and its operations have worried about the reliability of the ACV.
The Veterans Affairs Department is warning thousands of U.S. military veterans enrolled at ITT Tech to brace for the possibility the for-profit college franchise "goes out of business," according to a recent notice.

The parent company, ITT Educational Services Inc., based in Carmel, Indiana, on Monday suspended all new enrollments after the U.S. Education Department barred the college, which has about 130 campuses in 38 states, from accepting students who use federal financial aid. States such as California and Washington have followed suit.

While the moves don't affect veterans' GI Bill benefits, "these actions do raise significant concerns about the financial viability of ITT," the VA wrote in a recent message on its Facebook page. "It's important that you understand that if ITT goes out of business before you complete your education, you will not be able to use your GI Bill benefits to keep attending that school and under this scenario, you would no longer be able to pursue your education at that school."

The message continues, "As you know, finding another school where you can complete your educational objectives may take time as not every school offers the same programs as ITT. Also, it is not guaranteed that another school offering the program you are pursuing will accept transfer credits from ITT."

State and federal officials have been investigating ITT's recruiting and accounting practices. The federal government in 2014 launched its investigation into the company after allegations surfaced that 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

ITT has long catered to military veterans, a demographic that makes up close to a fifth of its enrollment, which is falling fast, according to corporate financial documents. Overall enrollment at the school was 40,015 students as of June -- a decrease of 16.4 percent from the same period a year ago, according to the company's quarterly filings.

A total of 6,842 GI Bill recipients either attend ITT Tech or plan to do so during an upcoming term, according to an email on Tuesday from Terry Jemison, a spokesperson for the VA's Veterans Benefits Administration, which oversees the educational program.

Revenue at the parent company totaled almost $850 million in 2015, down 11 percent from $962 million the previous year, according to financial documents.

The company is now a penny stock, trading at 40 cents a share on Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange, down from a high of $127 a share in 2007. Just a few years ago, in October 2013, it traded as high as $40 a share.

"ITT is effectively out of business," Peter Appert, managing director and senior research analyst at Piper Jaffray & Co., who follows ITT, told CNN. "I don't see any way they survive this."

If it does file for bankruptcy, ITT wouldn't be the first. Corinthian Colleges, a for-profit chain, last year shut down its 28 locations and more recently was ordered to pay a nearly $1.2 billion fine for false advertising and misleading lending practices.

-- Jim Absher contributed to this report.

-- Brendan McGarry can be reached at brendan.mcgarry@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Brendan_McGarry.
The two presidents will discuss the possibility of holding a summit meeting with the prime minister of Ethiopia on the dam issue

Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in media statements on Tuesday that Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir will meet his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo in October, MENA news agency reported.

According to Sudanese foreign ministry spokesperson Qarib Allah Khader, the two presidents will meet in Cairo on 5 October to discuss bilateral relations, reported Sudans Al-Sudany newspaper.

Khader added that the two presidents will discuss the possibility of holding a summit meeting with the prime minister of Ethiopia about the developments in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) issue.

Last week, President El-Sisi stated in a lengthy interview in Egyptian state-owned newspapers that the negotiations on the technical studies into the impact of the GERD were progressing and that they were reassuring for Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.

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Related Egyptian businessman released on bail after returning stolen funds in wheat corruption scandal

Egypt's office of the prosecutor-general has ordered the release on bail of a businessman charged in the high-profile wheat corruption case after he paid back a substantial amount of money he was accused of stealing.

Businessman Ibrahim Hatab, the second defendant in the case released on bail in two days, paid the government EGP 86.8 million ($9.7 million), which he has been accused of pilfering from funds slated for wheat subsidies, said a statement by the prosecutor-general's office.

Hatab's release order, on bail of EGP 500,000 ($5,600), comes one day after another defendant in the case, Refaat Nosseir, was ordered released after he paid back 77 million ($8.6 million) in stolen state funds.

The office of the prosecutor-general stated earlier this month that its investigation into alleged corruption in the wheat procurement sector revealed that some EGP 533 million ($60 million) have been stolen by officials within the agriculture ministry in collusion with silo owners.

It says that the officials took government funds allotted for the buying of 222,000 tonnes of wheat from local farmers, pocketing the cash while claiming that the purchase was made.

The prosecutor-general has issued a travel ban and frozen the assets of the defendants in the case.

A recent report by a fact-finding commission appointed by parliament has said that the supply ministry played a key role in "wasting public funds" in its costly wheat subsidy programme.

Supply minister Khaled Hanafi resigned earlier this week over the scandal.

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Egypt's Minister of Interior Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar has called on his aides to search for unconventional solutions to the problems of heavy traffic and car accidents in Egypt, the ministry announced in a statement on Tuesday.

Abdel-Ghaffar made the comments to his aides and top officials in a meeting held at the ministry on Tuesday.

According to the ministry's statement, the minister stressed on the importance of increasing traffic patrols on all roads and highways as well using modern technologies including portable speed-detecting radars.

Abdel-Ghaffar also ordered increased car inspections on roads and DUI tests on speeding drivers.

A social media campaign was started in mid August by a mother who lost her six-year-old daughter when a truck collided with their car on the Ring Road in Cairo.

The campaign spread rapidly on social media and TV channels, demanding that officials take serious steps including banning trucks from accessing major highways during rush hours and subjecting drivers to drug tests.

The countrys popular traffic app Bey2ollak bestowed the name of the young victim on the highway where she died as a show of solidarity with the victims of car accidents in the country.

According to news reports, the truck driver involved in the crash was under the influence of drugs at the time, and will stand trial in early September.

According to the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS), the rate of car accident fatalities in Egypt declined by 16.8 percent between 2005 and 2015, though road crashes are still one of the leading causes of death in the country.

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Sadat resigned shortly after the parliament speaker revealed that a complaint against parliament had been sent to 'an international organisation' by an unnamed MP

Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat, chairman of the Egyptian parliament's human rights committee, resigned on Tuesday shortly after parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Al disclosed that a closed-door meeting would be held to discuss a complaint filed by an MP against parliament with "an international organisation."

"This complaint was filed by a high-profile MP and it was written in English," said Abdel-Al, adding that "this is a dangerous development and that I will not let it pass easily."

Abdel-Al declined to disclose the identity of the MP in question, though he said that "this is not the first time for this MP to file complaints against Egypts parliament; he has done this several times before to tarnish the image of his country." 

Abdel-Al insisted that "the name of the MP who filed the complaint against parliament will be revealed in a closed-door plenary session."

Speculation is rife that it was El-Sadat who filed the complaint cited by Abdel-Aal.

El-Sadat has extensive connections with international organisations like Human Rights Watch and with foreign diplomats in Cairo, especially those affiliated with the US and British embassies. 

In a statement to reporters, El-Sadat said he is resigning "because of lack of cooperation from parliament's speaker, secretariat-general, and the government in responding to requests and memorandums submitted by the [human rights] committee aimed at addressing complaints raised by citizens about injustices done to them."

El-Sadat's statement added that his resignation is also due to parliament's refusal to communicate with the outside world in terms of implementing Egypt's international commitments and defending its image abroad."

El-Sadat complained last month that Abdel-Al's loyalty to the government and the regime of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi came at the expense of parliament exercising its supervisory powers, especially in the area of human rights.

He triggered the anger of Abdel-Al when he decided to attend an international conference on human rights in Geneva early this month without getting his approval.

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A law aimed at freeing the process of constructing churches in Egypt from bureaucratic red tape gained the approval of the majority of MPs on Tuesday

After four hours of stormy debate, Egypts parliament has approved on Tuesday a landmark law aimed at making it easier for Christians to build and restore churches.

The law gained the approval by a majority two-thirds of MPs, as stipulated in Article 121 of the constitution.

"I think MPs decided to approve this law only after leaders of Egyptian churches signed off on it," said parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Al, adding that "we could not approve a law that is rejected by the three churches  the Coptic, Catholic and Anglican."

Abdel-Al said he has high hopes that the law will build new bridges of confidence between Christians and Muslims and help foster national unity in Egypt.

The 13-article law was approved by most political parties and independent MPs, though it did not go down well with the ultraconservative Salafist Nour Party  the only Islamist force in parliament  and with some liberal Coptic MPs, including political analyst Emad Gad and activist Nadia Henry.

Other Coptic MPs took a middle ground, arguing that "the law is a progressive step, even though it still includes some negative points."

Margaret Azer, a Coptic MP and deputy chairman of the human rights committee, said "we hope these negative points will be eliminated in the future, but in any case this law is a good step."

Most of the criticism levelled by Coptic MPs against the law focused on Article 2, which stipulates that the size of a new church must go in proportion with the number of Christians in a certain neighbourhood.

The article also states that the rates of population growth must be taken into account.

Gad described this stipulation as "restrictive and will still make it hard for Christians to build churches easily."

Henry, however, sharply attacked the law, calling it a political farce and describing it as the law of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi that was imposed on Christians.

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Magdi El-Agati said "article two by no means imposes restrictions, it just simply states that we cannot build a cathedral in a tiny village."

Henry insisted, however, that even if there is one Christian in a certain neighbourhood, he or she should have the right to get a permit for building a church.

The Islamist Nour Party rejected the law altogether, claiming that it violates Egypts 2014 constitution, which states in Article 2 that Islam is the religion of the state of Egypt, Arabic is its official language, and the principles of Islamic Sharia are the major source of legislation."

"As you see, the constitution said Islam, not Christianity, is the religion of the state of Egypt," the statement said.

The party also argued that Christians are not in need of a new church building law.

"Under the current conditions, Christians enjoy fully their rights as Egyptians and they exercise their religious duties in a free way," said the party's statement.

However, minister El-Agati said that "the law goes in line with Article 235 of the constitution, which stipulates that a new law on the construction and restoration of churches must be passed in parliament's first session and in a way that guarantees Christians the right to exercise their religious duties freely."

A report prepared by parliament's committees on legislative, religious, housing, local administrative and cultural affairs argued that Christians have suffered from many of legislative obstacles standing in the way of building churches since 1856.

"When the Muslim Brotherhood reached power in 2013, Christians saw their worst times," said the report, adding that "not only did the Orthodox cathedral in Abassiya [east Cairo] face unprecedented assaults, but then-president Mohamed Morsi took no action to safeguard the cathedral from these attacks."

"The attacks against the cathedral continued for one hour, with attackers pelting the building with rocks and gunshots, and this showed that the [conditions surrounding the] building of churches in Egypt should find a solution," said the report.

The report said the law addresses two main issues; making the construction and restoration of churches easier through a number of clear-cut procedures and dates, and retroactively granting licences to operate for all existing churches and Christian places of worship as long as they are structurally safe.

A government committee will be formed to review the conditions of existing Christian places of worship and legalise within a year their status.

"Until this committee finalises its job, Christians can exercise their rituals freely in all existing churches and places of worship," said the article.

The law's articles were approved as drafted by the government, though the committees that prepared the report on the law made one amendment to Article 5; stating that provincial governors "must" give a final say - rather than "should" - on requests to build a church within four months.

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When it comes to spending money abroad Myanmar tourists have an increasing array of options. Local banks are competing to offer international credit cards, and holiday shoppers in Bangkok have now found they are able to swap kyat for baht at licensed Thai currency exchanges.





Myanmar visitors to Thailand previously had to rely on buying US dollars in advance to exchange for baht, trading kyat with Thai black market dealers or using a foreign bank card. Ma Thandar, an online clothing retailer from Yangon who regularly travels to Bangkok for shopping, was forced to deal with black market traders after running out of baht.

But things are changing. On a recent trip Ma Thandar found that licensed Thai exchange firm  SuperRich  offers kyat exchange. I was surprised when I saw the Myanmar kyat exchange rate on the board of the SuperRich exchange centre, she said. Its so convenient.

Ma Win Myat Mon, a Myanmar fashion retailer, chooses to rely on a visa card for Bangkok shopping jaunts. Id never bring Myanmar kyat because I knew it was a non-convertible currency, she said.

She was happy to learn that official Thai currency exchanges were beginning to deal in kyat, having previously had to deal with black market traders near the Myanmar embassy.

Myanmar only adopted a managed floating exchange rate in 2012, and the kyat remains a highly volatile currency. In 2015, the kyat lost over 25 percent of its value, and volatility in the US-kyat exchange rate earlier this year prompted Myanmar lenders to temporarily close their currency desks.

The volatility has not dissuaded SuperRich, however, which sees a wave of travellers venturing to Myanmar after the historic general election in 2015, according to a company spokesperson.





There will be an increased demand for kyat in the future and we want to make it available for our clients, the spokesperson told The Myanmar Times, adding that the firm had started exchanging kyat early this year.

While SuperRich anticipates more tourists travelling to Myanmar, officials at Myanmar banks said that there will also be a wave of tourists from Myanmar visiting neighouring countries.

Lots of Myanmar people visit Thailand, said U Soe Thein, deputy managing director of Asian Green Development Bank. Kyat currency exchange is going to be a big market.

Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos discussed the introduction of a single visa that would permit travel to all of them at a meeting in June. The following month labour ministers from Thailand and Myanmar discussed an agreement that would make it easier for Myanmar workers to enter Thai labour markets.

Local banks are already catering to customers looking to spend money abroad. AYA Bank, CB Bank and Myanmar Oriental Bank are among those that have recently started offering credit cards linked to the UnionPay JCB and global payment networks. JCBs network allows Myanmar card holders to use their bank accounts in 191 countries and territories.
The Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) held an urgent meeting yesterday and agreed to extend the deadline for voter registration ahead of an upcoming election.





The nations leading business body will hold an election on September 17, in which members who have registered to vote will elect an executive committee, which elects a smaller central executive committee, from which emerge the president, treasurer and other senior figures, according to joint general secretary U Aye Lwin.

Prominent business tycoon U Win Aung, founder of construction firm Dagon International, retained the UMFCCI presidency in the previous 2013 election and remains its head going into the September vote. He and his two companies, Dagon International and Dagon Timber, were removed from the US sanctions blacklist in 2015.

Turnout was meagre at the UMFCCIs last election in 2013, which saw only 600 or so members out of 20,000 vote, UMFCCI officials told The Myanmar Times at that time. A source at the body, who asked to remain anonymous, said that registration for this election was also in the hundreds. There had been heated debate about whether to extend the original August 30 registration deadline to allow more people to vote, and provide more information about the election process, the source said.

A spokesperson from the UMFCCIs public relations department told The Myanmar Times yesterday that after an urgent meeting the deadline had been extended.

Theres been a lot of discussion about the election, he said. We need more public knowledge about the process.

U Aye Lwin said the deadline was being moved to allow members in other regions and cities to vote, and estimated that around 600 had registered for this years election. Members must register to vote and cast their ballot in person at the UMFCCIs Yangon headquarters. Members wanting to stand for election have until September 5 to register and voters have until September 9, according to U Aye Lwin.





Debate over registration deadlines also featured in the 2013 election, which was declared on June 9 of that year with a deadline to register to vote or self-nominate set for June 12. That election was also the UMFCCIs first democratic process of leadership selection, after an earlier system where the Ministry of Commerce handpicked senior members. But the vote was marred by a computer failure and allegations that the election had been set up so that incumbent EC members would be returned.

Additional reporting by Zay Yar Linn
Anxiety is mounting within the retail industry with businesses large and small in the dark about how rules governing taxation will affect their future trade.





Speaking at workshop hosted by the Myanmar Retailers Association in Yangon on August 19, Daw Wai Thit Lwin, managing director at ABC, one of Myanmars largest convenience store chains, voiced concerns over a lack of clarity given to businesses during the period of government transition.

She said larger, more modern outfits such as ABC feared that an unfair playing field could easily unfold, if the new rules did not apply equally to smaller mum-and-pop stores selling similar products.

The rules for taxation are not clear, so our retail sellers request that the laws and regulations around tax be cleared up, and that taxation is fair, she said.

Stores that have modern IT systems to properly record transactions could be at a disadvantage to smaller shops without the technology upgrades, who could fall through the gaps and get away with inaccuracies and thus pay less tax, she added.

Daw Wai Thit Lwin said price increases would be passed on to consumers, making it difficult for those with accurate bookkeeping to compete.

Last month the government unveiled its long-awaited economic policy, which pledged to streamline the tax system and boost state coffers. But details are yet to be clarified, leading many in a nervous business community to speculate on what their future financials might look like.





A call to the tax department in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday failed to shed any further light.

A tax official, who declined to give his name, said there were two kinds of taxes: commercial tax paid by consumers and income tax paid by businesses. He declined to provide any further detail.

According to U Myo Min Aung, vice president of the Myanmar Retailers Association, businesses are willing to contribute their share of taxes under the new regime, but it must be fair and predictable.

Its the same in the retail sector as it is with restaurants. In a restaurant, they can pass the tax cost on to the consumer. For a shop, if there is a tax placed on something like a bottle of water, then the price of that bottle for consumers will go up, he said yesterday.

U Myo Min Aung said businesses needed certainty, with a progressive tax regime that allows firms to plan years in advance. He said the government needed to engage the private sector more in order to quell nerves and help develop its tax strategy.

Speaking at the retailers conference, U Myint Zaw, chair of Wise College, an international school that specialises in business, said that both the public and business had something to gain from increases in government spending as a result of higher tax revenue.

Echoing the sentiments of fellow business insiders at the conference, U Myint Zaw said the government needed to build confidence by showing companies how they would benefit from paying their dues, saying the state needed to step up its tax education efforts.

But members of the retail association are merely the tip of the iceberg for a country with thousands of smaller traders, who remain unaware of their tax obligations.

I opened a small shop, so I think its not a concern for me, said Daw Than Than Oo, selling snacks and juice in South Okkalapa township. The store that opens 24 hours is big business and I only trade for a daily income, she said.
Turkey has not entered a war through its incursion into northern Syria and has no intention of becoming a permanent power there, broadcaster NTV cited Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus as saying on Monday.

"Turkey is not an occupying country. Turkey is not entering a war," NTV cited Kurtulmus as telling reporters in Istanbul.

"Every party involved, including the Damascus government, was aware of the Euphrates Shield operation. Russia informed them, we are sure about that," he added, referring to the name Ankara has given its incursion into northern Syria.

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One of Japans most famous cats has come to Yangon, and already, she has landed on two feet.





The brainchild of Japanese creator Yuko Shimizu, Hello Kitty has charmed fans around the world since 1974.

Today, Hello Kitty can be found waving to fans off Waizayandar Road in Thingangyun township at February 6, a Hello Kitty-themed cafe which opened one year ago.

A pink-and-black decorated teenage dream world, February 6 is the first Hello Kitty-themed shop of its kind in Yangon. From the tables decorated with flower pots to the key- chains, toys, water bottles, extension cords and sandwich sets sold as accessories, everything in the cafe bears the official Hello Kitty logo.

Fans from far and wide come to take selfies more often than they do to have a meal, says Cherry, the restaurant manager. However, hungry patrons will find a variety of unique foods and drink  European, Malaysian, Thai, and other Asian foods as well as fresh coffee and cocktails.

The European foods are prepared by a professional chef, Ma Cherry said. Though it is a Hello Kitty-themed restaurant, we want to serve the best food and provide people with a quiet, affordable place to meet up and have a coffee.





The owner of the restaurant, a Chinese woman who Cherry said wished to remain anonymous, is a young entrepreneur and an avid Hello Kitty fan. After visiting a Hello Kitty-themed restaurant abroad, she opened up the first Hello Kitty restaurant in Tachileik in eastern Shan State last September. After the success of the cafe, she decided to open a sister store in Yangon last October with the ultimate goal of creating a family- friendly restaurant for Hello Kitty fans and young people.

We also give services to people who want to surprise their significant other with a cute, romantic theme, Ma Cherry said.

From the youngest fans to couples out on dates to die-hard Hello Kitty collectors, February 6 will surely delight all who enter.

Hungry patrons will find Malaysian and Thai foods from K10,000 to K20,000 and coffees from K2000 to K4000. Hello Kitty fans of all kinds will find an affordable, delightful atmosphere. Accessory prices range from K500 to K100,000 for whatever Hello Kitty toy is missing from ones collection.

February 6 is in front of Aung Yadanar Hospital and can be found at 33 Waizayandar Road, just above Orange Supermarket if youre heading from Tarmwe.

Translation by Khant Lin Oo
Convened in February 1947, the original Panglong Conference is often feted as a unifying of Burma proper with the nations frontier areas, the former primarily the domain of the Bamar majority and the latter home to a plethora of ethnic minorities.





The conference participants  Bamar leader Bogyoke Aung San and ethnic Chin, Kachin and Shan leaders  were seeking to expedite independence from British colonial rule and lay the groundwork for a future nation, one which would share power with the different ethnic groups.

Its outcome, the signing of the Panglong Agreement, had this provision at its core: Full autonomy in internal administration for the Frontier Areas is accepted in principle.

The Spirit of Panglong was never realised, however. Bogyoke Aung San was assassinated the year of the agreements signing, and a 1962 military coup all but assured his effort to bridge the ethnic divide faltered.

The coups orchestrator, General Ne Win, made his own attempt to unify the increasingly fractured nation, but the talks ended in failure.

In 1993, the State Peace and Development Council made another pass, but as a major offensive against the KNU from 2005 to 2008 and the breakdown of a Tatmadaw-KIA ceasefire in June 2011 attest, the promise of Panglong has never truly been fulfilled.

From Panglong I to Panglong II: timeline

Just two months after the Kachin conflict resumed, then-president U Thein Sein made his own appeal to Myanmars ethnic armed groups.

The outreach worked  to an extent. His peace push arguably culminated in October 2015, when eight non-state armed groups signed a nationwide ceasefire agreement. However, about a dozen others declined to sign on to the accord or were left off the list of eligible signatories.





With U Thein Seins government transferring power to the National League for Democracy at the end of March of this year, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi assumed full responsibility for steering the peace process. In April, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of Bogyoke Aung San, wilfully shouldered the burden of Panglongs legacy, calling for a 21st-century Panglong Conference.

That conference convenes tomorrow, with the weight of the 1947 accord, decades of ethnic grievances and suffering, and high expectations converging on Nay Pyi Taw.
Tomorrow, the National League for Democracy-led government kicks off its long-awaited peace conference, called the "21st century Panglong Conference". The Myanmar Times traces the steps between the last Panglong summit of February 1947 to now:





February 1947 - The Panglong Conference is held in the town of Panglong, Shan State, where on February 12 Bogyoke Aung San and ethnic Chin, Kachin and Shan leaders sign an agreement of the same name.

1949 - The Karen National Union and its militant wing, the Karen National Liberation Army, become the first ethnic armed group to take up arms against the government, seeking independence from then-Burma.

1962 onward - The country is plagued by a growing number of internal conflicts as ethnic minorities come to increasingly conclude that the Panglong Agreement and demands for greater autonomy will not be honoured following General Ne Wins March 2 coup detat.

1963 - Ethnic armed insurgent groups are invited for peace negotiations during Gen Ne Wins Revolutionary Council, but the talks break down as the ethnic armies refuse to accept the dictators demands.

1993 - Ethnic armed groups are again invited to negotiate a peace settlement under the State Peace and Development Council, with some reaching agreements that unravel about a decade later when the lead negotiator at the time, military intelligence chief General Khin Nyunt, is purged from his post and imprisoned.

August 18, 2011 - President U Thein Sein reaches out to the nations ethnic armed groups, seeking to negotiate a lasting peace as part of his reformist legacy.

January 12, 2012 - The Karen National Union and the government sign a bilateral ceasefire, bringing a truce in the countrys longest-running internal conflict.





November 3, 2012 - The government-affiliated Myanmar Peace Center launches with backing from the European Union and other international donors.

November 2, 2013 - At the conclusion of a meeting in Laiza, Kachin State, 16 ethnic armed groups form the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), and in doing so agree to help draft the governments proposed nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA).

April 8, 2014 - Drafts of the NCA that were submitted by the government and ethnic armed groups are combined and redrawn as a single text.

In search of Panglongs promise

February 9, 2015 - The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army launches an offensive against government-held Laukkai in the Kokang region. Two other ethnic armed groups are embroiled in the ensuing conflict, posing an obstacle to NCA negotiations and the broader peace process that carry over into 2016.

March 31, 2015 - The combined draft NCA is preliminarily agreed among the 16 non-state armed groups and the government.

October 15, 2015 - At a ceremony in Nay Pyi Taw, eight non-state armed groups, the government and the Tatmadaw sign the NCA. About a dozen ethnic armed groups opt not to sign or are excluded by the government.

January 12, 2016 - The outgoing government convenes the Union Peace Conference, involving more than 700 participants. NCA non-signatories are allowed to attend only as observers.

March 30, 2016 - The National League for Democracy is sworn into power, inheriting both the progress and the stumbling blocks left behind by its predecessor.

April 27, 2016 - State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi urges all parties involved to work together to convene a 21st-century Panglong Conference within two months, promising that inclusivity will be a priority.

June 28, 2016 - The Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee, a key negotiating body formed by the previous government, is reconstituted with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as head.

August 8, 2016 - The government announces that it will convene the 21st-century Panglong Conference on August 31.
Tens of millions of kyat will be needed in order to repair pagodas in Rakhine States Mrauk-U after they were damaged by last weeks earthquake, government experts have warned. Some religious buildings in Mrauk-U are at risk of collapse and need urgent restoration work, says the district Archaeology, Library and Museum Department.





Department director U Nyein Lwin told The Myanmar Times that at least five ancient pagodas, including the famous Koe Thaung Pa Htoe Taw Pagoda, have sustained serious damage, and another historic pagoda, Yadana Mannaung, suffered a partial collapse, losing its diamond bud.

Some of the damaged pagodas are in a dangerous condition and are still at risk of collapse. We have to start work right away to prevent further damage, he said.

He said an initial K20 million (US$16,600) would be required to fund the essential work. The department said it could not estimate how much more would be required to restore all the damage caused.

The 6.8-magnitude earthquake on August 24 rattled central Myanmar, including Rakhine States Mrauk-U township.

We can start as soon as we receive the funding, but cannot now estimate what the full cost of repairs might be, said U Nyein Lwin.

According to the Rakhine State government, it will cost at least K40 million to repair and restore the ancient pagodas of Mrauk-U that suffered earthquake damage.





U Min Aung, state minister for development, said the state cabinet would meet today to plan a response to the earthquake, including a schedule for renovation work.

We visited the sites on August 25. First we have to act to prevent any more collapses before we can look at renovation. The main thing is to preserve our ancient heritage from further damage, he said.

The buildings mainly at risk have been identified as Koe Thaung Pa Htoe Taw, Yadana Mannaung, Mann Ngar Par and Yandapone pagodas.

U Nyein Lwin said the renovations will have to start after the rainy season concludes, U Nyein Lwin said.

Pagodas in Mrauk-U are not like those in Bagan because you cant climb to the upper level. Thats why it requires scaffolding and an awning and is similar to how it is done in Cambodia, he said.

The conservation committee has asked the Rakhine State government for financial support for temporary preservation measures for now, according to committee member Daw Khin Than.

We asked for K19.9 million to construct scaffolding for Yadana Mannaung Pagoda from the Rakhine State government for temporary conservation in the rainy season, she said. Then we will decide the best way to renovate the pagodas after the rainy season.

She added that they hope experts from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) can also come to survey the pagodas and advise on restoration measures.

U Thein Lwin, deputy director general of the Department of Archaeology, National Museum and Library, said Bagan was being surveyed first because of the more severe damage inflicted there.

Bagan has nearly 400 pagodas that were damaged due to the earthquake. Thats why they [UNESCO] conserve first in Bagan and then will look after the Mrauk-U pagodas, he said.

Additional reporting by Ei Ei Thu
In a dramatic redrafting of local governance, the Ministry of Home Affairs has agreed to at least partially relinquish control of the police, the Bureau of Special Investigations, the Fire Service Department, the Prison Department and the General Administration Department (GAD).





The exact delineation of the power-sharing arrangement with civilian administration remains vague, however.

In an official letter issued last week to state and region chief ministers, Minister of Home Affairs Lieutenant General Kyaw Swe said the local governments could take control of the management of the five departments.

However, Daw Lei Lei Maw, chief minister of Tanintharyi Region, said the letter does not include specific details on the governance strategy, but only alludes to better coordination and cooperation of the key departments with the local governments.

When we met with Ko Kyaw Swe in a meeting for the emergency management committee on August 3, he asked us to work toward a close working relationship with the departments, she said.

He asked us to take action against those officials who commit wrong-doing, and to reward those who perform above and beyond their duties, she said.

She added that her understanding was that the departments would remain under the umbrella of the ministry, and by extension, the military.





The minister for home affairs, along with the ministers for defence and border affairs, is appointed by the commander-in-chief of Defence Services. Political analysts and international observers often refer to the constitutionally guaranteed appointments as an undemocratic hold-out against fully civilian administration.

The five departments, with their top-to-bottom hierarchical structures, have long been subject to criticisms for an ingrained system of bribery and corruption. Most of the senior management officials at the departments were cherry-picked from Defence Services.

Under the junta, the Police Force and the Prison Department earned the reputation and image of being thugs under the thumb of the military regime and deployed to suppress political dissidents.

U Maung Maung Myint, an assistant secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs, said the involvement of local government in the five departments was not new. He alleged that the 2008 constitution assigns civilian leadership to the Home Affairs departments.

Quoting section 260 of the military drafted charter, he said the civilian chief ministers in states and regions freely manage the five departments.

The Head of the General Administration Department of the Region or State is the ex-officio Secretary of the Region or State Government concerned. Moreover, the GAD of the Region or State is the Office of the Region or State Government concerned, the constitution section reads.

While the constitutional provision does grant states and regions some control, it does not describe the extent to which civilian chief ministers could order and manage the departments.

Sharing from her own perspectives, Daw Lei Lei Maw described the Home Affairs Ministrys recent statement as a necessity in order to promote cooperation between the democratically elected government and the military-controlled administrative organs.

The constitution should later be changed to guarantee the civilian control of the departments, she said.

Ma Thinzar Shun Lei Yi, an advocacy coordinator at the Action Committee for Democracy Development which has been pushing for the reform of the Ward and Village Tract Administration Law, said there should be bolder changes to secure civilian administration.

Local administration largely falls to the ubiquitous General Administration Department, which remains housed under the military-controlled Home Affairs Ministry.

Since the department heads are former military officers, they tend to obey the instructions and orders issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, rather than the [state and region] civilian administration. We will have to wait and see whether this handover of the management of the five departments is a good thing, she said.

During her visit at the end of June, UN special rapporteur on human rights for Myanmar Yanghee Lee said she observed the very real tension between a new civilian leadership and a bureaucracy inherited from previous military regimes which often resulted in a duality in policy and approach.

Ma Thinzar Shun Lei Yi said that the recent uptick in former military personnel appointed to government departments makes it hard to harmonise between civilian and military administrations.

She said through her visits to the state and regional governments for work on the Ward and Village Tract Administration Law, she learned that departments in only few states and regions take up their mandate to be involved in the local administration.

This has created some conflict among the civilian and military officials, she said.

According to U Ye Naing, a director at the GADs headquarters in Nay Pyi Taw, the budgets for the state and region branches of the five departments are culled from the state and region government coffers.

The Ministry of Home Affairs budget supports only the cost for the operations of the GADs headquarters in Nay Pyi Taw, covering issues such as land management, the affairs of associations such as their registration and the laws, the handling liquors and alcohols, taxes. He said the headquarters is not involved in the administration of the state and region branches.

U Myat Thu, chair of the Yangon School of Political Science, praised the explicit shift of the five departments to more civilian control.

It is important to recall that even the Tatmadaw should one day be brought under civilian control, he said.

He added that civilian control of local administration does not automatically equate with good governance, but would have to be an evolving process.

Since they have to work under a civilian elected official who has to take responsibility and accountability in governing, they will have to become more responsible and accountable than before, U Myat Thu said.

He added that the recent overhauls of the top-level cabinet positions will not lead to any dramatic changes since most of the bureaucrats operating the government departments remain the same.

Without restructuring more than the superficial, top-level appointments, changes will not happen overnight, he said.
The five-day Panglong Conference kicks off tomorrow in Nay Pyi Taw. The event is the National League for Democracys inaugural bid at national reconciliation  a point it has called a priority since taking office in April  and both hopes and tensions are running high in the lead-up.





The basics

The conference will be attended by around 1800 invitees, including ethnic armed groups, political parties, international diplomats, donors to the peace process and international organisations.

Lending international clout to the event, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has confirmed he will attend the first day of the conference.

In a departure from the peace process of the previous administration, non-signatories to last years nationwide ceasefire agreement have also been invited to the conference. The NLD administration has repeatedly stressed that it places importance on an all-inclusive approach. However, it appears likely that the Northern Alliance  the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Arakan Army (AA)  will be absent index.php/national-news/22036-still-without-invite-kokang-groups-willing-to-attend-panglong.html from the event following objections to pre-conditions laid out for their participation, including the demand that they surrender their stance of armed struggle.

Chinese-Myanmar relationships and the peace process

The peace process has served as a hotbed for the competing Chinese and American spheres of influence in Myanmar.

The Global Times, a Chinese government mouthpiece, claimed on August 23 that civil society groups funded Western countries were inciting anti-Chinese attitudes in Myanmar.

From Panglong I to Panglong II: timeline





The United Wa State Army (UWSA), Myanmars most powerful ethnic armed group and one which maintains close ties with China, last year vowed it would not participate in the ceasefire agreement if the US, Japan and Europe continue to take part in allegedly fuelling the conflicts in northern Myanmar.

Just before Daw Aung San Suu Kyis five-day trip to China earlier this month, officials of both the UWSA and the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), also known as the Mongla, said they have agreed to attend the 21st-century Panglong Conference.

And during the state counsellors visit, Chinese leaders pledged support for Myanmars national reconciliation.

A good beginning makes a good ending

Securing internal peace, establishing a federal democratic Union and generating a constitution guaranteeing equal ethnic rights are just some of the high hopes underpinning the upcoming peace talks.

However, political analysts point out that a conference of 1800 people is unlikely to conclude with any pivotal decisions.

Analyst U Than Naing Soe said that it is important for Tatmadaw and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to use the conference to build trust and to lay the groundwork of a good beginning in order to secure positive results for future negotiations.

Expert opinions: Expectations for the second Panglong conference

Political discussions will not even be on the table at the conference, since the political dialogue framework has yet to be finalised.

Moreover, if political dialogue starts without all ethnic armed groups signing the NCA, it could create the impression that non-signatories are being given priority, according to some of the peace delegates.

Since U Thein Seins government laid down the guideline that ethnic armed groups can attend the political dialogues only after signing the NCA, it is appears likely that further signings will follow the finalisation of the framework. The political dialogues are scheduled to be held once every six months.

Although improbable that the 21st-century Panglong Conference will result in tangible outcomes on the scale of the 1947 iteration, hopes are still high that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi can reignite the long journey toward ending decades of armed conflict.

Translation by Thiri Min Htun
According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, there are nearly 1.3 million child labourers in Myanmar.





The Myanmar Labour Force, Child Labour and School to Work Transition Survey 2015 was released yesterday in Nay Pyi Taw.

More than 10 percent of the nations minors, or 1,278,909 children, are employed across the informal and informal sectors, including as unpaid labour for family businesses such as farming.

Numbering 676,208, boys account for a larger share of this workforce than girls, who the survey found to number 602,701.

While the figures are large, more than 75pc, or 966,758 children, are 15 to 17 years old, an age range where employment is legal across most of the developed and developing world.

Where Myanmars child labourers differ from minors in developed countries, however, is in the amount of time spent on the job: 52 hours a week for the average Myanmar child labourer. An estimated 24.4pc to 33.6pc are considered hard workers clocking 60 or more hours a week.

It is illegal for children aged 14 to 16 years to work more than four hours a day, according to the 2016 Shops and Work Departments Law.





Nearly 80pc of working children are from rural areas.

Of the child labour pool, a 60.5pc majority are working in agricultural, forestry and fisheries jobs; 12pc are in manufacturing; 11.1pc are in trade; and 6.1pc are in the services sector, the report said.

All work and no play, children prop up Myanmars economy

The average child labourer is paid K400 (US$0.33) an hour across all sectors. Paid workers account for 57pc of the total child workforce, while the remainder are largely working without pay for their families.

After we compared initial data of the survey with the 2014 census survey [on child labour], we found some differences. Thats why we conducted data collection again on some households  out of 53 data-collecting wards  to verify whether the surveys results are correct or not, said U Myo Aung, permanent secretary and director general of the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population.

Translation by Zar Zar Soe
Yangon Regions parliament focused its attention yesterday on a show of support for the upcoming Panglong Conference. The three-hour long event was attended by MPs, officials from the National League for Democracy regional office and civil society groups.





Only four military MPs were missing from the regional parliament roster.

NLD patron U Tin Oo encouraged participants in the Panglong Conference to trust each other.

There are suspicions lurking behind the peace process which can cause delays to the negotiations success, he said. If they [the participants] truly want peace, they must set aside their arms and come to discuss.

He added that he has no doubts that the so-called 21st-century Panglong Conference will achieve its aims.

U Ko Ko Gyi, from the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society, said yesterday that the new government will face difficulty maintaining rule of law, especially in the border areas, if there is no peace agreement.

MP Daw Sandar Min (NLD; Seikgyi Kanaungto 1) encouraged other state and region parliaments to hold similar events showing support for the governments peace process.





Yesterday, Nay Pyi Taws Zeyathiri township held a public rally in support of the peace conference following similar events held in Mandalay and Yangon over the weekend. Around 200 people gathered for the community-organised Zeyathiri event, which included songs and speeches, and was attended by some members of parliament.

The peace conference starts tomorrow in Nay Pyi Taw. President U Htin Kyaw, State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing are expected to speak at the opening ceremony.

Additional reporting by Pyae Thet Phyo, translation by San Layy
Newly democratic Myanmar is all set to launch its 21st-century Panglong Conference on August 31. State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has stressed that her government is keen to make it as inclusive as possible.





The main objective of this years conference mirrors the 1947 Panglong Conference organised by the state counsellors father, Bogyoke Aung San, before the countrys independence from Britain.

In his Blueprint for a Free Burma written in Japan, Bogyoke Aung San said, We can confidently assert here that so far as our knowledge of our country goes, there should be no insuperable difficulties in the way of a unified Burma provided all races are given full freedom and the opportunity to meet together and to work without the interference of outside interests.

The original Panglong Conference saw Bogyoke Aung San, as head of the interim Burmese government, meet with ethnic Kachin, Shan and Chin leaders who unanimously decided to join the republic. The historic meeting also outlined the united struggle for independence and the future of Burma as a unified republic.

Although Bogyoke Aung San was assassinated on July 19, just months after the conference and before independence, the spirit of Panglong shone through.

From Panglong I to Panglong II: timeline

The general terms of the agreement resurfaced in the constitution adopted on September 24, 1947. Though it made no mention of federal or federalism, it was clear that power was to be divided between Burma proper and the ethnic states.

The country was set to have a bicameral legislature with a 125-seat Chamber of Nationalities and a 250-seat Chamber of Deputies. The Shan and Karenni States were to be reconstituted as one with the extraordinary right of secession after a 10-year trial period  a right adapted from the constitution of the then Soviet Union.





The Kachin, however, apparently abandoned this right in return for the inclusion of the major towns of Myitkyina and Bhamo in the new Kachin State. The Chins who were ethnically divided and always ready to acknowledge their dependence on ministerial Burma ended up without a state; they were formed into a Special Division with few of the political privileges of the Shan and the Kachin.

The final designation and status of a Karen territory and their political rights were left to be decided after independence, while the Mon and Rakhine who were about to go into rebellion, received no distinctive recognition in the constitution.

But the 1947 constitution was termed a recipe for disaster, and any goodwill for the Panglong Agreement dissipated when General Ne Win seized power in 1962 and tore up the 1947 constitution.

Among the dozens of political leaders arrested by Gen Ne Win was President Sao Shwe Thaik, an ethnic Shan who had fought to gain minority agreement at Panglong. His youngest son was shot and killed while Sao Shwe Thaik himself died in military custody. Soon after Burmas independence in 1948, ethnic rebellion began, turning into long, bitter secessionist movements. The 1947 constitution was rewritten in 1974 and once again in 2008.

Seventy years after the conclusion of the Panglong Agreement, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, as the de facto leader of the National League for Democracy-led government, has once again called for a conference to address decades-long ethnic conflict and need for national reconciliation. She has promised to attach greater importance to the Panglong spirit rather than to the specific agreement signed in 1947.

Most observers believe that this Panglong spirit is no different from the previous governments call for ethnic communities to give up arms and return to the legal fold, a requirement for the nationwide ceasefire agreement. It has nothing to do with the ethnic communities desire for self-autonomy and federalism.

With the Arakan Army, the Taang National Liberation Army and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance denied access to the conference by the Tatmadaw unless they give up their arms, how Daw Aung San Suu Kyi negotiates a formidable balance with the military will be important. The NLD cannot amend the constitution to grant more power to states and regions under a federal Union, as the military rules the roost with their parliamentary veto.

We had more expectation from the NLD by now, Arakan Army leader Brigadier General Tun Myat Naing told Myanmar Now in June. They tried their best in the first 100 days in office. However they need to make more effective policies on a long-term basis to please the public.

Human rights lawyer U Aung Htoo rightly said, We will be able to do nothing if we are afraid that the Myanmar military leaders will be dissatisfied  We have advantages that we did not have 50 years ago. When we were young, talking about federalism was a crime. But now they [the Myanmar Army leaders] have to admit that federalism is essential.

U Aung Htoo went on to argue that there should no longer be rigid centralisation, although a certain level of centralisation was necessary for the maintenance of a federal Union. In addition, while ethnic leaders have proposed establishing pyi-htaung, or sovereign states, such states would delegate some degree of their sovereign power to the federal government.

Will the end of August mark the beginning of the end of decades of ethnic conflict? Only time will tell.

 New Mandala

Amrita Dey holds an MA and a PhD in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, with Southeast Asia as her specialisation. She is working on India-Myanmar relations. This article is a collaboration between The Myanmar Times and New Mandala  a specialist website on Southeast Asia based at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, the Australian National University.
This month the newly elected Myanmar government released its economic policy and announced that it will seek to attract even more foreign investment than under previous administrations. But the new policy did not outline how it will ensure that foreign investment will contribute to the protection of human rights and sustainable development.





Myanmars previous military government was committed to investment protection treaties. Will the new government follow suit? These treaties between states enable foreign investors to challenge new laws and policies by the host government  potentially including those protecting human rights and the environment  through international arbitration if they believe these may adversely affect their profits.

Foreign governments want their investors to benefit from the opening up of Myanmars economy. Myanmar has already entered into investment protection treaties with Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, China, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Israel and India and is party to the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement. Myanmar is negotiating a new treaty with the European Union and exploring options with Singapore, among others.

These investment treaties grant investors equal standing with Myanmars government in disputes over national laws and policy in international arbitration. Their broad provisions fail to reconcile investment protection with the host states right and duty to regulate for the benefit of human rights and sustainable development. Myanmar must ensure that provisions on the treatment of foreign investors limit their rights to challenge legitimate, non-discriminatory, public purpose legislation.

Seeking to attract investment by giving foreign businesses more economic security should not compromise governments ability to regulate in favour of the rights of its people. Protection of investments must not be given priority over protection of human rights and the environment. The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights urge governments to maintain adequate domestic policy space to meet their human rights obligations when pursuing investment treaties.

Before agreeing to further investment treaties, Myanmar should commit to adopting and enforcing new laws in line with international human rights and environmental standards. It should evaluate whether these investment treaties are necessary to attract foreign investment to Myanmar. It should follow the regional trend and revisit old treaties that empower foreign investors at the expense of local rights holders.

The National League for Democracy-led government came to power promising change, to establish the rule of law and to protect human rights. In order to do so, the government will need to create new laws and policies in line with international laws and standards in the publics interest. For example, Myanmar has recently signed the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, signalling its willingness to put in place policies to progressively achieve universal healthcare, education and social security. These rights are also protected in Myanmars constitution.

But new policies designed to fulfil these rights may give rise to disputes under investment treaties. For instance, it is possible that foreign investors will claim that a new policy on public health (for instance by requiring plain packaging for cigarettes) or minority rights (calling for affirmative action for minorities) or strict environmental protection standards (improved environmental impact assessment regulations) would harm their expected profits or other rights that are broadly defined in the investment protection agreement.





These are not outlandish examples. There are a number of cases where new laws and regulations passed by democratically elected governments have been challenged by foreign investors before arbitral tribunals. In Canada, a foreign investor successfully challenged an environmental impact assessment boards decision to deny it a permit and asked for more than US$100 million in damages. Affirmative action policies in South Africa and environmental protection standards in Germany have been challenged. Just the threat of arbitration can lead to a regulatory chill, forcing back public interest legislation and preventing environmental protection measures.

These are costly disputes  some arbitral awards run into the billions of dollars against host governments. Recent challenges by tobacco giant Phillip Morris against Australian and Uruguay plain packaging cigarette laws, designed to protect public health, were unsuccessful but cost millions in lawyers fees. Australia reportedly paid $50 million to defend its law. Myanmar cannot defend repeated challenges by deep-pocketed investors. In Myanmar, this money could be better spent improving the dire state of health and education.

Around the world, people are demanding that negotiation and adoption of investment treaties be transparent; increasingly, people are opposing treaties that grossly favour the interests of investors over the interests of the public. Investment treaties are often negotiated behind closed doors with little public or parliamentary oversight. These are important decisions that impact on the rights of people in Myanmar. Myanmars civil society has not yet had the opportunity to participate in genuine and informed consultation.

Many states have turned against international dispute resolution in investment treaties. South Africa, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Indonesia have started to cancel or phase out existing treaties. Others, including India, are reviewing current treaties and rethinking future negotiations. Brazil, Russia, India and China are considering an alternative system that considers issues relevant to emerging economies.

The Indian government intends to replace existing investment treaties with new ones designed to balance investors interests, regulatory space and investor responsibilities. It seeks to limit protections for foreign investors, drop controversial aspects of treaties and narrow the scope of others to reduce disputes. While it allows access to international dispute settlement, foreign investors will have to pass through the domestic courts first. The new investment treaties will also include an exhaustive list of economic, environmental and social measures to be exempt from challenge by foreign investors.

Myanmar would do well to follow this approach. Improving its human rights situation and maintaining sustainable development require sweeping legal reform. The threat of costly legal challenges by foreign investors could dissuade policy makers from making necessary changes, discouraging them from fulfilling human rights and environmental obligations in order to promote investment.

Daniel Aguirre is the international legal adviser for the International Commission of Jurists based in Yangon.
Germany's European Commissioner told the Bild newspaper on Tuesday that Turkey would probably not join the European Union while Tayyip Erdogan was president.

Turkey began talks about joining the European Union in 2005 but has made little progress. The prospect of the mainly Muslim country becoming an EU member worries many countries and relations have become more strained since a failed coup in July.

"It will probably be an issue for the period after Erdogan," Guenther Oettinger said in an interview with the newspaper.

"Given the current conditions, accession is not realistic until well into the next decade," he said.

On Sunday German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday he did not see Turkey joining the EU during his own political career, noting that the bloc would not be in a position to accept Turkey even if Ankara met all the entry requirements tomorrow.

In June, German lawmakers voted to label the 1915 mass killings of Armenians an act of genocide, infuriating Turkey, which rejects that view of the killings of Christian Armenians by Ottoman forces during World War One amounted to genocide.

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Lord & Taylor and Anthropologie are two of the retailers seeking to piggyback on the popularity of resolving customer service issues on social media by leveraging Instagram?s new contact button, which enables users to visit a brand?s bio and contact a representative directly via email, text or phone call.

A plethora of marketers are simplifying the experience of speaking with brand representatives by allowing social media users to contact them directly through their account pages, eliminating the possibility of spending long periods of time placed on hold. Retailers including Abercrombie, Lord & Taylor, Marshall?s, Anthropologie and Sephora have already implemented Instagram?s new contact button into their bios, highlighting the potency of using social media as a customer service platform.

?As the holidays are fast approaching and a majority of consumers that shop online are also active on social media, Instagram's new contact button for brands to use in their social interactions is a great addition,? said Marci Troutman, CEO of SiteMinis. ?All major brands should be using the largest social networks to promote their products and have a cross-platform campaign effort for the holidays underway.

?With the ability to add in a specific customer service call-to-action on the Instagram piece of the campaign, brands would do well to utilize this in every campaign,? she said.

?One thing for brands to take note of is to ensure there is a live interaction on the other end of the contact button to ensure consumers using this customer service piece are getting the answers they need quickly. Otherwise, it could hurt the brand.?

New customer service methods

With social media being many consumers? go-to mobile platform for product inspiration, brands are scheming up ways to maximize sales and streamline the customer service experience with as little steps as possible.

Whereas consumers looking to connect with a brand representative were previously forced to look up a company?s number and potentially be placed on hold for long periods of time, social media users can now simply visit a brand?s Instagram bio and look for a contact button.

If available, the contact button will appear atop the page, to the left of the follow button. Individuals can tap on the button to speak with a representative, an action that will prompt the available methods of communication to pop up.

Many brands only have email capabilities set up so far. Tapping on the email option will invite users to send the correspondence via any email applications they currently have enabled on their mobile devices.

For instance, if a consumer has Gmail set up on his smartphone, he can tap on the Gmail app icon to begin typing a message to the designated brand.

This feature can be used by any inquiring individual. If a consumer wants to know whether a particular item featured in Lord & Taylor?s latest Instagram post is available, he or she can email the company to have the query answered.

Messages can also be sent to voice complaints or suggestions.

Brands leveraging this tool may find themselves receiving more inquiries from customers, thanks to the ease of using the contact button. Instead of filtering through several pages to find businesses' email addresses and phone numbers, consumers can bypass these steps and jump right into crafting their questions.

The contact button may also come in handy during the busy holiday retail season, a time during which many consumers are hunting for ideal gift ideas and need to know the exact availability of specific products.

Instagram vs. Facebook

Instagram is not the only major social network offering an easy way for users to get in touch with companies.

Last winter, a growing number of brands teamed up with Facebook Messenger after realizing its potential as a communication channel for offering customer service and building personal relationships with mobile users (see story).

Usage rates for these services have typically been high, likely due to their convenience factor.

For example, the Bank of Montreal recently deposited a new strategy into its mobile vault that enables customers to communicate with bank representatives via social media, resulting in an 83 percent drop in first response time for United States operations (see story).

?It is important for brands to quickly adopt social strategies frequently used by their customers, if they want to meet their customers where they shop,? Ms. Troutman said. ?If brands decide to forgo the social media aspect of marketing, they will miss a very large percentage of their consumers? eyes on the brand, and that percentage will continue to increase into the future.

?Consumers want the brands to be available to them, when and where they want, and also be an easy, efficient way for them to get what they need. When they are happy with a transaction, they will share via social media and the brand will be just a little bit closer to a coveted viral campaign.?
The founder and leader of the International God's Way Church, Bishop Daniel Obinim over the weekend led his congregants to lift up a prayer to God to expose persons who are behind the alleged fraud case which led to his detention.

The man of God became the subject of several media reportage following his arrest and detention by personnel of the Ghana Police Service over an alleged fraud case.

Bishop Obinim while addressing his church members after his release on enquiry bail last week promised to deal with his accuser spiritually.

At a church service at his Kumasi branch, the Mr Obinim led the congregation to petition God to expose the lies in the alleged fraud case.

Below are photos from the church service:
Nollywood actress, Amanda Ebeye, is not new to controversies but this time, she is boiling hard and not happy with some parts of the media as a whole.

Amanda knowing how smart the media can be has for a long time tried avoiding granting interviews to print medium and will be ready to jump at the visual medium when she is being approached with the excuse that the print tends to temper with what she has said.

Well, the actress is currently not happy with viral reports that went rounds some weeks back that she was in love with an officer which is why she has been absent from the movie industry for a while and was trying to hide the relationship from her fans.

She could not hold back her anger as she decided to blow hot as she disclosed that negative things written about her is affecting her relationship with her man.

Amanda admitted that she is in a relationship but not with the said officer whom she met just once but with another man and the rumours have been affecting their love.

In her words, Its very pathetic how people can just sit down and cook up all sorts of things about someone. I dont know this celeb police green news or whoever they are. That they know my family and how desperate I am. They even know my location, know my situation and know who Im with. Wow.

You want stories on your blog so you dont mind writing bull. Im having issues in my relationship because youre linking me to a man I met only once in my life, at an event. Please, please, please, for the last time I have no business with this man.

Please. Im in a relationship; Im not getting married now. When Im ready youll definitely be invited. You say Im hiding in Ghana and all sorts of things. Finally Ill tell you to get your facts right before posting, because these horrible stories can be very hurtful. Thank you.

Source: nollywoodgists.com


Groups including the Niger Delta Avengers and the NDGJM are demanding a greater share of Nigeria's oil revenues and political autonomy. By Pous Utomi Ekpei (AFP/File)

30.08.2016 LISTEN

Warri (Nigeria) (AFP) - Nigerian rebels claimed a Tuesday attack on a state-owned oil pipeline and accused the military of "endlessly harassing" the country's south as they vowed to intensify their campaign of sabotage.

The newly formed Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate (NDGJM) group said in a statement that they attacked a Nigerian Petroleum Development Company line in the southern oil-producing Delta State in the early hours of Tuesday.

"The NDGJM brought down the Ogor-Oteri major delivery line," said the militants. "Good job boys."

A Nigerian state security official confirmed the attack to AFP, saying: "I can't give you much detail on the incident as investigations into the incident are still ongoing."

The NDGJM militants said that they do not recognise the ceasefire declared in August by the Niger Delta Avengers, a rival armed group in the region, or its ongoing negotiations with the Nigerian government.

The group also criticised the Nigerian military for its operations in the Delta's restive swamplands.

"The NDGJM will no longer sit quietly watching the endless harassment of our peoples in various parts of the region by the Nigerian military," said the group.

"It shall from now on be an eye for an eye, for every military atrocity carried out in the creeks... the Nigerian armed forces will have the NDGJM to contend with."

Last week the Nigerian military launched 'Operation Crocodile Smile' in the oil-hub of Warri claiming to have killed five militants and arrested 23 others in a weekend raid.

An amnesty program introduced in 2009 brought peace to the Niger delta after years of attacks crippled crude output.

Yet when Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari indicated that he would wind down the costly program in an effort to trim government spending violence once again erupted in the region.

Groups including the Niger Delta Avengers and the NDGJM are demanding a greater share of oil revenues and political autonomy. Their attacks have hampered oil exports and damaged Nigeria's fragile economy.

Originating at burningpot.com
A presumed US drone strike in southern Yemen killed an Al-Qaeda suspect and wounded two more on Tuesday, a security official said.

The strike hit a vehicle carrying the three militants in the eastern suburbs of Ataq, the capital of Shabwa province, the source said.

The United States has carried out numerous drone strikes against Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives in Yemen.

American officials said this month that the US military had killed three AQAP fighters in a strike, also in Shabwa.

On Wednesday, drone strikes killed seven Al-Qaeda suspects in south and east Yemen.

AQAP and the Islamic State group have exploited a power vacuum created by the conflict between the government and Iran-backed rebels to expand their presence in the Arabian Peninsula country.

The US has vowed to continue its campaign against AQAP, which it considers to be the Al-Qaeda network's deadliest franchise.

A Saudi-led Arab military coalition that backs the Yemeni government has also turned its sights on AQAP, targeting it with air strikes.

The coalition is supporting pro-government forces which launched an offensive this year to retake several towns from AQAP.

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Somali soldiers patrol in a pickup truck in Mogadishu on June 21, 2015. By Mohamed Abdiwahab (AFP/File)

30.08.2016 LISTEN

Mogadishu (AFP) - A suicide car bomb exploded outside a popular hotel close to the presidential palace in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Tuesday, in an attack claimed by Shabaab militants.

"There was a blast close to the SYL hotel area, near the main checkpoint of the presidential palace," said security officer Ibrahim Mohamed.
The Secretary-General is deeply concerned over the tense situation that has developed in the narrow Buffer Strip in southwestern Western Sahara between the Moroccan berm and the Mauritanian border as a result of changes in the status quo and the introduction of armed units from Morocco and the Polisario in close proximity to each other.

The Secretary-General calls on both parties to suspend any action that alters that status quo and to withdraw all armed elements so as to prevent any further escalation and permit MINURSO to hold discussions with both parties on the situation. The Secretary-General stresses the importance for both parties to adhere to their obligations as per the Military Agreement number 1, and the need to respect the letter and the spirit of the ceasefire agreement.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) launched on August 29, 2016 a three-year capacity development project to improve the external sector statistics in Central and West Africa. Introduced at the African Training Institute (ATI) in Mauritius, this project has been made possible by the generous support of the Government of Japan. Its opening workshop at the ATI brought together mid and seniorlevel central bank officials of 17 Francophone beneficiary countries.[1] Representatives of the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) and of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) also participated in the workshop.

The project aims to enhance external sector statistics quality and close data gaps in key areas such as balance of payments statistics, the international investment position, and external debt statistics. It will support beneficiary countries efforts to improve the accuracy, timeliness, comparability, and reliability of external sector statistics for better policy analysis and economic decision-making, thereby also informing IMF surveillance. The project will also facilitate greater regional economic integration in the CEMAC and the WAEMU regions.

Mr. Louis Marc Ducharme, Director of the IMFs Statistics Department, emphasized: Timely and high-quality external sector statistics are essential for policymakers at both the national and regional levels to better understand countries external positions, risks and vulnerabilities as a basis for designing and implementing sound macroeconomic policies. The project will provide the participants with opportunities to discuss common challenges, share experiences, and promote peer-to-peer learning, with a view to enhancing their external sector statistics.

Mr. Vikram Punchoo, Second Deputy Governor of the Bank of Mauritius, said at the opening ceremony: Recently, Mauritius benefited also from a similar project. As a result, the Bank of Mauritius further improved the coverage of the balance of payments statistics and started the compilation of its international investment position and external debt. The project also facilitated the authorities subscription to the Special Data Dissemination Standard in 2012.
Rome (AFP) - Around 6,500 migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya, the Italian coastguard said, in one of its busiest days of life-saving in recent years.

Dramatic images of one operation showed about 700 migrants crammed onto a fishing boat, with some of them jumping off the vessel in life jackets and swimming towards rescuers.

A five-day-old baby was among those rescued along with other infants and was airlifted to an Italian hospital, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which took part in operations.

"The command centre coordinated 40 rescue operations" that included vessels from Italy, humanitarian organisations as well as the EU's border agency Frontex, saving 6,500 migrants, the coastguard wrote on Twitter.

"We've been particularly busy today," a spokesman for the Italian coastguard told AFP.

On Sunday more than 1,100 migrants were rescued in the same area.

The total number of arrivals in Italy this year now stands at 112,500, according to the UN's refugee agency and the coastguard, slightly below the 116,000 recorded by the same point in 2015.

The total number of migrant arrivals in Italy this year now stands at 112,500, according to the UN's refugee agency and the Italian coastguard, slightly below the 116,000 recorded by the same point in 2015

Almost all of those migrants originate from West Africa and the Horn of Africa, often departing from Libya en masse when the sea is calm and a southern wind can push boats up into international waters.

Such days often come one after another, leading to large numbers of boats over a short period. More than 13,000 people were rescued in under a week at the end of May, and 8,300 more at the start of August.

The Italian coastguard predicted that weather conditions would encourage the departure of further migrant boats Tuesday.

The vessels are often flimsy and overcrowded while some of the migrants set off in such poor health that even if the crossing is calm they cannot survive a day at sea.

There are around a dozen vessels run by humanitarian groups that patrol the waters off the Libyan coast, but tensions in the zone have flared recently as rival factions battle to control migrant trafficking.

This month an MSF ship taking part in migrant rescue operations came under attack from armed men who shot at the vessel before briefly climbing aboard, the medical charity said.

Global migrants

Nobody was hurt in the incident, which took place on August 17, the group said.

More than 3,000 migrants have died at sea while trying to reach either Greece or Italy since the start of this year, an increase of some 50 percent on the same period in 2015.

Some 204,000 others crossed the Mediterranean to Europe in the first six months of this year, the UN refugee agency said, as the continent battles its worst migration crisis since World War II.

Last year more than one million migrants made the journey to Europe, with the majority fleeing war in Syria and the Middle East.
Stanbic Bank has swooped five awards at the 15th Ghana Banking Awards ceremony held at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra.

The Banks Slydepay App was adjudged the Product Innovation of the Year 2015. The Bank was also adjudged second runner-up for four other categories. These include: Most Cashless Bank, Best Bank for Long Term Loan Finance, Trade Deal of the Year, and Best Bank for Savings and Deposits.

According to Mawuko Afadzinu, Head, Marketing and Communications, Stanbic Bank, these awards are in recognition of Stanbics commitment to deliver excellent banking experience.

These awards go a long way to entrench Stanbics position as a great force to reckon with in the Ghanaian Banking industry, he said.

He said, the Product Innovation of the Year Award and Cashless Bank Awards also prove Stanbics commitment to drive the cashless revolution by coming up with innovative products that make payment and collection easy for customers and non-customers alike.

The bulk of Stanbic Banks Personal & Business Banking strategy is about using digital capabilities to deliver an even better customer experience, Afadzinu said. This entails putting customers in control, providing more convenience, and extracting key customer insights from our rich data so that the bank becomes more proactive, relevant and easy to use.

Some of the Banks digital platforms include the Stanbic Ghana Banking App, BOL and Enterprise Online. The Slydepay App, Afadzinu said, takes the cashless revolution further by providing carefully thought off solutions for both web based and mobile environments.

The Ghana Banking Awards, organised by Corporate Initiative, is a vehicle to showcase and applaud best performing banks in various categories of the Ghanaian financial services market. The assessments are made through a nationwide survey of consumers of banking products and services.

Story by Ghana/Joy Business
Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) says he prefers to be left out of issues relating to the health of presidents.

Koku Anyidoho who was the Director of Communications at the Osu Castle during the late President John Evans Atta Mills administration says he fears to lose the spiritual backing of his mentor if he comments on the issue.

Over the years, the issue of the health state of presidential candidates has come up time and again for debate especially during election years.

While some have argued that it is a personal and very private matter of the candidates, others have said candidates owe it as an obligation to the taxpayer.

The late Mr Mills was attacked from various quarters including some key people within the NDC who thought he was not fit to continue as a president. Some members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) also spoke about his health status.

Indeed handlers of the President were severely criticised for a physical fitness show off by the President in 2012 after he had touched down from a trip abroad.

Mr Mills had gone for a routine medical check-up which lasted some 10 days in the United States, and in an apparent attempt to prove that he was fit and healthy, he started jogging in his suit and tie under the scorching sun at the Kotoka International Airport.

This came against the backdrop of death rumours and calls for the President to show himself in public.

Before departing for the United States for the medical check-up, Mr Mills said he had heard rumours that he was dead and wondered the basis for such rumours.

Questions had been asked about the whereabouts of the president after he had not been seen in public for close to two weeks whilst communal violence ravaged parts of the country in Hohoe in the Volta Region.

Related: NPP does not and will never wish Mills dead  Sammy Awuku

After the death and burial of Mr Mills, there were several calls again for his medical records and cause of death to be made available to the public.

Related: Mills' death: Coroner's Inquest is unnecessary - Kwesi Pratt

It is not surprising that the issue of the health state of presidential candidates is back in the news in 2016.

The Africawatch magazine in its Monday, August 29 edition is reported to carry a story regarding the NPP flag bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, suffering from acute cancer. They attributed a hospital in the UK as their source of information.

The Spokesperson for Nana Akufo-Addo, Mustapha Hamid on Joy FMs Newsnite programme Monday dismissed all claims that the NPP leader is battling ailments.

Related: Akufo-Addo would be hospitalized if he has acute ailments - Hamid

Mr Hamid said the flag bearer is very healthy and buoyant campaigning in the uppermost corner of the country.

Some people have said it is the opposition NDC who are putting such stories up in the media.

However, Mr Anyidoho in a reaction first quoted Mathew 17:12:  Do to others as you would like them to do to you to begin his submission.

He said there is no way the NDC as a political party is going to make the health state of any flag bearer their campaign issue.

It is wrong, it is ugly, it is unacceptable, let nobody make the health issue of any flag bearer an issue, he told Dzifa Bampoh.

When asked if he would support calls for President Mahama to make public the state of his health, a solemnly speaking Mr Anyidoho said, God forbid that I, Koku Anyidoho, speak about the health state of any flag bearer. I saw what President Mills went through, I saw what candidate Mills went through. The day I will speak about the health issues of any flag bearer, President Mills spiritual support for Mills wherever he is will leave me and I dont want it.

He was empathic that it is not the NDCs policy to speak about anyones health and the party prefers its campaign to be on what he calls solid issues.

A reflective Mr Anyidoho said, we are all sick as human being, the only person who is not sick is God in heaven.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Abubakar Ibrahim | Email: [email protected]
A senior lecturer at the University of Ghana Business School says genuine concern of Ghanaians about the health condition of presidential aspirants should be entertained in the nations body politic.

Dr Kobby Mensah says if Ghanaians would be interested in the tax records and assets declaration of politicians, they should equally be concerned about the health records of the candidates in the upcoming general election.

The political process has evolved. Sometimes it is not good to talk about the health bill of people, however, we all know about the importance of health bill. I dont think there is something wrong with it but making it look bad for propaganda purposes is wrong, he told Evans Mensah, host of Joy FMs Newsnite programme Monday.

Making the health condition of presidential candidates in Ghana has been part of the countrys body politics. In the lead up to the 2012 general election, the then Presidential Candidate of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), late President John Evans Atta Mills came under attack from sections of his party and the opposition parties over his health condition.

This resulted in a window-dressing attempt by the party to have him jog at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) when he returned from a 10-day trip to the United States of America to prove his physical fitness.

Later President Mills was declared dead after he was rushed for an urgent treatment to the 37 Military Hospital.

With barely 100 days to the December polls, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has been battling several speculations about his health.

An article in the African Watch Magazine says Mr Akufo-Addo is suffering acute cancer. The author of the article quoted a hospital in the UK as the source of his information.

Addressing NPP supporters in Bolgatanga, Mr Akufo-Addo dismissed the claim as propaganda aimed at distracting Ghanaians from the real issues affecting the country.

They said I was a dwarf it didnt work. They said I was in a wheelchair, it didnt work. They said I was a murderer it didnt work. They said I will die in June it didnt work. They said I was a dictator it didnt work. They said I was intolerant it didnt work. They said I was violent it didnt work. They said I have a secret agenda to destabilise the country it didnt work and now they are saying I have cancer it will not work, he said.

He appealed to his detractors to focus on his ideas for the country and not on things that are not relevant.

But Dr Mensah says the health condition of aspirants is important but cautioned the use of this discussion to score political goals.

Politicians, he said, can delve into health bill of their opponents but they should desist from digging into the gutters and putting a spin on it.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brakopowers | Email: [email protected]
30.08.2016 LISTEN

Orios Capital, an emerging patient capital firm established to co invest into scalable and impact based startups in Africa, has announced plans to raise more than one million dollars.

The move is in line with the company's vision to become the name behind a global business giant from Africa. It also forms part of its strategy to engineer funding to Startups, helping bridge the funding gap to Startups in Ghana and Africa.Orios is expecting to raise its Seed Capital from Limited Partners, Donors and Private Equity firms.

According to a report entitled 'Accelerating Entrepreneurship in Africa', compiled in 2013 by the Omidyar Network, the philanthropic foundation established by Pierre Omidyar  the founder of e-Bay, in partnership with global strategy consulting film, Monitor Group; "venture capital in Africa is still an emergent phenomenon.

This is because Entrepreneurs are forced to pursue bank loans which simply are not tailored for startups. Banks see startup investments as high risk, low reward and like to quote statistics that show 9 out of ten startups fail within the first five years of operation".

Three years on, the situation remains the same and Orios Capital is prepared to change this trend through its innovative business model, underpinned by the goal of social change and job creation as solutions to reducing Global Poverty.

In a statement, the Board Chairman of Orios Capital and past Chief Executive of Ghana's Volta River Authority, Mr. Kweku Awotwi, said Our work is pivotal in redefining solutions to poverty reduction in Africa. We want to be the Fund that provides the Patient Capital needed to transform such businesses to achieve that mandate. We strongly believe that our strong Governance Structure and cumulative experience will serve as a differentiating factor in disrupting the private equity market for Startups'.

Some of the key sectors that Orios is investing in includes Healthcare, Technology, Services, Agribusiness, Clean Water, Formal Housing and Quality Education. Orios Capital is set to formally launch its operations later this year as it continues its own fundraising to seed Ghanaian Startups when it announces its first call for Proposals.

About Orios Capital

Established in 2012 as the Ghana Centre for Entrepreneurship, Employment and Innovation (GCEEI), providing training and support services for SME's in Ghana with an enviable track record of engagement within the SME Sector, Orios Capital has metamorphosed into one of Africa's emerging venture capital fund for start ups. The company has over the past four years trained over 5000 SME's and been the brain behind some of the most successful startups from Ghana including Wear Purple, Oasis Websoft, CellAfrique.net , UTAMA Africa Ltd, Chaste clothing, and BKC Consulting, AgroSoft Ghana Ltd. And pioneered key policies to help shape Ghanas Startup Ecosystem. Currently the company operates from its Head office in Accra with intention to extend its services into other African countries within the next 3 years.

For more information about Orios visit www.oriosgroup.com
Nairobi (AFP) - War-torn South Sudan's slide into chaos resumed last month with fresh fighting in the capital Juba that forced rebel leader turned vice president and peace deal signatory Riek Machar to flee.

With the spike in clashes came a surge of abuse of civilians by armed men including rape, murder and looting. A year-old peace deal was only partly implemented and, as July's battles showed, was insufficient to stop the war -- yet regional and foreign powers cling to it as the country's only hope.

So where next for hopes of peace in South Sudan and for rebel leader Machar?

Is there still a peace agreement in South Sudan?

The deal, signed in August last year by rebel leader Machar and President Salva Kiir, hangs in the balance. Machar has fled the country and been replaced as vice president by Taban Deng Gai, who leads a Juba-based faction of the opposition SPLM/A-IO.

Deng's appointment has yet to be fully accepted by either Machar loyalists or the international community that forced through the peace deal. During a visit to Kenya this month, US Secretary of State John Kerry hinted at US acceptance of the new reality when he described Machar's ouster as a "replacement of personnel" that was legal under the agreement.

Where is rebel leader Riek Machar?

South Sudan conflict

Machar fled Juba on foot after fighting in the city ended on July 11. He resurfaced in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo on August 18 and then flew to the Sudanese capital Khartoum for unspecified medical treatment. Aides say Machar is eager to reassert himself politically as soon as he is fit and well by visiting regional countries that are members of the IGAD bloc (Intergovernmental Authority on Development), which has led successive rounds of peace talks.

Who backs Machar and who is against him?

Machar left a sharply divided (and, in Juba, militarily defeated) former rebel movement in his wake when he fled. Deng enjoys the backing of Kiir but field commanders, armed forces and SPLM/A-IO leaders outside Juba continue to back Machar -- for now.

"Machar is still an influential leader as long as he is alive," said James Okuk, a political scientist at Juba University.

South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar left the country following violent clashes last month and is now in a "safe" country in the region, his aides say

Regional bloc IGAD has said that Deng should step aside when Machar returns, but the longer Machar is absent the stronger Deng's claim becomes and he may yet consolidate his position among the former rebels too.

One way to achieve this, analysts say, would be for Deng and Kiir to move ahead with integrating rebel forces into the national army, effectively disarming Machar while implementing a key provision of the peace accords.

Can Machar stage a comeback?

Machar loyalists are being rooted out of South Sudan's parliament and cabinet and being replaced with Deng's allies, weakening Machar's influence. Five out of 10 SPLM-IO ministers have been replaced along with 25 out of 50 MPs. Meanwhile Deng has quickly taken up the functions of the vice presidency, undertaking official visits to both Kenya and Sudan in recent weeks.

Machar's future appears to rest in foreign hands and is largely dependent on whether the international community is willing to move ahead on a peace agreement without him.

Will the promised UN 'protection force' be deployed?

President Salva Kiir's government has resisted a UN plan to deploy a "protection force" in South Sudan

On August 12 the UN Security Council approved the deployment of a so-called "protection force" in South Sudan to bolster the much-criticised peacekeeping operation there and enable the implementation of the peace agreement.

Machar has said he will not return to Juba until a "neutral force" is in place and his safety guaranteed, but Kiir's government has resisted the UN plan, insisting it is a challenge to South Sudan's sovereignty and that further negotiations over the force's mandate are needed.

While South Sudan has stopped short of refusing to accept more peacekeepers, the government has yet to accept them either, and it is impossible to imagine UN soldiers being deployed against the will of the government.
Mustapha Hamid, Spokesperson to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, has stated that party's one village, one dam proposal for northern Ghana, is actually a promise to provide an irrigation system in all villages.

The NPP flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, had promised to establish one dam in every village in the northern part of the country to boost agriculture raising questions of the prudence and feasibility of such an endeavor.

But Mustapha Hamid indicated that Nana Addo's words were not to be taken literally as he was communicating in a context that required the use of the word dam.

When you come to this part of the country, their understanding of irrigation is a dam. Communications is a contextual matter; therefore he had to later on say one dam, one village because that is what the people understand, he explained on Eyewitness News.

Clarifying his point with an analogy, he noted that, It's like your grandmother in the village asking you to go and buy her Pepsodent. By Pepsodent, she doesn't mean Pepsodent so-called; but she just means toothpaste. So when I say mummy take Pepsodent, I may actually be giving her Colgate.

Irrigation projects will vary

Mustapha Hamid indicated that every village will have an irrigation system that will irrigate their land. The details of it will come at the implementation stage.

Mustapha Hamid

There are certain villages that per the population the density may not need full blown dams. Some can even be irrigated by a number of boreholes and pumping the water to the farms and so on so there are various options so there are what you call receptacles, full blown dams, there are dugouts and there are bore holes, he added.

1 dam, 1 village not feasible  Agric Minister

The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Alhaji Limuna Mohammed Muniru, however has little faith in Nana Addos promise despite stating the that we can no longer depend on rain fed agriculture so it is important to look at issues of irrigation.

Also speaking on Eyewitness News, he simply said, I don't think this is very possible and I cannot support campaign promises, just promises that somebody wants to win elections with If he has decided to go and be promising dams to every village in the northern part of the country, I don't think that is feasible.

Alhaji Limuna Mohammed Muniru

Alhaji Muniru further stated that, government was already engaging in some projects that would expand irrigation with a more calculated strategy.

As an example, he noted that, we have put in legislation instruments that have been passed under the Water User's Association Act that gives the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority the regulator and ownership of publicly funded irrigation schemes.

He also said, we have the Ghana Commercial Agriculture Project and they are pumping 3000 hectares rain water harvest irrigation scheme in an area called Nasia Nabogo and under this, 48 hectares have already been developed and 385 hectares under cultivation.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
French President Francois Hollande has criticized Turkey's "contradictory" military intervention in Syria and warned Russia not to become a "protagonist" in the war.

In a speech Tuesday, Hollande said "multiple, contradictory interventions carry the risk of a general inflammation" of the fighting that has devastated the country.

He said he could understand Turkey's concern about protecting its borders and fighting the Islamic State group, but criticized Ankara's actions against Kurdish rebels allied with the U.S.-led coalition who are fighting the extremists. France is part of that coalition.

Hollande urged Russia to cooperate with the U.S.-led coalition and said he would invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to France in October, saying Russia should be "a player in negotiations, not a protagonist in the action."

Hollande said Assad's regime uses Russian military support to carry out bomb attacks on civilians, which "plays into the hands of extremists".

Hollande said "the absolute urgency is a halt to fighting and a return to negotiations." He also called for an "immediate truce" in the city of Aleppo, a main battlefield in Syria's five-year civil war.

Turkey dramatically escalated its involvement in Syria's civil war last week. Its military campaign aimed to help Syrian rebels drive the Islamic State group out of the border town of Jarablus, but was also directed against the U.S.-led allied Kurdish forces that have gained control of most of the territory along the Turkey-Syria border in recent months.

The subsequent fighting pits Turkey, a NATO ally, against a U.S.-backed proxy that is the most effective ground force battling IS group militants in Syria.

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The Regional President of the Ghana Bar Association in the Brong Ahafo Region, Alfred TuahYeboah has filed an application at the Supreme Court to have the remission granted the Montie trio by President John Mahama reversed.

In his application, the private legal practitioner argued that the President's powers of pardon granted under article 72 of the constitution does not include convictions of contempt of court.

The three; Alistair Nelson, Godwin Ako Gunn and Salifu Maase, alias Mugabe were released from prison last Friday, August 26 after a presidential pardon.

They were jailed four months and a fine of GHc10,000 each for contempt after they threatened to unleash mayhem on judges in the country if they made demeaning judgment against the Electoral Commission.

Alfred Tuah  Yeboah said he is among other things praying the court to declare the remission as null and void and the trio sent back to jail to complete their remaining terms.

I'm going to the Supreme Court for interpretation as to whether article 72 upon its true meaning and interpretation would encompass conviction or punishment on him that per the laws of Ghana, the constitution and other provisions in the constitution, whether article 72 entails limited criminal offenses as well as contempt proceedings initiated by the Attorney General.

He said the second aspect of his application has to do withwhether the president has the power to pardon or remit under article 72 including contempt.

Also my contention is that the president in exercising that power under article 72 did not comply with article 296 (c) of the constitution. And the last aspect, I am asking the court to also look at if indeed the President erred then whatever he did should be declared null and void and these three gentlemen be made to go back and serve their sentences, the lawyer added.



By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @AlloteyGodwin
The Minority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, has no idea why the Speaker of Parliament has summoned Members of Parliament back to the House from their recess, despite reports that it is due to the Minoritys call for investigations into the presidential Ford gift saga.

Following the disclosure of Edward Doe Adjaho's summons to the MPs for a one week sitting beginning 1st September , there has been speculation that the Minority had requested the summons in order to initiate impeachment processes against President John Dramani Mahama.

This was confirmed on The Big Issue by the New Patriotic Partys (NPP) MP for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Emmanuel Kyeremateng Agyarko.

We have asked Mr. Speaker to call back the house we would want to raise the issue of the gift from Kanazoe to his Excellency the President on the floor of Parliament, he said on the show.

However, the Minority Leader told the host of Politicos on Citi TV, Umaru Sanda Amadu, that he had not received any formal communication about the reason for the summons.

When I heard from the grapevine that Parliament was being summoned, I was taken a bit aback, especially when there had not been any prior consultations or discussions on the issue with my humble self. Be that as it may, I had to come down, he said

I came cruising down to Ghana to prepare myself and prepare my colleagues and position ourselves adequately for the discussions of the proposal on Thursday as being programmed. I still have no formal communication to me on that.

The Minority in Parliament has already hinted of a possible impeachment process against President Mahama, for accepting the Ford Expedition gift from a Burkinabe Contractor, Djibril Kanazoe.

There were reports that the Minority had started collecting signatures of MPs in order to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Mahama.

Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu downplayed this, stating that the Minority was pushing for an appraisal of the Ford saga and had not, as yet, considered starting impeachment processes.

At this stage, nobody is talking about impeachment. It's a process that we want to start to investigate the conduct of the president and if there are any issues that are found to be untoward, we would interrogate same, he said.

As far as I'm concerned, the purpose for doing this is to broaden the horizon of our democratic governance. It's not meant to humiliate anybody or to score political points.

Ahmed Ibrahim, MP for Banda

Parliamentary coup

The Second Deputy Majority Chief Whip and MP for Banda, Ahmed Ibrahim, has suggested that the Minority leaders lack of knowledge about the summons was an indication of a rift within the opposition MPs.

Out of the 122 members on the minority side, only 18 members didnt sign the motion. No single member from the majority side signed. I would be highly surprised if the Minority leader is saying hes not privy to why the House is not being summoned. I would say that its a parliamentary coup detat.

He suggested that the motion against the President might not have been backed by all members of the Minority and that certain persons were pushing for the action, Ahmed Ibrahim told Umaru Sanda.

The Minority side of Parliament is not intact and therefore some of us are suspecting that there may be some personalities there who may want to do what is happening. If a Minority leader, who is the leader of the side, is not privy to what his people have done, then its a constitutional coup on their side, he added



By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana
About thirty nine female pilgrims are expected to fly back to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after they were repatriated by the authorities for flouting Hajj rules.

Per Saudi Arabia rules, female pilgrims under age 40 must be accompanies by a male relative when going on the pilgrimage; but the 39 including nine minors were sent back home on the grounds that they had no male relation.

Communications Director of the National Hajj Committee Alhassan Suhuyini told Citi News, they are working to ensure the pilgrims go back to Saudi Arabia to complete the rituals.

We are working with the Saudi Arabian Embassy here in Ghana and the Immigration officials so that they can return with the flight that will be leaving Tuesday morning,'' he stated.

39 female pilgrims from Ghana were repatriated from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for various offences.

Of the 39, nine were minors, while the others, less than 40 years, were repatriated for not being without male guardians.

Its because of the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; they do not expect female pilgrims who are below forty years to enter the country for Hajj purposes unaccompanied so if you are less than 40 years, you need to have a guardian and your guardian could be your husband, brother, cousin, or any family relative but there are times that because of our flight schedules and sometimes the process of acquiring visas, people do not go together with their guardian, Suhuyini explained.



By: Lorrencia Nkrumah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Member of Parliament for the Mampong constituency, in the Ashanti Region, Francis Addai Nimo, says the record levels of poverty among Ghanaians are as a result of the poor governance under the last eight years by President John Mahama.

Addai Nimo indicated that if Ghana is to move forward and fulfill its true potential of being the Black Star of Africa, then Ghanaians must return the New Patriotic Party, under the leadership of Nana Akufo-Addo, back into Office.

Ghanas development rests with the NPP. Ghana has enjoyed 59 years of independence. 27 years of our independent life has been under PNDC/NDC. Let us ask ourselves. What has this tradition done for Ghana? We in the NPP have only been at the helm of power for 10 years and 3 months, and our record has been sterling, he said.

Francis Addai Nimo, who is part of Nana Akufo-Addos entourage touring the three Northern Regions, made this known when he addressed a rally at Bolgatanga the Upper East Region capital, on Sunday, August 28, 2016 at the Bolgatanga Jubilee Park.

It was under the 2-year and 3-month old government of the late Dr. K.A. Busia that the vast majority of teak used for the electrification programme in Ghana were planted, which ensured that electricity was extended to every part of the country, he said.

Again, he added that the size of Ghanas GDP, in 2000, was $4 billion, at the time the party took office. In 8 years, we moved it to $24 billion. This means that if Ghana is to have a bright future, it rests in the hands of the NPP.

He therefore urged Ghanaians to give the NPP and Nana Akufo-Addo the opportunity to serve this nation, to transform this nation, and improve on the quality of life of every Ghanaian.

Every government undertakes development

On the same platform, the NPP Campaign Sector Committee Chairperson on Trade and Industry, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, indicated that the most important things required of any government are the development of the nation, as well as the improvement in the living standards of Ghanaians.

In spite of the NDCs singular message of infrastructural development, Ghanaians are saying that their living conditions are worse off. Ghanaians are saying they cannot make ends meet; they cannot afford to live in these hard times. This is, clearly, a sign that the NDC has failed. Ghanaians are saying they want Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP, he noted.

As per the NDCs rhetoric of having undertaken infrastructural development, Alan Kyerematen stated that if the task is all about how many kilometres of road you have constructed, or the number of schools built, then the NDC is no match for the NPP.

He stated that in addition to providing infrastructural development, we, in the NPP, will give you jobs to do. That is why Nana Akufo-Addos message everywhere he goes is that he will help establish a factory in every district, to create jobs for you.

Recapping the NPPs record of job creation in Bolgatanga and in the Upper East Region, Alan Kyerematen noted that President Kufuors government rehabilitated the Pwalugu Tomato factory, and the Zuarungu meat factory. This created thousands of jobs for the people. These factories, under President Mahama, have all collapsed. We are coming to revive all of these

He further assured that groundnut farmers in the region will also be beneficiaries of the setting up of a groundnut processing plant, when the NPP assumes office in January 2017.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | GN
Every police officer who remembers the oath that he or she took to serve and protect mother Ghana lives in modesty full of commitment, sacrifice and dedication to the cause of the police service and the overall well-being of the ordinary Ghanaian. He or she tries to live out of expectation and above reproach. Such police officers often have problems with their fellow police officers and are in some cases victimized. They are seen to be odd and often referred to as "holier than the pope" police officers.

An oath can simply be defined as a promise or solemn declaration in front of an authority, another person or to oneself. An oath is considered very sacred and must be kept always in order to remain faithful and loyal to a chosen cause. Oaths are chemical bonds of responsibilities that exist between two parties. Some common types of oaths are: Hippocratic oath, oath of allegiance, oath of office, pauper's oath and veterinarian's oath. Oaths have longstanding traditions cutting across religious beliefs , kingship, profession, cultures. Simply put, they are pledges between individuals transcended from ancient times to us in these modern times.

In modern times, there seems to be a reduced reverence for oaths compared to ancient times when the death penalty was the only mitigation for breaking an oath particularly an oath of allegiance. No wonder there is widespread abuse of political and public offices in our country Ghana. People take an oath for the fun of it because it has become a basic requirement one must go through to assume political or public office including the police. No value is placed on oaths now. This has taken the shine away from the responsibilities, commitments, dedication, sacrifice and loyalty of oath taking. Believe me or not, oath taking goes beyond the physical to the spirit realm because it is in the spirits of people that oaths are taken and not for the mere fun of it. It is a spiritual chemical bond that binds oath takers to the responsibilities, commitments, dedication and sacrifice for which they have sworn.

No one is a police officer until he or she takes the police oath of allegiance to the government of Ghana. I and some 98 others reported to Koforidua Police Training School on 30th May, 2008 to start training to become police officers. One of the first requirements was for us to take the police oath. On 12th June 2008, inside the chapel at Gallaway in Koforidua, we stood before the Republic of Ghana and took an oath of allegiance and swore on our lives to protect Mother Ghana at all times. Even though I had a little problem with preparation before the oath was taken, taking the oath itself was a solemn one full of goose pimples on one's skin accompanied by determination and zeal to serve God and country. I expected some orientation to have been done earlier to prepare the minds of yet-to-be police officers about the oath we were taking but that was not done.

Our OC, one ASP Lamptey led us to take the oath. The OC, fanked by Inspector Dogbefu and now Sergeant Offori Atta charged us to live by our oath as police officers. He told us that our journey in the police service had started and for that matter we should prepare ourselves physically, psychologically and mentally to walk our call to be noble police officers. The OC assured us of troubles ahead including death once we had sworn to be police officers. We would sometimes be treated unfairly by our own colleagues in our quest to live by our oaths but we should stick to the end. The atmosphere itself was charged but very serene to remain in one's memory if one truly had an open heart to take the oath in good faith. The blowing wind itself was speech of a thousand words.

The OC cautioned that those who lived by the oath would see the light of day though there would be challenges. Any police officer whom after taking the oath used the uniform for criminal activities would be exposed by the uniform itself since there is a sharp contrast between a criminal and the police uniform. The OC then ushered us into training and handed us over to Inspector Dogbefu who was then the trainer in charge od drills. We had begun a new journey in policing.

Exactly two weeks into the training, ASP Lamptey was transferred and we were handed over to Supt/Mr. Nuhu Jango Alhassan now ACP and Divisional commander, Nima. He was a man who brought a lot of dynamism to our training and took his time to correct some perceptions we had about the police and some perceptions the police also had about us.

We were taught constable maxims where we were supposed to treat the general public with utmost civility and respect. We were to treat all people without prejudice, to respect the dignity the rights of all Ghanaians. We were to be trustworthy and confidential. We were to possess all the positive attributes to make our society safer for ourselves, our families, friends and the general Ghanaian public. Mr Alhassan also reminded us to also live by our oaths.

After 8 months of rigorous training, we passed out successfully. The former Director-General of CID Mr. Frank Adu-Poku who reviewed the passing out parade in his address reminded us to live by the oaths we took as police officers. We were to always insist on the right things though they would come with challenges. At every aspect of our training, we were reminded of the oath we took and the fact that we should abide by it always.

I don't remember anywhere in our 8 months training at Koforidua Police Training School where we were taught armed robbery, defiling of children and raping of women. I don't remember where we were taught extortion and all forms of corruption coupled with the drug trade where some police officers are alleged to be couriers. No and never! These subjects were never in our curriculum. The question is how then did these miscreants find themselves in the police and drag the name of the service into disrepute? Did they really take the police oath? Did they understand it?

A little research I conducted by interviewing some colleagues indicates that 9 out of 10 police officers have forgotten that he or she had ever taken an oath to serve Ghana. The remaining 1 out of the 10 has forgotten the exact words he or she took as an oath although they somehow remember that they did say something. We have lost the value of the sacred oath we took in allegiance to Mother Ghana. Maybe that is the reason why we are seeing an increased trend of police involvement in crimes lately.

Oaths can always be retaken and I think that is what we should do as a service to renew our commitments, dedication and sacrifice to Mother Ghana.

We should live by our oath because it sacred.

Ahanta Apemenyimheneba Kwofie III

[email protected]

#Ahantadiaries2016_08_27
The Managing Director of Unilever Ghana, Ms. Maidie Arkutu has been honoured by the Business Excellence Magazine. She was presented with the award for the Most Outstanding Manufacturing Executive - Personal Products at the 2nd Feminine Ghana Achievement Awards 2016.

The Feminine Ghana Achievement Awards, which took place at the Golden Tulip Hotel recently, identifies exemplary conduct, performance and achievement by women in specified sectors of public governance, professional and business activities or in their contributions to the wellbeing of society.

The awards scheme also aims to identity and publicize these role models whose accomplishments encourage and inspire women in general across the country to similar conduct and behavior in exemplary fashion.

Ms. Maidie Arkutu has served as Managing Director of Unilever Ghana Limited since May 1, 2013. She previously served as Marketing Director and Non-Executive Member of the Board of Directors of the Company. Under her leadership, Unilever Ghana has seen tremendous growth in the last 3 years. Maidie Arkutu has led various innovative activities that has resulted in significant and sustained growth for the business.

Currently, Ms. Arkutu is the Chairman of the executive council of the Executive Women Network, a non-profit organization of women in senior management and executive positions in private organizations/ institutions and women entrepreneurs of well established businesses in Ghana.

The network operates with a vision to inspire, empower and support women executives to be successful and influential both at the local and international level. Miss Arkutu is a founding member of this women network along with five other women business executives.

In all, twenty-five Ghanaian women were honoured for their accomplishments in various fields, ranging from entrepreneurship, through managerial excellence to exemplary public service.
30.08.2016 LISTEN

Lack of credit support and investment guarantees from the Russian government and financial institutions have been cited as the major impediments for Russian companies willing to invest in the African continent. These setbacks have culminated in the worlds biggest country by size lagging behind such economic powerhouses as the United States and China in expanding a footprint in Africa.

Companies from Russia, the Eurasian country, are said to be seeking to expand its business ties with Africa, most particularly in line with the country being grouped alongside South Africa in the BRICS (acronym Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa bloc, a formation of the worlds fastest growing economies.

In an interview, business leaders said the lack of credit lines and guarantees were stumbling blocks, recommending this had to change through political authorities and Russian financial institutions systematically working out a comprehensive policy plan towards improving the economic engagement with Africa.

An increased economic partnership between Russia and African countries is necessary and will reaffirm the desire to continue developing business dialogue with interested companies in efforts to pursue active involvement in international programmes and projects for Africa, said Dmitry Golovanov, Chairman of the Management Board of Eximbank of Russia.

In addition, he raised some specific proposals necessary for facilitating business between Russia and Africa. Besides, joint implementation of projects in the area of infrastructural development will positively influence development of contracts between Russian and African companies, he said. Golovanov, however, pointed out that transparency and possibilities for medium and small business to access contracts within the framework of implementation of major projects are required.

Such projects, said, generally had significant multiplicative effect in terms of comprehensive development of territories. One more direction of stimulation of cooperation may be provision of Russian and African companies with assistance in creation of value-added chains, including creation of joint ventures which base their competitive potential on the use of country advantages, Golovanov added in an interview.

Russia is a large developing market with growing purchasing capacity, interested in development of competition and improvement of quality of products supplied from abroad. We often face a problem that companies willing to enter international markets cannot simply find foreign purchasers for their products, said Golovanov.

Dr Scott Firsing, a visiting Bradlow fellow at the South African Institute for International Affairs (SAIIA), and a senior lecturer in international studies at Monash University in Johannesburg, concurred.

The absence of export credit guarantees can be a real obstacle to some in countries such as Russia because there are businesses and policy holders that look for these guarantees to help alleviate the fear of doing business in high risk markets like Africa, he added. Firsing highlighted the crucial role played by American institutions like their Export-Import Bank that supports American companies and their expansion into African markets.

These readily provided credits for American investors seeking to expand into this continent, a stance Firsing said was worth adopting by the Eximbank of Russia.

A good example of the continued willingness to fund American companies willing to invest in Africa, President Barack Obamas latest African Power Initiative sees the Export-Import Bank granting up to US$5 billion in support of US exports for the development of power projects across sub-Saharan Africa.

Russia can learn a lot from the approach of these countries, said Firsing.

In an emailed response, Dr Martyn Davies, the Chief Executive Officer of the South African-based Frontier Advisory (Pty), suggested the adoption of a model by China to readily fund its companies interested in investing in Africa. He explained that the Chinese model of financing various infrastructure and construction projects in Africa had enhanced investments by the Asian country into the continent.

China, the worlds second-biggest economy after the United States, is currently Africas largest trading partner. There are an estimated 800 Chinese corporations doing business in Africa, most of which are private companies investing in the infrastructure, energy and banking sectors.

Davies pointed out and the main factor that had assisted this speedy market engagement between Africa and China was that Russian banks had de-risked the projects in Africa from a financial perspective.

Russias banking sector operates quite differently Davies said. He highlighted that When the former Chinese President, Hu Jintao, while delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Beijing in 2012, he indicated explicitly that China will expand cooperation in investment and financing to support sustainable development in Africa.

China has provided US$20 billion of credit line to African countries to assist them in developing infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing and small and medium-sized enterprises.

Comparatively, Japan has made a five-year commitment of $32 billion dollars in public and private funding to Africa, and the money to be used in areas prioritized as necessary for growth by the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD). TICAD is a conference held every five years in Tokyo, Japan, with the objective to promote high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and development partners.

Comparatively, apart from a $4 billion investment in an oil refinery in Uganda and $3 billion in a platinum mine in Zimbabwe, Russian investments in Africa are not as prominent as United States, the United Kingdom, France and China eclipse it.

Professors Aleksei Vasiliev and Evgeny Korendiasov, both from the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of African Studies (IAS), believe that that the situation in Russian-African foreign trade will considerably change for the better, if Russian industry undergoes technological modernization, the state provides Russian businessmen systematic and meaningful support, and small and medium businesses receive wider access to foreign economic cooperation with Africa.

*Kester Kenn Klomegah is an independent research writer on Russia-African affairs and a member of the Regional Council on Development of Relations with Africa. The views expressed here are those of the individual experts in the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Regional Council.
A Kumasi-based Broadcast Journalist with FOX FM, Richmond Frimpong has won IFAJ-ALLTECH 2016 young leaders in agriculture journalism.

Mr. Richmond frimpong and 9 nine other journalists from USA, Belgium, Australia, Burkina Faso, Great Britain,Canada, Norway New Zealand and Austria were honoured at Bonn in Germany for their outstanding performance in agriculture journalism globally.

Richmond was the only Ghanaian to benefit from the IFAJ-ALLTECH Young leaders award since in section.Richmonds effort in mobilizing a set of journalists together to promote agriculture and rural development stories fetch him the Award.In all 10 agriculture journalists have been selected to receive the award in July 2016 at Germany, Berlin.

The selection process consisted of points for a written submission, the judges impression of the candidates leadership potential,their proven leadership abilities and a narrative explaining their interest inthe young leaders program.In a media release by the international federation of agriculture journalists IFAJ the award support the winners participation in an ifaj congress and an intensive boot camp-style workshop.

This years boot camp took place in July 11-12, prior to the ifaj congress in Bonn, Germany.This award has existed for 11 years now and almost 100 journalists have already received the chance to strengthen their skills andexpand their global network through their excellent program
Claims by the Vice President that the NDC will now begin to reply the NPP in double folds, attacks directed at President John Mahama by the NPP, is merely a strategy to shift attention from critical issues ahead of the polls, political scientist Dr. Alidu Seidu has said.

Mr. Amissah-Arthur, uncharacteristically, has warned that the governing party would not go mute any longer if insults are yelled out at them.

He told a gathering in the Central region that the NPP should desist or be faced squarely.

Commenting on the matter, Dr. Seidu told Starr News if voters choose leaders based on policies, politicians will tone down on insults and empty propaganda.

Sometimes some of these things are made to divert attention from important critical issues that would be damaging to them as political parties. And the sad aspect of it is that majority of the Ghanaian population do not vote based on issues, they vote based on party lines, identity. So they dont get punished if they dont stick to the issues and some people even applaud the loudest when the character of their political opponent are attackedso what we need to do is change the issues that inform the way we vote through education, socialization and several activities.
The Ghana Gas Company Limited has ruled out any significant impact of its ten day shutdown of the Atuabo gas processing plant, on the country's power supply, for the period.

The company is expected to shut down the facility from Wednesday, August 31, 2016; for routine maintenance.

A statement on the exercise indicated that the plant has been in operation for more than 12,000 hours since pre-commissioning and commissioning activities started in 2014.

It further noted the maintenance is to facilitate warranty assurance on the installed equipment.

The development is expected to affect the quantity of gas supply to various thermal plants for power generation.

It is also anticipated that the development may lead to increased cost of power production from light crude oil.

But the Corporate Communications Manager of Ghana Gas, Alfred Ogbarmey tells Citi Business News he does not anticipate that should have a long term effect on the price mix and the supply of power.

There will be some impact no matter what, in that the cost of generation of energy per kilowatt; would increase within the period. The cost of energy generation within the period could double because natural gas is far more cheaper and more efficient than light crude oil, but it is such a short time and we do not anticipate that it should have a running long term effect on the price index or the price mix for the determination of energy, he stated.

The company early this year, undertook a similar planned maintenance of its Atuabo gas processing plant.

The maintenance works lasted for fourteen days.

Alfred Ogbarmey however tells Citi Business News the company has improved on its operations hence the basis to set the maintenance period for ten days this time round.

During the last maintenance shutdown early this year, we announced that it should take us not more than fourteen days. We have reduced that to ten days now because of the improvement in our ability to work within those times and even within the ten days, it is our expectation that we will be able to work within the period, Mr. Ogbarmey added.

Meanwhile the planned shutdown of the gas facility coincides with protests by some workers of the company who are demanding better conditions of work.

The concerns by the workers led to a demonstration at the facility on Friday, August 26.

The Chairman of the workers' union, Richard Alamu however intimated that a meeting between management and the aggrieved workers is scheduled to come off later this week.



By: Pius Amihere Eduku/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
Islamist extremist militants killed three Tunisian soldiers and wounded seven others on Monday, opening fire on them with rifles and rocket propelled grenades after their patrol hit anti-tank landmines, an army spokesman said.

Brigades of militants use the remote Mount Sammama area as a base and the military has been hunting them down for months in the rugged terrain near the Algerian border.

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30.08.2016 LISTEN

The decentralisation concept has since its inception brought much meaning to democracy by formerly devolving powers, functions,responsibilities and resources from the central government to actors at the lower levels.It creates a framework for citizens participation in decision making and the administration of their own affairs.

The District Assembly(the mainstay of decentralisation) is the highest political,decision making, legislative, planning and budgeting authority at the lower level.

There are certain primary actors within the Assembly whose role is critical for the smooth operations of the Assemblies and the realisation of the true essence of the decentralisation process.

These key actors comprise the following:

(a) The Metropolitan, Municipal or District Chief Executive (MMDCE)

(b) The Presiding Member (PM)

(c) The Member of Parliament (MP)

(d) The Metropolitan, Municipal or District Coordinating Director (DCD)

(f) Assembly Members (both elected and appointed)

The functions and duties of these key actors are clearly spelt out under chapter twenty of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana as well as other legislations.

The District Chief Executive (DCE):

Article 243 of the Constitution provides that there shall be a District Chief Executive for every district who shall be appointed by the president with the prior approval of not less than two-thirds majority of members of the assembly present and voting at the meeting.

The DCE who is the chief representative of the president in the district perform the following functions:

-Presides at meetings of the Executive Committee of the Assembly;and in his absence,a member of the executive committee is elected by members present to preside at same;

-Be responsible for the day-to-day performance of the executive and administrative functions of the District Assembly;

-Be the Chief representative of the Central Government in the district;

-Chairs the Entity Tender Committee.

The DCE holds office holds office for not more than two terms (each consisting of a four year duration); and shall be removed from office through a vote of no confidence, supported by the votes of not less than two-thirds of members voting.

He can also be removed from office by the president.The office of a DCE equally becomes vacant if he resigns of dies.

The Presiding Member (PM):

Article 244 stipulates clearly that the District Assembly shall have a Presiding Member who shall be elected by the Assembly from among its members. The PM must be approved by at least two-thirds of all members of the Assembly and holds office for a term of two years and may be eligible for re-election after the end of his/her term of office.He/she is not a member of the Executive Committee.

The Presiding Member is responsible for the following functions:

-Presides over meetings of the General Assembly;

-Control deliberations of the house and ensure good conduct and behaviour of members;

-Chairs the Public Relations and Complaints Committee,Audit Report Implementation Committee and the Credit Approval Committee of the Assembly.

The Presiding Member shall cease to hold office whenever the Assembly by a majority of at least two-thirds of all members of the Assembly vote to remove him from office.

The Member of Parliament(MP):

The member of parliament is a representative of the people of the Constituency within the district in parliament and serves an important link between parliament and the Assembly.He is a member of the District Entity Tender Committee.

An MP perform the following functions:

-Guide the Assembly on laws passed by parliament to ensure that the byelaws of the assembly are not in conflict with national legislation;

-Advocate for the people in parliament with a focus on solving their identified needs;

-Attends Assembly meetings and brief the Assembly about proceedings in parliament;

-Provide useful feedback on programmes and projects of interest to the Assembly.

A member of parliament holds office for a fixed term of four years and may be eligible for re-election.

The District Coordinating Director(DCD):

The DCD is the Secretary to the Assembly and the head of the District Coordinating Directorate. He is also a member of the Local Government Service.They Coordinate, monitor,harmonise and evaluate plans, programmes and performance of the Assembly.

The District Coordinating Director is responsible for the following functions:

-Supersee the day-to-day administration of the Coordinating Directorate;

-Responsible for the implementation of decisions and plans of the Assembly;

-Responsible for effective budgeting and planning;

-Secretary to the District Assembly,Entity Tender Committee and the Executive Committee;

-Initiate, execute, monitor and evaluate development plans and programmes of the Assembly.

The DCD is not appointed but gets into office through qualifications and technical competence.

The Assembly Member:

The Assembly Member serves as a liaison between the Community and the Assembly. He is a community developer and participates in the activities of the Assembly such as attending meetings and contribute to decision making at the Assembly.

He basically discharge the following functions as prescribed by Act 462:

-Serves on at least a committee of the Assembly and participates in Committee Meetings;

-Educate the electorate on Assembly projects as well as government policies;

-Maintain Close contact with the electorates and consult them on regular basis;

-consult electorates before each Assembly Meeting on issues to be discussed in the Assembly;

-Collate the views, opinions, proposals and other matters affecting the electorates and present same to the Assembly.

Subsequent editions of this write-up will feature other important aspects of the District Assembly under the decentralisation concept.

The writer is a teacher and a student at the University Of Ghana Business School pursuing BSC in Administration with a major in Public Administration.

Read more of his works on his personal blog:ananpansah-ab.blogspot.com

May the good lord bless us all.

ANANPANSAH, B ABRAHAM (AB)

University of Ghana Business School (UGBS)

0241129910/0200704844

Connect with me on Facebook at Critical Political Thinker
30.08.2016 LISTEN

The Deen of the Faculty of Integrated Development Studies (FIDS), Dr. Sylvester Galaa has stated that Children are the future capital of Africa, as such any activity that is geared towards Social and child protection assignment would be embarked upon by the university.

Dr Galaa said this whilst on a Six day Capacity building training on Child Protection project for the Faculty of Integrated Development Studies (FIDS) at the Damongo Catholic Guest house.

The project activities, according to him will be carried out by senior members and staff of the faculty.

The proposals, the baseline that will inform the level of awareness and attitudes of lecturers and students towards child protection, assessment of training needs of agencies and departments engaged in child protection, are all being undertaken by the members. he added.

He said these activities will feed into the curricular programmes of FIDS and the standalone programmes and as such issues of curriculum audit, design and delivery are central to the accomplishment of the programme goals and objectives. The project seeks to mainstream Child Protection Issues.

Being the first University in Ghana to embark on this , the FIDS is set to integrate into their curricula, Child Protection (PC) and Social project in the 2017/2018 academic year.

'This project aims at integrating Child Protection Issues into FIDS curricular so as to make the Integrated Development Studies(IDS) curricular a purely integrated Development Studies Programme'. he pointed out.

There will also be 'Standalone' certificate programme to address the human capacity and training needs of agencies and departments championing Child Protection Issues in the Country.

Dr Galaa said UNICEF realized that the IDS was a very rich programme because students who complete the course have broad knowledge in almost all aspects of development, including social, environmental, political, historical, economic and entrepreneural issues.

UNICEF noted some deficiencies with respect to social work and child protection issues, hence their decision to help the institution to embark on the project.

The CP project will lead students to learn about foundational Child Protection issues, theory issues, rights and systems.

It will as well lead to auditing individual courses to see where CP knowledge can be effectively intended, assessing how CP knowledge can be integrated in a meaningful way throughout the curriculum, among others.

The University received consultants from Wilfred Laurier University in Canada who are working with FIDS on project, providing technical support, with the aid of UNICEF.

Magnus Mfoafo-M'Carthy, PHD(Associate Professor, Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work) , who was in Damongo, Ghana for the training, said irrespective of ones department or area of studies, it was necessary for the FIDS to get the basics for the CP project.

He said they first came to Ghana in December 2015. The trip was to assist FIDS senior members build consensus on framework or model of child protection to persue, discuss capacity building needs and planned activities for the project implementation.

He was hopeful that the CP project will travel beyond the two year implementation period. He said his institution was ready to provide assist to any university in the country to promote child protection and it's related activities.

The Head Of Department for Department of African and General Studies, Dr Damasus Tuurosong said the CP project came at the right time. There is a big gap in Ghana when it comes to c understanding child abuse and other factors affecting the children.

To be a lecturer, one is not trained the basics of lecturing.

We are all used to the old methodology where the professor comes into the lecture room , stand before the students over a period to teach. There no induction or orientation courses given to lecturers in the tertiary institutions.

So this training is assisting us to learn the nwe ways of lecturing. It has equipped the senior members and staff of the university with how to find the exciting way of delivering to students.

He thanked UNICEF for chosing the UDS , Wa Campus, to begin the child protection project with and assured the UN agency that the University was all ready see to it that the programme will be successful.

Abdulai Nuhu Zulka.
Libreville (AFP) - Gabon braced for possible violence Tuesday as the country awaited official results of a bitterly disputed presidential election, with both frontrunners claiming victory in a vote condemned by EU observers as lacking transparency.

The interior minister is due to announce later Tuesday whether incumbent Ali Bongo has won a new term or been ousted by challenger Jean Ping.

Both sides have accused each other of electoral fraud and EU observers said Saturday's vote in the oil-rich Central African country was "managed in a way that lacked transparency".

Gabon presidential election

Results were originally due at 5:00 pm (1600 GMT) but are now expected to be delayed -- the Cenap electoral commission said Tuesday they would meet "from 7:00 pm".

Officers and two riot police water cannon trucks were deployed near the site where the commission was due to meet, an AFP journalist said.

Opposition candidate Ping, 73, on Monday accused Cenap of tampering with the outcome of the poll and said the Gabonese people "want me to run the country and will never accept having the victory, their victory, stolen from them".

Gabon opposition candidate Jean Ping has accused the Cenap electoral commission of tampering with the outcome of the poll

He said they would "defend by all means" his victory, raising the spectre of a repeat of 2009, when several people were killed in clashes, buildings were looted and the French consulate in economic capital Port Gentil was torched.

Bongo, at the helm since the 2009 election held after the death of his father Omar, who ruled Gabon for 41 years, also claimed victory on Sunday while his spokesman has said the incumbent "was ahead with a lead that could not be overturned".

Polling day itself passed off without major incident, but mindful of what happened after the 2009 election, many Gabonese stocked up on food and stayed indoors.

Bitter accusations

Campaigning was marked by months of bitter exchanges, including accusations -- and strenuous denials -- that Bongo was born in Nigeria and therefore ineligible to run.

While victory for the opposition would end nearly 50 years of one-family rule in Gabon, it would not be a total break with the Bongo era -- Ping worked for many years in the administration of Omar Bongo.

Gabonese President Ali Bongo casts his vote at a polling station in Libreville during the presidential election on August 27, 2016

He later went on to serve as head of the African Union Commission and president of the UN General Assembly.

Gabon has seen growing popular unrest in recent months, with numerous public sector strikes and thousands of layoffs in the oil sector.

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.

The collapse in the price of oil has hit the Gabonese economy hard, and Ping described Bongo's attempts to diversify away from petroleum as window dressing.

A supporter of Gabon's opposition leader Jean Ping sings the national anthem outside the party headquarters in the capital Libreville on August 28, 2016

In a statement, the European Union delegation in Libreville said it "congratulated the Gabonese voters for expressing their will for democracy", though it said the vote has "lacked transparency".

It said the most serious shortcomings included voter lists not being posted outside polling station, poor control of the indelible ink applied to voters' fingers to prevent them casting more than one ballot, and a lack of serial numbers on ballot box seals.

France is also keeping a close eye on the election in Gabon, a former colony.

On Sunday, Ping was invited to the French embassy in Libreville.

"The Bongo family has been ruling Gabon for more than half a century. A change would be a sign of good democratic health, and it would set an example," the French ruling Socialist Party said in a statement.

Bongo's spokesman hit back, branding the statement "interventionist and neo-colonial".

Pro-opposition media meanwhile celebrated.

"The French Socialist Party recognises Ping's victory," read the front page headline of opposition daily La Loupe.
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Paramount Chief of the Bawku Traditional Area, Zug-Ran, Naba Asigri Abugrougou Azoka II, has stated that the Kusasis do not hate the New Patriotic Party as has been perceived by the public, saying, just a hand full of people go round creating false impression that Kusasis don't like the NPP.

Some people are going round the Traditional Area spreading this falsehood that, if NPP comes to power, the position of Kusasis as the traditional rulers will be taken away; but this has always been disputed, and hearing from Nana Addo, I am more convinced that, there is indeed no truth in that allegation. Bawku Naba said.

Bawku Naba Zug-Ran Abugrougou Azoka II prayed for long life for Nana Addo, stressing that, if becoming the President of Ghana is the will of Allah, then may the will of Allah be done, come December 7.

This was when Nana Akufo-Addo paid a courtesy call on the Bawku Naba at his Palace at Bawku on the second day of his campaign tour of the Upper East Region.

The NPP flagbearer together with his running mate, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, the Parliamentary Candidate for Bawku Central, Gabiana Gbanwah and that of Binduri Constituency, Abdulai Abanga interacted with the Paramount Chief of Bawku and his elders and pleaded with them to give the NPP the chance to improve the economy of Ghana and reduce the level of hardship among Ghanaians.

Naba, let me assure you that, whatever happened in terms of Chieftaincy in Bawku, should be considered as part of history. The most important thing is that, we together must find an amicable and lasting solution, so as to pave way for sustainable development of Bawku. This area has a lot of business potentials that need to be exploited for the good of the people.

You have been hearing me talking about one district, one factory; you in Bawku are even lucky. There are existing bricks and tiles factory, we can revive the oil and rice mills that are no longer functioning and you will be having three. This promise is possible and achievable, trust me. Nana Addo assured.

Touching on the peace across the Bawku Traditional Area, Nana Addo commended the Bawku-Naba and the members of the Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee, for their roles in maintaining a peaceful environment.

It is my prayer that, this peaceful atmosphere is maintained to create the environment for businesses to thrive here. When businesses grow, people will make money to improve their living standards and will contribute significantly to the development of this Municipality.

It took Nana Akufo-Addo and his entourage, including Deputy Minority Spokesperson in Parliament, Mr Dominic Nutiwul, close to thirty minutes to go through the heavy traffic caused by supporters and members of the New Patriotic Party(NPP) and other on-lookers to get to the venue for the mini rally.

Earlier, Nana Addo inspected a Dam at Saka Community in the Bawku West District.

FROM: Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Bawku
The presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will begin his tour of the Northern Regional on Tuesday.

The NPP flagbearer will be accompanied by his running mate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Chairman of the National council of elders, Clement Kubindiwor Tedam, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, Women's Organizer of the NPP, Otiko Afisa Djaba, Kofi Konadu Apraku, Mustapha Hamid, Nana Addo's spokesperson, Musah Superior, Eugene Arhin, some national and regional executives of the party.

The flagbearer will start his four-day tour of the Northern Region from the Mamprugu where he would pay courtesy call on chiefs and interact with party supporters from Bunkpurugu Yunyoo, Nalerigu and Walewale.

He would travel to Diari and Savelugu to meet the people and interact with the party's supporters.

Party supporters in the Northern Region are preparing to welcome Nana Addo in Tamale with NPP paraphernalia.

NPP Communications Director in the region, Mohhammed Abdul Kudus told DAILY GUIDE that supporters of the party would usher Nana Addo into Tamale from Savelugu.

According to him, Nana Addo would be escorted to the Gulkpe-Na Palace and Dakpema-Na where he would interact with the chiefs.

He indicated that the NPP would hold a rally at the Zogbeli School park where the presidential candidate would inform the party's supporters and the people of Tamale about his vision for the Northern Region.

The communications director stated that poverty and unemployment have negatively affected the good people of the Northern Region.

He will be talking about SADA and how he hopes to bring innovation to some projects that will bring relief to the people of the Northern Region.

Mr. Abdul Kudus urged NPP supporters to come out in their numbers to give the flagbearer of the largest opposition party a rousing welcome.

From Eric Kombat, Tamale
Dr. Johnson Asiama, Deputy Governor, Bank of Ghana (BoG), has urged the banking industry not to see mobile money operators as competitors.

He said the banks should consider mobile money as a vital channel in boosting financial inclusion and reducing cost of mobilization of investible funds.

Dr. Asiama, who made this known while speaking at the launch of the 2016 Banking Survey by PWC recently, said the mobile network operators have the technology and infrastructure to drive financial inclusion as envisaged.

So let's leverage on the technology and agent network to promote financial inclusion without risking the general safety and soundness of the financial system, he added.

He said as regulators, BoG will continue to dialogue and fine-tune the regulatory and supervisory framework to ensure that we minimize the risks and vulnerabilities in the system so that we can achieve our financial inclusion objectives whilst we build a robust payments system infrastructure for the country.

Mobile Money Soars

He said data available to BoG indicates that the volume and value of mobile money transactions far outstrips all other non-cash modes, except cheques (in value terms only) for obvious reasons.

Dr. Asiamah said total mobile money float balance at the end of June 2016 was GH679.2million compared to GH341.3million in 2015, adding that there were 108,531 registered mobile money agents as at June 2016 compared to about 38,400 in June 2015.

This trend confirms the wide and growing acceptance of mobile money services as an alternative to other modes of transactions.

Consider the June 2016 float balance of GH679.17 (equivalent to US$172.16million). These are funds mobilized for the banks at no cost to them: funds which could have been outside the formal banking system without such an ecosystem, he said.

Dr. Asiama said with advancement in technology, the use of non-cash payment products has become more pronounced, thus moving the country gradually towards a cashless society.

[email protected]

By Cephas Larbi
The Ministry of Tourism, Culture & Creative Arts, MoTCCA, in partnership with the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), has launched the 2016 UNWTO World Tourism Day in Kintampo.

The event dubbed, SADAFest, forms part of a larger initiative by MoTCCA and SADA to develop, promote and sustain tourism pivoted on a diverse culture and unique creative arts as the leading lights for development in the SADA zone.

Minister of Tourism, Culture & Creative Arts, Elizabeth Ofosu-Agyare, in an address, said her Ministry was committed to using tourism, culture and creative arts as vital tools for achieving positive change in communities across Ghana.

Speaking on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SADA, Dr. Chrys Anab, Director for Social Development at SADA, said as part of a 25-year SADA Master Plan, tourism has been identified as a key pillar for creating the required jobs and wealth for indigenes of the Northern Savanna Ecological Zone (NSEZ).

Dr. Anab intimated that Kintampo North, which was hosting SADAFest 2016, had been included in the SADA Master Plan as a tourism cluster due to the many tourists sites, including the famous Kintampo Falls, the Centre of Ghana Edifice and eco-museums, among others.

According to him, SADA, in collaboration with MoTCCA, GTA and the Kintampo North Municipal Assembly, sought to improve existing tourist attractions and also develop the undeveloped sites.

He pointed out that SADA, in partnership with MoTCCA and the various regional offices of the Ghana Tourism Authority and Centres for National Culture, has already begun an exercise to map out all the developed and undeveloped tourists and heritage sites in the NSEZ to market these opportunities to both local and foreign investors and ultimately boost domestic and international visits to the sites.

Array of activities earmarked for the main celebration from September 25th  27th include a grand durbar of chiefs, street carnival, a health walk, food bazaar/cooking competition, a SADA zone tourism ambassador competition, tour of the Kintampo falls and massive health screening.

The UNWTO world tourism day/SADAFest is under the theme, Tourism for All: Promoting universal accessibility.

The partners include the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Ghana Tourism Federation, GHATOF, corporate Ghana and the Regional Coordinating Council of the NSEZ.

A business desk report


The Minister of Agriculture, Alhaji Mohammed Limuna Muniru has described the promise by presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo Addo to construct irrigation dams in every village in the northern part of the country as just a campaign promise.

Nana Akufo-Addo on the campaign trail promised to undertake such project to boost agriculture in those areas.

Though the Agriculture Minister conceded that irrigation is a major challenge in such areas, he said Nana Addo's idea is only a campaign promise and not feasible.

I don't think this is very possible and I cannot support campaign promises, just promises that somebody wants to win elections with If he has decided to go and be promising dams to every village in the northern part of the country, I don't think that is feasible, he said on Eyewitness News.

While some people have welcomed Nana Addo's idea the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) believe it is not possible.

Alhaji Limuna Muniru further told Citi News that government is already putting in place measures to solve the irrigation problem in the northern part of the country.

We don't just go damming, we appreciate the fact that we can no longer depend on rain fed agriculture so it is important to look at the issue of irrigation and if he has decided to go and be promising dam in every village in the northern part of the country, I don't think that is feasible to do but in any case he is promising to get the power to come back. There are a lot of things we are doing considering the fact that there is the need to put in irrigated lands so that people can have irrigated lands so that people can have farming throughout the year, he added.

Irrigation projects will vary

Meanwhile, Nana Addo's spokesperson, Mustapha Hamid has insisted his boss will definitely implement the idea if elected in power .

He indicated that every village will have an irrigation system that will irrigate their land. The details of it will come at the implementation stage.

There are certain villages that per the population the density may not need full blown dams. Some can even be irrigated by a number of boreholes and pumping the water to the farms and so on so there are various options so there is what you call receptacles, full blown dams, there are dugouts and there are bore holes, he added.



By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @AlloteyGodwin
Mogadishu (AFP) - At least five people were killed Tuesday when jihadists detonated a suicide car bomb outside a popular hotel close to the presidential palace in Somalia's capital Mogadishu.

"We have confirmed five people killed including security guards", police officer Mohamed Abdulkadir said, adding that 10 others were wounded.
Turkish and Kurdish forces in northern Syria have reached a "loose agreement" to stop fighting each other, a US defense official told AFP on Tuesday.

"In the last several hours, we have received assurance that all parties involved are going to stop shooting at each other and focus on the ISIL threat," said Colonel John Thomas, Central Command spokesman, using an acronym for the Islamic State group (IS).

"It's a loose agreement for at least the next couple of days and we are hoping that will solidify."

Thomas said the Turkish and Syrian Democratic Forces, made up largely of Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG), had opened communications with the United States and between each other "with the goal of limiting hostilities."

The United States is frantically trying to avert an escalation in violence between Turkish forces operating in and around the Syrian border town of Jarabulus and YPG fighters in the same region.

Both sides are backed by the United States, and Turkey is a key NATO partner. Over the weekend, clashes killed several Kurdish fighters.

It's a grim scenario for the Pentagon, which has pegged hopes of defeating IS in Syria largely on the SDF and has invested heavily in training and equipping the group.

Thomas called the agreement to stop fighting each other "encouraging."

The Pentagon says the SDF have withdrawn east of the Euphrates River under an earlier agreement to quit the contentious border region around Jarabulus.

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The Chief Executive Officer of BEIGE Capital, Mike Nyinaku, has asserted that the Mobile Money service poses no threat to the future of the banking sector in Ghana.

Mr. Nyinaku made the assertion during a pre-event interview he granted to the media at the Ghana Economic Forum, where he was a guest speaker.

Though the surge in Mobile Money usage has caught the attention of many Ghanaians, some bankers are apprehensive about the position of the Mobile Money service, as against the future of the banking sector.

A report carried out in the B&FT in one of its May 2016 edition paints a glowing picture of the growth of Mobile Money service in Ghana.

The report states, The penetration of mobile money in the country has seen an astronomical rise for the fourth year running with last year's value of transaction reaching GHC35.4billion, an increment of more than 216 percent over the previous year.

The report states further that in 2014 three telecom operators (Airtel, Tigo and MTN) were able to do transactions worth about GHS11.2billion across the country.

Also the 2016 banking survey conducted by Pricewaterhouse Coopers, (PwC) in collaboration with the Ghana Association of Bankers, and launched in Accra recently on the theme, How to win in an era of Mobile Money, further heightens the apprehensions and extends the debate on the future and the direction of the Mobile Money service as against the traditional role of the banking sector.

The survey, as reported by the Daily Graphic, added a survey of chief executive officers and chief finance officers of banks to pick their perspectives on the emerging mobile money explosion.

According Mr. Thomas Kyei-Boateng, who presented the findings of the CEO and CFOs' survey, a total of 71.4 per cent of the respondents in the survey saw the mobile money revolution as both a threat and an opportunity depending on how the banking institution responded to it.

The threat, on the part of the banks, was also because of the potential for telcos and other mobile money operators to enter into the banking space.

Mr Kyei-Boateng also pointed out that almost 30 per cent of the respondents saw it as an opportunity only without any threat.

Adding his voice to the on-going discussion, a Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Johnson Asiama, said: the total value and volume of mobile money transactions have outstripped all other non-cash transactions, except cheques, with total money float balances at the end of June this year reaching about GH680 million ($172 million), compared to about GH341 million over the same period last year.

Registered agents also reached 108,000 within the period, compared to about 36,000 for the same period last year. (Daily Graphic,26/08/2016).

This, he said, confirms the growing acceptance of mobile money across the country.

Dr. Johnson Asiamah added that the BoG was committed to facilitating the evolution with the enabling regulatory environment for mobile money to promote financial inclusion without risking the general safety and soundness of the financial system.

Mr. Nyinaku was however of the view that notwithstanding the successes chalked by the mobile money service, there is no way the role of the banking sector will be overtaken by it.

He asserts, Mobile Money service is a transaction enabler, it is not banking so the traditional importance of banking will not be replaced by the upsurge of the use of mobile money service.

He however believes that the mobile money service will increasingly become a transaction process enabler in the delivery of goods and services; and thus, complementing the effort of the traditional role of the banking sector.

It will however not replace the traditional role of the banking sector, he emphasized.



Beige Capital
Internet access and availability are not enough to get people online, says a new Internet Society (www.InternetSociety.org) study released today at the African Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF) taking place 30 August - 1 September in Tanzania. The Promoting Content in Africa report reveals that while significant improvements have been made in Internet infrastructure, most notably in mobile networks, Internet adoption rates are slowing in many countries because users lack compelling reasons to connect.

According to the study, content and services are the main factors in making the Internet desirable, especially when the subject matter is relevant and in a language that users can easily understand. A lack of local content and services is affecting the number of new online users in Africa. In Sub-Saharan Africa in particular, local language content is key to bringing new users online, as many are not comfortable reading in English or French.

Promoting Content in Africa outlines the barriers to the development of local content and offers recommendations to improve local content availability and distribution.

In the Sub-Saharan countries studied by the Internet Society, the majority of international and locally developed content is hosted outside the country, typically overseas. This results in slow Internet speeds and higher access costs. In Rwanda for example, of all websites using the .RW domain name, only a small fraction are hosted in Rwanda. The majority of sites are hosted in Europe and the U.S. Hosting content locally is key to making the Internet faster and more affordable for users.

As mobile financial services are becoming increasingly available in the African continent, monetizing mobile content is still a major challenge. Faster and better Internet access can help entrepreneurs create new local content including services and apps, but developers face barriers when it comes to payment mechanisms in order to monetize content, said Bastiaan Quast, Internet Society Fellow and co-author of the report.

The region faces a combination of barriers, including the inability to pay and receive payments for mobile apps, which serve as a major channel for content distribution in most African countries.

Detailed results of the report will be presented at the seventh annual AfPIF which begins today in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Hosted by the Internet Society in partnership with the Tanzania Internet Service Providers Association (TISPA), the event serves as a platform to expand Internet infrastructure and services across Africa by bringing together key players to address the opportunities in interconnection, peering, and traffic exchange on the continent.

Internet peering is a business relationship whereby two Internet service providers agree to provide access to each others customers at no cost. Internet users throughout Africa benefit from peering, which enables faster and more affordable access.

Removing barriers to content availability and distribution will have significant impacts on the Internet ecosystem in Africa. It will help to make existing international content more accessible, explained Dawit Bekele, Internet Society Regional Bureau Director for Africa. AfPIF is the only event in Africa focused on building the Internet by building relationships. It plays a key role in bringing together different parties to increase local traffic exchange across the continent, he added.

AfPIF aims to build cross-border interconnection opportunities by facilitating discussions on Internet infrastructure challenges including capacity building, development of Internet Exchange Points (IXP) and local content.

Previous editions of AfPIF have been held in Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Morocco, Senegal and Mozambique. Last years event featured 232 participants from 57 countries and an online participation of 978 people in 77 different countries.

The Promoting Content in Africa report can be accessed in English (http://APO.af/QWDI6R) and in French (http://APO.af/1eQbuc). Visit AfPIF 2016 websites both in English ( www.InternetSociety.org/AFPIF-2016/home ) and French ( www.InternetSociety.org/AFPIF-2016-fr ).
Indeed, Monday, August 22, which happens to be the day the said purported pardon was granted, will surely be remembered as arguably, the darkest day in the annals of history relative to our democratization regime. And ultimately, President Mahama would forever be remembered as the president that has sacrificed the supreme interest of the nation by endorsing lawlessness and impunity in order to satisfy his party (NDC) foot soldiers and apparatchiks. What a dangerous precedent that was!

Before I proceed to deal with the moral bankruptcy of the president's action, let me quickly deal with some legal issues and point out the unconstitutionality therefrom. I may not be a lawyer as of yet, which is indeed the case, but I am old and savvy enough to know that law and commonsense or morality are inextricably linked and as a matter of fact, that is a basic criterion of a good law. I learnt this in my Social Studies lesson (characteristic of a good law) when I was in JHS and I guess you have learnt same too.

The President claims to derive his powers from Article 72, which talks about Prerogative of Mercy which can be exercised by the president to, inter alia, persons who have been convicted by the court or found to have been guilty of an offence and slapped with the necessary reprimand.

This Article should NOT be misinterpreted or misconstrued to mean that the Constitution has vested in the President, the power to REVIEW the decision of the court by reposing in him, an APPELLATE JURISDICTION. Indeed, Article 125 (3) states clearly that, The Judicial Power of Ghana shall be vested in the Judiciary of Ghana, accordingly, neither the President nor Parliament nor any organization or agency of the President or Parliament shall have or be given judicial power.

Again, Article 296 of the Constitution categorically states that, where in this constitution or in any other law discretionary power [in this case Article 72] is vested in any person or authority  (a) that discretionary power shall [my emphasis] be deemed to imply a duty to be fair and candid; (b) the exercise of the discretionary power shall not be arbitrary, capricious or biased [my emphasis] whether by resentment, prejudice or personal dislike and shall be in accordance with due process of law.

In fact, the crime of CONTEMPT is so serious to the extent that the Prisons Act, precisely, Section 34 (d) clearly FORBIDS the grant of pardon to prisoners who were convicted of contempt of court. It is again instructive to make the point that unlike every other case we have experienced in this country, where we have the Republic Versus Mr. A or B, this particular case is a unique one and almost unprecedented, because the court has had to invoke its own inherent jurisdictional power to convict the trio of contempt.

In the light of this, anytime attempt by whosoever and for whatever reason, political or otherwise, to water-down or render nugatory, the court's decision, will be tantamount to undermining the very principle that underpins our judicial system and subjecting the powers of the court to public opprobrium. Simplicita!

The president says, he grants them the pardon/remission on compassionate ground. Like seriously? Throughout history, compassion is used to grant pardon to prisoners on grounds of ill-health, ageing, sustained good conduct that is observed over time, or some extraordinary reasons. The president should tell Ghanaians which particular category these muntie trio fall under, to be deserving of compassion.

So the president can show compassion to the muntie trio, but can't show compassion to the thousands of remand prisoners, who have not been tried nor pronounced guilty, but are being kept in our prisons for several years against their fundamental rights. The president can show compassion to the muntie 3, who threaten to rape and kill our judges, but he cannot show compassion on the gentleman who threatened to kill him (the president) and was jailed for 10 years. Perhaps, the lives of our judges don't matter.

Again, the president can show compassion to the muntie gangs, but cannot show compassion to the innocent head porter (Kayeye) who was jailed 10 years for carrying someone's load which contained marijuana. The examples are interminable. I ask, what is so special about these 3 muntie gangsters?

The only inevitable answer that comes to mind is that they are NDC foot soldiers, who were working for the president. In fact, one of them (Mugabe) is on record to have said on muntie fm that he left his family in the UK to come and work for President Mahama.

This claim, has still not been denied by the presidency; the gentleman in question, finds himself at the wrong side of the law, then the president comes in and overturns the court's verdict in order to free him. How smart could that be? From the foregoing, it would be absolutely nonsensical and unconscionable for anyone to conclude that the president's decision to free the muntie trio was not arbitrary, unfair, biased, capricious and driven by political consideration rather than the national interest. And this, of course, violates both the letter and spirit of Article 296 of the constitution.

In conclusion, the president's action to pardon the infamous muntie trio is most likely going to breed lawlessness and impunity. It also undermines the authority of the court and renders their decision, nugatory. By this dangerous precedent, party foot soldiers and apparatchiks would be emboldened to act lawlessly and commit all forms of atrocities once their party is in government, knowing very well that they would be freed even if the court sentences them.

This is what President John Mahama wants to be remembered for. If almighty Supreme Court judges including the CJ herself, could be threatened with rape and murder by these NDC foot soldiers with impunity, then I can only imagine what can happen to me, the son of an ordinary wakye (rice and beans) seller based in Bolgatanga. You, the reader should also imagine what could happen to you, since we now live in a banana republic or the proverbial jungle.

Maybe, I should inform you that I was recently threatened by a gentleman who describes himself as a former TEIN President, which is the tertiary student wing of NDC because he claims that I'm being very critical of his government with my usual write-ups (folders).

I have no option but to keep that to myself because I know I am vulnerable, powerless and cannot find justice anywhere in this country. Sorry, I've had to shed tears whilst writing this piece. Our country is sick and bleeding profusely.

I therefore call on the youth to rise up and be counted through revolution of the conscience. We surely need a new paradigm and if that means, a REGIME CHANGE, then so be it. We need to restore our moral fiber and get back to the good old days, where Ghana was seen as the beacon of hope and bastion of democracy on the continent.

What we need is RULE OF LAW, which is the underpinning of every democratic society and not RULE OF MEN, which breeds lawlessness, 'foot-soldierism', impunity and retrogression. Ghana must not die. We can't afford to fail our generation and the unborn. To this end, I invite you to join me in the #mutashi movement together with a number of celebrities who have launched a strong campaign for the redemption of our country.

Ghana, Aha a y din papa. Alius atrox week advenio. Another terrible week to come!

By Iddi Muhayu Deen and Sydney Casely-Hayford, [email protected]
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (N&MC) of Ghana has indicated it has not released any list of unaccredited schools running Nursing Assistant (HAC), Nursing or Midwifery programmes in the country this year.

In a rejoinder to the publication, 'Nursing and Midwifery Council Blacklists Unaccredited School', Registrar of the N&MC, Felix Nyante, stated, The Nursing and Midwifery Council would like to state that the publication is not factual and carries inaccuracies that has the tendencies of damaging out hard earned reputation and the relationship we have with our stakeholders.

He said the publication is not the current representation of the lists of unaccredited Nursing and Midwifery Training Institutions in the council's data base.

The list of unaccredited schools was published in the Daily Graphic and Ghanaian Times on February 18, 2015. The council has since updated its records of accredited and unaccredited institutions, Mr Nyante mentioned.

He further explained that Ensign University College of Public Health which was mentioned as one of the unaccredited institutions in the Eastern Region was false, indicating, We would like to indicate that there is nowhere in our publication of unaccredited schools that Ensign University College of Public Health was mentioned.

Mr Nyante also stressed that the Golden Sunbeam International College of Science and Technology which was included in the list of unaccredited school is one of the schools in the Greater Accra Region which has been accredited by the council to offer Registered General Nursing programme.

Golden Sunbeam

In a follow-up press release to the same publication, the Golden Sunbeam International College of Science and Technology confirmed the statement by the N&MC, indicating, The general public, especially prospective students, who have visited the first class facilities prepared for nursing training should note that the Golden Sunbeam International College of science and Technology is fully accredited.

The college received institutional and programme accreditation from the National Accreditation Board (NAB) of Ghana in November, 2015, after a very rigorous process and has been licensed to run its respective courses.

The college is also professionally accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana in December 2015 which also took the college through a very rigorous process.

The college in the release stated that it has gone through a rigorous process with UDS before affiliating to them.

We wish to assure the general public that the governing council which is made up of eminent citizens of this nation will not sit down to preside over illegalities to be perpetuated by college officials, E. Ohene-Opare Snr, founder of the college said.

By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri
The accident vehicle at the scene (L) and Life photograph of Sarah Believe Amponsah (R)

The Sakumono District Police are investigating circumstances under which an 18-year-old girl died after a campaign vehicle of Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, parliamentary candidate of New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the Tema West, knocked her down at Sakumono Village, near Tema.

According to reports, the deceased, Sarah Believe Amponsah was rushed to the Sakumono Hospital where medics pronounced her dead on Saturday night.

Body of the deceased has been deposited at the Police Hospital morgue in Accra.

Isaac Arkoh, a passerby, who also sustained injury in the incident, was sent to the health facility, and he is responding to treatment.

Driver of the campaign car was said to have turned himself over to the Sakumono District Police who arrested him to assist in investigations.

Eyewitnesses told DAILY GUIDE that the accident occurred at about 11pm when the Kia Sportage, with registration number, GT 1561-16, veered off the road and crashed into the two who were walking on the shoulders of the road.

Kwasi Poku Bosompem, Communications Director of the Carlos Ahenkorah Campaign Team, confirmed the accident to DAILY GUIDE, noting that the parliamentary candidate was not involved in the accident as being speculated.

According to him, the parliamentary candidate was nowhere near the scene of the accident.

The accident happened and a girl by the name Sarah who was unfortunately knocked down by the car was rushed to the Sakumono Community Clinic but pronounced dead later. It is therefore not true that the parliamentary candidate for Tema West wants to interfere with police investigations, he added.

He debunked reports that the accident happened because the parliamentary candidate needed blood in order to win the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

Communications Director of the campaign team urged party faithful to stay calm and also expressed condolences to the bereaved family.

He said the accident was unfortunate and added that the campaign team was sympathizing with the family of the deceased.

The Police are still investigating the matter.

From Vincent Kubi, Tema
Air Marshal Michael Samson-Oje (middle) with members of the two boards

The Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Air Marshal Michael Samson-Oje, has assured the Armed Forces Medical Services that it is doing all it can to ensure the resolution of challenges facing the service.

Speaking at the inauguration of the nine-member Military Hospital Advisory Board and seven-member 37 Military Hospital, Nursing & Midwifery Training College (NMTC) Board of Governors, Air Marshal Samson-Oje stated that he was mindful of the challenges facing the healthcare service delivery in the Ghana Armed Forces Medical Service and the importance of addressing the challenges.

I want to use this occasion to assure you that High Command is doing all it can to ensure the resolution of these thorny issues, he said.

Air Marshal Samson-Oje said the inauguration of the boards would add credence to the efforts being made to solve some of the problems facing the hospital.

It is my hope that the two boards will discharge their duties with dispatch and will always be guided by the charter underpinning the establishment of their boards, he mentioned.

The Military Hospital Advisory Board is chaired by Rear Admiral Peter Kofi Faidoo, Chief of Naval Staff, with members including Brig General W. Omane-Agyekum, Brig General Ralph Kojo Ametepi, Brig General E. C. Saka, Col S. D Mante, Cdre K.K Pumpuni Rtd, Dr Kofi Ahmed, Ms Marrigold Korri and Col V. Otto.

The 37 Military Hospital NMTC Board of Governors, chaired by Air Cdre JSK Dzamefe, has Col M Telbert, Col SR Mensah, Col SD Mante, Col R K Gator, G.K Kyeremeh and Flt Lt Akuoko-Adjei as members.

The two boards were charged broadly to co-ordinate and promote collaborative efforts or activities between the hospital, local and international medical organisations and eminent medical practitioners, monitor the professional, technical and administrative matters affecting the hospital and ensure financial accountability at all levels at the hospitals.

Their mandate also includes periodical inspection of all the facilities for the provision of health services within the armed forces to ensure efficient maintenance culture, ensuring that procedures are transparent and are in accordance with approved regulation, making recommendations on the terms of condition of service of the medical personnel and submitting quarterly reports to the Chief of Defence Staff.

Director of Medical Services of the 37 Military Hospital, Brig General Ralph Kojo Ametepi, hailed members of previous boards who carried out their mandate successfully.

He said through their work, there has been significant infrastructure development affecting theatres, central sterilisation unit, pathology department and the oxygen plant.

The NMTC which started as a training school for orderlies has been transformed into an accredited tertiary institution affiliated to KNUST. Plans are also far advanced for the school to offer degree programs. This has been with the help of the first governing board of the 37 NMTC, he said.

Rear Admiral Kofi Peter Faidoo, Chief of Naval Staff, speaking on behalf of the boards, acknowledged that the task ahead will be challenging, but assured that with the boards high calibre of personalities and extensive experience who make up membership of the various board, they will deliver on their mandate.

I would like to assure you, CDS, Sir that we will carry out our task assiduously to achieve your vision for the development of the 37 Military Hospital. We would count on your guidance and support as we work towards the development of our dear service, he said.

By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri


Wife of the Vice Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Samira Bawumia was given a rousing welcome at Bibiani in the Western region where she attended a funeral on Saturday.

Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia's wife, who was wearing a splendid black and white dress, seemed overwhelmed when other mourners at the venue mobbed her when it was announced that she had arrived to mourn with the bereaved family.

Mrs Bawumia was in the company of other NPP members.

Some of the mourners tried to use their mobile phones to take 'Selfies' with the wife of the NPP Vice Presidential candidate who also acknowledged people that were chanting her name.

Some of them temporarily turned the funeral into a political rally, as they chanted the names of Nana Akufo Addo, the NPP presidential candidate and Dr. Bawumia.

The mourners insisted that the signs were clear on the wall that the NPP would emerge victorious in the upcoming general elections.

Edmund Kyei, a key member of the Ashanti Regional NPP Communications Team, who was part of Samira Bawumia's delegation, told DAILY GUIDE that he was surprised about the development.

He noted that most of the mourners stopped crying and yelled 'change' when they saw Samira Bawumia, saying what we witnessed at the funeral grounds indicate that the NPP will win the December polls.

Mr Kyei, who is also the NPP Communications Director for Asokwa in Kumasi, stated that Ghanaians want the NPP to win the polls to save them from misery.

From I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi
Alhaji Abdul Rauf Tanko

30.08.2016 LISTEN

The chairman of the Pilgrims Affairs Office Ghana (PAOG) Alhaji Abdul Rauf Tanko Ibrahim has explained that this year's operations have been bedeviled with challenges which are avoidable.

He mentioned that delayed payment, which has become more like an annual ritual, caused the Hajj processes to delay by over two weeks, adding that the net effect was delay in the issuance of visas. It also led to a situation whereby prospective pilgrims handed money over to agents at a time the quota was exhausted, thus making it practically impossible to obtain visas much less, travel. And when this was communicated to them, some of them got a bit agitated initially, but later understood why it would be impossible to process them at the time they paid. As a matter of fact, there has been over subscription this year.

The importance of early payment, he said, has been hammered over and over again to agents but such entreaties have not been heeded to.

He also hinted that yet another challenge was the backlog of pilgrims from last year which exerted a little pressure on this year's quota and had to be cleared.

Alhaji Tanko intimated that because of the huge desire to travel this year, albeit all slots are filled, some unscrupulous individuals are taking advantage to defraud unsuspecting Ghanaians.

He therefore called on all aspiring pilgrims to desist from giving monies to people who promise to procure Hajj visas for them through other means.

There are still over 270 visas to be issued from the Saudi Embassy, which with the support of the Office of the President, should be done by close of day on Monday 29th August, 2016.

When these are done, I am sure we would have succeeded in lowering the anxiety of those whose passports have been submitted for a while now, the chairman said.

The delay in releasing the 270 passports from the Saudi Embassy, we gathered, was due to some technical challenges.

The chairman therefore called on pilgrims and families to exercise restraint.

He also urged the Muslim Ummah to continue to lend the Hajj Office their maximum cooperation.

There is still one more flight from Ghana and we have also made some special arrangement for an aircraft to come through Senegal to collect the remnants of our pilgrims who for one reason or the other missed their flights, he added.

By A.R. Gomda
Three Nigerians have appeared before an Accra circuit court for allegedly possessing fake documents.

They are Egwolor Onome, supervisor; Favour Omowo and Sena Oyinola, both unemployed.

The trio, according to the prosecutor, Chief Superintended Duuti Tuaruka, on August 9, at Batsona Spintex Road in Accra, facilitated the commission of a crime by forging the United Nations Authority Certificate, Ghana Bar Association certificate to practice, United Nations High Commission for Refugees ID card, among others.

The three are facing an additional charge of possession of forged documents by having the soft copies of Barclays Bank ID investor certificate purportedly signed by the Chief Justice, Power of Attorney, among other documents.

Before trial judge Aboagye Tandoh, the accused persons variously denied the offence and were remanded into police custody until September 1, 2016.

This was after the court had dismissed the application for bail filed by the defence lawyer on behalf of his clients.

The facts of the case are that the complainants in the case are police officers who had information that the accused persons are in a particular house engaging themselves in fraudulent economic transactions against unsuspecting persons in the country and abroad using forged documents.

The police moved to the house and arrested them. A search conducted on them revealed among other items, HP laptops, one Dell laptop, Acer laptops, internet connection routers and quantities of dry leaves suspected to be cannabis sativa.

Favour, according to the police, claimed ownership of a Samsung mini laptop containing forged documents of some organizations.

Sena also claimed ownership of the Dell laptop containing some forged documents.

By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson

[email protected]
President John Dramani Mahama

30.08.2016 LISTEN

The Flag Staff House was the Seat of Government when Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was the President of the Republic of Ghana. Osagyefo, as we all know did wonders by championing the development of this country beyond the comprehension of many.

Today, a young, competent, honourable, affable and visionary leader in the person of President, John Dramani Mahama occupies the Seat of Government at the same Flag Staff House and he has already been compared with the Founding Father of our country in terms of development.

It is an indisputable fact that President Mahama is changing lives positively and transforming Ghana generationally. Many people across the length and breadth of this country now have potable drinking water for drinking and for other purposes.

Today, many villages and communities now have first class Community Day Senior High Schools built for them by our indefatigable President, thereby improving quality education and making education easily accessible.

Today, many people can have access to more healthcare facilities than ever before through the provision of many modern health facilities across the country.

Today, many qualified students can have admissions to Colleges of Education and Nursing Training Colleges due to the visionary leadership of President Mahama. Many Ghanaians, who are called to teach or practice Nursing can now have their dreams realized.

Today, Ghanaians can travel to many parts of the country within shorter times than ever before because of the thoughtful works of a president who has delivered a wider network of modern constructed roads in the country.

Today, and for the first time in the history of Ghana, Moslems from Northern Ghana flew direct from the Tamale International Airport(TIA) to Madina, Saudi Arabia because of the deep thoughts of a president, whose presidency provides a friendly-enabling environment for every Ghanaian living everywhere.

Today, the Accra International Airport(AIA) as I would like to call it and the Kumasi Airport have all been renovated and have attained modern status and travellers now enjoy more using these facilities.

President, John Dramani Mahama promised to fix the perennial power problems and it took him sleepless nights to fix it. Never in the history of this country has a leader took to his heart the energy problems of this country and invested so much into energy and power like has been done under President, Mahamas Administration to let Ghanaians enjoy power for business and for domestic purposes.

His Excellency, President John Dramani Mahama deserves a second term because he still has a lot to offer this country in terms of development.

JM is a unifier.

JM is a peace-loving person.

JM respects his country men and women.

JM is a team player.

JM is a true leader

#JM Toaso

2016, Godwin-Xavier Ayeebo
Coalition-backed Iraqi forces can retake the key northern city of Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) group by the end of the year, the commander of US forces in the Middle East said Tuesday.

"It's the prime minister's objective to have that done by the end of the year," General Joe Votel, head of the US Central Command, told reporters. "My assessment is that we can meet the prime minister's objective if that is what he chooses to do."

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The Chief Executive Officer of BEIGE Capital, Mike Nyinaku, asserts that the Mobile Money service poses no threat to the future of the banking sector in Ghana. This assertion was made during a pre-event interview he granted the media during the recent Ghana Economic Forum, where Mr. Nyinaku was a guest speaker.

It would be recalled that the recent surge in Mobile Money usage has caught the attention of all Ghanaians, and many are those apprehensive about the position of the Mobile Money service, as against the future of the banking sector. A report carried out in the B&FT in one of its May 2016 edition paints a glowing picture of the growth of Mobile Money service in Ghana. The report states, The penetration of mobile money in the country has seen an astronomical rise for the fourth year running with last years value of transaction reaching GHC35.4billion, an increment of more than 216 percent over the previous year. This was according to data seen by the B&FT.

The report states further that in 2014 the three telecom operators (Airtel, Tigo and MTN) engaged in Mobile Money were able to do transactions worth about GHS11.2billion across the country.

As if this was not enough, a 2016 banking survey conducted by Pricewaterhouse Coopers, (PwC) in collaboration with the Ghana Association of Bankers, and launched in Accra recently on the theme, How to win in an era of Mobile Money, further heightens the apprehensions and thus extending the debate on the future and the direction of the Mobile Money service as against the traditional role of the banking sector. The survey, as reported by the Daily Graphic, added a survey of chief executive officers and chief finance officers of banks to pick their perspectives on the emerging mobile money explosion.

According Mr. Thomas Kyei-Boateng, who presented the findings of the CEO and CFOs survey, a total of 71.4 per cent of the respondents in the survey saw the mobile money revolution as both a threat and an opportunity depending on how the banking institution responded to it. The threat, on the part of the banks, was also because of the potential for telcos and other mobile money operators to enter into the banking space. Mr Kyei-Boateng also pointed out that almost 30 per cent of the respondents saw it as an opportunity only without any threat.

Adding his voice to the on-going discussion, a Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Johnson Asiama, said: the total value and volume of mobile money transactions have outstripped all other non-cash transactions, except cheques, with total money float balances at the end of June this year reaching about GH680 million ($172 million), compared to about GH341 million over the same period last year. Registered agents also reached 108,000 within the period, compared to about 36,000 for the same period last year. (Daily Graphic,26/08/2016) This, he said, confirms the growing acceptance of mobile money across the country. He added that the BoG was committed to facilitating the evolution with the enabling regulatory environment for mobile money to promote financial inclusion without risking the general safety and soundness of the financial system.

It was on the back of these apprehensions expressed by players in the financial sector on the feats chalked up by Mobile Money service that the B&FT sought the opinion of BEIGE Capital boss, Mike Nyinaku. Mr. Nyinaku was however of the view that notwithstanding the successes chalked by mobile money service there is no way the role of the banking sector will be overtaken by mobile money service. He asserts, Mobile Money service is a transaction enabler, it is not banking so the traditional importance of banking will not be replaced by the upsurge of the use of mobile money service. He however believes that mobile money service will increasingly become transaction process enabler in the delivery of goods and services; and thus, complementing the effort of the traditional role of the banking sector. It will however not replace the traditional role of the banking sector, he emphasized.
Members of Parliament have been recalled to consider a motion seeking to impeach President John Mahama for accepting a Ford Expedition vehicle, largely considered by many as a bribe, from a Burkinabe contractor.

Whilst commending the NPP Minority for initiating the process, and seeking to stand up for the interest of the nation, we want to encourage them not to be upset by the intended effort by their counterparts to foil the move for partisan considerations.

No matter the outcome of the process, posterity will acknowledge their gallant effort in standing up to be counted in the fight against bribery and corruption in the country.

The canker of bribery and corruption under this government is not only unprecedented, but also eating deeper into the very fabric of the country, and rendering the state poorer and poorer in all sectors.

President Mahamas acceptance of the so-called gift was a serious slap in the face of good governance, especially after Ghana had been acclaimed internationally for her democratic tenets.

It must be noted that the Mahama-Kanazoe bribery scandal far transcends the mere offer and acceptance of a bribe. It also tragically reflects the excruciating unbridled corruption going on within the Mahama-led NDC government.

Often times in our country, we have allowed people in authority to have their ways without subjecting them to proper scrutiny, and by allowing this we indirectly send signals to others that they can go ahead and bend the rules; after all, their superiors are engaged in similar acts.

We are aware that the petition for impeachment will first need to be handed over to the Chief Justice by the Speaker of Parliament for investigations to be conducted to establish a prima facie case against the president.

Already, the Majority side has indicated it will move heaven and earth to ensure that the motion for impeachment is not even entertained by the Speaker.

Even though unapologetic President Mahama and his apologists have sought to lie through their teeth to Ghanaians that the Ford vehicle was a gift to the nation, Ghanaians are very discerning to read through the lines.

And whatever comes out of the attempted impeachment process will not change their views about the president, who has shown that he sees governance as a means to amass wealth at the expense of the suffering masses.

Even in the event that the process fails to achieve the ultimate result, we are convinced the actual impeachment of President Mahama will be done by suffering Ghanaians when they go to the polls on December 7. And who can resist that impeachment?

That impeachment of the President Mahama and his government over their unbridled corruption and looting of the national coffers certainly, as well as their gross economic mismanagement, cannot be resisted by the Majority in Parliament.

In the meantime, we expect the suffering constituents of the Majority MPs to take keen interest in the attempted impeachment process against the president, and the reactions of their representatives thereof, and be advised accordingly when they go the polls on December 7. Its about Ghanas interest and not self-preservation.
Tension is mounting at the premises of Diamond Cement Factory at Bokro a farming community in the Ahanta West District of the Western region following the arrest of one of the workers for taking pictures of a colleague who was chopped down by an operating machine.

Barnabas Cudjoe was arrested by the Agona -Nkwanta Police for allegedly taking pictures of the worker whose body was chopped into pieces at the company premises.

According to an eye witness who spoke to Starr FMs Western regional correspondent Emmanuel Ohene Gyan on condition of anonymity work came to a standstill when the deceased accidentally slipped from a spot he was sleeping out of tiredness and fell directly into an operating machine.

The body has since been deposited at a private morgue at New Amanful, a fishing community within the district whilst investigation continues into the incident.
The British Government funded Building Resilience In Civil Society (BRICS) programme is requesting Concepts from organisations or partnerships that have the current relationships, capacity, and legitimacy to help strengthen relationships between security actors and communities at the local levels, in order to reduce the threats of violent extremism in Kenya.

Eligibility to apply

BRICS is looking for new ideas, great partners and the potential to help support initiatives with high potential. We encourage applications from a wide range of possible partners; community based organisations, religious organisations, NGOs, local security agencies, civil society, and informal institutions.

We ask that all applicants be realistic about their ambitions and the likely results to be achieved, and to be flexible in the concepts they submit.

The deadline for submission is 19th September 2016.
A Kenyan research scientist at the International Livestock Research Institute based in Nairobi has won the 2016 Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application for his work in providing insurance to livestock herders in East Africas drylands through innovative, state-of-the art technologies.

Dr Andrew Mude developed insurance for never-before-insured communities whose livelihoods depend on herding cattle, goats, sheep and camels in the remote, arid and drought-prone lowlands of the Horn of Africa.

Dr Mude applied satellite data to achieve an innovative and highly effective solution that helps pastoral livestock herders reduce the considerable and costly drought-risk they face in this region.

The award endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation, reserved for individuals under the age of 40, was presented to the winner by Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, President of the World Food Prize Foundation, headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, USA, at an event hosted by Director General Jimmy Smith of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi, Kenya.

Dr Mude reflects Borlaug-like persistence in his science-based, community mediated, and innovative approach to providing financial protection, through insurance, to millions of poor herders and their families who care for and depend upon their livestock as they move across the vast rangelands of East Africa, Quinn said, adding that "It should be a matter of great pride for Kenya that two of the first five Borlaug Field Award recipients are Kenyans." Dr Charity Mutegi, also of Kenya received the award in 2013.

Dr Mude will be formally presented with US$10,000 and the Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, Endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation, on October 12, 2016, in a ceremony, in which Rockefeller Foundation President Judith Rodin will participate, in Des Moines, Iowa, USA, as part of the 2016 World Food Prize international symposium.

A Kenya native who received his Ph.D. from Cornell University, 39-year-old Mude is a principal economist at ILRI. He spearheads a program called Index-Based Livestock Insurance (IBLI), which is greatly reducing the vulnerability of East Africas livestock herding families to recurring droughts, which kill great numbers of livestock, sending many hungry households in remote regions into deep and lasting poverty.

Since launching IBLI in 2008, Dr Mude and his team have engaged local herders and leaders in building and delivering extension education programsemploying videos, cartoons, and radio broadcaststo increase understanding of the principles and coverage of the insurance plans.

Before Dr Mudes innovative approach was implemented, African herders had no access to livestock insurance. It was highly impractical and costly for insurance claim adjusters to travel through East Africa to confirm dead animals and pay claims. IBLI eliminates the need for such visual confirmation of stock losses by using satellite data to monitor grazing conditions when these conditions are seen to fall below a certain threshold, this data serves as a proxy for dead animals, and insurance payouts are made.

By early 2016, 11,800 IBLI contracts had been sold (representing an insured livestock value of $5,350,000) and $149,007 indemnity payments made to insured pastoralists. In future, more than 50 million pastoralists across Africa are expected to have an opportunity to benefit from this financial technology.

Dr Mude represents the type of citizen-servant we as a government are proud to partner with; a citizen dedicated to helping grow the productivity and welfare of the Kenyan people, said the Honorable Willy Bett, Cabinet Secretary in the Kenya Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. Its because of his passion, commitment, and technical competence that were now planning to replicate this novel insurance scheme across all of northern Kenya, where some 4 million pastoralists depend primarily on livestock.

I believe Dr Mudes Index Based Livestock Insurance (IBLI) program is a remarkable example of the innovative, market-driven solutions that develop when countries invest in quality education for young people, said the US Ambassador to Kenya Robert Godec.

"With todays changing climate, weather-based insurance has become a critical tool in building the resilience of some of the worlds most vulnerable populations, said Mamadou Biteye, Managing Director of The Rockefeller Foundation Africa Regional Office. "By utilizing the most current technology, Dr Mude's innovation is helping pastoralist livestock herders protect their livelihoods. We can provide farmers with no better form of food security than by empowering them to protect themselves from the impacts of climate change, Biteye added.

We have the satellite technology needed to monitor grazing conditions in the remotest of regions, Dr Mude said. We should be using it to ensure that Africas remote livestock herders have access to basic insurance farmers around the world take for granted. We draw inspiration from Borlaugs lifelong commitment to make his research make a difference. Together with many partners and the herders themselves and only together we're determined to find new ways to help millions of people continue to practice the oldest form of sustainable food production the world has ever seen, he emphasised.

Dr Mudes IBLI team, the governments KLIP has already provided 5,012 households with IBLI coverage and just last week (August 24, 2016) it made indemnity payments to a few hundred herders in Kenyas huge and arid northern county of Wajir, which has suffered prolonged drought. And in Ethiopia, Kenyas neighbour to the north, a government pilot project spearheaded by Dr Mudes team is working to scale out this insurance program while the World Food Program is making IBLI-type insurance a key pillar of its food security strategy in Ethiopias pastoralist lowlands. Other governments and development agencies are seeking help in testing IBLI-type policies across West Africas Sahel and the drylands of southern Africa.

ILRI Director General Jimmy Smith agrees: "Take it to the farmers are reported to be the last words uttered by Norman Borlaug before he died. Dr Andrew Mude and his team, working with the Kenya and Ethiopian governments and others, have taken Borlaugs injunction to heart, and are taking it even further to thousands of individual pastoralists raising and herding their animal stock across the vast, remote and generally inhospitable drylands of the Horn of Africa."
Dannex Limited has given educational sponsorship to two orphans from junior high level to tertiary level.

The two orphans namely Christain Nyamekye, 14 year old and Hannah Botchew,14 year old are all from Agyanka Wo Annidaso home at Agona Akwakwaa in the Central Region.

Managing Director of Dannex Limited, Yaw Opare  Asamoah at a short ceremony held at Dannex office in Accra disclosed that quality education especially basic education is a powerful bedrock on which any higher education grows.

He said the exercise which is the first of its kind form part of the companys cooperate social responsibility with the aim of improving lives and maintain quality standards as a company.

We have a passion for kids, no matter the situation that surrounds them. For us as a company we are particularly concern about human capital, so we hope one day these children can join us as an organization to work and also help the young generations, he said.

The total amount of the scholarship he said is about 40.000 per semester.

In addition the company also donated item wealth 60.000 to support the home.

The items donated include 2bags of rice, 5 gallons cooking oil, bag of sugar, drugs such as O.R.S 3000pc, 500pc Koffex C, 500 paramol 125ml, 120 paramol Blister, 20 Germ and others.

The managing director encouraged the team to work efficiently to support the children since every person deserve better life.

On his part, Administrator of the home, George Amoako enumerated some of the challenges facing the school as lack of vehicle to convey children to hospital and lack of educational support, lack of funds to pay teachers.

He expressed appreciation to Dannex for lifting some of their burden and again express hope that in spite of the challenges the home would reach its target.

George Amoako also appealed to institutions, philanthropist and other organizations to support the home.
30.08.2016 LISTEN

I started thinking again recently of my youthful days after reading Forbes edition of July 20, 2016 in which a 28-Year-Old John Crestani was said to have read the bible and the Bhagavad Gita (Hindu scripture) for years to make money, but his turning-point came after reading a business book and today he makes thousands of dollars a day. In short, Forbes has it that as a result of Crestanis never-give up spirit, he built an associate marketing network that at the moment brings $250,000 to $500,000 per month to his pocket and he travels the world.

While I was mesmerizing on the fortunes of Crestani, there were and are going to be more 4.7 million middle and high school students using a tobacco product, alcohol. The researchers from the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had in 2011 heralded this rather ugly situation that has been befalling the youths. From east, west, north and south, many youths were not and some are becoming terrorists. But that was not at 21 when Crestanis fortune came in 2009, when he fled Thailand after not being successful at college due to economic situation. Regrettably, many of us at that age hadnt any other direction than to go to college or join trade or learn a skill or the other. We didnt know and are not going to know that people were and are making millions of money on online businesses. In short, many of us had and have confusing direction of not knowing where to start from.

Crestanis success at that age when most of us were and are still feeding from our parents pots of soup has made me to think of the youth I never was and many will not be. It is not that I was a loafer as a youth, but imagine where many of us were not married at 35, even at 40, due to economic challenges. Because of this, some persons have called the present youths a lost generation. But I beg to disagree on this, because Crestani and others from Nigeria never disappointed the 20thand 21st centuries. But before we go to Nigeria, we have Mark Elliot Zuckerberg, an American programmer, Internet entrepreneur, and philanthropist, born May 14, 1984, who together with his college roommates and fellow Harvard University students Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes launched Facebook from Harvard's dormitory rooms and today, he is chairman, chief executive officer, and co-founder of Facebook with his net worth estimated to be US$51.2 billion, as of June 2016, ranking him as the 6th richest person in the world.

In Nigeria we have Orji Uzor Kalu  billionaire founder of Slok Group now 56 who was a millionaire at 19; there is Cosmos Maduka who was a street akra seller but now  founder of Coscharis Group (sole distributor of BMW vehicles in West Africa); we have Michael Collins Ifeanyi Enebeli Ajereh (aka Don Jazzy)  famous music producer and co-founder of defunct MoHits Records, now CEO of Marvin Records, and many others. These persons made fortunes in their youthful days and many of us will not be the youths they were and are. The wealth many of us did not make yesterday is a great problem to us today and it is going to be a greater problem to youths of tomorrow who fail to make wealth today. Many a youth would hinge their failures on the two recessions hitting the world known as the Great Recession and the Greater Recession. But for ages, recession has not been aloof, yet many poor persons sent poverty on errand. We will continue to have such things as reduction in all goods and services, yet, many youths will spring up to be renown and many will not be. Many of us had thought and still think that youths with low education will not be successful in the attainment of incomes. However, just on Sep 23, 2011 there was the "Forbes 400: The Self-Made Billionaire Entrepreneurs Who Said No To College". The number must have increased by now in the part of clime where the survey was conducted and around the world where survey is yet to be conducted on such.

Many of us as youths were and never and (are) going to be indoctrinated into joining radical groups and movements. We know the story behind the Hitler Youth, especially in Rhineland city of Bruehl, where in 1939, membership in Nazi youth groups was made mandatory for all boys and girls between the ages of ten and eighteen. According to a statement credited to Adolf Hitler in 1938, These boys and girls enter our organizations at ten years of age, and often for the first time get a little fresh air; after four years of the Young Folk they go on to the Hitler Youth, where we have them for another four years . . . And even if they are still not complete National Socialists, they go to Labor Service and are smoothed out there for another six, seven months . . . And whatever class consciousness or social status might still be left . . . the Wehrmacht (German armed forces) will take care of that.

Many of us didn't grow, have grown and are going to grow obesity.

There were, are, never many anxious, depressed, anti-social youths. Many had, have never and are going to have these traits. On Monday 13 September 2004, I read an article by a Madeleine Bunting in the Guardian, saying, Three-generation survey reveals sharp decline in teenage mental health. We were meant to understand that The mental health of teenagers has sharply declined in the last 25 years and the chances that 15-year-olds will have behavioural problems such as lying, stealing and being disobedient, have more than doubled. These are some of the traits some of us had, never had and are going to have. The paper went forward, The rate of emotional problems such as anxiety and depression has increased by 70% among adolescents, according to the biggest time trend study conducted in Britain.

In my time as a youth, behavioural problems were not common, but today, the source said that between 1974, 1986 and 1999, behavioural problems have increased above the roof. The deterioration of adolescents' mental health in Britain is in contrast to the findings of research in the US which showed that a comparable decline tailed off in the 90s, while in Holland, there was no decline at all, said the study. From Harriet Sergeant of Daily Mail, 19 September 2009, showed how a generation of violent, illiterate young men are living outside the boundaries of civilised society Thousands of teenage boys are failing to make the successful transition to manhood.

I was meant to understand that many millions of youths had left, never left, are leaving and are going to leave school without gaining the basic qualifications of five good GCSEs. When the society cannot provide for these youths who have had no prerequisite qualifications to fend for themselves, they turn to crime. We are today seeing the uncountable number of crimes ongoing among the youths across the world. Governments, groups and individuals can only be putting up initiatives for early interventions in the lives of youths, but certainly, there will continue to be a John Crestani that many youths did become, are to become and will not become.

Odimegwu Onwumere is a poet, writer and consultant.

Email: [email protected]
The outgoing Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey has dismissed suggestions that the church supports a political party.

According to him, the church does not and will never support any political party.

Speaking to Joy News Maxwell Agbagba, the Moderator indicated that, the presbyterian church of Ghana does not belong to any party and does not support any party.

Rev. Marteys comment is in reaction to criticisms that he has come under after he declared the churchs support for the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

This was after the presidential candidate sought the support of the church during its 16th General Assembly.

In a response to the request, the Moderator said we are taking this seriously. For us, as a church, the Presbyterian Church is the oldest, existing church in this country. We will not sit down for newer churches and political parties to come and mess up our country."

We will keep on praying for you, and for calling the Presbyterian Church into partnership, we will partner you to build Ghana Nana , I wish you well. Your seriousness and experience. You have said youre a Christian, so stay in your faith and you will be an overcomer, he told Nana Addo during the event.

Photo: Rev. Martey in a handshake with Nana Akufo-Addo (in white attire)

This response has not gone down well with many who believe the Moderator is doing the bidding of the opposition party.

Some have even accused him of being a member of the NPP, but Rev. Martey denies this.

We have seen governments over governments and the Presbyterian church at the moment is partnering the NDC government in the governance of our nation," he said.

We have partnered all governments in the Fourth Republic. The church will partner every government that comes. So if the leadership of an opposition party comes and asks for our partnership we will support them, he continued.

The Moderator stressed that there is no way he will sell his conscience to any political party, and the church is only playing its role as mandated.

For him, anyone who believes that he is supporting or is a member of any political party is mentally retarded, because this is not done anywhere.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Naa Sakwaba Akwa | [email protected]
The Chiefs and residents of Gbetsiley in the Kpone-Katamanso district in the Greater Accra Region have drawn out the battle line for a blood bath with land guards operating in the area.

Their vow is borne out of activities of land guards concerning more than 1500 acres of land belonging to Sino-Africa Development Company Limited (SADCL), which have resulted in the death of scores of their people.

They are getting increasingly frustrated because their numerous complaints to government have gone unattended to.

Chief of the area, Nii Tei Kodjo, told Joy News they have engaged Jospong Group of Companies  parent company of SADCL to have the issue resolved but there has been no result.

He says the unbridled activities of land guards in the area has grown to the extent that recently there were gun shots in Zenu which took a delegation from government to have the issue addressed.

Sensing no end to the constant attacks, he said, they have decided to reach out to the land guards in their hideouts to settle scores.

Nii Tei Kodjo said they are ready to face the land guards boot for boot in the bush".

He believes a peaceful settlement of the issue is off the negotiation plate saying the only option would be for them to shed blood.

As a testament of the consequences of land guard activities in the area, Nii Tei Kodjo says the District Chief Executive (DCE), Alhaji E. A. Tetteh, was nearly lynched by the land guards but for his police escort adding "This is not what we want as a people."

Residents of the area are seething with anger over what they say is the terrorising way land guards treat them.

One resident who spoke to Joy News says they have been terrorised for far too long and it is about time something was done about it.

If the MP fails to come and blood starts to flow we will see. We are not old men we are young men but because of the respect we have leaders, we have listened to them, he said.

Another resident also lamented about the neglect of government for their challenges.

If the government feels we are not part of the country, they should tell us, she told Joy News.

According to Adom FMs Kwame Yankah to visited the area said the stakes are high in the area because of the disputed land which has been walled.

According to him, the Member of Parliament (MP) in the area who also doubles as the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, is aware of the nightmares of the people but has simply turned a blind eye to them.

Until something was done to salvage the situation, the battle line remained drawn for bloodshed in the area, Kwame Yankah reports.

Listen to audio here:



Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brakopowers | Email: [email protected]
30.08.2016 LISTEN

The Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly has held it second ordinary meeting in the Assembly chamber in the Western region to educate the assembly on the projects and programmes for the Assembly.

The Metropolitan Chief Executive, Hon. Charlotte Otuwa Odum delivered an address at the meeting on the on-going projects and newly awarded projects. She said the newly awarded projects involves the second phase of the Takoradi library complex, the construction of youth development centre at Sekondi and the construction of a transport terminal at Apremdo market.

In a summary of the projects under the different sources of funding; the Urban Development Grant (UDG) are having 11 on-going projects, Ghana Urban Management Pilot project (GUMPP) have 5 on-going projects, District Development Facility (DDF) also have 5 on-going projects, District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) having 14 on-going projects, Internally Generated Fund (IGF) having 9 on-going projects and GET fund having 22 on-going projects.

She stated that the Whindo Abbatoir in the Western region is currently being manned directly by the Assembly with efforts underway to get a management company to handle the day to day running of the facility which is being handled by the Assemblys Public Private Partnership (PPP) team. She also disclosed that a contract for the construction of a lorry Terminal at the Apremdo market has been awarded and signed between the Assembly and two contractors. The Assembly is also working on projects such as the community senior high school, roads, street naming, waste management and sanitation, agriculture, training of unit committee members, Assembly by- laws, community engagements and the Effia-Kwesimintsim sub- metro building.

With regards to the waste management and sanitation she said efforts at getting more people to register for the door-to-door collection of waste are yielding some positive results. In the sekondi sub metro, J. Stanley Owusu has registered a total of 2,599 households.

Zoomlion has moved from 1,973 to 2,682 households whiles vermark has made has made an improvement of 450 registrants, having moved from 3,700 to 4,150. In the Essikado-Ketan sub metro, Asadu Company registered a total of 1,255 households. Meanwhile, the national sanitation day clean-up exercise for the month of August was a success and as part of effort to mop up all waste in the metropolis, the Assembly has launched a campaign dubbed  Operation 500 Litter Bins to solicit support from corporate organizations in acquiring 500 litter bins.

Hon. Charlotte Otuwa odum commented on the Assemblys performance in the IGF collection as being praiseworthy. The Assembly has been able to collect GH 5,019,240.93 out of the annual target of GH 6,149,522.00 as the end of July 2016 representing 81.66%. For the same period last year the Assembly collected GH 3,956,088.97 out of an estimated total IGF of GH 5,187, 124.00 representing 76.27% attributing the improvement in performance to the introduction of new strategies in revenue mobilization and collaboration with VNG.

She also disclosed that STMA have been selected among 15 cities to be part of the sub national pilot government programme under the Open Government Partnership initiative. As part of the programme, they are to develop action plans that will be implemented from December 2016 to December 2017 with assistance from a USA based NGO. The action plans will be presented at a global summit of the OGP in Paris, in December 2016.

In conclusion, Hon. Charlotte Otuwa Odum entreated all to avoid the use of language that could incite as the political season heats up and that all political campaigns will be devoid of insults and the smearing of peoples good name so that in the end we will have peaceful elections.
The Islamic State group on Tuesday said its spokesman Abu Mohamed al-Adnani was killed while monitoring military operations in the Syrian province of Aleppo.

Quoting a "military source", the IS group news agency Amaq said "Sheikh Abu Mohamed al-Adnani, the spokesman of the Islamic State, was martyred while surveying operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo".

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Accra, 30th August, 2016  Vivo Energy Ghana, the multiple award-winning exclusive licensee of the Shell brand in Ghana, has donated 100 motorbike helmets to members of the Unity Motorcycle Riders Association in Accra. The presentation was made during an educational session on road safety in collaboration with the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC).

The programme, which attracted about 500 motorbike riders from Nima, Mamprobi, Kaneshie, Agbogbloshie, Circle, Abossey Okai and Accra, formed part of Vivo Energy Ghanas road safety campaign dubbed My Road Safety, My Life, following a similar programme in Tamale.

The occasion was also used to educate motorcyclists on Shell Advance, a new lubricant designed to offer reliable, durable and quality protection for all motorbikes.

Speaking at the programme on behalf of the Managing Director of Vivo Energy Ghana, Mrs. Shirley Tony Kum, the Corporate Communications Manager, stressed the importance of road safety education to riders and provided them with some safety tips.

As an oil marketing company, road safety is one of the key focus areas under our Community Investment initiatives. Motorbike riders face higher risks on our roads hence the decision to educate you on road safety, to make our roads safer, said Mrs. Tony Kum.

Motorcyclists should invest in good gear by wearing durable, non-slip gloves; boots that cover the ankles; and a correctly fitting helmet. You should also know your bike's limits and stick to the speed limit. As motorcyclists, you must also make sure that other drivers can see you by not riding in blind spots and always using your headlights, she said.

The Head of Communications of the NRSC, Mr. Kwame Koduah Atuahene expressed the Commissions sincere gratitude to Vivo Energy Ghana for its significant role in promoting road safety in Ghana, and shared the importance of such a programme for motorcycle riders.

We believe this exercise will equip motorcycle riders with the needed skills and best road safety practices on our roads. The Commission would like to plead with all motorcycle riders to put the knowledge gained to use. Again, we thank Vivo Energy Ghana for this tremendous support, he said.

Mr. Suleman Sule of the Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate was also on hand at the event to educate bikers on traffic regulations, while the Assistant Regional Manager of the Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority, Mr. Edwin Ofori, explained the process of acquiring a motorcycle driver's license.

The Chairman of Unity Motorcycle Riders Association, Mr. Issah Abubakari was also full of commendation for Vivo Energy Ghana and the NRSC for the training and endeavoured to ensure that members of the association would put the knowledge gained to good use to save their lives and those of others.

Vivo Energy Ghana has been a prominent force in the area of road safety. Previous initiatives include defensive driving training and presentation of an alcometer to the management of Achimota Bus Terminal; the presentation of road safety toolkits to the NRSC, and the mounting of lollipop stands for schools.
30.08.2016 LISTEN

Cholera and HIV are considered to be a deadly pandemic to human lives across the world with the World Health Organization (WHO) combating measures to control and prevent the spread of these two deadly pandemics across the world.

The metro health director of Sekondi -Takoradi Joyce Bagina Sutherland educated the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly during the second ordinary meeting on Cholera and HIV and the need for its prevention.

Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with vibrio cholerae bacterium. Between 2008 to 2012, 2.9 million cases occurred annually in 69 cholera endemic countries with 95,000 deaths, 60% from sub Saharan Africa and 29% from south East Asia. Ghana has had outbreaks almost every 5 years since 1970. In 2014 a total of 28,975 cases with 243 deaths were reported in Ghana with CFR of 0.8%. In 2014 and 2015, western region reported 1,165 cases of cholera with 15 deaths (CFR of 1.3). Sekondi Takoradi reported the highest number of cases of 43.9%, the total number of cases recorded in STMA were 502 and 7 deaths. Outbreaks are often caused by 01 and 0139 subtypes and an incubation period of 2 hours to 5 days. Its signs and symptoms includes acute watery diarrhea with severe dehydration and circulatory collapse.

Human immune deficiency virus or HIV is a virus that attacks and progressively destroys the bodys immune system of defense mechanism. The virus is found in high significant concentrations in body fluids like blood, semen, breast milk and vaginal fluids on the other hand has been found in very low insignificant concentrations in urine, tears and saliva. It is estimated that blood related transmissions accounts for about 15%, mother to child transmission also accounts for about 15% whilst sexual transmissions accounts for majority of about 80%.

The global 90-90-90 campaign fast track targets are aligned to the SDGs and to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. Ghana has launched a one year campaign to achieve the first 90 fast track in March 2016. The objective of the campaign is to increase uptake of HIV testing services (HTS) through vigorous awareness creation and demand generation from March 2016 to February 2017 and to test 90% of people for HIV over one year period and through behavourial approaches for HIV prevention like abstinence, being faithful to sexual partners, condom use consistently and correctly and biomedical approaches

Madam Joyce Bagina Sutherland said by way of controlling and preventing cholera and HIV there is the need to utilize public gatherings to educate the public and also organize community level campaigns like mobile HTS and HTS integrated into OPD. There should also be a monitoring campaigns and report and the mobilization of students and staff and the administrative support for HTS.

She made recommendations on the capacity building of health staff on surveillance with emphasis on filling of case based forms, filled investigation of all suspected cholera and HIV cases with complete filling of cased based forms which should be reviewed daily and also an investigation of communities with high number of cases to identify and control environmental risk factors.
The presidential candidate of the opposition New Patriotic party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo, has appealed to the Paramount Chief of the Bawku Traditional Area, Naba Abugragu Azoka II, and the people of Bawku to vote massively for the NPP in the December polls.

He said the Bawku Traditional Area will receive massive social infrastructure and interventions to improve the fortunes of Bawku.

Nana Addo reiterated that, he is not interested in the domestic issues of chieftaincy disputes in Bawku, adding that, when elected president he will assiduously find a permanent solution to the issue.

He debunked allegations that, he supports either the Kusasis or the Mamprusis. Nana Addo disclosed this when he paid a courtesy call on the Bawku Naba, Azoka II.

Nana Addo said his interest is in the peace and solidarity of the area for the development of Ghana.

It is in the interest of everybody that peace continues to reign in Bawku, that is why everybody must support the process to elect me as president. I am not interested in becoming the Bawku Naba but I can assure you that, you (Bawku Naba) has nothing to fear if am elected into office. On the contrary, Bawku Naba will have me (Nana Addo) as a strong friend to develop Bawku.

Nana Addo also lauded the people of Bawku and the inter-ethic peace committee efforts for relative peace and stability in Bawku.

He said an NPP government under his leadership through his One District One Factory and the One Village One Dam policies, will create jobs and export opportunities for the people of Bawku.

He impressed on the people to give him the chance to transform Ghana from the current hardship to prosperity.

I know the constitution will not allow chiefs to do active politics but I want you(Naba Azoka II) to vote for the NPP on December 7 to support me to become the President of Ghana, Nana Addo stated.

On his part, Naba Abugragu Azoka II endorsed Nana Addo for a one touch victory in the December polls but challenged him to deliver his promises when elected.



By: Frederick Awuni/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow the hashtag #GhElections on social media for more election related stories
30.08.2016 LISTEN

CUPERTINO, Calif., ACCRA, Aug. 30 - (UPI/GNA) - Apple is expected to use its annual September event for the introduction of the iPhone 7, sources said.

The tech giant typically introduces new products in September and since 2012, has used its annual fall announcement to introduce new iPhones. The announcements usually give a boost to Apple stock in the third quarter as well.

How much depends on how early in the month the phone is available for sale.

Forbes magazine predicts orders will begin on Friday, Sept. 9th, or Saturday, Sept. 10th with the new phone likely reaching stores on Friday, Sept. 16.

GNA
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, ACCRA, Aug. 30 (UPI/GNA) - A suicide bomber killed one person and injured three other staff at the Chinese Embassy in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday, local officials said.

The bomber crashed into the gate at the embassy in Bishkek, killing himself and injuring an embassy gardner and two guards, Kyrgyzstan's Prime Minister Zhenish Razakov said.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Several buildings in the embassy compound were damaged, and staff sustained minor injuries and were being treated in nearby hospital, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a Tuesday press conference.

"China is deeply shocked and strongly condemns the violence," Chunying said.

GNA
WASHINGTON, ACCRA, Aug. 30 - (UPI/GNA) - At the economic G20 summit in China next week, President Barack Obama will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the first time since a military coup was attempted last month, the White House said Monday.

Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said the meeting between Obama and Erdogan will occur on the sidelines of the summit. The leaders are expected to discuss the coup attempt and ongoing efforts to fight the Islamic State in Turkey.

Since the July 15 coup attempt, relations between Turkey and the United States have been increasingly strained - particularly over Ankara's request for extradition for a cleric presently living in Pennsylvania, who Erdogan believes was behind the attempt.

"We have a broad and active agenda," Rhodes said.

The American leader is also set to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin -- likely for the final time of Obama's presidency - at the summit. Topics of discussion there will likely include Syria and Crimea.

Last week, Putin said he had agreed to meet with French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the summit to discuss the same issues.

During the summit in Hangzhou, officials said Obama will also meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. After the summit, Obama will travel to Laos, which Rhodes called a "historic event."

The president will travel to China on Saturday. This year's G20 summit, Obama's last, will run from Sept. 4-5.

GNA
Accra, Aug. 30, GNA - The Ghana Education Service (GES) has announced September 8 as the re-opening date for Senior High and September 13 for the Basic Schools, respectively, for the 2016/17 Academic Year.

The GES, therefore, teachers, students and parents to take note of the dates, in a statement, signed by the Reverend Jonathan Bettey, the head of the Public Relations, and copied to the Ghana News Agency.

The statement, however, reminded the heads of both the basic and second cycle institutions that the Academic Year's calendar remained the same.

The statement urged educational stakeholders to disregard any information in circulation contrary to the announced dates.

GNA
30.08.2016 LISTEN

New Delhi, ACCRA, Aug. 30 - (dpa/GNA) - US Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday led talks with the Indian government on boosting trade as well as regional issues including New Delhi's tensions with Pakistan.

Kerry arrived in New Delhi on Monday night from Bangladesh, where the two sides agreed to scale up security cooperation to fight violent extremism.

Kerry and US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker co-chaired trade and security talks with India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Plans to ramp up bilateral trade five-fold to 500 billion dollars were taken up for discussion, US state department officials said.

The talks, set to continue into the evening, also focus on regional security, including Delhi's ties with rival Pakistan amid violence in the disputed region of Kashmir and ongoing conflict in Afghanistan.

Kashmir is at the root of a long-standing conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours, both of whom claim the area in its entirety.

In recent weeks, more than 70 people, mostly civilians, have died in clashes with the security forces following the killing of a militant leader.

The talks in Delhi come shortly after US and India signed a pact in Washington to share military assets and bases, a move towards consolidating defence ties.

GNA
By Emmanuel Asante Attakora, GNA

Accra, Aug. 29, GNA - Webster University Ghana, has hosted the cohorts 4 of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), at the new East Legon Campus of the school in Accra.

Webster University a proud supporter of President Barrack Obama's Young African Leaders Initiative and who also value the partnership with the Regional Leaders Centre (RLC) of YALI organised the networking and barbeque event to showcase to the world that Africa has some strong and bright young leaders in the world.

Speaking at the event that brought cohorts of YALI from various African countries, the Campus Director, Webster University Ghana, Christa E. Sanders, said Webster believes in investing in the next generation as YALI does.

'It is a very important collaboration for Webster, we believe in investing in the next generation of African leaders and YALI also obviously doing the same thing, there is a lot of benefits in this partnership for both of us.

'At Webster we believe in promoting the next generation of global citizens who are also our global leaders, so Webster being here on the African continent, it has great meaning and great significance, we believe very much in the vision of YALI,' she noted.

Sanders was also full of praise for President Obama for such a great initiative to groom and challenge the young generation.

'President Barrack Obama set up these very important initiatives to help the young generation of leaders, so collaborating as an American Institution with YALI is very critical giving our presence now on the African continent.'

'The Webster Ghana programme is the eighth of nine global sites that Webster has around the world,' she said.

Speaking to GNA after the event, Sanders said she was inspired by the next generation of the African leaders.

'I am very much thrilled and inspired by the young generation, there is hope and promise for the African Continent.

'I think our students as well as the YALI participants did an excellent job describing the impact of culture on leadership and the type of important things we need to think about in being effective as African leaders.'

The Public Affairs Counsellor, US Embassy Accra, Daniel Fennell disclosed to the GNA the idea behind the partnership with Webster University Ghana to reach out to YALI.

'The idea was to bring Young African Leaders to the United States to meet President Barrack Obama and get to know some of our leadership skills but we wanted to expend that for more people to participate in the training.

'We had a plan of four leadership centres in Africa, and Webster University Accra is one of the first two to open, so this is an excellent programme.'

The keynote address from Professor Kofi Asare Opoku, former Research Fellow in Religion and Ethics at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, encapsulated the event by calling on young Africans to go beyond the skies.

'There are realms beyond the skies for young Africans to passionately aspire to and I have every confidence that the creative impulse that lies within each of you will find expression in whatever you choose to do for the benefit of your people.'

Webster University being the first American University in the Sub-Region to provide both US and Ghanaian accredited degrees, welcome graduate students pursuing Masters in Business Administration and MA in International Relations as well as Undergraduate Studies in Management, International Relations and Media Communication, has this academic year introduced Computer Science to their programmes.

The school at its new campus in Accra, have Undergraduate students from a growing number of nations including Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Israel, Togo, Lebanon, Holland, Iran and US.

Webster University Ghana, is the one University that operates from four continents and nine countries.

GNA
Accra, Aug. 30, GNA - Vodafone Ghana in an effort to show commitment to its communities, has through the Vodafone Foundation paid the medical bills of 300 patients in various hospitals across the country.

The move which is part of an annual initiative, 'Homecoming', shows care and affection to needy patients in different medical centres in Ghana.

According to a release, Last year, the company paid GHa30,000.00 to the 37 Military Hospital to be used to discharge patients who were due but could not afford.

'This year, the gesture, which was close to GHa300,000.00, saw a section of Vodafone senior staff assisting a number of hospitals, including Korle Bu and 37, to bring smiles on the faces of these insolvent patients.'

Commenting on the nice gesture, the Corporate Communications Manager, Vodafone Ghana, Ebenezer Amankwah, said: 'The very essence of what the Foundation stands for, is to be a caring brand by enabling access to resources that promote social change.'

'Homecoming brings us closer to the community; it gives us reason to see our interventions making a direct impact in society. These things truly excite us.'

Meanwhile, the Foundation also donated a number of essential hospital equipment to the Neonatal Unit of the Essikado Hospital to improve healthcare delivery for infants in Essikado and neighbouring communities.

The items included a split lamp, phototherapy unit, oxygen concentrator, 10 oxygen flow meters, two neonatal resuscitators, sterilization drums and two cord clamps.

GNA
Saudi cyber experts held urgent talks on Tuesday after government facilities were hacked, official media reported.

The cyber attacks "in recent weeks targeted government institutions and vital installations in the kingdom," the Saudi Press Agency reported, without identifying the targeted agencies.

It said the kingdom's Cybersecurity Centre "held an urgent workshop with a number of parties" to discuss the results of its investigations.

The attacks originated abroad and subjected users' accounts to viruses which spy on information, it said.

Experts outlined how the attacks occurred and presented "necessary procedures to fix and to protect those sites", Saudi Press Agency said.

It gave no indication as to the source of the hacking.

In June a major Saudi newspaper said hackers briefly seized control of its website to publish false information.

Four years ago, a damaging malware assault hit the state oil company Saudi Aramco. US intelligence officials believed it was linked to Iran.

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By Iddi Yire, GNA

Accra, Aug. 30, GNA - The Otumfuo Centre for Traditional Leadership (OCTL) at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) is holding a five-day training workshop in Accra for 60 paramount and divisional chiefs.

The participants would be educated in the areas of Land Administration and Management, Conflict Resolution and Gender issues.

The OCTL, which is one of the four Centres of Excellence, was established by the UPSA, to spearhead the development and modernisation of the chieftaincy institution.

The first batch of participants to be trained by OCTL graduated in May, 2015.

Professor Joshua Alabi, the Vice Chancellor of the UPSA, in his remarks at the opening ceremony, said the University's programmes had been tailored in such a way as to meet the needs of society.

He said UPSA Management's vision was to create a world-class higher educational institution that is nationally entrenched, regionally relevant and globally recognised.

He said at the moment, the UPSA was the only university offering a study programme in Quality Control on the African continent; stating that in Ghana, the UPSA was the only University offering a programme in Auditing.

He said for the 2016/2017 Academic Year, the University would be starting two new programmes - Law and Actuarial Science.

Prof Alabi announced that Prof Abenego Okoe Feehi Amartey, the UPSA Pro-Vice Chancellor, would be taking over from him as the Vice Chancellor, when his tenure expired on December 31.

He said Prof Amartey would continue to build from where he had left off, and would consolidate and improve upon the gains achieved so far.

Lepowura Alhaji Mohammed Nuru-Deen Jawula, the Consulting Director of the OCTL, appealed to the UPSA Management to introduce a postgraduate study programme in Chieftaincy Affairs.

He expressed gratitude to the Local Government Service for sponsoring the workshop with GHC 60,000.

Prof Amartey hailed Prof Alabi for his exemplary role in transforming the UPSA into a world- class university.

Nii Ayi Kpotia I of Ngleshie Alata, urged his colleague traditional rulers to champion the development agenda of their jurisdictions.

Mt Justice Stephen Alan Brobbey, a retired justice of the Supreme Court Judge, who chaired the function, said the knowledge that would be gained by the traditional rulers would improve their leadership skills.

GNA
General Manager of Samara Company Limited,Mrs. Eunice Ankomaa Apraku Antwi has been adjudged the Most Outstanding Executive in household products at the second edition of the Feminine Ghana Achievement Award ceremony held in Accra.

Mrs. Apraku Antwis award recognised her professionalism, passion and leadership as General Manager of Sasso which has contributed to the soaring the Sasso brand which was awarded the Fastest Growing Company by government at the 2015 Head of State Award (HOSA).

Her citation reads: As the General Manager of Samara Group, you have played a key role in the huge success of the Sasso brand of insecticide spray and mosquito coil in the Ghanaian market. Your resourcefulness, dedication and sense of responsibility have been invaluable in building one of the best known home grown Ghanaian product brands today, and this has made you a role model for rising female executives in the manufacturing sector all around the country.

The ceremony organized by The Business Executive Magazine, was held at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Accra and was attended by dignitaries including the Turkish Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Nesrin Bayazit; the Zimbabwean Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Mrs. Pavelyn Tendal Musaka; the Spanish Ambassador to Ghana, Maria Alonso; the Colombian Ambassador to Ghana, H.E Mrs. Claudia Turbay Quintero, and the Czech Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Margita Fuchsova.

There were also representatives from government.

The Feminine Ghana Achievement Award seeks to identify and reward outstanding women both in the public and private sectors whose personal and professional conduct have been exemplary but whose accomplishments have not been publicly recognized  thus female entrepreneurs, professionals, corporate executives, public institutional managers, diplomats, sportswomen and female traditional rulers.

This award scheme was established to specifically recognize the accomplishment of women on the basis of their gender, and therefore stands out amongst the many generalist awards introduced in Ghana today.

Asked how she feels about the honour, the Sasso female General Manager said the award has come at a time that she least expected, however, it affirms that her services are monitored and are considered worthy of recognition.

Im happy about it even though I didnt expect it. With this award I am confident that I am doing something right to have been nominated first and winning it; Im sure they might have noticed my ability as a functional key team player, she said.

Mrs. Apraku Antwi disclosed that she has occupied the General Manager position of Samara Company for three years; and though a very challenging post she dared herself to discharge her duties in ways that would dispel the general notion that such positions are better headed by men.

As a happy mother of two children, she was full of appreciation to her husband, Mr. Nickson Kwame Antwi, for his immense support in helping her in diverse ways to reach this achievement.

I am happy to have achieved this feat and I believe in the saying that what a man can do a woman can do and even better. I thank God for making it possible and I also thank the Executive Chairman of Samara Company Limited, Dr. Sampson Effah Apraku, for having such great confident in me and giving me the opportunity to give off my best. I shall continue to ensure that Samara remains at the top in Ghana and Africa as a whole.

I dedicate this award to my entire team  both management and staff of Samara Company  whose hard work has played a part in this acknowledgment; and also to my husband, Mr. Nickson Kwame Antwi for his enormous support. I am more determined to balance my interpersonal and decisional role effectively for greater heights in the near future, an elated Mrs. Antwi emphasized.

Asked what motivational message she has for colleague women in the sector and Ghanaian women as a whole, Eunice said I want to encourage women to learn to empower each other and use their creativity ability to make their contribution in the production sector successful and to make the world a better place for everyone and also for the unborn generations. Let us guard against hatefulness and envy, she admonished.

Mrs. Antwi holds a Masters in International Finance from Stafforshire University in the UK after pursing a degree in Marketing at the Central University in Ghana. She is determined to be the best role model to her children, Kayla Apraku Antwi and Kemuel-McCurdy Apraku Antwi.

In all twenty-five (25) professional women were acknowledged and rewarded. Some of them are the CEO of Reroy Cables; the CEO of Sidalco Limited; Deputy Managing Direcor of Prudential Bank, and CEO of Jandel Limited, just to mention a few.

Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com
SF International, a steel manufacturing company based in Tema was robbed after the sole police officer on duty was reportedly attacked and severely beaten by 15 robbers in the early hours of Monday.

Police sources have revealed that the officer, Corporal Emmanuel Baafi's weapon, an AK 47 assault rifle, was also taken by the robbers.

In some of the photos available to Citifmonline, the officer, who is visibly in excruciating pain, had his head stitched by doctors due to the severe injuries caused to his head.

However, the injured police officer is currently responding to treatment. It is unclear what the robbers may have stolen during the attack as the police are yet to release further details of the incident.



By: citifmonline.com/Ghana
The President of Groupe Ideal, Dr. Nii Kotei Dzani has reiterated his commitment to supporting the growth of financial sector in the country. He disclosed that good reporting on the financial sector is key to enhance good investor relations for the industry and contributes to the growth of the economy.

He made these remarks on the night of the just ended 21st Ghana Journalist Awards ceremony at the banquet Hall in Accra.

Dr.Dzani who was one of the speakers for the night affirmed that the role of journalists in the country cannot be ignored. Journalists play a crucial role in nation building which can position a country positively to attract foreign investors.

One of the ways to encourage them to come out with a well-researched and unbiased reportage, is to reward a good work as a way of supporting and motivating them hence our gesture. he added.

We are committed to supporting institutions such as the GJA to enhance the standard of excellence in journalistic reportage.Our media has served us well as a nation. There will be no true democracy without a free and independent media. However platforms like the GJA, allow us to reflect and review the role the media is playing in the advancement of our democracy and development.

He acknowledged that Ghana is highly regarded as an ideal of hope when it comes to democracy in Africa and cannot afford to lose its integrity. There is the need therefore for every Ghanaian especially Journalists to ensure that Ghana improves upon its democratic badges which has gained recognition in both the local front and the international community.

He called on journalists to be very accurate and credible in their reportage to ensure a standard of excellence in the profession.

Dr.Dzani used the occasion to call on Ghanaians and stakeholders to be ambassadors of peace before, during and after elections at this years poll.

Groupe Ideal is a management and consultancy firm that manages a diverse portfolio of businesses primarily in Ghana with a long-term vision to be the most successful business lead in every sector.

We operate in the areas of Investment, Banking, Finance, Trade, Insurance, oil and Gas, Asset Management, Media, and Consultancy.

Subsidiaries under Groupe Ideal are Ideal Finance, FirsTrust Savings Loans, Ideal Capital Partners, Ideal Financial Holdings, Ideal Trade, Westfields Offshore Consult, Ideal Assets Solutions, Ideal Insurance Brokers, Ideal Pensions Trust, Tsatse foundation, and Tv Africa.
In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, we did some things that were wrong. We did a whole lot of things that were right, but...we tortured some folks.

President Obama, August 2014

In Search for the Dark Prison, a moving two-part Fault Lines documentary on Al Jazeera, Sebastian Walker sets out on a global quest to find the victims of the CIAs infamous torture program.

Post 9/11, the CIA tortured 119 detainees from 20 countries, according to a heavily-redacted 2014 Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) report. 26 of these did not meet the CIA's own standards for detention, according to the US government report.

The victims Sebastian speaks to all spent time at what they call The Dark Prison, widely believed to be the same purpose-built torture facility that the SSCI code-named Detention Site Cobalt. Sebastian tracks the black sites most likely location to an old brick factory on the outskirts of Khwaja Rawash airport in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Even with redactions, the SSCI report of what happened there reads like a horror film: isolation in total darkness, constant deafening music, rectal rehydration, keeping detainees in coffin-shaped boxes, and chaining one detainee to the wall in a standing position for 17 days.

Dozens of those tortured  like Mohamed Ahmed al Shoreiya Ben Soud and Khalid Al-Sharif  were never charged with a crime and have now been released.

Mohamed and Khalid were both members of The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), which opposed Muammar Gaddafi. In 2004, the US state department designated LIFG as a terrorist group, but Mohamed and Khalid were detained the year before, and say their battle was with Gaddafi, not Washington.

The two men understandably do not want to go into everything that happened to them, but say they are haunted by flashbacks and nightmares.

Often times Im sitting with my family and I disconnect completely, disconnect emotionally, and I drown in these painful memories, says Mohamed. Many times my children ask me, Dad, why are you staring into space?

He says he doesnt think hell ever be able to tell his children what he went through.

The most dangerous thing I was thinking of was that they had no red lines, Mohamed says. They are willing to do anything.

Khalid says their torturers threatened to kill them. They would say to us: We can kill you now. No one would know where you are or who killed you.

Mohamed says what happened to him and other torture victims should concern everyone. Today it happened to us; tomorrow it'll happen to someone else. Maybe in the future, the American government will consider some segment of the population as threats and it will torture them as well.

As lawyer James Connell tell Sebastian, If another future president decides to use torture again, they already have an infrastructure built.

To this day, only one individual has been jailed in connection with the CIA's torture programme: whisteblower John Kiriakou, the first person to confirm the agency's use of waterboarding in 2007. No other prosecutions have been pursued.

Search for the Dark Prison premieres on Al Jazeera English on 13 September 2016 at 2230 GMT and will be available to embed from YouTube after it airs. Part two premieres on 20 September 2016.

Watch


Tens of Tigo customers have won various cash prizes and branded gift items as part of the telecom operators biggest consumer promotion for 2016. The instant cash rewards won so far range from GHS5,000 and below.

One of such winners, Eben John Normegbor, a Travel consultant was on Monday presented with a cheque for GHS5,000 at the Tigo shop on Barnes road in Accra. Another winner, a 42-year-old petty trader at the Kasoa market in the Central region, Bertha Yartey was also presented with a cheque for GHS2,000.

Eben John Normegbor, a Tigo loyal customer for more than 20 years, said he bought a GHS5 recharge card at Kwashiman, a suburb in Accra and scratched the silver panel to see a cash reward of GHS5,000.

Elated Eben hinted that he would use the money to pay for his wifes medical bills and settle the new semesters school fees for his two children. My wife has been on admission at the Bator General Hospital for weeks and this money will help me settle her medical bills and take her home, he said.

Narrating how she also became a winner, Bertha Yartey, said she purchased a GHS5 airtime and asked her daughter to load it unto her phone. After scratching off the silver pane, her daughter started jumping excitedly that they had won GHS2,000. I have been with Tigo for 3 years and I am a huge fan of particularly their mobile money service, Tigo Cash.

Both Eben, Bertha and several others are aiming for the Bingo cash prizes of GHS100,000 while they continue to win airtime and Tigo branded souvenirs.

Customers automatically win the Bingo prizes of GHS100,000 by collecting all the images of the Big Six in Ghanas political history which hidden behind silver panel on recharge cards costing GHS2 and above.
Nairobi (AFP) - War-torn South Sudan's slide into chaos resumed last month with fresh fighting in the capital Juba that forced rebel leader turned vice president and peace deal signatory Riek Machar to flee.

With the spike in clashes came a surge of abuse of civilians by armed men including rape, murder and looting. A year-old peace deal was only partly implemented and, as July's battles showed, was insufficient to stop the war -- yet regional and foreign powers cling to it as the country's only hope.

So where next for hopes of peace in South Sudan and for rebel leader Machar?

Is there still a peace agreement in South Sudan?

The deal, signed in August last year by rebel leader Machar and President Salva Kiir, hangs in the balance. Machar has fled the country and been replaced as vice president by Taban Deng Gai, who leads a Juba-based faction of the opposition SPLM/A-IO.

Deng's appointment has yet to be fully accepted by either Machar loyalists or the international community that forced through the peace deal. During a visit to Kenya this month, US Secretary of State John Kerry hinted at US acceptance of the new reality when he described Machar's ouster as a "replacement of personnel" that was legal under the agreement.

Where is rebel leader Riek Machar?

South Sudan conflict

Machar fled Juba on foot after fighting in the city ended on July 11. He resurfaced in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo on August 18 and then flew to the Sudanese capital Khartoum for unspecified medical treatment. Aides say Machar is eager to reassert himself politically as soon as he is fit and well by visiting regional countries that are members of the IGAD bloc (Intergovernmental Authority on Development), which has led successive rounds of peace talks.

Who backs Machar and who is against him?

Machar left a sharply divided (and, in Juba, militarily defeated) former rebel movement in his wake when he fled. Deng enjoys the backing of Kiir but field commanders, armed forces and SPLM/A-IO leaders outside Juba continue to back Machar -- for now.

"Machar is still an influential leader as long as he is alive," said James Okuk, a political scientist at Juba University.

A South Sudan peace deal signed last August hangs in the balance after fresh fighting broke out in the capital Juba

Regional bloc IGAD has said that Deng should step aside when Machar returns, but the longer Machar is absent the stronger Deng's claim becomes and he may yet consolidate his position among the former rebels too.

One way to achieve this, analysts say, would be for Deng and Kiir to move ahead with integrating rebel forces into the national army, effectively disarming Machar while implementing a key provision of the peace accords.

Can Machar stage a comeback?

Machar loyalists are being rooted out of South Sudan's parliament and cabinet and being replaced with Deng's allies, weakening Machar's influence. Five out of 10 SPLM-IO ministers have been replaced along with 25 out of 50 MPs. Meanwhile Deng has quickly taken up the functions of the vice presidency, undertaking official visits to both Kenya and Sudan in recent weeks.

Machar's future appears to rest in foreign hands and is largely dependent on whether the international community is willing to move ahead on a peace agreement without him.

Will the promised UN 'protection force' be deployed?

President Salva Kiir's government has resisted a UN plan to deploy a "protection force" in South Sudan

On August 12 the UN Security Council approved the deployment of a so-called "protection force" in South Sudan to bolster the much-criticised peacekeeping operation there and enable the implementation of the peace agreement.

Machar has said he will not return to Juba until a "neutral force" is in place and his safety guaranteed, but Kiir's government has resisted the UN plan, insisting it is a challenge to South Sudan's sovereignty and that further negotiations over the force's mandate are needed.

While South Sudan has stopped short of refusing to accept more peacekeepers, the government has yet to accept them either, and it is impossible to imagine UN soldiers being deployed against the will of the government.
A group called the Volta Youth for Development has accused President John Mahama and the governing National Democratic Congress of being ungrateful to the people of the Volta Region, a region the NDC considers as its electoral World Bank.

The group, in a statement, accused Mr Mahama of choosing the leader and founder of Ghana Freedom Party, Akua Donkor, over Voltarians.

According to the group, the total cost of gifts given to Akua Donkor by Mr Mahama  which comprised a Mitsubishi Pajero, one Mitsubishi L200 Pick Up, and a four-bedroom apartment at Sakumono Estates  could have been used to construct boreholes and Community-based Health Planning and Service (CHPS) compounds for some communities in the region at a lower cost.

The group has, therefore, questioned if Akua Donkor is more important than Voltarians.

Read full statement below:

IS AKUA DONKOR MORE IMPORTANT THAN VOLTARIANS?

Volta Youth for Development (VYD) has consistently pushed the claim that President Mahama and his NDC government have continuously considered Voltarians in and out of the Volta Region and the Region itself less important and as a result starved them of what they and the Region rightly deserve.

The most annoying part is the President and his NDC-led government's intentional and consistent consideration of people and regions whose activities have been zero towards the survival and growth of the NDC party over Voltarians and their region, and one such example is the presidents gift of cars and a house to Akua Donkor over the demands of Voltarians.

Our research has revealed that Madam Akua Donkor has consistently made it clear on most media platforms that due to how charitable, kind and caring President Mahama is, he has given her one Mitsubishi Pajero, one Mitsubishi L200 Pick Up and a four-bedroom apartment at Sakumono Estates aside from the many goodies he has given her in the past for her continued support of him.

Our further checks revealed that the total value of the two cars and the house is GHS786,000.

Breakdown of the cost of the gifts:

1 USD=4Gh Cedis

Four-bedroom apartment at Sakumono Estates = GHS478,000

Mitsubishi Pajero =$55,000, which is GHS220,000

Mitsubishi L200 Pickup =$22,000, which is GHS88,000

Total = GHS786,000

Moreover, our research in the Volta Region has also revealed that majority of towns in the region are very much in need of basic stuffs such as CHPS compounds and potable drinking water.

As a result, majority have to travel long distances for medical assistance and also for clean water or depend on rain water or water from polluted rivers for drinking, cooking and bathing.

The breakdown and total value of the demands of some of the areas we researched are as follows:

Cost of one borehole = GHS12,000

Cost of one CHPS compound = GHS180,000

Adaklu District's current source of water is Tordze river (polluted)

Number of boreholes needed 10. 1012,000 = GHS120,000

Drovukope in Akatsi South

Current source of water is rain water or water from Agbedrafor, which is 30 kilometres away

Number of boreholes needed is 12. 1212,000= GHS144,000

Amedzofe town

Number of boreholes needed is 10

1012,000=GHS120,000

Current source of water for Asukawkaw town in the Biakoye constituency is Asukawkaw river (polluted)

Number of boreholes needed is 8

812,000 = GHS96,000

Nyitawuta village in Anlo constituency: Residents cross river Anyanui to either South Tongu constituency or Anlo constituency for medical assistance.

Solution: one CHPS compound in the village

Cost of a CHPS compound is GHS180,000

The total value of all the projects needed by these five areas is equal to GHS660,000.

ANALYSIS

A comparison of the total value of items given to Akua Donkor, which is about GHS786,000, and that of the total cost of the projects needed by these five towns, which is GHS660,000, to help better the lives of the thousands of Voltarians and non-Voltarians living there shows that Akua Donkor's gifts alone are far expensive than the cost of all the projects needed in these towns.

Conclusion

The above shows that the NDC and President Mahama have been very wicked and ungrateful to Voltarians, especially considering their continued loud cry for such basic needs despite their loyalty.

Thank you.

..SPOKESPERSONS.

Innocent Supremo Tetteh (Converner)

Nana Kwadwo Akwaa (Writer)

Godwin Kwami Nanedo

Madam Kiki

Prosper Fofo Ndekor

Elorm Dedziasa

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From Inusa Musah, Kpone

The wife of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo and her entourage were held spellbound as the traditional priest for the Kpone Traditional Council, Numo Tettey Lenu prayed one of the most powerful traditional prayers in recent memory, charging the gods to cause the defeat of the national Democratic Congress (NDC) at the December polls.

In about ten minutes of traditional prayer at the forecourt of the Kpone Traditional Council, Numo Tettey Lenu said all things must work together for the victory of the NPP, as they go into this year's general elections.

The Almighty God and the gods can bear witness to the economic hardship their children are struggling to go through.

Your children, the NPP and Nana Addo, are going into a contest on December 7 and I pour this libation to seek for your blessings and victory for them, Numo Lenu prayed.

The Kpone Traditional Council's priest's prayer followed some items Mrs. Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo, wife of Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, had earlier presented to the Council, ahead of their Homowo celebration this week.

Receiving loud cheers from the NPP supporters, who thronged the Council to give Mrs. Akufo-Addo a rousing welcome, Numo Lenu, proud to show his traditional necklace with the NPP colours to his guests, said the NDC must go for the NPP.

Praying with power, he said any malevolent mouth that would rise against the NPP must incur the wrath of the gods, while any kind mouth that would bless the NPP must be blessed too.

He charged the supporters of the NPP to work hard and remain united and keep hopes alive, as victory beckoned them. He prayed for good health and mercy for the NPP presidential candidate.

The items Mrs. Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo presented were a fat cow, GHc1,000 cash, four huge bags of corn, two drums of palm oil and cartons of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Making the presentation, Mrs. Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo told the Kpone Traditional Council that Nana Addo was ready to ensure that he put Ghana back on the accelerated economic path former President Kufuor bequeathed to the NDC in 2009.

She said, Today all the social interventions the NPP started have collapsed under this NDC government. Ghana is bleeding and there are cries at every corner of the country because the economy is not well.

She reiterated her husband's commitment to putting up a factory in every district of the country where the local people would be gainfully employed.

Furthermore, she said an NPP government, with Nana Addo as president, would make education free and that is a commitment and promise the NPP is still keeping.

Nana Addo thinks of the ordinary Ghanaian and so the NPP will restore all the dead social interventions and will relieve Ghanaians of the several taxes so that there will be more money in their pockets.

Give Nana Addo and Solo, your parliamentary candidate, your massive votes to help Ghana see its accelerated economic growth, she campaigned.

Receiving the items, Nii Ofosu Obli, Manklalo for the Kpone Traditional Area and second in-command to Nii Tetteh Otu, Paramount Chief for the Area, was thankful to his guests for the respect shown the Council.

He praised the NPP in the area, especially Solomon Tettey Appiah, the parliamentary candidate, for calling the supporters of the party to order after some NDC supporters had secretly gone round to tear costly NPP posters and banners.

It is this sense of maturity we will urge you to carry along with you to tell the others that you are not what they preach you are.

Do not dance to their rhythmcontinue to be the forbearers of democracy and remain tolerant to divergent views, and it shall be well with you and the peace Ghana is presently enjoying, Nii Ofosu Obli concluded.

Accompanying Mrs. Akufo-Addo to the Kpone Traditional Council were Solomon Tettey Appiah, NPP parliamentary candidate for Kpone-Katamanso, Agyei Sowah, NPP Greater Accra Regional Secretary, Alfred Boye, Regional First Vice Chairman, Nana Sipim, Kpone-Katamanso Constituency Chairman, David Quaye Annan and Samuel Evans Ashong Narh, both former Chief Executives of Tema.

Page 3


30.08.2016 LISTEN

Editorial



Today, Monday August 29, is exactly three years since the Supreme Court gave judgement on the election petition brought before it by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the late Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. In a 5-4 majority decision, the court, presided over by Justice Atuguba, dismissed the case.

Though Nana Addo could have gone further to seek a review of the decision, he decided to let sleeping dogs lie. The press conference he organised to accept the verdict, even though he disagreed with it, calmed the tension that was building up in the country. On the day the judgement was given, all the streets of Accra were almost deserted, for the fear that no matter how the verdict would go, there would be mayhem in the country. But, thanks to the wise decision taken by Nana Addo and his team, this country is still one unit.

Whilst thanking the NPP flagbearer for enhancing our democracy, the third year anniversary must also be used to take stock of what led to the petition in the first place, and what must be done to avoid the past mistakes, by ensuring free, fair and transparent elections.

This position has already been strengthened by Nana Addo himself, in a statement which we have reproduced under this very column. Read him:

However, it must be pointed out that the sanctity of the ballot is, and must, be supreme. It is the expression of preference involved in the casting of the ballot that is sacred  the rest of the activities are, at best, administrative exercises. The count, the collation, the transmission and the declaration of results cannot, and should not, be more important than the sacred, God-given right of a citizen expressing his or her choice, represented by the casting of his or her ballot.

The strength of any democracy is very much determined by the credibility of its electoral system. It is in our collective interest that we ensure that the rules and regulations for the conduct of elections are fair and transparent, and that we all develop respect for them. There should be no lingering questions about the legitimacy of an election, and the winning candidate, at the end of the process, should receive the unalloyed support of all. That is how we can strengthen our democracy, and the peace and stability of our nation.

It is an undeniable fact that the opposition leader has hit the nail right on the head, and it is the duty of the Election Commission (EC), all the stakeholders, including the media, to ensure that the December poll is conducted in a fair and firm manner, so that both the victor and the vanquish would accept the outcome in good faith. The police must also ensure that anyone who tries to circumvent the rules, which could lead to the undermining of the final results, is arrested and made to face the full rigours of the law.

Ghana is a peaceful country with an excellent democratic practice, at least, when measured by the standard in Africa. All Ghanaians, therefore, have the civic duty of protecting the ballot to rekindle the hope the international community has in the country that our democracy has come of age.
French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday that talks on Britain exiting the European Union had to be concluded by 2019 and that the decision to leave the bloc was irreversible.

"This choice means that Britain, once it leaves, cannot take part in European decisions. It will not be able to access the single market unless it accepts the four freedoms, all its regulation and budgetary solidarity," Hollande told an annual gathering of French ambassadors.

He said British Prime Minister Theresa May had tough decisions to take and that she needed time, but that she could not wait on triggering exit talks.

"It would neither be good for Britain not acceptable for Europe. For France, everything must be concluded by 2019," he said.

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The African Union Commission (AUC) is hosting the Ninth Pan African Meeting of Directors of Veterinary Vaccine Laboratories, which kicked off on 29th August 2016, in Antananarivo, Madagascar. The main objective of the three day workshop is to review the reports from African Union Member States vaccine production laboratories, on the status of vaccine production on the continent, achievements and limitations so far.

Speaking at the opening ceremony H.E. Professor Marie Monique Rasoazananera, Madagascars Minister of High Education and Scientific Research, highlighted the situation of international and regional trade on the continent. We must protect our livestock against the introduction of new animal diseases, with the economic and social consequences that implies. We need to work together to prevent the spread of certain communicable disease, such as the foot and mouth disease that is currently present in some of the neighbouring islands of the Indian Ocean, she urged.

The Minister also acknowledged the opportunity presented by the ninth AU-PANVAC directors meeting to strengthen the partnership between countries through this important African network.

In her welcome remarks H.E. Mrs. Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, AUC also stressed the serious constraint of livestock sector development in Africa due to the burden of other infectious animal diseases, like Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP), Rift Valley Fever (RVF), African Swine Fever (ASF) and many others, which are threatening to dwarf the monumental strides made and efforts being put into livestock development in Africa. According to her, animal diseases constantly reduce Africas capacity to achieve self-sufficiency in food proteins to assure livestock owners welfare, and continue to pose significant impediments to national, regional and international trade in livestock and livestock products. In Africa these diseases alone cause annual losses estimated at US$4 billion. Using quality assured vaccines is one sure way of controlling these diseases, she added.

Mrs Tumusiime noted the particular attention that the African Union Commission pays to the continent-wide programmes run under its three technical offices; AU-PANVAC, AU-PATTEC and AU-IBAR for livestock health and development as part of its contribution not only to regional and international trade but also towards a food secure and poverty free Africa. Indeed, livestock forms part of the priorities under the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programmee (CAADP) which, is the strategic framework and process for increased agricultural production, productivity, as well as food and nutrition security on the continent, she said.

The Commissioner also underscored the contribution of the meeting towards the Growth and Transformation of Agenda 2063 and the realization of the Malabo Declaration. (The Commissioners full statement is available on www.au.int).

Mr. Louis Muhigirwa, Programmee Officer and Deputy Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Madagascar, assured the meeting of FAO support to the countries and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) within the framework of its mandate. He also reiterated FAOs collaboration in the implementation of the Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) world eradication programme, which was adopted during the 39th ministerial conference of FAO in June 1015.

The three-day workshop is expected to deliberate on AU-PANVAC achievements during the last two years (2014 and 2015) on vaccine quality control and biological reagents production, as well as presentations from Member States, partners and stakeholders. It will make recommendations on major issues concerning the quality of vaccines used to control livestock diseases in Africa; as well as strengthen collaboration between AU-PANVAC and its stakeholders.
After a long and stressful day gallivanting from one tourist spot to another at any of the amazing destinations like Lagos , Calabar amongst others in Nigeria, you will be glad to arrive at your hotel and jump on your bed to sleep.

This is what most people will do especially when they arrive at their hotels in the evening. It is not advisable to simply flop down on your bed without checking or doing anything. This action may affect your health and your safety. Jumia Travel , Africas No 1 hotel booking portal shares 6 things you must do when you arrive at your hotel room for the first time.

Sanitize your room

Remember that you are not the only one using that hotel room. Several people have slept in the room who have different levels of hygiene. Off course, you expect any hotel to have very clean and decent rooms. However, do not conclude. It is better to wipe down remote controls, switches, and even doorknobs.

Remove the bedspread

The bedspread or comforter is one of the most used things you will find in a hotel. The high budget hotels make it a point of duty to change their bedspread intermittently while the small budget barely replaces them. If you feel uncomfortable using such a bedspread, you can remove before you sleep.

Assess the amenities

You should also check the available amenities in your hotel room so that you know what you need. After this is done, you can then call the reception to request for the other things you desire. This will prevent avoidable runaround especially when you are leaving the next day.

Examine the fire escape route

You do not pray for a blaze in your hotel room. But it is safer to still check the fire escape route, peradventure there is a fire outbreak. You are just being proactive.

Hiding spots

Hiding spots are easy places to hide unsavory items. You will not know this but before you let your guard down you should check. You may probably find something gruesome or an intruder. It is better safe than sorry.

Check for bedbugs

Bedbugs are very difficult to see. They can simply escape when disturbed. Hence, thoroughly scrutinize your mattress and bed frame in order to eliminate these bedbugs.
Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) President, Affail Monney, has been accused of failing to consult his other executives in settling on the winner of the 2015 GJA Journalist of the Year, a move that disregards the recommendations of the award committee.

The chairpersons of the Central and Western Region, Moses Dotsey Koblah Aklorbortu say the Vice-President, General Secretary, Treasurer, Organizing Secretary and the Public Relations Officer were kept in the dark about the choice of Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

Expressing disappointment in Affail Monney, the statement said it is sad to note that, the president took the decision to decide who becomes the journalist of the year, without discussing with the other five members of his team at the national level.

Investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas was adjudged the 2015 GJA Journalist of the Year at a ceremony last week-end in Accra. Anas was recognised for his unprecedented expose in which judges were filmed collecting bribes. His work has led to the sacking of some High court judges.

The two chairpersons say while Anas is a 'good choice' the lack of consultation undermines the other leaders of the Association.

Below is the full statement

Western & Central Regions of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA)

August 29, 16

Dear Sir or Madam:

We, members of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in the Western and Central zones wish to express concerns over some fallouts from the 21st GJA awards ceremony and leadership challenges in the Association.

We first of all would like to state that the GJA still remains an independent group of professional journalists with a common purpose and interest and not an appendage of any individual, group or organisation connected to it.

Recent developments, actions and the leadership style of the President, Mr. Roland Affail Monney has made the Association unattractive in recent times.

Perennial rancor

The Association's AGMs are flawed with omissions, inaccuracies, shortcomings and other administrative lapses that should not be said of an Association that seeks to 'right the wrong'. This is because the President has failed to lead his team.

Every award since Mr. Monney took office, come with controversies that did not augur well for members. He takes unilateral decisions in most critical issues that made companies shy away from the Association because they do not know if we are political, neutral or embedded.

His posture and alacrity at which he pushes the Association to the corridors of power and money are unacceptable. Some of these decisions have to do with the sponsorship of the Associations awards and which entrant becomes the journalist of the year among others.

Sponsorship by the highest bidder

It is important to note that, many companies have vowed never to support the GJA again because of the way the President operates and many journalists have also vowed not to be members.

In the 2014 awards, the GJA took money from Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to be the lead sponsors of the associations awards.

Just as the team from GNPC arrived to take position, the lead sponsor was changed to Ideal Finance who promised to train journalists.

In his address in 2014, Mr. Monney said Ideal Finance had come up with gargantuan amount to support the association, in this day and age, we have a donor who donates cars to the association.

Again in 2015 awards after smoking the peace pipe with GNPC, he threw their GH150,000.00 sponsorship package through the window and later asked them to become co-sponsors.

GNPC declined and went away with their money then came the Ideal moment for the president and Ideal finance to unleash their products on us and our invited guest.

For pride & lost of citations

It should be on record that we are not in for money from any company, if they choose to support, so be, it but not being given the chance to support and hijacking what could be the loveliest ceremony to reward excellence.

The awards committee after their hard work, made recommendations and also took time to write citations for each category.

But because the lead sponsor have given us cars, the president of the association in haste to be seen as a celebrity for being the first to have given cars to journalists allowed the lead sponsors financial products to be announced instead of reading the citations.

The 21 Awards entries came with special works in all the categories that won the award such as My baby my Farm, Poison in the calabash, Locked and forgotten, among others.

The awards would have been complete if the citations accompanying the stories were read, instead of the products of the lead sponsor.

As journalists, we are proud to quote John Muir a Scottish-American naturalist, author, and an advocate who said hidden in the glorious wildness like unmined gold, therefore we cannot sell ourselves for free like that.

Therefore, as journalists, our focus should be on what changes society, the unmined gold not the financial gains by selling the association to the highest bidder.

Journalist of the Year

It is sad to note that, the president took the decision to decide who becomes the journalist of the year, without discussing with the other five members of his team at the national level.

We recall that after a chaotic emergency general meeting, some members picked up information that Mr. Monney wanted to change who becomes the next journalist of the year contrary to what was recommended by the award committee made up of eminent members.

It should be on record that, the President unilaterally threw aside the recommendations of a committee and changed the journalist of the year to Anas without consulting anyone. More so when it was on record that Anas did not enter the awards.

Mr. Monney failed to discuss with his vice, general secretary, treasurer, organizing secretary and the associations public relations officer.

On Friday, August 27, 2016, when the issues started coming up, some regional executives overheard the discussion that Mr. Monney want to switch the overall best award winner to our own brother, Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

After the meeting, the Western Regional Chairman of the association, caught up with him at the main entrance to the building, and questioned him.

His responses were that, No, you know the name of award winners have been announced and the Journalists of the Year is among them and the name is in a sealed enveloped we have not even opened it.

I can assure you that it is not Anas and Anas is nowhere near those recommended for the award, it is therefore sad that, our president fibbed.

It was obvious that Mr. Monneys speech did not focus on the theme, Media for Undisputed and Peaceful 2016 Election: The Support of Civil Society, but rather dwelled on Anas latest work, which is still pending in court just to back his solitary motives. His message in the booklet is different from what he delivered.

Yes Anas, a colleague, a good choice, a committed member of the association with focus on ensuring social justice, but was the decision an informed one from the national executives? No.

Our code of ethics/ Tiger Eye or Anas

We were ashamed when somebody in the audience pointed to me after the awards, that Article 10 Section II of the GJA Code of Ethics, which states, Any report or write-up affecting the reputation of an individual or an organisation without a chance to reply is unfair and must be avoided by journalists.

Mr. GJA President, our questions are: did we award the work of Anas as a director of Tiger Eye, as a company or Anas as an individual member whose report goes to Tiger Eye first?

It was interesting to note that, the representative of Anas said they were surprised to be called to come for award. When they did not even submit an entry and came to the Banquet Hall with a prepared speech.

Today, because of such solitary act on the part of the GJA President, Derys lawyer has threatened action against GJA over Anas Journalist of the Year award.

The lawyer condemned the GJA for awarding the mastermind of the shocking expose that landed his client in trouble and described the act by our noble association as shameful and in contempt of court.

Arise past Presidents

An Akan Proverb says that, when a king has good counselors, his reign is peaceful, but that king must first listen and consult his kinsmen. That is why we call on the past presidents of the association to step in to save the GJA.

After all the GJA has now has only the awards ceremony as the main unifier.

Also there is the need for the current president be cautious in his dealings with other members of the public and should learn to consult widely for consensus; again it is an association and must remain as such.

I will use this opportunity to call on other impeccable past leaders and our senior colleagues of the association the likes of Ransford Tetteh, Madam Adwoa Yeboah Aferi, Kabral Blay Amihere, Madam Gifty Afenyi Dadzie and host of others to call the President of the association to order.

This is because; there is no need to fight now, as a Nigerian Proverb said, In the moment of crisis, the wise build bridges and the foolish build dams.

The President should also do the honorable thing by apologizing to both regional and national executive members and the entire membership of the association. And that should not be a precedent

Signed:

M. Dotsey Koblah Aklorbortu, Chairman-one, Western Region

Alice Tettey Chairwoman for Central Region

Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com
The Ghana Chamber of Mines has called on government to pass a law similar to the Petroleum Revenue Management Act passed to regulate the oil sector.

Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber, Sulemanu Koney, says the law will address the issue of lack of transparency associated with utilization of revenue generated from the sector.

Essentially what we are calling for is more transparency. Weve been mining in this country over a century. Mining is the backbone of the economy. Not long ago we found oil and we found reason to ensure that we have transparency in the utilization and tracking the flow. Is it that oil and gas is important than mining? he quizzed.

Mr Koney disclosed this to Myjoyonline.coms Austin Brakopowers on the sideline of the Zone 3 Safety and First Aid Competition held at Tarkwa under the auspices of Ghana Manganese Company (GMC), Ghana Chamber of Mines and the Minerals Commission.

He cited Tarkwa and Obuasi both mining areas as examples of communities in the country that lack development.

He believes this would not have been the case had government been mindful, judicious and transparent in its use of revenues generated from the sector.

Mr Koney says the refrain has often been how the nation is benefiting from its rich resources because people are not told how the money is used for.

Once you have more sunshine on the utilization of revenue we would be better placed to ensure that they are used judiciously, he said, asking government to show what it has been using the revenue of the nation for.

The money goes through the budget and gets lost without proper documentation, he said.

The resources, he said, are finite and the nation has to be careful of the way they are used.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com
30.08.2016 LISTEN

The EPA issue has once again re-emerged when Tanzania informed EAC Members and the EU that it would not be able to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between EU and the six EAC Member States in early July.

The European Commission reportedly proposed signature of the EAC EPA in Nairobi, on the sidelines of the 14th session of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XIV). This is a major quadrennial event where all UN Member States negotiate guidance for UNCTAD, a UN institution working on trade and development. For the European Commission, it would have been a propitious place for a signature ceremony in order to project the EPA as a trade and development agreement to the benefit of EAC. Yet, the agreement is antithetical to Tanzanias as well as the regions trade and development prospects.

The EPA for Tanzania and the EAC never made much sense. The maths just never added up. The costs for the country and the EAC region would have been higher than the benefits. As a Least Developed Country (LDC), Tanzania already enjoys the Everything but Arms (EBA) preference scheme provided by the European Union I.e. we can already export duty-free and quota-free to the EU market without providing the EU with similar market access terms. If we sign the EPA, we would still get the same duty-free access, but in return, we would have to open up our markets also for EU exports.

Threats to domestic producers and industries

The EPA is a free trade agreement. Tanzania would reduce to zero tariffs on 90% of all its industrial goods trade with the EU i.e. duty-free access on almost all EUs non-agricultural products into the country. Such a high level of liberalisation vis-a-vis a very competitive partner is likely to put our existing local industries in jeopardy and discourage the development of new industries.

Research using trade data shows that Tanzania currently produces and exports on 983 tariff lines (at the HS 6 digit level). (The EU produces and exports on over 5,000 tariff lines). When the EPA is implemented, 335 of the 983 products we currently produce would be protected in the EPAs sensitive list, but 648 tariff lines would be made duty-free. I.e. the existing industries on these 648 tariff lines would have to compete with EUs imports without the protection of tariffs. Will these sectors survive the competition?

These 648 tariff lines  the domestic sectors or industries which are likely to be put at risk include agricultural products (e.g. maize products, cotton seed oil cake); chemical products (e.g. urea, fertilizers); vehicle industry parts (tires); medicaments; intermediate industrial products (e.g. plastic packing material, steel, iron and aluminium articles, wires and cables); parts of machines and final industrial products (e.g. weighing machines, metal rolling mills, drilling machines, transformers, generating sets, prefabricated buildings etc.); parts of machines (parts of gas turbines, parts of cranes, work-trucks, shovels, and other construction machinery, parts of machines for industrial preparation/ manufacturing of food, aircraft parts etc.).

The list does not stop here. Liberalisation (zero tariffs) also applies to the many industrial sectors that Tanzania and the EAC do not yet have existing production /exports  about 3,102 tariff lines for Tanzania.

Threatening Regional Industrialisation and Trade

Statistics show that in fact, for the EAC region, the African market is the primary market for its manufactured exports. In contrast, 91% of its current trade with the EU is made up of primary commodity exports (agricultural products such as coffee, tea, spices, fruit and vegetables, fish, tobacco, hides and skins etc.). Only a minuscule 6% or about $200,000 of EAC exports to the EU is composed of manufactured goods. In contrast, of the total EAC exports to Africa, almost 50% is made up of manufactured exports - about $2.5 billion - according to 2013  2015 data. Of this, $1.5 billion are EAC country exports to other EAC countries.

These figures tell two stories. One, the importance of the African market for EACs aspirations to industrialise. In contrast, the EU market plays almost no role in this. Two, the EAC internal market makes up 60% of EACs manufactured exports to Africa. I.e., the EAC regional market is extremely valuable in supporting EACs industrialisation efforts.

The EPA would threaten this regional industrialisation opportunity that is currently blossoming since most EU manufactured products would enter the EAC market duty-free. Just as our manufactured products are not competitive in the EU market, even though they can be exported duty-free, might it not be the case that when EU manufactured products can come duty-free into the EAC market, EAC manufactured products may also not sell?

The EPA could in fact destroy our economic regional integration efforts. The pains EAC has taken to build a regional market may instead help serve EUs commercial interests by offering the EU one EAC market, rather than ensuring that that market can be accessed by our own producers.

Removing an Important Industrialisation Tool - No New Export Taxes

The other area where the EPA hits the heart of our industrialisation aspirations are its disciplines on export taxes. At the WTO, export taxes are completely legal. The logic of export taxes is to encourage producers to enter into value-added processing, hence encouraging diversification and the upgradation of production capacities. Developed countries themselves had used these policy tools when they were developing.

The EU has a raw materials initiative aimed at accessing non-agricultural raw materials found in other countries. According to the European Commission, securing reliable and unhindered access to raw materials is important for the EU. In the EU, there are at least 30 million jobs depending on the availability of raw materials. In implementing this initiative, the EU has used trade agreements to discipline export taxes. The EPA prohibits signatories from introducing new export taxes or increase existing ones.

For Tanzania and the EAC region with its rich deposits of raw materials including tungsten, cobalt, tantalum etc., such disciplines in the long-run would be incongruent with our objective to industrialise and add value to our resources.

Losing Important Tariff Revenue - Shrinking the Government Coffer

The other area of loss resulting from the EPA is tariff revenue, and the numbers are not small.

Conservative estimates (assuming import growth of 0.9% year on year) show that for the EAC as a whole tariff revenue losses would amount to $251 million a year by the end of the EPAs implementation period Cumulative tariff revenue losses would amount to USD 2.9 billion in the first 25 years of the EPAs life. For Tanzania, the losses based on 20132014 import figures are about $71 million a year by year 25. Cumulatively, just for Tanzania, they come up to $700 million over the first 25 years.

Where is the Promised Development Aid?

EU has made many promises that the EPA would be accompanied by development assistance. Hence the EAC EPA incorporates a Development Matrix containing a list of economic development projects for the EAC. The price tag of implementing this Development Matrix is $70 billion. The Matrix and assistance is to be reviewed every 5 years. For the time-being, the EU has pledged to contribute a paltry $3.49 million, which translates into 0.005% of the total required funds! This is also a far cry from the tariff revenue losses the region faces  the $251 million a year mentioned above.

The EPA to Safeguard Kenyas Flower Industry  A Fair Exchange?

The only area where the EPA is supposed to serve the interest of the EAC is by providing duty-free access to Kenya. As a non-LDC, Kenya does not have duty-free access via the EUs EBA. Kenyas main export item to the EU is flowers  just over $500 Million a year. Without the EPA, Kenyans flowers would be charged a 10% customs duty. There are other Kenyan exports also vegetables, fruit, fish - that will face tariffs. However, the flower industry has thus far been the most vocal. Nevertheless, all in all, Kenyan exports to the EU market (including the UK) amounts to about $1.5 billion. If no EPA is signed, the extra duties charged to Kenyan exports amounts to about $100 million a year. Is this worth signing an EPA for? The avoidance of duties of $100 million? The tariff revenue losses as the EPA is implement (and more tariff lines are liberalised) would be comparable. This does not even include the tariff revenue losses of the other EAC LDCs, nor the challenges posed to domestic / regional industries.

In addition, the Brexit development is further reason for the region to pause and reconsider. The UK is a major export market for Kenya, absorbing 28% of Kenyas exports to the EU. This reduces the EPAs supposed benefits by a quarter for Kenya.

There is a possible solution for Kenya  to apply for the EUs Generalised System of Preferences Plus scheme (GSP+). Under this, almost all of Kenyas current exports could enter EU duty-free including flowers and fish. This option could be explored. Alternatively all EAC countries would do well to attempt to diversify production and exports away from primary commodities towards value-added products, and also to diversify our export destinations.

Africa is a critical market for EACs manufactured goods. Regional integration and trade is the most promising avenue for EACs industrial development. The EPA would derail us from that promise.

Fig 1 : Total EAC exports

Fig 2 : EAC manufactured exports

Fig 3 : Composition of EAC exports to EU and EAC exports to Africa

Primary commodities excluding fuels are:

0 - Food and live animals

00 - Live animals other than animals of division 03

01 - Meat and meat preparations

02 - Dairy products and birds' eggs

03 - Fish (not marine mammals), crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic invertebrates, and preparations thereof

04 - Cereals and cereal preparations

05 - Vegetables and fruit

06 - Sugars, sugar preparations and honey

07 - Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices, and manufactures thereof

08 - Feeding stuff for animals (not including unmilled cereals)

09 - Miscellaneous edible products and preparations






From Michael Boateng, Sunyani

A Sunyani-based Private Legal Practitioner, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, has brought a suit against the Attorney-General questioning the legality of the president's decision to remit the sentence of the Montie 3.

As promised earlier, Lawyer Tuah-Yeboah threatened to file a suit at the Supreme Court if the President granted the Montie 3 remission or pardon, and true to his words he has filed a suit at the Supreme Court on the remission of sentence granted to the Montie 3 with title ALFRED TUAH YEBOAH VRS ATTORNEY GENERAL with Suit no.,j1/21/2016.

Alfred Tuah-Yeboah is praying the Supreme Court for a declaration that upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 72 of the 1992 Constitution, the president's power of prerogative of mercy is limited to convictions 'for criminal offences' and does not include convictions for contempt arising from the inherent jurisdiction of the court under Article 126(2) of the 1992 Constitution and ones initiated by private persons.

Or in the alternative; a declaration that upon a true and proper construction and / or interpretation of Article 72 of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, the power of the President to exercise prerogative of mercy is limited to criminal convictions and convictions from contempt proceedings initiated by the Attorney General of the Republic of Ghana only.

The lawyer is also praying the Supreme Court for a declaration that the grant of remission of sentence to Godwin Ako Gunn, Alistair Nelson and Salifu Maase alias Mugabe who were sentenced to four months imprisonment by the Court in July this year based on its own inherent jurisdiction under Article 126(2) of the 1992 Constitution for contempt is contrary to Article 72 and 296(c) of the 1992 Constitution and, therefore, void and of no legal effect.

Mr. Tuah-Yebaoh again is praying for an order of the Supreme Court reversing the remission of the sentence which was granted to the three persons mentioned supra and the said convicts be made to serve the remaining prison terms.

The lawyer filed a statement of his case together with the writ based on Rule 46 of C.I 16, stating, The Rules of this Court in an action of this nature require a plaintiff who has invoked the original jurisdiction of the Court to file a statement of his/her case together with the writ or is to file the statement of case within 14 days after filing the writ.

However, in view of the urgency of this matter and the implication it has on the administration of justice in Ghana, I have elected to comply with that part of the rules which permit me to file the plaintiff's statement of case together with the writ, he explained.

Mr. Tuah-Yeboah stated that the case in this matter is anchored on two grounds namely (i) The invocation of the Court's original jurisdiction under Article 2(1) (b) of the constitution, and (ii) The invocation of the Court's original jurisdiction under Article 130 (1)(a) of the 1992 Constitution of the republic of Ghana.

Per the facts and particulars relied upon by the Plaintiff , on July 27, 2016, the Supreme Court sentenced Godwin Ako Gunn, Alistair Nelson and Salifu Maase, alias Mugabe (hereinafter called the contemnors) to four months prison sentence for contempt. In addition they were fined GHC10, 000 each. The fines have since been paid.

However, pursuant to this sentence, series of events took place. Firstly, the contemnors petitioned the president of the Republic of Ghana to exercise his prerogative of mercy on them.

The said petition was signed by various persons including ministers of state and subsequently this petition was sent to the President of the republic of Ghana, his Excellency John Dramani Mahama.

The president on receipt of this petition, through his chief of staff forwarded it to the Council of State for their advice as part of the constitutional process under Article 72 of the 1992 Constitution.

His Excellency the President in consultation with the Council of State on Monday, 22/8/16, issued a statement through the communication Minister, granting remission of sentence to the contemnors commencing from 26/8/16.

The contemnors have since 26/8/16 been released from prison pursuant to the remission granted on 22/8/16.

With the facts recited and the particulars thereof, as relied upon, in this case, it is my respectful view that the attendance and examination of witness is not necessary since the issues are of legal nature Mr. Tuah-Yebaoh stated.

The main question for determination is this suit is whether or not upon true proper interpretation of Article 72 of the 1992 constitution, contempt falls within the offences for which the president can exercise his power of prerogative of mercy and if so whether the President did exercise the power in accordance with Article 296 of the 1992 constitution.


By Richard Kofi Attenkah

Parliament would on Thursday, commence a process to investigate any malfeasance or impropriety on the part of President John Dramani Mahama for accepting a Ford Expedition vehicle as a gift from a Burkinabe contractor.

The Speaker, Edward Doe Adjaho, has already directed that Members of Parliament (MPs) should return to the House on Thursday, without necessarily disclosing the agenda for the sitting to the public.

Information available to The Chronicle indicates that more than 100 minority NPP MPs signed a proposal submitted to the Speaker, praying him to recall members from recess to commence the process to probe the president over the car gift.

This was after Joy News' investigative reporter, Manasseh Awuni Azure broke a story a couple of months ago that, Djibril Kanazoe, the Burkinabe contractor, confirmed to him (Manasseh) during his investigation of the story that, he gave the Ford Exhibition vehicle to President Mahama, through Ghana's Ambassador to Burkina Faso.

The Burbinabe, who described the President as a friend, is the contractor behind the controversial $650,000 Ghana Embassy wall in Burkina Faso, which was flagged by Parliament's Public Account Committee (PAC).

Article 69 (1) of the 1992 Constitution states that The President shall be removed from office if he is found, in accordance with the provisions of this article 

(a) to have acted in willful violation of the oath of allegiance and the presidential oath set out in the Second Schedule to, or in willful violation of any other provision of this Constitution; or

(b) to have conducted himself in a manner  (i) which brings or is likely to bring the high office of President into disrepute, ridicule or contempt; or (ii) prejudicial or inimical to the economy or the security of the State;

Speaking in a telephone interview with The Chronicle yesterday, Kyei Mensah Bonsu, Minority Leader in Parliament, said it is a process Parliament is setting in motion to probe whether the President was engaged in any form of malfeasance or impropriety, when he received the Ford Exhibition vehicle as a gift.

He stated: At this stage, I don't want to talk about impeachment: we are not there yet. I would like to refer to it as a process to investigate the conduct of the president. At this stage it is not impeachment.

But, I will hesitate to say that the purpose of this proceeding is not to humiliate the president, but see whether or not what has been done can become a legal point for us as a nation.

It becomes a national milestone to avoid, in the process to expand the horizon of our democratic governance. That is what we are seeking to do. It's not to humiliate the president, or to stigmatize him, and that is why we want to have a platform to build consensus on this, he explained.

According to him, after the Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) had heard the case from officials of the Auditor General's Department, the minority side developed interest and submitted a proposal to the Speaker of Parliament.

He continued that the proposal was on the back burner for a while, because Our orders provide for the Speaker to admit or not to admit such proposals.

So it was on the back burner for a long time and we kept reminding the Speaker about it, unfortunately he couldn't deal with it, until we rose for recess and the only recourse left to us is what we are doing.

He elucidated that they derived their powers to compel the Speaker to call for the hearing of the proposal from Article 112, clause 3 of the 1992 constitution.

Article 112 Clause 3 states: Notwithstanding, any other provision of this article, fifteen percent of Members of Parliament may request a meeting of Parliament; and the Speaker shall, within seven days after the receipt of the request, summon Parliament.

The clause 4 continued: Subject to the clause (2) of article 113 of this constitution, a general election of Members of Parliament shall be held within thirty days before the expiration of the period specified in clause (1) of that article; and a session of Parliament shall be appointed to commence within fourteen days after the expiration of that period.
From Issah Alhassan, Kumasi

A MEMBER of the Ashanti Regional Communication Team of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Godwin Bobobi, has accused executives of the party in the region of sleeping on their duties and rather engaging in immoral acts of chasing girls and drinking.

According to the NDC Communication Member, executives of the party are only interested in their positions, but not the duties associated with them, adding that instead of concentrating on their core duties, they are busily grabbing ladies and drinking expensive wines. Godwin Bobobi, who made the statement on Silver FM Breakfast show, when enumerating challenges facing him and his colleagues, said the lackadaisical attitude of most of the executives could spell doom for the party in the upcoming elections.

The NDC Communicators ranting follows similar complaints by some of his colleagues about the poor service conditions and failure on the part of the party hierarchy to address them, despite several appeals. According to him, though they (communicators) were bent on working to ensure that the NDC and President Mahama succeed in the agenda to win one million votes in the Ashanti Region, the attitude of top executives has become great disincentive to some of them.

He indicated that apart from three or four of them who are working and, therefore, have the means of livelihood, the rest of his colleagues are jobless and, therefore, find it difficult to bear the cost of having to move from one station to another.

Our party executives are not working; about 90% of them engage in chasing girls and breaking bottles. How can we succeed with such attitude, He told host of the show, Oheneba Asiedu. Members of the NDC Regional Communication Team were on record at the beginning of the year to have threatened to lay down their tools because of the refusal by the party and government to address their basic needs, including monthly stipends and transportation allowances. When contacted, the Regional Communication Officer, Sammed Akalilu, said he had listened to the tape and that it sounds like the voice of his subordinate  Godwin Bobobi. According to him, he shares all the sentiments expressed by Godwin, except that of NDC executives chasing women and drinking. According to him, though the ruling party wants to maintain power, it does not value the importance of communication. He alleged that a Pick Up vehicle given to the party to aid its campaign in the Ashanti Region has been locked up in a room, because the party hierarchy in the region feels it is below their standard to use such a vehicle.
The risk taken by Anas Aremeyaw Anas to expose the rot in the judiciary, which he titled 'Justice for sale' has been rewarded with the prestigious Ghana Journalist of the year for 2015 and a Hyundai SUV sport vehicle donated by Ideal Finance.

This year's award is the second time that the editor of the New Crusading Guide has received recognition from the GJA.

Group Ideal's desire to take journalism to the next level motivated them to give another vehicle, a Hyundai saloon car to the Best Financial Journalist of the year, which Elvis Darko, editor of Business Finder won.

The GJA awards held on Saturday, 27 August, 2016, was under the theme -media for undisputed and peaceful 2016 election: the support for civil society, was chaired by Osagyefo Oseadeayo Agyeman Badu II, Dormaahene.

The Dormaahene, counting on the successes the media had chalked to promote democracy in the country, however, regretted that some of the news outlets are running away from their core mandate of truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, fairness and public-accountability.

He said in order for Ghana to have a balanced society, the media must purge itself of the quagmire of bias, unfairness and insults.

According to him, for the country to continue to enjoy free, fair and transparent elections, the media role as watchdog must be exhibited at all fronts for a peaceful December 7 elections.

Since information is power, Osagyefo Oseadeayo Agyeman Badu II entreated media practitioners to help the populace understand the political parties' ideologies and the social and economic programmes for them.

He also called on political parties to engage in healthy competition devoid of insults and attacks, saying: It is in this regard that I wish to appeal to all Ghanaians, especially the media, to accord these people with the greatest respect and decorum that they deserve in order to avoid any insults, innuendos capable of demeaning the very high office they reliable agents who would ensure transparency in the election process.

He called on government to intensify measures to stop the operation of illegal mining known as galamasy in the local parlance, as it had populated major water bodies and destroyed farmlands in the country.

To promote job creation for the people, Osagyefo Oseadeayo Agyeman Badu II urged Ghanaians to patronize goods made in the country.

The EC Boss

The guest speaker for the occasion, Mrs. Charllote Osei, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) said Ghana as a country had had many elections which no doubt had helped the media to move from just reporting on election results to setting agenda on elections, and ensuring free, fair and transparent elections.

She said the media role as fourth estate of realm ensured that the electoral management body acted according to law and laid down functions to provide a level playing field for all political parties.

She noted that civil society counts on the media to make informed choices on the elections and that it behooves on media men to report accurately.

Mrs. Charllote Osei pleaded with the media not to trivialize issues that would undermine the electoral process and roles played by public officers, adding we live in situation where media unfairness, media excesses, media recklessness are rampant and worry to large majority of our citizenry.

The GJA President

The president of GJA, Dr. Affail Monney said the association had introduced new intensified code of ethics to check and raise the bar of professionalism of members.

He said other plans are far in advance to improve journalist condition of service and after they have retired from active service.

He used the opportunity to appeal to politicians to 'avoid acidic tongues that would lead journalist into temptation.

The Minister of communication

Dr. Edward Omane-Boamah, Minister of Communication also pleaded with media not to use their platform to inflame passion of the people and attacks on public officials.

He appealed to the electronic media houses to acquire delay broadcast transmitters so that they could check contents before it was aired.

He, however, assured journalist that the government had plans that would improve media operations in the country.

GJA Lead sponsor, Group Ideal

The president of Group Ideal, Dr Nii Kotei Dzane said the financial company was supporting GJA awards with two luxurious vehicles not because it had nothing to do with the cars, but it was due to the importance it attaches to the journalism profession.

He said no nation can thrive without information and that it is the work of the journalists that would make institutions and the economy of the county grow.

Dr. Nii Kotei Dzane promised to introduce two new categories of awards in the subsequent years.



Centre 2nd


30.08.2016 LISTEN

By 1996 estimation, Andrew Carnegie was reputedly worth $189.6 billion dollars. That bulk was as well estimated to be the second largest fortune ever acquired by anyone. But he reasoned that if he died that wealthy, he would have died a disgraced man. It was why he gave away a third of that wealth ahead of his death. Think of Carnegie Mellon University, Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Hall, Carnegie Foundation, and youll think of a man with outliving legacies.

His thoughts on giving was perhaps fancied by latter-day super-rich, namely Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Ted Turner, Mike Bloomberg and Warren Buffet, who are all committing fifty percent of their wealth to charity.

The US apart, a recent estimate posted 1.77 billion pounds as the total from angel givers in that country. Christopher Hohn, Tom Hunter, Lord Sainsbury, David and Heather Stevens, Peter Cruddas and Anthony DAffay, amongst some others, lead the pack of givers in the UK, having practically fulfilled or are fulfilling promises that the bulk of their wealth would go the way of charity. Nearer home, South Africas Francis Van Niekeuk, Jay Naidoo, Cyril Ramaphosa and Mark Shuttleworth are reputed to be some of the greatest givers. And in Nigeria, Theophilous Yakubu Danjuma, Mike Adenuga, Jr, Aliko Dangote and Emeka Offor have since caught the giving bug.

Point is, the art of giving has not only become entrenched in societies where capitalism, whether pure or prebendal, have been entrenched. Granted that wealth accumulation is a free desire in these systems, only the fittest seem to always survive, and probably triumph over others. Reasons around hardwork, luck, and inheritance often account for the disparities, but the thought to give back to the deprived majority eventually features in the consciences of the victorious few. Some holy books prioritise giving. Hear them: Give and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you, so the Bible says in Luke 6: 38. Surely the men and women who give in charity and give to Allah a goodly loan, they shall receive double and for them is a noble reward. The Holy Quran also says in 57:18.

Not many rich givers might have been inspired by these books. After all, John Holme once told us that There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up. And when we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed, so Maya Angelou said in her contributions to the giving debates. Those last two views are not necessarily directly from the scriptures, but the same meanings are shared, eventually expanding understanding on the virtue of giving. Importantly, the rich often times seem wont to giving, instead of leaving or reserving the excesses for their lineages, because of the positive pulls to so do, in the midst of deprivations.

Having just being honoured at a recent elaborate ceremony in Abuja as Rotary International First Polio Ambassador in Nigeria, Emeka Offors identity as a giver of note was somewhat unveiled, ultimately exemplifying one, or two of the motives behind giving. That significantly departed from the old recognition of the man as a kingmaker, who pulls strings behind thrones. It took away, and perhaps permanently, the businessmans image as a throttle presser that does not mind whose ox is gored. And gradually, his hot political sides are being overwhelmed by the dimension of the philanthropist.

The businessman had doled out $1million to Rotarys Polio Plus Program, in aid of the Global Polio Eradication Innitiative (GPEI). That sum was the second of such gesture from the charitable billionaire. He was in 2012 said to have also given $250,000 to Rotarys Polio Plus Program. Petina Dixon-Jenkins reported that, Offor in February 2013 contributed $250,000 in support of Rotary initiatives to enhance maternal and child health and another $250,000 for education and literacy projects. Besides, In October 2012, Offor contributed $250,000 in support of Rotarys peace and conflict resolution studies. The gift provides support for students from Nigeria and other African countries who attend the Rotary Peace Center at Chulalongkom University in Bangkok, Thailand. The Center offers a three month professional development certificate in peace and conflict studies to approximately fifty peace fellows annually.

We were also told that working in league with US based Books for Africa (BFA), the man with humble beginnings has through his foundation brought in over I million books, computers, and school items to Nigerian and other African countries. His educational empowerment project totalling $14million will eventually become the largest single contribution to schools in Africa. And back to the health sector, the business mogul in also in the fight against glaucoma, where he has established a $100,000 glaucoma research grant at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Mainz, Germany, and has established a Nigerian fellowship for cataract Surgery and Glaucoma Management.

And at home, Offor is as well towing the beaten path. Like Holme said, he chose to exercise his heart by lending a hand to widows through his foundation. Women cooperatives have been developed to train participants towards economic independence. They are tutored in many money making skills, including palm kernel oil processing for sale, acquisition of tailoring and hairdressing skills and in the management of different small scale businesses.

Youths are also being empowered through innovative transportation concerns that include commercial buses and taxis. Micro finance grants and loans have been provided to the youths for motorcycle purchases, while participants are given technical assistance in the area of business management. Guest at the recent event were also told how the foundation has been involved in many community infrastructural projects. This comprise of digging wells to provide potable water, enhancing the health of local communities, and sharply reducing water-borne morbidity among infants. In addition The foundation has also paved an access road in Offors home village of Oraifite to decrease the isolation of this rural community.

Beyond books for educational institutions, the businessman further showed he has keyed into Thomas Fullers words that learning makes a man fit for himself, by going an extra mile to ensure youths are truly fit for the self. While Offor notes that without education the people cannot create their own solutions, he has been in the business of building model schools and classrooms, furnishing them with Internet and other up-to-date equipments. Scholarships are also been provided to the economically disadvantaged, with over 120 grants thus far. First class graduands amongst beneficiaries are instantly provided with a car and then employed in his burgeoning company.

The soft spoken son of a policeman told an interviewer that his passion for philanthropy was triggered by his humble backgrounds, adding up to his desire to uplift people and make them independent and self-sufficient. This is further to the position that he feels that there must be something in my power to do, some impact I can make, something I can contribute to help remedy the situation (poverty). For him, A candle losses nothing by lighting another candle. The problem of poverty is not unique to Nigeria alone. The answer to the question of wealth creation and distribution has always been the creation of value.

The man who sits atop the Chrome Group, spanning the diverse areas of Oil and Gas, Finance and Investments, Telecommunications, Insurance, Maritime Destination Inspection, Real Estate and the Power Sector assures that more heroic and focussed leadership is still to come from him, especially through his foundation. And to boot Our nation Nigeria is blessed with abundant human and natural resources. Our faith is first and foremost in the Nigerian people. I am fully convinced that if given the same opportunities, our local talent can compete with the best there is anywhere in the world. He added We as a nation are a talented and resourceful people, and once our new intakes come in and embrace the strong work ethic of the group, and imbibe our can-do mentality, there is no limit to what we can achieve.

Okey Ikechukwu (Thisday, July 2nd, 2013) sees the unveiling of Offors philanthropic sides as a Metamorphosis. That seems apt in the sense in which he perceptively mutated from being a hand that rocks the cradle to that of the angel giver. It is even more complete to add that he barely showcased Zygmund Baumans thoughts on shifting identities in the mould of the desert quicksand. But the breadth is rewarding when it is good, as the altruistic side of Offor has shown.

Congratulations, Ambassador Emeka Offor.

*Adeniyi is a media consultant
The United States and India pledged on Tuesday to deepen security and commercial ties at the start of an annual U.S.-India strategic dialogue in which tension with Pakistan over the disputed Kashmir region will also be discussed.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker led the U.S. delegation in talks with senior Indian government officials in the capital New Delhi.

"It couldn't come at a more important moment," Kerry said in his opening remarks.

"In both sectors, security and economics, we have room to be able to further grow, and to expand our two-way trade and investment, but also to resolve our security problems in doing that."

Kerry cited cyber-security and energy as areas where both countries could expand cooperation. He said the sides had reached an understanding on financing to help India meet its ambitious renewable energy targets.

"Our plate between our two nations is as full now as it has ever been," added Kerry, who was attending the second Strategic and Commercial Dialogue that will also be the last of the Barack Obama presidency.

India's Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj, said she hoped the next U.S. president would continue the dialogue that also seeks inputs from companies, which this year included e-commerce giant Amazon and wireless technology firm Qualcomm.

India is keen to attract foreign investment to back Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make in India" initiative while foreign investors are keen for reassurance that Asia's third-largest economy is becoming an easier place to do business.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley briefed U.S. CEOs on a planned Goods and Services Tax that the government hopes to introduce next year and would transform the market of 1.3 billion people into a single market for the first time.

Kashmir Tensions

In a meeting with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval earlier, Kerry discussed regional security challenges in South Asia, as well counter-terrorism efforts, said U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner.

A senior U.S. official said Kerry would urge Modi in a meeting on Wednesday to open talks with neighbouring Pakistan to resolve tension over Indian-ruled Kashmir.

Kashmir is at the centre of a decades-old rivalry between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, which also rules its northern part and backed an insurgency in the late 1980s and 1990s that Indian security forces largely crushed.

Dozens of people have been killed in violent protests in Kashmir since July 8, when security forces killed a field commander of Pakistan-based Islamist militant group who enjoyed widespread support in the Muslim-majority region.

Modi has said India will not bow to terrorism and accused Pakistan of glorifying it in his annual Independence Day speech on Aug. 15, in which he also raised the rhetorical stakes by highlighting concerns about human rights in restive regions of Pakistan.

New Delhi has rejected Pakistan's invitation to hold talks on the future of Jammu and Kashmir, India's northernmost state, saying it is an integral part of the nation. It also says any talks should address cross-border terrorism in Indian-ruled Kashmir - something Pakistan denies any role in.

"We have a long-standing policy of encouraging and advocating for great dialogue between the two countries on addressing areas of difference, and that continues to be our position," a senior U.S. official said before the talks.

"But we have also underscored that combating terrorism is a high priority for the United States in its bilateral relations with all of the countries in the region," the official added.

Afghanistan would also be discussed, the official said, amid closer ties between India and Afghanistan, which is likely to aggravate fears in Pakistan of being wedged between two hostile neighbours.

India has provided a little over $2 billion in economic assistance to Afghanistan in the last 15 years and said recently it would deliver more arms to Afghanistan.

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Tripoli (AFP) - Libyan pro-government forces said they were advancing Tuesday against the last remaining holdout of Islamic State jihadists in Sirte as part of an operation to "liberate" the entire coastal city.

"Our forces are advancing inside parts of district Number Three where the Daesh remnants are entrenched," the media centre of the campaign said in a statement, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

It came shortly after Reda Issa, a spokesman for the loyalist forces, said pro-GNA fighters were preparing for the last battle.

"Preparations to liberate the entire city are ongoing today and we expect the situation to be resolved in a very short time," Issa told AFP.

The forces loyal to the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord launched an offensive more than three months ago to drive IS from Sirte, and they have been backed by US air raids for almost a month.

After capturing most of the city including IS's central headquarters earlier this month, loyalist forces have cornered the jihadists in one last district further tightening the noose on the Muslim extremists.

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.

On Sunday at least 38 pro-GNA forces were killed and 185 wounded in clashes with the jihadists after the loyalist fighters announced the "final battle" to retake the whole of Sirte.

By Monday night they had routed jihadists from district Number One in the north of the city with Issa telling AFP: "The price was costly but they liberated it."

Medical sources said at least 10 pro-GNA fighters were killed in Monday's fighting.

Loyalists have said they have poured 1,000 fighters in the offensive launched at the weekend.

More than 400 loyalist fighters have been killed and nearly 2,500 wounded in the battle for Sirte since May, medical sources say.

IS took advantage of the chaos in oil-rich Libya after the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed Kadhafi and seized Sirte in June 2015, hoisting their black flag above the city.
Volta File

From Samuel Agbewode

A 63 year old retired Civil Servant, Mr. Eric Tetteh, has called on civil servants to invest in agriculture, especially cocoa farming, which would serve as the foundation for a better life when they finally retire from government work.

He further cautioned them against depending on government work until they retire.

Mr. Tetteh observed that many people retired from government work, only to start a new life full of hardship, due to lack of planning towards their retirement period.

They only depended on their salaries without investing in any lucrative business such as cocoa farming, to enable them to lead healthier and economically viable life.

The 63 year old man, who retired as a civil servant from the Ghana Cocoa Board, said it was time civil servants prepare adequately towards the future, stressing that he (Mr. Tetteh), as soon as he was employed in the government sector, he bought farmland, where he went into cocoa cultivation, and as at the time he went on retirement, he could boast of 10 acres, which generates income for him in addition to his salary.

Speaking to the media at Akpafu-Kokoame, where his 10 acres of cocoa farm is located, he said farming should be seen as a serious business, which was more lucrative than any other activity, with its additional health benefits.

He stated that saying cocoa farming seemed to be more economically viable than any other work, and encouraged those in the government sector to invest in agriculture to enable them to live a more comfortable life upon retirement.

Mr. Tetteh said, even though he initially started benefitting from the proceeds of his cocoa farm, he had recognised that it served a more important purpose for him after retirement, by helping him address economic and health needs.

He noted that without active involvement in agriculture, which served as major income generation after retirement, life would have been more difficult.

Mr. Tetteh who was a Chief Technical Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board, stressed that there is money in the soil, but many people did not want to get money through farming, and appealed to the youth to embrace agriculture.

He noted that the country was endowed with fertile land, but unfortunately, the willingness to use the land to help transform the socioeconomic wellbeing of the people was lacking, which had contributed to the increasing youth unemployment situation in the country.

He suggested that the only way to address the unemployment challenges was to make agriculture more attractive to the youth.

Mr. Tetteh continued that though the government was supporting agriculture, a lot more needed to be done to attract many people to the sector, with emphasis on the youth.

He stressed that farm imputes such as fertilisers being provided by the government to cocoa farmers ought to be commended, and appealed to the government to provide farmers, particularly cocoa farmers, with loan facilities, since the cultivation of cocoa was labour and capital intensive.

Mr. Tetteh mentioned motorised spraying machine on cocoa farm as being very expensive, and called for the government's assistance.

He said, for example, the motorised spraying machine cost GH1,900, which was very difficult for many farmers to purchase, therefore, government's support in that direction would be appreciated.

He added that a lot of the youth were interested in farming, but lack of money to embark on it was a major factor that discouraged many.

Mr. Tetteh said, as an experienced agriculture personnel, he and his colleagues on retirement were prepared to avail themselves to farmers to be educated on modern farming practices that would promote farming activities without any difficulty, and urged the youth to seek the relevant advice from agricultural experts to enable them go into commercial farming.

According to Mr. Tetteh, many farmers only practice subsistent farming, which did not have the capacity to address their financial problems, thereby making it more difficult for such farmers to recognise the economic viability of farming, and urged those interested in farming, particularly the youth, to go into commercial farming to enable them to derive its maximum benefits.

Mr. Tetteh noted that being a commercial farmer has many advantages apart from the financial benefits especially cocoa farmers, their children stand the opportunity of schooling on scholarship which also helped in relieving such parents of the payment of school fees as monies that would be used to pay school fees would be used to address other problems.

He however decried the situation where cocoa farmers smuggle cocoa to neighbouring countries such as the Republic of Togo, because the huge investment being made by government should be considered, and a stop put to the practice.

In a related development, another civil servant still in active serve, Mr. Stephen Kwesi Dogbe, a native of Santrokofi, has also invested in 8 acres of cocoa farm at Santrokofi, also in the Hohoe Municipality, and has called on the youth to take advantage of available opportunities in agriculture, particularly cocoa farming, to create wealth for themselves.

Mr. Dogbe explained to the media at Santrokofi that he decided to go into commercial farming, in addition to the government work, because the salary alone was not sufficient to address the needs of his family, and asked people in active government work to invest in agriculture to enable them live meaningful lives, even upon retirement.

He explained that as a civil servant, he only works on the cocoa farm during weekends, and employs four labourers to support him.

He said the added proceeds from the cocoa farm was making it possible for him and the family to live a meaningful life, and stressed the need for government workers to put their skills into more productive areas than regular office duties.

Mr. Dogbe mentioned the periodic labour that cocoa farmers employ to work on the farms, which, he noted, was expensive, as well as the black pod disease that farmers had to face and deal with to save the farms periodically, as major problems facing farmers, and called for government's support finically to aid farming activities, particularly in cocoa cultivation.


Carlos Kojo Adusei, parliamentary candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nkwanta South, says the ruling government cannot win this year's elections in the constituency with the construction of the eastern corridor road.

Though he admitted the government had done very well in giving the area a major road, Carlos said that should not be the basis for the National Democratic Congress's (NDC) victory, arguing that there were other major roads that needed equal attention.

There are miserable roads like the Nkwanta-Dambai, and roads to the major farming communities in the district, he said.

Carlos Kojo Adusei was a participant at a forum dubbed the 'Nkwanta Declaration' that brought together opinion leaders, political youth groups, and representatives of the Electoral Commission (EC) from three districts of the Volta Region  Nkwanta South, Nkwanta North and Krachi- Nchumuru  to pledge their commitment to uphold peace before, during, and after this year's election.

The forum was under the auspices of Royals Health Organisation (ROHEO), with funding from Star Ghana and its partners  UKAID, DANIDA and European Union  and speaking with the Nkwanta South NPP parliamentary candidate after the programme, he said: Farm harvests are rotting in the farms because there are no accessible roads to convey them to the markets for sale.

Those who could afford the cost of transportation using tricycles had had their tubers of yam and other food crops perishing, because there was no ready market for them, he noted.

Another point, he said which would send the NDC into opposition, was the collapse of all the social interventionist policies the NPP and former President Kufuor initiated.

He said, for instance, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Free Maternal Health Care, School Feeding Programme and National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) had all collapsed in the district.

But I want to tell Ghanaians that there is hope in the NPP and Nana Addo if they vote us to power when they go to the polls on December 7.

Nana Addo and the NPP have workable policies that would relieve every Ghanaian of the cruel economic hardship the NDC government has visited on us, he indicated.

Ending, he said the NDC government had had eight years, and they had done their best by plunging the economy into an abyss, but the NPP says it has what it takes to correct the wrongs of the NDC.
Stories from Inusa Musah, Nkwanta

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Nkwanta South has advised the youth against fomenting violence before, during and after this year's general elections for GH40 from any politician.

Alfred Kofi Wukanya told the youth that governance is about the continuation of a previous government's development programmes and working hard to better the lives of the citizenry.

And the beauty that democracy brings us is the healthy exchange of divergent views, such that, whoever is able to convince the electorate to buy into their ideas is voted for to lead the nation. Do not allow anybody to pay you GH40 to destroy or burn Ghana, he advised.

Three districts in the Volta Region  Nkwanta South, Nkwanta North and Krachi- Nchumuru  under the auspices of Royals Health Organisation (ROHEO), with funding from Star Ghana and its partners  UKAID, DANIDA and European Union  were brought together to pledge their commitment to uphold peace before, during and after this year's election.

Dubbed the 'Nkwanta Declaration', opinion leaders, political youth groups and representatives of the Electoral Commission (EC) pledged to hold the peace in the three districts after signing of the election 2016 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of peace and co-existence, and marching through some principal streets of Nkwanta.

Alfred Kofi Wukanya, who was the Guest Speaker at the 'Nkwanta Declaration', reminded the youth that the sales from their farm produce was more than the paltry GH40 any insensitive politician would pay them to burn Ghana for their political gain.

Be wise and know that that politician who would buy your conscience would disown you should the law grab you for your violent act. He entreated the opinion leaders to continue engaging their youths in nation-building.

Joe Soglo, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ROHEO, on his part, explained that the participation of all citizenry in electioneering activities was cardinal to development and peace, consequently, the need for everybody to work towards equal participation in the 2016 elections.

To this effect, he said, there was the need to avoid marginalisation and work towards promoting inclusiveness to uphold the existing peace in the country.

Mr. Soglo, therefore, called on politicians, who are the main actors in elections, to avoid coercing innocent citizens, especially the youth, to cause mayhem to destabilise the peace of Ghana.

Furthermore, he urged the EC and its representatives to make all voting centers favourable and accessible to all the political parties, and remain an unbiased referee, to promote the acceptance of the outcome of the elections.

To the media, he pleaded for decorous reportage, and, if possible, avoid publishing or airing provocative utterances of nation-wrecking politicians or political activists.

Finally, Joe Soglo advised the youth to reject any form of financial inducement that might trigger violence, or have the tendency of disrupting the peace in their constituencies.

Victus Tetteh, Consultant for the project, was hopeful that the 'Nkwanta Declaration' would yield the needed results, explaining that ROHEO and its partners and sponsors would continue to remind all the participants of their words and the MoU.

The other partners of ROHEO are CAAP Ghana and YODREP.




Nii Osah Mills, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, has called for strategies that would respond to youth crime, re-integration and after-care services to support the development of vulnerable children and the youth.

He said re-integration and after care services would address repetition, restore normal behaviour among juveniles and enhance reform.

Nii Osah Mills was speaking at a sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of a Re-integrated Juveniles Centre at Dodowa in the Greater Accra Region by the Child Research and Resource Centre (CRRECENT), a Non-Governmental Organisation championing the re-integration of juveniles in Ghana.

He said the youth bulge was a common phenomenon in many developing countries including Ghana where social unrest of all kinds associated with children and young people could emerge.

Ghana is going through a demographic transition where it is predicted that the population of adolescents and young adults in the country is expected to hit 5.3 million by the end of last year, 2015, he said.

Nii Osah Mills said that could be gradually taking the country into the dreaded youth bulge phase.

He said government recently came up with a comprehensive work plan to compliment the National Youth Policy and stressed the need for public private partnership to take advantage of the work plan to address delinquency and juvenile crime in the country.

It is our hope that civil society organisations, faith-based organisations, and corporate bodies among others will compliment government's efforts to give hope to young people while securing the human resource of our dear country, he said.

The Minister, therefore, commended the CRRECENT for directly intervening through its juvenile re-integration programme.

Ms Sussan Sabaa, the Executive Director of CRRECENT, said the centre had dedicated itself to the protection of young people over the past 10 years.

She said the dream to have the project started in 2003 when the Juvenile Justice Act came into being showed that there was a huge gap when young people left correctional centres and integrated into society.

Ms Sabaa said her organisation was commissioned in 2010 by Plan Ghana to do a baseline survey on the programme on Juvenile Justice in Ghana being supported by European Union.

It was there that the dream got rekindled and became more urgent because the baseline brought out the challenges of young people who came out of incarceration to face in society.

They are totally neglected, stigmatised and there is no structured programme to support them, she said.

Ms Sabaa said the CRRECENT sought to give those young people what they needed to be effectively reintegrated into society.

She said they would move beyond reintegrating to providing the young people with shelter for their smooth transition into society. GNA
The Bawku Chief has lamented about the collapse of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in the country.

Garu Naba Garu says the NHIS exists only in name with the situation on the ground very different as patients try in vain to access healthcare.

The Bawku Naba disclosed this when the Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, visited him as part of his campaign tour ahead of the December polls.

The NPP leader has promised to construct one dam in every village in the Northern Region. He also told the people his government will invest $1.6 billion to fight poverty.

Presidential candidate of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), President John Mahama, visited Bawku Naba this month as part of his campaign and was given a white handkerchief and dressed in a traditional Fugu dress.

This was interpreted by some supporters of the NDC to mean the Chief has thrown his weight behind the second term bid of the President.

But Bawku Naba said it is traditional to dress dignitaries who pay homage to him.

According to him, he dressed President Mahama in the same way Mr Akufo-Addo was dressed, adding, he does not need to clarify anything to the public.

'It is my prayer that God willing he [Akufo-Addo] will get what he wants to become the President of Ghana,' he said.

He says he is looking forward to a government that will be responsible for promises made to him.

Comparatively, he said former President John Kufuor promised to make Bawku a district when given the mandate to become President in the 2000 election and this was delivered when he was elected.

However, he said the NDC government has promised to construct a hospital in the area but that has not been done.

'We even heard from news that construction has reached lent level but this is not true,' he said.

Mindful of the constitutional dictate that prevents chiefs from engaging in active politics, Bawku Naba told nana Addo to leave matters to him because 'Chiefs vote, their families vote, and their people vote.'

He said it is his prayer that the 'Grace of God and our ancestors will follow you and when elected as president of Ghana.'

Reacting to Bawku Naba's comment on the Joy FM's Top Story programme, NDC Campaign Coordinator, Kofi Adams said he is compelled to accept what the chief said because he has a "right to speak."

He wondered why the chief would describe the NHIS as collapsing when the scheme has recorded more patronage than when it was instituted.

"The number of people rushing to take National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) card is increasing so how can something collapsing be recording huge numbers of fresh application?" he asked,

Mr Adams said the NDC is very clear that "this government has done a lot and we will continue selling the message."

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brakopowers | Email: [email protected]
The outgoing Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Professor Emmanuel Martey, has warned the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that it is alienating Ghanaians by pampering the babies with sharp teeth, who are in the habit of hurling insults and attacks on people who criticize the government.

The term 'babies with sharp teeth' was coined by the NDC founder, Jerry John Rawlings in 2012,, as he urged President John Mahama to rid his government of the insolent persons who hurl insults at the public and even colleague government appointees.

Speaking at a press conference today [Tuesday], Prof Martey revealed that, some politicians have made several attempts to bribe him to stop criticizing the NDC government as he was known for his strong opinions in assessing the government.

But he defiantly stated that, he would not be perturbed by the criticisms and insults coming from some of these babies with sharp teeth.

For me Osofo Martey, I will not keep quiet! These babies with sharp teeth. Yesterday [Monday], three numbers called to insult me NDC.

He further warned the NDC hierarchy that, what they are allowing their people to do, they are alienating their party from the good people of Ghana and it will not augur well for them.

I rejected politicians Trasacco house; $100k bribe

Professor Martey, at the same presser, also revealed he had rejected several gifts and monies thrown at him by politicians with the sole purpose of silencing him.

Politicians had tried all means to muzzle me, to get me but they can't, they come with bribes, fat envelopes, $100,000, he stated.

He added that some of these politicians also come with the promises that if you keep quiet we will give you a house at Trasacco with swimming pool.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Tunis (AFP) - Graft in Tunisia has reached "epidemic" proportions, the head of the national anti-graft body INLC said on Tuesday, and urged the new government to eradicate the "barons of corruption".

The unity government that took office in the North African nation on Monday has made the fight against corruption a priority.

Prime Minister Youssef Chahed has also announced the abolition of a ministry previously dedicated to battling corruption to concentrate state resources on the INLC.

Chawki Tabib, who was appointed to head the INLC at the beginning of the year, took advantage of the presentation of a report at a news conference on Tuesday to urge firm action.

"We conclude that it has reached the epidemic stage, but an epidemic we can still tackle if all efforts are devoted to fight corruption" and if the premier follows through with his pledge, Tabib said.

"The barons of corruption who have infiltrated the state apparatus, the media and the ruling parties must be eradicated," he added.

And without naming names, he said the scourge also affects the judiciary.

Tabib told AFP that experts had assessed the annual cost of corruption and poor governance in public contracts at "two billion dinars" (around 800 million euros).

"It is too much for our economy," he said.

Tabib called for strengthening the law, especially when it came to assets and conflicts of interest.

According to a recent study by the NGO Transparency International, more than two thirds of Tunisians believe that corruption has increased in their country in the past year.

Experts say state corruption under the dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali who was ousted after the Arab Spring of 2011 has now given way to petty corruption in all areas of daily life.
Executives of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in the Western and Central Regions, have in a letter sighted by Citi News, accused the association's President of unilaterally decorating investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, with the 21st Overall Best Journalist Award.

According to the executives, Anas' name had not come up as one of the persons to be awarded the coveted award, and he had also not put in an entry for the award.

Anas' award celebrates unethical journalism  Dery to 'fight' GJA.

This comes barely a day after the Lawyer for dismissed High Court Judge, Justice Paul Uter Dery, confirmed his client's intention to take an action against the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA), for presenting the 21st Best Journalist Award to investigative journalist.

Anas' work on the judiciary implicated Justice Dery and over thirty others in a massive bribery and corruption piece which won him the award over the weekend.

But the lawyer for the embattled high court judge, Nii Kpakpo Addo, told Citi News that the award rather celebrates unethical journalism.

Below is the letter sighted by Citi News

Western & Central Regions of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) August 29, 16

Dear Sir or Madam:

We, members of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in the Western and Central zones wish to express concerns over some fallout from the 21st GJA awards ceremony and leadership challenges in the Association.

We first of all would like to state that the GJA still remains an independent group of professional journalists with a common purpose and interest and not an appendage of any individual, group or organisation connected to it.

Recent developments, actions and the leadership style of the President, Mr. Roland Affail Monney has made the Association unattractive in recent times.

Perennial rancour

The Associations AGMs are flawed with omissions, inaccuracies, shortcomings and other administrative lapses that should not be said of an Association that seeks to right the wrong. This is because the President has failed to lead his team. Every award since Mr. Monney took office, come with controversies that did not augur well for members. He takes unilateral decisions in most critical issues that made companies shy away from the Association because they do not know if we are political, neutral or embedded. His posture and alacrity at which he pushes the Association to the corridors of power and money are unacceptable. Some of these decisions have to do with the sponsorship of the Associations awards and which entrant becomes the journalist of the year among others.

Sponsorship by the highest bidder

It is important to note that, many companies have vowed never to support the GJA again because of the way the President operates and many journalists have also vowed not to be members. In the 2014 awards, the GJA took money from Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to be the lead sponsors of the association's awards.

Just as the team from GNPC arrived to take position, the lead sponsor was changed to Ideal Finance who promised to train journalists. In his address in 2014, Mr. Monney said Ideal Finance had come up with gargantuan amount to support the association, in this day and age; we have a donor who donates cars to the association.

Again in 2015, awards after smoking the peace pipe with GNPC, he threw their GH150,000.00 sponsorship package through the window and later asked them to become co-sponsors.

GNPC declined and went away with their money then came the Ideal moment for the president and Ideal finance to unleash their products on us and our invited guest.

For pride & loss of citations

It should be on record that we are not in for money from any company, if they choose to support, so be it; but not being given the chance to support and hijacking what could be the loveliest ceremony to reward excellence.

The awards committee after their hard work, made recommendations and also took time to write citations for each category. But because the lead sponsor has given us cars, the president of the association in haste to be seen as a celebrity for being the first to have given cars to journalists allowed the lead sponsors financial products to be announced instead of reading the citations.

The 21st Awards entries came with special works in all the categories that won the award such as my baby my Farm, Poison in the calabash, Locked and forgotten, among others. The awards would have been complete if the citations accompanying the stories were read, instead of the products of the lead sponsor.

As journalists, we are proud to quote John Muir a Scottish-American naturalist, author, and an advocate who said hidden in the glorious wildness like unmined gold, therefore we cannot sell ourselves for free like that.

Therefore, as journalists, our focus should be on what changes society, the unmined gold not the financial gains by selling the association to the highest bidder.

Journalist of the Year

It is sad to note that, the president took the decision to decide on who becomes the journalist of the year, without discussing with the other five members of his team at the national level.

We recall that after a chaotic emergency general meeting, some members picked up information that Mr. Monney wanted to change who becomes the next journalist of the year contrary to what was recommended by the award committee made up of eminent members.

It should be on record that, the President unilaterally threw aside the recommendations of a committee and changed the journalist of the year to Anas without consulting anyone; more so when it was on record that Anas did not enter the awards.

Mr. Monney failed to discuss with his vice, general secretary, treasurer, organizing secretary and the association's public relations officer.

On Friday, August 27, 2016, when the issues started coming up, some regional executives overheard the discussion that Mr. Monney wants to switch the overall best award winner to our own brothers, Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

After the meeting, the Western Regional Chairman of the association, caught up with him at the main entrance to the building, and questioned him.

His responses were that, No, you know the name of award winners have been announced and the Journalists of the Year is among them and the name is in a sealed enveloped we have not even opened it.

I can assure you that it is not Anas and Anas is nowhere near those recommended for the award, it is therefore sad that, our president fibbed.

It was obvious that Mr. Monney's speech did not focus on the theme, Media for Undisputed and Peaceful 2016 Election: The Support of Civil Society, but rather dwelled on Anas' latest work, which is still pending in court just to back his solitary motives.

His message in the booklet is different from what he delivered. Yes Anas, a colleague, a good choice, a committed member of the association with focus on ensuring social justice, but was the decision an informed one from the national executives? No.

Our code of ethics/ Tiger Eye or Anas

We were ashamed when somebody in the audience pointed to me after the awards, that Article 10 Section II of the GJA Code of Ethics, which states, Any report or write-up affecting the reputation of an individual or an organisation without a chance to reply is unfair and must be avoided by journalists. Mr. GJA President, our questions are: did we award the work of Anas as a director of Tiger Eye, as a company or Anas as an individual member whose report goes to Tiger Eye first? It was interesting to note that, the representative of Anas said they were surprised to be called to come for award. When they did not even submit an entry and came to the Banquet Hall with a prepared speech.

Today, because of such solitary act on the part of the GJA President, Dery's lawyer has threatened action against GJA over Anas Journalist of the Year award. The lawyer condemned the GJA for awarding the mastermind of the shocking expose that landed his client in trouble and described the act by our noble association as shameful and in contempt of court.

Arise past Presidents

An Akan Proverb says that, when a king has good counsellors, his reign is peaceful, but that king must first listen and consult his kinsmen. That is why we call on the past presidents of the association to step in to save the GJA.

After all, the GJA has now has only the awards ceremony as the main unifier. Also there is the need for the current president be cautious in his dealings with other members of the public and should learn to consult widely for consensus; again it is an association and must remain as such.

I will use this opportunity to call on other impeccable past leaders and our senior colleagues of the association the likes of Ransford Tetteh, Madam Adwoa Yeboah Aferi, Kabral Blay Amihere, Madam Gifty Afenyi Dadzie and a host of others to call the President of the association to order.

This is because; there is no need to fight now, as a Nigerian Proverb said, In the moment of crisis, the wise build bridges and the foolish build dams.

The President should also do the honorable thing by apologizing to both regional and national executive members and the entire membership of the association.

And that should not be a precedent .

Signed: M. Dotsey Koblah Aklorbortu, Chairman-one, Western Region, Alice Tettey Chairperson for Central Region



By: citifmonline.com/Ghana
(Beijing) - China is set to introduce a system similar to plea bargaining, widely used in Western nations' criminal courts, to address the country's large backlog of cases.

A bill on a Chinese plea bargain system was drafted by the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the top prosecutor's office. The bill was presented to the Standing Committee of National People's Congress, China's top legislature, for deliberation, the Supreme Court said on Aug. 29.

A pilot program would be launched in 18 cities, including Beijing, Tianjin and Chongqing, according to the draft document.

Under the program, prosecutors would give defendants the option of pleading guilty to lesser charges or to only some of the charges filed against them. In exchange for the guilty pleas, defendants would avoid a trial and receive lighter sentences than they would have gotten had they been tried and convicted.

Zhou Qiang, Chinese Supreme Court president, cautioned that an accountability system is vital to prevent abuse of the system through illicit deals involving money and power.

Chen Guangzhong, a law professor at China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing, said that the defendants' lawyers must have a major role in such plea bargains to make sure defendants are not coerced into making confessions.

Contact reporter Li Rongde at rongdeli@caixin.com; editor Ken Howe at kennethhowe@caixin.com


Ebo Quansah in Accra

I did not attend the 21st Awards Night of the Ghana Journalists Association on Saturday. It was a personal protest against the invitation of Mrs. Charlotte Osei as Guest Speaker at the greatest night for media practitioners in this country.

The moment the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission was announced as the Guest of Honour, I called the Ghana Journalists Association President, Mr. Affail Money, and informed him that I would not be at the awards night on the basis that the association had sought to confer legitimacy on Mrs. Osei, whose eligibility as a fully-fledged Ghanaian is dodgy.

According to an entry in Wikipedia, the world-wide web, Mrs. Osei, (nee Kesson-Smith) was born on February 1, 1969 in Nigeria. Her mother is of Nigerian nationality, precisely, from Anambra State. The problem with this kind of information is that the 1992 Constitution emphatically states that for a person to be one of the commissioners of the Electoral Commission, that person ought to be a fully-fledged Ghanaian. That is not the only proof of Ghanaian identity required. He or she must satisfy the nationality requirement necessary to become a Member of Parliament.

One intriguing aspect of the long lecture she delivered at the GJA Awards Night is that the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission failed to take advantage of the platform offered by the GJA to put her nationality conundrum to rest.

I was not going to listen to a lecture from someone who, to all intents and purposes, ought not to be leading the group conducting elections in my native Ghana. Mrs. Osei was fondly referred to as 'Ama Alata' while a student of the Faculty of Law, at the University of Ghana, Legon, I am told.

I understand that when she attended Queens University in Canada, together with a number of Ghanaians, she chose to join the National Association of Nigerian Students. It is interesting to note that at the time she joined the Nigerian student body, there was a similar association for Ghanaian students.

Mrs. Oseis long lecture, asking Ghanaian journalists not to pander to political patronage, is interesting. But one would like to know why the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission has failed, so far, to put her nationality conundrum to rest. I am told that Mrs. Osei bored guests at the GJA Awards Night with a very long speech that could rival Kil-il-Sung at his best, when the deceased North Korean leader spoke on the imperialistic aggression of South Korea, at a time when the Great Leader presided over the political direction of North Korea. Why she failed to enlighten us on her nationality tells everything about the confusion which is directing this nation-state.

It is beginning to look like in this election year, confusion is being deliberately manufactured to mislead the people as a political strategy. I was going through the internet yesterday, when my attention was drawn to a very interesting news item sourced to the Minister of Communications, Dr. Edward Omane-Boamah, who is fast emerging as the heir apparent who has the ear of President Mahama

With Mr. Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah, 2012 Campaign Manager of President John Dramani Mahama, virtually sitting aloof in this campaign, the sighs are there for all to see that the man driving Ghana's migration to the digital age is lacing his boots to replace his immediate boss in the next elections. Of course, the next vote after December 7 is quite a while away. In this game, anything and everything can happen. For now, the medical doctor, who speaks for the Head of State, appears to be the main ally of the occupant of Government House.

It is difficult to put the assertion of the heir apparent into its proper context, given the cloud of suspicion surrounding the main occupant of Government House. The Minister of Communications is quoted as saying that his boss does not need the endorsement of former junta head Jerry John Rawlings to win the next vote. The statement is pregnant with meaning, I would like to believe.

For some of us though, it tells a lot about how the party is shaping itself up, that the founder of the party, who signed the National Democratic Congress into being with his blood, is becoming irrelevant in the scheme of things, as the sitting President goes wild on the campaign trail with statements that might be classified as devoid of statesmanship.

Does it mean that Mr. Rawlings is no more the founder of the party which is driving the presidential campaign of the Head of State? Once upon a time, there were hints from very reliable sources indicating a challenge to the assertion that Mr. Rawlings is, indeed, the Founder of the NDC.

In official documents though, the junta head, who ordered state-sponsored murder of three former heads of state and five top officials of the Ghana Armed Forces in June 1979 under a dubious house-cleaning exercise, is still listed as Founder of the NDC.

Mr. Rawlings must have his hands soiled with the blood of many innocent Ghanaians, especially when it was established by the Special Investigative Board, which tried to unravel the mystery of the abduction and murder of the judges in June 1982, found that that four of the five-man assassination squad lived at the boys quarters of Flt. Lt. Rawlings and Mrs. Konadu Agyeman Rawlings at their Ridge residence in Accra, at that point in time.

It is being hushed in silence, but there are those who are openly making their submissions in public, that the open confession by the man who was once worshipped as Junior Jesus that he took US$2 million bribe from Sani Abacha, the butcher of Nigeria, to fight his cause at the time the Nigerian leader was an international pariah, has dented the image of the former military strongman. That is one reason emerging why the Presidency is distancing itself from the founder of the party.

If it were so, it is a very interesting development. Apparently, bribery scandals involving the Presidency are not limited to the former junta head. On Thursday, September, 1, the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana will be recalled from recess to deal with a matter that will go down in the political history of this nation as a novelty in our democratic evolution.

The 275-member House will assemble to discuss a motion brought by the Minority, inviting the House to consider impeaching President Mahama for accepting a car gift from a Burkinabe contractor. Mr. Djibril Kanazoe, who constructed a wall around state property in Ouagadougou at an outrageous cost of US$650,000, and later presented a Ford Expedition four x four vehicle to the President of the Republic of Ghana . The news in the presentation is not only that the President accepted the gift on the blind side of Ghanaians. Following the presentation, the contractor was given two more juicy contracts  a 35 million Euro and 85 million Euro job  to contract part of the Eastern corridor road network.

It is interesting to note that since the expose, the contractor has voluntarily given up on those two juicy contracts.

As expected, the impeachment process has already divided the House. Deputy Majority Chief Whip Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak told an Accra radio station that the impeachment process would not see the light of day, stressing that the majority side would not condone what he called the treacherous act of removing the President by the back door.

Minority leader Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, who is pushing through the impeachment procedure, is not worried by the threat by the majority side in the House to kick the motion on the Presidential bribe allegation to touch. Mubarak can say what he likes. But, as a nation, we need to expand the frontiers of our democratic experiment. We intend to push through the motion, the Minority Leader told The Chronicle.

Whatever happens to the motion, Ghanaians would be waiting with bathed breaths. One thing is certain, the bribery allegation is one more dent on the image of the occupant of Government House.

I shall return!




From Michael Boateng, Sunyani

The Brong-Ahafo Regional Secretary of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), Eben Yao Agbenya, has indicated that the promise made by the party's flagbearer, Ivor Greenstreet, is doable.

Mr. Agbenya, however, on behalf of the Greenstreet 2016 team commended IMANI Ghana for the attempt to peruse the campaign promises of the main political parties, including the vote buying and unfocused ones, who are bent on governing this country at all costs.

He was reacting to a research released by IMANI Ghana on August 26, 2016, which describes the promise made by the CPP flagbearer, Ivor Greenstreet, to mobilise two million youth to plant 1.2 million almond trees to raise more than $300 billion in revenue for the state, during his encounter with the IEA in the recent past, as unquantifiable.

In a release, the CPP Regional Secretary said: We want to state strongly to the people of Ghana, and IMANI Ghana, that the promise made was based on a research carried out by equally competent women and men of the party and Ghana.

The CPP believes that it is time for Ghana to change course and adopt policies that will lead to economic independence. We must guide and direct the public and private sector, our local entrepreneurs and industrialists, to increase our productivity as a nation, Mr. Agbenya stressed.

According to him, Ghana must review the economic policy of placing the markets at the centre of growth and development, taking into account the need to increase our manufacturing capacity and prioritise job creation.

For the CPP, national cohesion means that we seek consensus on solving the many problems of ordinary Ghanaians. We need to implement the politics of inclusiveness in policy issues, rather than limiting ourselves to individuals from different parties in government, he stated.

The Brong-Ahafo Regional Secretary of the CPP continued that a Greenstreet-CPP-led government believes that Ghana must now become a merit-based society, where jobs are given according to skills and capabilities, rather than tolerate a clientele society that breeds waste of state resources and talents.

The Ghanaian voter will benefit from the tested policies and programmes of the CPP, which are Bretton Woods Institutions FREE!! Governance and sustainable development policies that will bring back employment and personal development; a hope that will build and increase the transparency and integrity of our lives as people, and guide us into the future, Mr. Agbenya noted.

He gave the assurance that, whatever the challenge may be, a Greenstreet-CPP-led Ghana will remain focused on its vision for self-determination, social justice, and pan-Africanism.

Our hope is to create fair opportunities for all Ghanaians, and continue to put our country first, above all other considerations, partisan and personal, he noted.

According to him, Ghana, led by a Greenstreet-CPP, would build a strong, disciplined Ghana for national reconstruction and development, the pursuit of egalitarianism and eradication of poverty, elitism, inequality, corruption and other social injustices from the Ghanaian society.




Societe Generale has signed a $50 million Credit Facility Agreement with Ghana to finance the rehabilitation of the Government missions abroad.

A statement issued by Societe Generale Ghana and copied to the Ghana News Agency said the bank was happy to support the rehabilitation of Ghana's missions abroad with the $50 million financing.

The agreement has come at an opportune time to support the Ghana Government to address some of the challenges faced by the Ghana foreign missions, it said.

It is Societe Generale Ghana's desire to partner Ghana in the socio economic development of the country and to strengthen the already cordial business relations that has existed for many years between the Societe Generale Group, Societe Generale Ghana and the Government of Ghana, the statement said.

It said observers acknowledged that there was rule of law and respect for human rights in Ghana and that the country's democracy had deepened.

Therefore, as a true development partner of Ghana, Societe Generale Ghana and the Societe Generale Group have financed various Government of Ghana projects to the tune of $600 million between 2009 and 2016.

Some of the projects Societe Generale has financed totally or as a participating bank in a syndication include the Aboadze Thermal Plant; Fire Tenders for the Ministry of the Interior; Steel Bridges for the Ministry of Roads and Highways; E-Government Project for the Ministry of Communication; two GRIDCo Transmission Projects; the Accra Streets Asphalting; the Kwame Nkrumah and Kasoa Interchanges and the Ghana Cocobod Cocoa Syndication since 1997 to date, the statement said.

Societe Generale has significantly invested in Ghana's financial sector in view of the stable political environment and improving economy with strong medium and long-term prospects.

The bank is one of the largest networked banks in Ghana with over 40 branches. Societe Generale Ghana is listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange and is a member of the Ghana Club 100 of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre.

Societe Generale Ghana has more than 11,000 business customers and 216,000 retail customers.

Source: GNA


The outgoing Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Professor Emmanuel Martey, has warned the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that it is alienating Ghanaians by pampering the 'babies with sharp teeth', who are in the habit of hurling insults and attacks on people who criticize the government.

The term 'babies with sharp teeth' was coined by the NDC founder, Jerry John Rawlings in 2012,, as he urged President John Mahama to rid his government of the insolent persons who hurl insults at the public and even colleague government appointees.

Speaking at a press conference today [Tuesday], Prof Martey revealed that, some politicians have made several attempts to bribe him to stop criticizing the NDC government as he was known for his strong opinions in assessing the government.But he defiantly stated that, he would not be perturbed by the criticisms and insults coming from some of these 'babies with sharp teeth.

For me Osofo Martey, I will not keep quiet! These babies with sharp teeth. Yesterday [Monday], three numbers called to insult me NDC.

He further warned the NDC hierarchy that, what they are allowing their people to do, they are alienating their party from the good people of Ghana and it will not augur well for them.

I rejected politicians' Trasacco house; $100k bribe

Professor Martey, at the same presser, also revealed he had rejected several gifts and monies thrown at him by politicians with the sole purpose of silencing him.

Politicians had tried all means to muzzle me, to get me but they can't, they come with bribes, fat envelopes, $100,000, he stated.

He added that some of these politicians also come with the promises that if you keep quiet we will give you a house at Trasacco with swimming pool.

 citifmonline
Kukua (E/R), Aug. 30, GNA - The chief and people of Kukua, a major food-producing community in the Suhum Municipality of the Eastern Region, has called for the urgent reshaping of the feeder road linking Kukua to Amanhyia, Korasan, Akorabo and Supreso, now in a deplorable condition.

This would facilitate the carting of farm produce-cassava, plantain and citrus fruits, which are left to rot at KuKua, to commercial centres, to help boost the incomes of farmers and other traders.

Nana Budu Asare, the chief of Kukua told the Ghana News Agency that the undulating clay-like/muddy nature of the road, is the cause of the rampant accidents, while also impoverishing farmers and other traders.

The chief described the road network of the area as a death-trap and expressed worry about at the Jato - Kwahyia stretch on the Kukua - Suhum road, where clay formed part of the road.

He also expressed disquiet about another impassable spot at Supreso, between Akorabo and Koforidua, where a number of taxi cabs and Urvan mini buses carrying passengers and luggage get stuck the mud.

Nana Budu Asare said the bad nature of the Kukua - Akorabo route which had developed deep potholes and is a real nightmare to road users traveling from Kukua to Suhum since the normal travel time of 20minutes had been extended to 45 minutes.

'Last year, the government started work on the Mangoase - Kukua - Akorabo - Amanhyia - Suhum road network but the completed portion from Mangoase in the Akuapem North Municipality, ended at the outskirt of Kukua Municipality and we are now struggling to make round trips to Suhum', he noted.

GNA
By Francis Ameyibor, GNA

Accra, Aug. 30, GNA - A Government of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) would revamp the Ghana News Agency as part of government's comprehensive communication policy to harness the information arm of the State to build a viable, united Ghana.

The government media transformation agenda would hinge largely on the GNA to provide effective news to feed both local and international media and also a critical function that strengthens media institutional operations.

'Within the context of the 1992 Constitution, we pledge to uphold all the freedoms granted to the media in this country,' Mr Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, CPP 2016 Presidential Nominee told the GNA in Accra.

The CPP Presidential Nominee noted that the GNA must be re-structured to play a lead role in the development of the country through dissemination of high quality news and information throughout Ghana, Africa and the World.

Mr Greenstreet who was explaining the party's policy direction towards the media also admitted that with freedoms must come responsibilities and the assurance that media work conforms to the values of the society.

He said a CPP Government would see to the immediate passage of the Right to Information Bill, and the Ghana Broadcasting Bill, as well as empower the National Film and Television Institute, the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Ghanaian Times, and Graphic Communications Group Limited.

He said a CPP Government would work closely within the Constitution to empower the National Media Commission (NMC) to play its role effectively while strengthening relationship with the Ghana Journalists Association, Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association, and other media outlets.

Mr Greenstreet, said the agency has over the years maintained a very strong working relationship with the Electoral Commission, and National Commission for Civic Education and 'we will make maximum use of to the benefit of Ghanaians, which will also impact positively on the project'.

He said a CPP Government would provide platforms that raise and amplify the voices of the vulnerable, women, youth, marginalised and deprived communities and groups, and enable them to define and articulate issues of importance to them.

The CPP Presidential Nominee noted the need to deepen and increase media capacity, including local language media, to generate and circulate quality information with which citizens could make informed decisions and choices and hold duty bearers accountable for their actions.

Mr Greenstreet said CPP Government would raise the broadcast standards through the creation of a Broadcast Standards Board (BSB) to ensure that the nation's airwaves are free of images and messages that undermine social and moral values, such as the glorification of violence and the degradation of women in movies and music.

Touching on Advertising in Ghana, he said a CPP Government would outlaw the use of foreign-made commercials on Ghanaian airwaves as a way to help local media houses build their capacity and create employment while promoting a Ghanaian view of social and economic reality.

He said the CPP would also regulate the quality of advertisements to strike a balance between commercial interests and social values; build media capacity with various professional organisations to help raise the quality of media practice in Ghana to world standards.

Professor Edmund Nminyem Delle CPP Chairman noted that the Party's media reforms would also focus the general agenda, which is more in tune with public needs and away from a perceived bias toward corporate (or, in many cases, government or political) biases.

He said: 'Our government will place strong emphasis on creating enabling environment to those who are marginalised or semi-marginalised by their individual incomes, immutable characteristics or desperate conditions to possess access to means of publication and dissemination of information'.

Prof Delle said the NMC would be empowered through legislative structures to make it more functional.

He said a CPP Government would transform the media landscape through legislative packages that would significantly reshape Ghana's media industry.

He said: 'The journalists must be paid his due, there must be laws to protect him, and we must create the enabling environment for him to work effective without looking behind.'

GNA
Asamankese (E/R), Aug. 30, GNA - The West Akim Municipal Assembly has moved to implement proactive measures to help curb all forms of social vices identified to be the major cause of high school drop-out and poor academic performance of school children in that area.

Mr. George Mensah Akpalu, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), said such interventions would help combat criminal activities that usually take place at game and betting/gambling centres, video centres, night clubs and pubs which places are patronized by the youth, especially, school-going children.

Addressing the third ordinary meeting of the Assembly at Asamankese, in the Eastern Region, he said the measures are also geared towards ensuring a peaceful atmosphere on the Municipality in the lead up to the presidential and parliamentary elections.

Mr. Akpalu said while the Assembly was undertaking repair works on all faulty street light, it is also extending street lights to areas without street lighting system to improve night-time illumination.

'The police would be resourced with vehicle and fuel to assist 'Watch Committees' in all the 32 electoral areas, to tackle criminal activities' he added.

As part of the education delivery enhancement efforts, he said, the Assembly was rehabilitating and refurbishing with standard mono desks, the deplorable West Africa Examination (WAEC) at Osenase and Brekumanso.

In addition to this, the MCE said the Assembly was contacting the GETFund to and for assistance to complete an abandoned girls' hostel at the Asamankese SHS, renovate the ground floor of a 12-Unit classroom block and provide a poly-tank to harvest rain water.

Touching on revenue generation, he said, the Assembly was constructing 76 lockable stores at Asamankese Market 'B'.

'The Assembly would also receive a total of GHa64,274.38.00 as outstanding 'public toilet user fee' for the 2014-2016 period from the contractor managing the 14 toilet facilities within Asamankese.

The MCE disclosed that fencing the Asamankese cemetery, creation of temporary check points and barriers at vantage points for recalcitrant drivers, and the development and viability of the Kobriso Waterfall, were the top priorities areas in the Assembly's revenue generation agenda.

It would be recalled that during this year's independence celebration, the assembly presented 200 Ghana Cedis cash to 17 students each who obtained between 06 and 09 aggregate in the 2015 BECE examination, and also awarded certificates to 10 best schools, to help boost the students' performance and the schools' credibility respectively.

GNA
By Samuel Adadi Akapule

Bolgatanga, Aug. 30, GNA - Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDs) have been urged to support the implementation of the Ghana National Household Registry (GNHR) exercise which has started in the Upper East and Upper West Regions.

The GNHR is under the auspices of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), and was formally launched in October 2015.

The exercise, which is expected to be replicated nationwide after the successful implementation of the exercise in the three northern regions, would be a registry of all households in Ghana.

Mr Robert E. Austin, the National Coordinator of the Ghana Social Opportunities Project (GSOP), who said this at a stakeholders' forum, called on the stakeholders including all the thirteen Municipal and District Chief Executives and Coordinating Directors in the Region to support the implementation of the project.

The forum was also attended by the Regional Minister, his deputy, the Regional Coordinating Director, a team from the Ministry of MoGCSP and the World Bank.

The forum was to brief the stakeholders on the benefit of the GNHR and to solicit their support in the implementation of the project.

The National Coordinator said the GNHR Project which is being funded by the World Bank in collaboration with the Government of Ghana would facilitate the identification of extremely poor and vulnerable households.

'Data from the Registry will be used for social intervention programs such as LEAP, Free Health Insurance, Labour Intensive Public Works (LIPW), Ghana School Feeding Programme, and the Free School Uniform Programme among others', Mr Austin said.

The exercise would coordinate the different social protection interventions and provide data to all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies that may need data in their respective endeavours as well as serve as data for development partners who want to help in the development process of the country, he said.

Mr Austin said 390 Enumerators and 180 Community Focal Persons would be engaged in the Upper East Region to help collect data for the GNHR and the Districts would be tasked to assist in the recruitment of personnel to undertake the exercise which is supposed to commence fully in January 2017 and complete in October 2017.

Mr Mawutor Ablo, the Director in charge of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of the MoGESP, said the GNHR would help in facilitating a more effective and efficient social protection system that had a good potential of contributing to the progress already made in the poverty reduction strategy of the country.

'The GNHR will require the support of all to succeed. Ghanaians must respond to the call to participate in the registration exercise to enable the delivery of a credible Single National Registry that will inure to the benefit of all', he said.

Mr Albert Abongo, the Regional Minister, pledged the Regional Coordinating Council's support of the implementation of the project and said as one of the poorest regions in the country, it needed more social protection systems to help bridge the poverty gap.

He called on all the thirteen Municipal and District Chief Executives and the District Coordinators to pay special attention to the implementation of the project. GNA
By Josephine Nyarkoh/ Fawzia Seidu, GNA

Fumesua (Ash), Aug 30, GNA - The government has been urged to take deliberate steps to substantially increase bamboo production to support the growth of the nation's economy.

Mr. Michael Kwaku, the Country Director for the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR), said it was important to give strong backing to commercial bamboo farming because of the enormous potential to create jobs and lift many from poverty.

Making the call through the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Fumesua near Kumasi, he said bamboo could serve as vital raw material for furniture, paper and pulp industry.

Newsprint, toilet paper and cardboard, he indicated, could also be made from it and this would help to conserve the nation's forests.

The other high point was that it was could be useful to the textile, food and chemical industries.

Mr. Kwaku touched on the economic viability and sustainability of commercial bamboo farming and said it could be harvested for well over 40 years.

'Once, it starts growing, bamboo remains rooted in the soil, producing new shoots each year which helps to secure the soil and also maintain slope stability.'

He said Ghana could learn from countries like China and Ethiopia.

In China, the bamboo industry is employing nearly eight million people and the figure is expected to hit 10 million by year 2020.

Ethiopia is home to about 70 per cent of all African bamboo and employs more than 1,000 people.

Mr. Kwaku noted that it could protect watersheds, utilized for intercropping, create shade for other crops, to serve as windbreak and natural mulch to provide drought protection.

The INBAR has been promoting bamboo production in the West African sub region through awareness campaign to help people to appreciate its economic potential. GNA
(Beijing)  The environmental group that recently uncovered cadmium-tainted wheat in Xinxiang, Henan Province, said it is still investigating the local government's claim that it had bought the entire contaminated stock.

Cui Wenjun, head of the district's Environmental Protection Bureau, told Caixin on Aug 29 that the Xinxiang government had bought from the summer harvest an undisclosed amount of wheat that was suspected of being contaminated with the carcinogenic soft metal.

Tian Jing, a volunteer at the nongovernmental organization, Airman in Beijing, said that the NGO had found high levels of cadmium in wheat samples it collected over a 12-month period, starting in June 2015, on 10 hectares of land near two battery factories in Xinxiang's Muye District. The samples contained six to 34 times more cadmium than allowed by national food safety standards, she said.

Cui said the local government had known about the problem of soil contamination in the land near the factories and earmarked the area for a soil restoration project in 2012. But local farmers flouted the government ban and continued to grow wheat there anyway, he said.

Cui said the government had bought all the wheat grown on the toxic land and will use the wheat to make industrial starch used in paper mills and textile manufacturing and ethanol.

But Tian said the NGO was able to independently verify only that authorities had purchased the harvest from fields near one factory, and did so by interviewing farmers and inspecting government-run granaries.

Wheat grown in some of the most toxic plots of land may have been released to the market before district authorities bought up the stock, she said. The NGO was still probing the government's claim that the entire harvest had been purchased, Tian added.

Chinese consumers have been hit in recent years by a string of food safety scandals linked to contaminated soil.

An unannounced quantity of cadmium-laced rice was found in shelves in the southern province of Guangdong in 2013. Over half of it came from the central province of Hunan, another hub of chemical manufacturing.

A survey released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Land Resources in April 2014 found that over 16 percent of all soil samples collected nationwide had unacceptable levels of pollutants, including cadmium. Nearly one-fifth of the 133 million hectares of farmland in the country is contaminated and not suitable to grow food for consumption, the survey discovered.

Contact reporter Li Rongde (rongdeli@caixin.com); editor Poornima Weerasekara (poornima@caixin.com)
By Mildred Siabi-Mensah, GNA

Sanzule (W/R), Aug. 30, GNA - Disgruntled workers of Desimone Limited, Eni Sanzule Site project on Monday demonstrated against the authorities of the company for wrongfully laying off 25 workers before the end of their seven-month contract.

The workers clad in red bands, blocked the road leading to the site and offices of the project with logs of coconut trees and car tyres and carried placard which read 'DAVIDE FABIO MUST GO', DESIMONE MUST GO, 'ITALIAN MAFIA-NO MORE SPACE FOR YOU.'

They claimed that the leadership of the company had breached their side of the contract they had entered into with the traditional leaders of the Sanzule community in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region.

Mr Michael Morkeh, Local Union Chairman, who is also affected by the redundancy, told the GNA that, 'Desimone has deceived us as the local workforce. Desimone has disrespected the authorities of Sanzule, Ellembelle and the entire nation'.

He said five months into the seven months contract, which was the first phase, management of the company issued letters of termination of the contract to 25 of the workers, which he described as worrying and disappointing.

He said the workers have appealed to the Petroleum Minister and Member of Parliament for the area, Mr Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, GNPC and all stakeholders of the project to intervene.

The company, operating in the oil and gas sector has a three year contract in the area to generate gas from the Cape Three Point. With the first phase being the construction of offices and other infrastructure.

GNA
By Mildred Siabi-Mensah, GNA

Fijai (W/R), Aug. 30, GNA - Reverend Father Eric Elliason of the Catholic Diocese of the Sekondi/Takoradi has said the nation needed people who are not easily influenced by negative cultures to advance its progress.

He said positive leadership required that people needed to restructure their thought patterns about the different cultures and allow themselves to be influenced positively by them to help build a dynamic society.

Rev Elliason was speaking at the inauguration of the Network for Cultural Orientation and Development Affairs (NECODA) at Fijai in the Western Region.

The event under the theme: 'Self-Discipline and Sense of Co-existence as Platform for community Development', was chosen to highlight the need to advance some positive cultural virtues that promotes peaceful coexistence in society.

Rev Elliason said 'NECODA comes at a time when our cultures are almost dying off, a time in which everything about culture is seen as outmoded and archaic. This Network, I believe, is going to help thousands of people take a second look at the question of culture and how it can help promote development'.

He said there is the need to have cognitive restructuring to re-adopt to communal African values that promoted both societal and individual welfare, the values of belongingness and respect for one another, community and individual support, sincerity and faithfulness, respect for authority, sacredness of sex and marriage.

He said culture was important in the life of every human being and that without culture, the individual's sense of identity becomes shaky and questionable adding, and it's out of culture that the values that shape our lives as individuals emanate.

Rev Elliason said modern man has been brainwashed to accept the falsity of modern culture where unfaithfulness, insincerity, disrespect for authority, profanity, selfishness and egoistic tendencies are treasured.

He said the beauty and attractions of modern culture has imprisoned our minds and cannot lead to individual and societal welfare but to pain, destruction and retrogression.

Rev Elliason said the society needed people who are independent thinkers and are able to express objective truth in light of their cultural values and everything must be done to seek mental freedom to withstand the pressures mounted by the modern culture.

Reverend William Adusei, Coordinator-General of NECODA, said the Network would work in the areas of sanitation and hygiene, positive education and discipline to bring back the lost values of society.

The Network, he said, would work closely with religious bodies, the labour and social welfare department and the Ghana Health Service to enhance community and individual values.

GNA
By Samuel Akapule/ Agana Blaise, GNA

Bolgatanga, Aug. 30, GNA - The Upper East Region has marked this year's International Youth Day with a call on all stakeholders to help curb alcohol and drug abuse among the youth.

Mr Abaa Roger Atambire, the founder of Life Out of Alcohol and Drugs(LOAD-Ghana), in a keynote address, said alcohol and drug abuse among the youth in the region and the entire country is a major threat to national development.

Mr Atambire was speaking on the topic: "Eradicating Alcoholism and Drug Abuse among the Youth and Empowering them to contribute productively towards the development of Ghana', at a function in Bolgatanga to mark the day.

He expressed regret that Ghana lacked data on alcohol and drug abuse cases and urged the National Youth Authority (NYA) to facilitate the development of data on alcohol and drug abuse to help in the fight.

Mr Atambire said young people who are alcohol and drug addicts were at risk of contradicting HIV/AIDS and other STI's since they may not take the needed caution in using contraceptives.

'It is rather unfortunate that many families become frustrated and disappointed with their relatives who become alcoholic and drug addicts. They should be given a second chance', Mr Atambire said.

He said there is the need for government and all stakeholders in the youth development sector to treat drug addicts with care as they only needed rehabilitation for their recovery.

He said LOAD- Ghana which is a Non-Governmental Origination, is committed to achieving a drug free society and to manage (and rehabilitate) those who were already enslaved by alcohol and drugs.

'Through advocacy programmes, LOAD- Ghana has been organizing talks, forums and durbars to preach about the dangers of drugs and alcohol abuse to the youth', the founder of LOAD- Ghana said.

Mr Alosibah Azam, the Upper East Regional Population Officer, expressed worry about the upsurge of teenage pregnancies and abortions in the region and called on parents, teachers and other stakeholders to help address the problem.

Mr Kwaku Godrick, Deputy Director of the National Commission For Civic Education, called on the youth to avoid selfish politicians who might seek to cause trouble in the forthcoming general elections.

The occasion which was organized by the NYA under the theme "The Road to 2030: Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainable Production and Consumption", attracted stakeholders including youth groups, civil society organizations and state institutions.

GNA
By Darlos Tong, GNA

Gowire (U/E), Aug. 30, GNA - The chief of Gowire Traditional Area, Naaba Peter Apiniyela II, has appealed to the Upper East Regional Police Command to establish a police post at Gowrie to assist in curbing the increasing armed robbery attacks.

The chief said motor bike snatching and cattle rustling was becoming rampant and cited a recent incident where a drinking bar in the area was robbed at gun point.

This left many of the residents in fear, Naaba Apiniyela said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Gowire.

He said together with his elders and the custodian of land, the Tindaana, were ready to offer land for the construction of a Police Post and also provide accommodation for the police personnel who would be sent there to work.

He also appealed to the Bongo District Assembly to liaise with the Ghana Water Company which has a treatment plant in the area to connect the seven communities under Gowire with pipe -borne water.

The said communities are Yorogo, Zaare, Nyariga, Vea, Zoko, Balungu and Gowrie. GNA
By Regina Benneh, GNA

Sunyani, Aug. 30, GNA - The Brong-Ahafo Regional Secretariat of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), has ended a five-day regional training workshop for members in Sunyani.

The programme, attended by 48 participants from various workers unions under the TUC was designed to provide them with information and knowledge about trade unionism.

It was also to equip them with appropriate tools and strategies to enable the unions to address the challenges confronting them.

Topics treated were workers' rights, gender and labour regulations, decent work, conflict resolution, development of trade unionism, report writing and organisation.

Addressing the closing ceremony, Togbe Adom Drayi II, the Head of organisation of TUC said research by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) had indicated that about 200 million people in the world were unemployed while one out of every seven children was also engaged in child labour.

He said ILO aimed at finding solutions to unemployment, poor quality and unproductive jobs, gender inequalities, inadequate protection and solidarity in times of diseases, disability and old age.

Togbe Drayi said ILO in collaboration with other workers organisations are agitating for decent work to address the challenges of the growing inequality to achieve fairness among workers in the world.

Togbe Drayi called on employers to pay reasonable wages with social security guarantees to employees to motivate them to be highly productive to ensure high national productivity for economic progress of the country.

Mr Isaac Yanney former Head of TUC education and training said fatigue, injuries and other health problems could have a long term effect on the health and lives of workers and therefore employers must ensure the provision of personal protective equipment and other necessary tools to protect the health and safety of workers.

GNA
30.08.2016 LISTEN

By D.I. Laary, GNA

Accra, Aug. 30 GNA - SEND-Ghana, a civil society organisation, has begun a national stakeholders' dialogue on donor inflows to Ghana's agricultural sector to curb problems relating to the impact of donor investment.

Policy makers and implementers, researchers, civil society groups, and development partners thought through research findings of donor assistance over the years to support food security and solve problems confronting smallholder, women, and rural farmers.

Mr Siapha Kamara, Chief Executive Officer of SEND-Ghana said government needs to give priority to the agricultural sector, given its huge important roles in the economy as major source of livelihoods to many people, especial the rural poor.

What the sector required, he noted, is not just provision of capital in agricultural budget but qualitative investment that aims at getting the nation to focus on activities of small scale farmers and food production.

Smallholder and women farmers, in particular, should be given access to improved seeds and quality extension services to boost their output and guarantee food security, he added.

Mr Kamara expressed worry that often times, huge part of agriculture budget are sunk into cocoa and export schemes at the neglect of food production to sustain the national economy.

'Holding government accountable for agriculture budget is very important that agriculture becomes important component or priority of government expenditure,' he said.

The Country Director for Oxfam Ghana, Mr Sebastian Tia, noted that five per cent of citizens are food insecure, describing the development as unacceptable.

He asked for stakeholders support to build momentum on influencing private-public sector investment in agricultural and expand fertilizer subsidy to many smallholder farmers.

An independent consultant, Mr Evans Gyampoh, presented a draft report on the analysis of the World Bank and the USAID agriculture aid to Ghana from 2011 to 2014.

He said the report showed heavy concentration of multilateral and bilateral support in the poorest regions of Ghana, but there may not to be any significant impact on poverty reduction and improvement in the quality of lives of the beneficiary communities in these regions.

He enumerated major needs of smallholder farmers such as unavailability or insufficient credit facilities, access to credit itself, poor adoption of agronomic practices and ineffective extension services.

There is also poor aid co-ordination in the agriculture sector, he said, because there is confusion over which document to use.

SEND Ghana is a subsidiary of SEND Foundation of West Africa, GNA
30.08.2016 LISTEN

By Kwamina Tandoh, GNA

Accra, Aug.30, GNA - Nana Kwarteng Amanfo - Nyansa Kyeame, a Broadcast Journalist, has urged Ghanaians particularly, the youth, to uphold the rich cultural values and practices, which engender respect for old age, honesty and hardwork to ensure rapid socio-economic development.

The Host of (Abibifo Abako sem) on Light Tv noted that Ghanaians were gradually losing touch with their roots and the sense of belongingness, values and practices in favour of foreign ones, which were unfavorable to the development of Ghana.

Nyansa Kyeame made this call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) during the launch of a 162-paged book on Ghanaian Culture, titled: 'M'AMAMMERE', in Accra over the weekend.

The book, authored by Nyansa Kyeame to enhance local literature, covers clans, marriage, language, names, among others.

Nyansa Kyeame noted that most of religions were culture-based, and they developed around the same concept, therefore, people must reject the impression that culture was associated with deities.

'We should be proud of our culture, lets uphold it,' he added.

Nana Kofi Ehuren, the Chief of Gomoa-Amanfrom, also reiterated the need to use local languages to teach in schools, particularly at the basic level, saying, 'This is an ideal way of ensuring effective transfer of knowledge'.

The chief, who lauded the efforts of the author to use culture as a way of promoting development, therefore, urged chiefs to use their platforms to sensitise people, especially parents, on the need to use the local languages as means of communicating.

Nana Kofi Ehuren said using only the English Language to teach in schools would amount to a disservice to students, their parents and Ghana at large; and cited that China and some European countries were practising otherwise.

He told the GNA that the neglect of our traditional heritage and culture as Africans could be attributed to the challenges the continent encountered, explaining that, 'We have lost our identity'.

'All stakeholders, including the Government, should adopt a Language Policy to identify the roles of Ghanaian languages,' he said.

As part of the ceremony, the Obradwenesem CD was also launched.

GNA
Aggrieved registered General nurses of the Holy Family Nurses Training College, Nkawkaw are threatening to picket at the Health Ministry in protest over delays in posting them to the various health institutions.

The nurses numbering about 82 completed the nursing training course in 2014 and were bonded throughout their national service with a promise to post them immediately after service.

However on completion of their service in March 2016, the Ministry has failed to post them despite posting other nurses from other training institutions.

The Nurses told Myjoyonline.com the Nurses and Midwifery Council, the institution charged with the mandate to provide the list of institutions whose students will be financially cleared mistakenly took the Training College out of the list.

One of the students who wants to remain anonymous said they had to prompt the Council for them to add the Holy Family Nurses Training College to the list after which they were promised to be posted in three weeks after the clearance.

It has been three months now and nothing positive has come from the Health Ministry.

"We sent a petition to them twice and didn't hear anything from them. We also went on a demonstration on August 10," one of the aggrieved nurses disclosed to Myjoyonline.com.

She said "we have still not heard anything from the Ministry. All our colleagues who completed other institutions started working in June. We are the only school which was left out and are home now.

"We have a signed a five year bond with the government of Ghana," she added.

But the Public Relations Officer of the Nurses and Midwifery Council Nana Boateng Agyemang in an interview with Myjoyonline.com denied claims that the Council omitted that name of Holy Family Training College from the list to the Finance Ministry.

He said the Finance Ministry is still working on the financial clearance for the affected nurses but cannot tell when the Ministry will be done with it.

The Public Relations Officer of the Health Ministry Tony Goodman also conceded the posting of the nurses has delayed but said the Finance Ministry is still working on the financial clearance for the nurses.

Even though he admits that the nurses to patient ratio is 1: 800, which calls for more nurses to be employed and posted to the various health institutions, he said the ministry has to look at the cost implications as well as other priorities which have to be catered for.

Commenting on the picketing, he said it is the right of the nurses to demonstrate but advised them not to put pressure on the ministry.

He assured the Ministry will soon give the affected nurses financial clearance but stopped shot of giving a timeline.

"I am not a politician to give a time line," he said

Story by Ghana|Myjoyonline.com|Nathan Gadugah
The running mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahmud Bawumiah has announced a policy that would see every constituency given US$1 million in poverty alleviation scheme should his party win power.

This will be part of a proposed US$275 million allocation per year to tackle issues relating to infrastructural development and poverty alleviation in rural and deprived communities across the country.

Every constituency in Ghana, every year from this programme, will get the equivalent of US$1 million to spend on priority infrastructure. You can use this US$1 million a year to deal with the problems of the constituency in the rural and deprived areas. It is up to the local people to decide what their problems are and what to use that US$1 million for, Dr. Bawumia said.

He explained that this would be part of a Infrastructure for Poverty Alleviation Programme, which will be established by a potential Nana Akufo-Addo government.

Speaking on Tuesday in Bunkpurugu, on the first day of Nana Akufo-Addo's 4-day tour of the Northern Region, Dr. Bawumia explained that the money for this programme will be drawn out of the capital budget of the country, which, according to the 2016 budget, stands at US$1.6 billion.

With each of the 275 constituencies benefiting from this programme, Dr. Bawumia noted that we are going to put resources at the disposal of the rural communities and the poorest communities in every constituency.

He stressed that in the capital budget of the country, we are going to be spending US$1.6 billion on capital expenditures this year. Our new programme of infrastructure for poverty eradication is, therefore, going to take US$275 million from the capital expenditure budget.

The NPP with this programme, Dr. Bawumia stated is going to focus on rural development, on the poor, and after four years of Nana Dankwa Akufo-Addo, with every constituency getting US$4 million, you will see growth in infrastructural development and poverty alleviation in all 275 constituencies.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow the hashtag #GhElections on social media for more election related stories
(Beijing)  Microsoft has sold its MSN China unit to a company co-founded by the portal's former top executive.

Like many foreign Internet companies eager to tap the lucrative Chinese market, Microsoft's MSN China portal never gained traction due to government regulations and stiff competition from homegrown rivals, despite Microsoft's dominance in computer operating systems.

Microsoft's retreat from the web portal business extends a similar trail of failures by foreign companies on the Chinese Internet, including Google, Yahoo, eBay and most recently Wal-Mart.

Microsoft said on its official blog on Aug. 29 that it had signed an agreement to sell MSN China, a Chinese edition of its global web portal, effective Aug. 10. The buyer, Xichuang Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd., was co-founded late last year by Liu Zhenyu, MSN China's former general manager.

No financial terms were disclosed, though Microsoft said the two sides will continue to work closely together.

Some attribute such failures to the foreign companies' inability to adequately adapt to the Chinese market. Others point out that Western companies also have difficulty competing due to their zero-tolerance policies toward practices like piracy and copyright infringement, which are common in China and help to draw traffic to many of their rivals' sites.

Turning control of MSN China over to a local partner will help Microsoft shift away from managing display advertising, which is at the core of MSN's business.

MSN China has a small presence in the country compared with domestic rivals such as Sina and Tencent, but Microsoft stressed that China is still one of its strategic markets. It added that its biggest research and development center outside the United States is in China.

After selling off the unpopular unit, Microsoft will continue to invest in China in other businesses, including computing and cloud services, the statement said.

The sale came two months after Microsoft announced a separate plan to sell about 1,500 of its patents to Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, a deal both companies are calling a long-term partnership. The Chinese company would become Microsoft's new smartphone partner going forward.

In addition to domestic competitors, many foreign companies are also feeling the heat from Chinese regulators. Microsoft has been the subject in China of recent antitrust and tax-evasion probes, part of a series of investigations against major global firms that previously led some Westerners to accuse Beijing of anti-foreign bias.

Contact reporter Chen Na (nachen@caixin.com); editor Doug Young (dougyoung@caixin.com)
you are here:
Leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) will meet in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, on Sept. 4 and 5, the first time the annual summit will be hosted by China. Under the theme "Toward an innovative, invigorated, interconnected and inclusive world economy," the Hangzhou summit is expected to explore measures to rejuvenate the world economy in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

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Who are our enemies?

If you read the mainstream news, Russian President Vladimir Putin rings a bell.

ISIS does too

North Korea.

Perhaps, Iran makes the list

Who knows? But, arguably, Hilary Clinton (who some claim should be locked up for what they say are questionable business deals) avoids it. Donald Trump, on the other hand, certainly makes the cut.

What has this got to do with commodities?

Let me explain

Corruption at its highest

First, lets look at some mainstream news. The New York Post wrote last week,

The largest broadcast networks  CBS, NBC and ABC  and major newspapers like the New York Times and Washington Post have jettisoned all pretence of fair play. Their fierce determination to keep Trump out of the Oval Office has no precedent. Indeed, no foreign enemy, no terror group, no native criminal gang suffers the daily beating that Trump does. The mad mullahs of Iran, who call America the Great Satan and vow to wipe Israel off the map, are treated gently by comparison.

Most of us know that the US mainstream is owned and paid for by the big banks and politicians. They have an agenda, and their media sells it.

Australias mainstream is a bit better. Our journalists still have some credibility. Although, very few journalists  and this is worldwide  have anything good to say about Trump.

Fair enough. The billionaire has made a lot of mistakes

Hes offended multiple people, races and ethnic groups. And clearly deserves a lot of backlash. But, Id argue, not as much as he gets. Trumps said a lot of smart stuff which goes under the radar.

For example, he wants to slash taxes across the board. If that happens, it would ignite a tremendous economic boom.

Yet, despite this positive, and a few others, Trump remains a hothead on stage. The Washington Post reported yesterday,

Arguably worse than his claims of resigned acceptance to the spread of nuclear weapons has been his active support of the further development of such weapons, as well as multiple statements suggesting how he would consider using them.

The journalism is amusing. Remember, Trump wants to befriend Putin. Why would he do that if he wanted to start a war or use nukes?

Here is the cold hard truth: Trump isnt part of the political establishment. Hes an outsider, and establishment politics hate that! The mainstream is trying its best to sell Clinton, even though her own political background is quite questionable.

Still, Novembers election remains a coin flip.

If Trump wins, who knows what will happen. If Hilary wins, watch out

Hilary has supported every war for the past 30 years. Based on her track record, theres little doubt that she would support the next war. To understand why, lets wind back the clock

Crimeas confusion

On 18 March 2014, Russia rolled its tanks into Crimea (now part of its territory). At the time, US President Barack Obama condemned the attack and called it an invasion. The mainstream supported his rhetoric.

Yet, there was more to the story

Its often unreported that Kiev saw bloody riots on the streets almost every day. Facing a civil war, 50% of Ukraine wanted to join the European Union (the west). The other 50% (the east) wanted to pivot towards Russia.

Viktor Yushchenko, Ukraines former President, was deeply disliked at the time. He was entangled in corruption rumours, allegedly stripping businesses from top to bottom and running his government like a mafia.

Yushchenko had a strong pro-Russian stance, which the West didnt like.

With Kiev in near bloodshed, and the people after his head, Yushchenko fled to Russia.

Before fleeing across the border, Yushchenko called Putin asking for help. He feared that Crimea  a strong ethnic Russian region  was in trouble. Discussing the story, Reuters reported on March 3, 2014:

Ukraines ousted leader Viktor Yanukovich has sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin requesting that he use Russias military to restore law and order in Ukraine, Moscows U.N. envoy told a stormy meeting of the Security Council on Monday.

Yet, despite the truth and a referendum, Obama still claims that Russia annexed Crimea.

Politicians, globally, are out of control

The path to war

Ukraines new President, Petro Poroshenko, has been a total disaster.

He has tried nearly every trick possible to start a war with Russia. Poroshenko recently recommended introducing martial law and a new wave of military mobilisation.

Russia realises that war is inevitable, and is preparing.

When war breaks out, it could easily spread globally. Do you think that either President Trump or Clinton would sit on the sidelines?

That doesnt seem likely. In that case it makes sense to keep a close watch on geopolitical events in the months and years ahead.

If the worst happens, things could get out of control very quickly indeed.

Regards,

Jason Stevenson,

Resources Analyst

PS: Theres one simple truth about war. Like it or not, when wars start, commodity prices soar. For instance, in the lead up to the Iraq War in 2003, the Thomson Reuters/CoreCommodity CRB index gained 60%. And from March 2003 to 2006, the index gained another 90%. This gain wasnt all about war, but during war the demand for commodities surges. That creates a strategic opportunity that investors can exploit. For my take on how to play this, go here.
HICKORY  Divers from the Charlotte Fire Department pulled the body of a worker who fell off the Highway 127 bridge to Alexander County from Lake Hickory after a 13-hour-long search.

The victim, Filegonio Bravo Perez, was working underneath the bridge, preparing a platform for future work.

His supervisor, Allen Mirr, said Perez was pulling on a caught section of platform when he fell.

It popped and he fell back, Mirr said.

As soon as he fell, Perezs coworker Javier Palma jumped in the water to try and grab Perez. Mirr jumped in a few moments later. However, Palma and Mirrs clothing and steel toed boots hampered their efforts.

He (Palma) jumped in right at the moment the guy fell, Maynor Chinchilla said, who translated for the workers.

The call for help went out quickly, with the Catawba County Sheriffs Office responding at approximately 1:50 a.m., Sheriff Coy Reid said.

Mirr said his crew was using safety harnesses at the time. OSHA and NCDOT are investigating the death, as is the Catawba County Sheriff's Office.

(Perez) was one of the hardest workers Ive ever met, Mirr said. He was phenomenal. He came here from another country to live the American dream.

The workers are employed by Astron General Contracting, Inc., who was subcontracted by NCDOT for maintenance on the bridge.

Hickory Fire Department, Hickory Rescue Squad, Catawba EMS, Alexander Rescue Squad, Alexander County Sheriffs Office, Sherrills Ford-Terrell Fire and Rescue, Bethlehem Fire Department, Lovelady Rescue, Catawba Co. Emergency Management, Alexander Co. Emergency Management, Hickory Police, NC Department of Wildlife and the Red Cross all assisted in search operations.

Prior to the recovery of the body, Sherrills Ford-Terrell Fire and Rescue used sonar to pinpoint the exact position.

The Hickory Daily Record will update as details become available.
After coming to an unofficial consensus at last weeks work session, the Burke County Board of Education unanimously voted to continue the design process for the new elementary school planned for Morganton.

John and Hamilton Cort of Cort Architecture gave the same presentation the board got to see last week at Monday nights regularly scheduled board meeting. This time, a greater number of citizens were on hand for the presentation.

Hamilton Cort said after last weeks work session that the company will now enter the design development phase. That entails adding mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems to the design and focusing on more detailed aspects of the design.

John Cort said Monday that the new elementary school will have a security vestibule similar to those seen at Patton High School and Draughn High School. The schools media center will be near the front of the school, and Cort said it will be welcoming.

The schools gymnasium and auditorium, which will be part of the campus available for community use, will seat 800 people and 550 people, respectively, and the auditorium will have seating with graduating height to accommodate students from all grades. The schools kitchen will run on natural gas. About 1,800 feet of stacking area where cars can queue for student pickup will be available and wont take up the visitor parking lot.

Mountain View Elementary demolition

Before work can begin on the new school, the site must be cleared of the former Mountain View Elementary School building. The board took the next step in that process Monday.

BCPS Director of Auxiliary Services Doug Setzer presented the board with estimates of $147,000 for demolition and $31,500 for asbestos removal from D.H. Griffin of Hildebran. The board unanimously approved those figures. Demolition is expected to start near the end of September once permits have been approved.

Chartwells makes donations

After helping pull the BCPS child nutrition program out of the red for the first time in years, Chartwells has given back to Future Farmers of America programs at two county high schools. Checks were presented in the amount of $2,500 to both the Freedom High and East Burke High FFA programs at Mondays meeting.

After Chartwells helped with the bottom line on child nutrition last year, BCPS Food Service Manager Coordinator Angela Hensley expects participation numbers will be on the rise this year. To help with that goal, Chartwells will have a marketing member onsite at schools this year, a breakfast kiosk in middle schools and a food truck in the area.

Meal prices this year have risen slightly. In elementary school, breakfast ($1.25 to $1.30) and lunch ($2.35 to $2.40) each rose a nickel. In middle and high schools, breakfast ($1.50 to $1.55) rose five cents and lunch ($2.55 to $2.65) was upped a dime due to a change in USDA mandates.

Thomas recognized before meeting

Recently resigned school board member Catherine Thomas was honored before Mondays meeting with a reception. Her former fellow board members spoke fondly of their time serving together.

Edna Weller called Thomas a friend, Sam Wilkinson said she is a hero and chairman Randy Burns recognized Thomas as one of his mentors. Buddy Armour said that Thomas helped dig the school board out of a hole and put the schools back on the map during her tenure on the board. R.L. Icard commended Thomas for the high standard she has set and Don Hemstreet called her the epitome of a public servant.

Thomas said she believes the school board is in a good place and is excited about the new elementary school, but cautioned the board members, who she called lifelong friends, that trouble is never far away. She expressed confidence that the board will continue down the right path.

Justin Epley can be reached at jepley@morganton.com or 828-432-8943.
We can all agree we have disturbing, commonplace gun death in America making us unsafe. We have more firearms per capita (88 per 100 people) and 10 times the gun death compared to other developed nations. With half the population of all developed nations combined, we constitute 82 percent of all gun deaths. We want to see that change.

We disagree on how to reach a solution though; disagreement stems from vehement defense of our Bill of Rights that secures inherent rights, making us wary to support legislation, erroneously believing it will eliminate those rights. Our Founding Fathers understood that basic rights must be exercised responsibly and were meant to be perfected gradually through legislation to ensure such.

Freedom of speech doesn't include inciteful language, freedom of the press doesn't include libel, freedom of religion doesn't include mandatory worship. These actions overstepped boundaries and legislation modified them. Legislation and protection of our rights aren't mutually exclusive. We can pass firearm legislation to reduce gun death while still protecting our right to bear arms. Polls unanimously show that 90 percent of us support mandatory background checks, and 70 percent want to ban guns from suspected terrorists. Those are both reasonable legislative expectations that would reduce gun death without infringing on the Second Amendment. So, why has Congress failed to act? The post-Orlando vote, which included both mandatory background checks and banning the sale of firearms to suspected terrorists, both reasonable measures, were voted against by politicians we've elected to represent us.

Sen. Richard Burr voted no on both reasonable measures. He was willing to block sales to suspected terrorists  only with a catch  the unreasonable requirement that the government provide probable cause within three days. Isn't being a suspected terrorist cause enough? Can the notoriously slow government realistically comply within three days? If we can legislate a right while preserving it, and the country supports passing legislation, then why did he vote this way, against our sentiment and safety? Because his vote has been bought by the gun lobby, not his constituency. As of June in the 2016 election cycle, the FEC reported the NRA doled out $607,400 to politicians. Sen. Burr's share was $4,950. That money influenced his vote, contradicting his own words that our first priority must be to keep guns out of the hands of those who seek to do harm.

Actions, as they say, speak louder than words. If we don't remove politicians from office that don't represent us, we will continue to be unsafe. We've allowed our safety to be compromised for too long because our leaders are not leading or listening, but bowing to those that arent you  and you are who should matter more. If our politicians have been bought, it's time to replace them.
The UK economy expanded at a faster pace than previously thought in the three months prior to the Brexit vote, the Office for National Statistics has revealed.

Gross domestic product grew 0.6% in the three months to the end of June after rising 0.4% in the first quarter of the year. This was the 14th consecutive quarter of positive growth since the first three months of 2013. On a yearly basis, GDP rose 2.2%.

Nancy Curtin, chief investment officer at Close Brothers Asset Management said that while the figures were an improvement on the first quarter, growth in the British economy was subdued as businesses put spending decisions on hold ahead of the EU membership referendum.

With the post-referendum picture not yet clear cut, investors will be watching economic data more closely than ever in the coming months. However, better than expected July retail and jobs data suggests that the Brexit bogeyman isnt quite as scary as once thought, with consumer spending robust, and lower sterling supporting exports and industrial production, she said. But, its by no means a completely positive picture. Services PMIs provide less encouraging reading, suggesting a more mixed economic outlook. Curtin joined other commentators in expressing the view that it was simply too soon to draw conclusions about the real impact of Brexit. Jonathan Chitty, investment analyst at Brown Shipley said that the latest figures put output now around 8% higher than the pre-financial crisis peak. It is important to note, however, that the reading covers the three months to June 30, and as such provides us with little colour on how the UK is performing post-referendum, he said. In short, the UK was open for business in the second quarter, but whether this continues later in the year remains to be seen. On the production side, services output advanced 0.5% and industrial production gained 2.1% as previously estimated in the second quarter. Meanwhile, construction output dropped 0.7% instead of 0.4% fall published previously. The expenditure-side breakdown of GDP showed that household expenditure climbed 0.9%, while government spending fell 0.2%. Another report from ONS showed that the index of services climbed 2.4% in June from the previous year. The largest contribution to total growth came from business services and finance, which contributed 1.1 percentage points. What Should We Expect Next? Ana Thaker, Market Economist at PhillipCapital UK said that all eyes would be on the next set of economic data, and expected weakness to come in the form of a slowdown in business investment. Markets are particularly sensitive at the moment, and are likely to remain so until Article 50 is invoked and we begin the official Brexit process, so poor GDP data will weigh heavily on sterling if weaker than expected despite positive signs elsewhere in the economy, she said.
August 24 marked one year since Black Monday  the day when volatility in Chinese stocks spilled over into global markets. Twelve months later and China is looking more stable, with gradual gains since the start of the year  but will it last? Investors have been surveying the options; as well as the top income stocks, and Woodford and Franklins new low fee funds.

Top 20 FTSE 350 Dividend Paying Stocks

UPDATED JULY 2016: Dividend payments have been boosted 4.3 billion by Brexit. We reveal the top 20 dividend paying stocks in the FTSE 350
Maintaining independence and editorial freedom is essential to our mission of empowering investor success. We provide a platform for our authors to report on investments fairly, accurately, and from the investors point of view. We also respect individual opinionsthey represent the unvarnished thinking of our people and exacting analysis of our research processes. Our authors can publish views that we may or may not agree with, but they show their work, distinguish facts from opinions, and make sure their analysis is clear and in no way misleading or deceptive.

To further protect the integrity of our editorial content, we keep a strict separation between our sales teams and authors to remove any pressure or influence on our analyses and research.

Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.
Distressed Sales To Remain Elevated into 2019 -CoreLogic

The share of total home sales made up by distressed properties is now one-quarter the level it was in January 2009. CoreLogic reports that in May the total of foreclosed homes and houses sold through a short sale was 8.4 percent with foreclosures accounting for 5.4 percent of the total. On a month-over-month basis the distressed shares were down 1 percentage point from April and 2.1 points below the May 2015 level.

At the peak, distressed homes sales, made up 32.4 percent of the residential market, with foreclosures accounting for a 27.9 percent share. CoreLogic notes there will always be some level of distress in the housing market, with the pre-crisis share of sales generally running around 2 percent. If the current year-over-year decrease in the distressed sales share continues, the company expects it will reach that "normal" 2-percent mark in mid-2019. We believe this is the first time CoreLogic has pushed that projection out into 2019. Over the last year it has variously predicted a return to pre-crash levels by mid-2017 or mid-2018.

Sales from bank-owned real estate (REO) had the smallest share of any May since 2007. Short sales have remained in the 3 to 4 percent range in terms of share since mid-2014.

All but eight states recorded lower distressed sales shares in May 2016 that they did in the prior May. Maryland had the highest share at 19.4 percent followed by Connecticut (18.5 percent), Michigan (17.8 percent), Illinois (16 percent) and Florida (15.8 percent).

Despite continued turmoil in the energy markets, major oil states continued to see year-over-year declines in distressed sales. Texas was down 1.3 percentage point, and Oklahoma and North Dakota both saw a 0.1 percentage point decrease. Florida had had the most significant decline of any state, down 5.5 percentage points from a year earlier.

Baltimore was highest among the 25 largest Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) with a distressed sales share of 19.2 percent. Chicago (18.1 percent), Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, at 17.3 percent, Orlando (16.4 percent) and St Louis, Missouri rounded out the top five.
Part III: I have read your series regarding entering the industry with interest as I am interviewing with a couple of companies. I have been in the financial services industry for ten years--including working for a bank and an insurance company. My question is--what type of company should I be looking for? I have interviewed with a broker and a bank.--Jennifer from ConnecticutPreviously within this series, we went over types of residential finance institutions and also types of business models such as street vs. inside loan officers. The next question we must address is what model best fits your needs? In which model are you most likely to succeed? For example, you have said that you have worked within the financial services industry for ten years. That tells me that you should have a large sphere of influence and therefore, should be in a position to generate referrals from your sphere. This at least opens up the "street loan officer" model as a possibility. What I don't know is whether you have sales or business building experience in your background. Thus, you would have to take into consideration additional factors before making a decision.Regardless of the model, one very important consideration concerns whether the company you choose will provide quality training and/or mentoring. While companies such as OriginationPro can provide curriculums independently, your company must still provide proper orientation and field training, as well as mentorship. In this regard, your choice of a mentor will be just as important as your choice of a company. Finding good mentors is very difficult because most managers in this industry are also leading producers, leaving little time for quality mentorship.In general, I am hopeful that this series has provided you with some good guidance in this regard and may help others who are looking to enter the industry and/or changing companies within the industry.--Dave HershmanDave Hershman has been the leading author and a top speaker for the industry for decades with six books authored and hundreds of articles published. His website is www.originationpro.com . If you have a reaction to this commentary or another question you would like answered in this column? Email Dave directly at [email protected]
Home prices up 0.8 per cent for June says mortgage lender

Home prices continued higher in June, rising 0.8 per cent in the month and 5.3 per cent year-over-year according to data from mortgage services firm Black Knight Financial.



The HPI value of $265,000 is within 1.1 per cent of a new national peak and shows a 32.6 per cent rise from the bottom of the market.



Prices in June saw the largest increases in Michigan (1.6 per cent) Wisconsin (1.5 per cent) and Oregon and Washington (both 1.4 per cent).



New York, Atlanta and Miami were the metros with the largest gains among the largest markets while Carson City, NV was the metro with the largest rise overall (2.4 per cent).



Positive outlook for commercial real estate

The improving economy should result in a positive period ahead for US commercial real estate.

The National Association of Realtors quarterly commercial real estate report shows that vacancy rates for offices are expected to fall 1.5 per cent to 10.4 per cent in the next 12 months followed by retail (1 per cent) and industrial (0.7 per cent).



The vacancy rate for multifamily real estate is expected to rise to 6.1 per cent (from 5.9 per cent) due to new supply of condos.



The U.S. economy has its flaws and has been stuck in slow-growth mode ever since the Great Recession, says Yun. However, its still the top performing economy in the world, and U.S.

commercial real estate should continue to remain a stable investment and attractive option for investors even as rates move upward, commented NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun.



Tightening underwriting conditions for loans is flagged as a concern among realtors. This has largely been driven by increased regulatory demands the report notes.



Americans focused on reducing debt, buying a home

A third of Americans are focused on reducing debts according to a new poll by BMO Wealth Management.



However, when broken down into demographics there is a clear change in priorities. While baby boomers are most likely to say debt reduction is their key goal (35 per cent) for those aged 18-34 almost a third rank saving for a downpayment for a home as their top aim.



The poll also reveals that 42 per cent of Americans are concerned about their ability to meet unexpected expenses such as healthcare costs or losing their job.


PricewaterhouseCoopers has settled a lawsuit that claimed it failed to detect the fraud that caused the collapse of a major mortgage company.



The lawsuit concerned Taylor, Bean & Whitaker, which collapsed in 2009. The mortgage lenders bankruptcy trustee had sought more than $5.5 billion in damages from PwC, according to a Reuters report. The terms of the settlement are confidential.



It was settled to the mutual satisfaction of the parties, Steven Thomas, the trustees attorney, told Reuters.



The lawsuit concerned PwCs auditing work for Alabma=based Colonial BancGroup, where Taylor Bean was a customer. Taylor Bean head Lee Farkas and other executives hid the companys losses by moving money among Colonial accounts and by selling worthless or nonexistent mortgages, Reuters reported. The lawsuit said that PwC should have caught such a massive fraud in its audits.

In August 2009, both Taylor Bean and Colonial filed for bankruptcy. Colonials collapse was the sixth-largest bank failure in US history.



Farkas was convicted on fraud charges and sentenced in 2011 to 30 years in federal prison, according to Reuters.


The defining traits behind every company collectively make up a companys culture. At Academy Mortgage, one of the largest mortgage lenders in the nation, their cultural roots lie with its people  the employees  and the unique experiences Academy offers to them.



Every year, Academy arranges trips for top producing officers and Presidents Club members that allows them once-in-a-lifetime experiences outside of the office. We have a real heritage of giving back, said John Owens, senior manager. Our CEO, Adam Kessler, puts on these Presidents Club trips every year and every other year it is a service expedition. For example, last year the top producers and executive team went to Peru and camped at 11,000 ft. in a native village. There they dug a reservoir for them and helped build a large building to use for storage in the winter, he said.  We work with different organizations to put that all together and it really is a life changing trip for a lot of people.



The years that Academy trips are not service expeditions, they are instead cultural expeditions where Academys Presidents Club members get to explore a new nation, culture and environment. Their next cultural fun trip: Beijing, China next month.



Owens comments that the lessons learned during these trips, in addition to the pleasure of giving back, offers Academy employees new perspectives and experiences that many would otherwise not have. And to that effort, Academy has now expanded the criteria for producers who qualify for these trips. Adam really wants to have as many Academy employees to go on these trips as possible. For production done this year, we will have three trips next year. We always had two trips, one for top producers and one for Presidents Club members, and now we will also have an executive level trip, said Owens. Whats next for 2017? A cultural trip to South Africa and a service expedition to Costa Rica for Presidents Club members and executive level members, respectively, with Presidents Club producers having the pleasure of attending both trips, Owens adds.



We love our employees here and we really value them, said Owens. We really believe that our loan officers need to experience Academy and how great it is to give back. When we take them on these trips, it is an absolutely mind boggling and life changing experience.


BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  A federal judge has heard testimony in the Standing Rock Sioux Tribes request to temporarily block the construction of a four-state oil pipeline near their reservation, which straddles the North Dakota-South Dakota border. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said Wednesday he will make a decision on the issue by Sept. 9.

Some things to know about the pipeline and the tribe's ongoing protest:

WHAT IS THE DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE?

Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners Dakota Access Pipeline is a $3.8 billion, 1,172-mile project that would carry nearly a half-million barrels of crude oil daily from North Dakotas oil fields through South Dakota and Iowa to an existing pipeline in Patoka, Illinois, where shippers can access Midwest and Gulf Coast markets.

WHAT IS THE LAWSUIT TARGETING?

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe sued federal regulators for approving the oil pipeline, challenging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decision to grant permits at more than 200 water crossings and arguing that the pipeline would be placed less than a mile upstream of the reservation, potentially impacting drinking water for more than 8,000 tribal members and millions of people who rely on it further downstream.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the tribe by environmental group Earthjustice, said the project violates several federal laws, including the National Historic Preservation Act. The tribe also worries the project will disturb ancient sacred sites outside of the 2.3-million acre reservation.

IS THE PIPELINE SAFE?

The company said the pipeline would include safeguards such as leak detection equipment, and workers monitoring the pipeline remotely in Texas could close block valves on it within three minutes if a breach is detected.

WHO ARE THE PROTESTERS?

Mostly members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, but theyve been joined by other American Indians and non-Native Americans from across the country. Divergent actress Shailene Woodley was part of the protests last week, and actress Susan Sarandon was at Wednesdays federal hearing.

HOW MANY ARRESTS HAVE THERE BEEN?

For months, there has been a nonviolent tribal protest at a spirit camp at the confluence of the Cannonball and Missouri rivers in the path of the pipeline. More than a dozen young people from the reservation also ran to Washington to deliver 140,000 petition signatures to the Corps to protest the pipeline.

But the protest recently became heated, and more than two dozen have been arrested and charged with interfering with the pipeline construction, including Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman David Archambault II.

Gov. Jack Dalrymple declared an emergency last week to make more state resources available to manage public safety risks from the protest. He said that the state is committed to protecting lawful assembly rights, but says unlawful acts have led to serious public safety concerns.

ARE THERE PROTESTS IN OTHER STATES?

Yes, but nothing like in North Dakota. Construction equipment at several sites in Iowa was set on fire earlier in August, causing more than $1 million in damage. And Iowa landowners who are upset over the state utilities board allowance of eminent domain have sued and are waiting for that challenge to be heard.

WHY IS IT BEING BUILT?

Energy Transfer Partners announced the Dakota Access pipeline in 2014, a few days after Dalrymple urged industry and government officials to build more pipelines to keep pace with the states oil production, which is second only to Texas.

Supporters said the pipeline would create more markets and reduce truck and oil train traffic  the latter of which has been a growing concern after a spate of fiery derailments of trains carrying North Dakota crude, including one near Dalrymples hometown of Casselton in 2013, and an explosion in Quebec that same year that killed 47 people.
The Houston Ship Channel and the Gulf Coast region are increasingly exporting almost every type of product derived from shale natural gas and oil, energy executives said.

Speaking at the two-day Gulf Coast Industry Forum  previously called the Petrochemical Maritime Outlook Conference  in Pasadena, top executives highlighted how the Port of Houston is the only major port in the U.S. to export more than it imports.

The region is shipping out crude oil, liquefied natural gas, ethane, propane, butane, refined fuels, petrochemicals and plastics to power the developing world.

The growth has helped make Houstons Enterprise Products Partners the worlds largest exporter of propane. The company also exports butane and will ship out ethane when it completes the worlds largest ethane export facility along the Houston Ship Channel. Ethane is the primary feed stock for the booming petrochemical sector; liquefied petroleum gases like propane and butane are used for heating, cooking and transportation.

I wouldve never thought 10 years ago that Enterprise would be a bigger exporter of LPG than Saudi Arabia, said Anatol Feygin, senior vice president of strategy for Cheniere Energy.

Enterprise also has exported more crude oil than any other company since Congress lifted the decadeslong ban on exports in December.

We had a vision five years ago watching the shale revolution that the U.S. was going to be long on hydrocarbons, said Enterprise Executive Vice President Bill Ordemann, citing relatively stagnant U.S. consumption. We felt like a vibrant export market was going to be necessary.

Enterprise, however, doesnt deal in LNG. Thats where companies like Cheniere and Houston-based Freeport LNG come into play.

Chenieres Sabine Pass export terminal in Louisiana exported Americas first load of LNG this year. Chenieres Corpus Christi LNG export terminal is under construction and a terminal in Freeport is scheduled to be completed in 2018.

But as the U.S., Australia and others export more LNG, demand is slowing in countries  such as Japan  that were expected to be the biggest consumers. Feygin said markets such as Egypt, Pakistan and Jordan are opening up and could help reduce a budding glut.

The opening of the Panama Canal expansion in July also will help open markets for American LNG, said Mark Mallett, Freeports senior vice president for operations and projects.

The canals expansion could boost business at the Port of Houston, Executive Director Roger Guenther said.

I believe were in a significant position to capture new business, said Guenther, adding that more shipments will come through the channel than by rail from the West Coast.

That means the channel could be further dredged and widened, he said.

If you dont have a channel you dont have a port, Guenther said. Weve got to take care of it.

Our channel is going to continue to get bigger. The ships are going to get bigger. So we have to continue to push for federal support.
Trustees, parents, students, teachers, and friends of Bynum School will have shovels in hand Wednesday at 5100 Avalon Drive, signaling a landmark achievement in the schools history. Bynum School is breaking ground on a new, state-of-the art, functional school facility, a building specifically designed for children and adults who have special needs. The dreams and aspirations of countless supporters finally will be realized through construction of this amazing new school.

Bynum School, founded about 30 years ago, is the only private school in Midland and Odessa and -- as best as we can determine -- in West Texas that provides comprehensive year-round services to students with special needs and to their families. Serving students ranging in ages from 3 to adulthood, the schools strategic plan holds out the goal of celebrating success for every student. The construction of a new school facility brings us miles closer to meeting this objective.

Bynum School, with a mission centered on Christian values, has not only earned a reputation for being family-oriented but also for being committed to implementing best practices for this population of students. We are ambitious and mission-driven, but what we could accomplish, both in terms of programming and enrollment, has always been challenged by the limitations of the current facility. Our new facility will be large enough to serve 122 students.

Without reservation, groundbreaking represents a new beginning for Bynum School. We will be able to offer new possibilities for children and families with special needs, those who benefit from the long-term love and support that Bynum can provide. We are primed for growth in the coming decade and very excited to be of service in the Permian Basin. We appreciate the thought and care that T.J. McClure of Rhotenberry Wellen Architects gave to the design of the new building, and are pleased to entrust construction to Dick Campbell, a former member of the board of directors and longtime advocate for Bynum School.

This next chapter would not have been possible without the commitment and generosity of countless benefactors who understand and support the schools mission. We set out to raise $20 million for this project -- $13 million dedicated to building the facility and $7 million dedicated to an endowment to support long-term sustainability of the school and to defer tuition for families who need the services that Bynum can provide.

The capital campaign began with an ambitious goal. Despite the somewhat unpredictable nature of our local economy, our supporters have stayed the course and made this day possible. In particular, the school owes a debt of gratitude to Don and Susie Evans and Mikell and Will Abney who tirelessly led the successful campaign to underwrite the future of Bynum School.

We are thankful to hundreds of donors -- individuals who made heartfelt gifts. In addition, however, we believe it is important to acknowledge nine leaders from Midlands enormously generous philanthropic community, including individuals, companies and foundations who stepped up and made gifts totaling in excess of $13 million to the campaign to ensure the future of Bynum School.

Thank you to Javaid and Vicky Anwar, Don and Susie Evans, Bob and Donna Landreth, Linn Energy, Concho Resources, Pioneer Natural Resources, the Abell-Hanger Foundation, the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation and the Scharbauer Foundation. These leaders recognize that Bynum School is an asset to the community because the school meets a growing need to serve children and adults who have special needs.

We are profoundly grateful, and we promise to grow Bynum School in ways that benefit children and families and continue to be worthy of the trust so graciously granted through these gifts. We look forward to a ribbon cutting in 2018. Bynum School is ready for the next 50 years.
There is no doubt that texting while driving is dangerous, but Texas remains one of only four states without a law banning the practice -- and changing that scenario will be an uphill battle when the Legislature returns in January.

The Texas Senate, where anti-texting bills were defeated in 2013 and 2015, is poised to remain hostile territory in the 2017 session. Much of the opposition has solidified around the Legislatures most conservative Republicans, who are leery of broadening police powers and see anti-texting laws as furthering an intrusive, nanny state government.

State Sen. Konni Burton, R-Colleyville, vowed to renew last sessions successful effort to block a texting ban, authored by state Rep. Tom Craddick, R-Midland, from getting a vote on the Senate floor.

We currently have a number of laws on the books for hazardous driving which provide sufficient cause for law enforcement to stop a motorist, she said, adding that efforts should focus on educating drivers rather than embrace the unintended, and unwanted, consequences of criminalizing the use of a device.

Advocates promise an equally focused effort to prohibit drivers from sending and receiving text messages, citing reports that claim the practice is twice as dangerous as driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 -- the legal limit for driving while intoxicated.

We will continue to fight for this issue because, quite honestly, were losing too many fellow citizens needlessly to distracted driving, state Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, said at a recent Austin policy summit, sponsored by AAA Texas, meant to build support for laws to combat driver distractions, including text messaging.

On the surface, a texting ban is the type of bill that sails through the Legislature.

The proposed law has passionate supporters who repeatedly travel to the Capitol to provide heart-wrenching testimony about spouses, siblings and children lost to a driver distracted by a text message, phone call or other cellphone use. Its the kind of real-life narrative that converts politicians into supporters, and several legislators have credited victims families with changing their minds on the issue.

A texting ban also has widespread support from powerful allies, including law enforcement groups, insurance companies, major cellphone corporations, the Texas Medical Association and Texas Hospital Association.

Emerging studies indicate that such laws save lives and reduce crashes, and polls show general public support for limiting the use of cellphones and other hand-held devices by drivers.

Even so, the closest Texas came to enacting a texting ban was in 2011, when it was amended onto a popular bill and approved with minimal dissent -- only to be vetoed by then-Gov. Rick Perry, who called the proposed law a government effort to micromanage the behavior of adults.

In 2013, a bill imposing a fine of up to $100 for reading, writing or sending a text while driving -- though not when the vehicle was stopped -- passed the House, 97-45, but didnt get a vote in a Senate committee.

A 2015 version also easily passed the House and got a boost when Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick -- who now supports a texting ban after voting against it as a senator in 2011 -- moved the bill into a new committee, where it was approved. However, Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, needed support from 19 senators to get a Senate vote but could line up only 18: all 11 Democrats and seven Republicans.

It wont get easier in 2017. Zaffirini lost one Republican supporter with the retirement of Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler. Rep. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, who is running for Eltifes seat and has no Democratic opponent, voted against texting bans in 2013 and 2015.

Another soon-to-be senator also voted against a texting ban in 2015 -- state Rep. Borris Miles, D-Houston, who has no Republican opponent in his bid to replace Sen. Rodney Ellis, a texting-ban supporter who will soon become a Harris County commissioner.

Hughes and Miles didnt return calls seeking comment.

Do texting laws work?

The difficult landscape wont deter Zaffirini and Craddick, R-Midland, who have said that passing a texting ban remains a priority.

Supporters also enter the 2017 legislative session believing they have better answers to a common question: Do anti-texting laws work?

AT&T Corp., for example, says a study of its cellphone network found motorists in Texas, Arizona, Montana and Missouri -- the four states without anti-texting laws -- were 17 percent more likely to send a text while driving than residents of the other 46 states.

Research by Alva Ferdinand, a Texas A&M University assistant professor of health policy and management, found states with a texting ban had a 3 percent reduction in fatalities and a 7 percent reduction in accidents that required hospitalization.

Should a ban go into effect in Texas, we would expect to see 90 lives saved per year, she said.

Two points stood out from the studies, Ferdinand said:

-- The type of ban mattered. Safety improved if laws allowed police to pull over drivers seen using a hand-held device, but anti-texting laws that require officers to ticket only motorists pulled over for other offenses made things worse -- encouraging such dangerous behavior as using phones hidden in laps, which takes eyes off the road for longer periods, Ferdinand said.

States where you have to be caught doing something else first is where you are seeing some slight increases in fatalities, she said.

-- Age matters. Texting bans reduce fatal and injury accidents for 15- to 21-year-olds, but the greatest safety improvements came for drivers aged 22 to 64 when laws go further by banning the use of any hand-held electronic device behind the wheel.

For the longest time, we were blaming the young drivers, but (older drivers), the more experienced drivers, feel they have what it takes to compensate for the fact that they are distracted, Ferdinand said.

Currently, Texas law prohibits drivers under age 18 from texting behind the wheel, and all drivers are banned from texting or using cellphones in school zones.

At least 95 Texas cities have passed ordinances outlawing a range of distracting behaviors -- from simple bans on texting to prohibitions on any hand-held electronic device while driving -- including Austin, New Braunfels, San Marcos and Midland, according to AAA Texas.

---

How common is texting and driving?

Texas A&M Universitys Center for Transportation Safety sent observers to 190 intersections across the state in February and March 2015. Of almost 32,000 drivers observed:

-- 5 percent were talking on a phone

-- 3.5 percent were texting

The numbers were down slightly from 2014, when 5.9 percent of drivers were on phones and 3.7 percent were texting.

Source: TxDOT

---

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
WEATHERFORD, Texas (AP)  Prosecutors say a North Texas man who falsely portrayed himself as a decorated Navy SEAL must serve more than four years behind bars.

Carlos Felipe Luna-Gonzalez of Granbury was sentenced Monday in Weatherford after pleading guilty to theft, failure to appear and bail jumping.
To keep students in school and to help them achieve, the Midland Independent School District has established major strategies for prevention, intervention and recovery efforts. These include ensuring a safe and welcoming environment for students to obtain excellence in teaching and access to mentors, credit recovery programs and the benefits of collaborative efforts.

The districts goal is to increase its graduation rate and reduce dropout rates. In an effort to reach this goal, MISD will host the ninth annual Dropout Prevention Recovery Walk beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 10 at Bowie Fine Arts Academy, 805 Elk Ave.
It was a crystallizing moment for Sara Youngblood-Ochoa. She was sitting with her first-grade son last winter as he struggled to do "extra credit" homework after a long day at school. Getting frustrated, she snapped at him. He cried.

"I looked at him and said, 'Do you want to do this?' He said no, and I said, 'I don't either.' " And that was the end of homework for her 6-year-old.

She knew he was doing fine in school, so they just stopped doing the packets of worksheets that came home every week. "It took a load off our afternoons and made it easier for him to do after-school activities that he wanted to do," said the Chicago-area mother. "If there's something our son is struggling in, we'll absolutely do the work. But after eight hours at a desk, to make him sit down and do more seems silly."

After a summer of camps, freedom and running around outside, the transition back to school can be tough for any child -- or parent. Add to that the scads of homework sent back with kids to complete before the next day, and parents can find themselves torn between wanting to encourage children to complete their work and wanting them to get exercise, play, just be a kid.

And so for some parents, homework, particularly for kids in the younger grades, has become a big, fat zero. No more worksheets and reading logs. Other parents stop all homework if it takes longer than 10 or 15 minutes, believing the assignments should be a simple review of what was learned in school, not an hours-long process to struggle through. The conversation about banning homework, especially for young children, appears to be growing in popularity, even among teachers themselves. When a second-grade teacher in Texas recently sent a letter home explaining that she no longer would give homework, the letter went viral. Most important to parents, studies show that homework for younger children doesn't actually correlate with improved school performance, and in fact, can hinder learning.

Homework, in other words, is really a sore subject.

When Jeanne Hargett's youngest son started kindergarten in Arlington (Virginia) Public Schools last year, he was given weekly homework packets.

"We just didn't do it," she said. "Honestly, he's an active child. And I really feel like after asking him to sit on his bottom for most of the day, and asking him to come home and do it again, is not fair. I want him to go outside and exercise, look at bunnies and bugs and crawl around in the grass."

She said he didn't get "dinged" for not doing the homework, and explained her stance to his teacher, but she is worried about first grade. "I'm hearing they give rewards to the entire class if everyone does their homework. That puts pressure on these 6-year-olds."

That lack of free playtime is what most parents argue is missing when children are forced to come home and review what they did at school by doing worksheets.

"It's really important, especially for young kids, to play. Playing is a cornerstone for learning," said Erica Reischer, a clinical psychologist and author of the book "What Great Parents Do." "Playing is learning. That's it. Parents need to protect that space."

But what happens when parents simply stop forcing their kids to do homework? For those interviewed here, they explained their reasoning to teachers and principals and say they were mostly met with support, and their children didn't fall behind.

"There's a long tradition of homework, and a lot of passion behind it from parents and teachers," Reischer said. "It's what we do. So it feels a little scary to let that go ... It shouldn't be a crazy idea that elementary school shouldn't have homework."

Of course, not everyone is ditching homework. For older students in particular, homework often has a purpose, including learning about time management and solidifying complicated lessons. Jonathan Brand, headmaster of Chelsea Academy in Front Royal, Virginia, said his school has general guidelines about homework amounts, even for older students.

"We lower the homework requirement in younger grades," he said.

In grades four and five, their youngest, teachers try to give no more than 30 minutes per night.

"We're very careful about the kind of homework assignments we give to students. The benefit they receive from homework diminishes significantly in the lower grades."

Parents who are opting out are generally in a place of privilege, says Harris M. Cooper, a Duke University professor in the department of psychology and neuroscience, whose research often focuses on homework.

"These are typically parents who have the resources and capacity to substitute their own choices of academic things to do after school."

For parents whose first language isn't English, or parents who work long hours, homework can be a good resource and supplement to regular school days.

John Seelke, father to twin second-grade girls, and a former teacher who now works at the University of Maryland's College of Education, said he's torn about the homework issue at home. From a professional perspective, he knows there is sometimes too much emphasis put on homework, noting that research shows a disconnect between the amount of homework students are given and their success at school.

"As a parent, though, I sort of like that my kids have something to work on," he said. "In education, there's a swing in the pendulum. First, the students get too much, especially in high school, with three to four hours a night. But then to swing completely in the other direction and say no homework?"

So he and his wife have set it up that the girls' routine includes homework after school. If they have an activity at night, they can complete the work before school in the morning. "I also know that if my kids are struggling with something, we know what resources to go to because of my background," he said. "I don't know that every parent has those resources, especially if they are working two jobs or from another country. In some cases, for them, homework is a steady way of practice."

In general, younger children's homework shouldn't last more than 10 to 20 minutes, Harris said.

"Parents should be watching their child, especially for signs of fatigue and frustration."

If they feel the homework is too much or inappropriate, "speak with the teacher. Because if enough parents have the same concern, a good educator will modify their practices."

Annie Richman of Shaker Heights, Ohio, put that time limit on her children's homework when they were young.

"I think that's enough time to focus" after a long day at school, she said.

If her children ran out of time or got frustrated, Richman would write a note to the teacher. A former second-grade teacher, she rarely gave homework unless it was something that specifically needed to be done at home.

The policy in her children's upper elementary school was 20 minutes of homework per teacher. But with four teachers, that added up. Plus they were told to read for 30 minutes and practice their instrument for 30 minutes.

"So when are they going to eat dinner, have a bath and get to bed?" Richman asked. "It's really important to rake the leaves, take responsibility for setting the table and play with friends."

Cara Paiuk stopped her son's homework last year, when he was in kindergarten at his school in West Hartford, Connecticut. She told his teacher, who was very receptive and didn't seem bothered. As for this year? She's going to watch what happens. "I think parents are the most challenging part for teachers, more than the kids, and I really try not to be a high-maintenance parent."

That said, she felt last year that her young son should be spending his few hours after school with his younger sisters, instead of doing worksheets. "To see my children ... playing together in the couple hours after school and before bedtime, that is so important for conflict- resolution, learning how to play with different age groups," she said. "To take time away from that to do homework doesn't do it for me."
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For two years, Craig Prickett was one of a handful of dads on the Parker Elementary PTA. Now hes leading the schools Watch DOGS (Dads of Great Students) program, which aims to increase the involvement of father figures.

Craig is the Top Dog, the programs liaison between male volunteers and school administrators. He said volunteering during the school day has benefits for both children and father figures.

They open the dads eyes and make the dads realize they make a difference in not only their childs life but in the lives of other children, Craig said.

Parker Elementary introduced the program at Back to School night this year. The school will host Pizza with Dad, an information session about Watch DOGS, 5:45-6:45 p.m. Sept. 15 in the school cafeteria.

Patience Prickett, Craigs wife and coordinator of the Watch DOGS program at Parker Elementary, said she hopes the meeting will encourage fathers to become involved.

Were aiming to have one engaged father per student, Patience said. We have big goals.

The goals are a stretch from current male involvement numbers. The school was recognized for increasing its parent involvement last year, but Patience said she has rarely seen fathers volunteering at Parker Elementary.

Any time of the day, I see at least one mom at the school, Patience said. Even at PTA and other events after school, I dont see many dads.

Watch DOGS is a program from the National Center for Fathering. It encourages father figures to volunteer at least one day each school year. More than 1,400 schools in Texas are registered.

Angie Aron, principal of Parker Elementary, said she heard about the program while touring another school in the state.

I thought it was a great idea, Aron said. I love the idea of getting men involved in the lives of children. When they come into classrooms, they have a commanding presence. And some of our children dont have dads or father figures.

This school year, Parker Elementary dads have already volunteered by greeting students and directing traffic in the drop-off and pick-up lines. Other tasks may include helping teachers in classrooms or eating lunch with students.

According to the Watch DOGS website, many participating schools saw a reduction in bullying while the volunteers were on duty. Patience predicts Parker Elementary will receive advantages from the program.

If we had more dads involved in school, it would help teachers with behavior problems, give students role models, plus help with security in schools, Patience said.

Angela Fisher, president of PTA at Parker Elementary, said she hopes having volunteers in classrooms will improve student performance on standardized tests.

With the reading, some kids struggle, Fisher said. Its a one-on-one in the classroom. The dad working with the child is almost like getting a tutor.

Parker Elementary PTA and Watch DOGS will work closely together this school year. PTA is financing Pizza with Dad and the Watch DOGS startup packet. The organizations plan to have a candy bar fundraiser, with proceeds going to Donuts with Dad, the Watch DOGS recruitment event for the spring.

As this school year starts, Craig said hes looking forward to seeing father figures make a positive impact through Watch DOGS.

This is nationwide, Craig said. We see whats going on, and we want this for our school to benefit our kids.
comScore Named Indonesia's Online Measurement Partner

The Indonesian Digital Measurement Consortium (IDMC) has selected comScore as the country's online audience measurement partner for a period of two years from 2016 to 2018.



IDMC comprises five associations that collaborate to standardize online audience measurement in Indonesia: the Association of Asia Pacific Advertising Media (AAPAM), the Indonesian Advertisers Association (APPINA), the Indonesian Digital Association (IDA), the Indonesian E-Commerce Association (idEA) and the Indonesian Advertising Companies Association (P3I).



Supported by the Indonesian government's creative agency Bekraf, the appointment follows an evaluation process and reflects comScore's expertise in areas such as data robustness, reporting capability and service level. The company recently introduced its syndicated Mobile Metrix solution in Indonesia, and is also working there with Kantar to develop joint mobile panels.



Jerry Justianto (pictured), Chairman of IDMC, comments: 'For the past couple of years, we have seen encouraging growth in the country's digital advertising industry. However, the industry is still facing a measurement complexity that confuses advertisers, agencies and media owners alike. In the absence of a standardised measurement tool to assess the advertising media, there is a lingering doubt toward data validity, and we are really glad to finally appoint this measurement standard'.



Web site: www.comscore.com .




The people will show you where ...
Microphone and US Flag View Photos

Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander Delivered the GOP Weekly Republican Address on Obamacare. Here are his words:

Im Senator Lamar Alexander, from Tennessee. When Tennesseans woke up on Wednesday morning and opened up our states largest newspaper, the front page headline read very near collapse.

The story wasnt about a bridge or a foreign dictatorship  very near collapse was our state insurance commissioners description of the Obamacare exchange in Tennessee, which more than 230,000 Tennesseans used last year to buy health plans.

What does very near collapse mean in the real world It means that this November, when Tennesseans are signing up for 2017 Obamacare plans, there will be fewer plans to choose from  and theyll be much more expensive. That picture will be the same for many Americans across the country.

Next year Tennesseans will be paying an intolerable increase  on average, between 44 and 62 percent more for their Obamacare plans than they paid last year. Even for a healthy 40-year-old, non-smoking Tennessean with the lowest price silver plan on Tennessees exchange, premiums increased last year to $262 a month. Next year, its $333 a month. And if you, the policyholder, dont pay all of it  then you, the taxpayer, will, because a large portion of Obamacare premiums are subsidized with tax dollars.

Tennessee had to take extreme measures to allow these increases because insurance companies told the state  if you dont let us raise rates, we will have to leave. And if that happened, Tennesseans might have had only one insurer to choose from. Thats whats happening in states all over the country, as Obamacare plans and rates get locked in for next year.

According to the consulting firm Avalere Health, Americans buying insurance in one third of Obamacare exchange regions next year may have only one insurer to choose from. People buying on Obamacare exchanges will have only one insurer to choose from in five states next year: Alabama, Alaska, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wyoming, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

And Politico reports that one Arizona county is poised to become an Obamacare ghost town because no insurer can afford to sell health plans on the regions Obamacare exchange. That leaves 9,700 people in Pinal County, Arizona, with no Obamacare plan options in 2017.

Before Obamacare ever became law, Republicans warned President Obama and Democrats in Congress that this would happen. In February of 2010, I spoke for Republicans at a White House summit on health care and warned President Obama that premiums for millions of Americans with individual insurance would rise under his proposal. But warnings are not much use now. Americans need action.

As Tennessees governor said last week, The federal government needs to come in and address the situation. They created the [problem], the governor said. And so theyre going to have to address that. In other words, the next Congressno matter whos the presidentwill have to deal with the mess that Obamacare is causing in our states and the pain it is causing the American people.

Americans have a choice this election. You know exactly what Democrats will do, if they are in charge. Democrats will increase Washingtons control of your private health insurance choices. Democrats will spend more of your taxpayer dollars to prop up the collapsing Obamacare exchanges. Republicans have offered a better idea.

We want to help Americans struggling with the cost of health insurance immediately. Wed do that by giving states more flexibility to give individuals and their families options to purchase lower cost private health insurance plans outside of Obamacare.

The problem of solving Obamacare takes more than a five minute radio address  but helping Americans struggling to buy private health insurance is something we ought to do immediately. In order to avoid a near collapse of our nations health insurance market, we need a Republican Congress next year.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning on AM 1450 adn FM 102.7 KVML at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 AM.
Sonora, CA  There will be a procession from Twain Harte to Columbia Thursday, September 1st, for Retired Twain Harte Fire Captain Paul Waite Jr. who passed away Friday, August 26th at his residence in Columbia, he was 64. Waites son Karl Waite is a Captain at Calfire Station 51 in Mono Village.

Neal Gamez says, For all of us who were lucky enough to know and work with Captain Waite, we all experienced his passion for the Fire Service and his steadfast desire to improve the profession through constant training. His work ethic, attention to detail and commitment to the younger firefighters of Tuolumne County is without comparison and one of the finest examples of professionalism in the Fire Service.

All those who would like to pay their respects can do so along the procession route which will travel down Highway 108, to South Washington, Highway 49 and on Parrotts Ferry into Columbia. The procession is expected to enter Sonora around 10:20  10:30 AM. Flowers may be delivered on Wednesday to the Twain Harte Fire House, they will be arranged for display on Thursday.

The procession is expected to arrive at St. Annes Church in Columbia by 11 AM when an open to the public service will be held. Parking is limited, the church is not far from the Columbia State Historic Park Parking lot. At 1 PM a celebration of life will also be open to the public at the Tuolumne County Sheriffs Posse Grounds.
Polls are now open on this Primary Day in Florida.

Voters are deciding key match ups, including who will represent Central Florida in Congress.

There are big changes this election because congressional maps were redrawn last year after the state legislature lost a court battle.

Several Democrats are running in two U.S. House of Representative Races, hoping to move on to the general election.

RELATED:

Congressman Alan Grayson is not seeking re-election in District 9 since he's running for U.S. Senate.



Instead his wife, Dr. Dena Grayson, is running against Susannah Randolph, a former community organizer and congressional office worker. State Senator Darren Soto is also running, along with college professor and former chair of the Democratic Executive Committee in Osceola County Valleri Crabtree.

The winner will face Republican Wayne Liebnitzky, a St. Cloud businessman, or Wanda Rentas, current vice mayor for Kissimmee, in the November election.

Up in District 10, four more Democrats are looking to replace Republican Congressman Daniel Webster, who is seeking re-election in District 11 because of re-districting.

Former Orlando Police Chief Val Demings, State Senator Geraldine Thompson, former Democratic Party Chairman Bob Poe and Orlando lawyer Fatima Fahmy face off in the Democratic primary.



The winner goes against Republican Thuy Lowe in November.

In District 11, Webster will face off against Justin Grabelle in the Republican primary.

The winner takes on Democrat Dave Koller and Independent Bruce Ray Riggs in the general election.

Polls are open until 7 p.m.
Governor Rick Scott will visit Central Florida Tuesday to talk with community leaders and tourism officials about the Zika virus.

Gov. Scott will visit Merritt Island and Orange County

He's holding Zika roundtables across the state

Another case of the virus was confirmed in Miami-Dade County

His visit comes on the heels of health officials announcing that another new case of the virus was found in Miami-Dade County. There are now 43 non-travel related cases in Florida, according to the Florida Health Department, with most of them in Miami-Dade County area. In total, there have been about 545 travel related cases in the state.

Governor Scott hopes his round table discussions across the state will help educate city and county leaders.

Scott visited Palm Beach County on Monday for a round table discussion. He emphasized how standing water is the top enemy. The governor also spoke about the new locally acquired case and what Florida needs from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We still have some open requests from the CDC. We need more lab support, which we have been asking for. We need Zika prevention kits to get to our pregnant women, we have asked for 2,000 kits. We are still waiting on that," said Scott.

The Food and Drug Administration recently recommended that all blood donations in the U.S. be screened for Zika. Those screenings are already happening in Florida and Puerto Rico.

However on Monday, the FDA said that screenings need to be expanded for large organizations like the Red Cross.

Scott will be in Merritt Island at 10 a.m. Tuesday. He will then travel to Orange County where he will talk with leaders about Zika.
No matter how old the person is, no matter how much pain the person has suffered, it hurts to lose a loved one.

On Saturday, Area Community Hospice, Inc. brought comfort to those who lost loved ones during the year as they celebrated the lives of those who had passed on with songs, speaking, candle lighting and a butterfly release at First United Methodist Church-Plainview. Hospice has held this service for the past 12 years, a hospice worker said.
LUBBOCK -- According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, 413 children have entered into the foster care system on the South Plains as of June 7. While CASA volunteers have been able to serve 318 children, 95 are still in need of an advocate.

A CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocate is a volunteer that helps foster children navigate the child welfare system and ensure their needs are being met while working to help find safe, permanent homes. Volunteers can serve on a case alone or they may choose to Team Up for CASA by partnering with a spouse, friend, family member, or co-worker. Teams can maximize their time commitment by sharing advocacy responsibilities such as attendance at case meetings, visits to the children, and preparation of court reports while providing multiple role models to the children they serve.
According to an announcement Monday from U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer, Olton Volunteer Ambulance Association has been awarded a $50,000 grant from USDA Rural Development.

The Community Facilties Grant will be used to purchase several pieces of needed equipment.
SULPHUR BLUFF -- A Sulphur Bluff man was arrested in Hopkins County on Tuesday and charged with theft of livestock after failing to return 125-160 head of cattle he was grazing on his pasture back to the owner in West Texas.

Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Special Ranger Toney Hurley and Hopkins County investigators jointly conducted this investigation.

According to Hurley, the suspect, Lindy Wayne Shipley, 48, Sulphur Bluff, provided grazing land in northeast Texas to a West Texas rancher for the past two years. The suspect provided the grazing for approximately 250 head of cattle at $20 per head each month. When the owner of the cattle sent trucks to the grazing land between Sulphur Bluff and Saltillo to return them to West Texas, Shipley was over 100 head of cattle short of the original count. Hurley said authorities are unsure where the missing cattle are located and the investigation is ongoing.

Shipley was arrested by Hurley Tuesday at the Hopkins County Jail for theft of livestock over $150,000 and less than $300,000. His bond was set at $250,000 on the felony charge.

It is common for ranchers located in West Texas to send cattle to northeast Texas for grazing due to lack of rain and grass, said Hurley. In this case, the suspect was not able to produce the entire total amount of cattle he was being paid to graze and oversee on his pasture. Additionally, the suspect didnt have a good explanation on the location of the missing cattle.

TSCRA would like to thank the Hopkins County investigations division for their work throughout this investigation.

TSCRA has 30 special rangers stationed strategically throughout Texas and Oklahoma who have in-depth knowledge of the cattle industry and are trained in all facets of law enforcement. All are commissioned as Special Rangers by the Texas Department of Public Safety and/or the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
MERIDEN  Police said the driver of the car that crashed on Maple Avenue earlier this month is a juvenile and charges are pending.



On Aug. 21 around 2:30 a.m. police responded to a call of two men checking cars in a residential neighborhood, police said. Officers arrived at the scene and saw the suspect car speeding away from the area, police said.



The driver lost control of the car and crashed into a tree near the intersection of Maple Avenue and Ivy Drive, killing the passenger, police said at the time.



Police later discovered the car was stolen. Sgt. Darrin McKay, police spokesman, said the driver is a juvenile, whose identity was not released, and charges are pending. It is unclear what charges the juvenile will face. McKay said the juvenile and his family are cooperating fully with police.



On Aug. 23 police declined a Freedom of Information request from the Record-Journal to release 911 call recordings, dispatch records and dash camera footage, citing the ongoing investigation.



 Lauren Sievert






MERIDEN  Mayor Kevin Scarpati plans to introduce a resolution at Tuesdays City Council meeting asking that it authorize funding for a school resource officer at the elementary schools as soon as possible.



Police Chief Jeffry Cossette told the councils public safety committee last week that he could not rotate a school resource officer at the citys eight elementary schools because of a shortage of police officers.



Scarpati plans to put forth a measure that would add $60,000 to the overtime budget to replace a school resource officer with another officer on the street. After speaking with City Manager Lawrence Kendzior and Finance Director Michael Lupkus, it was determined the best way to get the funding quickly would be to take it from the citys contingency fund.



They both agreed this is the best place to pull from if we needed to replace an officer, Scarpati said.



The mayor said he hopes the measure will bypass the City Councils usual steps of referring the expenditure to the finance committee for a public hearing, a vote and, if approved, a recommendation back to the council.



Were hoping for a straight-up vote as early as possible, Scarpati said.



Finance committee Chairman Miguel Castro said he looks forward to a healthy discussion on the matter but as of now he sees it more as a manpower issue than a financial one. Funding for the school resource officer is included in both the police departments staffing and overtime budgets, Castro said.



However, he will not make a financial decision at the expense of public safety, and the safety of our children is critical, Castro said.



He also has concerns about bypassing the public hearing, which would give the public some transparency into why the city is dipping into its contingency fund.



But if the matter needs to be expedited, the discussion can be the same at the City Council level as it is at the committee level, he said.



Last week, Cossette told members of the public safety committee he had nine vacancies in the department and 15 officers in various stages of academy training.



Castro believes a more detailed timeline of when the department expects officers on the street would improve the departments overtime budgeting.



Im open for an assertive discussion, Castro said. Its a matter of getting these bodies there to bring those dollars to fruition.



Public safety committee Chairman Larue Graham supports Scarpatis resolution.



Unfortunately, our overtime budget is going to increase more than whats budgeted, Graham said. Its unfortunate, were in this situation being down the manpower that we are. Unfortunately, we have to take action that is detrimental to our budget.



The school resource officer floats among the citys eight elementary schools and provides assistance on law matters to parents and school staff. Scarpati said the program was designed to replace the DARE officer program that was eliminated several years ago. Scarpati said the school resource officers help resolve traffic issues, assist with major events, and children in elementary school are introduced to the officer at an early age.



Its children being comfortable with and building a relationship with police officers, Scarpati said.



mgodin@record-journal.com (203) 317-2255 Twitter: @Cconnbiz






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Theres a new way to make cash in the Bay Area: riding BART.

The transit agency launched a 6-month program on Tuesday offering the possibility of cash incentives to passengers who avoid boarding trains during the height of the morning commute, officials said.

BART Perks program offers points passengers can exchange for cash, as long theyre over 18 years old, use a Clipper card and have a PayPal account. Participants earn one point for every mile traveled by train, with six times as many points awarded to those who begin riding between 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. or 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

What weve seen recently  between 7:30 and 8:30 especially  is people cant even board the trains they want to board because its so crowded, said BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost. Were trying to think outside of the box on what we can do right now with what we have to alleviate congestion.

A thousand points convert to $1, two-thousand points equals $2, and so on, said Eric Young, a spokesman for San Francisco County Transportation Authority. The organization partnered with BART on the project, which will send the money to PayPal users accounts.

Officials hope to relieve overcrowding by drawing East Bay BART riders who travel to Embarcadero or Montgomery stations in San Francisco away from the trains during the busiest hours. The Clipper card will be able to track the time users board the train to verify how many points the passenger should earn for the ride, Young said.

There is no point accumulation limit, Young said, but the program will stop accepting participants once 25,000 people have applied.

The $954,000 program was funded by BART operating funds, San Franciscos half-cent sales tax for transportation and a federal grant, Trost said. BART Perks plans to award up to $50,000 in rewards each month.

Passengers can sign up on the programs website, which is where participants can convert points. Alternatively, riders can use points to play a spin to win game on the website for a shot at winning more points or $1 to $100.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno
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A secret personnel matter that culminated Monday in Haywards police chief being placed on leave came from the city managers office, not the Police Department, surprising officers and high-ranking investigators.

City Manager Kelly McAdoo informed Hayward police of the decision to put Chief Diane Stuart on paid administrative leave Monday evening but didnt disclose details. McAdoo, appointed to her position last month, declined to answer questions, saying only that a pending personnel investigation was the impetus for placing Stuart on leave, which became effective at the close of business Monday.

We have no idea when the investigation was launched or what it was about, said Sgt. Ryan Cantrell, a police spokesman. Were waiting to hear just like everyone else.

Stuart, who could not be reached for comment, began her appointment as police chief in August 2011  then going by Diane Urban, before her recent marriage. She is the first woman to hold the position in Hayward and previously worked as an assistant police chief in San Jose.

Her husband, Clark Stuart, was paid by the Hayward Police Department to teach sessions on executive communications for law enforcement managers during her tenure, according to Ralph Brown, a spokesman for the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, which certified him to facilitate the workshops. City officials have not said whether the courses were related to the personnel investigation.

This summer, at age 52, Stuart competed in the CrossFit Games in Los Angeles County after months of training for the fitness competition.

In the midst of last years tournament, she had to return to Hayward after veteran police Sgt. Scott Lunger was fatally shot after pulling over an erratic driver. Back home, Stuart found a grieving police force thats been coping ever since, often attending hearings for the alleged shooter, Mark Estrada, who entered a not guilty plea last week.

This department has been through a lot over the past year or so, Cantrell said. We are pretty resilient and have leaders who are stepping in to make sure we continue our mission to provide public safety services to our community.

Stepping in to fill Stuarts shoes is Capt. Mark Koller, whos been with the department for more than three decades and most recently served as investigations commander before McAdoo named him acting police chief Monday night.

At this time, I am asking everyone to respect the investigation process that has just begun with the chief, McAdoo said in an email.

The decision to put Stuart on leave comes as two of the Bay Areas largest police departments are engaged in searches for new chiefs. Greg Suhr resigned as San Franciscos chief in May following a series of fatal officer-involved shootings and the unearthing of racist text messages exchanged among some officers.

A month later, Sean Whent resigned as Oaklands chief amid a scandal involving contact officers had with a sexually exploited teenager, and two others appointed to the post stepped down, all in the span of nine days.

In Hayward, as dictated by the City Charter, police and fire chiefs report to the city manager rather than mayor.

Last year, Hayward Fire Chief Garrett Contreras served a one-month suspension after an investigation by then-City Manager Fran David found he had driven city vehicles while under the influence of alcohol, fought with a subordinate firefighter and failed to respond to a significant fire while on call. David said that she allowed him to stay in his post because of his honesty during the probe.

If there are allegations brought forward, you assess them, and nine times out of 10, you have to do an investigation, David said Tuesday. In most cases, placing someone on leave is precautionary because you dont want to have any perception that theyre influencing the investigation.

David said her understanding was that the allegations against Stuart were anonymously brought to the attention of city officials in the past several days, though she wouldnt comment on the nature of the claims.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov
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Finding a place to sleep at night in San Francisco has been a lifelong chess match for Dexter Green, who said he was born at a bus stop to homeless parents and grew up on the citys gritty streets.

After decades of drifting from place to place, getting bounced by police or avoiding sketchy people on the street, the 36-year-old finally found decent enough digs at one of the citys most entrenched homeless encampments on the north bank of Islais Creek Channel in eastern San Francisco.

But that all ended Monday when city crews made good on a promise to dismantle the sprawling urban tent city, where mountains of trash and human waste had accumulated along the promenade near Cesar Chavez Street, just south of the Dogpatch neighborhood.

I guess Ill have to go the same place I always go  nowhere, Green said Monday morning as police, city homeless-outreach workers, and crews from the city Department of Public Works put the kibosh on the growing encampment.

The latest San Francisco homeless sweep came as no surprise to the few dozen people still set up on the promenade at the southern terminus of Indiana Street.

For weeks, workers from the newly created city Encampment Resolution Team have been working with the 50 or so campers, breaking the news that staying was no longer an option, while reserving beds for folks willing to go to shelters. At the same time, they brought counseling and substance-abuse treatment resources directly to the residents.

These folks are vulnerable, said Jason Albertson, a psychiatric social worker trained in crisis counseling, who leads the team. Many of them have significant disease and significant mental illness. They need help to get care, and bringing the care to them is the ethical thing and the clinical thing to do.

The approach was the latest in an evolution of tactics used by the city to transition homeless people into permanent housing and clean out encampments that are often overrun with trash, feces and remnants of intravenous drug use.

Once the zero-hour hit Monday morning, several folks had already moved on while the holdouts slowly packed up under the supervision of a handful of police and teams of public works crews. All told, at least 28 had opted for shelter beds of some kind, two signed up for residential drug rehabilitation beds  and some of the rest were still considering options under roofs.

Leading up to this, we brought in debris bins, washing stations and portable toilets, said Sam Dodge, director of the mayors Housing Opportunity, Partnerships and Engagement office. Weve tried to give time, so its not a one-day affair.

On Monday morning, Dodge watched over the scene while campers slowly wheeled away their belongings, which included piles of bike parts, generators, barbecues, camp stoves, tarps and large tents.

The long-standing encampment had ballooned in size in recent months after an influx of campers, many of whom set up after getting rousted from Division Street when the city cleared a camp there in March.

Neighbors more and more are concerned, concerned about the conditions that we cant turn a blind eye to, Dodge said as public works crews set about cleaning up the sea of trash  including a small boat  littering the walkway.

Despite the citys more delicate approach to purging the streets of troublesome homeless encampments, many of the holdouts were feeling a mix of sorrow and anger when reality hit Monday.

How do you get kicked out of being homeless? 36-year-old camper Katherine McClain said as she fought back tears while pushing her clothes, purse and coat on a rolling desk chair. Its more like theyre against us than helping us.

McClain was on her way to one of the citys Navigation Centers, where, along with other city-run shelters, beds were set aside for the campers.

Its not great, but I guess its better than nothing, she said.

A few of the campers, though, felt that nothing was still better.

If you go to one of the shelters they send you to, its filled with crazy people, said 47-year-old Elizabeth Soule, who receives Supplemental Security Income for medical problems and had been at the camp for two weeks. You cant be in your own space and be by yourself.

And while some of those getting swept out will have beds available, others sit on long waiting lists for shelters and housing.

We need more resources, Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness, said at the scene Monday. This creates a lot of stress because there isnt a clear pathway between homelessness and housing. We dont have places for people to go.

It remains to be seen if the citys latest approach to addressing this one group of chronically homeless will have any effect on the perpetual crisis. But on Monday, no one was arrested, and interactions between campers and law enforcement in general were positive, said Albertson, the social worker.

This is potentially effective, he said. This is a somewhat new method here in San Francisco, and were still waiting for numbers and impact results.

Like so many others getting uprooted, Green said he will start scouting out a new spot to set up camp, which will probably do for a while, until other folks get word of it, join the party and the whole thing starts again.

Ill have to scout out a place, set up there and hope nothing happens, he said. I just dont know where that is yet.

Chronicle Staff Writer Kevin Fagan contributed to this report.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
San Antonio Express-News /File photo

Ten former officers and directors of First National Bank of Edinburg collectively have agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle claims by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. relating to the institutions 2013 collapse.

First Nationals failure cost the FDICs deposit insurance fund $637.5 million when it was shut down by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in September 2013.
Paul Chinn / The Chronicle 2016

Investigators in Berkeley hope a $15,000 reward will help catch the killer of a 22-year-old man who was gunned down last week in a residential neighborhood in the city, officials said Tuesday.

The killing of Alex Goodwin Jr., the citys first homicide this year, happened around midnight Thursday outside his familys home in a southwest Berkeley neighborhood.
Gene Wilder didn't want anyone to know he had Alzheimer's disease.

It was only after he died Tuesday at 83 from complications of the illness that his family revealed the beloved Hollywood entertainer's secret. "The decision to wait until this time to disclose his condition wasn't vanity, but more so that the countless young children that would smile or call out to him 'there's Willy Wonka,' would not have to be then exposed to an adult referencing illness or trouble," Wilder's family said in a statement.

"He simply couldn't bear the idea of one less smile in the world."

It was the sort of selfless sentiment that seemed to befit Wilder, a lovable and hilariously neurotic icon of so many childhoods. It also revealed the delicate calculus that famous people have to make when confronted with a terminal illness: How much do they want the world to know?

Wilder wasn't the only public figure who chose to keep his diagnosis private. Fans of David Bowie were stunned when the iconic musician died of liver cancer in January; he had told only his closest family and friends that he was sick. Writer and director Nora Ephron, who died of leukemia in 2012, didn't even alert some of the friends she'd chosen to speak at her memorial service. The public had no idea that comedian Robin Williams had suffered from Lewy Body dementia until months after his suicide in 2014.

For devoted fans who feel a powerful bond with a cherished idol, such sudden news can leave them reeling.

"For all of us who love Gene Wilder and other famous people who died, it's a shock," says Maureen Keeley, a professor of communications studies at Texas State University and the co-author of "Final Conversations: Helping the Living and the Dying Talk to Each Other."

Faced with their mortality, she says, one of the most important choices a person can make is whom to share the experience with, and how to share it.

"And that's when you have the most valuable, meaningful conversations with those you love," she says. "And that's who you want to say goodbye to, that's who you want to share those final days with -- those who truly know you at your core."

Fans, no matter how devoted, may not make the list -- and that's appropriate.

"The reason we're all in shock is because we're not invited into that very private world," Keeley says. "And I understand us wanting to be, but we should not be."

This may sound obvious on the one hand -- of course we don't have a personal connection to a celebrity, no matter how their work may have touched us -- but it can still feel jarring to fans who are accustomed to following every detail of a favorite celebrity's life: whom they're dating, what they're wearing, how they raise their kids. Many pop culture figures are increasingly open about deeply personal experiences, including serious illnesses: Jamie Lynn-Sigler has spoken publicly about her battle with multiple sclerosis. Selena Gomez has talked about what it's like to undergo chemotherapy for lupus. When Patrick Swayze was dying of pancreatic cancer, he took the opportunity to spread awareness of the disease.

But other high-profile figures simply want no part of that.

Ephron's son, Jacob Bernstein, wrote in the New York Times that his mother had considered telling friends and colleagues about her leukemia but feared the effect that it might have on her career -- that getting a movie made or developing a Broadway play would become impossible. She wanted to keep working, he wrote.

It went deeper than that, too: "What my mother didn't want was to have her illness define her, turning every conversation into a series of 'how are you?'s," he wrote.

When Ephron died, even some of her close friends were shocked. Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep shared her disbelief in a eulogy at Ephron's memorial service.

"She pulled a fast one on all of us," she said. "It's really stupid to be mad at somebody who died but somehow I have managed it."

When Bowie died, some of his longtime friends were similarly stunned. Producer Brian Eno said that Bowie's death was a "complete surprise"; but in retrospect, he said, there were subtle clues in the final email he received from Bowie.

"It was as funny as always, and as surreal, looping through word games and allusions and all the usual stuff we did. It ended with this sentence: 'Thank you for our good times, brian. they will never rot'. And it was signed 'Dawn'," Eno said. "I realise now he was saying goodbye."

For a person who's dying, deciding whom to tell and how to tell them "is the only thing they can control," Keeley says. And disclosure might come with a burden: People might expect a "big, profound" conversation, she says -- "especially someone like Nora Ephron, who was so profound" -- and that's a lot to ask of someone who doesn't feel well and is dealing with their own complicated feelings.

"Some people want to protect themselves," she says. "It can be a lot of pressure."

It can also be about preserving an identity they've worked their whole lives to create. For celebrities like Williams, who had suffered debilitating symptoms of Lewy body dementia before his death, or Prince, who had long struggled with chronic pain, keeping their conditions secret was a way of protecting their public image.

"Disease robs us of who we are, and if you're a public figure, the more you can hide that from people, why wouldn't you?" Keeley says. "It's not what you want to be remembered for."

Which may be another reason why Wilder chose to keep his Alzheimer's private. He wanted to protect the joy of inquisitive children; he may also have wanted to protect himself.

"It's hard when a loss is sudden, but fans do have a way to say goodbye -- they can tweet out a message, they can go on Facebook, they can download Prince's music," Keeley says. "They can go watch Gene Wilder's movies again, and remember him. And that is a way to process their sadness and their grief. Because he has already given us as much as he can."
A dentist who operates two dental clinics in Milford and West Haven, has agreed to pay more than $1.3 million to resolve allegations that uncertified assistants took pediatric dental x-rays.

Dr. Jesus Villegas and his two pediatric dental clinics located in Milford and West Haven, have entered into a civil settlement agreement with the federal and state governments in which they will pay $1,367,466 to resolve allegations that they violated the federal and state False Claims Acts.

The allegations center around the taking of pediatric dental x-rays at Fairfield Pediatric Dentistry in Milford and Haven Pediatric Dentistry in West Haven from June 1, 2010 through and including March 17, 2014.

The federal and state governments allege that the majority of x-rays taken at Villegas dental clinics were taken by dental assistants who were not certified. X-rays taken by uncertified dental assistants are not payable by the Medicaid program.

Under Connecticut law, a licensed dentist may delegate to dental assistants in the taking of dental x-rays if the dental assistant can demonstrate successful completion of the dental radiography portion of an examination prescribed by the Dental Assisting National Board. The certification provided by the DANB examination is important to ensure dental assistants are appropriately trained in the use of x-ray procedures and to ensure the x-rays are performed safely.

As part of the settlement, Villegas and the two clinics have entered into a three-year billing Integrity Agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that is designed to ensure future compliance with the requirements of federal healthcare programs.

Health care providers must utilize properly certified individuals to treat patients, and the failure to ensure such proper care for patients will have serious consequences, said U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly. The U.S. Attorneys office is committed to vigorously pursuing health care providers who submit false or fraudulent claims to federal health care programs.

Dentists must ensure that only certified staff provide services to their patients, said HHS-OIG Special Agent in Charge Coyne. Cutting corners could jeopardize the safety of patients and the integrity of the Medicaid program. Working with our law enforcement partners, our agency is dedicated to protecting patients and the government health care programs designed to serve them.

This matter was investigated by the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard M. Molot and Auditor Kevin Saunders, and by Assistants Attorney General Karen S. Haabestad and Natasha Freismuth of the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General.

People who suspect health care fraud are encouraged to report it by calling 1-800-HHS-TIPS or the Health Care Fraud Task Force at (203) 777-6311.
On this date in ...

1916: Hugh Tansey was charged in Albany court with being a vagrant and greeted the judge with this statement: "My name is Tansey. I'm a bloomin' Englishman. My 'ome is where I 'ang my 'at. I got no friends, no money, no work, and I'm not lookin' for any, neither." The judge sentenced him to 15 days, to which Tansey replied, "I don't care. But lemme say, no work!" The sentence was upped to 30 days. Tansey's response: "That's all right. Hit 'er up. It makes no difference to me." After the judge added another 30 days, Tansey was led out before he could say anything else.

1966: The Catholic Inter-Racial Council of Albany published a public letter to Albany's Catholic bishop of the "Catholic Dilemma" on the racial question. Walter B. Langley, the council's president, began the letter with a commendation of the Rev. Edward J. Maginn for his "interest ... in inter-racial justice in Albany" but said the dilemma was an age-old one of "holding firmly to the status quo where it is a comfortable one, contrasted to change with its attendant uncertainties."

1991: Hot temperatures in the spring and lower-than-normal rainfall this summer resulted in an early apple harvest, and the fruit being picked was smaller in size and greener than usual. These factors, some experts said, meant that consumers would be paying more for some kinds of apples, but farmers would be getting less for their crop. The unusual August harvest meant that popular red McIntosh apples would be rare this year, raising their price. Although green apples would be more abundant and still tasted sweet, they fetched a lower price for growers.

Want to read more about the Capital Region's past? Have any memories or thoughts about how our history relates to today's events? See http://blog.timesunion.com/history/
NEW FAIRFIELD  Parents Scott and Kristine March huddled around a laptop in the high school library to try the districts new math program for middle- and high-schoolers.

The Marches were among more than 80 people attending an informational session to hear more about the new math program, Big Ideas, which replaces a previous program that many parents had criticized as ineffective.

After an hourlong presentation in the auditorium, the crowd was invited to the library to see first-hand some of Big Ideas offerings, including online textbooks with video tutorials and downloadable flashcards and worksheets.

It seems like a pretty decent program, said Scott March, whose elder son recently graduated from the high school and whose youngest will be a sophomore this year. This is definitely an improvement.

Husband and wife said they liked the extra support offered in the online version of the textbook, which include detailed explanations on solving math problems. Scott March said the elder son had struggled in math and might have benefited from Big Ideas.

I seriously wish our other kid had this, he said.

Students are also able to access tutors through the Big Ideas office in Pennsylvania, where teachers and graduate students work with students online from 4 p.m. to midnight.

Additional help will be available at the two schools. This includes more instructional time at the middle school, made available by a schedule change, and at the high school, where math teachers will be available each period for extra help in the Learning Center.

A committee of educators and parents that started meeting last September reviewed and tested five program options before recommending Big Ideas to the school board, which approved it in February. Two months later, the district started training some of its teachers in the new program and rolled it out to some middle-school classes.

The rest of the middle school and the high school will start using Big Ideas this school year, which started for students on Wednesday.

The state recently announced the preliminary results of the 2016 Smarter Balance Assessment Consortium test. In New Fairfield, 61.5 percent of students passed in math, well above the 48.6 percent who passed in 2015.

Officials said the school district spent about $124,000 on the new program for textbooks and practice journals, plus $22,000 more to train teachers to use it.

I think theres something for everyone, said Superintendent Alicia Roy, about the new program on Monday night, as she watched parents try out Big Ideas.

Were excited about having a great math year filled with big ideas, she added.
FILION  Local farmers will gather this evening for the Between the Rows Tour, put on by the Corn Marketing Program of Michigan (CMPM).

The event culminates with a dinner meeting at 6:30 p.m., hosted by Steve Errer, at 3820 North Van Dyke Road in Filion.

It is one of a series of meetings across the state CMPM is hosting that aims to bring together local farmers, grain marketers and staff to discuss the crop outlook for the 2016 corn harvest.

"We wanted an opportunity to get out into the fields and meet with the farmers that support the Corn Marketing Program of Michigan," said communications director Angel Jenio of the second-year event. "We thought it would be a cool idea to check the yields, then we could talk to them about the crop conditions in the county, as well as the market outlook for next year."

During the day, CMPM staff will be conducting yield checks in the area and each meeting will begin with an update on the crop conditions in the area.

Each meeting also includes a meal, time for informal networking and a question and answer session about the work of CMPM and the Michigan Corn Growers Association.

Although RSVPs were encouraged, Jenio said farmers could still show up the day of the event. Attendees will also receive one Restricted Use Pesticide (RUP) credit and one Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) credit for attending.

Filion will be the second stop for the program this year, with seven scheduled. Jenio said each event typically draws between 30 and 60 people. She said when they get more information as they go across the state, the group will be sending out periodic updates with what they're finding as far as corn yield goes.

"It's been pretty variable across the state, because in terms of moisture, the weather's been a little difficult this year," she said. "Some areas looked great, other areas were in a complete drought. So it's pretty variable  we won't have a great picture until we are finished with field checks all the way across the state."

The event will make its way to Frankenmuth on Wednesday.

For more information on the program, visit http://www.micorn.org/news-events/between-the-rows-tour.
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PIGEON  They chopped, they weighed, they cooked.

Food service employees from Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Lakers and Owendale-Gagetown Area Schools recently attended a Farm-to-School training at the Huron Area Technical Center kitchen, hosted by French Chef Monique Hooker.

Chef Monique, who has about 50 years of experience in the food industry, is a chef, teacher and author. Shes been with the Farm-to-School program as an instructor for 14 years, and shes helped more than 900 schools across the country incorporate more local produce into their lunch menus.

During the four-day training, food service employees prepared various dishes using recipes that included a variety of fresh produce, and Chef Monique taught several preparation techniques for the produce. She said its important for students to have healthy choices for lunch, because then they will enjoy eating healthy food throughout their lives.

The training was part of the Farm to School grant received by Laker Schools last year. It was open to all Huron County districts.

Laker Elementary Principal Kathy Dickens, who applied for the grant, said the plan is to eventually incorporate one type of local seasonal produce into the lunch menu each month.
Sarah was hired as a sales lead in a retail store. Within a month, both store managers quit. Sarah and another colleague were left to run the store with zero training or management support during the busy holiday season. Exasperated, Sarah emailed the regional manager to say they were "understaffed and overworked" and "the situation needed to be dealt with immediately. The next day, the regional manager reprimanded Sarah for her hostile tone and gross insubordination. Most damaging to the business, the regional manager also told Sarah the possibility of any support was "out the window."

Our latest research shows nearly everyone either has been in Sarahs shoes or witnessed a similar catastrophic comment. Specifically, 83 percent of workers have witnessed a colleague say something that's had a catastrophic effect on career, reputation or business. And 69 percent admit to personally making a catastrophic comment.

No one is immune. Not even Madeleine Albright, the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State. While campaigning for Hilary Clinton in the upcoming presidential election, Albright rebuked women who didn't support Clinton. "Theres a special place in hell for women who dont help each other! she said. Albright endured backlash from voters and the media, and her comments shed a negative light on Clintons campaign.

Or consider Brian Williams, who lost his job as anchor and managing editor of "NBC Nightly News" after stretching the truth about his experiences during the Iraq War. After Williams initial suspension, more incidents of inaccurate statements were uncovered and his 10-year career on the program came to an end. He lost only his job but also the trust of his viewers and his credibility as a news reporter.

Related: Next Time You Apologize, Say More Than 'I'm Sorry'

Putting your foot in your mouth is easy. But some comments are far more damaging than others. We asked 780 respondents to share their stories and help us learn whether just any slip of the tongue could be fatal. Here are their top five career-killing comments:

Suicide by feedback. You thought others could handle the truth -- but they didn't. Gossip karma. You talked about someone or something in confidence with a colleague only to have your damning comments made public. Taboo topics. You said something about race, sex, politics or religion that others distorted, misunderstood, took wrong or used against you. Word rage. You lost your temper and used profanity or obscenities to make your point. Reply all. You accidentally shared something harmful via technology (email, text, virtual meeting tools or another means).

While a fair amount of the stories we read outed people for their intolerable bias, flat-out incompetence or inappropriate insubordination, most comments actually were uttered by well-meaning and talented employees who'd simply had a bad day.

Given the data, we know everyone is bound to slip up or misjudge a situation now and then. To ensure our verbal blunders arent catastrophic, but recoverable, you must master one consummate skill: the art of apology.

Here are a few ways to demonstrate your sincere regret and save your career or reputation in the process.

You said something wrong, rude or completely inappropriate.

Your apology must be clear and unrestrained. The bandage needs to be as large as the wound. If you aired your colorful disgust for your boss, a simple "I'm sorry" won't cut it. Others need to hear an apology as intense as their disgust for you at the moment.

You believe what you said, but no one in your role should've said it.

If you stated an opinion that doesn't reflect your company's position or culture, you must apologize as if you didn't believe what you said. This might sound disingenuous, but it's not. It isn't "you" who's apologizing. Instead, your position or office is apologizing on your behalf as an individual employee. You are righting the real wrong: your irresponsible lapse of judgment in realizing you don't represent your company in any way you see fit.

Related: Among EpiPen Furor, a CEO Shows How Not to Swim Against the Tide

You sent a message you shouldn't have -- to people who shouldn't have received it.

Whether it's an email "Reply all," a text or something else, digital mistakes require the most analog apology you can make. When at all possible, express your sincere regret face-to-face. Apologize both for the content of the message and for the means by which it was communicated. You must own up to both errors.

If you cant meet face-to-face, find a reasonable substitute: phone or video-chat software. Its important you see the disgust on the other persons face or hear it in his or her voice. This allows the offended person to express him- or herself and helps you apologize to the same degree you hurt or violated the individual. Then, if appropriate, go public with the apology in electronic view of all who may have been affected.

Related: How an Accidental Email Sent to 33,000 People Created a 'Reply All' Nightmare

When you learn to apologize with honesty and respect, you can take control of a catastrophic situation and right the wrong. Your job and your relationships depend on it.

Related:

The Delicate Art of Gracefully Recovering From a Verbal Blunder

Ten Mistakes You Might Be Making As An Entrepreneur In Morocco

3 Entrepreneurial Lessons You'll Never Learn In Business School



Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
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A woman riding a motorcycle was hospitalized with a brain injury and broken bones when she crashed into a vehicle in San Franciscos Pacific Heights, officials said Tuesday.

The woman, 28, who was not identified, was riding westbound on California Street around 9:30 p.m. Monday, when an eastbound vehicle turned left in front of her onto Laguna Street, police said.
Albany

It took 50 years for a Long Island woman to finally complete her quest to return a World War II veteran's lost dog tags she found on a New York City beach.

Laurie Lubin, of Bellmore, began her search by poring over phone books in the 1960s and continued into the internet era. She recently hit pay dirt when she learned that one of the veteran's daughters lives just a few miles away in Queens.

Lubin's quest to find Brooklyn native Irving Isaacs began in the summer of '66 when she was about to turn 14. One day at Rockaway Beach in Queens, she spotted something shiny in the sand: a pair of dog tags on a metal chain, along with a small metal mezuzah, a religious pendant some Jewish servicemen attached to their tags. She knew immediately what the items were because her father still had his own mezuzah-accessorized dog tags from serving in the Army during WWII.

Lubin took the dog tags home and tried to find Isaacs' name in New York City phone books, but was unsuccessful. During the decades that followed, Lubin would periodically resume her mission to track down Isaacs, only to keep hitting dead ends. Her obsession with finding him became a family running joke.

Last February, she read an Associated Press story about an Indiana soldier's WWII dog tag being returned to his family after it was found on the Pacific island of Saipan.

She contacted the AP, which led to the news agency's Randy Herschaft, an investigative researcher based in Manhattan, digging up information on two WWII U.S. Army veterans from New York named Irving Isaacs. One had changed his name after the war and moved to California, where he died in 1994. The other had remained in New York until his death in 1992.

Lubin tracked down a daughter of the veteran who died in California. She confirmed to Lubin that her father had been born Irving Isaacs in New York, but had changed his name after the war. Based on that information, Lubin mailed the dog tags to her in late July. Soon afterward, she learned from Herschaft that his review of military and civilian records of the two men determined the dog tags actually belonged to the Irving Isaacs who stayed in New York.

After being notified of the mistake, the woman in California mailed the tags back to Lubin.

Disappointed, but still determined to find the family of the right Irving Isaacs, Lubin then used information by Herschaft to contact Audrey Berk, one of the New York Isaacs' two daughters.

Lubin, 64, phoned Berk earlier this month with the news that she had found her father's dog tags.

"I was shocked," Berk, 66, said. "Then we started talking and I know her family, which is even more shocking."

It turned out Berk lived in the same Queens apartment complex as Lubin's husband's ex-wife and children. Berk has long known the Lubin family, but had never meet Laurie. The two met for the first time on Aug. 22 near Lubin's home. Lubin handed over the dog tags to Berk.

"I'm just so happy to return it to them," Lubin said, adding the Yiddish word "bashert."

Translation: "It was meant to be."
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SAN ANTONIO  On Mondays and Wednesdays, Melanie Salazar sometimes hitches a ride home from class with her grandpa.

Salazar, an 18-year-old who graduated from East Central High School in June, attends Palo Alto College, and so far, hasnt had a problem making friends her 82-year-old grandpa takes an economics course on the campus twice a week.

Rene Neira, 82, plans to earn his associates degree this semester before heading to the University of Texas at San Antonio to get his bachelors in economics, Salazar told mySA.com Tuesday.

RELATED: Leaked letter accuses UIW President Louis Agnese of making offensive comments at school event

But Neira doesnt plan to re-enter the workforce with his degrees.

I think he wants the degree for the fulfillment of earning it and being able to say that he did it, Salazar said. Because, thats what hes always wanted to do.

After graduating from high school in the 1950s, Neira enrolled at St. Marys University. Then, he fell in love.

But then he met my grandma, and fell in love and got married and had a family, so college was put on hold, Salazar said.

RELATED: Palo Alto College seals time capsule for 2025 opening

Since then, Neira took classes here and there at San Antonio College when his kids were in high school and middle school.

I remember when I was little, he was taking some classes, Salazar said, adding her grandpa used to work at a bank when she was growing up.

RELATED: Alamo Colleges Chancellor Bruce Leslie gets raise, increase in allowances

Palo Alto College tweeted about the family's story, saying "Our students are inspiring. Proof it's never too late to reach for your dreams!"

Salazar said she was encouraged by her grandpa to enroll at the college.

My grandpa was a big part of why Im at Palo Alto because he encouraged me to come here, she said. He said, Oh Melanie, youre going to love it. He was right.

Now, Neira walks his granddaughter to class twice a week. Salazar, who is taking 12 hours at the college, said she always tries to say hi to her grandpa before his class starts, something her friends think is cool.

Everyone thinks hes very friendly and funny, she said. They love my grandpa.

Since Neiras economics class is mostly digital, Salazar said she plans to be his study buddy this semester, helping him with online homework assignments. Salazar also has an in with Neiras professor-- she had the same teacher when she took an economics class through the dual credit program at her high school.

RELATED: San Antonio college student's 'Whataburger is way better than In-N-Out' rap goes viral

On the first day of class, Aug. 24, Salazar posted first day of school photos to her Twitter account saying she was so proud of her grandpa for finishing his first day at the college and not giving up. Nearly a week later, the tweet has garnered more than 2,000 retweets and 5,000 likes, attention Salazar was not expecting.

When I posted the tweet, I didnt think anything of it because Im just proud of my grandpa, she said. It seems normal to me.

Although normal for Salazar, not everyone can say they get to hang out with their grandparents before class.

Its really great that something thats ordinary to me is extraordinary and inspiring to so many, she said.

kbradshaw@express-news.net

Twitter: @kbrad5
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During the filming of "Free State of Jones," a Civil War-era movie released in June, Matthew McConaughey did double the work, both acting for the movie and shooting videos for his class at the University of Texas at Austin in between takes.

In conjunction with an instructor and the director of the movie, McConaughey is serving as the teacher for an advanced producing class, both on campus and remotely. The university announced McConaugheys new role at the end of June.

On the first day of the semester, McConaughey dropped in on his class, making a surprise visit. Despite the UT alums Oscar-winning status, there was no fanfare around the actor on campus, a spokesman said. In fact, he didnt even have to sneak into the class to avoid rabid admirers.

It was totally casual, Paul Stekler, chair of the Radio-Television-Film Department at the university, said about his experience walking the actor through campus. Nobody passed out or anything as far as I could tell.

RELATED: Matthew McConaughey will teach a film class at the University of Texas at Austin this fall

McConaughey surprised the 35 students in the course during the last hour of the 3-hour class, Scott Rice, the instructor for the course, said in an email Tuesday. McConaughey could have been a student at the university if one did not know who he was he wore a ball cap and a T-shirt to class.

Although it was a surprise, the students in the class are serious film students, and didnt scream in shock when the actor arrived, Stekler said.

During the last hour, where no photos of the actor were allowed except for one posted to the colleges Twitter account Monday, McConaughey spoke with students about the intersection of creativity and business in the filmmaking industry.

I am so taken with what Matthew has initiated to be able to do a class that really helps students understand the reality of filmmaking, he said. Its not only a creative art but its also a business.

RELATED: UT film school ranks No. 10 in the nation

The actor wont be back on campus until the end of the semester, Stekler said, but that doesnt mean hell be absent from the classroom. Gary Ross, the director of "Free State of Jones," and McConaughey have pre-recorded videos ready to go for the semester and plan on video conferencing into the class.

It also looks like this wont be a one-time class eitherStekler said he fully expects McConaughey to be back for multiple semesters.

(The class was) his idea that we helped him work on, Stekler said noting the class was McConaugheys original idea.

RELATED: Matthew McConaughey, a new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

He said students were riveted by what McConaughey had to say. The actor discussed script-writing, rewrites and the budgeting process among telling the students what he wanted them to learn during the semester.

McConaughey also chose an interesting day to visit his alma mater on the first day of class, students were protesting the campus carry law that went into effect Aug. 1 with dildos. The protest, known as #CocksNotGlocks, brought national attention to the university from the likes of The Daily Show. But, Stekler said, McConaughey wasnt close to any dildos.

We didnt get anywhere near the protest, he said. He actually parked a car and we walked over to class.

kbradshaw@express-news.net

Twitter: @kbrad5
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The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District released a statement Tuesday afternoon that said "clear evidence" shows vaccinations are not a cause of autism.

Although the statement does not directly mention Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood, it comes one day after mySA.com first reported LaHood is on a crusade against immunizations because he believes they "can and do cause autism" and that his children were both "injured by vaccines."

RELATED: Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood: 'Vaccinations can and do cause autism'

The city's public health agency strongly disagrees.

The evidence is clear: thimerosal is not a toxin in vaccines, but merely a preservative, preventing contamination, that has been used in vaccines for decades. The fact that thimerosal is no longer used in vaccines and the autism rate is increasing supports further evidence that it is not the causative agent, the statement said. The long ago debunked study in the 1998 issue of the journal Lancet was retracted for shoddy and misleading interpretation of scientific findings.

The district said vaccines are a preventative measure against diseases such as polio, measles and diphtheria.

Additionally, the district included the fact that multiple agencies, like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the U.S. Public Health Service, CDC and the FDA, among others, concluded that the evidence reviewed between 1999 and 2010 does not support an association between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism.

Lahood told mySA.com Monday that he was not acting in his official capacity when he made the statement sponsoring a local theaters screening of an anti-vaccination documentary Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe, Sunday which drew about 100 invitees.

Im Nico LaHood, he said in the video. Im the criminal district attorney in San Antonio, Texas. Im here to tell you that vaccines can and do cause autism.

RELATED: Jim Carrey Blasts California Governor Over Vaccination Bill: 'This Corporate Fascist Must Be Stopped'

LaHood said Tuesday in the interview that two of his children were negatively affected after receiving a vaccination.

In our opinion, they were both injured by vaccines because their effects were immediate after a certain round of vaccine. No one is going to tell me my son was born autistic. I have the pictures and the video to prove it, LaHood said.

He also said he saw what he calls a false study" by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and encouraged people to watch the information and make up their own minds.

RELATED: Unvaccinated children clusters pop up all over Northern California

Although the CDC flatly states that there is no link between vaccines and autism, LaHood is unconvinced. Refusing to work from the shadows, he said he hopes to foster frank discussions about the dispute.

According to the CDC website, one vaccine ingredient that has been studied specifically is thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used to prevent contamination of multidose vials of vaccines.

Since 2003, there have been nine CDC-funded or conducted studies that have found no link between thimerosal-containing vaccines and ASD, as well as no link between the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and ASD in children, the site states.

Staff writer John Gonzalez contributed to this report.

kbradshaw@express-news.net

Twitter: @kbrad5
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Four community leaders, including a sitting councilman and a congressman, called on the San Antonio City Council to reject a proposed police union contract set for a vote this week because it fails to reform officer discipline provisions.

Councilman Rey Saldana, joined by former Councilwomen Patti Radle and Maria Berriozabal, and U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, said the contract should be rejected and renegotiated to remove a policy that automatically reduces officer suspensions of three days or less to written reprimands after two years.

Its not good enough for me to be up here and pick at a contract thats incomplete without offering a second course, Saldana said. So what the call to action today is, is a call to action to our mayor to step up as a leader and take this issue on. We know that we have an incomplete contract. The mayor has admitted so on the record that this is something that needs to be changed, and we shouldnt punt it to a future council.

Taylor issued a statement after Saldanas press conference, saying that shes proud to have negotiated an agreement that keeps San Antonio on a secure fiscal path, protects taxpayers and fairly compensates our men and women in blue.

At the press conference, Joaquin Castro commended the city and SAPOA on reaching an agreement over health care benefits and wages  the two primary points of negotiation of the past couple years.

Let me say very clearly: Those benefits and the salary increases for the officers and their families are well deserved, he said. Good officers represent the very best of our society, and they should be cherished here in San Antonio.

But several troubling experiences with some officers over the years cant be ignored, Castro said.

Mike Helle, president of SAPOA, rejected the idea. The mediated settlement going before the council on Thursday, he said, is the result of court-ordered mediation and Im not going back to rework that and go back into that snake pit again.

For more on this story, visit www.epressnews.com or read the Tuesdays San Antonio Express-News.

jbaugh@express-news.net

Twitter: @jbaugh
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A retired Bexar County sheriff's sergeant said Bill Hall Jr. was struggling to breathe and flailing around like a fish out of water moments after his motorcycle crashed, recounting the nighttime scene Tuesday at the murder trial of Halls wife, Frances Hall.

Prosecutors said she killed her husband of 32 years in fit of jealousy by running his motorcycle off the road on Oct. 10, 2013. The death was ruled a homicide. Lawyers for Frances Hall, 53, said it was an accident.

She also is being tried on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, accused of ramming her SUV into another driven that night by her husband's girlfriend, Bonnie Contreras  who testified she saw the earlier collision in her rear-view mirror.

RELATED: Convicted widow gets lightest possible sentence for killing husband

I saw her hit Bill with the truck. I saw him fly off the motorcycle, then I see the bike fly, Contreras said through tears, describing the impact of Frances Halls Cadillac Escalade against Bill Halls Harley Davidson on a stretch of Loop 1604 a few miles from his Southwest Side business.

Contreras said she continued to drive the Range Rover, which belonged to the Halls, in excess of 70 mph, at times weaving through traffic, to get away from the Escalade, which was now pursuing her.

She didnt stop at all, Contreras said. She kept hitting me. I didnt know what to do.

Contreras said the pair lost contact and each woman made her way back to the motorcycle before an AirLife helicopter took Bill Hall, 50, to University Hospital, where he died that night.

Defense lawyers pointed out discrepancies in Contreras descriptions, including the timeline of the incident and the number of times the Escalade struck the Range Rover, in her statements to sheriffs investigators and an April deposition for a $2.5 million lawsuit she filed against Frances Hall.

When a defense attorney asked Contreras why she sued Hall, she replied, For trying to kill me.

Retired Sheriffs Sgt. Christian Burchell told the jury in a packed 186th District Court that he had been responding to another officer when he came upon a trail of debris and saw two men looking down into the grass off the shoulder of South Loop 1604.

Obviously, something was wrong, he said.

Burchell, who was in law enforcement for 32 years and was an emergency medical technician, said Halls lips were blue.

He took this huge breath and he grabbed the ground, and said, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, Burchell testified.

Authorities believe the highway mayhem stemmed from Frances Halls reaction to learning weeks earlier that her husband had been having an affair with Contreras, described at the time of the incident as 20 years his junior.

It had been going on far longer than a few weeks. Contreras said she found out Bill Hall was married three months into their relationship.

He said he was going through a divorce, she said, adding that their relationship was serious because in the three years they were together, he did not want her to work, rented a house for her, bought her two cars, furniture and other gifts and paid for breast enhancement surgery, among other things.

The Halls had owned and operated Bill Hall Jr. Trucking Ltd., since 1989. A third-generation trucker, Bill Hall built up the business to deliver road-building materials by more than 100 trucks.

An affiliated business, Bill Hall Jr. Trucking GP LLC, which owns a fleet of trucks and trailers used by Ltd., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June after creditors threatened to repossess various assets, the company's bankruptcy lawyer told the Express-News after the filing.

If convicted, Frances Hall faces five to 99 years or life in prison.
Hillary didnt hang her head and cry, after she shot a man in Reno just to watch him die.

She went outside with a big smile and sampled chocolate truffles served on silver and gold trays by a local sweets shop.

After getting steadily bolder at rallies about puncturing her former friend Donald Trump, Clinton channeled Johnny Cashs song and delivered a coup de grace so devastating that commentators predicted it will be known simply as the Reno speech.

Of course theres always been a paranoid fringe in our politics, steeped in racial resentment, Clinton said. But its never had the nominee of a major party stoking it, encouraging it, and giving it a national megaphone. Until now.

In this insane campaign year, Clinton doesnt even need an oppo-research team digging up nasty stuff about her opponents record. She just has to stand there and wait for Trump to open his mouth.

In Reno, Clinton simply pointed out the obvious: Trump, who has no fixed ideology of his own except winning, has let himself become a host body for an ugly melange of people and groups that spew poison, from Breitbart News  its chief, Stephen Bannon, is now helping run Trumps campaign  to white supremacist David Duke to radio host Alex Jones.

When Anderson Cooper asked Trump on Thursday if he was embracing the alt-right movement, Trump replied like a perfectly oblivious vessel: I dont even know  nobody even knows what it is.

In the same way that the neocons used the uninformed George W. Bush as a host body to instigate the Iraq War, the alt-right has staged an Occupy Trump movement, purloining his unmoored campaign as brazenly as cat burglars.

Racists now call themselves racialists,  Clinton said. White supremacists now call themselves white nationalists. The paranoid fringe now calls itself alt-right. But the hate burns just as bright.

She read some headlines from Breitbart, including Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy and, to the gasps of audience members, Gabby Giffords: The Gun Control Movements Human Shield.

She noted that Trump has retweeted from white supremacists and she ran through his greatest hits of bigotry.

If Clinton had a normal opponent, her vulnerabilities would be more glaring. She would have spent the last week getting peppered with questions about how the FBI discovered 14,900 more emails from her private server.

But Clinton does not have a normal opponent. She has one who manages to self-destruct in every news cycle. So instead she was soaring above her own paranoia and mocking Trumps paranoia, soaring above her egregious messes and gamboling through Trumps egregious messes.

After the Monica Lewinsky affair, she deflected questions about Bills cheesy behavior by summoning up the specter of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. Now she deflects questions about the emails and foundation ethical tangles by summoning up the specter of the Vast Alt-Right Conspiracy.

Extremists always ride to Hillarys rescue. Just as Ken Starr and impeachment-crazed conservatives in the House pushed it way too far and made laughingstocks of themselves, so the alt-right allows Hillary to have an easy target that occludes the Clintons own transgressions.

Its a symbiotic relationship: The Clintons benefit, hailed by many Democrats and Republicans who regard them as the white hats who will keep out brownshirts. And the alt-right is jubilant at being given a bigger platform to be sulfurous.

The only one who doesnt benefit is Trump, who has been seduced by the roar of the crowd and hijacked by a dark force he doesnt seem to fathom.

Clinton is more easily able to continue to cold-shoulder the press on serious issues, which really is an outrage and will hurt her in the end, because shes building up a giant bubble of hostility that will follow her into the White House.

Many people believe that Trump is so demented and dangerous that any criticism of Clinton should be tabled or suppressed, that her malfeasance is so small compared to his that it is not worth mentioning.

Letting her rise above everything for the good of the country is not good for the country.

Maureen Dowd is a New York Times columnist.
The police contract pending before the City Council is far from perfect, and we would have preferred a deal that extracted more concessions from the police union.

But despite the flaws in the mediated settlement, the contract makes significant financial progress that will help keep San Antonio fiscally sound. And the 11th-hour complaints raised about the lack of police reforms are not enough to override the progress made in the deal.

Officers finally will begin shouldering a more reasonable amount of their health care costs. This is the most significant part of the mediated deal. Continuing the current excessively rich health care benefits for police officers likely would push the city budget so far out of balance that other basic services would have to be cut or tax increases would be required.

When negotiations began more than two years ago, reining in health care costs was universally cited as the citys top priority. City Manager Sheryl Sculley has estimated that the mediated deal avoids $87.5 million in health care costs for the city over five years.

Officers will choose between two plans. One requires monthly premiums for dependents, and the other lacks premiums but carries a high deductible. This is progress considering that no officer pays premiums today.

A less successful aspect of the agreement reduces the controversial evergreen clause by only two years, from 10 to eight. The evergreen clause leaves the five-year contract in place if an agreement is not reached after it expires. But the deal provides some leverage for the city if the union does not accept a new deal. Health care premiums would increase 10 percent annually if a new contract agreement is not reached. This gives the city more power in future negotiations.

And police officers, whose work is vital and appreciated, net a healthy 14 percent pay increase over the life of the contract, plus a 3 percent lump-sum bonus.

More than a month after the agreement was reached, Councilman Rey Saldana called for scrapping the deal because it failed to enact police disciplinary reforms that were sought by the city. The criticism comes amid national controversy over use of force by police against African-Americans.

We agree that the reforms Saldana seeks would have made the contract a better collective-bargaining deal, but this particular flaw is not grave enough to toss out the hard-won contract.

Specifically, the councilman objects to a provision that allows three-day suspensions to be converted to written reprimands in an officers file after two years, and he also opposes language that doesnt allow an officers entire discipline record to be used beyond two years.

The issues should be revisited when the next contract is negotiated in five years.

We are comfortable with that approach because the agreement allows the chief of police to use an officers misconduct involving intentional violence for five years, and drug and alcohol-related offenses for 10 years. Incidents involving excessive use of force will not be hidden for the life of the contract.

Notably, the mediated agreement requires an up or down vote. The time for negotiations has passed, and approving the contract is better than the alternative.

And we believe Saldanas objections already have served a purpose.

Mayor Ivy Taylor has announced that she will create a community-based committee to examine policing issues. The panel and outside community pressure will keep the spotlight on the use-of-force debate.

The temptation to oppose this contract is understandable, but in the end, approving the deal is better than the alternative.

Firefighters have yet to reach a deal on their contract. Police union officials agreed to pay health care premiums, a decision ratified by the officers. This contract will provide leverage to bring the firefighters union, which hasnt even started negotiations, toward a similar agreement that will further assist the citys fiscal situation.

And dont forget the nasty war of words that distracted City Hall during the police negotiations. Reopening that process would create an even worse political environment that threatens the citys 2017 bond election and other significant public investments.

While foes are heaping criticism on the deal, it is far better than public safety contracts approved on Mayor Julian Castros watch.

Sculley and her team pushed hard for improvements. They didnt get all they wanted, but they got enough for the city to move forward. And it was enough to make this mediated deal worth approving.
The state may have to pick up the tab for many millions of dollars spent by local water agencies, including some in the Bay Area, to inspect sites for storm drain pollution and clean up any debris, based on a ruling Monday by the California Supreme Court.

The 4-3 decision left some disputes between the state and various local agencies unresolved but rejected state officials main argument against reimbursement: that they ordered the local cleanup efforts to comply with federal law. Although the federal Clean Water Act requires states to reduce water pollution as much as they can, the court majority said the law allows states to set their own standards, and California has done so.

The case involved a disagreement between state and local water agencies in Los Angeles County over the costs of inspecting commercial and industrial sites for water pollution and installing trash bins at transit stops to keep garbage out of storm drains. But a lawyer for 38 agencies in Alameda and San Mateo counties, which have their own reimbursement claims pending with the state, said the ruling could affect hundreds of millions of dollars in costs statewide.

The court believes the state Constitution requires the state to help cities and counties fund programs to reduce storm water pollution, said the attorney, Gregory Newmark.

H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the state Finance Department, said officials were reviewing the ruling.

The case arises from limits on taxing and spending imposed by California voters. Proposition 13, in 1978, slashed property taxes and limited the authority of both state and local governments to raise other taxes. A follow-up ballot measure in 1979, sponsored by Prop. 13 co-author Paul Gann, restricted state and local government spending and required the state to reimburse local governments for the costs of any new programs or services mandated by the state.

Reimbursement is not required, however, when federal law has required the state to order the new local programs.

In this case, the court said, California could have stepped aside and allowed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to enforce the Clean Water Act by setting rules for local water agencies in the state. Instead, the court said, the state chose to issue its own permits, through regional water boards, and imposed standards for inspecting commercial sites and installing trash bins that federal law did not require.

The federal law directed state boards to issue permits with conditions designed to reduce pollutant discharges to the maximum extent practicable, Justice Carol Corrigan said in the majority opinion. But she said California was not compelled by federal law to impose any particular requirement, and instead had been given leeway by federal regulations to determine which specific controls were necessary to meet the federal standard.

Dissenting justices, the courts three Democratic appointees, said the ruling would discourage the state from taking part in federal pollution-control programs.

The regional water board reasonably determined that its rules were needed to comply with the Clean Water Act, said Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuellar. If the state has to pay the costs of any rules not spelled out by federal law, he said, it might think twice about entering into such arrangements of cooperative federalism.

The case is Dept. of Finance vs. Commission on State Mandates, S214855.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
Reports of a gunman opening fire that turned out to be false caused panicked evacuations at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday night, while flights to and from the airport saw major delays.

A search through terminals brought no evidence of a gunman or shots fired, Los Angeles police spokesman Andy Neiman said. The reports were spurred by loud noises only, and police were still investigating to find the source of them, Neiman said.

Airport officials said that a person wearing a Zorro costume was detained during the incident, but it wasn't yet clear whether the person had any connection to the evacuation.

The incident stirred chaos as hundreds of people rushed from terminals on to sidewalks or the tarmac. And it left a mess with three terminals shut down, roads closed and flights held in the air and on the ground.

All terminals and roads into the airport had been reopened by 11 p.m. PDT, about two hours after the initial reports, officials said. But massive backup faced travelers in their cars and in security lines. Passengers who fled had to be rescreened through security.

When the incident began, scores of people could be seen on social media and on TV news running from the terminal out on to the sidewalks and streets as police with rifles out stormed terminals. Many other evacuees were standing on the airport tarmac, and abandoned bags littered some sidewalks.

"We were on the jetway and someone starts pushing behind us," Jon Landis, a sales representative from Boston who was boarding a flight home, told The Associated Press. "One man was frantic saying there was a shooter."


The RBZ has lifted the ban it imposed on the Ecocash platform on Monday. Read the full statement below.

PRESS STATEMENT CASH-IN, CASH-OUT AND CASH-BACK FACILITIES

1. The Directive (NPS 01/2019) on cash-in, cash-out and cash-back facilities was issued to protect the transacting public from some mobile banking agents leveraging and abusing the payment ecosystems.

2. Payment systems by their nature play an important role of providing a mechanism or highway to facilitate economic activities in the country. As such, the Reserve Bank continues to promote digital financial services which contribute to financial inclusion and stability.

3. Cognizance of that, enhanced monitoring mechanisms have been put in place by both the Reserve Bank and Payment System Providers to mitigate against abuse of payment systems and ensure abusers are brought to book.

4. To this end, Payment System Providers and Agents are hereby advised that the cash-out facility is now capped at $100 per transaction with immediate effect. Related to that, existing operational cash in and cash-back limits shall remain.

5. Furthermore, the Reserve Bank will be injecting cash into the economy without changing money supply. In this regard, banks will exchange existing RTGS balances for cash thus maintaining the monetary base unchanged.

6. Financial institutions and Agents are required to strictly adhere to the Know Your Customer (KYC) and Customer Due Diligence (CDD) principles for all their customers at all times and ensure that there is no abuse of the payment systems.

7. Going forward, the Financial Intelligence Unit shall enhance monitoring of financial activities to ensure compliance.

Breaking News via Email
In a travel advisory issued Monday, the State Department said it also urges Americans to continue to avoid traveling to the southeastern part of the country, especially to areas in close proximity to the Syrian border.

The U.S. State Department is continuing to warn U.S. citizens of an increased threat from terrorist groups throughout Turkey.

The department said it has extended "voluntary departure" status for family members of staff at the U.S. embassy in Ankara and at the consulate general in Istanbul until Sept. 23. The designation means that family members of staff who wish to leave the country can receive free flights out.

The agency first allowed for the voluntary departures after the July 15 coup attempt in Turkey and the subsequent decision by the government to declare a state of emergency.

State Department officials say foreign and U.S. tourists have been explicitly targeted by terrorist groups in Turkey, as well as by international terrorist organizations.
JAKARTA, Indonesia  Several nights a week, dozens of moms frequent the local 7-Eleven to learn HTML, Java script and other coding skills that can help them grab a piece of Indonesias start-up boom, reports the Wall Street Journal.

I wanted to earn extra money, a 43-year-old mom of three told the news source, noting that by learning code, she can conduct website maintenance remotely and work part-time from home. And shes already putting her skills to work, having co-founded a web-based services provider.

Izak Jenie, a director at the Indonesian 7-Eleven franchisee who helped develop the program, asked a government agency to organize the Coding Mum program. He then hired instructors and chose several 7-Eleven stores in the Jakarta areas to serve as classrooms. Some of them graduated from top universities; one of them went to Berkeley, he told the news source, adding, But often they end up sitting at home with their kids. Thats not a bad thing, but many of them might need more money, and we thought they could work from home.

The Journal writes that learning to code at an Indonesian 7-Eleven isnt as odd as it might seem. In Indonesia, many convenience stores serve as community hubs, where families often come to dine on instant noodles or hot dogs, and teens hang out to drink coffee and use the free Wi-Fi.

Supporters of the Coding Mum program want to expand it to more 7-Eleven locations, and hope it will help Indonesia catch up with the more established counties of programming talent found in India, Vietnam and the Philippines.
By Kyla Mandel, Editor of DeSmog UK. Originally published at DeSmogBlog.

Major global insurance companies are urging G20 leaders to commit to a specific timeline for rapidly phasing out fossil fuel subsidies  something theyve repeatedly failed to do over the years despite numerous promises to end support for the industry.

In a joint statement issued ahead of the G20 conference in China this weekend, insurers with more than USD$1.2 trillion in assets under management warn that support for the production of coal, oil, and gas is at odds with the nations commitment to tackle climate change agreed in Paris last December.

The statement, signed by Aviva, Aegon NV, and MS Amlin, calls for governments to set a clear timeline for the full and equitable phase-out by all G20 members of all fossil fuel subsidies by 2020.

It adds that the phase-out should begin by eliminating all subsidies for fossil fuel exploration and coal production.

Climate change in particular represents the mother of all risks  to business and to society as a whole, said Mark Wilson, chief executive of Aviva.

And that risk is magnified by the way in which fossil fuel subsidies distort the energy market. These subsidies are simply unsustainable.

Empty Promises

G20 nations have been pledging to phase out fossil fuel subsidies every year since 2009. Yet, research by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and Oil Change International shows governments spending $444 billion in 2013 and 2014 supporting the fossil fuel industry.

Shelagh Whitley, lead research fellow working on subsidies at ODI, said: These subsidies fuel dangerous climate change. If we are to have any chance of meeting the 2C target set at the Paris climate summit then governments need to start a programme of rapid decarbonisation.

It is extremely worrying therefore that the G20 energy ministers earlier this year acted as if Paris hadnt happened by repeating the same empty promises they have been making since 2009.

In May, G7 nations agreed to phase-out fossil fuel subsidies by 2025. However, when G20 leaders gathered the following month, they were met with criticism for failing to follow the G7 in setting a date to end the subsidies.

Renewables Investment

And insurance companies arent the only ones putting pressure on the upcoming G20 meeting to set a clear phase-out timeline.

Last week the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) joined the ODI in calling for leaders to end support for fossil fuels by 2020.

Chair of the IFoAs Resource and Environment Board, Nico Aspinall, said: Without these subsidies, there would be a more level playing field for the investment in renewable energy sources we desperately need to avoid the worst consequences of climate change in the future.

Also last week, a group of 130 major institutions controlling $13tn in investments called on the G20 nations to ratify the Paris agreement this year along with committing to increasing investment in clean energy and disclose climate-related financial risks.

As ODIs Whitley put it: The finance sector recognises the importance of moving away from fossil fuels, governments need to realise they may be the only ones left not moving.
By Wolf Richter, a San Francisco based executive, entrepreneur, start up specialist, and author, with extensive international work experience. Originally published at Wolf Street.

Canadians have been gung-ho about their magnificent housing bubble, feeding it with an endless willingness to pay every higher prices, even as regulators and international institutions issued warnings, as short sellers began circling, as subprime liar-loan scandals made their reappearance, and as a generation was getting priced out of the hottest housing markets in Canada, the metros of Toronto and Vancouver, and as locals came up with an acronym to describe what has fired up the market: HAM  Hot Asian Money.

But the Vancouver housing bubble, the hottest even in Canada, hit rough waters in early summer. By July the first serious troubles appeared. Even as apartment prices soared 27% year-over-year and detached house prices 38%, overall sales plunged 19%, while sales of detached homes plummeted 31% [Vancouver Housing Bubble, Meet Pin].

Then on August 2, British Columbias notorious 15% transfer tax on home purchases involving foreign investors took effect. Preliminary data indicate that sales over the first two weeks in August plunged 51% year-over-year, with sales of detached homes down 66%.

And this flood of news on the Canadian housing bubble and speculations about a Canadian housing crash have now begun to slice into the previously imperturbable confidence of regular Canadians in their housing miracle.

The housing related part of the Bloomberg Nanos Canadian Confidence Index just had its worst spill in the history of the monthly data series, going back to May 2013: The percentage of the respondents who expected a decline in local home prices jumped from 12% to 20.5% in one fell swoop.

The percentage of those who expected home prices to rise dropped 2.3 percentage points to 41.4%, and the percentage of those expecting little change dropped 5.3 percentage points to 36.3%. Bloomberg:

The reading marks a change from almost unbridled consumer optimism in a housing market that has carried the Canadian economy since the 2008 global financial crisis, even as policy makers warn price gains in some cities are unsustainable.

That list of fretting policy makers, regulators, and other organizations now includes:

The IMF (January 2015), the Bank of Canada (most recently in June 2016), the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), which found strong evidence of problematic conditions, and the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (July 2016), which said that it would require smaller banks to stress-test their mortgage portfolios to ensure they could withstand a drop in Vancouver home prices of 50%.

Plus, warnings about record levels of household debt have been circulating for a couple of years.

So when Nik Nanos, Chairman of Nanos Research Group, commented on the soaring expectations of home price declines in the Bloomberg Nanos Canadian Confidence Index, he said it showed Canadians increasing concern about the value of real estate.

The monthly data didnt exist during the Financial Crisis. The quarterly data available at the time showed that expectations of price declines soared by 24 percentage points at the end of 2008. But it was just a blip. Two quarters later, optimism was higher than before, and Canadian home prices resumed their surge, particularly in Vancouver and Toronto.

Canadians have been bombarded with news about their housing bubble and by warnings about a potential housing crash, and by even more numerous and vigorous counter-arguments larded with hype that everything was hunky-dory, that now was the best time to buy or else youll be forever priced out of the market.

This summer, famed short seller Marc Cohodes came out of retirement (he now raises chickens on a farm in Sonoma County, CA, and sells the eggs for a fortune in San Francisco) and jumped into ring with a number of interviews on TV and in the print media, and this too rattled some nerves  largely because it hit home.

I think its a money laundering-induced market, he said as we reported at the time. Where the local politicians, or the BC Liberals, are kept or in cahoots with the real estate brokers, developers, lawyers, that angle. And they have sought Chinese money to keep the market propped up and it wont last, he said. China has capital controls on, and Vancouver has become the money laundering mecca of either the world or North America, and something is going to change and change drastically.

Hes shorting the housing market not by shorting the banks but by going after alternative lender  in US Financial-Crisis English subprime lender  Home Capital Group, the same company I lambasted over a year ago.

Despite industry assurances that the hottest housing markets in Canada, particularly Vancouver, will always remain hot, and that it is physically impossible for prices to decline in this miracle economy, Canadians are now becoming aware that those assurances have just been another load of industry hype. And a larger share of them are starting to grapple with a new reality  a reality in an over-leveraged, inflated housing market where prices have come to rest on the edge of a cliff.

In Vancouvers once white-hot commercial real estate market, the hunt is now on for Chinese buyers as big institutional investors are trying to unload. Read Suddenly Scared of Vancouvers Commercial Property Bubble?
Solar houses scientifically evaluated

(Nanowerk News) According to the current German Energy Savings Ordinance, new residential buildings are to require one quarter less primary energy. Solar houses with large collector surface areas meet this requirement. In these well-insulated buildings, solar energy systems cover at least 50 per cent of the heat demand. The BINE Projektinfo brochure 'Assessing solar houses in energy and economic terms' (pdf) details the costs and energy requirements of the various solar house concepts.

Diagram of a solar house. (Image: Sonnenhaus-Institut e.V.)

Primary energy demand and costs in comparison

In order to scientifically evaluate the buildings, the scientists developed a new simulation method in the research project HeizSolar. With this new method, experts can analyse different solar house constellations in terms of primary energy demand and costs. For example, the researchers varied the solar savings fraction between 50 and 100 per cent, and combined the data with different efficiency house standards. They also compared the solar house concept with other low-carbon heat supply concepts, such as using pellets or logs to meet heating requirements.

The foundation for the development of the simulation method was formed by evaluations of three multi-family and six single-family homes. These conceptually different solar houses were measured throughout several heating seasons. Based on the monitoring results and the gained operational experience, the scientists then derived optimisation suggestions for the collector layouts and the storage technologies.
A robot to zap 'Darwin's nightmare', the invasive lionfish (w/video)

(Nanowerk News) Lionfish have terrorized Atlantic waters, their ferocious appetites upsetting the balance of reef ecosystems. Such was the case near the Bahamas between 2003 and 2009, where lionfish overconsumed juvenile parrotfish and other young plant eaters. The result: Algae bloomed with abandon, choking the reef ecosystems at a 150- to 200-foot depth. Coral coverage shrank by as much as 88 percent in places; sponge coverage by 96 percent.

Two species of lionfish  Pterois volitans and Pterois miles  now threaten reef ecosystems across the Western Atlantic and the Caribbean.

But a solution may be on the way, in the form of a robot.

This 3D rendering of a lionfish harvester robot being developed by Robots in Service of the Environment (RISE). The prototype would use a robot arm with two metal electrodes on the end to electrocute invasive lionfish. The stunned fish would then be collected in a central chamber for use as food. (Photo by Ed Williams, Robo Nautica)

In a way, the lionfish terminator  not the robots official name  is cousin to a vacuum cleaner.

The idea surfaced in the fall of 2015, when Colin Angle, the CEO for iRobot and the maker of the Roomba robotic vacuum, paid a visit to friends on Bermuda. During the visit, Angle and his wife, biochemist Erika Ebbel joined a group of locals and sailed offshore for a dive. With them was Chris Flook, who had a long relationship with lionfish.

After the trip concluded, the Angles laid the foundation for Robots in Service of the Environment (RISE).

The independent, nonprofit company has recruited a league of engineers and scientists  all volunteers  to establish a skynet for lionfish. Gardner, for instance, is coordinating the robot testing. Meanwhile, Ed Williams, an ROV (remotely operated underwater vehicle) designer at Robo Nautica in California, is pitching in weekends to engineer prototypes.
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.
Apple is expected to show off a new iPhone next week when the company holds its fall product launch event in San Francisco.

The tech giant announced the date for the Sept. 7 launch by sending out invitations to technology journalists and industry analysts on Monday.


Two distinguished medical professionals, synonymous with South Tipperary General Hospital, were accorded a civic reception at Clonmel Town Hall on Friday night last.

Two distinguished medical professionals, synonymous with South Tipperary General Hospital, were accorded a civic reception at Clonmel Town Hall on Friday night last.

Professor Paud ORegan and Dr. Sam Kingston, with close on a combined sixty years of service in caring for the people of South Tipperary and beyond, were granted the highest honour the towns Borough Council can bestow.

Mayor of Clonmel, Pat English, in outlining the remarkable careers of the distinguished recipients, stated that the evening was to recognise their contribution to the field of medicine and commitment and dedication to South Tipperary General Hospital and to the people of Clonmel and surrounding areas over the last 30 years.

The Mayor continued: We owe a debt of gratitude to both Professor ORegan and Dr. Kingston as they have always had tremendous foresight and have fought hard over the years to ensure South Tipperary General Hospital has grown to be the fantastic facility we have today.

Comprehensively detailing their career paths, extensive expertise and total commitment and dedication to their vocations, the Mayor also outlined the extra mile the pair had gone in a whole range of other areas.

These included the amalgamation of acute hospital services in the county, the establishment of a teaching hospital at STGH, the establishment of a colonoscopy unit, the development of a diabetes and endocrinology service and the development of a diabetes day care centre. Not forgetting Dr. Kingstons involvement in the setting up of the South Tipperary Hospice Movement in 1990.

The motion to accord the civic reception ...in recognition of their contribution to the field of medicine and their commitment and dedication to South Tipperary General Hospital and to the community of Clonmel and its environs over the last 30 years, was officially proposed by Cllr. Siobhan Ambrose and seconded by Cllr. Darren Ryan.

The full Council Chamber was testament to the high esteem and respect both outstanding individuals are held in over a wide area far beyond Clonmel. South Tipps three Oireachtas members, Minister Hayes, Deputies Healy and McGrath, were also present, as was the new county manager for Tipperary Joe McGrath, Cllr. Michael Murphy, former Mayors Hubert Burke, Tom Ambrose and Tom Carroll, town manager Sinead Carr, town clerk Ger Walsh, Canon Brendan Crowley and Superintendent John Courtney.

In turn each of the eight town councillors (Siobhan Ambrose, Darren Ryan, Billy Shoer, Richie Molloy, Brian ODonnell, Joe Leahy, Gabrielle Egan and Helena McGee) spoke and added to the richly deserved plaudits aimed at Professor ORegan and Dr. Kingston. Each councillor included the remarkable work of all the hospital staff at every level, nursing, management, administrative and support.

Cllr. Helen McGee, herself a staff member at South Tipp General, originally moved the motion for the civic reception.

In her speech she said: They have both brought a wealth of experience to their respected posts which they have keenly shared with their colleagues and one colleague really summed it up for a lot of us when she said: two inspirational men, a privilege to have worked with them, as in the Gaeilge: Ni beidh a leitheid ann aris.

Cllr. McGee also quoted Professor Shorten, former Dean of Medicine at UCC, who had this to say of Professor ORegan and Dr. Kingston.

In 2013, great efforts are being made to define and document the domains of competence which go to make up the complete doctor. For decades, both Professor ORegan and Dr Kingston exemplified each of them, diagnostician, compassionate and able communicator, scholar, teacher and leader; they have been consummate clinicians.

On behalf of the local GPs, Dr. Richard Quirke, spoke of their absolute commitment and dedication to St. Josephs Hospital now STGH.

He added Who knows if these two musketeers had not arrived from Cork and settled in our lovely Tipperary, would we have any hospital in our town, not to mention the true fact that because they parked themselves in Clonmel, we now have a great hospital due to Paud and Sam. And of course the great support of all their excellent hospital colleagues over the years.

Dr. Quirke concluded by inviting the attendance to sing a verse of Congratulations which all duly obliged much to the embarrassment of his fellow medical professionals.

In his acceptance Dr. Sam Kingston acknowledged that he was humbled and flattered and said he found it difficult to recognise myself in all the speeches made.

Selflessly he quickly moved to share the evenings acclaim, giving recognition to previous staff at the Clonmel hospital including Dr. Tom Prendiville, Sr. Annunciata Hennessy and Dr. Eddie McGrath, all now deceased.

I feel that the honour being paid to me is in fact an honour to the hospital and to all of us who worked together in it and strove for its advancement and I cannot thank you all by name. I feel that it honours everyone.

In his acceptance, Professor Paud ORegan too said that this civic reception was a tremendous honour and he was extremely grateful for that honour.

First and foremost he thanked his wife Leah and family for all their support over many years which enabled him to carry out his duties at South Tipp General.

This is not an honour for me, and if it was it would be totally undeserving, and achieved under false pretences. It is an honour for the hospital and the tremendous staff, the incredible hard work, the incredible flexibility and adaptability and support we have had over many years.

It is an honour for everyone - the nursing staff, management staff, secretarial staff, support staff. We are receiving it this evening on their behalf, these are the people who helped us to make the progress we appear to have made.

Professor ORegan also included praise for the many fundraisers and fundraising work carried out by many people and also the support of all the local people over thirty years in raising much-needed finances for various pieces of vital equipment.

Concluding and in a pay-back to his great colleague Dr. Richard Quirkes musical quirk earlier, he said I would like to thank all the wonderful speechmakers apart from Dr. Quirke, the first in the 800 years of the Corporation and Borough Council to burst into song and lower the tone of the whole occasion.

With that to huge applause the formalities concluded.
You know what they say, "Refinances come and go, but purchases are forever."

Ryan Boney learned this lesson later in his career, and focused on the waxing and waning refinance market in lieu of cultivating partnerships to generate purchase leads. He's bounced back from that misstep to generate over $25 million more in volume than he did in 2015.

To stand out, Boney, a loan officer at University of Wisconsin Credit Union, places a premium on relationships, taking care to hold closings in person after communicating with business partners and clients primarily through technology. His expert handling of a delicate situation with a couple dissolving their marriage has the trademark of someone intensely focused on the people behind a transaction  which closed with a distinctly Midwestern flourish.

This is Boney's third appearance on the Top Producers list. Last year, he originated 400 loans for a combined dollar volume of approximately $74 million, ranking him No. 108 on the 2016 Top Producers list.

Tell us about your most creative or successful marketing strategy. How did you come up with the idea? What were the results?

Not very creative or original but successful: I try to have all of my closings at my branch office and at least do a meet and greet with all Realtors and borrowers involved to put faces to voices or emails. With today's technology you don't always get that and I think it goes a long way for everyone to meet each other face-to-face. Really, just trying to add a personal touch to every transaction and making sure to meet with all of your borrowers adds to that.

What's unique about the local market that you serve and what do you do to address those needs?

Milwaukee is primarily known as a blue-collar city, which it is, but we also have some very affluent areas around the Milwaukee area. This can lead to a diverse group of people that I'll run into on a daily basis. I want to make sure I'm able to handle any situation that I run across. I offer first-time home buying seminars on a monthly basis to help those in the beginning stages and I'm always available to help the experienced buyer with any questions they may have. Bottom line, I want to make sure the borrower is comfortable in their loan process from start to finish.

Tell us about an unusual or difficult loan scenario and what you did to ensure a successful closing.

I had a couple going through a divorce that weren't on best of terms. I spoke to one of the borrowers initially and explained the process of how we would need to go about everything. I was able to handle both of their transactions and walk them through everything step-by-step, getting one refinanced and closing on the other's purchase shortly thereafter. I received a signed card after closing signed by both, which I thought was pretty great considering they weren't on the best of terms when all started.

What do you know about the mortgage business now that you wished you knew when you started out?

I wish I would have focused more on creating Realtor partnerships earlier on in my career instead of focusing on refinances as much. Purchases will always be here but refinances will come and go.

Who is someone in your life, either personally or professionally, who helps contribute to your success?

My two children are the biggest contributors to my success. I want what's best for them and that motivates me to work harder to provide them with whatever they may need growing up.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has told China's ambassador that he will not immediately press Beijing to comply with an international tribunal's ruling that invalidated Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea, but will do so in the future.

Duterte made the comments in a speech Monday marking Philippine heroes' day that was attended by Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua and other diplomats. Zhao just smiled in response.


The Minjoo Party's new leader Choo Mi-ae on Monday voiced strong opposition to the planned deployment of the U.S.' Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense batteries in Korea.

Her predecessor, interim party leader Kim Chong-in, was resigned to the deployment, calling it "inevitable" in the face of Pyongyang's ballistic missile threats.

But Choo has vowed to give the main opposition party a clear position on the issue, making the rejection of THAAD an official plank in its platform.

That is likely to draw sharper lines in the sand in the notoriously fractious National Assembly.
(NaturalNews) In 2001, the pharmaceutical company SmithKline Beecham (now GlaxoSmithKline) published a trial known as Study 329, which claimed that the drug paroxetine  known as Paxil or Seroxat  was "generally well tolerated" and that it helped cure depression in children and adolescents. This led to some two million youngsters being prescribed the pill in the next year alone.(Article republished from http://projectcensored.org But the study ignored the fact that the drug may cause serious side effects, including suicide. Re-analysis of Study 329 by a team of independent researchers showed the drug was no more effective than a placebo, and that the risk of harm was significant, with at least 12 out of 93 children taking the drug developing suicidal thoughts. GlaxoSmithKline was fined $3 billion for one of the biggest frauds in American healthcare history.This is but one example of pharmaceutical industry influence shaping the outcome of scientific research. A recent study, published in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, evaluated 185 meta-analyses, and found that one third of them were written by pharma industry employees, who were 22 times less likely to have negative statements about a drug than unaffiliated researchers. Almost 80 percent of the studies had some sort of industry tie, either through sponsorship (funding of the study), or conflicts of interest, where one or more authors were either industry employees or independent researchers receiving industry support (speaking fees, grants, etc.).In a 2006 study examining industry impact on clinical trials of psychiatric medications, industry-sponsored trials reported favorable outcomes 78% of the time, compared with 48% in independently funded trials. Antidepressants are one of the largest pharmaceutical markets, yet it is likely that the problem of scientific fraud extends to other drugs and vaccines. The need for oversight (government and industry) is increasingly obvious.Sources:Sophie Borland, "Global drug giant GSK 'published a flawed study which led to millions of children being wrongly prescribed dangerous antidepressants'." Daily Mail. September 17, 2015: [1]Kate Kelland, "Analysis of Antidepressant Paxil Finds Data on Teen Risk Was Held Back." Scientific American. September 17, 2015: [2]Stephen Luntz, "Antidepressant Trial Failed To Mention Numerous Suicide Attempts." IFL Science. September 21, 2015: [3]Roni Jacobson, "Many Antidepressant Studies Found Tainted by Pharma Company Influence." Scientific American. October 21, 2015: [4]Paul John Scott, "Why should it take 14 years to learn a drug's safety risks?" Post-Bulletin. September 21, 2015: [5]University of Adelaide. "Antidepressant For Adolescents Was Misrepresented As Safe." AsianScientist. September 25, 2015: [6]Student Researcher: Adaeze Iroka, San Francisco State UniversityFaculty Evaluator: Kenn Burrows, San Francisco State UniversityRead more at: http://projectcensored.org Links:[1] http://www.dailymail.co.uk [2] www.scientificamerican.com [3] http://www.iflscience.com [4] http://www.scientificamerican.com [5] http://www.postbulletin.com [6] http://www.asianscientist.com
The embassy in Beijing has warned South Korean organizations and businesses in China against possible terror attacks or abduction attempts by North Korea after the recent defection of a senior diplomat.

The embassy also advised South Koreans to refrain from visiting the Chinese-North Korean border region or meeting North Koreans or those presumed to be North Koreans.

The government has been warning against possible terrorist attacks on South Koreans overseas since the defection of 13 North Korean restaurant workers from China in early April.

In an emergency press briefing on Aug. 21, the Unification Ministry said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent agents overseas to attempt attacks on South Koreans.

Some media outlets specializing in North Korean affairs reported that the North had sent 300 agents to China. One defector, Ko Hyon-chol, was kidnapped by North Korean agents in the border region in May.

The warnings seem mostly aimed at South Korean evangelicals and others who help or encourage North Koreans to defect from the border area.

The South Korean Consulate General in Shenyang also advised South Koreans to stay away from border towns like Tumen and Helong and check drivers for suspicious signals when taking a taxi, according to a member of a South Korean association in Yanbian.

"Most South Koreans avoid dinner appointments and finish dinner before 9 p.m.," the source said.

A man who has had a restaurant in Yanji for 12 years said, "There's a rumor that more than 100 North Korean agents have arrived in Yanbian alone since the mass defection. We now close an hour early at 8 p.m., and if someone knocks on the door we pretend we're not at home."

An evangelical Christian said missionary work in the border region has come to a virtual stop since a Korean-Chinese pastor who assisted defectors, was killed in May.

The government has declined to offer proof of any imminent threat, and some expats feel that is irresponsible. "To protect expats the government needs to provide more detailed information instead of merely saying, 'Be careful,'" one said.


Residents kept in the dark

Flint crisis all over again

(NaturalNews) For decades, residents of the West Calumet Housing Complex in East Chicago, Indiana, have have been living on soil contaminated with high levels of lead and arsenic . Last month, more than 1,000 residents of the 346-unit complex were told that their homes must be demolished due to severe lead contamination, thereported.Located near the former site of an industrial lead and copper smelting plant  which closed its doors in 1985  the housing complex and nearby areas were originally not included in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) cleanup plan. In 2009, after retesting the soil around the West Calumet Housing Complex, the whole area was added to the priority cleanup list.While rumors of lead contamination spread throughout the community after some residents tested their own soil , the EPA did not think it necessary to expand their testing territory and inform the citizens about the possible dangers lurking in their soil.Despite the fact that the EPA knew about the lead poisoning and had plans to remove the tainted soil that date back to at least 2009, it took them nearly eight years after the first official red flag to inform East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland.City attorney Carla Morgan toldthat the city leaders were not informed about the dangerously high lead levels until May this year, and even then the EPA would not offer more details.For years, kids played in lead and arsenic contaminated soil while struggling with the strangest illnesses. Children who are exposed to high levels of lead at a young age are at high risk of severe brain damage which may result in irreversible mental disorders, seizures, behavioral disorders like ADHD and stunted educational growth.Mayor Copeland has been praised by residents for his swift actions. Immediately after he got wind of the results in May, signs were put up across the complex warning parents to keep their children out of the dirt and thoroughly wash all their outdoor toys.By the end of July, all residents had received a letter advising them to find alternative housing while officials cleaned up the mess. Days later, the crisis escalated when the Housing Authority announced it would completely demolish the complex, leaving 346 families without homes.Many believe that Flint's water crisis, which drew national scrutiny, finally ignited action in East Chicago. Flint and East Chicago are both under the supervision of the EPA's Region 5 office "I think it reaches the levelin my opinion at this timeof what occurred in Flint, Mich, with the water crisis," state Senator and East Chicago resident Lonnie Randolph told CBS Chicago. "They had a water crisis there, looks like we might have a land crisis here."East Chicago residents are being offered lead tests. So far, 29 of the 400 screened blood samples have come back positive for high levels of lead. Of the 29 positives, 21 came from children under the age of 6, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.Concerned residents have gathered forces and formed the Calumet Lives Matter committee. Sen. Randolph, a member of the newly-formed organization, said that he has lived his whole life in East Calumet, but never heard about possible lead contamination of the soil surrounding the closed smelting plant until earlier this summer."Four decades of families have been made sick or ill because of this. And then they get a notice overnight that they have to move, that their home is going to be destroyed," he said.Where will they go?While the housing authority has promised federal vouchers to help pay the rent of new homes, many residents are not sure where they will go. Other nearby low-income housing units have waiting lists of years, leaving them with no other option than to go North of the contamination zone where gangs rule the streets.
New cases of rashes and hair loss, despite assurances that Flint water is now safe

Officials continue dragging their feet as Flint residents continue to suffer

(NaturalNews) The results of an investigation seeking to find out what caused a spate of rashes and hair loss amongsuggest that the symptomsbe due to exposure to the city's water supply, but investigators refused to admit to a definitive link.The months-long investigation was conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, along with other state and federal agencies.The investigators said that the cases of rashes and hair losshave been caused by the Flint public water supply both before and after the source was switched back to Lake Huron, following the now infamous 2014 decision to use the Flint River as the city's primary water source.During the period between April 2014 and October 2015, when the Flint River was being used to supply the city's drinking water, residents began to suffer from health problems including rashes and cases of alopecia  a condition which causesIt was later determined that the Flint River water was corroding the city's water supply pipes, causingto leach from the pipes into the drinking water used by the city's residents. Other contaminants, including E. coli and high levels of chlorine used to kill the E. coli, were also found in the Flint water during the period when Flint River water was being sourced.Cases of lead contamination were widespread throughout the city, and the E. coli is suspected to have been the cause of 12 deaths due to Legionnaire's disease.But even after the city switched back to using Lake Huron water, new cases of rashes and hair loss were reported, despite officials' assurances that the current water supply is safe.Dr. Nicole Lurie, of the Department of Health and Human Services, said:"The (research team) ... found evidence supporting Flint residents' concern that water from the Flint River might have led to skin problems. Fortunately, water samples from the city's current water did not show metals and minerals at levels that would cause or make rashes worse."The findings of the investigation are likely to do little towards easing Flint residents' concerns. In fact, the refusal on the part of the investigators to admit to a definitive link may only make people even more angry.One Flint resident, Minerva Witt, whose 7-year-old granddaughter is suffering from alopecia, expressed disappointment at the vagueness of the findings.Witt, who attended the investigation's news conference hoping to obtain some meaningful answers, said afterwards:"They can't tell me that it is or it isn't because of the water. ... This little girl is losing her hair . If you're a young lady, how would you feel if you started to lose your hair, with patches of bald here and there? You wouldn't feel good about it."Since the very beginning of the Flint water crisis, officials at all levels of government have dragged their feet in investigating the causes and taking proper actions to correct them.No one wants to take responsibility and no one wants to fully admit that there was  and still is  a problem. Until now, state officials have continued to claim there is "no scientific link" between the water supply and the cases of rashes.And this latest investigation is more of the same mealy-mouthed approach to the issue; the investigators admit that the rashes and alopecia cases "might" have been caused by the water, and that Flint residents' concerns are "valid," but they point to "fluctuations in pH, [water] hardness, and chlorine," as being the likely causes, rather than admitting that lead and other contaminants might be the real culprits.Meanwhile, Flint residents continue to suffer from serious health problems and are not getting any satisfactory answers from anyone.
Mylan lobbying yields results

Company profits, patients lose

(NaturalNews) In 2007, pharmaceutical company Mylan purchased the rights to the brand name device EpiPen, which is used to inject epinephrine in the case of a life-threatening anaphylactic allergic reaction. At that time, the devices cost $57 each. The price has since risen steadily to $609.Roughly 43 million people in the United States are at risk of anaphylactic reactions, and the high price of EpiPens is placing life-saving medication beyond their reach.On August 24, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called Mylan's pricing "outrageous," saying, "It's just the latest troubling example of a company taking advantage of its consumers."What Clinton did not mention is that Mylan has a history of donating to the Clinton Foundation.Mylan was already hiking EpiPen prices in 2009, when it participated in a Clinton Foundation effort to lower the cost of HIV drugs. Mylan agreed to bring the price of four drugs to 28 percent lower than the competition. It is unclear if that promise was ever kept.Clinton Foundation records also show that Mylan has donated between $100,000 and $250,000 to the Foundation, but do not state when the money was received. Mylan CEO Heather Bresch is also the daughter of West Virginia senator and Clinton supporter Joe Manchin.The revelations may fuel concerns about the inter-connectedness of the Clintons with Big Pharma and other large financial interests. And they may reflect Mylan's proven strategy of peddling political influence for financial gain.Shortly after acquiring EpiPen, Mylan increased its lobbying spending from $270,000 (in 2007) to $1.2 million (in 2008). The results of this lobbying included new FDA recommendations that EpiPens be sold two to a package (instead of one), and that the devices be prescribed not just to people with confirmed allergies, but to all patients considered "at-risk." Congress also passed a law designating large grants to states that required schools to keep EpiPens on hand.There's no doubt that Mylan's policies have yielded enormous returns. The company's stock price has more than tripled since 2007, and 40 percent of its profits now come from EpiPen sales.During the same time period, executive salaries ballooned. Bresch's salary rose from $2.4 million in 2007, to $19 million in 2015  a nearly 700 percent increase!"This outrageous increase in the price of EpiPens is occurring at the same time that Mylan ... is exploiting a monopoly market advantage that has fallen into its lap," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who has called on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate.Mylan's profits are ensured by EpiPen's patented-drug delivery system, which makes it hard for new competitors to break into the market. The drug inside EpiPens  epinephrine  is actually a very inexpensive generic drug. It is chemically identical to the hormone adrenaline, which fills a wide variety of functions in the body.Supplements such as Adrenal Strength are said to replenish the body and promote a healthy stress response.In spite of a firestorm of criticism, Mylan still refuses to lower the drugs' price. Instead, it has begun issuing $300-off coupons for EpiPens, as well as promising to offer the devices free to anyone making up to 400 percent of the federal poverty line. But critics charge that such policies unfairly place the burden on patients to learn about and apply for discounts  and that they do not spare pharmacies or insurers the full price of the drug. The company still makes its outlandish profit.Mylan also boasts of giving away 700,000 free EpiPens to schools over the past four years. But critics note that the company reaps enormous tax benefits from such policies; in fact, Mylan actually received a tax refund in 2014  as well as free advertising.And the majority of schools that stock EpiPens are still paying through the nose.
Overview of data collection

The methods used are depicted graphically in Supplementary Fig. 3. Tissue samples from 360 individuals were collected from 39 localities across Tasmania between 1999 and 2014 (Fig. 1; Supplementary Data 1). IRB approval was obtained for tissue collection (Washington State University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee protocol ASAF #04392). From 36 sites, one or two samples were collected per locality. A total of 294 samples were collected from three localitiesFreycinet (92 samples), Narawntapu (80 samples) and West Pencil Pine (122 samples; Supplementary Fig. 4). These samples were chosen to get a minimum of 20 samples per time point of our analyses, a standard approach for population genetics analyses. We refer to these three sites as the focal populations. The Freycinet site is a 160 km2 area incorporating the Freycinet Peninsula, which is on the east coast of Tasmania. DFTD was first detected in Freycinet in 2001. The Narawntapu site is Narawntapu National Park, which is in north-central Tasmania. DFTD was first detected in Narawntapu in 2007. The West Pencil Pine site is private timber land in northwestern Tasmania. DFTD was first detected at West Pencil Pine in 2006, but has impacted populations more slowly than at other sites, probably due to initial infection with a tetraploid cancer strain that was later replaced by a diploid strain in 2011 (ref. 6). Because samples could be separated into pre-DFTD arrival and post-DFTD arrival in each population, no randomization or blinding among treatments was necessary. For each sample, a single-digest RAD library was prepared with the restriction enzyme pstI using standard methods11, sequenced on an Illumina HiSeq 2500 with either paired-end or single-end 150 bp reads, and aligned to the reference genome24 after quality filtering and removal of PCR duplicates (Supplementary Fig. 3).

We genotyped all samples using the Stacks25 pipeline. After genotyping, we filtered out X chromosome SNPs, potential confounded paralogues (based on heterozygosity), SNPs with mean allele frequency (MAF) <0.01 (across all 360 samples) and SNPs that were genotyped in less than one-third of the total samples. Subsequent analyses focused on the focal populations and include some additional filtering. The following four sections provide additional details on the workflow, including specific program settings, and readers uninterested in this level of detail can skip to Allele frequency changes.

Details of sequencing

For 72 samples (one or two from each of the 39 sampling localities), three lanes of paired-end 150 bp reads were generated from individually barcoded libraries using a HiSeq 2500. The remaining 288 samples were individually barcoded, multiplexed in pools of 96 samples, and for each pool, six lanes of single-end 150 bp reads were obtained. For two of the pools, the RAD library prep was performed with both 12-PCR cycles and 14-PCR cycles; for these two pools, three lanes of sequencing were obtained for the 12-cycle library and three lanes for the 14-cycle library. All but six of the samples from the focal populations were sequenced as part of the 288-sample single-end-read sequencing run.

From the 72-sample run, we obtained 456,639,846 read pairs; after de-multiplexing, quality filtering, PCR-duplicate removal and removal of low-quality alignments, we had 30,2903.6 million reads per sample. For the other 288 samples, we obtained a total of 2,649,033,674 reads, or 60,00014.7 million reads per sample (mean=6.1 million; Supplementary Data 1) after de-multiplexing, quality filtering and removal of low-quality alignments. Quality filtering removed 20% of reads, PCR duplicate removal removed 50% of the remaining reads (among just the 72 samples with paired-end data) and 20% of the reads were removed due to low mapping quality (MAPQ<40). We did not explicitly remove any individuals due to low coverage. Mean coverage of RAD loci found in at least one-third of the samples was 6  across all individuals and 9  when including only the individuals genotyped at each locus (Supplementary Fig. 5). (See below for details of filtering and alignment.) For all analyses, we used the Murchison et al.24 genome assembly as the reference genome24, and the Ensembl Devil 7.0 annotation available from Biomart26.

Details of data processing and genotyping

We processed the sequencing data using the Stacks (v1.20) pipeline. For those samples with data from both 12-PCR-cycle and 14-PCR-cycle library preps, the data from different PCR cycles were processed separately until calling SNPs. We first de-multiplexed the reads and removed poor quality reads with process_radtags from the Stacks pipeline (using the -q option; we also rescued RAD-tags and barcodes with the -r option; all other settings were left at the defaults). Then for the samples with paired-end data, we removed PCR duplicates with clone_filter; this is not possible with single-end read data. Reads were aligned to the reference genome using bowtie2 (ref. 27) with the following options: --sensitive, --end-to-end, -X 900. We processed the resulting alignment files with samtools28. We then used custom python scripts to remove reads with a mapping quality <40, and to keep only the first read from the paired-end data for consistency among samples. We then called SNPs and produced Plink28 format output files using the standard Stacks reference-aligned pipeline: pstacks, cstacks, sstacks and populations. The default settings were used for Stacks except that the minimum stack depth per individual (-m) was set to 3, the bounded error model was used with an upper bound of 0.1 (--bound_high 0.1), the locus catalogue was created by matching to genomic position (-g), and we initially used any locus that was present in at least 1% of the individuals (-r 1 in the populations program). Owing to computational limits, we were not able to run the rxstacks pipeline for population-based correction of SNPs.

Details of filtering

For all further analyses, we filtered out SNPs that were on scaffolds assigned to the X chromosome, SNPs on RAD loci where any SNP had an observed heterozygosity >0.5 across all the samples (to eliminate confounded paralogues), SNPs present in less than one-third of the samples (<120 samples) and SNPs with an MAF<0.01 across all the samples; across the entire set of 360 individuals, this resulted in 111,659 SNPs. The intention of the MAF filter was to remove SNPs that were the result of sequencing errors; thresholds set to less than 0.01 had a very marked excess of rare variants. After applying these filters, we conducted further analyses on just the samples from the focal populations, and for most analyses removed SNPs that were genotyped in less than one-third of the individuals in a particular population. With these filters, median proportions of SNP loci genotyped per individual were 69% in Freycinet, 56% in Narawntapu and 64% in West Pencil Pine. Within each population, we imposed additional filters for certain analyses.

Details of phasing

For analyses requiring phased data, we used fastphase (v1.4.0; ref. 29). We ran fastphase on each of the focal populations separately, with 20 random starts (-T20). Each chromosome was run separately, and scaffolds were concatenated in order according to Murchison et al.24. We only included SNPs that were genotyped in at least one-third of the samples in the target population, we did not impute missing genotypes (-g option), and we chose to minimize switching error.

Allele frequency changes

To identify SNPs and associated genes that had extreme allele frequency changes in response to DFTD, we focused on samples collected before or during the first year that cancer was detected in a population and samples from the most recent collection period. For Freycinet, we tested for allele frequency differences between 1999 and the combination of 2012 and 2013; for Narawntapu, the difference between the combination of 1999 and 2004, and 2009; and for West Pencil Pine, 2006 and the combination of 2013 and 2014. Time points were combined to increase the sample size, which allowed more accurate allele frequency estimates and increased the number of SNPs. Within each population separately, we imposed additional filters for the allele frequency change analysis: each SNP had to be genotyped in at least one-third of the samples at the beginning time point and one-third of the samples at the end time point. The exceptions to this criterion were the end time point in Freycinet and the beginning time point in West Pencil Pine, for which we required SNPs to be genotyped in at least one-half of the individuals (due to small sample sizes; Supplementary Table 2). We then pruned SNPs based on linkage disequilibrium: for every pair of SNPs within 20 SNPs and 50 kb on the same scaffold, we removed one SNP if the R2 value >0.99. R2 was calculated on unphased data by using the method implemented in Plink30, assuming that runs of Ns within each scaffold were accurate estimates of the gap size between contigs. This resulted in 19,639 SNPs in Freycinet, 39,378 SNPs in Narawntapu and 5,107 SNPs in West Pencil Pine.

For each population, we ranked the SNPs by allele frequency change, and identified the regions and annotated protein coding genes within 100 kb of the top 2.5% of SNPs using bedtools31. Those genes identified in all three populations (though not necessarily by the same SNPs in every population) were considered candidate regions based on strong LD at this genomic scale. Although it is noted that loci correlated with disease resistance could evolve independently in single populations, we restricted our candidate loci to those that evolved in all the three populations. Previous genetic studies have shown that K=2 island-wide (that is, there are two genetic clusters of devils across Tasmania9) and that our three focal sites are all part of the same genetic cluster, so that these three populations may share standing genetic variation for resistance that was present before DFTD. Focusing only on loci showing a signature in all the three populations minimizes issues with false-positive signatures of selection within any single population, and is thus a conservative approach. Some populations contained more than one SNP within a single candidate region; the two candidate regions contained nine unique SNPs in the top 2.5% of the distribution in at least one population (Supplementary Table 2). We repeated the analysis using the mean allele frequency change across 200 kb sliding windows (50 kb step) but did not identify any additional candidate regions across the devil genome.

Time series selection estimates

In addition to searching for SNPs with large allele frequency changes after DFTD introduction, we also used the method of Mathieson and McVean20 to estimate the strength of selection on each SNP within each population by testing for changes in allele frequency over time. We applied this method to SNPs genotyped in at least one-third of the target population (Freycinet: 88,676 SNPs; Narawntapu: 83,826; West Pencil Pine: 94,003), assumed a generation time of 2 years, and assumed an effective population size of 34 for Freycinet, 37 for Narawntapu and 26 for West Pencil Pine. For Freycinet and West Pencil Pine, all time points were used, but for Narawntapu, only 2004 and 2009, which bracket the first detection of DFTD, were used. Effective population sizes were estimated using NeEstimator32 (v2.01) with the Jorde and Ryman two-sample temporal method33 to calculate N e . The 95% confidence limits for N e obtained by jacknifing over loci were 32.335.8 (Freycinet), 35.538.9 (Narawntapu) and 23.728.2 (West Pencil Pine).

Linkage disequilibrium decay

To determine the rate of LD decay in the Tasmanian devil genome, we calculated the correlation between genotypes at pairs of sites using Plink30. This method produces results similar to the standard R2 measure of linkage disequilibrium, but does not require phased data. Only SNPs with MAF>0.05 in the target population were used. In every population, mean linkage disequilibrium persisted substantially above the background level to at least 100 kb (Supplementary Fig. 1).

To detect potential selective sweeps that occurred during the onset of infection in the three focal populations, we calculated the Rsb statistic12 on phased data using the R package rehh34. In addition to the filters we imposed before phasing, we also excluded scaffolds with <10 SNPs, we only used SNPs genotyped in at least one-third of individuals in the target population and time point, and only haplotypes with at least a 30% genotyping rate were retained. First, for each population separately, the extended haplotype homozygosity statistic was calculated for each SNP, and integrated over genomic distance to obtain an integrated EHH (iES). Then, the natural log of the ratio of iES in the pre-infection time points to iES in the post-infection time points was calculated and standardized by subtracting the median and dividing by the standard deviation. Rsb scores greater than zero indicate that the extent of haplotype homozygosity increased after the introduction of DFTDan indication of a selective sweep. Rsb scores were only calculated for SNPs with MAF0.05 both before and after infection.

Composite test statistic

The composite test statistic, adapted from Grossman et al.13 was calculated by dividing the genome into 100 kb non-overlapping windows and selecting the SNP with the maximum quantile for Rsb and allele frequency change (separately for each population and statistic). Then, we raised the maximum quantile value to the power of the number of SNPs in the window and subtracted from one to get an adjusted P value for the window for each statistic:

where p i is the adjusted P value for statistic/population combination i, and s is the number of SNPs in the window with non-missing values for i. This is equivalent to the probability of getting a value this extreme in a sample of s SNPs, assuming the SNPs are independent. Because SNPs are likely not independent within each window, this adjustment is conservative. The composite score was calculated using the formula for Fishers method for combining P values:

where n is the number of population/statistic combinations with values for the window. We then calculated a combined P value for each window by comparing the composite score to a chi-squared distribution with degrees of freedom equal to twice the number of statistics.

Data availability

The sequence data has been deposited at NCBI under BioProject PRJNA306495 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bioproject/?term=PRJNA306495) and BioSamples SAMN05250006-05250365. The genotype data has been deposited at Dryad under doi:10.5061/dryad.r60sv. Any other relevant data is contained within the Article and its Supplementary Files or is available from the authors upon request.
Nuclear tests and plastic pollution aren't what humanity wants to be remembered by, but they're major indicators that influenced geologist's position that Earth has officially entered the Anthropocene epoch.

Scientists from the Working Group on the Anthropocene (WGA) are responsible for suggesting the change to the International Geological Congress in Cape Town. The Anthropocene should be recorded as starting in the 1950's.

"The significance of the Anthropocene is that it sets a different trajectory for the Earth system, of which we of course are part," geologist at the University of Leicester and chair of the WGA Professor Jan Zalasiewicz said to the Guardian.

"If our recommendation is accepted, the Anthropocene will have started just a little before I was born," he said. "We have lived most of our lives in something called the Anthropocene and are just realising the scale and permanence of the change."

An epoch is the geologic measurement of time between an age and a period. Previously, we were in the Holocene epoch, which lasted 12,000 years and is marked by the stable climate that followed the last ice age.

Markers for the Antthropocene include increased carbon dioxide emissions, sea level rise, global mass extinction of species and decreased biomass. Scientists are still discussing what will be defined as the beginning signal of the Anthropocene epoch.

Currently, it looks like nuclear testing is the most likely candidate. Other options include plastic pollution, power station soot, concrete or domestication of chickens visible by their bone record. Signals for the beginning of a new epoch must be found in the Earth's geological record.

The enormity of human activity and climate change is brought into stark relief through the recommendation of the Anthropocene. With the closing of the Holocene, the end of a stable climate has officially been marked.
A super heavyweight lobster is now residing in the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth and is given a brand new name: JJ. It weighs 7.65 kilograms and is so far the heaviest lobster found in the U.K. since 1931.

According to Independent, earlier this month, JJ was first discovered by a free diver named Joe Pike in the waters off Lannacombe Beach, North Devon. JJ was previously called Lionel. Upon its discovery, JJ was taken to the National Marine Aquarium for weighing and for the vets to check him over.

Nowadays, JJ is the heaviest lobster is in the Aquarium's Plymouth Sound tank. JJ's name comes after British Olympic boxer silver medal winner Joe Joyce, who is a super heavyweight.

Aquarium director James Wright told The Press and Journal, "It is however, very hard to age a lobster, especially at this size due to the frequency with which they moult, and growth is affected by all kinds of factors, but we estimate he is around 50 to 70 years old."

Wright said that JJ is now on his way to full recovery, as the lobster is now spending time with their husbandry team, who are feeding JJ well and has been checking its progress since the animal has been out of the water for a long time. The team is making sure that there is no long-term damage that will harm the lobster.

"Once he's made a full recovery, he will be moved to our Eddystone Reef exhibit, where he will join other native marine species, such as bass, pollock, greater spotted catsharks and smoothhound sharks," Wright said. "JJ now has pride of place welcoming visitors to the first display they see in our Plymouth Sound exhibit." Wright added.

Weighing nearly 9 kilograms, the previously title-holder for biggest common lobster was discovered off Fowey in Cornwall in 1931. A common lobster usually measures up to 3 feet and is dark blue with yellowish spots.
Six scientists successfully finished a year-long Mars simulation inside a dome in Hawaii in a NASA-funded experiment.

The #HISEAS crew has emerged after a year in isolation! pic.twitter.com/7Y0eTUTwBs  HI-SEAS (@HI_SEAS) August 28, 2016

Hawaii Space Exploration Analog & Simulation (Hi-SEAS) conducted Mars simulation, an exploration analog study run by the University of Hawaii. Six scientists took part in the experiment. During the duration of the simulation, the scientists remained inside the dome in a Hawaii mountain to simulate the Martian conditions.

The scientists lived in isolation for a year to study how working conditions on Mars looks like. Part of the study includes monitoring healthcare, colleague-relations and other factors while entirely in isolation. The members of the experiment can only be allowed to go out of the dome in space suits.

The six scientists successfully "returned" to Earth last Aug. 28. This simulation is part of NASA's steps to prepare for their manned mission to the red planet in 2030. The dome is about 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) above sea level location on a rocky mountain and in a particularly dry area in Mauna Lao volcano in Hawaii. To simulate Martian conditions, there was very limited supply of resources such as water and food, according to Quartz.

The crew graced a press conference right after "returning" to Earth and they have revealed interesting observations gathered throughout the simulation.

"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," Cyprien Verseux, a crewmember from France said in a statement.

Another crewmember, Christiane Heinicke said that they were able to locate water from the dry climate. Getting water from dry land gives hope to scientists that it is possible and may even work on Mars.

But aside from the scientific fact, the simulation also emphasized on the human aspect of choosing a crew. "HI-SEAS is an example of international collaborative research hosted and run by the University of Hawaii," Kim Binsted, HI-SEAS principal investigator said in a statement. "It's really exciting to be able to welcome the crew back to Earth and back to Hawaii after a year on Mars,' Binsted added.

After the successful simulation, Hi-SEAS is moving forward with their plans to conduct more Mars simulations using the dome and is currently recruiting scientists to join the simulation. There will be two more missions conducted using the dome and the next one will start in Jan. 2017.
NASA is set to publish a paper on the possibility of warp drive. This would take humans to Mars in just a matter of 10 weeks. Yet, could this "impossible" engine be really made possible by the space agency?

The Starship Enterprise makes use of warp drive to travel to worlds beyond the universe, but all this is possible in the science fiction film. Yet, NASA is reportedly already on its way to creating their own warp drive engine that could hasten the travel of humans to Mars.

Warp drive, or the EmDrive engine, provides a boost to a spacecraft through bouncing microwaves around within a closed vessel. As for the microwaves, these gather electricity through solar energy. Basically, no propellant is needed.

It was in 2000 that the concept of the EmDrive was proposed by Roger Shawyer. Since then, four labs with NASA included have tried to recreate the EmDrive. Yet, a number of physicists claim that the concept of the EmDrive is simply impossible as the design goes against the laws of physics.

This however has not stopped the space agency from studying the concept of an EmDrive and even releasing their findings. Eagleworks from NASA will release a paper regarding their findings.

"It is my understanding that Eaglework's new paper has been today accepted for publication in a peer-review journal, where it will be published," states one user on the NASA forum.

As for Eagleworks engineer, Paul March, peer reviews for their paper are going slow so publication on their study of the EmDrive may take longer than expected. On the other hand where EmDrive is involved, a number of physicists suggest that the engine products exhaust just like any other rocket.

"EmDrive works just like any other engine," stated Dr Arto Annila, a physics professor at the University of Helsinki, adding, "Its fuel is the input photons at microwave lengths."

Would warp drive or the EmDrive engine be physically possible? View the infographic about the warp drive presented in science fiction films compared to what scientists from NASA are working on.
Local authorities and officials are now offering a reward of at least $10,000 to hasten the search for whoever is responsible for shooting three Southern sea otters along the Santa Cruz area in late July or early August.

The otters, all male, washed up between Santa Cruz Harbor and Seacliff State Beach in Aptos between Aug. 12 and Aug. 19. Necropsy reports, the animal counterpart of autopsy, showed that the two juvenile otters and one adult male otter sustained a bullet wound and were believed to be dead several days or weeks before washing ashore.

"It's really hard to tell who did this," Max Schad, a warden at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told Mercury News. "Without having a suspect it's difficult to tell if it's a malicious person or a fisherman who is mad or someone else. It's all just speculation."

The reward money was issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife with the support of Monterey Bay Aquarium and private donors.

Killing a sea otter is a serious offense punishable by up to $100,000 fine and possible jail time. The Southern sea otter is listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1977 and is fully protected under California State Law. Sea otters are also considered to be endangered in the Red List of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Historically, there are about hundreds of thousand up to millions of otters worldwide, including about 16,000 in California. However, pelt trade in the early 1900s caused their global population to plummet down to 1,000 to 2,000. At present, there are over 106,000 sea otters worldwide, with just more or less 3,000 in California.

According to Defender of Wildlife, Southern sea otters live in the waters along the California coastline and range from San Mateo County in the north to Santa Barbara County in the south.


Steps to harness energy from sustainable sources are being taken by nations all over the world in an attempt to shift to a renewable energy trend that is not harmful to the environment. In Scotland, the first tidal power array was inaugurated, a step considered a breakthrough worldwide.

In an attempt to power homes by natural means, NOVA Innovation deployed tidal power turbines, the world's first fully operational tidal power sources in Bluemull Sound north of Shetland. Reports say that the currently installed tidal power system has the ability to power about 300 homes on the Scottish island.

Today, two turbines were already installed and are operating at 40 percent of its total capacity.

"We are absolutely delighted to be the first company in the world to deploy a fully operational tidal array," Simon Forrest, managing director of Nova Innovation said in a statement.

The two turbines will be part of the Shetlands tidal array that will be operational when all the turbines are deployed and functional. The five 100kW tidal power turbines will be installed this month and will be powered to supply energy to Shetland's homes. This is a more efficient way to harvest energy from the waves as compared to the existing single power turbines.

Tidal energy is considered significant especially in places where there are available abundant marine resources. The hydropower system converts energy of the tides into power or electricity.

Many other companies have tried to introduce marine power technology in Scotland but failed. But Nova Innovation looks promising, according to environmental groups.

"News that power has been exported to grid for the first time by a pair of tidal devices marks yet another major milestone on Scotland's journey to becoming a fully renewable nation," Lang Banks, director of WWF Scotland said in a statement.

With the success of the Shetlands tidal power, more nations will look into building the same source of renewable energy.
Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to Earth has a newly found identity, and that is the home of a potentially habitable planet, Proxima B. As the scientific community turns their head to Alpha Centauri, NASA/ESA's Hubble Space Telescope captured an image of the star system on the spotlight.

The Hubble Space Telescope had successfully taken the best image of Alpha Centauri. Alpha Centauri is located in the constellation of Centaurus (The Centaur) at about 4.3 light-years away. The system has two stars Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B and the now very popular Alpha Centauri C, a small red dwarf also known as Proxima Centauri.

Proxima Centauri is the star that the newly discovered potentially habitable planet orbits. Last Aug. 25, the European Space Observatory (ESO) announced that they have found clear evidence that a potentially habitable planet orbits Proxima B.

ESO Found Evidence of Habitable Planet Orbiting Nearest Star https://t.co/sk3ffgoPUQ pic.twitter.com/Gr2riAx5HO  Nature World News (@NatureWorldNews) August 26, 2016

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope had already managed to capture the stunning image of Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B, the binary system in the nearest star system to Earth. The image was captured using the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2), the most used instrument aboard the Hubble Space Telescope during its first 13 years. To produce the clearest image of Alpha Centauri, observations were carried out at optical and near-infrared wavelengths.

Based on data gathered, ESA says that the binary stars in Alpha Centauri have different properties; Alpha Centauri A is a stellar type and is slightly bigger while Alpha Centaury B is a K1-type star is a bit smaller. But the currently most significant star from the system is the red dwarf star called Proxima B.

Because of the discovery, more scientific probes are now geared towards Alpha Centauri. "Because these two stars are, together with their sibling Proxima Centauri, the closest to Earth, they are among the best studied by astronomers. And they are also among the prime targets in the hunt for habitable exoplanets," an ESA official said in a statement published by SpaceTelescope.

The Alpha Centauri star system is the nearest to Earth that is why it is the most studied by astronomers and the nearest candidate to find habitable exoplanets.
Scientists have recently discovered a massive reef hiding behind the famous Great Barrier Reef on Australia.

According to the study published in Journal Coral Reef, a group of scientists from James Cook University, University of Sydney and Queensland University of Technology was examining the high-resolution seafloor data provided by the Royal Australian Navy when they noticed the unusual donut-shaped masses.

The map was captured using LiDAR-equipped aircraft. LiDAR, as defined by Science Alert, stands for Light Detection and Ranging. It is a surveying technology that uses lasers instead of radio waves to measure the distance of formations.

As explained by the researchers, these masses are called the Halimeda bioherms. When Halimeda, a genus of green macroalgae, dies, it forms mounds called bioherms. Researchers have long known that Halimeda bioherms exist on the shelf of the Great Barrier Reef, but no one have thought that the reef is as enormous as the recent study has revealed.

"We've 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," Dr. Robin Beaman of JCU said in a press release.

"We've now mapped over 6000 square kilometers. That's three times the previously estimated size, spanning from the Torres Strait to just north of Port Douglas. They clearly form a significant inter-reef habitat which covers an area greater than the adjacent coral reefs," Mardi McNeil from Queensland University of Technology and lead author on the new research paper added.

Fox News notes that the mounds can be as deep as 33 feet at their center. This only adds to the fascination of the researchers.

In the past months, the Great Barrier Reef has been dying due to coral bleaching. Ninety-three percent of the reef has already been bleached and the scientists worry that the newly discovered reef may also suffer the same fate.
China may have entered the race late, but already it is fast becoming a major space player.

Last June, one of China's most powerful rockets called Long March 7 blasted off at the Wenchang launch site. Last week, the country also revealed its 2020 Mars probe. While China has shrouded its space programs in secrecy, the series of major feats could indicate that this generation will witness the rise of a new space "superpower."

"China is developing very rapidly into one of the major space players," Fabio Favata, head of the program coordination office at the European Space Agency's (ESA) directorate of science, said in a report by The Guardian.

Apart from the rocket launch and Mars probe, China also launched the world's first-ever "hack proof" quantum communications satellite. Moreover, the country is also preparing a new rocket, the Long March-5, which is made of engines capable of producing a thrust of over 1,000 tons during take off. The rocket will be used to launch China's still unnamed Mars 2020 probe and the Chang'e-5 lunar probe in 2017.

In 2013, China successfully completed its longest manned space mission when the Shenzhuo-10 spacecraft docked with the orbiting space lab Tiangong-1 and landed in Mongolia. The country also plans to launch a large manned space station - the Tiangong-2 - into orbit. Though relatively smaller than the International Space Station (ISS), the Tiangong space station will have the same capacity.

"You will see the Chinese quite visibly begin to match the capacity of the other spacefaring powers by 2020," Brian Harvey, space analyst and author of "China in Space: The Great Leap Forward," told The Guardian.

China is working with the European Space Agency (ESA) for a number of missions, including the Cluster mission to study space weather and the Double Star, which is China's first scientific satellite. China and ESA are now working on a new mission, the Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE), which is planned to be launched in 2021.

"We are the newcomers in space science, and don't have much experience," Wang Chi of the National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, told The Guardian. "International collaborations are the shortcut for China to catch up with the world. In addition, science, especially space science, should be the responsibility of all humans around the globe. International collaboration is the effective way to obtain the maximum science return from any space mission."

U.S. as one of the Space-Faring Leaders

"[U.S. space technology is still] hands down the best in the world," Joan Johnson-Freese, a professor at the U.S. Naval War College, said in a report by CNN. However, according to Johnson-Freese, the U.S. lacks "the political will to fund an ambitious manned spaceflight program," whereas China takes pride at this.

"In terms of perception, America has already ceded its leadership in exploration to China," she added.

In 2011, U.S. Congress had banned NASA from working bilaterally with anyone from the Chinese space program in due to security concerns, which is said to be the reason the ISS is not allowed to house astronauts from China.
A new portable energy source could power electronic devices using running water.

Estream is a new portable hydropower device that could convert running water into electricity that could be used to power smartphones and other USB devices.

Developed by South Korean startup Enomad (Energy Nomad), Estream is about the size of a water bottle and weighs at least 2 lbs. The portable generator features turbine blades, which are folded for easy storage and transport. Once dipped into running water, the turbine rotates and generates electricity, which will be stored in Estream's built-in 6,400mAh lithium-ion battery that takes about 4.5 hours to charge, Digital Trends reports.

The device can be used to charge mobile gadgets through a standard USB port and could also double as a lantern, as it comes with LED lights with two lighting modes and strobe settings for signaling and SOS.

"[Our] goal is not only to make the most powerful portable green energy available to backpackers and hikers; it is also to take clean, affordable electricity to parts of the world that have never experienced it before," the company, which is now based in Los Angeles, said in its Kickstarter campaign page.

While users could not charge their gadgets while the Estream is generating power like they do with solar chargers, the device could be left in a stream overnight to charge fully, without the need for sunlight. In absence of a water stream, users can also attach the device to the end of a kayak to generate electricity from the movement.

The developers conducted a field test of the device in Provo river near Salt Lake City to determine how well it could fare in extreme weather conditions. They found that Estream could still generate energy from water stream even in the cold weather.

"Recommended temperature range for Estream is from 23 degrees Fahrenheit to 104 degrees Fahrenheit but our engineers are trying to improve battery life and conditions for wide range of outdoor activities," Hyerin Park, founder and CEO of Enomad, said in a statement.

According to Park, Estream is designed to work in freshwater, but the developers are now working on upgrades to make the device compatible with ocean water.

The company has launched a Kickstarter campaign and has already raised 163 percent. Estream will retail at $250 when the device starts shipping in January 2017.
Hawaii has been placed under hurricane watch following Madeline's increasing intensity.

Madeline entered the Central Pacific area late Saturday and strengthened into a hurricane Sunday.

Recent report from the National Weather system classifies Madeline as Category 4 storm adding that it looks set to pass "dangerously close" to the big island within the next hours.

"Impacts from Madeline are becoming increasingly likely over portions of the state, including the possibility of damaging winds and flooding," forecasters told Honolulu Star Advertiser

"It is important for those in the State of Hawaii to not focus too closely on the exact forecast track of Madeline. With an average forecast track error of about 85 to 150 miles in the 48 to 72 hour time range, it is still too soon to say with certainty which islands could be directly impacted. It is also important to note that significant impacts can extend well away from the center of a tropical cyclone."

It was located about 550 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii with maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour with higher gusts.

Aside from strong winds and rains, Madeline is also expected to bring Surf that could rise 10 to 20 feet late Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Madeline is not the only threat to Hawaii as Hurricane Lester, classified as category 3 storm with winds of 125 mph, continues to move west at 14 mph notes Hawaii247. It should cross into the Central Pacific Wednesday notes

The government has already updated its website and issued warnings as well as tips to the residents regarding how they can prepare for the disaster such as restocking the emergency preparedness kit, creating an evacuation plan and keeping vehicles fueled and cell phones charged.

"Hawaii County did a lot of work ahead of time preparing for it," John Bravender of the National Weather Service tells Khon 2. "Trimming trees, making sure culverts were clear, and that helped limit the amount of damage that occurred as Darby came ashore."
After a three-month stay behind bars, ex-Stanford swimmer Brock Turner is scheduled to be released from custody on Friday. The early release has prompted demonstrators to schedule a rally in protest of what they say has been a far too lenient punishment.

Turner was sentenced to six months in jail, and is getting released in half the time for good behavior, a standard reduction for all inmates. As a condition of his release, Turner will be required to complete a sex offender management program and participate in polygraph tests, according to his probation conditions.

Michele Dauber, a Stanford University law professor and sociologist and a vocal critic of how the case turned out, will again call for the removal of Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky during the rally, which is scheduled to take place in front of the San Jose Hall of Justice at 10 a.m. on Friday.

Persky still remains on the bench, but last week, voluntarily recused himself from overseeing criminal trials.

Turner was convicted in March of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman in 2015, and could have faced a possible maximum of 14 years in prison.

Prosecutors sought a six-year sentence, but Persky followed a recommendation by the county probation department to sentence him to six months in prison.

The 23-year-old victim read an impassioned statement at the sentencing hearing. She described the assault in graphic detail and said her "independence, natural joy, gentleness, and steady lifestyle I had been enjoying became distorted beyond recognition."

According to court records, Turner blamed his actions on binge drinking and a party culture on campus.

Hundreds of thousands rallied to the victim's cause in online petitions decrying Persky's sentence, and her statement was even read on the floor in Capitol Hill, so it could be entered into the congressional record.

Dauber said she worries that Persky's ruling sent a message to young women that the criminal justice system does not sufficiently police sexual assaults.

"That message is a really dangerous one," she said. "It sends a message to women that the justice system is biased."

#BrockTurner Judge Persky is biased in civil court, biased in criminal court. He doesn't get violence against women pic.twitter.com/LFHAHOnfLY  Michele Dauber (@mldauber) August 30, 2016

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is reportedly warning election officials across the country after it found evidence that foreign hackers were able to infiltrate state election databases in Illinois and Arizona.

The FBI issued the warning through a flash alert from its Cyber Division on Aug. 18, as first reported by Yahoo News. The alert didn't include the names of the breached states, although sources claim it refers to Illinois and Arizonas voter registration databases being targeted by suspected foreign hackers.

The FBI is now warning election officials across the country to take new steps to bolster the security of computer systems.

Illinois Board of Elections general counsel Ken Menzel told Yahoo News that hackers were able to download the personal data of up to 200,000 state voters.

Menzel also said that FBI agents confirmed to him in a recent briefing that the attacks were believed to be carried out by foreign hackers. The perpetrators were not identified by country. He noted that he was also told that the FBI was looking into a link between the recent hack of the Democratic National Committee. U.S. officials suspect that hack was carried out by Russian government hackers.

Last month, a message was sent to all election authorities in Illinois saying a hack had been detected on July 12. As a precautionary measure, the state's entire voter registration was shut down the next day and remained shut down for several days.

Menzel told NBC Chicago in July that the states voter registration system is kind of a prime target for hackers because of the databases collection of identifying information.

According to the latest report, the Arizona attack wasnt as large in scope as Illinois', although malicious software was introduced to the states system. Nevertheless, the hackers were unable to exfiltrate any data, a state official told Yahoo News.

The FBI suggested that the two hacks could be linked. According to the bulletin, there were eight separate IP addresses that were the source of the two attacks. Rich Barger, chief intelligence officer for cybersecurity firm ThreatConnect, told Yahoo that one of the IP addresses has been identified in Russian criminal underground hacker forums.

The bureau would not confirm news of the alert but said in a statement that "in furtherance of public-private partnerships, the FBI routinely advises private industry of various cyber threat indicators observed during the course of our investigations."

"This data is provided in order to help systems administrators guard against the actions of persistent cyber criminals," the statement read.

According to the report, the FBI will likely pressure the Department of Homeland Security to formally designate the voter systems as a piece of the countrys critical infrastructure requiring federal protection.

A Homeland Security spokesman told Yahoo News that that sort of designation is under consideration. Federal and state officials told the publication it was unlikely that a cyberattack would seriously disrupt the November elections, but that a threat was not out of the question.
Gov. Bruce Rauner has vetoed measures that would increase wages for workers who care for those with developmental disabilities and expand a child care program for low-income families.

The Republican governor said there isn't enough money to support the proposals.

He has used the same argument to block social service funding efforts during the budget impasse, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees pushed legislation that would increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour for workers who help the developmentally disabled with daily tasks. Providers say the current average hourly wage of $9.35 has led to a staffing shortage, the closure of group homes and families without necessary assistance.

Two days prior to vetoing the bill, Rauner had acknowledged the shortage and declared that a week in September would honor these workers.

Rauner said the pay hike would cost the state an additional $330 million a year and doesn't provide any way to cover the added expense.

"We should first acknowledge the difficult and important work of these professionals, who assist persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities in residential and day programs," Rauner said. "Many of these professionals have not had a wage increase in years. I am open to finding a responsible way to increase wages for these professionals, but unfortunately this bill is not the answer."

Rauner also vetoed a bill that would've expanded eligibility requirements for low-income families to receive child care.

"I'm disappointed that the governor chose to turn his back on parents working to give their children a better life," said Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, who sponsored the bill.

Rauner said such a large expansion could threaten the child care program because without funding to go along with it, parents could see long waitlists or be asked to pay higher copays.

"None of which would best serve the interests of the children that this legislation is intended to support," Rauner said. "The state of Illinois can no longer make spending promises that exceed available revenues."
A 90-year-old blind woman was dragged from her home, battered and robbed in an attack in northwest Indiana last week, according to authorities.

Gary Police said Monday they were searching for a suspect who robbed Beatrice Patterson at her home around 9:25 a.m. Aug. 20 in the 700 block of Hovey Street.

I never had that happen, I was scared to death, Patterson told NBC Chicago.

Patterson has lived in her neighborhood with no problems for the last seven years, she said. But that all changed that Saturday, when her grandson went outside to smoke a cigarette and someone ran inside her home and attacked her.

I was screaming, yes, I was begging, Somebody help me, Patterson said.

The man dragged Patterson outside and repeatedly asked her where she kept her money, she told authorities.

Neighbors saw the scene and rushed out but the man fled.

They saved my life, Patterson said. They may not know it and may not know it all the time but they really did.

Patterson, who is partially blind, suffered scratches on her arm and knee.

She said she hopes police find the man soon, and when they do, she has a message for her attacker.

God bless you, because you are going to get what is coming to you, she said.
Butter burgers originally bound for Wrigleyville have been overtaken by Bronzeville, as the soon-to-be first Chicago Culvers location prepares for an early 2017 opening in the South Side neighborhood, a spokesman for the fast-food company said.

The Bronzeville burger shop, at 33rd Place and South Martin Luther King Drive, is on a faster track than the planned Wrigleyville location, at 3500 North Clark Street, which was originally slated to be the first in the city, due to construction delays, Paul Pitas spokesman for Culvers said Monday.

I just found about this yesterday myself, Pitas said, adding that the Wrigleyville location wont likely break ground until 2017.

Pitas said the company is aiming to have more than 40 new restaurants in 2016. He said Culvers has 580 locations in 24 states with an eye for upper-Midwestern expansion, including Chicago and some of its suburbs.

The Wisconsin-based chain is known for its butter burgers, frozen custard and cheese curds.

Some other upcoming Culvers locations include Oak Lawn, which Pitas said will open in mid-September, Hoffman Estates in mid-October, as well as Skokie and Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood should have locations sometime in 2017.

Theres a lot going on in Chicago, Pitas said.
Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson has filed termination charges for five Chicago police officers involved in the Laquan McDonald shooting following a report from the Inspector Generals office.

According to charging documents revealed Tuesday, officers Jason Van Dyke, Daphne Sebastian, Janet Mondragon, Ricardo Viramontes and Stephen Franko face administrative charges as the case moves to the Chicago Police Board.

Van Dyke, the officer who shot McDonald, has also been charged with first-degree murder by Cook County prosecutors. He has pleaded not guilty and his trial is expected to commence next year.

Van Dyke shot 17-year-old McDonald 16 times in 2014. Dashcam footage of the shooting, which appears to contradict the police account of what happened, was made public late last year and sparked outrage and protests nationwide.

Five officers now face administrative charges, including making a false report. Four are accused of disobeying an order. It wasn't immediately clear if the Chicago police union, the Fraternal Order of Police, had a comment about the charges.

According to the documents, Van Dyke is accused of giving false official reports, including his allegation that McDonald raised a knife across his chest and pointed it at the officer, that McDonald attempted to kill him, and that Van Dyke was moving backwards when he fired the 16 fatal shots. Those contentions were contradicted by the dashcam video released by Chicago Police last fall, which showed McDonald apparently walking away from officers when he was fatally shot.

The remaining four officers, Janet Mondragon, Daphne Sebastian, Ricardo Viramontes, and Sgt. Stephen Franko, face charges of making false reports about what they saw on the street that night.

Among the charges:

Sebastian is accused of reporting that McDonald advanced on Officers Jason Van Dyke and Joseph Walsh while waving a knife despite orders to "drop the kinfe." The statement also said McDonald "continued to move after he fell to the ground, or words to that effect," documents show.

The charges against Mondragon say she was either lying or gave misleading statements when she said she was looking down while putting her squad car in park, and did not witness the shooting.

Viramontes allegedly said McDonald turned toward Officers Van Dyke and Walsh and after he fell to the ground McDonald attempted to get back up with the knife still in his hand.

Franko is accused of claiming McDonald's actions constituted an assault and said McDonald attempted to stab or cut Van Dyke and another officer.

Several of the officers were also charged with mishandling the Departments new recording equipment.

The charges follow a report from the Inspector General's office recommending 10 officers in the case that has made national headlines be fired.

Of that 10, three have since retired and one resigned after Tuesday's charges were filed. The department is also disputing that one of the officers should be fired.

"CPD is committed to ensuring the highest levels of integrity, accountability and professional standards for all members of the Police Department. After considerable deliberation and a methodical review of the evidence presented by the Office of inspector General, we have filed termination charges against the affected officers for giving false statements during the investigation into the Laquan McDonald incident," the department said in a statement. "This matter will be now adjudicated before the Chicago Police Board and the Department continues to cooperate with the ongoing criminal investigations into this incident."

The names of the officers who had already retired by Tuesday have not been released, but two high-ranking officers retired earlier this month. Those officers include First Deputy Superintendent John Escalante, who accepted a position as the chief of police for Northeastern Illinois University, and Deputy Chief David McNaughton.

McNaughton is the Chicago police officer who signed off on the report that initially cleared Officer Jason Van Dyke in McDonald's shooting.

As for the one officer the department decided against firing, CPD said in a statement that "there is sufficient doubt" she made statements attributed to her in official CPD reports.

"An analysis has shown that there is insufficient evidence to prove that she willfully made any false statement," the statement read. "Due to the ongoing criminal and administrative investigations, we cannot comment any further."

In addition to the Police Board matter, the Cook County States Attorneys Office is conducting a separate inquiry, and the United States Department of Justice is in the midst of a wide-ranging investigation of the entire Chicago Police Department.
Chicago has recorded more homicides this year than both New York City and Los Angeles combined, data shows.

According to Chicago police statistics, there have been 466 murders so far this year.

In comparison, New York City, which has more than three times the population of Chicago, has recorded 222 homicides, according to NYPD crime statistics posted Aug. 21. Los Angeles reported 176 homicides, according to data posted Aug. 20.

Chicago has also reported more than 2,300 shooting incidents this year. The Chicago Tribune, which has long been recording and analyzing city shootings and violence, said those shooting incidents involved more than 2,800 people shot.

That number also far surpasses those for both Los Angeles and New York City, which saw 729 people shot and 760 shooting victims, respectively.

In the last month alone, Chicago saw more than 400 people shot and at least 78 people killed, the Tribune reports, making it the most violent month in the city in almost 20 years. And its not over yet.

The last time the city saw a month that deadly was October 1997, when there were 79 homicides.

Police have blamed access to illegal guns, repeat offenders and not enough penalties for gun offenses for the citys rising number of shootings.

Ive been saying for months now these repeat offenders are the ones driving violence in Chicago, Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said Monday. People spend more time pre-trial for retail thefts than they do for gun offenses and thats ridiculous.

The citys violence has been spotlighted nationwide, with comments from celebrities including Donald Trump, Kanye West and Jabari Parker.

Over the weekend, Chicago Bulls star Dwyane Wade spoke out about the citys crime after his cousin, Nykea Aldridge, was fatally shot while pushing a stroller on the citys South Side.

"The city of Chicago is hurting. We need more help& more hands on deck. Not for me and my family but for the future of our world. The YOUTH!" Wade tweeted Saturday morning.

Aldridge was among 10 people killed over the weekend. More than 50 others were wounded in shootings across the city, numbers Johnson called unacceptable.

"I gotta tell you, Im so sick of every weekend talking about the murders that happen in the streets," Johnson said Sunday. "We have 1400 individuals that drive this gun violence in this city. This isn't a mystery. We've gotten very good at predicting who will be the perpetrators or victims of gun violence - these guys choose that lifestyle. But they continue it because we continuously show them there's no consequence.
The manager of a business in the South Side Englewood neighborhood said electronic equipment and multiple television sets were stolen after an SUV crashed into the storefront Sunday night.

About 10:15 p.m., a Mitsubishi SUV struck at least two vehicles in a Food 4 Less parking lot, drove through a fence, continued across the street and crashed into the storefront of Chatham Furniture, 7001 S. Ashland Ave., according to Chicago Police and witnesses at the scene.

The driver, a 36-year-old Chicago man, was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash, driving on a revoked license and driving without insurance, police said.

Fred Batroukh, who identified himself at the stores sales manager, told reporters at the scene that multiple television sets and several stereos were stolen after the vehicle smashed into the business.

When I walked in I seen half the store was empty, Batroukh said.

Batroukh said he believed as many as 20 television sets and four stereos were missing from the store.

As of Monday morning, Chicago Police said they were only investigating the incident as a crash and had not been notified of any theft from the store.
The two brothers charged with Nykea Aldridges murder appeared in court Monday.

Police say Derren and Darwin Sorrells are documented gang members with criminal records.

We absolutely have to do something about this gun violence in Chicago, said Police Superintedent Eddie Johnson.

Johnson called the Sorrells brothers examples of why Illinois judges need the power to issue toguher penalites for repeat gun offenders.

The way the system is set up now, pre trial, you spend more time in jail for retail theft than you do for a gun offence, Johnson said.

Aldridge was the cousin to Bulls star Dwayne Wade. The 32 year old was enrolling one of her kids at a school when she was shot Friday. On Sunday, friends and family held a vigial, and demanded an end to gun violence.

What is it doing to us? asked Diane Aldridge. Its just destroying us day by day.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the Sorrells brothers had easy access to gunsand hes looking for solutions.

Im interested in making sure our streets our safe, so when a mother is enrolling their children, they can do it, he said.
Brookfield Zoos popular bird Cookie, an 83-year-old Major Mitchells cockatoo who had been at the zoo since it opened in 1934, has died, zoo officials said Monday.

Cookie, who was certified by Guinness World Records as the oldest living parrot in 2014, died over the weekend due to complications with his health.

On Saturday morning, Cookie suffered a very abrupt decline in his health, prompting the veterinary and animal care staff to make the extremely difficult decision that it was time to peacefully euthanize him, Michael Adkesson, vice president of clinical medicine for the Chicago Zoological Society, said in a statement.

Cookie was the oldest resident at the zoo and lived well beyond the life expectancy for his species. He arrived at the zoo at the age of 1 from Taronga Zoo in Australia.

This is a sad day for staff, as well as for the many guests who came to Brookfield Zoo specifically to see Cookie, Stuart Strahl, president and CEO of the Chicago Zoological Society, said in a statement. He was a very charismatic animal and definitely had a loyal fan base. He will be greatly missed.

Cookie was a very popular animal at the zoo and consistently received cards, letters, toys and pictures from admirers around the world, zoo officials said. Staff held annual birthday parties for Cookie, which began indoors but grew so popular they had to be moved outside to accommodate all the guests.

Zoo officials said Cookie faced numerous age-related ailments, including osteoporosis, arthritis, and cataracts. He had been residing in the staffs office since 2009 after his retirement.

Hundreds have taken to the zoos Facebook page to offer condolences and memories of Cookie.

The Chicago Zoological Society plans to set up a memorial fund at for those who would like to make a donation in memory of Cookie.
The break-ins started on Friday when it was dark out. Police issued a community alert warning Wicker Park residents of three break-ins.

Police and the alderman say they fear if the man who is committing them isnt caught soon, hell strike again.

The first incident happened about 10:45 p.m. on the 1200 block of North Wood. The victims said they heard from a rear bedroom that was locked from the inside. They forced entry and saw the suspect had escaped through a window.

Then, about 11:15 p.m. on the 1800 block of West Evergreen Avenue, it happened again. This time a woman said she woke to the man on top of her. Again, half-naked, and with his hand over her mouth. She begged for help and broke free, but the offender got out through a window again.

A third time, in the early morning hours of Saturday, about 12:45 a.m., a victim awoke to the man with his pants down, hover over her, but he escaped again through an open window when she pleaded with him not to hurt her.

This is the kind of thing that really shakes people up, said Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd. We suspect the offender was watching from a block away.

Neighbor Dan Garcia says hell lock his doors and windows tighter.

Another neighbor, Rebecca decoursey, says its scary and that typically she feels safe in the neighborhood.

But the lack of police presenece influences some of what we see, she added.

Hopkins is advising residents to keep windows locked, especially those in back or in alleys where people cant see from the street.
A Wisconsin prosecutor downgraded the most serious charge Monday against a man accused of killing an Illinois woman in an interstate drive-by shooting, saying the lesser count reflects what he's learning about the man's troubled mental state.

Sauk County District Attorney Kevin Calkins initially charged 21-year-old Zachary Hays with first-degree intentional homicide and three counts of reckless endangerment in connection with the May 1 shooting that left Tracy Czaczkowski dead. He announced during a hearing Monday that he has changed the intentional homicide count to first-degree reckless homicide, saying that charge is more consistent with information emerging about Hays' mental state.

Calkins didn't elaborate and Hays' attorney, Jon Helland, declined to comment outside the courtroom. Hays faces a reckless homicide count in Milwaukee County as well  prosecutors there have accused him of killing his neighbor hours before he took to the road  and a psychiatrist's report in that case found Hays might be suffering from schizophrenia or another mental disorder. Hays also told the psychiatrist his problems might stem from using marijuana laced with something like PCP.

Helland entered pleas of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect to all four Sauk County counts after Calkins announced the change. Judge Michael Screnock ordered Hays to undergo a mental evaluation.

Hays would have faced a mandatory life sentence if he had been convicted of first-degree intentional homicide. He still faces substantial prison time; the Sauk County and Milwaukee County reckless homicide charges each carry a maximum sentence of 60 years, and the Sauk County reckless endangerment counts are each punishable by up to 12 years.

Hays faces five additional reckless endangerment charges in Columbia County, where prosecutors have accused him of threatening other vehicles after ambushing Czaczkowski.

If he's found mentally deficient in Sauk County, he would be committed to a mental health facility. He has entered a straight not guilty plea in Milwaukee and has yet to enter pleas in Columbia County.

According to court documents, Hays shot and killed his neighbor, Gabriel Sanchez, 42, in their West Allis apartment building on May 1. He then drove northwest with two of his brothers.

The trio was heading south on Interstate 90/94 in Sauk County when Hays allegedly opened fire on Czaczkowski and her family. They were returning to their home in Buffalo Grove, a Chicago suburb, after spending the weekend in Wisconsin Dells. Hays allegedly shot the 44-year-old Czaczkowski in the neck.

Police chased Hays through Columbia County to the Dane County line, where deputies stopped his SUV with a spike strip and shot him when he emerged with a gun.

Hays appeared in Sauk County court Monday for a preliminary hearing, the step in the legal process where a judge decides if enough evidence exists to order a trial. Hays waived his right to the hearing and Screnock bound him over for trial. Hays has waived his right to preliminary hearings in Milwaukee and Columbia counties as well.
The Agriculture Department has closed offices in five states, including in Hamden Connecticut, after receiving anonymous threats.

USDA spokesman Matthew Herrick said in a statement on Tuesday that the department had received "several anonymous messages" that raised concerns about the safety of USDA personnel and facilities.

He said six offices are closed until further notice as a precaution. The closed offices are in Fort Collins, Colorado; Hamden, Connecticut; Beltsville, Maryland; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Kearneysville and Leetown, West Virginia.

Herrick said the department is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and federal and local law enforcement to determine whether the threats are credible.

Hamden Police said they were called about the threat at 3:30 p.m. and all information provided was given to the FBI. The police department said it is conducting deterrent patrols in the area.

Staff members have been notified and will not report to the affected offices until further notice, according to a statement from Herrick.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Agricultural Research Service, Food Safety Inspection Service, Forest Service, National Agricultural Library, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Office of the Inspector General and USDA Departmental Management are affected.

The building will remain closed on Wednesday.
The man accused of shooting a pastor's wife outside their church was arraigned in court on Monday.

Kunta Kinta Cupe is facing several charges including assault and criminal use of a firearm.

Cupe is accused of shooting Angela Semiday in the hip outside her Arch Street church on August 19 while she was holding a bible study with about a dozen children.

Prosecutors said there was an altercation near the back of the church and Cupe had returned to the site. Details were unavailable because court documents remained sealed tonight.

Cupe's attorney said in court on behalf of his client that the defendant denies the allegations.

Police arrested Cupe Friday after he was stopped in a car on the Meriden and Berlin town line.

He's being held on a $750,000 bond.

Cupe's wife spoke with NBC Connecticut after court. She strongly denied the allegations.

He did not have no type of weapons on him he didnt have anything for him to be charged with something thats not even true. I was with him the whole time. The woman did not reveal her name. She then told us, "He was definitely set up with everything. He was with his uncle, his uncle picked him up. I dont know who shot the lady. So my conolences to that lady  I really do truly apologize  because it was not my husband. It was not Kunta Kinta Cupe at all.

When NBC Connecticut spoke to Semidey last week, she was recovering at home after being released from the hospital.

On Monday, she said she was healing.

"I am going through a process of healing  both physically and mentally  but in my heart there is no hate, She told reporter Catalina Trivino, who translated the interview. Semidey only speaks Spanish. She told NBC Connecticut she had to push the dozen children back into the church when gunfire rang out.

Semidey continues to have trouble walking since she was injured. She uses a cane and walker -- but she wants her alleged shooter to know she forgives him.

I would tell him to accept the Lord as his only savior because he is the one who gave us life and can guide us, said Semidey.
For the second year in a row, the men of Calling All Brothers gave children at Hartfords Martin Luther King Jr. School a welcome back they wont soon forget.

The men lined the walkway to the school on the citys North End. One by one as children arrived for the first day of classes, the men cheered them on.

The idea for the big welcome came from Pastor AJ Johnson, of the Urban Hope Refuge Church and attorney DeVaughn Ward.

Both men are Hartford natives who said they feel its their duty to give back to their community by setting an example and giving their time to its youngest residents.

We just want the community to know that we are here for them. There are positive people here to support them said Johnson.

The group of mostly African American men includes elected officials, attorneys, members of law enforcement and the military and other professionals hoping to help the kids at King realize that the goals they dream of are within their reach.

I thought it would be a really positive image if we got a couple neighborhood guys together who are professionals to greet these kids and really show them the different careers and people who are out there supporting them, DeVaughn Ward said.

After the success of the 2015 welcome celebration, Calling All Brothers will also make stops this school year at Thirman Milner School, Fred D. Wish School and Simpson Waverly School to welcome kids back for their first week.

The same way we cheer on for sports, we wanted to cheer on the students and have them excited for learning, Patrick Williams, another member of Calling All Brothers who helped to organize the school welcome events, said.

The principal of King School said having so many successful men from the community take time out to support students is a lesson that cannot be taught in the classroom.

Dr. Doreen Crawford said the example the men are setting for her students a game changer.

When they look at themselves and they see somebody like themselves who actually went to the school that theyre presently at, who actually walked the streets and lived in the neighborhoods that they live in, it means a whole lot to them because now they see real people, she said.

You can learn more about the work of Calling All Brothers on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/924576360969071/
An 18-year veteran of Connecticut state police has been charged with first-degree threatening and has been suspended amid an internal affairs investigation.

State police said they responded to the North Stonington home of David Greene to investigate after someone reported he threatened her.

The woman told police she and Greene had returned from an event just before midnight on August 26, when Greene made threatening statements that made her fear for her safety, according to state police. He had a firearm at the time of the incident, police said.

Greene was arrested and has been charged with first-degree threatening.

State police said he was assigned to Troop E in Montville.

Greene is due back in court on Sept. 22.

Its not clear if he has an attorney.
After the FBI notified election officials nationwide of a hack on election databases in Arizona and Illinois, many went on alert, on the lookout for specific IP addresses.

In Connecticut, state election officials said the IP addresses in question haven't yet shown up on state servers, but added that the information obtained in Illinois, a list of more than 200,000 and their voting data like addresses and phone numbers, are already publicly available in Connecticut.

"I think someone said it was like hacking the phone book," quipped Secretary of the State Denise Merrill.

She explained that Connecticut has perhaps the most decentralized voting and registration system in the country with 169 cities and towns that act as their own districts. Built into that system is an entirely paper based trove of voter cards, ballots, and backups.

When you go into vote and you go to register on the list, its all still on paper so there is no simple database thats containing all of the information," Merrill said.

Voter lists themselves are already public records and campaigns purchase lists from the Secretary of the State every year.

Local registrars, like Jim Stevenson and Tim Becker in Manchester, wonder what a hacker could really get from a hack of even a local election computer.

"They would get, you know, name, address, phone number, DMV information such as license number, which is already made available if someone wanted to come in through Freedom of Information, said Stevenson, the Democratic Registrar of Voters.

Even the machines used to digitally tabulate election results aren't connected to the internet in cities and towns.

Melissa Russell, a Bethlehem Registrar of Voters, with the Registrars of Voters Association of Connecticut reiterated the point that physical record keeping in Connecticut places the state at an advantage.

We also have the advantage of a paper ballot system, where we can look at every vote cast in the case of any discrepancy to make sure our elections equipment has performed accurately.

Becker, the GOP registrar in Manchester, explained how state law mandates that each town keep individual paper records for voters, meaning altering results or hacking, would be a tall task.

They would have to destroy the fire proof cabinets in 169 cities and towns to actually mess with our voter list.
A driver backed up into a gas pump in Farmington on Monday night, tipping it over and causing two fires, and everyone involved is OK thanks to the quick actions of one driver and a gas station clerk.

An elderly man driving a blue Subaru backed into a gas pump at the Citgo on Main Street around 6:30 p.m. on Monday and officials believe he intended to hit the brake, but instead hit the gas.

The impact tipped the gas pump onto a second car with two children inside and both vehicles were on fire in within seconds.

Fortunately, Steven DeLaura, of Unionville, was able to pull his 2-year-old son and 7-year-old nephew from the car before it went up in flames.

"The very first thing I thought of was getting my son and nephew out of the car and making sure they were safe," DeLaura said.

Within "five seconds," he was able to pull his nephew and son from the car, he said.

"There was fire everywhere," he said. "Gas everywhere."

"I would do anything for my son to protect him -- and my nephew," DeLaura said.

Police are also crediting a clerk for acting quickly and averting tragedy.

The female clerk did an unbelievable job hitting the emergency shut off for the gas, which saved this from being a worse catastrophe then it was, Sgt. Tim McKenzie, of Farmington Police, said.

Two cars have been totaled, while several others were damaged, police said.

The 2-year-old boy was taken to the hospital as a precaution, but everyone else is OK.

Police are investigating.
A South Carolina man charged with murder of a 60-year-old woman who was found dead in a stream on East Hampton in 1998 pleaded guilty to strangling the victim, Connecticut State Police said.

Gerald Brian Tuttle pleaded guilty in Middlesex Superior Court to one count of first-degree manslaughter and one count of sexond-degree kidnapping, police said.

On January 12, 1998, East Hampton police responded to a stream just off of Tartia Road, an area known as Engels Falls, after receiving a report that a womans body had been found.

The victim, Gertrude Ochankowski, was pronounced dead at the scene.

She had been reported missing hours earlier, when her car was found running in the front parking lot of 82 Main Street in East Hampton. Witnesses said they saw her car running as early as 9:30 p.m. on January 11, 1998 and her dog was inside.

Tuttle, 51, was arrested on in 2013 at his home in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, and charged as a fugitive from justice.

Sentencing for Tuttle is schedule for Dec. 6, 2016, where he is expected to be ordered to serve 30 years in prison, followed by five years probation.
Police have arrested three teens in Hartford who are suspected of car thefts in Berlin.

Authorities said two of the teens have an extensive criminal history and one had previously been arrested at least five times for similar crimes.

A resident of Overhill Drive in Berlin called local police at 6:46 a.m. on Monday and reported someone broke into his house through a window screen, grabbed keys for two vehicles in the driveway and stole the cars, according to police.

Berlin police entered the vehicles in their system as stolen at 9:35 a.m. and Hartford police stopped one of the vehicles around 11 a.m. following a brief chase in which the 16-year-old driver rammed a police cruiser, police said.

Officers took the 16-year-old driver and 19-year-old Gerald Jackson passenger into custody. The driver has previously been arrested in Hartford five times, including for two pursuits, and has been issued a summons to appear in juvenile court, officials said.

Berlin police said the victims other stolen car was found in Hartford at 1:10 p.m.

The suspects told police they had rifled through cars in several neighborhoods in Newington and Wethersfield, looking for unlocked cars or cars with the keys in them, before going to Berlin, police said.

Hartford Police charged all Jackson and the two juveniles in connection with the stolen cars and a home breakin-in in Berlin. Police said the suspects admitted to being involved in other crimes.

"As far as we can tell when they went into the house they only got as far as the keys they were specifically looking for the keys when they went into that and thats what they were looking for all night. Because we got information from them that they had gone through vehicles in Newington and Wethersfield specifically looking for keys," said Deputy Chief John Klett with the Berlin Police Department.

Berlin detectives continue to investigate and said they expect to submit arrest warrants for the crimes committed in Berlin.

Berlin police are also urging residents to lock their homes and vehicles and report any suspicious activity in their neighborhoods.
In the rolling hills of southern Puerto Rico, in the 500-year-old village of Coamo, the music blares from the back of a pickup truck rolling through neighborhoods.

The song warns about the dangers of mosquitoes that carry Zika virus.

As the music gets the attention of residents, a small army of city workers, including the towns mayor, goes door to door handing out kits with mosquito repellent. Insecticide is sprayed nearby.

The scene in Coamo, a picturesque, mostly Catholic town miles from the beach, is playing out across Puerto Rico.

The prevention efforts are in response to startling numbers showing that Zika is spreading wildly all over the island.

"This is dangerous to our people, to the ladies, to the old people," said Coamo Mayor Juan Carlos "Tato" Garcia Padilla. "We need the help of our people."

Some 2,000 people a week are getting infected and, if current trends hold, a quarter of the islands 3.5 million people could get Zika by the end of this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Even the many people who show no symptoms can become carriers without knowing it. Tourists can unknowingly carry the virus back to the mainland.

Health experts fear the real impact will be on babies born with life-long disabilities.

The spread of the Zika virus has prompted the World Health Organization to declare an international health emergency. Carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, Zika can cause microcephaly in babies, who have unusually small heads and brain damage. A recent study of brain scans of Brazilian babies showed other damage as well.

In adults, Zika virus is also linked with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a form of temporary paralysis, according to the CDC.

There is no vaccine or medicine for Zika.

Zika emerged in the Americas in mid-2015 and since then outbreaks have occurred in multiple South American and Caribbean countries, and now Florida, according to the CDC.

Dr. Judibelle Rivera, an obstetrician and gynecologist in Coamo, is telling patients to wait a year or two before getting pregnant.

She passes out free government-provided birth control, even though fewer pregnancies mean her practice will take a financial hit.

"It's worth it because having babies with something like a handicap for the rest of their lives, that's not good, she said.

Dr. Nabal Bracero, who runs a fertility clinic in San Juan, echoed her concerns.

"It is a nightmare, he said. It is the worst situation you can have in terms of public health."

Some 1,314 pregnant women in Puerto Rico have tested positive for Zika, the CDC said. The numbers are climbing.

Dr. Brenda Rivera heads the fight against the epidemic for the Puerto Rico Health Department.

"I'm at the forefront of the response, so for me it's not just a number," she said. "When I see these numbers go up, it's not just a number, there's a family, there's an individual behind that number. And for me that's very real."

Emergency responders are fanning out across the island, led by Puerto Ricos emergency management director Angel Crespo.

"It's kind of crazy stuff to deal with it, said Crespo, who is also the islands fire chief. "Right now we are incorporating artists. Im a musician too."

He wrote the Zika prevention song they were playing in Coamo and even made a music video posted on YouTube.

Ten cuidado del mosquito te pica, the song starts. It means, Be careful of the mosquito biting you.

"We need to explain this seriously, loud and clear, so people can understand how serious is the Zika virus, Crespo said.

The US government, including a team from the CDC, is helping organize the growing response.

Standing water, especially around houses, has become a target.

The effort reaches to places you might not expect -- even cemeteries. That's because the water in the vases for flowers are mosquito breeding grounds. Workers have turned many of the vases upside down.

But the challenges are monumental. The tropical climate in Puerto Rico means it rains frequently. Puddles form everywhere.

And there are other challenges.

Plans for aerial spraying got shelved amid a public outcry about chemicals being dropped from the air.

The Zika scare comes as Puerto Rico is in the middle of a financial crisis. It cant pay billions of dollars in debt and tourism is one of the only bright spots in the economy.

Money from the federal government to fight Zika is slow to make it to the front lines.

Even with better funding, the kind of mosquitoes that carry Zika are especially hard to kill.

"There is one insecticide that is working better than the others, but still there is widespread resistance to it," said Dr. Roberto Barrera, chief of entomology for the CDC.

The CDC is advising pregnant women not to go to Puerto Rico and telling visitors to wait at least eight weeks before trying to get pregnant.

Despite the threat, the head of Puerto Ricos Hotel and Tourism Association said the island is open for business.

You have to look at the facts  facts versus the fear, said Clarisa Jimenez.

She called estimates that a quarter of the island could become infected a worst-case scenario, but acknowledged pregnant women should stay away and urged everyone to wear repellent.

Many hotels remain busy and tourists still flock to Old San Juan to visit the fortified beach-front walls that have helped defend the island for generations.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport offers daily nonstop flights to the capital of San Juan.

As a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico is neither a state nor a country. Its 3.5 million residents are American citizens.

A New York man visiting a San Juan beach said he felt safe.

Youre a little precautious, you know, but its not going to beat the vacation, Diego Suiter said.

Back in Texas, through Aug. 29, there have been 133 confirmed cases of Zika virus this year. This count includes six pregnant women, two infants infected before birth, and one person who had sexual contact with a traveler. Harris County has had the most cases with 35, but is followed closely by Dallas County with 30. Elsewhere in North Texas, Tarrant County has reported 17 cases, Collin County three and Denton County four.
Houston police say an armored car guard has been fatally shot during a robbery while refilling a drive-thru ATM.

Police were reviewing security video in an attempt to identify and locate the attacker who fled following Monday night's shooting. The guard died at the scene.

Authorities say the guard was adding cash to a Wells Fargo ATM in northwest Houston when he was ambushed. Another guard who was inside the armored vehicle was not hurt.

The name of the deceased wasn't immediately released. Investigators have not said how much cash was stolen.
Police in Austin have credited use of social media and information sessions for women with helping attract more female applicants.

The Austin American-Statesman reports the police academy in November will begin training 110 men and women, The Austin American-Statesman reports. The newspaper reports it's the largest class in recent memory as the Austin Police Department seeks to deal with staffing shortfalls and to bolster diversity among the ranks.

Sgt. Marci Graham, who's been an Austin officer for 17 years, has helped at recent information sessions for women interested in law enforcement. Graham says many of the questions revolved around balancing family life with being a police officer.

Graham also said she thinks that women who are victims of sexual assault feel more comfortable dealing with female office.

"And if we can get to more than 10 percent women, I would be happy," Graham said.

A recent report from a California-based consulting group identified recruitment as the worst problem facing the department. It specifically cited how long it takes for an applicant to be fired, calling the 12- to 18-month period "unacceptably long."

The department has used a larger staff to speed up the recruitment process.

Recruiters are also taking a different approach to marketing become an officer by focusing on the work that officers do on a daily basis, rather than images of high-speed car chases or other adrenaline-fueled activities.

Austin police project that they'll have nearly 1,300 applicants this year, which would be a 36 percent increase over last year and nearly twice as many applicants in 2014.

"Our applicants are quite honestly through the roof," said Cmdr. Andy Michael, supervisor of recruiting for Austin police.
A convicted sex offender on the Texas 10 Most Wanted list has been captured near Texarkana.

The Texas Department of Public Safety on Monday announced a tip led to 39-year-old Robert Charles Willis.

DPS says a $5,000 reward will be paid to the person who provided information that helped officers arrest Willis on Friday at a home in the town of Wake Village.

Willis was wanted for failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements in Texas and parole violation in Arkansas.

Records show Willis was convicted in 2000 in Miller County in Arkansas on three counts of sexual abuse involving three children, ages four and younger. He had been living in the nearby city of DeKalb, Texas, and had been wanted by authorities since June.
An extremely controversial plan to put Dallas Fair Park in the hands of a new foundation received mixed reviews as it reached the Dallas City Council Monday.

The plan is the result of a year of community meetings and review by the Dallas Parks Board.

I think its good work and a good foundation, said Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings.

The new foundation would take over management and raise private funds to help improve the aging home of the State Fair of Texas.

I would love to see us go forward and have this new vision, said Councilman Rickey Callahan. I think thats what the citizens really want.

Rawlings tapped Park Cities businessman Walt Humann to chair the planned foundation.

Its a similar arrangement as management of the Dallas Zoo and Arboretum.

Humann said a Fair Park Foundation can accomplish things city management has been unable to achieve in preserving the parks historic buildings, but also adding new features.

Fair Park becomes one of the premier parks in the nation, if not the world, Humann said.

To do it, Humann is asking the city to increase the $11.1 million it currently spends to operate Fair Park to $16.7 million in 2017 and $18.7 million in 2018. The plan also calls for $75 million from a proposed 2017 capital improvement bond referendum to be matched with $50 million in private donations to be raised by the foundation.

Councilman Philip Kingston said a request for proposals should be issued to determine if a better deal could be found from other private parties.

Open government requires sunshine and it requires competition. I think that we always do better when we have competition, Kingston said.

Councilman Scott Griggs said Southern Dallas residents and neighbors want assurances of representation on a new Fair Park Board, especially since Humann lives in the Park Cities.

Weve got to get that kind of buy in. It cant be just people coming down, passing the river and going back home, Griggs said. Over time, the city of Dallas and State Fair have failed Fair Park.

Humann said the new plan includes a major new community park on the Fair Park site, to be designed within two years and constructed with donated money. The new foundation would be subject to the citys minority business inclusion and open meetings rules.

Councilman Mark Clayton complained the new community park depends on raising donations while the city is still being asked to invest far more taxpayer money.

All the citizens who live around the area are going to get is the same as theyve always gotten, Clayton said.

Most council members voiced concerns but also voiced a desire to see progress at Fair Park.

We just have to decide, 'is this the best way to make that happen?,' Councilwoman Jennifer Gates said.

The council chamber was filled with demonstrators on both sides for the single issue meeting Monday afternoon. Many of the people wore t-shirts with slogans for or against the foundation plan.

Rawlings wants it approved next month to put Fair Park in foundation control in January.
Police asked for the public's help finding a 24-year-old man who went missing in Dallas. [[391705671,C]]

Dallas police said Lyndell Trayvon Banks III was last seen walking from his home in the 8900 block of Senate Street.

Banks was described as 5 feet 9 inches tall and 180 pounds with brown eyes and shoulder-length dread locks. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt with blue skinny jeans.

Police said Banks could be a danger to himself.

Dallas police asked anyone with information about Banks' disappearance to call them at 214-671-4268 or 911.
Some East Texas law officers have warned businesses to be on the lookout for counterfeit money meant for use in movies.

Police are investigating several cases of fake movie cash passed in Lufkin, Diboll and Jasper, The Longview News-Journal reported Tuesday.

Ken Hartley, who's a security and loss prevention officer at Texas Bank and Trust, says it's amazing how the bills look like U.S. currency -- until you get to the side where it says "For Motion Picture Use Only."

Experts say fake movie money, which can be bought online, also lacks certain cash markings.

Hartley said the fake money is most often being used at convenience stores and fast-food restaurants because cashiers at such businesses are often too busy to look closely at the bills. He said that a few bills have gone through the bank through deposit and they've been turned over to the Secret Service for investigation.

Gregg County Sheriff's Office spokesman Josh Tubb says the agency is investigating two cases, in recent months, in which movie money was passed off as real. Tubb declined to provide details.

The Paris Police Department has issued a notice for residents to be on the lookout for the counterfeit money.

"Local businesses have been the target of passing these fake bills thus far, but attempts could be made to pass them anywhere, so please be diligent and inspect all currency when received," the department said.
The city of Fort Worth is taking public comment during the next few weeks on a plan that would help shape the direction "Scary Berry," a development just east of Texas Christian University.

The Berry/University form-based code is posted online and has been available for nearly a week. A form-based code is a land development regulation that tries to take zoning laws to the next level by creating a better overall relationship between the design, function and cohesiveness of a larger area.

The term is defined as a land development regulation that fosters predictable built results and a high-quality public realm by using physical form (rather than separation of uses) as the organizing principle for the code, according to the Form-Based Code Institute, a nonprofit professional organization dedicated to the subject.

The area of future development that the Berry/University form-based code would address is generally bounded by Sixth Avenue on the east, Stadium Drive on the west, as far north as Lowden Street on the TCU campus and as far south as Mission Street.

There has been a significant investment in recent years to Berry Street between University Drive and McCart Avenue, near the west side of the Paschal High School campus. That development includes streetscaping, involving trees and native Texas grasses and flowers planted along the sidewalks, as well as the creation of a tree-lined boulevard down the middle of Berry.

That work has not continued farther to the east and people have noticed.

I think east Berry does not have a very good reputation, said TCU Senior Michael Chandra. Its known for being a little bit more dangerous than this area [near campus].

Even in his short time in the area, TCU Freshman Anthony Paradiso has noticed the disparity.

As soon as you get a little bit down the street its a little bit harder to find things that you need, or it might not be as safe as it would be over here, he said. Id say it is a little bit nicer over here.

Fort Worth resident R.L. Sain routinely walks with his service dog, Rita, along Berry.

Its horrendous, Sain said about his safety concerns about walking in the area near the train crossing at Cleburne Road. Youve got everything from road construction signs blocking [the sidewalk]. Youve gotta actually go out in the street to get around them.

Among the changes outlined in the proposed form-based code are to the residential zoning on the immediate south side of Berry. Currently that area consists of single family homes and duplexes, many of which are used as rentals for TCU students.

The form-based code elaborates on the general residential zoning regulation and would instead allow for various forms of housing on the sites in the future, including zoning that includes townhomes, multi-unit development as well as hybrid development, which would include a mix of residential and non-residential uses on the site of what are homes today.

The goal of the change to that residential area would be to increase density and accommodate for the growth in student population at TCU.

Form-based codes take into account far more than just the purpose of any particular building. They establish how far back from the street any new building must be built, how much of the property should be dedicated to landscaping, how much of the building is comprised of windows and more.

The public comment period is open through Sept. 22, according to city planner Katy OMelia, who has spearheaded the plan to this point.

Fort Worths zoning commission will hold a public hearing on the proposal on Oct. 12, with city council members expected to vote on the plan Nov. 1.
A Southwest Airlines flight was delayed in Albuquerque so authorities could inspect the plane for a suspicious item Monday evening.

In a statement, an airline spokesperson said pilots guided Flight 2753, scheduled from Albuquerque to Denver, to a remote part of the Albuquerque International Sunport so police could check the plane.

Passengers will be re-screened as part of the process, according to the Southwest spokesperson.

Additional details about the suspicious item were not disclosed. The plane eventually landed in Denver four hours later than scheduled.

A statement from the Dallas-based airline read, in part, "We appreciate their [the customers'] patience as our employees work with the appropriate authorities. Southwests highest priority is the safety and security of our customers and employees. To respect the integrity of the investigation, we do not have any additional details to share at this time."
An American woman detained in China for more than a year has been indicted by prosecutors on charges of spying, a court confirmed Tuesday.

The Nanning Intermediate People's Court in southern China accepted the case against Phan "Sandy" Phan-Gillis on July 11, and no date has been set yet for a hearing, said a court official who gave only her surname, Chen.

Authorities detained the international business consultant in March 2015 when she visited China as part of an American trade delegation that was promoting business opportunities in her hometown of Houston, Texas.

Phan-Gillis' husband, Jeff Gillis, said Monday that her lawyer received the indictment "weeks after it was issued to the court."

He said in a statement that she is charged with being a spy for a foreign government from 1996 to 1998, and that the charge is "absolutely false."

Spying convictions carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

A U.N. panel ruled in June that China was arbitrarily detaining Phan-Gillis, 56, in violation of international human rights norms because she hadn't been brought before judicial authorities or given access to legal assistance.
Scientists have long wondered how Lucy, the famous human ancestor, died. Thanks to researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, we may now have an answer.

"Lucy, a 3.18-million-year-old specimen of Australopithecus afarensis - or "southern ape of Afar" - is among the oldest, most complete skeletons of any adult, erect-walking human ancestor," UT said in a news release Monday.

Her partial skeleton was found in 1974; research indicates she was a young adult when she died millions of years ago.

Now a new analysis of her fossil bones suggests a possible answer as to what led to her premature death -- the upright-walking Lucy probably died after falling from a tree.

"It is ironic that the fossil at the center of a debate about the role of arborealism in human evolution likely died from injuries suffered from a fall out of a tree," said lead author John Kappelman, a UT Austin anthropology and geological sciences professor.

Kappelman took 35,000 CT slices to create a digital archive of Lucy's remains. While studying the slides, he noticed something unusual.

"The end of the right humerus was fractured in a manner not normally seen in fossils, preserving a series of sharp, clean breaks with tiny bone fragments and slivers still in place," the university said in a news release.

"This compressive fracture results when the hand hits the ground during a fall, impacting the elements of the shoulder against one another to create a unique signature on the humerus," said Kappelman, who consulted Dr. Stephen Pearce, an orthopedic surgeon at Austin Bone and Joint Clinic, using a modern human-scale, 3-D printed model of Lucy.

According to the study, Pearce confirmed, "The injury was consistent with a four-part proximal humerus fracture, caused by a fall from considerable height when the conscious victim stretched out an arm in an attempt to break the fall."

Similar, but less severe, fractures were also found in the shoulder, ankle, knee, pelvis and ribs. No evidence of any healing was found, indicating the injury may have caused Lucy's death.

Kappelman theorized that Lucy fell from a tree, from a height of more than 40 feet, and that she was likely in the tree foraging or seeking refuge at night.

"Kappelman hypothesized that she landed feet-first before bracing herself with her arms when falling forward, and 'death followed swiftly,'" the university said, quoting Kappelman.

"When the extent of Lucy's multiple injuries first came into focus, her image popped into my mind's eye, and I felt a jump of empathy across time and space," Kappelman said. "Lucy was no longer simply a box of bones but in death became a real individual: a small, broken body lying helpless at the bottom of a tree."

Still, some scientists, including Lucy's discoverer, disagree with UT's finding. They contend the cracks in Lucy's bones came after her death. The disagreement highlights the difficulty of pinpointing a cause of death from fossilized remains.

The new study was published Monday in the journal Nature and was led by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin.
Two men in Canada believe they were switched at birth at a federally run hospital in a remote region of the country 41 years ago  the second such mix-up the hospital experienced that year, NBC News reported.

The friends, David Tait Jr. and Leon Swanson, were born three days apart at Norway House Indian Hospital in northern Manitoba in the winter of 1975.

Members of their tiny indigenous community always joked that the two resembled the others' parents, Swanson told reporters last Friday at a news conference in Winnipeg. The two decided to undergo DNA testing after another set of men discovered last November through DNA tests that they had been switched at birth at the same hospital, also in 1975.

Health Canada is reviewing files from the hospital during that time period and has hired "an independent third party to do a dedicated and thorough investigation of all available hospital records from the period to determine what happened and whether there is any other cause for concern beyond the two cases identified," Canada's health minister said in a statement that was emailed to NBC News.

Even without Swanson's results officially in, the men were overwhelmed with emotion when speaking about being sent home with the wrong families as newborns.
ISIS' second-in-command, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, is dead, according to the media arm of the terrorist organization, NBC News reported.

The circumstances of Abu Muhammad al-Adnani's death in Aleppo, Syria, have not been confirmed. Officials in Washington  who had put out a $5 million reward for al-Adnani  had no immediate comment.

The 37-year-old Syrian, who was ISIS' director of external investigations and main spokesman, is best known for issuing an edict for lone wolves to kill Westerners in September 2014.

He was at the top of the U.S. government's kill list of ISIS leaders, senior American military and intelligence officials told NBC News in December. The U.S. wanted al-Adnani dead because he was considered the author of the strategy of wanton murder that has left more than 500 dead in attacks around the world since October 10  and apparently helped inspire last year's massacre in San Bernardino.
According to the Texas Secretary of States office, the number of registered party voters in the state has gone up a half a million since the primary.

It is now 14.7 million.

There is no way to quantify the data, according to a spokesperson.

But Dallas County Chairwoman Carol Donovan says she believes Donald Trump may have something to do with it.

People call the office telling us they want to know how to vote. They want to register to vote, and they are also telling us they are scared of what would happen if Donald Trump was president, said Donovan.

The Dallas County Democratic Party has been passing out a new flyer this election season. It is in Spanish, explaining how to register to vote.

Party members first started handing them out at a protest outside of a Donald Trump.

A spokesperson for the Dallas County GOP said they are working on an aggressive turnout.

Donald Trump did very well with Republican voters in the overall primary.

According to the Washington Post, he got 13.3 million votes, which beats their record.

Voter outreach is going on throughout North Texas.

Former LULAC District Director Rene Martinez is part of non-partisan effort at area high schools.

They have already helped register 2000 seniors in May, and hope to get 1,500 more on the books before the election.

We hoping that people really get excited about the electoral process, said Martinez.

A spokesperson from the Texas Secretary of State expects the number to bump up again before November.
Two doctors were arrested and charged after turning themselves in for selling prescription drugs without a medical purpose, including to gang members targeted in a massive arrest of more than a dozen gang members Friday, authorities said Monday.

Sonny Oparah, 75 of Long Beach, and Edward Ridgill, 64, of Ventura both operated medical offices in Lynnwood, according to the United States Attorneys Offices Central District of California. They both surrendered to federal authorities Friday and appeared in court before they were released on bond later that afternoon.

"The investigation determined that these doctors were significant suppliers of drugs to a street gang," said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. "As the charges in the indictments demonstrate, these doctors enabled the gangs criminal activity just like street-level drug dealers."

The doctors are charged for allegedly writing illegal prescriptions of hydrocodone, known as Vicodin or Norco, codeine, alprazolam, known as Xanax, and carisoprodol, and a muscle relaxer commonly known as Soma, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. All of the drugs were prescribed at or near maximum strength.

Between July 2014 and July 2015, Oparah wrote almost 13,000 prescriptions for the drugs, while Ridgill issued over 21,000 prescriptions for the drugs between July 2011 and July 2014, according to the affidavit.

"The powerful drugs in this case, which include addictive painkillers, can kill users who abuse them," Decker said.

The affidavit also detailed how the two doctors sold prescriptions for cash during 12 undercover operations led by the Drug Enforcement Adminsitration, and how in most cases, the doctors never examined the undercover officer or cooperating witness, according to the DEA, and the U.S. Attorneys Office.

After a medical expert reviewed recordings of the operations independently, he said Oparahs "'actions are very alarming' and the evidence reflects 'extreme departures from the standard of care,'" according to the affidavit.

Their arrests were made in conjunction with "Operation Money Bags," which targeted and arrested members of the East Coast Crips gang in connection with 5,000 residential burglaries across Southern California.

Police said Friday that they had linked over 53 gang members to the burglaries.

Authorities started investigating Oparah and Ridgill when the investigation into the East Coast Crips showed that "Oparah and Ridgill served as large-scale sources of supply to [gang] members and associates via there issuance of medically unnecessary controlled drug prescriptions," according to the federal affidavit.

A federal investigation determined that they both "operated cash businesses," and federal authorities seized cash from both men, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Ridgill's bank records showed he had deposited $500,000 cash into his accounts in less than three years.

Both doctors were scheduled to be arraigned in federal court on Sept. 15. Their cases were being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Barron of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.
The Miami-Dade mayoral race won't be decided until November after Mayor Carlos Gimenez finished short of the 50 percent needed to win Tuesday.

With all precincts reporting, Gimenez had a little less than 48 percent of the vote. His main challenger, former Miami-Dade School Board member Raquel Regalado, had about 32 percent.

The two will now go head-to-head against each other on November 8th, the same day voters will choose the next President as well as races for the U.S. House and Senate

"I was expecting to get more than 50 percent today. What happened was I don't think anybody really accounted for Frederick Bryant with almost 9 percent. That was the difference, nobody really saw that coming," Gimenez said.

Despite falling behind Gimenez, Regalado called Tuesday's primary a victory in a statement.

"We know people are not happy with the status quo, that residents are not satisfied with the level of services and the pay-to-play politics that permeates our county government," Regalado said. "We know that we can do better. And, apparently, so do voters."

The mayor's race is non-partisan and featured a total of seven candidates, but it was a showdown between Gimenez and Regalado.

Both candidates spent Tuesday greeting voters at different polling places throughout the county and encouraged residents to vote.

"It is a right that was paid for in the blood of a lot of people, a lot of veterans that came before us and it's really our duty to them," Gimenez said.

"It's such an important election. I truly believe that today will change the course of our county and I hope to have the support of all those that are watching," Regalado said.

Regalado, 42, practiced law for eight years before joining the school board. She's also the daughter of current City of Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado.

Gimenez, 62, was elected mayor in 2011 during a special election following the recall of former mayor Carlos Alvarez. Gimenez won reelection in 2012 with 54 percent of the vote. He is a former Miami fire chief, Miami city manager and Miami-Dade County commissioner.

Regalado touts her record on the school board, where she spearheaded a plan to replace old school buses and helped improve the district's social media policy. She's been critical of Gimenez and what she calls the "institutionalized chaos" in Miami-Dade.

"I want to make the mayor's office more than just about giving contracts to friends, but about advocacy," Regalado said. "People are coming out, they want a change and we hope to win this tonight."

Complete Election 2016 Results

Gimenez points to his record of tax cuts, including the largest tax cut in county history. He also lauds improvements to the county's transportation system under his leadership.

"My vision is economic development, jobs for everybody, and obviously we have to do something about transportation," Gimenez said.

Five other Miami-Dade mayoral candidates qualified for the ballot including Alfred Santamaria, Frederick Bryant, BJ Chiszar, Miguel Eizmendiz, and Farid Khavari.
Schools depend on fundraisers to cover certain costs. So when a South Florida charter school didnt see the cash they raised from an event at a fast-food restaurant, they turned to NBC 6 Responds.

This all started in April, when the HIVE Prep School in Hialeah hosted two fund-raising nights at a McDonalds Restaurant on Northwest 67th Avenue. One night raised $600, the other $550.

The money was supposed to help pay for a field trip, but when two months passed and the restaurant still hadnt forked over the money, the schools PTA had to loan the money for the trip.

Then someone associated with the school contacted NBC 6 Responds, saying they were baffled by this turn of events adding that the school has held similar events at the restaurant for the past four years and has always enjoyed a positive relationship.

McDonalds looked into the situation after we got involved. Chris Sparks, McDonalds Director of Operation, sent us a statement saying:

"We are grateful for the opportunity to resolve this issue, which was a result of miscommunication on our part. I contacted the school upon learning of this situation and immediately took steps to provide them with their well-deserved funds. We apologize to the school, students, and parents for the delay. We take pride in being a good community partner and look forward to continuing to work with Hive Preparatory School and other schools within our community."

The restaurant sent the school a check for $1,150  the amount raised by both events.
Police say an 8-year-old girl is in critical condition after being shot in the head during a drive-by shooting outside a northwest Miami-Dade home.

Miami-Dade police Det. Robin Pinkard said in a news release that Jada Page was standing near the front door of the house on Northwest 25th Avenue when the shooting started Sunday evening.

The girl was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center where family said she was on life support. Her 32-year-old father James Page was shot multiple times in the torso and taken to the same hospital where he was listed in stable condition.

Authorities say at least two men pulled up in a black, 4-door Ford sedan and began shooting at the father.

Police don't have anyone in custody. They say it's too early to say whether the shooting was related to another shooting over the weekend in which two people were killed at a wake.

Miami-Dade Police said they've added an additional $20,000 reward to the $3,000 Crime Stoppers reward being offered for tips in the case.

Meanwhile, Miami-Dade Police are investigating a separate shooting over the weekend that ended with two people, including a 15-year-old boy, dead.

That shooting happened around 12:40 a.m. Saturday in the area of Northwest 19th Avenue and Northwest 83rd Terrace.

James Isiah Solomon, 15, and Tafari Dorsett, 22, were killed in the shooting. Four other people were injured.

Anyone with information on either shooting is asked to call 305-471-TIPS.
For the first time in over half a century, commercial flights between the United States and Cuba will resume on Wednesday  and NBC 6 reporter Amanda Plasencia will be on board one of the flights, providing you extensive coverage of these historical journeys.

As part of President Obamas efforts to restore relations with the island nation just south of Florida, a potential of 110 round trip flights will take place each week between the countries. That includes 20 daily flights to Havana and 10 each to other cities in Cuba.

The flights will come from airports across the country. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport will see their first flights take off Wednesday on JetBlue, one of the airlines that bid for the rights to transport passengers.

NBC 6s Amanda Plasencia will be on that flight, so you can look for her reports after her plane lands in Santa Clara.

The first flight out of Miami International Airport will be an American Airllines flight on September 7th.
A Nashville judge has dismissed pop star Taylor Swift as a potential juror in an aggravated rape and kidnapping case.

Davidson County District Attorney General's Office spokesman Ken Whitehouse says Swift told the judge on Monday that she was concerned because of an upcoming trial in Denver involving allegations she was groped by a fan at a meet-and-greet.

Whitehouse says Swift told the judge she is more than willing to serve on a jury in any other type of case.

Whitehouse says the judge thanked her and let her leave.

Other potential jurors chatted and took selfies with the star in waiting areas before they reached the courtroom.
What to Know Documents show Mylan paid for opposition research on a generic EpiPen proposed by an Israeli pharmaceutical company, Teva

The study indicated a 93 percent failure rate, but experts say the study was significantly flawed

Meanwhile, Mylan says its own generic EpiPen will be out in a few weeks and priced around $300

The CEO of Mylan Pharmaceuticals announced the launch of its own cheaper version of the EpiPen this week on the heels of a price hike uproar. But for years, Mylan and its business partners have fought fiercely behind the scenes to block a cheaper generic from hitting the market, the I-Team has learned.

Documents reviewed by the I-Team show the Pennsylvania-based drug firm paid for opposition research on a generic EpiPen proposed by Teva, an Israeli pharmaceutical company.

The study concluded the Teva product would have a 93 percent failure rate.

But experts on research methodology say the study has significant flaws, including the lack of any control group, the lack of any statistical significance, and the fact that study participants were instructed not to actually manipulate the device or perform the injection.

"The study was just flawed from start to finish," said Diana Zuckerman, who heads the National Center for Health Research, a nonprofit that monitors Food and Drug Administration regulatory policy.

Mylan declined to say how much the company paid to commission the opposition research. In an email to the I-Team, Nina Devlin, a company spokeswoman, defended the integrity of the study, saying it "offered a valid examination" of Teva's product design and how the injector might be used in an emergency.

That study, part of a submission to the FDA called a Citizen Petition, was just one flank in a strategy aimed at blocking the cheaper Teva generic. The company also submitted expert testimony from Dr. Eli Meltzer, a California allergist and former FDA consultant who wrote:

"There are clinically significant  in fact, life-threatening  risks to having patients and caregivers (who are trained and familiar with the EpiPen / EpiPen Jr  epinephrine auto-injector) use, without physician intervention or retraining, a generic epinephrine auto-injector."

Federal records show Meltzer has accepted at least $94,000 in speaking fees and travel expenses paid by Mylan since 2014.

Meltzer declined to comment, but Mylan said he is a respected expert in his field.

The relevant question is whether Dr. Meltzers views stand up to objective scrutiny, and they do, Devlin wrote.

Citizen Petition, including opposition research, routinely delay FDA decision-making because the agency is required to review the material, no matter how scientifically sound. In some cases, health regulators take weeks, months or even years to respond to Citizen Petitions.

Michael Carrier, a Rutgers law professor who reviewed 15 years' worth of Citizen Petitions, found only a small minority of the filings actually come from individual citizens. Instead, he found more than two thirds come from brand name companies and most of those petitions seek to block cheaper generics from hitting the market.

"It's really about the brand company delaying the generic from entering the market, Carrier said. Because every day that they can delay generic entry could be millions of dollars lining its pockets.

Carrier also said brand name companies often strategically time the filing of their Citizen Petitions to coordinate with patent infringement lawsuits  which also work to slow down generics seeking FDA approval.

That is what may have happened with Teva's version of the EpiPen, Carrier said.

In 2009, Mylan's manufacturing partners filed a lawsuit against Teva claiming the generic EpiPen infringed on patent protections. In 2012, Teva settled that case -- agreeing not to bring its generic to market until mid-2015. Although Mylan could have filed a Citizen Petition in 2012 or earlier, the company waited until Jan. 2015.

"2015 comes and it looks like Teva could enter the market [and] all of the sudden the Citizen Petition comes," Carrier said. Again, seeming like the timing is really to delay the generic entry.

Teva declined to comment on whether it received any payment in exchange for the legal settlement keeping its generic EpiPen off the market between 2012 and 2015. In 2013, The Supreme Court ruled that certain pay-for-delay deals were anticompetitive and illegal.

Last year the FDA formally rejected the Mylan Citizen Petition to block the Teva product, but health regulators found other reasons to withhold approval for Tevas version of the EpiPen. In February, the company reported that the government found "certain major deficiencies" with its design.

An FDA spokeswoman said she could not elaborate on the findings, citing corporate confidentiality.

Teva now expects to offer a generic option no sooner than 2017.

Meanwhile, Mylan has announced its own generic EpiPen will be out in a few weeks and priced around $300. But the company will continue to enjoy a monopoly, also selling the brand-name version for about $600.
What to Know Brittanee Drexel, 17, was on a spring break trip in Myrtle Beach in 2009 when she disappeared

Court documents indicate she was kidnapped, gang-raped, shot to death and dumped in an alligator pond

Her body has never been found

A teenage girl from upstate New York who disappeared from Myrtle Beach seven years ago was abducted, gang-raped, shot to death and thrown into an alligator-infested swamp, according to an FBI agent who cited a prison inmate.

Agent Gerrick Munoz this week gave the first detailed account of what investigators think happened to 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel, of Rochester, after she disappeared in 2009 while on a spring break trip. His account, contained in a federal court transcript obtained by The Post and Courier of Charleston, is based on a statement from a prison inmate who claims he was present when she was killed.

But a McClellanville woman whose husband and son have been implicated by the inmate says the story is just a bunch of "craziness" adopted by federal authorities desperate to solve the case.

In the transcript, Munoz testifies that the inmate, Taquan Brown of Walterboro, told investigators he went to a "stash house" in the McClellanville area in the days after Drexel was abducted. As he entered the house with a couple of other men, he saw Timothy Da'Shaun Taylor, then 16, "sexually abusing Brittanee Drexel," the agent said.

Munoz said Brown said he saw others also in the room with the girl and Da'Shaun Taylor, and he kept walking through the house to the backyard to give some money to Da'Shaun Taylor's father, Shaun Taylor. As the two talked, Drexel ran from the house. She was "pistol-whipped" and taken back inside.

According to Brown's account, two shots rang out and the inmate assumed Shaun Taylor shot the girl. Then the girl's body was wrapped up and taken away.

Asked what happened to the girl's body, Munoz testified that it has not been found but that "several witnesses have told us Miss Drexel's body was placed in a pit, or gator pit, to have her body disposed of. Eaten by the gators."

Munoz told the court that investigators have searched several alligator ponds to no avail. He said investigators have been told that the area has as many as 40 such ponds. Investigators also have searched the stash house, the agent testified.

The FBI agent's testimony came out during a bond hearing on an unusual charge against Da'Shaun Taylor that his attorney, David Aylor, characterized in the transcript as "clearly nothing but a squeeze-job" designed to pressure him into confessing and helping the government.

Taylor's mother, Joan Taylor, 44, of McClellanville, told The Post and Courier on Thursday that she's talking out about the accusations because she believes the government is unjustly trying to "pin something else on him" based on a bogus jailhouse confession.
A medical researcher shot his former boss, a dean at Mount Sinai Hospital, and wounded another man Monday morning outside a deli in tony Chappaua, police said.

Police say 49-year-old Hengjun Chou aimed a shotgun at Dr. Dennis Charney outside Lange's Deli at about 7 a.m. and opened fire, striking Churney and another innocent bystander.

The two victims were taken to a hospital, and both are expected to survive, police said.

Police say Chou clashed with Charney over lab research and was fired from Mount Sinai in 2010. Chou filed a lawsuit, but lost. Investigators believe he has harbored resentment ever since.

"This is an extremely disturbing event. Fortunately, Dr. Charney's injuries are not life-threatening and we expect he will fully recover," Dr. Kennth L. Davis, president and CEO of Mount Sinai Health System said in a statement.

Chou was arrested shortly after the shooting and charged with second degree attempted murder. He was ordered held without bail at his arraignment Monday evening.
A driver for a shelter and service provider for homeless women and families was gunned down on a Brooklyn street as he drove a company van Monday afternoon, police said.

Nashan Henry, 36, was driving on New Utrecht Avenue near 46th Street in Borough Park at about 2:20 p.m. when he was shot three times, authorities said.

Police said another car drove alongside the van and a passenger in that car opened fire, striking Henry three times.

He was rushed to an area hospital and pronounced dead, police said.

Henry worked for the nonprofit Women in Need, which provides such services to homeless women and their families in New York City.

Former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has been president and CEO of Women in Need since September 2015.

"We cannot begin to express the sadness this incident brings to our organization, its staff, and our clients," Quinn said in a statement. "Thankfully, no other persons in the vehicle were hurt in the incident."
Incumbent U.S. Sen. John McCain is running for re-nomination in Arizona's primary election Tuesday, and he is expected to defeat his leading opponent, former state senator Kelli Ward. For her part, Ward has adopted a Trump-like style of rhetoric during her campaign, highlighting the scourge of illegal immigration and opposing amnesty measures for the undocumented, NBC News reported.

Trump has endorsed McCain, though earlier this campaign cycle he disregarded the 80-year-old senator's status as a war hero. McCain has also agreed to support Trump's presidential run, even though he came out against the real estate mogul's statements about the parents of a fallen soldier who spoke against Trump at the GOP convention.

An unexpected loss for McCain in the primary would indicate a rising backlash against establishment GOP politicians. McCain is also predicted to defeat the favorite potential Democratic nominee, Ann Kirkpatrick, in a general election, though the Democratic contender is expected to use McCain's endorsement of Trump against him.
Hackers based in Russia were behind two recent attempts to breach state voter registration databases, U.S. intelligence officials tell NBC News.

One official said the attacks have been attributed to Russian intelligence agencies.

"This is the closest we've come to tying a recent hack to the Russian government," the official said.

That person added that "there is serious concern" that the Kremlin may be seeking to sow uncertainty in the U.S. presidential election process.

The incidents led the FBI to send a "flash alert" earlier this month to election officials nationwide, asking them to be on the lookout for any similar cyber intrusions.

The bulletin does not identify the targeted states, but officials told NBC News they were Illinois and Arizona.
Air bag maker Takata Corp.'s troubles worsened Monday as the company confirmed that a truck carrying its inflators and a volatile chemical exploded last week in a Texas border town, killing a woman and injuring four others.

The truck, operated by a subcontractor, crashed, caught fire and exploded Aug. 22 in the small town of Quemado, about 140 miles from San Antonio, leveling the woman's house. The company says it sent people to the site and is helping authorities investigate the crash.

Takata has a warehouse in nearby Eagle Pass, Texas, and it has an air bag inflator factory across the border in Monclova, Mexico.

The News Gram of Eagle Pass identified the victim as Lucila Robles.

Takata says it has strict procedures covering transportation of its products that meet all government regulations. The explosion left debris up to two miles from where the truck crashed, The News Gram reported.

Takata sent employees to the Quemado Public Library last week to advise residents to report any suspicious material on their property so it could be disposed of properly, the newspaper said. Authorities searched the area with metal detectors in an effort to find any inflator canisters.

Sheriff Tom Schmerber told the paper that to his knowledge, the county clean-up has finished.

Robles charred vehicle was one of the only items remaining at the scene of her home. It was later taken away.

Takata uses ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion that fills air bags in a crash. But the chemical can deteriorate when exposed to prolonged heat and humidity and burn too fast. That can blow apart a metal canister and hurl shrapnel into drivers and passengers. At least 11 people, and probably 14, have died worldwide due to Takata inflator explosions. The deaths have occurred in the United States and Malaysia, where three remain under investigation.

The Takata factory in Monclova made the faulty inflators that were blamed in several of the deaths.

The deaths and more than 100 injuries sparked a massive global recall of more than 100 million inflators, including 69 million in the U.S. in what has become the largest automotive recall in U.S. history.

Earlier this month Takata stuck to its forecast of a $129 million profit for the fiscal year through March. It reported a quarterly profit of $19.8 million from April through June. But analysts note that recall costs that are now being shouldered by automakers eventually will be billed to the Tokyo-based Takata, which has had two straight years of losses over the recalls.

Takata also faces multiple class-action lawsuits over its defective air bag inflators.
The widow of an anti-government activist who helped take over an Oregon wildlife refuge and was later killed in a confrontation with law enforcement says her husband's civil rights were violated and she intends to sue, her lawyer confirmed Monday.

Robert Lavoy Finicum's pursuers were "motivated by political reasons" when they fatally shot him on Jan. 26, attorney Brian Claypool said in a statement.

Two of the FBI agents involved in the fatal confrontation on a snowy stretch of Highway 395 north of remote Burns, Oregon are now under investigation for allegedly lying about firing shots at the truck Finicum was driving, Claypool added, NBC News reported.

Both the FBI and the Oregon State Police declined to comment on the threatened lawsuit. A 54-year-old Arizona rancher, Finicum was part of a militia group led by Ammon Bundy that occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Jan. 2.
Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage says he's considering resignation after a string of controversies last week and that he plans to meet with a Democratic lawmaker to make amends for leaving an obscene rant on his voicemail that said, "I am after you."

Speaking on WVOM-FM radio Tuesday, LePage said his tirade was "unacceptable and totally my fault."

Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage unleashed an obscene tirade on a Democratic legislator, leaving him a message that said I am after you and telling reporters he wished he could point a gun between the legislators eyes.

He said he's going to meet with family and close advisers to decide what to do next. He said, "we're considering a whole bunch of options at this point."

He added he hopes Maine residents will forgive him and say, "You clean up your act and let's move forward."

necn has reached out to LePage for comment.

Republicans in Maine are reeling after a series of controversial issues centering around Gov. Paul LePage.

Meanwhile, Maine Senate President Michael Thibodeau expects LePage to call him today to follow up on their meeting Monday evening, Thibodeau's spokesperson told necn.

LePage had been angry with Democratic Rep. Drew Gattine because he thought Gattine called him a racist. Gattine denies it.

Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage addressed members of the media on Friday following his obscene tirade on a state legislator, leaving him an expletive-laden and threatening message and telling reporters he wished he could point a gun between the lawmakers eyes.

"I want you to prove that I'm a racist," LePage said in the voicemail, adding that he had spent his life helping black people and calling Gattine a vulgar name related to oral sex. "I want you to record this and make it public because I am after you."

On the radio show LePage said being called a racist "just knocked me off my feet."

Democratic lawmakers last week argued that LePage was coming unhinged and called for a political intervention with the governor. Some also asked for him to resign.

Last week LePage apologized to "the people of Maine"  but not to Gattine.

Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage addressed members of the media on Friday following his obscene tirade on a state legislator, leaving him an expletive-laden and threatening message and telling reporters he wished he could point a gun between the lawmakers eyes.

While on WVOM-FM he added, "I will call to see if we can meet."

"If I've lost my ability to help Maine people, maybe it's time to move on," LePage said on WVOM-FM, as the Portland Press Herald first reported.

Regarding rumors of resignation, to paraphrase Mark Twain: "The reports of my political demise are greatly exaggerated." #mepolitics  Paul R. LePage (@Governor_LePage) August 30, 2016

Later Tuesday, LePage downplayed his comments, tweeting a Mark Twain quip. He also cancelled a town hall appearance planned for Wednesday in Gattine's hometown of Westbrook.

The governor's comments on Tuesday came after he reportedly doubled down on some of his statements regarding race and drugs, even linking Maine's opioid epidemic to black and Hispanic offenders and the cities of Lowell and Lawrence in Massachusetts.

Maine Senate President Michael Thibodeau expects LePage to call him today to follow up on a meeting they held Monday evening, a Thibodeau spokesperson told necn.

[NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More
A worker died after he was caught in the machinery of a small freight elevator at a New Jersey restaurant, said police.

Lakehurst Police Chief Eric Higgins told the Asbury Park Press 34-year-old Oscar Francisco Carranza-Lopez was moving a delivery of food into the basement of Three B's Bar and Bistro Sunday morning using the freight elevator.



Higgins said Carranza-Lopez had one foot on the ground and the other on the elevator when it apparently malfunctioned, sending a bar at the top of the elevator down on Carranza-Lopez.

Other workers at the restaurant worked to help Carranza-Lopez before he was taken to a hospital, where he doctors pronounced him dead.

Higgins said there weren't any signs of foul play. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated.
An investigation is underway after a vandal or vandals spray painted swastikas at a New Jersey park.

On Monday a concerned citizen reported to police that swastikas had been spray painted at Echo Lake Park on 1205 Maxim Southard Road in Howell, New Jersey and later provided photos of the vandalism. Officials say Echo Lake Park is often visited by members of the Jewish community and attracts many people each day.

Howell Police responded to the park and found nine swastikas spray painted in white near the horseshoe pits on the backboards and benches located around 300 feet from the roadway and parking lot. Investigators also say they found random, non-distinct spray paint on the gazebo floor and they believe the vandalism occurred sometime within the past week.

The Howell Township Department of Public Works painted over the vandalism Monday though the investigation continues and police are seeking the publics help in identifying the person or people responsible.

If you have any information on the incident, please call Detective Sergeant Christian Antunez #243 at 732-938-4575 ext. 2883 or email him at cantunez@howellpolice.org.




The victim in the Owen Labrie sex assault case publicly revealed her identity on NBC's "Today" show Tuesday morning and said she hopes that the man who assaulted her gets help.

"I want everyone to know that I am not afraid or ashamed anymore, and I never should have been,'' Chessy Prout, 17, told Savannah Guthrie in an exclusive interview.

Prout was 15 years old when she says she was coerced by the then-18-year-old senior to have sex in a secluded room on St. Paul's School in New Hampshire in May 2014.

Prout discussed where she stands a year after she took the stand against Labrie.

"I hope he learns, I hope he gets help," she said. "And that's all I can ever hope for in any sort of process like this. Because if he doesn't learn, he will do it to another young woman."

Labrie, now 20, was convicted in August 2015 on three counts of misdemeanor sexual assault, felony illegal use of computer services and misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child. He was acquitted on three counts of felony sexual assault.

Prosecutors tied the assault to the "Senior Salute," a competition in which seniors at the school sought to have sex with underclassmen. He was sentenced to a year behind bars and probation.

Labrie was sentenced to one year in county jail, however, was initially free on curfew while an appeal of the verdict was pending. He was taken into custody after he was found violating that curfew, but was freed again on bail and given a GPS monitor.

He is also registered as a sex offender in New Hampshire during the appeal process.

"It's been two years now since the whole ordeal, and I feel ready to stand up and own what happened to me and make sure other people, other girls and boys, don't need to be ashamed, either,'' Prout said.

She added that the trial could have been avoided with an apology letter and personal responsibility.

Instead, she said she had to take the stand, testifying for three days. She said the trial helped her move forward with the pursuit of justice.

Though she said she's moving forward, she still feels the impact of the assault.

She said, "A question that was asked on the stand was 'Why were you so hazy during that time period" and I looked at the defense attorney in disbelief and said I was raped. I was just trying to go smoothly and not try to cause any waves."

Prout's parents, Alex and Susan, have filed a civil suit against St. Paul's School for failing to protect their daughter. The school denies the allegations.

Meanwhile, Labrie has filed a motion for a new trial, claiming ineffective counsel.

His attorney, Jaye Rancourt, sat down with necn on Tuesday after the interview, revealing Labrie watched Prout's television debut.

"He didn't have much to say about it," she said.

Rancourt said Labrie is more focused on his motion for a new trial.

"We will be successful. He'll get a new trial and at a new trial, the full truth of what occurred will be revealed at that trial," Rancourt said confidently.

St. Paul's School issued this statement to "Today":

"As was the case when the survivor was a student here and subsequently, the School admires her courage and condemns unkind behavior toward her. We feel deeply for her and her family. We have always placed the safety and well-being of our students first and are confident that the environment and culture of the school have supported that. We categorically deny that there ever existed at the School a culture or tradition of sexual assault. However, there's no denying the survivors experience caused us to look anew at the culture and environment. This fresh look has brought about positive changes at the School."

Prout also told Guthrie she's taking a stand for sexual assault survivors and is participating in the social media campaign #IHaveARightTo.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine offered a systematic takedown of Donald Trump's business dealings and campaign claims Tuesday, arguing the Republican nominee's presidential campaign amounts to nothing more than "Trump's next big con."

"Donald Trump, thus far, has utterly failed to answer basic questions that Americans voters have a right to know," Kaine said to a crowd in Erie, Pennsylvania, his first public stop in several days.

Kaine said the Republican presidential nominee isn't being truthful or open about his financial dealings, taxes, ties to foreign governments and even his medical records. He suggested Trump would not stop Russian aggression in Europe and may be lying about his health, an allegation Trump has thrown at Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Kaine went after Trump for nearly 20 minutes, among his most sustained remarks yet on the rival campaign.

"A candidate who's on the up and up has no problem giving you the facts," Kaine said. [[338107532, C]]

On Russia, Kaine said Tuesday that Trump has a troubling history of hiring and seeking advice from people who offer favorable views of President Vladimir Putin's administration. He said Trump's failure to release his tax returns makes his financial ties to the country unclear.

Trump has praised Putin on several occasions as a strong leader, and his former campaign manager Paul Manafort resigned over his financial ties to Russian allies.

All of this, Kaine said, means Trump would not defend American allies against Russian advances or stop Russian cyberattacks aimed at destabilizing American elections, two significant claims against a would-be commander in chief. Even as he made such serious allegations, Kaine maintained his folksy demeanor, eliciting laughs from the crowd.

"This guy has a weird sense of humor encouraging Russian cyber-attacks against the American political process," he said, referring to Trump's call for Russia to find Clinton's missing emails, a remark he later said was a joke. "Well, that's just a laugh riot isn't it?"

On the issue of the candidates' health, Kaine pointed to recent news reports questioning the validity of the medical report written by Trump's doctor. Kaine said Trump is trading in fringe conspiracy theories by questioning whether Clinton is in poor health.

"Hillary Clinton is one tough and one healthy person," he said.

The road to the White House weaves through Pennsylvania this week as Democratic vice presidential candidate Time Kaine holds a series of events across the Keystone State.

After Erie, Kaine headed to the center of the state for a 6 p.m. event at the Boys & Girls Club of Lancaster.

On Wednesday, appeared in the Lehigh Valley where Kaine held an organizing event at the Hanover Township Community Center in Bethlehem Thursday afternoon as he rallies people to support Clinton's campaign.

Kaine's visit comes on the heels of a new NBC News|Survey Monkey Tracking Poll that has Clinton's lead against Trump shrinking to 6 points nationwide.
San Diego County Sheriffs Department (SDSO) officials confirmed Monday that a once-hospitalized man suspected in the mysterious, high-profile slayings of three San Diegans has been returned to custody.

SDSO media relations director Jan Caldwell told NBC 7 that Carlos Mercado, 31, improved following a recent transport to the hospital and was returned to custody.

In July, Mercado was transported from San Diego Central Jail in downtown San Diego Tuesday afternoon to UC Medical Center. Caldwell said Mercado, along with his cellmate, Abel Martinez, 52, were observed by deputies to be in "medical distress".

NBC 7's source close to the investigation believes the inmates overdosed.

Martinez was returned to jail on July 30, and Mercado returned days later on August 6.

Mercado is accused of killing brothers Salvatore Sal Belvedere, 22, and Gianni Belvedere, 24, and Giannis fiancee, Ilona Flint, 22.

The killings began with a shooting on Christmas Eve 2013 in the parking lot of Westfield Mission Valley mall.

A judge ruled in July that Mercado would stand trial in the triple homicide case, with his trial set to begin on April 3, 2017.

In February 2016, Mercado pleaded not guilty to the slayings.

At that time, San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Brian Erickson said the District Attorneys office would seek the death penalty if Mercados trial moved forward and if he is convicted.

Over the past two-and-a-half years the triple homicide case has seen many twists and turns.

Prosecutors have said it does not appear Mercado was in any way connected to the victims and that the killings are believed to have been random, or perhaps the result of some type of road rage incident. The killings do not appear to have been a hit, as has been speculated, prosecutors said in February.

Still, the motive for the slayings remains shrouded in mystery.

Several months ago, Mercados defense attorney Gary Gibson said he was disappointed with the DAs decision to pursue the death penalty in this case given Mercados history of mental illness. Gibson said his client is a deeply damaged individual with significant mental health issues. However, Erickson argued Mercados mental state is directly linked to the case, which includes depression based on his situation.

Gibson said the case will be difficult to prove at trial because prosecutors are struggling to pin down a motive.

On Dec. 24, 2013 Flint and Sal were found critically shot inside their car parked outside a Macys department store at Westfield Mission Valley mall in San Diegos Mission Valley area. Flint, who called 911 to report the shooting and their location, died at the scene. Sal was hospitalized and died a few days later.

Flints fiance and Sals brother, Gianni, went missing around the same time of the Christmas Eve killings. On Jan. 17, 2014 police found Giannis badly decomposed body stuffed into the trunk of his own car parked at a shopping center in Riverside, California, more than 100 miles away from San Diego. He, too, had been shot to death.

For six months, police reported no breaks in the baffling triple homicide case.

On June 20, 2014 the San Diego Police Department confirmed officers had arrested Mercado as the suspect in the three slayings. Mercado pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder.

At a pretrial in early September 2014, DNA evidence emerged linking Mercado to Giannis car and the bloody Riverside crime scene, while ballistics evidence linked a gun registered in Mercados name to the deadly shootings of Flint, Sal and Gianni. Prosecutors also presented evidence found on Mercado's phone and computers.

Also in early September 2014, search warrants obtained by NBC 7 revealed the exhaustive investigation into the triple homicide case, but no clear motive for the killings.

In December 2014 the families of the three victims filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Westfield, LLC, accusing the Mission Valley mall of negligence in the deaths of Flint and the Belvedere brothers, claiming the mall failed to provide sufficient lighting and monitoring security cameras in the area to keep patrons safe. That lawsuit also listed Mercado as a defendant, accusing him of malice and oppression in the killings.

On Nov. 3, 2014 a San Diego judge ruled Mercado was not competent to stand trial in the triple killings, and ordered he be treated at Patton State Hospital for three years until he was found competent to assist in his own defense.

That ruling came after reports submitted by two psychiatrists and one psychologist diagnosed Mercado as schizophrenic, psychotic and suffering from catatonic depression, Mercados attorney said at the time.

In September 2015, Mercado was returned to San Diego Central Jail after evaluators from Patton State Hospital found him competent to stand trial. The defense then requested a competency trial for Mercado.

On Dec. 14, 2015 a judge ruled Mercado was competent to stand trial.

When Mercados trial date was set last week, a judge also ordered Mercado to appear in court this October for a status conference.

Meanwhile, Mercado's cellmate, Martinez, is also accused of murder.

Martinez was convicted in the shooting his ex-girlfriend, Leila Farmer, and her boyfriend, Eufracio Alberto Enriquez, in March 2014 at a home in Dehesa Valley near Alpine. Enriquez died in the shooting.

Inmate records indicate Martinez was scheduled to appear in court days after the hospitalization. NBC 7 reached out to Martinez's attorney, Thomas Bahr, at the time. Bahr said he had no comment.
Florida's major theme parks are now offering free bug repellent to visitors as concerns about mosquito-transmitted Zika virus mount.

Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld Orlando on Sunday began offering the mosquito spray and lotion free of charge at their parks.

No mosquito-transmitted case of the Zika virus has been found in central Florida. But theme park officials say they're offering the repellent as a precaution and to ease the fears of visitors.

The Department of Health is investigating mosquito-transmitted Zika cases in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties in South Florida, as well as in Pinellas County in the Tampa area.

Zika causes a mild illness in most people but can lead to severe brain-related birth defects if women are infected during pregnancy.

On Friday, Miami Beach city officials took part in a roundtable discussion with Governor Rick Scott and others, discussing the strategy at both the state and local level to fight the spread of the mosquito-borne disease.

Also Friday, the Food and Drug Administration announced it wants all U.S. blood banks to start screening for Zika virus, a major expansion intended to protect the nation's blood supply from the mosquito-borne disease.
A suspected drunken driver had a measured blood-alcohol level of 0.13 two hours after a Mira Mesa crash that left a young woman dead, according to a San Diego County Deputy District Attorney.

Christian Evangelista, 21, is facing gross vehicular manslaughter and DUI causing injury charges.

He pleaded not guilty through an attorney at his arraignment Monday. A judge ordered him held on $1 million bail.

Evangelista is accused in a fatal crash that happened in Mira Mesa over the weekend.

Prosecutors said Evangelista was drinking with friends at home when they decided they wanted to get more alcohol.

One friend offered to drive, prosecutors said, but Evangelista said he was okay to drive, according to Deputy District Attorney Bright.

Evangelista was behind the wheel of the Honda sedan at approximately 1 a.m. Sunday morning, driving on Camino Ruiz, approaching Zapata Avenue, when the crash happened, police said.

A 20-year-old behind the wheel of an Acura pulled out onto Camino Ruiz, police said.

Evangelista t-boned the driver of the Acura, police said. The 19-year-old driver, later identified as Tutam Le, was t-boned and taken to the hospital, where she died.

He was traveling 55 to 60 miles per hour and t-boned Tutam Le head-on, Bright said. His BAC was .13 two hours after the collision, which means it would have been .16 to .17 at the time of the collision.

Anyone with information related to the above incidents is encouraged to call the San Diego Police or contact Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
The man accused of terrorizing a San Diego neighborhood in 2015, bringing air traffic to a halt and shooting at police officers with a high-powered rifle, spurring a lengthy standoff, had an outburst in court Monday when his ex-girlfriend took the stand.

At one point during the preliminary hearing, suspect Titus Nathan Colbert, 34, visibly frustrated, spoke up out of turn.

"You're lying," he yelled at his ex-girlfriend as she testified in court. The judge gave him a warning, telling him to write it down instead.

This is not the first outburst for Colbert. The suspect has been held in jail without bail since his arraignment, based on his bizarre behavior and attitude at his arraignment, where he interrupted court proceedings by yelling at the judge that he stands for a "new world order."

Colbert, a documented gang member from San Diegos Skyline area who had most recently been living in Las Vegas, faces multiple felony charges including three counts of attempted murder. If convicted on all charges, he faces a maximum of 105 years in prison.

Colbert's attorney has pleaded not guilty on his behalf at a November arraignment. He underwent two mental evaluations over a period of several months and was found to be competent to stand trial.

After his most recent outburst, Colbert sat quietly, holding his hands together, often times shaking his head in disagreement.

During the first day of his preliminary hearing, his ex-girlfriend took the stand, testifying that they had long broken up after a history of domestic violence.

But in the days leading up to the standoff, Colbert showed up at her apartment, she testified; he then sent dozens of text messages she said were 'very alarming.'

"It caused me to believe that there was something wrong, whether he was gong to break into my house or going to do something to try and get in touch with me, but the situation kind of escalated," she testified.

On Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015, officers with the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) were called to 2445 Brant Street in the Bankers Hill community to investigate a report of domestic violence involving Colbert.

That disturbance call escalated into a SWAT standoff between law enforcement and Colbert, who was armed with a long-range assault rifle. Holed up inside an apartment unit, Colbert began spraying bullets, narrowly missing SDPD officers.

At a previous arraignment, Deputy District Attorney Michael Runyon said Colbert fired shots at three officers during the standoff, hence the three counts of attempted murder.

The SDPD said Friday that one of those officers, identified by the department as Officer Carlos Estrada, a four-year veteran, returned fire. A second officer who also exchanged gunfire with Colbert was identified by the SDPD as Matthew C. Hone, an eight-year vet of the department.

Throughout the standoff, Colbert also allegedly fired random shots into the approach path used by pilots landing aircrafts at San Diegos Lindbergh Field, which is less than two miles from Brant Street.

The threat to public safety was so great that police shut down traffic in the area, blocking off multiple streets, and ordered residents to shelter in place. At the same time, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ground stop for arrivals into Lindbergh Field, which ultimately caused 140 flights to be impacted or delayed.

At around 2:40 p.m., more than five hours into the dangerous standoff, Colbert was taken into police custody. Although the community was badly shaken, no one was hurt in the ordeal.

Runyon said 17 shell casings had been recovered by SDPD investigators at the scene of the Bankers Hill shooting, though he did not know exactly how many total rounds were fired during the standoff, as the investigation is ongoing. Runyon said the suspect was in possession of three firearms.

Colbert is no stranger to the criminal justice system. Court documents obtained by NBC 7 Investigates show he is a documented gang member with an extensive criminal history dating back to his teenage years. His record includes arrests in San Diego, as well as arrests in San Bernardino, Calif., and Arizona.

Most recently, Colbert was charged with five felonies, including selling the party drug Ecstasy to an undercover officer in a drug deal outside a Black Angus restaurant on Friars Road. Colbert was also implicated in another drug deal at the drive-thru of an In-N-Out restaurant in Mission Valley.

In 2012, Colbert pleaded guilty to selling narcotics and served one year behind bars.

An NBC 7 source in the legal community says Colbert is the brother of convicted killer Tecumseh Colbert, a man currently on death row for two 2004 murders.

The ex-girlfriend will be back on the stand on Tuesday. The prosecutor says he expects the hearing to last two or three days.
A sewage spill that closed part of east Mission Bay in San Diego earlier this year could cost the City millions of dollars in fines, NBC 7 learned Monday.

In January, a landslide in Tecolote Canyon broke a main sewer line, dumping more than 100,000 gallons of raw sewage into the Tecolote Creek and east Mission Bay.

On Monday, the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board verified the sewage spill actually dumped more than 6.7 million gallons of untreated sewage into Tecolote Creek, which later leaked into East Mission Bay.

A sewage spill has prompted water closures in Mission Bay ahead of Memorial Day Weekend. NBC 7s Wendy Fry reports.

"That's disgusting. That is straight up disgusting, Mission Bay visitor Zuri Walker said.

Walker told NBC 7 that Mission Bay is her favorite place to run, but the water is something she appreciates from a distance.

The only time I go in [there] is when I go wake-boarding around the other side and even then, it's not that great, Walker said.

Other Mission Bay visitors had a similar reaction.

"It's a shame we are one of the richest countries in the world we can't even put our garbage away," kite surfer, Marko Bartscherer said.

The new figure was revealed in a technical report completed by the City and issued to the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board.

We would say that is a sizable spill, Water Control Board Supervising Engineer David Barker said.

Barker says the City promptly responded to the spill, fixed the broke sewer line in about a day and warned the community. Crews also recovered 108,000 gallons of sewage.

But he added that the Water Control Board is also investigating whether there was any "negligence" by the City of San Diego in following proper procedures for the spill.

If so, the City might have to pay $10 per gallon or a maximum of $65 million.

In 2001, San Diego had paid more than $1.5 million in fines for a spill in Tecolote Creek, according to the water control board.

This investigation could take up to two years to complete.

NBC 7 reached out to the City of San Diego for a response. Before noon Tuesday, we received this statement:

"In January 2016 a major rain storm caused a minor localized landslide in Tecolote Canyon that took a section of sewer pipe with it. The City followed all reporting requirements for this sewage spill, including notifying the public of the subsequent beach closures along sections of Mission Bay. The City is working with the Regional Water Quality Control Board to provide all requested information about the spill and the City's response to the emergency. We believe this event was an unprecedented natural event and the City's response was appropriate."
An important new project is brewing at Starbucks  picking up steam first in San Diego.

On Tuesday afternoon, the coffee giant announced the launch of the first-ever Starbucks FoodShare program, a project that will donate healthy, ready-to-eat meals to Feeding America food banks from company-operated Starbucks locations across the United States.

The FoodShare program is building on a successful pilot launch of the project in San Diego earlier this year. According to Starbucks, more than 190 of the companys locations in San Diego will provide approximately 750,000 pounds of food to local Feeding America banks via FoodShare every year.

Thats the equivalent of 625,000 meals in San Diego County, annually.

The partnership was announced earlier this year, but now it is being put to practice. Eventually, Starbucks FoodShare program will operate across the nation.

"Starbucks has truly shown their commitment to hunger-relief," said Al Brislain, CEO of Feeding America San Diego, in a press release Tuesday. "With one in eight San Diegans facing hunger, FoodShare will make a huge difference for those we serve and exemplify what we can accomplish when we work together."

Through the program, Starbucks employees will rescue food that is still good at the end of their shifts, including Bistro Boxes, breakfast sandwiches, Paninis, salads, yogurts and baked goods. Instead of wasting the meals, they will be donated to food banks that will pass them along to San Diegans in need, including those living on the streets.

The company says FoodShare donations will be picked up in refrigerated vans from Starbucks stores seven days a week, year round. Drivers will check all items for food safety before delivering the meals to Feeding America San Diego or its distribution partners.

Brislain said Feeding America San Diego will be moving the food donations quickly, getting them to agencies daily so they can be eaten by locals in need.

Starbucks says the goal is to be able to provide nearly 5 million meals across the U.S. in the first year alone of FoodShare. Over the next five years, the company plans to be able to rescue 100 percent of its food available for donation nationwide.

"This is going to make a huge difference," Brislain told NBC 7 on Tuesday. "What started here in San Diego is going to spread throughout the country."

Tuesdays announcement in San Diego included a Behind the Bar event with local celebrity chef Brian Malarkey. Sporting a green barista apron, Malarkey learned to make his favorite Starbucks drinks and helped promote the hunger relief initiative.

Jane Maly, program manager for Starbucks, told NBC 7 the company strongly believes in the battle against hunger. She said the food that would normally go to waste will "get a second life" when it is donated to local food banks.

"We are so proud to be able to deliver meals from our stores every night back into the communities that we serve here in San Diego," Maly said. "We are more than just a coffee company. We need to make a difference."

To learn more about Feeding America San Diego, click here.
Police officers teamed up with local radio station The Mighty 1090 and The Habit Burger Grill on Monday for a fundraiser to support the family of fallen San Diego Police Officer Jonathan JD De Guzman.

The fundraiser is being held from 2-7 p.m. outside the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) headquarters on Broadway in Downtown San Diego.

Officer De Guzman, 43, was killed in the line of duty on July 28 after being shot multiple times. His partner Officer Wade Irwin was injured in the attack and is continuing to recover.

On Monday, hosts Scott Kaplan and Billy Ray Smith of The Mighty 1090 were broadcasting live from outside the headquarters to raise money for the family of both officers. Attendees can also buy burgers from a food truck of The Habit Burger Grill.

All of the proceeds will go to the Officer De Guzman & Officer Irwin Family Fund.

You can also make an online donation here to Office De Guzmans Family. In the notes for the online donation, indicate Officer Jonathan De Guzman.

You can donate to Officer Irwins family here.
A house fire in Vista left an elderly couple and their dog without a home.

According to North Comm Fire Department, the fire sparked in a garage inside a home on Paseo Marguerita and Paseo Cresta around 7:37 p.m. on Monday.

Officials say the couple and the dog were not hurt but a cat may have possibly died in the fire.

The garage fire caused an estimated $100,000 in structural damage and $70,000 in lost contents, according to officials.

Red Cross San Diego were asked to assist the family for housing.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Scripps Health has entered into a decades-long partnership with one of the nations leading cancer research centers that will lead to greater access to treatments and clinical trials.

MD Anderson, based in Houston, Texas, is one of 45 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers.

The Scripps MD Anderson Cancer Center will provide treatment options for those living in eight counties in California - from Santa Barbara to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Scripps Health President and CEO Chris Van Gorder used the word extraordinary to describe the opportunity to partner with one of the nations leading cancer centers.

By partnering with an organization whose sole focus is cancer and all the different kinds of cancer were going to have the latest protocols to take care of our patients, Van Gorder said.

There will be some recruiting and construction of buildings over the next few years. There will be a hub near La Jolla and another location near Scripps Mercy Hospital.

There is a plan is to create comprehensive Scripps MD Cancer Center locations. Officials said they will release specific locations over the next several months.

What may be most important to those battling cancer will be the access to clinical trials managed by MD Anderson.

Were very interested in expanding access to clinical trials in communities like San Diego, Ronald A. DePinho, M.D., President, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center said.

If you have advanced disease you need multi-disciplinary care and you also need access to clinical trials if you fail that standard of care, DePinho said.

Ronald A. DePinho, M.D talks about the types of medicines and treatments that are in clinical trials and how they could be the game-changer needed in the fight against cancer.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and other elected officials gathered to celebrate the announcement. He said the agreement is transformative not only for San Diegans but for the Southern California region.

This is life-changing work thats going to happen right here in our community, Faulconer said.

The two companies will begin working together immediately. You can learn more about the partnership through Scripps Health.
An 'armed and dangerous' suspect wanted in connection with two violent sexual assaults in the San Diego area is still at-large, and police are asking for the public's helping in finding the man.

Jeremiah Williams, 24, is wanted for two recent attacks: the University City sex assault and another assault that happened the day after at a Motel 6, according to San Diego Police Department Capt. Brian Ahearn.

Authorities identified Williams as the suspect last Wednesday, but have yet to find and arrest him.

Williams is described as being 5-foot, 11-inches and 180 pounds. He has the numbers "210" tattooed on his right wrist and an outline of the State of Texas tattooed on his left forearm. He also has wings tattooed on both upper arms.

Anyone who sees Williams is asked to call 911. Police believe he is still in the San Diego area.

Captain Brian Ahearn of the San Deigo Police Department describes the details of a second sexual assault case related to the assault that happened in the UTC area on August 13.

Physical evidence from the scene of the first University City sex assault linked Williams as the suspect, Ahearn said.

The University City sex assault happened on Saturday, Aug. 13 when a woman was attacked at the Venetian Condominiums on Nobel Drive.

The woman had been dropped off outside the complex around 10:30 p.m. and was walking to her apartment when she thought someone was following her.

Before the victim could unlock her door, the man knocked her to the ground and asked her for money at gunpoint. After giving him the money, the woman was dragged into her apartment where police say she was beaten and sexually assaulted.

Three days after that incident, San Diego Police were called to Sharp Memorial Hospital for a report of a separate attack. A 23-year-old woman told police she had been violently sexually assaulted on Sunday, Aug. 14 at a Motel 6 on Alvarado Canyon Road in Mission Valley.

"The suspect, who she had recently met, entered her room choked and sexually assaulted her and then hit her in the head with a hand gun," Ahearn said.

After the interview, sex crimes detectives went to the motel and collected evidence.

During their investigation, detectives found that officers initially responded to the incident at the motel as a report of a man hitting a woman.

Witnesses told police Sunday night they heard the victim yell for help, and the suspect fled on foot.

The Motel 6 manager told NBC 7 that the victim smashed a window in the room and drove off in a car before police arrived at the scene.

In a strange twist, investigators say police officers had the suspect in handcuffs after the second attack but weren't aware of the allegations until days later when the victim came forward.

Authorities located the suspect in a nearby canyon with a hand gun, Ahearn said. Initial statements given to California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers placed Williams at the scene, and he was cited with a misdemeanor gun charge and released.

It was only on Tuesday that police linked Williams as the suspect in the motel sex assault.

Physical evidence and victim interviews linked Williams to the Motel 6 sex assault and to the University City sex assault, Ahearn said.

The suspect remains at large; he is considered armed and dangerous. He has a criminal background in California and Texas.
At least 300 computers or tablets have been stolen from D.C. Public Schools in the past three years, far more than in larger, neighboring districts, according to an investigation by the News4 I-Team.

The thefts include computers reported stolen during school hours, nights and weekends. They listed in a set of D.C. records obtained by the I-Team under the Freedom of Information Act.

Computer thefts in DC schools are three times more frequent than in the larger, neighboring Fairfax County Public School District. They are 20 times more frequent than in the Frederick County (Md.) Public School District, which has a similar number of enrolled students.

The records show a variety of equipment has been lifted in D.C., including laptops, tablets and desktops. At least two of the thefts occurred at Barnard Elementary School.

Two suspects executed a major heist at Maury Elementary in northeast D.C. in 2013, stealing 25 computers. One suspect has since been arrested, but 23 computers remain missing.

Joe Weedon, whose two children attend Maury, said thefts are too frequent.

Its sad that that continues to happen across the District, Weedon said. Computers are used every day ... parents have fought tooth and nail to get more of them into the classrooms."

Court records reviewed by the I-Team show at least one of a cache of school computers stolen from Luke C. Moore High School was sold online and shipped across the country. The buyer, according to the court records, was alerted when he or she powered on the computer for the first time. D.C. school computers are equipped with LoJack equipment rendering them ineffective by unauthorized users, unless those LoJacks are circumvented or tampered with, investigators said.

Other school districts, including Frederick County Public Schools, also protect their computers with tracking technology. Douglas Favorite, a Frederick County Public Schools technology administrator, said such protections are important.

The laptops we hand out, theyre everywhere, he said. Theyre easily grabbed and taken.

D.C. Public Schools, like other local school districts, also equip buildings with surveillance cameras to reduce and help solve theft cases.

The school district declined multiple requests for an interview to discuss its higher rate of computer thefts. The district instead issued a written statement, which said, Each digital device in DCPS, including computers, is set up with a tracking tool that monitors the location of the device when it is online. In addition, all DCPS school computers are stored in locked carts during the school day, and when they are not in use, they are stored in locked carts behind a locked door.

In a statement to the I-Team, a DCPS spokeswoman said 121 insurance claims have been sought for stolen or lost computers since the beginning of 2014.

Weedon said the impact of these thefts is hurting taxpayers.

DC schools are well-funded, but we're constantly trying to find more resources, he said.

The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department said it arrested a man suspected of the thefts at Maury Elementary School. The police department told said it advised D.C. Public Schools to take steps to reduce the risk of theft, including locking windows, checking alarm systems and restricting unsupervised access to computers.

Reported by Scott MacFarlane, produced by Rick Yarborough, and shot and edited by Steve Jones.
The Agriculture Department will reopen some offices Wednesday that were closed after an unspecified email threat.

USDA spokesman Matthew Herrick said offices in Colorado, Maryland, North Carolina and Kearneysville, West Virginia, will open Wednesday with additional security enhancements. USDA offices in Hamden, Connecticut, and Leetown, West Virginia, will remain closed while waiting for security improvements or notifications to union officials.

Herrick said earlier Tuesday that the department had received "several anonymous messages" late Monday that raised concerns about the safety of USDA personnel and facilities. Offices in six locations in five states were closed Tuesday morning "until further notice."

Herrick said the threat was one email message sent to multiple employees at all the locations.

"Without getting into detail of the email message, USDA continues to work closely with federal and local law enforcement, including the FBI, to determine whether the threat is credible," Herrick said.

Herrick said USDA is continuing to work with law enforcement but officials determined the offices could be re-opened with additional security.

The closed facilities include offices for eight USDA agencies, including the Forest Service and the Food Safety and Inspection Service. Among the sites affected was USDA's sprawling agricultural research center and library in Beltsville, Maryland, where employees were informed of the threat Tuesday morning and sent home. In Fort Collins, Colorado, four buildings at the Natural Resources Research Center, a campus where over 1,000 people work, were closed.

In an email to employees, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said USDA is closing the offices "due to the serious nature of these threats." He did not characterize the threats, but asked employees to be aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity. He said employees could telework or take authorized leave.

White House Spokesman Josh Earnest said the Department of Homeland Security is working with USDA "to ensure the safety of their offices and the personnel that work there."

The temporary closures may have affected some tourists. In Colorado, the Forest Service's Canyon Lakes Ranger District tweeted that its information center was closed.
Police in Washington, D.C., are searching for a 17-year-old girl who has been missing for nearly two weeks.

Diamond Ridgeway was last seen leaving the 4700 block of Jay Street NE on Aug. 17.

Ridgeway is 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighs 140 to 160 pounds and has brown eyes. Police do not know what Ridgeway was wearing when she was last seen.

Anyone with information about Rideway's whereabouts is asked to Youth and Family Services at 202-576-6768.
Police have identified the man who was fatally struck by an SUV in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County Tuesday morning.

The crash happened in the 8300 block of Richmond Highway just before 7 a.m.

According to the preliminary investigation, 56-year-old Aaron Nelson McCullough was walking in the far left lane of Richmond Highway and was struck when he walked into the left lane.

Police say the striking vehicle remained at the scene. There are no charges pending at this time.

The southbound lanes of Richmond Highway were closed for several hours for the police investigation. All lanes are now open.

This is the second deadly pedestrian crash in the county in two days. On Sunday, 76-year-old Hung Soon Seo was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver in Reston, Virginia. Police are still searching for the driver.
Police arrested two more suspects in the shooting of a man in the bathroom of a McDonalds restaurant near the Verizon Center on Aug. 12.

Surveillance video showed the victim, 25, was followed by another man into the restroom before the man is seen walking back out alone.

The victim is in critical condition, breathing with the help of a ventilator, and has undergone major reconstructive surgery after being shot in the face inside the restaurants restroom.

Police arrested two suspects Tuesday: A 17-year-old from Capitol Heights, Maryland, and 20-year-old Lafayette Booker of northeast D.C. They are charged with assault with intent to rob.

Natalie Voyles, the victims mother, came from Kansas to be with her son. She said she is devastated and wants justice for her son.

He is still fighting for his life. Hes going through so much, and you can see the fear in his eyes, Voyles said. We are just hurting so bad.

Police said the victim and the gunman had some sort of interaction before the shooting. Voyles said she thinks it was a random robbery.

Please turn yourself in, she said Monday night. You have messed up this young man's life along with his family.

Police arrested a 15-year-old boy in connection with the shooting Aug. 13. He was charged with assault with intent to kill.
Virginia Tech Police said they are investigating after dozens of people in the campus community received a threatening email message.

University police said in a statement Monday that the email "included a threat to campus safety." Police did not say what kind of threat was made.

Chief Kevin Foust said in a post on the school's website that other schools received similar threats on Monday. He did not identify those schools.

The website said the campus is open and operating under normal conditions, and classes are in session.

A Tech spokesman did not immediately return a message on Monday.

Police are asking anyone with information about the email to contact authorities.
After more than nine months of false starts and delays, the Lodge at Burke Mountain is finally opening this Thursday.

The hotel and conference center, with its stunning views of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, is one of several projects at the center of a bombshell federal fraud investigation that was announced earlier this year.

"It's a sigh of relief," Jess Sechler of Burke Mountain said about the long-awaited opening of the hotel. "Everybody cares about the success of this."

The Securities and Exchange Commission said this spring that the businessmen behind redevelopment projects at Jay Peak, Burke Mountain, and in the city of Newport were accused of operating a Ponzi-like scheme.

Ariel Quiros and Bill Stenger allegedly misused approximately $200-million they raised from foreign investors participating in EB-5, a federal government program that provides citizenship incentives in exchange for support of job-creating development.

Quiros was accused of diverting tens of millions of those investors' dollars to his personal accounts. He allegedly used the funds inappropriately to acquire a luxury condo in New York City, to pay personal taxes, and to fund the purchase of Jay Peak.

In court filings, the developers have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and have said they are confident they will be cleared of the civil charges.

A federal court-appointed caretaker now in charge of the resorts prioritized opening the lodge in time for fall foliage, when the Kingdom is busy with leaf-peepers and outdoors recreation enthusiasts.

"It's kind of that confidence builder not only for the staff internally, but even for the community, trusting, 'Wow, they really did open it,'" Sechler said of Thursday's opening.

"Soft" openings have taken place on two weekends this month, Sechler noted, explaining that Thursday is when 7-day-a-week operations start at the hotel, its pub, and other amenities.

"It's really helping us get the word out prior to ski season, and helping us iron out the kinds prior to ski season," Sechler said of this week's opening.

Lilias Ide, who promotes the region's famous mountain biking amenities at the Kingdom Trails Association, said many at the base of Burke Mountain are hoping for a business boost from hotel guests and conference attendees.

"Perhaps it will bring a different type of demographic," Ide said. "It benefits us to have them there. They're heading up to the hotel, but they come down here to check us out."

Ide described Burke Mountain as a treasured landmark that has a family feel, adding that many in the Northeast Kingdom are hoping the mountain has long-term success and stability.

The federal receiver now in charge of Burke and Jay Peak has said he expects, ultimately, the two resorts will be sold.

To mark its opening, Burke is holding a community celebration this Saturday afternoon, with tours, live music, and tours for the public. That celebration is scheduled for 3-6 p.m.
Fire officials are investigating a suspicious blaze at a vacant factory in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Flames took over the former J.B. Paper Factory on Elmvale Place Monday night, according to necn affiliate WWLP.

Several fire departments from other communities in Berkshire County had to be called in to help battle the fire.

Investigators say the factory was closed and vacant for some time.

Pittsfield's fire chief says the blaze is suspicious because there's been no power at the old paper mill.

No injuries have been reported.
Caught on camera moments after striking the Charles Street bridge, the duck boat known as "Miss Emma Science" sits on Boston's Storrow Drive, her canopy peeled off like a can of tuna, her rear stairs pushed backward awkwardly.

No one was injured, but the 20 passengers on board had to have help from the fire department just to get off the duck boat.

"I think it was just a freak accident," said Maggie Shanahan, who was about to ride on a duck boat.

"Accidents are going to happen, especially when you have a five-ton vehicle, which wasn't really built for this kind of traffic," said passenger Charles James.

Some Bostonians were pretty critical of the driver for taking the 12-foot amphibious vehicle down the notoriously low-clearance roadway.

"If you see that coming, you're not going to go down Storrow Drive with a duck boat," said Aram Antranigian of South Boston.

"Are they properly trained?" asked Jason Bramwell of Watertown. "They should know that, where or where not to drive in Boston where they're giving a tour."

Boston Duck Tours said this was a first-year driver who started in March. The company said drivers are trained to avoid Storrow Drive, but this driver was diverted onto Storrow by state police.

"Duck Boats do not typically travel on Storrow Drive and the drivers actions, although not intentional, will be under review by company safety experts who will conduct a thorough analysis of this event," the company said.

"It's a little scary, but I heard the guy was a new driver. It happens, he probably just didn't know," said Molly Shanahan of Peabody. "I can't even drive around Boston and I've lived here my whole life, so it happens, I guess."

And it wasn't discouraging tourists from hopping on the duck boats Monday.

"I'm not concerned," said Coralie Jesen, who is visiting from Sydney, Australia.

"I've come to Boston once in my life," said Steve Robilliard, also visiting from Sydney. "I'm not going to not go on the Duck Tour."

Massachusetts State Police said they were the ones who diverted the duck boat off Beacon Street because of the Governor's Conference. Still, the department confirms it cited the driver for being on Storrow Drive.
Police say two homeless men are in custody after they tried to rob a man at a New Hampshire business who fended off the assault with help from a glass cat statue.

Office worker Daniel Lord told police he knew one of the two men who attempted to rob him shortly before 6 a.m. Monday in Concord.

Police say 28-year-old Eric Todd displayed a 6-inch knife and demanded cash. Todd and 25-year-old Justin Briggs, who are considered homeless, were charged with robbery.

The Concord Monitor reports that during the robbery attempt one of the assailants picked up a glass cat statue and threw it at Lord, who deflected the statue before swinging it at the alleged assailants.

It could not immediately be determined if Todd and Briggs had lawyers.
A political crisis in a foreign country has had a Boston woman and her family doing battle with a major airline.

What is now anger started within hours of the coup attempt in Turkey last month. Kate Akkaya made it out of Turkey with minutes to spare, but was then held hostage by an airline policy.

Now back in Boston and holding her 5-year-old son, Akkaya recalls from the afternoon of the attempted coup in Turkey, "I didn't see the tanks rolling up, but if I looked out the window maybe I could have".

The Northeastern University law student, in Turkey on a fellowship, had booked a weekend getaway trip to Paris. On that Friday afternoon, the streets and the airport were packed. She says her escape on one of the last flights came down to 6 minutes, saying, It was 5 to 6 minutes between me being on that flight and not being on that flight.

Two hours later, chaos in Turkey erupted.

"We landed in Paris and I turned my cell phone back on and it exploded," Akkaya says of the number of texts and missed calls. Tanks and gunfire filled the streets of Turkey. Hundreds were killed.

Just the day before, her son and his father had left Turkey for Boston, so for her, It was a little too close for comfort".

Two days later, Akkaya was supposed to be back in Istanbul for her flight home to Boston.

"There was chaos in the streets, people facing tanks and bridges shut down," she says. The U.S. government was urging travelers to find an alternate route.

Instead of flying back to Turkey, she wanted to catch her Lufthansa flight to Boston on its layover in Frankfurt, Germany. Remember, its a ticket she had already purchased.

"I spent half hour to 45 minutes on the phone and then the call would drop. I just want to get home and I don't want to have to go back through a closed airport that's not allowing any planes in or out," Akkaya says. "It's impossible."

Not getting through, her cousin Jim Kaboski in Chicago tried calling.

"I talked to a customer service person and they said she could pick up the flight in Frankfurt but it was going to be $3,600, and I said 'You got to be kidding me,'" he says.

A Lufthansa supervisor told him the same. He remembers, "I was just thinking to myself when I was on the phone with this guy, 'If your daughter was stuck in Paris, would you expect her to fly back to Istanbul to catch a flight when there's people being killed?'"

Kaboski ended up using his frequent flyer points from another airline to fly Akkaya home. She gratefully says, "I'm just lucky to have family that was able to step in when a major international corporation decided they didn't want to bother."

After our sister station NBC Chicago contacted the airline, Akkaya received the $741 refund for the original flight.

Is there anything else she could have done? necn Investigates contacted the U.S. Department of Transportation and found that the best she can do is file a complaint.

If youve had trouble with an airline complain here:

www.dot.gov/airconsumer

You can also call 202-366-2220 (TTY 202-366-0511) to record your complaint. Calls are returned Monday through Friday, generally between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

PERSONAL TRAVEL ADVICE FROM KATE AKKAYA:
Police arrested the man they said stabbed two residents at a Wallingford apartment complex in July.

Edward Hoffman Jr., 64, had been a guest to residents of the Judd Square Condominiums, where the stabbing took place, police said.

The victims told Wallingford police that Hoffman was visiting for the holiday weekend from Massachusetts. When the victims went to sleep, they were awakened by Hoffman stabbing them in the buttocks, police said.

While they tried to get away, the victims sustained additional stabbing wounds in the abdomen, legs and buttocks. Hoffman was eventually stabbed by one of the victims, police said.

East Longmeadow Police Department in Massachusetts arrested Hoffman on Aug. 25 and he was extradited on Aug. 29 to the Wallingford Police Department.

Hoffman was charged with first-degree criminal attempt to commit assault, second-degree assault. His bond was set at $50,000.
Bath Police seek the public's help in locating a man wanted for assaulting another man with a hammer in Bath, Maine.

There is an active arrest warrent for 38-year-old Jason Mackenzie, charged with aggrivated assault.

Police responded to 98 Union St. after report of the incident. At the scene, officers found a 37-year-old man from Bowdoin with serious injuries to his facial area. Witnesses say that Mackenzie fled the scene prior to police arrival.

According to the victim and witness interviews, Mackenzie and the victim were arguing inside. After the two men went outside, Mackenzie picked up a hammer and struck the victim's face several times.

The victim was taken to Midcoast Hospital for treatment. He has since been released.

Investigators found a hammer outside 98 Union St. where the assault is said to have taken place.

Investigators have received information that Mackenie might be in the Dresden or Augusta area(s).

Contact your local law enforcement agency with any information on Mackenzie's whereabouts.

Bath Police seek the public's help in locating a man wanted for assaulting another man with a hammer in Bath, Maine.

There is an active arrest warrent for 38-year-old Jason Mackenzie, charged with aggrivated assault.

Police responded to 98 Union St. after report of the incident in the early morning of Aug. 24. At the scene, officers found a 37-year-old man from Bowdoin with serious injuries to his facial area. Witnesses say that Mackenzie fled the scene prior to police arrival.

According to the victim and witness interviews, Mackenzie and the victim were arguing inside. After the two men went outside, Mackenzie picked up a hammer and struck the victim's face several times.

The victim was taken to Midcoast Hospital for treatment. He has since been released.

Investigators found a hammer outside 98 Union St. where the assault is said to have taken place.

Investigators have received information that Mackenie might be in the Dresden or Augusta area(s).

Contact your local law enforcement agency with any information on Mackenzie's whereabouts.
A Massachusetts man is facing criminal charges after police say he tried to lure a 15-year-old girl for sex - but that he called them himself after the girl's father came after him.

Prosecutors at Brockton District Court say the suspect, 24-year-old Mischael Celestin, also of Brockton, sent several explicit text messages to the teen, then brought a backpack full of condoms and alcohol to meet up with her, but that the person who showed up instead was her dad.

According to court documents we obtained, Celestin allegedly was "saying things like 'I don't care' when she told him she was only 15 years old," going on to write, "'I'll buy you anything you want,'" and even writing, "'I would like to have your baby.'"

So when the girl's father made the disturbing discovery, he took charge with texts of his own.

"I was mad, I was very mad, definitely," the girl's father told us exclusively. "I was texting him back for a while and he thought it was her."

Soon they set up a meeting on Sunday, and Celestin allegedly went to Ash Street hoping to meet his 15-year-old victim.

"I was screaming at him. I called him pervert and asked did he know her age," her father recalled.

Celestin then ran off, dropping his backpack filled with Hennessy and condoms, and then found his own way to authorities, according to police.

"He called the police on his cell just to get his backpack back, and ended up getting arrested for it," the victim's father said.

Police say that before all of this, Celestin had grabbed and kissed the girl. He's facing multiple charges, including indecent assault.

He's currently out on bail, but wearing a court-ordered GPS monitoring device and is ordered to stay away from minors. He's due back in court in November.

He declined to speak with us.
Police have arrested a 17-year-old boy who they believe threw a punch that caused brain trauma in a 39-year-old man during an altercation earlier this month in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.

The teen, who wasn't identified, was charged with felony assault in connection with the Aug. 12 incident.

Police say the victim and another 29-year-old man were assaulted after exchanging words with a group of young men walking along School Street after midnight. The teen charged allegedly landed the devastating blow on the victim.

Authorities say the boy is currently at the Rhode Island Training School while awaiting a hearing in Family Court. He's reportedly well-known to police and has been criminally charged in the past.

The investigation is ongoing and more arrests are expected.
FactCheck.org is a non-partisan non-profit organization that will hold candidates and key figures accountable during the 2016 presidential campaign. FactCheck.org will check facts of speeches, advertisements and more for NBC.

Sen. John McCains primary opponent implied that if re-elected, McCain may not live long enough to fulfill another six-year term. Actually, the odds are in his favor.

Kelli Ward, a doctor and former Arizona state senator, noted that McCain would be 86 years old in 2022. The life expectancy of the American male is not 86, she said. Its less. Its true that the life expectancy is 76.28 years for American males at birth in 2013, but its actually 88.2 years for an average male who has made it to 80 years old.

Ward made her claim during an interview with Politico in Phoenix.

Politico, Aug. 25. Im a doctor. The life expectancy of the American male is not 86. Its less, Ward said in an interview here.

The same day, Ward also told MSNBC anchor Chuck Todd, John McCain has fallen down on the job. Hes gotten weak. Hes gotten old.  Hes going to be 80 on Monday and I want to give him the best birthday present ever: the gift of retirement.

Monday is, indeed, McCains 80th birthday. And the Arizona Senate primary is Tuesday, Aug. 30.

Whether or not McCain  the 2008 Republican presidential nominee and currently the eighth oldest senator  has fallen down on the job because of his age is a matter of opinion. But, according to the Social Security Administration, a man McCains age will live an average of 88.2 years  beyond the end of another six-year Senate term.

Life expectancy at birth is less than at age 80 because it factors in mortality rates for all age groups, including infants who die at birth, which brings the average down for the population as a whole. Conversely, life expectancy calculations for an 80-year-old only consider mortality rates for individuals whove already made it to that age.

For comparison, the life expectancy at birth in Western Europe in the Middle Ages was between 25 and 35 years old. But individuals who reached the age of 25 might have expected to make it on average to at least their early 50s, according to Miracle Cures, a book on medieval pilgrims by Robert A. Scott, a sociologist and associate director emeritus of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University.

In the Middle Ages, many children died before the age of 5 due to poor nutrition and sanitary conditions, says Scott. In 2014, more than 23,000 infants under the age of 1 died from causes ranging from injuries (e.g. suffocation) to complications during pregnancy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These 23,000 deaths are factored into life expectancy for Americans.

When we contacted Wards campaign for comment, Stephen Sebastian, Wards spokesman, pointed us to a USA Today article from October 2014, which said the average male life expectancy in the U.S. is 76.4 years.

This is less than age 80, Sebastian told us by email. The reason [Ward] quoted age 86 is because Senate terms are 6 years each, and if McCain is re-elected at age 80, he would be 86 at the end of that sixth six year term, he added.

But as the USA Today article itself states, 76.4 years is the life expectancy estimate for males born in 2012. The article goes on to explain that for a male who was 65 years old in 2012, the average life expectancy is 82.9 years.

Life expectancy looks at the average length of life within populations. Lifespan, on the other hand, is the number of years a particular person lives. Thus, while the average 80-year-old alive today is predicted to live to 88.2, some individuals may have shorter or longer lifespans, depending on both environmental and genetic factors.

In fact, a study in mice published in Nature in 2013 found that genetic mutations inherited from ones mother can speed up the process of aging and may influence lifespan. While later studies have supported this finding, the mechanism explaining this correlation has yet to be uncovered.

Given this research, its worth pointing out that McCains mother is still living and is 104 years old.

Sebastian told us Ward didnt make a claim concerning the life expectancy of an 80-year-old male, but about the life expectancy of the American male in general. We agree; she didnt.

But in discussing the average American males life expectancy at birth, along with McCains age and longstanding position in the Senate, Ward misleadingly compared apples to oranges. The life expectancy of an 80-year-old American male, which is 88.2 years, is a better indicator of McCains lifespan than that of an American male born today.

Editors Note: SciCheck is made possible by a grant from the Stanton Foundation.
Police in Newton, Massachusetts, are looking for the suspects who vandalized an anti-Hillary Clinton sign outside a Chestnut Hill home over the weekend.

The crime was caught on surveillance video outside of Irwin Frankel's home on Heath Street early Saturday morning.

Police said the suspect slashed Frankel's 'Hillary for Prison' sign and then left their cell phone at the scene.

Frankel said this was the second time someone has vandalized the sign. In July, someone threw paint at it.

Frankel said others don't have to agree with his views, but said people shoudln't be vandalizing his signs.

Brookline Police are investigating both this weekend's incident as well as the incident from July.
Company's former chief executive speaks out

THE man at the helm during Vodafones meteoric rise has said the companys future should always lie in Newbury.

Former chief executive Sir Christopher Gent, was the main driving force behind Vodafone becoming, at one point, the largest company in Britain.

He ran the tech giants from 1997 to 2003, overseeing the companys overseas expansion, including the hostile takeover bid for German tech behemoth, Mannesmann, in 2000.

The 68-year-old was speaking after unveiling a blue plaque to commemorate the first UK mobile telephone call which was received in Newbury in 1985.

The event signalled the start of the massive growth the company would see over the following 20 years, first under original chief executive Sir Gerry Whent, and then under Sir Christopher.

The historic call was made from St Katharine Dock in London by comedian Ernie Wise to the Vodafone offices, then at 20-22 The Broadway (now Thames Court).

Sir Christopher, had only just joined the burgeoning communications firm as managing director of Vodafone Group Plc and has fond memories of his early days.

It was a very exciting time, said Sir Christopher. There was a whole group of young people all coming together under Gerrys leadership.

I dont think people did realise just how big it would become. We had analogue tech and there was a limited amount of frequency.

We estimated, by the end of the project, we would have one million subscribers; BT projected half as many. We all hopelessly under estimated it.

But by the time we had started going international we could see the enormous growth potential.

Vodafone has always been rooted in Newbury, although some concerns were raised that the company may look to move its HQ out of the UK following the vote to leave the EU.

But Sir Christopher said: Newbury has been Vodafones home from the beginning. The fact it is now a global enterprise  its part of the history.

For the first many years, until we built the new headquarters, all of the early employees lived in the town nearby.

I think the UK base of the company is very firmly based in the UK with the vast amount based in Newbury. Newbury has been a terrific place to develop.

Newbury always worked for us and Vodafone has done well for Newbury so its been a symbiotic relationship.

Sir Christopher, who still lives in the area, stepped down as Vodafone chairman in 2003 before becoming chairman of global pharmaceutical giants GlaxoSmithKline.

It was the right time for me to stand down, he said. And the business continues to flourish Im pleased to say.

I think Vittorio Colao (current CEO of Vodafone) is giving the company very good leadership  hes taking it into very new interesting tech areas, and thats what it has to do.
Cranston East no match for Portsmouth

With their 36-6 victory on Friday night, the Patriots clinched the top seed in their half of Division II.
One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021
An interdisciplinary team of researchers at KU Leuven (University of Leuven), Belgium, have developed a new way to evaluate whether a cancer radiation treatment is effective. Their technique uses gas-filled microbubbles and ultrasonic sound waves to determine whether the radiation beams have reached the target area. This makes it easier to limit or avoid damage to healthy tissue.

Radiotherapy is often used to treat cancer. A downside of the treatment is that the radiation beams damage healthy tissue as well. Various complex systems and methods already exist to target the tumour with as much precision as possible, but there is no remote method to check inside the body - in situ - whether the radiation beams have actually reached their target.

Professor Koen Van Den Abeele and his colleagues have now found a way to change that. Their new technique combines gas-filled microbubbles and sound waves to determine whether the radiotherapy has reached the targeted area. The microbubbles are about the size of a red blood cell and are injected into the bloodstream. Once inside the body, they bind to the tumour. Exposure to radiation makes the microbubbles stiffer. This local change in stiffness is what the researchers detect with ultrasonic sound waves.

Professor Van Den Abeele from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at KU Leuven Campus Kulak Kortrijk explains: "We send ultrasonic sound waves to the gas-filled microbubbles, which makes them vibrate at their natural frequency. We then measure the vibration of the microbubbles before and after the radiotherapy. If the radiation has reached the targeted area, the microbubbles will have become stiffer and thus vibrate at a higher frequency. The change in frequency and attenuation is a measure of the radiation dose."

Oncologists currently have to rely on computer simulations or measuring devices inside a tissue-like phantom or outside the body to check whether the radiotherapy will reach the right area in the right dose. The new measuring technique provides more accurate information based on the actual tumour and the surrounding tissue to help decide whether or not the treatment has to be adjusted.

Microbubbles are already being used as contrast agents for ultrasound-based medical imaging of tissue, organs, and bloodstreams for drug delivery and for gene transfer. This new technique is the first to use microbubbles for dosimetry in the fight against cancer.

The technique has already been tested in vitro and in mice. Further research is necessary before the technique can be translated to human beings as well.
New generation drug eluting stents (new DES) did not outshine contemporary bare metal stents (BMS) as they were expected to, in a surprise finding of the largest randomized stent trial to date.

The Norwegian Coronary Stent Trial (NorStent), presented at ESC Congress 2016, and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine, "demonstrates that the efficacy of new DES versus contemporary BMS is lower than expected," noted Kaare Harald Bonaa, MD, PhD, in a Hot Line session here.

"Patients treated with DES do not live longer and they do not live better than patients treated with BMS."

"Although ESC guidelines recommend new DES over BMS as default for coronary revascularization, this recommendation may need to be modified in light of the NorStent findings," he added. "Both stent types may be recommended."

With 9,013 patients and more than 40,000 patient years of follow-up, NorStent is an all-comers study in a usual care setting "and therefore has the potential to yield outcomes of great relevance to clinical practice," added Prof Bonaa from University of Tromso - The Arctic University of Norway, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim.

The multi-centre study included patients with stable angina pectoris (n=2636) or acute coronary syndromes (n=6377) who needed percutaneous coronary intervention.

Patients were randomized to receive either BMS or DES, with 83% of DES patients receiving everolimus-eluting stents and 12% receiving zotarolimus-eluting stents.

After 6 years of follow-up there was no significant difference between the DES and the BMS groups in the primary outcome of total mortality or nonfatal myocardial infarction (cumulative rate of 16.9% in the DES group vs 17.4% in the BMS group; HR 0.98), as well as secondary outcomes of unstable angina, or quality of life.

"As expected, the need for repeat revascularization was lowered by DES, but this effect was less than anticipated," noted Prof Bonaa. "The 6 year cumulative rate of repeat revascularization was 16.5 % in the DES group vs. 19.8 % in the BMS group - an absolute risk reduction of 3.3 %. On the basis of this analysis, 30 patients would need to be treated with new DES in order to prevent one repeat revascularization, as compared with contemporary BMS. This figure is 2-fold higher than previously reported."
More than one quarter of heart attack patients who are normally treated with stents to re-open their blocked arteries might be able to forgo this procedure and receive anti-thrombotic medications only, according to results of a pilot study.

Results of the EROSION (Effective Anti-thrombotic Therapy without Stenting: Intravascular OCT-based Management in Plaque Erosion) study, presented in a Hot Line session at ESC Congress 2016, and published simultaneously in The European Heart Journal, suggest "a potentially major change in the treatment of a significant number of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS)," said lead investigator Ik-Kyung Jang, MD, PhD, from Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA, USA.

"If this conservative approach without a metallic stent or polymer scaffold proves to be effective and safe, it may become a new treatment paradigm for over a quarter of patients with ACS, thereby abrogating stent-related early and late complications," he said.

Most (60%) cases of ACS are caused by plaque rupture, but plaque erosion is responsible for 25%-44% of cases, and has a distinctly different pathology that is amenable to anti-thrombotic therapy, said Dr. Jang.

The study used an intracoronary imaging technique called optical coherence tomography (OCT) to differentiate plaque erosion from plaque rupture among 405 ACS patients presenting at the emergency department and undergoing coronary angiography.

Plaque erosion was identified as the underlying pathology in 103 (25.4%) patients, of whom 60 had a residual diameter stenosis of less than 70% on angiogram, Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow grade of 3, and were stable without symptoms.

These patients were deemed suitable to receive anti-thrombotic medications alone without stent placement and were treated with dual antiplatelet therapy (aspirin and ticagrelor), as well as the addition of a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor in 63.6%.

At one month follow-up 47 of the 60 patients (78.3%) met the primary endpoint of the study which was a more than 50% reduction in the size of their clot, with 22 of these patients having no visible clot at all, reported Dr. Jang.

Overall, clot volume decreased from 3.7 to 0.2 mm3 and minimal flow area increased from 1.7 to 2.1 mm2.

One patient died of gastrointestinal bleeding while on DAPT and another one had no improvement in the stenotic artery at one month, with the decision to undergo percutaneous coronary intervention.

"Currently all patients with ACS are uniformly treated with stenting regardless of underlying pathology. This study, for the first time, demonstrates that patients with ACS caused by erosion may benefit from a tailored therapy with anti-thrombotic medications," said Dr. Jang. "If we can identify ACS patients with erosion without an invasive procedure, those patients may be triaged to a conservative therapy pathway instead of invasive catheterization and stent implantation."
With back-to-school season in full swing, imagine this: Your child orders lunch via computer and gets a little message saying he or she needs to add more nutritious food groups.

That combination helped some youngsters pick healthier meals, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences study shows.

Researchers caution that their findings are not generalizable -- given the small sample size -- but they say the methods give school lunch programs and parents potential tools to help children eat more nutritious meals at school.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 5 billion school lunches are served daily in the United States. Additionally, although 99.9 percent of American children aged 12 to 18 consume fruits and vegetables daily, less than 1 percent eat the federally recommended amount of those foods. So the UF study could show helpful, albeit early, findings.

In a published study in August issue of the Journal of Economic Psychology, UF researchers recruited 71 students to participate in the National School Lunch Program at a Florida public school.

Two groups of fifth- and sixth-grade students preordered their lunches via computer. One of those groups received messages - what researchers call "nudges" -- indicating they had not selected all five components of a healthy lunch. Those are meat or a meat alternative, grain, fruit, vegetable and low-fat milk.

The control group ordered their meals in the regular school lunch lines.

Researchers found the students in the group that received nudges chose 51 percent more fruits, 29.7 percent more vegetables and 37 percent more low-fat milk than the control group. The group that simply ordered online without nudges chose 27 percent more fruits, 15.8 percent more vegetables and 16.3 percent more low-fat milk than the control group.

The study did not examine actual food consumption.

The nudges come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPlate program. According to its website, www.choosemyplate.gov/, MyPlate reminds consumers to find their healthy eating style and build it throughout their lifetimes. According to the MyPlate website, this means:

Focus on variety, amount and nutrition.

Choose foods and beverages with less saturated fat, sodium and added sugars.

Start with small changes to build healthier eating styles.

Support healthy eating for everyone.

Jaclyn Kropp, a UF assistant professor of food and resource economics and the lead author on the study, emphasized researchers must further study the impact of nudges on school lunch selections.

"While more research is needed to determine the long-term effects of repeated nudging, there is evidence that low-cost nudges can encourage the selection of healthy items in the school lunchroom," Kropp said.
Airports penalized for late flights

From:Shanghai Daily | 2016-08-29 10:51

Due to their poor punctuality records, Shanghais two airports have been told they will be unable to apply to operate new, extra or charter flights for the next two months, Chinas civil aviation regulator announced over the weekend.



Pudong International Airport consistently failed to meet the flight punctuality standard between March and July, and Hongqiao International Airport performed poorly in June and July, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Nanjing Lukou and Hangzhou Xiaoshan international airports have also been reprimanded for their poor performance.

According to aviation regulations, domestic airports with annual passenger volume of over 30 million must maintain a punctuality rate of above 50 percent.

Pudong airport is the worst performer among the major airports, having a punctuality rate of just 38 percent in July.

Hongqiao airport ranks third from last with 44 percent last month, according to flight monitoring service provider Veryzhun.com.

The punctuality rates of both airports lagged behind Beijing (50 percent) and Guangzhou (58 percent) airports, which have similar passenger turnovers.

The airports normal privileges will be restored only after they can raise their punctuality rates above 50 percent for two consecutive months, according to officials.

Air traffic congestion, weather and poor management are the top three reasons for flights being delayed and cancelled, said the administration.
The results of a study conducted by Dr. Francine Ducharme, Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Montreal, published in the medical journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, confirm that respiratory viral detection, not child's age, explains the high rate of hospitalization for asthma attacks in children under six.

The management of asthma attacks in preschoolers has been the subject of much recent debate. The results of a study published in 2009 had shaken the pediatric world. The study reported that preschool children with viral-triggered flare-ups did not respond to standard treatment and, suggesting that this was due to their young age. Such finding was particularly worrisome as the majority of asthma-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations involve preschool children.

However, the results of Dr. Ducharme and her team show that age does not come into play. Independently of attack severity and symptoms between attacks, it is rather the presence of respiratory viral infection or fever triggering the attack that is more often associated with treatment failure, i.e., higher hospitalization rates, more returns to the emergency room, and reduced speed of recovery over the 10 days after discharge. Viral detection occurred more frequently in preschoolers (67%) than in older children (46%) with asthma. Still, the results confirm the overall effectiveness of standard treatment, when adjusted to the severity of the attack assessed by the PRAM score and administered early, in the vast majority of children, regardless of age and viral detection.

"With the new school upon us and September being the busiest month of the year for emergency room visits for asthma attacks, the good news for parents is that standard treatment works well for the majority of children, regardless of their age," said Dr. Ducharme, who is also Director of Clinical Research and Knowledge Translation at the Research Institute and Director of the Asthma Clinic of the Sainte-Justine University Health Centre.

The results of the study now open the door for exploring the best ways to prevent asthma attacks caused by viral infection in young children with asthma.
New research published by the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring confirms the connection between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and cognitive impairment - in this case, among those who helped with search, rescue and cleanup efforts following the 2001 World Trade Center (WTC) attacks.

"To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the association of PTSD and major depressive disorder (MDD) with cognitive impairment in a large group of civilian World Trade Center responders without head injury," said Sean A. Clouston, Ph.D., first author on the article.

"Cognitive impairment among World Trade Center responders: Long-term implications of re-experiencing the 9/11 terrorist attacks," by Sean A. Clouston, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Program in Public Health, Health Science Center, Stony Brook University and colleagues, was published online as an article in-press by the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring.

In the study population of more than 800 WTC responders:

Approximately 12.8% (104) had scores indicative of cognitive impairment (CI) and 1.2% (10) had scores suggesting possible dementia.

Current PTSD and MDD were associated with CI.

Re-experiencing symptoms (e.g., flashbacks, nightmares) was consistently associated with CI.

Since 2002, more than 33,000 responders have enrolled in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-sponsored WTC Health Program. According to the authors of this new study, if the findings from their group are representative of actual prevalence of CI in the full cohort, results may translate into 3,740-5,300 individuals with CI and 240-810 individuals with dementia.

"These numbers are staggering, considering that the average age of responders was 53 during this study," Clouston said.

"If our results are replicable, doctors need to be aware of the impact of cognitive impairment among individuals who have experienced traumatic events leading to PTSD. For example, cognitive impairment can compound the course of PTSD and depression, impairing the person beyond the impact of PTSD itself," said Clouston. Cognitive impairment and dementia can reduce a person's ability to properly take their medicine, make and attend their appointments, and other important aspects of managing chronic disease.

"This is a problem we must solve," said Maria Carrillo, Ph.D., Alzheimer's Association chief science officer. "The silver lining in these troubling new findings is that they will help us better understand the relationship between PTSD, cognition and dementia. More research is needed in this area. This is crucial so that we can provide better care for all individuals who experience PTSD."

PTSD has been previously linked to cognitive impairment in veterans. A large study of veterans found that PTSD was associated with a two-fold increase in the risk of incident dementia. (Yaffe, et al. Posttraumatic stress disorder and risk of dementia among US veterans. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2010.

More About The Study

During the World Trade Center attacks, responders who helped in search, rescue, and recovery endured an array of traumatic and toxic exposures. According to the study authors, one-fifth of these individuals subsequently developed PTSD. In July 2002, the CDC initiated a monitoring and treatment program for WTC responders, spanning five clinical centers. Since then, more than 33,000 responders have enrolled in the WTC Health Program. Stony Brook University (SBU) runs the second largest clinical center, monitoring more than 8,000 responders residing on Long Island, NY.

For this study, trained clinicians screened 818 responders for CI and dementia during monitoring visits at SBU clinics from January 2014 to April 2015. 89.8% completed the screening. On average, SBU responders were 52.8 years old when this sample was taken. Trained clinicians administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), which consists of multiple short-form tests of reasoning, concentration, problem solving, and memory. Trained psychologists diagnosed both PTSD and MDD.

Additional study findings suggest that:

Responders with CI had lower education, non-law enforcement occupations (such as construction or utility workers), older age, and were more likely to be current smokers than those without CI.

For re-experiencing symptoms, longitudinal analyses suggest consistent associations with CI beginning as early as 2002. Notable, baseline severity of re-experiencing symptoms predicted later diagnoses of PTSD and MDD.

Current PTSD and current MDD remained significantly associated with CI after adjusting for education, occupation, trauma severity, smoking status, hazardous drinking, obesity, hypertension, diabetes and respiratory disease.

Clouston pointed out that, "Our results support research noting the importance of re-experiencing symptoms as an early marker of mental pathology." Re-experiencing symptoms occurs when individuals react physically and emotionally to memories of past trauma that intrude during daily activities and while asleep. Sleep disturbances are fundamental to PTSD and also have been linked to cognitive decline and dementia.

There are some important limitations to the study acknowledged by the authors.

The results require validation using comprehensive batteries of cognition and diagnostic evaluations by a trained clinician to diagnose the cause(s) of cognitive impairment in this population.

These results are limited to study participants who were selected for screening, and, as such, this study does not inform us about the relative risk of other people with similar occupational exposures.

Although no significant association was found in this study linking head injuries and cognitive impairment, future research should explore whether prior head injury may modify the relationship between PTSD and cognitive impairment.
When the damaged nerves in Anthony Newberry's foot healed incorrectly after a workplace accident, it left him feeling "like my foot was exploding for hours at a time," he says. Unable to work or walk, the 38-year-old Millington, Illinois, construction worker became depressed, dependent upon pain medication and seriously considering suicide.

Within a minute of beginning a new treatment at Rush University Medical Center, Newberry's searing pain was reduced to a slight tingle.

"My life has come back tenfold," he says. "I can go back to work, I can play with my kids. It's given me hope and is the greatest thing anyone can ever ask for."

Newberry's injury had left him with complex regional pain syndrome, or CRPS, a debilitating condition that can develop when nerves damaged in a trauma or surgery heal improperly, causing them to send nearly constant pain signals to a person's shoulder, feet or hands. He was treated with a surgically implanted electronic device, called the Axium Neurostimulator System, that interferes with these pain signals.

His doctor, Timothy Lubenow, MD, medical director of the Rush Pain Center, was the first physician in the country to offer the treatment, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved for the treatment of CPRS in the lower limbs of adults in February. Lubenow, a professor in Rush Medical College's Department of Anesthesiology, has provided the treatment for 26 patients to date. Asokumar Buvanendran, MD, director of orthopedic anesthesia and a professor of anesthesiology at Rush, has implanted five more of the devices.

More precisely targeting and blocking pain

For more than 40 years, physicians have been treating chronic pain by implanting small devices, called spinal cord stimulators, that send low-intensity electrical pulses to the spinal cord through a series of wires positioned along the vertebrae. These pulses travel faster than the pain signals the human nervous system sends to the brain, essentially tricking the brain into producing a tingling sensation rather than the sensation of pain.

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Unfortunately, spinal cord stimulation has provided only moderate pain relief for about half the patients who receive it. When researchers used the Axium Neurostimulator System to send those electrical pulses directly to bundles of nerves immediately adjacent to the spinal cord  the dorsal root ganglia  in a clinical trial, 93 percent of participants reported that their level of pain was reduced by at least 50 percent. Even better, 70 percent of participants reported 80 percent pain relief.

The dorsal root ganglia are densely populated with sensory nerves and relay pain signals to and from specific areas of the body, thus allowing doctors to more precisely and effectively target and block pain. The system is implanted during a surgical procedure while the patient is under general anesthetic and activated remotely after the patient regains consciousness.

'The most remarkable advance in alleviating chronic pain'

Like Newberry, other patients who have suffered from untreatable CRPS for an extended time have experienced immediate improvement with this treatment. One of Lubenow's first patients to receive DRG stimulation treatment was a woman in her mid-40s whose chronic lower leg pain had confined her most days to a wheelchair.

"Four hours after the DRG stimulator was turned on, she was able to walk out of Rush," Lubenow says. "She is overjoyed."

He shares his patients' euphoria: "This has been the most remarkable advance in alleviating chronic pain that I have seen in 30 years."
A boy stands on rubble as people try to put out a fire after what activists said were airstrikes followed by shelling by forces loyal to Syrias President Bashar al-Assad in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus, February 9, 2015. REUTERS/ Mohammed Badra

The long, exhausting, and inhumanly cruel civil war in Syria has taken a toll on all its citizens. The Syrian conflict is one of the worst humanitarian crises the world has seen. With millions dead and million of other seeking refuge in neighboring countries, Syrias population has been affected like none other.

What started as an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011, has now turned into a civil war that has killed more than 280,000 people and turned more than 4.3 million others into refugees, in the course of 5 years.

In war-torn regions, it is always the innocents who are the worst affected, and Syrias children are no different. According to the UNICEF, around 8.4 million children (more than 80% of Syrias child population) are now affected by the conflict.

The Syrian children are safe nowhere. Whether it is school, or the roads, or their homes, or on the way to seek refuge, weve seen countless examples of how life has been inhumanly unfair to them.

An injured boy reacts in a field hospital after what activists said were air strikes by forces loyal to Syrias President Bashar al-Assad in the Douma neighbourhood of Damascus March 13, 2015. REUTERS/Mohammed Badra

Girls who survived what activists said was a ground-to-ground missile attack by forces of Syrias President Bashar al-Assad, hold hands at Aleppos Bab al-Hadeed district April 7, 2015. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail

A medic carries an injured girl that survived under debris from what activists said was barrel bombs dropped by forces loyal to Syrias President Bashar Al-Assad in Douma, eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, Syria August 22, 2015. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh

A boy runs as he rushes away from a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes by forces loyal to Syrias President Bashar al-Assad in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus, Syria August 24, 2015. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh

A boy looks on while residents inspect a damaged building in the rebel held besieged city of Douma, a suburb of Damascus, Syria February 27, 2016. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh

According to a UNICEF report, nearly 1,500 verified cases of grave violations against children, took place in the country in 2015 of which more than 60% were instances of killing and maiming as a result of explosive weapons used in populated areas. What even hurts more is the fact that more than a third of these children were killed while in school or on their way to or from school.

Ghazal, 4, (L) and Judy, 7, carrying 8-month-old Suhair, react after what activists said was shelling by forces loyal to Syrias President Bashar al-Assad near the Syrian Arab Red Crescent center in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus May 6, 2015. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh

A man holds a girl, who survived what activists said was heavy shelling by forces loyal to Syrias President Bashar al-Assad in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus June 16, 2015. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh

A boy leans on a wooden board inside a damaged house in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus November 5, 2015. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh

A girl, who was injured by what activists said was shelling by forces loyal to Syrias President Bashar al-Assad, stands at the entrance of her house in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus, Syria November 22, 2015. Picture taken November 22, 2015. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh

An injured child sits inside a field hospital, after what activists said was shelling by forces loyal to Syrias President Bashar al-Assad, in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus, Syria November 29, 2015. Douma in Syria, an area controlled by rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad, has been shelled continuously for the past three years. The injured are taken to basements and shelters transformed into field hospitals run by medical staff who have stayed in the battered neighbourhood of Damascus. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh

An injured boy who is undergoing surgery, after he was injured in what activists said was an airstrike by forces loyal to Syrias president Bashar al-Assad, rests inside a field hospital in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus, Syria December 5, 2015. Douma in Syria, an area controlled by rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad, has been shelled continuously for the past three years. The injured are taken to basements and shelters transformed into field hospitals run by medical staff who have stayed in the battered neighbourhood of Damascus. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh

A boy, who was evacuated with others from two rebel-besieged towns of Foua and Kefraya in the northwestern province of Idlib, is seen standing inside a hospital that was struck by an explosion on the outskirts of the Sayeda Zeinab district south of Damascus, Syria, April 25, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki

A boy, whose brother was killed, reacts at a site hit by airstrikes in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan town in Idlib province, Syria June 2, 2016. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

A man carries an injured girl after an airstrike on Aleppos rebel held Kadi Askar area, Syria July 8, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail

An injured boy waits inside a field hospital after what activists said were airstrikes and shelling by forces loyal to Syrias President Bashar al-Assad in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus April 22, 2015. REUTERS/Mohammed Badra

An injured boy receives medical treatment in a field hospital after what activists said were air strikes and shelling by forces loyal to Syrias President Bashar al-Assad in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus April 22, 2015. REUTERS/Mohammed Badra

A man carries an injured child in a site damaged from what activists said was shelling by forces loyal to Syrias President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria December 30, 2015. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh

A girl carrying a baby inspects damage in a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria January 10, 2016. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh

A boy reacts in a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria January 10, 2016. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh

A child carries a school bag near damaged buildings in Harasta, in the eastern Damascus suburb of Ghouta, Syria January 30, 2016. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh

Gharam, 5, an orphan, attends a gathering organized by Damascus Lovers, a group that helps with social support for orphans, in Harasta, in the eastern Damascus suburb of Ghouta, Syria January 30, 2016. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh

A girl asks a passerby for help to pay a medical bill as her father sits in his wheelchair in the Douma neighbourhood of Damascus Syria February 3, 2016. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh

Internally displaced Syrians stand inside their makeshift shelter that is an underground cave in Om al-Seer, southern Idlib countryside, Syria December 26, 2015. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

A boy wearing slippers stands outside tents housing internally displaced people during the cold weather in Jerjnaz camp, in Idlib province, Syria, January 5, 2016. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

Five-year old Sheima, who lost both eyes when hit by a stray bullet in Syria, sits on her hospital bed in a small clinic near the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern city of Kilis, Turkey February 9, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal

A boy reacts after being wounded following what activists said were three consecutive air strikes carried out by the Russian air force, the last which hit an ambulance, at a field hospital in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan town in Idlib province, Syria January 12, 2016. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

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(Photo: AP/Man Kaur, 100, of India, holds the gold medals she won in shot put and javelin events before competing in the 100-meter track and field event at the Americas Masters Games in Vancouver.)

(Photo: AP/Man Kaur, 100, of India, competes in the 100-meter track and field event.)

(Photo: AP/Man Kaur is helped by her son Gurdev Singh, 78, as she takes a drink of water after competing in the 100-meter track and field event)

It was indeed a proud moment for India when 100-year-old Man Kaur won a gold medal on Monday at the American Masters Games.The centenarian needed almost a minute-and-a-half to cross the finish line in the 100-meter dash, but she still picked up a gold medal. That's because Kaur was the only female competitor in her age category at the competition for older athletes.When she crossed the finish line in Vancouver, her competitors  many of them in their 70s and 80s  were there to cheer her on.Kaur, who finished the sprint in one minute and twenty-one seconds, raised her hands and smiled as she finished her race.The unique international event, which is organised for athletes over the age of 30, saw several participants. And when Kaur joined in, athletes felt inspired by her energy and drive to compete.Charmaine Crooks, a five-time Olympian who won a silver medal for Canada in the women's 4x400-meter relay in 1984, serves as an athlete ambassador for the Masters Games. She praised Kaur's "dynamic spirit.""I know that it's inspired me. Hey, I've got almost 50 more years to go, right?" Crooks said. "She's inspiring everyone, young and old."Kaur's son Gurudev Singh, 78, who was also competing in the event, was quoted telling Associated Press that whenever she wins, she returns to India and tells everybody about the medals she won in different countries. "Winning makes her happy," said he.He added that his mother started running at the age of 93 after he encouraged her to do so. And ever since, she has been motivating older women to take up running.Kaur has now won more than 20 medals in Masters Games across the globe. While practicing in her home of Chandigarh, she goes out every evening to run five or 10 short distances, said Singh.The World Masters Games take place every four years, with regional games in between.With input from Associated Press
New Delhi: British national Christian Michel, middleman in the AgustaWestland scam, wrote a letter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Delhi and expressed his willingness to join the probe.



In a letter to CBI on August 25, an English law firm representing him said Michel is ready for a meeting with probe agencies (on AgustaWestland scam) at the Indian consulate in Dubai and not in India.



The firm also requested that CBI should withdraw pending red corner notice against him and he must be allowed to keep a video recording of the interrogation.



Claiming to be innocent, he said he might have some information which could enable the Indian authorities to progress with their probe into the scandal.



Michel, against whom there exists a non-bailable warrant, said he is reluctant to come to India for the proposed questioning as he fears that "a long period of time might elapse", between his questioning here and withdrawal of criminal charges or conclusion of criminal trial, during which he will be detained against his wish.



"Michel vigorously denies having been involved in any wrongdoing relating to this matter -- and in particular, we are instructed that he denies making or facilitating any corrupt payments to inducements relating to this matter," the letter read.



The British national has also claimed that he has not received any communication from the Indian authority regarding the charge sheet against him in court and the issuance of non- bailable warrant.



Subject to certain conditions, Michel has offered to return to India not less than 7 days before the scheduled start of any criminal trial against him and attend every court hearing which he might be required to attend "until his innocence or guilt has been established".



The conditions for the same are that within two days of the meeting with investigators in Dubai or through video conference, they shall ask Interpol to withdraw the Red Corner Notice against him as long as he sticks to his promise of appearing in court.







He also wants that no authority shall arrest or otherwise detain him in relation to this matter until he is found guilty and subsequently sentenced.



Michel had allegedly played a key role in swinging the Rs 3,727-crore deal for AgustaWestland to supply 12 VVIP choppers to India in 2010.



AgustaWestland, a subsidiary of Italian defence giant Finmeccanica, allegedly paid more than Rs 370 crore as kickbacks to secure the deal.





(With PTI inputs)
It should be clear to everyone that power to be a real champion comes from having cow's ghee not by having beef  Swami Ramdev (@yogrishiramdev) August 29, 2016

Usain bolt of Jamaica was poor and trainer advised him to eat beef both the times and he scored 9 gold medals in Olympic  Dr. Udit Raj, MP (@Dr_Uditraj) August 28, 2016

Countering Bharatiya Janata Party MP Udit Raj's remark that beef helped Usain Bolt to win nine gold medals in Olympics, yoga teacher Ramdev on Monday said that ghee (clarified butter) makes champion and not cow meat.He asserted that the power to be a real champion comes from having cow's ghee not by eating beef."It should be clear to everyone that power to be a real champion comes from having cow's ghee not by having beef," Ramdev said.Ramdev's statement came after the BJP MP said that there should not be any problem in eating beef for the Indian athletes. We need gold medals. BJP never opposed it (beef)," he had said.On August 28, Raj tweeted, "Usain Bolt of Jamaica was poor and trainer advised him to eat beef both the times and he scored nine gold medals in Olympic."On the context of his twitter post may upset some of the party leaders, Raj had said, "Why would BJP leaders will get angry? Why would it create controversy? No controversy it in. BJPs Line has never been to stop anyone from anything."Ramdev who advocates vegetarianism runs a consumer brand called Patanjali across the globe.
New Delhi: Celebrities endorsing misleading advertisements can be jailed for up to five years and face a fine of Rs 50 lakh under a new draft law, which will be taken up by a group of ministers on Tuesday.



The Centre in August 2015 had introduced the Consumer Protection Bill 2015, in Lok Sabha, to repeal the 30-year-old Consumer Protection Act. A Parliamentary Standing Committee submitted its recommendations in April.



After studying the panel's report, the Consumer Affairs Ministry has accepted some key recommendations such as provisions for fixing liability on celebrities and stringent punishment for adulteration, among others.



According to sources, the Department of Consumer Affairs has received comments from other ministries on the draft law.



Almost all the ministries are in agreement on the proposed provision to impose hefty penalty and imprisonment to celebrities endorsing misleading advertisements as well as those involved in adulteration, they added.



A group of ministers, headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to discuss the changes proposed by the Consumer Affairs Ministry in the draft law before placing it for the Cabinet approval.



Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Heath Minister JP Nadda, Power Minister Piyush Goyal, Transport Minister Nitin Gakari and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman are also part of the informal GoM.



According to sources, the ministry has proposed stringent provisions to tackle misleading advertisements as well as to fix liability on endorsers/celebrities.



"For the first time offence, a fine of Rs 10 lakh and jail term of up to two years, while for second and subsequent offenses, a fine of Rs 50 lakh and imprisonment of five years has been proposed for brand ambassadors," a source said.



The ministry has proposed similar penalty and jail term for adulteration, besides license suspension and cancellation.



The ministry has also accepted the panel's recommendation to include 'deficiency in services' in product liability.



It has agreed to provide an enabling provision to make rules to regulate e-commerce and direct selling.



It also seeks to remove overlap of powers of Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) and the Consumer Fora. An investigating wing will be set up at CCPA, while limiting the role of a district collector to support CCPA in investigation.



It has also removed a provision for penalty on consumers for frivolous complaints.
Pune: Nepal government is understood to have put a 10-year-long entry ban on Pune-based police couple, who had allegedly made false claim about scaling the Mount Everest, a senior police official said on Monday.



He, however, added that they were yet to receive a report from the Nepal government in this regard.



"We have learnt unofficially from the Nepal government that the couple - Dinesh Rathod and his wife Tarkeshwari, has been banned from entering their country for 10 years. However, we have still not received any official report from their side," the official said.



Once the neighbouring country sends its report, necessary action will be taken against the duo, he said.



"Ever since the controversy over their expedition erupted, the couple has not reported to the office and remained untraceable," the official said.



Rathods, posted at the Shivajinagar headquarters of Pune city police, had claimed on June 5 that they have become the first Indian couple to scale the Everest on May 23.



However, a group of mountaineers from the city approached the police and alleged that couple was never at the summit and also alleged that they had faked their expedition by morphing photographs of themselves at the peak.



Following the complaint, city police chief Rashmi Shukla had ordered an inquiry into the allegations and city police had also written to the Nepal government to investigate the claims of the couple.



Surendra Shelke, one of the complainants and secretary of a city-based mountaineering association, had alleged that the couple had morphed the pictures and there were several discrepancies in the version they have given about the summit, which can prove the "falseness and fakeness" of their "tall claims".
New Delhi: A 3-year-old girl was allegedly raped and beaten up by her relative when her parents had gone out for some work in southeast Delhi's Govindpuri area, police said on Tuesday.



The injured toddler was rushed to a hospital where doctors called the police in the wee hours on Tuesday.



The 25-year-old accused lived in a rented accommodation close to victim's residence and regularly visited her as she was fond of playing with him, the parents told the police.



The parents had asked the accused to babysit the girl as they were going out for some work. When they returned to pick her up from his residence they found her to be bleeding and without clothes, police said.



They immediately took her to a nearby hospital and police was called around 2 AM.



The accused was later arrested by police which had made several raids to catch him, an officer said.



A case has been registered under Section 376 (rape) of the IPC and relevant provisions of POCSO Act, he said.
: Solicitor General of India Ranjit Kumar advised the Centre that controversial Muslim preacher Zakir Naik should be gagged and his Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) should be booked under the anti-terrorism acts, according to documents accessed by CNN News18 on Tuesday.Kumar has termed Zakir Naik's ideology as divisive, and against India's pluralistic, secular and social fabric, adding that IRF should be declared as an unlawful organization.After his alleged hate speeches made headlines across India, the Centre had sought their opinion on the Solicitor General (SG) of India.In his reply, the SG has advised the Centre to charge Zakir Naik and IRF with terrorism , adding further that the Zakir Naik's statements constitute incitement and his speeches promote enmity and hatred between religious groups, with a conscious intention on Naik's part.The letter has added that Naiks speeches have inspired and incited terrorists and could radicalize young minds, and a case of hate speech should be made out against him.According to top sources, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is now contemplating to book Zakir Naik under anti-terror law.Also read: Zakir Naik Under Scanner, His Organisation is Linked to JuD Website
In the coming weeks, four major film festivals (Venice, Deauville, Toronto and New York) will open their doors revealing their pick of movies for 2016. Certain films have even secured screenings at more than one of the events. Could these be the latest hot tips for Oscar nomination?American director Damien Chazelle knows the score.



In 2014, his movie Whiplash was crowned at Sundance, Deauville, Cannes and Toronto, before being nominated for the "Best Picture" Oscar. The director is back in force his year with La La Land a tale of romance between a jazz pianist and an aspiring actress, played by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. The romantic comedy has been picked to open the 73rd Venice International Film Festival, August 31, and will be screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (September 8-18) before its US release, December 16.



The two international film festivals have another thing in common: both are set to close with Antoine Fuqua's The Magnificent Seven. The western, starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke, will be unveiled to the public a few days later, with US release slated for September 23.



After scoring success at Venice in 2009 with "A Single Man," Tom Ford is heading back to Italy for the 2016 edition of the world's oldest film festival, August 31 to September 10. The director will present "Nocturnal Animals," a thriller starring Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal, which could be in the running for an Oscar. In the meantime, the former fashion designer's second film will also be screened at the Toronto festival, ahead of its appearance in US cinemas starting November 18 (limited).



Other feature films destined to shine at the upcoming round of festivals include the Jackie Kennedy biopic, "Jackie," starring Natalie Portman -- picked to compete at Venice and Toronto -- as well as "Arrival," Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi film with Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner -- also being presented in Italy and Canada -- and "Manchester by the Sea," starring Casey Affleck.



After making waves at Sundance at the start of the year, this movie is heading to Toronto and the New York Film Festival (September 30 to October 16), before its US release November 18. "Certain Women," a drama with Michelle Williams and Kristen Stewart, will follow a similar route, making an extra stop at the Deauville American Film Festival in France (September 2-11).


Pitching for a dialogue with separatists to end the ongoing unrest in Kashmir, Opposition Congress said it had asked both the central and the state governments to identify the relevant non-mainstream parties and stakeholders in the Valley for the talks.



"We have said both inside the House (Parliament) and in all-party meeting, which was presided over by Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and which we attended as an Opposition, that he should hold an all-party meeting," Congress general secretary and Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters.



"We had also said that the process of dialogue should be initiated as soon as possible if they want the things to improve on ground. And for that it is important we do not confine our dialogue only to mainstream political parties," he added.



Azad said the government must identify important and relevant non-mainstream parties in Kashmir to have a dialogue with them to improve the situation in the Valley. "It is the non-mainstream political parties, not only in our state but across the country, they do not have normally any representatives in the assemblies and Parliament. So we need to talk besides mainstream political parties, (to) other non-mainstream political parties and all other stakeholders," Azad said.



The Congress leader also said that the role of Pakistan in Kashmir had always been negative. "It is not the first time that the role of Pakistan has been negative. It is right since the Partition of India, it started from October 1947 even when I was not born and there has always been a role of Pakistan and that role has been negative," he said.



"I would like to say that whatever was done in the Parliament and whatever is being done after the session, these were only all the recommendations of the Opposition," said Azad. He said that from discussions in the Parliament to an all-party meeting, everything was made possible by the initiatives of the Opposition.



"An all-party delegation visiting Kashmir, this was also accepted on the demand made by the opposition, all of us, in the Rajya Sabha. So far whatever has happened in the Parliament and outside the Parliament seems to be all demands made by the Opposition. I do not see a single initiative which is taken by the government," Azad said. He said the situation would have improved in Kashmir much before had the Centre accepted the Opposition's demand to start some dialogue process.
New Delhi: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of derailing the government's development work.



Sisodia reacted after Lt Governor Najeeb Jung suddenly transferred Delhi's Health Secretary Tarun Seem and Public Work Department (PWD) Secretary Sarvagya Srivastava on Tuesday.



The transferred officials were involved in increasing the 'Mohalla Clinics' across the city as well as boosting the number of classrooms in government schools.



Sisodia said: "Modi is derailing Delhi government's development work in the health and education sector by transferring Delhi government's health and PWD secretaries through LG."



Sisodia said in future Modi should be held responsible for any delay in the working of the clinics and schools.



He termed the move "a conspiracy to derail" the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) good work.



He said: "I came to know, from reliable sources, that Modi, himself called up the LG and asked him to make the transfers."



Sisodia said that as Tarun Seem had a medical background and Sarvagya Srivastava was an engineer so they were performing well in their respective departments.



In fact after rumours had surfaced about possible transfers Sisodia claimed he had personally requested the LG to retain them
Will be in Amethi from 31st Aug-2nd Sept. Looking forward to meeting everyone!  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) August 30, 2016

No big rallies, no lengthy speeches, more one-on-ones, interactions with small groups, meetings with youth and women and farmers: This is what election strategist Prashant Kishor has prescribed for Rahul Gandhi's mahayatra in Uttar Pradesh.The Congress Vice President will hit the road on September 6 at Deoria in the east and travel through 39 districts of the state, covering 2,500 km in the nearly month-long exercise. The focus groups, according to Kishor's strategy, are women, Brahmins and farmers.Last time during the Lok Sabha polls, Rahul had addressed several rallies, and though he worked aggressively, the performance of his party was not bright. After stock-taking exercises and several surveys the party felt that Rahul's strength lay not in oratory but in informal smaller interactions.And this is what the Congress Vice President will do. But he is also likely to stay in the state for over long periods rather than dashing in and out of Delhi.Rahul is reaching Amethi on Wednesday for a three-day visit to his Amethi parliamentary constituency. "Will be in Amethi from 31st Aug-2nd Sept. Looking forward to meeting everyone!," he tweeted.The next day, he is scheduled to meet people at Munshiganj guest house and address a public meeting in Jafarganj in Jagdishpur Assembly constituency. On September 2, he will attend a meeting of district vigilance and monitoring committee before returning to Delhi.
: Hours after NCP president Sharad Pawar accused Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of "terrorising" Muslim youth, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis came out in support of Agesncy on Tuesday."Whatever Sharad Pawar has spoken against the ATS is based on incorrect briefing. So we have decided to send him the correct facts (about recent arrest of suspected ISIS sympathisers). We believe that terrorism has no connection with religion," Fadnavis said."The ATS is doing a good job and every political party should back it in the interest of national security....such allegations against the ATS are baseless," he added.Fadnavis, who himself handles the home portfolio, stated that ATS had arrested four youths from Parbhani and seized IEDs from them.Also Read: Anti-Terrorism Squad Detaining Minority Youths Illegally: Sharad Pawar Adding further, Fadnavis said that ATS had questioned 30 other youths, but they were let off because they were innocent."No youth has been detained illegally. Religious preachers from the minority community too have supported our effort to de-radicalise the youth," the Chief Minister said, adding that in some cases parents themselves contacted police saying their children were doing something wrong, and ATS counselled such youths.ATS had also successfully brought back some youths who had travelled abroad, misguided by the ISIS, Fadnavis noted.Earlier in the day, Pawar had accused the Maharashtra ATS of "terrorising" the Muslim youth "on mere suspicion of being associated with outfits like ISIS".It sparked criticism from the BJP as well as the AIMIM that he was taking an opportunistic stand.Pawar had claimed that there were several instances, especially in Marathwada, where youths were picked up by the investigation agency on suspicion and detained illegally.
Within just 8 months of operations in India, LeEco the global internet technology conglomerate announced the launch of its first state-of-the-art smartphone manufacturing facility in Greater Noida, India. This swift alignment with the Governments Make in India initiative is a reaffirmation of LeEcos commitment to India and its long-term plans for the country.



The facility has been set up at a significant investment of 5 million USD and a further 2 million USD has been earmarked for the automation process. The technology giant has collaborated with leading electronics manufacturer Compal Electronics to set up this facility in the country. The ceremonial lamp lighting to signify the official launch of plant operations was commenced by The Honble Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology and Law & Justice, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad in the presence of Atul Jain, COO of Smart Electronics Business for LeEco India.



At the Inauguration, the minister said, With the objective of making India the manufacturing hub for electronics, the Indian Government has undertaken various initiatives to create a conducive businesses environment. As the market size for electronics is expected to grow to US$400 billion by 2020, it is imperative to promote indigenous manufacturing. LeEco is a name of global reputation and it is heartening to see it align with Make in India just after entering India eight months earlier. We laud their efforts of training local talents and building a center of R&D excellence in the country.



Based in Greater Noida, the facility is spread over an area of 200,000 sq. feet and has a capacity of producing close to 60,000 phones per month initially. LeEco plans to rapidly ramp up the production to approximately 200,000 Superphones per month by the end of 2016. This facility will now ensure that users get the same quality of products manufactured locally at better price. LeEco is already employing close to 200 skilled employees at the facility and as it scales up manufacturing, it plans to ramp up this number significantly. This initiative will be key to fostering innovation, protecting intellectual property and enhancing skill development.



Along with this major development, LeEco also announced another milestone in its India journey  crossing the 1 million sales volume for smartphones in India. LeEco has a strong portfolio of Superphones in India, several of which have been flagship killers and outperformed other established brands in the same segment. This is also a testimony to the strong bonds that LeEco has created and nurtured with Indian consumers.



Tin Mok, Vice President of Le Holdings and CEO of LeEco Asia Pacific said, India is top priority in LeEcos global expansion roadmap. Our investments here  be it our manufacturing plant or our R&D centre that will train hundreds of local talents - all demonstrate that we are here for the long haul. Our ultimate objective is to offer our users more and more locally manufactured products that are customised to Indian consumers needs. We have a strong R&D team in India and plan to add over 1,000 engineers to it by the next year, which we intend to leverage for designing and developing products that resonate even better with our users here and also in overseas markets.



Present at the momentous occasion, Atul Jain, COO of Smart Electronics Business at LeEco India said, This indeed is a historic moment for us as we translate our intent of aligning with the Governments Make in India initiative with investment and other commitments. We are proud to have established our local manufacturing facility within 8 months of entering the country, which is well ahead of schedule. Also, the 1 million milestone marks our strong mobile phone presence in the Indian market and we hope to continue catering to the growing demand of users with our locally produced Superphones. We would also like to thank our consumers on this occasion for their constant feedback and support which has helped us in no small measure to grow at this scorching pace in India.



LeEco entered the Indian market in January 2016 and took it by storm. The company has launched five Superphones, its LeEco membership of content and internet services, its e-commerce platform LeMall and most recently its SuperTVs  the Super3 Series. The Superphones have made an enormous dent in the market and the 1 million milestone speaks for their growing popularity. To celebrate this occasion, LeEco will be offering highly attractive Le Million Joy package for Indian users from August 30 to September 1st, available both on LeMall and Flipkart.
Washington: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has tweeted a video accusing his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton of "so many lies" about her use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state.



The minute-long video shows Clinton making various statements, all of which are rebutted by text below, even as an animated face of the Democratic nominee steadily keeps growing a longer nose.



"I did not email any classified material to anyone on my email. There is no classified material," Clinton is quoted as saying in the video.



"She did [and] there is," the text at the bottom of the video screen reads.



"I am confident that I never sent nor received any information that was classified," Clinton says, while the text notes: "she did."



"I had not sent classified material, nor received anything marked classified," she adds in a third segment, again appearing above the phrase "she did." The minute-long video concludes with the FBI Director James Comey detailing how Clinton used her private email server while at the State Department.



"110 emails in 52 email chains have been determined by the owning agency to contain classified information. Seven email chains contain matters that were classified at the top secret special access program at the time they were sent and received," he says.



Later in the day, the Trump campaign released a new television ad entitled "Two Americas: Economy".



The ad, his campaign said, contrasts Clinton's "failed, more of the same economic policies" with Trump's "pro-growth" economic proposals.



This ad will run on broadcast and cable in Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida, New Hampshire, Iowa, Nevada, Virginia and Colorado.



"Trump's positive message of economic opportunity is working and we see the national and battleground state polls all moving in the right direction.



"With Hillary Clinton dodging the media and off the campaign trail almost entirely this week, continuing to take many communities' votes for granted, we see this as the right time to show voters the benefits of an American economy under the leadership of Mr Trump," said Jason Miller, Senior Communications Advisor of the Trump Campaign.



The Clinton Campaign dismissed the advertisements as divisive and misleading.



"Donald Trump's reckless approach to business has devastated working families and communities. He will do and say whatever is in his interest, even if it means swindling working families to make millions for himself," alleged Christina Reynolds, from the Hillary campaign.



"Hillary Clinton is the only candidate who will work to build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, and has a plan that would create jobs, grow incomes and help small business and the middle class. No misleading ad can change that fact," Reynolds said.



Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman Reince Priebus sent a letter to Donna Shalala, president of the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation, calling on the organisation to release all records of correspondence its officials had with the State Department during Hillary Clinton's tenure as Secretary of State.


Washington: President Barack Obama faces thorny talks about the fight against the Islamic State group, climate change and human rights when he sets off this week across the Pacific for an eight-day valedictory tour through Asia.



Obama is to leave tomorrow to attend back-to-back summits in Hangzhou, China, and Vientiane, Laos. Coming five months from the end of Obama's term, the White House has planned the trip as a moment to highlight his administration's seven-year effort to expand US influence Asia, including his push for massive free-trade and a landmark climate agreement with China.



White House officials said Obama will underscore the message even before leaving the US, heading first to Lake Tahoe for a series meetings on conservation and then on to Hawaii's remote Midway Atoll, where Obama recently expanded the Papahanaumokuakea (prounounced pah-pah-hah-NOW'-moh-koo-ah-KAY'-ah) Marine National Monument.



The White House said yesterday that Obama's stop will come with announcements of new executive actions aimed at boosting clean energy production in the US and mitigating the effect of climate change such as wildfires and drought.



Obama will keep up the drumbeat in China, where he is attending a meeting of the Group of 20 industrial and emerging-market economies.



Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to offer an update on the nation's progress toward ratifying the Paris agreement. White House officials have said they hope the historic climate change pact could enter into force by the end of the year.



But Obama's climate change agenda will only be part of his busy agenda. Obama will sit down Sunday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the first meeting since a failed summer coup added new tensions to an already complex relationship.



Obama and Erdogan are slated to discuss the recent clashes between Turkish troops and Kurdish forces in northern Syria.



The US has criticised Turkey, a NATO ally, for the assault, saying the conflict distracts from the fight against the Islamic State group. Erdogan has said he plans to continue the operations until the Kurdish forces no longer pose a security threat to Ankara.



President Barack Obama faces thorny talks about the fight against the Islamic State group, climate change and human rights when he sets off this week across the Pacific for an eight-day valedictory tour through Asia.
Odor complaints about the Livestock Road regional landfill in Rustburg are decreasing and recent air samples show minimal health risks.

Air samples were taken late June 8 and early June 9 in and around the landfill by SCS Engineers, Vice President and Project Director Bob Dick said at a Region 2000 Services Authority meeting last week.

Two of the sixair sampling locations tested positive for four volatile organic compounds, out of the 68 officials tested for.

The four compounds were benzene, ethylbenzene, trichloroethene (TCE), and vinyl chloride, which can cause a multitude of symptoms including dizziness, headaches, and breathing problems at high, short-term exposure levels.

Benzene and ethylbenzene typically are found in crude oil and petroleum products; trichloroethene is a solvent used to remove grease from metal parts; and vinyl chloride is typically found where other chemicals have broken down.

The amount of chemicals detected in the air in the landfill was 1,400 times lower than Occupational Safety and Healths acceptable levels.

In May 2015, ambient air testing at the landfill and in the surrounding neighborhoods revealed low levels of methane, which is odor free, and hydrogen sulfide.

Hydrogen sulfide is a colorless, flammable, extremely hazardous gas with a rotten egg smell.

The recent air samplings did test for sulfide compounds. All the sulfur compounds found were below acceptable limits.

Jon Hardie, president of the Landfill Citizens Group, lives almost 1.5 miles south of the Livestock Road landfill. He said by email Friday he filed odor complaints Tuesday and again Wednesday morning.

I noticed horrific odorous landfill gasses on my travel to work going down Calohan Road. Clearly, the problem has not been resolved, he said.

According to authority officials, weather conditions can affect the intensity of the odor from the landfill, which is why SCS chose days in June that had relatively mild weather.

It is wrong to force such conditions upon anyone. I do not expect my family, my fellow neighbor or anyone to have to deal with such problems. That is why I report problems wherever I am (my home or driving down the road past neighbors), honestly and accurately, Hardie said.

There are minimal health risks based on the testing and SCS Engineers did not recommend additional air monitoring, Dick said.

A trial-size landfill gas collection system and odor-neutralizing misting system were installed last summer. The pilot system installed last year pumped more than 300 cubic feet of landfill gas and liquid per minute to a blower station that burns it off. An additional 13 gas extraction systems and the necessary piping will be added, and the system will be in use by years end.

The odor-neutralizing system was installed along the western and southern borders of the landfill. The chemical sprayed has a slight perfume that allows officials to track the odor-neutralizing chemicals efficacy.

The numbers of odor complaints are down  we recently started extracting gas from new wells and gas flare with increased capacity. We expect that trend to continue, Authority Director Clarke Gibson said.

The Livestock Road landfill was previously used primarily by Campbell County and became a regional landfill in 2012.Nelson, Campbell, and Appomattox counties and the City of Lynchburg are members of the authority and dispose waste at the landfill.

Gibson said in an email Monday, complaints are down 60 percent when looking at the number of complaints before March 17 to the time period of March 17 until Aug. 4.

Air samples in June were taken from inside the gas collection system near the northwest corner of the landfill property line; southwest corner of the landfill, near the Poplar Ridge subdivision; and two more sites within the landfill.

Officials took more samples from the parts of the landfill neighbors complained about the most.

Those samples will provide a baseline to compare to samples taken after the full gas collection system is installed next year.

Its good for us to take into account what we have done; even more pleased we took on the effort to deal with this, said Campbell County Administrator Frank Rogers at the meeting Wednesday.

Officials have previously said they are working on a relationship with neighbors since opening four years ago.

One idea that came out of the Landfill Citizens Group, a recent organization formed by neighbors of the landfill, was a property value protection plan to help neighbors who might try to sell their property near the landfill.

In March the authority presented residents with a draft plan. According to the proposal, if a homeowner near the landfill is in the process of selling a house, the homeowner can have it appraised and may be paid the difference between appraisal value and the selling price, up to $50,000.

Under the proposal, the money would only be paid after the house sells and the program would end two years after the landfill on Livestock Road closes permanently.

Addressing who should fund the property value protection plan, Nelson County Administrator Steve Carter distributed a map of Campbell Countys zoning near the landfill to authority board members at the meeting Aug. 24, noting the majority of the area is zoned industrial with a small residential area.

The county is the one that created this problem, not the authority. Your board [indicating to Rogers] allowed this to happen, he said.

Carter added if any group should be attacked with odor and other complaints, it should be the Campbell County Board of Supervisors, not the Services Authority.

Rogers said in an email Aug. 25 that he wholeheartedly disagrees with Carter.

I believe all the members of the Service Authority share an obligation to ensure that the operation has as little impact as is reasonably possible on the surrounding area, Rogers said.
APPOMATTOX  An attorney for Lindenburg Industries, LLC, a company that failed to open a promised manufacturing facility in Appomattox in 2014, removed himself from a civil suit between the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and Lindenburgs consulting company Development Advisors, LLC.

Attorney Robin Wood stated before Judge Donald Blessing Monday morning in Appomattox Circuit Court he had not communicated with his client Lindenburg since February. Previously they communicated mainly through email, and he had not received a response since then.

The hearing Monday morning was the second hearing in a suit filed by VEDP as a way to recoup some of the $1.4 million grant money given to Lindenburg as an incentive to open a manufacturing facility in the old Thomasville Furniture plant off U.S. 460 in Appomattox.

The Chinese company promised to invest about $113 million and bring about 350 jobs to the area in Nov. 2014. The company never arrived. In Dec. 2015, after liens began to pile up against the property, the plant was put up for auction by Lindenburgs consulting firm Development Advisors, LLC with Amherst attorney Robert Goad officiating.

Lindenburg did not pay consulting fees of about $860,000 it owed to the North Carolina-based consulting company.

Bedford developer George Aznavorian purchased the property at auction for $1 million.

At a February hearing, Blessing ordered $860,000 of that payment to be frozen in Goads account, before going to Development Advisors.

Goad, who was present at the hearing, asked he be reimbursed about $1,400 for foreclosure, advertising, auction and court costs. Blessing asked Goad to amend his order and include receipts for those expenses. The Appomattox Clerk of the Court Janet Hix said by phone the order may be granted sometime this week.

In mid-March, the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations Appomattox Field Office initiated an investigation into the Lindenburg Industry LLC investment project in Appomattox County.

Spokeswoman Corinne Geller said in an email Monday the investigation is ongoing.

The attorney for Development Advisors was not present at the hearing Monday in Appomattox.

A trial date is to be set or the attorneys in the suit could choose to do a settlement conference.
BLACKSBURG  The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine is expected to become a college within Virginia Tech a decade after its creation by a public-private partnership.

The universitys board of visitors on Monday voted unanimously to begin a likely two-year process to make the Roanoke medical school its ninth college.

The medical school was founded in 2008 as a partnership between Tech and Carilion Clinic, with an independent governing board. Its first class entered in 2010. Bringing the school into the university dovetails with Techs plan to promote learning across traditional departments and will possibly aid in obtaining additional research funding.

University President Timothy Sands said the action is critical to Techs future.

I think Ill look back, and this project will be one of the highlights of my presidency, he said.

The medical school is located with the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute near Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. The two entities were created together, but the research institute has always been part of the university, while the medical school is jointly owned.

The school will retain its name, and the area surrounding it and a new research institute that is expected to be constructed will continue to be called the Virginia Tech Carilion campus.

Carilion will remain a partner, and about 300 of its physicians will remain as faculty. The medical school will be part of an innovation district that Tech and Carilion are forming.

When plans were announced to expand the research institute earlier this year, the medical schools dean, Dr. Cynda Johnson, said the school would remain the same size.

Students are required to conduct research, and Johnson said then that until the research institute grew, the medical school could not.

On Monday, Johnson said that becoming a college of Tech would allow for growth. The integration will allow students to work in labs in Blacksburg and more easily allow Techs faculty to teach at the medical school.

This will show the world how remarkably successful the school is, said Michael Friedlander, director of the research institute and Techs vice president for health sciences and technology. Friedlander said the integration will remove some bureaucracy in seeking research funding.

Most universities that have a medical school also own a connected hospital system, but the partnership between Tech and Carilion has followed a new model. Carilions partnership will continue to provide a training ground for medical students.

This is a natural next step for us, said Carilion Clinic CEO Nancy Agee. Eight years ago Id look out the window and see a flooded brown field. Now look at what we have. Its a phenomenal place.

The General Assembly earlier this year agreed to fund most of the cost of a $66 million building that will form the hub of a health science and technology innovation district that is expected to bring a thousand students, educators, physicians and entrepreneurs to Roanoke.

It likely will take two years for the new college to be integrated into the university, according to Friedlander. Approval will be necessary from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine Board of Directors, and other accrediting or regulatory bodies, including the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia will also provide guidance to Tech moving forward.

Tech spokesman Mark Owczarski said the independent governing board may no longer operate. That will be determined as the school works to gain accreditation from the other agencies.

The medical school graduated its first class three years ago. All of its students have found matches to residency programs. This year, 4,610 students applied for the 42 openings.

From the beginning of its partnership with Tech, Carilion agreed to provide $35 million in startup and operating funds for both the research institute and the medical school.

The intent is to continue contributing as needed to VTC post-integration, said spokesman Chris Turnbull.
Storytellers entertain campers

Kole who is a Yoruba lecturer in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, visited Trinidad as a special guest of the Emancipation Support Committee and participated in the 2016 celebrations.

The Sangre Grande workshop began with Auntie Theas Rise N Shine interactive games and activities based on familiarity and trust.

Uncle Kole then took centre stage and had the children spellbound with his delightful adaptation of the Nigerian story Ijapa and Yanribo, said a media release.

He had everyone in stitches as he danced, twisted and turned and engaged the children in Walking! Walking! Walking! Walking! Walking! Stirring the Pot and other joy-filled activities His comical antics and strange accent were indeed a refreshing additive to the experience to which the children are accustomed.

The two storytellers then journeyed to Port-of-Spain where he gave a brief lesson in Youruba.

In December 2009, he was one of the invited participants at the Welcome Trust Telling Stories for Public Engagement Workshop; which took place in Bangalore, India.

Trinidad and Tobago is proud to be associated with Dr Adutola Ade Kole.
Duke falls ill on PSA prayer and fast

In a telephone interview, PSAs first vice president, Christopher Joefield said, Mr Duke began the prayer and fast this morning and at around 6.30 am he was complaining about stomach pain. We called the ambulance. The day began with a prayer by Chairman of the PSA branch of the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex/NWRHA, Keith Bailey who said today is a reflection on the fact that God is in charge. PSA members with placards sat silently, adamant on being paid their outstanding arrears by the government.

Mwata Kobie, a retired monthly paid clerical worker of the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) said retired monthly paid workers have been waiting since 2007 for their HDC pension plan to be paid. PSA representatives from The Agricultural Development Bank were also present. Vice Chairman of the Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) branch, Louis Jordan told Newsday We are here braving the weather because of outstanding arrears since 2011, money was approved by the Cabinet but why are we still not paid?
$70,000 to save Raenathas sight

Holassie of Graham Trace, Ojoe Road, Sangre Grande told Newsday yesterday that she was born with the eye problem and will go blind if she does not have the surgery. At present she is unemployed and cannot face the glare of light.

A quotation from Medical Associates, St Joseph, where she is expected to have the corneal transplant surgery done under general anaesthesia, showed the cost for surgery on one eye in the sum of $35,000.

The breakdown reads, tissues acquisition, $12,000; hospitalisation, $8,500; anaesthetist fee, $2,500; lab fees, $400; surgeons fee, $6,900; operating microscope, $1,900; and microsurgical instrument use disposable (corneal trephines and viscoelastic solution), $2,800.

The quotation given on August 22 is only valid for 30 days.

Holassie, the mother of one, has an account at RBC Sangre Grande Branch, account number 110000003316837 to which anyone may donate funds. Anyone wishing to help in fund-raising activities may contact her on cell phone 372-8332.

Keratoconus is described as a degenerative disorder of the eye in which structural changes within the cornea cause it to thin and change to a more conical shape than the more normal gradual curve. Keratoconus can cause substantial distortion of vision, with multiple images, streaking and sensitivity to light are often reported by the person.
No, That's Not a Desert

That's the Mississippi River
(Newser)  More trouble for Takata: A truck carrying Takata airbag parts and explosives crashed in Texas last week, exploding and killing a woman and injuring four others. Authorities say the truck left a highway in Quemado before dawn on Aug. 22, caught fire outside Lucila Robles' home, then violently exploded after the two drivers were able to escape. Both drivers were injured, along with a couple in a nearby car. The force of the explosion was such that officers searched for the 69-year-old Robles for two days before finding her bones and teeth in the rubble of her destroyed house, a Maverick County sheriff tells the New York Times. Ten other homes were damaged, while debris was found a mile away, per Conexion Del Rio.

Takata says the truck contained ammonium nitrate and inflaterswhich, combined, allow an airbag to expand. The products were believed to be headed to Takata's distribution center in Eagle Pass, Texas. A Takata rep tells Jalopnik that "the accident caused a fire, which led to an explosion," noting the company "has strict safety procedures relating to the transportation of its products that meet or exceed all regulatory requirements." The Department of Transportation says it is investigating "the safety compliance of the motor carrier, the handling of the cargo by the shipper, its packaging, how the truck was placarded, as well as the truck's routing." (Takata is accused of manipulating testing data.)
(Newser)  Senior government officials in the United Arab Emirates chose a bad day to be late for work on Sunday. Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid paid a surprise visit to Dubai's municipality, land, and economic development departments starting at 7:30am Sundaya regular working day in the UAEand found several bosses not at their desks, per the National. A short video posted to Twitter shows the PM walking through one office without encountering a soul. And he wasn't in a forgiving mood.

Sheikh Mohammedwho is actually well-known for his surprise inspections, reports the Gulf Newsannounced Monday that nine senior officials would be forced to retire, including the executive director of legal affairs. "He certainly wanted to send a message," says a rep for Dubai's Media Office. "Timeliness starts at the top and we won't go after the employees when their bosses aren't there." The office adds that the move reflects Sheikh Mohammed's "keenness to allow a new generation of young leaders to shoulder the responsibility of development in the next period," per Al Arabiya. (The UAE also wants to build a mountainto control the weather.)
(Newser)  Score one for the "dogs are better than cats" camp: New research suggests dogs truly understand their ownersnot just the words they speak, but also their tone of speaking. Researchers at Hungary's Eotvos Lorand University measured the brain activity of 13 pet dogs as a trainer repeated words of praise used by their owners, as well as other meaningless words, in both a neutral and happy tone, reports the Washington Post. They discovered that dogs "not only tell apart what we say and how we say it, but they can also combine the two, for a correct interpretation of what those words really meant," researcher Attila Andics explains, telling Today we may have "to re-think what makes words uniquely human."

In particular, the brain scans showed the dogsgolden retrievers, border collies, and a German shepherdprocessed meaningful words in the left hemisphere and evaluated tone in the right hemisphere, like humans. But only when the words were full of praise and spoken in a happy tone did the brain's "rewards center" light up. A different area of the brain was activated when positive words were spoken in a neutral tone, but only slightly, reports the Verge. The takeaway? "Even if you use a very excited tone of voice to tell the dog he's going to the vet, he'll probably see through you," reports the Post. Experts believe dogs may have had this ability to understand language before domestication. (Dogs may like praise as much as treats.)
(Newser)  A year after her sexual assault at St. Paul's School made headlines, Chessy Prout says she's tired of hiding. "I want everyone to know that I am not afraid or ashamed anymore, and I never should have been,'' she tells Today of the May 2014 assault. Prout was just 15 when she was sexually assaulted at the prestigious New Hampshire school while on a date with senior Owen Labrie, who is out on bail while appealing his conviction of misdemeanor sexual assault. Prout says she was "disgusted" that Labrieacquitted of felony sexual assault chargesconvinced a jury that he didn't knowingly rape her "because he definitely did do it knowingly," but says she hopes he learns from his crime. "Because if he doesn't learn, he will do it to another young woman."

Proutwho also described having panic attacks and hiding in her closet, per the APhas teamed up with nonprofit Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment and says she wants to encourage "other people to feel empowered and just strong enough to be able to say, 'I have the right to my body. I have the right to say no.''' In an effort to bring about change, she's also filed a civil case against St. Paul's, which accused her of attacking the school "from behind a cloak of anonymity" and filed a request that her identity be released. The school denies "a culture or tradition of sexual assault" existed there but says Prout's case has already "brought about positive changes," including new faculty training and updates to security systems. (Read Prout's testimony here.)
(Newser)  Chipotle continues to find a cockroach in its chicken burrito, metaphorically speaking. It lost its spot as America's top Mexican restaurant, illegally fired an employee over critical tweets, and saw one of its executives busted for allegedly buying cocaine. Not to mention various outbreaks of E. coli and norovirus. Now, nearly 10,000 current and former employees are suing the restaurant over alleged wage theft, CNN reports. "Chipotle routinely requires hourly-paid restaurant employees to punch out, and then continue working until they are given permission to leave," the class-action lawsuit states. Lawyers for the plaintiffs say they've found victims in nearly every state where Chipotle operates, though the restaurant denies any wrongdoing.

Leah Turner, a former manager at a Colorado Chipotle, started the lawsuit. She says she was told to work off the clock and have her employees do the same so the restaurant could make budget goals. She also had to go to meetings after work while off the clock, Eater reports. The alleged wage theft mostly happens at closing after workers are automatically clocked out, then told to stay to clean and prep. But at least one employee says she was told to clock out and keep working during busy days. According to CNBC, bad news has dropped sales at Chipotle by 30%. On Tuesday, the company announced it would be offering free drinks to students and free kids' meals to families in September to win back customers. (Read more Chipotle stories.)
(Newser)  With summer pretty much over, it's time for the nation's college students to return to school and get back to the hard business of partying down. And according to the Princeton Review, the following schools are where most of that partying will be getting done. For its annual edition The Best 381 Colleges, the Review gave college students around the country an 80-question survey about their school. The list of the country's top party schools are the colleges where students don't spend much time studying but do spend a lot of time drinking and doing drugs. The list also reflects the popularity of fraternities and sororities on campus. Here are the country's top 10 party schools:

University of Wisconsin-Madison West Virginia University University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Lehigh University Bucknell University University of Iowa University of Mississippi Syracuse University Tulane University Colgate University

Read the full list here . (Read more party schools stories.)
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 17F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 1F. Winds light and variable.
Mumbai:

Superstar Aamir Khan says it is high time pay disparity in Bollywood was done away with. Time and again, many Bollywood stars have spoken out on the huge difference between the remuneration of male and female actors in the country.

Lending his support to such voices, the 51-year-old "PK"star said, "Pay-scale should not depend on a person's sex. It should be equal. Patriarchal mindset should change." Aamir was speaking at a discussion panel, 'The IndianFuturescape'. The actor was asked if he would like to expand his horizons and do Hollywood films like actors Irrfan Khan,Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone have done in the recent past.

Aamir said he was not keen on pursuing a career in the west and also revealed he was offered Hollywood movies in the past but he did not like the scripts. "Working in the west doesn't interest me particularly.what interests me is a good film. It should be a film that touches my heart and I feel I can perform in. Where the film is made is irrelevant. There have been number of offers to me from Hollywood but I did not like the scripts."

The "3 Idiots" star also said doing international projects will not give him the same joy, which he gets when his work is received well by the Indian audience. "Why i don't feel like doing that (work in the west) is because I feel I have an emotional connection with my audience, with the people of this country.

It is a relationship that we have built over 27 years, something thatI value a lot. I don't want to leave my audience behind. "I will not be happy doing that. These are my people, we belong to each other. If I go to some other place and strange people react to my movie I may not feel the same. Emotionally,I would rather work here, if there is an offer from America,China or Japan which excites me I will do it.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Washington:

Countering terrorism is an important objective shared by India and the United States, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in Washington, while appreciating American support in Indias efforts to eliminate extremism in its neighbourhood.



We resolved to continue our cooperation on counter-terrorism. Our open and diverse societies are committed to peace. However, as the United States has shown, there can be no compromise when we are faced with terrorism, Parrikar said at a joint news conference with US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter on Monday.

Read more:

India-US defence deal: 10 things you must know about military logistics exchange pact

Carter, Parrikar sign defence pact to boost logistic support

The forces that seek to undermine our progress and our ways of life require our comprehensive and robust response. We appreciate the support from United States in our efforts to eliminate terrorism in Indias neighbourhood, Parrikar said.



Secretary Carter and I agreed that countering terrorism is an important shared objective. The partnership between India and the United States is driven by our shared values and interests. This was underlined by the enthusiasm of the US Congress with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June this year, Parrikar said.



Responding to a question, Carter said that not only Indian civilians but its military also has been a victim of terrorism, in an apparent reference to the terrorist attack on Pathankot military base, carried out by Pakistani intruders.



Terrorism is one of the many missions on which we cooperate...We oppose terrorism affecting anyone and us. Thats certainly true with respect to terrorist acts perpetrated against the Indian people, and also I should mention the Indian military, which has happened as well. And this gives new scope for that, as well, Carter said.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Washington:

India and the US on Monday signed an important agreement that will make the two nations logistical allies and enable both the militaries to use each others assets and bases for repair and replenishment of supplies.

Welcoming the signing of the bilateral Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said the pact will facilitate opportunities for practical engagement and exchange. LEMOA facilitates the provision of logistical support, supplies, and services between the US and Indian militaries on a reimbursable basis, and provides a framework to govern them.

They agreed on the importance (that) this framework will provide to facilitate innovative and advanced opportunities in defence technology and trade cooperation. To this end, the US has agreed to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with its closest allies and partners, said a joint statement after the pact was signed.

According to the statement, the defence ties between the two countries are based on their shared values and interests, and their abiding commitment to global peace and security. During their meeting, Parrikar and Carter discussed the wealth of progress in bilateral cooperation and deepening strategic partnership between the United States and India.

The US has agreed to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with its closest allies and partners. The visit their sixth official interaction to date demonstrates the importance both sides place on strengthening defence ties across many areas: from strategic and regional cooperation, to deepened military-to-military exchanges, to expanded collaboration on defence technology and innovation, it said.

Welcoming Indias membership in the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), Carter reaffirmed US support for Indias membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Acknowledging Indias positive contributions to regional security and stability, including in matters beyond the maritime space, Carter and Parrikar announced their agreement to further consultations in the area, including through the next Maritime Security Dialogue, scheduled later this year.

During his stay in the US, Parrikar will visit Boeings manufacturing facility at Philadelphia. He would also interact with American defence industry representatives at an event organised by the US-India Business Council (USIBC). Earlier today, Parrikar was accorded an enhanced honor cordon by Carter after he arrived at the Pentagon here.

The enhanced honour is reserved for valued guests. During normal cordon, visitors are greeted at the Pentagon stairs and welcomed with handshakes, before proceeding inside. During the enhanced honour cordon, national anthems are played.

Parrikar, accompanied by Carter, also laid a wreath at the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial. Carter and Parrikar noted the recent official exchanges, including the visit to New Delhi of General John Nicholson for consultations on Afghanistan, as well as by the Secretary of the US Navy and the Secretary of the US Air Force this month.

Read more:

India-US defence deal: 10 things you must know about military logistics exchange pact

Countering terrorism - same objective of India and America, says Manohar Parrikar

Indo-America alliance could irk China, Pakistan: Chinese media



They welcomed the progress achieved under the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) so far. In Delhi in July this year, India and the US decided to broaden its agenda by setting up five joint working groups on naval systems, air systems, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, chemical and biological protection, and other systems.

The two leaders noted the signing of an information exchange annex under the framework of the Aircraft Carrier Joint Working Group. Carter and Parrikar agreed to continue their close consultation on Make in India proposals and praised the discussions at the inaugural Maritime Security Dialogue held in May.

They welcomed the conclusion of the bilateral White Shipping technical arrangement for data sharing on commercial shipping traffic and also discussed cooperation on capabilities to augment Indias capacity for maritime domain awareness (MDA).

Welcoming the continued efforts by the militaries of the two countries to deepen bilateral cooperation and expand opportunities for greater collaboration, the two leaders commended the recent completion of the Malabar naval exercise with Japan and Indias participation in the Rim-of-the-Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise in Hawaii, as well as the Red Flag Air Force Exercise in Alaska.

They were encouraged by increased complexity in the Yudh Abhyas Army exercise scheduled in September in India. The two leaders agreed to facilitate greater and regular interactions to deepen mutual understanding between military services and promote practical cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as counter-terrorism, maritime security, special operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
London:

Two hijab-clad Muslim woman were reportedly thrown out of a high-end French restaurant after the owner refused to serve them arguing that all Muslims are terrorists.



A video of the incident that took place at a restaurant in the Paris suburb of Tremblay-en-France has gone viral and it shows the restaurateur apparently refusing to serve two Muslim women.



In the video, the man tells the hijab-wearing women, Terrorists are Muslims and all Muslims are terrorists, BBC reported.



The incident took place at Le Cenacle restaurant on Saturday night. However, the man yesterday apologised to a group who had gathered outside.



He said he had got out of hand due to the current tensions around the issue of wearing burkinis on French beaches, but also because he had a friend who had died at the Bataclan concert centre attack last November, French newspaper Le Parisien reported.



The local prosecutors office told the paper that it had opened an investigation into racial discrimination.



The video inside the restaurant appears to have been covertly filmed by one of the women, who were clearly emotional.



We dont want to be served by racists, one of them said. The man retorted: Racists dont kill people...I dont want people like you at my place. Full stop.



Government Minister Laurence Rossignol was quoted as saying that she had asked Dilcra, a government anti-racism body, to investigate, describing the behaviour as intolerable.



The incident comes amid the burkini ban controversy in France. A court ruling on Friday overturned Frances controversial burkini ban on civil liberties grounds, but some local authorities have vowed to keep it in place.



French anti-Islamophobia organisation CCIF said it is offering legal and psychological support to the two young women and appealed for no protests outside the restaurant itself.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Seventeen-year-old Malvika Raj Joshi doesnt have a class X or XII certificate but has made it to the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), thanks to her computer programming talent.



Hers is a story about a mothers conviction to break stereotypes and the self-belief of her teenage daughter, who showed why merit has more weightage than marks.



The Mumbai teenager has been provided scholarship by MIT as she is pursuing her Bachelor of Science degree after getting a seat for being a three-time medal winner (two silver and a bronze) at International Olympiad of Informatics or commonly known as Programming Olympiad.



The MIT has a provision for accepting students who are medal winners at various Olympiads (Maths, Physics or Computer) and it was Malvikas medals that ensured that she can fulfill her aspirations of pursuing research work in her favorite subjectComputer Science.



Malvika recalls those early days during an emailed interaction from Boston.



When I started unschooling, that was 4 years back, I explored many different subjects. Programming was one of them. I found programming interesting and I used to give more time to it than to other subjects, so, I started liking it at that time, she says.



Malvika found it difficult to get admission in elite Indian institutes like IIT, which has strict rules as one needs to pass class XII exams.



In fact, only institute where she got admission was Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI) where she was enrolled into M.Sc level course as her knowledge was on par with B.Sc standard.



There is absolutely no question that Malvikas admission to MIT is based on her superlative achievements at IOI. It is a credit to MITs flexibility that they can offer admission to a student who demonstrates excellent intellectual potential despite having no formal high school credentials, says CMIs Madhavan Mukund, who is also National Co-ordinator of Indian Computing Olympiad.



However, Madhavan made it clear that Malvika is not a product of the system but despite it.



This is possible only for a student whose academic achievements are outstanding, which is the case with Malvikas performance at IOI, he has a word of caution.



But this young Mumbai girls fascinating story starts about four years ago when her mother Supriya took an unbelievably tough decision.



She was in class VII at Dadar Parsee Youth Assembly School in Mumbai and doing exceedingly well in academics when her mother decided to pull her out of school.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi :

Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar met his United States counterpart, Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter, on Tuesday in Washington. The visit is Parrikars second to the United States as Indias defence minister and resulted in the conclusion of a long-anticipated bilateral deal on military logistics exchange, known as the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) that was first mooted in the early 2000s. Here are 10 things you need to know about this latest India-US defence deal:



1. LEMOA is a crucial military agreement that will make India and US logistical allies and enable both the militaries to use each others assets and bases for repair and replenishment of supplies.



2. According to Parrikar and Carter, the pact will facilitate opportunities for practical engagement and exchange. The agreement will facilitate the provision of logistical support, supplies and services between Indian and the US militaries on a reimbursable basis and will provide a framework to govern them.



3. The framework will provide to facilitate innovative and advanced opportunities in defence technology and trade cooperation.

4. To this end, the US has agreed to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with its closest allies and partners, the joint statement issued by Parrikar and Carter said. Interestingly, US had designated India as a Major Defence Partner (MDP) earlier this year.



5. The visit, their sixth official interaction to date, demonstrates the importance both sides place on strengthening defence ties across many areas: from strategic and regional cooperation, to deepened military-to-military exchanges, to expanded collaboration on defence technology and innovation, the release said.

Read More:

Countering terrorism - same objective of India and America, says Manohar Parrikar

Carter, Parrikar sign defence pact to boost logistic support

Indo-America alliance could irk China, Pakistan: Chinese media



6. During the meeting, Cater also welcomed Indias membership in the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and reaffirmed US support for Indias membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

7. Acknowledging Indias positive contributions to regional security and stability, including in matters beyond the maritime space, Carter and Parrikar announced their agreement to further consultations in the area, including through the next Maritime Security Dialogue, scheduled later this year.

8. India and the US also welcomed the progress achieved under the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) so far. In Delhi in July this year, India and the US decided to broaden its agenda by setting up five joint working groups on naval systems, air systems, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, chemical and biological protection, and other systems.



9. Carter and Parrikar agreed to continue their close consultation on Make in India proposals.



10. The two leaders also agreed that countering terrorism is an important shared objective of the two nations and appraised the recent completion of the Malabar naval exercise with Japan and Indias participation in the Rim-of-the-Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise in Hawaii, as well as the Red Flag Air Force Exercise in Alaska.

(With PTI inputs)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Jain monk Tarun Sagar may have forgiven Vishal Dadlani for his controversial remarks on Twitter but, the controversy doesn't seems to die soon. Now, AAP leader Ashutosh Kumar has shared his views on the matter where he claims that politics and religion should not be mixed.



Ashutosh made claims that the bigger issue is the presence of religious guru Tarun Sagar in Haryana Assembly.



The assembly, being an arm of the state, should keep itself away from the religion, religious practices and religious gurus. Here is the full article posted a news website:

A

Twitter is creating more controversies than real media these days. The latest casualty is one of the foremost music composers of the present era, Vishal Dadlani. His comment about the Jain Muni (monk) Tarun Sagar-ji brought public embarrassment to him and also to AAP. Though he immediately regretted his remark and apologized, and also announced his exit from the party, it was too late. His tweet had already gone viral on social media which invited angry reactions from the Jain community. This episode has many dimensions. One: the issue is related to insulting a religious guru; two, the role of religion in politics; three, it is about the comment where the Jain muni compared the relationship of religion and politics to that of a husband and wife. The monk said that he believes that politics should play second fiddle to religion, like a wife to a husband, which was construed as misogynistic.



I was surprised to see the matter snowballing into a big controversy. In my opinion, once Dadlani and Arvind Kejriwal tendered an apology without any conditions, the matter should have ended. In Jain tradition, a much higher value is attached to apology - that of kshama (forgiveness). In Jainism, a particular day is celebrated as Kshamavani or "Forgiveness Day", a day of forgiving and seeking forgiveness.



On this day, every member of the Jain community seeks forgiveness for his or her faults or mistakes from everyone. This is considered to be the first step towards salvation or Nirvana. In the Jain tradition, forgiveness is an exalted form of non-violence - "it benefits both the forgiver and the forgiven." Tarun Sagar-ji was gracious enough and said there is no need for apology, that he is not angry. Yet the matter was politicised by the BJP and others. A protest was organised. Ill-will was harboured against Dadlani and AAP, where as in the great Jain tradition, the Michchhami Dukkadam (if I have caused you offence in any way, knowingly or unknowingly, in thought, word or deed, then I seek your forgiveness), once Dadlani asked for forgiveness, it should have ended. But then such is the nature of politics in our country, every issue becomes political.



A much bigger issue is should a religious guru like Tarun Sagar-ji be invited by the elected Haryana assembly to address legislators in the house? It is said that the Indian state is a "secular" state and religion has no place in the business of state; the assembly, being an arm of the state, should keep itself away from the religion, religious practices and religious gurus. It is said that the founding fathers of the Indian constitution deliberately adopted a secular state. The Indian constitution is secular in nature, though originally the word "secular" was not inserted in the name of India despite a very passionate argument put forth by the likes of K.T. Shah.



Shah vehemently advocated, "We have been told time and again, from every platform, that ours is a secular state, and if that is true, if that holds good, I don't see why the word (secular) should not be added or inserted in the constitution itself." He was of the opinion that the word secular will remind the state and its functionaries that no injustice should be done to its citizens in the name of religion and it would remain neutral and impartial.



The Constituent Assembly did debate this but decided against it despite the presence of such luminaries as Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel and B.R. Ambedkar. There is no denying the fact that secularism is a western concept which clearly establishes the dichotomy between the Church and the State. Nehru did not find much value in adding the word secular if it was not practiced in reality. Our founding fathers did not want to adopt a western concept of secularism which thrives on the negation of religion. Indian leaders believed in secularism as being equidistant to different religions, based on equality and justice to all religious groups, to both the majority and the minority. But there was consensus that religion should live in the private space. Gandhiji said on 15 July 1947 - "Hindus, Muslims, Parsis and Christians, all are Indians. Religion is a private matter."



If religion should be in the private space, then religion should not enter the corridors of power. India is a multi-religious society; it did not opt for a state religion. According to the constitution, the Indian state observes tolerance towards religion, but does not allow it to eavesdrop in the business of state, it does not permit religion to dictate the functioning of the administration. it gives respect to religion but it does not allow it to interfere in statecraft. It is in this context that the invitation to Tarun Sagar-ji to address the Haryana Assembly violates the very spirit of the constitution.



As a religious guru, he has every right to preach and propagate his religion outside the precinct of the assembly. He can address legislators outside the periphery of the assembly, the temple of democracy, at a private place. As private citizens, legislators can receive religious preaching from any religious guru or saint. But once they enter the assembly, they are no longer a private person. They become the state and the state can't be seen to be entertaining religion. Religious gurus are also private citizens when they don't don the mantle of a religion. As private citizens, religious gurus like any other citizen can become members of the assembly and can then address legislators on secular issues like poverty, unemployment, women security, gender equality, drunkenness and other issues of development and social upliftment.



India opted for a secular state unlike Pakistan. Pakistan succumbed to the charm of religion and now everybody can see the price that Pakistan is paying for the same. The strange cocktail of religion and state has made Pakistan a failed state. Mohammad Ali Jinnah was aware of the dangers of a theocratic state, he uttered the need for a secular Pakistan, but his untimely death hastened the process of Islamisation. Secularists like Ayub Khan and Z.A. Bhutto were not far-sighted. They could not withstand the pressures of religion and (initially) minor space conceded by them to religion turned Pakistan into a den of radicals and a place of bloodbath where a normal life is not possible. We the people of India should not commit the same mistake. Let religion live in our hearts. It should not dictate our public life.



With all due respect, I would like to listen to Tarun Sagar-ji, not in the assembly, but in our homes. It will be great for India if religion is not allowed to meddle in politics and functioning of the state.



(Disclaimer: No editing has been done in the original article posted on a news website)

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Indore:

Senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, on Tuesday, claimed that the Centre as well as the PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir, were responsible for the crisis in that state.



Scindia, while speaking during the meet the press programme organised by Indore Press Club, said, "I hold both, the Union Government as well as the PDP-BJP-led state government responsible for the crisis in Kashmir."



"Centre failed to take adequate and timely action. Only announcing package worth crores of rupees to Jammu and Kashmir won't win over people. Only genuine feelings will win people's hearts," he said.



Scindia further said, "It is surprising that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not make a statement on the Kashmir crisis in the Parliament, even as he talked over the issue for half an hour during a programme at tribal-dominated Alirajpur district in Madhya Pradesh."



Replying to a query on PM's Balochistan remarks, he said, "No doubt we need to raise the issue of injustice being meted out to people of Balochistan by Pakistan. But we must first extinguish the fire back home in Kashmir and win people's trust."



Terming the PDP-BJP government as a tie-up done for "selfish" reasons, the Congress leader said, "The basic principles of PDP and BJP are different. They have joined hands just for the sake of coming to power. During the ongoing crisis in Kashmir, we can clearly see that there is lack of coordination and talks between the two parties."



Raising question marks over Modi government's foreign policy, he said, "It seems that the government is unable to face Pakistan and China at diplomatic level. In addition, neighbouring countries like Nepal and Myanmar are drifting away from India."

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New Delhi :

Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his United States counterpart, Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter signed a long-anticipated bilateral deal on military logistics exchange on Monday in Washington. Seventeen-year-old Malvika Raj Joshi doesnt have a class X or XII certificate but has made it to the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), thanks to her computer programming talent. Here are the top 5 news of the hour.



1. India-US defence deal: 10 things you must know about military logistics exchange pact



Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar met his United States counterpart, Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter, on Monday in Washington. The visit is Parrikars second to the United States as Indias defence minister and resulted in the conclusion of a long-anticipated bilateral deal on military logistics exchange, known as the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) that was first mooted in the early 2000s.

2. Najeeb Jung unsuitable for post, need a Sangh person in Delhi: Swamy



Bhartiya Janta Party MP Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday slammed Delhis Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung. The former cabinet minister Swamy accused Jung of being unsuitable for his post. In my opinion, this LG of Delhi Mr. Jung is unsuited for this high post. He is another 420 like Kejri. We need a Sangh person in Delhi  Swamy tweeted through his official handle @Swamy39.



3. 17-year-old 'unschooled' Malvika Joshi makes it to MIT



Seventeen-year-old Malvika Raj Joshi doesnt have a class X or XII certificate but has made it to the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), thanks to her computer programming talent. Hers is a story about a mothers conviction to break stereotypes and the self-belief of her teenage daughter, who showed why merit has more weightage than marks.



4. Jain monk case: AAPs Ashutosh says mixing religion with politics is against the spirit of constitution



Jain monk Tarun Sagar may have forgiven Vishal Dadlani for his controversial remarks on Twitter but, the controversy doesn't seems to die soon. Now, AAP leader Ashutosh Kumar has shared his views on the matter where he claims that politics and religion should not be mixed.



5. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil teaser out; Karan Johar brings heavy dose of complicated relationships



After releasing poster of his upcoming movie, Karan Johar shared the first teaser of 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the lead roles. The 1 minute and 33-second long video clip shows Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan facing the complex situation in their relationship.

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Washington:

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has tweeted a video accusing his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton of telling so many lies about her use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state.

I did not email any classified material to anyone on my email. There is no classified material, Clinton is quoted as saying in the video.

She did (and) there is, the text at the bottom of the video screen reads. In over a minute-long video posted by Trump on twitter and other social media sites, Republican presidential candidate alleged that Clinton had told so many lies about her use of personal emails as Secretary of State.

I am confident that I never sent nor received any information that was classified, Clinton says, while the text notes: she did.I had not sent classified material, nor received anything marked classified, she adds in a third segment, again appearing above the phrase she did.The video concludes with the FBI Director James Comey detailing how Clinton used her private email server while at the State Department.

110 emails in 52 email chains have been determined by the owning agency to contain classified information. Seven email chains contain matters that were classified at the top secret special access program at the time they were sent and received, he says.

Later in the day, the Trump campaign released a new television ad entitled Two Americas: Economy.The ad, his campaign said, contrasts Clintons failed, more of the same economic policies with Trumps pro-growth economic proposals. This ad will run on broadcast and cable in Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida, New Hampshire, Iowa, Nevada, Virginia and Colorado.

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New Delhi:

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal once again took to twitter to complain about Lieutenant Governor (LG) Najeeb Jung's interference in the AAP governement's affairs.

LG Jung has ordered transfer of several senior officials engaged in flagship projects of the AAP government, prompting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being "hell bent" to "destroy" Delhi.



This is the first major reshuffle by the Lt Governor in Public Works Department (PWD) and Environment and Health Departments following the Delhi High Court ruling that the Lt Governor is the administrative head of the national capital.



Jung has replaced Health secretary Tarun Seem with IAS officer Chandrakar Bharti while Ashwani Kumar has been appointed as new PWD Secretary in place of non-IAS cadre office Sarvagya Srivastava.



In the wake of the HC order that stamped the primacy of the LG in the city administration, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had requested Jung not to transfer Seem and Srivastava as they were handling flagship projects, setting up of mohalla clinics and construction of new school buildings, of the Kejriwal government.



"Today, several officers transferred by LG directly. Files not even shown to CM or any minister. Is this Modi model of democracy?... Manish Sisodia requested LG not to transfer these two officers looking after works of setting mohalla clinics and new schools till March 31, but he (LG) did not relent," (sic) Kejriwal tweeted.



Reacting strongly to the LG's order, Sisodia said that if quality of health and education deteriorates, Modi will be responsible as he is creating hurdles in the functioning of the AAP government.



"We have got to know that Modiji has asked LG on phone to transfer these two offices. Modi can go to any extent. If education and health quality deteriorates, Modiji will be responsible for this," (sic) he said.



In another order, Jung has created approving authorities for transfer and postings of officers of IAS, DANICS and DASS cadres, Principal private secretaries, suspending all previous orders of the AAP government.



In the order, Jung said the LG will be the approving authority for transfer and postings of IAS, DANICS, All India Service Officers, equivalent officers of central civil services.



But for DASS Grade I/II, principal private secretary, senior personal assistant, the Chief Secretary will be the approving authority.



Besides, Secretary (Services) has been appointed as the approving authority for transfer and postings of DASS Grade III/IV and Grade II/III (Stenographer) while Administrative Secretary/Head of Department will look after transfers and postings of other employees of cadre/ex-cadre within the department concerned.

(With PTI inputs)

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kolkata:

The Congress, on Tuesday, said it would move court seeking investigation by CBI or a retired judge into the fire and subsequent stampede at Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital that left two persons dead.

The party said it does not have faith in the state CID.

"We will move the Calcutta High Court this week seeking CBI investigation or a judicial probe by a retired judge into the fire and stampede," West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Adhir Chowdhury told PTI over phone from Baharampore.



Raising question over the neutrality of state CID, which is investigating the incident, Chowdhury said he wanted an independent agency to probe the fire and subsequent stampede at the state-run hospital that claimed two lives and left seven injured on Saturday last.



"When the Chief Minister herself is claiming sabotage even before conclusion of the probe, there should be an investigation by an independent agency instead of the CID, which takes orders from Mamata Banerjee," he alleged.



Alleging that the CID has arrested Congress worker Amal Gupta on false charges in a bid to prove Banerjee's sabotage claim, Chowdhury said "they have arrested the man who rescued so many persons at the hospital during the incident."

Gupta was arrested yesterday by the CID. Later, he was admitted to hospital after he complained of uneasiness.

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New Delhi:

Lt Governor Najeeb Jung has constituted a three-member committee to examine the decisions taken by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The panel comprises of Former Comptroller and Auditor General V K Shunglu, Former Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami and Former Chief Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar.

The committee has been set up to examine the irregularities and infirmities in the files which were submitted to Delhi LG following August 4, 2016 judgement of the High Court.

The High Court had held to be illegal several orders that were issued by the Delhi government without the approval of the Lt Governor.

[ALSO READ: Is this Modi model of democracy? asks Kejriwal after LG Jung ordered transfer of several Delhi Govt officers]



The members of the independent committee are eminent persons who have been in public life for several decades and have held high positions in government with supreme integrity and absolute probity.



After the High Courts judgement on August 8 and 23, the Principal Secretaries/HODs of GNCTD were directed to review instances where as per rules prior approval of the Lt Governor was required but was not obtained. It had also directed them to place all such matters before him.

In response, the GNCTD has submitted around 400 files for Ex-Post Facto Approval of the Lt Governor and some more files are awaited.

The preliminary scrutiny of these files has revealed that several decisions taken over the last one and half years are in violation of Acts/Rules with attendant legal and financial implications. In order to examine them in depth, the committee has been constituted.



The Committee shall broadly:



a) Determine whether the decisions taken in these files and the processes adopted were in violation of the Acts/Rules and the constitutional scheme for Governance of GNCT of Delhi.



b) Determine whether such violations were wrong, illegal and deliberate acts of omissions/commissions.



c) Examine the role played by the Public Functionaries/Officers of the GNCT of Delhi and of any other individual related with these violations and fix responsibility.



d) Recommend appropriate administrative/criminal/civil action as well as action for recovery of financial loss to Government exchequer, if any, by such wrong decisions against the public functionaries/officers/individuals concerned.



e) Recommend course of action to be taken on each of the files/proposals including whether the decisions can or cannot be regularized by the Lt. Governor.



f) Outline the administrative, legal and financial repercussions of the regularization/non-regularization of the decisions as in (e) above.



g) Make any other recommendation relevant in the above context including further inquiry in specific cases.

The Committee has been requested to submit its interim reports and recommendations to the Lt. Governor from time to time and to submit the final report within six weeks of the first meeting.

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Singapore:

Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang warned today there would be no winners in any armed conflict sparked by territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Quang, who is on a state visit to Singapore, told a forum that recent developments there were threatening regional security.

The Vietnamese leader did not mention any country but there is growing unease over Chinas actions.

China claims most of the South China Sea. It has reclaimed reefs and built airstrips capable of hosting military equipment, sparking anger from competing claimants led by Vietnam and the Philippines.

The South China Sea, located at the heart of Southeast Asia, not only brings about many important benefits to nations in the region but it is also a vital route to maritime and air transport of the world, Quang said.

But recent worrying developments there have had a negative impact on the security environment of the region, especially maritime security and safety, freedom of navigation and overflight.

And should we allow instability to take place, especially in the case of armed conflicts, there will be neither winners or losers but rather all will lose, he warned.

Tran was speaking to diplomats, academics and students at a forum organised by the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute.

Four Southeast Asian statesBrunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnamas well as Taiwan have competing claims in the sea.

Vietnam has been among the most vocal critics of Chinas blanket territorial claims. In 2014 China moved a controversial oil rig into contested territory, prompting riots in Vietnam.

Chinas activities in the sea have also drawn criticism from the United States, which says it seeks to ensure freedom of navigation in the waterway through which $5 trillion in annual global trade passes.

The sea row has also driven a wedge between members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which has failed to forge a unified front against Beijings actions.

Last month the Philippines won a case against China at a UN-backed tribunal in the Hague which rejected Beiijings claims to most of the sea.

China boycotted the hearing and has refused to recognise the ruling

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New Delhi :

Union Minister Anant Geete today said the auto industry has the governments backing on the issue of high-capacity diesel cars, but cautioned it against taking panga (messing) with courts that had banned such vehicles.

The remarks followed the comments made by SIAM President Vinod Dasari, who said the industry lost Rs 4,000 crore in eight months following the ban in Delhi-NCR, which was lifted by the Supreme Court earlier this month.

Vinod Dasari... expressed unhappiness at the position adopted by the court on pollution. I would like to tell Vinod Dasari, dont take panga with courts. There is no need for you to take this panga, Geete said while addressing a conference here.

Speaking at the 58th annual session of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA) earlier today, Dasari had said it was improper information to the courts coupled with media hype that led to the ban on the diesel vehicles.

Led by media hype, provided with improper information, the courts decided to ban those vehicles which actually meet the standards set by the government. It is for the first time that when you meet the law, you actually get penalised. The auto industry has lost Rs 4,000 crore in the last eight months, Dasari said.

He is of the view that everyone wants to regulate the auto industry without looking at the real cause of pollution.

Dasari, who is also MD of Ashok Leyland, added: I feel everyone wants to regulate the auto industry. Lets take the Delhi example. Every winter when there is fog, there is a lot of media hype, lots of NGOs get involved. They blame one industry that everyone wants to blameauto industry.

The minister, however, sought to calm the nerves of auto manufacturers, saying the government is with them.

Perhaps for the first time..., four ministries including the department of heavy industry, road transport, forests and environment and petroleum & natural gas, had come together and were discussing the issue of pollution with the court in one voice, Geete, who holds the portfolio of heavy industries, added.

The Supreme Court has now allowed registration of diesel vehicles of 2,000 cc and above with 1 per cent environment cess. But Dasari doubts if the move will help in curbing the pollution level in the capital.

After all of this, what happened there is environmental cess of 1 per cent for vehicles that are larger than 2,000 cc. Please tell me, people who buy such vehicles, are they going to stop buying these due to this 1 per cent cess. Is that going to have an impact on Delhi pollution? Dasari asked.

He regretted that the industry is being singled out whenever there is congestion, pollution or an accident.

Dasari went further, saying less than 20 per cent pollution comes from the auto industry. He added that the industry has several times asked the government to ban old vehicles if it wants to reduce pollution. Ban vehicles that cause pollution, Dasari said.

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Kanpur:

In an incident of sheer negligence in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur, a 12-year-old boy died on his fathers shoulder due to lack of timely medical care. The incident took place on August 26 when Ansh, a resident of Kanpurs Fazalganj area, was admitted to a medical facility with high fever.

Ansh had high feverHe was in Class 6 and very intelligent. I took him to a local hospital, they asked me to take him to the government hospital, says Mr Sunil Kumar, a mechanic. His son was treated at a local clinic for two days.

Mr Kumar had to wait for 30 minutes at the emergency ward of citys largest hospital, before he was allegedly told to take the boy to the childrens section. The doctors did not even examine the child, says the father.

Meanwhile, Kanpur DM Kaushal Raj Sharma and JVSM Medical College Principal Navneet Kumar have ordered inquiry in the matter.

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New Delhi :

In joint statements issued by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry, US and Pakistan struck a strong note against terrorism as they directly mentioned Pakistan.

1.We don't make distinction between good and bad terrorists, says John Kerry

In joint statements issued by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry, US and Pakistan struck a strong note against terrorism as they directly mentioned Pakistan.

2. Delhi LG Najeeb Jung appoints 3-member panel to examine 400 files submitted to him by Kejriwal Govt

Lt Governor Najeeb Jung has constituted a three-member committee to examine the decisions taken by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The panel comprises of Former Comptroller and Auditor General V K Shunglu, Former Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami and Former Chief Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar.

3. Modi's gift for Babus: Two years bonus for central govt employees announced, hike in minimum wage

In an attempt to mollify trade unions that have threatened to go on a nation-wide strike on Friday, the Centre on Tuesday announced a hike in minimum wage for unskilled non-farm workers of the central government from Rs 246 a day to Rs 350.

4. This is how PM Narendra Modi saved DD cameraman from being washed away

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday saved the life of of a DD cameraperson during the inauguration of a huge water project in his home state of Gujarat, said Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat Nitin Patel.

5. BJP MLA Narendra Mehta gifts his wife Rs. 5.5 crore Lamborghini on her birthday, she rams it into an auto

BJP MLA Narendra Mehta surprised his wife Suman by gifting her a saffron Lamborghini worth Rs. 5.5 crore on her birthday. Suman took the Lamborghini out for a ride, but lost control of the vehicle and rammed it into the auto.

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The race to ineptitude: California court says terrible, unproductive teachers can keep their jobs

We understand that a teachers job is difficult and often thankless. But so are a lot of jobs. We also understand that private labor markets are fairly efficient and dont award workers in the private workforce nearly the same perks received by Californias unionized teachers. So when the State of California denies school administrators the basic rights afforded to every private employer in the State, like the ability to dismiss grossly ineffective employees, we have a little difficultly sympathizing with the victorious teachers.

Article by Tyler Durden

Yesterday, Californias teachers won a huge victory that we fear will ultimately only serve to undermine the education of their students. Californias Supreme Court struck down a lawsuit filed by 9 public school students against the State of California alleging that overly generous legal protections afforded teachers directly disadvantaged students by keeping teachers in the classroom that had proven themselves to be grossly ineffective. The lawsuit alleged such protections violated the States constitution as they, by definition, created legal impediments that prevent Californias schools from providing an effective education to all of their students. The lawsuit focused on three specific teacher protections including the requirement to provide tenure after just 18 months on the job, onerous dismissal statutes that make it nearly impossible for administrators to fire a teacher for bad performance and the LIFO statutes that requires teachers be laid off in accordance with seniority rather than effectiveness. Per the lawsuit filed in 2012 (presented in its entirety at the end of this post):

The hiring and continued employment of such grossly ineffective teachers in the California public school system is the direct result of the continued enforcement of five California statutes (the Challenged Statutes) that confer permanent employment on California teachers, effectively prevent the removal of grossly ineffective teachers from the classroom, and, in economic downturns, require layoffs of more competent teachers. The Challenged Statutes prevent school administrators from prioritizingor even meaningfully consideringthe interests of their students in having effective teachers when making employment and dismissal decisions. By forcing these critical decisions to be made primarily or exclusively on grounds other than students need for effective teachers, and therefore perpetuating the employment within the school system of a number of grossly ineffective teachers who do not serve students needs and who, in fact, have a real and appreciably negative impact on students education, these laws infringe upon California students fundamental right to education.

Many principals and administrators do not even attempt to remove ineffective teachers, except in the most egregious cases of illegal or immoral conduct. And even in those egregious casesfor instance, where a teacher mocks an eighth grader recently hospitalized for attempted suicide, tells the suicidal boy to [c]arve deeper next time, and allows other students to instruct the boy on how to commit suicideteachers protected by the California statutes at issue remain in the classroom.

The original lawsuit focused on 3 key legal protections afforded teachers by the State of California which it alleged were harmful to students:

Californias Permanent Employment Statute

Requires Californias school districts to decide whether to provide permanent employment after just 18th months on the job. A study referenced in the lawsuit found that 98% of teachers were ultimately granted tenuresounds like it must be a really competitive process.

Pursuant to California Education Code section 44929.21, subdivision (b) (the Permanent Employment Statute), California school districts must decide whether to grant permanent employment to new teachers after less than 18 months.

Several studies have shown that it is not possible to determine a teachers long-term effectiveness with any degree of confidence during the first three years of teaching. In addition, teacher performance reviews used to determine whether a teacher should receive permanent employment do not consider student test data, student work, or any other indication whether the teachers students are actually learning. Nonetheless, within 18 months, California offers more than 98 percent of new teachers the full benefits of permanent employment.

Californias Dismissal Statutes

Basically makes it impossible to fire teachers after theyve been granted tenure. Particularly disturbing is the amount of money the LA Unified school district spent in an attempt to dismiss teachers for poor performance. The lawsuit points out that in the past decade the LAUSD spent $3.5mm in an attempt to dismiss just 7 teachers for poor performance ($500,000 per teacher). Legal proceedings related to the dismissals lasted an average of 5 years and only resulted in the actual dismissal of 4 of the 7 teachers, while 2 of the teachers won large settlements and the 7th remained employed.

The Dismissal Statutes mandate that more than a dozen hurdles be cleared before a district can dismiss an underperforming teacher. These hurdles result in a labyrinthine dismissal process requiring investigations, hearings, union grievances, administrative appeals, court challenges, and re-hearingsall of which can and often do take multiple years and cost hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of dollars.

Recent studies have found that the Dismissal Statutes effectively prevent school administrators from dismissing teachers for poor performance. In the past decade, for example, LAUSD officials spent $3.5 million trying to dismiss seven of the districts teachers for poor classroom performance. The process endured for an average of five years per teacher, and the average cost of the process to the LAUSD was $500,000 per teacher. Ultimately, only four of the seven teachers were dismissed, two of the teachers were paid large settlements, and one teacher remained employed.

The lawsuit also alleged that Californias laws were effectively discriminatory as the worst performing teachers often ended up in districts serving a disproportionate number of poor and/or minority students. The process was referred to as the dance of the lemons. Essentially, with administrators unable to dismiss underperforming teachers they often have no choice but totransfer them to other schools within the district and often to schools that serve high concentrations of economically disadvantaged students, students of color, and English learners.

As described above, as a direct result of the Challenged Statutes, a certain number of grossly ineffective teachers who are unable to minimally prepare students to compete in the economic marketplace or to participate in a democracy obtain and retain employment in the California public school system. Rather than dismiss grossly ineffective teachers for their poor performance, the Challenged Statutes cause school administrators to transfer those teachers to other schools within the district, a phenomenon sometimes referred to as the dance of the lemons. Often, and disproportionately to the number of schools within a school district, grossly ineffective teachers are transferred to schools that serve high concentrations of economically disadvantaged students, students of color, and English learners.

The Dismissal Statutes require the following procedure to be followed in connection with attempting to dismiss a teacher for underperformance:

Californias Last-In First-Out (LIFO) Statute

Mandates that layoffs be conducted in accordance with seniority and without regard for teachers performance, effectiveness or quality.

California Education Code section 44955 (the LIFO Statute) mandates the selection criteria by which teachers are to be included in any district-wide layoff. The LIFO Statute creates a seniority-based layoff system, irrespective of a teachers performance, effectiveness, or quality.

Per the LA Times, the teachers union representation was elated by the Supreme Courts decision. To our complete lack of surprise, he concluded that the real problem with Californias underperforming schools is that the State just needs to give teachers even more money.

We applaud the state Supreme Courts affirmation of the appeal court decision, said Joshua Pechthalt, president of the California Federation of Teachers. We can now turn closer attention to solving the actual problems we confront in our schools. Pechthalt said that the more crucial challenges include securing increased funding, reducing class sizes and confronting a looming teacher shortage. Were sure Josh has a point. Washington D.C. spends among the most per pupil of any state in the country and those schools are amazing, right?

Vergara vs. State of California by zerohedge on Scribd

Read more at zerohedge.com

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DANBURY  A Sherman man who eluded prison for nearly 50 years will remain free for at least another 27 days.

Robert Stackowitz, who escaped from a Georgia prison work camp 48 years ago, was arrested in May and now faces extradition to that state. But on Tuesday, Judge Dan Shaban allowed the Stackowitz to post a $100 bond and remain free while his attorneys appeal.

Attorney Norm Pattis, who represents Stackowitz, said his client is too ill to travel the 1,000 miles to Georgia and also argued that a prison stay could kill him. He said Stackowitz has heart problems, cancer, fluid on his lungs and emphysema, and that his legs are swollen because of circulatory issues and diabetes. According to one doctor, Pattis said, his client might only live another two to four years.

In Danbury Superior Court Tuesday, Stackowitz was bound to a wheelchair with compression wraps on his legs.

Hes 71 years old and knocking on deaths door, Pattis said. Why the governments of Georgia and Connecticut are hell bent on having him complete that journey is something I dont understand.

To fight the extradition, recently agreed to by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Pattis filed a habeus corpus complaint in civil court, arguing that it is inhumane to force Stackowitz to travel.

Stackowitz has been free on $75,000 bond awaiting Malloys decision on the extradition, but was due to be sent back to prison Tuesday. Instead, Pattis sought a new bond while the habeus corpus proceedings continue.

Shaban, however, was concerned that setting a bond, usually reserved for criminal cases, in a civil filing could set a dangerous precedent.

Where would I draw the line in terms of health? Shaban asked. "There could be a never-ending list of responses."

States attorney Stephen Sedensky did not object to setting the bond, and Shaban eventually granted it, but said the court would revisit the decision following the hearing on Sept. 26.

Pattis admitted the fight against extradition was unlikely to succeed, but said he would appeal as long as possible.

Well fight this thing until either the states of Connecticut and Georgia no longer exist or Bob has gone on to a peaceful death in his own home," Pattis said. "This fight is going on as long as weve got energy and weve got plenty of energy.

After escaping the infirmary at the Carroll County Prison Work Camp in Carrolton, Ga., on Aug. 22, 1968, Stackowitz relocated to Sherman where he ran a boat repair business.

He was discovered by police after applying for Social Security earlier this year, authorities said.

Pattis said that his client was niether a threat to society nor a flight risk and implied that he was unfairly sentenced after he was convicted of robbery by force.

The underlying crime in Georgia was a burglary and residential robbery for $9 and keys to a truck and he was sentenced to 17 years," Pattis said. "(Stackowitz) is not threat to anyone. Hes lucky to able to make the walk to his refridgerator. The purpose of his incarceration in Georgia has long since been exhausted.

awolff@newstimes.com; 203-731-3333; @awolffster
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DANBURY - Liquid nicotine that comes in kid-friendly flavors such as bubble gum, vanilla cupcake and chocolate candy bar should be banned by the federal government, lawmakers said on Tuesday.

Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty and Sen. Richard Blumenthal called on the Food and Drug Administration to ban flavored liquid nicotine, which is converted by electronic devices into an inhalable vapor.

They charge that the colorfully packaged and aromatic juice is aimed at hooking kids on a dangerous habit.

These electronic cigarettes are often the entry point for adolescents to become addicted to nicotine, said Esty, a Democrat who represents Danbury and Connecticuts 5th District. The industry is clearly targeting youth with these candy flavors and psychedelic colors.

Esty and Blumenthals call for a ban on flavored electronic cigarettes follows a Yale University study that found 25 percent of Connecticut middle-school and high-school students have tried e-cigarettes, and 40 percent of them did so because they were attracted by good flavors.

We want to ban the flavors because they are part of the addiction strategy that big tobacco has advanced over many years, said Blumenthal, a Democrat and the former Connecticut attorney general. The FDA should act now to ban candy and fruit flavor in electronic cigarettes that are specifically marketed to lure children into lifetimes of addiction and disease.

The electronic cigarettes industry, which is projected to grow to $10 billion in 2017, responds that it encourages manufacturers and retailers to take every precaution to keep children under 18 years old from using electronic cigarettes.

Earlier this month a federal ban went into place on e-cigarette sales to minors, which also makes penalties stiffer and gives the government more resources to crack down.

Connecticut, like most states, already had such a ban in place.

At Twilight Vapor across the street from the Henry Abbott Technical High School, for example, vape shop owner Shah Saiyam has a prominent sign in the glass door window about the underage ban.

Is sugar a bigger health problem for kids? Shah asked on Tuesday. Are we going to ban the sale of soda to kids?

Shah, who recently opened a vape lounge in Bethel, said Esty and Blumenthal were overlooking the benefits of vaping, which can be used to wean cigarette smokers off tobacco by inhaling progressively smaller doses of nicotine.

Flavors, he said, are an important part of the vaping experience.

This product has benefits, Shah said. There are people who have been helped by this product.

Esty agrees up to a point.

I am very supportive of a variety of efforts to get current smokers to kick the habit, but there is no reason to have 7,000 flavors such as blueberry pie, cotton candy or gummy bears, Esty said. That is not something that somebody who is 50 and is trying to quit smoking is going to buy.

Estys bill to require child-proof packaging on liquid nicotine containers was signed by President Obama earlier this year.

Esty and Blumenthal are among those pushing for a federal ban on marketing electronic cigarettes to children.

They both said Tuesday that if the FDA does not act soon to ban flavored liquid nicotine, they would follow with legislation to compel the government to act.

The longer we wait the more addicts we create who are enticed by cool packaging and candy flavors and advertising using cartoons, Esty said.

rryser@newstimes.com; 203-731-3342
Reports from South Korea say that around 100 people were reportedly injured in the incident.
TORONTO, Aug. 30, 2016 /CNW/ - Canada Goose, the leader in Arctic luxury apparel, today announced three new executive appointments: Lee Turlington as Chief Product Officer, Jackie Poriadjian-Asch as Chief Marketing Officer, and Scott Cameron as EVP of eCommerce, Stores and Strategy. Bringing deep expertise across a variety of industries, the new executive members significantly broaden the company's leadership capacity and will play a primary role in driving product innovation, supporting continued global growth, and maximizing the brand's opportunities ahead.

"With Lee, Jackie and Scott on board, we've never been in a stronger position to succeed," said Dani Reiss, President and CEO of Canada Goose. "We have an exciting and aggressive vision for the future with the wind at our back, and we have the right talent to make it happen."

A sportswear industry veteran, Lee Turlington will move into the newly created role of Chief Product Officer. He brings more than 25 years' experience in apparel and outerwear with previous leadership roles at Nike, Patagonia, The North Face and Fila. Lee has developed a global reputation for shaping strategy and leading companies, and has worked in a consulting role for Canada Goose over the past ten years. He will oversee the growing Design & Merchandising organization with a strong focus on innovation as the company continues to expand into new seasons and product categories.

Before joining Canada Goose, Jackie Poriadjian-Asch served as the SVP of Global Brand Marketing at UFC where she spent almost a decade building the brand on a global scale. With more than 15 years' experience focused on breaking new ground in content and distribution, Jackie will continue to build and oversee an integrated marketing team and will be responsible for developing a business intelligence practice to provide insights that will help shape strategy across all aspects of the business.

Kevin Spreekmeester, who recently served as Chief Marketing Officer, will move into the new role of Chief Brand Officer. Joining Canada Goose in 2008, Kevin's rich brand-building expertise and passion for the brand will continue to be an immeasurable asset to all strategic brand decisions.

Joining the company from McKinsey & Co., where he was a partner, Scott Cameron will serve as the EVP of eCommerce, Stores, and Strategy. Bringing years of experience working with retailers and consumer brands across a variety of topics, Scott will be responsible for growing Canada Goose's direct-to-consumer channels globally, including the upcoming launch of the company's first flagship retail stores in Toronto and New York City.

Canada Goose products are sold in 50 countries and the company has grown more than 2,000% in the last decade.

About Canada Goose Inc.

Founded in a small warehouse in Toronto, Canada nearly 60 years ago, Canada Goose has grown into the world's leading maker of Arctic luxury apparel. Informed by the rugged demands of the Arctic, relentless innovation and uncompromised craftsmanship inspire the form and function of every collection. From Antarctic research facilities and the Canadian High Arctic, to the streets of New York City, London, Milan, Paris, and Tokyo, people are proud to wear Canada Goose products. Employing more than 1,300 people worldwide, Canada Goose is a recognized leader for its Made in Canada commitment, and is a long-time partner of Polar Bears International. Visit canadagoose.com for more information.

SOURCE Canada Goose

For further information: For press inquiries, contact: Canada: Josh Zeliger, [email protected], T: 416-780-9850 ext. 2252; Tiffany Luong, [email protected], T: 416-780-9850 ext. 2739; U.S.: Courtney LaRue, [email protected], T: 646-300-8590 ext. 8510
OTTAWA, Aug. 29, 2016 /CNW/ - Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) have once again agreed to extend mediation another 24 hours. Both parties will continue to negotiate with the assistance of the special mediator into Tuesday, August 30.

The current collective agreements will continue to apply for the next 24 hours through to midnight on Tuesday, August 30.

SOURCE Canada Post

For further information: Media relations, 613-734-8888, [email protected]
Kellogg's Breakfasts for Better Days Survey of Teachers Reveals that Missing Breakfast Negatively Impacts Academic Results and Classroom Behaviour

TWEETABLE HIGHLIGHTS:

Kellogg Canada is #FeedingBetterDays by helping kids start the day off right + succeed in the classroom! Infographic http://bit.ly/1OU1MZ5

is #FeedingBetterDays by helping kids start the day off right + succeed in the classroom! Infographic http://bit.ly/1OU1MZ5 Kellogg Canada survey reveals 42% of teachers see kids coming to school hungry every single day http://bit.ly/1OU1MZ5 #FeedingBetterDays

survey reveals 42% of teachers see kids coming to school hungry every single day http://bit.ly/1OU1MZ5 #FeedingBetterDays Teachers say kids who miss breakfast miss 132 mins of learning daily. Learn more: http://bit.ly/1OU1MZ5 #FeedingBetterDays

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Aug. 30, 2016 /CNW/ - When school bells ring out across the country to signal the start of another school year, Canadians are reminded of the power, potential and importance of education. What kids learn in school, both in the classroom and out, can determine just how bright their future will be. However, for the one in five Canadian children who start each school day running on empty, having missed out on breakfast because there isn't enough to eat at home, the promise of a new academic year is clouded by hunger. 1

The third annual Kellogg's Breakfasts for Better Days Survey of active Canadian school teachers reveals that not getting enough breakfast and going to school hungry is having a startling impact on students from coast-to-coast. Indeed, teachers reported that kids who regularly miss breakfast lose, on average, 132 minutes of learning time every day. That's four months per year or nearly five years of lost learning from Kindergarten through grade 12! 2

"As a teacher, it was impossible for me to remain unaffected by the struggle of students who consistently came to school without eating a nutritious breakfast in the morning," explains Paul Jones, Radio Voice of the Toronto Raptors and a former elementary school teacher and principal. "I would look out at my class and immediately recognize the signs of hunger. Students fighting to focus on the lesson. Falling asleep at their desk. Acting out. Stealing food. Bullying other students. And my experience isn't unique  many teachers I know tell the same story."

KELLOGG'S BREAKFASTS FOR BETTER DAYS SURVEY OF CANADIAN TEACHERS: RESULTS2

Echoing Mr. Jones' experience in the classroom, respondents to the Kellogg's survey agreed that hunger has a tangible impact on both academic performance and the behaviour of students. In fact:

93 per cent of teachers said that students who eat breakfast achieve better academic results than those who do not;

86 per cent responded that students who come to school hungry are more likely to engage in bullying than their peers;

Three-quarters reported that children who miss breakfast are more easily frustrated (77%), angered, annoyed or irritated (73%);

63 per cent confirmed that hungry students are more disruptive in class; and

Two-thirds of Canadian teachers observed that students who come to school without breakfast struggle to make friends.

"What every Canadian needs to take away from these survey results is that, when a child comes to school with an empty stomach, their hunger affects every student in the class," adds Jones. "The time that a teacher takes to care for a child who is acting out or bullying a peer simply because, through no fault of their own, they are hungry, is time they are not spending with the rest of the class."

The negative impacts of hunger in the classroom have led to 92 per cent of teachers surveyed admitting that they have personally helped a student who has arrived at school hungry and over half (54 per cent) have brought in extra food for students in need. 2

BETTER DAYS START WITH THE POWER OF BREAKFAST

Teachers, however, also recognize that they can't solve the problem alone and agree that school breakfast programs make a difference in the lives of students. Among teachers surveyed who are working in a school with a breakfast program, nearly all (98 per cent) said that it delivers positive results. And over two-thirds (69 per cent) of teachers in schools without a breakfast program thought that starting one would help students achieve their potential.

"At Kellogg, we believe in the power of breakfast to feed better days," says Lores Tome, Director, Communications and Corporate Affairs, Kellogg Canada. "When children start the day off with a nutritious breakfast, we know they are better equipped to learn, succeed and surpass their goals. That's why we're so committed to shedding a light on the issue of hunger in the classroom, and why we have donated more than 3 million dollars and 30 million servings of cereal and snacks to national breakfast partners like Breakfasts Club Canada and Food Banks Canada."

To increase awareness of the reality of hunger in Canadian classrooms, Kellogg Canada is calling on Canadians to join in the conversation by sharing the #FeedingBetterDays Infographic and Reverse Hunger Online Video on social media using #FeedingBetterDays. And for those who want to do more to help, the company is once again making it as easy as buying a box of Kellogg's cereal. This fall, building on highly successful Breakfasts for Better Days programs in 2014 and 2015, with every box purchased the company will donate a portion of the proceeds to its breakfast partners across Canada to a maximum of $100,000.

Last February, as part of the company's global Breakfasts for Better Days global hunger initiative which began in 2013, Kellogg announced that it had surpassed its milestone to donate 1 billion servings globally by the end of 2016  nearly a full year early. To date, approximately 1.4 billion servings of cereal and snacks have been provided to children and families in need around the world.

Learn more about the Kellogg's Breakfasts for Better Days initiative by visiting www.kelloggs.ca.

ABOUT KELLOGG CANADA INC.

Driven to enrich and delight the world through foods and brands that matter, Kellogg Canada is the leading producer of ready-to-eat cereal in Canada. Every day, our beloved brands nourish families so they can flourish and thrive. These include All-Bran*, Kellogg's Corn Flakes*, Corn Pops*, Eggo*, Froot Loops*, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes*, Kashi*, Kellogg's* Two Scoops* Raisin Bran, Mini-Wheats*, Nutri-Grain*, Pop-Tarts*, Pringles*, Rice Krispies*, Special K* and Vector*. Through our Breakfasts for Better Days global hunger initiative, we've provided more than 1.4 billion servings of cereal and snacks to children and families in need around the world. To learn more about our responsible business leadership, foods that delight and how we strive to make a difference in our communities around the world, visit www.kelloggcompany.com. To learn more about Kellogg Canada's efforts in these areas, please visit www.kelloggs.ca.

*  2016, Trademark of Kellogg Company used under licence by Kellogg Canada Inc.

1. Let's Do This  Let's End Child Poverty for Good: Campaign 2000 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Canada. Campaign 2000. Toronto, Canada. 2015 *http://campaign2000.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Ontario2015Report.pdf 2. ABOUT THE KELLOGG'S BREAKFASTS FOR BETTER DAYS STUDY From July 18th to July 22nd, 2016 an online survey was conducted among 403 randomly selected Canadian elementary, middle and high school teachers who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

SOURCE Kellogg Canada Inc.

Image with caption: "Back to school means learning on empty for some Canadian students (CNW Group/Kellogg Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160830_C1747_PHOTO_EN_761664.jpg

For further information: Justine Woolcott, Strategic Objectives, 416-366-7735, [email protected]
MONTREAL, Aug. 30, 2016 /CNW/ -- Hikvision Canada Inc., a Canadian leader in innovative, award-winning CCTV and IP video surveillance products, announces the official launch of the new Hikvision Canada website, www.hikvision.ca. This launch solidifies Hikvision's presence in the Canadian market by expanding communication and localized service options to Canadian customers.

Since announcing the creation of Hikvision Canada Inc. in early 2015, Hikvision has experienced exponential growth in the Canadian market. To reinforce relationships with its growing customer-base, Hikvision Canada has fortified sales, engineering, and technical support teams. Furthermore, a Canadian office branch opened in Saint-Laurent, QC in August 2015. With staff fluent in English and Canadian French, it serves as home base for product support, technical support, quality assurance, and Canadian marketing.

With the rapid expansion Hikvision Canada has experienced, a new website was the next logical step in the process of providing clients with continuously improving service and timely communications. One primary aim of the website is to give customers better insight about which Hikvision products would work best in Canadian applications.

"The Canadian Hikvision website will give our customers a localized content experience that is personalized to their unique needs," said Alex Asnovich, director of marketing and learning & development for Hikvision in North America. "As we continue to increase our market presence, the site will support our efforts to provide our Canadian dealers, integrators, end-users, and technology partners with state-of-the-art solutions, technology, and resources for their surveillance projects."

Upcoming site enhancements are also anticipated. A Canadian A&E portal, where architectural and engineering partners will have access to valuable tools and resources, is in the works. Canadian dealer partners will see increased editorial content with a focus on relevant products and success stories. The website will also serve as a medium to announce corporate news and events happening at Hikvision Canada.

The growth Hikvision has experienced in North America is not limited to the English-speaking population. In fact, later this year Hikvision Canada plans to launch a fully bilingual online experience in order to accommodate Canadian French speakers as well. This will allow the large population whose mother tongue is French to have a more convenient website user experience.

For more information about Hikvision Canada, visit their brand new website at www.hikvision.ca, stop by the Hikvision booth at ASIS, #1811, in Orlando, Florida on September 12-15, or stop by the Hikvision booth at the Security Canada Expo, #628, in Toronto on October 19-20.

About Hikvision Canada

Hikvision is the world's largest supplier of video surveillance products and solutions. The company specializes in innovative video surveillance technology, as well as designing and manufacturing a full line of innovative CCTV and video surveillance products. Hikvision possesses the industry's largest R&D team and state-of-art manufacturing facilities; both allow Hikvision's customers the benefit of world-class products that are designed with cutting-edge technology. Hikvision Canada is a subsidiary of Hikvision Digital Technology Co., Ltd. For more information, go to www.hikvision.ca. Follow us on social media: facebook.com/hikvisioncanada, twitter.com/hikvisioncanada and linkedin.com/company/hikvisioncanada.

SOURCE Hikvision Canada

For further information: Alex Asnovich, Director of Marketing, Hikvision Canada Inc.,+1-312-576-1025, [email protected], http://www.hikvision.ca
ETOBICOKE, ON, Aug. 30, 2016 /CNW/ - For generations, Canadian parents told their children a similar story: if you want a good job, stay in school. Young Canadians took this message to heart. Unfortunately, for too many Canadians rising costs have made post-secondary education less affordable. Fewer people are able to save enough for their education which prevents them from acquiring the learning and skills they need to get a good job and join the middle class. That's why the Government of Canada is making a significant change to student financial assistance that will help students returning to class this fall on campuses across the country.

Today, the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science, was at Humber College to announce increases to Canada Student Grants and changes to the Repayment Assistance Plan on behalf of the Honourable MaryAnn Mihychuk, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour.

On August 1, in time for the 201617 school year, Canada Student Grant amounts increased by 50 percent; from $2,000 to $3,000 per year for full-time students from low-income families; from $800 to $1,200 per year for students from middle-income families; and from $1,200 to $1,800 per year for part-time students from low-income families. These increases will help over 270,000 students in Ontario alone. As a result of these enhancements, when combined with provincial student grants, the average full-time undergraduate student from a low-income family in Ontario could receive up to $6,000 in grants.

Additionally, beginning November 1, the Government of Canada will ease the rules on its Repayment Assistance Plan by ensuring that no single borrower will be required to make any repayment until he or she is earning at least $25,000 per year.

Taken together, these enrichments will help Canada's students by relieving the high cost of a post-secondary education so they may equip themselves with education and skills they need to join a strong, healthy and vibrant middle class.

To complement the changes to Canada Student Grants, the Government of Canada is also making historic investments in the spaces where students learn, experiment and achieve through the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund. Today, Minister Duncan also announced more than $21 million for Humber College in support of two sustainable infrastructure projects that will enable students to create energy-efficient living environments and will retrofit buildings on campus so they use less energy. The Province of Ontario will contribute an additional $3.3 million and Humber College will add more than $39 million bringing the total investment to $64.55 million. In this way, the Strategic Investment Fund will jump-start a virtuous circle of discovery and innovation, creating the right conditions for long-term growth that will yield benefits for generations to come.

Quotes

"By providing significant financial assistance to students and investing in the spaces where students learn, our government is building a brighter future for all Canadians. When students, such as those attending Humber College, can afford their education, they will be able to gain the kind of education and experience they need to contribute to strengthening our economy and our community."

 The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science

"Education is the key to future success and prosperity. Our investments are making post-secondary education more affordable and more accessible for more students. It's going to help grow the Canadian middle class and help Canadians get the skills and experience they need for good jobs."

-The Honourable MaryAnn Mihychuk, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour

"I'm delighted that the federal government is moving ahead with its changes to Canada Student Grants to make college and university more affordable for Ontario students. These changes support Ontario's move forward with one of the most ambitious reforms of student financial assistance in North America, making tuition free for families with income below $50,000 and allowing students to graduate with less debt. When complete, over 150,000 students will receive more in grants than they need to pay tuition, providing them with money for other costs including books."

The Honourable Deb Matthews, Deputy Premier, Ontario Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development, Minister Responsible for Digital Government

"This funding will enable Humber to continue to support two of our core values: innovation and sustainability. With this announcement, the federal government has acknowledged the significant role that postsecondary institutions play in fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, research and environmental sustainability."

Chris Whitaker, President and CEO of Humber College

"After spending several years living and volunteering in Kampala, Uganda, I saw first-hand how vulnerable women and children can be. I'm now completing my nursing degree at Humber so I can return to Kampala one day and specialize in maternal care. Receiving a Canada Student Grant means I will graduate with less debt and be able to go back to Uganda sooner to make a difference."

Aimee Duncalfe, recipient of Canada Student Grant and Humber College Bachelor of Nursing student

Quick Facts

Canada Student Loans and Grants

Budget 2016 provided the first significant increase to Canada Student Grants and the Repayment Assistance Plan income thresholds since 2009.

Increases to Canada Student Grants are expected to benefit 237,000 students from Ontario .

. Over 9,000 students at Humber College received Canada Student Grants during the 2014-15 school year.

received Canada Student Grants during the 2014-15 school year. The increase to Canada Student Grants will provide assistance of $1.53 billion over five years.

over five years. The increase to the Repayment Assistance Plan eligibility thresholds will provide assistance of $131.4 million over five years.

over five years. According to Statistics Canada, over a 20-year period, students with a bachelor's degree will earn between $442,000 and $728,000 more than someone with only a high school diploma.

Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund

The targeted, short-term investments under the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund will promote economic activity across Canada and help Canada's universities and colleges develop highly skilled workers, act as engines of discovery, and collaborate on innovations that help Canadian companies compete and grow internationally.

and help universities and colleges develop highly skilled workers, act as engines of discovery, and collaborate on innovations that help Canadian companies compete and grow internationally. The Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund supports the Government of Canada's climate change objectives by encouraging sustainable and green infrastructure projects.

Associated Links

Budget 2016

Canada.ca/Student-Financial-Assistance

Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund

Ontario.ca/BuildON

BUDGET 2016  Making Post-Secondary Education More Affordable

Enhancing Canada Student Grants

Canada Student Grants (CSGs) provide up-front, non-repayable financial assistance to low- and middle-income students and students with permanent disabilities or dependents. Eligibility is assessed at the time the student applies for student loans.

Budget 2016 proposed to increase CSG amounts by 50 percent:

from $2,000 to $3,000 per year for full-time students from low-income families;

per year for full-time students from low-income families; from $800 to $1,200 per year for full-time students from middle-income families; and

per year for full-time students from middle-income families; and from $1,200 to $1,800 per year for part-time students from low-income families.

Increasing the CSGs would benefit over 350,000 students across Canada: approximately 247,000 low-income students; 100,000 middle-income students; and 16,000 part-time students per year. This measure will provide assistance of $1.53 billion over five years, starting in 201617.

Budget 2016 also proposed to expand eligibility for CSGs to help even more students receive non-repayable assistance through an investment of $790 million over four years. The new eligibility thresholds are expected to be in place for the 201718 academic year, following consultations with provinces and territories. Under the new model, the existing low- and middle-income thresholds will be replaced with a single progressive threshold under which grant amounts will gradually decline based on income and family size.

Repayment Assistance Plan

For Canada Student Loan borrowers having difficulty making their payments following their studies, the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) can offer help. The RAP makes it easier for borrowers to manage their student loans by paying back what they can reasonably afford, based on their family income and size. Students must apply for the RAP in order to receive this support.

Since its introduction in 2009, the Repayment Assistance Plan income thresholds, which currently begin at $20,210 (gross income), have not been adjusted and do not reflect minimum wage increases.

In Ontario , for instance, $9.50 /hour in 2009 amounted to a yearly salary of $19,760 at 40 hours/week. However, the increase to $11.25 /hour in 2015, amounted to a yearly salary of $23,400 , which is above the current minimum affordable payment threshold.

Budget 2016 proposed to increase the loan repayment threshold under the Canada Student Loans Program's Repayment Assistance Plan to ensure that no borrower who applies will have to repay their Canada Student Loan until they are earning at least $25,000 per year. This income threshold is for a single individual; for other family sizes, see the table below. Students earning more than this amount may also be eligible for reduced payments. Students who think they may face difficulties repaying their loans should contact the National Student Loans Service Centre to learn more. This measure will provide assistance of $131.4 million over five years, starting on November 1, 2016.

Annual Family Gross Income Thresholds for RAP Zero Payment by Family Size Family Size Current RAP Thresholds RAP Thresholds as of Nov. 1 Percentage Change 1 $20,210 $25,000 23.7% 2 $31,570 $39,052 23.7% 3 $40,790 $50,457 23.7% 4 $48,110 $59,512 23.7% 5+ $54,830 $67,825 23.7%

Provincial and territorial information for Canada Student Loans and Grants

The Government of Canada works with most provincial or territorial governments to deliver federal and provincial student loans and grants.

In Ontario , British Columbia , Saskatchewan , New Brunswick , and Newfoundland and Labrador the Government of Canada and the provincial governments work together to provide financial assistance through Integrated Student Loans and Grants.

, , , , and and the Government of and the provincial governments work together to provide financial assistance through Integrated Student Loans and Grants. In Alberta , Manitoba , Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island , Canada Student Loans and Grants are available alongside provincial or territorial student financial assistance.

, , and Prince , Canada Student Loans and Grants are available alongside provincial or territorial student financial assistance. In Yukon , only Canada Student Loans and territorial grants are available to permanent residents of the Yukon .

Non-participating jurisdictions

Quebec, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories chose not to participate in the Canada Student Loans Program and receive an alternative payment from the Government of Canada to administer their own student financial assistance measures.

Ontario

Although the Government of Canada directly finances federal student loans, Ontario processes Canada Student Loans Program (CSLP) applications and conducts eligibility assessments for Canada Student Loans and Grants alongside provincial student loans and grants. Up to 60 percent of an Ontario student's demonstrated financial need is covered by the CSLP, with Ontario covering the remaining need through the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), up to a stipulated maximum amount. The CSLP has an integration agreement with Ontario, which means that students from Ontario have a single loan repayment.

The CSLP and Ontario, alongside other provinces and territories, work closely together to improve the coordination of federal and provincial programs, to improve student financial assistance, and to respond to the needs of students.

Ontario Student Grants

Starting in the 201718 school year, Ontario is bundling many existing provincial OSAP grants into a single up-front Ontario Student Grant.

The changes will make average college and university tuition free for most eligible students, whose parents make a combined household income of less than $50,000 per year. The grant will be available to full-time students only.

The changes also apply to middle-to-upper income families and include:

issuing grants in excess of average tuition for more than 50 percent of students from families with incomes of $83,000 or less;

or less; making sure no eligible student receives less grant money under the Ontario Student Grant than they would have under the 30% Off Ontario Tuition grant; and

reducing the amount parents and spouses contribute towards the costs of college/university starting in the 2018-19 school year, resulting in more OSAP assistance for these students.

Additionally in 2017-18, the Government of Ontario will be:

providing only grants to students from families with annual incomes of $50,000 /year or less ( $30,000 or less for single independent students);

/year or less ( or less for single independent students); increasing the weekly loan limits for all students and indexing them annually to inflation;

providing greater access to non-repayable aid for mature students; and

changing eligibility so that grant approval is not tied to how long a student has been out of high school.

For more information and to learn how to apply, visit Ontario.ca

Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund

The Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund is a $2-billion initiative designed to modernize research and commercialization facilities at Canadian universities, colleges and polytechnics.

Through the program, the Government of Canada is partnering with the provinces and territories to fund projects that:

improve the scale or quality of facilities for research and innovation, including spaces for the commercialization of research;

improve the scale or quality of facilities for specialized training at colleges focused on industry needs; and/or

improve the environmental sustainability of research and innovation-related facilities at universities and colleges.

Research and teaching hospitals, research parks, and business incubators and accelerators are also eligible for funding through their affiliated university or college.

The Fund will support up to 50 percent of a project's eligible costs. The remaining funding will come from other partners, such as provincial and territorial governments, and the institutions themselves.

These once-in-a-generation investments will promote economic activity across Canada. They will result in state-of-the-art facilities to not only train the next generation of highly skilled workers and entrepreneurs but also serve as hubs of discovery and collaboration. They will nurture the development of innovations that help Canadian companies compete and grow internationally.

SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

For further information: John O'Leary, Director of Communications, Office of the Hon. MaryAnn Mihychuk, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, 819-654-5611; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]; Follow us on Twitter ; Veronique Perron, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Science, 343-291-2600, Follow Minister Duncan on social media, Twitter: @ScienceMin, Instagram: sciencemin ; Media Relations, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 343-291-1777, [email protected]
The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, on Monday said over 900 people had surrendered no fewer than 700 illegally acquired arms, ammunit...

The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, on Monday said over 900 people had surrendered no fewer than 700 illegally acquired arms, ammunition and Improvised Explosive Device to the amnesty panel in the state.Ortom assured the people that his administration would continue to give priority to security since there could be no meaningful development without peace.The governor stated this on Monday at the Benue Peoples House, Makurdi, while playing host to the Assistant Commandant General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps in charge of Zone H, comprising Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa and Kogi states, Mr. Joseph Oragande.The governor said, The citizens who are mostly farmers and investors who are mostly foreigners need to be protected and I believe the overall boss of the NSCDC used wisdom to post Oragande to Benue at the time farmers and other citizens are facing the problem of security.He promised that the state government would join hands with the new assistant commandant general to tackle the problem.Ortom commended the NSCDC for contributing to the fight against crime and explained that his administration was using the stick approach for the control of crime after the carrot approach had been used with the application of the amnesty programme.Earlier, Oragande had told the governor that the Commandant General and the Minister of Internal Affairs had expressed satisfaction with the relationship between the state government and the organisation, adding that the NSCDC now has some departments that handle crisis and other issues especially the farmers and Fulani herdsmen conflict.
Barely 24 hours after Alhaji Aliko Dangote and a popular world musician, Mr. Paul David Hewson, popularly known as Bono, visited IDP camp...

Barely 24 hours after Alhaji Aliko Dangote and a popular world musician, Mr. Paul David Hewson, popularly known as Bono, visited IDP camps in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, hundreds of aggrieved Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, from Bakassi camp, yesterday, stormed the streets in protest, barricading Maiduguri-Biu road in the metropolis.The IDPs alleged poor feeding and ill-treatment by government and other humanitarian agencies. The IDPs, who, though were peaceful in their protest, said they were not satisfied with a situation where a family of three or four people would be given same amount of foodstuff as a family of 10 or 15, blaming the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, for the poor arrangement.It took the quick intervention of state government officials and North-East Coordinator of NEMA, Alhaji Mohammed Kanar, to douse the tension. Reacting to the protest, Mohammed Bashir Tarbari, who is the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Kashim Shettima on Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Social Media, said the ongoing IDPs protest in camps was instigated by a group of politicians with deep rooted prejudice against the administration of Governor Kashim Shettima to cause disaffection.He said: It has come to the notice of the government that the disgruntled and desperate politicians for self-centredness use some vulnerable people at various internally displaced persons camps to cause conflict between the authorities and the respective communities by instigating them to protest on unfounded allegations, with regards to their feeding system.It must be realised that in a situation as this, where hundreds and thousands of internally displaced persons are being catered for, there might be minor mistakes which do not erode the good intentions of the authorities to give the best possible to the affected. Besides, there will always be room for improvement. Now that peace is gradually returning to Borno and elsewhere, it behoves on us all as patriotic people to work in harmony for the people and not to aggravate the situation to cause further untold hardship on the people.Therefore, the people of Borno, especially those in the internally displaced persons camps, should be wary of some unscrupulous politicians or individuals who may wish to use them for their personal agenda or to settle political scores.It has become imperative for all to know that the era of impunity is over and it behoves on the law enforcement agencies to bring sanity to the entire system by bringing to book the trouble makers and masterminds of violence, irrespective of their status in the society.Borno State government would continue to discharge its responsibility and mandate to all against all odds. Bakassi has a population of 152,000 IDPs from Nganzai, Monguno, Gwoza and other local government areas of the state.
Dear Mr. President Last year, when you assumed office, the chant of Change, your campaign slogan, ushered you into the Presidentia...

Dear Mr. PresidentLast year, when you assumed office, the chant of Change, your campaign slogan, ushered you into the Presidential Villa. Today, cries of hunger could be heard across the length and breadth of our vast country.Nigerians hunger, not only for food, but also for good leadership, for peace, security, and justice.This letter is to appeal to you to do something fast, and, if you are already doing something, to redouble your effort. May it not be written on the pages of history that Nigerians die of starvation under your watch. As President, you are the chief servant of the nation. I, therefore, urge you to live up to the huge expectation of millions of Nigerians. A stitch in time saves nine. This is the second year of your administration. You and your party promised to lead the masses to the Promised Land. It is not an easy task to lead.But by campaigning for this office, you offered to take the enormous task of leadership upon yourself.Nigerians are waiting for you to fulfill the promises you made during the campaign. They voted you into office because of those promises. The introduction of town hall meetings is a commendable idea. But in practice, you, not just your ministers, must converse with Nigerians.You are the President. You must be accountable to them. The buck stops on your desk. Even if your administration has no magic wand at least give some words of encouragement.On this same score, please instruct your ministers, and insist that they be sincere and polite at those town meetings.Their sophistry will neither serve you nor Nigerians. Mr. President, if you want to leave a credible legacy come 2019, in all sincerity, please retool your administration.Change is desirable. But it must be a change for the better. Let this change be real. Change is not real when old things that we ought to discard refuse to pass away. You will need to take a critical look at your cabinet, at the policies and programs of your administration, and at those who help you to formulate and execute them.You will need to take a critical look at the manner of appointments you have been making. It is true that commonsense dictates that you appoint men and women you can trust. But if most of the people you trust are from one section of the country and practice the same religion, then you and all of us are living in insecurity.The Nigerian economy has never been in a state as terrible as this. You as President are like the pilot of an aircraft flying in turbulence.Turbulent times bring the best or the worst out of a pilot. We can no longer blame the turbulence on past administrations.You know quite well that some of the officials of your administration served in previous dispensations. Blame for what we have been experiencing is, in fact, bipartisan in character.The entire political class needs to come together, irrespective of party differences, to acknowledge its collective guilt and to seek ways of saving the sinking ship that our country has become.This cannot be done if some officials of your administration demonize and alienate members of the opposition. If a large portion of the blame for the present situation is to be laid on the doorsteps of the entire political class, the search for a solution must involve everyone.That is why no one should be alienated. All hands must be on deck. This is the time to revitalize moribund industries, reinvigorate our agriculture, make our country tourist and investor friendly, and enable our young men and women to find fulfillment by contributing to the common good. None of these lofty goals can be achieved without good education.On this particular issue, recent appointments you have made in the education sector raise a question: have you really appointed the best? Still, on education, it is important that our universities be allowed to use their own criteria to admit students.It is a gross violation of the principles of federalism and academic freedom for the federal government to insist that only a federal parastatal can decide on who gains admission into our universities.It is the role of the university senate, not of government bureaucrats, to decide on who gets admitted and who is awarded a certificate. Mr. President, your desire to wage a war on corruption is just and noble.But a just war must be waged with just means. Those who have stolen the wealth of this country have broken the laws of our country. They must be treated according to the law and not outside the law, and the outcome of the judicial process must be respected by the government.Even accused persons have rights. Where those rights are violated, we risk a descent to anarchy. It is our candid opinion that corruption is not found in only one party. No political party in Nigeria has a monopoly of looters.That is why we need an EFCC that is thoroughly independent of the presidency, and an Attorney General without party affiliation working in partnership with various independent accounting institutes. This will ensure that we come up with an objective list of those who plundered our treasury.Mr. President, pardon me if I sound like a gratuitous counselor. I owe you the truth and nothing but the truth.In my life as a public figure and a religious leader, I have offered my counsel, for whatever its worth, to quite a number of Presidents in this country. I do this because I desire that you succeed. For the success of the leader is the success of the citizens.If there is no solution to Nigerias problem, there may be endless war. You strike one town, you gain it, and you come again to regain it.Remember that you cannot put a crown on your head. It is the people who put it on you. Otherwise one day, you will get tired of it. Please listen to the legitimate cries of your fellow citizens.
Rescue workers and neighbours rescued eight persons from a two-storey building, which collapsed at Gwarinpa Housing Estate earlyon Monday...

Rescue workers and neighbours rescued eight persons from a two-storey building, which collapsed at Gwarinpa Housing Estate earlyon Monday morning, an official said.The Spokesman for The National Emergency Agency (NEMA), Malam Yakubu Shuaibu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the building collapsed at around1a.m.Shuaibu said, the building, located at Naval Quarters, was undergoing renovation and that some labourers hired to work on it also lived inside.He said rescue workers from NEMA, Federal Road Safety Commission and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps arrived at the scene and dug through the rubble in search of survivors.The NEMA spokesperson said rescue workers searched the rubble with a life locator to determine if other people were still trapped.Shuaibu said some eight persons were trapped in the building and that neighbours rescued three of the occupants before the arrival of the rescue workers.
Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) Chairman, Mr. Folarin Ogunsanwo, has been relieved of his appointment with Governor Akinwunmi Ambode...

Governor Ambode

Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) Chairman, Mr. Folarin Ogunsanwo, has been relieved of his appointment with Governor Akinwunmi Ambode immediately nominating Mr. Ayodele Hamzat Subair as his replacement.Ogunsanwo, our reporter gathered was sacked last week over what a credible source said was financial irregularities under his watch, leaving Ambode with no option but to terminate his appointment.Consequently, the governor on Monday morning sent a letter to the House of Assembly requesting for the confirmation of Subair as the new Chairman of the LIRS.In the letter read on the floor of the House of Assembly, Ambode said, following the retirement of the erstwhile Chairman, Mr. Folarin Ogunsanwo who held the position since September 2015, it became expedient to quickly seek a suitable replacement in view of the vital position of the LIRS towards its revenue generation drive and in attainment of his administrations set target to deliver good governance to the citizenry.Subair, who was born on May 21, 1960, holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the Metropolitan University of Manchester, United Kingdom and a Masters Degree in Business administration from the University of Lagos.He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), member of both the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) and the Business Recovery and Insolvency Practitioners Association of Nigeria (BRIPAN).Subair has over 34 years working experience which started with the Price WaterHouse Chartered Accountants before venturing into private practice in 1987 with the Hamzat Subair and Co. Chartered Accountants where he is the Managing Partner.He was the pioneer Director of Lagos State Lotteries Board and has worked with various international agencies such as the International Finance Corporation (IFC).Ambode said Subairs presentation to the House of Assembly for confirmation was in conformity with Section 2 of the Lagos State Revenue Administration Law (2006).In a related development, Ambode has also approved the appointment of Engr. Abiodun Dabiri as the new Managing Director of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA).Dabiri, born on January 2, 1964, holds a Bachelor of Science and Masters Degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Lagos.He is a registered engineer with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), corporate member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria (CIPSMN).
Activities at the office of the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, was yesterday halted by students of the Lagos State University, LAS...

LASUTH

Activities at the office of the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, was yesterday halted by students of the Lagos State University, LASU, protesting over non-accreditation of medical and dental programmes in the institution.The students, who defied the early morning downpour, stormed the office of the governor to express their displeasure over the administration of Lagos State University College of Medicine, LASUCOM. The students were armed with placards with different inscriptions like: Our parents are frustrated, they think we have been rusticated, Ambode; release N100 million to LASUCOM, Ambode, please save us from shame and others. The students lamented that the non-accreditation of the programmes has forced them to spend eight years studying a six-year programme.Speaking on behalf of the protesters, chairman, LASU Association of Dental Students, Mr. Sydon Agbor, said the non-accreditation of the programmes had impeded the graduation of the final year students. Agbor explained that without accreditation of their programmes by Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, the students would never graduate from the institution, adding Our visit here is to intimate the governor on the plight of LASUCOM students. He noted that lack of basic equipments, inadequate lecturers, laboratory and others were the required facilities needed before the school could be accredited. Agbor, therefore, called on the governor to come to the aid of the students and address their challenges.Addressing the protesters, Special adviser to the governor on Civic Engagement, Mr. Kehinde Joseph, who was accompanied by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of health, Mrs. Omodele Osunkiyesi, assured the protesters that the state government would ensure that the issue is investigated.
The Madrid city government said Monday it will pursue Real Madrid for 18.4 million euros ($20.6 million) in illegal state aid that the European Commission ordered the club to repay.Real, Spanish champions Barcelona and other clubs were found to have received an unfair advantage by the commission in July due to tax breaks and overpriced land deals.The city hall will establish the measures necessary to carry out the decision of the European Commission to recover the aid of 18.4 million euros granted to Real Madrid, the local government said in a statement. At the start of September a two-month period given by Brussels to the city hall to present to the commission the total amount (total owed plus interest) to be recouped, a description of the measures adopted and the documents that show the club has been ordered to reimburse the aid will expire.The club agreed to sell a plot of land to Madrids government in 1998, a transaction that eventually was not completed. As compensation for failure to complete the deal, Real received 22.7 million euros from the state in 2011. The value of the land at the time of the initial agreement in 1998 was just 595,000 euros. The commissions investigation showed that Real Madrid were entitled to compensation of just 4.3 million euros, therefore obtaining an advantage of 18.4 million. The club have already signalled their intention to appeal the Commissions ruling to the European Court of Justice.
Alhaji Muktari Mapia, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto State has urged Nigerians to continue to live in peace ...





Alhaji Muktari Mapia, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto State has urged Nigerians to continue to live in peace with one another to ensure the sustenance of democracy in the country.Mapia said in Sokoto on Tuesday that it was only through peaceful coexistence that the country could achieve the desired development.No country can achieve any meaningful development without peace; peaceful coexistence paves the way for economic growth and development, as well as the political stability of a country, he said.According to Mapia, harmonious working relationship among Nigerians, irrespective of religious and political affiliations, would enable the nation to achieve greatness.He called on Nigerians to support the current administrations effort in the fight against corruption, insurgency, cattle rustling, militancy and banditry.He said the support was necessary, especially in the area of providing the necessary intelligence reports that could assist security personnel to track down all those involved in criminal activities.Security is very important as it will enable the three tiers of government to implement their various development and people-oriented programmes. Nigerians must imbibe the culture of assisting our security personnel with vital information that can help in ending the activities of militants, cattle rustlers, insurgents and kidnappers, he said.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has disbanded its Aaron Team 2, its dialogue and peace initiative, headed by...

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has disbanded its Aaron Team 2, its dialogue and peace initiative, headed by a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Odein Ajumogobia (SAN).The team was to discuss with the Federal Government on how to restore peace in Niger Delta.MEND noted that the disbandment of the team, which was inaugurated on June 12, had affected the take-off of its Operation Moses, which it indicated had also been suspended.In an online statement yesterday by its spokesperson Jomo Gbomo, the arms agitators said the disbandment followed its decision to recognise and work with the Ijaw National Leader Chief Edwin Clark as the leader of a pan-Niger Delta dialogue and peace initiativeThe group said under its new arrangement, it had nominated renowned Port Harcourt lawyer, Ledum Mitee, who is a former President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP); an eminent journalist from Akwa Ibom State, Ibanga Isine and another lawyer, Timipa Jenkins Okponipere, to work with Clark and other stakeholders.MEND pledged to monitor the progress of the Clark-led team while it would reserve the right to recall its nominees after six months.The militant group thanked those who honoured its invitation to serve and wished them well in their endeavours.The statement said: We have always advocated that the Niger Delta region must speak with a single voice, under a single umbrella body. Otherwise, the much sought-after peace and development shall elude the region, again.MEND is compelled to categorically warn that it is not yet Uhuru. The Chief Edwin Clark-led new initiative should realise that MEND was already in preliminary talks with the Federal Government, as confirmed by President Muhammadu Buhari himself.In fact, we have so far been able to secure a number of concessions, some of which include but not limited to the release of political prisoners. We expect that Chief Clark and his team shall follow through with the rest of the dialogue and peace process.The group condemned the extra-judicial killings and alleged deception by the Bayelsa State Government-sponsored militia, under the leadership of the militant groups former Commander, Mr. Africanus Ukparasia (aka General Africa), an ex-militant, whose agreement under the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) forbade him to bear arms.
Unlike the Niger Dleta Avengers who have embraced dialogue and promised to stop hostilities with Federal Government, a new militant group...

Unlike the Niger Dleta Avengers who have embraced dialogue and promised to stop hostilities with Federal Government, a new militant group, the Niger Delta Searchlight (NDS), which announced its existence last weekend, has vowed to flout any ceasefire agreement between the Federal Government and other armed groups in Niger Delta.It threatened to continue the bombing of oil installations, if the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) pulled out after the dialogue between governments representatives and armed groups.In a statement yesterday, NDS said it was not comfortable with Niger Delta leaders spearheading the dialogue on behalf of armed agitators.The group, which declined to give the names of its leaders, said: We will not recognise any ceasefire agreement and we are ready to sustain the struggle until all oil firms in Niger Delta abandon the region. The bombings and destruction of oil installations currently going on in Niger Delta will be nothing compared to what will come, if the Federal Government does not include recognised Niger Delta leaders in the current negotiations.NDS added: It is not true that all the bombings are done by the Niger Delta Avengers, but we have allowed them to claim responsibility to allow for cohesion in the struggle. But it is obvious that they are compromised, especially given their choice of representatives.We want leaders who can command followership in the Niger Delta, who can state our demands without fear, not Abuja politicians who are only using the struggle as a platform to advance their selfish interests at the detriment of the overall interest of the region.
Buhari Nigeria at the weekend retained its 2014 ranking of 152nd on the 2016 Human Development Index (HDI) report for Africa released ...

Buhari

Nigeria at the weekend retained its 2014 ranking of 152nd on the 2016 Human Development Index (HDI) report for Africa released by the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP in Nairobi, Kenya.Nigerias HDI value for 2014, according to UNDPs 2015 report was 0.514 which put the country in the low human development category position of 152nd out of 188 countries and territories.In the latest ranking, the country was still placed on Low Human Development (LHD) category, below High Human Development (HHD) and Medium Human Development (MHD) categories, which featured 53 countries in Africa.Mauritius led 63 countries on the HHD table, while Tunisia came last at 96 position on the Group average rating.Botswana came first on the MHD at 106th position, while Sao Tome and Principe came last at 143rd position.Kenya, which hosted the Toyoko International Conference on African Development (TICAD), where UNDP announced the report at a press conference, was placed at 145th position on the list of countries ranked low with Niger Republic taking the last position at 188th.Kenyas average annual HDI between 2010 and 2014 was 0.92 percent, outperforming Nigeria whose annual HDI within the same period was placed at 1.06.The HDI is a summary measure for assessing long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human development, a long and health life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living.The UNDP has disclosed that sub-Saharan Africa was losing the average of $95 billion a year due to gender inequality.It said the situation escalated in 2014 when the region lost $105 billion or six percent of the regions GDP.
Buhari Despite the appalling hardship currently facing Nigeria, a Kaduna based Christian religion clergy, Pastor James Adejoh, has proph...

Buhari

Despite the appalling hardship currently facing Nigeria, a Kaduna based Christian religion clergy, Pastor James Adejoh, has prophesised prompt return of the country to its past glory with a view to giving relief to Nigerians.He said, Nigeria will bounced back stressing something good is about to happen to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians, after a careful look at the present situations.The pastor released the prophecy on Sunday, during prophetic service and enjoined Nigerians to pray for President Buhari just as he cautioned against unholy remarks on the administration.He acknowledged the much talked about the Change which All Progressive Congress (APC) government is christened with mixed feelings and said the country will return to its past glory in no distanced future.This change, I strongly believe that Nigeria will bounce back because something good is about to happen. I am not a politician neither a member of any political party. Therefore, I am not talking politics. As a messenger of God, I am saying what I have seen and it will come to past.He recalled that before now, Emirs and religious leaders have called on President Buhari to do something to reduce hardship on the people. But though it appears that nothing has happened, Buhari will surprise people. No matter the economic situation of the country today, things will soon start working favourably.Pastor Adejoh, founder and General Overseer of Jesus Christ Holly Seed Deliverance World Ministry (JCHSDWM), further recalled how he prophesised the outcome of 2015 Presidential and it came to past.I prophesised that Jonathan will lose 2015 election and he lost it. God revealed it to me, he reminded and affirmed: Buhari will deliver Nigeria from its woes, believing that his election was divinely orchestrated, he added.
More military equipment have been moved to the Niger Delta, where the army says it is flushing out criminals. The weapons include: M...

More military equipment have been moved to the Niger Delta, where the army says it is flushing out criminals.The weapons include: Main Battle Tank, two Mine-Resistant, Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles and three Scorpion Tanks from the Headquarters of Nigerian Armour Corps.Heavy military hardware and battle-ready personnel have been seen in the creeks and on streets of Niger Delta states.It is all in a bid to strengthen the ongoing Operation Crocodile Smile, the army said yesterday.It was gathered that the hardware, including amphibious vehicles, boats and Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) moved from Benin City, through Warri to other towns at the weekend.Troops have seized several suspects in a bid to rid the Niger Delta of criminals.Besides, two illegal refineries have been smashed.The army says it is flushing militants and criminals out of the creeks as its exercise, Operation Crocodile Smile, enters the third day.According to the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, 4 Brigade troops have raided hideouts of suspected criminal in Ajaosolo, Okogho, Opumani and Obodo.The Army spokesperson said following intelligence reports, the refineries were destroyed by the troops traversing Ayakoromo and Esaba water ways in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State.Troops also intercepted suspected illegal oil bunkerer with 1 Cotonou Boat laden with crude oil, 3 X 40 Horse power Yamaha Speedboats and 5 X 200 Litres of illegally refined diesel oil.In a similar exercise near Bomadi town and Pendo and Tuomu in Bururtu Local Government Area of Delta State, two suspects, Mr. Tokolo Sawyer and Miss Showman Ebiere, were arrested at Loveth Plaze.Mr Kingsley Ebidimo and seven others with unidentified mission were also arrested at Pendo, allegedly carrying a substance believed to be Marijuana. Other items allegedly found on them include one axe, two cutting saw and a long iron bender.As part of the training, the troops have also been patroling waterways in the creeks and have recovered two Cotonou Boats and a 75 Horse Power Speedboat, 30 X 200 Litres plastic drums containing liquid suspected to be illegally refined crude oil in the creeks at Ovwahwa in Ughelli South Local Government Area. Three suspects  Messrs College Owahwa, Joseph Katte and Olisa Patrick  found around the vicinity have been arrested. They are being questioned.In addition to the training, troops are carrying out free medical outreaches at central area Sapele and near Olu of Warri, palace. The exercise continues.Indigenes of Kokodiagbene community in Gbaramatu kingdom of Warri South-West Council Area of Delta State have hailed the heavy presence of troops in the riverside communities. But, they advise the troops to be hummane in carrying out their assignment.A statement signed by the Chairman of the community, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, said the military patrol boats were searching for militants, oil thieves and other criminals.According to the statement, the deployment of the military personnel in the Niger Delta is a welcome development, which will help to protect oil facilities and creeks, as well as reduce waterway robberies.Mulade, however, appealed to the troops to be professional and diplomatic as they go about their duties.It will curb and prevent sea piracy attacking traders, reduce crimes and eradicate illegal bunkering activities in the creeks of the Niger Delta, but we want to strongly advise the military authority to apply professionalism and diplomacy, he said.Mulade noted that the deployment of more troops raised tension among the residents of riverine communities, who now live in fear, even as some are relocating to nearby communities. He said there had been rumours of possible military invasion of host communities to flow stations and other oil installations, especially in Gbaramatu kingdom .
Shola Abdulazeez Agboola, a Canada-based Nigerian man, has been invited to help restructure and revitalise the countrys Conservative part...

Shola Abdulazeez Agboola, a Canada-based Nigerian man, has been invited to help restructure and revitalise the countrys Conservative party ahead of the 2019 federal elections.Like Nigerias Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Conservative party was Canadas largest political party until October 2015, when it lost majority of its House of Common seats to the Liberal party.In an attempt to rebuild, the party reached out to Agboola, a politician and member on the board of the CP, to help increase the partys support base.PLEDGE OF SUPPORTTo this effect, a letter was sent to Agboola by Scott Lamb, the newly elected president of CP, who hopes to include the Nigerian immigrant in the restructuring efforts of the CP.Lamb noted in the letter that Agboola would be valuable in the partys bid to return to power in four years.He also extolled Agboolas deep sense of dedication, commitment and many contributions to the party.Lamb said: This summer, I plan to travel across Canada to meet in person with top Conservative Party activists and organisers.But my most immediate goal today is to reach out and team up directly with you and our other important Conservative supporters in Manitoba.I need to know if I count on you to be my partner as we work to expand and strengthen the Conservative Party base in Manitoba in 2016  and create an unstoppable force that will elect a new Conservative Government in 2019.Let me tell you why I would be so grateful if you will tell me YES today by returning to me the special Pledge of Support I have enclosed in your name, Mr. Agboola.PROUD NIGERIAN IMMIGRANTReacting to Lambs letter, Osun state born Agboola was enthusiastic, happy and honoured to lend a hand of support to the Conservative party.He said: It is quite a big deal for me to be recognized for what I have contributed to the system.Agboola, whos also the national liaison officer of Oodua Progressive Union Canada chapter, expressed pride at being the only black on the Conservative partys board as well as his achievements as a Nigerian immigrant.It makes me feel so proud of what I have managed to accomplish as a Nigerian immigrant, Agboola said.The reason for being the only Black to serve on the board is that as you may have know, traditionally, most immigrants especially those from Africa tend to lean toward the Liberal Party, but because I know we share lots of Conservative values as Africans in terms of personal responsibility, free market, low tax, and strong family ties etc it does not take me long to realize I have a niche within the party, he added.
The police on Monday decried public comments linking President Muhammadu Buhari with the ongoing saga over a dog named Buhari in Ogun ...

The police on Monday decried public comments linking President Muhammadu Buhari with the ongoing saga over a dog named Buhari in Ogun State.A 40-year old trader, Joe Chinakwe, was recently arrested and arraigned in court for allegedly naming his dog Buhari. He has since been granted bail.Some members of the public have however associated the president with the matter.The Ogun State Police Command and Zone 2 Police Command, in separate statements, said series of uncomplimentary remarks against the president over the case were uncalled for.In the statement by the Zonal Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, the police said the matter was grossly misconstrued, explaining that the president has nothing to do with it as it was erroneously perceived.The police explained that the case before it showed that one Alhaji Buhari, the father of the complainant, Haliru Umar, both of who live in Ketere Area of Sango Ota in Ado/Odo-Ota LGA of the state, were involved.The statement said, The attention of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 2 Command, Lagos, AIG Abdulmajid Ali, has been drawn to series of uncomplimentary comments and publications in respect of the case of a man, Joe Chinakwe, who was arrested and charged to court by the Ogun State Police Command for naming his dog Buhari and wishes to state categorically that the matter was grossly misconstrued.The Zonal Command wishes to clarify and set the records straight that the case, as it was erroneously perceived, has nothing to do with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, but with one Alhaji Buhari, the biological father of the complainant, Alhaji Halilu Umar, all of Ketere Area, Sango Ota in Ado Odo Otta Local Government Area of Ogun State.The police explained that Mr. Chinakwe was not charged to court for naming his dog Buhari but for his behaviour and that the suspect had been having conflicts with Mr. Umar, which made him to name his dog after the latters father.Also, its fundamental to state that the man was not charged to court for christening his dog Buhari, but for the behaviours of the suspect and circumstances surrounding the matter when Mr. Joe, who had been having conflicts with his neighbour, (complainant) named his dog Buhari, his neighbours fathers name, inscribed Buhari on both sides of the said dog, and started parading the dog with swagger amongst his neighbours and/ traders who are mostly northerners, the statement added.The said Joe was actually attacked by the people around for his action before he was rescued by the police. The timely intervention of the police prevented a crisis or inter-tribal crisis in the area.The zonal police command called for the understanding of members of the public on Mr. Chinakwes action, which it said was capable of causing a breach of public peace.It said the suspect was charged under section 249(d) of the Criminal Code.The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 2 Lagos, AIG Absulmajid Ali, appeals to the general public to understand the action of the police in the matter, which is in consonance with the primary duties of the Nigeria Police Force as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and accept it as a professional way of preventing total breakdown of law and order, the statement said.On its part, the Ogun State Police Command, in a statement by its spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi, also said the president had no connection with the matter.The attention of Ogun State Police Command has been drawn to a story in some section of the media regarding the case of Joachim Iroko who named his dog Buhari and was subsequently arrested and charged to court, the police command said.It said Mr. Umar reported the matter at the Sango Police Station to report claiming that Mr. Chinakwe provoked him by inscribing his fathers name Buhari on both sides of his dog knowing fully well that it was his fathers name.The suspect was invited and he did not deny the allegation. All efforts to resolve the matter amicably between the two parties proved futile and it was about to degenerate to a serious crisis within the area, hence, the command took a proactive step by charging the case to court in order to avert unnecessary blood shedding, the statement said.The command wants to make it clear to members of the public that the case has nothing to do with the President as some media are painting it to be. It is a clear case between the complainant and the suspect whose action was seen as one that is likely to cause breach of peace.The state police command said it was its duty to protect life and property, as well as to guard against anything that could lead to the breakdown of law and order which is exactly we did in this case.
A former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Emeka Ezeh, on Monday said it was wrong to brand public servants as th...

Emeka Ezeh

A former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Emeka Ezeh, on Monday said it was wrong to brand public servants as thieves, saying people go into government for different reasons.The former BPP boss said this shortly after he was awarded the Kwame Nkrumah Leadership Award for Excellence by the West African Students Parliament, (WASP), in Abuja.He expressed shock at the level public funds were being looted and called for serious measures to tackle the problem.He, however, insisted that there are many diligent and conscientious public servants, who serve under political leaders in the country.Not everybody who works for government or public institutions is a thief as there are many diligent and conscientious public servants who serve the political leaders of the time, he said.Government can strengthen the oversight powers of the Bureau of Public Procurement to prevent abuses.What is happening in Nigeria is not peculiar to Nigeria except that the speed of getting judicial remedy is faster in other climes.He urged the judiciary to find ways to quicken the process of adjudication of cases bordering on corruption, pointing out that justice delayed is justice denied.He said a directive by the Chief Justice of the Federation to judicial officers across the country can go a long way to fast-track the trial of cases bordering on contract fraud.While expressing surprise at the revelations about looting of public funds before various courts, Mr. Ezeh said there is need to strengthen the countrys anti-corruption agencies.Nigeria is not the worst country on earth, and as such there is no reason to continuously give ourselves negative energy. We should not be too critical of ourselves, in spite of our shortcomings, he said.The current challenges should rather make us see our cup as half full, rather than as half empty, especially with the concerted efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari, to take the nation out of the woods.I feel highly honoured with this award; especially that it is coming after I left office. Nothing holds a nation together like hardwork, and honesty. And honesty is what you do when nobody is watching you, not necessarily what you do when people are watching youWASP Director, Nigerian Affairs, Donald Udo, said Mr. Ezeh was nominated for his diligent, painstaking and dedicated service to the procurement cause.With the award, Mr. Udo said Mr. Eze now joined the league of other distinguished recipients including former Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Muhammadu Uwais, and respected academic, Prof. John Udoko.
The FCT Controller of Prisons, Mr Daniel Odahro, on Monday confirmed there was a minor riot by inmates at the Kuje Prison. There was ...

The FCT Controller of Prisons, Mr Daniel Odahro, on Monday confirmed there was a minor riot by inmates at the Kuje Prison.There was a minor riot at the Kuje Prison, but the situation has been brought under control, Odahro told the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Abuja.He explained that a disagreement ensued at about 10.30am on Monday, when some inmates resisted the routine search in their cells.Odahro said the situation was subsequently brought under control by the security operatives on duty and that no inmate escaped from the facility.He dismissed claims that inmates were shot and insisted that the situation had been completely taken care of.There was nothing like an attempted jail break, yes we had a minor disagreement between prison officials and some inmates, who refused the routine morning search in their cells,I can categorically tell you that no inmate escaped and the situation has been brought under control, he said.Odahro said security had been beefed up in and around the prison to forestall a recurrence.NAN
The Niger Delta Avengers whose attacks have caused a huge dip in Nigerias oil exports, forcing the economy into a big crisis, said last...

The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) broke the news in a letter posted on its website by its spokesman, Mudoch Agbinibo, and addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari. It also spoke of the need for regular dialogue to take place for the Nigerian union to survive.Presidential spokesman Femi Adesina welcomed the cessation of hostilities by the Avengers as a good development which is in the interest of the country and especially the Niger Delta people.He said anything that portends peace is always good, adding that we hope that it cuts across board and it is sincere.The Avengers alleged that the Federal Government was out to execute a predetermined genocide against the people of the Niger Delta through the recently launched Operation Crocodile Smile, which the military high command has explained as just a training drill designed to prepare the Amphibious Division for a better mastery of the Niger Delta terrain.The group also observed that the Nigerian system would work better if the Federal Government learns from the developed democracies to allow internal protests and conflicts aimed at greater good of the nation.We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to put away the garb of a stooge to the imperialists, whenever he speaks outside Nigeria. We have listened carefully and halted hostilities in the Niger Delta. We expect a genuine and positive attitude to restructuring and self-determination for every component unit of Nigeria. Dear president, what makes those countries (Japan, Germany, France, USA, Britain etc.) great is the ability of their governments to accommodate internal protestations and conflicts for the greater good of their nations over the years.Nigeria is not a one-man personal property. We must have these talks every time if this union must continue to work as one. The people of the Niger Delta have been living here from time immemorial, so we have the secret of the terrain and survival of amphibious operations.No amount of troop surge and simulation exercises will make you win the oil war; you can only win battles. You cannot apply the might of the state to restore the peoples confidence in your leadership when you cannot differentiate between genuine demands and being mismanaged by disorganised characters and tribal lords around you in your government that are playing the court jesters role as well as counting the days that is left in your four years term.You can deceive the whole world but we cannot be deceived by the so glamorized ongoing military operations in the creeks of Ijaw communities in the Delta coded  Operation Crocodile Smiles the world should knows that with your pronouncement in Kenya and your attitude to the military build-up in the Niger Delta, it is crystal clear that the military has nothing less than a pre-determined genocide in Niger Delta and burn more already scared national resources to the pockets of those that have failed to locate the missing Chibok School Girls.Please also tell those foreign nations that your troops are about carrying out extrajudicial killings in the Niger Delta in violation of Article Four of the Geneva Convention with OPERATION CROCODILE SMILE. All sane minds know the meaning of  CROCRODILE TEARS so by code-naming your military operation CROCODILE SMILES only betrays your motives and attitude to the whole world about the Niger Delta question.With an end to bombings, there is hope for increased oil and gas production, which will translate to more revenue for the Federation.The militants in the last few months hit major pipelines including Shells Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL) and Forcados terminal, ExxonMobil and Agips facilities. These attacks led to shut-in of various crude grades from Nigeria.At the peak of the attacks, production dropped to 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) against a budgeted 2.2 million bpd. Production had risen to 1.9 bpd before the renewed attacks.
WILDWOOD -- A 19-year-old was arrested after a prank in which he allegedly threatened to set himself on fire in a Wildwood hotel elevator on Sunday, police said.

Austin Gaile wanted to secretly record the reactions of bystanders and post the video to a social media website, according to a news release from Wildwood police.

The New York City teenager poured liquid on himself from a can labeled "gasoline," prompting multiple witnesses at the Isle of Palms Motel to call 911 at about 8:30 p.m..

Gaile actually poured water on himself, though.

He was charged with creating a false public alarm and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child since two of the elevator passengers were 3-years-old. There were eight other people in the elevator in total.

Gaile was held on $90,000 bail with not 10 percent option, but has since been released, according to the Cape May County jail's website.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Rider University campus

As the sun rises, a spectator enters Alumni Gymnasium at Rider University in 2011. (Tony Kurdzuk | The Star-Ledger)

LAWRENCE -- A freshman who was expelled from Rider University for allegedly sexually assaulting a classmate last year is suing the school to clear his name.

The unnamed student, identified as "John Doe," filed a federal lawsuit earlier this month claiming the university kicked him out of school and "blindly accepted" a female classmate's claims he sexually assaulted her in a dorm room in October.

"While John was forced to sit at home, he was subjected to a Title IX disciplinary process that was unabashedly pro-complainant, refused to afford him any semblance of fundamental fairness, and considered him guilty until proven innocent," according to a copy of the Aug. 10 lawsuit posted by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Rider officials expelled the student after a campus disciplinary hearing, though Mercer County prosecutors declined to prosecute the sexual assault case, the lawsuit said. John Doe is asking the court to order Rider expunge his academic record and award him an unspecified amount of damages for emotional distress and damage to his reputation.

Rider officials said they could not comment directly on John Doe's lawsuit.

"Rider University is committed to fostering an environment of mutual respect throughout its community as reflected in its mission, policies, and values," said Kristine Brown, a Rider spokeswoman. "Sexual assault, harassment or discrimination of any kind is not acceptable at Rider. While federal law prevents us from discussing individual student's educational or disciplinary records, we are confident that our anti-harassment and non-discrimination policy and processes are fair, equitable and impartial."

The private university in Lawrenceville is currently under federal investigation for how it handles sexual assault and harassment complaints. The federal Office of Civil Rights began its probe April 4 after reports of at least two unrelated sexual assaults on the Rider campus last year.

Neither Rider officials nor campus officials gave any details about the complaint that sparked the federal investigation. It is unclear if the case involving John Doe is related to the investigation.

Monmouth University, Princeton University and Seton Hall University are under similar investigations, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education's Title IX tracker that monitors the federal government's stepped-up efforts to get schools to better address sexual assault complaints.

John Doe's case began in the early morning hours of Oct. 18, 2015, when the freshman from Passaic County was returning to the Rider campus from an off-campus party with a group of friends, according to his lawsuit.

John Doe was the designated driver for his friends and had not been drinking, the lawsuit said. He and a male friend ran into two female freshmen who appeared to be intoxicated in the men's bathroom of his dorm.

The two male students invited the women back to a dorm room, the lawsuit said. John Doe's male friend eventually passed out in his bed and one of the female students left the room. The remaining female student, identified only as Jane Roe in the lawsuit, later claimed John Doe sexually assaulted her and prevented her from leaving the room.

John Doe claimed he did not have sex with the woman during the 20-minute encounter, but she consented to kissing, touching and taking off her clothes, the lawsuit said. Campus security came to the dorm looking for John Doe two hours after the woman left the room and reported an assault.

A panel of three Rider administrators heard from both students at a hearing in December and expelled John Doe, the lawsuit said.

"This rush to believe Jane Roe - a female - to the detriment of John Doe - a male - was fundamentally unfair, but not surprising given the bias Rider exhibited in favor of Jane Roe and against John Doe through the disciplinary process," the lawsuit said.

John Doe appealed the university's decision, but was denied, the lawsuit said.

Since his expulsion, John Doe has "locked himself away in his parents' home," had severe weight fluctuations, experienced emotional breakdowns and sought professional counseling after episodes where his family thought he would hurt himself, the lawsuit said.

John Doe is among several students accused of sexual assault who have sued their colleges or their accusers in recent years. Stanford University, Amherst College, University of Oregon, University of Colorado at Boulder and University of California at San Diego have all faced lawsuit from students accused of sexual assault.

Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Aspiring doctors, clinical psychologists, nurses and business owners stepped to the microphone as the sun beat down on the boardwalk Tuesday to announce their intentions to put an end to bullying, generate goodwill in the "cybersphere" and help people struggling with eating disorders.

They wouldn't mind, of course, if they won a sash and crown in the process.

All will have their chance next week in Atlantic City, as preliminary competition -- baton-twirling, tap-dancing, swimsuit strutting and all -- starts at the 2017 Miss America pageant.

In a traditional arrival ceremony at Kennedy Plaza outside Boardwalk Hall, all 52 Miss America contestants introduced themselves before signing their state -- or Puerto Rico, or the District of Columbia -- on a map nearby.

Flowing pants and jumpsuits ruled the shoreside runway, supplanting dresses on Miss America hopefuls including Miss Texas, Miss Miss Vermont and Miss Missouri, Erin O'Flaherty, the first openly gay contestant in what has been nearly a century of pageant history.

O'Flaherty, 23, who grew up in South Carolina and owns a women's boutique in Missouri, was announced as one of the finalists for a Miss America "Women in Business" scholarship.

Brenna Weick, Miss New Jersey, a graduate of High Point University in North Carolina, is a Mantua local but showed off the influence of her college years during her intro.

"I am thrilled to welcome y'all to New Jersey, especially the Miss America class of 2017," she said, wearing a sleeveless royal purple dress with a fringe bottom.

On Monday, contestants will sit for judges to begin the private interview portion of the competition. When preliminaries start on Tuesday night at Boardwalk Hall, Weick, Miss New Jersey, who's been working out daily for months with a trainer, will tackle the swimsuit and evening gown competition.

The event that would become the Miss America pageant started on the same boardwalk in 1921 as a way to extend the summer tourist season into September.

Though the state never followed up on a 2013 study that projected upwards of $30 million in economic benefit from the pageant, Miss America's future in Atlantic City is now guaranteed through the 2019 pageant.

In February, the state Casino Reinvestment Development Authority announced a three-year contract with the Atlantic City-based Miss America Organization providing $12.5 million in subsidies to the pageant, which returned to New Jersey from Las Vegas in 2013 to the tune of $7.3 million from New Jersey.

At the ceremony, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno repeated a familiar storyline about how she believes the return of the pageant brought hope to the Shore after Hurricane Sandy.

The seven-year detour from Atlantic City is what Miss America CEO Sam Haskell on Tuesday called "our little vacation in Las Vegas," one he said organizers don't talk about anymore, ostensibly due to flagging TV ratings during a period that saw the pageant both booted off network TV and framed as a reality show. Miss America is now under contract with ABC to air on the network through the September 2018 pageant.

After all the contestants said their hellos, chock full of college credentials and career goals, Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian cheekily introduced himself as a graduate of Upsala College in East Orange. Despite having previously stated that the pageant isn't worth $12 million, Guardian teased a week of pageant events including the Show Us Your Shoes Parade, Miss America's annual procession of pageant queens atop convertible cars, which is due to return on Sept. 10.

"Look at the fabulous shoes they have on today," he said, gesturing towards the contestants.

Betty Cantrell, 21, the reigning Miss America -- who won as Miss Georgia thanks, in part, to her opera routine -- delivered a high-powered rendition of the national anthem. After she hands over the title at the televised pageant on Sept. 11, she'll be heading to Nashville to pursue a career in country music.

"Being yourself is the only way you'll ever stand out," Cantrell advised contestants, sporting the short hairstyle she adopted shortly after winning the crown.

Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.
NEWARK -- A Perth Amboy man has been arrested in connection with a bank robbery on Ferry Street last month, Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said in a statement.

Bruce Graves, 48, was identified as the suspect in the July 26 robbery, when a suspect approached a teller's booth, demanded cash and then fled on foot.

City police and the FBI's Fugitive Task Force assisted in the arrest of Graves, who was found on Ocean Avenue in Jersey City. He has been charged with robbery and resisting arrest.
20076459-mmmain.jpg

At an April news conference in Newark, ICE Director Sarah Saldana speaks about 21 individuals charged with visa fraud and other charges. (Tim Darragh | NJ Advance Media 04/05/2016)

NEWARK -- A New York City woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with an alleged student visa scam unearthed when authorities created a fake university.

Ting Xue, 28, faces one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud and seven counts of visa fraud.

Xue, a naturalized U.S. citizen living in Flushing, N.Y., is accused of using her consulting service to convince foreigners to sign up for the fake school in order to keep or obtain student and foreign worker visas.

What she didn't know was U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials had created the false "pay-to-stay" University of Northern New Jersey in Cranford to catch recruiters and brokers who were making money off foreigners' desire to live in the United States, according to authorities.

Prosecutors in April charged 21 people with visa fraud, conspiracy to harbor aliens for profit and other charges in connection with the sting operation that involved more than 1,000 foreigners.

Authorities said in the indictment of Xue that she had told her foreign recruits, mostly from China and India, they could enroll at the school without having to go to classes and that they would keep their non-immigrant status. She also told them they could get work authorization to which they weren't entitled, the indictment says.

Xue created false student records and submitted them to federal officials with the intention of deceiving them, according to the indictment.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for New Jersey said in the sting operation, brokers and recruiters helped get student visas for foreigners who never intended to attend school. The foreigners paid thousands of dollars to the brokers or to the fake school, which kicked back money to the brokers, the prosecutor's office said.

A lawyer for Xue wrote in an email that she had not yet received the indictment but that the consultants "really believed it (the University of Northern New Jersey) was a real school."

"UNNJ's website (before it was shut down) indicated that the government was charging an annual 'tuition' of $12,620.00 per year, meaning that the government has likely taken in millions of dollars in tuition from the 1,076 students who were allegedly enrolled," wrote Chunyu Jean Wang, the lawyer. "In the end, we intend to adamantly fight these bogus charges, and to recoup the money that the government stole from the students and consultants."

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
LOGAN TWP. -- Where's the beef?

That's what a local company wants to know after a shipment of meat worth $111,000 was stolen earlier this month, according to township police.

Police released this security camera image of a man who allegedly stole a truckload of beef from a Logan Township facility earlier this month. (Logan Township Police Department)

The 22,000-pound shipment, taken from Lakeside Refrigerated Services on Oldmans Creek Road, included beef tenderloin, beef skirt steak, ribeyes and beef patties, said Lt. Joseph Flatley.

A truck driver arrived at Lakeside claiming to work for a transportation company hired to transport the meat to a facility in Marlboro, Maryland, Flatley said.

When the shipment never arrived, Lakeside officials called police.

This theft was similar to a February crime at Lakeside in which lamb and beef products worth more than $100,000 were reported stolen by another phony trucker. That shipment never arrived at its intended California destination

Lakeside has implemented new security protocols since the February theft, Flatley noted.

He attributed the latest theft to two factors: Brokers who arrange shipments through trucking companies not properly vetting drivers and a lack of due diligence at the local facility.

Lakeside workers could not provide a tag number or description of the vehicle and security camera video offers limited details about the trucker, whose face is obscured by the brim of his hat.

Thefts of goods by the truckload is nothing new. Another theft occurred last November from Cargill Foods in Logan. In that case, $350,000 in frozen steaks were stolen.

What the thieves are doing is using the names of legitimate companies to pull of these thefts, Flatley explained previously.

Investigators believe drivers are using phony driver's licenses and plates when they make their pickups, then switch license plates after they leave to evade efforts to track the trucks. If they happen to be pulled over, they display their real licenses.

In this most recent case, however, the driver provided no identification, police said.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
leshawn.JPG

Leshawn Stallworth appears in Central Judicial Processing via video link from Hudson County jail in Kearny on Monday, Aug. 29.

(Caitlin Mota | The Jersey Journal)

JERSEY CITY -- Kearny police arrested a Massachusetts man on allegations that he was pimping out three women on a road trip with stops planned in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Miami, and Las Vegas.

Leshawn Stallworth, 31, of Brockton, Massachusetts, was arrested Sunday night and charged with promoting prostitution, theft, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, Kearny Police Sgt. Michael Gonzalez said today.

Police pulled Stallworth over for a motor vehicle violation on the 100 block of Schuyler Avenue at 10:30 p.m. Their investigation led to the drug charges and the discovery that Stallworth was also in possession of identification cards for several women, Gonzalez said.

Keeping women's identification is sometimes done as a means of controlling prostitutes, Gonzalez added.

Stallworth was taken to the station and the ongoing investigation led police to believe he and three women had left from Rhode Island. On their way to New Jersey, the women engaged in prostitution in Connecticut and they were planning to continue their road trip to Florida and Nevada, Gonzalez said.

Police believe Stallworth would meet homeless women or women in need of money who worked in strip clubs. He would provide them with food, clothing and shelter in exchange for the money they made going on up to 10 "call outs" per day and earning up to $200 each time, Gonzalez said.

Officers allege the group would set up in hotels and get calls from johns who would get their contact information online. Stallworth would then drive the women to meet the johns and pick them up afterward, police allege.

A 19-year-old woman was with Stallworth when he was arrested. No other women were located.

Stallworth was also issued motor vehicle tickets.

Stallworth made his first court appearance on the criminal charges in Central Judicial Processing Monday in Jersey City via video link from Hudson County jail. A judge who hears special victims cases set bail at $10,000 with a 10 percent cash option, which Stallworth posted Monday, according to jail records.
CLINTON TWP. - Francisco Midgette, 25, of Willingboro, wanted in West Virginia after a drug bust, was arrested by township police Monday during a motor-vehicle stop on Route 31.

Francisco Midgette (courtesy Burlington County Prosecutor's Office)

He was arrested at a Super 8 Motel in Jackson County, West Virginia, in April 2015 following a drug raid at a motel. He is being held in the Somerset County Jail pending extradition to West Virginia, police said.

Midgette was one of five people from New Jersey allegedly found in the hotel room with heroin, marijuana, Ecstasy, prescription pills and $6,000, according to Jackson Newspapers.

On Monday, township police reported stopping a 2003 Acura CL driven by Midgette for speeding on southbound Route 31 near Allerton Road. Midgette allegedly gave police a fake name and said he was 25, but the date of birth he provided would have made him 36, police reported.

Midgette also had a $1,586 motor-vehicle warrant for his arrest out of Pemberton for driving while suspended, police said.

A search turned up 36 Xanax bars, 31 capsules of Ecstasy, marijuana, a digital scale and packaging materials. Officers also seized $1,650 in cash, police reported.

Midgette was charged with entering into New Jersey while a fugitive from justice, possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia and hindering apprehension.

He was also issued motor-vehicle summonses for driving while suspended, operating a motor vehicle while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance, speeding and several other violations.

A passenger, Idalia Jenkins, 25, of Browns Mills, was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of under 50 grams of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was released released pending a court hearing.

In 2014, Midgette was arrested and charged in connection with the shooting of Romeo Toe, Jr., 28, of Willingboro, the Burlington County Times previously reported. He was also charged with drug possession with intent to distribute following his arrest in the shooting.

Township police also reported two driving while intoxicated arrests and one marijuana possession arrest between Friday and Monday.
FLORHAM PARK -- The Jets took the practice field Monday to begin preparation for Thursday's preseason finale against the Eagles.

What of importance was said? Here are three takeaways, including Ryan Fitzpatrick's thoughts on the offense's struggles, cornerback Dee Milliner's health, and the probability Geno Smith plays against Philadelphia.

Connor Hughes may be reached at chughes@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connor_J_Hughes. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.
Gov. Chris Christie told another big lie on national TV Sunday when he charged that Hillary Clinton intends to grant amnesty to all undocumented immigrants, even rapists and killers, within her first 100 days in office.

"Clinton has a 100-day amnesty plan where everybody here, no matter whether you've been a criminal or not, no mater how you got here or not, is going to wind up becoming American citizens under Hillary Clinton's plan. And I think when voters look at that, they're going to say that's not what we want to have happen in our country."

Here are the facts: Clinton has vowed to propose legislation within 100 days that provides for a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, a position that is embraced by 72 percent of Americans, and by 56 of Republicans, according to the Pew Research Center.

But she has said consistently that violent criminals would not be eligible. It's on her web site. And she's made it clear on the stump as well, saying she would focus federal muscle on deporting "violent criminals, terrorists, and anyone who threatens our safety."

That is mainstream opinion. Only three years ago, the U.S. Senate voted on an immigration bill that embraced that approach, and it passed by a lopsided vote of 68-32 with strong bipartisan support. It died in the House.

Christie's slander comes as Donald Trump is preparing a major speech Wednesday in Arizona to clean up the mess he's made with his acrobatic flip-flops on immigration.

It started Tuesday when he told Sean Hannity at Fox News that he may not form a "deportation force" to expel all 11 million undocumented immigrants after all.

"There could certainly be a softening because we're not looking to hurt people," Trump said.

Since then, we've witnessed another amateur hour from the Trump campaign, one he is again blaming on the media. A day after saying he was "softening" his position he said he might be "hardening" it. Then he said undocumented immigrants might be able to stay if they paid back taxes, or left the country briefly to apply for legal status from their home countries. Comments from his surrogates were scattered all over the map as well.

Trump's core problem is that he saddled himself with a position that make no sense at all as he played to the party's fire-breathing base during the primary. Christie himself said so during the campaign, back in the day when he repeatedly said Trump was unsuited for the presidency.

Deportations peaked at about 400,000 a year under President Obama, so expanding that to 11 million would require hiring thousands of enforcement officers, building a new network of courts and prisons, and launching a door-to-door effort in nearly every major American city.

Michael Chertoff was head of Homeland Security and oversaw deportations under President George W. Bush.

"I can't even begin to picture how we could deport 11 million people in a few years where we don't have a police state," he told the New York Times.

As Christie himself said during the primary in New Hampshire: "There are not enough law enforcement officers in all the country if all they were doing is rounding up and deporting people."

Trump knows that he needs to move towards more sensible ground on immigration because that is where most Americans stand. But he wants to minimize defections from the hard-liners he used to win support in the primary.

How will he do it? Don't expect him to embrace a sensible reform that combines tough enforcement with a path to citizenship, as the bipartisan Senate bill did.

No, Trump will focus his fire on Clinton. And if history is any guide, he will lie about her just as Christie did on Sunday. Don't be fooled.

More: Tom Moran columns

Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com or call (973) 836-4909. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
TRENTON -- With the national spotlight on police practices, the New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is calling on lawmakers and state law enforcement to enact reforms.

The advocacy group last week published a "blueprint for statewide police accountability" aimed at improving relations between police and the communities they serve.

"Around the country and in New Jersey, the calls for reform have really reached a fever pitch," said Ari Rosmarin, the group's public policy director, in an interview.

The blueprint contains five key policy recommendations for New Jersey legislators and the state's attorney general, who oversees the state's nearly 500 police agencies.

Several recommendations expand on reforms already implemented by state officials, who have pushed to broaden the use of body cameras and bring more uniformity and transparency to police shooting investigations.

Others will likely face opposition. Several law enforcement bills in the past year, including a law mandating body cameras for all police officers, have died in the legislature amid concern that they amounted to an unconstitutional, unfunded mandate.

A spokesman for Attorney General Christopher Porrino declined to comment on their proposals.

The recommended reforms include:

* Independent prosecutors to investigate police shootings

In New Jersey, police shootings are investigated differently depending on the agency involved. Typically, county prosecutors investigate local police, while the state Attorney General's Office handles county and state police shootings.

The attorney general can step in and take over any investigation or overrule a county prosecutor's decision not to send a case to a grand jury. The state also rewrote guidelines last year to better detect potential conflicts of interest.

But the ACLU says the close working relationship county prosecutors have with police departments in their counties still "creates a natural conflict of interest or, at a minimum, a perception of conflict."

A bill before the Legislature would put all fatal shooting investigations in the hands of a special state prosecutor.

* Public access to body cam footage

Last summer, the state announced a $2.5 million program to help fund body-worn cameras for police departments across the state in hopes that more police departments would adopt them.

Proponents of the cameras say they keep police officers accountable while also helping police departments quickly dismiss bogus complaints made against their members.

But state officials have resisted calls to make body camera footage publicly accessible, and the ACLU says the new policies "also raise the specter of expanded law enforcement surveillance into our everyday lives."

They recommend the state take steps to make sure body camera footage is subject to the state's open records laws and limit the use of the cameras for surveillance.

* Reining in arrests for low-level offenses

The ACLU also recommends state lawmakers decriminalize marijuana -- a push vehemently opposed by Gov. Chris Christie -- and scaling back enforcement of low-level crimes such as panhandling, loitering and disorderly conduct.

Police reform advocates across the country have called for more discretion in these low-level arrests, which became more frequent as police departments adopted the "broken windows" theory of policing that posits minor offenses lead to more serious ones.

A report from the group last year found such enforcement disproportionately hurt minorities in communities around New Jersey.

* Cracking down on civil asset forfeiture

When prosecutors in New Jersey suspect an asset -- be it a bag of cash, a high-end car or a television set -- is tied to a criminal enterprise, they can seize it under a process known as civil asset forfeiture.

The once little-known practice has drawn scrutiny across the U.S. amid criticism that it violates the constitutional right to due process because assets can be taken even if the supposed owner hasn't been convicted of a crime.

A recent report by a libertarian legal group, the Institute For Justice, gave New Jersey's civil asset forfeiture laws a "D" grade in a national report on the practice.

The ACLU is calling for an end to the practice altogether. Absent that, the recommend more oversight, and for the money to go into the state treasury, rather than to the prosecuting agency, which they argue creates a "policing for profit" incentive.

A bill currently before the legislature (S2267) would create more public reporting requirements for civil asset forfeiture.

* Creating a statewide system for public police data.

The ACLU's report said the state of police record keeping in New Jersey is "dismal," describing "a shocking absence of standards for data collection, retention, and access."

The group is calling on the state to post data on police activities ranging from arrests to use of force and internal affairs complaints online.

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie dismissed as "outrageous" a new campaign ad from Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton that claims Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is the preferred candidate of white supremacists.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference at the Statehouse on Monday, the governor insisted it was the former secretary of state who was guilty of race-baiting, not Trump.

"She's the one who injects the Ku Klux Klan into this race," Christie said. "To suggest for a moment that Donald Trump has any beliefs that are in line with the Ku Klux Klan is outrageous."

But just hours later, the Trump campaign was in the awkward position of having to release a statement disavowing a robocall from former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke urging voters to back for him for U.S. Senate in Louisiana and Donald Trump for president.

"We're losing our country," said Duke in the robocall, first reported by Buzzfeed. "It's time to stand up and vote for Donald Trump for president and vote for me, David Duke for the U.S. Senate."

On Monday, a Trump spokesman said the campaign had "no knowledge of these calls or any related activities," and that it "strongly condemn and disavow" them.

Duke also appears, praising Trump, in the new Clinton campaign ad.

In a February CNN interview, Trump had been slow to disavow the former KKK grand wizard after Duke first endorsed the tycoon.

"Just so you understand, I don't know anything about David Duke, OK?" Trump told CNN last February, never mentioning the hate group in his answers.

Trump later blamed his delay in disavowing Duke on a "bad ear piece."

On Monday, Gov. Christie accused the Clintons of creating the "alt-right" conservative movement to deflect attention from news reports about the former secretary of state's use of data erasure software to wipe clean private email servers.

"If you'd had that kind of week, you'd want to roll something out about something called 'alt-right,' which, by the way, I've been a member of the Republican Party my whole life, I've never of 'alt-right' until she started talking about it. I'm sure it's another creation of the Clintons," Christie said.

As the right-wing alternative to mainstream conservatism, the so-called "alt-right" movement is unified by support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and, frequently, white supremacy, racial separatism and anti-Semitism.

In July, Trump's campaign blasted Clinton as the "most corrupt candidate ever" in a tweet featuring the image of a Star of David against a background of money that had previously been posted on an anti-Semitic, white supremacist online message board.

Trump later tweeted it was meant to be "a Sheriff's star, or plain star".

Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
TRENTON -- New Jersey's distressed cities will have $54 million coming their way following Gov. Chris Christie's announcement Monday that he will release the aid he'd frozen because he wanted to force public worker health care cuts.

Christie had sequestered more than $100 million in transitional aid to municipalities and funding for social programs until the joint-employer-employee benefits committees agreed to benefits changes saving the state $250 million this fiscal year.

The committee for state and local workers approved the cuts 7-3 with one abstention Monday afternoon.

"I am pleased the State Health Benefits Plan Design Committee voted to approve common-sense health plan savings that begin to address the $250 million budget deficit resulting from growing state health care costs," Christie said in a statement Monday.

The freeze affected half of the total appropriation for transitional aid, which typically goes to such low-income cities as Atlantic City, Camden, Paterson, Asbury Park, Harrison and Trenton.

The governor will still hold in reserve the $55 million for such social programs as Holocaust survivor assistance, domestic violence prevention and court-appointed special advocates for foster children.

Only one of the two committees overseeing public worker benefits has adopted the proposals. Union representatives on a commission for school employees' benefits have boycotted the meetings to block the administration from pushing through its recommendations.

The governor first raised the challenge to cut $250 million in health benefits costs in his February budget address. His proposed budget assumed those savings but left it to the committees to find the money.

The administration later asked the Legislature to add language to the proposed budget giving the plan design committees a deadline to approve $250 million in health benefits savings or state officials would find those cuts for them. But Democrats who control the Legislature didn't comply with Christie's request.

Christie responded with an executive order placing the funds in reserve, which he said was necessary to ensure the budget stays in balance and is able to respond to emergencies.

He said in his message that the "permissive nature of the Legislature's budget language" and the "historical reluctance of some members of the plan design committees to embrace even the most modest of common-sense reforms, calls into question whether the Fiscal Year 2017 health benefits savings embedded in the Legislature's budget is realistically likely to be achieved."

The State Health Benefits Plan Design Committee on Monday approved seven proposals that would move retirees onto Medicare Advantage, reduce out-of-network reimbursement rates for physical therapy, extend the state contract with its pharmacy benefits manager, offer financial incentives for employees to migrate to lower-cost, tiered plans, and prioritize less expensive and generic drugs, among other changes.

Kevin Lyons, a committee member representing the Policemen's Benevolent Association, said the state could save $100 million to $130 million a year. Local employers will save money, as well.

Lyons broke with the union representatives, voting with the six administration members to approve the changes. Without the cuts, he said, state employees and local employees faced 9 percent and 6 percent increases in their own costs, respectively.

Law enforcement jobs were also at risk if the governor refused to free up the transitional aid to municipalities, he noted.

"My members were in a position that I couldn't turn my back on," he said. "Releasing the transitional aid is huge to a lot of cops and firemen in this state that we're trying to look out for to make sure they don't have mass layoffs again."

Workers can also now expect their costs to stay the same or decrease slightly, he said.

While the State Health Benefits Plan Design Committee approved those changes Monday, the School Employees' Health Benefits Commission was forced to cancel its meeting because it didn't have a quorum of its members.

The New Jersey Education Association has refused to attend to prevent the commission from meeting while the administration has a one-member advantage and can push through the move to Medicare Advantage.

Wendell Steinhauer, president of the NJEA and a commission member who was not in attendance Monday, said Christie has stalled appointing a new union member to the panel, which otherwise has equal numbers of labor and administration representatives.

"We are not going to let the governor play games with the security of our retirees' benefits," Steinhauer said. "He is exploiting the death of a longtime union leader to further his own political agenda. He wants to circumvent the process for benefits review while the state has majority representation on the commission."

Before adjourning the meeting, Treasurer Ford Scudder chastised the NJEA for snubbing the meeting, saying the Medicare Advantage switch could save $25 million this year.

"In addition to violating both the public trust and their legal obligations, their unwillingness to walk down the street, or even pick up the telephone, to attend a meeting is harming the citizens of New Jersey," he said.

Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie will host a $5,000-a-head fundraiser in Bernards for Republican nominee Donald Trump's presidential transition effort next month, Politico reported Tuesday.

According to Politico, the event will offer attendees "an inside look" at the transition team's work. Christie, a longtime friend, heads Trump's transition team.

Invitations went out this week for the 40-person event from 8:45 a.m. to 10 a.m. Sept. 15 at the Bernard's Inn, the website reported, citing an invitation that said the event "will be an inside look on the work underway on planning for the transition."

Politico noted that donations from the event to the transition won't be disclosed until after Trump's inauguration.

Christie last week asked 100 potential donors to contribute $5,000 to Trump's transition. The governor said on the private call that he wants to raise $2.5 million to help finance Trump's potential transition into the White House, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous sources.

The governor said the money would be spent on staff and travel, according to the report.

"That's a big job that needs to get done," Christie reportedly said.

The private fundraising Christie sought on the call Thursday would be in addition to about $13 million that Congress approved earlier this year to help the next presidential administration take over.

The Journal noted there's also another $9.5 million in tax dollars being sought for next year, according to the Partnership for Public Service, a group that has sought legislation to professionalize the transition process.

The public dollars will help the transition teams pay for office space, computers, and other infrastructure, the newspaper reported.

Christie was at the White House last week with members of Trump's and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's transition teams at a meeting of the White House Transition Coordinating Council, according to a Time magazine reporter.

NJ Advance Media reporter Jonathan D. Salant contributed to this report.

Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
PENNINGTON -- Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday vetoed a proposal to boost New Jersey's minimum wage to $15 an hour.

The Republican governor visited a Pennington grocery store to make remarks and announce the veto of the legislation. It's the second time during his time as governor that Christie rejected a minimum wage hike sent to him by the state's Democratic-controlled Legislature.

The move was met with outrage by Democratic-leaning groups.

Christie also argued more employees would be replaced by automated kiosks at small businesses if the state hikes its minimum wage.

"That's the way of the future if we continue to do this really radical increase with the minimum wage," Christie said.

"All of this sounds great, raising the minimum wage, when you're spending someone else's money," he said. "It should bother you because when you come into Pennington Quality Market your food is going to be more expensive."

The measure sought to raise the minimum wage from $8.38 to $10.10 on Jan. 1, 2017, and then by more than $1.25 an hour until 2021. After 2021, the minimum wage would increase annually based on changes in the consumer price index.

Christie railed against Democrats for trying to force the hike.

"This type of heavy hand of government, to say that we know better than the people who actually run these businesses, is the reason why in past administrations New Jersey has gotten less and less affordable," he said.

Christie added: "This measure is a complete pander to folks who are uninformed because they neither receive the minimum wage or pay it."

New Jersey Policy Perspective, a liberal Trenton think tank, criticized the governor for having "failed to take advantage of a great opportunity to give nearly 1 million New Jersey workers a raise," said Jon Whiten, vice president of NJPP.

NJPP has estimated 975,000 people would benefit from the wage hike.

"Instead, he has decided to allow employers to continue paying 975,000 New Jerseyans so little that they can't survive on their wages alone in this high-cost state," Whiten said. "These workers and their families must continue to rely on the publicly funded safety net and the charity of the private nonprofit sector just to put food on the table, clothes on their backs and a roof over their heads."

Business owners argued when the bill made its way through the Legislature that sharp increases in labor costs could force them to raise prices, cut hours and staff, and possibly close up shop, shrinking the labor market.

Michele Siekerka, president and CEO of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association, praised the governor on the veto.

"Increasing the minimum wage to $15, as prescribed in the bill vetoed today, is too much too fast," Siekerka said.

"The governor's veto has saved thousands of small businesses from the negative impacts of a 79 percent increase in the minimum wage," she said. "Had this bill been signed, it would not only have hurt the New Jersey economy, but it would have hurt the exact workers the proponents of this policy are trying to help."

But workers and worker advocates said the measure was needed because many workers have trouble trying to get by on the minimum wage in such a high-cost state.

The annual take-home pay for a full-time worker earning the minimum wage in New Jersey is about $17,430. The United Way of Northern New Jersey has estimated a single adult in New Jersey would need to earn $13.78 an hour to meet his or her basic needs, and $19.73 per hour for "better food and shelter, plus modest savings."

Christie agreed with the business community that hiking the minimum wage would hurt New Jersey's small businesses.

"If we're forced to reduce staff our customer service drops and we're forced to increase prices," said Mike Rothwell, owner of Pennington Quality Market.

Rothwell argued hiking the minimum wage would threaten the future of his store and would make it more likely he would need to shutter his family-owned business because he wouldn't be able to compete with big box stores.

Democratic leaders had said they would attempt to place the measure on the fall 2017 ballot for voter approval, which would push back the timeline for hitting $15, if Christie vetoed the bill.

Anticipating that, Christie urged business leaders to "speak up."

"There's going to be a large and, I hope, loud public discussion about this," he said. "Those who choose to stay under the radar will lose. We need to educate the public on this issue."

New Jersey's minimum wage is already controlled by the state Constitution. Democrats went that route after Christie in 2013 vetoed a minimum wage bill that he said would hurt the economy. Christie instead offered to phase the $1 increase in over three years, with no automatic increases.

Democrats took their plan to voters, who agreed to amend the state constitution to increase the minimum wage by $1 to $8.25 an hour and then adjust annually based on the Consumer Price Index. Wages rose 13 cents in January 2015 and did not increase in 2016.

A short time after Christie vetoed the bill, Democratic-leaning groups in the state called on lawmakers to follow through with that commitment.

"Our coalition is prepared to continue to build on our effort to raise the people of this state out of poverty including a large number of women, people of color, adult heads of households," said Analilia Mejia, director of NJ Working Families Alliance.

"We call our Legislature to live up to their commitment to the working families of the state and circumvent this veto by placing a comprehensive measure that raises all families on the ballot," she said.

Within hours of the veto, a top Democratic lawmaker confirmed the Legislature will push for a ballot question for voters to decide the issue.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Samantha Marcus contributed to this report.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or on Facebook. Follow NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie said Monday it's about time Democratic lawmakers do their "damn job" and stop playing games over political appointments.

The governor expressed his outrage when asked about the status of appointments to the Election Law Enforcement Commission, the watchdog group that regulates campaign financing of all elections in the state. But ELEC has essentially been stripped of its power to punish offenders since there's three vacancies on its four-member board.

The group hasn't held a meeting in about five months.

But Christie refuses to take the "rap" for the agency being left powerless since he's made his recommendation and it's now up to Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) to propose an appointment.

"The way the Senate confirmation process has worked for seven years. It's an abomination," Christie said.

"I've got to beg to get cabinet members confirmed," he said. "It's absurd."

Christie added: "They all the time stress to me how they are a co-equal branch of government. Well, then do your damn job."

State law requires the commission to have four members -- two from each political party -- appointed by the governor and approved by the state Senate. But there is only one remaining board member: Ronald DeFilippis, the chairman, who is a Republican.

Last year, Christie nominated Eric Jaso to the position but Senate lawmakers have yet to give him a hearing. The governor plans to renominate him when the Senate returns.

"This is not very complicated, ok? I'm trying to be be practical here," Christie said. during a Statehouse news conference.

NJ Gov. Chris Christie.

"I've gone to the Senate president and said, 'Give me two names of people that you will confirm' and, we're going to do our independent vetting of those people, and if they vet out as qualified and don't have other problems, then I'll nominate those two people and then they'll get on," he said. "This is up to the Senate president now and it has been, these Democratic openings have been there forever. I nominated Jaso more than a year ago."

A spokesman for Sweeney's office, Luke Margolis, didn't respond to a request for comment.

Earlier in the month, he told The Record:"We are currently reviewing the resumes of Democratic candidates so that we can submit names to the governor for his consideration."

But the backlog didn't sprout overnight.

One Democratic slot has been vacant for five years, after Lawrence Weiss, a Superior Court judge, died in November 2011. The other Democrat on the board, Walter Timpone, resigned after Christie nominated him to the New Jersey Supreme Court.

"I do not and have not gotten the respect that this office deserves on nominations from this Senate," Christie said. "They have played politics from minute one.

"It is unprecedented for a governor's cabinet members not to be confirmed."

The governor waged a years' long battle with the Senate to get his nominations to the Supreme Court filled. Christie ultimately capitulated when he nominated Timpone, a Democrat.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or on Facebook. Follow NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
cbud10.JPG

Gov. Christie greets Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto file photo.

(Aristide Economopoulos/NJ Advance Media )

TRENTON -- Democratic leaders in the New Jersey Legislature plan to push back against Gov. Chris Christie's veto of proposal raising the state's minimum wage to $15 and instead put the matter before voters.

State Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson) told NJ Advance Media there will be a push in the Democratic-controlled Legislature to put the question to voters on the 2017 ballot.

"We let the governor have an opportunity," Prieto said.

"We're going to try and let the voters decide," he said. "I think the voters of this state are very compassionate and ... people need to be able to make a livable wage in such a high-cost state."

The pledge to push forward on raising the state's minimum wage came a few hours after Christie's veto of a proposal to boost New Jersey's minimum wage to $15 an hour.

The Republican governor vetoed the bill at a Pennington grocery store.

"All of this sounds great, raising the minimum wage, when you're spending someone else's money," Christie said. "It should bother you because when you come into Pennington Quality Market your food is going to be more expensive."

The state's other legislative leader, state Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), echoed the speaker's remarks.

"We gave him a chance to do the right thing by putting this bill on his desk even though we knew the chances of him standing up for low-wage workers were slim," Sweeney said.

"While I'm disappointed the governor has once again turned his back on the most vulnerable participants in our economy, Senate Democrats stand ready to continue our march for economic fairness," he said. "We will do the right thing and introduce a constitutional amendment to incrementally raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by the year 2021."

Democratic leaders had previously said they would attempt to place the measure on the fall 2017 ballot for voter approval if Christie vetoed the bill. Such a move would push back the timetable for the phase-in to the full $15 an hour wage.

New Jersey's minimum wage is already controlled by the state constitution. Democrats went that route after Christie in 2013 vetoed a minimum wage bill, saying it would hurt the economy. Christie instead offered to phase the $1 increase in over three years, with no automatic increases.

Democrats took their plan to voters, who agreed to amend the state constitution to increase the minimum wage by $1 to $8.25 an hour and then adjust annually based on the Consumer Price Index. Wages rose 13 cents in January 2015 and did not increase in 2016.

The ballot initiative also has implications for the upcoming race to succeed Christie.

Voters will decide on the increased minimum wage at the same time they're heading to the ballot box to vote for the state's next governor in 2017.

Sweeney is considered a likely gubernatorial hopeful.

The only declared candidate, former Ambassador Phil Murphy, a Democrat, condemn Christie's veto.

"Christie just doesn't get that the 'us versus them' economic view he shares with Donald Trump is a failure," Murphy said. "It's time for a change."

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or on Facebook. Follow NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
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Meg Whitman introduces Gov. Christie Christie at the start of the town hall meeting in New Hampshire. (Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media)

(Aristide Economopoulos/NJ Advance Media)

TRENTON -- Meg Whitman, the former national finance chairwoman of Gov. Chris Christie's failed presidential bid, will appear with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Tuesday morning in Denver, according to reports.

Hewlett Packard CEO and President Whitman officially endorsed Clinton earlier this month, saying she would donate to and vote, rally support and fundraise for the former secretary of state.

According to the Denver Post, Whitman will make her first public campaign stop on the candidate's behalf at a breakfast with Colorado business leaders to talk up Clinton's jobs plan.

Whitman has already appeared with Clinton at private fundraisers in California, where Whitman ran for governor in 2010, according to Politico.

Whitman is a major Republican donor and was a major contributor to Christie's ill-fated presidential campaign, contributing $2,700 to his presidential campaign and another $200,000 to his aligned super political action committee, America Lead.

But she reacted harshly in February when Christie backed Donald Trump after dropping out of the race, saying Christie could no longer count on her support.

"Chris Christie's endorsement of Donald Trump is an astonishing display of political opportunism," Whitman said in the statement at the time. "Donald Trump is unfit to be president. He is a dishonest demagogue who plays to our worst fears. Trump would take America on a dangerous journey.

"Christie knows all that and indicated as much many times publicly. The governor is mistaken if he believes he can now count on my support, and I call on Christie's donors and supporters to reject the governor and Donald Trump outright. I believe they will. For some of us, principle and country still matter."

Recent polls show Clinton leading Trump in Colorado, a swing state.

Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
TRENTON -- Hillary Clinton has an eight percentage point lead over Donald Trump in Pennsylvania -- a state targeted the by real estate mogul -- according to a new Monmouth University poll.

The poll of likely voters shows that 48 percent back Clinton for president, while 40 percent support Republican nominee Trump. Another 6 percent say they will back Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, 1 percent favor Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein, and 4 percent say they are still undecided.

"It looks like Clinton's got a friend in Pennsylvania, particularly in the Philly suburbs," said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute. "A key factor boosting Clinton's support there is that about half of white voters in this region have a college degree, compared to just over one-third in the rest of the state."

The poll found Trump leads by 9 points among white voters, including an 18-point margin with white men. He's got a 25 point lead among white voters without a college degree.

But the poll shows Trump hasn't expanded his reach beyond this core: He trails among college educated white voters by 10 points and is virtually tied among white women.

Clinton leads by a massive 85 percent among African-American, Hispanic and Asian voters.

The poll also found the state could be one of the Democratic Party's better hopes for picking up a seat in the U.S. Senate. Democrat Katie McGinty leads GOP incumbent U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, 45 percent to 41 percent.

The Monmouth University Poll was conducted August 26-29, 2016 with 402 Pennsylvania residents likely to vote in the November election. Its sample has a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points.

Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
Donald Trump, who already has spent more of his personal funds on his presidential campaign than any other nominee, has pledged to give $1 million more if his supporters give them same amount.

Trump made the pledge in a series of email solicitations as the August fundraising period draws to a close. He will report his August figures on Sept. 20.

"Whatever you contribute, I am personally going to match it, because when I make an investment in something, I want to make sure it's going to be a good investment," Trump wrote. "And your contribution is an investment I would be proud to match. Let's invest together in the future of America."

In another solicitation, he railed against "career politicians."

"Frankly, the politicians are only good at one thing: keeping themselves in power," he said. "Those days need to be over, but you and I need to work together to make it happen. We need to run the most powerful Republican campaign in history."

Trump has made similar offers in previous months as he sought to close his fundraising gap with Hillary Clinton. After largely self-funding his campaign during the primaries, he has switched gears and has formed a joint fundraising committee with the Republican National Committee to bring in large donations for his presidential run.

Clinton entered August with $58.5 million to spend, compared with $38.4 million for Trump.

In July, Trump brought in $36.7 million last month from outside contributors, his biggest one-month total ever, Federal Election Commission disclosures show. Overall, he has raised $128 million, with $52 million coming from his own pocket. Clinton raised $52.3 million last month, bringing her total to $327 million.
By Lauren Campsen

Jen and Justin Lantier-Novelli, of South Jersey, will be going to Nepal to teach English to monks. (Photo provided)

Justin Lantier-Novelli always had a strong desire to travel the world.

"From the time I was a kid I wanted to see the world and experience everything it had to offer," the 36-year-old Pittsgrove resident said. "The desire wasn't the problem. What I lacked was the means and opportunity to take advantage of that desire. When I turned 30 I realized that I had never been off of North America and that needed to change."

Since turning 30, Lantier-Novelli has made his dream a reality. He began by obtaining a certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from Oxford Seminars, which is a course provided at Villanova University. With the completion of the course, Lantier-Novelli moved to South Korea to teach, and has since traveled to various countries.

Lantier-Novelli and his wife, Jen, of Glassboro, are currently preparing for their upcoming journey to Nepal, where they will teach English to local monks of all ages. The couple will be residing on a mountaintop outside of Kathmandu at a Buddhist Monastery.

After spending their honeymoon in Nepal, the couple knew they wanted to revisit the country one day. This time around, Lantier-Novelli hopes to get a deeper understanding of the people of Nepal and their culture, and looks forward to lending a helping hand to those less fortunate.

"The Nepali people are the friendliest and warmest of anyone we've met so far in our travels. They are just amazing in every way," Lantier-Novelli explained. "So when the earthquake happened in April 2015, we knew we had to go back and help out with the relief effort."

This trip will be unlike any other that the couple has experienced because it is volunteer-based, so they will be living off of their own savings. The couple plans to live in Nepal for five months, but they have the option to extend their stay if they can financially afford to do so, and feel they want to continue with the opportunity.

"Eventually we'd like to come home and help people the way we've been helping them abroad," Lantier-Novelli said. "Perhaps that means working to educate under privileged girls or assisting immigrants in assimilating into American society without losing their roots. In general I want to help people to live happy and healthy lives wherever they choose to be."
LINDEN -- A man robbed a downtown bank today with a threatening note about having a gun, Linden police confirmed.

According to Linden Capt. James Sarnicki, police responded to an alarm from the Northfield Bank at 501 N. Wood Avenue at 11:54 a.m.

Witnesses told the arriving officers that the bank was robbed by a black man with a mustache in his 50s, 5'7'' to 5'9'' tall, and wearing dark glasses.

The robber passed a note to a teller indicating that he had a gun and demanding cash, Sarnicki said.

He was given an undetermined amount of money and left the bank heading west on West Elm Street, Sarnicki said. He said the robber may have left the area in a green vehicle.

Anyone who may have witnessed anything suspicious in that area is asked to contact Linden Detective Daniel Sadowski at 908-474-8536.

The FBI was notified and is assisting with the investigation, Sarnicki said.

Jessica Remo may be reached at jremo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessicaRemoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A date has been set for the second of two trials for a retired New Jersey schools superintendent accused of sex crimes dating back 40 years in Canada.

Brian Fogelson

Brian Fogelson, who led the North Warren Regional School District until last year, is to appear March 13 for a two-day trial in Nova Scotia, where he was a teacher when the crimes are alleged to have occurred.

Fogelson -- the 2015 Warren County Superintendent of the Year who retired from North Warren that June -- was charged in May 2015 based on allegations dating between 1975 and 1978. Canadian authorities said they began investigating in 2012 when the first accuser went to police. A second accuser came forward last year.

In the March trial -- which Senior Crown Counsel C. Lloyd Tancock said was scheduled during a hearing last week -- Fogelson is charged with indecent assault on a male, gross indecency with a male and sodomy.

Fogelson's attorney, Stanely McDonald, did not respond to requests for comment.

A separate trial based on the second accuser is planned Jan. 11. In that case, Fogelson is charged with indecent assault and gross indecency on another male. A hearing regarding records access is scheduled for September.

Fogelson also was an administrator at Catasauqua High School and Delaware Valley Regional High School before going to North Warren.

He lived in Blairstown Township while at North Warren. Fogelson moved to Venice, Fla., upon his retirement.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
OPSO sergeant arrested, accused of firing gun at home with wife and kids there
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP)  Survivors of Hurricane Ian face a long emotional road to recover from one of the most damaging storms to hit the U.S. mainland. For those who lost everything to disaster, the anguish can be crushing to return home to find so much gone. Grief can run the gamut from frequent tears to utter despair. The Lee County medical examiner says two men in their 70s even took their own lives a day apart after viewing their losses. Experts say suicides climb after disasters and more funding for mental health should be provided as climate change makes storms and fires more frequent and devastating.
Former No Limit rapper gives free studio time to keep New Orleans men alive and out of jail
WASHINGTON (AP)  The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has issued a subpoena to Donald Trump. The nine-member panel sent a letter to the former president's lawyers on Friday, demanding his testimony under oath by mid-November and outlining a series of corresponding documents. The decision by lawmakers to exercise their subpoena power comes a week after the committee made its final case against the former president, who they say is the "central cause" of the multi-part effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. It remains unclear how Trump and his legal team will respond to the subpoena, if at all.
Today

Thunderstorms - a few could contain very heavy rain, especially this afternoon. Potential for severe thunderstorms. High around 80F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.

Tonight

Some clouds. Low 62F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

Intervals of clouds and sunshine. High 74F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Community

Its now easier than ever to connect and chat with others in your local area. You can connect with your community by asking general questions, give area updates and recommendations and even let your community know about local events that are taking place.
LINCOLN  State Sen. Bill Kintner, whos ensnared in a cybersex scandal, was given another opportunity to resign before the Legislatures Executive Board determines possible action against the senator.

Monday, the committee voted unanimously to send Kintner a letter from its 10 members urging him to resign by Friday, or other action would be considered.

Speaker of the Legislature Galen Hadley, who suggested the letter, said the letter would represent a unified request by a panel of lawmakers of diverse backgrounds and political parties.

Hadley, whos a member of the committee, said he hopes the letter prompts Kintner to resign so that lawmakers dont have to consider the other options.

Those would be harder to do, harder to sell the body, Hadley said.

On Monday evening, Kintner would not rule out a resignation. Rather, he said he plans to make a decision by talking and praying with his wife.

Well try to come up with what we think is the right thing to do, he said.

Kintner said he did not appear at the Executive Board meeting on the advice of his attorney. He said he watched the proceedings as they were broadcast by the Nebraska Educational Telecommunications system.

Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha, chairman of the Executive Board, said the Legislature could meet in a special session to discuss impeachment. A Legislative Council, which is a committee of all 49 senators, could discuss expulsion and censure. That body meets in November.

The Executive Board could sanction the senator by limiting his computer access and stripping him of his Capitol office, among other things.

Though typically called by the governor, a special session can convene with 33 votes. Expulsion requires 33 votes. An impeachment resolution requires 25 votes to pass, after which the matter would go before the Nebraska Supreme Court for a trial.

Im really very pleased that were now, as a board, in solidarity, Krist said. I think that probably should have happened last time.

But Sen. Colby Coash of Lincoln, also a member of the Executive Board, predicted that Kintner will reject the boards call for him to resign, just as hes ignored requests from Gov. Pete Ricketts and others.

Hes not going to resign, Coash he said. Come on. Were kidding ourselves if we think its going to work.

Kintner, though invited to the hearing, did not appear. A letter from his attorney, J.L. Spray, said the senators testimony on the record would be ill advised.

A year ago, Kintner and a woman exchanged sexually explicit messages that resulted in the two masturbating over Skype. The incident took place on Kintners state-issued laptop while he was in Massachusetts.

Kintner reported the incident to the Nebraska State Patrol after the woman attempted to extort money from him.

The Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission approved a settlement with Kintner under which he agreed to pay a $1,000 fine for misusing public resources.

Though public officials who misuse state property can also be charged with a misdemeanor, Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson said the state lacked jurisdiction to prosecute because the incident took place in Massachusetts.

If Kintner doesnt resign by Friday, the board will reconvene on Sept. 8 to consider other options.

During Mondays hearing, two state senators who arent members of the Executive Board urged the panel not to take action against Kintner.

Sen. Dave Bloomfield of Hoskins testified he didnt think the Executive Board should attempt to decide Kintners fate. One-third of the committee, he said, has in the past expressed personal contempt for Kintner and could not proceed fairly.

Lucas Peterson, a former legislative page who testified, said he believes allowing Kintner to stay would reflect poorly on the Legislature. He also questioned what would be done if a person who committed the same acts as Kintner were non-religious or not heterosexual.

Sen. Dave Schnoor of Scribner, who along with Bloomfield noted he does not condone Kintners behavior, asked what the standard is for lawmakers. A number of people who testified voiced support for the Legislature to create an ethics committee to make those standards clear.

Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha, a member of the Executive Board, said he would help to develop guidelines. But Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha, also a member of the committee, said he didnt believe an ethics committee is feasible or realistic.

Krist noted that Skype is not an authorized program for senators. It was illegally installed in some way, he said.

Krist said senators right now are not held  but should be  to the same standard as legislative staffers, whose devices each night are eliminated of any prohibited program in an effort to keep the system secure.

Kintner said that his staff discovered in May 2015 that Skype was loaded on his computer. They were looking because a media outlet had asked about doing an interview via Skype. He said he checked with Legislative IT staff about using the program for the interview and that they approved it and even updated it.

Frank Daley, executive director of the accountability commission, testified that the commissions executive committee asked him in December to begin an investigation.

On Jan. 7, Daley delivered a copy of the preliminary investigation to Kintner, who had 30 days to respond. Kintners attorney didnt formally respond, but asked to review the State Patrol reports, Daley said.

Spray then expressed interest in settling the matter. After a few months, the commissions attorney told Spray that a settlement needed to be reached by early June. The settlement was reached June 2 and approved Aug. 5.

Chambers said he felt the delays were intentional stalling and said the Legislature should employ the options available. The system has not completed its work, he said.

Perry Gauthier, a State Capitol minister who first heard Kintners confession, asked who is he to judge when God, Kintners wife, Lauren, and his own conscience are telling him to stay in his seat of civil service.

Before Mondays hearing, a coalition of conservative groups gathered on the State Capitol steps to oppose a special legislative session over Kintners cybersex scandal.

Speakers at the gathering labeled the calls for legislative action against Kintner a politically motivated witch hunt designed to remove an obstacle to growing government.

The rally drew about 15 representatives of the Nebraska Firearms Owners Association, Nebraskans for Founders Values, Nebraska Taxpayers for Freedom, Nebraska Voice, WinItBack and Informed Women in Nebraska.

Joe Herring, an Omaha writer, and other speakers said they opposed the cost of a special session, which would be about $75,000.

We live in a society that believes in redemption, he said, adding that the issue has remained in the public eye only because of the prurient slap-and-tickle factor.
Two Valparaiso companies, Ublee Soda Co. and Hoosier Bat Co., have joined Indiana Grown, a state program that promotes Hoosier products.

The Indiana State Department of Agriculture launched the Indiana Grown initiative to promote farmers, producers, processors and artisans, and help them find new markets. The state program provides marketing and other services. Its free for businesses to join.

Hoosier Bat Co., the third-oldest bat-maker in the United States, sells bats made with Indiana wood for between $60 to $135. The company sells mostly to recreational, youth and independent players, including overseas.

Ublee uses natural local Indiana products in its hard-made sodas that it offers at the Uptown Cafe, 1400 E Lincolnway. Its hard-crafted sodas have included flavors such as mint-lime, lavender cherry and blueberry lemon.
PORTER TOWNSHIP  Two men were arrested Sunday after spraying hundreds of bullets in the direction of their neighbor's house.

Grant Sanders, 21, and Matthew Stone, 20, both of Valparaiso, were both charged with criminal recklessness, a felony.

Police were called at 8:12 p.m. Sunday to a home in the 200 South block of County Road 500 West.

The homeowner told police he and his family had arrived home from camping about 40 minutes earlier, and while he was parking his camper near the home, he heard 50 to 100 rounds fired near his home.

He went into his home and found his children and wife on the floor screaming that gun shots were coming through the house.

The homeowner called police, then went out to confront his neighbors, who he suspected in the gunfire.

Police said Sanders and Stone were at a home less than a half mile away.

Sanders told police he had shot pistols and other weapons in his yard many times and showed police where they were shooting, which was in the direction of the neighbor's house.

He said he and Stone fired three different guns that night, including a semi-automatic rifle. According to police he admitted there wasn't an adequate backstop for firing that kind of weapon.

Police found a bullet hole in the exterior of the home and a wall inside the house. A bullet was found in an upstairs bathroom.

The homeowner told police his 8-year-old son was in the hallway near the bathroom when the shooting occurred.

Stone and Sanders were taken to Porter County Jail and the three guns used Sunday night were collected as evidence.

No injuries were reported.
VALPARAISO  A Gary man told a judge Tuesday morning that he repeatedly struck a 21-month-old boy while in bed together at a Portage mobile home park nearly two years ago, which resulted in the boys death.

Christopher Shaffer, 21, faces a sentence of up to 30 years behind bars if his guilty plea is accepted during an Oct. 21 hearing by Porter Circuit Court Judge Mary Harper.

Shaffer pleaded guilty to a felony count of neglect of a dependent in return for prosecutors dismissing a second charge of battery and capping his potential sentence. The neglect charge carries a maximum potential sentence of 40 years.

Shaffer will be required to serve at least 75 percent of whatever sentence he receives rather than receiving day-for-day credit as is the case with less serious offenses.

Shaffer initially told investigators he punched what he thought was a pillow while sleeping on the night of Oct. 4, 2014, only to discover it was Juanzo Vargas. He told police he rolled over after realizing what he did and went back to sleep because it was too late. Shaffer blamed his actions on night terrors.

In response to questioning Tuesday from defense attorney Larry Rogers, Shaffer said he knew what he did that night.

The doctor conducting the autopsy believes Vargas died from blunt force trauma, police said. The boy suffered a lacerated liver, bruised pancreas and internal bleeding.

The doctor reportedly said it would take a great amount of force to cause the type of deep injuries he was observing.

The incident occurred in a mobile home in the 500 block of Camelot Manor. The dead boys aunt lives in the mobile home, which she shares with the owner, who is a pastor from a small Gary church, according to police. Shaffer is a member of the church and had reportedly been staying at the mobile home most weekends.

The doctor said the injuries occurred two to six hours prior to the morning 911 call.
PORTAGE TOWNSHIP  A Valparaiso man kicked a police officer in the head and caused a disturbance in a local emergency room after he was arrested on a DUI charge.

Nathan Gamblin, 24, was charged with battery to a police officer, intimidation of a police officer, disorderly conducting and operating while intoxicated.

A Gary Police Department detective noticed Gamblin leaving a banquet center on Ind. 149 about 12:30 a.m. Sunday and cross the center line and the fog line. The detective stopped Gamblin on Ind. 149 near U.S. 6 and notified Porter County police.

A Porter County police officer said Gamblin failed several field sobriety test and screamed at officers and resisted them after being placed in handcuffs.

According to police, the officer was driving Gamblin to the Valparaiso Medical Center to have his blood drawn when he kicked the back of the drivers seat and the back of the officers head.

At the medical center, police said Gamblin screamed at officers, spit on the floor, and kicked the glass room dividers.

Police said he continued to struggle with officers as he was placed in restraints on a bed.

A warrant was issued for his blood to be drawn and he continued to scream at police until he arrived at the jail.
MICHIGAN CITY  Joe Novak has only vague memories of when the Twin Towers fell nearly 15 years ago in whats still the deadliest act of terror on U.S. soil.

He was just 4 years old, but through history lessons in school, he learned more about what happened that day and the significance of the event that still lives on.

I just remember watching everyone down and out and always wondering to myself and now I realize how much of a big deal this is and how much it really means to everyone, said Novak, a 2015 LaPorte High School graduate.

Novak, now a member of the U.S Army honor guard, was among the dozens of onlookers as the 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit was escorted Tuesday into the parking lot of Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City.

Starting today,the 1,000-square-foot exhibit will be open for public viewing from noon to 7 p.m. at no cost through Monday.

It came inside a semitrailer and folds out containing actual steel beams from the fallen World Trade Center, along with videos, recordings of first responder radio transmissions and tours by two retired New York City firefighters.

The exhibit was created in 2013 as a tribute to the 2,996 lives lost from the attack and named after Stephen Siller, one of the firefighters who died helping others caught up in the attacks.

Rebecca Kukla was in her classroom at LaPorte High School as a sophomore when the attacks occurred.

It was eerily quiet and everyone was staring at the TVs, said Kukla, who was leaving the lakefront when she and her friend, Kara Jones, also of LaPorte, saw the procession go by and decided to get a closer look.

The kids are learning it now as part of history and we were around when it actually happened, Kukla said.

Boyd Gaming, the owner of Blue Chip, has brought the exhibit to some of its other properties, most recently the Paradise Casino in Peoria, Illinois.

We just think its a community event for all ages. Its the 15th anniversary and we just wanted to bring this to our community, said Joel Giannetti, a spokesman for Blue Chip.

The Wall Gang and Guardian Riders, two motorcycle clubs dedicated to serving veterans, were involved in the escort, where hundreds gathered in spots along Franklin Street to watch it go by.

I cried all the way here. You can never forget what happened. It seems like yesterday, said Steve Moore, of Michigan City, a member of the Wall Gang.
CALUMET CITY  Mayor Michelle Markiewicz Qualkinbush used her tie-breaking powers recently to see that three advisory referendums will be on the February primary ballot.

The first asks if any Calumet City elected official should be permitted to hold more than one paid elected office.

The second inquires if the Illinois General Assembly should create a regulatory board to regulate the price at which Chicago sells water to other communities in Illinois.

The third question asks whether all taxing bodies within the corporate boundaries of Calumet City should institute a property tax freeze for the next two years.

The City Council took one vote on the three resolutions on Thursdays agenda that authorized the submission of the advisory public policy questions.

Aldermen Nick Manousopoulos, Roger Munda and Magdalena Leni Wosczynski vote yes, while Aldermen Thaddeus Jones, Eric Schneider and Ramonde Williams voted no.

That put allowed Qualkinbush in position to cast the tie-breaking vote since 7th Ward Alderman Samuel Bullocks was not present for the vote. He joined the council meeting shortly before its conclusion.

Prior to the vote, Jones asked City Attorney Cary Horvath if the advisory questions went through the Ordinances and Resolutions Committee.

In addition to his role as 3rd Ward Alderman, Jones serves as representative of the 29th District in the Illinois House.

For the record, these are the first time that these items appeared on an agenda, Jones said.

Horvath said it was not required that the resolutions go through the Ordinances and Resolutions Committee before being considered by the council.

Jones said the city would not have a way to enforce the second and third questions if voters were to approve them.

Horvath said that while the city cannot control the actions of the state Legislature, it can share the results of the ballot questions.

One way to get the General Assembly to move forward with any kind of important regulatory issue is to start somewhere on the grass roots level, Horvath said.

After the meeting, Qualkinbush said the idea behind the ballot questions is to get a pulse of what Calumet City residents want.

Qualkinbush said the advisory question regarding taxes is meant to encourage other taxing bodies to imitate the city, which Qualkinbush said has not raised taxes in the past three years.

Were encouraging the other taxing bodies to follow our lead, she said. Its becoming increasingly harder for residents to pay their taxes.

The council also approved a resolution that honored the memory of Bernice Plys, a lifetime resident of the city who passed away last year at the age of 89.

She was remembered as an active member of the citys historical society and a key contributor to St. Andrew the Apostle Church.
CALUMET CITY  Don Cipowski held up his arm to show goosebumps when asked how he felt about the arrival Monday afternoon of the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima to St. Andrew the Apostle Parish.

I cant put it into words, said the fourth-generation member of the 86-year-old Catholic church.

After the statue was carried into the church a short time later to the hymn, In Fatimas Cove, Cipowski found a few words to express what he was feeling.

I still cant believe we were chosen, he said, while looking on at the prayerful celebration.

The small statue of Jesus mother Mary was to remain at the church for just three and a half hours Monday as part of its two-year tour of the United States. It is to celebrate next years 100th anniversary of what believers say was Marys apparition in 1917 to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal.

The statue, which is based on the description of the apparition, was blessed in 1947 and commissioned to travel to the world as a pilgrim spreading the blessings of Fatima, according to organizers. It is scheduled to visit at least 100 dioceses in all 50 states, including a Sept. 1 stop at the Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago.

Its a beautiful, unprecedented visit of this statue, said the Rev. Jacek Dada, of St. Andrew.

Dada, who traveled to Fatima and found it a peaceful and powerful experience, said Catholics are not worshiping the statue, but rather believe in the power of intercessory prayer.

Moments after the statue was placed on the alter, the large group gathered in the pews at St. Andrews began reciting the rosary aloud together.

When Jesus is here, the mother is here too, Dada said prior to the statues arrival.

Among the faithful gathered was Antoinette Bonato, a member of the church and the Blue Army, which is a division of the larger Word Apostolate of Fatima.

Its beautiful, she said of the gathering. Its a peace plan from heaven and we need that right now, she said.

Dada had voiced hope the visit would bring peace to the city.

Melanie Anewishki, of Calumet City, joined others on the church steps to watch as the statue was carefully carried out its traveling bus and escorted into the building by procession.

All my life I have been infatuated with the story of Fatima, she said.

Anewishki said she is drawn to the childlike faith that I still have.
SOUTH HOLLAND  Thornton Township will host its 2016 youth conference Wednesday in South Suburban Colleges field house.

The events theme is Law & Community Training: Re-building Trust Between Youth, Community and Police. Its hosted by Thornton Township Supervisor Frank M. Zuccarelli and the board of trustees and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, according to a news release.

NOBLE will provide training, including PowerPoint instruction, modeling, role play and audience participation.

About 1,000 junior and senior high school students from Thornton Fractional High School District 215 and Thornton Township High School District 205 will receive training designed to improve their communications with police and their understanding of federal, state and local laws and civil rights.

The release states D.215 Superintendent Creg E. Williams and D.205 Superintendent Leotis D. Swopes are expected to attend, along with religious and community leaders from throughout the south suburbs. South Holland Police Chief Greg Baker, Deputy Police Chief Shaw Staples, Circuit Court Judge William H. Kicks and attorney Carla Kupe-Arion are expected to be there as well.

WGCI radio personality Tone Kapone and the WGCI Street Team will be on hand and will broadcast two 30-second call-ins to WGCI radio station, Facebook Live and social post.

The conference opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 1 p.m.
CROWN POINT  A Crown Point teen is the only student in Indiana among a prestigious group of teenagers across the country to be named a 2016 Davidson Fellow, which netted her a $10,000 scholarship.

Justine Izah, who will be 18 on Wednesday, won a Davidson Fellows Scholarship for her project, An Examination of Black Liberation, Stereotypes, Healthcare and Education Through the Eyes of a Black Woman.

She is one of only 20 students from across the country to receive this honor; 400 students competed.

Izah, whose parents are both local doctors  Dr. Janet Seabrook and Dr. Augustine Izah  graduated from the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics and Humanities at Ball State University in Muncie in May. Before that, she was a student at LaLumiere School in LaPorte.

Izah has just begun her freshman year at Indiana University in Bloomington, majoring in sociology.

Izahs project explored the racial disparities facing black people, specifically women, and the inequities they experience in education, health care and economic status.

I noticed the way people who look like me are treated, she said in a telephone interview from Bloomington.

Izah said black women experience a number of insults every day, from small slights such as doors literally closing in their faces, to much larger insults such as the online barrage comedian and actress Leslie Jones experienced on Twitter in the wake of the remake of the Ghostbusters movie.

A movie review by Milo Yiannopoulos, a technology editor at conservative news site Breitbart that denigrated Jones personally, unleashed a torrent of insulting and racist Twitter messages and references. Eventually Twitter banned Yiannopoulos from tweeting last month.

When youre a black woman, people dont look at you as if you have the same grace and femininity as if you are white, she said. Black women are sometimes harassed online. Leslie Jones had to cope with this. I didnt use Leslie in my paper, but I did use other examples of this.

Izah said she also thought Gold medal-winning gymnast Gabby Douglas was a good example of how people vilify women of color. During the 2012 Olympics, Douglas was attacked online regarding her hair and how she wore it. Douglas was besieged online again this year by those who said she was not being patriotic when she didnt hold her hand over her heart during the national anthem in Rio.

The Davidson Fellows Scholarship program offers $50,000, $25,000 and $10,000 college scholarships to students 18 and younger who have completed significant projects that have the potential to benefit society in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, literature and music.

Izah said she is considering a legal or medical career. If its law, shed be interested in working with discrimination cases in a minority community.

As for medicine, Im more interested in the research behind our brains, she said. I plan on going into neuroscience so I mainly want to know what makes people tick. Why do we do the things we do and how human interactions work. Thats also why Im studying sociology.

I think that both of my parents jobs are cool. My dad does family medicine in private practice. My mom also does family medicine but she does more grant-writing for her federally qualified community health centers, Izah said.

I dont think those are fields I want to go into, although I am interested in equal access to health care, thats important. So, I dont think Ill be following in their footsteps. I would really like to do my own thing and make a name for myself.

Seabrook, Izahs mother, established Community HealthNet in Northwest Indiana in 1996, which has five locations providing health care to the community. Izah has a younger brother at Bishop Noll Institute in Hammond.

Beyond Izahs interests in writing and political activism, she also enjoys fashion, fitness and music. For fun, she likes to sew. She said she participated in a Ball State University fashion exhibition last year as the only high school student.

Im really into fashion. I like to dance and I love to try new foods. I also played volleyball as a freshman and sophomore, she said.

Izah has played the piano since she was 2 years old and has been involved in several community organizations, including Girl Scouts of America and South Shore Leadership for Community Engagement.

In addition to the Davidson Fellows Scholarship, Izah received the Nagubadi Family Scholarship and the Provost Scholarship from Indiana University.

The 2016 Davidson Fellows will be honored at a reception Sept. 21 in Washington, D.C.
East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland accused the EPA in July of breaking the citys trust by withholding data about the levels of lead and arsenic contamination found in the soil in the Calumet neighborhood, and failing to provide adequate data for a 2011 health assessment that wrongly concluded childrens health was not at risk.

In a July 14 letter, Copeland told EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy that EPA personnel also threatened to treat the city as a responsible party after the city raised objections to a plan selected in 2012 to excavate up to 2 feet of soil from more than 1,200 properties across three cleanup zones within the neighborhood, cap any remaining contamination and put down clean soil.

Despite the EPAs knowledge for more than a decade of the unprecedented high levels of lead contamination at the soils, the EPA neither performed nor requested testing of residents blood (lead) levels, the letter said. Instead, when the city became aware of the extremely high levels of lead in the soil on May 24, 2016, it immediately commenced testing. Preliminary results reveal that hundreds of children suffer from excessive levels of lead in their blood.

In another letter released Monday, Acting Region 5 Administrator Robert Kaplan responded to Copeland on Aug. 1, saying he understood the mayors concern about when EPA shared soil test results for the USS Lead Superfund site.

I am committed to more effectively sharing information with you moving forward to constructively and collaboratively address environmental and public health issues and concerns at the site, Kaplans letter said.

EPA said it began the latest round of soil sampling in November 2014 and began receiving preliminary results in May 2015. Preliminary data was first compiled in an October 2015 report, and that data showed there were spikes in lead levels, the agency said. The EPA waited until May to turn over to the city the data for zone 1, which includes the West Calumet Housing Complex and Carrie Gosch Elementary School, until after the more than 1,000 preliminary sets of data were subjected to extensive quality control procedures.

In retrospect, the spikes in initial data and increased scrutiny of that data could have triggered action to be taken sooner rather than waiting to have it fully assessed, the EPA said.

EPA will institute a process to review preliminary data to flag the need for immediate action, the EPA said in a statement.

The federal agency said it now has more than 70 people on-site, working to remove contaminated dust from residences and mitigate risks from contaminated soil and dust.

Utility told, not city

The mayor on July 11 notified West Calumet residents of the lead contamination and recommended they temporarily relocate. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has released $1.9 million to help permanently relocate residents, and the state has kicked in another $100,000 to help with moving expenses. City Attorney Carla Morgan said Monday that more than half of the families living in the complex told to relocate by Nov. 30 have received HUD vouchers that are effective Sept. 1.

EPA said last week it will begin some remediation in September in zone 3, which includes 463 properties in the eastern part of the neighborhood. Properties with lead levels above 1,200 ppm and arsenic concentrations above 68 ppm will be targeted for cleanup. Residents should be receiving results soon for soil samples taken in 2014-15.

EPA also has begun testing soil in zone 2, the middle part of the neighborhood, and hopes to sample all 586 properties there, if owners consent. Funding for a cleanup in zone 2 has not yet been secured, Indiana Attorney General and Department of Justice officials said.

Copelands July 14 letter said EPA provided data about soil test results to NIPSCO so the utility could protect its workers from lead exposure while they worked at the site, but did not provide the same data to the city.

The letter also accused EPA of withholding soil testing data from 2011 to May 24, 2016, when EPA released results for zone 1. According to the city, the federal agency cited privacy concerns, and didnt release data for parcels  such as the housing complex  that are owned by the city.

Though Copelands letter indicates a full data set was not provided to the city, documents released by the EPA in 2012 about the cleanup plan, which was being proposed at the time, listed limited data, including two different maximum lead concentration results.

A fact sheet on the proposed plan said the maximum lead and arsenic levels found during testing of 88 properties in 2009-10 were 9,406 mg/kg and to 567 mg/kg, respectively. A remedial investigation report released in July 2012 included the same high arsenic level, but said a maximum lead level of 27,100 ppm was found at 18 inches to 24 inches below ground surface in a backyard on East 150th Place. Nine of the 88 properties tested were in the West Calumet Complex, and soil was removed and replaced at five of those nine properties in 2011, EPA records show.

Copeland said he was not aware of the remedial investigation report findings in 2012, and did not become aware of soil test results until May 24 of this year.

Need to re-evaulate

Since becoming mayor in October 2010, his No. 1 concern has been the health and safety of the residents, Copeland said. Thats why he urged the EPA not to begin digging this summer, because it would have been impossible to protect residents from airborne contaminates stirred up by excavation. He said hes too focused on safely and equitably relocating residents to think about future land use at this time.

In a previous June 16 letter to Kaplan, also released Thursday, Copeland said West Calumet was built on the footprint of the former Anaconda lead smelter. Maintenance work and construction debris found in the area indicates Anaconda may have simply been bulldozed, and that the West Calumet Housing Complex was then built on top of the demolition debris.

While our concern is for all the residents of the USS Lead Superfund site, we have particular concern for those who live where we now know the contamination is by far worse, which is on the footprint of the Anaconda facility, in the West Calumet Housing Complex, the letter said.

EPAs current plan to remediate while residents continue to live in West Calumet ignores the fact that testing has already revealed that a high number of children in this neighborhood demonstrate excessive blood levels of lead.

The CDC has set an action standard for blood lead levels at 5 micrograms per deciliter. The mayors July 14 letter said preliminary tests have shown children in the area have blood lead levels as high as 33 micrograms per deciliter. Morgan said that as of Monday, 420 to 450 children have had their blood tested, but many more still should be tested. She urged parents to contact the East Chicago Health Department for the free testing at (219) 391-8467.

The mayors letter also accused EPA of failing to provide the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry with adequate data during a flawed 2011 health assessment that concluded breathing the air, drinking the tap water or playing in soil around the USS Lead site is not expected to harm peoples health because of declining blood-lead levels. ATSDR failed to include the city health department in any discussions about blood lead level test results, the letter said.

An ATSDR spokeswoman last week issued a statement saying the federal agencys evaluations in 2011 were based on environmental sampling data typically collected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and/or other state and local regulatory agencies. ATSDR is in the preliminary stages of gathering information about its past public health evaluations and determining if there is a need to re-evaluate. City officials have said ATSDR staff are currently working on-site.

Both Copeland and Morgan said Monday that since the exchange of letters, communication among city and state and federal agencies has improved.
PORTAGE  Mark Oprisko remembers when he was a freshman city councilman here 28 years ago.

"It was 1988 and it was my first time on the council. Sammie said 'Mark, we are going to building something you aren't going to believe,'" Oprisko said, recalling a conversation with then Mayor Sammie L. Maletta.

"You're looking at it now," Oprisko continued, glancing at the Sammie L. Maletta Public Marina.

The marina, opened in 1996, was renamed Monday night in honor of Maletta, who served as mayor from 1988 to 1999. He also served 16 years as a city councilman.

"I said a long time ago there is a gold mine up there, but no one was mining the gold," Maletta told a group of family, friends and officials gathered at the marina for the ceremony. "I made up my mind that we were going to mine the gold."

The marina's construction was the first ingredient in Portage's development of its north side and Lake Michigan water front.

Maletta's son Andy, the city's economic director, said the marina was his father's "crown jewel" in accomplishments during his tenure as a public servant.

"He wanted to instill pride in the city so that Portage would not take a backseat to anyone in the Region," Andy Maletta said.

"Mayor Maletta was a person who was solution-driven to make Portage the great community it is today. He brought good jobs to Portage and increased the quality of life, and today we are all benefactors of his hard work. This marina is really a small picture and tribute to his tenacity and vision," said Mayor James Snyder, adding in 1990 Maletta secured the funding to see the vision become a reality.

"Portage, Indiana, is known throughout the Region and the state as a working class city. We survive and take care of our families with hard work, sweat and calluses. Mayor Sammie Maletta embodies the very nature of who Portage is and what Portage believes in," said Snyder.

"There were so many people who joined to help make this city a great place to live," said Sammie Maletta, thanking others for their part in making the marina a reality.
Antony Jay, whose keen appreciation of Machiavelli and corporate behavior helped make the 1980s British television series Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister instant classics of political satire, died on Aug. 21. He was 86.

His death was announced by a family spokesman, who did not state where Mr. Jay had died or the cause.

Mr. Jay, a producer at BBC Television and a writer for the satirical news program That Was the Week That Was in the 1960s, was a close student of complex organizations and the behavior of the people who ran them.

In his books Management and Machiavelli: An Inquiry Into the Politics of Corporate Life (1967) and Corporation Man (1972), he drew parallels between kings and business leaders; as a writer and producer of management training films for Video Arts, a company he founded with the comic actor John Cleese, he was practiced in mining corporate culture for comedic effect.
Brie Larson, in her Oscar-winning performance, plays a kidnapping victim who gives birth in captivity in Room. Jennifer Lawrence is an Ozark teenager faced with betraying her clan in Winters Bone. And scientists look at what makes a terrorist in Through the Wormhole With Morgan Freeman.

Whats Streaming

ROOM (2015) on Amazon and iTunes. Brie Larson won an Oscar for her portrayal of Ma, who was kidnapped at 17 and gave birth in captivity to Jack, played by Jacob Tremblay. In his five short years, his world has been limited to what lies amid four walls  and his imagination. But its time to escape. Room can weigh on your heart like a stone because it summons the terrors suffered by real victims, Manohla Dargis wrote in The New York Times about Lenny Abrahamsons best-picture nominee. But it turns out that telling this kind of grim story through the eyes of a child isnt just a shrewdly palatable device; its also artistically liberating, because the more the world opens up, the smaller Room becomes.
1. One of the Islamic States most senior strategists, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, was killed in the Syrian province of Aleppo.

A founding member of ISIS, he was its chief propagandist and headed its efforts to instigate terror attacks in the West.
I am a Boy Scout, he promised.

But was he really?

Actually a Cub Scout, Reince said, quickly moving to clarify his record. I asked him if he had seen what Trump had tweeted about Huma and Anthony Monday afternoon while he was in the air. No, whatd he say? Priebus said with a barely detectable flash of terror in his voice. (What room did the Rottweiler trash now?) I told him that Trump praised Abedin for a very wise decision and that he then went on to accuse Hillary Clinton of being careless and negligent in allowing Weiner to have such close proximity to highly classified information. (There is zero proof that Clinton did such a thing). It is possible that our country and its security have been greatly compromised by this, Trump persisted, though its unclear exactly how Weiners handiwork compromised anything more than what was left of Weiners dignity.

Is this the kind of thing your nominee should be weighing in on? I asked Priebus.

Well, look, I dont really get involved with this, Priebus said. I just landed. But clearly the guy is a scoundrel and has problems.

Who, Weiner or Trump?

Anthony.

We moved into another area of great national arousal: immigration. Trump would be delivering a much-awaited speech on the subject Wednesday after a stretch in which he appeared to be softening the hard-line position he made his name on during the Republican primaries. In recent days, Trump has been trumpeting the humane and fair approach he would take to dealing with undocumented immigrants; surrogates have been suggesting that the big, beautiful wall Trump promised to build along the southern border could in fact be an electronic, or virtual wall at certain points  maybe even a metaphoric wall, for all we knew. He will address this Wednesday, Priebus promised, but reiterated that there would be a wall, absolutely there would be. Who pays? Mexico will pay for the wall, Priebus said, laughing and on message. Did he really believe this? Is that the official position of the Republican Party? No, this is Donald Trumps position, he said.

One bit of housecleaning from the Republican primaries: I asked Priebus about the pledges that the R.N.C. asked its presidential candidates to sign last year promising they would support the partys eventual nominee. What became of those? (Are they on eBay?) They remain a bit of a sore spot with Priebus, given that the last two Republican candidates to bow out of the primaries, Ted Cruz and John Kasich, are still not supporting Trump and seem in no hurry to pledge allegiance. Priebus pointed out that in exchange for signing the pledge and promising their support for the Republican standard-bearer, the candidates received voter data from the R.N.C. I think they should honor their word, Priebus said. Could Cruz and Kasich face sanction from the party if they seek the nomination again? If they want to run one day, the issue of not supporting the partys nominee is going to be an issue for them, he said. But that will be a moot point in 2020, he added, because we will have an incumbent president in the White House.

In which case, I asked, where Priebus would be? Did he want to be an ambassador to somewhere?

Yes, he said. Wisconsin.
Daniel Z. Nelson, who as a New York City housing official presided over an innovative financing agency that created thousands of public school classrooms in partnership with private developers at relatively little cost to taxpayers, died last Tuesday in Manhattan. He was 86.

The cause was complications of a fall, his son, Robert, said.

In 1967, Mr. Nelson, a lawyer who served in the administrations of Mayors Robert F. Wagner and John V. Lindsay, was the first executive director of the New York City Educational Construction Fund, a public benefit corporation created by the New York State Legislature.

During his six-year tenure, the agency helped finance, among other schools, Norman Thomas High School at Park Avenue and 34th Street in Manhattan, beneath an office tower; Public School 124 Yung Wing, which is topped by Confucius Plaza, a 762-apartment residential building in Chinatown; and Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers, connected to the Verizon Building on Pearl Street in Lower Manhattan.

Since it began, the fund has helped finance 15 new schools and added more than 18,000 classroom seats while facilitating the construction of 4,500 apartments and 1.2 million square feet of office space. Its latest project is to replace the School of Cooperative Technical Education with a new school to be included at the base of a building with about 1,100 apartments at First Avenue and 96th Street in Manhattan.
When Anthony Nazaire was deciding where to go to after graduating from high school, he fell in love with Ithaca College  its small, quiet campus, its professors and its programs in business.

To his family, the college, in Ithaca, N.Y., appeared to be a safe place, seemingly more secure than his native Brooklyn. It was where Mr. Nazaire, a driven, aspiring entrepreneur, could focus on his studies.

But it was in the peaceful, idyllic college town of Ithaca where Mr. Nazaire, 19, would lose his life. During a brawl early on Sunday outside a party on the Cornell University campus, just north of Ithaca College, Mr. Nazaire was fatally stabbed in his upper torso.

He was striving to be the greatest person, his sister Kiara Nazaire, 24, said on Monday outside the familys brick apartment complex in Flatbush, Brooklyn. They took that away from him.
A former faculty member at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine who had been fired shot the schools dean outside a popular deli in Chappaqua, N.Y., on Monday, apparently in an act of revenge, the authorities said.

The former employee, Hengjun Chao, 49, of Tuckahoe, N.Y., was charged with attempted second-degree murder after he allegedly fired a shotgun and hit two men around 7 a.m. outside the deli, Langes Little Store, about a mile from the home of Bill and Hillary Clinton in the New York City suburb.

Both men were taken to Westchester Medical Center and treated for injuries that were not life-threatening, the police said.

Mount Sinai officials confirmed that the dean, Dr. Dennis S. Charney, 65, of Chappaqua, was one of the victims. The name of the other victim was not released.
Advocates for the medical use of marijuana said the governors actions were welcome. A lot of the recommendations that the Department of Health made are things that the patients have been asking for for a year and a half, said Kassandra Frederique, the state director of the New York office at the Drug Policy Alliance, which advocates more liberal drug laws.

In particular, Ms. Frederique said delivery options could ease the problems posed by the states size and the lack of geographic diversity in the current dispensaries.

Indeed, delivery could make a huge difference for patients with debilitating pain, like Jessica Hargrave of Rochester. The closest dispensary is a 10-minute drive from her home, but it has only tinctures, which are meant to be put under the tongue. She bought $155 worth of tinctures, but said she got no relief. It did nothing; it was like putting water under my tongue, she said. It was a big waste of money.

Mrs. Hargrave, 34, would like to try other formulations but cannot sit in a car for three hours to get to the next closest dispensary in Syracuse. I need more options at my local dispensary, she said.

The cost of the drug will not be addressed, though for those suffering from financial hardship, the state does intend to extend a waiver for a $50 registration fee. Unlike most medicines, marijuana is not paid for by insurance, so it is an entirely out-of-pocket cost for patients who are sometimes on disability and struggling to make ends meet; patients and providers say the cost of the drug can run anywhere from $200 to $1,000 a month.

Thats a lot of money for an MS patient because many are unemployed, said Dr. Michelle Fabian, an assistant professor of neurology at the multiple sclerosis center at Mount Sinai Hospital, where she has several patients taking cannabis for excruciating muscle spasms.

The five companies that have been operating in the state since January have also reported that it has been difficult to be profitable with the current volume of patients. According to the Health Department, about 675 physicians have been registered, with about 7,000 patients certified. But not all of those patients are necessarily consistent customers.
Mr. Boymelgreen is barred in New York from participating in the offer or sale of securities, including condos, for two years. If he fails to adhere to the settlement, he will be permanently barred from selling apartments in New York. Mr. Boymelgreens partners Itzhak Katan and Domenick Tonacchio are also covered by the settlement.

Mr. Boymelgreens lawyers did not returns calls for comment.

The investigation dates to 2013, but condo buyers in Mr. Boymelgreens buildings began filing lawsuits as early as 2007. Residents complained of unfinished work, widespread leaks and a lack of fireproofing. At Newswalk, condo owners had to spend an additional $8 million in order to make the building habitable, said David L. Berkey, a lawyer for the condo board, which sued Mr. Boymelgreen and his partners.

Mr. Berkey said he was hopeful that the attorney generals settlement would quickly lead to a settlement with his clients. Mr. Boymelgreens offering plan for Newswalk in 2002 indicated that the apartments would generate $127 million. There should be enough proceeds to enable a settlement, Mr. Berkey said, unless its been lost on other bad deals.

Born in Israel, Mr. Boymelgreen, 65, immigrated to the United States in 1969, where he initially worked in the field of asbestos abatement. He gradually took on real estate projects before forming a partnership with the Israeli businessman and diamond merchant Lev Leviev in the early 2000s.

With Mr. Levievs financial backing, Mr. Boymelgreen expanded rapidly, converting industrial buildings into residential complexes and developing apartments. He opened a New York bank, LibertyPointe, and pushed into real estate markets in Israel, Las Vegas and Miami.
Its pretty astonishing, said Gabby Warshawer, director of research at CityRealty, a research firm. Clearly theres a lot of supply right now. Were seeing longer lease terms, which is fairly new. And months of free rent.

Free rent is hardly what you would expect in Brooklyn, where demand for housing has been rising for a decade, driven by the boroughs reputation as a haven of youth, hipness and do-it-yourself entrepreneurialism. But the original hip neighborhood, Williamsburg, is now expensive. And with the pending temporary shutdown of the L subway line in 2019 lengthening the commute into Manhattan, that neighborhood is no longer as appealing.

The boom in this corner of Brooklyn, which has one of the biggest transit centers in the city, owes a lot to the citys 2004 rezoning of the downtown area to encourage the development of office towers and some residential buildings that could compete with Jersey City for back office operations. At first, there was little activity because the city was offering tenants and developers enormous subsidies to rebuild and move to Lower Manhattan after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But the creation of an arts district around the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Barclays arena at Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues, and the adjoining Atlantic Yards development, now known as Pacific Park, inspired interest in the area. And the citys population has swelled, to an estimated 8.6 million people a year ago from 8.2 million people in 2010, setting off a seemingly unquenchable thirst for housing, especially given job growth in Brooklyn, which outpaces the city over all.

Developers and consultants are not predicting that rents will plunge, but they do expect them to stagnate and perhaps ease in the short term.
It has always required a leap of faith to believe that the American University of Afghanistan, which opened its doors in 2006, would endure in the face of endless war and violence. The attack on the campus by militants last week, which killed at least 13 people, including seven students, three police officers and three security guards, demonstrates how perilous the conditions remain. But the resolve of students and faculty members, who vowed to carry on with their mission and education, offered hope.

The university, which is heavily subsidized by the United States, was intended as an elite institution to educate Afghanistans future leaders. It has done a commendable job in the face of extraordinary challenges. The school has struggled to attract and retain high-caliber international faculty members as security in the country has worsened. This month, two professors, an American and an Australian, were kidnapped in Kabul. There has been no news of their fate.

The university will most likely remain dependent on American government funding for the foreseeable future, which has raised questions about its long-term viability.

Of the billions of dollars the United States and other donors have invested in Afghanistan in recent years, the money spent on education has arguably been the most transformative. In 2002, fewer than one million Afghan boys were enrolled in schools, while girls and women were barred from getting a formal education.
Thats a hard sell for many voters. (To belabor the metaphor: Where, then, is the smoke coming from? A smoke machine?) For now, there is no visible conflagration. The Clinton family has never taken a salary from the foundation. The watchdog group Charity Watch awarded the foundation an A rating for its financial management. Its hard to quarrel with the legitimate good works the foundation has done in the developing world.

But the foundations good works are a separate issue from donors links to Mrs. Clinton in her role representing the public. The rules that apply to private citizens are much different from the rules (written or unwritten) that we apply to presidential candidates. And sometimes, the simple suggestion of corruption can be as damaging as real corruption to a candidates reputation.

Earlier this month, the foundation announced that if Mrs. Clinton was elected, it would stop accepting money from foreign and corporate donors. The foundation would also spin off some of its programs to partner organizations  though which organizations remains unclear. And Mr. Clinton would step down from the foundations board, while Chelsea Clinton would remain on the board.

Lawrence M. Noble, the general counsel at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, said the Clintons had been somewhat tone deaf about how their relationship with donors would be perceived. Still, he said the focus on Mrs. Clintons meetings as secretary of state is a distraction from the real problems with our campaign finance system  a system that the Clintons and other politicians benefit handsomely from.

The problem is that weve developed this culture in part thanks to the Supreme Court that seems to sanction the idea that donors will get special access, he said. As long as we see this potential influence, were not going to trust it, because its human nature that one is influenced by those who are trying to help them.

Its impossible to know what inspires a donor, in his heart of hearts, to give a large sum of money to an organization. But critics like The Intercepts Glenn Greenwald have argued that some donors such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar  which have abysmal human rights records toward women and gay citizens  may have less-than-ideal intentions.
PISA, Italy  A deadly plague haunts Venice, and its not the cholera to which Thomas Manns character Gustav von Aschenbach succumbed in the Nobel laureates 1912 novella Death in Venice. A rapacious tourist monoculture threatens Venices existence, decimating the historic city and turning the Queen of the Adriatic into a Disneyfied shopping mall.

Millions of tourists pour into Venices streets and canals each year, profoundly altering the population and the economy, as many native citizens are banished from the island city and those who remain have no choice but to serve in hotels, restaurants and shops selling glass souvenirs and carnival masks.

Tourism is tearing apart Venices social fabric, cohesion and civic culture, growing ever more predatory. The number of visitors to the city may rise even further now that international travelers are avoiding destinations like Turkey and Tunisia because of fears of terrorism and unrest. This means that the 2,400 hotels and other overnight accommodations the city now has no longer satisfy the travel industrys appetites. The total number of guest quarters in Venices historic center could reach 50,000 and take it over entirely.

Just along the Grand Canal, Venices main waterway, the last 15 years have seen the closure of state institutions, judicial offices, banks, the German Consulate, medical practices and stores to make way for 16 new hotels.
Does the new batch of previously undisclosed State Department emails prove that big-money donors to the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation got special favors from Mrs. Clinton while she was secretary of state?

Not so far, but that the question arises yet again points to a need for major changes at the foundation now, before the November election.

Bill Clinton created the foundation in 2001 as a vehicle to fund his presidential library. He and his supporters have since raised more than $2 billion and pioneered initiatives ranging from fostering female-owned businesses in Haiti to lowering the cost of H.I.V./AIDS drugs in Africa. As the enterprise sprawled from water treatment to education to climate change, all three Clintons got involved, along with their network of longtime political advisers, former administration officials and business partners.

When Mrs. Clinton became secretary of state, the Obama administration tried to draw a line between the foundation, particularly its foreign-government sponsors, and her role. The new emails underscore that this effort was at best partly successful. Pay-to-play charges by Donald Trump have not been proved. But the emails and previous reporting suggest Mr. Trump has reason to say that while Mrs. Clinton was secretary, it was hard to tell where the foundation ended and the State Department began.
About half of opioid overdose deaths involve prescription drugs. With that stark fact in mind, the surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, sent an unusually direct plea last week to 2.3 million doctors and other health care workers to help fight the opioid epidemic by treating pain safely and effectively. A website for his Turn the Tide campaign highlights alternative, nonaddictive treatments for pain. Not only doctors but also policy makers, insurance companies and other players in the health care system should pay attention.

Prescriptions for opioids such as oxycodone and methadone have quadrupled since 1999, as have opioid overdose deaths  more than 28,000 in 2014, up 14 percent from the year before. While prescriptions for opioids peaked in 2012, their use remains high by historical standards. And many people who were prescribed opioids have gone on to use illegal opioids like heroin and fentanyl.

For cancer patients or people near the end of their lives, opioids are often the only effective medicine. But doctors have many more options for treating back pain, migraines and pain related to surgery  physical therapy, anti-inflammatory drugs, acupuncture, exercise and so on. Some doctors overlook these alternatives because opioids are easy to prescribe or because patients demand them.

A further problem is that some insurance plans do not cover alternative treatments like physical therapy and acupuncture, or they impose so many limits and high co-pays on them that in many cases both doctors and patients find opioids a less expensive option. In some rural areas, the nearest physical therapist may be many miles away.
Many incarcerated people would be the first to acknowledge the pain and loss their crimes caused. But if prisoners older than 50 have served decades-long sentences and have shown evidence of rehabilitation, the only rationale for holding them appears to be endless punishment and retribution.

The problem is growing as the American prison population gets grayer. By 2012, there were almost 125,000 inmates age 55 and older out of a total population of 2.3 million. Even as the overall prison population continues to decrease, it is estimated that by 2030, there will be more than 400,000 over 55s  a staggering increase from 1981, when there were only 8,853.

The numbers are rising despite recognition that continuing to lock up older prisoners not only does nothing to reduce crime, but is also expensive and inhumane. More and more aging people are becoming seriously ill and dying in prison. Prisons are not equipped to be nursing homes.

And there is mounting evidence that there is little, if any, public safety benefit to keeping people like Ms. Rubero in prison for so long. According to recent studies, a vast majority of people over 50 who are released from prison in the United States, including those with convictions for violent offenses, are much less likely to commit a crime than younger people who have never been incarcerated. Nationally, rearrests occur for only 2 percent of former prisoners over 50, and hardly at all among over-65s. Most people simply age out of crime.

If older people in prison pose so little danger, why not free them? As Ms. Ruberos experience suggests, a major reason is a resistance to granting parole.

The criteria of parole boards in states like New York include assessments of a prisoners possible threat to public safety and her chances of reintegrating into society. Yet boards primarily base their decisions to deny on the seriousness of the crime for which the person was convicted.

Overlooking the fact that elderly people who have served long sentences are not a public safety risk, parole boards focus instead on the past criminal behavior. In effect, they prefer to resentence the prisoner rather than make a judgment about the individuals growth since entering prison.
When I ask veteran college teachers and administrators to describe how college students have changed over the years, I often get an answer like this: Todays students are more accomplished than past generations, but they are also more emotionally fragile.

That rings true to me. Todays students are amazing, but they bathe one another in oceans of affirmation and praise, as if buttressing one another against some insecurity. Whatever one thinks of the campus protests, the desire for trigger warnings and safe spaces does seem to emanate from a place of emotional fragility.

And if you hang around the middle aged, you hear a common story line to explain the rise of the orchid generation. Once upon a time, the story line goes, kids were raised in a tough environment. They had to do hard manual chores around the house and they got in fights on the playground. Then they went off to do grueling work in the factory or they learned toughness and grit in the military.

But today, helicopter parents protect their children from setbacks and hardship. They supervise every playground conflict, so kids never learn to handle disputes or deal with pain.
Whos a good dog?

Well, that depends on whom youre asking, of course. But new research suggests that the next time you look at your pup, whether Maltese or mastiff, you might want to choose your words carefully.

Both what we say and how we say it matters to dogs, said Attila Andics, a research fellow at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest.

Dr. Andics, who studies language and behavior in dogs and humans, along with Adam Miklosi and several other colleagues, reported in a paper to be published in this weeks issue of the journal Science that different parts of dogs brains respond to the meaning of a word, and to how the word is said, much as human brains do.
SAN FRANCISCO  The rift between Uber and Alphabet is growing.

David Drummond, a longtime executive at Alphabet and a director at Uber, recently stepped down from the ride-hailing companys board, Uber said on Monday. Mr. Drummond had served on Ubers board for the last three years.

The departure is a sign of the growing friction between Uber and Alphabet, which is the parent company of Google. While Google and Uber had started off as partners  Uber counts GV, Alphabets investment arm, as an investor, and the ride-hailing company has long used Googles mapping technology  they have become increasingly competitive with each other. Uber is moving into self-driving vehicle technology, for example, an area Google has long been working on.

In a statement on Monday, Mr. Drummond was upfront about the rivalry. I recently stepped down from Ubers board given the overlap between the two companies, he said in an emailed statement. He added that Uber is a phenomenal company. Google declined to comment beyond Mr. Drummonds statement.

Travis Kalanick, Ubers chief executive, thanked Mr. Drummond in a statement and said he looks forward to continued cooperation and partnership with Alphabet.
False reports of gunfire at Los Angeles International Airport on Aug. 28 caused panic among travelers, led to the evacuation of the airport and resulted in more than 250 flight delays. A similar incident occurred two weeks earlier at Kennedy International Airport in New York. While there was no real active shooter in either case, the fear that fliers had during these episodes is very real.

Crime statistics show that over all, violence in the United States is as low as it has ever been, yet terrorist attacks at airports in Brussels and Istanbul and mass shootings in the United States have caused passengers to fear loud noises and commotion.

Heres what you need to know about airport safety and what to do if you fear that an active shooter is at an airport.

What are the chances of an active shooting or a terrorist attack happening at an airport?

Very small, said Larry Studdiford, a security consultant for airports and the founder of Studdiford Technical Solutions, a security firm in Alexandria, Va. An estimated 3.5 billion people flew globally in 2015, according to the International Air Transport Association, a trade association for the worlds airlines, and comparatively, there were only a handful of incidences at airports. The chances of a passenger being involved in a shooting or attack at an airport are minimal, he said. And, while fear of being at an airport is natural following any airport incident around the world, such as what happened in Istanbul recently, you are more at risk of getting into a car accident on the way to the airport than running into trouble at the airport.
The Senate minority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, asked the F.B.I. on Monday to investigate evidence suggesting that Russia may try to manipulate voting results in November.

In a letter to the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey Jr., Mr. Reid wrote that the threat of Russian interference is more extensive than is widely known and may include the intent to falsify official election results. Recent classified briefings from senior intelligence officials, Mr. Reid said in an interview, have left him fearful that President Vladimir V. Putins goal is tampering with this election.

News reports on Monday said the F.B.I. warned state election officials several weeks ago that foreign hackers had exported voter registration data from computer systems in at least one state, and had pierced the systems of a second one.

The bureau did not name the states, but Yahoo News, which first reported the confidential F.B.I. warning, said they were Arizona and Illinois. Matt Roberts, a spokesman for Arizonas secretary of state, said the F.B.I. had told state officials that Russians were behind the Arizona attack.
Hillary Clintons advisers are talking to Donald J. Trumps ghostwriter of The Art of the Deal, seeking insights about Mr. Trumps deepest insecurities as they devise strategies to needle and undermine him in four weeks at the first presidential debate, the most anticipated in a generation.

Her team is also getting advice from psychology experts to help create a personality profile of Mr. Trump to gauge how he may respond to attacks and deal with a woman as his sole adversary on the debate stage.

They are undertaking a forensic-style analysis of Mr. Trumps performances in the Republican primary debates, cataloging strengths and weaknesses as well as trigger points that caused him to lash out in less-than-presidential ways.

As Mrs. Clinton pores over this voluminous research with her debate team, most recently for several hours on Friday, and her aides continue searching for someone who can rattle her as a Trump stand-in during mock debates, Mr. Trump is taking the opposite tack. Though he spent hours with his debate team the last two Sundays, the sessions were more freewheeling than focused, and he can barely conceal his disdain for laborious and theatrical practice sessions.
I would say that we are in the grip of a moral panic, said John Horgan, a professor of global studies and psychology at Georgia State University who specializes in the study of terrorism. The constant threat perception of being vulnerable to mass violence has seeped into our collective consciousness.

Sam Macon, 36, a documentary filmmaker who was at the Los Angeles airport on Sunday, said: People who were running had absolutely no idea why they were doing so. I dont think it takes a social scientist to understand that the general tenor of American society right now is that were all wound up pretty tight.

The recent false-alarm panics injured dozens of people, some of them seriously.

Kokila Patel, 66, and her husband, Manu, 74, had just finished lunch at a Panera in the Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh on Aug. 13 when she heard a noise and turned to see panicked shoppers surging toward them. People had taken still-unexplained sounds for gunshots, screamed, dived into stores and made a chaotic rush for the exits, paying little heed to what was in their way  including the Patels.

The crowd knocked the couple down and trampled Ms. Patel, breaking her right femur and leaving her to wait in searing pain for two hours until police officers in tactical gear arrived and helped carry her out of the mall on a plastic display table. Surgeons braced her shattered leg with a steel rod, plate and screws, but the pain is still intense. Ms. Patel, who usually travels to India for three months each year with her husband, remains homebound.
In an election year, with nearly constant squawking from presidential candidates about well-paying jobs, the mayor of Palo Alto has an unusual message for some of the cash-flush tech companies based here: Go away. Please.

Big tech companies are choking off the downtown, Mayor Patrick Burt said. Its not healthy.

As one walks down the sidewalks in residential areas, shaded by mature trees and basking in the citys sunny, mild weather, its not too hard to understand why homeowners are trying to keep Palo Alto small despite its reputation for giving birth to the worlds next big thing.

Last year, the city of 66,000 people set a cap of less than 1 percent a year on the growth of office space in most of its parts. In the charming downtown, where battalions of tech workers from companies like Amazon stroll the streets, their eyes often glued to their smartphones, the mayor is looking to enforce, in some form, an all-but-forgotten zoning regulation that bans companies whose primary business is research and development, including software coding. (To repeat: The mayor is considering enforcing a ban on coding at ground zero of Silicon Valley.)

This is crazy, said Kate Vershov Downing, a lawyer who lit up the internet this month when she announced that she was quitting the citys planning commission because she was moving someplace cheaper. This is Silicon Valley. Weve been writing code here for decades.
Im vigilant about checking food labels and asking about ingredients at restaurants, but as anyone with food allergies will tell you, life happens. Servers dont always know they cant use the same knife for different foods. The waiter doesnt know he should double-check to make sure the chef didnt change the recipe and add peanuts that evening. And many people dont seem to realize that these small lapses can mean life or death to a person with food allergies.

Image Ali Jaffe, 24, has used an EpiPen 12 times to cope with life-threatening allergic reactions.

And thats why people with food allergies (and their parents) are so passionate about the EpiPen.

When I was growing up, EpiPens were scattered around my house and tucked into car seats and Moms purse like crayons. Im the oldest of four kids and all of us had life-threatening allergies to a grocery list of foods including peanuts, dairy, eggs and shellfish. From the time I was 5 years old and for many years after, I carried my own set of EpiPens in a hunter green fanny pack, which was cool because it was the 90s.

There wasnt a lot of awareness about food allergies back then. I sat alone at the peanut-free table in the cafeteria at my public elementary school and was forever explaining to my friends parents that if you dipped the same knife into the peanut butter and the jelly, I could no longer eat the jelly either. When I was 12, I spoke at a news conference in front of Capitol Hill to advocate for a food-labeling bill.

As for my EpiPen, well, no one  teachers, friends, airport security  knew what it was or how it worked. Without an injection of epinephrine to treat a severe allergic reaction, people die. Its almost certain that I would have died if I hadnt had my EpiPen within arms reach for each of my 12 reactions.
MEXICO CITY  President Enrique Pena Nieto of Mexico fired the commissioner of the countrys federal police force on Monday in response to a recent report that the police had summarily killed at least 22 suspects in a raid last year on a drug gang hide-out.

The government has argued that the killings, at a remote farm in western Mexico, occurred during a fierce battle between federal police officers and heavily armed drug gang members, but the dismissal of the commissioner, Enrique Galindo, signaled that it would no longer defend that version of what happened.

The decision was announced by Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, who handles security matters.

In the framework of recent events and on the instruction of the president, the commissioner general of the police, Enrique Galindo, has left his position, Mr. Osorio Chong said, reading a short statement.
TEHRAN  Iran has deployed a Russian-made S-300 air defense system around its underground Fordo nuclear facility, according to state television.

Video posted late Sunday on Iranian state TVs website showed trucks arriving at the site and missile launchers aimed skyward. The report did not say whether the system was fully operational.

Gen. Farzad Esmaili, the commander of Irans air defense, declined to comment on the report in an interview with another website affiliated with state news. Maybe if you go to Fordo now, the system is not there, he was quoted as saying on Monday. He added that the S-300 is a mobile system that should be relocated often.

It was not immediately clear why Tehran had chosen to place the outdated missile defense system at Fordo. The complex is no longer being used to enrich uranium, according to officials from Iran and the United States. Instead, officials say, it is being used mostly for research and the production of medical isotopes.
The migrants, mainly from Eritrea and Somalia, cheered as the rescue boats arrived, with some jumping into the water and swimming toward them while others carefully carried babies. With boats unsuitable for a voyage across the Mediterranean to the shores of Italy, the migrants had set off with a bit of fuel in the overcrowded vessels, hoping to make it at least 15 to 20 miles out to sea to reach awaiting rescuers.
BEIRUT, Lebanon  The rebel fighter, a former major in the Syrian Army, thought he had finally found what he was looking for: a group with strong international backing that was gearing up for an offensive against his two most hated enemies, the Syrian government and the Islamic State militant group.

But within days of crossing into Syria, backed by Turkish planes, tanks and special forces troops and American warplanes, the fighter, Saadeddine Somaa, found himself fighting Kurdish militias that, like him, counted the Islamic State and the government of President Bashar al-Assad among their foes.

That was because the Turks, who supplied the weapons and the cash, were calling the shots, and they considered the Kurds enemy No. 1. The Kurds, for their part, consider Turkey an enemy, and so as the Turkish-led troops advanced, the Kurdish militias attacked.

For all the hope the new offensive had inspired in Mr. Somaa and other Syrian insurgents, it showed once again how even rebels fighting against the Islamic State and Mr. Assad  both targets for defeat under stated American policy  remain dependent on backers who only partly share their goals.
Theater is as big an interest in my life  interest meaning something I love  as movies or as music, he said. Theyve always been equal. And therefore it occurred to me: Why not combine music and theater? Thats called musical theater! And to boot, he added, I was brought up by Oscar.

As Sondheim fans know well, he was referring to the lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, who became not just his mentor but also a kind of surrogate father after his parents divorced and his mother moved with her only child from the Upper West Side of Manhattan to rural Pennsylvania.

Mr. Sondheim was 11 when he met Hammerstein and his family. For five years, this musical theater giant gave him invaluable insights into the art form. Oscar  lets not say he was a poet  was a lyricist and a playwright, Mr. Sondheim said. Why wasnt he a novelist? Because he loved the theater! Thats the simple answer, Mr. Sondheim said, to the question I raised.

Mr. Sondheims musical training, such as it was, started early.

When I was 7 years old, like all nice Jewish boys on the Upper West Side, I took piano lessons, he said. When my parents had company over for cocktails, I would be trotted out to play Flight of the Bumblebee because I had a very good right hand. (His left hand, he asserted, was a lox.)
The Education Department has been increasing pressure on the multibillion-dollar career-training industry, responding to complaints that some for-profit colleges burden students with debt and leave them without promised skills and jobs.

On Tuesday, the department got a pushback. The owner of a chain of colleges, the Center for Excellence in Higher Education, filed an unusual lawsuit in federal court accusing education officials of pursuing a political agenda. The suit argues that the department is trying to put the colleges out of business by failing to classify them as nonprofit educational institutions, curbing their access to federal student aid dollars.

The department declined to comment on the suit.

Created in 2006 as a charity dedicated to promoting free-market principles throughout the higher education industry, the Center for Excellence bought several colleges, including Stevens-Henager, California College and CollegeAmerica, six years later from their founder, Carl B. Barney. Nearly all of the money for the $636 million purchase came from donations and loans made by Mr. Barney, an entrepreneur and ardent devotee of the capitalist evangelist Ayn Rand.

In buying the for-profit chain, the Center for Excellence restructured itself as a tax-exempt, nonprofit educational corporation with Mr. Barney as chairman. The Internal Revenue Service approved the designation, but this month the Education Department refused to recognize the centers nonprofit status for the purposes of receiving federal grants and loans, arguing that the deal was an effort to circumvent stricter government regulation.
Michael Chow looked at ease in his favorite banquette at the Carlyle hotel, beneath a portrait of Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper in their Easy Rider prime, but something in his peripheral vision nagged at him.

A nearby couple had gotten up to avail themselves of the breakfast buffet, leaving their table askew. Through his signature circular spectacles, Mr. Chow kept darting glances that way.

The tables not straight, he finally said, giving the impression that he was prepared to get up and tackle the symmetry issue on his own if need be. Ive been in the restaurant business too long.

That longevity, he contends, has hinged on his paying attention to countless details, both great and small. Mr. Chow opened Mr. Chow  the original, in a glamorous neighborhood of London  on Valentines Day in 1968. Almost half a century later, at the age of 77, he can remember how that felt.
It had been a culinary nobody, mushy and maligned.

But when a chef as decorated as Daniel Humm turns his attention to perfecting a veggie burger, the signal is clear: That second-fiddle vegetarian staple has arrived.

Mr. Humm, whose restaurant Eleven Madison Park in Manhattan has three Michelin stars, serves a carefully constructed veggie burger at the NoMad Bar nearby. His version uses grains, fresh vegetables, quinoa and lentils to replace the texture of meat, he said, with eggs, cream cheese and Dijon mustard to hold it together. Nothing goes into the burger that doesnt serve a purpose, Mr. Humm said.

We wanted this to be able to stand next to our beef burger and our chicken burger, not be a dish we just put on the menu for the sake of it, he added.

After decades as an amateur player eager for a big break, the veggie burger has made its ascent, becoming a destination dish and hashtag darling as never before.
But as of next month, when new ads will appear in the giant September fashion magazines, there will be yet another unabashed pro-Clinton campaign in the offing, thanks to Elie Tahari.

Photographed by James Macari and titled Madam President, it features a model in a red sheath dress in the Oval Office; in a gray lace-sleeved number, speaking from behind a lectern with the presidential seal; and in a narrow black trouser suit, amid a walk-and-talk briefing surrounded by American flags and Secret Service men in what looks like the Capitol.

We have a choice between a man and a woman, and the woman is smarter and more humble, and I wanted to say I support that, Mr. Tahari said of the rationale behind the campaign.

He noted that he had first met Mrs. Clinton at a White House breakfast when she was first lady (I have a picture, he said), and that she had worn his clothes during her time as secretary of state. He and his wife also hosted a Clinton fund-raiser before the 2008 election, though he said he had not done so this cycle.

This is not the first time a fashion brand has pushed an image of a female president in its clothing. In 1992, Donna Karan created a series of In Women We Trust ads featuring the model Rosemary McGrotha taking the oath of office, working behind her desk, and otherwise being a leaderlike working mother in double-breasted pinstriped skirt suiting, ropes of pearls and shirt sleeves.
Simeon Wright, nearly 13, a Mississippi sharecroppers son, shared a bed with his 14-year-old cousin, Emmett Till, on the fateful night of Aug. 28, 1955. Till, visiting from Chicago, was taken from the room that night by two white intruders and, in the next few terrible hours, became the victim of one of the most infamous racial crimes in American history, when he was tortured and murdered for supposedly whistling at a white woman.

More than six decades later, the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and the string of controversial killings of black men by the police have given new impetus to efforts to film the story of Till, with at least three screen adaptations in the works.

Mr. Wright, now 73, said he would soon meet with Whoopi Goldberg to share his memories of Tills last days; producers of the feature film Till, based partly on Mr. Wrights memoir, Simeons Story (2010), said she had signed on to direct. Also in the works is a six-part HBO series, with Jay Z and Will Smith among the producers, based on what many consider the definitive history of the case. And theres a planned biopic from Shatterglass Films, produced by Chaz Ebert, the widow of the critic Roger Ebert, that will focus on Tills mother, Mamie Till Mobley. (Mrs. Mobleys play, The Face of Emmett Till, is the basis for a fourth film that has been announced, but producers did not respond to requests for comment.) Mrs. Mobleys decision to hold an open-coffin funeral for her young son resulted in the publication of searing images of his mutilated body and worldwide headlines that became a clarion call for the civil rights movement.

There were major commemorations on the 50th anniversary of the tragedy, in 2005, and next month, when the National Museum of African American History and Culture opens in Washington, an exhibition on Tills death is expected to be such an emotionally wrenching experience that docents will be on hand to help visitors. But there have been few onscreen examinations of the episode, and they have been mostly nonfiction, like the prominent documentarian Stanley Nelsons 2003 examination of the case for PBSs American Experience series, and a controversial documentary the same year by Keith Beauchamp, a producer and screenwriter for Ms. Goldbergs film.
The City University of New York is investigating whether a recent $500,000 donation intended to bolster the humanities and arts at its flagship school may have been improperly diverted.

The inquiry was prompted by senior faculty members at the school, the City College of New York, who learned that an account that should have contained roughly $600,000, thanks to the donation, had just $76. Faculty members asked City College officials for an explanation, but were met with silence, delay and deflection before appealing directly to the universitys chancellor, James B. Milliken. Mr. Milliken then asked Frederick P. Schaffer, the universitys general counsel and senior vice chancellor for legal affairs, to look into the the expenditure of monies donated, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.

The account in question  the Martin and Toni Sosnoff Fund for the Arts  is part of the holdings of the City College 21st Century Foundation, the schools principal fund-raising arm. The finances of that foundation, as well as those of City Colleges president and her family, are already being investigated by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn.

In May, The Times reported that the foundation had paid for some personal expenses of the president, Lisa S. Coico, such as fruit baskets, housekeeping services and rugs when she took office in 2010. The foundation was then reimbursed for more than $150,000 from the Research Foundation of the City University of New York, which manages research funds for CUNY, the largest urban public university system in the country. But that arrangement has raised questions of propriety, because such funds are typically earmarked for research.
The states Health Department did not warn against drinking the water here until after a federal warning was made public in December. And on Tuesday, State Senator Kemp Hannon, a Nassau County Republican who is the chairman of the Health Committee, criticized a December fact sheet from the Health Department  which did not warn against drinking the water, but did note possible health problems associated with PFOA  as the most inconsistent letter Ive ever seen.

This is an example of what has led to the folks in this community being so disturbed, Mr. Hannon said.

In response, New Yorks health commissioner, Dr. Howard Zucker, noted that such contamination was an emerging issue, and a national issue.

Indeed, even as the hearing continued, the state stepped up its contention that the E.P.A. was confusing and inconsistent in its handling of PFOA contamination, while the E.P.A. suggested that the state was being disingenuous about its performance during the crisis, the worst environmental scare of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomos tenure.

In a letter sent on Tuesday from state officials to the E.P.A.s top official, Administrator Gina McCarthy, the state accused the federal agency of bungling the response to PFOA, and demanding that it cover at least $75 million in expenses, accrued already and estimated in the future, that cannot be clawed back from polluters.

We believe the E.P.A.s handling of this matter aggravated the situation, causing undue expense to our agencies, read the letter, which was signed by Dr. Zucker and Basil Seggos, the states environmental commissioner.

In particular, Dr. Zucker and Mr. Seggos suggested that the E.P.A. had taken no less than three different positions regarding PFOA, causing great public concern, frustration and anxiety.
The immigration minister, Peter Dutton, said the claims were being investigated but called them hype and blamed left wing media outlets. He claimed to be aware of some false allegations of sexual assault, because in the end, people have paid money to people smugglers and they want to come to our country.

Many Australians were less sanguine as they digested the fact that more than half of the complaints of abuse and mistreatment involved minors. Criticism of these forbidding outposts, known as regional processing centers, has swelled into a chorus of complaint  with a growing sense that this solution of offshore detention has failed to protect basic human rights in both conception and execution.

There can be no denying, though, that along with the policy of turning back any boat arrivals, offshore detention has been an effective deterrent; the number of people arriving by sea has dropped from thousands to almost nothing.

In 2009, 5,609 people traveled to Australia in tiny cramped boats, seeking refuge. By 2012, it had rocketed to 25,173. Kevin Rudd, the prime minister at the time, vowed that no one who tried to get here by sea would ever be allowed to settle. The opposition party successfully ran on a slogan of Stop the Boats in the next election, and by 2014-15, the numbers were down to 158. Now it is virtually zero. And the success of this approach has meant the number of people in detention more generally has plummeted: in 2013 there were almost 2,000 children in onshore and offshore detention; now there is little more than a hundred.

And yet the question now is: At what cost has this been achieved?

Abuse accusations aside, the policy is costing Australia billions of dollars. For every detainee housed on the island of Manus, which actually belongs to Papua New Guinea, taxpayers have shelled out more than $1 million since 2011. At the end of June, there were 854 detainees in the men-only facility on Manus. Those on Nauru numbered 442, including 49 children and 55 women.
To the Editor:

In Plane Rides and Presidential Transparency (Mediator column, Aug. 29), Jim Rutenberg criticized the leading presidential candidates for their lack of transparency, but did not acknowledge the important and unprecedented steps that the Obama administration has taken to fulfill the presidents promise to lead the most transparent White House in history.

These accomplishments include, but are not limited to, routinely and proactively releasing the name, date and time of nearly every White House visitor. Some will recall that the previous administration went to the Supreme Court to try to prevent the release of these records.

President Obama, as a matter of policy, invites White House journalists to cover his formal remarks at fund-raisers, even when they are held in a private home. Previous presidents have granted, at best, intermittent access to such events.

The Obama administration has also proactively released more than 180,000 data sets on a federal government website named, appropriately enough, Data.gov. This means that reporters and citizens have access to mind-boggling amounts of data  that they may not even have known existed  without having to formally request it.
At what point would I rather die?

It has been about two months since the terrorist attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery that led to the deaths of 20 people in my hometown, Dhaka, Bangladesh. By all accounts, the city  at least the part of the city where the attack took place, and where I have lived for the last two decades  is irrevocably changed. There are checkpoints all over the neighborhood; many restaurants and cafes have been shut down; foreigners are sending their families home and schools are yet to reopen. In the evening, the streets are quiet and sad.

But there is an abundance of talk. Everyone is still talking about the incident, playing it over and over in conversation, airing the accounts that have emerged from that night. One story in particular has transfixed everyone: According to some reports, there were two types of victims  the foreigners who were killed immediately by the terrorists, and the Bangladeshis who were murdered later when they refused to acquiesce to the demands of their captors.

There was Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain, who was offered release but wouldnt leave his non-Bangladeshi friend to her fate; his body, it is said, was the most mutilated of the victims, full of defensive wounds he is presumed to have suffered as he tried to protect her. There was Ishrat Akhond, a beloved member of the art community in Dhaka, who had taken two Italian colleagues out for dinner; she was killed, according to reports, because she refused to wear a hijab and recite verses from the Quran.

Some of this is conjecture and unverifiable rumor, but when my friends and I discuss what happened that night, we always ask the what would you do? question. Without fail, everyone I speak to confesses, with some shame, that they would not have been so brave. I would have left my friends and lived, says one. I would have put on that hijab, says another. I would have recited those verses from the Quran, says a third.
To the Editor:

Re Handwriting Just Doesnt Matter (Sunday Review, Aug. 21):

Anne Trubek claims that handwriting doesnt matter, an opinion opposed by your family health columnist, Dr. Perri Klass (Writing to Learn, Science Times, June 21), who argued persuasively that writing by hand serves developmental needs in childhood that typing on a keyboard fails to provide.

As a humanities professor at a large public university with a diverse student population, I ask my students to write longhand in class each week. At first, some protest, but I persist, for I have found that intimacy, immediacy and personal quality infuse their handwritten essays.

Socrates argues in the Phaedrus that speech is preferable to writing. I concur, believing that lively class discussion outshines written work in the educational process. But I also hold that writing by hand is second best: informal and quirky, sometimes messy, but straight from one heart and mind to anothers.

ELLEN HANDLER SPITZ

Baltimore

To the Editor:

I could not disagree more with Anne Trubeks conclusion. The fact that cursive writing is not vital to communication does not diminish its beauty, its ability to delight or its value as an antidote to our increasingly homogenized society.
The European Union on Tuesday ordered Ireland to collect $14.5 billion in unpaid taxes from Apple, a record penalty that worsened tensions with the United States over the blocs crackdown on sweetheart deals with global multinationals.

Europes competition enforcer said that Apples illegal deals with the Irish government allowed the technology giant to pay virtually nothing on its European business in some years. The arrangements enabled Apple to funnel profit from two Irish subsidiaries to a head office with no employees, no premises, no real activities, the commission said.

By doing so, Apple paid only 50 euros in taxes for every million euros in profit during 2014. As part of its ruling, Europe demanded that Ireland recoup 10 years worth of back taxes, some 13 billion euros, or about $14.5 billion, plus interest.

The amount is a drop in the bucket for Apple, which has a total cash pile of more than $230 billion. Even so, the company described the order as a devastating blow to the rule of law. The United States Treasury Department said it jeopardized the important spirit of economic partnership between the U.S. and the E.U.
SAN FRANCISCO  Alphabet and Uber are inching closer to a showdown.

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, is broadening the scope of a car-pooling program that could challenge ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft. The pilot program, operated through Googles navigation app Waze, is limited to employees of companies near Googles headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.

In the fall, Waze plans to expand the program to users in San Francisco, where Uber is based, according to a person briefed on the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly about it.

Waze promotes the service as Waze Carpool on its website, recruiting drivers and riders to commute together in the Bay Area. For now, Google is not pushing the service as a direct competitor to the taxilike services of Uber and Lyft, focusing mainly on matching drivers and riders already headed in the same direction.

Unlike ride services that summon drivers immediately, Waze suggests calling for a ride a few hours in advance. When a user wants a ride in the same direction, Waze offers the driver a price to pick up that passenger.
Many of the original cast members of Hamilton have left this summer, and now one more of the shows pillars is saying goodbye, at least for now: #Ham4Ham. The mini-concert series, which has been taking place outside the Richard Rodgers Theater several times a week at the shows lottery, will take a break after one last performance on Wednesday.

The Ham4Ham shows are a joy, and theyre not going away forever, Jeffrey Seller, the lead producer of Hamilton, said. Its like were going back to school: We have so many activities going on, were concerned about traffic, and were concerned about being good citizens. Its time to pause.

The #Ham4Ham shows grew out of the live $10 ticket lottery, which brought thousands of hopeful theatergoers to West 46th Street daily. The first show took place in July 2015, two days after Broadway previews began: the musicals creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, brought out a co-star, Jonathan Groff, to recreate a rapped promo they did together in 2007 for Mr. Mirandas In the Heights.

With Mr. Miranda as host, #Ham4Ham drew massive crowds and came to embody the populist spirit and unbridled enthusiasm of the musical. Mr. Miranda championed local artists like the Classical Theater of Harlem; featured his Broadway competition with the casts of shows like On Your Feet! and Allegiance; and eventually took #Ham4Ham to the White House.
East Chicago, Indiana - 23 August 2016 1. Various shots of West Calumet Housing Complex in East Chicago, Ind., including signs with warnings about lead. AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Munster, Indiana - 30 August 2016 2. SOUNDBITE (English), Barry Rooth, Attorney representing West Calumet Housing Complex families: The only people, the only individuals, who were kept out of the loop, were the ones who were pregnant with children, and raising their children in the complex. That is the residents of West Calumet Housing Complex. Lead is an awful poison. It damages the brains of children. AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY East Chicago, Indiana - 30 August 2016 3. Medium of little girl playing in dirt at West Calumet Housing Complex in East Chicago, Ind. (she is not related to the speakers in our video). AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Munster, Indiana - 30 August 2016 4. SOUNDBITE (English), Barry Rooth, Attorney representing West Calumet Housing Complex families:  The children have, for generations, been poisoned by lead in the soil in the complex and in the neighborhoods. 5 Medium of attorney Rooth pointing at map of lead poisoned areas at the housing complex. 6. SOUNDBITE (English), Barry Rooth, Attorney representing West Calumet Housing Complex families: One of the central problems of this situation is that the parents of those children have been deprived of the opportunity to be informed about the problems that their children have been exposed to, andas responsible parentsto be able to act on it. AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY East Chicago, Indiana - 23 August 2016 7. Wide of deserted playground at West Calumet Housing Complex AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Munster, Indiana - 30 August 2016 8. SOUNDBITE (English), Roger Pardieck, Attorney: The lead leaches into the bones and soft tissue, including the brain. AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY East Chicago, Indiana - 23 August 2016 9. Close of lead warning sign in dirt at West Calumet Housing Complex AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Munster, Indiana - 30 August 2016 10. SOUNDBITE (English), Shantel Allen, Mother of five living at West Calumet Housing Complex: We got a knock at the door from someone with the EPA. And they let us know that our housing complex had tested positive for high levels of lead and arsenic in our front and back yards. AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY East Chicago, Indiana - 23 August 2016 11. Close of lead warning sign at housing complex 12. Wide of housing complex with warning sign in foreground AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Munster, Indiana - 30 August 2016 13. SOUNDBITE (English), Shantel Allen, Mother of five living at West Calumet Housing Complex: Everything makes sense now to us as to why our children have been sick, why theyve been having headaches, the reason theyve been vomiting, the reason they have poor appetite. It just all makes sense now, because we know that theyve been exposed to lead for years. AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY East Chicago, Indiana - 23 August 2016 14. Medium of water tower near West Calumet Housing Complex. It says For our children. 15. Close of water tower AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Munster, Indiana - 30 August 2016 16. SOUNDBITE (English), Shantel Allen, Mother of five living at West Calumet Housing Complex: Myself and my husband, everyone in our house has lead in our blood levels. AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY East Chicago, Indiana - 23 August 2016 17. Close, then wide of lead warning sign at housing complex AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Munster, Indiana - 30 August 2016 18. SOUNDBITE (English), Shantel Allen, Mother of five living at West Calumet Housing Complex: We have to deal with them crying, because theyre having headaches and migraines (crying). And we have to deal with them vomiting. We have to answer their questions as to why they cant play outside anymore. AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY East Chicago, Indiana - 23 August 2016 19. Close of lead warning sign in Spanish AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Munster, Indiana - 30 August 2016 20. SOUNDBITE (English), Shantel Allen, Mother of five living at West Calumet Housing Complex: Were upset, extremely upset, and angry, because we were the last ones to find out about the lead and arsenic issue, and were the ones who live there.
Regarding rumors of resignation, to paraphrase Mark Twain, The reports of my political demise are greatly exaggerated, the message read. Mr. LePage was spending much of the day in the town of Baileyville, 170 miles from here, near the Canadian border.

By nighttime, it was clear there was a basis for the governors renewed swagger, as House Republican leaders said they would not join the calls to convene a special session, which would have raised the possibility of impeachment.

We believe that the governor is addressing this issue, said State Representative Kenneth Fredette, an ally of Mr. LePages and the minority leader of the House. We are not interested in coming back in a special session.

Speaking with reporters after the caucus meeting, Mr. Fredette condemned Mr. LePages remarks  No one agrees with what the governor said or did, he said  and asserted that no one gets a free pass. But he then seemed to give one to Mr. LePage, saying that a special session would distract voters from important issues ahead of the fall election.

Since he was elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2014, Mr. LePage has had at least nine political lives and been able to ride out waves of controversy, often provoked by his harsh, insulting and racially charged statements. The outbursts have angered Democrats and embarrassed moderate Republicans, yet left largely unruffled a political base drawn to the former businessmans unfiltered style.
The Senate minority leader, who for years has taken to the Senate floor to assail the Kochs for taking advantage of campaign finance laws to covertly funnel money into defeating Democrats, seems more than willing to go on the attack for Ms. Cortez Masto, who chooses her own words very carefully.

While receiving an award on Thursday from a progressive group whose leadership praised him for holding the Koch brothers accountable, Mr. Reid declared that the goal of the Kochs and their allies was to turn the United States into an oligarchy with a chosen few running the nation for their personal benefit.

They want to make sure that they pick the next Supreme Court justices, said Mr. Reid, who regularly refers to Mr. Heck as a fraud and a phony. And he lashed out at Mr. Heck for being behind an advertising campaign that blamed Ms. Cortez Masto for a rise in violent crime even though the state attorney general in Nevada has little to do with local law enforcement.

Heck is an absolute stooge for these right-wing nut cases, Mr. Reid said.

The Heck camp dismisses Mr. Reids comments as over-the-top criticism that will backfire with Nevada voters already familiar with the congressman. They say the combative tone reflects Mr. Reids rising fear about losing the seat, which could be interpreted as a rejection of his 30-year career in the Senate.

It is clear that in terms of both outside help and fund-raising that Harry Reid is calling in every favor and connection he has and that this is about continuing his legacy, said Brian Baluta, a spokesman for Mr. Heck.
Long before Donald J. Trump crashed their party, Republican strategists feared that Democrats had grown more skilled at running campaigns. Now theyre scrambling to keep from falling further behind.

Mr. Trump thwarted a large field of rivals for the Republican nomination by capitalizing on his celebrity, his ubiquitous television presence and his easily understood pledge to Make America Great Again.

Television ads, field organization and digital microtargeting had little to do with it.

But other candidates are unlikely to replicate that formula. Beaten twice by President Obamas data-driven organization, some Republicans say their party needs to adjust its campaign techniques more rapidly to compete with Democrats, regardless of how Mr. Trump fares on Election Day.

We are still dominated by a culture of people who did grow up in a non-cellphone age, Michael Meyers, president of TargetPoint Consulting, told a gathering of campaign operatives in Washington last week. We are ripe for disruption.
ERIE, Pa.  Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, Hillary Clintons running mate, challenged Donald J. Trump on Tuesday to be more forthcoming about his health, taking aim at Mr. Trump over an issue he has tried to use to undermine Mrs. Clinton.

As part of a lengthy critique of Mr. Trump, Mr. Kaine mocked a four-paragraph letter signed last year by a doctor for Mr. Trump, which proclaimed the candidates strength and stamina to be extraordinary and declared that he would be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.

The doctor, Harold N. Bornstein, told NBC News last week that he had written the letter in five minutes while a black car waited outside his office to collect it. As for his choice of words about Mr. Trump, Dr. Bornstein said he picked up his kind of language and then just interpreted it to my own.

Mr. Trump wont even release credible information about his health, Mr. Kaine said at a waterfront rally, where the picturesque backdrop included a paddle-wheel boat with the initials V.P. (for Victorian Princess, not vice president).
One of the bigger congressional primary days on the summer calendar arrives on Tuesday with high-profile races in Florida and Arizona. Call it the Sunbelt Showdown.

Florida has an array of contentious contests. Most prominent is the fight by Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat, to hang on to her South Florida House seat in the face of a challenge from Tim Canova, a law professor and Bernie Sanders backer. His candidacy was given a jolt by criticism that Ms. Wasserman Schultz, while serving as chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, had put her thumb on the primary scale for Hillary Clinton.

Ms. Wasserman Schultz stepped down from the post last month after the leak of embarrassing emails critical of Mr. Sanders. Sanders supporters later bolstered Mr. Canovas candidacy. But polls still have her ahead in a district that extends from west of Fort Lauderdale to Miami Beach, and she has had campaign help from Mrs. Clinton.

In the Senate primaries, Marco Rubio, the incumbent Republican, hopes to dispatch the businessman Carlos Beruff and begin his general election campaign against one of two Democratic House members  Representative Patrick Murphy or Representative Alan Grayson. Mr. Murphy is the party establishment choice over Mr. Grayson, the very vocal progressive.
A white nationalist group called White Lives Matter, which calls itself an opponent of the Black Lives Matter movement, has been declared a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that tracks extremist groups in the United States.

The White Lives Matter website says their movement is dedicated to the preservation of the white race. That tells you all you need to know, said Heidi Beirich, the director of the Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala. Theyre against integration, immigration. This is standard white supremacist stuff.

The group, which grew out of a social media meme, argues that white Americans are victims of a genocide caused by factors like the immigration of nonwhite people and marriage between white Christians and nonwhites or Jews, Ms. Beirich said. The law centers designation is meant to draw attention to and increase scrutiny of the groups activities.

Last week, its members held a protest outside the Houston office of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to demand that it denounce Black Lives Matter, according to video posted online by the group. The Houston Chronicle reported that some of the protesters carried assault rifles and Confederate flags.
NAIROBI, Kenya  The Shabab militant group continued its relentless campaign against civilians on Tuesday, detonating a large truck bomb near the presidential palace in Mogadishu, Somalia, that killed at least 15 people.

The Shabab, who have sworn allegiance to Al Qaeda, have slaughtered thousands of civilians in recent years in a string of bombings and mass shootings.

On Tuesday morning, witnesses said, a truck loaded with heavy explosives blew up in front of the popular SYL Hotel, which is near Villa Somalia, the presidential palace. Government security officials were meeting inside the hotel at the time of the attack.

The bomb ripped through the hotels concrete facade and sent up a plume of white smoke that could be seen for miles.
MOSCOW  A suicide bomber blew himself up inside the Chinese Embassys compound in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, on Tuesday morning, wounding three Kyrgyz staff members, according to local officials.

The attacker rammed the gates of the embassy with a Mitsubishi Delica that exploded about 160 feet into the compound. The driver died on the scene.

This was a suicide bomber, three people got injured, they were hospitalized, Zhenish Razakov, the countrys deputy prime minister, told journalists in a video that was released by a local news website.
HANGZHOU, China  As China prepares to host the Group of 20 economic summit meeting this weekend in Hangzhou, it is determined to show the world that it is an equal partner in one of the most exclusive clubs of wealthy nations.

The conference, in this striking lakeside city south of Shanghai, will be the most significant gathering of world leaders in Chinas history, and President Xi Jinping has ordered stringent security to ensure it goes off without a hitch.

The government is using all the levers of its authoritarian system, forcing residents to move out of buildings near the meeting site to diminish the risk of protests or attacks and telling workers to take vacations to help clear the city and present a sanitized version of one of Chinas most vibrant economic hubs.

It has gone so far as to banish cooks who are Uighurs, a Muslim minority that has been accused of fomenting terrorism, from working at one restaurant in the city.
BEIJING  Police officers in western China have investigated a Tibetan language education advocate for interviews he did last year with The New York Times and are pushing for a court trial on a charge of inciting separatism based on his contact with Times journalists, according to his lawyer.

The advocate, Tashi Wangchuk, 31, has been detained by the police in the town of Yushu, which is mostly Tibetan, since January. He was formally arrested in March on the charge of inciting separatism, which can result in a 15-year prison sentence. Mr. Tashi has no known record of advocating Tibetan independence or separatism.

Mr. Tashis case entered a new phase on Thursday, when the police concluded an additional investigation at the prosecutors request and handed over those results. Prosecutors now have about 90 days to decide whether the case should go to court, said Liang Xiaojun, Mr. Tashis lawyer.

If the case goes to court, Mr. Tashi, who was interviewed at length by The Times on Tibetan culture last year, will almost certainly be convicted. The conviction rate in China is more than 90 percent. Inciting separatism is a serious political charge that is used to silence people from ethnic minority groups who are deemed troublemakers by officials.
BEIJING  An American businesswoman faces trial in China on spying charges dating back 20 years, including that she tried to recruit Chinese in the United States to spy against their homeland, her husband said on Tuesday. He urged President Obama to raise the case with President Xi Jinping of China at a Group of 20 summit meeting in eastern China beginning over the weekend.

The businesswoman, Phan Phan-Gillis, widely known as Sandy, was indicted last month on the espionage charges after having been detained while visiting China last year. But her husband, Jeff Gillis, said he had held off revealing the indictment while new lawyers for his wife tried to come to grips with the case.

The time really is critical for Sandy, with the imminent meeting between President Obama and Xi Jinping, Mr. Gillis said by telephone from the couples home in Houston. The prosecutors claims against Ms. Phan-Gillis include that she spied while visiting Guangxi, a region of southern China, in 1996, he said.

Sandy is absolutely innocent, he said. Chinese officials did not even check their own internal databases to see if Sandy was in the country then. She wasnt even in China.
BEIJING  The anesthesia was administered, and Lu Yi gradually lost consciousness. Over the next 30 minutes, a doctor retrieved eight eggs from her body. They were transferred to a liquid nitrogen storage chamber, where the fragile bubbles of human potential entered a frozen future full of hope and uncertainty.



Ms. Lu has a business degree from Stanford University and founded a company in Shanghai that connects Chinese cancer patients with American medical specialists. But like many other women, she has found it difficult to pursue both career and family.

I knew at some point I might want to have children, but definitely not now, said Ms. Lu, who is single.

So last year, at the age of 34, she decided to have her eggs frozen. China prohibits fertility treatments for unmarried women, so she underwent the procedure in California, joining the growing number of single Chinese women going abroad to have their eggs frozen as a way to preserve an option and control the pace of their lives.
An American college student sentenced by North Korea to 15 years of hard labor on charges that he tried to steal a political poster has been granted only one consular visit in nearly six months, the State Department said Tuesday.

The prisoner, Otto F. Warmbier of Cincinnati, a 21-year-old honors student at the University of Virginia, has been held in North Korea since January. He was seized by North Korean security officials on the day he was to depart the country at the end of an organized tour.

Mr. Warmbiers incarceration, against the backdrop of North Koreas growing isolation over the countrys nuclear and missile tests, is widely viewed as tool of leverage by the North Korean authorities against the United States.

Over the past several years, North Korea has periodically seized roughly a dozen Americans who have visited the country, which has considered the United States its most dangerous enemy since the 1950-53 Korean War. Most of the Americans have either been expelled or eventually released.
MANILA  Fifteen Philippine soldiers have been killed this week and 12 others wounded in mounting clashes with the militant group Abu Sayyaf, the military said on Tuesday, as the government announced plans to deploy thousands more soldiers to the groups stronghold in the south.

It said a series of clashes had begun on Monday, as the troops scoured jungle terrain on the southern island of Jolo in search of rebel fighters and at least 23 hostages, including a Dutch bird-watcher kidnapped in 2012 and a Norwegian abducted last year from a beach resort he helped manage.

A spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday that the deaths had only strengthened the governments resolve to crush Abu Sayyaf, which was founded in the early 1990s to fight for an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines but which in more recent years has degenerated into a kidnap-for-ransom gang known to behead captives.

The president is focused that the threat of the Abu Sayyaf is terminated as soon as possible, said the spokesman, Ernesto Abella, adding that Mr. Duterte was closely monitoring developments. He said the president had approved the deployment of about 2,500 more soldiers, or five battalions, to Jolo to augment the forces there.
SINGAPORE  Singapore, which has confirmed several dozen cases of the Zika virus in recent days, expects to identify more previously undiagnosed infections as it steps up measures to halt the spread of the mosquito-borne disease, according to the government.

The city-states Health Ministry said on Tuesday that it had confirmed 82 Zika cases, up from 56 the previous day. The Ministry of Health will continue to work with general practitioners in the area to offer testing for patients who had fever and rash previously, the ministry said in a statement. The look-back exercise will likely uncover more previously undiagnosed cases of Zika.

At least 36 of the people known to have been infected were foreign workers at a construction site in eastern Singapore, the ministry said. It said the government had inspected about 5,000 premises in the city-states east, including the construction site, for mosquito breeding habitats.
SYDNEY, Australia  Indigenous children in the Australian state of Queensland are much likelier than others there to be held in juvenile detention, and Australias judicial system has held children as young as 10 criminally responsible for their actions, Amnesty International said in a report released on Wednesday.

The report is the latest critical assessment of juvenile detention in Australia, after a news investigation in July by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on conditions in the Northern Territory, which adjoins Queensland. That report found that juvenile inmates, predominantly Aboriginal children, had been strapped into restraining chairs, forced to wear hoods and sprayed with tear gas. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced an official investigation in response.

Image A still image taken from the Australian news program Four Corners is said to show a teenage boy hooded and strapped into a chair at a youth detention center near the Northern Territory city of Darwin. Credit... Four Corners/European Pressphoto Agency

Amnesty Internationals report on Wednesday said that while just 8 percent of children in Queensland are indigenous  that is, Aboriginal Australians or members of the Torres Strait Islanders ethnic group  they make up 65 percent of juveniles in detention. Queensland has more 10- and 11-year-old children in detention than any other Australian state, the report said.
PARIS  Frances pro-business economy minister, Emmanuel Macron, resigned Tuesday from the Socialist government, clearing a path for him to possibly challenge an embattled President Francois Hollande in elections next year.

His resignation was announced by the French presidents office and has been anticipated for months.

Mr. Macron, 38, a former investment banker, was the face of a rightward, free-market tilt by Mr. Hollandes government. He was from the start an anomaly in the Socialist government, having spent two much contested years challenging party orthodoxies  to relatively modest effect, in the view of analysts.

He infuriated Frances unions with his unabashed talk of opening up the countrys relatively rigid economy, loosening job protections, and even rolling back the totemic 35-hour workweek. All through the spring, it was Mr. Macrons name that was often on the placards at angry anti-government demonstrations.

Mr. Macron also alienated much of the Socialist Partys old left, which regards him as the principal culprit in what they see as Mr. Hollandes betrayal of redistributionist promises. Mr. Macrons undisguised ambition in forming his own political movement, En Marche!, or On Our Way, also did little to ingratiate him with many of his colleagues.
The clan animosity with the Campbells is deeply ingrained, possibly the fruit of family disputes, including the failed attempt by the 11th chief of the Macleans, Lachlan Cattanach, to murder his wife, Elizabeth, a Campbell, because she had failed to produce an heir.

According to the castles history, she was marooned on a rock in seas off Duart Castle and left to drown when the tides rose. She was rescued by fishermen and returned to her family, but not before her husband, thinking she had died, offered his condolences to her father, the Earl of Argyll.

In a twist worthy of a telenovela, the earl invited him to dinner at the Campbell castle, where, to the Maclean chiefs astonishment, she was found sitting at the table. He later married twice more, but was eventually murdered by a Campbell around 1523.

That rivalry is long gone now, though Sir Lachlan has vowed never to wear a kilt with the Campbell pattern.

There is a greater, more urgent matter at hand. Scotland cannot let this building fall into disrepair because its too important for history, he said.

Another uncertainty is whether his eldest son, Malcolm, 43, will move into the castle when he inherits it.

I was brought up here. I love living here, Sir Lachlan said thoughtfully. Its an old building that Im very fond of.
Mariano Rajoy, Spains caretaker prime minister, called on opposition parties on Tuesday to allow him to form a new government or risk jeopardizing Spains democratic system and economic recovery.

Presenting his government program before Parliament, Mr. Rajoy said that Spain faced one of the most critical challenges of its four decades of modern democracy and could not afford to prolong a political deadlock that has already produced two inconclusive elections since last December.

I can hardly imagine greater damage for Spanish democracy than telling citizens that their vote was useless in two elections and that they have to repeat general elections for the third time, Mr. Rajoy said. Spain urgently needs an efficient government.

Few in Spain, however, consider his chances of forming one to be very good. At best, it seems that Mr. Rajoy could emerge from this week with a vulnerable minority government.
After the girls death, hundreds of residents demanded that the Roma be expelled, and on Sunday they gained the backing of the district council. Even Mikheil Saakashvili, the governor of the region of Odessa, which includes Loshchynivka, and a former president of Georgia, offered tacit support in a video message posted on Facebook, denouncing the villages antisocial elements.

The Roma apparently left voluntarily, and by Sunday night about 40 of the 50 Roma in the town had left in a rush, leaving many essentials behind. Any who returned to collect their belongings were met with threats of lynching, the local news media reported.

With the authorities under pressure to prosecute the accused, a local police leader, Vadym Mohyla, said it was unfortunately impossible to immediately punish the guilty.
In May, Mr. Adnani declared: Do you think, America, that defeat is by the loss of towns or territory? Were we defeated when we lost the cities in Iraq and retreated to the desert without a city or a land? He offered an answer: No, true defeat is losing the will and desire to fight.

What we consider before using anonymous sources. Do the sources know the information? Whats their motivation for telling us? Have they proved reliable in the past? Can we corroborate the information? Even with these questions satisfied, The Times uses anonymous sources as a last resort. The reporter and at least one editor know the identity of the source. Learn more about our process.

A vital part of the groups strategy has been to inspire, and in some cases direct, opportunistic attacks against Western interests. In September 2014, Mr. Adnani made an explicit call to Muslims in the West to strike out wherever and however they could.

We will strike you in your homeland, he warned foreign governments, calling on Muslims to kill Europeans, especially the spiteful and filthy French. And he urged them to do it in any manner they could: Smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your car, he said, according to a translation provided by the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist propaganda.

In the year after that speech, at least two dozen plots linked to the Islamic State were documented. In some, there were no direct operational ties back to Syria, but there were clear signs that the attacker had, at the least, consumed the groups propaganda online.

During the past decade, when it comes to both orchestrating and inciting violence in the West, no other leadership figures in jihadist groups have proven as dedicated or effective as al-Adnani, said Michael S. Smith II of Kronos Advisory, a terrorism research and analysis firm, who is writing a book on the Islamic States external operations.

His blended roles of spokesman and terrorism director is a reflection of the Islamic States central strategy: So much of the groups impact and innovation in the world of violent Islamist extremism came from its new brand of messaging  mixing social media reach and savvy with Hollywood-style presentations of its worst atrocities. That in turn gave the group an ability to franchise its terror and expand its reach farther than its military capacity would otherwise go.
JERUSALEM  The Palestinian manager of the Gaza branch of World Vision, accused by Israel of funneling millions of agency dollars to benefit Hamas, was arraigned on Tuesday at a hearing that was closed to the public.

The decision to close the hearing came despite calls for an open trial from Kevin Jenkins, the president of World Vision, a major Christian aid organization.

A trial is legitimate if it is transparent, Mr. Jenkins told Agence France-Presse in an interview on Monday. Obviously, with such serious allegations against a staff member, we are calling for him to have a fair hearing.

Lea Tsemel, the lawyer for the branch manager, Mohammad El Halabi, said that while closed hearings were not uncommon in cases like this, the proceedings against Mr. Halabi were taking place amid unusual secrecy.
A decomposing body may not seem like an ideal meditation aid, but at some of Thailands tens of thousands of Buddhist temples, it is common to find monks reflecting while seated before a rotting corpse.

The practice of corpse meditation, largely limited to Thailand today, is an ancient concept in Buddhism, sanctioned by the Buddha himself. There are centuries-old murals and manuscripts depicting scenes of meditation next to different types of cadavers, some infested with worms, others cut in two or being picked at by crows.

The unpleasant sight and overpowering stench of flesh decaying in tropical heat can impart lessons about important Buddhist precepts, like nonattachment to ones body and the impermanence of everything, said Justin McDaniel, a professor of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania.

The ritual is viewed as a powerful way to learn selflessness, Professor McDaniel said, and the more selfless you are, the closer you are to nirvana.
Negotiations were led by a group of journalists, politicians and prison reformers, including the radical civil rights attorney William Kunstler and the New York Times columnist Tom Wicker. Shuttling between prisoners in the yard and state authorities gathered outside, the negotiators worked heroically toward a settlement. But Rockefeller was uncompromising, and after refusing to go to Attica to join the negotiations himself, he abandoned talks and ordered state troopers to retake the prison.

I wouldnt have thought that Rockefeller  the sponsor of reviled mandatory drug sentences bearing his name  could suffer any more damage to his reputation on criminal justice matters. But Thompson methodically shreds him, depicting a craven politician thoroughly uninterested in the human consequences of his decisions.

The savagery that followed the decision to retake the prison was both predictable and avoidable. The prisoners had no guns themselves, yet the troopers  untrained, unsupervised and out for vengeance  began shooting wildly upon entering. Among the first to die were corrections officers held as hostages, as well as the prisoners who had been guarding them. Thirty-nine people  29 prisoners and 10 hostages  would be killed.

The most sadistic crimes took place after state officials had full control of the prison. Prisoners were forced to strip naked and run through a gantlet of 30 to 40 corrections officers who took turns beating them with batons. One National Guardsman described seeing a gravely injured black man being attacked by a corrections officer. They forced him to his knees, and at that point, the correction sergeant backed up a short distance and then ran forward and kicked the man in the face. . . . He immediately went limp and his head was hanging down, he was bleeding. Another Guardsman recalled watching medical staff join in the abuse. He saw a doctor speaking to the inmates and saying: You say youre hurt? Youre not hurt. Well see if youre hurt.  Instead of attending to their wounds, the doctor began kicking and hitting them.

There are dozens more harrowing tales like these. And then there are the photographs, some depicting naked and abused prisoners, marched for sport before sullen, leering guards. Eventually I had to put the book down. To breathe. To wipe the tears. I couldnt stop thinking of slave narratives. Or of Ta-Nehisi Coatess claim that in America, it is traditional to destroy the black body  it is heritage.

Thompson dwells on these stories because she wants us to learn, and then never forget, what the state of New York tried to hide. The truth of what happened in that prison yard 45 years ago has been suppressed by flagrant lies (including Rockefellers claim that the prisoners, not his own troopers, had killed the hostages), unwarranted secrecy (the state still refuses to release thousands of boxes of crucial records), and cover-ups (when a prosecutor got close to indicting some of the state troopers for their role in the killings, his superiors stopped him from going forward).

Blood in the Water comes out at an important time. Criminal justice reform is having something of a moment. But Thompsons tale is a cautionary reminder that weve been here before. The Attica uprising took place in the midst of an earlier period of activism, and had the potential to be a turning point toward better prison conditions. When these mostly black and brown men took over the yard and asked for things like better education, the state could have recognized the legitimacy of their demands. Instead they were slaughtered, the crime was concealed, and in the decades since, America has shown little regard for prisoner welfare.

But Atticas tragic outcome doesnt undermine the significance of the resistance. As Thompson argues: The Attica uprising of 1971 happened because ordinary men, poor men, disenfranchised men, and men of color had simply had enough of being treated as less than human. That desire, and their fight, is by far Atticas most important legacy. Just so, and Blood in the Water restores their struggle to its rightful place in our collective memory.
The phrase law and order (lex et ordo in the Latin) dates back to somewhere around the late 16th century, when modern states began to emerge. For at least two centuries after that, the words seem to have evoked only a vague sense that society should operate in an orderly and reasonable fashion. In the United States, a wide range of groups, from Whig Party offshoots to late-19th-century temperance leagues, claimed the slogan to various ends. Opponents of lynching put their own social-justice spin on the term, arguing that tolerance of mob action and gruesome violence against African-Americans constituted a sinister menace to all forces of law and order, in the words of one early-20th-century Southern activist.

The 1920 election produced the nations first modern law and order presidential candidate in the form of the Massachusetts governor, Calvin Coolidge. Making a long-shot bid for the Republican nomination, Coolidge ran on his opposition to the Boston Police strike, a position that made him the protagonist of the cause of the supremacy of law and order, in the words of the former president William Howard Taft. At the Republican convention, Representative Frederick H. Gillett entered Coolidges name into contention with the decidedly Trumpian promise to reinvigorate the homely, orderly virtues which have made America great. Though Coolidge lost that bid (he joined the ticket as Warren Hardings vice-presidential candidate), his campaign offered a glimpse of a future in which law and order would be about suppressing social rebellion as well as controlling crime.

Thanks partly to Coolidges inspiration, the 1920s unfolded as the nations first law and order decade. Popular demand is being heard everywhere for candidates pledged to this paramount issue, The Christian Science Monitor noted in 1922. Behind this embrace of the term were some of the same worries that would resurface in the 1960s, including a perception of sharply rising crime. Far from bringing a triumph of law and order as the temperance movement had hoped, Prohibition helped create a major crime wave, as organized syndicates grew fat on bootlegging and smuggling and gained footholds in major cities.

When Franklin Roosevelt entered the White House in 1933, he oversaw the repeal of Prohibition and called for a war on crime to wipe the slate clean. I want the backing of every man, every woman and every adolescent child in every state of the United States and in every county of every state; their backing for what you and the officers of law and order are trying to accomplish, he declared to attendees at a crime conference in 1934.
Of all the people in the picture, the boy is the one who, by virtue of his youth, is most likely to still be around, to answer the questions raised by his presence. We want to hear his version of what happened. According to Bester, several people in photographs in the show came by to identify themselves and to be rephotographed in front of the old pictures. This has been done in other situations, by other people photographed in the midst of historical events. Its often illuminating, partly because of the way peoples memories are contradicted, reinforced or even created by the existence of a photograph.

Consider, for example, a picture that is in some ways the mirror image of this one, taken less than a year later, by Will Counts in Little Rock, Ark. Instead of a solitary white boy surrounded by crowds of peaceful, welcoming black people, there is a solitary black girl surrounded by a baying mob of whites. The black girl is Elizabeth Eckford, one of nine African-American students who were supposed to be entering Little Rock Central High School together at the start of desegregation. At the last moment, she found herself walking alone, being abused by the crowd. One snarling white face, that of 15-year-old Hazel Bryan, became the symbol of intransigent racial bigotry.

Bryan herself, though, was not so intransigent. Some people can spend their lives living up to an ideal; Bryan came to feel that in some ways, she spent her life living down the incident caught on film that day. In 1963 she looked up Eckfords number in the phone book and rang to apologize. The conversation was brief, Eckford accepted her apology and got on with her life. In 1997, to mark the 40th anniversary of the desegregation of the school, the women met in person and were again photographed by Counts, this time as symbols of racial healing and togetherness. They became friends, spoke in public about the need for harmony and  the apotheosis!  appeared on Oprah together.

Except that this wasnt quite the end. There were lingering resentments, doubts on Eckfords side about Bryans motives. Perhaps she was just trying to make herself feel better. So their relationship ended as it had begun, with estrangement. And, in a way, Countss original picture refuses the possibility of redemption. If it contains a suggestion of the future, it is in the way that the future will insist on remembering Eckford and Bryan. The people in the picture are stuck in the amber of history: a history the photograph played its part in creating.

Lets go back to that day in December 1956 in Johannesburg, to other photographs of the same scene. One of them, taken by an unidentified photographer from a different angle, shows a musician conducting the crowd in songs and hymns. In the background, slightly blurry, we recognize many of the same faces from the previous picture, including the ladies on either side of the boy. Frustratingly, the conductors raised arm is exactly where the boys face would be, but if we look down, there is no sign of his bare legs and sandals. Which made me realize something that hadnt quite registered about the earlier photograph: Hes dressed for completely different weather than almost everyone else. The people around him are dressed as if for a rainy, cold day and a long stay. In the second picture, they are still standing by their leaders, but he is nowhere to be seen. He has disappeared from history.

I kept wondering how he came to regard this picture later in life. Presumably it was a source of pride and happiness in the same way that the image from Little Rock became, for Bryan, a source of shame. This was all just speculation, rendered pointless by the two things I did find out about Mark. First, it seems that he died in 1965 at 24, so his dad was the one left to look back with love and pride at the vision of belonging that he had witnessed and created. Second, that as a result of a car accident, Mark had been deaf since he was a young child. So there is isolation in the midst of solidarity. These facts change nothing about the photograph, but they add to its mystery. A picture of history  a moment in history  and of fate, it is documentary evidence of the unknowable.
This summer, I went on a 30-city tour with my movie Dont Think Twice, a comedy about an improv group that has to decide whether to stay in show business when one member is plucked for a Saturday Night Live type of show. At every Q. and A. session for the movie, people would ask the same question: If I want to be a comedian [or actor or writer or improviser or film director], how do I get started? The truth is they should probably pick someone more successful to ask  I make small films, small one-man shows Off Broadway and small comedy specials for Netflix  but Im the person who showed up to talk to them. And now Im the person offering you unsolicited advice  so if you dont need it or want it, this is not for you. Anyway, Ive boiled my answer down to six ideas.

1. DONT WAIT

Write. Make a short film. Go to an open mike. Take an improv class. Theres no substitute for actually doing something. Dont talk about it anymore. Maybe dont even finish reading this essay.

2. FAIL

Dont worry about failing. Theres a great video where Ira Glass explains that when you start in a new field, your work wont be as good as your taste. It will take years for your taste and the quality of your work to intersect. (If ever!) Failure is essential. Theres no substitute for it. Its not just encouraged but required.

The bedrock of all good pieces of writing is 10 bad drafts. Maybe 20. I wrote 12 drafts of Dont Think Twice, 14 drafts of my first movie, Sleepwalk With Me, and worked on my first one-man show for six years. My first five-minute set on Late Show With David Letterman in 2002 was mined from three hours of so-so material that I had tried and failed with for six years.
This year we decided to take our summer vacation in Amsterdam. For my family, Amsterdam is not just any destination. I lived in the city for seven years and wrote a book about it. My partner, Pamela, lived there for 23 years. We met in Amsterdam. Our son was born in the city. We have friends, family, colleagues, memories and roots there. It is, logically and in our hearts, our second home. And yet, three years after returning to the United States, we realized that it had become shockingly remote in our lives. So while the trip would be a vacation, the real motive was to spend a couple of weeks reclaiming Amsterdam.

We had been hearing and reading that the city had changed dramatically in the short time since we had moved, thanks to a number of forces. The population is growing, the city has plans to build 50,000 homes over the next 10 years, and the largest group of newcomers (both Dutch and immigrants from places like Turkey and Morocco) are those between the ages of 20 and 34, who are putting down roots and reshaping the urban landscape.

At the same time, real estate prices are spiking. Thats partly because housing costs in top-tier European cities like London and Paris have moved into the stratosphere, while the Netherlands is one of the few places where it is possible to obtain a mortgage with no money down.

Meanwhile, a few years ago Amsterdam ramped up permits for new hotels, which began coming online at the same time the Airbnb phenomenon hit. To all of that you have to factor in the ineffable: that global hipsterism came to the conclusion that Amsterdam  with its orderly northern languor, its human scale, its society built around coffee and beer  was a place of relevance.
Frankfurts Bahnhofsviertel, the citys red light district, was the neighborhood that parents always warned their children about. When I was a teenager my mother forbade me to ever come here, said Marijana Condic, a Frankfurt-based fashion designer and one of two women behind the shoe label Lika Mimika, who until recently lived in the area. At the time that small park over there, she said, pointing to a rectangular lawn in Willy-Brandt-Platz, was loaded with junkies.

On this particular summer day, only caffeine addicts were to be seen, sipping espressos at a handful of new and trendy cafes, such as AMP (ampyourself.de) and Plank (barplank.de). Still, while the Bahnhofsviertel, which means train station quarter, has been rapidly gentrifying in the last few years with uber-cool restaurants, clubs and luxury apartments, its streets remain mostly lined with cheap chain stores, bordellos and sex shops. The area seems especially down and out when compared with the rest of prosperous, well-kept Frankfurt.

The sharp contrast is its appeal. Many of the stylish new clubs and bars that have made this neighborhood the most exciting corner of the city are purposely hidden in courtyards or on upper floors of nondescript buildings.
Lee County Sheriffs Office

 Third-degree burglary and third-degree theft of property were reported Monday at 11:19 p.m. in the 8600 block of Highway 29 North in Cusseta.

 First-degree theft of property was reported Monday at 1:47 p.m. in Opelika.

 Third-degree burglary and second-degree theft of property were reported Monday at 12:47 p.m. in the 300 block of Lee Road 436 in Phenix City.

 Unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle and fourth-degree theft of property were reported Monday at 12:33 p.m. in the 900 block of Lee Road 203 in Salem.

 Domestic violence by strangulation or suffocation, interference with a domestic violence emergency call, third-degree domestic violence and second-degree criminal mischief were reported Monday morning in Smiths Station.

 Second-degree domestic violence, second-degree burglary, third-degree domestic violence and third-degree assault were reported Monday morning in Opelika.

 Second-degree theft of property and unlawful breaking and entering of a vehicle were reported Monday at 11:37 a.m. in the 100 block of Lee Road 295 in Smiths Station.

 Identity theft was reported Monday at 10:25 a.m. in the 100 block of Lee Road 122 in Opelika.

 Third-degree burglary and third-degree theft of property were reported Monday at 9:40 a.m. in the 100 block of Lee Road 728 in Smiths Station.

 Identity theft was reported Monday at 10:30 a.m. in the 6200 block of U.S. Highway 29 North in Opelika.

 First-degree kidnapping, first-degree robbery and third-degree assault were reported Monday morning in Cusseta.

Auburn Police Division

 Identity theft was reported Monday at 4:11 p.m. in the 1100 block of Lakeview Drive.

 Fraudulent use of a credit/debit card was reported Monday at 4 p.m. in the 2600 block of Mimms Lane.

 Second-degree theft of property was reported Monday at 3:28 p.m. in the 1700 block of South College Street.

 First-degree theft of property and second-degree burglary was reported Monday at 12:05 p.m. in the 400 block of Arnell Lane.

 Third-degree domestic violence was reported Monday morning.

Opelika Police Department

 A burglary and theft occurred between 5:50 p.m. Sunday and 8 a.m. Monday in the 400 block of South 5th Street.

A burglary and theft occurred Monday at approximately 6:30 a.m. in the 500 block of West Thomason Circle.

 A burglary and theft occurred between noon Sunday and 6 a.m. Monday in the 2000 block of Winding Oak Way.

 Four more cases of unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle and theft of property occurred Monday at various locations throughout the City of Opelika. These cases were unrelated to the cases on North 25th and North 26th Streets.

 A second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument occurred between Aug. 19 and Monday in the 500 block of East Thomason Circle.

 A fraudulent use of a credit/debit card occurred between Aug. 14 and Saturday at various locations in Opelika.

 A second-degree theft of property occurred between April 1 and Aug. 4 at an unknown location in Opelika.
Howard William Pearson Mr. Howard William Pearson, 66, of Camp Hill, died Wednesday, August 24, 2016 at his residence. Funeral services will be held at Mt. Lovely Baptist Church, Camp Hill on Wednesday, August 31, 2016 at 12:00 p.m. (CST) with Elder James Rowe officiating. Interment will be in the church cemetery. The remains will lie instate at the church one hour before the service. Public viewing will be Tuesday, August 30, 2016 from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (CST) at Vines Funeral Home, LaFayette. Mr. Pearson was born on November 28, 1949 in Camp Hill to Mrs. Annie Lou Pearson and the late John Pearson. He had been a member of Mt. Sinai Baptist Church, Waverly since early childhood. After graduating Edward Bell High School in Camp Hill, Mr. Pearson attended Alabama A&M University, Huntsville. He was then drafted into the United States Army and served in the Vietnam War. After leaving the military, he moved to Birmingham to start Pearson's Auto Body and Paint Shop. Mr. Pearson's quality work was held in high regard. He became an instructor in the Auto Body Repair Program at Lawson State Community College, Birmingham. Many students were blessed by the automotive skills that he taught. He later returned to his hometown of Camp Hill, where he retired from West Point Stevens, Valley. Mr. Pearson was preceded in death by his brother, Dr. Bernard Pearson, Birmingham. Mr. Pearson is survived by his devoted wife, Delores Madden Pearson, Camp Hill; a loving mother, Annie Lou Pearson (Willie Joe), Camp Hill; Three daughters: Luciana Pearson and Tonyattae Harris, both of Birmingham and Nadia Reed (Joshua), Lithonia, GA; two step-children: Tanisha Names, Valley and Matavis D. Madden, Washington, DC; seven grandchildren, one sister: Mary Frances Pearson Holloway (Clinnon), Camp Hill; two brothers: LaSalle Minefield, Union Springs and John William Pearson, Camp Hill; a mother-in-law: Cythina Madden, Lanett; and a host of aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins and a close family friend, Calvin Vines, Camp Hill. To share your online condolences, please visit our website at www.vinesfuneralhome.com Vines Funeral Home, Inc. LaFayette, AL is handling the arrangements.
LOS ANGELES  A former Boeing manager has been sentenced in Los Angeles to more than three years in prison for possessing child pornography discovered during an unrelated espionage investigation.

Judge Christina Snyder sentenced Keith Gartenlaub on Monday to 41 months in federal prison.

A prosecutor sought a seven-year sentence and the defense asked that he serve no time behind bars.

Defense lawyer Mark Werksman previously argued to dismiss the whole case against Gartenlaub because the porn was discovered through a warrant obtained through the nations secretive intelligence court and based on spying allegations he was never charged with.

Snyder rejected that argument, but she tossed out a conviction on a charge of receiving child pornography because it was duplicative.

The FBI said it found the pornography while investigating a potential Boeing data leak. Gartenlaub lived in Irvine when his home was searched in 2014.
A Northern California family is suing the Walt Disney Co. saying its Disneyland Resort vacation two years ago included being bit by bed bugs while staying at the Grand Californian Resort & Spa.

San Leandro residents Joseph and Danielle Jones and their children stayed at the Grand Californian when one child began complaining about itchy, painful bites on her face, according to the civil lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The rest of the family also discovered insect bites on their bodies, the complaint says.

Disneys hotel staff dismissed the familys complaints of bed bugs, the suit says, adding that doctors diagnosed the ailments as likely caused by bed bugs.

The familys attorney did not return a message. Disney declined comment.

The Orange County Health Care Agency said it has received one complaint about bed bugs at the four-diamond Disney Grand Californian in the last five years. The complaint, received earlier this month, was dismissed after an inspection found no such evidence.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2443 or jpimentel@ocregister.com
LOS ANGELES  An Irvine native who arrived at Los Angeles International Airport with more than 1,000 dried insects in his luggage  including 150 endangered butterflies  was fined $500 Monday and sentenced to a years probation.

Alexander Bic, who now lives in Arizona, pleaded guilty in June to a federal charge of violating the U.S. Endangered Species Act in connection with the attempt to import Ornithoptera  or birdwing  butterflies into the United States, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

The vividly colored specimens were found by customs officers April 7, 2015, at LAX, as Bic and his wife were returning from a trip to Japan, according to documents filed in Los Angeles federal court. Bics wife was not charged.

The dried and folded 5-inch butterflies from New Guinea were found among eight boxes of dead insects discovered in Bics carry-on and checked baggage.

Bic, 26, clears nearly $20,000 monthly from running an Internet mail- order business in which he sells pinned and framed imported insect specimens to customers throughout the world, according to court papers.

The endangered birdwing species sells for upward of $100, prosecutors said.
Dean Reginald H. Gilyard, the dean of Chapman Universitys George L. Argyros School of Business and Economics, will step down at the end of the school year, the school announced Tuesday.

Gilyard, 53, was appointed dean in 2012. He previously was a partner and managing director in the Los Angeles office of The Boston Consulting Group.

Gilyard, who has an MBA from Harvard, was offered a five-year contract to remain at Chapman but turned it down because he had at least two other passions to pursue before I hit the retirement zone, and I believe a more near-term transition would be the right path for me and for my family, he said in a statement.

Gilyard said those passions are veterans issues and helping low-income earners.

A search committee will look for Gilyards replacement.

Chapman University has been extraordinarily fortunate to have appointed a dean with Reggies attributes and leadership abilities, said Chapman Chancellor and President-designate Daniele Struppa in a statement. He has created many exciting new opportunities for the Argyros School, has increased our rankings and has augmented our national and international presence.

Chapmans leadership of late has been undergoing some changes.

Jim Doti, the schools president for the last 25 years, is stepping down at the end of the month to return to teaching.

Doti is Chapmans 12th and longest-serving president. He secured millions of dollars in funding for the university, including gifts of $55 million for the Fowler School of Law, $26 million for its Beckman Hall and $20 million toward the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.

Six colleges were added to the university during Dotis tenure as president.

In April, economist Esmael Adibi, 63, passed away from complications of a stroke. The Lake Forest resident was one of the most respected economic forecasters in California.

Raymond Sfeir, Ph.D, was appointed as the new director of the A. Gary Anderson Center for Economic Research, Adibis post before he died. Adibi served as the centers director since it was founded in 1979.

Sfeir previously served as associate dean of Chapmans Argyros School of Business and Economics.

Contact the writer: hmadans@ocregister.com or Twitter: @HannahMadans
Americans trust the U.S. military to protect lives and freedoms, but they cannot trust it to perform an honest accounting of its own budget. The United States Armys finances are so jumbled it had to make trillions of dollars of improper accounting adjustments to create an illusion that its books are balanced, Reuters recently reported.

According to a report from the Defense Departments Office of Inspector General, the Army materially misstated, or simply made up, accounting figures totaling $6.5 trillion for 2015. The errors eclipse the DoDs total budget, which is $573 billion for 2016, because errors in one account cascade down to multiple levels of subaccounts as well.

DoD and Army managers could not rely on the data in their accounting systems when making management and resource decisions, the IGs report concluded. In some cases, the Army simply did not maintain required data, in other cases data was woefully inaccurate and sometimes data was lost. For example, the Defense Finance and Accounting Services, which performs accounting functions for the DoD, was unable to produce accurate year-end financial statements for the Army because more than 16,000 financial data files had vanished from its computer system, Reuters noted.

In order to fill these gaps in the financial statements, DFAS staff engaged in what some employees refer to as the grand plug; in other words, pulling numbers out of the air to make things add up. As a result, the Reuters story observed, there has been no way to know how the Defense Department  far and away the biggest chunk of Congress annual budget  spends the publics money.

These revelations call into question whether the Defense Department will be able to meet a deadline to be ready for a comprehensive audit by September 30, 2017. The long overdue audit would be the first in the history of the DoD, which for 20 years has flouted a law requiring all federal departments to conduct annual audits.

The DoD has a long history of waste and a lack of accountability. In recent years, it has wasted billions of dollars in doomed Afghanistan reconstruction efforts, spent $1 billion to destroy $16 billion worth of obsolete and unused ammunition and lost more than $500 million worth of weapons, aircraft, patrol boats and equipment given to Yemen, some of which might have fallen into the hands of terrorists.

Politicians plead for more defense spending for the troops with almost as much regularity as they seek more money for other programs for the children. But the DoD IGs latest report, and many others preceding it, clearly illustrate that much of the Pentagons funding has nothing to do with the troops welfare or the readiness of our military services.

While both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have called for increased defense spending to strengthen our military forces, our hope is that these reports will not only reiterate the need for the Defense Department to undergo that long-delayed comprehensive audit, but also spur an honest discussion about its budget and the need to eliminate its wasteful spending and frivolous defense contracts.
Project Access is the 17th and final recipient of a $60,000 grant by the Disneyland Resort in the Million Dollar Dazzle.

The surprise announcement for Project Access came at a reception for all the charities Friday night in Disneyland Resorts campaign to honor the theme parks 60th anniversary. The goal was to give out grants of that size until it totaled at least $1 million to nonprofits that help families and children.

The campaign started on Disneylands actual 60th birthday, July 17, 2015, when the Girl Scouts of Orange County were surprised as the first recipient of the grant.

Disneylands Million Dollar Dazzle crew kept it going by surprising 16 other local nonprofits over the next year, with Friday nights reception planned as a thank you to all the recipients.

That evening, representatives of all the recipients, along with families they help, were invited to the resort to see a special showing of Frozen  Live at the Hyperion at Disney California Adventure. After the show, they made their way to a reception inside Stage 17, where they were greeted by Mickey Mouse, Disneyland Ambassador Allie Kawamoto and Michael Colglazier, president of the resort.

Colglazier talked about the program and how, at that point, they had given out 16 $60,000 grants since the programs inception in 2015.

Its been a great way for us to reach out and connect with people who have been doing fabulous things across Orange County, he said.

He went on to say that with 16 grants, the total was $960,000, short of the total in the programs name. Colglazier then announced the awarding of the 17th and final grant to Project Access, which provides on-site health, education and employment services to low-income families.

On hand at the reception was president of Project Access, Kathy McCarrell, who had no idea this was going to happen.

When they started talking about one more, I had some fluttering hopes, she said. This will be used with the kids we serve, as they are the focus of our program.

The charities have used the money for a variety of programs and services. RAD Camp, which provides a one-week camp every year for adults and children with developmental disabilities brought in 20 new campers.

Providence Speech and Hearing Center was able to help a lot more children with their hearing.

Weve been turning on hearing aids and implanting cochlear implants for over 100 children since we got this grant from Disney in December, said CJ Calderon, director of philanthropy for the center.

Disneylands Diamond 60th anniversary celebration ends Labor Day, Sept. 5.

The other recipients of the $60,000 grant are:

 RAD (Rising Above Disabilities) Camp

 Taller San Jose Hope Builders

 The Aquarium of the Pacific

 The Orangewood Foundation

 The Childrens Fund in San Bernardino

 The Pacific Marine Mammal Center

 The Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts

 Kristies Foundation

 The ACT Anaheim Initiative, through the Orange County Community Foundation

 The Community Action Partnership of Orange County

 The Literacy Project Foundation

 The Project Hope Alliance

 Habitat for Humanity

 Family Support Network

 Providence Speech and Hearing Centers

 Girl Scouts of Orange County

Contact the writer: meades@scng.com or follow on twitter @markaeades
SANTA ANA  A former Fullerton police officer was sentenced Monday to community service after admitting he failed to pay off a loan and improperly sold a vehicle.

Hugo Garcia, who initially faced a pair of felonies, agreed to plead guilty to reduced misdemeanor charges of grand theft and embezzlement by debtor of a security agreement, court records show.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Gregg L. Prickett sentenced the former officer to 100 hours of community service and 18 months of informal probation. Had the case gone to trial on the original felony charges, Garcia could have faced up to three years in jail.

Garcia was charged in 2014 after prosecutors allege he stole from a lender and an auto buyer.

Authorities believe that Garcia, in 2012, took out a $12,000 loan using his Chevy Tahoe as collateral. A month later, prosecutors allege, Garcia sold the Tahoe to a wholesale buyer for $12,000 in cash.

Garcia only made two payments on the loan, prosecutors allege.

The next year the lender repossessed the Tahoe, which the wholesale buyer had already sold to another person. The wholesale buyer was forced to repay the person who had purchased the car besides losing the Tahoe.

The wholesaler reported Garcia to Fullerton police, which placed the officer on leave. Garcia is no longer with the department, Fullerton officials confirmed on Monday. The agency declined to say whether he was fired or left on his own.

Contact the writer: semery@ocregister.com
BEIRUT  The Islamic State groups spokesman and chief strategist, who laid out the blueprint for the extremist groups attacks against the West, has been killed while overseeing operations in northern Syria, the group announced Tuesday.

The IS-run Aamaq news agency said Abu Muhammed al-Adnani was martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns in Aleppo, and vowed to avenge his death. It did not provide any further details on when or how he died.

If confirmed, it would be a major blow to the extremist group, which has been on the retreat in Syria and Iraq, where the borders of its self-declared Islamic caliphate have been steadily eroded in recent months.

Al-Adnani, whose real name is Taha Sobhi Falaha, persistently called for attacks against the West, which paid off in bloody notoriety with the Nov. 13 coordinated attacks in Paris that hit a concert hall, a stadium and restaurants and bars, leaving 130 people dead and hundreds wounded.

Al-Adnani is a Syrian who was born in the northern province of Idlib and is believed to be in his late 30s. He crossed the border and joined al-Qaida in Iraq, a precursor to IS, after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

In late June 2014, he formally declared the establishment of a caliphate, or Islamic state, stretching across parts of Syria and Iraq, under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and demanded allegiance from Muslims worldwide.

A powerful orator, he went on to become the voice of IS. He released numerous, lengthy audio files online in which he delivered fiery sermons urging followers to kill civilians in nations that supported the U.S.-led coalition against the group.

If you can kill a disbelieving American or European  especially the spiteful and filthy French  or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the disbelievers waging war, including the citizens of the countries that joined a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah, and kill him in any manner or way however it may be, al-Adnani said in 2014.

In other speeches he referred to U.S. President Barack Obama as an idiot and Secretary of State John Kerry as an uncircumcised old geezer.

Earlier this year, he called for massive attacks during Ramadan  a call that translated into the bloodiest Muslim holy month in recent memory. Followers of IS carried out attacks on several continents, including the Orlando shooting, the Nice truck attack in France and a massive suicide bombing in downtown Baghdad.

Adnani also disparaged Saudi Arabia and its influential clerics for failing to rally behind the rebels that the monarchy supports in Syria like they did decades ago in Afghanistan.

There was no immediate comment or confirmation of his death from Washington.

Aleppo, where Aamaq said al-Adnani was killed, is a current focal point of the civil war in Syria, where IS, Syrian Kurdish forces, Turkey-backed rebels and President Bashar Assads forces are vying for control. The province is frequently struck by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes as well as Russian air raids.

Aamaq vowed revenge against the filthy cowards in the sect of disbelief. It said a generation raised in IS-held territory would avenge al-Adnanis death.

The Islamic State group has suffered a string of defeats in recent weeks, including in Aleppo province, where Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels drove IS out of the border town of Jarablus last week.

In Iraq, the group has lost its strongholds in Fallujah and Ramadi, in the western Anbar province. It still controls Mosul, but Iraqi forces are gearing up for a long-awaited operation to retake the countrys second largest city.

It has also lost some of its most senior commanders and founding members over the past year, including its minister of war Omar al-Shishani, feared Iraqi militant Shaker Wuhayeb, also known as Abu Wahib, as well as a top finance official known by several names, including Abu Ali Al-Anbari.
I know a woman whos smart, educated, interesting, kind, generous and knowledgeable about many things.

I avoid her like the plague.

Because, unfortunately, she never stops complaining.

To her, the glass is never half empty. Its just empty, period, or filled with a beverage thats flat, too carbonated, too sweet, too sour, had an odd taste, is overfilled, is underfilled, has too much ice, has too little ice or just plain looks funny.

For years, I struggled with my feelings, because I genuinely like and admire her, but Ive found I just cant be in her company without wanting to throw one of us in front of a bus.

Her world is full of buts  The trip would have been nice, but the drive was too long. The food was good, but the restaurant was too noisy. The hotel was too hot, the bed hurt her back, the ocean waves were too noisy and the room service was too slow.

Now, Ive been known to pitch a fit about things from time to time, especially involving two immature human beings who keep living in my house.

But I try to remain optimistic and positive about life, and seek out friends who are the same.

Theres been scientific research lately revealing that people who seek out reasons to be grateful for their lives are actually happier when they do, and I believe thats true.

Maybe you were stuck in traffic for two hours on the way home, but consider this: You have a car and a house waiting for you.

Maybe the orange chicken at your favorite Chinese restaurant wasnt as good as you expected, but youre not standing outside a soup kitchen, waiting to be fed.

Chronic complaining seems to take over your life if you let it, sneaking in, seeping into your brainwaves, and then actually making your life worse, by setting up negative thought patterns that hurt you and drive others away.

I still remember several years ago when I was in the hospital recovering from brain tumor surgery. (I dont recommend this as a pastime, by the way, though, again, the alternative would have been much worse.)

Id written a humorous column about the experience of discovering I had a brain tumor  I cant have a brain tumor, Ive got dinner on the stove, that I later discovered was picked up by bloggers and read all around the world.

I got mail from everywhere and, in retrospect, the column was pretty funny about an otherwise grim topic. People told me that it cheered them up, for which I was very grateful.

That response only made me feel compelled to write yet another funny column after the surgery, which wasnt as easy as you might think, considering I was lying in Intensive Care looking like the Bride of Frankenstein, with 14 staples holding the back of my head together.

But I spent nine days in the hospital with a notebook by my bed, looking every minute for funny things to write about, and the interesting thing was: It made me feel better.

Being forced to look on the bright side of brain surgery improved both my mood and my outlook.

Yes, my doggone head hurt like Id been attacked by Jack the Ripper.

On the other hand, I wasnt dead. The nurses were angels. My HMO paid for everything. The tumor was benign. And the whole experience actually made me appreciate my life so much more than before.

When you become gravely ill, you also learn who your real friends are, very quickly. Theyre the ones who are watching your kids, bringing Thai food to the hospital and combing your hair.

Thats a great weeding-out process for the rest of your life.

Funny how things work out, right? I would not go back and erase that brain tumor, even if I could. (My column: Things I Learned From My Brain Tumor.)

One thing Ive noticed about people as they grow older is that they sometimes allow their aches and pains to consume them, so they have nothing else to say.

Im trying not to become one of them, because theres nothing more tedious than listening to someone elses health complaints.

Yeah, maybe your right foot fell off last week but, hey, your left foot is doing fine, and think how much stronger it will be now that youre hopping everywhere.

The sad thing is that, when people give in to this way of thinking, their world shrinks, because people start avoiding them, or visiting less often.

I remember many years ago, when I had a boyfriend who was a big jerk. One close friend used to listen to me whine about him 100 times a day, until she just snapped.

Either break up with him, or leave me out of it, she told me. Im tired of listening to the griping.

Her honesty made a big impression on me, and I did dump him shortly thereafter.

Journalists tend to be big complainers, which is one way of coping with our stressful, uncertain, poorly paid but rewarding jobs.

Still, I really dont want to hear it. Years ago, I stopped going to lunch with people who always wanted to use it as a gripe session, and I tell people outside of work that I dont want to talk about our jobs when Im not on the clock.

I also instituted a rule at my dinner parties: NO talking about work.

It can be a bit hard for people to follow at first, because were all very engaged with our jobs. But people also have lives, read books, see movies, go hiking, watch TV, and after they get used to the shocking idea that they cant sit around my table and complain about our boss, they get over it and talk about Game of Thrones instead.

Just like the people at my parties find something else to talk about when they cant complain, cultivating a grateful attitude shifts your mental focus away from whats frustrating you, and toward what makes you happy.

It turns you from a victim to a winner.

Keeping a gratitude journal where you record good things in your life, or that happen to you daily, can help you recall how much better your world is than you think.

Nowadays, there are even smartphone apps, like the free Notes to Self, that encourages you to take a few moments every day to jot down things for which youre grateful, good things that happen to you and random acts of kindness.

Some people take gratitude walks every day, where they reflect on their lives in a positive way.

I like this idea. Im going to try it.

And, when all else fails, a glass of wine beats complaining any day. And, no, you cant complain about the wine. Thats just going too far.

Contact the writer: mfisher@ocregister.com or 714-796-7994

Read more Frumpy Middle-age Mom. Its 42% better than real life!
SANTA ANA  A wanted parolee fleeing from Orange police Monday afternoon crashed his vehicle into two cars at a busy Santa Ana intersection, injuring a driver, authorities said.

The parolee, who had non-life-threatening injuries in the crash at Tustin Avenue and 17th Street, has been identified by police as 20-year-old Trevor Loslin. He was transported to a local hospital.

Around 3:30 p.m., officers received an anonymous phone call that Loslin, who was sought by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for unspecified parole violations, was on his way to purchase illegal narcotics in Orange, police said in a statement.

Orange officers located Loslins Kia sedan at Chapman Avenue and Tustin Street and attempted to make a traffic stop. Loslin, however, failed to pull over and a short pursuit took place, police said.

Officers lost sight of Loslins Kia as it sped away. It then collided with a Kia sport utility vehicle and Honda sedan at the intersection of Tustin Avenue and 17th Street in Santa Ana, police said.

The Kia driver had a non-life-threatening injury and the driver of the Honda was not hurt, police said.

The crash is being investigated by Santa Ana police.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7767 sschwebke@ocregister.com Twitter: @thechalkoutline
Rampant misinformation on social media was largely to blame for the panic that enveloped Los Angeles International Airport after unfounded reports of an active shooter Sunday night  and officials say theres not much police could have done to stop it.

The chaos began about 9 p.m. after a man thought he heard gunfire coming from Terminal 8 at LAX, said Rob Pedregon, Los Angeles Airport Police information officer. Once reports of gunfire made it onto Twitter and other social media sites, inaccurate information spread unchecked, allowing the situation to snowball, he said.

The initial report of gunshots came in about 8:45 p.m., and some of the earliest tweets about a possible active shooter surfaced about 15 minutes later. Over the next several minutes, various accounts of where the gunfire was coming from made their way onto Twitter and ended up being widely shared, contributing to the panic throughout the airport.

A double-edged sword

Karen North, director of the digital social media program at USCs Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, said the LAX incident is an example of how social media is a double-edged sword.

It has the phenomenal advantage of the fact that it can get real-time information to a huge array of people almost immediately, said North, a professor of social media. But it has the disadvantage that information is not vetted or verified.

One of the compounding issues Sunday night was people calling 911 to report incidents secondhand from what they had seen on social media, Pedregon said. That leaves police in a difficult situation because officers cant ignore a call that comes in, even if its based on inaccurate information garnered from a tweet.

We count on social media to provide us with so much information these days, he said. Theres so many people that gather their news from social media and Facebook and Twitter  we cant discount calls for service.

That phenomenon led to multiple accounts of shots heard in areas other than Terminal 8, where police responded initially.

Unfortunately, there was some sort of panic and hysteria on the part of  passengers, Pedregon said.

What could help prevent a similar situation in the future? Pedregon said its important to educate people not to share incorrect information and, more important, not to call 911 based on reports theyve seen on social media.

Before social media became so ubiquitous, people who saw something suspicious would pick up an emergency telephone to alert officials and police would go to the terminal and decide whether to shut it down, North said.

People wouldnt know about it until the police came in and controlled the situation, she said.

North did not have advice on what the public should do in situations like the one at LAX. Theres a balance, she said.

Damned if you do 

Pedregon, who runs the LAX Police Department Twitter account, echoed that sentiment. Even using official accounts to counter misinformation comes with its own set of risks, he said.

If he were to send out the most up-to-date information the department had at the time, he would have run the risk of adding to the chaos by lending credence to whatever rumors were circulating on social media.

Its always good to counteract bad information with good information. The only issue with that  (is) you dont want to stir up hysteria by tweeting out information about a (shooter), Pedregon said.

In the end, he said, its a case of damned if you do, damned if you dont when it comes to releasing information about an incident on social media.

If I were to put something out without having all the information, I just feel like I would have done more harm than good, he said.

Other airports

Personnel at other airports were paying attention to what developed at LAX.

John Wayne Airport, which did not handle any diverted flights from LAX on Sunday night, constantly reviews its safety and security procedures and plans to handle similar unforeseen circumstances in a calm and measured and organized way, spokeswoman Deanne Thompson said.

Certainly, we paid attention to the situation yesterday at LAX, Thompson said. And with that in mind, well take a look at our own procedures to ensure that were doing everything possible to keep our passengers safe.

The Orange County Sheriffs Department, which handles law enforcement at John Wayne Airport, reviews incidents at airports worldwide on a weekly basis to see if theres a better way to handle procedures and is looking at the LAX incident, spokesman Lt. Mark Stichter said.

I think we would all rather err on the side of caution than to not say something at all, Stichter said. We cant control what people put out on social media; they have to make that determination on their own. We hope because of the ability of people to put out information, they can just as easily call the Sheriffs Department.

Sundays events came just a week after a similar situation developed at New Yorks JFK airport. As at LAX, reports of an active shooter led to evacuation of multiple terminals and widespread panic but turned out to be unfounded.

Flights diverted

The first 911 call turned out to be based on loud noises a traveler heard near Terminal 8. After initial reports of a possible active shooter, police confirmed no one had a weapon, no gunshots were fired and no one was hurt.

But by then, panic had set in among travelers. Photos and videos uploaded to social media show groups of people rushing toward the doors and out of the terminals.

Others showed people huddled on the ground as police with handguns and rifles walked past. Some passengers queued up at gates rushed through emergency doors onto the tarmac, prompting the closure of a south runway.

Police are still investigating what might have caused the noises that prompted the man to call police, but investigators believe he honestly thought a gun had gone off, Pedregon said.

Ground traffic was snarled throughout Sunday night and remained heavy Monday morning. And flights across the country were affected by the LAX problems into Monday.

Twenty-seven flights were diverted to other airports Sunday, although most eventually made their way back to LAX, said LAX spokeswoman Nancy Castles. About 280 other flights were delayed, and two were canceled, Castles said.

Emergency alerts were issued to residents within 5 miles of the airport Sunday night, but the earliest was sent shortly after 10:05 p.m., more than an hour after the initial call and police response. A subsequent emergency alert issued at 11:24 p.m. said airport police had issued an all-clear and that airport operations were returning to normal.

A separate incident involving a man dressed as the masked character Zorro added to the confusion Sunday night.

Airport police received a call at about 8:40 p.m. about the man, who was wearing a costume complete with mask, cape and plastic sword outside Terminal 7. While officers responded to that call, they received the report of shots coming from Terminal 8.

A video uploaded to Twitter showed the masked man detained by police, but he was not arrested, Pedregon said.
The Board of Supervisors voted Monday to ask a judge to remove portions of a rambling ballot measure argument that appears in election materials ahead of the Nov. 8 vote and which levels disjointed allegations against Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas and Supervisor Todd Spitzer, among others.

The argument was written by Steve Rocco, a former Orange Unified School District board member who opposes Measure S, the districts proposed $288 million bond measure that will appear on the November ballot.

Rocco has run unsuccessfully for local public office several times and frequently has been an outspoken participant at various public forums.

In his argument against Measure S, Rocco barely addresses the bond measure. Instead, he alleges that former Orange Unified and Chapman University officials conspired to destroy him, states his home was invaded by a city of Orange detective whom he links to Rackauckas, offhandedly notes that Spitzers neighbor led a failed recall effort against him when he was a school board trustee, and claims his family was murdered.

His rambling diatribe makes all sorts of accusations, Spitzer said. So the action today was for county counsel to go to court and have the false information about Rackauckas  stricken and also to strike his conclusions about me. He infers that I have information about his recall that I dont know anything about.

Susan Kang Schroeder, the district attorneys chief of staff, called Roccos statement crazy and suggested his animosity might stem from the prosecution of Rocco a few years ago. A jury convicted Rocco in 2009 of stealing a bottle of ketchup from a Chapman University cafeteria. Rocco could not immediately be reached for comment.

So how did Roccos argument make it into official election materials? Turns out, via what amounted to a coin flip.

Rocco submitted his argument at nearly the same time as former Villa Park councilwoman and state Assembly candidate Deborah Pauly. To decide which statement would appear in election materials, Orange County Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley held a random drawing, in accordance with state law. Rocco won.

On Thursday, Pauly sued Kelley, alleging his decision to hold a random drawing was improper because Rocco doesnt represent a bona fide association  groups given preferential access to penning ballot arguments in California. While both Pauly and Rocco said they represent larger committees, Paulys lawsuit contends that Roccos commitee is not bona fide and that his statement is harmful to the election process.

In addition to asking the court to change the wording of Roccos argument, county lawyers will help defend Kelley against Paulys lawsuit.

Choosing an argument, as Pauly argues, based on its relevance to the ballot measure puts the Registrar in the position of choosing an argument based on content, lawyers for the county and Kelley wrote in court documents filed Monday.

Contact the writer: jgraham@scng.com or 714-796-7960
WASHINGTON  Hackers targeted voter registration systems in Illinois and Arizona, and the FBI alerted Arizona officials in June that Russians were behind the assault on the election system in that state.

The bureau described the threat as credible and significant, an eight on a scale of one to 10, Matt Roberts, a spokesman for Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan (R), said Monday. As a result, Reagan shut down the states voter registration system for nearly a week.

It turned out that the hackers had not compromised the state system or even any county system. They had, however, stolen the user name and password of a single elections official in Gila County.

Roberts said FBI investigators did not specify whether the hackers were criminals or employed by the Russian government. Bureau officials on Monday declined to comment.

The Arizona incident is the latest indication of Russian interest in U.S. elections and party operations, and follows the discovery of a high-profile penetration into Democratic National Committee computers. That hack produced embarrassing emails that led to the resignation of DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and sowed dissension on the eve of Hillary Clintons nomination as the partys presidential candidate.

The Russian campaign is also sparking intense anxiety about the security of this years elections. Earlier this month, the FBI warned state officials to be on the lookout for intrusions into their elections systems. The flash alert, which was first reported by Yahoo News, said investigators had detected attempts to penetrate election systems in several states and listed Internet protocol addresses and other technical fingerprints associated with the hacks.

In addition to Arizona, Illinois officials discovered an intrusion into their elections system in July. Although the hackers did not alter any data, the intrusion marks the first successful compromise of a state voter-registration database, federal officials said.

This was a highly sophisticated attack most likely from a foreign (international) entity, said Kyle Thomas, director of voting and registration systems for the Illinois State Board of Elections, in a message that was sent to all election authorities in the state.

The Illinois hackers were able to retrieve voter records, but the number accessed was a fairly small percentage of the total, said Ken Menzel, general counsel for the Illinois elections board.

State officials alerted the FBI, he said, and the Department of Homeland Security also was involved. The intrusion in Illinois led to a week-long shutdown of the voter registration system.

The FBI has told Illinois officials that it is looking at foreign government agencies and criminal hackers as potential culprits, Menzel said.

At least two other states are looking into possible breaches, officials said. Meanwhile, states across the nation are scrambling to ensure that their systems are secure.

Until now, countries such as Russia and China have shown little interest in voting systems in the United States. But experts said that if a foreign government gained the ability to tamper with voter data  for instance by deleting registration records  such a hack could cast doubt on the legitimacy of U.S. elections.

Im less concerned about the attackers getting access to and downloading the information. Im more concerned about the information being altered, modified or deleted. Thats where the real potential is for any sort of meddling in the election,said Brian Kalkin, vice president of operations for the Center for Internet Security, which operates the MS-ISAC, a multistate information-sharing center that helps government agencies combat cyberthreats and works closely with federal law enforcement.

James R. Clapper Jr., the director of national intelligence, has told Congress that manipulation or deletion of data is the next big cyberthreat  the next push on the envelope.

Tom Hicks, chairman of the federal Election Assistance Commission, an agency set up by Congress after the 2000 Florida recount to maintain election integrity, said he is confident that states have sufficient safeguards in place to ward off attempts to manipulate data.

For example, if a voters name were deleted and did not show up on the precinct list, the individual could still cast a provisional ballot, Hicks said. Once the voters status was confirmed, the ballot would be counted.

Hicks also said the actual systems used to cast votes are not hooked up to the Internet and so theres not going to be any manipulation of data. However, more than 30 states have some provisions for online voting, primarily for voters living overseas or serving in the military.

This spring, a DHS official cautioned that online voting is not yet secure.

We believe that online voting, especially online voting in large scale, introduces great risk into the election system by threatening voters expectations of confidentiality, accountability and security of their votes and provides an avenue for malicious actors to manipulate the voting results, said Neil Jenkins, an official in the departments Office of Cybersecurity and Communications.

Private-sector researchers are also concerned about potential meddling by Russians in the U.S. elections system. Rich Barger, chief information officer at ThreatConnect, said that several of the IP addresses listed in the FBI alert trace back to a website-hosting service called King Servers that offers Russia-based technical support. Barger also said that one of the methods used was similar to a tactic employed in other intrusions suspected of being carried out by the Russian government, including one this month on the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The very fact that someone has rattled the doorknobs, the very fact that the state election commissions are in the cross hairs, gives grounds to the average American voter to wonder: Can they really trust the results? Barger said.

Earlier this month, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson held a conference call with state elections officials, offering his assistance in protecting against cyberattacks.

Johnson said that DHS was not aware of any specific or credible cybersecurity threats relating to the upcoming general election systems, according to a readout of the call.

It was not clear whether he was aware at the time of the FBIs investigations in Arizona and Illinois.
Two presidential campaigns that have been busy slinging mud at each other for much of the last week agree on one thing: Republican Donald Trump will continue to shoot from the hip when the candidates meet on a debate stage.

The first of three proposed debates between Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton is almost a month away, on Sept. 26. It promises to be one of the signature moments in the long campaign for the Oval Office.

Hes an unconventional candidate, and hes not going to prepare the way Hillary does, which is, you know, lock her in a room and cram her head with all these binders, Kellyanne Conway, Trumps campaign manager, said on Fox News Sunday.

The authentic Donald Trump, whos been taking his case directly to the voters, is the one that you will see on the debate stage with Hillary Clinton, and I think theyre nervous over in the Clinton camp, Conway said.

Conway wouldnt say if Trump would definitely hold mock debates and if so, who would stand in for Clinton. NBC News reported that former Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes and conservative commentator Laura Ingraham were doing debate preparation with Trump.

Which Trump?

David Plouffe, a Clinton supporter and former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, agreed with the assessment of the Trumps strength ahead of the first contest, to be held at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.

It is going to be difficult, because you are going to have to prepare for many different Trumps, Plouffe, who has been in touch with the Clinton campaign, said on NBCs Meet the Press. The candidate who shows up on debate night could be modest or off-the-rails, he said.

We have a psychopath running for president, Plouffe said. I mean, he meets the clinical definition. When challenged by NBC moderator Chuck Todd, Plouffe listed among Trumps traits the grandiose notion of self-worth, pathological lying, lack of empathy and remorse.

Plouffe was responding to a question about who would play Trump in Clintons debate prep  a question the campaign is said to be having trouble resolving because of Trumps hard-edged style and tactical fluidity. Even one of the Democrats own campaign spokesmen suggested on Saturday that Trumps beguiling nature could help him.

Formidable foe

For all his lack of substance, Trumps showmanship, as ex-TV star, makes him a formidable debate foe, the spokesman, Brian Fallon, wrote on Twitter. He thrashed his rivals in GOP debates.

For all the insults and and denigration of a political campaign, complimenting ones opponent before a debate has become something of a standard practice.

Candidates performances are often judged on the perception that they exceeded or fell short of expectations, so self-deprecation can be wise messaging. The campaigns for both Obama and Mitt Romney heaped praise on their respective rivals in 2012, and Romney, who was often parodied as awkward and gaffe-prone by comparison to an oratorically gifted president, saw a polling bump from a strong debate.

Trumps running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, said on CNNs State of the Union on Sunday that he was cracking the books in anticipation of meeting with Clintons running mate, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, for the vice presidential debate.

That contest is scheduled for for Oct. 4, according to the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. Assuming the candidates agree to participate, two more presidential debates would follow, on Oct. 9 and Oct. 19.

Still hoping to qualify for the debates is Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson, the former Republican governor of New Mexico, who needs to secure 15 percent support in five national polls and is currently showing an average of 8.1 percent.
Just like her boss and mentor, Hillary Clinton, Huma Abedin-Weiner struck a political power couple deal with her ex-Congressman husband, Anthony Carlos Danger Weiner. This speaks to two things: judgment and just how thirsty they are for power.

Huma learned a lot from Hillary about climbing the ladder of power, including how crucial it is that you do not out someones peccadilloes but rather exploit them for your own gain. To her credit, to save her marriage Huma put up with it for as long as she could. But Anthony Weiner no longer has power, so Huma finally decided to separate from him this past weekend after his latest scandal involving sexting with a woman on the West Coast.

As only the New York Daily News can, its article about recent Weiner revelations, Pop Goes the Weiner, tells of his latest sordid online affair.

Anthony sent the West Coast woman a provocative photo of himself with his son  the little Weiner  in the background while Huma was in the Hamptons. She finally had enough and decided to separate. She cant be always covering up Hillarys junk while her husband is exposing his.

As Hillary Clinton hurls accusations about Donald Trumps judgment, one has to weigh the wisdom of Hillarys ten-year relationship with the Weiners. Hillary is the last woman whom you would think would have much of a relationship with a Weiner. Oddly, Barack Obamas closest confidante is Valerie Jarrett, who was born in Iran. Hillarys is Huma Abedin, who is Muslim. No wonder our relationship with Israel has gone downhill.

We learned recently that Humas mother edited a radical Muslim journal. While Hillary and Barack Obama paint themselves as tolerant liberal Democrats, their closest advisors are women with strong Muslim ties, a religion that treats women and gays terribly.

Huma was also in the news recently with a Top Secret document scandal of her own. She left classified documents on the back seat of her car (presumably her Weiner-mobile), but realized it and retrieved them. Unlike Hillary, who deleted and bleached out her emails to make sure authorities could not get them, at least Huma did the right thing.

As a reminder, Anthony Weiner was a high-level Democrat Congressman, whose fall from grace was epic. He and the enchanting, demure Debbie Wasserman Schultz were the media faces of the Democrats on issues for years. When the humidity was too high in Miami for the TV cameras to get a wide shot of Wasserman Schultzs hair, Weiner would be called upon to be the spew the DNC talking points.

Anthony Weiner clearly loved cameras, especially cell phone cameras, entirely too much. In his spare time he enjoyed shoving his cell phone down his pants and taking pictures. Then  and here is where it gets weird  he would send them to random women online: an exotic dancer, an unwed mother and a blackjack dealer (or, as they call it in New Jersey, the circle of life).

At first Weiner said his Twitter account had been hacked and that he did not send the incriminating pictures; he was going to look into it and would get back to us. He tried to elevate himself to the highest honor a Democrat can bestow upon himself: victimhood. Borrowing a line from his mentor, Bill Clinton, Weiners defense was, I did not have text-ual relations with that woman.

In fairness to Weiner, this could all have been a misunderstanding. He was told during his briefing as a freshman House member that Congressmen could mail their packages to people for free.

All the while, Weiner was married to Hillarys right-hand woman, Huma Albedin. Huma is all Clinton, all the time. She was the bag woman between Hillary as Secretary of State and the Clinton Crime Family Foundation (while being employed by both). She was the fall woman when the State Department finally said in its report that Hillarys use of her private server would have been denied if she had asked permission. Knowing the answer would be no was the main reason Hillary didnt ask permission in the first place.

So the story is a cliff hanger. Will Huma testify in the Clinton Foundation shakedown scandal? How is she involved? And will her estranged husband continue to send pictures of his private parts to other women? It is just like the Weiners to leave things dangling.

Ron Hart is a libertarian op-ed humorist and award-winning author, Ron is a frequent guest on CNN. He can be contacted at Ron@RonaldHart.com or @RonaldHart on Twitter.
The Norwegian Environment Agency has recently released a series of haunting images of at least 323 dead reindeer  70 of them calves  killed in what has been described as one of the deadliest lightning strikes ever.

It is unclear exactly when the natural disaster occurred, but the hundreds of dead bodies were discovered on Friday by a group of hunters in a remote area of the barren Hardanangervidda plateau, in central Norway. Spanning some 8,000 square kilometers, Hardangervidda is the largest high mountain plateau in northern Europe and the largest national park in Norway, with a population of 10,000 to 11,000 wild reindeer.

While the specifics of the mass death will probably never be known, experts say that animals tend to huddle together in extreme weather, which makes it easier for lightning to pass through their bodies. Norwegian officials say that multiple animal deaths caused by lightning strike is not very uncommon, but the scale of this event is definitely unheard of. We are not familiar with any previous happening on such a scale, Kjartan Knutsen of the Norwegian Environment Agency said. Individual animals do from time to time get killed by lightning, and there are incidents where sheep have been killed in groups of 10 or even 20, but we have never seen anything like this.

Photo: HAVARD KJNTVEDT, ENVIRONMENT DIRECTORATE/THE NORWEGIAN NATURE INSPECTORATE

According to National Geographic, in 1990, a thunderstorm killed 30 cattle on a farm in Orange County, Virginia, and in 2005 a lightning strike killed 68 cows at a dairy farm outside Dorrigo in New South Wales, Australia. Also, in 2008 a lightning outside of Montevideo, Uruguay struck a wire fence, killing all 52 cattle grazing inside. But all these events pale in comparison with Fridays lightning strike, at least when it comes to the number of animal casualties.

So how exactly does a lightning strike kill 323 reindeer? John Jensenius, a lightning safety expert from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told The Verge that when animals or humans are huddled in groups, most of them are killed by the ground current. First, theres a direct strike  this is what most people think of when they think of lightning  that hits the tree or maybe the ground nearby. The energy then spreads along the ground surface, and if youre anywhere near that lightning strike, you absorb it and get shocked, Jensenius said. Lightning goes up one leg and down another. Animals are more vulnerable because their legs are spread out more, so the ground currents travel more easily in their bodies. It doesnt matter if theyre touching, or exactly how close they are, it matters that they were all in the area hit by lightning. Ground currents are the thing thats responsible for the most lightning deaths and injuries in both people and animals.

Photo: HAVARD KJNTVEDT, ENVIRONMENT DIRECTORATE/THE NORWEGIAN NATURE INSPECTORATE

Olav Strand, a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, inspected the site of the mass death on Sunday and told The New York Times that the animals appeared to have died as if someone just turned off a switch.

The lightning was fierce, the amount of water pouring down that day was incredible, and the whole group was found dead at the scene, placed as they usually are, huddled into a group, with some standing in two lines on the side and a larger congregation in the middle, Strand added. They were standing on a hill, moving up that hill. They seem to have fallen dead on the ground, exactly where they stood.

The only other known lightning-related mass death that even compares to this recent natural disaster dates back to 1918, when a forked lightning allegedly killed 654 sheep, in Utah.
It is a great pleasure to join you to discuss one of the most important issues of our era. I would like to begin with a few words of thanks to the Stockholm International Water Institute: your tireless efforts in continuing to organise this event and champion the cause of water security have advanced our cause significantly. But as I am sure you would all agree, much remains to be done.

The importance of water for sustainable development Far from being a niche concern, water is at the heart of everything we do. It is critical to our well-being, a key growth driver and a central pillar in the agenda for sustainable development. Just last year, the OECD/GWP report on Securing Water, Sustaining Growth estimated that strategic investment in water security could contribute at least USD 500 billion to global growth annually! Water remains high on the political agenda with a water-devoted SDG, and calls for a new forum to bridge the water infrastructure gap coming out of the Addis Ababa Conference. This is important progress, yet if we are to continue to rely on water to power our economies and societies forwards, we will need to invest much more in water security. Today, the challenge of water security is global and it is growing. We estimate, for example, that by 2050, over 40% of the global population will live under severe water stress; and as global population increases, so will tensions among different water uses. Climate change only adds more uncertainty about water availability and demand, and possibly more tensions between users in several basins. We have made important progress The OECD has been very active on confronting water security issues. Last year, at the World Water Forum in Korea, we released two milestone reports, Securing Water, Sustaining Growth and Water: Fit to Finance? Both emphasised the role of water for sustainable growth and the importance of finance and investment for water security. We are now working with countries such as Brazil and Korea, to implement the guidance in these reports. This includes, improving the use of economic instruments; reforming water allocation regimes; and promoting innovation to ensure that water management and investment contribute to a sustainable and creative economy. In addition, the The OECD Principles on Water Governance constitute a significant contribution to the debate focusing on how institutional arrangements can promote sustainable development through investment in water security. Specifically, the Principles provide 12 must-dos for governments to get the enabling environment right in terms of who does what and at which scale. They are already making an impact, having been included in the technical assistance programmes of Action Against Hunger and the Spanish Development and Cooperation Agency for their cooperation with Africa and Latin America, respectively. The Dutch are also using the Principles to assess the Delta and Flood Protection Programmes. However, we still face significant challenges We are proud of these efforts, but there is much more to be done. When OECD Environment Ministers gather in Paris in a few weeks, we will not mince our words: our water to-do list remains a long one! For starters, we need to better understand the risks to growth and social and economic development from poor water management, especially in developing economies. In 2015, 1 in 3 people were still without access to improved sanitation facilities. In some Africa countries, the economic losses from inadequate water supply and sanitation services can amount to as much as 10% of GDP! Once we understand how poor water management affects our economies and where the need for investment is most dire, we must implement robust policies that will enable us and our partners to invest in water security. The OECDs work on water financingaims to do this by translating the economic case for water security into an attractive investment case for public and private entities. For example, we are looking at innovative ways to better allocate risk and returns between key players, which is a key issue in better motivating investments for water and growth. The way forward: the OECDs contribution In that spirit, it gives me great pleasure to announce today the launch of two OECD initiatives to help promote a water-secure world: First, the OECD Global Coalition for Good Water Governance will gather hundreds of champions who endorsed the The OECD Principles on Water Governance. We want to collect and replicate existing world-class solutions to water challenges in order to bridge the governance gaps at local, basin and national levels. Best practices will be summarised by the OECD Water Governance at a Glance Report. Second, the Roundtable on Water Finance  a joint initiative between the OECD, the World Water Council and the Netherlands  aims to push the boundaries of traditional thinking about financing water-related investments. It will gather knowledge and provide analytical tools to support policies to best invest in water security for sustainable growth. Each initiative will build on and feed into ongoing work at the global level, including the Heads of State Panel on Water. And both will count on your support, if we are to stand any chance of transforming water governance and investment for sustainable development. Ladies and Gentlemen, When the well is dry, we know the worth of water, these words by Benjamin Franklin give us a stark reminder of how precious water is for mankind and how fragile we are without it. Getting water governance and investment in water security right are absolutely essential for the development of our economies, our societies and for the planet. Let us continue to work together, and pool our efforts, in order to put water security at the heart of sustainable development. Thank you.
A proposed expansion of a pig farm in Clonaslee has run foul of stringent opposition from local residents, who are kicking up a stink over the odours being released from what is being described as an eyesore development.

A proposed expansion of a pig farm in Clonaslee has run foul of stringent opposition from local residents, who are kicking up a stink over the odours being released from what is being described as an eyesore development.

The company directors of Rosderra Farm, which is a two-site pig farm operating in the Clonaslee townlands of Graigueafulla and Corbally, have applied to Laois County Council for permission to construct a new pig house together with all ancillary structures in Graigueafulla, including two meal storage bins.

In the application, it is explained that the two sites, which are roughly 300m apart, currently operate as an integrated pig farm. The expansion is needed as the breeding site is not of sufficient size to supply all of the pigs required by the finishing site, and additional pigs are brought in from another farm.

However, two submissions have been made to the council from residents objecting to the plan.

Ms Bernie Dunne, of Windy Heights, Cloonagh, Clonaslee, claimed that she has to live with the smells emanating from the pig farm on a constant basis, even on Sundays.

I live a short distance from the pig farm. We have the smell of the pig farm morning and night. As we are in the prevailing wind of the pig farm, Rosderra are now allowing people in to draw slurry on Sunday. This leave us with no day without slurry being spread, she said in her submission.

Also objecting are Mr Alan and Ms Bridene Murphy, of Graigueafulla, who claimed at present the odour originating from this development is quite strong. They fear any additional volume to the pig farm will exacerbate the foul odour and said nothing is mentioned within the planning application to prevent this.

The said their home commands a lovely view of the Slieve Bloom Mountains, however this view is ruined by the pig farm. If this planning application was to be granted it will cause more of an eyesore, they claimed, explaining that there are trying to sell their property but the pig farm has devalued their home.

The Murphys also raised concerns over damage caused to a small access roadway by high volumes of traffic using the pig farm, with the road constantly covered in mud and potholes. They claimed this road will not be able to withstand any additional volumes of heavy machinery or traffic.

Finally, they expressed concerns over surface water runoff as their well is in close proximity to the site. The Murphys took exception with a report prepared by CLW Environmental Planners Ltd which said that the rural residents are accustomed to agricultural smells such as animal manure spreading, silage and silage effluent spreading.

I wonder if the person who prepared this report would live beside such a development, they asked.

A decision is due from Laois County Council by April 20.
Tullamore based couple Elaine Larkin and Donal Kelly have been announced as the lucky couple to win the Bridge House Hotels dream honeymoon competition.

Tullamore based couple Elaine Larkin and Donal Kelly have been announced as the lucky couple to win the Bridge House Hotels dream honeymoon competition.

Originally from Dublin but now living in Tullamore, Elaine and Donal entered the honeymoon competition at the Bridge House Hotels January wedding fair when they booked their wedding at the hotel, which is due to take place in September.

Elaine and Donal will enjoy a luxury honeymoon with thanks to the Bridge House Hotel and are looking forward to planning their honeymoon and putting the final touches on the big day itself, with help from the dedicated wedding coordinator at the hotel.

Each wedding at the Bridge House Hotel is carefully planned with a dedicated wedding coordinator on hand throughout the entire process and brides and grooms will enjoy complimentary use of the luxurious Bridal Suite complete with Jacuzzi  a haven to return to after a long wedding day.

The Bridge House Hotel has fantastic wedding packages to suit every budget you can enjoy an all-inclusive wedding package offering a seven course dinner expertly prepared by Patrick Kennedy, Executive Chef at the multiple Michelin Guide Recommended Bridge House Hotel Restaurant, complimentary finger food, vintage rolls Royce, chair covers and much more.

Specialist wedding packages at the Bridge House Hotel include the Mediterranean Package where you can have the tastes of getting married abroad but the comforts of home, or if you have married abroad why not celebrate at home with a post-wedding reception with friends and family.

The recently refurbished Charleville Suite at the Bridge House Hotel has a capacity of 350 plus guests, or for smaller more intimate celebrations the Egan Suite which can seat up to 60 wedding guests.

Brides-to-be will enjoy a trial make-up session before the big day while bridal parties, including grooms and groomsmen can relax and get ready for a busy day with a morning in the Sanctuary Spa being pampered and preened by the professional and experienced staff. Bridal Bootcamps are also available to ensure the bride is in tip-top shape for her special day.
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Agricultural News

Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association Raises $9000 for Children's Hospital Foundation During Round-up

In the past 19 years, the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association's Range Round-Up has contributed more than $420,000 to the Children's Hospital Foundation.







The 32nd Annual OCA Range Round-Up was held this past weekend and for the first time, fans in attendance were given the opportunity to personally contribute to the Children's Hospital Foundation.







"Cowboy boots were passed around the arena and fans gave generously, raising right at $9,000," said Dallas Henderson, Range Round-Up Coordinator.







The money raised will be given directly to the Children's Hospital Foundation to support the Children's Medical Research Institute and the patients of the Children's Hospital at the OU Medical Center.







"What's great is this money stays right here in Oklahoma to help our own," Henderson said. "Many call the event, 'Cowboys Helping Kids', and that's very appropriate."







Henderson coordinates the Range Round-Up which features twelve teams of 'real ranch' cowboys from Oklahoma ranches competing for not much more than bragging rights.







"The OCA, the Range Round-Up Committee and I take a lot of pride in this event," Henderson said. "A lot of our fans have made it a tradition to attend the Range Round-Up for many years. The amount of generosity shown while passing the boots, make it evident that our fans believe in and support our mission - Cowboys Helping Kids."







Oklahoma Ford Dealers have been the presenting sponsor of Range Round-Up since the beginning of the event, in 1985. The OCA credits much of the event's success to the Oklahoma Ford Dealers and many other generous sponsors.







"We truly appreciate the fans, ranches, and volunteers who help us with this important mission," Henderson said.







Source - Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association













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Tim Guthrie is standing on a sunny beach in Uruguay. As the surf pounds behind him, he holds up a small sphere, kisses it gently and says, his voice trembling with emotion:

May you be free from suffering. May you dwell in safety. May you be at peace. May you feel my gratitude and love.

He then drops it into a deep hole dug in the sand and quietly buries it. The sphere, only slightly larger than a marble, features an image of his wife, Beth Broderick, a hauntingly beautiful woman with masses of dark, curly hair and an enigmatic smile.

It also contains a small amount of her ashes.

Beth passed away unexpectedly Sept. 24, 2015, from complications of Parkinsons disease and dystonia. She was 49.

The grief hit Tim like a tsunami, engulfing and drowning him, threatening to rend him in two. Tim and Beth had been together for 25 years and were married for 21. They had no children. Beths diseases had been progressive, excruciating and debilitating, and in recent years, Tim had become her constant caretaker, giving up whatever he could to be by her side.

He did it all gladly. Willingly. And when Beth died, Tim was so bereft and full of grief, it seemed as crippling as the diseases that had taken her from him.

He turned for some modicum of comfort to a place that surprised him. Facebook.

He had never really used it to share personal information  the social media platform was merely a tool for keeping abreast of what was happening in the community. Because Beths illnesses had taken so much of his time, Tim had also extricated himself from many of his social circles. Now, posting online provided a way to connect with both old friends and new.

After Beth died, Facebook became a cathartic experience, because I didnt have anybody to turn to, really, Tim said. I just started turning to friends online, so it became this helpful, useful thing.

His posts laid bare his anguish and provided a means to express the unpredictable rollercoaster of his grief. In one post last fall he wrote:

I feel bad posting something depressing  but I just have to be honest. Its hard. Its crippling. Its impossible to describe the thoroughly disabling and crushing emotional devastation that keeps me from wanting to do anything productive, let alone get out of bed or put pants on and get out of the house.

Sometimes, he even wrote to Beth. Remembering that they began dating in autumn, he posted:

You loved to wear all the colors of fall ... and your hair, eyes and complexion contained the same colors. Especially your hair. Especially back then. And now it is October. The month I always enjoyed the most with you because we had such history tied to this time of the year. And now youre not here to enjoy it with me. My heart breaks every single day, and its hard to see an end to this. If you knew how much I would miss you.

Tims heart ached so much, at times he felt like he might have a heart attack. He poignantly observed:

I used to think died of a broken heart was just some corny romantic saying. Now I get that its real.

The response was overwhelming. Share, Share, Share! exhorted one friend who had only met Beth a few times. I cannot even begin to imagine your grief. Your community of friends all love you so much. I hope we can all be there for you now. Another offered: Tim, there are no words, only love. We are sending what we can your way and keeping you in our hearts.

They did, and for the next several months, Tim relied on them and shared more, bared more. When he discovered a birthday card Beth had given him, one that said, I love you, Timmy Boy! he posted:

I keep stumbling on things that punch me in the gut and squeeze the life out of my heart.

Those things included the quotidian moments we all take for granted. Tim shared one of Beths texts asking him to pick up some Little Debbie Peanut Butter Crunch Bars from the grocery store. He posted a selfie she took someplace he couldnt identify. The latter particularly anguished him.

I dont know where she was. I dont know where she took it. I cant tell what she was wearing. I cant clearly see her face. She is just out of reach. Everything is fading ... and I cant call her back to me.

Every day was a challenge, every night a long, lonely nightmare. Throughout the fall and into winter, Tim posted numerous photos of Beth smiling, her eyes creased into little crescent moons. There were images of Beth humoring Tim behind the camera or playing with their ridiculously goofy dog, Gozer. Beth with family. Beth with friends. Beth with him.

A soft-focused, black-and-white photo of Beth on a beach elicited a heartfelt reflection on the photos as a whole:

They feel tenuous and delicate and I feel Im quickly struggling to picture her face as clearly as I desire. I want to SEE her, not remember what she looked like. I want to HOLD her, not grasp for a memory.

But memories were all Tim could grasp, and he began doing so in 3-D, making miniature portrait busts and small spheres he lovingly called BBs for his wifes initials. He filled them with her ashes  infinitesimal amounts, for the majority were, per her wishes, scattered in her mothers hometown of of North Bend, Nebraska.

Tim says he used to be a practicing artist. A professor of video and graphic design at Creighton University in Omaha, Tim is still widely known in the local arts community for his paintings, sculptures and videos.

He gave it all up to take care of Beth.

After she died, friends encouraged him to get back into the studio to heal. He tried, but the attempt only intensified the immediacy of his grief.

Every time I tried to do something, it was an absolutely miserable experience, he explained. I left the studio to take care of Beth. Art wasnt necessary. Spending time with Beth was. I had already made that choice. It was a choice for Beth. Giving up art to do that was a no-brainer.

The BBs and portrait busts, though beautiful and artful, are for that reason not art for Tim. They are loving memorials commemorating his love for Beth and their life together.

Im doing it to honor her, he said. Its not about me. Its about her.

In February, a friend in South America invited Tim, then on sabbatical, to visit and put distance behind his mourning. Tim jumped on a plane and headed to Uruguay for five weeks, taking his precious BBs and portrait busts with him. He planned on leaving them in places Beth had never been able to visit because of her illnesses.

Like Iguazu Falls.

I didnt see it (BB) hit the water I have no idea if itll be taken far downriver, trapped in a crevice, or broken apart, which would scatter the ashes inside. Either way, I know she loved waterfalls.

At the same time, he started the blog Traveling With Virtual Beth. Shes Gone, But Shes Always With Me. It provided a way to keep in touch with friends and family who werent on Facebook. When he visited places like Machu Picchu, he was able to share those moments and say goodbye again. Its more ceremonial and symbolic, explained Tim. Obviously, Im getting something out of this by going to the places and doing something. Its a process Im going through.

The act of distributing the busts and BBs resonated online. People who followed his journey were struck by their simplicity and their meaning. Tiny Taj Mahals is how one of Tims online friends described them  each sphere, a world unto itself, each one a delicate memorial of a husbands deep and abiding love for his wife.

The trip, while an escape, didnt heal Tims pain.

I have no words of wisdom to share from the experience. I didnt grow. I didnt transform. I wasnt healed. I didnt become a new person. I had no epiphanies. I simply moved forward, little by little, day by day, as distracted as I could allow myself to be.

Tim moved forward a little bit more with another project. Prompted by Beths parents decision to sell their home, he began photographing old photos of her in the house, holding them up against backgrounds in various rooms. It was a way to hold onto the fleeting memories that were becoming fainter with each passing day. The process was exacting and involved fastidiously aligning the photos to their exact spots as if to place Beth in the present again.

Seized with a desire to capture  or recapture  Beth in the moments they had shared, Tim began taking photos of other locations. He called the photos Missing Pieces.

The process helped Tim grapple with his loss and honor Beth. Most photos were accompanied with poignant reflections. Of a blurry black-and-white wedding photo he wrote:

Im amazed how this image guts me as it simultaneously fills my heart with love. The stronger the memory, the more challenging the image is [to handle] like fading memories Im trying so hard to hold on to.

The project became an emotional priority. He wrote in April:

Anyone who might think Im spending too much time still thinking about her (a comment I heard recently) has to remember I thought about her every day for decades.

This past summer, Tim invited his younger brother Max to accompany him on a trip to Europe. He visited places he had never been before, like Iceland, where he left his small memorials to Beth. He also retraced their honeymoon from more than 20 years earlier.

He took Missing Pieces photos in as many places as he could. Beth at Conwy Castle in Wales. Beth on a street in the Netherlands. Beth visiting Notre Dame in Paris. Beth with Tower Bridge behind her.

When he struggled to identify a location, he asked friends online to help. Some places had changed substantially or were under construction. He didnt always get the image he wanted, but when he did it was a triumph.

A particular image in Paris stumped him. He thought it had been taken from a bridge. Instead it was captured on the roof of the Musee dOrsay. By the time he realized his mistake, it was late in the afternoon, and he was scheduled to leave the city in the morning. Tim arrived at the museum near closing time only to be turned away by a guard who refused his pleas to join the last group of visitors.

Tim returned the next day with a scant 59 minutes to get his photo and catch his train. A crowd was already waiting for the museum to open. He listened for American accents. He begged to cut in line. Once inside, he sprinted past famous artworks and up five flights of stairs  to a rooftop balcony that was locked and wouldnt open for another 90 minutes. He begged and pleaded with museum staff to open the door. He showed them his photo. Its my wife. She recently passed away  Please, it will only take a second. I have to catch a train.

###

Today, Tim is back in the classroom at Creighton. He wouldnt say hes happy. He wouldnt even say he has approached a new normal. He just tries to get through every day as best he can. For the time being, hes continuing with the blog and creating his loving tributes.

Of a recent Missing Piece, he noted:

It used to be I missed this face so much when I traveled. It doesnt take traveling to miss this face, anymore. I miss her every day. Every. Single. Day.

Still, the ongoing projects bring Tim some comfort.

I wasnt trying to get to a place where I was magically healed, he said. I was just trying to get to a place where I wasnt so devastated. Distributing her ashes, and taking the photos, I cant say they make me happy, but maybe a little less miserable.

###

Tim Guthrie never intended for his emotional journey and his loving tributes to his late wife, Beth, to be public. Not, at least, in a significant way. His Facebook and blog posts were meant for family and friends. But journalists began contacting him for interviews, and repeatedly, he turned them down. Its been exhausting, he said of the media requests. As the first anniversary of Beths passing approaches, he finally shares his journey here.

Learn about Tim's process for filling his busts and BB's with Beth's ashes here.

Read more about Tims journey at virtualbeth.wordpress.com
The Omaha City Council approved a plan Tuesday under which the city would pay $10.7 million toward the expected $102 million cost of a new University of Nebraska Medical Center training facility.

The Global Center for Advanced Interprofessional Learning will, among other things, offer health care training, education and research with cutting-edge simulation technology.

Itll be built at 42nd and Emile Streets on the UNMC campus and connect via skywalks to the universitys Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education and the Lauritzen Outpatient Center.

The center would house the iEXCEL Program, short for the Interprofessional Experiential Center for Enduring Learning.

The council voted 7-0 to approve the plan.

This is a huge opportunity for our community, said Councilman Chris Jerram, who represents the midtown area.

Of the citys portion of the project, $5.2 million comes from redevelopment bonds and $5.5 million from future city capital spending.

Councilwoman Aimee Melton said she supports the proposal because most of the taxpayer money will go toward infrastructure, including the nearby streets, which benefits other citizens of Omaha.

Weve come out with a very successful, good project and Im proud to be voting yes, she said.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has received an $11.3 million federal grant to set up a center that will study disease-causing miscommunication at the cellular level.

The five-year grant will support UNL's new Center for Integrated Biomolecular Communication.

UNL announced Tuesday that it had received the grant from the National Institutes of Health.

UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green said in a press release that the money would expand UNL's expertise in the subject as well as its collaborations with the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

Diseases such as cancer, diabetes and chronic liver disease can result from cellular miscommunication. UNL said it envisions chemists, engineers, biochemists and others working together through the center to find molecular causes of diseases.

"The goal is to bring together outstanding researchers from several disciplines and to use the center to facilitate an integrated approach," said James Takacs, a UNL professor of chemistry and the center's director. "An interdisciplinary team working together will bring a unique perspective to complex diseases."
CHICAGO  Bill Muir was burning out as an operations manager for a beverage company.

When his brother-in-law used a handgun to kill himself, Muir decided to clean up his sisters place. Her gratitude for his gesture of grit and kindness gave him an idea. Five months later, Muir became a crime-scene cleaner.

I wanted to start helping people, he said. And seeing my sisters face after, I knew this is how I can help.

In starting Bio-One Chicago last year, Muir and his wife, Dawn, joined the ranks of a profession that blends the demeanors of a funeral home director and grief counselor with a construction contractor who has a strong stomach and intimate knowledge of biohazard disposal. It also is a largely unregulated profession, experiencing steady growth fueled by increasing fear of contamination and disease and awareness that the services exist, experts say.

Its a hard thing to do, said Dr. Richard A. Jorgensen, coroner for the Chicago-area DuPage County, who uses Aftermath Services LLC, an area company, to clean the county morgue. Its something thats little-understood.

Bio-One, Aftermath and other companies are called to homicides, suicides, unattended deaths and the homes of hoarders. Sometimes they are asked to clean the interiors of cars and trucks where traumas have occurred. Sometimes they are called to clear meth labs.

When people ask me what I do, they say Wow, and then they get really interested, said Dan Reynolds, who started Chicago Crime Scene Cleanup in 2007 with his wife, Kelly. But I dont think they understand what all goes in to it. They dont understand the emotional side of it.

Potential clients are enduring the worst time of their lives, cleaners say.

Nobody calls me on a good day, Reynolds said. Trying to understand what theyre going through is a big part of it.

When a cleaner arrives at a job site, bodies are gone, but the dreadful signs of what happened remain, including body fluids and matter on floors, walls and ceilings. Insects, rodents, feces and overwhelming odor also can be present.

Muir handled the crime scene of the locally notorious killings of six family members in a brick bungalow in Chicagos Gage Park neighborhood on Feb. 2. Five employees worked for 12 hours to restore the home, Muir said.

At a church service for the victims, Diego Uribe, a relative, hugged Muir and praised him for cleaning the home, Muir recalled. About three months later, Uribe and his girlfriend, Jafeth Ramos, were charged with the killings.

I was dumbfounded, Muir said.

Uribe and Ramos each pleaded not guilty in June and both are scheduled to return to court Sept. 14.

Graphic scenes can crowd the minds of cleaners, and the most jarring of those images involve child victims, Reynolds and Muir said.

You have to be really good at removing yourself from the situation, said Reynolds, 42. Once you put it in terms that youre there to do a job and help the family, it becomes a little easier.

Muir, 48, said he copes with the most nightmarish scenes by visualizing how loved ones of the victim want the room to look after his work  as if the victim never occupied it.

That basically takes me right out of it, he said. You gotta go back to always helping first.

Today 500 to 800 companies specialize in crime- and trauma-scene cleaning nationwide, said Andrew Yurchuck, president of the American Bio Recovery Association, an industry trade group.

There are very few barriers to entry, said Tina Bao, senior vice president of marketing for Aftermath, which has 24 locations throughout the country. Anyone with a bucket and a mop can open a business, she said.

Other reasons for growth include property managers rising unease with cleaning contaminated units, and more cities aiming to clear dangerous residential hoarding.

The result, local crime scene cleaners said, is that business has nearly tripled in recent years.

Cleanup costs of most homicides and suicides confined to one room range from $1,500 to $3,000, Reynolds said. Doing the same for an unattended death  in which the body has been decomposing for days  is more complicated. Those conditions often necessitate that cleaners remove and rebuild floors, walls, ceilings and even ventilation ducts and fans to eliminate odors, fluids and other matter.

Crime-scene cleaners say the work has made them more aware of violence, but also has given them a greater respect for life.

There are days, Reynolds said, that make you lose your faith in humanity and he thinks about leaving the business.

But then something happens with a positive outcome, he said. You get somebody to smile for the first time in a week. Theres something very rewarding about that.
Stocks that are going up tend to keep going up.

Quite a few academic and professional studies have shown that, although theres debate about whether investors can exploit the effect without running up their trading costs too much.

Momentum investing is probably the third-most popular school of investing, after growth (choosing stocks of companies with rapidly increasing earnings) and value (stocks selling below some reasonable estimate of intrinsic value).

Im a value guy, as anyone knows whos read this column during the past 19 years. But recognizing that many folks want to see some momentum, I usually devote two columns a year to stocks that possess both value and momentum.

This column youre reading is the 29th one in that series. The average 12-month return on my recommendations on the 27 columns that have a one-year history has been 15.9 percent. That compares favorably with the average return on the S&P 500 for the same periods, which has been 7.7 percent.

Seventeen of the 27 columns beat the S&P, and 20 showed a profit.

Bear in mind that results for my column picks are theoretical and dont reflect actual trades, trading costs or taxes. The record of my column selections shouldnt be confused with the performance I achieve for clients. And past performance doesnt guarantee future results.

Last year, my selections rose 10.8 percent but trailed the S&Ps 18.9 percent return. Moderate losses in Alaska Air Group Inc. (ALK) and Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. (CTB) pulled down the return.

Here are five new picks that show both value and momentum.

Cisco

With a market value of $157 billion, Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) is the ninth-largest technology company in the U.S., trailing such giants as Apple and Microsoft. Computer networking has always been its forte. These days it also sells servers, web-security products and technical support services.

Ciscos growth, once rapid, has slowed. For that reason its stock sells for only 15 times recent earnings (13 times next years estimates). But the company is still quite profitable, with a 22 percent profit margin. The stock has risen about 19 percent in the past six months.

Baxter

Baxter International Inc. (BAX), based in Deerfield, Illinois, makes kidney dialysis machines, other products to treat kidney disease and a variety of hospital supplies. The stock is up close to 20 percent in the past six months, yet it sells for less than six times the past four quarters earnings.

The low valuation is partly an anomaly. Earnings spiked recently because of the sale of Baxters Baxalta unit (which specialized in treatments for rare diseases). But there are some lasting benefits from the sale. Baxter now has debt of only 37 percent of stockholders equity  the lowest its been in many years.

Sanmina

Sanmina Corp. (SANM) is up 27 percent in six months. Even after that rise, it sells for a paltry five times earnings because its industry has often been characterized by cutthroat competition and low profit margins.

Based in San Jose, California, Sanmina manufactures circuit boards and other electronic assemblies for customers in the technology, defense, automotive and other industries. Its largest customer in 2015 was Alcatel. Sales to the 10 largest customers account for about half of revenue.

Earnings will continue to bounce around, but at its present price I think the stocks a bargain.

Amerisafe

Based in DeRidder, Louisiana, Amerisafe Inc. (AMSF) writes workers compensation insurance policies. Thats another tough business, but Amerisafe has shown a profit 10 years in a row and is having a good year this year.

The stock is up about 14 percent in the past six months, and sells for 14 times earnings. The company is small, with annual revenue around $400 million, and therefore is covered by only four analysts. Three of the four rate it a buy.

Formula Systems

Shares of the Israeli company Formula Systems Ltd. (FORTY) have shot up 36 percent in the past six months, but the stock is still valued at only eight times earnings. The company, with headquarters in Or Yehuda, Israel, installs and troubleshoots companies computer systems and software.

In January, Formula Systems acquired 50 percent of TSG, a small company specializing in military electronic and cybersecurity, and investors seem pleased with that step. Formula Systems itself is small, with 2015 sales of $750 million. As with Sanmina, earnings are volatile. But the company has shown a profit

Disclosure: I own shares in Formula Systems for a few clients. I own Alaska Air Group for most of my clients and personally. Recently I sold Cooper Tire, but owned it (for clients and personally) for much of the past year.

John Dorfman is chairman of Dorfman Value Investments LLC in Newton Upper Falls, Massachusetts, and a syndicated columnist.
KEARNEY  A 28-year-old Kearney woman was charged Tuesday with felony second-degree sexual abuse of a protected individual in connection with two alleged incidents at Kearneys Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center.

Samantha Halstead appeared Tuesday in Buffalo County Court. She has been accused of subjecting a teen to sexual contact at the facility on Aug. 8 and Aug. 22.

Halstead resigned her position as a licensed provisional mental health practitioner, according to a press release from the state Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the youth center.

If convicted, Halstead faces up to three years in prison.

Records detailing the alleged incidents have been sealed. Deputy Buffalo County Attorney Mandi Amy asked that they be sealed because she said the release of the information could jeopardize witness safety.

Judge Gerry Jorgensen set bail for Halstead at $25,000. She posted 10 percent of that amount, or $2,500, and was released. As a condition of her release, Jorgensen forbade Halstead from having contact with her alleged victim.

Halstead was arrested by the Nebraska State Patrol just after 7 p.m. Monday. She is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing in September.

Mark LaBouchardiere, the youth center's administrator, became aware of evidence regarding the alleged activity, officials said, and state officials immediately requested a State Patrol investigation.

Halstead, who was not on campus at the time, was suspended Sunday without pay and restricted from campus and from contact with youths at the center.
Officials from the Omaha Public Schools transportation department and its busing contractor offered apologies Monday night for the busing delays that disrupted the first weeks of school.

School board members and parents have been demanding answers, and while those are starting to come, much of what was offered Monday night were promises to improve.

We have some soul searching to go back and do, said David Prince, the regional vice president of Student Transportation of America, OPSs busing contractor. We have to repair our reputation. The first day of school, we didnt have buses picking up.

The apology was echoed by OPS Superintendent Mark Evans, who said the rocky start to the school year was unacceptable.

Evans said he and district officials felt awful about students left stranded at bus stops or parents who waited anxiously every day to see if their childs bus arrived on time.

What are we going to do to make sure this doesnt happen next year? Evans said. Staff, I guarantee you, will be working hard on that in the next four to five months. No one in this room says its acceptable, and well be looking at every single option available.

School board members grilled district staff and Student Transportation of America officials at the special meeting. It was requested by four board members to try to get to the bottom of ongoing driver shortages and busing problems that began on the first day of school, Aug. 17.

Prince estimated that about 3,000 students were affected. Roughly 18,000 OPS students ride school buses.

Board members pressed Student Transportation of America and OPS employees to improve communication with families, especially those whose routes still dont have a driver.

Those parents still dont know if those buses are coming tomorrow morning, board member Tony Vargas said.

The company and OPS are working to get more drivers trained and certified to cover unassigned routes, officials said. Sixty applicants are currently going through the training program.

Routes have been consolidated, and special education bus drivers, outside contractors and other vendors have been pitching in, but nine routes were still unassigned as of Monday, officials said.

We continue to work to ensure every student is picked up on time each day, said OPS Transportation Director Trevis Sallis. I hope that well see the problems decrease dramatically.

OPS paid Student Transportation of America more than $25 million for general education busing last year. The board voted in March to extend the busing contract through 2019. The district provides its own busing and drivers for special education students.

Several parents spoke out during public comment, saying someone had to be held accountable for late and missing buses.

Jennifer Paytons daughter attends Central High. She was told that there was no driver for her route.

We tell our kids all the time, plan ahead or you plan to fail, she said. And I think this OPS bus situation is a big joke. Why wasnt there anything done to be more proactive to plan for this situation?

Kelly Clarks two children attend North High and Springville Elementary. Their buses started showing up only last week, and transportation hasnt been consistent, she said.

I do not have a neighborhood school, so busing is my only option to get these kids to school, and its just been a concern since day one, she said.

OPS spokeswoman Monique Farmer said last week that principals were working with students and parents to make sure they werent being marked tardy because of bus delays.

In the lead-up to the meeting, OPS and Student Transportation of America traded blame for the busing problems.

On Monday, Patrick Vaughan, the chief operating officer for Student Transportation of America, acknowledged that OPS had provided more notice of busing needs than the company previously had indicated. The district told the company in the spring that more routes would be needed, he said.

Student Transportation of America recruited 40 drivers in the spring, but 60 didnt show up as summer drew to a close, he said. Ultimately, the company was short about 65 drivers from the approximately 500 it needed.

The one thing we didnt predict is the higher turnover than usual, Vaughan said.

In contrast, the Millard Public Schools, which uses the same contractor, saw no turnover among its 61 bus drivers. All reported to work.

Board members said both OPS and Student Transportation of America made missteps, and they urged both sides to work together to get routes established earlier in the summer and make sure there were enough drivers to cover them.

We have to learn from our mistakes, Vargas said.

Board member Justin Wayne asked why the Millard district hasnt experienced similar problems.

Wayne also wondered if savings from consolidated routes could be used to bring in a logistics expert to study the districts bus operations.

Prince, of Student Transportation of America, said the company and the district would work side-by-side to make routes as efficient as possible and build a pipeline of drivers through recruitment and continuous training.

This is a learning experience for both sides, Prince said.

School districts across the country have complained of driver shortages, and Student Transportation of America officials said that shortage was exacerbated locally by Nebraskas low unemployment rate.

Contact the writer: 402-444-1210, erin.duffy@owh.com
COUNCIL BLUFFS - As the inexorable tide of faster, slimmer and easier-to-use gadgets root themselves in our lives, the question for using such advances in the classroom isnt if but how.

For the Council Bluffs Community School District, implementing technology like tablets, lessons on computer coding and more has been a laborious task  one the district believes it is seeing the rewards of over the past five years.

Corey Vorthmann, the districts assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, credits their success to his partnership with Dave Fringer, the districts chief technology officer, who credited Vorthmann right back.

I tend to look at it from the teaching and learning perspective with how technology intersects with the curriculum, Vorthmann said. While (Fringer) does supplementing and supporting with the hardware. Its worked very well.

Vorthmann said five years ago they were presented with a chicken and the egg conundrum: Do they set the mission and goals up first before getting what gadgets they could afford into teachers and students hands, or go with learning plans based on what they could get?

But internet colossus Google pretty much solved that riddle in one fell swoop after building a server farm in town  they donated Chromebook laptops to the district, Vorthmann said.

They were more or less dropped into students hands without much preparation, he said.

That started for the district a five-year process of reverse engineering how to best use its shiny new computers.

We learned a lot on the way. The device is only as good as the instruction that its supplementing, Vorthmann added.

Fringer said he sees newer technology not only replacing textbooks and paper (though thats already happening) but broadening the sheer amount of resources for teachers to use in lessons and freeing up more time for instructors to focus on, well, instructing.

Its instant now. Instant grading of tests, you can give feedback so much faster and know what changes if any are needed to the curriculum, Fringer said. Thats done wonders in terms of efficiency.

Students, not only in Council Bluffs but nearly everywhere, live in technology-enriched environments now, from their cellphones to their computers, Fringer added. Capitalizing on how students use technology to connect with each other is one of the districts next goals in bringing down the walls between the classroom and the rest of the world, he said.

Computers dont hold the same wow factor they used to for kids. Theyre used to them now, Fringer said. Instead we try to create experiences that wouldnt happen for them every day, to show them how the real world is.

One recent example was a class getting to video chat live with one of the students who wore armbands in protest of the Vietnam War in 1965 at Roosevelt High School in Des Moines and were suspended from school in violation of the dress code policy. The case made it all the way to the United States Supreme Court in a famous free speech case, Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent Community School District.

That doesnt happen every day, these kids get to talk with someone like that, Fringer said. Vorthmann said a new initiative towards using icurio, a vast resource database, will help move away from traditional textbooks.

Were one of the only school districts in the state thats part of the Go Open Initiative, Vorthmann said.

That program, which provides open licensed resources to schools, will help the district find the best information to put into teachers hands. Our district, its not like a Big Brother bureaucracy with tech leading curriculum or the other way around, Vorthmann said. Its much more collaborative, and I dont think that happens in most districts.
Carrie Zoucha has seen the impact Habitat for Humanity has on a local level, and the Papillion resident will again witness the kind of global impact Habitat for Humanity can make.

Zoucha is one of a dozen employees and customers through First National Bank who will travel to Bulgaria in late September to build Habitat homes for families in need.

Zoucha, who has worked for First National Bank for 21 years, made her first Humanity Global Trip to Romania in 2012.

I started working with Habitat about four years ago and fell in love immediately, Zoucha said. We are big supporters of Habitat and they are always looking for passionate people who want to make these trips.

Its amazing that we get to build so many homes across the U.S. and we see how big of a need it is globally to be able to provide safe, affordable housing.

Zoucha, a Gross Catholic High School graduate, and her team will spend 10 days in Bulgaria, beginning Sept. 24, and work on one home. They will be working on a home about 20 miles north of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.

Zoucha is one of six FNB employees, five from Omaha and another from Fort Collins, Colo., making the trip. There were also six FNB customers selected from four states to represent the bank on the trip. Zoucha said all but two of the group have made global build trips before.

She said a typical work day begins around 8 a.m. and wraps up about 4 or 5 p.m. She said the kind of work they will be doing depends on what stage of completion the house is at when they arrive.

We just jump in wherever needed, she said. They give us a hammer or paintbrush and we go to work.

She said there are events planned for the evening that will allow the group to immerse ourselves in the culture.

Its really a great way to travel, she added. You get to see things you wouldnt see as a tourist and you get to experience the culture and give back to the community.

Zoucha is most proud when she sees the impact a new home has on a family.

There is a lot of pride taken by these families when they get their home, she said. Im really looking forward to our customers getting to experience this.
A 72-year-old Texas man was killed Monday and two others were injured in a two-vehicle crash north of Auburn, Nebraska.

The Nemaha County Sheriffs Office said Lester Maciej of Round Rock died in the 2:30 p.m. crash on U.S. Highway 75 about 5 1/2 miles north of Auburn.

Maciej was southbound on Highway 75 in a 1999 Lexus when he crossed the center line. His car collided with a northbound 2016 Freightliner semitrailer truck driven by Bryant Olson, 52, of Springfield, Missouri, the Sheriffs Office said.

Maciej was pronounced dead at the scene, the Sheriffs Office said.

A passenger in the Lexus, Jeanne Maciej, 70, and Olson suffered injuries that werent considered life-threatening. They were taken to Nemaha County Hospital in Auburn.

All three people were wearing seat belts, the Sheriffs Office said.

The crash remains under investigation by the Sheriffs Office and the Nebraska State Patrol.
No one won the guerrilla war in Colombia. The conflict dragged on for decades, killing 220,000 people and destroying many more lives. Thats Colombias tragedy.

Now there is hope, and a lesson: how two sides, accepting that neither would prevail in battle, can find peace by talking.

The deal to end hostilities between Colombias government and the rebels of FARC is such a marvel of compromise and trust between bitter foes that bells should ring around the world, especially in those places where civil war rages: Yes, its possible to resolve an entrenched, stalemated conflict through negotiation. In the Middle East as well? Well, someday there, too, we hope.

The Colombia settlement isnt unprecedented, which is part of its allure. There are similar cases, creating an instruction manual of sorts for potential success ending war.

The Northern Ireland peace process worked, and holds. South Africa came together after apartheid.

In each of those cases, the end to fighting included a promise to heal wounds through a truth and reconciliation process, in which the participants acknowledge their roles in violence and other wrongdoing, providing victims with closure. Truth commissions set the record straight for the sake of history at the cost of pursuing legal charges against individuals.

They worked in South Africa but didnt get off the ground in Northern Ireland.

A version of that process is a key component to Colombias peace plan. Should the rebels and soldiers and others sit before their country to confess their crimes, it will be an extraordinarily emotional moment for Colombia. This was a bloody conflict dating to 1963 that involved killings, kidnappings, torture, extortion and other traumas.

FARC, a leftist insurgency officially known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, sought to overthrow the government. Right-wing paramilitaries, FARC drug trafficking and assassinations were big parts of the mix.

Representatives of FARC and the government met over the course of four years in Havana to try to find peace.

The deal they came away with required ego-crushing sacrifices by both sides. FARC relinquished its aim to displace the political and economic system of Colombia. The government was forced to recognize that it could not vanquish FARC or even imprison its leaders.

Their agreement, announced last week, calls for FARC members to disarm. Guerrillas and government forces will appear before a tribunal, and if they hold back nothing in their testimony, they will avoid jail time, agreeing to an alternate form of restricted liberty such as community service. FARC members will get compensation, and the group will morph into a political party with guaranteed participation in the legislature for several years. The government promises to invest more in rural areas.

This peace deal is controversial. The current president sees a new stage in history for Colombia. A former president says the terrorists are getting away with war crimes.

That disagreement matters because the deal must be approved in a referendum Oct. 2. If voters approve and the accord sticks, Colombia will get a better future. If it fails, war may reignite.

So much work went into this agreement, and so much is at stake, that optimism seems warranted. Mostly for Colombias sake, but a little for the rest of the world. Maybe even the Middle East.
Kalaburgi murder: A year on, probe still stuck in a loop

Bengaluru

oi-Vicky

Bengaluru, Aug 30: It has been a year since rationalist, Prof M M Kalaburgi was shot dead. While campaigns have begun seeking justice for the slain rationalist, the probe into his murder appears to be in a loop.

Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah said that the investigating team would crack the case soon.

The probe, if one were to look at it, is stuck in a loop and is largely dependent on the ongoing probe into the murders of rationalists, Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar who were killed in Maharashtra.

Bengaluru: Why is the murder of Professor M M Kalburgi not a state subject?

In a loop

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) which is probing the case has found similarities in the murders of Pansare, Dabholkar and Kalaburgi. The closest that the CID got to the accused was following the arrest of Virendra Tawde. He was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

CID officials say that they had sourced the bullets and cartridges used in the murders of Pansare and Dabholkar. The CID was able to link the murders based on Ballistic fingerprinting. Forensics also revealed that the markings on bullets and cartridges fired from the gun used to kill Dabholkar, and one of the two guns used to kill Pansare, were identical.

Further a second gun which was used in the murder of Pansare was also found to be similar to the one used in the Kalaburgi killing. The CBI which is probing the Pansare case has sought the opinion of an international agency. Once the report is available the CID in Karnataka too would get more information.

The CID which is probing the role of the Sanathan Sanstha is also focusing on the four missing persons involved in the Goa 2009 blasts. Jai Prakash, Rudra Patil, Sarang Kulkarni and Praveen Limkar are under the scanner of the investigators.

The CID is also probing the conversation between Tawde and Akolkar. It was found that the name of Kalaburgi had cropped up during the discussions between these persons.

OneIndia News
In a first, two inmates of Institute of Mental Health tie the knot

Bandh in Tamil Nadu over Karnataka's refusal to release Cauvery water

Chennai

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Chennai, Aug 30: Tamil Nadu is witnessing a state-wide bandh today, with shops and establishments mainly in the Cauvery basin region remaining shut, as farmers protest demanding that Karnataka release Cauvery water for their farmlands. Some 1,000 farmers have been arrested in connection with the bandh, reports from Tamil Nadu said.

The road and rail roko protests have the backing of the opposition DMK, TMC, Congress as well as AAP.

Meanwhile, fearing violence and damage to public property, Karnataka has stopped inter-state bus services between the two states.

A Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation official said buses were plying only upto the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border town of Hosur.

Tamil Nadu had sought the release of 50 tmcft of water from Karnataka for Samba crop irrigation, as per the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, for 2016-17.

Mahadayi row: Karnataka files SLP in apex court

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said, however, that the state is facing a "distress situation" currently in the Cauvery catchment area and is not in a position to release water for Tamil Nadu's farms.

Following this, Tamil Nadu filed a plea in the apex court on August 22 seeking direction to Karnataka to release water within 10 days.

While the Supreme Court is yet to say anything in the matter, Siddaramaiah has said that Karnataka will stand its ground on the matter.

Siddaramaiah, who held an all-party meeting on the issue last week, believes that Tamil Nadu has approached the Supreme Court citing the overall rainfall situation in Karnataka rather than taking into account the "distress situation" in the Cauvery catchment area.

"We will explain the ground reality to the Supreme Court. We have so far released 29 TMC ft to Tamil Nadu despite our difficult situation. Water in Tamil Nadu's Mettur dam is upto 34 tmcft and they can manage the situation. We are in a crisis", he said.

[Read: Not in a position to release Cauvery water for TN: Siddaramaiah]

[Read: Cauvery water release: Karna govt says no to TN, Oppn supports]

OneIndia News
TN boy starts online begging campaign to bribe officials

Chennai

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Villupuram, Aug 30: The online begging campaign of a 15-year old teen in Tamil Nadu to bribe the village administrative officer in order to sanction the funeral expenses of his father, who died 10 months ago, has reverberated through social media.

Pending enquiry, the VAO was relieved of all charges till further evidence against him was made available. Identified as Ajith Kumar, the boy resorted to begging to collect a sum of Rs 3,000 to get a sanction of Rs 12,500 from the VAO.

On further enquiry, RDO S Senthamarai said that the government had released a cheque in the name of the boy's mother- 40 year old K Vijaya who had settled with her elder son in Mumbai. Her daughter was settled in Villupuram district after marriage, while Ajith was staying with his grandparents in the village.

Senthamarai further said, "In this case, Vijaya is the beneficiary who can claim the compensation. The cheque was drawn in her name. She must have approached the officer concerned to receive the cheque.A minor boy demanding a cheque in the absence of genuine beneficiary creates suspicion. However, the dis trict administration relieved the VAO of all administrative charges to ensure fair inquiry. We will also make a thorough inquiry whether the officer demanded bribe."

On the second day of his begging campaign, a team of police and revenue officials reached the village and spoke to him. "The officials advised him not to resort to such campaigns and directed him to wait until the completion of inquiry . He received 1,800 from the people yesterday and another 1,000 today until he was prevented from continuing the campaign," said one of the officers.

Revenue officials believe that a section of his neighbours and family members misguided him in the absence of his mother, who is the real beneficiary?.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, August 30, 2016, 11:51 [IST]
#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...
Pawan Kalyan aiming to emerge as a force in AP politics?

Hyderabad

oi-PTI

Vijayawada, Aug 29: After his impromptu public meeting in Tirupati last week, Telugu film star and Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan has thrown up the question if he is really serious about his next course of action and seeks to emerge as a force to reckon with in Andhra Pradesh?

Ironically, Kalyan alone can answer those questions through his actions as promised after September 9. "I am here to question any injustice (to people)" was Kalyan's avowed refrain when he launched Jana Sena in March, 2014.

Many opportunities came his way to do that in the last two years but Kalyan limited himself only to "tweeting" occasionally on one or two issues and virtually staying away from making any public appearance, except when farmers in the new capital region hit the streets against "forcible" acquisition of their land.

His last tweet was on April 30 wherein he appealed to the Centre to grant special category state status to AP and not let people take to the streets over the issue. Taking everyone by surprise, he conducted a public meeting unannounced in Tirupati last Saturday and criticised the Centre for not granting special status to AP.

He also took the ruling TDP to task for "not fighting" against the Centre on the issue. As he remained silent over the months, there had been talk in political circles that the BJP might be luring Kalyan and, possibly, his eldest brother and actor Chiranjeevi into its fold with a larger plan to tame the TDP, winning the goodwill of the Kapu community.

Analysts have claimed that Chandrababu Naidu rode back to power in 2014 mainly due to the support from the Kapus and their sub-sects. Kalyan sought to put an end to this speculation, maintaining that he had turned down the offer made by BJP chief Amit Shah to join his party. Kalyan, despite his announcement two years ago, has so far not built the Jana Sena organisation, still remaining the lone warrior, though his fans are presumably his "soldiers-in-arm".

When he launched Jana Sena, Kalyan had announced that he would quit the film career after completing a couple of pending projects but later he changed his mind and said he would continue to do the movies as he had no other means of income.

PTI

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, August 30, 2016, 15:34 [IST]
Karnataka to survey all Arabic schools to check if on same page as state board

Bengaluru cops script filmy climax for Kirloskar MD's son's abductors

India

oi-Shreyas

By H S Shreyas

Bengaluru, Aug. 30: It was all done in filmy -- shall we say Sandalwood -- style. A gang of five, led by a 'producer' and an 'actor', abducts a prominent industrialist's son and demands ransom to fund a movie that they are desperate to make. But while they start the drama, police write the screenplay and climax. As in the movies, good wins over evil.

Yelahanka police on Monday arrested five men, including a small-time Kannada actor Muniyappa, alias Eshwar, 29, and 'producer' Hasan Dhongri, 26, for kidnapping Kirloskar Electric Company Ltd., Managing Director Vinayak 's son Ishan Bapat for ransom.

The gang kidnapped the 19-year-old Engineering student from a restaurant, where he was dining with his girlfriend, on August 23. The motive was to collect ransom money from his industrialist father to fund a movie which would be 'produced by' Hasan Dhongri and star Muniyappa as the 'hero'.

The gang proved to be amatuers, however. The police quickly got on their trail and by that night had narrowed down the search for Bapat to a narrow area. Feeling the heat, the kidnappers released Bapat the next morning and he reached home.

"The gang kidnapped Bapat on August 23 from an eatery when he was with his girlfriend, but when we intensified the search and tracked their movements, they released Bapat near Jalahalli and fled," said Bengaluru Police Commissioner Megharik.

The police chief clarified that no ransom was paid for the boy's release.

But the kidnappers did not stop at that. They started to demand Rs. 50 lakh from Bapat's girlfriend, threatening to otherwise reveal her relationship with him to their parents.

"The gang thought they could blackmail the girl and demanded Rs. 50 lakh for keeping quiet about her relationship with Bapat", DCP (North-East) P.S. Harsha told OneIndia.

The Yelahanka police quickly got into action again. They told the girl to agree to the gang's demand and arrange the rendevous.

But who would ferry her to the location?

Sub-Inspector Naveen dressed up as an auto-driver, and his constables as cab drivers. While Naveen drove the girl close to the rendevous location but out of sight of the gang, the constables surrounded the location while hiding at a distance.

It was then that the girl started the drama. She picked a regular commuter-auto driver quarrel with Naveen. As they argued loudly over the fare, the girl called up Hasan Dhongri to help resolve the matter and take his money.

As soon as Dhongri came closer, Naveen pounced on him and nabbed him. Based on his information, the 'cab-drivers' rounded up the rest of the gang.

The other three arrested are Jagadish, 32, Jagannatha, 19, and Manoj, 19. Preliminary investigation had revealed that Muniyappa had acted in a Kannada movie (Challenger) and met Dhongri during the film shooting. As the latter wanted to produce a movie but did not have money, he had plotted the kidnap.

The five were produced before a local court and remanded to police custody for further interrogation.

OneIndia News
Congress Mukt Bharat soon to become a reality: Here is how Twitterati reacted

Bharat Bandh: Friday Strike on as Left Unions reject Jaitley's wage hike

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

New Delhi, Aug 30: The central trade unions on Tuesday refused to call off the proposed Bharat Bandh on Friday hours after Finance minister Arun Jaitley announced a hike in minimum wages for non-agricultural workers from Rs. 246 a day to Rs. 350 and agreed to some of the unions' other demands.

Bharat Bandh on Sept. 2: Unions refuse to call off strike

Banks, government offices, factories, public transport to be shut on Sept. 2

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) leader Tapan Sen described the hike in daily wages as "status quo" and said there was "no question of calling off the strike". The unions contend that states like Delhi and Karnataka already offer better wages than that.

On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met Jaitley, Labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya and Power minister Piyush Goyal to see what the government could offer to the unions so that they called off the strike on Friday.

If the unions go ahead with the strike, banks, government offices and factories across the country would be shut. In several states, public transport will also be shut.

RBI employees to join September 2 industrial strike

The unions have been pressing for 12 major demands, including hiking minimum wages to Rs. 18,000 a month. One of the sticking points is also the government opening up to foreign investments in Insurance and Defence.

The bandh may not be total, however, as the RSS-affiliated Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), has decided not to be part of the strike, with its leaders, who have had special meetings with the government since July, saying the government has accepted many of the demands.

Last September, too, the BMS had withdrawn from the strike call given by the unions at the last moment.
Induction of Congress MLAs into BJP is death of Parrikar's legacy, says outgoing Goa deputy CM

Swaraj, Parrikar, Ananth Kumar: BJP has lost some of its tallest leaders recently

This Goa's Parra village suspends 'photography tax' imposed on Tourists for clicking photos

Goa Election 2022: Manohar Parrikar's son Utpal gets thumbs up from Shiv Sena, AAP

News Flash: Chhattisgarh CM holds class for students

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Aug 30: US Secretary of State John Kerry to meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today.

Get all the latest news updates of the day:

10.54 pm: There were 4 students who didnt have toilets in their houses, & we promised that Govt will get them built in a month, says Chhattisgarh CM

10.50 pm: Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh conducts class for students of Govt State High School.

10.42 pm: The car just touched the auto rickshaw. If it had rammed into the rickshaw, the car also would have been damaged, says BJP MLA Narendra Mehta.

10.40 pm: BJP MLA Narendra Mehta's wife rams newly gifted Lamborghini into an auto rickshaw, in Maharashtra (Aug 27th).

WATCH: BJP MLA Narendra Mehta's wife rams newly gifted Lamborghini into an auto rickshaw, in Maharashtra (Aug 27th)https://t.co/k1HAvFJTOe  ANI (@ANI_news) August 30, 2016

7.25 pm: US stands in strong partnership with India against all terrorism, says John Kerry on Pak sponsored terrorism in India.

7.24 pm: This also includes the new insolvency and bankruptcy code and the decision to raise FDI caps in key sectors, says US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker.

7.23 pm: We also discussed making it easier for Indian travellers to enter the US, says John Kerry.

7.18 pm: To prevent diseases we intend to start clinical trials for vaccines against Tuberculosis and Dengi: US Secy of State John Kerry.

7.15 pm: US will do more to help India to upgrade its power grid, says US Secretary of State John Kerry.

7.07 pm: Wide ranging talks reaffirmed that when 2 such democracies get together we can not only make a change for our citizens but for world, says J Kerry.

7.05 pm: We agreed that nations must not maintain double standards, such as the categorization of good and bad terrorists: Swaraj.

7.04 pm: You (Sushma Swaraj) have always lived up to the reputation as a fierce advocate of India's interest and its citizens: Secretary Kerry.

7.02 pm: This interaction has strengthened the US-India relationship; I hope it contributes to the world at large, says Swaraj.

6.58 pm: Secretary Kerry and I agreed that Pak needs to take fast track actions to catch perpetrators of 2008 Mumbai attack and 2016 Pathankot attack, says Swaraj.

6.52 pm: 4 killed & 3 injured after being hit by a lightning bolt in Morigaon district of Assam.

6.49 pm: Protesters chanted slogans "down with Pak, long live Nawab Brahumdagh Bugti" and against the Chinese intervention in Baloch soil.

6.15 pm: Artistic idols of Ganpati and Lord Shiva hit market ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi in Nagpur.

6.00 pm: They can use sea water, desalinate it.They(DMK AIADMK) are cinema people,they don't know policy, says S Swamy on Cauvery issue.

5.43 pm: PM alerted the DD Cameraman who was positioned at a spot where water was to pass; camera and tripod later recovered.

5.31 pm: Close shave for DD Cameraman as PM alerts him to move spot just as water was released at Aji Dam in Jamnagar, Gujarat.

5.25 pm: Prime accused in the attack case of BJP leader Brijpal Tevatia has been arrested by Ghaziabad Police.

5.19 pm: Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung appoints a three Member committee to examine over 400 files submitted by the Delhi Govt.

5.18 pm: I am upset that people incite other people & kids to create unrest, they use small kids as shields: J&K CM.

4.51 pm: 2 died, many injured after a mud-house collapsed due to heavy rainfall in Dhalai District of Tripura.

4.50 pm: Uttarakhand High Court says, no arrest for Rakesh Roshan till the next hearing, which is on September 19.

4.47 pm: SC will hear on 6th Sept, 16 home buyers' plea seeking refund of money for the stalled twin towers at Emerald Court in Noida's Sector 93A.

4.23 pm: We have decided to raise the min. wage for unskilled non-agricultural workers for 'C' category areas at Rs.350/day, says Arun Jaitley.

4.00 pm: We hope the next US administration will continue to support the Paris agreement with the same seriousness and purpose as you have done: Sushma Swaraj.

3.58 pm: I hope that you will treat the issue of India's membership to APEC forum positively, says Sushma Swaraj in plenary session with John Kerry.

3.57 pm: We hope to see our civil nuclear co-op take shape in form of new reactors that deliver reliable electricity to Indian households, says John Kerry.

3.52 pm: But Im very confident that we'll continue to strengthen what President Obama has called "defining partnership of the 21st century", says John Kerry.

3.50 pm: We are working to bring new technologies to help India meet its ambitious renewable energy targets: US Secretary of State John Kerry.

3.48 pm: Honoured to be back in Delhi and participate in the 2nd Strategic and Commercial Dialogue: US Secretary of State John Kerry.

3.41 pm: I hope evreyone here will take pride in everything we have accomplished in recent years, says US Secretary of State John Kerry.

3.40 pm: Sushma Swaraj at the opening plenary session with US Secretary of State John Kerry.

3.37 pm: Central Government employees to get 2 years bonus which was pending, says FM Arun Jaitley.

3.33 pm: Centre has decided to write to all states regarding compliance of Contract workers law, says Arun Jaitley.

3.26 pm: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley addresses media in Delhi.

3.03 pm: I was suffering from fever & body pain. I did not force students, they did it intentionally: Teacher Anup Minj.

2.57 pm: Maharastra Govt scraps 94 irrigation contracts due to pending ACB investigation in them.

2.37 pm: Two girls thrash an alleged drunk eve teaser in Bhubaneswar (Odisha).

2.00 pm: Class 10th students give foot massage to Govt school teacher in Jashpur (Chhattisgarh)

1.42 pm: We took up the issue of better road connectivity across India and particularly in the villages: PM Narendra Modi.

1.20 pm: Supreme Court issues notice to Maharashtra Government over new law for dance bar licenses. State government has to reply within 6 weeks.

1.18 pm: Andhra Pradesh: Kanchi Seer Jayendra Saraswathi rushed to the hospital in Vijayawada, following a spurt in his blood pressure.

1.10 pm: The water table of Gujarat which was falling began to rise. Check dams were built in large numbers: PM Modi.

1.08 pm: Whatever I learnt in Gujarat has helped me a lot when I went to Delhi, says PM Modi in Jamnagar.

1.05 pm: Grateful to Guj Govt for inviting me to programme (inauguration of SAUNI project), which is of great imp: PM Modi.

1.03 pm: PM Narendra Modi speaking at the inauguration of SAUNI project in Jamnagar (Gujarat).

12.40 pm: Delhi High Court issues notices to Delhi Govt and municipal corporations over rising cases of Dengue in the city. Hearing on September 7.

12.00 pm: Telangana State Assembly passes the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Constitutional Amendment Bill.

11.55 am: PM Narendra Modi inaugurates the first phase of SAUNI project at Aji Dam site in Jamnagar, Gujarat

PM Narendra Modi inaugurates the first phase of SAUNI project at Aji Dam site in Jamnagar, Gujarat pic.twitter.com/SycC8yzWN6  ANI (@ANI_news) August 30, 2016

11.34 am: CRPF submits proposal to government to appoint Rio Olympics silver Medallist PV Sindhu as the brand ambassador/Commandant of CRPF.

11.20 am: Kyrgyzstan's deputy PM confirms Chinese embassy blast was caused by a suicide bomber.

11.05 am: Due to bad weather, PM Narendra Modi travels by road to reach SAUNI project site from Jamnagar.

10.45 am: PM Narendra Modi arrives in Jamnagar

PM Narendra Modi arrives in Jamnagar pic.twitter.com/f7mbkse3xD  ANI (@ANI_news) August 30, 2016

10.20 am: Explosion at Chinese Embassy in Kyrgyzstan leaves several dead, wounded, Interfax cites local emergency ministry.

10.08 am: Delhi Police arrest 8 people on suspicion of human trafficking from Delhi. They've been booked under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.

9.55 am: Agusta middleman Michel says he is reluctant to come to India fearing detention.

9.28 am: Bangladesh Supreme Court upholds the death sentence for Jamaat e Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali for 1971 War crimes.

9.15 am: Turkish President Erdogan and US President Barack Obama are likely to meet in China on the sidelines of G20 summit.

8.55 am: Narendra Modi to launch the 1st phase of Saurashtra Narmada Avataran for Irrigation project at Dhrol taluka (Gujarat), today.

8.35 am: Two storey building collapses due to heavy rain in Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur. Two dead, seven injured.

8.00 am: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar signs the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement with the USA.

7.55 am: US Secretary of State John Kerry to meet Sushma Swaraj today.

OneIndia News
JNU bars Rama Naga, 20 other students from voting in union polls

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Aug 30: JNU students who were found guilty of violating university norms in connection with the controversial February 9, 2016 incident will not be able to cast their votes in the student union polls before they pay their fines.

The names of the 21 students, who have been imposed varied penalty for their alleged role in the sedition row, have been dropped from the voter list for the student union polls scheduled on September 9.

"When the voter lists were put up today by the election commission of JNU we found that our names are not included in the list. As per the standard provision, we went to the administrative officer to get our names included in the list but were told that they have struck off our names because of fines pending against us in the February 9 incident," JNUSU member Rama Naga said.

"The administration has been creating hurdles in our academic activities for the last six months. The punishment order was issued to us on August 23, 2016 and the 15-day time frame given to us to pay the fines is yet to expire. We also have the option to go to court against the decision," he added.

JNUSU joint secretary Saurabh Sharma, who is the lone ABVP member in the union, levelled similar allegations.

The election commissioner for the JNUSU polls said the poll body has no role to play in the matter and concerned students need to get clearance from the administrative officers (AOs) of their respective departments to get their names included in the list.

"There are laid down procedures for the same and I am legally bound to follow them. Unless the AOs give clearance I cannot include their names in the list. So they should submit their complaint or request to their respective departments," Ishita Mana, the newly appointed chief election commissioner for the polls said.

The appellate authority, which heard the pleas of the 21 JNU students who were penalised in connection with the controversial February 9 event, had last week found all of them guilty of indiscipline even as the financial penalty imposed on some of them has been reduced.

The 21 students were slapped with varied punishments ranging from rustication, hostel debarment to financial penalty on basis of the probe by the HLEC which found them guilty of violation of disciplinary norms.

Three students including JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar were arrested in a sedition case filed over the event on campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.

The schedule for the JNUSU elections was announced on Monday and the last date to file nominations is Wednesday.

PTI

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, August 30, 2016, 22:58 [IST]
Karnataka to survey all Arabic schools to check if on same page as state board

Mahadayi row: Karnataka files SLP in apex court

India

oi-Shreyas

By H S Shreyas

Bengaluru, Aug 30: The Karnataka government has filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the apex court challenging the Mahadayi water dispute tribunal's July 27 order rejecting the state's plea for 7 tmcft of water from the Mahadayi river. Goa had opposed the release of the water for Karnataka.

Karnataka, which needs the water for its Kalasa-Banduri Nala drinking water project, had observed a bandh on July 30 against the tribunal's interim order.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had earlier written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to intervene in the matter. But the decision to file the SLP was taken at an all-party meeting convened by the chief minister, despite Karnataka's legal team, led by senior advocate Fali S. Nariman, advising against it, .

OneIndia News
NGOs lose permit but find a new way to move money into India

India

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, Aug 30: Several NGOs have come under the scanner for violating the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act. The Union Home Ministry has cancelled the permits of 10,000 out of the 34,000 NGOs registered. However, now the Home Ministry has written to the Finance Ministry asking it stop registering NGOs under the Foreign Exchange Management Act or FEMA.

FEMA according to the home ministry is being used by several NGOs which were found to be violating the FCRA. The Home Ministry has noticed that several NGOs abroad are registered under FEMA. They use this provision and disburse funds into their liaison offices in India. This is in violation of FCRA, the Home Ministry says.

Home Ministry officials tell OneIndia that FEMA is regulated by the Finance Ministry. This is causing a problem to keep tabs and also act against NGOs which are registered under FEMA. The home ministry will now write to the Finance Ministry to give up its powers to monitor the NGOs that are registered under FEMA.

The Home Ministry says that since it is the finance ministry which monitors NGOs registered under FEMA, taking action becomes tough. Let FCRA be the only legislation for registration of NGOs so that there is more accountability and the violations can be flagged, the Home Ministry will state in its letter to the finance ministry.

Intelligence Bureau officials say that they noticed in the past couple of months that several NGOs had started using FEMA to move money into their liaison offices in India. This was being done by at least 67 NGOs which had lost its FCRA licenses, the IB also noted.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 30, 2016, 13:02 [IST]
'We demand for RSS to be banned too', says Congress MP on PFI Ban

What to make out of Muslim-Bhagwat meet?

RSS-backed BBSM to float a party in Goa, to contest polls

India

oi-PTI

Panaji, Aug 30: In a significant development, RSS-backed Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch today said that it will float a political party to contest the Goa Legislative Assembly elections next year and field candidates on 35 seats of the 40.

"The political front which BBSM would be floating will go it alone in the poll. We can join hands with Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) if they withdraw support to BJP," RSS Goa chief Subhash Velingkar told reporters here.

BBSM has been demanding that regional languages (Konkani and Marathi) be made the Medium of Instruction in Goa's elementary schools, and Government should stop the grants of English medium schools.

"BBSM will also hold talks with other regional parties which support withdrawal of grants given to English medium schools," BBSM political cell incharge Uday Bhembre said.

Bhembre said as of now 35 out of the 40 Assembly constituencies in Goa have been shortlisted where BBSM has a stronghold and has a candidate. In the remaining five constituencies -- Nuvem, Benaulim, Cuncolim, Quepem and Velim -- the ground work is on, he said.

Bhembre said that MGP should sever the ties with the ruling BJP by September 30 and join hands with BBSM.

To a question, Velingkar said RSS has always been with BBSM in its fight to protect regional languages.

"RSS, during its all-India meeting in March last year had resolved to protect the mother-tongue and promote education in the mother-tongue," he said.

PTI

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 30, 2016, 12:48 [IST]
Nothing will change in Congress: For Gandhis, power stays but the onus shifts

Sonia hails canonisation of Mother Teresa

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Aug 30: Congress President Sonia Gandhi today hailed the proposed canonisation of Mother Teresa and said she would have attended the sacred ceremony at Vatican on September 4 if not been unwell.

In a letter, she thanked Pope Francis for granting recognition to Mother Teresa's work and said "it is homage to the woman who was the very embodiment of boundless compassion, mercy and grace."

Gandhi said, "Every citizen of India, including our nearly 20 million Catholics takes immense pride and joy on the recognition of Your Holiness and the Catholic Church of Mother Teresa's profound nobility of soul, purity of purpose, and service to God through service to humanity."

The Congress chief said the canonisation ceremony is an occasion for all Indians to give deep thanks that she spent her life in India, serving the poorest and the neediest.

"It is an occasion for us to draw inspiration from her life of selfless service, to learn from her how to practice compassion and loving kindness in our everyday lives; and to remind us that it is our foremost duty to do whatever we can to help ease the suffering and pain of our fellow human beings," the letter said.

Gandhi said Mother Teresa remains one of the "most revered, loved and admired" figures in India who was honoured with the highest award of Bharat Ratna.

She said senior Congress leaders Margaret Alva and Louzinho Faleiro would be representing the party at the ceremony to be held in the Vatican on September 4, when Pope Francis will declare Mother Teresa of Kolkata, a "saint".

PTI

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 30, 2016, 17:14 [IST]
7th Pay Commission: No hike confirmed, but productivity linked bonus on its way

Good news! Central government employees to get two years' pending bonus

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, Aug 30: Some 33 lakh employees of the central government had reason to cheer on Tuesday with the government announcing their annual bonus that has been pending for two years.

"The bonus entitlement for 2014-15 and 2015-16 will be released on the revised norms for central government employees. This was pending for two years. After this, the bonus will be covered under the 7th Pay Commission," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters here.

The Bonus Amendment Act will be implemented strictly, Jaitley said at the press conference on charter of demands of Central Trade Unions.

The conference was also attended by Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and Power Minister Piyush Goyal.

As a measure to dissuade trade unions from going on strike on September 2, the government has also decided to raise the daily minimum wage for unskilled non-agricultural workers for 'C' category areas to Rs 350 from the earlier Rs 112.

Further, Jaitley said the government will write to all states regarding compliance of contract workers law.

The registration of the contract workers and their staffing agencies is mandatory as per law and states will be advised to strictly implement the same.

The issue of giving social security benefit to the unorganised sector (e.g., Anganwadi, Mid-day meal, Asha, Volunteers etc.) will be examined by a committee which will give its report at the earliest, Jaitley said.

Advisories will be issued to all the state governments to ensure that registration of trade unions takes place within 45 days.

"We have had meeting with trade unions individually and collectively. We have had discussions with trade unions. We have had meeting with all trade unions," Jaitley told reporters.

Jaitley also allayed fears of the public sector bank employees who are opposing the merger of State Bank of India with associate banks, saying that the merger will not affect the service conditions of bank workers.

A spokesperson for the BJP-affliated trade union Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) told IANS that they have called off the September 2 strike as the government has conceded a number of their demands in the charter.

BMS, in a statement separately, also directed all its affiliate unions, members and well wishers not to participate in any strike on September 2.

"BMS strongly feels that the outcome of the talks was the most fruitful and great achievement for Indian workers in the recent past. The BMS expresses its sincere thanks to the Government of India for taking right decisions," the trade union said.

Tuesday's announcements by the government were the outcome of an emergency meeting here on Monday, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to decide on the demands of the trade unions to pre-empt the September 2 strike.

IANS
Balochistan: Despite large gas reserves, Pak ensures people cook on wood fire

International

oi-Vicky

Balochistan has large gas reserves, but the women of the region are forced to cook on wood fires. This is the irony of the place and Pakistan is leaving no stone unturned to make the people of the region into a minority.

The Balochistan movement has gained momentum after Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue during his Independence Day address.

What Modi sarkar has in plan for PoK refugees?

In a recent march by the activists of the Free Balochistan Movement, several atrocities being committed by Pakistan were highlighted. Other issues that were highlighted include the Gwadar port on which the people of Balochistan were not consulted.

High in gas reserves, but women cook on wood fires

The activists say that there are no schools, hospitals and Pakistan is doing nothing for the benefit of the people. Even in 21st century, Baloch women are forced to cook on wood fires, although the province has largest gas reserves, the activists point out.

Pakistan is trying to build what it calls an 'economic corridor' Balochistan's Gawadar port to coast to China. The Baloch were not consulted hence the so called corridor is not being built with the agreement of Baloch people.

India's Balochistan plan- 'Don't stop till Pakistan gives up'

Further the activists say that most of the funds that Pakistan receives is used for disruptive activities. They bring to the notice of the world that the F-16 aircrafts and the Cobra attack helicopters are not used to fight against terrorism, but to kill the people of Balochistan.

The activists also accuse the Pakistan military of inflicting brutalities on the people of Balochistan. Pakistan forces brutal torture, murder and then dumps the dead bodies of abducted Baloch or buries them in mass graves.

Amnesty International calls this a "Kill and Dump Policy."

About 20,000 Baloch have been abducted and disappeared and many of the abducted Baloch were found dead. Over 100,000 forced to live like refugees in their own country because their villages were bombed and burned by Pakistani army, the activists also say.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 30, 2016, 10:36 [IST]
Bangladesh SC upholds Jamaat stalwart's death sentence

International

oi-PTI

Dhaka, Aug 30: Bangladesh's Supreme Court on Tuesday (Aug 30) upheld the death sentence it handed down to senior Jamaat-e-Islami leader and key financier Mir Quasem Ali for committing war crimes during the country's 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan.

The five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha pronounced a single-word judgement in the court room. "Rejected," said top judge, who is the first Hindu to occupy the post in the Muslim-majority country, about 64-year-old Ali's appeal. Ali is considered as the key-financier of Jamaat, which was opposed to Bangladesh's 1971 independence from Pakistan.

In his brief comments after the verdict, attorney general Mahbubey Alam told reporters that Ali could now seek presidential clemency as his last resort to save himself from the gallows. "He now could be (sent) to (the) gallows anytime if he does not seek clemency or his mercy petition is rejected," Alam said. Ali's lawyers were not immediately available for comments.

The decision paves the way for Ali's execution unless he is pardoned by the president. 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 and media outlets including a now suspended TV channel and is a central executive council member of Jamaat-e-Islami. 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. Prosecution lawyers had earlier said Ali had exhausted all efforts to influence his trial on charges of committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War. They had said that Ali made a USD 25 million deal with US lobby firm Cassidy and Associates for engaging with the governments of the United States and Bangladesh to protect "his interest".

During the appeal hearing against his death sentence the state-side submitted to the court a receipt issued by the US lobby firm for what it said "professional service".

The evidence suggested that in March, 2014, another deal worth of USD 50,000 was struck with the same lobby firm on Ali's behalf for "condemning" the actions of the International Crimes Tribunal-Bangladesh. Under the deal, the firm was asked to do everything possible to get incorporated an anti-ICT-BD legislative language in the House/Senate Department.

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.

PTI
PM Modi gets Kalpak, Chapan, Samovar as gifts: What are these?

Explosion at Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan; 1 dead

International

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Bishkek, Aug 30: A car exploded after hitting the Chinese embassy's gate here, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, killing its driver besides injuring three persons, the country's healthcare ministry informed. The injured are all employees of the embassy.

The GKNB state security service it was probing the bast though it did not give any other details, according to Reuters.

"As a result of the explosion, only the suicide bomber terrorist died. Security guards were injured," Kyrgyzstan's Deputy Prime Minister Jenish Razakov told journalists, AFP said.

Razakov said the injured were all Kyrgyz employees of the embassy and were taken to the hospital where it was said the injuries were not serious.

Bishkek police sources informed AFP that a Mitsubishi Delica car rammed through the gate at the embassy before blowing up in the compound located close to the ambassador's residence.

Another security service source in the former Soviet Central Asian nation, which borders China, said an "explosive device" had been placed inside the vehicle, AFP added.

The explosion had quite an impact in the surrounding areas as local residents said it had damaged their house windows and made the buildings shake. The Chinese embassy as well as the American embassy located on the edge of the Kyrgyz capital were evacuated following the explosion, the country's emergency service said.

Kyrgyzstan is a poor, Muslim-majority country with a history of political instability and struggle against Islamist extremism. The country, which gained independence in 1991 following the collapse of the erstwhile Soviet Union, battles with Islamic State militants regularly. Officials said some 500 Kyrgyz are believed to have joined the IS ranks fighting in Syria and Iraq, the AFP report said.

Chinese officials have been targeted in Kyrgyzstan previously as well with one killed in 2000 in an attack for which radicals from China's Uighur minority are held responsible.

Oneindia News

[With agency inputs]
Even if not contesting 2020 polls, Hillary Clinton will not be entirely out of scene

Hillary Clinton says Julian Assange must 'answer for what he has done'

Hillary Clinton's camp hit by sexting scandal

International

oi-PTI

New York, Aug 29: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's top aide Huma Abedin, whose father is from India and mother from Pakistan, has filed for separation from her husband Anthony Weiner in the wake of a new report that the former New York congressman had been involved in yet another sexting scandal.

Abedin's decision to separate comes in the immediate aftermath of the The New York Post report that Weiner had sent explicit photos with his toddler son in the background to a woman.

"After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband," Abedin said in a statement.

In a report published on Monday (Aug 29), The Post said: "While Abedin travels the country campaigning for Democratic presidential candidate Clinton, the ex-congressman was exchanging lewd and sexually explicit texts and photographs with an unidentified woman last year."

Weiner, a seven-term democrat, had resigned in 2011 after it was disclosed he had been sending lewd messages to random women online.

According to the report, the woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the electronic chats between her and Weiner began in late January 2015 and continued through earlier this month.

Asked for comment, Weiner said in the report that he and the woman "have been friends for some time."

"She has asked me not to comment except to say that our conversations were private, often included pictures of her nieces and nephews and my son and were always appropriate" he said.

Abedin, 40 and currently vice chairwoman of the Clinton Campaign, married Weiner in 2010. In December 2011, she gave birth to a boy Jordan Zain Weiner.

"Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what is best for our son, who is the light of our life. During this difficult time, I ask for respect for our privacy," Abedin said.

Considered as one of the closet personal aide to Clinton, Abedin has been in news of late in the aftermath of Clintons email-scandal and release of emails of the former secretary of state.

Abedin has worked for Clinton for the last two decades. Her late father, Syed Zainul Abedin, was a graduate of Aligarh Muslim University and a university lecturer, and her mother - a Pakistani native - was a sociology professor.

PTI
Modi lost patience over Pak and took a hardline stand: Chinese media

International

oi-PTI

Beijing, Aug 30: A state-run Chinese daily on Tuesday (Aug 30) cried foul over India's move to extend enhanced compensation for victims of terror to people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi has "lost patience and switched to the expected hardline tone of hostility". [China downplays Indo-US logistics defence pact]

Referring to Modi's comments on Balochistan for the first time, an article in the state-run Global Times website said he is raising it to divert attention from the tense situation prevailing in Kashmir.

"After reluctant attempts to revitalise Indo-Pak relations, Narendra Modi, now in his third year as Indian Prime Minister, has lost patience and switched to the expected hardline tone of hostility," it said. [India's bid to join US alliance could irk China, Pak and even Russia: Chinese media]

Describing the extension of Rs five lakh compensation to the victims of terrorism to people in PoK, as a "provocation", the article said "more importantly, Kashmiris on the Pakistani side of the border can claim this compensation, too".

"This is not the only provocation. Another was his Independence Day address on August 15," it said, referring to Modi's remarks that people of Balochistan, Gilgit and PoK were thanking him for raising human rights violations there.

This is the first time Chinese official media referred to Modi's remarks about PoK and Balochistan, where China is building 46 billion dollar Economic Corridor, which was objected to by India as it goes through the disputed territory.

"Analysts see the political push as coming from a small team filled by influential ministers and people who are the veterans of the 'cold war' with Pakistan. Some are members of the national executive of the RSS," it said.

"This risky gesture is not supported by everyone in the Indian government. Outstanding reservations come from his intelligence chiefs and the external affairs ministry," said the article 'Modi's provocations raise risks for India'.

"Why would Modi choose to publicly reference Balochistan when his country kept denying an Indian role there? Even on Kashmir, why would he be so provocative when the Pakistani response will inevitably draw world attention at a time his government is trying to prevent the issue being internationalised?," it said.

"Not surprisingly, there are speculations that Modi is just trying to divert global attention from what's going on in the valley," it said.

"This may only make it even trickier for India to find a resolution by deliberately expanding the range of bilateral conflicts," the article said.

"Another concern for Modi is the 19th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit, which will be held in Pakistan this year. Modi is scheduled to visit Islamabad for the Saarc summit in November, but the impatient Prime Minister has decided to break up the Indo-Pak impasse to see what can be fished from the troubled waters," it said.

"But the long-term cost will be the moral blow to India when it tries to manage its own insurgencies and secessionist movements, which tends to invite international attention and intervention," it said.

PTI
North Korea executes two officials with anti-aircraft gun for defying Kim: Report

International

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Pyongyang, Aug 30: North Korea has brutally executed two of its officials for disobeying orders of the country's supreme leader - Kim Jong-un, South Korean daily JoongAng Ilbo reported.

In what became the latest addition in the string of slaughters during the reign of Kim, the 32-year-old leader who took over following the death of his father Kim Jong Ill in 2011, the two officials were executed with an anti-aircraft gun.

The two victims were said to be agriculture minister Hwang Min and a senior official at the education ministry, Ri Yong Jin.

The development, however, could not be verified independently while South Korean authorities who handle North Korea-related issues chose not to comment, said the daily.

The latest report comes days after North Korea's deputy ambassador in London defected to South Korea, leaving the Kim regime red-faced.

Kim did not even spare his own uncle Jang Song Thaek, the second most powerful man in the country, who was executed in 2012 on charges of factionalism and crimes causing damage to the North Korean economy.

Oneindia News
Suspended Brazil president makes last-ditch effort to evade impeachment

International

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Brasilia, Aug 30: Dilma Rousseff, Brazil's suspended president, proclaimed innocence on Monday (Aug 29) and hit out at the senators saying history would not spare them if they removed a democratically elected leader on grounds of false accusations.

Rousseff's much-anticipated address to the senators who will decide on the fate of Brazil's first woman president this week was marked by the same defying tone which was seen throughout the impeachment procedure in South America's largest nation.

Rousseff, 68, who is in the middle of her second term, has been accused of violating fiscal rules to hide budgetary loopholes. There is also anger against the political paralysis and the massive corruption scandal around Petrobras, the state oil firm.

Voting on Rousseff's fate will begin on Tuesday and her conviction would mark the end of the 14-year-rule of the leftist Workers' Party.

Rousseff, however, hasn't given up till it is really over. She backed herself before the senate, saying her conscience was clear and she did not do anything wrong. Accusing her opponents of staging a "coup", Rousseff said her re-election as the president in 2014 proved that she had always abided by the constitution and did what was best for Brazil.

Rousseff, the 36th president of Brazil, was once a guerrilla figher who was put behind the bars and tortured during the days of dictatorship in Brazil.

Oneindia News
Former US state secy John Kerry trying to save Iran deal by himself: Report

There's evidence to show IS's contact with Bangladesh militants: Kerry

International

oi-PTI

Dhaka, Aug 30: There is "evidence" to show that the Islamic State (IS) is in contact with militants in Bangladesh, US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday said on his first visit to the Muslim-majority country witnessing a wave of brutal attacks on minorities and secular activists, in a major blow to the government's stance.

"There is evidence that ISIL in Iraq and Syria has contacts with about eight different entities around the world and one of them is in South Asia," Kerry said.

"They are connected to some degree with some of the operatives here and we made that very clear in our conversation. There was no argument about it," he said after talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and his Bangladeshi counterpart A H Mahmood Ali.

Hasina's administration has consistently denied that ISIS has gained a foothold in the country and Kerry's remarks are a major blow to that stance.

Kerry conveyed the US' interest to work closely with intelligence agencies of Bangladesh to fight terrorism and said that "we need to exchange information to combat terrorism", Hasina's press secretary Ihsanul Karim told a media briefing.

PTI
Kashmir's longest serving prisoner loses legal battle, to remain in jail

New Delhi

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, Aug 30: Kashmir's longest serving prisoner will remain in jail. The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a plea filed by Ashiq Hussain Faktoo in which he had sought for reconsideration of his life term and conviction. He has been in jail for the past 23 years.

The Supreme Court had convicted him and sentenced him to undergo imprisonment for life. After he completed 14 years in jail, he had sought his release. While the review board had granted him relief, the home ministry in Jammu and Kashmir over turned that decision.

Faktoo, the co-founder of the Hizbul Mujahideen, is the husband of separatist, Asiya Andrabi. He was a top ranking commander in the Hizbul Mujahideen and was designated a terrorist. He has been in jail since 1993 for the murder of human rights activist, HN Wanchoo.

He had, however, denied the charges and said that he was being targeted because of his political beliefs. He also said that he had been acquitted by the TADA court in Jammu in July 2001. However, the state went in appeal to the Supreme Court which sentenced him to life imprisonment.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 30, 2016, 12:23 [IST]
The middleman in the VVIP AgustaWestland chopper scam Christian James Michel says he is willing to meet with Indian investigators in Dubai. He wrote a letter to CBI on August 25 seeking the withdrawal of Interpol Red Corner Notice against him in case the meeting takes place. He claims to be innocent and said he might have some information which could enable the Indian authorities to progress with their probe into the scandal.
A Kanpur boy dies in on his father's shoulders after a government hospital denies him admission. According to reports government-run Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital refused to admit 12-year-old Ansh and asked his father, Sunil Kumar, to take him to a children's hospital after waiting for half an hour.
US Secretary of State John Kerry reportedly got stuck for one hour in a massive rain-induced traffic jam near the Delhi airport on Monday evening. Kerry arrived New Delhi in the evening to participate in the 2nd Indo-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue where issues like terrorism emanating from Pakistan, economic matters like visas, will be discussed.
Accession Day: Valley lights up on this day when J&K became part of India

J&K: How hawala money came stitched into salwars, hidden in gas cylinders

Srinagar

oi-Vicky

Srinagar, Aug 30: The probe in Jammu and Kashmir relating to hawala money is nothing new. There are at least 6 different cases that have been registered in connection with the inflow of funds into the Valley through a hawala channel.

What is interesting is the manner in which the sympathisers of Pakistan have managed to move the money. From concealing several lakhs of rupees in cylinders to stitching the money into a salwar kameez, there are various ways in which the money is smuggled in.

Money has come into the Valley in various forms. If one takes a look at the case relating to Kashmiri separatist, Syed Ali Shah Geelani's aide, it was found that the money was being transported in a gas cylinder. Ghulam Mohammad Bhat had been arrested twice for moving money into the Valley.

How it is done?

The directive is issued in Pakistan to move money into Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan then activates its sympathisers across the globe to start moving money into accounts controlled by the separatists.

There have been instances when the money has moved in through a hawala channel to Delhi and then the same is collected by a point man.

In the case of Ghulam Bhat it was found that he had collected the money from Delhi. In the first instance, he had collected Rs 55 lakh from a person in Delhi. He had concealed the money in a gas cylinder and was attempting to move it to J&K when he was caught.

Bhat was once again arrested in the year 2011 when he was moving Rs 25 lakh. The police had said that Bhat is a financier of disruptive activities.

In a 2002 probe it had been found that Rs 48 lakh had been stitched in to the salwar of a Kashmiri woman. The woman was arrested on the Jammmu-Srinagar highway. It was later on found that the money was being transported to separatist, Yasin Malik.

An intelligence bureau report states that network for Pakistan is controlled by the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Each one of these outfits have appointed four people each to coordinate with each other and ensure that the money flow is constant into the Valley.

The Hizbul had raised nearly Rs 80 crore by using truck drivers who were involved in cross border trade, the IB report states.

The Hizbul Mujahideen sends its operatives with the truck drivers to PoK. The operatives pose as traders and manage to enter and the exit of the border with ease.

The money is then picked up from PoK and brought back into the Valley. IB officials say that while a large chunk of the money is used by the Hizbul Mujahideen there is a considerable amount that is handed over to the separatists to fund the unrest in the Valley.

OneIndia News
J&K unrest funding: NIA finds 3 more accounts

Srinagar

oi-Vicky

Srinagar, Aug 30: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing the flow of money into Jammu and Kashmir to fuel the unrest is currently scrutinising 25 bank accounts. It has been found that a large chunk of money had come in from Pakistan and sympathisers of terror from other parts of the world too.

A portion of the Rs 38 crore which was pumped into the Valley was routed to the terrorist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen as well. However, a major chunk of the money was given to close aides of the Kashmiri separatists who used the same to fuel the unrest at the behest of Pakistan, investigating officials confirmed.

How Hizbul Mujahideen used cross border trade to raise Rs 80 crore?

The NIA has also questioned Mohammad Ashraf Sherale, a separatist who allegedly received money. It is alleged that he had used the money to pay the stone pelters.

The NIA will also examine the son of separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Tuesday. Geelani's son Naeem has been summoned by the NIA for questioning, a move that has invited condemnation from the Hurriyat Conference.

NIA officials say that as per their preliminary findings, most of the money was routed into accounts which were being controlled by the separatists. The brief that was given to the separatists was to use as much money as possible and keep the unrest alive for as long as possible.

It may be recalled that Geelani's aide, Ghulam Bhat had been arrested in 2011 for an alleged hawala deal involving Rs 21 lakh. Bhat had been arrested in 2008 as well while was he found to be in possession of Rs 55 lakh. He had concealed the money in a gas cylinder.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 30, 2016, 10:07 [IST]
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Kyrgyzstan or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. Its capital and largest city is Bishkek. It has a mountainous terrain.
NYTimes.com 05 Oct 2022

After the end of Roe v. Wade, Republicans have struggled to hone a message on abortion, and Paul LePage, a former governor, was..
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Komfie Manalo, Opalesque Asia:

The lack of decisive market trends and uncertainty about the mood of investors as they head back from their summer break will not last indefinitely, said Lyxor Asset Management in its Weekly Briefing. Market moves will quickly reemerge as the industry heads into September.

The tone from the U.S. jobs report, and the big three meetings (ECB, BoJ and Fed) will be closely monitored. Additionally, the G20 summit, key Chinese economic releases, and the first U.S. presidential debate at the end of September are on the radar. They are likely to generate more trading opportunities for hedge funds, Lyxor added.

Jean-Baptiste Berthon, senior strategist at Lyxor AM, commented, "Hedge funds modestly increased risk over the course of the summer, though heterogeneously across strategies. While September seasonality has statistically been supportive for risk assets, hedge funds remain conservatively positioned."

Hedge funds mostly flat

Lyxor also reported that the Lyxor Hedge Fund index was flat from the week ending Aug. 23 (-2.0% YTD). It said that last week was uneventful for most strategies except for merger and macro funds. Event driven outperformed thanks to merger funds gains on the back of M&A activity in the healthcare and agrochemical sectors. Global macro underperformed due to their shorts on U.S. bonds and long USD trades.

Berthon added, "This week (August 16-23) was unev......................

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Reprinted from The National

Launched this month, as much of the world was on holiday, Avigdor Lieberman's plan for the Palestinians -- retooling Israel's occupation -- received less attention than it should.

Defense minister since May, Mr Lieberman has been itching to accelerate Israel's annexation by stealth of the West Bank.

His "carrot and stick" plan has three components. First, he intends to sideline the Palestinian Authority in favor of a new local leadership of "notables" hand-picked by Israel.

Preferring to "cut out the middle man," in his words, he will open a dialogue with supposedly more responsible Palestinians -- business people, academics and mayors.

Next, he has established a new communications unit that will speak in Arabic over the heads of the PA in the West Bank and its Hamas rivals in Gaza directly to ordinary Palestinians.

An online campaign -- budgeted at $2.6 million (Dh9.5m) -- will seek to convince them of Israel's good intentions. The Palestinians' problems, according to Mr Lieberman, derive from corrupt and inciteful national leaderships, not the occupation.

And finally, his defense ministry will produce a map of the West Bank marking in green and red the areas where, respectively, "good" and "bad" Palestinians live. Collective punishment will be stepped up in towns and villages in red areas, from which Palestinian attacks have been launched. Presumably night raids and house demolitions will increase, while closures will further curtail freedom of movement.

Palestinians in green areas will reap economic rewards for their good behavior. They will be given work permits in Israel and the settlements, and benefit from development projects, including the creation of Israeli-controlled industrial zones.

It sounds like the musings of a 19th century colonial official on how best to prevent the natives turning restless. Ahmed Majdalani, an adviser to Mahmoud Abbas, told the Haaretz newspaper the new arrangements assumed Palestinans were "stupid and lacking self-respect" and could be "bought with economic perks."

Mr Lieberman's longer-term goal is to persuade Palestinians -- and the international community -- that their aspirations for self-determination are unattainable and not realistic.

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If I told you that Democratic Party lobbyist Tony Podesta, whose brother John Podesta chairs Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, is a registered foreign agent on the Saudi government's payroll, you'd probably think I was a Trump-thumping, conspiratorial nutcase. But it's true.

The lobby firm created by both Tony and John Podesta in 1988 receives $140,000 a month from the Saudi government, a government that beheads nonviolent dissidents, uses torture to extract forced confessions, doesn't allow women to drive, and bombs schools, hospitals and residential neighborhoods in neighboring Yemen.

The Podesta Group's March 2016filing, required under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, shows that Tony Podesta himself oversees the Saudi account. At the same time, Tony Podesta is also a top campaign contributor and bundler for Hillary Clinton. So while one brother runs the campaign, the other brother funds it with earnings that come, in part, from the Saudis.

John and Tony Podesta have been heavyweights in DC insider politics for decades. John Podesta served as President Bill Clinton's chief of staff, founded the influential DC think tank Center for American Progress (which regularly touts Saudi "reforms "), and was counselor to President Obama. Tony Podesta was dubbed by The New York Times as "one of Washington's biggest players " whose clients "are going to get a blueprint for how to succeed in official Washington."

The brothers seem to have no problem mixing their roles into the same pot. Tony Podesta held a Clinton campaign fundraiser at his home featuring gourmet Italian food cooked by himself and his brother, the campaign chairman. The fundraiser, by the way, came just days after Tony Podesta filed his Saudi contract with the Justice Department, a contract that included an initial "project fee" payment of $200,000.

The Saudis hired the Podesta Group in 2015 because it was getting hammered in the press over civilian casualties from its airstrikes in Yemen and its crackdown on political dissidents at home, including sentencing blogger Raif Badawi to ten years in prison and 1,000 lashes for "insulting Islam." Since then, Tony Podesta's fingerprints have been all over Saudi Arabia's advocacy efforts in Washington DC. When Saudi Arabia executed the prominent nonviolent Shia dissident Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, causing protests throughout the Shia world and inflaming sectarian divisions, The New York Timesnoted that the Podesta Group provided the newspaper with a Saudi commentator who defended the execution.

The Podesta-Clinton-Saudi connection should be seen in light of the recent media exposes revealing the taudry pay-to-play nature of the Clinton Foundation. Top on the list of foreign donors to the foundation is Saudi Arabia, which contributed between $10 million and $25 million.

What did the Saudis get for their largesse and access? Wikileaks revealed a 2009 cable by then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying:"More needs to be done since Saudi Arabia remains a critical financial support base for Al Qaeda, the Taliban, Lashkar e-Tayyiba and other terrorist groups." Instead of sanctioning the Saudis, Clinton did the opposite: She authorized enormous quantities of weapons to be sold to them. On Christmas Eve in 2011, Hillary Clinton and her closest aides celebrated a massive $29.4 billion sale to the Saudis of over 80 F-15 fighter jets, manufactured by Boeing, a company which coincidentally contributed $900,000 to the Clinton Foundation. In a chain of enthusiastic emails, an aide exclaimed that it was "not a bad Christmas present." I'm sure the Yemenis at the receiving end of the Saudi bombings would not be so enthusiastic.

The Clintons have said that if Hillary Clinton gets elected, the foundation will stop taking foreign donations. But what about no longer taking campaign contributions from people who are paid by the Saudi government to whitewash its image? The Podesta Group should be blacklisted from contributing to Clinton's campaign until they drop the monarchy as a client and return their ill-gotten gains. If Hillary Clinton wants to be a meaningful symbol for human rights and women's empowerment, her campaign must live up to the values she claims to represent, and this would be one step in the right direction.

Medea Benjamin is the co-founder of the women-led peace group CODEPINK.
There is much consternation today around why so many Bernie Sanders' supporters will not vote for Hillary Clinton. I write the following to clarify and explain this reticence.

When Elizabeth Warren says the system is rigged she is correct--it isn't democracy. It is The American Fascist State. This state, I believe, has two arms, a right arm and a left arm both of which serve the interests of the one fascist body.

It is important to note that 'our' fascism, Americas', is different from that of Nazi Germany and Mussolinis' Italy in that ours is undeclared fascism. Elsewhere the fascist state has an obvious strongman and if a citizen complains there would be a knock on their door. Americas' undeclared fascism hides behind the illusion of democracy and if a citizen complains about perceived fascist behavior by the state he is told to vote harder, vote differently, vote more often--it is your fault!

The critical device used to maintain the illusion of democracy by those who run the fascist state is that they mandate the two arms of the state, the two parties, engage in conflict over wedge issues and, however resolved, those conflicts will leave the power and structure of the fascist state intact.

These wedge issues are a wonderfully effective shell game diverting attention away from who really holds power. These issues are ingenious creations in that they affect peoples lives and help determine which of the two arms of The American Fascist State we vote for. The choice we make matters little to the real power structure of this nation.

So what is left to say? Bernie Sanders was the only candidate who confronted the power of the fascist state and Hillary Clinton is the poster girl for the left arm of this state. Sanders supporters may not express their concerns in just this way but they know what "rigged" means and feel like retching when told they must vote for Hillary, a woman who will promote and maintain the American Fascist State.
WTF Erdogan?!?

That is the current seeming tone of the online punditocracy in their missives to their equally confused readers in the alternative and left-leaning mainstream media. All of their pained hullabaloo concerning the weekly antics of our favorite man in the middle, the man with a plan, the man who knew too much, The Talented Mr. Erdogan. When it comes to parsing the tea leaves to make sense of the conflicting messages from the other side of darkness in hopes of gleaning a hint of what is real from what is a certain tripwire into the weeds, only one thing is certain now - The Talented Mr. Erdogan is playing someone for a fool.

With the invasion of Turkish forces into Syria and the concomitant seeming about-face of the US posture towards the Kurds in Syria, the once general consensus on "wtf is going on in Syria?" has fallen into a state of conflicting versions of "The Truth."

For some like Michel Chossudovsky (US-NATO-Turkey Invasion of Northern Syria: CIA "Failed" Turkey Coup Lays Groundwork for Broader Middle East War?) the current scenario has exposed a series of wily deceptions by Erdogan in concert with Uncle Sugar: 1) the coup in Turkey 2) Erdogan's rapprochement with Putin 3) Erdogan's supposed backing away from the NATO/US agenda in Syria 4) Erdogan's moving away from the NATO/US agenda in general. Michel Chossudovsky is certain in his recent missive that the invasion into Syria with US air and ground forces in support, proves that the recent coup was a sham, staged in concert with the US in order to purge opposition and consolidate public support for a planned Syrian invasion. The rapprochement with Russia is also believed to have been a deception in order to gain Russian's trust, allowing Turkey to invade Syria for a small operation in order to stop the Kurds from consolidating power for themselves and the US in northern Syria. But now that the Turks are working with the US instead of against them, it is believed that the protests against this development coming out of Moscow are in fact sincere signs of a Turkish betrayal.

For many other pundits the above is most likely NOT the truth concerning The Talented Mr. Erdogan's gambit in Syria.

Many of them believe that what we are seeing is in fact part of the Russian rapprochement with Erdogan, and the Russian cries of protest over the invasion are more than likely a sham. These other pundits see the US aid for the Turkish invasion as an attempt to gain the favor of Erdogan and the people of Turkey, with the US acting on a contingency basis in their support of the invasion along with the quick and sudden mysterious abandonment of their favored allies in the region, the Kurds. It was just a scant few days ago when US fighter jets scrambled to scare off the Syrian air force in the Syrians quick skirmish with Kurdish forces in Hasakah. That was followed by threats to the Kurds from the US to back off or face dire consequences. And the sudden about-face, demanding that their closest allies pull back or lose any further support from Uncle Sugar, well, to many that reads like it is all without a plan and that the US is acting on a contingency basis as events on the ground unfold, in order to lure Turkey back into rejecting Russia and Iran and being close allies of NATO and the US. This line of reasoning takes as a given that the coup in Turkey was real, and was either entirely homegrown or done at the behest of the US due to Erdogan's rapprochement with Russia.

For many other pundits ,both of the above versions of The Truth are most likely not THE truth concerning The Talented Mr. Erdogan's gambit in Syria.

Many others believe that Erdogan is NOT acting in cooperation with either the Russian or NATO/US agenda. Many believe that Erdogan is playing both sides in order to achieve a longstanding desire of his for a rebirth of an neo-Ottoman Empire, specifically for the increased power and prestige of Sultan Erdogan and his family as the Capo di tutti i capi of the region. Why partner with Russia at the expense of losing support from NATO and the US? Why partner with the NATO/US at the expense of losing support from Russia (or Iran)? And what part do the Saudis and Gulf states have in Turkish plans? And what about Israel? Maybe The Talented Mr. Erdogan wants to be seen as his own man? Maybe he wants Turkey to be seen as its own kingdom in the sun, on its own, sans being seen as the puppet of either the US, Europe, Russia, the Sheikhdoms, or Israel? Maybe he is simply a trailblazer, kicking down the weeds and cutting through vines, creating a road that others hopefully will follow? Being the true heir to the spiritual and material caliphate/sultanate - the long hoped for appearance of the Mahdi?



But there is another version of THE truth that I haven't heard kicked around yet by the punditocracy, and it goes something like this:



Maybe, just maybe...the coming Clinton administration had something to do with it? Maybe somebody reached out to somebody and they reached out to somebody and all of a sudden motions were set and things were things all of a sudden? With promises down the road made? Sidestepping Obama and co? Maybe putting the current POTUS in a predicament vis a vis the Kurds, making the Obama admin not too happy... ()

What is real and what is an illusion, that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them. To die- to sleep-

No more; and by a sleep to say we end

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Reprinted from WSWS

President Obama and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet this coming weekend, the White House said Monday, as tensions mounted between Washington and Ankara over the Turkish invasion of Syria. The meeting will be held in China, where both Obama and Erdogan are to participate in the Group of 20 summit of leading economic powers on September 4-5.

The Obama-Erdogan meeting was announced as a series of US spokesmen criticized the actions of the Turkish military in Syria. After ousting Islamic State (ISIS) militants from the border town of Jarabulus, Turkish forces, allied with the US through NATO, have turned their guns against Syrian Kurdish forces sponsored and armed by the United States. Dozens were killed Sunday in a series of bombardments as Turkish artillery and air strikes hit several villages held by Syrian Kurdish forces, including Jeb el-Kussa, where at least 20 died and 50 were wounded.

The Turkish invasion, dubbed Operation Euphrates Shield, while initially billed as an offensive against ISIS, quickly became an extension of the protracted civil war inside Turkey between the Turkish military and guerrillas of the separatist PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party). The Syrian Kurds, allied to the PKK, are organized in the YPG militia and the PYD party, which have become the main forces backed by the Obama administration in northern Syria.

The trigger for the Turkish incursion was not the Islamic State, which has controlled the section of the Syrian-Turkish border west of Jarabulus for several years without interference by Turkey, but the advances by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an umbrella group dominated by the YPG, which crossed the Euphrates River and captured the town of Manbij from Islamic State after a 10-week battle.

Turkish forces crossed the border August 24 and drove Islamic State out of Jarabulus. Then, together with Sunni Islamist militias allied with them, they began seizing villages that had been taken by the SDF-YPG in the course of their own offensive against ISIS. A reporter for Al-Jazeera said, referring to the Turkish forces and their militia allies, "their main target is to take over Manbij. YPG fighters maintain a significant presence along that area with their local allies."

Kurdish forces withdrew in the face of the Turkish onslaught, but in some cases did not move east of the Euphrates, as demanded by Turkey, but south through Manbij, maintaining their beachhead on the western side of the river. The SDF's military council in the region declared in an online statement, "We, the military council of Jarabulus and its countryside, announce the withdrawal of our forces to the line south of the Sajour River to preserve the lives of civilians and so that no pretext remains for continued strikes on villages and civilians."

In the first days of the invasion, which began while Vice President Joseph Biden was in Ankara, US officials indicated their support for the Turkish attack, hoping that it would help create better conditions for realizing the main US goal of overthrowing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is allied with Iran and Russia.

But Monday saw an escalating series of warnings to Turkey from US officials. Brett McGurk, the US special envoy for the campaign against ISIS, wrote on Twitter, "We want to make clear that we find these clashes -- in areas where [ISIS] is not located -- unacceptable and a source of deep concern. We call on all armed actors to stand down."

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, at a media appearance with the visiting defense minister of India, said that he would be meeting with the Turkish defense minister, Fikri Iski, next week in Europe. He said, "We have called upon Turkey to stay focused" on the fight against ISIS "and not to engage" the Kurdish forces. "We've called on both sides not to fight one another, not to fight each other," he said.

After announcing the upcoming Obama-Erdogan meeting, Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters at the White House, "Further action against the SDF would complicate efforts to have that united front" against ISIS. At their meeting in China, he went on, Obama and Erdogan would discuss the situation in Turkey since the attempted military coup of July 15, as well as the war in Syria and the refugee crisis that it has produced.

Meanwhile, the Syrian government, which has exercised no control over the region in question for several years, condemned what it called "repetitive breaches, aggression and massacres" committed by Turkey against the Syrian people in the area around Jarabulus. The Syrian Foreign Ministry sent two messages Monday to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, accusing Turkey of "full-fledged crimes against humanity."

Turkish officials reiterated their demands that the Syrian Kurdish forces cross back east of the Euphrates River or the Turkish military would continue to attack them. "So long as they don't, they will be a target," said Mevlut Cavusoglu, the foreign minister.

Posturing as the defender of Syrian Arabs against aggression by the Kurds -- the stance adopted by ISIS as well -- Cavusoglu claimed, "In the places where it has moved, the YPG forces everyone out -- including Kurds -- who do not think like it does and carries out ethnic cleansing."

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus declared Monday that one goal of the Turkish military intervention was to prevent the YPG from gaining control of the entire Syrian-Turkish border, from the northeast to the Mediterranean Sea. "If that happens, it means Syria has been divided," he told the Turkish broadcaster NTV, adding, "We are in favor of Syria's territorial integrity." He denied Turkey was entering the war in Syria, saying, "We are not pursuing an aim of becoming a permanent power in Syria. Turkey is not an invader."

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Global mhealth Market is Growing Due to Growing Need for Remote Patient Monitoring Services

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The global mHealth market was valued at $13,674.3 million in 2015, and it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 34.0% during 2016 - 2022. Among the various products and services, the mHealth application segment is expected to witness the fastest growth, at a CAGR of 40.1%, during the forecast period. The global mhealth market is growing at a significant rate, due to increasing healthcare cost, increasing demand for patient centric healthcare model, and increasing prevalence of chronic and lifestyle associated diseases. In addition, the growing demand for mhealth technologies, increasing access of mobile platforms, tablets and smartphones, increasing utilization of connected medical devices and mhealth applications, and growing need for remote patient monitoring services are also driving the growth of the global mhealth market.Explore Report with Detailed TOC at:Mobile health (mHealth) is the use of mobile information and communication technologies for improving healthcare. It helps to tackle major challenges faced by the healthcare industry such as regulatory changes, continuous remote monitoring at home, increasing demand for quality healthcare, increasing error occurrence and integration with existing IT systems.Request for Sample Pages:Factors, such as lack of data security and privacy, and insufficient memory, computational, and energy limitations are inhibiting the growth of the global market. The increasing number of collaborations and partnerships, growing number of product launches and approvals, and increasing demand for cloud technology in healthcare are the key trends observed in the global mhealth market.Browse Related Research at:Geographically, North America dominated the global market of mhealth in 2015; whereas the Asia-Pacific market is expected to witness the fastest growth, CAGR of 40.5%, during the forecast period.Some of the key companies operating in the global mhealth market include LifeWatch AG, Cisco Systems Inc., Cerner Corporation, OMRON Corporation, AT&T Inc., athenahealth Inc., Airstrip Technologies Inc., AliveCor Inc., AgaMatrix Inc., iHealth Labs Inc., Koninklijke Philips N.V., BioTelemetry Inc., Medtronic PLC, Withings SAS, and Johnson & Johnson.About P&S Market ResearchP&S Market Research is a market research company, which offers market research and consulting services for various geographies around the globe. We provide market research reports, industry forecasting reports, business intelligence, and research based consulting services across different industry/business verticals.As one of the top growing market research agency, were keen upon providing market landscape and accurate forecasting. Our analysts and consultants are proficient with business intelligence and market analysis, through their interaction with leading companies of the concerned domain. We help our clients with B2B market research and assist them in identifying various windows of opportunity, and framing informed and customized business expansion strategies in different regions.Contact:DeepAssistant  Client Partner347, 5th Ave. #1402New York City, NY - 10016Toll-free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada)Email: enquiry@psmarketresearch.comWeb:347, 5th Ave. #1402New York City, NY - 10016
Polyetheramine Market Analysis, Trends, Forecast, 2016-2026

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Polyetheramines are typically the curing agents which contain polyether and amine moieties, are majorly used to increase toughness, flexibility, hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity of the end-products. Polyetheramines are used for a range of applications including polyurea, epoxy curing and polyamides in a range of coatings. Polyetheramines are also used in adhesives, ink resins, elastomers and sealants. The considerable growth in coating industry is anticipated to boost the demand for polyetheramine. Additionally, the substantial growth of elastomers, sealants and adhesives are also expected to increase the demand for polyetheramine during the forecast period. Thus, the wide array of applications and the following end-user industry is expected to drive the market for polyetheramine. The growth in polyetheramine end-user industries in Asia Pacific region is expected to be the largest region in the polyetheramine market.Polyetheramines have a moderate glass transition range of 25 to 100O C and are primarily available in colorless liquid form with odor similar to amines. Additionally, polyetheramines have long pot life and find application in hot melt adhesives, engineering composites and sealants. In addition to adhesives, polyetheramines are also used as fuel additives. Epoxy coatings are also used in composite materials such as fiber glass and carbon fibers. The broad range of properties of polyetheramines is expected to drive the polyetheramine market. Considering the rising demand for polyetheramines in several end-user industries, in January 2014, Hunstman Corporation announced to increase the global production of polyetheramines by 15 percent.Request Free Report Sample@Polyetheramine Market: SegmentationPolyetheramine market is segmented on the basis of application and region. Based on application, the market can be segmented into polyuria, composites, fuel additives, epoxy coating, adhesives and sealants and other application. The epoxy coating application is expected to be the major application segment in the polyetheramine market. Epoxy coatings being exceedingly durable coatings can be used for variety of purposes including adhesives, durable coatings for metals and floors. By region, the polyetheramine market can be segmented into North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa and Japan.Polyetheramine Market: Regional OutlookAsia Pacific region is expected to be the fastest growing market for polyetheramine during the forecast period. The major reason for the growing demand for polyetheramine is the considerable growth in end-user applications and the respective industries consuming polyetheramines. The developing Asian countries such as India, China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand are expected to have sizeable growth owing to demand for adhesives, sealants and other major applications of polyetheramines. Growing consumption of polyetheramines from epoxy coatings and from several composite materials is likely to increase the requirement of polyetheramine across the globe. The other applications of polyetheramines primarily include cement additives, acid neutralization, demulsification in oilfield and other niche applications are expected to drive the demand for polyetheramine. The developed countries such as U.S. and U.K. are progressively recovering from the sluggish economic conditions and boosting the demand for polyetheramines. Considering the global outlook, the demand for polyetheramine application products is expected to record an outstanding growth during the forecast period.Request For TOC@Polyetheramine Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players operating in polyetheramine market are Yantai Dasteck Chemicals Co., Ltd., BASF SE, Huntsman Corporation, Clariant, Yantai Minsheng Chemicals Co., Ltd., Yangzhou Chenhua New Materials Co., Ltd, Wuxi Acryl Technology Co., Ltd. and Qingdao IRO Surfactant Co., Ltd.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Worldwide Hardware Reconfigurable Devices Market Segments By 2015  2021

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Hardware reconfigurable devices are the devices in which functionality, as well as the connection between logic gates, are reconfigurable or customizable. Hardware reconfiguration is a process of customizing any aspect of the machine which is currently mapped to a configuration ID. Hardware reconfigurable devices offer advantages such as greater functionality because of simple hardware design and lower system cost. Primarily, Hardware reconfigurable devices have found their way in various consumer electronics devices such as personal computers, cell phones, and others.The global hardware reconfigurable devices market is growing at a steady pace across globe. Factors which are driving the growth of global hardware reconfigurable devices market are growing demand of the reconfigurable devices in consumer electronics such as cell phones, personal computers and others, efficiency and flexibility of hardware reconfigurable devices, technological innovation in the market such as nanotechnology and availability of good quality material at reasonable cost. On the other hand factors which are restraining the growth of global hardware reconfigurable devices market are component placement issue, routing issues between old and new components and lack of availability of development tools for reconfigurable computingView Sample Report @The global hardware reconfigurable devices market is segmented on the basis of the type of devices, process, and region. On the basis of the type of devices, the global hardware reconfigurable devices market can be segmented into auto-sequencing memory, on-chip memory, reconfigurable computer, and others. Out of all these types of devices, on-chip memory devices are expected to lead the market during the period of forecast due to increasing demand of on-chip memory devices.On the basis of process, the global hardware reconfigurable devices market can be segmented into reconfigurable computing, cycle accurate simulation and high performance computing.On the basis of region, the global hardware reconfigurable devices market can be segmented into seven regions which includes, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan), Eastern Europe, Japan and Middle East & Africa region. Further, the market is sub-segmented as per the major countries of each region in order to provide better regional analysis of the hardware reconfigurable devices market. Present global hardware reconfigurable devices market is dominated by North America region. It is because of well-rooted hardware reconfigurable devices market in the region, however during the period of forecast Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan) region is estimated to expand with a highest CAGR.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:Key players in global hardware reconfigurable devices market are Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., STMicroelectronics, Infineon Technologies AG, Atmel Corporation, Texas Instruments Incorporated, Microchip Technology Inc., Broadcom Corporation, Altera Corporation, Microsemi Corporation and NVIDIA Corporation among other market players. The global hardware reconfigurable devices market is witnessing trend of merger and acquisition of market players, for example, in 2010, Microsemi Corporation acquired Actel Corporation. Market players are also focusing more on technological innovations and developments, for example, in 2014, STMicroelectronics tested and validated an experimental 3D graphics application which is based on ray-tracing technology. This application had been implemented on an ARM-processor-based test chip attached to a reconfigurable Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). Various other activities are also observed in global hardware reconfigurable devices market such as Microsoft is looking forward to using reconfigurable FPGAs in order to enhance the performance of the Bing search engine server. In 2014, Forza Silicon Corporation introduced reconfigurable image sensor technology platform for variety of internet of thing (IoT) applications. In 2013, Micron Technology, Inc. innovated the Automata Processor (AP), which has reconfigurable processing architecture that enable redesigning of a chip.The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to categories such as type of devices, process and region.Browse Full Report@About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
North America and Europe Retail Automation Market Report 2014-2020

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OverviewAutomation is the latest advancement set to revolutionise the global retail market. The retail automation market is expected to witness steady growth, owing to such avant-garde collaboration between global retail and consumer goods sector, and the global electronics and IT industry. Considering the fact that retail industry drives the growth of several business and trade ventures around the world, the influence of automation will bring more efficiency to billions of retail transactions.Visual merchandising, planogram, and big data in retail are the key trends fuelling the demand of automated services in retail markets. Effective automated products and programs that speed up the sales mechanism, create efficiency in product supplies, and develop easily-accessible business platforms that can produce a lucrative environment for the growth of the retail automation market globally.The global market for retail automation is gaining traction in Asia Pacific, Western Europe, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). The two most lucrative regions for the growth of the global retail automation market are North America and Europe.Retail Automation in North AmericaOf these two regions, North America is the current market leader, holding the greater pie of retail automation market share. The North American retail automation market is likely to register high growth rate during 2014-2020 period.North America remains a lucrative market for retail automation globally, with the US and Canada witnessing steady demand. North American consumers have adopted the prominent trend of relying on retail automated products and services for business transactions, which has made an affirming impetus on the retail automation market. Economic progress and rising purchasing power of consumers are some of the trends, specific to North America, that make the outlook of retail automation market considerably positive.Request Free Report Sample@The European Retail Automation MarketEurope, on the other hand, is closing in on North America in order to become the leading key region in the global retail automation market. Several retail chains and multiple product lines established in Europe are helping the setting up of retail automation in European nations. The European regional market is primarily segmented into UK, Germany, Spain, France and others. Britains exodus from EU is likely to impact the implementation of automation in UKs retail market. But, the economic stability in other European countries is expected to create a supportive dais for building up the retail automation market.Factors Benefiting the Growth of Retail Automation MarketNorth America and Europe, collectively, will continue their prominence in the global market, with respect to the market size, revenue share, and overall demand. The factors that will incite this growth are,Growth of Local Retail & Customer ReceptionLocal retail markets are growing in several parts of North America & Europe. Combined with a positive consumer response, automated retail will continue flourishing in niche retail markets.Overflowing Investments on Automation Products & ServicesRetail giants dominating the existing retail market are investing in automated programs and devices for creating efficient output. The cost advantage is increasing the demand for automated retail services.Proliferation of Shopping Centres and SupermarketsConsumers in the US and European countries prefer buying from hypermarket and malls, which is great platform for automated retail kiosks.Challenges in the Global Retail Automation MarketThe retail automation market in North America and Europe is growing steadily, but there are a handful of factors that may restrain or slow down its growth. In the US and Canada, a key challenge for retail automation is its greatest disadvantage -- the loss of job. Labours and working professionals at retail outlets are a major contributor of the regions economy. Rising unemployment levels could plunge the local economy, having a rippling effect on the national economies of North America.In Europe, the instability of economies across its constituent nations is restraining the growth of its retail automation market. Improving financial conditions in Turkey, Russia and Poland could influence the expansion of automated retail products; however, theundulating economies of Spain, Italy as well as Britain, can impede the adoption of automation in European retail sector.Besides, maintaining the continuous supervision of retail kiosks, high dependency on electricity and the implications arriving from variable internet regulations are some other restraints recoiling the progress of retail automation in Europe and North America.Request For TOC@SegmentationThe segmentation of the retail automation market is done on the basis of geography, the operator type and the product type.Geographic SegmentationNorth America (sub-segmented into United States, Canada & others)Europe (sub-segmented into Spain, France, UK & others)Operator Type SegmentationUnattended TerminalsHuman-Operated TerminalsProduct SegmentationCurrency CounterBarcode ReaderBill PrinterCash CounterCash RegisterCard ReaderSelf-Checkout SystemWeight ScaleKiosks/Vending MachineOthersKey CompetitorsElectronic companies such as Seiko Epson, Fujitsu, First Data Corp., Siemens, Toshiba and Wincor Nixdorf are some of the top players in the global retail automation market. Most of these ICT companies are headquartered in Europe, making the region a credible platform for new manufacturers and startups in retail automation. Meanwhile, North American retail giants such as Walmart and Kroger are developing their own devices and services to reap benefits from the amalgamation of retail and automation.Browse Full Report@ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Worldwide Smart Battery Market Supply & Demand By 2015 2021

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http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/7175

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/smart-battery-market.asp

The smart battery is a battery with embedded electronics. The embedded electronics in the smart battery make it smart as it stores the smart battery data such as battery operating parameters, control and initiate battery charging algorithms. The smart battery has the ability to internally measure current and voltage, even communicates with a smart battery charger or smart energy user via bus and asks to start charging or stop charging. The data provided by the smart battery is known as smart battery data, which contains information that empowers the equipment user by providing the knowledge about how long a product will work, also guides the power management system of the equipment in selecting the suitable algorithm to extend the battery life.A key trend of the smart battery market is the need of social connectivity. Nowadays everyone wants to be socially connected. So switching to a smart battery provides longer back-up.View Sample Report @The smart battery market is growing at a fast pace, which is attributable to the developments taking place in various sectors such as telecom, consumer electronics. This smart battery market has huge potential in specific sectors such as automotive as crude oil prices are increasing which drives the demand for hybrid electric vehicles. This will rise the demand for smart battery market. The growth of consumer electronics sector will increase the demand of smart battery market, as smart battery equips consumer electronics with high life cycle and slow discharge of the battery.There are various driving factors for this market such as the increase in the carbon emission, rising environmental concern and renewable energy growth. The government is trying to curb the carbon emission by imposing strict rules and regulations.The Smart trio i.e. smart energy, smart healthcare and a smart city will create the positive impact on the smart battery market. Smart battery for a sensor is the next big thing for the smart battery market, as sensors are now an integral part of our lives from wearable devices to smart homes to smart grids.Continuous research and development and the augmented demand will keep the smart battery market vibrant.The high cost is a major restraint of smart battery market, as a high cost of a smart battery as compared to conventional batteries results in low demand from economically weak countries. Another restraint is related to its component as smart battery requires special charger which is an addition to its high cost. On the other hand, the need for periodic calibration and its compatibility issue with some devices as not much regulations are there.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:The smart battery market is segmented on the basis of material, by application, by region. On the basis of material global smart battery market is segmented into Lead Acid, Nickel Cadmium (NiCd), Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH), Lithium Ion (Li?ion) and Lithium Ion Polymer (Li?ion polymer). By application, the global smart battery market is segmented into consumer electronics, renewable energy, automotive, industrial and military. Regionally the smart battery market is segmented into seven major regions, such as North America, Western Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East & Africa.Some of the key players identified in the global smart battery market are Sealed Energy Systems, Cadex Electronics Inc., Smart Battery, Trojan Battery Company, Cell-Con, Inc., Accutronics Ltd, Inspired Energy Inc., ICCNexergy, Inspired Energy LLC., Epec, LLC., Rose Electronics Distributing Company, Inc..Browse Full Report@The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to categories such as by material, by application, by region.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Asia Pacific Gasoline Injection Technologies Market To Increase at Steady Growth Rate

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http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/asia-pacific-gasoline-injection-technologies-market

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OverviewThe global market for gasoline injection technologies is attaining considerable growth owing to increasing emphasis on fuel-efficient automotive vehicles. The global automotive industry is focusing on developing vehicles that offer comfort and safety, without compromising on fuel efficiency.Gasoline injection technologies have witnessed steady development  from the simple carburettor injection mechanism to the advanced multi-point fuel injection (MPFI) and gasoline direct injection (GDI). Developments in fuel injection technologies are catalysing the growth of gasoline injection technologies market in several key regions, especially in Asia Pacific (APAC), where GDI technology is witnessing steady adoption.According to Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles (OICA), APAC countries such as China, India, South Korea, and Japan lead in the number of vehicle production. At present, the gasoline injection technologies market in Asia is booming, owing to strong demand from Chinas automotive sector (24 Mn vehicles manufactured in 2015). As a result, the rising per capita income of the regions extensive consumer base has created a favourable environment for the growth of Asia Pacific gasoline injection technologies market.Request Free Report Sample@APAC Gasoline Injection Technology Market: Growth FactorsThe APAC gasoline injection technologies market revenues are expected to witness steady growth in the near future. The key factors expected to boost demand include,Increasing automotive productionChina and India collectively account for almost one-third of worlds motor vehicle production.Shift in consumer preferencesConsumers in APAC countries are increasingly showing a preference for fuel-efficient vehicles, leading to higher adoption of GDI and MPFI technologies.UrbanisationIncreasing urbanisation has led to a considerable rise in the number of consumers buying cars and other motor vehicles, instead of opting for public transport.Focus on Fuel-efficiencyConsumers in APAC have a higher tendency to prioritise fuel-efficiency over other features. To cater to this consumer sentiment, automotive manufacturers are incorporating the latest technologies, which in turn is fuelling the growth of gasoline injection technologies market.Strict Emission StandardsChina, the largest APAC market, and India are witnessing a gradual stringentness in automotive emission policies and standards. Concerns about rising pollution levels in China are creating opportunities for incorporation of GDI technology in the manufacturing process.Key RestraintsWhile there have been several secondary facts indicating profits derived from fuel injection technologies in Asia, various challenges have emerged to restrain the growth of the regions gasoline injection technologies market. The most prominent industry restraints include,Lack of ApplicabilityGDI technologies, one of the advanced models of fuel injection technologies, are far from being incorporated in two-wheelers. Cars and other four-wheelers being the only segment for manufacturing application are restricting the adoption opportunities for gasoline injection technologies. Motorcycle manufacturers and social entrprises, such as EnviroFit are addressing this challenge with intensive R&D work.Request For TOC@Environmental ConditionsStrict emission standards in APAC region such as China are driving the markets growth but have an underlying restraining effect as well. Since the advanced gasoline injection technologies arent completely eco-friendly, manufacturers cannot claim effective automotive emission at every standard.Downside of GDI TechnologyHigh cost, operational complexity, and the need for using strong materials resilient to high pressure and temperature are some of the common drawbacks of GDI technologies. In critically polluted APAC regions like China, the adoption of GDI could be lowered, owing to scientific findings that claim emission of black carbon particulates. However, the researchs uncertainty and complicated nature havent yet had a major impact on Chinas market for GDI technologies.Key CompaniesLong after introducing the first direct injection system in the 50s, Robert Bosch GmbH continues to be a leading company in global gasoline injection technologies market, as well as in the APAC market. Mitsubishi Electric Auto Parts (China), Bajaj Auto (India) and Delphi Automotive LLP (China) are other leading companies in the APAC gasoline injection technologies market.Browse Full Report@ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Worldwide Next Generation Data Storage Technology Market Competitive landscape By 2015  2021

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http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/7169

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/next-generation-data-storage-technology-market.asp

Next generation data storage technology is the need for the hour as everything today we use creates data. For instance our mobile phones, wearable electronics, smart battery, games, advertisements, movies, smart homes, smart city, smart homes i.e. almost everything creates data. The next generation data storage technology offers the storage and fast recovery of our data in an efficient manner. The conventional data storage technology cannot handle the large chunks of data that are being produced every day.The increasing input-output devices are driving the next generation data storage market. Now data is being produced in virtually every sector that is the major growth driver for next generation data storage market.View Sample Report @The growing demand for time-saving is a major driver of next generation data storage market. An example of time-saving technologies or system: smart technologies, automated systems, internet of things, online shopping, etc. has taken the next generation data storage market to a next level.Companies working in next generation and data storage market are constantly investing in research and development. For instance: HP has developed affordable flash drives that work at high speed.The invention of new technologies is catering the needs of the data market and boosting the next generation data storage market. For instances: EMC has developed new technology to solve data storage problems in enterprises, also Intel and micron have developed 3D NAND technology to increase data processing speed in solid state drives.Data storage which is a major challenge for numerous industries is helping the next generation data storage technology market to expand its roots. There is a vast demand for data storage which is flourishing the next generation data storage market.With the need to constantly update till the time we find the ultimate data storage technology is biggest demand generator for next generation data storage market because the data generation is never going to end.Cloud computing is a new trend and there has been a significant increase in the number of cloud providers, NetApp and EMC are aggressively focusing on this market. For instance: Virtustream is acquired by EMC to expand its cloud services.The restrain of next generation data storage market is the lack of security in cloud and server based services.Next generation data storage technology market is segmented by technology, by applications, by region. Next generation data storage technology market segmentation by technology is done as cloud-based disaster recovery, all-flash storage arrays, hybrid array, holographic data storage and Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR). The growing technologies will help to store, secure and recover huge volume of data. Hybrid array and all-flash array are popular storage techniques.Next generation data storage technology market segmentation by an application is done into big data storage service, cloud-based storage service, enterprise based storage service and others. The growing data analytics for big data has created the requirement for next generation data storage system, which help in efficient storing and fast searching of necessary data.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:The global next generation data storage technology market is segmented into seven major regions, which include North America, Western Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East & Africa.Some of the key players identified in the global next generation data storage technology market are Dell, EMC Corporation, IBM, VMware, Inc., Hewlett-Packard Development Company, Sandisk corporation, Micron Technology, Nutanix, NetApp, Inc. , Toshiba corporation, Quantum Corporation, Hitachi data systems, HGST, Inc., Drobo , Avago Technologies, SimpliVity Corporation, Tintri. Wherein HP, EMC and IBM are some of the leading players in global next generation data storage technology market. The increase in the cloud services for public and the smart technologies generated the need for new technologies for the enterprise storage industries.The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to categories such as by technology, by application, by region.Browse Full Report@About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Digital Power Conversion Market Forecast By End-use Industry 2015-2025

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http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/digital-power-conversion-market

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Market OverviewProducts and devices implementing the digital power conversion techniques are gaining tremendous demand and manufacturers are boosting their production capacity to meet these needs. Digital power conversion techniques are used in electronic devices that require analog-to-digital or digital-to-digital conversions. The demand for digital power conversion is growing, owing to its technical applicability in a wide range of conversion processes for audio signals.Since audio and power signals are fundamental to almost every electronic device, the demand for digital power conversion systems will continue growing and advancing in the future. The global digital power conversion market forecast is likely to register substantial CAGR during the forecast period 2015-2025.Digital Power Conversion Market: Drivers & RestraintsSince the onset of electronic handheld devices, the processes of digital power conversion have become miniaturised. However, the demand for such mini-converters is gaining momentum, and electronic manufacturers are adopting these newly developed digital power conversion systems. Key drivers fuelling market growth include,Request Free Report Sample@Mandatory regulations on power-supply requirementsAdvancements in power system design for newly-launched devicesWireless automation systems for existing buildingsOverall growth of semiconductor industriesSupportive government initiativesAlthough the outlook on the digital power conversion market is positive, the current digital power conversion market is still at a nascent stage, and key challenges need to be addressed for the market to flourish. The digital control loop replacing thKey companies in the marketincludee existing common power supply analog control loop is a major challenge restraining the growth of the digital power conversion market. Operational expenditures, environmental concerns, additional system cooling, and safety concerns are also limiting the growth of the global digital power conversion market.Market SegmentationBesides the geographical segmentation, the global digital power conversion market can be classified on the basis of product type and applications.Based on application, the global digital power conversion market is segmented into:IndustrialAutomotiveEnterprise & Cloud ComputingCommunication InfrastructureBased on product type, the global digital power conversion market is segmented into:AC/DCIsolated DC/DCSequencersDC/ACPower Conditioning / Active Power FilteringHot SwapRequest For TOC@Digital Power Conversion Market: Region-wise OutlookNorth America, Europe, and Asia Pacific are leading markets for digital power conversion equipment and services. Japan and the Middle East & Africa (MEA) will also continue to witness steady growth during the forecast period. North America is likely to dominate the global market for digital power conversion, while China is expected to be a key market in terms of production and supply of converters.Competitive AnalysisTexas Instruments Incorporated, Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., Linear Technology Corporation, Microchip Technology Inc., Qualcomm Incorporated, some of are the leading players in the global digital power conversion market.Browse Full Report@ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Vacation Rental Software Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Forecast 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=13535

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/vacation-rental-software-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Vacation rental is a house, apartment or a resort rented on temporary basis to tourists as an alternative to a hotel. The term vacation rental is used mainly in North America, whereas in Europe it is known as villa holiday or villa rental. They are also referred as holiday lettings, bed & breakfast, homestay and gites. The vacation rental software enables the house/property managers to manage leads, cash flows, distribution channels and partners or distribution channels. It also offers an efficient point of sale system, efficient documentation system to property managers and increases automation in vendor payables system. Lead management functionality generates the price quote automatically according to the requirements of the customer. Further, it also assists sales managers to create personalized quotes in less time and thus eliminates the hassle of manual price calculation. The vacation rental software contains reporting suite which enables the renting entity to evaluate the financial performance of the rented property. Renting entity refers to the property owner organization, property manager or the property owner.Get Free Sample Report Copy :As the Internet penetration is increasing tremendously, the renting entities are moving to online platform. The vacation rental software enables the renting entity in building adaptive/responsive websites which provides optimized viewing experience independent of the type of devices (smartphone, personal computers or tablets) being accessed with. This supports the growth of the vacation rental software market. With the support of rental software, the organizations could enhance automation in their regular processes such as vendor payment, partner management and bulk mail system, driving the growth of vacation rental software market. The rising awareness about vacation rental homes through travel websites such as tripadvisor.com and airbnb.com has also generated a demand of vacation rental software to manage the customers and their details such as check-in time, check-out time and their invoice. The vacation rental software could be easily integrated with the travel websites, thus reduces hassle of deploying different software for different websites. The rising complexities in vacation rental business such as payment processes, check-in & check-out processes and customer management is expected to create ample opportunities for vacation rental software market. However, absence of pricing regulations for vacation rentals and fierce competition by hotels is expected to provide hurdles in the adoption of vacation rentals by the tourists. This is further anticipated to curb the growth rate of vacation rental software market.Vacation rental software market is broadly segmented on the basis of deployment type, end-users and geography. On the basis of deployment type, global vacation rental software market is segmented into on premise and cloud deployment. On the basis of end-users, the global vacation rental software market is further segmented into vacation rental owners, property managers, innkeepers, bed & breakfast (B&B) and vacation rental property agency. Moreover, in terms of geographies, the global vacation rental software market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa (MEA) and Latin America region. Europe and North America lead in deployment of vacation rental software due to presence of world famous tourist destinations in the region such as California (the U.S.), Miami (the U.S.), Paris (Europe) and Switzerland (Europe). Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest growing region owing to a large number of vacation rentals present in the tourist destinations such as Maldives, Bangkok and Indonesia.Browse Market Research Report with ToC & Free Analysis :The major participants in the vacation rental software market include companies such as BookingSync, Ciirus Inc., Kigo Inc., VRM Solutions Inc., LiveRez Inc., OwnerRez Inc., 365Villas.com Ltd, Convoyant LLC, Rental Network Software Corp. and Trekadoo LLC.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth insights, understanding market evolution by tracking historical developments, and analyzing the present scenario and future projections based on optimistic and likely scenarios. Each research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology developments, types, applications, and the competitive landscape.About Us :Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact Us :-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Server Software Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Trends, Forecast 2024

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http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/server-software-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Servers are classified into various types such as application servers, web servers, database servers, cloud computing servers and file servers. Application servers are designed to install, operate and host applications for the end users. Web server is a system that uses network protocols such as hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) to deliver the HTML files requested by the end user through its Internet browser. Database server is the backend system of the database application which is used to perform functions such as data analysis, data manipulation, storage and archiving. Cloud computing servers are remotely accessed servers, built, hosted and delivered through a cloud platform over the Internet. File server is a computer or device that handles the request for files and transfers the files as requested by the end user. Server software is specifically designed for operating, managing and increasing server computing power. Server software is built to interact with servers hardware, which includes processor, memory devices, input/output devices and other communication ports. Server software is installed on the server and could be accessed by multiple users on the network.Get Free Sample Report Copy :The deployment of server in the organization enables the centralization of data and installed applications. This factor would significantly help in the growth of server software market. Extensive usage of computers, laptops and smartphones is the major factor driving the growth of server software market. Rising Internet penetration in emerging economies such as India and Brazil has created huge demand of web servers which supports the growth of web server software market. Growing demand from developers to create applications for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets supports the growth of server software market. Growth of cloud based applications and development in Internet of Things (IoT) applications are likely to create immense opportunities for server software market. However, integration and compatibility issues with processors/storage devices servers pose a challenge to server software market.Server software market is broadly segmented on the basis of server type, deployment and geography. On the basis of type, the server software market is segmented into application server software, web server software, database server software, cloud computing server software and file server software. On the basis of deployment, the server software market is segmented into on-premise and cloud deployment. Moreover, in terms of geographies, the global server software market is segmented into North America; Europe; Asia Pacific; Middle East and Africa; and Latin America. North America is one of the leading regions in terms of adoption of server software due to huge adoption of cloud services in the region. Server software market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow significantly during the coming years due to high rate of growth in Internet penetration and digitalization in the region.The major participants of the server software market include Microsoft Corporation, Dell Corporation, International Business Machine (IBM) Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Red Hat Inc., SAP SE, Apache Software Foundation, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LLC, CodeLathe LLC, and Aprelium.Browse Market Research Report with ToC & Free Analysis :The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth insights, understanding market evolution by tracking historical developments, and analyzing the present scenario and future projections based on optimistic and likely scenarios. Each research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology developments, types, applications, and the competitive landscape.About Us :Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact Us :-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Hip and Knee Orthopedic Surgical Robot Device Market is Expected to Reach $5 Billion by 2022

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http://www.reportbazzar.com/product/orthopedic-surgical-robots-surgical-robotic-assist-robots-market-shares-strategies-forecasts-worldwide-2016-2022/

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The 2016 study has 156 pages, 64 tables and figures. Worldwide Orthopedic surgical robot and robotically assisted surgery markets are poised to achieve significant growth because the devices provide consistent, superior outcomes for clinicians. The accuracy provided by the robot is not reproducible by the human surgeon, so ultimately all surgeons will want to perform the orthopedic implants using this technology.Request Sample Report Here @Robot assisted medial knee arthroplasty: orthopedic surgical robots are poised to take knee and hip surgery quality far beyond what has previously been available. The quality of knee arthroplasty is improved with robotic capability. All the advantages of surgical robots carry into the Stryker Mako orthopedic reconstruction surgical products. When the knee and hip surgical robots are used, patients have less bleeding, reduction of post-operative pain, fewer re-admissions to hospital and faster recovery. Robots support high-precision surgery. A clinic in Switzerland, La Source, has reported a reduction in the average days of hospitalization from 10 to 6.Surgical robots provide consistent reproducible precision. This capability is so significant for implant surgery that the robots are positioned to become the defacto standard of care for knee and hip surgery within five years. Any one getting a knee or hip replaced will demand clinician attention to quality of life, to maintenance of lifestyle provided by a robot when they have a joint replacement.As next generation systems, hip and knee robotic units provide a way to improve traditional orthopedic hip and knee replacement surgery. Total hip replacement surgery has evolved dramatically as advances in technology have brought improved surgical techniques. Surgical robots and robotic assist devices are a significant part of that advance.Once, the penetration achieves a 35% level, all orthopedic surgeons will demand that hospitals offer robotic orthopedic surgical capability because the outcomes are more predictable and better. If the hospital does not offer the robot, the surgeon will move to a more modern facility. Once some hospitals are offering superior outcomes, all hospitals must come up tot that standard, the good physicians will migrate to the good technology and the patients will follow. This market has exceeded the threshold of 100 paid successful installations, that is the watermark for strong technology growth.Knee and hip surgical robot procedures and robotically assisted surgeries have been impacted by the reduction in insurance payments. Payment reductions have forced hospitals to start acting as businesses. The cost of delivering care has become as much a factor as providing quality care when making decisions about patient improvement in condition. Cost-cutting has been made in the supply chain. Suppliers were examined closely for quality and cost.The number of suppliers is reduced to put pressure on the ones that remain. Those remaining are pressured to improve prices and efficiencies. Hospitals, physicians, and care providers have been financially incentivized to create accountable care organizations (ACOs). Coordinated patient care plans and value-based purchasing were rewarded. The med device buyer shifted from physicians to the ACOs and smart buying groups.Enquiry Before Buying:Stryker has thrived in this cost efficient environment with a surgical robot that permits faster surgeries, more cost efficient surgeries. In addition, Stryker offers an integrated system. The ability to include a Mako total knee application with Stryker Triathlon total knee system is anticipated to increase market share for Stryker. Stryker market leading Triathlon total knee system is helped in the market by the robot simply by the improved surgical technique possible. Surgical robots are proving themselves in a variety of disciplines, lending credibility to the Stryker robotic initiative.Use of the robot with the orthopedic implant represents a key milestone in reconstructive surgery. Robots provide an opportunity to transform orthopedics. By furthering the growth of robotic-arm assisted surgery, patients can get better treatment. By enhancing the surgeon and patient experience is is likely that the entire orthopedics implant market will grow more rapidly than it would otherwise.Stryker uses the Mako to perform partial knee resurfacing and is happy to add robotic capability to total knee resurfacing. Technology is enhancing a wide variety of procedures in many surgical specialties. Omni has had remarkable success with its robotic assist device. Joint stiffness and joint instability are eliminated with the use of the Omni device.The aging US population has supported demand, since the occurrence of health issues that require medical devices is higher in the elderly population. Buoyed by strong demand and sales, industry profit margins have increased considerably during the past five years. The aging of the population worldwide is anticipated to trigger further growth of these markets.Hospitals are adopting robotic surgical devices to improve their outcomes numbers. Hospitals are measured on outcomes, robots for surgery, when used by a trained physician are improving outcomes significantly. Hundreds of universities worldwide have research programs in robotics and many are awarding degrees in robotics. These roboticists are increasingly being hired by Global 2000 organizations to link mobile robots (mobile computers) into existing IT systems.Robot-assisted surgery gives the surgeon better control over the surgical instruments and a better view of the surgical site.Hip and knee orthopedic surgical robot device markets at $222 million in 2015 are anticipated to reach $5 billion by 2022 as next generation robotic devices, systems, and instruments are introduced to manage surgery.The complete report provides a comprehensive analysis including procedure numbers, units sold, market value, forecasts, as well as a detailed competitive market shares and analysis of major players success, challenges, and strategies in each segment and sub-segment. The reports cover markets for knee and hip robotic orthopedic surgery medical specialties and sub-specialties.Buy Complete Report @Reportbazzar.com is your trusted source for the most inclusive and informative assortment of market research reports designed to empower you with the latest in industry information that translates to time and cost savings for your business. We not only help you give wing to your latent business ideas but also facilitate you in taking the best informed and strategic decisions that guarantee success in your most promising business endeavors.ReportBazzarOffice # 203,Vishal Shopping Complex,DSK Ranwara, Bavdhan,Pune  411021, IndiaIndia: +91 20 66528525Email Id: sales@reportbazzar.comWebsite:
Market Intelligence Report APAC Solar Micro Inverters, 2014-2020

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The first commercially successful micro inverter was launched by Enphase in 2008, which played a key role in popularising solar micro inverters globally. Currently, the global market comprises numerous domestic as well as international players supplying quality micro inverters.Modularity, safety, and maximum energy harvest will continue to drive the market at a considerable pace through 2020. Till recent years, the demand for micro inverters was highly restricted to North America. However, the market is gradually shifting toward commercial applications, and witnessing expansion in most of the developed as well as developing regions outside the U.S.Adoption of solar micro inverters has gained momentum in the recent past, resulting in a growing market in developing nations, including Asia Pacific. Improved device features and enhanced efficiency are currently pushing the market in APAC, which is projected to continue in the near future as well, creating a lucrative market for micro inverters on a global level.APAC Solar Micro Inverters Market: Key DriversDeclining Prices to Push DemandThe market is currently growing at a considerable pace. Persistent advances in R&D of solar micro inverters and substantial reduction in costs of micro inverters are estimated to boost the market during the forecast period.Size and Modularity to Impact Maximum ApplicationsCompact size and high modularity of solar micro inverters make them ideal for residential applications. These two are the key drivers why micro inverters are currently gaining an impetus at a global level.Request Free Report Sample@Superiority over Conventional Inverters is a Key DriverSolar micro inverters are superior over conventional centralised or string inverters in various ways.Unlike string inverters, micro inverters are tolerant to shade and do not let the power generation performance of individual solar panels drop, even if the area surrounding them is shady. This character is identified as one of the key factors positively influencing the demand for micro inverters when it comes to their efficiency.Contrary to centralised inverters, solar micro inverters are compact in size and do not need separate air cooling, resulting in lesser heat loss. This is another factor fuelling the demand for micro inverters in the market.Moreover, a broken string or centralised inverter faces halted performance merely due to a defect in one panel, whereas a defective panel in a micro inverter does not degrade the performance of the entire system because the system architecture allows individual panel monitoring. The maximum power is generated through MPPT. This has been an important driver in popularising micro inverters over the years.Higher Costs Can Create ChallengesHowever, relatively higher initial costs associated with installation and replacement of micro inverts may continue to create a major roadblock for solar micro inverters from becoming a widely commonplace device across Asia Pacific. Furthermore, installation of micro inverters requires the installation of another extra monitoring device - a communication bus, in addition to the basic common monitoring system. This in turn adds up to the final costs.APAC Solar Micro Inverters Market SegmentationFMIs research offers a six-year forecast, segmenting the APAC market for solar micro inverters based on the type, consumer, and application.Based on the type, the market is segmented into standalone solar micro inverter market and grid tied solar micro inverter market. On the basis of consumers, the solar micro inverter market in Asia Pacific is segmented as urban and rural. The urban segment dominates the market owing to rising awareness about alternate energy usage and growing population density in urban areas.According to the application, the solar micro inverters market in APAC is segmented as residential and commercial. As micro inverters are economically lesser affordable compared to other traditional inverters, their residential applications find a lower market share in economically sensitive regions in Asia Pacific. However, the commercial solar micro inverter market application currently dominates the market.Market to Explore Untapped Growth Opportunities in APACAlthough the U.S. is a leading market for solar micro inverters, adoption of solar micro inverters is expected to gain traction in Asia Pacific, especially in India, Japan, and Australia. Soaring fuel prices, burgeoning demand for power supply, and favourable government policies are currently driving the market in APAC.Request For TOC@Regional Analysis: APAC Solar Micro Inverters MarketIndia, owing to the availability of ample renewable energy sources, captures a prominent position in the APAC market for micro inverters. Growing awareness about benefits of micro inverters and widespread adoption of renewable energy sources for agriculture are expected to fuel the demand for solar micro inverters across India. The Union Budget of India for 2014-15 has clearly indicated emphasis on using solar for electricity generation. This is a key factor, anticipated to provide momentum to the market for micro inverters in and post-2016.Japan, despite representing a key residential market potential, has been facing limited micro inverter shipments. Stringent certification norms are anticipated to govern the Japanese market but domestic suppliers are expected to encounter growing opportunities.Australia is a relatively emerging market for photovoltaics, which makes it an unestablished market for string and centralised inverters. The Australian market, since the past few years, has been reflecting growing demand for micro inverters and FMIs research indicates string growth prospects for micro inverter suppliers. Recently, Enphase announced to commercially launch their AC battery first in Australia, later this year. ARENA Australia, through ample of renewable energy funds, will continue to provide an additional thrust to the market.In addition, there are other expanding market, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and Philippines. Malaysia hosts several off-grid projects, whereas Indonesia is up for a thousand islands project. Philippines is also continually initiating multiple rural electrification projects. Utility companies located in all the three countries are currently prioritising rural electrification.Browse Full Report@Key Players in APAC Solar Micro Inverters MarketKey participants in the Asia Pacific market for solar micro inverters, include Enphase Energy, Solar Bridge Technologies, SolarEdge, Green Ray Solar, and Enecsys.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Polysorbate-80 Market size and forecast, 2016-2026

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Polysorbate-80 (PS80), also known as tween 80 is a fatty acid esters of polyoxyethylene sorbitan. PS80 consist of a heterogeneous chemical structure distribution. PS80s are commonly used as non-ionic surfactants in the formulation of bio therapeutic products to prevent surface adsorption and stabilize protein against aggregation induced by stresses such as agitation and shear. It is widely used in food preparation, pharmaceuticals, and personal care and beauty products, such as cold creams, baby lotions, bath oils, and suntan lotions.Polysorbate80 is also used in ice cream preparation as it prevents the ice cream from melting rapidly. It is also used in formulating influenza vaccines.Polysorbate-80 Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe continuous rise in demand from the end use industry such as pharmaceuticals, food & beverages, personal care & cosmetics, plays a vital role in the growth of the global polysorbate market. Today the market is also experiencing a huge demands for the bio based products, which is also contributing to the growth of the global polysorbate market. Increasing awareness about the use of quality skin care products is a major driver for the industry.Request Free Report Sample@Polysorbate-80 is normally extracted from natural sources such as; turkey-red oil and coconut oil. Depletion of such natural resources might prove to be a major constraint for the market globally. Polysorbate-80 in some case has caused skin irritation and other minor skin disorders. These side effects could also act as a restraints in this market.Availability of cheap and synthetic substitutes, mainly in the form of borax & sodium borate could act as a potential threat for the market globally.Polysorbate-80 Market: SegmentationThe global polysorbate-80 market is broadly segmented on the basis of source, and application. On the basis of source, it is further be segmented into; plants source, animals source & synthetic source. Plant source is further bifurcated into palm, olive, bay tree, etc. Animal sources can be further segmented into cow fat, sheep fat, pig fat, etc.On the basis of application, the global polysorbate-80 market can be segmented into food & beverages, pharmaceuticals and personal care & cosmetics.Visit For TOC@Polysorbate-80 Market: Region Wise OutlookGeographically, the polysorbate-80 market is segmented into seven regions which are; North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and Japan.Polysorbate-80 Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players across the value chain dominating this market are; Lotion crafter LLC, Croda International plc, Mohini Organics Pvt. Ltd., Huyze Bladelin, Solenis, Croda International, Camden-grey Essential Oils, Mohini Organics Pvt. Ltd., M S Mehta & Co, Shine-Sarod Nigeria Limited, Chimi Gostaran Saba ( C. G. S. ), Reachin Chemical Co., Ltd. Guangzhou Runhua Food Additive Co., Ltd, Wmc marketing, Gulf Care Factory, and Mukasa Distributors Ltd.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Hospital Stretchers Market: Size, Share, competitive landscape, current industry trends by 2015 - 2021

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Hospital stretchers are medical equipment designed especially to transport patients safely within or outside a healthcare center. Hospital stretchers are basically utilized in emergency cases such as rescue services during accidents and in general medical services. Apart from patient transportation, hospital stretchers are also used for several specialized functions such as hospital beds, surgical platforms and as inspection or examination desk. The majority of the stretcher are simple, lightweight and made up of metal or other synthetic materials.Request Sample Report:Hospital stretcher is a well-established market across the globe. Rising incidences of chronic disease are the prime factor to stimulate the growth of hospital stretchers market. Additionally, increasing geriatric population is expected to fuel the growth of this market in the near future. Furthermore, the rise in demand for stretchers that are technically advanced and increasing surgical procedures is predicted to fuel the hospital stretchers market. However, high cost associated with specialized stretchers can affect the hospital stretchers market.The hospital stretchers market is segmented on the basis of product types, applications, technology, and geography. On the basis of product types, the market is divided into fixed height, adjustable, bariatric, and radiographic and other types of stretchers. Depending on technology, hospital stretchers can be segmented into two types namely, motorized and non-motorized. Presently, the non-motorized hospital stretchers segment dominates this market. This segment is developing at a moderate rate due to declining demand for manual stretchers from developed countries. Still, the non-motorized hospital stretchers segment is expected to dominate the overall market in terms of sales as they are very affordable compared to motorized stretchers. Further, intra-hospital transport, emergency department, day care surgery department, pediatric surgery department, and radiology department hospital stretchers are different key applications of this market.Do Inquiry before buying:Hospital stretchers market is undergoing constant development and would keep up this trend in the near future. North America was the largest market for hospital stretchers in 2015 which was mainly contributed by a rise in geriatric population, increased the prevalence of chronic diseases like obesity, gastrointestinal problems, and osteoporosis. Europe is second leading market for hospital stretchers due to increasing aging population. Promising medical tourism and low-cost surgical procedure in the developing countries of Asia-Pacific is expected to drive the hospital stretchers market. Large population and increasing road accidents in developing countries such as India and China are the other major drivers for hospital stretchers market in Asia Pacific region.Industry participants in the market place are focusing on continuous technological advancements. Some key players of the hospital stretchers market are Hill-Rom, Stryker, ArjoHuntleigh, Anetic Aid, BI Healthcare, GF Health Products, Kenmark and BMB Medical.Browse detail report at:Global Hospital Stretchers Market: Product Type Segment AnalysisFixed-Height StretchersAdjustable StretchersBariatric StretchersRadiographic StretchersOthersGlobal Hospital Stretchers Market: Technology Segment AnalysisNon-motorizedMotorizedGlobal Hospital Stretchers Market: Application Segment AnalysisIntra-hospital transportEmergency DepartmentDay Care Surgery DepartmentPediatric Surgery DepartmentRadiology DepartmentGlobal Hospital Stretcher Market: Region Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilMiddle East & AfricaRead Report TOC:About Us:Zion Market Research is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations. Zion Market Research is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air. We have market research reports from number of leading industry and update our collection daily to provide our clients with the instant online access to our database. With access to this database, our clients will be able to benefit from expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends.Contact Us:Zion Market Research4283, Express Lane,Suite 634-143,Sarasota, Florida 34249, United StatesTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.comWebsite:
Kidney Function Tests Market: Size, Share, competitive landscape, current industry trends by 2015 - 2021

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Kidneys are amongst the most vital organs of the human body. Kidneys mainly act as filters for the blood in the human body. They reabsorb the essential minerals and help to dispose the waste products that are water-soluble. The functional damage of the kidney is common around the globe and its prevalence is increasing day by day. The indications of kidney related problems include difficulty in urination, high blood pressure, blood in urine, swelling in hands and feet due to increase in the body fluids.Request Sample Report:The report provides a comprehensive view on the kidney function test market we have included a detailed value chain analysis. To understand the competitive landscape in the market, an analysis of Porters Five Forces model for the kidney function test market has also been included. The study encompasses a market attractiveness analysis, wherein product segments are benchmarked based on their market size, growth rate and general attractiveness. The report also analyzes several driving and restraining factors and their impact on the market during the forecast period.Increasing prevalence of chronic kidney disorders, rising geriatric population, high incidence of renal fibrosis, and growing number of individuals suffering from diabetes are the major factors driving the kidney function tests market. Kidney function tests demand is mainly driven by the presence of a large patient pool suffering from renal disorders. However, the worldwide kidney function tests market may affected by the increasing number of restrictions and strict regulatory pressure regarding the use of certain procedures in kidney tests.Do Inquiry before buying:Kidney function tests market is segmented on the basis of product types and region. Product segment includes dilution & concentration tests, clearance tests, urine tests and visual imaging tests. Urine tests are further classified into microalbuminuria, urine protein and urinalysis. Concentration tests segment held the largest market share in 2015 due to extensive application of these products in determination of pharmacokinetic properties of drugs.The kidney function tests market has been segmented on the basis of geographic regions into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa. North America dominated the global kidney function tests market owing to high prevalence of the kidney related diseases especially in the U.S., awareness and affordability and well-established healthcare infrastructure in the region. Europe is one of the leading region in kidney function tests market followed by North America. Asia Pacific is expected to experience highest growth in the near future due to increase in prevalence of renal complications.The key players in the global kidney function tests market are ManRos Therapeutics, Pfizer Inc., IC-Meditech, Plexxikon Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Ipsen S.A., Otsuka Holdings Co., Discovery Biomed, Inc., Baxter International Inc., Endocyte, Inc., Galectin Therapeutics, Inc., and F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.Browse detail report at:The report segments the global kidney function tests market asKidney Function Tests Market: Type Segment AnalysisDilution & concentration testsClearance testsUrine testsmicroalbuminuria,urine proteinurinalysisVisual imaging testsKidney Function Tests Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeGermanyUKFranceAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilMiddle East and AfricaRead Report TOC:About Us:Zion Market Research is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations. Zion Market Research is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air. We have market research reports from number of leading industry and update our collection daily to provide our clients with the instant online access to our database. With access to this database, our clients will be able to benefit from expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends.Contact Us:Zion Market Research4283, Express Lane,Suite 634-143,Sarasota, Florida 34249, United StatesTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.comWebsite:
Cervical cancer diagnostics Market: Driven majorly by increasing percentage of HPV infected people across globe by 2015-2021

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Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal growth of cells with the potential to spread to other parts of the body. There are various types of cancers affecting different parts of body. Cancer which develops in cervix is called cervical cancer. Two major types of cervical cancers diagnosed in women include adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Almost all types of cervical cancer are caused by human papiloma virus (HPV). Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer among women and the second most frequent cause of cancer-related death, accounting for almost 3,00,000 deaths annually. Diagnosis of cervical cancer is done by Pap Smear Tests, Colposcopy, HPV Testing, Endocervical Curettage (ECC). Cervical cancer is a sexually transmitted disease that can be prevented by early detection and vaccination.Request Sample Report:Cervical cancer diagnostics market is driven majorly by increasing percentage of HPV infected people across globe. HPV is an extremely common virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), six million people in the United States acquire HPV each year. At least 20 million already have it, and more than half of all sexually-active adults are expected to be infected during their lifetime. Furthermore, rising awareness, literacy rate, government initiatives, government funding and various screening methods are expected to increase the growth of the market over the years. Moreover, many lifestyle-related factors, such as having multiple sex partners, smoking, obesity, unsafe sex and inherited HPV positive patients, are estimated to drive the cervical diagnostics market in the near future. However prevention of HPV by vaccination is major restraining factor in the growth of cervical cancer diagnostics market. In addition to this, the uncertain returning policy serves to be a major challenge impacting the growth of cervical cancer diagnostics market.The report covers forecast and analysis of the cervical cancer diagnostics market on a global and regional level. The study provides historic data of 2015 along with a forecast from 2016 to 2021 based on revenue (USD Million). To understand the competitive landscape in the market, an analysis of Porters Five Forces model for the cervical cancer diagnostics market has also been included in the study. The report also analyzes several driving and restraining factors and their impact on the market during the forecast period. The study encompasses a market attractiveness analysis, wherein application segments are benchmarked based on their market size, growth rate and general attractiveness.The report provides detailed segmentation of the cervical cancer diagnostics market based on application and region. The regional market segment held the largest market share in 2015.Do Inquiry before buying:Geographically, the market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America dominated the global cervical cancer diagnostic market in 2015 on account of the rising incidence of HPV infection, rising number of women smokers, and growing aged population. North America was followed by Europe in 2015. The market is expected to witness the growth in the Asia-Pacific region in the coming years due to the rising HPV infection in population, government initiative and availability of advance health care infrastructure.Some of the key players contributing to the cervical cancer diagnostics market are Abbott Laboratories, Qiagen N.V., Hologic Inc., Roche Diagnostics, Quest Diagnostics, Becton, Dickinson and CompanyBrowse detail report at:This report segments the cervical cancer diagnostics market are follows:-Cervical Cancer Diagnostics Market: Application AnalysisPap Smear TestsColposcopyHPV TestingCervical Cancer Diagnostics Market: Regional AnalysisNorth AmericaEuropeAsia PacificLatin AmericaMiddle East & AfricaRead Report TOC:About Us:Zion Market Research is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations. Zion Market Research is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air. We have market research reports from number of leading industry and update our collection daily to provide our clients with the instant online access to our database. With access to this database, our clients will be able to benefit from expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends.Contact Us:Zion Market Research4283, Express Lane,Suite 634-143,Sarasota, Florida 34249, United StatesTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.comWebsite:
SuperHydrophobic Coatings - Emergence of advanced technologies and global industry analysis 2023.

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An increasing number of players in the superhydrophobic coatings market are at various stages in their R&D efforts while several others are expected to launch innovative and advanced products in the near future. Transparency Market Research (TMR) observes that this has intensified the degree of competition among international as well as domestic players and is likely to push the global superhydrophobic coatings market to expand at a double-digit growth rate from 2016 to 2024.Get Free PDF Brochure for more Professional and Technical industry insights:P2i Limited, Cytonix, LLC, The Sherwin-Williams Company, DryWired, LLC, UltraTech International, Inc., Sto Group, Surfactis Technologies, Nanex Company, NTT Advanced Technology Corporation, NEI Corporation, Lotus Leaf Coatings, Inc., Rust-Oleum Corporation, Aculon, Inc., and Artekya Ltd. are some of the prominent players in the global superhydrophobic coatings market.In the past, most of the companies have focused on the electronics and telecommunication, building and construction, and textiles and leather industries to expand their product portfolio. However, an increasing number of vendors are also finding opportunity in the medical and healthcare, oil and gas, and automotive sectors, a TMR analyst has observed.Rising Demand from Consumers for Waterproof Electronics Presents Key OpportunitiesThe global superhydrophobic coatings market attributes its exceptional growth to the large-scale development of the global electronics and telecommunication industry. Superhydrophobic coatings are widely used in the electronics and telecommunication industry as they are thermally stable and can be easily applied on the surface. They are also highly capable of protecting sensitive electronic parts that are easily susceptible to water damage. The rising demand from consumers for electronic products with water-repelling surfaces is anticipated to present significant scope for players in the superhydrophobic coatings market in the next few years, the author of the report states.The growth of the global construction industry, coupled with the increased demand for the usage of composite materials in the construction industry will also provide immense opportunities for vendors in the superhydrophobic coatings market, the TMR analyst predicts. Superhydrophobic coatings have extensive potential in the building and construction sector as they offer the required temperature resistance and provide effective barriers against water and microbes. Companies such as UltraTech International Inc. and The Sherwin- Williams Company are some of the leading players manufacturing superhydrophobic coatings for the construction industry.In contrast, stringent government regulations pertaining to coating ingredients and formulations have been enforced in several developed countries in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific and this is likely to adversely impact the superhydrophobic coatings market over the course of the forecast period.Unprecedented Growth in Store for Superhydrophobic Coatings MarketTMR states that the opportunity in the superhydrophobic coatings market is anticipated to rise from US$2.90 mn in 2015 to be worth US$37.1 mn by 2024 at an impressive 34.3% CAGR during the forecast period. By volume, the superhydrophobic coatings market is likely to expand at a CAGR of 37.3% from 2016 to 2024. In terms of demand, the electronics and telecommunication sector led the superhydrophobic coatings market in 2015, with a share of approximately 32.0%. The segment is anticipated to retain its lead throughout the forecast period. The textile and leather segment, on the other hand, will expand at the highest CAGR from 2016 to 2024.Browse Industry Research Report with free Analysis:By volume, North America is a key contributor to the growth of the global superhydrophobic coatings market and in 2015, led the overall market. Asia Pacific is predicted to exhibit the fastest growth from 2016 to 2024.This review is based on the findings of a TMR report titled Superhydrophobic Coatings Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024.Superhydrophobic Coatings Market, by End UseElectronics & TelecommunicationBuilding & ConstructionTextile & LeatherAutomotiveMedical & Health CareOthers (Power Generation, Optical, etc.)About UsTransparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We are privileged with highly experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700Albany NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453E-mail: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Metallocene Technologies Market- Global Industry Analysis, Share, Size, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2015 - 2023

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Metallocene based technology is estimated to boost the growth of the polyolefin polyethylene, and polypropylene industries. The major players operating in the global polyethylene and polypropylene industries invest heavily in developing metallocene technologies to obtain a cutting edge advantage over their competitors.The investment made for developing metallocene technologies accounts for approximately 75% of the total R&D investment made in the polyolefins industry with the remaining being spent for nourishing conventional technologies. Metallocene based polyolefins are expected to capture a huge market in the overall polymers market (both specialty polymers and bulk polymers market).Get Free PDF Brochure for more Professional and Technical industry insights:The global demand for metallocene resins is on a surge primarily due to the growing demand for superior quality polymers and elastomers, which is facilitated by metallocene technologies. Metallocenes also offer various process advantages over conventional thermoplastics and elastomers.The growing R&D investment for developing metallocene technologies will provide immense opportunities to the players operating in the global market. Metallocene based polymers are expected to account for 10% of the total thermoplastic and elastomers market globally over the next few years. Although the market for metallocenes holds promise, the relative size of conventional polyethylene and polypropylene makes it look very small.Flexible non-food packaging is the biggest application segment for metallocene polymers which accounts for approximately 35% of the total metallocenes demand. Shrink/stretch film is the next biggest application segment which accounts for over 27% of the total demand for metallocene resins. The shrink/stretch films segment is also the fastest growing application segment for metallocenes globally.Browse Industry Research Report with free Analysis:Some of the leading companies operating in the global market include Total Petrochemicals, Exxon Mobil Chemical Company, The Dow Chemical Company, Equistar Chemicals LP, and Mitsui Chemicals Inc.This research report analyzes this market depending on its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends. Geographies analyzed under this research report includeNorth AmericaAsia PacificEuropeRest of the WorldThis report provides comprehensive analysis ofMarket growth driversFactors limiting market growthCurrent market trendsMarket structureMarket projections for upcoming yearsThis report is a complete study of current trends in the market, industry growth drivers, and restraints. It provides market projections for the coming years. It includes analysis of recent developments in technology, Porters five force model analysis and detailed profiles of top industry players. The report also includes a review of micro and macro factors essential for the existing market players and new entrants along with detailed value chain analysis.About UsTransparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We are privileged with highly experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700Albany NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453E-mail: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Venous Thromboembolism Treatment Market Growth, Forecast and Value Chain 2016-2026

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1341

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1341

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Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) is formation of blood clot in the vein. It includes both Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE). When a clot forms in a deep vein, usually in the leg, it is called a deep vein thrombosis. If that clot breaks loose and travels to the lungs, it is called pulmonary embolism. Long term complications of venous thromboembolism include chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTPH) and the post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS).Venous thromboembolism is third most common cardiovascular disease occurred in the world. Common symptoms of venous thromboembolism include edema, dilated blood veins mainly in chest and legs, dyspnea, tachycardia and fever. The lower extremities are the most common site for DVT, but other affected locations include the upper extremities and the mesenteric and the pelvic veins, as well as the cerebral veins.Venous Thromboembolism Treatment Market:Drivers and RestraintsMajor factors such as increasing morbidity rate of venous thromboembolism and increasing awareness about available treatments for venous thromboembolism are driving the global venous thromboembolism treatment market towards growth. On the other hand, factors such as stringent regulatory approvals and challenges in adaption of newer drug in the market are restraining the growth of this market.Request Free Report Sample@Venous Thromboembolism Treatment Market:SegmentationVenous thromboembolism treatment market is segmented on the basis of product type, end use and geography.Based on product type, the global market of venous thromboembolism treatment is segmented as follows:MedicationsAnticoagulantsHeparinFactor Xa inhibitorsFondaparinuxDabigatranVitamin K antagonistsWarfarinCompression TherapySurgical treatmentPulmonary embolectomyVena caval interruptionBased on end use, venous thromboembolism treatment market can be segmented as follows:Hospitals including hospital pharmaciesClinicsRetail pharmaciesHome care settingsVenous Thromboembolism Treatment Market: OverviewWith rise in the aging population, morbidity rate of venous thromboembolism is also rapidly increasing. The mainstay of venous thromboembolism treatment is anticoagulation. However, anticoagulants will probably always increase bleeding risk. Hence, using both heparin and compression stockings appears better than either one alone in reducing the rate of deep vein thrombosis. Medications to treat venous thromboembolism like heparin, dabigatran has shown promise. Vitamin K antagonists are also commonly used. Acute DVT may be treated in an outpatient setting with low-molecular-weight heparin. Hence, these medicinal therapies are responsible for the growth of venous thromboembolism treatment market.Visit For TOC@Venous Thromboembolism Treatment Market:Region-wise OutlookRegion wise, the venous thromboembolism treatment marketis classified into countries namely, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America is the dominant regional market for venous thromboembolism treatments and is followed by Europe due the existence of a lathe number of venous thromboembolic patients in these regions. North America and European venous thromboembolism market is driven by high healthcare spending, improved healthcare infrastructure and high awareness about the disease and available treatments. Asia Pacific is a promising market for venous thromboembolism treatment and is expected to undergo rapid market growth due to increase in purchasing power, changing healthcare infrastructure and increased awareness for clinical facilities.Venous Thromboembolism Treatment Market: Key PlayersSome of the major companies contributing to venous thromboembolism treatment market are Sanofi-Aventis, Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Abbott Laboratories, Merck & Co., Wockhardt Ltd, Bayer Biologicals, Dupont Pharm Co, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Pfizer Inc.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Good Growth Opportunities in Global AIDS Related Primary CNS Lymphoma Market Till 2026

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1400

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1400

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Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a viral disease of immune system caused by the infection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a primary intracranial tumor occurs mostly in patients suffering from severe immunosuppression specifically AIDS. The pathogen responsible for primary CNS lymphoma is Epstein-Barr virus. AIDS associated primary CNS lymphoma diffuses large-cell lymphoma of B-cell which usually occurs in brain or spinal cord. Patients suffering from CNS lymphoma complain about lethargy, headache, neurologic symptoms and signs and changes in mental status. For diagnosing AIDS associated primary CNS lymphoma, Computed Tomography (CT) scan or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is performed. Biopsy diagnosis is also performed to confirm the results as the lesions reported in MRI and CT scan sometimes generate confusion between toxoplasmosis, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) lesions and lymphoma.AIDS - Related Primary CNS Lymphoma Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period as number of AIDS patients are increasing across the globe. Likewise, increasing awareness initiatives by government authorities would propel the growth of AIDS - related primary CNS lymphoma market. Also, many pharmaceutical companies are entering into market for developing and manufacturing drugs for preventing and treating AIDS- related primary CNS lymphoma.AIDS - Related Primary CNS Lymphoma Market: SegmentationAIDS - related primary CNS lymphoma market is classified on the basis of drug type, distribution channel and geography.Based on the drug type, the global market for AIDS - related primary CNS lymphoma is segmented into the following:MethotrexateThiotepaProcarbazineTemozolomideRequest Free Report Sample@Based on the distribution channel the global market for AIDS - related primary CNS lymphoma is segmented into the following:Hospitals ClinicsPrivate ClinicsRetail Pharmacies and Drug Storese-commerceBased on the geography the global market for AIDS - related primary CNS lymphoma is segmented into the following:North AmericaLatin AmericaWestern EuropeEastern EuropeAsia PacificJapanMiddle East and AfricaAIDS - Related Primary CNS Lymphoma Market: OverviewChemotherapy and radiation therapy are administered for treatment of AIDS - related primary CNS lymphoma. AIDS - related primary CNS lymphoma. Various drugs have been utilized during chemotherapy sessions include methotrexate, thiotepa and procarbazine. For increasing treatment efficiency, rituximab is combined with methotrexate. Temozolomide is also used with those patients who demonstrate fair response to the treatment. The major therapy used for treating AIDS associated primary CNS lymphoma is Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART). Moreover, several clinical trials are being conducted in order to develop and commercialize more precise and exclusive treatments for the condition.Visit For TOC@AIDS - Related Primary CNS Lymphoma Market: Region-wise OutlookDepending on geographic regions, global AIDS - related primary CNS lymphoma market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan, Japan and Middle East & Africa. North America and Eastern Europe markets are currently at the maturity stage for clinical research and methods for treating AIDS associated primary CNS lymphoma due to their position to use expensive drugs and treatment. However, Asia-Pacific market looks attractive for AIDS associated primary CNS lymphoma treatment owing to increasing awareness among the people about the treatment availability. Considering the treatment types, HAART occupies the major market share among the other available treatments. The institutes which are majorly involved in clinical research for AIDS associated primary CNS lymphoma treatments are the National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases, AIDS Malignancy Clinical Trials Consortium, European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group.AIDS - Related Primary CNS Lymphoma Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in global AIDS - related primary CNS lymphoma market are Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA, Amgen Inc., Dr. Reddys Laboratories Ltd., Cipla Inc., Celon Laboratories Limited among several others.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Multi-parameter Patient Monitoring Equipment Market - Increasing Demand for Home Healthcare Driving Manufacture Rates of Low- and Medium-acuity Patient Monitoring Equipment

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http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/multi-parameter-patient-monitoring-equipment.html

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Close to 71% of the total value of multi-parameter patient monitoring equipment in 2014 was taken up by the top three players  Philips Healthcare, GE Healthcare, and Dragwerk AG & Co. KGaA. Product innovation is a key strategy adopted by them and other prominent players in this primarily oligopolistic market.According to a new publication by Transparency Market Research, the threat of new entrants in the multi-parameter patient monitoring equipment market is expected to remain moderate. While the demand for the equipment is increasing, extremely strict guidelines and high initial costs of the monitors prevail, deterring many new entrants from gaining ground in the market.Download Free Brochure:Meanwhile, the degree of competition in the market is expected to remain high over the coming years as prominent players keep looking for ways to increase market share.The revenue generated in the global market for multi-parameter patient monitoring equipment is expected to progress at a CAGR of 4.4% within a forecast period from 2015 to 2023. The revenue is expected to reach US$4.65 mn by the end of 2023 and US$3.47 bn by the end of 2016.North America has enjoyed being a high development and high demand region for multi-parameter patient monitoring equipment. By the end of 2023, this regions revenue in the market is expected to reach US$2.39 bn. Meanwhile, the demand for multi-parameter patient monitoring equipment grows faster in the Asia Pacific region.High-Acuity Monitors Comprise Major DemandA large part of the demand for multi-parameter patient monitoring equipment is currently for high-acuity monitors. These monitors are expected to generate a revenue progressing at a CAGR of 5.2% from 2015 to 2023 and is expected to reach close to US$2 bn.The demand for multi-parameter patient monitoring equipment is growing at a significant pace in the home healthcare segment till 2023. Despite that, the sheer volume of demand for multi-parameter patient monitoring equipment in hospitals is expected to continue leading the market value, reaching US$3.45 bn by 2023.Mid- and Low-acuity Patient Monitoring Equipment to Gain Demand through Remote Monitoring Healthcare BoomOne of the greater shifts in the market for multi-parameter patient monitoring equipment that manufacturers need to look out for is the growth in demand for mid- and low-acuity patient monitoring equipment in the coming years, states a TMR analyst. Home healthcare services are witnessing an enormous demand and it will continue to increase over the coming years, owing to a growing geriatric population and the advancement of remote monitoring healthcare services, the analyst adds.Home healthcare services offer significant advantages such as reducing overall expenses and the number of hospital visits for patients and are therefore in extremely high demand. These are also the same patients that are fall into the brackets of mid- and low-acuity issues.High Product Recall Rate Disturbs Natural Growth of Multi-parameter Patient Monitoring Equipment MarketThere have been multiple recalls of several types of multi-parameter patient monitoring equipment over the recent past owing to several reasons. A key reason for product recalls was the misinterpretation of sensory data to give the wrong reading, thereby leading doctors to make false conclusions.It is not just medium and small scale manufacturers that have had to issues recalls; several globally prominent entities have also been subject to consumer grievances and large scale product recalls.The future of multi-parameter patient monitoring equipment could very well lie in emerging economies, as mentioned by the TMR analyst: Major opportunities lie in the developing regions for the implementation multi-parameter patient monitoring equipment. Nations in Asia Pacific, for instance, are showing a high rate of healthcare evolution and will surely give wide berth to manufacturers of advanced medical equipment.Read More:The information presented in this review is based on a Transparency Market Research report, titled, Multi-parameter Patient Monitoring Equipment Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2023.Key Takeaways: High-acuity monitors expected to lead the global multi-parameter patient monitoring equipment market till 2023, expected to reach US$2.00 bn by then. Hospital demand for multi-parameter patient monitoring equipment dominates till 2023, expected to reach US$3.45 bn by then. North America continues taking up majority revenue in multi-parameter patient monitoring equipment, expected to generate US$2.39 bn by 2023.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Anti-aging Market Trending Across the Globe; Novel anti-aging treatments and Products are Evolving

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http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/anti-aging-market.html

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Anti-aging market is growing as the modern technologies have initiated the involvement of novel anti-aging treatments and products. Anti-aging market is segmented into products, services and devices. Anti-aging product market compared to services was observed to be resilient to economic cycles because it was observed that during a financial downturn customers shifted to cost efficient mass marketed products which prevented any major declination in products market.Download Free exclusive Sample of this report:The global anti-aging market is growing at a CAGR of 7.8% between 2013 and 2019. With the markets value being 122.3 billion in 2013, it is expected to reach US$191.7 billion by the end of 2019. Statistics regarding the same have been provided in a research report by Transparency Market Research (TMR), titled Anti-aging Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019, on sale on TMRs website.Anti-aging market can also besegmented on the basis of age demographics such as baby boomers, generation X and generation Y. Baby boomers are observed to the major target for anti-aging industry as this generation is aging and have high disposable income. According to a statistical data, 44% of US population is of Baby Boomers and 70% of USs disposable income is owned by Baby boomers. It was also observed that baby boomers and generation X are the most aware and potential customers for anti-aging market. This age group is investing more into anti-aging products market as they have already crossed 50years and now expect to delay or mask the aging signs whereas generation X is investing more in anti-aging services market to maintain their appearance as they have reached in their forties.Browse Report:The report displays data gathered about the global anti-aging market with regard to market trends, geography, revenue streams, and others.According to the report, the global anti-aging market is being driven primarily by the rise in the aging population in the world, especially the nations that hold majorities of the baby boomer population. The population comprises individuals that have, for long periods, been concerned with physical health and beauty.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Oxygen Therapy Devices Market Expected to Reach US$1.58 bn by 2023; says TMR

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http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/north-america-oxygen-therapy-devices-market.html

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According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research Oxygen Therapy Devices Market - North America Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2023, the North America oxygen therapy devices market was valued at US$ 1.0 Bn in 2014 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.5% from 2015 to 2023, to reach an estimated value of US$ 1.58 Bn in 2023.Download Free PDF Brochure:Oxygen therapy is a form of respiratory care that involves administration of supplemental oxygen in order to prevent any damage to tissue cells as a result of hypoxemia. The prime purpose of oxygen therapy is to increase oxygen saturation levels in the damaged tissues. Oxygen therapy results in reduction in shortness of breath, lesser strain on the heart and better quality of life. Increasing incidences of various respiratory illnesses and growing need for better disease management is driving the growth of the global oxygen therapy devices market. Due to its wide application in the treatment of a number of diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, pneumonia, obstructive sleep apnea, respiratory distress syndrome and cystic fibrosis, the oxygen therapy devices market is estimated to propel during the forecast period of 2015 to 2023.Geographically, the North America oxygen therapy devices market is segmented into the U.S. and Canada. The U.S. held the largest market in terms of revenue in 2014 and is expected to dominate the position throughout the forecast period. Major factors attributed to the dominance of the U.S. are increasing prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among the regional population, growing health care awareness regarding the availability of treatment for a wide range of chronic respiratory diseases and demand for technologically advanced devices. According to the American Lung Association, COPD is the third leading cause of death in the U.S., with 11 million people diagnosed with COPD and another 24 million people are estimated to be affected from the disease but are unaware of their situation in 2013.Moreover, increasing government initiatives has also fueled the growth of the market. For instance, the National Asthma Control Initiative (NACI), a program of the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) in the U.S., aims to produce high-impact solutions and meaningful change in asthma control. The NACI is an action-oriented initiative to engage health care professionals, patients, professional associations, and other stakeholders in order to implement innovative and strategic interventions, thereby reducing asthma disparities. Similarly, the U.S.-based National Prevention Strategy for Tobacco Free Living leads initiatives to improve health through prevention by expanding clinical and community-based preventive services.Browse Report:The oxygen therapy devices market in Canada is witnessing significant growth. Factors attributed to the growth of the market are rising geriatric population, high adoption of premium priced devices and rising prevalence of respiratory diseases. According to the Statistics Canada, 16.1% or approximately 5,780,900 people in Canada are 65 years and older who are more likely to suffer from the respiratory disease. Moreover, demand for oxygen therapy products is largely driven by the increasing prevalence of COPD, which affects more than 714,000 people in Canada and is currently the 4th leading cause of death. It is estimated to be the third largest cause of death by 2020.About UsTransparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Our experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information.90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
ATM Market : Value Chain, Dynamics and Key Players (2016 - 2022)

ATM Market, Automatic Teller Machine

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ATM is the abbreviation used for Automatic Teller Machine, which is a product of technological advancement developed to enhance the financial services such as cash withdrawals, funds transfer, cash deposit, transactions as payment of bills by credit card or debit card, mini statements and other financial enquiries. ATM does all these processes by an accessing personal identification number (PIN) & a plastic card having a magnetic strip over it containing the customer identity. A decade ago, ATM were used only as a cash dispenser machines, means were used only to withdraw cash and for balance enquiry. Now days every financial institution is using this system to attract their customers & to serve them even outside the banking hall. Before some years banking processes and transaction was very easy tasks of walk in the bank venue & deposit or withdraw the cash through a manual counter without much congestion and queues by cheque books or cash books, but in recent time it is becoming tedious and time consuming process as the complexity of human demand & business demand force customers to go in and out of banking halls frequently & hence ATM is becoming a good substitution for it.View Sample Report :The global ATM market is progressively growing in a developing regions and with addition of smart ATM s, Solar ATM s enhancing the market size of Global ATM market.The key trends responsible for the growth of the Global ATM market are the transition of a class banking to mass banking as well as customers have been more interested in the self-service channels for last some years. The key drivers of ATM market driving its market are tremendous growth of retail automation for last some years, robust security standards, Banks are focusing on increasing the number of ATM s globally, advancement in the wireless communication. On the flip side, the key restraints inhibit the growth of global ATM market which are mentioned below; some security threats, major risk linked with the ATM machines as theft, rise in skimming activities, hacking of customers personal information and transactional details, connectivity and operational issues are limiting global ATM market.The segmentation of Global ATM market is done on the basis of; solution or service type, product type & Geography. On the basis of solution type or service type, Global ATM market is segmented into following types as; installation solution, Managed services & ATM card solution. Installation solution is further segmented into On-site ATM, Off-site ATM, mobile ATM & worksite ATM . Managed service is sub segmented as cash management, network management, currency management, security management and retail & enterprise solution.Segmentation of Global ATM market by its product type is done as; Conventional/Bank ATM, Solar Powered ATM, self-cashed or fully serviced ATM, smart ATM, cash dispenser ATM, free standing ATM, through-the-wall ATM, brown label ATM & others. With the addition of Smart ATM and white label ATM the growth of Global ATM market has been increasing tremendously.Geographical segmentation of ATM market is done into seven regions which are; North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), and Middle East and Africa (MEA). Presently North America is a global leader of ATM market and is expected to maintain the leadership throughout forecasting period.Request TOC :The key players of global ATM market are GRGBanking, Hitachi Payment Services Pvt. Ltd, DIEBOLD INC., NCR Corporation, Triton Systems of Delaware LLC, Wincor Nixdorf AG & others.The report covers exhaustive analysis on:ATM Market SegmentsATM Market DynamicsHistorical Actual Market Size, 2013 - 2015ATM Market Size & Forecast 2016 to 2022Supply & Demand Value ChainATM Market Current Trends/Issues/ChallengesCompetition & Companies involvedTechnologyValue ChainATM Market Drivers and RestraintsRegional analysis for ATM Market includesNorth AmericaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia Pacific & JapanThe Middle East and AfricaReport Highlights:Shifting Industry dynamicsIn-depth market segmentationHistorical, current and projected industry size Recent industry trendsKey Competition landscapeStrategies of key players and product offeringsPotential and niche segments/regions exhibiting promising growthA neutral perspective towards market performanceAbout UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.ContactPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United StatesUSA - Canada Toll Free: +1 800-961-0353
Micro Server Market : Dynamics, Segments, Size and Demand to 2016 - 2022

Micro Server Market

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/8392

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/8392

Servers have been the most important general purpose workhorses for the datacenters designed to perform all tasks for organizations of any shape and size. Micro server is a server which is stripped down as much as possible. Now a day some businesses want machines which are specially designed to perform some specific tasks. As micro server is super-efficient at one particular task so it is used in business not as a replacement of large servers but as a supporting server along with those, because it is wastage of power as well as time to ask large servers to do small task . Micro servers are becoming more popular as they help in saving companies space, they are more efficient servers than the traditional big servers in terms of data usage as well as money.View Sample Report :There is high chances of growth for global micro server market during the forecast period especially in the technological advanced regions. The global micro server market is expected to grow with tremendous CAGR till the end of 2022.The key industry trend of micro server market is the increased growth rate of infrastructure for cloud and data centers especially in the technological emerging region as Asia Pacific and Western Europe as compare to North America. The key growth drivers of micro server market the advantages provided by micro server over the traditional large servers as lower power consumption and companies space saver, For last some years cloud computing and web hosting market is continuously growing, which in turn drive the growth of micro server market. Also with increased growth of hyperscale data centers architectures, global microserver market is been driven. On the other hand usage of microserver is limited only to small and medium enterprises, lack of awareness & standard specification are some of the restraints hindering the growth of global micro server market.Segmentation of micro server market is done on the basis of component, application, processor type, end user & Geography. Based on the component, segmentation of micro server market is done as hardware, software and operating system. On the basis of processor type, global micro server market is segmented as ARM processors, AMD processors, Intel processors & others. The efficiency of server depends upon the processor type, which is been used in server. Intel core processor and AMD processors are most popular processor & has the highest market share contribution for the segment in the global market.By applications, global micro server market is segmented into following two segments; cloud computing technologies & datacenters.On the basis of end users, global micro server market is segmented into three segments; small scale enterprises, medium scale enterprises & large scale enterprises. Geographically, micro server market is segmented into seven regions which are ; North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), and Middle East and Africa (MEA). Among all the seven region North America is the highest contributor in term of revenue in global micro server market which covers about 40% of global market, and Asia Pacific is the fastest growing market for micro server solution providers across the globe.Request TOC :The key players of global micro server market are ARM Ltd., Hewlett Packard Co., Dell Inc., Intel Corporation, Advanced Micro Devices, Marvel Technology, Penguin Computing, Inc., Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Tilera Corp., MiTac International Corp, Penguin Computing, Inc. & others.The report covers exhaustive analysis on:Micro Server Market SegmentsMicro Server Market DynamicsHistorical Actual Market Size, 2013 - 2015Micro Server Market Size & Forecast 2016 to 2022Supply & Demand Value ChainMicro Server Market Current Trends/Issues/ChallengesCompetition & Companies involvedTechnologyValue ChainMicro Server Market Drivers and RestraintsRegional analysis for Micro Server Market includesNorth AmericaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia Pacific & JapanThe Middle East and AfricaReport Highlights:Shifting Industry dynamicsIn-depth market segmentationHistorical, current and projected industry size Recent industry trendsKey Competition landscapeStrategies of key players and product offeringsPotential and niche segments/regions exhibiting promising growthA neutral perspective towards market performanceAbout UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.ContactPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United StatesUSA - Canada Toll Free: +1 800-961-0353
Gas Permeable Contact Lens - Increasing Array of Products to Enable Market Growth

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=1787

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

The global market for contact lenses features a consolidated competitive landscape, with the top four companies, including Johnson & Johnson, The Cooper Companies, Alcona Inc. and Bausch and Lomb, accounting for a share of nearly 68% in the global market in 2015, states Transparency Market Research (TMR) in a new report. Johnson & Johnson, the largest vendor in the market, held nearly 31% share in the global market in the same year.Volume-wise, the market is expected to rise to 2,135.0 mn units by 2024. TMR also estimates that the global contact lens market, which had a valuation of US$9.74 bn in 2015 in terms of revenue, is expected to expand at a 7.6% CAGR from 2016 through 2024, and rise to US$18.70 bn by 2024. Of the key technologies used for manufacturing contact lenses, the cast molding technology is presently the most preferred, accounting for a share of over 80% of the markets overall revenues in 2015.Get Free PDF Brochure for more Professional and Technical industry insights:Rising Prevalence of Ophthalmic Disorders and Rising Popularity as Fashion Accessory Boost Global Sales of Contact LensesThe vast rise in the worlds population that suffers from a variety of ophthalmic disorders has emerged as the primary growth driver of the global contact lens market lately. The rise in younger population with issues such as refractory errors and weakened eyesight have especially increased the global consumption of contact lenses, which are being increasingly preferred for their comfort, convenience, and aesthetics.The easy availability of colored, disposable, and affordable varieties of contact lenses have also led to the vast rise in their usage as fashion accessories globally. Attempts made by contact lens manufacturers to educate masses about the proper and safe use of contact lenses and the availability of vast product varieties across distant corners of the globe have also helped stimulate the growth of the global contact lens market in the past few years.Concerns Regarding Damage from Careless Usage Continue to Limit Large-scale AdoptionOwing to the fact that contact lenses are worn directly on the cornea of the eye, they are required to be handled with exceptional care to prevent eye infections, ulcerations and other eye diseases. It is thus a widely known fact that careless handling or storage of contact lenses, or sleeping with the lenses on can have severe implications after the lenses are worn and remains a key challenge hindering the large-scale usage of contact lenses among skeptical consumers.Along with this, the fact that practitioners are not well equipped to prescribe contact lenses in certain developing economies across regions such as Asia Pacific and Middle East also threatens to limit the overall growth prospects of the global contact lens market to a certain extent.Emerging Economies to Present Excellent Growth OpportunitiesNevertheless, the vast untapped opportunities in developing regions can allow vendors in the market to gain substantial traction in the next few years. Expansion across these regions will require innovative marketing strategies and ways of educating the masses about the proper usage of contact lenses will have to be adopted. Over the period between 2016 and 2024, the market for contact lenses in Asia Pacific is expected to expand at a considerable CAGR. The APAC market is expected to reach US$4.76 bn by 2024.Prominent vendors in the market, including Novartis International AG, Menicon Group, STAAR Surgical, Carl Zeiss AG, SynergEyes Inc., Abbott Medical Optics, Inc., Essilor International S.A., Valeant Pharmaceuticals, and Bausch and Lomb have strengthened their hold in regional markets with these approaches. Strategies such as innovation and new product development, high investments in research and development, and exploitation of novel marketing and sales channels have also helped key companies hold sway in the market in the past years. Incorporation of new technologies for upgradation of products and strategic acquisitions entered-in with the aim of expanding product portfolios and market position across regional markets will help companies in beating competition in the next few years.This review of the global contact lens market is based on a recent market research report published by Transparency Market Research, titled Contact Lens Market -Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Electronic Health Records Market Grows in Importance in Healthcare Industry

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=4153

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

The healthcare industry has a Herculean task of keeping records and maintaining them for facilitating accurate medical solutions for patients by documenting their history. In recent years, with technological advances and growing adoption of electronic methods of recordkeeping, electronic health record systems have become an integral part of healthcare facilities across the world.Download Free exclusive Sample of this report:Electronic health record (EHR) systems offer an electronic method of tracking medical charts and other patient-related documents. In the last 20 years, the healthcare industry has started using EHR systems across healthcare facilities for improving patient care, streamlining work processes, enhancing patient safety, and reducing the treatment time.Companies Try to Bridge Gaps between Care and Costs with Electronic Health Records SystemsRecently, Allscripts, an ambulatory EHR provider, stated its plan to collaborate with TeleTracking Technologies for efficient utilization of clinical resources. The integration will allow healthcare systems to deliver solutions to close the widening gaps between care and costs. Increasing acceptance of electronic health record systems is expected to bring about efficiency in care and workflows in the coming years, which will drive this market to greater success. TeleTracking will mainly work towards improving the patient flow by optimizing the patient discharge process, whereas Allscripts will work towards streamlining care management.The electronic health records market is segmented on the basis of type of installation, end use, and geography. The types of installation seen in the electronic health records market were client server-based EHR systems and web-based EHR systems. The end users in this market are ambulatory centers and hospitals. Geographically, the global electronic health records market is segmented into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and Rest of the World.North America will Lead Global Electronic Health Records MarketGeographically, North America held a share of 42.6% in the global electronic health records market in 2013. This regional segment was closely followed by Asia Pacific and Europe. In the coming five years, Europe and North America are expected to lead the global electronic health records market due to growing governmental support to implementation of electronic health record systems. This market will also have ample growth opportunities in Asia Pacific due to strong performance of emerging economies such as New Zealand, Australia, India, China, and Japan. On the other hand, the electronic health records market is being propelled by the increasing presence of multinational companies. From 2014 to 2020, the global electronic health records market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.40%.Important players in the market include Cerner Corporation, Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc., Epic Systems, Medical Information Technology, Inc. (MEDITECH), Computer Programs and Systems, Inc. (CPSI), GE Healthcare, NextGen Healthcare (Quality Systems, Inc.), McKesson Corporation, and eClinicalWorks.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Hotel Business News and Analytics

Important! This article is written by orangesmile.com editors and is protected by copyright law. The article can only be re-used with a direct link to www.orangesmile.com

NEWS BLOCKS:

Main China Trends That Influence Asia Pacific Hotel Industry

Its hard to overestimate the importance of Chinese investors in the hospitality sector these days. In 2015, the volume of their investment outside the home country estimated US$5 billion. Chinese investors participated in almost a half of hotel transactions in the Asia region.



China is one of reasons for growth of the Asia Pacific region. During first six months of 2016, the volume of hotel related transactions in the region added 13.2% to US$3.8 billion. At the same time, volumes of transactions in the Americas dropped by 51% and in Europe, Africa and the Middle East  by 60%. Not sure in post-Brexit performance, investors from all over the world consider Asia Pacific a safe haven.



During the first quarter of 2016, the total volume of Chinese investment into commercial property and land deals fell down by 20.5% compared to the same period a year ago and totaled US$3.5 billion. However, China moved one spot up and became the second most active cross-border investor after Germany. Chinese are very active in Australia. In this country, Chinese money accounted for a third of Australian hotel transactions in 2015.



Chinese tourists also become a significant force that shapes tourism industry these days. In 2015, 109 million Chinese tourists traveled abroad. More than half of them picked 3 or 4-star hotels, while 17% of Chinese travelers preferred 5-star hotels. Tourists from China become very important for wellbeing of hospitality industry. For example, for Australia, China is the second largest inbound market. The total expenditure of Chinese travelers in Australia has reached US$6.2 billion.

30.08.2016Stay in touch with the latest news of a worldwide hotel industry. All up-to-date analytics, reports , and news about hotel business trends on OrangeSmile.com.
AX086_25BE_9.JPG

Oregon State Beavers Dustin Stanton (74) cools down after practice on Aug. 18, 2015, at Reser Stadium in Corvallis.

(Randy L. Rasmussen/The Oregonian)

On the latest edition of The Oregonian's Beaver Banter podcast, Oregon State beat reporters Gina Mizell and Danny Moran discuss the Beavers' 2016 opener against Minnesota and chat with Beavers offensive lineman Dustin Stanton about his expectations and hidden talents.

Listen in the player below or subscribe on iTunes by searching "Beaver Banter." Submit questions via Twitter to @ginamizell or @DannyJMoran.

--

|
lightbar.jpg

Five teenage boys were arrested Friday for allegedly assaulting and robbing pedestrians in Vancouver, police said on Tuesday. (Oregonian/OregonLive)

(The Oregonian/OregonLive)

Six teenage boys have been arrested for allegedly assaulting and robbing pedestrians in Vancouver, police said Tuesday.

On Aug. 22, the group of boys allegedly assaulted a man walking near East Fourth Plain Boulevard and Northeast Stapleton Road, Vancouver police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said in a news release.

The boys attempted to take a cell phone from the man, Kapp said. She did not know on Tuesday morning whether they took any other possessions from him.

A few hours later, another man called police to report being assaulted by a group of boys while he was walking near East 18th Street and General Anderson Avenue.

Both men suffered non-life-threatening injuries from the assaults, Kapp said. Both have been released from the hospital.

On Friday, police arrested one 13-year-old, two 14-year-olds and two 15-year-olds for the assaults. They arrested a 17-year-old Tuesday. Each teen is facing robbery, assault and criminal mischief charges.

-- Samantha Matsumoto

smatsumoto@oregonian.com

@SMatsumoto
Image: Wikimedia Commons collage

For some lucky people, this week is all about the excitement of back to school.

Those people are also the ones who just enjoyed a whole summer off. Lucky them [said in a dead voice, no happiness]. For the rest of us, its another, regular week. But, if youre looking for a little of that new-pencil-Trapper-Keeper joy, why not go get yourself a drink at one of these Oregon and Washington bars-in-schools?

Don't Edit

The Old St. Francis School

This Bend McMenamins was once a Catholic school. You can soak in the pool, catch a movie, sleep in converted classrooms and pretend youre a Catholic school girl instead of a corporate drone.

Don't Edit

L'ecole No. 41 Winery

In Walla Walla, you can taste wine inside an old schoolhouse at Lecole No. 41 Winery. The tasting rooms still have the old fixtures, including chalkboards, so you can sip wine and pretend you are an old time-y teacher, from a time when alcohol was welcome in the classroom. That time existed, right?

Don't Edit

Revolution Hall

In what was once Portlands Washington High School, youll now find a venue and two bars. Revolution Hall answers the question: But what if school assemblies were fun and had available refreshments and the option for a pre-drink at a rooftop bar? The answer: You would have stayed in high school forever.

Don't Edit

Falling Sky Pub

Some people exist in a very special place on the space-time continuum: They are college students 21 and older. For those people, drinking in school doesnt have to be just a fantasy nostalgia exercise. For example, college students at the University of Oregon can drink beer and eat pizza at the on-campus Falling Sky Pub. Pinch yourself. This isnt a dream.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Kennedy School

On its website, the Portland once-a-school-McMenamins urges you to fall asleep in class! Thats because the bedrooms of the hotel are old classrooms, complete with chalkboards you can draw inappropriate things on, after you grab a drink in the bar that lives in what was once the schools boiler room.

Don't Edit

Anderson School

Possibly the newest used-to-be-a-school McMenamins, this time you can relive junior high but with a beer in hand and less acne. This Bothell, Washington spot is living proof that it gets better: theres a full-sized pool heated to 89 degrees and a movie theater and no Early Bird French class.

Don't Edit

Pilot House

The University of Portland has something that, as far as we can tell, no other Portland college can claim: an on-campus bar, Pilot House. Is it odd that the Catholic university beat both Reed and Lewis & Clark to this distinction? Maybe. Should those schools potentially take this as a call to create their own on-school-grounds drinking establishment? Absolutely.
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Portland school bus drivers no longer told rap music is "inappropriate."

(The Oregonian)

Portland Public Schools has given up on banning certain radio stations and genres to avoid offensive content on school buses. Instead, bus drivers have been asked to use their "best judgment."

The change follows allegations of racism over a ban on rap music. In August, a parent got hold of a directive sent to bus drivers in March that labeled hip-hop as "inappropriate."

Hip-hop wasn't the only exiled content. Religious and talk show programs were also prohibited. The memo included a list of acceptable stations, broken down into three genres: pop, country and jazz.

"I think it's overtly racist and leaves out two of our major communities in our music choices," said Colleen Ryan-Onken, a white Roosevelt High School parent who obtained a copy of the letter, which started circulating among parents in August. "Country music is offensive. It's about date rape, liquor and drugs -- all kinds of things! It's just as offensive as rap music can be."

After the media exposure on August 24, the district walked back the March directive.

"We regret the way this was communicated. Our intent is to limit student exposure to religious teachings, profanity and violent lyrics," said Portland Public Schools spokeswoman Courtney Westling at the time.

Westling said several complaints regarding the radio stations that were played on buses prompted the directive.

On Tuesday, the district sent out new guidelines:

"All students have the right to a bus ride that is safe and welcoming. As we are responsible for the safe transportation of students to and from school, it is also our responsibility to limit the exposure of our students to religious teachings, profanity, violent lyrics and sexually explicit content while they are on our buses.

With this responsibility in mind, please avoid tuning to radio stations that include the content listed above while students are riding on your bus, Portland Public Schools will not allow any discrimination or harassment of individuals or groups on the grounds of age, color, creed, disability, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation in any educational program, service, or activity. Please use your best judgement regarding station choices.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact your immediate supervisor for additional guidance."

-- Bethany Barnes
1prison.JPG

In this June 15, 2010 file photo, the Idaho Correctional Center is shown south of Boise, Idaho, operated by Corrections Corporation of America.

(The Associated Press)

By Stephen Mihm

The Department of Justice announced last week that it would end its reliance on for-profit prisons run by companies such as Corrections Corporation of America and Geo Group. The decision followed an internal study, which found that private prisons tended to be less safe and poorly administered, and provided limited long-term savings for the federal government.

Shares of CCA and Geo Group initially fell, losing 40 percent of their value. They have since rebounded, driven by the optimistic view that the decision, which only affects 195,000 prisoners in federal facilities, won't spill over to the privately run state and local prisons and jails that house more than 2 million prisoners.

Shareholders of these corporations, along with advocates of privatization, shouldn't shrug off the federal decision so hastily.

They should remember what happened the last time that prison privatization became popular, and that proponents sought to turn incarceration into a business, claiming it was cheaper, more efficient, and could even achieve better results than public control.

This belief foundered on the reality that privately run prisons often failed to turn a profit, and when they did, those profits often came at the expense of the inmates' well-being. These failures and abuses eventually led to a repudiation of private prisons, with the business of punishment and rehabilitation monopolized by the state. Another shift may now be at hand.

The prison is a relatively modern invention, born of a profound change in thinking about the methods and ends of incarceration. In the late 18th century, Enlightenment thinkers argued for an end to the bloody, dramatic punishments of an earlier age, and in favor of long-term incarceration and rehabilitation. Kept apart from the general population, transgressors would be put under surveillance and steered toward penitence -- hence the "penitentiary."

Many of these thinkers also believed the new institutions could be self-financing: that prisoners could be put to work building projects that would yield revenue. This was not the same as privatization, however: The British state would control these ventures and reap the benefits. The prison, in other words, was on the public account.

At first, that model carried over to the U.S. According to the sociologist Mark Colvin, several states, including New York and Pennsylvania, used the public account system, putting inmates to work, splitting the profits with prisoners. These early experiments rarely delivered on the dream of a self-financing prison. By the 1820s, disgust with crime and public disenchantment led to a new system, named for the Auburn State Prison in New York.

Under the new regime, the state turned over its convict population to private manufacturers, who would tap the labor. This invited private companies inside prisons, but still maintained some pretense of state control. Then, in 1825, Kentucky surrendered the entire state-run prison to Joel Scott, a textile manufacturer. Scott invested money in the prison but also managed to turn a significant profit.

Emboldened by this success, other states quickly followed suit, particularly in the West and the South. In some cases, the shift to private management yielded solid results; other times, though, it ended in disaster. When California hired a crooked entrepreneur named James Estell to build and maintain its new San Quentin prison, the new penitentiary soon earned a reputation for corruption, lax management and cruelty toward prisoners.

Estell, who forced prisoners to make bricks, refused to invest in necessities -- such as a wall to keep the inmates within the prison. Convicts routinely escaped, even after the state grudgingly built a wall, and while under private control, some 47 inmates escaped each year. When the state took over the prison in 1865, that number dropped to four.

Nonetheless, with rare exceptions, the contract system continued to flourish. This was particularly true in the South, which used the convict lease system to institute a de facto slavery for a prison population that was overwhelmingly black. Throughout the region, state prisons turned over their inmates for work on railroads, turpentine plantations, roads and other projects.

The incompetence and brutality of these for-profit prisons was staggering. In Texas, for example, almost a fifth of the inmates escaped in 1876, and more than 6 percent died, and another 10 percent was listed as "missing," but were not known to have escaped. Similar scandals plagued other Southern for-profit ventures.

In the end, these abuses gave ammunition to a coalition of critics. Humanitarian reformers argued that the for-profit prisons made a mockery of the idea or rehabilitation. Federal officials who studied prison businesses discovered that prison contractors kept dying industries alive through subsidies of cheap labor. Labor unions, which hated competition from prison labor, agreed.

The first major defeat for private prisons was in 1887, when Congress passed a law forbidding the contracting of any inmates in the federal prison system. With private enterprise banned from the national penitentiaries, the battle shifted to the individual states. After a pitched battle, New York curtailed then completely banned private contractors in the prison system by 1897. Massachusetts followed suit, as did Pennsylvania.

The pro-profit prison industry fought back, but eventually state after state banned for-profit arrangements with contractors, moving prisons on to the public accounts. This shift was accompanied by the return of another, older idea: that prisons could help rehabilitate inmates, not merely punish them. If reform was the primary purpose of penitentiaries, profit necessarily became a secondary concern. The decline of the private prison was gradual and halting, but it would eventually receive federal sanction with the passage of the Ashurst-Sumners Act, which made it illegal to transport prison-made goods across state lines.

Eventually, though, the tide would turn yet again. In 1979, President Carter signed the Justice System Improvement Act, which laid the foundation for the Prison Industries Enhancement Program. This lifted the ban on interstate commerce in goods made by prisoners, and helped usher a new age of prison privatization, spearheaded by corporations such as CCA.

These companies have thrived as the nation's prison population skyrocketed, with many inmates incarcerated for non-violent drug offenses. As unease over this situation has grown, voices on both ides of the political spectrum have begun to agitate for prison reform. And that has gone hand-in-hand, much as it did over a century ago, with growing attacks on the marriage of punishment and profit. With the federal government taking the lead, much as it did back in 1887, the U.S. might be on the cusp of another revolution in thinking about the appropriate relationship between prisons and profit.

If history is any guide, it may well take decades for the states to follow, but eventually they will.

Stephen Mihm, an associate history professor at the University of Georgia, is a contributor to Bloomberg View.

For more columns from Bloomberg View, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/view.

(c) 2016, Bloomberg View
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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a campaign event at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nev., Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016.

(The Associated Press)

By Chris Cillizza

Robby Mook, Hillary Clinton's campaign manager, appeared on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" in the middle of the week. Former Bush White House communications director Nicolle Wallace asked him about the fact that Clinton hasn't held a news conference since early December. Here's the full exchange:

MOOK: Well, first of all, Hillary's done over 300 interviews this year alone.

WALLACE: I'm not - I didn't talk about - and I know the difference between a three-minute ground-ruled interview and a press conference because I - I've put on a couple of each. But why wouldn't you have her do a press conference today just to - you - you have a perception problem on the question of honesty and trustworthiness, why wouldn't 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 wouldn't 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: She's going to do a press conference today?

MOOK: As I said, she - she's done over 300 interviews this year - and she - she takes questions in a variety of formats and we're going to - we're going to keep looking at that.

A few things:

1. I don't doubt Mook's numbers on how many interviews Clinton has granted over the past year. But as Wallace notes, sit-down, one-on-one interviews aren't the same thing as a free-wheeling 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, isn't 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 it's worth noting here that Clinton - unlike President Barack 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. "We're going to keep looking at that" = "We aren't going to do anything." (I have a political-spin translator. It's almost ready for public launch.) Clinton, later in the week, offered this to reporters when asked about doing a news conference: "Stay tuned." I'll wait with bated breath!

Look, Mook is in a tough spot. The reason Clinton hasn't done a news conference since Dec. 5 is because she doesn't want to. She's not great in that format and knows it. Need proof? Her presser at the United Nations aiming to explain her private email server didn't go so well.

I am under no illusion that even if Clinton doesn't 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 won't.

But it's 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 isn't 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 doesn't like them and (b) Donald Trump continues to generate day-dominating negative headlines isn't a good excuse when we are talking about someone who is running to be the most powerful person in the world.

There's 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.

(c) 2016, The Washington Post
1thailand.JPG

An anti-coup demonstrator is detained by a Thai police officer during a street protest in Bangkok in this May 2014 photo.

(The Associated Press)

By Fred Hiatt

The presidential election could be crucial to the future of democracy, and not just in the United States. The global impact of a Donald Trump presidency would be disastrous. But even a Hillary Clinton win won't help reverse the worldwide retrenchment in democracy and human rights unless she brings a change in policy from the current administration.

If all of that strikes you as a bit too breathless, consider what's happened over the past decade.

The leading authoritarian powers of the world - China, Russia and Iran - have tightened the screws at home while becoming far more aggressive beyond their boundaries. They have proven that the internet, contrary to earlier expectation, can be turned into a weapon of control. They have proven, again contrary to earlier assumptions, that a country can enter the global economy while squelching free speech, worship and assembly at home. They have formed a loose dictators' alliance, working together to undermine and discredit the principles of liberal economics and individual rights.

Meanwhile, nations that were assumed to be safely in the camp of democracies, including many U.S. allies, have slipped toward authoritarianism. In some, such as Thailand, reversion has come through old-fashioned military coups. In others - Poland, the Philippines, Hungary, Turkey, Nicaragua - elected governments are undoing the protections of democracy.

Still other nations, soft authoritarians that had promised greater openness, have unapologetically gone the other way: Egypt, Ethiopia, Bahrain, Malaysia, to name just a few.

Freedom House, the nonprofit organization that has been keeping track of these things since Eleanor Roosevelt helped found it 75 years ago, has the dismal numbers. Over the past decade, the level of freedom has declined in 105 countries and advanced in only 61, the group says - and last year was the worst yet, with 72 nations losing ground. Around the world, "press freedom declined to its lowest point in 12 years in 2015," it reports.

Trump would stoke the dictators' momentum in at least three ways. Most obviously, just the fact of his presidency would serve as a four-year indictment of the democratic system. If an unqualified bigot could rise to the top of the world's oldest democracy, how could Freedom House or anyone else plausibly urge other nations to adopt our system of government?

Trump also would undermine democracy abroad by virtue of his disrespect for democratic norms at home. He has endorsed torture and other illegal acts of war, disparaged freedom of the press, undermined a free judiciary, campaigned by invective rather than debate and warned critics that they will suffer if he is elected. And if all that is not enough to give comfort to authoritarian rulers with similar values, Trump has expressed open admiration for the world's worst thugs, from Russia's Vladimir Putin to the butchers of Tiananmen Square.

Even if he loses, of course, democracy's reputation will have taken a hit: How could such a man have become a major party nominee? But perhaps another story line will emerge, too: Even in times of economic dislocation, even faced with an alternative that many voters disliked, Americans were too wise to let the worst befall them.

But a Clinton presidency will shift the global momentum only if she adopts goals that President Obama enshrined as a candidate but largely abandoned as president.

Of course global trends rest on many factors, of which U.S. leadership is only one. But when he was campaigning, Obama cited as models Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy - who ensured, he wrote in the magazine Foreign Affairs, that America "stood for and fought for the freedoms sought by billions of people beyond our borders." He said his administration would work toward "building just, secure, democratic societies" where citizens could "choose their leaders in climates free of fear."

But democracy promotion faded as a goal once Obama moved into the White House. In negotiations with China, Iran, Cuba and North Korea, human rights were never a priority. He apologized to Argentinians for America's Cold War acceptance of its "dirty war," but overlooked similar or worse abuses in anti-terror allies such as Egypt, Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia. He hoped that setting a good example at home - ending torture, closing (as he hoped to do) Guantanamo - would resonate overseas, but the results were disappointing.

How far the administration evolved from Obama's 2007 vision can be measured in an article by Vice President Joe Biden in the current issue of the same magazine that barely mentions democracy or human rights. Biden sets tasks for the next administration to achieve a "more peaceful and prosperous future," none explicitly related to freedom: deepening alliances in Asia and the Western Hemisphere, addressing climate change and terrorism, improving ties with regional powers.

Those are all important. But they will all be far more elusive if democracy continues to dwindle away.

(c) 2016, The Washington Post
About 250 gallons of diesel fuel spilled into the water at a marina near the Columbia River early Monday morning, according to a U.S. Coast Guard official.

The fuel spilled while a Washington fishing vessel conducted an internal fuel transfer at Skipanon Marina in Warrenton, the agency said in a news release. The spill left a sheen that was reported to have spanned about a mile by 500 yards.

The spilled fuel was contained to the marina area and didn't reach the Columbia River, said Seaman Sarah Wilson, an agency spokeswoman. The marina is on the Skipanon River, a Columbia River tributary.

Wilson said a marina employee reported the spill around 7 a.m. and that the crew of the 86-foot Emerald Sea hasn't told the Coast Guard that it knew about the spill.

Coast Guard officials tracked down the vessel in nearby Ilwaco and asked its master to go back to the marina to clean up. The officials also asked the master to report the spill to the Coast Guard's National Response Center.

No one has reported the spill affecting wildlife or being a navigation hazard, according to the Coast Guard.

Harbormasters and Emerald Sea crew members are using absorbent pads to clean up the spill. The sheen was dissipating by 1 p.m., the agency said.

The vessel's home port is in Aberdeen, Washington.

-- Jim Ryan

jryan@oregonian.com

503-221-8005; @Jimryan015
Monument fire trucks.jpeg

Surplus fire equipment remains impounded on Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, in John Day after it was seized from the rural Grant County property of Roy R. Peterson. Peterson was convicted last week of theft relating to the 10 fire trucks and ambulances. He was appointed a special deputy by Sheriff Glenn Palmer while he was awaiting trial on the felony charges. The equipment was intended for a new rural fire district near Monument, Oregon. Les Zaitz/Staff

(Les Zaitz/Staff)

Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer gave an ominous warning to a rural fire chief trying to recover fire trucks stolen from his department.

Chief Jeremy Boyer needed the trucks in early 2013 for the recently formed Monument Rural Fire District, protecting a sparsely populated area in northern Grant County. The trucks were parked on the rural property of a prior fire chief, Roy R. Peterson, who court filings show had ignored demands he give them back.

Palmer told the new fire chief that "if he attempted to retrieve any trucks or other equipment from Peterson's property, he would be charged with trespass or shot by Peterson," according to a search warrant affidavit.

Boyer heeded the warning and didn't try, and Palmer concluded his criminal investigation of Peterson by finding "this is a property dispute and civil matter."

But a Grant County jury last week concluded it was a crime.

The jury convicted Peterson, a special sheriff's deputy, of the theft of 10 fire trucks and other firefighting equipment. He also was convicted of using fraudulent documents to obtain an $8,999 state grant for the new district. Peterson then diverted the money, according to trial evidence.

Peterson had claimed in part that he was entitled to keep the fire equipment until he had been reimbursed for district expenses, according to court filings.

Defense attorneys had listed Palmer as a witness for Peterson, but didn't call him to testify.

Peterson's sentencing for three felonies is scheduled for Oct. 3. He was prosecuted by Dan Wendel and Bumjoon Park, senior assistant attorneys general for the state Department of Justice.

State prosecutors said in court filings they will ask the judge to stiffen Peterson's sentence because he "has shown a lack of remorse" and the crime "created a risk to public safety." He faces up to 10 years in prison on aggravated first-degree theft and up to five years in prison for first-degree theft and possession of a stolen vehicle.

The case reveals more about the unusual approach the Grant County sheriff has taken to policing in his rural county.

Palmer named Peterson, 64, a volunteer sheriff's deputy last March, the latest in a string of 65 such appointments since 2010. Peterson's appointment stirred concern among some people in the county because at the time he was awaiting trial on state theft charges.

The sheriff himself twice had investigated Peterson on theft accusations involving fire equipment and both times closed out his cases without charges. A separate Oregon State Police investigation subsequently led to Peterson's indictment in 2015.

Palmer hasn't responded to questions about his relationship with Peterson or whether Peterson would keep his appointment as a deputy. A review of the sheriff's county-issued cellphone records shows Palmer talked to Peterson more than anyone else. Cellphone invoices for January and February show 46 phone calls lasting 355 minutes -- nearly six hours.

In 2011, Palmer opened his first investigation when Monument city officials complained that Peterson had taken equipment from the city. He had served as the city's volunteer fire chief while pushing to create the rural fire district and considered himself its chief.

During the investigation, the suspect stopped by the sheriff's home at 9 p.m. one night, according to the incident report later completed by Palmer.

Peterson "dropped off the cellphone booster that belongs to the city of Monument," the sheriff reported.

Three days later, Palmer closed the investigation after sharing his findings with the local district attorney. Local prosecutors said in a memo that the property dispute seemed to be a civil matter.

Theft claims cropped up two years later after voters created the Monument Rural Fire District. Officials of the new district demanded Peterson return equipment meant for the district. They complained to the sheriff's office when he didn't, according to a search warrant affidavit.

Again, Palmer himself undertook the investigation and that's when, according to the affidavit, he warned the new fire chief, Jeremy Boyer, from trying to recover the equipment.

In his report, Palmer said that four days into his investigation he told a fire district official that Peterson thought he had a right to the fire equipment and "I do not have the authority to go to Peterson's to take anything."

In an echo of the earlier case, Palmer ended his two-week investigation by deciding it was a civil matter. He made no mention of consulting prosecutors first, and he made clear he was done with the matter.

"This agency will conduct no more investigation into this case," the sheriff wrote.

Ryan Joslin, then the Grant County district attorney, told The Oregonian/OregonLive on Monday that he had told Palmer that there appeared to be criminal conduct and that he was referring the matter to state authorities.

The next month, state police opened their own investigation and state officials subsequently seized 10 trucks, including fire pumpers, wild land fire trucks and one ambulance from Peterson's property. The equipment remains in state police custody, parked in John Day.

When word got out about Peterson's appointment this year as a volunteer sheriff's deputy, Palmer took to Facebook to explain. He said he deputized Peterson to help with a rescue of three men trapped by snow in a cabin, although the appointment occurred a week after the rescue. He said the appointment ensured Peterson was covered by county insurance, though county volunteers are automatically protected.

He acknowledged the pending criminal case against his deputy.

"Is the man convicted of some big heinous crime where he should be incarcerated or is a danger to the public?" Palmer wrote.

At the time, Palmer himself was under state criminal investigation in a case still pending. The Oregon Criminal Justice Division is investigating whether Palmer tampered with government records by deleting an electronic police report.

Separately, the sheriff faces an administrative investigation by the state agency that certifies police into 11 complaints about his conduct from local citizens and John Day's police chief and dispatch manager. He has retained the same Enterprise attorneys who represented Peterson.

-- Les Zaitz

@leszaitz
danereister.jpg

Dane Reister, pictured here during one of his Multnomah County court appearances.

(The Oregonian)

The widow of fired Portland police Officer Dane Reister, who was killed last year when he was struck by a train in what was ruled a suicide, has gone to court to challenge the denial of survivor benefits.

Robyn Reister has filed a petition in Multnomah County Circuit Court asking a judge to review the denials by the Portland Fire and Police Disability and Retirement Fund and a state administrative hearing office.

Dane Reister, 43, died May 25, 2015, after he walked onto the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks in Washougal and was hit by a train, according to Washougal police. His body was found beside the tracks and his car was parked in a lot about 100 yards away.

He had been fired in October 2013 and faced criminal charges in a 2011 shooting.

Shortly after his death, his wife filed a claim with the city's public safety fund for non-work-related death benefits. The fund denied the claim, noting Reister wasn't a city employee or a fund member at the time of his death.

In October, Robyn Reister asked if she would be eligible for survivors' retirement benefits as the surviving spouse of a vested fund member.

The fund found her ineligible because Dane Reister died at age 43 before he was eligible to start collecting his retirement benefits. He had 17 years on the force. To retire, he would have had to have reached age 50 with 25 years on the force, or age 55.

According to the city charter, spouses whose husbands are sworn members of the Police Bureau and die in a work-related death before their retirement, such as an on-duty shooting, can collect death benefits equal to about 75 percent of the officer's pay. They're eligible to collect that up until the deceased officer would have become eligible for retirement, and then they'd collect 50 percent of their spouse's final pay.

Spouses whose husbands are sworn Portland police officers who die in a non-work-related death before retirement are eligible to receive 50 percent of the pension benefit earned at time of death, according to city charter.

Robyn Reister is asking the court to review the fund's decision, as well as a state Office of Administrative Hearings review, which upheld the fund's findings.

Sam Hutchison, director of the Portland Fire and Police Disability and Retirement Fund, declined to comment because of the pending legal action.

The Portland Police Association is supporting Robyn Reister's appeal to a circuit judge, said Officer Daryl Turner, police union president. "There's language (in the charter) that we're challenging,'' he said.

The fund's ruling "improperly construed the applicable law'' and isn't supported by the record, said Trevor R. Caldwell, one of the union's attorneys. He's asking the court to determine "whether Robyn Reister is entitled to retirement benefits in the wake of her husband's death.''

If Reister would have survived, he would have been eligible to receive a pension at the time he reached age 50, even considering his termination. The union contends then that his surviving spouse should be able to collect some of that money.

Former Portland Police Chief Mike Reese fired Reister , citing his unsatisfactory performance when he mistakenly fired lethal rounds from a beanbag shotgun, critically wounding a man in Southwest Portland on June 30, 2011. Reister had joined the bureau in February 1996.

Reister became the first Portland officer ever to face a criminal indictment for force used on duty. He pleaded not guilty to third- and fourth-degree assault charges. The Multnomah County District Attorney's office added a negligent wounding charge, which was challenged before Oregon's Court of Appeals. Legal briefs were filed and oral arguments made before the appellate court, and both sides were awaiting a ruling when Reister died.

In spring 2013, the city agreed to pay a record $2.3 million to settle a federal lawsuit filed by William Kyle Monroe, the man wounded by Reister.

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonian
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department.

Sunday, Aug. 28

12:28 a.m.  A deputy was sent to a Midland Township home for a report of a party with minors consuming alcohol. The home was checked and there were no minors drinking alcohol.

1:09 a.m.  Police were sent to a report of a loud party in the 3300 block of Fairlane Street.

5:17 a.m.  A deputy responded to a report of a domestic assault that occurred in Mills Township. The victim received treatment at the emergency room. Deputies were unable to locate the suspect, a 37-year-old man.

5:31 a.m.  A Hope Township man, 43, was arrested for domestic assault.

12:48 p.m.  A motorist was arrested at U.S. 10 and Eastman Avenue for driving on a suspended license.

12:50 p.m.  Gasoline, valued at $24.01, was stolen from a Greendale Township gas station.

8 p.m.  Gasoline, valued at $10, was stolen from a Greendale Township gas station.

Saturday, Aug. 27

12:33 a.m.  Police were sent to the 700 block of Jefferson Avenue to assist probation agents.

1:58 a.m.  Police were sent to a report of a loud party in the 2200 block of Virginia Street.

2:38 a.m.  Police were called to Ashman and Ann streets for a report of disorderly conduct.

5:39 a.m.  A Macomb man, 20, was arrested in Edenville Township for drunken driving and driving on a suspended license. His passengers, a man and woman, both age 20, were cited for minor in possession of alcohol.

4:51 p.m.  Gasoline, valued at $24.75, was stolen from a Greendale Township gas station.

7:12 p.m.  Deputies were sent to Jerome Township for a report of a loud party. A deputy is forwarding a report to Jerome Township requesting the man, 40, be cited for noise ordinance violation.

9:54 p.m.  Deputies were sent to a Lincoln Township location for a report of an intoxicated man who drove away from a bar. The man was not found.

11:36 p.m.  Officers investigated a personal protection order violation at an East Ashman Street address.

11:47 p.m.  A Washington man, 18, was arrested for marijuana possession after a traffic stop for speeding in Greendale Township.

Friday, Aug. 26

12:02 a.m.  A Midland man, 24, was cited for driving without insurance and expired registration after a traffic stop in Midland.

3:10 a.m.  Police investigated an alcohol violation in the 4900 block of Jefferson Avenue.

5:11 a.m.  A Jerome Township man, 19, was involved in a traffic crash on state land. The passengers, also age 19, were hurt. The driver had been drinking. A report is being sent to the prosecutors office.

8:57 a.m.  A deputy found a package lying in a Midland roadway. The package appeared to have fallen off a delivery truck, and the deputy delivered the packed to the addressee.

12:48 p.m.  A Warren Township woman, 58, reported she found two of her 18 cats dead and others missing. She is concerned someone might be shooting them. There were no signs of foul play.

3:08 p.m.  Police investigated a sexual assault case at a Village East Drive address.

4:37 p.m.  Police were sent to the 1400 block of Elizabeth Street for a report of a loud party.

6:36 p.m.  Scrap metal, valued between $500 and $1,000 was stolen from the yard of a Geneva Township address.

10:57 p.m.  A deputy was sent to Edenville Township for a report of narcotics paraphernalia found along the edge of the roadway.
Two Saginaw residents were jailed after a traffic stop led to the recovery of a stolen gold 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo early Tuesday morning.

Midland Police report the traffic stop was made at 1:31 a.m. at Isabella and Wildes streets after an officer observed a car traveling at 75 mph in a 55 mph zone.
To the editor:

I am writing in support of Bryan Mielke for Michigan State Representative for the 99th district.

As students return this fall, they find higher tuition bills and underfunded schools. No issue is more important to me than education, which is why Ive dedicated my life to studying college students and higher education. The benefits of college are clear: those who graduate have a better quality of life, earn more money and contribute positively to society.

What is also clear is that funding higher education is not a priority for our Michigan legislators.

Since I attended college, I have watched costs soar. I began college here in Michigan 17 years ago, and since then, tuition has increased 386 percent at Central Michigan University, which is in our 99th district (CMU Tuition and Fee History, 2016). It is no coincidence that tuition has increased as a result of continued cuts from Lansing. While state appropriations made up 60 percent of CMUs operating budget when I graduated high school, today it only accounts for 17 percent (State Appropriations, 2016). This has, in turn, saddled our students with tremendous student debt.

Bryan understands whats happening in education and will fight for increased funding. He shares my vision for funding public education and helping our fellow citizens access higher education. I ask that you join me in voting for Bryan Mielke on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

MATT JOHNSON

Mount Pleasant
To the editor:

At this point in time, the Rev. Dr. Harold J. Slater is mostly correct on his assessment of Donald Trump (Trustworthiness, MDN Aug. 22, 2016). The conservatives shot themselves in the foot by voting in Donald Trump rather than Gov. John Kasich for their candidate. He will depress the Republican vote with his rhetorical combat and hurt candidates running for other offices. There will be congressional losses because of him. If these candidates have any sense they will distance themselves from him.

Precariously, what is at stake is who will determine the importance in the next decades ruling of our states by our highest court. We need a judge coinciding with the former brilliant but irascible Judge Antonin Scalias philosophy of fair-mindedness that he always invoked. Hillary Clintons choices for the Supreme Court will be extreme liberals. Most troubling is her stand on selective abortion.

The Rev. Slater should take off his rose-colored glasses as Hillary Clinton is not the second coming of Christ as he depicts. In question is the Clinton Foundation that mostly operates overseas with some funding from questionable international characters and why are there so many questions about the Benghazi incident? Is there a cover-up? The mother of the American hero Sean Smith is blaming Hillary for his death in the attacks of the CIA station in Benghazi. Hillary saying that this attack was the result of a massive riot across the region that night was a faulty statement.

I also condemn her for the support for the invasion of Libya.

What about her accepting big-money speeches from Goldman Sachs while now claiming she will rein-in large banks? Not to mention the email scandal!

So should we trust her?

Hopefully, Trump will wake up in time to reality and change his temperament to something that resembles civility.

In circumspect, we dont have much of a choice come November.

My view is this government is in desperate need of conservative reform and restraint. The American people should bring Christ back into their lives.

JOE E. BENES

Gladwin
The 103rd Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team, composed of Alaska Army National Guard Soldiers and Alaska Air National Guard Airmen, hosted an exercise in Fairbanks, Alaska, Aug. 23 for different agencies in the area including Eielson Air Force Base and Fort Wainwright.

The exercise provided an opportunity for different agencies to train together on Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Environmental agents.

The main objective of the exercise was to train as we fight, said Capt. Melkart Hawi, the 103rd WMD-CST operations officer. We trained with the different organizations we would support if real-world emergencies were to happen.

The Fairbanks Fire Department, 354th Civil Engineer Squadron, FBI, and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation were just a few of the players involved with the exercise.

Coming together to get to know the people you will potentially work with is important, explained Hawi. Were learning how the pieces fit together before the real thing happens.

Tech. Sgt. Tyler Brown, a 354th CES installation emergency manager, said testing inter-agency operability is an important factor when so many different organizations come together to respond to an emergency.

Our team learned valuable information on the other agencies that participated, said Brown. We learned how we integrate with them and their mission in this type of emergency.

Hawi explained how the National Guard has a dual mission to support the nation.

One mission is to support federal, overseas war deployments by deploying our units, said Hawi. The second mission is to support our state in emergencies. We are given funds to set up these exercises between the different state agencies so we can connect before real events. Its always important to know who youre working with and understand we are all working toward the same goal.

Hawi said the National Guard works to bridge the gap between the agencies and explained they are not there to take over the situation, but to lend support to the civil authorities on scene.

This is a great representation of Citizen Soldiers [and Airmen] responding at a moments notice to support the community, said Hawi.
Amid Controversy Over 'Cocksucker' Remark, Maine Governor Considers Resignation

By Dustin Rowles | Politics | August 30, 2016 |

As we reported yesterday, the countrys worst governor Paul LePage has not had a good week. After a series of racist remarks, the provocative politician left a voicemail for a Democratic state representative who had criticized LePage for blaming illegal drugs in Maine on black people. In the voicemail, LePage called the representative a cocksucker and asked him to publicly release the message.

I would like to talk to you about your comments about my being a racist, you cocksucker. 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. You I need you to, just friggin. I want you to record this and make it public because I am after you. Thank you.

Afterwards, LePage suggested he wanted to duel the lawmaker and shoot him between the eyes.

When a snot-nosed little guy from Westbrook calls me a racist, now Id like him to come up here because, tell you right now, I wish it were 1825, And we would have a duel, thats how angry I am, and I would not put my gun in the air, I guarantee you, I would not be (Alexander) Hamilton. I would point it right between his eyes, because he is a snot-nosed little runt and he has not done a damn thing since hes been in this Legislature to help move the state forward.

Its been an exciting week in Maine politics.

The statement didnt sit well with anyone, and there have since been calls for LePages resignation, suggestions that he could be censured or impeached, and even rumors of an intervention. With people from his own party calling for LePage to make amends, the thin-skinned, provocative politician is not ruling out resignation, as he told a radio show this morning: Im looking at all options, and later added, If Ive lost my ability to help Maine people, maybe its time to move on.

LePage did apologize, however, although even there, he managed to stick his foot in his mouth.

When I was called a racist I just lost it, and theres no excuse, the governor said. Its unacceptable. Its totally my fault. LePage said being called a racist for him was, like calling a black man the N word or a woman the C word. It just absolutely knocked me off my feet.

via Portland Press Herald

Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. You may email him here, follow him on Twitter, or listen to his weekly TV podcast, Podjiba.

 'Paranormal Witness' Delivers More Satisfying Scares Than Trendy Art House Horror | Review: 'White Girl' Delivers A Scathing Tale Of White Privilege 
Here we find the usual wit of Bertrand Russell, intent on clearing the way of dangerous myths and noxious opinions. Towards the end of the essay, there is a slight drop in critical awareness, and Russell himself appears to believe that the social sciences have already produced successful ideas, for instance in dealing with large scale unemployment. The fact is that large scale unemployment is still with us but mass production, through advanced technology, has made it less and less of a survival problem.

The misfortunes of human beings may be divided into two classes: First, those inflicted by the non-human environment and, second, those inflicted by other people. As mankind have progressed in knowledge and technique, the second class has become a continually increasing percentage of the total. In old times, famine, for example, was due to natural causes, and although people did their best to combat it, large numbers of them died of starvation. At the present moment large parts of the world are faced with the threat of famine, but although natural causes have contributed to the situation, the principal causes are human. For six years the civilized nations of the world devoted all their best energies to killing each other, and they find it difficult suddenly to switch over to keeping each other alive. Having destroyed harvests, dismantled agricultural machinery, and disorganized shipping, they find it no easy matter to relieve the shortage of crops in one place by means of a superabundance in another, as would easily be done if the economic system were in normal working order. As this illustration shows, it is now man that is man's worst enemy. Nature, it is true, still sees to it that we are mortal, but with the progress in medicine it will become more and more common for people to live until they have had their fill of life. We are supposed to wish to live for ever and to look forward to the unending joys of heaven, of which, by miracle, the monotony will never grow stale. But in fact, if you question any candid person who is no longer young, he is very likely to tell you that, having tasted life in this world, he has no wish to begin again as a 'new boy' in another. For the future, therefore, it may be taken that much the most important evils that mankind have to consider are those which they inflict upon each other through stupidity or malevolence or both.

I think that the evils that men inflict on each other, and by resection upon themselves, have their main source in evil passions rather than in ideas or beliefs. But ideas and principles that do harm are, as a rule, though not always, cloaks for evil passions. In Lisbon when heretics were publicly burnt, it sometimes happened that one of them, by a particularly edifying recantation, would be granted the boon of being strangled before being put into the flames. This would make the spectators so furious that the authorities had great difficulty in preventing them from lynching the penitent and burning him on their own account. The spectacle of the writhing torments of the victims was, in fact, one of the principal pleasures to which the populace looked forward to enliven a somewhat drab existence. I cannot doubt that this pleasure greatly contributed to the general belief that the burning of heretics was a righteous act. The same sort of thing applies to war. People who are vigorous and brutal often find war enjoyable, provided that it is a victorious war and that there is not too much interference with rape and plunder. This is a great help in persuading people that wars are righteous. Dr Arnold, the hero of Tom Brown's Schooldays, and the admired reformer of Public Schools, came across some cranks who thought it a mistake to flog boys. Anyone reading his outburst of furious indignation against this opinion will be forced to the conclusion that he enjoyed inflicting floggings, and did not wish to be deprived of this pleasure.

It would be easy to multiply instances in support of the thesis that opinions which justify cruelty are inspired by cruel impulses. When we pass in review the opinions of former times which are now recognized as absurd, it will be found that nine times out of ten they were such as to justify the infliction of suffering. Take, for instance, medical practice. When anaesthetics were invented they were thought to be wicked as being an attempt to thwart God's will. Insanity was thought to be due to diabolic possession, and it was believed that demons inhabiting a madman could be driven out by inflicting pain upon him, and so making them uncomfortable. In pursuit of this opinion, lunatics were treated for years on end with systematic and conscientious brutality. I cannot think of any instance of an erroneous medical treatment that was agreeable rather than disagreeable to the patient. Or again, take moral education. Consider how much brutality has been justified by the rhyme:

A dog, a wife, and a walnut tree,

The more you beat them the better they be.

I have no experience of the moral effect of flagellation on walnut trees, but no civilized person would now justify the rhyme as regards wives. The reformative effect of punishment is a belief that dies hard, chiefly I think, because it is so satisfying to our sadistic impulses.

But although passions have had more to do than beliefs with what is amiss in human life, yet beliefs, especially where they are ancient and systematic and embodied in organizations, have a great power of delaying desirable changes of opinion and of influencing in the wrong direction people who otherwise would have no strong feelings either way. Since my subject is 'Ideas that have Harmed Mankind,' it is especially harmful systems of beliefs that I shall consider.

The most obvious case as regards past history is constituted by the beliefs which may be called religious or superstitious, according to one's personal bias. It was supposed that human sacrifice would improve the crops, at first for purely magical reasons, and then because the blood of victims was thought pleasing to the gods, who certainly were made in the image of their worshippers. We read in the Old Testament that it was a religious duty to exterminate conquered races completely, and that to spare even their cattle and sheep was an impiety. Dark terrors and misfortunes in the life to come oppressed the Egyptians and Etruscans, but never reached their full development until the victory of Christianity. Gloomy saints who abstained from all pleasures of sense, who lived in solitude in the desert, denying themselves meat and wine and the society of women, were, nevertheless, not obliged to abstain from all pleasures. The pleasures of the mind were considered to be superior to those of the body, and a high place among the pleasures of the mind was assigned to the contemplation of the eternal tortures to which the pagans and heretics would hereafter be subjected. It is one of the drawbacks to asceticism that it sees no harm in pleasures other than those of sense, and yet, in fact, not only the best pleasures, but also the very worst, are purely mental. Consider the pleasures of Milton's Satan when he contemplates the harm that he could do to man. As Milton makes him say:

The mind is its own place, and in itself

Can make a heav'n hell, a hell of heav'n.

and his psychology is not so very different from that of Tertullian, exulting in the thought that he will be able to look out from heaven at the sufferings of the damned. The ascetic depreciation of the pleasures of sense has not promoted kindliness or tolerance, or any of the other virtues that a non-superstitious outlook on human life would lead us to desire. On the contrary, when a man tortures himself he feels that it gives him a right to torture others, and inclines him to accept any system of dogma by which this right is fortified.

The ascetic form of cruelty is, unfortunately, not confined to the fiercer forms of Christian dogma, which are now seldom believed with their former ferocity. The world has produced new and menacing forms of the same psychological pattern. The Nazis in the days before they achieved power lived laborious lives, involving much sacrifice of ease and present pleasure in obedience to the belief in strenuousness and Nietzsche's maxim that one should make oneself hard. Even after they achieved power, the slogan 'guns rather than butter' still involved a sacrifice of the pleasures of sense for the mental pleasures of prospective victory - the very pleasures, in fact, with which Milton's Satan consoles himself while tortured by the fires of hell. The same mentality is to be found among earnest Communists, to whom luxury is an evil, hard work the principal duty, and universal poverty the means to the millennium. The combination of asceticism and cruelty has not disappeared with the softening of Christian dogma, but has taken on new forms hostile to Christianity. There is still much of the same mentality: mankind are divided into saints and sinners; the saints are to achieve bliss in the Nazi or Communists heaven, while the sinners are to be liquidated, or to suffer such pains as human beings can inflict in concentration camps - inferior, of course, to those which Omnipotence was thought to inflict in hell, but the worst that human beings with their limited powers are able to achieve. There is still, for the saints, a hard period of probation followed by 'the shout of them that triumph, the song of them that feast', as the Christian hymn says in describing the joys of heaven.

As this psychological pattern seems so persistent and so capable of clothing itself in completely new mantles of dogma, it must have its roots somewhat deep in human nature. This is the kind of matter that is studied by psycho-analysts, and while I am very far from subscribing to all their doctrines, I think that their general methods are important if we wish to seek out the source of evil in our innermost depths. The twin conceptions of sin and vindictive punishment seem to be at the root of much that is most vigorous, both in religion and politics. I cannot believe, as some psycho-analysts do, that the feeling of sin is innate, though I believe it to be a product of very early infancy. I think that, if this feeling could be eradicated, the amount of cruelty in the world would be very greatly diminished. Given that we are all sinners and that we all deserve punishment, there is evidently much to be said for a system that causes the punishment to fall upon others than ourselves. Calvinists, by the fiat of undeserved mercy, would go to heaven, and their feelings that sin deserved punishment would receive a merely vicarious satisfaction. Communists have a similar outlook. When we are born we do not choose whether we are to be born capitalists or proletarians, but if the latter we are among the elect, and if the former we are not. Without any choice on our own parts, by the working of economic determinism, we are fated to be on the right side in the one case, and on the wrong side in the other. Marx's father became a Christian when Marx was a little boy, and some, at least, of the dogmas he must have then accepted seem to have borne fruit in his son's psychology.

One of the odd effects of the importance which each of us attaches to himself, is that we tend to imagine our own good or evil fortune to be the purpose of other people's actions. I you pass in a train a field containing grazing cows, you may sometimes see them running away in terror as the train passes. The cow, if it were a metaphysician, would argue: 'Everything in my own desires and hopes and fears has reference to myself; hence by induction I conclude that everything in the universe has reference to myself. This noisy train, therefore, intends to do me either good or evil. I cannot suppose that it intends to do me good, since it comes in such a terrifying form, and therefore, as a prudent cow, I shall endeavour to escape from it.' If you were to explain to this metaphysical ruminant that the train has no intention of leaving the rails, and is totally indifferent to the fate of the cow, the poor beast would be bewildered by anything so unnatural. The train that wishes her neither well nor ill would seem more cold and more abysmally horrifying than a train that wished her ill. Just this has happened with human beings. The course of nature brings them sometimes good fortune, sometimes evil. They cannot believe that this happens by accident. The cow, having known of a companion which had strayed on to the railway line and been killed by a train, would pursue her philosophical reflections, if she were endowed with that moderate degree of intelligence that characterizes most human beings, to the point of concluding that the unfortunate cow had been punished for sin by the god of the railway. She would be glad when his priests put fences along the line, and would warn younger and friskier cows never to avail themselves of accidental openings in the fence, since the wages of sin is death. By similar myths men have succeeded, without sacrificing their self-importance, in explaining many of the misfortunes to which they are subject. But sometimes misfortune befalls the wholly virtuous, and what are we to say in this case? We shall still be prevented by our feeling that we must be the centre of the universe from admitting that misfortune has merely happened to us without anybody's intending it, and since we are not wicked by hypothesis, our misfortune must be due to somebody's malevolence, that is to say, to somebody wishing to injure us from mere hatred and not from the hope of any advantage to himself. It was this state of mind that gave rise to demonology, and the belief in witchcraft and black magic. The witch is a person who injures her neighbours from sheer hatred, not from any hope of gain. The belief in witchcraft, until about the middle of the seventeenth century, afforded a most satisfying outlet for the delicious emotion of self-righteous cruelty. There was Biblical warrant for the belief, since the Bible says: 'Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.' And on this ground the Inquisition punished not only witches, but those who did not believe in the possibility of witchcraft, since to disbelieve it was heresy. Science, by giving some insight into natural causation, dissipated the belief in magic, but could not wholly dispel the fear and sense of insecurity that had given rise to it. In modem times, these same emotions find an outlet in fear of foreign nations, an outlet which, it must be confessed, requires not much in the way of superstitious support.

One of the most powerful sources of false belief is envy. In any small town you will find, if you question the comparatively well-to-do, that they all exaggerate their neighbours' incomes, which gives them an opportunity to justify an accusation of meanness. The jealousies of women are proverbial among men, but in any large office you will find exactly the same kind of jealousy among male officials. When one of them secures promotion the others will say: 'Humph! So-and-so knows how to make up to the big men. I could have risen quite as fast as he has if I had chosen to debase myself by using the sycophantic arts of which he is not ashamed. No doubt his work has a flashy brilliance, but it lacks solidly, and sooner or later the authorities will find out their mistake.' So all the mediocre men will say if a really able man is allowed to rise as fast as his abilities deserve, and that is why there is a tendency to adopt the rule of seniority, which, since it has nothing to do with merit, does not give rise to the same envious discontent.

One of the most unfortunate results of our proneness to envy is that it has caused a complete misconception of economic self-interest, both individual and national. I will illustrate by a parable. There was once upon a time a medium sized town containing a number of butchers, a number of bakers, and so forth. One butcher, who was exceptionally energetic, decided that he would make much larger profits if all the other butchers were ruined and he became a monopolist. By systematically under-selling them he succeeded in his object, though his losses meanwhile had almost exhausted his command of capital and credit. At the same time an energetic baker had had the same idea and had pursued it to a similar successful conclusion. In every trade which lived by selling goods to consumers the same thing had happened. Each of the successful monopolists had a happy anticipation of making a fortune, but unfortunately the ruined butchers were no longer in the position to buy bread, and the ruined bakers were no longer in the position to buy meat. Their employees had had to be dismissed and had gone elsewhere. The consequence was that, although the butcher and the baker each had a monopoly, they sold less than they had done in the old days. They had forgotten that while a man may be injured by his competitors he is benefited by his customers, and that customers become more numerous when the general level of prosperity is increased. Envy had made them concentrate their attention upon competitors and forget altogether the aspect of their prosperity that depended upon customers.

This is a fable, and the town of which I have been speaking never existed, but substitute for a town the world, and for individuals nations, and you will have a perfect picture of the economic policy universally pursued in the present day. Every nation is persuaded that its economic interest is opposed to that of every other nation, and that it must profit if other nations are reduced to destitution. During the first World War, I used to hear English people saying how immensely British trade would benefit from the destruction of German trade, which was to be one of the principal fruits of our victory. After the war, although we should have liked to find a market on the Continent of Europe, and although the industrial life of Western Europe depended upon coal from the Ruhr, we could not bring ourselves to allow the Ruhr coal industry to produce more than a tiny fraction of what it produced before the Germans were defeated. The whole philosophy of economic nationalism, which is now universal throughout the world, is based upon the false belief that the economic interest of one nation is necessarily opposed to that of another. This false belief, by producing international hatreds and rivalries, is a cause of war, and in this way tends to make itself true, since when war has once broken out the conflict of national interests becomes only too real. If you try to explain to someone, say, in the steel industry, that possibly prosperity in other countries might be advantageous to him, you will find it quite impossible to make him see the argument, because the only foreigners of whom he is vividly aware are his competitors in the steel industry. Other foreigners are shadowy beings in whom he has no emotional interest. This is the psychological root of economic nationalism, and war, and man-made starvation, and all the other evils which will bring our civilization to a disastrous and disgraceful end unless men can be induced to take a wider and less hysterical view of their mutual relations.

Another passion which gives rise to false beliefs that are politically harmful is pride - pride of nationality, race, sex, class, or creed. When I was young France was still regarded as the traditional enemy of England, and I gathered as an unquestionable truth that one Englishman could defeat three Frenchmen. When Germany became the enemy this belief was modified and English people ceased to mention derisively the French propensity for eating frogs. But in spite of governmental efforts, I think few Englishmen succeeded in genuinely regarding the French as their equals. Americans and Englishmen, when they become acquainted with the Balkans, feel an astonished contempt when they study the mutual enmities of Bulgarians and Serbs, or Hungarians and Rumanians. It is evident to them that these enmities are absurd and that the belief of each little nation in its own superiority has no objective basis. But most of them are quite unable to see that the national pride of a Great Power is essentially as unjustifiable as that of a little Balkan country.

Pride of race is even more harmful than national pride. When I was in China I was struck by the fact that cultivated Chinese were perhaps more highly civilized than any other human beings that it has been my good fortune to meet. Nevertheless, I found numbers of gross and ignorant white men who despised even the best of the Chinese solely because their skins were yellow. In general, the British were more to blame in this than the Americans, but there were exceptions. I was once in the company of a Chinese scholar of vast learning, not only of the traditional Chinese kind, but also of the kind taught in Western universities, a man with a breadth of culture which I scarcely hoped to equal. He and I went together into a garage to hire a motor car. The garage proprietor was a bad type of American, who treated my Chinese friend like dirt, contemptuously accused him of being Japanese, and made my blood boil by his ignorant malevolence. The similar attitude of the English in India, exacerbated by their political power, was one of the main causes of the friction that arose in that country between the British and the educated Indians. The superiority of one race to another is hardly ever believed in for any good reason. Where the belief persists it is kept alive by military supremacy. So long as the Japanese were victorious, they entertained a contempt for the white man, which was the counterpart of the contempt that the white man had felt for them while they were weak. Sometimes, however, the feeling of superiority has nothing to do with military prowess. The Greeks despised the barbarians, even at times when the barbarians surpassed them in warlike strength. The more enlightened among the Greeks held that slavery was justifiable so long as the masters were Greek and the slaves barbarian, but that otherwise it was contrary to nature. The Jews had, in antiquity, a quite peculiar belief in their own racial superiority; ever since Christianity became the religion of the State Gentiles have had an equally irrational belief in their superiority to Jews. Beliefs of this kind do infinite harm, and it should be, but is not, one of the aims of education to eradicate them. I spoke a moment ago about the attitude of superiority that Englishmen have permitted themselves in their dealings with the inhabitants of India, which was naturally resented in that country, but the caste system arose as a result of successive invasions by 'superior' races from the North, and is every bit as objectionable as white arrogance.

The belief in the superiority of the male sex, which has now officially died out in Western nations, is a curious example of the sin of pride. There was, I think, never any reason to believe in any innate superiority of the male, except his superior muscle. I remember once going to a place where they kept a number of pedigree bulls, and what made a bull illustrious was the milk-giving qualities of his female ancestors. But if bulls had drawn up the pedigrees they would have been very different. Nothing would have been said about the female ancestors, except that they were docile and virtuous, whereas the male ancestors would have been celebrated for their supremacy in battle. In the case of cattle we can take a disinterested view of the relative merits of the sexes, but in the case of our own species we find this more difficult. Male superiority in former days was easily demonstrated, because if a woman questioned her husband's he could beat her. From superiority in this respect others were thought to follow. Men were more reasonable than women, more inventive, less swayed by their emotions, and so on. Anatomists, until the women had the vote, developed a number of ingenious arguments from the study of the brain to show that men's intellectual capacities must be greater than women's. Each of these arguments in turn was proved to be fallacious, but it always gave place to another from which the same conclusion would follow. It used to be held that the male foetus acquires a soul after six weeks, but the female only after three months. This opinion also has been abandoned since women have had the vote. Thomas Aquinas states parenthetically, as something entirely obvious, that men are more rational than women. For my part, I see no evidence of this. Some few individuals have some slight glimmerings of rationality in some directions, but so far as my observations go, such glimmerings are no commoner among men than among women.

Male domination has had some very unfortunate effects. It made the most intimate of human relations, that of marriage, one of master and slave, instead of one between equal partners. It made it unnecessary for a man to please a woman in order to acquire her as his wife, and thus confined the arts of courtship to irregular relations. By the seclusion which it forced upon respectable women it made them dull and uninteresting; the only women who could be interesting and adventurous were social outcasts. Owing to the dullness of respectable women, the most civilized men in the most civilized countries often became homosexual. Owing to the fact that there was no equality in marriage men became confirmed in domineering habits. All this has now more or less ended in civilized countries, but it will be a long time before either men or women learn to adapt their behaviour completely to the new state of affairs. Emancipation always has at first certain bad effects; it leaves former superiors sore and former inferiors self-assertive. But it is to be hoped that time will bring adjustment in this matter as in others.

Another kind of superiority which is rapidly disappearing is that of class, which now survives only in Soviet Russia. In that country the son of a proletarian has advantages over the son of a bourgeois, but elsewhere such hereditary privileges are regarded as unjust. The disappearance of class distinction is, however, far from complete. In America everybody is of opinion that he has no social superiors, since all men are equal, but he does not admit that he has no social inferiors, for, from the time of Jefferson onward, the doctrine that all men are equal applies only upwards, not downwards. There is on this subject a profound and widespread hypocrisy whenever people talk in general terms. What they really think and feel can be discovered by reading second-rate novels, where one finds that it is a dreadful thing to be born on the wrong side of the tracks, and that there is as much fuss about a misalliance as there used to be in a small German Court. So long as great inequalities of wealth survive it is not easy to see how this can be otherwise. In England, where snobbery is deeply ingrained, the equalization of incomes which has been brought about by the war has had a profound effect, and among the young the snobbery of their elders has begun to seem somewhat ridiculous. There is still a very large amount of regrettable snobbery in England, but it is connected more with education and manner of speech than with income or with social status in the old sense.

Pride of creed is another variety of the same kind of feeling. When I had recently returned from China I lectured on that country to a number of women's clubs in America. There was always one elderly woman who appeared to be sleeping throughout the lecture, but at the end would ask me, somewhat portentously, why I had omitted to mention that the Chinese, being heathen, could of course have no virtues. I imagine that the Mormons of Salt Lake City must have had a similar attitude when non-Mormons were first admitted among them. Throughout the Middle Ages, Christians and Mohammedans were entirely persuaded of each other's wickedness and were incapable of doubting their own superiority.

All these are pleasant ways of feeling 'grand'. In order to be happy we require all kinds of supports to our self-esteem. We are human beings, therefore human beings are the purpose of creation. We are Americans, therefore America is God's own country. We are white, and therefore God cursed Ham and his descendants who were black. We are Protestant or Catholic, as the case may be, therefore Catholics or Protestants, as the case may be, are an abomination. We are male, and therefore women are unreasonable; or female, and therefore men are brutes. We are Easterners, and therefore the West is wild and woolly; or Westerners, and therefore the East is effete. We work with our brains, and therefore it is the educated classes that are important; or we work with our hands, and therefore manual labour alone gives dignity. Finally, and above all, we each have one merit which is entirely unique, we are Ourself. With these comforting reflections we go out to do battle with the world; without them our courage might fail. Without them, as things are, we should feel inferior because we have not learnt the sentiment of equality. If we could feel genuinely that we are the equals of our neighbours, neither their betters nor their inferiors, perhaps life would become less of a battle, and we should need less in the way of intoxicating myth to give us Dutch courage.

One of the most interesting and harmful delusions to which men and nations can be subjected, is that of imagining themselves special instruments of the Divine Will. We know that when the Israelites invaded the Promised Land it was they who were fulfilling the Divine Purpose, and not the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizites, the Hivites, or the Jebbusites. Perhaps if these others had written long history books the matter might have looked a little different. In fact, the Hittites did leave some inscriptions, from which you would never guess what abandoned wretches they were. It was discovered, 'after the fact', that Rome was destined by the gods for the conquest of the world. Then came Islam with its fanatical belief that every soldier dying in battle for the True Faith went straight to a Paradise more attractive than that of the Christians, as houris (*) are more attractive than harps. Cromwell was persuaded that he was the Divinely appointed instrument of justice for suppressing Catholics and malignants. Andrew Jackson was the agent of Manifest Destiny in freeing North America from the incubus of Sabbath-breaking Spaniards. In our day, the sword of the Lord has been put into the hands of the Marxists. Hegel thought that the Dialectic with fatalistic logic had given supremacy to Germany. 'No,' said Marx, 'not to Germany, but to the Proletariat'. This doctrine has kinship with the earlier doctrines of the Chosen People and Manifest Destiny. In its character of fatalism it has viewed the struggle of opponents as one against destiny, and argued that therefore the wise man would put himself on the winning side as quickly as possible. That is why this argument is such a useful one politically. The only objection to it is that it assumes a knowledge of the Divine purposes to which no rational man can lay claim, and that in the execution of them it justifies a ruthless cruelty which would be condemned if our programme had a merely mundane origin. It is good to know that God is on our side, but a little confusing when you find the enemy equally convinced of the opposite. To quote the immortal lines of the poet during the first World War:

Gott strafe England, and God save the King.

God this, and God that, and God the other thing.

'Good God,' said God, 'I've got my work cut out.'

Belief in a Divine mission is one of the many forms of certainty that have afflicted the human race. I think perhaps one of the wisest things ever said was when Cromwell said to the Scots before the battle of Dunbar: 'I beseech you in the bowels of Christ, think it possible that you may be mistaken.' But the Scots did not, and so he had to defeat them in battle. It is a pity that Cromwell never addressed the same remark to himself. Most of the greatest evils that man has inflicted upon man have come through people feeling quite certain about something which, in fact, was false. To know the truth is more difficult than most men suppose, and to act with ruthless determination in the belief that truth is the monopoly of their party is to invite disaster. Long calculations that certain evil in the present is worth inflicting for the sake of some doubtful benefit in the future are always to be viewed with suspicion, for, as Shakespeare says: 'What's to come is still unsure.' Even the shrewdest men are apt to be wildly astray if they prophesy so much as ten years ahead. Some people will consider this doctrine immoral, but after all it is the Gospel which says 'take no thought for the morrow'.

In public, as in private life, the important thing is tolerance and kindliness, without the presumption of a superhuman ability to read the future.

Instead of calling this essay 'Ideas that have harmed mankind', I might perhaps have called it simply 'Ideas have harmed mankind', for, seeing that the future cannot be foretold and that there is an almost endless variety of possible beliefs about it, the chance that any belief which a man may hold may be true is very slender. Whatever you think is going to happen ten years hence, unless it is something like the sun rising tomorrow that has nothing to do with human relations, you are almost sure to be wrong. I find this thought consoling when I remember some gloomy prophesies of which I myself have rashly been guilty.

But you will say: how is statesmanship possible except on the assumption that the future can be to some extent foretold. I admit that some degree of prevision is necessary, and I am not suggesting that we are completely ignorant. It is a fair prophecy that if you tell a man he is a knave and a fool he will not love you, and it is a fair prophecy that if you say the same thing to seventy million people they will not love you. It is safe to assume that cutthroat competition will not produce a feeling of good fellowship between the competitors. It is highly probable that if two States equipped with modern armament face each other across a frontier, and if their leading statesmen devote themselves to mutual insults, the population of each side will in time become nervous, and one side will attack for fear of the other doing so. It is safe to assume that a great modern war will not raise the level of prosperity even among the victors. Such generalizations are not difficult to know. What is difficult is to foresee in detail the long-run consequences of a concrete policy. Bismarck with extreme astuteness won three wars and unified Germany. The long run result of his policy has been that Germany has suffered two colossal defeats. These resulted because he taught Germans to be indifferent to the interests of all countries except Germany, and generated an aggressive spirit which in the end united the world against his successors. Selfishness beyond a point, whether individual or national, is not wise. It may with luck succeed, but if it fails failure is terrible. Few men will run this risk unless they are supported by a theory, for it is only theory that makes men completely incautious.

Passing from the moral to the purely intellectual point of view, we have to ask ourselves what social science can do in the way of establishing such causal laws as should be a help to statesmen in making political decisions. Some things of real importance have begun to be known, for example how to avoid slumps and large scale unemployment such as afflicted the world after the last war. It is also now generally known by those who have taken the trouble to look into the matter that only an international government can prevent war, and that civilization is hardly likely to survive more than one more great war, if that. But although these things are known, the knowledge is not effective; it has not penetrated to the great masses of men, and it is not strong enough to control sinister interests. There is, in fact, a great deal more social science than politicians are willing or able to apply. Some people attribute this failure to democracy, but it seems to me to be more marked in autocracy than anywhere else. Belief in democracy, however, like any other belief, may be carried to the point where it becomes fanatical, and therefore harmful. A democrat need not believe that the majority will always decide wisely; what he must believe is that the decision of the majority, whether wise or unwise, must be accepted until such time as the majority decides otherwise. And this he believes not from any mystic conception of the wisdom of the plain man, but as the best practical device for putting the reign of law in place of the reign of arbitrary force. Nor does the democrat necessarily believe that democracy is the best system always and everywhere. There are many nations which lack the self-restraint and political experience that are required for the success of parliamentary institutions, where the democrat, while he would wish them to acquire the necessary political education, will recognize that it is useless to thrust upon them prematurely a system which is almost certain to break down. In politics, as elsewhere, it does not do to deal in absolutes; what is good in one time and place may be bad in another, and what satisfies the political instincts of one nation may to another seem wholly futile. The general aim of the democrat is to substitute government by general assent for government by force, but this requires a population that has undergone a certain kind of training. Given a nation divided into two nearly equal portions which hate each other and long to fly at each other's throats, that portion which is just less than half will not submit tamely to the domination of the other portion, nor will the portion which is just more than half show, in the moment of victory, the kind of moderation which might heal the breach.

The world at the present day stands in need of two kinds of things. On the one hand, organization - political organization for the elimination of wars, economic organization to enable men to work productively, especially in the countries that have been devastated by war, educational organization to generate a sane internationalism. On the other hand it needs certain moral qualities, the qualities which have been advocated by moralists for many ages, but hitherto with little success. The qualities most needed are charity and tolerance, not some form of fanatical faith such as is offered to us by the various rampant isms. I think these two aims, the organizational and the ethical, are closely interwoven; given either the other would soon follow. But, in effect, if the world is to move in the right direction it will have to move simultaneously in both respects. There will have to be a gradual lessening of the evil passions which are the natural aftermath of war, and a gradual increase of the organizations by means of which mankind can bring each other mutual help. There will have to be a realization at once intellectual and moral that we are all one family, and that the happiness of no one branch of this family can be built securely upon the ruin of another. At the present time, moral defects stand in the way of clear thinking, and muddled thinking encourages moral defects. Perhaps, though I scarcely dare to hope it, the hydrogen bomb will terrify mankind into sanity and tolerance. If this should happen we shall have reason to bless its inventors.

(*) houri: in Islamic faith, one of the beautiful young women who attend Muslim men in paradise.
CHICAGO  A federal judge set a Sept. 28 plea hearing for former McLean County Board Chairman Matt Sorensen on charges that he defrauded State Farm of more than $400,000.

At a status hearing Tuesday in U.S. District Court, Sorensen's lawyer indicated that the former McLean County official will plead guilty to unspecified charges.

The terms of the plea agreement were not disclosed.

Sorensen, who previously worked as a consultant for the Bloomington-based insurance company, and Navdeep Arora, a former consultant with a Chicago firm, were charged in indictments filed in January with defrauding State Farm.

The pair allegedly billed clients, including State Farm, through two companies, Gabriel Solutions and Andy's BCB, for consulting work that they never performed.

Arora's attorney told Judge Ronald Guzman on Tuesday that he likely will request a trial date, but a hearing date has not been set on that request.

A federal grand jury returned the indictments in August 2015, but they were sealed until January when Arora was arrested as he returned to the U.S. from London where he had been living.

Sorensen, who resigned from the County Board shortly after the indictments were announced, was not available for comment on Tuesday.
NORMAL  Illinois State University's new vice president for student affairs, walked around the campus quad during Welcome Week, greeting students, asking about their interests and encouraging them to get involved.

But it was when Levester Johnson joined students in a crafts project during Reggie's Backyard BBQ that he was able to summarize his outlook on life in a single word: Believe.

He wrote it diagonally across a small canvas, using a Sharpie marker, adding a bright yellow sun in one corner and a flower in the other.

I was looking for a word to write and 'believe' is one of my favorites, said Johnson. It fits with my personality. To me, the glass is always half full.

To Johnson, believe means having that faith and being positive about it all.

Like the freshmen participating in Welcome Week, Johnson is new to the ISU campus. He's only been on the job since July 5, coming to ISU from Butler University in Indianapolis, where he'd held a comparable position since 1997.

Since his arrival in Normal, Johnson has been spending time getting to know his staff, the campus, the community and the students.

The people in the student affairs division are top notch at what they do, he said.

Following a practice he used at Butler, Johnson likes to walk around campus, chatting informally with students who are just lying on a bench or sitting in a hammock, he said. That's when you really learn things.

Kyle Walsh, president of the the Student Government Association, said Johnson connects very well with students and he is looking forward to working with him on mutual concerns.

Levester Johnson will have no problem working with students and finding students to work with him, Walsh said. He is inspirational and motivational. He makes you want to work hard.

Senior Karen Sanders, a communications studies major from Dixon, said, He's a fun guy. He has a lot of cool ideas, such as encouraging students to be more comfortable talking with top-level administrators.

Although ISU is considerably larger than Butler  with an enrollment of more than 21,000 compared to Butler's 5,000  Johnson intends to maintain a personal touch with students.

They will see me a little bit of everywhere, he said. I'm invested in attending their events and them getting to know me personally.

Johnson said his focus will be on student safety, student care and student education on emergency protocols  including bystander training on how to help others.

Bystander education involves more than just preventing sexual assaults, he said; it's also about alcohol and substance abuse.

You just don't let your friend make a poor decision, he said.

ISU already is a community of care, Johnson said, but he wants to find ways to take it to the next level and thinks having a caring community at ISU could be a center of excellence for us.

Johnson also serves on a campus climate task force looking into issues such as diversity and how to ensure various groups feel welcome. It is a follow up to a report issued in spring following a campus survey.

Johnson said the campus has long been dedicated to diversity, yet, we recognized there's a lot more work to be done.

Johnson considers communication to be among his strengths.

I probably got that from my dad, the Baptist minister, he said.

Social media  especially Twitter  is among the ways Johnson communicates with students.

While at Butler, he used sweet tweets  an invitation to students via Twitter to join him at a certain time and location for coffee and doughnuts  as a way to reach out. Johnson is still looking for a way to make that work on a larger campus without getting a larger response than he can handle.
It was just a normal school day for students and professors of American University of Afghanistan. The day was about to end when an explosion interrupted the discussion and gunmen attacked the campus.

An unknown number of assailants stormed the American University of Afghanistan at 7:50 p.m. The night attack left professors and students stuck inside their classrooms, made them run for their lives, killed twelve and injured twenty-six.

The Los Angeles Times reports that it is believed that the American University of Afghanistan might have been attacked by Taliban and other militant groups. It is because the university is a symbol of American-Afghanistan friendship in the Middle Eastern land.

According to CNN, 750 students were at the campus when the gunmen opened fire. The night ended with seven students, three policemen and two security guards killed. Two attackers were also killed by the police after going around the campus and finding guns and explosives.

Based on student narratives, they stayed on the floor after blocking the classroom doors with chairs and desks. They heard gunshots and screams of hundreds of students trying to find a way out. Most were able to escape through the campus' northern emergency route (via Los Angeles Times).

As per CNN, most of the students of American University of Afghanistan are not Americans but a number of faculty members are. The university's official site explains that the school goes by such name because it follows an American-style academic curriculum. It is the only private, non-profit and independent university under the Afghan Constitution and Ministry of Higher Education of the Afghan government.

The attack comes after an American and Australian teacher of the university were abducted around three weeks ago. School was suspended that time and until now, the teachers haven't been found yet (via CNN).

Do you think that security should be tightened in American-linked institutions in the Middle East? Sound off your thoughts in the Comments section below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
The "Vikings Season 4" midseason premiere signals a crossroads for the History series with Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) setting Viking expansion rolling by tasking Ivar The Boneless (Alex Hogh Andersen) with revenge. The "Vikings" series, by creator Michael Hirst, is changing leadership in Season 4 if the Northumbria snake pit has a say in the fate of Ragnar Lothbrok.

The "Vikings Season 3" finale gave the History series fans a major tease with Ragnar Lothbrok faking his death to set up a Viking version of a Trojan horse in Paris. However, "Vikings Season 4" midseason will be a different story for Ragnar Lothbrok who reacquaints with his sons Bjorn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig), Ubbe (Jordan Patrick Smith), Hvitserk (Marco Isl), Sigurd Snake-In-The-Eye (David Lindstron) and Ivar The Boneless.

When someone says they may have #Vikings spoilers. pic.twitter.com/H722tjuL92  Vikings on HISTORY (@HistoryVikings) August 29, 2016

If Michael Hirst combined the Vikings Sagas and historical accounts as promised, then Ragnar Lothbrok meets his end in Northumbria from vengeful King Aella and his infamous snake spit at Season 4. "I think if I ever got to a place where history and narrative were in conflict then I would realise that I was barking up the wrong tree," Michael Hirst told History Extra of his work process on the tale of Ragnar Lothbrok.

When you're awesome and you know it. #Vikings pic.twitter.com/QYSGZzxStP  Vikings on HISTORY (@HistoryVikings) August 27, 2016

Michael Hirst further said that the "Vikings" series is now going into Viking expansion into western Europe, Iceland, Greenland and the Mediterranean, which may have been triggered by Ragnar Lothbrok but will definitely be continued by Ivar The Boneless and his brothers. If indeed Ragnar Lothbrok dies in "Vikings Season 4," Ivar The Boneless will debut his historical trademarks.

Ivar The Boneless will lead the army that avenges Ragnar Lothbrok ruler and conquers York as "Vikings Season 4" will depict. Fans of the History series will recall that Ragnar Lothbrok asked vengeance by Ivar The Boneless in the "Vikings Season 4" midseason trailer as Parent Herald reports.

Ragnar Lothbrok further asked Ivar The Boneless to be ruthless in the "Vikings Season 4" midseason tease. Certain historical accounts indicate that Ivar The Boneless did avenge Ragnar Lothbrok.

These accounts also tell that Ivar The Boneless carried out what Ragnar Lothbrok asked of him, and ruthlessly, as requested in the heartbreaking "Vikings Season 4" scene. Fans of the History series will effectively see Ivar The Boneless unleash his capability for brutality with blessings from Ragnar Lothbrok.

History is set to confirm the "Vikings Season 4" midseason premiere air date for this fall. Are you looking forward to having Ivar The Boneless take over from Ragnar Lothbrok when "Vikings Season 4" returns?
As filming for "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" Season 2 continues, it looks like two of its characters are gearing up for a special musical number. Vincent Rodriguez III, who plays Josh Chan, and Gabrielle Ruiz, who plays Valencia, have been hinting on Twitter that they're taking ballet lessons. Could Josh and Valencia performing a ballet duet in the series?

"Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's" musical segments have always been spiced up with a wide-range of genre and for the upcoming season, a classical ballet number seems to be in the works. The actors have been sharing posts these past weeks about how challenging it is to train for ballet. But curiously, it's only Rodriguez and Ruiz who have been doing the ballet training, which indicates that Josh and Valencia could have a special number on "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" together.

Going to ballet class like... pic.twitter.com/ULrSACgZ4w  Gabrielle Ruiz (@gabrielleruiz) August 19, 2016

Josh and Valencia broke up in "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" Season 1, which, as break-ups go, should've been an exit for one of the characters from the series. However, with Josh Chan as the leading man for Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom), it makes sense to see her rival Valencia stay out of the picture.

However, Ruiz will continue to be in the cast of "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend." In fact, she has just been up to series regular at the end of last season, per TV Line. If she's not going anywhere, could the ballet number show Josh and Valencia reconciling?

Meanwhile, Emmy-nominated choreographer Kathryn Burns reveals there will "always be more dancing" on "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" in a live Q & A session on Facebook. Burns, who came up with the show's Emmy-nominated dance number in the video below, also hints of an upcoming special number that exudes the spirit of very old Hollywood showgirls, "That makes my heart sink," she described the dance but didn't elaborate on what else this could be.

"Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" Season 2 returns on Oct. 21 at 9:00 pm. The show is created by its lead star, Rachel Bloom.
Natalie Portman's 5-year-old boy, Aleph, with husband Benjamin Millepied, is a "Star Wars" fan. But the celebrity mom has not yet allowed her son to watch the "Star Wars" prequels, where she plays Queen Padme Amidala. Her reasons are actually quite valid.

Natalie Portman reveals in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel that Aleph knows her mom is in some of the earlier "Star Wars" movies. The actress did these films from 1998 to 2004, in her teens and early 20s, and she admitted that at the time, she thought being on "Star Wars" would be a cool thing to show her children one day.

However, she still hasn't let Aleph watch the "Star Wars" prequels because she realized she died in the movie. "So I feel like it's kind of a scary thing to show your kid," said the actress, via Hit Fix. Her 5-year-old son might not be able to process seeing his mother die, even if it's for work. Watch Natalie Portman talk about "Star Wars" and her son in the video below.

Natalie Portman went into semi-retirement when she had Aleph in 2011. She and Benjamin chose to raise their son in France, where her husband is from. A Hollywood A-lister, Portman gets to experience a domesticated life with her growing family in another country.

"When I'm not working, I'm pretty much exclusively with my family, so my rituals have to do with school, meal preparation, playdates, bedtime," the actress recently told New York Times. She actually relishes in doing the laundry and has learned to sleep with "Harry Potter" music playing in the background.

Natalie Portman, who has a degree in Harvard, is prioritizing motherhood as her young son develops and she doesn't seem to want to hurry his growing up years. "Time goes exponentially fast as a parent," the actress reflects with a hint of dread about the realities of getting old, per People.
On Monday, Aug. 29, the new Sandy Hook Elementary School opened its doors to the students of Newtown, Connecticut for the first day of the school year. Four years after the massacre shooting that gripped the world and that has left 20 children and six teachers dead, the school community is ready to start a new chapter and put the tragedy behind it.

After the shooting, the old Sandy Hook Elementary School was torn down in 2013 and a new structure was built near the same site. As detailed in the official Sandy Hook website, the new school was designed with a sense of community. It was also intended to have a "regenerative, restorative, and healing elements of nature."

The new Sandy Hook Elementary School features facilities like canopies, bridges, tree houses and thresholds. It also has a mini forest where the kids can explore and play. It is a conducive environment for learning indeed, but as the Los Angeles Times reports, it is also a school where safety standards is primary concrern.



The new school is also installed with state-of-the-art security features in accordance with state guidelines and given what has happened. For one thing, the walls have been made thicker to withstand gunfire and the windows have been made bullet proof. The school also has video monitoring security facility and police officers will be making regular rounds around the campus. The state actually provided $50 million to rebuild Sandy Hook.

At the opening, 400 students stepped into their new and improved school, and from these group, 70 of the kids were witnesses to the shooting incident in December 2012. These kids are now in their fourth grade, per Fox 61. "Our role now, as adults and leaders, is to bring this new, beautiful place into its rightful status as the SHS of the present and the future," said school board head Pat Llodra in the report.
Toyota, one of the largest carmakers in the world, launched a new project that allows teens to be taught how to build fuel cell cars. Accordingly, the project is for high school students.

However, Toyota's project is not about teens actually making the cars but are being taught to build smaller versions of the fuel cell cars. The cars are also said to be remote-controlled. The company reportedly hopes that with them making smaller versions and models of the fuel cell cars, it would be enough to ignite the teens' interests to venture into the car making technology, PC Parts reported.

Engadget reported that the project, called the Hydrogen Horizon Automotive Challenge, is not a full-scale and multi-year program as compared to the drone and robotics course that is now being offered at a Japanese high school. However, the Hydrogen Horizon Automotive Challenge still teaches teens about climate chance and the importance of alternative energy for a whole semester. Fuel cell cars are basically being made in order to help the environment.

Toyota's national vehicle marketing manager, Doug Coleman, said in a statement that the Hydrogen Horizon Automotive Challenge aims to prove the opportunity to high school students to introduce the

"next generation of innovators to fuel cell technology." He said that Toyota hopes the Hydrogen Horizon Automotive Challenge will encourage students to join their company in their effort to create a more eco-conscious and sustainable future.

The Hydrogen Horizon Automotive Challenge is now being offered in 20 high schools around Los Angeles and Orange County. The engineers of Toyota will also be talking about the challenges they faced when they designed their full-sized fuel cell-powered vehicle, the Mirai.

After the students make their own remote-controlled fuel cell cars, they could demonstrate their creations via racing them against each other. The NASCAR Pit Crew of Toyota will be assisting.
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For years now, critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have chortled with rapturous joy over a report indicating that Utah ranks first in the nation for the consumption of online pornography.

This, theyve suggested, proves that Mormons are sexually repressed and psychologically warped hypocrites, and that Mormonism is therefore . . . well, somehow bad. Or (and these claims dont have to make sense or be fully compatible) it shows that Mormonism is unhealthy, doesnt produce good social results, or whatever. Certainly it deprives Mormons of any claim to represent moral living.

But what if the report was wrong?

This article claims precisely that.

Dang.
More than once, a strong undercurrent of anti-Mormonism has been obvious on the Trumpist propaganda site Breitbart News. (And thats without even looking at the Breitbart reader comments, which can be bloodcurdling.)

Breitbarts boss, Mr. Stephen Bannon, now heads up Mr. Donald J. Trumps presidential campaign.

Ive already mentioned this item from Breitbart, and this response.

Now, though, theres this lovely blast from Mr. Bannons own past:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/trump-campaign-ceo-cited-mormon-missionary-service-to-slam-r?utm_term=.ac4wqPK9k#.ye1rvwZJ0

One can only wonder what Mr. Bannon  who, you recall, is the head of the Trump presidential campaign  might have to say about the distinguished military records accumulated by Mr. Trump and the Trump children.

Did you know that Mr. Trump has received the Purple Heart?

Are you aware of Mr. Trumps thoughts about American POWs?

Do you recall what Mr. Trump said about the family of a soldier who died in Afghanistan?

Do you know what Mr. Trump was doing while John McCain was a prisoner in Hanoi? See here. Do you know what he regards as his own personal Vietnam? See here.

Trump 2016! Make America great again!

Heres one worry: If Mr. Donald J. Trump fails to obtain the White House, will Latter-day Saints be blamed by his followers for that defeat? If Mr. Trump acquires the presidency but Latter-day Saints have proven insufficiently enthusiastic in their electoral support for him, will he and his followers bear a grudge? (It would be very uncharacteristic of him if he didnt bear a grudge.)

Several of my readers have suggested that only my personal arrogance prevents me from endorsing Mr. Donald J. Trump to succeed Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Lincoln, Eisenhower, and Reagan in the White House.

Maybe so. What other reason could there possibly be?
A headline in todays paper: Social service agencies, homeless feel pinch of Ventra single-ride pass surcharge.

The story: several years ago by now, the CTA implemented a new payment system, Ventra, a reloadable card that costs $5 to purchase, with that $5 only converted into transit value if the card is registered online, a process that requires and address, phone number, and e-mail. It is still possible to travel without purchasing a Ventra card, but a single-use ticket has a 50 cent surcharge.

The complaint: ever since the new systems implementation, homeless shelters and other social service agencies which are accustomed to providing their clients with transit tickets to get about town, to travel to attend school or look for work, face a strain on their budget, as the extra 50 cents, client after client, adds up.

Why cant they just provide the funds for clients to load their own Ventra cards? With respect to the homeless, reportedly because they dont have the necessary address, phone, and e-mail  though I had always had the understanding that one of the objectives of social service agencies working with the homeless was to provide them with those items, even if it meant using the agencys address and phone number, and internet accessed at an agency.

Beyond that, they report,

If the cards are registered to the agencies, clients can run up negative balances  one agency got stuck with $500 in debt on just 25 cards, said Eric Halvorson, policy and communications director for the Jobs Council. Social service recipients also lose the cards or walk off with them, providers say. With the population Im serving, there is a challenge to do their due diligence with everything in life, Hardwick said. Thats why we call them clients.

But heres something else to consider:

Chase said the agency already provides $100 million annually in free and reduced rides to the elderly, students, military members and the disabled. Because of Illinois budget problems  the same problems hurting the service agencies  the CTA gets back only about $28 million of that from the state.

Specifically, the disabled and individuals over age 65 receive reduced fares, and those who meet income limits ($27,610 or less for individuals, $36,635 for two-person households, $45,657 for households of 3 or more), receive free rides.

Now, on the one hand, it is I suppose just a part of what people mean when they use the label pathology to speak of the poor, that they cant manage a reloadable card and require single tickets instead. (Though we never fret that they cant handle EBT cards, and need to be given daily food rations instead.)

But, at the same time  why do we give free rides to poor seniors, and reduced rides to everyone whos attained the age of 65, but cannot make any provision to provide transit (free or reduced) for the poor?

Thats all, folks!

UPDATE:

OK, a few more thoughts.

First, I asked myself, is it standard practice that transit systems give half-price for seniors and the disabled, but nothing for the poor? And I checked various systems:

D.C.: bus fares $1.75 basic fare, $0.85 seniors and the disabled, subway fares by distance but with the same reductions available.

Boston: $2.25 basic fare, $1.10 for seniors/the disabled.

New York: $2.75 basic fare, $1.35 reduced for seniors/disabled.

Detroit: $1.50 basic fare, $0.50 senior/disabled.

Now, the consistency of the reduction for seniors and the disabled is dictated by federal requirements, as a condition of receiving federal funds. Offering a reduction for low-income folk is purely a local initiative  and one that exists in a small number of places, among them Seattle, Tuscon, and San Francisco. Another approach is that of Portland, which offers grants to community organizations with which they can purchase transit fares for their clients.

So one could easily make the case that its even more important for the poor, especially the unemployed, job-hunting, cashless poor, to receive subsidies for mass transit  theyre the ones that need to go places every day, to pound the pavement looking for work.

But at the same time, you could make a different case.

Look at Detroits fare: its only $1.50. Now, digging out the degree to which this cheaper cost is the result of a greater subsidy vs. simply a cheaper system (no trains, running routes only when they collect relatively more passengers than in other systems that would be content with buses trundling along with one or two passengers). But in a city like Detroit, its a given that nearly all bus system users are poor. You might, in fact, consider the fare to already be a subsidized-for-the-poor fare, given the existing norm (so far as I know) that only 50% of operating costs are paid for from the farebox. Middle-class riders, accordingly, are essentially marginal riders  who pay their marginal costs, as secondary users of the system, whose use is valuable to the degree that it keeps the system healthy, and who receive the pre-subsidized fare as a sort of incentive to use the system.

Oh, and by the way, implementing reduced fare programs always have a bit of unfairness to them. In the ideal case, in the same way as Food Stamp benefits phase out (imperfect, but better than nothing), such a subsidy would likewise phase out, rather than being a hard and fast cut-off that again feeds into the marginal tax issue of subsidy programs, when a pay raise or increase in work hours can make a person worse, rather than better off.

So what do you think?

image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACTA_red_line_rerouted.jpg; By Daniel Schwen (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
School segregation did not disappear with the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision. In fact, by some measures American schools have become more segregated over the past few decades. As anyone who has looked at the problem knows, the root of this issue is residential segregationas long as we have neighborhood schools, and as long as neighborhoods are highly segregated by race (and class, among other things), we will have segregated schools. Attempts to fix this problem via school busing in the 1970s failed in the face of strong parental opposition (including rioting by white parents). But I want to take a moment to make this issue personal.

When Time Kaine was nominated for the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket, I was beside myself geeking out over Anne Holton, Kaines wife. Do you know her backstory? I did. Take a look at this picture for a moment:

That is Annes sister walking to school with their father, Linwood Holton, then governor of Virginia. The year was 1970. Do you notice anything about the other students also walking to school? Theyre black. At a time when white parents were throwing bricks at school buses and rioting to ensure that their children attended white schools, Annes father voluntarily enrolled her and her siblings in Richmonds predominantly black public schools, taking a public stand for school integration.

But I said I was going to make this issue personal, and I am. That same year1970my grandparents moved to a new state, and had to choose where to live. My grandmother told me some time ago that they chose to live in one town rather than the town next-door because they had heard that the schools in that town were full of drugs and violence. I tried to look this up to verify, combing newspaper archives, and found no direct evidence of either drugs or violence in those schools. What I did learn confirmed my suspicion, howeverthe public schools in the town next door were heavily African American while the schools where my grandparents settled were overwhelmingly white. They remain so to this day.

Now my grandmother, Im sure, would insist that this had nothing to do with race. She would insist that the schools in the area they moved to were simply safer, cleaner, nicer, and better funded, with teachers who were better trained and an administration with better connections. Did she even visit the other schools, I wonder? Regardless of her justifications, her familys individual decision, in its own small a way, helped maintain racial segregation in her states public schools. And this is exactly how such segregation is maintainedby millions and millions of individual decisions about where to live, decisions that are often racially coded if not based explicitly on race.

We, too, moved not so long ago, and when we did, this issue was in the front of my mind. Would my decision mirror that of my grandmother, contributing to school segregation in the name of doing what was best for my children? Or would my decision mirror that of Linwood Holton, taking a strong stand against school segregation? As I kept race at the forefront of my mind, the complexity of these individual decisions became agonizingly clear. Some areas genuinely are dangerous. Some schools are chronically troubled, grappling with inadequate facilities, lack of funding, and constant administrative turnover. These decisions arent always simple.

But let me pause to make a few points.

First, we know that white students benefit from attending racially integrated schools (as in, there is actual scientific research that says this). We know that students of color benefit from attending racially integrated schools and that poor students benefit from attending schools with variation in class background. In fact, the research suggests that children of every demographic benefit from attending diverse schools. In other words, white kids arent necessarily better off in well-funded suburban schools if those schools are predominantly white (and economically homogenous).

Second, we need to stop paying so much attention to test scores. A schools test scores tell nothing about the quality of instruction provided or the atmosphere of the school. Zip. Nada. Nothing. And I say this from experience. A schools test scores tell far more about the demographics of the school than they do about anything else. And they certainly do not tell how your child will score. I have sent my child to two different low-income schools with poor test scores. Both have been superb experiences. In fact, Ive found test scores to be so unhelpful in assessing overall school quality that I did not look at them, at all, when we were moving.

Today, my daughter attends a diverse public school. Today, we live in a diverse neighborhood. And when I say diverse, I dont mean white with a sprinkling of colorand I dont just mean racial diversity. If I had any advice to give, it would be to walk the neighborhoods and visit the schools rather than falling prey to assumptions. You will learn far more about a school and its culture on a tour of the school than you ever would from the schools test scores or other ratings. Speak with the principal. Speak with the teachers. If possible, speak with the students and with parents.

My father-in-law once told me that the solution to racism is for everyone to get to know each other. I was annoyed at the time, as it seemed both too simplistic and overly focused on both sides. And it is too simplistic. Mid-twentieth-century segregationists often spoke fondly of the black people they knew while simultaneously condemning race mixing. But there is still some truth to the idea that getting to know people across racial and class linesas people and not as stereotypes or ideascan help us overcome our prejudices. I suspect this is something Linwood Holton learned when he enrolled his children in Richmonds predominantly black public schools almost five decades ago.
and the ongoing corruption of the anti-abortion-but-not-prolife Right.

Trump recently hired Steve Bannon to direct his campaign when Paul Manafort flamed out amid accusations he had unhealthy ties to foreign influence.

Who is Bannon? No. Not Jonny Quests cool jet pilot action hero chum. That would be Race Bannon.

Though, speaking of race, Steve Bannon does have decided interests in that area, since he is a major champion of what has come to be known as the alt-Right, also known as the Dark Enlightenment. That means that the Alt-Right, not prolife people are running the Trump campaign.

And who are these people? Well, lets let the alt-Right speak for itself in a recent piece by Aylmer Fisher called The Pro-Life Temptation:

Few issues divide our movementwhether we call it identitarianism, race-realism, or the alt Rightlike abortion. To some, the practice is akin to murder, and its acceptance shows the degeneracy of the Left. To others, abortionand contraception more generallyare eugenic practices, which are about the only things keeping our societies from falling into complete idiocracy. I understand the pro-life temptation. The kinds of people who support abortion access most fervently are those who stand for the things we oppose: selfishness, atomization, the liberation of women, and leftist identity politics. In popular culture, legalized abortion is tied to reproductive freedom, which has liberated women from the horrible fate of being wives and mothers and allowed them to pursue more meaningful lives as cubicle drones. Conversely, it is tempting to believe that abolishing legalized abortion would lead to a return to more traditional values, a higher birthrate, and healthier relations between the sexes. Many European leaders that we admire are movingtheir countries in a pro-life direction, perhaps because they have bought into this narrative. Unfortunately, as our movement gains influence, it is important that we not fall prey to the pro-life temptation. First off, the alt Right appreciates what is superior in man, in the Nietzschean sense. Most members of the alt Right applaud countries like Japan and South Korea for having low out-of-wedlock birth rates and not taking in Muslim or African refugees. We dont simply say who cares what they do, theyre not my tribe. Rather, we recognize that such people have built impressive civilizations, and we believe that it is in the interest of humanity that these nations continue to exist, and not adopt the suicidal policies of the West. Second, we on the alt Right have an appreciation of tribalism and identity. We realize that people are not just autonomous individuals. Life gains its meaning through connections to other members of our families, tribes, and nations. Being pro-life flies in the face both of these principles.

The author then goes on to explain that the alt Right is, in fact, the enemy of the prolife movement since the alt right is a racist movement that dream of establishing whites as a Master Race and regards blacks and Latinos with open contempt. Be sure to read the comboxes. Dont believe me?:

Not only is the pro-life movement dysgenic, but its justifications rely on principles we generally reject. The alt Right is skeptical, to say the least, of concepts like equality and human rights, especially as bases for policy. The unborn fetus has no connection to anyone else in the community. If it is not even wanted by its own mother, criminalizing abortion means that the state must step in and say that the individual has rights as an individual, despite its lack of connection to any larger social group. This is no problem to those in the conservative movement, who decide right and wrong based on principles like the right to life. It is no coincidence that some of the most pro-life politicians are those most excited about adopting children from Africa and those in their movement are among the conservatives most likely to denounce the racism of their political opponents. The mother-child bond is the strongest of human relationships, the one least subject to being altered by government policy or societal forces. While over the last decades, fathers have become more likely to walk out on their children and divorce rates have risen, there has been no similar rise in females abandoning their children. When the parent-child bond does not exist for a pregnant woman, society has no business stepping in. Those who want to do so, by banning abortion because its racist or adopting children from Africa, are the ultimate cuckservatives. If there were to be a pro-life position that we could accept, it would be based on arguments about what is good for the community. The case would have to be made that abortion is what is decimating the White population and decreasing its quality. While its true that a blanket ban on abortion would probably increase the White population in there numbers, it would, no doubt, decrease the overall quality, as well and leave all races stupider, more criminally prone, and more diseased.

Cuckservative is a favorite code word among the alt-Right. It simply means conservative who reject white supremacy and racial hygenics bullshit we love.

These are the people now running the Trump campaign. This is who Trump has chosen as his guiding lights. If you believe for one second that the prolife movement should make common cause with such people or that any excuse for this filth is acceptable then recognize that you have embraced a lie that is, in the words of Nostra Aetate, foreign to the mind of Christ.

Bannon, by the way, is also an anti-Catholic. And he likes to publish Catholics like John Amnesty Equals Abortion Zmirak who attack the Church, and especially Pope Francis along the same racialist lines.
Unjustly Imprisoned Young Iranian Physicist Granted Conditional Release After Five Years

08/30/16

Source: International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran

Omid Kokabees Release Comes After Months Struggling with Kidney Cancer That Was Left Untreated in Prison

August 29, 2016-Imprisoned Iranian scientist Omid Kokabee, who spent more than five years in Evin Prison for refusing to work on Irans military projects, was granted conditional release on August 29, 2016. Kokabee, currently on medical leave, was diagnosed with kidney cancer this past April after years of being denied proper medical treatment by prison authorities.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran calls on the Iranian Judiciary to immediately allow Kokabee to leave the country if he so wishes, so that he may continue his interrupted scientific studies and career.

Kokabees academic studies as a post-doctoral physics student at the University of Texas were abruptly halted when he was arrested in Iran in 2011 during a visit to his family.

While we welcome the decision to release Omid Kokabee after he unjustly spent more than five years in prison, his release does not compensate for the pain he endured during these years and the severely damaged health he suffered as a result of prison conditions, said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the Campaign.

The Judiciary Chief approved a ruling by Branch 36 of the Tehran Appeals Court that says Omid Kokabee qualifies for conditional release and therefore he will not be returning to prison, Kokabees lawyer, Saeed Khalili, told the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA).

Khalili added that the ruling had been issued two or three days before it was formally delivered in writing on August 28, 2016, according to the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA).

Kokabee, 34, has been on medical furlough (temporary leave) since May 25, 2016, after undergoing surgery to remove his cancerous kidney.

He was arrested on January 30, 2011 at Tehrans Imam Khomeini Airport on his way back to the U.S. to continue his studies at the University of Texas at Austin. On May 14, 2012, Kokabee was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Abolqasem Salavati for contact with enemy states. The sentence was later upheld on appeal.

Kokabee said in an April 2013 open letter from Evin Prison to Irans supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, that he was imprisoned for refusing an offer from the Iranian intelligence establishment to collaborate on a military research project.

During his imprisonment Kokabees repeated requests for furlough were denied until he was transferred to a hospital in April 2016 where doctors discovered a large tumor on his right kidney.

Article 502 of Irans Criminal Code states: If a prisoner is suffering from physical or mental illness and his imprisonment would make his illness worse or delay his recovery, the judge can postpone the sentence being served until the prisoner regains his health after consultation with his physician.

The authorities at Evin Prison also denied repeated requests submitted by Kokabees family for temporary leave for the young scientist to receive outside medical treatment even though he was suffering from severe pain and medical complications for years following multiple bouts of kidney stones.

Kokabee was denied access to specialists in a hospital and was instead given painkillers from the prison infirmary until his condition became critical and he was finally taken to a hospital, a source told the International Campaign for Human Right in Iran.

Political prisoners in Iran routinely receive discriminatory treatment, including denial of necessary medical treatment.

Kokabees release comes almost a year after Kokabees mother, Safar Bibi Haghnazari, wrote in a letter to Khamenei in September 2015, [Omid] has passed kidney stones under great pain four times without any treatment. He has had serious stomach problems and lost four of his teeth. He has even suffered from heart palpitations because of all the stress in prison. He is still being denied outside medical treatment despite the prison doctors recommendation. I ask that you free my son and alleviate this great pain.
The best 2-in-1 laptop 2022: our picks of the best convertible laptops

These are the best 2-in-1 laptops you can buy right now
Surface Pro 3 owners who have had problems getting reasonable battery life from their tablets have relief coming their way.

Microsoft pushed out a firmware update to Surface Pro 3 devices on Monday thats supposed to fix a problem that keeps the battery from charging all the way. An error in a limited number of devices causes the system to get the wrong charge capacity for the Surface Pro 3s battery, the company said. As a result, the battery isnt charged all the way, even though the system thinks it reached capacity.

Think of this like a fuel gauge in a car, where the car looks to the fuel gauge to determine how much to fill the tank, Microsoft said in a support document accompanying the update. In this case, if the fuel gauge isnt working right, the car would also not be able to fill the tankeven though the tank is fine.

The fix will show up in Windows Update as Surface Firmware Update 8/29. When users install the update, they should make sure that their Surface Pro 3s battery is above 40 percent of capacity and that its plugged into the AC adapter.

People who use the Surface Docking Station should take the tablet out of it and connect it to power directly. While the update is installing, its important that the tablet remains connected to power.

Then, after the update is installed, users should restart the Surface Pro 3 again. Once all of that is done, the battery fix should be applied.

Microsoft is still exploring what to do for people who replaced their Surface Pro 3s outside of warranty as a result of the issue.
The race by companies to develop autonomous cars is making rivals out of old friends as is evident from the exit of Alphabets senior executive David Drummond from the board of Uber Technologies.

Alphabet is an investor in Uber through its venture capital arm GV, and from all appearances will continue to stay so. But it had become increasingly evident that the ride-hailing companys efforts to build self-driving cars would put it in conflict with the aims of the Google Self-Driving Car Project, which has been one of the pioneers in the development of these autonomous vehicles.

On Monday, Alphabet said Drummond, its senior vice president for corporate development, had recently quit the board of Uber. GV will continue to be an investor in the ride-hailing company.

I recently stepped down from Ubers board given the overlap between the two companies, Drummond said in a statement issued on Monday. GV remains an enthusiastic investor and Google will continue to partner with Uber, Drummond added. He wished Uber CEO Travis Kalanick all the best for the future.

The development comes ahead of tests of self-driving cars carrying ride-hailing passengers, planned by Uber later this month on the streets of Pittsburgh in the U.S. A number of car and component makers are developing technology for self-driving cars that they are targeting at ride-hailing companies, and there have been rumors that Google may also target this market.

Ford said this month that it intends to have a high-volume, fully autonomous vehicle in commercial operation in a ride hailing or sharing service by 2021. General Motors has also invested US$500 million in ride-hailing company Lyft in a deal that could see them jointly developing a network of on-demand autonomous cars. Earlier on Monday, The Information reported that Uber had shut out Drummond from attending board meetings, quoting three people briefed about the arrangement.

Google cars have self-driven over 1.5 million miles and are out on the streets of cities like Mountain View, California and Austin, Texas.
Apples tax benefits in Ireland are illegal, and the company will have to pay up to 13 billion ($14.5 billion) in back taxes, plus interest.

Thats the verdict European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager delivered Tuesday, wrapping up a two-year investigation of the companys tax affairs stretching back to 2003.

The investigation found that Apples effective tax rate on profit reported in Ireland was just 500 per million euros in profit, falling to 50 per million in 2014.

I would have a feeling if my effective tax rate were 0.05 percent, falling to 0.005 percent. I would feel that maybe I should have another look at my tax bill, she said.

The Commission looked into tax rulings granted by the Irish government to two Apple subsidiaries, Apple Operations Europe, which makes some Apple computers, and Apple Sales International, which resells the companys products throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and India.

The latter accounts for almost all the unpaid taxes Ireland now needs to recover, Vestager said.

Vestager said that the Irish tax authorities had allowed Apple to split profit from the two companies, which were subject to normal taxes, with head office companies that were subject to no taxes, either in Ireland or elsewhere.

Splitting the profits did not have any factual or economic justification. The so-called head office had no employees, no premises, no real activities, she said. Those head-office companies were allocated almost all the profits.

This selective tax treatment in Ireland is illegal under European Union state aid rules, she said, and distorts competition.

To restore fair competition, Ireland must recover up to 13 billion in back taxes from Apple for the period from 2003 to 2014.

It is for the Irish authorities to determine the exact amount and the modalities of payment, she said.

Apple will have to pay up even if the ruling is appealed, with the money going into an escrow account, she said.

Should the U.S. government decide to change its tax rules so that Apple owes more tax in the U.S. on its EU profits, then the sum to be repaid in Ireland could be reduced by a corresponding amount, she said.

Apple is not the only company in the Commissions sights: It has also issued tax rulings against Starbucks and Fiat, and is still investigating Amazon.com and McDonalds in Luxembourg, Vestager said.

All companies, big or small, should pay taxes where they make their profits. We need changes in corporate philosophies, and we need changes in legislation to address loopholes and to ensure transparency, she concluded.

Apple CEO Tim Cook responded with an open letter dedicated to the Apple community in Europe, explaining how Apples operations in Cork, Ireland have boosted the local economy and created roughly 1.5 million jobs across Europe. The company claims to have always complied with the law, and has never asked for, nor did we receive, any special deals, according to Cook.

Over the years, we received guidance from Irish tax authorities on how to comply correctly with Irish tax lawthe same kind of guidance available to any company doing business there. In Ireland and in every country where we operate, Apple follows the law and we pay all the taxes we owe.

Both Ireland and Apple are planning on appealing the Commissions decision, and Cook is confident that the Commissions order will be reversed.

This story was originally posted on August 30, 2016, at 3:48 a.m. Pacific. It was updated on August 30, 2016, at 9:20 a.m. Pacific with details of Tim Cooks statement.
Swirling rumors about a Google Pixel refresh just received a possible shot in the arm.

Google recently listed the $1,300 Chromebook Pixel 2 as out of stock on the Google Store, and other retailers appear to be discontinuing the laptop as well. The end of the $1,300 Chromebook Pixel 2 comes four months after Google discontinued the $1,000 version in April.

Google told Venture Beat, which first noticed the end of the Chromebook Pixel 2, that the expensive Chrome OS laptop was discontinued. Were committed to the Pixel program but we dont have plans to restock the Pixel 2, a Google spokesperson told the site.

Whether that means a Chromebook Pixel 3 is on its way will now be the subject of speculationincluding right here, right now. In June, OMG Chrome came across a job listing that (very loosely) suggested the company was working on a new Pixel. The listing advertised for a Quality Engineer for the Chromebook Pixel team who would be part of shaping Googles next game-changer.

The Chromebook Pixel 2 is out of stock in the Google Store.

That next game-changer could mean a new Chromebook Pixel, or it could mean another Pixel Android tablet created by the same team. In fact, if you want to really go off the rails the next Pixel could be a Chromebook tabletPlay Store support, anyone?for all we know.

Complicating matters, Google doesnt have a regular schedule for releasing Pixelsat least with two versions released so far. The Pixel 2 came out in April 2015, succeeding the original Pixel, which was released in March 2013. If that suggests a pattern then we shouldnt count on seeing a Pixel 3 until the spring of 2017.
A disgraced former FBI agent was sentenced to three years in federal prison Monday, Aug. 29, for stealing more than $136,000 confiscated in a 2014 San Bernardino drug raid and then lying about it.

Scott Bowmans attorney said he accepted responsibility for his actions, but a federal prosecutor said several criminal cases had to be dismissed because of Bowmans actions.

He pleaded guilty in May to conversion of property by a federal employee, obstruction of justice, falsifying records and witness tampering.

Bowman, of Moreno Valley, must repay more than $136,000 in drug proceeds he took and spent on vehicles and accessory upgrades, $15,000 for plastic surgery for his wife and a vacation with his girlfriend, according to a plea agreement.

I took it. Then, when confronted, I lied about it, Bowman said in a statement to sentencing Judge Jesus Bernal in U.S. District Court in Riverside.

Bowman served four years each in the Navy and Marines and almost 10 years with the FBI in the agencys Los Angeles and Riverside offices, including with a task force aimed at stemming gang-related crime.

Letters submitted by family members and friends described aberrant behavior that lasted three months, bewildered family and amounted to bad choices by a good man.

This is a small slice obviously of his entire life, where he showed terrible judgment, said defense attorney Samuel A. Josephs.

Robert J. Heberle, an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justices public integrity section in Washington, D.C., said the conduct lasted closer to five months.

The Justice Department handled the case because Bowmans actions affected prosecution of cases handled by the U.S. Attorneys Office in Los Angeles.

Bowman is married and the father of four children, ages 4 to 19.

The judge told the defendant he hopes Bowman will re-establish the trust of his four children over time. He has until Oct. 28 to surrender to serve the prison time then another two years on supervised release. Bowman said he will repay every last dime of the money.

To cover up the theft, Bowman falsified FBI reports, submitted a receipt with a forged signature and asked a local police detective to provide false information to investigators if asked about Bowmans activities involving the money, officials previously said. The detective refused to cover for the defendant.

The prosecutor said Bowman betrayed a profound trust placed in him and referenced Bowmans claim that he was swept up in the culture of corruption.

Of on-the-job corruption, Bowman said, These lines got extremely blurred over the course of time.

His attorney claimed the government did not investigate his clients tips that other agents were taking money, except to call it unsubstantiated and uncorroborated.

Heberle said the government found zero evidence to substantiate Bowmans allegations. The judge did grant Heberles request to share new sealed statements by Bowman with law enforcement agencies in the region to review new claims.

After the hearing, Josephs lamented that renewed interest comes after the fact.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9075 or gwesson@scng.com
A new law that aims to curb the use of bullhooks and similar devices to train and care for elephants could force companies that house the popular pachyderms to leave the state.

Its obvious to us the animal rights folks were coming at separating elephants from people in a lot of different directions, said Kari Johnson of Have Trunk Will Travel, a ranch in Perris that has supplied elephants for movies, commercials and fairs for around 30 years. Were not going to be able to operate as we have operated.

The law, signed this week by Gov. Jerry Brown, makes use of bullhooks, or elephant guides, subject to a civil fine or permit revocation. Brown vetoed a similar piece of legislation last year that would have made using the tools, commonly used to train elephants, a criminal offense.

Johnson, who runs the Perris company with her husband Gary Johnson, said Tuesday the action by Brown  which adds California to Rhode Island as the only states that have targeted their usage  has caused her family to consider its options, which include moving to a different state in the future.

Theyre booting us, she said, adding that there are no plans to move any time soon and the company plans to continue operating from its Perris headquarters. We cant live here and we cant take the best care of our animals.

Californias law will take effect in 2018. Rhode Islands ban will take effect in January 2017. The Los Angeles City Council passed a similar ban in April 2014, which will also go into effect in January. Other cities and counties have taken similar action.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus held its last show involving elephants this spring, due in part to the growing concern over the treatment of elephants in captivity.

Critics of the tools call them barbaric, a throwback that has no place in modern society.

Ed Stewart, president and co-founder of the Performing Animal Welfare Society, said in a release the tools are designed to inflict pain and instill fear.

The use of this archaic and inhumane weapon on elephants  a species that is self-aware, intelligent and emotional  is abhorrent, he said. PAWS thanks California legislators and Gov. Brown for leading the way and providing elephants with the respect and protection they deserve.

PAWS, which cares for eight elephants at its sanctuary near Sacramento, and organizations such as the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, say elephants can be controlled through modern training and positive reinforcement techniques.

Johnson said trainers have and will continue to use guides to get a sick elephant, who isnt responding to a positive reinforcement such as a treat, to receive care because its the best tool.

The bill will ultimately hurt elephants, she said. It wont help them at all. Its (the guide) a husbandry tool that is the gold standard for working elephants in free contact where humans and elephants share the same space, she said.

RELATED

Demand for elephant trainers may be on decline

In 1908, elephants fatal rampage brings down big top

Staff Writer Tom Sheridan contributed to this article.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9698 or aclaverie@pressenterprise.com
It has been a long, costly, frustrating road for the Cadiz Water Project  and now the trip has gotten even stranger. The project has already had to navigate burdensome, byzantine regulations at the state and federal levels and a number of legal challenges.

Now it can add a government employee insider trading scandal to the list.

According to a Wall Street Journal expose, Cadiz Inc. obtained a chain of emails through a Freedom of Information Act that revealed that a U.S. Bureau of Land Management employee provided non-public information to a short-seller, including a one-day advanced notice of a BLM decision that would keep the project from going forward. Cadizs stock plummeted 65 percent within a week of the decision.

The scandal comes after the company has already run a gauntlet of regulatory hurdles and lawsuits that have caused years of delays and cost the company well over $20 million.

The project would provide 50,000 acre-feet of water  enough to supply roughly 400,000 people  each year by capturing groundwater on the companys private property in the Mojave Desert and transporting it via a 43-mile pipeline, which would be buried along the Arizona & California Railroads right-of-way. All of the water pumped by the project will otherwise evaporate and the conservation of this water will cause no adverse environmental impacts, Cadiz explained in a press release.

Indeed, the company conducted exhaustive environmental studies and put together a 6,000-page Environmental Impact Report to satisfy California Environmental Quality Act requirements and prove that there would be no significant environmental impacts. The Santa Margarita Water District and San Bernardino County both agreed and signed off on the project in 2012, and the project prevailed in eight subsequent lawsuits and settled one other.

In 2011, the Interior Department suddenly reversed a previous ruling from 2009 and disapproved the projects use of the railroad right-of-way for the pipeline. Then, in October, the BLM rendered its negative ruling. However, since the ruling is not a final decision, it cannot be appealed, and Sen. Diane Feinstein, the only real legislative opponent to the project, has attached riders to every Interior Department appropriations bill since 2008 barring the government from spending money to review the project.

In short, the regulatory and legislative gamesmanship has placed the Cadiz Water Project in a Catch-22 purgatory. Fortunately, a rider to this years appropriations bill would override Feinsteins anti-Cadiz policy. The bill has passed the House and differences with the Senate version will be hashed out next month. Let us hope that the pro-Cadiz version survives so that Californians can gain a significant and stable new water source.

The Cadiz case highlights just how burdensome and irrational state and federal environmental policies have become. Anywhere but California, this water would have been delivered decades ago, Cadiz President and CEO Scott Slater told us earlier this year.

Politicians pay a lot of lip service to the need for finding new water sources and storage, particularly during this extended California drought. Now it is time to walk the walk and finally approve the Cadiz Water Project.
Officials representing three countries spoke Monday in San Bernardino to kick off a week of events making sure workers know their rights.

The annual partnership known as Labor Rights Week brought together the consulates of Mexico and Guatemala with United States and California agencies that investigate alleged worker abuse.

Because in Mexico as in the United States of America we believe in human rights, because in Mexico as in the United States of America we believe in the dignity of work, said Mexican Consul Salomon Rosas, in Spanish translated simultaneously to English. Yes, there is discrimination, and yes, we can eradicate it.

The theme of the week: Your work has dignity. Know your rights.

Those rights include being paid at least minimum wage; time-and-a-half for working more than 8 hours in a day or 40 hours in a week; safety rights; and underage work laws, said Ralph Valles, of the U.S. Labor Departments Wage and Hour Division.

Were here, united 100 percent, to help you, said Valles, gesturing toward the six other panelists from various agencies.

Anyone who suspects an employer may not be properly respecting their rights or someone elses rights can call 877-552-9832.

The discussion was held mostly in Spanish, with English translations, because Spanish-speaking and immigrant communities often dont know their rights or are afraid to stand up for them, said Barbara Tucker of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

One of our top priorities is to protect immigrants, who are protected regardless of legal status, Tucker said, adding that attorneys are available. Employers are responsible.  However, we need you to speak up when there are abuses  not just for yourself, for your coworkers.

The eighth annual Labor Rights Week continues all week, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with all events at the Mexican Consulate, 293 North D St., San Bernardino.

Each day, there will be discussions with federal and state agencies from 9 to 10 a.m., and attorneys are available from 11 a.m. to noon.

Information for deaf people is available from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday.

Organizations involved in the week always give such help, but its important that people know its available, representatives said.

Kofi Annan, who was Secretary General of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006 and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001, used to say Information is liberating, Rosas said. Its for that reason that we share and have assumed the role of spreading more and more information about the labor rights that our people have here in the United States.

According to Rosas, the 2015 Labor Rights Week included 840 events across the country and gave information about fair working conditions to more than 59 million people.

Contact the writer: rhagen@scng.com or @rmhagen on Twitter
The influx of foreign retailers in the country is not only putting Ghanaians out of business but also increasing rent charges astronomically especially in the central business district of Accra. These concerns came to light when Onua Business news spoke to some traders in Accra.

These traders have shops in areas including Tudu, Okaishie Cowlane, Makola and Rawlings Park. They recounted how landlords in the Central Business District of Accra have increased their rent charges in some cases by over 300%. This is because these foreign retailers are ready to pay the exorbitant rent charges. According to one of the traders, her landlord has increased the rent for the shop she currently occupies from GH 100,000 to GH 380,000 as rent advance for five years. This has increased her operational cost and fears she may be priced out of business. She is blaming incredible offers from foreigners that landlords find irresistible for her woes. The traders also added that sometimes they are approached by these desperate foreign retailers to rent out their shops to them at the blind side their landlords.

The president of the Ghana Union Traders Association (GUTA) Dr. Ofori Ameyaw has also confirmed the concerns of the traders to Onua business. According to him, GUTA has over the years engaged government to flush out these foreign retailers, however not much has been achieved. The Minister for Trade and Industry, Ekwow Spio Gabrah had asked GUTA for more evidence to buttress claims that foreign retailers are still operating in the country. GUTA accepted the challenge and last week visited some of the shops being operated by foreigners in the Central Business District of Accra with journalists.

The two hour tour took the team to dozens of retail shops being operated by foreigners, predominantly the Chinese. They were selling goods such as plastic kitchen ware, shoes and travelling bags. GIPC Act 2013 (Act 863) allows only foreign retail businesses with a minimum capital of One million dollars to operate in the country. The figure was initially three hundred thousand dollars but was revised with the new Act. The revision was made to among others make it more difficult for foreigners to engage in retail reserved for Ghanaian citizens, however, the law is being flouted with impunity due to poor enforcement.

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.

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A man dressed in a white shirt and a black pair of trousers and suspected to have stolen a laptop and documents of a policy officer with the African Unions Private Sector Development, Islam Swaleh while in Kenya, has been captured on CCTV.



The yet to be identified suspect was captured on camera walking away with the bag which also contained the travel documents of the official who had atteded the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (Ticad-VI) held in Kenya.



The thief is seen holding the bag with his right hand and has a white phone in the left hand.



The incident said to have happened on Thursday at around 4.30pm, has left Mr Swaleh stranded as the bag reportedly contained his travel documents  including his African Union, East African Community and Kenyan passports, plus copies of official documents, air tickets, a driver's licence and car keys, among other personal effects.







Source: Nation.co.ke









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Following her recent visit to Ghana, Cynthia Gordon, the CEO of Millicom Africa has emphasized the remarkable growth opportunities in data and Tigos commitment to giving customers access to superior high speed internet services.



We were the first to launch 4G in 3 operations in Africa including Tanzania, Chad and Rwanda and have seen exponential growth in our data revenues  close to 34% in Q2 2016. We are exploring options to giving customers 4G services in Ghana, she said.



While in Ghana, Cynthia Gordon, called on the Minister for Communications, Dr. Omane Boamah, who expressed his commitment to ensuring fairness among the players in the telecom industry and was optimistic that the early introduction of key enablers such as a technology neutral unified license will support universal usage of spectrum. He believed this would be a key factor to growing and supporting governments economic development efforts.



The Millicom Africa Chief also met with the executives of the National Communications Authority, the NCA to discuss further advancements in technology. She was very impressed with the vision to develop the market and the high levels of support and cooperation. We share a common passion to a working partnership for the benefits of mobile broadband to Ghanaians and this will accelerate GDP growth and socio-economic development, she explained.



With our technology developments and ongoing efforts, we will continue to grow our market share and complement our existing portfolio of services including Tigo Cash which currently has a registered base of 3.2 million customers. In addition to this, Tigo Business will continue to develop strong and viable mobile and fixed solutions to Ghanas underserved enterprise sector.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Chief Executive of the Ghana Free Zones Board, Kojo Twum Boafo has pilloried the Head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference, Bishop Osei-Bonsu, for dabbling in the affairs of President John Dramani Mahama.



Speaking on Radio Golds 'Alhaji and Alhaji', Kojo Twum Boafo lambasted Bishop Osei Bonsu who he claims has been castigating the President without a cause.



He recounted the number of times that the Bishop has involved in mainstream politics in the country, accusing him of calling the President and his government names.



It could be recalled that Bishop Osei-Bonsu commenting on the transfer of the Gitmo 2 detainees to Ghana told President John Mahama to balance compassion with common sense.



He is reported to have also disagreed with President Mahama's pardon of the Montie trio.



But it appears the position of the Bishop on national issues has not sunk down well with the Chief Executive of the Ghana Free Zones Board as he wants Bishop Osei Bonsu to remove his priestly garment and enter into politics as a politician.



To him, the Bishop has disgraced himself and does not behold himself as a true Catholic leader.



Nobody knows you in your personal capacity. People know you because youre a Bishop . . . With Catholics, right; you can go and confess our sins to a Priest. And he is supposed to pray for you and thats the end of the story. Youre using that Priest as a medium between you and God. And the whole of our Christian faith is based on restitution and forgiveness of sin.



But this Pastor whos politics are more important than his pastoral or his priestly calling damns the President for exercising mercy and yet he will go to church and ask his congregants to sing Rescue the perishing. Care for the dying. Jesus is merciful. Jesus will save. Will do that on a weekly basis; Shame on you!



Kojo Twum Boafo further advised Pastors in the country who make similar comments on national issues to "remove the cassock and get into the political arena, they should come. Were waiting for them. They should come. Were waiting for them."



He dared to disclose the identities of some Pastors who he claims have been beating their wives and others who have turned themselves to "wife snatchers" instead of men of God.



"If you want to become a politician, remove the cassock and come so that those of you who are wife beaters; we can call you out. Those of you who have been beating your wives, well call you out. Those of you who have been chasing peoples wives, well call you out. That is the arena of politics but dont hide behind the cassock and come and tell us what is not in the bible," he stated.









Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Erica Eyifah/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Ga Traditional Council has expressed gratitude to President John Mahama for the remission of the sentences slapped on the Montie trio.



Niimei have also thanked all those who showed solidarity through prayers and pleas for mercy for the ex-convicts who were last month, jailed for contempt of the Supreme Court.



The three, Salifu Maase, alias Mugabe, Alistair Tairo Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn, sentenced on July 27, 2016, served one month of their scheduled 4 month jail term. They also paid the GH10,000 each to the Court.



The reaction of the Chiefs was made known at a meeting of the Ga Traditional Council on Monday at the Ga Mantse Palace. Niimei used the opportunity to thank the President, the Council of State and well-meaning Ghanaians who helped to make it a reality.



The have subsequently sent a formal letter to the President, John Mahama to officially notify him.



Niimei deliberated on a number of issues including the proposed Courtesy Call on the Traditional Council by the Muntie-3 following their release from prison.



While Niimei felt honored by the thought underpinning the well intentioned request they hoped the incident will serve as a deterrent to all especially those in the broadcast media to be decorous in their presentations.



They also expressed readiness to welcome an appreciation letter from the Montie trio and the owners of the station in general.



The Ga Traditional Council on August 1st, 2016, pleaded with President Mahama to use his constitutional powers and release the Montie trio who were jailed. The Council argued that sentence was too harsh. Gbese Mantse and member of the Traditional Council Nii Ayibonte said if the Supreme Court comes out with a ruling, nobody can question the court but we think that the verdict is a harsh one.



Acting president of the Council Nii Dodoo Nsaki II explained that they are pleading for their release because the Ga State was in a period of reconciliation ahead of the annual Homowo festival.



Last week, the President remitted the sentences of the three. According to a statement signed by Dr Omane Boama, Communication Minister, the President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama has, in consultation with the Council of State and in exercise of his constitutional powers under Article 72 of the Constitution, remitted the remaining prison sentence imposed on three persons: Salifu Maase (alias Mugabe), Alistair Nelson and Ako Gunn who were sentenced to 4 months imprisonment and a fine of GH10,000.00 each for contempt of court. The remission is effective 26th August 2016.



The decision of His Excellency the President to remit their sentences on compassionate grounds follows a petition submitted to him by the contemnors appealing to the President to exercise his prerogative of mercy even as they continue to express deep remorse and regret for the unacceptable statements they made against the Judiciary, the Government stated.



Thousands of listeners of Montie Fm welcomed the trio when they were released from the Akuse Prisons on 26th August. Addressing a welcoming crowd at the premises of Montie FM. Salifu Maase, alias Mugabe and two others panelists on his show, Alistair Nelson, Godwin Ako Gunn expressed their appreciation to President Mahama for remitting their 4-month prison sentences.



We would like to take this opportunity to thank the President, John Mahama for graciously exercising his constitutional powers under Article 72 in our favour in remitting the remaining custodial sentence imposed on us recently, Mugabe said.



We would like to thank the Council of State profusely for their role in our release he added.



The trio had expressed their regret for the comments they made on the Accra-based radio station and called on the President to bear in mind the embarrassment their conduct and incarceration has caused their loved ones, in his consideration of the petition and reverse the harsh and excessive sentence.



They expressed their gratitude to God for keeping them safe during their incarceration and taking care of their loved ones as well.



We give praise and thanks to the Almighty for keeping us safe during our imprisonment and given our wives and families strength to cope in the situation we found ourselves in, Mugabe said

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Leadership of the People's National Convention, PNC, announces it is working hard to annex four seats in the Upper East Region in the less-than 98 days parliamentary and presidential race.



The Upper East Regional Executive of the PNC made this disclosure when the party out-doored its parliamentary candidate for the Navrongo Central Constituency, Joseph Weguri Pwoawuvi, ahead of the December 7 polls.



Speaking at the campaign launch in Navrongo of the Upper East Region, the Regional Secretary of the party, Roger Adongo, assured the party was going to snatch three seats from the National Democratic Congress, NDC to incorporate to its only seat in the Builsa South Constituency.



He categorically stated the party was convinced that its parliamentary candidate in the Talensi Constituency, Dr. Michael Wombeogo was working around the clock to unseat the incumbent NDC Member of Parliament, MP, BT Baba and win the slot for the PNC.



He also added the party would leave no stone unturned to win in the Bolgatanga Central and Navrongo Constituencies, and called on party's sympathisers to rise up vociferously to canvass votes for the presidential candidate of the party, Dr. Edward Nasigri Mahama to win the race.



Mr. Adongo said the PNC presidential candidate was capable of restoring the hopes of Ghanaians and pleaded with the electorate to elect Dr. Mahama for "high pace of development in the country in all sectors of the economy".



He told the enthusiastic supporters of the party at the occasion that a PNC government would construct two irragation dams for every district in the northern part of the country to ensuring all year farming.



This, he said, would not only boost the agricultural sector of the economy, but would give the farmer a boon to lead happier life.



"Nana Akuffo Addo of the NPP promised 'one village, one dam'. This is practically impossible.

"I'm sure Nana has forgotten that dams are not boreholes. We(the PNC) are not going to give pledges that cannot be attained", he said.



Mr. Adongo, however, cautioned all presidential candidates to eschew making promises that were not consistent to the aspirations of the people "because the electorate is discerning and will no longer tolerate this".



The parliamentary candidate for the PNC in the Navrongo Central, Mr. Pwoawuvi, said he was battle ready to flog the MP for the constituency, Mark Woyongo and clinch a landslide victory for the PNC.



He said he was touched by the deplorable living conditions of the constituents and pledged he would find an antidote to their woes if voted into power.



Touching on his priorities, he indicated education, women and children's empowerment were his topmost priorities, stressing he would reinstate the morale of teachers so they would be motivated to churn out intelligent future leaders to mann the affairs of the country.

Source: Francis Dabre Dabang/ email: [email protected]









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Perhaps to cow him from exposing the rot in society, Right Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey, claims he was approached by certain politicians with fat envelopes and a promise that they would give him a plush home if he could tame his tongue.



Right Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey, a former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana has revealed that he was approached by certain government officials with $100,000 cash with sweet promises that it would be topped up with a brand new four-wheel drive and a furnished swimming pool house at Trasacco.



But the earthly gifts, according to the former Moderator, can never stop him from speaking the truth.



Politicians have tried all means to muzzle me. They come with bribes, envelopes as fat as $100, 000. Politicians came to my house with fat envelopes and also with the promises that if you keep quiet, we would give you a house at Trassaco with swimming pool.



But during such engagements with the officials, Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey claims it hurts him he couldnt inflict any wounds on them for the evil they plotted against him.



Those people were lucky I didnt have big dogs in my house; else I would have released the dogs to bite them for the whole world to ask me why I have been wicked to them.



Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey, has constantly been branded a member of the New Patriotic Party by several members of the ruling National Democratic Congress for speaking his mind on issues that affect the nation.



A known critic of the governing Mahama-led administration, he has on several occasions attacked the NDC government on various national issues.



He recently attracted abuse from members of the NDC after he promised that the Presby Church will help Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo build Ghana if he wins the presidency in December.



But he insists the attacks have had little impact on his personality and explains that he has been able to stand them because he knows it is only the church that will address meaningfully the canker going on in the country.



He boldly stated that he wouldnt be cowed by any politician. They have tried all means to muzzle me, they couldnt and I tell you they cant. I will speak today and tomorrow. I pay high taxes that cause my stomach to turn, he said.



Warning To Babies With Sharp Teeth



Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey also warned the babies with sharp teeth politicians in the NDC not to attempt to malign him again.



According to him, the young politicians in the NDC dont pay taxes and are fed with the stomach churning taxes he pays to government.



He ended by stating that the Presbyterian Church is the oldest church in Ghana so we cant sit down for newer churches and newer politicians to come and destroy us.



Babies with sharp teeth was a description coined by Founder of the NDC, Jerry John Rawlings at the partys Special Delegates Conference in Kumasi on August 30th, 2012, where he challenged President John Dramani Mahama to throw out of his government some individuals who spew vitriol at the members of the public; including even their colleague government appointees.

Source: Chris Joe Quaicoe/ email: [email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The attempt by failed parliamentary aspirant, Vicky Bright, to annul the New Patriotic Partys parliamentary primary for Okaikoi-South in Accra has failed.

The Accra High Court on Tuesday dismissed the petition filed by the former Minister of State and Legal Advisor to ex-president John Agyekum Kufour after she failed to lead enough evidence to support her claims against the incumbent Member of Parliament, Armed Arthur, who won the primary. Ms Bright claimed Mr Arthur made false declarations in his nomination form that he attended short courses in Public Relations, Management and Journalism at Ghana Institute of Journalism, leading to his disqualification in the 2012 constituency primary by the National Executive Council of the NPP.



Despite the false declarations, which she said were criminal acts, Mr Arthur was asked by the NPP to contest the 2016 parliamentary primary. According to the court, the issues of forgery as raised by Ms Bright were matters that ought to have been raised before the vetting committee of the NPP which cleared Mr Arthur to contest in the primary leading to his election.

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.

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Fashion council Ghana was registered as an organisation on the 22nd May 2014 and incorporated as a business on the 29th May 2014.



The council was registered by the following. Herman Ofori Macmillan who is the president, Adi Plahar vice president, and Shirley Anku head of communication. They later on added Makeba Boateng as their secretary.



Herman Ofori Macmillan comes with over 25years experience in the fashion industry in Ghana. Adi Plahar have been in the Ghanaian fashion industry for the past 22years winning various awards.



Shirley Anku had been one of Ghana's biggest fashion exports to the western world in terms of modeling, and Makeba Boateng is a fashion designer whose strength had been on research for the past decade.



MISSION

Fashion council Ghana s mission is to enable all industry players to contribute towards the development and the growth of the thriving fashion industry in Ghana to be an organized, functioning and reputable industry both locally and internationally.



VISION:

Their vision is to educate, encourage, protect and create job opportunities to improve the standard of fashion in Ghana.



OBJECTIVE:

Their objective is to create a standard by which all industries working under fashion should abide in order that the industry may have structure, growth and is profitable for all in fashion and it's collective industry.



The council has been working for the past 2years doing research and collecting data. They have created a board and will be inviting industry heavy weights to constitute the board. They have an education a nd research committee, a finance committee, a legal committee and a creative committee on the board.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Horribly sad news coming from Queensland this afternoon, with QLD Police confirming the second British backpacker injured in the Home Hill hostel stabbing has tragically died as a result of his injuries.

30-year-old Tom Jackson passed away in hospital after sustaining injuries in the attack on August 24th, which also claimed the life of 21-year-old Mia Ayliffe-Chung.

QLD Police confirmed Jacksons passing on Twitter a short time ago.

Were very sad to confirm that Thomas Jackson, the British man who was injured in #HomeHill last week, died in hospital a short time ago.  QPS Media Unit (@QPSmedia) August 30, 2016

29-year-old French national was arrested in conjunction with police enquiries into the matter, and charged with the murder of Ayliffe-Chung and two subsequent counts of attempted murder.

QLD Police confirmed they will upgrade the charges in light of Jacksons death when the accused faces Townsville Magistrates Court again on October 28th.

The police investigation into the incident is still on-going.

Our sincerest and deepest condolences to Toms family and friends. Truly a horrible and almost unfathomable situation.

Rest well, mate.

Source: QPS Media/Twitter.

Photo: Twitter.
Winter blues got you down and yearning for a lil trip away? You might want to hold off booking airfares until spring has officially sprung.

From this Thursday, September 1st onwards, airlines will no longer be able to slug you with those ridiculous, exorbitant credit card processing fees at checkout, thanks to new rules on surcharges coming into effect.

The Reserve Bank of Australia changed regulations for card providers four years ago, putting the kibosh on excessive surcharges that slugged Australian consumers with an extra $1.6billion annually.

But its only now that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has been granted the extra powers necessary to enforce the ban, meaning that from Thursday onwards, airlines (among others) will no longer be able to hit you with huge, flat, credit card processing fees.

Jetstar and Tiger, for example, currently hits travellers with a flat rate of $8.50 per passenger for all domestic routes. Virgin Australia charges $7.70 per passenger for domestic flights, $10 for flights across the Tasman, and $30 for international flights.

The new regulations means airlines will only be able to charge 0.% on debit card transactions, and between 1.0-1.5% for credit cards.

Qantas has already adopted the new regulations, moving from a flat $7 fee for domestic flights and $30 on international routes, to a uniform 1.3% surcharge. The floating charges are also capped at $11 on domestic, and $70 on international.

This means that, at least for Qantas, youll be paying a processing charge of $3.90 on a $300 flight, for example.

Virgin has confirmed that it will comply with the new regulations, though it has yet to disclose exactly what percentage they will be charging.

Its not just airlines wholl have to pull their socks up under the new regulations, either. Major ticketing companies, a perennial offender on-par with airlines, will also have to comply with the rules. This means that buying tickets to sporting events or major concerts will no longer carry outrageous transaction fees at the point of purchase.

The bottom line to all of this? From Thursday onwards, buying airfares or tickets will see a few extra dollarydoos stay in your pocket. And that aint a bad thing at all as far as were concerned.

Source: Business Insider.

Photo: Matt Cardy/Getty.
RTE can sometimes get a lot of stick over it's programming with many viewers complaining about where their licence fee is going.

However, every now and then it produces a piece of television so good that it's worth the licence fee alone. The first part of last night's documentary series Keeping Ireland Alive: the health service in a day, was one of those programmes.

The series was filmed over 24 hours, on 31 May 2016 when 75 cameras recorded what was happening in hospitals, clinics and mobile health units throughout the country. The programme enthralled viewers and many were compelled to take to Twitter to praise both the filmmakers as well as the health service professionals and patients that featured.

Minister for Health Simon Harris was one of the first to praise the documentary for giving the public an insight into the work of the HSE's frontline staff.

#KeepingIrelandAlive - a brilliant insight into the amazing work of our frontline staff in the health service & inspirational patients  Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) August 29, 2016

Outstanding TV. I accept my bias but #KeepingIrelandAlive is a perfect example of why we need properly funded public service broadcasting  Will Leahy (@willleahy) August 29, 2016

This couple from Naas are breaking my heart Y' Incredible stuff @jeanellendevlin & Co #KeepingIrelandAlive  Susan Keogh (@suskeogh) August 29, 2016

Great to see #KeepingIrelandAlive on the screen. Enjoyed being part of it. Hope people enjoy - if that's the word!!  Ross Whitaker (@rosswhitakertv) August 29, 2016

Annette on #KeepingIrelandAlive is amazing and has given me a kick up the arse! 'Enjoy the good moments, and there are lots of them'.  Saoirse Smith (@smithsaoirse) August 29, 2016

This programme #KeepingIrelandAlive is wonderful & heartbreaking all rolled into one!!  Alan Cawley (@alancaw) August 29, 2016

Often good to remind ourselves that much of the health service does what it says on the tin. #KeepingIrelandAlive  Sinead Ryan (@sinead_ryan) August 29, 2016

#KeepingIrelandAlive was best thing on @rte in a long long time well done front line staff of @HSElive  CIARA CONWAY (@ciaramconway) August 30, 2016

The impact of #KeepingIrelandAlive is still with me today.  Joe Carroll (@Carrolljoseph) August 30, 2016
Bill Shorten and Tanya Plibersek have given notice of their intent to Federal Parliament to introduce a private members bill to bring in marriage equality. Posting to Facebook, Shorten has said that this bill would allow the nation to skip an expensive & divisive plebiscite.

As weve pointed out in the past, the plebiscite is going to cost a ridiculous amount of money. At an estimated $162 million, if it happens, it will set us back to the tune of at least 6,000 brand new reasonably priced family cars.

Many members of parliament have indicated they would block a public vote on the issue of gay marriage. The Greens, Labor and The Xenophon Team have signalled that they think a parliamentary vote would be the best, fastest, most cost effective way of delivering marriage equality for all Australians.

In the lower house, however, the Coalition have a slight majority, and they won the last election on a plebiscite-platform. In recent years, similar bills have been presented to (and rejected from) Coalition controlled parliaments. However, this time around it might well be different.

Only three Coalition MPs would have to cross the floor for this bill to pass, and Coalition MPs do have something of a history of crossing the floor. Barnaby Joyce crossed the floor 19 time under Howard, and it didnt seem to slow his ascent.

Here is a recent video of Peta Credlin (of all people) explaining to Andrew Bolt (of all people) how it could be done with relative ease:

Peta Credlin explains how Labor can get marriage equality through the parliament. https://t.co/rXoL90cfiS  Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) August 29, 2016

Photo: Facebook, Wikipedia.
The world of social media marketing is straight up the most impenetrably weird industry in the world, and everyone who works in it is at least a little bit bonkers. As someone who worked in social media for a time, I feel qualified to make that kind of sweeping value judgement. Its a job thatll probably be done entirely by ultra-intelligent robots in 10 years anyway.

Media news outlet Mumbrella have published an absolutely incredible day in the life article on socmed superstar, entrepreneur, author and investor Kerwin Rae, and it will go some way to confirming everything you have ever believed about people who work in social media marketing.

Rae is very assured of his skill:

10:30am: First meeting of the day with a prospective social media manager, this is the 15th person Ive interviewed. Its a short interview. Cant believe how few people in Australia truly understand social. What I would give to find a social media manager who genuinely knows social. Its not that hard really. Strong ideas, strong content, strong engagement, and strong analytics. It wouldnt hurt if they also understood the impact of organic reach on paid ads. And why do so many want to use scheduling tools when the impacts on reach are so blindingly obvious. Native content all the way. How come nobody knows this shit? Hope I love the next one. Until then, Ill have to keep doing it myself.

Think you know about social media distribution? You dont. My main dude Kerwin knows that shit better than anyone:

9:30am Sit at desk, upload first social video for the day Dealing with Failure. Advice for small businesses on, you guessed it, dealing with failure. My perspective is my most valuable ally so I share it on a subject that I know very well. Share it across to my personal profile, and all my groups, across all my social channels. Promote on Snapchat and Instagram. Create an email promoting the video and send to database. Its not just about creating useful content, its about distribution as well.

He loves Suits, a lot. Alarm bells ring any time someone really wants to be Harvey Specter from Suits.

7:30pm Watch Suits with my wife Kristen. I want to be Harvey Specter when I eventually grow up, because he oozes stamina and really knows how to control a situation, even when things arent going his way. Hes a closer, Im a closer and I wonder if he wishes he were me, too? I turn to my wife and profess my love for Harvey, she just laughs and asks if she should be jealous.

The entire thing is worth your time. Look, we all know a Kerwin or three.

Please, Lord, I pray to you that the extremely absurd bubble around the marketing world never, ever bursts. The content is just too good.

Source: Mumbrella.

Photo: YouTube.
Pokemon GO has really become quite the spectacle, hasnt it? Its either triggering some hectic, Snorlax induced stampedes or worse, leading to actual deaths for various reasons. Should we be surprised? Yeah, nah.

The latest development in the life of the augmented reality mobile game comes in the form of a statement from its creators, Niantic, announcing that it will be lifting some of the permanent bans it hastily dished out recently.

Funnily enough, these ban lifts are coming at a time where Pokemon GOs user engagement is on a rather heavy decline.



Coincidence? Perhaps, but if youre unbanning cheaters  the people who likely engage at a much higher level than regular users  youre probably looking to give that graph a swift kick up the arse.

The Pokemon ban hammer came down exceptionally hard on anyone that used third party apps or software that broke Niantics terms of service such as mapping software that shows you exactly where the Pokemon are hiding.

Some of these tools are particularly heavy-handed in how they work, collecting player data which is sent to Niantics servers in a way that frighteningly resembles a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, much like the one that brought down the Census website on August 9.

Much like the bumbling Australian Bureau of Statistics, Niantic shit their pants and immediately issued permanent bans to any player caught using the tool. The companys CEO, John Hanke, has realised that this sweeping ban is probs a bit slack, considering most players had no intention or knowledge of causing such a shit storm for their servers.

Some players may not have realized that some add-on map apps do more than just show you nearby Pokemon.



Because of this we have had to ban some accounts associated with using these add-on map tools, leading to confusion by some users about why they were banned. This is a small subset of the accounts banned, he said in the statement.

To right this dreadful, unspeakable wrong, Hanke says they will move to lift bans on players that were unaware they were breaking Niantics terms of service.

But this doesnt mean ya can just start getting your cheat on. Anyone will still cop a ban, particularly if youre using the slightly more ~flavoursome~ variety of hacks.

Add-on maps which scrape data from our servers still violate our Terms of Service and use of them may still result in an account ban going forward. Accounts whose sole purpose was to scrape data are not being unbanned. Accounts which used apps or websites to remotely capture Pokemon, battle or deploy on Gyms, or harvest resources from PokeStops are also not being unbanned.

Delicious.

Source: The Verge.

Photo: Getty.

This article was written by resident Futurist Editor Matt Hopkins  the lovechild of PEDESTRIAN.TVs partnership with Telstra. To learn more about how Telstras bringing the magic of tech to life + our project with them, head HERE.
ronald comeger.png

Ronald Thomas Comeger

(Lancaster County district attorney's office)

A 32-year-old Delaware man who used a baby as a shield following a high-speed chance with police is facing new charges.



Ronald Thomas Comeger is accused of witness tampering after reportedly telling a witness not to attend a preliminary hearing last month. Comeger had been charged with felony counts of attempted homicide, aggravated assault by vehicle, endangering a child, fleeing police, and causing a crash while not licensed, along with other offenses for an incident in June.

Police said Comeger called a witness on June 30 from the Lancaster County Prison, telling her not to come to his preliminary hearing on July 1. The county district attorney's office obtained a recording of the call on Aug. 10, which detailed Comeger's instructions for the witness, according to charging documents.



Comeger was heard telling the witness she didn't have to attend the hearing and that she should go to work and make money. He added that authorities were trying to scare the witness and that she can't be charged with anything for not cooperating, according to charging documents.

The witness then tells police that police can pick her up for court. According to charging documents, Comeger replies: "They can't come pick you up and bring you to court. They just trying to scare you."

Again, the witness tells Comeger police want her to testify, according to charging documents. Comeger replied that police are just trying to build up a case against him and once again tells the witness not to attend the hearing.

"You can go there and just say you aren't going to testify against me and they can't do nothing," Comeger said. "You're going to miss a day of work for nothing."

On July 1, a state trooper went to pick up the witness, but she told the trooper she could not go to court because she had to work. Comeger was subsequently charged with witness intimidation on Aug. 16. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on witness tampering charges Sept. 7 and to appear in county court for the chase-related charges.
HARRISBURG -- If you sit and watch people as they enter into Mammal Hall at the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, you'll quickly ascertain that although the players are different the choreography for each visitor is similar.

Visitors stroll though the softly lit gallery to the first diorama exhibit, then pause. They step or lean in toward the display, some swaying gently from side to side, shifting their weight and perspective ever so slightly. They get close to the glass, which almost invisibly separates them from each natural scene -- indeed museum staff say you can tell which animals are popular in the zeitgeist by counting the finger or nose prints after a children's group has passed through.

The hall is one of the most memorable and recognizable rooms in the Harrisburg Capitol Complex -- the two wolves fighting over a kill, a mother white-tailed deer and her fawns, the brawny bison standing amid a snow-covered field. Many people remember visiting here as a child and, for families across Pennsylvania, it has become a multigenerational reflection point -- grandparents bringing their children, who, 20 or 30 years later, return with their own children.

"This is our Mona Lisa," said Beth Hager, the museum's acting director. "This is what everyone gravitates toward."

Today the circular hall is split nearly in half by a white modular wall. Behind the wall a small team of experts are at work, carefully removing the taxidermy specimens that are the center of each exhibit. As part of a $680,000 renovation of the exhibit that began recently and will continue into 2017, each specimen will be packaged and shipped to New Jersey, specifically to the studio of George Dante, a master taxidermist in West Patterson.

George Dante of Wildlife Preservation and Eugenie Milroy, conservator from AM art conservation examine a raccoon as The State Museum of Pennsylvania begins restoration efforts on the Hall of Mammals in the museum. Joe Hermitt, PennLive

There, Dante will check each animal for cracks or other splits -- the animals are original to the exhibit, which opened in 1968 -- then repaint and groom them before shipping them back to Harrisburg. While Dante is working with the animals, another part of the team, led by Stephen Quinn will work on the other elements of the displays -- the trees and bushes which compose the display, as well as the murals which provide the background for each setting. Quinn is a former artist with the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

As with any art form, the devil is in the details. Everything has to tie together -- from the hue and saturation of the lighting to the airbrushed highlights of each animal's fur -- to create the illusion of a natural scene, Quinn said.

"They really are art. They are an unique combination of art and science," he said. "It's art that is controlled by the discipline of science that really creates the illusion of a wild encounter."

At the same time, the scenes have to be true to Pennsylvania -- because they are actually based on real places in Pennsylvania. To build the scenes, museum workers in the 1960s sent out field parties to different areas of the state - where the animal's habitats existed or would have existed - to gather natural samples, photographs and sketches of each area (the animals themselves were donated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after state museum curators at the time decided it was unethical to hunt living creatures for the museum).

For example, the red fox habitat is based on an area in nearby Newberrytown, which museum staff visited earlier this year as part of their research for the restoration. The hilltop outside Newberrytown was recognizable, they said -- the only change was the construction of a new housing development that would have appeared in the diorama's background painting.

The field parties' notes and observations inform the details of each diorama -- the plant types on display, the placement of trees and shrubs -- every detail meticulously re-created so that when a 12-year-old pushes a nose up against the glass, for a moment he or she can suspend any disbelief and encounter a bear or a deer.

Each display is a snapshot of a moment of natural life, which invites the question: "What happens next?"

"The main driving force is the science, and good science," Quinn said. "And what you're trying to convey is natural history ... and make the scene so realistic it evokes the same emotions one gets when out of doors. They are intimate and close encounters, under conditions where one can learn."

For some of the animals on display -- namely the wolves, mountain lion and bison -- Mammal Hall is the only way that visitors can encounter these animals in a natural setting. For those species the displays are less a reflection of what is, but rather what once was and what has been lost.

On a quiet Thursday afternoon two men enter the hall. One sits on the available benches and watches as his friend inspects the exhibits. The second man pauses before the elk display.

"God, that's a big animal," he mutters. "We still have those, up in Elk County," rejoins the other.
classroom school stock photo 5

File photo, Shutterstock.com

(File photo, Shutterstock.com)

The School District of Lancaster says it has appealed a court's ruling which sided with refugee students alleging district policies had violated their civil rights.

The announcement came less than a week after a federal judge ruled in the students' favor after a trial that included testimony from them and claims that the district had routinely funneled older refugee students into an alternative school described as ineffective, chaotic and unsafe.

Through their lawsuit, the students sought the right to attend the district's traditional McCaskey High School, which they won with the judge's ruling.

But on the day they would have started there, the district has announced it's appealing the decision, telling LancasterOnline that it hopes to prevent "trial judges from substituting their judgment for that of the school board when placing children in educational settings."

Meanwhile, lawyers for the students with the ACLU and Education Law Center expressed disappointment in the appeal announcement.

"It is unfortunate that the school district is expending so much effort to deny these deserving students an equal and adequate education," Witold Walczak, legal director of the ACLU of PA, said in an email.

The Lancaster case followed similar suits against U.S. school districts over the treatment of refugee students. It also came amid growing debate about the acceptance of refugees both in the U.S. and abroad.
LOUISIANA FLOODING ART.jpg

(PennLive file)

(Max Becherer)

By Cynthia Tucker

President Barack Obama's visit to flood-ravaged Louisiana didn't assuage those critics who lambasted him for his failure to come earlier, but he didn't expect it to.

Cynthia Tucker (PennLive file)

As he noted while there, "This is not a photo-op issue. This is how do you make sure that (months) from now, people still are getting the help that they need?"

The president has learned to live with the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune -- as well as the outrageous accusations of his arrow-slinging detractors. It goes with the territory.

Still, it's no surprise that Republican nominee Donald Trump attempted to gain electoral advantage over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, an Obama ally, by visiting Louisiana before the president did.

Trump gained positive press coverage and accolades, not only from his GOP allies, but also from a stalwart Democrat, Louisiana native James Carville.

"Donald Trump came -- thank you, Donald Trump. He gave $100,000 to a church in Greenwell Springs. It was very effective," Carville said in an appearance on Fox News.

But those who are genuinely concerned about the catastrophe in southern Louisiana ought to be grateful to the president for his leadership on at least one issue: climate change.

(They should also be grateful for a well-run, high-functioning Federal Emergency Management Agency, but that's another column.)

While the experts rarely link a single event to global warming -- and climate scientists have not said that it caused the devastating Louisiana floods -- they point to increased rainfall and flooding as a likely result of a warmer climate.

As president, Obama has done more to mitigate climate change than any of his predecessors.

Unable to budge a recalcitrant Congress, he nevertheless has managed to push through tightened vehicle emissions standards as well as stricter regulations for coal-fired power plants.

He also helped lead the successful effort to secure a global agreement to reduce carbon emissions.

Trump, by contrast, has joined up with the flat-earth Republican chorus that insists climate change is a "hoax."

As the imaginative GOP nominee once tweeted: "The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive."

Tell that to the Californians who are suffering through the fifth year of a severe drought -- with not only acute water shortages, but also devastating wildfires. Tell that to the Brazilians and Central Americans who are living through the Zika epidemic, believed to be spread by mosquitoes, which breed more easily in a warming climate.

Tell that to the leaders of the Marshall Islands, who worry that their nation may not exist in a few decades because of rising oceans caused by warmer temperatures. Climatologists say the 10 hottest years on record have all occurred since 1998.

Last year took the medal for all-time high, but scientists now believe 2016 will best that record. Warmer temperatures lead not only to more devastating droughts, but also, counter-intuitively, to more rainfall in certain areas.

That's because warmer air is capable of holding more moisture. By any measure, the rainfall and resulting flooding that struck a wide swath of southern Louisiana earlier this month was historic.

The storm occurred over several days and didn't attract the attention that meteorologists give to major weather events such as Hurricane Katrina. But experts are calling it the worst natural disaster in the United States since Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast in 2012.

(The damage from Sandy was also exacerbated by climate change, which created more flooding because of rising oceans.)

Neighborhoods believed to be safely outside the floodplain were inundated with water.

Tens of thousands of people have been left homeless, and more than a dozen were killed. And while Louisiana has seen the worst flooding of late, it's not the only state that has suffered.

Five other states -- Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Maryland and Virginia -- have all experienced severe flooding in the last 15 months.

Those hundred-year events are coming with increasing frequency.

Trump, like his fellow Republicans, will continue to deny that climate change has anything to do with the severe weather events that just keep on coming.

His visit to Louisiana, then, is much like the rest of his campaign: an episode from an un-reality show.

Cynthia Tucker is a syndicated columnist. Her work appears on Tuesdays on PennLive. Readers may email her at cynthia@cynthiatucker.com.
Bruce Beemer, the former top aide who testified against Kathleen Kane, was confirmed to replace her as attorney general on Tuesday.

In his public statements, Beemer focused on the 800 employees of the office who he said continued to do good work in a chaotic time.

"It's because of them that I think there will be a quick recovery," he said, prior to the full Senate confirmation vote. "People will hopefully see the Attorney General's Office being the light and beacon of the commonwealth . . . If that happens, it'll be because of them and not me."

State officials moved quickly to replace Kane upon her resignation earlier this month following a conviction on perjury and other charges related to a scheme to leak secret grand jury materials.

Gov. Tom Wolf nominated Beemer to take Kane's place one day after she left office. After a statutory waiting period, the Senate returned to Harrisburg Tuesday and voted unanimously to approve the nomination.

"August 30th is unusual for the Senate to be in session without a budget fight," Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre County, quipped prior to the vote.

Beemer will have his work cut out for him as he inherits an office rocked by scandal. His primary goals, he said, were to rebuild trust within the office and prepare it for his own successor, the winner of the November election.

Kane's ultimate successor will be chosen between state Sen. John Rafferty, R-Montgomery, and Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro.

On Tuesday, Beemer said he was asked by the Wolf administration to return to his post as the state's inspector general upon the completion of the remainer of Kane's term in January.

"I am very excited and enthusiastic to do that," he said.

Beemer's most scrutinized decision will likely be about what to do with the report Kane commissioned into an exchange of offensive and pornographic emails by state officials. So far, the office has spent $385,000 and approved additional payments totaling $526,000, on an independent review of hundreds of thousands of internal emails.

Bruce Castor, Kane's handpicked successor, has repeatedly delayed the release of the report over concern about how comprehensive it is and whether the emails' release would violate any laws or court precedent.

Sen. Judy Schwank, D-Berks County, took to the Senate floor Tuesday to call for the report's release. The biases contained in the emails, she said, undermine the entire justice system.

"They project the worst type of attitudes toward women and minorities, among the very people who are entrusted to protect them," she said. "Failing to address (the email chain) would betray the trust our system relies upon."

For his part, Beemer said he hasn't yet seen the latest version of the report delivered to Castor by the D.C.-based law firm BuckleySandler. He said he would review the issue and handle it as "expeditiously" as possible.

While he declined to specifically say what options are at his disposal, Beemer said he is concerned by the specter of ex parte communication between judges and other officials who appear before the courts.

"I think it strikes at the integrity of the system where those kinds of things are at play," he said. "That is certainly something the public should have an opportunity to know about."

The incoming attorney general also declined to comment on what would happen to controversial figures like Patrick Reese who remain on the office's payroll. Reese was convicted of contempt for his role in spying on his co-workers.

Similarly, he declined comment on whether any further avenues of appeal were left in the "PSU Three" case that Castor, his predecessor, declined to pursue earlier this year. Beemer said only that he would consider the office's options.

Rebuilding relationships between the office and other agencies that were neglected in recent years would be one of his chief responsibilities, Beemer said.

"I would think that law enforcement agencies would have concerns about how the office was operating for quite some time," he said, "and so we just have to reassure them that we are going to be a partner they can count on."

Beemer received widespread praise from state officials on Tuesday.

Rafferty, who is running to take over from Beemer, said he's known the incoming attorney general for years.

"His reputation will do much to boost the morale" of the AG's office, he said.

In directly addressing Beemer at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing prior to the vote, the chairman Sen. Stewart Greenleaf said: " You have an impressive resume and a personality that seemed like would be able to put this office in the right direction for the new attorney general."

Gov. Tom Wolf, in a written statement after the Senate's confirmation, said Beemer would "begin the healing necessary to put the Attorney General's Office back on track."

Congratulations to Bruce Beemer, who was sworn in this afternoon as Pennsylvania's attorney general. pic.twitter.com/aKmj7iFUan  Governor Tom Wolf (@GovernorTomWolf) August 30, 2016

Wallace McKelvey may be reached at wmckelvey@pennlive.com. Follow him on Twitter @wjmckelvey. Find PennLive on Facebook.
pat-toomey-katie-mcginty.jpg

Pat Toomey, left, and Katie McGinty

(PennLive.com file photos)

If you live in Pennsylvania, odds are you've already been subjected to dozens of TV ads, web banners and old-fashioned mailers on behalf of the state's U.S. Senate candidates.

There are ads decrying Republican Pat Toomey's banker past and his efforts to "privatize" -- or "reform," depending on who's telling the story -- Social Security. Other ads depict Katie McGinty as a lifelong bureaucrat who benefited from the revolving door that carries government watchdogs into private consulting gigs and back again.

Pennsylvania has become one of the nation's hottest races because Toomey's seat could determine the balance of power in the Senate and, in turn, the U.S. Supreme Court.

To date, the two sides have spent an estimated $27 million to get their messages out, according to advertising tracker Kantar Media's CMAG. Pennsylvania was second only to Ohio, where incumbent Republican Rob Portman leads former Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland, in Senate ad spending.

"Toomey is on the hit list because he's a red state guy in a blue state," said J. Wesley Leckrone, a Widener University political science professor.

And the political ad arms race will continue through November despite the reality that McGinty and Toomey are fighting for a dwindling pool of undecided voters in a year when Pennsylvania will likely swing Democratic due to the party's voter registration advantage. According to state data, Democrats have registered nearly 4.1 million voters compared to Republicans' 3.2 million.

While GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump has spent a pittance on ads compared to Hillary Clinton, few down-ticket candidates have taken the risk of cutting back on ads. Nationwide, this election cycle has seen more than 2 million campaign ads, a 9 percent increase over the same period in 2012, according to analysis by Wesleyan University's Media Project.

"People don't always know what works," Leckrone said, "but they're too afraid not to try it."

But not everyone is as skeptical of the power of advertising.

"Nobody has the celebrity that Donald Trump has," said Charles Gerow, a Republican political consultant, "and he also trails Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania by a substantial margin--because he didn't keep up with her on the airwaves."

But Gerow said campaigns often place too much emphasis on ads versus the difficult groundwork of registering voters and making sure they go to the polls in November. For Toomey to have a chance, he said, that's what his team has to do.

"I would spend an inordinate amount of time in Pennsylvania over the next 75 days," he said. "Stop at every wake and wedding along the way."

Since the May primary, Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate campaign campaigns have spent nearly $20 million, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Outside groups, many of which do not have to disclose their donors, spent another $31 million on the candidates' behalf. Of that outside spending, $17.3 million backed Toomey and $13.9 million supported McGinty, a former state environmental secretary.

"Outside spending in the Pennsylvania Senate race is through the roof," said Viveca Novak, the center's editorial and communications director. "While Toomey has raised and spent a good deal more money than McGinty, she has benefited from a larger share of spending by outside groups like Women Vote! and others. That may change as we get closer to election day, when the spigots will be all the way open."

Liberal groups supporting McGinty have outspent Republicans by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, bolstered by major ad buys from labor unions and Planned Parenthood. That balance, however, could shift as the national GOP diverts more money into key Senate races that could shift the majority to the Democrats and, in turn, affect the composition of the U.S. Supreme Court. Toomey was the recent beneficiary of a $1.1 million ad buy focusing on "law-and-order" issues.

Terry Madonna, director of the Franklin and Marshall College's Center for Politics & Public Affairs, said Toomey has to walk a fine line between attracting pro-Trump voters and swing-voting suburbanites turned off by the presidential hopeful's rhetoric. In essence, Toomey's team is counting on independent voters to split their tickets.

That strategy is complicated by the fact that the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh media markets encompass voters from both camps.

"The commercials right now seem aimed at making the other candidate totally unacceptable," Madonna said. "That's what they're trying to do and some (ads) are clearly aimed at the base rather than independent voters."

Toomey's moderate stances on issues such as gun control, which led to an endorsement by a group affiliated with shooting victim and former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, could alienate pro-gun partisans while drawing support from conservatives in the Philly suburbs.

What exactly are the campaigns buying with all that money?

In the last month, a succession of public opinion polls have shown McGinty leading Toomey, a trend that followed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's own dip in the polls against Hillary Clinton.

As with any political horse race, a single poll can affect the trajectory of the race. On Monday, a poll by Emerson College showed Toomey with a solid lead of 7 percentage points. That single poll pulled McGinty's RealClearPolitics rolling average to a 1.3 percent lead.

But it's important to note that the Emerson poll was based solely on landline calls using an "Interactive Voice Response system," pollster jargon for "robocalls." That system, Madonna said, tends to miss a lot of younger and non-white workers who are less likely to have landlines or be less likely to respond to such calls. The poll, however, may also reflect a more recent decline in support for Clinton.

McGinty's poll performance has closely followed that of Clinton, Madonna said.

"The more Clinton goes up, the more McGinty goes up because of the coattail effect," he said. "Now, Clinton's gone down and you see what happens to McGinty."

Regardless of whether the ads are effective in the real world, it's likely that Pennsylvanians will be inundated in even more of them.

There's precedent for a late-election ad blitz within this year's own U.S. Senate race.

Joe Sestak, a retired Navy rear admiral, had led the three-way Democratic primary race for months when groups backing McGinty launched a series of ads in the final weeks before voters went to the polls. On election day, McGinty won the party's Senate nomination with 42.5 percent of the vote compared to Sestak's 32.6 percent and 19.5 percent for Braddock Mayor John Fetterman.

Most political observers say such ad buys tend to be more successful in primaries, where voters have less information about the candidates and are less likely to have already made up their minds. But neither McGinty nor Toomey supporters will be willing to take the Trumpian risk of cutting back on ads in the election's final stretch.

At this point, Leckrone said, the candidates will be fighting for that small number of voters who don't know enough about them to make a choice.

"All these ads being run in October and November are aimed at those not paying attention," he said, "because everyone else has pretty much decided."

Gerow said the greatest challenge facing the candidates is that the final weeks before Election Day will be dominated by presidential ads. It will be increasingly difficult, he said, for any message to penetrate the noise.

"There's no doubt there's going to be a big ad buy by both of them," he said. "But it's tougher in the fall."

Wallace McKelvey may be reached at wmckelvey@pennlive.com. Follow him on Twitter @wjmckelvey. Find PennLive on Facebook.
UPDATE:

The Pennsylvania Senate will return to Harrisburg Tuesday to consider whether to confirm Bruce Beemer, the former top deputy who testified against convicted Attorney General Kathleen Kane.

Kane resigned after being convicted of perjury and other charges related to a plot to leak secret grand jury materials and lie about it. Bruce Castor, Kane's handpicked first deputy, led the office for the last two weeks after serving as the de facto legal head of the office since March.

On Tuesday, the Senate will consider whether to confirm Beemer, who was nominated by Gov. Tom Wolf to replace Kane. That will begin with a Judiciary Committee hearing expected to begin shortly after 1 p.m.

Senate leaders have already signaled their support for Beemer. He would need a two-thirds vote.

Bruce Beemer, former first deputy, with then-Attorney General Kathleen Kane, in a file photo

On Monday, lawyers for a labor union representing AG's office employees and an unspecified "John Doe" withdrew an injunction request to prevent the release of an email report Kane commissioned on an exchange of lewd and offensive emails. According to a Morning Call report, the withdrawal came after an agreement was reached postponing the report's release.

Castor had already publicly pledged to delay the report's release "indefinitely" until everyone involved in the chain had an opportunity to respond to the materials presented.

Kane's criminal sentencing has been has been scheduled for Oct. 24. In the meantime, House investigators are working on a possible report tied to its impeachment proceedings.

Wallace McKelvey may be reached at wmckelvey@pennlive.com. Follow him on Twitter @wjmckelvey. Find PennLive on Facebook.
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.
ONS 2016: Oil market rebalancing could take until end 2017- Shell



ONS opening day, Aug 29, 2016

STAVANGER, NORWAY

Petroleumworld.com 08 30 2016

The huge global oil oversupply that has weighed on prices for the past two years may not clear until the second half of 2017, Shell's chief energy adviser Wim Thomas told Reuters.

The potential return to the market of some 1.5 million barrels per day of supply from Libya and Nigeria and uncertainty about Iranian and Iraqi production levels could push a rebalancing further away than many in the oil industry are hoping.

"All these things when they come back on the market can again postpone the true balancing," Thomas said in an interview on the sidelines of the ONS oil conference in Stavanger, Norway.

He said the most optimistic scenario was for rebalancing, meaning that huge volumes of stored crude have to be absorbed, to kick in this year and that Shell was prepared for all outcomes.

"It can happen any time between the second half of this year and the second half of next year."

Oil prices fell more than 70 percent from 2014 highs earlier this year and are still more than 50 percent below those levels as a fierce battle for market share between major producers has flooded the world with oil.

Thomas, a naval engineer by training, said three aspects could disrupt the current situation.

Oil demand from energy hungry nations China and India will be a key driver for oil prices, as well as the resilience of U.S. shale producers to weak prices.

Any OPEC agreement to freeze oil production could also result in a sudden boost for oil prices, Thomas said.

Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries will meet on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum (IEF), which groups producers and consumers, in Algeria on Sept. 26-28.








ONS 2016: Petrobras divestment plan to strengthening cash flow by $15.1 billion end of 2016



CEO of Petrobas Pedro Parente: Time for recovery of Brazil's Petrobras

STAVANGER, NORWAY

Petroleumworld.com 08 30 2016

It is time for Brazil's Petrobras to recover after facing many challenges dealing with the largest corruption scandal in the history of Brazil in 2014, CEO of Petrobas, Pedro Parente, said Monday.

Parente, who spoke at the ONS 2016 Conference in Norway's Stavanger, said that he regrets what happened in Petrobras and in Brazil.

"We were ashamed of what happened there, but a part of my job is dealing with the company's recovery," Parente said.

According to Parente, Petrobras has a divestment plan aimed at strengthening its cash flow by $15.1 billion by the end of 2016 in addition to many projects currently under negotiation.

"A very strong process is awaiting us. Partnerships are key for Petrobras. Even throughout the worst period, we maintained very good relations and partnerships," he said.

The largest firm in the southern hemisphere by market capitalization has struggled since the major corruption scandal erupted in 2014.

Petrobras has been under investigation with bribery and money laundering allegations.

The corruption scandal surrounding the oil giant involved contracts with third parties. Many of the contracts with major construction companies were artificially bloated. Investigators state the difference was then pocketed as kickbacks by political figures, contractors and Petrobras executives.

"Petrobras faced many challenges such as the corruption scandal, political instability, an economic crisis in Brazil and exchange rate volatility," said Parente, who has taken up the position of CEO of the company in the last three months.

According to official figures, the capital expenditure (CAPEX) of the company grew annually by 23 percent while debt grew by 18 percent. But from 2009, debt superseded CAPEX between 2003 and 2013.

"When I see the figures now one more time, I couldn't image it was that bad. We need to be sure our governance will guarantee that this will never happen again and we are working very hard on this," he said.








Alicia Garcia Herrero and Jianwei Xu (Bruegel)

China and Russia are very important partners of the EU. Russia is one of the EUs most important partners since the EU economy depends on the imports of certain goods, especially energy. China has the highest purchasing power parity. The Sino-Russian business cooperation has, however, recently changed its character. Bilateral relations, which used to be very complicated in the past, have recently been transformed into a close business cooperation. We can thus question if the deepening Sino-Russian business relationship can have a negative impact on the Union.

The strengthening of the cooperation between China and Russia can be linked to Chinas membership in the World Trade Organization. Further economic convergence started occurring after 2014 when the West imposed sanctions on Russia over the annexation of the Crimea. Chinese imports to Russia increased from 2000 to 2014 by as much as 15 percent.

In the context of these developments, two important questions arise. Will the increasing Sino-Russian cooperation have an impact on the Union? If this were the case, then in what sectors of the EU economy? With regards to the EU products in the Chinese market, these only complement the Russian exports. Therefore, we do not hitherto need to be overall concerned that the Russian products will be able to fully replace the EU imports in the Chinese market. What can, however, turn out to be a problem is the possibility that Chinese exports will be increasingly replacing the EU exports in the Russian market.

A simulation of closer trade cooperation between Russia and China, which reduced import duties to zero, revealed that such a trade agreement would actually reduce EU exports to Russia in a significant way. It therefore seems that the deepening Sino-Russian economic relations could have a substantial impact on the Union in the future. Sectors that would be affected the most by the strengthening Sino-Russian economic ties are electronics, mechanical engineering, electronic equipment and machinery. Another export article in jeopardy would be nuclear reactors.

What do the strengthening relations between Russia and China overall mean for the Union? The EU should maintain the trend of modernization of its industrial enterprises at the highest level so that it is capable of competing with China, which had until recently the fastest growing economy in the world. Moreover, it should also consider a possible scenario that it may lose some of its sales in the Russian market in the future.

(The study can be downloaded here:http://bruegel.org/2016/07/the-china-russia-trade-relationship-and-its-impact-on-europe/)
We got fed up replacing our tires before they actually wore out. Also, we got fed up ending our race runs with flats. We do racing because its fun, and racing on flat tire isnt fun anymore. We think that in the year 2016 riding should be puncture free. We have seen even the pro racers ending their race runs with punctures. This is something what should not be possible these days with modern technologies present. We wanted to take the bull by the horns and develop simple solution to prevent punctures. In the end we realized that we have resolved a bigger issue - the hassle of inflating tubeless MTB tires.



Huck Norris is a cellular foam which goes inside your tire. It sits in the middle of the tire and touches the sidewalls only a little so you dont miss any of that sweet rolling ability of your tire. When you are about to get a puncture, the Huck Norris is between the tire beads that are folding together. Huck Norris creates an extra cushion to your tire. This protects your rims and your tires. The good thing is that you dont need to modify the rim or the tire. Its an affordable solution to make your rides longer and save you money.


Drift Shorts



The Drift shorts are made from Quattro Flex Dura, Sombrio's toughest fabric blend, offering flexibility and durability whilst remaining breathable, they also come with DWR finish (durable water repellent) to hold off the elements when you're out on the trail. The Drift come equipped with front and back zippered pockets and have a mesh lining, which is perfect for those hot days. There is a handy lift pass cord to keep your pass secured in one of the pockets, and the sides of the shorts have a Velcro strap for extra adjustability and comfortable fit. Aside from the darker option of black, pictured here, Sombrio also offer an eye-catching Lapis/Lime Mojito colourway, if bright is your thing. The shorts come in sizes XS to XL and retail at $130.00.



Details:

 Ultra durable four-way stretch fabric with DWR finish and soft inner face

 Seamless crotch panel

 Locking zippered fly with hollow pop snap and Velcro secure

 Sturdy seam construction with bar tack stitching throughout stress zones

 Sizes: XS, S, M, L and XL

 MSRP: $130.00 USD

 Drift Shorts

The Drift shorts are made from Quattro Flex Dura, Sombrio's toughest fabric blend, offering flexibility and durability whilst remaining breathable, they also come with DWR finish (durable water repellent) to hold off the elements when you're out on the trail. The Drift come equipped with front and back zippered pockets and have a mesh lining, which is perfect for those hot days. There is a handy lift pass cord to keep your pass secured in one of the pockets, and the sides of the shorts have a Velcro strap for extra adjustability and comfortable fit. Aside from the darker option of black, pictured here, Sombrio also offer an eye-catching Lapis/Lime Mojito colourway, if bright is your thing. The shorts come in sizes XS to XL and retail at $130.00. Ultra durable four-way stretch fabric with DWR finish and soft inner face Seamless crotch panel Locking zippered fly with hollow pop snap and Velcro secure Sturdy seam construction with bar tack stitching throughout stress zones Sizes: XS, S, M, L and XL MSRP: $130.00 USD

Flexible and durable with vented pockets.

Lift pass retention cord, perfect for keeping your pass safe.

Burst Jersey



The Burst is a flexible and moisture wicking long sleeve jersey designed with a dropped hem which keeps it from riding up at the back. Sombrio have developed a performance mesh which is designed to maximize airflow and move with your body, and the moisture-wicking finish aims to keep you cool and dry. The Burst also comes with a stretchy, angle rib cuff, meaning you can adjust your sleeves when you're out on a ride. Available in Lapis/Dark Camo or Lime Mojito/Lapis Geo Print in sizes XS to XL. The Burst Jersey retails for $70.





Details:

 Sublimated graphics

 Moisture wicking finish

 Angled rib cuff

 Drop back hem

 Colours: Lapis/Dark Camo or Lime Mojito/Lapis Geo print

 Sizes: XS, S, M, L and XL

 MSRP: $70 USD

 Burst jersey

The Burst is a flexible and moisture wicking long sleeve jersey designed with a dropped hem which keeps it from riding up at the back. Sombrio have developed a performance mesh which is designed to maximize airflow and move with your body, and the moisture-wicking finish aims to keep you cool and dry. The Burst also comes with a stretchy, angle rib cuff, meaning you can adjust your sleeves when you're out on a ride. Available in Lapis/Dark Camo or Lime Mojito/Lapis Geo Print in sizes XS to XL. The Burst Jersey retails for $70. Sublimated graphics Moisture wicking finish Angled rib cuff Drop back hem Colours: Lapis/Dark Camo or Lime Mojito/Lapis Geo print Sizes: XS, S, M, L and XL MSRP: $70 USD The jersey is great for staying cool on hot days.

Stretchy cuffs allow you to adjust the sleeves for temperature changes.

Performance

Burst Jersey:

Drift Shorts:

Pinkbike's Take:

For women in search of well thought out kit that's comfortable and feminine (without being overly so), the Sombrio Drift shorts and Burst jersey may be the perfect option. - Lauren Jenkins

Founded in 1998, Sombrio has deep roots in the mountain biking world. Formed in the late eighties, and born during the early freeride movement, the Canadian brand pioneered kit unlike anything else available at that time. Their freeride core is still evident today and despite the sale of the brand back in 2014 , Sombrio stayed true to its roots and still create stylish and functional kit. Not one to focus on apparel for just the guys, Sombrio offers a wide range of women's kit for a number of disciplines, and the Drift short and Burst jersey come from their Gravity collection.I've been wearing the Burst jersey and Drift shorts over the past few months at home in Wales and out in Morzine in a range of conditions and have found them to work well on both ends of the spectrum. The Burst and Drift have been part of Sombrio's collections for the past few years. It's great to see that the company have taken on feedback over the years to create some well thought out kit and they even offer a lifetime guarantee on their products.I opted for a medium in the jersey and unfortunately it was a little too big for me. I would opt for a smaller size than I'd usually go for, but the generous fit does mean that I have plenty of room for body armour underneath - great for when I've been riding rougher trails. The great thing about the Burst is the fabric. It's kept me cool on some really hot days out in France, and I particularly like the flexibility. It feels less restrictive and doesn't cling to my body when I'm riding. The fabric also washes really well. I've been riding in some sloppy conditions at times and the colour and condition have held up. When coupled with the darker shorts, the graphics are great - just a subtle pop of colour with blended branding, and the detailing on the side panels and shoulders is also a plus for me. It's a feminine jersey without being overly so, and I also liked being able to pull the sleeves up rather than having them fixed in one position. Overall it's been great, especially in the heat. The only downside for me was the oversized fit, but overall, it's comfortable, breathable and the design is a definite plus.I found the Drift shorts to be extremely comfortable and for once, I'm relieved to have a pair of women's shorts that don't show skin between my knee pads and bottom hem when I'm riding. Although designed for the more extreme disciplines, I've found the Drift cool and comfortable enough to wear out on longer trail rides. They fit comfortably with knee pads and, even with padded shorts underneath, I still felt cool and unrestricted. The fabric has held up well, and despite a few muddy rides and washes, they've retained their colour with no fading. I've no complaints about the fit and it's great to have the option to adjust them with the two Velcro panels on the sides. Overall, these are some of the most comfortable women's shorts I've worn. They have the perfect amount of stretch and adjustability, and the zip pockets mean that I'm able to carry my pass and a few other essentials with no fear of losing them on the trails.
*Updated 22/9/2016: Teaser video below

AirAsia Korean Drama On The Way To Airport Premieres Next Month

If you think Hong Kong TVB Triump In the Skies drama is cool, wait till you see the AirAsias brand new Korean Drama On The Way to Airport. Wait, AirAsia now in Korean drama? We are not joking.

Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, the founder and CEO of AirAsia dropped a bombshell on his Facebook account by showing the teaser of the airlines brand new Korean Drama On The Way to Airport. The trailer has been viewed over 40k views and over 600 shares.

The new Korean drama will stars Kim Ha Neul (A Gentlemens Dignity) as AirAsia flight attendant and Lee Sang Yoon a part time architecture instructor.

The 27 seconds teaser shows the actress wearing the classy red AirAsia uniform in an airport (most likely Incheon International Airport).

If you think Captain Cool of Triumph of the Skies is cool, wait till you check out this brand new K Drama On The Way to the Airport. The drama will premiere on 21st September 2016 on KBS2.

In our opinion, this is a smart move to promote the airlines. Almost the whole world is watching KPOP now especially the younger generations. With this brand new Korean drama, more people will recognise the brand especially the teens and the young working adults. We hope they are going to air it in Malaysia soon as everyone now wants to watch AirAsias new Korean Drama On The Way to the Airport!

Wilson Ng A Father and traveler who enjoys to eat, shop, travel and taking pictures with Samsung S22 Ultra and Sony ZV-1. Im a full time blogger, youtuber and father for two. I used to travel around 17 International trips per year but now staying at home. Remember to follow us at www.instagram.com/placesandfoods and www.youtube.com/placesandfoods. For advertisements or features, contact me at [email protected] See author's posts
The new agency charged with investigating possible police wrongdoing in Chicago will be called the Civilian Office on Police Accountability, aldermen were told Monday as they haggled with the mayor's office over final language.

Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd), leader of the City Council's Progressive Caucus, said he was generally pleased with the draft ordinance he was shown Monday. But there are several points of contention, reports the Chicago Sun Times.

COPA, the new agency that will take the place of the soon-to-be-abolished Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA), will not have the authority to hire its own independent counsel, Waguespack said.

Nor would the new agency have a guaranteed percentage of the city budget to prevent the new COPA chief from going hat-in-hand to the mayor and City Council for additional resources, Waguespack said.

The new inspector general in charge of public safety would be chosen by Inspector General Joe Ferguson after a process that includes a nationwide search, the alderman said.

But the new IG would also will not be guaranteed additional resources beyond the guaranteed .01 percent of the overall city budget it already receives.

Still, Waguespack called Mayor Rahm Emanuel's ordinance a "decent start" with the "core fundamentals worked out pretty well."
A Joplin, MO, police officer was injured early Saturday morning when he was dragged by a motorcyclist he was trying to apprehend, reports the Joplin Globe.

The operator of the motorcycle, Paul G. Haney, 19, of Joplin, was arrested the following day in Newton County and charged with felony assault on a law enforcement officer.

Capt. Bob Higginbotham of the Joplin (MO) Police Department said in a news release Monday that about 1 a.m. Saturday police Sgt. Rusty Rives observed two motorcycles traveling at 124 miles per hour. Rives observed the motorcyclists again a short time later and one of them, believed to have been Haney, drove into the oncoming lanes directly at a southbound patrol car before going around the car and continuing northbound.

Rives subsequently waited on foot for the motorcyclists at 15th and Main Streets. When they stopped at the light there, he approached Haney on foot and attempted to take him into custody. But when Rives grabbed Haney's hooded sweatshirt, he became entangled in the garment as the suspect took off at a high rate of speed, dragging him a short distance with the bike and dislocating the officer's shoulder.

Rives drove himself to the hospital where he was treated and released.
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As Jason Easley wrote today, the latest thing Donald Trump is trying to exploit for political gain is the news that top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin is splitting with her husband and infamous sexter, Anthony Weiner.

Trump called Abedins decision wise and has even recently called her soon-to-be ex-husband a sleazeball and pervert. He even tried to make the claim that Weiner may have had access to classified information due to his marriage with Abedin.

But as NBC News reported on Monday, the Republican nominee, who is now using Weiners marital troubles because he thinks it will benefit his candidacy, has donated thousands of dollars to the Democrats past political campaigns dating back to 1997.

The report via NBC News:

But Trump, who has contributed money to both Democrats and Republicans, including his rival Hillary Clinton, was supportive of Weiner in the past. He donated twice, including the maximum amount of $2300 to Weiners congressional races in 2007 and 2010 and he made a small $150 contribution to his city council race in 1997.

Apparently, Donald Trump, who has been divorced twice and is a well-known adulterer himself, has no problem with sleazeballs and perverts when he isnt running for president. But now that his campaign of bluster and bigotry isnt faring well with general election voters, he is desperately grasping at anything he thinks will make a dent in Hillary Clintons polling lead.

The problem with his latest attempt to pin something  anything  to Clinton is that it once again exposes more about Trump than it does about Clinton. It proves that the Republican nominee doesnt really have a constant set of values.

Instead, Trump will simply exploit anything  from terrorist attacks to the killings of African Americans to a troubled marriage  he thinks will benefit him in the here and now.

This is not about Hillary Clinton or Anthony Weiner, and its certainly not about Huma Abedins personal decision to leave a deteriorating marriage. Its about Donald Trumps shameless and neverending attempt to exploit everything he can to score political points.

Like all the times hes tried before, this too will fail.
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*The following is an opinion column by R Muse*

By now only a comatose individual is unaware of Donald Trumps typically Republican trait of pathological lying, and that he is prone to lying about any and everything to promote himself as Americas Aryan messiah. So it is little surprise that in the same manner he lied to convince ignorant people to invest in their education with his scam Trump University, he has lied to convince ignorant voters that electing him as president is an investment in their childrens education; in under-performing private charter schools.

It is unclear exactly where Trump stands on educating Americas youth, or anything else for that matter, but based on his lies and parroting corporate privatization and anti-public school teacher talking points, his only plan is eviscerating public schools to enrich the corporate charter school industry  a failed industry not unlike his failed scam university.

To date, Trumps so-called education plan is founded on: Education has to be at a local level. Common Core is a total disaster. We spend far more per pupil than any other country in the world. By far. And if you look at education. Out of thirty countries. Were last. Were like 30th. Were last. So were last in education.

Trumps typically Republican and American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) plan is eliminating the Department of Education and transferring public education control to the local level. President Obama and Congress already accomplished handing local control to states and localities. And the idea of abolishing Common Core as one of his first achievements to save children and cut education spending is something he or any other president could never do. Part of President Obama and Congress local control agenda was allowing states and localities to adopt or reject Common Core standards at their discretion.

As a side note, Common Core standards were devised primarily by Republican governors long before Barack Obama was President. But since Donald Trump is as ignorant on education as he is foreign policy, race relations, religion and economics, he just made up lies to promote the corporate charter privatization scam.

However, since Trump felt the need to demean Americas public schools, it is worth going over a few statistics it took exactly 21 seconds to find on the Internet.

Of all of Trumps lies on education, like all of his lies about Americas alleged loser status, the idea that America is dead last in education compared to third world or any other nations is beyond mendacious. In fact, in white neighborhoods that are adequately funded, American public school students with union teachers easily surpass their international counterparts in subjects across the board. But Trump obviously couldnt cite that fact or his promotion of privatizing the education system would appear like the gift to corporations it is meant to be; it certainly isnt about giving parents choice in educating their offspring.

Even assuming Trump was talking about the nations students as a whole, American students outcomes and international rankings based on several different nations results still expose everything Trump said as blatant lies. But when Republicans attempt to frighten parents into abandoning public education for a failed privatized charter system, something an overwhelming majority of Americans do not want, they have to lie because the truth destroys their agenda in a heartbeat.

For three examples of just where American students rank among their worldly peers it is best to first look at the results of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) rankings. In that test, American students ranked right in the middle, not dead last.

Likewise, in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) standardized examinations, American kids ranked 7th out of 42 countries; a damn sight farther away from, and nowhere near, dead last as Trump stated.

Yet another standardized international exam, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, out of 53 education systems from around the globe, Americas public school students ended up ranking sixth; nowhere near dead last as Trump claimed.

No matter how one frames American students achievement or with what measure, compared with the rest of the planets education systems, American public school students rank at least above average; and that statistic has remained solid going back decades and long before the Republican push to privatize the education system to enrich failed corporate charter schools.

Now, Trumps claim that America spends more than any other nation on education is as big a lie as his assertion that American students are dead last in the world. Americas goal is educating every student to give them a chance to go to University, something completely unique and different from that of most other countries. This countrys educational funding system is also unique in that local property taxes play a significant role in funding that leads to vast inequities from one school district to another; often in the same city. And since it is well-documented for decades that poverty rates correlate to students test scores, with Americas world-leading child poverty rate, it is a miracle students arent dead last based on the lack of adequate education funding that several countries exceed.

For example, Americas spending on education, even including education funding being stolen by Republicans to fund private religious and corporate charter schools, still lags far behind Switzerland, Luxembourg, Norway and Sweden according to a 2014 study by conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). And, as mentioned above, when Americas schools are funded appropriately, Americas public schools are among the highest achieving in the world; the complete opposite of dead last as Trump says.

Donald Trump is as inept on the subject of public schools and education policy as he is a pathological liar. Of course he cannot possibly state the real condition of Americas public education system because it would deny him the ability to lie about why replacing Americas free public education with corporate charter and private religious schools would make America great again. As many pundits and Democrats have already noted, America is already great and it is no stretch to say part and parcel of the greatness lies in its ability to educate all Americans if Republicans dont decimate the system, something Trump pledges to do to enrich the corporate charter school industry.
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The reason Donald Trump is speaking to African American voters in Detroit this weekend isnt because he thinks he can win the African American vote. Well, Trump seems to believe he will or at least has promised that, but thats not why his handlers found a friendly place to take pictures of him talking to a predominately black audience.

Donald Trump is being sent to talk to black people to save the Republican Party from the bleed-out with college educated whites. Its all about giving college educated whites cover, plausible deniability if you will, regarding Trumps blatant racism. So they dont have to be so embarrassed by voting for him.

And since Donald Trump is the head of the Republican Party right now, this move is meant to protect vulnerable Republicans down ticket as well as the general brand.

Lynn Vavreck explored the cost of Donald Trumps nomination for the GOP in The New York Times, in which she pointed out, Whats especially striking is that the negative reaction to Mr. Trump by many Republican voters comes largely from his strident language in separating people into in and out groups based on race and ethnicity A Quinnipiac poll released on Thursday revealed that 59 percent of likely voters thought the way Mr. Trump talks appeals to bigotry.

Trumps blatant bigotry is losing certain Republican voters, even though it won him the Republican primary. What to do?

Give the Republican college educated whites some cover. Instead of only speaking to mostly white audiences about how hes going to help African Americans (a confusing message from a man who is running on bigotry and Southern Strategy, for sure), Trump is going to look like he might really care by actually deeming to speak to some black voters.

So here comes the set up to talk to the predominately African American audience of the Great Faith Ministries in Detroit, Michigan this Saturday.

Greg Sargent explained in his Top Trump aide says he deserves credit for taking his case to black audiences piece in the Washington Post that its notable that Conway explicitly states that a chief aim here is for Trump to get credit for taking his case to African American audiences. Conway very likely wants college educated whites to give Trump credit for this (not to mention leading media opinion-makers).

Sargent backed up this thought with some data showing Trumps bigot branding problem, Tellingly, according to the crosstabs, college educated whites believe this by 58-39, and white women with college degrees  a key constituency the campaigns are fighting for  believe this by a more overwhelming 66-33.

So Trump is fighting to launch New Trump version III by being seen speaking to black people. The only question is how many college educated whites can he win back with this play. That will largely be answered by how his scheme is treated by the media and received by the American people.

If Trump gets busted for using black people to get more white voters, it wont be the best news for the Republican party in general. But if things go according to plan, expect to see many Republicans citing Trumps willingness to speak to African Americans as a Big Deal that disproves his racism/racist strategy.

Its a larger version of I dont hate gay people, I have a gay friend. And this version comes with photos to back it up. Look, hes not a racist! He spoke to black people.

The risk is that this strategy is exceptionally offensive when it becomes clear that Donald Trump isnt just ignoring black voters, now hes actually planning to use them as cover, as a get-out-of-racist-jail free card. Note, his campaign isnt discussing changing his policies in order to benefit minorities nor has Trump toned down his lies about the African American community.

This isnt just about 2016 either. Jason Easley reported in PoliticusUSA Tuesday morning on Donald Trump wasting money on blue states while Clinton is making inroads in red states, The long-term implications of the two candidates decisions could change the future electoral landscape, as Hillary Clinton is building to turn red states blue, while Donald Trump burns money on delusions of blue states that will never flip into his column.

The stakes are very high for the Republican Party right now. They have to tone down the bigot branding or the long-term damage to the party could be immeasurable. So Donald Trump will be asked if hes a racist while speaking to a mostly black audience this Saturday in Detroit, and his willingness to do this will be touted as great proof that he is not, in fact, a racist.

This plan relies on white Republicans agreeing that its a favor to speak to black people, something a white person should get credit for.
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Top House Democrats are requesting that the FBI launch an investigation into possible connections between Donald Trump and the Russian hacks against Democratic Party organizations.

In a letter to FBI Director James Comey the Ranking Members of the House Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, Judiciary, Foreign Affairs, and Homeland Security wrote:

Based on multiple press reports, it appears that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating whether Russia executed cyber attacks against the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) that resulted in the illegal hacking of a wide range of emails and other documents.

We are writing to request that the FBI assess whether connections between Trump campaign officials and Russian interests may have contributed to these attacks in order to interfere with the U.S. presidential election.

Serious questions have been raised about overt and covert actions by Trump campaign officials on behalf of Russian interests. It is critical for the American public to know whether those actions may have directly caused or indirectly motivated attacks against Democratic institutions and our fundamental election process.

.

We do not know if Donald Trumps public statements or the connections of his campaign officials to Russian interests directly or indirectly led to the cyber attacks against Democratic party organizations, but there is widespread agreement that the United States should take all steps possible to prevent Russia from interfering in our electoral process and prosecute to the full extent of the law anyone involved in such a scheme.

Democrats are not going to sit back and allow Donald Trump to benefit from Russian hacks into Democratic Party organizations without consequence.

The letter from the House Democrats asks valid questions given the Trump campaigns extensive and well-documented ties to Putins regime. Democrats want a specific investigation into potential Trump ties to the hacks.

It is interesting, but not a coincidence, that all of the emails released from the Russian hacks have been designed to help Donald Trump. Russia and Wikileaks are apparently working together in an attempt to get Trump elected president.

Donald Trumps campaign has plenty of problems, but the biggest one on the horizon may be a potential FBI investigation into the Trump/Putin hacking connection.
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*The following is an opinion column by R Muse*

Its getting a little more difficult each passing day to have much respect left for what seems like a growing number of inhumane Americans, and in saying inhumane one means racists and bigots. Of course right now all the attention is directed at Donald Trump, but as this column preaches toward exhaustion, Trump may well be a true racist, but he is a sterling representation of racist America. National Republicans have worked so efficiently to make open racism a popular political position and source of pride among the party faithful, another Republican leader has openly espoused his racial animus towards people of color with particular emphasis on African Americans and Latinos. It shouldnt be unsurprising any longer, but one was taken aback that this particular Republican is openly calling for a race war to kill African and Hispanic Americans.

While defending patently racist remarks he made last Wednesday during a town hall meeting, Maine Governor Paul LePage (R) added fuel to the fire calling for his resignation by doubling down to make it abundantly clear that he sincerely believes that people of color are the enemy and should be shot as a soldier would in a war zone. LePage said,

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 You shoot at 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.

Those racist remarks were his defense after facing criticism for racist remarks at Wednesdays town hall in North Berwick where he lied through his teeth and said,

Let me tell you this, let me tell you, explain to you: I made the comment that black people are trafficking in our state. Now, ever since I said that comment, Ive been collecting every single drug dealer who has been arrested in our state 

I will tell you that 90-plus percent of those pictures in my book, and its a three-ring binder, are black and Hispanic people from Waterbury, Connecticut, the Bronx and Brooklyn. Im just telling you whats happening.

The only issue with LePages remarks besides the naked racism is that his statement is a bald-faced lie. As a senior fellow with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Mark Potok, said, On top of everything else, LePage is making a claim that is simply false. The fact is that most drug dealers and consumers in the United States are white.

Hopefully Mr. Potok will watch his back if he ever travels to Maine because based on LePages vicious attack on a Democrat who criticized his public racism, Maine is not a friendly or safe place so long as LePage is in residence.

One of the state legislatures Democrats did criticize the Republican governors racism that prompted an over-the-top response one is likely to hear in a violent state penitentiary, not from a governor. LePage had been lashing out at the public outcry to his racism and took exception that any Maine legislators dare criticize him. After learning from news reports that state Representative Drew Gattine (D-Westbrook) criticized his racist remarks, the sitting governor left an unambiguously violent tirade on Mr. Gattines voicemail. He said,

This is Gov. Paul Richard LePage. I would like to talk to you about your comments about my being a racist, you c**ksucker. 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 c**ksucker. You I need you to just friggin. I want you to record this and make it public because I am after you.

To make matters worse, some are reporting that LePage is defending the violent voicemail message with what certainly can be considered a threat on Representative Gattines life. In comments to the Portland Press Herald, comments he knew would be publicized, LePage ranted that,

When a snot-nosed little guy from Westbrook calls me a racist, now Id like him to come up here because, tell you right now, I wish it were 1825. And we would have a duel. And I would not put my gun in the air, I guarantee you; I would not be [Alexander] Hamilton. I would point it right between his eyes, because he is a snot-nosed little runt and he has not done a damn thing since hes been in this legislature to help move the state forward.

The SPLC senior fellow, Mark Potok, shared that the bigoted governors remarks are par for the course for LePage. He has made plain his antipathy to black people. To me, his latest remarks are utterly unsurprising. Are they racist statements? Yes.

A Maine resident and participant in Black Lives Matter protests, Teddy Burrage, who organized with the Portland Racial Justice Congress, stated the obvious that the Republican racist governor is,

Putting people in danger. Its not just a political gaffe or something that came about because he is unstable. The governor has potentially empowered dangerous people to hurt people of color.

Mr. Burrage also parroted something this column states regularly  its not just LePage thats a dangerous racist, its the Maine Republicans who faithfully elected him to lead the state. Burrage continued,

It would be easy to say Paul LePage is crazy or unstable, but the reality is that he is a manifestation of the people who put him in office. This is an issue in the governors office, but its a larger issue as far as racism being acceptable.

Burrage also noted that LePages racism is not down to the Donald Trump effect and reminded Maine residents that LePages bigotry predates the 2016 presidential election cycle. It doesnt feel new to me and I am not shocked.

Maines Democrats issued a letter to their Republican counterparts pleading with them to rebuke LePages racist statements and press him either to get help or resign. The letter was not strong enough in just saying LePage appears to be unfit to hold office at this time. There is nothing about appearances in this continuing racist saga and LePage is, by any measure, unfit to hold office at any time now or in the future.

Americans should start being concerned, if they werent already, that a sitting Republican governor has no more qualms in calling for shooting people of color than he does intimating that he wants to shoot a Maine legislator between the eyes. The travesty is that many Americans are not concerned either because they agree with LePages mindset or are so habituated to naked racism as a political position, that this call for war based on race is a common occurrence, not shocking and utterly unsurprising. It is possible that LePage-style comments are really not surprising to many Americans, and that possibility in-and-of-itself is a reason for concern.

What is curious is that there are very few Americans openly expressing shame and humiliation that in a free liberal society like America, calls for killing non-Aryan Americans in a race war are becoming common talking points among Republicans; it informs that the racial animus plaguing this nation runs deeper and is far worse than previously imagined.
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Like Benghazi, Republicans have made sure that the Clinton emails are a conspiracy that wont die, and they have been aided and abetted in this  just as they were with Benghazi  by the mainstream media. There was a lot of intentional disinformation out there as well as unintentional misinformation.

As Media Matters for America explains,

Media outlets have had to correct numerous reports on Hillary Clintons use of a private email server while secretary of state due to flawed journalistic processes that favored anonymous sourcing and failed to prioritize accuracy.

Mark Cuban, who has endorsed Hillary Clinton, owns the NBAs Dallas Mavericks, but he got his start in the tech field, and is also chairman of the HDTV cable network AXS TV. So he knows what he is talking about when he steps on stage at CNN and explains to host Don Lemon that Clinton didnt do anything wrong with her emails:

DON LEMON (HOST): Shes admitted, though, shes saying that she made a mistake, she should not have done it, she shouldnt have had the server in her home. So you dont think that she did anything wrong with the handling 



MARK CUBAN: No, I really dont. I think she  look, if youre not technical, which she obviously is not, she didnt know how to get her e-mail on her P.C. Whats  and someone  you say, I want to do personal e-mail. Well, first of all, its 2008 and back then Gmail was still in beta, and it was in the clear meaning it wasnt protected by default.

Cuban is right. Gmail went into beta in 2004 and while still in beta, became available to the public in 2007, and was not updated from beta status until mid-2009. He went on to explain:

CUBAN: And so you go  look, I was in this business. My first career, my first company, all I did was install local area networks and messaging and e-mail systems and I had my own personal server in my office until about 2010 , and so Ive been through this whole process. And so she talks to the admin who is responsible, she doesnt know any better, and takes his or her advice. I think it was a he.



And it just so happens that he was given immunity by the Justice Department so we havent had a chance to hear any of this. But for that personal server, if that admin had done his job like I had done my job doing the same thing, I would have set up filters and alerts that said any e-mail that came with a classified header or any of the determined classified markings like the little C Director Comey mentioned, pop it out, right?



You know, create an alert that says this shouldnt be on this system and deal with it so that you dont, you know, consume it in this way. But the administrator didnt do it and she didnt know to do it because the whole time she had a very specific process in place.



If it is classified, print it out and let me deal with it in hard copy, which is why she had complete confidence to say I never dealt with anything marked classified.

In fact, there were exactly three emails (out of 30,000+) had the little (c) marking but lacked a classified header, with PolitiFact noting in an updated posting,

The day after we published this fact-check, Comey testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on July 7. Comey said he believes three emails on Clintons server contained information labeled classified at the time they were sent. This information was not properly marked in that the emails did not have a classification header, even though a (c) immediately preceded text in the body of the emails, designating confidential information. Without the clear classification header, its reasonable to infer that Clinton did not realize these three emails contained classified information, he said.

This was a much-needed clinic, as CNN itself has been one of the media outlets to get the facts wrong. At the time, it claimed Clinton released her 55,000 pages of emails to make it harder and more expensive for the federal government to quickly review her emails and decide whats OK for the public and whats not, only to be corrected by the State Department:

The State Department told CNNMoney that it is standard practice to print emails for review. As a result, that point was removed, and the headline was changed.

Corrections never have much of an effect. The damage has by then been done with the initial headline, both by mainstream media outlets and by even PolitiFacts refusal to correct their mistakes. Donald Trump likes to complain about media bias, but when he issues those complaints, what he is really complaining about is that the media is not biased enough in his favor. Trump has always gotten the benefit of the doubt, and is the only candidate with a paid spokesman on a major cable news outlet.

It is Hillary Clinton who has been held up to a different standard of conduct here, even though she has been cleared by an FBI investigation  and FBI Director Comey himself had to correct right wing media disinformation FIVE times during his congressional testimony  and even though, as Mark Cuban explains, she did nothing wrong.

Like Benghazi, the so-called Clinton email scandal is less about what actually happened then what conservatives want to have happened.
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A new poll of Pennsylvania is the perfect case study for why and how Democrats are in a perfect position to take back the Senate majority in November.

The Monmouth University poll of Pennsylvania provided some insight into the states key US Senate race:

As with the presidential race, Pennsylvania is starting to look like one of the Democratic Partys better hopes for picking up a U.S. Senate seat. Challenger Katie McGinty currently has a 45% to 41% lead over GOP incumbent Pat Toomey, with 6% giving their support to Libertarian Edward Clifford and 8% who are undecided. McGinty has the support of 85% of Democrats while Toomey has the backing of 81% of Republicans. Independents prefer Toomey by a 41% to 29% margin, with 18% choosing Clifford.

.

The Monmouth University Poll also found that 15% of voters think Toomey has been too supportive of Trump, 19% say he has not been supportive enough, and 28% say Toomey has given his partys nominee the right amount of support. Another 38% offer no opinion on this. Turning to the Democrats, 17% of voters think McGinty has been too supportive of Clinton, 5% say she has not been supportive enough, and 43% say McGinty has given her partys nominee the right amount of support. Another 35% offer no opinion on this.

Pat Toomeys job approval rating isnt bad. He is in net positive (+8) territory with a job approval split of 43%/35%. On a personal level, voters are split 32%/30% on Toomey, but the reason why he is losing is that Sen. Toomey is trapped in the quagmire that is Donald Trump.

Nearly half of the electorate (47%) cant decide whether Toomey supports Trump too little or too much. Only 28% say that Toomey has given Trump the correct amount of support. In contrast, Democratic challenger Katie McGinty is poised to ride the wave with Hillary Clinton as more Pennsylvania voters say that McGinty has given Clinton the right amount of support than any other option.

It isnt necessarily that Pennsylvania voters want Sen. Toomey gone, but that Trump is an anchor on his reelection chances. Pat Toomey may lose his seat because Hillary Clinton is solidly beating Donald Trump in Pennsylvania. Toomey has tried to straddle the fence with Trump, but that decision may result in Democrats taking back control of the Senate in November.

Pennsylvania is not unique. What Republicans fear most is that a Clinton rout of Trump will wash their incumbents out of office. The Monmouth University Poll is the perfect case study for how this could happen all across the country. Some Republicans are destined to be swept out office if a Clinton wave builds because Donald Trump may be turning what could have been a competitive election into a Democratic year.
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A Reverend is planning to protest Donald Trumps Look Im not a racist PR tour on its first stop in Detroit, Michigan.

Rev. W.J. Rideout III, Pastor of All Gods People Church in Detroit, will lead a protest against Republican nominee Donald Trump according to the Detroit Free Press.

The Reverend said, I dont want him (Donald Trump) to think that he can come in here and get our votes.

Donald Trump is an opportunist, and this guy will reach out to get a vote from the worst fish in the sea. He doesnt care if he gets a vote from a rock. He just wants to get into the White House, Rideout continued. Hes outsourcing jobs overseas. Yet youre talking about making American great again.

Pastor W.J. Rideout III is a leader in Detroits Good Jobs Now coalition, which fights for economic justice for all Detroiters, and as such has a history of advocating for labor rights  including leading hundreds of protesters advocating for a minimum wage hike in 2016.

Speaking of a huge labor walkout in 2013 during which fast food workers at more than 60 restaurants in Detroit walked off the job, Rideout explained that the protests against Michigan Governor Rick Snyders policies helped organize low-wage workers. He said, The emergency management kind of sparked an anger here and a movement.

Its fair to say that Rideout is looking specifically at economic policy and its impact on Detroiters, so its understandable that theres nothing much Donald Trump can say that will make him more appealing to the Pastor.

Donald Trumps real point in visiting Great Faith Ministries in Detroit, Michigan is to be seen talking to black people so he can get credit for it among the college educated Republican whites who dont want to be seen supporting an overt racist. There has been no suggestion that Trump will change his economic policies to appeal more to minority voters or will stop negatively stereotyping African Americans.

Detroit is an odd choice for Trumps first stop, as it isnt the kind of place that will take being used lying down. When Mitt Romney visited in 2012 after pushing for the Detroit auto industry to go bankrupt, union workers lined up American made cars in the upper deck of a parking garage and placed a letter on each car to let him know what they thought.

The UAW message read: Romney: Let Detroit go bankrupt.

And now in 2016, Reverend Rideout will lead a protest to let Donald Trump know that he cant just come to Detroit and expect to get peoples votes, especially when his policies arent good for them.
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Donald Trump promises to be tough on immigration, but as a business owner, Trump has been exposed as a criminal who breaks the nations immigration laws.

Mother Jones reported on accusations that Trumps modeling agency is a serial violator of US immigration laws:

Speaking to supporters in Iowa on Saturday, Trump said he would crack down on visitors to the United States who overstay their visas and declared that when any American citizen loses their job to an illegal immigrant, the rights of that American citizen have been violated. And he is scheduled to give a major address on immigration in Arizona on Wednesday night.

But the moguls New York modeling agency, Trump Model Management, has profited from using foreign models who came to the United States on tourist visas that did not permit them to work here, according to three former Trump models, all noncitizens, who shared their stories with Mother Jones. Financial and immigration records included in a recent lawsuit filed by a fourth former Trump model show that she, too, worked for Trumps agency in the United States without a proper visa.

Donald Trump is supposed to be tough on immigration, but he owns a company that breaks the nations immigration laws. What was once the central issue of Trumps campaign has turned into a quagmire as the Republican nominee has gone from a position of building a wall while deporting and banning immigrants to the wall may be virtual, and there will be no deportation and ban.

Trumps history of sketchy business practices is catching up to the Republican nominee. The problem is that some of these allegations against Donald Trump are criminal. Trump could be fined up to $16,000 for each non-citizen that he hired, and he could face up to six months in prison for each violation.

Mother Jones points out that this illegal behavior is common in the modeling industry, but it is not common for a major partys presidential nominee to be accused of being involved in criminal behavior.

Donald Trump, the presidential candidate, claims to be tough on immigration, while Trump the business owner violates immigration laws.

Republicans have tied themselves to a criminal enterprise that seems destined to lead them to defeat in November.
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The Trump campaign has announced that instead of spending money where it could help Republican candidates, they will be wasting cash by trying to win Michigan.

Hallie Jackson of NBC News tweeted:

Scooplet: Trump adviser tells @NBCNews the campaign will go up on air in *Michigan* now  ad buy to come within the week, I'm told.  Hallie Jackson (@HallieJackson) August 30, 2016

Donald Trump is running closer to Clinton in Iowa and Nevada, but his campaign is desperate to try to expand the map, so they are going to waste precious and limited Republican dollars by running ads in Michigan. According to the Real Clear Politics average of polls, Clinton leads Trump in Michigan by an average of 8.2 points.

In other words, Michigan is a long-shot for Trump. The Trump campaign is also going to be spending money in Pennsylvania, but Clintons average lead in the Keystone State is also 8.2 points. Trump is closer to being blown out than he is to winning in the two Rust Belt states that were long thought to hold the keys to his victory, but the campaign is going to spend on states that they probably wont win.

As Donald Trump pours resources into strong blue states, Hillary Clinton is making inroads in Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina, and even Texas.

The long-term implications of the two candidates decisions could change the future electoral landscape, as Hillary Clinton is building to turn red states blue, while Donald Trump burns money on delusions of blue states that will never flip into his column.
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Rochester's West Circle Drive is rapidly becoming "Financial Row" as Altra Federal Credit Union plans to build a branch to join the ranks of the many banks on that stretch of road.

The La Crosse, Wis.-based credit union bought land on the open southwest corner at West Circle Drive and 19th Street Northwest for $1.35 million on Thursday.

Cheryl Dutton, Altra's vice president of marketing, confirmed the credit union plans to build a full-service, 4,000- to 5,000-square-foot branch at the high-traffic intersection. It should employ an estimated eight to 10 employees.

"We're hopeful about breaking ground in early 2017. Then we hope to open the branch by fall of 2017," said Dutton.

This new spot will put Altra in the mix with Home Federal Savings Bank, Associated Bank , West Bank and US Bank. All of those banks have branches on or near that intersection. Think Mutual Bankand Olmsted National Bankalso have major branches within a few miles of the intersection.

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Altra opened its first Rochester branch in 2012 at 123 16th Ave. SW in the Shoppes on Seconddevelopment. Then in later December 2015, t he Wisconsin credit union spent $1.25 million to buy land in the Chateau Circlecommercial development at 55th Street Northwest and Chateau Road.

Dutton says Altra still plans to build a branch there, though the West Circle Drive one will now be built first. The Chateau Circle branch probably will not break ground before 2019.

"We do plan to have multiple branches in Rochester," she said. "It's amazing how much faster than we expected that business in Rochester has grown."

Altra began in 1931 as the Trane Employees Credit Union. It has Minnesota branches in La Crescent and Winona as well as Rochester. Overall, it has 18 locations in eight states. -- Jeff Kiger
Mayo Clinic Care Network has expanded to include a Pennsylvania hospital.

St. Clair Hospital was added to Mayo's wide-reaching network last week, according to a Mayo news release. The Pittsburgh-based facility is described as a "nationally recognized acute care medical center with 2,300 employees and 550 physicians."

While the facility remains independent and locally governed, it also gains access to Mayo's research and promotes clinical collaboration. It's being touted as a way to "help patients get answers to complex medical questions while staying close to home."

"St. Clair is proud to be selected as the newest member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network," said James M. Collins, president and CEO of St. Clair Hospital. "This clinical collaboration with Mayo  unique in western Pennsylvania  is rooted in our common philosophy. It will provide our physicians the expertise of Mayo Clinic to assist them as they treat challenging medical cases  at no additional cost to patients and insurers."

St. Clair Hospital becomes the latest facility to join the Mayo Clinic Care Network, which was launched in 2011. It now includes more than 40 organizations across the globe, including members in the U.S., Mexico, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.

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David Hayes, director of Mayo Clinic Care Network, called the addition of the Pennsylvania hospital a "great opportunity" to add a like-minded facility.

"Our goal in the network is to identify and work closely with like-minded organizations to enhance the delivery of care," Hayes said. "We've found so many similarities  not just in our commitment to quality and value for patients, but in our approach to clinical collaboration. This is a great opportunity for us to work together."
Whilst perusing my social media outlets this past week, I noticed a post by a woman admonishing a co-worker for not showing up for work. To make matters worse, the employee did not call and notify anyone they would be absent from work that day.

Employees get sick, have emergencies or simply need a personal day, which is understandable, but when one doesn't call, in that is unacceptable. This requires a manager's attention.

When you don't show up for work affects the rest of the staff in more ways than just one. To begin with, you must know the absence is adding an extra burden to your co-workers' most likely already busy day. Yes, the slack will be picked up, but corners may get cut as your team covers your duties and responsibilities for the day.

In the early 2000s, a young lady walked in and applied for our front office coordinator position. Armed with an amazing personality, she gave all the right answers when interviewed, but the skills she acquired in her past work history did not fully translate to what we needed. In the end, her amazing personality won out, and we hired her.

Several months in to her employment, she had proven we made the right hiring choice. No matter what curve ball was thrown at her, she met it head on and always with a smile. Then one day she didn't show up for work.

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At first we thought she was running late as people do now and then. It so happened I was there and could open the office and cover the front desk. By 9, when we hadn't heard from her, we were frantic with worry. This wasn't like her to not call and let us know what was going on. Needless to say, no work was getting done as we were all trying to find Jami and make sure she was OK.

When she finally walked through our office door, the floodgates of relief opened as we knew she was OK, and we could all get back to our jobs. Then the bomb dropped  management had orchestrated this whole episode, so we could see as a staff how everyone was affected when someone fails to show up for work. This little experiment was not effective, nor was it funny. However, we did learn the lesson.

From this story, you can see that not calling and not showing up for work not only creates extra work for others, but also creates worry and anxiety.

If you are an employer, do you have a policy in place to address no-call, no-shows? A simple policy could outline what a no-show is and help hold them accountable by having consequences.

Once a policy is in place, is it enforced? If no-call, no-shows are continuously allowed, they never will end. Eventually, you will lose the employees who do show up for work out of frustration in those who don't.

A good time to review the policy is when you have new hire orientation or one-on-one meetings. Employees need to be shown how important it is to be at work during their scheduled time to serve customers, get product out or assist with patients.

If your policy is a "one time and you're out," then it needs to be enforced, and it needs to be enforced evenly no matter the level of employee. For some places of work, this is how it needs to be. For others, it is a verbal warning, written warning and then termination.

Whatever your policy is, make sure employees know it. If you are an employee, out of respect for your co-workers, pick up the phone and notify your office you will be absent for the day. Common sense ladies, common sense.
It was a day of fun-filled family activities at the 25th annual Go for the Gold, July 9 at Silver Lake Park.

About 500 people attended the 5K run and 3K family fun walk and raised more than $28,000 for Brighter Tomorrows, an organization that serves families touched by childhood cancer.

Emily Brownfield, executive director of Brighter Tomorrows, said she was impressed with the number of volunteers that step up to make Go for the Gold happen each year.

"And there's such a great turnout year after year," she said. "The kids have such fun. There's an energy here I don't see at other races."

Janice Grace was co-chairwoman of the event for the second year. She is a supporter of Brighter Tomorrows, she said, "because it helps so many families. What drives me to be a part of this day are the stories of the families."

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Tony and Amanda Burrow shared their story of childhood cancer.

Their daughter Emma, 5, began treatment for leukemia earlier this year, and Amanda said their family has appreciated attending the Brighter Tomorrows' monthly get-togethers.

"It's been good for our children to have other kids to relate to, because they understand what each other are going through," she said.

"Team Emma," a group of some 50 friends of the Burrow family, came to support Tony and Amanda and their children, Emma, Ada, William and Charlie.

The family and friends of Christa and Aaron Keehr came to support "Hannah the Tiny Warrior," who just turned four years old.

Hannah was diagnosed at two-and-a-half years old with neuroblastoma, a rare type of cancer most often found in children younger than 5.

"She's just finishing treatment," Christa said. "She's come a long way. She's doing well."

Christa said their family also enjoyed the monthly family get-togethers through Brighter Tomorrows.

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"It was really good for Jacob (Hannah's brother.) Amazing for him just to play with the other siblings," she said.

Wearing a t-shirt stating, "Guardians of Grey Matter," Jessica Westphal said she came to run the 5K for her son Nick.

"Brighter Tomorrows has been good for us," she said. "They brought a cooler full of goodies and gift cards when we were in the hospital. I attend parent meetings too. It's nice to go into a room and talk with other parents who are experiencing some of the same things I am."

At this year's event, seven teams raised more than $1,000 each. The top fundraiser, donating more than $5,400, was 16-year old Lizzy Hansen and her sister Amanda. Her mom, Mary Hansen, who served as co-chairwoman of the event, said, "It's been a family effort, reaching out to businesses and individuals for their support."

Lizzy, who was also helping chip-time the race, said her favorite part of the day is "seeing the little kids happy. They come out here and have fun with the dunk tank and the face painting. It's worth it."

Through its family gatherings, Tomorrows Chapter bereavement group, and many other services, Brighter Tomorrows provides outreach to families touched by childhood cancer.

For more information visit www.brightertomorrowshope.org .

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AUSTIN  A 36-year-old Austin man made his initial appearance Monday in Mower County District Court, where he pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct-victim under 13.

Jesus Detomas Perales remains in custody in lieu of $25,000 conditional bail and is due back in court March 3.

The investigation began early Aug. 15, when Austin police officers responded to a report of a man "groping" a girl. She was waiting for officers near Neveln Elementary School after running from his house.

The victim said she was on a bed at Perales' house, chatting with friends and playing games on his cellphone, when he began to touch and rub her under her clothing, the complaint says. The girl said she was afraid as Perales continued to touch her, court documents say, so she sent Facebook messages asking friends to help her, then took photos of Perales assaulting her. After sending the messages, she ran out of the home.

A woman who received a message for help was also at the school when officers arrived. She allegedly identified a photo of Perales as the man who was chasing the victim down the street when she arrived to meet the girl.

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The victim was wearing a pair of men's pants, the report says, and told officers that Perales had removed her shorts. She grabbed a pair of his pants as she ran from the home. Her shorts and shoes were later found in Perales's bedroom, the complaint says.

He initially denied the assault, documents say, then admitted "it just happened," acknowledging he'd touched her everywhere except her genital area.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison, a $35,000 fine, or both.
Authorities hope someone can identify the dog that reportedly bit a woman and attacked her dog Monday, so the woman doesn't have to undergo rabies shots .

The incident occurred about 9 a.m. in the 2400 block of Viola Heights Drive Northeast as a 66-year-old woman walked her cockapoo .

A dog described as a large cinnamon or brown dog "came running at her, attacked her dog and bit her," said Capt. John Sherwin.

Two construction workers driving past stopped to help, the report says, and were able to get the dog away from her. It then ran off.

If proof that the dog has been vaccinated against rabies can't be found, the woman will have to have a series of four shots to protect her against the disease.

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Anyone with information is encouraged to call Rochester police at 328-6800.
Cockpit expertise can help you 'live like a king' Updated: 2016-08-30 09:34 (China Daily)

P. Sommerfeld, a US captain, discusses the flight path with a co-pilot in the cockpit of a China Eastern Airlines plane in Shanghai. YIN LIQIN/FOR CHINA DAILY

Chinese airlines' demand for captains is mind-boggling: 100 pilots a week for the next 20 years

Chinese airlines need to hire almost 100 pilots a week for the next 20 years to meet skyrocketing travel demand. Facing a shortage of candidates at home, carriers are dangling lucrative pay packages at foreigners with cockpit experience.

Giacomo Palombo, a former United Airlines pilot, said he's being bombarded every week with offers to fly Airbus A320s in China. Regional carrier Qingdao Airlines promises as much as $318,000 a year. Sichuan Airlines, which flies to Canada and Australia, is pitching $302,000. Both airlines said they'll also cover his income tax bill in China.

"When the time to go back to flying comes, I'll definitely have the Chinese airlines on my radar," said Palombo, 32, now an Atlanta-based consultant for McKinsey & Co who said he was speaking in his personal capacity and not his employer's. "The financials are attractive."

Air traffic over China is set to almost quadruple in the next two decades, making the country the world's busiest market, according to Airbus Group SE.

Startup carriers barely known abroad are paying about 50 percent more than what some senior captains earn at Delta Air Lines Inc, and they're giving recruiters from the United States to New Zealand free rein to fill their captains' chairs.

With some offers reaching $26,000 a month in net pay, pilots from emerging markets including Brazil and Russia can quadruple their salaries in China, said Dave Ross, Las Vegas-based president of Wasinc International Ltd. Wasinc is recruiting for more than a dozen mainland carriers, including Chengdu Airlines, Qingdao Airlines and Ruili Airlines.

"When we ask an airline, 'How many pilots do you need?' they said, 'Oh, we can take as many as you bring," Ross said. "It's almost unlimited."

Recruits preferring to live outside China earn a bit less but are offered free flights home to visit family members. Also on the negotiating table: signing bonuses, overtime pay and contract-completion payouts. Earlier this year, Ross saw the monthly paycheck of a pilot he placed at Beijing Capital Airlines: $80,000.

"I looked at that and thought, 'Man, I'm in the wrong line of business', Ross said from Vienna, where he was interviewing candidates for Chengdu Airlines. "They can live like a king."

By comparison, the average annual salary for senior pilots at major US airlines such as Delta is $209,000, according to KitDarby.com Aviation Consulting. Some US regional airlines pay $25,000 or less, according to the Airline Pilots Association.

Aviation is booming in China, where the number of airlines has increased 28 percent to 55 in the past five years. The fleet has more than tripled in a decade to 2,650, according to the Civil Aviation Industry Statistics Report.

The growing ranks of low-cost airlines favor single-aisle jets such as the A320, which can seat about 180 people. With passenger numbers in China increasing 11 percent last year, carriers are scheduling more flights to handle demand. And that requires more captains.

Offering a fat paycheck is the only option for the newest carriers because they have minimal brand recognition and a limited performance record, said Liz Loveridge, who's responsible for China recruitment at Rishworth Aviation in Auckland. Chinese airlines are paying as much as five times more than some Asian rivals for new hires, she said.

"They can't attract people through any other means," Loveridge said. "They think money's the only answer."

A French stewardess serves passengers on a plane of China Eastern Airlines. Yin Liqin / FOR CHINA DAILY

The lucrative packages go some way toward compensating recruits for relatively long waits that precede their deployment in operations. It might take two years for a pilot to start work in China after applying for a job.

"It's the documentation, the work permits, the immigration, the medicals," she said. "They say they want pilots, but there aren't the resources."

About 30,000 pilots fly for Air China, China Eastern Airlines and dozens of competitors, while about 2,200 foreign pilots have transport licenses, according to the government's Annual Report of Chinese Pilot Development. South Korea, the US and Mexico contribute the most expatriates, and there's also a lone Zimbabwean aviator.

Foreigners willing to captain a Boeing 737 for Urumqi Airlines can earn $21,333 a month, according to recruiter VOR Holdings. They would be based in Urumqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

VOR also advertises similar roles at Xiamen Airlines, with annual pay potentially topping $332,000.

"There aren't a lot of expat pilots who really want to go to China," said Richard Laig, Manila-based partner for the Asia-Pacific region at consultancy Mango Aviation Partners Ltd. "There are places that are more comfortable."

The imported aviators may do more than just chip away at a pilot shortagethey can bring decades of experience to the flight deck. The Asia-Pacific region's accident ratenot just crashes but incidents such as landing gear malfunctionshas increased since 2011, according to the International Air Transport Association.

That safety record also is worse than the global one. In Asia Pacific, there were 3.2 accidents per million flights last year, compared with a worldwide rate of 1.8 per million. The Bloomberg Asia Pacific Airlines Index has declined about 10 percent this year.

"Some of the airlines see some value in having a Western accent in the cockpit," Loveridge said. "They've got experience."

Bloomberg
Voters in Southeast Minnesota are expected to play a key role in deciding whether Republicans or Democrats are calling the shots in St. Paul next year.

Democrats are angling to win back control of the Minnesota House by picking up seven seats in the November election. Meanwhile, Republicans have their sights set on reclaiming the Minnesota Senate. To do that, they'll need a net gain of six seats. In Southeast Minnesota, both political parties are zeroing in on five key races in the battle for control.

"To say the majority runs through the 1st District, runs through southeastern Minnesota, is not an understatement," said Minnesota DFL Chairman Ken Martin.

Of the 201 legislative seats on the ballot, relatively few are competitive, according to University of Minnesota political scientist Larry Jacobs. He estimates about two dozen House seats are in play and even fewer Senate seats. The biggest challenge for legislative candidates this year simply may be getting voters' attention at a time when the presidential race is dominating the headlines.

"The election to the Minnesota statehouse is the most important for our everyday lives, but it's also the least appreciated, gets the least amount of press coverage and least amount of voter attention," Jacobs said.

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Voters living in one of these targeted districts likely can expect plenty of door knocking and campaign mailers as candidates duke it out to get attention. Based on interviews with political insiders, these are the five legislative races to watch in southeast Minnesota.

1. House District 25B

Republicans see this seat in Rochester as a prime pickup opportunity. Last year, DFL Rep. Kim Norton announced she would not seek re-election, setting up a fierce political fight over the open seat. The race pits former Republican Rep. Fran Bradley against DFLer Duane Sauke.

House Speaker Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, said the House seat is one of six races statewide that Republicans hope to flip. He noted Bradley is a former chairman of the House Health and Human Services committee  an important position for a medical community such as Rochester.

"We like the opportunity there. Fran Bradley is a known quantity. People know him and like him," Daudt said.

But Democrats are determined to hold on to the seat. House Minority Leader Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, praised Sauke's background as a Realtor and small business owner.

"Duane is exactly the kind of candidate that Rochester voters like. He is moderate; he has a small business background and an education background. He is a veteran and comes to the table looking at issues not from a partisan perspective," Thissen said.

Republicans argue the district leans to the right. Democrats counter that while that may have been the case in the past, the district has moved to the left. In 2012, Barack Obama won the district. Voters also narrowly picked DFL Gov. Mark Dayton over Republican Jeff Johnson in 2014.

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2. House District 21A

This race also features a battle over an open seat  this one held by a Republican. Red Wing Rep. Tim Kelly opted not to seek re-election this year. Two women are fighting for the chance to replace him. Democrat Lisa Bayley and Republican Barb Haley had raised more money than any other legislative candidates in southeast Minnesota as of mid-July.

Martin said Democrats are making winning that seat a priority. He said Bayley, who serves on the Red Wing City Council, is a strong candidate.

"I think we've got a great shot at picking that seat up. That's very high on our list," Martin said.

Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Keith Downey said he expects that district to be one of the top political battlegrounds in the state. He said Haley, a businesswoman, is a good fit for the district.

"Barb is perfectly positioned given her business background and the depth of her relationship and her history in that district," Downey said.

3. Senate District 21

Republicans hoping to win back control of the Senate are expected to aggressively go after DFL freshmen, including Red Wing Sen. Matt Schmit. Running against him is nuclear plant worker Mike Goggin.

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Schmit won the seat in 2012 after defeating freshman GOP Sen. John Howe. His victory came in spite of the fact both House seats in the district are represented by Republicans. Downey said Goggin is a solid candidate thanks in large part to his name identification in the district. His father, Joe Goggin, was president of Red Wing Shoe Co.

"His name recognition for a first-time candidate is going to be extremely high with his Red Wing connections and his family connections there," Downey said.

Martin said Schmit has a strong record to stand on headed into the November election.

"Matt, I think, has really distinguished himself in the legislature. He is well regarded by both sides of the aisle," he said.

4. House District 27A

In recent years, this seat has seesawed between Democrats and Republicans every two years. In 2010, Republican Rich Murray defeated DFLer Robin Brown to win the seat. Two years later, Democrat Shannon Savick won the election. In 2014, the seat flipped again with Albert Lea Republican Peggy Bennett claiming victory. In all those years, money from outside political groups poured into the district.

This year is expected to be no different. Bennett will be fighting to hold on to the seat amid a challenge from Albert Lea Democrat Gary Schindler. Martin said this seat is one of the DFL's best pickup opportunities. He said Democrats have to win seats such as this one in greater Minnesota to win back the majority.

"We've got to take back seven seats to win back the majority, and we know we can't do it without winning that Albert Lea seat," Martin said.

Downey said Republicans are confident Bennett can hold on to the seat because she represented the district well.

"(Democrats) will go all out in that district, but Peggy is such a strong candidate," he said.

5. Senate District 24

This seat is high on the target list of Republicans seeking to win back the gavel in the Senate. Freshman DFL Sen. Vicki Jensen, of Owatonna, is defending the seat she won in 2012. She is facing off against Republican Faribault Mayor John Jasinski. Similar to Schmit, both the House seats in Jensen's district are represented by Republicans.

Downey said Jasinski is a strong candidate, having served as mayor of one of the largest cities in the district. Martin said Democrats have made defending that seat a priority in November's election.
AUSTIN  After shining a spotlight on the local arts scene, Jennie Knoebel will be taking her final bow in Austin.

Knoebel, executive director of the Austin Area Commission for the Arts, will resign from her position effective today. She is headed to Des Moines, Iowa, to take on new responsibilities as the arts learning manager for the Iowa Arts Council.

"My journey in Austin has been an amazing homecoming, " Knoebel said. "I couldn't have asked for a better community to develop both professionally and personally."

In Iowa, Knoebel will focus on developing programs in partnership with nonprofit arts and cultural organizations, K-12 programs, colleges and universities. Rather than implementing programs, she'll be acting as a facilitator.

While growing up in Austin, Knoebel was exposed to theater, music and dance. She remembered attending Matchbox Children's Theatre plays at Riverland Community College and dancing on the Knowlton Auditorium stage at Austin High School.

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"Having grown up in Austin, I know that (the town) has always had a robust arts scene," she said. "The new programming we have built over the past five years has just given the arts some new exposure. Our efforts have become a catalyst for even more artistic activities to happen in town."

Knoebel graduated from Austin High in 1998, and took post-secondary classes at Riverland Community College. She earned her undergraduate degrees in theater and communication from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

She later earned a graduate degree in arts administration at the University of Minnesota.

To Knoebel, the arts was a tool for inclusion and an opportunity for community members to gather and share experiences in order to create a more "empathetic society." Knoebel studied the effect the arts can have on small to mid-size towns. Her goal eventually was to run an arts center in a town like Austin.

That dream was fulfilled. She became executive director of the Austin Area Commission for the Arts in 2011.

Knoebel never imagined what she and the AACA would accomplish in five years.

During her tenure, Knoebel focused her work on programming and managing the Historic Paramount Theatre. In 2012, the AACA created the Austin ArtWorks Festival. To Knoebel, it has been the proudest accomplishment of her career.

"The event came together so quickly in its first year, and was successful because each community leader involved was given free rein to use their strengths in making it happen," Knoebel said. "The festival also became a wonderful source of community pride by showcasing the creativity that was homegrown in Austin."

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By 2014, the success of the festival led to the opening of the Austin ArtWorks Center, which provided a venue for visual artists to create, display, and sell their work. The vibrancy and immense interest in the arts matched Knoebel's artistic spirit.

"I am so incredibly thankful for both the opportunity to grow the arts in my hometown, and to see the positive impact it has had on our community over the years," she said. "The AACA could not have accomplished all that we have done without the incredible support of everyone who has volunteered, given financial gifts, and participated in our activities."

The biggest ongoing challenge the AACA faces will be its financial sustainability. The organization depends mostly on donations, sponsorships, and grants in order to balance its budget, which has grown 182 percent during the last five years.

Although contributions have steadily increased, the AACA is still unable to fully meet expenditure needs. Despite those uncertainties, the arts scene in Austin will continue to paint a brighter picture of progress, Knobel said.

"I will miss the people the most," she said. "Literally blood, sweat and tears go into much of the work that we do, and I wouldn't have been able to do it without the support of incredible staff members, volunteers, collaborators, artists, musicians, authors and community leaders. In addition to sharing their hard work and passion, they have taught me how to be a better leader and person."
The public comment period for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's draft 2016 impaired waters list has been extended by 30 days, through Sept. 30.

The list is an assessment of how well lakes and streams support fishing, swimming, and other beneficial uses. Water bodies that fail to meet standards are considered "impaired." This assessment is mandated by federal law and requires a cleanup study for each impaired water body. Problems could be not fully supporting fish or invertebrates, turbidity or too many of the wrong chemicals in the water.

In all, 4,603 waters are on the list, with 582 new listings. Many of those are along rivers in the Southeast. The new list includes more for the Zumbro River than were assessed in 2014 and 2015.

Comments, which must be in writing, should be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 30 to: Miranda Nichols, MPCA, 520 Lafayette Rd N, St. Paul, MN 55155 (you must provide a return address) or miranda.nichols@state.mn.us.

For a map showing impaired, and good stretches, go to www.pca.state.mn.us/water/minnesotas-impaired-waters-list.
RED WING  Red Wing firefighters used the department's Marine One rescue boat Monday afternoon to remove a person requiring medical care from a towboat two miles north of Lock and Dam 3 on the Mississippi River.

Matt Lenz, acting Red Wing shift captain, said the call came in at 5:03 p.m. Four firefighters used the boat to reach the towboat, remove the person and bring the person to shore. The patient was taken away by Hastings Ambulance.
WINONA  Winona County received $4,752 and Wabasha County $5,246 from the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge in May to compensate them for tax revenues lost because parts of the refuge are in the two counties.

The payments were part of $167,864 made to counties, cities and townships in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois.
MINNEAPOLIS  A Michigan firefighter charged in a crash that killed two fellow firefighters and injured seven others told investigators he hadn't slept more than 45 minutes in more than 24 hours and had used marijuana hours before the crash, Minnesota prosecutors said in charges filed Monday.

Michael Allen Johnson, 28, of Baraga, Mich., showed "signs of impairment and combative behavior" when officers arrived at the scene just after 3 p.m. Saturday on Interstate 35W in the Minneapolis suburb of Blaine, according to a criminal complaint filed in Anoka County District Court.

Johnson later told investigators he believed he had fallen asleep at the wheel. He said he had been awake since 11 a.m. Friday and had not slept since then except for a 45-minute nap early Saturday. He also admitted to using marijuana early Saturday and to using cocaine two days earlier, the complaint said. Blood test results are pending.

Johnson was charged with two felony counts of criminal vehicular homicide.

The crew was from the Beartown Firefighters, which is based in Baraga on Michigan's Upper Peninsula and is managed by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs.

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Johnson was driving the third of three vehicles in a convoy headed for Utah to fight a wildfire east of Park City. He told investigators he woke up to a passenger yelling. He veered off the right side of the road, overcorrected to the left, and struck the cable barrier between the southbound and northbound lanes of the freeway, the complaint said. The vehicle rolled over and the cab separated from the box of the truck.

One witness told investigators the convoy drove past him at about 80 to 90 mph in a 70 mph zone, the complaint said. The witness reported then seeing the third vehicle swerve into the right lane about three times, then swerve again across the lane onto the right side of the road before the crash.

James Shelifoe, 23, and Alan Swartz, 25, both of Baraga, were killed. Two survivors were in satisfactory condition Monday at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. The other survivors were taken to Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids and Unity Hospital in Fridley. A spokesman for the hospitals referred questions on their conditions to the tribal government office, where officials did not immediately return calls Monday.

Johnson remained jailed in Anoka, with a first court appearance scheduled for Tuesday. Prosecutors said they were not aware of him having an attorney who could comment on the charges.

The tribal government said in a statement Sunday that the injured firefighters were expected to recover. It said 11 other firefighters were also headed to the Box Canyon fire.

The tribe said on Facebook on Monday that the deceased firefighters would be returned home Tuesday. Shelifoe's funeral is scheduled for Wednesday while Swartz's funeral is set for Thursday. The fire departments in Baraga and nearby L'Anse were raising money to support those affected by the accident.
My recent columns on Donald Trump have generated a consistent response from his supporters:

"If ... that lying psycho ... 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.

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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 through 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 now would 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 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 such as "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.

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So how do we talk to children about Trump? We tell them what Holocaust survivors have told me: What Trump is doing reminds them of 1930s Germany, and grown-ups are not going to let that happen here.

Dana Milbank is a columnist for the Washington Post.
This month's resignation of Kolloh Nimley from the state's Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage leaves large shoes to fill in the Rochester community.

The status of Rochester's council representative became a concern following a legislative shakeup and name change, as well as rumors that local ethnic council representatives would be pulled from Rochester.

The rumors appear to be half true. Rebeca Sedarski's position as regional community liaison was dropped by the Chicano Latino Affairs Council, but the Council of Minnesotans of African Heritage vowed to keep a Rochester presence in place. "We are committed to having a presence in Rochester," said Louis Porter, the council's executive director.

W.C. Jordan, president of the NAACP Minnesota and Dakotas chapter, is meeting with Porter today and said area NAACP representatives have put together a list of local residents who could fill the role. "We're going to put the names on the table and let them know there are people to fill the position," he said, noting the NAACP also is working Porter and Gov. Mark Dayton to find outstate residents for the council's board.

Still, Jordan said Nimley's decision to take a position at Workforce Development Inc. is a tremendous loss for the council's efforts in Rochester and the surrounding community. Calling her efforts "groundbreaking," he said Nimley established legislative contacts to make sure diverse voices from Southeast Minnesota were heard.

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"We knocked on some of the same doors together," Jordan said, noting the NAACP will continue knocking on those doors.

Dee Sabol, executive director of Rochester's Diversity Council, also said her organization plans to be knocking on more doors. "We're moving into a policy advocacy position that we never played before," she said.

The move wasn't spurred by the council shakeups; it has been in the works for some time. "It's a huge shift for our organization," she said, noting the organization is making a gradual change.

Sabol said the uncertainty about the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage's local presence means other organizations may need to step up. "We don't have the depth of connectivity a person in that role would have," she said of the council liaison.

Anyone filling Nimley's position likely will need time to replace the skills and connections she offered. So, we're happy to hear Porter note the council has an informal advisory board in Rochester, which can help with any transition and keep current relationships in place.

We're glad to see others willing to step up and make sure local voices are heard.

At the same time, we note that Southeast Minnesotans of African or any other heritage don't need to wait for a group such as the Diversity Council or NAACP to lift up their voices. Each of us can make sure we are heard by reaching out to state lawmakers and local government officials.

The council has a big hole to fill with Nimley's resignation, and until it finds a new voice in Rochester, we should be willing to lend our voices to deliver the needed messages.
Gov. Eddie Calvo yesterday admonished members of the 33rd Guam Legislature for passing a budget package, which he said falls woefully short of providing for government services in the upcoming 2017 fiscal year.

Although the six Republican lawmakers in the minority voted in lockstep with eight of their Democratic colleagues and passed the 2017 fiscal budget in a 14-to-1 vote, Calvo maintained the funds appropriated to operate the government of Guam are lacking.

Oyaol Ngirairikl, spokeswoman for the governor, told the Post that agency heads were directed to provide Calvo with impact assessments on the effects some $55 million in budget cuts will have across the board. With the general fund slashed by $55 million, the question comes up again, where will this money come from? asked the administration yesterday.

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Weve asked folks to make their assessments and ensure that the agencies have the necessary funding to provide the requisite services and meet the mandates as required by law, Ngirairikl said. She said that once completed, the overall impact to individual agencies will be assessed and concerns prioritized.

Ngirairikl said that in its preliminary assessment, the administration had already found areas of concern.

The legislatures fiscal year 2017 budget fails our GovGuam retirees and our islands most vulnerable, the fiscal team stated in a late release yesterday. These are just the first of the concerns raised by the fiscal teams initial assessment of the budget bill that the legislature sent to the governors office this morning.

The release noted, the legislature appropriates only a portion of needed amount and charged that legislative leaders fail to fund services with the budget bill.

We all want to save money but we also have a responsibility to fulfill. And this budget bill falls short of providing for those services. Thats just the beginning of what my team has found so far, Calvo said. The vice speaker slashed $55 million from the budget but that savings, if you want to call it that, comes at a cost. His budget bill fails to appropriate the money needed to provide the service.

Calvo cited a request by the Department of Administration and the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center during budget talks to provide additional funding for the Residential Treatment Fund because of an increased client load. Calvo said it costs $2.4 million but just $1.6 million was appropriated and will exacerbate a needed amount of $3.2 million in fiscal 2017.

This was communicated to the legislature, Calvo said. "And again no response."

'I have to figure out the budget'

Calvo was also critical of broader transfer authority provided in the budget in an effort by lawmakers to provide flexibility.

In these last few months, the vice speaker has criticized the administration for having a deficit. Yet, it is precisely this type of legislative financial wizardry that got us into a deficit; they are once again making false and empty promises because they didnt appropriate from viable fund sources, Calvo said. Now they send a bill that essentially slashes the budget, and then gives me transfer authority with nothing to transfer to cover the shortfalls they failed to address. The message Im getting from the vice speaker and speaker of the legislature is that I have to figure out the budget. And if thats the case, they should have just gone with the budget I gave them.

Calvo expressed grave concern about the government of Guam retirees medical, dental and life insurance match, which was not adequately funded to the tune of $13.8 million in the current year.

This was brought to the attention of the legislature months ago but nothing was done, Adelup said. In this budget bill, the governor is authorized to use his authority to transfer $10 million. Where does the vice speaker intend the governor to pull that $10 million from? And what about the existing $3.8 million?

On Monday, lawmakers passed the budget bill contained in Substitute Bill No. 250-33. The spending package contained $55 million less than the governors proposed general fund spending plan. Sen. Michael San Nicolas voted against the budget bill.

The adopted budget reduced the governors original general appropriation request of $736.4 million to $681.2 million.

Cut, Cap, Balance

Vice Speaker Benjamin Cruz, legislative appropriations chairman, dubbed the budget packet as a "Cut, Cap and Balance" plan. He touted the overwhelming bipartisan support which adopted conservative revenues.

Cruz said the budget reflects realistic revenue projections and moderate growth in line with the forecasts of Guams economic experts, while still covering all existing government personnel requirements.

In total, the budget bill contains a $937.29 million spending package. The amount is inclusive of the projected general fund revenue, which is anticipated to be $820.18 million; the special fund revenue, which brings in $208 million; and federal matching grant-in-aid revenue of $48 million.

Out of the $820.18 million, $125 million from the anticipated general fund revenue was set aside for tax refunds; another $13.9 million for the 2 percent general fund reserve; and the remainder of the general fund  $681.2 million  was appropriated to support government services through fiscal 2017.

Aside from cutting $55 million from the governors proposed general fund spending plan, the budget bill caps future borrowing by reducing the government of Guams debt ceiling, and ensures that revenues remain at realistic levels  offering a far more fiscally conservative plan than originally proposed by the executive branch, according to the vice speakers office.

Cruz maintained that the proposed budget furnishes the governor with the flexibility needed to address priorities within the executive branch through a lump-sum appropriations and expanded transfer authority  providing extraordinary tools for effectively managing the governments resources.
Tianjin Port links sea and rail routes Updated: 2016-08-30 09:58 By YANG ZIMAN in Beijing/ZHANG MIN in Tianjin(China Daily)

Workers walk past containers at Tianjin Port in this May 13, 2010 file picture. [Photo/Agencies]

Tianjin Port is strengthening its connection to the Middle East and Europe by transport systems that seamlessly integrate sea and rail shipment.

The first sea-railway container station in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region was opened in Tianjin Port, the largest port in northern China, at the end of June.

Construction was started on the hub in July 2009, as a collaboration of Tianjin Port and the Beijing Railway Bureau. Now, it has an annual capacity of 400,000 twenty-foot equivalent units.

It will be able to handle 2 million containers annually once completed.

"The rail routes have made the transport more efficient," said Xu Tieshu, assistant director of the Tianjin rail cargo station.

"Land or sea transport from Tianjin Port to Guangzhou used to take 13 to 15 days. Now, the cargo will first go to the rail container station, which will then be loaded on the train that goes directly down to Guangzhou. The trip takes only 40 hours. Moreover, the one-stop service for logistics and customs clearance along the way guarantees that the cargo will arrive on time," said Xu.

According to Xu, the Tianjin Port-Guangzhou route saves up to 800 yuan ($120) per container.

So far, Tianjin Port has been connected to three rail routes that go to four inland border ports of ChinaManzhouli and Erenhot in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, and Alataw Pass and Khorgos in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

It is also connected to more than 10 rail routes stretching into the hinterland of China, including Inner Mongolia, the Ningxia Hui autonomous region and Shanxi province.

These routes have speeded up the connection from China to the Middle East and Europe.

In May, 60 Nissan cars from Long Beach in the United States heading to Mongolia completed customs clearance in Tianjin Port.

The cargo was then transported by train through Erenhot in Inner Mongolia to Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia.

With the sea-railway combined transportation in Tianjin Port, the trip has been shortened from 60 days to 40 days, cutting the transport cost by nearly 30 percent.

In 2015, the port-and-rail transport in Tianjin Port handled 310,000 TEUs. It handled 151,000 TEUs in the first six months of 2016, up 22.5 percent from the first half of last year.

Its container throughput of the Tianjin Port in the first half of 2016 stood at 7.26 million metric tons, with cargo throughput of 270 million tons.
Bill Otis at Crime and Consequences calls attention to a Washington Post story that I think demonstrates the bankruptcy of the Justice Departments desired approach to policing Baltimore and other big cities. The story tells of two conferences that occurred simultaneously in a Baltimore church.

In one room, concerned black residents of crime-ridden neighborhoods desperately called on the police to clear the streets of drug dealers and other thugs. Meanwhile, as Bill puts it, a group of We-Know-Better DOJ lawyers (presumably with Harvard and Stanford degrees in hand) were in the room across the hall undermining their hopes.

Here is how Washington Post reporter Peter Hermann puts it:

Theyd come to the same church on the same night to confront the same quandary facing this citys beleaguered police department. But what they wanted from the police couldnt have been more different. Eight days had passed since the Justice Department issued a scathing review of the Baltimore Police Department, detailing years of racial discrimination in its law enforcement practices. Yet the 40 or so longtime residents who gathered in a West Baltimore church basement on this August night  many of whom were older black women afraid to walk to the store or leave their homes at night  had come to urge police to clear their corners of miscreants and restore order to their crime-plagued community. Please, help me, pleaded gas station owner Chaudhry Masood, whose parking lot has been overrun by loiterers and where a 17-year-old was recently shot and killed.

Thats what these law-abiding residents wanted. However:

At the same time, in an adjacent church hall, Justice Department civil rights attorneys were discussing how to overhaul the police department with another group of residents intent on curbing the abusive behavior of corner-clearing cops. Those attending included black youths long targeted by police.

No doubt the black youths told the DOJ lawyers what they came to hear  that they are victims. It might have been instructive to check the criminal records of these victims. One of them told Hermann he had three marijuana arrests. For some, three marijuana arrests might well be the tip of the iceberg.

The views of law abiding residents notwithstanding, the Obama administration believes that Baltimore cops are over-policing certain neighborhoods. However, Hermann points out that the area where the two conferences took place, though the smallest of the citys seven patrol areas, has the citys highest crime rates. In 2015, there were 66 killings in the districts 2.8 square miles, the highest among the patrol areas.

The Department of Justice thinks that the Baltimore police should pay more attention to wealthier neighborhoods where, it believes, whites use illegal drugs to about the same degree as blacks in poorer neighborhoods. However, in these neighborhoods, people arent being murdered at alarming rates. In these neighborhoods, people arent afraid to walk the streets. In these neighborhoods, residents arent begging the police to restore order.

Its disgraceful that the Obama Justice Department has taken the side of those who are making poor, predominantly black neighborhoods unsafe and virtually unlivable, while selling out those who obey the law and simply want the type of order and tranquility that most whites enjoy.
Is it still okay to make Jewish mother jokes? If not, Woody Allen is in deep trouble, and most of his old films will need to be banned.

There are two answers to this question. The diversity mongers of the identity politics left will say that it is permissible to make jokes about people who enjoy positions of power (white males, and of course Jews, because of all the old stereotypes), but all humor about ethnic and racial stereotypes of minority groups is a priori suspect and should be treated as impermissible because it is oppressive.

There is a more common sense rationale for what we call political correctness, and it is that it represents a semi-codification of what we once regarded as decent manners that are no longer well taught, along with a recognition of legitimate grievances of minority groups who are insulted by stereotypeseven if the stereotypes are positive. Of course it is rude to say to an Asian, Oh, you must be good at math, just as only a perfect ass would say to a Jew, So I imagine youre a banker? On the other hand, many gays and lesbians I know love jokes about gay and lesbian stereotypes. This is a minefield that will always resist codification. Yet that is what were trying to do, both on college campuses and in the business world.

The impulse to codify proscriptions against rudeness or racial and ethnic insults into hate speech and microaggressions is one reason why more and more comics now refuse to perform on college campuses. The second problem with diversity or sensitivity training is that it is probably backfiring. Thats the conclusion of a recent article in the Harvard Business Review (helpfully flagged this morning in the Notable and Quotable section of the Wall Street Journal.)

Why Diversity Programs Fail observes:

It shouldnt be surprising that most diversity programs arent increasing diversity. Despite a few new bells and whistles, courtesy of big data, companies are basically doubling down on the same approaches theyve used since the 1960swhich often make things worse, not better. Firms have long relied on diversity training to reduce bias on the job, hiring tests and performance ratings to limit it in recruitment and promotions, and grievance systems to give employees a way to challenge managers. Those tools are designed to preempt lawsuits by policing managers thoughts and actions. Yet laboratory studies show that this kind of force-feeding can activate bias rather than stamp it out. As social scientists have found, people often rebel against rules to assert their autonomy. Try to coerce me to do X, Y, or Z, and Ill do the opposite just to prove that Im my own person. In analyzing three decades worth of data from more than 800 U.S. firms and interviewing hundreds of line managers and executives at length, weve seen that companies get better results when they ease up on the control tactics. Its more effective to engage managers in solving the problem, increase their on-the-job contact with female and minority workers, and promote social accountabilitythe desire to look fair-minded. Thats why interventions such as targeted college recruitment, mentoring programs, self-managed teams, and task forces have boosted diversity in businesses. Some of the most effective solutions arent even designed with diversity in mind.

But easing up on the control tactics is exactly the opposite of what the identity politics groups, and the vast horde of consultants that now make sensitivity training a lucrative cottage industry, want to see happen. Or, on college campuses, the faculty for that matter. Much easier to ship off complaints to an office of discrimination and harassment and get back to your research and classes than roll up your sleeves and deal with a problem directly.
Many Minnesotans believe that their states economy performs well above the norm, and therefore vindicates the blue state policies that, for the most part, have prevailed in Minnesota for a number of years. Unfortunately, a systematic review of the facts does not bear this assumption out. On the contrary, the data show that Minnesotas economy has been average, at best, over the past 15 years.

Worse, leading indicators are nearly all pointing downward. If nothing changes, Minnesotans can expect their economy to perform below average in the years to come. Indeed, this is exactly what the states own agencies currently project.

Specifically, a thorough analysis of a broad range of economic data shows that:

 Minnesotas economic growth is now just average while productivity continues to be below average. Minnesotas growth in gross domestic product (GDP), the most basic measure of economic success, historically grew a touch faster than the U.S. However, from 2000 to the present, Minnesotas GDP growth settled to just average with the U.S. Looking at GDP per worker, the average Minnesota worker in private industry, in both goods producing and service producing sectors, is less productive than the average American worker.

 Most states have done better than Minnesota in both income growth and job growth from 2000 to the present. Minnesota ranks 30th in per capita income growth, 34th in growth in disposable income, and 28th in rate of job creation.

 The Twin Cities rank average or below average among major urban areas in economic growth and job creation. The Twin Cities area ranks ninth out of the largest 15 metropolitan areas in growth in economic output since 2001, and eighth out of 15 in job creation.

 Areas where Minnesota looks strong are driven primarily by Minnesotans work ethic rather than by a dynamic economy. Minnesotans have higher than average per capita incomes. This is largely because, compared with other states, more Minnesotans are in the labor force. Similarly, Minnesota has higher than average household incomes, mostly because the state has more two-earner and three-earner households.

***

While in the recent past Minnesotas economic performance has been mediocre, numerous danger signals indicate an even weaker future unless policy changes are made.

 In recent years, Minnesotas job growth has centered on less productive jobs. It is clear that the jobs being created are not necessarily the most valuable. In some occupations with a high impact on GDP, such as mining, information and utilities, the number of jobs has stagnated or even fallen. In contrast, the fastest growing occupations, health care and educational services, have a relatively low impact on GDP. For as long as this continues to be the case, net job growth may not imply rising average incomes.

 Minnesotas high-technology employment is declining. In 2015, there were fewer Minnesotans working in high-tech jobs than there had been in 2000, both in absolute numbers and as a percentage of the work force.

 Minnesota is suffering a dangerous decline in entrepreneurial activity. Venture capital is declining. New firm formation is falling. In addition, the rate of new entrepreneurs is below the national average and dropping.

 Productive Minnesotans are leaving the state, while residents of other states are not choosing to move to Minnesota. Every year, Minnesota suffers a net out-migration of thousands of households to other states. In 2014, the net household income lost in this out-migration was $948 million, a figure that has been rising steadily. Minnesota now ranks 47th among the states as a net destination for households with incomes over $200,000. The overwhelming majority of this loss of Minnesota residents is to lower-tax states.

 Minnesotas own agencies predict the states future performance to be below average. Minnesota Management and Budget projects growth in personal income and jobs to be lower than the national average in each of the next four years. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development projects that in the ten years from 2014 to 2024, Minnesota will underperform the nation with respect to job creation in 19 of the 22 major job categories.

***

For most of its history, Minnesota has enjoyed a strong and diverse economy. That history built up a high standard of living. Minnesota has long held key advantages that should contribute to a more productive and prosperous economy. Minnesota is among the nations leaders in educational attainment, family cohesion, workforce participation, health, cultural amenities and low crime. Minnesota also possesses abundant agricultural, mining, and timber resources.

Despite all of these advantages and the states prosperous past, the analysis of Minnesotas economy reviewed here shows that Minnesotas recent economic performance is mediocre. Worse, data show a declining level of business creation, entrepreneurship, investment and job growth in key industries, all of which weaken future growth prospects. It seems clear that if the state continues on its present course, its economic performance will soon lag well behind that of most other states. Indeed, lagging growth is exactly what official economic projections predict will happen.

Are Minnesotas blue-state policies responsible for its economic underperformance? There is no question Minnesotas higher tax and regulatory burdens add to the cost of doing business. In recent years, Minnesota has increased these burdens while a number of other states, such as North Carolina, Indiana and Tennessee, have taken serious steps to reduce them. Without any other obvious weak pointsbeyond the inescapable realities of the states northern localeMinnesotas tax and regulatory burdens are among the only suspects at the scene of Minnesotas mediocre economic performance.
The conventional wisdom holds that Republicans will maintain control of the House even if Donald Trump loses the presidential election decisively. However, most of those who subscribe to this view believe that the Democrats have some hope of taking the House.

How might the Democrats accomplish this? According to the New York Times, the plan is to target seats held by Republicans in affluent suburbs of big cities. The Times explains:

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.

As Stanley Kurtz points out, Republicans in such areas have an issue that seems tailor-made to counter the Democrats in affluent suburban districts. That issue is President Obamas transformative new Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) regulation, which we have often discussed.

It seems unlikely that affluent suburban voters, whatever their view of Donald Trump, want the federal government forcing their localities to build low income housing in their neighborhoods and import poor people from other counties, or even other states, to live in these units. Yet this is whats in store (and in a few areas is already happening) under AFFH.

House Republicans were nearly unanimous in supporting the Gosar Amendment to defund AFFH. House Democrats voted en masse against the Amendment.

Thus, the way is clear for Republican candidates in difficult House races in affluent suburban districts to tout their opposition to the Obama administrations attempt to alter their neighborhoods. They can argue that a Democratic controlled House would eliminate the only real check on AFFH, thus paving the way for an end to local control of zoning, education, and transportation.

Unfortunately, according to Kurtz, Republicans have declined to make AFFH an issue in this campaign. As usual, the GOP is running scared. The party establishment is even working to unseat Rep. Gosar in tomorrows Arizona Primary.

Nominating Donald Trump isnt the only reason Republicans deserve to be called the stupid party.

Hillary Clinton isnt stupid. As Kurtz says, she has ducked repeated requests for comments on HUDs AFFH attack on her hometown. She knows that AFFH has the potential to split the Democratic coalition in two. She probably knows that Westchester Countys local leadership flipped from Democrat to Republican in response to overreach on housing policy from Obamas HUD.

If Republicans were smarter and more courageous, it would be the Democrats who would be running scared in the suburbs. But, as Kurtz concludes, thats not the Republican party weve got.
PJ Medias Tyler ONeil draws attention to the remarks of Secretary of State John Kerry in Bangladesh on Monday. Kerry explicitly asked the media to cover terrorism less, so people wouldnt know whats going on. I think that Kerrys statement truly represents the deep thoughts of President Obama. This particular deep thought forms part of the Obama administrations higher wisdom so much of which is not intended for public consumption.

Here is the context of Kerrys statement from the official State Department transcript (linked by ONeil):

Remember this: No country is immune from terrorism. Its easy to terrorize. Government and law enforcement have to be correct 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. But if you decide one day youre going to be a terrorist and youre willing to kill yourself, you can go out and kill some people. You can make some noise. Perhaps the media would do us all a service if they didnt cover it quite as much. People wouldnt know whats going on. (Applause.)

Give the man this much. I think that the Kerry solution represents a truth generally applicable to the Age of Obama. We would all be happier not knowing what is going on.

NOTE: I have borrowed the heading of this post from a PJ Media email.
AFP reports that the Islamic Republic of Iran has deployed the Russian made S-300 missile system to protect its underground nuclear facility at Fordow. The Obama administration has expressed its concern for public consumption, but its an Obama threefer. Russia flaunts its contempt for Obama; the mullahs put American ransom money to work protecting the nukes they will acquire when they choose as they advance their program under the umbrella of the JCPOA. Omri Ceren writes to provide background with his usual footnotes:

On Sunday Iran state TV broadcast images confirming that the Iranians have deployed their advanced S-300 missiles around Fordow, the underground military bunker they converted into a nuclear facility. The move sharply limits the options any future president will have against Irans nuclear program, and functionally takes the military option off the table for Fordow [a].

There are two parts to the story: Fordow and the S-300s. In both cases the Obama administration reversed commitments to block Iran. Its likely that Congress will now have to take up these issues.

Fordow

 Background  In 2009 President Obama said Fordow represents a direct challenge to the basic foundation of the nonproliferation regime [b]. In April 2012 the President gave Iran a last chance to negotiate a deal, which would have to include what the NYT described as the immediate closing and ultimate dismantling of Fordow [c]. In Dec 2013 the President said we know they dont need to have an underground, fortified facility like Fordo in order to have a peaceful program [d].

 Updated administration position  In April 2015 American diplomats collapsed on those conditions to facilitate Iranian agreement to the nuclear deal framework: the deal not only allows Iran to keep Fordow open but puts it under international sponsorship [e]. Iran is prohibited from using the facility for uranium enrichment until the deal expires, but: 1st, theres no technical reason the centrifuges there cant be reconverted to enriching uranium in a short time, according to Olli Heinonen at FDD and, 2nd, Iran can reestablish Fordow as a uranium enrichment centrifuge plant with a capacity far in excess of its current capacity as soon as the deal expires, according to David Albright at ISIS [f].

S-300s

 Background  In 2010 the Obama administration told reporters it had successfully blocked the transfer of S-300s to Iran by laying down a red line that the Russians wouldnt cross [g]. A Daily Beast article notes the administration crowed about it as a major foreign policy coup [h]. The State Department linked Russias decision to a recent US-pushed UNSC resolution: the resolution calls for States to exercise vigilance and restraint in the sale or transfer of all other arms and related materiel [i].

 Updated administration position  In April 2015 the Russians flipped on the ban, saying they would deliver the missiles because of substantial progress in the nuclear talks [j]. President Obama said he was frankly surprised it took the Russians so long to change their stance, prompting CNNs Jim Sciutto to comment hes sort of thanking Russia [k][l]. State Department spokesperson Harf said we, look, arent going to speculate into Russias decision making [m]. In April 2016 the Russians started delivering S-300 parts. State spokesperson Kirby told journalists were going to continue to monitor this closely. I do not have any specific decisions with respect to sanctions [n]. In June 2016 the administration responded to a letter from Rep. Chabot  which had been sent two months before  again refusing to commit to pushing back: we regret the delay in responding to your inquiry Both Secretary Kerry and the President take this issue very seriously, and we appreciate your concern [o].

There are at least 3 separate U.S. statutes imposing sanctions for transferring destabilizing weapons to Iran, but the administration has consistently refused to impose them.

[a] http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/04/13/putin-s-missile-could-make-u-s-attacks-on-iran-nearly-impossible.html

[b] http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/26/world/middleeast/26nuke.html

[c] http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/08/world/middleeast/us-defines-its-demands-for-new-round-of-talks-with-iran.html

[d] http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/events/2013/12/06-saban-forum-2013/president-obama-remarks-white-house-release.pdf

[e] http://en.mehrnews.com/news/118708/Fordow-to-become-nuclear-physics-research-center

[f] http://www.foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/062515_Albright_Testimony.pdf

[g] http://foreignpolicy.com/2010/09/23/how-the-obama-team-convinced-russia-not-to-sell-arms-to-iran/

[h] http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/04/13/putin-s-missile-could-make-u-s-attacks-on-iran-nearly-impossible.html

[i] http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/06/142970.htm

[j] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/04/13/examining-the-power-russias-s-300-missile-system-will-give-iran/

[k] http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/17/politics/iran-obama-russia-weapons-sale/

[l] http://freebeacon.com/national-security/obama-frankly-surprised-it-took-this-long-for-russia-to-cross-his-red-line-on-missiles-to-iran/

[m] http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2015/04/240762.htm

[n] http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2016/04/255946.htm

[o] http://freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/S300-Response.pdf
Late last week the United States Attorney for Minnesota filed a criminal complaint charging former Mohamed Roble with consiracy to support ISIS. Hes both the eleventh Minnesota man to be charged in the case and (by my count) the sixth Muhammad to make an appearance. The Star Tribune reports the story here.

Roble is another young Somali Muslim who joined in the conspiracy with the nine who have been convicted of seeking to wage jihad with ISIS in Syria. Like the only one of the ten who has not yet been convicted in the case, Roble has succeeded in his quest; he is a Minnesota man no more.

Robles case stands apart from the ten because he has taken advantage of $91,654 in payments by Minnesota taxpayers to fund his adventures with ISIS: he has dedicated the compensation paid him as a survivor of the 2007 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis to the cause. The Star Tribune summarizes this part of the story:

According to Higgins affidavit, an ATM card associated with Robles checking account was used roughly 45 times after he traveled to Istanbul. Between December 2014 and March 2015, those withdrawals totaled more than $47,000 and all came from near Gaziantep, Turkey  about 35 miles from a border crossing into Syria popular with jihadist-oriented travelers, Higgins said. Robles debit card was also used to buy clothing, sporting goods and electronics in Gaziantep before he traveled to Kilis, about 40 miles away from the ISIL stronghold Aleppo. According to trial testimony [this past May], Roble kept in touch with friends back home and his deep pockets became the source of banter among co-conspirators. In conversations secretly recorded by Bashiir, Omar described Roble as passing out money like candy in Syria. Omar said Roble purchased cars for fellow ISIL fighters and paid for several weddings.

Its a touching story if by touching we mean enraging.
Shares of two largest steelmakers suspended for at least a month Updated: 2016-08-30 15:25 By Jing Shuiyu(Chinadaily.com.cn)

A Chinese woman walks past the stand of WISCO Group (Wuhan Iron and Steel (Group) Corporation) during an expo in Beijing, December 21, 2005.[Photo/IC]

As two state-owned steelmakers restructure their major assets in view of merger, the shares of their listed units continue to be suspended for at least one month, Wuhan Iron and Steel (Group) Corporation said in an interim statement.

Wuhan Iron and Steel (Group) Corporation, China's fourth-largest steelmaker by output, planned to reorganize the assets of the iron and steel business with one of its rivals Baosteel Group Corporation, according to Wuhan Iron and Steel Co Ltd.

The move was preliminary, since they haven't signed the framework or agreement of intent, according to the previous announcements by the two steel producers.

The merger between the two largest Chinese iron and steel groups would play a leading role in reducing excess capacity of the industry, Li Lingxuan, an analyst at commodities consultancy Sublime China Information Co Ltd, was quoted as saying by National Business Daily.

Li said the task of taking capacity off, to date, hasn't meet expectations.

Daily output by major iron companies averaged 1,698,600 tons in the first half month of April, up 4.8 percent from the same period over the last month, showed data compiled by China Iron and Steel Association.

During the suspension, according to Wuhan Iron and Steel Co Ltd in a statement, the company would carry out audits, address legal and financial issues, and perform a due diligence review.
Pablo Segrelles, Economic and Commercial Counsellor at the Embassy of Spain in Nigeria, on Tuesday announced that Spain had in 2015 imported products worth N1.38trillion(4 billion Euros) from Nigeria.

Segrelles, however, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that this years economic situation in Nigeria would adversely affect his countrys importation of oil, gas and other products from Nigeria.

Until this year, the volume of trade between Nigeria and Spain was much larger than most people are aware of.

In 2015, Spain imported more than 4 billion Euros worth of products from Nigeria.

But, this would be less this year because of the fall in prices of oil and the current economic situation.

Even at this time of the year, Spain has not imported up to 300 million Euros worth of products from Nigeria, he said.

According to him, Nigerias current economic situation is really unfavorable for trade and business transactions between the two countries.

Segrelles also said that more Spanish companies that had indicated trade and investment interest in Nigeria were being discouraged by the current challenge of Nigerias foreign exchange policy.

The Envoy also expressed optimism that there was the tendency for more Spanish companies to engage in long-term trade and investment with Nigeria, for the future.

The current economic situation in Nigeria is reducing Spanish exports into Nigeria.

But I think that in the long-run, there would be a lot of Spanish companies that would do business or invest in Nigeria on long-term basis.

We hope that in the long-run, Nigerias current economic situation would recover, he added.

Nigeria established diplomatic relations with Spain in 1960.

(NAN)
The Federal Government says it will create jobs for over 758,500 youth across the country under the Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP) to boost agricultural productivity.

Mrs Karima Babangida, the National Programme Coordinator said this on Tuesday in Katsina during the inauguration of Katsina State YEAP Steering Committee.

Represented by Mr Suleiman Aliyu, Babangida said that the three-year programme was supported by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

Babangida said that 740,000 jobs would be `market-oriented for young agricultural producers, while the remaining 18,500 jobs were reserved for university graduates, nagropreneurs across the nation.

Under the market-oriented, 20,000 youths will be selected from each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

500 graduates will also benefit from the programme in each state of the federation, she said.

The coordinator revealed that 12 states were selected for the first phase of the programme, two from each of the six geo-political zones.

Babangida explained that the programme was aimed at providing employment to teeming youths through agricultural enterprises.

Mr Rabe Isa, who spoke on behalf of FAO, urged the committee members to dedicate themselves toward achieving the set goal.

He said that Katsina was also selected for the study of grazing reserves and stock routes being conducted with the aim of addressing farmers/herdsmen clash.

In his remarks, the state deputy governor, Alhaji Mannir Yakubu said that the steering committees terms of reference would assist stakeholders to design and implement value chain development plans and promote young agro-entrepreneurs.

He said other terms of reference include the signing of contracts with service providers and beneficiaries, monitor the development of agro-entrepreneurs and commodity chains, among others.

Yakubu said the state government would continue to accord agriculture a top priority so as to address unemployment, diversify the economy and guarantee food security.

The 32-member steering committee would be headed by the deputy governor, who is also the commissioner for agriculture. (NAN)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday arrested one Austin Umahi, brother to the current governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, along with two others  Chinyere Egwuche and Mabel Dikibo  over a N400million slush fund linked to the 2015 presidential campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party.

The suspects, all staff of Brass Engineering & Construction Nigeria Limited and Osborn La-Palm Royal Resort, were arrested for refusing to honour invitations by the EFCC over an ongoing investigation of both companies.

While Austin Umahi doubles as chairman of both companies, Chinyere Egwuche and Marbel Dikibo are also signatories to the companies accounts.

EFCC investigators alleged that the Director of Finance of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Nenadi Usman released N400million to the Ebonyi State chapter of the PDP for the 2015 presidential election.

The said fund, the investigators said, was moved from Fidelity Bank Abakaliki on March 27, 2015, to an Access Bank, Abakaliki, account, where one Maxwell Umahi further moved N100, 000,000 and N300, 000,000 respectively into the accounts of Brass Engineering & Construction Nigeria Limited and Osborn La-Palm Royal Resort respectively.

One of the suspects, Chinyere Egwuche, subsequently withdrew the N300 million paid into the account of Osborn La-Palm, which according to her was used to finance the construction of Osborn La-Palm Hotels in Abakaliki, Uburu and Port Harcourt, while the N100 million paid into the account of Brass Engineering and Construction Nigeria Limited was transferred to a certain David Umahi Faith Foundation.

Although investigation is still ongoing, EFCC operatives said the companies to which the funds were transferred were traced to the Ebonyi State governor.
The All Progressives Congress on Tuesday said it was given power by Nigerians to do what is impossible.

The party, however, said it would try its best to bring the ongoing suffering of Nigerians to an end.

Yes, we are elected to do the impossible; we will do our best. I just want to plead that people should give us more realistic expectations, The Punch quoted APC national chairman, south, Segun Oni, as saying on Tuesday.

Mr. Oni said the Nigerian economy was already damaged by the PDP before President Buhari was voted into office, adding that the opposition party was fixated with having a perpetual grip on power.

The economy was traumatised by a government whose only agenda was to win another round (of elections). Therefore, everything that they could put into trying to win a second round, even bastardising the economy, was done and we are all here, Mr. Oni, a former governor of Ekiti State, said.

Mr. Oni said Nigerians should be thankful that the APC was voted into office and to turn around the dangerous path the countrys economy had descended to under the PDP government, saying it could have been worse.

The reality on ground is that, if the previous government were (still) in power by now, Nigeria would have virtually packed up, maybe many of us would have become refugees by now.

Mr. Onis comment came few days after his partys chairman, John Oyegun, sparred with the PDP over the state of the economy.

Mr. Oyegun slammed the PDP for running commentaries about the state of the economy, saying the party had lost its right to criticise the policies of the federal government.

The PDP pushed back against the attacks, saying the APC ruined Africas largest economy within 15 months in office.

The PDP also played up figures about the steady growth in GDP figures and other economic indices to explain an upward mobility Nigerians enjoyed in throughout the 16 years it spent in office after taking over from successivd military governments.
Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg is in Nigeria on a business research trip.

Mr. Zuckerberg touched down in Lagos Tuesday afternoon and had his first stop at Co-Creation Hub, a technology innovative center in Yaba, Lagos, a short message on his Facebook page said Tuesday.

Mr. Zuckerberg said he met with the owners of Co-Creation Hub and children learning how to code.

The energy here is amazing and Im excited to learn as much as I can, he said.

Bosun Tijani, CEO of Co-Creation Hub, told PREMIUM TIMES the trip was an unannounced one but they hope to make maximum use of it.

He didnt tell us he was coming, but we have a lot to do together as regards entrepreneurship in technological innovations, Mr. Tijani said.

Were a technology innovation firm and he met with us to discuss how to support those building technology locally and software developers and also listen to their challenges, Mr. Tijani said. He also told the children about how he started his business and impacted some knowledge in them.

Also on this trip, he would get to know more about Nigeria and understand the market and our culture and our people, Mr. Tijani said.

Mr. Zuckerberg spent nearly two hours discussing at Co-Creation Hub about innovation, Mr. Tijani said.

Although hed been involved in different humanitarian missions across the continent, the trip is the first of such to Africa for the 32-year-old entrepreneur, his Facebook post said. It is not immediately clear how long he planned to spend in the country or other places he intended to visit.
A former Director General of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Patrick Ityoher, has cried out for being neglected by the authority.

Mr. Ityoher, an ace broadcaster, told journalists late Monday in Makurdi that his former colleagues at NTA had abandoned him since he took ill.

The NTA family has neglected me, nobody comes to see me; they are scared to visit me; instead, I hear people speculating my death every now and then, they said I died in London, he said.

The former NTA boss, who was appointed by former military Head of State, Sani Abacha, regretted that the NTA had forgotten about him too soon.

He said in other climes, he would have been remembered because of the quality programme he introduced during his tenure as its helmsman.

The 76-year-old retired broadcaster regretted the decline in the quality of programmes at the NTA and said he was missing the Sunny Side of Life shown every Sunday on NTA during his time.

Mr. Ityoher said he accepted his retirement by President Olusegun Obasanjo with gratitude to God after spending 40 years of my life in the organisation.

He appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the incumbent administration, saying the good old times will soon be back.

(NAN)
A former minister, and now chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Plateau State, Damishi Sango, has criticised President Muhammadu Buharis approach to governance, saying his policies are anti-people and dictatorial.

Mr. Sango said the level of hardship under the current administration has forced many Nigerians to live in abject poverty.

He said current events were a repeat of the harsh Nigerian economy during Mr. Buharis military government in 1983.

Buhari is not a democrat, he jailed our parents during his rule as military head of state; I was a witness to that, our people suffered severe hunger, just as the hunger that is biting now, Mr. Sango said.

The PDP leader said this on Tuesday at a press conference at the party secretariat in Jos.

He said most Nigerians who voted Mr. Buhari in 2015 were disappointed.

Not many thought the first year of Muhammadu Buhari would look like this. The pump price of petrol at 145, per litre, the Naira at 380 to a dollar, not a single road tarred, the 2016 budget in baby step, no minister has received a tranche for work, salary backlog now a routine, herdsmen as killer squads, Biafra on the rampage, Niger Delta brigands reborn, the change mantra muted jobs, he said.

Mr. Sango, a former minister youth and sport during President Olusegun Obasanjo administration, said Plateau State governor, Simon Lalong, has since assumption of office received N97 billion from the federal government, yet was owing civil servants.

On the factions in the PDP at the national level, Mr. Sango said the party will address the issues.

Our leadership challenges at the national level is an internal crisis, it will be resolved soon, Im of the opinion that both factions should unit for the sake of our great party into strive again, he said.

He assured that PDP will reclaim its mandate in 2019.
There was pandemonium at the Arik stand at the Ibom International Airport, Uyo, on Tuesday over the refusal of the management of the airline staff to explain the incessant cancellation of flights to agitated passengers, witnesses and passengers told PREMIUM TIMES.

The passengers were booked on an Arik Air flight W3 417 to Abuja which was scheduled for 11: 45am on Tuesday.

However when the passengers arrived the Arik stand for check-in, a female attendant casually told them their flight had been stood down.

The passengers said the attendant did not make any further clarification of what stood down meant to the worried passengers who demanded explanation.

In her response, the lady simply said an aircraft might come to pick them.

Not satisfied with the explanation of the Arik staff, the passengers approached the airlines station manager, who assured them that the flight would leave between 12 and 1PM.

But that did not happen as the manager and his team made no effort to explain the flight delay from 11:25am to 5pm, our sources said.

By 5:15 PM, an Arik aircraft from Lagos arrived Uyo, but was quietly moved to the hanger despite an earlier announcement that the expected flight was on its way.

When the passengers, comprising the former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Dr. Dipo Fashina; the Assistant General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Nuhu Toro; and some journalists accosted the manager for explanation, he got angry and asked everybody to keep quiet.

Prior to this incident, Arik had aborted its flight to Uyo which was to pick some officials of the NLC to Abuja. The disappointed passengers abandoned their ticket for a Dana flight to Abuja.

The station manager (whose name the passengers could not ascertain) in his explanation, which was his first contact with the passengers since 11:am, said the aircraft had a bird strike and could no longer proceed to Abuja as scheduled.

He then made to leave without any further explanation which prompted the bewildered passengers to demand that measures be put in place to address the issue.

In the process, he and his colleagues threatened to beat up some of the passengers, a witness said.

The loud argument that followed attracted a large number of security personnel who empathised with the passengers and appealed for understanding.

Although, the security personnel were mature and did not harass anybody, the Arik Staff were not as they threatened to deal with some of the aggrieved passengers and detain them if they behave rudely to the manager who was also threatening, one passenger said.

The manager later said the management of Arik had arranged to move a flight from Lagos to pick the passengers.

As of the time of publishing this report at 8:25 pm, the aircraft from Lagos was yet to arrive Uyo, and the passengers remained stranded.

Prior to the disagreement over the cancellation of the flights, some of the passengers said they telephoned the spokesman of Arik, Banji Ola, who promised to call the station manager.

Mr. Ola could not be reached to comment for this story.
The Plateau chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the state government of massive diversion of public funds.

.

Its Chairman, Damishi Sango, at a press briefing on Tuesday in Jos, claimed that the state had received more than N97 billion as revenue from the Federal Government in the last one year.

But that huge sum was conspicuously diverted into private pockets.

Instead of executing useful projects, government has opted for frivolous projects aimed at empowering families of those in government, their friends and few individuals.

We make bold to say that the state government received over N97 billion as revenue in the past one year, yet these sums are not utilised toward alleviating the suffering of the people.

For over a year now, people of the state have been languishing in pains while government wallows in corrupt tendencies, segregation, and chains of tribal and political discrimination.

In the last one year of his tenure, Gov. Lalong has collected bank loans to the tune of N18 billion without anything tangible to show for it, Sango alleged.

He also alleged that a N1.4 billion was used to purchase luxury cars for some government officials, while another N1.4 billion went into purchasing and installation of GPRS tracking devices for the vehicles for a period of one year

.

I wonder why government will waste this huge amount of money on things that matter less, especially at a time pensioners and civil servants are still being owned salaries and pensions, he said.

Sango alleged that most foreign trips embarked upon by the governor were fruitless, claiming that nothing meaningful had come out of them even when each of them usually cost an average of N300 million.

Reacting, the Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Publicity, Mark Logyen, dismissed Sangos claims as mere ranting of the leader of a drowning political party.

Reacting to the allegations will be like over-flogging a dead horse because Plateau people are already celebrating the achievements of the Lalong administration.

The PDP administration left a lot of mess and we have already set up a Judicial Commisison to unearth that; so Damishi has nothing to tell us now, he said. (NAN)
Liu Zhenyun's hit novel adapted for the big screen Updated: 2016-08-30 15:05 (CRI)

Director Liu Yulin (left) and her father and writer Liu Zhenyun. [Photo/CRI]

Veteran Chinese writer Liu Zhenyun's novel A Sentence is Worth Thousands or Yi Ju Ding Yi Wan Ju () in Chinese, has recently been adapted for the big screen.

The new film called Someone to Talk to is scheduled to hit theaters on November 11, the Singles' Day.

The director of the film is the writer's daughter Liu Yulin.

"The film is adapted on the basis of the latter half of the novel. It follows two ordinary people who encounter numerous hardships in their constant search for someone to talk to. They look long and hard to find the right person. Also these two people look very peaceful despite their tumultuous inner world."

Liu Zhenyun's novel A Sentence is Worth Thousands was published in 2009. According to the writer, its main theme is the loneliness of a society sans religion, and the complex interpersonal relationships in Chinese society that make it harder for people to confide in.

The big screen adaptation has realistic, educational purpose as Liu Zhenyun explains.

"Sometimes, a woman and her husband have been married for years and it seems the couple is going through some challenges, like infidelity. To avoid this situation happening, Someone to Talk to is the best textbook."

And according to director Liu Yulin, they've chosen the date for release on November 11, the Singles' Day out of a special consideration.

"This film is about loneliness in people's inner world. It targets those single friends, divorced people as well as those who feel the disconnection from their spouse has gradually increased over the years."

Popular Chinese actress Li Qian, Liu Bei and skit and sitcom and film actor Fan Wei will costar in the movie. Supporting roles include actress Sun Qian, Qi Xi and actor Yu Entai.

Sun Qian was one of the leads in hit TV series The Legend of Zhen Huan.

Related:

China's new film law stresses celebrity ethics
The Kaduna State Government has appointed Prof. Shehu Dalhatu and Prof. Emmanuel Chom as sole administrators of Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria, and Kaduna State College of Education, Gidan Waya, respectively.

This is contained in a statement signed by Samuel Aruwan, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity, on Tuesday.

Mr. Aruwan said the appointments, which take immediate effect, are for a period of six months.

He said the appointments were in line with the state governments commitment to strengthen the education sector.

He said the appointees replaced Prof. Dalhatu Yahaya, who until the announcement, was the rector of Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria, and Hope Gajere, who headed the Kaduna State College of Education.

Gov. Nasir El-Rufai, on behalf of the people and Government of Kaduna State, thanked the former rector and the provost for the services rendered to the state in their respective capacities.

Mr. Aruwan said that the state executive council recently approved the White Papers on the reports of the visitation panels to its tertiary institutions, where recommendations to strengthen the institutions were made.

The new administrators are expected to oversee the implementation of measures to revamp the institutions within their six month tenure.

(NAN)
A set of 12 students of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, have proceeded to the United States Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Tallahassee, to complete their undergraduate programmes.

The students will be in the US for two sessions based on an existing academic exchange programme and memorandum of understanding between FUTA and FAMIJ.

FUTA Vice-Chancellor, Adebiyi Daramola, at a departure send-off for the students, urged the students, the fourth set in a series, to sustain and improve on the already established positive image of the University during their academic sojourn in America.

He also reviewed the performance of students in the collaboration since the inception of the 4+1+1 programme under which selected FUTA students completed the last year of their undergraduate programme in FAMU, and proceed to do their masters.

I am very happy to announce to you that your predecessors in the programme have made us proud, he said.

They keep our flag flying and keep making us shine. I want you to make FUTA shine better. Since the programme started, we have received positive reports about our students. They have performed morally and academically well.

As I am talking to you, one of them who went in 2014 will be completing his Doctorate in April, 2017. This is a great feat, he is almost a Ph.D. holder.

That is why I always say the sky is not just the limit, but the starting point for the serious type. Therefore, I urge you to utilize this rare opportunity to your full advantage.

Mr. Daramola urged the students to justify their parents investment and be good ambassadors of their parents, the University and Nigeria.

He also assured the University community about his administrations effort in increasing collaboration with world class Universities.

Our collaboration with world class Universities keep soaring. By next year, our students will be going to Germany. This is because we want them to have opportunities their peers in other Universities in Nigeria dont have, he said.

Also, the Director, International Office, FUTA, Akintunde Akindahunsi, advised the students to focus on their studies and not misuse the opportunity.

According to him, America is a land of opportunities open to both success and failure, depending on ones choice.

He implored them to tread the path to success and be good ambassadors of the University.

Responding on behalf of his colleagues, Oladosun Olayinka of the Department of Metallurgical and Material Engineering (MME) assured the University Management and parents that they would be of good behavior and represent the nation well.

He thanked the Vice-Chancellor for the opportunity his tenure is offering students through the collaboration with world class Institutions; saying it had made FUTA globally relevant.

Expressing their delight, Akintola Taofeek Kayode of the Department of Electrical Electronics Engineering and Obinegbo Oluchukwu Chidinma, said they were excited about the opportunity the University had afforded them to be exposed to the outside world.

I did not expect this coming my way when I started my studies here, but I see it as Gods making, Taofeek said. I want to advise other students to study hard because there is no time success cannot come ones way.

I am really excited with this achievement. You cannot come by this opportunity in other higher Institutions in Nigeria, Chidima said. It is a rare privilege that should not be abused.
The Lagos State Government, Tuesday, began moves to charge the suspected kidnappers of the Oniba of Iba, Goriola Oseni, to court for criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, murder and armed robbery.

The government, in a statement issued by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Adeniji Kazeem, said the four suspects  Duba Furejo, Ododomo Isaiah, Reuben Anthony and Yerin Fresh  would be prosecuted in accordance with the relevant laws applicable to the alleged crimes committed.

Mr. Kazeem, who has already issued legal advice for the prosecution of the suspected kidnappers, said the suspects charge sheet would be filed expeditiously at the High Court of the State to ensure prompt prosecution of the suspects.

During the kidnap of Mr. Oseni, last month, the palace guard as well as a commercial motorcyclist were killed, while the monarch was whisked away and kept in captivity for about three weeks.

The sustained pressure and intelligence gathering from law enforcement agencies, however, led to the rescue of the monarch, while the four suspects were apprehended in the process.

Mr. Kazeem also said the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode would continue to support law enforcement agencies in the investigation and arrest of criminals, especially those involved in crimes of kidnapping, armed robbery, and murder.

Governor Ambode is committed to ensure that Lagos State becomes a no-go area for criminals who target innocent citizens for kidnapping and collection of ransom, Mr. Kazeem said.

My office will continually give the necessary support to the Police in apprehension, investigation and prosecution of criminals in Lagos State.

He, however, urged residents to promptly provide information that could lead to the apprehension of criminals, assuring that government would continue to work assiduously to ensure that criminals are brought to justice.

He also said that the State Government is desirous to prosecute to logical conclusion and promptly all criminal cases as well as ensure that suspects are brought to justice swiftly.
Over 5,000 Nigerians working at the Ogun Gungdong Free Trade Zone (OGFTZ) located in Igbesa town of Ogun State may lose their jobs if 12 foreign companies operating there carries out their threats to pull out.

The Administrative Manager of the Zone, Qianmy Dalu, gave the indication on Tuesday while speaking with PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr. Dalu said his group was reconsidering its investment in the zone following the forceful ejection of main investor, Zhongfu International Investment Nigeria Limited.

He accused one Abbey Onosanya and Wilfred Odega, a representative of Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority attached to the Zone of effecting the ejection of Zhongfu.

He also claimed that some officials of the state government invited some foreign investors called China Africa investment, with a new name of New South Group, to take over the zone, after Zhongfu International had invested massively.

Since then the zone has been thrown into confusion as all business activities in the zone have been grounded to a halt, thereby threatening the jobs of more than 5000 Nigerians still working in the various companies in the zone, Mr. Dalu said.

He further explained that, Zhongfu International was one of the tenants in the zone, which, in 2012, signed a contract agreement with the state government to manage the zone for three months, after which the contract was renewed for another three months.

He recalled that the company only secured a permanent contract with the state government after it said it could not keep developing the zone and attracting investors under a temporary arrangement.

The administrative manager said it was after that a joint venture agreement was signed on September 28, 2013, between Zhongfu International Investment, Zenith Global Merchant and the state government for a better business partnership, with Zhongfu possessing 60 per cent stake of the zone while Zenith Global Merchant and the state government shared the remaining 40 per cent.

Zhongfu is disappointed to see that the Ogun State Government, with the cooperation of NEPZA administrator at the zone plotted to install New South Group, to manage the zone, after about $60 million has been invested into the zone by Zhongfu International Investment, he said.

For several years, Zhongfu has worked tirelessly to promote the interest of the zone and invited long term investments into the free zone. The company has also brought international recognition to the state and Nigeria in general, he added.

Speaking further, he said a lot of efforts had been made to resolve the matter amicably with the parties involved.

Zhongfu and its advisers have respectfully invited dialogue with Ogun State government and followed due process in an attempt to resolve the issue. So far, those efforts have yielded no result, Mr. Dalu said.

Zhongfu International Investment therefore appeals to Governor Ibikunle Amosu to set a committee to investigate the matter for the sake of the investors, looking at the joint venture agreement with a view to finding who actually is in breach of the agreement, he said.

When contacted over the development, the Secretary to Ogun State Government, Taiwo Adeoluwa, said government has no issues with the company(s) but was only reacting to the position of the Chinese government over the deal which requested that the main investor be replaced.

As a government, we dont have problem with anybody, it was what the Peoples Republic of China sent to us that we are acting on. We want the zone to grow; we cannot disregard the diplomatic letter they sent to us in March 11, 2016. We are people friendly state, we want investors. The best person to resolve the problem is the consulate that sent the letter to us, Mr. Adeoluwa said.
ATLANTIC CITY  A referendum asking voters in the city whether they would like to see vouchers promoting school choice and tax credits for parents who homeschooling their children will appear on the ballot in November.

The nonbinding referendum, which means the city doesnt have to act if voters approve it, was presented by Councilmen Jesse Kurtz and Aaron Randolph and approved unanimously by City Council on Aug. 17.

(Council) likes the idea of people having a voice in nonbinding referendums, Kurtz said. We dont want to assume what people are thinking.

The vouchers would be redeemable at both private and public schools, pending space, and could save the city money if more students choose to attend private schools, Kurtz said. Students leaving the Atlantic City School District for private schools would reduce the districts budget, therefore lowering the citys budget as council tries to stave off a state takeover, Kurtz said.

The second part of the referendum will ask voters whether Atlantic City should give property-tax credits to parents who choose to homeschool their children.

Kurtz, who was homeschooled himself and now homeschools his children, said he doesnt think the tax credit would cause a spike in homeschooled children in the city. Instead, he said it would give parents who homeschool their children the same financial opportunity as those who choose to use the vouchers.

Were at a point in Atlantic City where we need to rethink everything were doing, including education, Kurtz said.

The idea of school choice is not new to New Jersey. In Atlantic County, six school districts are participating in the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program for the 2016-17 school year. That program allows schools to enroll students who do not live in the district, pending space.

If the proposal is enacted, Atlantic City would become the first municipality to provide school vouchers in New Jersey. There is currently no law in the state that would allow the city to give out vouchers to parents.

The proposal, however, may not cover the full cost of tuition at a private school. Instead, it would provide up to $10,000 per year for any student who receives the voucher. Kurtz said $10,000 is much lower than the current per-student cost in the Atlantic City school system, which sits around $27,000 per year.

The Atlantic City Education Association, the teachers union for the citys school district, chided the decision to put the referendum on the ballot, saying now isnt the time to take funds away from the citys schools.

We are getting legal advice and more details about the proposed voucher scheme, association President Marcia Genova said in a statement. However, it is unconscionable for anyone to even contemplate stripping even more funds from Atlantic Citys public school students.

Kurtz, however, said the referendum is not an indictment on the job that teachers and administrators do. Instead, he said it gives parents who wouldnt normally have a chance to send their children to private school a chance to do so.

He also said it could prompt people to start buying homes in the city again if they are not tied to a school district.

The union, however, said the citys financial crisis is not an excuse to start encouraging families to leave the school district.

What Atlantic City needs now is to pull together to face the economic and social crises in our community, Genova said. It is demoralizing to think that anyone would try to capitalize off of this citys economic crisis to benefit themselves financially.

Contact: 609-272-7260

Twitter @ACPressDeRosier
ATLANTIC CITY  Teachers have not yet arrived for the first day of school, but Wes Wallace is already thinking about hiring substitutes.

Wallace is district manager for Source4Teachers, which this year will take over providing substitutes in Atlantic City and Pleasantville schools. The school boards approved out-sourcing for substitutes as a way to save money and recruit from a larger pool of people.

Managing subs is no small feat. Atlantic City has almost 14,000 sub placements a year, or about 78 a day, costing the district more than $1.8 million, according to the Source4Teachers proposal. The company estimates it will save the district more than $520,000 over three years.

Wallace was at the Martin Luther King School on Monday getting the districts current subs transferred over to the Source4Teachers system and payroll. The company is also hiring new subs, and plans recruitment efforts at job fairs and local colleges, including Stockton and Atlantic Cape Community College.

Founded about 15 years ago, the company now serves 250 school districts in eight states, including about 115 in New Jersey. Locally Egg Harbor City, Mullica Township, Bridgeton, Cumberland Regional and the Atlantic City and Compass Academy charter schools use the company to provide its substitutes.

Wallace said teachers are recruited for specific districts, but can work in multiple districts. The companys online system allows teachers to sign up for specific schools and grades, and also allows schools to request specific subs. The company can also provide substitute aides and school nurses.

Wallace said a major benefit for substitutes and students is that subs can work a full-time schedule of five days a week since they are employed by Source4Teachers and not by the districts. They also have access to a 401K plan and health insurance benefits not available to part-time district subs.

Tom Forkin, a former Atlantic City teacher who lost his job in the layoffs two years ago and spent last year as a substitute, said being able to work five days a week will give students greater consistency, especially if a teacher is out for a few weeks. Last year he could only work four days a week, then another sub would have to come in.

I would come in, and students would ask me which day I was taking off that week, he said. Students need consistency, and if this gives it to them then I support it.

Large districts like Atlantic City can struggle to keep enough substitutes to cover all openings. Source4Teachers vice president for marketing Owen Murphy said individual districts dont have the manpower or budgets to actively recruit.

Pat Bishop, a retired Toms River teacher, started substituting in Atlantic City High School last year and will be back this year, as will math teacher Joseph Cox. Both said they enjoy teaching at the diverse high school, but agreed that it can be a struggle to fill all sub positions.

I dont really need to work, but I still enjoy it, Bishop said.

Wallace said with the Taj Mahal scheduled to close, he will recruit qualified casino workers who are interested in teaching.

Substituting is a good way for them to see if they might like teaching as a career, he said. He said the company will help them get their substitute certifications from the state.

The current requirements for a substitute include having at least 60 college credits, passing a criminal background check and getting a TB test done.

Districts set their own pay rate, though Wallace said most are in the same range. Atlantic Citys is $85 per day for people with the substitute certificate, $95 per day for a sub with a four-year college degree. Long-term leave replacement teachers are paid $125 a day.

IF YOU GO: Source4Teachers will also be recruiting at the Martin Luther King School Complex in Atlantic City from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday. More information is also online at source4teachers.com

Contact: 609-272-7241

Twitter @ACPressDamico
ATLANTIC CITY  Most locals remember the closing of the Atlantic Club in January 2014 as the first of four casino shutdowns in the city within eight months.

But to Bharat and Pallavi Aggarwal, the Atlantic Clubs death was worse still. It wasnt just a once-thriving casino shutting its doors, it was their end of the citys business Boardwalk virtually shutting down with it.

We dont get new customers, says Bharat, who runs Pilanis, a clothing store on the ground floor of the Ocean Club condo towers.

But the business has been expanding  to about 5,000 square feet in three storefronts  counting on the Atlantic City Gateway project reviving the area with a new Stockton University campus and more development along nearby Albany Avenue.

Many business people in the area are banking more on other projects than on anything significant at Atlantic Club anytime soon.

Atlantic Club owner TJM Properties, a private company, reported nothing has changed in the eight months since a deal for a water park there fell through. The Atlantic Club is still on the market, a spokeswoman said.

Elizabeth Terenik, Atlantic Citys planning director, said Monday officials have heard smaller business owners frustration with that big, empty business at their end of the Boardwalk.

Were trying to address vacant and abandoned properties throughout the city, said Terenik, who has warned frequently of the problems those empty buildings create for neighbors and the city. And obviously, when a property is that big, it has more of an effect.

Other merchants say they are also missing a big neighbor, with 800 hotel rooms and almost 60,000 square feet of casino space, to draw traffic past their places.

The day they closed, we closed, says Frank Sharp, who helps run the family-owned Boardwalk Grill, with a menu ranging from hot dogs to waffle-chili fries.

The family used to be landlords on the small space, a few doors closer to the Atlantic Club. But when the casino closed, the tenants didnt make it. Thats why we had to step in, Sharp says.

With the Atlantic Club locked, Tropicana Atlantic City is now the last casino open for people heading that direction on the boards, so most of the foot traffic either stops at Tropicana or turns and heads back the other way.

After the Trop, they just keep them up at that end of town, said Ed Bridge, of Johns Parking, behind the Boardwalk Grill.

Four months after it closed, the Atlantic Club was bought by TJM Properties, a private company owned by Terence J. McCarthy of St. Petersburg, Florida. The sale price was $13.5 million for a complex whose founder, Las Vegas gambling mogul Steve Wynn, first sold it in 1987 at $440 million.

It was known as the Golden Nugget in those golden days, and in 2005, its sale price was up to $513 million. But the casino went through a string of owners and name changes  from Ballys Grand to The Grand to the Atlantic City Hilton to simply ACH  before it officially became the Atlantic Club in March 2012.

In January 2015, TJM announced a deal to sell its Atlantic Club to a Pennsylvania-based developer, Endeavor Property Group, for an undisclosed price. A few months later, Endeavor said it planned to open a water park in the hotel, which started some ripples of excitement in the area. But by early this year, that deal was off.

The Gaggiano family runs Celebrity Corner, a restaurant and bar on the Boardwalk level of the Ocean Club, and the Chelsea Beach Bar, on the sand near the boutique hotel called The Chelsea.

The big, empty casino complex nearby affects us severely, said Gabriella Gaggiano, one of the operators. With the Atlantic Club being closed, our business is down approximately 60 percent, which is huge when you have a seasonal business.

Contact: 609-272-7237
Drivers have saved $18.9 billion at the pump this summer compared with last year, and summer gasoline rates are lower than at any time since 2004, according to a report compiled by petroleum analysts.

At least 10 projects planned along Black Horse Pike A seven-mile stretch of the Black Horse Pike in Egg Harbor and Hamilton townships is running

Industry experts predict that gasoline prices will plummet in New Jersey after Labor Day, but a proposed increase in the state gas tax, a major storm in the Gulf of Mexico or a change in international oil markets could alter the expected downward trajectory.

Patrick DeHaan, a senior analyst for GasBuddy.com, which helps users find cheap gas in their area, said prices normally dip after the busy summer season.

The yearly trajectory would be for gas prices to decline, DeHaan said.

He added that federal Environment Protection Agency regulations calling for cleaner-burning fuel in the summer will end Sept. 15, opening the market for cheaper winter gas. Last week, average gas prices in New Jersey stood at $2 per gallon, but DeHaan said he expects rates to drop into the $1.80 range next month.

EHT road remains closed Friday after gas main fire EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP  A section of Ocean Heights Avenue remained closed on Friday following 

New Jersey fuel prices are 21 cents cheaper per gallon than the national average, but a proposed 23-cent increase in the state gas tax could close that margin. DeHaan said he expects the measure to be passed in Trenton before it is passed along to consumers.

I think its just a matter of time, he said. Its going to be a direct tax on the motorists.

He added that gas stations would likely add the amount of the tax to their rates almost immediately after the increase is implemented. The money from the gas tax would likely go toward the states struggling Transportation Trust Fund, which has run out of money for new projects.

In addition to the gas-tax decision, DeHaan said, several other factors could disrupt the expected decrease in gas prices. Extreme weather can play a part in rate hikes, especially storms hitting the Gulf of Mexico.

Hurricane Katrina caused gas prices to jump 20 cents per gallon in 2005. Smaller storms, like recent flooding in Louisiana, make less of an impact but can still affect prices, DeHaan said.

Extreme flooding is causing disruption to refiners of crude oil, said DeHaan, who added that Louisiana is probably the second most important state for gasoline production in the country.

OPEC, an international group of 14 oil-producing countries led by Saudi Arabia, could also step in to raise prices. The organization has threatened to cut production to increase value.

OPEC has continued to attempt to prop up the price of oil through its ministers, DeHaan said, adding that the organization has become known for making empty threats.

Still, a sudden hike in gas prices nationwide would come as a surprise. DeHaan estimates that rates in New Jersey, without the tax increase, will drop between $1.50 and $1.70 per gallon by the end of the year.

Contact: 609-272-7411
Six emerge after yearlong Mars simulation Updated: 2016-08-30 02:45 (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Scientists celebrate as they exit from their Mars simulation habitat after a year of near isolation. [Photo/Agencies]

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 in the dome on a Mauna Loa mountain could go outside only while wearing spacesuits.

On Sunday, the simulation ended, and the scientists emerged.

Cyprien Verseux, a crew member from France, said the simulation shows a mission to Mars can succeed.

"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," Verseux said.

Christiane Heinicke, a crew member from Germany, said the scientists were able to find their own water in a dry climate.

"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.

Tristan Bassingthwaighte, an architecture PhD candidate at the 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.

Kim Binsted, principal investigator for the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation program, said the researchers are looking forward to getting in the ocean and eating fresh produce and other foods that weren't available in the dome.

The program is an international collaborative research hosted and run by the University of Hawaii and funded by NASA, Binsted said.
PLEASE BE ADVISED: Soon we will no longer integrate with Facebook for story comments. The commenting option is not going away, however, readers will need to register for a FREE site account to continue sharing their thoughts and feedback on stories. If you already have an account (i.e. current subscribers, posting in obituary guestbooks, for submitting community events), you may use that login, otherwise, you will be prompted to create a new account.
On Labor Day weekend, Atlantic City will have a little something for everyone  art enthusiasts included  as the Atlantic City Boardwalk Art show returns Sunday.

The show, a collaboration between the Atlantic City Arts Commission, the Claridge Hotel and Ventnor Cultural Arts Center, will feature artists work along the Boardwalk as well as in Brighton Park.

The show includes a variety of fine arts, fine crafts and a variety of interactive artists from the tri-state area. Several art mediums including painting, photography, fine jewelry and more will be on the Boardwalk. There will be prizes awarded and given out at the show this year, said chairwoman and event project manager Donna Marie Shea.

Volunteer and artist Jane Bodoff said that while some of the artists are from out of state, many are locals. Even the music, which will play throughout the day, will be provided by homegrown musicians.

Were going to have some fantastic live music that someone will be playing or performing all day, said Bodoff. Its a really good lineup of extremely talented local musicians.

The Atlantic City Ballet will also perform at the event at the amphitheater in front of the Claridge Hotel, where food and beverages will be sold.

A.C. Ballet opens new season in roomier home at Caesars ATLANTIC CITY  Although the art of ballet is not necessarily known for breaking tradition, 

Bodoff said the event is very family oriented, with fun activities such as body painting and face painting.

It will be a lovely event and a nice way to spend part of your day or all of it if you so choose, she said. Its really fine art and fine craft, produced right here in South Jersey.

The event is free to the public, and all proceeds from the show will be used for future art events in Atlantic City.

Contact: 609-272-7217
Betty Cantrell has one piece of advice for the contestants in this years Miss America pageant: Think beyond the competition.

Cantrell, who will pass the crown Sept. 11 at Boardwalk Hall, said its easy to get lost in the pageant and the glory that comes with being crowned Miss America. But beyond the national television audience and the accolades during the crowning, Cantrell, 22, said the job of being Miss America and all the responsibilities that holds start the next day.

Remember why you want the job, she said. Its not about you.

In the past year, Cantrell has traveled around the country and internationally. She has visited troops and sick children, promoted healthy living for young people, appeared at parades and other events and carried out the other responsibilities that come with being Miss America.

The only days when she was off were days she spent traveling. Sometimes that schedule wasnt easy.

Cantrell said she was often asked if Miss America had her own private plane. No, she answers. She flew on commercial airlines, and not in the first-class section.

Between public appearances, when shes waiting for a flight, for instance, shes usually not recognized.

Its OK, because I like being incognito, she said. My travel days are days that I can just be Betty.

What got her through the long days were the results of her appearances, especially when people told her she had made their day or had made a difference in their lives.

Her first appearances as Miss America in 2015 were at Atlantic City High School and Richmond Avenue School, where she sang Let it Go from the Disney movie Frozen for the Atlantic City students in October.

Some of Cantrells favorite memories are of visiting childrens hospitals and seeing little girls smile as she placed her crown on their heads. Other highlights were the USO Tour that brought her to Japan, Kuwait, Iraq, Greece, United Kingdom, Portugal and Alaska to thank American troops and their families for their service to the country. She placed a wreath at the grave of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

I was very moved and so honored to do that, Cantrell said. The whole USO Tour was life-changing.

The Miss America Organization praised Cantrells work and said her legacy as Miss America is cemented.

Each year, Miss America brings her own gifts and individualism to the stage, said Josh Randle, chief operating officer of the Miss America Organization. Bettys talent has led to international vocal performances throughout her year. From performing with the Philly Pops Orchestra to entertaining troops at military bases around the world with the USO, Bettys voice has touched countless lives and will continue to be her legacy as Miss America 2016.

After her reign as Miss America, Cantrell will return to the 700-acre farm in Warner Robins, Georgia, where she grew up.

I just dont want to travel anymore, Cantrell said. She has been home only a handful of times this year. I want to sit on the couch and take some time to relax.

After the break, Cantrell plans to graduate from Mercer University and then move to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a country music career.

Cantrell said she does not want to be defined by this past year of her life.

I feel like its a chapter of my life, not the whole book, she said of being Miss America. I kind of want to leave this part in the past and look toward the future.

Contact: 609-272-7260
Abundant sunshine and warm ocean water should make for great beach weather along the Jersey Shore this week.

But swell from an offshore hurricane is expected to lead to an increasing rip current risk that swimmers and surfers should be wary of.

The National Weather Service is predicting an enhanced risk of rip currents through Tuesday, due in part to Hurricane Gaston, which is forecast to remain well east of Bermuda and well out to sea.

Meteorologists expect the rip current risk to be elevated this weekend but likely peak Monday and Tuesday, as long-period swells from Gaston work toward the South Jersey coast.

Beach patrols are prepared for the higher risk but stress its even more important this time of year to swim only when lifeguards are present.

According to Renny Steele, captain of the Sea Isle City Beach Patrol, fewer lifeguards in late summer, plus the warm but more dangerous ocean, is certainly less ideal than the calmer waters of June and July.

What's in a name? How Atlantic hurricanes get their names The peak of hurricane season arrives over the next few weeks, and is forecast to be the most

Hurricanes are most likely to bring increased swell and rip current risk to South Jerseys beaches during the first two weeks of September.

But as the peak of summer has passed, most shore towns cut down on the number of available lifeguards. Steele said Sea Isle has 20 percent fewer lifeguards compared to the midsummer peak.

Most South Jersey beaches are still guarded, but the higher rip current risk in late August and September can keep lifeguards busy.

Lifeguards are able to ascertain where rip currents are and are there to help keep people out of dangerous situations, Steele said, adding that most swimmers are unable to spot rip currents or assess the danger.

Rip currents have claimed three lives along the Jersey Shore this summer. Two people died off Long Beach Island in separate incidents in June. Most recently, a Maryland man died Aug. 9 after trying to rescue his nephew from a rip current off an unguarded Wildwood beach.

Most beach patrols also have had to respond to dozens of after-hours rescues throughout the summer, due to more people swimming after lifeguards are off duty and the unusually warm and inviting ocean water.

Earlier this month, the ocean water off Atlantic City reached 83.3 degrees, the warmest temperature ever recorded at Steel Pier.

The National Weather Service advises swimmers to swim only on guarded beaches and to never swim alone, at night or near jetties or other structures, where rip currents are more likely to form.

The rip current risk is forecast to diminish by the middle of next week, as Gaston weakens and moves farther out to sea.

Contact: 609-272-7247

Twitter @ACPressSkeldon
Assailant killed, five others wounded in attack on Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan Updated: 2016-08-30 13:17 (Xinhua)

File photo of the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan. [Photo/Sputnik]

BISHKEK - A lone assailant was killed and five others were wounded in a powerful explosion when the unidentified assailant drove an explosive-laden car and tried to crash it into the the Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital city on Tuesday morning.

The attack took place at around 10:00 am local time on Tuesday (0400GMT). The unidentified assailant drove a Mitsubishi car and rammed the gate of the Chinese embassy compound in Bishkek, causing a big explosion, killing himself and wounding two security guards and three local people working at the embassy.

The explosion also caused damage to the embassy door and wall, as well as buildings next to the Chinese embassy.

The embassy compound and the area in the vicinity are currently under police blockade due to security concerns, with bomb disposal experts working on the scene.

A senior Kyrgyz security officer told Xinhua that according to preliminary information, it was quite likely that the explosives planted inside the car caused the explosion, and Kyrgyz police are now investigating the identity of the assailant.
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.




EU leaders want G20 to be milestone, want refugee crisis to be focus Updated: 2016-08-30 18:24 By Fu Jing in Brussels(chinadaily.com.cn)

The European Unions executives say they are resolved to ensure the G20 Leaders Summit in Hangzhou will be another important milestone in strengthening the global economic recovery, while urging the global leaders to put the refugee crisis at the top of the agenda.

In a joint letter to the member states on Tuesday, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk, both of whom will fly to China soon, highlighted the key issues that will be discussed at the G20 summit on 4-5 September.

Saying the EU looks forward to discussing key international challenges with its G20 partners in Hangzhou, the two leaders said the G20 should continue playing a role in tackling the international refugee crisis.

We will call for scaling up of humanitarian and development assistance, resettlement, support for refugees and their host communities through international financial institutions and tackling irregular migration, the letter was cited.

The G20 has the expertise to make practical contributions through trade, development cooperation and refugees' access to education and job opportunities.

Juncker and Tusk also underlined the importance of a credible narrative for sustainable and inclusive growth, which puts to work all available policy tools  monetary, fiscal and structural, as the global outlook remains uncertain and many citizens still do not feel the benefits of growth.

They said a key target for delivery will be the G20 Hangzhou Action Plan and updated Growth Strategies.

We will call for accelerating the implementation of these strategies, keeping in mind the objective the G20 set in Brisbane to lift global growth by 2 percent by 2018, they said in the letter.

They said there are strong synergies between the investment priorities of the EU and the G20.

They added that the European Fund for Strategic Investments is firmly on track to deliver the objective of mobilizing at least 315 billion euros in additional investments in the real economy by mid-2018, having already reached more than 100 billion euro in new investments.

Other points the two leaders have mentioned in the letter include:

- The G20 countries need to stand together in combatting the financing of terrorism.

- Financial regulatory reform needs to remain high on the G20 agenda.

The G20 will discuss how to reverse the slowdown in the growth of trade and foreign investment. Urgent and effective action is needed to cut overcapacity in the steel and other sectors, including by tackling subsidies and other market-distorting measures that have contributed to it.

The summit will endorse a G20 Action Plan on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development outlining the collective contributions of the G20 to poverty reduction and sustainable development.

To contact the reporter: fujing@chinadaily.com.cn
AMSTERDAM, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Anticoagulation Monitoring and Treatment Platform Ensures Fewer Complications and Lower Care Costs



Portavita, market leader in Integrated Care Solutions for chronic care and prevention programs, has recently launched its Integrated Anticoagulation Care solution, "Portavita Anticoagulation", in Suriname. Patients with a high clotting risk in Suriname can now receive an improved treatment experience, leading to fewer complications at lower care costs.

In Suriname around 1.000 patients receive anticoagulation treatment. Their blood values have to be monitored regularly and a new dose schedule is prescribed for their medication on the basis of this monitoring results. For many thousands of people who also need anticoagulation treatment, this form of treatment was not possible due to long travel distances to hospitals, lack of specialist knowledge or lack of financial resources. The result was a much higher risk of complications in the form of TIAs, CVAs and embolisms. For cardiologist Dr. G.P. Oehlers, who works at the Paramaribo Academic Hospital, this was the reason to look for better and more efficient anticoagulation treatment support. After a great deal of research he came across the Dutch company Portavita.

e-Health solution

WiFi is used extensively in Suriname and almost everyone now has a mobile telephone. An important principle for Dr. Oehlers was therefore to find a solution that used the possibilities provided by the Internet.

After Dr. Oehlers had thoroughly researched both medical and process-based information it soon became clear to him that an anticoagulation treatment method such as the one used in the Netherlands would achieve an enormous improvement in care in Suriname. To achieve this, Dr. Oehlers recently established a new organisation in Suriname: "Thrombose Dienst Suriname N.V." or TD-Sur for short (Thrombosis Service Suriname). The anticoagulation treatment provided by this thrombosis service in Suriname is based on the decades of experience and worldwide best outcomes of Dutch thrombosis treatment and is supported by Portavita Anticoagulation.

Self-management

Portavita's Integrated Care solution utilises the latest digital technology and is compatible with all PCs, tablets and SmartPhones. Doctors, thrombosis service staff and patients have direct access to their part of the system. Patients are able to view the results, medication dose schedule and their new appointment quickly and easily via a specially developed, secure portal: the Digital Logbook.

Fewer complications thanks to improved monitoring

In the past, patients in Suriname had a blood sample taken once per month for analysis. On the basis of proven algorithms, Portavita Anticoagulation not only provides a medication dose schedule, but also advice about when the patient needs to return for an examination. The percentage of patients within the treatment range (TTR: Time in Therapeutic Range) - now approximately 45 to 50% - has increased considerably as a result. It has also promoted therapy adherence, which has also resulted in an improved TTR.

Cost savings

Because a specialist provided the anticoagulation treatment in Suriname, the costs were quite high. Thanks to the use of Portavita Anticoagulation it is now possible for well-trained thrombosis staff to take over a substantial amount of the work from the specialist. This not only saves a lot of money but also relieves the burden on the hospital. The risk of complications has also been reduced, as a result of which the total care costs per patient have decreased substantially.

Time saving

For good thrombosis treatment, patients in Suriname had to visit the hospital three times on one day: in the morning to the lab for a blood sample to be taken, later in the day to receive the result and their dose schedule and then to another location to make an appointment for their next visit to the lab. Thanks to the use of Portavita Anticoagulation, patients only need to visit the hospital or outpatient clinic once, for a blood sample to be taken. The results, the medication dose schedule and the appointment for the next treatment are now received by the patient via Portavita Digital Logbook (the patients portal).

Better quality of care

Dr. Oehlers explains: 'The new way or working means taking the care to the patient, improving and innovating the care delivered, reducing costs for the healthcare insurer and opening up the remote inland areas'.



The new way of thrombosis treatment was presented by Dr. Oehlers to the Director of the Ministry of Public Health in Suriname, who following the presentation concluded: 'This innovative treatment method clearly has added value for public health in Suriname'.

_________________________________________________

About Portavita

Since its establishment in 2002, Portavita has been developing software and services to support treatment and prevention programs for Anticoagulation, Diabetes, COPD, Cardio Vascular Risk and Care for the Elderly. A large number of thrombosis services and regional organisations in the Netherlands and Russia use Portavita. There is an increasing interest from abroad in the Integrated Care platform from Portavita, not least because Portavita's solutions demonstrably improve care and lead to cost savings. For more information about the various Portavita Integrated Care modules please visit http://www.portavita.com.

Further information

Portavita

Aloys Langemeyer

Directeur Sales & Services

Tel. +31 6 4211 8861

E-mail: a.langemeyer(at)portavita.eu



SOURCE Portavita
LIMASSOL, Cyprus, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Banc De Binary, the first regulated binary options brokerage was founded in 2012, and quickly positioned itself as an industry leader with a loyal, global base of traders. Praised for its strict adherence to the regulatory framework of the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), Banc De Binary is often viewed as the global front-runner in the financial service industry. Banc De Binary subscribes to the highest security protocols and standards with the KYC (Know Your Customer Questionnaire). All clients are required to complete the online KYC document prior to initiating trades on the platform. This is done in an effort to root out all forms of fraudulent activity, including money laundering. The overarching objective is transparency, security and accountability to clients at every step of the way.

Banc De Binary operates within a strict legal framework where the integrity of client information is safeguarded at all times. Due to the company's devotion to its clients' safety, Banc De Binary goes to extreme measures to ensure potential success amongst its traders. Thus, Banc De Binary only operates in regulated financial markets, which meet strict regulatory standards.

Deposits and withdrawals at Banc De Binary are easy to conduct, and are safe and secure at all times. A wide range of payment processing options are available, and the minimum deposit amount is $250. However, trades for as little as $1 can be made, and potential payouts can run as high as 90%. Traders are privy to generous welcome deposit bonuses on their first deposit, with a 100% bonus available for those who are found eligible. Financing options for a trading account include credit cards and bank wire transfers amongst other available methods.

All transactions are SSL-secure (secure socket layer) and the highest encryption protocols are in place at all times. The process of withdrawal is equally easy and secure. The moment a client submits a Withdrawal Request, it is passed on to the Back Office Department for processing. Processing a Withdrawal Request may take up to 5 business days to fulfill, and it will reach the client through the same method he used to deposit the funds to begin with. This process is part of Banc De Binary's commitment to promote a safe trading environment.

For more information on Banc De Binary's secure deposit and withdrawal policy, and EU regulation with CySEC you are welcome to visit Banc De Binary.

About Banc De Binary

Since its inception, Banc De Binary has undergone exponential growth and today, this broker operates offices in several countries and has over 500 employees worldwide. As a pioneer in its field and an industry leader, Banc De Binary is committed to providing traders with an all-inclusive trading experience. This includes offering an intuitive trading platform, effective trading tools, a wealth of educational material, a wide range of global underlying assets and trade options to trade as well as a professional and responsive support team. In their quest to provide a safe and transparent trading environment, Banc De Binary offers top quality binary options services and is constantly striving to improve their products and offerings.

SOURCE Banc De Binary
LAKE WORTH, Florida, Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- International cruise travelers who plan to embark from Florida to the Americas, Caribbean, Panama Canal and Antarctica this winter are being encouraged to stay an extra night or two to experience a hidden world of art and culture in The Palm Beaches.

Palm Beach County, an area more culturally dense than anywhere in the USA south of Atlanta, is the world's only destination that has a Cultural Concierge who works with visitors to curate cultural itineraries especially suited to their interests. The Cultural Concierge suggests that cruise enthusiasts take time before embarking to absorb the culture, art and history of The Palm Beaches.

Wintering in The Palm Beaches is a long-standing tradition for culturally sophisticated travelers from New York and Boston. Palm Beach County is an easy and scenic drive up the beautiful Atlantic coast from Miami or Fort Lauderdale  and well worth a detour for cultural tourism.

Visitors shouldn't miss the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, a historic house and National Historic Landmark in Palm Beach, and the Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach's world-class art museum.

Miami City Ballet sells more tickets in Palm Beach County than in Miami, with performances at Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. Also appearing at Kravis Center this season: Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg, Prague Philharmonia, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Bamberg Symphony, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Orchestre National De Lyon, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields Orchestra.

Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach will feature performances by the Vienna Boys Choir and Sir James Galway, as well as a fascinating array of art exhibitions and lectures in an intimate, historic setting.

In November, West Palm Beach's CANVAS Outdoor Museum kicks off the Art Basel season with art in public places, transforming landscapes into an interactive art experience.

Palm Beach Jewelry Antiques-Design Show in December and Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show in February feature international exhibitors of fine art, antique and estate jewelry, furniture, porcelain, furniture, Asian art, American and European silver, glass, textiles, sculpture and more.

Performances at Old School Square outdoor pavilion in the artsy seaside village of Delray Beach will include China's Shanghai Acrobats and the State Ballet Theatre of Russia. The venue also hosts the Palm Beach Poetry Festival during January.

The Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary art fair during January provides visitors with an opportunity to acquire important, never-before-exhibited works from the primary and secondary art markets.

The Downtown Lake Worth Street Painting Festival in February is the world's largest festival of its kind, with more than 250 works that transform the street into a living canvas.

These and other activities can be part of your personally customized winter itinerary in The Palm Beaches. Contact the Cultural Concierge at +1 (561) 214-8082 or concierge@palmbeachculture.com.

About the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County

The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County is the official support agency for arts and culture in The Palm Beaches, serving non-profit organizations, artists and arts districts. The Cultural Council administers $4.5 million in grants annually, supports arts and cultural education, provides capacity-building training, and advocates for arts funding and arts-friendly policies. The Council promotes Palm Beach County's cultural experiences to visitors and residents through multi-platform marketing and public information programs, including its one-of-a-kind Cultural Concierge service.

The Cultural Council presents exhibitions featuring Palm Beach County artists and provides additional programming at its headquarters in the historic Robert M. Montgomery, Jr. Building in Downtown Lake Worth. Also at the Cultural Council headquarters are the Roe Green Uniquely Palm Beach Store featuring products by Palm Beach County artists and the Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Visitor Information Center, a VISIT FLORIDA designated Florida Certified Tourism Information Center.

The Cultural Council galleries, visitor information center and store are open 10 a.m.  5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. For a complete calendar of cultural activities in The Palm Beaches, visit palmbeachculture.com.

CONTACT

Judith Czelusniak

jczelusniak@palmbeachculture.com

+1 (561) 471-1602

Related Links

https://www.palmbeachculture.com



SOURCE Cultural Council of Palm Beach County
With Proven Clinical Efficacy, Health2Sync Aims to Bring Personalized Care to Patients in Asia

TAIPEI, Taiwan, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Taiwanese startup Health2Sync secures a $3 million Series A investment led by WI Harper Group; with participation from Cherubic Ventures, iSeed Ventures, and SparkLabs Global Ventures.

Health2Sync revolutionizes diabetes care through automated care & analytics. The new funding will be used to continue product development and accelerate growth overseas in markets such as Japan, China, and Southeast Asia.

Based on a data-driven approach to diabetes care, Health2Sync is clinically proven to help patients improve blood sugar control and reduce risks of complications. Health2Sync provides insights to help patients learn what factors affect their blood sugar and make sustainable lifestyle changes. The around-the-clock care through automated analytics empowers patients to start living a healthier life. With the build-out of the Health2Sync Mobile App and Patient Management Platform, not only can caregivers provide higher quality of care, pharmaceuticals and insurance providers can also partner with Health2Sync to offer patients innovative products and solutions.

"Health2Sync has built a solution that has helped countless patients and families control blood sugar and co-exist with diabetes," said Ed Deng, Co-Founder and CEO of Health2Sync. "While half of the global diabetic population is in Asia, the region is underserved when it comes to daily and personalized care. By leveraging technology and catering to patient needs, we have demonstrated clinical efficacy. With the new capital, we will be able to continue our mission to provide personalized care for all diabetics."

Diabetes is recognized as the fastest-growing health problem in the world. Globally, diabetes affects at least 415 million people. Without good glycemic control, diabetes increases the risk of serious complications and disease. With its solution, Health2Sync has been able to improve patient outcomes. After using Health2Sync for 120 days, average HbA1c of users decreased from 8.60% to 6.89%, which led to significant reductions in risk of complications.

Edward Liu, Partner at WI Harper Group commented, "Health2Sync has an amazingly talented team with proven ability to execute. We firmly believe in Health2Sync's vision of building a unique model to personalize and scale in diabetes care. Diabetes is a problem that's hitting Asia faster than we know it, and an innovative approach to managing it is truly needed. We look forward to partnering with Health2Sync's team to build a world class company."

About Health2Sync

Founded in 2013, Health2Sync provides a comprehensive health management platform for people with diabetes. Its products combine mobile, cloud, and data analytics, enabling patients to obtain personalized care, and allows care providers and family to care for patients remotely. With the largest network of clinics and hospitals, it is the leading solution in Asia that brings an effective yet scalable solution to diabetes management.

More Info: https://www.health2sync.com/

Health2Sync App: https://www.health2sync.com/patients

Investors

WI Harper Group: www.wiharper.com

Cherubic Ventures: www.cherubicvc.com

iSeed Ventures: www.iseedvc.com

Sparklabs Global Ventures: www.sparklabsglobal.com

Press contact:

Anne Fan

Phone number: +886-2-8797-6661 ext.102

pr@health2sync.com

Related Links

https://www.health2sync.com/



SOURCE Health2Sync
"Filezilla is the most popular free FTP server for Windows out there," said Hans Andersen, Director of EnterpriseDT on the decision to introduce CompleteFTP Free. "However it is permanently in beta and has no commercial support options. There is also no upgrade path available to users when their requirements change."

"As the newest member in a family of commercially available products, CompleteFTP Free is actively maintained, with one-click upgrade options to unlock more advanced file transfer protocols and functionality."



Support is available for all users through the public Question & Answer forum. Higher level technical support is also available for purchase by users needing more urgent, personal or specific assistance.



"CompleteFTP Free continues the user-friendly interface and easy installation experience that users have come to expect from CompleteFTP," said Andersen.

To see how CompleteFTP Free stacks up against other popular FTP servers, a full list of features is now available on the EnterpriseDT blog: http://enterprisedt.com/blogs/announcements/introducing-completeftp-free/.

About Enterprise Distributed Technologies

Founded in 1999, Enterprise Distributed Technologies is a boutique software development company with specialised expertise in secure file transfer protocols.



CompleteFTP is a high performance Windows file server, supporting all secure file transfer protocols. It also supports web applications written in Javascript and collaborative file sharing. From financial institutions to aviation, thousands of organisations worldwide rely on CompleteFTP to secure file-transfer business processes.



CompleteFTP Free: http://enterprisedt.com/products/completeftp/free/

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160826/401629

Related Links

http://enterprisedt.com



SOURCE Enterprise Distributed Technologies
DUBLIN, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global and China Titanium Dioxide Industry Report, 2016-2020" report to their offering.

Titanium dioxide is one of the best white pigments on the market in terms of performance. Over the past decade, the global titanium dioxide market has been growing steadily, with an AAGR of about 5.0%. In 2015, the global titanium dioxide market size hit EUR10.17 billion, up 3.7% year on year. In 2016-2020, the global market size is expected to present a CAGR of around 4.5% and reach nearly EUR13 billion in 2020.

China is one of major producing countries of titanium dioxide worldwide. In 2015, China produced 2.323 million tons of titanium dioxide, down 4.6% year on year. Due to falling prices, shrinking demand and fierce market competition, China's output of titanium dioxide has declined for the first time in the past five years. However, the annual output is expected to climb up in 2016 thanks to rising product prices and the rebounding market.

By production process, titanium dioxide preparation is divided into two main methods: sulfuric acid and chlorination, wherein the titanium dioxide made from chlorination process shows better performance. China's capacity from chlorination process only accounts for 6.5% of the total capacity, far below the global average of 49%. Therefore, Chinese companies represented by Henan Billions Chemicals, Pangang Group Vanadium Titanium & Resources and Luohe City Xingmao Titanium Industry are stepping up the building of the related capacity.

Chemours, the world's largest manufacturer of titanium dioxide, completely (100%) adopts chlorination process. In 2015, the titanium dioxide business triggered the revenue of USD1.8 billion, of which 32% came from the Asia-Pacific region. Starting from August 2015, the company shut down Edge Moor Plant and Johnsonville Plant's No. 3 titanium dioxide production line, while centralized titanium dioxide production in the factories with cutting-edge technologies.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Overview of Titanium Dioxide

2. Global Titanium Dioxide Industry

3. China Titanium Dioxide Industry

4. Industry Chain - Upstream

5. Industry Chain-Downstream

6. Key Titanium Dioxide Enterprises in China

7. Key Foreign Titanium Dioxide Enterprises

8. Market Overview and Development Forecast

Companies Mentioned

Anhui Annada Titanium Industry Co., Ltd.

Blue Star New Chemical Materials Co., Ltd. Guangxi Branch

CNNC Hua Yuan Titanium Dioxide Co., Ltd.

Chemours

Cristal

Guangxi Jinmao Titanium Co., Ltd.

Henan Billions Chemicals Co., Ltd.

Huntsman

Jiangsu Taibai Group Co., Ltd.

Jilin Gpro Titanium Industry Co., Ltd.

Jinan Yuxing Chemical Co, Ltd.

Kronos

Luohe City Xingmao Titanium Industry Co., Ltd.

Ningbo Xinfu Titanium Dioxide Co., Ltd

Pangang Group Vanadium Titanium & Resources Co., Ltd.

Shandong DAWN Titanium Industry Co., Ltd.

Shandong Doguide Group Co., Ltd.

Shandong Jinhai Titanium Resources Technology Co., Ltd.

Tronox

Yunnan Dahutong Industry & Trading Co., Ltd.

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/2bf6b4/global_and_china

Related Topics: Chemicals, Electronic Chemicals

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com



SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Indonesian Power Rental Market 2016" report to their offering.

The Indonesian Power Generation Rental market research report includes market size, growth rates, vertical end-user split, competitive market share data and revenue forecasts to 2022.

The study is a comprehensive analysis including market share splits by fuel type (diesel-based and gas-based), output power, application, end-user group and rental provider. Furthermore, profiles of key companies, growth drivers, restraints, challenges, strategic recommendations and quotations from the industry are also included.



Applications Defined:



Standby Power/Standby: Providing generators on rental basis or rental power for the purposes of continued operations in case of the failure of main/exiting power source.

Continuous Power/Continuous: Providing rental power in areas where no other power source is available and rented power acts as the only source for providing power continually for the required duration.

Prime Power: Providing rental power for the purposes of continual or non-continual usage for variable loads/power demands, particularly for industries running motors or other equipment, which demand varying power during their usage.

Companies Featured:



Aggreko

APR Energy

PT. Sumberdaya Sewatama

Key Topics Covered:



I. Scope of Research.

a Terms & Definitions

b Market Definitions

c Executive Summary



II. Indonesia Power Rental Market Landscape

a Country Profile

b Market Measurements

c Market Drivers

d Market Restraints

e. Rental Price.

f. Revenue Forecasts, 2016-2022

g. Market Share By Revenue, By Fuel Source

h. Market Share By Revenue, By Generator Size.

i. Market Share By Revenue, By Application

j. Market Share By Revenue, By End User Industry

k. Market Share By Revenue.



II. Indonesia Power Rental Market Landscape (cont.)

l. Market Entry Barriers.

m. Market Trends.

n. The Industry Speaks.



III. Key Organizations.

a Aggreko

b APR Energy.

c Sewatama



IV Strategic Recommendations.



For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/4fvbv2/indonesian_power



Related Topics: Electricity

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com



SOURCE Research and Markets
MUMBAI and SINGAPORE, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- IPC Systems, Inc., is proud to announce that one of the company's thought leaders, Ganesh Iyer, IPC's Global Director of Product Marketing, has been invited to speak at the 8th Annual India FIX Conference in Mumbai scheduled to be held on September 1, 2016 at the ITC Grand Central. The conference is the leading electronic trading event in India and is designed for market participants trading multiple asset classes in both India and overseas markets. During his presentation, Mr. Iyer will discuss how reliable and secure connectivity throughout the trade lifecycle and the ability to rapidly access an established ecosystem of counterparties, liquidity venues, brokers/dealers, institutional investors, trade lifecycle services and market data can enable alpha generation, liquidity sourcing and risk mitigation. Mr. Iyer holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation and has been a speaker and panelist at prestigious industry events around the world.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160407/352841LOGO

About IPC

IPC is a technology and service leader that powers financial markets globally. We help clients anticipate change and solve problems, setting the standard with industry expertise, exceptional service and comprehensive technology. With customers first and always, we collaborate with each to understand their individual needs to help make them secure, productive and compliant within our connected community. Through service excellence, long-developed expertise and a focus on innovation and community, we provide agile and efficient ways for our customers to accelerate their ability to adapt to the everchanging requirements for advanced data networks, compliance and collaboration with all counter-parties across the financial markets. www.ipc.com

Certain statements contained in this press release may be forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "potential," "predict," "should" or "will" or similar terminology. Any forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual results may differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

Media Contacts

Khurram Mirza Jonelle Taylor IPC Systems, Inc. Finn Partners for IPC +1 201-253-2285 +1 646-202-9785 Khurram.Mirza@ipc.com jonelle.taylor@finnpartners.com

Related Links

http://www.ipc.com



SOURCE IPC Systems, Inc.
DUBLIN, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Latvia Tire Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2021" report to their offering.

Latvia tire market is anticipated to surpass US$ 1 billion by 2021, on account of increasing volume sales of vehicles in the country and rapidly expanding fleet size.

The vehicle fleet of the country is dominated by passenger car segment, followed by the commercial vehicle segment.



With a GDP of around USD31.28 billion in 2014, vehicle fleet (passenger cars & commercial vehicles) of over 746,000 vehicles and vehicle motorization rate of around 373 vehicles per thousand people in 2014, Latvia's tire market is poised to witness moderate growth over the next five years.



In 2015, the passenger cars and light commercial vehicles collectively accounted for more than 80% of the total automotive sales, followed by two-wheelers and medium & heavy commercial vehicle sales in the country. This consequently led to highest volume sales of passenger car tires, followed by light commercial vehicle tires. Due to lack of automotive production in the country, demand for tires in the country is entirely met through imports.



As a consequence, the passenger car tire segment held a major volume share in the country's tire market in 2015 and its dominance is anticipated to continue during the forecast period as well. Leading global tire companies operating in Latvia include Continental, Michelin, Pirelli, Bridgestone, Goodyear, Toyo, Hankook, Nokian, and Kumho, among others. Rapid urbanization, expanding automobile fleet and growing infrastructure development have been identified as the major factors anticipated to boost demand for tires in the country over the next five years.



Latvia Tire Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2021 report discusses:



Latvia Tire Market Size, Share & Forecast

Segmental Analysis - Passenger Car Tires, Medium and Heavy Commercial Tires, Light Commercial Vehicle Tires, OTR Tires & Two Wheeler Tires

Policy & Regulatory Landscape

Changing Market Trends and Emerging Opportunities

Competitive Landscape and Strategic Recommendations

Market Trends & Developments



Growth in Domestic Retread Tire Market

Increasing Penetration of Winter Tires

Rising Automotive Sales

Increasing Internet Penetration Leading to Higher Online Tire Sales

Growing Volume of Imported Passenger Car Tires

Companies Mentioned



Bridgestone Baltic SIA

Continental AG

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company

Goodyear Dunlop Tires Baltic OU

Hankook Tire Company Ltd.

Kumho Tire Co., Inc.

Nokian Tyres PLC

Pirelli & C. S.p.A.

Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd

Yokohama Scandinavia AB

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/hht75z/latvia_tire



Related Topics: Automotive Tires

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com



SOURCE Research and Markets
LONDON, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

LetterOne (L1), the international investment business, headquartered in Luxembourg, today announces a strategic partnership with FreedomPop, the disruptive US based mobile provider, based in California.

This announcement follows L1's receipt of clearance from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States ("CFIUS") to complete its $50 million investment in FreedomPop, announced earlier in the year, to assist and accelerate FreedomPop's international expansion.

L1 Technology, which aims to invest overall US$2-3 billion in mid-to-late-stage technology growth opportunities, is investing in, and looking for strategic partnerships with, leading digital pioneer companies around the world. It is looking for the next generation of OTT customer's propositions. It recently announced a $200 million investment in Uber.

FreedomPop, one of the fastest growing and most innovative mobile service providers in the world, extended its disruptive "Freemium" business model from the US to the UK and Spain earlier this year. Having successfully proven the capability to deliver free mobile service beyond the US, FreedomPop plans to open an additional 8 markets by the end of next year with the continuation of this fast rollout across Asia, Europe and Latin America thereafter.

L1 is partnering with FreedomPop to extend its deep operating relationships and knowledge of, emerging markets and telecoms which will be crucial in helping FreedomPop achieve its global targets. In addition, L1 is assisting FreedomPop to better compete in an increasingly digital and OTT centric world.

"This partnership illustrates the value and impact that L1 Technology can have, particularly versus traditional private equity and later stage venture capital investors," said Stephen Stokols, FreedomPop's CEO.

"L1 is not only capable of bringing significant capital, but also delivering valuable and accretive strategic partnerships for digital pioneer companies around the world", he said.

"L1's expertise will be used to accelerate our international expansion," added Stokols. "L1's unique ability to open new markets and new growth opportunities will deliver real value for us beyond what any typical late stage investor could do," he added.

Commenting on the investment Alexey Reznikovich, L1 Technology's Managing Partner, said:

"FreedomPop are true digital pioneers. It is disrupting the businesses of traditional mobile carriers by giving people ways to use mobile devices free of any call charges. As the telecoms market consolidates, and technologies advance, it's important to remain ahead of the curve in terms of new customer propositions."

Notes to editors

FreedomPop is a wireless internet and mobile phone service provider based in Los Angeles, California. The company provides wireless data, voice, and text services on Clearwire and Sprint's network. FreedomPop was founded in 2012 by CEO Stephen Stokols and COO Steven Sesar. Mustafa Kiral, Senior Partner at L1 Technology, will join FreedomPop's Board of Directors and help to expand FreedomPop into new markets.

L1 Technology's main office in in London. LetterOne was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Luxembourg. It is an international investment business targeting investments in sectors where it has world class expertise, and where it can generate long-term sustainable growth.

SOURCE LetterOne (L1)
PUNE, India, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The global lighting ballasts market 2016-2020 report says declining manufacturing cost of LED will be a key trend for market growth because of the government subsidies on the purchase of semiconductor equipment such as metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), which are used for manufacturing LEDs. This has encouraged LED manufacturers to increase their LED production capacity. Also, favorable government support has enabled vendors to reduce the variable cost associated with manufacturing by operating their manufacturing facility at full capacity.

Complete report on lighting ballasts market spread across 95 pages, analyzing 16 major companies and providing 46 data exhibits now available at http://www.sandlerresearch.org/global-lighting-ballasts-market-2016-2020.html .

The analysts predict that by 2020, the global lighting ballasts market will exceed 872 million units. According to the lighting ballasts market report, offering government subsidies and incentive programs will be a key driver for market growth. Global warming and the rapid depletion of non-renewable energy highlight the indispensable need for energy conservation. Currently, it is estimated that lighting applications account for more than 20% of global electricity consumption. This high consumption has led several countries worldwide to frame policies that ban the use of inefficient lighting sources and promote the use of efficient lighting sources through subsidies and tax incentive programs. These incentives are being offered by different governmental and non-governmental entities. It is generally being offered by federal, state, and local governments or by utilities because of general efficiency requirements set by the government.

The emergence of smart cities will be one of the major factors that will have a positive impact on the growth of the lighting ballasts market during the forecast period. Smart lighting helps conserve energy and lower the operational expenses and is an important aspect for the construction of smart cities. Governments have started announcing strategic partnerships with lighting manufacturers to install intelligent lighting systems and also to replace conventional street lights with automated energy-efficient LED lights. With the growing number of smart homes across the globe, the market for smart lighting and subsequently lighting ballasts will witness massive growth.

In terms of geography, APAC accounted for almost 42% of the total share of the lighting ballasts market and dominated this industry during 2015. Owing to the increased application of lighting devices in residential applications, the general lighting market in APAC is growing at a rapid rate. Moreover, the availability of low-cost labor and raw materials is attracting several manufacturers from across the globe to start manufacturing units in APAC. As a result, the region is becoming a hub for several industries, which, in turn, will increase the demand for lighting fixtures from the commercial segment as well.

The following companies are the key players in the global lighting ballasts market: Acuity Brands, Advanced Lighting Technologies, Atlas Lighting Products, Crestron Electronics, Eaton, GE Lighting, Hatch Transformers, Leviton Manufacturing, Lutron Electronics Company, MaxLite, Osram Sylvania, Philips Lighting Holding BV., Progress Lighting, Technical Consumer Products, Universal Lighting Technologies and Venture Lighting International. Order a copy of Global Lighting Ballasts Market 2016-2020 report @ http://www.sandlerresearch.org/purchase?rname=59321.

Global Lighting Ballasts Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market. To calculate the market size, the lighting ballasts market report considers the unit shipment of lighting ballast for lamps and luminaires.

Another related report is Global Digital Ballast Market 2016-2020 vendors in the vegetable factories market in Japan are increasingly investing in R&D. Vendors are developing vegetable factories for specific end-users. The market is also witnessing the installation of vegetable factories in regions that are not fit for traditional agriculture. As well, rapid changes in technology and consumer preferences are prompting vendors to deliver unique solutions to survive the current commoditization in the market. Browse complete report @ http://www.sandlerresearch.org/global-digital-ballast-market-2016-2020.html.

Explore other new reports on Lightings & Components Market @ http://www.sandlerresearch.org/market-research/semiconductor-electronics/lightings-components.

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SOURCE Sandler Research
"Mitigating the impact of power outages, the increase in distributed renewable generation at times of low use, the rising costs of base and peak power and the trend to reduce or eliminate net metering programs is opening up opportunities for solar installers to offer storage as an integral part of their solutions. Many solar installers are not battery experts, yet this expertise is what is required to select equipment to design a system that optimally integrates energy storage. We wanted to offer them an all-in-one-box solution to simplify the prospect of adding storage to meet their customer's needs," said SimpliPhi CEO Catherine Von Burg. "Installers collaborated with us on the design of this new product because they were frustrated by the lack of product readiness, adaptability and scalability, as well as the needless complexity offered by other manufacturers with cooling and thermal regulation requirements. We worked together to combine best-in-class technologies into one plug-in box that can scale without the need of ventilation, cooling or the risk of thermal runaway characteristic of other lithium ion storage technologies."

SimpliPhi assembles all the equipment into the ESS box and ships it out as a plug-and-play solution. The ESS offers three software modalities that meet the requirements of different applications, such as new and retrofit systems, including solutions that utilities can access for asset monitoring and deployment off-site for grid stabilization.

"SimpliPhi's ESS was developed to help solve many energy storage pain-points that installers have with other storage systems," said Michelle Klassen, president of LkM Solutions, who has also partnered with SimpliPhi in the development of the product. "This is why the ESS comes pre-integrated to work with microinverter, self-consumption and net-metered systems, for example."

With the first units headed to Hawaii, a full roll out of the ESS begins in the fall of 2016 for residential and commercial installers.

"Here in Hawaii, we were searching for a storage solution with lower installed costs that was faster and easier to install in more places than what was available to us. For our customers, the ability to install the SimpliPhi ESS outside gives us a major competitive advantage when bidding projects," said Mike Paul, president of Apex Electric, who also collaborated with SimpliPhi on product development.

Visit SimpliPhi at Solar Power International (Booth #1722 and the Smart Energy Microgrid Pavilion)

SimpliPhi Power will be featured in the live Smart Energy Microgrid Pavilion, as well as on the main floor at Solar Power International, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center on September 12-15, 2016. Visitors can learn about SimpliPhi's new ESS solution, portable power products, as well as low and high voltage batteries for residential, commercial and military on and off grid applications.

For technical specifications, download the ESS spec sheet here, OR to learn more about the ESS product, visit: http://simpliphipower.com/product/energy-storage-system/.

About SimpliPhi Power

Founded in 2002 as LibertyPak/Optimized Energy Storage, SimpliPhi Power designs and manufactures efficient, non-toxic and enduring energy storage and management systems that utilize lithium ferro phosphate (LFP). Based in Ojai, California, SimpliPhi combines non-hazardous energy storage chemistry with its proprietary cell and battery architecture, power electronics, Battery Management System (BMS) and methods of assembly to create safe, reliable, durable and highly scalable on-demand power solutions for the residential, commercial, military, emergency response and film industries. Integral to all SimpliPhi Power solutions is a proprietary management system that further optimizes the life-cycle, performance and durability of its batteries. SimpliPhi Power storage system components are UL certified and have been rigorously tested and passed requirements by the U.S. Army and Marine Corp. For more information, please visit SimpliPhiPower.com and follow us @SimpliPhiPower or Facebook and LinkedIn.

Related Links

http://www.simpliphipower.com



SOURCE SimpliPhi Power
ESPOO, Finland, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Picosun Oy, the leading supplier of advanced Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) manufacturing solutions, partners with A*STAR's Institute of Microelectronics (IME) in Singapore and global, prominent semiconductor industries to develop next generation chip packaging technology.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140528/689557 )



Higher and higher performance, speed, multifunctionality, reliability, and compact size are required from today's microelectronics, to answer the customers' demands, while the manufacturing costs must remain low to retain competitiveness.

The Cost-Effective Interposer Consortium brings together frontline semiconductor manufacturers and research institutes to address these challenges. Picosun joins forces with e.g. IME, Inotera Memories, STATS ChipPAC Pte. Ltd., Teradyne Corporation, Tessolve Semiconductor Pvt. Ltd., UMC, and Veeco Instruments to develop advanced, high volume manufacturing solutions for cost-efficient packaging of the chip components.

"We are happy to have Picosun as a member in the Cost-Effective Interposer Consortium. This collaborative partnership will harness the expertise of our partners, including Picosun's strong know-how in ALD, and IME's deep R&D experience to accelerate the development and time-to-market of cost-efficient next-generation electronic devices," says Prof. Dim-Lee Kwong, Executive Director of IME.

"ALD is a central manufacturing method in today's semiconductor industries, and the very technology that enables the future developments in the field. For Picosun, this is clearly our most important market area, where several world-leading IC industries already rely on our production-proven ALD solutions. We are excited to collaborate with such a number of prominent microelectronics industries and our long-time partner and valued customer, IME, in the Cost-Effective Interposer Consortium," states Juhana Kostamo, Managing Director of Picosun.

A central approach to solve many key challenges in modern microelectronics development is wafer-level 3D-integration of the components, which enables continued downscaling of the chip size while retaining high performance and reliability. Cost savings are obtained when larger number of chips can be manufactured on the same wafer. ALD is a key technology to realize the ultra-thin active layers crucial for the chip component functionality, such as high-k dielectrics for MIM (metal-insulator-metal) capacitors and high aspect ratio liners.

Picosun provides the most advanced ALD thin film coating technology to enable the industrial leap into the future, with turn-key production solutions and unmatched expertise in the field. Today, PICOSUN ALD equipment are in daily manufacturing use in numerous major industries around the world. Picosun is based in Finland, with subsidiaries in North America, Singapore, Taiwan, China, and Japan, and a world-wide sales and support network. For more information visit www.picosun.com.

Contact:

Mr. Juhana Kostamo, Managing Director (email juhana.kostamo@picosun.com; tel. +358-50-3699-565)

SOURCE Picosun Oy
Ann Cavoukian, Jules Polonestsky, and Louise Thorpe committed to advancing OneTrust's platform for data privacy compliance and Privacy by Design

ATLANTA, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- OneTrust, the leading software platform designed to operationalize data privacy compliance and Privacy by Design, announces the appointment of three new executives who will serve on its advisory board.

Joining the board are Ann Cavoukian, Jules Polonetsky, and Louise Thorpe.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402096LOGO

"We are thrilled to have Ann, Jules, and Louise join the OneTrust team in an advisory capacity," said OneTrust CEO Kabir Barday, CIPM, CIPP/US, CIPT. "Their combined experience and knowledge will enhance our services with the right legal, practitioner, and regulatory input globally to solve the real-world privacy issues of today as well as prepare for the privacy challenges of tomorrow. Their participation validates the innovation we've delivered to date, and the value of our tools for organizations globally."

Ann Cavoukian

Cavoukian served as the Privacy Commissioner of Ontario for three terms beginning in 1997. In 2014, she began her tenure at Ryerson University as the executive director of the Privacy and Big Data Institute, and is well known for her development of the internationally implemented Privacy by Design system that has been translated into 38 languages.

"With the increased importance of demonstrating Privacy by Design globally, organizations are in need of both the tools and expertise to help them operationalize and implementing Privacy by Design in practice," Cavoukian said. "I'm pleased to work with OneTrust in advancing this mission and driving Privacy by Design principles through technology"

Jules Polonestsky

Polonetsky worked as CPO for both DoubleClick and AOL, and was a commissioner for Consumer Affairs for the City of New York before joining the Washington-based Future of Privacy Forum in 2008.

"My experience as a practitioner, as well as working through the most challenging privacy topics across the Future of Privacy Forum, has helped me to understand the value of automated tools to help privacy professionals operationalize their job in order to spend more time understanding complex problems," said Polonetsky. "Working with an industry leader like OneTrust to make those tools available to professionals across levels of program maturity is an excellent opportunity to advance the privacy industry."

Louise Thorpe

Louise Thorpe worked with Vodafone for five years, serving as both a policy and compliance officer, U.K. privacy officer, and global privacy officer, until 2012. Since then, she has worked at American Express as the Chief Privacy Officer for the European, Middle Eastern, African, Latin American, and Asia-Pacific regions, and now serves as the Global Head of Privacy and Information Security Oversight.

"In a globally regulated financial organization, compliance tools are commonly used across different parts of the organization, and as privacy starts to become an increasingly important area of compliance, it's critical that the toolkit evolves with it," said Thorpe. "I'm pleased to be joining the OneTrust Advisory Board and to bring this integrated perspective to the OneTrust platform."

OneTrust Resources

About OneTrust  OneTrust, the leading software platform for privacy professionals, is designed to operationalize data privacy compliance and Privacy by Design. Our web-based console helps automate privacy impact assessments and data mapping, identify privacy risks, and enforce risk management and control activities in an integrated and agile approach. The result is the ability to demonstrate accountability and compliance with EU's data protection requirements (GDPR, BCR, Privacy Shield), and globally across privacy jurisdictions and frameworks. OneTrust is headquartered in Atlanta with an international presence, and can be found online at www.onetrust.com.

Media Contact:

Stephanie Peterman

(305) 281-7484

speterman@onetrust.com

Related Links

http://www.onetrust.com



SOURCE OneTrust
SINGAPORE, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Puma Energy, the global mid and downstream energy company, is pleased to announce the broadening of its team with two senior hires: a Global Head of Retail and Global Head of Compliance.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402490LOGO )



Alessio Torelli joins the company as Global Head of Retail from Eni Refining & Marketing where he was responsible for Retail & Smart Mobility Services in Italy. Prior to this, Mr. Torelli covered several international Retail roles, from Innovation & Development to Commercial Fleet, from Network Development to M&A in Eni and previously in Shell (from 2001 to 2011). Puma Energy operates 2,419 retail sites around the world.

Andrew McClarron joins the company as Global Head of Compliance. Previously, Mr. McClarron worked at BP (2016-1987) where he was responsible for every facet of the Ethics and Compliance programme for a number of global businesses. Puma Energy has 7,900 people hard at work in 47 countries.

Pierre Eladari, CEO for Puma Energy said "Alessio and Andrew have proven track records in their respective fields, developing outstanding operational controls in dynamic environments which are the perfect foundations for their new challenge at Puma Energy. We have consistently large ambitions for Puma Energy and these roles can contribute to driving profitable growth."

For further information visit: http://www.pumaenergy.com

SOURCE Puma Energy
MIFF 2017, organised by UBM Malaysia, is scheduled from March 8-11 at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) and Matrade Exhibition and Convention Centre (MECC). In 2018, the show is set to grow 25% bigger to 100,000 sqm at the brand new Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) and PWTC. Exhibitors in 2017 will enjoy exclusive privileges to showcase at MITEC in 2018.

Buoyed by the strong buying mood of more overseas and new buyers at MIFF 2016 driving record sales of US$908 million, the 2017 edition is witnessing again a high return rate of exhibitors.

"Based on the pace of rebookings and feedback, MIFF 2017 marks a vigorous push by exhibitors to widen their network of buyers and showcase their products because many of them want bigger exhibition space in 2018," said Ms Karen Goi, MIFF General Manager.

An annual sell-out with 500 international companies from over 12 countries and thousands of new products, MIFF remains a benchmark in global furniture trade, drawing 20,000 visitors from as many as 140 countries and regions. It now has the added boost of an online trading platform with Alibaba.com that debuted last year.

The diverse international presence, including one in four buyers coming from a neighbouring ASEAN country, bolsters MIFF's position as the ideal gateway to capture business opportunities in Southeast Asia and other emerging markets such as South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe.

Importers, exporters and wholesalers make up over half of trade visitors to MIFF, a show renowned among international buyers for quality, value and wide selection of all types of furniture including the much sought Malaysian wood dining sets, bedroom and dressing furniture.

Besides home furniture, MIFF is the only trade show in Southeast Asia featuring an extensive and the biggest collection of modern workspace solutions in the region. In line with this, a designated area named MIFF Office is created in 2017 to showcase an expected 130 companies including from Malaysia, Taiwan, mainland China, South Korea and Indonesia, displaying executive office chairs, desks, workstations, conference/meeting room furniture, reception area furniture, partitions and storage.

"We are constantly looking for ways to benefit our customers. The global demand for office furniture is picking up again and the work place and work culture are also changing. With a designated area, MIFF Office will help generate more leads for exhibitors and for buyers to better access innovative products and suppliers. In short, they will have a more streamlined sourcing and productive experience at MIFF," added Ms Goi.

Visitor registration will open in September on www.miff.com.my. Those who pre-register will receive free admission to all four days of the show, access to International Buyers Lounge, ticket to Buyers Night and a host of other benefits.

For more information about MIFF 2017 and free subscription to the MIFF e-newsletter to keep updated, click on www.miff.com.my.

About MIFF (www.miff.com.my)

Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF) is an export-oriented furniture trade show held annually in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is also a global leading trade show approved by UFI, The Global Association for Exhibition Industry. Since 1995, MIFF has nurtured invaluable partnerships between thousands of buyers and furniture makers across the globe.

Related Links

http://www.miff.com.my



SOURCE UBM Asia (Malaysia)
DUBLIN, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Saudi Arabia Electric Motors Market By Type (AC and DC), By End User (Residential, Manufacturing, Commercial, Real Estate, etc.), By Application (Pumps, Compressors, Fans, etc.), By Rating, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011-2021" report to their offering.

Electric motors market in Saud Arabia is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8% during 2016 - 2021, especially due to increasing demand from commercial and industrial sectors.

Growing number of power plants and oil rigs, coupled with rapid commercialization and urbanization is boosting demand for electric motors in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, rising demand for air conditioning and HVAC systems is also propelling growth in the country's electric motors market. Saudi Arabia's electric motors market is highly import dependent market, with only one domestic electric motor manufacturing facility operating in the country.

Presence of large oil & gas fields such as Al-hasa, Qatif, Safaniya, Al-Jauf and Turaif in the country, huge manufacturing industry base in northern & eastern regions, and increasing inflow of pilgrims visiting Makkah and Madina leading to a surge in commercial and transportation activities, are few of the major factors anticipated to boost demand for electric motors in the coming years. Electric motor refurbishment/repair services market in Saudi Arabia is also growing, due to various huge ongoing construction projects such as mega cities, metro rail and hotels.

"Saudi Arabia Electric Motors Market 2011-2021" discusses

Electric Motor Market Size, Share & Forecast

Electric Motors Segmental Analysis- By Type (AC & DC), By Application (Pumps, Compressors, Fans & Mechanical Movement), By End User (Residential, Manufacturing, Commercial, Real Estate & Others)

Saudi Arabia Electric Motor Refurbishment / Repair Services Market Size & Forecast

Policy and Regulatory Landscape

Changing Market Trends & Emerging Opportunities

Competitive Landscape & Strategic Recommendations

Market Trends & Developments

Growing Demand for Energy Efficient Motors

Flourishing Electric Motors Refurbishment & Repair Services Market

Import Driven Market for Electric Motors

Rising Penetration of Chinese & Korean Players

Increasing Industrialization

Companies Mentioned

ABB Electrical Industries Co. Ltd.

ATB SCHORCH GmbH

Alfanar Electrical Systems LLC

Ashoor Electric Motors Factory

CG Power Systems Belgium NV

Nidec Motor Corporation

Saudi French Company

Siemens Limited

TECO Middle East Electrical and Machinery Co. Ltd.

WEG Middle East FZE

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/kwdzdc/saudi_arabia

Related Topics: Motors

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com



SOURCE Research and Markets
With increasing investment and expansion in food & beverages, water treatment, construction and more, the Indonesian region will continue to see strong growth which will result in further demand for high-end, pumps, valves and boilers. Professionals in areas such as industrial and commercial expansion, chemicals, construction, energy production, water & wastewater, food processing, agro-based industries, hospitality and many others will now have a common platform to find low impact, energy efficient and cost effective pumps, valves and boilers.

Part of a portfolio of regional events of this kind, this leading trade show features the very latest technology in industrial pumps, valves, seals and other major processing components along with a wide variety of metering technology and related equipment.

Running in conjunction is BOILEX Indonesia 2017 - the exhibition of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Technology. This peculiar event will be showcasing innovative technology in steam boilers, electric boilers, fire-tube boilers, water-tube boilers and more.

Visitors profile

Industrial Users: Food and Beverages, Textile & Garments, The Electric, Power, Power Plant, Oil Refinery and Chemical & Petrochemical, Pulp & Papermaking, Printing, Sugar Mill, Animals' Feeds, Rubber and Tires, Plastics and Synthetic Resins, Rice Mill, Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Building and Construction Users: Building Engineering Companies, Real Estate, Developers, Architects, Construction Companies, Engineering, Project Departments, Property Management Companies, Decoration and Renovation Companies Government: Municipal Administration, Environmental Protection Bureau, Provincial and Municipal Production Safety Supervision & Management Institutions, Technical Supervision Business and Other Large Users: Hotel, Resorts, Hospitals etc. Agencies, Distributors, Wholesalers, Import and Export Companies for Boiler, Heat Pump and Related Equipment.

More information at: www.pumpsandvalves-indonesia.com

Budi Sutrisno

Event Manager

budi.sutrisno@ubm.com

+62 21 2930 9595 Riyan Haritama

Marketing & Communications

riyan.haritama@ubm.com

+62 21 2930 9595 ext 131

EDITOR'S NOTE

PUMPS & VALVES INDONESIA 2017 is organized by UBM.

ABOUT UBM

Owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM Asia is the largest trade show organiser in Asia and the largest commercial organiser in mainland China, India and Malaysia. Established with its headquarters in Hong Kong and subsidiary companies across Asia and in the US, UBM Asia has a strong global presence in 24 major cities with 32 offices and 1,300 staff.

UBM Asia was awarded 'Asia's Most Reliable Trade Show Organizer Award' in Hong Kong's Most Valuable Companies Awards (HKMVCA) 2016.

Related Links

http://www.pumpsandvalves-indonesia.com/



SOURCE Pumps & Valves Indonesia - UBM
LONDON, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Robotic Process Automation and Artificial Intelligence have become top strategic priorities for business executives around the globe.

As with any new trend, however, it's been exposed to considerable hype, making it difficult for executives to decipher how they can use automation to increase efficiency, and decrease costs.

In conjunction with the RPA and Artificial Intelligence Summit taking place in London on November 30 to December 2, The State of Robotic Process Automation and Artificial Intelligence report provides the necessary direction to make this new, unexplored space navigable. Using data from the organisation's extensive network of leading companies (SSON and PEX Network), the report analyses their position in the automation landscape, processes planned to be automated, general trends, and how practitioners are looking to invest in the near future.

The report can be downloaded for free here

As this report shows, society might not currently be at the peril of walking; talking robots, but it's set to reshape the enterprise in ways which were previously unimaginable.

The RPA and Artificial Intelligence Summit brings the world's leading companies together, including Lufthansa, Credit Suisse and Citi, to debate the industry's direction. You can check out the event's agenda here

The RPA and Artificial Intelligence Summit takes place from 30th November - 2nd December, 2016 in London, United Kingdom. Find the program, event details and registration information about the forum on http://www.rpaandaisummit.com , phone +44(0)207-368-9809 or email enquire@iqpc.co.uk

_____________________________________________________

Media contact: Simon Barton, +44(0)20-7368-9474, simon.barton@iqpcexchange.com or visit : http://www.rpaandaisummit.com,

Press are invited to attend this important industry forum, if you would like to a complimentary press pass please email Veronica Araujo veronica.araujo@iqpc.co.uk

SOURCE IQPC
CHENNAI, India, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The new system shatters the boundaries of manufacturing with regards to productivity, industrialization and part quality

EOS, the global technology and quality leader for high-end Additive Manufacturing (AM) solutions, introduces its highly innovative system for Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) at the IMTS show in Chicago (Sept. 12-17). Designed for industrial applications, the ultra-fast, quad-laser system expands the EOS DMLS offering by building on established EOS technology, yet taking it to the next level in terms of productivity, part quality and scalability to meet manufacturing requirements.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160826/401666 )



Andreas Graichen, Group Manager, Finspang Additive Manufacturing Centre of Competence, Siemens Power Generation Services states: "We chose the EOS M 400-4 system to bring our AM activities to the next level: from a small scale, single laser unit to a larger scale, multiple laser unit. By using a wider building platform, with the higher productivity it provides, and pairing it with a new handling system, new thinking in gas turbine design can be brought into the industrial workshop." And he adds: "The Additive Manufacturing technology provides us with the speed and efficiencies needed to progress in the energy industry's fast-moving digital environment. And as such makes Siemens a unique player in the field of highly efficient power generation technologies."

Dr. Adrian Keppler, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at EOS ads: "Following our strategy to establish the Additive Manufacturing technology for production in all industries we have developed this pioneering DMLS system. The EOS M 400-4 is a perfect addition to our industrial systems portfolio. It shatters the boundaries of manufacturing as it meets the most demanding requirements of our industry partners in terms of efficiency, scalability, usability and process monitoring." And he continues: "As the system offers a modular platform designed for industrial 3D Printing, it can easily be integrated into existing production environments and the customer set of future innovations."

Building on the trusted EOS metal AM benchmark

The EOS M 400-4 expands the high-performance offerings of DMLS systems. It offers a large building volume of 400 x 400 x 400 mm and is equipped with four 400 Watt lasers operating independently in 250 x 250 mm squares each including an overlap of 50 mm. The exceptional beam and power stability ensures highest DMLS part quality. The system builds on the well-established and validated process of the EOS M 290 technology. It takes innovation to the next production level as it quadruples productivity. As such it is the perfect choice for those Additive Manufacturing applications that need an up to four time's faster production of metal parts.

New EOS ClearFlow process gas management system

As part of the EOS M 400-4 system, the patented EOS ClearFlow process gas management technology ensures optimal and consistent processing conditions. It distributes the process gas in an intelligent way to avoid interference of the lasers with side products of the melting process. In addition, the integrated industrial-grade, recirculating filter system with its long filter lifetime significantly reduces operating times and expenses.

Intuitive software, improved usability, EOSTATE Monitoring Suite

Usability and workflow on the EOS M 400-4 have been designed to meet demanding production requirements. The intuitive software offers workflow flexibility and efficiency. The system is easily operated via a touch screen and a task-based graphical user-interface. The extensive EOSTATE Monitoring Suite ensures compliance with the requirements of industrial production: it enables monitoring of the powder bed, of a variety of parameters as well as the laser power. Data Preparation and calculation is separated from the building process: the file prepared at desk is transmitted via the network. The system focusses entirely on building parts.

Material and process portfolio

Initially, the materials EOS NickelAlloy HX as well as EOS MaragingSteel MS1 will be available for the EOS M 400-4 and more materials follow soon. Parameters can be modified to meet individual application requirements using the EOS ParameterEditor.

To learn more, visit us at the IMTS show in Chicago, USA: September 12-17, booth N-79.

About EOS

EOS is the world's leading technology and quality leader for high-end solutions in the area of additive manufacturing (AM). The company, which was founded in 1989, is a pioneer and global leader in the area of direct metal laser sintering, and also a provider of a leading polymer technology. For these industrial 3D printing processes, EOS offers a modular solutions portfolio that consists of systems, software, materials, as well as technical and AM consulting services. EOS is the partner of choice for industrial AM-based production, and provides long-term solutions for industry. Customers using these solutions are able to take advantage of light-weight structures, cost reductions based on functional integration, product customization and accelerated product development and production. http://www.eos.info

Contact:

EOS Electro Optical Systems. Co. Ltd.

Stephanie Cheong

Phone: +65-6430-0541

E-Mail: Stephanie.cheong@eos.info



SOURCE EOS India
WASHINGTON, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Step by Step Pregnancy Care app is a new revolutionary app in the Health and Fitness category. This app was conceptualized by Gina Haldeman, a Certified Nurse-Midwife, who graduated from Vanderbilt University in Nashville with a master's degree in nursing. "The idea for the Pregnancy CareApp grew out of a passion for taking care of women and empowering them to get the very best prenatal care for themselves," said Gina, the founder of the App.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402170LOGO

This app gives pregnant women, their partner, families and friends access to concrete, up-to-date information. The app has a list of all the standard recommended prenatal tests, including blood and sonograms. This app takes care of women during the pregnancy period and provides exact medical information throughout parental care. MSI LLC has hired SIMpalm, a leading Mobile App and Web Developer in Maryland, to design and develop the app with smooth navigation and simple design so that medical and health information can be easily delivered to pregnant women. Step by Step Pregnancy Care App provides a list of all standard prenatal tests and sonograms for the whole pregnancy. This app can be downloaded from both the App Store and Google Play:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/step-by-step-pregnancy-care/id1127399530?ls=1&mt=8

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.simpalm.pregnancy&hl=en

The App has several key features for pregnancy care:

This medical app provides a useful Pregnancy Flowsheet similar to one used by your service care provider to track vital signs at each doctor visit.

Flowsheet contain vital information such as baby's heath rate, blood pressure, weight & fundal height, abdomen size, and much more.

App would allow you to download and email the whole list of data containing all of your doctors visits.

Step by Step Pregnancy Care App is fully integrated with Facebook and Twitter to connect with your friends and family by sending messages to each other.

App also has My List section that allows you to save all questions before next visit to doctor.

Step by Step Pregnancy Care provides vital information about the pregnancy process and guides pregnant women through their pregnancy. This Mobile App is highly useful and recommended for pregnant women and families to take care of the pregnancy and prenatal development. It will keep you more informed and alert about all your pregnancy-related data. We will be launching more updates in near future to add more functions. MSI LLC has also created two Facebook pages in English and Spanish, Step by Step Pregnancy Care and Embarazo Paso a Paso, to connect to pregnant women and talk about pregnancy care.

About SIMpalm

SIMplam is a leading Mobile App Developer and Web Developer in USA. We have designed and developed 200+ Mobile Apps and Web Apps for Startups, Enterprises, and Government since 2009. We do full lifecycle development including design, development, testing, deployment and postproduction support. Our technology stack includes iOS SDK, Android SDK, Windows SDK, Wearable SDK, Xamarin, Titanium, PhoneGap, JavaScript, Angular JS, Bootstrap, Amazon AWS, WordPress and Kentico. Our mobile and web developers build solutions that are responsive in design and can work across all Smartphones, Desktops and Tablets.

Related Images

image1.png

image2.png

Related Links

SIMpalm

Pregnancy Care App

This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise(TM). For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com.

SOURCE SIMpalm

Related Links

http://www.simpalm.com


Background Information As a result of the Memorandum Opinion issued on June 28, 2016, in the Delaware federal court case of Temple-Inland, Inc. v. Cook, a number of questions have arisen from holders currently enrolled in Delaware SOS VDAs, as well as from those considering enrolling. Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock indicated in the Letter the importance of addressing some of the questions being asked regarding the impact of the court's opinion relative to the SOS VDA program. The Letter indicates that the court's ruling in the Temple-Inland case is limited to the specific facts and circumstances of the unclaimed property audit at issue in the case. Specifically, it states the decision was critical of several specific executive actions taken by the state escheator, which the court considered to be procedurally unfair, especially when reviewed in the totality of how the audit was conducted. Secretary Bullock states that the actions taken by the state escheator "bear little, if any, resemblance, to the administration of the SOS VDA program."

Look-Back Period

The Letter notes that after reflecting on future disposition of the look-back period question, it has been decided that "VDAs will from this point forward be settled based on a look back period of 10 years plus dormancy from the date a holder enrolled." Note: Since the Delaware dormancy period for most property types is five years, this effectively results in a 15-year look-back period in most situations. As this action results in the reduction of several years of estimation for many current VDA enrollees (whose look-back period dated back to 1996 prior to the Letter), this is generally good news for the holder community.



Estimation

The Letter notes holders are expected to "reasonably estimate" liabilities for periods in which the holder's records are unavailable or are otherwise insufficient to prepare a report of presumed past due unclaimed property liability. It also emphasizes no estimation is to be involved for non-Delaware domiciled entities, and all such estimated property would be reportable to the holder's state of incorporation or formation. However, the Letter does not appear to outline or propose any changes to the VDA program's estimation practices in light of the recent Temple-Inland decision. It is worth noting that the decision was particularly critical of the estimation methodology being used by Delaware. Thus, the fact that the Letter implies business as usual with respect to the estimation methodology appears to be at odds with the Temple-Inland decision.



Suggested 2017 Legislative Changes

The Letter further notes that some needed changes cannot be made until the Delaware Legislature reconvenes in January 2017. It indicates the SOS Office and the Department of Finance will propose additional "common sense changes" to Delaware's unclaimed property law. Three such items specifically mentioned in the Letter are (i) "a further reduction in the VDA look-back period that is in accord with most states' look back periods," (ii) a new record retention provision for unclaimed property reports tied to the current Delaware statute of limitations, and (iii) possibly a negative reporting requirement. If implemented and enacted in 2017, the proposed changes outlined in the Letter should be some good news for the holder community.



Unfortunately, the SOS guidance Letter does not address a number of the more important unclaimed property issues raised in the recent Temple-Inland federal court decision in Delaware. In particular, the lack of proposed changes to the current estimation methodology falls short of the meaningful change expected by the holder community on the heels of the Temple-Inland decision. However, it does provide a ray of hope to the holder community, by suggesting some of the open issues will be addressed through legislation when Delaware's Legislature reconvenes in 2017. Holders seeking additional clarification on how these matters relate to their specific factual situations may contact their designated Ryan Abandoned and Unclaimed Property representative or one of their Ryan contacts below.



About Ryan

Ryan is an award-winning global tax services firm, with the largest indirect and property tax practices in North America and the seventh largest corporate tax practice in the United States. With global headquarters in Dallas, Texas, the Firm provides a comprehensive range of state, local, federal, and international tax advisory and consulting services on a multi-jurisdictional basis, including audit defense, tax recovery, credits and incentives, tax process improvement and automation, tax appeals, tax compliance, and strategic planning. Ryan is a five-time recipient of the International Service Excellence Award from the Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA) for its commitment to world-class client service. Empowered by the dynamic myRyan work environment, which is widely recognized as the most innovative in the tax services industry, Ryan's multi-disciplinary team of more than 2,100 professionals and associates serves over 12,000 clients in more than 40 countries, including many of the world's most prominent Global 5000 companies. More information about Ryan can be found at ryan.com.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160125/325377LOGO

TECHNICAL INFORMATION CONTACTS:

Mark A. Paolillo

Principal

Abandoned and Unclaimed Property

Ryan

857.288.1976

[email protected]

Susan Han

Principal

Abandoned and Unclaimed Property

Ryan

442.244.2447

[email protected]

Available Topic Expert: For information on the listed expert, click appropriate link.

Mark Paolillo

http://www.profnetconnect.com/markpaolillo

SOURCE Ryan

Related Links

http://www.ryan.com


PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- AbSci announced today that the company has finalized a lease agreement to relocate its headquarters to the new Hudson Building in downtown Vancouver, WA. AbSci expects to begin renovations by the beginning of September, and plans to take occupancy of the state-of-the-art lab facility by Q4 of this year, where the company will continue to develop and commercialize its revolutionary protein production technology.

AbSci's relocation to the downtown Vancouver area is a reflection of the commitment and support the company has received from the local community, CREDC, Killian Pacific, and the State of Washington, including a commitment of $200,000 from Governor Inslee's Strategic Reserve Fund to be used for the build out of AbSci's lab.

"The life sciences and global health sector is a leading driver in Washington State and growing rapidly, representing the fifth largest employment sector and contributing $12.5 billion to the state GDP last year," said Governor Inslee. "We are excited to welcome AbSci to Vancouver and will continue to support the community's efforts to build this growing cluster in Clark County."

AbSci has experienced rapid growth over the past five years since being founded in Portland in 2011. The company currently has 14 full-time employees and anticipates adding another 20-30 new jobs within the next five years. AbSci's growth is attributed to the significant industry interest and development in the company's next-generation protein manufacturing platform, SoluPro, which offers dramatic cost, yield, and manufacturing flexibility improvements to its biopharmaceutical partners.

"We've been committed to finding a long-term home in Vancouver, but needed a space that could accommodate our unique requirements and continued growth for at least the next five years," said Sean McClain, Founder and CEO of AbSci. "The Hudson Building's modern layout allowed us to design an efficient and collaborative facility that will support the company's growth for the foreseeable future."

Killian Pacific, the developer of the Hudson Building, designed the LEED Gold-Certified building to reflect their vision for a collaborative and community office in the heart of downtown Vancouver. AbSci's plans for their space include a wide-open floor plan to encourage greater collaboration between the various teams and departments at AbSci. Taking inspiration from the historical Henry Ford & Thomas Edison lab in Fort Meyers, FL, AbSci's lab will highlight the 15 foot high ceilings, heavy wood structure, and large operable windows while housing AbSci's state-of-the-art bioprocessing equipment, and promises to be one of the best biotechnology spaces the Northwest has to offer.

"We are excited that AbSci has found a long-term home in Clark County and look forward to continuing to work with the company along with our other private and public partners to growing the life sciences ecosystem in the community," said CREDC President Mike Bomar. "The collaboration that has occurred to get to this point has created a great deal of energy and momentum on this front."

ABOUT ABSCI

AbSci is a global leader in protein production technologies. The company's SoluProTM expression platform achieves revolutionary yields of soluble and active protein products. AbSci's unique approach accelerates drug discovery timelines, increases manufacturing efficiencies, and drastically reduces costs for the biopharmaceutical industry. For more information, please visit www.abscibio.com.

SOURCE AbSci

Related Links

http://www.abscibio.com


Mr. Chadwick has over two decades of technology, finance and business management experience, primarily focused on hyper-growth and scalable enterprises. He was responsible for the development of GoDaddy.com's core Internet presence products and building the product engineering team. Prior to that, he was involved in the development of factory automation software for Motorola.

Operations

Mr. Chadwick will be responsible for the company's cloud operations, steering the Acronis global cloud infrastructure with a focus on driving security and 99.999% availability.

Acronis has a global network of 12 data centers with dozens of petabytes of data under protection. Since the introduction of Acronis Cloud in 2014, the demand for Acronis cloud-enabled services has been increasing exponentially, resulting in a triple digit percentage YoY growth. Today, cloud solutions account for more than 20 percent of the company's overall revenue.

Mr. Chadwick will manage Acronis' Global IT operations worldwide, supporting the company's global workforce. Mr. Chadwick will also be responsible for Acronis Technical Support with a focus on driving partner and customer satisfaction.

Engineering

Mr. Chadwick will also be responsible for leading the Engineering teams that drives innovation for the award-winning and recognized Acronis disaster recovery, file sync and share, and blockchain-based products:

Acronis Disaster Recovery solutions  Ensures data safety and availability. Acronis solutions enable customers to continue on with business as usual even in the event of catastrophic data loss at the primary business location.

 Ensures data safety and availability. Acronis solutions enable customers to continue on with business as usual even in the event of catastrophic data loss at the primary business location. Acronis Access Advanced and Acronis Files Cloud file sync and share solutions  Improves productivity and gives IT managers complete control over business and mobile device content to ensure security, maintain compliance, and enable BYOD.

Improves productivity and gives IT managers complete control over business and mobile device content to ensure security, maintain compliance, and enable BYOD. Acronis Notary solution - Delivers tamper-proof data protection and storage. It leverages Blockchain to ensure data authenticity, privacy and control.

Acronis Research Labs

As an innovator with strong business acumen and unparalleled expertize gained from his previous engagements with GoDaddy.com and Motorola, Mr. Chadwick will support the growing team of Acronis innovators in using innovation technology to develop new products.

Acronis Research Labs in Singapore, the U.S., and Bulgaria are rapidly advancing the company's technology through blockchain, natural language processing, and advanced machine learning.

A licensed investment banker, and a former managing director of GoDaddy.com's private equity firm YAM Capital, Mr. Chadwick has strong skills in assessing the market and producing products to meet the demand. Mr. Chadwick has also held the positions of Vice President of Technology and CTO of the technology business unit at GoDaddy.com, where he was responsible for the company's core internet presence products, running global operations and building the engineering team.

Mr. Chadwick's appointment reaffirms the Acronis commitment to expanding its cloud data protection business through developing market-leading technology and employing innovation leaders with strong team management skills. Acronis expects to increase its U.S.-based workforce by over 30 percent over the next twelve months, creating multiple jobs in the Boston area and other U.S. cities.

"We employ strong team leaders with a proven track record and bold ambitions to achieve new heights by transferring their skills to a new workplace," said Serguei Beloussov, Co-Founder and CEO at Acronis. "Mike will ensure that the new technology from our R&D centers will reach the market in the shortest time possible, while helping our partners and service providers to understand the benefits of using and selling Acronis products as a way to rapidly and easily expand their portfolios with complete data protection solutions."

"I joined Acronis due to its ambitious vision, aggressive plans, and clear strategy to deliver complete data protection solutions," said Mike Chadwick, Acronis Vice President of Engineering and Cloud Operations. "Acronis is breaking new ground in hybrid cloud data protection, and I'm excited to join the company as we build a world-class team and operation to fuel our growth."

Acronis recently launched new hybrid cloud data protection solutions, including Acronis Backup 12, Acronis Backup Cloud, Acronis Monitoring Service, Acronis Storage, and Acronis Notary, which are based on the company's new hybrid cloud architecture to support data protection and recovery in virtually any IT environment. You can read the press release here.

Acronis offers the most complete set of data protection solutions available on the market to partners and service providers worldwide. Acronis products can be easily re-branded and integrated into the customers' existing infrastructure. As a result, over 300 new businesses have joined Acronis global partner program in the last twelve months, with the number expected to reach 1,500 by 2017.

Additional Information

Follow @Acronis on Twitter: https://twitter.com/acronis

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acronis

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/acronis

Subscribe to the Acronis Blog: http://blog.acronis.com/

About Acronis:

Acronis sets the standard for hybrid cloud data protection through its backup, cloud storage, disaster recovery, and secure file sync and share solutions. Powered by the Acronis AnyData Engine and set apart by its image technology, Acronis delivers easy, complete and affordable data protection of all files, applications and operating systems across any environmentvirtual, physical, cloud and mobile. Founded in 2003, Acronis protects the data of over 5 million consumers and 500,000 businesses in over 145 countries. With more than 100 patents, Acronis products have been named best product of the year, and cover a range of features, including migration, cloning and replication. Today, Acronis solutions are available worldwide through a global network of service providers, distributors and cloud resellers. For additional information, please visit www.acronis.com.

Acronis and the Acronis logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Acronis International GmbH in the United States and/or other countries.

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SOURCE Acronis

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ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Air Force Association's (AFA) CyberPatriot Program Office announced today launch of an updated version of its Elementary School Cyber Education Initiative (ESCEI). The new software (ESCEI 2.0) features Mac/OS X compatibility and will allow more students to participate in the initiative. It is available for organizations and individuals to download free here.

The new platform includes updated modules, new games and a more advanced curriculum for students. It is available at no charge to teachers and schools, as well as parents/guardians, extracurricular activities, afterschool programs, and community organizations.

Materials for the CyberPatriot Elementary School Cyber Education Initiative were funded through a special grant from Riverside Research.

"Many elementary schools now operate on Mac computers, therefore we wanted to ensure this program is available to as many schools and organizations as possible," says Bernie Skoch, CyberPatriot National Commissioner. "Students are active online at increasingly younger ages, and AFA sees a need to equip them with the skills critical to their online safety. We are delighted to offer this opportunity at no cost and look forward to continuing this very important initiative."

The Elementary School Cyber Education Initiative is a component of the Air Force Association's CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Education Program, made possible by the generous support of its Presenting Sponsor, the Northrop Grumman Foundation.

The CyberPatriot Elementary School Cyber Education Initiative includes several interactive modules designed to excite K-6 students about computers and teach them basic practices for staying safe online. The program encourages students to apply cyber ethics principles in their online interactions and to understand the importance of cybersecurity in their everyday lives.

Participation in the initiative is completely free for schools and organizations for the digital copy of the programs. Schools and organizations may also elect to request a physical version of the kit, which includes a DVD, printed instructor's guide, and stickers for students, also at no cost. CyberPatriot is the National Youth Cyber Education Program created by the Air Force Association to inspire high school, middle school and elementary school students toward careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation's future.

Requests for free Elementary School Cyber Education Initiative activity kits may be submitted at the CyberPatriot website: www.uscyberpatriot.org.

The Air Force Association is a non-profit, independent, professional military and aerospace education association. Our mission is to promote a dominant United States Air Force and a strong national defense, and to honor Airmen and our Air Force Heritage.

SOURCE Air Force Association

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COLUMBUS, Ga., Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, the leading provider of voluntary insurance at the worksite in the United States, today announced that the company has been named one of LATINA Style's 50 Best Places for Latinas to Work for in the United States. The 2016 recognition marks a consecutive decade and 17 years overall that Aflac has received recognition on the prestigious list. Aflac will be featured in the August issue of LATINA Style Magazine for its dedicated effort to diverse recruitment and promotion initiatives.

"It is a great honor to be named one of the 50 best places for Latinas to work for in the United States for the 17th time," Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos said. "Aflac's commitment to diversity is an extension of our founding principles of care, respect, dignity and fairness. With a workforce that is 67 percent women, 44 percent minorities and 34 percent minority women, we know that our diverse marketplace is best served by an equally diverse employee base."

More than 800 corporations responded to LATINA Style's annual questionnaire and were evaluated based on matters that LATINA Style Magazine readers deemed as most important to them in the workplace. Among the principal areas of evaluation are: the number of Latina executives, Latina retention, mentoring programs, educational opportunities, alternative work policies, employee benefits, women's issues, job retraining, affinity groups and Hispanic relations. Evaluations for the 2016 annual report are based on 2015 data.

The LATINA Style 50 Report, now in its 19th year, sets the standard for identifying corporations that are providing the best career opportunities for Latinas in the country. According to LATINA Style Inc., they are the premier company addressing the needs of Latina professionals and business owners in the U.S. and the annual report is the most respected source of employment and career information for Hispanic women in the country. Aflac came in at No. 30 in this year's list.

About Aflac

When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For six decades, Aflac insurance policies have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the leading provider of voluntary insurance at the worksite. Through its trailblazing One Day PaySM initiative, Aflac U.S. can receive, process, approve and disburse payment for eligible claims in one business day. In Japan, Aflac is the leading provider of medical and cancer insurance and insures 1 in 4 households. Aflac individual and group insurance products help provide protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. For 10 consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2016, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the 18th consecutive year and included Aflac on its list of Most Admired Companies for the 15th time, ranking the company No. 1 in innovation for the insurance, life and health category for the second consecutive year. In 2015, Aflac's contact centers were recognized by J.D. Power by providing "An Outstanding Customer Service Experience" for the Live Phone Channel. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac and One Day PaySM, visit aflac.com or espanol.aflac.com.

About LATINA Style Inc.

LATINA Style Inc., headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is the publisher of LATINA Style Magazine, a lifestyle magazine for the professional Hispanic woman. The magazine has been published for 22 years and has a national circulation of 150,000 and a readership of nearly 600,000. LATINA Style Inc. is host of the LATINA Style Business Series, the LATINA Style 50 Report, the National LATINA Symposium and the LATINA Style HERO Initiative. For further information about the LATINA Style 50 Report or to learn more about LATINA Style, visit www.latinastyle.com or call (214) 357-2186.

Aflac herein means American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus and American Family Life Assurance Company of New York.

Media contacts  Jon Sullivan, 706.763.4813 or [email protected]

Analyst and investor contact  Robin Y. Wilkey, 706.596.3264 or 800.235.2667, FAX: 706.324.6330, or [email protected]

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SOURCE Aflac

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AURORA, Colo., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- American Sentinel University, an accredited healthcare-focused online university, presented The Denver Health and Hospitals Foundation with a cash donation and over 650 donations of clothing onesies, caps, booties, etc. and blankets for Denver Health's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) team.

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American Sentinel's recent fundraising initiative was held in June and July and marks the third consecutive year American Sentinel partnered with The Denver Health Foundation to raise donations for the NICU. Mary Adams, President and Chief Academic Officer of American Sentinel, and some other caring staff were guided through the cutting edge NICU by Susan F. Townsend, MD, Director, Newborn Services, and Robin Engleberg, Program Manager for the Denver Health Foundation.



The Denver Health NICU cares for 300 newborns each year who are in need of medical intensive care following birth. The Denver Health NICU provides newborns in their care with onesies, blankets, booties and other necessities given through the generosity of Denver Health employees and other generous members of the community. The donations from American Sentinel will be put to use immediately to make these fragile newborns more comfortable as they grow stronger and build a strong relationship with their parents.



"We are so grateful to American Sentinel University for supporting Denver Health's tiniest patients. These donations mean the world to families who are struggling to get their babies off to a healthy start in life," says Robin Engleberg.



"We are honored to partner with The Denver Health Foundation on this important initiative to sustain and advance the health and well-being of Denver-area residents," says Mary Adams. "American Sentinel has a longstanding commitment to honor the selfless and tireless work of the healthcare professionals at the Denver Health Medical Center. The staff in the NICU go above and beyond every day to support some of the most vulnerable newborns in the Denver community. We are proud to provide our donation to the NICU and assist the families in helping care for these precious newborns in our community."



About Denver Health

Since its establishment more than 150 years ago, Denver Health has evolved into a comprehensive health system regarded nationally as a successful model. One in three of our city's residents depend on Denver Health's system for critical resources like its acute care hospital featuring the region's only academic Level I trauma center, school-based and community clinics, the Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Center, Public Health and more. One of the state's busiest hospitals, Denver Health still manages to perform a vital balancing act: It provided more than $234 million in uncompensated care last year alone and ranks nationally in specialties like trauma, orthopedics, infectious disease, complications due to eating disorders and urology. As the charitable support organization for Denver Health, the Denver Health Foundation raises private funds to support patient care, medical research, facilities development, academic program enrichment, equipment purchases, and professional education.



About American Sentinel University

American Sentinel University delivers accredited online degree programs in nursing (BSN, MSN, and DNP) and healthcare management (MBA Healthcare, M.S. Information Systems Management, and M.S. Business Intelligence and Analytics). Its affordable, flexible bachelor's and master's nursing degree programs are accredited by the Commission for the Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), of One Dupont Circle, NW Suite 530, Washington, D.C., 20036. The DNP program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) of 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, Ga., 30326. The University is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, DEAC, 1101 17th Street NW, Suite 808, Washington, D.C. 20036, (202) 234-5100, www.deac.org



For required student consumer information, please visit: www.americansentinel.edu/doe

Contact:

Renee Hewitt

Hewitt PR for American Sentinel University

845.382.9152

Email

SOURCE American Sentinel University

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Ms. Kayla Nelson joins Ankura as Senior Managing Director in the firm's data governance practice within the Regulatory & Contractual Compliance group where she will apply her experience assisting clients as an information governance strategist. Ms. Nelson has over a decade of experience in information governance, eDiscovery and legal case management, and she has designed frameworks and delivered information governance solutions for Fortune 500 companies and federal and state governments. Ms. Nelson's significant experience with legal case management and eDiscovery will also allow her to contribute to Ankura's eDiscovery practice within its Investigations & Accounting Advisory group. Ms. Nelson was most recently with Veritas Technologies, LLC.

"Ankura's data governance capabilities are expanding to enhance our ability to help clients address risks and realize opportunity," said Jessica Block, Senior Managing Director of Ankura and head of its Data Governance practice. "Kayla brings a wealth of both private and public sector experience to Ankura's professional team. As we continue to grow, we're focused on building our team with top talent."

About Ankura Consulting Group

Ankura Consulting Group is a business advisory and expert services firm. Its deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges clients face enables its team to provide impactful, senior-level counsel. As an independent firm built on five key principles  Integrity, Quality, Diversity, Collaboration and Longevity  Ankura's relationships extend beyond one engagement or issue. The firm empowers its industry experts to provide a high-touch, unique approach for its clients in critical times. Ankura's offering includes a wide range of compliance, corporate investigation, data analytics, disputes/litigation support, expert witness, economic and financial analysis, forensic accounting, geopolitical advisory, mass dispute resolution, risk advisory and management, transaction advisory, trust services, turnaround and restructuring, valuation, visual communications and business advisory services. For more information: www.ankuraconsultinggroup.com.

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SOURCE Ankura Consulting Group

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CHICAGO, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Anomalix (http://www.anomalix.com/), a leader in cyber security and Okta (http://www.okta.com), the leading provider of identity and mobility management solutions, today announced their partnership to jointly market and deliver Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) along with Advisory and Implementation Services.

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"As the foundation for secure connections between people and technology, Okta enables its customers to securely and easily adopt cloud applications  increasing productivity without compromising on security," said Bill Fitzgerald, VP Channels at Okta. "Our partnership with Anomalix will help ensure our joint customers are not only securely operating in the cloud, but are successful when doing it."

Through this partnership Anomalix provides comprehensive solutions to enterprises experiencing complex Identity Management and Governance challenges. In addition to providing world-class professional services for Okta solution implementations, Anomalix also provides value add User Behavior Analytics (UBA) to Okta clients. By applying in-depth UBA, Anomalix has the unique ability to identify access issues, define the risks and model policies that can be enforced in real-time. Anomalix works very closely with all clients to define and implement strategies that protect the enterprise and mitigate risks in a proactive way.

"Okta connects users and devices with data in a secure way that enables employees to get their job done efficiently and productively. Anomalix strives to partner with organizations such as Okta that return value to our customers in short order. Okta's technologies are a must for today's world of federated identity and BYOD culture. The days of security being relegated to the basement of the data center are over. Security, Risk and Compliance are table stakes for board room discussions nowadays."  Mohammed Elkhatib, Founder and CEO at Anomalix

Okta's products apply identity information to grant users access to applications on any device at any time, while still enforcing strong security protections. Okta's capabilities, along with Anomalix's deep history and experience in Identity and Access Management, enhance the Anomalix portfolio of offerings to provide tailored solutions to Fortune 1000 companies.

About Anomalix, Inc.: Anomalix is a Cyber Security company pioneering Actionable Identity Analytics. We provide user behavior analytics solutions that identify enterprise access patterns and enable real-time responses to anomalous activity. With decades of experience in the Identity & Access Governance space and over 45 Fortune 1000 customers, we help organizations reduce risk and enable compliance while delivering quick ROI. Anomalix services provides tailored solutions leveraging industry best practices and best of breed technologies.

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE Anomalix

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SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- AppZen, the first artificial intelligence (AI) solution for back office automation, today announced the integration of its expense report audit tool, which uses AI to automate expense report auditing, with Concur, the leading provider of spend management solutions and services. Now available in the Concur App Center, AppZen provides Concur clients access to the platform solution without any IT integration.

AppZen's AI technology automatically reads each line item on every receipt, and, in real-time, cross-checks the information against thousands of external and social sources to determine the accuracy of expenses. The automated tool lowers expense processing costs up to 80 percent and identifies up to 10 times more financial risks.

"At AppZen, we're about saving enterprises time and money by automating back office functions with Artificial Intelligence," said Anant Kale, CEO of AppZen. "With this integration, Concur users can download the app and start using the tool immediately. With no IT integration required, clients can quickly start reducing expense processing costs and capturing significantly more fraud, allowing them to spend more time and resources on growing the business."

AppZen, which announced that it closed a $2.9 million seed round in late June and graduated from 500 Startups in the Spring of 2015, also seamlessly integrates with other expense reporting tools, and has amassed a number of prominent enterprise clients, including Hitachi, SunRun and Cantor Fitzgerald .

AppZen is now available in the Concur App Center. Offering apps with streamlined integration with Concur Travel, Expense and Invoice products, the Concur App Center delivers innovative functionality in key categories such as finance, regulatory compliance, enterprise identity, traveler productivity, travel management, and much more. For information, visit the Concur App Center.

About AppZen:

AppZen, which is based in Sunnyvale, Calif., is the first artificial intelligence (AI) solution for back office automation. The company, which graduated from 500 Startups and raised $2.9M in funding, including from Resolute Ventures, Bloomberg Beta, Silicon Valley Bank, MasterCard and FundersClub, uses patent-pending Natural Language Processing machine learning algorithms to analyze data and automate back office functions. AppZen's enterprise level automated expense reporting and auditing product reviews expense report data, cross-checks it with external sources and social media in real-time, and detects compliance issues and fraud  a half trillion dollar issue in the U.S. The company works with a number of enterprises, including Hitachi, SunRun and Cantor Fitzgerald, and has partnered with technology companies, including Oracle and Concur. For more information about AppZen, visit www.appzen.com.

SOURCE AppZen

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SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Intacct, a leading provider of best-in-class cloud ERP software, today announced that the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, a private nonprofit organization, converted to Intacct in order to achieve real-time financial visibility across multiple entities. By leveraging Intacct as the centerpiece of its financial hub, the bureau improved data accuracy, gained multi-dimensional insight for better decision-making, and achieved dramatic time savings through streamlined processes.

In a new case study published today, Intacct highlights the results the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau achieved by switching to Intacct's cloud ERP applications. The full customer profile is available for download at: https://online.intacct.com/rs/473-QSL-641/images/cs_Atlanta.pdf. Here is a quick overview:

Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau's Results with Intacct:

Shortened monthly close from 10 to under three days

Reduced accounts payable and payroll workloads by 70% and 90%, respectively

Increased business agility through multi-dimensional visibility

Software paid for itself in less than six months

Highlighted comments from Braam du Plooy, controller at ACVB:

"Intacct has delivered clear ROI by saving our team members upwards of 70% of their time, which they can now allocate towards quality control, process improvements, and other strategic initiatives. As a result, we estimate that our investment in Intacct was paid off in less than six months."

"Drastic time savings have freed us up to focus less on repetitive manual tasks and more on the big picture. The entire dynamics of the team have changed now that we have a financial hub built around Intacct with integrated, best-in-class functionality that perfectly meets our needs."

"One of my favorite things about Intacct is having the ability to easily create custom reports on my own. Now, I'm in a position to provide reports more quickly and be a true champion within the organization. With just a bit of simple configuration, I can tailor the data in order to track whatever business drivers matter most, and deliver more meaningful visibility through things like Intacct Performance Cards that visualize important trends in a quick and intuitive way."

About Intacct

Intacct is the customer satisfaction leader in cloud ERP software. Bringing cloud computing to finance and accounting, Intacct's innovative and award-winning applications are the preferred financial applications for AICPA business solutions. In use by more than 11,000 organizations from startups to public companies, Intacct is designed to improve company performance and make finance more productive. Hundreds of leading CPA firms and Value Added Resellers also offer Intacct to their clients. The Intacct system includes accounting, cash management, purchasing, vendor management, financial consolidation, subscription billing, contract management, revenue recognition, project accounting, fund accounting, inventory management, and financial reporting applications, all delivered over the Internet via cloud computing.

Intacct is headquartered in San Jose, California. For more information, please visit www.intacct.com or call 877-437-7765. Connect with Intacct on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and YouTube.

Intacct and the Intacct logo are trademarks of Intacct Corporation. All other company and product names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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SOURCE Intacct

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MECHANIC FALLS, Maine, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Auburn Manufacturing, Inc. (AMI) welcomes the August 25, 2016 preliminary antidumping determination by the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) that Chinese manufacturers have been selling amorphous silica fabric (ASF) in the United States are unfairly low prices. ASF is used to insulate and resist extreme heat in industrial applications.

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The unfair pricing of these imports allows Chinese producers to sell ASF at artificially low prices in the U.S. market, unfairly undercutting U.S.-made products. DOC calculated a preliminary antidumping margin of 162.47% for all companies, and will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to collect cash deposits on all imports of Chinese ASF in an amount equal to 162.47% of the import's declared value. Not only will importers be required to pay the additional 162.47% antidumping duty cash deposit on future entries, but DOC ruled that 162.47% antidumping duty cash deposits will be owed going back to product imported in the beginning of June 2016. These antidumping duty cash deposits will be in addition to the countervailing duty (CVD) cash deposits the DOC has required on Chinese imports since the end of June 2016 to offset unfair subsidies by the Government of China.

For one of the two Chinese producers examined, the DOC concluded that the producer failed to cooperate in the investigation. As a result, the DOC rejected all of that company's data. The DOC also cited other questionable statements and documents submitted by that Chinese producer that prompted the DOC to refer certain matters to CBP for a follow-up investigation. Ordinarily, as a penalty for non-cooperation the DOC would have imposed an AD margin on that producer equal to the margin of dumping that AMI alleged in the petition. However, the DOC concluded that data submitted by the other Chinese producer showed dumping at even greater magnitude than alleged in the petition, so the DOC decided to apply the higher margin to the uncooperative Chinese producer.

Kathie Leonard, President/CEO of AMI, called the imposition of provisional AD cash deposits a very important step in curbing the tremendous increase in Chinese ASF imports. "We're not out of the woods yet, but at least we see some daylight ahead of us," Leonard said. "We've proved that the Chinese price isn't a result of cheap labor when making advanced textiles like ours. It's based on unfair pricing by Chinese producers and subsidies provided by the Chinese government to encourage exports  specifically aimed at the US market."

As the largest American producer of industrial grade ASF, AMI is the principal supplier of the product to the U.S. Navy. These duties will allow AMI to remain a viable supplier to the Navy and its subcontractors. Leonard said, "With these provisional antidumping duty cash deposits in place  up to 267% with countervailing duty included, we'll be back on a level playing field, and that's all we need to compete." She continued, "Our quality and service are already well above that of the importers, and the market knows that. The volume of business we've lost is only because of unfairly low prices of the Chinese product due to unfair trade practices. With the Department of Commerce's help, we've now confirmed that."

Final determinations of both investigations are scheduled for mid- January 2017. For both AD and CVD duties to be imposed, the U.S. government must determine not only that dumping and/or subsidization is occurring, but also that there is "material injury" (or threat thereof) by reason of the dumped and/or subsidized imports. The injury determination will be completed by the U.S. International Trade Commission the end of February 2017.

Auburn Manufacturing, Inc.

Since its founding in 1979, Auburn Manufacturing, Inc., has become a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of textile products for hundreds of extreme temperature industrial applications throughout the world, including welding protection, industrial insulation, safety apparel, gaskets and seals, and other MROP (Maintenance, Repair, Operations and Production) and OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) applications.

Contact: Rhonda Cox

Phone: 207-345-8771

Email: Email

Web: www.auburnmfg.com

SOURCE Auburn Manufacturing, Inc.
LONDON, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Today, BBOXX, a leading global off-grid solar company, successfully closed a $20 million Series C investment. The company has pioneered a distributed energy platform, comprising data-driven technology and a unique solar home system design to deliver off-grid energy on a utility scale. Since 2010, BBOXX has provided off-grid electricity to more than 350,000 people in 35 countries around the world. This latest round of investment is supported by co-investors MacKinnon, Bennett & Company (MKB), ENGIE Rassembleurs d'Energies and KawiSafi Ventures, as well as existing investors Khosla Impact Fund, Bamboo Finance and DOEN Foundation.

The investment will support an expanded presence in the company's existing markets, Kenya and Rwanda, where BBOXX owns and operates retail distribution networks and after sales service centres to guarantee an excellent customer service experience for all users. The investment will also accelerate the provision of licensed BBOXX products and services in other markets, including the creation of three franchises in the West African countries of Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Nigeria.

"We are excited about the growth potential for the African off-grid solar market and delighted with BBOXX's rapid development" said Laure Vincotte, Managing Director of ENGIE Rassembleurs d'Energies. "We feel that BBOXX's technology is fully in line with ENGIE Rassembleurs d'Energies' objectives of promoting sustainable and scalable energy solutions for all."

BBOXX is currently building its operational headquarters in Kigali, Rwanda where the company has experienced swift growth. By the end of this year it expects to be electrifying as many households as the Rwandan national grid. With the country's ambitious goal of electrifying over 20% of the population with off-grid solar systems, BBOXX is well positioned to serve this quickly growing market.

"BBOXX is building the next generation of energy services - connected, distributed, renewable and focused on customer service. We see a strong opportunity for BBOXX's licensed products and services to act as a foundation for a rapidly growing new sector in the global utility market," said Patrick Bennett, VP at MKB.

In addition, BBOXX is supported by KawiSafi Ventures, a $100 million private equity fund focused on the off-grid energy sector in East Africa. BBOXX will be the fund's first investment.

"We have built an innovative, data-powered technology platform for the next generation of distributed utility companies," said CEO Mansoor Hamayun. "We are thrilled to have ENGIE Rassembleurs d'Energies, KawiSafi Ventures and MKB as our lead investors - it will bring credibility to our industry and much needed scale. We are already deploying systems at the fastest rate in East Africa, at 10kWp of solar per day, and I am excited that we will continue to grow quickly over the next few years."

About ENGIE Rassembleurs d ' Energies

ENGIE Rassembleurs d'Energies is the ENGIE solidarity investment fund that supports projects providing access to sustainable energy for impoverished population groups. The fund's vocation is to invest in economically viable projects with a social purpose that enjoy the support of social entrepreneurs.

About MacKinnon, Bennett & Co .

MacKinnon, Bennett & Company is a merchant bank based in Montreal, Canada that sources, structures and manages private investments in renewable energy, urban infrastructure services and related sectors for family offices, high net worth individuals, corporate clients and institutional investors.

KawiSafi Ventures Ltd

KawiSafi Ventures is a $100m private equity impact fund anchored by Green Climate Fund and designed to finance enterprises with core business models that address the off-grid solar ecosystems in East Africa to provide universal access to energy to people located beyond the foreseeable grid connection and at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Lack of electricity and high kerosene use will be addressed through affordable clean household solar energy solutions such as solar lanterns, solar home system and solar mini-grids.

About Khosla Impact Fund

Khosla Impact is an early stage tech VC fund supporting disruptive, high impact start-ups across India and Africa.

About Bamboo Finance

Bamboo Finance is a commercial private equity firm specializing in investing in business models that benefit low-income communities in emerging markets with offices in Luxembourg, Geneva, Bogota, Nairobi and Singapore. Bamboo Finance uses a market-oriented approach to deliver social and environmental value and provide attractive financial returns to investors. Bamboo Finance launched in 2007 with a goal to demonstrate that private capital can be profitably deployed as a tool for effective change. Besides its Financial Inclusion Funds and the multi sector Oasis Fund, Bamboo is launching the Bamboo Energy Fund - Solar for All to invest in solar energy companies globally with a geographical focus on Africa. The Fund finances companies across the solar energy supply chain with a particular focus on innovative distribution and financing models for low-income and off-grid markets.

About DOEN Foundation

The DOEN Foundation believes that a green, socially inclusive and creative society is achievable. The world is full of committed entrepreneurs eager to develop sustainable, cultural and socially-engaged initiatives. People who are not afraid to take risks while putting their pioneering ideas into practice. People who inspire others. The DOEN Foundation offers them financial support and brings them together to connect them. DOEN receives its revenues from three Dutch charity lotteries.

SOURCE BBOXX
Built-in Apple Watch magnetic charging module with integrated lightning connector for the iPhone

Integrated 2-in-1 charging solution optimally charges the Apple Watch and iPhone simultaneously

Elevated design keeps the Apple Watch and iPhone more protected and easier to see while charging

MFi certification ensures that this product passed rigorous mechanical, stress, and electrical tests per Apple standards

"Most people who have an Apple watch also have an iPhone, so a combined charging solution just makes sense," said Melody Saffery, senior director of product management at Belkin. "The Powerhouse Charge Dock is designed with the consumer in mind  it organically integrates both chargers into its design so all you need to do is plug it in and go."

In a recent report from IHS Technology1, sales for smartwatches and smartphone companions are expected to nearly double from 61 million in 2016 to 110 million in 2020.

The Powerhouse Charge Dock is available for an MSRP of $99 at http://www.belkin.com/us/p/P-F8J200/ , Best Buy and other leading retailers globally.

The Powerhouse Charge Dock supports Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch Edition, iPhone SE, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, and iPhone 5.

About Belkin

Belkin makes people-inspired products that harness the power of technology to connect people and the experiences they love. The Belkin award-winning product lines include Valet Charge Dock for Apple Watch + iPhone, MixIt Cables, QODE keyboards, and a complete range of mobile, power and charging accessories, including USB-IF certified USB-C accessories. The Company's product offerings are designed to create a personal, efficient and enjoyable experience for people to use technology, whether they are at home, school, work or on the go. A privately held company founded in 1983, Belkin has more than 1,500 employees in more than 30 countries around the world.

For more information, please visit Belkin on the Web, Follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, or Follow us on Instagram.

 2016 Belkin International, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

All product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners.

1 IHS Technology, Forbes: 101 Million Smartwatch Shipments by 2020 with Apple and Google Leading the Way

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SOURCE Belkin

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The performance indicators for the Sarnia manufacturing facility included the overall efficiency of BioAmber's proprietary biotechnology in fermentation, the plant's throughput and output in continuous operation, and the quality of the final product. This milestone is further evidence that the Sarnia plant is operating well, as recently disclosed in BioAmber's Q2 2016 operating results.

BioAmber Sarnia has also demonstrated the performance targets that Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) had originally set for the project. These include targets related to greenhouse gas emissions and financial performance. SDTC has completed its third-party validation of Sarnia's performance and approved the final grant payment of CAD$1.45 million to BioAmber.

"Our lenders had set out rigorous performance criteria for the Sarnia facility and achieving these milestones is independent validation of how well our plant is operating," said Fabrice Orecchioni, BioAmber's Chief Operating Officer. "Our facility is the world's largest succinic acid plant and our variable costs are competitive with petro-succinic acid at current oil prices. With Sarnia up and running, BioAmber has established itself as a global leader in renewable chemicals," he added.

About BioAmber

BioAmber (NYSE: BIOA) is a renewable materials company. Its innovative technology platform combines biotechnology and catalysis to convert renewable feedstock into building block materials that are used in a wide variety of everyday products including plastics, paints, textiles, food additives and personal care products. For more information visit www.bio-amber.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, which are subject to substantial risks, uncertainties and assumptions. These statements often include words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate," "seek," "will," "may" or similar expressions. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee that the events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur and the timing of events and circumstances and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward- looking statements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All such statements speak only as of the date made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For additional disclosure regarding these and other risks faced by BioAmber, see disclosures contained in BioAmber's public filings with the SEC including, the "Risk Factors" section of BioAmber's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and the recent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.

For further information:

BioAmber Investor Contact

Mike Hartmann

Executive VP

Tel (514) 844 8000 ext 120

[email protected]

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SOURCE BioAmber Canada Inc.

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LONDON and LOS ANGELES, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- BlackLine, a leading provider of financial controls and automation solutions that enable Continuous Accounting, today announced the details of its latest European expansion, including a new base of operations in Frankfurt, Germany, that will serve as a strategic hub for meeting the needs of companies across the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland).

The new Frankfurt office and DACH expansion efforts will be led by Petra Ellmerich, a 30-year software industry veteran with sales and management experience at such market-leading companies as Infor, Oracle, Cognos and Siemens.

BlackLine's cloud-based software platform helps organisations remain competitive, reduce risk and transform their existing Finance & Accounting (F&A) departments into Modern Finance organisations by automating key processes such as the financial close, account reconciliations, intercompany accounting and controls assurance.

"The tremendous reception we've had for our software from companies all over the world confirms the value our solution provides and our ability to help global companies transform their existing F&A operations into true Modern Finance organisations," Mario Spanicciati, BlackLine's chief strategy officer, said. "We've seen increasing demand from mid-size and large organisations across Europe. The market opportunity, coupled with our long-standing relationship with SAP, made opening an office in Germany a logical next step."

The BlackLine Financial Close Suite for SAP Solutions complements the functionality inherent in the SAP ERP Financials solution and the SAP S/4HANA Finance solution, bringing enhanced control and automation to F&A departments worldwide. In 2013, the BlackLine Financial Close Suite for SAP Solutions became an SAP-endorsed business solution. Earlier this year, the BlackLine Connector 3.0 achieved certified integration with the SAP NetWeaver technology platform running on the SAP HANA platform, providing embedded, real-time integration between SAP ERP and the BlackLine Financial Close Management solution. Working together, the BlackLine and SAP offerings deliver an end-to-end solution to accelerate the financial close and enable Continuous Accounting. Both BlackLine and SAP were recently recognised by Gartner as Leaders in the 2016 Magic Quadrant for Financial Corporate Performance Management (FCPM) Solutions.

BlackLine customers include more than 100 companies operating in the DACH region, including locally headquartered companies Kempinski Hotels and Trivago. BlackLine has sales, implementation and support teams to serve customers in German. Additionally, BlackLine products and solutions are available in the German language. To visit the new German website, go to www.blackline.com/de.

BlackLine's EMEA operations (Europe, Middle East and Africa) are headquartered in London. Leveraging BlackLine's expanding global footprint in EMEA and APAC (Asia-Pacific), several of the world's leading accounting advisory and professional services firms, including Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, PwC and Resources Global Professionals, offer 'BlackLine Certified Implementation Professionals' to assist in the deployment and execution of the BlackLine Finance Controls and Automation Platform.

About BlackLine

BlackLine is a provider of cloud-based solutions for Finance & Accounting (F&A) that centralize and streamline financial close operations and other key F&A processes for midsize and large organisations. Designed to complement ERP and other financial systems, the BlackLine Finance Controls & Automation Platform increases operational efficiency, real-time visibility, control and compliance to ensure end-to-end financial close management, fueling confidence throughout the entire accounting cycle.

BlackLine's mission is to continuously improve the quality, accuracy and efficiency of Finance & Accounting by centralizing key functions within a single, unified cloud platform. Enabling customers to move beyond outdated processes and point solutions to a Continuous Accounting model, in which real-time automation, controls and period-end tasks are embedded within day-to-day activities, BlackLine helps companies achieve Modern Finance status, ensuring more accurate and insightful financial statements and a more efficient financial close. More than 1,500 companies with users in approximately 120 countries around the world trust BlackLine to ensure balance sheet integrity and confidence in their financial statements.

BlackLine is recognized by Gartner as a Leader in its 2016 Magic Quadrant for Financial Corporate Performance Management (FCPM) Solutions and as a pioneer of the Enhanced Financial Controls & Automation (EFCA) software category.

Based in Los Angeles, BlackLine also has regional headquarters in London, Singapore and Sydney. For more information, please visit www.blackline.com.

SAP, SAP HANA, SAP NetWeaver and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE (or an SAP affiliate company) in Germany and other countries. See http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx for additional trademark information and notices. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.

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SOURCE BlackLine

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MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) will participate in the Morgan Stanley Global Healthcare Conference on September 13, in New York City.

Mike Mahoney, chief executive officer, and Dan Brennan, executive vice president and chief financial officer, will participate in a 30-minute question-and-answer-session with the host analyst beginning at approximately 8:00 a.m. EDT.

A live webcast of the question-and-answer-session will be available on the Investor Relations section of the Boston Scientific website at www.bostonscientific.com/investors. We encourage interested parties to register at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time to ensure a timely connection.

A replay of the webcast will be accessible at www.bostonscientific.com/investors beginning approximately one hour following the completion of the event.

About Boston Scientific

Boston Scientific transforms lives through innovative medical solutions that improve the health of patients around the world. As a global medical technology leader for more than 35 years, we advance science for life by providing a broad range of high performance solutions that address unmet patient needs and reduce the cost of healthcare. For more information, visit www.bostonscientific.com and connect on Twitter and Facebook.

CONTACTS

Media: Investors: Tom Keppeler Susie Lisa, CFA 508-683-6585 (office) 508- 683-5565 (office) Media Relations Investor Relations Boston Scientific Corporation Boston Scientific Corporation [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE Boston Scientific Corporation

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ST. LOUIS, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Bunge North America ("Bunge"), the North American operating arm of Bunge Limited (NYSE: BG), announced it has reached a subscription agreement to invest in Grupo Minsa S.A.B. de C.V. (the "Company"), a leading corn flour producer, securing a controlling financial interest in the Company. The transaction is expected to close in early 2017, subject to the authorization of the Comision Federal de Competencia Economica (Mexican Antitrust Commission), the successful delisting of the Company from the Mexican Stock Exchange, and other customary closing conditions.

As part of the transaction, Bunge will take management control of four mills in Mexico and two mills in the United States. The facilities have a combined annual processing capacity of 700,000 metric tons and produce a broad portfolio of branded corn flours and pre-mixes for tortillas and other goods.

"This investment enhances Bunge's position in milling, an important contributor to our global Food & Ingredients business," said Soren Schroder, CEO, Bunge Limited. "The operation is aligned with our core capabilities and increases the share of value added business in our overall portfolio."

Bunge entered the U.S. corn masa market in early 2014 with the purchase of its first mill in Worthington, Indiana. With this investment, Bunge enters the corn masa market in Mexico.

"This is a natural extension of our successful milling platforms in the U.S. and Mexico that will enable us to expand in a product line that is growing due to demographic and economic trends," said Todd Bastean, CEO, Bunge North America. "With more facilities, products, and capabilities, we'll be able to provide a broader offering and enhanced services to our growing customer base, with more logistical and operational flexibility."

Daniel Maldonado, Managing Director of Bunge in Mexico added, "We're very excited to add the talent and experience of the Grupo Minsa team to Bunge's Mexican organization. Together we will enhance our ability to provide high quality, innovative flour solutions to our customers."

Bunge was advised by Rothschild.

About Bunge North America

Bunge North America (www.bungenorthamerica.com), the North American operating arm of Bunge Limited (NYSE: BG), is a vertically integrated food and feed ingredient company, supplying raw and processed agricultural commodities and specialized food ingredients to a wide range of customers in the animal feed, food processor, foodservice and bakery industries. With headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, Bunge North America and its subsidiaries operate grain elevators, oilseed processing plants, edible oil refineries and packaging facilities, and corn, wheat and rice mills in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

About Bunge Limited

Bunge Limited (www.bunge.com, NYSE: BG) is a leading global agribusiness and food company operating in over 40 countries with approximately 35,000 employees. Bunge buys, sells, stores and transports oilseeds and grains to serve customers worldwide; processes oilseeds to make protein meal for animal feed and edible oil products for commercial customers and consumers; produces sugar and ethanol from sugarcane; mills wheat, corn and rice to make ingredients used by food companies; and sells fertilizer in South America. Founded in 1818, the company is headquartered in White Plains, New York.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains both historical and forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts, but rather reflect our current expectations and projections about our future results, performance, prospects and opportunities. We have tried to identify these forward-looking statements by using words including "may," "will," "should," "could," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "intend," "estimate," "continue" and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause our actual results, performance, prospects or opportunities to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. The following important factors, among others, could affect our business and financial performance: industry conditions, including fluctuations in supply, demand and prices for agricultural commodities and other raw materials and products used in our business; fluctuations in energy and freight costs and competitive developments in our industries; the effects of weather conditions and the outbreak of crop and animal disease on our business; global and regional agricultural, economic, financial and commodities market, political, social and health conditions; the outcome of pending regulatory and legal proceedings; our ability to complete, integrate and benefit from acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures and strategic alliances; our ability to achieve the efficiencies, savings and other benefits anticipated from our cost reduction, margin improvement and other business optimization initiatives; changes in government policies, laws and regulations affecting our business, including agricultural and trade policies, tax regulations and biofuels legislation; and other factors affecting our business generally. The forward-looking statements included in this release are made only as of the date of this release, and except as otherwise required by federal securities law, we do not have any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

SOURCE Bunge North America

Related Links

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THE WOODLANDS, Texas, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CB&I (NYSE:CBI) today announced it has been awarded a multi-year contract with a value to CB&I of approximately $75 million by the Air Force Test Center at Arnold Air Force Base in Tullahoma, Tennessee. CB&I's scope of work includes plant and infrastructure sustainment, restoration and modernization to support the center's research, development, test and evaluation mission.

"We are pleased to work with the Air Force Test Center and support its critical role in the U.S. Air Force," said Chip Ray, President of CB&I's Capital Services operating group. "This award underscores the innovative solutions CB&I provides to our customers in the Federal government and their confidence in our ability to execute."

About CB&I

CB&I (NYSE:CBI) is a leading provider of technology and infrastructure for the energy industry. With over 125 years of experience and the expertise of more than 40,000 employees, CB&I provides reliable solutions to our customers around the world while maintaining a relentless focus on safety and an uncompromising standard of quality. For more information, visit www.CBI.com.

Important Information For Investors And Shareholders

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding CB&I and represents our expectations and beliefs concerning future events. These forward-looking statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor for forward-looking statements provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. When considering any statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, or use or contain words, terms, phrases or expressions such as "achieve," "forecast," "plan," "propose," "strategy," "envision," "hope," "will," "continue," "potential," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "project," "estimate," "predict," "intend," "should," "could," "may," "might" or similar forward-looking statements, we refer you to the cautionary statements concerning risk factors and "Forward-Looking Statements" described under "Risk Factors" in Item 1A of our Annual Report filed on Form 10-K filed with the SEC for the year ended December 31, 2015, and any updates to those risk factors or "Forward-Looking Statements" included in our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC, which cautionary statements are incorporated herein by reference.

Investors: Scott Lamb, +1 832 513 1068, [email protected]

Media: Gentry Brann, +1 832 513 1031, [email protected]

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SYOSETT, N.Y., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CEO Connection has launched a new initiative recognizing private equity firms that are most effective for mid-market companies. The Top Private Equity Firms for the Mid-Market list highlights firms that invest in mid-market companies with a vision of strategic partnership, bringing results-oriented expertise to the portfolio company and focusing on what is best for the next phase of growth.

"We believe these firms personify the spirit of the mid-market," said CEO Connection CEO Kenneth Beck. "In the true symbiotic nature of the CEO Connection community, honoring them will help all of us promote the mid-market."

The private equity firms were evaluated on five metrics: commitment to the mid-market, partnership effectiveness, financial performance, resources and social impact. For the complete list, visit www.midmarketrankings.com/private-equity-list/.

Comprised of nearly 20,000 publicly and privately held companies, the mid-market represents an integral piece of the U.S. economy, employing more than 30 million people and generating approximately $10 trillion of the $30 trillion of annual gross receipts.

Members of the 2016 Top Private Equity Firms for the Mid-Market will be recognized at the annual CEO Connection Mid-Market Convention held in conjunction with the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania Sept. 18-21. This exclusive global gathering features hundreds of CEOs, political leaders and business experts convening to discuss issues and challenges for mid-market companies. For more information and to register for the convention, visit www.midmarketconvention.com/registration.

The CEO Connection 2016 Mid-Market Convention is made possible by the interactive support of strategic partners, including ABM, Andromeda Simulations International, Carpedia, Chief Executive Officer, Cooley, Invest in Canada, Delta Private Jets, KR Strategy, MasterCard, Minority Business Development Agency, Prime Genesis, RSM, Sibson Consulting, Mastered in Tennessee and Wharton.

ABOUT CEO CONNECTION:

CEO Connection is the only membership organization in the world reserved exclusively for CEOs of mid-market companies  companies with between $100 million and $3 billion in annual revenue. Our mission is to help mid-market CEOs and their companies succeed. We accomplish this by connecting them to each other; connecting them to people, information and resources to which they would otherwise not have access; and promoting the interests, welfare and perspective of the mid-market.

Members are C-level executives with responsibility for all or significant portions of their respective company. They represent a wide variety of businesses across a broad geographic spectrum. Collectively mid-market companies account for $10 trillion of the $30 trillion annual U.S. private sector gross receipts.



Inspired by C-level Wharton executives, CEO Connection began in 2005 and has evolved into a dynamic community with wide-ranging benefits uniquely designed to help the mid-market CEO and champion the mid-market perspective. For more information, visit www.ceoconnection.com. Stay connected on Twitter: @CEOConnection and LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-connection

MEDIA CONTACT: Erin Allen, Email , 800-244-4719, ext. 501

SOURCE CEO Connection

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FORT MYERS, Fla., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Chico's FAS, Inc. (NYSE: CHS) today announced its financial results for the fiscal 2016 second quarter and twenty-six weeks ended July 30, 2016.

For the thirteen weeks ended July 30, 2016 ("the second quarter"), the Company reported net income of $23.0 million, or $0.17 per diluted share, compared to net income of $2.1 million, or $0.02 per diluted share, for the thirteen weeks ended August 1, 2015. The Company reported second quarter 2016 adjusted net income of $33.3 million, or $0.25 adjusted earnings per diluted share, compared to adjusted net income of $37.6 million, or $0.26 adjusted earnings per diluted share, in last year's second quarter. The adjusted results exclude EPS charges of $0.08 in 2016 related to restructuring and strategic charges, and $0.24 in 2015 related to Boston Proper non-cash goodwill and trade name impairment charges, restructuring and strategic charges and Boston Proper operating results, as presented in the accompanying GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation.

For the twenty-six weeks ended July 30, 2016, the Company reported net income of $54.1 million, or $0.41 per diluted share, compared to net income of $34.6 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, for the twenty-six weeks ended August 1, 2015. The Company reported adjusted net income of $66.7 million, or $0.50 adjusted earnings per diluted share, compared to adjusted net income of $82.1 million, or $0.57 adjusted earnings per diluted share, in 2015. The adjusted results exclude EPS charges of $0.09 in 2016 related to restructuring and strategic charges and $0.33 in 2015 related to Boston Proper non-cash goodwill and trade name impairment charges, restructuring and strategic charges and Boston Proper operating results, as presented in the accompanying GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation.

Shelley Broader, CEO and President, said, "We are pleased with our second quarter performance which reflected continued progress in our efforts to transform our company to win in the future. The initiatives we announced last quarter are already driving cost savings and improving our operating efficiency. In addition, we believe that the organizational redesign announced today will enable us to be more nimble and responsive to our customers' evolving needs. We expect that the more streamlined organizational structure combined with the other cost reduction and operating efficiency initiatives, will result in a strong, scalable foundation, that is well-positioned for long-term, profitable growth and value creation."

Cost Reduction and Operating Efficiency Initiatives

During the second quarter, the Company made progress on the cost reduction and operating efficiency initiatives announced in May 2016 to improve its supply chain, optimize marketing expenses and reduce non-merchandise procurement expenses.

The organizational redesign announced today clarified roles, responsibilities and processes across the Company's brands and shared service center. Though new positions were created in key areas such as digital and business analytics, the Company reduced total corporate and field leadership headcount by approximately 200, or 13%, in order to create a flatter organization that should be more nimble and responsive to customers' evolving needs. In addition, Cynthia S. Murray, Chico's Brand President, is leaving the Company. A search for her replacement is underway.

These organizational changes are expected to result in approximately $25 million pre-tax annualized savings. In combination with the previously announced initiatives, the Company is estimating a reduction in future annualized costs between $90 million and $110 million, totaling approximately 4% of 2015 net sales.

Net Sales

For the second quarter, net sales were $635.7 million compared to $685.8 million in last year's second quarter. This decrease of 7.3% included $26.3 million related to Boston Proper. When excluding Boston Proper from fiscal 2015, net sales decreased 3.6%, primarily reflecting a decline in comparable sales of 3.1% and closed stores. The 3.1% decrease in comparable sales for the second quarter followed a 0.5% increase in last year's second quarter, and reflected reduced transaction count and slightly lower average dollar sale.

Comparable Sales













Thirteen Weeks Ended

Twenty-six weeks ended



July 30, 2016

August 1, 2015

July 30, 2016

August 1, 2015 Chico's

(5.1)%

0.9%

(5.3)%

(0.8)% White House Black Market

(1.3)%

(1.9)%

(2.7)%

0.0% Soma

0.7%

5.1%

0.6%

5.7% Total Company

(3.1)%

0.5%

(3.7)%

0.2%

Gross Margin

For the second quarter, gross margin was $240.8 million, or 37.9%, compared to $264.7 million, or 38.6%, in last year's second quarter. When excluding Boston Proper from fiscal 2015, gross margin decreased 80 basis points in fiscal 2016 compared to gross margin of $255.3 million, or 38.7% last year. This decrease in gross margin rate primarily reflects sales deleverage of occupancy costs partially offset by a slight increase in merchandise margin rate.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

For the second quarter, selling, general and administrative expenses ("SG&A") were $186.6 million, or 29.4%, compared to $207.2 million, or 30.2%, in last year's second quarter. When excluding Boston Proper from fiscal 2015, SG&A decreased $7.9 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2016 compared to $194.5 million, or 29.5% last year. The $7.9 million decrease is primarily due to savings in store labor, stock-based compensation and marketing expenses, and reflects a slight decline in SG&A rate.

Restructuring and Strategic Charges

For the second quarter, the Company recorded pre-tax restructuring and strategic charges of $16.6 million, primarily consisting of severance, proxy solicitation costs, and consulting fees. On an after-tax basis, the second quarter impact of these charges was $10.3 million, or $0.08 per diluted share.

Income Tax Expense

For the second quarter, the effective tax rate was 38.0% compared to the 2015 second quarter effective tax rate of (108.1)%. The 2015 second quarter effective tax rate reflected tax benefits related to the disposition of Boston Proper. Excluding the 2015 tax benefits related to the disposition of Boston Proper, the 2015 second quarter effective tax rate was 37.7%.

Inventories

At the end of the second quarter of 2016, inventories totaled $235.6 million compared to $239.0 million last year. When excluding Boston Proper from fiscal 2015, inventories decreased $1.2 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2016 compared to $236.8 million last year.

Share Repurchase Program



During the second quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company repurchased 1.7 million shares for $19.7 million, at an average of $11.59 per share, under its $300.0 million share repurchase program announced in November 2015, with $203.7 million remaining under the program.

Changes in Presentation

Commencing in fiscal 2016, store occupancy expenses and shipping expenses, historically presented in SG&A, are being presented in Cost of Goods Sold. The Company believes that the costs represent direct costs associated with the sale of its merchandise and these changes better align the Company with its peers and better reflect how the business operates. Additionally, shipping revenue, historically presented in SG&A, is being presented in Net Sales. These adjustments were made retrospectively and all periods presented conform with this presentation.

Fiscal 2016 Second Half Outlook Update

The fiscal 2016 second half outlook excludes Boston Proper for comparability purposes. The Company is anticipating a low single-digit comparable sales decline for the second half. The Company expects lower sales to result in a decrease in gross margin rate due to deleverage of store occupancy costs, partially offset by an increase in merchandise margin rate. This decrease is expected to be offset by a decline in SG&A as a percent of sales, resulting from the previously announced cost reduction and operating efficiency initiatives. Total inventory is expected to be in line with 2015 levels.

ABOUT CHICO'S FAS, INC.

The Company, through its brands  Chico's, White House Black Market, and Soma is a leading omni-channel specialty retailer of women's private branded, sophisticated, casual-to-dressy clothing, intimates, complementary accessories, and other non-clothing items.

As of July 30, 2016, the Company operated 1,517 stores in the US and Canada and sold merchandise through franchise locations in Mexico. The Company's merchandise is also available at www.chicos.com, www.whbm.com, and www.soma.com. For more detailed information on Chico's FAS, Inc., please go to our corporate website at www.chicosfas.com.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

Certain statements contained herein may contain certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which reflect our current views with respect to certain events that could have an effect on our future financial performance, including but without limitation, statements regarding our plans, objectives, and future success of our store concepts, the implementation of our previously announced restructuring program and the organizational redesign, and implementation of our program to increase the sales volume and profitability of our existing brands through four previously announced focus areas. These statements may address items such as future sales, gross margin expectations, SG&A expectations (particularly estimated expected savings), operating margin expectations, planned store openings, closings and expansions, future comparable sales, inventory levels, and future cash needs. These statements relate to expectations concerning matters that are not historical fact and may include the words or phrases such as "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "estimates," "approximately," "our planning assumptions," "future outlook," and similar expressions. Except for historical information, matters discussed in such oral and written statements are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based largely on information currently available to our management and on our current expectations, assumptions, plans, estimates, judgments and projections about our business and our industry, and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or those currently anticipated. Although we believe our expectations are based on reasonable estimates and assumptions, they are not guarantees of performance and there are a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, contingencies, and other factors (many of which are outside our control) that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, there is no assurance that our expectations will, in fact, occur or that our estimates or assumptions will be correct, and we caution investors and all others not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, general economic and business conditions, conditions in the specialty retail industry, the availability of quality store sites, the ability to successfully execute our business strategies, the ability to achieve the results of our restructuring program, the ability to achieve the results of our four focus areas, particularly the results expected from our current strategic projects related to those focus areas, the integration of our new management team, and those described in Item 1A, "Risk Factors" and in the "Forward-Looking Statements" disclosure in Item 7. "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our Form 10-K. There can be no assurance that the actual future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements will occur. Investors using forward-looking statements are encouraged to review the Company's latest annual report on Form 10-K, its filings on Form 10-Q, management's discussion and analysis in the Company's latest annual report to stockholders, the Company's filings on Form 8-K, and other federal securities law filings for a description of other important factors that may affect the Company's business, results of operations and financial condition. All written or oral forward-looking statements that are made or attributable to us are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary notice. The Company does not undertake to publicly update or revise its forward looking statements even if experience or future changes make it clear that projected results expressed or implied in such statements will not be realized.

(Financial Tables Follow)

Executive Contact:

Jennifer Powers

Vice President  Investor Relations

Chico's FAS, Inc.

(239) 346-4199

Chico's FAS, Inc. and Subsidiaries Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited) (in thousands, except per share amounts)









Thirteen Weeks Ended

Twenty-Six Weeks Ended

July 30, 2016

August 1, 2015

July 30, 2016

August 1, 2015

Amount

% of

Sales

Amount

% of

Sales

Amount

% of

Sales

Amount

% of

Sales Net sales:





























Chico's $ 334,160



52.6



$ 355,417



51.8



$ 682,864



53.4



$ 725,276



52.4

White House Black Market 208,038



32.7



213,275



31.1



423,031



33.1



438,717



31.7

Soma 93,534



14.7



90,831



13.2



172,814



13.5



167,998



12.1

Boston Proper 



0.0



26,303



3.9







0.0



51,601



3.8

Total net sales 635,732



100.0



685,826



100.0



1,278,709



100.0



1,383,592



100.0

Cost of goods sold 394,922



62.1



421,125



61.4



775,564



60.7



823,273



59.5

Gross margin 240,810



37.9



264,701



38.6



503,145



39.3



560,319



40.5

Selling, general and administrative

expenses 186,626



29.4



207,170



30.2



394,767



30.9



435,235



31.5

Goodwill and intangible impairment

charges 



0.0



66,941



9.8







0.0



66,941



4.8

Restructuring and strategic charges 16,556



2.6



16,166



2.3



20,207



1.5



31,041



2.2

Income (loss) from operations 37,628



5.9



(25,576)



(3.7)



88,171



6.9



27,102



2.0

Interest expense, net (489)



(0.1)



(502)



(0.1)



(948)



(0.1)



(955)



(0.1)

Income (loss) before income taxes 37,139



5.8



(26,078)



(3.8)



87,223



6.8



26,147



1.9

Income tax provision (benefit) 14,100



2.2



(28,200)



(4.1)



33,100



2.6



(8,500)



(0.6)

Net income $ 23,039



3.6



$ 2,122



0.3



$ 54,123



4.2



$ 34,647



2.5

Per share data:





























Net income per common share-basic $ 0.17







$ 0.02







$ 0.41







$ 0.24





Net income per common and common

equivalent sharediluted $ 0.17







$ 0.02







$ 0.41







$ 0.24





Weighted average common shares

outstandingbasic 129,215







138,606







130,406







140,992





Weighted average common and common

equivalent shares outstandingdiluted 129,362







138,961







130,516







141,339





Dividends declared per share $ 0.0800







$ 0.0775







$ 0.2400







$ 0.2325







Chico's FAS, Inc. and Subsidiaries Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (in thousands)













July 30, 2016

January 30, 2016

August 1, 2015











ASSETS









Current Assets:









Cash and cash equivalents $ 100,532



$ 89,951



$ 109,015

Marketable securities, at fair value 50,612



50,194



47,999

Inventories 235,636



233,834



239,043

Prepaid expenses and other current assets 43,135



45,660



50,190

Income taxes receivable 3,070



29,157



11,482

Assets held for sale 18,667



16,525



85,941

Total Current Assets 451,652



465,321



543,670

Property and Equipment, net 515,088



550,953



563,583

Other Assets:









Goodwill 96,774



96,774



96,774

Other intangible assets, net 38,930



38,930



38,930

Other assets, net 18,989



14,074



22,829

Total Other Assets 154,693



149,778



158,533



$ 1,121,433



$ 1,166,052



$ 1,265,786













LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY









Current Liabilities:









Accounts payable $ 136,761



$ 129,343



$ 148,288

Current debt 10,000



10,000



10,000

Other current and deferred liabilities 151,823



158,788



150,433

Liabilities held for sale 







7,297

Total Current Liabilities 298,584



298,131



316,018

Noncurrent Liabilities:









Long-term debt 77,252



82,219



87,186

Deferred liabilities 126,377



130,743



138,815

Deferred taxes 9,377



15,171



13,562

Total Noncurrent Liabilities 213,006



228,133



239,563

Stockholders' Equity:









Preferred stock 









Common stock 1,320



1,355



1,394

Additional paid-in capital 440,038



435,881



422,387

Treasury stock, at cost (346,062)



(289,813)



(249,854)

Retained earnings 514,495



492,325



535,613

Accumulated other comprehensive income 52



40



665

Total Stockholders' Equity 609,843



639,788



710,205



$ 1,121,433



$ 1,166,052



$ 1,265,786



Chico's FAS, Inc. and Subsidiaries Condensed Consolidated Cash Flow Statements (Unaudited) (in thousands)





Twenty-Six Weeks Ended

July 30, 2016

August 1, 2015 Cash Flows From Operating Activities:





Net income $ 54,123



$ 34,647

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:





Goodwill and intangible impairment charges, pre-tax 



66,941

Depreciation and amortization 55,445



61,672

Loss on disposal and impairment of property and equipment 3,542



21,603

Deferred tax benefit (7,492)



(39,881)

Stock-based compensation expense 9,623



13,657

Excess tax benefit from stock-based compensation (220)



(2,170)

Deferred rent and lease credits (9,523)



(9,219)

Changes in assets and liabilities:





Inventories (1,802)



(15,165)

Prepaid expenses and accounts receivable (3,379)



(8,325)

Income tax receivable 26,087



(10,887)

Accounts payable (3,130)



(3,045)

Accrued and other liabilities (1,588)



2,254

Net cash provided by operating activities 121,686



112,082

Cash Flows From Investing Activities:





Purchases of marketable securities (28,708)



(29,460)

Proceeds from sale of marketable securities 28,334



107,994

Purchases of property and equipment, net (25,231)



(42,836)

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities (25,605)



35,698

Cash Flows From Financing Activities:





Proceeds from borrowings 



124,000

Payments on borrowings (5,000)



(26,500)

Proceeds from issuance of common stock 1,272



9,087

Excess tax benefit from stock-based compensation 220



2,170

Dividends paid (21,405)



(22,160)

Repurchase of common stock (60,560)



(258,834)

Net cash used in financing activities (85,473)



(172,237)

Effects of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents (27)



121

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 10,581



(24,336)

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Beginning of period 89,951



133,351

Cash and Cash Equivalents, End of period $ 100,532



$ 109,015



Supplemental Detail on Earnings Per Share Calculation

In accordance with accounting guidance, unvested share-based payment awards that include non-forfeitable rights to dividends, whether paid or unpaid, are considered participating securities. As a result, such awards are required to be included in the calculation of earnings per common share pursuant to the "two-class" method. For the Company, participating securities are composed entirely of unvested restricted stock awards and performance-based restricted stock units ("PSUs") that have met their relevant performance criteria.

Earnings per share is determined using the two-class method when it is more dilutive than the treasury stock method. Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net income available to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share reflects the dilutive effect of potential common shares from non-participating securities such as stock options and PSUs. For the twenty-six weeks ended July 30, 2016 and August 1, 2015, potential common shares were excluded from the computation of diluted EPS to the extent they were antidilutive.

The following unaudited table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share shown on the face of the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations (in thousands, except per share amounts):





Thirteen Weeks Ended

Twenty-Six Weeks Ended



July 30, 2016

August 1, 2015

July 30, 2016

August 1, 2015

















Numerator















Net income

$ 23,039



$ 2,122



$ 54,123



$ 34,647

Net income and dividends declared allocated to participating

securities

(506)



(28)



(1,155)



(804)

Net income available to common shareholders

$ 22,533



$ 2,094



$ 52,968



$ 33,843



















Denominator















Weighted average common shares outstanding  basic

129,215



138,606



130,406



140,992

Dilutive effect of non-participating securities

147



355



110



347

Weighted average common and common equivalent shares

outstanding  diluted

129,362



138,961



130,516



141,339



















Net income per common share(1)















Basic

$ 0.17



$ 0.02



$ 0.41



$ 0.24

Diluted

$ 0.17



$ 0.02



$ 0.41



$ 0.24



(1) Due to the differences between quarterly and year-to-date weighted average share counts and the effect of quarterly rounding to the nearest cent per diluted share, the year-to-date calculation of generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") diluted EPS may not equal the sum of the quarters.

SEC Regulation G - The Company reports its consolidated financial results in accordance with GAAP. However, to supplement these consolidated financial results, management believes that certain non-GAAP results, which exclude certain charges and results from non-continuing operations, may provide a more meaningful measure on which to compare the Company's results of operations between periods. The Company believes these non-GAAP results provide useful information to both management and investors by excluding certain expenses that impact the comparability of the results.

A reconciliation of net income and earnings per diluted share on a GAAP basis to net income and earnings per diluted share on a non-GAAP adjusted basis is presented in the table below:

Chico's FAS, Inc. and Subsidiaries GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation of Net Income and Diluted EPS (Unaudited) (in thousands, except per share amounts)





















Thirteen Weeks Ended

Twenty-Six Weeks Ended



July 30, 2016

August 1, 2015

July 30, 2016

August 1, 2015 Net income: (1)















GAAP basis

$ 23,039



$ 2,122



$ 54,123



$ 34,647

Goodwill and other intangible impairment charges





47,127







47,127

Restructuring and strategic charges

10,270



10,070



12,538



19,334

Boston Proper operating loss





2,013







4,737

Tax benefit related to the disposition of Boston Proper





(23,779)







(23,779)

Non-GAAP adjusted basis

$ 33,309



$ 37,553



$ 66,661



$ 82,066



















Net income per diluted share: (1) (2)















GAAP basis

$ 0.17



$ 0.02



$ 0.41



$ 0.24

Goodwill and other intangible impairment charges

0.00



0.33



0.00



0.33

Restructuring and strategic charges

0.08



0.07



0.09



0.13

Boston Proper operating loss

0.00



0.01



0.00



0.04

Tax benefit related to the disposition of Boston Proper

0.00



(0.17)



0.00



(0.17)

Non-GAAP adjusted basis

$ 0.25



$ 0.26



$ 0.50



$ 0.57



(1) All adjustments to net income are presented net of tax.

(2) Due to the differences between quarterly and year-to-date weighted average share counts and the effect of quarterly rounding to the nearest cent per diluted share, the year-to-date calculation of non-GAAP diluted EPS may not equal the sum of the quarters.

SEC Regulation G - The Company reports its consolidated financial results in accordance with GAAP. However, to supplement these consolidated financial results, management believes that certain non-GAAP results, which exclude results from non-continuing operations, may provide a more meaningful measure on which to compare the Company's results of operations between periods.

The tables below present a reconciliation of selected consolidated financial data on a GAAP basis to selected consolidated financial data on a non-GAAP adjusted basis, reflecting certain adjustments as identified in the footnotes to the table and excluding Boston Proper:

Chico's FAS, Inc. and Subsidiaries Fiscal 2015 Reconciliation of Reported to Adjusted Selected Non-GAAP Consolidated Financial Data (Unaudited) (in thousands)















As Reported

















Thirteen Weeks Ended

Twenty-Six Weeks Ended

August 1, 2015

August 1, 2015

Amount

% of Sales

Amount

% of Sales Net Sales $ 680,351



100.0



$ 1,373,690



100.0

Cost of goods sold 314,383



46.2



611,952



44.5

Gross margin 365,968



53.8



761,738



55.5

Selling, general and administrative expenses 308,437



45.3



636,654



46.3

Subtotal 57,531



8.5



125,084



9.2



Boston Proper

















Thirteen Weeks Ended

Twenty-Six Weeks Ended

August 1, 2015

August 1, 2015

Amount

% of Sales

Amount

% of Sales Net Sales $ 24,209



100.0



$ 47,989



100.0

Cost of goods sold 13,286



54.9



26,587



55.4

Gross margin 10,923



45.1



21,402



44.6

Selling, general and administrative expenses 14,163



58.5



29,029



60.5

Subtotal (3,240)



(13.4)



(7,627)



(15.9)



Adjustments, excluding Boston Proper

















Thirteen Weeks Ended

Twenty-Six Weeks Ended

August 1, 2015

August 1, 2015

Amount

% of Sales

Amount

% of Sales Net Sales(1) $ 3,381



0.5



$ 6,290



0.5

Store occupancy expense(2) 95,272



13.9



188,558



13.8

Shipping expense(3) 7,875



1.2



15,794



1.1

Cost of goods sold 103,147



15.1



204,352



14.9

Gross margin (99,766)



(14.6)



(198,062)



(14.4)

Selling, general and administrative expenses (99,766)



(14.6)



(198,062)



(14.4)

Subtotal 















As Adjusted, Non-GAAP

















Thirteen Weeks Ended

Twenty-Six Weeks Ended

August 1, 2015

August 1, 2015

Amount

% of Sales

Amount

% of Sales Net Sales $ 659,523



100.0



$ 1,331,991



100.0

Cost of goods sold 404,244



61.3



789,717



59.3

Gross margin 255,279



38.7



542,274



40.7

Selling, general and administrative expenses 194,508



29.5



409,563



30.7

Subtotal 60,771



9.2



132,711



10.0



















(1) Adjustments to net sales represent the correction of an immaterial error in the classification of shipping revenue, which was previously classified within SG&A.

(2) Adjustments to store occupancy expense represent the reclassification of store occupancy expenses, which were previously classified within SG&A.

(3) Adjustments to shipping expense represent a change in accounting policy to present shipping expenses within cost of goods sold, which were previously reported within SG&A.

Chico's FAS, Inc. and Subsidiaries Store Count and Square Footage Thirteen Weeks Ended July 30, 2016 (Unaudited)





















April 30, 2016

New Stores

Closures

July 30, 2016



Store count:

















Chico's frontline boutiques 600



1



(2)



599





Chico's outlets 117











117





Chico's Canada 4











4





WHBM frontline boutiques 428



1



(2)



427





WHBM outlets 71











71





WHBM Canada 6











6





Soma frontline boutiques 272



3



(1)



274





Soma outlets 19











19





Total Chico's FAS, Inc. 1,517



5



(5)



1,517















































April 30, 2016

New Stores

Closures

Other changes in SSF

July 30, 2016 Net selling square footage (SSF):

















Chico's frontline boutiques 1,639,696



2,339



(3,488)



(476)



1,638,071

Chico's outlets 293,646















293,646

Chico's Canada 9,695















9,695

WHBM frontline boutiques 990,054



2,230



(3,688)



4,724



993,320

WHBM outlets 148,457















148,457

WHBM Canada 14,891















14,891

Soma frontline boutiques 514,518



5,450



(1,562)



(412)



517,994

Soma outlets 35,637















35,637

Total Chico's FAS, Inc. 3,646,594



10,019



(8,738)



3,836



3,651,711



As of July 30, 2016 the Company also sold merchandise through 78 international franchise locations, comprised of 7 Chico's stand-alone boutiques, 40 Chico's shop-in-shops, and 31 Soma shop-in-shops.

Chico's FAS, Inc. and Subsidiaries Store Count and Square Footage Twenty-Six Weeks Ended July 30, 2016 (Unaudited)





















January 30, 2016

New Stores

Closures

July 30, 2016



Store count:

















Chico's frontline boutiques 604



2



(7)



599





Chico's outlets 117











117





Chico's Canada 4











4





WHBM frontline boutiques 429



3



(5)



427





WHBM outlets 71











71





WHBM Canada 6











6





Soma frontline boutiques 269



6



(1)



274





Soma outlets 18



1







19





Total Chico's FAS, Inc. 1,518



12



(13)



1,517















































January 30, 2016

New Stores

Closures

Other changes in SSF

July 30, 2016 Net selling square footage (SSF):

















Chico's frontline boutiques 1,652,991



5,112



(19,398)



(634)



1,638,071

Chico's outlets 293,646















293,646

Chico's Canada 9,695















9,695

WHBM frontline boutiques 991,164



6,921



(10,300)



5,535



993,320

WHBM outlets 148,457















148,457

WHBM Canada 14,891















14,891

Soma frontline boutiques 507,805



11,008



(1,562)



743



517,994

Soma outlets 33,792



1,845











35,637

Total Chico's FAS, Inc. 3,652,441



24,886



(31,260)



5,644



3,651,711



As of July 30, 2016 the Company also sold merchandise through 78 international franchise locations, comprised of 7 Chico's stand-alone boutiques, 40 Chico's shop-in-shops, and 31 Soma shop-in-shops.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160209/331560LOGO

SOURCE Chico's FAS, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.chicos.com


Precision farming and machine automation are already taking on ever-greater importance in order to meet the need for more efficient, economic and sustainable agriculture. However, at key times of the year farm work still demands long hours in the field  particularly when harvesting a crop, or planting the next one.

Via its Case IH and New Holland Agriculture brands, CNH Industrial's Innovation Group has proactively developed concept autonomous technology to meet this challenge and help farmers and agribusinesses sustainably boost production and productivity at these times, through the ability to make the most of ideal soil and weather conditions, as well as available labor.

Auto-steering and telematics are already available on today's tractors and autonomous technology takes this a significant stage further. Based on the existing Case IH Magnum and New Holland T8 high-horsepower conventional tractors, and using GPS in conjunction with the most accurate satellite correction signals for ultra-precise guidance and immediate recording and transmission of field data, the CNH Industrial autonomous tractor concept has been designed to allow completely remote deployment, monitoring and control of the machines.

Flexible autonomous solutions

The concept tractors are configured as two distinct versions. These offer the potential to use CNH Industrial's autonomous technology to completely remove the operator from the cab  in the case of the cabless concept Case IH Magnum. The New Holland T8 NHDrive concept tractor maintains its cab to deliver operating flexibility, with traditional human operation for road transport and when performing tasks currently unsuited to automation. Autonomous mode is then engaged when compatible tasks are performed. In either format, the machines can be seamlessly integrated into existing fleets, and aside from the driverless technology they use a conventional engine, transmission, chassis and implement couplings.

Distinctive design

CNH Industrial's in-house Styling Center used the current Case IH Magnum as the starting point for the brand's concept autonomous tractor. The international Industrial Design Team then reimagined the tractor for a future autonomous era, eliminating the traditional operator station and crafting the concept Magnum's sleek and dynamic lines. The aggressive headlights, sculpted bonnet and distinctive silhouette are complemented by carbon fiber front fenders, two-tone black and red wheel rims and signature LED status running lights.

In control

A fully interactive interface has been developed to control the autonomous tractors, while at the same time providing immediate and secure feedback, recording and transfer of operational data. The process of operating either tractor begins with inputting field boundary maps into the system, and then using the integrated path planning software to plot the most efficient field paths for machines  autonomous technology is most suited to jobs that make this possible, and which require minimal complex operator intervention, such as cultivation, planting, spraying and mowing. This system automatically accounts for implement widths, and also plots the most efficient paths when working with multiple machines, including those operating with different implement widths and with varying operating requirements. Manual path plotting can also be carried out for refueling or when custom paths are required.

Once path plotting has finished, the user can choose a job from a pre-programmed menu simply by selecting the vehicle, choosing the field and then setting the tractor out on its task, the whole sequence taking little more than 30 seconds.

Subsequently, the machine and implement can be monitored and controlled either via a desktop computer or via a portable tablet interface, which can both display three operating screens. This enables users to access this data, wherever they are, from locations as disparate as from the comfort of their pick-up truck whilst checking fields, or whilst tending livestock or even at home, and always whenever they need. This facilitates right-time decision making to enhance operational efficiency and productivity. Furthermore, farmers will maintain full control and ownership of their data.

A path-plotting screen shows the tractor's progress, another shows its live camera feeds, providing the user with up to four real time views (two front and two rear), while a further screen enables monitoring and modification of key machine and implement parameters such as engine speed, fuel levels and implement settings  seeding rate or planter downforce, for example. The route to the field can also be planned, should this involve negotiable private roads or tracks.

In the field

Among the many things these two designs have in common is a complete sensing and perception package, which includes radar, LiDAR (range finding lasers) and video cameras to ensure obstacles or obstructions in the tractor's path or that of the implement are detected and avoided. This not only ensures the safety of anybody or anything which comes within proximity of the machine, but it also guarantees trouble-free, efficient operation for hour after hour in the field. Should an object be detected in the tractor's path, visual and audio warnings appear on the control interface  either tablet interface or desktop  which offers a choice of how the tractor should respond: by waiting for human intervention, driving around the obstacle using either a manually or automatically plotted path or, in the event that it is something such as a straw pile or tree branch, driving onwards. Should something  for example, another machine  cross its path and continue moving, it will come to a momentary standstill and move off again once its way is clear.

In the instance operating parameters become critical, as in the case of low fuel or seed levels, the same notifying system is employed. Any critical machine alarms or loss of critical machine control functions cause the autonomous vehicle to stop automatically for safety reasons, while a stop button on the control interface can be activated manually for the same purpose.

The tractor can be left to carry out its task, monitored remotely through the tablet interface. Its screen also allowing machine and implement settings to be altered remotely. Machine tasks can be modified in real time, such as if a storm is approaching. In the future these concept tractors will be able to use 'big data' such as real time weather satellite information to automatically make best use of ideal conditions, independent of human input, regardless of the time of day. For example the tractor would stop automatically should it become apparent changeable weather would cause a problem, then recommence work when conditions would have sufficiently improved. Alternatively, if on private roads, they can be sent to another field destination where conditions are better  soils are lighter or there has been no rain, for example.

The tablet interface can also be mounted in another machine whose operator can supervise its activities. As an example, from the seat of a combine or tractor, the operator can monitor the progress and eventually modify the performance of an autonomous tractor/planter combination working in the same or neighboring field. As such, autonomous tractors can seamlessly integrate into an existing farm machinery fleet, with minimal operational changes. Alternatively, multiple autonomous tractors can be put to work in one field or separate fields, on the same tasks or consecutive ones  such as cultivation and seeding  all of which can be controlled through the same interface.

A vision for the future of farming

While the concept Case IH Magnum and New Holland T8 NHDrive autonomous models are using conceptual CNH Industrial technology, they address relevant real world situations. Autonomous tractor operation is suited both to owner-operator situations, where it could allow a person working with no employees to operate two tractors, or to the very largest businesses where finding suitable skilled labor is becoming increasingly more challenging.

These autonomous technologies have been designed so that, in the future, they could be further developed to enable their application across the full range of equipment in a modern farmer's fleet. This could encompass the full range of tractors, harvesting equipment and support vehicles, such as sprayers.

CNH Industrial has worked with its long-standing technology provider Autonomous Solutions Incorporated, ASI, a Utah-based company that is the industry leader in off-road autonomous solutions, in order to develop and refine this concept autonomous technology. An intensive testing program was undertaken to ensure both the concept tractors themselves and the critical tractor/planter interface are fully functional and intuitive to operate.

Since the mid-1990s, CNH Industrial and its constituent agricultural equipment brands have led the industry in utilizing precision technology to make farming as efficient, productive and sustainable as possible. Case IH's Advanced Farming Systems (AFS) and New Holland's Precision Land Management (PLM) packages were among the first to make use of GPS-aided systems to allow farmers to record their field activity, make non-overlapping passes, and variably-apply fertilizer and crop protection products, so that nothing is missed or wasted. CNH Industrial's concept autonomous tractor technology is the next step along this path  and holds significant promise for the sustainable and productive future of farming.

For further information on the concept autonomous tractors, including images, video and technical information, please visit:

http://media.cnhindustrial.com/EMEA/CNH-INDUSTRIAL-CORPORATE/Autonomous_Concept_Tractors

CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI /MI: CNHI) is a global leader in the capital goods sector with established industrial experience, a wide range of products and a worldwide presence. Each of the individual brands belonging to the Company is a major international force in its specific industrial sector: Case IH, New Holland Agriculture and Steyr for tractors and agricultural machinery; Case and New Holland Construction for earth moving equipment; Iveco for commercial vehicles; Iveco Bus and Heuliez Bus for buses and coaches; Iveco Astra for quarry and construction vehicles; Magirus for firefighting vehicles; Iveco Defence Vehicles for defence and civil protection; and FPT Industrial for engines and transmissions. More information can be found on the corporate website: www.cnhindustrial.com

Media contacts:





Richard Gadeselli Laura Overall Head of Corporate Communications Corporate Communications Manager CNH Industrial CNH Industrial Tel: +44 (0)2077 660 346 Tel. +44 (0)2077 660 338



Email: [email protected]

www.cnhindustrial.com



Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160823/400529

Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160823/400530

Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160119/323658LOGO

SOURCE CNH Industrial N.V.

Related Links

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EUGENE, Ore., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- College Choice, a leading authority in college and university rankings and resources, has published its 2016 rankings for the Best Online Bachelors in Medical Sonography Degrees and the Most Affordable Online Bachelors in Medical Sonography Degrees.

http://www.collegechoice.net/rankings/best-online-medical-sonography-schools/

http://www.collegechoice.net/rankings/cheapest-online-medical-sonography-schools/

As ultrasound technology continues to innovate, so too does the need for more educated technicians. For many students, the only plausible way to gain the advanced education needed to be certified as a technician is through online education. College Choice created separate rankings for both undergraduate and graduate prospective students.

Christian Amondson, Managing Editor of College Choice, had this to say about these sonography rankings: "You may not know about the many other ways medical sonographers play a vital role in the health care team. Sonograms are used to diagnose a host of medical problems from kidney stones to heart conditions. And sonographers are a vital part of care in specialized fields that range from obstetrics to neurology to oncology."

The College Choice 2016 rankings for both the online bachelors and masters degrees were created first and foremost by looking at the requirements to apply for each program. Sonography programs are competitive, so schools were ranked for these requirements as well as academic reputation, program opportunities, first-time pass rates for certification programs, and more. This information was created using school's program websites and independent statistical sites such as Payscale, U.S. News and World Report, and the National Center for Education Statistics.

The College Choice 2016 ranking for Best Online Bachelors in Medical Sonography Degrees is led by Oregon Institute of Technology, followed by the University Nebraska Medical Center and Southern New Hampshire University.

Oregon Institute of Technology takes top honors on the College Choice 2016 ranking for Most Affordable Online Bachelors in Medical Sonography Degrees. The Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and Adventist University of Health Sciences rounds out the top three.

The complete list of schools included in the rankings are as follows:

Adventist University of Health Sciences, Orlando, FL

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, MA

Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ

Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Falls, OR

Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, NH

Thomas Edison State University, Trenton, NJ

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR

University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College, Blue Ash, OH

University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE

University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI

Valencia College, Orlando, FL

Washburn University, Topeka, KS

College Choice is the leading authority in college and university rankings, searches and resources dedicated to helping students and their families find the right college. The site publishes rankings and reviews that make finding the best colleges for different interests easier and more fun, as well as resources to help students get into, pay for, and thrive at the college of their choice.

Contact:

Christian Amondson

Managing Editor, College Choice

Web: http://collegechoice.net

Email

Phone:(541) 255-3801

SOURCE College Choice

Related Links

http://www.collegechoice.net


Mr. Ciruli is the Director of the Crossley Center for Public Opinion Research at the University of Denvers Josef Korbel School of International Studies. He is an adjunct professor teaching public opinion and foreign policy. The Crossley Center conducts research and presents live and virtual programs on foreign policy, politics, public policy and public opinion.





Mr. Ciruli holds a law degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and a bachelors degree cum laude in political science from UCLA. He is a member of the American Association of Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), and is the past-president of the Pacific Chapter of AAPOR (PAPOR). Mr. Ciruli is a board member of the Social Science Foundation of the University of Denver Josef Korbel School of International Studies and past-president of the Georgetown Law Alumni Board and the Denver Athletic Club.




"Ryan's experience in the energy sector is a great accompaniment to our current oil and gas practice," said Dudley Ray, managing director of Higginbotham in Houston. "He understands oil and gas operations and speaks their language so he can get them coverage that's right for the industry. We have a number of specialty practice groups in industries beyond energy for that very reason."

Dill was most recently a business developer and corporate account manager at Hunting Energy Services, a manufacturer and distributer of oil and gas products. Since starting in 2011, he established three profitable North American territories representing more than 75 accounts, achieving record revenue. He was also involved with international oil and gas markets, crisis management and sales staff training. Before that, Dill was an operations and sales manager for SMS Precision Tech, a machine parts manufacturer working in the oil and gas industry.

Raised in Tomball, Texas, Dill is active in its local political scene and provided volunteer campaign management assistance for Dr. Tom Oliverson's successful bid for Texas State Representative, District 130. He also frequently volunteers with WoodsEdge Community Church where he is a member with his wife and daughters, ages 4 and 7.

About Higginbotham

Higginbotham is a single source for insurance and financial services that brokers business insurance, employee benefits, retirement plans, executive benefits, life insurance and home/auto insurance from more than 250 regional and national carriers. It supplements coverage with in-house risk management and benefit plan administration services. The firm was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, with 25 additional offices statewide. Higginbotham ranks as the nation's 31st largest independent insurance brokerage firm based on revenue, making it the largest Texas-based broker (Business Insurance, July 2016). Visit www.higginbotham.net for more information.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402699

SOURCE Higginbotham

Related Links

http://higginbotham.net


LONDON, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Businesses in the communications hardware industry manufacture telephone apparatus and broadcasting and wireless communications hardware. It includes wired and wireless communication hardware equipment. Communications hardware is the hardware used for telecommunications. Since the 1990s the boundary between telecoms hardware and IT hardware has become blurred as a result of the growth of the internet and its increasing role in the transfer of telecoms data.



The Americas was the largest geographic market in the communications hardware market in 2015, accounting for $xx billion or xx% of the global market. Asia was the second largest geographic market, accounting for $xx billion or xx% of the global market. Europe was the third largest geographic market, accounting for $xx billion or xx% of the global market. The Middle East and Africa accounted for xx% and $xx billion, while Oceania accounted for xx% of the global communications hardware market.



Global per capita communications hardware consumption grew from $xx in 2011 to $xx in 2015 at a CAGR of xx% and is expected to grow to $xx in 2019 at a CAGR of xx%. This was due to increase in mobile phone users and technology advances in wireless broadband services, and the internet of things (IoT).



Rapid increase in energy consumption has been recognized as a major threat to environmental protection and sustainable development. Communications hardware accounts for about 2%-4% of the total global carbon emissions. Due to access to the high-speed internet provided by next-generation wireless networks and increased smartphone usage, data traffic has increased the requirement for global access, triggered a dramatic expansion of network infrastructures and escalated energy demand. Environment friendly batteries, renewable energy sources, and intelligent management of the power systems are some of the proposed solutions to reduce carbon emissions.

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4081178/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

Related Links

http://www.reportbuyer.com


Petris was, previously, the Systems Control Manager at SkyWest Airlines' Operations Control Center and had deep domain experience in systems control, dispatch, and crew support. Justin Conrad, Vice President & Director of Operations for CommutAir said: "We are excited to have David join us. His knowledge of SOC operations in large, multi-fleet, jet and turboprop operations makes him an excellent addition to my team. With CommutAir's plan to double in size every year, it is imperative that we have strong, experienced leaders onboard."

CommutAir is experiencing substantial growth, creating significant advancement and hiring opportunities, not just in the corporate office, but on the runway as well. The addition of forty ERJ-145 jets to the fleet requires CommutAir to hire a large number of pilots. To accommodate this, CommutAir is committed to offering the industry's leading pay, benefits, and pilot-in-command advancement opportunities that include:

Up to $15,000 sign-on bonus & rapid position upgrades for qualified applicants

sign-on bonus & rapid position upgrades for qualified applicants Career Path Program  offering qualified pilots a pathway of advancement to United Airlines subject to program terms and conditions

Top-tier pay and benefits including vacation, 401(K) match & health care

Unparalleled Commuter Policy including company paid commuter hotels

For Career Opportunities click: http://www.flycommutair.com

About CommutAir: CommutAir, operating as United Express, was founded in 1989 and is majority owned by Champlain Enterprises Inc. Today, CommutAir operates more than 800 weekly flights to 30 plus destinations, with Bombardier Q200/Q300 and Embraer ERJ145XR aircraft, from its bases in Newark and Dulles. CommutAir's 600+ employees, are well known in the industry for fostering a family culture and friendly work environment. Click www.flycommutair.com or contact us at [email protected] or +1 (440) 779-4588 x 371.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402582

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160218/335030LOGO

SOURCE CommutAir

Related Links

http://www.flycommutair.com


More than 400,000 people in the United States have MS, the leading cause of neurological disability in young adults. However, very little is known about the disease, and very little can be done to stop it from causing neurological damage that leads to disability. No treatments currently exist that work on slowing disability for those who have Primary Progressive MS and Secondary Progressive MS.

The Foundation has become increasingly cognizant of the difficult funding environment that faces young scientists wishing to enter into research. Recognizing that young scientists are vital to the continuation of quality research into MS, the Foundation has created these two grant competitions to provide funding at what we believe is often the most critical time of a scientist's career.

The award is named in honor of Marilyn Hilton, who endured the disease for decades yet continued to radiate a positive spirit and demonstrate resolve. Steven M. Hilton, her son and Foundation chairman, recollects his mother's philosophy: "You don't look back at what might have been. You accept what life has presented and make the best of what you have."

Peter Laugharn, president and chief executive officer of the Foundation added: "MS has touched the lives of the Hilton family at a very personal level, so we feel it's important to reach out and help others that are going through a similar struggle. Those with MS and those who love them will benefit from this innovative research."

For this funding cycle, the Foundation will accept proposals for two different competitions. Bridging Grants for Physician Scientists will provide support as young investigators transition from their post-doctoral careers to their first early faculty positions. Pilot Innovator Grants will provide young investigators short-term grants to explore new lines of research. Please see individual competition guidelines for instructions on individuals and institutions eligible to apply for award funding.

For more information about the award and the request for proposal, please visit our Marilyn Hilton Award Page. For more information about the Hilton Foundation's MS program, visit our website or contact Elizabeth Cheung.

About the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation was created in 1944 by international business pioneer Conrad N. Hilton, who founded Hilton Hotels and left his fortune to help the world's disadvantaged and vulnerable people. The Foundation currently conducts strategic initiatives in six priority areas: providing safe water, ending chronic homelessness, preventing substance use, helping children affected by HIV and AIDS, supporting transition-age youth in foster care, and extending Conrad Hilton's support for the work of Catholic Sisters. In addition, following selection by an independent international jury, the Foundation annually awards the $2 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to a nonprofit organization doing extraordinary work to reduce human suffering. In 2015, the Humanitarian Prize was awarded to Landesa, a Seattle-based land rights organization. From its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $1.4 billion in grants, distributing $107 million in the U.S. and around the world in 2015. The Foundation's current assets are approximately $2.5 billion. For more information, please visit www.hiltonfoundation.org.

Contact: Julia Friedman, Communications Manager, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

818.851.3754 / [email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160826/401877

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150916/267339LOGO

SOURCE Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

Related Links

http://www.hiltonfoundation.org


SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Consumer Watchdog today called on Attorney General Kamala Harris "to take immediate action on the hundreds of consumer complaints against Herbalife to obtain relief for the hundreds of Californians, regardless of their immigration status, who were victimized by Herbalife's deceptive and predatory business practices."

The nonpartisan, nonprofit public interest said Harris should file a suit against Herbalife for failure to honor a 1986 injunction that was supposed to stop the company's abusive practices.

Herbalife recently reached a settlement with Federal Trade Commission, requiring Herbalife to pay $200 million to their consumer base and restructure their abusive business practices.

In a letter to Harris calling for her to act on behalf of all California residents, Jamie Court, Consumer Watchdog President and John M. Simpson, the public interest group's Privacy Project Director, wrote:

"Undocumented residents, who represent a disproportionate share of Herbalife's victims, are unlikely to come forward to take advantage of a federal settlement. Simply put, they fear that giving information to a federal agency could lead to their deportation. Therefore, we urge you to launch an investigation into Herbalife's past business practices in California and to take action on behalf of all California residents, including those who are afraid of seeking to benefit from the FTC settlement."

Read Consumer Watchdog's letter here: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/ltrharris-083016.pdf

Consumer Watchdog said the FTC settlement "represents a step toward justice for those who have fallen victim to the company and who are willing and able to make a claim."

"However, the FTC action is not enough; you must ensure that the company never has another opportunity to mislead consumers within the State of California again and that all victims in the state, regardless of immigration status, receive restitution," Court and Simpson wrote,

Consumer Watchdog said that in 1986 then Attorney General John Van de Kamp obtained an injunction that was supposed to stop Herbalife's abusive practices, but the company never fully complied. In the last three years a reported 780 victims have filed consumer complaints about Herbalife to the Attorney General's office.

"By filing a lawsuit against Herbalife for violating the 1986 injunction, you can provide relief to the hundreds of Californians that were victimized by Herbalife's business practices and offer further protection and restitution to all California residents that were affected," then letter said.

Consumer Watchdog noted that there is clear precedent for state action against Herbalife. Earlier this summer, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced a $3 million settlement to directly resolve the consumer complaints filed against Herbalife in her state.

"The victims in California, regardless of their immigration status, deserve similar additional support, then letter concluded. "California needs you, Attorney General Harris to stand with them. We are asking for action that will provide justice to all those in the state who have been hurt by Herbalife's deception and abusive predatory business practices."

Visit our website at www.consumerwatchdog.org

SOURCE Consumer Watchdog

Related Links

http://www.consumerwatchdog.org


WESTFIELD, N.J., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Context Summits, the preeminent producer of investment summits for the alternative asset management industry, today announced the appointment of Sarah Huntington as Chief Marketing Officer. Ms. Huntington brings to Context Summits more than 15 years of sales and marketing experience in the alternative investment industry.

"Sarah's addition strengthens our senior leadership team and continues the expansion of our firm," said Mark Salameh, CEO of Context Summits. "Over the last 12 months, we have optimized and grown our technology, operations, sales and investor relations teams in an effort to continue to deliver the most efficient, productive and innovative events in the alternative asset management industry."

Previously, Ms. Huntington was Director of Marketing at Markit, where she led the Processing Division's marketing team for the FX and Loans team. She also served as Director of Marketing and Communications at Conifer Financial Services, which was acquired by The Carlyle Group in 2015. Prior to Conifer, she was Global Head of Marketing, Asset Management and Hedge Funds at Thomson Reuters, helping to build out the firm's hedge fund product offering by packaging desktop, data and analytics for funds of all sizes and strategies globally.

Ms. Huntington spent eight years as a Director at UBS Investment Bank and began her career with ABN Amro Prime Brokerage, which was acquired by UBS and merged with the Paine Webber prime broker business. In this role, Ms. Huntington's marketing efforts helped elevate UBS's prime brokerage from #8 to #4 according to a key industry ranking conducted by Global Custodian.

Ms. Huntington added, "I look forward to working with Mark and the team at Context Summits, helping to expand our events to new markets and further our established reputation as the preeminent producer of investment events."

The next Summit is Context Summits West 2016, which will be held from September 25-27 at the Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, CA. For additional information, please visit https://www.contextsummits.com/west. Context Summits Alternative Lending 2016 will take place on September 28 in Dana Point, CA.

About Context Summits

As the preeminent producer of investment summits for the alternative asset management industry, Context Summits focuses on elevating the conference experience through an innovative format and structure where relationship building leads to unmatched results. A pioneer of the one-on-one 'summit' format, Context Summits utilizes an innovative approach to deliver effective and transparent networking events that elevate the conference experience for managers, allocators and investors. Through its systematic approach, Context Summits is able to attract high quality attendees, making meetings efficient and productive. For more details, please visit: http://www.contextsummits.com.

About Context Capital Partners

Context Capital Partners, LP is an alternative specialist company that allocates its capital to talented investment managers and whose subsidiaries offer a diverse range of investment strategies, including hedge funds, liquid alternative mutual funds, and private equity funds. Through its unique approach to evaluating and overseeing highly-differentiated and specialized funds, Context seeks to identify opportunities in both liquid and illiquid markets and serves as a full financial and operational partner for its subsidiaries. Since inception, Context led seed deals totaling more than $400 million in aggregate. The firm's subsidiary businesses include Context Asset Management, Context Summits, Context BH Capital Management, Context Liberty Bell, Context Jensen Partners, and Adams Business Credit.

Context Capital Partners is headquartered in Bala Cynwyd, PA. For more information about Context Capital Partners, visit www.contextcp.com.

Media Contact:

Nick Rust

212.279.3115 ext. 252

[email protected]

SOURCE Context Summits

Related Links

http://www.contextsummits.com


Part of the publication's annual breakfast series, the DBusiness Powered by Women list and event recognizes female business leaders in the region for creativity and innovation, for influencing company revenue, new business opportunities and adding value to the lives of their business colleagues and employees.

"As a female executive, I've learned that while hard work and professionalism are definitely necessary, leadership is about supporting others and making an impact," said Wahnschaff. "I am truly humbled to be recognized by DBusiness and to share this honor with such amazing women. Congratulations to all of the honorees. Let's continue to shatter glass ceilings together and pave the way for talented young women in all industries."

Wahnschaff recognizes the value and importance in corporate mentorship. She realizes that sharing her business knowledge, wisdom and technical expertise directly impacts the success of employees and sparks innovation. Wahnschaff's corporate mentorship supports men on how to better work with women in the workforce and prepare women for career acceleration.

"I feel a strong sense of responsibility to inspire and support women at Continental to continue to aim higher," said Wahnschaff. "Today, opportunities exist for women in engineering, quality, finance and sales that weren't necessarily there before. I am proud to continue to help women's networks across Continental optimize their visibility and impact."

As an active mentor in the company's Women's Forum, Wahnschaff helps engage leaders at all levels of the organization and supports a framework for highlighting the power of perspectives and embracing differences.

The primary mission for the Women's Forum is to take steps forward, capitalizing on the company's strengths and inspiring "One Continental". In the metro Detroit area, Continental has more than 300 members in the Women's Forum and this level of participation continues to expand. Women's Forums are also located at Continental facilities in the Chicagoland area, Mexico and across the globe including several Forums established in Europe.

In recent years, Continental has made significant strides toward improving the diversity and inclusion efforts in the workforce, including implemented new programs, forums and affinity groups to support women. The company has embraced practices such as telecommuting, flexible work hours and concierge services to promote a healthy work life balance and become an "employer of choice".

About Continental:

Continental develops intelligent technologies for transporting people and their goods. As a reliable partner, the international automotive supplier, tire manufacturer, and industrial partner provides sustainable, safe, comfortable, individual, and affordable solutions. In 2015, the corporation generated sales of 39.2 billion with its five divisions, Chassis & Safety, Interior, Powertrain, Tires, and ContiTech. Continental currently employs approximately 215,000 people in 55 countries.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402147

SOURCE Continental

Related Links

http://www.continental-corporation.com


PLANO, Texas, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The ASC Signal Division of Communications & Power Industries LLC (CPI) has been awarded a contract for high-frequency (HF) antennas in Indonesia by Pratama Wahyu Teknik (PWT), a communications systems integrator headquartered near Jakarata. PWT has ordered four Model 3005 Spira-Cone HF antennas for air-to-ground communication and navigation purposes for the Indonesian National Directorate General of Civil Aviation for RDARA, the Regional and Domestic Air Route Area coverage agency in Makassar and Merauke, Indonesia.

CPI ASC Signal Division's Model 3005 HF antenna system was first developed to meet a requirement by the U.S. Navy for a low-profile antenna to replace older, rotatable log-periodic antenna systems. This model includes mode voting technology, which is widely used in non-commercial HF systems, and extends the use of that technology into the commercial sector.

Although this is CPI ASC Signal Division's first project for PWT, the new contract is not its first project in Indonesia nor the region. CPI ASC Signal Division has been supplying antenna systems to the Southern Pacific region for approximately 12 years, including the provision of state-of-the-art antenna products to Australian aviation authorities and the Indonesian military through large, multi-national original equipment manufacturers.

"The Southern Pacific region relies heavily on air transportation for a variety of its social and economic needs, and it is vital that it has access to reliable, proven technology for aviation communications and navigation applications," said Keith Buckley, president of CPI ASC Signal Division. "CPI ASC Signal Division's HF antenna systems are trusted components of aviation systems throughout the region. We are honored that Pratama Wahyu Teknik, a world-class integrator, has recognized our Model 3005 technology as optimal for its system needs in Indonesia, and we look forward to a productive relationship."

About CPI ASC Signal Division

In September 2015, ASC Signal was acquired by Communications & Power Industries LLC, becoming CPI ASC Signal Division, a multinational manufacturer of high-performance, highly-engineered satellite Earth station, radar and HF antenna systems. Its customers include international broadcasters and Fortune 500 companies, as well as military and government organizations. CPI ASC Signal Division leads through design innovation that capitalizes on a more than 40-year heritage of engineering creativity and excellence. The ASC Signal Division of CPI is a member of the World Teleport Association and the Society of Satellite Professionals International and a supporter of the satellite industry's Better Satellite World campaign. www.cpii.com/ascsignal

About Communications & Power Industries LLC

Communications & Power Industries LLC (CPI), headquartered in Palo Alto, California, is a subsidiary of CPI International Holding Corp. and CPI International, Inc. CPI develops, manufactures and globally distributes components and subsystems used in the generation, amplification, transmission and reception of microwave signals for a wide variety of systems including radar, electronic warfare and communications (satellite and point-to-point) systems for military and commercial applications, specialty products for medical diagnostic imaging and the treatment of cancer, as well as microwave and RF energy generating products for various industrial and scientific pursuits. www.cpii.com/

Certain statements included above constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements provide our current expectations, beliefs or forecasts of future events. These statements are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the results projected, expected or implied by these forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, competition in our end markets; our significant amount of debt; changes or reductions in the U.S. defense budget; currency fluctuations; goodwill impairment considerations; customer cancellations of sales contracts; U.S. Government contracts; export restrictions and other laws and regulations; international laws; changes in technology; the impact of unexpected costs; the impact of a general slowdown in the global economy; the impact of environmental laws and regulations; inability to obtain raw materials and components; and the impact of unexpected results of, or issues in connection with, dispositions and acquisitions. These and other risks are described in more detail in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All future written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible for us to predict these events or how they may affect us. We undertake no duty or obligation to (i) publicly revise any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events occurring after the date hereof, (ii) to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes in our expectations or (iii) to publicly correct or update any forward-looking statement if CPI becomes aware that such statement is not likely to be achieved.

SOURCE CPI International Holding Corp.; CPI International, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.cpii.com


Celebrating 15 years since the company's founding, 50,000feet is one of the largest independent creative shops in Chicago, with team in New York and Seattle. Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach that combines business acumen, consumer insights and design thinking, 50,000feet delivers immersive creative solutions for some of the world's most recognized and respected brands. 50,000feet continues to expand the breadth and depth of its capabilities in content, social media marketing, broadcast and video. From integrated campaigns and digital platforms to brand identity and retail systems, 50,000feet delivers cross-media brand experiences that build awareness and loyalty.

"We have a reputation for deep strategic thinkingexecuted beautifully," says Jim Misener, President at 50,000feet. "As we've grown, we are reminded why we founded 50k in the first place: to do good work for the right reasons, which include creating memorable, meaningful experiences for consumers and helping the best brands become even better. The Inc. recognition reaffirms these founding principles."

About 50,000feet

Founded in 2001, 50,000feet is an independent creative agency that develops integrated communications for some of the world's most respected brands. From brand identity systems, marketing communications and advertising to all facets of interactive, 50,000feet designs for brand engagement, synchronizing mobile, digital, retail, print, social and video.

Learn more at 50000feet.com

CONTACT Cole Stevens [email protected], 773-529-6760 x36

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140909/144661

SOURCE 50,000feet

Related Links

http://www.50000feet.com


TULSA, Okla., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Digital Strategy Call (https://creativestate.com/blog/categories/Podcast), is now available on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play and other podcast networks.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402608LOGO

The show is hosted by Brent Lollis, founder of Creative State (https://creativestate.com), a Digital Strategy firm that has worked with Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift, Fortune 500 companies, startups and non-profits.

"Over the last 15 years I've worked with and met many of the most creative and innovative digital leaders in the world. I started the Digital Strategy Call to bring their stories to a wider audience. My goal is to help business leaders navigate the ever-changing digital landscape and become the digital leader in their industry," says Brent Lollis, host of the Digital Strategy Call.

The show covers topics including digital strategy, social media, content marketing, website development, search engine optimization, digital marketing, advertising, retargeting, video marketing, competitor analysis, analytics, reputation management among others.

Each episode features an in-depth interview with a digital leader, founder or CEO. Guests in the first five episodes include:

Leigh Steinberg - Mega sports agent who was the inspiration for Tom Cruise's character in the hit movie Jerry Maguire .



- Mega sports agent who was the inspiration for character in the hit movie . Joff Redfern - VP of Product for Fidelity Investments, Yahoo, and most recently at LinkedIn where he oversaw the company's transition from a desktop first to a mobile first company.



- VP of Product for Fidelity Investments, Yahoo, and most recently at LinkedIn where he oversaw the company's transition from a desktop first to a mobile first company. Paul Berry - CEO of RebelMouse, TechStars mentor, and former CTO of the Huffington Post.



- CEO of RebelMouse, TechStars mentor, and former CTO of the Huffington Post. Keith Tozer - Hall of Fame and gold-medal winning coach of the US National Futsal team, and commissioner of the Mark Cuban backed Professional Futsal League. Consultant to Fortune 500 companies that want to build better teams.



- Hall of Fame and gold-medal winning coach of the US National Futsal team, and commissioner of the Mark Cuban backed Professional Futsal League. Consultant to Fortune 500 companies that want to build better teams. Jim Schleckser - Bestselling author of "Great CEO's Are Lazy", columnist for Inc. Magazine and Chief Executive Officer of the Inc. CEO project.

Future episodes feature digital leaders from Inc. Magazine, Disney, TechCrunch, CBS, and the New York Film Academy.

Listeners can submit feedback, guest suggestions and show ideas by email: [email protected]

ABOUT BRENT LOLLIS:

Brent Lollis is an award-winning digital strategist, speaker and consultant. His 1000+ clients have included Fortune 500 CEOs, startups, schools, non-profits and superstars like Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift and American Idol mentor and Big Machine Records founder Scott Borchetta. He is the founder of Creative State, host of the Digital Strategy Call and the author of the book Digital Dominance which helps business leaders become the digital leader in their industry. He has designed and implemented successful digital strategies that have allowed his clients to become digital leaders in their industries. He lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his wife and two children.

Related Links

Digital Dominance eBook

Podcast Episode - Jim Schleckser

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE Creative State
DALLAS, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Slingshot gave David Angelo, Founder and Chairman of David & Goliath advertising an ultimatum: pay up or DavidAndGoliath.com gets it.

After years of owning DavidAndGoliath.com, Slingshot recently changed to slingshot.com. Rather than just hand over the URL, Slingshot created a humorous ransom stunt.

DavidAndGoliath.com is held for ransom by masked villains. Will David Angelo pay up? Slingshot's Associate Creative Directors, Clay Coleman and Jordan Dontos take their roles seriously - or as seriously as someone in a panda mask can. Watch their humorous videos at urlransom.com

Over the course of the week, Slingshot released daily ransom videos, shot and edited by Kevin Hamm of Varnish, Slingshot's in-house production company. The videos featured Associate Creative Directors Jordan Dontos and Clay Coleman as half wit hostage takers, comically torturing the URL with everything from a hip-hop hamster to a piping hot pan of pain. Here are the videos: URLransom.com

Each release sparked a playful Twitter exchange between Mr. Angelo and the hostage takers.

Friday's video revealed all, including the hostage takers' true identities and intention to raise money for their agency charity providing grants to local schools serving underprivileged children.

Over the weekend, Slingshot founder and CEO, Owen Hannay connected with David Angelo to discuss the terms of the exchange. Mr. Angelo happily agreed and got his precious URL.

"When we first opened our doors, we were eager to obtain DavidAndGoliath.com," said David Angelo. "At the time, Slingshot wasn't in a position to sell it to us, so we opted for DNG.com, which, while it has treated us well over the years, doesn't pack as powerful a punch. Kudos to Slingshot for coming up with a creative, inventive and very funny way to get our attention. After 17 years, we can at last reunite with our beloved URL. We had a great time playing along this week, and in the spirit of good will and love, we will of course be donating to the Slingshot Foundation."

Owen Hannay called the stunt, "Disruptive and fun, demonstrating with the right tactics, you can breakthrough to anyone  even a prominent advertising figure with a man in a panda mask."

Susan Levine, Slingshot Executive Creative Director added, "We knew this would be a risk, not only the whole hostage angle but prominently displaying Jordan's chest hair for the world to see  that was down right scary. But seriously, we're thrilled that David played along and we could help our charitable foundation."

We're happy to report that the URL and Angelo are finally together, at last. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyxgQcE7gmk

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402654

SOURCE Slingshot

Related Links

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DENVER, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- DaVita Kidney Care, a division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc. (NYSE: DVA), and a leading independent provider of integrated health and kidney care services in the United States, welcomes Bryan Becker, MD, MMM, FACP, CPE as vice president of integrated care and member of the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, DaVita's physician leadership team. Dr. Becker will lead the clinical programs for VillageHealth at DaVita HealthCare Partners.

"Dr. Becker's career is testament to his commitment to patients by improving and growing value based health care," said Allen R. Nissenson, MD, FACP, chief medical officer for DaVita Kidney Care. "We are looking forward to seeing the ways in which he can help us to provide holistic, patient centered, integrated health care."

Dr. Becker graduated from Dartmouth College and received his M.D. from the University of Kansas and has served as president of the National Kidney Foundation. Prior to working with DaVita, Dr. Becker led the nephrology group at the University of Wisconsin where he assisted in developing Wisconsin Dialysis Inc. and was president of the University of Chicago Medicine Care Network, composed of over 1,000 physicians. He also held the position of vice president of clinical integration and associate dean for clinical affairs at the University of Chicago Medicine.

Dr. Becker is passionate about improving the lives of patients by creating value based health care that can lead to superior clinical outcomes while responsibly stewarding precious resources. Through his work, Dr. Becker aims to achieve the highest level of care possible, even in times of change. His experience as a physician executive and his work for not-for-profit and physician organizations has inspired his beliefs in open dialogue, teamwork and the power of respect to motivate and improve results. He will be a great addition to the DaVita Village. To learn more about the DaVita physician leadership team, visit DaVita.com/physicians.

About DaVita Kidney Care

DaVita Kidney Care is a division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc., a Fortune 500 company that, through its operating divisions, provides a variety of health care services to patient populations throughout the United States and abroad. A leading provider of dialysis services in the United States, DaVita Kidney Care treats patients with chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease. DaVita Kidney Care strives to improve patients' quality of life by innovating clinical care, and by offering integrated treatment plans, personalized care teams and convenient health-management services. As of June 30, 2016, DaVita Kidney Care operated or provided administrative services at 2,293 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States serving approximately 185,000 patients. The company also operated 127 outpatient dialysis centers located in 11 countries outside the United States. DaVita Kidney Care supports numerous programs dedicated to creating positive, sustainable change in communities around the world. The company's leadership development initiatives and social responsibility efforts have been recognized by Fortune, Modern Healthcare, Newsweek and WorldBlu. For more information, please visit DaVita.com.

DaVita and DaVita HealthCare Partners are trademarks or registered trademarks of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc.

Contact Information

Media:

Lindsey Robinson

[email protected]

(720) 925-3079

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160822/400295LOGO

SOURCE DaVita Kidney Care

Related Links

http://www.DaVita.com


DENVER, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- DCG (www.denverconsultinggroup.com), the nation's leading cannabis industry consultancy, announced that its new Northwest Office (DCG Northwest) is helping clients throughout Oregon, Alaska, and Washington State obtain licenses, improve operations, train employees, and increase revenues  all while staying compliant with the myriad of complex regulations that govern the legal marijuana industry.

DCG Northwest recently obtained two tier-two growing permits for clients in Oregon. Additionally, the team was successful in getting 1500 plants transferred from a medical classification to a recreational classification, which will become one of Oregon's first OLCC-sanctioned recreational crops.

Justin Jones, Co-Founder of Denver Consulting Group and Director of DCG Northwest, said that he receives inquiries from a variety of cannabis businesses. "We hear daily from growers, retailers and processors that want to improve their operations or tackle specific issues," Jones said. "We are able to guide cannabis businesses on the best path forward. Additionally, we help entrepreneurs looking to start a cannabis business, as well as assist companies seeking investment or those looking to invest in this exploding legal marijuana industry."

Denver Consulting Group (DCG) is the nation's leading group of cannabis consultants, and includes a team of industry pioneers; and experts in cultivation, dispensary operations, contracts and law, zoning, employee training, licensing, packaging, and marketing. DCG's premier consultants are the leading figures inside the legal marijuana industry, encompassing dispensary owners and operators, cultivation experts, cannabis-lawyers, regulatory board advisors, and the winner of the Cannabis Industry's "Entrepreneur of the Year" Award.

For information on DCG's Cannabis Consulting Services in Oregon, Washington, and Alaska, call DCG Northwest at 503-862-3030, or email: justin(@)denverconsultinggroup.com

For information on nationwide cannabis consulting, contact Denver Consulting Group, at: 720-890-7344, or visit: www.denverconsultinggroup.com.

About Denver Consulting Group (DCG)

Denver Consulting Group (DCG) is the nation's premier cannabis consulting service, helping marijuana businesses get established, stay compliant, and thrive. Services include license applications, location permitting, build-outs, grow optimization, training, and SOPs. The company also provides regulatory audits powered by CannaScore - the gold standard in compliance assurance.

DCG has offices in Denver and Portland, and serve clients nationwide.

Connect:

Facebook: Facebook.com/dankconsulting

Twitter: @dankconsulting

Blog: http://denverconsultinggroup.com/category/cannabis-consulting-blog-marijuana-industry/

Media Inquiries:

The Innovation Agency

310-571-5592

www.inov8.us

hello(@)inov8.us

SOURCE DCG

Related Links

http://www.denverconsultinggroup.com


A member of the Georgia Dental Association since 1982, Jernigan has held multiple officer positions at the district and state levels. Most recently he served as president-elect of the state association. Earlier in 2009 he was president of the Georgia Dental Association Northern District Dental Society.

During his acceptance speech, Jernigan spoke of the importance of collaboration to further improve the oral health of all Georgians. "Better together is my motto," he said. A focus during his presidential year will be implementing the Georgia Dental Association Action for Dental Health plan. Comprehensive in its approach, the plan outlines initiatives and goals to collaboratively address barriers to oral healthcare in Georgia.

In addition to membership in the Georgia Dental Association, Jernigan is a member of the American Dental Association, Hinman Dental Society, American College of Dentists, International College of Dentists, Decatur Dental Study Club and the Georgia Academy of Dental Practice. In 2015 he was named "Dentist of the Year" by the Georgia Dental Association Northern District Dental Society.

Dr. Jernigan attended the University of Georgia and holds a D.M.D. degree from the Medical College of Georgia. He has practiced in Atlanta since 1976 and is a general dentist in Decatur.

About the Georgia Dental Association

The Georgia Dental Association (GDA) is the state's largest dental association, representing 3,300 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information in Georgia, the GDA has promoted the highest standards of dentistry through education, advocacy and professionalism since 1859. A constituent of the American Dental Association, the GDA is based in Atlanta.

Contact: Carol Galbreath

(404) 636-7553, ext. 119

[email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402349

SOURCE Georgia Dental Association

Related Links

http://www.gadental.org


CUPERTINO, Calif., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Between August 25, 2015 and September 2, 2015, five stockholders of Dot Hill Systems Corp. ("Dot Hill") filed putative class action lawsuits in the Court of Chancery of Delaware (the "Court") challenging Seagate Technology plc's ("Seagate") proposed acquisition of Dot Hill for $9.75 per share in cash through a tender offer for Dot Hill shares. The original complaints in the lawsuits sought to enjoin the tender offer and monetary damages for the putative class.

On September 1, 2015, Dot Hill filed a Schedule 14D-9 relating to the tender offer. On September 9, 2015, Plaintiffs filed a Consolidated Amended Complaint, which, in addition to seeking to enjoin the tender offer and monetary damages for the putative class, sought disclosure of additional facts relating to the tender offer. On September 9, 2015, Plaintiffs filed a Motion for Expedited Proceedings and a Motion for a Preliminary Injunction.

On September 28, 2015, the parties executed a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") agreeing to resolve the actions in principle on the basis that Dot Hill would file supplemental disclosures relating to the tender offer with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which it subsequently did. Plaintiffs subsequently determined not to proceed with the proposed settlement agreed to in the MOU.

On May 24, 2016, the Court entered an order dismissing the consolidated stockholder actions with prejudice as to Plaintiffs, and without prejudice as to all other plaintiffs and any absent members of the putative class. Pursuant to the order, the Court retained jurisdiction solely for the purpose of determining the Plaintiffs' application for an award of attorneys' fees and reimbursement of expenses.

On August 4, 2016, Plaintiffs' counsel filed a petition for an award of attorneys' fees and reimbursement of expenses in view of the supplemental disclosures made pursuant to the MOU. The petition sought an award of $300,000 in attorneys' fees and reimbursement of expenses. After negotiations, the parties have agreed to resolve the petition for a payment of $230,000 to Plaintiffs' counsel by Seagate. The resolution of the fee petition for $230,000 has not been approved or ruled upon by the Court.

SOURCE Seagate Technology PLC
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Car shoppers looking for the best possible deal on a new car this Labor Day weekend should target outgoing 2016 models that are scheduled to be phased out or redesigned for 2017, says Edmunds.com the leading car information and shopping network. These new car "leftovers," says Edmunds, will be available at significant discounts through the end of the year because dealers are urgently looking to clear their inventories to make room for the all-new 2017 models. As a result buyers can save thousands of dollars on these vehicles.

Edmunds identifies nine specific vehicles as its "Best New-Car Leftovers for 2016" and here are five that stand out:

2016 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan (Redesign)

Even luxury car shoppers can appreciate a bargain and the 2016 Mercedes-Benz E-Class delivers both on the car and the price. The E-Class sedan, set to be redesigned for the 2017 model year, has long been one of the go-to picks for midsize luxury sedans. The "A" rating Edmunds editors gave it in 2015 further solidified its reputation. (The coupe and wagon will remain unchanged for now.) Edmunds spotted a number of Edmunds Price Promise deals of $7,000- $10,000 off MSRP for the sedan. While E-Class sedan shoppers are more likely to lease than buy, a lower selling price usually translates to a better lease deal.

Even luxury car shoppers can appreciate a bargain and the 2016 Mercedes-Benz E-Class delivers both on the car and the price. The E-Class sedan, set to be redesigned for the 2017 model year, has long been one of the go-to picks for midsize luxury sedans. The "A" rating Edmunds editors gave it in 2015 further solidified its reputation. (The coupe and wagon will remain unchanged for now.) Edmunds spotted a number of Edmunds Price Promise deals of off MSRP for the sedan. While E-Class sedan shoppers are more likely to lease than buy, a lower selling price usually translates to a better lease deal. 2016 Hyundai Genesis Sedan (Rebranded as Genesis G80)

If you want a midsize luxury sedan with many of the same features of the E-Class but with a lower price tag, give the Genesis sedan a look  especially now. The price gap becomes even more pronounced with the savings on the 2016 Hyundai Genesis. Edmunds spotted Price Promise offers of $3,000-$5,500 off MSRP. An added bonus is that there won't be much difference in the 2017 version: Hyundai is creating its own luxury brand, "Genesis Motors," and this model will carry over largely unchanged but with a new name: Genesis G80.

If you want a midsize luxury sedan with many of the same features of the E-Class but with a lower price tag, give the Genesis sedan a look  especially now. The price gap becomes even more pronounced with the savings on the 2016 Hyundai Genesis. Edmunds spotted Price Promise offers of off MSRP. An added bonus is that there won't be much difference in the 2017 version: Hyundai is creating its own luxury brand, "Genesis Motors," and this model will carry over largely unchanged but with a new name: Genesis G80. 2016 Buick LaCrosse (Redesign)

The all-new 2017 Buick LaCrosse will be hitting dealer lots soon, but there are still plenty of 2016 models on hand. The LaCrosse is a comfortable, entry-level full-size sedan with a hybrid model and all-wheel drive as options. Edmunds currently shows Price Promise offers with as much as $6,200 off MSRP.

The all-new 2017 Buick LaCrosse will be hitting dealer lots soon, but there are still plenty of 2016 models on hand. The LaCrosse is a comfortable, entry-level full-size sedan with a hybrid model and all-wheel drive as options. Edmunds currently shows Price Promise offers with as much as off MSRP. 2016 Cadillac SRX (Replaced by XT5)

The Cadillac SRX isn't exactly going away. Instead, Cadillac is giving its luxury SUV a makeover and a new name: Cadillac XT5. There are still a fair number of SRX models left in the wild and there are a few Price Promise offers of $8,000 off MSRP, once the incentives are factored in. Some of its more notable features are a classy interior and a comfortable ride.

The Cadillac SRX isn't exactly going away. Instead, Cadillac is giving its luxury SUV a makeover and a new name: Cadillac XT5. There are still a fair number of SRX models left in the wild and there are a few Price Promise offers of off MSRP, once the incentives are factored in. Some of its more notable features are a classy interior and a comfortable ride. 2016 Subaru Impreza Sedan (Redesign)

The Subaru Impreza sedan is scheduled for a 2017 redesign. In the meantime, Subaru will be encouraging its dealerships to clear out the remaining 2016 models of this spacious and reliable sedan with standard all-wheel drive. When it comes to potential savings, Edmunds notes that the Impreza has a small price window between its MSRP and its invoice price. Since there's not a ton of profit margin on this car to begin with, the savings won't look as impressive as some of the other cars on this list. Expect to see offers around $900-$1,100 off MSRP, but in some markets -- such as San Francisco  savings can climb to as much as $2,300 off MSRP.

"Even though these vehicles are being redesigned or going away altogether, they still have the same great technology and performance that you'd find in most new cars, but at a much better value," says Edmunds.com Sr. Consumer Advice Editor Ron Montoya. "Bargain hunters are strongly encouraged to consider these vehicles, and the sooner they start shopping, the better. Since we're approaching end of the car-buying year, inventories of these cars will start to dwindle and colors and options may be limited."

Some of the discounted offers on 2016 vehicles are regional, so shoppers are urged to check Edmunds Price Promise offers and incentive information to see what is available in their area. Edmunds further advises shoppers that when automakers redesign a car, the outgoing model may depreciate more quickly in the short term. But if a buyer expects to keep the car for a long time (i.e., more than five years), depreciation will have little  if any  effect.

An expanded list of Edmunds.com's 2016 model year selldown recommendations can be found at http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/best-new-car-leftovers-for-2016.html.

About Edmunds, Inc.

Car shopping destination Edmunds.com serves millions of visitors each month. With Edmunds Price Promise, shoppers can buy smarter with instant, upfront prices for cars and trucks currently for sale at 10,000 dealer franchises across the U.S. Shoppers can browse not only dealer inventory, but also vehicle reviews, shopping tips, photos, videos and feature stories on both Edmunds' wired site and on its acclaimed mobile apps. Regarded as one of the best places to work in Southern California, Edmunds.com was also named one of "The World's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies of 2015 in Automotive" by Fast Company. Edmunds welcomes all car-shopping questions on its free Live Help Line at 1-855-782-4711 and [email protected], via text at ED411 and on Twitter and Facebook. The company is based in Santa Monica, Calif. and has a satellite office in downtown Detroit, Mich., but you can find Edmunds from anywhere on YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, Google+ and Flipboard.

Contact:

Aaron Lewis

Edmunds.com Corporate Communications

Media Hotline: 310-309-4900

[email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130612/MM31390LOGO

SOURCE Edmunds.com

Related Links

http://www.edmunds.com


FALMOUTH, Maine, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- International non-profit the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) tapped Falmouth experiential marketing firm EMG3 to create a campaign to raise awareness of sustainable fishing in New England. EMG3's "Good Catch!" campaign aimed to bolster New England's sustainable seafood businesses by raising consumer awareness about the identification and availability of sustainable seafood products.

International non-profit the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) tapped experiential marketing firm EMG3 (www.emg3.com) to create a campaign to raise awareness of sustainable fishing in New England. EMG3's "Good Catch!" campaign aimed to bolster New England's sustainable seafood businesses by raising consumer awareness about the identification and availability of sustainable seafood products.

Based in London, MSC was established to address the problem of unsustainable fishing and safeguard seafood supplies for the future. Through its blue MSC ecolabel and fishery certification program, MSC works towards a sustainable seafood market to insure the world's oceans continue to teem with life for generations to come. MSC works with fisheries and businesses worldwide to achieve this mission.

New England is a leader in sustainable U.S. fisheries, and yet despite ranking at the top for seafood consumption, New England ranks poorly for consumer awareness of the abundant sustainable seafood offerings from area sellers. EMG3 took the MSC "Good Catch!" campaign directly to consumers with events at Whole Foods and Big Y grocery stores, which feature MSC certified products at their fresh fish counters, in Massachusetts and Connecticut, as well as to Boston's Green Fest. Consumers were able to win grocery gift cards at the interactive display while learning about area sustainable fisheries and how to identify sustainable products. A "Good Catch!" video was also created for the campaign.

"Being based in New England, we are acutely aware of that the fishing industry is vital to Northeast's economy," said Steve Woods, CEO and President of TideSmart Global LLC, EMG3's parent company. "New England fisheries are at the forefront of protecting our oceans and insuring that the fishing industry continues to thrive for generations to come, and we are proud to play a role in raising awareness of their work."

"Through this campaign, EMG3 has been able to raise consumer awareness of not only the issue of sustainability  something we as a company have always taken great pride in  but also recognition of the MSC blue ecolabel," Woods continued. The TideSmart family of companies operates from a 6-acre, ecofriendly campus that includes the most energy efficient corporate building in the Northeast, the Viridescent House.

The "Good Catch!" campaign included activations in Massachusetts and Connecticut. For more information about the campaign, visit www.msc.org/goodcatch.

EMG3: Since 2003, EMG3 has provided experiential solutions to some of the biggest and best companies in the world. By combining the art of live experiences with the science of both new and traditional media, EMG3 builds strong emotional connections between client brands and key audiences. At EMG3, we believe that Every Moment Matters. From first impression to final post, each touch point informs the complex, critical relationships that underlie purchase decisions, customer affinity and other marketing outcomes. Today's audiences crave engagement and demand attention, with consistency and authenticity, across media channels, when and where they choose to experience a brand. These defining moments happen on air and online, in print and through personal dialogue, on the street and in store. hey happen everywhere. We work hard to be there when they do  because Every Moment Matters. EMG3 is a part of the TideSmart Global LLC family of companies and operates from a unique 6-acre, eco-friendly campus in Falmouth, Maine. www.emg3.com

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FehP5TNVV8g

SOURCE EMG3

Related Links

http://www.emg3.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- DocuSign announced today it has been ranked among the top 50 Highest Rated Private Cloud Companies To Work for according to its employees as reviewed on Glassdoor (www.glassdoor.com). The list  assembled by Battery Ventures and its portfolio company Glassdoor, the jobs and recruiting marketplace  highlights large, privately-held B2B cloud companies that, according to their employees, are great places to work.

Overall, employees rate DocuSign at 4.5 out of 5, with a 4.4 rating on career opportunities and 4.5 rating on the company's culture and values. DocuSign's CEO, Keith Krach, has a 98% approval rating among employees, 91% of whom would recommend DocuSign as a great place to work to a friend or colleague. DocuSign employees rate the company's business outlook at higher than 90% favorable, well above the Glassdoor Top 50 average of 75%.

In the words of DocuSign employees as shared anonymously on Glassdoor, DocuSign has "a lot of smart people doing challenging work every day" with an "awesome product, massive customer base, and a great vision for the future." DocuSign employees are thrilled that "there is a proven track record of promoting from within and investing in employees" and working at DocuSign is a "great opportunity to make a significant contribution that will impact the future of the company" and "a once-in-a-career opportunity."

"It's a huge honor to be included among the 50 best private cloud companies to work for as rated by DocuSign employees on Glassdoor," said Keith Krach, chairman and CEO, DocuSign. "The passion, dedication, innovation and customer focus across the entire DocuSign team inspire me every day. I couldn't be more proud of our team or of the things we are doing to change the way business is done and help our customers succeed."

"At Battery, we play close attention to employee reviews on Glassdoorin fact, those reviews often figure into our investment decisions," said Neeraj Agrawal, general partner at Battery Ventures. "And when you look at how employees talk about DocuSign  its leadership, values and work environment  it's clear that there's something very special about the company's culture."

"Companies with high employee satisfaction, engagement and loyalty  like DocuSign  are the ones to watch," said Tom Friel, former chairman and CEO, Hendrick and Struggles. "We've seen time and again that high levels of employee engagement lead to stronger performance. These companies achieve greater customer loyalty, market share and shareholder value."

To be included in the list, companies must have had 200 or more employees and 30 or more employee satisfaction reviews on the Glassdoor site as of July 2016. They also had to have raised funding in the last three years. Data was leveraged from research service Mattermark to look at larger, private cloud companies that were B2B focusedinstead of providing consumer services. Glassdoor then compiled data on which companies had the highest employee satisfaction ratings with 5 indicating "very satisfied" and 1 signaling "very dissatisfied." The average company rating for the top 50 was 4.5 and the average CEO-approval rating was 94%, compared to a broader Glassdoor average of 67%. More information on the findings may be found here.

For more information on working at DocuSign from the perspective of the company's employees, please visit Glassdoor. To discover opportunities to join DocuSign's high performance team, please visit www.docusign.com/careers.

Contact:

Adrian Wainwright

DocuSign, Inc.

[email protected]

About DocuSign, Inc.

DocuSign is changing how business gets done by empowering anyone to send, sign and manage agreements anytime, anywhere, on any device with trust and confidence. DocuSign and Go to keep life and business moving forward. For more information, visit www.docusign.com, call +1-877-720-2040, or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Copyright 2003-2016. DocuSign, Inc. is the owner of DOCUSIGN and all of its other marks (www.docusign.com/IP). All other marks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151102/283113LOGO

SOURCE DocuSign, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.docusign.com


TULSA, Okla., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Expanding on the resounding success of Lightspace dot London in combining innovation and inspiration for the architectural and lighting design communities, Revo Media and PennWell Corporation announced today the launch of Lightspace California to be held February 28-March 2, 2017 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.

Bringing together leading designers and lighting professionals from around the world, Lightspace California will be the first event of its kind in highlighting the powerful role of lighting in architectural design. Sharing the latest insights, trends and techniques through case studies, expert talks, and interactive panel discussions, Lightspace California will also showcase the latest products, technologies and services on the exhibition floor, creating an exceptional opportunity for attendees to "experience light."

"The expansion of the Lightspace dot London to the U.S. market with Lightspace California is an exciting opportunity for bridging the architectural and lighting design communities to share inspirations, lessons learned and innovative ways to move their respective businesses forward. Lightspace California will provide a unique connection point between architects and lighting designers to explore new ways of influencing each other's work and collaborating their efforts in creating outstanding design projects," said Mr. Ray Molony, Publisher of Lighting magazine.

Lightspace California will be co-located with the industry-leading LED lighting events Strategies in Light and The LED Show, owned and produced by PennWell Corporation. Together, the three events under one roof will be the first of its kind in showcasing the entire spectrum of lighting from manufacturing/technology, to specifying and applications, to high-end architectural design.

"This central point where all professionals involved in the lighting industry can come together is vital as the future of lighting trends toward greater collaboration and convergence of markets. Adding the highly-creative audience that Lightspace California will bring to the more than 5,000 attendees of Strategies in Light and The LED Show will provide an experience unlike any other where professionals can interact in real-time with all stages of lighting," said Ms. Christine Shaw, Senior Vice President of PennWell's LED & Lighting Network.

Lightspace California will be presented by Revo's Lighting magazine, the lighting design industry's most progressive publication focused on state-of-the-art architectural lighting design projects. Similar to Lightspace dot London, Lighting magazine will heavily contribute to the content, look and feel of Lightspace California. The event will also be supported by LEDs Magazine, the presenting publication of Strategies in Light and The LED Show.

Learn more about Lightspace California here.

Learn more about Lightspace dot London here.

Learn more about Lighting magazine here.

Learn more about Strategies in Light and The LED Show here.

Learn more about LEDs Magazine here.

About Revo Media

Revo Media Partners Limited, a media company, produces the leading Lux Review lighting brand, including a portfolio of news and information channels and events. In addition to Lighting magazine, the brand Includes Lux Review, a publication and online offering that shares knowledge globally and LuxLive, a lighting exhibition that brings together specifiers and end-users to showcase products and services. The company was founded in 2010 and is based in London, United Kingdom. In 2014, Revo Media Partners Limited began operating as a subsidiary of PennWell Corporation.

About PennWell Corporation

PennWell Corporation is a privately held and highly diversified business-to-business media and information company that provides quality content and integrated marketing solutions for the following industries: Oil and gas, electric power generation and delivery, hydropower, renewable energy, water and wastewater treatment, waste management, electronics, semiconductor manufacturing, optoelectronics, fiber-optics, aerospace and avionics, LEDs and lighting, fire and emergency services, public safety, and dental. PennWell publishes over 130 print and online magazines and newsletters, conducts 60 conferences and exhibitions on six continents, and has an extensive offering of books, maps, websites, research and database services. In addition to PennWell's headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Company has major offices in Nashua, New Hampshire; London, England; Houston, Texas; San Diego and Mountain View, California; Fairlawn, New Jersey; Moscow, Russia; and Hong Kong, China. For additional information about PennWell Corporation, visit www.pennwell.com.

Contact:

Wendy Lissau, Marketing Director

PennWell Corporation

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 918.831.9793

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110627/DA26630LOGO

SOURCE Revo Media; PennWell Corporation

Related Links

http://www.lightspacecalifornia.com


LAS VEGAS and PITTSBURGH, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The complexity of maintaining real-time replication for all enterprise workload configurations is one of the most significant challenges facing information technology professionals responsible for establishing and maintaining disaster recovery and business continuity strategies. In particular, the components of networking present a specific challenge in maintaining service resiliency across public networks.

Some Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) solutions rely upon domain name system (DNS) failover to facilitate network continuity in the event of a disaster declaration. Unfortunately, that solution delivers an inconsistent recovery time and can negatively impact some users, who may lose service for an extended period of time.

Expedient now delivers public and private DRaaS cloud solutions using the VMware NSX network virtualization platform. This use case creates a hybrid network mesh that when combined with dynamic routing protocolsallows for the re-use of public internet protocol (IP) subnets in an alternative geographic location after a disaster is declared. "With this solution, public IP addresses and all virtual network appliances including firewalls, load balancers and VPN endpoints move with their connected computing workloads at the press of a button in our self-service support portal," explained John White, vice president, Product Strategy, Expedient. "Any user possessing the privilege to do so could initiate automatic failover in one click."

The ability to replicate all components of IT infrastructure significantly reduces recovery time objectives (RTO) from hours to minutes. Commenting on the process of moving critical workloads to the Expedient DRaaS solution, Tom Juncewicz, director of Information Technology at Stanley Steemer remarked, "Working with Expedient to implement Push Button DR has been a pleasure. Their handling of our migration was absolutely magical! In my career, I've never seen such a smooth transition of such a complex environment."

In its presentation at VMworld 2016, Expedient will demonstrate this functionality and discussed the NSX network virtualization use case with more than three hundred interested participants. "VMware is pleased to work with Expedient on software that allows them to deliver Push Button DR 2.0a solution that delivers application continuity to improve business outcomes for organizations," said Geoff Waters, vice president, Service Provider Channel, VMware."

"Watching a demonstration of this capability in production was very impressive," remarked Carl Brooks, analyst, Service Providers, 451 Research. "Expedient is moving network-based services in the direction they need to go with the VMware NSX platform."

A recording of the demonstration is available at https://go.expedient.com/PushButtonDR.

About Expedient

Expedient is a cloud and data center infrastructure as a service (IaaS) provider with local operations in Pittsburgh, PA; Baltimore, MD; Boston, MA; Cleveland, OH; Columbus, OH; Indianapolis, IN and Memphis, TN. Converged solutions enable clients to focus on strategic business innovation, while the Expedient team handles operation of the information technology needed to support it. Learn more at expedient.com.

VMware, NSX and VMworld are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141029/155249LOGO

SOURCE Expedient

Related Links

http://www.expedient.com


Known for high-quality art materials, the Faber-Castell Premium Children's Art Products allow young artists to experience the inspiration of color and technique. In honor of this expansion, Faber-Castell is asking shoppers to wear red and snap a photo in front of their products in-store. Fans who upload their photos on to the Premium Children's Art Facebook page are automatically entered to win a Gift Basket of Faber-Castell products, including the Young Artist Learn to Paint Set and Metallic Colored Eco Pencils, a prize valued at over $200.

"We are thrilled to bring more options to young artists, particularly around the Back to School season," said Idalia Farrajota, SVP of Merchandising and Brand. "Faber-Castell's collection of products truly embody the importance of quality, and enable anyone to make something uniquely theirs."

New products available include:

Do Art Word Art : Where children can give the alphabet some flair by embellishing letters and words in fun ways. $15

Where children can give the alphabet some flair by embellishing letters and words in fun ways. Do Art Travel Easel: A portable art studio that includes crayons, colored ecopencils, markers, chalk, and sketch pad; ideal for holiday travel. $35

A portable art studio that includes crayons, colored ecopencils, markers, chalk, and sketch pad; ideal for holiday travel. Color By Number Emoji Pop Art: Color in funny Emoji faces with 5 DuoTip Washable Markers. $10

To find a participating retailer near you, visit http://www.michaels.com/store-locator

About Faber-Castell

Faber-Castell USA is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio and is part of the global network of Faber-Castell companies in countries such as Australia, Brazil and Malaysia. Faber-Castell was founded more than 250 years ago as a pencil manufacturer and today is known for its high-quality, professional art supplies and fine writing instruments and accessories. Faber-Castell is the leading provider of best quality creative experiences for a lifetime. Faber-Castell Children's brands include Creativity for Kids (CreativityforKids.com) and Faber-Castell Premium Children's Art Products (GreatArtStartsHere.com). For more information about Faber-Castell USA, go to FaberCastell.com.

About The Michaels Companies, Inc.

The Michaels Companies, Inc. is North America's largest specialty provider of arts, crafts, framing, floral, wall decor, and seasonal merchandise for the hobbyist and do-it-yourself home decorator. As of April 30, 2016, the Company owned and operated 1,352 stores in 49 states and Canada under the brands Michaels, Aaron Brothers, and Pat Catan's. The Michaels Companies, Inc., also owns Artistree, a manufacturer of high quality custom and specialty framing merchandise, and Darice, a premier wholesale distributor in the gift and decor industry. The Michaels Companies, Inc. produces a number of exclusive private brands including Recollections, Studio Decor, Bead Landing, Creatology, Ashland, Celebrate It, Art Minds, Artist's Loft, Craft Smart, Loops & Threads, Make Market, Foamies, LockerLookz, and Sticky Sticks. Learn more about Michaels at www.michaels.com

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402380

SOURCE Faber-Castell

Related Links

http://FaberCastell.com


OSAKA, Japan, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (MTPC) (Head Office: Osaka; President & Representative Director, CEO: Masayuki Mitsuka), today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company's New Drug Application (NDA) for edaravone (MCI-186) an intravenous treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a rapidly progressive neurological disease. A decision on the application is anticipated on June 16, 2017 based on the Prescription Drug User Fee Act. If approved, the medicine will be commercialized, under the brand name RADICAVA, through the newly-formed MT Pharma America, Inc.

"This is an important milestone for Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma and for the U.S. ALS community," said Joseph M. Palumbo, MD, Vice President, Head of Clinical Research, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Development America, Inc. "There is an urgent need for new treatment options in ALS and we are now an important step closer to potentially making that a reality. We look forward to working with the FDA as part of the review process."

About ALS

ALS, sometimes called Lou Gehrig's disease, attacks the nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord responsible for controlling voluntary muscles, such as those needed to move, speak, eat and breathe.2,3 It is one of the most well-known neuromuscular diseases, affecting approximately two in 100,000 people worldwide.4,5 While it is inherited in 5%10% of cases, the cause for the majority of cases is not well understood but may involve genetic and environmental factors.6,7 There is currently no cure.6

The edaravone NDA is supported by a clinical research program in patients diagnosed with ALS in Japan. In 2015, edaravone was approved for use as a treatment for ALS in Japan and South Korea. In the same year, the FDA and the European Commission granted Orphan Drug Designation for edaravone. It is not currently approved by the FDA for any use in the U.S.

About Edaravone

Discovered by Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, edaravone is described as a free radical scavenger that is believed to relieve the effects of oxidative stress, a likely factor in the onset and progression of ALS.3,8 Oxidative stress is thought to be an imbalance between the production of free radicals and the ability of the body to counteract or detoxify their harmful effects.9 In patients with ALS, there are consistent increases in oxidative stress biomarkers.7

About MT Pharma America, Inc.

Based in Jersey City, NJ, MT Pharma America is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MTPC's 100% owned U.S. holding company, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Holdings America, Inc. MT Pharma America is dedicated to delivering innovative solutions that address the unmet medical needs of patients in the United States. It was established by MTPC to commercialize approved pharmaceutical products in the U.S. with plans to expand its product line through collaborations with partners. For more information, go to www.mt-pharma-america.com.

About Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation is a research-driven pharmaceutical company with a Head Office based in Dosho-machi Osaka, the birthplace of Japan's pharmaceutical industry. As part of its "Medium-Term Management Plan 16-20: Open Up the Future," the company is focused on discovering drugs that address unmet medical needs in several priority disease areas, including central nervous system diseases, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, kidney disease and vaccines. Through this work, the company contributes to the healthier lives of people around the world. For more information, go to www.mt-pharma.co.jp/e.

1 ALS Association. Quick Facts about ALS. http://www.alsa.org/news/media/quick-facts.html Accessed May 26, 2016.

2 The Mayo Clinic. Diseases and Conditions: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis/basics/causes/con-20024397. Accessed May 17, 2016.

3 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Fact Sheet. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/amyotrophiclateralsclerosis/detail_ALS.htm. Updated March 14, 2016. Accessed May 17, 2016.

4 Nagase M, Yamamoto Y, Miyazaki Y, et al. Increased oxidative stress in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and the effect of edaravone administration. Redox Rep. 2015

5 Chio A, Logroscino G, Traynor B, et al. Global Epidemiology of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: a Systematic Review of the Published Literature. Neuroepidemiology. 2013;41(2):118-130.

6 ALS Association. Familial Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (FALS) and Genetic Testing. http://www.alsa.org/about-als/genetic-testing-for-als.html Accessed June 8, 2016.

7 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevalence of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis  United States, 20102011. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss6307a1.htm. Accessed April 14, 2016.

8 Manning, M.M. and Kelly-Worden, M. (2015) Potential Regulators of Sporadic ALS Development and Alternative Therapeutic Options. Neuroscience & Medicine. 2015; 6, 5-12.

9 Betteridge, D.J., What is oxidative stress? Metabolism. 2000;49: 3-8.

SOURCE Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation

Related Links

http://www.mt-pharma.co.jp/e


HOUSTON, Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Houston-based Fiesta Mart, L.L.C., is excited to announce the Grand re-opening of their Wayside store on Wednesday, August 31. The media and public are invited to help celebrate the inaugural Fiesta full store remodelthe first of its kind in Texas. The grand re-opening is part of a long-term reinvigoration of the Fiesta brand and their commitment to provide uncompromised freshness, great value and unsurpassed variety every day. This event will kick off several store redesigns throughout the state for the rapidly expanding international and specialty food brand who acquired 11 Minyard Food Stores this summer.

The day will begin with a blessing of the store and donations by Fiesta to the Ripley House Neighborhood Center and Community Family Centers. Appearances from local leaders will include Interim Chief of Police Martha Montalvo, Mexican Consulate, Oscar Rodriguez Cabrera, District I Councilman Robert Gallegos and community activists Felix and Nelly Fraga. Guests can expect free samples, prizes, demonstrations, face painting, mariachis and more!

Come celebrate:

800 S. Wayside Dr., Houston, TX

Wednesday, August 31

10 a.m.  11 a.m. Ribbon cutting ceremony

Weekend Celebrations starting September 3rd:

Bring the whole family to the outdoor party complete with, live music, tents, food trucks and samples featuring Goya Foods, Penafiel, Dr Pepper, Holmes Sausage and more. Meet lovable mascots including Fiesta's famous Pepe, and enjoy special grand opening celebration deals throughout the store.

Fiesta will host giveaways for the first three weekends of the new store.

Saturday, September 3 at 12 p.m.  First 500 children will receive a free backpack!

Saturday, September 10 at 12 p.m.  First 500 children will receive a free lunch bag!

Saturday, September 17 at 10 a.m.  First 500 customers will receive a free Fiesta tote bag!

About Fiesta

Fiesta Mart, L.L.C., an international and specialty food retailer based in Texas since 1972, focuses on providing international and specialty foods offerings at value prices serving the communities in which they operate. In 2016, Fiesta embarked on a path of reinvigoration to improve customer experience within their 70 stores in the Houston, Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth markets. Fiesta is known for their emphasis on international and specialty foods, offering products from around the globe and serving customers from over 100 countries of origin. With a vast variety of dry grocery and perishable products, Fiesta provides fresh, quality meat, seafood, and produce plus groceries, dairy products, beer and fine wines. Fiesta proudly supports local charities, educational programs and special events, working with community leaders and citizens on a variety of programs and projects. For more information, visit www.fiestamart.com.

Media Contact: Fiesta Community Relations, [email protected], 972-899-4717

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SOURCE Fiesta Mart, L.L.C.

Related Links

http://www.fiestamart.com


"After working for so many years on a building with no parallel or precedence, it is very encouraging to see such a strong reception by the market," said Arden Hearing, Managing Director for Trumark Urban. "The feedback and sales interest in our first phase of residences at The Pacific has exceeded our expectations."

Beyond the mold-shattering architecture and bespoke interior design by Glenn Rescalvo at Handel Architects, the collaboration with Jay Jeffers on model residences, the intimate art installation from Helen Amy Murray and the collection of five-star service and amenities, the most significant asset this building has is the address itself.

Sales for the building's 66 residences, led by West Coast sales and marketing firm Polaris Pacific, include an array of one-, two- and three-bedrooms flats and three-level townhomes each featuring distinctive entertaining spaces, chef's kitchens, up to 11-ft ceiling heights and floor-to-ceiling windows with picturesque views of San Francisco that span from the Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Presidio, the Marin Headlands, Tiburon and Sausalito, to the Island of Belvedere.

Unique to the residences at The Pacific is the Penthouse Collection, already over one-third sold. The Collection includes an offering of seven penthouses ranging up to approximately 3,073 square feet and four Grand Penthouses with private, expansive wrap-around terraces ranging up to approximately 4,048 square feet. Significant sales interest has also been bolstered by The Pacific's Broker Advisory Board, a partnership with some of the city's top luxury brokers to help shape the project from conception.

"The understated elegance of The Pacific has been thoughtfully curated from start to finish," said Mark Higgins, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Trumark Urban. "There is no other residential condo offering of The Pacific's caliber available in the Pacific Heights neighborhood, San Francisco, or the country."

The Pacific will offer a full range of amenities including private vehicle valet, full service concierge, lobby attendant, a private Observatory Lounge overlooking the Bay and Golden Gate Bridge, a private guest residence called "The Fillmore", and a world class fitness center. Nestled next door to Fillmore Street, with the urban conveniences of high-end retail, Michelin-star restaurants and activities, owners at The Pacific will want-for-nothing at this cosmopolitan refuge.

Pricing for the wide range of residences will start from under $2 million and range up to $18 million. Private tours for interested parties are available now. Move-ins are anticipated to begin immediately.

The Pacific is located at 2121 Webster Street, San Francisco CA 94115. For more information, visit www.thepacificheights.com

About The Trumark Group of Companies

Trumark Urban develops high-density condominiums and commercial projects in global gateway markets with a focus on core urban neighborhoods close to jobs, transit and local businesses. With offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles, the firm has a portfolio of more than 1,000 condominiums and over one million square feet representing more than $1 billion of revenue. www.trumarkurban.com

The Trumark Group of Companies is a diversified real estate developer and builder with expertise in land acquisition, homebuilding, community design, entitlements and office, R&D and retail development. Trumark has raised more than $460 million of equity and funded 25 projects since the depth of the recession in 2009. www.trumarkco.com

Trumark Homes is a visionary, next generation homebuilder with a robust portfolio of new home neighborhoods spanning the state of California. Emphasizing distinction and innovation in every home, Trumark Homes focuses on core infill developments in locations that exhibit strong job growth and provide access to major job centers. www.trumarkhomes.com, TruBlu Blog, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

Trumark Communities is a residential land development platform focused on acquiring, developing and selling improved lots in master planned communities. Its current pipeline includes 1,500+ lots representing total projected revenue in excess of $300 million. Trumark Communities realized lot sales to builders of over $200 million in 2015. www.trumarkcommunities.com

Trumark Commercial, which builds, leases and sells commercial buildings, has entitled or developed approximately two million square feet of office, R&D, retail and hotel properties in the northern portion of the Golden State. www.trumarkco.com

Media Contact:

Emily Heidt / Dania Jimenez

Murphy O'Brien Public Relations

[email protected] / [email protected]

310.453.2539

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SOURCE Trumark Urban

Related Links

http://www.trumarkurban.com


TORONTO, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Foresters Financial donated $20,000 to the American Red Cross to help families who have been affected by flooding in Louisiana.

"At Foresters, we are deeply saddened by the devastation caused by the floods in Louisiana," said Tony Garcia, President and CEO, Foresters Financial. "We sincerely hope that our support of the American Red Cross relief efforts will help families through this difficult time and eventually support them in rebuilding their lives and their community."

As part of Foresters commitment to doing more to help those affected, the following measures have also been implemented to support Foresters members and clients through these challenging times:

Emergency Assistance: Foresters has enacted the Emergency Assistance benefit to all eligible members experiencing significant personal hardship as a result of the floods. Members who are directly affected by the floods can contact Foresters to receive grants to help with immediate needs





Foresters has enacted the Emergency Assistance benefit to all eligible members experiencing significant personal hardship as a result of the floods. Members who are directly affected by the floods can contact Foresters to receive grants to help with immediate needs Premiums : Members in affected areas who are facing serious financial challenges can contact Foresters to investigate alternative payment arrangements and explore various forms of relief that may best suit their needs.





: Members in affected areas who are facing serious financial challenges can contact Foresters to investigate alternative payment arrangements and explore various forms of relief that may best suit their needs. Loans and Withdrawals: All requests for loans or withdrawals will be given priority handling. Members will be directed to their Foresters insurance representative to quickly obtain the necessary forms if their access to postal delivery is hampered or they are not in a position to print the forms themselves.





All requests for loans or withdrawals will be given priority handling. Members will be directed to their Foresters insurance representative to quickly obtain the necessary forms if their access to postal delivery is hampered or they are not in a position to print the forms themselves. Death Claims: Foresters has temporarily amended our processing to handle death claims in the affected areas, as members may have difficulty obtaining documentation due to the disaster. For reported claims having benefit amounts up to $25,000 and certificates that were issued more than two years prior to death, Foresters will accept a copy of the obituary and contact information for the funeral home to confirm loss details, rather than requiring a certified death certificate.

Affected members can contact Foresters toll-free at 800-828-1540 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EDT, Monday to Friday, or e-mail Foresters at [email protected].

The American Red Cross is a humanitarian charitable organization dedicated to preventing and alleviating human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.

To make a donation in support of American Red Cross relief efforts, visit redcross.org. Donations could provide relief for those affected in the form of emergency food, clothing, shelter, personal services and other necessities that assist with recovery and resiliency.

About Foresters Financial

Foresters Financial is an international financial services provider with more than three million clients and members in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, and total funds under management of $34 billion. With a history of more than 140 years, we provide life insurance, savings, retirement and investment solutions that help families achieve their financial goals, protect their families and improve their communities. For more information, visit foresters.com.

Foresters Financial and Foresters are trade names and trademarks of The Independent Order of Foresters (a fraternal benefit society, 789 Don Mills Road, Toronto, Canada M3C 1T9) and its subsidiaries.

Products offered vary by country. Not all products are available for distribution in all jurisdictions. In the United States, products are offered by The Independent Order of Foresters and its subsidiaries, including Foresters Financial Services, Inc. a registered broker-dealer. Securities, life insurance and annuity products are offered through Foresters Financial Services, Inc. or independent producers. Insurance products are issued by Foresters Life Insurance and Annuity Company, New York, or The Independent Order of Foresters. Investment advisory products and services are offered through Foresters Advisory Services, LLC, a registered investment adviser.

in Canadian dollars as of December 31, 2015

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

SOURCE Foresters

Related Links

www.foresters.com


LINDON, Utah, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

ForeverGreen Worldwide Corporation (OTCBB: FVRG), a leading direct marketing company and provider of health-centered products, today announced it has acquired an exclusive, proprietary technology, Nutrisorb, that will be featured in a new global Xpress model product, Prodigy-5.

Dr. Balamurali Ambati, who recently joined the ForeverGreen scientific advisory board, helped develop the technology along with Dr. Adam Saucedo, M.D. of ForeverGreen. Nutrisorb, LLC is a company dedicated to socially responsible use of nutritional resources that specializes in the development of proprietary ingredients, substances and processes to improve and optimize the absorption by the human body of vitamins, minerals, supplements and foods.

Dr. Ambati commented, "Dr. Adam Saucedo and I are excited to launch this collaboration between Nutrisorb and ForeverGreen, which will enhance people's health through better nutrition and absorption."

The groundbreaking Nutrisorb technology provides the body with key nutrients including phytoplankton, antioxidants, vitamins and energy that can be felt within minutes.

ForeverGreen's license agreement provides the company with the rights to the proprietary Nutrisorb technology and gives the company worldwide exclusivity. As part of the license agreement, Dr. Adam Saucedo and Dr. Balamurali Ambati will help educate ForeverGreen and all its Members on this new technology and exclusive product Prodigy-5.

Ron Williams, ForeverGreen's CEO, commented, "The biggest challenge in supplementation is the inefficiency of absorption. Meaning, we are only as healthy as what we absorb not merely what we ingest. We are thrilled to provide a proprietary technology of absorption that it is transparent with scientific backing."

For more information on ForeverGreen's products, visit http://www.forevergreen.org .

ForeverGreen Worldwide Corporation develops, manufactures and distributes an expansive line of all natural whole foods and products to North America, Australia, Europe, Asia, Africa and South America, including their new global offerings, PowerStrips, SolarStrips and BeautyStrips. They also offer their new North America weight-management line Ketopia, along with Azul and FrequenSea, whole-food beverages with industry exclusive marine phytoplankton, a line of hemp-based whole-food products, immune support and weight management products, Pulse-8 powdered L-arginine formula, 24Karat

Chocolate.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that certain statements in this release are "forward-looking statements" and involve both known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Such uncertainties include, among others, certain risks associated with the operation of the company described above. The company's actual results could differ materially from expected results.





Contact:

ForeverGreen Worldwide Corporation

Craig Smith

801-655-5500

[email protected]



or



Brokers and Analysts:

Chesapeake Group

410-825-3930

[email protected]



SOURCE ForeverGreen Worldwide Corporation
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Gale, a Cengage Learning company, today announced it has raised $25,000 to support the education of children affected by the Flint water crisis. In partnership with United Way of Genesee County, the money raised will be donated to the Flint Public Library, the Genesee Intermediate School District and SKIP to a Great Start preschool programs. The United Way of Genesee County will handle allocation of the funds.

"Supporting education is a cause that we are passionate about here at Gale which has shown through in this employee-driven initiative," said Paul Gazzolo, senior vice president and general manager for Gale. "This wouldn't have been possible without our friends at the Michigan State Library who opened our eyes to the education needs of the Flint Community and how we could help."

The money was raised through Gale employee-driven events, such as bake sales and car washes, which was matched by Gale's parent company, Cengage Learning. Gale also donated one year of free access to Miss Humblebee's Academy, which is available through the Flint Public Library to area libraries, schools and preschools.

Miss Humblebee's Academy is Gale's online early literacy program, designed to help better prepare children ages 3 to 6 for kindergarten. The easy-to-use, interactive and mobile-accessible solution offers hundreds of lessons across academic subjects along with weekly progress reports and assessments to measure proficiency and learning outcomes. Gale and the Michigan Electronic Library have partnered to train local librarians in using the product.

This initiative ran from April through July 2016 and is a part of Gale Cares, an overarching program representing Gale's various corporate social responsibility activities throughout the year.

For more information on Gale's advocacy efforts, please visit www.gale.com.

About Cengage Learning and Gale

Cengage Learning is a leading educational content, technology, and services company for the higher education and K-12, professional, library and workforce training markets worldwide. Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, has been a global provider of research resources for libraries and businesses for more than 60 years. Gale is passionate about supporting the continued innovation and evolution of libraries by providing the content, tools, and services libraries need to promote information discovery, enable learning, and support economic, cultural, and intellectual growth in their communities. For more information, visit www.cengage.com or www.gale.cengage.com.

Media Contacts:

Kristina Massari

Cengage Learning

[email protected]

(203) 965-8694

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150622/224567LOGO

SOURCE Cengage Learning

Related Links

http://www.cengage.com


LOS ANGELES, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- GENERATION FOUND opens August 30th via Theatrical On Demand for September's National Recovery Month. This film is a powerful story about one community coming together to ignite a youth addiction recovery revolution in their hometown. Devastated by an epidemic of addiction, Houston faced the reality of burying and locking up its young people at an alarming rate. GENERATION FOUND aims to catalyze a dialogue on youth addiction and recovery issues across the nation.

In the U.S. alone, addiction to alcohol and other drugs is the most pressing health issue of our time directly impacting 45 million Americans, and claiming more than 135,000 lives every year. For nine out of ten people, addiction begins in adolescence, and only 10% of those in need received any treatment in the last year. The opioid epidemic is now a leading cause of death in the United States with 78 Americans dying every day from an opioid overdose, and addiction has become a major political issue during this election year.

In June, filmmakers Jeff Reilly and Greg Williams held a special screening of GENERATION FOUND on Capitol Hill presented by Senate Majority WHIP John Cornyn and Congressman Gene Green to bring awareness and support to the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) of 2016. The recent passage and Presidential signing of CARA is an important first step, but there is more to be done as the current bill does not provide adequate funding along with many of the authorizations.

"GENERATION FOUND isn't just a film, it's a movement. We've used the film to advocate for legislation including the passing of CARA, and will continue to advocate for recovery education and support funding," said Co-Filmmaker Greg Williams. "It's essential that we bring awareness to the issue of youth addiction and recovery and GENERATION FOUND is a film that presents real world solutions to the failed 'War on Drugs.' We're thrilled to open the film via Theatrical On Demand during National Recovery Month so that communities and families everywhere can champion screenings, and come together to share this important story."

This film is being distributed in an innovative way through Gathr Films and Theatrical On Demand. Movie-goers can crowd-source individual screenings of GENERATION FOUND in theaters near them via Theatrical On Demand. Gathr accommodates the demand of these engaged communities by facilitating screenings virtually wherever and whenever they are sourced at more than 3,000 theaters across all the major theater chains including Regal, AMC, Carmike, Cinemark, Marcus, and Wehrenberg. Theatrical On Demand uses political-style grassroots coalition-building to target decentralized communities to galvanize their supporters and communities around the social impact and political action of the film. This is a special limited release, which means GENERATION FOUND will show in a city only if enough tickets are sold.

Just Say No' Was a Slogan. This is a Revolution. There are now more than 150 Screenings of GENERATION FOUND already set up across the country. To find or captain a screening: http://generationfoundfilm.com/

Many leading national organizations have already partnered with the film to host advanced screenings: Facing Addiction, Young People in Recovery, The Association of Recovery High Schools, Transforming Youth Recovery, The Association of Alternative Peer Groups, Hazelton Betty Ford Foundation, The National Council, and The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

GATHR FILMS is a technology-based specialty theatrical distributor focusing on documentaries and issues-oriented films. Gathr is revolutionizing theatrical distribution by enabling movie-goers to crowd-source screenings of films to theaters near them via Theatrical On Demand. Gathr accommodates the demand of these engaged communities by facilitating screenings virtually wherever and whenever they are sourced. The company works with more than 3,000 theaters across all the major theater chains including Regal, AMC, Carmike, Cinemark, Marcus, and Wehrenberg. Gathr also works with some of the largest and most prestigious brands and organizations to build national coalitions with our films including UNICEF, UN Foundation, Just Label It, Facing Addiction, and National Association of Social Workers. Films distributed through Theatrical On Demand. include Girl Rising (4th highest grossing documentary of 2013), Awake: The Life of Yogananda($1.4 million in revenue), Beyond the Mask (700+ screenings), The Square (2014 Oscar nominee), The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2015 Oscar nominee), The Anonymous People (200+ screenings) and When Marnie Was There (2016 Oscar nominee). Current films include Generation Found, Thank You For Your Service, Minimalism: A Documentary about the Important Things, Embrace, The Student Body, A Time to Choose and The Unknowns. We're growing the largest independent film community in the world. Gathr Films is located in Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington, D.C. www.gathr.us

Related Links

www.gathr.us

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHNztoBkEv8

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE Gathr Films

Related Links

http://gathr.us


MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- General Mills (NYSE: GIS) today announced two new senior leadership appointments. Jon Nudi has been named Senior Vice President; President, U.S. Retail, one of the company's three operating segments. The U.S. Retail role was previously held by Jeff Harmening who was promoted in June to President and Chief Operating Officer of General Mills. Nudi has most recently been located in Europe running the Europe-Australasia business for General Mills.

General Mills has appointed Jon Nudi to Senior Vice President; President, U.S. Retail, the company's largest business segment. Nudi most recently served as head of the company's Europe-Australasia business region. Nudi steps into the role previously held by Jeff Harmening, who was recently promoted to President, and Chief Operating Officer of General Mills. General Mills has named Bethany Quam, Senior Vice President, President, Europe and Australasia region within the company's International business segment. Quam replaces Jon Nudi, who has been appointed Senior Vice President; President, U.S. Retail.

Nudi joined General Mills in 1993 and has held a number of roles within the company including serving as the President of the U.S. Snacks division. Under Nudi's leadership the division experienced both sales and profit growth. Most recently, Nudi has served as head of the company's Europe-Australasia region where he has delivered outstanding performance including profit growth and top line sales growth. Nudi holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree from Penn State University.

Replacing Nudi in Europe will be Bethany Quam who has been promoted to Senior Vice President, President, Europe and Australasia region. Quam was most recently head of the Convenience and Foodservice operating segment, responsible for U.S. away-from-home sales and marketing.

"Jon and Bethany are exceptional leaders who know General Mills well and have led successful change efforts for us the last two years," said Jeff Harmening, President, and Chief Operating Officer of General Mills. "They both bring a unique blend of consumer, customer, and channel knowledge to their new roles, and a strong track record of innovation."

Quam is a 23-year veteran of General Mills who has held roles in finance, sales, strategic planning, and marketing. As the head of Convenience and Foodservice, Quam significantly reshaped the operating unit around the "Focus 6" platforms and led the segment to record sales and profit growth the last two years. Quam holds an MBA from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management and a bachelor's degree from Indiana University.

About General Mills

General Mills is a leading global food company that serves the world by making food people love. Its brands include Cheerios, Annie's, Yoplait, Nature Valley, Fiber One, Haagen-Dazs, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills had fiscal 2016 worldwide net sales of US $17.6 billion, including the company's US $1.0 billion proportionate share of joint-venture net sales.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402454

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402453

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130228/MM68998LOGO

SOURCE General Mills

Related Links

http://www.generalmills.com


SEATTLE, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Glencoe Software, the world-leading supplier of image data management solutions for the academic, biotech, pharma and publication industries, is delighted to announce a new partnership with the Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH, Jena, Germany. Glencoe Software and ZEISS will collaborate to extend the open source Bio-Formats image file conversion library to support whole slide images compressed with the JPEG XR compression scheme, like those recorded by the ZEISS Axio Scan.Z1 virtual slide scanner.

ZEISS Axio Scan.Z1 (www.zeiss.com/axioscan) is a fast and reliable whole slide scanner for brightfield and fluorescence samples that is used to record virtual slides of tissue sections in leading research and clinical pathology labs around the world. The collaboration will add support for files compressed with JPEG XR to Bio-Formats, the image file translation library built and released by Glencoe Software and the Open Microscopy Environment (OME). Bio-Formats is used by thousands of scientists and clinicians worldwide to access their image data for processing and analysis. The software developed in the collaboration will be included in the open source distribution of Bio-Formats, so that the worldwide Bio-Formats user community, including researchers, pathologists and imaging specialists worldwide can use the output of this collaboration.

In announcing the agreement, Dr. Thorsten Heupel, the responsible Product Manager for Digital Pathology at ZEISS, said: "Axio Scan.Z1 is now used by hundreds of customers, and many of them are working with open-source software using Bio-Formats. We are pleased to have this fruitful cooperation to realize JPEG XR compression as an asset for our users and the whole community. ZEISS Axio Scan.Z1 generates whole slide images fast and in perfect quality. With multi-modal imaging and a dynamic range of up to 16bit, an effective compression supporting these features is key and will now be implemented, thanks to Glencoe Software adding the support for JPEG XR to Bio-Formats."

Dr. Jason Swedlow, Founder and President of Glencoe Software, Inc., said, "I am delighted to announce this collaboration with ZEISS to add support for JPEG XR compression to Bio-Formats. We are particularly excited that the software we build in this collaboration will be available for anyone to download and use. This is a great example of how industrial partners can work together and build important capabilities that benefit the global scientific and pathology imaging communities. The work we do together will benefit users of ZEISS Axio Scan.Z1 and indeed anyone who uses JPEG XR compression in their image data."

About Glencoe Software

At Glencoe Software, we are committed to the delivery of innovative, scalable, easy-to-use scientific image data management solutions for our clients. We make the viewing, sharing, analysis, management & integration of large sets of images and metadata easy and accessible to everyone in your team or organization with our OMERO Plus, Bio-Formats and PathViewer software products and services. Glencoe Software is the exclusive commercial partner of the Open Microscopy Environment, or OME. For more information, visit www.glencoesoftware.com.

About ZEISS

ZEISS is an internationally leading technology enterprise operating in the optics and optoelectronics industries. The ZEISS Group develops and distributes semiconductor manufacturing equipment, measuring technology, microscopes, medical technology, eyeglass lenses, camera and cine lenses, binoculars and planetarium technology. With its solutions, the company constantly advances the world of optics and helps shape technological progress. ZEISS is divided up into the four segments Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology, Research & Quality Technology, Medical Technology, and Vision Care/Consumer Optics. ZEISS is represented in over 40 countries and operates more than 30 production sites, over 50 sales and service locations and about 25 research and development facilities.

In fiscal year 2014/15 the company generated revenue approximating 4.5 billion with around 25,000 employees. Founded in 1846 in Jena, the company is headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany. Carl Zeiss AG is the strategic management holding company that manages the ZEISS Group. The company is wholly owned by the Carl Zeiss Stiftung (Carl Zeiss Foundation).

Further information at www.zeiss.com

Microscopy

The Microscopy business group is the world's only one-stop manufacturer of light, X-ray and electron microscope systems. The portfolio compromises solutions and services for the life sciences and materials research as well as for industry, education and clinical practice. The business group is headquartered in Jena. Additional production and development sites are located in Oberkochen, Gottingen and Munich, as well as in Cambridge in the UK, and in Peabody, MA and Pleasanton, CA in the USA. The business group is allocated to the Research & Quality Technology segment. Around 5,900 employees work for the segment, generating revenue totaling 1.356 billion in fiscal year 2014/15.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jason Swedlow

CEO

Email

+1 (206) 973-8025

SOURCE Glencoe Software, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.glencoesoftware.com


DUBLIN, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Clothing B2C E-Commerce Market 2016" report to their offering.

The report shows that worldwide, more than 50% of online shoppers purchased clothing items last year. In terms of share of online purchasers, clothing is the number one category bought in Brazil, China, Russia, UK and USA, and many other countries around the world.



The growth of clothing sales is aided by the trend of shopping from mobile devices. Brick and mortar stores such as H&M and Zara, as well as online-only marketers, such as Asos, are among the leading online sellers specialized in clothing. Also some major mass merchants and marketplaces have their solid share of the market, with Amazon predicted to become the leading clothing retailer in the USA next year.



Key Questions Answered



How is the clothing B2C E-Commerce market developing around the world?

What is the standing of this category relative to other products in online retail?

How large are the B2C E-Commerce sales of fashion products in some of the world's major markets?

What important trends are forming in clothing B2C E-Commerce?

Which online shopping websites for clothing are leading in various countries?

Key Topics Covered:



1. Management Summary



2. Global Developments



3. Asia-Pacific



4. Europe



5. North America



6. Latin America



7. Middle East



8. Africa



Companies Mentioned



Allegro

Amazon

Asos

Dafiti.com.br

eBay

Exclusively.com

Flipcard

H&M

JD.com

Jabong

Limeroad

Liverpool

MarkaVIP

Myntra

Namshi

Next

OTTO

Privalia

Reliance Industries

Roposo

Snapdeal

Tata Group

Tmall

UNIQLO

Wildberries.ru

Zalando

zando.co.za

Zara.com

Zivame

ZOZOTOWN

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/l232nj/global_clothing



Related Topics: Clothing, E-Business

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


BOCA RATON, Fla. and BLOOMINGTON, Ill., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Going back to school is a mixed bag of emotions for most children; a blend of excitement to see friends again and disappointment that the summer is officially over. But according to the American Association for Caregiving Youth (AACY), the start of the school year results in stress, anxiety and depression for the estimated 1.4 million youth between the ages of eight to eighteen years caring for ill or disabled parents or grandparents. These young people are often forced to forgo their education, health, and childhood to take on the responsibilities of an adult caregiver. State Farm, ADT, and AACY are hoping to relieve some of the stress for these families as the school year begins through the Caregiving Youth Stress Reduction Project.

More than one third of youth caregivers help with at least one activity daily for a loved one, such as dressing, feeding or bathing. Children in ethnic-minority families who are the only English-speaking family members often miss school to serve as translators for family doctor appointments. As a result of these heavy responsibilities, these children often fall behind in school and struggle with feelings of isolation and anxiety.

The Caregiving Youth Stress Reduction Project aims to relieve some of this anxiety by providing a source of 24/7 live communication for ill or disabled family members while allowing the youth caregiver to focus on school and socialization. ADT, the nation's leading provider of home security services, will donate ADT Medical Alert monitoring devices in the homes of 100 AACY client families throughout the remainder of 2016. AACY will select families by identifying their needs and working with ADT to provide the appropriate device at no cost to the family.

"All of us at ADT, along with our colleagues from Protection One, are proud to help make a difference in the lives of families who will benefit from this donation," said Jay Darfler, ADT Senior Vice President. "We applaud AACY for the tremendous work they're doing to increase awareness and provide support to youth caregivers."

State Farm will pay the cost for one year of monitoring service for all 100 families. The State Farm Connected Care program helps consumers age in their homes by providing accessibility to leading aging-in-place technology providers through a variety of automation and monitoring systems and medical alert devices. "As the leading provider of homeowners' insurance, State Farm has a vested interest in helping build safer, stronger, and better educated communities," said Dar Hakimi, State Farm Director-Innovation. "By forming relationships with companies such as ADT, we are empowering customers help protect themselves, their family members and irreplaceable possessions."

The donation of medical alert devices and one year of paid monitoring service was announced at the AACY Back to School Brunch on Thursday, August 25 in Boca Raton, Florida. The event also honored Carolyn Boltin-Kelly, First Lady of Florida Atlantic University, an advocate and former youth caregiver who cared for her mom as she battled cancer.

According to Dr. Connie Siskowski, "We are thrilled to help reduce the stress on the youth caregiver plus other caregiving adults in the home. In addition, the systems also provide comfort for the care receiver as explained by one mom: 'You have really made life easier for me knowing that my children aren't stuck with the burden of my issues and making sure that they have the life they deserve.'"

For more information visit www.http://st8.fm/kidcareadt.

About State Farm

The mission of State Farm is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto, home and individual life insurance in the United States. Its 18,000 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve more than 83 million policies and accounts  nearly 81 million auto, home, life, health and commercial policies, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 35 on the 2016 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit www.statefarm.com.

About ADT

ADT is a leading provider of security and automation solutions for homes and businesses in the United States and Canada. ADT's broad and pioneering set of products and services, including ADT Pulse interactive home and business solutions, and health services, meet a range of customer needs for today's active and increasingly mobile lifestyles. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, ADT helps provide peace of mind to nearly seven million customers, and it employs approximately 17,000 people at 200 locations. More information is available at www.adt.com.

About the American Association of Caregiving Youth

The American Association of Caregiving Youth (AACY) is a Florida based 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation that began serving the greater Boca Raton community in 1998. Today AACY is the only organization of its kind in the United States solely dedicated to addressing the issues surrounding the silent, vulnerable and hidden population, conservatively estimated to exceed 1.4 million children, who provide care for ill, injured, elderly or disabled family members. Its mission is to increase awareness and provide support services for youth caregivers and their families by connecting them with healthcare, education and community resources. AACY's model program, the Caregiving Youth Project (CYP), works in partnership with The School District of Palm Beach County. Dr. Connie Siskowski, the organization's founder was a 2012 CNN Top Ten Hero.

Bob Tucker Dr. Connie Siskowski Missy Dundov ADT Media Relations AACY Founder/Director State Farm Media Relations 561-988-3619 561-391-7401 309-766-7087 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE State Farm

Related Links

http://www.statefarm.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statement is being issued by Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP regarding the Optical Disk Drive Products Antitrust Litigation:

LEGAL NOTICE

In Re Optical Disk Drive Products Antitrust Litigation

United States District Court, Northern District Of California

Case No. 3:10-MD-2143-RS (MDL 2143)

If you purchased a new computer with an internal ODD, a stand-alone ODD designed for internal use in a computer, or an ODD designed to be attached externally to a computer while a resident of Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, or Wisconsin during the period of April 2003 to December 2008 for your own use and not for resale, you may be eligible for benefits from settlements reached in antitrust litigation currently pending in federal court. ODD refers to a DVD-RW, DVD-ROM, or COMBO drive manufactured by one or more Defendants or their alleged conspirators. For class members to ensure cash payment, you must file a claim online or by mail by July 1, 2017.

This notice is a summary only. For the precise terms and conditions of the settlement, visit www.OpticalDiskDriveAntitrust.com .

Para una notificacion en Espanol, llamar 1-877-368-9020 o visitar www.OpticalDiskDriveAntitrust.com .

WHAT IS THIS ABOUT?

The Court has certified a class of indirect purchasers of ODDs. Separately, plaintiffs have reached proposed settlements with four defendant families: Panasonic Corporation and Panasonic Corporation of North America (collectively "Panasonic"); NEC Corporation ("NEC"); Sony Corporation; Sony Optiarc Inc. (formerly known as Sony NEC Optiarc Inc.); Sony Optiarc America Inc. (formerly known as Sony NEC Optiarc America Inc.) (collectively "Sony"); and Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc. and Hitachi-LG Data Storage Korea, Inc. (collectively "HLDS") in antitrust class action lawsuits involving the price of a computer with a ODD and a stand-alone ODDs manufactured and sold by certain companies ("Litigation").

WHO IS INCLUDED IN THE SETTLEMENTS?

Individuals and businesses that, during April 2003 to December 2008, purchased a new computer with an internal ODD, stand-alone ODD designed for internal use in a computer, or an ODD designed to be attached externally to a computer anywhere in the enumerated states for their own use and not for resale. Purchases made directly from an ODD manufacturer and the purchases of Panasonic-branded computers are not included. A list of manufacturers may be found at www.OpticalDiskDriveAntitrust.com or by calling 1-877-368-9020.

WHAT DO THE SETTLEMENTS PROVIDE?

The four settlements provide for $124.5 million in recovery for the class. Specifically:

The Panasonic Settlement provides for a $16.5 million to a settlement fund.

to a settlement fund. The NEC Settlement provides for a $6.5 million settlement fund.

settlement fund. The Sony Settlement provides for a $28.5 million settlement fund.

settlement fund. The HLDS Settlement provides for a $73 million settlement fund.

If final approval is granted to one or all of the settlements, class members who have filed valid and timely claims will receive a payment. The amount of any settlement payment will be based on a class member's qualifying purchases and the total number of valid claims made by class members.

WHO ARE RELEASED

The four settlements release Panasonic, NEC, Sony, HLDS, Hitachi, Ltd., LG Electronics, Inc., and LG Electronics USA, Inc. from claims made in this Litigation.

YOUR RIGHTS AND OPTIONS

Get a Payment

File a claim online or by mail by July 1, 2017. The simple online claim form only takes 3-5 minutes for most individuals. Claims may be submitted online at www.OpticalDiskDriveAntitrust.com or by mail to In re ODD Products Indirect Purchaser Litigation, PO Box 43424, Providence, RI 02940-3424.

Exclude Yourself

You can choose to exclude yourself from the Panasonic, NEC, Sony and HLDS settlements and/or the Litigation and keep your right to sue the defendants on your own. If you exclude yourself, you can't receive any benefits from the settlements. Your written Exclusion Form must be postmarked by October 19, 2016. Please see the full notice at

www.OpticalDiskDriveAntitrust.com or call 1-877-368- 9020 for complete instructions on how to exclude yourself from the settlements.

File an Objection

You can ask the Court to deny approval by filing an objection.

Objections must be in writing and postmarked on or before October 19, 2016. Please see the full notice at

www.OpticalDiskDriveAntitrust.com or call 1-877-368-9020 for complete instructions on how to object from the settlements, and/or notify the Court of your intent to appear at the Final Approval Hearing.

Please note that you cannot ask the Court to order a larger settlement; the Court can only approve or deny the settlement. If the Court denies approval, no settlement payments will be sent out and the lawsuit will continue.

Go to a Hearing

The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on December 8, 2016, at 1:30 p.m. at 450 Golden Gate Ave, San Francisco, CA, Courtroom 3 - 17th Floor to consider whether to approve or deny the Panasonic, NEC, Sony and HLDS settlements and a request for attorneys' fees up to 25 percent of the settlement funds. You or your own lawyer may ask to appear and speak at the Hearing at your own expense. The Hearing may be moved to a different date or time without additional notice, so please check the website below for additional information.

WHO REPRESENTS ME?

The Court appointed Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP to represent the Settlement Class. You may hire your own attorney, if you wish, at your own expense.

HOW CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION?

This notice is a summary only. You may access the settlement agreement and other relevant documents on the docket at the office of the Clerk of the Court for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, 450 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, CA 94102, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding Court holidays, or online through the Court's Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov .

For more information, please contact the Settlement Administrator at 1-877-368-9020 , via email at [email protected], or visit www.OpticalDiskDriveAntitrust.com. You may also contact Class Counsel at Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro at [email protected] .

PLEASE DO NOT TELEPHONE THE COURT OR THE COURT CLERK'S OFFICE TO INQUIRE ABOUT THIS SETTLEMENT OR THE CLAIM PROCESS.

SOURCE Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP

Related Links

http://www.opticaldiskdriveantitrust.com


Team Esperanza is part of HELPS International, a non-profit organization that provides social and health programs through a system of partnership and mutual responsibility in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico.

"HELPS International does absolutely incredible work helping the people of Guatemala: Team Esperanza's weeklong mission will improve the lives of more than a thousand people in need," said Susan Salka, President and CEO of AMN Healthcare. "The entire AMN team nationwide is very proud to make this mission the centerpiece of our global corporate social responsibility."

Team Esperanza, which leaves on Saturday for Huehuetanango, Guatemala, includes a team of healthcare professionals that administers surgical, dental, obstetric, pediatric and other types of care to residents of Guatemala's rural highlands. For many people, treatment by Team Esperanza is the only medical care they ever receive.

Community development volunteers focus on installing water filters for purification and ONIL stoves, which utilize 70% less wood than the open, indoor fires usually used for cooking. The ONIL stoves vent toxic wood smoke out of the home and reduce the risk of serious burns. The mission to install stoves and water filters helps reduce many health problems that are treated by the medical mission, such as eye and respiratory diseases from smoke, hernias from carrying large loads of wood, and gastrointestinal and other illnesses caused by impure water.

AMN Healthcare is sending 32 participants, including both healthcare professionals for medical services and company volunteers for community development. This year's Team Esperanza mission will include a record number of 125 volunteers and 15 Guatemalan staff in both the clinical and community development teams. Last year's mission resulted in 112 surgeries, 1,178 patient visits and the installation of 76 stoves.

About HELPS International

HELPS International's mission is to provide enduring programs of practical, social and spiritual value to people in the developing world. HELPS strives for permanent change through its programs, which promote mutual respect, responsibility and partnership within the local infrastructure based on the inherent value of the individual. HELPS support includes four main program areas of education, healthcare, economic development and home transformation utilizing award-winning ONIL products. HELPS International began its mission in Guatemala in 1984, and today has programs in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico and Haiti.

About AMN Healthcare

AMN Healthcare is the leader and innovator in healthcare workforce solutions and staffing services to healthcare facilities across the nation. The Company provides unparalleled access to the most comprehensive network of quality healthcare professionals through its innovative recruitment strategies and breadth of career opportunities. With insights and expertise, AMN Healthcare helps providers optimize their workforce to successfully reduce complexity, increase efficiency, and improve patient outcomes. AMN delivers managed services programs, healthcare executive search solutions, vendor management systems, recruitment process outsourcing, predictive modeling, medical coding and consulting, and other services. Clients include acute-care hospitals, community health centers and clinics, physician practice groups, retail and urgent care centers, home health facilities, and many other healthcare settings. For more information about AMN Healthcare, visit www.amnhealthcare.com .

Media Contact:

Jim Gogek

Corporate Communications

AMN Healthcare

(858) 350-3209

[email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402347

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100111/LA35461LOGO

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402348LOGO

SOURCE AMN Healthcare

Related Links

http://www.amnhealthcare.com.


LAGUNA BEACH, Calif., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- DRTV marketing and video production leader IDR Productions will shoot a variety of new video content for firearms manufacturer Henry Repeating Arms this summer. Henry is looking to maintain its position as a consumer-based brand by launching thrilling new content to entertain and inform.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402235LOGO

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402236

Henry's biggest launch is four 30-minute TV episodes for Newsmax featuring a range of firearms content and Henry President Anthony Imperato. New content will also include infomercials, short-form TV spots, and Henry TV content, a new YouTube series hosted by well-known gun reviewer 22plinkster. Henry is renowned in the gun community for its customer-based approach and its dedication to charitable causes such as the VFW, the NRA, and the Boy Scouts of America. Henry continues to use IDR as its video production agency due to IDR's success and attentiveness in previous campaigns.

"I have worked with Anthony and the Henry family for years," said Kelly Burke, CEO and Executive Producer of IDR. "There is no other company that strives so hard to make such an exceptional firearm with uncompromised customer service. I am honored to be their go-to production company."

"IDR has been our go-to for all of our infomercial needs for the past 10 years," said Anthony Imperato, owner and President of Henry. "Kelly Burke has the eyes and ears for what resonates and what gets results. She is an integral part of our marketing team." IDR and Henry will connect to the everyday gun user with content such as lifestyle videos, gun reviews, and coverage of special events like the recent NRA convention in Louisville, KY. Henry is calling on IDR's online savvy to make the move to social content in a rapidly changing industry. Shooting on some projects has already begun, and the new content will begin airing this fall.

About IDR Productions

Since launching in the early 1990's, IDR Productions has grown into a recognized leader in the field of DRTV marketing and video production. Based in Laguna Beach, CA, the company consistently stretches boundaries to create impactful video productions ranging from short and long-form spots to digital video production. As CEO and Executive Producer of IDR Productions, Kelly Burke has developed a record-setting number of successful television campaigns for a full range of products and services. Among these are Brainy Baby, World Poker Tour, Empire Carpets, Cash Net USA, Henry Repeating Arms, Security 1 Lending, Wild America, Net Credit, Rose Art, Total Transformation, and many more. Visit www.idrproductions.com.

About Henry Repeating Arms

Founded in 1997, Henry Repeating Arms is the leading lever action manufacturer and one of the top-five long gun manufacturers in the USA. Henry is a family owned business and it's company motto is "Made in America, or Not Made At All." Based in Bayonne, New Jersey, Henry builds over 300,000 rifles annually. Henry is known for award winning extraordinary customer service that it provides to both consumers and Henry dealers. Uniquely, owner and President Anthony Imperato makes himself readily available to both consumers and dealers. Visit www.henryrifles.com.

Media Contact:

Kelly Burke

949-273-4511

SOURCE IDR Productions

Related Links

http://www.idrproductions.com


ARNHEM, the Netherlands, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

HyGear today announced the signing of a long term contract with Saint-Gobain (SGO.PA), one of the world's largest manufacturers of flat glass, to supply its float line in Arboc, Spain with hydrogen through on-site generation.

Compact on-site hydrogen generation systems (PRNewsFoto/HyGear)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160826/401631 )



HyGear's technology, Hy.GEN, produces hydrogen by converting natural gas with steam methane reforming which offers a more reliable and cost-effective alternative to conventional supply methods.

With years of experience in on-site gas supply combined with extensive knowledge of the flat glass industry, HyGear has proven that their technology is the leading factor for cost reduction which lead to the decision for change at Saint-Gobain.

"At HyGear, our mission is to provide our customers with the most optimal, cost-effective and reliable form of gas supply. We have proven our mission through the experience that we have gained over the years in the industry and we are honoured to be selected by Saint Gobain," said Niels Lanser, HyGear's Director of Sales.

"Capturing innovative solutions among our suppliers is part of our World Class Purchasing key strategies. Hygear has developed an innovative cost-effective hydrogen production solution we could benefit worldwide," said Daniel Pacheco, Saint-Gobain's Industrial Gases Purchasing Manager.

Saint-Gobain is currently evaluating to transform other operations worldwide to on-site supply as well.

About HyGear

Providing an alternative solution for end-users of industrial hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen gases, HyGear developed cutting-edge technologies of on-site gas generation. With the combination of these systems and conventional gas distribution methods, we offer the most cost-effective and reliable supply method with a guarantee of 100% up-time.



Our technical services and customer support is guaranteed by many of our partners worldwide. And to be able to serve our customers more effectively, we have offices in Europe and Asia. More information, visit http://www.hygear.com

About Saint-Gobain

Saint-Gobain is constantly innovating to make living spaces more comfortable, cost-efficient and sustainable worldwide. Saint-Gobain solutions span from self-cleaning windows and photovoltaic glass to smart insulation systems, water supply systems and building materials distribution.

We offer solutions to the major challenges of energy efficiency and environmental protection. No matter what new needs emerge in the habitat and construction markets, the future is made of Saint-Gobain. More information, visit http://www.saint-gobain.com

HyGear Media Contact

Joanna Kwan

Asia: +65-9169-4232

Europe: +31-88-9494-302

j[email protected]



Saint-Gobain Media Contact

Daniel Pacheco

+33-1-47-62-49-36

[email protected]



SOURCE HyGear
DALLAS, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- InfraREIT, Inc. (NYSE: HIFR) ("InfraREIT" or the "Company") today announced that Sharyland Utilities, L.P. ("Sharyland"), which leases all of the Company's electric transmission and distribution assets, has agreed to a joint proposal (the "Joint Proposal") with the staff of the Public Utility Commission of Texas ("PUCT") and certain other rate case participants related to the threshold legal and policy issues (the "Threshold Issues") previously raised by the PUCT in the ongoing Sharyland rate case. InfraREIT approved Sharyland's agreement to the Joint Proposal.

The terms of the Joint Proposal include:

The leases between InfraREIT's regulated subsidiary ("SDTS") and Sharyland will be treated as part of an SDTS tariff subject to PUCT approval and regulation;

The replacement of the five current lease agreements between Sharyland and SDTS with two leases (one for transmission and one for distribution);

The lease payments under the lease agreements will be set and updated by the PUCT from time to time, through rate cases and other interim updates filed by SDTS;

Sharyland and SDTS will make an amended rate case filing, within 90 days of the PUCT approval of the Joint Proposal, that will include a request for PUCT approval of the proposed lease payments;

Sharyland and SDTS will amend the rate case filing to include a request for an SDTS certificate of convenience and necessity allowing SDTS to own and lease assets to Sharyland;

A reference to mechanisms by which lease payments could be updated between rate cases; and

A note that, in light of the parties' agreement on other issues in the Joint Proposal, the PUCT will no longer need to consider or rule on several of the other remaining Threshold Issues, such as the validity of the restructuring order that the Company received from the PUCT in 2008.

Although the Joint Proposal describes the agreement of Sharyland, the PUCT staff and certain other rate case participants, it is not binding on and has not been approved by the PUCT. The parties to the Joint Proposal have requested that the PUCT approve the Joint Proposal at the PUCT's open meeting on September 8, 2016, but there is no assurance that the PUCT will approve the Joint Proposal at that time.

"We appreciate the time and effort of the PUCT staff, Sharyland and other parties in jointly working toward the resolution of the Threshold Issues," said David A. Campbell, Chief Executive Officer of InfraREIT. "We believe the Joint Proposal is an important step in establishing a revised approach to regulating SDTS, Sharyland and the leases in a way that is acceptable to key constituencies such as the PUCT staff, and we look forward to the PUCT's consideration of the Joint Proposal at the open meeting on September 8, 2016."

If the PUCT approves the Joint Proposal, the Company expects to continue discussions with key parties, including the PUCT staff and intervenors, on the implementation of the Joint Proposal throughout the remainder of the rate case. Additionally, the Company expects other rate case issues, such as allowed return on equity, capital structure, cost of debt and income tax allowance, to be addressed over the remaining course of the rate case.

About InfraREIT, Inc.

InfraREIT is a real estate investment trust that owns rate-regulated electric transmission and distribution assets in the state of Texas. The Company is externally managed by Hunt Utility Services, LLC, an affiliate of Hunt Consolidated, Inc. (a diversified holding company based in Dallas, Texas and managed by the Ray L. Hunt family) and the Company's shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "HIFR". Additional information on InfraREIT is available at http://www.InfraREITInc.com.

For additional information, contact:



For Investors: Brook Wootton

Director, Investor Relations

InfraREIT, Inc.

214-855-6748



For Media: Jeanne Phillips

Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs & International Relations

Hunt Consolidated, Inc.

214-978-8534

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SOURCE InfraREIT, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.infrareitinc.com


HOUSTON, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Surge Homes created a state-of-the-art video to showcase its Parc at Midtown community. The video provides a bird's-eye view of the bustling Midtown area and surrounding neighborhoods, while enabling home buyers to see how the master-planned, urban community is situated into the landscape. It also provides a breathtaking overview of the sheer scope of the community in relation to other buildings, parks and venues.

Parc at Midtown - Penthouse Terrace Parc at Midtown - Private Park for Residents

Parc at Midtown is located in Midtown, one of the city's most exciting and pedestrian-friendly submarkets. The neighborhood comprises many nightclubs, restaurants and bars, and terraces within a 10-minute walk of the community. It is in proximity to Minute Maid Park, BBVA Compass Stadium and Bagby Park, and residents are only a half-mile away from the 6-acre mixed-use Midtown Park (known as the Superblock), which is currently under development. Parc at Midtown is also near downtown points of interest, such as Discovery Green and the Alley Theatre.

The coveted urban location of Parc at Midtown provides residents with unprecedented access to the city, making it easy to commute, sightsee, dine and shop. With a prestigious Walk Score of 84 out of 100, this community is known as one of the most walkable neighborhoods in the city. In addition, residents can quickly access downtown Houston and the Texas Medical Center by car or, if they prefer mass transit, the community is located near the METRORail.

Visit SurgeHomes.com for a map of the exact distances to the many restaurants, bars, grocery stores and parks in proximity to Parc at Midtown. With diverse, accessible amenities, it's easy to see why Midtown is considered Houston's ultimate urban playground.

Learn more about the condominiums, townhomes, and Sky Townhomes for sale at Parc at Midtown by visiting the Sales Center. Potential home buyers can schedule an appointment online.

About Surge Homes

Surge Homes is a Houston-based residential real estate developer and builder committed to providing brand new homes in nine communities that feature stunning architecture and cutting-edge interior designs in and around Houston's urban core. From land development and construction to sales and marketing, Surge Homes is involved in every aspect of creating these new homes, located in the most desirable inner city areas. Louis Conrad and Ben Lemieux, co-owners, and David Modlin, vice president of development and construction, each bring more than 27 years of experience in real estate development, management, and consulting. Their previous developments total more than 4,000 homes and include master-planned communities, houses, and condominiums throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Parc at Midtown

Parc at Midtown is a $22 million, 80-home gated community of one- two-, and three-bedroom condos; two-story, two- and three-bedroom penthouses; two-story, two-bedroom Sky Townhomes; and three-bedroom townhomes. These homes range from $157,680 to $434,260 and give home buyers the unique option to own a brand new home in trendy, walkable Midtown. See all Parc at Midtown MLS Listings here: http://bit.ly/29b2ecR.



Contact: Kim Antley

(713) 468-4162 x 27

Email

www.surgehomes.com





Video - https://youtu.be/0kohXvlc8v8

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402522

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402523

SOURCE Surge Homes
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Communications Network, Inc. (ICN) and KSDY-TV50 (http://ksdy50.com) confirmed today that after months of production and airing on San Diego television station KSDY-TV, that the hour-long weekly show featuring powerhouse talk show host Rick Amato, will now be offered to television stations nationwide.

"Politics and Profits is a refreshing talk show that we are proud to have created with Rick Amato," said ICN President and Station Manager Michelle Diaz Agha. "Rick came to us with a great idea several months ago and we are now in full production having aired the hour-long show for more than two months."

'Politics and Profits' created as a sixty-minute weekly show, features nationally known powerhouse talk show host Rick Amato (http://PoliticsProfits.com), who is well respected for his grass roots, right of center political views. The show is a solid mix of topical political news and interviews, along with an explanation of the moves being made by politicians on Capitol Hill that can financially benefit viewers.

"This is perhaps the only show of its kind," said show host and producer Rick Amato. "Our goal is to provide people with insightful views of current political events, and to find out what political insiders are doing with your money, so that you can profit from what they are doing on Capitol Hill," continued Amato.

'Politics and Profits' is based out of the Bellatrix, PC Studio at KSDY-TV in San Diego and enjoys diverse commentary segments from all parts of the American spectrum, from such well respected contributors as Ziad Abeldnour, investment banker and President & CEO of Blackhawk Partners, Terri Yurek, a health insurance industry expert, and noted legal analyst Robert Robinson from the law firm of Hickman-Robinson.

'Politics and Profits' also takes a deep interest in bringing everyday social issues into the forefront of discussion without a political bias and has featured such guests as Deacon Jimmy Vargas, CEO of Father Joe's villages, a nonprofit organization on the front lines in the battle against homelessness and poverty.

"Americans need a show like this," added Rick Amato. "We showcase guests who provide a look into America's problems and issues in a way that other people simply cannot do."

About 'Politics and Profits'.

'Politics and Profits' (http://PoliticsProfits.com), is an hour-long television talk show broadcast on KSDY-TV-50 in San Diego (http://ksdy50.com). 'Politics and Profits' is hosted by nationally-known talk show host Rick Amato, and presents a grass roots style, right of center political view. Show Host, Rick Amato, is an award winning radio and television host with a strong financial and economic background. Rick Amato has worked for the Wall Street firm of Merrill Lynch and with the Amato Wealth Management Group.

'Politics and Profits' is now available for immediate syndication for television stations nationwide.

Media and Syndication Information Contact

Joe Lizura

P: 858-829-4251

E: Email

SOURCE KSDY-TV

Related Links

http://ksdy50.com


PITTSBURGH, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Israels & Neuman, PLC is a securities fraud law firm with offices in Denver, Seattle, Chicago, and Ann Arbor. Israels & Neuman announces that its investment fraud attorneys have filed an arbitration claim in the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Dispute Resolution System arising from losses incurred on behalf of two former clients of financial advisor Douglas (Doug) Simanski, formerly of NEXT Financial Group, Inc.

The Complaint (also known as a Statement of Claim) was filed on behalf a retired couple, and alleges that Simanski sold the couple on what they thought was a safe investment for retired investors. The Statement of Claim goes on to allege that the purported investment was a fraud, and that the funds were misappropriated by Simanski. The Statement of Claim is brought against NEXT Financial Group, Inc. and alleges that the damages were caused by its failure to supervise Mr. Simanski.

Public records indicate that the conduct complained of by Israels & Neuman's clients is not an isolated incident. According to FINRA's BrokerCheck system, there are four other pending customer complaints involving Simanski, which allege aggregate damages in excess of $400,000.00.

The attorneys at Israels & Neuman believe that there are other victims of Doug Simanski who have yet to come forward. In response, Israels & Neuman has launched an independent investigation into losses associated with Simanski's conduct. Israels & Neuman reminds investors that financial advisors have a duty to put a client's best interest before their own and to follow all laws and regulations related to securities. If an advisor misappropriates money from his client's accounts, their employing brokerage firm could be liable for investor losses. Israels & Neuman has extensive experience in representing investors who have been defrauded by brokers, including in theft and Ponzi scheme cases. Its attorneys represent investors in FINRA arbitration proceedings in all 50 states, including central and western Pennsylvania, and are standing by ready to discuss recovery options with Simanski victims.

If you invested money with Doug Simanski and have suffered losses, please call us at (720) 599-3505 or (206) 795-5798 for a free evaluation of your case or visit us at www.israelsneuman.com.

SOURCE Israels & Neuman, PLC

Related Links

http://www.israelsneuman.com


MT. PLEASANT, Mich., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Isabella Bank Corporation (OTCQX:ISBA), announced today that the Board of Directors of the Corporation declared a third quarter cash dividend of $0.25 per common share at its regular meeting held on August 24, 2016. The dividend will be payable on September 30, 2016 to shareholders of record as of September 27, 2016. The closing stock price for ISBA on August 24, 2016 was $27.75. Based on the Corporation's average stock price of $27.74 for the month of July 2016, the annualized cash dividend yield was 3.60%.

"I am pleased to announce our third quarter cash dividend which represents a 4.17% increase over the cash dividend paid for the third quarter of 2015. We are committed to providing shareholder value which has been evidenced by our 34 consecutive years of dividend growth", commented Jae A. Evans, Chief Executive Officer of Isabella Bank Corporation.

Headquartered in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, Isabella Bank Corporation is the bank holding company for Isabella Bank. Founded in 1903 with a focus on community banking, Isabella Bank operates 29 banking offices in seven counties including Clare, Gratiot, Isabella, Mecosta, Midland, Montcalm, and Saginaw.

For more information about Isabella Bank Corporation, visit the Investors link at www.isabellabank.com. Isabella Bank Corporation common stock is quoted on the OTCQX tier of the OTC Markets Group, Inc.'s electronic quotation system (www.otcmarkets.com) under the symbol "ISBA." The Corporation's market maker is Boenning & Scattergood, Inc. (www.boenninginc.com).

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements. To the extent that the foregoing information refers to matters that may occur in the future, please be aware that such forward-looking statements may differ materially from actual results. Additional information concerning some of the factors that could cause materially different results is included in the sections entitled "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Statements" set forth in Isabella Bank Corporation's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available from the Securities and Exchange Commission's Public Reference facilities and from its website at www.sec.gov .

SOURCE Isabella Bank Corporation

Related Links

http://www.isabellabank.com


BOSTON, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Clear Ballot announced today the signing of a contract with Jackson County, Oregon to implement the ClearVote voting system. Jackson County will be the ninth county in Oregon to implement ClearVote, increasing the percentage of registered voters in the state using the voting system technology to 57 percent. Jackson County staff has already begun the training process for ClearVote in preparation for the November Presidential Election.

Jackson County was in a unique position having only recently implemented a competitor's latest voting system. However, after using its proprietary hardware in a single election and interviewing other counties that had been successful with Clear Ballot's solution, they made the decision to switch to ClearVote because of the greater efficiencies in administering elections. With ClearVote, Jackson County is now able to provide greater accuracy with digital adjudication and at the same time, generate significant cost savings to taxpayers due to the efficiencies in using advanced technology.

"The efficiencies realized by Clear Ballot's digital adjudication process are perfect for our vote by mail system," noted Jackson County Clerk Christine Walker. "Our ability to reduce or eliminate manual processes will result in significant cost savings for the County such that it will pay for itself in a few election cycles."

Clear Ballot uses commercially available hardware paired with modern software to provide a more affordable and scalable solution to all counties. Since the initial ClearVote certification, enhancements have continually been rolled out based on innovations and feedback from customers leading to multiple new versions being certified and implemented in Oregon.

"Clear Ballot is very pleased to have Jackson County on board," said CEO Larry Moore. "Their decision to return their once-used, proprietary tabulation devices to the manufacturer reinforces the direction Clear Ballot has pioneered toward voting systems that employ general-purpose, high-performance, fully redundant hardware."

About Clear Ballot:

Clear Ballot is an emerging leader in election management innovation. Clear Ballot has introduced modern software solutions with the speed, accuracy and transparency that has been lacking in the industry. Designed for low cost and ease-of-use, Clear Ballot's browser-based software, used with commercially available scanning hardware, scales to election jurisdictions of all sizes, responding directly to the budgetary realities of America's counties and municipalities. For more information about Clear Ballot, please visit: www.clearballot.com.

Contact

Hillary Lincoln

Clear Ballot

[email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150518/216827LOGO

SOURCE Clear Ballot

Related Links

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DALLAS, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- JDR Consulting, LLC, a minority-owned, certified small business and leading management consulting company, announced today that it has been selected by the Charter Hall Group, headquartered in Sydney, Australia, to provide supplementary support for its Yardi Voyager 7S system and other application software.

The Charter Hall Group is one of Australia's leading property groups with a total managed property portfolio of $17 billion and 295 commercial properties under management. JDR will be supporting Charter Hall with business process and configuration recommendations, data migration services, ongoing system maintenance, help desk support and customized training services.

"JDR brings a deep understanding of Yardi and other key applications to the table," said James Doust, Head of Corporate Business Systems at Charter Hall, "with their support, we will be able to transform our technologies into efficient and effective business tools that will help us maintain sustainable returns for our investors, and offer a positive experience for our tenants both now and into the future."

"JDR has been offering its support and best business practices to property management companies in the U.S. and Canada for years," said John Rivers, CEO of JDR Consulting, "we look forward to expanding our international operation to Australia, and are happy to be partnering with such a highly skilled and motivated team."

About JDR Consulting, LLC

JDR Consulting, LLC is a minority-owned, certified small business and leading management consulting firm specializing in program and project management, systems implementations, IT solutions and services, custom programming and report writing, training, accounting services and help desk services. We provide services and support to major players in the Real Estate, Financial Services, Government, Investment Management, Insurance, Higher Education and Healthcare industries. Our highly skilled project management and software implementation teams are experts in the implementation of such products as Yardi, MRI, RealPage, Timberline, JD Edwards, LRO, Great Plains and many more.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151123/290189LOGO

Contact:

Mandy Cooke

Marketing Manager

888.481.7755

[email protected]

SOURCE JDR Consulting

Related Links

http://www.jdrconsulting.net


FORT WORTH, Texas, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lon Smith Roof for Vets program today honored Vietnam Veteran Steven Moree of White Settlement, Texas and installed a new roof free of charge. Lon Smith Roofing, the largest roofing company in Texas, also worked to help secure replacement medals for Mr. Moree for his service in Vietnam.

"I am so thankful," Mr. Moree said as his new roof was being installed. "There is no way I could have done this without Lon Smith."

Mr. Moree was chosen as the quarterly recipient of the free roof after he was nominated for the program. The Roof for Vets program selects four quarterly recipients each year who must be veterans who are in need of assistance.

In addition, Lon Smith Roofing discovered that Mr. Moree had never received several of the service medals that he was due based on his service in Vietnam. Lon Smith was able to help secure from the Defense Department new medals including the Bronze Star that had been awarded to Mr. Moree for his valor during Vietnam.

"It's a great thing to be able to help Mr. Moree get a new roof and get his combat medals," said Lon Smith Vice President, Scott Hamilton. "We are proud to honor a great veteran like this."

To learn more about the Lon Smith Roof for Vets program or to nominate a veteran, visit: http://www.lonsmith.com/roof-vets/

SOURCE Lon Smith Roofing

Related Links

http://www.lonsmith.com


NUREMBERG, Germany, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- LuLu Group International, a retailer with 124 outlets and operations in 31 countries, has migrated to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications to help its business managers faster identify and respond to new opportunities and competitive threats.

Since starting its retail journey in the early 1990s, LuLu Group has grown its retail activities aggressively. Headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, the company enjoys a 32 percent market share in its territories and welcomes more than 700,000 shoppers daily. As LuLu Group drove its rapid growth, the pressure to keep business systems working optimally also rose, leading the company to migrate its SAP for Retail landscape from Solaris to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications. When LuLu Group wanted to improve the speed of business reporting and analytics by deploying the SAP HANA database, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications was again its platform of choice, combining high availability and performance with low total cost of ownership.

"We decided to deploy SAP HANA both for business intelligence and as the operational database for our complete SAP landscape," said Madhav Rao, CIO of LuLu Group. "Given our experience of the availability, flexibility, scalability and ease of management of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications, this was the logical platform on which to deploy our new SAP HANA software."

Shiju Shanmughan, network and infrastructure manager at LuLu Group, said, "We knew that the relationship between SAP and SUSE is very close, and that SAP uses the SUSE operating system for its own development on Linux, so it seemed to be the best option. The deployment went very smoothly, and we handled it largely with our in-house team, using the excellent SUSE documentation. Thanks to this complete, end-to-end workflow for the installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications, our team was able to save valuable time throughout the implementation process  helping to ensure that we went live on time. We also support the OS in-house, escalating any more-complex queries to the experts on the SUSE support team."

Taking advantage of the bundled SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension solution has enabled LuLu Group to ensure extremely high availability for its SAP landscape in the two years since initial deployment. The company also uses a special kernel-tune option to improve SAP performance; this protects less-used memory from being paged out and used by the Linux file system, keeping it available for SAP applications.

With both its core SAP ERP landscape and its new SAP HANA landscape running on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications, LuLu Group enjoys optimal performance, easy management, seamless scalability and low cost of ownership. As LuLu Group continues its expansion, the added speed of analysis provided by SAP HANA in-memory technology will help the company's business managers to identify new opportunities and competitive threats faster, and determine the optimal response.

"Our initial migration from Solaris to the SUSE Linux Enterprise platform reduced our total operational costs for the SAP landscape by at least 20 percent," Rao said. "However, the increases in performance and availability are more important to the business because these help us to ensure excellent customer service at all times. We trust SUSE Linux Enterprise Server to provide extreme stability for our mission-critical SAP ERP and SAP HANA landscapes."

Read the complete story at www.suse.com/success/stories/lulu-group.html. For more information on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications, see www.suse.com/products/sles-for-sap.

About SUSE

SUSE, a pioneer in open source software, provides reliable, interoperable Linux, cloud infrastructure and storage solutions that give enterprises greater control and flexibility. More than 20 years of engineering excellence, exceptional service and an unrivaled partner ecosystem power the products and support that help our customers manage complexity, reduce cost, and confidently deliver mission-critical services. The lasting relationships we build allow us to adapt and deliver the smarter innovation they need to succeed  today and tomorrow. For more information, visit www.suse.com.

Copyright 2016 SUSE LLC. All rights reserved. SUSE and the SUSE logo are registered trademarks of SUSE LLC in the United States and other countries. All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150622/224623LOGO

SOURCE SUSE

Related Links

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PUNE, India, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

AskLinkerReports.com provides reports on Aerial Lift Market and Concrete Mixer Truck industry titled Global Aerial Lift Industry 2016 Market Research Report and Global Concrete Mixer Truck Industry 2016 Market Research Report.

The Global Aerial Lift Industry 2016 Market Research Report provides a complete and informed review of the organization of the Aerial Lift Market. This exceptional report provides a calculable and qualitative analysis of the development and status of the market and concentrating on the market size and trends, supply and future prospects. The report will streamline the operational and calculated decision making processes.

Complete report on Aerial Lift market analysing major companies and supported with table and figures is available at http://www.asklinkerreports.com/6046-aerial-lift-market.

The key segments covered in this report are Aerial Lift Industry Overview which includes topics such as Classification Analysis, Main Classification Analysis, Main Classification Share Analysis, Industry Chain Structure Analysis, Global Market Comparison Analysis, and Global Import Market Analysis. In addition, Aerial Lift Global Export Market Analysis, Global Main Region Market Analysis, Global Market Comparison Analysis, and Aerial Lift Global Market Development Trend Analysis have also been included. Along with it an encompassing study of the Aerial Lift Industry in North America, Asia, and Europe has been made.

What makes the Global Aerial Lift Industry 2016 Market Research Report more trustworthy for the new investors is the info on the Global Aerial Lift apart from analyses on productions, supply, demand, forecast, market share, key trends etc. This report studies all the features of the present and forthcoming industry growth information which is crucial for all new players as well as the leading market players. For a deep insight of the Aerial Lift market the report presents a deep study of the Capacity Production Trend, Production and Market Share Forecast, and Import and Export Consumption Trend. The report further highlights the Demand Analysis, Supply Demand Analysis, along with Aerial Lift Production Cost Price Profit Trend. Order a Copy of Report at http://www.asklinkerreports.com/contacts/purchase/6046.

With numerous company profiles supporting the Aerial Lift market analysis, this research report provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a treasured foundation of assistance and direction for companies interested in the market. The Global Aerial Lift Industry 2016 Market Research Report aids clients with investment viability analysis, project SWOT analysis, and investment return analysis. Wholly, the report provides a detailed understanding of the global Aerial Lift industry covering all vital factors.

Another related report on equipment market is Global Concrete Mixer Truck Industry 2016 Market Research Report. The 2016 Market Research Report on Concrete Mixer Truck Industry was a professional and depth research report on Concrete Mixer Truck industry that you would know the world's major regional market conditions of Concrete Mixer Truck industry, the main region including North American, Europe and Asia etc., and the main country including United States, Germany, Japan and China etc.

The report firstly introduced Concrete Mixer Truck basic information including Concrete Mixer Truck definition classification application and industry chain overview; Concrete Mixer Truck industry policy and plan, Concrete Mixer Truck product specification, manufacturing process, cost structure etc.. Then we deeply analyzed the world's main region market conditions that including the product price, profit, capacity, production, capacity utilization, supply, demand and industry growth rate etc.

In the end, the report introduced Concrete Mixer Truck new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis and Concrete Mixer Truck industry.

The report including six parts, the first part mainly introduced the product basic information; the second parts mainly analyzed the Asia Concrete Mixer Truck industry; the third part mainly analyzed the North American Concrete Mixer Truck industry; the fourth part mainly analyzed the Europe Concrete Mixer Truck industry; the fifth part mainly analyzed the market entry and investment feasibility; the sixth part was the report conclusion chapter. Complete table of content is available at http://www.asklinkerreports.com/6080-concrete-mixer-truck-market.



About Us:

AskLinker Reports is an aggregator of market research and industry intelligence reports providing data analysis of sectors including chemical, medical, machinery, food, energy, automotive, environmental protection, transportation, electric power, light industry, petroleum, electronics and other categories. These reports are by AskLinker Research team backed by research institutions as well as senior, expert researchers.

Contact:

Ritesh Tiwari

UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ

Magarpatta city, Hadapsar

Pune - 411013

Maharashtra, India.

Tel: +1-888-391-5441

[email protected]



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SOURCE AskLinker Reports
TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- MedyMatch announced today that globally recognized and respected physicians have joined the Company's scientific and medical advisory board, whose member's now include

Image of MedyMatch system at work

Dr. Michael Lev , Director of Emergency Radiology and Emergency Neuroradiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor of Radiology at the Harvard Medical School ;

, Director of Emergency Radiology and Emergency Neuroradiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor of Radiology at the ; Dr. David Haynor , M.D., Ph.D., Neuro-radiologist and Assistant Professor of Radiology and Neurological Surgery at University of Washington Hospitals;

, M.D., Ph.D., Neuro-radiologist and Assistant Professor of Radiology and Neurological Surgery at Hospitals; Dr. Jalal Andre , M.D., D.A.B.R., Director of Neurological MRI and MRI safety officer at Harborview Medical Center and a University of Washington , Assistant Professor of Radiology;

, M.D., D.A.B.R., Director of Neurological MRI and MRI safety officer at Harborview Medical Center and a , Assistant Professor of Radiology; Dr. Paul Singh , Assistant Professor of NeuroEndovascular Surgery & Vascular Neurology, Rutgers Neurological Institute of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School;

, Assistant Professor of NeuroEndovascular Surgery & Vascular Neurology, Rutgers Neurological Institute of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School; Dr. Dr. Ajay Choudhri , Director of Vascular and Interventional Radiology and Assistant Director, Radiology at Capital Health Medical Center;

, Director of Vascular and Interventional Radiology and Assistant Director, Radiology at Capital Health Medical Center; Dr. Yaakov Applebaum , Chairman and Medical Director, Department of Radiology at Capital Health Medical Center;

, Chairman and Medical Director, Department of Radiology at Capital Health Medical Center; Professor Moshe Gomori , M.D., Department Head of MRI and Neuroradiology Unit at Hadassah Medical Center;

, M.D., Department Head of MRI and Neuroradiology Unit at Hadassah Medical Center; Professor Jacob Sosna , M.D., Chairman Division of Radiology & Medical Imaging and Director of the Department of Radiology & Medical Imaging at Hadassah Medical Center;

, M.D., Chairman Division of Radiology & Medical Imaging and Director of the Department of Radiology & Medical Imaging at Hadassah Medical Center; Dr. Gabriel Polliack , M.D., Chairman of the Israel National Imaging Council Committee - for Sharing of Diagnostic Images and Director of Strategic Planning, TEREM Emergency Medical Centers Israel.

"The implementation of AI-based computer aided detection and clinical decision support tools to medicine in general, and to the Emergency Department in particular, has the potential to increase the speed, accuracy, and efficiency of patient management - ultimately reducing diagnostic errors and improving clinical outcomes" said Dr. Michael Lev, Director of Emergency Radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School. "MedyMatch is ideally positioned to leverage this technology, and their willingness to collaborate with industry partners reflects their awareness of, and sensitivity to, the complexities of patient assessment in the acute care setting. The Company's first application - CT detection of intracranial bleeds - represents the confluence of physician knowhow and artificial intelligence clinical support."

"The creation of the scientific and medical advisory board is an important strategic step for MedyMatch and for improving patient outcomes", said Gene Saragnese, Chairman and CEO of MedyMatch. "Each health professional on the medical advisory board is a highly experienced, respected expert in their chosen specialty. Their individual and collective contributions will play an important role in providing strategic guidance and advice to MedyMatch."

MedyMatch's goal is to harness clinical understanding in conjunction with machine vision and deep learning to provide real time artificial intelligence based clinical decision support to physicians in the emergency room. Deep Vision based image interpretation is at the heart of our expertise; structuring unstructured data in healthcare to discover the undiscovered. Structured problem solving and collaboration are key to realizing the full potential of Deep Vision. Core to MedyMatch's development strategy is working with clinical partners, who can provide both deep clinical insights and de-identified patient data (genomic, EMR, and corresponding medical imaging studies).

About MedyMatch Technology, Ltd.

MedyMatch utilizes advanced cognitive analytics and artificial intelligence to deliver real-time decision support tools to improve clinical outcomes in acute medical scenarios. The foundation of clinical discovery and value creation lies in the deep clinical understanding of how to diagnose disease, utilizing the right data (electronic medical record, medical imaging, and genomic data). The MedyMatch team of artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning and algorithmic experts along with its medical and science advisory boards are achieving breakthroughs in standards of cost and care. To learn more, please visit www.medymatch.ai

Contact: Michael Rosenberg, [email protected]

Website - http://www.medymatch.ai

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402493

SOURCE MedyMatch

Related Links

http://www.medymatch.ai


NEW YORK, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to operating a business, technology is crucial, meaning it is imperative to have an IT company for support; Mimvi Technology is now the leader in IT support and managed IT set-ups for all businesses across New York. Mimvi, headed by CEO Marcus Becker, is already Long Island's leader in Search Engine Optimization. Mimvi SEO is now proud to announce the formation of its sister company, Mimvi Technology Group. Mimvi Tech uses groundbreaking "technology-for-the-future" to efficiently provide implementation of your business's technological needs, and continue to provide top-notch IT support for your business.

Mimvi Technology Group Takes Over New York's IT Sector

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402468

As a technology company, Mimvi Technology Group understands that even a momentary lapse in your business's connectivity could cost you a pretty penny. That reason alone has driven Mr. Becker to strive to be the best in the industry for IT support. Mimvi SEO, a company that already provides first rate SEO, web design, Internet Marketing and reputation management has now, at the highest levels, entered the world of networking, web development, server side support, remote support, disaster recovery and CRM management.

Hesitant to go with a start-up company? In this industry, this economy, this location, we understand that. The thing is, Mimvi Technology Group may be, in principle, new to the market; but its experience is not. Mr. Becker and his team, at remarkably young ages, have tremendous experience in the IT industry. New in name, new in industry impact, but certainly not new in intelligence, personality, quality support and, importantly, experience.

"Managed IT Services in New York is a vital component of any business. Mimvi Technology Group is an extension of your business. We have professional technicians that are able to prevent problems from arising initially; efficiently troubleshoot when problems do arise; and consult and support your business with all of your technology related needs," says Mr. Becker.

Computers and the internet are crucial in today's business world. The down side: there are definitely security risks. The up side: with Mimvi Technology Group, those risks will not come to fruition! If your company has a technology issue, concern or question, or you just need the best IT management your dollar can buy, Mimvi Technology Group is the company for you. Mimvi not only provides both on- and off-site support, but also has consultants working, literally, around the clock to make sure your business is running as optimally as Mimvi itself strives to run.

Mimvi Tech is now New York's one-stop-shop for all networking and technology business-related needs. Contact Mimvi Tech today to ensure your business's online success!

Contact Information

Marcus Becker

917-477-6502

http://mimvi.tech

Related Files

mimvi-it.png

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE Mimvi

Related Links

http://mimvi.tech


HACKETTSTOWN, N.J., Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- High fashion bags of chocolate candies are coming to shelves near you! In honor of the 75th anniversary of M&M'S, the brand has collaborated with Danish fashion designer, Camilla Strk, to create the M&M'S by Strk Designer Collection.

Strk brings the sophistication and creativity of her men's and women's fashions to these special designer packs, exclusively available in Target stores nationwide starting September 4. The exclusive packaging includes animal print inspired designs for M&M'S Milk Chocolate and M&M'S Peanut.

M&M'S by Strk Designer Collection M&M'S by Strk Designer Collection

"With all of our collaborations, we seek out partners we know our fans will love and be inspired by" said Tanya Berman, Director, M&M'S Brand. "We love how Camilla incorporated her signature style to reimagine these special bags of M&M'S."

Strk, who developed her love of design through her family's furniture business, is known for her unique print and surface designs. Through her partnership with M&M'S, she hopes to celebrate the signatures of both brands, and add unexpected twists in a complementary and playful fashion.

"The M&M'S collaboration is something completely different for me, and I loved every moment of the process" said Camilla Strk, Founder and Creative Director, STRK Collection. "I welcomed the chance to apply what I do in fashion to create a strong design story for this exclusive packaging for the brand's 75th anniversary."

The collaboration is supported with a marketing campaign including retail displays and packaging and a print advertisement in the September issue of VOGUE.

To learn more about M&M'S, visit http://www.mms.com, Instagram (www.Instagram.com/mmschocolate) Facebook (www.Facebook.com/mms) or Twitter (@mmschocolate).

To learn more about STRK Collection visit Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/staerkofficial), Twitter (https://twitter.com/camillastaerk) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/camillastaerk/)

About Mars, Incorporated

In 1911, Frank C. Mars made the first Mars candies in his Tacoma, Washington kitchen and established Mars' first roots as a confectionery company. In the 1920s, Forrest E. Mars, Sr. joined his father in business and together they launched the MILKY WAY bar. In 1932, Forrest, Sr. moved to the United Kingdom with a dream of building a business based on the objective of creating a "mutuality of benefits for all stakeholders"  this objective serves as the foundation of Mars, Incorporated today. Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $33 billion, six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, Symbioscience, and more than 75,000 Associates worldwide that are putting its Principles into action to make a difference for people and the planet through its performance.

Mars brands include: Petcare  PEDIGREE, ROYAL CANIN, WHISKAS, BANFIELD Pet Hospital, CESAR, SHEBA, DREAMIES and NUTRO; Chocolate  M&M'S, SNICKERS, DOVE, GALAXY, MARS, MILKY WAY and TWIX; Wrigley  DOUBLEMINT, EXTRA, ORBIT and 5 chewing gums, SKITTLES and STARBURST candies, and ALTOIDS and LIFESAVERS mints. Food  UNCLE BEN'S, DOLMIO, EBLY, MASTERFOODS, SEEDS OF CHANGE and ROYCO; Drinks  ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS, THE BRIGHT TEA COMPANY, KLIX and FLAVIA; Symbioscience  COCOAVIA and WISDOM PANEL.

For more information, please visit www.mars.com. Follow us: facebook.com/mars, twitter.com/marsglobal, youtube.com/mars, linkedin.com/company/mars.

About STRK

Born and raised in the countryside of Denmark, Camilla Strk studied fashion and textiles at Ravensbourne College in London. The designer founded the namesake brand STRK in 2000 when her graduate collection  a gentle reappraisal of the gothic through leathers, silks and jerseys  was purchased by top boutiques in Paris and London. The sophisticated, dark romance of the now New York based Strk's ready-to-wear and accessories for men and women, as well as interiors and objects have earned her the British Fashion Council's Newgen Award, collaborations with top heritage design houses and hotels, multimedia solo art exhibitions, and dedicated collectors from Europe to Asia and the Americas.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160826/401822

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160826/401823

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160826/401821LOGO

SOURCE Mars, Incorporated

Related Links

http://www.mars.com


SHANGHAI, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Music China, known as one of the most reputable musical instruments fairs in the world, will be held on October 26-29, 2016 in Shanghai New International Expo Centre.

Launched in 2002, organized by China Music Instrument Association (CMIA), INTEX Shanghai Co. Ltd. and Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd., Music China is now the largest music show in Asia and is the best gate-way to a multitude of business opportunities in the China and Asian markets. This year, Music China will feature nearly 1,900 domestic and foreign exhibitors from 30 countries and regions. A huge range of western and Chinese traditional musical instruments will be on display across ten halls and 112,000 square metres of exhibition space.

To meet the substantial business growth, famous established brands, such as Bluethner, Buffet, Casio, D'Addario, ESP, Fazioli, Fender, GEWA, Hsinghai, Laney, Line 6, Ludwig, Marshall, Orange, Pearl River, Roland, Samick, Schimmel, Selmer, Shanghai No.1 National Musical Instruments Factory, Steinway, Tama, Taylor, Yamaha and Zildjian have confirmed to attend Music China 2016 for a breakthrough in their market. No matter international top brands, or local products with excellent quality and competitive price, a variety of exhibits will be provided on site.

As the 'Most Innovative Exhibition' awarded by China's leading trade magazine Events Fortune, Music China offer a variety of forums and seminars to promote industry exchange and keep visitors with the industry pace.

NAMM CMIA Industry Forum -- this form focuses on hot issues and future development trends of the industry. This year, a brand-new issue on "Making music across the lifespan -- Promote community music making, expand adult music making"' will be discussed.

-- this form focuses on hot issues and future development trends of the industry. This year, a brand-new issue on "Making music across the lifespan -- Promote community music making, expand adult music making"' will be discussed. Dealers Training Courses -- a highly-recommended activity for professional visitors is 'Dealers Training Courses', where you have the chance to sit down with people from your industry, to share advice that could grow your business -- all under expert guidance. Cases on business, sales, management, new media usage and other hot issues will be discussed. Speakers include Mr. Lee Higgins from International Centre for Community Music York St John University and Ms. Abigail d'Amore from Musical Futures.

-- a highly-recommended activity for professional visitors is 'Dealers Training Courses', where you have the chance to sit down with people from your industry, to share advice that could grow your business -- all under expert guidance. Cases on business, sales, management, new media usage and other hot issues will be discussed. Speakers include Mr. from International Centre for Community Music York St John University and Ms. Abigail d'Amore from Musical Futures. Global Forum on Chinese Traditional Music -- this forum aims to demonstrate the beauty and the essence of Chinese traditional music. Famous Chinese musicians will be invited to do the demonstration. They will introduce Chinese traditional musical instruments like zheng, pipa, erhu and yangqin.

-- this forum aims to demonstrate the beauty and the essence of Chinese traditional music. Famous Chinese musicians will be invited to do the demonstration. They will introduce Chinese traditional musical instruments like zheng, pipa, erhu and yangqin. Violin Master Workshop -- this is an on-site workshop where you can enjoy top violin-making masters from all over the world showing their remarkable violin-making skills. It's a great opportunity to taste and to admire the beauty of violin-making .

-- this is an on-site workshop where you can enjoy top violin-making masters from all over the world showing their remarkable violin-making skills. It's a great opportunity to taste and to admire the beauty of . Educational Programme -- it is especially set for music teachers, educators, and students. In this programme, education organizations will present their teaching models and share new education ideas. Meanwhile, free Trial Classes are open for trade and public visitors.

-- it is especially set for music teachers, educators, and students. In this programme, education organizations will present their teaching models and share new education ideas. Meanwhile, free Trial Classes are open for trade and public visitors. Global Jazz Masters Salon -- Famous jazz masters from home and abroad will be invited to the salon. It is a great opportunity to meet masters and to admire the charm of Jazz music.

-- Famous jazz masters from home and abroad will be invited to the salon. It is a great opportunity to meet masters and to admire the charm of Jazz music. Kids Music Land -- a perfect place for kids to share the joy of music together. Kids can try various kinds of instruments and experience a new way of learning under the instruction of professional instructors. Clarity activity for autistic children will also be held during the show.

-- a perfect place for kids to share the joy of music together. Kids can try various kinds of instruments and experience a new way of learning under the instruction of professional instructors. Clarity activity for autistic children will also be held during the show. Outdoor Live Shows -- the huge highlight in the fair is that hundreds of live music shows will provide an inspirational experience for professional buyers and music lovers.

For more details about Music China 2016, please refer to our official website www.musicchina-expo.com. Free entry is available if signed up online before Oct. 8th. We look forward to seeing you in Shanghai.

Contacts:

Miss Arlene Zhu / Miss Lisa Sha

+86-21-6295-5609 / +86-21-6295-3159

[email protected] / [email protected]

SOURCE INTEX SHANGHAI CO., LTD.

Related Links

http://www.musicchina-expo.com


WASHINGTON, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- MakeOffices, creator of coworking communities where the workplace meets the sharing economy, announced today the addition of Brian Bharwani as chief financial officer. This addition bolsters the MakeOffices leadership team as the company continues to expand and explore new opportunities nationwide.

Brian Bharwani joins MakeOffices as Chief Financial Officer, bringing senior financial management expertise in the technology sector.

"By hiring Brian we're strengthening our core leadership at a time when our national presence is growing, we've proven our business model, and we're ready to move to the next level," comments Raymond Rahbar, CEO, MakeOffices. "Brian's financial acumen along with his deep understanding of capital markets allows us to make sound growth-oriented decisions."

Brian Bharwani has spent more than a decade in senior financial management roles at technology companies including Blackboard Inc., Full Measure Education Inc., and SocialRadar. He joins MakeOffices from Reston, Virginia-based customer experience management company Clarabridge, where he was vice president of financial planning and analysis.

"MakeOffices presented a great opportunity for me to be a part of a company with tremendous growth potential in an exciting industry," says Bharwani. "I had worked for the past decade at software companies with no intention of leaving that space, but when I learned about MakeOffices and the strength of its business model coupled with a great team culture, it was too great to pass up." Bharwani adds, "It's exciting for me to join a company that helps others succeed by providing a productive space and an opportunity to connect with passionate professionals."

Bharwani brings vast experience in financial planning, business analysis, financial modeling, and financial communication. Brian earned a Master of Business Administration, with a finance specialization, from The College of William and Mary, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Emory University.

MakeOffices members are part of a community of movers and shakers that take advantage of a shared environment and receive benefits  such as onsite amenities, regular networking opportunities, and access to human resources support  that allow them to save money and spend time growing their businesses. The MakeOffices model appeals to organizations seeking an alternative to traditional office leases and spaces, as well as the individuals and smaller organizations that are a critical backbone of every local entrepreneurial system.

About MakeOffices

MakeOffices creates productive, collaborative coworking communities where the workplace meets the sharing economy. We understand what it is like to be a startup with a tight budget, or a passionate entrepreneur leading a small business with no interest in committing to a multi-year lease in a traditional corporate environment. Home to amazing small businesses, entrepreneurs, and innovation-focused teams from Fortune 500s, our communities are designed for companies looking for simple workplace solutions to get serious work done. MakeOffices operates ten locations across Chicago, Philadelphia, and the Washington, DC metro area as of July 2016 with seven more under construction. For additional information, visit www.makeoffices.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Shana Glenzer, Chief Marketing Officer, MakeOffices

[email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160722/392258

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160119/323826LOGO

SOURCE MakeOffices

Related Links

http://www.makeoffices.com


SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC/CONEL), the nation's leading organization for 16 million Hispanic American Evangelicals, invites churches across the nation to celebrate Education Sunday on September 4, 2016. Thousands of churches have set aside time on the first Sunday of September to pray for and encourage students and teachers in their communities, including those in home, private and public schools. Education Sunday equips parents to take an active role in their children's education and empowers church members to support high academic achievement for all children in their community.

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, founder and president of NHCLC/CONEL is a pastor and a former public school educator. He encourages pastors and parents to seize this opportunity to be light for those held in bondage by ignorance or low standards: "As individuals we are called to shine our light, but when we do so in the heavenly community of Christ's church, our light combines into an influencing agent. I invite you to celebrate Education Sunday this September as we focus a laser on the value of education for every child in our communities."

Education Sunday is a dedicated time for congregations to pray for their students and teachers, affirm the value of education, and invite the congregation to support local schools and students. Dr. Andrea Ramirez, Executive Director of the Faith and Education Coalition - NHCLC, comments on the creativity churches bring to Education Sunday: "Each church creates its own unique expression of Education Sunday, and it is a deep blessing to hear about the creativity they employ! We provide resources to every church that registers, yet they celebrate in tailor-made ways that encourage both their specific congregations and communities. There are photo ops with graduation regalia in some churches, college fairs held in others, and additional creative approaches include presentations of reports cards at the altar, praying over children, and disseminating scholarship information. We encourage churches to share their experience with one another as we unite to support student achievement." Dr. Ramirez also notes that Education Sunday is an ideal time to invite a principal, teacher, or district leader to share ways the church can support local students and schools.

The NHCLC hosts a resource page at www.FaithandEducation.com for churches participating in Education Sunday. Tools provided include bilingual resources and information for parents and church leaders, including:

Parent Toolkit : parents can plan for a successful school year with tips for student success, parent-teacher conference guides, suggestions for homework help, help discovering local afterschool care, and links to academic standards by grade level.

: parents can plan for a successful school year with tips for student success, parent-teacher conference guides, suggestions for homework help, help discovering local afterschool care, and links to academic standards by grade level. Education Sunday Support : information and ideas include a sample sermon, a new Scholastic/NHCLC bilingual handout with "Back to School" tips, Bible studies for a variety of age groups (for children, youth, and parents), and more.

: information and ideas include a sample sermon, a new Scholastic/NHCLC bilingual handout with "Back to School" tips, Bible studies for a variety of age groups (for children, youth, and parents), and more. Scholarship Information : By participating in Education Sunday, churches and their students become eligible and are kept informed about scholarship opportunities throughout the year.

: By participating in Education Sunday, churches and their students become eligible and are kept informed about scholarship opportunities throughout the year. Additional Tools: churches receive other resources throughout the year, including a monthly education e-newsletter and an electronic bilingual College Guide produced via a partnership between Christianity Today and the NHCLC. Church leaders will learn how they can participate in state-based conversations such as school accountability and guaranteeing parents of English language learners have access to vital information for student success.

Dr. Antipas Harris, both a member of the NHCLC Board and the Faith and Education Coalition leadership advisory council, encourages African-American churches to seize the Education Sunday opportunity: "This school year we can dedicate and equip our children to rise to the call the Lord has placed on each individual life. Dedicating one Sunday to the value of education will help students answer the call to love the Lord with the fullness of our minds (Luke 10:27)."

"The Lord made our minds as well as our bodies and souls," comments Dr. Andrea Ramirez. "So it is an act of worship for us to submit our minds to Him and ask how we can connect our earthly assignments to our eternal purpose. We can help our students understand that every time they walk into a classroom, write an assignment, study, or take a test, they have an opportunity to worship the Lord with the totality of their minds. All classrooms have the potential to be sacred ground."

The NHCLC, which values Education as one of its core directives, advocates for Hispanic student success including education equity and high academic standards for all students as a part of its mission as a Christian organization.

The NHCLC serves as a representative voice for the more than 100 million Hispanic Evangelicals worldwide, assembled in over 40,000 U.S. churches and hundreds of thousands of congregations throughout the Spanish-speaking diaspora. Seeking to reconcile evangelist Billy Graham's message of salvation with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s march of prophetic activism, the NHCLC emphasizes "7 Directives" of Life, Family, Compassionate Evangelism, Stewardship, Justice, Education and Youth. For additional information, visit http://www.nhclc.org.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120912/CL72800LOGO

SOURCE National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

Related Links

http://www.nhclc.org


Executive Vice President of Sales Rick Rubin, who focuses on incentive houses, the banking industry, loyalty/reward agencies and sits on the executive team for NGC, brings nearly 20 years of experience in the stored value and gift card industry to the 20-member IMA board.

Commenting on his new role Rubin said, "I am looking forward to applying my five years in B2C and nine years in B2B experience to help further IMA's service to members and promote its growth in the incentive marketplace."

IMA President Sean Roark, CPIM, had this to say about Rubin's new membership on the board:

"Rick is an industry thought leader, and I am delighted that he has committed his time and talent by joining the IMA Board of Directors. He's a model of what we are looking for in an IMA Board member: someone who is a powerhouse in his focus market, the gift card industry, but who also supports spreading our message of the efficacy and reliability of properly planned incentive programs."

At the same time that Rubin joins the IMA board, NGC Director of Strategic Partnerships Ashley (Zielinsky) Harris, who is responsible for creating strategic development plans for NGC's merchant partner brands and identifying key growth initiatives for its retail partner network, joins the IGCC board as director-at-large with more than five years of gift card industry experience under her belt. Beginning this month, Harris is to assist the IMA "Strategic Industry Group" with its education efforts about industry trends of interest to all segments of the incentive industry group.

"I am excited to be involved in a proactive role to help raise awareness and help educate colleagues about developments in our field," said Harris. "I am particularly looking forward to working on my first IGCC research study scheduled for publication in early 2017," she continued.

National Gift Card President Eric Thiegs is pleased with the appointment of both executives.

"Rick and Ashley have been leaders in educating the business community, raising the standards of its professionals and advancing the use of gift card incentives to generate better business results," Thiegs said.

"As we move into new generations of customers and technology, such as gift card API solutions, the IMA and IGCC will continue to help develop this ever-growing industry," he added.

Growing up in Florida for most of his life, Rubin attended Florida Atlantic University where he majored in telecommunications and the University of South Florida where he majored in business administration. A staunch Chicago Bears fan, Harris graduated from Loyola University with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration.

About National Gift Card Corp.: National Gift Card Corp. (NGC) is the leading marketer and supplier of gift cards for use in loyalty, incentive and rewards programs. The agency offers a wide variety of retail, restaurant and prepaid cards along with secure online ordering, distribution, fulfillment services, a Gift Card API and customized programs designed to reach each client's specific objectives. NGC continues to develop innovative technology solutions and delivers the best value to its customers. National Gift Card operates across the U.S. and in Canada, and in the United Kingdom and across Europe as NGC Corp. Europe, Ltd. National Gift Card Corp. is headquartered in Illinois. To learn more about National Gift Card Corp., visit http://www.ngc-group.com or call +1.888.472.8747.

About Incentive Marketing Association (IMA) connects members from leading companies across the marketplace to create a unified voice and growth for the incentive industry. IMA is the umbrella organization for the Incentive & Engagement Solution Providers (IESP), Incentive Gift Card Council (IGCC), Incentive Manufacturers & Representatives Alliance (IMRA), Incentive Travel Council (ITC), IMA Europe, and IMA Canada. IMA members have the expertise, leading brands and services to help companies improve their business with recognition, reward and engagement programs.

About Incentive Gift Card Council (IGCC) is a Strategic Industry Group (SIG) within the Incentive Marketing Association (IMA) dedicated to furthering the education of corporate America on the use of gift cards as corporate incentives, recognition, and customer loyalty programs. Its membership consists of more than 200 industry leaders - retailers, distribution partners, vendor/processor partners, agency partners, resellers and incentive houses.

CONTACT: Sue Voyles  Logos Communications, 734.667.2005, [email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402516

SOURCE National Gift Card Corp.

Related Links

http://www.ngc-group.com


"Mitigating the impact of power outages, the increase in distributed renewable generation at times of low use, the rising costs of base and peak power and the trend to reduce or eliminate net metering programs is opening up opportunities for solar installers to offer storage as an integral part of their solutions. Many solar installers are not battery experts, yet this expertise is what is required to select equipment to design a system that optimally integrates energy storage. We wanted to offer them an all-in-one-box solution to simplify the prospect of adding storage to meet their customer's needs," said SimpliPhi CEO Catherine Von Burg. "Installers collaborated with us on the design of this new product because they were frustrated by the lack of product readiness, adaptability and scalability, as well as the needless complexity offered by other manufacturers with cooling and thermal regulation requirements. We worked together to combine best-in-class technologies into one plug-in box that can scale without the need of ventilation, cooling or the risk of thermal runaway characteristic of other lithium ion storage technologies."

SimpliPhi assembles all the equipment into the ESS box and ships it out as a plug-and-play solution. The ESS offers three software modalities that meet the requirements of different applications, such as new and retrofit systems, including solutions that utilities can access for asset monitoring and deployment off-site for grid stabilization.

"SimpliPhi's ESS was developed to help solve many energy storage pain-points that installers have with other storage systems," said Michelle Klassen, president of LkM Solutions, who has also partnered with SimpliPhi in the development of the product. "This is why the ESS comes pre-integrated to work with microinverter, self-consumption and net-metered systems, for example."

With the first units headed to Hawaii, a full roll out of the ESS begins in the fall of 2016 for residential and commercial installers.

"Here in Hawaii, we were searching for a storage solution with lower installed costs that was faster and easier to install in more places than what was available to us. For our customers, the ability to install the SimpliPhi ESS outside gives us a major competitive advantage when bidding projects," said Mike Paul, president of Apex Electric, who also collaborated with SimpliPhi on product development.

Visit SimpliPhi at Solar Power International (Booth #1722 and the Smart Energy Microgrid Pavilion)

SimpliPhi Power will be featured in the live Smart Energy Microgrid Pavilion, as well as on the main floor at Solar Power International, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center on September 12-15, 2016. Visitors can learn about SimpliPhi's new ESS solution, portable power products, as well as low and high voltage batteries for residential, commercial and military on and off grid applications.

For technical specifications, download the ESS spec sheet here, OR to learn more about the ESS product, visit: http://simpliphipower.com/product/energy-storage-system/.

About SimpliPhi Power

Founded in 2002 as LibertyPak/Optimized Energy Storage, SimpliPhi Power designs and manufactures efficient, non-toxic and enduring energy storage and management systems that utilize lithium ferro phosphate (LFP). Based in Ojai, California, SimpliPhi combines non-hazardous energy storage chemistry with its proprietary cell and battery architecture, power electronics, Battery Management System (BMS) and methods of assembly to create safe, reliable, durable and highly scalable on-demand power solutions for the residential, commercial, military, emergency response and film industries. Integral to all SimpliPhi Power solutions is a proprietary management system that further optimizes the life-cycle, performance and durability of its batteries. SimpliPhi Power storage system components are UL certified and have been rigorously tested and passed requirements by the U.S. Army and Marine Corp. For more information, please visit SimpliPhiPower.com and follow us @SimpliPhiPower or Facebook and LinkedIn.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402410

SOURCE SimpliPhi Power

Related Links

http://www.simpliphipower.com


Taste tests, including samplings by food service professionals at the School Nutrition Association's Annual Nutrition Conference (ANC) this summer, resulted in rave reviews for these tasty new options. "The response at ANC was fantastic and our new offerings have all day parts covered  breakfast, lunch, snack and afterschool," says Amy Josephson, Vice President of Marketing, E S Foods. From before the bell to afterschool, here's the just-released items to consider for menu planning this school year:

NEW for Breakfast: Biscuit Sticks

This whole grain biscuit with raspberry filling comes "fully baked" and counts as two bread servings. In addition, E S Foods has two new breakfast empanadas: Egg, Cheese, Turkey Bacon Breakfast Empanada and Egg, Cheese, Potato & Onion Breakfast Empanada. These are baked on site and are great new options for hot breakfast.

"We've been listening  our customers across the country have been asking for new hot breakfast ideas, and these three new items are perfect additions," says Josephson. E S Foods' grab & go line of shelf-stable meals, Breakfast BREAKS, remains its flagship brand that is always improving and expanding. These nutritious, portion-controlled meals are perfect for classroom breakfast.

NEW for Lunch: Pinwheels

To offer a kid-friendly meal choice, E S Foods is expecting its new Pinwheels to become an instant favorite. "Handmade with the corners turned up, each whole grain Pinwheel is easy to hold and gives you a peek at the savory contents inside," explains Josephson. Varieties available now include Mozzarella Cheese, Philly Steak & Cheese, and Reduced-Fat Turkey Pepperoni. Made with whole grain dough, each Pinwheel meets 2 meat and 2 grain requirements.

NEW for Afterschool: Hot Meal Breaks

"E S Foods' new Hot Meal Breaks are the answer to our customers' request for more 'home-style' hot meals that are easy to heat and serve," says Josephson. "We know they don't always have access to typical school cafeteria serving options for afterschool programs, so we kept the cooking easy for these tasty items."

Hot Meal Breaks are available in 6 varieties: Chicken Burrito Bowl, Chicken Teriyaki, Lasagna with Meat Sauce, Macaroni & Beef, Macaroni & Cheese, and Spaghetti & Meat Sauce. Each item meets 1 grain, 2 meat/meat alternate, and  cup vegetable, and by adding a fruit or vegetable and 8 oz. milk qualifies as a complete reimbursable meal.

E S Foods, headquartered in Woodbury, New York, is dedicated to providing nutritious, value-added, "kid-friendly" foods for America's school children. For more information, visit www.esfoods.com.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160825/401452

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100225/CG59491LOGO



SOURCE E S Foods

Related Links

http://www.esfoods.com


Earlier this spring, NEC Corporation of America CEO Shinsuke Takahashi toured Irma Rangel with Dallas ISD Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa and Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins. Takahashi noticed the outdated computer lab and robotics room and decided that his company needed to help.

Lynn McBee, YWPN CEO, said, "NEC believes that STEM education is important and has contributed generously to YWPN and other similar organizations, so that we can work together to help fill the STEM pipeline in our country."

Dr. Hinojosa added, "Only 23 percent of STEM workers are female, so this investment at the first all-girls, college-preparatory public school in Dallas will help increase that number."

Irma Rangel Principal Lisa Curry said, "At Irma Rangel, we empower students through technology to become problem solvers, critical thinkers and yes, even teachers."

Irma Rangel senior Lesly Zamora, who also worked as an NEC IT intern this summer, said, "This computer lab is like my second home. It will give us more space where we can work productively."

Shinsuke Takahashi, CEO of NEC Corporation of America said, "This summer we welcomed two interns from Irma Rangel, Lesly Zamora and Elisabeth Sanders, both of whom demonstrated a huge amount of potential for greatness in their future careers. We've seen first-hand the work that Irma Rangel and the Young Women's Preparatory Network is doing to help with STEM education. Our hope is that the technology we provided for the computer lab will provide a state-of-the-art learning environment for years to come."

Founded in 2002, the Young Women's Preparatory Network is a nonprofit agency that partners with public school districts in Texas to operate the largest network of all-girls, public, college preparatory schools in the nation. Each YWPN school features a STEM-focused curriculum and is largely attended by economically disadvantaged students. In 2015-2016, the network's 291 graduates received offers of more than $41.9 million in academic and merit scholarships and have matriculated to 115 different colleges and universities. Learn more at http://youngwomensprep.org.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402778

SOURCE Young Womens Preparatory Network

Related Links

http://www.youngwomensprep.org


NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Saying the most recent California Coastal Commission staff report is a "de-facto denial of the project," Newport Banning Ranch property owners say they will challenge the report's conclusions which are mostly based on false assumptions provided by experts representing project opponents.

The 172 page staff recommendation released late Friday would allow development on less than 10 acres of the 401 acre property, essentially killing the project which proposed using approximately 70 acres for homes and commercial uses and permanently preserving about 300 acres for natural open space, hiking and biking trials, and nature and Native American educational programming.

"We negotiated in good faith for four years and believed we had reached a compromise that met environmental regulations and economic realities," said Michael Mohler, Senior Project Manager for Newport Banning Ranch. "We are deeply troubled that staff wants to eliminate all proposed visitor serving programs and favors keeping a fence in perpetuity that blocks coastal access to the public and, in particular, under-served neighbors in Westside Costa Mesa."

"We have invested years and spent millions on planning, engineering, and working with Coastal Commission staff," said Mohler. "Our proposed plan is based on over 20 years of site research, provides appropriate habitat for the one burrowing owl that has appeared on the site for no more than three to four weeks annually. This is a de-facto denial of the project that will result in the oil field remaining in place for decades to come."

Mohler added Newport Banning Ranch's conservation plan not only provides habitat for the burrowing owl, but is a multi-species protection plan that restores the natural flora and fauna of the coastline. The site is currently a degraded industrial brownfield from years of oil exploration and drilling.

"We have done everything asked of us over the past decade to meet or exceed all requirements," Mohler added. "This is only one issue in the Staff Report that needs to be addressed. We have worked in good faith to respond to direction received from the Coastal Commission in October last year, and overcome the obstacles placed in our path to do the right thing. We will continue to advocate for the accelerated abandonment and remediation of the oil field and creation of more than 300 acres of public open space that would result from implementing our proposed plan."

A vote by the Commission on the project is scheduled for Sept. 7 in Newport Beach.

About Newport Banning Ranch

Newport Banning Ranch proposes permanent preservation of 80% of the property (about 300+ acres) and creating 20% housing and commercial (about 70 acres) of the 401 acre property. The money from this limited development (895 housing units and a 75-room hotel, 20-bed hostel and a small 45,100 sq. ft. neighborhood/visitor-serving retail center) effort will establish funding for the Newport Banning Land Trust and its restoration and educational activities, including community parks and recreation areas, an nature and Native American education center and 7 miles of hiking and biking trails.

The project is endorsed by many elected and community leaders as well as the Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians (Kizh Nation) and Tongva Ancestral Territorial Tribal Nation (TATTN).

Contact: Adam Alberti

Office: 415.227.9700

Cell: 415.225.2443

Email: [email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160804/395768LOGO

SOURCE Newport Banning Ranch
NEW YORK and PARIS, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- One More Company, the 13-month young company which has launched Senders and Trackbuster, has acquired Paris-based contact syncing innovator Evercontact. As part of the transaction, One More Company received new investments from AXAStrategic Ventures and Aurinvest.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402576LOGO

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402577LOGO

Terms of the transaction and investments were not disclosed.

"Adding Evercontact's technical team, customers, and assets to what we already are building is an opportunistic acquisition for us so early on," said Florian Seroussi, Co-founder, and CEO of New York City-based One More Company. "Evercontact will remain a standalone service. As a result of the acquisition, it will rapidly boost the growth of our flagship service Senders as we leverage the strengths of the combined customer base. With the additional experience and depth being added to our technical and sales teams, we can now build out more strategic partnerships and put greater efforts behind B2B sales efforts, both in Europe and North America, far sooner than anticipated."

Combined, Evercontact, Senders and Trackbuster products will now have 100,000 active users, with over 300,000 installations combined as of July 31, 2016. Together the three services process 3.5 million emails per day and manage the information of over four million contacts, all on a real-time, up-to-date basis. The companies also have five patents issued or pending in the US and worldwide, along with various trademarks and other intellectual property developed over the past eight years.

"The addition of Evercontact's intellectual property, customers and technical team, means executing on our vision sooner, by enriching the level of expertise that is working day-to-day on our mobile-oriented email-intelligence and information-management solutions that improve the lives of businesses and consumers," Seroussi added.

As a mobile-first, technology-based startup, the acquisition increases One More Company's technology team to eleven computer science Ph.D's, with 4 holding degrees in Natural Language Processing from leading universities.

"Combining the knowledge and skill set of Evercontact, with One More Company's very seasoned technology and management teams, enables us to move more deeply into the growing network information management sector that we're tackling," said Seroussi. "The Evercontact acquisition also allows us to scale more rapidly. Their staff complements the existing team's experience across multiple disciplines that span natural language processing, email parsing and processing, building a network graph, data privacy, security, and information management that were previously at market leaders Google, Twitter, IBM and Facebook."

Senders is the only integrated solution that works flawlessly on mobile. Recent reports show that a majority of email Is opened on a smartphone or tablet. 86% of emails in Q1 2016 were opened on a mobile device, according to EmalMonday, a leading online authority on the subject which highlighted "The Kahuna Mobile Marketing Index" for Q1 2016.

"Unlike the acqui-hires that have been occurring in the early stage startup world, the acquisition of Evercontact was about more than just adding their experienced technical team," said Seroussi. "Equally important was the company's intellectual property and battle-tested technology, a feature set that is very complimentary to both Senders and Trackbuster; and the enterprise-focused customer base. Taken together, it's a natural fit that allows us to grow faster and serve businesses and individual users better."

With the acquisition, the combined company will operate out of its New York headquarters opposite the Empire State Building, while having the Paris office serve as its European hub.

"We have seen what the One More Company team has done with Senders and Trackbuster, and also marveled at the ingenuity of the Evercontact team over the years," said Minh Tran, General Partner at Axa Strategic Ventures. "With the two companies joining, we see the combined talents driving innovation and rapid growth surrounding network information management."

Geoffroy Bragadir, Managing Partner at Aurinvest added, "as one of One More Company's earliest investors it's great to see the speed at which their team has progressed with Senders and Trackbuster. By acquiring Evercontact, another fast moving, earlier player in the sector, the company is accelerating their timetable dramatically, and far sooner than anticipated. From an early stage investor perspective, that is exactly the type of action that is needed in today's rapidly changing digital economy."

About Evercontact

Evercontact is an email software startup bringing natural language processing to email and contact management. Based in San Francisco, CA and Paris, France, Evercontact was launched in 2014 by a team of experienced developers and linguistic engineers.

Evercontact is an auto-updating address book for Gmail, Outlook, Office 365, Salesforce and more. The service automatically updates contact information based on user emails.

About One More Company, Inc.

One More Company, Inc. is a U.S. corporation headquartered in New York City and founded by seasoned executives with decades of experience in Silicon Valley, at places like Google, Facebook, Twitter, and IBM. It has offices in New York and Paris.

Senders is the latest product from One More Company. It functions like Caller ID for email by providing the recipient more information about the sender right in the email, so it works everywhere, regardless of app, platform, and device. Senders is a patent-pending service designed and securely hosted in the US.

Contact:

Andy Abramson

Comunicano

Email

+1.858.777.9777 (USA)

+33 970 405 441 (France)

Or

Danielle Prager

Comunicano

Email

+1.858.256.6344 (USA)

SOURCE One More Company, Inc.
CHICAGO, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ostrow Reisin Berk & Abrams, Ltd. (ORBA), one of Chicago's largest public accounting firms, is pleased to welcome Anthony Didato, Jake McKinney and Stephen P. Van Oss, CPA as a members of the firm's Tax Department, and Ryan Alm, Lauren Leali, Scott Lee, Winnie Mei, Kevin O'Neill and Monika Sojka as members of the firm's Audit Services Department.

Anthony Didato brings more than 15 years of experience in public and corporate accounting to ORBA's Tax Department. He has experience with financial reporting and analysis, taxation and tax return preparations, supervisions for individuals, trusts, not-for-profit organizations, corporate and partnerships. Anthony received his B.S. degree in Finance from Oral Roberts University.

Jake McKinney has experience with processing and managing tax forms for various types of entities, including partnership, S- and C-corporations and individuals. He received his B.S.B.A. in Accounting and Corporate Management at California State University, East Bay.

Stephen P. Van Oss, CPA as a member of ORBA's Tax Department, has more than 35 years of accounting experience. He focuses on all aspects of tax planning and tax compliance, including preparation and review of complex individual, corporate, partnership, fiduciary, gift tax and not-for-profit tax returns. He is a Certified Public Accountant and received his B.S. degree in Business Administration, Option in Accounting, from California State University  Los Angeles.

Ryan Alm has experience using software programs such as QuickBooks, SAP and Salesforce and has prepared cash flow statements and reconciled data. Using QuickBooks, Ryan has handled accounts receivable and payable and has prepared scores of individual tax forms. He received his B.B.A. in Accounting from Loyola University Chicago.

Lauren Leali has experience with computing and recording monthly accruals, analyzing and auditing expenses, processing accounts payable invoicing and calculating state sales tax liability by locality. She earned her B.S. degree in Accountancy from DePaul University.

Scott Lee has experience with monitoring client transactions for potential fraud, including immediate transaction flags and fraud-indicative trends. He received his B.S. in Accounting from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Winnie Mei has experience performing audits for companies in a wide range of industries. She earned her B.S.in Agriculture and Consumer Economics with High Honors from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and her M.S.in Accountancy also from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

Kevin O'Neill has experience with a variety of additional audit services, including financial statement preparation, compilations and reviews of small businesses. In addition, Kevin has experience in the preparation of individual, fiduciary and corporate tax returns. He received his B.B.A. in Accounting and his M.P.A. degree both from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Monika Sojka was previously a member of the firm's Quality Control Department and now joins the Audit Services Department. She has experience with proofreading financial statements, audits, compilations, reviews and required audit communication letters. She also has experience with editing financial statements to ensure compliance with FASB, GAAP and other appropriate frameworks for accounting. Monika received her B.S. degree in Accounting and her M.S. in Accounting, both from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Ostrow Reisin Berk & Abrams, Ltd. (ORBA) is a full-service accounting, tax and business consulting firm located in downtown Chicago serving privately-held companies, individuals and not-for-profit organizations. ORBA's Certified Public Accountants have experience with accounting and assurance, business advisory services, financial and estate planning, fraud investigation, tax, litigation, and mergers and acquisitions. With some of the highest levels of direct client involvement in the industry, ORBA is where clients go to build long-standing, meaningful and successful relationships with resourceful, proactive business and tax advisors. For more information, visit www.orba.com, subscribe to our blog www.orbablog.com or connect with us on LinkedIn.

Contact:

Carlo Calma

[email protected]

312.670.7444

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150629/226751LOGO

SOURCE Ostrow Reisin Berk & Abrams, Ltd. (ORBA)

Related Links

http://www.orba.com


SAN DIEGO, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is being issued by The Naumann Law Firm, PC and JCL Law Firm, APC.

The Naumann Law Firm, PC and JCL Law Firm, APC announced today that they have recovered in excess of $4,000,000.00 in damages for a number of Single Family Homeowners and Homeowner Associations relating to construction defects at their properties.

The defects ranged from window and patio door leaks, roof leaks, waterproofing issues, stucco cracking, cracked tile, HVAC, mold, improper shower enclosure installation, defectively designed flooring product and soil subsidence.

Vaca vs. Enclave Group, LLC, GHA Enterprises, Inc.

Developer: Enclave Group/GHA Enterprises

Settlement: $ 715,000.00

Client: Forty-Two (42) Single Family Homes

La Mesa Community

Developer: Confidential

Settlement: $ 600,000.00

Client: La Mesa Homeowner Association

San Diego Community

Developer: Confidential

Settlement: $ 242,000.00

Client: San Diego Homeowner Association

Chula Vista Homes

Developer: Confidential

Settlement: $99,000.00

Client: Nine (9) Single Family Homes

Salton City Homes*

Settlement: $ 225,000.00

Client: Four (4) Single Family Homes

Campana at Rancho Coronado Homeowners Association v. D.R. Horton VEN, Inc.

Developer: D.R. Horton VEN, Inc. fka D.R. Horton San Diego Holding Co., Inc.

Settlement: $ 715,000 .00

Client: Homeowner Association Common Area Defects

Providence Square v. Talmadge East, LLC.

Developer: Talmadge East, LLC.

Settlement: $550,000.00

Client: Thirty (30) Condominiums

Monroe Villas Homeowners Association v. 3909 Monroe Avenue, LLC.

Developer: 3909 Monroe Avenue, LLC.

Settlement: $625,000.00

Client: Homeowner Association

Chula Vista Community

Developer: Confidential

Settlement: $97,500.00

Client: Thirteen (13) Single Family Homes

Adams v. Brookfield Homes

Developer: Brookfield Homes

Settlement: $ 470,713 .00

Client: Sixty-Six (66) Single Family Custom Homes

Jaime v. Centurion Partners, LLC.

Developer: Centurion Partners, LLC/CW San Diego Towers Sapphire, LLC.

Builder: Swinerton Builders

Settlement: $100,000.00

Client: One (1) Condominium

Erickson v. Brookfield Homes

Developer: Brookfield Homes, Inc.

Settlement: $52,000.00

Client: Eight (8) Single Family Homes

*Insurance Bad Faith

Elaine Gower (858) 792-7474 (Media)

Brian Murkland (858) 792-7474 (Media)



Press / Contact:

William H. Naumann, Esq.

The Naumann Law Firm, PC

Tel: (858) 792-7474

[email protected]

Jean-Claude Lapuyade, Esq.

JCL Law Firm, APC

Tel: (858) 792-7474

[email protected]

Copyright 2016. The Naumann Law Firm, PC. All rights reserved.

For Terms of Use Privacy Policy, please visit www.naumannlegal.com.

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SOURCE The Naumann Law Firm, PC; JCL Law Firm, APC

Related Links

http://naumannlegal.com/


PHOENIX, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Banner Alzheimer's Institute (BAI) researchers have begun enrolling the first participants in a multi-site study to determine whether two investigational anti-amyloid compoundsan active immunotherapy and an oral medicationcan prevent or delay the emergence of symptoms of Alzheimer's in people identified by genetic markers as being at particularly high risk for developing the disease at older ages.

The five-year Alzheimer's Prevention Initiative (API) Generation Study will involve more than 1,300 cognitively healthy older adults, ages 60 to 75, who are at high risk of developing Alzheimer's symptoms because they inherited two copies of the e4 type of the apolipoprotein (APOE) geneone from each parent. Roughly one in four people carry a single copy of the e4 type of the APOE gene, which is strongly linked to late-onset Alzheimer's, and about two percent of the world's population carries two copies.

"Enrolling the first study participants marks a major milestone for the trial and Alzheimer's prevention research," said Pierre N. Tariot, MD, one of the API leaders and director of BAI, a division of Banner Health, one of the largest nonprofit healthcare systems in the United States. "By studying this high-risk population, we hope to assess each treatment's potential to preserve memory and thinking as well as their effects on biological measures of the disease."

The study is sponsored by Novartis, a Swiss pharmaceutical company, and Amgen, a biotechnology company based in Thousand Oaks, CA, in collaboration with BAI, with funding from the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as the Alzheimer's Association, FBRI, GHR Foundation and Banner Alzheimer's Foundation.

The Generation Study is part of the API, an international collaborative led by BAI to accelerate the evaluation of promising treatments. It will enroll at about 90 sites across North America, Europe and Australia, including BAI's Phoenix headquarters.

The API Generation Study is the first to incorporate genetic testing and counseling into the screening process. Participants will be required to learn whether they carry none, one or two copies of the e4 type of the APOE gene. Only those who learn they have two copies will be invited to participate. The API Generation Study will provide genetic counseling in person, by phone or through video-conferencing.

Participants will be recruited via multiple venues, including the Alzheimer's Prevention Registry's GeneMatch program (www.endALZnow.org/GeneMatch).

For more information, visit www.generationstudy.com.

SOURCE Banner Alzheimer's Institute

Related Links

http://www.generationstudy.com


Borow comes to Posto 9 with 15 years of experience as a pastry chef and will report to Executive Chef and Restaurant Manager, Michel Revy. Prior to joining Posto 9, Borow was the owner of Buttercup Gourmet Bakery in Lakeland. She began her career at the Great Harvest Bread Company, in Annapolis, MD, and left her position as Executive Brand Manager at a large advertising agency to pursue her dream of becoming a Chef.

In addition to having earned a degree in Pastry Arts from L'Academie de Cuisine, one of the top 10 culinary schools in North America, Chef Dani has trained and specialized with renowned Pastry Chefs, including World Pastry Champions and Executive Pastry Chefs to the White House. Prior to starting her own business, she has worked across the US at several Marriott International properties, and was the Bakery & Pastry Lead Chef at their largest property, The World Center Marriott in Orlando.

"When I learned about Posto 9's concept, I immediately fell in love with it. Being a native of Brazil, I passionately started dreaming up how I could take all those childhood flavors and elevate them and transform them into something that would entertain the American palate. Making the move to Posto 9 was something that happened naturally, as if life and career had come full circle for me," stated Borow.

"I am delighted to welcome Dani Borow as Executive Pastry Chef to Posto 9. She is a generous and talented chef, whose technical expertise and exceptional standards are an excellent asset for Posto 9," states Revy.

About Posto 9, a Brazilian Gastropub

Posto 9, a Brazilian Gastropub, is both a neighborhood restaurant and a dining destination located in downtown Lakeland, Florida. Posto 9's culinary creations are inspired by the best seasonal foods from the Southeast United States, and is focused on modern Brazilian cooking techniques. Posto 9 opens in December 2016 (www.posto9gastropub.com).

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160827/401917

SOURCE Posto 9 Holdings, LLC

Related Links

http://www.posto9gastropub.com


DUBLIN, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Autonomous Cars/Driverless Cars Market Analysis And Segment Forecasts To 2024" report to their offering.

The global autonomous cars market is expected to reach 138,089 units by 2024, according to this new report

The growing acceptance of semi-autonomous technologies, such as Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), automatic parking, and forward collision avoidance, is anticipated to pave the way for the adoption of driverless automobiles over the next seven years. An upsurge in the demand for increased comfort and convenience, particularly in countries with an aging population, is expected to propel the driverless vehicles demand over the forecast period.

Features offered by the driverless cars primarily include a considerable decline in the frequency of road accidents caused due to human errors and easy commute. The self-driving technology exhibits a huge potential, owing to its capability to improve on-road safety, lower the energy consumption, and reduce congestion. Autonomous cars offer enhanced safety and efficiency over the conventional automobiles. Furthermore, driverless cars are anticipated to substantially impact the energy usage and reduce pollution. Autonomous vehicles can improve the fuel economy by accelerating & decelerating more effortlessly as compared to human drivers.

North America is anticipated to dominate the market with over 40% of the volume share in 2017. The region is further anticipated to witness a considerable growth over the next seven years. This growth is primarily attributed to the growing acceptance of the self-driving cars on the public roads of the U.S. Alphabet Inc. is the first company to demonstrate the prototype in the U.S. and has been testing its automobiles in different weather conditions since 2009. Furthermore, the growing government support in amending the current policy to accommodate the driverless feature in automobiles is expected to clear gateway for its adoption.

Europe is a key region for the deployment of self-driving vehicles, owing to the high consumer preference for technologically advanced products. This region is estimated to hold more than 35% of the volume share in 2017. This is attributed to the presence of players such as Volvo, Volkswagen, PSA Peugeot Citroen, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in Germany and the UK. The European countries also focus on reducing pollution.

The prominent industry participants include Apple Inc., Baidu Inc., Alphabet Inc., Tesla Motors, Inc., The Volvo Group, and Nissan Motor Company Ltd. The system developers focus on collaborating with the Body in White (BIW) providers to reduce the additional cost.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Methodology and Scope

2. Executive Summary

3. Parent Market Outlook

4. Autonomous Cars Industry Outlook

5. Semi-Autonomous Cars Automation Level Outlook

6. Autonomous Car Regional Outlook

7. Competitive Landscape

- Alphabet Inc. (Google)

- Audi

- Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW)

- General Motors

- Honda Motor Corporation

- Mercedes-Benz

- Nissan

- Tesla Motors

- Toyota

- Uber

- Volvo Car Corporation

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/l8qvw5/autonomous

Related Topics: Cars, Internet of Things and M2M

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


BALTIMORE, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Catholic Charities of Baltimore will host its 10th biennial Dragon Boat Races on Saturday, September 10, 2016, beginning at 8:00 a.m. at Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Thirty-two teams will compete in all-day elimination races to raise funds for Catholic Charities' 80 human service programs that benefit children and families, seniors, people impacted by poverty, immigrants and individuals with intellectual disabilitiesand to win the coveted Dragon Cup and bragging rights.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402171

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402172LOGO

Each team is partnered with one of the programs of Catholic Charities of Baltimore, raising funds, volunteering and hosting events to benefit the clients. Catholic Charities expects to raise $700,000 for its programs.

There are five sponsorship levels for the teams: Platinum, Diamond, Gold, Team and Non profit. BGE and Harkins Builders are Platinum sponsors of Dragon Boat Races 2016.

In the words of Bill McCarthy, Catholic Charities of Baltimore executive director: "The Dragon Boat Races are a win for everyone. In addition to training for the competition and building teamwork, the paddlers create new and enduring friendships with their colleagues and get to know the programs of Catholic Charities and the challenges our clients and guests face. Our programs, and most importantly, our clients, benefit tremendously from the generosity and energy that the teams bring. This event really showcases the best of Baltimore individuals, corporations and service providers working together to improve the lives of people in need right here in our community."

Platinum sponsors are BGE and Harkins Builders, Inc.

The Diamond Sponsor is SunTrust Bank.

Gold sponsors include Allegis Group, Hamel Builders, KPMG, LLP, M&T Bank and The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company.

Team Sponsors

AOL

Bank of America

Brown Advisory

CohnReznick

DAP Products Inc.

Erickson Living

Heritage Financial

Johns Hopkins Health Care LLC

Legg Mason

PayPal

PNC Bank

T. Rowe Price

Transamerica

Wells Fargo

Non profit Team Sponsors

The Annie E. Casey Foundation

Archdiocese of Baltimore

Cathedral of Mary Our Queen

Catholic Charities of Baltimore

Catholic Relief Services

Johns Hopkins Medicine International

Office of the Mayor of Baltimore

St. John the Evangelist School, Severna Park

School of the Incarnation

U.S. Air Force

Dragon Boat Facts:

The races begin at the World Trade Center and end in front of the Maryland Science Center. Teams advance to the next round by placing best time in elimination heats.

Teams race in replicas of Chinese dragon boats with intricately carved dragon heads.

The boats are 45 feet long by 4 feet wide, and the course is 1,290 feet long.

22-member teams keep it fast-paced. A drummer and steerer complete the team. The lead paddlers set the pace of the race. All other paddlers synchronize their strokes to the lead right paddler.

Teams compete for the prize of best whimsically decorated team tent and rousing team chant.

Rash Field serves as Tent City where all teams converge to rest and regroup between races.

Dragon Boat races are free and open to the public, offering a fun-filled day for thousands of participants and spectators.

Dragon boat racing premiered in Baltimore in 1998 with Catholic Charities' first race which commemorated its 75 th anniversary.

in 1998 with Catholic Charities' first race which commemorated its 75 anniversary. An anticipated crowd of 10,000 spectators.

Past Dragon Cup winners:

2014  T. Rowe Price

2012  T. Rowe Price

2010  Brown Advisory

2008  T. Rowe Price and

Struever Bros Eccles & Rouse

2006  T. Rowe Price

2004  Baltimore City Fire Department

2002  Harkins Builders

2000  Harkins Builders

1998  Verizon

About Catholic Charities of Baltimore

Catholic Charities of Baltimore is Maryland's largest private provider of human services, offering assistance to children and families, people living in poverty, individuals with intellectual disabilities, immigrants and seniors without regard to religion, race or other circumstances. Inspired by the Gospel mandates to love, serve and teach, the more than 80 programs of Catholic Charities improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of Marylanders each year. Catholic Charities continues a legacy of charity and compassion that began with the establishment of the Catholic Church in Baltimore in 1789. For more information, please visit www.cc-md.org.

Catholic Charities has experts available to discuss a wide variety of topics, including poverty, homelessness, mental health, intellectual disabilities, immigration and issues related to aging.

Contact: Bob Keenan

(443) 263-1929 or (202) 320-3632

SOURCE Catholic Charities of Baltimore

Related Links

http://www.cc-md.org


Increases customer choice; enhances online offerings; provides penetration into large, additional segments

Business combination expected to significantly increase growth in revenue and earnings; effectively uses strength of Ritchie Bros .' balance sheet

.' balance sheet Transaction expected to be accretive to earnings within first year (excluding acquisition-related costs)

Long-term alliance reached with Caterpillar

With more than $US3 billion in annual online equipment sales, the combined company will rank among the world's top 50 B2B e-commerce companies

VANCOUVER and PLEASANTON, CA, Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Incorporated, the world's largest industrial auctioneer and a leading equipment distributor (NYSE & TSX: RBA, "Ritchie Bros."), and IronPlanet, a leading online marketplace for used heavy equipment and other durable asset sales, today jointly announced that they have entered into an agreement under which Ritchie Bros. will acquire IronPlanet for approximately US$758.5 million, subject to customary closing adjustments.

Founded in 1999, IronPlanet complements Ritchie Bros.' primarily end-user customer base, as it focuses largely on the needs of corporate accounts, equipment manufacturers, dealers and government entities in equipment disposition solutions. It conducts its sales primarily through online-only platforms, with weekly online auctions and in other equipment marketplaces. IronPlanet, a private company based in the United States, sold approximately US$787 million of Gross Merchandise Value (GMV)1 through their sales channels during 2015, and has achieved a 25.2% compounded growth rate in assets sold from 2013 through 2015. This growth momentum has continued, with a 41% increase in GMV during the first half of 2016 relative to the same period in 2015.

"This transformative transaction is the logical next step for Ritchie Bros., building on our multi-channel platform, global reach and long-standing customer relationships. Together with IronPlanet, we will create a combined company of trusted brands with the ability to provide customers around the world with a greater number of choices and platforms to sell, buy and list equipment when, where and how they want  whether onsite or online. Our commitment to diversifying our offerings is directly in line with customer demand for multiple selling and buying solutions," said Ravi Saligram, Chief Executive Officer of Ritchie Bros. "This acquisition will help accelerate our growth in revenue and earnings and add shareholder value by continuing to expand our capabilities in new channels, sectors, regions and customer segments. Ritchie Bros. and IronPlanet both have talented teams and winning cultures built on a passion for serving customers."

"This is an exciting day for IronPlanet, our customers, employees and shareholders. IronPlanet joining forces with Ritchie Bros. will allow the combined company to deliver a multi-channel marketplace that will provide a full range of equipment asset management and disposition solutions. IronPlanet has built a leading online marketplace and technology platform across a number of verticals, and when combined with Ritchie Bros.' strength in live onsite auctions, will prove to be a powerful combination in driving value for our customers," said Gregory J. Owens, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of IronPlanet.

Compelling Strategic and Financial Rationale

Ideal and complementary fit to expand Ritchie Bros .' strategy to create a more diversified, multi-channel company with greater scale that can provide even more choice to customers. Equipment sellers frequently choose to sell their assets across multiple sales solutions. The transaction will bring together Ritchie Bros .' strength in live, onsite and integrated online auctions with IronPlanet's leading position as an online marketplace, creating a broader multi-format equipment sales and asset management platform, with solutions including: Ritchie Bros . Auctioneers live onsite and online simulcast auctions IronPlanet online-only auctions, including a Reserved Daily Marketplace & Buy-Now formats Cat Auction Services live onsite and online simulcast auctions (auctions anchored by Caterpillar dealers) Kruse Energy & Equipment Auctioneers SM live onsite and online simulcast auctions (for the oil & gas industry) EquipmentOne online auction and marketplace Mascus sales listing service TruckPlanet, GovPlanet, SalvageSale and other sector-specific online sales channels Ritchie Bros . Private Treaty Ritchie Bros . Financial Services



Equipment sellers frequently choose to sell their assets across multiple sales solutions. The transaction will bring together .' strength in live, onsite and integrated online auctions with IronPlanet's leading position as an online marketplace, creating a broader multi-format equipment sales and asset management platform, with solutions including: Creates a more valuable marketplace and expands addressable market. Customers will benefit from a larger marketplace with more buyers and sellers, as well as a greater number of choices and services. As an example of the value the combined company's multi-channel transactional platforms and greater scale can deliver, Ritchie Bros . also announced today that it has entered into a historic, long-term strategic alliance with Caterpillar, which will significantly strengthen its relationship with Caterpillar dealers. Ritchie Bros . will become Caterpillar's preferred global partner for live onsite and online auctions under the agreement, which will take effect upon completion of the IronPlanet acquisition.



The addition of IronPlanet provides Ritchie Bros . with access to new, large customer segments, including government surplus and oil & gas. Furthermore, the wider range of sales solutions offered by the combined company will allow it to more effectively meet customer preferences in many key international locations, including the U.K., Germany , Japan and China  where Ritchie Bros .' established infrastructure will provide a platform to launch IronPlanet solutions.





Customers will benefit from a larger marketplace with more buyers and sellers, as well as a greater number of choices and services. As an example of the value the combined company's multi-channel transactional platforms and greater scale can deliver, . also announced today that it has entered into a historic, long-term strategic alliance with Caterpillar, which will significantly strengthen its relationship with Caterpillar dealers. . will become Caterpillar's preferred global partner for live onsite and online auctions under the agreement, which will take effect upon completion of the IronPlanet acquisition. The addition of IronPlanet provides . with access to new, large customer segments, including government surplus and oil & gas. Furthermore, the wider range of sales solutions offered by the combined company will allow it to more effectively meet customer preferences in many key international locations, including the U.K., , and  where .' established infrastructure will provide a platform to launch IronPlanet solutions. Strengthens digital capabilities to provide enhanced levels of customer service. The combined entity will have an integrated technology platform to provide customers with more tailored solutions that meet their needs and enhance the overall customer experience. These solutions, including multiple dealer portal options, valuable business intelligence, amplified data analytics and multiple online sales channels, position the combined company to provide comprehensive asset management solutions.



Together, Ritchie Bros . and IronPlanet are better positioned to cater to evolving consumer preferences, with more transactions being conducted online. Collectively, Ritchie Bros . and IronPlanet (on a pro forma basis) sold more than US$3.0 billion of assets through online transactions during the 12 months trailing June 30, 2016  ranking the combined business among the world's top 50 B2B e-commerce companies, based on value sold 2 .





The combined entity will have an integrated technology platform to provide customers with more tailored solutions that meet their needs and enhance the overall customer experience. These solutions, including multiple dealer portal options, valuable business intelligence, amplified data analytics and multiple online sales channels, position the combined company to provide comprehensive asset management solutions. Together, . and IronPlanet are better positioned to cater to evolving consumer preferences, with more transactions being conducted online. Collectively, . and IronPlanet (on a pro forma basis) sold more than of assets through online transactions during the 12 months trailing  ranking the combined business among the world's top 50 B2B e-commerce companies, based on value sold . Expected to deliver long-term growth and profitability. The transaction is expected to be accretive to earnings within the first year (excluding transaction costs) and significantly bolster growth in Gross Auction Proceeds (GAP), revenue and earnings over the long term. The combination will also enhance the generation of free cash flow, which will enable Ritchie Bros . to support strategic growth priorities, return value to shareholders and reduce debt.





The transaction is expected to be accretive to earnings within the first year (excluding transaction costs) and significantly bolster growth in Gross Auction Proceeds (GAP), revenue and earnings over the long term. The combination will also enhance the generation of free cash flow, which will enable . to support strategic growth priorities, return value to shareholders and reduce debt. Presents tremendous opportunities to build on Ritchie Bros .' business model and strong heritage. Ritchie Bros . and IronPlanet share a passion for serving customers and providing them with easy-to-use solutions. Bringing together Ritchie Bros .' scale, geographic footprint and brand strength with IronPlanet's complementary online models will offer customers more options to move more of their inventory across multiple sales channels. Transparency and a customer focus will continue to be the cornerstones of the combined company, as it leverages best practices from both organizations, including IronPlanet's successful inspection and IronClad Assurance equipment condition certification.

Transaction terms

Under the terms of the transaction, Ritchie Bros. will acquire 100% of the equity of IronPlanet for approximately US$740 million in cash and the assumption of unvested equity interests in IronPlanet, subject to adjustment, that brings the total transaction value to approximately US$758.5 million. This represents a 13.0x multiple of IronPlanet's 2017 Estimated Adjusted EBITDA, inclusive of the expected $100 million net present value of tax synergies and $20 million in run-rate cost synergies. Ritchie Bros. intends to finance the transaction through a combination of cash on hand and new debt, and has bridge financing commitments from Goldman Sachs Bank USA subject to customary terms and conditions to facilitate the transaction close. Following the close of the transaction and the required financing, Ritchie Bros. is expected to have a net debt to EBITDA ratio of no more than 3.0x.

Ritchie Bros. has secured employment agreements with key executives, who will supplement the strength of Ritchie Bros.' global management team. Mr. Owens has agreed to join the combined company's executive committee upon closing.

The transaction was approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies and is expected to close by the first half of 2017, subject to regulatory clearances and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.

Advisors

Goldman, Sachs & Co. is serving as financial advisor to Ritchie Bros. and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Dechert LLP are serving as legal advisors. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC is serving as financial advisor to IronPlanet and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP is serving as legal advisor.

Investor Conference Call and Webcast

Ritchie Bros. and IronPlanet will host a joint conference call to discuss the announcement tomorrow, August 30, 2016, at 5:30 am Pacific time / 8:30 am Eastern time / 1:30 pm BST. A replay will be available shortly after the call.

Conference call and webcast details are available at the following link:

https://investor.ritchiebros.com

About Ritchie Bros.:

Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. (NYSE and TSX: RBA) is the world's largest industrial auctioneer, and one of the world's largest sellers of used equipment for the construction, transportation, agriculture, energy, mining, forestry and other industries. Ritchie Bros.TM asset management and disposition solutions include live unreserved public auctions with on-site and online bidding; EquipmentOneTM, an online auction marketplace; Mascus, a global online equipment listing service; private negotiated sales through Ritchie Bros. Private Treaty; and a range of ancillary services, including financing and leasing through Ritchie Bros. Financial Services. Ritchie Bros. has operations in 19 countries, including 45 auction sites worldwide. Learn more at rbauction.com, EquipmentOne.com, mascus.com, rbauction.com/privatetreaty and rbauction.com/financing.

About IronPlanet:

IronPlanet is a leading online marketplace for selling and buying used equipment and other durable assets and an innovative participant in the multi-billion dollar used equipment market. Founded in 1999 to transform the global used equipment market, IronPlanet has built a database of more than 1.5 million registered users worldwide. IronPlanet connects buyers and sellers of used equipment with its exclusive IronClad Assurance equipment condition certification and family of brands, including IronPlanet, GovPlanet, TruckPlanet, Cat Auction Services, Kruse Energy & Equipment AuctioneersSM, allEquip and Asset Appraisal ServicesSM. IronPlanet is backed by Accel Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Caterpillar and Volvo. For more information, visit www.ironplanet.com.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable U.S. and Canadian securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements"), including, in particular, statements regarding the terms and potential benefits of the proposed transaction between Ritchie Bros. and Caterpillar, the terms and conditions of the proposed IronPlanet transaction, the expected timetable for completing the IronPlanet transaction, benefits and synergies of the IronPlanet transaction, future opportunities for the combined businesses of Ritchie Bros. and IronPlanet, future financial and operational results and any other statements regarding events or developments that Ritchie Bros. believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, although not always, identified by words such as "expect", "plan, "anticipate", "project", "target", "potential", "schedule", "forecast", "budget", "estimate", "intend" or "believe" and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or statements that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could", "should" or "might" occur. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond Ritchie Bros.'s control, including risks and uncertainties related to: general economic conditions and conditions affecting the industries in which Ritchie Bros., IronPlanet and Caterpillar operate; obtaining regulatory approvals in connection with the IronPlanet transaction; each of Ritchie Bros.' and IronPlanet's ability to satisfy the merger agreement conditions and consummate the transaction on the anticipated timetable, or at all; Ritchie Bros.' ability to successfully integrate IronPlanet's operations and employees with Ritchie Bros.' existing business; the ability to realize anticipated growth, synergies and cost savings in the IronPlanet transaction; the maintenance of important business relationships; the effects of the IronPlanet transaction on relationships with employees, customers, other business partners or governmental entities; transaction costs; deterioration of or instability in the economy, the markets we serve or the financial markets generally; as well as the risks and uncertainties set forth in Ritchie Bros.' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, which is available on the SEC, SEDAR, and Ritchie Bros.' website. The foregoing list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect Ritchie Bros.' forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and Ritchie Bros. does not undertake any obligation to update the information contained herein unless required by applicable securities legislation. For the reasons set forth above, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

________________________________

1 GMV represents the total proceeds from all items sold through such marketplaces. It is a measure of operational performance and not a measure of financial performance, liquidity, or revenue.

2 For illustrative purposes, Ritchie Bros. and IronPlanet would rank 40th worldwide for value of online sales, according to Internet Retailer's B2B e-commerce 300 company rankings.

SOURCE Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers

Related Links

http://www.rbauction.com


VANCOUVER, Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Ritchie Bros., the world's largest industrial auctioneer and a leading equipment distributor (NYSE & TSX: RBA, the "Company") invites interested parties to participate in an investor update conference call, occurring tomorrow Tuesday, August 30, 2016 at 8:30 am Eastern time / 5:30 am Pacific time / 1:30 pm BST. During the call, company executives will discuss Ritchie Bros.' announced acquisition of IronPlanet and strategic agreement with Caterpillar, and answer questions from analysts and institutional investors.

Analysts and institutional investors may participate via conference call, using the following dial-in information:

1-888-231-8191 (toll-free North America )

) 0-800-051-7107 (toll-free UK)

1-647-427-7450 ( Toronto & overseas long-distance)

Please ask to participate in Ritchie Bros.' Investor Call, and quote conference ID# 7164 0268 if prompted.

Media and other interested parties may listen to the conference call via webcast, by selecting the IronPlanet Acquisition Investor Call webcast link at investor.ritchiebros.com.

Please note that there will be presentation slides accompanying the call. The slides will be displayed live on the webcast, and are already available to download via the webcast player or at investor.ritchiebros.com.

A replay of the conference call can be accessed after 11:30 am Eastern / 8:30 am Pacific time / 4:30 pm BST until September 27, 2016 at 416-849-0833 or 1-855-859-2056 (using passcode #71640268).

About Ritchie Bros.

Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. (NYSE and TSX: RBA) is the world's largest industrial auctioneer, and one of the world's largest sellers of used equipment for the construction, transportation, agriculture, energy, mining, forestry and other industries. Ritchie Bros.TM asset management and disposition solutions include live unreserved public auctions with on-site and online bidding; EquipmentOneTM, an online auction marketplace; MascusTM, a global online equipment listing service; private negotiated sales through Ritchie Bros. Private Treaty; and a range of ancillary services, including financing and leasing through Ritchie Bros. Financial Services. Ritchie Bros. has operations in 19 countries, including 44 auction sites worldwide. Learn more at rbauction.com, EquipmentOne.com, mascus.com, rbauction.com/privatetreaty and rbauction.com/financing.

SOURCE Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers

Related Links

http://www.rbauction.com


SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Robin Systems, the first Application-Defined Data Center software company, announced today it will participate in the Cassandra Summit, to be held September 7-9 at the San Jose Convention Center. Robin is a Gold Sponsor and will offer demonstrations of the Robin Containerization Platform in Booth #G4.

Cassandra Summit is the world's largest gathering of Apache Cassandra developers, users and industry thought leaders, and it offers more than 130 deep-dive technical sessions for developers, administrators and executives. Speaking sessions and tracks cover topics including analytics, beginner and advanced development, beginner and advanced operations, internals and theory, and in-depth use cases.

Robin Director of Products Adeesh Fulay will deliver a presentation entitled "Cassandra on Containers: Why, How, and Things to Watch For" on Wednesday, September 7 at 1:45 p.m. in the Sponsor Theatre in the Expo Hall.

Demos of Robin Containerization Platform will be conducted in the Robin booth and will address topics such as:

1-Click Cluster Deploy, Clone, Time-Travel

Instant Cluster Scale-up, Scale-out

Guaranteed Application-to-Spindle Performance

Control Min and Max IOPS for Each Database, Application

To schedule a private meeting during Cassandra Summit please visit us online.

Robin Containerization Platform is a software-defined intelligent infrastructure that combines containers, networking, application-aware storage, and integrated application orchestration to:

Simplify application agility and increase operational agility

Guarantee application performance and QoS

Maximize capacity utilization and reduce costs

Additionally, Robin is the first company to bring containerization benefits to mission-critical enterprise applications such as databases and Big Data clusters, enabling high-performance workload consolidation with the agility and flexibility previously available only to micro applications.

Cassandra Summit continues an eventful 2016 for Robin as the company has been recognized with a number of awards this year, including the Red Herring Top 100, the Golden Bridge Awards, the Stevie Awards and Network Product Guide's "Startup of the Year."

About Robin Systems

Robin is an enterprise software company offering industry's first Application-Defined Data Center software. With a team that includes industry veterans from leading enterprise technology companies such as NetApp, Oracle and Veritas, Robin seeks to disrupt the $20 billion-plus virtualization market with its container-based compute and storage platform software that delivers better performance, higher consolidation and a much simpler application deployment lifecycle than traditional hypervisor-based virtualization. Founded in 2013, the San Jose, California-based company has raised more than $27 million in venture funding from leading investors such as Clear Ventures, DN Capital, SAP's Hasso Plattner Ventures and USAA.

Website: www.RobinSystems.com

Twitter: twitter.com/RobinSystems

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/robin-systems

Facebook: www.facebook.com/RobinSystems

Robin Systems, the Robin Systems logo, Robin Containerization Platform for Enterprise Applications and Application-to-Spindle Quality of Service Guarantee are trademarks or registered trademarks of Robin Systems, Inc., and are protected by trademark laws of the United States and other jurisdictions. All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Media Contact

JoAnn Yamani, Esq., APR

408-781-5719

[email protected]

SOURCE Robin Systems

Related Links

http://www.RobinSystems.com


LEXINGTON, Va., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Momentum for replacing aging voting equipment is sweeping across Virginia, and Rockbridge County is the latest to choose the efficient technology of the Verity Voting system by Hart InterCivic. The decision makes Rockbridge Hart's 11th Verity partner in the Commonwealth of Virginia and brings the overall total number of Virginia counties using Hart voting technology to 14.

Verity's compact, secure polling place devices make setup straightforward and voting easy.

The ease of ballot box setup and delivery to the precincts is an important feature for Marilyn Earhart, General Registrar and Director of Elections for Rockbridge. "Our precinct chiefs can set up the collapsible ballot box, and there are no extra delivery trips or costs."

Earhart will start training election workers in September, and Rockbridge will use Verity for the November Presidential General Election. She is very confident that the election will go smoothly.

"I am excited that this system is so voter-friendly," she said. "I expect the process to be much simpler for the public. I'm comfortable and eager for feedback."

She is also looking forward to using features designed to improve accessibility for voters with disabilities and also to an easier approach to absentee ballots. With Verity, Rockbridge will send absentee voters a standard ballot through the mail, replacing the previous data card system.

Flexible and forward-looking, Verity has been the first choice for many election officials responding to new state regulations. Virginia lawmakers directed localities to choose paper ballot systems as they replace aging equipment. Hart's Verity, certified both federally and by Virginia's State Board of Elections, matches county needs.

For Rockbridge, learning from nearby Campbell County has been a bonus, Earhart said. Both counties chose Verity to replace the same older equipment, and Campbell has already voted successfully on Verity. "We've heard good feedback and gotten some good tips from their experience," she said.

Other counties choosing Verity for their future elections include: Amherst, Campbell, Essex, Henry, King and Queen, Northumberland, Prince William, Richmond and Westmoreland, plus the City of Charlottesville. The purchases build on more than a decade of professional election partnerships between Hart and Virginia localities.

"Hart has been a trusted election partner in Virginia since 2001, and Verity is designed to meet Virginia's needs," said Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic. "We understand the local perspective, and our collaboration with existing users helped us tailor the Verity solution for Virginia."

Verity's paper ballot technology has set new standards for ease of use and trust. The only second-generation digital election solution on the market, it was designed from the ground up as a software suite that integrates with a thoughtful combination of American-assembled, purpose-built hardware and enterprise-grade, commercial off-the-shelf components.

Rockbridge County chose the Verity Scan digital scanning device, allowing voters to scan their paper ballots in the polling place, and the Verity Touch Writer ballot marking device for voters with disabilities. The two devices share the same secure, compact hardware platform as well as a user-friendly interface.

"We welcome Rockbridge County to the Verity family," said Braithwaite. "Our goal is to bring easy-to-use election tools with built-in longevity to every county in the region."

For more information on the Verity Voting system, please visit http://www.hartintercivic.com/verityoverview.

About Hart InterCivic, Inc.

Austin-based Hart InterCivic is a full service election solutions innovator, partnering with state and local governments to deliver secure, accurate and reliable elections. Working side-by-side with election professionals for more than 100 years, Hart is committed to helping advance democracy one election at a time. The Hart mission fuels passionate customer focus and a continuous drive for technological innovation. The company's new Verity Voting system makes voting more straightforward, equitable and accessibleand makes managing elections more transparent, more efficient and easier.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151020/278606

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150706/231005LOGO

SOURCE Hart InterCivic, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.hartintercivic.com


SAN DIEGO, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Starbucks, Feeding America and Feeding America San Diego announce the launch of the first Starbucks FoodShare program operations in the nation. Through a strategic partnership announced earlier this year, the Starbucks FoodShare program will donate nourishing, ready-to-eat meals to Feeding America member food banks from its company-operated stores in the U.S. Building on a successful pilot program launched in San Diego earlier this year, donations from 190 local Starbucks locations are estimated to provide 750,000 pounds of food, or the equivalent of 625,000 meals, in the San Diego area annually.

"Starbucks has truly shown their commitment to hunger-relief," said Al Brislain, CEO of Feeding America San Diego. "With 1 in 8 San Diegans facing hunger, FoodShare will make a huge difference for those we serve and exemplify what we can accomplish when we work together."

"The partners in our San Diego stores are so excited to lead this effort, they know rescuing food at the end of their shift makes a difference and has a positive impact on their community," said Alyssa Edelen, a Starbucks district manager. "From families struggling to make ends meet, to supporting those who are homeless, rescuing Starbucks food that would otherwise be wasted will change lives for people in the San Diego community. It makes me proud to know partners are the heroes in this."

FoodShare donations will be picked up in refrigerated vans from Starbucks stores seven days a week, year round. At each site, drivers check all items for food safety and transport the food to Feeding America San Diego or its distribution partners. Food items include Bistro Boxes, breakfast sandwiches, Paninis, salads, yogurts and high-quality baked goods.

In the first year alone, FoodShare will be able to provide nearly 5 million meals across the U.S. to individuals and families in need of nourishing food. Starbucks intends to scale this program over the next five years and rescue 100 percent of its food available for donation from participating company-operated U.S. stores.

ABOUT STARBUCKS

Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality Arabica coffee. Today, with stores around the globe, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at www.starbucks.com.

ABOUT FEEDING AMERICA SAN DIEGO

Established in 2007, Feeding America San Diego (FASD) is the leading hunger-relief organization in the county, providing 21.2 million meals within the last year, and the only Feeding America affiliate in the region. FASD provides food and resources to a network of 200 distribution partners serving 60,000 children, families and seniors each week. Focused on healthy food, education and advocacy, FASD is building a hunger-free and healthy San Diego through innovative programs and collaborative partnerships. To learn more about Feeding America San Diego and its hunger-relief initiatives, visit feedingamericasd.org.

Media Contacts

Madeleine Hennessy

(858) 768-7435

[email protected]

Amanda Schaap

(858) 768-7434

[email protected]

Erin Schaeffer

(206) 369-5104

[email protected]

SOURCE Feeding America San Diego
WASHINGTON, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Last month, the Administration and Congress released a redacted version of the missing 28 pages from the Congressional Joint Inquiry into the 9/11 attacks. These formerly classified documents reinforce the belief that the 19 hijackersmost of whom spoke little English, had limited education and had never before visited the United Statesdid not act alone in perpetrating the sophisticated 9/11 plot. It suggests a strong linkage between those terrorists and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Saudi charities, and other Saudi stakeholders. On Aug. 31, at 10 am, in the National Press Club's White Room, U.S. Sen. Bob Graham will discuss what the documents reveal and what still needs to be learned nearly 15 years after the 9/11 attack. National Press Club President Thomas Burr will moderate.

Graham, during his three terms representing Florida, served on the Intelligence Committee for 10 years and as its chair from 2001-2003. He also was the co-chair of the Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attack of September 11, 2001.

During Wednesday's Newsmaker news conference Graham also will discuss the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), which is designed to help families of the nearly 3,000 victims of 9/11 seek justice against Saudi entities. JASTA could provide an additional window into the activities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Al Qaeda and the 19 hijackers. The Senate has passed JASTA unanimously but the legislation has not come up for a vote in the House.

Since leaving the Senate, Graham has spoken frequently about empowering citizens to be active participants rather than tranquil spectators. This is the subject of a soon-to-be-released book co-authored with Chris Hand entitled America, the Owner's Manual: You Can Fight City Hall  and Win.

The National Press Club is located on the 13th Floor of the National Press Building, 529 14th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20045. As with all Newsmaker events, this forum is open to credentialed media and Press Club members, free of charge. No advance registration is required.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS EVENT, CONTACT:

Jamie Horwitz, NPC Newsmakers Chair, 202-549-4921, [email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080917/NPCLOGO

SOURCE National Press Club
SPRINGFIELD, Va., Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SICPA, a global leader in security solutions, regularly partners with local governments to provide secure track and trace solutions. This enables comprehensive government oversight of tobacco, alcohol, pharmaceuticals and now medical cannabis in order to promote public health, address public safety concerns, safeguard proof of origin and, where applicable, ensure appropriate tax revenue collection.

SICPA is partnering with the County of Humboldt, California, on a medical cannabis control solution pilot using its proven track and trace solution, SICPATRACE, which combines counterfeit-resistant stamps, traceability and enforcement tools, and data management services to create a platform that ensures easy regulatory compliance. This solution documents a forensic trail across the medical cannabis supply chain, from cultivator to dispensary, enabling government officials and law enforcement to accurately track products, identify and reduce the spread of illegal cannabis, and bring criminals to justice.

Launched on August 1, the Humboldt pilot will help ensure that all medical cannabis in the county complies with government regulations including California's Medical Cannabis Regulations and Safety Act (MCRSA). Humboldt County Agricultural Commissioner Jeff Dolf explained, "A local track and trace program is critical to demonstrate that the county's medical cannabis regulatory program incorporates enforcement principles important to local and federal law enforcement including preventing distribution of cannabis to minors, preventing the diversion of cannabis to other states, preventing cannabis revenue from supporting criminal enterprises and preventing the growing of cannabis on public lands."

With the requirement to comply with MCRSA by January 1, 2018 looming for the entire California medical cannabis industry, this pilot gives Humboldt County a head start. "When we scale up to a licensing and certification program in 2017, specifically offering the artisanal branding that we're tasked to do by the medical marijuana land use ordinance, we'll have learned how to do this through the pilot and then can apply it to scale to the county-wide industry," explained Mr. Dolf.

SICPA kept the concept of scalability in mind when designing the solution. SICPA Director of Product Management Julien Zanchi explained, "The solution is flexible enough to meet the needs of a mature market like California at the state, county and local municipality level. In fact, SICPATRACE has been used since 2005 by the California Board of Equalization to effectively track and trace approximately 900 million packs of cigarettes annually, representing more than $835 million in annual excise tax collections."

How it works

The SICPA Medical Marijuana Control Solution, as implemented in the Humboldt County pilot, integrates with industry seamlessly. Mr. Zanchi explained, "California is unique in that it has a very mature cannabis industry. While our solution can be implemented in emerging markets as well, we wanted to ensure that our solution is easy for all members of the complex and robust California supply chain to leverage as an on-ramp for operating legal businesses in compliance with MCRSA and any future regulations."

Cultivators document their product catalog (e.g., strain, growing techniques, THC content) and apply traceable, counterfeit-resistant stamps to product packaging. Each stamp includes a secure QR code and unique number that is encoded with details from the product catalog, package size, and transfer details. As the package moves through the supply chainfrom cultivator to manufacturer to distributor to dispensarythe stamps are coded with more information and create a map of a product's journey through the system.

The stamps will also connect patients to product catalog information through a smartphone app and website. Patients can use these tools to make sure a product is authentic, retrieve product details, see test results, and more.

Program Benefits

SICPA's medical cannabis control solution provides many benefits to program participants. For government officials and law enforcement, the solution offers:

Visibility across the entire supply chain

Ability to authenticate products and ensure they are produced legally

For growers, manufacturers, distributors, and dispensaries, the solution offers:

Simple and efficient on-ramp to compliance

Supply chain visibility

An app and website that connects them with patients

Patients can count on the solution to:

Authenticate medical cannabis products

Ensure they are getting the right products for them

More information on the Humboldt County pilot can be found at: www.humboldtorigins.com

More information on SICPATRACE can be found at: http://www.sicpa.com/government-security-solutions/sicpatracer

About SICPA

SICPA, a global leader in authentication, identification and secure traceability solutions and services, was founded in Switzerland in 1927 and partners with governments, financial institutions, businesses and industries worldwide on matters related to security.

Over the last century, SICPA has built its reputation as an innovator, thanks to the pioneering development of new products and technologies. SICPA annually invests a significant portion of its revenues in research and development and with more than 4,200 patents, is now a leading provider of global solutions and services for the identification, authentication and traceability. For several years SICPA has successfully implemented in many countries, the program SICPATRACE, which is based on a platform, developed exclusively for Governments, which optimizes the collection of excise duties.

With over 76 billion products secured every year, SICPA is today the world leader in secure traceability solutions for products subject to excise duties and is recognized supplier and consultant estimated to governments and central banks, security printers and industries.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160826/401701LOGO

SOURCE SICPA

Related Links

http://www.sicpa.com


ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Brian Costanzo, President and CEO of SOCAP International, will be speaking today at the annual conference for the Worldwide Airline Customer Relations Association (WACRA) in Helsinki Finland. Costanzo will be presenting to more than a dozen of the world's top airlines to discuss the benefits of SOCAP's Customer Engagement Framework, which includes an online assessment tool designed to help companies assess the current health of their customer care operations and make future improvements.

"I am honored to participate at the WACRA Annual Conference with such an impressive group of airlines," said Brian Costanzo, CAE, President and CEO of the organization. "SOCAP's Customer Engagement Framework Online Assessment Tool is a vital resource that can help airlines and all industries better identify areas of improvement with their existing customer care operations and forecast for future improvements and performance." Costanzo is presenting at the WACRA conference, along with Cindy Grimm of CX Solutions, SOCAP's partner on the framework.

SOCAP's Customer Engagement Framework (CEF) Online Assessment Tool includes a series of targeted questions designed to help customer care and engagement departments evaluate processes and methodologies, benchmark against industry best practices, and identify possible improvements or modifications. Consisting of 94 questions, the assessment delves into topics involving strategy, process, people, and technology. Companies can take an assessment as many times as they wish so they can monitor their performance over time. After an assessment is completed, feedback is returned within fifteen minutes. SOCAP's Online Assessment Tool is a free benefit for all SOCAP Corporate (Platinum, Gold, and Silver) members. Nonmembers of SOCAP can access the assessment for $1,995 a year.

To learn more about SOCAP and its Customer Engagement Framework, visit www.socap.org.

About SOCAP

Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia and formed in 1973, SOCAP is composed of over 2000 best-in-class customer care executives and professionals from over 100 brand name companies throughout the U.S. and Canada. SOCAP is a member-driven organization committed to promoting customer care and engagement as competitive advantages within the business enterprise. SOCAP members include vice presidents, directors, and managers of customer care and consumer affairs as well as hundreds of business partners, individuals representing the solution-provider community. SOCAP member benefits include education and training, peer-to-peer networking, relationship building, partnership programs, conferences and seminars, news and information, research, and more.

For More Information:

Marjorie Bynum, CAE

Vice President, Communications

[email protected]

703-910-2473

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140226/DC72816LOGO

SOURCE SOCAP International

Related Links

http://www.socap.org


"With the unprecedented growth in streaming, music has become abundant and immediate," said Sonos Chief Executive Officer John MacFarlane. "Together with a growing ecosystem of partners, we're making sure Sonos owners can easily play the music they love out loud in every room in the home, and intuitively control that experience using our app, our partners' apps, touch and voice."

Alexa, Turn It Up!

Sonos owners with an Alexa-enabled device such as an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot will soon be able to use Amazon's popular Alexa service to control their Sonos sound system, the companies announced. The software integration  collaboratively built from the ground up using the Alexa Voice Service (AVS) SDK  taps into both Sonos' and Alexa's existing music capabilities so owners don't have to learn additional commands or key words. Simply ask Alexa to play your music from Amazon Music, Spotify and more and it will flow to any group of Sonos speakers in the home. By integrating Alexa into their Sonos sound systems, owners can use their voice to play, pause, skip, control volume and more.

"Our Amazon customers love listening to music. With Echo and Alexa, we combined that love of music with the ease of hands-free voice control, and today, music is one of the most-used features on Alexa-enabled devices," said Mike George, vice president, Amazon. "We're thrilled to collaborate with Sonos to combine the magic of Alexa with an incredible way to listen to music in every room in the home."

"Our mission is to fill every home with music," said Sonos President Patrick Spence. "We don't care what you listen to, how you get to it, or in what room  we just want it to be effortless, quick and epic. Alexa on Sonos will be all that, and fun too."

These new voice capabilities will be delivered in a software update that will work with new and previously purchased Sonos and Alexa-enabled devices such as Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, and Amazon Fire TV. The companies will begin rolling out the experience through an invite-only beta test later this year, with general availability in 2017.

I Want My Spotify

Sonos also announced a Spotify Connect integration with additional functionality that will make it the only whole home sound system that can be fully controlled directly from the feature-rich Spotify app, including play controls and easy access to grouping and ungrouping of rooms. Spotify will be the first music streaming service that allows Spotify Premium listeners to have full control of the music all over their homes outside the Sonos app.

The inherently social listening experience also makes it possible for everyone in the home to control a listening session with both the Spotify and Sonos apps, which stay linked with one another. Friends coming over? They can connect to your WiFi and use their own Spotify app to instantly play music to your Sonos speakers without downloading the Sonos app. And since you can control your Sonos system when you're away from your home WiFi, you can now have music playing for you as soon as you come home.

"Fifty percent of all Sonos households use Spotify," said Sonos Vice President of Software Antoine Leblond. "By tightly integrating the Spotify experience with the Sonos system, we've created an easier way for Sonos owners to get music out of their phones and playing all around their homes."

"We're excited to partner with Sonos and enhance the at-home listening experience," said Gustav Soderstrom, chief product officer at Spotify. "Spotify listeners can now seamlessly transition their listening throughout the day from their headphones, to the car, to their computers, to their Sonos system at home with complete control of all their favorite Spotify features directly from the Spotify app."

This free software update will be available in October as part of the Sonos public beta program.

More to Come

Rapid innovation is happening across native apps from all the streaming services. Sonos also announced its commitment to enable direct control experiences across its entire lineup of music service partners, including Pandora.

"We've collaborated with Sonos for years to create a delightful, personal in-home experience for Pandora listeners," said Tim Westergren, Pandora CEO and founder. "Using your Pandora app to control Sonos will take this unique music experience one step further  making it easier to use than ever before. We're excited to continue our quest with Sonos for the ultimate home music solution."

Sonos: The Heart of the Connected Home

Sonos also announced the company's first-ever endorsed partner integrations with connected home leaders Crestron, Lutron, Savant, Control4, iPort and Deutsche Telekom's QIVICON. These joint collaborations seamlessly integrate Sonos' sound platform into the connected home, making it even easier for customers to control their music at home, whether from a touchscreen panel, a light switch or a remote control, all with the simple push of a button.

"Custom installers are at the vanguard of making the connected home a reality," said Spence. "For years they have worked tirelessly to bring disparate technologies together, and are pushing hard to make smart homes both accessible and ubiquitous. Our work together ensures our sound platform integrates well with their systems now and in the future."

Advocates for Quality Listening at Home

Sonos also announced a series of initiatives to advocate for higher-quality music listening experiences at home, both through consumer education and industry activism.

"There's a huge gap between how people feel about music and how they experience it at home," said Sonos Chief Marketing Officer Joy Howard. "We're using the weight of our brand and our unique position in the industry to create a better future for music."

The effort kicks off with a new global marketing campaign that pokes fun at the absurdities of modern listening and exposes the problems that stand between us and the music we love. The hilarity of listening on "craptop" speakers, the frustration of a phone tethered to a speaker by Bluetooth and the irony of wiring a home for sound in the age of WiFi are all part of the campaign. The work premieres on TV, online and out of home on September 1.

Sonos will also partner with Airbnb to use the power of music to make everywhere feel even more like home. The companies will work together to enhance the home listening experience, not only for Airbnb's host community, but for their 100+ million guest arrivals around the world. Sonos has been offering Sonos systems to new Airbnb hosts, and together the two brands recently piloted a Sonos Home pop-up activation with promising early results.

Finally, Sonos announced it has joined the Open Music Initiative, an organization founded in June 2016 by Berklee's Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship with the goal of dramatically simplifying the way music creators and rights owners are identified and compensated for their art. As a member, Sonos will champion high-quality music experiences worth paying for, a major hurdle for continued growth.

"Sonos is the perfect partner for OMI  it's a company that deeply and genuinely cares about the power of music in our daily lives and sees the long-term health of the entire music industry as something worth fighting for," said Panos Panay, founder, Open Music Initiative and founding managing director of BerkleeICE. "With the brainpower of companies like Sonos, OMI will more quickly bring solutions to ensure proper compensation for all creators, performers and rights holders of music."

Video, photography and more information about the other news of the day is available here: http://press-us.sonos.com/en.

For more information about Sonos, please visit www.sonos.com.

About Sonos

Founded in 2002, Sonos creates the leading whole-home sound system. Once a tech start-up populated with nerdy engineers and brilliant designers who love music, Sonos has grown into a global music brand dedicated to transforming the experience of listening out loud to music in the home. Its wireless home sound system makes it easy for everyone to listen to the music they love in every room of their home, and appreciate it all with the highest sound quality.

Sonos is now in more than 60 countries, with dozens of streaming music providers, through thousands of retailers, and in millions of homes. With a constant investment in software and services, Sonos is improving the experience customers have with music in the home for years after they buy it. Sonos is changing the way people listen to music  one home at a time.

Sonos, Inc. is a privately held company, headquartered in Santa Barbara, California with additional offices in Boston and Seattle, as well as in the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany and China.

 2016 by Sonos Inc. All rights reserved. Sonos and all Sonos product names and slogans are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sonos, Inc.

Video | Images

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402549

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150922/269147LOGO

SOURCE Sonos

Related Links

http://www.sonos.com


LAS VEGAS, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Only one in five business executives is a Digital Leader*, a new study conducted by Oxford Economics and sponsored by SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) shows. A new class of leaders is emerging that embraces a digital mind-set and reports stronger business outcomes as a result. This announcement was made at SuccessConnect, taking place August 2931 in Las Vegas.

The Leaders 2020 study is based on survey results from more than 4,000 executives and employees in 21 countries. The research identifies the characteristics of organizations that are succeeding in the digital economy. The majority of organizations could benefit from adopting the digital leadership practices identified in the research.

Here's why it pays to be a Digital Leader:

Stronger financial performance: Seventy-six percent of executives characterized in the study as Digital Leaders report strong revenue and profit growth, compared to 55 percent of all other executives surveyed.

Satisfied and engaged employees: Digital Leaders have employees who are more likely to be satisfied (87 percent) at their work, compared to 63 percent of all other respondents.

An inclusive culture and strong leadership pipeline: Digital Leaders have employees who are more likely to stay in the job even if given the chance to leave, 21 percentage points higher than all other respondents.

"It's clear that a different kind of leadership is required to succeed in the digital economy," said Mike Ettling, president of SAP SuccessFactors**. "People, particularly millennials and the generations behind them, expect more inclusive and social leaders, more diversity at the leadership level, and less hierarchy. Technology plays a role in giving us, as leaders, access to insights needed to make decisions quickly, and to attract and develop the next set of leaders."

According to the study, today's Digital Leaders:

Simplify decision making: Four out of five (80 percent) Digital Leaders make decisions that are data-driven, and nearly two out of three (63 percent) report that their organizations are capable of making decisions in real time, compared to only 55 percent and 46 percent respectively of others surveyed. Digital Leaders are more likely to be transparent and to distribute decision making throughout the organization.

Prioritize diversity and inclusion: Organizations leading in the digital economy are more likely to see more diversity in the workforce at midlevel management, and have a higher proportion of female employees than other companies. These companies are also more likely to have diversity programs (46 percent versus 38 percent of all companies), recognize diversity's positive impact on culture (66 percent versus 37 percent) and equate increased diversity to financial performance (37 percent versus 29 percent).

Despite some organizations outperforming their peers in this category, the study found room for improvement among all levels of leadership. Only 39 percent of employees believed their company has effective diversity programs in place, while less than half (49 percent) of executives believe that leadership recognizes the importance of diversity, and has taken steps to develop it.

Listen to younger executives: The study found that millennials are quickly occupying corporate leadership positions, as 17 percent of the senior executives in the study are classified as millennials. Millennial leaders are more pessimistic than other executives about their organization's digital readiness. These younger executives ranked their organization's leadership skills between 15 and 23 percentage points lower than nonmillennial executives across a variety of attributes, including facilitating collaboration, managing diversity, providing feedback and discouraging bureaucracy. Millennials will soon make up 50 percent of the workforce, so they will have a powerful voice to shift corporate culture. What they say really matters. And they are saying: Time for change.

"These findings should serve as a wake-up call for business leaders," said Edward Cone, deputy director of Thought Leadership at Oxford Economics, who oversaw the research program. "Your employees, your younger executives and your financial results are all sending you a clear message about the importance of updating and upgrading leadership skills for the digital age. It's time to listen and lead  or get out of the way."

To learn more about the study and see how you can become a Digital Leader, visit here.

For more information, visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP SuccessFactors solutions on Twitter at @SuccessFactors and SAP at @sapnews.

*Digital Leaders are a group of executive respondents who were identified based on their responses to the survey questions. Cluster analysis was performed by Oxford Economics to determine what attributes best fit together in the analysis  these attributes were considered the "profile" of Digital Leaders. This group of executives' responses were then correlated with outcome measures: revenue and profit growth and employee satisfaction and engagement. The organizations that these executives' responses represent are called "Digital Winners" in the research.

**SAP SuccessFactors is a new brand name launched in January 2016 and is used here to mean the offerings, employees, and business of acquired company SuccessFactors, which continues to be our legal entity until integration with SAP is complete.

About the Study

Oxford Economic surveyed more than 2,050 executives and 2,050 nonexecutive employees in 21 countries and across multiple industries during the second quarter of 2016. The executives surveyed included both C-levels and their direct reports. Roughly 48 percent of the sample is from the C suite. Employee roles range from entry-level to line-of-business management.

About Oxford Economics

Oxford Economics is the world leader in global forecasting and quantitative analysis for business and government, and the most trusted resource for decision makers seeking independent thinking and evidence-based research. Headquartered in Oxford, England, with offices in London, New York and Singapore, and elsewhere around the globe, the firm employs more than 150 professional economists, industry experts and business editors  one of the largest teams of macroeconomists and thought leadership specialists.

About SAP

As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device  SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable approximately 320,000 business and public sector customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

 2016 SAP SE. All rights reserved.

SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx#trademark for additional trademark information and notices.

For customers interested in learning more about SAP products:

Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24

United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727)

For more information, press only:

Geraldine Lim, SAP, +1 (415) 418-0945, [email protected], PDT

SAP News Center press room; [email protected]

Adam Novak, PAN Communications, +1 (617) 502-4300, [email protected], EDT

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110126/AQ34470LOGO

SOURCE SAP SE

Related Links

http://www.sap.com


FORT WORTH, Texas, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas A&M University School of Law announces the launch of its revolutionary online graduate curricula in Wealth Management and Risk Management  both developed as an important part of the public university's mission of training practice - readying professionals and preparing them for career success.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402152

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402153LOGO

Delivered completely online, these curricula meet the increasing need of professionals to be versed in the legal aspects of financial transactions, financial literacy, risk, and compliance management. Lawyers and non-lawyers alike will take a deep dive into the intricacies of managing wealth or risk, critical in a rapidly evolving workplace climate.

"Our ultimate goal is to enable professional and graduate students to completely confront the complexities of modern wealth management and risk management, and to propel them for successful careers as well as for independent, lifelong learning," explains Executive Professor and Associate Dean William Byrnes, who helped conceptualize both curricula and will teach several courses.

Byrnes pioneered online legal education 20 years ago, and is credited with creating the first online LL.M. offered by an ABA accredited law school. According to National Law Journal (May 20, 2013), "No one in legal academia has more experience with online master's degrees than William Byrnes."

Courses are taught asynchronously online. Enrolled students log in and participate in course lectures and assignments on their own schedule, which provides flexibility for those with competing professional and personal obligations.

Byrnes emphasizes that the asynchronous format is "Not like binge-watching TV." Instead, assignments are conducted on a weekly basis, and students participate via discussion questions, online assessments, group project work, and interactions with professors during virtual office hours.

At the conclusion of the curricula, students will receive either an LL.M. or M. Jur. degree. Each takes approximately six semesters to complete; students also have the option of visiting the law school campus to accept their diploma as well as the coveted "Aggie Ring."

The caliber and quality of the instructors is another differentiator. Some of the most well-known experts in the field, such as Bruce Zagaris, George Mentz, and Robert Bloink, join with law professors, business leaders, and leading practitioners to deliver the content.

"Our goal is to provide an outstanding legal education for a nationally-based, diverse student body in a collegial and supportive environment," says Bloink. "Our attention is focused on newly emerging areas of law, particularly those related to technological development and globalization."

"We are excited by the opportunity to provide 21st century practical training to those who otherwise may not attend a top-tiered law school," explains Dr. Chris Odionu, Program Director, Office of Distance Education Programs.

Both Wealth and Risk curricula are recruiting and accepting applications for its first cohort of students for the Spring 2017 semester.

To learn more about wealth management, visit www.law.tamu.edu/wealth.

To learn more about risk management, visit www.law.tamu.edu/risk.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Megan Ablondi

(239) 325-4407

Email

SOURCE Texas A&M University School of Law
Recorded across several sessions at four Hollywood studios between February and September 1966, "Good Vibrations" was a revelation upon its release, wowing musicians, critics and music fans and rocketing to the top of singles charts around the world. A crown jewel of popular music, "Good Vibrations" has been called a "pocket symphony," with its still-innovative production, lush, layered arrangements and range of instruments, including the world's most celebrated use of the theremin.

The "Good Vibrations (50th Anniversary Edition) vinyl EP features the original 7" single version, an alternate studio take, an edit of the song with elements from various sessions, an instrumental, and a live version from a Honolulu rehearsal in August, 1967 that was originally intended for the lost album Lei'd in Hawaii, plus the single's B-side, "Let's Go Away For Awhile." A pull-out lithograph of the single's original Japanese cover art, with its "Good Vibration" title typo intact, is included in the EP package, which features the original 1966 U.S. single cover art on its front.

Fans in North America and the U.K. are invited to share their "Good Vibrations" with The Beach Boys for a chance to be featured in a special 50th anniversary tribute video. For more information, visit TheBeachBoys.com/goodvibrations.

2016 is a golden year for America's Band. In June, The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds (50th Anniversary Edition) was released worldwide in several configurations, including a 4CD/Blu-ray Audio collectors edition presented in a hardbound book, featuring the remastered original album in stereo and mono, plus hi res stereo, mono, instrumental, and 5.1 surround mixes, session outtakes, alternate mixes, and previously unreleased live recordings; a 2CD and digital deluxe edition pairing the remastered album in stereo and mono with highlights from the collectors edition's additional tracks; and remastered, 180-gram LP editions of the album in mono and stereo with faithfully replicated original artwork.

Led by founding member Mike Love, The Beach Boys are on tour all year, celebrating the 50th anniversary of "Good Vibrations." Founding member Brian Wilson is also on tour, accompanied by founding member Al Jardine, performing Pet Sounds live for the last time. New memoirs by Love and Wilson will be published this fall.

The Beach Boys continue to hold Billboard / Nielsen SoundScan's record as the top-selling American band for albums and singles, and they are also the American group with the most Billboard Top 40 chart hits (36). "Good Vibrations" was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame in 1994. 'Sounds Of Summer: The Very Best Of The Beach Boys' has achieved triple-Platinum sales status and 'The SMiLE Sessions,' released to worldwide critical acclaim in 2011, was heralded as the year's Best Reissue by Rolling Stone and earned a GRAMMY Award for Best Historical Album.

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and recipients of The Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement GRAMMY Award, The Beach Boys are a beloved American institution that remains iconic around the world.

Preorder "Good Vibrations" (50th Anniversary Edition): http://smarturl.it/GoodVibrations50

thebeachboys.com

facebook.com/thebeachboys

twitter.com/thebeachboys

The Beach Boys: "Good Vibrations" (50th Anniversary Edition) [sunburst vinyl EP]

SIDE A

1. Good Vibrations (original 45 rpm single version)

2. Good Vibrations (various sessions)

3. Good Vibrations (alternate take)

SIDE B

1. Good Vibrations (instrumental)

2. Good Vibrations (live concert rehearsal: August 25, 1967)

3. Let's Go Away For Awhile (original B-side)

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402318

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150324/184009LOGO

SOURCE Universal Music Enterprises

Related Links

http://www.universalmusicenterprises.com


DUBLIN, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Turkey Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Market - Forecast & Analysis, 2016 - 2022" report to their offering.

The overall demand for HVAC products in Turkey is mainly driven by factors such by rising population, revival of the housing market, an increase in consumer income levels, development of reliable energy resources, and growing commercial and industrial units.



Turkey's HVAC market is evolved as well as dynamic and the consumption of the HVAC products is set to grow due to a rise in the construction activities. The domestic HVAC market is driven by strong import, export and domestic sales. As per the market trends, it has been witnessed that international players preferred the route of mergers and acquisitions to expand their base in Turkey's domestic market.



With emerging demand for HVAC products in Turkey due to high urbanization rate and increase in construction and renovation of sites, Turkey's HVAC market is both, evolved and dynamic. The market is estimated to increase at a CAGR of 5.31% from 2016-2022, in terms of volume. The analyst states, Turkey has a robust HVAC industry base with strategic tie ups with the educational and research institutions which contributes to the development of energy efficient HVAC technologies. The market is foreseen to have high growth potential by the end of 2022 in order to meet the domestic consumption demand.



Companies Profiled:



Daikin Industries Ltd

Gree Electric Appliances

LG Corporation

Midea Group

Panasonic Corporation

Samsung Electronics

United Technologies Corporation (Carrier)

Zamil Air Conditioners



Report Structure:



1 REPORT SCOPE



2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY



3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



4 MARKET DYNAMICS



5 COMPETITIVE INSIGHTS



6 TURKEY WINDOWS AND PORTBALE AIR CONDITIONERS MARKET



7 TURKEY MINI-SPLIT AIR CONDITIONERS MARKET



8 TURKEY SINGLE PACKAGED AIR CONDITIONERS MARKET



9 TURKEY CHILLER MARKET



10 TURKEY AIR HANDLING UNIT AND FAN COIL UNIT MARKET



11 TURKEY HVAC MARKET



12 KEY MARKET PLAYERS

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c82b4c/turkey_heating



Related Topics: HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning)

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


PITTSBURGH, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Unique Pizza and Subs Corporation (OTCPK: UPZS) has announced its subsidiary Jose Madrid Salsa, "The Healthy Fundraiser", has been approved for a Licensing Agreement with The Wildflower Group, which manages the Licensing rights for Girl Scouts of the USA. The Agreement will grant the non-exclusive rights to Jose Madrid to use and add the Girl Scouts Official Logo onto its Jars of Salsa and all other promotional packaging for retail and fundraising sales.

The Girl Scouts is a non-profit 104 year old youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. Girl Scouts aims to empower girls, ages 5-14 and to help teach values such as honesty, fairness, courage, compassion, character, sisterhood, confidence, entrepreneurship, and citizenship through activities including camping, community service, learning first aid and earning badges by acquiring practical skills.

The Girl Scouts Fundraising program is synonymous with their sales of Girl Scouts Cookies, but over the past decade they have branched out to many other Fundraising Opportunities: Breyers Ice Cream; Nestle Crunch Bar Cookies & Nesquick Flavored Milk; Pillsbury Brownie & Cake Mixes; Yankee Candle Cookie Scented Candles; Good Humor Ice Cream Bars; Quaker Granola Bars; and now "The Health Fundraiser" Jose Madrid Salsa!

Jose Madrid Salsa Founder, Mike Zakany said, "I have spent the past 25 years creating delicious healthy salsa and I am extremely proud that the Girl Scouts understand and appreciate the quality and healthy benefits Jose Madrid has to offer. We have developed the #1 Salsa Fundraiser in the US and recognize the magnitude of this partnership with the Girl Scouts to help grow our fundraising program even bigger!"

Visit us on the web: http://www.JoseMadridSalsaFundraising.com

& Girl Scouts: http://www.GirlScouts.org

Twitter: @UniquePizzaSubs

@MadridSalsa

@PopsyCakes

@GirlScouts

About Unique Pizza and Subs:

Unique Pizza franchises pizza and sub restaurants throughout the United States. With a limited menu of pizzas, subs, calzones, salads, and beverages, the company is primarily focused on takeout and delivery services with limited full size restaurants. The company has three wholly owned subsidiaries Jose Madrid Salsa, Unique Pizza Taphouse and PopsyCakes.

Visit us on the web: http://www.uniquepizza.com

Safe Harbor Act: This release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 27E of the Securities Act of 1934. Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain. Actual performance and results may differ materially from that projected or suggested herein due to certain risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, ability to obtain financing and regulatory and shareholder approval for anticipated actions. There are no financials in this press release so this is not needed.

SOURCE Unique Pizza and Subs Corporation

Related Links

http://www.GirlScouts.org


PITTSBURGH, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The United Steelworkers (USW) affirmed a U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC) preliminary antidumping (AD) determination late yesterday on truck and bus tire imports from China for trade petitions filed Jan. 29 by the union.

Leo W. Gerard, USW International President, said: "The government investigators and our trade counsel have been diligent in handling this massive trade case involving more than $1 billion value of truck and bus tire imports from China in 2015, increasing market share each of the last three years at the expense of American producers and USW tire production workers."

He added, "Unfair truck tire imports from China have denied our domestic industry the opportunity to share in job increases during a period of robust demand growth."

The chair of the union's national rubber tire bargaining conference, USW International Secretary-Treasurer Stan Johnson, emphasized: "We have fought back against China's predatory trade practices in nearly every part of the tire industry, including tires for passenger cars, light trucks, off-road vehicles, and now truck and bus tires.

"Again and again China has been shown to benefit from massive subsidies and to engage in widespread dumping in order to gain market share at the expense of American jobs." He said, "Chinese truck tire imports have grown from 6.3 million in 2012 to 8.9 million in 2015 with an increased share of consumption of more than 36 percent by 2014."

The USW represents 6,000 workers at five facilities in the U.S. that account for more than two-thirds of domestic capacity to produce truck and bus tires. The tire production facilities are operated by Bridgestone-Firestone, Goodyear and Sumitomo, and they are located in LaVergne and Warren County, Tenn., Buffalo, N.Y., Danville, Va., and Topeka, Kan.

Following today's preliminary determination, importers will need to start posting cash deposits or bonds to offset dumping by Chinese tire producers at margins ranging from 20.87 percent to 22.57 percent. Preliminary countervailing duty margins were announced June 28 with margins of 17.06 to 23.38 percent.

When combined, the AD and CVD margins are nearly 40 percent on the truck and bus tire imports from China. The final USDOC rulings are expected in January of 2017 with a final U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) determination next March.

The USW represents 850,000 workers in North America employed in many industries that include metals, rubber, chemicals, paper, oil refining and the service and public sectors. For more information: http://www.usw.org/.

Contact: Gary Hubbard (202) 256-8125, [email protected]

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SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW)

Related Links

http://www.usw.org


EDINA, Minn., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Walser Automotive Group, one of the largest automotive groups in Minnesota, announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Wichita Luxury Collection, the premier luxury automotive retailer in Wichita, Kansas.

The award-winning Wichita Luxury Collection (WLC) brings 10 luxury brands, including Acura, Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Porsche and AMG, to Walser's existing 15 franchises.

"The Wichita Luxury Collection offers a unique luxury experience unlike any other in the retail automotive arena," said Chief Executive Officers, Paul and Andrew Walser. "We're grateful that the city of Wichita has welcomed us. All of these outstanding franchises are new to Walser, so we're excited to offer a much greater selection to both our current and future customers."

Bobby Cuillo will remain as Managing Partner of Wichita Luxury Collection and will run daily operations, customer, vendor and manufacturer relationships, and will be responsible for growing the luxury collection brand in and outside of Wichita. Cuillo has been with WLC since 2008 and has been crucial to the addition of the Audi, Land Rover, MINI, BMW and AMG franchises.

After over 50 years at the helm, Vic Scholfield, Tom Devlin and Steve Hatchettthe other current partners of WLCfelt it was time to retire. "We would sincerely like to thank these great automobile franchises for giving us the honor of representing them in the Wichita area. We would also like to thank our thousands of valued customers for their loyalty and our wonderful employees for their dedication and professionalism all these years. We wish the Walser organization and our partner Bobby Cuillo the best in the future," explained Steve Hatchett.

"We are very fortunate that all of our manufacturers have embraced Walser and are excited for this next chapter in the history of our exciting growth," said Cuillo. "This was a natural fit for us, since both Walser Automotive Group and Wichita Luxury Collection have an extraordinary commitment to customer and employee satisfaction. Once again, we will raise the bar on a true luxury experience."

Walser's ownership of Wichita Luxury Collection will allow it to grow and serve the Wichita community in ways never before possible. WLC will remain a locally-run, locally-operated business, but with the depth and bench of talent of a much larger entity.

About Walser Automotive Group and Wichita Luxury Collection

Walser Automotive Group has been family-owned and operated in Minnesota for over 50 years. Walser is committed to serving local communities through the Walser Foundation by donating five percent of pre-tax earnings to local community programs that support families, education and career training.

Wichita Luxury Collection is the premier luxury automotive retailer in South Central Kansas. WLC prides itself on a purchase and service experience unlike any other to ensure the buying and owning experience is luxurious. For more information, visit wichitaluxury.com.

SOURCE Walser Automotive Group
For the 13th consecutive year, AFI FEST will showcase the very best in global cinema thanks to the visionary support of presenting sponsor Audi.

"Warren Beatty has charmed and challenged moviegoers from his first moment on screen, and his talents as an actor, director, writer and producer have always transcended trends," said Bob Gazzale, AFI President & CEO. "AFI is honored to present the World Premiere of his newest gift to America's cultural legacy."

"We are launching the 30th edition of AFI FEST with a new Warren Beatty film that takes place in 1950s Hollywood. Romantic entanglements, the youthful pursuit of success and an outlandish billionaire are brought to life by a remarkable ensemble cast," said Jacqueline Lyanga, Director, AFI FEST. "On Opening Night, the TCL Chinese Theatre, the quintessential temple of cinema in Hollywood, will shine a light on RULES DON'T APPLY."

The 30th edition of AFI FEST takes place November 1017, 2016, in the heart of Hollywood. Screenings, Galas and other events will be held at the TCL Chinese Theatre, the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and The Hollywood Roosevelt. The full festival lineup and schedule will be unveiled in October.

Patron packages ensure reserved seats for Opening Night and all proceeds benefit the educational programs of the American Film Institute. A limited number of individual tickets to Opening Night and other screenings are also made available at no charge thanks to the event sponsors. Go to AFI.com now to purchase Patron Packages which can include access to Galas and other high-demand films and events. Individual tickets are available at AFI.com beginning November 1.

As part of their membership benefits, AFI members will receive a complimentary AFI FEST Cinepass, which allows access to all regular screenings and special offers at this year's festival. Additionally, AFI members at the Two-Star level and above level receive a 10% discount on all AFI FEST Patron Packages and Express Passes. Information about AFI membership is available at AFI.com/membership.

Audi is the exclusive presenting sponsor of AFI FEST 2016, once again championing innovative filmmakers from around the globe through its steadfast support of the festival and AFI's mission.

Additional top sponsors include AT&T; American Airlines, the official airline of AFI; and VIZIO, the official home theater sponsor of AFI.

About RULES DON'T APPLY

An aspiring young actress (Lily Collins) and her ambitious young driver (Alden Ehrenreich) struggle hopefully with the absurd eccentricities of the wildly unpredictable billionaire (Warren Beatty) for whom they work.

It's Hollywood, 1958. Small town beauty queen and devout Baptist virgin Marla Mabrey (Collins), under contract to the infamous Howard Hughes (Beatty), arrives in Los Angeles. At the airport, she meets her driver Frank Forbes (Ehrenreich), who is engaged to be married to his 7th grade sweetheart and is a deeply religious Methodist. Their instant attraction not only puts their religious convictions to the test, but also defies Hughes' number one rule: no employee is allowed to have any relationship whatsoever with a contract actress. Hughes' behavior intersects with Marla and Frank in very separate and unexpected ways, and as they are drawn deeper into his bizarre world, their values are challenged and their lives are changed.

To learn more about RULES DON'T APPLY, visit the film's official website at http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/rules-dont-apply. In theaters November 23, 2016.

About Audi

Audi of America, Inc., and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. The Audi Group delivered over 1,800,000 vehicles to customers globally in 2015, and broke all-time company sales records for the 6th straight year in the U.S. Through 2019, AUDI AG plans to invest about 24 billion euros - 70 percent of the investment will flow into the development of new models and technologies. Visit http://www.audiusa.com or http://www.audiusa.com/newsroom for more information regarding Audi vehicles and business topics.

Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402432

SOURCE American Film Institute

Related Links

http://www.afi.com


LONDON, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Robotic Process Automation and Artificial Intelligence have become top strategic priorities for business executives around the globe.

As with any new trend, however, it's been exposed to considerable hype, making it difficult for executives to decipher how they can use automation to increase efficiency, and decrease costs.

In conjunction with the RPA and Artificial Intelligence Summit taking place in London on November 30 to December 2, The State of Robotic Process Automation and Artificial Intelligence report provides the necessary direction to make this new, unexplored space navigable. Using data from the organisation's extensive network of leading companies (SSON and PEX Network), the report analyses their position in the automation landscape, processes planned to be automated, general trends, and how practitioners are looking to invest in the near future.

The report can be downloaded for free here

As this report shows, society might not currently be at the peril of walking; talking robots, but it's set to reshape the enterprise in ways which were previously unimaginable.

The RPA and Artificial Intelligence Summit brings the world's leading companies together, including Lufthansa, Credit Suisse and Citi, to debate the industry's direction. You can check out the event's agenda here

The RPA and Artificial Intelligence Summit takes place from 30th November - 2nd December, 2016 in London, United Kingdom. Find the program, event details and registration information about the forum on http://www.rpaandaisummit.com , phone +44(0)207-368-9809 or email [email protected]

_____________________________________________________

Media contact: Simon Barton, +44(0)20-7368-9474, [email protected] or visit : http://www.rpaandaisummit.com,

Press are invited to attend this important industry forum, if you would like to a complimentary press pass please email Veronica Araujo [email protected]

SOURCE IQPC
HOUSTON, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Willbros Group, Inc. (NYSE: WG) today announced that the Company will be attending D. A. Davidson's 15th Annual Engineering & Construction Conference to be held in San Francisco on September 7th and 8th, 2016.

Michael Fournier, Willbros President and Chief Executive Officer, is scheduled to present on Thursday, September 8th at 1:45 p.m. Pacific Time (3:45 p.m. Central Time). A live broadcast of the presentation and the accompanying slides will be available in the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at www.willbros.com.

Willbros is a specialty energy infrastructure contractor serving the oil and gas and power industries with offerings that primarily include construction, maintenance and facilities development services. For more information on Willbros, please visit our web site at www.willbros.com.

CONTACT:

Steve Breitigam

Vice President Investor Relations

Willbros

713-403-8172

SOURCE Willbros Group, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.willbros.com


TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- WilsonHCG, a global talent solutions leader, today announced its position as a Star Performer in Everest Group's 2016 Global Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) PEAK Matrix report. WilsonHCG is the only company to be named a Star Performer for three years in a row. In addition, WilsonHCG has shown more upward movement over the past three years in the PEAK Matrix report than any other RPO provider.

"It is an honor to receive this recognition from one of the most prestigious analyst firms in the industry, and it is evidence of our dedication to deliver superior service to our clients," WilsonHCG CEO John Wilson said. "True business-impacting results and transformation come from a partnership that challenges traditional talent acquisition norms and exceeds customer expectations. At WilsonHCG, we constantly strive for a level of service that is transparent, innovative and transformative, and this recognition is testament to that."

Everest Group's annual recruitment process outsourcing PEAK Matrix report is a framework to assess the market success and overall delivery capability of service providers. Of the 21 RPO providers assessed, six were given Star Performer acknowledgement; year-on-year forward movement on the PEAK Matrix determines this recognition. The PEAK (performance, experience, ability and knowledge) report analyzed RPO providers on scale, scope, technology and innovation, delivery footprint and buyer satisfaction.

"A strong partnership-oriented approach has helped WilsonHCG translate its continuous, well-crafted investments in recent years into strong market success," Arkadev Basak, Practice Director at Everest Group said. "Good cross-Atlantic capabilities coupled with a robust talent consulting practice weaved around value-added services places them well to meet the evolving next-generation talent acquisition requirements of enterprises."

To request additional details about Everest Group's 2016 Global RPO PEAK Matrix or learn more about WilsonHCG's services, please visit wilsonhcg.com.

WilsonHCG is a global talent solutions leader that operates on the principle of providing true partnership to its clients. Delivering business-impacting talent solutions  including recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), talent consulting, contingent workforce solutions and executive search  WilsonHCG is transforming its clients' businesses through their talent. Founded in 2002, the company's global headquarters is located in Tampa, Florida. While optimizing clients' talent strategies is essential, WilsonHCG recognizes the relationships it develops lead to the results its clients realize.

Better People, Better Business.

Contact: Jessica Lang, 813-280-7746, [email protected]

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SOURCE WilsonHCG

Related Links

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Shin was most recently General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer of Millennial Media, where he helped guide the company through its international expansion, initial public offering, and follow-on offering through the company's sale to Verizon/Aol. Shin has also served as a member of the Department of Homeland Security's Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory on matters involving data privacy and integrity. Prior to that role, he was General Counsel of Advertising.com, where he participated in the acquisition and integration of numerous companies  negotiating and launching international joint ventures and other corporate counseling.

"At Yext we have huge ambitions and are building a company that will stand the test of time," said Howard Lerman, Yext Co-Founder & CEO. "Ho brings with him the broad legal experience we'll need to navigate the critical moments of change and growth ahead. We couldn't be more excited to add him as a foundational member of our executive team."

"Yext has brought together a really incredible group of people," said Shin. "Everyone this company works with, from employees to customers, is top notch. I'm excited to be joining this powerhouse executive team at such a critical time in the company's growth. I look forward to helping Yext continue to expand and chart new territory."

Shin received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University, and his B.S. from the University of Maryland. Shin began his career as a litigation associate at Arnold & Porter in Washington. He brings over 20 years of legal experience to Yext.

About Yext

At Yext,our mission is to help people go places. The award-winning Yext Location Cloud enables companies of all sizes to manage location data across their websites, mobile apps, internal systems, and the industry's largest ecosystem of maps, apps, social networks, directories, and search engines including Google, Apple, Facebook, Bing, and Yahoo. Our products enable the world's millions of businesses to drive face-to-face and digital interactions that boost brand awareness, drive foot traffic, and increase sales.

Based in the heart of New York City with a growing team of over 550 employees worldwide, Yext has been recognized as one of America's fastest growing companies by Inc. (2015 & 2016), one of Forbes Most Promising Companies (2014 & 2015) and one of Fortune's Best Places to Work (2014 & 2015).

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402305

SOURCE Yext

Related Links

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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
Washington/London, Aug 25 : As Brussels is slated to deliver a verdict next month on Apple and other US companies for evading billions of pounds in taxes, the US Treasury Department has warned the European Commission (EU) about taking such action.

In a white paper commissioned by US Treasury secretary Jack Lew, the Obama administration warned that Brussels was overstepping its powers and becoming a "supranational tax authority", The Guardian reported on Thursday.

The EU is investigating whether Apple's tax deals with Ireland running into as much as $19 billion for alleged unpaid taxes.

The EU is also probing Amazon and Starbucks over allegations of tax avoidance.

"The investigations have global implications as well for the international tax system and the G20's agenda to combat (tax avoidance) while improving tax certainty to fuel growth and investment," Robert Stack, a Treasury Department deputy, wrote in a blog post.

According to the white paper, the EU investigations could "create an unfortunate international tax policy precedent".
Guwahati, Aug 25 : Slamming the attitude of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre, the All-Bodo Students' Union (ABSU) and several other Bodo civil society organisations have decided to revive their movement for a separate state on August 30.

ABSU President Promod Boro said on Thursday that a five-hour blockade of the national highways (NH) will be organised across the state on August 30 to press for their demand for creation of a separate state.

"During the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's time, four rounds of talks were held to discuss the issue. However, nothing was done to fulfill our demand. Before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP assured us to fulfill our demands. The BJP also included the assurance in their election manifesto. However, once the BJP formed the government at the Centre, they have forgotten their assurance," said Boro, adding that this has left the organisations with no option but to revive their movement for a separate state.

"After the BJP formed the government at the Centre, we have met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh at least seven times and Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju at least 10 times requesting them to take up the problems of the Bodos. It seems that the government is only interested in delaying matter and avoiding the legitimate demand of the Bodos," he said.

"We have also met Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal several times and reminded him about the assurance of the BJP before the polls. However, nothing has happened so far. We fail to understand what the government wants. We have been raising our demand in a peaceful way but it seems the government has ear only for violence," he said.

When the 2014 protests of the organisations in Karbi Anglong turned violent, the government had called them for talks. However, nothing happened to their demand also, said Boro.

General Secretary of the pro-talk faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) Gobinda Basumatary also condemned the attitude of the Central government.

"We came overground in 2004 and the process of peace talks started in 2009. At least 25 rounds of formal and informal talks have been held with the government of India since then but in none of the talks the main issues or demands have been discussed," Basumatary said.

He said the Central government had not been sincere enough to pay the monthly honorarium to the 1,150 NDFB cadres who came overground in 2004 as part of the peace initiative and restricted themselves to the designated camps.

The ABSU, the NDFB pro-talk faction and a conglomeration of several organisations in Bodoland, Peoples' Joint Action Committee for Bodoland Movement (PJACBM) are not spearheading the separate state movement for the Bodos in Assam.
Patna/Bhopal, Aug 25 : The flood situation in Bihar remained grim on Thursday, though the river Ganga and its tributaries started showing sign of receding but hundreds of thousands of affected people have been still strggling for survival, officials said. The situation, however, was easing in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.

More than three million people have been hit by the floods in Bihar. including thousands who have been displaced across the worst-hit 12 districts, the officials said.

According to state disaster management department officials, till date, floods have claimed 31 lives.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday met flood victims during his visit to the affected areas in Patna district and assured all possible help, including timely relief.

Nitish Kumar also directed concerned officials to provide adequate relief and other facilities at relief camps set up by the government.

"Chief Minister has ordered to intensify relief and rescue operations in flood affected areas and to serve food in steel utensils provided from the CM's relief fund," an official said.

However, at several places, flood victims have staged protests and blocked roads to express anger and impatience over the quality and quantity of government aid that has so far been provided to them.

Flood victims, hungry and homeless, many of them forced to live under open sky, have also expressed anger for not providing fodder for their cattle.

About 900 officils of the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force have been deployed in the flood-hit districts.

Meanwhile, RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Thursday defended his remark on Ganga reaching the doorsteps of the people, saying his statement should be taken in the right spirit.

Lalu Prasad also blamed the BJP-led governments in Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand for the mess.

In Madhya Pradesh, the monsoon rains are letting up, easing the flood situation prevailing in many districts, officials said on Thursday.

People in many relief camps have started to return home, they said.

Satna District Commissioner Naresh Pal said the flood situation has abated in the district and people staying in relief camps are returning home.

The worst also seems to be over in Rewa and Panna districts, where normalcy is returning fast. Floodwaters have receded from the roads allowing normal movement of traffic.

According to official statistics, floods caused by heavy rains affected 3,79,542 people in Madhya Pradesh across 31 of its 51 districts. The disaster claimed the lives of 102 people in the state and injured 15 people. Seven people are untraceable.

The floods and flood-related events destroyed 2,638 houses, and partially damaged 38,641. The state government set up 135 relief camps to shelter the displaced.

There has also been widespread damage to agriculture, roads and other infrastructure, and death of farm animals.

The government has to call in the army and requisition helicopters to aid in rescue operations.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi monitored the flood situation in the state and discussed the possible central aid by interacting with the top state officials through video conferencing.
Brasilia, Aug 26 : The Brazilian Senate has begun the impeachment trial of suspended president Dilma Rousseff who is accused of trying to hide public budget deficits through fiscal irregularities without congressional approval.

Staring off the proceedings on Thursday, Ricardo Lewandowski, president of the Supreme Court, read out the order of proceedings to a sparsely filled Senate chamber, with only 28 of 81 senators present, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the daily O Globo, Julio Marcelo de Oliveira, a public official from the federal accountability office (TCU) who made the allegations against Rousseff, saw him accuse Rousseff of violating the Constitution through fiscal manipulation during the prosecution.

"Excess revenues, despite coming from a specific course, can only supplement a provision for future expenditure, if authorized in the budget. (In this case), there was no legislative approval, which means it was a violation of the Constitution," he was quoted as saying.

De Oliveira added that the TCU also never allowed such actions to be taken in 2014 or 2015.

The prosecution will continue hearing witnesses until Friday and may extend into the weekend, if needed.

The defence has presented six witnesses -- Rousseff's former planning minister Nelson Barbosa, her former budget secretary Esther Dweck, a leading economist Luiz Gonzaga Belluzzo, the former political investment secretary, Gilson Bettencourt, the former executive secretary of the ministry of education, Luiz Claudio Costa, and a law professor from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Geraldo Prado.

The declarations of each witness will be heard individually, followed by three minutes allotted for questions from each senator and three minutes for answers.

On August 29, Rousseff will appear and provide her testimony while the prosecutors and defence lawyers will present their cases. The next day, the senators will express their opinions about the case.

The final vote into whether to impeach Rousseff or not could be held on August 30, if time allows, or the next day.

Rousseff was temporarily suspended for up to 180 days on May 12 and her Vice President Michel Temer took over the presidency on an interim basis.

A two-thirds majority, 54 out of 81 senators,is needed to fully remove her from office.

If this level of support is not obtained, Rousseff will immediately return to power and the case against her will be dropped.

Should Rousseff be impeached, Temer would complete her mandate until the end of 2018 and she would be ineligible to stand for public office for eight years.
Manila, Aug 26 : At least six Abu Sayyaf militants were killed and 14 soldiers injured in a clash in the Philippines, a military statement said on Friday.

The troops were on a combat operation when they caught up with around 100 Abu Sayyaf militants in Sulu province, Xinhua news agency quoted a military spokesman as saying.

The battalion was directed to conduct "pursuit and clearing operations" after militants withdrew toward the west, the spokesman said.

The slain militants were involved in the abduction of four persons from Samal last September. Two of the victims, Canadians John Ridsdel and Robert Hall were beheaded by Abu Sayyaf terrorists.
Lucknow, Aug 26 : The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has issued Aadhaar cards to 16 crore residents in Uttar Pradesh, an official said on Friday. India`s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh has a population of about 199,581,477 as per the 2011 Census.

"Around 1.5 Lakh residents are being enrolled for Aadhaar every day at 3,930 Permanent Enrolment Centres (PEC), 6,039 sweep mode machines and 3,785 tablets for children," the official told IANS.

Allahabad is leading with 45.86 lakh Aadhaar card generations, followed by Lucknow with 40.54 lakh, and Kanpur with 37.85 lakh Aadhaar cards.

Most of the other people to be enrolled for Aadhaar belong to less than 18 years of age group and the UIADAI was making efforts for this group by covering children under the age of five years at Aanganwadi centres and those between five and 18 years at schools/colleges.

The state government has also instructed the concerned departments to speed up Aadhaar enrolment of the population not yet enrolled.

In order to speed up Aadhaar enrolment of students, continuous meetings with state education department and Basic Shikhsha Adhikaris (BSAs) are being held with the active enrolment agencies of their districts.

"It has been decided that BSAs of all districts will provide list of non-enrolled students to the UIDAI so that such students may get enrolled for Aadhaar at the earliest," the official informed.
New York, Aug 27 : Addressing concerns over its controversial Trending Topics feature, Facebook says its automation will be increased and users will no longer be required to write descriptions for trending topics.

A more algorithmically driven process will allow the Facebook team to scale Trending to cover more topics and make it available to more people globally over time.

A report in technology website Gizmodo recently accused Facebook of an editorial bias against US conservative news organisations, sparking sharp reactions from across the spectrum.

"This is something we always hoped to do but we are making these changes sooner given the feedback we got from the Facebook community earlier this year," the company said in a post on Saturday.

Trending Topics, which was introduced in 2014, was designed to help people discover interesting and relevant conversations happening on Facebook - about breaking news and events from around the world.

It appears on right-hand side on desktop as well as when you tap on the search box in the mobile app and primarily for people using Facebook in English (there are limited tests being run in Spanish and Portuguese).

"Now, instead of seeing a story description in Trending, you'll now see a simplified topic - for example, #PhelpsFace or NASA - as well as the number of people talking about that particular topic on Facebook," the post read.

To see more about what people are saying about a topic, you can hover over it or click on it.

A search results page will include the news sources that are covering it, posts discussing it and an automatically selected original news story with an excerpt pulled directly from the top article itself.

"As before, articles and posts that appear in search results are surfaced algorithmically, based on a high volume of mentions and a sharp increase in mentions over a short period of time," the post added.

There are still people involved in this process to ensure that the topics that appear in Trending remain high-quality - for example, confirming that a topic is tied to a current news event in the real world.

According to Facebook, it shared more information about Trending in response to questions about alleged political bias in the product.

"We looked into these claims and found no evidence of systematic bias. Still, making these changes to the product allows our team to make fewer individual decisions about topics," the post replied.
New York, Aug 27 : Zika virus infection has been associated with several neurological complications and researchers have now reported that it may also lead to sensory polyneuropathy - damage to nerves that receive sensation, such as temperature, pain, vibration or touch, from the skin.

In a paper published in the Journal of the Neurological Sciences, group of researchers from Honduras, Venezuela and the US described the first case of sensory polyneuropathy associated with acute Zika virus infection.

"Clinicians should be aware that Zika virus infection can also cause an acute infectious sensory polyneuropathy," said first author Marco Medina from Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras.

"Our patient is the first confirmed Zika infection case report associated with an acute sensory polyneuropathy which began during the acute infectious phase," Medina said.

This suggests a probable direct viral inflammatory process affecting sensory nerves, but an autoimmune etiology cannot be definitely excluded, Medina added.

The new publication is part of the collaborate efforts of the World Federation of Neurology Work Group on Zika.

Concerned about the increasing number of neurological complications related to the Zika virus, the WFN recently established this forum to contribute expertise to the coordinated global response to the Zika crisis.

A large percentage of people suffering from Zika virus infections are asymptomatic or show only mild symptoms. But potential neurological complications can be dramatic.

"Zika virus infection has become a new emergent neuropathological agent with several neurological complications," John England from School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, US, said.

"Outbreaks of Guillain BarrA Syndrome (GBS) associated with Zika virus infections have been reported as well as a high occurrence of a syndrome associated with congenital Zika virus infection, mainly microcephaly with brain malformations," he pointed out.
Berlin, Aug 28 : 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.
Kolkata, Aug 29 : Urging people to oppose the strike called by the central trade unions on September 2, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said people should come out without any fear and promised to provide compensation if property is damaged by strike supporters.

"The state will take responsibility to provide compensation if properties or vehicles are damaged by strike enforcers ... don't allow hooliganism by some who were defeated in the democratic election. You come out without any fear and keep everything normal," Banerjee said.

Elaborating her party's stand on strike she said: "It is our standing policy to oppose shutdown or strike. We are against it. We support some of the issues raised by the trade unions. But there is scope to discuss and raise such issues at the proper platform."

"Trinamool Congress would not support shutdowns. Strike is like a casual leave," Banerjee told reporters at the West Bengal Legislative Assembly premises.

Referring to the amount of economic loss due to a strike, she said: "The state government has been repaying a huge amount for servicing the debt, which was inherited. If we lose our revenue from such a shutdown, state will not be able to grow."

On Friday, Banerjee had said the state would not allow any strike on September 2.

The national general strike has been called by the central trade unions to protest against the "anti-people, anti-national and anti-worker" policies of the central government.

INTUC President G. Sanjeeva Reddy in July had announced that he would urge Banerjee to give her nod to Trinamool Congress's trade union wing to participate in the strike.
Paris, Aug 30 : French President Francois Hollande called on the World Bank to further bolster financial aid to the world's poorest countries and most vulnerable states, notably in the Sahel and the Middle East.

At a meeting with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim on Monday, Hollande hailed the institution's efforts in helping to handle the refugee crisis but asked it "to intensify efforts in fragile and vulnerable countries, particularly in the Sahel, so that development projects can be implemented quickly."

In this context, Hollande urged a quicker launch of a World Bank facility in the North Africa and Middle East region, to which France will provide $800 million in guarantees to help financing reconstruction and recovery, Xinhua news agency quoted his office as saying.

Hollande and Kim Yong, also expressed common commitment to encourage the use of renewable energy in Africa, a region severely hit by climate degradation.

In addition, they reiterated the need for world leaders to honour their pledge to offer $100 billion to the poorest states to help fight climate change.
Washington, Aug 30 : The Obama administration would reach its target of resettling 10,000 Syrian refugees by October 1, National Security Adviser Susan Rice has said.

"On behalf of the President and his Administration, I extend the warmest of welcomes to each and every one of our Syrian arrivals, as well as the many other refugees resettled this year from all over the world," Rice said on Monday, CNN reported.

Rice acknowledged that there was much more work to be done in the region but called the move a "meaningful step that we hope to build upon".

"While refugee admissions are only a small part of our broader humanitarian efforts in Syria and the region, the President understood the important message this decision would send, not just to the Syrian people but to the broader international community," Rice said.

The US ambassador to Jordan, Alice Wells, on Sunday described the resettlement numbers as "a floor, not a ceiling".

America had previously pledged to bring at least 10,000 individuals from the war-torn country during the current fiscal year, which ends next month.

David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, used similar language Monday in welcoming the American milestone, adding that he hopes it is a prod to further action.

"IRC encourages the White House to consider this 10,000 milestone 'a floor and not a ceiling,'" he said. "The achievement of the 10,000 target proves what is possible, and there remains an urgent need to further strengthen US leadership in resettling refugee families -- with appropriate vetting -- fleeing violence and war."

He urged the Obama administration to up its acceptance rate to 1,40,000 refugees in 2017.

The influx of Syrian refugees, however, has been a major domestic political flashpoint over the past year. That could prove an obstacle to any significant increase in the program.

Critics of the resettlement effort -- including Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump -- have long expressed concern about the potential for ISIS or other terrorist groups to exploit refugee flows to reach the West, CNN reported.

Wells maintained that America's absorption of Syrians did not come at the cost of the country's rigorous screening processes.

"The United States government is deeply committed to safeguarding the American public, just as we are committed to providing refuge to some of the world's most vulnerable people," Wells said, adding, "we do not believe these goals are mutually exclusive."
Manila, Aug 30 : At least 15 Philippine soldiers were killed in a clash between the army and Abu Syyaf militants, authorities said on Tuesday.

The clash took place on Monday afternoon in Patikut in Sulu province when a military patrol was attacked by about 120 heavily armed militants, the chief of the Public Affairs Office of the Armed Forces, Edgard Arevalo, said.

He said the number of militants killed in the shooting was still unknown, reported EFE news.

Abu Sayyaf beheaded two Canadian hostages, John Ridsdel and Robert Hall, in April and June, respectively, after deadlines for ransom payment were not met.

The group is presently holding a Norwegian, a Japanese, nine Indonesians and five Malaysians.
Sydney, Aug 30 : A British backpacker who was brutally attacked while trying to save the life of another traveller at a hostel in Australia's Queensland state died on Tuesday.

The Queensland police confirmed that 30-year-old Tom Jackson, who tried aiding another British national Mia Ayliffe-Chung, succumbed to his injuries and died at a Townsville Hospital, a week after the attack, Xinhua news agency reported.

The 29-year-old attacker Frenchman Smail Ayad will be charged with two counts murder for Ayliffe-Chung and Jackson, one attempted murder charge on an unnamed man, 12 counts of assault against police officers and one count of animal cruelty for killing a dog.

Ayliffe-Chung, a 21-year-old backpacker who was killed on August 24, had captured media attention after it was alleged that her murderer Ayad had uttered the words "Allahu Akbar" while stabbing.

However, Australian authorities were refusing to rule out terror motivations and were investigating the possibility that Ayad became obsessed with the young British backpacker instead.

Investigations are still going on, with Ayad expected to have his next court appearance in Townsville on October 28.
Pyongyang, Aug 30 : North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has had two senior bureaucrats executed by anti-aircraft gun, media reports said.

Ri Yong-Jin, a senior official at the education department, and Hwang Min, the country's agricultural minister, were executed, the South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo reported citing a source with knowledge of North Korea, according to Sky News.

Both were publicly executed earlier this month "on a special order from Kim Jong-Un" at a military academy in Pyongyang, the source said.

Ri "dozed off during a meeting presided over by Kim", the source said.

"He was arrested on site and intensively questioned by the state security ministry. He was executed after other charges, such as corruption, were found during the probe."

On Hwang, the source said: "I understand he was executed because policy proposals he had pushed for were seen as a direct challenge to the Kim Jong-Un leadership."

The reports of these executions could not be verified and South Korea's Unification Ministry - which usually handles North Korea-related matters - has not commented, Sky News reported.

In December 2013, Jang Song-thaek, Kim's uncle and second-in-command, was denounced as a "traitor for all ages" and killed after being found guilty of treason and other crimes against the North Korean state.

In April last year, Hyon Yong-chol, a former Defence Chief, was executed after falling asleep during a military rally attended by Kim.

No announcement has been made by the state's official KCNA news agency yet.
Bishkek, Aug 30 : A suicide bomber rammed his car into the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek on Tuesday, injuring five persons.

According to Xinhua news agency, the unidentified assailant rammed a Mitsubishi car onto the gates of the embassy which caused the explosion, killing himself and injuring two security guards and three local people working there.

A Kyrgyz senior security officer told Xinhua news agency that it was a suicide car bombing attack.

Kyrgyz security officials quoted by the local AKI press news agency described the blast as a terrorist attack.

China's foreign ministry condemned the incident as an "extreme and violent attack" and urged Kyrgyz authorities to conduct a thorough investigation, the BBC reported.

Social media footage showed smoke billowing above the building.
Cairo, Aug 30 : The Egyptian authorities on Tuesday reopened the Rafah border crossing between the African country and Gaza Strip to allow Muslim pilgrims to pass to Mecca.

The crossing will remain open until Thursday for those who have obtained a Saudi visa for this year's Haj pilgrimage, Efe news reported.

Buses will run from Gaza Strip to Cairo Airport, where pilgrims will be transferred directly without staying in Egypt, and from there they will fly to Riyadh.

It was the first time since July that the border with Gaza was opened, the only way out of the coastal enclave which has been under Israeli blockade since 2007.
Bhopal, Aug 30 : Heavy rains and flooding in Madhya Pradesh have caused massive damage to property and crops, estimated at around Rs 1,067 crore, according to officials.

In the last few days, heavy rains in the state have damaged 4,500 km of roads, broken 12 bridges and flooded more than 100 villages while crops have been lost on a large scale.

Reports presented by the Relief Commissioner puts the death toll at 184 persons and the injured at 30. More than 80,000 houses have been destroyed while 55,000 flood affected people have been sent to relief camps.

Two Indian Air Force helicopters helped to rescue the flood hit from Rewa and Satna districts.

According to initial estimates, crops in an area of more than four lakh hectare including soyabean, sesame and lentils have been destroyed.

The government is providing 50 kg of cereals and five litres of kerosene to each flood affected family. The number of the affected stands at around 110,000.
London, Aug 30 : In a setback to US tech giant Apple just before the much-awaited launch of its iPhone 7, the European Commission on Tuesday announced that Ireland must demand 13 billion euros in taxes from the Cupertino, San Francisco-based company.

"We have concluded that Ireland granted undue tax benefits of up to 13 billion euros to Apple. This is illegal under EU state aid rules, because it allowed Apple to pay substantially less tax than other businesses. Ireland must now recover the illegal aid," an EU statement read.

Following an in-depth state aid investigation launched in June 2014, the European Commission concluded that two tax rulings issued by Ireland to Apple have substantially and artificially lowered the tax paid by Apple in Ireland since 1991.

"The rulings endorsed a way to establish the taxable profits for two Irish incorporated companies of the Apple group (Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe), which did not correspond to economic reality: almost all sales profits recorded by the two companies were internally attributed to a head office," the statement further said.

The Commission's assessment showed that these "head offices" existed only on paper and could not have generated such profits.

These profits allocated to the "head offices" were not subject to tax in any country under specific provisions of the Irish tax law, which are no longer in force.

"Member States cannot give tax benefits to selected companies -- this is illegal under EU state aid rules. The Commission's investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years," said Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy.

"In fact, this selective treatment allowed Apple to pay an effective corporate tax rate of 1 per cent on its European profits in 2003 down to 0.005 per cent in 2014," Vestager added.

This selective tax treatment of Apple in Ireland is illegal under EU state aid rules, because it gives Apple a significant advantage over other businesses that are subject to the same national taxation rules.

"Ireland must now recover the unpaid taxes in Ireland from Apple for the years 2003 to 2014 of up to 13 billion euros, plus interest," the EU statement said.

In a white paper, the US Treasury Department recently warned the EU about taking any action against Apple and other US companies like Amazon and Starbucks.

"The investigations have global implications as well for the international tax system and the G20's agenda to combat (tax avoidance) while improving tax certainty to fuel growth and investment," Robert Stack, a Treasury Department deputy, wrote in a blog post.

According to the white paper, the EU investigations could "create an unfortunate international tax policy precedent".
Finding companies with the criteria you want isnt always easy. You could spend hours searching ticker after ticker, only to find companies which arent worthy of your hard earned cash. An easier way to navigate through this is by using high quality stock screeners. Screening helps investors narrow down companies to invest in based on their ability to meet every criteria selected. Any company who misses even one of the criteria requirements will be filtered out.

This lets one easily choose ideal metrics. Screens are effective because they sift out bad stocks and only keep the cream of the crop in. It isnt always easy to create an effective screen. Our Zacks Premium Screens have helped with this, bringing profits to many investors over time. Our predefined criteria are chosen carefully to capture special kinds of companies.

Today, weve dug up three undervalued stocks using one of our premium screens known as PEG. Some of the metrics of this screen requires a stock to have a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and a PEG under 0.55. One other screening criterion Ive added to the screen is an expected growth rate of 10% or higher for EPS this year.

Ternium SA-TX

Ternium is the leading steel company in Latin America and it produces flat and long steel products. The corporation has production centers in Argentina, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, and the US. Ternium is a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and it gets a score of A in all three of our Style Scores categories (growth, value, and momentum). Its worth noting that the company doles out a dividend yield of 4.42%.

Ternium looks like a bargain across quite a few valuation metrics. For one, the company has a PEG of 0.34. A PEG under one suggests that value is present, so it is encouraging to see that TX has such a low price relative to its expected growth rate. The stock also trades at a price-to-book of 0.87, and this indicates that shares could be undervalued right now. Terniums earnings are forecasted to grow by a whopping 148.42% this year. It also has a nice capital structure, with debt-to-capital coming in at just 9.5%.

Story continues

TERNIUM SA-ADR Price and EPS Surprise

TERNIUM SA-ADR Price and EPS Surprise | TERNIUM SA-ADR Quote

Motorcar Parts of America Inc-MPAA

Motorcar Parts of America Inc. manufactures and replaces alternators and starters for domestic and foreign cars and light trucks in the US and Canada. The company is also one of the largest suppliers of underhood and undercar products in North America. Motorcar Parts is a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and it has a market cap of $523.5 million.

The company trades at a forward PE of 12.14, so it looks pretty cheap right off the bat. However, MPAA also boasts a PEG of 0.53, so the corporation looks like it could be severely undervalued relative to its long term growth rate. Sales are expected to increase by 16.87% this year and EPS is projected to grow by 16.3%. Like Ternium, Motorcar Parts of America has a sound balance sheet, with debt-to-capitalof just 8%. MPAA has been making a comeback over the last few years, and since fiscal 2014, sales have grown by 42.4%.

MOTORCAR PARTS Revenue (TTM)

MOTORCAR PARTS Revenue (TTM) | MOTORCAR PARTS Quote

Green Plains Partners LP-GPP

Green Plains Partners LP is a fee-based, limited partnership that was formed by its parent company Green plains Inc. GPRE. The company provides ethanol and fuel storage, terminal, and transportation services. GPP is a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and it has a grade of A for Momentum. Green Plains Partners could be a great income stock since it doles out a generous 9.12% dividend yield.

Green Plains is more leveraged than the other two investment candidates in this article, but it does make a case as to why it could be a great bargain right now. In addition to its low forward PE of 10.53, GPP also has an attractive PEG of just 0.39. This year, revenues and earnings are projected to grow by 98.35% and 135.6% respectively. In recent history, Green Plains Partners has been quite profitable, posting a trailing twelve month net margin of 52.6%.

GREEN PLAIN PTR Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

GREEN PLAIN PTR Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | GREEN PLAIN PTR Quote

Bottom Line

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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
New Delhi, Aug 30 : India is looking to work closely with the US to secure membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and permanent membership of the UN Security Council, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said at the second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue here.

"We look forward to continue working closely with the US to secure our membership of the NSG and permanent membership of the UN Security Council," Sushma Swaraj said.

Earlier this year, India's attempt to become a NSG member was scuttled by a group of countries including China. Membership to the cartel will allow India to trade in nuclear material and technology.

Emphasising that India wants to take the defence cooperation with the US to the next stage of "co-production and co-development", Sushma Swaraj said the next step was to define the benefits associated with India's designation as a "Major Defence Partner" of the US during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to America in June.

"This would spur defence industry collaboration between India and the US and help India play the desired role as a net provider of security in the region," she said.

"We have taken some steps to strengthen our cooperation in the area of counter-terrorism as envisaged in the joint declaration issued during the last meeting of this mechanism. This would be an important element of our deliberations," she added.

In his opening remarks, US Secretary of State John Kerry said India and the US had deepened cooperation in defence, combating cyber terrorism and in counter-terrorism.

"We hope to see our civil nuclear co-operation take shape in the form of new reactors that deliver reliable electricity to Indian households," Kerry said.

"We are working to bring new technologies to help India meet its ambitious renewable energy targets," he said.

Announcing that this would be the last time he was leading this dialogue, Kerry added: "I'm very confident that we'll continue to strengthen what President Obama has called 'defining partnership of the 21st century'."
Berlin, Aug 30 : More than 60 militants were suspected of sneaking into the ranks of the Germany Army to undergo military training and carry out attacks in the country, the media reported.

Germany's military counter-intelligence agency was investigating 64 suspected, 268 right-wing extremists and six left-wing extremists found in the armed forces, the Daily Mail reported on Monday, citing the German Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

Consequently, the armed forces wants new applicants to undergo a security check by the agency, starting in July 2017, so they can swiftly spot extremists, terrorists and criminals.

A draft document justifying changes, seen by the report, said there were indications that the suspects were trying to get "so-called short-term servicemen into the armed forces" for training.

Germany was on edge after a series of violent attacks in July, two of which were claimed by the Islamic State.
Bengaluru, Aug 30 : Concerned over the defunct status of the Cyber Appellate Tribunal, which has been headless since July 2011, Independent Rajya Sabha lawmaker Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday urged the central government to appoint a chairperson to the judicial authority on priority.

"Given the government's efforts under the Digital India Initiative and your recent statement that the number of internet users will cross 500 million by 2016, the need for a competent and functional judicial body to address grievances and violations under the IT Act is of great importance," said Chandrasekhar in a letter to Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

The tribunal's top post has been vacant since July 1, 2011 after the term of the previous chairman Justice Rajesh Tandon ended on June 30, as the new appointment could not materialise for various reasons.

"The rights' of citizens to avail judicial remedies on privacy and data security under the IT Act 2000 remains undermined in the absence of the tribunal, where 68 appeals were pending before the tribunal," reiterated the Bengaluru-based industrialist turned politician.

"The increased use of IT by the government will predictably lead to more disputes. Providing services and benefits to citizens under Aadhaar and Jan Dhan Yojana may create disputes between citizens and intermediaries," he added.

In response to a writ petition on the issue, the IT department assured the Karnataka High Court in September 2013 that the chairperson would be appointed within six months.
Paris, Aug 30 : French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday said negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), between the European Union and the United States cannot yield an agreement by the end of this year.

"The discussions on TAFTA (Transatlantic Free Trade Area) for some, TTIP for others, cannot result in an agreement by the end of the year and France cannot approve it," Hollande told diplomats.

The EU and US began work on the TTIP in 2013, a proposed free trade deal, aiming to create the world's largest free trade area and promoting multilateral growth.

Matthias Fekl, the French Minister for Foreign Trade, tweeted that his government demanded negotiations on the TTIP should cease.

"There is no more political support in France for these negotiations and France calls for an end to these negotiations," Fekl also told RMC radio.

"The Americans give nothing, or just crumbs. We need a clear and definitive stop to these negotiations to start again on good bases," he added.

France has been sceptical about TTIP and has threatened to block the deal, arguing the US has offered little in return for concessions made by Europe. All 28 EU member states and the European parliament will have to ratify TTIP before it comes into force.

Sigmar Gabriel, Germany's centre-left Economy Minister, has said that the negotiations have failed "as we Europeans do not want to subject ourselves to American demands".

However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said last month that the proposed US-EU deal was "absolutely in Europe's interest".

The TTIP negotiations were planned to be finalised by January 2017 but were bogged down over the terms of the agreement, rising opposition to the deal in France and Germany and more recently Britain's shock vote to leave the EU.

According to the European Commission, the TTIP would boost the EU's economy by 120 billion euros, the US economy by 90 billion euros and the rest of the world by 100 billion euros.

Spokesman for the US Trade Representative, Michael Froman, said talks had not stalled. He told Germany's Der Spiegel: "Negotiations are in fact making steady progress."
Guwahati, Aug 30 : Several organisations led by the All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU) on Tuesday blocked national highways at several points in Assam to restart the movement for creation of a separate Bodo state.

Hundreds of members of ABSU and other groups gathered in various districts and blocked highways for five hours starting from 6 a.m., affecting movement of vehicular traffic across the state.

At least seven national highways across Kokrajhar, Chirang, Biswanath and Goalpara districts were blocked for five hours.

The blockade affected the movement of trucks, particularly those carrying essential foodstuff and other goods to Assam and other parts of the north-eastern region.

"We have been agitating for the last several years demanding a separate state for the Bodos," ABSU President Promod Boro said.

He said the BJP-led governments at the centre and the state have not done anything to fulfil the demands of the Bodos.

"The central government said it would fulfil our demands before they came to power in 2014. The BJP had also promised to look into this demand in their manifesto. That's why we suspended the movement for two years."

"However, the governments at Delhi and Dispur (Assam capital) are forcing us to agitate again to demand our legitimate right," Boro said.

He said the government led by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal came to power on the promise that land rights and political rights of the indigenous people would be safeguarded.

"However, the government has not done anything so far to fulfil the demands of the Bodo people in Assam," said Boro.

He said the ABSU has decided to organise a 'Road Close' programme in September this year and a Railway Line Blockade in October.

"If the government does not pay heed to our demands, we are going to organise a Maha Rally in New Delhi in November to put pressure on it," he said.
New Delhi, Aug 30 : India and the US on Tuesday reasserted the urgent necessity for Pakistan to dismantle safe havens for terrorist groups and criminal networks and said there can be no difference between good terrorists and bad terrorists.

"Secretary (John) Kerry and I discussed at length the issue of terrorism, which is the key challenge to the international community, and the foremost threat to international peace and security," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in a joint press interaction with US Secretary of State John Kerry, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker after the conclusion of the Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue here.

"I am happy to note that there was a meeting of minds on this issue," she said.

Sushma Swaraj said that she briefed Kerry on the continuing problem of cross-border terrorism that India and the larger region faces from Pakistan.

"We both agreed that nations must not maintain double standards, such as the categorisation of good and bad terrorists, nor must they act as sanctuaries and safe havens for terrorist organisations," she stated.

"We reaffirmed the urgent necessity for Pakistan to dismantle safe havens for terrorists and criminal networks including Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and D Company. Secretary Kerry and I also agreed on the need for Pakistan to do more to bring the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot terrorist attacks to justice quickly."

Sushma Swaraj said that she and Kerry also discussed the need to strengthen the international legal regime to counter terrorism.

Kerry said the US continued to support all efforts to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai and Pathankot terror attacks to justice.

"Let me be clear... United States continues to support all efforts to bring the perpetrators of Mumbai and the Pathankot attacks to justice and we cannot and will not make distinction between good and bad terrorism," he stated "Terror is terror no matter where it comes from and who carries it out."

Kerry also said that the two countries have agreed to exchange "terrorist screening information" to deepen cooperation in designating terrorist groups at the UN.

To a question on resumption of India-Pakistan talks, Sushma Swaraj said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Pakistan in December 2015 "and we got Pathankot in return".

"Talks and terrorism cannot go together," she reiterated.

Kerry also said that the US, India and Afghanistan would hold a trilateral meeting in the UN General Assembly session next month in which Indian investments in major Afghan infrastructure projects would be discussed.

Attacks by the Taliban on Afghan territory from across the border in Pakistan would also come up for discussion, he said.

In Tuesday's meeting, Sushma Swaraj also thanked the US for its continued support for India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.

"We also had a detailed exchange of views on climate change and clean energy issues," she said.

"Both our countries attach high importance to the full implementation of the Paris Agreement, in the finalisation of which (US) President (Barack) Obama and Prime Minister Modi played key roles."

Kerry said that the US would help India upgrade its power grid and the civilian nuclear agreement between the two sides would help provide clean and renewable energy to tens of millions of Indians.

Commerce Minister Sitharaman said India and the US have agreed to add partnership in the travel and tourism sector to the existing work streams under the bilateral Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.

She announced that next year's Global Entrepreneurship Summit would be held in India and it would be co-hosted by the US.

India also raised the issue of hike in fees of US H-1B and L-1 visas.

Secretary for Commerce Pritzker said that the matter was not limited to India alone but she "committed" to Sitharaman to look into the issue in the wake of concerns raised by Indian companies India and the US earlier on Tuesday began the economic phase of their Strategic and Commercial Dialogue with Sitharaman asking America Inc to join the country's 'Make in India' initiative.

Sitharaman first met co-chair Pritzker, following which they presided over the India-US CEO Forum, that has Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry and Honeywell Chairman Dave Cote as the co-hosts.

The Commerce Minister also said that India has shared a model investment treaty with the US.
New Delhi, Aug 30 : Former Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla, who had written a biography of Mother Teresa soon after she was conferred the Noble Peace Prize and the Bharat Ratna, on Tuesday said that he had anticipated the nun's canonization long back as the sacrifices she made for the poor were exemplary.

"In my hearts of hearts, I knew this (her canonization) would come in some day. She was only 18 when she was convinced that her life's vocation lay in her becoming a missionary in far off India," Chawla told media at a press conference at the Catholic Bishop's Conference of India (CBCI) headquarters here.

"Confronted with disease, destitution and death all around her at a time, there was hardly any health care service to speak of, she sacrificed her life for the poor people. I was moved when I had met her for the first time," he said.

Albanian by birth, Mother Teresa had come to India in 1929 as a noviate nun and lived here subsequently. Devoting her life to the care of the sick and poor, she was conferred the Noble Prize in 1979 and Bharat Ratna in 1980. It was then Chawla had written his biography.

Archibishop of Delhi Anil Couto explained the whole process of beatification and canonisation that begin five years post the death of the holy man or woman. However in case of Mother Teresa, it began soon after her death in September 1997 as the then Pope, John Paul II, waived the waiting period, "The waiting period ensures that the person has an enduring reputation for sanctity among the faithful. Once a cause has begun, the individual is called a servant of God. The public and private writings must be collected. Once the heroic virtues have been recognised by the Pope, the candidate to sainthood is called venerable," he said.

The next is step towards beatification. For the declaration of a person as Blessed, there has to be the approval of a miracle," he said adding: "After that the church looks for a second miracle. Canonidation is then possible.

During the press conference, CBCI Secretary General Theodore Mascarenhas said that canonisation of Mother Teresa would be an important event for India and he was grateful to the government for the support to the upcoming ceremony.

"We thank the government for its support. It would be an important day for the world, especially for Indians as the Mother came here from Albania and put the gospel values and Indian values together to reach out to millions of brethren in the peripheries and beyond boundaries of caste, creed and religion," he said.

"She didn't seek to convert you. She sought to make you better. We in India became richer because of her poverty, greater because of her humility, blessed because of her compassion. She lived among us and gave compassion and mercy to those who needed it," he added.
The number of rental properties on letting agents books in the UK is at its highest level this year so far as demand for properties fell marginally in July, according to the latest research.

But the private rental sector market is in positive shape following the decision in June to leave the European Union with the majority of agents reporting no change to rent prices.

The July rental sector report from the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) shows that there were 184 rental properties on agents books, up 5% from the previous month.

However, year on year supply is down as there were 189 properties per agent in July 2015, some 3% higher than July this year.

Demand from prospective tenants for rental accommodation fell slightly, from 37 house hunters per branch in June, to 36 in July.

Following the Brexit vote some 71% of agents witnessed no change in rents and 62% saw no movement in supply while 61% recorded no change in demand.

As in June, last month 38% of letting agents saw no sign of a market wobble following Brexit. Where there is uncertainty though, it comes from those looking to let properties, with 44% of agents reporting signs of uncertainty from landlords



Despite reports that the housing market is spiralling out of control post-Brexit, our results paint a very different picture, and indicate that the future is bright for the rental market, said David Cox, ARLA managing director.

Supply is up, as wed expect at this time of year, and the number of tenants experiencing rent hikes hasnt changed in three months. While we obviously need new houses to balance the growing gap between supply and demand, whats positive is that the situation isnt worsening as a direct result of Junes Brexit result, he added.
There is nothing more valuable to a culture than its traditions and history. Kachina dolls serve as a way to preserve both.

Kachina dolls are not just for decoration, they also hold deep cultural significance within Native American tribes. To many, Kachina dolls are made to teach the history and traditions of the tribe to their children and instill certain values of hope, honor, and religion within them. To others, Kachina dolls are a way to focus their creativity on their culture and produce stunning works of art and their way of making a living. This is true of Hopi artist Darrence Chimerica. Chimerica starts with only the raw materials of the land around his home and uses these to create his art.

Chimerica is one of many outstanding Native American individuals that use the gift of heritage to create something inspiring. Keith Torres of the Coyote and Fire Clans of the Hopi Tribe is an award winning artist featured in the book Katchina Dolls and Their Carvers" by Theda Bassman. His work can also be found on Kachina-Dolls.com, here.

There are many inspiring leaders and artists in the Native community that put their belief and talent into their work. Another example would be the exquisite Kachina dolls of Ron Duwyenie, of the Grease wood Clan of the Hopi Tribe, who learned how to carve by watching friends and relatives and following in his fathers footsteps.

Kachina-Dolls.com would like to celebrate National Native American Heritage Month, this November, by releasing a new collection of this beautiful art craft for the general public to enjoy and learn more about Native culture. A spokesman for the company, David Stentson, spoke passionately on the subject, stating, There is nothing more valuable to a culture than its traditions and history. Kachina dolls serve as a way to preserve both. People like Chimerica, Torres, and Duwyenie, the latter two we represent, are great examples of people that honor their culture, which is the spirit of this holiday.

Stentson and his team believe that a tool used to teach Native children about their culture is the perfect introduction for people to get into the Native American Heritage Month spirit this year.

The company also invites people to browse their new selection of Native American Kachina dolls.
Reynolds Square Intown Atlanta lacks moderately priced luxury townhomes so we are addressing an unmet need in the market with this townhome product.

Icon Residential will be breaking ground on 23 townhomes featuring premium amenities just East of Downtown Atlanta in Historic Reynoldstown. Reynolds Square contemporary townhomes feature five unique floorplans starting in the $300s.

These townhouses feature 2 car garages, optional private rooftop terraces, and concrete block construction for safety and durability. This contemporary design also features designer Quartz countertops, high ceilings, and premium fixtures and finishes that you can upgrade to your personal style. Pam Ahern with Keller Williams Reality is the exclusive agent selling the homes and the sales office will be located at address 21 North Ave. Suite C50, Atlanta, GA 30308.

Reynolds Square just east of downtown Atlanta, walking distance from an energetic historic center and the Atlanta Beltline for easy access to anywhere in the city. Reynoldstown is home to a diverse array of bungalow and modern homes, and a walkable neighborhood full of history and a welcoming nature. Reynolds Square is conveniently located near various retail destinations such as the Edgewood Retail District a block north, a premier mixed-use community composed of boutique shops, restaurants and world class anchor retailers. You will find yourself immersed within the Atlanta lifestyle while inhabiting a haven of beautiful design.

We specialize in developing attractively designed townhomes in desirable infill locations across the Southeast US, said Icon Residential Principal Mike Bednarski, a managing partner with the developer. Our teams core strategy is to re-urbanize alluring neighborhoods near city centers that offer a live-work-play environment., explained Mike. Mike also stated, Intown Atlanta lacks moderately priced luxury townhomes so we are addressing an unmet need in the market with this townhome product. It is also unique because we structured the homes as fee simple ownership, which means homebuyers can get up to 95% traditional conforming loans, unlike other communities set up like condos that require higher down payments.

About Icon Residential Development

Founded in Tampa, FL in 2009 by Principals Mike Bednarski, Ryan Studzinski and Peggy Tseung, Icon Residential is a real estate investment and development company, with a strong background in residential real estate investing, construction, brokerage and development.

Icon embraces New Urbanist design principles, such as accessibility to an active urban environment, and promotes the opportunity for a live, work, play lifestyle. The companys market approach is tailored to contemporary for-sale housing targeting middle income households and empty nesters primarily in the southeastern United States where it creates innovative and desirable custom solutions for infill, for-sale housing. Icons portfolio contains a growing collection of boutique urban communities that showcase the companys innovative approach to architecture, design and planning. Icon Residential has offices in Tampa, Atlanta and New York. For more information, please visit http://www.iconresliving.com or email info(at)iconresliving(dot)com.
Get hired by companies like Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft and so many more!

This no-cost data science resource is valuable to seasoned practitioners as well as beginners looking to break into the rapidly expanding field of data science.

Every week, OpenDataScience.com features tens of new data science blogs and talks by some of the biggest names in the industry, hitting on a variety of high-demand topics; from Intro to Deep Learning to Bayesian Statistics and everything in between.

Being a data scientist is an awesome way to make a living. Its one of the best paying careers and exposes people to very exciting projects. What has been described as one the best jobs of the 21st century will get someone involved in everything from health prediction apps to driverless cars.

Everyone knows that desperately searching for a new job is never a good idea. Data science is a huge field and it takes time to network and find the first or next position that's perfect.

The good news is, OpenDataScience.com has made it easier to find the perfect job. OpenDataScience.coms dedicated data science jobs section, features the best roles from some of the worlds leading tech companies including: Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft and so many more!

Having a hearty skill set of open source tools helps any resume. Familiarity with Python, R, Julia, Stan, scikit-learn, Drill, Hadoop, Spark and so on are all things peers and employers look for. Luckily, these tools are just a click away at OpenDataScience.com. Read blogs and watch videos about how the latest data science tools, trends and languages are transforming the world around us.

What can offer better bragging rights and insights than learning these tools from the all-stars who created them? These are some extremely innovative individuals and OpenDataScience.com visitors have access to all of these great data science talks, at no cost!

To be honest, becoming a data scientist is not just about ticking off a bunch of skill boxes. Its a passion, a life's work and a journey. It's important that resource websites like OpenDataScience.com are on that road.
Lucas Group Jennifers experience and expertise in the industry will prove to be invaluable as our team continues to grow, servicing a wide array of manufacturing clients throughout the region.

Lucas Group continues to grow its presence in Southern California with the addition of a new Managing Partner. Jennifer Bowers has been hired to lead and expand the manufacturing branch in San Diego while also running a full recruiting desk. Bowers joins a tenured, experienced team of manufacturing executive recruiters which will continue to grow to address client and candidate demand.

Jennifer has joined our powerhouse manufacturing team in San Diego, bringing nearly a decade of experience in staffing, management and industrial markets, said Charlie Wilgus, General Manager of Lucas Groups Manufacturing executive recruitment services. We are fortunate to have Jennifer lead the charge with her positive attitude, industry knowledge and proven consultative approach to recruiting and leadership skills.

Bowers began her career as a recruiter in Southern California where she was quickly promoted to a large operation in the Boston area. She was later given the opportunity to run a startup with Adecco in San Diego, where she now calls home. Throughout her career, she has recruited up to 300 workers a day for a medical device company and has led teams to success in every capacity.

Jennifers experience and expertise in the industry will prove to be invaluable as our team continues to grow, servicing a wide array of manufacturing clients throughout the region, said Wilgus. With a focus on industrial manufacturing, supply chain management careers, logistics and distribution, as well as aerospace, engineering and other manufacturing sectors, our team partners with mid-tier to Fortune 500 corporations to address their critical staffing needs with transcendent manufacturing talent. We are excited to add Jennifer to our team to help lead them on a continued track to success.

Lucas Group consists of 15 offices located throughout the U.S., including the San Diego branch. Since 1970, the executive recruiting firm has provided consultative advice and guidance to address clients staffing needs and help improve candidates careers. In addition to Manufacturing, Lucas Group works across six other functionalities including Accounting & Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Legal, Military Transition and Sales & Marketing. With its broad footprint across the country, the team of more than 350 recruiters is able to uncover the best talent in the market, leading to long-term, strategic placements.

About Lucas Group

Lucas Group is North Americas premier executive search firm. Since 1970, our culture and methodologies have driven superior results. We assist clients ranging in size from small to medium-sized businesses to Fortune 500 companies find transcendent, executive talent; candidates fully realize their ambitions; and associates find professional success. To learn more, please visit Lucas Group at http://www.lucasgroup.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
With attackers targeting smaller organizations, Kelser supports IT departments in protecting their data. As attackers have shifted focus to smaller companies, a-la-carte cybersecurity has become less effective and harder for IT staff to maintain.

In response to increased cyber attacks in the middle market previously reserved for larger organizations, Kelser Corporation has launched Defend Forward, a comprehensive, customized Cybersecurity-as-a-Service offering for organizations in the Northeast.

IT staff at medium-sized companies cant reasonably be expected to keep up with the evolution of threats ranging from ransomware (information or systems held hostage) to attacks that exploit human nature like boss phishing (when executives are impersonated online). Yet, 65 percent of cyber attacks in 2015 were directed at businesses with less than 2,500 employees.

With the average cost of a cyber crime incident exceeding $15 million, 60 percent of small businesses hit by cyber attacks go out of business.

Defend Forward begins with a security study funded by our technology partners and is guided by the question, What information do you have that would be harmful to your company or your customers if it were compromised? says Kelser CTO Jonathan Stone. Typically, the answer is A lot more than we thought.

For companies that have to meet legal requirements to protect sensitive information, such as manufacturers and healthcare providers, the stakes are particularly high, continues Stone. You dont have to be anywhere near the size of Anthem to experience a costly breach like they did last year. In fact, attackers know they can get a lot from companies with annual revenues between $20-200 million, and that their defenses are usually lower.

With Defend Forward, Kelsers experienced security architects assess where risk areas are and work alongside internal IT staff to set up and maintain defenses for the company. These include monitored, next generation firewalls, encryption, employee awareness training, and other layers of protection. Customized plans are developed to prevent as many breaches as possible, while allowing swift action if a breach does happen.

This collaborative, on-going approach incurs low upfront costs and enables mid-sized companies to implement advanced cybersecurity measures on par with much larger organizations with greater internal resources.

We saw the need for a package like Defend Forward develop over time, says Matthew Kozloski, VP of Professional Services at Kelser. As attackers have shifted focus to smaller companies, a-la-carte cybersecurity has become less effective and harder for IT staff to maintain. Defend Forward is a layered, defense-in-depth program that requires no planning, or complicated review of products in the marketplace. In addition to best of breed hardware, software, and services, our Defend Forward customers get the experience of Kelser actively put to work to protect their organizations.

About Kelser

Since 1981, Kelser Corporation has helped organizations achieve their goals through technology. Based in East Hartford, Kelser is proud to assist a wide variety of organizations in the Northeastincluding some of the largest companies in Connecticutin using technology to move their businesses forward. Kelsers experienced team of technology consultants understand their clients businesses as deeply as the products and services Kelser provides. The result is technology that works on behalf of businesses, not the other way around.
Not only has the collection had hundreds of uses since its launch, it has also become a meeting point for delegations and the general public to discuss Chinese culture and literature.

Nishan Press, Inc. (also known as Nishan House) announces the 2016 Nishan International Forum, to be co-hosted with the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL). China's renowned scholar and contemporary literature titan, Wang Meng, will be the keynote speaker and the forum's theme will be Tracing the Genes of Culture. Clayton Dube of the USC U.S.-China Institute will conduct a dialogue with Mr. Wang, featuring bilateral perspectives on aspects of Chinese culture, which have a universal appeal. The forum will be held in the Mark Taper Auditorium of the Los Angeles Public Library on September 10, 2016, from 2:00-4:00 pm.

Mr. Wang was born in Beijing in 1934, and is an acclaimed contemporary Chinese author and culture scholar. In his writing career, he has published more than 60 books and his publications have been translated into 21 different languages. Attendees of the forum will have the extreme privilege of hearing the well-known author speak.

This year, the Nishan International Forum's goal is to explore the charm of traditions and culture. The previous forum was a success and was attended by more than 100 guests, including professionals in the media, publication, education and library industries from the U.S., China, Russia and Poland. Presenters discussed the challenges and opportunities of development and innovation by libraries and publishers to better engage with and serve dynamic readership. This year's forum will be held in Los Angeles to better serve the high demand of local Chinese-speaking communities and Chinese culture enthusiasts, with prospective far-reaching influence. The event is expected to be well attended.

Last year, a collection of 350 books was donated to the LAPL, to set up the West Coasts first Nishan House, ranging from pocket books to multi-volume series, and covering a wide array of subjects. We are very proud of the addition of the Nishan House Collection at the Los Angeles Public Library, said John Szabo, City Librarian of LAPL. Not only has the collection had hundreds of uses since its launch, it has also become a meeting point for delegations and the general public to discuss Chinese culture and literature. We also promote this collection, along with our other international collections, through virtual and web presence.

Advanced registration is required in order to attend the Nishan International Forum and space is limited. Contact the Forum Organizing Committee with inquiries and to reserve a spot: nishanpressla(at)gmail(dot)com or nishanla(at)qq(dot)com.

About Nishan Press, Inc.:

Nishan House was founded in 2012 in order to create an important platform for collecting and exhibiting the excellent achievements of human civilizations and to promote cultural exchanges between China and other countries. The foundation was first established by Shandong Friendship Publishing House, at the foot of Mount Nishan, the birthplace of Confucius. The mission of Nishan House is to spread culture and transmit friendship. Since its founding, twenty-two branches have opened in thirteen countries including in the U.S., Italy, Argentina and Australia. Nishan House has five subsidiary brands: Nishan House Collection, Nishan International Forum, Nishan Press and Publishing, Nishan Exhibition and Nishan International Education.
La Charme du Marais, one of the 25 upscale properties in Cobblestone Paris' apartment rental portfolio All our apartments have been renovated with high-end furnishings and are serviced by a full-time English-speaking Cobblestone Paris staff that we personally trained to be proactive and responsive in the way Americans expect but dont often find in Paris.

Ten years after Ryan Miller impulsively bought a Paris studio apartment as an anniversary present for his wife while he was in France on a business trip, Cobblestone Paris proudly celebrates a decade of providing exceptional apartment rentals to visitors worldwide to the City of Lights.

With 25 impeccably furnished and conveniently located apartments in their rental portfolio, Cobblestone Paris eight studio and 17 one-bedroom properties accommodate one to four guests. This year, a two-bedroom apartment with Notre Dame and Seine River views will be added to comfortably house up to six people.

Boasting authentic architectural nuances such as 300-year-old hand carved wooden beam ceilings, stone walls, and terracotta floors, most of the spacious apartments also include modern amenities like full kitchens with dishwashers; free WiFi, internet-enabled television, and free long-distance phone service; and washers and dryers. With locations in the Marais, St. Germain-des-Pres, Bastille, the Ile Saint-Louis island, Louvre, Champs-Elysees, and Montorgueil, all are close to gourmet stores, boutiques, cafes, restaurants and popular tourist attractions.

When my wife Jennifer and I vacationed in Paris in 2004, we decided to stay in a furnished apartment instead of at a hotel so we could truly immerse ourselves in the French culture, explained Ryan, who worked with an airline for six years before committing to running Cobblestone Paris on a full-time basis. That may seem a common thing now in the Airbnb era, but at the time, most people only stayed in hotels and missed a huge opportunity to deepen their experience in Paris.

After spending a week walking the cobblestone streets and exploring the city, Jennifer and I vowed that wed have our own apartment there one day, continued Ryan. Who knew then that only 10 years later, wed not only have achieved our personal dream, but also started a company that offers a true Paris apartment experience to visitors from around the world?

The Millers first apartment purchase was Studio La Fontaine, a cozy studio apartment located on a picturesque cobblestone square in the then-unknown, but now-vibrant and gentrified Canal Saint-Martin area of central Paris. Theyve since purchased two additional apartments, and manage the remaining 22 properties with the same attention to detail, comfort, and guest satisfaction.

We like to say that we have something for everyone, added Jennifer. One of our properties on the island behind Notre Dame is located in one of the oldest buildings in Paris, dating from the 1600s, which offers a unique historic charm. Other properties, such as Royale du Marche located near the Louvre, are a bit less medieval and more Versailles-inspired. All our apartments have been renovated with high-end furnishings and are serviced by a full-time English-speaking Cobblestone Paris staff that we personally trained to be proactive and responsive in the way Americans expect but dont often find in Paris. This has helped bring many of our guests back to us again and again.

Since Cobblestone Paris expansion has always been an organic one resulting from their acclaimed reputation within the industry, the Millers plan to continue building their apartment rental inventory as appropriate opportunities present themselves. Rigorous standards and portfolio consistency are critical components of the Cobblestone philosophy.

For more information or to check apartment availability, visit Cobblestone Paris at http://www.CobblestoneParis.com.

About Cobblestone Paris

Established in 2006 after Los Angeles resident Ryan Miller purchased a charming studio apartment while on a business trip abroad, Cobblestone Paris has since become a preeminent upscale, customer-centric vacation rental company. Operated by Ryan and his wife Jennifer, Cobblestone Paris features eight studio and 17 one-bedroom apartments conveniently located in the Marais, on the Ile Saint-Louis island, near the Champs-Elysees, and in other popular tourist destinations throughout the city. Lauded by travel guru Rick Steves in his successful guidebook, Europe through the Back Door, the apartments lovely accommodations and outstanding amenities afford guests a unique opportunity to see Paris like a true Parisian.
TwelveStone Health Partners, a post-acute care pharmacy and medical supply company, has elevated three employees to director level positions: Scott Brown - Purchasing and Inventory Control; Elizabeth Dean  Finance; and Angela Farmer  Human Resources.

These are three very hard working and dedicated members of the TwelveStone team, says Shane Reeves, president and CEO of TwelveStone. Were proud of our ability to attract and nurture talents like Scott, Elizabeth and Angela and I know theyll be valuable assets as spearhead our expansion efforts into all 95 Tennessee counties.

Scott Brown

Brown is responsible for managing inventory costs and improving workflow efficiencies. Ultimately I am constantly looking for ways to improve the financial status of the company by reducing our cost of goods and increasing our inventory turns, while also making sure we are efficiently and effectively meeting our patients needs, says Brown.

Brown joined TwelveStone in 2015 from Franklin-based Network HealthCare, where he was a technician supervisor.

Elizabeth Dean

Dean brings 21 years of experience in accounting and finance to her current role, where she is responsible for effectively managing all financial tasks of the organization. My job is to keep the TwelveStone financial house in good working order, says Dean. That largely means all accounting and reporting in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Dean joined TwelveStone in 2012 from Dempsey Vantrease and Follis, a Murfreesboro-based accounting firm.

Angela Farmer

Farmer joined TwelveStone in 2015 and has more than 20 years experience in human resources management. I spearhead all aspects of the Human Resources department, including leadership development, and I also have oversight for Lean Six Sigma and Compliance & Accreditation.

All three employees will work directly with TwelveStones Chief Financial Officer, Chad Boyd.

About TwelveStone Health Partners

TwelveStone Health Partners incorporates the objective of glorifying God into its mission by delivering a higher level of service to partners and patients. As an organization, TwelveStone supports the transition from acute to post-acute care environments and the transition from sickness to health. This is the third evolution in the companys history, beginning in 1980 when Richard Reeves and Ronald Powell created a single retail pharmacy location then called Reeves Powell Saveway Drug Store. In 1994 Shane Reeves and Rick Sain launched Reeves-Sain and over 20 years grew the organization to include seven companies. In 2015 Reeves Sain Drug Store, Inc., a retail pharmacy, and its specialty pharmacy, EntrustRx were sold to Freds, Inc. In 2016 Shane Reeves launched TwelveStone Health Partners with the objective of continuing to pursue the highest professional, business and community goals set forth by its founders.
Company Directories Just Went Mobile Companies can turn to aGD to ensure they are providing a secure, omnichannel experience while harnessing the very latest technology has to offer.

Akkadian Labs, the Cisco Solutions Partner, today introduced the latest version of aGD, its company directory software. Akkadian Labs specifically designed aGD for companies using Cisco Collaboration technology. The powerful directory software allows employees to access their companys contacts from multiple platformsnot just their desktop phones. Now, employees may access their companys directory from all the communications devices they use, including Cisco Jabber, the web, iPhone and Android mobile devices.

Employees today expect seamless communication. They need to be able to reach co-workers from wherever they are working, and from whatever device is at hand, said Eric Nelson, President & COO of Akkadian Labs. Organizations need the directory to be secure. Companies can turn to aGD to ensure they are providing a secure, omnichannel experience while harnessing the very latest technology has to offer.

With akkadian Global Directory version 3.0, companies of any size can now quickly deploy a unified corporate directory by just uploading data sources via the aGD dashboard.

The easy-to-use software is already a popular addition to companies desktop Cisco IP phones, but now aGD will enable companies to provide smarter and more personalized directories with the following innovations:



iOS and Android aGD apps for mobile: With these powerful mobile apps, employees will be able to download the app and then access their companys directory right from their phones or tablets.

aGD for Cisco Jabber: Now, employees using Cisco Jabber may access a full or customized company directoryall from Cisco Jabber.

aGD interface for the web: This new web interface ensures that customers have the same seamless experience on the web as on a Cisco IP phone and mobile devices.

As with all Akkadian Labs software solutions, companies interested in adopting a more unified company directory may download a free, thirty-day trial right from the Akkadian Labs site.

About Akkadian Labs

Akkadian Labs focuses exclusively on creating innovative collaboration software that maximizes business results by improving the way people communicate and work together.
Joe Britton, CEO of SearchMarketers.com, has been named as a Semi-Finalist in the CEO for Outstanding Technology Company category of the Orange County Technology Alliance Annual High-Tech Innovation Awards.

We are pleased to be a part of Orange Countys vibrant technology community said Britton.

Now in its 23rd year, the High-Tech Innovation Awards is Southern Californias premier awards program event celebrating achievement among the regional tech industry. The OC Tech Alliance honors local companies, leaders and technology products that make Orange County a technology hub. The winners will be announced at a gala dinner on October 6, 2016, at the Westin South Coast Plaza. OC Tech Alliance congratulates Joe Britton for being a Semi-Finalist.

###

About SearchMarketers.com

SearchMarketers.com is a global digital advertising agency that increases search engine revenues and rankings for its clients. The company manages search engine marketing campaigns helping businesses drive high quality leads that increase sales. For more information, visit http://searchmarketers.com/ or call (888) 383-9993, or email info(at)searchmarketers(dot)com

About Orange County Technology Alliance

The Orange County Technology Alliance (OC Tech Alliance) is a 501(c)6 nonprofit trade association committed to fast-forwarding the local innovation economy. It is the successor organization to the Or-ange County Council of TechAmerica and AeA. It is the only technology association addressing the needs of small-to-midsize technology companies and their leaders based in Orange County, Calif. The alliance serves members through local networking, professional development, state and federal advoca-cy, savings on business services and industry recognition.
Room 214, a social media and digital marketing agency, announced its partnership with HubSpot as a Certified Agency Partner. HubSpot, a leading inbound marketing and sales platform, helps businesses of all sizes and types grow through a proven approach to integrating online advertising, social media, email and CRM solutions.

As an agency thats helped companies match their digital marketing efforts to a real return on investment, were excited about the commitment were making to advance our expertise and experience with the HubSpot platform, stated Jason Cormier, co-founding partner of Room 214.

Born digital in 2004, Room 214s focus originated in helping companies achieve high search engine visibility with digital content created to drive leads and sales. As one of only a handful of digitally focused agencies to add social media services as a core offering in 2007, the firm never lost sight of how social could contribute to business growth.

Having worked as a Marketo partner agency, its great to pivot toward a platform thats equally as impressive yet more in line with the kind of content creation our agency has become known for, said James Clark, co-founder of Room 214.

As a recognized inbound marketing and sales leader, HubSpot is well-positioned to help Room 214 continue its growth, leveraging a powerful combination of digital strategy and social creative services to serve clients worldwide.

Room 214 has a great team of highly intelligent and skilled digital marketers who are committed to being best in class, said Jordan Benjamin, Senior Partner Strategist at HubSpot. I'm excited to have them as a part of the HubSpot Partner Community so they can accelerate the great results they drive for their clients.

About Room 214 l Room 214 is a digital marketing and social media agency dedicated to helping brands connect with the people who matter most. Recognized as one of the fastest growing companies by Inc., Room 214 succeeds by molding thoughtful insights into intriguing content -- and developing strategic marketing initiatives that integrate all facets of digital and social marketing for B2B and B2C companies. With headquarters in Boulder, Colo. services include: brand and messaging strategy; digital and social media campaign execution; consumer research and analytics; online advertising and search engine optimization; content creation with in-house copy, photography and video production capabilities. A sample of Room 214s clients include: Sanrio (Hello Kitty), Panasonic, Boulder Brands, Crock-Pot, Mr. Coffee, Adobe, Verizon, Twitter, Western Union, Haribo and Whitewave Foods.

Make the connection and join Room 214 in conversation at: room214.com, @Room_214, and info(at)room214(dot)com.

About HubSpot l HubSpot ($HUBS) is the worlds leading inbound marketing and sales platform. Since 2006, HubSpot has been on a mission to make the world more inbound. Today, over 20,000 customers in more than 90 countries use HubSpots software, services, and support to transform the way they attract, engage, and delight customers. HubSpots inbound marketing software, ranked No. 1 in customer satisfaction by VentureBeat and G2Crowd, includes social media publishing and monitoring, blogging, SEO, website content management, email marketing, marketing automation, and reporting and analytics, all in one integrated platform. HubSpot Sales, HubSpots award-winning sales acceleration tool, enables sales and service teams to have more effective conversations with leads, prospects, and customers. Recognized by Inc., Forbes, and Deloitte as one of the worlds fastest-growing companies, HubSpot is headquartered in Cambridge, MA with offices in Dublin, Ireland, Sydney, Australia, Tokyo, Japan and Portsmouth, NH. Learn more at http://www.hubspot.com.
Celebrating 27 years of giving businesses the edge with executive office suites! AdvantEdge built itself around the principle that its clients are the heart and soul of the company.

AdvantEdge Business Centers, a leader in the Washington, D.C. executive office suites and shared office space industry for over 27 years, is excited to announce its second expansion at 2101 L St. NW within a 3-month period. On the heels of a 23,000 sq. ft. expansion in May of 2016, Founder and CEO Prakash Gavri, has continued the growth streak at 2101 L St. NW by adding an additional 5,000 sq. ft. of office space. This newest addition will bring Gavris holdings to an impressive 78,000 sq. ft. at the 21st and L Street location.

The growing business and space needs of a long-time client initiated AdvantEdges most recent acquisition of additional space in the Central Business District. AdvantEdge built itself around the principle that its clients are the heart and soul of the company. It is common knowledge that businesses often grow, and sometimes downsize. It is this knowledge that inspires me to be remarkably flexible to meet my clients business needs, states Gavri. AdvantEdge has made it its prerogative to support clients throughout the on-going evolution of their companies.

Client Katharina Moeller concurs, I love my offices at AdvantEdge Business Centers. I honestly will never have my own offices again. The staff is amazing, so nice and helpful and the owner is fair and always willing to work with the ebb and flow of your business. The space is beautiful and the technology top shelf!

About AdvantEdge Business Centers

AdvantEdge Business Centers is D.C.s premier provider of full-service office space solutions. Services include virtual offices, fully-furnished office space, coworking, private suites, shared office space, meeting and conference room space, and much more. Comprised of two prime locations in prestigious neighborhoods across the Nations Capital, AdvantEdge caters to a diverse group of over 500 clients including attorneys, entrepreneurs, startups, home businesses, and tech-focused companies, to name a few.

The longest-standing AdvantEdge location is in the Chevy Chase Pavilion at 5335 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Suite 440, and the ever-growing Downtown space is located at 2101 L St. NW, Suite 800. Each location boasts nine conference rooms, bookable by the hour, outfitted with flat screen TVs and telecommunication capabilities. Vibrant art from local artists is showcased throughout the breezy hallways. A dozen sitting areas are peppered throughout and are ideal for brainstorming, small meetings or networking. There are individual workspaces aplenty and each comes fully furnished and equipped with high-speed Internet while more deluxe spaces offer spectacular views of the city.

For more information, contact AdvantEdge Business Centers on-line at https://www.advantedgebc.com/ or by phone at 202-895-1509.

# # #
Training is provided by both dentists and physicians to increase the scope of understanding, as well as fostering the importance of a team approach to ensure the highest level of patient care possible

Experienced dental sleep medicine and craniofacial pain specialist, Dr. Mayoor Patel, announces the upcoming four-day mini-residency at ResMeds facilities in San Diego, CA on Sleep Medicine and Dentistry. Dr. Patel encourages dentists to join the limited list of students allowed in this American Academy of Craniofacial Pain (AACP) mini-residency September 28 - October 1, 2016.

This all new program is now offered as a weekend course that will incorporate lectures, hands-on training and case reviews. Dentists will receive approximately 30 continuing education credits for their participation and completion of the AACPs mini-residency.

Partnering with the AACP for this mini-residency can be life changing, said Dr. Mayoor Patel, a dental sleep medicine and craniofacial pain specialist in Atlanta, GA. This course is limited to 25 students, which means it is imperative that dentists and doctors sign up as soon as possible. I look forward to working with my fellow dentists, as well as sleep physicians in this team effort for the treatment of patients with sleep breathing disorders.

In this sleep course with the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain in San Diego (https://www.aacfp.org/events/AACP_MiniResidency_Class5_Brochure_2016_INTERACTIVE.pdf), dentists will pick up the knowledge and clinical skills required to assess and differentially diagnose commonly encountered temporomandibular disorders seen in a dental practice that might impact the successful treatment of a patient with a sleep breathing disorder. Dentists will also gain advanced medical and dental training to successfully treat patients in their practice. While learning these specific areas, dentists will also make progress toward fulfilling AACP Fellowship, AGD Mastership requirements and ABDSM CE requirements for examination.

Training is provided by both dentists and physicians to increase the scope of understanding, as well as fostering the importance of a team approach to ensure the highest level of patient care possible, said Dr. Patel. This is a unique opportunity for both dentists and physicians, so I highly encourage dentists to sign up now.

For more information on the AACP four-day mini-residency in Sleep Medicine and Dentistry September 28 - October 1, 2016, dentists and doctors can visit http://mpateldds.com/.

About Mayoor Patel, DDS, MS: Dr. Mayoor Patel received his dental degree from the University of Tennessee in 1994 and completed a one year residency in Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD). He also earned his Masters in Science from Tufts University in 2011 and accepted a position as an Adjunct Clinical Instructor at the Craniofacial Pain Center at Tufts Dental School. Dr. Patel also serves as Adjunct Clinical Instructor in the Department of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences at the Georgia Regents University, College of Dental Medicine in Augusta Georgia. He is the only Dental Practitioner in Georgia to be triple-boarded in Craniofacial Pain, Orofacial Pain and Dental Sleep Medicine. Dr. Mayoor Patel has taken well over 1500 hours of postgraduate education courses in the area of Sleep Medicine, Craniofacial Pain, Sleep Disorders and Orthodontics. Since 2003, Dr. Patel has limited his practice to the treatment of TMJ Disorders, Headaches, Facial Pain, Sleep Apnea and Snoring.
180 Medical, a leading catheter and ostomy supplier, is pleased to announce this years scholarship recipients. This year, the 180 Medical College Scholarship Program was able to provide seven students with $1,000 scholarships to help them finance their college education. Each student chosen is under doctor's care for spina bifida, a spinal cord injury, transverse myelitis, a condition causing a neurogenic bladder, or an ostomy. The program was designed to help students and their families offset tuition and other education costs to achieve their goals despite their health conditions. Those interested can learn more about the scholarship program at http://www.180medical.com/scholarships.

This year, 180 Medical received applications from students all over the country. The 2016 recipients are all students from various backgrounds with different educational pursuits and career goals. The one thing they each share in common is their inspirational drive to overcome adversity and succeed. Here are this year's scholarship recipients:

Maria Cerio, George Washington University

Jared Grier, Worcester Polytechnic

Marina Grujic, Indiana University

Spencer Heslop, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Macy Huff, Franklin College

Nicole Mangiaracina, Elmhurst College

Tiffany Matthews, University of North Alabama

180 Medical would like to thank everyone who applied for the 2016 scholarship awards. Each applicant was highly qualified and exemplified the tenets for which the program was founded. 180 Medical congratulates the 2016 scholarship winners and encourages students to look for an announcement for the 2017 scholarship awards and application procedures/deadlines in the near future.

About 180 Medical:

180 Medical is one of America's fastest growing home delivery providers of sterile-use catheters, ostomy products, and other related urologic disposable medical supplies. Based in Oklahoma City, the company is dedicated to meeting the supply needs of customers with chronic medical diagnoses such as urinary incontinence, spinal cord injuries, spina bifida, colon cancer, Crohns disease and many other conditions that require catheterization and ostomy supplies. 180 Medical is a subsidiary of ConvaTec, a leading global medical products and technologies company. For more information, please visit http://www.180medical.com.
Vegan Dog Treat Owner and Gondolier, J.R. Starlin I love the reaction I get when I tell people I sell vegan dog treats during the day and row gondolas at night.

Shaded Trails owner J.R. Starlin has two unique jobs. He manufactures and sells vegan dog treats to pet stores, grocery stores and at farmers markets during the day, and rows a gondola at night. J.R. combined his occupations and offered those interested a unique experience to help the Helen Woodward Animal Center, an organization that helps animals in need with shelter, food, and forever homes.

From August 22nd through National Dog Day, on August 26th 2016, Shaded Trails and the Gondola Company teamed up to help support Helen Woodward Animal Center. For every guest that brought their dog on a gondola ride that week, Shaded Trails provided the dog with a free pouch of Shaded Trails dog treats and also donated a pouch of treats to Helen Woodward. In addition, The Gondola Company donated 10% of the gondola cruises proceeds to the animal center. The total count donated was 15 pouches and $250 toward a great cause.

I love the reaction I get when I tell people I sell vegan dog treats during the day and row gondolas at night, said J.R. He continues, I figured I should take these two unique passions and combine them for a fun charity event that brings dogs closer to their families and gives back to other dogs in need.

For more information about Shaded Trails, please visit https://www.shadedtrails.com or Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Jackyl to kickoff OC Bikefest at Cowboy Coast Saloon The second annual Jackyl Thursday Bike Week Kickoff at Cowboy Coast

Cowboy Coast Saloon is proud to present nationally known Rock Icons Jackyl live in concert on September 15, 2016. The concert will kick off Ocean City Bikefest 2016 and $20 advance tickets are available now at Ticketweb.com.

Its been nearly 20 years since Jackyl shot out of Georgia with its wild, untamed and uncouth approach to rock n roll. Equal parts hard rock, heavy metal and Southern rock, Jackyl formed in 1991 and brought rock n roll back to its down-to-earth, wild, fun-loving origins. Full of spit and swagger  and a dirty sense of humor to boot  Jackyls live shows are legendary in the motorcycle community.

The Jackyl show marks the kickoff of Bike Week festivities at Cowboy Coast which will also feature live bands all weekend, custom bike builder displays with Cowboy Jerry Tully, bikini bike wash on Friday and Saturday afternoon with the International Bikini Team, a lighted bike show hosted by Fast Lane Biker Magazine and concluding with Southern Maryland and Nashville recording artist Sam Grow live on stage on Saturday Night.

Located in the heart of Ocean City at 17th St and Coastal Hwy, Cowboy Coast has something for everyone including 6 bars, a huge dance floor, VIP table seating, open air courtyards and Ocean City's only Mechanical Bull. Dining is available right next door at Cowboy's Roadhouse, a Texas style steakhouse featuring hand cut steaks, fresh seafood and mouthwatering BBQ.

For more information on Jackyl please visit them at http://www.jackyl.com for much more information on all of the Bike Week activities please visit http://www.cowboycoastoc.com
Bladder Cancer Canada (BCC), a registered non-profit organization and the only national patient advocacy group of its kind, today announced that the fifth annual Montreal BCC Awareness Walk will be held on September 18th.

Bladder cancer is the fifth most common cancer in Canada (fourth most common in men and 12th most common in women). More than 8,000 Canadians are diagnosed with bladder cancer each year. With a 60% recurrence rate, bladder cancer is the most expensive cancer to treat, on a per-patient basis. Despite the fact that approximately 80,000 Canadians have or had bladder cancer, research into the disease is underfunded  ranking 20 among all cancers, in terms of research funding in Canada.

Established in 2009, BCCs mission is: 1) to help bladder cancer patients and their loved ones face the day-to-day challenges of this disease, 2) increase awareness among the general public and within the medical community, and 3) fund research that targets the diagnosis, treatment and elimination of bladder cancer.

Supported by its Medical Advisory and Medical Research Boards, BCCs trained volunteers offer personalized support, in English and French, by telephone and e-mail. BCCs Web site http://www.bladdercancercanada.org offers a wealth of information and educational materials to bladder cancer patients and their support teams.

BCC also hosts regular Patient Education Meetings across Canada. The next meeting in Montreal is scheduled at the Jewish General Hospitals Hope & Cope Wellness Centre, 4635 Cote-Sainte-Catherine on Wednesday, September 14th from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Entry is open to all and provides access to medical experts and a community of people impacted by bladder cancer.

BCC is doing an excellent job of increasing awareness of bladder cancer  a disease that is far more prevalent than most Canadians realize, says Dr. Wassim Kassouf, Attending Surgeon, McGill University Health Center; Associate Professor and Program Director, Department of Surgery (Urology), McGill University; Chair of BCCs Medical Advisory and Medical Research Boards. With increased awareness, more Canadians are likely to identify the symptoms  most notably: blood in the urine, even if only on a single occasion  quickly and proactively. Because symptoms are commonly unrecognized, disregarded by patients or occasionally treated as urinary infections by primary care physicians, diagnoses are often delayed, which may lead to invasive treatments with worse outcomes. However, with early detection, the prognosis is quite good for most patients. The importance of awareness and early medical attention cannot be underestimated.

Our organization is a community of more than 300 volunteers across Canada  mostly bladder cancer survivors and their loved ones, continues Dale Boidman, Director, BCC. About 80% of our total income comes from our annual Awareness Walks  making these events critical to our success. Community support is always welcome  volunteers, participants, sponsors and donors. We are looking forward to a fun and informative event on September 18th and we invite all Montrealers to come out support the fight against bladder cancer.

Event Details

Date: Sunday, September 18th.

Location: NDG Park (bordered by Sherbrooke, Girouard, Cote-Saint-Antoine and Marcil).

Schedule: 10:30 AM  Registration, 11:30 AM  Walk begins

Anyone interested in walking and raising funds for Bladder Cancer Canada is invited to visit http://www.bccwalk.ca to register or donate.

About Bladder Cancer Canada

Founded in 2009, Bladder Cancer Canada (BCC) is a registered non-profit organization (# 83612 6060 RR0001) and the only patient advocacy group of its kind in Canada. BCC has three main objectives: 1) Support bladder cancer patients and their loved ones in the day-to-day challenges presented by this disease. 2) Increase awareness of bladder cancer in the general public and within the medical community. 3) Fund research which addresses the diagnosis, treatment and elimination of bladder cancer. For more information or to get involved, please contact us:

Web: http://www.bladdercancercanada.org

Telephone: 1-866-674-8889

E-mail: walk(at)bladdercancercanada(at)org

Facebook: Bladder Cancer Canada

Twitter: @BladderCancerCA

Media Contact:

Mark Lowe

PRagmatic Communications

mark(dot)lowe(at)pragcom(dot)com

(514) 499-9632

(514) 576-2519
Polly Apfelbaum, Funkytown, 2012 I want to time travel from early Christian mysticism, to 1970's new spiritualism, to Jodorowsky's Holy Mountain in the space of a rug-filled gallery."

The Ben Maltz Gallery at Otis College of Art and Design is pleased to present the exhibition Polly Apfelbaum: Face (Geometries) (Naked) Eyes, on view September 24  December 4, 2016, the artists first solo institutional show in Los Angeles. A public opening reception takes place Saturday, September 24, 4-6pm.

New York-based artist Polly Apfelbaums work has situated itself as a hybrid of painting, sculpture, and installation over a career spanning 30-plus years. Exploring the intricacies of color, Apfelbaum weaves her way, both literally and conceptually, through ideas of Minimalism, Pop aesthetics, and Color Field painting to blur the lines between two and three-dimensional art making.

For Face (Geometries) (Naked) Eyes, Apfelbaum has worked with a carpet artisan in Oaxaca, Mexico to design and produce four large, 13 x 25 foot, area rugs inspired by a Tree of Life mosaic she encountered in Otranto, Italy, as well as LAs rich history in New Age spirituality, Czech Fluxus artist Sonia Svecovas eye collages of the 1960s, and Chilean film director Alejandro Jodorowskys mystical and religious film Holy Mountain (1973). The 12th century Otranto Cathedral floor mosaic is unique in that it depicts more than Biblical references, incorporating signs of the zodiac, as well as symbols from Greek, Scandinavian, and even pre-Islamic mythologies. For Apfelbaum, the use of eye imagery serves as a connecting icon, bridging belief systems, new-age and cult symbolism, and the idea of looking and seeking out spirituality. Apfelbaum has said this of the new work: I want to time travel from early Christian mysticism, to 1970's new spiritualism, to Jodorowsky's Holy Mountain in the space of a rug-filled gallery.

In addition to the new site-specific floor pieces, Face (Geometries) (Naked) Eyes will also include over 100 ceramic and wooden sculptures produced between 1987-2016, many of which have never been exhibited before, as well as handmade ceramic beads suspended on thread. Ceramics and weaving are ancient crafts that take us to many of these mystical and philosophical histories. Visitors will be invited to take their shoes off and spend time in the installation.

Public programming for this exhibition will include The Carpet Sessions, a series of conversations between Apfelbaum and invited guests including Chief Curator of the Hammer Museum Connie Butler; art critic and Professor of Art Theory and History at Claremont University David Pagel; and artist and Professor of Media Arts at UCLA Jennifer Steinkamp. In addition to The Carpet Sessions, New York-based curator and critic Bob Nickas will present the lecture 100 Paintings / 100 Years: 1915-2015 at 356 Mission Gallery.

Apfelbaums earlier floor-bound installations incorporate hundreds of pieces of velvet, hand-dyed in bold hues and often arranged in sprawling configurations that appear to be organically inspired or like abstract paintings that melted off the wall, forming vibrant puddles. More recent pieces have included an ongoing series of highly colored and tactile ceramics, elegantly draped pieces of synthetic fabric inspired by Baroque paintings, ephemeral arrangements of glitter, and vibrant hand-woven carpets.

Polly Apfelbaum has been showing consistently, nationally and internationally, since her first one-person show in New York in 1986. Recent solo exhibitions were held at 56 Henry in New York City; Be-Part in Waregem, Belgium; Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech; Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts; lumber room in Portland, Oregon; VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art in Carlow, Ireland; and the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis, Missouri. Recent two-person exhibitions were held at Cohen Gallery at Brown University; Michael Benevento in Los Angeles; and The Suburban in Milwaukee. In 2003, The Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia organized a mid-career retrospective that traveled to the Contemporary Art Center, Cincinnati and the Kemper Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri and was accompanied by a monograph publication with contributions by Ingrid Schaffner, Tim Griffin, and Irving Sandler, along with an interview between the artist and former ICA director Claudia Gould. The artist's work is in numerous museum collections including MoMA, Whitney Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Dallas Museum of Art, and Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.

Exhibition Programs:

Opening Reception

Saturday, September 24, 2016, 4-6pm

The Carpet Sessions: Polly Apfelbaum in conversation with Connie Butler, Chief Curator at the Hammer Museum.

Sunday, September 25, 4pm

The Carpet Sessions: Polly Apfelbaum in conversation with David Pagel, art critic and Professor of Art Theory and History at Claremont University.

Sunday, October 16, 4pm

Bob Nickas: 100 Paintings / 100 Years: 1915-2015

New York-based critic and independent curator Bob Nickas presents his musings on one hundred paintings, choosing one from each year from 1915-2015.

Sunday, October 30, 4pm

*356 Mission Gallery, 356 S. Mission St, Los Angeles, 90033

The Carpet Sessions: Polly Apfelbaum in conversation with Jennifer Steinkamp, artist and Professor of Media Arts at UCLA.

Sunday, November 13, 4pm

Admission: All events are free and open to the public.

Location & Parking: Otis College of Art and Design, 9045 Lincoln Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045, unless otherwise noted*. Visitor parking in structure on La Tijera.

Hours: Tue-Fri 10am-5pm / Sat-Sun 12-4pm. Closed Mondays.

Gallery Contact: 310.665.6905, galleryinfo(at)otis(dot)edu, http://www.otis.edu/benmaltzgallery

ABOUT OTIS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN

Established in 1918, Otis College of Art and Design offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in a wide variety of visual and applied arts, media, and design. Core programs in liberal arts, business practices, and community-driven projects support the Colleges mission to prepare diverse students to enrich our world through their creativity, skill, and vision. As Los Angeles first professional art school, visionary alumni and faculty include MacArthur and Guggenheim grant recipients, Oscar awardees, and design stars at Apple, Anthropologie, Pixar, Mattel, and more. The renowned Creative Action program has been recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for Community Engagement, and the Otis Report on the Creative Economy is a powerful advocacy tool for creative industries. The College serves the Greater Los Angeles Area through compelling public programming, as well as year-round Continuing Education courses for all ages. More information is available at http://www.otis.edu.
Key Equipment Finance, one of the nations largest bank-held equipment finance companies and an affiliate of KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY), today announced it has provided a $3 million solar tax lease for The Monroe Cable Companys 1-megawatt solar installation by OnForce Solar. Monroe Cable, based in the Town of Wallkill, N.Y., is a manufacturer of quality cable, as well as a leading provider of shipboard electrical wire and cable for the U.S. Navy. OnForce Solar, based in the Bronx, N.Y., is a vertically integrated, turnkey solar provider that owns and installs solar photovoltaic energy systems for residential, commercial and utility scale projects.

With this solar installation, Monroe Cable is now able to meet its goal of getting about 25% of our energy from renewable sources, said Abraham Wieder, Monroe Cables president and CEO. Electricity is very expensive in upstate New York, and our new solar system offsets a portion of our utility bill while reducing our carbon footprint.

Key Equipment Finance provided a solar tax lease that uses the 30 percent federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and depreciation to reduce Monroe Cables lease payments.

With a financing solution that takes advantage of tax credits, manufacturers can realize multiple benefits, said Doug Beebe, vice president, energy finance, Key Equipment Finance. The solar tax lease enables Monroe Cable to reduce its utility bills while making a positive environmental impact in its community.

The Town of Wallkill is proud to partner with industry on these types of projects, said Dan Depew, supervisor, Town of Wallkill. Not only does it make our industries more competitive but also accrues a net positive environmental impact on our community as a whole.

OnForce Solar designed and installed the system for Monroe Cables factory roof and adjacent land. The solar array will generate about 1.25 million kilowatt hours of clean, renewable electricity annually, or enough to power about 250 homes.

OnForce Solar is proud to help manufacturers such as Monroe Cable implement custom solar installations that move their businesses forward with clean energy solutions, said Charles Feit, CEO of OnForce Solar. The team at Monroe Cable is very forward thinking and made an intelligent, long-term investment in their business by significantly reducing their expenditures on electricity.

Support for the project came from the NY Sun Incentive Program, an initiative including a nearly $1 billion commitment to advance the scale-up of solar and move the state closer to having a sustainable, self-sufficient solar industry.

Through several years of planning, these partners in conjunction with the Town of Wallkill worked seamlessly to deliver a solar installation that sets a positive example for upstate New Yorks industrial sector, said Michael Mayfield, Monroe Cables senior vice president of marketing. Monroe Cable is a leader in the shipboard and transit cable industry, and due to our participation in this project we have successfully executed a photovoltaic (PV) wire market entry producing over 800,000 feet of PV interconnect wire for a utility scale PV project in Puerto Rico.

Key Equipment Finance offers energy and water equipment finance solutions to a range of business types and industries. Learn more at http://www.keyequipmentfinance.com/partner/energy_and_water.

About Key Equipment Finance

Key Equipment Finance has been in the equipment finance business for 43 years and is one of the largest bank-based equipment finance providers in the U.S. The company provides tailored equipment lease and finance solutions for commercial clients and government entities. Through its manufacturer and vendor alliances unit, equipment finance programs are developed for manufacturers, distributors and resellers.

Key Equipment Finances specialty finance group includes a specialty finance lending team, which provides structured facilities to various sectors of the specialty finance market, and a lease capital markets team to support corporations looking to optimize risk and revenue. Headquartered outside Denver, Colorado, Key Equipment Finance manages nearly $11 billion in assets and originates more than $5 billion of equipment financing annually. For more information, visit http://www.keyequipmentfinance.com.

AboutKeyCorp

KeyCorps (NYSE: KEY) roots trace back 190 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nations largest bank-based financial services companies with assets of approximately $101 billion as of June 30, 2016. The acquisition of First Niagara Financial Group, which became effective on August 1, 2016, added assets of approximately $40 billion, based on June 30, 2016 balances. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, insurance and investment services to individuals and small and mid-sized businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association and First Niagara Bank, National Association, through a network of more than 1,200 branches and more than 1,500 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit http://www.key.com. KeyBank and First Niagara Bank, National Association are Member FDIC Institutions.

About The Monroe Cable Company

The Monroe Cable is an electrical wire and cable manufacturer based in the Town of Wallkill, NY. The small, family-owned company has been operating since 1978 and serving its customers for more than 30 years. A leading supplier of shipboard electrical wire and cable for the United States Navy, the company also supplies the New York Transit Authority Communications and Traction Power, signal cables for the New York fire department, Photovoltaic (PV) wire and has the ability to manufacture wire and cable in accordance with customer specifications. For more information, visit http://www.monroecableusa.com/.

About OnForce Solar

OnForce Solar is a vertically integrated, turnkey solar provider that owns and installs solar photovoltaic energy systems for residential, commercial and utility scale projects. Headquartered in the Bronx, New York, the company has regional offices in Staten Island, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Please visit http://www.onforcesolar.com.
Medical AIDS Outreach of Alabama "Telehealth Champion of the Year" Medical AIDS Outreach of Alabama is a great example of the power of telehealth in action and we are very proud to recognize the organizations work with the Telehealth Champion of the Year award

Alabama Partnership for TeleHealth (APT), a charitable nonprofit organization, in partnership with the Southeastern TeleHealth Resource Center have recognized Medical AIDS Outreach of Alabama with the Telehealth Champion of the Year award for its exceptional dedication to furthering the use and knowledge of telehealth in Alabama.

The award was presented before nearly 200 telehealth industry colleagues at APTs recent Fifth Annual Alabama Telehealth Summit, which took place on August 9, 2016, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Hill Student Center.

Medical AIDS Outreach of Alabama is a great example of the power of telehealth in action and we are very proud to recognize the organizations work with the Telehealth Champion of the Year award, says Rena Brewer, CEO of the Global Partnership for TeleHealth, the parent organization of APT. Thank you to all that joined us during this years summit for important discussions on how we can further grow telehealth programs in communities throughout Alabama, especially in rural areas that need greater access to specialized care.

This years conference theme, The ABCs of Telehealth  Accessible, Beneficial, Cutting Edge, brought together top telemedicine minds and key telehealth stakeholders in Alabama, including healthcare providers, IT professionals, telecom providers, hospital administrators, school-based health professionals, government policy advisors and medical mission group representatives. The annual event covered a wide array of telehealth topics that included updates on state regulations, trends in school-based programs and new tools to support successful operations.

All Alabama Telehealth Summit conference presentations are available via the Global Partnership for Telehealth website. Click here to access this years presentation slides.

###

About Alabama Partnership for TeleHealth

Alabama Partnership for TeleHealth, Inc. (APT), a charitable nonprofit corporation, is dedicated to increasing access to healthcare through the innovative use of technology. APT strives to serve the citizens of Alabama by promoting and supporting new and existing telehealth programs across the state. APTs umbrella organization is the nonprofit, Global Partnership for Telehealth, Inc. (GPTH) whose mission is to promote telehealth to underserved citizens not only in America but anywhere on the globe. GPTHs unparalleled success in applying telehealth programs and services has resulted in the provision of cost effective, efficient, and high quality healthcare for hundreds of thousands of individuals from rural communities in America to orphanages in Guatemala and Afghanistan. For more information, visit the GPTH website at http://www.gatelehealth.org/.

About Southeastern Telehealth Resource Center (SETRC)

The Southeastern TeleHealth Resource Center (SETRC) is one of 14 TeleHealth Resource Centers (12 Regional and 2 National) funded by the federal Office for the Advancement of Telehealth through a grant program to provide support and guidance to TeleHealth programs. Our mission is to serve as a focal point for advancing the effective use of TeleHealth and support access to TeleHealth services in rural and underserved communities in the southeastern region of the United States. We have extensive TeleHealth experience and can provide services, resources and tools to both developing and operating programs.
The Board of Directors of Metamason, Inc. announced today that Cliff Sarkin has tendered his resignation as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, effective August 29, 2016. Les Karpas, Chief Executive Officer of Metamason, will assume responsibility for Mr. Sarkin's duties while the board conducts a search for a new COO/CFO.

"We are thankful for Cliff's valuable service to Metamason during his time with the company," said Mr. Karpas. "Cliff has helped lead Metamason to new heights, and thanks to his tireless efforts, the company is poised for even greater success ahead. Cliff has been a true champion for this company in his interactions with our investors, our directors, and our entire team. We wish him success in the future endeavors."

"I am proud of our accomplishments at Metamason as we have transformed the company into an enterprise capable of creating and delivering life-changing products. I will remain a fan of Metamason in the years to come and look forward to watching the company continue its mission of using 3-D printing to enable its customers to breathe and live more freely."

About Metamason, Inc. Metamason, Inc. is a California based company that usues state-of-the-art 3-D scanning and printing technology to create personalized respiratory devices. Learn more at http://www.metamason.com
Blockchain allows for interoperability at a new level for health care

Chris Kay, Chief Innovation Officer at Humana, will deliver the opening keynote at the upcoming Distributed: Health conference on blockchain technologys transformation potential for the healthcare industry.

The Distributed: Health conference, to be held on October 3, 2016 at Nashvilles Schermerhorn Symphony Center, is an event where healthcare and technology leaders from around the world are coming together for the first time to reimagine how health and medicine can be optimized and improved by blockchain technology.

As one of the largest health insurance providers in the United States, Humana is a global standard-bearer for health and wellness services that incorporate an integrated approach to lifelong well-being. Mr. Kay helms the companys innovation initiatives including blockchain technology to develop game-changing products and services to improve health and reduce healthcare costs. Prior to joining Humana, as Managing Director of Citi Ventures, he pioneered efforts to simplify the retail banking experience. He also invested in a portfolio of companies to create new possibilities for Citis customers and new capabilities for the bank.

Were thrilled that Humana has taken the time to research this technology and its potential to create new efficiencies in healthcare, said David Bailey, CEO of BTC Media. This should serve as a wakeup call for the entire industry that distributed ledgers can offer solutions to some of the most challenging issues facing payers and providers today. We expect to see a Cambrian explosion of use cases for blockchain tech in healthcare, just as weve seen in the financial services industry over the past 24 months.

Blockchain allows for interoperability at a new level for health care, said Humana president and CEO Bruce Broussard. Competitors [can start] working together for the consumer. Blockchain is all about removing barriers, and that focus will enable consumers to better manage their health.The promise of blockchain is about putting the consumer at the center of health care, instead of the other way around.

Mr. Kay holds a J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Minnesota and a B.A. in French and Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He lives with his family in Louisville, where Humana is headquartered.

In addition to a full days roster of speakers and panels on October 3, the Distributed: Health conference will be preceded by a 24-hour blockchain hackathon starting on October 1. Over $28,500 in prizes will be awarded at the competition, which, like the conference, will focus on blockchain applications for healthcare, insurance and interoperability.

For more information or to register, visit https://GoDistributed.com/health/.

About BTC Media:

Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, BTC Media LLC is the publisher of Distributed, Bitcoin Magazine and yBitcoin. The company is the worlds largest provider of multimedia educational and informational resources about the digital currency and blockchain industries.

For more information, please contact:

BTC Media

Tyler Evans, CTO

615-454-4861

health(at)godistributed(dot)com
We believe this is the most advanced and feature rich IDX system currently available on the market

RealtyTech Inc., a Thousand Oaks, CA Software and Marketing Corporation, announce the launch of new ApexIDX drag and drop widgets for simple customization of Agent and Office websites.

ApexIDX is a turnkey real estate search designed from the ground up to be easy to install and integrate on any real estate company website, both Word Press and non-Wordpress websites.

With the new Drag and Drop Widget system an agent can add five (5) new different types of widgets. These include; instant custom search widgets of homes in an animated image slider display or grid of 15 home images. Also an agent can add a Search for Homes widget to any page. Other widgets included are an animated testimonials widget, animate market snapshot widget, and My Pledge/Agent Bio widget with large agent image.

Regardless of the website type, ApexIDX will integrate 100% with fully Google search engine optimized Indexable listings. This means all listings on the agents site will be placed live on Google with the agents information and phone number. This is not true with standard IDX search systems.

"We believe this is the most advanced and feature rich IDX system currently available on the market," said Richard Uzelac, CEO of RealtyTech. Our ApexIDX  with new drag and drop widgets will increase Client engagement on their websites by providing simple, no technical way for agents to update their websites.

We are extremely proud of how easy it is to update and change an agents website with the drag and drop system, said Lance Grove, RealtyTech Executive Technical Lead. Our ApexIDX- solution offers a solid usable setup right out of the box and is still easily customized to fit each agents specific needs.

About RealtyTech Inc.

RealtyTech Inc. is a Thousand Oaks, CA-based Company that gives real estate professionals the tools necessary to stand out and succeed in todays online marketplace combined with solution minded, live California-based customer service. We have over 15 years of online real estate marketing expertise and have spent over 10 years of that experience offering Agent and Office websites, IDX Home Searches and Internet Marketing. For more information, please call (877) 832-4428 or visit http://www.RealtyTech.com
Employee Engagement Model

Maritz Motivation Solutions, The Maritz Institute and the Employee Engagement Awards have joined together to develop a new model for employee engagement, working with input and feedback from practitioners around the world.

According to Kimberly Abel-Lanier, VP and General Manager for CultureNext workforce solutions at Maritz Motivation Solutions, the model will serve as a tool for organizations to benchmark against for core areas of engagement. It is intended to help shape best practices and to be used for a variety of purposes, such as certification programs, further education and conferences, she said.

The world of work is changing. Employee engagement is a fairly new concept, yet it is critical for employee retention and company growth. Some 90% of the practitioners we surveyed say they need and would value a model to understand the core areas of engagement and help identify where they need improvement, Abel-Lanier said.

Maritz began the development process by reviewing the latest research. Most of the current engagement models and frameworks have been created by academics and consultants, and none has been widely accepted.

Most of the work that has been done in this area is purely academic. Our goal is to create an effective model that companies can actually use, which can be modified and adapted as needs change, Abel-Lanier said.

Combining real-world insight and research in the social sciences, Maritz has identified seven dimensions that are key to engagement:



Purpose (why we exist)

The work (what we do)

Social system (inclusion and connections)

Becoming (the ability to realize potential)

Contribution awareness (recognition of effort and achievement)

Advocacy (the step of supporting or recommending)

Well-being (being comfortable, healthy and happy)

Development has continued over the past few months with feedback from HR and employee engagement practitioners. At the Employee Engagement Summit, held in Chicago in June, 200 attendees shared their input on the basic framework. Maritz has also held interactive webinars during the summer. The third in the series of three webinars is scheduled for Thursday, September 1, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET. To register, go to http://go.maritzmotivation.com/eewebinar

We want this to be a very rigorous process and theres much more work to be done to collect feedback, Abel-Lanier said.

About Maritz Motivation Solutions

Maritz Motivation Solutions has been a global leader in employee recognition for over 75 years. Maritzs CultureNext solution empowers employees to transform their organizations into amazing places to work. CultureNext provides organizations with flexible technology, tools, services and expansive rewards to help connect people worldwide to create a culture of engagement, passion and purpose. For more information, visit us at http://go.maritzmotivation.com/culturenext

# # #
Lucchese's new Dallas Showroom Our new Dallas showroom is the ideal location for customers to explore our collection and find inspiration to create one-of-a-kind boots.

Lucchese, the pinnacle Texas-based bootmaker, today announced the opening of a new showroom in the heart of Dallass thriving design district. This Western boot mecca offers styles for women and men as well as personalized bespoke services to those interested in designing a new pair from the ground up.

Our new Dallas showroom is the ideal location for customers to explore our collection and find inspiration to create one-of-a-kind boots, said Doug Kindy, President of Lucchese. Were thrilled to open our doors to the Dallas community.

Inspired by the brands rich heritage, the showroom creates a casual, welcoming atmosphere where guests can view a curated selection including Lucchese Classics, the most exclusive customizable boots in the line, as well as a range of Western and contemporary styles.

As part of the showroom opening, Lucchese highlights its custom boot services that take center stage in the new Dallas space. Lucchese has provided custom boot design through the El Paso factory and five retail stores (Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Santa Fe and Nashville) for years, but beyond celebrities and boot aficionados the services havent been widely publicized.

The Lucchese custom experience begins with a one-on-one fitting and personalized design consultation with a Lucchese Fit Expert. Customers are shown an extensive collection of fine leathers including rare exotics and can consider countless options for toes, heels, stitch patterns, color palettes and more. Lucchese custom specialties include hand-tooling, cording, signature finishes, imaginative designs and intricate inlays and overlays.

The sky is the limit when it comes to Lucchese designs, said Kindy. The only limitation is your imagination.

In addition to custom services and current styles to order, the showroom displays an abbreviated assortment of Western belts, jewelry and accessories.

Located at 1621 Dragon Street, the Dallas Showroom is open to the public and trade. Call 469-857-4400 for an appointment.

About Lucchese:

Texas-based Lucchese is a legendary bootmaker and iconic brand of the American West. Applying the same craftsmanship principles and techniques since 1883, Lucchese artisans use only the finest leathers, unrivaled materials and a proprietary twisted cone last to construct boots of exceptional quality, fit, comfort and style.

For more information visit:

http://www.lucchese.com

https://www.facebook.com/lucchesebootmaker/

http://www.twitter.com/lucchese1883

http://www.instagram.com/lucchese
Lucernex After reviewing other real estate management software solutions in the UK, we found Lucernex to offer a superior solution that could be configured to meet our unique requirements in the UK and mainland Europe...

Lucernex announces today that schuh, a leading Europe-based retailer of high fashion footwear, has selected Lucernex Enterprise to manage their portfolio of stores throughout the UK, Ireland, and Germany.

After reviewing other real estate management software solutions in the UK, we found Lucernex to offer a superior solution that could be configured to meet our unique requirements in the UK and mainland Europe and would fit with the needs of our US-based parent company, Genesco, Inc. stated Linsay Miller, Head of Real Estate for schuh. We are very much looking forward to our partnership with Lucernex.

Lucernex Enterprise is a powerful cloud-based IWMS solution that covers the entire real estate lifecycle from acquisition to disposition. Modules can be used individually or in concert to increase revenue, control costs and ensure compliance with an ever more complex regulatory environment. With Lucernex, schuh will have a single source of the truth to help make the right decision with the right information at the right time.

schuh is a wonderful company and a great brand. stated Jim Wilton, Chief Marketing Officer for Lucernex. We are honored to have been selected as their partner and we are looking forward to working with their incredibly talented real estate team.

About Lucernex

Lucernex provides cloud-based Integrated Workplace Management Solutions (IWMS) to both emerging and enterprise companies around the globe. Our analytics, market planning, site selection, contract management, project management, facility management and maintenance management solutions are used by our valued customers every day and helps them drive revenue, reduce costs, ensure compliance and mitigate risk. For more information, please visit us at http://www.lucernex.com

About schuh

schuh is a leading retailer of high fashion footwear. With 125 stores, the company operates under two signature brands, schuh and schuh kids. Founded in 1981 and purchased in 2012 by Genesco Inc., schuh continues to live by its founding philosophy of providing individual high fashion footwear, sold in a unique and exciting retail environment. schuh leads operations from its head office in Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland. More than 4,000 people work for schuh. For more information, visit http://www.schuh.co.uk.
By Marius Zaharia SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Confirmed cases of Zika virus in Singapore rose to 82 on Tuesday, as the United States joined a growing list of countries warning pregnant women or those trying to get pregnant to avoid travel to the city-state. The mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has caused explosive outbreaks in the Americas and the Caribbean since late last year, poses a particular risk to pregnant women because it can cause microcephaly, a severe birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains. On Tuesday, the United States warned pregnant women not to travel to Singapore, joining Australia, Taiwan and South Korea. The warnings followed news that Zika transmission appears to be occurring outside of the original cluster, with at least five of 26 new cases confirmed late on Tuesday detected in the Aljunied area in the southeast of Singapore, the health ministry and National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a joint statement. Singapore has advised pregnant women to take a free Zika test if they showed any symptoms or if their partners tested positive. "This is regardless of whether they have been to Zika-affected areas," health officials said in a statement. The outbreak and advisories come as the tourism industry in one of the world's busiest travel hubs already faces weak global economic growth. Singapore's Tourism Board said it was premature to consider any impact on the sector, adding it remained a "safe travel destination". More than 55 million people pass through Singapore's Changi airport every year. In the first half of this year, tourism arrivals topped 8 million, around 1 million more than a year earlier. MOZZIE SPRAY SALES Singapore reported its first case of locally-transmitted Zika at the weekend, and the number of confirmed infections has risen steadily since then. At least three dozen patients have made a full recovery. Neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia have stepped up protective measures, introducing thermal scanners at airports and border checkpoints with the island state. Such measures, however, will only identify symptomatic cases of Zika, but only one in five people have symptoms of the virus, which include fever, rash, joint pain and pink eye. Singapore residents responded to government calls to be vigilant and to take precautions against mosquito bites. Online retailer Lazada Singapore said sales of insect repellents jumped five-fold in the past three days. FairPrice supermarkets and Watsons pharmacies said their sales of such products had doubled. Most of the early infections were among foreign workers, hundreds of thousands of whom, mainly from the Asian sub-continent, work on Singapore's construction sites and in the marine sector. The Singapore government has not said where the infected foreign workers are from. The foreign ministry directed queries to the health ministry, which did not respond to Reuters questions on the issue. The Ministry of Manpower also did not respond to a request for comment made outside working hours. The High Commission of Bangladesh, which represents the largest community of foreign workers, said none of those infected were Bangladeshis, and the Thai foreign ministry said none were from Thailand. The embassies of China, India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar said they had not been notified by Singapore whether their citizens were among those infected. Authorities inspected thousands of homes in seven parts of Singapore, including five foreign worker dormitories, spraying insecticide and removing potential mosquito breeding habitats. The NEA has inspected about 5,000 premises in and around the initial outbreak area, issuing 400 notices to owners of buildings they could not access. The NEA can force entry into those premises if needed. Zika was first discovered in Uganda in 1947. It caused clusters of human infections from the 1960s to 1980s across Africa and Asia, according to the World Health Organization. The outbreak in the Americas was caused by a Zika strain from Asia, possibly carried to Brazil through travel to a sporting event. Many experts believe once infected, Zika produces lifelong immunity. "Unfortunately, it is not clear the level of immunity that is currently in Asia," said Alessandro Vespignani of Northeastern University in Boston. WHO declared Zika a global health emergency because of its link with microcephaly. In Brazil, Zika has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly. (Reporting by Marius Zaharia, with additional reporting by Edgar Su, Aradhana Aravindan, Masayuki Kitano and Mark Tay in Singapore and Jeong Eun Lee in Seoul and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Editing by Jane Wardell, Ian Geoghegan and Bernard Orr)
What I want people to take away from my articles is that Native American art and culture is rich and diverse across the various tribes.

With the influx of faux Native jewelry, art, and designs flooding the market over the past year, people are left reeling, finding it difficult to trust brands that list Authentic Native American jewelry or clothing. Jewelry expert and enthusiast, Joy Cook, had a few ideas on that subject and has compiled the ultimate guide to help people find and identify authentic Native American jewelry when they see it online or in-stores.

NativeAmericanTurquoiseJewelry.net has been a well-spring of knowledge and resources for anyone looking for Native American, Southwestern, or Turquoise jewelry tips. This site is a dedicated blog that Cook owns and operates herself, having years of experience buying and selling these items. Over the decades, Cook has amassed an impressive collection and had dedicated her site to helping others interested in jewelry of the Southwest region.

Cooks latest release, How to Choose Native American Jewelry is dedicated to helping people find authentic Native American jewelry, after its rise in popularity in 2016. The blog articles go through the various details that make up traditional Native American pieces and teach people to look at items sold in-store or online with a skeptical eye.

Cook gave a few comments on this new release as well. What I want people to take away from my articles is that Native American art and culture is rich and diverse across the various tribes. People need to look at what the seller is saying as well. If the piece is being sold as Navajo then all a customer needs to do is search for examples. They will find that Navajo typically work with silver and some of their more famous pieces are the crescent-shaped necklaces known as najas.

Cook believes that a simple amount of research is the best way for customers to arm themselves with the information they need to find quality Native American jewelry.

Cook also wants to invite people to her blog to learn more about Native American and Southwest jewelry in-depth. Her blog posts are dedicated to popularizing talented Native artists and their work and teaching people about what makes Native art and culture so relevant and beautiful today.
Inc. magazine today ranked Aspirent No. 307 on its 35th annual Inc. 5000, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. Aspirent also ranked No. 15 in Atlanta and No. 17 in Georgia based on sales growth. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segment its independent small businesses. Companies such as Microsoft, Dell, Dominos Pizza, Pandora, Timberland, LinkedIn, Yelp, Zillow, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees of the Inc. 5000.

"Aspirent is extremely honored to be one of the Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies, says Andrew Wells, Founding Partner and CEO of Aspirent. This designation underscores the value that we have delivered and the trusted relationships that we have developed through the hard work and expertise of our consultants. Our ability to provide a full suite of management and technology consulting services, from Data Science & Analytics to Business Architecture & Project Execution to Custom Development & Experience Design, has allowed us to cultivate deep partnerships with our clients and drive our rapid growth.

The 2016 Inc. 5000, unveiled online at Inc.com and with the top 500 companies featured in the September issue of Inc. is the most competitive crop in the lists history. The average company on the list achieved a mind-boggling three-year growth of 433%. The Inc. 5000s aggregate revenue is $200 billion, and the companies on the list collectively generated 640,000 jobs over the past three years, or about 8% of all jobs created in the entire economy during that period. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

"The Inc. 5000 list stands out where it really counts, says Inc. President and Editor-In-Chief Eric Schurenberg. It honors real achievement by a founder or a team of them. No one makes the Inc. 5000 without building something great  usually from scratch. Thats one of the hardest things to do in business, as every company founder knows. But without it, free enterprise fails.

The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring all the companies on the list will be held from October 18 through 20, in San Antonio, TX.

About Aspirent

Aspirent is an employee-owned, local-model, management and execution-consulting firm, focused on helping companies to gain a competitive advantage with their data resources. Our practice areas include Data Science & Analytics, Management Consulting & Strategy, Business Architecture & Project Execution, Information Management, and Application Development & Experience Design. We work with clients in diverse industries, and employ only top talent, giving them a personal stake in our firms success. We Aspire to transform the way professional services are delivered.
Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP

Three partners from Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP are included in the Under 40 Hot List, a new accolade from Benchmark Litigation meant to honor the achievements of the nations most accomplished attorneys age of 40 or younger.

Benchmark Litigation is a definitive guide to the leading litigators in the United States. The Under 40 Hot List was compiled over a process of peer review and case examination to identify young, up-and-coming attorneys.

Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie partners included on the list are:



Jessica Fuller (Denver)

Kristina Holmstrom (Phoenix)

Jeffrey Sklar (Tucson)

Fuller represents businesses and individuals in a wide range of complex commercial litigation, including contractual disputes, class actions, insurance coverage and bad faith actions, oil and gas disputes, trade secret cases, real estate litigation, employment matters, securities, and other complex matters including appellate and alternative dispute resolution experience. Benchmark Litigation also named her a Rising Star for 2016.

Holmstrom has developed a depth of experience representing insurers throughout the Southwest. She is licensed in Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico and litigates frequently in all jurisdictions, handling trial work and appeals. She focuses her practice on first party bad faith defense as well as on ERISA litigation.

Sklar has a wide-ranging litigation and appellate practice. Admitted in Arizona, California and Nevada, he regularly represents lenders in loan enforcement actions, businesses in commercial disputes, and manufacturers in product liability cases. He has served as lead counsel in trials in state courts and bankruptcy court, and has also argued appeals in both the Arizona Court of Appeals and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

About Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP

Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP is an Am Law 200 commercial law firm for handling complex matters in litigation, intellectual property, business transactions, gaming, government relations and other practice areas. Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie offices are located in Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Irvine, Phoenix, Reno, Silicon Valley and Tucson.
Mark Madrid "I am eternally grateful to UT-Austin and McCombs for unlocking the most precious doors of opportunity and access."

Mark Madrid, the CEO of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce was selected as a BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration) Star of UT Austins McCombs School of Business, during the schools centennial year celebration.

Madrid received his BBA in 1995, graduating with Honors and the distinction of being named an Endowed Presidential Scholar. He subsequently pursued a Masters in Nonprofit Administration from the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business, from which he graduated Cum Laude in 2015. His numerous awards include the Rev. Theodore M. Hesburghs CSF Founders Award for integrity and character aligned with the schools philosophies, which he received last May when he graduated from Notre Dame. Madrid carries the award with him daily, as well as his Jefferson Award coin for community and public service. At all times, these two items, in his own words, remind me, on tough days, that our greatest sense of being is delivering integrity and paying it forward.

Madrid has a stellar career in public service, involved in projects that create actionable initiatives to improve the lives of his community. Last year, Austin Mayor Steve Adler appointed Madrid as Honorary Co-Chair of the Greater Austin Area My Brother's Keeper (MBK) Initiative. President Obama launched the My Brothers Keeper platform to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and ensure that all young people can reach their full potential. Perhaps, most importantly, following his commitment to service and community, Mr. Madrid created the Mark L. Madrid Scholarships for deserving business majors at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Notre Dame.

He credits his alma mater, the UT-Austin McCombs School of Business, for giving him the tools and inspiration to dedicate his career, life and passion to business and public service. In his own words: All of my trajectory has been and always will be traced back to the University of Texas at Austin and the McCombs School of Business. They are profound catalysts and dynamic inspirations that continue to change the world. The world-class McCombs education gave me the capability to excel in the corporate, nonprofit and entrepreneurial sectors. I am eternally grateful to UT-Austin and McCombs for unlocking the most precious doors of opportunity and access. Hook 'Em!

For more information on the BBA Stars: https://bba100.mccombs.utexas.edu/bba-stars/

For more information on Mark Madrids BBA Star profile: https://bba100.mccombs.utexas.edu/bba-star/mark-l-madrid/

Learn more about UT Austins McCombs School of Business and its history: https://bba100.mccombs.utexas.edu/our-legacy/bba-timeline/

About the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce: http://www.gahcc.org
Hodges-Mace Co-CEOs Greg Hodges & Peter Mace Hodges-Mace employees are compassionate, and they actively demonstrate their desire to help others both on the job and out in the world. Were extremely proud to be part of a team that thinks beyond itself and believes in helping the community.

Employee benefit solutions firm Hodges-Mace, LLC generated $20,000 for charity during its annual Bowling for Dollars fundraiser at The Painted Pin on Saturday, August 27, surpassing last years total by $3,000.

Widely attended by Hodges-Mace employees and their families, the Bowling for Dollars event marked the culmination of the companys inaugural Summer of Service initiative. For every pin knocked down, $1 was donated to the following charities:

Special Olympics of Georgia, Atlanta Youth Academy, The Dr. William Boydston, Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta, Pediatric Neurosurgery Fund, Meals on Wheels and CURE Childhood Cancer.

Summer of Service

Hodges-Mace prominently displays its four core values on the wall as you enter their corporate office in Atlanta. One of these core values focuses on the importance of serving others: Our people and our communities matter. We are conscientious and caring about our work, our communities and one another. In keeping with this commitment, the company launched the Summer of Service initiative in May of this year. Over 70% of employees participated in the campaign, donating over 500 hours of service time to local Atlanta charities, including:



Camp Twin Lakes

Chastain Horse Park

Atlanta Humane Society

Paws Atlanta

Atlanta Food Bank

Lift Up Atlanta

Meals on Wheels

Bobby Dodd Institute

Employees of Hodges-Mace report over 95% job satisfaction, which transcends beyond the workplace. According to Co-CEOs Greg Hodges and Peter Mace, the focus on serving others is vital to a strong corporate culture. Hodges-Mace employees are compassionate, and they actively demonstrate their desire to help others both on the job and out in the world. Were extremely proud to be part of a team that thinks beyond itself and believes in helping the community.

In addition to the Summer of Service, each year the company offers two days paid time off to employees to volunteer at a charity of their choosing. Hodges-Mace anticipates that employees will log over 2,500 additional hours this year giving back in their communities.

One of the Best Places to Work

Last month, Hodges-Mace was named One of the Best Places to Work in Georgia in 2016 by Georgia Trend Magazine, Best Companies Group, and SHRM. Georgia Trend cites the companys generosity as one of the reasons Hodges-Mace is One of Georgias Best Employers. This is the first year Hodges-Mace competed for the award which is based entirely on employee feedback. Hodges-Maces employees cited corporate culture, charitable activities, and employer gratitude as major reasons why they love working at Hodges-Mace.

About Hodges-Mace

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Hodges-Mace, LLC is a leading provider of benefit management software and services. Their portfolio ranges from small-to-mid-size companies and Fortune 500 enterprises in a variety of industries, including education, energy, gaming, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, and retail. Hodges-Mace is a respected leader in the employee benefits industry and is dedicated to helping employees and employers make smarter benefits decisions through a blend of innovative technologies and intelligent service solutions. The company is One of the Best Companies to Work for in Georgia in 2016. For additional information visit http://www.hodgesmace.com.
Silicon STEM Academy Our singular mission at Silicon STEM is to enable students with critical 21st century skills and to augment standard core curriculum, said Kelly Scarborough, co-founder of Silicon STEM Academy.

Silicon STEM Academy (SSA), a technical training and learning center in Denver dedicated to teaching middle and high school students computer programming, robotics, digital media and other technology skills, has been recognized by Colorado Parent Magazine as one of the Top 5 Family Favorites for 2016. Included in the Lessons and Camps category, SSA was among a select group of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) providers.

Colorado Parent Magazine describes a Family Favorite as meeting a set of standards and key criteria including: great value, family-friendly atmosphere, fun for all ages, a trusted resource and superior customer service. Family Favorites, however, go beyond the expected selection criteria in that the recognized programs are compiled from the readers and parents, the greatest judge of all, who have the first-hand experience when choosing an after-school or summer camp program.

Our singular mission at Silicon STEM is to enable students with critical 21st century skills and to augment standard core curriculum, said Kelly Scarborough, co-founder of Silicon STEM Academy. Were very proud to be recognized by the readers of Colorado Parent Magazine and appreciate their shared commitment to STEM enrichment for their students.

Fall registration for Silicon STEM after-school courses are open now. Additionally, due to popular demand, SSA now offers a series of adult classes in a variety of tech categories. Courses range from 18-24 hours of instruction and prices vary depending on the difficulty level of the class. To learn more about Fall courses, please call 303-800-0011 to talk to a counselor, email info(at)siliconSTEMacademy(dot)com or visit http://www.siliconSTEMacademy.com.

About Silicon STEM Academy

Silicon STEM Academy is a technology training program geared toward students of all ages interested in learning technology. Its tech programs and STEM courses include computer programming, robotics, electronics & circuitry, and digital media. It provides real-world technology skills in a fun, hands-on and collaborative workspace. Headquartered in Denver, Colo., Silicon STEM was co-founded by successful technology executives and educators who saw the lack of a technology-skilled workforce.
Applied Systems today announced that ABACUS has selected Applied Rating and Fulfilment Services to distribute its Personal Lines products via Applied TAM, the most widely used broker management system in the world. Through this partnership, Applied Systems will support ABACUS premium growth strategy by providing the connectivity, data exchange and policy fulfillment.

Applied Rating and Fulfilment Services delivers the UK insurance industry a leading connectivity and data exchange platform, enabling insurers to quickly and effectively distribute their personal and commercial lines products. Applied Rating and Fulfilment Services connects insurers to a brokers back-office system, automating the rating and policy fulfilment process for both insurers and brokers. Applied Rating and Fulfilment Services provides insurers flexibility to manage their rates and respond to market shifts in real-time through Applieds rating solution. Applied Rating and Fulfilment Services also connects to Data Enrichment and other third-party data providers, to provide insurers with up-to-date, clean data, allowing for more accurate risk analysis, reduction in potential fraudulent policies and more competitive products and premiums.

As brokers look to differentiate their business, we recognized an opportunity to distribute our Property Owners niche products to drive business growth and provide broker choice  allowing them to transact business using their core system, said Richard Burgess, director of ABACUS. By connecting with Applied Systems, we are able to develop new business opportunities and provide competitive premium quotes to our broker partners for their clients.

Applied TAM, the most widely used cloud-based broker management system in the world, allows brokers to automate daily operational processes, client policy information and insurer connectivity, enabling users to be more productive and focus on the core business of selling insurance and servicing their insured. Through an automated and easy-to-navigate interface, Applied TAM provides deep visibility into day-to-day broker operations to reduce time spent on administrative tasks, decrease errors and omissions risk, provide a seamless employee onboarding and training experience, and better respond to client needs. Applied TAM automates the business operations for more independent insurance brokers than any other broker management system.

The Personal Lines market has become increasingly more complex, requiring insurers to expand their products and distribution channels to further enhance their business value, said Jeff Purdy, senior vice president of International Operations, Applied Systems. Through this partnership, ABACUS will be able to expand their distribution channel and provide our brokers with competitive products and premiums, delivering benefits of business growth and customer satisfaction across all key stakeholders of the value chain.

About Applied Systems

Applied Systems is the leading global provider of cloud-based software that powers the business of insurance. Recognised as a pioneer in insurance automation and data exchange between brokerages, insurers and their clients, Applied is the worlds largest provider of agency and brokerage management systems, serving customers throughout the United States, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom. By automating the insurance lifecycle, Applied enables millions of people around the world to safeguard and protect what matters most.
ETRE - The world's most functional activewear "The name Victor Legend is a mashup of victorious and legendary, because thats how you should feel every time you workout. Our proprietary waistband lets you be fit, be active, and be free."

Today Victor Legend launched on Kickstarter with its flagship line of activewear, ETRE. ETRE has bottoms for both men and women, with three styles: Compression Leggings, Track Pants, and Shorts.

ETREs sturdy non-slip waistband comfortably holds all personal items and does not budge during even the most intense workouts. Each pair features a large, yet sleek 300-500ml water bottle pocket, a secure credit card holder, a keyholder, and a waterproof back pocket large enough to fit an iPhone 6 Plus.

Victor Legend is the third brand created by Australian entrepreneur Bex Greenwood, and the first to launch on Kickstarter. The idea for ETRE was born when Greenwood grew tired of struggling to carry all her stuff while out running.

When I went running, I was tying my chunky keys to my shoe lace, wrapping my dogs leash around my shoulders, and wearing one of those armband phone holders that feels like getting a blood pressure test so I could listen to music,  Greenwood said. Plus, I had nowhere to keep a water bottle and was paranoid about carrying my credit card even though I needed it while I was out. So I figured out a streamline solution.

During ETREs development, Greenwood formed relationships with partner factories of top tier brands, such as Nike and Lululemon, to ensure all finished garments are high quality.

The name Victor Legend is a mashup of victorious and legendary, because thats how you should feel every time you workout, Greenwood said. And Etre is to be in French. Our proprietary waistband lets you be fit, be active, and be free.

ETREs Kickstarter campaign runs from August 30 until October 9, 2016. Early bird leggings and shorts are available for $79 USD, and early bird track pants are available for $89 USD. The estimated delivery date is December 2016. For a full rundown of the pledge levels visit the Kickstarter page.

Media wishing to interview Greenwood should contact PR agent Jackson Wightman at jackson(at)properpropaganda(dot)net or (514) 605 9255.

Media Contact

Jackson Wightman

Proper Propaganda

(514) 605 9255

jackson(at)properpropaganda(dot)net
Freenotes offers the only tuned instruments for outdoor use. We are excited about this opportunity as Freenotes aligns greatly with PlayCores culture and supports our mission of building communities through play and recreation.

PlayCore Holdings, Inc. (PlayCore), a leading designer, manufacturer, and marketer of a broad range of play and recreation products, today announced the acquisition of Freenotes Harmony Park (Freenotes).

Freenotes is the industry leader in outdoor musical instruments. Invented by Grammy Award winning musician Richard Cooke over 20 years ago, these innovatively designed instruments are durable, sustainable, and perfectly tuned sound sculptures that enhance any outdoor space. Freenotes instruments are accessible to all regardless of age, ability, or musical experience, encouraging musical creativity and exploration without the need to read music. Over its history, with the help of dedicated team members and exemplary products, the company has become the leader in the outdoor musical instrument field. Day-to-day operations will continue from the company headquarters in Durango, Colorado, as part of PlayCore's family of brands.

We continue our growth story by adding strategic acquisitions that expand the definition of play and recreation, while adding value, service, and selection to our customers, said PlayCore President, Roger Posacki. We are excited about this opportunity as Freenotes aligns greatly with PlayCores culture and supports our mission of building communities through play and recreation.

"We're impressed with PlayCore's leadership position and extensive research and are excited about the ability to grow music parks throughout the world," added Donna Codd of Freenotes.

About PlayCore

PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, education, and partnerships. The company infuses this learning into its complete family of brands. PlayCore combines best-in-class planning and education programs with the most comprehensive array of recreation products available to create play solutions that match the unique needs of each community they serve. Learn more at http://www.playcore.com

About Freenotes Harmony Park

Freenotes Harmony Park is the industry leader in outdoor musical instruments. Invented by Grammy Award winning musician Richard Cooke, Freenotes instruments have No Wrong Notes allowing anyone to become an instant expert in making music! The companys real musical instruments nurture and nourish each persons innate and unique creative expression. Playing Freenotes provides immediate gratification and fosters confidence in the ability to play music. Creating repeated patterns of melody, harmony, and rhythm open the door to exploring and interacting with music. This exploration is invaluable to the player as both a musician and a person. It inspires a sense of freedom and cultivates personal and professional growth. To learn more, go to http://www.freenotesharmonypark.com
Carolyn Primus

Carolyn Primus, president of Avalon Biomed Inc. (AvalonBiomed.com), will be featured on the national television show Worldwide Business with kathy ireland to discuss bioceramic medical devices for dentistry and orthopedics.

Model and entrepreneur Kathy Ireland interviewed the founder of the Bradenton-based company about how Avalon Biomed is improving oral health worldwide with its innovative bioactive cements that are premium but affordable.

The one-on-one interview will air on the Fox Business Network (as sponsored programming) at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time and on Bloomberg International at 3 p.m. Hong Kong Time on Sunday, Sept. 4.

This program is a great opportunity to inform people about the latest in dentistry, including patients, dentists, veterinary dentists and medical supply dealers and distributors, said Primus, who holds 13 patents, with 10 patents in dentistry. We wanted to highlight our premium products from Avalon Biomed that support clinicians in saving teeth from extraction, including childrens teeth and use by veterinarians.

Avalon Biomed was founded in 2011 after Primus received a Small Business Innovation Research grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The research was performed in conjunction with Texas A&M College of Dentistry and the Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University.

Appearing on Kathy Irelands program showcases the benefits for the U.S. business economy from a National Institutes of Health grant, Primus said.

Dental cements developed and sold by Avalon Biomed can be used in as many as 10 dental procedures to treat teeth. Products include NeoMTA Plus and Grey MTA Plus, with others under development.

During the interview, Primus also discusses Avalon Biomeds charitable impact. The company donates 20 percent of its profits to dental schools and underserved dental communities around the world.

Worldwide Business with kathy Ireland is a weekly business television show featuring corporate executives. The program is viewed internationally in over 50 countries.

About Avalon Biomed, Inc.

Avalon Biomed was founded in 2011 in Bradenton, Fla., after receiving a Small Business Innovation Research grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The companys mission is to improve oral health worldwide with affordable, high quality products. Avalon Biomed develops new bioactive, inorganic hydraulic materials to create and manufacture unique medical devices for dentistry and orthopedics. Future products are under development with ongoing National Institutes of Health-sponsored research at Texas A&M College of Dentistry and the Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University. Avalon Biomed donates 20 percent of its profits to dental schools and underserved dental communities internationally. For more information, visit http://www.AvalonBiomed.com or call 941-896-9948 or (1-844-MTA Plus).
Amy Kramer of the global firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP was awarded the 2016 American Bar Associations On the Rise  Top 40 Young Lawyers by the American Bar Associations Young Lawyers Division.

Amy is very deserving of this important honor, said David G. Palmer, managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurigs Denver office. Her dedication to serving our clients, as well as the community, makes Amy an exceptionally worthy choice.

The annual On the Rise  Top 40 Young Lawyers award provides national recognition for 40 exceptional ABA young lawyer members who exemplify high achievement, innovation, vision, leadership and legal and community service.

Kramer is a Boettcher Foundation Scholar who received an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder. She also earned her law degree there in 2009. Kramer focuses her practice on litigation with a specific emphasis on intellectual property disputes relating to patents, trademarks and copyrights. Earlier this year, Kramer won a motion for attorneys fees under Octane Fitness in a patent infringement dispute in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. Kramer also advises clients on the selection and clearance of trademarks and trademark enforcement.

We are pleased to celebrate Amys well-deserved recognition, said Scott J. Bornstein, Co-Chair of Greenberg Traurigs Global Intellectual Property Group and Global Patent Litigation Group. Amy is an outstanding attorney who is truly dedicated to providing excellent service to her clients and to making valuable contributions in her community. We are proud to have her at Greenberg Traurig.

As a sixth-generation Coloradan, Kramer is civic-minded with involvement in several nonprofit organizations, including serving on the Board of Advisors of the Downtown Denver Branch of the YMCA of Metropolitan Denver. She also chairs the YMCA young professionals committee for Janets Camp, which has raised over $1 million to send low-income children to summer camp. Kramer actively participates in her alma mater and was appointed to the Engineering Advisory Council for the College of Engineering and Applied Science earlier this year. Kramer devotes time to pro bono work including serving as first chair in a trial in the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe  Court of Indian Offenses. Additionally, Kramer is always available to take on many administrative leadership tasks at Greenberg Traurig, such as securing donations to the Legal Aid Foundation from 100 percent of the firms Denver associates, thus setting high standards for all her colleagues and those she works with in the community.

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Greenberg Traurig, LLP is an international, multi-practice law firm with approximately 2,000 attorneys serving clients from 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The firm is No 1. on the 2015 Law360 Most Charitable Firms list, second largest in the U.S. on the 2016 Law360 400, Top 20 on the 2015 Am Law Global 100, and among the 2015 BTI Brand Elite. More information at: http://www.gtlaw.com.
His experience, creative insights and exceptional mentoring skills are and will continue to be invaluable to the growth of our creative products and those who make them.

With less than a month on the job, new Creative Director Jason Jourdans impact can already be felt by Questlines creative department and clients. Jourdan brings more than 15 years of creative leadership and collegiate-level teaching experience to Questline, where he will inspire and guide the creative work of designers and writers and provide direction and creative, strategic support for client projects.

In just a few short weeks, Jason has completely reaffirmed our decision to extend a seat to him at the Questline table, Elizabeth Scoville, Questline VP of Business Strategy and Marketing, said. His experience, creative insights and exceptional mentoring skills are and will continue to be invaluable to the growth of our creative products and those who make them.

Jourdan comes to Questline from Novella Creative, the creative services company he founded in 2005. Well versed in both graphic design and copywriting, Jourdan has led strategic campaigns for a variety of brands, including Durango Boot for Rocky Brands and ComicsPriceGuide.com.

Jourdan is also an adjunct faculty member at the Columbus College of Art and Design. He teaches a graphic design course, for which he co-wrote foundational curriculum.

With the addition of Jourdans expertise and leadership, Questlines creative department is comprised of all essential talents, including web and print design, copywriting, web development and video and animation production.

About Questline:

Questline uses insight and creativity to deliver compelling digital communications to the energy utility industry that enlighten, engage and educate. With 20+ years of experience and 450 client partners, weve become the nations premier creator, aggregator and analyst of energy utility customer communications content and behavioral analytics. Visit http://www.questline.com.
Our goal in creating this premium curated content offering was to provide an easy and accessible way for employers to get valuable information and resources into the hands of their employees.

The Association for Talent Development (ATD) has created a new offering of curated content for enterprise clients that draws on the associations 70+ year history of supporting professionals in the training and talent development profession. ATD Resource Centers are an exclusive product designed for enterprise customers who seek to differentiate their talent development efforts and optimize the performance of their teams.

ATD debuted three resource centers focused on instructional design, management, and training delivery. More resource centers are in development and will be coming online by the end of 2016.

Amanda Miller, Director of Enterprise Solutions for ATD, believes these resource centers offer unique, individualized support to companies large and small. Our goal in creating this premium curated content offering was to provide an easy and accessible way for employers to get valuable information and resources into the hands of their employees, to empower learning anytime, anywhere, and to make sure that practitioners have the benefit of ATDs depth and breadth of expertise in critically important areas of the talent development field."

Each resource center comprises content in varied formats, from how-to videos, conference recordings, webcasts, magazine and book content, to trending topics and discussions that explore different perspectives on important issues.

Organizations seeking to learn more about ATD Resource Centers can email enterprise(at)td(dot)org or call 1.888.816.7813.

About ATD

The Association for Talent Development (ATD) is the worlds largest professional membership organization supporting those who develop the knowledge and skills of employees, improve performance, and help to achieve results for the organizations they serve. Originally established in 1943, the association was previously known as the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD).

ATDs members come from more than 120 countries and work in public and private organizations in every industry sector. ATD supports talent development professionals who gather locally in volunteer-led U.S. chapters and international member networks, and with international strategic partners. For more information, visit http://www.td.org.
Larry Resnick

The Andesa Fellowship for charitable works, newly launched in 2016, allows an employee to take up to three months of paid leave in order to make a meaningful impact with a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. In a competitive process, Andesas Leadership Council received several strong applications based on employees interests and skills. After careful evaluation of applications and presentations for impact on the community and benefits to the employees career, ERASE Child Trafficking was selected and deemed most qualified for support.

The key to Andesas success is our people. Andesa employees are generous, want to help others and give back to the communities in which we operate, noted Ron Scheese, President and CEO. We believed a Fellowship experience would provide a hands-on, significant contribution for an organization, expand awareness amongst our team members, and create a memorable experience for our Fellow.

ERASE Child Trafficking is a US-based, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Nashville, TN, with outreach across U.S. communities and making an impact at the global level. ERASE seeks to be a unifying voice creating a cultural shift in the perception of child trafficking and is working to its eradication through a holistic approach, focusing on education, recovery, and life reclamation.

Regarding his fellowship experience Resnick stated, I am proud to represent Andesa, a company that pays it forward by creating this opportunity for its employees to serve the community. The enormity of child trafficking has been disregarded far too long in the United States. 46 children a day go missing into the world of trafficking from our own backyards. Having the opportunity to work with ERASE Child Trafficking has been a tremendous and humbling experience. I consider myself fortunate to have been part of this initiative.

ERASEs leadership commented, ERASE Child Trafficking greatly appreciates Andesas generous contribution of its Fellow to assist us in the fight against child trafficking. As a volunteer organization, we are grateful for Larrys business expertise and time which have been invaluable to this global issue. Thank you Andesa for giving back to the community through our foundation!

Resnicks Fellowship experience will be shared with Andesa employees this fall, as part of the companys quarterly information meetings and highlighted with Andesas clients at the 2016 Andesa Client Forum held in Nashville, TN.

ABOUT ANDESA

Andesa began as a pioneer in the field of COLI/BOLI policy administration. Today more than 30 years later, Andesa provides comprehensive, integrated policy administration, plan administration and support solutions for life insurance and annuity carriers and producers. Partnered with numerous insurance companies (including 7 of the top 13 life and annuity carriers) along with several top distributors and producers, Andesas integrated approach to insurance and plan administration results in efficiency gains, reduced hardware costs, mitigated compliance risk and improved market response. This comprehensive suite of services is offered in a secure, private cloud environment. The Companys highly-experienced team of U.S.-based professionals offers a true extension to a clients business, providing insurers and producerslarge and smallwith administrative support for complex product and plan offerings.

ABOUT ERASE

ERASE Child Trafficking (HelpErase.org) is a U.S. based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with global impact. We are focused on eliminating child trafficking by implementing a holistic approach, from Education and Recovery to life Reclamation. ERASE's mission is to be a unifying voice creating a cultural shift in the perception of child trafficking. ERASE Child Trafficking, 513 3rd Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37210. info(at)erasechildtrafficking.org
Its projected that Meziere will save an estimated $60,000 in energy costs in the first year. The system is comprised of 531 LG 315 60-cell solar modules with 10 SMA inverters. The on-site Baker team was always mindful of our need to continue our business tasks day-to-day and did their best not to impede our workflow. The workmanship and attention to detail was something we really appreciated, said Partner Don Meziere Past News Releases RSS Baker Electric Solar Brings Solar...

Baker Electric Solar Wins...

Baker Electric Solar Brings Solar...

Baker Electric Solar, a full-service solar provider, has designed and installed a 167.265kW rooftop solar system for Meziere Enterprises. The cooling system manufacturer will see a 60-70 percent reduction in its annual electricity spend based on past consumption. Its projected that Meziere will save an estimated $60,000 in energy costs in the first year. The system is comprised of 531 LG 315 60-cell solar modules with 10 SMA inverters. Mezieres 25,000 square foot facility is located at 220 S. Hale Avenue in Escondido, California.

When asked why Meziere chose to go solar, company partner Don Meziere shared, We enjoy doing business in Southern California. However, there are some disadvantages to running a manufacturing company here. To be competitive, we need to do everything we can to reduce overhead for the long run. Manufacturing is heavily dependent upon electrical power and we know we can count on Escondido to be sunny most of the time. Turning that sunshine into energy efficiencies with a 5-year payback just made sense.

Meziere Enterprises has been based in Escondido since the early 1970s. The Baker name is a fixture in San Diego, and their reputation is excellent. We know Baker will be here for the long run, added Meziere. The on-site Baker team was always mindful of our need to continue our business tasks day-to-day and did their best not to impede our workflow. The workmanship and attention to detail was something we really appreciated.

According to the EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, Mezieres new solar system will save the equivalent of annual greenhouse gas emissions from 460,831 miles driven by an average passenger vehicle. It will offset CO2 emissions from 21,636 gallons of gasoline consumed or 205,182 pounds of coal burned per year.

Speaking to the financial impact of the project, Baker Electric Solars Director of Commercial Solar Scott Williams said, The Meziere solar system is expected to provide more than $1.97M in net savings over the 25-year warranted life of the solar modules. We never lose sight of the impact that predictable energy costs and increased profitability mean to our customers.

For more information, visit http://www.bakerelectricsolar.com.

About Baker Electric Solar

San Diego-based Baker Electric Solar designs, installs and maintains solar systems for homes, commercial facilities and utility-scale projects across Southern California. As a member of the Baker family of companies, Baker Electric Solar is a BBB accredited business with an A+ rating. It ranks No. 23 on Solar Power World Magazines 2016 Top 50 Solar Contractors in California and No. 76 on the Top 500 Solar Contractors in North America. It was recognized by the San Diego Business Journal as San Diegos No. 16 Fastest-Growing Private Company. Baker also earned the Angies List Super Service Award three consecutive years (20132015). For more information, visit http://bakerelectricsolar.com.

About Meziere Enterprises

Meziere Enterprises is a family-owned and -operated company focused on success through value. For 35 years their goal has been to provide customers with the very best products they can produce by starting with designs aimed at solving problems common to performance vehicles and their demanding parameters. It is executed by a wide array of machining and manufacturing capabilities and attention to detail. Mezieres line of cooling system products currently include such items as electric high flow water pumps, cooling system accessories, thermostat necks, recovery tanks, expansion tanks and radiators. Mezieres line of True Billet flexplates are used for a wide variety of domestic engine and transmission applications. For more information, visit https://www.meziere.com.
As I move into the next phase of my career, I could not be happier to be working with such a strong leadership team.

Leading national human resources and executive search consulting firm Sageview Consulting announced today the hiring of Carin Maher as talent acquisition executive. In this role, Maher will work alongside Sageview Consultings existing talent acquisition consultants. She will have primary responsibility for managing talent searches specific to the Jewish community and other nonprofits.

Maher has more than 25 years of experience in the corporate and nonprofit sectors, including extensive experience working with Jewish Federations. For 11 years, she worked as a talent acquisition executive at the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), and in this capacity, supported Jewish Federations across North America. At JFNA, she was responsible for full life cycle C-Suite talent acquisition efforts. Her expertise at developing and implementing creative recruiting solutions resulted in strong customer relationships and success in completing an average of 13 C-Suite placements per year.

In addition to talent searches, Mahers expertise includes succession planning, career counseling and staffing consulting. Prior to joining JFNA, Maher was the principal in a consulting practice that focused on IT staffing and project management. She co-founded Alert Staffing, a national recruitment and staffing firm, where she served for eight years as vice-president of operations. Her client list included such notable names as SBC, Motorola and Sprint.

As a human resources firm, we know how important it is to have the best talent, and thats why we selected Carin to join our team, said Sageview Consulting President Aimee Kaye. She has been immensely successful in her career so far, demonstrating a keen understanding of her clients business that allows her to identify the talent they need. We are certain she will be an integral part of the firm.

This position at Sageview Consulting allows me to do what I am passionate about  helping nonprofit organizations perform at their highest level  with like-minded professionals, said Maher. As I move into the next phase of my career, I could not be happier to be working with such a strong leadership team. Im excited to see what we can accomplish.

Sageview Consulting has offices in New York, South Florida and Colorado. Working with high-profile clients across a variety of industries, the top consulting firm helps these organizations actualize their business goals, optimizing performance and maximizing profitability.

About Sageview Consulting

Sageview Consulting is an industry leader in providing outsourced solutions for human resources management, talent acquisition and management, benefits and compensation, training, organizational development and Executive Search. With offices in New York, South Florida and Colorado, Sageview works for profit and nonprofit clients nationwide to create and implement systems and programs that achieve business goals. Sageview Consulting is a Certified Women-Owned Business, headed by President Aimee Kaye and Managing Partner Marilyn Hausner. To learn more about Sageview Consulting, please visit http://www.sageviewconsulting.com or call (212) 201-0728.
Frank Antonacci Frank brings a wealth of experience managing within small start up cultures, as well leading organizations with multi-billion dollar annual revenues and thousands of employees. He will be a great strategic asset to Carroll

Carroll Company, the nations leading manufacturer of private branded institutional cleaning and maintenance chemicals, has named Frank Antonacci as President and CEO. As the company celebrates 95 years of service to its customers, Antonacci has been selected to drive Carrolls long-term competitive advantage, improve operational agility and drive growth, as the company expands to meet the strategic needs of the marketplace.

Antonacci is a dynamic senior leader with more than 25 years of successfully driving customer growth, increasing revenue and improving the customer experience within Fortune 15 and startup organizations. Frank has extensive expertise in creating and executing on successful game-changing strategies within consumer and business marketplaces. His track record of success in leadership positions will assist Carroll in enhancing its product mix, while expanding direct and indirect distribution channels, said Chris Norgren  SVP, Chief Revenue Officer.

For the past 30 months, Antonacci has been President and CEO of mTHINX Integrated Technologies, provider of a patent pending IoT (Internet of Things) platform, specializing in wireless communications, mobile applications and video analytics. Antonacci was able to negotiate an LOI for the sale of the company in 2016. Prior to mTHINX, Antonacci was with Verizon Wireless for almost 19 years in positions of increasing responsibility, including region president, south area chief marketing officer, director of communications stores, director of indirect sales, director of product development, as well as others.

Frank brings a wealth of experience managing within small start up cultures, as well leading organizations with multi-billion dollar annual revenues and thousands of employees. He will be a great strategic asset to Carroll, as we celebrate 95 years of service to our customers, said Kyle Ogden  SVP, Chief Operating Officer. Ogden previously led the company as CEO for the past 30 years and will assist Antonacci by enhancing plant operations through the evaluation of manufacturing performance, operational value and capacity.

Antonacci has served on the Board of the North Texas Commission, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Metroplex Business Technology Council, as well as on the Board of the LISD Education Foundation and CEO Roundtable. Over the past decade, Antonacci has worked with the community as an advocate for domestic violence awareness and prevention, as well as support of anti-bullying initiatives.

Antonacci holds a Masters of Business Administration in Leadership from Franklin Pierce College and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Pace University.

About Carroll Company

Founded over 95 years ago, Carroll Company has become the nation's leading manufacturer of private branded institutional cleaning and maintenance chemicals. Carroll is a registered EPA (FIFRA) manufacturing organization, operates FDA approved facilities, follows documented Good Manufacturing Processes (GMP), is OHSA and UN/DOT compliant and is approved by the Orthodox Union as a Kosher manufacturer.

Carroll Company's headquarters and main manufacturing facility is located in Garland, Texas. The main plant is situated on 18 acres with 300,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing and warehouse space, with 28 dock high doors and a rail spur.

For Carroll Company Updates on Social Media:

Stay in the know about Carroll Company news by following @CarrollClean on Twitter or at http://www.facebook.com/carrollcompany , LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/company/carroll-company
Dean Provence Its an esteemed privilege to work for a company that has earned a stellar reputation in real estate over the past sixty years. Past News Releases RSS Realtor Dean Provence Assuring...

Realtor Dean Provence, whos marking his 35th year as a real estate professional, announces the 60th anniversary of Shankle Real Estate. Its an esteemed privilege to work for a company that has earned a stellar reputation in real estate over the past sixty years, said Provence.

During the course of his own dazzling thirty-five year career, Provences star has shone brightly. He was the President of the Monterey County Association of Realtors in 2008, State Director for the California Association of Realtors for five years, which included Vice Chair of the Housing Affordability Committee and Caucus Chair for the four Central Coast associations.He has also been a member of the Local Government Relations Committee since 1999.

There are many reasons why I tell my clients all this relates to them, as I participate in homeownership and property rights, I care about affordable housing, especially since I have twelve grandchildren and want them to own a home someday, and I stay on top of local issues that affect homeownership, property rights and transfer of property issues, said Provence, who recently sold a historic property in Pacific Grove that was built in 1888. I also have a good reputation in the real estate industry, which encourages other agents to show my properties and work with me when I have a buyer.

About Dean Provence, the Provence Team, Shankle Real Estate

Dean Provence has been a Realtor since 1982. He was the winner of the 2009 Distinguished Service Award from the Monterey County Association of Realtors. Dean works with both buyers and sellers. For more information, please call (831) 277-8622, or visit http://www.provenceteam.com. Shankle Real Estate is located at 261 Webster Street, Monterey, CA 93940.

About the NALA

The NALA offers small and medium-sized businesses effective ways to reach customers through new media. As a single-agency source, the NALA helps businesses flourish in their local community. The NALAs mission is to promote a business relevant and newsworthy events and achievements, both online and through traditional media. For media inquiries, please call 805.650.6121, ext. 361.
DUI Defense Law Specialist Lauren Stuckert The NCDD is the only organization accredited by the American Bar Association to grant board certification and specialization in DUI Defense Law

Law firm Mishlove and Stuckert is pleased to announce that attorney Lauren Stuckert has become a Board Certified Specialist in DUI Defense Law. As the consequences of a DUI OWI conviction become more devastating, it is crucial that attorneys in this field receive the specific training and acquire the knowledge needed to properly defend these complex cases, and to give their clients a fair shot at real justice.

Attorney Stuckert is one of only two lawyers in the state of Wisconsin to receive this accredited specialization; her law partner attorney Andrew Mishlove is the other. There are fewer than 60 attorneys nationwide to hold the DUI Specialist board certification, and Lauren Stuckert is currently the youngest attorney among them. The DUI Defense Law Certification is conferred by the National College for DUI Defense (NCDD).

The NCDD is the only organization accredited by the American Bar Association to grant board certification and specialization in DUI defense law. Further, the certification program is the only one recognized and accredited by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in meeting all rules and requirements put forth by the Supreme Court in order for practitioners to hold themselves out as DUI specialists.

The NCDD strictly adheres to all certification requirements set by its Board, which includes very high trial and practice experience standards, defense community standing, and demonstrated mastery of knowledge through examination. The rigorous program also stays on top of forensic sciences in the field. To receive certification, candidates must pass oral and written examinations on intoxication test evidence, medical aspects of alcohol, DWI detection and field sobriety testing, chromatography, and blood-drug analysis including blood gas chemistry and concepts such as salting out.

Its a hard, hard exam, says Attorney Stuckert. Im glad I did it, because now when I assert that the science is very important to my case, I can do so with a lot more authority.

The many facets now involved in OWI defense make it analogous to complex practice areas such as medical malpractice. And, even on a first-offense DUI case, the stakes are enormous when those who stand accused depend on driving for a living, or on maintaining a professional license and reputation.

Serious charges involving injuries or death demand not only the highest level of advocacy, but also access to expert resources and litigation skills. Because Mishlove and Stuckert take on these types of cases, it was only logical that Attorney Stuckert join her partner in becoming a board-certified DUI Specialist.

OWI with injury cases require using the science of accident reconstruction as well as the scientific issues in alcohol testing, explains Attorney Stuckert. Reconstruction science is part of the DUI Specialist certification as well. We do a really good job at raising reasonable doubt in serious injury cases and going after the prosecution with all of the science involved.

Lauren is one of the leading defense attorneys in the United States in the field of DUID. Her law partner describes her expertise in the area of drugged driving: She has a history of successfully challenging substandard blood-drug lab analyses. Wisconsin is a state that prohibits any detectable amount of certain drugs like cocaine or marijuana whether or not you are driving impaired. This law makes being able to effectively challenge drug screening lab tests of the utmost importance.

Attorney Stuckert has had tremendous success with winning drugged driving cases involving low levels of THC, despite Wisconsins any measureable amount standard. She has worked directly with the scientist who developed the methodology for testing THC in blood, and is able to pinpoint mistakes that the lab technicians make in the testing process and effectively cross-examine those technicians in evidentiary hearings and trials. Following her first marijuana trial victory in 2012, the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene made several improvements to its THC blood testing process. It was incredibly rewarding to see a Wisconsin lab actually initiate changes in its testing process after having its mistakes revealed in trial. We want the technicians to be doing careful work and better science. When labs have outdated or improper procedures in place, that leads to wrongful convictions.

As an involved advocate, Lauren takes her advanced training to defense communities by teaching DUI forensics and trial strategy to other lawyers. She also welcomes questions on DUI strategy and defense from all practitioners, and always makes time to answer any questions she can from her colleagues who are handling a DUI / OWI matter. She encourages any attorney having a question about DUI forensics, strategy or general law to call or email her at any time.

On her law partner and their firms mission, Lauren says: We are very much in the fight for justice. Our devotion to DUI defense comes from our instinctive nature to defend people from injustice and to protect their freedoms. We do this at the highest level possible and try to continuously better ourselves, as well as the systems involved in DUI matters.

About Mishlove and Stuckert

Mishlove and Stuckert is the only law firm in Wisconsin to have two attorneys who are Board Certified Specialists in DUI Defense Law. Partners Andrew Mishlove and Lauren Stuckert have received the most thorough analytic chemistry training for lawyers practicing in the field of DUI-OWI defense. They have represented thousands of clients in complex DUI and DUID cases, including DUI homicide, DUI with injuries, and commercial and CDL cases.
Thermal/mineral springs have huge, growing interest with consumers, investors and governments right now, with so many new (and upgraded) properties underway all over the world.

With the Global Wellness Summit (GWS) headed to Europe, where taking the waters has been a way of life for centuries, the conference program will take a deep dive into the extraordinary past - and packed-with-potential future - of the European and global thermal spa culture and market. At the conference in Kitzbuhel, Austria (October 17-19) renowned historian David Clay Large will keynote on the eye-opening history of the grand spa towns of Austria and Central Europe, which, in their glorious heyday from the late 18th- to the early 20th-centuries, functioned not only as hotbeds of healing, but of incredible artistic creation, politicking and intrigue. And Tom Bauer, COO of VAMED Vitality World, operating eight of Austrias top thermal spa resorts, will present on the future of thermal bathing destinations, and innovations now unfolding to meet the needs of the modern traveler.

In addition, the Global Wellness Institute, as part of its major research update on the global wellness economy, will present fresh data on the worldwide, regional and national thermal/mineral springs markets. Currently, 16 of the top 20 hot springs markets in the world are in Europe, with Austrias roughly $1 billion annual industry ranking 6th worldwide. And the Global Hot Springs Initiative will meet in a special forum entitled, Soaking up History: Steaming into the Hot Springs R Evolution.

Delegates can also opt for pre- and post-Summit trips to Austrias most storied and super-modern thermal spas: Professor Large will lead a tour of the nations most historic destinations, while an outing to Tom Bauer-operated Vamed Vitality Worlds vast, modern Aquadome is also on offer.

This programming reflects the power of our 2016 theme, Back to the Future  with historians and entrepreneurs connecting the past, present and future of thermal bathing. David Clay Larges keynote on the surprising role that Central Europes magnificent spa-bathing towns played in civilization, as places of profound creativity and social connection, opens up thought-provoking directions for future development, even though this history remains unknown to people currently investing in the industry. And Tom Bauers future-focused talk will provide fascinating insight into new models and key trends in thermal bathing destinations, noted Susie Ellis, GWS chairman and CEO. Thermal/mineral springs have huge, growing interest with consumers, investors and governments right now, with so many new (and upgraded) properties underway all over the world, from Eastern Europe revitalizing its historic facilities, to new builds from China to Costa Rica. The Summit is unique in bringing the experts together to strategize the future of this often-overlooked, but very profitable, $50 billion industry.

Keynote: David Clay Large

Large is a distinguished historian and professor, and currently Senior Fellow at the Institute of European Studies, UC Berkeley. The author of 11 books on modern European history (with a focus on Austria and Germany), he recently released The Grand Spas of Central Europe: A History of Intrigue, Politics, Art, and Healing, research forming the springboard for his keynote. Large will analyze the complex social, cultural and artistic history of the grand spa towns of Central Europe, opulent destinations like Baden-Baden, Bad Ems, Bad Gastein, Bad Ischl and Marienbad, which reached their pinnacle of popularity and prestige between the French Revolution and World War II  a pinnacle unmatched in spa history before or since. Attracting aristocrats, statesmen, imperial families and even the middle-class, the connection between the spa cure and creativity was strong: literary giants, composers and thinkers like Beethoven, Chopin, Freud, Goethe, Mozart, Nietzsche, Twain, Tolstoy, Turgenev (and even Marx) flocked to these spa towns; books and operas were written there; performances were given; and music and theater were a centerpiece of the spa experience. This window into the phenomenal impact of historic Austrian and European spa resorts should open interesting windows into potential future strategies.

Keynote: Tom Bauer

Bauer is COO of VAMED Vitality World, an extremely successful network of nine thermal bathing/spa resorts across Austria and Hungary, spanning 3,000 hotel beds, 25,000 square meters of water surface, 100 saunas, 150 treatment rooms, employing 2,000 people, and attracting 3.1 million visitors a year. His keynote will analyze key trends in, and creative new concepts for, thermal bathing properties. For instance, with (increasingly urban) humans now starved for both time and space, and most Europeans unable to afford the traditional two-week spa cure, he will explore how much shorter (even one-day) holiday offerings, that densely pack in a whole lot of stress-reduction, are appearing - enabled by everything from new design to online booking technology. He will further examine how the winning spa-bathing properties of the future will democratize the experience (so all can access and afford), embrace local authenticity in all they do, forge strong partnerships between the property and the community, and devise transportation solutions that help both aging and young (often car-less) guests get to the property seamlessly.

Record Number of Pre- and Post-Summit Trips:

For 2016, the Summit offers delegates an unprecedented number of trips (7), arranged by wellness travel expert, Sallie Fraenkel, of Mind Body Spirit Network. And two are dedicated to exploring Austrias world-famous spa-bathing destinations. After the Summit (Oct. 19-22), Healing in the Hills: The Thermal Waters and Grand Spas of Austria (led by David Clay Large), visits three of Austrias most historic spas: Bad Gastein, Bad Hofgastein, and Bad Ischl. View the itinerary here: http://www.globalwellnesssummit.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2016_GWS_Healing_in_the_Hills_finalc.pdf

A Pre-Summit trip (Oct. 15) to Aqua Dome, the largest, most modern thermal spa hotel in Tyrol, will immerse delegates in a wonderland of pools, saunas and spa treatments. View the experience, which includes a special Sauna Aufguss event (a fun, fast-growing thermal bathing trend), here: http://www.globalspaandwellnesssummit.org/images/gws2016/pdf/2016_GWS_Aquadome_Tour_Itinerary_Finald.pdf

The Global Wellness Summit attracts leaders from every sector of the wellness industry: tourism, spa, education, beauty, fitness, nutrition, finance, environment, medicine, architecture, workplace wellness, wellness communities and technology.

To speak to experts David Clay Large or Tom Bauer, contact Beth McGroarty: beth[dot]mcgroarty[at]globalwellnesssummit[dot]com.

To learn more about the 2016 GWS, visit: http://www.globalwellnesssummit.com/2016-summit. To register, click here.

About the Global Wellness Summit: The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) is an invitation-only international gathering that brings together leaders and visionaries to positively shape the future of the $3.4 trillion global wellness industry. Held in a different location each year, the Summit attracts delegates from all over the world. Summits have taken place in the U.S., Switzerland, Turkey, Bali, India, Morocco and Mexico City. The 2016 Summit will be held in Kitzbuhel, Tyrol, Austria from October 17-19.
Intrigue Table Top Fire Feature The Intrigue features a stunning, spinning flame that can fit in almost any outdoor table umbrella hole.

The Outdoor GreatRoom Company is pleased to announce the newly designed Intrigue Table Top Fire Feature. The Intrigue features a stunning, spinning flame that can fit in almost any outdoor table umbrella hole. The unit is UL listed for safety and has a versatile design that will match any style.

The Intrigue runs on a 1 lb. LP tank that is housed in a small base hidden under the table. Installation is quick and easy making it simple to switch from installing an umbrella for sunny days and the Intrigue for a beautiful, glowing centerpiece. The Intrigue is great for both residential and commercial properties.

This product will be on display at the upcoming Chicago Casual Market, September 20-23.

FEATURES:



Patent pending Venturi Technology

Installs in minutes, spring loaded connection lock

3000 BTUs  operates on 1 lb. LP tank up to 6 hours

1 lb. LP tank fits securely in box with access door

UL Listed for safety

Fits umbrella holes 1.75-4

ABOUT THE OUTDOOR GREATROOM COMPANY

The Outdoor GreatRoom Company (OGC) manufactures unique, upscale products with design appeal for indoor and outdoor living spaces. Products include gas fire pits and gas fire tables, pergolas, outdoor kitchen islands, outdoor gas fireplaces, indoor electric fireplaces, outdoor patio furniture, custom, and commercial products. Visit http://www.outdoorrooms.com for more information.
Our guiding principle is continuous improvement, and I think our partnership with Keypath Education is a great way to exemplify this value. - Jill Langen, Ph.D., president of Baker Online and the Center for Graduate Studies

Keypath Education, a full-service partner for higher education institutions worldwide, and Baker College, the largest independent, not-for-profit college in Michigan and one of the 10 largest private colleges in the U.S., are teaming up to better serve on-ground and online students.

One of the first colleges to pursue online education, Baker College Online recently received an exemplary endorsement from the Online Learning Consortium (OLC)  the OLCs highest honor  recognizing the outstanding quality of its online learning programs. To further the schools dedication to high quality education, its partnering with Keypath Education for all marketing efforts. Keypath is now responsible for Baker Colleges creative, traditional and digital media, and all inbound marketing efforts such as search engine optimization, social media and content creation.

Our guiding principle is continuous improvement, and I think our partnership with Keypath Education is a great way to exemplify this value, said Jill Langen, Ph.D., president of Baker Online and the Center for Graduate Studies. Keypaths expertise, transparency and dynamic teams of subject matter experts will help us elevate our brand and reach the right-fit students for our best-in-class programs.

For more than 100 years, Baker has been focused on preparing students for successful careers. With 23,000 students in more than 100 programs, nine on-ground campuses and multiple extension and online campuses, Baker continues to meet the needs of todays traditional and nontraditional students.

A partnership between Baker College and Keypath is a perfect fit, said Keypath Education Group President Mike McHugh. Its emphasis on innovation in online education and focus on adult learners, paired with our deep expertise in these areas, set us up for success in advancing Bakers programs in this highly competitive market.

For more information, please contact Hannah Lemon, senior content marketing specialist, at hannah.lemon(at)keypathedu(dot)com or 913.254.6225.

About Keypath Education

Keypath Education partners with higher education institutions worldwide to launch online programs, grow enrollment, improve learning and connect education to careers through a proprietary technology suite. The company has helped more than 4,000 higher education institutions better serve students and graduates, resulting in a strong reputation for its education mission and quality in the United States, Canada, the U.K. and Australia. Since its beginning more than 25 years ago, Keypath Education has been dedicated to changing lives through education. Visit keypathedu.com to learn more.
Michelle Rich at Christenbury Eye Center during her recent 14-year eye exam. My vision has never been 20/15 even with glasses or contacts. It was 20/15!  What's even more amazing is that 14 years later, my vision is still 20/15.

Michelle Richs sight is 20/15 after a LASIK Procedure at Christenbury Eye Center more than 14 years ago. Erin Colvard had LASIK surgery more than 15 years ago and today her sight is 20/20. Both of these women recently visited Dr. Christenbury for a follow-up eye exam and the results were exciting. LASIK procedures are meant to last a very long time; however, 14 and 15 years without a change to vision is remarkable.

At Christenbury Eye Center, previous surgery patients are often seen for annual eye exams. Two recent exams brought to light the success of the Centers work in LASIK surgery.

Michelle Rich had a LASIK procedure more 14 years ago, and her vision is still 20/15.

Michelle Rich decided to undergo a LASIK procedure with Dr. Jonathan Christenbury. She had been told by other doctors she did not qualify for the surgery because of her astigmatism. However, after an in-depth examination at Christenbury Eye Center, Dr. Christenbury determined she was, in fact, a prime candidate for LASIK. The day after her surgery, Richs eyesight was 20/15.

Rich says, My vision has never been 20/15 even with glasses or contacts. It was 20/15!  What's even more amazing is that 14 years later, my vision is still 20/15.

Every year, when Rich would come back to Christenbury Eye Center for an annual exam, she thought she would need readers. She says, No! My vision is STILL 20/15. Absolutely Amazing.

Erin Colvard had LASIK surgery 15 years ago, and her vision is still 20/20.

Colvards biggest issue was that her eyes were so dry. By the end of the day, her contacts were difficult to remove because of the dryness. Drops never worked, and she felt that she didnt look good in glasses and they were hard to keep clean. She decided to have a LASIK procedure with Dr. Christenbury.

Ive been a swimmer all my life and before LASIK I had to wear goggles all the time because I had to wear contacts to swim and see under water. I always had to make sure no one splashed me in the face or that I was wearing goggles because I was afraid I would lose a contact lens in the pool or ocean, which happened many times, says Colvard. I had LASIK over 15 years ago. My vision now is 20/20. For anyone waiting to have LASIK, I would tell everyone, do it now! Dont wait. Go have a consultation with Dr. Christenbury and see if its right for you.

If you would like to see if you qualify for a LASIK procedure, contact Christenbury Eye Center at (877) 702-2020 or visit the Christenbury Eye Center website.

About the Christenbury Eye Center

Dr. Jonathan Christenbury established Christenbury Eye Center in 1987 and is known for his groundbreaking work in vision care. For two decades he has consistently been one of the first surgeons in the Carolinas to perform many pioneering vision care procedures including LASIK, Visian ICL and TECNIS.

Dr. Christenbury performed the first LASIK procedure in the Carolinas in the early 1990s and since that time has performed more than 100,000 laser vision correction procedures. He performed the first WaveFront Customized IntraLASIK in the Carolinas in 2005. In the Spring of 2005, he was the first in the Carolinas to perform the ReSTOR procedure that treats Presbyopia and can eliminate reading glasses and bifocals. Today, Dr. Christenbury is the most experienced multifocal implant surgeon in the United States.

Dr. Kenneth Mathys is a Board-Certified, fellowship-trained Cornea and Refractive surgeon. He earned his medical degree at Case Western Reserve University. He completed an ophthalmology residency at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was honored with the position of Chief Resident. Upon completion of residency, Dr. Mathys continued his ophthalmic training as a Cornea and Refractive surgical fellow at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Mathys is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.
MTPV's David Mather, Eric Brown and Bruno Nardelli with MassVentures 2016 START Phase 1 Awardees MassVentures helps innovative companies like MTPV Power Corporation capitalize on their SBIR funds and arm them with the capital, experience, and a powerful network they can use to accelerate their transition to high-growth companies.

MTPV Power Corporation (http://www.mtpv.com), a clean energy company that converts heat to electricity using semiconductor chips, has announced that it is a MassVentures 2016 START program awardee, receiving a Stage 1 grant to advance commercialization and further innovation.

The START program awards grants to select companies that have received a SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) Phase II grant and is a three-year process designed to provide increasing financial rewards to SBIR Phase II companies that demonstrate progress on the path toward commercialization.

A highly competitive process, the START program awards Stage 1 grants to 10 companies annually. The MTPV proposal was selected from among 89 applicants this year to receive this commitment from MassVentures. The grant follows and builds upon the SBIR and Technology Enhancement for Commercial Partnerships grants awarded to MTPV by the National Science Foundation in both 2015 and 2016.

MTPV Power Corporation is excited and honored to be named a MassVentures 2016 START Program Stage I winner. The START Program is an invaluable resource for high growth companies in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts looking to commercialize innovative technologies, said MTPVs President & CEO David Mather. The funding and support provided by the START Program is integral to the successful development and commercialization of our groundbreaking waste heat to electricity conversion technology.

We look forward to working with the 2016 winners and helping them become powerful economic development engines for the Massachusetts economy, said Jerry Bird, President of MassVentures. MassVentures helps innovative companies like MTPV Power Corporation capitalize on their SBIR funds and arm them with the capital, experience, and a powerful network they can use to accelerate their transition to high-growth companies.

"The START Program help companies bridge the gap between innovation and commercialization, supporting research, development, and manufacturing jobs in Massachusetts," said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash. "Investments in revolutionary companies and products supports the continued growth of the Commonwealth's creative and innovative sectors, and will help us maintain our position as a world leader in new technology."

About MTPV Power Corporation (http://www.mtpv.com)

MTPV is a clean energy semiconductor company using its breakthrough technology to harness the worlds heat and convert it to electricity. For more information, visit http://www.mtpv.com and connect with MTPV on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

About MassVentures (http://www.mass-ventures.com/)

MassVentures is quasi-public venture capital firm focused on fueling the Commonwealths innovation economy by funding early-stage, high-growth Massachusetts startups as they move from concept to commercialization. The MassVentures START program received the prestigious 2015 Tibbetts Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration. The Tibbetts Award recognized MassVentures critical role in research and development and for successfully driving innovation and creating new jobs through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.
Featured Anniversary Cocktail On our anniversary, September 10, we will be giving free Kir Royal cocktails to all our customers to show our appreciation of their loyal patronage. Past News Releases RSS

Porto at the Sea, a revered Flagler Beach restaurant, is celebrating its first anniversary on September 10. Porto at the Sea serves the finest European and Mediterranean cuisine in the area. On our anniversary, September 10, we will be giving free Kir Royal cocktails to all our customers to show our appreciation of their loyal patronage, said Luis Deoliveira, owner of Porto at the Sea. We will also be celebrating with a special seafood menu in honor of the day.

The story of Porto at the Sea began five years ago when Deoliveiras wife, Dina, convinced him to open a restaurant. The couple then found an exceptional chef, Nuno Fritz, who has worked in a number of fine-dining restaurants in France and Portugal, and maitre d Lisa Ramming to round out the team. Today, one year later, they are a Flagler Beach institution.

The best seafood, incredible flavor, said Porto at the Sea patron Kelley K. The owner is out on the floor working and making sure everything is perfect. You cant go wrong with this place.

About Porto at the Sea

Porto at the Sea specializes in European and Mediterranean cuisine. Signature dishes include Caribbean-style seafood, avocado with crab meat, stuffed fish fillets, paella and chateaubriand. The restaurant also has vegetarian options, live music every Friday and Saturday and frequent specials. For more information, please call (386) 693-4862. Porto at the Sea is located at 318 Moody Blvd., Flagler Beach, FL 32136.

About the NALA

The NALA offers small and medium-sized businesses effective ways to reach customers through new media. As a single-agency source, the NALA helps businesses flourish in their local community. The NALAs mission is to promote a business relevant and newsworthy events and achievements, both online and through traditional media. For media inquiries, please call 805.650.6121, ext. 361.
Shout About Us EZ Response Mobile App Shout About Us has made it easy for us to integrate powerful reviews management into our solution set, enabling us to deliver this critical element of reputation management to our clients.

Shout About Us, provider of online review management to multi-location brands and local businesses through reseller-partners, today introduced a private-label version of its ReviewNavigator software for digital marketing agencies, media companies and other resellers that serve the marketing needs of local businesses.

ReviewNavigator features an easy-to-use set of state-of-the-art digital tools for generating online reviews from everyday satisfied customers. The platform delivers compelling results, averaging one star improvement and a 300 percent increase in review volume.

The private-label software includes Shout About Us patent-pending EZ Response technology, which simplifies, organizes, and streamlines the cumbersome process of responding to online reviews. Businesses can respond to all online reviews with one login via the EZ Response dashboard or award-winning mobile app (winner of the 2016 LSA Ad-to-Action Award for Social & Reputation Management).

EZ Response enables a business owner to easily communicate with key customers who can become influential brand advocates, said Griff Emery, CEO and founder, Shout About Us. And our mobile app makes it possible to do this from anywhere. An on-the-go business owner can manage and access their online reviews and instantly respond via voice or text, providing real-time, anywhere communication with customers. This is a powerful selling feature for agencies and resellers.

The private-label solution also includes Shout About Us premium ResponseScribe service, which features a dedicated, trained customer service agent who will respond to all positive and negative reviews in a clients unique voice, resolving issues and strengthening brand image.

Among the first partners moving to the platform is Indiana-based, multi-media company Schurz Communications. Schurz VP of Digital, J.B. Ozuna explained, Company and brand reviews are among the most important aspects of marketing a business online today. Shout About Us has made it easy for us to integrate powerful reviews management into our solution set, enabling us to deliver this critical element of reputation management to our clients.

Easy Partner Integration & Resources

Agency and reseller partners can easily integrate ReviewNavigator into their suite of services or ERP dashboard. Once up and running, partners have access to a complete resource center featuring tools and information to support and sell reviews management.

Shout About Us integrates with current technology platforms to drive online reviews via POS systems, CRMs, loyalty platforms, customer survey platforms, email marketing platforms, and others.

More information about the private-label review management solution and Shout About Us agency and reseller programs is available at http://www.shoutaboutus.com/page/agencies.

About Shout About Us

Shout About Us (@ShoutAboutUsHQ) offers enterprise and private-label reputation management solutions for agencies, media companies, resellers and multi-location brands. The Shout About Us platform is a turnkey solution for generating, listening to and responding to online reviews on todays most influential review sites. The companys ReviewNavigator software includes EZ Response patent-pending technology for single-dashboard response to all major review sites and an award-winning mobile app for on-the-go business owners. Shout About Us premium ResponseScribe service features a dedicated, trained customer service agent who will respond to all positive and negative reviews in a business unique voice. Visit http://www.shoutaboutus.com to learn more about Shout About Us and its reputation management solutions.
We are thrilled and deeply satisfied to have made it into the Qualified Remodeler Top 500 for the fourth year in a row said Moty Ginsburg, CEO of Treeium.

Treeium Inc., a California based home remodeling company focusing on eco-sustainability, has been included in the Qualified Remodeler Top 500 for the fourth consecutive year. The company has improved its last-year performance to place itself in the 30th position nationwide, solidifying its position as one of the leaders in green remodeling.

We are thrilled and deeply satisfied to have made it into the Qualified Remodeler Top 500 for the fourth year in a row said Moty Ginsburg, CEO of Treeium. Our continuous presence in such a prestigious list doesnt just show our pledge to work and customer service excellence, but also serves as proof that Treeium, as a company, is constantly looking to evolve, grow and tackle new challenges.

Treeium also ranked number six among the Top 20 Companies in California. The complete list can be found in the August 2016 issue of Qualified Remodeler and is also available on http://www.qualifiedremodeler.com.

Remodelers on Qualified Remodeler Top 500 list are leaders in various industries such as: kitchen and bathroom remodels, room additions, whole-house remodels, insurance restoration, design-build services and light commercial projects. All the companies included are ranked according to various criteria of success, such as installed remodeling dollar volume, total years in business, industry association membership, industry certification, industry awards and community service.

About Qualified Remodeler

Founded in 1975, Qualified Remodeler (QR) is the premier publication serving contractors who specialize in residential and light commercial remodeling. QR is mailed monthly to an audience of 80,800 remodeling company owners and executives, architects and suppliers. It was the first publication to serve the remodeling market and is sent to more residential remodelers than any other remodeling magazine.

About Treeium, Inc.

Treeium is a general contracting company based in California with over 24 years of experience in green home remodeling. We believe that change starts from the inside out, and that the home is a great place to start. We believe that every need can be answered by a green solution which is why we offer remodeling services that help our customers create their dream homes in an efficient, sustainable, healthy way for both their families and the planet.
Washing Machine Vibrations and Anti-Vibration Pads Washing machine vibration is a topic we come back to again and again in our blog, and so it is with our three new timely posts on the topic, explained Rj Yozwiak, Manager of Vibration Solution.

Chicago, IL. Vibration Solution, a leading online retailer of top-rated anti-vibration pads, is excited to announce three new blog posts on the timely topic of washing machine vibration and anti-vibration pads. washing machine vibrationWashing machine vibration is also often called 'washing machine walking,' and is a common aggravation for many consumers. The innovative technology of the Vibration Solution, based on Sorbothane technology, can mitigate washing machine vibrations even by older washers.

Washing machine vibration is a topic we come back to again and again in our blog, and so it is with our three new timely posts on the topic, explained Rj Yozwiak, Manager of Vibration Solution. Especially consumers who have an older washing machine and/or who live in an apartment or condo complex, this problem is a big one. They often find that our anti-vibration pads are just the trick they need to put an end to the hassles of a vibrating washer.

To view the three posts, visit the blog at http://www.vibrationsolution.com/blog/. Here is a summary -



WASHING MACHINE WALKING: BEHIND THE TIMES IS OK THIS TIME - this post reviews how a common problem such as washing machine walking hasn't been completely solved, even though we live in the 'Space age.' Ironically, we are approaching self-driving cars but still suffer from vibrating appliances.

WASHING MACHINE VIBRATION DOESNT AUTOMATICALLY MEAN A NEW WASHER IS NEEDED, CONSIDER ANTI-VIBRATION PADS FIRST - this post informs consumers that it is often NOT necessary to replace their washer if it's vibrating. By using anti-vibration pads, they can save a lot of money.

ANTI-VIBRATION PADS ESCAPE FROM LAUNDRY ROOM, FOUND HIDING UNDER TREADMILL - this tongue-in-cheek post explains that not only washing machines but other appliances such as treadmills can cause vibration problems, and consternation by the neighbors.

How Silent Feet Stop Washing Machine Walking

Vibration Solutions Silent Feet product is made of Sorbothane is a one-of-a-kind visco elastic polymer. 100% unique - Sorbothane is a solid that naturally flows like a liquid - Sorbothane absorbs vibrations better than any other natural or synthetic material available today. The technology, in fact, is revolutionary but the awareness among consumers can be lagging. Many consumers spend thousands of dollars on a new washing machine, or hours and hours with strange 'do-it-yourself' product only to learn that the anti-vibration pad solution is the best solution. So, in addition to technology, Vibration Solution works constantly on growing consumer awareness that there is, indeed, a solution a washing machine that walks.

ABOUT VIBRATION SOLUTION

Vibration Solution is the source for Sorbothane Silent Feet anti-vibration pads. Sorbothane uniquely absorbs up to 94.7% of vibrations, and is ideal for use in a variety of home and workplace settings.

Vibration Solution

http://www.vibrationsolution.com/
Yeastar S-Series VoIP PBX offers auto-provisioning for Snom VoIP Phones "Snom is delighted to work with the Yeastar team to provide an easy to deploy IP phone solution to our global partners, said Tommy Lee, President of Snom, Inc.

Yeastar, a leading manufacturer of VoIP PBX systems and VoIP Gateways, is announcing auto-provisioning support for Snom VoIP phones paired with the new Yeastar S-Series VoIP PBX for small and medium enterprises.

Snom phones have been fully tested for interoperability with the Yeastar S-Series PBX allowing users to save time with a simple and seamless configuration process.

A combined Yeastar and Snom phone system can be installed in a short amount of time with automatic detection of Snom phones on an IP network by the S-Series PBX.

Using the built-in plug-and-play provisioning functionality inside the S-Series PBX enables a Snom phone to configure itself by retrieving necessary configuration files.

The Yeastar S-Series PBX also features a new, intuitive user interface which makes mass phone deployments and firmware upgrades simpler and streamlines ongoing phone system management from a centralized hub that can be accessed remotely.

Were excited to strengthen our relationship with Snom by adding auto-provisioning functionality between the new Yeastar S-Series PBX and the line of innovative and award winning Snom VoIP phones, said Alan Shen, CEO of Yeastar. We strive to provide our customers with flexible unified communications solutions and being a PBX partner with Snom provides them with even greater options to meet their business needs.

"Snom is delighted to work with the Yeastar team to provide an easy to deploy IP phone solution to our global partners, said Tommy Lee, President of Snom, Inc. With our global release of D3x5 series phones, this combination provides superior voice and the European style and performance that business clients expect."

For more information about Snom VoIP phone compatible Yeastar S-Series VoIP PBX systems, please visit http://www.yeastar.com/s-series-voip-pbx/.

About Yeastar

Yeastar specializes in the design and development of innovative telecommunications equipment, including VoIP PBX systems and VoIP gateways for the SMB. Founded in 2006, Yeastar has established itself as a global leader in the telecommunications industry with 1,100 channel partners and over 100,000 customers worldwide. Yeastar products have been consistently recognized in the industry for their high-performance and innovation. For more information about Yeastar or to become a Yeastar partner, please visit http://www.Yeastar.com.

About Snom

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Berlin Germany, Snom is a German multinational corporation and the worlds first and leading brand of professional and enterprise VoIP telephones. Snom operates wholly owned subsidiaries in the United States, UK, France, Italy, and Taiwan.

Snom's German engineering is globally renowned for robust, high quality and feature-rich business telephones that are designed exclusively for the trained and certified professional IT and PBX installer. All of Snoms products are universally compatible with leading PBX platforms operating under the SIP standard with over 4 million end-point installations globally. Snom products are sold through distributors to over 25,000 Snom Value Added Resellers across the world. For more information, please visit http://www.snom.com.
CHARLOTTE, NC--(Marketwired - August 30, 2016) - Chanticleer Holdings, Inc. (HOTR) ("Chanticleer," or the "Company"), owner, operator and franchisor of multiple branded restaurants in the U.S. and abroad, today announced that it has raised $500,000 in direct EB-5 financing to open two Little Big Burgers (LBB) in Oregon. The Company currently has nine LBB restaurants in Oregon.

One restaurant will be located at the Hassalo on Eighth Vemore Building: 1088 NE 7th Ave. in Portland. Portland is the largest city in Oregon, with 60% of the state's population residing within the city's metropolitan area. The other restaurant will be located in Hillsboro, Oregon in the Platform District at 940 NE Orenco Station Loop. Hillsboro, which is to the west of Portland's metropolitan area, hosts many high-tech companies that comprise what has become known as the Silicon Forest.

Chanticleer expects that both restaurants will be opened by the end of 2016.

The investment was structured as an EB-5 Direct Investment and performed under SEC Rule 506. The EB-5 program provides foreign investors who demonstrate that their investments create at least a minimum level of required job creation in the United States with a potential avenue to lawful permanent residency. Global Alliance Securities, LLC acted as placement agent for the financing.

Mike Pruitt, CEO of Chanticleer Holdings, commented, "We are pleased to have closed on our first EB-5 financing which provides attractive, non-dilutive capital to expand our regional brands. Little Big Burger has been performing well with particularly attractive store economics, and we look forward to continuing to strategically utilize EB-5 financing for additional LBB restaurants as well as our other regional brands."

About Chanticleer Holdings, Inc.

Headquartered in Charlotte, NC, Chanticleer Holdings (HOTR), owns, operates and franchises fast casual and full service restaurant brands, including American Burger Company, BGR: The Burger Joint, Little Big Burger, Just Fresh and Hooters.

Story continues

For further information, please visit: www.chanticleerholdings.com

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ChanticleerHOTR

Twitter: http://Twitter.com/ChanticleerHOTR

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/1/b/118048474114244335161/118048474114244335161/posts
Prime Minister of Denmark Lars Lokke Rasmussen attends the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York, September 25, 2015. REUTERS/Darren Ornitz

By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark could be headed for snap elections this autumn as the country's minority government struggles to satisfy conflicting demands from political allies, with some insisting on more welfare and others on tax cuts for the wealthy.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen on Tuesday announced a broad reform plan to boost Denmark's sluggish economic growth over the next ten years. Measures proposed included income tax cuts to entice people to work and raising the pensions age.

Rasmussen, of the liberal Venstre party, leads a minority government and could face strong headwinds from political allies. Some parties have warned that there could be a snap election in the autumn if their demands are not met.

In response, the prime minister, who stands to lose in the event of snap elections, launched what resembled an election campaign more than political negotiations. He presented part of his reform agenda live on his personal Facebook page, while also starting a week-long tour of the country.

Denmark is among the most affluent countries and one of only eight to hold the best possible rating - AAA - at the three main credit rating agencies.

The Danish welfare model became an unlikely feature of the U.S. presidential election campaign, when Republican candidate Bernie Sanders pointed to Denmark as a model for his vision of an ideal American future.

But Denmark's economic growth is lagging behind neighbours Norway, Sweden and Germany, and some economists and politicians partly blame the country's generous welfare system and high tax burden.

The government on Tuesday further trimmed its economic growth forecast for 2016 and 2017, crystallising what will be another difficult economic year for the Nordic country, which has suffered a decade of lacklustre growth since the 2007-08 financial crisis.

Only Spain and Italy among OECD countries have recorded slower growth than Denmark in productivity per working hour in the last 20 years.

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"We risk falling behind, and risk that our children won't have the same welfare and possibilities as their peers in Germany or Sweden," Rasmussen said at a news conference to announce the plan.

The government will, with its plan, seek to send 250,000 more into employment by 2025 and improve conditions for businesses, which will boost the economy with 65 billion Danish crowns.

Under the proposal, income tax would be lowered for those earning incomes below 1 million Danish crowns ($150,000) a year by 2025, and the top marginal tax rate would be lowered to 10 percent from 15 percent.

All measures in the plan are subject to parliamentary approval, with political negotiations to take place between now and year-end.

The Liberal Alliance had made the lowering of the top marginal tax rate a key demand, threatening to withdraw support for Rasmussen's government if it was not met.

Another political ally, populist Danish People's Party, wants more welfare and tougher immigration measures, including the right to reject asylum seekers at the borders, a demand that was included in the government's plan.

"I would like to emphasise that there is no guarantee this will end with a grand agreement. It may be necessary to ask the public at a parliamentary election," party leader Kristian Thulesen Dahl said in reaction to the government's plan.

The plan also envisages raising the pension age earlier than previously planned to 67.5 years in 2025, up from 67, and to 68 years in 2030.

(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, additionel reporting by Erik Matzen; Editing by Ralph Boulton)
It might seem strange for Abbeville Press, a major art, design, an illustrated book publisher, to release a booka very detailed, densely argued bookon the looming danger of the national debt. But in a major departure for the house, in September Abbeville will publish Full Faith and Credit: The National Debt, Taxes, Spending, and the Bankrupting of America by Alan Alexrod (with cartoons by Michael Ramirez), which claims that the national debt is terrorism in a different form.

Abbeville is releasing a 10,000-copy first printing of the book. Publisher Robert Abrams, who is championing Full Faith and Credit, said, the books message reflects his passionate concerns about the future of my kids and their kids over the national debt. People might think it's funny that an illustrated book publisher would do this, he said. But its personal to me. The book paints quite a dark view of where the country is headed if it doesnt address the national debt, he said

In sections entitled The Tyranny of Good Intentions, Spending Too Much at the Civilian Pork Barrel" and What Taxes Cost Us, Axelrod makes the case that a combination of big government (both the federal bureaucracy and elected officials), big private and corporate organizations, and big corporate media, essentially create and profit from, the conditions that enable ever-increasing levels of public debt.

Although he acknowledged that the book paints a gloomy picture, Abrams said the title is not about finger pointing but, rather, an attempt to "get out the facts."

To promote the book, Abbeville has brought in the Pinkston Group, an independent publicity company that often works on public policy campaigns. Abrams said the author, Axelrod, has already done more than five hours of radio appearances promoting the book. In publishing Full Faith and Credit, Abbeville has used some techniques one would expect from an illustrated publisher. In addition to the Ramirez cartoons, the book has a variety of sharp looking charts and graphs.

As a publisher and concerned citizen, I havent seen this conversation [about the national debt] raised as it should be by the press, Abrams said. I do a lot of books for narrow markets. I hope this book finds a bigger one. The issues are critical to the country.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  In a special installment of Purdue University's Presidential Lecture Series on Sept. 7, Purdue President Mitch Daniels will host Mike McCurry at the JW Marriott in Washington, D.C., for "Election 2016 and the Intersection of Politics and Policy."

The event, which is open to the public, begins at 6 p.m. and features an hourlong conversation between McCurry, former White House press secretary to President Bill Clinton and co-chair of the Commission on Presidential Debates, and Daniels, former Indiana governor and member of the Commission on Presidential Debates.

The event also includes time for an audience Q&A.

A cocktail reception (cash bar) begins at 5:30 p.m. Visit www.purdue.edu/events or call Purdue's Office of Special Events at 800-213-3044 to make your reservation. Cost is $20.

Launched in 2014, the Presidential Lecture Series is a diverse series of lectures that examine policy, leadership, culture and society. Previous lectures have featured guests including columnist George Will, NPR's Mara Liasson, best-selling author Harlan Coben and "Papa John" Schnatter.

Contact: Lisa Tally, 765-494-2181, lhtally@prf.org

Note to Journalists: Media interested in attending the event should contact Lisa Tally, executive director, Philanthropic Communications, University Development Office, at 765-494-2181, lhtally@prf.org


Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom leaves with his girlfriend Elizabeth Donelly following his extradition appeal at the High Court in Auckland, on August 29, 2016 (AFP Photo/Kate Dwek)

Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom was on Tuesday granted his wish to live-stream his bid to avoid extradition to the United States where he is wanted on online piracy charges.

Attempts by the United States to block the live-streaming request were rejected by Judge Murray Gilbert in the Auckland High Court.

Lawyers for the US argued live-streaming could pollute a potential jury pool if the founder of the Megaupload file-sharing service ended up on trial in the United States.

But, Gilbert ruled it could go ahead under strict conditions. The live-stream must be delayed by 20 minutes, to allow the court time to prevent any restricted material from being published, and all footage must be removed from the Internet as soon as the hearing is over.

"This is breaking new ground. New Zealand at the forefront of transparent Justice! Leadership!" Dotcom tweeted.

"Live stream will start tomorrow (Wednesday). The cameraman needs to set this up professionally and implement the Judges live streaming rules."

The German national, who has permanent residency in New Zealand, faces up to 20 years in jail if convicted in the United States of piracy, which US authorities say cost copyright owners hundreds of millions of dollars.

His lawyer Ron Mansfield had argued when the case opened in the Auckland High Court on Monday that it raised "unprecedented issues of public and international interest" and it would not be a fair hearing without live-streaming.

"This is a case of the internet age," Mansfield said.

It is nearly five years since Dotcom, a self-described "Internet freedom fighter", was arrested in a dramatic police raid on his mansion near Auckland after the FBI shut down Megaupload's servers.

In December last year, after a nine-week hearing, a New Zealand court ruled there was "overwhelming" evidence to support extradition of the 41-year-old and three other Megaupload founders.

The prosecution has argued that Megaupload wilfully breached copyright by hosting illegally created movie, music and software files.

Story continues

Dotcom claimed Megaupload was a genuine file-sharing site that did its best to police copyright infringement but had 50 million daily users and could not control every aspect of their activity.

Denying any wrongdoing, Dotcom has accused US authorities of pursuing a vendetta against him on behalf of politically influential Hollywood studios.

The FBI alleges Megaupload netted more than US$175 million in criminal proceeds and cost copyright owners more than US$500 million by offering pirated content.

Dotcom has vowed that if he loses this appeal, which is expected to last six-eight weeks, he will take further legal steps to avoid standing trial in the United States.
CHICAGO (TNS) -- While the craft beer scene is rich and growing, the hop farming craze has yet to fully take root in Illinois.

For context: Michigan, top hop producer in the Midwest, will have more than 800 acres of the crop, a key ingredient used to flavor popular craft beer styles such as India pale ales, planted by the end of the year. Washington, Oregon and Idaho -- where the vast majority of hops in the U.S. are grown -- collectively have more than 50,000 acres that will be harvested this year.

Illinois has 30.

Hop farms are popping up throughout the Midwest, a trend driven by craft beer's continued growth running parallel to the increasing popularity of locally grown food. But in Illinois, unlike in neighboring Michigan, there's no state university-coordinated effort among brewers and growers to break down potential barriers to business. There's no research underway to determine the best varieties for Illinois farmers to grow that might give them a competitive edge.

And while hop farming yields more revenue per acre than commodities, it also requires significant investment to get started.

"There's a hesitancy to invest in the land itself when we're not in a proven market. So we're trying to prove the market and show that we're producing high-quality hops and that people want them," said Rich Hauser, president of Bier Blume Farms in Lena, about 90 miles northeast of the Quad-Cities.

Bier Blume Farms, in its third growing season, expects to harvest about 3,000 pounds of Cascade and Chinook hops from 3 acres of land, Hauser said, all of which will be sold to local breweries. Another 5 acres have been planted. Eventually, Hauser said, the plan is to form partnerships with Chicago brewpubs and expand the farm to more than 40 acres.

In general, it's still cheaper for a Chicago brewery to buy hops from Washington than Illinois.

"That's the big issue. The local farmers tend to grow more popular strains (of hops) that, unfortunately, we can get cheaper elsewhere," said Quintin Cole, co-founder of Vice District Brewing, a taproom in Chicago.

Cole and Hauser have engaged in preliminary talks, they both said, but haven't yet reached an agreement. Like most Chicago brewers, Cole said Vice District sources most of its hops from Washington and Oregon, though it has started buying some from Hop Head Farms in Michigan.

Cole said he hopes more investment and collaboration will make it easier to buy local. If Illinois farms were to grow proprietary varieties of hops unique to the region, as some do in the Northwest, that would also present a tantalizing opportunity, Cole said, though he acknowledged developing such strains can be a lengthy process.

Hop-heavy beers, such as India pale ales, continue to lead a craft beer movement that's growing into a mature industry. As of July 10, craft IPAs had brought in $562.4 million in year-to-date sales, an increase of almost 30 percent from the same period a year ago, according to data from Chicago-based market research firm IRI that doesn't include liquor stores or Costco.

As of June 30, a record-high 4,656 breweries were operating in the U.S., an increase of 917 breweries from the same period a year ago, according to the Brewers Association, a trade group representing small and independent breweries.

While hop farms in the Pacific Northwest are growing to meet demand, there are opportunities for Midwest farmers looking to capitalize on the abundant need for hops.

"For craft brewers looking for ways to differentiate, having local input is a good way to go," said Bart Watson, an economist with the Brewers Association.

But it doesn't come cheap. Starting from scratch, a single acre of hops requires an investment of at least $10,000 to $12,000, Hauser said. Growing hops involves a trellis system and other equipment for spraying the plants and picking the hops. And though some brewers use wet hops for seasonal ales, hops usually need to be dried and turned into pellets, which also requires specialized machinery. And for small farms starting out, those costs have to be passed on to the brewer until economies of scale can be realized -- unless partnerships can be formed with other hop farms to help share the cost.

Studying such challenges and identifying solutions have become academic pursuits. In December 2014, Michigan State University convened the Great Lakes Hop Working Group -- a collaborative group of various universities, including the University of Illinois, that's intended to prioritize region-specific problems and best practices.

At Michigan State University Extension, educators Rob Sirrine and Erin Lizotte have led the way in research on what varieties grow best in Michigan and how to manage pests and soil quality issues. Sirrine has also helped connect farmers to brewers in the state.

Michigan has some built-in advantages over Illinois when it comes to hop farming. For example, it's easier for some Michigan fruit farms on the lakeshore that had previously grown grapes to break into hop farming because they already have the trellis system and other equipment, Sirrine said.

And Michigan brewers are buying in. As one example, the New Holland Brewing Company recently opened a brewpub in Holland committed to using only Michigan-grown ingredients, including hops.

"Overall, there's increasing demand for American hops globally," Sirrine said. "You're also helped by the farm-to-table, farm-to-glass, grow-local movement."

Grant McCarty, Sirrine's counterpart at the University of Illinois Extension in Rockford, would like to see some of that momentum in Illinois. As part of his role as local food and small farm extension educator, McCarty acts as a liaison between the few Illinois hop farmers and the broader regional resources of the Great Lakes Hop Working Group.

"Part of the challenge is figuring out who the buyer is going to be," McCarty said. "Before you start investing in the farming, you have to figure out how the hops are going to be sold."

The opposite is also true: Investment is needed to produce enough hops at a consistent quality to entice Illinois brewers.

Dick Faltz hopes to step into that void. Faltz, 70, founded Fox Valley Winery in Oswego in 1999. Encouraged by his three sons to tap into the craft beer movement, Faltz decided to designate 4.5 acres of the 170-acre farm for hops in 2013. And so Fox Valley Hops was born.

This year, Faltz said he expects to harvest about 6,000 pounds, all of which is contracted for Tangled Roots Brewing Company in nearby Ottawa. Next year, Faltz hopes to add another 90 acres, with the eventual goal of growing hops on more than 200 acres in LaSalle County.

"I see a bright future. To say we're there yet -- we're not. But it's a very young industry," Faltz said.
CHICAGO (TNS) -- Kraft Heinz has announced it's laying off about 200 employees in the U.S. and Canada as part of ongoing efforts to reduce costs.

In a statement, Kraft Heinz spokesman Michael Mullen called the layoffs a "difficult but necessary decision.

"We regret the impact this decision has on employees and their families," he said. "We appreciate the many contributions our colleagues have made to our company, and, as always, we are committed to treating all employees with the utmost respect and dignity throughout this process."

The layoffs come on the heels of Kraft Heinz integrating the two IT systems of the legacy companies and consolidating the U.S. business unit. Those efforts over the past 14 months have allowed the company to "reinvest in our brands and business," he said.

Kraft Heinz has 42,000 global employees and is co-headquartered in Chicago and Pittsburgh.

Earlier this year, the firm announced it plans to build a $203 million plant in the Eastern Iowa Industrial Center at Northwest Boulevard and Interstate 80 in Davenport to replace its existing plant at 1337 W. 2nd St., Davenport. About 1,200 workers currently work for Kraft Heinz in Davenport; that will decline to about 475 when the new plant opens.
While many people hold the belief that running can be hard on the knees, medical research often has proven otherwise. One recent study says that running not only has no negative impact on the knees, but also may strengthen joints and reduce the risk of arthritis.

The study was conducted by the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and examined a retrospective cross-sectional study of Osteoarthritis Initiative participants between 2004 and 2014. Researchers examined knee x-rays, symptoms assessments and physical activity surveys then used logistic regression to evaluate the association of history of leisurely running with things like knee pain and osteoarthritis.

Researchers ultimately found no increased risk of osteoarthritits in patients that ran. In fact, the data revealed that regardless of the age at which they ran, runners had a lower prevalence of knee pain, radiographic osteoarthritis (ROA) and symptomatic osteoarthritis (SOA) than non-runners. For people who ran at any time in their lives, only 22.8 percent had SOA compared to nearly 30 percent of non-runners. Researchers noted that runners typically have a lower body mass index, which protects against developing knee OA.

Regular running, even at a non-elite level, not only does not increase the risk of developing knee OA but may protect against it, wrote the studys researchers.

Dr. Timothy Miller, director of the endurance medicine program at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, confirms the findings and says running in moderation is not detrimental to the knees. Miller says the general health benefits of physical fitness produced by running also decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease. As too much running could potentially have negative impacts, he says the real question is how to define what is a moderate amount of running.

The answer to this is very complex and multifactorial depending in large part on running form, biomechanics, weight, body mass index, previous injuries and genetics, Miller says.

A 2015 study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that people who jogged lightly a few times per week were found to live longer than those who didnt run or those who ran strenuously. Researchers defined light jogging as running at a speed of 5 miles per hour a few times a week for less than 2.5 hours per week total.

Miller recommends that those new to running start slowly with low mileage and generally increase it as they feel more comfortable. He also recommends that runners also include an element of resistance training to maintain muscular strength and dissipate the impact away from the bones and joints.

Study author Dr. Grace Hsiao-Wei Lo, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, says the research still does not address the question of whether or not running is harmful to people who have pre-existing knee conditions.

Dat Quach, senior physical therapist at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Maryland, says that while runners can incur injuries, much of the risk can be minimized with proper shoes, routine and running form. Quach says runners with long strides can develop knee pain while those with a narrow gain are prone to shin splints and IT band syndrome. He also says runners with an excessive bounce could become prone to Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis.

If you experience pain, a professional running assessment can really help. The therapist has a detailed view of the different running stages at various angles and can see what could be triggering injuries, Quach says.
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  When Don Milligan talks about doctor suicides, he talks about an old colleague of his, a good doctor who played jazz and zydeco tuba.

I was a real fan of his, Milligan said. And then, one day, the tuba-playing doctor was gone.

He committed suicide, as do about 400 physicians each year in the United States, a higher rate than most other professions, according to recent studies. Milligan, a semi-retired doctor who practiced at the University of Kansas Medical Center, spoke about his old friend Saturday at a forum on physician suicides organized by students at the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.

The forum, a Day of Solidarity organized online through the Care2 network, was part of a national campaign to stop physician suicides. Medical students, professors and doctors hosted similar talks in 10 other cities, including St. Louis. About two dozen people attended the event in Kansas City.

Such events are necessary, organizers say, because the alarming rate of suicides in the medical community is often surrounded by silence.

Whether because of depression, job stress or easy access to lethal knowledge and materials, the U.S. has lost more than a doctor a day to suicide for many years. Medical students are also at risk.

Officials at the Kansas City University medical school said they were not aware of any suicides or attempted suicides among their students. But a recent survey showed that at least 40 percent of the students had experienced depression or anxiety.

That was below a national rate of 54 percent, but still alarmingly high, said Elizabeth Alex, a university spokeswoman.

Thats not where we want to be, obviously, Alex said. We saw that and said, Were going to have to do something more.

The university has long had a psychologist on staff. Now, the administration is organizing a team  including a psychologist and other students  to check on students for signs of struggling.

The team will conduct surveys of students four times per year to identify those who should be offered individual help, said Jim Dugan, the universitys psychologist.

I think physicians may be more hesitant to ask for help, Dugan said. Like other successful people, many may think, I shouldnt need help. I should be able to figure it out myself, he said.

I think thats how people get into jams, Dugan said.

The problem of physician suicide is not new  it was estimated in 1977 that the country lost the equivalent of a small medical school to suicide. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide deaths are as much as 400 percent higher among female physicians compared with women in other professions. Medical students have rates of depression as much as 30 percent higher than the general population.

The reasons are not fully understood, but may include job stress and burnout, especially in a changing medical profession.

Organizers of Saturdays events have also circulated a petition urging the Association of American Medical Colleges and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education to take action to prevent student and resident suicides. The petition, started by doctors Ashley Maltz and Pamela Wible, has gathered more than 66,000 signatures.

Wible, writing two years ago for the Washington Post, said part of the problem is that doctor suicides are often hushed up.

Physician suicide is a triple taboo, Wible wrote. Americans fear death. And suicide. Your doctors committing suicide? Even worse. The people trained to help us are dying by their own hands.

Milligan, the doctor whose tuba-playing friend killed himself years ago, urged the students gathered on Saturday to talk with one another, be open about their problems and watch themselves for signs that they need to ask for help.

Real trouble may not always be obvious, Milligan said. He recalled that he had spoken with his friend by phone the morning he died. They laughed together.

Laughter doesnt mean youre not depressed, he said. I would like to still have him around.
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 Davenport man was sentenced Tuesday to probation and a fine for misrepresenting his military service.

Robert "Bob" Brooks Jr., 70, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose to five years probation and a $5,000 fine after pleading guilty in March under the Stolen Valor Act for buying medals without proper authorization, according to U.S. Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel.

He also was ordered to forfeit the unauthorized medals and pay a $25 special assessment to the Crime Victims Fund.

Mr. Brooks served in the Navy from November 1962 to September 1966 and then in the Army from May 1967 to September 1970. From September 1970 until September 1974 he served in the Army Reserve. Then, from September 1974 until Jan. 31, 1986, he again served in the Navy; he was discharged under other than honorable conditions, according to a release from Mr. VanderSchel.

The DD-214 military record file for Mr. Brooks, dated Sept. 10, 1970, listed his awards and decorations as the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Army Aviator Badge, Parachute Badge, 30/S Service Bars, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters and Air Medal (14th award with "V" device).

Between 1971-1974 and during his service in the Army Reserves, Mr. Brooks compiled a list of other awards and decorations he thought he deserved but had not validly received. He provided that list to

another person and the information was falsely added to his official DD-214 -- the only document later checked when suspicion arose about his awards, according to Mr. VanderSchel's release.

In March, Mr. Brooks admitted the DD-214 had false information. Most significantly, it falsely said he received a Silver Star Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, a Purple Heart with four Oak Leaf Clusters and a Combat Infantry Badge.

He also admitted his record falsely included nearly 30 other awards and decorations, and that he knowingly bought the unauthorized awards and decorations. The release states he repeatedly and falsely affirmed he was entitled to and received those awards and decorations; when others questioned his record, he referred to the DD-214 knowing it held false information.

At his sentencing hearing, it also was noted his claims of being a prisoner of war after being shot down during the Vietnam War were not credible. The court also noted a "Chicken Soup for the Veteran's Soul" story about flying through enemy fire to save a group of Marines, based on information Mr. Brooks provided, also apparently was not true.

The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Iowa and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Mr. Brooks previously served on the board of directors for Vietnam Veterans Quad-Cities Chapter 299 and has been among veterans recognized at local events for military service.
A Bradford woman faces a felony charge of a false report of an offense following a hearing in Henry County Circuit Court on Monday.

Jamie L. Alexander, 35, was charged July 12 with Class 4 felony false report of offense of custodial sexual misconduct.

Illinois State Police Special Agent Walt Willis testified in Monday's preliminary hearing that Ms. Alexander made a complaint to Sgt. Sue Cervantez of the sheriff's department on March 23 that a deputy made inappropriate contact with her when she was brought to the jail March 16. The sergeant turned over the investigation to the state police.

Agent Willis said neither video footage nor other officers offered anything to support or substantiate a claim of sexual misconduct.

According to Special Agent Willis, State Police Sgt. Corey Peck spoke with several deputies at the initial intake and viewed 10 hours of video footage including a hallway facing a wall next to a fire extinguisher where Ms. Alexander had alleged the deputy touched her aggressively while patting her down. He said, in a subsequent interview, Ms. Alexander followed them to the jail and showed them the area where the alleged incident happened and, after being shown the video, she was able to see her account did not match the video.

She remarked her story was not right, said Special Agent Willis. He also said she did not recant her statement.

Judge Jeffrey O'Connor found probable cause to believe Ms. Alexander committed a felony and an Oct. 20 pretrial hearing was set.
Cook County Clerk David Orr held a news conference Monday morning along with state lawmakers and civil right groups to mark the milestone. He says that as of Monday morning the clerk's office has issued 9,990 marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

The Illinois Legislature approved a gay marriage law in late 2013, making Illinois the 16th state to allow same-sex marriages. The law took effect in June 2014.

State Rep. Greg Harris and state Sen. Heather Steans, who sponsored the Illinois legislation, were at Monday's event in Chicago.

The U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in June 2015.
Authorities on Monday said Jonathan McIntosh was charged with aggravated assault to an officer and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.

McIntosh is in custody at a hospital where he was treated for gunshot wounds. It was not immediately clear if he has an attorney to speak on his behalf.

Troopers were conducting an unrelated traffic stop Thursday when a taxi driver flagged them down and said his passengers were refusing to pay. Troopers spoke to two men in the taxi's back seat. Authorities say one pulled a gun and refused to drop it. A trooper fired into the car, hitting both men. A 23-year-old was released and does not face charges.
Duke Energy Corporation DUK has received a new 30-year operating license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for its Keowee-Toxaway Hydroelectric Project in northwestern South Carolina.



Details of the Project



The hydroelectric project, comprising two reservoirs with two powerhouses, extends across 25 river miles and covers roughly 480 miles of shoreline. It starts from Lake Jocassee in North Carolina and South Carolina, flows into Lake Keowee and then runs downstream to the Army Corps of Engineers' Lake Hartwell Project in South Carolina.



The plant generates 868 megawatts (MW) of hydropower and cooling water for Duke Energy's Oconee Nuclear Station on Lake Keowee. TheOconee power station can generate about 2,500 MW of energy.



Keowee-Toxaway will enable Duke Energy to continue operating the Jocassee Pumped Storage Hydro Station, the Keowee Hydro Station and connected lakes.



According to Steve Jester, Duke Energy's vice president of water strategy, hydro licensing and lake services, theproject generates renewable hydroelectric power, fulfils regional potable water requirements and offers high-quality recreational prospectsin the region. He believes that the licensealso ensures the availability of these resources for future generations.



The License



The new license will be effective from Sep 1. It will help the company to executeoperational, environmental and recreational resource development, and benefit the community and the environment in many ways. One such benefit will be improvements in existing public recreational areas on Lake Jocassee and Lake Keowee.



Additionally, Duke Energy will execute a Habitat Enhancement Program in the watershed and expects to conserve around 2,900 acres of property adjacentto the lakes. The program will aim to conserve ecologically and culturally important resources.



It is the first relicensing for the project in Upstate South Carolina. In 1966, the hydroelectric project received the first 50-year license from FERC.



The company has been working with community, environmental and local government groups on the relicensing proposal since 2011. It has filed its formal application in Aug 2014.

Story continues

DUKE ENERGY CP Price

DUKE ENERGY CP Price | DUKE ENERGY CP Quote

Renewable Endeavors



Duke Energy is a premier utility service provider that offers efficient power and energy services across various states in the U.S. and several international locations. The company has plans to invest $1.5 billion in renewables in its pipeline joint ventures in 2016. Additionally, it intends to invest $3$5 billion in commercial renewables in its gas pipeline through 2020.



On Apr 2016, the company raised its 2020 renewable energy goal by 33% on the back of continued growth in renewable energy. The company expects to own or acquire 8,000 megawatts (MW) of wind, solar and biomass capacity by 2020, marking a substantial increase over the 2013 target of 6,000 MW. The company is committed to the construction and expansion of the scale of its solar and wind projects across the U.S.



Duke Energy currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).



Stocks to Consider



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The Republican governor said there isn't enough money to support the proposals.

He has used the same argument to block social service funding efforts during the budget impasse, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees pushed legislation that would increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour for workers who help the developmentally disabled with daily tasks. Providers say the current average hourly wage of $9.35 has led to a staffing shortage, the closure of group homes and families without necessary assistance.

Two days prior to vetoing the bill, Rauner had acknowledged the shortage and declared that a week in September would honor these workers.

Rauner said the pay hike would cost the state an additional $330 million a year and doesn't provide any way to cover the added expense.

"We should first acknowledge the difficult and important work of these professionals, who assist persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities in residential and day programs," Rauner said. "Many of these professionals have not had a wage increase in years. I am open to finding a responsible way to increase wages for these professionals, but unfortunately this bill is not the answer."

Rauner also vetoed a bill that would've expanded eligibility requirements for low-income families to receive child care.

"I'm disappointed that the governor chose to turn his back on parents working to give their children a better life," said Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, who sponsored the bill.

Rauner said such a large expansion could threaten the child care program because without funding to go along with it, parents could see long waitlists or be asked to pay higher copays.

"None of which would best serve the interests of the children that this legislation is intended to support," Rauner said. "The state of Illinois can no longer make spending promises that exceed available revenues."
** To donate, please contact the Blood Center at (800) 747-5401 ext. 1281 or visit www.bloodcenterimpact.org and use code 1011 to locate the drive.

** Donor Eligibility Criteria: Potential donors must be at least 17 years of age (16 with parental permission form available through www.bloodcenter.org) and weigh more than 110 pounds. A photo I.D. is required to donate. For questions about eligibility, please call the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center at (800)747-5401. Donors who last gave blood on or before 7/23/16 are eligible to give at this drive.
Market Outlook - Sept 14 at Lavender Crest

Bryce Stremming, Commodity Risk Consultant with MID-CO COMMODITIES, will be the featured speaker on Wednesday, September 14 at the Lavender Crest Winery, 5401 US Highway 6, Colona. The evening will begin with a buffet dinner at 6:15 p.m., followed by an update from Gold Star FS Grain Merchandiser, Mike Schaver.

Bryce Stremming is a Commodity Risk Consultant with MID-CO COMMODITIES in Bloomington IL, where he provides merchandising assistance and futures execution to grain merchandisers in the country elevator industry. Prior to joining MID-CO in 2000, he worked in the cash grain industry in merchandising, operations, and general management. Bryce is an Indiana native and graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Agricultural Economics.

REGISTER EARLY!!! Sign up for the entire series for $75.00  get one meeting free!!! Cost for a single session is $25.00 (if not pre-registered cost will be $30.00). Reservations must made by September 7 to guarantee a meal. To make reservations, please call the Henry County Farm Bureau (309) 937-2411 or the Rock Island County Farm Bureau (309) 736-7432.

Additional speakers for the series will include: November 16  Naomi Blohm, Stewart-Peterson Group; March 8, 2017  Mike McClellan, Mobile Weather; July 13, 2017  Chip Flory, Pro Farmer. (Lavender Crest Winery will be the location for all market outlook seminars.)

The Market Outlook Series is sponsored by the Henry and Rock Island County Farm Bureaus.

###

Teri Ford

Administrative Assistant

Rock Island County Farm Bureau

1601 52nd Avenue, Suite 3

Moline, IL. 61265

Phone: 309-736-7432
The State 911 Advisory Board on Monday denied the waiver request from the Henry County Emergency Telephone System Board (ETSB) to retain all three 911 dispatch centers in the county.

Now basically we're still kind of in limbo for 30 days until we hear from the 911 administrator, said Jon Cremeens, director of the Henry County E911 emergency telephone system, from Springfield after the ruling.

The way the county saw it, 911 calls risked not getting through at times when the system gets 15-20 calls reporting an accident on the interstates, but that didn't appear to move the advisory board Monday in its 7-3 ruling to give the county until July 1, 2018, to consolidate centers.

They didn't care. They didn't want to hear it, said Mr. Cremeens.

He said the county ETSB needs time to determine which dispatch center will close. Without the waiver, the centers would have had to consolidate by July 1, 2017.

The judge who first heard the county's waiver request in July recommended a three-year extension.

State law requires counties of less than 250,000 to have no more than two public safety answering points (PSAPs). Waivers can be granted for a substantial threat to public safety or if mergers would be economically unreasonable or technically unfeasible.

Henry County submitted a waiver request this past June, offering to pay annual recurring networking costs for its third PSAP projected at $166,500; personnel already would be covered by the law enforcement agencies. The board listed anticipated annual revenue of $510,000. Mr. Cremeens said the organization has funds on hand to cover costs.

In the application seeking a five-year waiver, the Henry County ETSB board noted the sheriff's department is the primary dispatch center for Henry, Rock Island, Mercer and Stark counties through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System. It cited the considerable distances between agencies as well as Homeland Security risks in locks and dams, railroads, interstates, heavy industry, pipelines and a nuclear plant.

ETSB chairman John Swan stated in the application that the Henry County 911 system was in the black from the start in 1992, and it wasn't until the state took over funding that there were concerns about where our 911 system is headed. He wrote that the loss of a dispatch center would add to safety issues for first responders and the public, adding the county had addressed finances -- we would cover all costs associated with our third PSAP.

In a section of the waiver application titled five-year strategic plan for consolidation or modified plan, Henry County 911stated it planned to be able to accept and send text and video once providers are able to send the data and that it was currently working with some 11 other county 911 systems in the northwest central Illinois and anticipated being linked with them.

Mr. Cremeens clarified the county didn't know whether it would seek another waiver in five years or rely on the 10-county system.

According to the Illinois chapter of the National Emergency Number Association, there were nine counties in Illinois without enhanced 911 service as of July, 2015; their 911 calls are taken on regular phones without displaying where the call comes from. Mr. Cremeens said it's frustrating to him that the new law requires those entities who are not current enhanced 911 systems to join existing enhanced systems, yet the state has recently permitted two of those to move to start their own.

That went against the law right there, he said.
Submitted press release

Miss Illinois Named STEM Scholarship Finalist at Miss America

Jaryn Franklin of East Moline to advance to finalist interview

ATLANTIC CITY  Miss Illinois 2016 Jaryn Franklin has been named a top five finalist for the Miss America STEM Scholarship. She was chosen out of 52 competitors at the national competition.

The announcement came today in Atlantic City, New Jersey during the first day of the Miss America program. Franklin will interview with four other finalists on Wednesday, Sept. 7. Finalists will meet to discuss and substantiate the importance of their STEM studies to a judges' panel.

Three winners will be selected during competition week to each receive a $5,000 scholarship to further advance their education in the STEM field of their choice.

Franklin works as a registered nurse and hopes to further her career by obtaining a PhD in nursing.

To learn more about the Miss Illinois Scholarship Organization, visit Miss Illinois online at missillinois.org. To learn more about the Miss America STEM Scholarship, please visit missamericafoundation.org.
In 1963, Gene Wilder was starring alongside Anne Bancroft in one of his first major stage roles, a Broadway production of Mother Courage and Her Children, when he met a man who would forever change the course of his career: Bancrofts future husband, Mel Brooks.

Five years later, Brooks cast Wilder opposite Zero Mostel in his 1968 comedy The Producers, the story of a Broadway producer and accountant who hatch a scheme to produce a guaranteed flop called Springtime for Hitler. With his turn as the perpetually frazzled Leo Bloom, Wilder created an indelible portrait of comic neurosis and set the stage for two future collaborations with Brooks  Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, both released in 1974  that are among the most beloved comedies in Hollywood history.

If it werent for Mel, Wilder told the Los Angeles Times in 1990, Id still be doing temporary typing for a living, and selling toys at FAO Schwarz for $1.40 an hour.

A two-time Oscar nominee who brought a unique blend of manic energy and world-weary melancholy to films as varied as 1971s childrens movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and the 1980 comedy Stir Crazy, Wilder died Sunday of complications from Alzheimers disease at his home in Stamford, Conn. He was 83.

A private man who had largely retreated from Hollywood in the last two decades, Wilder had suffered from the disease for three years. In a statement, his nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman said that the decision not to disclose his condition was not made out of vanity but rather to protect the many children who knew and loved Wilder from his role as the eccentric candy-maker Willy Wonka from feeling worry or confusion. He simply couldnt bear the idea of one less smile in the world, Walker-Pearlman said.

Whether bouncing anxiously off of the explosive Mostel in The Producers  for which he earned a best supporting actor Oscar nomination  or parrying jokes with Richard Pryor in one of their four films together, the classically trained Wilder was both a magnetic performer in his own right and an ideal comic foil.

On Monday afternoon, Brooks posted a tribute to Wilder on Twitter, calling him one of the truly great talents of our time. He blessed every film we did with his magic and he blessed me with his friendship.

But, as great as his gifts for comedy were, Wilder always considered himself an actor rather than some kind of clown. He never thought of himself as a comedian, Walker-Pearlman told the Times by phone Monday. He did occasionally think of himself as a comic actor, but actor first. There were very few things that could hurt his feelings, and one of them was if he was described as a comedian as opposed to an actor.

As a performer as well as screenwriter and director, Wilder always approached his works from an unexpected angle. When taking on the role of Willy Wonka in director Mel Stuarts adaptation of Roald Dahls Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wilder insisted the character first appear on screen limping with a cane, then trip and do a somersault with a flourish.

Mel Stuart said, What do you want to do that for? Wilder recounted years later in an interview with Larry King. I said, Because no one will know from that point on whether Im lying or telling the truth.

Born Jerome Silberman in Milwaukee on June 11, 1933, Wilder began performing at a young age, eventually studying at the Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol, England, in the mid-1950s. Returning stateside, in 1956 he was inducted into the Army for a brief stint. In 1961 he became a member of the Actors Studio in New York, studying with Lee Strasberg, and adopted the stage name Gene Wilder at age 26.

Wilder made his movie debut in Arthur Penns landmark 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde as an undertaker taken hostage by the notorious depression outlaws Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. But it was his turn a year later in The Producers that brought him stardom, cementing a relationship with Brooks that would yield some of his most memorable performances.

A gleefully offensive homage to  and parody of  the Hollywood western, Blazing Saddles saw Wilder play an alcoholic gunslinger who teams up with a small towns black sheriff against cutthroat landgrabbers. In Young Frankenstein  for which Wilder shared an Oscar nomination with Brooks for their screenplay  he portrayed young surgeon Frederick Frankenstein, who, in an attempt to distance himself from his notorious grandfather, insists that his surname is pronounced Frahnkensteen.

Hot off his work with Brooks, Wilder stepped out on his own as a director with 1975s The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes Smarter Brother, in which he also wrote and starred. He also directed and starred in 1977s The Worlds Greatest Lover, 1984s The Woman in Red and 1986s Haunted Honeymoon.

Wilder also enjoyed a highly successful, if seemingly improbable, onscreen partnership with Pryor. The two first appeared together in 1976s Silver Streak, but it was the box-office smash of Stir Crazy, in which they played a pair of men who are wrongfully imprisoned, that cemented their dynamic. The two later appeared together in 1989s See No Evil, Hear No Evil and 1991s Another You.

Wilders first two marriages, to Mary Mercier and Mary Joan Schutz, ended in divorce. While making the comedy Hanky Panky in 1982, he met former Saturday Night Live star and actor Gilda Radner. The two married in 1984 and remained together until Radners death from ovarian cancer in 1989.

Around the time of Radners death, Wilder began to gradually downshift his acting career. In 1994, he starred in the short-lived sitcom Something Wilder and in 2003 he won an Emmy Award for a guest-starring turn in NBCs Will & Grace.

Although fans who had grown up on his films of the 1970s may have yearned to see him return to the big screen, Wilder found increasingly little appeal in the kinds of comedies Hollywood turned out, which to his mind too often stressed profanity over genuine humor.

Even if the plot sounds interesting, the script is terrible, he told the Times in 2008. Thats why Im not doing movies.

Wilder is survived by his fourth wife, Karen, whom he married in 1991, and other relatives.

Throughout his career, even in his most wildly antic performances, Wilders comedy was often tinged with an undeniable undercurrent of sadness that he had seemed to carry with him from a young age and that he shared with one of his comic heroes, Charlie Chaplin.

But, as he explained to the Times in 1977, what saved him from his darkest self was his unfailing ability to tap into an imaginative streak of comic insanity that also ran deep inside him.

That I will probably have until the day I die, and thats probably why people pay money to see me, he said. So Id be insane to lose my insanity.
Getting treatment for depression may sometimes be a regular part of health care for the worried well that leaves those who cannot afford it to suffer by themselves.

A new study published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine illustrates that phenomenon. Most Americans who screen positive for depression dont receive treatment  while most who did receive treatment dont actually have the condition.

Over the last several years there has been an increase in prescription of antidepressants, said Mark Olfson, professor of psychiatry at the Columbia University Medical Center and lead author of the study. In that context, many people assumed that under-treatment of depression is no longer a common problem.

But Olfson found the opposite to be true after analyzing data from Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys in 2012 and 2013 that includes questionnaires screening for depression. Of the 46,417 adults surveyed, 8.4 percent answered in ways that suggested they had depression, but only 28.7 percent of them received any treatment for it.

The findings highlight that there are continuing challenges in aligning depression care with patient needs, he said.

Adults in the lowest income group were five times more likely to be depressed compared with those in the highest income group. But they, along with uninsured adults, racial and ethnic minorities, and men, were also less likely to receive treatment.

On the other hand, among the 8.1 percent of adults who received treatment for depression, only 29.9 percent of them had depression and 21.8 percent of them had serious psychological distress. And those with either less serious or no depression were more likely to receive antidepressants. Its a problem of overprescription, Olfson said, because studies have shown that antidepressants are not any more effective for patients with mild depression than a placebo.

Being a little less aggressive in medication in mild depression would be beneficial, he said. There are simpler forms of psychological interventions that can be adapted for primary care.

Rather than relying on these drugs, the patients can be given other treatments ranging from counseling and exercise to yoga.

In addition, researchers concluded that those with serious psychological distress are more likely to be treated by psychiatrists instead of general medical professionals, but this trend does not translate to older patients, African-Americans, the uninsured or those with less education.

Some when they have depression dont believe they require treatment or that they could benefit from treatment, Olfson said. People are visiting doctors but the attention is to current, pressing medical problems.

But these doctor visits can be used as an opportunity for increasing access to treatment for depression to disadvantaged populations. Olfson found that most people with untreated depression make at least one visit to a primary care doctor annually. If depression screening and mental health services can be integrated into primary care, Olfson said, there will be better access and awareness about the illness.

If you give them a referral to a mental health clinic, they simply wont go if they dont think they have a mental health disorder, he said. By embedding the services within primary care, it becomes more accessible and less stigmatized.
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!
Siemens hosted San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) for a behind-the-scenes look at the first of 215 California-built light rail vehicles currently under production at the Siemens rail manufacturing hub in Sacramento, Calif. The first SFMTA advanced technology S200 high-floor LRV is expected to arrive in San Francisco in December and will enter into final testing and commissioning prior to revenue service, scheduled for 2018.

The behind-the-scenes tour at Siemens nearly 1,000-person Sacramento plant, which has been in operation for more than 30 years and is powered in part by solar energy, marks an important milestone in the manufacturing process for the 215 light rail vehicles, Siemens noted. The new LRV is especially energy-efficient with a regenerative braking system and LED lighting that uses up to 40 % less electricity than standard neon lighting. Additional features, based on public input gathered throughout the design process, include a sleek appearance, and new seating configurations. The vehicles are designed to be extremely reliable and are estimated to last 10 times longer before requiring significant maintenance than the previous LRVs.

We strongly encourage our public to ride our public transportation system, but we have to make it world class, respectable, clean and efficient. And, I think people will be proud we made the right investments, said San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee. The operational improvements with these light rail vehicles are significant for all riders with Siemens technology, and the fact that manufacturing is back in the state of California with Siemens leadershipI think this is a great story.

The demand for transit grows as the city booms. The cars we have today are aging and they are high maintenance, so to get new vehicles and to get more of them onto the streets is going to be a huge part of what makes San Francisco successful, said Ed Reiskin, SFMTA Director of Transportation. Siemens has been a great partner. Clearly, they are one of the best carbuilders in the world and we are really happy they are right here in California.

We are very excited to have Mayor Lee and representatives from SFMTA here with us in Sacramento to mark this important manufacturing milestone for these light rail vehicles that will bring a more reliable, comfortable and enjoyable riding experience for passengers throughout San Francisco, said Michael Cahill, President of Siemens Rolling Stock. These vehicles are being built in California, for California, and were proud that the work being done at our facility will help transform the way San Franciscans travel in and around the city.
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This commentary is part of the American Worker series, which explores a range of critical topics that affect the American workforce. The series is sponsored by RAND Labor and Population.

Forty years ago, the doctrine of free trade seemed to be triumphant  Slowly but steadily the current has been reversed.

This is not a quote from the heated debates of the present political cycle but from a speech delivered in 1905 by Frank W. Taussig, then president of the American Economic Association. Free tradethe relatively unhindered movement of goods and services across national bordersstirs passions in a way few other economic issues do.

The U.S. and world economies have rapidly globalized since the end of World War II, picking up speed with China's early opening under Deng Xiaoping in the late 1970s, building in the 1980s when Latin America changed from inward-focused economics to greater openness, and then accelerating in the 1990s with the start of Indian economic reforms, the end of the Soviet Union, the freeing of Central and Eastern Europe, and China's recommitment to reform and globalization in 1992.

This means that more than half the people living in America have spent or will spend their entire working lives in an era of global openness. Most American workers will spend their careers in labor markets where foreign companies may be able to provide the same products and services more cheaply, putting U.S. jobs at risk, but also where foreign companies may be able to provide inputs more cheaply and where there are more foreign consumers and businesses who can buy American goods and services, bringing benefits to U.S. jobs.

Much of this globalization would have taken place naturally, due to domestic policy changes around the world, economic growth, and changes in technology making trade and investment easier.

But some has been fueled by international agreements, including the creation of multilateral trading rules and institutions and more recently of bilateral and multilateral agreements. There are more of these deals slated for the future, including the recently concluded but not yet approved Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the under-negotiation non-U.S. Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and other so-called mega-regionals.

And now, once again, trade has come under fire for its effect on the American worker. There is no denying that there have been effects. More than 20 years ago, it was recognized that U.S. trade with lower-wage countries could depress the wages of lower-skill workers and move people out of manufacturing.

As people lose their jobs, they face other costs, such as the costs of searching for a new job, paying for retraining, taking a lower salary, or suffering family or psychological stress. These costs can be considerable to individuals and communities, and the government as well.

Most of the evidence is that under most conditions, trade has little effect on the overall number of jobs.

The consequences for particular industriesnamely manufacturingare widely agreed. What's less settled is the effect on the overall job market, specifically the number of jobs available. Most of the evidence is that under most conditions, trade has little effect on the overall number of jobs. In fact, a recent U.S. International Trade Commission analysis of the likely effects of the TPP found that by 2032, the agreement would increase overall employment by only about 128,000 jobs, or 0.07 percent of all jobs.

A variety of other policies also have important effects on the labor market. Furthermore, the effects of trade on jobs pale in comparison to technological change (a long-time finding), as well as other factors combined, such as changing demand for products and even regulation. In fact, manufacturing jobs are on the decline worldwide.

But if there are negative effects, and no large increases in employment, why pursue open trade and investment policies? Because there are a variety of benefits, and they are enormous. These include increased economic growth, stemming from larger product markets and boosts to productivity; more varieties available to industry and consumers; and lower prices. These lower prices can bring large benefits to people at the lower end of the income distribution, who have limited incomes and gain from being able to buy clothing and other necessities at lower prices.

Furthermore, for the United States, such policies tend to shift the labor market toward demand for higher-skill jobs, increasing wages for those who can take advantage of the opportunities and increasing overall national wealth. In fact, the TPP is designed to do just that, increasing the opportunity for both U.S. agriculture and high-skill service sectors to sell abroad.

So openness to trade and investment benefit the overall economy as well as many people, even if those benefits are often spread unevenly among them. However, some workers are hurt. That is why economists have consistently recommended policies complementary to open trade and investment, such as training programs and assistance, relocation assistance, wage insurance, and other forms of trade adjustment help. Some programs exist in the United States. However, evaluations of their performance have indicated that the results have been poor. But economists have recommended policies beyond trade adjustment assistance, and in other countries, such policies have proven effective during most normal economic times, but whether they are effective during periods of crisis is not as certain.

Free trade will always be politically contentious. As the economist Lawrence Summers notes,  this problem of invisible beneficiaries and very visible losers is one that bedevils the political economy of trade. The policy challenge for any administration is to help American workers displaced by tradeor by technological or regulatory changesin an effective manner without losing the overall benefits of open trade.

Howard J. Shatz is a senior economist at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation; director of RAND-Initiated Research; and a member of the Pardee RAND Graduate School faculty.

Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
Greek multiservice operator Forthnet, owner of the Nova pay-TV brand, has seen a substantial fall in its video business during the first half of 2016.





For the six-month period ended 30 June, the company reported an 8.5% year on year drop in total subscriptions to 1.073 million, with half-yearly revenues tumbled by a similar amount to 165.5 million driving EBITDA of 26.815 million, a fall of 8.1% annually.Pay-TV, which continued to be dominated by bundled and triple-play services, was among the worst affected business lines, declining 9.6% to 460,252. The company attributed this to its conservative commercial approach. Overall pay-TV retail revenues fell 10.9% to 62.03 million, yet advertising revenue increased by 12%, thanks, said the company, to constantly upgraded Nova content Commenting on the results, Forthnet CEO Panos Papadopoulo said: In a prolonged recessionary environment, that decreases disposable income, we continue to focus on optimizing our cost base and on improving the quality of our services. By entering into new agreements we are enriching our content and available channels. We are also continuing to improve the experience of our subscribers, under the Nova brand for all services, by offering to all of our customers high-definition image quality and new ways of experiencing on-demand content. The refinancing agreement reached with the banks and the upcoming issuance of the convertible bond are important developments towards improving the companys balance sheet.
By Foo Yun Chee and Padraic Halpin BRUSSELS/DUBLIN (Reuters) - The European Commission ordered Apple Inc to pay Ireland unpaid taxes of up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) on Tuesday as it ruled the firm had received illegal state aid. Apple and Dublin said the U.S. company's tax treatment was in line with Irish and European Union law and they would appeal the ruling, which is part of a drive against what the EU says are sweetheart tax deals that usually smaller states in the bloc offer multinational companies to lure jobs and investment. The U.S. feels its firms are being targeted by the EU and a U.S. Treasury spokesperson warned the move threatens to undermine U.S. investment in Europe and "the important spirit of economic partnership between the U.S. and the EU." Starbucks Corp has been ordered to pay up to 30 million euros ($33 million) to the Dutch state, while Amazon.com Inc and McDonald's Corp are also under investigation by the Commission, the EU's executive arm. Apple's stock fell less than 1 percent. EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager questioned how anyone might think an arrangement that allowed Apple to pay a tax rate of 0.005 percent, as Apple's main Irish unit did in 2014, was fair. "Tax rulings granted by Ireland have artificially reduced Apple's tax burden for over two decades, in breach of the EU state aid rules. Apple now has to repay the benefits," Vestager told a news conference. Analysts said the size of the claim underlined the Commission's aggressive stance, but since each case involves different circumstances and tax rules, lawyers said it was hard to see if further big claims were any more or less likely. Apple, which had more than $200 billion in cash and readily marketable securities at the end of June, is likely to see the case drag out for years in EU and possibly Irish courts. Tax experts say the European Commission faces a tough battle to convince courts to back up its stand. While the EU has found that certain tax regulations are anti-competitive, it has never before ruled whether countries have applied tax regulations fairly in the way it has with Apple, Starbucks and others. As a result, some lawyers and accountants said they doubted Apple would end up paying back any tax. I am not persuaded by the reasoning the EU has applied, said Tim Wach, global managing director at international tax advisers Taxand. "ARTIFICIAL" ARRANGEMENT The EU's ruling challenges the way that Ireland agreed to tax the profits of Irish-registered Apple subsidiaries, through which most of its non-U.S. profits flowed. Apple Inc licenses the rights to technology designed in the United States to Irish subsidiaries. These then hire contract manufacturers to make devices which they sell to Apple retail subsidiaries around Europe and Asia. Since the manufacturing cost is a small portion of device sales prices and retail subsidiaries are allocated a small operating margin, Apple Ireland is very profitable. In 2011, it earned $22 billion after paying $2 billion to its U.S. parent in relation to the rights to Apple intellectual property. However, the Irish tax authority agreed only 50 million euros of this was taxable in Ireland, the European Commission said. Under the terms of Apples tax deal, first agreed in 1991 and renewed in 2007, Apple could allocate most of the profits earned by its Irish operating units to a "head office" that did not have any employees or own any premises. This 'head office' had no operating capacity to handle and manage the distribution business, or any other substantive business for that matter, the Commission said. The Commission said this agreement had no basis in tax law and was not available to others, and so represented state aid. Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan said he profoundly disagreed with the decision and in order to preserve Irelands attractiveness for investment he would appeal. "There is no economic basis for this decision. It's bizarre and it's an exercise in politics by the Competition Commission," Noonan said. "They don't have responsibility for taxes and they are opening a back door through state aid to influence tax policy in European countries when the European treaties say tax policy is a matter for sovereign governments," he added. Ireland's low corporate tax rate has been a cornerstone of the countrys economic policy for decades, drawing investors from multinational companies whose staff account for almost one in 10 of the country's workers. For many technology firms like Google and Facebook, a key attraction is that Ireland allows companies to adopt tax structures which see them pay much less than the 12.5 percent headline rate. The companies say they follow all tax rules. Apple said it was confident of winning an appeal. "The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apples history in Europe, ignore Irelands tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process," CEO Tim Cook said in a letter to customers posted on Apple's website. "A companys profits should be taxed in the country where the value is created," he added. U.S. OPPOSITION The U.S. Treasury Department published a white paper last week in which it said it was looking at possible responses to what it sees as unfair targeting of its firms, which could include extra taxes on the U.S. arms of European companies. The paper noted that the EU executive's tax rulings could cost the U.S. exchequer money. Under U.S. tax law, Apple's Irish profits are taxable if brought back to the United States  something the company would have to do if it wanted to use the money to pay dividends. But any tax paid in Europe is reduced from the tax due in the United States. The Treasury has said the Commissions approach was at odds with EU tax law and international treaties. The Commission, which has also ruled European companies including carmaker Fiat and Swedish engineer Atlas Copco AB must pay tax claims worth over $350 million, said its application of competition law to tax rulings followed EU law and treated all companies equally. Nonetheless, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg have already appealed EU rulings against their tax deals with multinationals. Apple employs 5,500 people in areas such as logistics and distribution in the Irish city of Cork, which has about a quarter of Apple's Europe-based staff. The Commission has previously said Apple's tax treatment had been "motivated by employment considerations." Apple has said it paid Ireland's 12.5 percent rate on all the income that it generates in the country. Apple Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri decried the effective tax rate cited by Vestager as "a completely made-up number." (Additional reporting by Conor Humphries in Dublin, Robin Emmott, Philip Blenkinsop, Robert-Jan Bartunek and Alastair Macdonald in Brussels, Tom Bergin in London, Eric Auchard in Frankfurt and Julia Love in San Francisco; Writing by Tom Bergin/Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Philip Blenkinsop, Alexander Smith and Bill Rigby)
Oil Price: Everybody Hurts Sometimes

Schadenfreude. Never a bad way to start the day. And you can have a little hit courtesy of this chart from VisualCapitalist.com which looks at which countries are hurt the most by low oil prices.

The runaway winner, no surprise there, is Venezuela. VisualCapitalist founder and editor Jeff Desjardin says Venezuelas cost per barrel isnt bad at $23.50, but the country is the worlds ninth-largest oil exporter with $27.8 billion of exports in 2015."

Oil also accounts for about 96% of the countrys total exports, according to the World Bank.

If oil prices were north of $100/bbl," says Desjardin, "Venezuelas situation would be a lot less dire.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/venezuela-cheap-oil-output-but-among-hardest-hit-by-low-prices-2016-08-29
U.S. President Barack Obama cautioned that the United Kingdom would be at the back of the queue' for a trade agreement with the United States if the country chose to leave the European Union. But in the post-Brexit world a deal might be struck more swiftly. Various ideas for bringing Britain and the United States into a formal trade arrangement have been floated. These range from a bilateral UK-U.S. trade deal, to the United Kingdom joining the North American Free Trade Agreement that connects the United States with Canada and Mexico, to Britain being a party to the the Trans-Pacific Partnership that the United States hopes to seal with 11 other countries along the Pacific Rim.
During the referendum campaign, David Cameron sparked fury by suggesting the migrant camp in Calais could be shifted to Britain following a vote for Brexit. Now, that threat is resurfacing. This time, it's French politicians saying they'll tear up the deal known as the Treaty of Le Touquet'  a change, they say, which will allow migrants wanting to claim asylum in the UK to do so before they cross the Channel.
By Sophie Louet and Philip Blenkinsop

PARIS/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - France cast serious doubt on Tuesday on the prospects of an EU free trade deal with the United States, adding to opposition within Germany and growing scepticism among Americans.

Washington and Brussels are officially committed to sealing the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) before U.S. President Barack Obama leaves office in January, but their chances of doing so are being eroded by approaching elections on both sides of the Atlantic and Britain's vote in June to leave the European Union.

"Everything is moving. In this situation it's just not going to happen," said Peter van Ham, senior research fellow at Dutch think tank Clingendael and author of a paper on Tuesday called "TTIP is dead, long live transatlantic trade".

French Trade Minister Matthias Fekl said he would request a halt to TTIP talks at next month's EU trade ministers' meeting in Bratislava after German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel declared at the weekend that talks were "de facto dead".

Observers say both are responding to public mistrust of a deal that critics say would lower environmental and food standards and allow foreign multinationals to challenge government policies.

Stop TTIP campaigns have been particularly vocal in Germany and Austria, which supporters of TTIP say are among the countries most likely to benefit from increased U.S. trade.

In the United States, Obama has promoted the accord, saying it would fuel growth. But the public mood is turning increasingly negative, with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump making attacks on international trade deals a cornerstone of his campaign, saying they have cost U.S. jobs.

His opponent, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, has also stepped back from her previous support for free trade when she was U.S. Secretary of State, and has questioned whether trade deals hold down U.S. wages.

Story continues

FRENCH, GERMAN ELECTIONS LOOM

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, of Gabriel's Social Democratic Party (SPD), urged diplomats and business chiefs on Tuesday to counter anti-globalization sentiments that are fuelling opposition to free trade deals.

Ahead of elections in France and Germany next year, politicians are keenly aware that TTIP is not a vote winner.

The Bertelsmann Foundation poll showed only 17 percent of Germans saw TTIP as a good thing in April, down from 55 percent two years earlier.

"There may be an economic rationale, but everyone is scrapping for votes and you lose votes if you support TTIP," Van Ham said, adding that any credit from potential free trade gains would be two to three years away.

Supporters say TTIP could boost each economy by $100 billion, creating jobs at a time of economic uncertainty as growth and consumption slow in China and emerging markets. EU leaders backed TTIP talks at a summit in June.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest admitted "significant aspects" of the deal were unresolved, but said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman would travel to Europe in an effort to push the talks forward.

"I anticipate that when he travels to Europe in mid-September that they'll be engaged in substantive discussions and hopefully will be able to make some additional progress," Earnest said.

Three years of negotiations have failed to resolve multiple differences, however, including over public procurement and rules to protect foods from particular regions, such as Parma ham, which the EU wants, and greater access to services and for its agricultural products, as demanded by the United States.

"Practically there's no real change. It's been stuck for the better part of two years," said Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, director of Brussels-based think tank ECIPE.

BREXIT QUESTION

EU trade chief Cecelia Malmstrom told journalists negotiations had not failed and that many EU countries had said they still backed TTIP.

They included Italy, whose trade and industry minister said it was essential for Italian exporters that the negotiations bore fruit.

Germany's Gabriel is the chairman of the SPD who share power with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives. Merkel backs the talks and her spokesman insisted on Monday that they should continue.

Malmstrom added that it made no sense to suspend talks in September because the two sides could still make advances in regulatory cooperation, agreeing standards that are important to industries such as the auto sector, and that could be picked up by Obama's successor even if a deal was not sealed this year.

"The more work we have done, the easier it is to resume," she said before a planned video conference with Froman.

Froman has said Britain's EU exit will affect TTIP because Britain consumes about a quarter of U.S. exports to the bloc.

Trade analysts say that Washington may be preparing for the end of trade talks, which typically conclude with each side holding the other responsible for failure.

President Francois Hollande told ambassadors on Tuesday that talks were "bogged down" and "unbalanced" and it was an illusion to imagine that a deal could be sealed during Obama's term.

"Very soon you end in a blame game," said Lee-Makiyama. "But trade negotiations never really die. They just go into a stock-taking phase."

(Reporting by Sophie Louet and John Irish in Paris, Crispian Balmer in Rome, and Madeline Chambers and Andrea Shalal in Berlin; Writing by Andrew Callus, Philip Blenkinsop and Bill Rigby; Editing by Catherine Evans and James Dalgleish)
Because geopolitics is based on the eternal verities of geography, relatively little in geopolitics comes to an end. The Warsaw Pact may have dissolved following the collapse of the Berlin Wall, but Russia is still big and it still lies next door to Central and Eastern Europe, so a Russian threat to Europe still exists. Japan may have been defeated and flattened by the U.S. military in World War II, but its dynamic population -- the gift of a temperate zone climate -- still projects power in the Pacific Basin and may do so even more in the years to come. The United States may have committed one blunder after another in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, yet through all of these misbegotten wars the United States remains by a yawning margin the greatest military power on earth -- the gift, ultimately, of America being a virtual island nation of continental proportions, as well as the last resource-rich swath of the temperate zone to be settled at the time of the European Enlightenment.

So we come to the Middle East, which, despite all its changes and upheavals in the course of the decades and all the prognostications of a U.S. "pivot" to the Pacific, remains vital to the United States. Israel is a de facto strategic ally of the United States and for over six decades now has remained embattled, necessitating American protection. The Persian Gulf region is still the hydrocarbon capital of the world and thus a premier American interest. Certainly, officials in Washington would like to shift focus to the Pacific, but the Middle East simply won't allow that to happen.

And yet there is an ongoing evolution in America's relationship with the region, and attrition of the same can add up to big change.

For decades the Persian Gulf represented a primary American interest: a place that was crucial to the well-being of the American economy. The American economy is the great oil and automotive economy of the modern age, with interstate highways the principal transport link for an entire continent. And Persian Gulf oil was a key to that enterprise. But increasingly the Persian Gulf represents only a secondary interest to the United States: a region important to the well-being of American allies, to be sure, and to world trade and the world economic system in general, but not specifically crucial to America itself, the war to defeat the Islamic State notwithstanding. However much oil the United States is still importing from the Persian Gulf, the fact is that America will have more energy alternatives at home and abroad in future decades.

Indeed, the United States is on the brink of being, in some sense, energy self-sufficient within Greater North America, from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, to the oil fields of Venezuela. U.S. President Barack Obama may veto the Keystone Pipeline System that would bring oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, but industry experts believe that the future will in any case see continued cooperation between the United States and Canada in the energy sector. There is, too, the vast exploitation of shale gas in Texas, Louisiana, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. U.S. companies will, in addition, probably be investing more in the Mexican and (eventually) Venezuelan energy industries in the future, following increasing economic liberalization in Mexico City and the possible, eventual passing of the Chavista era in Caracas. All this serves to separate the United States from the Middle East.

While the United States will have less and less need of Middle East hydrocarbons, the Middle East will for years to come be consumed by internal political chaos that itself exposes the limits of American power. In the era of strong authoritarian Arab states, American power was easy to project. It was just a matter of U.S. diplomats brokering peace treaties, separation of forces agreements, secret understandings, and the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and some of its neighbors. After all, Egypt, Syria, Jordan and other Arab countries all had just one phone number to call -- that of the dictator or monarch in charge. But whom do you phone now in Tripoli or Sanaa or Damascus (even if Cairo is temporarily back under military dictatorship)? With no one really in charge, it is harder to bring American pressure to bear. Chaos in and of itself stymies U.S. power.

The United States remains a global behemoth. And U.S. power, particularly military power, can accomplish many things. The United States can defend Japan and Taiwan against China, South Korea against North Korea, Poland against Russia, and ultimately Israel against Iran. But one thing American power cannot accomplish, as a decade in Iraq and Afghanistan showed, is to rebuild complex Islamic societies from within. And rebuilding societies from within will be the fundamental challenge faced by the Arab world for at least the next half-decade. Thus, America, in spite of its latest military intervention, becomes less relevant to the region even as the region itself no longer represents quite the primary interest to America that it used to. We should keep this in mind now that the war against the Islamic State threatens to distract us from other theaters.

So in the glacial changes that often define geopolitics, the United States (that is, Greater North America) is moving away from the Middle East. This occurs as the Middle East itself slowly dissolves into a Greater Indian Ocean world.

For as the United States requires fewer and fewer hydrocarbons from the Middle East, China and India require more and more. Their economies may have slowed, but they are still growing. The Persian Gulf can -- in the final analysis -- erupt into a nuclear firestorm and America will survive well, thank you. But China and India will have the greater problem. China does not have a foreign policy so much as a resource-acquisition policy. Not only is it increasingly involved in energy deals with Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran, but China is currently trying to build, run or help finance container ports in Tanzania and Pakistan in order to eventually transport both commercial goods from the western rim of the Indian Ocean to the eastern rim and on into China itself. And while all this is happening, Oman, for example, plans to build routes and pipelines from outside the Strait of Hormuz to countries inside the strait, even as China and India have visionary plans to link energy-rich and landlocked Central Asia by pipeline to both western China and the Indian Ocean.

In this evolving strategic geography of the early- and mid-21st century, the Middle East slowly becomes a world defined less by its own conflict and trading system and more by a conflict and trading system that spans the whole navigable southern rimland of the Eurasian supercontinent, with tentacles reaching north into Central Asia. The Indian Ocean thus emerges as the global hydrocarbon interstate linking the oil and gas fields of the Persian Gulf with the urban middle class concentrations of the Indian subcontinent and East Asia.

In such a scenario, the United States does not desert the Middle East, just as China and India do not greatly infiltrate it. But there is movement -- especially psychological -- away from one reality and toward another. And in the process, the Middle East as a clearly defined region of 20th century area studies means less than it used to.

Boiled down to the current newspaper headlines, Obama has not been irresponsible by refusing to get more involved than he has in the sectarian chaos of Syria and deciding for so long to withhold military action against Iran's nuclear facilities. His presidency is simply a sign of the times: a sign of the limits of U.S. power and of the more limited interests the United States has in the Middle East, terrorism excepted. The opening to Iran, as demonstrated by the interim agreement concerning Tehran's nuclear program, is part of this shift. The United States is trying to put its house in order in the Middle East through a rapprochement of sorts with the mullahs so that it can devote more time to other regions. Of course, this has been upended by the war against the Islamic State. But it will remain an overriding American goal nevertheless.
,



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By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 08/29/2016



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.
Prattle is a text analysis company that uses proprietary algorithms to provide weekly research on central bank communications. This is a reprinted version of their Macrocast, originally published on their blog.

Prattle's models are based on the historical relationship between central bank language and market reaction, which is used as basis of evaluation for future communications. The scores are normalized around zero and range between -2 and 2, negative numbers indicating dovishness and positive numbers indicating hawkishness.

Federal Reserve

Forecast: Likely to (continue to) signal an impending hike

Analysis: Kashkari, Mester, and Lacker are speaking on the 31st, 1st, and 2nd respectively. While all of these speakers have a history of hawkishness*, theyve been relatively moderate of late. We expect that all three, especially Mester and Lacker, will return to their hawkish ways this week, adding to the chorus of Fed speakers pointing to an impending hike. As mentioned above, Rosengren is also speaking in Beijing this week, and he may take the opportunity to join his colleagues in signalling a rate hike before year-end.

8.29.16-fed-speakers.png

Reserve Bank of Australia

Forecast: Likely to signal dovish

Analysis: The RBA is trending dovish (momentum** -0.68) again, and markets will be watching Guy Debelle, the RBAs assistant governor, for dovish inclinations in his August 30 speech. Debelle has not spoken publicly since June, but his May and June speeches were consistently hawkish, and his current momentum score is 0.77. Should Debelle score dovishor even moderateit could be a signal of another RBA cut.

European Central Bank

Forecast: Likely to (continue to) trend hawkish

Analysis: On September 2, Benoit Coeure and Victor Constancio are speaking at a conference on The Optimal Size of the Financial Sector. Although both speeches will likely focus on regulation, it would not be surprising to see them assume a hawkish tone and contribute to the ECBs recent, rising sentiment (momentum 0.27). Also, Executive Board Member Peter Praet (along with the Boston Feds Eric Rosengren) is speaking at a conference in Beijing about monetary policy in China, but, given the conference topic, we dont expect to see any bold ECB policy statements coming out of that speech.

Story continues

Bank of Turkey

Forecast: Minutes to signal if rate cuts will continue

Analysis: On Wednesday, the Bank of Turkey will release the minutes from its policy meeting last week. The bank decided to cut last weekby 25bpsand its sentiment is trending dovish. Will the cuts continue? These minutes should bring clarity.

Bank of Brazil

Forecast: Likely to hold rates

Analysis: The Bank of Brazil will likely hold at its policy meeting on Wednesday. While its been, for the most part, radio silence, the bank has been trending significantly hawkish (momentum 1.36), even in the face of a rising real, suggesting a rate hold.

Bank of Israel

Forecast: Likely to hold rates

Analysis: Despite a dovish set of recent minutes (residual score -1.08), the Bank of Israels momentum remains positive (0.28), so we expect they will hold rates yet again.

8.29.16-table_small.png

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 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Many Athens residents were initially confused and upset when they heard Mayor Nancy Denson decided to pull an anti-discrimination ordinance from being voted on this month, but now some welcome the time to push for further expansion of the ordinance.
A lot goes on around campus, and sometimes it's hard to keep up with. From political rallies to beer and yoga, The Red & Black complied five of the top stories not to miss this week.
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Chamber launches new business resource

The Redding Chamber of Commerce has partnered with US Bank to open the Business Solutions Center, a virtual meeting place where chamber members and nonmembers can ask experts and find the resources to grow their business.

Chamber President Jake Mangas said his organization needs to be the go-to resource for businesses and the Business Solutions Center forwards that mission.

The center is at www.reddingchamber.com. It is broken into six categories: Business Banking Solutions, Starting a Business, Growing a Business, Human Resources, Ask the Chamber, and Economic Trends & Data.

"If I got a challenge in my business, I can call the Chamber of Commerce first and even if they can't help, they will direct me to where I can go to find solutions," Mangas said of his vision for the site.

EDC hosts Beer & Bytes

The Economic Development Corp. of Shasta County will host Beer & Bytes 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Shasta Venture Hub, 4300 Caterpillar Road in Redding.

Entrepreneurs, developers, inventors, startup team members, mentors and investors are invited to attend.

A variety of beer, wine and pizza will be served.

The event is free but you are required to RSVP at http://bit.ly/2bNjcPe.

Reporter David Benda can be reached at 225-8219 or at david.benda@redding.com.
SHARE FILE - In this May 27, 2013 file photo, Wailers bassist Aston Barrett performs during the free Memorial Day outdoor festival in Bethlehem, Pa. Former members of Jamaican reggae band The Wailers that played alongside Bob Marley are going to court to try to stop the group they left from performing under the same name. The court set a hearing for Aug. 31, 2016, said attorney Stephen Screnci, who is representing Barrett and the others. (AP Photo/The Express-Times, Matt Smith, File)

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  Former members of Jamaican reggae band The Wailers, which played alongside Bob Marley, are going to court to try to stop the group they left from performing under the same name.

Aston "Family Man" Barrett and other ex-Wailers members said in a petition filed in a Virginia Beach court this week that the reggae group currently preforming as The Wailers is a sham because it includes no members of the original band. They're asking the court to act quickly and block the band from using the name, noting that it is set to play in Virginia at the Lockn' Festival this weekend.

The court set a hearing for Aug. 31, said attorney Stephen Screnci, who is representing Barrett and the others. Asked if that meant the band would still be allowed to play this weekend, Screnci said he didn't know for sure.

"There's a lot of people buying tickets that think they're going to see The Wailers and they're not," he said of the current band in general. "If you advertised as The Beatles and you showed up and there were no Beatles, I think you'd be disappointed," he said.

Al Anderson, Tyrone Downie and Earl Lindo, who each joined the band in the '70s before Marley passed away in 1981, are also joining Barrett in the case.

Michael Jones, who currently manages the band that performs as The Wailers, said Thursday that he hadn't yet read the filing. But he said that dozens of musicians have played under the Wailers name over the years. The current band is "what's left of the same band that has played continuously since 1981," Jones said.

"It's a revolving door of musicians that have played with The Wailers. It always has been," Jones said. "We have a wonderful band that is recognized worldwide as The Wailers." No one responded Thursday to an email sent to Monterey International, a booking agency named in the filing.

Barrett, who joined The Wailers in 1969 as its bassist, left the group several months ago, but the band continues to use his name and likeness in promotional materials, the petition for injunctive relief says. Barrett and the others accuse the group of deceiving consumers and concert organizers by leaving the impression that original members are still part of the band.

"Not only is defendants' use of the name damaging to plaintiffs in terms of profits illicitly gained by defendants, every poor performance by the sham Wailers and every poor experience a consumer has with defendants reflects negatively on the plaintiffs, especially for consumers that attend defendants' shows expecting to see members of the original band The Wailers," the filing says.

___
This map from Enplan shows the hot spots of the Cap Fire in Siskiyou County.

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By Staff Reports

Update 1:15 p.m.

Officials with the Forest Service issued a temporary emergency closure on both the Klamath and Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest lands for safety purposes as they battle the Gap Fire.

The Gap Fire closure begins at the intersection Highway 96 and the Pacific Crest Trail, and continues north and east to the intersection of the trail and Forest Road 47N01 at Warps Gap.

The boundary continues southeast along the northeastern edge of Forest Road 47N01 to the intersection with Beaver Creek Road (Forest Road 11). The boundary continues south along the western edge of Beaver Creek Road to the intersection with Highway 96.

From that intersection the boundary continues west along the northern edge of Highway 96 to the intersection with the Pacific Crest Trail.

Update 7 a.m. Wednesday

Firefighters are starting to gain containment on a fire about 20 miles west of Yreka that's grown to more than triple the size of the city of Anderson.

The Gap Fire swelled overnight Tuesday to 12,829 acres, the U.S. Forest Service said. That's about 20-square miles.

Containment is about 5 percent. The fire is buring in heavily wooded areas that were previously untouched by fire, the Forest Service said.

A low pressure weather system moving into the area is expected to bring to cooler temperatures to the region, though no rain is expected.

An inversion layer - where warmer air moves above colder air in the atmosphere, will trap smoke from the fire in deeper valleys, according to the Forest Service.

A community meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Scott Bar Community Center, 27427 Scott River.

Original story

The Gap Fire burning in the Klamath National Forest about 20 miles west of Yreka remained out of control Tuesday as it grew to about 9,820 acres.

With 1,120 firefighters assigned to the blaze, it remained at zero percent containment.

At least nine buildings, as well as 12 outbuildings, have been destroyed by the fire, which began Saturday, U.S. Forest Service officials say.

The cause of the fire has not yet been identified.

Forest Service officials say there are no mandatory evacuations, noting that all have all been reduced to advisory.

The Siskiyou Golden Fair grounds, 1712 Fairlane Road in Yreka, is serving as an evacuation center that will also accept large animals.

As the fire remained active Tuesday in the Buckhorn Creek drainage, Robinson Gulch and Sambo Gulch areas, firefighters worked to continue building fire lines, Forest Service officials said.

With cooler weather and higher humidity expected, firefighters are continuing to construct fire lines into Robinson Gulch.

They also hope to set strategic fires  if the weather permits  to get a handle on the blaze and protect homes and businesses.

The objective is to keep the fire north of Highway 96 between Seiad and Horse Creeks, as well as south of the Siskiyou Crest, east of Seiad Creek and west of the footprint of the 2014 Beaver Fire, Forest Service officials said.

Firefighters are also continuing to mop up around structures in the Middle Creek and Horse Creek areas.

One-way traffic is open on Highway 96 from Scott River Road traveling east six miles, according to the California Department of Transportation.

A community meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Scott Bar Community Center, 27427 Scott River.

Anyone with information on how the fire started can call Forest Service investigators at 841-4474 or the Siskiyou County Sheriffs Office at 841-2900.
Jim Schultz/Record Searchlight

Felix Ayala. top, and Jose Luna are shown at their arraignment Tuesday.

SHARE Felix "Phil" Ayala Elioenaid Rivera Sergio Martinez

Three of five men charged with murder in the October beating and stabbing death of a 61-year-old Redding man were arraigned Tuesday on murder charges.

All five men, two of whom are in custody in New York, are also accused of robbing an East Cypress Avenue hydroponics business.

Felix Ruben Ayala, 36, Jose Orlando Luna, 51, both of Shingletown, and Elioenaid Rivera, 18, of Anderson, pleaded not guilty during their Superior Court arraignment.

They are accused along with Felix Phil Ayala, 45, and Sergio Martinez, 30, both of Bronx, N.Y., of murdering Bradley Stephen Yoder, whose body was found Oct. 4 inside his Shasta View Drive home in Redding.

Police said today Yoder, who was the brother-in-law of former Anderson City Councilman Butch Schaefer, was beaten and repeatedly stabbed during what they described as a marijuana robbery.

Felix Phil Ayala has waived extradition and may arrive in Shasta County as early as this week, said Shasta County Senior Deputy District Attorney Emily Mees.

Its unknown when Martinez will be extradited.

Meanwhile, Felix Ayala, who is the brother of the New York Ayala, Luna and Rivera are being held in Shasta County Jail without bail.

They are scheduled to have their preliminary hearing on Sept. 8.
SHARE Michael Allen Bradley

Man faces prison in robbery, carjacking

A 40-year-old Shasta County man is facing up to 89 years to life in prison at his Oct. 3 sentencing after he was recently convicted by a jury of robbery, kidnapping, false imprisonment and carjacking, according to the Shasta County District Attorney's Office.

Michael Allen Bradley, who was convicted earlier this month, is the last of seven defendants accused of luring their victims through Facebook,

Bradley was convicted by a jury of residential robbery in concert, kidnapping for robbery, kidnapping during carjacking, false imprisonment by violence and carjacking.

The jury also found true a special allegation that these were hate crimes committed in concert with others, and two special allegations that Bradley used a deadly weapons during the crimes.

The case was investigated by Redding Police investigator Will Williams and prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney Emily Mees.

Mud-damaged roads to be repaired

The U.S. Forest Service has received approval to begin repairs of two McCloud-area roads damaged by a mudslide on Mt. Shasta in 2014.

Work is expected to begin after Labor Day on Pilgrim Creek Road, also known as Forest Road 13. After that, work will begin on McKenzie Butte Road, also known as Forest Road 31.

The roads were damaged after tons of sediment, debris, boulders and trees were washed downhill when a large mass of water broke free from under the Konwakiton Glacier on Mt. Shasta in October 2014.

McKenzie Butte Road north of McCloud, has remained closed since the rock slide, while Pilgrim Creek Road, about 3 miles east of McCloud, was covered with mud, it later reopened, the forest service said.

The forest service plans to replace the bridge and culvert at Pilgrim Creek Road with a larger bridge. The road will also be straightened and the creek will be restored to its original position, the forest service said.

Buffet to donate to the Red Cross

California's HomeTown Buffet restaurants, including the one on Churn Creek Road in Redding, will donate 10 percent of their Wednesday pre-tax sales to the American Red Cross.

The donations will help support those displaced by the fires throughout the state, company officials say.

"With 44 locations throughout California, supporting our community is extremely important to us," said Mike Griffith, director of marketing the parent company of HomeTown Buffet.
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In 1977, my wife and I moved from El Paso, Texas, to Anderson here in Shasta County. El Paso was my last tour of duty in the U.S. Navy.

El Paso was a very patriotic city, being the home of Fort Bliss, an Army stronghold. Because it was a border town, we were conscious of our surroundings and things that go with a border town. We kept everything under lock and key and never left our keys in the car, even in our driveway. When we arrived, in Anderson, we were introduced to a wonderful sort of sleepy and safe community. As we saw it, there was Cottonwood a cattle town, Anderson a timber/lumber town, Redding a sort of a cosmopolitan railroad stop and the county seat, and Central Valley a "gateway" to leaving the Sacramento Valley going north on Interstate 5.

Almost from the very first, we felt welcome and safe. The people were very friendly and helpful. We were invited to join the area service clubs and veterans groups. There was very little citizen's unrest (crime) noted in the local newspapers, or on the radio or TV stations. This peaceful environment continued for the next 20-some years.

In about the year 2000, our Anderson area home, with its small acreage, became too large for us to keep up to the degree that we were used to. At that time we moved into a very nice subdivision in North Redding. In the next year or so, we started to notice a change in the way people were acting: In their driving, their manners and their general attitude. This noticeable change was evident when we were at public events or in public areas such as in stores or markets. The crime rate started inching up until recently it seems all most out of control.

Along came AB 109 and now there are a lot of arrests but rarely a lock-up, with a revolving-door type of justice. I recently noted that one person had been booked and released six times in the past few months and, as far as I know, he is out and about, waiting to strike again.

It seems to me that as a community, state and nation, we have lost our way and turned our backs on the rule of law and, in many cases, we have lost our moral compass. We have removed prayer form our schools and "In God we trust" from many public places. The founding fathers of this country worked doubly hard to provide the underpinnings for us to have a great nation. I must put forward that it would appear that we, as a people, are doing our best to destroy the results of that hard work and, to a point, destroy our wonderful nation. Sadly, it's more important to be "politically correct" than to do what is "correct."

In some cases an attitude of "responsibility, but no accountability" seems to prevail. If people do not govern themselves, there are not enough police, no matter the amount, to make this or any area safe again. My wife and I now live in an alarm protected home and we are afraid to walk our streets, trails or roads after dark and on a couple of streets even during daylight hours. This country was founded on Judea Christian principles, with the "rule of law" being paramount. We as a nation, must return to those tenants, principles and respect the rule of law, or we as a nation are lost, in my opinion.

James Gibson lives in Redding.